#also dont blame constantine

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC Urgent Call

"I need your phone."

Tim looks up from his laptop. The boy in front of him looks like he's been dragged to Hell a week ago and just made it back: smudges of soot on his face, his not-so-white t-shirt smelling of smoke, and a nasty looking burn on his hand that he somehow doesn't even pay attention to. Tim thinks back to his mental list of 'Rogues currently on the loose', but it's only Ivy and Harley (who don't even count anymore), and Penguin, who is not known for setting things on fire.

"I can call 911 for you, if you want?" He offers, because this is still Gotham. Despite the fact that a slightly scorched guy casually walking into a coffee shop is not something out of the ordinary here, he's not giving his phone to strangers.

The guy grimaces and starts aggressively rummaging through his pockets.

"No, thanks, ACAB and all that, and they won't do shit here anyway," he says, and then pulls a handful of tangled golden jewelry — rings, chains, necklaces with various gems in them — from his pocket and places it on the table in front of Tim. "I need your phone," he repeats.

Tim stares. First, at the gold — these things look antique, and his parents were archeologists, he knows what he's talking about — then, back at the guy. He looks... ordinary, sans the dirt and smell.

But the burn on his hand looks significantly more healed than it did just a minute ago.

Thankfully, Tim has already had his cup of morning coffee. Which means he is thinking very rationally when he does get his phone out of his pocket and hands it to the guy, just to see what he does next.

"Thanks," the guy grins at him, plucking the phone out of Tim's hand and unlocking it. Tim's eyebrows shoot up — there's a password there! — but the stranger is already dialing in a number and pressing the phone to his ear.

It takes less than a second before someone evidently picks up, and the guy starts talking.

"I have less than three minutes before the phone dies, so listen very carefully. Etrigan is fine, Jason is not, Klarion is still being a bitch. Dora won't help anymore, so you're on your own until Sam makes it there with the staff. I'm in Gotham because, apparently, mazes and I don't mix well together, so if you could summon me back, that'd be cool," he says, a look of mild annoyance on his face.

Tim is back to staring at him. He recognizes some of the names, and, well, one could have been an oddity, two a coincidence, but three is a pattern.

"The fuck you mean you can't, I gave you the incantation two months ago!" The guy raises his voice, his foot tapping on the floor in frustration. "Do you think I just go around giving my summons to people for shits and giggles? Like, yeah, have a spell that unleashes a cosmic being of immeasurable power, use it as a bookmark!"

This interaction, despite Tim only hearing one side of it, gets more and more alarming with every word.

But then, the boy suddenly straightens up and stills, his eyes flashing bright, unpleasantly familiar green.

"You what?" He asks, his voice slipping from just angry to quietly enraged hiss, "Sold it to whom?!" But, before he gets an answer, Tim's phone makes a thin, tiny buzzing sound, and the guy takes it off his ear, looking at the screen.

"No, no-no-no," he mutters, shaking it like that would make it work. To no avail, though: the phone screen flashes a few times and goes black. The guy curses. At least Tim thinks it's a curse because he doesn't understand a word, but the stranger's face and intonation are telling.

"Useless fucking moron of a human, I swear I'm going to drown you in cow shit once this is over," he switches to English, dropping the phone on the table right by the small pile of gold, "I'll bargain your pathetic soul from everyone you've ever dealt with and give it to the Observants, and maybe, after a few millenia of endless Council paperwork, I'll have mercy and sell it back to Lucifer and watch him fry you on a skillet."

...Whoever the boy is, Tim absolutely refuses to ever piss him off, okay. That's an impressive threat to even make, not to mention being able to go through with it.

"Do you need help?" He asks cautiously. If he is getting his context clues right, this is something that involves JLD, and maybe John Constantine specifically since Tim doesn't know any other man who is a magic user, sold his soul numerous times, would care about Etrigan's wellbeing, and could invoke this kind of murderous intent.

The boy looks back at him, his eyes back to normal blue.

"Huh? Oh, no, I doubt this can be helped," he waves Tim off and pinches the bridge of his nose, "Sorry about the phone, but, unless you have a way to yeet me across the globe so I end up in London in the next twenty minutes..." he shrugs, smiling in that helpless 'nothing you can do here' way.

Tim picks up his phone. It's dead, wholly and completely, won't even turn on when he tries.

He really, really shouldn't do that. This is definitely none of his business, and very much out of his capabilities and area of expertise.

But he thinks about the zeta-tube in the Cave.

"Actually," he says, and the guy's eyes snap back to him, a bewildered sort of surprise on his face.

[kiarst]

little late night thought:

yandere! batfam x neglected!reader but soul eater. hc that its another universe accessible via magic.

had this idea floating around but what if neglected reader nearly died in an accident or is on the brink of death after being attacked by a criminal on their way home and when they wake up, they're in the world of soul eater. They get found, fixed up and are basically adopted. I dont know by who but I'm thinking stein or marie (pre-medusa). if reader is found by stein then reader knows he's got a few screws loose but sees he surprisingly cares about them more than the batfam did.

I don't know if they'd be a weapon or a meister but I like the idea that they're a meister with yandere weapon who they don't mind is a yandere. Dunno how they'd meet tho or what weapon or what kind of meister their partner is if reader is the weapon.

mc goes to the dwma, no knows they are stein's assistant/kid (aside from the main group who find out when they go to fight stein) or that they're from another world and think they're just the normal student who's only oddball thing is their obsessive partner and their calm behavior towards them. maybe they're also friends with the main group or smth.

Now batfam is devastated once they hear the news that mc is most likely dead and definitely missing (cuz there was no body but there was blood left at the crime scene). theyre blaming themselves and bruce is tryna find a way to bring them back. he enlists the help of everyone, including magic users. Maybe he asks constantine or zatara for help. Either way, batfam finds mc and is surprised and protective when they see them fight a kishin the day they meet again. theyre like what are you doing? you could get hurt. youre coming home with us right now and mc and her partner are like nope and dip. They know the world better than batfam so they manage to evade them for a bit before being found cuz batfam is persistent but mc has a crazy obsessive guard dog for a weapon and a (maybe and definitely) much crazier father figure. shenanigans ensue.

thoughts? feel free to take this idea and make something w it.

[paingoes]

I've been thinking for a while about an AU where Delta's parents are alive, but are imprisoned/held captive by the Empire, and they have no idea what's happened to their son (though they might have their suspicions). At some point after Delta's rescue, they're eventually found and freed by Galatea, and someone puts 2 and 2 together (perhaps there's enough records to piece things together, or someone notices Delta looks like them and they all agree to a DNA test, or perhaps his parents see Delta and are able to recognize him even after all these years, or Delta sees them first and is like "????!!! Same species????!!!" Or perhaps a combination of those.). His parents get to see (and hold?) their son again and learn he's alive, and Delta gets to meet/reunite with his parents and learn that they've always loved him and did want him.

tw for fantasy racism and child abuse and general cruelty/evilness

oh dont make me cry !!! this is kind of a bittersweet AU because i would really like for delta to have been able to meet his parents and to understand how loved he was and that they never forgot about him. but at the same time oh my god this is going to be such a difficult experience for all of them.

this is a minor spoiler and idk if ill even commit to it in the text but my headcanon for a little bit has been that delta and several other of the [eels] youth were taken specifically as a punitive measure against their species for rebellion against imperial rule. the abduction was not only a kind of cultural genocide but it was made to be specifically painful and insulting. like oh you want to rebel? your children are ours now and we are raising them to be weapons wielded by empire. they wont even remember your face.

if you asked delta right now if he wanted to meet his parents i think he would genuinely be very afraid to. he has so much shame about what hes done and who he is as a person. if you asked him that question i think one of the first things he would want to know is “do they hate me?”

additionally… delta has no positive models for parent-child relationships. martino and his other teachers were the closest thing he had growing up. (not all of his teachers were as cruel as martino but across the board dehumanization and heavy control were still the default.) simon was somewhat kind to him but still hurt him on occasion and totally enabled his abuse. constantine was kind to him but in a way that made it clear he was a possession (and though kind to him, delta has witnessed constantine hitting paris, his biological son, on multiple occasions).

i think delta fantasized about what it would be like to meet his parents and to be loved by them but he also thinks that it is just a fantasy — they wouldn’t actually love him if they met him (back when they were online friends, delta tells kitty and apollo the same thing) and due to aforementioned negative experiences, he still has a lot of anxiety about parental relationships.

anyway. deltas parents would be absolutely devastated to know what delta has been through and even more devastated at the fact hes been blaming himself!!!! like at the fact he is ashamed or scared of them at all. they love him so so much and are so proud of him for surviving and getting out. tell him that he literally has rebellion in his blood and he should be very proud of himself for still trying to do good even when he had every incentive not to.

he would probably live with them for a bit before returning to galatea. he lets them pick a name for him :)

aughhhhh. this is a good AU concept maybe ill write it at some point. delta 💙💙💙💙

[ AEGEAN SEAS BONUS:

the offhand mention of delta’s dad beating paris in Aegean Seas was a subtle nod to the fact that deltas parents would absolutely despise paris if they knew how he treated their son. its a shame because AS!paris didnt even deserve it lol he was answering for another universe’s karma

canon delta would literally throw a fit if he knew how AS!delta acts with his parents (bratty, “I HATE YOU DAD” attitude). like i think what AS!delta is doing is normal and totally developmentally healthy but canon delta would not be able to believe how ungrateful he is to have a family and parents who love him. go hug your mom you asshole.]

[h3llblazer]

"Normally Id call you out for being rude but I did get your name wrong so I cant blame you for being so mean. And I dunno... I was just curious since Jason who gave sad answers fell asleep and Tim doesn't want to hear me reenact Hamlet. I thought it was funny since its on theme but he also doesnt have a sense of humor so I dont know what I expected.

Does it matter who I am? Youre not the Constantine that B wanted to come by"

💀🐦

Okay, sure then, you're that acrobatic lad right? Well, if I'm not the one ya need just go right ahead to the next, hope ya find whatever the fuck yer looking for I guess.

[ghostantine]

yey corpse pool!

demon dude done well and accurately. john’s quite the ass he needs to be. very much all his engines so they back on track so stick to it and you good

[mxtantrights]

The magic-spy and the bird

the best friends brother trope is in my top 5 tropes. but I've also got a thing for angst. So here we areeeee. enjoy! <3

dick Grayson x f!reader

Jason Todd had asked you specifically to ask his brother out. And he did use the word brother, which you made a point to bring up. He shot it down but still decided to push his message towards you. You should ask Dick out. It wasn’t that simple.

“Jay I don’t think you’ve thought this through.” you said.

He chuckled, “Of course I did. I wouldn’t say it out loud if it wasn’t a well-cooked plan.” 

You made a face at him.

“Okay look, all I'm saying is you’ve got nothing to lose. If anything you're way out of his league.” he said and then gulped down the rest of his beer.

You didn’t like beer and so you worked on a Pina colada. You had done the whole beer thing for years now. As a trained spy it was your go-to for missions at bars. Safe to say you were sick of ales, craft beers and everything in between.

“Ah yes, the magic using spy.” you nodded your head.

Jason nodded along with you. 

“Exactly. Bird brains would eat that up.” he said.

“And when would I tell him that I knew about his secret identity? Before I tell him about mine or after?” you asked. 

Jason sighed and raised his hand for another beer. You rolled your eyes at this. Once he had a thought it was very hard for him to let it go. Especially when it included a thought about people he cared for- no matter how much he claimed the opposite. 

“All Im saying is, you never know until you try.” 

“What are you a fortune cookie?” 

“Fuck off. I’m being serious and I do give great advice you can ask Duke.” 

2 DAYS LATER 

You look at Caliban with bated breath. He had just gotten info on a magic-based rebellion. Work was tight when you rolled with the good guys for too long of a time. You blame that on two men on your life, Jason and Constantine. 

“I’ll put in a good word for you.” he says.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. And any-”

Before you can finish telling Caliban that he can call in a favor from you at anytime your surroundings change. In a flash you go from one of the underworld crime bars to a room you’ve never been in before.

You look around and sure enough you see the culprit. Constantine.

“There she is!” he smiles.

Not only did he summon you, he did so in front of an audience. Circled around him is Gotham’s crime fighting family. All of them except Jason, Cass and Duke. All of which know about your secret identity and would’ve stopped Constantine from summoning you. The rest of the family are all looking at you liked you’ve grown a second head.

You look down at what you’re wearing. The long sleeve off the shoulder skin tight black dress was the perfect choice for the club you were supposed to be in. Maybe not so much for a meeting with the Bats and his birds.

You look right ahead at Constantine, “I don’t like being summoned.” 

“Ah, but you’re the best person I know for this job. I had to get you over here.” he says.

You take a quick look at all the other people in the room. Then at the screen behind them. Your information is plastered on it. Well, the information that you’ve decided to let the government think was yours. Your codename was at the top of the screen.

“Constantine says that you’re the best way into the underworld.” Batman says.

You’re confused to say the least. Constantine was Constantine, why would he call you in order to get them into the underworld when he can do it himself? It defeats the purpose of having to call him.

“I’m sorry,” you direct to Batman and then look at your friend, “I need you to state specifically what I’m needed for.” 

Constantine moved from the family over to you. As he did you watched as Nightwing followed him with his own eyes. Now Dick knows you’re not just Jason’s friend from around Gotham. Great.

“Bats got intel that something it going down with this magic group, the-” he starts. “hex mutiny.” you finish.

“You already know about them?” Nightwing says.

“I was just getting someone to put in a good word for me with them before you summoned me here. You’ve got great timing you know that?” you say to Constantine.

He smiles, “Well then it seems like you can be of great service, spygames.”

“And what exactly would I be doing, if I can even get a spot with them?” you throw out the question to the family.

Red Robin crosses his arms, “We need someone on the inside to tell us what they are planning for Gotham.”

“I doubt they’d let a newbie in on their plans.”

“Good thing you won’t be a newbie.” Batman says.

Constantine conjures an amulet in his hand. You want to hit him over the head. He could really be a pain in the ass. You grab it from him.

“With this, you’ll be in the perfect position to get in and get out. Easy.” he says.

You shake your head, “Every time you say that I get a new scar.” 

“I promise sweetheart. No scars this time.” 

“Yeah yeah, you owe me for this.”

EXACTLY ONE WEEK LATER

You knew you would end up wounded. Typically with Constantine it was nothing deadly, or nothing your own magic couldn’t fix. But you knew that your luck had to run out some day. And it wasn't his fault.

After finding out what the group was really up to you couldn’t just let them operate. They weren’t really rebels. No they used that name to paint a narrative. They were fascists.

You held the wound to your waist to stop the bleeding. This would have to be the farthest you could go. There was no way you could run out of this. Not with the blood seeping through the cracks of your fingers.

At least you brunt the members down to the ash. It took a lot out of you. And that’s why you weren’t prepared for a hit that tore right through you. 

“Why aren’t you moving?” Jason, or Redhood, said through the comms.

You leaned against the hallway wall.

At least you’d die someplace pretty. When you first came in you didn't notice how clean and meticulous everything was. There were painting of famous magicians on the walls. Along with some stolen art, a Van Gogh or two. 

You ripped the amulet off your neck and felt the illusion fade. The necklace fell to the floor and you let out a pained breath.

“I think,” you coughed and on the clean wall was not splatters of blood, “this is it.”

You could hear Jason shouting on the other end. He was calling out your name, calling out for Constantine to come and help you. Duke was calling for you too. And you could’ve sworn you heard Cass say your name once. 

With your only free hand you tried to open a portal out of the base. You knew it would be useless as you had a mortal wound and portal magic works best under no stress and panic, or blood loss. The usual light from your hands glowed faintly until it didn’t.

“Constantine can’t summon you?” Dick asked.

At that you let your body drag down the wall until you reached the floor. When you did sit down more blood came out. So you decided to lay down horizontally. 

“Hey hey- I told you I wasn’t gonna let anything happen to you.” you hear Constantine through the comms.

You want to laugh, but it ends out more of a chocked gargle.

“I screwed up the mission. I deserve it.” you said.

“You did good. Better than any of us.” Batman said.

“Constantine you need to call in whatever favors you have to get her out of there. Now!” Jason shouted.

“Dont,” you started.

“No. We’re getting you out of there-”

“Jason, I’m not a saint. I never would’ve imagined going out like this.” you said.

Once you were born you were thrusted in this world. All you knew was to use magic as a weapon. To get ahead, to get power, to get the glory. And that lasted you until you turned 19. 

Then Constantine crossed paths with you. He was the one to show you that magic has other uses. Such as helping and healing. You learned the best stuff from him.  And you took what you learned and began to help in ways you could.

You didn’t go on the straight and narrow. Never did you consider yourself a morally correct person. Sometimes the lines were blurred, or they need to be blurred. And so you took down seedy organizations, went on recon missions all over the world.

It wasn’t justice. But it was close enough that you could sleep at night or the odd hours of the morning for more than four hours.

“Sweetheart I don’t break my promises.” Constantine said finally.

You were just beginning to feel your eyes grow heavy. The pain was starting to be comfortably numb. Then above you appeared someone you weren’t expecting in the slightest. 

“Caliban?” you asked.

“You owe me double.”

4 DAYS LATER

When you woke up you felt battered and weak You weren’t used to these feelings and you weren’t used to being so close to death. Everyday was a new experience when you’re the Priestess of Espionage.

You cracked open one eye to find a couple of deviants at your side. Jason, Duke and Cass. The youngest took the chair next to you while Duke and Jason seemed to take the floor. Since they weren’t in their gear you guessed that you were out for longer than a couple of hours.

“Not my version of hell but I’ll allow it.” you say in a raspy voice.

It wakes everyone up.

Jason and Duke bolt to your bedside.

“Why’d you almost die on me?” and “Are you feeling okay?” come from them both, respectively. It makes you want to laugh but when you feel the ache in your waist you stop yourself.

“I’m alive, so there’s that. Positives.” you answer.

Jason shoots his younger siblings a look and they scurry out the room. You try to sit up to ask what it was for but he puts his hands up for you to stop any movement. So you lay back down.

“He would kill me if you tore your stitches.” 

You shut your eyes, “Jason I don’t think Constantine would kill you per say.”

You hear the door opening so you decide to open your eyes. And sure enough you see Jason leaving the room and someone coming in. Dick Grayson, out of his suit as well. 

As much as you wanted to, you couldn’t read his face. Besides the clear betrayal that was there. He definitely knew that you knew he’s Nightwing.

“Hi.” you say.

His face softens, “Hi.”

“I just want to say that I would’ve told you about who I am. Sooner that you think actually but this mission kinda derailed all of that.” you say.

With his arm crossed over his chest he nods, “How long did you know I was Nightwing?”

You wince.

“For about two years now. Once Jason told me he was Red it was hard to not notice the similarities of the Wayne family and the Bat one.” 

He laughs at that and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. It must be going good if he wants to laugh. 

“And when did he tell you that I like you?” he asks.

“He didn’t explicitly say that.” 

There’s a beat of silence. You’re looking at him and he’s looking at you. But he’s the one who seems to be holding his breath this time. You try to hide the smirk you feel forming on your lips.

“What?” he asks.

“Jason had told me that I should ask you out. He didn’t say anything about you liking me.” you answer him.

The red tint that covered Dick Grayson was absolutely adorable.

He nods his head to himself. Twice.

“I- I’m gonna get Jason for you.” he moved to the door.  And you don’t really know what to say. All your words get jumbled in your brain and you can’t put them together in a way that is smooth enough so you deicide to just try your best.

“If you were to ask me out, I would say yes.” you say.

He looks directly at you. Then his signature smirk appears.

“I’ll bring back some food for later.” he says.

“it’s a date.” you answer.

[lesbianmarrow]

i watched legends of tomorrow 5.03 “miss me, kiss me, love me” a couple days ago and then i watched it again today bc i just loved it so much!!!! solidly fun and entertaining episode that also sets up some of the plot junk and character arcs for this season. and the historical setting is so fun, they really make the most of it with the costumes and soundtrack and funny accents. this is what i want from a legends of tomorrow season premiere, and it took a few episodes but eventually the show came thru.

the team of ray, sara, and constantine was so fun. i especially enjoy seeing sara and constantine work together. you really get the sense that they understand each other on a level no one else does and i just love it so much. also wonderful seeing the dynamic between ray and constantine this episode. it’s pretty intuitive to pair them together because of their contrasting personalities, but given constantine’s angst over astra, ray seems like the perfect person to provide input and advice, since his whole thing is relentless optimism and that’s what actually convinced nora that she could choose a better life. if anyone can get constantine to believe in astra’s capacity for goodness, it’s ray. 

while ray’s little subplot was the least compelling part of the episode for me, i do think it hints at something potentially interesting. ultimately the story is ray naively believing that there are some good cops in the 1940s LAPD, and having this illusion rudely shattered. this serves as a kind of foil to constantine’s storyline (which i would consider to be the main storyline of this episode), which results in constantine changing his mind about astra deciding that there is still hope for her. it’s notable that ray advises constantine to believe in astra even after ray’s police mishap - i think it makes ray’s optimism more poignant, since he remains steadfast in it even after it fails him in one instance. but after the events of the previous episode, where ray explodes rasputin from inside, i am kind of wondering if this episode is setting up a more lasting disillusionment for ray? i could be reaching but who knows.....we will see.........

now on to constantine. god this was such a good constantine episode. at first i was a little confused why the episode was spending so much time on this plot with constantine and the lady (i dont remember her name so i’m just gonna call her ms femme fatale), and then i realized it was meant to parallel constantine and astra, and then it all made sense! constantine knew something was suspicious with ms femme fatale from the moment they met, but trusted her to do the right thing, and was betrayed when she chose to seize power by any means necessary - a choice that ended in her murder. constantine tried to save her, but you can’t save someone who refuses to let go of their quest for power. and even though ms femme fatale betrayed constantine, it’s hard to blame her for trying to become powerful when society tries to render her so powerless. there are a lot of parallels to astra’s situation, and it makes perfect sense that after constantine fails to save ms femme fatale, he would decide that he has to try and save astra. this storyline fits into some extremely fun detective noir genre tropes while also providing real character growth for constantine and setting up his arc for the season. 

speaking of genre tropes, i about lost my mind when sara tried to seduce the gangster. in the past, the show has tended to place sara in a more masculine role when revisiting history (remember sara lancelot?). but here we see that she’s able to play the feminine role equally well. i wonder if part of it is that the writers have gotten more confident and no longer feel that they need to show sara kicking ass all the time so that we understand that she’s cool and badass. which is not to say that her using herself as bait ISN’T badass bc of course it is but just in a different way. but like even beyond that there can be moments like constantine calling sara his secretary and sara making a face at him and like we get that she’s more than that sexist idea, we don’t need to make a big scene over it. we don’t need a flimsy “girl power” affirmation bc the show has done the work to present sara as powerful, and that isn’t threatened by her being belittled or pretending to be a femme fatale. anyway sara’s fluidity with gender roles means so much to me. also i thought her old timey accent was really funny. 

i also have to talk about ava of course......i like her dynamic with mick, it’s sweet. would have loved to see charlie along with them but alas it was not meant to be. i’m glad that this season is addressing early on what it means to ava to no longer be time bureau director and instead be one of the legends, because obviously it’s a huge shift for her. it’s hard not to see it as kind of an unjustified demotion, but i also think it will allow her opportunities to grow as a person and that will be interesting to see. i liked how mick was trying to comfort her, and how that didn’t really help bc he is so different from her that she can’t take his words to heart. but then she sings her silly song and discovers that she does have a new freedom now and that is something to appreciate. it was so so cute how sara was cheering ava on and being so supportive even though ava’s singing was terrible. also how she was wearing ava’s scarf. they are literally girlfriends. 

okay this post got WAY too long so i will save discussion of the tarazi family drama subplot for another post. but yeah i loved this episode so much, i’m guessing it will end up being one of my favorites of the season. 

[alexiaugustin]

i loved seeing fatou and ava and the vibes of the skatepark as location.. apart from that i really dislike that they are already making ava so okay with ismail and them being on good terms :/ moreover, i dont have anything against clips that feel more like filler clips and r there for the vibes and aestethic but this clip came off as if there was supposed to be a point to it when there.. wasnt.

like we already know that ismail only wants to hang out with lou but that constantin keeps tagging along.. that ismail might be in love with lou but that constantin might be in love with her too.. we also know that sascha is that flawlessly kind n calm friend who's supposed to juxtapose messy and "toxic" lou and constantin (i still hope that this is not where they're going with lou's characters because that would be terrible for so many reasons lol) n not even ismail ditching sascha and not even properly apologizing seems to evoke much change in sascha as a character (and imo they're writing themselves into a corner with this one because honestly who the hell wouldnt feel hurt and upset over what happened last friday, do they not realize that they're turing sascha into such a flat and one dimensional character like that). this could have been a good moment for sascha to snap and the narrative challenging ismail, leading to them realizing that they really need to change something about their behaviour and the way they treat ppl (the ava conflict was right there to learn that lesson from! and yet they seem to be okay with each other now so sascha just.. letting ismail get away with ditching him is the second time they wasted potential this season).

i dunno it seem like this is all leading up to ismail figuring out that constantin (and possibly lou) are the problem n "making them a bad person" rather than ismail realizing that they really need to work on themself because everything shitty we've seen them do/apologize for in this season was honestly on them and nobody else is to blame for that so if thats really whats supposed to be the "who's good for you?" toxic friendship storyline this season.. chile

[lucidpantone]

I think Lou could be a love interest but I think it will be temporary. I still feel like Sacha is the ultimate love interest in the end. They are drawing too many parallels between Constantin/Lou versus Ava/Sascha. The big difference with Lou and Sascha is that they are potential romantic interests instead of just friends but it’s still ultimately the same situation. I think there are some people in the fandom who don’t want to acknowledge that because they feel like it’s the same as calling Lou toxic and I don’t think that’s what the show is necessarily trying to do. It’s about Ismail and how they react to those around them.  At the end of the day, there is no need for these new characters if it’s not going to be different. There’s also no need for them if there was no romance involved, because they could simply repeat the Consti versus Ava conflict again.

I don't think Lou is toxic I think its weird we are even making those parallels as of yet. Firstly Lou has done nothing directly to Ismail to be presented as toxic her only moment where she lacked judgement was the car moment and I dont really blame her for that. Its consti car she didn't take it without permission he literally let her and yea she crashed it but thats not on her in a way consti knows they have been drinking and smoking so I put that shit on him. Also Lou asked Ismail strait up if he is single and he said yes. So its not like Lou is moving in on Ismail when they know Ismail has a partner. All she knows is she is intrigued by Ismail and she asked strait up if he is single and he said yes. Thats all she has done. Literally there isn't much more information then that. Now does Lou represent something/someone else that stirs up Ismail prior bad behavior? Yes, she probably does but once again thats not on her thats on Ismail. He knows its shitty to blow off Sascha but he does it anyways. Like Ismail has agency he is just a shitty friend. Plain and simple. Also because of this as I said before I think neither Lou or sascha are end game. One of them may have a moment with Isi but I just dont see either person putting up with how Isi is behaving long term. I do agree that I see Consti/lou as "the current" and Ava/sascha as "the past" but what am saying is I see neither of these pairings as “the future” but more so some permutation of them because once again Isi isn't being a good friend to anyone really. He is all types of shady and its not intentional but he knows deep down he is being selfish hence why I dont see him ending up with anyone. He needs to learn to be a better friend and human before he can be anyone partner. His got a lot of growing up to do imo. They may end it with sascha and Isi being an open ended maybe in the future but right now I also think Sascha needs to learn to value himself and the reward at the end shouldn't be they end up together but they learn to be better towards one another. Thats my two cents.

[flowerpowell]

Meet-Cute (Drake x MC)

PART FIVE

A/N: So… after almost three months part five is finally here. Does anyone even remember this series?? I’m sorry it took me so long but also thank you for your patience! I hope this part will bring you the answers for questions you had after part four! I dont own the characters, they belong to Pixelberry. As always, feedback is much appreciated!

Rating: PG-16 (nothing bad but just in case)

Word count: 2050

Tagging: @agent-bossypants @mysteli @gardeningourmet @annekebbphotography @mymandrake @butindeed @walkerduchess @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicessa @violinist3121 @blackcatkita @jlouise88 @innerpostmentality @tmarie82 @darley1101 @littleeeepeach  @ooo-barff-ooo @sleepwalkingelite @traeumerinwitzhelden @jovialyouthmusic @nikkis1983 @notoriouscs @melodyofgraves @zaffrenotes @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @rhymesmenagerie @emichelle @drakesroyalromance @drakewalkerisreal @mrsnazariowrites @furiousherringoperatortoad @lynne1993 @drakesensworld @iplaydrake @thequeenofcronuts @confessionsofabrokegirl @xxcaptainchrispowellxx @carabeth @ao719  @gibbles82 @be-still-my-aching-heart @symonde @choices97 @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore ♥ (I’m sorry if I’ve missed out anyone, it’s been so long and I forgot who asked to be tagged!”

“Because they all think I killed Liam,” Drake said avoiding Riley’s widened eyes.

“You….WHAT?” She couldn’t believe it, maybe she misheard something?

“Killed Liam,” he answered calmly finally risking a glance at her. She was shocked.

“Wait, what do you mean you killed Liam?!”

This didn’t make any sense, they were friends! And even if something changed, Drake would never kill anyone. Never.

Or would he?

How much could change since she last saw him?

“I know what you’re thinking. But for the record, I didn’t do anything. I was apparently the last person who saw him alive so I was accused of his death.”

“Wait, wait, stop!” she waved her hand, shaking her head trying to understand. “I’m not following. Liam’s dead? You’re accused of his death? What the heck happened in Cordonia since I left?!”

“A lot of things, actually. You wanna know everything or just the key points?”

“Everything, I have time,” she replied wrapping herself in a blanket and making herself comfortable.

“Well,” he sighed running his hand through his hair, “it all started the day you left. You weren’t in your room so I assumed you were somewhere with Hana or Maxwell. I tried to call you but you didn’t answer. And then I saw the letters. I read mine and when I realized you were really gone I ran to find the others hoping they’d know more. But they didn’t, no one knew anything and we all were surprised to learn you decided to take off. We started looking for you, in the middle of the night, knowing you couldn’t be far away. I don’t know where you spent the night but you hid well, no one, not even the royal guards, could find you. Anyway, Liam was furious. He blamed me for your disappearance and to be honest, I blamed myself too. Liam shut me off completely, I think he was still hurt after I told him about us. I hired a detective to find you but he couldn’t find anything. When we came back to Cordonia, we started getting ready for Liam and Madeleine’s wedding. But he didn’t want to marry her. He was getting rebelious, didn’t want to listen to us, to anyone. His father was getting worse too. And then, Bertrand told us they had found Tariq. And if you think everything got better you’re wrong. It only made Liam more upset. He was free of Madeleine but the only person he wanted to marry, that is you, was gone. He blamed me for his ruined future, for his ruined chances for marriage. We barely spoke since then, I lived in my cabin, far from the palace to avoid him, or anyone for that matter. I sent another detective but still nothing. I called Daniel a few times but he swore he never saw you. Finally, Liam’s father died. There was an attack in the palace and I think it was Liam who was targetted. A few weeks after, Maxwell told me what a mess Liam was. He didn’t talk to anyone, he barely eat anything. I decided to visit him, I was his friend after all and I cared for him. He wasn’t happy to see me. He told me to get out, I could see he was drunk and tired with everything. I told him I was worried but he only shrugged and said he was doing perfectly fine.”

“Liam… we’re worried about you, you don’t go out, you don’t talk to anyone, you–”

“I. AM. FINE.”

“Liam… I’m concerned..”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have taken MY woman, if you’re so concerned!”

“She wasn’t yours! And it’s not my fault she had feelings for me!”

Liam snickered, “Of course. She loved you so much that she left.”

“Liam!”

“Get out. I don’t want to see you ever again!”

“Liam, we’re friends, please,let’s talk.”

“I do not want to talk to you! You have taken away everything from me. You have taken the only chance for love I had. You took her, you made her leave, you–”

“Liam, please–”

“GET OUT! Get out before I do something I shouldn’t do as a King!”

“Our meeting didn’t go well, he yelled at me and I decided to leave before we both say things we would regret. That was the last time I saw him. And unfortunately, the last time he was seen at all. Somewhere around three in the morning I got a call from Bastien saying Liam was found unconsious and people claim I wanted to kill him. They heard us arguing loudly and the camera footage clearly shows me as the last person who came into Liam’s room. Bastien told me they were going to investigate me and advised to hide somewhere until they find the real reason for Liam’s condition. He didn’t believe I did it, neither did Savannah, Hana, and Maxwell. And then a whole lot of mess happened. Liam was pronounced dead and I guitly. Bastien gave me fake passport and helped me get out of the country and I’m glad he did because I would be in jail now. No one wanted to listen to me, they all assumed I did it because I wanted to be with you. Some people claimed I killed you too. After I left, I still got updates on the situation and guess what. Your press secretary, was not, in fact, a press secretary, but a fucking pretender to the throne in case the King of Cordonia died childless. And since both, Liam and Constantine, were dead, Anton, that is Justin for you, was pronounced a new King and Olivia, who was his wife according to the will, a Queen.” He took a deep breath before continuing.

“Anton put Bastien and some other royal guards in jail for not taking enough care of Liam and issued a wanted notice after me. No one was safe with him, not even his own wife who suddenly disappeared. Anton accused me of kidnapping Olivia and promised to find me. Now, he’s ruling alone and I think that was his plan all along. I have no idea where Olivia is but I’m sure her kidnapping was his doing. I went to the States to my mom, already changed my name, but they came there looking for me too. I was wandering across the U.S. in hope to find you, find anyone who didn’t hate but after ten months I gave up. You didn’t want to be found for a reason. I remembered I obtained a degree a couple of years before and decided to start teaching. Went to England and was lucky because they needed a history teacher after the previous one had to go on a sick leave. And here we are,” Drake finished sadly.

“Wow,” was all she could say in that moment. She didn’t know how to comment on that, so much information is so little time.

“So… Liam’s dead?” her eyes welled up with tears. “And Justin,  I mean Anton, is the King now? With Olivia as his wife but she disappeared? And Bastien’s in jail? What about Maxwell? Hana? Betrand?”

“I don’t know, I didnt want to contact them in case someone caught that and they would be in trouble,” Drake shrugged nonchalantly and Riley felt angry he was so calm about it.

“And that’s it? You just ‘don’t know’? Never tried to look up for any information about them? You talk about it as if you don’t care at all!” she yelled at him and he winced slighly.

“I do care!”

“Liam is dead and you’re telling me as if it was nothing, no emotions, nothing!”

“What am I supposed to do?! Cry in front of you? Get drunk? It’s been a year, I already did all of that before.”

Riley shook her head and got up, slowly collecting her clothes. “It’s too much for me, Drake. I need a moment. I can’t believe you’re here while they are all…there. I can’t believe you don’t care.”

Drake stood still watching her getting dressed. She looked at him with this well-known disappointed look in her eyes. “You won’t say anything? Won’t start another argument? Yell at me about how wrong I am?”

“Nope, not doing that,” Drake answered walking up to her and putting his shoulders around her, locking her in his embrace. “I’m not arguing with you ever again and I’m not letting you go ever again either. You’re staying with me.”

He pressed a kiss to her cheeck and she rolled her eyes. “Gee, you’re no fun when we’re made up. I can’t even tease you! What have I done!”

He chuckled in response but his face fell slighly when he realized something.

“You know we have to keep this private, right? No one can know or we’ll both be kick out.”

“I know,” she sighed, “and you can’t be kicked out because that would cause a scandal and you have to avoid scandals so no one can find you. Maybe we should just get back to hating each other again?”

“No!” Drake pulled her closer, trapping her in his arms. She laughed.

“I’m not letting you go,” he whispered into her hair before placing a soft kiss on her temple. “It’ll be hard but we’ll manage. If I managed to hide my feelings towards you well enough that even you thought I didn’t have any for you causing you to leave, then I think I’ll be good with hiding them before the rest of the world too.”

“We’ll see about that, Mr Stagger.”

~~~~

He wasn’t joking. Hiding what was between them was hard.

Riley had to remind herself not to smile or talk to him. Luke was getting suspicious and was constantly studying her face during the classes. She cursed herself for choosing psychology as her major because that made her classmates only more observant.

Drake was trying too, he never complimented Riley on the right answer but decided to let go of bombarding Luke with difficult questions.

Not being able to spend much time with each other wasn’t easy either. Riley had classes when Drake had breaks and vice versa. Evenings beloged to her hanging out with her uni friends and Drake could only message her. They met up for weekend trips only, far away from the campus, where they would make up for the lost time and simply, where they could enjoy each other’s company.

They never came back to the conversation from weeks ago, Drake seemed to have dropped the topic but Riley couldn’t stop thinking about it.

During her evenings alone, she tried to find any information about what happened on the Internet but there were not many articles and she was sure then those that were left, were somehow controlled by Anton. She wanted to call Maxwell or Hana and ask them but she knew it’d only cause more problems. She needed to know some more but she didn’t know how.

On one Monday evening, while she was thinking of some ways to obtain information, her phone rang and she smiled seeing who was calling.

“Spenc! How are you, sweetie? I miss youuuu so much! I wish you would come here already!” Nadia kept talking on the phone and Riley could almost see her pouted face.

“I’ll be home in a few weeks, remember? Besides, you have other friends too, they can keep you company.”

“I do. But I miss you anyway. I’m dying for some new gossip! How are you and Luke? Does this awful professor stopped treating you like this? In my opinion he was jea-lous! Anyway, have I told where I am going in a few hours? To the embassy! For dinner, can you believe it?? I wish I could say ‘I made it!’ but it’s not me, Damien, you remember my friend, helped the ambassador solve a complicated case that’s been going on for ageeees and he invited us all to thank him. I’m so excited! I wish you were here!” Nadia was chattering when Riley was hit with an idea.

“Nadia… Your friend Damien, he’s–”

“He’s single, yes!”

“No, I didn’t mean it like this.”

“Oh, good, cause I think he might be into my cousin Kai!” Nadia said relieved.

“He’s a private investigator, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“And if I, hypothetically, hired him to work for me, internationally but in total secret, could he do that?” Riley asked biting her lip. She had the idea but she wasn’t sure if that would help.

“Hypothetically, yes. He’s the best and he would solve any case in no time! Is everything okay?” Nadia asked suddenly concerned.

“Nadia… do you have a moment? I want to tell you a story of a beautiful country Cordonia and of a girl named Riley and how everything changed from a fairytale to a nightmare.”

[kristie-rp]

[2018] Garrett: Turning

It is a truth universally acknowledged that anyone acting particularly weird in the hospital must be in want of Doctor Vincent Constantine. 

Okay, no, that’s not true, exactly. It’s more a truth acknowledged only within the hospital itself, and weirdness is relative, and they don’t always know they need Constantine’s expertise. That’s just how it gets explained to Garrett when he starts his placement during med school, by a curly haired woman speaking behind her hand in a stage whisper. Doctor Constantine himself snorts and shoots her an unimpressed look, and does a double take when he sees Garrett. There’s something vaguely familiar in it, and the intern smiles politely. “Hi, Doctor Constantine.” 

“Call me Vincent,” comes the reply. “She’s right, in a manner of speaking. If something seems particularly... peculiar, then I am the resident expert. Feel free to come to me.”

Garrett doesn’t think much about it, afterwards. The thing is, he doesn’t work in Vincent’s department, at least not at first. The older man operates largely out of the basement, where a morgue would be in any other hospital: it has been turned into a ward, and the windows of half the rooms are blacked out with heavy tarps. It’s eerie. When Garrett brings his toddler daughter April to work some days, when she is too young to be home alone and not able to be at daycare, she tends to spend time with the old man. He doesn’t get it, but he allows it. 

He’s been a fully qualified medical practitioner employed by the hospital for eight months before he thinks about the description of Vincent’s specialisation. A couple have brought in their terrified daughter, who is incredibly pretty for a human child and also very quick-witted and persuasive. She has talked the nurse out of at least three lollipops before Garrett arrives in the room to introduce himself and shoo the nurse away. 

“Do you really need so many,” her mother is asking a little helplessly, taking the third one from her daughter. The little girl shrugs, and asks her dad to get her some water, please, from the vending machine. Because her mother is the one with money, she goes, too. The little girl is alone with Garrett. 

“They think I’m sick,” she informs him flatly, pouting slightly. “I don’t think they’re wrong. I mean. I know I’m not like the other girls. And there are these.” She tugs at her beanie and it lifts away to reveal small horns on her forehead. She is very careful not to rip the wool. “My mom’s worried.”

“Cutaneous horns aren’t unheard of,” Garrett tries. He doubts it’s that simple; the very sentence sits wrong on his tongue. Plus, every instance of cutaneous horns he’s heard of presented in the elderly. 

The little girl, apparently, is aware of this. “I know how to Google,” she says dismissively, “and I know only old people have that happen. So why is this happening to me now?” 

Garrett hesitates. He can order tests – of course he can. But something gives him pause. The mother and father return, and Garrett makes up his mind: he leans out of the door to catch a nurse as she passes by. “Hi, sorry – can you run down to the basement and find Doctor Constantine, please? I need a consult.” 

The nurse looks at him curiously, but returns in fifteen minutes with Vincent himself. He looks between the couple. “Are you her father?” 

The man shakes his head. “We adopted her a few years ago,” he explains. The little girl doesn’t seem bothered by this, and her mother has rested a hand on her little girls shoulder. “We have the record of her biological parents medical information –” 

The mother starts to search in her bag for the papers. Vincent stops her with a wave of her hand. “No matter, they won’t be accurate.” 

The parents make outraged sounds, and the little girl blinks at him. “You know what’s wrong with me?” she asks. Her voice is much smaller than it was earlier, alone with Garrett. He can’t blame her, really; Vincent has that effect on people. 

“Have any of you heard of a Cambion?” is what Vincent asks, completely without preamble. Garrett starts, because he’s heard of those, in fascinated Wikipedia spirals that almost always end with him looking up different takes on mythological beings – and this doctor, whom he respects, is talking as though the creature is real. “It is the result of a sexual union between an Incubus and a human woman. I’d bet the mother listed her boyfriends information before giving her up, knowing exactly what she was getting into.” He pauses, addressing the girl directly. “The horns may be surgically removed once they are fully grown, but that won’t happen until you’ve completed puberty. You likely had almost no pulse until you were seven, and you’ve likely noticed you barely need to breathe. You’re clever and beautiful, more than human girls, and you’re persuasive. Many would call you manipulative. Does this sound right?” The little girl is staring at him, somewhere between dumbfounded and fascinated. Garrett can see in her face that this explains everything. “You have the potential to be evil, but with good parents – nurture over nature, all that – it can be subverted or at least limited. Any questions?” 

If there are, Garrett doesn’t hear them, watching the girls face instead. He can’t see Vincent’s, but that girl is looking at him like he told her the meaning of life, and has no longer left her confused and wanting, unsure what she is. 

Garrett doesn’t know if he entirely believes the story, but he’s half-way there. It helps that the little girl pauses to give him a hug and to thank him on the way out, beanie back in place.

Garrett’s co-workers think that his fascination with Vincent’s so-called department – which exists primarily due to the Constantine’s donating more money to the hospital than the accounting department is willing to disclose – is ridiculous and confusing. They think Vincent is insane, or delusional, or at least eccentric, for all they respect him as their fellow doctor. But every single one of them is willing to call the older man for a consult when the situation calls for it, which is really all Garrett can hope for, so he mostly ignores the opportunities to mock them.

(Mostly, because sometimes he cannot bite his tongue fast enough to ensure he is less sarcastic in the workplace than he is at home, with April, who by now is a teenager who really ought to have a more sincere parental figure to turn to.) 

Anyway: it is not uncommon for Garrett to visit Vincent’s basement, either to ask pointed questions or chat with patients kept so separate from the others. He does this more predictably on the nights when April is not supposed to be coming home, and tonight she is staying at a friends place while they work on a project for class. He does not have to be home in time for dinner, so he meanders down to where he can visit at his own pace. 

There is a woman with albinism in one room. She greets him warmly, as she had the last time he’d been here, by putting on a terrible Transylvanian accent and calling herself a vampire. Garrett quirks a brow at her, thinking something along the lines of you wouldn’t be quite that pale if you dined on blood, Zoe. She laughs aloud. “Alright, fair enough, I’ll let you have that one. Stop by on your way out, Doc,” she insists, and he can almost feel the idea settling in his mind, ensuring he will do as asked later. 

“Is your tail ever going to heal?” Garrett asks the man in the next room, curious.

The merman with his blue-tinted skin snorts, his teeth growing in jagged rows; according to what he’s told them, he is a hybrid of some sharks that wouldn’t ever frequent the bay around Port Lyndon. “I’m not the doctor,” he says, splashing impatiently. He is caught halfway between human and mer form, and the pain shows in how pale around the gills he is. “Ask Vince.” 

“Yeah, sure, I’ll get right on that. Straight after my stopover at H.L. to let them know what I am,” Garrett retorts, earning a laugh from the mer as he splashes contentedly. 

He stops at the door of the selkie to smile and let her know that he’s passing through, because he knows she’s mostly here because of the debilitating anxiety that came from losing her pelt – only she hasn’t felt compelled to actually go to anyone, so it isn’t stolen, just legitimately lost. There’d be more chance of finding it if it was stolen, from what Garrett understands – it is hard to get her to talk, because Vincent is the expert, and he’s not exactly personable. 

The next room was home to a slightly burned dryad the last time he was here, but his bark was basically finished moulting, which means he should be gone, and the room should be empty. Garrett opens the door to check, eyes widening when he instead gets an eyeful of a wolf-like being – it’s a fully transformed werewolf, he knows that – and yet his immediate panicked reaction is to step closer and slam the door closed.

Yeah, his self-preservation instincts have always been terrible, he is aware. He does things like drink hot sauce on a dare (college) and break into his parents liquor cabinet (high school) and grab the arms of angry looking people on crutches to prevent them from walking into traffic (summer between high school and college, and actually he’s proud of that one). He has a feeling he’d step in front of a gunman to save someone, even a stranger.

That might explain locking himself in with an angry looking werewolf. One that’s currently edging closer. 

“Crap,” he croaks, panic making his voice crack, and presses himself against the door. 

He blacks out. 

It’s probably for the best.

“I have to hand it to you, Garrett,” a familiar voice is saying when he comes to, blinking at a white tile ceiling, “if you were going to be infected by a supernatural condition, this is probably the best possible place you could’ve done it.” 

“That’s nice,” Garrett says. He thinks he sounds about as sarcastic as usual, but he might be a little dazed. It’s something to do with the fact that he can make out the little specks across the surface of the tiles, which is weird, because he should be wearing glasses, and he can’t feel them on his face. “I think my veins are on fire.” 

“That’d be the wolfsbane,” the voice answers, apparently unbothered. It’s Vincent. Garrett is not surprised. 

Garrett closes his eyes. “You’re suppressing a transformation, aren’t you. Isn’t that a bad idea?” 

“Which one of us is the expert?” 

Garrett scoffs. “Which one of us is a werewolf?” 

There’s a long silence that makes Garrett want to open his eyes, but it’s bad enough that he can hear a heartbeat that he’s pretty sure isn’t close enough to be Vincent. Which means his co-worker doesn’t have a heartbeat. Which – he had to pass a medical to get this job; how did Vincent get the job with no heartbeat, without causing some sort of crisis? He keeps his eyes firmly shut, thanks ever so much. “Touché,” Vincent says at last, and Garrett can hear the amusement in his voice. 

“How long was I out?” 

“A couple of hours. Your phone rang; it was your daughter. She’ll be here soon.” 

“Sure, that’s a brilliant idea,” he mutters, sarcasm heavy in his voice. Garrett’s eyes fly open and he sits up a little quicker than he would like, blinking against the abrupt change of scenery and the headrush. “By which I mean, you just said I’m a newly turned werewolf, Vincent, what the fuck?” 

“At least you already know werewolves exist,” he says.

It’s not helpful. Garrett gives him the glare he thinks he deserves, and then lays back down, pressing his palms into his closed eyes. Maybe if he thinks hard enough, this will go away. “I can’t be a werewolf,” he says, as if it will change anything. “I have a teenage daughter. I’m a medical doctor. I work night shift half the time, I can’t take every full moon off!” 

“That’s what the wolfsbane is for.” 

“Oh, right. How could I forget? My veins feel like they’re actually on fire and this is the only way to not turn into a wolf that will bite anyone around.” 

“You’re a very negative person, aren’t you?” 

Garrett grimaces. He’s just realized what the heartbeat he can hear actually is, and attempts to peer at the other occupant of the room, the one he missed. “Sorry, Dave. I didn’t mean any offence. Much.” 

Dave, the werewolf responsible for this entire thing, snorts, but it sounds half-hearted and exhausted. He is trembling. “I should be the one apologizing. I ruined your life, man. I owe you.” 

“Should I be worried about the shaking?” 

“Doc didn’t give me any ‘bane until I’d already transformed, is all. Remember to take it like you’re s’posed to and it works out better.” 

“Great.” Garrett takes medication for anxiety on the daily. He now has to add injections of liquidated wolfsbane to his schedule at least once a month, twice in a blue moon, and he really doesn’t want to wish harm on Dave – so he doesn’t. He closes his eyes again, takes a deep, supposedly steadying breath. “This is just what I needed.” 

“Dad?” 

Garrett opens his eyes and looks up. April is standing over him with a look of concern, the door open behind where his head has been resting this entire time. “Hey, sweetie,” he says, trying for a sincere smile. He doesn’t know how close he gets as she dumps her bag and kneels down beside him. “I hear your sleepover wasn’t that great.” 

“Muriel is being mean, so I called to come home. Vincent said you were – hurt?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just – um.” Garrett pauses. He cannot lie to his daughter, she needs to know what is going on. It isn’t fair to keep her in the dark. 

He has to tell her about supernaturals, if she hasn’t guessed already.

Garrett groans aloud, pressing his palms back into his eye sockets. “Remind me to kill you later,” he mutters. “It’s the least you deserve.” 

Vincent snorts, and Dave’s noise is more like a whimper. There’s something decidedly lupine in it, and that’s exactly the sort of thing Garrett needs to hear right now. 

“So,” he starts, pulling his eyes away, “you know how there are humans in the world, and they have different races? African, Asian, Caucasian, Mongoloid.” 

“Yes...?”

“Well, those differences are just aesthetic. The differences that actually matter a little bit are the ones that make human beings into something – supernatural.” 

There’s quiet for a long moment. “Are you trying to make a joke about that TV show?” April asks, wary. 

Garrett sighs. He wishes he was. “I wish I was,” he says, “but what I’m actually saying is that vampires and werewolves and dryads and all that – it’s real. That’s what’s special about Vincent’s patients. That’s why they are in the basements, that’s why pretty much everyone avoids him and thinks he’s insane.” 

“Hey,” Vincent says. It’s mild enough that Garrett doesn’t believe he actually cares. 

“Also, that’s Dave. Say hi to Dave.” He waits for April to wave awkwardly at the patient. “He’s a werewolf. And he bit me.”