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lethalchiralium · 1 year

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Tattooed Heart | Simon “Ghost” Riley Headcanon

a/n: this is purely a response to Angel, this is how the 141 reacts to the knowledge of Simon “Ghost” Riley having a daughter. (alejandro, rudy, laswell, and könig meeting winnie soon! also simon meeting you soon as well :)!)

warnings: mentions of afab!reader, cussing, mentions of sex, mentions of death, gaz and price did not know simon knew how to have sex

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- Obviously, Price is the first to see the video. And of course, he’s absolutely speechless. Hearing Ghost speak in a soft voice was one thing, but seeing evidence that Ghost has 1. Had sex. 2. Got someone pregnant. 3. Has a daughter, was another thing. (He really thought Ghost has never had sex because of his whole aversion to physical touch.)

- And of course, as soon as Ghost gets on base, he is hunting his ass down. (“Since when do you have a baby?!” “Since November.”)

- Price does not ask about Winnie unless he knows absolutely no one is around. No one can eavesdrop, no one will know. Asks Simon about what color she likes best, if he really wears the mask around his daughter. (Which Simon answers, “She likes green right now. And yes. She knows me with or without it.”) He also asks if he can ever meet her. (“Someday, Captain. But not today.”)

- Price meets her on her first birthday. He bought her a little light green bear and a necklace “for when she gets older”. (It’s a Price family heirloom. Price considers Ghost to be one of his closest friends, and doesn’t really want a family himself so why not give it to someone who will appreciate it.) (“Thank you, John.” “It’s no problem, Ghost.”)

- Price learns about Winnie’s mom just before she’s two. She had died in an ambulance after a car crash when she was pregnant, Winnie had to be born via c-section two months early. (The woman was a ‘close friend’, Simon was coming to terms with being a father since she had told him two weeks before she died. He doesn’t speak her name.) She’s a happy child, always loving seeing ‘Uncle John’. Price is all smiles whenever he sees Winnie. (which used to be rare, but Simon has grown to truly trust Price.)

- Right after Winnie turns two, Simon asks Price to be her godfather. Price cried. He babysits sometimes for Simon when his pretty nanny has to go out of town and is always so surprised at how obsessed Winnie is with Simon. (“Where’s Daddy, Uncle John! I want him right now!” “Honey, Dad’s workin’. I’m supposed to be working too, can you- Ah!” Winnie smacks him in the face with some of the kid paint she has. She was ‘scolded’ by Simon when he got home (Simon told her to do it again when Price is being ‘mean’.)) Price would do anything for his goddaughter, he would burn the world for that little girl.

- The Task Force would see the video by accident. (At this point, Winnie is almost 4 and for the sake of this whole thing, TF141 is created BEFORE the events of MW2.) Price was drunk at a bar with Gaz and Soap, scrolling through his phone before saying, “Aww, look at my goddaughter.” And he plays the video.

- Gaz is just fucking bewildered. He’d sober up immediately and take the phone from Price, jaw dropped. “What the fuck.” He’d hand the phone to Soap, who is fucking speechless. (And of course, Price would snatch it away and immediately recognize his wrongdoing and say, “You lot stole my phone and saw that video, I did not show it to ya. I am not in on this.” Trying to get himself out of trouble because he knows that it’s incredibly difficult for Simon to let anyone meet his baby. So that would make it VERY easy for Simon to revoke Price’s privileges, albeit not for super long but long enough for Price to regret his whole life.)

- “Ghost has had sex?!” Was Gaz’s first response. (Price uttered a quiet, “That’s what I said.”) And he pushes his beer away, looking at Price while Price looks straight ahead. “He has a baby.”

- “Holy shite.” Soap would then say, tossing the phone onto the bar. “Can we meet her?”

- “It took me almost ten months to meet her myself, I doubt you two will ever.” Price answered, Gaz just sits back in his chair and goes, “Ghost has had sex.” And Soap goes, “Ghost has a baby.”

- When Soap and Gaz arrive back on base, practically dragging a very piss drunk Price while being piss drunk themselves, Ghost meets them. Gaz and Soap both stare at him and Ghost says, “What happened?”

- “You had sex.” “You have a baby.” Ghost looks at Price. Price looks at Ghost. Ghost knows he did it. He doesn’t say a word before he takes Price from the two bumbling idiots and says, “Go to bed.” (Ghost chews Price out the next morning. Price knows he deserves it and does not say one word.)

- Gaz follows Ghost around the next day, asking questions about his daughter out of earshot of others. (“I don’t know what you’re on about, Sergeant. Don’t you have paperwork to do?”) Gaz grumbles when he finally gives up, saying that the video probably wasn’t real and just Price messing with them.

- Soap is a lot more annoying about it. Just like Gaz and Price, he only asks questions when no one is around. (in fear of his life but he would never admit that.) “How old is she?” “Babies are so precious. My sister has one. I love my niece.” “Does she like ducks? My niece likes ducks.”

- Ghost would give him a look of “Shut the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up.” Soap doesn’t care. “Babies are so fun!”

- It would take just one day on patrol back at their base in England for Soap to trail Ghost home and see the girl for himself. She kisses his mask and hugs him tightly, he pats her back and heads into a house, seeing a very slim glimpse of a beautiful woman. (He reports back to Price and Gaz, freaking out. “HE HAS A WOMAN IN HIS HOUSE.” and Price is like, “Uh, yes… He has a nanny.”) (Gaz is still very much bewildered that Ghost, the untouchable man, has had sex so he does not comment on a woman being in his house.)

- A year later, after both Gaz and Soap have stopped pestering Ghost about Winnie, on her fifth birthday, unbeknownst to Gaz and Soap, Price invites them to the ‘party’. Soap immediately recognizes the building as Simon’s house when he, Gaz, and Price drive towards it. “You tricked us!” “I did.” “We don’t have presents!” “Yes, you do.” Price shoves small bags into their hands.

- Simon opens the door and actually lets them in. Gaz and Soap are absolutely dumbfounded when they enter the house. (Of course it’s in almost the middle of nowhere because he a paranoid man.)

- And here comes Winnie - dressed in pink with the green bear Price got her in her hands. “Uncle John!” She screams, and attacks his leg, clinging to it while Price just laughs. He walks around and chats with Ghost while Soap and Gaz just stand and watch the little girl.

- She would detach herself from Price’s leg before climbing onto the couch next to Gaz and smacking her hands onto his cheek and saying, “Friend.” Gaz would immediately burst into tears and she would hug him around his neck, Gaz would stand and carry her towards Ghost. (He’d be silently pointing at her to Price and mouthing, “Look!” He’s in absolute shambles. He thought that the Lieutenant’s daughter would be conditioned to not like strangers.)

- Winnie holds onto Gaz for dear life and does not like Soap at first. As soon as Soap was near, she would reach for Ghost. He would take her from Gaz without a word and let her squeeze her arms around his neck. (Soap’s face drops but Price pats his arms. “Don’t worry, she didn’t necessarily like me in the beginning either.” Soap feels better then.)

- Ghost would thank them all for coming to visit after they eat, he herded them towards the door and Soap goes, “Where’s the missus?”

- Ghost opened the door, gesturing for them to leave. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” And ‘slams’ the door in their faces. (Price bursts out laughing and Gaz is still all smiles. Soap is defeated.)

- And all is normal when they return to base the next day, except when Ghost is sat beside Soap. He fishes a light pink paper out of his vest pocket, hands it to him. Soap opens it and sees a drawing of an obviously mohawked stick figure and a smaller stick figure wearing pink. And in big, childish letters, Soap was written and pointed towards the mohawked one, and Winnie pointed to the smaller one. He almost cried. (Ghost then pulled out his phone, and opened his photos. “Here’s my girls.” He then showed a picture of you, holding a ten month old Winnie. (Ghost would be lying if he said that wasn’t when he fell in love with you.) “Don’t ever ask again.” “Sir yes sir.”)

———

#canon that winnie loves gaz more than soap and price #simon riley #simon ghost riley #simon riley call of duty #simon ghost riley call of duty #simon ghost riley headcanons #john soap mactavish #john price #kyle gaz garrick #kyle garrick #john mactavish #soap mactavish #simon ghost riley x afab!reader #price cod #gaz cod #soap cod

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dollfaceksj · 5 months

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I don’t think Yoongi’s gonna get mad tbh

can’t afford love | myg (m) #14

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yoongi simply stares at your phone for a moment before glancing up into your eyes

your heart is beating like crazy

she’s saying baby saenggakajima..

you take your phone from him and avoid his gaze as you go to take a seat next to jun

there’s a funny feeling in your gut but you refuse to acknowledge it

yoongi has no say in who texts you

his privilege has been revoked

you run your hand through jun’s hair and gently rub his cranium

“my pretty boy,” you whisper and kiss his chubby cheeks

he looks so much like his dad

he giggles and squirms under you

“have you been giving daddy a hard time?” you say as you play with the shell of his ear

he shakes his head as he starts eating the gimbap his father prepared for the three of you

“oh, it’s not jun that’s giving daddy a hard time.” yoongi’s voice snaps you out of your trance

makes you glance at him

what’s his deal, for real?

“jealous?” is all you ask

he scoffs as he bites into his gimbap

“are you doing all that to make me jealous?” he asks, still not looking at you

you roll your eyes but also refuse yo look at him. “why would i want you to be jealous? we’re divorced.”

he simply chuckles and shakes his head. “right.”

the fight is over

you can’t seem to let it go, though

“how am i giving you a hard time?” you turn to look at him

he looks at you with a ‘don’t play with me’ look before returning his attention to his food

you scoff. “no response because there’s nothing for you to say.”

bickering like little fuckin kids

he deeply exhales. “you’re actually driving me crazy.”

you turn your attention back to jun and wipe his cheeks a bit

“is it good, baby?” you ask him and he simply nods his head

“daddy is a good cook, right?” you whisper and jun just nods again, clearly just focused on his food

it’s true though, yoongi is a great cook

you eat your gimbap in silence

by the time you’ve finished eating, jun’s already playing with his toys on the floor again

“it’s time for bed.” yoongi picks jun up but jun fights against him, throwing a tantrum

“come here,” you coo and hold your arms out, taking jun from his father’s arms as you cuddle him. “you have to go to sleep, baby. you’ve got daycare tomorrow.”

he eagerly nods and then reaches out to his dad again

little prick

yoongi disappears with jun upstairs and you take it upon yourself to clean the table and do the dishes

you can hear jun still throwing a tantrum and it makes you giggle

thinking about how yoongi looks when hes annoyed

by the time you’ve finished doing the dishes, yoongi is back

stares at you

you stare back as you dry your hands using the towel you just dried the dishes with

he walks up to you, cornering you against the sink

what is he thinking?

what does he want

he simply stands before you, breath fanning over your face

you look up at him

but he says nothing

and you wish you could have that kind of determination but you don’t

you have to speak

and you do

“you know,” you start, “this outfit wasn’t expensive.”

💀💀💀💀

you crazy bitch

he blinks at you for a moment. by the look in his eyes, you know he knows exactly what you’re referring to

“jun’s asleep,” is all he says.

you shrug your shoulders. “i can keep quiet.”

“can you?” he snaps. he leans forwards, placing his hands on the edge, caging your body in between his and the sink. “can you keep quiet? because lately, all you’ve been doing is lie for no damn reason.”

there it is

you glare at him for a moment before shrugging. “i think you like it.”

he blinks a few times in confusion. “what?”

“you like when i lie to you.” your eyes stay stuck to his. “gives you a reason to be rough with me.”

he dryly chuckles, so empty of any hint of humor

“we’re not teenagers anymore, y/n. i don’t ‘need’ a reason to do anything. if i want to turn you around right now and fuck you right here on this sink like i hate you, i don’t need a reason for that.” he never breaks eye contact as he talks. “i don’t need a reason to be rough with you. you can stop lying.”

“i just don’t believe you.” you shrug your shoulders.

well.

you’re a menace

that much has been established

he simply sighs and shakes his head in exasperation. “what am i going to do with you…” he drops his head and leans his forehead against your shoulder

very

intimate

you’re trapped against the sink, with his body barricading you

his head on your shoulder, lips gently grazing your neck

it’s quiet between you two

and you don’t know what possesses you when you ask,

“do you think jun would be confused if he saw us like this?”

silence

uncomfortable silence

yoongi’s still leaning on you

doesn’t say anything

just inhales your scent

you might have put his favorite perfume on

but then yoongi straightens his back to look at you

“confused? maybe. but i don’t think it’s harmful for jun to think his parents love each other. he’ll realize sooner or later.”

‘to think his parents love each other’

“what if we meet someone else?”

at this, a muscle in his jaw jumps

you eyes trail to his lips for a moment before back up to his eyes

he shakes his head. “then he’ll get used to it but it’s not happening. not for me at least.”

you roll your eyes. like yuna didn’t happen yesterday. “you still think taehyung and i are a thing?”

he frowns sternly. “why’s he offering to take photos of you in private?”

you giggle. “he said i should considering modelling. said i wasn’t comfortable in front of the camera.”

he thinks about it for a while. the message has been giving context. he doesn’t seem that annoyed with it anymore. however, he can’t help but say, “still a weird thing to say.”

you pretend to agree as you say, “like saying you’d have fucking ruined your ex wife in some random restroom if her dress didn’t look expensive?”

oop

🫦

however

yoongi ain’t no bitch

“i still stand by it. i’ll do it right here too, doesn’t have to be a random restroom.”

“i’m not ovulating.”

“i know.”

you bring your hand up and push against his chest but there’s no real strength behind it

and he knows

he knows you don’t actually want to push him off

so he simply buries his face in the crook of your neck again

it’s quiet again

his nose nudges against the skin of your neck

you can’t help but squirm a bit

he whispers, “so, what do you say?”

huh

what

what’s going on

what does he want?

Oh.

you gather the courage to whisper back, “what?”

“you gonna let me fuck you or not?”

you swallow to relieve your dry throat

he’s so so close

every hair on your face feels his breath fanning against it

calm down

say something witty

you shrug your shoulders again. “i didn’t come to dinner to have sex.”

he responds, “i didn’t invite you over to have sex either.”

hmmm

as an established liar yourself, you can tell he’s speaking the truth

he slowly looks around, appearing casual. “but it doesn’t hurt to try again when we have the chance, no?”

to be continued

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marvelfanfn2187a113 · 6 months

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Just Like You

Sam Winchester x daughter!reader, Dean Winchester x niece!reader

Requested by Anonymous

Synopsis: You and your dad Sam butt heads, and Dean takes sides

“Where’s the kid?”

Sam ran a hand over his face and sighed before answering his brother.

“Her room. Leave her be, she’s grounded.”

“What? No way,” Dean said, and when he started towards your room, ignoring Sam’s protests, Sam reluctantly followed. “What’d you do?” Dean demanded.

“Nothing,” you grumbled.

“You can’t punish my favorite niece for nothing,” Dean said.

“I’m your only niece.” You smiled a little.

“She stole my gun,” Sam responded. “And tried to sneak out with it.”

“I just wanted to practice,” you huffed.

“Yeah, well you should’ve thought of that before you tried to sneak out for a hunt,” Sam said. “So right now, your gun privileges are revoked. And that most definitely does not mean that you can try to use mine just because I took away yours.”

“You tried to go out for a hunt?” Dean asked.

“I just wanted to help dad on his last one,” you huffed. “It’s not like I was gonna go solo.”

“But we agreed that you’re not going on one at all, not yet. You’re not old enough.”

“You mean you decided,” you muttered.

“Hey,” Sam’s voice rose. “We talked about—“

“Ok, ok,” Dean interrupted. “Sam, can I talk to you?”

Dean led a reluctant Sam out of the room.

“Dean, look,” Sam sighed. “I know you’re her uncle, and you don’t like it when I—“

“This isn’t about me,” Dean waved his comment off. “This is about the two of you. You know why you’re always butting heads, right?”

“No, but I have a feeling you’re about to tell me.”

“Dude, she’s practically mini-you. She’s exactly how you were at her age, in fact you were way worse.”

“I was not—“ Sam froze. “Holy crap, I was way worse.”

“Uh-huh,” Dean said.

“So what, you want me to just let her do whatever she wants?”

“No,” Dean huffed. “I’m just saying��she’s not doing this because she’s desperate to hunt, you know that. So I’m saying, try to figure out why she’s doing this. Right now, she just wants to do the opposite of whatever you say, so you gotta get her to actually listen to you. And to do that—“

“I have to actually listen to her,” Sam said.

“Bingo.”

…

“Hey kid.”

You looked up at Sam’s greeting.

“Hey. Uncle Dean talk some sense into you?”

Sam scoffed, “Don’t try to be cute. We both know you shouldn’t have done what you did.” Sam sat down on the edge of your bed. “But I think maybe we need to talk about it.”

“Go ahead.”

Sam sighed. “You…you don’t really want to hunt, do you? I mean, you’ve got all these other hobbies, you’re good at a lot of things, kid. Why do you keep trying to hunt?”

You sobered up at Sam’s question, and avoided his gaze as you tried to answer.

“Why do you keep trying to stop me?”

“You know why.”

“No, I don’t,” you insisted. “Do you really think I would be that bad at it? That I’d get you guys killed?”

“What?” Sam frowned. “Kid, no…you’d be great at it. I mean, you’re great at everything you really set your mind to, and I guess that’s kind of the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if you go out there, and you really get into this life…there’s no getting out of it. I don’t want that for you. You have so many things you could do, so many options. You don’t deserve to get stuck with this one thing for the rest of your life, just because it’s my life.”

“And…” you struggled to find words. “And that’s really it? That’s why you…you don’t want me with you?”

Sam frowned, your choice of wording throwing up a red flag in his mind.

“That’s why I don’t want you hunting. I’d do anything to have you with me more, but…but I’m needed out there, and I don’t want you out there.”

“Then…” you took a deep breath as though gathering your courage to continue. “Then why-why don’t we ever talk when you’re here?”

Sam was taken aback. “I…I always want to spend more time with you, I just…for the most part, lately, we’ve been fighting, and you keep hiding out in your room.”

You were silent for a moment, and then—

“You used to follow me.”

“What?” Sam asked.

“When-whenever we fought before. But then one day you didn’t, and…and I just thought you didn’t want to be around me.”

This made no sense to Sam, but teenagers often didn’t, so he continued anyway.

“Of course I want to be around you, kid. Just…not hunting, ok?”

You cracked a small smile at that.

“Yeah, ok…am I still grounded?”

Sam laughed softly.

“You can come out. But you’re still grounded from guns!”

#dean winchester #dean and sam #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x you #supernatural dean #the winchesters #winchesters x reader #sam winchester #sam winchester x reader #sam Winchester x daughter #dean winchester x niece

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blindmagdalena · 1 year

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can i request homelander deciding on baby names with pregnant!reader? dadlander has my heart 🥺

"How about Lucas?" "Blegh, no." You give a fond, albeit exasperated sigh, looking from the hefty book of baby names in you lap to Homelander. "I've gone through at least thirty of these names. You don't like any of them?" "They just don't feel right. My son—" "Or daughter," you interject, not for the first time. "—needs to have the perfect name, you know? The whole world is going to know it. Something strong, something that will command the respect that he—" "Or she." "—deserves! Something powerful, something—" You press your finger to Homelander's lips, snapping his gaze to yours. He looks confused. "My darling. I care as much as you do about what we will be calling our future child for the rest of our lives, but... A name doesn't do all that."

Homelander falters, pursing his lips beneath your finger. He reaches up to grasp your wrist, and pulls your hand down into his lap, squeezing it in his own. His gaze drifts down to your belly, barely swollen with the beginnings of life. "It's the first thing I'm ever going to give him." "Or her." "I want it to be perfect," he says, barely above a whisper, reaching out to settle his hand flat on your stomach. You place yours overtop his. "It won't be the first thing you give them, you know," you tell him, rubbing your thumb back and forth over his hand. "The very first thing you give them... will be your touch," you say, interlacing your fingers with his. "Your voice. Your warmth. Those are the things that will shape them." While you had hoped Homelander might find comfort in your words, he looks stricken by them instead. "Hey, what's wrong?" You ask softly, brows furrowing. "I don't want to fuck this up," he admits finally, his grip on your hand flexing. "I don't know the first goddamn thing about what a childhood should be." "Love," you answer reflexively, squeezing his hand. "It's love, and god knows you have that in spades to give. The rest, we just... we figure it out as we go. I promise you, there's no parent in the entire world who goes into this thinking they know what they're doing. I certainly don't," you say, huffing out a nervous little laugh. It's enough to get a smile out of him, his eyes glassy and wholly focused on you. He brings your hand up to kiss your palm, nuzzling into it. "You're gonna be a great mom," he murmurs, breath warm on your skin. You stroke his cheek with your thumb. "I know," you say with a confidence you only half feel, wringing a laugh out of him. "And you're going to be a great dad. I can feel it." "...Read the names again?" He asks quietly, shifting to put his arm around you. Gladly, you rest your head under his chin, opening the book back up. "Kevin," you say, smiling mischievously.

"Ha. Ha," he gives mirthlessly, jolting a giggling yelp out of you when he tickles your side. "Funny."

"Ashley," you say next, your laughter climbing even louder as he grabs you more bodily. "That's it, give me the book, your privileges are revoked," he says through a grin, tickling you mercilessly. Ultimately, the two of you don't settle on a name that day, or the next, or even the next, but it doesn't matter. Whatever name your baby ends up with, you know without a shadow of a doubt that it will be given with the utmost love and care, and that they will be raised just the same.

#ALWAYS GAME FOR DADLANDER CONTENT #homelander x reader #homelander x you #dadlander #fluff #darling anon #ask and you shall receive #pregnancy #my writing

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730bliss · 8 months

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detention (part 1) [hook x female reader]

you get a detention and your least favorite person decides to join you. female reader.

warnings: angst, bullying, gossip, middle school trauma, shootings, manipulation, nudes, swearing, suicide, intimidation, bad puns, revoked privilege

this is slightly based on personal experiences and my own schools stupid attendance policy ♡

For the third time this week, you left the house too late. For the second time this week, your car wouldn't start. And for the first time this week, you received a detention.

What a stupid policy.

You'd think school would be the one place where being late is forgiven. People would be kind and empathetic towards you and understand that there are millions of factors going into being in class before 8AM, most of which are out of your control. Right?

Wrong.

Well, surely you'd only have to make up the five minutes of class that'd you have missed? It's not a big deal.

Also, wrong.

Fifty minutes for every tardy after the two "freebies" as they had called it. So there you were, sitting in detention. Detention started at 3:35. If you were late, they sent you home, and you had to serve a second one. You made sure you were there by 3:33, at the latest. There were a few people already there. You sat a table by yourself. Two to a table, please. There came in a few more kids after you. It was a busy day for detention.

"Julia?" The teacher, Mr. Regal, called.

"Here," she said.

"Brittany?"

"Here,"

"Adam?"

"Here,"

"Max?"

"Here,"

"Tyler?"

"Here,"

"Y/N?"

"Here,"

That's when you stopped listening to roll-call.

The aforementioned Tyler sat next to you. Not because he wanted to, but because it was the last open seat available, and he walked in last. Tyler was basically the embodiment of everything a dad wanted his son to be. Young, handsome, athletic, seemingly well-mannered. But to you, he was everything but well-mannered. He was nothing except a cold-hearted devil.

Even though you've been going to the same school your entire life, it'd been hard to make friends. The closed off community you had been forced to surround yourself with was filled with nothing but elitists.

(a/n: see what i did there? imso funny hahaha please laugh)

Your first run-in with Tyler was in first grade. He sat at your table. He took scissors to your hair. When the teacher came over, it looked like you were the one who did it. He never said sorry and was mean to you for the rest of the year. You got your scissor privileges taken away. His friends joined in on teasing you sometime during second grade.

After fourth grade, they stopped being mean to you in your face and spread rumors instead. It earned you a visit to the principals office with police officers waiting for you. A list had been found by a "concerned student" and was brought to the schools attention. The student said he believed it to be you. Except, the handwriting looked nothing like yours. It was messy and gross. Kindergartener-like. You thanked Ms. Aubrey for bringing it up during your visit. You were let go.

Eventually, the teasing and school shooter rumors turned into notes in lockers. Notes with lines of daring you to kill yourself and condemning you to hell. You never reported them. You didn't bother. You had other things to worry about, anyway. Better things, like the spelling bee. You won the spelling bee in 6th grade. Tyler was the other finalist. It felt really, really good. You smiled at him when you won. He just squinted his eyes at you, trying to intimadate you. But nothing could intimidate a world-class champion, such as yourself.

He didn't start bothering you again until the end of 8th grade. He asked you for pictures. You told him no. He still told everybody you sent them to him anyway. You were deemed "too slutty" for anyone to want to be friends with you after that. That was the consensus all the way up until now. Junior year.

Now you were sitting across from the one person who had made your life a living hell for the past 10 years. You didn't even know why. You've never done anything to him. Did he resent you for something? Or was he just trying to entertain himself with the shy kid with a different sense of style? Maybe it was none of the above.

Thoughts like this crossed your mind as you pretended to read a book. You looked at the clock. It was only 3:45. You looked at Tyler. He was already looking at you. You gave him a weird look and went back to fake reading. He slid you a note.

"why u reading that?" it said.

You quietly opened your pencil pouch so as not to draw attention to the highly punishable note-passing. Mr. Regal enforced rules by the book, and you did not want to spend another day here wasting your time. You could hear a pen drop in that room. Any sort of noise would mean certain death.

"i found it in the library," you wrote back.

Tyler was writing some sort of response until a hand snatched the paper away. You looked up with a hint of fear in your eyes.

"Passing notes?" Mr. Regal exclaimed. "You two know better. Especially as juniors. That's another detention for you both!"

If looks could kill, Mr. Regal would be dead on the floor. You had incredibly important napping plans for tomorrow. Tyler probably had lacrosse practice or something sporty like that. You and Tyler looked at each other, but you quickly went back to pretend reading. It was only 3:50 at that point. Could time go by any slower?

You actually started to find yourself interested in the book you were reading, and you quickly got lost in its world. But that was cut short when Mr. Regal said everyone could go. It was 4:25 by then.

You were walking to your car when you heard a voice call behind you.

"Hey!" it said.

You looked behind you.

Here we go.

"What, Tyler?"

"I just wanted to say that's my favorite book you were reading," he said with a slight smirk.

You rolled your eyes.

"Whatever," you said.

You began to continue your walk to the back of the parking lot. You didn't like to park next to others.

He followed you to your car. You checked your phone and the time read 4:32.

"What?" you said, annoyed.

Your back was to your driver-side door. He put his hands on either side of you.

"I just think it's impressive someone like you could read such profound literature," he said sarcastically.

"Shut the fuck up, Tyler. It's literally your fault we have to go back to detention tomorrow," you said.

"You didn't have to answer back," he said.

"You didn't have to talk to me in the first place," you snapped back.

"I wanted to talk to you," he answered.

"I didn't," you said while crossing your arms.

"I think you're a liar," he whispered.

"I think you should eat a dick, bitch," you said aggressively.

The tension was ever-rising between the two of you. Years and years of hate between you both had finally come to its peak. All the while, he had you pinned beneath him, and you had nowhere to go. Your faces were only inches apart. His eyes locked into yours. After a few seconds, you looked away. You'd die if anyone saw you like that with Tyler of all people. Luckily, no one did. He didn't seem to really care. He sighed and walked away.

You got into your car and went home.

The time was 4:56 when you got to your room.

You took a nap, which you didn't wake up from until 6:45 the next morning.

School went by really fast that day. And when you got to the detention room, luckily it wasn't Mr. Regal. It was the principal, Mr. Khan. He was nice and understanding, but a lot of times, he let things fly under the radar. He seemed to only punish people for small things - like being late and note passing.

Unluckily, it was just you and Tyler that day. He sat across from you again.

this got too long so part 2 will b out soon ♡

#wwe #pro wrestling #aew #aew wrestling #fanfiction #hook aew #aew dynamite #hook x reader #hook imagine #hookhausen #tyler senerchia #hook imagines #hook #angst #bullying #school au #spelling bee champ!#middle school #possibly eventual smut?

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rollinouttahere-writes · 2 months

Note

so like what would happen if Lizard and Doll when they were living with their respective main Platonic Yandere decided to lock the door?

Crocodile is actually very reasonable about Lizard's door being locked. 99.9999% of the time she either forgot to unlock it after changing, or she's working on a craft project as a gift to him for a holiday. If he tries to enter her room and it's locked, he'll simply knock and ask to be let in. The sound of her shouting 'don't come in yet!' while loudly shoving whatever she was working on into a drawer never failed to make him chuckle.

Lizard only tried locking him out intentionally once. It was when she was very young and was mad that he was "ignoring her" because he had to do his job and couldn't play with her right that instant. She felt really cool and tough for about three second before Crocodile simply turned to sand and slid under the locked door. Needless to say, she realized that day that trying to lock her dad out was pointless, and received a lecture for attempting to do so.

Shanks on the other hand... yikes.

For starters, the room that him and Doll shared didn't have a lock on the door. The closest thing Doll can do to "lock" it is to push furniture in front of the door, which she did do a handful of times. Exclusively on really bad days when her mental health was scraping the bottom of the barrel and she was so desperate to just be alone and have privacy that she's will to risk her father's wrath to get it. Shanks will try to laugh it off at first, thinking Doll is just joking around. But, as the "joke" goes on and she still isn't letting him in, he gets irritated.

There isn't enough furniture on the ship to stop him, so be blows past the barricade with ease. He's "hurt" that his daughter would do this to him and decides to revoke her curtain privileges, plus he's going to force more father-daughter time. This is actual hell on earth to Doll, who just wanted her own space, however brief.

#strays au #playing with doll #crocodad series #yanderefangirl #platonic yandere

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riddle-me-ri · 10 months

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A/N: asdfgg finally dipping my toes into another fandom. Not sure how long this fixation will last but damnit if I don't see a grumpy sarcastic hot traumatized character and I do not get attached (by no means am I an apologist just a simp lmao and I am a sucker for deep characters)

For anyone reading this purely from the atsv fandom. Hey hi hello, I'm Ri, I'm usually known for DC stuff but I'm an all around whore nerd (meh both) and I was inspired by atsv as I'm sure all of us were and just couldn't not like do something with the ideas in my head lmao so go easy on me friendos but glad to to see you here and thanks for reading! Also new banner who dis? New fandom new banner…may or may not change lmao

Trigger Warning: None, maybe some angst if you squint? Overall just a fluffy wee dream because those are always fun.

Word Count: 713

Miguel O'Hara x Reader - Just a Dream

The sun beamed down on you as you practically roasted on the metal bleachers. It was too hot to not wear shorts but it also was too hot to not have some kind of protection for your thighs.

A man beside you chuckled as you played hot potato between each thigh trying to keep one body part from getting more burned than the other.

The man was a looming figure to say the least. His cheekbones caused his eyes to slightly squint as he continued to be amused at your discomfort.

"I swear, I don't know how you're wearing a long sleeve shirt in this weather."

"It's light colored, it doesn't attract the sun." He responded.

"Still, how are you not hot?"

"Amor, I'm always hot. You should know this."

He chuckled as you rolled your eyes at him. He patted the top of his thighs conveniently protected by a pair of thin sweatpants.

"You also know, you can always sit here."

You nudged him and he faked a hurt whimper.

"I will not embarrass our daughter like that."

He nods as he puts his hands up in mock surrender. Completely out of ideas to protect your skin from the scorching metal.

You groaned, opting to sit where the denim met the metal. Even if you were practically about to fall out of your seat. You tried to distract yourself by watching the girl's soccer game in front of you. You kept your eyes peeled for a certain little girl in particular.

You reluctantly couldn't deny the girl was the spitting image of her father, the man beside you teasing you. Even though she was just as much yours as she was his.

Still she was very much a daddy's girl.

Soon you were saved from the bleachers as you stood up to applaud your daughter for scoring the winning goal for her team.

Down on the field, laughing and smiling, celebrating. You were recording the victorious day on your phone. Your daughter, Gabriela was nestled proudly upon her father's shoulders with a cupcake in hand.

Her dad opened his mouth to mention something only to be interrupted by a cupcake being planted on his cheek followed by the sweetest squealing fit of giggles.

You and him both join in, not sure if it's from the humorous sight of frosting on his neatly cut cheekbones or her laughter being that infectious.

"All right, well, piggyback privileges have been officially revoked." He brought his arms up to lift her up off his shoulders and safely place her down.

She took a satisfied bite from her cupcake, still giggling proudly.

He looked up to face you but ended up looking straight into your camera.

He chuckled some more before muttering, "all right, that's enough."

You put the camera away still giggling. You went up and scooped some of the frosting off his cheek and onto your finger. You put the finger in your mouth, tasting it.

"Not bad..not bad…could do without the sweat though.." You commented as if you were a food critic.

This caused your daughter to double over again in laughter.

"Well, sweet and salty frosting is an acquired taste." He quipped.

More snickers can be heard just below.

You nodded to let Gabriela run off to talk to her teammates as her dad reached up to wipe the decadent frosting off his cheek.

You leaned in and gave him a kiss on his once messy cheek. "Ah that's better." You giggled.

He beamed down at you, a soft sweet smile. "Ah, that can be better-"

He curled his finger just below your chin to raise your lips up closer to his.

You smiled as you leaned in for a kiss–

You sit up, your alarm blaring on your bedside table. You quickly snatched your phone to turn it off.

You cursed under your breath. Same dream…same damn dream. And the same two people…a little girl…at least you got her name, eventually, Gabriela. But the man…your…dream husband?…Her father…was still a mystery.

It couldn't be a coincidence, they…they felt so vivid…like they were memories…

The soccer games, birthday parties, breakfasts, anniversaries, dinners…it's like you lived some double life in your dream.

But that's all they got to be right?

Just a dream?

#ri writes #miguel o'hara x reader #spiderman 2099 x reader #atsv miguel o'hara x reader #astv spiderman 2099 x reader #atsv x reader #across the spiderverse x reader

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a-dauntless-daffodil · 7 months

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i am not allowed to watch the newest ep before posting this

ghouls forgive me for over analyzing- but i LOVED how Frankie's place on the leader board doesn't change! The i m p l i c a t i o n s

so the point of the growing ghoulia ep is both Ghoulia and Draculaura are feeling a lot of pressure to do really well at their school stuff:

Ghoulia because zombies in general have a hard time squeezing all the extra stuff that would earn points, and she wants to be first to top the chart. Draculaura, fresh from the ep where her dad was worried her witchcraft would make her life harder, wants to 100% prove she can be a witch AND do well in her other stuff.

(ohhh the DElicious irony of that urge pushing her to accidentally do the thing she NEVER wanted to do- hurt monsters with her magic- i AdORE every time she draws the line of I Will Not Hurt People With This. i LOVE the look at how she realizes Ghoulia shouldn't have to compete against MAGIC along with everything else- AND AND AND how they both decide to be little less frantic about leader boards. we don't even see what the final redone results are! Because that's the point- they aren't THAT important! without the time spell there's a good chance ghoulia stayed in 1st this time, but the episode doesn't care, and the meta of that is vrvrvrvvrrbrrbrbrbrbr)

where was i. Oh yeah, Frankie!

they are second to last before the new points are tallied up- just above Ghoulia- and they're STILL second to last after the new calculation is done, this time just ahead of Heath!

First tally: 1 Drac, 2 Spec, 3 Heth, 4 Lag, 5 Claw, 6 Man, 7 Frank, 8 Ghoul

Second Tally, before drac jumped ahead suddenly: 1 Ghoul, 2 Man, 3 Claw

Second tally after drac did her thing: 1 Drac, 2 Ghoul, 3 Man, - - - 7 Frank, 8 Heth

(forgive, i cannot take scream caps right now)

WHY IS THAT EXCITING??? BECAUSE>>>>>> everyone else that we see DID move on the board. but not THEM!!!

and the only extra curricular thing we see them part of in the ep? the only thing they do that could get them points? It's something they already do and like.

It's a queer club- Frankie, the only openly non-binary monster we've seen, who introduced themselves with their preferred pronouns- there is no way they're doing a queer club for points. they're there because they want to be, it's fun, it's something they enjoy-

AND THAT S THE THING

so MANY of the kids at monster high are trying to live up to something! or prove something!

Cleo needing to earn a sliver of the respect her big sister gets

Duce trying not to let down the new Gorgon tradition of school excellence

Draculaura desperately wanting to make her dad proud AND be a witch AND earn enough positive interaction so's not to start decaying

Toralei and HER mom who is..... yeah....

heck even Spectra mentions bad grades could get privileges revoked by her family

Clawdeen doesn't have pressure from her dad (or mom, obviously) but she does struggle with wanting to fit in and belong in the monster culture she's still really new to- she's solidly in the middle range for spirit points, showing how active she is in school unlife- and several of her eps are about learning NOT to focus too much on fitting in or going with the monster flow. Instincts. The push to ignore them sometimes for her new home and peers is sTRONG.

but Frankie?

Frankie's got brilliant brain bits. They're smart, perceptive, sometimes VERY intuitive without noticing it-

yeah they have a permanent case of the stumbly clumsies and their brain sparks make them zone out sometimes- and they've literally only been alive for a few months so there's a LOT of normal everyday stuff they don't know about, and...

...... that rarely seems to bother them?

They're made from famous and talented monsters, they know it and are HAPPY to show off all their cool brain bits

and so far they haven't ever worried about living up to those monsters' reputations or legacies. their parents made a teen stuffed FULL with smarts, but getting amazing grades isn't something Frankie frets about?

they are SECOND TO LAST on the LEADER BOARD and they STAY THERE

the implication, the unspoken thing about all that is-

Frankie was made to have fun.

They're here at monster high, also to have Fun. To experience stuff. Make friends. Learn things, sure- but learn things they like, at their own pace

this could change if we ever see their parents but- but for NOW, the way things have been shown-

Frankie at least doesn't seem to be feeling any pressure to be anything more than what they already are. And that's really. Very. Wonderful to see

#mhg3 #monster high g3 #frankie stein #ghoulia yelps #draculaura #BLARGH #REEEEEEEEEEE

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yardikins · 7 months

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Ahsoka Ep7 Dreams and Madness spoilers ahead

im sorry its so soon I just have to cry about this right now

Im revoking Baylan’s goth dad privileges, Baylan how could you, that’s your daughter

#I absolutely cannot handle the heartbreak of him abandoning her #So im believing he’s putting a distance between them for her sake #He knows whatever he’s after will drive him insane/kill him and he doesn’t want her to see it #Already plotting the fix it fic for whatever happens next #Goth dad I trusted you #star wars #ahsoka series #ahsoka spoilers #Baylan Skoll #Shin Hati #Yardi rambles about Star Wars

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free-for-all-fics · 1 year

Text

Stupid, silly Namor or Attuma fic ideas. Don’t think too hard about these they’re just funny little ideas. Pls tag me if you write or get inspired by any of these. Like always, there are no rules:

1. The reader is labeled as the village idiot because she likes to sing with her head underwater to "sing to the mermaids". The village ridicules her for it. One day, she is swept out in a riptide, and no one is willing to come to her aid—no one from the village, that is.

2. Reader is full of bad puns and dad jokes, much to the chagrin of Namor/Attuma. "Why are seagulls called seagulls?"

“Stop now.”

“Because if they flew over bays, they'd be bagels! Oh hey, What did one wave say to the other?"

“I swear, if you make one more ocean related pun, I will murder you on this island and tell everyone you died in a shipwreck."

"...well, someone's salty."

3. You put a message in a bottle and set it out to sea in the hopes it’ll reach Namor/Attuma so you can be pen pals. “Oh my god I love you but you’re so stupid.” They say because you have no idea that’s not how mail works.

4. You’re in love with Namor/Attuma, but you’re also obsessed with monsters and cryptids so you keep asking them questions like “Is the Kraken real?? What about 6 headed hydras? Have you seen Nessie?? Are they friendly? Darling tell meeeeeee”

5. Reader does that stupid prank thing where she pretends to do a magic trick with an egg and a bottle of water. She’s like “Ok now look inside” and squeezes the bottle, spraying water in Attuma/Namor’s face and runs away cackling.

6. You introduce Namor/Attuma to a wonderful human invention - Water beds. They are less than amused. Reader, consider your sexy time privileges revoked😑

7. Attuma/Namor trying to teach reader combat and how to fight like a Talokanil but reader keeps making it sexy and Namor/Attuma is like “Ok maybe we should stop. You’re not even listening to me or learning anything properly!” And reader is like “Oh I’m learning all the right techniques perfectly. 😏😘”

8. Those videos from EVNautilus of the people in a submarine coming across a dumbo octopus and a googly eyed stubby squid but instead it’s scientist reader being shown Talokan by Attuma or Namor and fawning over the sea creatures because they’re just little guys. Sweet underwater babies. And reader being like “it’s just a baby can I adopt it pls” 🥺 and Namor or Attuma being like “pay attention. Remember why we’re here.”

9. “Your child brings home a raccoon, mistaking it for a cat and begs to keep it” trope but instead it’s Namor/Attuma and their child has brought home an anglerfish or some other hideous abomination of the sea. It’s surprisingly docile and follows the child around like a pet anyway so can we keep it??? Please father 🥺

10. Namor and Jeff the Land Shark crossover. That’s it. That’s the post. Reader wants to adopt Jeff as their child. He’s just a baby 🥺

11. Peter Pan “They were just having a bit of fun, weren’t you, girls?”

“We were only trying to drown her” Mermaid Lagoon AU

12. “General, I’ve brought the cartographer into the war meeting today. I believe you owe her an apology for ruining all her maps when you stab them to dramatically mark a location.” (What if the “cartographer” is actually Attuma’s small daughter or sister drawing doodles of maps and playing pretend/mirroring what her dad or brother does because she wants to help and it’s all in jest hehe)

13. 2 days ago you went to an animal shelter and adopted the most adorable cat. What you don’t know is, he’s the reincarnation of an Aztec god. Your food offerings are unacceptable and that ugly small box that feels like it’s made from scratchy carpet will not do. No. He’ll be sleeping in your bed with you. Don’t try to lock him out; he’ll just scream and sing the songs of his people until you let him back in. (Or maybe through a magic mishap Namor has been accidentally transformed into a cat. Yeah Namor as a cat AU. I told you these ideas were silly.)

14. “Would you still love me if I was a worm” meme With Namor or Attuma but instead it’s “Would you still love me if I was a sea cucumber” or something ocean related

15. Namor or Attuma are taking their daughter trick or treating this year and ask what she wants to be for Halloween. A superhero, a mermaid, a princess? No. She wants to be a horseshoe crab. Possible Modern AU.

16. Reader goes to the beach often and befriends the seagulls/pelicans. So they start to bring her gifts like shells, rocks, etc. Except one day they bring you a golden bracelet, beaded necklace, or jade earrings (your choice of which). It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. A few days later, Namor shows up at the beach, looking very annoyed as he asks for his necklace/bracelet/or earrings back.

17. You and Namor or Attuma meet on the beach in your special spot. You don’t get to be with him often considering he’s kept away by his responsibilities and loyalty to Talokan, and you’re human. It’s usually your only chance to have time where you can just quietly love each other. Except a stupid fucking seagull or pelican has been following you to both the beach and your home; squawking incessantly, wreaking havoc and basically cockblocking you. Untitled Goose Game AU but it’s a seagull/pelican.

#namor x reader #attuma x reader #namor imagine #namor x you #namor x y/n #namor fic #don’t examine these too closely #Dumb thoughts and ideas for silly time #sort of crack!fic ideas if you will #fic ideas

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scary-lasagna · 5 months

Note

Slender getting Jealous over other operators(Like the brothers) because his proxies are showing them some sort of affection?

Slender

It's actually quite often that Slender gets aggravated with Offender, not because he's jealous of course, but because he's entirely reckless with the proxies.

Offender loves to play 'fun uncle' to the proxies, and lets them do whatever they want as long as they get their work done and don't kill each other. This has lead to people getting their bones broken, burnt, things have caught on fire, etc.

It's safe to say he hasn't returned home one time while Offender babysat the proxies and was genuinely happy. Something drastic happened, or he was waiting until he discovered a drastic event. And the one time they didn't actually do anything wrong, he was too suspicious to enjoy the peace.

But nonetheless, Offender is the co-owner of the proxies. Operators don't usually need one, but it's always a good idea if something happens to the owner or if the owner goes on frequent business trips (such as Slender).

But being the 'cool fun uncle' of the proxies, means they'll usually lean toward Offender more for both fun and advice, feeling much more open with him from bonding experiences of getting out of trouble.

If anyone went to Slender, they know they would receive a whole lecture about 'doing the right thing' and to 'not be a knucklehead' about things. While Offender just tells them to do whatever the hell they want and worry about the consequences later.

This pisses Slender off because it's usually said to Toby, who is now attempting to climb the curtains to clean them, and will eventually fall seven feet when they can't bear his weight.

They also go to Offender, knowing he will most likely say yes to whatever they ask.

It got tot he point where Slender had to revoke some of his privileges since he started granting proxies asking for a day off (it became once a week to every other day of someone missing work and screwing up missions).

"I think you're jealous because I'm the fun one."

A beat.

"Jealous?"

"Yes." Offender crossed his arms in the leather seat across from Slender's desk.

"You think I'm jealous that you are ruining my income that supports your addiction to cheetos?"

"Yes."

"You're sadly mistaken, brother."

"...Yes." Offender admits in defeat.

Slender was happy be bought the factual statement instead of pressing on like he usually does. Because why would someone, a stickler like Slender, be jealous of letting the proxies break the rules?

Well, sometimes Slender wishes he could be the fun dad, but work comes first.

#creepypasta #creepypasta headcanon #creepypasta imagines #creepypasta blog #slender #offender #proxies

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maxbegone · 8 months

Text

seven sentence or something or whatever sunday

don't ask me what this is, because i don't even know yet. and honestly, just cross your fingers that it gets somewhere. happy sunday!

Alex likes to believe that, after everything this last year has had to offer, he more than deserves a break.

With the stress of the election, figuring out what the everliving fuck he’s supposed to be doing with his life, and being involved in an international sex scandal (though not as scandalous as the Daily Mail likes to make it out to be), nothing sounds better than sunbathing on the dock at his dad’s place on LBJ with the gentle rippling of water and cicadas surrounding him. All that and, of course, Henry.

Which is why he nearly breaks several speeding laws flooring the Jeep down the interstate. He’s not blind the the privilege he has here, that if he were anyone other than the First Son of the United States, he’d have so many points on his license, it would probably be permanently revoked. With several cars filled with Secret Service and PPOs behind him, though, he’s pretty sure a state trooper wouldn’t bat an eye. Again — he’s lucky.

Although Amy might give him a talking to about road safety once they’re settled, and if she’s feeling particularly moralistic, it’ll get back to his mom. And that’ll just be…well, Alex might have to take driver’s ed again.

He eases his foot off the gas just slightly.

He’s got one hand on the wheel, the other in Henry’s over the console, whose right hand is resting on the edge of the where the roof once was. They’re laughing in the wind, practically howling along to a combined playlist Alex, Nora, and June meticulously crafted together for this very trip. Alex has several other playlists downloaded and ready to go if given the cue, all for him and Henry.

#rwrb #firstprince #rwrb fic #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #seven sentence sunday

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riahlynn101 · 5 months

Text

Dad December - Day Six: "Prison Visit."

Summary: Post-final war arc, Izuku visits All for One in prison.

Word count: 1,950

@daddecember

All for One watches the doorknob to his prison cell wriggle open with muted interest. As soon as the war ended, he was whisked back to Tartarus. Thankfully, or perhaps insultingly, he was taken to a cell with slightly less security clearance. If he didn’t know any better, All for One would say they weren’t afraid of him anymore. Even though he’s much younger now, they should still know better than to underestimate him.

At least he can move freely.

The door opens. A guard steps in first. “You have a visitor!” He shouts, which feels very unnecessary given that All for One is less than ten feet away.

He racks his brain for who it could be. All Might, maybe? The Blond Oaf isn’t the type to let bygones be bygones. Or maybe someone from the press?

“Oh? Well, who is it?”

The guard holds up a hand, stopping All for One from asking any more questions. “Hold on a second. I have a list of rules and regulations I have to read.”

He groans.

“You, as the prisoner, understand that visitor privileges can and will be revoked for any reason. Some of these reasons may include: the visitor not following the rules laid out to them before, during, or after the scheduled visit. The prisoner trying to kill or otherwise harm the visitor….”

As the guard drones on, All for One zones out.

“On to page eleven-”

“Sir?”

All for One’s head snaps up. His eyes flicker to the doorway, where the one and only Izuku Midoriya stands. He twists his fingers together, staring at the guard with big eyes. It’s kind of amazing to All for One, how Midoriya can go from brave and unwavering on the battlefield to…that.

Not that All for One’s complaining. He’s been meaning to talk with Midoriya, at least before he got thrown back in here. His skittish demeanor and doe eyes remind All for One of a bunny. Besides, he would rather avoid talking to All Might 2.0.

“Midoriya Izuku,” he smiles, ignoring the guard’s warnings to follow the rules.

The guard huffs, whispering something into Midoriya’s ear. He stomps out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

It would be so easy to kill Midoriya right now, but All for One kind of likes not being relegated to a chair forever and ever. And the prison supervisors probably know this. Otherwise, why on earth did they leave the poor boy-One for All user or not-in a room with him?

“All for One,” Midoriya greets, tone somewhat cordial given their previous interactions. “How have you been?” He crosses his arms, still standing across the room.

“You can sit down, you know?” He pats the space beside him, smiling. “I won’t bite.”

“I doubt that,” Midoriya mutters under his breath. “I’m okay standing. I actually prefer the distance.”

“Mhm….well, in any case, I’m fine. Though, I can’t say the same about you. You poor child….when’s the last time you slept? Ate a warm meal? Saw your mother-”

The last one gains a reaction. Midoriya sputters, jabbing a finger in All for One’s direction. “Shut up!”

“Hit a nerve. Sorry.” All for One smirks, watching the Ninth holder of his brother’s quirk fight to restrain himself.

“Either way, I didn’t come here to amuse you. I-I have some questions.”

All for One tilts his head to the side. “And what do I get if I answer your questions?”

Midoriya rolls his eyes, copying All for One and tilting his head to the side. “A million dollars.”

Something about the boy’s tone should set him on edge, make his blood boil, but it doesn’t. It reminds him of his brother (before their fights turned more political), and with Midoriya’s eyes resembling Yoichi’s so much, doubly so.

“Fine,” he sighs. “But you’re going to have to sit down.”

Midoriya stares at him, considering. He finally sits on the ground. The cold, dirty, and quite frankly disgusting ground.

“No, here.” He slaps the spot next to him. “Sit next to me, or this visit is over.”

Midoriya mutters something, but seems to take All for One’s threat seriously. He shuffles over to the bed, sitting as far away as the tight space will allow. Arms crossed over his chest, he glares at All for One. “May I proceed?” Midoriya asks, all cordiality gone.

“You may.”

Up close, All for One can see the bags under Midoriya’s eye; he can sense the bone-weary tiredness radiating off the boy. The kind of tiredness that follows you no matter how many times you rest.

“Well?” He presses when the silence stretches on.

“I- First told me something-”

“I assume you mean, Yoichi. My brother.”

Midoriya shakes his head. “No…I mean, yeah. But he introduced himself as The First One for All user, so I’ll use the title he gave me.” He clears his throat. “Anyway, First was-”

“Does he call you Ninth?”

Midoriya shrugs, acting indifferent. “Sometimes.”

It’s so interesting how this boy can interact with the vestiges….just like him.

“And the other times?”

That question earns All for One an annoyed groan. “Uh….Ninth. Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya….but he only uses my full name if I’m about to do something stupid.”

“Well, considering my brother uses your first name, I’m sure you can use his name. The name I gave him.”

Izuku ignores him (All for One decides they’re on familiar enough terms to use his given name). “Anyway, First,” he pauses, glaring daggers at All for One. “Told me something. And he made me promise that I wouldn’t ask you about it.”

All for One feels a little vindicated in that his brother gets to deal with his successor’s stubbornness. “And then, you ran to ask me right away.”

“Not exactly. I tried to ask my mom-”

“What kind of conversation did you and my brother have?” All for One feels lost, like he skipped three episodes, four books, and a made-to-TV-movie. “And why would you have to ask your mother? Why did the fool not want you to ask me?”

Izuku is silent. He plays with his hands and looks down at his lap. It makes something in All for One feel unsettled. “I know this is odd coming from me, but are you okay? You seem….off.”

“There’s no easy way to say this, but I think you’re my father.”

All for One laughs, falling off the bed. He holds his stomach, rolling on the floor he called disgusting not ten minutes prior. He laughs until he can’t anymore.

“Phew….ha…I haven’t laughed that hard in decades.” But when he looks up at Izuku, the boy seems oddly serious. His eyes are watery and his bottom lip quivers, but he manages to glare at All for One with all the ferociousness taught to him by the previous One for All users. “You are kidding, right?” He pulls himself off the floor, dusting off his prison-issued uniform.

“I…I honestly wish I was.” Izuku stands up. He paces the length of the room - to the door and then to the bed and then back again. “I asked First. I asked my mother. Hell, I even asked All Might. But they all gave me conflicting answers.” All for One listened as the boy devolved into a fit of muttering, pacing getting faster. “Which is understandable. I mean, what’s All Might supposed to know about my family life. He didn’t know me or my mom until I was fourteen. Mom was a little harder. I’ve never asked her about my dad. Didn’t really ever think of him until….And I had that conversation with First, and he said that you’re my dad. Not that I believed him.” Izuku waves his hands around. “I still don’t, but he sounded so sure of himself.

“He often does.”

Izuku ignores him. “But he can’t be right. So, I needed to ask you.”

All for One processes the boy’s ramblings. “Am I your father?”

“Yeah.”

“Come here.” All for One motions Izuku closer.

The boy is hesitant, but eventually listens, leaning in. All for One takes the boy’s face in his hands. He studies Izuku’s face intently. The freckles and green hair are definitely not from him. But those eyes….and eyebrows….and hair…..he narrows his eyes. “What’s your mom’s name?”

“Ah…” Izuku’s eyes widened, panicked.

“I’m only asking to see if I know her. It does take two people after all.”

All for One feels Izuku shudder. “Right. Inko. Her name is Inko.”

A memory, long suppressed, emerges from the confines of All for One’s subconscious. He blanches. “Inko….she has a telekinesis quirk, right?”

“Yeah, and?”

“And it’s easier for me to recognize people based on their quirks.” He doesn’t have to look at Izuku to know the boy’s rolling his eyes at him. “I do remember her. A little over seventeen years ago I had a little fling with my assistant.”

“Did you fire her?”

All for One stares off into space, remembering the brief moment in time that he experienced genuine love and affection. “No, she….she stopped showing up for work. I tried to track her down, but her apartment was empty. It was like she disappeared without a trace. I found her again some years later, but I had that fight with All Might and then….” His eyes flick over to Izuku. “You look just like her.” His tone is soft, fond almost.

Izuku sits quietly, watching All for One intently. Waiting for him to strike. “I’m confused,” he mumbles.

“If you want, you can request a DNA test.” All for One tucks a strand of hair behind Izuku’s ear.

“No,” Izuku says, getting to his feet. “You were supposed to say First was wrong, and that you can’t possibly be my father. You were supposed to laugh in my face, so that I could go back to the vestiges and tell them that I don’t share blood with their murderer.”

“Calm down,” All for One says, a little disappointed (but not surprised) at the boy’s reaction. “I don’t know for sure. That’s what the DNA test will prove, or disprove.” But he is sure. There are too many similarities, too many coincidences for The Ninth One for All user to not be his son. “Though, I’m not adverse to being your father.” He smiles down at his lap, warmth spreading in his chest. “A child of my very own. How precious and dear you would be to me.”

Izuku backs up towards the door. “I…I think it was a mistake coming here.”

All for One stares at the boy. “Order the DNA test, or I’ll order a hit out on your mentor.” The words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them. If Izuku leaves now, then he might not ever know if he’s his father or not. “If it comes back negative, then I guess we have nothing left to say to each other. But if it comes back positive…”

“Then, we also have nothing left to say to each other. I don’t want a relationship with you. I’m almost grown, and All Might has been my father figure for three years now.”

All for One disagrees with that sentiment. If All Might really cared about Izuku, he wouldn’t have let the boy break his limbs over and over. Not that it matters much. If the test comes back positive then, he’ll have a reason to call in a few favors and bust out of Tartarus (a touch quieter than last time).

“Of course,” he says, forcing down a smile. “I wouldn’t dream of anything more.”

#daddecember2023 #daddecember #sfw #mha au #dfo au #all for one mha #midoriya izuku #poor izuku #no.6 #prison visit

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leebrontide · 7 months

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Secondhand Origin Stories, Chapter 9

Here's this week's chapter! Reblogs welcome!

For those of you just joining us, I'm posting a chapter a week of my free near future scifi/low neon cyberpunk YA/NA novel, Secondhand Origin Stories, which has been described as

"-a character driven, compelling story full of family, queerness, corruption, brain altering nanites, secretly teen parenting AIs, and taking aspects of the superhero genre to their very human and rarely-explored natural conclusions."

For content warnings and more, check here:

You can follow along by following #SHOSweekly

Chapter 9

Martin’s voice in the elevator was enough to put Opal on edge again. The unexpectedly plush chairs of the clinic waiting room weren’t enough to fix it. The staff here all seemed so grim, somehow. And up this high, the sound of the storm blanketed every other noise with the static, as if it was keeping secrets in the constant shushes of rain and the grumbles of thunder.

She’d settled on calling her mom. Mom’s ridiculous sheep-patterned pajamas and her enthusiasm for Shani’s history project helped. Apparently Opal would be getting a lengthy account of it whenever she managed to reach Shani between summer sleepovers.

“Everyone still treating you all right?”

Opal smiled, trying to get comfortable. “Aldis and the guys have been great. You got the pictures I sent you of the VIP suite? Oh! Did I tell you Capricorn said he thinks I have grit? And Helix agreed with him.” She couldn’t mention the rest of it-- not here, at least. She couldn’t make up her mind what she really should say.

“Oh, baby, I’m so proud of you. Are they as handsome in person as on TV?”

Opal laughed. “Mom. They’re all like, 40 and up.”

“And that might as well be a hundred to an 18-year-old. Yeah, yeah.”

“Hey, have you--”

“I still haven’t heard from your dad. I promise I’ll let you know the minute I do. But you know how this goes. Any little thing.” And they’d revoke his phone “privileges.” It’d been months, once or twice before. Then he’d reappear, looking a little older, a little less steady, chastising Opal for having worried. She hadn’t gotten any letters, either. It was never good when he couldn’t even send letters. But she’d sent hers. She hoped he got them.

She glanced up as a familiar figure ghosted through the edge of Opal’s line of sight. “Jamie?” Jamie turned, looking haunted. “Hey, Mom. I’m sorry, but I’ll call you later, OK?”

Martin had said there was a family emergency. If Jamie was down here, it must be a bad one.

Jamie was, impossibly, paler than usual. She seemed almost blue. Her posture was hunched, as if she was expecting to have to bolt at any second, with her elbows pulled in tight against her body. She also seemed to be by herself. “Hey, are you OK?”

“I’m trying to find Issac’s doctor, but they just keep telling me to go wait with…I need to tell them what happened with Issac. I’m the only one who was there.”

A nice, straightforward request. Opal stood, flagging down the nearest medical professional who didn’t seem to be rushing. She put on her most professional tone. “Excuse me. Ms. Tillman-Voss needs to speak with the treating physician for Issac Tillman-Voss right away. She has important information relevant to his condition she needs to share.” Hanging around Mom’s job when she was little had given her a few tricks, at least.

The woman nodded, and led them to a nurse’s station before disappearing to find the doctor.

“Ms. Tillman-Voss?” Jamie asked under her breath. “I think they think you’re my bodyguard now.”

Bodyguard? She’d been going for PR intern. “Whatever works,” she muttered back.

Jamie’s smile was tiny and wobbly. “You do look really grown-up in that.”

“You look like you’re going to faint. You’re not, are you? My mom’s a nurse, but I am very much not.”

“No. I need to talk to the doctor.”

“Are you going to faint after that?”

“I hope not. They won’t treat me here. I’m not altered.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure if LodeStar’s kid faints in their waiting room, they’ll pull something together.”

Jamie muttered under her breath, “Not sure he’d care.”

That didn’t sound good. The doctor showed up before Opal could ask, and then she was too busy keeping up with the story Jamie was telling. Every bit of which sounded 100% illegal. By the end of it, Jamie’s voice was painful to even listen to, it was so high-pitched and breathless, but Jamie pushed through. She even brought them a copy of a thesis Issac had written on the subject. It’d be impressive if it wasn’t so horrifying. Brain-changing nanites? You didn’t have to try to think of all the ways that could be misused.

The doctor rushed off as soon as Jamie was done.

Opal was hit with more doubt than she’d ever had before. What and who had she gotten mixed up with? OK, the Sentinels as a family struggling to cope, she could understand. But a family that attempted to cope by developing more and scarier technology, and testing it on themselves in secret?

Then again, that was how Bion had started. But that was back before altering tech laws had been around. Issac must have known what he was doing was illegal. He should even know why it needed to be illegal. His family took down people conducting illegal alterations all the time.

But maybe those rules didn’t apply to their son.

She shivered. Exactly how many rules didn’t apply to them?

Jamie didn’t notice Opal’s existential crisis. She was staring down the hallway towards the handful of private waiting rooms like she was expecting a firing squad. She took a tiny, unconscious step backwards, towards Opal.

And all Opal could remember was Jamie’s comment that nobody would even notice another couple of bruises on her. All three of the kids seemed incredibly isolated. How many laws could the Sentinels get out of?

Opal put a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. Leaned in to ask quietly, “Are you OK?”

Jamie didn’t look at her. But she pressed her lips so tight they almost vanished. Her eyes were pink. She shook her head, still staring down the hall.

Maybe it was nothing. Jamie’d had a terrible morning by anyone’s standards.

Maybe it wasn’t nothing.

Jamie started, looking at Opal. “My dad! He needs a doctor, too. If he’s in the waiting room, then they must not know. His collarbone’s broken.”

“What? How did that happen?”

“Yael.” Jamie said, flinching as she realized too late that that was bound to beg questions. “There was a-- xe was afraid he-- but that doesn’t matter. He needs a doctor!”

This time it was even easier to get someone’s attention, but Jamie was a lot lighter on the details. She didn’t even mention Yael. Whatever had happened, she was less likely to explain it than she was Issac’s breach of international laws. Nobody pressed her for more details. Doctors rushed to help the injured superhero, and Opal and Jamie stayed put.

Neil Voss passed by a few minutes later, escorted by a nervous-looking medical person and Capricorn. Capricorn looked grim, and had a hand on LodeStar’s arm. LodeStar ignored Opal completely, his attention stitched tightly to his daughter as he passed. Neither of them said anything to the other.

Jamie watched him with her own intensity, and a disquieting stillness. LodeStar looked half possessed. His eyes burned blood-red where the whites should have been. His steps were unsteady and slow, but the muscles in his shoulders were coiled, prepared to strike, his hands working themselves into huge metallic fists. Flexing again. Stretching, as if he was imagining grabbing something. Opal had never seen anyone more terrifying in her life.

He was cordoned off in another room after what felt like an eternity. The two of them both exhaled at the same time.

Oh God. Opal was in a Gothic novel. And the head of the house was as powerful and utterly unhinged as any she’d ever read. And she’d spent the last...more than two weeks now, trying to move into his house, work under his orders? This was not going to work. She could never trust the orders of someone like that. She could never hurt or arrest anyone on his say-so. She didn’t even want to be in the same room with him.

She’d go home. Go back to Detroit. Save up, and try another team, later. They couldn’t all be like him, could they?

Jamie sat suddenly, barely catching a chair instead of landing on the floor. She was struggling to catch her breath.

Shit. None of the doctors had even looked at Jamie. No one was going to check in on what was happening in LodeStar’s home. What made Jamie look like that? What drove her brother to experiment on himself, rather than have something he might see as a vulnerability in that household?

Opal reached for the only failsafe she could think of close by. “Hey, maybe we should go find your mom?”

Jamie cringed, but nodded, dragging herself back upright. Opal followed close behind, hoping to find some kind of resolution.

* * *

Issac drifted in and out of consciousness several times. Reality had turned slippery, and even awake, he couldn’t seem to grasp hold of it. This time, when he woke, the ground under him felt a little more solid. Time felt a little more linear.

He kept his eyes closed, trying to shut out reality. Trying not to notice what he couldn’t detect. He tried to focus inward. His mouth and tongue hurt, as if he’d cut them. A seizure, he remembered. Someone had told him he’d had a seizure, one of the other times he’d been awake. He must have bitten himself. His mouth tasted like blood.

He shifted his attention again, but his body was no refuge. His pulse was speeding; his back hurt like hell. There was a needle in his arm. His torso was canted upwards. Another hospital bed.

More missing monitor noise.

His mind had never been good at silence. He’d never been able to get it to shut up. To stop noticing.

Then again, at least it was still working right. At least he did still notice things.

At least he’d woken up.

Tears pricked at his closed eyes. He’d failed. Air escaped his lungs unevenly, and he sucked it back in, straining against ribs that whined about it, just like the last time.

Whoever was in the room with him-- there must be someone-- didn’t notice his tears or any unwanted noises. There was no touch to his hand or face. No anything. If he wanted something, he’d have to signal it. He’d have to open his eyes and face whoever was there.

He pried open crusty, itchy eyes. This time, his vision landed first on his own paper-clad lap.

There was a card in his hand in unfamiliar handwriting. Issac - you have had a seizure. Some confusion is normal. It will go away in a while. Please stop trying to remove the monitoring equipment. Your family will return soon.

Soon? None of them were even in here with him? He looked up.

There was a man in the room. He was wearing a three-piece suit in brownish gray, with graying, sand-colored hair, and a severely bleached smile plastered on his face. He was sitting in the chair between Issac and the door with his ankle on his knee. As if this was a perfectly normal way to meet someone.

This was not a doctor.

Issac gasped as his vision developed sudden spots. Black fractured the image in front of him.

It was text. Good afternoon, Mr. Tillman-Voss.

Issac was wearing contacts. Revulsion rolled through him. He wanted to pull them off. He couldn’t stand the thought of touching them. Either the stranger knew he had them, or he thought Issac could hear. The man stood, still smiling. He reached into his blazer pocket, producing a little slip of paper. He walked the few paces between them, holding it out. A business card. Before Issac could read it, more text crowded the image out. I’m Frank Lasansky of Lasansky Security Technologies. Sorry if I’m catching you at a bad time.

A bad time? Issac wasn’t even wearing pants. How did these contacts end up on his eyes? Where was his family? I heard a while back about what happened to you and I think that’s a shame. Just a real shame. Still smiling. Issac would have punched the guy if he was more confident in his ability to stand up without falling down. There was something off about him-- a fakeness that went beyond his over-bleached teeth. Issac took the business card, but kept watching the man’s face.

It didn’t move right. Some kind of partial paralysis?

And I thought, there’s a young man I’d like to meet. And my lucky day, I come to find out you’re in this very building when I am! Well, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like that, could I? Huh? Right?

Issac didn’t know what else to do, so he shook his head “no.” Did this guy not know Issac lived in this building? How could he possibly not know that? It was Sentinel Plaza.

Lasansky. That name was familiar.

The weird smile stretched wider. Great! Glad to hear it. Because I am just dying to chat with you about those nanites of yours. Issac went cold. The nanites. He must be from the APB? Maybe he was here to take Issac away. Issac felt an irrational urge to check to make sure all his arms and legs were still attached. That they hadn’t been replaced with weaker models. He knew better, and he was being watched. Now, I already heard that this trial didn’t work out. That’s why I took the liberty of providing you with some hardware to help us out in our little chat. He tapped the space next to his eye, looking pleased with himself.

Issac recoiled. He would have assumed that either his parents or a nurse had put the contacts on him. That would have been bad enough. But to think that this random businessman had been touching Issac while he was either asleep or too out of it to have a say sent a spiky, electric chill up his spine. OK, he had his legs, but it felt that much closer to Jenna's fate, all the same.

Lasansky continued, either oblivious to Issac's alarm or electing to ignore it. But hey, these things happen. You can’t get it right on your first try every time, right? Issac wondered whether he was supposed to shake his head again, but this time Lasansky didn’t wait. I want you to know I’m not going to judge you for that. You know? I want you to hear that it’s not your fault. You didn’t have backup. No support. No team.

Issac's horror ebbed a little, and he tried to shove it down faster. Don’t think about his eyes. This was obvious, and well-thought-out, flattery. This total stranger knew exactly what Issac wanted to hear. The polar opposite of what he’d be forced to sit through whenever his parents showed up to replace the stranger.

Why was he flattering Issac?

Issac studied the man. The suit was high-end, and almost perfectly tailored, but cut a little too big in the shoulders. There was the smallest of silver roots visible at his hairline. His hands looked noticeably older than his face.

Ah. His face. He’d had too much Botox, too many face-lifts, or both. That’s why his expressions seemed off. Everything about him was pretending.

Lasansky. Lasansky. He knew that name.

But a little birdie gave me some good news. Word on the street is, it’s your biggest birthday today! He leaned in conspiratorially. Issac leaned in, too, as if it mattered what volume the man spoke at. You’re a free man, Mr Tillman. The world is your oyster.

A free man. So, not arrested, anyway. Lasansky stood. Now I know this is irregular, God knows it’s not usually how we run things at Lasansky Security International, but you, young man, are special. I couldn’t run the chance of them squirreling you away in the attic all alone without my having spoken to you, first.

Of him being sent away like Jenna.

Mr. Tillman, I am here to make you an offer. Because the problem with working for the family business is, you have to work for your family! You have to be the baby at work and at home. Have your boss at the dinner table. Be constantly surrounded by people who have what they think are your best interests at heart, but who, deep down, can’t appreciate you for the adult that you are! Now the fact that you had to run this all by yourself tells me that they already gave you the vote of no confidence. They only see Issac the boy, not Issac the man. But I have seen your patent list, and I am ready to give you my full vote of confidence. I believe in your tech. I believe there’s a need for it, and I believe that with the right support, you can deliver your gift to the world. I am prepared to offer you just that support.

This stranger-- this fake man in a thousand-dollar suit-- understood. Had grasped the whole dynamic of the situation without ever even meeting Issac. Issac glanced down briefly, thinking, and his eyes landed on perfectly shined shoes with a subtly higher-than-average heel. Trying to look tall.

Lasansky was the head of what had to be a huge, heavily politically-connected company, but even he had to pretend to be taller, healthier, younger than he was. No wonder he could understand Issac’s need to fix himself. Even Lasansky wasn’t high enough in the hierarchy to risk exposing even the smallest, most irrelevant weaknesses, like wrinkles or narrower shoulders.

Well, even Mom wore tall shoes and sought the occasional nip and tuck, didn’t she? She just wore it better, or maybe invested more.

If even the people at the top-- everyone who wasn’t altered-- had to protect themselves with artificial health and height, where did that leave someone with an actual weakness?

Lasansky approached the tilted hospital bed. Issac had to crane his neck back to keep watching him. He smiled down at Issac with gleaming teeth. Mr. Tillman, how would you like to join the Lasansky Securities family?

* * *

Time bled by Yael at an agonizing crawl. Xe didn’t know how long xe’d been sitting on the cool tile floor of xyr bedroom, not really seeing anything. Xyr back was still against the door, where it was easiest to hear Papa not coming after xyr, not trying to argue through the door. Xe’d let xyr mind go blank, listening to that silence.

When xyr phone went off, Yael jumped so hard xe banged xyr head against the door. Xe grabbed the phone out of xyr pocket, answering to stop its intrusion. Xe forgot all about Papa for a moment when xe realized it was Issac. Or, at least, Issac's phone.

“Hello?” xe asked cautiously, not sure who to expect on the other end.

Issac himself answered. “Yeah. Uhm. Hi.”

Yael's head dropped back, hitting the door with another bang. “You’re OK. You’re OK, right? Oh my Gosh, can you hear me? You’re on the phone!”

There was a pause. “I…no. I have translation software. I can’t hear you.”

“Sorry it didn’t work.” And xe was, a little. Mostly, xe was happy he was conscious, coherent and alive. Now they just had to get through the fallout with the APB. Nodiah wasn’t going to be happy.

Issac didn’t even try to hide his discomfort, which was refreshing. “Yeah.” Yael looked behind xyr, as if xe could see through the door. Xe had no idea where Papa was, if he was hearing all of this. “I need your help.”

Yael crossed xyr legs, straightening. Trying not to think about how “helping” him this morning had gone. “What do you need?”

“An escort? I, uhm. I got a job. Just now.” Yael pulled the phone away from xyr ear, and stared at it, baffled. Was Issac actually coherent? “I know that’s weird. But it’s this guy who works with the APB, and he actually believes in my research. Wants to use it to help people.” Official approval! Thank heaven. Issac would be safe, now. Problems were knocking themselves out left and right.

“I’m eighteen. I can move out, any time I want to. They can’t stop me. But it’s like… I’ll have to live in just like…a place. Just standard security systems. I’d feel better if you came along, too. You’re almost eighteen. Can you?” A flicker of hesitation. “Will you?”

Yael rushed the phone back to xyr ear, glancing back against the door again. Hopefully Papa hadn’t heard that.

Xyr first impulse was to tell Issac “no.” He was hurt. He needed his family. He needed to be protected, here at home.

Except now, home wasn’t safe, either. He needed safety and family. Maybe Yael really was his best bet for both. Papa wasn’t listening to Yael-- maybe none of the others would, either.

“On one condition. We have to bring Jamie, too. We can’t leave her here.” Xe hoped Melissa would protect her, but if nobody but Yael saw the danger--

“What? I. But. I mean. If she wants to…You think she would? But she’s sixteen.”

“We have to try.”

“Uh. Sure. Try away.”

“Is…Your mom isn’t with you, now.”

“Obviously.”

“You’re alone?”

“I…I guess they came in earlier. I don’t remember.”

“Have you seen Neil?”

“I guess.”

“Jamie?”

“I don’t remember, OK? Seizures can do that. Just…pack up. I’ll get home when I can to do the same.” He said his goodbyes, which Yael echoed in a haze, then hung up.

Moving out? Xe’d never planned to leave. Xyr room had always just evolved with xyr. This was Yael’s home.

But a home wasn’t such a big thing to sacrifice for your brother and sister.

Xe heard shuffling outside. Papa’s normally light footfalls were slow and plodding, either because he was just that tired, or to warn xyr he was coming.

The handle beside xyr head turned, and Yael looked over at it as the door tried to shift inward. Yael was more than heavy enough to keep it closed.

Papa’s voice was muffled, but only a little bit irritated. “Yael, I’ve bought you a very large bed, two futons, and an office chair. Why do you insist on sitting on the floor?”

Xe didn’t even bother to pretend to be angry. “I’m being a barricade.”

“Well, stop being a barricade and go back to being my daughter. I need to talk to her.”

Maybe it was just because xe was so upset about everything else, but xe was suddenly annoyed by his misgendering, and didn’t watch xyr tongue. “I’m not your daughter.”

Shit! Yael’d said it before thinking, then realized how Papa would hear it. Xe scrambled to xyr feet and threw the door open.

He was standing there, half turned from the door, his expression a broken attempt at stoicism. He met xyr eyes with a piercing, angry gaze and a mouth that tugged down at the corners, obviously hurt.

This time xyr blurted words did better. “I didn’t mean it like that! I meant-- ugh. You’ve heard Jamie and Issac use non-gendered pronouns for me for five months now. Take a hint!”

The pain in his expression cleared, some, replaced by sincere confusion. “You never asked me to call you that.”

“I thought it would be obvious.”

“I didn’t want to assume. Sometimes siblings have things they don’t want to share with-- I was trying not to intrude!” He shook his head. “This is absurd. Yael, aren’t we having enough fights today? Let’s put this on hold.”

Surprisingly diplomatic of him, even if he was sidestepping something important to xyr. Xe tried to stay calm. Xe crossed xyr arms. “All right. Which fight do you want to have first?”

Papa replied with an exasperated, but not entirely unamused sigh, and stepped forward. Xe let him in. He paused. “How about the one about how your room looks like you’re afraid of drawers, closets and boxes?”

“Really?”

He shoved over a pile of hoodies and sat on one of the futons. “No.” He rubbed his face.

The silence stretched out. Papa was lost in thought. Yael collapsed onto the opposite futon, toying with the corduroy.

Finally he looked to xyr. “Which do you want to start with?”

Yael spread xyr hands helplessly, shaking xyr head. Xe had no idea how to untangle all of this. But xe didn’t want him to leave.

Xe didn’t want to leave.

To xyr amusement, he pulled out a coin. He looked at xyr. “Heads, your fight with Neil, tails, the…the other thing.”

Xe nodded, and he flipped the coin, catching it and slapping it to his hand. “Heads,” he announced.

They looked at each other, bracing for a fight neither of them wanted to have. “Tell me what happened. I won’t say anything until you’ve finished. Just this once.”

Too good an offer to pass up. “Issac was following in his father’s and Jenna's and Drew's footsteps. He decided to fight his limitations directly, and he had the science. He limited the MARTIN sensors and used his nanites to try to repair his audio nerve.” Xe refused to look ashamed. “Jamie and I helped him, and kept his secret. And I am not sorry we did.” That was much easier to say now that xe knew he really was OK. “He has the right to try to better himself.”

Xe couldn’t read Papa’s reaction, so xe just kept going. “But he had a seizure, Jamie used the failsafe, and we called for help. The EMTs got Issac, and Drew went with them, and as soon as Neil and Jamie and I were alone, he started shouting at her, and then he lunged for her. I intercepted him and tried to make him back off. He wouldn’t. That’s pretty much when you came in.”

Papa might not have interrupted, but now he was shaking his head. “You misinterpreted. You were upset and you misunderstood.”

“How would you know? You weren’t there!” xe challenged.

“Neil wouldn’t. He adores Jamie. He loves all of you kids.” Yael shook xyr head, glaring daggers at the floor as he continued. “You’ve known him your whole life. You know he would never hurt any of you.”

“I’ve been trying to believe in that, and in him. This whole time I’ve been trying. But he’s not the man I grew up with. That man would never abandon Issac for days at a time like this. Not for any reason. And today-- I’ve seen enough film of your missions to know he can kill with less rage than that. I wouldn’t let anyone looking like that near Jamie or Issac.”

Xe readied for arguments and shouting yet again. Instead, Papa looked distracted and troubled.

Deep down, part of Yael wanted to be wrong. Even hurting Neil unfairly would be better than Neil being a real danger to Jamie. Neil would heal. If he was the person Yael thought xe remembered, he would even forgive.

But Papa had stopped arguing. Xe couldn’t imagine a more hollow victory.

They sat in painful silence for a moment.

“I…I’ll talk to him. And Melissa,” he promised.

“There’s more.”

He looked horrified. “More? How could there possibly be more?” Realization dawned. “The phone call.”

“It was Issac.”

“Well then, that’s good!”

Xe nodded, hesitantly. “Yes, that’s good,” xe hedged. “You know it’s his birthday.”

“What a birthday.”

“He’s eighteen. He called me to say he’s not coming back, except to pack his things. He’s moving out. And he sure is Melissa’s son, because he’s somehow landed himself a job since this morning.”

Papa’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious.”

Yael threw up xyr hands. “It wasn’t my idea!”

“Well, tell him not to!”

“When has that ever worked? At least it’s APB-backed, so he won’t get arrested for this morning.”

“He can’t just go out there, alone.”

Here it was. “He won’t be alone.” Yael gulped, but raised xyr chin. “I’m going with him.”

Papa rocketed to his feet.“The hell you are!” All his bombastic energy was back from before. “This is absurd! We had a fight! That is no reason. No. Reason.”

Yael didn’t have it in xyr now to fight about this. Instead, xe kept xyr voice low, which had the surprising effect of making Papa pause. “I know. I’m not going to get away from you. I’m going to protect him. Because he shouldn’t go out there alone.”

“I forbid it.”

“Then be prepared to fight me with real force every single day. Be prepared to break my legs faster than they can heal, because that’s what it’ll take.”

Papa was visibly repulsed. “This is no time for dramatics.”

“I’m being sincere. I know you don’t have a lot of recent practice with honesty, but try and remember what it sounds like. If you’re not willing to go that far, then you won’t keep me here. And you don’t want to.”

“Of course I want to! You’re my--” Xe had to hand it to him; he stopped before ‘daughter’ this time. He was trying. “Family. And you belong here.”

“Do you want to leave Issac unprotected? Out there? He’s your family. He’s hurt. Are you going to abandon him?”

“This is madness.”

“I told you that I’d defend them. From anyone and anything. I meant that.” Not a hero’s oath, but the one that came from xyr heart.

“What about Jamie?”

“I don’t know yet. But you’ll protect her, won’t you?”

Papa sank down on the futon, hands over his eyes. “There is nothing about this that I don’t hate.”

“But you will.”

He scowled at the ceiling from behind his hand. “Yes, of course I will.”

Silence swallowed them up, and Yael noticed the rain for the first time. Rain was supposed to cleanse. Yael didn’t feel cleansed, but at least some things between them were out. The inside of xyr head felt a little cleaner for it.

Eventually Yael commented, “I think that was the quietest fight we’ve ever had.”

“I think I lost.”

* * *

“Ms. Tillman-Voss? Your brother would like to see you.” The nurse looked at Jamie and Opal, and all the empty chairs in the private waiting room. “Is your mother not here?”

“She went for coffee,” Jamie answered automatically. That had been three hours ago, but it still stood. Jamie had no doubt that wherever Mom was, she’d have a cup of coffee with her. Jamie explaining the morning to Mom hadn’t gone well. Jamie stood, then hesitated, looking back at Opal. “Can you--?”

“I’ll wait here,” Opal assured. It helped. Opal had been sitting with Jamie this whole time, even though Jamie was too full of waiting to be any kind of good company. She’d spent most of the last hour giving Jamie entertaining summaries of Gothic novels with unflattering appraisals of characters’ decision-making abilities. She’d kept it up, even though Jamie didn’t have it in her to laugh at anything right now. They made her almost smile and kept her partially occupied, and that was more than Jamie could have asked for.

Jamie glanced back over her shoulder as she followed the nurse out, getting one more sympathetic smile and encouraging wave from Opal before following the nurse down the same hall her dad had disappeared down three hours ago. She hadn’t seen or heard from him, since. She told herself it was because a broken bone could take a while to treat.

Issac was sitting up, awake and lucid, when Jamie slipped quietly into the room. The nurse shut the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone. His lips weren’t blue. His eyes were focused, if bloodshot. He had on two medical bracelets and a white paper card in each hand. One large, one small. The sensors were still on his forehead. He watched her with trepidation, licking his lips.

Jamie almost tripped over her shoes crossing the space between them. She wrapped both arms around him and pulled him close enough that she could tell that he was warm, that he wasn’t shaking. She tried to make out a heartbeat, but her own heart was pounding too hard. He put one hand on her back, hesitantly. The hand didn’t shake or jerk. It was steady.

She took a deep breath, pulling away, and grabbed his pillow from behind him. She cataloged all the sensors on his head, his sternum, and his wrist bracelet. She aimed for his forearm and stomach, and hit him with the paper-wrapped pillow almost as hard as she could. “Never! Again!”

Issac raised his arms, trying to fend off the unexpected attack, but neglecting to grab the pillow. She gripped it, dragging it off the side of the bed, glaring at him with stinging eyes. Even if he didn’t know what she’d said, he should be able to work out why she was mad.

He was still for a second, hands still raised defensively, not sure whether she’d strike another fluffy vinyl blow. That was fair; she wasn’t sure she wasn’t going to hit him again. She was gratified to see him frantically searching for an appropriate response.

Tentatively, he reached out a hand, and that was enough invitation. She grabbed him in another tight hug, dropping the pillow back on the bed so she could grab him with both hands and be sure she could feel him breathing. “You jerk. I threw up four times because of you. If you ever try that again, next time I’m just going to let you--” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Couldn’t even finish the thought. Didn’t want the twitching, blue-lipped vision it conjured up. She realized belatedly there was no way he could hold a tablet, because he was actually hugging her back this time. She was just as happy he hadn’t heard her threat. She sniffed hard, trying not to get snot on his paper pajamas, and squeezed him again.

He answered anyway. “I promise not to ask you to do something like that again. Sorry.”

She muttered with her head on his shoulder. “You better not. Practically gave me a heart attack.”

“Liar. Your cardio system is like the only thing on you that halfway works right.”

Jamie startled, letting go. “You heard me!” Oh thank G-d, it was over. Whatever came next, it would all have to work out. Issac's gambit had paid off. Mom and Dad would have to forgive them for it eventually, now. She was almost lightheaded with relief.

“No. I’m wearing the contacts.”

Shit. She could see it cost him to even say it. But seeing him turn red in the face was good. Red wasn’t blue.

“Oh. Well. I’m glad you can use those now. I can’t even tell the difference!” He couldn’t hear her tone, but she was pretty sure it was still unconvincing. Not because it wasn’t true, but because of everything she knew would come with it. She gripped the paper of his hospital gown. “So…are you OK?”

He didn’t look at her this time, watching his own hand tap the sheets. “Well, I’m not dead. There doesn’t seem to be any more brain damage. Still can’t hear. So, mostly the same, I guess. My back hurts,” he added offhandedly. Jamie’s gut flipped, remembering the unnatural looking way it had bowed off the bed. “But I guess…mostly the same.”

He turned his hand over. There was a handwritten notecard in it, in an unfamiliar handwriting. You are in the hospital due to a seizure. Some confusion and soreness-- He closed his hand around the card, then looked at the other card, which seemed to be a business card. He didn’t turn that around, so she couldn’t read it.

“So uhm. I guess my experiment got someone’s attention at the APB--”

Her hand clenched around the paper of his shirt again. She looked down at his wrist. He wasn’t cuffed to the hospital bed or anything. Looked around the room. No sign of any security measures beyond the default.

Issac was OK, but would he stay OK? Would they ship him off to some hellish prison in Detroit? Issac couldn’t make it in a place like that-- hearing or not.

Jamie couldn’t protect him from that. From anything. “We’re at the APB,” she interrupted. He paused, then looked around the room, realizing it was true. “MARTIN called them,” Jamie added furiously. Stupid super-intelligent security system didn’t understand the risk it was putting Issac through.

“Oh. MARTIN.” He was quiet so long she had to squish the urge to bend over and check his eyes, to make sure they weren’t rolled back. Then he took an expansive breath. “Anyway, this guy who works with the APB is interested in my research. He offered me a job.” His eyes skittered up to meet hers. “And I took it.”

They stared at each other. He had the good sense to look a little hangdog. Finally, Jamie spoke, trying to sound as even-keel as possible. “I don’t want this to sound mean, but I think they should scan your brain for injuries again.”

Issac looked supremely unimpressed, but pointed at a monitor with a display that meant nothing to her. “Read all you want. I have.” He held up his phone. “I even got some notes from them.” He shifted, sitting straighter and warming to his subject. “Look, this is what I need. Just…some space to figure things out. Some backup so I can work without…” He gestured at the machinery behind him without actually looking at any of it. Jamie's eyes skimmed along them. There were a lot of them. A lot of things the doctors were worried about.

Legal protection. That was worth a lot. Was it more than their family could provide?

“But you live with Mom,” Jamie attempted to reason. “She owns everything in your lab.”

He frowned. “Well, obviously I’m going to have to move out. That’s fine. I’m old enough.”

Jamie thought of Mom’s torn up cuticles and the cracks in the dark glaze on her nails. This morning, the cracks had been gone, and the plum glaze traded out for a less obvious nude color. Tidied up, but with the expectation of future chips.

“I was going to move out soon, anyway. What’s a few months’ difference?”

“Mom’s going to see a difference.”

“Well, then that’s her problem,” he answered with attempted glibness. Jamie’s heart sank. “Yael wants you to come. With us. Xe’s moving out with me. As a bodyguard kind of thing. I don’t mind. If you want to.”

She made up her mind in an instant. She’d failed Issac once already today. She couldn’t quit now. She nodded, just once, and he seemed both pleased and surprised.

She’d figure this out one way or another.

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