#GOD BLESS YOU FOR THE REMINDER SAM

[stormyoceans]

MY DEAR FRIEND!! EP 1 BTS FOR LT IS OUT!!! ARE YOU AWARE!?!?!?

also i need to go on a raging rant about ep 1 BUT IVE BEEN SOOO BUSY OMFGG FRIEND!! WE SHALL CATCH UP SOON 😤😤😤😤

THE WAY I COMPLETELY FORGOT WE WERE GOING TO GET BTS VIDEOS SO WHEN I SAW YOUR MESSAGE I JUMPED OUT OF MY SEAT AND HIT MY KNEE SO HARD ON MY DESK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY COWORKERS TURNED TOWARDS ME

just got home from work+evening course and i was finally able to watch it without having to hide in the office bathroom so here are some personal highlight which you did not ask for but im gonna give you anyway because im insufferable just like that ;;;;;;;

starting with......

p'aof and the crew's endless attempts to make jimmy look more rough and unkept but continuosly failing at it because he's so handsome and charming that he looks good even after rolling in dirt WILL NEVER STOP CEASE TO BE FUNNY TO ME

and speaking of jimmy......

once upon a time there was sea and his emotional support hia. now there's mr. i don't enjoy skinship and his emotional support sea. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? GROWTH (IF YOU SEE ME WANDERING THE WOODS WAILING ABOUT THEIR FRIENDSHIP NO YOU DON'T)

and now for something a bit more serious......

unfortunately sea is covered by the subs, but i find it pretty interesting that in one version of the scene where day is in the middle of the street and overwhelmed by the traffic, he was actually supposed to scream for help and that's when mork saves him. it probably would have made everything even more heart-rending, but i do think i prefer the version they went with in the show, where day's panic is so palpable and all-consuming that it prevents him from doing anything, including asking for help

ANYWAY IMMA NEED 400 MORE HOURS OF BTS CONTENT AFTER THIS PLEASE AND THANK YOU

[ghostsandmirrors]

it's been like 3 weeks since i last did an edit. i need to edit something later.

[itsplumwriter]

Baking for Bucky

POV: While browsing a small collector’s shop, Bucky finds a vintage WWII magazine from the 40s. He flips through the pages and spots a dessert recipe, asking if you could make it for him.

A/N: Just some fluffsss. I haven't written a fluffy piece in a while so I really hope you'll like this. I love baking, do y'all? It's such a comfort activity and I think it'd be so cute to bake for Bucky.

--- --- ---

“What are we making again?” you ask, pulling out the flour and sugar.

“Gingerbread. It’s a classic from the 40s,” Bucky says, flipping through the old-timey magazine. “Housewives used to pack it in their husband’s box lunches back in the day.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Housewife? I am a housewife now?”

He lowers the magazine, glancing at you. “You can be..."

You nearly trip trying to get the bowl. “Slow your roll, soldier...”

He chuckles as he helps you pull out the rest of the ingredients. You love him, obviously, and you could definitely see yourself marrying him. But you’re both enjoying the dating phase and there’s no need to rush things.

You add the ingredients to the bowl and stir it's contents carefully, noticing a concerned look on Bucky's face. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Bucky smiles, enjoying the fact you know him so well. "The smell is just bringing me back... Usually sights, sounds, and smells bring me back to bad memories from my past, so it's kinda nice to have a smell trigger a good memory for once."

You smile and nod, hoping he'll say more; Bucky rarely opens up. When he does, you find it best to just keep quiet and let it flow naturally.

"I kinda miss the old days, you know?..." he continues. "Sometimes I hate that I was frozen for so long. That so many years were taken from me. Sometimes I wish I could have lived in the era I was supposed to.”

“I can understand that,” you say, nodding.

He approaches you, hugging you. “But the thing is if I hadn’t been frozen... I never would’ve met you."

He buries his head in the crook of your neck. "And that sorta makes it all worth it."

“Bucky,” you sigh. His words are sweet, but they make you upset. "I don't want you to say anything was worth what you went through..."

Bucky takes your hand, kissing your palm. “I mean it. And I meant it when I said I want you to be my wife...”

You smile. "Let's see how this gingerbread turns out first. You may change your mind..."

Bucky chuckles, rolling his eyes.

--- --- ---

The entire house is filled with the smell of gingerbread. A warm feeling enrobes the air, reminding you of Christmastime. You both curl up on the couch, eating a few slices with milk.

"You're clearly wifey material," Bucky chimes.

You raise an eyebrow. "Where did you hear that term..."

Bucky stares at you. "Sam."

You chuckle, shaking your head.

"No, but seriously... This has got to be one of the best desserts I've ever had."

You roll your eyes. "...Don't exaggerate, Bucky."

“I'm not! It's the loveliest thing I've ever tasted because the loveliest person made it for me."

You fiddle with a few gingerbread crumbs on your plate, blushing.

Bucky smiles to himself. "I remember one of my buddies used to have these all the time in his box lunch. He’d brag all the time to us that his wife made it for him... I can’t believe I had to wait nearly 90 years for my wife to make me some...”

You clench your jaw. “But I'm not your wife, Buckyy... I love you and I can see myself spending the rest of my life with you. But I don't think I'm ready just yet."

He gives you a soft smile. “No rush, doll... I believe I waited my whole life to meet you... It'd be an honor for me to wait a little longer..."

--- --- ---

AAAHHHH the flufffffff <33 love you all so much!! Did you like??

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Love you, dolls xo

God bless <3

[razcina]

sam carpenter headcanons || masterlist

sam carpenter x fem!reader

for the ladies ~ warnings: nsfw at the bottom!!

╭────────────────────╮

crushing on you ~

uber protective(duh); does not let you out of her sight when youre out with the group.

always finding an excuse to touch you, whether it be a small brush of her fingers on your back, “fixing” a stray hair in your face, or grabbing your hand when crossing the street, sam cant get enough of the rush she feels when you make contact.

melts when you call her “sammy♡”

constantly texts to check up on you and ask where you are, especially if she knows youre alone

reminds you to double check the locks on your doors and windows every night to make absolutely sure that nothing gets to you. often insists on sleeping over.. just in case.

terrified of losing you or driving you away with her overbearing and paranoid personality like she did tara, leading to sam often seeming distant. her heart skips three beats when you make effort to include her in conversations and activities.

whenever you walk through crowded areas sam makes sure to walk right beside you and hover her arm behind your back to prevent losing you.

────────────────────

domestic love ~

dial up the protectiveness tenfold; turns feral when god forbid anyone she doesnt know/trust gets close to you. her “killer instinct” suddenly has two meanings.

always wrapping her arms around you from behind, she needs to be touching you 24/7. (and signal to everyone else that you are hers.)

she struggles a lot with self-worth due to her reputation and needs a lot of reassurance.. could never bring herself to admit this though and swears shes fine, but at the same time breaks into a sob when you tell her that you love her

cannot sleep unless she is wrapped around you like a python and can feel your heartbeat, to knows youre alive and okay. sam also knows you tend to get cold and love when she acts as a personal heater.

often experiences night terrors, most of which involve you being brutally murdered or abandoning her like everyone else in her life. you can tell by the way shell suddenly hold you extra close in the middle of the night.

it could be a minimal papercut or a painless bruise, the second sam notices you hurt or sick she drops everything to coddle you.

and did someone hurt you? dont check the news on woodsboros recent killings “missing persons” cases tomorrow.. you might see a familiar face

huge on petnames, her favorites for you are baby, querida, love, angel, and doll.

(the latter two mostly when shes knuckles deep and calling you her good girl.)

did i mention that sam is just a tad clingy?

────────────────────

steamy ~

there is nothing sam loves more than kissing you, all of you. she has taken great care to memorize your sweet spots and how to drive you absolutely berserk with her mouth. god bless your sanity if she involves her tongue.

youre in a state of pure ecstasy before she even nears your soaked heat

despite how rough she tends to.. “handle” you, sam always makes sure to give the most gentle and loving aftercare. the last thing she would want is to hurt you.

loves having you on her lap. having you straddle her toned thigh as it presses right up against your center and oh.. she knows just how to move it to hit all the right nerves. you dont last 5 minutes before youre begging her to throw you down and absolutely ruin you. she enjoys torturing you by making you get yourself off by riding her thigh alone before she even touches you.

“oh i think you can do it yourself mi dulce, youre a big girl”

if you let her sam would eat you up, literally. as heavenly as it feels when she bites into your skin like a hungry vampire, you wish to retain what little dignity you have left when you go out tomorrow..

but at the same time, the thought of her marking you up for everyone to see feels so good.. concealer it is.

will take any opportunity to get you shirtless and under her. she ravishes your breasts like its her last meal, drooling even further at the sweet sounds that emit from your lips and that glazed over look in your eyes as you cant keep your mouth shut while she kneads your sensitive mounds, swirling her tongue around and pinching your nipples..

you swear she has an addiction. constantly coming up behind you and squeezing your tits in the shower, while youre cooking or even watching tv.. not that you mind it though

sam cant help but swoon for at way you look on your knees as you incoherently beg her to touch you, all the while youre forced to sit watch as she takes her sweet time giving you an slow and sensual strip show.

then only to bend down with a smirk, prying your mouth open with her thumb and whispering to you in that sultry tone.. “use your words mi preciosa..”

treats you like a pampered pillow princess most of the time. she had rarely allowed you to pleasure her back until you told her that it would mean a lot to you.

she now considers riding your face a guilty pleasure she cant get enough of, especially when shes moving her hips in a way that nearly suffocates you. your muffled moans and whimpers only work her up more.

the two of you were watching a classic horror movie one night, only for the killer to pin the victim to the wall and hold her at knifepoint. sam watched as you bit your lip and squirmed in your seat, face glued to the screen.

thankfully the neighbors werent home to witness the screams of bloody murder as you “helplessly fell victim” to a very enamouring freak with a knife that night.

the real struggle came with trying to walk the next morning

╰────────────────────╯

[pavedinashes-if]

*Mc just standing next to the apartment building outside. *Sneezes

They hear someone say "bless you" but cant see anyone.

Mc: "god??"

*Sam standing behind their open window sipping coffee. : "Why do I like the idiot so much?"

Sam shaking their head. They take another sip of coffee and sigh as they watch MC, Sam mumbling to themself, "Next time 'god' should remind them to bring a jacket."

Yes, Sam is sure there's gonna be enough next times... 😅🤦🤷🥰

[pheita]

Flash Fic Friday: A Broken Promise

Finally, I have time to write after weeks of stress. @flashfictionfridayofficial

Since I haven't written in weeks, I tag everyone who tagged me in tag games and consider it done now 😁

@bee-barnes-author @theathenverse @tabswrites @writernopal @druidx @sam-glade @theprissythumbelina

and I know you folks would like it too maybe @eternalwritingstudent @ashen-crest @contes-de-rheio @abalonetea @cljordan-imperium

This might become a new WIP. Don't ask.

The Call

Her parents looked tense and kept glancing nervously at the guest Emersyn was looking at with such fascination. The light from the candles seemed to make his dark brown hair shimmer green, like moss on old fallen trees, and his eyes shone as brightly as stars at night when she looked out of her little window, but her parents didn't seem fascinated. The way they sat together, and her father held her mother's hand, was strange. The last time Emersyn had seen it was when her grandmother was gravely ill and everyone thought she would soon go to Anande. The guest sat peacefully at the table that early evening, enjoying the hospitality that, despite everything, her parents could not refuse. In this corner of the country, people had to look out for each other, they had told her time and again, and that also meant letting strangers in when they asked for a place to stay and a warm meal. But in her ten years in this world, she had never seen her parents react like this to a guest. "What curious mind is hiding in the shadows there?" the stranger spoke just loud enough to be heard with a laugh in his voice and a subtle smile on his face. His face had turned to the corner where Emersyn sat watching everything. Her mother gasped. "Mers, what are you doing down here. Off to bed with you."

Guiltily, Emersyn stepped out of her hiding place into the room that was both kitchen and living room, her eyes to the floor. "Sorry, I just wanted to know who was wandering the countryside in this weather." Now the stranger clearly laughed and held out a delicate hand towards her. A familiar smell of nature surrounded him and she immediately felt safe, contrary to her parents' reaction. The stranger gently pushed her chin up so that she had to look at him. His eyes sparkled even more up close, like the finely polished silver that Mother brought out on holidays, and had a color she couldn't name but inevitably reminded her of the sky just before nightfall. "You ask the right questions, little lady. I have an important assignment that, unfortunately, will not tolerate any delay and will force me to travel in this terrible weather." "Oh…, that's stupid." "It really is." Only now did she notice the insignia of the gods on the stranger's clothing and stuck her head forward a little. "Are you a priest?" "Something like that. I stand between the priests and the gods." "Then you're important." "I am," the stranger laughed again and leaned forward. "It really is." It was only now that she noticed the insignia of the gods on the stranger's clothing and stuck her head forward a little. "Are you a priest?" "Something like that. I stand between the priests and the gods." "Then you're important." "I am," the stranger laughed again and leaned forward. Only lightly did his lips touch her hair, but it was Emersyn as if a strange energy passed through her. "A wise child like you shall be blessed. May you always find the right path that keeps you safe from harm." She didn't know what kind of strange blessing this was supposed to be, but when she looked at her parents, they were confused and surprised. So it had to be something good.

"Hey, Firehair, time for your watch!" Emersyn was rudely awakened from her sleep. Within seconds, she was wide awake and stretching her limbs. Sleeping in the open had become second nature to her. She shook her head to get rid of the dream, no, the memory. It had been a long time ago now, that night, and she was a grown woman and a warrior. In her opinion, the stranger's blessing had brought little luck. Even if she was protected from harm, it did not include the people around her, and soon she was labeled an unlucky child. She didn't want to start about the strange mark that spread across her torso a year later, but she had gotten a strange magic for it. She summoned the small orb of starlight and made her way to the guardhouse. A glance at the sky told her that she had been left the last watch. The moon loomed menacingly over them. Two more days until the full moon and their destination. When she reached her companion, he nodded grimly and disappeared to the tents with his torch. Even here in the small group of adventurers, she was only tolerated because she had this strange magic. She looked up again. "When Anande's Jewel appears for the seventh time a year, in the place where blood was spilled en masse, where the centuries-old promise was broken, the ancient treasure will appear for the stars, and all will be set right as it should have been from time immemorial." Emersyn repeated the words of the legend quietly, as she did every evening when she kept watch. The legend that had brought her here, after years of searching. The word treasure had made everyone greedy and dream of great riches, but something had resonated with her since she had first heard those words. It wasn't a legend or a treasure map to her, but a call, and she didn't know where to go, to what or when, and above all, why?

[eridanidreams]

Sunday Snippet...

...runs into the room, looking around frantically. "What do you mean I overslept?!!"

Tagging: @bearlytolerant, @silurisanguine, @aro-pancake, @fangbangerghoul, @atonalginger, @aislingdmdt, @fshenkoescape, @ninjaofnaps, @lisa-and-shadow, @a-cosmic-elf, @thatsgoodsquishy0, @hockeydemon42, @fomagranfalloon, @violenceandviolets, @therealgchu, @staticpallour and @artemis-crimson

from stars through my fingers like grains of sand

"So what's everyone else been up to?" Sam interjected, drawing everyone's attention away from Rook. She looked quietly relieved as the conversation shifted direction; Vlad leaned back in his chair, sipping his wine thoughtfully. Sam's question had been too perfectly timed to be accidental. So that is way wind blows, hmm?

There was no way empath was oblivious to the way Sam kept her in sight. And far from being weighed down by his regard, Rook seemed… uplifted. (Could be effect of her new gravitic power, but Vlad thought not. She’d been far too distressed after trying her paces with it.) No, this was all too human. And—he hid another smile behind his drink—the others at the table were catching the signal. No one got into Constellation if they couldn't see a candle in the dark, after all.

The various conversations started faltering as people started noticing… and thinking about the implications.

Cora stifled a little giggle; Vlad raised his eyebrow at her, and she indicated the rest of the table with a flick of her eyes before rolling them dramatically. Sam’s voice interjected, “Something funny, pumpkin?”

“Just Vlad making funny faces at me,” Cora not-quite-fibbed.

“Uh-huh,” Sam drawled. “That reminds me, you and I need to have a little palaver, Vlad. Real soon now.” Cora giggled again, and beside her, Rook ducked her head to hide a snicker. Vlad raised the other eyebrow at Cora, and she mimed using a digipick. Oh. Sam had lost ignorance's blessing on that, had he?

“Any time you want to trade the gabs, you know my berth,” Vlad replied amiably.

“I’m all done with dinner, Dad,” Cora said brightly, and Vlad had to admire the minnow’s timing. “May I be excused?”

“Go on, sweet pea,” Sam replied, in the tone of voice that said he knew she had him twisted around her finger, and he didn’t mind. “Enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks!’ She hopped up. “Can Cait come with me? There’s a book she promised to loan me, and I want to get it before she forgets.”

“If no one minds,” Caitlyn said quietly, laying her fork and knife down on her empty plate. “It’s been a long day, and I’m feeling a little ragged about the edges.” No one objected, and she rose gracefully.

“Dare I ask what you’re corrupting Cora’s young mind with this time?” Sam sounded amused and not at all worried, and Rook’s lips quirked in a smile.

“The Calculating Stars. It’s about a mathematician who becomes the first lady astronaut. Right up Cora’s alley, I think.”

“You,” he drawled, “are a terrible influence on my daughter.”

“But she’s a terrible influence that gives me books, Dad!” Cora grabbed Rook’s hand and half-led, half-dragged her toward the stairs. “Byeeeeee!”

Silence fell over the table; it was Sarah who finally broke it. “Sam, are you sure—”

“Cora stays with me, Sarah. Hasn’t changed. Won’t change. Drop it,” Sam said curtly.

“Not Cora,” Sarah said. ”Caitlyn. I’m not sure getting involved with her is a wise idea. Especially now, after…”

“After what?” Sam’s voice was deceptively calm. “After Barrett sent her here with an Artifact and no explanation? After Walter all but called her a gold-digger? After she stepped up to help us without complaint, again and again? You were the one told me to try her paces with the Artifact on Akila; well, I did, and by god she came through for us!”

“No one’s saying she didn’t,” Noel chimed in. “But Sam… that Temple changed her. We don’t know anything about the stability of the… the power… or what kind of long-term effects it could have on her. Physically or mentally. She seems all right for now, but who knows what the future might bring? Especially…” She looked at Vlad. “Especially if you find more Temples.”

“Love’s a powerful thing,” Barrett commented, almost idly. “Something like that could make the difference, one way or another. The problem is knowing which way it’s going to turn.” He held his hands up against Sam’s hot glare. “Easy there. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m not your competition. My concern is how it’s going to impact the mission, and right now, that seems like a crapshoot.” Matteo looked like he was going to jump in, but Andreja shifted in her seat, and his sudden wince suggested that she’d brought a foot down on his.

“Noel and Barrett both have a point,” Sarah slid into the gap. “Right now, we’re jumping into the unknown even more than usual.”

“Hell, that’s just good old Coe tradition,” Sam growled. “Look. Cait doesn’t take this power lightly. Fact is, she didn’t want to come back to the Lodge after—I had a hell of a time just convincing her to come back to the ship. ‘Cause she didn’t want to put anyone in danger. And that ain’t changed. If it does, then I’ll worry. But until then…” His voice dropped, showing the steel under his usual easy-going nature. “Until then, we got something real, and no one’s going to stop us.”

Vlad shook his head, drawing everyone’s attention. “Something you want to add, Vlad?” asked Walter.

“You want my old ship-wise? Kryx’s bones, all this jawing and no one sees. Biggest smile fortune has and they caught it true, and you want them to throw it back?” He folded his arms pointedly. “He’s happy. She’s happy. Minnow’s happy. All else just noise in signal.”

“This just…” the anger had drained out of Sam’s voice, leaving only a plea. “This feels… right. Matteo, you want to talk about gifts from the heavens? Far as I’m concerned, she is one. The odds against finding something like this, of all the people, in all the planets…” His jaw tightened. “There is no way in hell I’m letting this go.”

[faithinhome]

Neighbor Next Door - Stephen Strange/ Female OC

18+ | minors please DNI

Summary: anna had always thought the doctor next door was attractive. and one interaction left her itching to get more of him.

Tags: age gap (25F & 40M), cheating (but not in the way you’d think), strong language, smut.

how i imagined anna’s dress for the party 😌

Chapter 6: Try Me.

“why would i go?” anna sighed. “just so he can have another mood swing and degrade me again?”

sam sighed, sitting beside her on the couch. “you don’t have to. but i really think it would be good for all of us to go to a party together.”

a party sounded good to anna. but she felt like she had to make a statement to stephen.

she wasn’t just mad about being treated the way she was. she’d realized she really did have feelings for stephen.

“so, he’s not gonna divorce christine?” anna asked, trying to appear nonchalant about it.

“all he said was he needed space from her” sam said. “divorce isn’t something that he can even think about yet.”

anna sighed and shook her head. she understood. she’d been in love. and these two had been married for a year now.

but it was a stinging reminder that anna’s feelings for stephen meant nothing. she’d been such an idiot. she should have listened to sam all along.

ultimately, she decided to go with them, because she agreed a party sounded like a good idea. she really needed to get dressed for something and be around people. she’d been wallowing away in her bed too long. it didn’t help that her job was mostly remote and required staring at a screen for long hours.

and she couldn’t keep running away from stephen. she had to face him. pushing him away and going out of her way to neglect him wasn’t going to help with what she was feeling.

so when the night came, anna found it a bit hard to get out bed and get dressed. but sam and wanda eventually helped her do it.

she wore a long black lack dress and a pair of see-through tights.

“oh my god i love that dress” wanda exclaimed, gasping softly.

anna smiled and did her makeup to match the aesthetic of the outfit, wanda helping her with a smoke eye, long winged eyeliner and red lipgloss.

sam was dressed in a lavender sweater and black jeans with brown boots. and wanda put on a black suit but ditched the blazer.

“you guys look so hot” anna swooned over her best friends as they were getting ready to leave.

they took a picture as they waited for their cab before filing into the spacious car.

“honestly, i’m a little nervous about seeing stephen” anna murmured. she almost never said his first name. and so whenever she did, it almost felt odd.

before this, it used to feel exciting and electric.

now it just felt out of place and that saddened her.

“i’m sure he’s more nervous to see you” sam rubbed a hand over her back, trying to comfort her. “besides, you’ll have us.”

“you can be with him for a bit if you want” anna said. “he probably needs it.”

sam smiled before tucking a strand of his best friend’s hair behind her ear. “bless your golden heart.”

anna quickly spotted strange as soon as they walked in. it was almost as if he demanded attention wherever he went. his presence was always felt. and she knew she wasn’t the only one that felt that way about him.

stephen spotted them, his gaze lingering on anna for merely a second before he focused it on sam, smiling and waving at him.

sam left to join stephen while anna and wanda wandered away.

as they stood by the bar, anna glanced around, her eyes landing on stephen. he was wearing a pretty basic black and white suit. but gosh, he looked so good in it.

anna found herself admiring him for more than she intended. she couldn’t stop sneaking glances at him. the way he smiled. the way his brows knitted together as he listened with focus. the way he bit his lip, god, anna was down bad.

eventually, he caught her gaze. he held it for a couple of seconds, blinking, his lips moving like he wanted to say something but anna looked away, feeling the butterflies in her stomach return.

“hey, you feeling okay, annie?” wanda asked, noticing what just happened.

“yeah” anna sighed. “god wanda, i fucked up. i can’t stop thinking about him. i didn’t know i would still be thinking about him. but, it’s like whenever he’s around me. he just… demands such attention and i just can’t look away. it makes me wanna be with him, stand next to him, touch him and talk to him. i don’t understand.”

wanda sighed softly, watching anna with a sad look. “hey, anne? don’t wanna sound harsh, i don’t. but i feel like… there’s just some sexual frustration. and it makes sense for it to cause a feeling of emotional overwhelm. i’m not trying to invalidate what you’re feeling. but i really think that’s just what it is.”

anna looked up. “you’re probably right. i need to get laid.”

wanda giggled, causing anna to finally smile. “i can help with that. best wingwoman in town.”

“not gonna try and fuck me again, are you?”

wanda gasped. “hey, you definitely started it.”

finally, they were laughing and anna felt light hearted. she was also glad that’s something they could joke about now. she thought it would be this blasphemous cloud hanging over their heads but they were fine and she was so grateful.

only five minutes had passed as the two were engrossed in a serious conversation about why certain animals exhibited cannibalism when stephen was walking up to them and anna immediately looked up, her heart beating faster.

“hi” wanda chirped, eyeing the man carefully.

“good evening ladies” stephen smiled, nodding at wanda before looking over at anna, who in turn looked away.

stephen’s smile melted. “could i please talk to anna for a second, if that’s okay?”

wanda looked over at her friend for assurance and she nodded with a smile.

“be nice to her” wanda smiled before leaving and anna rolled her eyes.

she loved that wanda was protective but she also felt a bit embarassed by her comment.

“sorry about that” anna chuckled, tracing her fingers against the rim of her glass. “she’s just joking.”

“i deserve it” stephen sighed, pointing to where she was sitting previously. “may i?”

anna looked over and nodded.

“anna i..” he started. “i came here to say i’m sorry. again. i know i should do less things that need me to end up apologizing to you. but i truly am sorry.“

“it’s fine” anna murmured, still not meeting stephen’s gaze. “i’d just told you some horrible news. you got defensive.”

“and i also” he swallowed nervously. “really wanted to trust her. but i should’ve known better. i’m truly very sorry but i appreciate you helping. i wouldn’t have known.”

“probably would have found out eventually.”

“i suppose, but regardless, im very sorry. and i owe you for wanting to help me out.”

anna looked up at stephen, swallowing as she gazed into his eyes. so gorgeous. so captivating. she had to look away again. she felt queasy. maybe it was the alcohol but the attraction she was feeling toward the man was insane.

little did she know, stephen felt it too. he didn’t know if it was the horrible emotional pain he felt or the alcohol. he’d probably had too much to drink, that was the whole reason he got the courage to talk to anna one on one to begin with.

or maybe it was just her, he figured. he couldn’t stay away.

stephen continued talking to anna for a bit, asking her about her life recently. she loosened up and he offered to buy her another drink to which she happily obliged.

and when she reached out to order another one, stephen took care of that too.

“thanks” anna smiled, giggling before she took a sip. “you’re spoiling me.”

“hardly” stephen smiled. “but i see you’re happy.”

“yeah, you don’t deserve that, you know? snapping at me and shit. but i always give in to your apologies.”

stephen’s smile disappeared and anna shook her head. “okay no, i was kidding.”

“no but you’re right” stephen whispered. “you’re being perfectly fair. in fact, you’re being generous. is there anything i can do to make it up to you?”

oh yeah. pin me against the wall and fuck me.

anna giggled at her own nasty thoughts, shrugging. “i don’t know.”

“what?” stephen smiled before downing his drink, feeling equally as giddy. “seems you had an idea there.”

“oh yeah” anna smile only grew wider. “you can’t handle it.”

“you sure about that? i just did open heart surgery a week ago.”

“yeah? that’s hot.”

anna could not believe she’d said that. but she was also just drunk enough to not care. christine was a bitch, nothing was ever gonna work out with stephen, what did she honestly have to lose?

but stephen’s response surprised her. “you think so?”

anna raised her brows, biting her lip. “mhm.”

“being covered in goo and blood sounds hot to you?”

anna snorted in response. again, couldn’t believe she did it but also could not care less. “don’t ruin it.”

“so what is it?” stephen pushed. “what can i do for you?”

those words made anna’s heart flutter. she felt a rush in her stomach, and she thought she could pass out from how attracted she was to this man. “told you, i don’t know if you could handle it.”

“try me.”

and that statement right there was tempting.

she looked up at him, letting out a soft breath as she studied his flushed face. everything about him seemed perfect. he radiated this magnetic energy that anna could not overlook, no matter how hard she tried. her eyes traced his face, his neck, the gaze fixating on his lips.

in that moment, she had a rush of confidence and yearning, and she felt herself lean in, it almost felt as if she was watching herself do it in third person.

she looked up into his eyes, asking for approval.

much to her surprise, stephen leant in, closing the gap.

it would have been a magical moment if wanda and sam hadn’t immediately rushed to their side. “hey girl!”

anna felt a tug as wanda pulled her back. “heyyy, what’s going on?”

anna glared up at her. “guys uh. do you mind leaving us alone?”

“hey, are you okay?” wanda whispered as she leant in, concern lacing her voice.

“i’m fine” anna pleaded. “i need this. please.”

“you’re gonna get your heart broken.”

“i know what i’m doing. i swear to god, if you don’t leave, i’m going to never talk to you again.”

anna didn’t mean it. but she was drunk. and very horny. and just wanted her stupid friends to leave.

wanda raised a brow. “okay but take care okay?”

she looked up and gave stephen a stern look. “be nice to her” she repeated, sounding a lot more serious this time before walking away.

anna rolled her eyes, “god im so sorry.”

stephen smiled and shook his head. “she’s only doing what any best friend would. are you.. are you okay?”

anna’s heart melted at his sweetness. “im.. im okay, you?”

“im.. more than okay” he left out a soft chuckle.

wow. anna had never seen stephen be this laid back and relaxed.

anna looked away awkwardly.

now, what?

they’d barely had the chance to kiss.

but stephen’s lips agains her were so soft. and his cologne was intoxicating. she was already practically wet and she wanted more.

she wanted, needed stephen strange.

“is this..” he spoke up. “is this what you wanted? when you said i couldn’t handle it?”

“so much more” anna sighed, her cheeks flushing. she looked up, meeting stephen’s eyes and she could swear her panties were soaked. “i… god, stephen.”

“what is it, anna?” stephen whispered, his voice a low hush. he had a more serious look on his face, his eyes falling to her lips. like he wanted her to say the words.

“i..” she sighed, her heart picking up pace. “stephen i…can you- can you kiss me again? please?”

“do you wanna go somewhere else?”

they ended up in the hosts’ bedroom like a couple of teenagers.

“are you sure this is okay?” anna asked as she stepped in. “isn’t this like a really professional party?”

“do you think doctors and medics just don’t ever… do stuff?”

anna shrugged as she looked around to face stephen, who was closing the door. “is it okay if i lock the door?”

“please.”

stephen did and turned to face anna, taking her in. he walked over to her, running her fingers down her arm as she let out a shaky breath. stephen smiled at her reaction, starting to feel his pants tighten. “may i?”

“please” anna pleaded, blinking up at stephen.

soon, he was leaning in, cupping her cheek in his hand as he kissed her softly, anna melting into the kiss.

she reached out to grab at the sides of his suit, growing needy for more.

as they broke free, anna kept her eyes closed, she could practically moan from just being so close to the man. “stephen. f-fuck me. please. god just. just pin me against the wall and fuck me. i- fuck, i need you so bad. please.”

she looked away as she opened her eyes, unable to face the man.

“hey” he whispered softly, hooking a finger under her chin and gently raising her face so their eyes would meet. “i want to. more than you know. but are you sure about this?”

“yes. god, so sure.” anna’s voice wavered. “are you… are you okay?”

“never been better” stephen whispered before leaning in to kiss anna, with more passion this time.

he circled his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, his hands riding up her sides.

the two were quick to lose their clothes because they weee so drunk and eager.

“you want me to pin you against the wall” stephen spoke, his voice rough as his lips trailed down anna’s neck. she whimpered softly, running her hands though his hair. “but god, i wanna bend you over so fucking bad.”

anna practically purred at the words coming out of the man’s mouth. “do whatever you want to me, daddy.”

stephen stopped momentarily and anna froze. “s-sorry.”

“shh don’t be” stephen shook his head and cupped anna’s face. “you can call me whatever you want. and daddy sounds really really hot right about now.”

anna smiled, biting down on her lip as she felt at the man’s arms. god, he was so strong. “and you can call me whatever you want daddy.”

she let her hand trail down to his crotch, rubbing it over his boxers. she knelt in front of the man, blinking up at him as she palmed his boner. “i can be your little slut. or your nasty whore. or just your girl. whatever you want. i’m all yours for the night, daddy.”

stephen bit down on his lip, holding back a moan. it was as if anna was saying everything right. it made his head spin, and his skin hot. he needed her as much as she needed him.

“can i?“ anna asked as she hooked a finger against the waistband of his boxers.

strange ran his hands through her hair. “god, fuck yeah.”

anna smiled at his eagerness and was quick to get rid of the boxers, practically drooling as stephen’s cock sprung free. “fuck.”

“you like that, baby girl?”

in response, anna leant in and licked up his shaft, causing the man to throw his head back and let out a moan, and anna felt an almost painful twitch in her core.

she sucked at his tip generously before slowly taking the whole thing in, moaning against his cock. she was definitely almost putting on a show. it was like she wanted to entertain the man as they pleasured each other.

“fuck, god” stephen moaned, sweat beading at his forehead. the response only grew louder as anna moved her tongue around, suckling on his dick and starting to bob her head against his length.

“fuck anna, oh my god. that’s so fucking good.”

anna pulled back with a pop, blinking innocently up at strange. “you like that daddy?”

stephen pulled anna up and crashed his lips against hers, murmuring against the kiss. “tell me what you want me to do, baby girl.”

“just take me daddy” anna pleaded, throwing her head back as stephen left sloppy kisses down her neck. “bite me, pull my hair. i live for that shit. pin me down, bend me over. spank me. god, i just want you so bad.”

he didn’t have to be told twice.

stephen undid anna’s bra as he led her toward the bed, both crashing into it as stephen remained on top of her, his hand immediately cupping at her breasts as soon as they were free.

stephen ducked his head, lapping at her erect nipples, causing anna to moan softly. “god, stephen.”

stephen didn’t even know if it was possible for him to get even harder, hearing his name fall off her lips like that.

stephen wrapped his arms around her and shifted the two into a more comfortable spot, before gently at her nipple, earning soft whimpers from anna as she tangled her fingers into his hair, arching into his mouth.

stephen peppered kisses down her stomach, leaving a little mark right below her bellybutton, earning a soft moan from anna as he gently bit at her flesh, his precum pooling at the head.

he’s settled on this instead of bending her over, he really wanted to see her pretty face throughout all of this.

he lowered himself, licking up her slit slowly, causing anna’s eyes to fall shut and mouth open, a moan escaping her swollen lips. “fuck daddy, please.”

“please what, kitten?” he mumbled into her core, lapping at her clit.

“fuck daddy” anna moaned softly. “fuck me, daddy. want to feel you inside of me so bad. so so bad”

“is that so?” he murmured smugly, pulling away for a second. feeling his breath against her core sent shivers up anna’s spine. “are you really so desperate for my cock, princess?”

“yes daddy” anna pleaded, her glassy eyes piercing into stephen’s. “i want your cock so bad, daddy. think about it all the time.”

“and i think about fucking you all the time, princess” stephen shifted his weight above anna, a hand above her head. he grabbed his shaft, rubbing his head teasingly against her opening, earning another whimper. “been waiting to fuck you so bad. look at you, a body like yours deserves a good fuck. i could fuck you all night, princess. and i bet you’d take it too.”

anna was practically purring at his words, and she felt like she could cry from how badly she wanted him. “daddy please.”

“please what, princess?” he whispered as he leant in, nibbling at her ear. “say it again for me? one more time?”

god, he was good at this.

“fuck me daddy. i want you so bad. please daddy, take me. fuck me as much as you like. i’m all yours.”

“damn right you are” stephen practically growled in her ear and embarrassingly enough that made anna moan.

stephen pinned anna’s wrists against the bed as he slid in slowly, observing anna’s face. his expressions softened. “is that okay?”

she nodded eagerly and stephen couldn’t help but smile a little. “should i keep going?”

“yes, daddy.”

stephen pushed in further and anna gasped.

he stopped. “still okay?”

“baby girl you don’t look okay” strange whispered softly. “want me to pull out?”

“no! please” anna breathed out softly. “just… maybe just stay there.”

strange nodded. he leant in, kissing anna softly, removing a hand from her wrist to caress her hair softly, soothing her.

“now, please” anna whispered softly.

stephen pulled back a little and went deeper, going in all the way.

“fuck” anna gasped in pain and pleasure. she always wanted to know what sex with someone with a dick bigger than average felt like.

she had no idea it would fill her up to the point of pain.

“are you okay?” stephen asked, searching anna’s eyes.

anna nodded. “just stay, please.”

“of course.” stephen gazed into her eyes. he felt his chest tighten and looked away.

making eye contact with her, it felt all too intimate. he felt a pang of sadness. he couldn’t let this go beyond just sex. he couldn’t… he didn’t want to emotionally bond. it just felt wrong.

anna’s sweet voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “you can move now.”

“are you sure?”

“yes, daddy.”

stephen had no idea being called that would have such an affect on him.

he began to glide slowly inside her heat, groaning softly. “fuck, so fucking tight”

anna blushed. “might have to do something with you being so fucking big.”

anna clenched her walls, elated with the reaction she got out of the man.

stephen gasped, a soft grunt escaping his throat.

anna was starting to adjust and the pain was starting to subside. “faster, daddy.”

“are you feeling okay?”

“perfect” she blinked up at him. “are you?”

stephen smiled. no one had cared to ask him that before. “baby girl you feel so fucking perfect. it’s heaven.”

anna smiled and stephen fastened his thrusts a bit, causing her face to scrunch up as she let out a loud moan. “fuck.”

stephen was hitting places she didn’t even know were possible to reach. her back arched into the man as she grabbed on to his biceps, her nails digging into him. “harder daddy. harder. so good. so so good.”

strange obliged, panting as he thrusted harder into her. “such a pretty thing, aren’t you? and so fucking tight for me.”

“all for you daddy.”

stephen hooked her legs around his waist as he pinned her arms against the bed, fucking her into the bed. the room filled with the sounds of the bed squeaking and their skin slapping, along with anna’s moans that progressively grew louder.

stephen shifted to hold anna’s wrists under one hand, he liked seeing her pinned down like that.

he moved his free hand down to her clit, stimulating her to an orgasm.

eventually, anna’s legs began to shake as her back arched, her eyes rolling back. “stephen. fuck stephen i’m coming. fuck. fuck, daddy. oh my god.”

stephen kept at it, watching anna come undone. and he couldn’t hold it back anymore. watching her writhe underneath him, and the obscene sounds leaving her mouth, he bucked his hips into hers and he was coming, his breathing growing shallow.

anna’s legs went limp and yet continued to shiver as she breathed loudly, unable to come down from the high of her orgasm. stephen leant closer to anna, nuzzling his face into her neck. “oh my god anna, you’re perfect.”

…

a/n: god bless the pussy clench !! (sorry for being nasty but i mean its the truth). it happened!! i know i made you guys wait but at least there was smut. this is literally my first time ever writing smut and then PUBLISHING it for a bunch of people to read so im nervous as fuck lmao. i really really hope i did you guys good. and of course, there’s more to come. also all i can think of when i see stephen is daddy so i couldn’t help it. shoutout to the anon that said they were hooked because it really gave me that push. i’ve been so busy but i can’t let my side hustle (my full time job) distract me from my actual work (THIS) 😌 once again, thank you guys for reading and engaging!!!

link to the index fic : Neighbor Next Door

TAGLIST

@kentucky-criedfricken @sherlux @evelynrosestuff @thewinterpoet2 @lokislov3 @0p444ls @nabiiturner @withalittlehoney @lokiego @cemak @chocokitty

[omegasmileyface]

Of All the People - Ch. 12

yippeee!! here's the beginning note straight from the ao3 upload: It's done! This is our longest chapter by far at about 7k, so if it's late at night, I'd recommend going to bed before reading this. It's not quite long enough to put a reminder to take a break in it, so make sure you're keeping track of your needs! Alright, carry on, and I hope you enjoy! the end note will also be pasted at the end of this upload.

this concludes the Invisobang fic @attackradish and @ectolemonades and I have been working on this year! Thanks again ti @toasty-ghosti for the art in chapter 1!

whole fic summary: After a stupid dare puts Dash Baxter in the lab at Fentonworks during the middle of a ghost fight, he finds himself a little more spectral than usual. Apparently Danny Fenton’s gone through the same thing (someone has got to call OSHA on these guys eventually), and who could better help Dash than his hero? His lame, stubborn hero?

warnings: Penelope Spectra.

words: 7313

AO3 link

first chapter

previous chapter

===

It was a blessing of a November day. The skies had cleared, the sun warmed the back of Dash’s jacket despite the chilly air, and Danny was right next to him. They were just walking to Fenton Works for some regular training, but something about the weather made it feel almost magical. 

It was only the two of them. Sam and Tucker had disappeared with his friends again, not that he minded. He couldn’t have planned a better day for a walk if he tried. Amity's prized maples hadn’t lost their candy-red leaves yet, the breeze was playing with Danny’s hair, and the air smelled like wood and sugar. He almost didn’t notice when they took a different turn than usual. Probably just taking a scenic route, the long way ‘round in the last good weather of the year. Hey, maybe he'd even caught on to what Dash was thinking and was taking him somewhere a little more romantic.

“So…” Dash fiddled with the bottom of his jacket. “Why are we going this way?”

“Hm?”

“Not that I mind or anything, I’m just… wondering. I mean, Fenton Works is that way.”

“Well,“ said Danny, gliding into a bricked-off alley, “you’ve been getting better at flying, and I think some agility training is in order.” He slung his backpack off his shoulder and dropped it in a corner. 

“Agility training? Here?” He looked around at his surroundings. Some loose trash, a dumpster, a rusty fire escape. Dandelion corpses. 

“Yeah! I mean, you’re gonna be chasing ghosts around someday, and God knows this is where you’ll be chasing them. Might as well get some practice in.” Danny smiled, and then transformed just as easily. 

“Prac… Wait, am I gonna be chasing a real ghost? Is that what you mean?” Dash's chest buzzed with nervous excitement. He’d been looking forward to being officially ready to fight ghosts, but that didn’t stop him from being anxious. 

Danny flashed a devilish grin. “I’m a ghost. Chase me.” With that, he rocketed into the air. Oh of course. That made way more sense. Dash wrestled his backpack off as he went ghost and tried to take off after Danny. His weightlessness wavered for a moment, but with a short burst of concentration he was able to stabilize himself and shoot over the building. 

At a glance, the skies looked empty. A few clouds drifted lazily by, the sea of buildings was stone-still, there weren’t even any pigeons.

There! A flash of movement caught his eye, an inky streak disappearing behind a water tower. Before long, Phantom’s head peeked out the other side. When their eyes locked, Danny stuck his tongue out and rocketed away. The chase was on. 

Needles of chilly air stung Dash's face, and the wind tugged at his jacket in a way that made him feel more alive than ever. He could gain some ground on Danny, but before Dash could tag him, he’d dart away in a completely different direction, leaving Dash careening to follow. The way Danny twisted was almost liquid. It was mesmerizing. So mesmerizing that he nearly flew face first into a plate-glass window. 

Intangibility saved him not a moment too soon. Dash Baxter was interested in being many things, and a pancake was not one of them. 

“Y’know, this would be a lot easier if you used your tail,” Danny teased through the glass.

“Shut up.” He’d only used his tail once and he hated it. It made him feel ghostly, and not in a cool way. In a dead, shouldn’t-be-here kind of way. 

“Suit yourself.” Danny shrugged and flew away with a little loop-de-loop. Dash narrowed his eyes. He had to prove Danny wrong, and he knew exactly how he was going to do it. 

He was able to spot Danny fairly quickly, soaring casually just below roof level. Dash gave chase, and Danny sped up once he noticed. Good. He caught Danny shooting glances back, probably calculating the exact moment to slip away and bother Dash the most. The next time Danny glanced, Dash swerved behind a building the moment his eyes were averted again. He started accelerating, hoping to overtake him before he looked back again and knew something was up. As soon as there was space to turn again, he whipped around as tightly as he could, swinging right in front of Danny. Before his target had time to react, they’d slammed into each other. 

The impact knocked the air right out of him. Dazed, flying was the last thing on his mind as he struggled to catch his breath. He didn’t realize he’d begun falling until he felt Danny’s arms around him. He let himself be guided to the nearest rooftop, where he sank into a sitting position against a wall. 

“Dash? Are you okay?”

Dash grinned victoriously. “Tag,” he wheezed.

“Dash, you’re hurt! Is that…” He sighed, but a smile slipped through. “Of course you’d do something like this. You won! Got me fair and square.” 

“And I… didn’t even have to use my stupid… tail.” 

“Gotta say, I’m really impressed. You’re going to have to use it eventually though.” 

Dash scoffed. He’d see about that. “I don’t know, I think I’ll just keep getting better at this. Invent a new style of flying that’ll keep all the ghosts on their toes.” 

Danny sat down next to him. “If you say so.”

“Y’know, earlier when I thought I’d be chasing Boxy or somethin’, it got me thinking. About finally getting to start ghost fighting officially.”

“Hm?”

“And I didn’t feel totally ready for that, even though I’m really looking forward to it, but that’s not my point. Now, I’ll need a hero name when we start fighting together, right?” 

Danny chuckled. “I guess. What do you have in mind?” 

“Well, you’re Danny Phantom, and—“

“You can’t be Dash Phantom.”  

“What? No! I might be your biggest fan but I’m not that clueless. I was thinking what kind of ghosts sound like Baxter, and maybe Dash Banshee?” 

Danny nodded thoughtfully, but then his face twisted into a smirk. “Nah, I think you should be Inviso-Bill.”

“No! Absolutely not.” 

“I had to deal with that for how long, nine months? I think it’s only fair!” Danny crossed his arms. 

“Hero names? For you?” said a chillingly familiar voice. “I love the ambition, Dash, but let’s be realistic.” Standing there in three-inch heels, a crimson pencil skirt, a blazer to match, and unmistakable hair was Penelope Spectra. 

Danny was at his feet. “What the hell do you want, Spectra?"

“I heard you have a boyfriend now. This him? Hm. I think you could do better.” 

“What? No I don’t.”

There goes that fantasy. 

“Oh, excellent news. I was worried there for a sec! There were some rumors, and I just had to come see who’d won over the Phantom’s heart. And when I saw him…” she paused to look Dash in the eye for the first time, grimacing. “Let’s just say he’s not the one.” 

“Excuse me?“ Dash demanded. His blood burned with anger. 

She turned back to Danny. “Sure, he does rock that varsity jacket skinny jeans combo, but I remember counseling this kid. He’s just some football-star wannabe with a future in minimum wage.”

“Shut up and get around to stealing my DNA or whatever stupid thing you have planned. We don’t have time for this.” 

“No plans! It would just be such a shame to see a hero like you throw away his future for some mediocre parasite.” 

“I said, shut up!” he barked, and Dash felt the sound in his bones. 

Spectra sighed. “If you insist. Before I go, there’s a special guest who’d like to see you.” 

“Hey, Fenwipe. Miss me?” sneered a voice that made Dash’s throat seize. 

Dash- no, something that looked like him appeared behind Danny. When he turned around, not-Dash socked him square in the face. 

“Man, I wish there were lockers up here. Then it would be just like old times!” 

Danny glanced back and searched out Dash's eyes until they met. He didn't see the kidney punch until it sent him curling into himself. A pang of guilt twisted Dash’s stomach. This was because he was here. 

Dash hurried to his feet, and Spectra was standing beside him. “You must think you’re really something. Playing in the big leagues, cooking with gas, Mr. MVP. After all, your boyfriend is a superhero! At that, one who loves you so much he’s willing to take a beating just for the sake of your feelings.” She paused, her patronizing smile widening into a grinchlike sneer. “But deep down you know you don’t really deserve it.”

Dash was sweating. “Can it! I know what you are. You’re just some ghost who lies to people and feeds on their misery.” 

“You’re a ghost too, in case you’ve forgotten. What do you feed on? Attention? Love? Approval?" She stepped forward, and the space between them wasn't enough to breathe in. "What sort of lies have you been telling to get them?”

“None, actually. Because I’m better than you!” That’ll shut her up. He stepped back to reclaim the space, but she took another forward. 

“You can’t really believe that. You’re too smart to fall into such a simple delusion. Unless… you haven’t changed at all.” 

He bit back a reply. She’d just twist his words back at him again. She kept coming. 

“You’re the same bully who sentenced Danny to a locker every morning for the crime of being a loser. Deep down you don’t feel guilty— you just had the wrong target, that’s all. It’s fine as long as the person’s actually uncool, right?” 

It was like the skin on his chest had been pulled back and his insides were left in clear view— but they weren’t his. Everyone was looking at the horrible things he used to be like a clot of hair from a shower drain and it made him feel disgusting. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the ghost wearing his face slam Danny’s head against the edge of the roof. Is that all people saw in him?

“Struck a chord there, didn’t I? Your silence is admirable. Most people would lower themselves to grasping at straws, but not you. You know when you’ve been caught.” 

He grit his teeth. I’m not taking the bait. It doesn’t matter what Spectra thinks, Spectra sucks. 

She left him a moment of quiet, a moment to think about responding. His thoughts got antsy, but they never left his mouth.

She smiled wider, and continued on as if she hadn't stopped. “You’re nothing but a lying brute trying to worm your way into any hearts you can get your hands on. Like that time at the museum. You looked so earnest and interested! You really had Danny tricked. Oscar-worthy performance. And when you’re not lying, you’re hiding the truth. Like when you didn’t tell Danny that your friends found out his secret. Or what you’ve been doing to your poor mother.”

That caught him off guard. My mom? What did he do to his mom? Confusion must have crept onto his face, because Spectra gave him a look that could be confused for a pity smile by anyone who hadn't been her victim.

“You haven’t told her yet, have you? That her son died? That Dash Baxter, the light of her life, met a grisly end in the basement of Fenton Works, and you took his place? I’m sure you only want to protect her from the grief, but isn’t it just a little selfish? You know what’s going to happen if she finds out what you really are. After all, how could she love a life-stealing nobody like you?” 

“Shut the fuck up! And don’t ever let me catch you talking shit about my mom again. She’s the most loving person you’ll ever meet, and she’d never do that to me!” Dash roared. 

“Then why do you keep it secret? Forcing her to sleep in the same house as her son’s corpse every night? You’re worse than I thought, you sadistic freak.” 

Enough was enough. Dash didn’t care that his last ghost fight ended in disaster, or that Spectra could probably deck him. All that mattered was the boiling rage that threatened to burst every vessel in his body, and the searing energy that exploded through his arm and out his fist. 

Spectra stumbled backwards in shock, clutching her stomach. Her shock curdled into fury, and obsidian flames enveloped her body. “You’re going to regret that,” she snarled.

===

“Hey Fenwipe, miss me?” 

Danny turned around, a fist eclipsing his vision before his skull filled with pain. 

It took him a second to process what he was seeing through the stars in his vision. It looked like Dash. Intense blue eyes, apple-red letterman jacket, and a cocky, sadistic smirk that he hadn’t seen since the accident. But behind the face there wasn’t a whiff of human emotion. Bertrand, had to be. 

“Man, I wish there were lockers up here. Then it would be just like old times.” 

Assuming fighting stance, Danny was about to strike when he remembered Dash. What if he takes it the wrong way, like Valerie did when I destroyed her empty suit? He looked over his shoulder, Dash’s expression of slack-jawed horror significantly less enlightening than he’d—

FUCK! His body folded in on itself. Right in the kidneys. That was a terrible idea. 

“Hey! I’m over here, Fengeek.” Sneered the impostor. “Didn’t last time teach you not to care about that deadweight?” 

Bertrand swung again. Danny felt the displaced air graze his suit just after his frantic dodge. 

“C’mon, aren’t you going to fight back? Don’t tell me you care about a guy who treated you like this, huh?” 

Dash probably won’t mind. It’s not like he’s gonna think I thought it was him. Fuck it, we ball. He saw an opening, and jabbed Bertrand right in the solar plexus. 

“There we go. Now we’re getting somewhere!” Bertrand threw another punch, barely missing him. Danny grabbed his wrist, and swiftly twisted it behind his back. Dash’s voice yelped in pain. 

“Bet you’ve been waiting a long time for this,” he said, an octave higher. “Giving that jerk a taste of his own medicine, paying him back for everything he’s done…” Bertrand’s joints popped, then his body went jellylike as it contorted into a new position. They were face to face now. “And best of all, there aren’t any consequences.” 

Bertrand’s free hand grabbed his face, cracking his head against a brick corner. 

“Doesn’t this face just scream 'punch me'?” He flashed a mocking, nearly playful grin. His hair wasn’t even messed up. Danny’s fist was itching. He almost had a point.

The punch landed with a satisfying thwack, and guilt coiled in his stomach for how much he enjoyed it. 

“See? You don’t really want to redeem him. You want to beat the stuffing out of him. No amount of warm fuzzies from seeing him become a decent person will beat the feeling of bones under flesh, and that taste of terror and regret dancing across your tongue.” 

He clenched his fists tighter, holding back an ectoblast that would certainly fry Bertrand’s fl… wait, Bertrand doesn’t have human flesh. He’s a ghost. In a flash of green, Bertrand was sent stumbling back. He seemed stunned, and before he could resist Danny whipped out his thermos and sucked him in. 

Ancients, dealing with him was exhausting. He took a couple deep breaths, and rubbed the back of his head. His hair was matting, and a little sticky.

Crap, he’d left Dash alone with Spectra. Dash was a couple rooftops over, like he’d been trying to get away. Spectra was still talking, her full attention on Dash. Maybe if he caught her off guard, he could thermos her without having to fight. He quietly lifted his feet off the roof and slowly floated towards her. 

Rage choked the air. He tried to make out what Spectra was saying. 

“…every night? You’re worse than I thought, you sadistic freak.” 

There was a flash of gold, and the scream of an ectoblast. Spectra stumbled back. She stood still, clutching her stomach, apprehension stretching the seconds taut. A plume of pitch-black flame roared up her body, and her true form hovered threateningly over Dash. 

Her tail lashed back and forth. She growled. “You’re going to regret that.” She unleashed a volley of ectoblasts, sending Dash scrambling.

“Hey Spectra! Forget about someone?” Danny shouted, lobbing an ectoblast of his own. She dodged and carried through the turn to face him. 

“I see you took care of Bertrand. He couldn’t convince you, it seems. I still can’t wrap my head around how you care so much for this heap of garbage.” 

A shot from Dash grazed her shoulder. She whipped around, and he ducked back behind the AC unit he was using as cover. 

“You little…” she hissed, diving after him. There was a loud thud, and an intangible Dash surfaced next to Danny. 

“Got her with the old ‘hide in the floor’ trick,” he grinned. 

“You okay?” 

Dash looked stunned. “Yeah, sure. Sticks and stones and whatever.” 

Danny doubted him, but now wasn’t the time to pry. Spectra was taking too long to reappear. There’s no way she hit the roof hard enough to knock herself out. He was trying to think where she might have gone when a shadow grew next to his. In an instant, his whole back felt like it was on fire. 

“Two can play at that game,” said Spectra's voice from behind him. Danny spun around. As he fired an ectoblast, Spectra grabbed Dash like a shield. 

The shot hit. 

Dash cried out. 

Danny’s core seized. 

He was supposed to Protect Dash, not… the wound was all he could look at. Singed fabric, the puckered skin of a fresh ecto-burn, the curving lines of an odd scar. Nothing major, but Dash had curled in on himself. It wasn’t until the rings appeared that it clicked.

He’d hit his death mark. 

Spectra returned to her human guise, dropping Dash like a sack of wet garbage. 

“That’s a very interesting scar, I heard it’s your father’s work.” Spectra paused, watching for his reaction. “Is that why you’re doing this? To make up for his mistakes? So noble of you, caring so gently for someone who mistreated you for so long, and with no reward. You’ll never undo what he’s done, scrub his blood from your veins, or even be anything more than the son of a monster.”

She didn't even get it. She didn't seem to understand what he had just done. Danny hadn't even thought of his dad during all this. He'd heard that train of thought from Vlad too many times for it to strike any interest anymore. 

But Spectra being on the wrong thread was a good sign. If he could get her to think she was sending him down some dark path, maybe he could get to his real focus. He might even get the chance to look over Dash and make sure he was alright. Get him somewhere safe, maybe. Somewhere Danny couldn't hurt him anymore.

“You’re right, it’s all I can think about,” Danny said, as defeated and crestfallen as he could muster.

It wasn't hard, with the way Dash was struggling to breathe.

Spectra’s nose wrinkled. “No, that’s not it. There’s something else going on.” She leaned closer to Danny, and her eyes went wide. 

“Ohohoho, you sneaky devil! I can’t believe it. It was you!” Spectra clapped with giddiness. She glanced back at Dash, who hadn’t moved. 

“You did it on purpose,” she whispered. “At first I was wondering why you’d pick him, but he’s perfect. You turned him into a freak, and used that to draw him closer. He feels safe, understood, and he knows that you’re the only person who’ll love him now. He’s yours forever! I’m so proud of you, Phantom. You’re finally becoming a real ghost.” She pulled a handkerchief out of her breast pocket, and dabbed fake tears from her eyes. 

A pang of guilt crept into his chest. What if Dash did feel that way, because of some offhanded remark or something he said while explaining the importance of staying hidden? Is Dash going to have life-long self worth issues because of this? 

Snap out of it, Danny. Spectra was just messing with him. If it felt true to Dash, he could deal with that later. Right now he had a job to do. 

“Alright. You’ve had your fun, now get in.” He raised his thermos. Spectra snatched it. 

“No, I don’t think I will. You may be the apple of my eye, but I’m not going down that easily.”

“Hey! Give that back!” Danny grabbed it, but Spectra held it tight. 

“Why? I’m just going to set Bertrand free, and we’ll be on our merry way.” She tugged, and his fingers slipped to the base of the thermos. 

“That’s not how this works.” 

“I don’t think that’s up to you right now.” She tugged again, and the thermos came free. 

Danny grabbed at it, but Spectra held it out of his reach. Her thumb neared the release button. He wouldn’t get it in time. His outstretched hand glowed. Praying this would work, he shot the thermos. 

It landed with a clang far behind Spectra. Bolting after it, Danny outpaced Spectra by a hair. Clutching the thermos as tightly as he could, he held it close to his chest to keep her from grabbing it. Spectra’s nails tore his suit, and her knee dug into his kidney as she tried to get leverage. 

“Danny! Pass it here!”

Danny’s heart leapt. Dash was okay! He peeked around Spectra’s head. He was standing, at least. Still human, and his face looked ragged. He was waving his hand frantically. 

Passing wasn’t his forte, but it wasn’t like he had any better options. He bucked Spectra off, wound up, and lobbed it as hard as he could. Dash jumped to catch it, and took off running. 

“Dash! What are you doing? Get Spectra!” 

“What?”

Spectra pounced on him, wresting the thermos from his hands. 

“Thank you, Mr. Baxter. I liked you better when you weren’t moving so much.” She aimed a glowing hand at Dash’s chest. Dash shot first, and she fumbled the thermos. Danny snagged it, flying out of reach. Spectra slipped intangibly out of Dash’s attempts to hold her down. 

Damn, she was fast. Before he could even aim at her, she was right up in his face. He soared higher, trying to keep her out of grabbing distance. It wasn’t easy. He didn’t even have enough room to fire an ectoblast without giving her a handhold. It didn’t look like he was going to outrun her anytime soon. 

But maybe he didn’t have to. Dash was still on the ground. Throwing the thermos past Spectra wasn’t going to work, but something else might. 

Danny plunged downwards. Slamming into Spectra, his arms and tail wrapped around her before she could react. By the time she reached her arms behind her he’d already dropped the thermos. It was out of range of her telekinesis before she thought to use it. 

He watched it fall towards Dash as he restrained Spectra as best he could. She burst out of his grip moments before Dash caught it. The base of the thermos glinted silver when Dash pointed it at her. A scream rose up in Danny’s throat. At the last second, he flipped it around and Spectra disappeared into the blue vortex.

Danny came down and met the ground just as Dash fell to his knees. He waited for him to catch his breath.

“We got her. It’s over.”

“You got her. You officially caught your first ghost! I didn’t bring any party poppers, but—”

Dash burst into laughter, which slowly trailed into a cough. 

“Shit! You’re shot, I completely spaced.” 

“Spaced. Ha,” he mumbled. 

“Pull up your shirt, I need to check how bad it is.” Danny crouched down to Dash’s level. 

“NO!” Dash blurted. “I mean, not now. Please. I can’t handle someone looking at that scar. My core or whatever is acting all weird and there’s no way I can handle both.” He took a shaky breath. “I just want an ice pack for my leg, a couch to lie down on, and maybe some painkillers.” 

“It’s okay, I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do. You’re in control.” He held his hands up placatingly. 

“Okay.”

“I think I can do something about that ice pack. Okay if I touch your leg?” 

Dash nodded. Danny cooled his hands, and laid them on Dash’s thigh. He saw his shoulders relax slightly. 

“That feels better. Thanks. I must’ve strained it when Spectra first shot at me.”

They sat in silence for a while. Dash’s eyes wandered onto Danny’s hand, up the scratches on his arm, and into the eye that had started to swell. 

“What am I doing? Dude, you’re worse off than I am. I should be the one helping you,” Dash said. “Lemme see your back, I know Spectra shot it, and then there’s what Bertrand did…” Danny didn’t protest as Dash shuffled on his knees to get a better look. 

“How’s it look back there?” 

“I mean, um, it could be worse? I’m not saying it’s not bad, but if I straight-up said ‘it’s bad’ you’d get the wrong idea. Like in those cheesy medical dramas, y’know?” 

He gave a slight nod. 

“Head wounds bleed more than normal ones, right? That’s real, not just something I heard someone say?”

“What?”

“It just looks like a lot of blood, is all, and I can’t tell how bad the cut is ‘cause it’s all red. And green. There’s green too.”

“It’s probably fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, just tell me what else is going on.”

“Well there’s the burn. It’s pink with jagged edges. Pretty big too, like if a sheet of printer paper could go splat.” 

He chuckled at the mental image. 

“I wish I had a power I could use to help, like your ice thing, or at least a first aid kit,” Dash murmured dejectedly. 

“You are helping. It’s not like I have eyes on the back of my head.” 

“But that’s not helping helping. I’m always promising something I want to do and then not delivering.”

“You delivered today.” 

“I barely managed to catch Spectra in a thermos! And before that I was all like ‘pass it here’ and then instead of doing anything useful I just started running like I’d forgotten I wiped out of football.” 

“Dash. It’s okay. Nobody got hurt. This is only your second ghost fight, and I haven’t even finished training you. You did great.” 

“I guess that’s true, but it doesn’t make up for going back on a promise. Maybe Spectra was right.” Dash hung his head. 

Danny had a small heart attack just then. “I don’t know what Spectra said to you, but I know she’s full of shit.”

“But what if she got lucky this time? I didn’t believe her at first, but fuck, man, it’s getting harder not to. Maybe I am just a fraud who’ll say anything for people to think I’m worth having around.”

“Dash. If you were a fraud you’d know for sure. It’s one of those things you have to do on purpose. You’re overenthusiastic and don’t always think things through, but that doesn’t make you a liar.”

“So maybe I’m not a fraud. Yet. But there’s something scary about how crazy I get over feeling… needed. Necessary, helpful, recognized. When I do get it I’m on cloud nine, but when I don’t… When I don’t it’s like my insides are falling apart. What if I’m an evil ghost like her? And it’s only a matter of time before I lose control?”

Ah. “Dash, that’s normal.”

“No, you don’t get it! This isn’t normal at all! There’s nothing normal about these feelings, I never felt anything like this when I was still…” Dash’s voice cracked, and he looked at Danny pleadingly.

Danny tried to make his voice soft. “Hey, it’s okay.” He put his hand across Dash's shoulder, and he flinched from the cold. Whoops. “It sounds like it’s your Obsession. Every ghost has one, it’s what keeps their core together.“

“Obsessed. That’s the word. I’m just like one of those freaks with the newspaper clippings and the red string and the crazy look in their eyes. But for, like, getting people to think a certain way about me. You said it’s a ghost thing, right? So I just have to learn how to be more human there and I’m all set?”

Danny frowned. "I mean, there are parts of you that are fundamental to keeping you running. If your heart stopped beating, your humanness would stop being human, right?"

Dash gave a clipped nod, like he wasn't sure but was willing to go with it.

"Well, if you stopped having an Obsession, your ghostness would stop being a ghost."

"Wouldn't that be easier, then? I'm used to being human!" Dash turned away and started picking at his shirt. "Maybe that would be half of me gone, but maybe it'd be simpler just to be half a human and no halves anything else."

Danny scoffed. "Sorry, but if you're anything like me, and I think you are, you're just one whole. The ghost parts are the only things keeping the human parts from just being straight-up dead. You're one system, in homeostasis."

"So, what? Why does that mean I have to be all obsessive over being something I'm not?

Danny laid down on his back, using his hands to cushion his wounded head from the ground. It was still tacky, but nothing felt newly wet. That was good. "Ghosts only occur when ectoplasm gets stuck together from emotion. It's a very chaotic substance, so it takes a lot to make particles of it work together." The sun wasn't near setting, but it was casting long shadows from the sparse clouds. Days must be getting shorter. "Ectoplasm reacts to emotions. I'm not super sure how yet, but you didn't come here for an ecology lesson. Point is, a core forms when the human emotions in some connected ectoplasm line up to wanting something that it couldn't have without having some power and solid form."

Danny rolled his head back over to see Dash was looking at him. He didn't look enraptured or anything, but Danny was just glad he was willing to hear him out before having a breakdown. "Blobs are made up of connected ectoplasm with the same human emotion holding it together, but they don't have cores, and they just sort of drift around. When they have desires, they only have desires made out of ghost emotions, and they're temporary. But since they don't have cores, they don't have much control over their form, or a sense of self, or any ability to charge their ectoplasm.

"Ghosts with cores want something. The core represents that want. It's the one human emotion a full ghost expresses, the desire that imprinted on their core. Ghosts exist because the emotions that let them form in the first place all said something like 'I need to…' uh… 'walk my dog, even though I'm dead, so I need to have a body and powers to do that.' A ghost that only exists because they need to walk their dog won't be able to get rid of that nag in the back of their head, and if they're kept from walking their dog, they're being denied their entire reason for existing. That's their Obsession."

Dash was quiet. Danny figured he'd been rambling, and let him think.

"So… what happens if they don't want it anymore? Like, if the dog dies and doesn't need to be walked?"

"Well, I guess they'd dissipate. Their core would succumb to entropy and stop holding them together." Dash paled. Shit, he did say that kind of clinically. "I mean, that's pretty rare. Most Obsessions are way more general than that, and there's always something to activate them. It's hard to get a ghost to stop caring about something." He smiled and scooched closer to where Dash was still sitting. "We're creatures of spite!"

"So I just have to keep trying to make people think they need me because some part of me will die if I stop wanting it? I'm not gonna keep fuckin' manipulating people's thoughts to make me healthy, that's dumb. Why can't we both be happy?"

"Hey, having an Obsession doesn't mean everything you do has to fulfill it. Sure, the feeling of fulfilling your purpose is incredible, and it sucks to not fulfill it, but you still make choices as long as you can acknowledge that you want it. You're a jock, have you ever been on a diet? What's it feel like when there's something you really want to eat but it doesn't fit the diet?"

Dash looked thoughtful.

"Exactly! It sucks, but you push through it because you know that desire isn't the only thing at play. I wanted to keep you out of harm's way because of my own Obsession, but you were so set on helping that I weighed my options and decided to risk denying it. If you find yourself supposedly 'manipulating' people to feel like they need you, step back and ask if that's really what you want to do, and if feeling needed is worth feeling guilty and ruining a relationship." 

Danny sat up to better look Dash in the eye. "And hey, that's something you have to do on purpose, just so you know. Wanting to feel known, wanting to feel useful, and then trying to make yourself that way, isn't the same as deciding to lie to someone. We all make mistakes, and we all act in dumb ways because we want people to like us. That's not the same as going 'hey, how about I act dishonestly about myself to trick somebody into thinking I'm somebody I'm not?' Everybody puts on a little of an act all the time. It's high school. Fuck, it's life. And death, I guess."

Dash was quiet for a bit. Danny joined in and watched the clouds get thicker as the air cooled with the low sun.

“Don't let Spectra get in your head. If you keep trying, you can be important to someone without hurting anybody. She can just make crap up and I still fall for it sometimes. Like what she said about—“

“Pfft, you don’t have to do that.” 

Danny paused. “Do what?”

“That thing you do when you’re Fenton. Pretending to be scared and insecure, rubbing your arm, even though you’re the most confident guy around.”

Danny blinked a couple times, like that would somehow change what he’d just heard. “You think I’m just confident and fearless 24/7?”

“I mean yeah, you’re Phantom! You always know what to do, you’re the coolest guy alive, not to mention strong enough to beat every ghost that’s shown its face here. Of course you’re confident and fearless 24/7.”

He struggled to find words. He’s talked to Dash how many times, and he still doesn’t think he has feelings? He’s been helping this guy through his problems, listening to him, getting to know him, even getting a little bit of a crush. Maybe a lot of a crush. And Dash just saw him as little more than a pull-string action figure?

“Am I… human to you? Was I just talking to a brick wall this whole time?”

“No! I mean… yes? Gah! I mean of course you’re human. You nerd out about space and don’t like toast and feel awful when you see people get hurt. But I saw how different you acted after I found out your secret. I know the shy frightened Danny Fenton thing is an act, and faking it to make me feel better feels condescending. 

“It’s not all an act. Sure I crank it up to eleven at school, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get scared or lose confidence in myself!”

Dash looked at him with wide eyes. Like he was processing the implications of this new information, and also waiting for him to say psych. 

“Oh. Shit. I’ve been treating you like garbage. The fight at the football field, when my friends found out your secret, heck, when I died in front of you! I thought you were just mad, but… sorry dude. Do you still need to talk about Spectra?” 

“Maybe in a bit. I’m still wound up from the whole…” he waved his hand vaguely. 

“Yeah,” Dash sighed. 

Traffic was picking up down below. Probably nearing rush hour. His parents might be worrying where he was, if they paid attention to anything other than their research. Which might make him sad if he was up too late and couldn’t sleep, but it was really convenient right now. 

Dash was fiddling with his jacket again. There wasn’t a dark spot on his shirt, so that was promising. 

"You know, you didn't really use any powers in that fight. I mean, other than the basic stuff. And ectoblasts."

Hmm? "Oh, I… guess I didn't. It's easiest just to resort to fisticuffs unless I have to get creative."

"I bet it would have been a quicker fight if you had used a couple other powers at some points."

"I kinda forget about them sometimes. Hey, maybe you can help me out with that! Pros of having a football strategist on your side."

Dash blushed and looked over the edge of the roof to the sidewalks below.

Danny looked around to see if he'd gotten multicolor blood on any surfaces. Nothing noticeable.

“Dash, have I ever made you feel like I was the only person who’d have feelings for you?” 

“What?”

“Like, because you’re a halfa. That nobody else…”

“I mean, like. Why would I be thinking about if you had feelings for me? Who said anything about that?”

Danny could have phrased that better. Just because Dash had a crush didn’t mean he was aware of it. 

“Have I been blushing or something? My doctor said I might do that randomly because of the lung… thing,” Dash stammered. 

Nope. He was aware of it. Letting him off the hook and letting him confess when he was ready was probably the right thing to do, but part of Danny wanted to see how deep a hole Dash could dig himself. Dash seemed unnerved by his silence. Then some kind of realization crossed his face. 

“Who told you?” 

“Told me what?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Was it Star? Lina? Please tell me it wasn’t Kwan.”

“No I don’t. What is it?”

“That I have a crush on you!” he shouted. His face crinkled in a way Danny didn’t expect. This isn’t the face of someone who’s been playfully drawn out of his shell. This is the face of a man betrayed. Well, shit. 

“Hey. It’s okay. Nobody told me.”

“Shut up.” 

“No, I promise. Sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed like that.” 

“Then why were you asking about…” Dash waved his hand dismissively. “The thing. Me, thinking about you. Romantically.” 

“Spectra said something along the lines of ‘you only tolerate Dash because he’s a halfa and you can manipulate him into thinking you’re the only person who’ll ever love him because of that’ and I was worried I’d done it by accident, somehow.”

“I mean, you’re straight, so it’s not like you loving me was much more than a dream. Getting from there all the way to ‘you’re the only person who’ll ever love me’ is a pretty big stretch,” Dash sighed. “So you didn’t know? This was all just hypotheticals?”

“Well… I knew you had a crush. I just didn’t know if you thought of it as one.”

“Oh… What gave me away?”

Danny grimaced. “So, you know how Spectra feeds on misery?”

”I mean yeah? I thought your Obsession was fucking… Protection, not people having crushes on you?” 

“Misery isn’t her Obsession, it’s just her favorite flavor of emotion. Ghosts can… metabolize different human emotions, and they taste different.”

“So Tucker wasn’t joking when he asked if I could taste him being dishonest?”

“He was joking a little. Dishonesty isn’t really an emotion.”

“Ah. Well, um, at least it wasn’t painfully obvious to anyone who wasn’t a ghost. Or Kwan.” 

“Yep. I know this is kinda a weird time to say this, but I forced out your secret, and I think it’s only fair that I tell you one of mine. I’m gay too, and I kinda like you back.” 

===

What? Dash couldn’t believe his ears. The whiplash alone rendered him nearly incapable of thinking, and instead of butterflies in his stomach it felt like a flock of angry geese beating their wings in every inch of his body. 

“For real?” 

“Yeah.”

“Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.” 

Dash needed a breather. Danny liked him. Danny Phantom, the ghost he’d had a crush on for years was gay too and liked him back. The guy who only half-accidentally tricked him into revealing his most mortifying secret a few moments ago also just fulfilled his wildest dreams. He was conflicted, his head was spinning, what the hell was he supposed to do? There was so much he should do, could do, now. Spend more time with him, learn all of the little things that make him tick, be there for him, hold his hand, romantically brush his hair out of his face, take him on dates–

“Dash?”

“…We need to buy some milkshakes.”

“What?” 

“We need to go to the Nasty Burger and get milkshakes. It’s like, the classic first date,” Dash explained. If he was in a romance movie the next move was obviously a milkshake date. So that’s what he was going to do. 

“Dude, I haven’t checked your chest yet.”

Oh right. That thing. 

“Okay. Fine. I think my core’s done freaking out, so I should be able to handle it.” Dash lifted his shirt and averted his eyes. Maybe if he didn’t see Danny looking, it would be easier. 

He heard Danny shuffling closer. Dash‘s core started to constrict, but it was bearable.

“Fortunately, you were ghost at the time. This isn’t nearly as bad as it could be. You’re pretty durable.” Danny's breath fluttered across his skin. God, he was close. 

“So it's not dangerous?”

“Not really. It’s not a cut, so it’s unlikely that your ghost healing will seal anything under your skin. I can get you some burn cream for the pain and to prevent infection, but if you want we can do the milkshakes first.”

Dash let his shirt drop. Looking down, seeing Danny so close to him and processing their revelations of mutual feelings, Dash had to make a move.

“Danny?”

“Yeah?” 

“Um, my jaw is kinda sore. From when Spectra dropped me on it. Could you maybe…” Dash tentatively reached for Danny’s wrist, who got the message and placed his icy hand on Dash’s cheek.

They locked eyes. It didn’t take long for Danny to realize what he was thinking. He let out a small laugh and leaned in with a kiss. Dash could have sworn he felt sparks between them, but maybe that was just leftover adrenaline from everything they’d just been through.

Dash pulled back, breathless again, but now in a good way. “So. Milkshakes?” 

“Milkshakes.” Danny kissed him again on the cheek and they took to the air, hand in hand, for some hard-earned fast food.

===

End note:

And that finishes off our Invisobang 2022 piece, just as the year's ending! Thanks for coming with us on this journey. Thanks to Ghostie for the art in chapter 1, they were great to work with!

I wanted to touch on something a lot of commenters have brought up, that Dash's healing in his leg and chest might just be restricted because he believes it to be. That's great thinking, with the way ghost bodies work, but when we were writing it we intended those wounds to naturally never heal, since they were a part of his death. Sometimes when things happen, like accidents with weaponry, parts of the body are permanently kept from functioning like they did before, and you have to give up activities like normal football. And that's okay! It sucks and makes things harder, for sure, but it happens, and you can live a fulfilling life despite it 😌 thus the "being half ghost is a disability" tag on this fic! I think if somebody dies, that's a big deal, and even if they come out of it mostly fine and a little different, there's probably gotta be some long-term consequences. They wouldn't be like their human peers anymore, due to being a different species and whatnot, but they also wouldn't come out of something so traumatic unscathed. So nice thinking, everyone who commented along those lines, I like how you're looking at ghost health, but this is something Dash is going to learn to live with and work around, and love himself with his injuries included <3

Any one of us might revisit this universe to write a "sequel" sometime, so I'm going to give a briefing on what each of us usually writes in case you're interested in any of our styles and want to subscribe to our accounts, where you might someday see a continuation on this (no promises):

AttackRadish is currently working on a longform angst story which will be published once it's done. He tends toward Fenton Family angst and dissec in his writing, but not without variety.

OmegaSmileyface has a non-angst Ghost Hunger series at the forefront right now. They tend to work Ghost King!Danny and detailed fictional science into most of their writing.

ectolemonades tends to write fics focusing on interpersonal relationships, in all kinds of emotional flavors. Especially Grey Ghost and Teddy Ghost at the moment.

Hope everyone enjoyed!

[krikeymate]

In your Foster AU, would Tara still meet Amber? What would their relationship be like? Would Amber still attack Tara? She wouldn't have to, since Sam was already there... how would Sam react to Tara being stabbed multiple times if she basically was her kid? Would the second attack at the hospital still happen? I feel like mama Sam wouldn't leave Tara's side, even just for a minute. Or would she be forced to? Would it still happen with Sam there? Would Sam date Richie if she raised Tara?

Thank you for all the questions!! They're great ones.

Unlike in five years late, they're not living in Woodsboro, so there's not really any of the known supporting cast. Here, nobody actually really knows that Sam is Billy's daughter. So Amber is out there not being a murderer, great for her fans!

Which begs the question, how do we work in the Ghostface attacks? Because we can't just have them heal and live their happy little life. I mean, we could, but where's the fun in that.

On the 25th anniversary of the Woodsboro killings, a bunch of classmates of Sidney and Billy release a documentary talking about them. As part of that documentary, it's revealed how Billy was a womaniser, and it was an open secret that he was cheating on Sidney. They openly reveal that he was sleeping with Christina - god bless her fucked up soul - and speculate on her firstborn's father and all of the... trouble.

(Sam makes sure to distract Tara for the week, hoping she never catches wind of the documentary. She doesn't want her to be reminded of their mother).

Ritchie watches it religiously, over and over. He puts things together. Billy Loomis had a daughter! Mother: Christina Carpenter. He hunts down every scrap of information he can find, and eventually it leads him to her.

He works alone. He's a director, just like Roman, a lone wolf - misunderstood, a genius. The puppeteer moving the pieces.

Despite all his research, this woman still manages to surprise him. She has a daughter. That can't be her daughter, Sam's too young... or does she take after her mother? No, he's missing something here. He uses his father's resources to discover the truth, a half-sister.

He can use that.

Sam is very cautious about Ritchie. Tara's been with her for nearly 5 years, but she's still so cautious around new people, and the last thing Sam wants to do is introduce someone into her life that may not stick around.

It takes six months of dating and pestering before Sam lets him meet Tara. He's as charming and friendly as he can possibly be, even brings her a gift. She doesn't like him, and stays curled into Sam's side the entire time, saying nothing. He feels Sam check out of their relationship after that, and he decides he's going to have to proceed with his movie despite it. It's fine, he can tell everyone they were madly in love, after all, only the survivors get to tell their story.

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

Damage Control - 1x10 Asylum

Back at the motel, they’re both quiet and subdued; both pretending that what had happened at the asylum - Sam trying to kill Dean - was just another Thursday. They hadn’t talked in the car, but Dean had felt Sam’s discomfort and bad conscience. And as much as Dean wants to deny it - he’s hurt, both physically and emotionally.

The rock salt from Sam’s shotgun had hit him square in the chest. When he stiffly goes to the bathroom and slips out of his blood-stained t-shirt, he finds the skin underneath peppered with small wounds. They sting, the salt embedded in them having dissolved. Bruises are blooming around the wounds. It’s nothing serious; he’ll live. But he will be in pain for a few days - a constant reminder of the near-fratricide he survived today. And of Sam’s hurtful words.

Of course, Sam had been under Ellicott’s influence. His brother hadn’t been himself when he’d first blasted him with salt and then pulled the trigger of Dean’s Colt, aimed directly at Dean’s head, several times. Thank God the gun had been empty. 

And yet. It had been Sam. Sam on supernatural steroids, but still Sam. Ellicott’s brain scramble hadn’t turned him into someone different. It had only taken what was already there and amplified it. The ghost doctor’s “treatment” had boosted and multiplied whatever feelings of anger Sam had been carrying around with him. And, apparently, those were a lot. 

Dean knows that his brother has a quick temper. People always thought Sam was the softer one of the two, the one who thought before he acted. That wasn’t entirely true. Sam could be mercurial and rash. When Sam and their father had fought - which had happened all the time - tempers on both sides had flared equally quickly. A small trigger, even a single word could be enough to cause an explosion, and many times Dean had been caught in the middle, unable to defuse the tension before scathing insults flew and doors were slammed. If it hadn’t been for Dean’s intervention, things would’ve turned physical more than once. 

To Dean’s knowledge, Sam’s anger had rarely been directed at him. Sure, he’d become tired of being ordered around by his older brother during teenagehood. But that was normal, right? However, in the asylum’s basement, shotgun pointed directly at him, Dean had been shocked by the vitriol in Sam’s voice.

“I'm just telling the truth for the first time.”

Had it been the truth? Sam’s accusation that Dean was just “Dad’s good little soldier” and desperate for their father’s approval? 

Dean steps into the shower, wincing when the pelting water stings in his wounds. The dried blood washes off him, swirling rusty brown into the drain, and he wishes he could wash the uneasiness about Sam’s attack off just as easily. They’ve faced manipulative creatures before who’d played fucked-up mindgames with them. Their recent run-in with the shapeshifter is the latest example. Sam seems to have shaken that one off without qualms. But somehow, Dean can’t shake his feelings of doubt - and anger.

Desperate for approval? As if John Winchester had ever shown much appreciation for any of his sons. Sure, he’d put more and more trust in Dean’s hunting abilities and relied on him as Sam’s guardian whenever he’d left them alone. Both had filled Dean with a quiet pride as much as it had put pressure on him and, sometimes, overwhelming responsibility. But considering their vicious fights, Sam had been the desperate one, pleading for acceptance and for his father’s blessing when he’d wanted to go to college. 

Sam is the emotional one. The one who needs a pat on the head and a warm word to thrive. Dean doesn’t. He’s content with who he is. And, right now, all he wants is to go back to the way things were a few years ago - hunting alongside Dad and Sam. He doesn’t need approval. All he wants is his family back together. What’s left of it, anyway.

“You okay in there?” Sam knocks on the door, sounding worried.

Dean shuts the water off. “I’m fine!”

He hurries to dry himself off, surprised at the amount of steam that’s built up in the small bathroom. He must’ve been in the shower much longer than he’d intended. The mirror’s fogged up, but when he looks down at himself, he can see that the wounds on his chest look less garish, now that they’re clean. With his skin still red from the shower, the fresh bruising isn’t all that apparent, although he can feel it alright and knows he’ll be mottled in shades of purple come tomorrow. Only a few specks of blood remain on the towel when he dabs at his chest, so he doesn’t bother with disinfecting or bandaging. 

Towel slung around his waist, he steps out of the bathroom in a billowing cloud of steam. He could’ve taken fresh clothes with him and put them on, but, somehow, he wants Sam to see the damage he caused. He wants him to have a bad conscience.

And he succeeds.

“Does it hurt?” Sam asks ruefully, face twisted in remorse, as Dean walks past him to rummage around in his duffel bag. 

“No,” Dean lies.

“You know that I’m sorry, right?” Sam gets up from the bed he’d been sitting on, all 6’4 of him somehow looking contrite and ten years old. “You know I didn’t mean any of what I said, right?”

Dean remembers Sam aiming the gun at him.

“That's the difference between you and me, Dean. I have a mind of my own. I'm not pathetic, like you.“

And he remembers his own, defiant words:

“You hate me that much? You think you could kill your own brother? Then go ahead. Pull the trigger.” 

And then Sam had. That’s the problem. No matter what Sam says now, no matter how much Dean wants to believe him - he still feels the shock of the shotgun blast blowing him off his feet. He still sees the hate in Sam’s eyes as he points Dean’s own Colt at him and pulls the trigger, once, twice, three times. If the gun had been loaded, Dean‘s face and brain would be splattered all over that basement floor now.

“I know, Sammy,” he says, forcing the creeping doubt down, down, down, along with the anger and the hurt. “That wasn’t you.”

“I just feel that–”

“It’s fine, Sam,” Dean interrupts him. He really doesn’t want a discussion about their feelings now. “Just forget it.”

“Only if you do, too.” Sam does the sad puppy eyes now, and Dean cannot with those. The drama makes him bristle. 

“I will! I do!” he almost shouts, turning away to rummage in his bag again. He grabs a fresh t-shirt and pulls it over his head, over his wounds, putting them out of sight and out of mind. “Can we just…” He takes a deep breath, then looks around. “Where’s the beer?”

“In the fridge.”

Dean stalls to the small kitchen counter, opens the fridge and grabs two bottles of Mariekugel’s. He holds one out to Sam. It’s a peace flag.

Hesitating a little, Sam grabs it. The crease above his nose softens and his shoulders relax. Only now does Dean realize there’s a bruise blooming on his brother’s face, where he punched him in self-defense. He’d almost forgotten about that.

“How’s the jaw?” Dean asks him, pointing with the opened bottle.

Sam rubs it. “Sore.”

“Well, you deserved it.” 

“True.” They both take a swig, nodding in agreement. Dean takes his clothes and goes back to the bathroom to put the rest of them on. Some uneasiness lingers, but he’s willing to let the ground feel steadier beneath him again. While he’s not one to forgive easily, this is Sammy. He’s family. Right now, his only family. He’ll let it go and move on. He has to.

Read the whole series on AO3 here:

[babygirl-diaz]

Winning a Losing Bet

In which Sam loses a bet to Bucky. But does he really?

***

Bucky nervously tapped his foot against the ground. He didn’t know why he was nervous. It’s not like he was the one who had lost the bet. 

“You gonna stay in there all night?” He called out to his husband. 

“You have a severe lack of patience,” Sam replied. His voice sounded closer than Bucky expected. 

Bucky turned immediately turned around, almost giving himself whiplash. He was the former assassin, but how Sam always managed to sneak up on him was beyond him. “Whoa,” Bucky’s jaw dropped when he finally took in Sam. 

“Whoa?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you’d be laughing your ass off right now.” 

Sam had lost a bet against Bucky. It was a silly bet. A few weeks ago, Bucky said that he had a better memory, which Sam disputed, and he may have even called Bucky, an old man. To prove him wrong, Bucky bet Sam that Sam would forget their anniversary on February 25. Long story short, Sam forgot to put the reminder on his calendar and forgot their anniversary. Bucky, of course, wouldn’t let it go, and as per their bet, Sam would have to wear the horrible Captain America panty they found last year. The thing had a cartoonish version of Captain America drawn on the crotch with a speech bubble saying “God bless America,” something Sam would never say. It also had a bright sun drawn behind Sam. The thing was just absurd, and Sam and Bucky bought it off the clearance rack so that no one else would have to. It was supposed to be a lingerie piece with garter straps. 

Well, being the good sport that he is, Sam wore the Captain America lingerie, complete with the garter straps, AND pair of red stockings, AND red stilettos that made him look like sex on legs. Oh, that cheeky bastard. 

Bucky slowly approached Sam while smirking, “That wasn’t part of the bet,” he said in a low voice. 

“What wasn’t?” Sam asked with his hands on his hips while smirking back at his husband. 

“You looking sexy as hell in that ridiculous panty,” Bucky replied. He tilted his head to the side and bit his lips as he unabashedly checked out his husband. “Fuck, baby, there is no way in hell we’re going out now.” He said, taking off his suit jacket and throwing it aside. As he started to unbutton the white shirt he was wearing under the jacket, Sam grabbed his hand and stopped him. “What?” Bucky asked, confused. 

“Oh, we’re going to that dinner,” Sam replied. He lowered his voice as he drew circles on Bucky’s exposed chest. “And I’m going to wear the panty and the stocking under my suit, and you’re going to sit there in that very expensive restaurant and try not to cream your pants as you think about what you could be doing to me instead.” With that, he kissed Bucky’s cheek and sauntered back to the bathroom with only the sound of heels clicking against the floor. 

[sapphosremains]

hi! i saw that you use the BCP and i was wondering if you had any resources for it. i recently became episcopal and i've been doing both morning and evening prayer (and sometimes compline) every day using an app, however i would like to learn to use a physical book or even just learn to compile all the readings myself. i've found a couple of tutorials but none of them have really worked for me so i wanted to see if you had any! i'd also love to hear about any faith resources you enjoy in general

god bless you!

hi anon!

super cool that you'd like to move on to a physical bcp - it's definitely a nice reminder you can carry around etc, and there's always something special about using a physical book.

a normal lectionary can be super confusing, so if you want to use the bcp but aren't ready to find the readings from the lectionary, i'd recommmend 'almanac' which compiles all the readings etc for you for both traditional and contemporary services. this is for cofe. this is one for the episcopal church but it seems to only cover sundays and feasts. as far as i can see they're the same so far, so i think you'd be good to use almanac on weekdays. (btw, you can add almanac to whatever digital calendar you use!)

as for the other way round, braving the lectionary! as we've gathered that cofe and episcopal seem the same, and i can't find an episcopal lectionary (although there might be one in your bcp...), i'll use the cofe lectionary as an example. you'll need these two links:

lectionary

lectionary table 2020-2045

it shouldn't be too different a process for a different lectionary, even if the readings etc end up being different.

so, first we go to the second link. let's do it for today, wednesday 21st of august. therefore, 2023-2024 (because this is advent-advent), so for the daily eucharistic lectionary we are picking 2. then let's say we're doing morning prayer in ordinary time, so we're picking OT1 and NT1. we are currently in trinity 12 (you figure this out from easter and then just add one each week, so next monday will be trinity 13), go to the lectionary link, scroll down to trinity 12, find wednesday, OT1, and your old testament reading will be 2 sam 15.1-12, which we can check with our almanac... correct!

we find the NT reading a similar way. scroll to the next page. the weeks aren't labelled here, but we can remember that trinity 12 was the first on the page, and wednesday was the third reading down, we want NT1, which is Acts 9.19b–31, which is also correct!

next, psalm. gets a bit tricky here. my daily prayer app gives me 105 in the morning, while the almanac gives me 110, 111, 112. you can choose whether you follow the psalms based on the lectionary, or the days of the month. both are fine, both can be found in the cofe lectionary, and the lectionary for psalms works slightly differently, as there is a different way it works for ordinary time. how to do this is explained in table 4 of the lectionary pdf, and the alternate psalms based on day of the month (so you're cycling through all the psalms every month) is table 5.

finally, collect. we're nearly there! collects for ordinary time can be found on this link. scroll down to trinity 12 and you've got it!

now, everything changes on a sunday, but it's easier, i promise!

scroll down to trinity 12 on this link, and then find year b (you can find which year it is in the second link above), and there you are! everything is there, much easier. collect is the same for the whole of each week.

once you've done the first one, it gets easier as you can just follow down. maybe if you printed them out, you could cross out each week as you did it, as an easy way to keep track. if you get lost, you can figure it out from easter again, or think back to sunday when they would have said in church what week it was!

important things to remember with the bcp is that it is used by priests, so there will be things in there you're not meant to do or say! it's not a massive deal in private, and He knows what you meant obviously, so don't stress if you read through accidentally, but the idea is that you cannot pronounce things like the absolution, sacraments obviously etc, different blessings for things you do not have authority over (married people can bless each other and their children) with that intent, if that makes sense. different churches have different views on this, so find out what the episcopal church allows laity to say and do. it will also be fairly obvious, saying things like 'the priest will say', and might give alternate things (such as asking God to give blessings, as opposed to giving a blessing like a priest could).

as for other resources, the cofe website is great in general, and i'm sure the episcopal church has similar resources online. i'm afraid no other resources are springing to mind rn, but anything new i find will go on my blog as per, and i'll update this if i think of anything more.

i hope this was helpful, and do let me know if you have any questions.

God bless you and be with you

[delulu-with-wandanat]

Fics recs: 1-THE ROMANOFF CHRONICLES, an astounching groundbreaking, never seen before (literally) masterpiece, 100/10. It's mainly set in those 5years post snap, it explains the development that each character presented in endgame in a way the Russos wish they did, it represents the friendship between the avengers in a way marvel never allowed them be, it respects Natasha ( skill set, humanity, personality, affiliations,..) it's nat centric, it's only flaw: it's not complete but don't worry it has 60 medium to long chaps.

2-ON THE COVER - RED WHITE AND BLACK | New York Magazine | Dec. 30th, 2024, this is the most beautifully written farewell, tribute to Natasha Romanoff I have ever seen, it's written in a format that I think has never been used in fanfics, it's a soul touching poetic masterpiece

3- Ohio years, an exquisite bittersweet mini series of 1 shots that's written in a captivating style that keeps your attention, it showcases how the Russian murder family but mainly nat & Melina come to love & connect to each other.

4-FIREFLIES, it's written in such a bittersweet melancholic reminiscing way, it's just so beautiful. It's an 18 1 shots about nat encountering fireflies & being reminded of Ohio years &then others being reminded of nat by seeing them.

5- DISTURBING THE PEACE, an excellent 100/10 tear-jerker masterpiece, it's a very long 1 shot about what if post apocalyptic lonely nat , it also showcases her friendship with og avengers & nick.

6- I USED TO HAVE NOTHING, - WIDOW SISTERS AND MANY MARVELOUS MARVEL WOMEN - WE ARE MEANT FOR MORE THAN THIS, it's cute well written comfort, fluff, a bit angsty 3 different series of mainly 1 shots by 3 different authors about yelena and Natasha. They're my all time favorite comfort read.

7- I LOVE YOU, GOODBYE, it's a very very long 1 shot of AU of endgame in which Wanda survives & wandanat happens that hit me so hard I needed hours to process it & get out of it, my only quell with it is that it reset nat & Wanda's relationship with each other at postAOU where they would definitely be distant to each other.

8- IT'S FUN TO LOSE AND TO PRETEND, an absolute tear-jerker, a masterpiece, a beauty, a greatness, it's a 5 parts multichaps which takes place just after Westview, before Hawkeye where nat is given another chance ending up at Wanda's door, Wanda is given the healing marvel denied her with nat, Sam &bucky not being limited by the shackles of the screen & actually interacting with the events of their universe,Clint and yel meeting with their beloved. The ending was a bit unsatisfying to me but nonetheless as martin says this is CINEMA.

9- HOW NATASHA ROMANOFF MARRIED WANDA MAXIMOFF, it's a medium paced 38 chaps retelling of "how Nancy Jackson married Kate Wilson" but with wandanat with huge changes. It's sweet & adorable, the beginning was a bit rocky to me, there parts I would wince where I didn't like it but otherwise an absolute entertainment, I wanna kiss the head of it's author irl for giving me this absolute comfort for FREE. God or whatever higher power bless this person.

10-OUR LITTLE GROUP HAS ALWAYS BEEN (AND ALWAYS WILL UNTIL THE END), it's 9 part series of mini chaps, it's very creative concept,a wild imagination, it's the biggest au to ever au as its author puts it. To me it's the truest form of fanfic, the author took majority of the plot of MCU & toyed with it &come up with their world which has everything cute adorable wandanat, yelenat, the maximoffs, yel and Pietro, loving Russian spy parents, coulson's Lola, overall it's cuteness overload. God bless this author too.

If you ever decide to read them pls leave them a comment & let me know how you feel about them, also do you have more nat centric fanfics or just good fanfics about nat and anybody else.

oh my FUCKING GODDD THANK U ANON!!!

im def gonna read all ur recs! So far i had this one fanfic i rlly like but i forgot the title. I’ll let u know when i rememberr

[sizebrained]

It's So Hot, Can We Go To The Pool? Part 2

If your thumbs can still scroll and you haven't died from second hand embarassment at the cringe then bless. Part 2 of my evolving grown-up borrower universe love story. Content Warning: Adult themes, language, somewhat suggestive romantic/sexual interests. Mentions of nudity, war, death, danger, terror, injury, PTSD, and panic attacks. But also fluff.

Word Count: 4,000ish

*** As if Sam couldn’t wait to speak for herself, the huge woman kicked the unlocked door open with one of her powerful legs. Both of her hands were full carrying her shopping haul. The kick made Ben’s door swing wildly and hit the wall stop with a loud bang. Ben's whole body jerked and felt the panic. 

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Sam and a much smaller figure perched on the front of the wide brim of Sam’s new straw hat both yelled out in unison, “Ding Dong! Pool time!” Cob, the smaller figure, was completely drowned out by Sam’s much larger, deeper voice. Hazel appreciated that the pair had still synced up somehow. She quickly scanned over them. They were both wearing two piece black swimsuits with tied to their upper and lower bodies with thin spaghetti straps. While Cob lacked a hat like Sam, they were both wearing shutter shade sunglasses that looked utterly ridiculous. Hazel knew that Sam must have suggested them in hopes of getting a laugh and Cob would have agreed enthusiastically. Hazel wouldn’t be caught dead in anything that impractical. Before she could say anything else, Hazel felt Ben’s heart rate quickening underneath her. The thumping quake of it throbbed deeply up her feet through her whole body. Her amusement at Sam and Cob immediately changed to concern for Ben. He was just like so many of the shellshocked men and boys she’d tended to during the war. She could only imagine how bad the accident must have been. Hazel closed the distance between the side of Ben’s face and her in a few tiny steps. Her hand reached up to the outer edge of his ear. In slow repetitive strokes, she ran her miniature palm along the bottom half of his ear curving her hand along his earlobe. It reminded her again of the circus elephant and the human that looked small while guiding it through the circus ring all those years ago. She had discovered the ear method to be one of the better grounding exercises for distressed humans. It was also one that she could manage at her size. During her time at the war hospital she’d only ever had bad experience with it when a very disturbed soldier almost swatted her body like she was a fly.

Hazel used it excessively on Ben, who seemed to really calm down quickly from it. Somehow the slight sensation was just enough to grab his attention. The soft, purposeful motion interrupting his nervous system’s response. Doing it now made her want more, but she pushed it to the side for now. She could feel his breathing slow down and the large thumping heart settle. Ben stayed quiet and embarrassed, ashamed a door could have that kind of effect on him. He wanted to turn his head and look at Hazel, but given how close she was to his face he was worried he’d accidentally knock her off his shoulder if he tried. He looked over Sam and Cob instead. The embarrassment kept him quiet.

Hazel noticed Ben’s hesitation and spoke up for him to give him more time to recover.

“What on God’s green earth…” Hazel started, taking the lord’s name in vain being about as saucy as she would allow herself to get. Cob spoke first.

“Look! Sam found us matching suits! And she found this for the pool! Show em! Show em!” Cob was brimming with excitement and hopping up and down from their spot on the hat. Their tail was swishing wildly against the straw making a brushing sound.

At 6 feet and 7 inches tall herself, Sam’s head was high enough that the hat brim actually made a good hiding place for Cob. Ben was likely one of the few people tall enough to look down at Sam’s head. Most everyone else would just see the underside of the wide brim.

Sam put the bags down somewhat oblivious that she’d nearly sent Ben into a panic attack with the door. Over the past several months, she had been focusing far more on his physical recovery than his mental one.

Her little brother’s mind always seemed like a strange and impossible place for her to understand. When she wasn't kidding, teasing, or joking with him, she was always direct and plain with him. That lack of nuance didn’t serve her well in a lot of conversations.

“Babe! Chill! Here. Yeah. Here see…” Sam’s deep husky voice replied up at Cob perched on her hat. Sam called everyone “Babe,” out of laziness so she wouldn't have to remember a lot of names.

But whenever she did it to Cob, it made them melt in place. Sam rifled through the bags with her big hands and then pulled out a box, holding it out to Ben and Hazel to show the picture on the front. She gestured at the picture as she spoke.

“See it’s an inflatable pool lounger with this cool attachable shade that comes down but look, there’s one for the cup holder too!” Sam tapped her finger pointing to the cup holder with her finger proudly as if they had made a great discovery.

“So we can all go to the pool and you and I will just stay in the cup holder with the shade down Haze! No birds!” Cob yelled out in excited relief at their sister. Cob’s incident with the bird still haunted all of them and they would only go outside if it was on Sam or Sam was nearby.

The lounger was a genuinely good idea and the pair deserved credit for thinking it through. Ben forced out a deep long breath and resisted the urge to snap at Sam over buying a bunch of junk on his credit card.

He took the box from her and held it up to his face so Hazel could look at the picture closer too, not that she needed it given it was already billboard sized to her from Sam’s grip. Ben doubted a bird would try to swoop at the covered cup holder especially if it was in the middle of the pool with him on it. “Yeah?” Ben asked Hazel, finally finding his voice. He could still feel her touching his ear, which made him unable to turn his head again to see her. She had stopped stroking his ear, but had kept it there so he could feel her. Sometimes that was as best as she could manage at her size.

“It’s worth a go I think.” Hazel answered Ben with a pat of his ear and then looked at Cob curiously. “I don’t suppose you…” Hazel started to say just as she saw Cob lift up a white, one piece bathing suit that looked like it might fit their taller sister.

“Perfect. I assume you borrowed that…and yours?” Hazel asked slowly. She meant stole, but borrow was more polite. It was as if somehow it might get returned someday...into the store, and packaging if it hadn't been taken away by the employees thinking it had been damaged somehow during transport to the store. “Well that’s sort of what took so damn long. Have you seen the plastic shit they use now to secure stuff in the boxes? And I forgot my kit and King Kong down there would have been a bit conspicuous ripping her way through the box, so it took for-fucking-ever!” Cob complained in a long rambling run on sentence. 

In response, Sam simply made an “Oo Oo” monkey sound in agreement that made Cob laugh out loud. It used to be a lot simpler to borrow things from stores before, Hazel thought. Sometime over the past few decades of her life, human companies decided that everything in the toy section was as precious as gold. Almost everything seemed to be doubly secured inside its packaging with either ties or sometimes even plastic locks secured into the thick cardboard with screws. Sometimes even metal was used to keep something plastic safe. “Cob! Language!” Hazel huffed at her younger sibling. Growing up in America had made the younger sibling far more lax with manners and language. Her hopes that being around elderly humans in the nursing home before they came to Ben’s building would encourage more old fashioned customs and ways. It did not work. Cob whistled a tune and, as if it had been practiced daily, Sam lifted up her outstretched palm so Cob could drop the bathing suit onto it for their sister. Sam then extended her hand out so the back of it rested on her brother’s shoulder next to Hazel.

Hazel stepped onto Sam’s hand quickly taking the bathing suit. Hazel nodded and waved in thanks, then stepped back onto Ben’s shoulder. She didn’t like being in anyone else’s hands but Ben's if she could help it. It felt like cheating.

“We’ll meet you down at the pool. Some of us still need to change. Speaking of changing, when did you…nevermind.” Hazel stopped herself from finishing the question. Sam and Cob had both changed into bathing suits since they had left the condo. 

It made Hazel worry they’d done so at the store and hoped Cob and Sam kept things decent. She knew how much of a flirt Sam could be and how easily Cob could get carried away by it. Hazel was too reserved to prod about some kind of lewdness in mixed company. She decided she would have a word with Cob later.

Sam set the lounger down on the floor in its box. She reached into the shopping bag to lift something out then threw it at Ben saying, “I got you something for laying poolside babe.”

Ben caught it and held it out in front of him to look at it. It was a very tacky button down shirt covered in a pattern of alligators wearing sunglasses. The gator’s jaws were alternating between being open and closed. But it did have a pocket on the left side.

“This is horrendous and it wouldn’t even fit you let alone me!”

Ben complained, looking at his sister for an answer. Sam didn’t quite understand what was going on with Ben and Hazel. She only knew that he was far better now than he was before the pair came into their lives. And she noticed Ben always wanted Hazel close.

Rather give him an earnest response, Sam made a monkey sound again knowing full well it would annoy her big little brother. Sam closed up the bag, gripping it with the others in a single hand. The big girl turned in place on her heels, while holding the hat down on her head with her other hand. “Hurry up! King Kong hot! Pool!!! Oo Oo Oo!!!” Sam said, yucking it up as she broke into a jog out of the condo towards the elevator. Cob’s laughing scream could be heard as the big woman turned right out the door carrying them the few feet into the hallway. It was quiet and hot again in the condo.

Ben stood up from the couch with a sigh and reached out pushing the door shut. He whipped the shirt upwards so it laid over his other shoulder with a light slap. It was a habit from stripping down out of his jersey after games.

Reaching up again to his left shoulder, properly this time considering Hazel’s expectations, he let his hand rest flat and still against his chest waiting for Hazel.

Hazel paused for just a moment before she dropped down onto the waiting, living surface. The first time you step onto a human’s hand, especially one whom you’ve entered into a revealing pact with, felt like being a married couple crossing the threshold for the first time.

The first time she stepped on Ben’s hand, she felt truly small in a way she had never experienced before in her life. It filled her with a sense of awe and she hoped she wouldn’t lose that feeling someday.

Once she was on, Ben had crossed the apartment again in a few steps to an overfilled bookshelf. Except for a hollowed out middle section that Hazel was slowly transforming into her new home.

She reached out to grip his raised thumb while he lowered her down. Ben held his hand still and steady waiting until she was fully off of him before pulling away. Her tail trailed behind her and slid along the top length of his thumb brushing against it as she stepped onto the bookshelf. Once she stood on the shelf, she turned, craning her neck to all the way up at his face.

Ben smiled down at her while he spoke, “I’ll be quick but take your time.”

He turned around with his back to her. Stripping off his damp tank top, he struggled to put on the new one Sam had gotten him. It was clearly too small for him, it looked almost painful as he struggled to get it on. But then he disappeared into his room out of Hazel’s view.

She watched his enormous shirtless back as he walked away. She could make out every muscle, tendon, and sinew on him as if she were looking through one of the old anatomy books in the hospital. Even after all these months, she was still not used to seeing him in such a state.

She started to change, grossed out by how damp her clothes were. She let a “Bloody hell” slip out of her mouth. She was unsure of whether it was because of the heat or seeing Ben shirtless again.

The second time she saw Ben, after he had rescued her from the glue trap, it was by accident. Determined not to discover another one of those awful traps, she redoubled her efforts to make trails through the walls.

She thought she had just figured out a way to get out of the wall into the hallway. But instead she found herself exiting the baseboard under the large floating double sink in Ben’s bathroom. Once she broke through she saw everything was bright and white. She hated it and also realized her mistake.

She climbed out of the makeshift opening just as Ben was stepping out of the shower, a few feet away but she was out of sight. She still hadn't told him about it and felt bad for her unintentional peeping.

She still thought of it sometimes, and it was mixed with her frustration at modern human dwellings. The whole affair would have been completely avoidable if humans hadn’t lost their minds and sensibility with their buildings.

It was so much harder to hide and maneuver through buildings when everything was bright surfaces, open spaces, and clean lines. It was another reminder of how Hazel’s life was so different now than it had been with Mary more than half a century ago. It wasn’t necessarily bad…just different.

She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for her father who had been born long before humans had harnessed oil lamps, let alone electricity. She thought about it while she stepped into the leg openings and pulled up the bathing suit. It squished her tail against her back as she sized up the fit.

Her waifish figure seemed out of place in today’s world, even for one of her kind. It sometimes made her self-conscious around Ben. She didn't feel this way before, when they were strangers and he was a means to an end. But now...

Given Mary's state near the end, it meant that it had been a long time since she worried about her body when it came to any human's opinion. The bathing suit was far too big for her but she’d make it work for now. She could take it in later when she had time.

Hazel would feel guilty to make Ben wait even longer so she could take it in properly. She knew he was just standing in his bedroom to give her ample time to change in privacy. For now she’d just make it more comfortable.

She quickly pulled the bathing suit off again and picked up a small blade. She sliced a hole out for her tail in one expert motion and pulled it back on, her tail popping out in the open and swishing several times in freedom.

If they were going to the pool they needed to get on with it. Hazel was fairly certain that Ben had neglected to finish the Chaucer reading for his Medieval Literature course in the morning. He really seemed to struggle with it. In fact it made Hazel suspect he may have some reading challenges.

There were a surprising number of enlisted men during the war who couldn’t read or write in the hospital. She took pity on them and would often sneak somewhere nearby to read out loud what various forms and documents meant before they actually signed any.

Many of them wondered where the voice they were hearing was coming from, and one asked Mary if she had done it but was misremembering it somehow. Mary chalked it up to the heavy medication and shock of their injuries. Later that night, she had chastised Hazel for doing it, making her promise to stop. Hazel did.

Compared to what Hazel’s mother had sacrificed for the Professor or what Hazel had done for Mary as part of their lifelong obligation in a revealing pact, being Ben’s tutor was easy.

She thought it must have been as easy as "borrowing" must have been for her father in candlelit hutches and cottages back in the 1800’s. She stood there reminiscing with her arms crossed over her chest, her tail swishing like a metronome.

Her thoughts were interrupted by two loud ripping sounds coming from Ben’s bedroom. She could easily guess what the source of it had been.

Ben soon emerged from his bedroom and returned to her bookshelf wearing the alligator covered button up pool shirt that Sam had just bought him, his swimsuit, and a pair of enormous flip flops. Except he had torn the shirt’s sleeves off at the seams leaving his arms exposed. She peered over the edge of her bookshelf looking him up and down. “Do you really have that much of a constitutional aversion to sleeves?” Hazel asked up at him in disbelief suppressing a giggle. “They were too tight! This whole shirt is too small even though it says extra tall...” Ben complained trying to make it longer somehow by pulling the shirt bottom down towards his feet. If he lifted his arms over his head way more than just his belly button would be exposed. Hazel wouldn't have objected. Hazel shook her head up at him chuckling under her breath before saying, “It was a very nice gesture. I’m sure she got it for me just as much for you with that pocket.”

Hazel then peered up at him expectantly as Ben lowered his hand to the edge of the shelf again. After she climbed on she felt the rush of being lifted. It was always far more jarring for Hazel to be lifted than it was to be lowered.

“One hour at the pool. Then we are coming back up here to finish the last fragment of Canterbury Tales for your class tomorrow. And I want you to actually raise your hand to answer a question about it. In class!” Hazel said in her best impression of the Professor when she had been in Ben’s place as a student. “Two hours?” Ben asked back, tilting his hand slowly while holding his shirt pocket open with the other. As she considered his request, she slid down his hand into the chest pocket.

Her feet planted solidly and reassuringly at the bottom. She took a few heavy steps at the to double check that the seams were tight and secure. 

Ben seemed to exclusively wear tank tops before they met, and still preferred them as if they were his natural state like icy water for a polar bear. Over the past few months, he had slowly been wearing clothing that had more and more fabric.

More pockets, more collars, just more material so she could have spots that she could use as is or surfaces that she could add hand and foot holds onto later.

Hazel hoisted herself up from the bottom of the pocket with a jump, hooking her arms over the lip of his material to pull the fabric down. Now she could look out, her feet dangling above the bottom.

But the shirt was too small. She didn’t have a lot of room and could feel Ben’s big solid chest pushing out against the fabric. It was a nice change to feel so much of him so close.

A long silence hung in the air as Ben waited before adding, “Please? It’s so hot.” His chin was pressed against the top of his chest so he could peer down at her. His eyes were opened unusually wide, raising his brows to try and look like a begging dog. Hazel hated it when he gave her that look. His enormous, bright green eyes really shimmered when he did it.

She couldn’t help but be reminded of the grasses and trees at the Professor’s country estate back in England by the color of them. She regretted ever letting that observation slip out in his presence knowing that he would forever use it against her. He had to be so beautiful, stupidly sweet, and so big.

Hazel let out an exasperated huff before letting herself smile up at him.

“It is hot.” She replied flatly to him. Ben kept staring hopefully. He was about to resort to making a canine-like whimper down at her. “Alright, fine. Two hours. Hopefully they’ll have fixed the air by then anyway. But you had better answer a question in class tomorrow! And don’t forget the thingy.”

Hazel said up at him, trying to ignore the victorious smirk on his face for getting more pool time. She gestured at the unopened, inflatable pool lounger still in the box on the floor where Sam left it. The enormous student made his way down the hallway to the stairwell door, ducking down under the threshold onto the stairs. Ben trotted down the ten flights with Hazel bouncing against him in the shirt pocket. Hazel thought that they really needed to work on him getting more comfortable in the elevators again. She worried the ill-fitting bathing suit was at risk of falling off of her. If the shirt pocket wasn't so snug against Ben's solid chest it might have. After a few steps, Ben decided to hold onto the railings with both hands and use his upper body to swing his legs down entire sets placing his legs gently on the landing.

It made the trip go much faster and smoother than her. It felt like they were sharing a hammock and something about it reminded her of the time she saw the American president FDR walking once. But she hadn't told Ben that story yet.

It could wait for another day. Today it was hot. Too hot. And the pool sounded nice. Then Canterbury Tales. *** End of Part 2

[minalblood]

Been a looong while but I'm back with a new episode commentary. 1x09 here we go!

The instant recall to finale of spn s 1 is just as delicious and jarring this time around. Find it very very interesting that it's the vampires that mimic the Winchesters here and do so in order to learn their fate and fulfil it. I'd definitely call this a dark mirror to begin with.

I also adore these vamps, they're sooo fun looking.

John and Mary really came out of that near death experience losing no time in getting together.

The appreciation of Dean being paralleled to the appreciation of Baby is just... sooo funny considering the sheer amount of connections there.

Soo Kyle is instantly suspish here. Not even hiding it, damn. You can tell the shift in personality just based off his demeanor. I also think the little hand gesture he does as he walk away is interesting, it's almost like he's saying "im washing my hands off this bullshit". It subble enough that you could think it's jealousy.

The little hints at Lata and John friendship! My beloved!. Also Lata is suuuch a gossip I love her!

I once more am asking John Winchester to stop trying to be subtle, it aint his strong suit. But alternatively, I sorta get it? Like I can understand why it would be confusing if u don't get where Mary is coming from, since she has no problem letting strangers (and exs) on the street see them together, but not their close friends? But I also completely get Mary as well, she's actually lived as a hunter her whole life which means bagage already, then the fact that their relationship is new and fragile. Plus both her parents and his haven't had the easiest time with relationships. Cautious makes sense.

Ah yes, "fate is what u make it". Dean hearing it from John who heard it from Millie. All of them have their very personal reasons for that saying to apply, but also... Dean saying he didn't expect where things got when he "pushed that first domino" reminds me of Cas and him talking after the 1st Apocalypse that wasn't and about how free will sometimes means things aren't really gonna go the way you like them.to or expect them to (peace or freedom?). It's sorta funny then (read:ironic) that in both John's life (SPN!John) and Dean and Cas after Swan Song the outcome was actually quite tragic over all, John's life literally going out in flames with the rest of it being a living nightmare and in Dean and Cas' case Sam is dead and Heaven is starting a Civil War. This episode then does something really nice in subverting that expectation by setting up the tragedy (John is to die, can't change that) and allowing him to survive and not just that but ending it with him getting exactly what he'd wanted here in the beginning of the episode, getting to freely be with Mary.

I adore how Carlos calms down the driver, showing once again the full range of their skill as hunter and empathy as person. Love them so so much!

Couldn't get a hold of John, says Mary, being more suspicious then if she and John had shown up together... I find that hilarious!

Also also, love that this clarified that fangs are still teeth aka u can identify people (vampires here) based on them. I love love love that!

Uuuù Betty is suspish about Mary.

God! Dean had to have loved the vampire robbers. Vobbers? Rompires? Vambbers?

Oh noooo John! Don't be ur children! Don't just pick up random amulets like a moron! (At least we know who they got it from?)

Carlos is almost just as bad, my God! You see ur friend drop it like it hot and you just bend to.pick it urself?! Ah, Carlos, the range you got babe.

John dying by vamps begins my headache of the night because it is 1000% a callback to Dean's death in 15x20. And I wish that wasnt the case.

Ok let's talk Ursitoare (Uhr- see-too-ah-reh) a sec. So this is Romanian myth. To give an overview of it, the myth largely relates to the Ursitoare (or Fates you could say) blessing or cursing a new born after they've been born. Usually the legend states that the mother or midwife would have to leave out gifts (generally food like bread or water or salt etc) to basically appease them and make sure the baby gets a good destiny foretold. It's also states that those who eavesdrop on them as they tell the childs destiny shall die. They are also said to be quick to anger if spurned. Another interesting think tho about the myth is that (while there can sometimes be 7 or 9) the 3 ursitoare are generally known as Ursitoarea, Soarta si Moartea (aka the One who Wishes your fortune, Fate and Death) again the Greak Fates work very well and there's def overlap between the myths here. But importantly, Ursitoarea is the oldest and Death the Youngest (or othewise simply stated as the 3rd).

Now based on this we have a few things to keep in mind, mainly our vampires. They esentially eavesdrop on John's fate here and get exactly what the legend states - killed. In other news, the Ursitoare are very much neutral beings generally. They can be plied with offerings sure, but overall they just spin the thread as it goes. Its only ever an active role when wishing the newborns destiny. Now John's our newborn here, new to hunting at least, reborn once already after the war and a second time after confrunting everything he has since hunting became his life. More importantly, in some versions of the myth, the ursitoare give either the mother or the midwife dreams the night after the baby is born that need to be carefully interpreted afterwards - exactly what the Gem does here.

To wrap this part up a bit, I am.endlessly happy about the way they tackled this myth. SPN had sadly a bad bad record with Romanian mythology and lore - 1st with the witches in s7 which I'd argue was ... 'inspired' by rromani mythology rather than Romanian which is its own culture and as such its own racist connotation to that whole mess. And 2nd with the Imaginary Friends in s 11 aka Zanna .... which has absolutely nothing to do with Romanian mythology beyond slapping a horrendous mispronunciation of Zână onto a piece of lore that doesnt exist in Romanian mythos - we don't have any imaginary friend stuff, its literally all imported from the US. So this lore here? This is fucking aces! It actually makes sense, is actually a Romanian myth that is still being invoked nowadays - especially in the countryside as tradition of baptising/birth and it works very well in the context of the episode. Now, it would've been perfect if they didnt add that shh sound in Ursitoare making ir Urshitoare... Like its funny a bit cuz I constantly think of bears (urşi - ursh is plural for bear in Romanian) but its ok since its just that. I can live with a minor mispronunciation. I will say the Gem itself is fully made up tho for TW.

To answer Carlos tho, the Ursitoare themselves tell u 2 things: the future and also a future they are willing to bless or curse you with. It's essentially both. They show u the future, ur life as it's meant to be exactly, no deviation, but only in pieces or really a piece as a dream and, importantly the sorta end result of ur life which they wish upon u as newborn. How u get to that wish is up to you. The Gem.appears to have merged these two.

I also love love love the show of community that hunters have, that a hunters network is important to getting the job done. It makes me strangle SPN!John worse because he actively isolated himself aaand his kids. Ffs!

Awwwweee I like Betty! I mean shes a cop soo... not great but shes nice and cares so much and is worried :((

Millie does a good job here I think. She's not dismissive of Bettys concerns, but shes also careful to dispel them if possible. She shows once more how good she is at manipulating people, tho admitedly this time it isnt anything malicious or even generally negative.

I also gotta say that Betty (and id say John by extension) is very naive to think that war could in any way shape or form help with the issues John had had. Like he had trauma from his fathers abandonment and his mothers general treatment afterwards, had trauma from the disfunctional relationship the two had before Henry died/left, which all was underscored by deep-seated guilt that he let out as rage. Like all war would do is make it far far worse. It shows just how young Betty is truly and how she really hasn't lived through too much yet. And i said John too because Im fairly sure he also thought going to war would help in a similar manner.

I also headcanon that Betty was very inspired by Millie... but thats just me.

Carlos continues to be a dumb dumb about Anton... unsurprising, but omg.

I forgot the stone was carved from the Ursitoare's ribs... is it just me who though of the birth of Eve here??? Also yes, Il Soarta is def Italian I realize now. Do i question why an Italian cult was obsessed with Romanian myth.. absolutely not.

Im think that the 'most times not'part of what destiny the Gem shows u is due to essentially the stone acting as ... well... an eavesdropper. Literally. It was given to specific people to use by the Ursitoare as recompense for their worship - so good fate; but then as time went on it became a useful artifact for the benefit of Il Soarta so it became a way to eavesdrop on destiny so said destiny changed in them because that worship became.in name only. As mentioned, the Ursitoare arent patient and dont take well to being spurned or used in this case.

God the drip on the vamps, love them so much!

I would also argue that fate ultimately doesn't care about anyone if the whole universe is in jeopardy and uve a bigger destiny like John Winchester does.

I agree with Mary calling Millie here. Especially since she actually.knows what it's like to just ... lose someone like that. John does too, but he's also the one in the middle of it.

Ironic that Mary says "even if i have to kill every vampire in the tri-state area " ... a version of her actually does do that... for her kids. And simultaneously, its ironic also that another version of John will tell their kids that vampires are extinct (which could get them killed fyi).

Millie and Dean would be horrible together... all theyd do is work in the garage and shittalk research... and I kind love that for them.

I also like that Millie does in fact tell John bout Betty and also basically tells him.to not bullshit a bullshitter. This convo between Millie and John might be the 1st truly empathetic one we've had for them. Like yes, John's defenses go up instantly and he immediately assumes that Millie agrees with Betty and is judging him, but Millie, this time, doesnt do that. She just wants to check-in on how he's doing. And does so softly. And believes him more importantly.

And of course, back to the tried and true Winchester feelings avoidance after we've just had a helluva emotionally vulnerable talk.

I live for Carlos being disappointed in the vamps housing choices. I too would judge that. (So would Dean tbh)

Aaaaand Carlos once more gives us the biggest puzzle piece to where the vamps are.

While Lata is once more absolutely delighted by the magic lockpick like the wonderful nerd she is.

Millie to John "Dont do what u always do, not today" --> leads him directly to the room hes gonna die in. Irony at its finest.

A lot of irony in this episode, i realize now...

God I adore Carlos v vampires fight scene, its soo good. And its followed by the equally as fantastic Mary v vampires. Ahhh, I love them all so much.

Ppl really shouldn't fuck with Mary Campbell when shes pissed and worried.

I will miss the vamps tho... i really liked them :(

Ah yes, Winchester ingenuity at its finest... 🙈

I like what this ep says about how dead mans blood works? It implies that vampires literally drain the life force through the blood because the dead mans blood only came into effect once John did actually die - a few moments after he got bit thus implying a certain supernatural link between the blood just ingested and John's lifeforce. I vibe with that.

Ah yes... the full context - still drives me.mad. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ROBBIE?! Especially with all the parallels TW has to SPN.

I appreciate the CPR not stopping until only after they think he really did die for good. U DONT stop CRP for dramatic pause ( advice to othee shows/movies or in ro aviz amatorilor)

Antoooooonnnnnn!

Anton and Carlos!!! 💓💓💓 yay!

And they're using their words! They're communicating guys 😭 im so proud

Damn... Mary and John are being cute too 🥲

Dun dun dun!

Betty and Kyle and Kyle is Akrida! 😱

Sorry, i dont got anything revealing or deep to say about the ending here 🤣🤣🤣 its all plot and relationships.

Aand so we reach the end of another episode, 4 more to go!

I will say time and distance made this episode easier to watch for me. 15x20 had fucked me up before and made it very hard to watch without refering back to it. It has several parallels to Dean and dying specifically. The main one ofc being death adjacent to vampires. But it also has John killing himself for the sake of the hunt which sadly doesn't bode well either because it reminds me of a really bad couple of weeks back in 2017 when i had the realization that Dean has literally been shown as suicidal every single season (and i can name the ep, its so clear) and then Advanced Thanatology hit the Tv screens on nov 9th 2017... not a fun realization and def not a fun series of events afterwards. Sorry to bring this up here, but well... its relevant sadly.

Thankfully tho, this episode works well to deconstruct that and to subvert the spn finale by allowing John to live and to fully embrace his realtionship with Mary.

In other news, next ep will anger me a bit... for.multiple reason, some having already been discussed by people better equiped to talk about it then me. But rest assured, ive shit to say outside of that too, so see y'all for ep 10. Im aiming to have that up by the end of the week.

And thanks to @noybusiness and @shallowseeker for encouranging me to continue this.