#Anyway anyone remember Sunny patch friends or whatever it was called?

[driftingballoons]

remembering one time in high school where this girl was telling everyone what they “looked” like. One girl got dubbed a plum, another christened as a coconut, and I?

this abomination

[disembodiedapparition]

Limerence

Frank groaned in frustration; he needed a cigarette, like right now, but after a quick glance around the pigsty which he affectionately called his room, Frank reckoned he wouldn't be getting one anytime soon. Not that he was addicted or anything — of course not.

He just... wanted one, yeah.

I mean, Frank could totally quit anytime he wanted, it's just that he didn't want to, not yet at least. He was painfully aware of the consequences of his, um, habit, but he didn't really care. If he lived, he lived. If he died, he died. He'd probably kill himself before the drug betrayed his lungs like that anyway, if we're being honest. The ephemeral bliss was worth it.

Finding anything in his room lately had become nothing less than searching for a needle in a haystack, maybe even harder, Frank thought as he agitatedly glared at the offending piles of dirty laundry and cigarette butts (among others) that littered his bedroom floor.

Despite the mess, Frank set out on mission impossible, desperate for his daily fix of nicotine, his head throbbing as the craving intensified. Goddamn it, why were minors banned from buying their own cigarettes? Frank was finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the limited supply of one pack a week that his friend Bob provided him with in return for Bob's completed English homework sheets - especially considering the fact that Frank pretty much lost everything that wasn't physically attached to him on a keyring, or something.

He huffed, glaring at the vermillion and black artwork he'd pinned up on his wall — not by him, of course. He could barely surpass a 5-year-old's art skills — but by his extremely talented boyfriend, Gerard Way; a college dropout/artist/Frank's number one smoking buddy. Frank's mom didn't really approve of Gee's "negative influence" over her only son, but hey, Frank was almost 18 and technically he could do whatever he wanted.

Right? Frank wasn't stupid, he knew what he was doing.

Speaking of the devil; a distinct thud resonated through his room, a sound he'd come to associate with Gerard - seriously, the kid was incapable of using a doorbell or something, he was always flinging rocks at Frank's poor bedroom window. But then again, Gerard usually showed up at Frank's around two in the morning, and he was sure his mother wouldn't be all that pleased when she blearily opened their honeywood front door to find some punk kid smoking a cigarette waiting for her at that ungodly hour.

Another thud echoed through his room, causing Frank to roll his eyes, and mutter an incomprehensible 'I'm coming!' under his breath. He cracked the rusty window open a notch, to see his favorite 22-year-old, clad in black from head to toe (Frank wasn't even surprised anymore) and his messy black head of hair sprawled across his forehead like he'd just ran a marathon through the jungle or some shit.

"Gerard?" he called, though he could clearly see his face thanks to the dim streetlights stationed at regular points on the street. I mean, what else was he supposed to say?

"Yeah, Frank, it's me. Let me in, it's fucking cold out here," Gerard replied, theatrically shivering as if he'd been standing in the middle of the Antarctic, when in reality Frank was certain the temperature was just around basic autumn weather, but whatever.

"It's two in the fucking morning," he said, but opened his window anyway. Gerard climbed the conveniently placed apple tree in the Ieros' backyard, and rolled his grimy body into Frank's room. He smelled of coffee and... well, freshness, if that made sense, at least in comparison to Frank's stuffy bedroom air (the windows were shut because, though it was fall, it still was pretty chilly). Petrichor was the word, if Frank remembered correctly - Gerard had told him once that it meant the scent of the earth just after it rained, that was the same thing, wasn't it?

Gerard dusted himself off, and tiny flakes of fallen autumn leaves crackled off his lint covered sweatshirt and onto the carpet — great, that would be hell to clean up later - but Frank didn't mind much, because at least Gerard was here, right? The newcomer grinned at Frank, as a breath of smoke from a cigarette that Frank hadn't even noticed puffed out from Gerard's pink lips. Which didn't really help with Frank's attempts to survive without one, considering the fact that his inhalation of the substance subsided his migraine significantly, as if his body were physically encouraging him to just fucking smoke already.

"Gee, please tell me you'll let me have a smoke, I haven't had one all day and I'm just — ugh."

Gerard giggled at Frank's flustered request, and pulled out a pack of Marlboro Red and an edgy looking Nirvana lighter before handing it to Frank, who just breathed out in relief.

"Thank you, I love you, fuck," he exclaimed, desperately igniting one of the poison sticks and bringing it to his lips, and sighing as he let the caliginous vapor flow from his mouth.

"You look beatific," Gerard mellifluously laughed, and Frank laughed too, though he didn't know what the fuck Gerard meant by that — perks of dating a guy who majored in English for 3 years, I guess.

He gazed into Gerard's pelagic eyes, appearing lagoon green in the dim light; another thing he loved about Gerard was how his irises seemed to magically change colors depending on the amount of light flashing into them. I mean, totally rad! Added to the whole vampire-esque vibe Gerard gave off, what with his incredibly pale skin tone and blood-red lips, and even changing eye colors - Frank was dating a superhuman, I swear.

Frank's eyes were just a plain dull brown, unfortunately. He honestly didn't know what Gerard saw in him. Not that he was complaining, it's just that Gerard could literally get any homosexual guy in the tiny town of Edison to go out with him, and why he chose Frank of all people puzzled him. He really was nothing special, anyway.

Gerard smiled at the seventeen-year-old, his tiny teeth visible as he made the facial gesture.

"So, Frankie, what do you want to do today?" he energetically asked, making Frank snort - Gerard was literally an owl, personified, because like, it was two in the morning! And he was acting like it was the start of a brand new sunny day, and that they were a couple of adventurers ready to explore the wilderness or something (or maybe the nicotine was just getting to him, yeah, that was probably it).

"I don't know, I'm just hungry," Frank admitted, and Gerard's face lit up.

"The boardwalk! Frank, tonight's even the firework display — it'll be great," Gerard exclaimed, ebullience literally radiating from him, and the idea filled Frank with delirium; he'd never really been to the boardwalk of New Jersey before, his mom had told him it was dangerous and therefore out of bounds. The thought of going anyway was exhilarating, to be honest, so he nodded vigorously, thrilled to be going out on an actual date with his boyfriend.

Gerard cracked his boyfriend's abused window open, cringing as it slowly creaked into the atmosphere, before quietly sneaking out the same way he'd gotten in, so stealthily that Frank was certain that any passerbys would've mistaken him for some kind of petty burglar trying to steal from some teenage kid who lived in the attic of his house.

Frank tried his best to mimic his furtiveness, not that it was plausible that anyone would try to stop them as such, but just because it felt fucking cool. Yeah, they were that extra.

The raven-haired boy shuffled to his black Cadillac (which was all patched up, nearly falling apart to tell the truth) and strung his seatbelt across his chest as it chafed with the fabric of his black Iron Maiden t-shirt. Frank got in next to him, and holy shit, he loved every scent relating to Gerard ever, and his car was no exception - especially considering it radiated a smell you'd associate with buttered toast, or pancakes, and it was the safest smell honestly. Frank felt at home with him, and so happy, nothing even compared to the enthrallment he felt with his boyfriend. Which was kind of pathetic, I suppose, if you consider those self-help speakers who always tell you to 'never let your happiness be dependent on others!', but who cared?

Ah, the art of self-destruction.

He could literally see the exhausted car quivering as Gerard tried to null it into starting up, which may or may not have involved kicking and a few depreciating syllables, but the secondhand vehicle eventually succumbed to Gerard's harassment and the roar of a badly maintained engine resonated through the air, accompanied by a 'fucking finally!' from its driver.

———————————————————————

Frank immediately knew they had arrived at the carnivalesque seashore area, though his eyes were shut tight from the harsh blows of the cold wind; the redolent aromas of popcorn stands, caramel apples, and pizza engulfed his senses, and the chatter of the hundred or so individuals who'd been reckless enough to show up at this hour met his ears. A soft rhapsody floated through the air in uneven waves through a pair of worn speakers, David Bowie, Frank figured. He'd been around Gerard Way for far too long to be unable to recognize one of the singer's songs even from a mile away.

"We're here!" Gerard stated the obvious, smiling like a child. Frank could definitely see how much Gee loved the boardwalk; he'd even dropped his "cool dude" facade and replaced it with the air of a little kid in a toy store, and Frank would definitely be lying if he said it wasn't like, the most adorable thing ever.

They got out of the ancient ebony car, Gerard not even bothering to lock it; if anyone tried to steal it, they'd cause such a ruckus and take so much time to even get the engine running that they'd barely get out of the parking spot before Gerard would show up, yelling obscenities. Penumbras shadowed Gee's features almost surreptitiously, thanks to the shifty luminance of the electric lamps diffusing into the night sky.

They wandered around the various food stalls, stopping at a liquor store, selling interestingly named margaritas and shots, obviously intriguing Gerard.

"Oh my god, Frank, look, they have a kiwi margarita!" the older boy commented, pointing at a neon green brew of alcohol with effervescence bubbling out of it in a teenager's hand. Frank scrunched his nose.

"That looks radioactive," he remarked, widening his eyes, and the latter just rolled his eyes.

"You are so uncultured," he declared, sticking his nose up slightly in the air. "I'll let you know that that beverage is actually forty dollars, definitely a top-notch drink."

"And unaffordable," Frank retorted, empowered with the knowledge that Gee would probably have enough cash to down like, two shots of that, at the very most, and then he'd meet with a very uncomfortable financial situation. He giggled as his boyfriend flipped him off in response.

An iridescent glowing sign flashed the words 'Pencey's Ice Cream' in big, bold, capital letters, immediately attracting the attention of the younger of the duo. Gerard followed the platinum streaked boy's gaze to the sign, rolling his eyes.

"Ice cream?" he sarcastically proposed, and Frank retaliated by punching him in the arm; not that it hurt, Frank was too tiny to cause much damage to the older boy, but just for the sake of it.

Together they strolled into the parlor, which totally gave off a 90's vibe, which Gerard seemed to like — judging by the way he glanced around in fascination at the vermillion and pearl striped borders, and the mint green and cotton candy pink machinery propped against the walls.

A smiling teen greeted them as the door chime jingled, and Frank noted that her name was Jenna, from her rather smudged name tag.

"Hi, what would you guys like today?" she greeted, as the dark-haired boy smiled at Frank.

"What would you like, princess?" Gerard pressed, evoking a fierce blush.

"Uhmmm, coffee walnut," he stated. "No, cookie dough! And um, chocolate sprinkles, and, uhhh... caramel syrup," he concluded, Gerard trying to contain his laughter.

"You're gonna get fat!" he groaned, however Frank just shrugged and watched eagerly as Jenna compiled his rather complicated ice cream order.

"Fat and happy." he retaliated, sticking his tongue out, while Gerard amusedly snorted at his kindergartener-like behavior. Jenna smiled at them, and let them know that they were undoubtedly the cutest couple she'd ever seen, which definitely did not make Frank blush. No way.

Gerard ordered some kind of fancy-sounding cherry jubilee thing, since Gerard was the most extra guy he'd ever met — classy or go home, right? That was probably Gerard's motto in life, considering the theatrics Frank had to put up with every day. Not that he really minded, though.

They held their ineffably good desserts in hand as they made their way to the wooden planks that loosely hung over the ocean water, sitting down. Their dangling legs were centimeters away from getting drenched in the cold icy seawater, and their faces were constantly being sprayed with splashes of salty, burning droplets of the ocean — yet Frank was okay with it. Honestly, Frank was up for anything as long as he had Gerard next to him; they could fucking skydive into the depths of hell, for all he cared. Or maybe that was too dramatic, he thought, before realizing that if it had been humanly possible Gerard would've done it ages ago.

The fiery pits of hell seemed edgy enough for Gerard's taste.

Gerard turned to Frank, a hesitant smile on his face. His lips opened to say something, before he was interrupted by a heart-stopping explosion that filled the air, startling Frank and causing him to jerk his head up in the direction the explosion seemed to come from.

Sparks of envious greens and deep blues flew through the charcoal sky, leaving smoky gray trails as they cascaded into the ocean. Glowing splinters of reds, oranges, purples and yellows followed next, patterning themselves into symmetrical patterns of light. Their iridescent colors illuminated Gerard's face, Frank noticed as he watched a firework explode in the reflection in his boyfriend's fascinated orbs.

Gerard must have been able to feel Frank's gaze, because moments later, he turned to the tattooed boy, his lips giving way to a smile, painted rather endearingly in the pulsating lights.

"They aren't nearly as resplendent as you are," he whispered, and Frank rolled his eyes, internally of course. Gerard loved using words Frank had never heard before in his life, but for now he decided to assume it meant something nice and ignore it.

He connected his cold lips with Gee's warm, welcoming ones, his heartbeat quickening when the latter's arm wrapped around his small waist, pulling him closer. He still tasted like nicotine and alcohol of some kind, he could feel the bitter taste engulfing his mouth, but it evaporated — everything evaporated — when Gee broke contact and whispered breathily in Frank's left ear.

"I'm in love with you."

[thedovahcat]

Wildstar: Three Curtains to Close

Until I come up with more things for all my characters to do! This isn’t goodbye! Otherwise these were just some writings I brewed up earlier this afternoon while at work. I’m sure they’ll be up to MANY many more shenanigans in no time.

Kinda takes the edge off.

____________

Roger always said the sky looked like Zzazzberry yogurt swirled around into a pink, orange and purple whirlpool of colors on the TV. And frankly, Walker was inclined to agree with him. Normally, he always had the skylot set to a sunny, clear day so the plants in the garden wouldn’t suffer too terribly to a sudden climate shift. Today however, for one reason or another, he decided to deactivate it so that they could see the real sky. And it was just as Roger described. Warm colors in multiple shades all mixed into one gradient, dotted with big puffy clouds and faint sparkling stars the higher you looked up into the darkening sky. Normally, lowering any sort of wall or barrier or defense left the botanist extremely uneasy, but he felt differently today. He felt...ok. Not great. But not terrible. Roger seemed to be enjoying it, blowing bubbles into an oncoming gust of wind every time one would pass through. Walker told him to stay close. Just incase the wind got so strong that it’d carry him right off the skylot (not that it would, but you never can be too certain.) The equivars were allowed out of their pen to eat some of the overgrown grass that had filled in all the muddy patches on the property. Roger would go over to them every so often and blow bubbles on them, getting a kick out of the whole thing every time their ears twitched at the popping soap suds. Bell would turn away pinning her ears flat while Pepper merely stood still and took it, unbothered and with a mouth full of plant matter. Walker sat on the porch, keeping a close eye on everything that boy was doing. His expression softened every so often though. That kid had come far since they first met. Scared and shivering in a corner, bunched up into a little ball in the back of the ship while Walker snapped at him and asked him why he was so strange and troublesome to deal with. And how he didn't have time, and how could Neil do this to him. He was wrong of course. Over time he learned Roger was simply Roger. And no matter how he got to be the way he was, that was it. Even just thinking about it made him cringe and then laugh nervously to himself. He'd never dream of acting like that towards him now. Never. It happened once but that was a mistake. A big mistake. Never again. Bell stamped her hoof into the dirt and gave Roger a warning grunt to stop with the bubbles. Walker looked up from his very short trance. "Roger- leave her alone. She doesn't like that!" He called out, standing up automatically, but refraining from going over there. Roger could move. He didn't need to. He kept telling himself. Roger looked over his shoulder and back at Bell before moving away from her, only to go messing with poor Pepper again. "Er- Roger? Why don't you come over here- sit with me?" Walker anxiously asked. "Oh...why? Ok I guess." The botanist breathed a sigh of relief, and Roger came bumbling on over. Jacquemont looked up from his scanning in the garden, blooping loudly before finishing up and racing over to the porch, leaving a little trail of glowing blue rings behind him. As soon as Roger saw the little bee-bot he yanked him out of the air the way he always did and plunked down right next to Walker on the porch. "Hey Walker?" "Yes?" "Why's the sun red? It's supposed to be yellow." Walker squinted and glanced off to the side where the sun was indeed setting for the evening. "..Well... there are...uhm...-" He scratched at one of his ears. "Oh you know...the sun gets tired when the day is over. So it uh, dims. And then it's night." What a lie. But Roger wouldn't ever understand nor remember why, so it didn't matter anyway. "REALLY?! Wow I'd sure be tired if I had to glow all day... and hot..." Walker chuckled quietly. "It would be hard, yes." "Hey Walker?" "Yes Roger?" "Why're we outside?" Walker shifted and turned towards him, automatically reaching over and picking the kid up and plopping him down on his knee. "You wanted to blow bubbles and bother Bell and Pepper, remember?" "I did? ...huh." Roger had no recollection. He turned his attention back down to Jacquemont, who's antenna blinked on and off a few times as he folded his little wings back against his body. "Hey, Walker?" "Yes Roger," "I think the sky looks really pretty. The sun's red though. Isn't it supposed to be yellow? Why's it turn red like that?" "The sun is very tired Roger." "Oh. Well. I'd be really tired too." "You don't seem to be so right now. Are you sleepy?" Roger shook his head. "No." "That's good." They sat there for about a minute in silence, when Walker spoke again. "You know. When dinner's ready, we have some leftover cake from Yevgeniy's wedding. Would you like so-" "CAKE? We have CAKE? We NEVER have cake!! Yes!!" Roger rocketed back onto his feet, absolutely beaming. Jacquemont got tossed into the air but managed to right himself again mid-fall. "Walker I want cake!!" He didn't care where or who it came from. He certainly didn't know anyone named Yevgeniy. (Remember more like.) "J-just a small piece. You know you can't have a lot of sugar." Walker made sure he knew that much. Still... it was a good day today. Roger could have a little piece and be all right. "Come on. Let's go inside and wash our hands." "Ok! Walker!!! We've never had cake!!" Roger bounced onto the steps and raced on ahead back into the house. "W-WIPE YOUR SHOES!!-" Ok. That part was very much so Walker's fault. He'd admit it.

____________

A long line of drool trailed out of Yaedra’s mouth as the loud stomping down below on the first floor disturbed his sleep.

Roger…

He opened his eyes, and they practically crackled like they’d been glued shut for hours. He’d been asleep all day long, judging by the time on the clock. How had that ha- oh yes. The wedding. He forgot how much he drank. Walker took him home and then they’d both passed out (after a little-)

He wanted to die. Slowly, he flopped over so that he was face up, staring at the ceiling, listening to the air conditioner kick on, making the vents rattle.

Dinner… dinner was done. He could smell it. That was what got him up on his feet again. Before he even made it out of the bedroom though he took a detour into the bathroom to brush his teeth. At least. Walker wouldn’t let him hear the end of it otherwise.

The previous evening’s events still made him feel strange, about a lot of things. He wasn’t sure why.

Mischa and that stupid janitor finally scraped up enough money for a decent yet very small, very private wedding. Yev’s mailman friend cooked a lot of food, Yaedra brought his violin with him and offered to play something at the very least. Walker came and brought Roger with him, so he certainly didn’t stay very long. The Aurin doctor Mara had come by with gifts, even though she had enough bags under her eyes to share with practically everyone. And they had been able to find a priest to make the whole thing official.

The only thing that had been missing were the masks. They were the most expensive things on the list. So much so they sacrificed going someplace nice and instead held the ceremony on Mischa’s ship’s front lawn.

The two had been so tired of waiting and saving. They had wanted to just get it over with.

Yaedra, being Yaedra, couldn’t let it go. Of course. He took it upon himself to make the masks for them, unbeknownst to them.

The first attempts were positively abysmal. And he had to pound Yev with his fists more than once to sneakily get facial measurements in whatever dents he could make. Over time and with a bit of help from an old friend, he managed to produce something decent.

Yevgeniy was given a mask that was split down the middle. One half of the face smiling brightly, the other, a powerful frown. The symbol of the theater, drama and comedy. He’d lived his whole life there prior to the Contagion. It made sense. And while he accepted the gift warily, he loved it. Mischa hesitantly accepted it and was grateful as well.

For his own son, Yaedra had no idea initially, as he’d never planned on doing anything like this. Until he remembered…

The mask he presented to Mischa was a black wolf’s mask, very similar in style to the Zmeyan Dance Troupe’s own all those years ago. A dream long forgotten.

Mischa burst into tears at the sight of it. And he wore it proudly. That much made Yaedra almost literally buzz with joy. He had been afraid that Mischa wouldn’t have liked it. But he did.

And now he was married.

….Now what.

He spit out a mouthful of toothpaste and shut the faucet off, grabbing a pair of clean pants off the rack, absolutely starving.

When he finally came downstairs (looking presentable), he paused and listened to Walker talking on a voice chat with someone off to the side.

“Please, if you can get the reports in by the morning-... well. If you cannot, that’s fine… but the sooner we have them the better.”

“I’ll.. I should have them.” Walker answered hesitantly.

“Good… good… very well. Good evening.”

Yaedra recognized that voice. It was that doctor, Walker’s boss- what’s his name’s son- the McPhearson boy-now-old-man. At least he hadn’t been harassing the botanist anymore. That was one worry they could all put behind them.

Walker sighed and set his datachron back onto the shelf and went back to the kitchen where Roger was eating his dinner. He looked up once Yaedra decided to reveal himself and smiled faintly. “Good morning.”

It was NOT morning. Not in the least. Yaedra snorted at him in greeting as he came to the island and sat himself down a chair away from Roger and his noodles.

“Did you sleep well?”

Yaedra made a so-so motion.

“I see. Well there are some noodles here if you want any… are you going out tonight?” Walker asked as he brought the captain a bowl of food.

Yaedra dug into the food immediately. When he had a mouthful, he glanced up. “I have to go to the inn today.”

Walker raised a brow. “The i- what-” Oh, that’s right. The Badaxe Inn in Algoroc. Yaedra’s friend lived there. “OH, oh. Why??”

The captain inhaled the food in record time before getting back up and taking his bowl to the sink to wash it (along with the stool.) “Some fool has said he can play better than I. I will not stand for it.” He explained, ears pinning back in annoyance.

“I was wondering why you had left your violin case down here… well uh- have...fun?” He had no idea what Yaedra was going to get up to. Scratch that- he didn’t WANT to know.

“Once I destroy the fool at his own game, drink and be merry with Mei and her family and also destroy Ranavos for good measure, I will return to you so that we may also celebrate my impending victory and also drink and ‘make merry’.”

Walker’s ears flushed bright pink in a matter of moments. “OH- uh- hh...haha ..y-yes we...we can do that.”

Roger looked back and forth between the two. Yaedra always did weird movements with his hands that Walker seemed to understand. It was strange.

Yaedra nodded in confirmation as he wiped his hands off on a dish towel, moving towards the foyer area to collect his violin. Walker came and opened the door for him before being yanked down roughly for a hard kiss.

“You remembered to brush!”

“I will be back my love.”

“Yes, Sevka, of course.”

And so Yaedra went on his way, one hand in his pocket as he marched on to the teleporter that would take him to the world below.

____________

“Anyway this tea is to DIE for Dr. McPhearson- I saved some of it for you- Razalie managed to find it somewhere at a stand all the way out there in Levian Bay- don’t know how she got it but-” Mara seemed to be in a chipper mood rather than miserably anxious and tired. She was darting back and forth, cleaning up a few things before she was to leave.

Neil ran a hand down his face, and even that much hurt to do. He glanced down at the tea, really unsure of it. But it smelled fragrant. Hopefully it wasn’t poisoned. All his medicine was laid out next to it nice and straight too.

“Riveting- you can leave now you know- this place is already as clean as it will ever be.” He hardly spent time in his apartment on the ark ship as it was. They finally docked the Gambler’s Ruin on the ground a few months ago, right outside of the now-even-more-bustling Thayd. While he missed the stars and view of space just a little, having the main XAS headquarters and staff accessible from the ground was a good thing.

Mara’s tail stood straight up and poofed out in alarm. “I mean! Haha just- tidying up a few things! I can go now though, sorry!!”

“Not to worry. See you tomorrow. Doctor.” The old man smirked as the aurin gave a sharp EEEE of excitement at the title alone. He knew how hard she worked for that. She was completely ecstatic and had been for weeks now.

Once she had gone, he peered back down at the tray in front of him with the hot tea and pills.

“Lovely dinner.” He muttered, getting up and walking over towards the viewport he had, bones aching with every step. He was lucky to have one at all actually. Most people didn’t. Something about safety.

Outside he could see the walls of the occupied Osun city, and all the people coming in and out of it. He never thought he’d ever see something like it. Something normal that was only ever really seen on TV or read in books.

With the Entity and Drusera finally being seperated and the former purged (to his knowledge anyway), the Strain was eventually wrestled into control by both factions. Much of Grimvault was burned and lost in the process, but it was already showing signs of healing, perhaps due to the large amounts of exanite in the area. Nobody really knew for certain, yet.

As for the Dominion and the Exiles? Their fighting had slowed down considerably, after large portions of their forces has been wiped out by the Eldan experiment gone mad. It was generally safer to go out and explore for everyone these days. Though, no mentions of a treaty or anything quite like it yet. Just a tense and semi-uneasy silence while both factions inevitably built up their forces yet again.

The cycle would in all likelihood, continue.

Though of course, there were always some trying to bridge the gap between them both. Neil hardly knew whether to admire them or think them to be fools.

What did it matter to some old rowsdower like him though? He wouldn’t be around for all the nonsense on the years to come anyway.

He let out a wheezing cough.

Walker had been getting worried every time he called him. Neil found it to be more than odd, considering their volatile history, but he wouldn’t say anything about it. Not now.

A picture frame sat nearby on a shelf. He went over to it, picking it up and switching it on.

“...Hm. I believe you would have absolutely adored Nexus. Without a doubt.” He spoke out loud to himself.

“If only you’d hung on just a short while longer.”

Neil knew how sick his father was at the time. Right before Dorian Walker had located the planet Nexus. They’d all been really excited about finding a home at long last. Not everyone made it of course. That was the risk. One they were forced in to.

From another room came Asclepius, hovering and making some droning sound before catching sight of Neil and quickly zipping over to him.

“Hey hey WOAH I ain’t done with ya-” Hermes shot out of the same place and rammed into the first scanbot from behind.

Neil looked over his shoulder, before wincing. Ow...neck… too fast…

“What’s up kid what’s out there?” Hermes asked, floating up to the window.

Neil sucked in a breath. “Nothing.”

Asclepius’ eye scanned around, locking onto the picture frame. “Remembering.” He said in a flat, monotone computer voice.

“Oh cool what are we remembering? Remember that one time I had my scanners activated and there had been a Dommie spy onboard an-”

“Not that.” Neil grunted, taking the frame with him back to the edge of the bed. He needed to sit down.

“Oh. Well WHAT the- ….oh. That.”

“Yes. That. Settle down already.”

“Well gee sooorrry.” Hermes rolled his entire body with the words to simulate human expression. Once the bots both settled down, they hovered on to the empty side of the bed and dropped down onto it. For once, not killing each other.

“..I miss that kid sometimes.”

“Simulating: nostalgia.”

“Yer a real fuckin’ hoot still.”

“Counter: Subject remains designated as liability.”

“Yeah well FUCK YOU too!!!!”

Neil ignored them and sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes with a hand. Everything hurt. And he was so tired. Not just from today.

So very tired.

The bots settled down again shortly afterwards, picking up on whatever was going on somehow.

“...Hey uh… so… so how’s that successor dude you got lined up?” Hermes asked.

“Fine. He’ll do well.”

“Statement: Retirement announcement scheduled in thirty-five hours, seventeen minutes and-”

Hermes spoke over Asclepius. “Yeah yeah rustbucket. And huh, guess I’ll hafta meet the new guy then. Ya gotta introduce me.”

Neil gave Hermes a side glance. Would he subject the new doctor to this… these terrors? Absolutely.

“Maybe in the morning.”

“Ahuh. Well take yer meds and get some shut eye then. Look like yer fallin’ apart.”

“Because I am.”

“Uhuh. Typical human excuse!” Hermes floated back up into the air, hovering off and back into another part of the apartment to do who knew what.

Asclepius’ three eyes fixated on Neil.

“Anomaly detected: neurological chemical imbalance. Inquiry: Do you require assistance?”

“No.”

“Acknowledged.”

Neil sighed and took the teacup and his medicine. It had little purple flowers painted on it (the cup that is.)

Two and a half more days.

The thought of retirement seemed so gross right now.

[loki-parker]

Safe Inside

Hi, and welcome to my new imagines blog! This is my very first imagine on here, so I decided to start of with something a little deeper, but not all of them will be like this, I promise! Feel free to request and enjoy!

-H

Pairing: Tony Stark x Daughter!Reader

Words: 1,848

Rating: PG

Warnings: Mentions of suicide, very sad (I actually cried while writing this) mentions of death

Song: Safe Inside by James Arthur

I remember when you were all mine Watched you changing in front of my eyes What can I say?

The day you were born was the best day of Tony’s life. You were his little girl, all he had, and after your mother abandoned the two of you, he was all you had, too.

To him, you were perfect. The way your (y/e/c) eyes twinkled when you laughed made his heart melt completely. You were his everything.

As a child, you were barely ever separate from your father. You held onto him like your life depended on it, but he didn't mind, because to him, his life did.

To say you were spoiled as a child is an  understatement. Tony always kept you up-to-date with the newest and best toys and bought you whatever you wanted.

He wished that you could stay a child forever, a time where you would always be dependant on him and would never think about leaving him.

Unfortunately, you had to grow up at some point.

Now that I'm not the fire in the cold Now that I'm not the hand that you hold As you're walking away.

When you reached your teens, you grew more independent. You began to spend more time with your friends and less with your father. Your attitude changed drastically from being so bubbly to growing more mature.

Maturity and spending time with your friends wasn’t what scared Tony. It was when you began to look at boys in ways more than friendly.

The first boy you ever had a crush on was named Carl. You were head-over-heels for him, and everyone knew that.

As a fourteen-year-old girl, you were very naïve.

In your eyes, Carl was perfect. The way his light hair was well styled to the way he laughed made your heart flutter. He was so kind to you. He told you exactly what you wanted to hear.

You knew Carl for three months before he asked you to be his girlfriend. You, obviously a bit starstruck, jumped at the chance and agreed.

The night of your first date, you dressed yourself up as nice as you could for when Carl came to pick you up.

Tony didn't want you to go, but he didn't tell you that. He had a bad feeling about that night, and he was right to.

Carl wasn't only your first boyfriend, he was also your first heartbreak.

Will you call me to tell me you're alright? 'Cause I worry about you the whole night Don't repeat my mistakes, I won't sleep 'til you're safe inside.                        

If you're home I just hope that you're sober Is it time to let go now you're older? Don't leave me this way, I won't sleep 'til you're safe inside.

Will you call me to tell me you're alright? 'Cause I worry about you the whole night Don't repeat my mistakes, I won't sleep 'til you're safe inside.

Tony didn't get much sleep that night.

“I want you home by eleven, no later,” he’d told you before you left.

“Okay, dad,” you rolled your eyes, “I will be.”

But there he sat, on the couch at one-thirty in the morning with Pepper, waiting for you.

“Where is she?” He’d asked multiple times.

Finally, at five minutes ‘til two, you wandered through the door.

You closed the door quietly, as if trying not to wake anyone up, and jumped when your father’s voice pierced your ears.

“Where have you been?” His voice was sharp. “You’re almost three hours past curfew!”

He turned to face him, but didn't meet his gaze. Tony immediately regretted being so strict upon your arrival.

Your cheeks were red and tears stained as salty drops leaked from your glossy eyes.

“I’m s-sorry,” you stammered, fighting to contain your sobs.

“Oh, sweetie,” Pepper consoled, “what happened?”

Tony wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close and guiding you to the couch.

You leaned against him as you curled up on the couch, finally letting yourself break down. Pepper slowly rubbed her hand up and down your back.

“(Y/n), what happened?” Pepper asked again.

You sniffled, “Well, h-his brother drove us to the movies. We were alone, and he was being nice all night, but then he tried to get me to do-” you paused, “stuff with him.”

Pepper and Tony shared a glance.

“Why were you so late?” Tony ran his fingers through your hair comfortingly.

“H-he said that if I wouldn't do stuff with him than he didn't want to date me, then he left,” You explained.

“How did you get home?” Pepper questioned.

You looked down at your newly-dirtied shoes, “I walked.”

Tony looked at you, “(Y/n), that's more than five miles, why didn't you call? We were worried sick!”

You began to cry again, “I-I thought that y-you would be asleep so I didn't want to b-bother you.”

Your father smiled sadly at you, “(Y/n), you know that I wouldn’t- no, I couldn't sleep until I know you are okay.”

Everyone has to find their own way And I'm sure things will work out okay I wish that was the truth.

After that, you went through a bit of a dark patch.

You pushed some of your friends away and your relationship with Tony became tense.

Tony could tell there was something wrong. You barely went out, your grades were dropping, and he'd even gotten calls from your teachers about you skipping class.

It didn't take him long to figure out what was going on.

Not only were you heartbroken, you were bullied.

All we know is the sun will rise Thank your lucky stars that you're alive It's a beautiful life.

Tony sat you down after finding out. The talk he gave you was awkward, and as much as you tried to convince him that he was wrong, you knew your words were lies.

“(Y/n), I need you to tell me how you're feeling so I can help you,” Tony begged you.

You looked up at him with dark eyes.

“Have you ever thoughts about what it would be like without me?” You asked him.

He was taken aback, “(Y/n), where is this coming from?”

“That's what the kids at school say, that it would be better without me.”

“Has anyone ever hurt you?”

“No,” you paused, “but I’ve thought about hurting myself.”

He was shocked, he couldn't believe that life had gotten this bad for you.

“Have you ever thought about-” he gulped, “killing yourself?”

You looked down and didn't answer, but Tony could tell from your silence.

“Oh, honey,” he pulled you into a hug, holding you close as you began to cry.

“You don't ever have to think like that ever again,” he told you, “What do we have to do to make it better?”

You looked him in the eye and smiled.

“Well, a fresh start would be nice.”

You never returned to that school. You took a week off before transferring to a new school in a different part of the city.

On your fifteenth birthday, Tony finally began to notice a difference in you when you requested to spend the day with him, which he gladly agreed to.

He could tell you were better. You made new friends and began going out more again.

As long as you were happy, he was happy, but he was rather surprised when you arrived home one day holding hands with a boy, who you claimed was your boyfriend.

His name was Peter.

Oh, will you call me to tell me you're alright? 'Cause I worry about you the whole night Don't repeat my mistakes, I won't sleep 'til you're safe inside.

If you're home I just hope that you're sober Is it time to let go now you're older? Don't leave me this way, I won't sleep 'til you're safe inside.

Tony hadn't expected it to last, but he was wrong, and was quite glad.

Although he didn't like how Peter dragged you further into danger, he could see how much you loved each other. Especially that day when he walked you down the aisle to meet him in that beautiful white gown you wore.

The ceremony was beautiful, but it wasn't quite until you skipped down the aisle as a married woman that he realized that you were no longer his little girl. He had handed you off to another and you would be gone off with the rest of your life.

When the father-daughter dance came around, he found himself barely containing himself as you held onto him.

The song began, and he found himself finally breaking down. He dropped his head onto your shoulder as he sobbed and you rubbed his back and swayed to the song.

The sight brought tears to everyone’s eyes as they watched the bride and her father hold each other and cry in the middle of the floor.

This was the best day of your life, and the worst of his.

If you make the same mistakes, I will love you either way All I know is I can't live without you There is nothing I can say that will change you anyway Darling, I could never live without you I can't live, I can't live, no, no.

You and Peter had three children, two boys and a girl. You named them Ben, Howard, and Maev.

These days were all great for Tony, but none of them stood out to him like the day you were born.

Tony saw his grandchildren lots as you visited regularly and called everyday that you didn't.

You found yourself visiting more and more as Tony’s hair grew white. He was tired, you could tell. Your father was old.

Tony spent his last few days with your family in the city.

That day was good for Tony. He spent his day sitting on the porch with you as you watched Peter play soccer on the lawn with your children. He went in his sleep, but the last thing that went through his head were your last words to him.

“Goodnight, Dad, I love you,” you’d told him as you tucked him into his bed and kissed his cheek.

Oh, will you call me to tell me you're alright? 'Cause I worry about you the whole night Don't make my mistakes, I won't sleep, I won't sleep.

If you're home I just hope that you're sober Is it time to let go now you're older? Don't leave me this way, I won't sleep 'til you're safe inside.

Tony’s funeral was held on a sunny Thursday afternoon.

The church was packed, your family, some old friends of his, those who were left of the Avengers, and some fans of his.

Tony lived many good days, but none of them stood out to him like the day you were born, and none of them stood out to you like the day he died.

Will you call me to tell me you're alright 'Cause I worry about you.

[forestwater87]

Chapter 3: Headbutts & Catnaps

Camper-counselor bonding happens in some pretty unique ways.

CW: use of the r-word in the beginning of the second section

"Sorry, nerd! Actually, I'm not sorry, and my sarcastic apology is meant to further annoy you. It's a quick and effective way to get attention."

Gwen sighed. "Nurf, get over here. And run."

She'd discovered after a few weeks that their resident bully tended to keep to himself when he had something to do. It was a combination of lack of attention, boredom, and pent-up aggression that seemed to cause the most trouble, and while David wasn't a huge fan of the solution she'd come up with —

The boy broke into a trot, lowering his head as he thundered past the other campers. Gwen crouched down and braced herself, closing her eyes.

"Grahh!" He collided into her with enough force to send her back a few feet, their heels kicking up a massive cloud of dust. She tossed her head, shaking him off, and they backed up without taking their eyes off each other.

— he had to admit it worked.

When she'd first tried this, it had taken nearly half an hour of head-butting to work out all of Nurf's energy to a point where he could pay attention and not bother the other campers; they'd worn deep grooves in the dirt with their heels, and David had been about to call her off when the kid had shrugged and returned to his station, keeping to himself for the rest of the day. Now it only took a few runs before he was calmer, and once he slowed down, his tail no longer flicking with agitation, she straightened and held up her hands in truce.

"Better?" she asked. He grunted and she shoved him toward where David was setting up for Scuba Camp. "Good. Back to it." Rubbing the base of her horns (it didn't hurt, but it gave her a strange jittery feeling) with one hand, she followed at a slower pace and joined David on the dock.

"He seems calmer," David hummed, glancing over at where Nurf was letting Preston lecture him about how to properly wear scuba gear without a single insult or threat. "Do you feel all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's what we do." She rapped her knuckles on her forehead. "Thick skulls, remember? We're not all delicate fluffy kitties like you. Speaking of —" She groaned, bending down and picking up another set of scuba gear, "I really can't talk you into doing this instead of me, huh?"

He swallowed, glancing from her face to the gear, then out to the lake. "I-I mean, I suppose I could . . ."

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you." Cats and water, Jesus. "Just watch the kids, okay?" Neil and Max were the only two water-phobic kids, so David had planned an activity that would keep them dry while the rest of them tried not to drown in Lake Lilac.

"Can do!"

He was about to return to shore when she put a hand on his shoulder and added, "Don't try too hard, okay? You know it'll backfire."

"I know, Gwen," he said with a sigh, his shoulders drooping. "It's just so exciting . . ."

"Yeah, I know it is." David had been hoping for years to have another cat at the camp, so when Max's name and breed had first appeared on the camper applications he'd been ecstatic. Unfortunately, Max was . . . well, Max, and after two years of back-and-forth there were no signs of either his animosity or David's hopefulness letting up anytime soon. "But if he scratches you, I'm the one who has to deal with it, so think of me before you do something stupid."

"I will!" He leaned in to peck her on the cheek before freezing, his eyes widening. He quickly pulled back, dusting imaginary dirt off her shoulder with the fakest nonchalance she'd ever seen. "Take care, everyone!"

She ushered the kids to the end of the dock. "Come on, guys. Let's get this over with."

Gwen had never really considered herself the kind of person to have strong feelings about animals, pro or con. She'd never had pets, but she freaked out over an adorable panda video just like anyone else. Fairly neutral when it came to animals, full or hybrid.

The more time she spent at this camp, though, the more she started to think she was really not a cat person.

"The fuck is he?" she muttered to herself, shaking silly string out of her wool and pounding on her touchscreen. The phone rang a couple times, then an obnoxiously sunny voice rang out, "Campe diem! You've reached David Greenwood. I can't take your call right now . . ."

She was going to kill him.

Especially since . . . oh, fuck. "Where's Max?" she demanded, counting the campers again as though he might materialize if she tried hard enough.

Despite it being their first summer, Neil and Nikki had been here long enough to realize they were basically Max's keepers. It wasn't like he'd willingly spent time with anyone else at camp. Neil ruffled his feathers anxiously, glancing around like his friend might suddenly appear out of nowhere, and Nikki beamed at Gwen with teeth way too large and sharp for her age.

"Not trying to escape, that's for sure!"

Gwen immediately didn't believe that, but Neil jumped in: "Really, though. We haven't seen him since breakfast." He scratched at the ground with his talons. "I — think he said something about trying to learn David's secret?"

Nikki jumped in, her tail wagging. "That's right! He wants to figure out what makes him so happy all the time!" Dropping to the ground and scratching behind her ear, she added thoughtfully, "He said either there's something he's repressing or he's just retarded." She turned to Neil. "Hey, what's 'retarded' mean, anyway?"

He shook his head affectionately, patting her on the top of the head with one wing. "Nothing you need to worry about, Nik."

Well, that at least sounded vaguely plausible. And it'd kill two birds with one stone (no offense to Neil) if they were together. "Think you can sniff him out?"

"On it!" Nikki immediately took off, her nose to the ground, with Neil fluttering anxiously behind her.

"All right, guys. Keep . . . uh, doing whatever you're doing." She turned to the Quartermaster, who was hardly at his best during the day but better than nothing. "Can you make sure they don't kill anyone, QM?" The old man grunted, not opening his eyes. His wings were folded protectively around him, but at least he was upright; if she came back and he was hanging upside-down, they'd have a problem, but she figured he could probably stay awake for five minutes.

She turned and followed Neil and Nikki away from the activities field, half-expecting the trail to lead them into the woods or to where QM's bus was parked or something, but surprisingly they wove around to the area behind the camper's tents, a little grassy field where the kids sometimes spent their free hours. David was sprawled out snoring in a patch of sunlight on the road that curved around the field, one arm flung over his eyes and his ears twitching with the breeze. This was annoying but not entirely unexpected, and part of her was relieved to have confirmation that he slept at all.

The surprise was that Max was curled up in a tiny ball on David's chest, his head tucked under the counselor's chin. His tail flicked restlessly, but neither of them stirred as Nikki froze in a point about ten feet away.

Gwen rubbed her head as she passed, going up to the sleeping cats and crouching by David's shoulder. "Hey, chief?"

He stirred, rubbing his face and blinking up at her blearily. "Gwen?" He started to sit up on his elbows and went still, eyes widening as he realized Max was still asleep on him. "Oh my golly," he whispered, breaking into the brightest grin she'd seen all summer (which was saying something).

"Wanna actually help me run Stunting Camp, or should I just hope enough of the kids live that we'll have even teams for tomorrow's dodgeball game?"

David's eyes flicked from hers to the fluffy black ears twitching in his face. "Gwen, are you seeing this?" His voice was too awestruck to be sarcastic.

“I do. And if he wakes up and sees this he’ll probably kill you. Or himself. Or everyone in the camp so there are no witnesses.” He shot her a reproving look but carefully shifted the camper off his chest, settling him on the ground and springing to Gwen’s side with the reflexes she envied (and thought were totally wasted on someone that inherently awkward). “What happened?”

He shrugged, his cheeks flushing pink. “I went to make sure all the campers were awake, and it was so nice and warm I just had to sit down for a second, and . . . well . . .” He looked away self-consciously, bringing his fist to his mouth and running his tongue along his knuckles.

Gwen knocked the dirt off the back of his uniform and shook a leaf out of his hair. “You didn’t have to lay in the road,” she pointed out with a smirk. “There’s grass literally right there.”

David continued licking the back of his hand, still not meeting her eyes. “It’s not sunny over there.”

They were interrupted by Nikki, who’d apparently decided they weren’t going to wake Max soon enough and had jumped on him, sending up a cloud of dust that Neil and the counselors quickly stepped back from. “MORNING, SUNSHINE!”

“WHAT THE FUCK, NIKKI?! YOU COULDA KILLED ME!”

She groaned, rubbing her forehead. “He’s up,” she grumbled. “Energetic little shithead, huh?”

“That nap must’ve really been good for him!” David managed to keep the manic glee out of his voice, but it was a close thing.

“This is the best day of your life, isn’t it?”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his smile twitching. “Almost.”

The kids were still fighting; somehow a very-displeased Neil had been dragged into the fray and was trying to disentangle himself as fast as possible.

“Get off me!”

“But come onnnnn, we’re gonna do stunts today! Up n’ at ‘em and campe diem, Max!”

Gwen sighed. No one ever said dumb motto except occasionally Space Kid -- and, apparently now, Nikki.

David leaned in a bit, still watching the kids. “Okay, this is a pretty good day,” he admitted.

“No kidding.”

“Better than my 4th birthday.” When she looked at him questioningly, he chuckled and said, “My parents hired a clown. It was very exciting.”

She gave a small snort of disgust. “Of course you like clowns.”

“They’re so happy!” As the three kids collapsed in the grass, their energy suddenly spent in that little-kid way that reminded her of a battery suddenly dying, David raised his voice and called, “Come on, kiddos! We’re running a little late this morning, so we need to get a move on if we wanna have time for all of today’s activities!”

Max rolled his eyes, climbing to his feet and shuffling toward them with his hands in his inexplicably pristine hoodie. “Like any of us gives a shit about the activities.”

Nikki bounded after them, dragging a disheveled and squawking Neil behind her. “Betcha’d rather just take a nap with Daaaavid, huh?” she teased, elbowing him in the side.

“The fuck are you talking about? I was following him, and then . . .” He trailed off and his face turned red, visible even with his complexion. “Oh, fuck no.”

“Oh fuck yes!” Nikki crowed, scampering out of the way in case he tried to swipe at her. “You were sleeping on him like a baby kangaroo!”

Max seemed distracted by his dawning horror. “I . . . it was warm,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “I wasn’t tired, but then . . . I was?”

David put a hand on the camper’s shoulder comfortingly. “It’s okay, Max! Cats need to rest a lot during the day, and it’s perfectly natural for kittens to cuddle up with their mother, so --”

“You're not my mother!” He jerked away, fluttering his arms like David was an annoying fly.

Gwen tried and failed to keep her face blank. “I mean, you’re the only cats around here for miles. And we have legal custody over you while you're at camp. So I guess for the summer he kinda is your mommy.”

“I hate all of you.” Grabbing Nikki by the wrist and snagging a handful of Neil’s wingfeathers, he dragged them ahead to the rest of the campers, growling threats about them not telling anyone about this.

She expected David to scold her for teasing Max, but when she looked over at him he was watching the kids walk away with his hands clasped at his chest and tears in his eyes. “Did you hear that, Gwen? He thinks of me as a mother!”

“You’re a guy, David.”

His expression didn’t change, and neither did the choked-up joy in his voice. “I don’t care!”

“Now is it the best day of your life?”

David paused, turning back to her. His expression softened, and he blinked away the mistiness in his eyes, taking advantage of their temporary solitude to kiss her on the nose. “Second-best.”