#Danny nicked himself helping out..

[iguessthisisanewobsession]

Dick does not know what he expected trying to sneak a snack from the kitchen before the Thanksgiving dinner.

Maybe Alfred smacking his hand way with a spoon, maybe Jason singing out for tune, maybe his newest brother Danny would help him steal some stuffing.

Not..

“DICK THE DOOR! CLOSE THE DOOR!!”

“HOW THE FUCK?! IT’S A TOFU TURKEY! THERE IS NO BIRD TO BEGIN WITH!!”

“Master Jason! I will allow that slip up for this one occasion! That being said, if could watch your tongue it would be greatly appreciated!”

“Sorry Alfie! Bu-hurk!”

Dick watched at the door as the turkey elbow slammed Jason into a cupboard. The tofu turkey threw a spoon of mash potato as Danny tried to drag little wing out of the line of fire.

He closed the door when he noted Alfred was loading up the shotgun.

He will never understand cooking…

[dcxdpdabbles]

Could you do more cave boy Danny please? I really wanna see what you have in mind for the direction you want the prompt to take 👻

The first thing that registers for Danny is the flouting feeling that he often relates to flying. To him, it always felt like being in the water, perfectly balanced with his arms and legs spread out, letting himself be weightless and left up instead of fighting gravity.

He allows himself to be taken by the sensation. It's not often he can fly just for enjoyment, especially in recent months. The Waynes were far too observant.

It is only when he tries to move into a more comfortable position that he notices the restraint.

Unlike in the water, he does not move slightly up and down with waves so he knows he's not flying in his ghost form. There is nothing that ever hinders him, even if slightly.

This is a different sense of flying.

It's caused by medication.

Danny's eyes snap open, fearing men in white suits, and instead gets a teenager in black and red-leaning his head into his hands. There are no restraints or a containment pod, instead, there are soft warm blankets and a large bed.

There are beeps from machines and a tube inside his arm, tapped to the top of his elbow. He's not sure what is in it but he hopes it to help with his pain and not to....see what his DNA is made of or something.

Thoughts are....hard right now. Like trying to grasp sand but it only slips through his fingers. He is aware but not. Did someone steal his brain? He is usually a much better thinker.

"Brucie!" The red and black teenager grasps, throwing his head up. Danny squints at him, wondering if his black wings are alright. They didn't explain or even react to his movement.

Danny should contact Frostbite. His Yeti can fix up those right up.

"It's a cape" The other laughs but his voice is soft with sadness. Danny squints at him trying to pinpoint why he would be so sad. It might be because he hasn't shifted into a butterfly yet.

"I'm not a butterfly." The other laughs a little more amused.

Danny's eyes widened. Was the teenager a mind reader? That's a scary thought. What if he learned all of Danny's secrets?

"Brucie....who's Danny?"

Nah, Danny wasn't risking it. He was going back to sleep. He had to escape into his dreams that way they would be just as confused by them as he was. He chuckles to himself, knowing that they won't know what to do against the giant green dog that guarded his dreams.

"Goodnight Brucie. Enjoy your green dog"

________________________________________________

Hours later Danny wakes up again but this time he is much more lucid. He glances around the room, eyes flickering over the machine and wires attached to him with little care.

He can recognize the room the Waynes gave him with ease. Everything from the posters he had put up in an attempt to look like an average teenager- even if he did only put up posters of Batman and his crew- to the random nick-nacks he left behind in his escape.

It was a bit bare from when he took everything but it's still the room he called home for a while.

How in the world did he get back to Wayne Manor?

Danny needs to get out now.

Standing up on uneasy legs, he rips out the wires as fast as he can, uncaring of the loud alarms that ring the moment he does. He rushes for the door, vision blurry, having to force all of his will into getting one step and then another.

Danny is forced to take small pauses every now and then because his body simply can't handle moving too fast. His legs shake from the effort it takes to keep him up right but he pushes through anyway.

It's only when he manages to get to the door that he remembers his powers. Danny flexes his abs into a clench that he had come to associate with activating his powers. For a brief second, twin rings of light appear, but they only move z few centimeters before flickering out of sight.

It feels like all his energy fades with with.

Panting, he slides to the floor, his limbs feeling like lead and his head swimming with fog. His head falls to the side slightly, but he can see that the door is right in front of him.

Danny tries to reach for it but all that does is cause him to tumble over. There is a dull ache on his chin and chest, as he lays there on the ground breathing heavily, and small black dots start to appear in his vision.

He is likely going to pass out soon from his core's backlash. Danny can't afford that. Not until he's safely away from the Manor and back in his cave.

How in the world did he even get out of his cave? How did he end up here?

All questions he'll have to answer later.

Planting his forearms before himself and pushing one leg slightly to the side, Danny lifts himself up. He lets his legs relax, making sure they don't drag behind him, as he shifts one arm forward and then another, crawling towards the door in the army crawl his mom should him.

He makes it to the door in what feels like hours but is probably seconds. His hands reach upward to launch onto the door handle with all his strength. to heave it open.

There is a moment of pure unadulterated joy that he was able to get this far when Danny encounters a slight problem. There is a force field right inside the doorway.

He figures this out when he slams into an invisible wall. A startled yelp is ripped from his throat as he stumbles back, blinking owlishly at the flickering force field light that gleams and ripples mockingly at him.

For half a second, he thinks that one of his siblings had pranked him by putting up plastic wrap to have him walk into it.

Except for the man in a brown trench coat who is staring down at him with an open mouth.

"Brucie!" Bruce shouts pushing the stranger out of the way to kneel down. "What happened?"

"He activated my wares to keep out spirits....or in this case keep them in?" Trench coat is staring at Danny with a strange expression. It seems like a cross between intrigued and weary. "What are you?"

"I already told you, this is my counterpart from a different universe," Bruce says helping Danny into a sitting position. "We confirmed it the first night he was here. Both DNA and our multi-universal tests came back positive."

"Batty, I highly doubt you have the technology to test for dimension travelers-"

"I do. I used it on every Flash I have ever come across, every time I see them."

"......I know I call you batty but honestly Batty that's alarming."

Danny's eyes flicker between them before he activates his intangibility. It's an ability that doesn't require his full form, however just as he's starting to slip through Bruce's fingers his legs slam against a similar field just a few inches from the floor.

His knees pop loudly and Danny screeches.

"Brucie!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that. My wards are all around us. I put them up after finding your cave drenched in otherworld energy. Figured I was protecting you not capturing you."

Danny's yanks his legs up, trying to crawl away from the man. Bruce throws an arm in front of him and Danny foolishly presses himself into the older man's back, trying to shield away from the very alarmingly competent Ghost Hunter.

"You leave him alone. He is not a threat. He is just a civilian boy who happens to be a meta" Bruce's voice is low and dangerous. Danny has never heard him speak like that, even while dressed as Batman.

"Batty, whatever that is, it is certainly not a civilian let alone a boy. The amount of will it took just to keep my wards up by him hitting against them by accident is nothing to sneeze at." Trench Coat insists, pulling out a stone with a strange marking on it. Danny squints at the symbols and then gasps when he recognizes them.

ᛙᛁ⸜⸍ˎ⸜ᛍ╵╮ˎ◟ᛍ╵

It's Fenton Works spelled out in runes, medieval runes to be exact. Danny knows because Jazz and he had a bonding phase where they translated the family name and business. They would carve the symbols into hundreds of wood plates, to bond with their aunt.

"Yeah, even the Witch Boy flinched at this seal." The man smirks, holding out the plat as if he were warding off a spirit. Danny cowers more behind Bruce."You have no idea what I had to trade to get this"

"What the hell are you doing?" Tim's voice cuts through the tension. He is standing in the doorway, arms crossed and face dark. Behind him are the rest of the Waynes. None of them are looking friendly.

"Constantine." Bruce growls. "You are on thin ice. Backdown. Now".

"Not to be disrespectful Batty, but that thing is-"

"His name is Bruce Wayne, You will do well to remember it. " Damian cuts in. The blond man holding- his own carving?- tilts his head.

"But that's not your name is it?" He asks Danny, who swallows. He presses closer to Bruce and watches the Waynes slowly circle Constantine. It's obvious they are about to jump him and Danny-

Danny realized that he may have tried to run but that obviously wasn't going to work. He couldn't hide either, because they found him.

He needed to come clean.

"Wait." He says, his voice stilling the room in a way that only those with complete control. He scoots to the right leaving Bruce's protection. "Wait. He's right. I'm not Bruce Wayne. My name is Danny Fenton. I've been lying to you all. I'm sorry."

"Fenton?" Constantine repeats confused but he doesn't get to continue because Bruce pulls him back behind him.

"You aren't lying. We knew you had a different name, you're still my counterpart."

What.

"Yeah Danny, we kind of knew from day one that you were a version of Bruce even if it was under a different name" Dick laughs. "You told Tim your real name a few days ago as well as your universe coordinates. We already confirmed its location and Tim is working on a ship for you."

What

"We knew. You Bruce." Cass says looking right at Danny. "We since the day we found you."

That's....not right at all.

"No. I'm Danny Fenton. I'm not a version of Bruce. I can prove it!" He shouts, throwing his hand on Bruce's back. He makes his core glow, knowing no two people could ever have the same one unless they are variants of timelines.

That's why Dani's core won't glow with him but Dan will.

Constantine nods his head "A core glow test. That will prove that you aren't Bruce and are something that's pretending to be him. Claiming to be part of the King's family is also a bold claim."

"Look ma I never claim to be part of some King's family I only-"

Twin blue and green glows burst from Danny's and Bruce's chest and Danny's words die on his tongue. Constantine drops his hand in shock.

"See? You are Brucie!" Dick laughs as if he hadn't just shattered Danny's entire world viewpoint. He could only gape at the group of people before Bruce placed a hand on his head.

"I'm sorry. If I had known you knew where your world was located we would have gotten you home to your parents weeks ago. You must have been so scared. Don't worry. We'll have you home soon."

Again and with great feeling, he will say what!?

[ginnsbaker]

fic: if i bleed (you'll be the last to know) (6/?)

Part summary: "You like Leigh, and that should be that. It shouldn't stop your world from turning, but it does."

Pairing: Leigh Shaw x Fem!Reader | Word count for this part: 5.520 | Warnings/Tags Unrequited feelings and pining | Author's Note: Thank you so much for the warm reception to this story :) I can't promise that this is the last bump in the road.

Masterlist | Part I Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Next part

-

“Thanks for meeting me.”

You came in early, already nursing a Mai Tai, having decided that facing this conversation sober wasn’t an option. The alcohol doesn’t make the situation any less twisted, but it dulls the edge of frustration just enough to keep you seated. 

“Let’s get right to it,” you start, not bothering with pleasantries as you take another swig. “Danny.”

He winces slightly at you calling him by his real name, a telling sign of guilt or maybe just discomfort. It’s hard to tell. “Yeah, about that—”

You're not here for the runaround. Hence, the Mai Tai and the vodka that came before it.

“Look, Nick, or Danny, or whoever you are today. I just need some answers—”

“And I’ll give them to you if you promise me one thing.”

You raise an eyebrow, utterly flabbergasted by his nerve. “I'm not here to make any deals,” you state flatly. “I'm here for answers that I believe Matt owes me. And since he’s dead,” you say, not shying away from stating the grim reality in his face, “and you're in on Matt's little game, you owe me too.”

Danny looks like he doesn't want to challenge you on that; in fact, he looks downright worried.

“Please,” he implores. “This is important to me.”

Your eyes narrow in suspicion. Why is he suddenly acting like a dog with its tail tucked between his quivering legs?

“Okay, what is it?” you ask, signaling the bartender for another drink. Danny orders a drink for himself—a shot of whiskey. That's when you realize things are likely to get even crazier for you before they start to improve.

“It’s Leigh,” Danny says, and something in the way he mentions her name lets you know he's sincere about how important this is to him. “She doesn't know the half of it. She doesn't know I’m Nick, or that I helped Matt to... to be with you.”

You blink several times, rapidly, trying to clear the little haze in your head because you can’t believe what you’re hearing. He's asking you to keep a secret. 

After he lied to you.

“And what, if I tell her you pretended to be someone else and helped her husband cheat on her, then what? She's—” you stop mid-sentence, the pieces suddenly clicking together in your mind. Danny doesn't want you to rat him out for being Nick, about his direct involvement in Matt's cheating, because he's… with Leigh? 

They’re together?

As if he's tuned into your thoughts, Danny confirms your hunch. “I love Leigh. I think I always have. And if you tell her this, it's going to be the end of us.”

The first thing you feel is this urge to be all possessive about Leigh, coalesced with a sour taste in your mouth knowing someone else got there first. Except, you know Leigh would never look at you like that. So, it embitters you even more admitting you shouldn't be feeling this way at all.

You take a long sip of your newly arrived drink, buying time to think. Telling Leigh is supposedly the right thing to do, but it could also destroy whatever happiness she's found with Danny.

But is she though? Is she happy with Danny? 

“So let me get this straight,” you say, the alcohol lending you a blunt courage. “You orchestrated this whole scenario—Matt meeting someone else—just so you could break him and Leigh up? You love her so much you'd do that to your friend?”

Danny looks even more defeated—as he should when he reveals, “Matt's not just some friend. He's my brother.”

You're midway through a sip of water when the words hit you, and you nearly choke on it, barely stopping yourself from spitting the water out.

“You’re despicable! And to think that—”

“But I didn’t orchestrate anything, okay? Do you think I’m some kind of god, picking you randomly to throw at Matt? You guys really met and fell for each other by chance. I had nothing to do with both of your feelings.”

You scoff, incredulous. There's no way you're going to believe anything he says next. You just can't.

“So, your big plan was what? Just to hang back and hope to catch Leigh on the rebound?” you say defiantly. 

The look he gives you, and the fact that he’s not outright denying it—

“Look,” he drones, raising a hand as if to temper your barrage of questions. “There was no plan, all right? Matt met you, and he just couldn't shake you off his mind. It was all him. And yeah, it was merely chance he saw you again, going into your clinic that afternoon. He told me about it, and I went with him to talk to you because he asked me to. I was just as thrown when he introduced me as ‘Nick’.”

You're skeptical, to say the least. “Why would Matt do that? Why go through all that trouble?”

Danny shrugs. “I’m not sure, but I went along with it. Probably because deep down, Matt knew what he was doing wasn’t right. Maybe he felt guilty, or maybe he wanted to be someone else in that moment, someone who wasn't Matt Greer with a brother named Danny, who was at his wedding to Leigh Shaw. I don’t know. I mean, I know my brother, but that doesn’t mean I understand all his reasons.”

A sick part of you can't help but feel less sorry about Matt's demise. It's a disgusting thought, harboring anything less than sympathy for someone who's gone, yet you can’t feel anything but enmity for being duped. Not just by one, but two people who played you for a fool.

“God, what a mess,” you mutter, shaking your head. No amount of alcohol could’ve prepared you for this. 

And then another thought occurs to you.

“You were the one who told Leigh about me and Matt, weren't you?”

Danny doesn't respond immediately, his gaze dropping to his lap. 

“And you did it... to get Leigh for yourself. To make her hate Matt, hoping she'd turn to you,” you piece it together, one after another.

“No,” he counters quickly. You smirk into your cocktail, as if you've just heard the punchline of a joke.

Danny looks up, his dark eyes earnest, almost pleading for you to understand. “I didn't tell Leigh about you and Matt because I wanted to ‘have’ her. That... that wasn't it. That thought came much later, and honestly, only after Leigh started... showing interest in me. I never pursued her, not after Matt died. I kept my distance, respected her grief. I loved her quietly, without ever letting on.”

You look away, knowing a thing or two about loving someone in the shadows.

“I told Leigh because if she was going to mourn Matt, she deserved to know the full truth about who she was mourning. Matt wasn't just the loving husband she thought he was, and she had the right to know that,” he finishes.

You shake your head, dismissing his attempt to appear noble by betraying his own brother and tarnishing Leigh's memory of him. It just doesn't sit right to you, using someone's absence to get ahead. Matt's not here to tell his side, to explain things. His only defense being crumbs of himself he left behind like those texts Leigh stumbled upon on Danny's phone.

With a tad of vendetta in your words, you turn Danny’s reasoning against him. 

“Then Leigh deserves to know about you too. About how you were a willing participant in Matt’s deception and helped him pull one over on her,” you tell him, not missing the shock that flickers across his face. “She deserves the truth if she’s going to be with you. Not just your cleaned-up version where you come out looking like the good guy.”

Danny's face goes a shade paler, and for a second, he looks like he's about to argue, but then nothing. He just sits there, kind of deflated, like he's finally realizing the predicament he's in isn't just going to disappear.

You've had enough of his excuses and signal the bartender for the bill. As you pull out your wallet, Danny finds a bit of his backbone again.

“It'll be your word against mine,” he laments, twirling the ice in his glass leisurely. “Me and Leigh, we've known each other for years. Who do you think she'll believe? Because from what I understand, Leigh caught you in a lie too. She doesn't trust you. So good luck trying to ruin our happiness just because you can.”

His challenge makes you bristle, but you square your shoulders, meeting his gaze dead-on. “Do you think Leigh loved Matt?” you ask. 

Danny looks momentarily unsettled by your question, as if it's the last thing he expected from you. But then, without hesitation, he answers, “Yes.”

“Yeah, she would've stuck by Matt, even knowing everything,” Danny continues. “She'd convince him they could start over. Leigh loved... loves Matt so much,” he corrects himself, a bitter smile on his lips as he admits, “I envied my brother for that.”

The bartender slides the bill over, and you hand off your credit card without even a second look, thoroughly pleased with how Danny’s response has played right into your hands. Once you’re done paying for your drinks, you turn back to Danny.

“You latched onto the idea of me and Matt right away, not knowing if I’m going to love Matt the way Leigh loved him, or even more. But you didn’t care,” you say evenly. “All you saw was an opportunity to get the woman for yourself. You’re selfish.”

Danny’s quick to defend himself this time. “You wouldn't say that if you were in my shoes,” he shoots back. “I love both of them. I wanted Matt to be happy, and he wasn't anymore, not with Leigh.”

“And you were more than happy to nudge him away from his wife, thinking that'd fix everything?” you counter sharply.

He squirms in his seat, looking like he’s run out of excuses. He can’t find the words that’ll make you see his side of things. It also dawns on you that he’ll never see your point either.

After a tense silence, he asks, “Are you going to tell Leigh?”

You stand up and let out a heavy sigh. “Honestly? I don't even know if Leigh wants anything to do with me anymore.” Just as you’re about to leave, something compels you to throw Danny a lifeline and you swivel on your heel to give him one last thing to think about.

“If this thing you have with Leigh is real, don’t let her find out about the skeletons in your closet from someone else. It's better coming from you.”

Walking away, you can’t shake off the regret of not taking your own advice, more than you’d normally like to admit.

-

Suzie's been on edge about how you've been acting lately. She's always on the dot with your meals, but you barely give them a glance before packing them up and handing them off to homeless people on the street who need them more. Your days have blurred into a continuous loop at the clinic, skipping breaks, and hovering around even when it's technically Foreman's shift to take the lead.

Today, Suzie's hit her limit watching you mope and brood in your office's corner. Without a word of warning, she marches in with a bottle of red and two glasses. You’re startled, feeling somewhat cornered, as she locks the office door behind her. Ignoring your shock, Suzie starts pouring a generous glass of wine for you, filling it right to the brim.

“Alright, out with it,” she orders, pushing a full glass your way. 

Your gaze sweeps the room, looking for a way out. “Suzie, I don’t think it’s—” Yes, you own the place. But owning it doesn't mean you're about to bend your own rules about drinking on the job.

“Let's drink it out, girlie.” She sets her own glass down, already filled, and takes a seat.  Last time I saw you like this, your team lost the Superbowl. And let's be real, the only other thing that had you this down before was that Matt guy ghosting you.”

You eye the glass of wine, your mouth feeling very dry all of a sudden. “What about the patients waiting outside?”

“Foreman's on it, as long as we save him some for later. I said we would, but let's be honest, this bottle isn't really enough for two,” Suzie says, giving you a wink. 

You let out a sigh, your fingers instinctively inching towards your glass, yet you stop short of actually grabbing it. You're usually the vault, not the one doing the talking. You absorb everyone else's life stories, nod sympathetically, and maybe offer advice on occasion. The only reason Suzie even caught wind of the whole Matt situation is because he made his interest too obvious—showing up at the clinic multiple times with flowers, chocolates, books, and all those little things he discovered you couldn't resist. It wasn't so much you telling her, as it was Matt's grand gestures speaking volumes, making it impossible for anyone, especially Suzie, not to notice.

Taking a deep breath, you realize maybe it's time to open up to someone, to share the absurdity of your situation with someone who might just understand—someone who, at the very least, also likes women.

“Okay, so here's the thing... I've got this weird crush,” you say, letting that sit for a moment, partly because you're still wrapping your head around it, partly because you still can’t believe it. You can't pinpoint exactly when you started tumbling down a rabbit hole from which there was no climbing back out. 

“On Matt's wife.”

Suzie's reaction is as you expected—her eyes go wide, her mouth drops, and the wine glass she's holding almost slips from her grasp. “You what?” she gasps, looking at you like you've grown a second head. “How in the world do you end up falling for your ex's wife?”

You never said anything about falling. But you suppose that's how it looks, given how much you've been out of sorts ever since Leigh called you a liar.

-

Sitting in your car across from Leigh's house, you feel like some sort of stalker. You tell yourself this is a one-off, not a habit you're planning to develop. Though, if you don't catch her tonight, you'll likely be back here tomorrow, or the day after. 

After that wine-fueled heart-to-heart with Suzie, you left the clinic with a buzz and her words echoing inside your head: Just walk up to Leigh and say you were an ass and that you're sorry. And here you are, taking her advice a bit too literally and too soon.

It's getting late, and you've been watching Leigh's front door as if it might sprout legs and run away. You're semi-drunk, definitely not in the best state for making apologies, but Suzie's pep talk has convinced you that you need to do this, and now. “This is a terrible idea,” you mumble to yourself, checking your phone again to see if, by some miracle, Leigh has responded to one of your texts. Still nothing.

Just as you're starting to question your sanity and consider driving home, you finally spot Leigh’s car turning the corner. Your heart starts doing somersaults, threatening to beat its way out of your chest as the car pulls into the driveway. But as the car parks and the door swings open, your hopeful anticipation crashes hard into disappointment. It's not Leigh stepping out onto the curb; it's Jules. So, it's a family car, and today, of all days, you didn't get the driver you were hoping for. 

A headache begins to brew as you scold yourself for even showing up here. “What am I even doing?” you mutter under your breath, rubbing your temples as if that could erase the last few hours. Leigh might be at Danny's for all you know, making this stakeout even more pointless.

In those few seconds of self-berating, you're completely oblivious to Jules spotting you from the sidewalk. So, when she taps on your side of the window, you nearly jump out of your skin, hand shaking as you roll it down to face her.

“Hi,” she says simply. She’s smiling, like she knows something you don’t.

“I'm not a stalker,” you say defensively. “I'm just…” An idiot.

You weren’t aware you said the last part aloud until Jules chuckles. “Well, at least you’re an honest idiot. You waiting for Leigh?”

“I was, but... I'll just go,” you stammer, ready to make a retreat and save what little dignity you have left.

“You won't get anywhere far on those flat tires though,” Jules comments offhandedly, nodding towards the back of your car.

“Flat tires?”

You quickly unbuckle your seatbelt to check. Sure enough, when you step out and circle to the back, both of your rear tires are depressingly flat, deflated against the pavement. 

“Great,” you groan, raking your fingers through your hair and tugging in frustration. “Just my luck.”

You’re not drunk enough to find the situation funny, nor sober enough to deal with flat tires.

“Maybe you should call a tow or something and wait inside the house until they get here,” Jules suggests. 

“My phone’s dead,” you say in response.

“No problem, I can call them for you.”

You're chewing over the thought, when your stomach decides to join the conversation with a loud rumble. 

Jules grins and adds, “Plus, I've got pizza.” The thought of waiting it out with the comfort of food suddenly makes the idea of intruding a lot less unappealing.

-

“Why do you even like my sister?”

You're mid-bite on your first slice when Jules launches that question out of the blue and you nearly choke on your own spit. Crumbs dust your fingers as you set the slice down, buying yourself a moment to think. It's not like you've never asked yourself the same question. It's just that the answer doesn't make any more sense to you either.

“She, uh, has a way of making an impression. Mostly, I appreciate her candor—”

“You find her bitchiness… endearing?” 

You’re stunned by the way she frames it, but it also makes you smile, recognizing the blunt honesty in her words—something that apparently runs in the family. You guess Jules could say that. Leigh’s sour attitude offended you one time, and then you heard her laugh and saw her smile, and it’s as if the sun never set for you. 

“Her... directness is refreshing. In a world full of people trying to sugarcoat everything, Leigh just says it like it is. And yes, it can come off a bit strong, but there's something genuine about it. Plus, she's incredibly passionate about what she believes in. She has this authenticity that’s rare to find nowadays.”

Formidable. You think of the perfect adjective to describe it a tad too late, but you keep it to yourself, thinking you’ve gushed enough about her sister.

“Is that the alcohol talking or do you like, like Leigh?”

It's one thing to harbor a secret crush, quite another to have it recognized and named by someone else, especially Leigh's family. “I don’t—”

“I thought I caught a whiff of red on your breath out there on the street. Here, drink more water,” Jules says, pouring you a tall glass. “I’d offer you a beer but we stopped having those around here because I’m seven months sober.”

“Oh. Congratulations,” you say.

“Thanks.”

She seems to have moved on from her question, getting busy on her phone a moment later, but you haven't, and it leaves you feeling spotlighted in a way you weren't prepared for. “I, um…” You're scrambling for the right terms, something to deflect but not deny. Because the more you've denied it, the more your feelings have grown.

Determined to see you continue to squirm at the kitchen bar, Jules starts talking about Leigh almost casually, as though she's discussing something as mundane as the weather.

“You know, Leigh had a girlfriend in college, before Matt, of course. So, you don't have to worry about her not being interested in girls,” she says, her eyes not leaving her phone screen.

“She did?” 

By this time, you're not even sure if Jules is just pulling your leg, and you're baffled as to why she's sharing details about Leigh that Leigh herself probably wouldn't tell you outright.

“Yeah, she was totally into her, just like she was with Matt. Then, out of nowhere just tossed her aside like that,” Jules snaps her fingers, “she completely cut her off. They had been together for two years, and she didn’t shed a single tear over the breakup. So, maybe that's what you should be worrying about,” Jules says, putting her phone facedown on the table. 

The pizza suddenly looks less appetizing as you stew over this. It's one thing to worry about whether Leigh could reciprocate your feelings; it's another to consider that even if she did, there’s the reality that it might not go down the way you hope it would, given the chance. 

You've always been told you're too much of a dreamer to be a doctor. That became even more apparent when they saw you couldn't help but cry alongside pet owners every time a pet didn't make it or when you had to make that tough call for mercy's sake. You've been in relationships before; after all, you're twenty-eight years old. But you've always treated them like free trials, never getting too serious, especially during those times when you couldn't stay in the same zip code for more than a few weeks. Then, the moment you decide it's time to plant roots, your concept of romance skyrockets to something out of a fairy tale, something as grand as the universe conspiring to unite two souls, forever. It’s how it happened for your parents, being each other’s first loves. You figured, the same should happen for you.

You like Leigh, and that should be that. It shouldn't stop your world from turning, but it does.

“Liking Leigh is moot,” you say after some time. “It’s a bad idea from the start.”

Jules tilts her head. “Why is that?”

You let out a sigh, fiddling with the bracelet on your right wrist. “It’s just... there’s something between Leigh and Danny, right? And it doesn’t usually end up with the mistress and the wife together. Besides, Leigh hates me right now. Most obvious reason being that I stole Matt from her before he... before he was gone for good.”

Jules hums thoughtfully. “Sounds like you've been doing a lot of thinking.”

“It's all I've been able to do since I met her,” you say.

Jules glances at the slice of pizza on your plate, now cold and forgotten. “You gonna eat that?” she asks, nodding towards the lonely piece.

You shake your head, sliding the plate her way. “Good,” Jules responds with a grin. “I'll save this slice for Leigh, then.”

Your ears perk up at that. “You’re expecting her home?”

“Yeah, any minute now. She texted a bit ago saying she was on her way. Plus, she's not working too far from here today.”

“Oh? Where's she at?”

Jules is just about to answer when the front door swings open, revealing Leigh as she hurries inside, her eyes quickly finding yours. There's no mistaking it—she's seen your car. She throws you a pointed look as she heads upstairs, her message clear without saying a word. Then, she murmurs a quick, “We'll talk about this later,” to Jules, who simply snorts in response and starts tidying up the dining table.

The sound of Leigh slamming the door prompts you to rise from your chair, but it's clear you have no plan. Should you go after Leigh? It's precisely why you came here, but now, the wine's effects have faded. Your feet are getting cold.

“You're wrong, you know,” Jules drones, her back to you as she wets a towel under the sink. “About Leigh and Danny.”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugs. “I think she's with Danny as a form of revenge.”

You stare at her back, confused. “For Matt cheating on her?”

“Exactly. Matt was aware of Danny's feelings for Leigh. I knew about it, Leigh knew, and that's partially why she had such a strong dislike for him before she began to... well, you know,” Jules explains, her expression contorting slightly in distaste. “It's kind of absurd when you think about it, especially since Matt's no longer here. But Leigh holds onto her beliefs in the afterlife, so it's like she's putting on a performance for Matt's spirit or something.”

You look up at the ceiling, as if expecting to see through the hardwood floors. “And you're telling me this because...?”

“Because you've given up already,” Jules states matter-of-factly.

You're confused. “So, you don't approve of someone you've known for years, but you're okay with the idea of me, Matt's other woman, being interested in Leigh?”

Jules just shrugs again. “It's weird. Scandalous, even. Something none of us saw coming.”

(In your head, you wonder, ‘Who's ‘us’?')

“But when Leigh was hanging out with you, when you were attending her class, she wasn't with Danny much, I think,” Jules goes on. “And that’s enough for me.”

“You don’t even know me,” you argue weakly. Inside, you're kind of doing cartwheels because Jules doesn't seem to mind that you're into Leigh. Somehow, that feels like a win.

“I know Danny well enough. I've got nothing against him personally, but he somehow manages to bring out the worst in Leigh. My sister was… agreeable when you were around. She actually talked about you, even mentioned she thinks you've got gorgeous brown eyes.”

“She does?”

Jules cracks up, noticing your cheeks go pink. “Oh, absolutely. And I've got to say, seeing those eyes up close—they're kind of striking. Annoyingly so, even.”

Her tease draws a reluctant smile from you, a swarm of butterflies doing somersaults in your stomach. It's comforting to know that there's at least something about you that Leigh notices.

“I should talk to her,” you say with resolve. 

“Yeah, you should,” Jules nods, her laughter settling into a warm smile. “I'm not playing Cupid or anything, but I think I like you, Y/N. Leigh could use someone like you around. Most people just back off when her less charming side shows up. When she’s intolerable. I've done it too, sometimes. But I can't really leave her hanging because, you know, she's family and I love her, so…”

Hearing Jules say those things about Leigh transforms her from someone intimidating into someone truly worth sticking around for. And if your feelings eventually lead nowhere and quietly fade over time, then at least you could be the kind of friend to her who doesn't run at the first sign of trouble.

“Jules?” you say, stopping at the foot of the staircase.

“Yeah?”

“I think I like you too.”

-

Approaching quietly, you've left your shoes by the stairs, the cool floor under your bare feet making you feel all the more vulnerable. Jules had given you directions to Leigh's bedroom—right at the end of the hallway. Downstairs, you hear the murmur of the TV; Jules has turned up the volume, probably more to give you and Leigh some semblance of privacy than for her own viewing pleasure.

When you reach Leigh's door, panic floods back in. You keep swallowing, but it's like the desert in your mouth won't let up. “I got this,” you mutter under your breath, trying to psych yourself up. You lean in, ear against the door, trying to pick up any sound. It's silent until you catch the ping of a laptop, followed by fingers typing away noisily. She might be at her desk, probably by the window, or maybe lying in some awkward, back-breaking position on her bed. Knowing she's awake strips away your last excuse to back down. You lift your hand, pause for a split second, then tap lightly on the door. Your heart's pounding so loud, you're half-convinced Leigh can hear it from the other side. 

“Leigh?” 

No answer.

“It’s me,” you say a little louder. “Can we talk?”

She doesn’t answer. 

You don't want to push her into a corner, to demand her to open up when she's clearly not ready. But walking away without laying your feelings out isn't an option either. With a heavy sigh, you slide down until you're seated on the floor, back against her door. It's a small surrender, but it doesn't feel like defeat. Not yet.

“I know you can hear me,” you say, your voice steadier than you feel. “It's okay if you don't want to talk. Really, it is. But there's just something I need you to know.”

You take a deep breath before the plunge. Here we go.

“Look, you were right,” you start, whispering almost, as if you're sharing a secret with the wood of the door itself. “I did downplay what Matt and I had when you asked me. But, to be completely honest, I didn't even realize I was doing it at the time.” You run your finger along the wood grain of the door, savoring the texture against your skin. Unknown to you, Leigh is on the other side, sitting with her back pressed against the same spot, hugging her knees to her chest.

“By the time you came to me, I hadn't heard from Matt in three months. I was... sober from him, and whatever we had felt like a distant dream. I can’t recall the specifics, just that it was... nice. And maybe intense at the moment, but looking back, it was more about lust and similarities than anything.”

Slowly, you lean your head against the door, closing your eyes as you continue, “I'm not telling you this to make excuses for myself. I don't want to justify the deceit. I just... I need you to understand that any impact he had on me was gone long before you and I met.”

Opening your eyes, you glance down at the space under the door, hoping to see a shadow, a sign that Leigh is right there, listening. She is, but you miss it. The hallway is dark and there’s little to no light coming from Leigh’s bedroom. 

You keep talking, now more for yourself than for her. “If there was something real between Matt and me, it wouldn't have vanished so effortlessly. And he... he likely wouldn't have just vanished either, leaving me in the dark without any explanation.”

The door flies open suddenly just as you finish your thought. With no time to react, you're sent tumbling backwards, landing with a thud on the floor. The shock of the fall momentarily stuns you, but it's the sight of Leigh, upturned, that really takes your breath away. Her eyes are hard, her expression unreadable, but it's clear she's been listening to every word.

“You could've mentioned he slept over at your place. Not having sex with him that night didn't mean it was a dismissible detail,” Leigh says, her voice thick. “Do you know how intimate it is to sleep at someone's house and not have sex? To just be there, for the sake of being there?”

You're on the ground, staring up at her. You know it now. Dressing her wounds, that was intimate. Her hand correcting your posture during yoga, that too was intimate. Sharing burgers in the car, intimate.

Whenever you do anything, or find yourself somewhere, just for the chance to be with someone—that's intimacy right there.

“I—I don’t know why I didn’t tell you,” you say. You silently promise to her that lying about your feelings for her will be the last lie you ever tell her.

“You don’t know?” Leigh sneers. “Then think!”

You push yourself into a sitting position, unsure if you should get inside her bedroom or inch back outside. In this position, you're acutely aware of the power imbalance—her standing, you on the floor. It compels you to admit some of your truth.

“I didn't want to cause you any more pain than I already have,” you say softly. “Which is funny because my very existence is likely a constant reminder of that pain.”

Something shifts in the air. You’re the first to look away and you end up just waiting for Leigh to kick you out for good. But she doesn't do what you brace for. Getting a read on her has always been like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands, and it feels like it always will be.

Slowly, Leigh extends a hand to help you up. You take it, feeling the cool dampness of her skin. 

Just as she’s about to shut the door again, she stops short, locks her eyes with you, and says,  “I can handle pain just fine.”

[p1nkprincess444]

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ - ʀᴏʀʏ ᴄᴜʟᴋɪɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ₊ ⊹ . ݁˖

honestly dunno how I feel about this one {lemme know if you guys liked it!}

word count: 783

contents: 18+

ᡣ𐭩 Clyde (Electrick Children)

ꔫ  Clyde shaves maybe twice a month just so maintenance doesn’t become too tedious. His cock has a few visible veins trailing up and down along his shaft but it’s practically a completely smooth surface. He has an astonishingly wide girth which helps to add to his size. Clyde is definitely a grower and I’d say he’s probably 5-6 inches, but he definitely knows how to make it feel like more.

{Clyde is circumcised}

ᡣ𐭩 Charlie Walker 

ꔫ Charlie shaves weekly, he just prefers the clean shaved look, what can he say? Charlie’s cock has veins running up and down his shaft, and he loves when you trace them with your fingers. His cock isn’t nearly as girthy as Clyde’s is but he makes up for it in his length. Charlie is partially a grower; he's about 5 inches when soft but grows to 7 when he’s hard.

{Charlie is circumcised}

ᡣ𐭩 Clay Roach

ꔫ Clay being an addict struggles with his hygiene, he shaves maybe once every couple months. Clay's cock is about 6 inches when hard and extremely girthy, almost painfully so. Even if you’ve had sex with him multiple times it still stretches you open. Clay’s cock has a slight curve to it as well which always effortlessly hits the perfect spot inside of you. He is definitely a grower just like Clyde.

{Clay is not circumcised}

ᡣ𐭩 Possum (Welcome to Willits)

ꔫ possum does not shave often, when he does shave he always ends up nicking his skin. Possum is on the smaller side of 4 inches. His cock is almost cute in a way, it’s smooth and has a slight thickness to it. Possum is definitely a grower even though he doesn’t have much to show. 

{Possum is not circumcised}

ᡣ𐭩 Euronymous (Lords of Chaos)

ꔫ Euro shaves once a month at the end of every month, he doesn’t mind when his hair grows out too much. He has a lot to show for himself, his cock is so girthy your hand can’t fully wrap around it. His cock is average length though about 6 inches 6.5 on a good day. His shaft is covered in long thick veins that almost visibly pulse when you stroke his cock. Euro is definitely a shower and he’s definitely proud of the fact.

{Euro is not circumcised}

ᡣ𐭩 Jack Thurlow

ꔫ Jack shaves every time he showers, he doesn’t like the feeling of growing out his hair. His cock is almost completely smooth except for a few thick veins that line the sides and under shaft. Jack’s cock is 7 almost 8 inches with a wide girth. He loved how you always let out a soft whimper as he pushed the last few inches of himself in. Jack is a grower who is maybe 4 inches when soft.

{Jack is circumcised}

ᡣ𐭩 Kappa (Black Mirror)

ꔫ Kappa has never shaved once in his life. He doesn’t care that he’s so unkept down there because he’s so confident about his size. Kappa is around 8 inches pushing 9, he has a sharp curve to his cock that makes his first time fucking you a bit painful. Kappa is a shower which can be annoying at times because of his massive size.

{Kappa is not circumcised}

ᡣ𐭩 Danny Cooper

ꔫ Dan shaves every time he showers just like jack, it just seems more tedious for him to not shave. Dan is slightly below average; he is around 5.5 inches when he’s hard with a small curve to his shaft. Dan is a little shy about his cock the first time you sleep with him but you quickly disprove all his insecurities later that night. 

{Dan is circumcised}

ᡣ𐭩 Tyler (The Expecting)

ꔫ Tyler’s cock is unique to say the least… He fortunately does not grow hair down there but if he did he would keep it clean shaven. His cock is almost tentacled shaped with a blue-ish green color to it. At the tip of his cock it's quite slender but it gets wider and thicker as you reach the base. His cock doesn’t have a specific length; it goes just as deep as you can take him. 

{Bro has nothing to circumcise}

ᡣ𐭩 Mike (5lbs of Pressure)

ꔫ Mike keeps himself trimmed, he doesn’t love the clean shaved look so he just trims himself up every couple weeks. His cock is nothing to be ashamed of; he's around 6- 7 inches and very girthy accompanied by a few thick veins that line his cock. Mike is definitely a shower as well, he starts out around 3 inches but is rock solid a few moments later.

{Mike is not circumcised}

[schumachersricciardo]

Shiver

Chapter Three - You Came, You Called

♡ Mick Schumacher x Reader, Best friend!Danny Ricc x reader

♡ TW: Swearing, inaccurate timeline of F1/F2/F3, NOT CURRENT/ACCURATE representation of 2024 Grid, badly translated German using Google, HEAVY ANGST, hurt, inebriation via alcohol, talking about being drunk, MENTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE, not proofread, a lot of crying, arguing, yelling, etc. idk i think i got everything

♡ She/Her pronouns are used, nothing descriptive about reader except that her hair is long enough to pull back into a ponytail or braid, no reader insert, timeline skips. ALSO: WARNING!!!! I will barely be mentioning Michael Schumacher. I do not presume to know what he is thinking, or would say in these fictional scenarios. I am trying to be respectful of their privacy and not make any assumptions!!!!!! He will be mentioned here and there, but I do not believe any dialogue will be associated with him. If you do not like that, then do not read it. :)

♡ 4k words

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

based on the song “you should probably leave” by chris stapleton

There was something about being in the Mercedes paddock during a dominating season. Lewis Hamilton was consistently winning races, and Mick was consistently scoring points. Nick hadn’t gotten a podium yet, but you had a gut feeling that he was due soon and by soon, you really felt it was going to be this race.

It was the Miami Grand Prix (GP) and there were rumors everywhere about this GP being the GP that Mick will get onto the podium. He qualified P4, and Lewis was going to be starting from the pole position. You were clad in your Mercedes gear, prepared to watch the race from the comfort of your own team’s garage. You didn’t have your own Formula Two race this weekend, so naturally you were asked (more like demanded) to show up and support your teammates. And of course, you had no objections.

The race continued on, and you remained watchful as you sat in the garage. Lewis was easily defending his first place finish, while Mick struggled to get past Checo Perez in front of him. You couldn’t lie either - You desperately wanted Mick to overtake him and take the podium. He had worked so hard to make sure that he made a name for himself, and that his efforts and success were his. You couldn’t imagine the pressure he was under as he carried the legendary last name, while continually also having to defend it. Who were you? You weren’t anybody. Sure, you were the first female reserve driver (ever) for Mercedes, and had fought tooth and nail for where you were today… But you didn’t have any added pressure, or expectation set by literally every single person and their mothers in motorsports. You were just you. And the just you was watching with bated breath as Mick fought for a spot on the podium.

“SCHUMACHER TRYING HIS HARDEST TO OVERTAKE PEREZ”

“PEREZ IN THE RED BULL IS NOT GIVING UP”

“SCHUMACHER IS DOING HIS BEST TO INTIMIDATE THE RED BULL IN FRONT OF HIM”

“PEREZ SEEMS TO BE HOLDING HIM OFF FOR NOW”

“PRESSURE FROM SCHUMACHER SEEMS TO BE GETTING TO PEREZ”

“CAN SCHUMACHER OVERTAKE THE RED BULL ON THIS NEXT TURN?”

“IT LOOKS LIKE…”

“PEREZ REALLY HAS NO OTHER CHOICE…”

“AND SCHUMACHER OVERTAKES PEREZ COMING OUT OF TURN 11 - SECURING HIS THIRD PLACE”

The Mercedes garage was going absolutely mad. There were cheers and applause everywhere you looked and listened. You couldn’t help but join into the celebrations yourself. You excitedly punched the air, a grin taking over your entire face. The camera panned to you as you were caught doing a celebratory mini-dance, but you certainly couldn’t care less. If anyone deserved this, it was Mick.

After things seemed to calm down, the garage realized there were still fifteen laps to go. Lewis was still leading, and Daniel Ricciardo was doing his best to close into Hamilton.

You had gotten quite close to Daniel in the last few months. He was sunshine personified, and for some reason… People like that always seemed to navigate their way towards you. You loved his accent, and the lightheartedness he brought to such a demanding sport. He was truly like the older brother you desperately wish you still had. It was bittersweet, really. There were so many of your brother’s qualities you saw in Daniel. The passing and fainting good memories you had of your brother were so similiar to the great memories you were currently making with Daniel that you honestly wanted to make sure you saved them for a rainy day.

“RICCIARDO SEEMS TO BE HAVING AN ISSUE FENDING OFF SCHUMACHER”

“MUCH LIKE THIS FATHER BEFORE HIM, SCHUMACHER IS SHOWING SOME OF THE BEST, MOST SKILLED, BUT ABSOLUTELY RELENTLESS DRIVING TODAY”

“COULD SCHUMACHER POSSIBLY OVERTAKE RICCIARDO AS WELL IN THE LAST TEN LAPS?”

“SCHUMACHER - PRESSING RICCIARDO AS THEY MAKE THEIR ROUNDS COMING INTO LAP EIGHT…”

“RICCIARDO IS DOING HIS BEST TO WATCH THOSE CORNERS”

“SCHUMACHER IS DRIVING THE BEST HE HAS EVER TODAY”

“RICCIARDO AND SCHUMACHER COMING AROUND THE SAME TURN THAT SCHUMACHER OVERTOOK PEREZ”

“CAN HE DO IT…”

“DENIED! THIS IS SOME OF THE MOST BRILLIANT DRIVING WE HAVE SEEN FROM RICCIARDO AS HE DENIES SCHUMACHER THE OVERTAKE”

You knew that Mick would be happy with third and a spot on the podium. After such a horrendous last season at Haas, he’s doing an amazing job showcasing his talent - Something you always knew he had; Something that was never tied to his last name and something that he worked for and earned on his own.

“AND THATS THE MIAMI GRAND PRIX! HAMILTON TAKES FIRST, RICCIARDO SECOND, AND BY SOME OF THE BEST DRIVING WE’VE EVER SEEN FROM HIM, SCHUMACHER IN THIRD!”

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

You were exhausted. You couldn’t lie. The shower steam was finally dissipating as you made your way into the bedroom to get ready for bed. The race was one of the best ones you had ever seen, and even better got to witness in person. The podium celebrations were high in excitement and emotion. How could you not be emotional? Your two teammates made it onto the podium, and one of your best friends did too. And sure, it was Miami, so of course you knew the boys would go out to celebrate. You expected nothing less, and wanted nothing less for them either. Putting on your pajamas pants and T-shirt, you moseyed on over to your bed, thrilled to be able to get comfortable and watch some truly bad television. You loved hotels and their comfy beds. You always loved being tucked in so tightly it felt like you were being mummified. And as you climbed into bed, turning the tv on for some auditory comfort, you realized you were a lot more exhausted than you thought.

Sleep must have overtaken you soon thereafter, because you were abruptly awoken by someone viciously slamming their fists on the hotel door. Groggily, you made your way to the door and opened it. Using Daniel’s shoulder as support, Mick was clearly drunk as Daniel grinned his famous smile at you. He was also probably drunk, but you knew for a fact that Daniel could definitely hold his liquor better than Mick.

“I think… this belongs… to you!” Daniel trudged through between hiccups.

Mick grinned a toothy grin at you, his cheeks pink with inebriation. You tilted your head and exhaled.

“He has his own room, Dan.” You crossed your arms over your chest trying not to laugh at the two clumsy idiots in front of you. “And where’s Lewis? Hopefully you didn’t ditch him.”

“Lew-Lewis is… Around. I think he’s with a lady.” Daniel shrugged. “And Mick was begging me to b-bring him to his lady! So here we are.”

Your eyes darted from one boy to the other as you contemplated taking in your drunk friend. Rubbing a hand over your face, you conceded and opened your hotel door wider.

“Just… Uh, put him on the couch. I’ll grab him some water…”

“Wait! The mini bar. Don’t touch anything there, they’ll charge you sooooooo much!” Daniel placed Mick on the couch, Mick giggling to himself and mumbling in German.

“Dan, it’s cute that you think I’ll be paying for anything in this minibar after having to care of……… that.” You motioned with your hand towards the entity that was Mick Schumacher sprawled out on your couch now.

“Ha, yeah, that’s true.” Daniel ruffled his curly hair and made sure Mick was fully on the couch before making his way back towards the door. “He’s gonna be hungover, ya know.”

“Yeah, it’s okay though. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve taken care of him while he’s drunk.” You shrugged your shoulders, grabbing a water and Gatorade from the minibar.

Walking over to where Daniel stood at the doorway, you placed a chaste kiss to his cheek and thanked him for watching out for your friend.

“Will you be okay making it to your room on your own?”

“Yeah, I’m not as blasted as he is. I’ll be right.” Daniel smiled again, giving you a hug and making his way out of the door. He made a mental note to possibly use Mick’s drunken state as ammunition for a good joke later.

You and the Aussie driver exchanged goodbyes and soon enough you were left to take care of Mick. You took a deep breath, and exhaled, making your way over to the couch. You stood in front of the couch and smiled softly.

“Maus, du musst dieses Wasser trinken. (Mouse, you need to drink this water)”

“I like it when you call me that…”

Mick hummed famously, as he tried his best to sit up from his current horizontal position. His hair was tussled and his cheeks still flushed. Doing your best to help him with one arm, you finally got him to sit up and hold the water bottle.

“How much did you have to drink, Mickey?” You watched him carefully to make sure he was actually drinking the water.

“Deutsch…” Mick mumbled into the water bottle that was pressed against his lips.

“That’s not a quantity, Mickey.” You chuckled softly as you continued to look at him drink water.

“No… No… I like it when you speak German… It makes me feel all… Warm inside…” Mick drunkenly pointed to his stomach, his eyelids heavy with intoxication.

“I know you do, but I’m afraid if I speak in German, you’ll respond in a very drunken German stupor, and that I won’t be able to understand you.” You scooted next to him on the couch, resting your head on his shoulder.

“That’s fa-fair…” Mick hiccuped.

Silence again loomed in between you, as he rested his head on yours. You could hear him humming to himself.

“I’m really proud of you, Mickey. You were amazing out there today.”

“I know, I saw the footage, Schätzen.” Mick grinned again, his tone of pure pride and happiness engulfing you. “It was cute when you celebrated for me.”

“I’ll always celebrate for you, Mickey.” You moved your head out from under his and lifted it. “I’m so glad I got to be there to see it in person.”

A soft smile appeared across his face as he sat up and turned to face you. Rubbing his eyes, he took a deep breath and met his baby blues with yours.

“Marry me.”

Suddenly, your face fell and you felt as though the four walls that surrounded you were going to eat you alive. You were no longer maintaining eye contact as you did your best to stop yourself from getting emotional. Your eyes fell down and landed onto your fidgeting hands. “He was drunk, in fact he was very drunk… He doesn’t know what he’s saying,” you kept repeating yourself in your head, looking for a plausible reply while the only other audible thing was Mick’s steady breathing.

“We can’t do that, and you know that.” You finally croaked out, refusing still to make eye contact.

“I love you, though. And you love me. What more is there to it?” Mick moved your chin up with his index finger, the pad of his thumb gentle caressing your chin.

“I can’t marry you, Mick.”

“Can’t or won’t?” You could tell he was trying to ease the tension by wiggling his eyebrows, but you honestly felt as though you had been run over by a semi truck and all the air in your lungs was sucked out of you.

“Mick, I’m serious.”

“Und du glaubst nicht, dass ich es bin? (And you don’t think I am?)”

“I know that you are and that’s what the scary part is!”

You jumped up and off of the couch. You were pacing. It was never a good sign when you’d begin to pace. Glancing at the hotel’s microwave you could see that it was almost three in the morning.

“We have been friends since we were 7 and 8 years old Schätzen, and I have known I have loved you since. Why will you not marry me?” Mick’s voice was tense, his anger becoming apparent.

“You’re drunk, and you’re way too drunk to have this conversation.” You rebutted as quickly as he did.

“Drunk or not, I still love you!”

You were facing away from him now. You could hear him getting up from the couch, and stepping towards you.

Do not cry. You’re not allowed to cry. Crying is for little girls and you are not a little girl.

You continually repeated that in your head as you could hear him approaching you.

“What do I have to do to get you to see that this is real for me? Do I have to get down on one knee? Do I have to give up everything just to show you how serious I am? Because I will! Whatever you say, I will do, and you know that.”

Slowly, you turned around and saw Mick was standing just a few feet away from you. He had tears in the corners of his eyes and his hands were shaking. He was doing his best to calm down as you saw him take a few deep breaths. You didn’t have the wherewithal to deal with this right now, and frankly it was getting too late as well. You were exhausted, you were sure as drunk as he was, he was even more tired than you were. But pleadingly, he stepped slowly towards you, closing the gap. You refused to look up, knowing that if you saw him as he was you would break down. And he knew that. He would never force you to look at him, or do anything you were uncomfortable with doing.

“Smidge… Please, I know that you have been hurt before, by someone you thought would protect you… But I am here now, and have been here. And you know I would protect you with everything I am. Please… Just give me a chance… Give us a chance.”

His voice was cracking as he knelt down in front of you. His arms were around your waist and his head was pressed up against your stomach. Instinctively, you moved your hands to his head took a deep breath. He was just a little boy in this moment, so small and in himself as he gripped onto your shirt with dear life. He knew what it was like firsthand to have someone within arm’s reach, yet never being able to touch them. And yet, you remained stoic and your eyes affixed to the wall behind him. You couldn’t allow yourself to feel the way you wanted to towards him. You made yourself promise that a long time ago.

“I think you should go back to your own room, Mick.” You spoke above barely a whisper as you separated yourself physically from him.

Stepping back, Mick hand landed on the floor as he remained crouched down. You could hear him begin to cry and nothing broke your heart more than that.

“Smidge… Please…” Mick begged as he looked up at you from the floor. You had never seen him look so tiny, so vulnerable.

“I think it would be best if we got some space from each other.”

“W-What?…”

You didn’t respond, but Mick could hear your breath hitch in your chest. You were trying to stifle your upcoming tears. Mick stood to his feet, and ran an anxious hand through his hair.

“I think we should just… Get some space from each other. I won’t be at the next race, but I’ll be at the one after that. We should take this time to just… live our lives, ya know?”

Mick cocked his head to the side while his eyebrows pulled into a tight line. You could see he was clearly clenching his jaw.

“I am sorry, I do not understand. Why the fuck would we need to do that?” Mick was floored as he tried to go through reasons in his own head for a break.

“We’re just… always together, Mick… I think it would be good if we got some… space.” You shrugged your shoulders, trying to play it off as best as you could.

And just like that Mick started… laughing? Maybe it was the alcohol and it was making him delirious, but he genuinely could not believe the words that were coming out of your mouth.

“Give me one good reason, and it better be a damn good FUCKING reason, why we should take space from each other?” Mick wasn’t yelling at you, no he’d never do that, but he was definitely yelling now. “We have been inseparable since age eight, and now you want some space because you cannot admit that you love me too? When has that ever stopped you from being in my life, Schätzen?”

“That’s why! That is exactly why, Mick!” God, now you were yelling. “I… I don’t… I can’t… I can’t love you. Yet, every time I call you, you come. Every time I need something, you’re there! I just… I need to be a big kid and… and… And not rely on you to fix all my problems!”

“But I do those things, because I want to. Can’t you see? Can’t you see how much I want to do those things and how much I would give up just for you to admit that you love me too?”

You couldn’t hold your emotions back any more. Your breath was catching as you began to sob. There was something wrong with you, there had to be - you thought over and over again. He loves you and has loved you since the day you sat next to him at lunch. He was consistently there for you, while he was going through a multitude of his own problems. Why couldn’t you just admit it? Why couldn’t you take the leap and admit that you too loved the boy who has loved you since you were just kids.

“You shouldn’t be with someone that you have to convince to love you back, Mick. You deserve a lot more than that.” You finally replied calmly.

“I do not want anyone else.”

“You deserve it, though.”

There was a painstaking, and deafening quiet that wafted between you two now. It seemed like it was hours that had gone by before one of you had moved from the spots you two were standing.

Mick made his way silently over to you, wiping the tears from his cheeks as he did so. Taking your face in his hands, you looked up at him with an emotion you couldn’t quite place…

“Du hältst mein Herz in deinen Händen (You hold my heart in your hands).” Mick spike barley above a whisper as he pressed his forehead to yours.

“Ich weiß, dass ich es tue (I know I do).” You closed your eyes and hoped that this was just a bad dream.

“Und ich werde eine Ewigkeit warten, um dein Herz in meinen Händen zu halten (And I will wait an eternity to hold your heart in my hands).”

Soon enough, his soft lips met your trembling ones and with the gentlest of movements, he pulled away and kept his eyes closed. You had a feeling he was going to save this moment for a rainy day.

Moments later, he had left you in your hotel room alone, respecting your wishes for space…. for now. And as you stood alone in your hotel room, trying to find the words to describe the night or some semblance of comfort in the emptiness of the room now… All you could hear in the back of your head was the terrifying and gnawing sound of your own self esteem issues. He was right. You were too afraid to admit you loved him. You were too afraid of relationships in general. Mick was one of your first friends when you moved to Germany, and now he was one of your best friends. And you knew you had feelings for him, maybe even loved him. But there was a deep seated problem and the part of you that never allowed you feel vulnerable ever again, would always take over and win.

It was the voice of your father, always nagging at you and reminding yourself that you would never be good enough for anyone. Fuck, you weren’t even good enough for your own father. Emotionally, mentally, and physically he would beat you into submission - into making yourself believe that you were never going to amount to anything or be a good enough person for anyone to love. He reminded you day in and day out that you were just his offspring, and nothing that you could say or do would make him feel differently about you.

So why… Why the fuck would anyone else in the world be different?

Why would anyone want someone who can’t even seem to want themselves? Maybe YOU were the stupid one… God. This was going to be a very long two weeks.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

The next week went by, and you and Mick did your best to keep your distance from each other. Geography certainly helped. And of course, he’d always text you once in the mornings and once at night to make sure you were still alive. It was one of his best qualities… To be able to actually listen and respect your wants. He was mad at the time when you said you wanted space, but he always respected your feelings and validated them through actions and words.

INCOMING CALL: Mickey 🐭

You sighed heavily, as you ignored the call.

You: I’m in a team meeting, can I call you back later?

Mickey 🐭: Sorry! Yes, call back whenever. But I just wanted to tell you that for Silverstone, we will be racing together!

Soon, every ounce of resentment and anger you may have been feeling, disappeared. Your dream had come true. Unfortunately, Lewis was going to be unable to race his home race due to personal matters, and so naturally the job went to you.

You and Mick had always dreamed of getting to Formula One together, and more so, racing together. So in four races, you’ll be the one in the driver’s seat, right next to the boy you’ve grown up with and dreamed about that moment with for your entire childhood.

Maybe this was the universe trying to tell you take a chance, on Mick… On everything. Yet, there was still that nagging feeling of it being too good to true. The fact that you were just a reserve driver, and Hamilton was at the top of his game…. There had to be a catch.

Soon after your meeting, you dialed your best friend and excitedly awaited his response.

“We did it, Smidge! We did it!” Mick’s voice was giddy, and you could tell that he was just as - maybe even more excited than you.

“It’s crazy, Mickey. This is crazy. We’ll get to race together!” You responded, trying to gather your things and head towards the elevator. “Is Lewis okay, though? I’m sure this is a major bummer.”

“He definitely is having a tough time with it, but there are more important matters he needs to tend to. I do not think he would give up a race, let alone his home race if it were not dire.” Mick’s tone was reassuring as he hummed waiting for your response.

You got into the elevator and pressed the ‘Garage’ floor button.

“I guess I should start training then. Hopefully it’s not going to rain.” You joked, waiting for the doors to open to the garage.

“Smidge, it is Great Britain. Of course, it is going to rain.” Mick laughed to himself.

Finally, the doors opened and you made your way to your own vehicle. Getting comfortable and switching to bluetooth, you took a deep breath and grinned. This was everything you could’ve wished for and more.

“Well, if it’s between P1 and P2, make sure you make room for me, Mickey.” You joked.

With one more breath as you started your car, you could practically feel Mick smiling back at you. Maybe he was right. Maybe this was your chance to make a change in your life.

“Just a smidge. You get just a smidge.”

“And that’s all I could ever ask of you.”

[momokarp]

Heyyyy I saw your Danny Phantom comic about him reading the Great Gatsby during the fight with Vlad (great art btw), and I was wondering if u could give a long-suffering student a rundown of the themes?

I’m gonna cover the themes I can think of off the top of my head and if you really need me to go into more details, I CAN??? But this is just a quick “it’s 7 in the morning for me and I’m actually gonna hyperfixate real quick” kinda moment.

Yes, there are two kinds of rich people, and yes, one side really doesn’t like the other. It’s apparent in Tom and all of his opinions of Gatsby are later on in the book when he finally attends one of his fancy parties.

Old money gets their opinions and styles and tastes from their parents who got it from their parents. It’s a boys club, if you’re in? You’re in, and it’s hard to get in unless you’re of a certain pedigree.

New money? Loud. Outrageous. Doesn’t even know what to do with all that money and everyone is welcome to enjoy it. Gatsby owns a BRIGHT ASS YELLOW CAR not because it’s of a certain model but because it screams loud and expensive and “look at me” and it’s not just cause he’s trying to get with your wife. He knows how to ACT like old money, to a certain degree, but at the end of the day, he can’t hide that he wasn’t born into it.

An unreliable narrator is usually a story told from a first person point of view and their own biases can often warp the reader’s perspective on the events unfolding. Nick even tries to clarify that he doesn’t judge people. Yeah, OUT LOUD, but he’s judging internally. Which is making you, the reader, judge. Tom has an affair with Myrtle Wilson. Nick IS quietly judging them although he tries not to and how could he not? Daisy is his cousin, and he sees the man she’s married make her move away from Chicago and Tom is not hiding his affair very well, she clearly knows about it and hates it.

Oh but here comes Gatsby, with this beautiful story of how he fell in love and went to war and couldn’t be with her and came back and she’s MARRIED and now he’s trying to win her back- and Nick HELPS HIM. THAT’S NOT UNBIASED. HE IS SWAYED. He sides with Gatsby through and through, even when he starts to see the flaws in Gatsby’s vision, he wants to cheer for him.

We’re going back to the green light here for a minute. Gatsby gets a house DIRECTLY ACROSS the lake from where Daisy’s is. There’s the green light at the end of her dock that flashes, that’s a reminder to Gatsby when he looks out that his dream is just over there. Daisy, the perfect gal, along with acceptance into the fancy rich lifestyle. He wants to meet her parents, he wants to have kids with her, he wants to be a somebody, an established respectable person.

But he’s kind of fooling himself too. He wants too much. It’s not enough to have Daisy, she needs to RENOUNCE her ever loving Tom and then properly marry him. He wants to be a part of the boy’s club, but Tom finds out that he has gained his wealth through the mafia and that’s not very respectable! He wants Daisy to call him in the morning, a call that never comes because she won’t cast aside her lifestyle for him. She was raised to trust and live in the sheltered life she was brought up in, even if she’s unhappy. It’s safer than the unknown. She chooses to stay with Tom, as even she realizes she can’t live up to Gatsby’s ideals.

It’s ironic cause this is the Oxford English Dictionary definition and Gatsby is an “Oxford Man!” Not only has Gatsby idealized on the American Dream, but it’s a dream that was never real. Yes, he did get rich, but not because he had equal opportunities. He got lucky to help out an old rich man on his boat (WHICH HE DIDNT EVEN GET ANY MONEY FROM) to learn the rich social skills, and he worked with the mafia to get all his wealth. Yes, he got Daisy, but not REALLY. He had an affair with her. They didn’t marry properly, didn’t have kids, didn’t move in together. And Daisy never intended on doing any of these things. She wanted to run away.

And Gatsby was never going to get these things because he wasn’t BORN rich. Tom represents the concept of Old Money so well not only in how he lacks any genuine character that isn’t inherited from his father, but how protective he is of keeping the status quo, so that he remains in power and no one who doesn’t fit the club can come in.

And Gatsby pays the price of his affair while Tom gets away with everything. How is this the American Dream? It isn’t.

Okay, that’s my stuff. I can go into symbolism on the yellow car and big billboard and all that other stuff if this was helpful at all. I hope it is helpful???

[alanaartdream]

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#drawing #sketches attempts at ideas on what older #fairlyoddparents #timmyturner #dannyphantom #dannyfenton we got off of butch with maybe my own ideas mix in; with Timmy there are still quite a few options that are up in the air with him; but with Danny butch made a few drawing videos on what’s happening with Danny Sam and Tucker in their futures (( apparently Danny and Sam get married and have 2 kids who inherited Danny’s ghost powers but one can teleport and the other can open portals and go wherever she pleases with these ghost portals of hers)) and Danny Phantom along with Sam and Tucker run a very good ghost hunting business and Tucker becomes Mayor of the tow/city they live in );; funnily Butch seems to like turning his protagonist’s into beef cakes and I normally don’t draw beef cakes kinda characters so this was a challenge to try to draw them

💀🧚‍♀️🧚🦄🍄‍🟫🍄🍀🐈‍⬛🐱✏️🌈🖍️🎨✍️🐾💕✨⭐️

Not joking here with his 1st 3 cartoon series he came up for nick he did designs where the protagonist gets a lot of muscle 💪

Fairly odd parents - Timmy has a few older versions of him where he gets tall and beefy (heck there was a teenager version of him that got mistaken for a teenage super model in one episode)

Danny Phantom- episode he had a beefy muscle evil version of himself show up and there is two YouTube videos by Butch himself has said being as Danny is fighting with ghosts so much he becomes super fit by age of 25 and right into his adult years so kinda makes cents Danny have alot of muscles

And then Tuff puppy the dog was draw super beefy as well

So in conclusion even though Butch isn’t running the show fairly odd parents a new wish anymore the people will have to take in SOME advice from Butch on how adult Timmy gonna be

And if they choose to do more with Danny Phantom they’ll have to get Butch’s input on where that show will go being as Danny phantom & fairly odd parents were his ideas

So where does this leave Timmy Turner? Well we have a couple of choices to go with him we can

We can have him getting adopted by Wanda Cosmo so become a fairy and grow up with peri poof

Of he grows up becoming a lawyer/ someone who works in child services so whatever happens to him as a kid doesn’t get as bad as it did for him / maybe writes books/comics being as he was quite the creative imagination and gets to keep his memory and helps fairyworld on the side while being married to toothie being as Unless Trixie learns to stop worrying about how others see her and just be herself I don’t really see a romantic relationship working out with her and Timmy; best they might become friends as teenagers being as they share interests in manga / comics and toothie will probably calm down with her affections towards Timmy but being as she’s only one who’s liked him even when he was ignored neglected abuse kid I see Timmy learning to appreciate that as he has the chance to grow; I’d see Timmy getting away from his parents as he gets older being as they’re kinda crazy dumb and a little totic ALSO helping Toothie get away from her sister Vicky being as they were both abused by Vicky as kids (and the adults in their lives did nothing to stop it; I mean I get Toothie’s parents were scared of Vicky but they couldn’t even protect their other child from her?)

Maybe Jimmy Timmy could still be friends and Jimmy and Cindy end up an item not sure

In my au I went with Timmy becoming a fairy and gets to hang out with nicktoons unite gang as a fairy and Danny and Jimmy do well for themselves in their own universes

Now with nicktoons

Danny met Jimmy and Tommy with they were both 10 years old and he was 14; and with SpongeBob he’s already a adult (although SpongeBob is a weird sea creature so not sure how sea sponges age at all not don’t think he changes as much as Jimmy Timmy and Danny do as they get older)

So trying to work with their ages is also something ones gotta work with as well as where the creators of their shows wanted to take their shows

Also in the nicktoons unite games they started adding in Danny’s friends Sam and Tucker as well as a few of SpongeBob’s friends; with Timmy though they only ever had was Wanda & Cosmo

If they were gonna make more games they’d have added poof/peri but don’t think they’d add more being as not many liked that dog and Cole

But far be it from me to stop anyone from shipping who they like but not comfortable with Danny being shipped with a sponge and then a super hero character who’s supposedly the same ages as Timmy and Jimmy were in their shows OR I could be wrong about El Tgrey show it’s been awhile from few episodes I got to see of that show (( not sure even how the sponge got shipped with Danny in the first place the age gap with those two is pretty big but then people use to ship bald with Danny so I guess people will ship anything;;; I’m just not comfortable with enther ship honestly more so being as Danny kinda ends with with Sam at the end of the original Danny phantom series so can’t see Danny with anyone else after that) )

Also with the nicktoons unite game el Tgrey never made it as a playable character in those games being as the show didn’t get to be as popular as Danny phantom Jimmy neutron Fairly odd parents and SpongeBob did but funnily enough Invader Zim did so Zim and Dib ended up joining the nicktoons unite games grated only in one game then they switch anther series main character to join the gang if the nicktoons unite games were to do anther huge crossover game I believe they’d add my teenage robot life kj9 Jenny as the next playable character being as like in today’s world people are complaining there isn’t enough female characters to play in games and being as the fandom for my teenage robot life is still going strong it feels more likely they’d add her; they’d most likely add in Sam tucker and that squirrel that SpongeBob likes into games again as well being as they did add them before

So will most likely have them in my au for Fairy Timmy and the nicktoons unite gang (also Jimmy Timmy becoming a thing in my au being a Cindy will mostly become good friends with Timmy and a reluctant friend of Jimmy)

[picturejasper20]

I want to talk about Vlad Masters characterization in the game "Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2" story mode.

So, Vlad is the main antagonist of this game, or at least that's what the game makes you want to think at the start until the weird time loops start happening and Plasmius keeps repeating things like "Mind controlling everyone is the way to save everyone" and "Don't you understand?!", which comes off as weird to the hero character.

The last time you beat him, Clockwork transports him into the same void "safe space" other characters are in. You can go and ask Vlad what he was talking about and he will answer how there is a bigger enemy at moment: Clockwork.

It is later revealed that Clockwork got infected by Vlad's mind control device, which in reality doesn't work as it should and makes people acts volatile and agressive instead. The "evil" Clockwork has been sending the hero protagonist to stop Plasmius from fixing his mind control machine and make the universe destroy on purpose again and again. Vlas has been trapped in these time loops like that player has been and he remembers what happened each time, forced to see the same event repeat all over again

Meaning that all this time the hero protagonist has been the "bad guy" while Vlad was trying to fix the mind control machine to prevent the universe from getting destroyed. Vlad even mentions this near the end of the game, calling himself "the hero of the story"

Of course, that's incorrect because Vlad was trying to freaking brainwash everyone. But it is interesting is how he is potrayed as sympathetic to some extent as he was trying to do the "right thing". He talks to the hero protagonist about how Clockwork isn't himself and he shouldn't be trusted.

This characterization reminds quite a lot from the one that he has in "A Glitch in Time" graphic novel. In the novel he helps Danny with searching for the source of ghost power and defeating Dan. He realizes the wrong of his selfish past actions and starts a path to redemption near the end of the story.

Considering that Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 involves time travel and time loops like A Glitch in Time, it wouldn't be out of place to say that Vlad's characterization in the game is intentional, probably being written with the goal to be close to his character version in A Glitch In Time.

While Vlad doesn't exactly regret his actions at the end of the game, the idea of him not being as evil as he looks/ having standars is still there. There has been certain change of how his character gets potrayed lately. To someone more sympathetic, less emphasis on "evil" and more "he doesn't understand what he is himself getting into" vibes.

It also suprised me how he was chosen to be one of the main antagonists for this game and one of the characters that has the most lines in the story mode. It makes you wonder why they didn't make a Danny Phantom game instead since all the plot revolves around Danny Phantom characters.

On smaller observation, despite Vlad's motivations being "taking control over the universe" there are some lines of dialogue that hint as his own loneliness such as saying the game player that "they would make a good sidekick" and regreting "not having an audience" to see how he activates the mind control machine. In part it is understandable this doesn't get expanded upon since there are likely people who play the game that don't know about Danny Phantom.

I don't know who was behind writing the dialogue from this game but one thing i can say is that they seem to get Vlad's character in a good part, specially how he doesn't seem himself as a villain in certain moments.

All this emphasis in Vlad from AGIT graphic novel and the Nick fighting game makes wonder if he is going to have some important role in possible future stories from the series. It seems to me that it is trying to build up to something to be more than just pure coincidence. If he does gain more protagonism on long run, i hope they continue with this potrayal of his character because i find it pretty interesting.

[frozenpeazz]

Oh Daniel..

Pairing- Daniel Larusso x f! reader

Warning ⚠️- angst?, Fluff, blood, injury, swearing, Daniel Larusso and his dashing looks 😩😩

Daniel gets beat up by Johnny (again), and you patch him up <3

Y/n/n - Your nick-name

Its was around 8pm, you were sat on your bed reading a book when you heard a knock on your window. You panicked as you whipped your head round to stare at the glass, only to make out the shadow of your boyfriend. Daniel Larusso. Your sweet boy who you loved with your whole heart. You still felt the adrenaline from the scare he gave you as you got up and made your way to the window, sliding it open.

"Jeez Danny, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" You say helping him inside but the slight annoyance at his sudden arrival quickly wore off after seeing his crumpled frame and his body covered in dirt and blood. "Daniel! Oh my god what happened?!" You exclaimed as you draped his arm around your shoulder and wrapped your arm around his waist for support.

"Just Johnny kickin' my ass again. The usual." He chuckled slightly then wincing from the pain in his ribcage.

"Oh danny.. If those stupid boys dont leave it I'll beat the shit outa' them myself! And i mean it!" You say in anger as you gently sit him on your bed.

"Now wait here. I'll be back in a second okay?" You kissed his head lightly as he nods.

You return after a couple minutes with a first aid kit and a wet cloth. You stand in-between Daniels legs as you tilt his chin up to look at you.

"My lord, what did they do to you?!" You say as you gently scrub at the dirt on his cheeks causing him to smile, that same smile that made you fall in love with him.

"I was ridin' home on my bike and well, lets say they pushed me off..down the hill." he cringes to himself as the memory of the event that happened just 20 minutes prior flood back into his mind. You tense slightly.

"Aw my poor baby boy.. just wait until i get my hands on those pricks and i promise you they wont pester you again!" You say as you fix his chocolate brown hair. Daniel smiles to himself at the thought of you attempting to beat up Johnny Lawrence, the toughest guy at school.

After getting all the dirt off you begin to open the first aid kit gett out some medical ointment.

"Danny?"

"Mm?"

"Your going to need to take your top off so i can treat your wounds." You turn to look at the boy and you notice a thin blush painted his cheeks.

"Uh- o-only if your comfortable with it!" The brunette boy chuckles slightly as he slowly removes the shirt he's wearing to reveal his bare tanned chest. You cant help but stare, at least for a second. You feel your cheeks heat up as you begin to wet a new cloth with the medical ointment.

"This is going to sting Danny." You warn as you begin rubbing the cloth over the wounds covering his body. He hisses in pain as he grabs onto your free hand and begins to squeeze it.

"I know Danny, im sorry."

"D-dont be sorry. 'm fine Y/n/n." He assures you as you continue treating his cuts. After cleaning and applying bandages to Daniels body you finally put away the first aid kit.

"Honestly. Those jerks just dont know when to stop do they." You say with anger laced into your voice. Daniel laughs.

"Yeah well, 'least i got my own personal doctor to heal me afterwards. Thank you by the way, for helping me." After putting away the kit you make your way over to your boyfriend laying on the bed next to him beckoning him to lay in your lap.

"Anything for my pretty boy." You say causing Daniel to smile as he blushes slightly laying his head on your chest on top of you.

"Those jerks better be ready to hear from me." You whisper, playing with Daniels hair.

"They wont be expecting it thats for sure." Daniel jokes as he relaxes into your touch.

"I love you Y/n/n."

"I love you to Danny. Even when your all beat up."

[jnstudios2]

Nicktoons Unite The Animated Series Episode One : The Adventure Begins

The nickverse and the universe were combined to create one cartoony universe. Humans and nick characters lived together in harmony in this 2d universe, until the syndicate attacked with their robot creations to try to take over the combined universe for themselves, scaring the nick characters and people into terror. It seemed the syndicate could finally win taking over the universe, but a spark of hope came to foil their plans. The nicktoons unite came to the rescue along with some friends like Jenny, el Tigre, Korra, and a few more to help them fight the bots and the syndicate from their evil plans. The syndicate fled as the team celebrated defeating them and protecting the universe from their evil, but they knew they would return and had to get ready for their next attack.

The team returned to their headquarters, the place where they stayed and where they got their missions. Jimmy lead the team into a laboratory, it was dark, the lights on the screens being the only light source inside. Timmy turner, Danny phantom, and SpongeBob SquarePants were wondering why Jimmy brought them here in this dark laboratory. “ what is this place it’s giving me the creeps?” SpongeBob said holding onto Danny scared when Timmy laughed. “ don’t be such a scaredy-cat, there’s nothing here to..” Timmy stopped when a clawed robotic hand grabbed him. Timmy freaked out when a voice spoke “ don’t touch that!” The voice said as Danny phantom and SpongeBob looked scared seeing another robotic claw hand grab a cube going back to the figure. The figure has four robotic arms and is high in the air looking at them with a glint of light on their sunglasses. Timmy tried to pull himself free from the robotic hand that grabbed him until it let him go when he hit the floor shocked. The figure landed on the floor and walked towards them. Out of the darkness of the laboratory was a girl with short brown hair wearing sunglasses with her green eyes peeking out. She wore a lab coat with a green buttoned shirt inside, and dark gray pants with a belt that was attached to something. She wore dark gray and silver boots and had four robotic-clawed arms on her backpack. She looked at everyone with a look and thoughtfully folded her arms while looking at them making them look nervous to wave at her. “ nicktoons unite meet Ella, she monitors, creates weaponry, and gadgets for us” Jimmy said as they looked at her as she pushed her sunglasses up “ nice to meet the other three members of the Nicktoons unite “ she said looking at them. “ Hi there, I’m Danny Phantom, ” Danny said, bringing his hand out to her to shake it. “ Ah the ghost boy himself, I’ve been fascinated by your ghost powers and your biology, “ she said, shaking his hand as he looked nervously “..thanks?” He said. “ And you must be Timmy Turner and SpongeBob SquarePants, you are quite interesting to research, “ she said, looking and examining them. “ Has there been any reports of attacks or anything yet, Ella?” Jimmy asked as she stopped examining the three. “ Not really it’s been quiet for a while” she told him until The alarm went off “ not anymore I guess” Ella said,checking it out. “ You want a mission? Well you got one in Orlando “ Ella said. "There has been an attack in the city, I’m talking about syndicate bots causing mayhem type “ she said. “ has to be the syndicate bringing out their toys again “ Danny said folding his arms in disgust “ finally some butt-kicking action!” Timmy said excitedly. “ take the self-flying ship there, I upgraded it with some slime weaponry from the last encounter, have fun with it, “ Ella said, then glared at Timmy. “ don’t break this one, I’ve worked on it to the best of my ability, if you break it you’re fixing it, “ Ella said glaring at him.

The team with Jenny and el Tigre who wanted to join in the fun headed out on the ship towards Orlando to see the mayhem the syndicate bots were causing. Broken windows, blasting at people and objects, and even stealing variables to please their masters. The bots turned up to see the ship flying as Danny and Jenny came out of it to fight them. Jenny unleashed her weaponry at them destroying them into pieces, Danny blasted his ghost rays and ice powers to freeze them then break them into tiny ice shards with his blast. “ My turn!” El Tigre smiled, jumping out of the ship, shooting his chain-clawed hand at them and wrapping them up as they tried to blast. Manny smiled, slicing the trapped bots in half as he pulled his chain back to him. The ship landed as Jimmy, Timmy, and SpongeBob joined in. SpongeBob blew bubbles and even used his karate gear to beat up bots, Jimmy blasted his tornado blaster and gadgets at them crushing them, Timmy wished to be a superhero and was crushed with his superhero powers. The bots didn’t stand a chance against the powerful team, it was like everywhere they went someone was there to kick their butts and turn them into scrap. A beeping went as they all gathered to see what was happening. “ You may have defeated our bots, nicktoons unite, but we the syndicate always return and soon the universe will be ours to command haha” professor calamitous said as they growled hearing his voice. “ self-destruct in 10 seconds “ the bot said as they freaked out. Danny grabbed them all and turned them intangible when the bots blew up making the whole city shake violently making it hard for Danny to focus on being intangible. The shaking stopped as they all opened their eyes to see a giant hole where the bots were and sighed in relief that Danny maintained to make them intangible to avoid the explosion from the bots. “ is everyone okay?” Danny asked them. “ si amigo, “ Manny said “ I’m all intact, “ Jenny said. He let them go and then walked towards the huge hole “ those could have blown us to bits!” Wanda said. “ ooh I wonder what it will be like,” Cosmo said as everyone looked at him like “seriously”. “ they just don’t know when to quit” Jenny said while folding her arms “ it’s the syndicate, what did you expect really? They won’t rest until they take over the universe, “ Timmy said, a bit annoyed at her. '' and destroying our sleep schedule, “ Danny added as everyone agreed with that.

But the time for celebration was cut short

Because a mysterious figure named Chosen Warrior looked mad at them and blasted at them with her glowing blue powers. This mysterious figure was a phantom sorceress, but the reason why she was angry still remained a mystery. SpongeBob noticed the blasts “ hey guys look! They're shooting fireworks for us!” He said happily as El Tigre saw them “ umm I don’t think those are fireworks” he said as Jimmy looked shocked. “ Look out!” He said as everyone took cover and Chosen Warrior landed with her black gloved fist to the ground, shaking the city like an earthquake from the impact. Everyone looked at her as she stood up and glared at them with her glowing sea blue eyes with black pupils. She was wearing a black shirt, gloves, pants, boots, collar cape with sea blue in it, a sea blue blue top hat with black rim on it, and a blue heart shaped necklace that glowed blue. Her hands glowed blue as she blasted a few kinds of rays at the team as Danny created his shield to block them, angering her as she flew towards like a spinning drill to slice through and punched Danny into a building. “ charge!” Timmy said as Jenny and el Tigre charged towards her and fought her, but she was good at fighting, very good, as she didn’t fear these three fighting him. El Tigre swiped at her as a glowing blue bo staff appeared stunning him “ well, that ain’t good “ he said as she swung her bo staff showing impressive skills with it to block his claw swipes and Jenny’s attack as she smacked them away from her and blocked Timmy’s attacks with cosmo as a giant green mallet and Wanda as a backpack full of tricks keeping her at her feet with her powers and fighting skills. While this was happening, Jimmy aimed at her trying to blast her with his tornado blaster, but she noticed it kicking Timmy out of the way and throwing her bo staff like a boomerang towards him. This shocked him “ what In the nebula?!” He said as it smacked his tornado blaster out of his hands and back to her. Jenny kicked her as she caught herself and swing her bo staff like a baseball bat to hit her when she flew towards her into a wall “ wow, she’s good “ el Tigre said “ but I’m better “ Timmy said as he had his wish blaster blasting at her as she spun like her bo staff like a fan to block it all stunning him. “ or not “ he said stunned to see this, she sensed Danny flying towards her and fired her rapid fire ray at him, but he became intangible and tackled her through a wall and crashed into a game when they both turned tangible to hit it,

Metal and shards of glass flew everywhere when they made an impact on that arcade game. She kicked him off of her as he caught himself and she got out to see her bo staff gone and growled at him “ what is your problem?” He asked her. “ You will never understand!, “ she told him, “ maybe if we talk about it, we could, “ he told her. “ not going to happen '' she said, showing her fists at him as he got ready for her, who was like a lioness ready to pounce with that anger burning in her. She lunged at him as the two got into a fist fight, showing off their martial arts, and their skills. They were both impressive, it was like these two were evenly matched and they couldn’t lay a hit while fighting. Danny blasted at her with ghost rays when she caught them then fired them back at him to hit him with his own attack. Chosen warrior lifted some arcade games with her powers and fired them at him while he flew away or became intangible to not get hit by them as they crashed onto the floor. “ cheap magic trick magician “ Danny said to her as she growled glowing blue “ that’s sorceress to you!” She said with her collar cape flying in the gust and swiped at him, but he dodged and went behind her. “ the top hat says otherwise “ he said, blasting her “ oof!” She said as she crashed into the prize center with a thud. She got up by using the counter with silly string all over her and heard him chuckle “ what’s the matter? Feeling silly?” He joked. She growled as she turned invisible then drop kicked him back into the floor then grabbed him and ran him through the counter, making sure he hit every single prize on there then threw him off. She winced while holding her head, she was struggling to control herself. Unfortunately for Danny, she growled at him while still holding her head with one hand and looking at him with her sea blue eyes. “ Why are you this angry?” He said softly to her as she looked at him “ you’ll never understand the pain and suffering I had to endure” She said clenching her fangs in anger as her blue heart shaped necklace glowed to show her anger stunning him. She lunged at him, clawing at the columns to slice some and even damage them while Danny became intangible. She used her powers to try to get him until she got distracted “ I wish to be a superhero!” Timmy wished as he chinned her to a wall and slumped down to the floor.

El Tigre and Timmy tried to punch her, but she phased through the wall to avoid them then grabbed Danny’s foot “ oh boy” he said when he was thrown towards the two. They all slid on the floor to hit a wall, getting dizzy from how hard they hit it “ ooh I see stars” Cosmo said chuckling while dizzy. Jenny air tackled her as they both flew into the air until she pushed Jenny off of her, then turned invisible to stay out of sight to hit her a few times confused of where she went. A few more hits went as Jenny was blindly firing to find her as SpongeBob and the rest were getting out of the way “ Jenny, watch where you are shooting at!” Jimmy hollered at her “ sorry” she said as Chosen Warrior blasted her invisible. “ ok that’s it!” She said as she put on her infrared contacts to find where she was going to attack next. Chosen warrior was in her sights as Jenny grinned “ gotcha!” She said hitting her with her boxing glove gadget to send her into a wall dizzy from the unexpected attack Jenny did. “ Ready when you are, I can do this all day “ she told her as she looked at her after recovering from the impact. “ So can I” she said as her gloved fist glowed blue and clashed with Jenny to create a bright glow like you would see in a light show at night. The two clashed a few more times at top speeds then pushed each other off “ you’re good..but I’m better” Jenny said unleashing her weaponry at her. chosen Warrior fired her rapidly fired ray to hit the rockets “ we’ll see about that “ she said as she spun around in her ecto tornado to have the rockets hit it and explode then came roaring at Jenny. She freaked out when it came after her and stuff started to get sucked into it making it really difficult to stay out of its way. But no matter how hard she tried, she was unsuccessful when a token machine hit her and sucked her into the tornado and got hit a few more times with some stuff while inside as she got punched out of it. A giant blue ghost wave smacked everyone as they all slid. She landed with an angry look “ do you all have any idea what I’ve been through?!” She growled as she lifted games with her powers stunning the team. “ cause I believe you don’t “ she said,firing them at the team as they recovered then destroying the games to create a cloud of smoke after how much they were destroying in their path.

A few seconds passed

The cloud smoke was still covering everything, but she was suddenly tackled by Danny as they both slid and saw that he was hugging her when they both stood up. “ we may not know what I’ve been through, but if you can calm down, maybe we can help you” Danny said, trying to get her to calm down so they could talk about this. “ let..go!” She said as she shocked him with her ghost stinger “ ahhhhh!” He said until he let her go and she backed off from him. He recovered after a while from her shock “ why are you so angry?” He said, rubbing his head, still getting over her shock as she growled at him. “ why? Why?!” She roared at him, scaring him. She glowed blue “ I've been through so much pain and suffering! , my heart has been shattered by the ones I trusted!, and you ask why I’m so angry?! “ She said, blasting at him as he blasted back to clash with hers. “ it must have been painful to learn that, I too have been through something like that” Danny said “ nothing like I have been through! “ She said, pushing her blast closer to him. “ I had my parents chasing me around when I was like this, they called me horrible names and threatened to hurt me like tearing me molecule by molecule, so I know how it feels “ he told her. She looked a bit stunned then snapped out of it “ no, you’re being like them, tricking me into believing your lies! I won’t let that happen..AGAIN!” She roared, pushing it even closer to him. “ no..that’s not it…I’m trying to help you..not trick you” he tried to tell her as the blasts suddenly created a giant bright light, stunning the two. “ uh” he said “ oh “ she said shocked “ everyone take cover!” Jimmy hollered when he saw it and everyone else took cover when it created a giant explosion to send the two flying into the food court on the other side with a crash.

Everything suddenly became quiet for a bit as the whole food court was a mess. A Broken table, soda hoses flying everywhere, and the tiles cracked with the two on the floor still trying to recover from the giant explosion that they just took. Eventually, they did recover with Chosen Warrior getting up stunned to see Danny badly hurt “..what have I done?” She said quickly getting up scared and heard the team hollering his name. She didn’t hesitate flying up to turn intangible to phase through the roof “ wait!” Danny said when he saw this , but she was gone. “ Danny, are you alright? “ Jenny said checking on him when the rest of the team arrived to see him. “ yeah I’m ok, but she fled scared” he said to them. “ good, she should be afraid of us!” Timmy said as everyone looked at him “ I think you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover sport” Wanda said “ nah, it’s more fun to do that” cosmo chuckled annoying Wanda . “ Well before you do that, you should know that something is clearly angering her, I learned that when we blasted at each other” Danny told them. “ And didn’t she say," Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? “ El Tigre said as Jenny agreed “ she did say that, and that should be evidence for what Danny is saying” Jenny added. “ But she attacked us, she’s clearly a bad guy” Timmy said ignoring what they were saying as Wanda looked at him “ like I said sport, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and you should really listen before judging her like that” she said to him. “ yeah turner” jimmy said annoyed “ will we ever see her again?” SpongeBob asked them when Jenny helped Danny up from the floor. “ I dont know if we will or not,..but who knows?” Danny told him as Jimmy was typing on his wrist “ well all I know it’s getting late and we should be heading back to get some sleep” he said as everyone agreed. “ can’t late for class again, Mr Lancer wouldn’t like that one bit “ Danny said as Jenny said “ my mom would freak out if I was late for school “ she said. “ Mr Krabs wouldn’t like me being late for work, I did it once when I was one minute late “ SpongeBob said as they all went into the ship once they made it. “ you know he’s overworking and underpaying you right?” Danny asked him. “ nah he wouldn’t do that to me and squidward “ SpongeBob said as they both were seated and ready to go. “ Even though he sold your soul for 62 cents “ Jimmy said softly and activated the ship when it roared to life and started to fly out of the city and open a portal back to the headquarters.

Once the team arrived at the headquarters, Ella was tired but she activated the portal to take each member back to their home world to get some rest and get ready for the next day in store for them. Once they saw their home world, each member waved goodbye to the others before entering the portal to head home. Every member was home except for Ella and jimmy “ well I guess this is goodnight neutron, I hope you’re ready to have your winning streak of the science fair broken tomorrow, by yours truly” Ella said confidently and chuckling with her clawed hands

Showing how sharp they are. “ We'll see about that, I expect you to bring your a game to be a good runner up” Jimmy said as she laughed “ let’s just hope that Carl or sheen ruins it, cause my creation is foolproof!” She laughed then yawned loudly. “ ooh, I need to get some sleep, I’ve been working non stop today” she said rubbing her eyes “ me too, we need to get some sleep if we are to bring our a game at the science fair “ Jimmy as Ella tapped on her nicktoons watch. “ see you tomorrow, neutron” she said as she disappeared out of the lab to head Home on the other side of retroville. Jimmy went to his room with his robot dog snuggling against him to get some sleep as well as the other members. But SpongeBob was wondering if they’ll ever meet that mysterious girl again, he wanted to give her a big ole hug to make her feel better.

Speaking of which, where was she now?

Well

She was still in Orlando while flying in the city, stunned by what she just did. “ What have I done? ” She said while flying, shocked “ oh I hope that he didn’t see that” she said, a bit nervous. “ Oh but I did,” a wicked voice said as she saw the ghost syndicate of evil smiling while folding his arms and stopping her in mid air, stunned to see him. “ plasmius, I..” She said but he stopped her “ no need to explain yourself my dear, you did a good job showing those fools..who you are” he chuckled getting closer to her stunning her. “ I didn’t mean to, I lost control of my anger “ she said defending herself but plasmius wasn’t hearing it. “ Oh stop with the excuses, they make you look soft to our enemies, and you don’t want that, right?” He told her. “ ..no” she said softly then landed on the roof of a building. “ The Nicktoons unite are our enemies my dear, a bunch of fools who are to help others and be the protectors of the universe? Pfft” He said annoyed. “ But you gave me great entertainment while watching your battle against them, oooh what fierce energy and power you have “ he smiled pointing to her chest. He grabbed her hands “ that’s what I like to see, a fierce sorceress who doesn’t let anything stand in your way “ he smiled at her, pleased to see this fierce side of her. But then he saw the good side of her, annoying him “ I still didn’t mean to” she said softly. “ Who cares if you meant to or not, it’s still a great battle for you, and soon you will have them in your grasp “ he told her. “ Why do you still insist that they are friends? What exactly have they done to make you trust them?” He asked her. She was about to answer then stopped herself, realizing that she didn’t have an answer for his question as he watched her “ can’t think of one can you?” He said. She held her arm with her gloved hand while looking at him “..I can’t “ she answered him softly “ so if you can’t think of a reason why you can trust them? Then that should be your clue that they are our enemies, right?” He said. “ ..right” she said slowly still doubtful about that, but pleased him that she acknowledged him.“ but I’m still in hot water with them, and I still didn’t mean to, it was an accident “ she said as he looked annoyed then put his gloved hand on her shoulder “ we’ll work on that, but for now we should be getting some rest..” he continued while smiling wickedly “ we got fun and exciting things to do tomorrow “ he laughed while hugging her. “ Come along now dearie, shall we be going?” He said walking away from her and she watched the cityscape for a bit “ I’m sorry..nicktoons unite “ she said softly so he wouldn’t hear her. She was still feeling bad for attacking the nicktoons unite and slowly followed him into the darkness to disappear to not be seen in the city again.

[tanglepelt]

What caused the grave?

Ao3

An explosion in the lab leads to the Fenton blaming Phantom for their son's death while they grieve.

This is what actually happened to lead to that point.

***

Just yesterday there was one less grave in the ground. One less tombstone. No new mourners no new grief in town.

 Now the cemetery was full. Students from the school. Those who remained for the summer. Dash standing in the back lost in thought.

 Two parents were lost in grief.

 An Older sister is not yet back from her summer quarter.

 Two friends who hadn’t even shown up.

 The tombstone reading: Here lies Daniel Fenton

  At the front of the grave Jack and Maddie Fenton grieving for their son. Blaming Phantom on anyone who would listen.

**

Danny’s worst fear was coming true.

 Starting a week ago when the guys in white showed up at his house. They weren’t after him, he could handle escaping them again. No, they were here for his parents.

 The GIW and his parents working together.

 Launching one missile wasn’t enough. He stopped that one in the nick of time. Teaming up with his rogues. Managing to stop the missile from the ghost zone.

 He just had to stop this one from launching, just like before.

 This time it was happening in his own home. The very lab his accident happened. Where he had already died once. Jazz wasn’t home to help, long gone at college. She left in the fall and stayed. Fully attending to finish early, attending through the summer. Tucker and Sam are both away from town Sam to some rich people's event and Tucker to a tech camp.

 Danny’s phone and all communication devices were confiscated. A security risk. Neither the GIW nor his Parents trusted him not to tattle. He could still do this.

 He only had to convince one group.

 Getting his parents away from the lab was difficult. Never stopping from their work, he never could get a word in. The GIW would never listen. Danny didn’t even bother with them. Quantum physics meant nothing to them. Those in white would just doom both dimensions. That left his parents.

 The ones who spent their whole lives hunting ghosts.

 Hinting them for sport, those who created weapons to kill them.

 All he could do was hope they listened for once.

 If they didn’t, he would have to act. Potentially out himself to both groups. No matter the cost both dimensions would remain standing. Frostbite, Pandora, Sam, Tucker, Jazz and so many others would be counting on this. Counting on him to solve this problem.

 With the portal shut in preparations, no one could get here. Only those who could create portals. Wulf and such a select few. No way to know the danger coming their way. No reason to suspect the ill intent

from the earthly realm.

 Clockwork would know.

 He doesn’t tend to meddle.

 Managing to rip his parents away from the GIW. Claiming he fell down the stairs. He knows they love him; Danny knows they care. He can use that to his advantage to get their attention. Just because they care doesn’t mean they listen. Jazz and he could explain until they're blue in the face ghost aren’t unfeeling.

 They have tried. They always countered.  Using their “research” and science to disagree. Aways ignored the true evidence.

 Danny would have to play on humanity. All the humans are in danger. Make them think they could be some saviors to humanity. Maybe that could work.

 Of course, it didn’t.

 Every point he made got thrown to the side just as normal. This whole science thing was far above his head. The ghost zone wasn’t even its own dimension, no it was just a little tiny pocket. Nothing would happen. Danny had asked them to send in a probe to see the vast size.

 All the so-called evidence came from fishing poles. The two never bothered to explore it themselves.

 Never mapped it.

 Never even gauged its size.

 NO.

 Nothing.

 For scientists, they were too lost in bias. Refusing to look at the other side. Only taking evidence that supported their cause.

 A look around the lab a countdown was visible. Agents swarming around,  blackboards and whiteboards filled with calculations. A drawing of an explosion, that had to be his dad’s contribution, in the middle of the board.

 Two hours before launch. He didn’t have much time left.

 To make a bad situation even worse he got sent to his room.

 His parents claimed it was for his safety, that his worrying could get him, and others hurt. It was just to keep him out. No doubt they didn’t want to continue listening to him arguing. He was using evidence and scientific theories. They weren’t.

 Why would they allow themselves to be outsmarted?

 Especially by a C student.

 Wasting an hour, trying to get some means of contact out. To get a line to someone. Even trying to go out the window. All with no luck.

 Thankfully No one was guarding the door. He should have checked that first, rather than waste an hour. Perhaps simple sabotage would work. Go to the lab try to apologize and break something. It would just be Fenton's luck at that point.

 The Fenton’s were quite good at breaking stuff after all.

 Danny never made it to the lab. Being brought up. An agent is now stationed outside of his room. His mother only chided him for putting himself at risk. No, yelling to begging as he was brought back upstairs was listened to. Back to square one.

 He only had 30 minutes until the planned launch. That time may not even be accurate. That was just the end goal. He wasn’t in the lab, he didn’t know.

 With no other option left. The room flashed white.

 Turning invisible and flying through the walls, he got to the lab in record time. The floor was flooded with white suits. Agent K and O talking with his parents, the missile is pointed right at the portal door. The countdown already commencing.

 Five minutes.

In five minutes, the portal would open.

In five minutes both dimensions could be destroyed.

Every universe and every dimension could be destroyed if he didn’t stop them.

 Danny could only think of one solution. Jazz always said their parents would accept him. Once they realized he was part ghost they would change their minds. That everything the two had been saying would finally click for them.

 All it got was him being held back. Screams about him overshadowing their son, him using the body as a disguise. Their eyes full of hatred. The GIW restraining him. He got nowhere. The situation only got worse.

 The countdown still going down.

Second, by second, getting closer to their deaths.

 They hadn’t managed to get a power restraint on him. Danny’s struggle made it difficult. Countdown still going. The portal opens the room turning green.

 Only two minutes left.

 Danny managed to cover the portal in ice before the cuff clicked. His ice stood firm. It would stay until he willed it away. The missile was still in position. Still aimed at the portal.

 Breaking free from the hold, he raced to the missile. Getting by anyone in his way. Pushing the button that would launch it. A 30-second countdown began. Screams to abort, but nothing happens. It wasn’t designed to be stopped.

 Danny couldn’t stop them on his own. He could destroy them. Even if it was designed to destroy ectoplasm it was still a projectile. It would still collide with the ice wall. It would destroy the lab, the portal, and all the work in the lab. Everything they had worked on; all his parent’s work would be gone.

 They didn’t believe in the cloud. Only physical storage, all in the lab.

 Danny got pushed to the side as everyone began to evacuate. He wouldn’t get out. Both worlds would survive. It would be worth it.

 The plan worked better than attended. The missile breaking up hit other inventions. Other hazards, fires explosions it all went up. The entire building went up. As the smoke cleared up FentonWorks was gone. Only the few who managed to get out of the building survived. The lab, the portal it was all gone.

 The only thing left was for the grieving parents to bury an empty casket.

 No one noticed the black hair, a blue-eyed child leaving town. The one with a medallion around his neck. He would never be seen again. A total of four amity parkers that day were never seen in town again.

[hauntedppgpaints]

wait good morning please please talk about your a/b/o au. sitting so patiently and interested

WAUHG ty for asking im in love with this au

it all started with this post (thank you for your tags cam) about a younger alpha fucking an older omega out of menopause and back into fertility. cam's tags about bee and EJ caught my attention, and i brought it up to some friends in a hockeyblr discord. almost 1000 messages later, and it's a whole, league-wide au.

(TW for discussion of fertility issues, miscarriage, and abortion under the cut. CW for various kinks, including free use, and some questionable age gaps in relationships)

the pairings so far are (and bear with me, there are some weird pairings):

joel farabee(A)/erik johnson(O) and dylan larkin(A)/steve yzerman(O) in a polycule

Sasha Barkov(A)/Roberto Luongo(O)

Matthew Tkachuk(A)/Paul Maurice(O)

Auston Matthews(A)/Patrick Marleau(O)

Matthew Knies(A)/John Tavares(O)

William Nylander(A)/Henrik Lundqvist(O)

Dylan Strome(A)/Alex Ovechkin(O)/Nicklas Backstrom(O)

Quinn Hughes(A)/Henrik Sedin(O)Daniel Sedin(O)

Connor Dewar(A)/Brandon Duhaime(A)/Marc-Andre Fleury(O)

Connor Bedard(A)/Nick Foligno(O)

Tim Stutzle(A)/Claude Giroux(O)

Sean Couturier(A)/Danny Briere(O)

it started with me finding the idea of bee breeding EJ really hot, here's a little snippet i wrote about it:

bee meeting ej and loving his scent, but a certain previous captain he had taught him all about respecting an older Omega's space, especially in a new environment like getting traded to a new team. so he greets EJ like normal, and keeps his nose to himself. until EJ goes through a hotflash, and his scent pours out of him. EJ himself is fine, mildly irritated about the hotflash, but nothing else. his pheromones, however, are going fucking bonkers. and Bee is open-mouthed panting over the smell and it is known that alpha saliva can help soothe cramps eventually the hot flashes get so strong that bee has to say something. "hey, ej… if you ever. uh. need any help with anything, you can. hit me up, anytime, bud." ej just tilts his head in obvious confusion. way to explain yourself, bee. "like… with your-" another hot flash comes, and ej's scent of ripe omega floods the room. bee cant help the sudden pooling of alpha saliva that falls out of his mouth. he wipes it away as best he can. "with your heat flashes, or whatever." he explains. ej furrows his brow more, until it hits him, what bee is trying to say. his scent sours, and he curls in on himself a little. "sorry, i know i smell horrible right now. i'll get better scent blockers soon." bee's jaw drops. "no!! do not-" get with the program, bee. "you don't smell bad, bud. you smell-" more alpha drool. "fuck, dude, you smell so fucking good. i just wanted to. y'know. offer my help, if you ever need it." Cut to Bee, nose deep in EJ's cunt. EJ's got a fistful of Bee's hair, keeping him right where he wants him as Bee eats him out. Bee has his hand around his knot, because it fucking hurts, how hard he is, but he's happy right where he is. He'll knot his own fist, if EJ prefers it. Anything to get at the source of the smell. EJ doesn't experience full heats anymore, since he's going through menopause. he doesn't think he can get pregnant anymore, so he doesnt bother with a condom and he fucking loves how Bee fills him. he honestly thinks that even if he could get pregnant, he wouldnt put a condom on Bee because he's addicted to how much cum Bee fills him with

then it evolved to bee getting EJ pregnant, and EJ announcing his retirement, only to miscarry. bee and ej mourn for a long time, and eventually steve yzerman reaches out to them when word gets through the league grapevine what they're going through, and talks to them about carrying a child when the omega is older (since he and dylan went through it as well.)

the four of them bond over being old omega/young alpha couples, and they eventually all start sleeping together.

bee & ej do try again, and it takes- twins.

some of their kinks include a lot of switching (bee loves getting fucked by any designation), cockwarming (EJ buys a faux knot and knots Bee's mouth, and Bee falls into subspace right then and there), a LOT of wet&messy sex, frottage, kneeling, dirty talk about bitching bee from both ej and dylan

the team starts gossiping about Bee having two omegas at home And he overhears but doesn’t get it cause. He technically does have two omegas at home. And another alpha. But he doesn’t get the connotation of it “Yeah, EJ and Stevie” “Who tf is stevie” “Yzerman” “YOU HAVE STEVE YZERMAN AT YOUR HOUSE?” "Yeah, he's nesting with EJ right now" "STEVE YZERMAN IS NESTING WITH YOUR OMEGA?" "Okay first of all, EJ isn't mine, so go ahead and jot that down" “And Dylan’s hanging out with me, making sure I can keep the rest of the house safe” “Dylan….” “Larkin” “You have a rival team’s Captain and GM in your house, helping you through the post-pregnancy nesting.” So many teammates are gonna be like "... are you fucking Steve Yzerman." "I mean. he's usually fucking me, but yeah, sometimes." "WHAT"

This polycule is perfect because whenever Bee wants to do stereotypical alpha shit (very rare, usually only if the rut is really bad), he’ll go to Dylan instead of EJ and they can fight and fuck nasty through the worst of it When he’s at the peak of his rut, and he knows he wants a knot in his ass, instinct is fighting tooth and nail to not take a knot, so he knows Dylan can fight/wrestle him down and make him take one (consent was given prior to rut). Even as it swells inside him he’s gonna fight and claw at Dylan, even as his ass greedily milks Dylan’s knot

and now we move on to matthew tkachuk/paul maurice.

matthew, who's own rut cycle is a fucking mess when he gets to the panthers. it takes several months of a lot of visiting dynamic doctors and therapists to learn ways to handling his body trying to self-regulate after getting out of a really stressful situation with his previous team & coach.

It's after a good practice when a pseudo rut hits. Everyone is already showered and getting ready to pack up and head out, when Matthew hunches over with a quiet grunt. Scents and sounds become suddenly almost overwhelming- he can smell each and every teammate's scent, can identify everyone's secondary gender, and it's a lot. He keeps his eyes shut as he starts to do the breathing and focus exercises the trainers had taught him when his pheromones started going all whacky. He loses track of time, and when he opens his eyes, the locker room is empty. Except for Paul. Who is an omega. That Matthew is definitely into. But he's the head coach. But- "You alright, Matthew?" Paul asks. His scent (which is normally slightly muted, due to age) is in full bloom right now, ripe and making Matthew's mouth water. "Yeah," He pauses to wipe some drool about to fall out of his mouth. Gross. "Yeah, just. Dealing with some shit right now. Sorry if I smell gross." Matthew replies, shifting in his pants to try and give his hardening cock some breathing room. Paul catches the move, and his scent is. Hm. Definitely interested.

as their relationship progresses, they learn that, while matthew certainly likes the idea of getting fucked by paul, his body has an overwhelmingly negative reaction to it. no matter how they try, his alpha hind-brain just says no. but matthew is undoubtedly the submissive one in their relationship. thankfully, paul can work with that.

“Stay.” Paul commands with a point. Matthew squirms briefly, but stays kneeling in front of the couch, naked as the day he was born. Paul turns and heads to his room to grab a few extra towels, and a toy for Matthew. By the time he gets back, Matthew has his cock in hand, slowly grinding his knot into his fist. “Stop that.” Paul barks, and Matthew lets his cock go like it’s on fire. Paul drapes a few towels down on the couch, one at the foot of the couch in front of Matthew, and offers Matthew the toy. It’s basically a fleshlight, meant to lock around an alpha’s knot and pulse. “Put this on.” Matthew pauses briefly, before taking the toy and slowly fitting it over his knot, whimpering as it locks into place. As he does, Paul undresses, and sits down on the couch. Matthew starts open-mouthed panting at the scent of a horny omega, flushing bright red at the sight of Paul’s cunt and legs covered in slick. “How good are you at eating pussy, Chucky?” Matthew somehow manages to tear his eyes away from Paul’s cunt, and grins briefly. “Wanna find out?”

JESUS this got really long. if anyone wants to know more hmu

[banannabethchase]

I wish you would write a fic where Adam keeps coming back to the locker room and finding his crossword puzzles completed and he has no idea who it is but when he finds them he's going to strangle them because those are his crossword puzzles, damnit! (it's Nick, and when Adam finds out and doesn't strangle him, he's very disappointed.)

Finding the Words - also on AO3

~

Somebody keeps taking Adam's crossword puzzles and finishing them before he can get to them.

~

This prompt was quite literally from September. WHOOPS.

~

Adam yawns and look down at his bag. He’d been planning on sitting down and finishing up his crossword puzzle. Decompress from the meeting.

The crossword puzzle is done already.

He bends at the knee and picks it up, studying the handwriting. He thinks, if he tries hard, he could find it familiar. But he isn’t sure who did it.

He stands, sighing. “Which one of you finished my crossword puzzle?” he calls across the locker room. It’s cramped today, the venue poorly designed with one huge room with small, connected offshoots instead of different sets of rooms. Adam hasn’t shared a locker room with this many people in a long time. There’s a few people he’s both hoping and dreading running into. With their gear bags, it’ll be impossible to miss them.

Isiah Kassidy, head in Daniel Garcia’s lap, rolls his eyes. “Nobody messed with your shit, dude.”

“We weren’t really watching, though,” Danny corrects. Zay pinches his thigh. “Ow! What?”

Adam rolls his eyes and lets them have their moment, and sets his crossword down. A bit begrudgingly, he settles instead for the word search.

~

It happens the next Dynamite. And the next. And the next. After the second time, he’d started picking up two newspapers and hiding one of them at the bottom of his bag. He’d frown at the completed puzzle, pull out the hidden one, but he’d always find himself consumed with the question of who keeps filling them out.

He flips the second newspaper over and begins listing everyone he thinks it could be. Adam Cole is an easy guess – his idea of pranks tend to be a bit poorly thought up – but it almost feels too easy. Kassidy seems the type, but he’s been so wrapped up in Garcia that it seems unlikely he’d have the time to fill out a full puzzle before Danny got his hands on him again. Harley Cameron seems like the kind of strange person to mess with somebody else’s things, but he thinks she’d be really obvious about it.

There is one more person who has been known to mess with him similar to this. But it was a long time ago, and they were different people back then. And he’s not sure the people they are now are allowed to play the same games.

After a particularly stressful Dynamite, Adam takes an extra-long shower and steps out when he thinks everyone is gone for the night, forgoing the towel. He’d forgotten his conditioner in his bag.

And he sees Nick Jackson, leaning over his bag, frozen.

“Um.” Adam tries to cover himself with his hands, but there’s a limit to what he can block. “That’s my bag.”

“I know!” Nick says, too quickly. He stands and clears his throat. “Um. I mean. I know.”

“Why, uh. Why are you in my bag?”

Nick brushes off his shirt, eyes skittering from side to side. Adam tries to cover up more. “I – okay, you don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?”

“This,” Nick gestures between the two of them. His eyes linger, for just a moment, on Adam’s bare chest. And he turns his gaze away again. “Where you pretend you don’t know it’s been me.”

“With the crosswords,” Adam says. He’d hoped. But he hadn’t taken the possibility seriously. “It was you.”

Nick laughs, and Adam loves how his eyes light up. “It’s been me,” he repeats. He leans against the lockers and his tongue darts out to wet his lips. Adam can’t help but stare. “I was trying to get you to figure it out.”

“Why not just tell me?” Adam asks. “I – hold on. Do you have a minute or something?” He tries his best consoling smile. “I was in the middle of a shower and now I’m getting soap in my eyes.”

“And, like, you’re naked.” Adam glances at Nick to see him with a little smile on his lips. “You probably wanna take care of that.”

“Nothing you haven’t seen before.” Adam returns the smile.

It’s weird to shower, knowing someone is outside and waiting for him. But it makes him take his time, slow down. He doesn’t want to rush anything. He doesn’t want to go too quickly. To work on impulse or panic. He doesn’t want to repeat last time.

Adam leaves the shower with a towel around his waist and his hair dripping water down his back. He’s trying his best to seem nonchalant and calm about the situation. He’s not sure how well he’s pulling it off. “So,” he says, grabbing the extra towel and dabbing at his hair, “what’s up with stealing my crossword puzzles?”

Nick can’t meet his eyes, so Adam decides that’s normal and takes his time taking care of his hair. He keeps glancing over to Nick in the mirror, who is very clearly trying not to look at Adam and failing.

“Was this some weird pulling my hair on the playground thing?” Adam asks. He ties his hair up into a bun, trying to keep the curls under control, and pulls on a shirt.

“I mean, kind of,” Nick’s eyes widen and he turns around when Adam reaches for his jeans. It’s cute, almost, how Nick’s acting like he should be demure about this. “Sort of. I know you do the crossword. It was an easy way to get your attention.”

Adam laughs and zips up his jeans. “Alright, I’m decent.”

“You are,” Nick says, and the way his cheeks color tell Adam he didn’t mean for it to slip out. “I. Yeah.”

“You seem really nervous.” Adam leans up against the wall. He hopes it comes off nonthreatening, but he doesn’t know with Nick anymore. “Are you expecting me to get mad at you or something?”

“Well, kind of.” Nick shrugs. “I didn’t know how to talk to you. And then I – I don’t know, I finished the puzzle when you were out there doing a promo one day, and you seemed kind of…” He trails off. “Sort of intrigued? Like you were having fun trying to figure out who was doing it.” He finally looks at Adam’s face. Adam hopes he’s, at the very least, okay with what he sees. “And then I kept doing it, but I didn’t tell you. I thought you’d catch me ages ago.” He tries a smile. Adam tries to echo it. “And then you didn’t. Until today. And now it’s weird.”

“I don’t think it’s weird,” Adam says.

Adam can see the moment Nick’s hope returns. “You don’t?”

“I mean, not weirder than you usually are.” He takes a few slow, hesitant steps toward Nick. “And I like the weird you usually are.” He’s closer to Nick than he’s been in months. “I always have.”

He doesn’t miss the way Nick’s eyes flicker down to his mouth. His heart is racing. “Four across today. The clue was about the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Blank chance.” He presses his lips together.

Adam steps back over to the newspaper. Four across. The word “second” is written in the familiar, all caps handwriting he used to see on notes before breakfast and Christmas gift tags. He doesn’t know how he missed that the first few things. “Is this you asking?” he says. He turns. Nick is right next to him.

“For a second chance,” Nick confirms. “Since, you know, we’re sort of a team again, and we’re putting the Elite back together, I was thinking –”

Adam knows what Nick is thinking. He doesn’t need to hear anymore – he hauls Nick in by the waist and kisses him. It’s familiar and new at the same time, the same lips on a changed man. Adam wants to hold this to himself for as long as he can have it.

Nick wraps his arms around Adam’s waist, pulling him in, laughing when his arms get trapped. He pulls back, beaming up at Adam. His sneakers must have a little lift in them. He’s taller than Adam remembered. “So is that a yes?” Nick asks. He pulls his arms out to drape them over Adam’s shoulders. Adam can’t focus on anything other than how warm Nick’s body is against his.

He nods. “You promise not to get weird about Adam Cole or some other random blond again?”

“Promise,” Nick says. “As long as you don’t get weird about Adam Cole again.”

“Promise,” Adam echoes. He leans in and kisses Nick again, crinkling the newspaper in his hand. He’ll keep buying two. Hopefully for the long term this time.

~

Mini Playlist: Cut to the Feeling - Carly Rae Jepsen Loved You Before - Peach PRC faceplant - LOLO Over Again - One Direction

[sidewalk-cracks]

read ur idea about vlad killing himself (what a great way to start an ask) and it reminded me of an old idea i had about danny discovering vlad has a history of being actively suicidal and then he's haunted by the thought that vlad might be one dumb decision away from forever disappearing from his life...and somehow danny realizes that he doesn't truly want vlad gone at least not in that way and has a whole emotional crisis over it

ooh bro I love that. Maybe Danny finds out via his parents? Maybe Jack is reminiscing about "the good old days" and mentions to Maddie "hey you remeber that crazy party where some jerk dared Vladdie to drink bleach and he actually did it? Haha fun times" and Danny does an aggressive spit take. Maybe with Tucker's help or something Danny does some digging and finds old medical records, a history of hospital visits before the accident and disturbing records of his time in the hopsital after the accident. Danny truly underestimates the magnitude of Vlad's misery bc Vlad is a dumb theater kid who knows how to be over the top and bottle up his emotions till the bursting point lol

to be honest I've reeeaally been wanting to write a fanfic where Vlad tries to off himself and Danny stops him in the nick of time, but I've been so busy lately and writing has gotten really hard so idk

It's just,,, soooo fun to make the halfas miserable (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

[midnightcreator12]

Someone Call a Doctor.... or a Vet

Mutant Mayhem, post Movie recovery fic that I wanted to read.

AO3 Version

Dr. Connor Maverick wasn’t unaccustomed to unusual cases.

He did specialize in exotic animals in New York, after all. If it wasn’t some rich aristocrat with way too much money to spend on animals that really shouldn’t be house pets, it was everyday New Yorkers bringing him whatever weird and wild animal that had somehow gotten loose. There was a surprising number of snakes and turtles that came through his door.

But…definitely none like the four that had just walked in behind his boyfriend.

Literally. Walked in. Under their own power. On two legs.

Because there were apparently half-human, half-animal mutants living in the city and some of them had fought off a giant amalgamation of the entire Rosebank Zoo. And Connor had not seen that event leading to a frantic call from Nick, begging him to open the clinic for an emergency.

That emergency being the four turtles, each looking like they’d gone head-to-head with a subway train. And a slightly less battered looking teenage girl, along with a really big rat in a bathrobe, limping in at the rear of the presession.

He really shouldn’t be surprised anymore. New York attracted weird like flies.

Nick led the little group, covered in grime and with a scrape over one cheek, but mostly unscathed. He leaned on the desk with a heavy sigh, “You’re a lifesaver today, ya know that? Don’t even know if a normal doctor could fix ‘em.”

“Yeeah,” Connor watched as the turtle in a blue mask held up the purple masked one with one arm, guiding him to the farthest side of the waiting area. “You forgot to mention that they weren’t, ya know, normal animals.”

“I know, I know, it’s a lot to wrap your head around. But they just saved the entire city, babe.”

“Did I say I wasn’t going to treat them? I opened shop, didn’t I? Just gotta…figure out where to start, honestly.”

“...the girl said their shells got cracked…it’s mostly why I called you…”

Connor blinked, frowning in thought as he watched the turtles. They’d all settled as far away from the front desk as they could and were watching Connor warily. He couldn’t see their carapaces and ‘cracked shell’ could mean a lot of things…none good, if he was honest, but smaller fractures would be a lot easier to fix.

Nodding to himself, Connor stepped out from behind the desk, “Go on, I can handle them from here.”

Nick blinked, “You sure? I don’t mind stayin’-”

“Naw, I’ll be fine. Besides, I can actually reason with these clients and they can tell me what’s wrong. Go, make sure Danni isn’t overworking herself again.”

Nick smiled, ducking down to press a quick peck to Connor’s cheek, “You’re the best.”

Connor hummed and started walking towards the mutants.

They all watched him like hawks…or trapped mice. The rat shifted subtly, eyes flicking to the door, to the turtles, to Connor then back to the door. The turtles weren’t quite as cagey or on edge, honestly, they looked more exhausted than anxious, but they still watched him warily as he stopped in front of them.

He did a quick scan, trying to determine who needed help first.

Apparently, that was a bad move, because the only human in the ranks stood, stepping right up to Connor so they were almost nose to nose, “You gonna just stand there and stare buddy? You got a problem?”

Connor blinked, “...who needs to go first?”

The girl smirked, like she’d won an argument, and spun around.

Connor didn’t need to see her face to know all the wind left her metaphorical sails. Her shoulders dropped and her head moved back and forth as she tried to parse out who needed help the most.

The turtle in blue straightened, pointing to the one in orange, “He should go first, he got milked earlier.”

Connor blinked, “That…isn’t physically possible…”

“I mean, technically, I think they were drawing blood?” Purple piped in.

Ah, blood loss. Yeah, that should be first.

Connor slowly approached the orange turtle, crouching in front of him, “I’m gonna need to take you to the exam room in the back to help you. Can you walk there okay?”

Orange nodded slowly, but his eyes flicked to the side nervously.

“...do you…want someone to come with?” 

Orange nodded again, more vigorously. Or, tried to, but the jerky motion clearly made him dizzy and he tipped forward. Connor’s hands automatically jerked up to catch him and…he was not expecting the turtle to be so light, actually. He wasn’t feather light but he didn’t seem much heavier then the average mastiff.

Everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath as Connor carefully helped Orange sit up, “Okay?”

Orange whimpered in the back of his throat.

Connor glanced to the side, where the rest of the group seemed to be having a silent conversation before the teen girl nodded, “I’m going with him.”

“Alright. Help him to the exam room?” Connor gestured to the turtle he was still holding up.

The girl quickly moved closer, taking Orange’s arm and slinging it around her shoulders. Connor nodded, more to himself then to his audience, and led the way into the room he’d already set up.

He decided to forgo the usual initial exam steps. For one, he didn’t have a baseline for ‘mutant turtle’ to compare with. And another, his current client could actually tell him what was hurt. 

And since the turtle could walk and was somewhat responsive, he could probably get away with just fluids and not try to figure out how safe a transfusion would be.

But when he turned from the cooler, IV bag and needle in hand, the turtle visibly recoiled, pressing himself more against the girl.

To her credit, she reacted quickly, bracing her legs more firmly and lifting her free arm to almost hug the turtle, “Hey, it’s okay Mikey, I’ll be right here if he tries anything, okay? It’s all okay.”

Right, having a client that talks means he can’t just wave something under their nose to tell them it’s safe…or use a treat to distract them.

Damn, maybe he should have asked Nick to stay. Nick was better at the people stuff.

Connor paused in his advance, holding the IV out, “It’s fluids to help your body replenish your blood supply. You’re dizzy right now because there isn’t enough blood to carry oxygen to your brain, this will help make that go away.” he patted the exam table. “You can sit here while I set it up and finish looking you over.”

Mikey still looked wary, but he let the girl lead him to the exam table and carefully climbed up.

Connor gave him a moment to settle before approaching, “It’ll probably pinch a little, uhh-” what did Nick tell people when he had to do IVs. “Um…you can look at the wall posters if it helps?”

The girl, thankfully, jumped in again, grabbing Mikey’s hand and pointing to a weight diagram for cats, “Dude, check it out,  it’s like that meme. You’ve seen the one, right?”

Connor took advantage of the destruction, quickly swabbing Mikey’s arm and finding the vein before slipping the needle in.

It was…weird doing this on something on a human scale.

But he was quite liking the small mercy of Mikey not trying to bite him. He only flinched when the needle went in and kept his eyes firmly on the cat poster while Connor taped the line down.

Connors' eyes drifted to the carapace next. The turtle was covered in cuts and scrapes and bruises but Nick had mentioned cracks and the sooner that was taken care of, the better.

He couldn’t help but hiss in sympathy when he saw the injury. 

Technically, it wasn’t anywhere close to the worst he’s seen. Between teenagers using sliders as hockey pucks, escapees from central park onto the streets or little kids who thought dropping their box turtles off balconies was a good idea, he’d seen a lot of messed up carapaces.

But the clear pressure crack starting from the middle of the shell and carving a deep ravine almost to the top lip still looked painful. No wonder the turtle had been almost silent the entire time.

Cleaning it out would be an ordeal, by the simple virtue it was a lot bigger than the average turtle shell. And he’d need a lot of screws for the patch…or were the shells on mutant turtles weaker? Maybe added screws would make it worse.

“You don’t happen to know how strong your shell is?” he asked.

Mikey peeked over his shoulder at him, shrugging one arm, “Donnie says they're even tougher than the average turtle…is it bad?”

And Connor didn’t answer right away. He couldn’t, because it was suddenly hitting him how…young the mutant sounded. Thinking back, the one wearing blue had sounded young too…and the purple one’s voice had been pretty high pitched.

He hadn’t thought too hard about it but now, with just one mutant in front of him, looking up at him wide-eyes in a very round face, that maybe wasn’t just turtle genes mixing weirdly with human genes…

Did New York just get saved by…kids?

Did a bunch of teenagers almost get killed trying to stop a freaky version of godzilla? 

Where the hell had literally anyone one else been?

He shoved those very, very foreboding thoughts down because Mikey was starting to fidget anxiously at the long silence. He took a deep breath and moved to get the saline bottle and cotton balls, “Good news, I am very good at fixing this kind of shell fracture. Slightly…less good news, I’m gonna have to put screws in to actually repair it.

“I’m sorry, you gotta what?” the girl, he should really get her name, looked baffled and a little...protective maybe?

“Only to hold the shell shut while I apply a resin epoxy patch. After I clean the crack out I need a way to stabilize it and drilling small holes for screws and basically ‘sewing’ the edges of your carapace back together is the best way for it to heal properly. I’ll only put the screws in as far as your keratin layer…erm, that’s the top layer of your carapace. After the patch dries I’ll take them out again and it should heal relatively quickly.”

The explanation didn’t seem to soothe either teenagers' worry.

Now he really wished he’d asked Nick to stay but it was far, far too late to call him back.

So he took another deep breath, “There is a mild pain-killer in the IV I gave you already. You’ll barely feel a thing and your friend…”

“...April,” the girl supplied.

“April is going to be here the whole time. I promise, this procedure is completely safe.

Mikey still looked unsure but he nodded and was clearly trying to keep still as Connor started to carefully clean the injury.

He worked as quickly as possible, uncomfortably aware that there were three more turtles with similar injuries waiting. Red tinted saline ran down the kids back and Connor worked diligently to make sure every bit of grime was gone before directing Mikey to lay on his plastron and pulling out his drill.

He’d made a point of getting one that wasn’t very loud so it didn’t stress out his clients, the whirr was barely louder than the average fan motor. But Mikey still tensed when he switched it on. April held his hands in hers, smiling encouragingly and talking softly while Connor worked.

He’d been right about using a lot of screws. He silently thanked Vanessa for accidentally getting a double shipment on the last restock, it was certainly paying off now.

He kept one hand firmly on the edge of Mikey’s shell, so he could feel every time the kid shivered or flinched. But he didn’t try to run or bite him so the process was going much more smoothly than he was used to.

Still, both human and turtle visibly relaxed when the last hole was bored and the final screw was put in place.

Moving quickly, Connor dumped the epoxy resin components into a mixer before going back to the carapace with fishing line and started piecing the broken ends back into one.

Mkey whimpered and shook, and when Connor glanced down he could see the green, three fingered knuckles going pale with how hard he was squeezing April's hand. She didn’t even seem to care as she kept praising how well Mikey was doing.

Tough kid. Definitely born and raised in the city.

Fishing line in place, Connor made short work of transferring his resin batch and applying it. That, at least, didn’t seem to cause Mikey any more distress, his hands loosening bit by bit as the patch was spread over his injury. And the waiting time for it to set gave Connor a chance to examine the rest of Mikey.

There were a plethora of cuts to bandage but nothing that needed stitches. Connor thanked fate for that small mercy, because he wasn’t sure if Mikey would stay put if he pulled out another needle.

He smoothed down the last bandage just in time for the resin patch to dry. The screws were removed and disposed of and Connor finished it all off with a stupid amount of tape and gauze.

He breathed a sigh of relief before helping Mikey sit up again, “I want that IV to stay in until the bag is empty. But you can take it to the waiting room with you.”

Mikey nodded as he carefully slid off the table, leaning on April again for support. He looked up at Connor with a very shaky but genuine smile, “You’re a lifesaver, dude.”

Connor huffed a laugh, patting the kids head, “Tell yourself that when you start getting tired of all that resin on your back. Now, let’s go get the next one.”

Mikey nodded and Connor led the way back to the others.

Exhaustion was clearly trying to pull them all down but they perked up when Mikey shuffled over and was lowered into the chair.

Connor didn’t even have to ask before the same blue turtle, who was definitely the oldest with that ‘take charge’ attitude, was pushing the purple one forward.

Connor knew better this time and quietly explained the process again as April helped Donnie to the exam room. The kid, who he learned was named Donnie, nodded along quietly and immediately laid himself flat on the table.

More screws, more resin, an exam showing the kid probably had a concussion and a deep cut up his leg that needed a few stitches. Donnie babbled quietly the entire time, talking to April about some TV show he’d been watching and a band he really liked. Connor huffed a quiet laugh when he heard BTS mentioned a few times.

Now that he wasn’t as unsure, the entire thing took less time and Connor was feeling pretty confident when he went back for the next kid.

And was very, very quickly humbled again when he got Raph on his exam table.

He doubted Raph was trying to be difficult. But his default when he was uncomfortable seemed to be very much fight or flight. And since flight wasn’t an option, it meant he kept trying to claw at Connor whenever something hurt a little too much. Connor was very happy to have April's help in making sure Raph stayed as still as possible while also keeping him from punching or biting.

Luckily, Connor was used to clients that tended to lash out. And it got much easier after the shell repair was done. Something had cut the kids hands to ribbons so both got a layer of disinfectant and gauze.

Leo, while not nearly as difficult as Raph had been, was definitely not easy. Not because he was moving or trying to bite. No, it was because he refused to hold onto April like the last three had and continued to insist that Connor cleaning and drilling his shell didn’t hurt that bad.

It was kinda cringy to watch the kid fumble over his brave face in a clear attempt to impress April. But then again, Nick wasn’t much better and Connor had found that awkwardness endearing so he couldn’t judge the kid.

He also needed the most stitches. It looked like every cut the kid got and dug in deep and left Connor the job of slowly turning the turtle into a poor copy of Frankenstein's monster. And the bruising over his arms was much worse then the other three had been, already turning an ugly shade of purple. Treating that presented a small challenge, because he didn’t make a habit of stocking anything that could treat bruising. So he settled for raiding the break room freezer for ice and instructions for April to pick up something for bruising at a pharmacy.

Which left the rat, their father, apparently.

Connor frowned as the older mutant slowly limped next to him, under his own power so April could watch his boys.

“You have a name, right?” Connor asked. “I’m not really a fan of calling you ‘dad’.”

The rat gave a wheezy laugh at that, hugging his ribs, “Splinter will do fine.”

Connor nodded and held the exam room door open, “Okay Splinter, let’s take a look at that leg first.”

Splinter nodded, grunting and groaning as he took a seat on the table, only pausing to stick out a hand when Connor tried to help, “I’m not that old!”

“No, but you are injured,” Connor crouched, carefully prodding Splinters leg and foot. “...I want to x-ray to make sure but I don’t think it’s broken. Maybe a hairline fracture at worst.”

Splinter nodded, “Good, good, don’t have time for a broken bone anyway. Gotta stay on top of those boys.”

“I’m sure April will help you with your kids aftercare.”

“Ha, with their injuries, maybe. No, I need to make sure they stay home! Those four are grounded for sneaking around behind my back!”

“I mean…they did help save a lot of people.”

“Yes, and I am very proud of them. That’s why I’ll only ground them for a month instead of the rest of their lives.”

Connor couldn’t help but snort at that, “Alright then. Would you mind taking off your robe? I want to check your ribs.”

Splinter hummed and muttered as he gingerly pulled off his robe, once again refusing help. So Connor waited until he was given permission to touch. He didn’t check for busted ribs often on animals but Nick had shown him how to do it one. ‘Just in case’.

What other odd, little moments in his life were just fate setting up something to pay off later? 

He probably would never know…and frankly, he’d had plenty of world shattering revelations today.

Splinter was, by far, the least hurt. His leg and ribs were the worst offenders and, after a little nervousness around the x-ray machine, Connor confirmed that his leg wasn’t even broken, just a thin fracture that would heal in almost no time. He had the same random cuts all over his limbs to go with his sons, but his fur had saved him from anything too bad.

He led Splinter back to his sons after a slightly longer exam but with fresh bandages on his foot and chest and three pages of at-home care notes.

Connor paused by the desk, watching as the turtles, despite almost being asleep on their feet, stood to hug Splinter. He squeezed each one in return, likely putting too much pressure on his ribs but…Connor didn’t have the heart to tell him to stop.

The relief among the odd family was palpable. Connor knew that particular brand of relief well, when the dust finally settled completely and it fully hit you that you survived something that should have killed you.

No way in hell would Connor intrude on that moment. 

He let the mutants be, going back to the exam room to clean up. If they needed more help they could find him easily.

They were long gone by the time Connor went out again, only leaving a note on the front desk.

The scrawl was messy, but clearly read, ‘Thank you, from Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, Splinter, April’.

Connor smiled as he tucked the note into his pocket.

He had no clue if he’d ever see those kids again but he hoped he would.

He hadn’t properly thanked them for saving the city after all.

--------------------------------------------------

Two months later, Vanessa cautiously poked her head into the storage closet, “Uh, Dr. Maverick? We have a walk-in requesting you?”

Connor sighed, “If it’s Mrs. Jefferson, please tell her she has to wait like everyone else.”

“Um, no, it’s someone by the name Leonardo?”

Connor paused.

He only knew one Leonardo.

“...I’ll be right there.”

Inventory could wait until he saw why Leo was knocking.

Connor didn’t run, running was a stupid thing to do in the clinic. That was how you accidently got stabbed by a scalpel or spilled chemicals onto people. But he did walk a bit faster than he normally would.

And sure enough, there was Leo, standing in his waiting room, next to a bloody faced Rapheal.

Connor approached the two boys, looking between them, “...the hell happened to him?”

“Someone decided to fight half a gang. By himself!”

“That Hun guy called me a frog!” Raph defended. “And he threw a beer bottle at me!”

Connor sighed, shaking his head, “Come on, both of you. I do not feel like getting bit today so Leo, you get to hold him down.”

Raph gaped at him, crossing his arms, “I’m not that bad!”

“Uh-huh,” Connor nodded as he snagged an empty clipboard. “I’m sure Miss. O’Neil agrees with that.”

Raph grumbled but trailed after him, Leo following at the end of the train.

Connor smiled as he scribbled down Raphael's name at the top of the patent form.

These kids had put themselves through hell to save the city, he was fine being their designated doctor in return.

[denimbex1986]

'...23. Sherlock – Series 2, “The Reichenbach Fall” (2012)

The triumphant conclusion (which, as it turned out, wasn’t really a conclusion) to Steven Moffat’s initial Sherlock run was a tour de force in TV suspense, pitting Benedict Cumberbatch’s eponymous super-detective against his greatest frenemy, genius villain Moriarty (Andrew Scott). All anyone could talk about for the next two years — until the third season finally arrived in 2014 — was that devilish cliffhanger when, right at the end of “The Reichenbach Fall”, Sherlock and Moriarty meet for the final time atop St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.

Moriarty offers his nemesis-slash-wannabe-boyfriend a choice: dive from the roof to his death, or allow his closest friends and loved ones – among them, Una Stubbs’ Mrs Hudson, Rupert Graves’ Lestrade and Martin Freeman’s Dr Watson — to be murdered instead. He then pulled his cruellest trick of all, putting a bullet into the roof of his mouth, forcing Sherlock’s hand. The result, Sherlock apparently falling to his death, fuelled rampant fan speculation for months. Until he turned up spick and span in the next season, that is...

20. Broadchurch – Series 1, “Episode 8” (2013)

Murder mysteries are a game of cat and mouse for both the characters on screen and the audience at home, as both try to beat each other to nail down the killer. Bad ones make it too easy, good ones pull the wool over our eyes and great ones change the rules entirely. After seven hours of Broadchurch hunting down the possible killer of 11-year-old Danny Latimer, we knew we’d leave hour eight with an answer, expecting a final-minute reveal born from some intense action sequence that would mask the tragedy in adrenaline.

Instead, halfway through the episode, the killer, Joe, our lead detective Ellie Miller’s (Olivia Colman) husband, gives himself up, sick of being consumed by guilt and shame. It knocked the classic whodunnit structure on its head, changing the focus from the murderer to the fallout of his crimes. There’s Danny’s parents’ grief, which is finally felt in all its horrendous weight now that there are no longer question marks over the case, the town’s reckoning with the aftershock of such a harrowing crime, and Ellie’s life imploding before her eyes. Even though many viewers had worked out that Joe was the murderer, the real shock came from the horror of what it meant to be right...

16. Fleabag – Series 2, “Episode 4” (2019)

Throughout its two seasons, Fleabag became a beacon of rare relatability. It was a show about a woman actively not trying her best, self-sabotaging to bury emotion and hoping that none of it ever found its way to the surface. In its fourth episode of season two, it finally did. The episode is a bait and switch of sorts, as Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s titular Fleabag takes rejection from her hot priest crush (Andrew Scott) as a challenge, aiming to get him to relent on his spiritual allegiances and give into some good, old-fashioned carnal sin. For so long, it seems as if it’s not working, despite the pair dancing around the kind of sexual tension that feels like lightning in a bottle. But then she finds herself alone with him in the church late at night. He has had a few drinks. What starts as Fleabag in control ends with her walls breaking, the vulnerability she feels with the first person she’s connected with since the death of her best friend Boo corroding the armour that’s kept her feelings of guilt and shame and sadness locked away. He commands her to “kneel” and, well… you know the rest...

11. Fleabag – Series 2, “Episode 6” (2019)

Bringing back Fleabag didn’t seem like a good idea. Its beautifully constructed first season felt like the classic case of a one-and-done, particularly because of its gut-punch ending (the reveal that Fleabag had slept with her best friend Boo’s boyfriend shortly before she had died by suicide). And we’ve seen worse shows tarnish their legacies with ill-thought-out second runs. But, as evidenced by its dominance on this list, Fleabag series two went on to eclipse that first outing by every metric. This finale is a devastating conclusion to Waller-Bridge’s tragic romcom, with Andrew Scott’s sexy priest ultimately choosing God over love. Before that, we get to enjoy her father’s wedding to her ridiculous stepmother (Olivia Colman), her sister Claire (Sian Clifford) finding love with her Finnish namesake and a deeply moving and funny sermon from the hot priest (“Love is awful. It’s awful”). And, boy, that ending. The grim, bus-stop bench, the CGI fox, the priest’s devastating reply to her “I fucking love you”: “It’ll pass.” I defy you to see a fox at night on the streets of London and not think of it. But somewhere in here there’s a glimmer of hope, a sense that we’re leaving Fleabag better off than we found her...

9. Doctor Who – Series 3, “Blink” (2007)

Every episode of Doctor Who leans on existential wonder, conjuring concepts of the far reaches of time and space as the Time Lord navigates existence. “Blink” is a fascinating non-linear episode that introduces arguably the most terrifying monster yet – The Weeping Angels, lightning-fast creatures that can send someone through time with a single touch.

The perspective is switched from the usual Doctor and companion to place you in the shoes of Sally Sparrow, a normal girl roped into the world of the Doctor. She is tasked with deciphering the Doctor’s cryptic messages as he warns of the Weeping Angels. However, they turn into stone statues if they are laid eyes upon by a living creature – hence the iconic phrase “Don’t Blink”.

This anxiety-inducing episode prompts you to think at every moment what would I do? Every little action could prove to have deadly and unchangeable consequences. The prospect of being whisked away into another time is an unbearable thought. It is one of the best episodes of the show as it exemplifies everything wonderful about Doctor Who; evoking horror, mystifying time and space, as well as drawing upon emotion as the results of these life-changing stakes steadily come to fruition...

3. Fleabag – Series 2, “Episode 1” (2019)

“This is a love story,” says Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) from the floor of a restaurant bathroom, dabbing at her bloody nose. So begins the opening episode of Fleabag’s triumphant second season, which turns a family dinner into a tense negotiation, punctuated with cigarette breaks for gasps of air and set to the operatic thrum of classical music.

Arguably the great achievement of the episode is managing a seamless recap of the previous season, reintroducing all of the faultlines within the family while adding a new face to the table in the Priest (Andrew Scott). The tension ratchets up as an annoying waitress hovers in the wings, Fleabag resists the temptation to bite over and over again, and her sister Claire (Sian Clifford) looks as though a vein in her temple might blow like a pipeline from the effort of holding her emotions in. Andrew Scott’s performance throughout the season is astonishing, but the charm he brings to his introduction is irresistible. Among a table of family members who don’t get her, here, finally, is an equal to tempt Fleabag into opening her heart fully. You can see it in her face as she shrugs him off during one of those cigarette breaks, and he says, in that sing-song voice: “Well, fuck you then.”...'