#Best Machine Learning Homework Help

[lndsismaeverything]

Lnds being a girl dad

Decided to write it down because I'm bored 🥱 here is my list of ideas that can use but just tag me on it so I can also enjoy the story

Xavier :

Calls your daughter lil princess

Has his hair color and your eyes. Inherited his cute lil pout

Xavier would totally get everything his lil princess wants. Want that new toy? Or how about the new plushie at the arcade machine? Sure, he'll get it right away

Xavier would love to read bed time stories to his daughter every night. Turning off the light while turning on the fairy lights acting as twinkling like stars in the night sky in your daughter room.

He definitely built a fort for her

Has two pets rabbits named Mr.Bunbun and Mrs.Bunbun ( they are married in your daughter mind )and one goldfish named Goldie had Goldie replace every month bec it keeps dying because of your clueless daughter that keep killing the fish

"Daddy why is Goldie floating? " your daughter said curiously " it's because he's taking his afternoon naps , and time for yours too " Xavier lifted his lil princess, carrying her too her room. After she's asleep Xavier calls you " we need another goldfish" he scratches his head " what is it this time?" You asked on there other line " she put a heater in the thank to keep him warm "you sigh, a hand on your hip as you told him frustrated " I told you not to give her a goldfish, poor fish "

He could tell his daughter the truth but couldn't stand to break her lil heart. And it isn't that he didn't keep an eye on her while she played with the fish it's just he took a 5 minutes nap , it wouldn't hurt right? Well that proofed him wrong...

Would like to bake cookies with her ( with you watching them of course )

Would miss his lil princess and you too during every mission . He can't wait to go home to his loving family

If you both are given a mission and both of u can't look after your daughter, she gladly stay with uncle Jeremiah. During the stay with her uncle she learns some gardening skills and is pretty good at taking care of plants

Xavier is of course jealous of Jeremiah, seeing his daughter talking about how the few days has been with her favorite uncle

" princess who do u like more your dad or your stupid uncle Jeremiah? " he said serious

" daddy don't say that about uncle Jeremiah! " good thing she has your personality always ready to defend the person she care and love. But Xavier couldn't help feel his heart ache but also feel proud, his lil princess stood up for his uncle but going against her dad

" uncle Jeremiah is a great uncle and smart tooo ! He's not stupid " she said to her dad " uncle Jeremiah is my favorite uncle! But you are my dad and the best daddy I could ask for "

You ended up ending the recording to Jeremiah to let him witness this scene too

Zayne

His office would be also his daughter office. After school your daughter would walk to Akso hospital since the kindergarten isn't far from the hospital just a 5min walk. But sometimes zayne would be free , so he would pick up his daughter if he didn't had a appointment at that time.

also would occasionally ( almost everytime he pick up his daughter ) bring your daughter to the bakery next a few buildings from the kindergarten .

Inherited his father's sweet tooth

Also hates the dentist

He will watch his daughter sit in his office doing her homework in her lil desk next to him. Also has a picture frame of the family photo that you didn't take a few days ago

The reason why zayne daughter would be at his work is because sometimes you can't pick up your daughter during the day is because your busy with mission and work.

After work you pick up your daughter at your husband work " bye daddy see you soon " she waved and your husband nodded " see you at home "

But sometimes zayne would come home late at night and your daughter would already be asleep by then. Also the reason why she likes going to her dad work place, is to spend time with him when at night she bearly see him or spend time with

When zayne would have a surgery your daughter would patiently do her homework ,if she's done she would go around the hospital lobby and talk to the nurses and doctors

The nurses and doctors love your cute lil daughter

" oh how she looks like Dr. Zayne so much "

" she also has Dr. Zayne calm expression "

Your daughter would have a personal ID badge hanging around her neck that you help her make . Just letting the other nurses and doctors know that she Dr.zayne daughter and not a lost kid

Zayne would double check himself if he has any blood on himself or the smell of blood on him before going to see his daughter after the surgery

Zayne can't help it if his daughter ask for another piece of his macarons " ok, you can have another one but just dont tell your mom. You can it have a maximum of 3 per day and you already have 5 "

"but daddy the same goes for you too and your already have 6 !" Your husband chuckled "alright this will be our lil secret"

" what little secrets ?" You lean against the doorframe , folding your arms as you watch both of them eating, almost finishing dozen macarons

Girl dad zayne would deny that he always saying yes to his daughter " oh really? What about last week Saturday? U said no more sugar but you bought her a snow cone" you tease your husband

" daddy can I have that snow cone? It's a double scoop and it looks like a snowman ! And best of all I can share with you ! "

" at least she has a good reason " your husband replied pushing his glasses to the brim of is node" oh just admit it Dr.zayne ~ "he smile and looked at your sleeping daughter on his office couch

Rafayell

Would spoil his lil sea guppy rotten

" daddy can I have a pony? " already bought one a few seconds ago when he say her drawing a pony. Bought a pony the same as the drawing

Want some plushies? No worries he called Thomas to get her the most cutest plushy and limited to edition

But your daughter love the plushies her had won for her at the arcade especially the pufferfish and the birb

Would teach your daughter about lemurians language. Also tell her stories about the lemurians

" daddy do you think I can turn my legs into a lemurian fish tailtoo? " her eyes sparked looking at her dad

" of course you can. You are half lemurian and human after all " rafayell ruffled her hair

The day she transformed into a lamurian in the bathtub is the day rafayell cheered for her because he didn't know if she could actually turn her legs into a fish tail

Would take her to the beach so she can swim in the ocean and get used to the salty waters . But also for some family fun time

You joined them watching how rafayell teach your daughter to swim in her new found form. You don't have a fish tail but you can still breath under water because of the sea god. It was fun watching your daughter struggle a bit

" hold my hand it be easier for your to balance yourself " your husband hold your daughter hand preventting from her turning upside down

" ugh, daddy this is worst then learning how to ride a bike! " your daughter wine, you couldn't help but laugh at them

Rafayell would bring your daughter to the art exhibit .

Also have a painting named after her and inspired by her . But that isn't for sale that's for the living room at home

Your daughter has a lot of dresses like a lot and same for shoes and jewelry. Rafayell like to dress his daughter up

First class trips with her daddy

Rafayell would definitely ride his sports car to pick her up at kindergarten.

" now wheres my little guppy? " he said standing at the door from the class she's in " daddy ! "

Sylus

Would let your daughter go on busssnins meeting with him because she asked him. At first he said no because it's a dangerous mission . But your daughter is cunning which she got from you of course " but I have daddy to protect me there, he's the strongest and he's the best so nothing will happen to me " that boosted his ego

You where furious when you found out that your husband took your daughter to a dangerous meeting that ended blowing up the whole building " but sweetie, it's nothing I can't handle, she save and onharmed "

" you let her hold a gun."

" that's because she hated the merchant " sylus said confidently

Looks like onychinus had a new leader soon after her dad step down

Would let her dress Mephisto up

Sylus would teach your daughter some boxing moves

Would try to fit all of you guys in his motorcycle , your daughter in front , placing her hand on the handle while your husband hand on top of hers and you always being sylus backpack

Would have customized helmets with your names on it

Sylus would let her daughter play with his hair and stick some stickers on him and if he feels generous ( which he is toward you and your daughter ) he'll even let your daughter put make up on him

Luke and Kieran would be the best uncles . Would like to join her uncles with pranks

Love doing karaoke with her dad .both can't sing well and are death ears

Sylus would buy the whole arcade just for her daughter

Plays kitty cards with your daughter and always lose on purpose

Sylus is definitely the type to give anything her daughter fancies. She looked firearm for 5 second? Is already here with her name on it of course with no bullets . Or else he wouldn't have hear the end of it from you

Would definitely sign a no boyfriend till your married

Like and karien are your daughter personal bodyguards

Would prepare a fancy ball for her birthday

Would play the piano for her also teaching her some keys

End up hitting the post button while middle way writing 😅sorry for grammar mistakes and words.

[britcision]

My other lil bit of Halloween fun is technically not ready yet but in the spirit of “I want to go to bed”, y’all can have an unpolished lil early snack! And I’ll try and get the good one up over the weekend!

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the Dead And Loving It Halloween Special, The Haunting Of Hood House! (Most of part 1…. Part 2 possibly next year I dunno)

——————

The Haunting of Hood House

Honestly, Jason was fully aware he shoulda said no. Between his now-triple life as a crime lord/vigilante, Fright Knight to the ghost king, and now university student, his dance card was full for more than just every hour in a day.

He was a busy bee. Probably shoulda given university another year or so, to be fair, but that was just the thing. Before all this ghost stuff came along, he’d figured he finally had time for a second half to his life; it was why he came back into the public eye at all.

He hadn’t gone in for the summer semester, counting on the tabloids being a whole ass thing (and they were), but he’d figured that getting himself announced at the New Years gala would give plenty of time for stuff to settle down so he could go to university in the fall.

And then, on Christmas day, he’d met Danny. And his life gained another side whether he liked it or not. And it had been too late to walk back the gala by the time he realized just how time consuming it would be.

(On the plus side, his ghost training was coming along well enough that it was finally helping him cut down on time spent on the crime/vigilante side. He wasn’t exactly up to ol’ Halloween’s standards yet, but he had full control of the powers he currently had, and was learning more about being a Fright Knight from the man himself.

They’d even had time to plan and make a run on their first Lazarus pit, which had gone… as well as could be expected.)

The point being? His schedule was full. Between homework and crimework, he didn’t have time for fun university extracurriculars the way he’d kinda hoped he would.

But when some of the geeks from his Gothic Lit class asked him to help them set up a haunted house… how the hell was he supposed to say no to that?

Danny sure as hell hadn’t been able to (and had laughed his ass off when Jason mentioned exactly why he had to reschedule one of their hangouts - after all, the two of them just showing up meant that the house was technically being haunted), which was how they’d roped in a couple more kids from the engineering department. At least three were planning to use parts of the set up as their final projects.

(Harper was having a field day rigging all of the floors for piezoelectric lights, sound, and fog machine. The more people jumped or ran, the more dramatic the atmosphere would get.)

So, despite already having basically no free time, he and Danny were now partially responsible for setting up a haunted house.

Jason was pretty sure his classmates had initially wanted him mostly as financial backing; ten minutes after agreeing to help, he’d been shyly approached with links to a set building company and day rates to have them build a “house” on the university grounds.

Jason Todd himself would be damned if he would just be the money man though. No, he wasn’t having his name attached to a haunted house project that wasn’t the best it could possibly be.

And, well, he had access to a lot of surplus construction supplies and actual local handymen, in the form of his gang. He was pretty sure most of them knew that Jay, Red Hood’s right hand man, was Jason Todd Wayne by now; it had never actually come up, but he’d made a few media splashes.

No one seemed actually confused or surprised to be asked to come put up haunted house on university grounds. Just the shell though; Jason demanded integrity from goons and student body both, and firmly told the rest of the Lit class that if they wanted to throw a haunted house, they were bloody well going to decorate and staff it with their own hands.

(About two people had been disappointed. As soon as he’d admitted he’d also footed the bill for supplies, all the rest had been eagerly battling it out over room themes and who got to use the nail guns.

Jason confiscated the nail guns on day three, after Danny and Harper got into a “nail fight”. Because of course they did.)

And, really, most of them had also taken Danny’s “contributions” well too. Because along with the more normal special effects the other engineers was setting up, Danny was serious about putting the “haunted” in the house.

“It’s an ecto-accelerator,” he’d explained cheerfully, slapping the large, chunky device that Jason knew full well was at least three blenders jammed together with car parts. “Gotham’s got a lotta ambient ecto for a normal city, so we’ll get half a dozen blob ghosts by the end of the week.”

A couple of the Gothamites in the group had tittered a little at Gotham being called “normal”, but one or two (the ones Jason happened to know were doing way better in their classes) had looked thoughtful. Slightly suspicious.

Cuz yeah, sure, Gotham was far from normal in almost every way, but most of the people were still unaware of how serious the “occult” menaces to the city were. It certainly wasn’t “the most haunted city in America”, and while the Danny/Phantom secret was still well under wraps, Danny being from Amity Park wasn’t.

He’d made waves in the engineering department from his first solo project, and honestly none of them looked too surprised any more.

One of the Lit geeks had raised a hand like they were in class, which Jason had bullied Danny about for hours.

“Uh… what are blob ghosts? And do we want them? Like… isn’t that cheating if you have actual ghosts? I thought you guys wanted to build effects systems,” they added quickly, glancing from Danny to Harper.

Danny had stared blankly for a moment (possibly from the hand raising), then shook his head.

“Oh, no, the accelerator was my project from last semester. This semester it’s gonna be the ghost shield which keeps all the blob ghosts trapped in the house!”

(And should keep the Curse and the asshole entity locked out and away. Not necessarily, y’know, necessary, but it’d be good to see if it worked.)

Harper had just grinned, hands in her pockets.

“An’ it means I have to build my stuff more than just people-proof, which has gotta be worth bonus points.”

Their other two engineers had agreed, apparently completely down with the occult at this point.

The formation of the blob ghosts was apparently going pretty well. Jason couldn’t reliably sense them yet, but he trusted Danny’s word on it.

And Fright Knight’s.

Because yeah. That. Was a thing that was also happening.

This one was also entirely Jason’s own fault; back at the beginning of October, when he’d first agreed to this whole mess, he’d had to tell people why he was going to be busy.

And. Well.

It made sense at the time to just tell the elder Fright Knight the truth about why they’d had to shift their training schedule. He was the Spirit of Halloween! It was even thematically appropriate!

And frankly, the speed at which Danny had started shaking his head and trying to stop him should probably have been a warning.

But so would telling Jason ahead of time not to tell Halloween that they were going to be working on a haunted house! Danny had even shared the story of the time he stole the original nightmare blade, the Soul Shredder as a prop for his own school haunted house!

And, y’know, incurred Halloween’s wrath and started a whole Thing, but he’d also given the sword back and all seemed to be forgiven now.

(Although. Given. The look in blazing eyes when Danny mentioned it. Not forgotten.)

And it seemed to go fine at the time, so Jason had kinda figured it was just another of those things where Danny was weirdly protective of his “normal” life. Didn’t want ghosts getting involved.

Cuz Halloween was very supportive. Agreed immediately to switch up their schedule, no muss no fuss. Offered to help.

And Danny had refused outright, which obviously made Jason want to agree. And Danny hadn’t actually said why he didn’t want Halloween to help.

(Which, y’know, the guy was right there, but still.)

His arguments had basically boiled down to “no one’s supposed to know I’m the Ghost King, we can’t have the actual Fright Knight following me around”, which was apparently the argument that had carried to keep Frighty from following him to Gotham.

But neither of them had known Jason then. And Jason was a Robin; they were very good at loopholes.

Because really, it wasn’t all that hard for an actual ghost to go undetected. Especially if they only popped in for short visits.

And could there be a better haunted house consultant than the Spirit of Halloween?

“Sir Jason, yon webs are sagging.”

The answer, it had turned out, was yes.

“My liege, real blood would serve much better…”

Almost. Anyone.

“BEWARE!”

And apparently the Box Ghost had overheard somewhere that Danny was now allowing visits to Gotham, on the dual condition of short duration and invisibility.

Snatching the box of tiny robot spiders before it could be dumped out, Jason glared at the spot Pitty was growling at.

“Boxy, seriously. We talked about this!” He hissed, wrapping both arms firmly around the box.

A few plaintive tugs, and then the Box Ghost gave up. On that box. And another five cardboard boxes of supplies rose into the air.

“FEAR THE POWER OF THE BOX GHOST!”

“Once the damn house is finished, Boxy! There’s still stuff in all of these. Didn’t I promise to build you a box fort if you could just be cool for another week?”

A blue, capped head popped into visibility behind one of the floating boxes. He did, at least, look mildly contrite.

“Indeed you did, young knight… but! The Box Ghost needs no assistance! There are none more ferocious nor powerful in the world of objects cardboard and cubular!”

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut.

“That’s not even a word, Boxy…” and paused when another breath froze on its way out of his mouth.

So did the Box Ghost, floating boxes stilling from their orbit of the room. Almost on reflex, he popped into full visibility just as Halloween did, directly behind him.

The Box Ghost turned slowly, peering up at the much larger armoured figure. Fright Knight narrowed blazing purple eyes down at him. The Box Ghost narrowed his back.

“None. More. Ferocious.” He growled, boxes rising slowly around him.

Halloween put his hand on his sword.

Jason pressed his lips together so he didn’t laugh. Fighting in the living world was currently a Danny-only activity, with Halloween having the only exception - to stop anyone else trying to start trouble. Technically, throwing down over who was scariest with the Box Ghost was not covered.

And, really, not all that much of a question. Even Boxy knew it, deflating as armoured fingers curled around the hilt.

“But in matters of Halloween and frightfulness I will concede,” he grumbled, boxes settling gently back to the floor.

Halloween pointedly turned his attention to Jason instead, who was still very specifically not laughing.

“Young knight, the woman “Harper” has once again weakened your electrical traps. Shall I destroy her, or will you deal with this yourself?” He asked, voice dropped below his usual booming tones only because Danny had sworn to send him back if another student caught him.

Amusement dying almost immediately, Jason rolled his eyes.

“Look, Sir Halloween. We’ve been over this. They’re hers, they’re not death traps, and you shouldn’t be touching them. You know how Danny feels about electricity around his tech.”

A lot of ghosts seemed to know how Danny felt about electricity in general, and how it related to his death. Despite a temporary team up with Vlad, Jason didn’t actually know if the Spirit of Halloween was one of them.

Until it was proved one way or another, or Danny brought it up to the ghost himself, Jason was sticking with plausible deniability.

And the Fright Knight huffed, drawing himself up as his flaming hair flared.

“If the mere existence of such a trap may displease the King, she should be destroyed with all the more vigour!”

Showing irritation never worked with the old knight; for one thing, he couldn’t stop himself from escalating. He just couldn’t. He didn’t know how to back down.

Luckily Jason was more than used to dramatic and boisterous hotheads. He folded his arms instead, raising an eyebrow at the Fright Knight.

“She’s building the power system, Sir Halloween. We talked about this, remember? Using the steps and fear of the guests to power Danny’s stuff?” And the entire rest of the house, but Frighty only cared about Danny.

And had been over this with him and Danny both half a dozen times.

As always, the mention of fear perked him up.

“Ah, yes! Using their own terror against them to power our devices! And… how does that relate to the electricity?” He asked, a little suspiciously.

Well, if he paid attention this time Jason might not have to go through it again. Putting his reclaimed box down, he leaned against the table it had been on.

“It’s called piezoelectricity. Harper’s sensors in the floor detect where people are walking, and the receptors take the extra energy when their feet hit the ground and turn it into electricity. The faster they walk, or if they start to run, the more energy gets converted, and since the electricity powers the lights, sounds, and fog machine, the more people react the more intense the house gets.”

It was actually surprisingly harmless for Harper; she hadn’t even put in any of the small shock plates that had found their way across the floors. That had been all Frighty, and as soon as they found out where he’d gotten them, they’d be going back. Once Danny phased them back out.

Silence reigned for a long moment, and for once the Spirit of Halloween seemed to be really chewing over and digesting this information. Jason let himself hope.

“So… the electricity… it’s definitely not for shocking the unwary intruders?” Halloween asked, with just the faintest tinge of hope still in his own voice.

Fighting not to let his die, Jason shook his head.

“Nope.”

“Not even as a backup plan?”

“Nope. We want people to come and visit, Frighty, that’s the whole point.”

“But what if your enemies use this opportunity to infiltrate your stronghold?” Fright Knight asked boldly, drawing himself up like he was even now standing against such foes.

Jason bit back a grin.

“It’s not a stronghold, Sir Halloween. There’s nothing here they could use against us.”

Silence again.

Then.

“Not even just a little shock?”

“Still nope,” Jason shook his head, arms folded. Safely hiding where his fingers pinched the skin just below his ribcage, holding in a laugh.

Fright Knight was practically pleading.

“Just a small one? A little static shock? They probably won’t even die from it,” he wheedled, and Jason had to stifle a snicker in a cough.

“No! Look, most people will be wearing rubber soled shoes anyway. They wouldn’t even notice,” he pointed out in what was a mostly level voice.

Fright Knight huffed, turning away and grumbling under his breath.

“Rubber can be made to melt…”

Aaaand they were back on that again. Stepping forward, Jason caught him by the shoulder, schooling his face to his most earnest expression.

“You know your advice is always appreciated, Sir Halloween, and the king and I take it very seriously. Should we ever need such traps, you’re the very first person we’ll ask. But this is a diplomatic venture, and chivalry demands we not allow harm to come to our guests.”

It was a line they’d used before; the very first explanation Jason had hoped the bombastic ghost might understand. And he did, usually.

He just. Didn’t seem to remember it. But then, he wasn’t exactly the overly chivalrous kind of knight.

And once again, Halloween drew himself up and pounded on his chest, nodding seriously.

“Of course, Sir Jason! And I shall ensure that this venture of yours is of the utmost success! With no traps that shall interfere with the Harper woman’s electronics,” he added in a low grumble, probably hoping that Jason wouldn’t notice that he hadn’t just said “no traps”.

Again. Former Robin.

Buuuut so long as they turned the traps off before guests showed up, there was no reason he couldn’t ask the other Bats to come do a pre-show run through and see what they made of it.

Pretending to be oblivious, he turned and scooped up the power drill he’d originally come to the storeroom for and saluted the ghost with it.

“Always appreciated, Sir Halloween.”

**

Danny stuck his hand through the wall, brows furrowed in concentration. He could have used the panel about three feet further down, but then he’d have to reach around at an awkward angle, or yank cables to pull the bundle closer.

Honestly, in his plans the circuitboard should have lined up near perfectly with the damn panel; he’d done his measurements and everything before he started! But no, it was all the way over here, and now he had to deal with this

It was almost like something had snapped off the supports and tangled all the wires up…

There were more cables than there should be.

Again.

No, wait, the intruder wasn’t a cable. It felt… like a rope?

Fighting the urge to bang his head against the wall, he sighed heavily. The temptation to just yank the damn thing out was tempered only by the sounds of construction, impromptu karaoke, and occasional screams of every other member of the project.

Who knew what Fright Knight had rigged this one to do, or where it would actually go off? Other than, y’know, completely fucking his own wiring.

Danny breathed out slowly through his nose, shifting his grip until he was only touching his wiring and not the rope, and phased the whole lot through. He’d turned almost everything off to go wire-spelunking anyway, so it should-

A loud thunk behind him preceded a sudden silence where a low humming had been pretty much ignorable. Danny grimaced, but kept going until the junction was back in place at the access panel before letting it rejoin the physical world.

The ghost shield didn’t immediately power back up, but that was fine. He could give it a couple kicks, maybe try a hard reboot if it was really fussing.

More importantly, he had to find what the hell the Spirit of Halloween had done now. His ecto-accelerator was working as expected, and blob ghosts would all be kept around to feed on the concentrated ectoplasm anyway.

Really, he’d been shutting the shield down anyway to let Halloween in and out.

Maybe he should stop doing that…

Then Danny brightened up.

It was Jason’s fault Halloween was here at all. And it was Jason’s class’s haunted house.

This wasn’t a Danny problem, this was a Jason problem. And maybe next time the stubborn fuck would listen when Danny said something was a bad idea.

Humming cheerfully, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent off a quick text, wandering idly back towards the ghost shield generator. One quick kick and it chugged back into life, good as new.

He was gonna have to put some internal batteries in on the next rebuild though. It had to be able to survive a power cut to be worth anything in Gotham.

Flicking into his notes app, he added it to the list of improvements.

While he didn’t actually know where Jason was, he was pretty sure he wasn’t close enough to hear Jason’s response to his text. That was fine though, because he could feel the pulse of exasperated-resigned-annoyed the second he saw it.

Humming happily to himself, he dug out the extra set of cords to let the lights dim in time with any power surges from the ghost shield. It’d only take a few seconds now that the damn board was back in the right place, and should add some extra spooky ambiance once the house started seeing guests and he turned off the accelerator to let the blob ghosts play.

Really, he owed Harper for the idea. He’d been explaining to her how the little guys always chewed on power cables, lack of physical teeth or not, just to get to the current. And technically what she’d actually said was “man it’d be cool if we could get them to fuck with the lights”.

And technically Danny could probably have trained them to actually play with light switches. This would be much easier though, and interestingly random as the blobs bounced around.

All he had to do was hook up these last few connections… and test it out.

And since Halloween was clearly around anyway… he was definitely big enough to make the ghost shield hum a bit. That’d be great for calibration.

And he owed Danny for fucking up his circuitry with his latest booby trap anyway. It all worked out nicely really.

By the time Jason poked his head through the door, Danny was just finishing the last of his adjustments, almost every wire properly soldered into place.

“What’s he done now?” Jason sighed heavily, exasperation both so clear and so clearly a put on that even a normal human would probably feel it radiating off him.

Danny nodded towards the stretch of wall near where he’d last seen the rope.

“No idea, but he’s tied something to something else that got in the way of the ghost shield controls. I fixed that, the inevitable booby trap is all yours,” he added sweetly, blowing Jason a kiss as best he could with both hands busy.

Jason pretended to chomp it out of the air like a shark, and then puke it out. He was getting creative.

Danny could respect that.

“Great, thanks,” he said sarcastically, then frowned at the offending section of drywall. “Is there-“

“No, the access panel is over here,” Danny told him brightly, twisting the last screw down to hold all of the less permanent wires in place. Really, at some point he should probably put a casing over the whole mess. Keep any damp or curious critters out.

But any curious critters were going to be a little busy avoiding curious ghosties, and the ghosties wouldn’t try and move the wires. That’d stop them from being able to siphon the electricity.

Little fuckers.

Maybe also some extra ghost shielding. Hell, the power going into the shield was controlled from this panel, and the main power cables were nicely strung along the back. How hard could it be to extend a little extra shielding…

Jason cut him off from the thought with a heavy, dramatic sigh, thunking heavily into the wall just beside Danny.

“Great. We got time to take another panel out and fix it again?” He asked semi-redundantly, taking in Danny and Heather’s carefully applied pattern of sprayed on filth and decay.

Grinning and straightening, Danny cracked his back and moaned happily.

“In your dreams. Halloween’s a week away, and we open this weekend.”

“So how do you want me to track the trap, your majesty?” Jason asked with a heavy roll of his eyes.

Danny grinned up at him. All the brighter for the sass.

“Oh, that’s not my problem. I’m not the one who said he could be such a huge help,” he shot back cheerfully, taking the moment to roll out his shoulders and do a couple of twists too.

He spent a lot of time hunched over between classwork and this little side quest, and while he wasn’t suffering for it yet, he’d rather not start.

“Besides, do you have anything else to do?” He pointed out with a cheeky grin.

Jason raised an eyebrow at him, arms folded.

“About a million things, yeah. But none more important than making sure our guests don’t get electrocuted,” he added with a sigh, turning to frown at the wall. Reached out and knocked against it gently. “Wish I could just bring the hood out.”

“A little x-ray vision would be a big help,” Danny agreed, already looking for his next task. Would he have time to fuck with the ghost shield a little more to protect the board?

Probably not. While the machine itself was already doing excellent work as the centrepiece of a truly excellent mad science lab (although not up to Fenton standards), it still needed a quick coat of grime of its own, and probably some webbing.

Most of the rest of this room was ready, between Harper’s piezo-floors and Heather’s expert spray paint skills. So long as the shield could affect the lights throughout the house, he could probably finish here in half an hour.

Or delegate to Heather, once all the parts of the ghost shield were safely protected from rogue spray.

Danny could have run by the 3D printers in the Makers Club for some custom shielding pieces, but why bother? Leaning into his toolbox, he pulled out a roll of duct tape.

Glancing back, he was pleased to see Jason’s quiet was because the big guy had already stuck his head in the wall.

Sure, officially no one here was supposed to know about either of their ghost powers (Harper being the obvious exception), but no one was around. And it’d save time dismantling the trap so they could get back to work.

The Lit nerds had come up with the full floor plan by themselves, and while only a couple of them got nail gun privileges, they’d all been excited to get hands on.

And had clearly been relying on their giant tank of a nerd for some of the more hard to reach set up.

Danny could get it floating, or they could schlep ladders around, but why bother when Jason could reach the top of every doorframe already?

Once Jason was done dismantling yet another booby trap.

Reaching out with a foot, Danny gave him a light kick in the ass, knocking a shoulder into the wall.

“Dude, just go invisible and trace it directly. Painting’s gotta be finished tonight to be dry for tomorrow,” he reminded the larger man when Jason pulled his head out to glare at him.

“Such insightful. Very wisdom,” he snarked, straightening himself and returning said glare to the wall.

Danny snickered.

“I’ll tell Tucker you’re after his Miette status.”

“I’ll tell him you called him that again,” Jason shot back immediately, flipping Danny off without looking.

Touché.

Rather than concede the point, Danny got back to his own efforts instead. Time to tape up any cracks and crevices except the heat vents… and yeah, actually, putting a suitably ratty bag or strip on linen to cover those (both for spray paint protection and to flap dramatically) would only add to the atmosphere.

“Just get going while we’re still young and pretty.”

He could feel Jason’s amusement too, a warm balm on his back even over the exasperated-tired-over it from Fright Knight’s continued escapades. Felt it when Jason changed, his aura amping up automatically with his ghost form.

“Yeah, yeah. Why don’t you get your subject in line and remind him we’re not trying to kill anyone?” Jason asked, immediately phasing through the wall to get the last word.

Danny rolled his eyes despite the grin, carefully taping around the joins in the main control panel.

“What, again?” He muttered under his breath, chuckling softly.

As far as he was aware, more than half the problem was that ol’ Halloween wasn’t actually all that clear on what was lethal to humans at all. And that? That wasn’t a problem Danny could solve.

Technically, he could Command the spirit to stop putting up booby traps. Force him into an advisory role only.

(And yeah, Danny had to admit, for all he was a pain in the ass? He’d been right about adding a couple extra googly eyes in covert spots on the bubbling slimes. Super creepy when one rolled up and looked at you.)

Except that Danny hated using his Command on anyone, even when they were being a pain in his ass. It was creepy, kinda gross, and made him feel like a dick.

Besides, with ghosts it was actually way politer to just smack someone upside the head if they were being a shit. Hell, that was usually why they were being a shit.

Danny hesitated, a new thought blooming slowly.

Could… that be why Halloween was being a pain in the ass? Jason’s training hours had been cut back, but their time spent with the original Fright Knight was actually going up now that he was “helping” with the house.

Did he just want their attention? Or was he bored enough to fish around indirectly for a little ghostly rumble?

That would also have to be Jason’s problem, he decided with a philosophical shrug. Like most of the other older ghosts, the old Fright Knight actually avoided throwing down with Danny these days.

Whether it was the same fear that made him bend the knee to Pariah Dark or just plain not wanting to risk even a temporary win and the burden of the crown didn’t actually matter. It wasn’t loyalty; Halloween had been eager enough to bend the knee to Dan, but Dan also commanded him to run around wreaking terror and mayhem.

Danny mostly just asked him to wrestle with any ghosts who tried anything in Amity Park while he was gone; a duty Halloween kicked ass at and seemed to be taking seriously, but wasn’t his idea of fun.

But hey, it got him out of his pumpkin, and out of his lair without the fear of someone trying to seal him again. So long as Frighty mostly obeyed Danny’s orders, no one could even try it without having Danny come kick their ass.

Maybe Danny should let him wreak a little havoc in Gotham on Halloween though. As a treat.

Not his usual “turn inanimate objects into hordes of ghosts to take over the world” shtick, but since Scarecrow usually had dibs on the holiday (and was still decidedly out of action), some of the up and coming rogues were looking to make a name for themselves.

A not particularly nice smile pulled at Danny’s lips.

After all… apparently no one else had ever tried anything on Halloween while Crane was out and about. It could only be a good thing for Gotham as a whole if someone else staked an emphatic claim this year.

Aaaand it’d keep Frighty out from under their feet, or setting up any more booby traps while they got the last details into place.

If any of the bats objected, they could take that up with Jason too. After all, this whole thing was his idea.

**

The Spirit of Halloween drifted through the house, muttering disconsolately to himself.

All he wanted to do was what he’d been asked; to improve this “haunted house” his king was constructing.

It was certainly a better effort than the one which had first brought the ghost boy to his lair; that had been a single room, and a rather pathetic showing. Bouncy spiders, inflatable figures, utterly unfrightening.

This house had some real potential! Between the elaborate traps the humans were setting in each room and the far more convincing decor, it would be so easy to make something truly terrifying.

All it needed was some more sharp edges… something a little heavier to hang above the doors… and while apparently electrical traps were out of the question, he was sure that something horrific could be done with those powered floors.

Possibly an eject port. Those were new and the potential fascinated him ever since the doctors Fenton showed off their new flying seats.

If the king would only give him a chance, Halloween was sure he could turn this building into a true House of Horrors.

But no. Once again, his ideas were discarded. They would undo his modifications to the floor (and frankly he was rather pleased with how he’d managed to warp its purpose without transforming it into an independent entity; he’d needed to make use of young Sir Jason’s “phone” to learn to adjust the voltage the human way. He’d used his hands and everything because the king did not want him using his blade).

Honestly, why would you invite such an expert if you did not wish to use his advice?

And he wasn’t even supposed to let these foolish humans know he was here, so he couldn’t properly howl his woes to the winds.

Grumbling under his breath instead, he stalked back to the nest of wires he’d modified. If his work were to be undone, he could do it. He was here to help, if they’d just let him.

“Who the hell are you?” A sharp voice asked from behind him as he knelt before the nest, and he froze.

He wasn’t in the habit of being covert; that had been about the most interesting part of the whole debacle thus far.

He wasn’t a stealthy ghost. His presence was part of his armoury, inspiring fear and awe in all who could see him coming. Which only worked if they saw him coming.

He’d forgotten to be invisible.

For all that the king’s wishes had been annoyingly vague, there was just one thing he’d been explicitly clear on.

No mortals were to see him.

Very slowly, his helmet creaked around to face the glowering young mortal woman in the doorway, her hands on her hips.

He. Could. Use the Soul Shredder to send her to her own nightmare dimension. Then no one would know she’d seen him.

Except that the king had forbidden him from using his sword. And the young knight liked the woman Harper and would likely notice her absence.

Wretched nuisance.

She also didn’t seem the sort to scare easily, which he usually appreciated in a foe.

Even under the glare of his blazing purple eyes, she marched straight up to him, hands on her hips, and glowered.

“Are you the asshole who’s been fucking with my power supply?” She asked sharply, actually prodding! Prodding him! With her feeble mortal finger!

And he was unable to appropriately respond!

And if she were a true ally of his king, simply fading from sight would only affirm what he was in her mind…

For a brief moment, he wondered if he could persuade her that he was the Box Ghost, but discarded the idea immediately. No, he was no coward to hide behind another’s name!

Especially not that lowlife.

He would face the punishment from his king, content at least in the knowledge that it would be just, and would not maim or destroy him.

Which meant not smiting the puny mortal who’d rumbled his plans.

Unless…

She was an ally to the young knight. And fearless. And endeavouring to build and properly haunt this house. Perhaps she could be of aid to his own mission…

Which meant he had to be (a grimace hidden entirely under his helmet) tactful. Appealing even.

Straightening to his full height, he then bowed just below hers.

“Indeed, Dame Harper. I must apologize; Sir Jason has informed me of the true intent of your most excellent devices, so I came to repair what I have wrought.” It grated on him, a ghost of his calibre forced to treat any human as an equal… but less than it used to.

A useful opponent, and a worthy one, was hard enough to find. And… horror of horrors… under his new king, he was almost… getting used to it.

She didn’t seem overly impressed, folding her arms and giving him another, more sceptical once over.

“Yeah… and from that get up, I’m gonna guess you’re probably not from the university,” she said dryly.

The Spirit of Halloween cursed internally. Of course! That would have been the perfect excuse! A mere student in a costume! His time of year was all about disguises!

Yet already he’d declared his association to the younger Fright Knight by use of his title. She had already seen through such a potential escape.

Still, it meant she was observant. Passably intelligent. Good marks in an ally.

Better to act like he’d never intended to deceive her, though. It may let him glean some more insight into just how trusted she was.

“I am not.

From lands beyond and sights unseen

Your cohorts called upon me for aid

To plan a magnificent Halloween

So that all who enter be truly afraid.”

One of his better works off the cuff, he thought a little smugly… then deflated a little.

“I was not aware your devices were not some form of trap,” he added in more normal tones.

The corner of her mouth twitched upwards, although her stern expression did not change.

“Uh huh. Yeah, ghost bullshit was gonna be my next guess. You thought the generators were a trap?” She asked, a little incredulously.

Sir Halloween shifted uncomfortably. He still wasn’t used to explaining himself, and wasn’t sure how little he could get away with.

“I believed them an excellent tactic to terrify and incapacitate any land-bound intruders,” he agreed cautiously.

Definitely a smile pulling at her lips this time, though she fought it. Perhaps she would be more amenable to his suggestions than the halfas…

The Harper woman sighed and uncrossed her arms, hands on her hips once more.

“I guess they would work pretty well for that… but nah. I prefer more direct methods if I’m gonna fry someone, don’t want anyone else getting caught in the crossfire,” she added with a wicked gleam in her eye that he very much liked.

Then she pointed her chin at the wiring he’d been about to restore.

“Go ahead and fix that up then, and I’ll decide if I forgive you.”

Commands from a mortal rankled, but it was to do as he’d intended anyway. And would give him more time to assess her potential.

From his understanding, this woman no longer hunted the night, but had been a mighty hunter while nought but a child. Those habits were hard to break.

About to turn back to the panel, he hesitated. If. She was going to watch him work. He would need to remain visible.

And there were far too many mortals in the house.

“Ah… Dame Harper. I have been commanded to remain unseen by those unaware of the Infinite Realms. If you wish to observe, we shall need to ensure others do not come across me.” He hoped she would assume that he hadn’t been meant to hide from her.

He wasn’t sure if he’d succeeded as her smile became distinctly wider and far more devious, looking him up and down one last time.

“No one’s allowed to know about ghosts, huh? And you’re not exactly a subtle one. No worries, I have the perfect plan.”

**

Grumbling to himself as he pulled the last of the blades from the swinging arms Sir Spookier-Than-Thou had set up through the upstairs and downstairs hall, Jason gave the mechanism one last look.

He could dismantle the whole thing if he had to, but that’d take time. And besides, it was pretty good work.

All he had to do was slow the swing a little, find something a little more family friendly to add to each arm, and it’d be a pretty bangin’ addition to their haunted house.

He wasn’t sure if he should tell the Spirit of Halloween that or not; if he’d feel better knowing his work was appreciated, or get over excited and back on his bullshit.

Either way, someone was going to cart these mysteriously glowing blades back to the Ghost Zone that they’d surely come from, and it wasn’t gonna be him. About six of his classmates were waiting on him to help with some final additions, and while most of it could pretty easily have been done with a scaffold, they didn’t have time to build one.

Not when Jason could just reach up.

Or a couple of the other guys could just stand on a bucket, but hey. His room was pretty much complete, all he needed was to test the spring loaded launchers on his “batarangs” and he was done.

(The day he’d discovered the cute, stylized little marshmallow bats he’d known exactly what he had to do with them. B was just lucky it had been close enough to Halloween that Jason decided to go with this first.

It did make a nice test run for the Bat Cave though.)

There might be a couple more cosmetic tweaks, some spit and polish, but he’d be essentially ready.

They weren’t exactly in competition, no scoring or voting or anything, but the Lit geeks in particular had been gushing and bragging about their own horror rooms from day one. Some of them were honestly really impressive; Heather’s 13 Ghosts setup that Danny had hooked the ghost shield into was extremely well designed, and used pretty much every inch of the master bedroom.

Ray and Tyra had both gone with more classic horror (and adjoining rooms; Jason particularly liked the chase from Tyra’s Grimm fairytale forest to Ray’s werewolf lair), and they actually had four different set ups featuring Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

While those might have been more obscure before Dracula Daily (and included less internet jokes), Jason enjoyed the narrative that started in the back room of the first floor, up the stairs (the road to castle), a gorgeous crypt, and then the final ascent to the roof and the opportunity for guests to “climb” down the wall (in lizard fashion, obviously) over an air bag or take the “Descent To Hell” (an inflatable red twirly slide that Danny still wanted to slick with dish soap. Jason and OSHA both disagreed).

There wasn’t exactly a unifying theme beyond “horror”, but they had at least planned ahead enough to group the rooms by type. The decorations along the halls to gradually show the genre changes would be the last things going up, but Jason was pretty sure the new swinging arms would be a great addition.

It wouldn’t be a seamless change, but it would be on brand.

And sure, technically his own Phantom of the Opera room was also one of the outliers from a thematic and stylistic perspective (because he’d chosen the book, not the stage show - although he had snagged the score and had a play around in an editing suite for background music).

He’d taken the “basement” for the forgotten halls below the opera house, so it didn’t really matter that his dripping stone, hall of mirrors, and final Grand Decision were a lot more classically gothic than the rugged and rural first floor, or the more urban and scifi second. He’d been able to source a bunch of old theatre dressings from a recent rogue attack, so it had been easy to set the bones up.

It was a great house, and while he’d been a little worried about the size when they’d drawn up the plans, they were pretty much on schedule.

Despite the interference of the Spirit of Halloween.

Who was gonna go drop stuff off in the Ghost Zone, and maybe just stay there until the night itself. Jason couldn’t give the command or make it stick, but Danny could, and probably would if the Spirit mucked with his new tech one more time.

For all that he insisted this whole mess was Jason’s fault (and therefore Jason’s problem), he was the one who decided how far any of it went.

Wondering idly what he could suggest to get Frighty back under Danny’s feet, he tossed the last blade in a decidedly triangular box and hoisted it quickly.

He wasn’t entirely sure what the blades were made of, or what they’d do (the Soul Shredder was a unique weapon that he hadn’t made himself, but Jason had no idea what he could make), but he wanted the Box Ghost to get his hands on them even less than he wanted his fellow students to.

All he had to do was find ol’ Halloween… and the big guy never really bothered to shield himself. It took very little focus to expand his aura through the rest of the house these days, and he didn’t even need to get past the first floor. The Spirit of Halloween was at the back, the room below Danny’s where Harper had her main boards and batteries set up for ease of use.

(It wasn’t technically part of the attraction, but she’d still made it look spooky and on theme in case anyone peeked around the door.)

But the Fright Knight had better be in there fixing things or hiding from people, not fucking with the piezoelectrics again, or Jason was gonna start a training session of his own on the spot.

(Not that he’d reliably win a regular fight; he was damn good, but the Spirit of Halloween was older, more used to ghost powers, and loved his sword and duels almost as much as he loved poetry and terrorizing the wretched.

But on Earth, with more than half of their powers denied them by Danny’s rules? Jason could come for his ass.)

————

Listen. This is not the universe for short oneshots, okay?

But there are some sneaky hints for the road ahead in our main timeline too, for attentive eyes 👀

Happy Halloween!

[hunnymisworld]

How Haikyuu Characters would respond to you:

When you ask them for help in making the homework.

SFW | Fluff | Crack | Short AU

[READ ME FIRST]

C O N T E X T: You are a 1st year transfer student in Karasuno and you've already adjusted to your new environment as well as the new people you met whom you made friends with. You were having a hard time with a homework and decided to ask for help in your fellow classmates/seniors.

DAICHI SAWAMURA

A P P R O A C H A B L E yet he is kinda intimidating because everybody knows he's the volleyball captain.

He'll show a small smile when you tap his shoulder to call his attention. "Hey y/n, how can i help you?"

Would offer to teach you the homework with every d e t a i l so you would understand. (He doesn't mind if you ask multiple times about the same thing)

A PATIENT MAN (and understanding too)

"Don't hesitate to ask for help anytime okay?"

He sees you as a younger sibling and finds it cute when you ask him for help.

BIG BROTHER ENERGY (best senpai fr)

Kinda serious when he teaches you the lesson, he's eager for you to learn.

Would ask you follow-up questions to make sure you really understood.

The type to even stay-up-late with you when you ask for a tutor in the upcoming exam ( FOR FREE?!?!? - yes. )

Gives you his phone number cause he does not use social media that much. In case you needed any help with academics or whatsoever.

YOU ACED THE HOMEWORK!

YU NISHINOYA & RYUNOSUKE TANAKA

You can easily find them near the vending machine playing rock-paper-scissors to know who's going to pay for who's snack/drink. (tough battle - Who do you think pays most of the time? You can leave a comment.)

"Stop messing around noya! A junior is here to ask something"

"Ow! Did you really have to hit me- **gets hit again** Oh- Hi Y/n how can your seniors help you?"

Would gladly help you and buy you snacks too!

They lead you where they usually hang out during free time and scan what your homework is about.

"Here, can i see?" Nishinoya offered to look at the homework first and you handed him your noteook.

Ryu was beside him, he was also trying to see what your homework is about.

Scan....scan... Read.... Read...

"What is this? Did we even learn this way back? Do you remember any of this ryu?"

"GIve me that! Stupid-ass. That's what you get for cutting classes. Good for you that you were able to be a senior" (Yes, ryu just snatched your notebook from noya)

BRO WAS OFFENDED

"HEY! That was- fine! It's true. Why would i argue with an even dumber person like you"

You were literally just standing there while they bicker like 🧍‍♀️ T.T (poor y/n getting flustered - wondering how to react)

"Can you stop Noya, let me handle this. SHHHH i can't focus"

Noya really said 😧😑🙂 (bro was GAGGED)

After a while.... yes they indeed remembered the lesson and eventually stopped bickering.

They summerized the lesson for you and explained the concept of the lesson. You were then able to answer all the questions which they checked.

"There all done!" Noya happily said while Ryu was having his moment being the best senpai ever.

"Easy peasy" "Lemon squeezy"

You were relieved and thanked them after. You also offered to get them ice cream next time you bump into each other to thank them for helping you (Literally ATE UP your free time from all that bickering T.T nevertheless, you were grateful)

2 MISTAKES! NOT BAD!! (You got 4 thumbs up from them both and they congratulated you)

SUGAWARA KOSHI

He would be the one to approach you since he noticed you were having a hard time since the morning recess. Brows furrowed while you were scanning your note book.

"Hey Y/n! How are you? I noticed you were having a hard time since the morning. Do you need help?"

You were on the verge of crying for being frustrated at not understanding the lesson. He noticed it and patted your back as he smiled at you warmly.

A COMFORT PERSON FR (he's such a sunshine)

Makes you calm down first so that you'd be able to clear your mind for you to understand the lesson completely.

"How are you feeling? Do you feel calm now? Don't worry, anything can be learned. Don't pressure yourself too much, you just have to give yourself enough time to learn it okay? Let yourself be a beginner too."

You smile warmly at his words. He seems to always know what to say to make a person calm down.

He explained the concept to you as simple as he can and gave you an outline of the lesson so that you have a guide.

He bought you your comfort food to help calm your nerves and walked you back to your classroom cause he was worried.

"Just approach me if you need tutoring okay? Your mental health matters, don't be too hard on yourself. Don't doubt yourself and your capabilities, you are an amazing person who is also capable of making mistakes. You're human too."

You hugged him as you felt how sincere he was and he patted your back.

YOU ACED IT YEY!! (our soft-hearted y/n awww)

KIYOKO SHIMIZU

IS YOUR BESTFRIEND!! (sees you as her little sibling)

Left her notebooks on your desk with a cute note saying:

" Don't be upset, you'll get it i promise you. Here are my notes from 1st year and it's concept is described there in the simplest form. I know you'll be able to understand it when you read it. If you have any questions just text me, i'm arranging the boys' volleyball team practice match with Nekoma right now so i was not able to hand it to you personally. Take care xoxo!

PS: let me know if you want to watch the match, i'll get you a ticket"

SHE IS THE SWEETEST

You understood her notes pretty easily as she said on her note

You texted her and said thank you for the notes and offered to buy her snacks when she's not busy anymore.

She replied with:

" You're welcome 🩷. Sure!!"

She's the best sister fr.

KEI TSUKISHIMA

Will turn his back on you as you approach him T.T

"No. I know what you're going to ask for"

Damn :((

As you walk out of the classrom to ask others who can help you with the homework, he secretly puts his notebook in your bag for you to have a guide for the homework.

"dumb-ahh."

Yes, he left a note and stick in inside his notebook saying:

"Everything is here. You better not text or annoy me. Study on your own. I need my notebook back by tomorrow"

You were surprised and touched that he knows how to show he cares.

OFC YOU ACED IT!!

SHOYO HINATA & TOBIO KAGEYAMA

Before you even have the chance to ask them, THEY WILL ASK FOR YOUR HELP FIRST T.T

They don't understand the lesson either

"Hey y/n, do you understand the lesson? Can you help us?"

BOTH OF THEM LOOKING AT YOU SO HELPLESS AND SHOYO IS ABOUT TO CRY T.T (poor baby)

You looked at them shocked and said "I'm surprised and flattered that you think that I understood the topic but I ALSO DON'T KNOW T.T"

You and HInata cried while Kageyama left you both to ask for help (don't worry he intends to teach you the concept of the lesson to after he learned it from someone who can help)

You ended up having a mini group study with them and Kageyama was able to explain the concept sucessfully.

"Woah Kageyama, i have this much respect for you now. Didn't know you had this side in you" the orange haired guy said.

"Shut up, i'll never set for you again if you manage to fail this homework"

ALL OF YOU ACED IT!!

E N D

Note: You can comment for other character request.

[kengan-daddies]

The Boy Next Door Baki Hanma x Motherly! Older Female Reader

Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4

Anime : Baki: Son of Ogre Character : Baki Hanma Warning : Mention of child abuse, child neglect, questionable behavior, horror aspect

The Boy Next Door Baki Hanma x Motherly! Older Female Reader

The Boy Next Door Baki Hanma x Motherly! Older Female Reader

It's been about 5 months since Baki moved into your home, life has been the best it's ever been for you both. Baki had a mother and you had a son. Baki's grades have improved greatly since then too, you've helped him with his homework whenever he needed it and he also seemed to learn more easier with your help. You couldn't help with everything but with a few subjects, you could. He's been happier lately too, he'd spend most of the week at home while on weekends he'd go to his 'man cave' and he'd work out and train nonstop for hours. Then on Sunday evening he'd come home and eat dinner with you before he'd go to bed. Some weekends he didn't train at all, opting to stay home with you instead. Helping with chores, watching TV with you, going shopping, and even hanging out for the day.

You've gotten use to folding extra clothes, washing extra dishes, cleaning an extra room, and taking care of a dog. It was all familiar yet new to you. You've gotten used to helping Baki sleep at night, combing your fingers through his hair until he falls asleep. You've gotten used to him being up long before you on weekdays, you've gotten used to him following you around like a lost child, always ready to help you with even the smallest of tasks. He was always around, always there to help you when you least expect it, you found it cute. You've learned that Baki was a nervous kid. He wasn't used to asking for help or having a parent around. He was quick to leave without saying goodbye, but he'd always come rushing back in to either give you a hug or a quick goodbye.

You've gotten used to his physical affection, he liked hugs, but he didn't give hugs. instead, he'd rather receive them. He'd lean his head on your shoulder, or he'd hover around you quietly, looking sad or deep in thought. You didn't mind giving him hugs, it reminded you of his childhood, when he'd come rushing to you, tattered and beaten. Blood staining his clothes, his hair a mess, and bruises covering him. He'd say that he wasn't in pain but that he was sad, sad that his mother didn't love him. You've always given Baki hugs since you've known him, he'd find you in the most random of places, and he'd hang around you for the day, feeling comfort from your presence alone, and that still stands to this day.

You stood in the laundry room, and you were loading your clothes into the wash, starting with your pants, then shirts, and lastly underwear. You hummed a little tune as you hunched over the edge of the washing machine, one of your legs bent at the knee while your other leg was pushed up on your toe to help you reach into the washing machine. You sighed as you stood back up straight, Baki was standing behind you, a blank look on his face as he watched you load the wash with cleaning supplies. You closed the wash and turned it on. You turned around and almost ran into Baki but his hands held your shoulders to keep you from walking into him. You stared up at him in shock before you smiled at him. "Oh, Baki you startled me." You said with a chuckle.

His blank stare was strong and it made you slightly nervous. "Baki? ... What's wrong?" You asked. He stared at you a little longer before he released your shoulders and he looked down in thought. You stared at him in question and curiosity, your nervousness leaving you as worry overcame you instead. "Well... I was wondering... Would it be okay if... Kozue came by today?... I, uh... Want her to meet you." He said nervously. Your worried stare slowly melted into a sweet smile. "Of course, you can Baki, I don't mind at all dear." You said as you placed a hand on his shoulder. He gave released a shaky sigh at your response. "Awesome." He said.

The Boy Next Door

The Boy Next Door

Baki was walking home with Kozue next to him, they were quiet most of the way, just enjoying each other's company. Kozue was the first to speak up. "So... I'm going to meet your 'mom'?" She asked her gaze still on the pavement. Baki's lip twitched and his hand slightly clenched into a loose fist. "Yes, you're going to meet my Mom." He said in a light defensive tone. She looked over at him, seeing his jaw tight, his gaze cast forward. She looked away with an apologetic stare. "Sorry... We're going to meet your Mom, and I'm sure she's lovely." She said in a much more accepting tone. His jaw loosened and he gave a small smile. "She is... She's the most wonderful person you'll ever meet... She's so beautiful and so kind... I don't know where I would be without her." He said his voice full of admiration and love. She stared at him with a perplexed stare before she looked away her eyes towards the sky as she smiled. "Yeah... I most certainly can't wait to meet her now." She said.

He gave a light chuckle, his eyes gleaming as he saw the apartment complex not too far. "There, just up ahead." He said. She looked at the apartment complex. "Wow, it's a good-looking place." She said Baki's cheat swelled with pride. "I know right? My mom got the best taste." He said in a boastful voice. She chuckled at him as they entered the gate, heading towards the stairs. Their shoes tapped against the concrete stairs as they ascended to the fourth floor, once there, Baki dug in his pocket as he led the way, fishing for the key as they neared the door. They stopped in front of it and he began unlocking the door, however the door opened and Baki pulled back in slight shock when you suddenly opened it.

You stared at him with a smile, your hair combed and some light makeup on your face, you wore a casual outfit your purse on your shoulder, and some comfortable shoes on. "Hey Baki!! Glad to see you're home!" You happily said with a wave. They both stared at you as they blinked in thought, trying to understand. Baki was the first to speak. "Mom, where are you going?" He asked as he eyed the purse and your light makeup. You chuckled with a light wave of your hand. "Oh nowhere now, I just got back from the store actually." You explained. He frowned. "But I wanted to come with." He whined. You gave him a half-assed apologetic smile as you reached up to ruffle his hair. "Sorry Baki, I'll wait for you to get out of school next time." You said.

He pouted in response. "Okay." He said. You smiled sweetly as you gave him a light punch to his chin. "Aww, don't be like that sport, I promise to bring you with me next time, I promise, plus I got cha a snack!!" You said with a cheeky smile. A smile graced his face. "Really!?... Weeeeel." He said with false contemplation as he rolled his eyes in thought. Kozue watched you both, observing you both in your most natural element. She smiled softly at the two. 'She isn't his birth mother, but she's practically his mother... Their bond is so strong and it's full of happiness too.' She thought to herself as she watched you both laugh and goof around.

The Boy Next Door

The Boy Next Door

Kozue and Baki both sat in the living area on the couch, they were watching TV, and the sound of you fixing them a light snack could be heard in the kitchen, the two were watching the news, listening to the newsreportor speaking about crimes going on about in their area. Kozue looked over at Baki without moving her head, her eyes stared at him in wonderment and question as she saw the strange look on his face. 'Emotionless... Yet thoughtful and... What was that last emotion? I've never seen it before... It doesn't look right on Baki's face.' She thought as she stared at him from the corner of her eye. She looked to where he was looking and she saw you. She stared at you, trying to understand the reason for the look on his face. 'She's not doing anything strange to be gawked at like that, she's just making a snack.' She thought as she stared at you.

You moved back and forth slightly, preparing the light fulfilling snack for the two teens, you hummed a little tune while you were deep in thought, you walked over to the fridge and pulled out two cans of soda for them to drink from. You picked up their plates one in each hand as you turned around and you walked to them with a sweet smile on your face. "Here you two go, I hope sandwiches, chips, and cookies are enough to fill you two." You said as you placed the plates on the little table. They both smiled as they got off the couch and sat down before the little table. Baki had 4 sandwiches, 2 bags of chips, and 5 cookies while Kozue had 2 sandwiches, a bag of chips, and 4 cookies. Kozue smiled. "I haven't had a snack like this since I was a kid." She said as you placed their sodas down next to their plates.

You smiled at her. "Trust me, when you get older, you'll go back to these 'childhood snacks', they save so much time and they're actually pretty fulfilling." You explained. Kozue smiled at you. "What makes it so good?" She asked. "Nothing, it's just the fact that now you can actually appreciate the 'snack' as an easy meal is all." You said with a shrug. She stared at you for a moment before she looked at the plate. "Appreciate the snack as a meal..." She said to herself as she pondered the words. You chuckled at her. "You may not understand now, but you will one day, until then eat up!! I'll most definitely be cooking dinner tonight so that'll be a good 'meal' to hold you both over until then." You explained as you ruffled Baki's hair.

He looked up at you like a curious puppy and it made your heart melt. 'He's so adorable!!!' You thought. You pulled your hand away as you stretched your arms high, squealing in pleasure when you heard some bones pop that you didn't know where from. Your shirt rose up some, showing your lower stomach, you walked towards the stairs and you sighed, you stepped up on the first step before you looked back at them. "If you two need anything, just come ask, until then, Kozue?" You said giving her a pointed stare. She perked up as she looked over at you. "Yes ma'am?" She asked. You pointed over at Baki. "Ask Baki for anything and make yourself at home okay?" You said placing your hand on the railing. She nodded her head.

"Good. I'll see you two later, I'm tired, I need a nap." You said as you walked up the stairs. "Okay, bye Mom, sleep well." "Bye Miss (L/N), sleep good." They both said bidding you farewell you waved back lazily as you vanished upstairs. They both listened as your door opened and closed, they looked at one another and they smiled before they closed their eyes and clasped their hands together, and said their thanks.

The Boy Next Door

The Boy Next Door

Dinner has been cooked and served, and the three of you sat at the dining table eating your dinner. The sound of chopsticks lightly tapping together, the sound of bowls and cups being softly placed back down, and the sound of talking and laughter. That's all that could be heard as the three of you ate. Kozue could feel the love in the air, it was thick, it was beautiful, it was real. She could stay here forever, watching both you and Baki. "You guys deserve each other, the love is real and strong." She said. Both you and Baki stared at her. "You guys share so much harmony, it's truly one of a kind." She continued. Baki gave a soft chuckle as he looked down at his hands and you smiled at her. "Thank you, Kozue, you're a lovely girl. I'm so proud that Baki has found such a young woman like you." You said as you reached over and lightly pinched his cheek. "Ow." he whispered. Kozue blushed as she smiled bashfully at you. You chuckled as you let go of Baki's cheek. "Yeah, Kozue is a one-of-a-kind girl, she's real special." Baki said softly as he looked over at Kozue.

Your heart hammered in your chest as you watched them both smile at one another. "So many years have gone by... I missed so much... I'm sorry Baki." You said with a sigh. Baki looked over at you in shock at your words. "What are you talking about? You've done more than enough." He said a wavering smile on his face. You shook your head. "I could've done more, when I heard of your mother's death, I should've came to you, but I hid out... I was afraid." You said your gaze locked on your fingers as they rubbed against each other. "Afraid of what?" He asked, his voice almost a whisper. "I was afraid that you wouldn't want me in your life anymore, that your mother was your one and only, I didn't want you to feel like I was replacing her." You explained. Baki's hands balled into a fist as he breathed in shakily. "Don't say that." He said. "But it's true... I should've came to you sooner, I left you alone for four years, Baki... I'm a terrible person." You said with an empty chuckle.

He slammed his hands sown on the table, making both you and Kozue shake. "STOP SAYING THAT!!!" He shouted. You both stared at him in shock. "Baki." Kozue whispered. He walked around the table and he grabbed your arms, making you stand up as he turned you towards him. "Don't ever say such terrible things about yourself. You lie when you say that you left me alone for four years. You always left a bento box at my door for me to take to school every morning, you always folded my clothes for me when I wasn't home, you always kept my home clean, you kept groceries in my fridge, you'd buy me new clothes. You weren't there physically but you were there, and that was more than enough for me!!" He said his eyes gleaming in rage and passion. You stared up at him, speechless. "You were always there for me, you were always making my day brighter!! And then... You came to see me that day." His voice and grip relaxed, he wasn't holding you so tightly anymore, and his stare wasn't as intense.

"That rainy Saturday morning, you knew I didn't have any school that day, and you came to see me, drenched in rain, no shoes, the only thing you wore was that large shirt you like to wear to sleep, soaked in rainwater... You looked so pitiful yet so beautiful and strong at that moment... I was so happy to see you." He said, the memory just as vivid in his mind as if he was reliving it again. He held you in his arms, getting soaked himself but he didn't care, as he crumbled to the ground with you, the sound of your small voice constantly apologizing to him over and over, and he constantly replied with his hand rubbing your head as he reassured you that it was okay... It was a fond memory that he held close to his heart... Kozue watched as Baki hugged you tightly, his hand rubbing your head gently, your hand balled into the back of his shirt your face pressed into his shoulder, she didn't know that she was watching what happened that rainy Saturday morning, she smiled at the tender sight. Her smile slowly faded when she saw the gleam in Baki's eyes.

Even his face seemed different, it was the same stare she had seen earlier that day when you were making them a snack, it made her shiver in fear as she saw the look, it was so unfamiliar... so un-Baki... It was almost sinister. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise... I won't let anyone ever separate us ever again... No matter who, they are." He said, his gaze cutting over to Kozue. Her blood froze in her veins, and her eyes widened in fear as she stared at the dangerous glare in Baki's eyes. 'It's aimed at me... He's including me as a threat too... Does that mean... that everything we've been through doesn't matter to him?... Does his mother mean more than that?... Would he actually kill me?' She thought, his gaze was dangerous and filled with promise of violence. He finally looked away from Kozue and he pulled back from you, his eyes back to being loving and kind as he looked down at you.

You smiled at him. "Thank you, Baki, you're so sweet." You said, your hand reaching up as you pulled him down by his shoulder, and you kissed his forehead gently. "I'll do my best to be a great mother to you." You said. He smiled sweetly at you. "You already are, Mom." He said.

The Boy Next Door

The Boy Next Door

Kouze and Baki walked down the dark street together, silence enveloping them both as they walked to Kozue's home. You told Baki to walk her home and to make sure she got there safely, you gave her a hug goodbye and you let Baki know that you'll be at home waiting for him to get back and that he couldn't hang out because he had school tomorrow... They never spoke, from the time they left Baki's home to the time they were all the way to Kozue's home. He bid her farewell and that he'd see her later, and with that, he left, almost anxious to get home... She sat up in her room, dressed in her night clothes as she brushed her hair out, her mind wondering to what happened at dinner. "That stare, that look... It wasn't Baki at all, he almost seemed like a monster... He gave her that stare at the most random at times." She spoke aloud to herself as she thought back to the strange blank stare he would give you. "He almost looked... Hungry in a way... Like he was hunting... It wasn't normal." She said as she placed her brush down. Her eyes widen in realization. "No... not hunger... but possession... He's possessive of his Mom... It's normal, no matter how you look at it." She said as she looked down at her lap.

Her hands in her lap gripped the fabric of her pajama pants. "And then there was that stare he gave me... when he promised that he and his mom would never get separated... no matter who it was... It was full of violence, no ounce of love in his eyes as he stared at me... I've never seen him look at me like that, not even to his opponents would he would look at them like that." She spoke, her voice wavering from fear. She sat there a little longer before she reached over and she turned off her lamp light, she walked over to her bed and she got under the blankets, she laid there for a while on her back before she turned towards the window, the slight slither in between her curtains let her see the night sky. 'I'm starting to think... That Miss (L/N) might be in danger.' She thought as she pulled the covers closer to her chin. 'I just hope I'm wrong again.' She thought.

The Boy Next Door

The Boy Next Door

You laid in your bed, sleeping soundly, your blankets pushed off you in your sleep as you got hot, your shirt rolled up to your under breasts, Baki's dog has found himself to like your company so much that he actually sleeps in your bed with you, curled up to your side. Your room door was wide open, the house was dark but you could still see faintly. Next to your bed stood Baki, the same blank stare as he looked down on you, he was wearing his muscle shirt and pajama pants. His eyes studied your face, neck, breast, arms, stomach, crotch, thigh, legs, and feet. He leaned down till his nose was barely brushing against yours. "I'll always keep you safe, Mom... and I'll kill anyone who ever tries to separate us... we're meant to be together, forever." He whispered.

[1000roughdrafts]

hey! if you take requests, i’m just wondering if you’d consider a sister winchester one? maybe her at 18? i love your writing so much, and i’d really love something like a hurt reader/dying reader?? something super angsty ahaha

Oh, for sure! Angst is my favorite! (as I'm sure you can tell by the word count lol) sorry it’s taken me like 3 years to get to this 😞

A/N: this was meant to post 2/28/24 because I wanted to ease into coming back with an every other week posting schedule BUT I’m just too excited and antsy for that lol also it’s set in Season 1, Episode 1

Thank you by the way!

Title: Please Wake Up

Warnings: swearing, graphic description of injury and illness, blood angst, hurt/dying reader, depiction of medical procedures, takes place in season 1 episode 1 :)

Word Count: 5.8k

Being third born after two boys, Y/N always felt like she had big shoes to fill. Despite her best efforts to impress the man, she never really formed a bond with John. Her next role model was Dean, who became more of a father to her than John ever was or could be.

Until her eleventh birthday, Dean did her hair into pigtails every day, partly because he hadn't learned to do any other hairstyle but mostly because he thought it was the cutest on her. He'd pack her and Sam's lunch with snacks he'd bought from vending machines and even pretend to take her on hunts because he knew she wanted to be exactly like him.

When she wasn't learning about monsters and guns with Dean, she spent time with Sam. He'd help her with her homework or play board and card games. They have as much in common as Y/N and Dean. Neither Sam nor Y/N got along with John, and neither remember their mothers. 

Y/N's mother was a woman John met in Nebraska three years after the boy's mom died. The affair only lasted a night, but to his surprise, he heard from her again six months later with the news that they had a baby girl on the way. John was shocked and heartbroken. He couldn't bear the thought of bringing another child into the life of hunting.

John kept his distance, adamant that Y/N would be better off without him, and when another three months of silence went by, he figured that Y/N's mother came around to see it his way. Unfortunately, her pregnancy was complicated, as was the birth, and it turned out that having Y/N is what killed her. 

When John got the call, he had half a mind to let the state take custody of little Y/N. Indeed, they would provide her with a better life than he could. John decided to meet her at least, and when he laid eyes on her perfect little face, he couldn't bring himself to abandon her. 

Y/N was barely sixteen when Sam left for college. While she was proud of him for putting himself first, it broke her heart for him to go the way he did. She missed him more and more every day, often keeping Dean up at night with her sniffling and crying. After a while, he would get into bed next to her when the tears started and sing Hey Jude while playing with her hair to help her fall asleep. That went on for another six months before she finally started to fall asleep without crying. 

For her seventeenth birthday, Dean came across a necklace he'd wanted to get for her since Sam left. From his wallet, he took out the only picture he had of the sibling trio, representing the single moment of their life where John treated them like regular kids, and using his pocket knife, he carved around their heads and bodies to match the exact size of the locket, smiling proudly at himself when it fit perfectly. 

Now at eighteen, she stands next to the Impala while Dean lugs their bags out, drops them into the trunk, and slams it shut. He heads for the driver's door but stops when he realizes Y/N hasn't opened hers yet. Eyebrows raised, he twirls a finger in the air as if to say, 'Let's get a move on.'

"Are you ever gonna teach me how to drive, Dean?" she asks. "I mean, you've got to, you know?" 

"No, I don't. Get in," Dean says. She does so with a huff. Dean checks the mirrors before backing out of their parking spot. Turning to Y/N, he says, "Besides, as long as I'm around, you don't need to," but softens his face into a smile when he looks at her. "Cause there's no way in Hell I'll ever let you drive my car." 

Y/N lets out a soft chuckle. "It doesn't have to be this car, Dean!" She rolls the window down, letting the cool breeze hit her face. "What happens if we get separated and I'm being chased by… I don't know, something that has super speed, and my only way back to you is to steal a car and -" 

"Stop. First of all, you should know that I'd never put you in that kind of danger," Dean says, disgusted by the mere thought. He lets out a long sigh. "I'll teach you," he says, looking at her gleaming smile. He tries his damnedest to see her for the adult she's becoming, but he only sees the happy baby in pull-ups he used to feed marshmallows and jello to on a motel room floor. "Just… not yet, okay?" 

She scoffs, "Most people learn to drive when they're only fifteen. I mean, you took me to freaking Vegas with a fake ID for my birthday, for fuck's sake!" 

"I said not yet, Y/N!" he says, shooting her the 'dad look' he's been perfecting since she was four. 

"Fine," she grumbles. She clasps her hands, "So I was looking through news articles, and there seem to be vamps in the next town. Should we be on that?" 

Dean clears his throat and needlessly adjusts the rear-view mirror. "Actually, kiddo, we're on something else right now." He keeps his head straight but glances at her out of the corner of his eyes. Whispering, he says, "We're gonna go get Sammy." 

Y/N's eyes widen as her head whips to look at him. "What?" 

He keeps his eyes on the road, "yeah, uh, with Dad missing... we could use the help," he says, gripping the steering wheel tighter. 

"But Sam's at college!" Y/N scoffs, "he wanted out!" 

"He abandoned us!" he shouts, shaking his head at himself when he notices her shoulders tense. Her eyes peer into her lap, where her hands lie folded. “Look Y/N/N, I just… I can't shake this awful feeling that something is wrong." He waits for a response from her, but she only nods with thin lips. She tunes him out and focuses on the wind hitting the window. "I gotta make sure they're okay," he says softly. 

Over the years, Y/N has learned to trust Dean's intuition, but right now, it just feels like he's being selfish. She opts to stay quiet, even if it makes a long drive longer.

Y/N jolts awake at the sound of the trunk slamming shut. She takes a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She doesn't see Dean next to her, so she scans her surroundings through squinted eyes, hoping for a clue about her whereabouts. She finds a gas station receipt in her lap and flips it over to see the scribbles of Dean's handwriting telling her to 'stay put or else.' She rolls her eyes, crumpling it into a ball to throw it into the backseat.

She hears the voices of two familiar men, one of whom she hasn't heard in two years. Her heart races, and she fumbles with the seat belt, trying to unhook it with shaky hands. She jumps out of the car and turns in time to see Dean leaning on the back of the Impala.

"It's a law school interview," Sam says, "and it's my whole future on a plate," he glares.

"Law school?" Dean asks with a smirk. Y/N walks over to stand next to Dean. He shoots a quick, acknowledging glance her way. Sam's eyes shift between Dean and Y/N, softening when they land on Y/N, "so we got a deal or not?" he asks flatly.

Dean says nothing but lightly nods his head. Y/N runs towards Sam, nearly knocking him over with a hug.

"Y/N/N," he smiles. Pulling her even closer to him, he wraps his arms tightly around her back and kisses the top of her head. "I missed you," he whispers.

"I missed you, too," she says, her eyes welling up with tears. Sam looks at Dean just in time to see him press his lips together with an 'I told you so' in his eyes. Sam shakes his head, squinting at Dean just before he lets go of Y/N.

"Kay, I gotta put a bag together," he sighs, "I'll be right back."

He turns to head for the door, and Y/N doesn't take her eyes off him until he disappears into the building. She blinks her eyes and turns to face Dean. He pushes himself off the back of the car and silently heads for the driver seat.

Sam and Y/N sit in the car at a gas station while Dean heads for snacks. Sam opens his door but quickly looks over his shoulder to check on Y/N. This is when he notices the box of tapes sitting next to her. Intrigued, he shifts in the chair and asks her to hand them to him. Y/N is hesitant because it's hard to say how Dean would react, and she's always hated being in the middle of their fights but does so anyway. Sam rests his tongue between his lips as he takes the box from Y/N. Stretching his legs out of the car, he rests the box in his lap to filter through them.

"Hey," Dean says from behind the Impala, his mouth wrapped around a candy bar, "either of you want breakfast?" he asks, holding a soda and a bag of chips.

Y/N waits for Sam to answer first. "No, thanks," he says, glancing Dean's way momentarily.

"I do," Y/N smiles.

"So how'd you pay for that stuff? Three of you still running credit card scams?" Sam says, going back to looking through the cassettes.

"Yeah, well, hunting ain't exactly a pro ball career," Dean says, putting the gas nozzle back into the pump.

Y/N chimes in, "Besides, all we do is apply," she shrugs, "it's not our fault they send us the cards."

"Yeah? And what names did you write on the applications this time?" he asks, swinging his legs back inside the car and closing the door behind him.

"Uh, Burt Aframian," Y/N answers. Dean gets into the seat, handing Y/N the drink and chips. "Thank you," she chirps.

"And his son Hector," Dean adds, "scored two cards out of the deal."

"Sounds about right. I swear, man. You've gotta update your cassette tape collection."

Dean frowns, nearly offended. "Why?"

"Well, for one, they're cassette tapes, and two," Sam holds one up, "Black Sabbath? Motorhead?" he says, dropping them to grab another, "Metallica?" he laughs, "It's the greatest hits of mullet rock," he says as Dean rips the Metallica tape from his hand with a glare.

"Well, house rules, Sammy." Dean pops the tape into the player with a tight smile, "driver picks the music, shotgun shuts their cake-hole," he says, dropping the empty case into the box. "Isn't that right, Y/N?" he smirks into the rear-view mirror and smiles when he sees her roll her eyes.

"You know, Sammy is a chubby twelve-year-old," Sam scolds, "it's Sam, okay?"

Turning the volume up, Dean cocks his head to the side, "sorry. I can't hear you. The music's too loud," he says with a slight chuckle.

Crashing a crime scene where police are still investigating is just another Saturday with Dean for Y/N, but seeing Sam's eyes widen at the box of Dean's fake IDs calls attention to how out of the norm this life is. Dean makes wise-ass comments to the cops, as usual, and Sam stomps on Dean's foot. Dean responds by smacking Sam's head as they bicker on the way back to the car, but Y/N can't help but grin from ear to ear.

Even when her brothers are arguing, Y/N couldn't possibly be happier. Today is her first hunt with both of her brothers and the first time in far too long since the three of them had been together for any reason.

They make their way to find Amy, who they learn is the girlfriend of the victim from listening to the cops on the bridge. They stop her while she's putting up missing posters, and after lying about being distant relatives of her boyfriend, they ask if she'd be willing to answer some questions to find him.

… "It's kind of this local legend," Amy's friend says after a few minutes of chatting. Massaging her thumb with her other hand, she continues, "This one girl? She got murdered out on Centennial, like decades ago." Dean glances over at Sam and Y/N, who listen intently, "Well, supposedly, she's still out there. She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up? Well, they disappear forever."

At a local library, Dean searches the archive page for any murders on Centennial Highway with no results. Sam shoves Dean's chair, and when it rolls back, he scoots his chair to the computer to take over, earning him a slap from Dean. After replacing 'murder' with 'suicide,' a news article pops up.

"This was 1981. Constance Welch, twenty-four years old, jumps off Sylvania Bridge, drowns in the river," Sam reads.

"Does it say why she did it?" Y/N asks, scooting her chair closer to Sam to try and read the screen.

"Yeah," Sam says.

"What?" Dean says with raised eyebrows.

"An hour before they found her, she calls 911. Apparently, her two little kids are in the bathtub. She leaves them alone for a minute, and when she comes back, they aren't breathing." Sam lets out a breath, "both die," he says in a whisper.

The air grows thick around them, and Y/N frowns. "That's terrible," she says, shaking her head.

"'Our babies were gone,'" Sam reads, "'and Constance just couldn't bear it,' said husband Joseph Welch."

"Hmm," Dean points to the picture on the screen, "that bridge look familiar to you?"

They hit the bridge at nightfall. Crickets sing to water drumming against the rocks as it rushes under their feet. The clouds hang low in the sky, giving the air around them a haze.

"So," Dean says, peering over the bridge at the water, "this is where Constance took the swan dive," he says, leaning against the rail next to Y/N. 

"So you think Dad would have been here?" Sam asks in disbelief, looking over at Dean. 

"Well, he's chasing the same story, and we're chasing him," Dean shrugs, turning to walk down the bridge. 

Sam turns to follow. "Okay, so now what?" he says, forcing a breath through his nose. Y/N walks right next to him, still scared to let him out of her sight. 

"Now we keep digging until we find him. Might take a while," Dean grumbles. 

Sam stops walking, "Dean," he says, raising his hands before dropping them. "I told you. I've gotta be back by Monday." 

"Monday," Dean says, pivoting to make grueling eye contact with Sam, but only turns his body enough that he's still facing the bridge's railing. "Right," he says, shaking a finger, "the interview." The bridge creaks under him as he turns the rest of the way. 

"Yeah," Sam nods. 

"Yeah, I forgot. You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Dean says, shifting his weight between his feet. "You think you're just going to become some lawyer? Marry your girl?" Dean asks, the animosity growing with each word. 

Sam shrugs, "maybe. Why not?" 

Dean's voice roughens, "Does Jessica know the truth about you? I mean, does she know the things you've done?" 

Sam takes a few threatening steps toward Dean, "No, and she's not ever going to know," he scowls. 

"Well, that's healthy," Dean sneers. "You can pretend all you want, Sammy, but sooner or later, you're going to have to face up to who you really are," he says, turning around to continue walking. 

Sam huffs, "Who's that?" 

"You're one of us," Dean shrugs, a hand gesturing towards Y/N. 

"Hey! Leave me out of this," Y/N grumbles from ahead. 

"No," Sam says, speed walking towards Dean, "I'm not like you," he says, turning around as he stops in front of Dean. "This is not going to be my life."

Dean keeps his jaw tight. "Well, you have a responsibility to..." 

Y/N feels the tension rising and tries to plead with them to stop arguing, but they ignore her. "Guys!" she shouts again. 

"To Dad? And his crusade?" Sam scoffs. "If it weren't for pictures, I wouldn't even know what Mom looks like! And what difference would it make? Even if we do find the thing that killed her," he shakes his head, "Mom's gone. And she isn't coming back." 

Dean grips Sam's shirt and swings him around and against the bridge's railing with a clunk at Sam's weight against it. 

Y/N flips around and runs to their side, "Dean, what are you doing? Are you crazy?" She panics. But Dean continues to ignore her as he glares at Sam. 

After a long, breathless pause, Y/N shouts again, "Dean!" 

The misty air is still between them, and even the wind seems too frightened to move. It's as if the world is put on pause.

Dean's eyebrows raise, and he keeps a firm grip on Sam's shirt. Under his breath, he says, "Don't talk about her like that." 

He throws Sam's jacket from his hands and takes a few stabilizing steps backward in one movement. Y/N runs to check on Sam, who shakes her off with an "I'm fine" that sounds muffled compared to the pounding of her heart. A few tears escape her when she looks over at Dean walking away from them, but she doesn't realize she's crying until the taste of salt hits her lips. 

Her eyes return to Sam, shaking her head in disgust that Dean would treat him like that. She knew it had been rough for Dean since Sam left for college, but hell, it's been hard on her, too, and she's not throwing anyone against the side of a bridge!

Dean halts, “Sam. Y/N!” he calls. Y/N turns with a full-body glare, but her eyes widen when she sees a woman in a long, white dress standing on the bridge's railing. The woman looks over at them, and Y/N can see the resemblance to the picture of Constance. The woman's hair and dress sway in the wind, and she keeps her eyes on them as she allows herself to drop from the ledge. 

With a grunt, Sam rushes to the railing to look over it for her, Dean and Y/N not far behind him. 

"Where'd she go?" Dean barks. 

Breathless, Sam pushes out an "I don't know." 

The roar of the Impala's engine turning on startles them, their bodies whipping around just in time to see the headlights flick on. 

"What the-," Dean says. 

"Who's driving your car?" Y/N asks. 

Without taking his eyes off of the car, Dean pulls his keys from his pocket and jingles them, stealing Sam and Y/N's attention to them in unison. The engine revs, drawing back their wide eyes to the Impala. The tires squeal as the car begins to speed towards them. 

"Y/N, go! Go!" Dean says with a hand on each of his siblings, spinning them around to run in the opposite direction. Dean presses his hand firmly on Y/N's back as they run, keeping himself between her and the car. They run as fast as they can until Dean can feel the Impala's breath on his ankles, and he guides them towards the bridge's railing. 

Y/N's heart feels like a brick in her chest, weighing her down at the thought of jumping over. "I can't," she says in a breath, and all in a split second, she feels like her feet are cemented into the bridge's planks as Sam jumps over. "No!" she screams as Dean grips onto her arm, pulling them both over the bridge. 

Sam hangs from the ledge of the bridge, shouting for Y/N as her screams are washed out with a big splash. "Y/N!" he calls again from the back of his throat, climbing up the bridge to get on his knees. He looks over the bridge, scanning for Y/N and Dean, calling out when he sees his brother, "Dean! You alright?" 

"I'm super," Dean grumbles with an outstretched thumbs up. Lying on his back, half submerged in the muddy water. 

"I can't see Y/N! Where's Y/N?" Sam panics, and when the words hit Dean's ears, he springs to his feet in a second. He whirls around in a circle as he searches for her. 

"Y/N!" Dean shouts, wiping mud from his face. He paces around, "Y/N, where are you?" he yells, half-expecting her to pop out from behind a bush to scare him. 

The world spins around him for a moment, utterly void of sound aside from a ringing in his ears as Dean tries to comprehend what is happening. He closes his eyes tight, shaking his head to clear away the fog that covers him. They open onto the water, catching the moon's glimmer reflecting off something. He runs towards it, hopping from rock to rock until he finds Y/N's broken locket stuck in algae. Dean picks it up with shaky hands, recalling how her face lit up when he first gave it to her. She'd be devastated to see its state now. Fear spills down him in an icy chill.

His head swivels around in search of her. Tears, that he refuses to let fall, poke at his eyes when he sees her lying face down in the water, a bloody rock next to her.

“Y/N!” He shouts, rushing to her. He kneels to pull her out of the water by her shoulder, turning her over so that her back rests against his knee. "Y/N!" he yells again, and when she doesn't respond, he grabs her by the waist and hoists her over his shoulder. He grunts, shifting his weight before jogging for the shore. "Sam! I got her!" 

"Dean! Is she okay?" He calls out as he sprints down the side of the hill to catch up to them. The brothers reach the shore simultaneously, and Dean drops to his knees to gently set Y/N on the ground in front of him, Sam following suit. 

"Come on, be okay, be okay, be okay, be okay," Dean pleads softly, placing two fingers on her neck. His heart is beating so hard that he can't tell if it's her pulse he's feeling or his own. "Sam, I can't feel anything," he says. Dropping an ear to her mouth, he adds, "And I don't think she's breathing." 

"Call 911," Sam demands, ripping his jacket off to tie around Y/N's bleeding head wound. He quickly inspects the rest of her body for any bleeding before placing a hand on her chest. Looking up at Dean, who stands frozen, Sam puts his free hand on Dean's shoulder, "now, Dean!" he shouts, shoving him. 

Sam tilts Y/N's head back, checking again for a pulse, a breath, a twitch, a shudder, anything that meant he wouldn't have to perform CPR on his baby sister. He places his hands on her chest, one over the other, pausing in case her heart miraculously started again, but all he feels under his palms is the stillness of Y/N's wet and cold chest. 

Sam begins chest compressions, and the tears he'd been holding back rush out uncontrollably when he feels her ribs break under his palms. It makes him want to pull away, but he forces himself to continue. Dean watches in wide-eyed horror as he gives the 911 operator their location when asked, keeping his free hand pressed against his forehead. 

"Anything?" he shakily shouts at Sam after what feels like hours. Sam ignores him, counting out loud until he hits thirty again. He stops compressions to blow a shuddering breath into Y/N's mouth, watching her chest rise and fall before delivering another. "Hello! Is anybody on the way? My sister is dying here!" Dean shouts into the phone, but all that meets his ears is static. 

"Dean," Sam says with a heavy breath, beginning compressions again. "You gotta take over," he says between breaths. 

Without question, Dean drops his phone to the ground as he falls to his knees next to her, "come on, Y/N," he pleads, ignoring the burning in his knees as he places his hands together on top of Sam's. Sam leaves his hands under Dean's for just one compression before pulling away. 

"Okay, that's ten. You've got twenty more before breaths," Sam says before they count out loud together with every push into Y/N's chest. 

Dean is growing tired by his third round of compressions, but the sirens in the distance electrify him, giving him the energy he needs to continue. 

His face scrunches up as he musters the emotional and physical strength to keep going. Sam hurries to his feet, "don't stop, Dean, you're doing great!" he says with a palm at him. 

"Don't stop," Dean repeats mindlessly, "don't stop." 

Sprinting towards the paramedics, Sam waves his arms, shouting, "Down here! We're down here!" before he knows it, a group of professionals sprint down the hill, the gurney in tow. One takes a story from Sam as one tries to pull Dean away so the other two can take over caring for Y/N. 

"No, I can't stop!" he cries, which grabs Sam's attention, "don't stop," he nearly whispers, hands pumping into Y/N's chest. 

Sam rushes over and lowers himself to Dean's level. "Dean, let go. It's okay, they'll take it from here," he says, grabbing onto Dean's hands to pull him off of Y/N. They watch the paramedics in shock as they cut the shirt, bra, and pants off of Y/N, inspecting her skin. The first responders put what look like stickers with wires attached to them onto her chest and pull out the AED, telling everyone to stand clear before delivering a shock with a beep. Then, there was a pause and the silence that follows is deafening. Nothing. They check for a pulse and call clear again, shocking her. Then, nothing. Again. 

In the hospital's hallway, Dean tries to tune out the surround sound of constant beeping. His elbows rest on his scraped and bloody knees with his head held in his hands. He rocks back and forth, battling with himself. He sheds tears both out of fear for his sister's well-being and of guilt that he did the very thing he promised her he wouldn't: put her in danger.

The clacking of Sam's shoes pulls Dean from his homemade mental Hell. Dean lifts his head, quickly wiping his eyes before grabbing the cafeteria coffee. Sam's familiar smell of motel soap and deodorant washes away the torturous smell of hand sanitizer.

"Thanks," Dean mutters, taking a sip of the coffee before placing it next to him on the cold tile floor. 

Sam's eyes are red and puffy. Dean struggles to comprehend how Sam doesn't even try to hide the tears coming down. He often admires his brothers ability to wear his heart on his sleeve, though he'd never admit it. He wonders who he's being 'strong' for in this moment because it's certainly not himself.

Clearing his throat, Sam pulls his pants up slightly at the thighs before sitting on the bench next to Dean. He glances up at the ceiling momentarily, waiting for the announcement to end before asking, "Any news yet?"

Dean shakes his head. "No," he says in a raspy voice, forcing his eyes to look up and down the hall. "Excuse me," he says, standing to interrupt a nurse before she can enter a different room. "Would you mind helping us find whoever we need to talk to for an update on room 221?" he asks, gesturing to the door he hasn't been able to even look at since arriving.

Her eyes flutter to Sam, then the door, and back to Dean before she somberly nods. "Of course," she says, setting her pen back onto the clipboard as she turns to head in the direction she came.

Dean wants to return to his seat, but his body feels like an anchor. He sucks in a sharp breath. His shoulders tighten into his neck and with weak arms his hands fall to his hips. He hangs his head, clenching his teeth and pulling his face to suppress the tears. Sam jumps up to Stand with Dean, placing a hand tightly on his shoulder.

"She'll be alright," Sam says, not fully believing himself, "she's a Winchester; she has to be." 

Dean quickly straightens himself out because damn it, he's the one that's supposed to be taking care of his younger siblings - not the other way around.

"Sam and Dean Winchester?" a deep voice echoes the hall and they whirl around to greet the doctor. Dean quickly slaps the tears from his face. "I'm Dr. Ferguson," he says, holding his arm up to shake hands with Sam, then Dean. "Let's go somewhere more private to talk."

"We're good here," Dean spits. 

"Very well," the doctor sighs, looking down the hall behind him. He shuffles them closer to the wall and out of the traffic flow. "Well, while we were able to restart her heart, I'm afraid your sister has sustained a substantial injury to the head," he says, "the trauma caused the tissue around her brain to swell quite rapidly, and well, we have her on a ventilator, but," he lets out a breath, "we haven't seen as much progress as we were hoping for. She's technically in a coma right now, but we hope to see her come out of it in the coming weeks." 

"Weeks?" Dean bellows.

"Yes, I'm afraid that's standard recovery time for an injury of this magnitude. Although, we'd be having an entirely different conversation if not for your quick thinking in the field," he says with a tight-lipped smile, eyes jumping from Dean's to Sam's, "it's a long road to recovery, but this is a good start." 

"And what happens if she doesn't wake up?" Sam asks. 

"We will do everything in our power to ensure that doesn't happen," the doctor nods. 

"Thanks, doc," Sam croaks. "Can - can we see her?" he stutters. 

"Of course," he says, pushing the door open with his fingertips, "go on in," he says.  

Sam immediately notices Dean's hesitancy when they exchange a glance, so he nods before taking a few steps into the room. He covers his mouth to stifle a sob when he sees his little sister with a tube down her throat and one in her nose. When he's close enough, he reaches for her hand and sits in the chair beside her, startled by the sound of the door shutting. Dean slowly enters the room, but keeps his distance.

Dean feels like the air is void of oxygen and tells himself to pull it together enough to stand by her bed. "Hey kiddo," Dean says to Y/N with a shaky breath. "God, please be okay," he says, forcing a smile as he grips onto her hand.

The two sit with Y/N for days, only leaving for bathroom trips and snack runs, but when one goes, the other stays, and when one is napping, the other is awake. Dean has grown slightly more self-composed but is still anxious as they stay by her side, even when the nurses come to deliver medications, chart vitals, or empty her catheter.

"Hey, Dean," Sam says, clearing his throat. 

"Yeah," he replies, keeping his eyes on Y/N. 

Sam looks down into his hands, "about my interview-" 

"Wait, what?" Dean says, cutting him off, "you're still gonna leave after all this?" he shouts through a clenched jaw. The chair scoots back in a screech as he quickly brings himself to his feet, "you don't wanna be here when she wakes up?" he asks, aggressively gesturing at Y/N. 

"Dean, we don't even know if she'll wake up," Sam quivers. 

"Man, you are a piece of work," Dean shouts, shaking his head. 

"If you would've let me finish," Sam growls with narrow eyes, "I was going to say that I called earlier… to reschedule it," he sighs, looking back at Y/N, "they were very understanding of the situation." 

"Oh," Dean says, turning on his heels to face away from Sam. He swipes a hand down his face, shaking his head when his eyes open to the white walls of the hospital's room. "Look, man, I'm sorry," he says, palms open and facing Sam. "This just has me on edge." 

Taking a few steps towards him, Sam holds back the urge to get nasty with Dean, telling him he's not the only one feeling 'on edge' about their sister's condition. Instead, he raises his palms and softens his face, "Me too. Believe me." 

By Thursday, Y/N had graduated from a ventilator to an oxygen mask. Though still needing the feeding tube, she's shown glimpses here and there of the Y/N they know and love, but overall, she struggles to remain conscious. The doctors are calling it a 'Minimally Conscious State' and "completely normal with this type of recovery."

On Saturday, Sam heads out for food from a local restaurant at Dean's request - something about them having good pies - but Sam has a sneaking suspicion that Dean needs some time alone with Y/N, and Sam could use the fresh air anyway.

Sitting in the chair beside her bed, Dean holds one of Y/N's hands in both of his, bringing it up to his lips and kissing the back of her hand. "I'm so sorry I failed you, Y/N," he cries. "I should have been protecting you," he whispers, letting the tears fall freely now, "but instead of doing that, I got you into this mess."

Looking up at Y/N's face, he swears he sees a tear slip down her cheek. Despite being convinced he's imagining it, he reflexively draws his hand to wipe her tear away, gasping when it comes back wet. His heart races as he gently stands to get beside her in the bed. "Shh," he coos, wrapping his arm around her.

His eyes fall shut, and he's transported back in time to the almost seven-month period where she would only fall asleep if Dean were right there in bed next to her. Through tears and voice cracks, he sings Hey Jude in a whisper, occasionally reaching over to wipe her tears away.

"I love you so much," he whispers. "I don't know how to live without you," he says, his tears turning into sobs. "Please wake up," he cries, arm wrapped tightly around her, "I promise I'll teach you how to drive if you just please wake up."

~~~~ If you liked my story, please remember to heart, comment or reblog. Or if you'd like, you can add yourself to a tag list here if you wish :) Thank you for reading!! :)

Everything Tags <3

@wayardblueshun @81mysteriouslyme @drakelover78 @soab1967 @shutupandfeedmethings @pollywantacracker666 @sonnierae26 @obsessed5sosfreak @tlovescoffee @noodledoodlebug @hobby27 @cluz1babe @emptycanvasposts @suckmyapplejacks @signrunsavestheday @flamencodiva @roseblue373

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Sam <3 (not including the tags already above :) ) @fangirlxwritesx67 @immafangirlmess @sizekinkshawty

[pedrosleftpinky]

Silent Loyalty

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

dbf!Joel Miller x Female Reader

dbf!Tommy Miller x Female Reader

Warnings :Childhood Trauma, age gap (huge) reader is 20 Joel is early/mid 50's Tommy is mid/late 30's when things start to happen.

Authors note: this is my first Story guys so please tell me if I made any mistakes, if this does good then I will continue writing. This Chapter is very short I just wanna see how well it goes if if does good I will make the next chapters MUCH longer I promise

987 words

You've been the black sheep of the family ever since your mum left you and your dad when you were twelve years old, which shattered something in you that never quite healed. It's not that she didn't want you or didn't love you. She was just too young to be a mother, is what she told your dad before she packed her bags. But you didn’t understand that back then. You weren’t a toddler. You were twelve. Old enough to remember everything. Old enough to feel abandoned. But still too young to understand.

You remember her voice, her laugh, the way she always left a little note in your lunchbox, even if it was just a smiley face. You remember the fights too. Her tired eyes. Her silence at the dinner table. And then, one day, you came home from school and half the house was empty. Her closet. Her drawers. The bathroom shelf. Her coat. Gone.

You had always lived with your dad. Your mum, dad and you all lived together before she left. But before she left, things weren’t perfect but they were okay. He was distant, sure. He didn’t talk much. But he tried in his own way. He'd make eggs in the morning and call you “kid” with a crooked smile. He went to parent-teacher nights. He kept the fridge stocked. He showed up.

But when she left, something in him left too.

Your dad blamed you for her leaving. He didn’t say it out loud, not then. But the way he looked at you changed. The way his voice sounded when he said your name. Like it was a reminder of everything that had gone wrong.

Then came Jacob.

Your little brother. Different mum. Different everything.

A year after your mum left, Your dad had met a new woman and had a child with her. The thing is, your dad didn't love her, she was a rebound, so he broke up with her and kept Jacob.

With Jacob, your dad changed. Softened. You watched it happen like someone watching through a window in the rain. Close enough to see, too far to touch. He had always wanted a son. He built forts with him in the living room, played catch in the backyard, helped him with homework at the kitchen table.

Your room is down the hall from Jacob’s. His has glow in the dark stars and shelves filled with trains, toy cars and picture frames even though he's only three. Yours is the spare room. The one with yellowed blinds, the closet that never fully shuts, and a ceiling fan that groans when it spins.

You learned quickly how to become invisible in your own home. How to keep your voice quiet. How not to need too much. But that was never enough for your dad. He always found something to be pissed off at you about, whether it was your grades or a little mess you made by accident or forgetting to put his work clothes in the washing machine or dryer. You did have SOME good moments with your dad, where you would have conversations with him or spend some time with him but it was rare. You were a troublemaker and everyone knew it.

Still even with everything going on, not everything in your life feels like a dead end.

Your dad’s best friends, Joel and Tommy Miller, have always been around. They stop by almost every day, sometimes to help fix something in the garage, other times just to shoot the breeze over beers in the backyard. Joel is the quieter one. A bit rough around the edges, voice like gravel, but he always asks how school is going. And he actually listens. Tommy, on the other hand, is louder. Quick with a joke, a slap on the back, and always calling you “champ” like you actually matter.

You remember once, when you were ten, your dad yelled at you for knocking over a box of nails in the shed while your mum was at work. Joel had been there. He didn’t say much at the time. He just gave your dad a long look, then crouched down next to you and said, "Don’t worry about him, kiddo. Accidents happen." And then he helped you pick up every last nail without saying another word. That stuck with you.

Tommy is the kind of guy who brings candy bars for no reason and sneaks you a few bucks every now and then when your shoes are too worn or your jacket has holes in the sleeves. “Don’t tell your old man,” he’ll say with a wink. And you don’t. Not because you’re scared. But because you know your dad wouldn’t understand.

They are the closest thing to unspoken loyalty you’ve got. They see you. Not as the kid your dad barely acknowledges or the mistake your mum walked out on, but as a person. A good kid, as they’ve both said more than once.

You're now 19, about to head off the college after your high school graduation. Your dad never showed up to watch your graduation but unexpectedly, you saw two tall muscular men in the crowd you never really thought would show up. Tommy and Joel Miller were standing right there in the crowd smiling in a proud look your dad never showed you.

You’re not angry. At least, that’s what you keep telling yourself. Anger is a fire, and fires die fast when there’s nothing left to burn.

And for the first time in a long time, you felt like maybe that was enough. Maybe, in some quiet way, they had been your real family all along. They see you and they are proud.

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

Mila creates headlines around the world when she is rescued from an unpopulated island off the coast of Florida. Now a teenager, she has been raised by dolphins from the age of four.

Researchers teach Mila language and music. She learns, too, about rules and expectations, about locked doors and broken promies, disappointment and betrayal.

But the more Mila finds out what it means to be human, the more deeply she longs for her ocean home.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell

Emmy was a good girl. At least she tried very hard to be good. She did her homework without being told. She ate all her vegetables, even the slimy ones. And she never talked back to her nanny, Miss Barmy, although it was almost impossible to keep quiet, some days.

She really was a little too good. Which is why she liked to sit by the Rat. The Rat was not good at all . . .

Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer

1763.

Gideon Seymour, cutpurse and gentleman, hides from the villainous Tar Man. Suddenly the sky peels away like fabric and from the gaping hole fall two curious-looking children. Peter Schock and Kate Dyer have fallen straight from the twenty-first century, thanks to an experiment with an antigravity machine. Before Gideon and the children have a chance to gather their wits, the Tar Man takes off with the machine -- and Kate and Peter's only chance of getting home. Soon Gideon, Kate, and Peter are swept into a journey through eighteenth-century London and form a bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable treachery.

Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon

It's not easy for Danny Dragonbreath to be the sole mythical creature in a school for reptiles and amphibians -- especially because he can't breathe fire like other dragons (as the school bully loves to remind him). But having a unique family comes in handy sometimes, like when his sea-serpent cousin takes Danny and his best iguana friend on a mindboggling underwater tour, complete with vomiting sea cucumbers and giant squid. It sure beats reading the encyclopedia to research his ocean report . . .

Undertow by Michael Buckley

Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker’s life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world’s initial wonder and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric’s small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity’s only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it’s more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.

Poison by Chris Wooding

Poison has always been a willful, contrary girl, prone to being argumentative and stubborn. So when her sister is snatched by the mean-spirited faeries, she seeks out the Phaerie Lord to get her back.

But finding him isn't easy, and the quest leads Poison into a murderous world of intrigue, danger, and deadly storytelling. With only her wits and her friends to aid her, Poison must survive the attentions of the Phaerie Lord, rescue her sister, and thwart a plot that's beyond anything she (or the reader) can imagine. . . .

Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller

Life will never be the same for Ananka Fishbein after she ventures into an enormous sinkhole near her New York City apartment. A million rats, delinquent Girl Scouts out for revenge, and a secret city below the streets of Manhattan combine in this remarkable novel about a darker side of New York City you have only just begun to know about…

Willa by Robert Beatty

Move without a sound. Steal without a trace.

Willa, a young night-spirit, is her clan's best thief. She creeps into the cabins of the day-folk under cover of darkness and takes what they won't miss. It's dangerous work--the day-folk kill whatever they don't understand--but Willa will do anything to win the approval of the padaran, the charismatic leader of the Faeran people.

When Willa's curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded in the day-folk world, she calls upon the old powers of her beloved grandmother, and the unbreakable bonds of her forest allies, to escape. Only then does she begin to discover the shocking truth: that not all of her day-folk enemies are the same, and that the foundations of her own Faeran society are crumbling. What do you do when you realize that the society you were born and raised in is rife with evil? Do you raise your voice? Do you stand up against it?

As forces of unfathomable destruction encroach on her forest home, Willa must decide who she truly is, facing deadly force with the warmest compassion, sinister corruption with trusted alliance, and finding a home for her longing heart.

Sammy Keyes by Wendelin Van Draanen

Grams always told her those binoculars would get her into trouble. Now Sammy's witnessed a crime at the Heavenly Hotel-a light fingered thief stealing $4,000 from Madame Nashira, the astrologer with the fire-hazard hair-do. Thing is, while she was watching him, he was watching her, too...

First Light by Rebecca Stead

Peter is thrilled to join his parents on an expedition to Greenland, where his father studies global warming. Peter will get to skip school, drive a dogsled, and finally share in his dad's adventures. But on the ice cap, Peter struggles to understand a series of visions that both frighten and entice him. Thea has never seen the sun. Her extraordinary people, suspected of witchcraft and nearly driven to extinction, have retreated to a secret world they've built deep inside the arctic ice. As Thea dreams of a path to Earth's surface, Peter's search for answers brings him ever closer to her hidden home.

[callme-naomi]

To All Those I Cared For

Summary: New year's at the Reiss household meant everyone of what was left of the Scout Regiment was coming over to visit. But when Historia's curious daughter poses a question to the famed Captain Levi, he has a walk down memory lane.

Word count: 1.4 k words

Author's note: Hey, my first ever AOT post! One thing: I named Historia's daughter Freida here. She wasn't officially named, but I had a feeling she might name her after Ymir or Freida, so I stuck with the latter.

Mayhem did not even begin to describe whatever was happening at the Reiss household on New Year’s.

While in the gardens, a beautiful table was being adorned with Mikasa’s nimble fingers scattering the flowers and Jean stringing the fairy lights, Connie and Armin trailing behind with the dishes, inside the house, Historia was running hither and thither, Annie on her heels, ensuring everything was just perfect.

She was just like that. Every two weeks, what was left of her Scout Regiment batch would come over to her house on her insistence, and today was another such event.

The life and soul of the entire event, of course, was Freida, Historia’s little bundle of joy, her laughter echoing around the house as Gabi and Falco chased her, nearly crashing and banging down pieces of furniture. Everyone was there, but the dinner couldn’t start without-

“Levi-heicho!”

Freida’s joyous scream sent everyone to the gates to welcome the last two members remaining to start the new-year party. Reiner waved to everyone with a smile, while his cousin ran over to him, and Historia held a squirming Freida as she went to greet Levi. While Mikasa, Armin and Jean caught up with Reiner, laughing and talking after two weeks of scouts and missions, Historia and Annie smiled serenely seeing Freida practically jump into Levi’s outstretched arms – her favourite uncle by a landslide – and talk endlessly to him, in a language only he understood.

Historia led all of them to the table where her husband waited for them, and as the two of them began dishing out food for the guests, amidst the fragrance of the flowers and aroma of the food, with Mikasa and Annie fighting to help them out, a wave of happiness spread around, making them forget that once, they would have killed for this pure joy.

“It’s really good, Historia,” Jean remarked on a cake slice, and Historia smiled.

“Thanks,” she replied, “though I don’t get all the credit.”

“Of course you don’t. I brought the eggs and flour for that.” Her husband declared, and she rolled her eyes.

“I gave you the money to bring them, and this buddy,” she kissed her daughter’s chubby cheeks, “helped me out in making it.”

“Oh did you darling?” Annie, who was sitting just next to a proudly beaming Freida, who was looking towards Levi for approval. Getting the indication, he patted her head with a smile only few had ever seen. “Where did you learn it from?”

“My friend and mama taught me,” she told him, and then she wrinkled her nose. “But my friend isn’t good enough. She burned the cakes once.”

Sniggers followed this adorable declaration.

“She’s already made friends?” Connie commented. “I forgot she’s in school already. She grew up so fast.”

“Do you have any other friends?” Reiner asked the little boss.

And off she went like a machine gun.

“There’s this one girl who loves flowers so she came to my garden to be my friend,” she counted off her fingers, “then my best friend and I help her in homework. One boy is absent most of the time but when he comes he makes me laugh.” In the end, she threw her hands up. “I have a lot of friends. I have my own Regiment.”

“Regiment?” Jean snorted. “You know what’s that?”

“What Mama was,” she gave her answer with the wisdom of an elder.

“We all were with her too,” Mikasa told her, “and so was Levi-heicho.”

She whirled on him, as if asking for confirmation. Drinking his tea, he nodded. “I was these brats’ leader.”

“But you liked these brats, didn’t you?” Historia innocently asked. “You even let me punch you.”

“That was irrelevant.”

Freida then rapped her fingers on the table. “Levi-heicho, my friends told me you were very popular and you had a lot of friends.”

Silence spread on the table as every eye turned to the two.

“Is that true? Because here we only have,” she counted, “8 here.”

The silence was too loud as nobody knew how to approach the question. Very calmly, Levi put down his tea.

“Yes, I did.”

“Where are they? Why don’t they come over?”

“Freida.” Historia’s stern reprimanding came across the table. “Finish your-”

“Let her ask, Historia.” Levi waved her concern away. “They’re dead now.”

“Oh.”

Slowly, she got up and waddled over to him, everyone, even the former captain intrigued as to what her next step would be. Everyone’s heart melted when she looped her tiny arms around Levi.

“I’m sorry for asking,” she whispered, showing the princess side of hers. “You miss them, right?”

“He does,” Mikasa answered for him.

“But you still have us, and you have me!” Freida brightly said. “I’ll be your little friend!”

Levi picked her onto his lap and huffed amusedly. “You already are, brat.”

The rest of the dinner went fairly well, the others having found Armin and Annie their new subject of ridicule, and while Armin was red from the cheeks to his ears, Annie was fighting on all fronts.

When they were all done with the dinner, underneath the night sky, Historia stood up. “Well, if you wanna come inside, then sure. I’ll be bringing tea son, okay?”

Slowly, in pairs and threes, everyone went inside, but Freida and Levi were still outside. Freida stood silently beside him.

“Levi-heicho?”

“Hm?”

“Did I make you sad?”

“You could never.”

“I talked about your friends.”

“It’s not your fault for being curious. I…” Levi raised his eyes to the stars. “You remind me of someone, who was curious about the world, like you.”

“Was he your friend too?”

“…he was.” Eren, you would have loved this kid. He looked to see her bowing her head, biting her lip as if considering something. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.”

“I was your mother’s captain. I know you too well.” He raised an eyebrow. “Say it.”

“Promise you won’t mind.”

“Promise.”

“Can you tell me about them?” Freida asked, quietly, afraid her mother will listen.

Levi sighed. This day was going to come, and he knew it’d hurt like hell when it did. “Fine.”

She took her designated place in his arms as he thought over the people he’d lost.

“I had a commander. He made me a Scout, and he was my brother.”

“What was his name?”

“Erwin Smith. We both trusted each other the most, and we knew what was on each other’s minds. He had a dream, but it didn’t come true. In the end, I promised I’d kill the Titan that killed him.”

“And you did, right?”

“Yeah.” He pointed towards the stitch marks on his face. “That’s how I got them.”

“I think you’re really brave,” she whispered, and with a few seconds gap, she looked up to him. “If I die, will you kill a Titan for me too?”

Levi’s hand curled in on itself as he froze, remembering Erwin’s promise and how heavily it had weighed on him.

“Tch. What kind of a question is that?”

Unconvinced, Freida titled her head, and he sighed.

“I hope you’ll live longer,” he said, hiding how her words had shaken him, and he searched to change the subject.

“Did you have a friend who was a girl?” Freida understood the assignment.

“Yes. Hange Zoe. She was the craziest person I ever knew.” He shook his head.

Oh, I wish I’d get to fight an Abnormal!

“She was fascinated by Titans. She annoyed me because of how she used to think everything was enchanting, and even though we fought, there was nobody I trusted more, except Erwin. She even once saved my life.”

“I like her.”

“Yeah. She was fearless, and even in her last moments, she refused to be afraid.”

“And the friend you mentioned earlier?”

“Eren. That kid had passion inside of him, and it was what convinced me to take him under my wing. He wouldn’t win a fight, but he wouldn’t give up without at least trying. He could destroy the world, but he was still just a kid. I…” he closed his eyes, “I had a lot of things to say to that idiot. I sometimes wish he’d have lived to see the world he left us with.”

“You had really nice friends, Levi-heicho.”

“Yeah. But,” he lightly said, to try to take his mind off the waterfall of emotions, “I have your mother, and her friends. They are good people too.”

“We’ll never leave you alone, Levi-heicho.” She looked to the sky. “Hear me, Levi-heicho’s friends? I’ll take care of him. I promise.”

And while he looked at her with all the love in the world, he thought of all those he’d ever cared for. And as he and Freida went inside to the happy storm of colours inside, he wished they were here too, to see the sunrise they created for them.

[sebastiansvertebrae]

Once more to see you

Chapter 1: Life flashing

Second chapter

2,200 words long

Notes

Hello it's been awhile since I published FanFiction on Tumblr so if I'm not using the correct layout I'm sorry if you like it you can send me asks about it also all of these are posted on A03 before they're posted on Tumblr the link will be included with every chapter have fun

I think my family is Fuckkig cursed.

Dad died when I was like three. At least I think so. The last picture that I found of him was when I was three so yeah. I don't remember anything about him. And nobody seems to want to talk about him either. Maybe he was an ass.

Early tragedy but the rest of my family was pretty okay. For a while.

Mom worked hard to raise us right, always prioritizing us. She would spend her day at work and come home to work even harder. Homework, housework I don't think she ever got to have a social life. But we were enough for her. She used to say. I wish I noticed how much she was running herself ragged before.

Maybe that's why she was so strict on us. curfew, homework, chores, Church. and Maria was the one who resisted the most. Funny they say the middle is the most rebellious. Maria was an exception. She was impulsive, got into fights and even got arrested once. She was also the first one to say that she had stopped believing. And started skipping Church. I remember her and Mom arguing pretty regularly when she still lived in the house. İt was kind of scary.

So I retreated into my older brother's room where the computer was but also where the guitar was where the posters was and I still remember that wretched smell of cologne and my mom's old eyeliners the Hot topic shirts and him in the middle of it always ready to welcome me always ready to let me join in on his fun.

Sebastian, my older brother.

He was always there even more than my mother. When Mom was at work and Maria was hanging out with her friends he was there with me. He helped me make my club penguin account. He showed me how to Pirate games. He played on the computer with me. He even sometimes took me out on town when I started Middle School. His friends liked me. I felt like I was a part of the big kids.

When we were having fun I tried to record everything with his phone and the family camera. Especially when he was playing his guitar. I even sometimes join in with my horrible singing. I wanted to send them somewhere, maybe we would become Stars I imagined. He just laughed and said that he will get on to it he never did.

When I got my own phone when I started Middle School. I took it up to 11. Taking pictures and recording everything. Every outing, every song, every joke, every funny face, every moment. And then at the end of the day I uploaded them to the computer. So that I could do it all over again. And I'm so grateful that I did.

Sebastian effortlessly excelled in almost every class. Even tutoring other kids including me. He had a fun way of explaining all the topics. His favorite class was physics. He told me about how he imagined building machines. His teachers said that he had the brightest future out of all of us.

He did not have many friends but the friends he had were incredible. All of them were driven like him. I remember they were pretty nice to me when I tagged along on outings. Calling me the coolest kid they know. And praising my photography skills tells me that I might have a future in this.

And as I grew up our relationship grew up too. I started to learn more and more of his secrets. How he and his friends cheated off of each other. How his best friend was actually his boyfriend. And how much he smoked. That was always a faint smell of cigarettes as he was driving me back home. Of course I never told Mom.

When I asked him he always said It reminds me of Dad. also told me to never smoke. I'm sorry I broke that promise. I told him my own secrets too. How I had a crush on a boy. And I knew that mom wouldn't really like that. He just patted my head and said same.

I remember how he celebrated when he managed to get into that engineering program. I got a little scared that he was going to leave but it was local. And even as he was studying in a competitive program he still found time for me.

He was the perfect brother at least to me. My life was perfect, everything was perfect. But it didn't stay that way. İt couldn't stay that way. Everyday I pray to a god that I no longer believe to take me back.

I barely remember the last night before everything. We probably played some games before he went to that party. I remember him and Mom were discussing something but I don't really remember. I was spending time with my club penguin boyfriend. I wish I could hug him for the last time.

And then the hell started at that 3:00 a.m. police call. I remember my mom's shaky voice. And how there was no light in her eyes. When she turned to look at me after the call only whispering nine people.

And then I remember the smell of that room. Looking at him in that orange uniform his hands cuffed. He begged us to believe that he was innocent. I remember he cried, I cried, we all cried as a family. Mom promised that we were going to find a way out of this.

İn the next thing the hammer was hit the sentence was given. The fuckkig death sentence. I barely remember jumping out of that podium. Running to him as they're taking him away. Begging them, pleading with them. I tried to hug him and they pushed me away. I couldn't save him and I never saw him again.

I think I blocked out the rest of the ordeal. I just remembered the emotions but not. The events. I remember feeling stuck. Not being able to pick up a camera or take a picture. Waking up in a cold sweat remembering everything. And Mom wasn't any better. I watched her deteriorate. Get more and more obsessed with the case. Even if he was gone she wanted to prove his innocence. And of course Maria was nowhere to be seen.

The school kind of forced me to get counseling. And I could fear that everybody feared me. The other kids started avoiding me. My friends basically abandoned me. The counselor kind of helped me. I told everything to him. I even came out to him.

And that son of a b**** outed me so everybody hated me even more. I picked up smoking. I promised him but smell. The smell took me back. Took me back to a simple time where we just drove around town. Chatting about random stuff. İt felt like he was there with me again.

I lived like that for 2 years. The world moved on and it kept spinning. I continued getting okay grades. I kept out of trouble. I tried to be like Sebastian. This is what he would have wanted right? But one day when I was smoking after school another boy smoked with me. We got to chatting. He was from the neighboring private schooll. And then we were making out in his car.

Chris, my first real lboyfriend. He introduced me to his friends. And we all started hanging out. That was a mistake. I can see that now. They were rich kids with no consequences. But for the first time in a long time I felt happy. Even as we committed Petty crimes and drove over the speed limit.

Shortly after my 15th birthday my mom did it and she proved his innocence. I was on court that day but she didn't look happy. İt was too little too late. İnstead of this made her snap more. After that day she started planning something else. And I was too busy having fun with my new friends to notice.

Just before my 16th birthday. My mom killed Sebastian's lawyer. Brutally, violently, slowly. And she was on court on my 16th birthday. She pleaded guilty. Talking about how this was God's punishment. And God told her to do it. She didn't even get a lawyer; they gave her life.

I wasn't there. I was getting drunk and smoking weed with Chris and his friends. But Maria told me and shortly after she took custody of me moving back home. We didn't have much of a relationship before now we had none. She wasn't even home that much spending most of her time at her job. But she left me a credit card and an empty house.

So I spent all of my time with Chris as we grew up we got more and more hardcore. I had my first line of coke when I was 18. And before I turned 19 I had basically tried every drug under the sun. But they never had me but they never let me have too much. He told me that I became a buzzkill. Constantly talking about My Dead brother.

So I was always trip watching. I was looking out for the cops as they partied and committed crimes. And then they returned home to their loving Rich families. And I returned home to an empty house. I sometimes smuggled hallucinogens into the house. Bought Sebastian's favorite cologne. Bathing in the cologne and taking the hallucinogens. And then I could see him again. I could talk to him again. And for a moment everything felt right again.

But of course the trip ended when I woke up and I felt even more miserable. So I returned to Chris's house just to get more. I did everything he wanted just to get more. But I still blame myself for what I did. For agreeing to do it. They all got bailed out. I spent my 21st birthday in jail.

And I was in a courtroom again. As my charges were laid out. I plead guilty. I know what I did and I know the high security prison is what I deserve. So my family's curse continues. I'm sorry Sebastian. I'm sorry Mom. I'm sorry I ended up like this.

2 weeks before my 25th birthday the guys in the black suits came. They called for me. And I answered. They said that they were from Urbanshade and offered a complete pardon and ridiculous amounts of money. But it had a catch. Expendable not expected to return.

I should have refused this was a horrible idea. That will end with my death. But I stayed there and I considered it. I didn't have anything to return to. Mom in prison. Maria turned her back on the family. All of my friends have forgotten me. I have nothing to lose except my life. My worthless life that I ruined.

But I also feel something else, a weird feeling. That told me to go and told me to see. I remember my mom telling me that God spoke to us in our worst times. I thought about Sebastian again. I am older than him now. İf afterlife is real, maybe he will appreciate me dying for a good cause.

I accepted and then I was rushed away to a bus and airport another airport another bus and then a facility. I was given a briefing. Forced to put on the uncomfortable suit. With a bomb attached to my neck. And then I was in a submarine with four strangers. That I was probably going to die with.

And I'm just now realizing that my life just flashed before my eyes. Am I that scared? Even if I am then why did I come here? Why am I doing this? What would he think of me now? Throwing my life away on a feeling? Well I already ruined my life? And then I heard them say we are landing. As I felt the submarine stop. Well it was too late to return.

I slowly walked out. This was exactly what I expected. Cold and smooth. And then I heard an announcement basically the same thing as the briefing. Retrieve the crystal. Don't stray from the Path. Survive for as long as you can. I took a breath the air in here stank but at least it was better than being stuck on the submarine.

I quickly went for the Lockers in front of me. There were a lot of files I wanted to take a peek at but I knew that that would be unwise. I didn't want to die immediately after getting off so I put them away and then I heard somebody call for all of us. He had found a key card. He was an older looking man. We all huddled around the door. but before he swiped he turned. “I would like to know all of your names for communication purposes. My name Su-Jin’ No Su-Jin ”I nodded and gave out my name.

“Alejandro, Alejandro solace”

Ending notes

thank you for reading I hope to continue this soon hope you guys send me asks or leave a comment or reblog please that will be very appreciated

[kataswyq]

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US

main pairings :: mitsumi x shima, maybe mukai x egashira later

genre :: fluff, angst, romance, friendship, coming of age, slice of life

PROLOUGE : In the quiet corridors of a prestigious boarding school not far from Tokyo, Mitsumi Iwakura and Shima Sousuke are learning to navigate their new lives. Both living in the dorms, their days are filled with the challenges of academics, friendships, and finding their place within a world that feels both unfamiliar and overwhelming. While Mitsumi’s small-town roots ground her, she faces the excitement and the anxiety of stepping into a big new chapter. Shima, ever composed on the outside, struggles with his own hidden insecurities, feeling overshadowed by Mitsumi’s brightness. As they move through their school days—together yet apart—they slowly begin to understand what it means to grow, to stand side by side, and to be more than just the roles they play.

༶•┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ୨♡୧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈•༶

Chapter Three —  A Week in a Blur

It had been about a week since Mitsumi’s new life at boarding school had started, and somehow, every day had managed to feel both dizzyingly fast and slow enough for her to notice every little change. She tugged open the curtains in her dorm room, letting in the soft afternoon light. The city skyline stretched out far beyond the school gates — not quite the towering skyscrapers she had imagined, but busy and alive in a way she was still getting used to. She still paused sometimes when crossing the street, blinking at the complicated traffic lights and the endless rush of people.

Still, she thought with a small, satisfied breath, things were going well. Cleaning duty with Shima during the first week had been… honestly, fun. She had been worried at first — afraid she’d make a bad impression or knock over a mop bucket or something — but Shima had been relaxed the entire time, humming softly under his breath as they worked. Whenever she fumbled, he just smiled, sometimes even joking about it without making her feel bad. Somehow, even with all her nerves, Mitsumi found herself laughing with him before long. It made her proud. She wanted to be a good co-president, and maybe — just maybe — she was starting to figure it out.

At lunchtime, she always sat with Kurume, Yuzuki, and Mika. Yuzuki was loud and funny, always the one who found something ridiculous to point out. Kurume was gentle and careful, keeping the conversations balanced. And Mika… well, Mika was nice too. Sometimes, Mitsumi caught a little tightness in Mika’s smile when certain topics came up, especially if Shima’s name was mentioned. But Mitsumi figured maybe Mika was just still settling in, like they all were. It wasn’t anything to worry about. Besides, Mika always helped her when she got confused about how to order at the cafeteria, or where the best vending machines were. She was a good friend.

After school, sometimes instead of heading straight back to the dorms, they’d stop by the library. Mitsumi liked the library more than she’d expected. It was quiet but not intimidating, with big windows that let in lots of sunlight. She and Kurume often found a table by the window and worked through their homework together. Yuzuki usually pretended to study for about ten minutes before getting bored and dragging Mika to look at magazines. Mitsumi didn’t mind. She liked the way everyone settled into their own rhythm.

There had been small adventures too — like the time she got lost trying to find the south gate and accidentally ended up in the faculty building (and bowed and apologized about fifty times), or the time she almost boarded the wrong bus after a grocery run. Big city life was still a little overwhelming sometimes. There were so many unspoken rules and faster paces to keep up with. People seemed to walk a little quicker, speak a little sharper. Even with her schedules and plans, Mitsumi felt like she was still just barely keeping up.

But even with all the little mistakes, she felt a kind of quiet happiness settling into her chest. It was different from the frantic excitement she’d felt on her first day, the nervous energy buzzing under her skin. This was steadier, a warmth that built slowly each day she managed to find her way to class on time, each afternoon she laughed with her friends, each evening she flopped onto her bed and realized she’d made it through another day. Outside her window, a bird flitted past, landing on the telephone wire. Mitsumi watched it for a moment, smiling to herself.

There was still so much she wanted to do — so much she wanted to prove. To herself, mostly. That she could thrive here. That she could keep reaching for the dreams she’d carried all the way from her little hometown. She leaned over her desk, flipping open her planner. Tomorrow, she had a meeting with the student council advisor. After that, maybe she could check out the little café Yuzuki had mentioned, or help Kurume study for their math quiz.

Mitsumi tapped her pen against the paper thoughtfully. Her life was busy. A little messy. A little clumsy. But it was hers — and she was happy.

The next morning dawned crisp and clear. Mitsumi had just finished copying down her math homework when she heard a knock on the classroom door. “Student council presidents?” the advisor, a friendly woman with square glasses, called into the room. “I have a small favor to ask.” Mitsumi immediately straightened in her seat, alert. Shima, sitting a few rows away, lifted his head lazily from his desk where he’d been doodling something in the margins of his notebook. “We’re low on supplies for both the student council office and your classroom,” the advisor continued, stepping inside. “Could you two take a trip into town this afternoon and pick up a list of items? Paper, notebooks, folders — the usual.”

Mitsumi’s heart gave a little excited leap. Errand duty! It sounded simple, but it felt important somehow — like a chance to prove she could handle real responsibilities. “I can go!” she blurted out a little too quickly, cheeks flushing. Shima chuckled under his breath and gave her an easy nod. “Sounds good to me.” Just as Mitsumi was scribbling down the list the advisor handed her, a voice piped up behind her. “I could help too,” Mika said, stepping closer. She smiled at the teacher, then turned her gaze lightly toward Shima. “I probably know the area a little better anyway. Wouldn’t it be faster if I went with Shima?”

Mitsumi blinked, surprised. Was it supposed to be just Shima? She had assumed it would be the two co-presidents together. Her hand tightened slightly around the paper list. Before she could say anything, Shima leaned back casually in his seat, tossing an easy glance toward Mika. “It’s okay,” he said, voice light but firm. “Mitsumi can come. She’s my co-president, after all. And besides—” he smiled sideways at Mitsumi, “—it’ll be good for her to get to know the town too.” Mitsumi’s chest gave a funny little squeeze at that. Meanwhile, Mika’s smile froze for just a fraction of a second before she covered it with a polite laugh. “Of course,” Mika said, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. “You’re right. Mitsumi’s working really hard, anyway.”

Mitsumi, oblivious to the small current of tension threading through the air, beamed. “Really, Mika, you don’t have to worry! I don’t want to waste your time or anything. But thanks for offering!” Mika’s mouth twitched slightly, but she just nodded. “No problem.” As Mitsumi tucked the list carefully into her folder, she didn’t notice the way Mika’s eyes lingered a little too long on Shima — or the quiet resentment she was trying so hard to swallow. All Mitsumi knew was that she had a task ahead of her — and she was determined to do it well. 

The city felt different in the afternoon — a little sleepier, a little softer. Mitsumi hurried to keep pace with Shima as they walked down the sidewalk, a crinkled list clutched in her hand. She tried not to stare too much at all the buildings, the colorful storefronts flashing past. She didn’t want to seem like a complete country bumpkin, even if she was still in awe of how big and lively everything was. Shima strolled along beside her, hands tucked loosely into his pockets, looking completely at ease.

“Are you sure we’ll find everything at one store?” Mitsumi asked, scanning the shops ahead. He glanced over at her, amused. “Yeah. There’s a place a few blocks down that sells all kinds of school supplies. Cheap, too.” Mitsumi nodded, feeling reassured. She didn’t want to mess this up. This was her first real errand as co-president! It had to go well. They crossed the street at the light, weaving between groups of students and office workers. Mitsumi kept sneaking glances at Shima, trying to work out how he always seemed so calm about everything. Was it just experience? Or was he just… like that?

“Thanks for coming with me,” she said after a minute, her voice a little shy. He gave a small shrug, smiling. “Of course. It’d be boring by myself.” Mitsumi’s cheeks warmed at that. She ducked her head, pretending to study the paper list again. They found the shop easily — a cozy little place tucked between a bakery and a bookstore. Inside, the shelves were crammed full of pens, notebooks, folders, and all kinds of colorful supplies. Mitsumi lit up immediately. She loved stationery. “Okay,” she said, pulling out the list and reading it aloud. “We need printer paper, lined notebooks, ballpoint pens, and some folders…”

Shima grabbed a basket near the door and handed it to her. “Lead the way, co-president.” Mitsumi grinned, feeling a rush of determination. They wandered through the aisles, picking out everything they needed. Shima was surprisingly patient, even when Mitsumi agonized for several minutes over what color folders to get. (In the end, she picked green and blue, because they felt the most ‘official.’) “Is this too many notebooks?” she asked, holding up a stack. Shima leaned over to glance at them. “Better too many than too few.”

“Good point!” she said brightly, tossing them into the basket. At the checkout counter, Shima stepped up first, pulling out the envelope of school funds the advisor had given him. Mitsumi stood beside him, feeling oddly proud — like they were really a team. Once everything was packed up into two bags, they stepped back out into the sunlight.

Mitsumi shifted the bag onto her shoulder, breathing in the smell of warm pavement and distant bakery bread. “Mission complete!” she declared. Shima laughed under his breath. “You’re way too enthusiastic.” “I just like getting things done!” she said, puffing out her cheeks. He smiled sideways at her, a little more warmly than before.

“Want to grab something to eat before we head back?” he asked. Mitsumi blinked up at him. “Is that okay? I mean… we should probably—” “It’s fine,” he said easily. “We’re ahead of schedule anyway.” A small, excited flutter ran through her chest. She nodded quickly. “Okay!” Shima led the way a few streets over, to a quieter side road where an older diner sat tucked between more modern cafes. The place had big windows and faded red booths, and smelled faintly of soy sauce and grilled meat.

Mitsumi’s eyes widened as she stepped inside. It felt… cozy. Familiar, somehow. Like the little family restaurants back home. “This place is a little run-down, but the food’s good,” Shima said, sliding into a booth. Mitsumi slid in across from him, setting her bag carefully down beside her. The waitress came over with water and menus, and they quickly ordered — simple curry rice for Mitsumi, katsudon for Shima. As they waited, Mitsumi found herself glancing around the diner, taking in the worn tabletops and hand-written specials on the wall.

“It reminds me of home,” she said softly. Shima leaned back in his seat, looking at her with a kind of thoughtful laziness. “Yeah? Where are you from again?” “A little town way East,” Mitsumi said, smiling. “It’s tiny. You could walk from one end to the other in, like, fifteen minutes.” “Sounds nice,” he said, resting his chin in his hand. “It is,” she agreed, warmth blooming in her chest. “But I’m really happy to be here too. I want to learn as much as I can… and make lots of friends… and do my best!”

He chuckled at her earnestness, but there was no meanness in it. “You’re doing fine already,” he said. Mitsumi beamed, feeling ridiculously pleased. Their food arrived, steaming and delicious. They ate comfortably, chatting about little things — funny moments from class, weird vending machine snacks Mitsumi had tried, the city buses always running late. By the time they finished, the sun was starting to sink lower in the sky, casting the street in a warm golden glow.

As they made their way back to school, Mitsumi hugged the shopping bag close to her chest, feeling a little sleepy from the big meal. Today had been a small thing — just an errand. But somehow, it felt important. Like a memory she would keep. She didn’t know that across town, in his tiny dorm room, Shima would later pull out his battered notebook — the one he only wrote in when no one else was looking — and scribble down a few new ideas for his secret script. The new character — a girl with short hair and a heart like sunlight — was starting to take shape in his mind without him even realizing it.

The dorm hallways were quiet that night, the soft hum of air conditioning and distant footsteps the only sounds. Shima Sousuke sat at his desk, the faint glow of his laptop screen casting a pale blue light across his room. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, pausing, retreating, then moving again. The blinking cursor blinked patiently back at him, almost like it was daring him to find the right words. He stretched, leaning back in his chair and rubbing the back of his neck. It had been a long week — packed with new classes, meetings, the small chaos of settling into dorm life. And somewhere in all of it, without quite meaning to, he had started working on this… story.

It wasn’t for an assignment. It wasn’t even something he planned to show anyone It was just something that had been building inside him — a quiet tug he couldn’t ignore. The story wasn’t complicated: it was about a girl who dreamed so brightly it lit up everyone around her, even a boy who thought he’d long since stopped chasing anything at all. He frowned at the screen. Somehow, the girl had ended up a lot like Mitsumi. It wasn’t deliberate. Or maybe it was. He wasn't sure anymore.

She wasn’t exactly the same. His character wasn’t from Ishikawa, didn’t have the same particular clumsy earnestness, didn’t mess up her words when she got excited. But the feeling was there — that same breath of fresh air, that unfiltered sincerity. And the boy in the story — he was shaping up to be someone frustratingly familiar, too. Someone who smiled easily but hesitated when it mattered most. Someone who admired from a distance because getting too close felt too dangerous.

Shima stared at the screen for a long moment. He didn’t really know why he was writing this. Or maybe he did, and just didn’t want to admit it. He thought about the past week — about laughing with Mitsumi while cleaning the classroom, the way she had beamed at him when he showed her that tiny restaurant tucked away behind the station, the way she listened so intently when he talked about the city like every little detail was worth memorizing. She made everything feel lighter, somehow. She made him feel lighter, too. And that scared him a little.

He tapped the keys gently, writing a line he hadn't fully thought throug. "He wanted to be someone worthy of standing beside her, but all he could do was watch from a few steps away, wondering if she even realized how brightly she burned." Shima exhaled, leaning his forehead against the heel of his hand. What am I even doing? This wasn’t supposed to mean anything. She was just… a good person. Someone who made him smile. Someone he admired.

But even as he tried to reason with himself, he knew it wasn’t that simple. There was something more — something low and aching — tucked somewhere under his ribs whenever he thought about her. He wanted her to do well here. He wanted her to be happy. But he also wanted… He wanted to stay close. Wanted to keep being the one who got to see her excited about small things, who got to hear her voice light up when she talked about her dreams.

There was a tightness in his chest he didn’t know how to name. Yearning. It was yearning. But he wasn’t ready to look at it too closely yet. Wasn’t ready to ask himself what he really wanted from Mitsumi Iwakura — the girl from the countryside who had somehow, without even trying, found a space inside him he hadn’t even realized was empty. Shima sat back again, staring at the half-written paragraph on his screen. Outside, the city lights blinked lazily against the dark sky. Inside, the cursor blinked steadily, patiently, waiting for him to keep going. Slowly, he started to type again.

Not because he had to. Not because anyone was making him. But because when he thought about her — about that brightness, that hope — the words came a little easier, and the weight he carried felt a little lighter. And maybe, just maybe, even if he couldn’t say it out loud yet, even if he didn’t fully understand it himself yet —he already liked her far more than he was ready to admit.

༶•┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ୨♡୧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈•༶

author notes :: hii! long time no see! but fr tho its been so long since i've seen anyone on tumblr, totally on me tho because of ap testing weeks.. its been hard like i've already lost feeling in my right hand from all these study guides. i hope everyone is okay and having a good testing season ! i wish all your summers are restful and relaxing! this chapter is a little shorter but i'm thinking of doing varying length chapters anyway. skip and loafer is my favorite comfort anime i really relate to mitsumi in a way because im always doing school work lol but i love making friends and my first years in high school i was very proactive trying to befriend everyone and join many clubs, but as the seasons began to pass i was becoming more content with all my wonderful friends i made in the beginning. i hope anyone younger than me can branch out more and try to make unique friends that you can learn from. people these days say that having too many friends is a bad thing because that means your a friend to nobody but honestly i view that as a closed mindset because meeting new people teaches you different things that one person would never know, because they don't have a different background like that other person. don't limit yourself and the things you can learn, be like mitsumi and branch out! i hope i didn't ramble too much lol but if I did please feel free to ignore these author notes i have a big mouth. OH BTWWW i'm posting these fics on ao3 my user is kataswyq ! ✧.*

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[inawickedlittletown]

And I've Been A Fool and I've Been Blind

Notes: And I am back with another fic. I was really interested in exploring Eddie's perspective a little because I couldn't get it out of my head what Buck's phone call to Eddie would be like with Buck still in the midst of discovering himself and so this happened.

Title from Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine.

Summary: Looking back at the last two weeks made Eddie feel bad. It’s not that he hadn’t noticed Buck acting a little strange, it was just that Buck was Buck and he wasn’t normal about things and sometimes it was better to just let it play out.

-

Or Eddie's pov after the basketball game and the days and weeks that follow while oblivious to Buck and Tommy dating.

Pairing: pre-Buck/Eddie, Buck/Tommy, Eddie/Marisol

Words: 3,977

On Ao3

-

Looking back at the last two weeks made Eddie feel bad. It’s not that he hadn’t noticed Buck acting a little strange, it was just that Buck was Buck and he wasn’t normal about things and sometimes it was better to just let it play out. 

Not to mention that Eddie had just been excited about hanging out with Tommy. He couldn’t remember ever finding someone that he had so much in common with before. Buck was his best friend and there was no denying how well they got on, but with Tommy it was about all the things that Buck didn’t understand. It was almost like back with his friends from the army, but even more. 

On the ship, he and Tommy had gotten to talking and Tommy had been in the army like Eddie and he was into MMA fighting. It hadn’t taken very long for them to make plans, first a night out for drinks and then Tommy was hooking him up with a ticket to a fight in Vegas. They did muay thai together one afternoon and when Eddie asked him about a pick-up basketball game, Tommy was excited about it. At some point they even got to talking about cars. They just clicked and Eddie hadn’t had a friend like this in ages. 

Maybe he hadn’t realized just how much time Tommy was monopolizing. It was just that after Eddie called him up and they went to Vegas, they just kept texting and calling and making plans and Eddie couldn’t say no. Even Marisol had been a little annoyed after Eddie had called her for a third time with the intent of asking her to babysit so he could go out with Tommy. He should have realized sooner. Maybe included Buck. 

Selfishly, though, Eddie had wanted to hang out with Tommy on his own. Maybe that made him a bad friend. He definitely should have known something was up when Buck showed up for the basketball game. It was just that he’d been a little annoyed when Chim claimed to have convinced Buck to go when Buck always turned him down. 

So, in some ways he only had himself to blame. His ankle had been the final victim. 

At the moment his leg was elevated, wrapped up to minimize movement and the ice pack was off it. Eddie had chosen his couch as the place to be for the time being. It was a minor sprain and he’d be good to go back to work in a couple of days. Bobby had pushed for Monday so Eddie got a bit more rest and Eddie didn’t argue. 

Tommy made sure he had everything he could need. His pain meds, snacks, even a blanket. He’d even helped Chris out with some math homework. 

“I think I’m to blame for all of this,” Tommy said as he set down a few water bottles on the coffee table. “I think I came between the two of you.” 

Eddie was quick to shake his head. “No. No. It’s on me. I should have known something was up when he showed up to basketball. He’s not a fan.” 

“No?” Tommy asked. “I just thought he was a sore loser.” 

“Well that too,” Eddie said with a chuckle. “But no, it’s just Buck. I don’t think he’s learned how to share yet. I’m surprised he didn’t show up here or call, actually.”

“I kinda jumped in to take you to urgent care,” Tommy said. “Maybe I am the problem.” 

“You’re not,” Eddie said. “I just have to learn to manage my time right.” 

Tommy nodded, lips pressed together. “He probably hates me now.” 

“That’s not Buck. He couldn’t hate anyone if he tried.” 

He saw Tommy take a glance at his phone. “You know what, I can’t go to work without trying to fix this. I have just enough time. Text me his address. I’ll go talk to him and give him an update on the patient.” 

Eddie watched him go. He wondered if he should give Buck a call as a warning, but he decided against it. Buck would have called if he wanted to hear from Eddie. Maybe it was better to let Tommy and Buck talk it out first.  

—

When Buck called, it was almost midnight. Eddie had made it off the couch to the bathroom and then into bed. His ankle twinged a bit from all the movement, but the pain meds were still working and he had his next dosage ready to take him through the night. A part of him regretted not asking Marisol to come over and help him out, but maybe a part of him had been hoping that Buck would show up and hadn’t wanted her around if that did happen. 

“He calls,” Eddie said. 

Buck let out a weak chuckle. “Yeah,” he said, “look, Eddie, I’m sorry. I was…well, I was behaving horribly.” 

“You don’t say,” Eddie said and let that linger. “I’m sorry, too, Buck. I didn’t even realize how left out you were feeling.”  

“I could have said something,” Buck said. “How’s your ankle? I really do feel bad about that.” 

“It’s gonna put me off trying to get you to go to basketball. Just a sprain, Buck. I’ll be back to work in no time.”

“Good. That’s good,” Buck said. “I’m glad it wasn’t anything worse.” 

“Oh, hey, did Tommy catch you? He said he was gonna stop by to clear the air. He felt really bad.”

“Um,” Buck said and then, “yeah…he was here.” 

Buck sounded a little weird. Was it because Tommy had showed up unexpectedly? Should Eddie have warned him it was going to happen? He had thought that Buck liked Tommy well enough, but maybe this whole thing had made Buck want nothing to do with Tommy instead and that was a shame because he knew for a fact that they would get along. 

“Did it go okay?” Eddie asked. 

Buck coughed. “Yeah…yeah, it went…it went fine. Tommy’s great. I really — he’s going to give me flying lessons.” 

“Oh. Okay. Good,” Eddie said, even while trying to figure out why Buck was stuttering a little and talking too fast all at once. “He really is a good guy, you know?” 

“I know,” Buck said. “Look, I should get to bed. One of us has a shift tomorrow morning.”

“Sure,” Eddie said and before he could ask if Buck wanted to hang out after his shift, Buck had already hung up. 

Putting his phone on his bedside table, Eddie leaned back against his pillow. That had been strange, right? It wasn’t that he and Buck talked on the phone a lot — they saw each other in person too often for them to call each other. Sometimes they texted, but that was usually Buck sending him random facts or memes. Except that they hadn’t seen each other outside of work for two weeks and there was plenty they had probably missed in each other’s lives. 

Eddie let out a sigh. He took his medication and settled himself into a comfortable position. He’d call or text Buck in the morning. 

—

He spent most of his day in the living room. Carla had made her appearance to take Christopher to school, and then returned to help Eddie despite his protests that he could walk. She didn’t want to hear any of it, and Eddie decided to stop complaining. 

He heard from Marisol around lunch time and because he felt bad about not seeing her and putting her off coming over, he asked if she wanted to get dinner on Saturday. She readily agreed.

Tommy called a little after. “How’s the ankle?” 

“Alright.”

“And Buck called you? He thought you were mad about the whole thing.” 

Eddie allowed himself a smile. “He did. I think we’re good.” 

“Good. Well, I just wanted to check in. I’ll talk to you soon, Eddie.” 

And then he was gone. Eddie dropped his phone on his chest. He picked it up again when he remembered that he’d meant to text Buck. 

Hey, you want to come over after work? Video games and pizza? 

Buck didn’t respond, but Eddie didn’t expect him to unless there was some downtime at the firehouse. He busied himself for a while trying to find something to watch, finally landing on that lawyer show from years ago that had blown up. By the time that Christopher was home, Eddie was a few episodes in and he was oddly compelled to keep watching. 

Sorry. I made plans with Maddie earlier. Another time. 

Eddie felt disappointed. A part of him couldn’t help but think about how often Buck had probably felt like that while Eddie was busy with Tommy. 

—

Marisol looked beautiful. It wasn’t what had attracted Eddie to her, as much as how after seeing her in the hardware store he’d felt like seeing her again. There hadn’t been anyone that caught his attention like that in a while. It was easy going, their relationship. Not casual, or anything, but not exactly serious either. The pacing was everything that Eddie needed, it was entirely unlike his relationship with Ana. He liked what they had and maybe it wasn’t forever, but it was enough. 

Marisol stood next to him as the hostess grabbed menus to show them to their table. They hadn’t made it too far, when Eddie spotted a familiar face. 

“Tommy! Hey!” 

Tommy threw him a large smile. “Hey!” 

Eddie and Marisol approached the table, just as Eddie realized who was with Tommy. “Buck! You guys are here together!” 

Buck looked startled. Tommy smiled easily. 

“Figured it was time we hung out,” Tommy said. 

“Uh. Yeah,” Buck offered, but he didn’t look at Eddie. 

“Well, we can join you guys,” Eddie said. “It’ll be fun.” 

“Eddie, I don’t think—” Marisol began. 

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m just so glad to see the two of you together. And you can meet Tommy properly.” 

Eddie had to move the table over on his own, neither Tommy or Buck standing to help him while Marisol watched and the hostess moved a chair. Eddie wound up sitting next to Tommy with Marisol across from him. He smiled at her and she smiled back. 

“Tommy, this is Marisol.”

“Ah, yes, the girlfriend. It’s nice to meet you, and I should apologize for taking up so much of Eddie’s time.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Marisol said. 

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Buck announced, standing up so quickly he almost knocked over his chair. 

“Is he okay?” Marisol asked. “Seems kinda jumpy.” 

Eddie was putting the behavior off the feeling awkward about not inviting Eddie along to hanging out with Tommy after how the last two weeks had gone. Tommy, however, stood up. 

“I’m gonna check on him,” he said. 

That, however, felt weird. Except that it was the type of guy that Tommy was. He was nice and he cared. Maybe Eddie should have been the one to go after Buck, but Eddie wouldn’t have thought to do that. He would have let Buck have his moment. 

Buck and Tommy were gone so long that Eddie and Marisol managed to look at their menus and put in their orders. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t have asked to join them,” Marisol said.

Eddie shook his head. “What are you talking about?” 

“I don’t know, I just don’t think Buck was happy to see us. Maybe we’re interrupting something.” 

She said “us”, but Eddie thought she actually meant “you”. That wasn’t possible, though, Buck was always glad to see him, wasn’t he? Except that since he’d gotten injured, Eddie hadn’t seen Buck and the one phone call had been kept short and then he hadn’t wanted to hang out with Eddie the next night. 

“I think it’s fine,” Eddie said. 

Buck and Tommy came back together. They were talking as they walked back to the table and Buck was smiling as Tommy said something, breaking into a laugh. 

“Sorry we were gone so long,” Tommy said. 

“We ran into Lucy,” Buck added as he sat down. 

“She’s jealous I got to fly you guys out to save Bobby and Athena,” Tommy said. 

“I’m glad it was you,” Buck said. “Fake mouth statics and all.” 

Tommy’s grin was wide and he stared at Buck for a long moment. Eddie watched them as their eye contact finally broke and Buck quickly grabbed his beer and drank a large gulp. His cheeks were tinged pink. 

“How’s the ankle doing?” Tommy asked, facing Eddie.

“Good. I’ll be back at work on Monday. Has it been alright without me?”

Buck shrugged. “Nothing crazy.” 

“Personally I think everything you guys do is a bit crazy,” Marisol said. 

When his and Marisol’s food came, the same waitress took Buck and Tommy’s empty plates. Clearing the table and leaving a dessert menu behind. 

“Did you want anything, Evan?” Tommy asked Buck. 

“Ah. No. I’m — I think I’m good.” 

“Alright. But I think I want some tiramisu for later.”

Buck smiled in Tommy’s direction, and then turned to Eddie and Marisol. 

“Hey, who’s watching Christopher tonight?” Buck asked. 

“He’s actually at a sleepover,” Eddie said. 

The more his kid grew up and the more independent he became, the less time that he spent at home or that he needed Eddie. In some ways, he was glad that his son was getting to be so well adjusted. Sometimes he did miss when Christopher was younger, and yet there was a lot to be said about watching him grow up. 

“Did Eddie tell you I had to talk to Christopher about his dating life,” Buck said to Tommy.

Tommy shook his head. “No. That’s hilarious. Eddie, you couldn’t handle it yourself?” 

Marisol giggled. “Well, Chris had a video game date and then later, Eddie caught him facetiming a different girl.” 

“What?” Tommy asked with a grin. 

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “What was it…he was texting five different girls. I figured with Buck’s past, he’d handle it better.”

“Evan’s past?” Tommy asked, eyebrows raised. 

Buck’s eyes widened. “Oh. I…I guess back in the day I—”

The waitress interrupted and Buck jumped at ordering Tommy’s tiramisu and then asking for the check. 

“Well I just thought Buck had more experience in that department,” Eddie said. “I got married right out of high school and between the army and Christopher it’s not like I really dated or anything.”

“Ah,” Tommy said and then looking to Buck, “well, I’m sure you gave good advice.” 

When the check arrived, Tommy reached for it first, but Buck tried to grab it instead. 

“I’m the one that owed you a beer,” Buck said. 

“This was more than a beer, Evan.” 

“But—”

They had a kind of stare down, until Buck relented, but Eddie thought that he was pleased. 

Eddie had the thought that when he and Tommy had hung out they had split everything. Same with any time Buck and Eddie had dinner or lunch together. He watched Tommy stick his credit card in the slot. It didn’t take long for the waitress to come back to pick it up and when she returned it was with a small take out bag handed to Buck.

“Well, I think Evan and I are heading out,” Tommy said. 

Eddie almost wanted to protest and keep them there a bit longer. 

Buck nodded and he was on his feet pretty quickly. “Nice to see you again,” Buck said to Marisol. “See you on Monday, Eddie.” 

“Bye, Eddie, we’ll hang soon,” Tommy said, lifting his first for Eddie to pound and giving a nod to Marisol. 

They didn’t wait for a response. Buck walked in front of Tommy and Eddie couldn’t help but notice that Tommy pressed a hand to Buck’s shoulder and that his hand then fell down to the small of Buck’s back. And then Buck turned his face, smiled at Tommy and they continued to the door. 

“Was Buck acting a little off?” Eddie asked. 

Marisol shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, Eddie.”

He had been. Eddie was sure of it. 

—

On Monday, he arrived at the station just in time to see Hen throw her arms around Buck. The hug didn’t last long and after a pat on the cheek, Hen left Buck where he was standing. Buck looked after her with a starstruck look and a slow smile that grew into place.

“What was that about?” Eddie asked. 

Buck’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped open, smile disappearing. “Oh, um, nothing.” 

Eddie didn’t press. If it was something, Buck would tell him. He did catch Hen and Buck talking again. At one point, it also looked like Buck and Bobby were having a serious conversation. It felt weird to not be in the loop. 

Things fell back into normalcy, though. Buck was still right there next to him for every call. Bobby called the shots while the rest of them listened. If Buck sometimes pulled out his phone to send a text and he had a strange look whenever a text came through, that was his business. 

“You doing anything after work tonight?” Eddie asked a few hours before their shift ended. 

“Actually, yes,” Buck said. “Tommy was talking about this exhibit and I said I’d go with him.”

“Oh,” Eddie said. 

He waited for Buck to ask him to go along, but that didn’t happen. And that was unusual for Buck. Buck always invited him along to things, unless his plans happened to be a date and this wasn’t that. 

“We can hang out tomorrow,” Buck offered. 

“Sure,” Eddie said even though it meant he’d have to move plans with Marisol. He hoped she wouldn’t mind. 

—

The next day, Eddie arrived at the station just in time to see Buck get out of Tommy’s car. 

“Something wrong with the Jeep?” Eddie asked as he approached. 

“No,” Buck said and he looked a little nervous. “Just…I was with Tommy and it was faster if he dropped me off here.” 

There was something that Eddie was missing and as Buck walked away, Eddie felt like he needed to get to the bottom of it. For the rest of the day, he watched Buck closely. He didn’t act like anything was different, instead he seemed lighter. Happier. He was still texting and laughing a lot. 

At the end of their shift, Buck got into Eddie’s car. He was sending a text, but turned to Eddie. 

“Should I order food?” 

Everything seemed normal. Buck called in their usual pizza order. They stopped to pick up some beer. By the time they were settled on Eddie’s couch, Christopher joining them, it felt like everything was normal. The only abnormal thing was how often Buck got a text. 

“Who are you texting so much?”

“It’s…it’s Tommy.” 

“Oh,” Eddie said, but noticed afterwards that the frequency of the texts stopped. 

But when Eddie offered to drive Buck home, Buck shook his head. “My car’s at Tommy’s apartment so he said he’d pick me up so I could get it.”

“You guys are spending a lot of time together,” Eddie said. 

“He’s a cool guy,” Buck said. 

“I’m aware. We should all hang out soon.”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

“Not basketball,” Eddie added.

Buck laughed. 

—

It took another week for things to get stranger. There was the day that Tommy showed up at the 118, sticking around for lunch and sitting next to Buck, the two of them seeming way closer than Eddie had expected and talking about a movie they’d caught and how Buck was horrible at Karaoke. How at one point, Hen had pulled Tommy off to the side and they had come back smiling. And then Buck walked him down and out of the firehouse when he was headed out and didn’t come back for almost ten minutes. Twice more, Tommy dropped Buck off at work. One of those times, he also picked him up. 

The week after that, Eddie finally found a night for the three of them to go out for some drinks. Eddie found himself on his own at one side of the table, watching Buck and Tommy with their shoulders pressed together. Tommy’s arm had wound up behind Buck’s chair at one point and Buck just leaned back without question. It was the night Eddie realized they were spending a whole lot more time together than he realized. That they even had inside jokes. 

Buck had replaced him with Tommy as his best friend and that night when he got home, a little buzzed from the shots and beer they’d drunk, he found himself hating Tommy…except that he really couldn’t. 

Then, it came to a head, the night that he and Christopher headed over to Buck’s for pizza and video games. When Buck answered the door, he was just shrugging on his t-shirt and as he and Chris headed in, Buck’s bathroom opened and Tommy stepped out. 

“If it isn’t the coolest kid,” Tommy said with a grin directed at Christopher. 

The two of them had met all of twice, but Chris was very much a fan of Tommy. 

“I didn’t know Tommy was gonna be here,” Eddie said. 

“Oh, I’m heading out. I got a shift.”

Eddie was weirded out by how pleased he was that Tommy wasn’t sticking around. He’d actually just seen Tommy the day before and everything was fine between them, it was just that the three of them together somehow always ended up being TommyandBuck with Eddie as some kind of third wheel. It was strange and didn’t make sense. 

“I’ll walk you out,” Buck said. 

It seemed unnecessary to Eddie, but Buck walked Tommy to the door and the two of them stepped out. Buck returned several minutes later, smiling a bit. Eddie couldn’t help but stare at him. Something was definitely different. 

“What?” Buck asked. 

“I should be asking you that.” 

Buck’s shoulders drooped. “Yeah, okay. There is…I’m…that is…”

Buck was nervous. He was rubbing his neck and not looking right at Eddie. 

“Whatever it is, Buck, you can tell me.” 

Buck did that thing when he was unsure, laughing a bit breathy. “I thought out of everyone, you’d just figure it out. That I wouldn’t have to say it.”

“Say what?” Eddie asked. 

“Tommy and I are dating. I’m bisexual, Eddie.”

Eddie’s entire world changed. 

“The other night,” he said, “that was…that was a date.” 

“Yeah.” 

Buck’s behavior, the way that he and Tommy were spending all their time together. Tommy driving Buck to work. Tommy picking up Buck from Eddie’s. Tommy at Buck’s apartment. The inside jokes. The change in Buck’s demeanor. All of it was adding up and Buck was staring at him, biting his lip. Eddie reached out to him, hands landing on Buck’s shoulders. 

“I’m happy for you, Buck. You know this doesn’t change anything, right?” 

Buck let out a breath. “Right.” 

Internally, Eddie didn’t know what to do with the information. Buck was bi. He was into men. He and Tommy were dating. He could settle on being supportive, he could settle on showing Buck how nothing changed between them because of it. Later, he would deal with his own confusing feelings because while Buck looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Eddie felt like he’d been saddled with it. 

“Come on, video games?” Eddie asked and he hoped his voice didn’t sound strange. 

Buck smiled. “I’ll get us a couple of beers.” 

As he walked to Buck’s living room, aware that Christopher had already turned everything on, he tried his best to act normal. He didn’t know if Buck wanted to discuss it and he didn’t want to cross any lines. This was all just new. It was different. Eddie would get used to it. He had to. 

[unrelatedwaffle]

Hbomberguy's Plagiarism Video, Fuck James Somerton

I won't say anything someone hasn't said before probably (although I am going to use my own fucking words jesus fucking christ) and I still have an hour to go (ANOTHER HOUR???) but as a humanities junkie, former academic, and person who has been plagiarized I have been brought to RAGE TEARS by this video. Do you have any idea HOW HARD research and writing is? Do you have any idea how UNVALUED it is? The people he stole from made at best PEANUTS and at worst NO FUCKING MONEY for their hard work. Do you even need me to point out how many culture writers and journalists have been put out of work in the past ten years due to literary or journalistic websites being shut down because they didn't generate enough revenue??? DO YOU? And these fuckwits waltz in and scoop up piles of money. Hbomberguy makes the larger structural points VERY well and VERY clearly and I am so fucking grateful he did it. I want to talk to this man's high school teachers, take a look at that business degree (is it real, even?). Not just Somerton, but the other plagiarists highlighted. If you plagiarize, seriously, get therapy and find out why you are so obsessed with approval that you would steal from people. You're pathetic. You need help. Get off reddit or video games or the internet and go do your homework instead of procrastinating or using the automated plagiarism machine, ChatGPT. Why don't you DO something with your life? If you don't want to learn anything, why don't you go work on a farm or do something that's actually useful for society but where you can't hurt anyone with your intellectual dishonesty and congenital laziness?

[delicatefm]

( MAIA REFICCO. TWENTY-FOUR. FEMALE. SHE/HER. ) in texas, EMILIA ACOSTA is more commonly known as EMMY. they’ve been living in stratford for A FEW MONTHS and currently RECEPTIONIST AT STRATFORD SHERIFF’S OFFICE. some say they are LOQUACIOUS & CALCULATED but i’m more inclined to believe those that say they’re LOYAL & DETERMINED. if you walk by their house, you can sometimes hear FLORIDA!!! by TAYLOR SWIFT FT FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE playing from their window. ( case files depicting the information about the murder of her brother scattered across the floor, the smell of strawberry and vanilla from her favorite shampoo, a small silver necklace that she always wears. ) 

FULL NAME: emilia rose acosta.

NICKNAME(S): emmy, rose, costa.

AGE:  twenty-four.

DATE OF BIRTH: july 14, 2000.

PLACE OF BIRTH: georgetown, south carolina.

CURRENT LOCATION: stratford, texas.

GENDER: cis female.

PRONOUNS: she/her.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual.

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heteroromantic.

RELIGION: christianity.

OCCUPATION: receptionist at stratford sheriff's department.

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: one bedroom apartment / living with her mother at the moment.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, ETC.

FACECLAIM:  maia reficco.

HAIR COLOR AND STYLE: brunette / mostly down in curls or ponytail.

EYE COLOR: brown.

EYESIGHT:  perfect vision in both eyes.

HEIGHT:  five foot, three inches.

BODY AND BUILD:  athletic.

TATTOOS: none at the moment.

PIERCINGS: ears.

CLOTHING STYLE: casual.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: scar above her left eye.

HEALTH.

MENTAL DISORDER(S): none.

PHYSICAL DISORDER(S): none.

ALLERGIES: bullshit ( we joke ).

SLEEPING HABITS: she can fall asleep just about anywhere and takes sleep very seriously.

EATING HABITS: she's cannot cook. her brother used to cook for her but since he has been gone, she hasn't learned. she feasts on take out food..

SOCIABILITY: very easy going. she doesn't make friends super easily but once you get to know her, she can't shut up.

ADDICTIONS: none.

DRUG USE: nothing.

ALCOHOL USE: never.

FAMILY, RELATIONSHIPS, ETC.

MOTHER: ana maria acosta.

FATHER: unknown.

EX: wanted connection.

CHILDREN: none.

BEST FRIEND: wanted connection.

SIBLING(S): older brother ( age 34 ).

PET(S): none.

BIOGRAPHY

( trigger warning: alcohol abuse, murder )

you were from a small town in south carolina born to a single mother ana maria acosta. you came second to an older brother who had been born ten years prior. while your mother worked to put food on the table, your older brother was taking care of you. he was young but he cared for you as if you were his own child. your mother drank too much when she was not working so your brother had to step up. he was often found helping you with your homework or taking you to school events. it wasn’t his responsibility but he was always there when you needed him. 

he left when you were only eighteen. he didn’t say where he was going and when you begged him to take you with him, he said he couldn’t. instead, he gave you a silver necklace and told you he loved you. that was the last time that you ever spoke to him. you would have followed but your mom needed you more. her drinking got worse and you had to get a job to cover the bills. you could barely get her out of her room at times let alone to go to a job. it wasn’t your destiny to become the caregiver but her brother had done it for so long that it wasn’t about time that she stepped up. 

you waited five years to hear anything from your brother. you didn’t expect to find a news article while searching for him to let you know the unimaginable. a murder with no suspect in texas. you couldn’t figure out why he would have went across the country to texas. you also couldn’t figure out why someone had murdered him. packing up your bags and dragging your mother with you, you find yourself heading to texas. you get a job at the sheriff’s office and talk to a few of the cops and find out that they have suspects in mind. someone involved in the biker gangs killed your brother and you are determined to figure out who and why. 

they say revenge is sweet and you are willing to burn the town to the ground to learn the truth. 

[changingplumbob]

Knightstone Household: Chapter 8, Part 5

Today Silas heads off for his first day of school, Suzanna works with Pollock to try reach more milestones and Silas wants a real piano.

Nicknames Suzanna is Mummy or Starlight Adam is Pops or My Heart Silas is Starshine Pollock is Pol or Moondust If Pollock is trying to babble real words they will be in brackets

Adam: Did you let your brother get a good sleep? He’s got a big day today

Pollock: Ye ra po (yes Pops)

Silas is sitting having breakfast still in his disguise.

Suzanna: Are you going to wear your disguise to school

Silas: Probably Mummy. I don’t want to hide that I’m an alien but for my first few days I’d rather not stick out

Suzanna: Your choice. We'll see you when you get home okay

Silas: Yes Mummy, look after Pol for me

Suzanna: *chuckles*

Adam: So he’s been fed and changed, all set

Suzanna: Thanks Adam

Adam: No worries, I just will be busy cleaning before my shift

Suzanna: Of course, now Moondust, who’s ready to try some… ice cream!

Adam: Wait... Ice cream for breakfast?

Suzanna: Not breakfast. You said it yourself, he’s already had milk

Adam: I don’t know Pollock, sounds like she’s trying to fatten you up already

Suzanna: Nothing wrong with a chubby infant Adam

Suzanna goes to get some carrots to try next while Adam begins to vacuum the house. Pollock wonders what is going on and in the end is overwhelmed by the noise, bursting into tears.

Suzanna: Do you have to vacuum just there Adam

Adam: You know queuing it for nooks and crannies can be tricky

Suzanna: Come on then Pollock, we’ll head outside and let Pops clean

Suzanna scoops Pollock up and Adam calls after them.

Adam: Sorry son, good luck calming down

Suzanna: You can go here with all the stars and mummy will just pump before she tends the garden. Go on Pollock, touch the stars

Pollock: *giggles* Noo be star (I’m with the star)

Suzanna: You said star? You said star! Well done Moondust, you’ll be talking in no time

Pollock: Fo star um (Stars are fun Mummy)

Inside, Adam makes sure to get rid of the basement dust. Outside, Pollock spends time happily batting the stars around before switching to some solo tummy time. Suzanna happily tends her garden but can’t help wondering what’s happening at the lab while she’s using her watcher given maternity leave.

Pollock has his nap while Adam goes to work but Suzanna wakes him up just before Silas gets home.

Suzanna: Let’s have some milk then we can go see how Silas did on his first day, huh? Won’t that be exciting

Pollock: *burps*

Suzanna: I knew you would agree

Pollock: *giggles*

Suzanna: How was your day Starshine

Silas: Pretty good. Although my teacher told me off for not doing an assignment

Suzanna: ...but it was your first day

Silas: Exactly! They didn't like me pointing that out. Anyway we did some art after lunch and I made you something

Suzanna: You did? Okay let’s have a look here. A unicorn picture? Oh it’s a masterpiece. We’ll have to make sure we show your Pops huh, he'll be impressed

*grinding noise*

Suzanna: Stupid washing machine. I have to go fix it, could you watch Pollock for a minute? Unless you have homework

Silas: I’ve already done my homework Mummy

Pollock: He la boo (Hi brother)

Silas: Hey Pol. Have you been good today? I bet you missed me, I missed you *blows raspberry*

Silas takes a seat at the table and begins pulling funny faces. Pollock happily giggles until he covers his face.

Silas: Pol? Do you need a rest

Pollock: *removes hands* BOO

Silas: *laughs* Oh you scared me good! Are you the peek a boo champ now? Are you?

Pollock: *giggles happily*

Silas: MUMMY! Pol learned how to do peek a boo

Suzanna: He did? That’s impressive when he normally bursts into tears if we try. Could you set the table while I take care of somebody’s diaper? Your Pops should be home really soon

Suzanna takes Pollock to the nursery bathroom where he does his best to scoot away.

Suzanna: Oh no no no, we are not having another blowout Moondust. Come here!

Pollock: *giggles and scoots*

Adam comes home with good news, he’s reached level 9 of his Art Critic job, Syndicated Superstar. But even superstars have to make dinner.

Silas: Hey Pops, you know how you got me that piano book for my birthday

Adam: I do. I wanted to get you guitar but your mum told me I’m not allowed to make you a clone of me

Silas: *laughs* I don’t mind learning piano. But Pops… I think it would go better if I had… you know… an actual piano to practice on

Suzanna: Okay Pollock, I know you don’t like being carried. So can we try to crawl? Crawl for Mummy

Pollock: Do at ow (Do what now)

Suzanna: So you’ll need to push, push yourself on to your hands and knees, just like when you learned to creep

Pollock: I ow (right now)

Suzanna: Come on Moondust, crawl to Mummy, crawl to Mummy

Pollock: *tries, fails, cries*

Suzanna: Is dinner ready yet

Adam: As soon as Silas stops distracting me

Silas: Hey! I’m helping Pops

Adam: And…

Silas: *sighs* and trying to convince him to get me a piano

Suzanna: An actual noise making piano? You do remember we have a sensitive infant

Silas: But Mummy he won’t be an infant forever

Adam: Tell you what, you do the dishes and your mum and I will talk about it

Silas clears the table while Suzanna gets Pollock ready for sleep then she tucks her eldest in bed.

Silas: I lost my tooth today Mummy

Suzanna: Did you put it under your pillow

Silas: Yes. Do you think the tooth fairy will really come

Suzanna: You just wait, when you wake up you’ll see they came

Adam is messing about upstairs when Suzanna heads up to bed.

Suzanna: You want to get a piano for our kid who can't play

Adam: Can't play yet. And not just a piano. I seem to have lost my guitar in the move so I need one of those

Suzanna: *smiles* Then it’s good you got a raise with your promotion huh

Adam: Are you impressed

Suzanna: I don’t know. I think I’ll have to see more of your talent to decide

Adam: Deal

The tooth fairy did indeed visit Silas and he scored some sweet simoleons. Other tooth fairy propaganda of course but mainly simoleons. Since Suzanna did bedtime Adam gets Pollock up and fed before taking him for a morning bath. It seems like Pollock is all smiles today and Adam remembers what Suzanna said about needing to enjoy the time. Yeah, Pollock as an infant is pretty cute.

Adam: All clean, time to get on with our day

Adam puts Pollock down by the blocks. Pollock scoots over and begins trying to pick them up, laughing to himself the entire time. Adam meanwhile tells the delivery service where to place the piano and begins breaking in his new guitar. The cloud will definitely be something to get used to.

Out in the garden Suzanna is delighted to find that several of the plants are ready to evolve. It may have been all replanted with the move but it’s coming along nicely. When she heads inside she finds that Pollock has learnt a new skill, putting his foot in his mouth. Then we have some routing drama (post to follow because I lost my mind) and only get things resolved as Adam leaves for work.

Suzanna gets Pollock settled for his nap and pumps as he drifts off to sleep. Silas is delighted to arrive home and discover the piano. After his homework he sits down and begins plunking away. While Pollock continues to sleep Suzanna starts on a task she keeps putting off, necessary upgrades. First up are some additions to the sink.

Next up, the oven needs a tune up. Of course all that meddling with the sink has left puddles over the floor. Thank goodness these ones are just water (iykyk). Suzanna wakes Pollock for a dinner bottle then, when Adam arrives home, the family take a human picture together on the porch.

Adam cooks and Silas sets the table while Suzanna again works with Pollock. With oodles of encouragement he… falls and rolls on to his back. Then from lying down he begins to sparkle, the milestone music starts, and we officially have a crawling infant!

Previous ... Next

[flameleads]

Roy Mustang is the disputed king of compartmentalization. 

From a young age, Roy felt emotions strongly, loved fiercely, and could be considered kind, compassionate, and empathetic. Many of the fights he got involved with at school were on the behalf of others as well as his own. He cared deeply for those around him, and he was idealistic to a fault. It was the main reason he wanted to become a State Alchemist and soldier, after all: he wanted to help people. He saw a country constantly at war, and he wanted to help defend it. 

His mother, Chris, came from a different perspective as a woman and someone who owned a brothel. She and her employees had to learn to compartmentalize in order to protect themselves. The person everyone saw at the bar was not the same woman who sat with her son and watched him do his homework. The employees who talked with clients each night were certainly not the same ones who talked with Roy in the back room before their shifts, giggling while they taught him about makeup application. All of them wore masks and compartmentalized their real selves for their own safety. They had to.

While she did her best to weed out harmful clientele for everyone's safety, Chris knew she couldn't catch everyone. Additionally, this was the environment she raised Roy in, and he saw these employees as aunts and sisters. She had to set an example for him. 

So, she taught him her ways. In order to get ahead in any sort of way in Amestris, she knew she had to teach Roy to guard his emotions, be charming, lie if he needed to, and act. Changing what words or tone he used just right could change the outcome of a conversation. Knowing how to read another person's subtle body language while altering or subduing his own became vital. Locking his emotions down, only letting them out or being vulnerable with others under specific circumstances, meant no one could use them against him. He put those emotions into boxes and pulled them out when needed. By the time he was a teenager, Roy was already an actor who knew how to put on different faces for different scenarios.

Then, he enlisted in the military, and he went to war on the front lines. 

The idealistic boy who wanted to change the world—the same one who loved fiercely as a child, created fire with his hands on the Hawkeye estate, and became a State Alchemist—died in the deserts of Ishval. He, arguably the real Roy Mustang, could not hope to survive. What made it back to Central was a broken shell of a man who used every trick his mother taught him to survive, not live. 

Every feeling from the war went into its own box, and he tucked it away. In one, the insurmountable guilt for the atrocities he committed. The incredible amount of rage and betrayal at himself and his government went in another. All of the grief for the lives he took as well as his fallen comrades? A box. Shame while he burned part of Riza's back and for the pain he caused her? A box. Every horrible thing he saw while there? A box. Roy packed up everything about Ishval in his mind, put it in boxes, and tucked it into the deep recesses of his mind so he could keep moving forward. Otherwise, there was no way he could live with himself (see emotional scars during Ishval). 

From that point forward, Roy’s compartmentalization went into overdrive. He had a mission to complete, and he wasn't going to stop until it was done. In order to do so, he continued to put on an act for the entire world. In order to hide his true ambitions of becoming President, he used his connections with his mother's brothel and sisters to form the womanizing playboy persona. In addition to that, he purposefully slacked off with his paperwork, played up being hot headed, irritable, and impulsive, and often fell asleep while at work. While the last part was not completely planned, it played well into the image he wanted others to see: someone who wasn't a threat. 

For a while, this worked. He managed Eastern Amestris like a well-oiled machine for years with the Homunculi not really batting an eye. Did he rise through the ranks too quickly for some people's tastes? Of course, but the evidence pointed to him being a lackadaisical, womanizing idiot who didn't know what he was doing, and it was really his team with the brains. 

But, the Homunculi killed Maes Hughes.

Unbeknownst to them, they forced some of his boxes open. Grief was first to appear. Anger was another, and it became more and more obvious as time went on: how he burnt the fake Maria Ross corpse was a clear sign that the box was open (see this GIF/image heavy transmutation analysis of his flame alchemy here), and he was done playing games. The more time passed, the more his rage built, turning into a fury that could not be tamed. With that fury, another box tipped open deep in the recesses of his mind, one he pretended didn't exist even during Ishval: what he was fully capable of with his alchemy. He knew what he could do, yes, but he would never use that knowledge on another living thing. He was not a cruel man. He was better than that. 

Was he? Yes, he saw what he needed to do with Lust, and the part of his mind that enjoyed the fight, that box, was open. 

By the time he got to Envy, he opened that box filled with his rage, the one with everything he can do with his alchemy (and the sadistic satisfaction that came with it), his grief, his guilt, and his love, and he poured every single emotion into his flames. All of those emotions are part of Roy he does not normally let anyone see under any circumstances, but, at that point, he no longer could. Grief was the first box to open, and the rest opened in what could be considered a domino effect.

When Roy finally realized what he was doing, prompted by three people, he hated what and who he saw, and he started closing those boxes again. Edward, Scar, and Riza were right: that was not what the future leader of a country should be. He could not let that monster out again. He could not be emotional. He had to be better. 

So, who is the true Roy Mustang? Did any part of that young, idealistic boy remain, or did all of him truly die in the desert? Is what he shows one person the truth, or is it all an act? Only Roy can tell, and he often won't. He has a world to change, after all. He has to keep moving forward, no matter what it takes. 

[1000roughdrafts]

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi everyone :) I have missed you all so much! I have been kicking myself these last two years for being gone for so long. Not only did I feel like I was letting y'all down, I felt like I was letting myself down. Writing is my biggest passion, and I felt like I abandoned it, and you. For context, before I left, I had Covid pretty bad, and am now suffering from long-term effects with my health because of it (that are thankfully more under control now). After having Covid I left a toxic relationship to unwittingly enter another, even more toxic and controlling relationship (whew is that a story!) and I learned that I have ADHD! (How fun is that!)

Anyway, to everyone that's still following me,

No seriously, thank you for sticking around!!

I have been working on some stuff for the last few months that I am so excited to share with y'all!

A few hours after this post will be a little Valentine's Day fluff fic to come out. Then in the coming weeks, I have a song inspired DeanxReader fic to be coming out labeled If You're Gonna Lie, and the following requests (under the read more with snippets of the fic) ready right now, to be queued. The requests will be coming out first, and then my own idea fics.

If you're interested in updating the tag list (whether that is adding your url, removing it or checking for accuracy) click here :) Next fic to be posted February 28th so if you want to update the tag list, be sure to do so before then :)

"Yes! Why does everyone keep asking me if I'm okay!" she growls, "first my dad, then John, now you!" She throws her hand onto her stomach to try to push away the pain. Sam is taken aback by this, and that's when he notices that her hand is held tightly on her stomach. Suddenly, it all makes sense. Sam is confident that this isn't Y/N, that Y/N is in there somewhere, fighting to be free from whatever demon is possessing her.

I hear my name in Dean's voice from a distance, but I'm surrounded by total darkness. I try so hard with all of my might to tell him I'm here, that it's okay, but the words don't come. Just as it takes all of my strength to open my eyes, but they burn. Everything burns. I don't even try to suppress the scream that bellows out of me. Taking as deep of a breath as I can, I'm scared for myself when it sounds and feels like I'm breathing a water and air mixture. "What's happening?" I manage to say, but Dean puts a finger to my lips. "No, no," he soothes, "no, just don't talk. It's okay," he says so gently, and as he maneuvers me into his lap I cry out in agonizing pain. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he says, then his voice switches into a shaky, fear filled yell for Castiel that hurts my heart almost as much as my wound hurts.

Y/N always felt like she had big shoes to fill, being third born after two boys. She never really formed a bond with John like the eldest Winchester had, despite her best efforts to impress the man. Her next role model was Dean, who became more of a father to her than John ever could be.  Up until her eleventh birthday Dean did her hair into pigtails, partly because he didn’t know how to do any other hair style, but mostly because he thought it was the cutest on her. He’d pack her and Sam’s lunch with snacks he’d bought from vending machines and even pretend to take her on hunts because he knew how eager she was to be just like him.  When she wasn’t learning about monsters and guns with Dean, she was spending her time with Sam. He’d help her with her homework, or play board and card games. They had as much in common as Y/N and Dean, neither Sam nor Y/N got along with John, and neither really knew their mothers. 

Speaking of requests, I'll leave them open for now but I can't promise all will be fulfilled as I try to get my groove. My schedule as I get back into things, I think, will be one fic every other week.

I also updated my master lists and will be posting them later today, to then put them all in one master master list lol

Thank you all for still being here and I hope you like what will be coming out soon :)

Current PermaTags @waywardblueshun @81mysteriouslyme @drakelover78 @soab1967 @shutupandfeedmethings @pollywantacracker666 @sonnierae26 @obsessed5sosfreak @tlovescoffee @hobby27 @cluz1babe @emptycanvasposts @suckmyapplejacks @sigrunsavestheday @flamencodiva

Dean @akshi8278 @squirrelnotsam @laxe-from-outer-space @ellewritesfix05 @cluz1babe @lyarr24 @mrspeacem1nusone @idksupernaturl @fandom-princess-forevermore @stoneyygirl

Sam @fangirlxwritesx67 @tlovescoffee @immafangirlmess @sizekinkshawty