#They are aware of Danny's Not-Boyfriend and his kids

[dcxdpdabbles]

Freelance Inventor Part 2

Dedicated to @jimmysorsprinkles Thank you for enjoying my random dabbles. I saw that you wanted more Dads, Danny/Bruce, who are unknowingly co-parenting, so here it is! (set during the first prompt through the years of Danny just being a dad whenever he's home)

"I just don't know what to do," Bruce admits, watching Dick stomp about in tiny angry circles, muttering in his native tongue under his breath. He's been out there for about a half hour, doing laps in the yard. Danny knows he deliberately chose to do so under the window leading to Bruce's office.

The kid definitely wanted his guardian to know he was mad at him .

It was the fact Dick was unconsciously hunching his shoulders, curling his fist, and even raising his knee slightly higher than he needed for his stomps that were a nod to Bruce whenever the man was upset.

It seemed like Dick had picked up habits from Bruce during his short time here. If anything, Danny thought it rather cute if it weren't for the fact Dick was so upset.

"What happened?" He asked, standing beside Bruce, overlooking the pre-teen throwing a fit.

Bruce's frown is sharp and hinted with just the edge of uncertainty that anyone who didn't know him well would have dismissed. "He was being reckless in one of our extreme sports, and when I rightfully scolded him for it, he took it as me not trusting him."

Danny tilts his head, considering. It's been over three years since he became acquainted with the Waynes, and in that time- between his travels, his inventing, and his general desire to learn all he could in any way he could- he noticed that Dick was very quick to anger as a defensive mechanism.

This clashed horribly with Bruce's own mechanism- which was shutting down or at least emotionally wise. While Dick sneered and raged against the world, Bruce tried his best to forget he was human and detached himself from the situation.

Which wouldn't be so bad if it didn't feed into Dick's insecurities or Bruce's anxiety when they both reacted to adverse situations.

He has spoken to Jazz about it, and his sister has given him some advice that has helped him smooth things over with the young boy. Empathizing and paraphrasing the boy's issues was a big step in letting him feel heard and his feelings acknowledged.

For Bruce, he treated him like a ghost who had never seen a human. Plenty of ghosts were never human, were born in the ghost zone, or had been there for so long that they had forgotten what humans were like. Danny took time to explain why someone reacted the way they did- at least, why he thought so- and never made Bruce feel less for needing the help.

It was fun, in a way, to see Bruce's eyes lighten up with understanding and get him to talk about his rooted issues, but having to do so on carefully balanced tones and word choice. Phantom had so much practice de-escalating ghosts that it was a walk in the park with Bruce.

"I'll talk to him," Danny promised, leaning over to rest his hand on Bruce's shoulder and not batting an eye when the taller man landed down to rest his forehead on Danny's shoulder.

Where Bruce couldn't say in words, he yelled in his actions. It reminded him a bit of Wulf.

Bruce took a deep breath before nodding. "Thank you."

Danny hummed, reaching up to pet Bruce's hair like he would soothe Wulf, on days the werewolf would twitch too much at the door slamming, and suddenly his friend was mentally back in Walker's prison. "No problem. But, I will also be speaking to you later, and you are going to listen to Dick's side of the story without interrupting at dinner."

"Yes, Danny"

Alfred threw him an approving smile as he marched outside to meet Dick's rage-filled eyes and nervous hand twitching. He could catch the ending bits of whatever rant the boy was muttering.

"You're right. Bruce is an idiot sometimes." He starts grinning as the boy's eyes narrow further.

"You don't speak Romani."

"I may not understand what you're saying, but trust me, I feel it." Danny chirps, watching Dick's shoulder relax a little. " What did he do this time?"

"You won't even believe it!" Dick snaps, and then he's off, Danny keeping pace with him step by step as the boy works himself into another frenzy.

Later that night, Dick explained that he hated how Bruce made him feel so belittled and unimportant, his voice tight with a itch to fight, and Bruce carefully- with significant prompting from Danny- explained how he didn't mean it that way. He was only worried that he was about to watch Dick die in front of him, and he couldn't live through losing his family again.

Dick looked shocked to be considered family, and Danny swore he helped the boy sneak into Bruce's office, which so happened to have the adoption papers Bruce was hiding. Alfred gave him a large sample of pudding for dessert.

______________________________________________

"Hey, kid," Danny whispered, watching Jason tense up momentarily. It's not overly noticeable, but Danny has grown used to seeing little ghost blobs show emotions by how they twisted and twirled over the years, so he could tell what the slight tightening of the fingers around the book meant.

Anxious.

It would be understandable if Jason had been present for another one of Dick's and Bruce's explosive arguments. He came from a household that had an older male figure beat him whenever Willis got in a mood, so while he knew that Bruce or Dick would never hit him, Jason still tried to make himself scarce.

Jazz was the one to point out Jason's usage of escapism in the form of books to comfort himself, and so Danny took whatever time he could manage to read the same books as Jason while on his travels.

"What?" The boy grunted, voice soft but weary.

Danny sits across from him, making sure to stay in Jason's eyesight at all times. He had realized in only his second visit after meeting Jason that the boy did not like having someone too close in his space.

He grew up on the streets where being weary of older men kept him alive- Danny would never fault him for what he had to do to survive.

Unlike Dick, who was always down to talk about why he was upset if only to rant, Jason preferred to have a distraction. So he offers him a smile that he hopes projects You're safe with me and pulls out a book from his bag.

Jason's eyes light up at the cover. "I had some theories on Mr. Darcy being in love with Mr.Bingley before he met Elizabeth, and Bruce won't agree with me. Help me find citations as proof?"

"It's so obvious that he was, how can the old man not see that!" Jason snorts, tilting his head in a cute habit that he picked up from Dick. He really looks up to his big brother no matter how tense things can get.

Danny is glad he's gotten Dick to explain to Jason that he didn't hate him, but he was going through a lot, and Jason as a street kid, understood on some level.

"The old just hate listening to other people's suggestions even when we're right!." Jason leans over to read the book Danny places between them, considering Jane Austin's work while Danny files away the real reason he's upset with Bruce.

Later, after Jason and he present a bemused Bruce with a report on why Mr.Darcy is bi and had feelings for his best friend before meeting his wife, he tells Bruce to explain why he didn't consider Jason's suggestion in their extreme sport.

Jason goes to bed that night with a better answer than "because I said so," and Danny forces Bruce to go up to his room and re-read Pride and Prejudice to connect with his youngest.

Alfred offers them extra blankets and pillows since the two get so caught up reading to each other that Danny just decides sleeping in Bruce's bed is easier than walking down two wings to the guest rooms.

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

"I'm not going to bed," Tim snapped when Danny knocked on his door. His fingers are flying over the keyboard of his computer, his little face glowing from the computer screen, and Danny is almost reminded of himself whenever he gets caught up in his work.

It may worry Bruce and Alfred, but Danny is a Fenton. He knows what it's like to have his brain run over time and sacrifice sleep or meals to get his ideas into the world.

His mother is the same, his father is the same, his sister is the same, and even Danny's clone is the same. It's fitting that the little boy he caught following Batmam around with a camera is the same since he all but forced Bruce to adopt him.

He hadn't meant to.

He had been testing an air purifier when he returned to Gotham since Bruce and the kids were out of state, and his ghost hearing picked up the sound of a camera click.

Imagine his surprise that when he turned to the roof opposite him, he found the tiny little face of an eleven-year-old staring back, holding a camera, and Batman swinging away in the distance. Danny became attached to Tim that night, even after he chased the boy down to ask if he was safe.

He did not like the implications of his parents always "working" while Tim ran amok in Gotham.

It took almost two weeks of following Tim around Gotham to help him with his photos before the boy allowed him to take him to Wayne Manor. It took three more before Bruce realized that Danny wouldn't allow Tim's parents to win him back, and together, they took the Drakes to court.

Danny has never been more grateful that Bruce was loaded with money and that his inventions gained him contacts in high places that wouldn't mind taking the Drakes down.

Tim was a lot like Bruce- where he shut down- but he needed people to be around him more. Sometimes just sitting in the same room- where Tim could glance up and see him- was enough for the boy to be at ease.

This was great for Bruce, who thought he didn't need to do much to make Tim happy- until Danny reminded him that Tim was a poor boy who was gutted for any form of parental approval.

He had to almost punch Bruce after overhearing him tell Tim he was proud of him, but there was room for improvement. Bruce meant it as helpful, constructive criticism, but Tim- whose parents all but drilled how useless he was- only heard criticism.

Only heard, he was not enough.

So now Tim was going, who knew how many hours without sleep, trying to fix whatever issue he thought he had caused. How a fourteen-year-old could have caused issues at his adoptive dad's multimillion-dollar company was beyond Danny, but it meant a lot to Tim, so he didn't need to understand it.

He just needed to respect it.

"Don't want you to," Danny grunts, throwing himself on Tim's queen-sized bed. "I just wanted to know if I could crash here. Bruce pissed me off."

Tim's fingers pause. "What did he do?"

"He tried to tell me how to handle my inventions' payment. I'm a freelancer! I know how to do that." Danny complains while twisting under the covers. Tim slowly turns around to look at him, but he acts like he doesn't notice. "I know he'll try to talk to me in the guest rooms, but he won't find me here. I just don't want to listen to another "I can do it better" lecture."

After a moment's pause, Tim admits. "He did the same to me and my team."

He means Cassie, Bart, and Conner. The little team of photography buddies Bruce introduced Tim back when they started homeschooling him. Dani suggested pulling Tim out of school is one of the best advice his clone ever gave him.

Tim took the pictures, Cassie and Conner modeled, and Bart made the clothes. Their work was slowly gaining traction online, and Tim seemed to glow whenever the Team was mentioned.

"Course he did." Danny sigh. He leans back into the pillow. "Know why he did it, too. Bruce doesn't want me to be taken advantage of, but it's hard not to hear him think I can't keep up, especially when my family is doing the same thing."

"Yeah," Tim's voice is soft. "It's frustrating that all your hard work is overshadowed or that everything you've done so far doesn't prove that you know you can."

Bingo. Danny discovered Tim's issue; now he just needs to bring it home.

"I know I'm great at what I do. You said so yourself- my past proves I am crazy good at work. I leave other people breathless in awe all the time. I can adapt and overcome so much faster than others. Bruce can see that, but he forgets to praise it." Danny huffs like he's trying not to be forgiving, and it causes a smile to unwillingly appear on Tim's face.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow but today I'm being petty and hiding. Thanks for letting me sleep here"

"You're welcome, Danny." Tim goes back to his typing, but only after a minute or two of Danny asking if he can turn off the light does the boy save his work and shut his computer down.

The room is plunged into darkness but Danny doesn't need the light to see how Tim sinks into his mattress. Tim is smart- crazy smart that every part of him that's Fenton crows with pride- and he can easily see through Danny.

"Thank you Danny" He doesn't say what for but he doesn't need to.

Danny reaches over, grabs the blankets, and makes sure they cover the small shoulder, tucking Tim in properly. "Any time kid"

The next morning, Bruce wakes them up with a powerpoint of all the things he thought were impressive about Tim and his team's last photo session. A powerpoint for Pete's sake.

But it makes Tim smile so much that Danny lets it slide. At least he listened when Danny chewed him out for forgetting to praise Tim.

Alfred offers Danny some of his private tea jars, which according to Dick, means Danny is in for life as Tim, Jason, and Bruce go over the PowerPoint again. Jason has begone to heal for his bitch of a mother's betrayal a few months ago.

Thankfully, Danny was in the area when he called and reminded the lady why she should not mess with Bruce's kids. Dani paying her a visit in her jail cell was just the Fentons' sending their regards.

(His dad gave Dani the ani-creep stick, and his mom hacked the cameras to loop. Jazz just watched hours of her to realize what made the woman scream and cry before sending the clone on her way. It was a good family bonding moment)

No one believed the woman claiming to be haunted that her son was Robin. Honestly, where on earth she got that idea Danny would never know.

His Jason, the sweet school-loving boy who graduated as valedictorian, running around punching criminals? Honestly, what was she going to claim next?

Bruce being Batman?!

Please.

[monzamash]

it's impossible to win — daniel ricciardo

daniel ricciardo x you (femreader) | 2.5k summary – when you buy concert tickets with your ex but break up a couple of months before the gig, do you go or cut your losses? rating – mature (sexual references, coarse language) a/n – this was inspired by a lovely ask i received during my 2k celebration and based around the band alexisonfire x masterlist

just sent you the AOF tickets.

i told you to keep yours. you love them as much as i do. read

The glow of your phone was too bright, too harsh and so was the reality you didn’t want to face any time soon. You couldn’t keep them. How could you when the reputation of being the ‘notorious ex girlfriend of Daniel Ricciardo’ – man of the people, loved by millions shadowed you everywhere you went?

He was loved more than most and certainly more than you.

She was never good enough anyway; a parasite, they said when the news broke on the petty gossip pages, exposing that you and Daniel were no longer together, itemising every little detail of your downfall for the world to see. Those years of memories, years of loving privately disappeared and in its place were painful ones to heal. They were the best years of your life, or so you thought – blissfully unaware of the distance slowly growing between you and the man you loved more than most – but it wasn’t enough.

You weren't enough to fight for and especially not enough to love more than driving around a racetrack eight months out of the year. He was never there, out of sight and out of mind, leaving you battling for his attention. You weren’t cut out for it, simply put by him while on the other side of the world. It started as a late night phone call to ease the ache in your chest and to keep him close but he couldn’t have been further away. Physically and emotionally. Drifting.

“Babe, this is what you signed up for.”

“No, it’s what I tolerate – it’s what I sacrifice to love you.”

You broke down, knowing this was the end of your relationship and the only thing you could genuinely put your name to. You had lost yourself completely to his life, no longer something you could call your own. Abandoned dreams and forsaken friendships all so you could be there for him; drawn in to his world, naively consumed by his safety and the promise of a life lived together, not divided by oceans – lost to the fishes.

That was until you re-emerged from the lavish hotels and the private planes, sans Daniel – sans your soulmate. The day you ended that phone call, you knew he would be the hardest one to let go of; eternally the one that got away and the one relationship you would have to tell future boyfriends about. And they would probably gasp and ask, not the formula one driver? and you would have to nod and quash their insecurities because everyone loved Daniel.

But nobody loved him more than you do – did. Not even close.

“He said you should use the ticket and honestly, I don’t even think he’ll show up. He hasn’t come to anything we’ve organised since you two broke up – he’s not the kid we knew back in high school anymore… That’s why you dumped his arse, right?”

Right, but you couldn’t say that.

“I didn’t dump him. I just…” Just told him that he’s wasted the best years of my life chasing him around the world.

“… Said that if he couldn’t be there when I needed him or spent more than two seconds a year with me then I couldn’t do it anymore. And that’s it.” Well, not exactly.

“Sounds like a dumping to me and rightfully so. Look, I love Danny but he’s hard to be friends with, let alone pretending to be in domestic bliss with…”

Yes, but you respected Daniel too much to admit that. Hannah was his friend too, all of them were. You were kids all grown up, now adults wading their way through the treacherous seas of the real world, pretending like they had it all figured out. Ungracefully and riddled with anxiety but finally immune to bullshit and aware of what to expect out of an adult relationship.

The standards were higher now than when you were young and in love. Daniel was your childhood best friend, after all. Or more accurately, the boy you met on the first day of high school, all crooked teeth and bundles of frizzy brown curls. You were acne-ridden and shy, the weirdo girl, they called you until you became friends with Danny. He knew everyone and was loved by everyone – that was the one trait that had followed him through life.

He was the class clown and a cute distraction from the torture of high school but you weren’t the only one who thought so. Lunchtime quickly became your favourite part of every day because you got to sit beside him and eat your Vegemite sandwich, knowing all the other girls in your year seethed seeing you with him. 'That weird mole and Riccardo being friends doesn’t make sense' they’d whisper thinking you couldn’t hear them. But you could and they were right about one thing – you were only friends.

The slightest scent of a spring breeze reminded you of the hours you spent sat under the shady gum trees, watching him playing footy with the other boys while you fiddled with your walk-man and scratched the discs beyond repair as you changed them out, battling with the Sony aux chord that was hanging on for dear life by a slither of duct tape. You were fifteen when Daniel handed you a burnt CD with a hand-drawn skull in the shape of a heart and the letters AOF written in bold black sharpie, smudged from his impatience.

“What’s this?” You asked with squinted eyes, looking up at him and the blistering sun.

“The best fucking album you’ll ever hear.”

He told you years later that he was so proud of himself, thrilled that he was showing you new music. His competitive streak wasn’t exclusive to the karting track – no, it snuck its way into everything he did, specifically when it came to album recommendations and especially with you.

“It’s called Watch Out by Alexisonfire… you know, that punk band I said you would love. Give it a try. I promise it’s better than that fuckin’ Offspring album you won’t stop listenin’ to.”

“Well even if I do like it, I wont tell you now dickhead.”

But he was right. So infuriatingly right. You loved it, maybe because you loved him. He was your best friend, your closest confidante, your twin flame – all cheesy grin and beautiful brown eyes. Lips so full that whenever he spoke, you couldn’t look away. Dangerously entranced by your best friend. A label that haunted you every time it slipped from his tongue and one you desperately wanted to rip off like a band-aid.

You thought those feelings would be the kind of ones you'd painfully bury and take to your grave, heartbreakingly unrequited – until you found a hand-written note crumpled up at the bottom of the ripped CD sleeve. The blotchy blue pen and creases in the lined paper made it hard for you to read his distinctive, yet messy boyish cursive.

song 4 – side walk when she walks (made me think of you)

The sound of frantic clicking bounced off your lilac coloured walls as you skipped to track four; a spinning screech filled the anticipated silence before the sound of a melodic guitar filtered through the muffled headset.

Dressed to kill, you look so right I am drunk with lust tonight Your wounds are opening wide And they might be just my size

Warmth rushed to your chest, your neck and up to your cheeks when you realised what it all meant. And it wasn’t the last time Daniel made your body feel like it was on fire, sitting on his messy bedroom floor and kissing until you couldn’t breathe, the soft sounds of your new favourite band playing on his stereo – heart beating so fast you could’ve died, happily in his arms.

But you weren’t horny teenagers anymore and that memory was blurrier now than it had ever been. It had been muddied with all the sad ones, the fights and the tears – the irreversible emotional damage that you had done to each other. You weren’t a saint, god knows and you took full responsibility for your part and so did Daniel. But that was where it ended – in a seemingly amicable split.

No love lost, only misplaced for a while.

It felt like all eyes were watching you as you walked into the small club, ears already tingling with the reverberation bouncing off the blackened walls – if only they could talk. Musky bodies and the hint of cigarettes filled the air while your combat boots stuck to the floor with every step you took into the lion’s den, making your path to closure hard fought. Maybe it was a sign to turn back; anything could’ve convinced you to swing by the exit on your left until you saw him.

He was dressed head to toe in black with a cap securely pulled over his eyes, hiding away from the curious ones. In any other crowd it would’ve been a piss-poor disguise, so obviously him but he blended in with the dark walls and the growing crowd, all wearing the unofficial uniform of an elder emo – baggy sweater, ripped skinny jeans and torn up Vans. And you were no different.

"You made it!!", a friend greeted, pulling you into a rib-crushing hug while you took in the circling faces. There were a few you never thought you would see again, people who were only your friend by proxy and ones he’d picked up along the way. And it was clear by the way everyone greeted you that he hadn’t dragged your name through the mud, maybe he kept the details of the break up quiet like you.

But the reality for Daniel was that he was too broken to even process what had happened. He came home to an empty apartment after a double-header with no way to contact you, to make things right. Years and years of loving someone doesn’t disappear over night and he wasn’t entirely convinced that the couple of months you’d been apart was enough either. And he was right. The sharp pain in his chest and the way his hands shook when he saw you confirmed it. He was fucked.

“Fuck,” Daniel groaned and turned to his mate, “What am I doing here, man…” 

All he could do was let out a soft laugh and pat his friend on the shoulder, “You’re an idiot.”

Daniel readjusted his cap and let out a strangled, “I know.”

You promised your friend that you’d be fine, like water off a ducks back. All the side glances and murmurs meant nothing to you anymore, the insecurity you had now was nothing compared to when you were actually dating Daniel. Consumed in his bubble, unable to escape the crushing scrutiny. Another wag bites the dust, they said, gone with no explanation other than your obvious absence in the paddock.

It didn’t matter anymore; nothing could hurt more than losing him.

But you still felt it, bubbling away in the pit of your stomach. Years and years of loving someone doesn’t disappear over night, especially when you thought it would last forever. Nostalgia won the battle against the wound in your chest for a moment, still festering without treatment – knowing the only person who could heal it was miles away emotionally but was now in your line of vision. Seeing him in the flesh hurt more than you’d anticipated, more than you could’ve ever imagined. You still loved him, after everything.

The bubbles of excitement quickly dissipated and twisted into knots when you thought about what you had lost – a wave of anxiety washed over, churning away at any ounce of courage you’d mustered to even turn up to this stupid fucking show. You were cursing yourself, cursing your friend who had convinced you that he probably wouldn’t even turn up and that the odds were in your favour. She was so, so wrong.

“Ignore him and come dance.”

She was in damage control, dragging you away from the small gathering of friends and Daniel, who couldn’t tear his eyes away. His warm stare burned holes through your leather jacket as he watched you walk off into the crowd – and away from him again. It was becoming a habit of yours that he loathed. The house lights felt like a spotlight on your bruised ego but you pushed through the warm bodies, putting as much distance as you could between you and your past. The support band sounded great, mostly because it drowned out the soul-crushing thoughts swirling in your mind and brought you some much needed reprieve from your pity party.

You didn’t feel like yourself at all – you were the shell of the woman you used to be and you certainly weren’t the woman you wanted to show up as either. Strong, independent, single and thriving – you were none of those things, entirely the opposite in every way, so you had to dig deep and fake it. And you were a great actor but not tonight.

Not when you felt a gentle poke to your bicep. The lights rotating and strobing above made it impossible to see who was standing beside you, hand offering an icy bottle of Corona with a wedge of lime. It nearly slipped from your shaky fingers when you grasped it, whispering a soft thank you as the house lights went down and the swell of the surging crowd rumbled under foot.

“I wanted to have a chat but…” Daniel pointed to the stage, yelling over the drummer that had taken his rightful place behind his kit.

“Maybe later?” And you nodded yes, sending him a reassuring smile as the band began to play.

You could be diplomatic and hear him out – you owed yourself that at least and deserved closure from all the unanswered questions.

Daniel kept his distance, knowing he was in the wrong and that letting you go was the biggest mistake of his life. And it wasn’t long until his heart stalled in his chest when he heard that painfully recognisable guitar riff filter through the thick air, the one he couldn’t listen to without thinking of you and he could see the way your eyes glazed with tears when you heard it; the opening chords to the song he had dedicated to you all those years ago on that stupid burnt cd.

Maybe you missed him too.

“This ones called side walk when she walks.”

You reached down, without even looking and grasped his hand that was hanging loosely between your stiff bodies. Daniel interlocked his shaking fingers with yours and squeezed them as your head dropped to his shoulder, resting there while you both swayed to the music. You felt safe for the first time in months, comforted by his presence.

Of course you missed him. He was your person.

And this was your band; the band you shared together for over half your lives, their songs played while you fell in love with one another. They were the band you lost your virginity to, humming softly in the background and wishing that feeling would last forever. You remembered blasting ‘to a friend’ in the car on the way to your graduation and Daniel nearly getting pulled over by the cops, laughing until your sides hurt. And they were the band you would always save for your road trips along the coast, both there in Los Angeles and back home.

These were the songs that soundtracked your life with Daniel.

They were your band – and they’d brought you back together.

a//n – this was wildly self indulgent so if you hated it, let me know lol but also lmk if you liked it because i loved writing it x masterlist | askbox

[luxaofhesperides]

For the ghostlights drabbles!! Slow dancing + aged up? Maybe it’s their wedding, maybe they’re just having a slow night, maybe it’s an all-Wayne’s-must-show-up gala event and Danny tagged along but I’m just thinkin like. Older Danny and Duke so in love with each other everything else just. Fades away

Danny’s been fidgeting all day. 

He can’t help it, being so full of restless energy that he has to keep moving somehow. It’s enough to be noticeable, and though Duke gave him a curious look, he didn’t push when Danny insisted he was fine. 

It’s just that he’s hyper-aware of the small box tucked away in his pocket. And judging by the excited, gleeful looks on the other Bats faces when he had lunch with them, they are also aware of his plans to propose. He just hopes Duke doesn’t have his suspicions so he can surprise his boyfriend properly.

Throughout their walk through Robinson Park, as Duke had wanted for their weekly date, Danny keeps brushing his hand against his pocket, thoughts drifting as he wonders when he should ask, how everyone would react, how difficult wedding planning would be…

“Seriously, are you okay?” Duke asks, pulling Danny to the side where a few trees hide them from view. “You’ve been distracted all day.”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine. Really.”

“Sweetheart, you know you can tell me anything.”

Danny looks at him, takes in the sincerity of his words, the softness in his gaze, and smiles. He can’t help but pull Duke closer by his collar, leaning down a bit to kiss him. “I know,” he whispers against Duke’s lips. “I promise everything’s fine.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“It’s a secret,” Danny says, a giddy grin spreading across his face. “But I’ll tell you soon. Very, very soon.”

Duke looks into his eyes, gauging how honest he’s being, then nods. “Alright. Take all the time you need, honey. I can wait forever for you.” He presses a kiss to the corner of Danny’s mouth, then pulls away, taking hold of Danny’s hand. “Ready to head back home?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.” Danny squeezes Duke’s hand and follows after him as he begins walking, wondering how he got so lucky with the sweetest, bravest, most considerate person to be his boyfriend. And more, hopefully. He really wants to keep Duke forever. He wants Duke to keep him, too.

He considers proposing right then and there, too full of nerves to survive keeping it secret for another few hours, but the park isn’t empty and he knows Duke wants something more private. So he lets Duke lead them home, their steps falling in sync as they make their way to the streets. 

Gotham is as busy as ever, full of noise and people as everyone goes about their day, trying to get from this place to that. But with Duke, everything feels quiet, as if the rest of the world can’t touch them when they’re together. He rarely ever feels so comfortable in silence, but like in most matters, Duke is the exception.

Danny swings their hands between them as they walk the few blocks to their apartment, heart filled with so much love he doesn’t know what to do with himself. So much has changed over the years; Danny is barely recognizable as the fourteen year old who just had a lab accident and took on the responsibility of protecting Amity Park. He was smaller, then, and struggling to figure out a way forward when everything seemed determined to ruin him. 

At some points, he didn’t think he had much a future at all. His parents had found out that he was Phantom, and rather than attacking him, they were heartbroken to know that he had died so young and they never noticed. His parents have never stopped seeing him as a dead kid since, always grieving him and too guilty to really see who he is now. He hopes inviting them to the wedding won’t be a mistake, because he does want them there so they can see how happy he is. 

He can hardly believe that it’s been nearly eight years since he met Duke. They had gotten together after being friends for a year, working together to handle any ghosts who needed help or were causing trouble in Gotham, and helped each other through college and getting their first jobs. 

Duke has been with him for most of his happiest memories. He had been by his side through so many milestones and and quiet moments. 

If there’s a life for him without Duke, he doesn’t want to live it.

So overwhelmed by his feelings, Danny can’t help but cling to Duke, wrapping him up in a hug as soon as they step into the elevator of their apartment building. Duke doesn’t ask any questions, just holds him gently and helps walk him to their door, making sure he doesn’t trip. 

Danny hears the key slide into the lock. The door opens a moment later, and then Duke is slipping out of his arms, kneeling to help Danny out of his shoes at the entryway. 

It’s little things like this that make Danny feel like his heart is going to burst. Duke loves in such quiet, gentle actions. 

“I’m going to go change real quick,” Duke says as he takes off his own shoes. “What do you want for dinner?”

“We have garlic soy sauce pasta in the freezer.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be back in a minute.”

He heads off to their bedroom, already stripping out of his shirt to change into more comfortable clothing, which tends to be either sweatpants or pajamas. Danny goes to the kitchen, pulling the pasta bag out of the freeze and setting it on the counter to thaw a bit. 

He bites his lip, thinking, then pulls out his phone and texts Barbara.

caspar: hey babs, are there any cameras in our apartment that you can hack?

big brother: Only at the front door and windows. Why?

caspar: can you hack my phone and record a video for me? i’m going to propose to duke tonight

big brother: Danny! Yes of course I can!! 

caspar: thanks babs :) pls also send it out to everyone else tomorrow so we can have a quiet night in

big brother: You got it Danny. Can’t wait to share the news!! Go ahead and get your phone in a good place and I’ll be ready to start recording.

Danny sends her a quick thumbs up emoji, then glances around to find the perfect spot that wouldn’t look too suspicious. He settles on the dining table, which looks into the kitchen. The island isn’t in the way, thankfully, so as long as Danny stays in front of the counters that are in the camera’s sight, he should be able to get a good video of the proposal to send to everyone. 

Besides, he knows Duke loves collecting memories like these in every way he can. And while Danny considered asking Tim to stalk them with his camera to get good proposal photos, that would have meant proposing outside to ensure he got a good shot and Duke has never been into public proposals. 

He’s just set his phone up when Duke reappears, wearing gray sweatpants and a large dark blue sweater, knit by Jason a few years ago. 

He looks so soft and comfortable that Danny can’t be blamed for falling onto Duke for another hug, burying his face in his shoulder. 

“Hey, there, honey,” Duke laughs. “You sure you’re feeling alright? You’ve been really clingy today. Not that I mind, or anything.”

Danny nods. “I just really love you.”

Duke kisses his temple, and Danny can feel his smile against his skin. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

“Dance with me?”

“Alright.”

They start to sway softly together, just moving side to side, then Duke brings out his phone to play a few quiet songs from one of their many playlists. He recognizes the song as coming from their ‘heart to heart’ playlist, because they very much are that cheesy couple that make playlists for each other and for every occasion. This one is for quiet nights together, full of soft love songs and ballads. 

With music to guide them, they start moving more, pulling apart to properly dance. They twirl in small circles, still swaying slowly as they dance, just happy to be together. 

Danny sinks into the comfort of this quiet joy, slow dancing in the kitchen with Duke for a few songs. He’s already looking forward to dancing together at their wedding.

Duke pulls up his hand to lead Danny in a spin, and Danny returns the favor.

Just as Duke begins to turn back around, Danny takes out the ring box from his pocket with his free hand and drops to one knee.

Duke completes his spin, smiling softly, then freezes when he sees Danny kneeling. 

“Duke,” Danny begins, and then Duke lets out a startled laugh, grinning wildly.

“Wait!” he says, “Wait, I can’t believe this. Do not move, Danny, I swear—” And then he’s turning and rushing away. Danny watches him, confused and just a little hurt, wondering what’s going on as he watches Duke move a few knick knacks on their shelf aside. He hides something in his hands, then returns to Danny and also drops to one knee.

He opens his hands to reveal a ring box. “I was going to propose later tonight,” he says, laughter in his voice, “But you beat me to it!”

Danny grins, elated, all but tackles Duke in a hug. “Oh my God,” he laughs, “I love you so much. More than anything.”

“I love you so, so much. Give me my ring, I can’t wait to marry you.”

Smiling so hard it hurts, Danny slips the ring onto Duke’s finger. Duke does the same for him, then lifts Danny’s hand to place a kiss against his knuckles. “I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”

“And I’ll love you beyond the rest of mine.”

He cups the back of Duke’s neck and kisses him sweetly. It doesn’t last long when neither of them can stop smiling, laughing together breathlessly.

“Come on,” Duke says, pulling Danny up to his feet. “I want to practice for our wedding dance.”

And Danny follows his lead, falling back into step with him, twirling slowly through the kitchen. He already can’t wait to be married to Duke.

. . .

[send me ghostlights prompts!]

[hannahmanderr]

24 for pitch pearl. unless i sent that one already. in which case. 27 for pitch pearl.

JOKE'S ON YOU I'M PUTTING BOTH IN ONE DRABBLE

~ 24. kisses for a cover ~ 27. desperate kisses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Phantom, please!"

Phantom didn't understand what was being asked of him. He was only marginally aware of someone shaking him. Vigorously. It was slightly annoying, if he was being honest.

"C'mon, you gotta get up!"

"I don't wanna." That much was true. One thing he was very aware of was his pounding head. So much so that nausea churned in his stomach and he wondered if he was about to throw up.

Could ghosts even throw up?

“God Phantom, they’re coming! Why won’t you get up?”

Well he certainly didn’t know who was coming, but it had to be urgent if Danny was being so insistent with him.

Wait, Danny?

He cracked open an eye and sure enough, he was met with the sight of the blue eyes he’d fallen for so long ago. In spite of his swimming head and blurry vision, he grinned. “That’s what she said.”

It only took an instant for Danny’s face to transform from one of worry to one of utter disappointment. “Seriously? You take a hit like that from Mom and Dad and all you can do is crack jokes?”

“Only for you, darling.” Phantom allowed his head to loll backward. Maybe he could convince Danny to take a nap with him. That sounded nice.

“Oh, nuh-uh. You are not passing out on me now.” Warm hands wrapped around his shoulders and yanked him back forward. “Not until you get out of here before they find you!”

Phantom pouted. Was that something he usually did? Probably. “I don’t wanna,” he said again. A sly smile bloomed on his face. “Not unless you gimme a kiss first.”

Danny threw his head back. “Ugh! I swear, you - no, you know what? Fine.” 

If there was one thing Phantom would never tire of, it was the feeling of Danny’s lips on his. Even now, sitting half-conscious in some random alley with a boyfriend on the edge of panic, he couldn’t get enough of it. Eager to keep kissing, he prodded Danny’s closed lips with his tongue. At least he was pretty sure he did. Maybe it was less of a prod and more of a shove. He couldn’t quite tell.

Much to his displeasure, Danny pulled away. “Are you kidding me right now? You seriously wanna - no, no! We’re not getting into this right now.” Somewhere in the back of his mind, Phantom wondered if he was supposed to be participating in this conversation. “You got your kiss, now get your tail out of here before they get here!”

New voices tickled Phantom’s ears. He tilted his head. He couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but everything still sounded muddy, in all fairness. “Oh yeah, they’re right around the corner,” he said brightly. Really, he wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about. He just wanted to get back to kissing.

Danny groaned, and Phantom found himself drawn in by the sound. Only he got the impression that was not the kind of groan Danny was intending. 

“Okay, okay, okay,” Danny muttered to himself, clutching his head in between his hands. “Think Fenton. Think.”

“Nooo, no thinking,” Phantom whined. He pawed listlessly at Danny. “Kissing.”

He couldn’t find it in him to care about the angry glare shot his way. “I swear…”

The voices grew closer.

“Argh!” Danny threw his hands up in the air. “You so owe me for covering for you like this,” he hissed, bringing his face close into Phantom’s.

Before he could respond, Danny had once again sealed his mouth over his own, and Phantom melted instantly. See? This was so much nicer than thinking. It was about time Danny saw it his way.

“Danny?”

The incredulous cries of Jack and Maddie Fenton forced the two apart. “Gah!” Danny whirled around. “Mom! Dad! Haven’t you heard of privacy?”

“Privacy?” Jack scratched his head. “But… we’re in the alley.”

Maddie held up a weak finger. “You a-and… and him?” she asked, clearly still in disbelief. “But… I-I don’t… Danny?”

Phantom smiled widely and draped himself over Danny. “Hi!” he said, greeting the two warmly. “Your son is a reeeaallly good kisser!”

Danny buried his face in his hands. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~ Send me a ship and a number from this ask game and I'll write a drabble or draw a sketch!

[honeybadgercomeback]

No Goodbyes

Goodbyes happen. But sometimes when they do they can become something so much better. You didn’t think that hiding from Daniel would cause this, but with his hand in yours and people trusting and believing in both of you, this is going to become something more than a final race week. Part two of Not Yet Goodbye.

AN: I still can’t fully believe the reaction to Not Yet Goodbye, I’m in absolute shock at how wonderful you all are. Thank you for the support and kindness.

Warnings: McLaren folks, Christian Horner (but being nice?). This is mainly fluff tbh.

—

As soon as the fact that Daniel Ricciardo was holding your hand got through to the garage, things got awkward to put it mildly. There was joking around, but as soon as they could get Daniel away for his final debriefing you were pulled into a meeting. That first meeting with Andreas was almost painful. The team principal had rushed you into his office, Zak following close behind. The two men looked at you in surprise as you held their gazes evenly.

“How long as this been going on?” The CEO asked you. You checked your watch and did some mental maths.

“Around twenty two hours, officially. I didn’t hide anything from anyone and after tonight Daniel no longer works for McLaren Racing. I didn’t need to report anything. You stayed calm despite the heartbeat thundering in your ears.

“If there was anything going on, anything you didn’t want…” the words hung in the air as the implication hit you like a ton of bricks. You shook your head fervently in denial.

“Daniel and I made a mutual decision. I wasn’t forced into anything. I spent last night having dinner with his family.” A deep breath centred you before you continued speaking. “While I appreciate that you’re looking out for me because of a potential power imbalance, it couldn’t be further from the truth. There was no coercion or anything inappropriate. Nothing happened between us until last night because we’re both aware of our jobs and what we do, but thank you. Now it’s the end of the season and my boyfriend is waiting for me so we can go for dinner with his family to celebrate that he was in the points today. Do we still have two weeks off before planning for next year starts?”

Your final question was directed to Zak who nodded in response. “It’s Thanksgiving at home next week, I won’t be in the UK until the first full week of December.”

“Perfect. I’ll be working remotely until then. I need to clear my head from the season, you can reach me by email.”

You held yourself together as you left the room, trying not to shake with frustration as you made your way back to the table you’d nabbed for yourself in hospitality. Normally you’d have never spoken like that to either of them. But this was different. You’d been in the room and watched the awkward moments as Danny had lost some of his sparkle because of everything that had happened. You’d been at the MTC when he made that speech. There was a large group of you who didn’t agree with how things had happened and you’d always been in that group. Yes this relationship was new but your loyalty was always going to be to your boyfriend. Jobs came and went but men like Danny didn’t.

It took all of two minutes to pack your tablet and laptop into the grey and papaya bag when your phone buzzed with a text. Holding your breath you opened it.

That was inappropriate. Once the cargo is gone take the time off, you deserve it.

Thank you.

You couldn’t reply with anything more than that, your frustration was still too high and you didn’t want to snap at him.

“Are you leaving?” You looked over at Danny’s sister, Michelle, standing there with her kids. You smiled at the slightly shy children who waved nervously and nodded your head.

“Finishing packing. I don’t need to be here for the tear down so I like to leave pretty soon after.”

“You’re coming for dinner, right? We’re getting pizzas delivered to his suite. None of us want to go out, it’ll be all family.”

“That sounds really good.”

It was quiet between you while you zipped up your branded bag. Your routine stayed the same, triple checking the pass around your neck was firmly in place and you had everything. Michelle walked out with you, the kids holding her hands before grabbing one of yours too.

“He really likes you, y’know. I was telling him for months to man up and ask you out. But then the break happened and…” she trailed off and it was clear what she thought of everything that had happened with her brother’s career.

“I wouldn’t let him say goodbye.” Michelle looked at you as you spoke, but you kept walking and looking straight ahead. “Yesterday. He was saying goodbye to everyone except Lando and the mechanics, but I kept hiding because I didn’t want to say goodbye. So I get it. And I’ve no intention of hurting him.”

She relaxed as you both swiped out and you helped the kids to do it.

“I’m glad. Want a ride to the hotel?”

You ended up in the back of the rented SUV, jammed between two child seats as the kids settled down. There was casual conversation between you, Michelle, and her husband as he drove back and you felt calm. The season was over. You could relax for a little while. Tonight was about dinner and chatting and later on working out when you and Dan could spend time together that wasn’t just filled with work related things. And getting the details on what he’d be doing next year. Milton Keynes wasn’t as far away from Woking as it could have been. Plus he’d be at races so that made things easier to plan. But this was oh so right and you wanted it.

After a shower to wash away the desert heat and sweat and changing into comfy clothes there was a knock on your bedroom door. Dan stood there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a wide smile on his face.

“Long time no see,” you murmured as you reached up to kiss him in hello. Once you separated he came into the room and put the arrangement on the desk before pulling you in for a proper hug.

“Missed you.”

“It’s been two hours.”

“I still missed you.” He pouted at his words and you kissed it away before filling him in on Zak and Andreas’ words. Anger started to fill his face but he took a breath and squeezed your hand.

“Do people really think that I’m forcing you? Seriously?”

“No. And we both know that this is completely consensual. Anyone with eyes knows that. But we also know that until after the last race there was that power imbalance. They were right to check in, just not the way they did it.” He calmed at your words, pulling you close and kissing the top of your forehead.

“I’m going to Red Bull tomorrow to sign my contract and flying back to Monaco the day after. Will you come with me? I know you can’t be in any of the photos or anything but I want you to be there. Mum and Dad will be.”

You took a deep breath. It’d be more than just your secret or even your colleagues in McLaren knowing then. It’d be known immediately around the paddock and as soon as you arrived in Bahrain for the first race next year everyone would know you were Danny’s girlfriend. But you wanted it. You wanted to be there to support him in whatever way you could.

“Is signing this the best thing for you to do?” It was a simple question and he sat on the edge of the bed, pulling you into his lap.

“I’m not ok right now. I…I’m burnt out. I’m miserable. Driving these cars isn’t fun anymore, I’m half afraid when I do it. It’s become something I’ve started to dread and if I don’t have full confidence I can’t do it. They’re giving me sim time to help with racing lines, a chance to help develop the car for next year and beyond, and I can be at whatever races I want. Plus it’s Christian. Even when I was leaving and he didn’t want me to go he supported me. He always has. It’s nowhere near a guaranteed seat but it’s a chance to try love the sport again with people who believe in me and want me to succeed.” He looked like he was about to say more but you cut in.

“Then I would be honoured to be there to watch my boyfriend sign his contract. You deserve the world, Danny. You deserve everyone to know that you’re a good driver, that you’re successful and easily able to battle anyone on the track. I want to see that happen.”

The kiss you shared with him was filled with meaning and hope. Even after your lips separated you stayed with your arms wrapped around each other.

“I should have kissed you last year. I nearly did at Monza. Remember the after party?”

You never could have forgotten it, delaying your flight to stay and celebrate the 1-2 finish. You’d been standing at the bar ordering a drink when Daniel appeared beside you and handed over his card to pay for your drink instead. When you’d thanked him he just grinned and pulled you in for a hug to cement the friendship you already had. It made you think that anything romantic could never happen.

“I’d have kissed you back.”

“We were fools.”

Dinner that night was bright and happy, the knowledge that the contract was being signed tomorrow and Daniel was happy helping everyone. He’d been invited to Seb’s goodbye party and had stuck around for a few minutes before leaving. It was Seb’s night, he didn’t want to bring the mood down and instead said he wanted to spend the night with his family. The walk from your room to his suite was about a minute, everyone standing there and greeting you both with hugs and kisses on your cheek. Michael shook his head at the way Danny wouldn’t keep his hands off you, making you smile shyly at the knowledge.

Once the pizzas arrived they were opened and spread over the table, people handing slices through as wine was poured. The kids had juice and were clinking glasses with everyone between each sip. When they chose you to clink with you couldn’t help the grin spreading over your face. Dan’s arm was around your shoulder as you all sat at the table. It was a nearly perfect night.

People started slipping away as the night went on. Hugs goodbye were given and you were surprised to be included in them. Finally it was just you and Dan left in the room and he pulled you to them, arms holding you close.

“Stay the night?” You smiled up at him and reached for a kiss, sealing exactly where you were staying.

When you woke up in his arms you were pleasantly sore with a warm hand rubbing a circle into your hip.

“Good morning,” you murmured as you turned over to see him there.

“Morning.”

Getting ready would have been a lot quicker if he hadn’t dragged you into the shower with him, heated kisses between the two of you making it take much longer in the warm water than you truly needed. Once Dan was dressed he went down to your room for clean clothes, returning with a navy shirt and jeans. You raised an eyebrow.

“Look, there’s no logos. But you can’t wear orange today.” Your laughter pealed through the room before grabby fingers ticked you. You made him stop so the two of you could meet his parents and get there on time.

The Red Bull motorhome had always been somewhere you’d wanted to visit and learn from. Their set up was effortless and when you had a few minutes you enjoyed watching how they worked together, wanting to see if you could steal some of their efficiency for McLaren. Today though there was no paddock passes and turnstiles, just you and Danny arriving hand in hand with Grace and Joe behind the two of you. His fingers fit perfectly between yours as you walked beside him. There were looks from your team breaking down the McLaren motorhome but you just smiled and continued on to the far end of the paddock. Once you reached Red Bull Daniel looked down at you.

“Ready?” He asked and you squeezed his fingers.

“As long as you’re ready.”

It was mostly boring while you watched him sign away what felt like his life with multiple signatures. You stood at the back of the conference room with Grace and Joe while mostly Daniel and Christian spoke and you felt completely out of place. Finally it was done, the two men standing up and shaking hands before pulling each other into a hug. Christian greeted Grace and Joe but Daniel reached over to take your hand and pull you forward.

“Christian, you know my girlfriend from the paddock, right? She does the McLaren setup and travel planning. Meet Christian Horner. He’s nicer than he seems to most people, I swear.” You smiled and held your hand out, Dan holding onto your waist.

“It’s nice to meet you.” You introduced yourself and Christian shook your hand.

“I’m well aware of who you are. You turned down Ferrari last year, didn’t you?” Your cheeks heated at his words. The job offer they’d given you had been kept hush hush, but it would have been highly paid. You didn’t want to leave McLaren at the time so you turned it down. You didn’t think that anyone except you and Binotto even know that there was a firm offer on the table.

“I did. I wanted to stick where I was.”

“And if I offered you a job here?”

You took a beat but shook your head. “I’d appreciate it, but my answer is still no. I want my reputation to stand on its own. I don’t want people thinking I’m just following my boyfriend around the paddock to his new team. Ask me in another year and I might consider it.”

Horner laughed, clapping your shoulder. “I should have guessed that would be your answer. Binotto still wants you there, so I’d prepare for that job offer if things settle down in Maranello. Now we’ve got photos to do outside. Not that I want to face the sun after last night, Sebastian got the Jaegermeister out and it was a mistake.”

There were photographers snapping as the two went outside, Grace and Joe slightly behind and you following at a distance. Danny slid the navy polo shirt on and you had to admit it really did suit him. They sat at a table and signed the last page before taking questions and filming content. It was so clear to you just how happy this made your boyfriend. He was relaxed and grinning, smiling and joking even when Christian grabbed his chest. You laughed at the scene, taking your own photos of them. Once it was done Daniel came back to you with his fingers grabbing yours and holding tightly.

“Do you want lunch?” Christian asked, Daniel shaking his head.

“I can’t be here when afternoon practice starts. I need to get a clean break, and I’m back in Monaco tomorrow. I’m in Milton Keynes in two weeks?”

“We want you at the parade. Will you both be there?” The second part was aimed at you.

“I won’t be,” you replied. “I still have my own job to do, so I’ll be supporting at a distance and outside of work.”

“We’ll see you around.”

The drivers were starting to come in for the practices, Lando hugging the two of you briefly and Oscar looking nervous to see you there. Daniel squeezed your hand before going to speak to him for a moment, the two separating looking brighter. It was nods to everyone else you saw before getting in the car and Dan leaning his head back.

“I’m going to Monaco in the morning, do you want to come with me? I want to spend time with you away from the tracks. Eat food, spend time together, get our shit together. What do you think?”

You grinned at him, leaning over to nuzzle your head to his chest.

“That sounds like one of the best ideas you’ve ever had. I want to spend time with you and get to know you properly, Daniel Ricciardo. Plus, I think I’ve made friends with your family.”

“I think they’d pick you over me.”

It was a lie, but a sweet one. You smiled and agreed, pulling up your travel app and cancelling the flight to London. You could book the Nice flight later on that evening. The afternoon ahead beckoned with laying out at the pool to enjoy the October sun, jumping in and splashing the family that had quickly welcomed you as a member. Dinner that night was another family dinner in the restaurant but out in the main area rather than a private room. Anyone could see all of you together but you weren’t worried. The almost out of clean clothes situation did worry you slightly, but it was manageable as you pulled an outfit together. Dan had done some magic to move your belongings to his hotel room, your toiletries mingling with his in the bathroom. The way they just fit together didn’t go unnoticed.

“How come you didn’t take the Ferrari job?”

Dan had just finished clasping your necklace when he asked, pressing a kiss to where the chain hit your neck.

“I didn’t want it.” You turned around and looked up at him, a small smile on your lips. “Carlos put my name in for it when it came up. He told Binotto that I’d be perfect for it and Binotto agreed. I didn’t even need to interview. But I told you, I’m awful at goodbyes.”

“You stayed because of me?” You’d have been lying if you said he wasn’t part of your decision, the friendship you’d shared meant so much.

“Not just you. But I was loyal to McLaren. Now though I’m loyal to you.”

Photos from the dinner ended up online, shared on instagram and TikTok. You really liked one of them that had you and Dan with a child on each of your laps. It was taken from far enough away that nobody’s face was truly visible so you took that opportunity to lock down your instagram account before anybody could work out it was definitely you. Even though you’d appeared on his photography account in a work context you wanted to keep what little privacy you could for a while.

It lasted all the way on the hour or so drive to Dubai International for the direct flight to Nice. While not as busy as Abu Dhabi would have been the airport was still filled with people who’d been in the UAE for the race. Thanks to your lack of non work clothes Dan had given you one of his tees to wear - laughing at how it was essentially a dress - and you were clearly together as he checked you both in and whisked you into the lounge after saying goodbye to his family. People stopped and stared at him but only a few asked for photos which let you relax a little. It was a little bit scary and definitely unusual, and you didn’t know quite what this relationship would involve but you were determined. This wasn’t going to end in a goodbye, even with the what could be of next season.

Just before you boarded both of your phones dinged, Lando creating a group chat with you. You opened it up to a link to an instagram post putting the dinner photos together with the times you’d been caught on camera and the one and only time Ted Kravitz had spoken to you, naming you as Dan’s girlfriend.

Just saw this, thought you should know. For the record you look adorable.

Dan squeezed your hand before the two of you handed over your passports to the gate agent, holding on as you walked down the jet bridge. Once you were settled into the plush first class seat - and you’d have a conversation with him about paying for it later - you looked at him, catching his gaze. He seemed slightly worried but you smiled.

“Fuck ‘em all?” You asked, his eyes lighting up at the familiar words.

“Fuck ‘em all. We know what we’ve got.” 

Dan took your hand as you listened to the pre flight information. You took a photo of the hands linked, Dan’s rose tattoo showing clearly. You sent it to him, watching as he smiled and picked up exactly what you were thinking. Less than a minute later he nudged you to open instagram. When you opened the app his latest post was the first on your feed. The caption made you grin.

Honey Badger’s being tamed. FEA, babe.

You kept the smile on your face as you sat back and put your feet up, waiting for the six hour flight to begin. Whatever the media wanted to throw at the two of you could suck it. This was the best non goodbye you could ever receive.

Tagging: @vroomvroommbtch

[hannahhook7744]

Disney Descendants Random Headcanons (Part 1);

(No Kids Born Pre D1 Addition since I don't have the full list yet).

Let me Know if I'm missing any characters because I'm well aware I'm missing more than a few.

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

Akio (number 42): He is the son of Tomiko (from Elena of Avalor).

Ally: Her dad is Pinocchio, making Pin her younger brother.

Amber Dearly: She's a waitress but still does beauty pageant events when they're in season.

Anthony Tremaine: Jacob Lathyn (The Baker from Cinderella 2) is his dad.

Anxelin Fitzherbert: She's Goth.

Arabella: She's morally gray (and had ill intentions when she stole her granddad's trident).

Ariana Rose: Grows less jealous of Audrey over time and cuts contact with their grandmother. Is very popular in college.

Artie Pendragon: Somehow ends up with a pet dragon. No one knows how it happened.

Audrey Rose: Goes on to be the CEO she always wanted to be.

Aziz: He takes after his mother in looks and personality.

Bashful Jr.: He goes by Bash and is very popular in school.

Beezlebub (The Cat): Beelzebub is the Lucifer's least favorite kitten.

Ben: Likes building miniature models and wanted to be in a band with Ben and Lonnie when he was a kid.

Big Murph: He lost his eye as a kid when rough housing with the Gaston Twins.

Bobby Hood: He's Tiger Peony's boyfriend and a sports commentator at school.

Bobby Radcliffe: is a good friend of Artie Pendragon and is very shy.

Bonny: Is the medic of Uma's crew.

Carina Potts: Wears a cooking pot as a hat.

Carlos de Vil: He becomes Henry's mentor and gets Beelzebub back.

Carter: The 'nice' twin.

Celia Facilier: Goes on to be a very successful business woman (in whatever you think she'd go on to do).

Chaca: She's Li Shang Jr's girlfriend and Kuzco is very protective of her, much to her and his wife's bemusement.

Chad Charming: Redeems himself sometime after d3 and leaves to find himself.

Cheerful: Is emo.

Chip Potts: Babysat Ben a lot when he was younger. Has 13 siblings. He works at the castle.

Chloe Charming: Learned a lot of what she knows in ROAR from Lonnie.

Claudine Frollo: She had red hair and is left handed.

Clay Clayton: He's a party animal and is very hard to take out in a fight.

Crabby: is actually quite pleasant to be around.

Crocodile Descendants: They love tormenting Captain Hook and wrestling.

Cubby: He handles Neverland Academy's finances.

Danny Darling-Cooper: He's good at tourney and ROAR.

Derek: He's a selective mute and carries a bell around to get his friends' attention when they're arguing.

Derelict (Electric Eel): He's the friendly eel.

Desiree: She's one of the most wild pirate kids. Even when compared to her crewmates.

Diego de Vil: His most popular song is titled 'Kill the Beast'.

Dizzy Tremaine: She joins Evie's business when she graduates and her jewelry becomes very popular.

Doc II: Goes by Raphael.

Doug: Evie helps him meet his favorite band (The Dragon Players) on his 21st birthday.

Dude (The Dog): He is jealous of Beelzebub.

Eddie Balthazar: He is always tired.

Eliza: She becomes more of a rebel as she grows up and is always backing Jane up when FG gets difficult (like most parents do).

Elle: She's adopted.

Emir (number 26): He's Aziz's younger brother and is a lot like his dad, personality wise. He does not like his mom's cousins.

Evie: She is Dizzy's half sister.

Finn the Mer-Boy: He works at neverland academy but also remains as Neverland's Protectors (kicking entitled tourist out when they cause too much non fun trouble/damage).

Freddie Facilier: Is banned from being alone with Jordan because those two are just as bad as Ally and Cj when alone together.

Gaston Jr.: He relates a lot to Luisa Madrigal. He also walks with a limp after a failed escape attempt he and his father attempted (he nearly drowned).

Gaston The 3rd.: He's the smart twin.

Gesundheit: Cannot for the life of him spell his name.

Gil: Has stolen a penguin from the zoo with Jay, Chad, Harry, and Carlos before.

Ginny Gothel: Is allergic to flowers. Her middle name is flower.

Gordon: Is a mechanic.

Hadie: Has a villain phase as a teen that no one takes seriously.

Hamish of DunBroch: He works with bears.

Hana: She is the royal party planner in her kingdom.

Hap: He's a hippie/hipster mixture and has a van he customized himself.

Harriet Hook: She has a hip high rose tattoo and broke Anthony Tremaine's nose once when she was 12.

Harris of DunBroch: Will not hesitate to bite people in fights even as an adult.

Harry Badun: He is a detective and has made it his job to make everyone behind the isle and every bad isle adult's lives hell. He will also make up outrageous theories to mess with people he doesn't like.

Harry Hook: Is good at art and has Dyscalculia.

Henry: He's a long lost de Vil.

Herkie: He has his dad's personality and strength but his mama's brain and kinda looks like a blend of his parents.

Hermie Bing: She has a variety of circus related skills, loves clowns, has a sweet tooth, and wears very colorful clothes.

Hubert of DunBroch: Loves reminding his sister of how she turned him into a bear all the time.

Hunter de Vil: His influencer career takes off when the barrier is brought down.

Ivy de Vil: She's allergic to hair dye and becomes a great model when off the isle.

Izzy: She's ROAR instructor at Neverland Academy.

Jace Badun: His mom was a strong woman at the Ringmaster's circus. He is the most exasperated person you will ever meet.

Jack/Korak: He prefers 'Korak' over Jack. He takes after his dad looks wise but his mom personality and fashion wise.

Jade: She has tons of scars from the crocodile wrestling.

Jake: Because of him, Princess Pirate, Finn, Stormy, Marina, Izzy, and Cubby all grew up.

James Brown Jr.: He works at a candy shop.

Jane: She's a big gossip and she and Carlos both bonded over this.

Jane Darling-Cooper: She's a teaching assistant at Neverland Academy.

Jay: He sleeps with a stuffed tiger but will deny it if asked.

Jenna: She's Aziz's oldest sibling and is the heir to the throne. She has a pet Elephant.

Jonas: He's Uma's cousin.

Jordan: She's the one who created the secret Agrabah Club at school (along with Aziz).

La Foux Doux: He's younger than LeFou Deux and loves puppet shows.

Lagan (Electric Eel): He's the mean eel.

LeFou Deux: He has a crush on Claudine and is the isle's Santa Claus.

Li (number 85): His parents took creative liberty with his name without checking to see if that spelling already existed.

Li Lonnie: She does eventually get her show. Her successful ROAR career probably helped (: .

Li Shang Jr: His music is decent but few people take him seriously because of the whole 'Lil Shang' nickname thing.

Lil Yaz: He died of appendicitis after d1. He was morally grey/apathic and had eyes for Quinlynn Hearts.

Lina: Jasmine was her favorite babysitter and she in turn, ended up babysitting the younger of Jasmine's kids when she was in Agrabah.

Lucifer: Lucifer often escapes from the saloon and gets on everyone's nerves.

Lulu Brown: She's much younger than her brother, Jim/James Brown Jr. and is a very good at ballet.

Mad Maddy: She has quite the sweet tooth.

Madam Mim's granddaughters: No one is sure how many there are or how they came to be.

Maddox Hatter: He's an inventor and is very close to Red.

Mal: She grows up a lot after the royal wedding and gets back in touch with her artistic side.

Marina the Mermaid: She's the swim coach at Neverland Academy.

Marya Rasputin: She's the doctor of Harriet's crew.

Max La Bouf: He works at Tiana's palace and often caters the events for his family and Ralphie's.

Melody: She's an environmental activist and the go-to cousin everyone talks to when they need someone who will hear them out.

Meriem: She and Korak are married now, and she's very into learning languages.

Miguel (number 44): He's a Madrigal.

Morgie le Fay: Morgie is just a nickname.

Opal: She's Freddie and Celia's aunt.

Othello (The Parrot): He repeats the things EQ used to say to Evie but is a very loving pet otherwise.

Pin: He's very smart and skipped a grade.

Pirate Kitty (Cat): It's Gil's pet cat (seen in a missing poster in d2).

Princess Pirate: Her friends now call her 'Princess' for short.

Quinlynn Hearts: She's the oldest Heart child and she had a crush on LIl Yaz.

Rafi: He gets along the best with his younger brother, Aziz, and works in the royal guard now.

Ralphie: He and Max are Pen Pals.

Rami: He's a party animal.

Red Hearts: Red is just a nickname. She's also in the school newspaper.

Reza: He is very interested in forensics and was adopted by Mozenrath and Sadira. He has two younger siblings.

Rick Ratcliffe: His middle name is 'Perseus'. Yes, after the pug. And he has a habit of saving people from drowning/bodies of water.

Ruby Fitzherbert: She's shy and artsie.

Salima: She's a middle child now.

Sammy Smee: He's an inventor and a book worm.

Scarlet: She's Carter's twin and is considered the 'evil' twin.

Shy: His name is very fitting because he really is shy.

Sleepy Jr.: He's a gamer.

Snoozy: Snoozy is a night owl.

Sophie: She's Snow White's eldest child.

Spotted Hyenas: They like tormenting Gaston but not his kids.

Squeaky Smee: He's a selective mute.

Squirmy Smee: He and his brother look up to Harry a lot.

Stabbington cousins: They're only known by their nicknames by those outside of their family (and for good reason, since they're secretly Westergaards).

Stormy The Mermaid: She becomes a hippie when's older and mellows out.

The Sea witches: They're the daughters of Ursula's sisters.

The Tweedledum and Tweedledee cousins: They all have varying shades of red hair.

The Wicked Step-Granddaughters: The seven that are Drizella's are Hans' daughters as well. If any are Anastasia's, they're adopted.

Tiger Peony: She's a hippie vegetarian who's really into Tourney but doesn't play.

Tipo: He learns to cook from Kronk and helps him out with  Camp Chippamunka during the summer when he's older.

Tyrone (number 32): He's Tiana and Naveen's son. Lotte spoiled him, lol.

Uma: She gets her OWN sea phonies after d3 and she keeps her shark friends as well.

William (number 12): Wendy's oldest son and Jane Darling's younger brother.

Yi-Min: She's good at tourney as well as Swords and Shields.

Yupi: He is Kuzco's favorite 'nephew'.

Yzla: She's good at gymnastics.

Zam: He is the oldest of the kids in Yzma's family and has also caught his cousins doing weird things most often.

Zellie: She's the oldest of Flynnpunzal's kids.

Zephyr: He looks more like his mom as he grows up.

Zevon: His dad (and his siblings' dad) is Cedric from Sofia the first. His mom also accidentally turned him into a llama as a baby.

Zim: He still practices chemistry but the idea of being evil bores him.

[schumiatspa]

Okay I'm gonna elaborate on my "Charlos as Romeo and Juliet" take, I just couldn't shut up, I'm sorry akansksj

Don't expect anything deep from this long rant because it's just going to be a bunch of personal opinions on f1 ships and friendships, family-like dynamics (i'm a sucker for the family found trope ngl) and such, all badly taped together lol

SO the grid is more or less divided into two sides: the Hamilton-Vettel side and the Alonso side (I'm considering the current only, plus Mick, Seb and Danny).

The Hamilton-Vettel family: grid dads Lewis and Seb are disgustingly in love and happily married and Charles is obviously their child™, alongside Mick and George (I don't see him as their kid as much as the other two, but he's not that far, so). Other people included in this family are definitely Alex (Georgie's boyfriend and Charles's friend), Pierre (Charles's bff and Lewis's friend) and Lance (Seb's former teammate and pseudo grid kid and one of Mick's bffs). I know that Lance being here and not on the other side of the barricade could disappoint some people because of the 'good relationship' he seems to have built with Fernando (I saw your Strollonso propaganda and porn), BUT c'mon!! He's Mick's friend! He was definitely indoctrinated by Seb! He said his idol growing up was Michael (which might have single-handedly got him adopted by Seb lmao)! No way he's leaning towards Nando.

The Alonso family (single dad power!) is basically him and his kids: Max (he has clearly chosen him as his successor in f1), Lando (he loves him and Max and Carlos love him too, so) and obviously Carlos (we know all Spanish athletes are probably in a sort of cult, spanish solidarity is very strong, they have known each other since Carlos was a child thanks to Sainz Senior blablabla).

That being said, we are all aware of the not-so-simple relationship between Seb and Fernando and Lewis and Fernando and their whole decade-long history. This obviously causes some big trouble when Charlos fall in love and begin dating. Seb and Lewis do approve of their son-in-law (there are a lot of pictures of them interacting and they seem to get along pretty well - an example is the Barcelona gp and the whole chili bucket hat drama lmao), if Fernando wasn't there Carlos could easily slip into their family and be pseudo adopted even without marrying into the family (Carlos as Sewis's kid could make sense) BUT Fernando. is. there. and Sewis don't really approve of him, and viceversa - i'd say that he likes Charles, so the problem is always the same: their respective son's in-laws (I'd add that Carlos Sainz Sr is the one who doesn't like Charles very much, he probably sees him as a threat). Moreover I think that things between Lewis and Max might still be sort of tense, same goes for Georgie and Max, and other similar conflicts, so Christmas dinners with the in-laws won't probably be very pleasant in general (the risk of them easily turning into crime scenes is very high - there are knifes around). SO all of this means that Charles and Carlos are a bit like Romeo and Juliet!! They come from two different families which are more or less in conflict with each other (and the conflict can only increase as the championship goes on, especially with Fernando currently doing well and Ferrari being utterly shit, because the gap is getting increasingly bigger) but their love managed to blossom in the middle ground. Obviously it's not that dramatic, the two sides don't hate each other that much: it's not hate per se, it's more... some dislike? Complicated feelings for sure! I know that some drivers are friends with the enemy family (es. The Twitch Quartet), but it's all for the sake of the narrative lol Anyway the vibes are there!! And they're immaculate!! I haven't imagined how a proper and more elaborate Romeo&Juliet AU could work (yet), but the foundation would be more or less this. Something that would be interesting to reflect on is how the dynamics would change if the championship results were different (es. Ferrari were competitive), between everybody and especially between our Romeo and Juliet, but I'm digressing now

Bonus: what about the rest of the grid? Val obviously prefers the Hamilton-Vettel side, Checo would be on Fernando's side (Spanish speaker solidariety and all that, but his 'allegiance' is not that strong, I suppose he doesn't care that much, he's like a distant uncle), Oscar is actually Mark Webber's kid (and!! that's a story for another day, because!! Mark... and... Seb... and Mark and Fernando!! We all know things happened. But let's not dwell on that rn, it would be too complicated) so he'd better stay out of the conflict and Logan, being useless his friend, would probably follow him, so. I imagine Kmag and Hulk would more or less stay neutral (they've got their personal sUcK mY bAlLs MaTe beef going on so lol) and so would Nyck? Tbh I didn't give them much thought because someone like Yuki is much more interesting in this setting, since he is Pierre's bf but Fernando has taken a liking to him and kinda made him one of his grid kids, so he is in a peculiar position. But let's be real, Yuki doesn't give many fucks, so he is probably going to waltz from on side of the paddock to the other without a care in the world. Estie is interesting too: while he is Mick's other bff, he also has a love-hate relationship with Fernando. I believe that he is on the other side, still I don't trust him and Nando together lmao. I'm actually not sure about Zhou, he would probably be quite neutral, but I know he admires Fernando a lot (I admit I'm fumbling a little bit in the dark here lol but it's okay, I hadn't actually thought about every single driver, some of them I'm making up as I type).

The real wild card is Danny Ric, because he has known Lewis and Seb for years (underrated trio!!) and obviously likes George and Pierre and more or less their whole family BUT. Alonso has Max on his side. And Lando. So Danny's probably like the friendly neighborhood dog: he loves everybody and he gets fed like four times a day because everybody loves him and he doesn't really pick a side.

The end.

[ilikemcdanno]

It’s Steve’s birthday!! And also the celebration @mayberrycryptid is holding!! 🎉🎉🥳 happy Hawaii Five-0 Day

Here’s my 10 fanfic recommendations!! I’m also doing my three favorite episodes. :)

1. Situational awareness, summary: Steve McGarrett has a soulmark from the moment he’s born. He has a mark that his dad covers up when he’s a baby, an ugly black thing in the shape of knuckles splayed across his cheekbone. Danny Williams gets his mark a few months after he’s born. There’s a black smear across the back of his hand and down two fingers and Danny dreams of the day his soulmate will touch him for the first time and set the mark alight with color. Steve McGarrett grows up hating his soulmark, Danny Williams dreams of the day he'll meet his soulmate. Somehow, against all odds, they find each other.

2. The morning after (the night before), summary: If, after you’ve been pining for going on a decade, you turn over in bed and end up nose to nose with the secret object of your affection, it’s no less than perfectly reasonable to yell “eep!” and flail wildly until you topple over the edge of the mattress and land with a loud thump on your back on the floor…. Naked.

3. Returned: one diamond ring, summary: I’ve seen a lot of people coming in and out of my shop over the years. Tourists looking for some souvenir jewelry, distrustful trophy wives wanting to see if their diamonds are real, young kids wanting to buy something nice to impress their girlfriend, eyes shining with nerves as they prepare to pop the question. Every so often, I get someone particularly memorable. A young man so nervous about picking out the right ring he nearly hurled on the display case, a blonde woman so angry when she tried to fence the diamonds off a tennis bracelet her husband had given her only to find out they were fake that she cracked the glass on a case holding earrings, and the tall, dark haired man with the edges of tattoos peeking out from under his sleeves.

4. Forever in paradise, summary: Danny Williams is tired of being stuck in New Jersey while his daughter is 5,000 miles away in Hawaii. When an undercover assignment with Honolulu PD becomes available, he jumps at it, even though he could write a book on how much he hates reality TV… And then he meets Steve.

5. Letting go, summary: He shifted, pressing a kiss against Danny's shoulder. "How did you know?" he managed… Danny didn't need to ask for clarification. "I know you." His hand curled protectively around the back of Steve's head. "The rest is just details." In the wake of Aunt Deb’s funeral, Steve finds some healing.

6. Ho'oponopono, Summary: Groundhog Day AU. Danny finds himself trapped in the same day over and over again.

7. Kill shot, summary: Steve's a mob assassin who just got his latest target - a former New Jersey detective named Daniel Williams. Unsurprisingly, that's when things get complicated.

8. the art of leaving and saying goodbye, Summary: 2007 is the year Danny learns that choice can be the worst kind of heartbreak. AU.

9. Love's a Battlefield (and the Navy Did Not Train Steve for This Shit), Summary: The Kalakaua-Kelly clan are determined to matchmake Steve. Out of desperation, Steve makes up a boyfriend named Danny… It doesn't quite go according to plan.

10. A Beautiful Thing, Summary: Tani catches a private moment between Steve and Danny—and she can't not look.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Copycat: Cryptomnesia —(Marvel Fem!Oc)

A/N: Long story short Cat told Matt she’s in love with him -Danny

Words: 1,844

Phase Five Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to: ‘Nothing New’ -by Taylor Swift ft. Phoebe Bridgers

v: Bittersweet

Cat hadn't promised to stay, and Matthew hadn't asked her to after the first time, but things had fallen into a space where they felt manageable.

As much as she desired to have her freedom, she didn't want to spend every night alone, it was better to stay for as long as the affection lasted between them, otherwise, it'd be wasted and lost.

Happy told her there would be a little gathering with Pepper and Rhodey to show them the place and she was invited as well as Harley. He was trying to convince Pepper to let the boy do an internship at Stark industries.

"He's got the brain to work there, never met one like him."

"As long as people don't find out he was Tony's ward, we don't want them to think he got the position thanks to favoritism."

"Talking about favorites..." Happy glanced at her. "How's your boyfriend?"

Cat smiled. "He's okay."

"You're still living with him?"

"Yes."

"Don't you want to go back to your place?"

"Happy."

"I just wanna know."

She sighed. "I'll tell you this... I feel like I gotta stick around if I want things to work. If I go away too soon Matthew's gonna change his mind or I'll change mine—"

"Change your mind?"

Cat wasn't particularly set on keeping her love life private, not like she thought it would jinx it, it was like... it wasn't hers to tell. Someone else's story.

"If I stay away for too long I might realize my friends do things I like better than the ones I do with Matt, or he'll be alone with his friends and he'll be like 'Oh, right. This is how a real person is supposed to act.' And he'll decide I'm not enough—"

"Do you think he'll get tired of you?"

"No. Yes. Maybe." She groaned. "I think the ticking's back..."

"The what?"

"It's this feeling, a countdown I hear every time something's going too well. When I was in space and... and..." Cat frowned, trying to remember. "The first time everything went south..."

Happy looked at her without understanding. "When?"

Her confusion increased. "Ugh, doesn't matter. Things go well until they don't."

"So the ticking's a trauma response?"

"Maybe?"

"You can't be happy 'cause you feel that's what causes the bad things."

"I just... can't stop being acutely aware of the time..." she pushed her hair back as if trying to gather her thoughts. "I just have this feeling... that I should be looking for something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, I think I'm just anxious about Matthew so I keep poking around hoping to find something that'll stop me."

"Well, in that case, the solution's pretty clear," Happy retorted.

She stared at him. "Really?"

"Look forward to new things, so you don't look back."

Cat frowned. "How do I do that?"

The man looked slightly uncomfortable, but he pushed through. "You can bring Matthew to my place if you want."

"Really? You'd be okay with that?" Cat beamed.

"Well, I'd never seen you so attached to a guy since you met your brother," he sighed. "Never seen you in love, so if this is it... I wanna know what the big deal is."

The young woman wrapped her arms around Happy, taking him by surprise. He stayed in his seat but hugged her gently, patting her arm lightly. After merely a second, she added quietly. "Tony would've been happy for me, right? He wanted me to have a life, and I'm finally starting to get one."

Happy moved away. "You could give Bruce and Clint a call, tell them about Matt?"

"Oh, they don't care," she snorted. "I annoy Clint. And Bruce... I always had the feeling he liked me but in the way people like lions— from a distance."

"What about Wanda?"

Her smile faltered. "I'm not sure that rubbing my love life in her face is a good idea. I might just call to hear how she's doing."

"Do that, it might do some good," he patted her arm again. "I'm proud of you, kid."

Cat looked away, she stepped back. "Don't."

"Cat..."

She was saved from making an excuse when her phone rang.

"There she is!" Foggy was standing outside the bar with Matthew. "Hey, you!"

"Why are you out here?" She asked. "Where's Karen?"

"We're not staying here," Matt explained.

"Why?"

"Matt said we should do something different— a bit more refined," Foggy grinned. "He's buying us dinner."

Cat looked at her boyfriend. "You're taking us on a date?"

Matthew shrugged. "The children were feeling neglected."

"He's turned down every single offer to hang out since you came back, which I'm not holding against you at all, I'm sure you missed him as much as he missed you—"

"He missed me?" A grin formed on her face. "Was he annoying about it?"

"Should've seen him, dude was suffering the worst case of blue ba—"

"That's enough," Matthew laughed. "He's lying. I never mentioned you."

"Ouch," Cat and Foggy said at the same time. "That was cold," Foggy put an arm around her shoulders in a protective way.

"And here I was, thinking we had something special," Cat added.

"I should've warned you when I had the chance," the blond man shook his head. "And you were so young..."

"Am I breaking her heart or is she dead?" Matt grinned.

"Who's dead?"

The sight moved the floor under Cat's feet. She would always feel small around Karen Page, but there was something about her that made her impossible to hate, and she'd tried to during the first month of knowing her.

"No one, Cat and Foggy are idiots," Matthew replied.

The duo complained again, sounding even more offended than the first time. Matt raised both hands, one of them holding his cane.

"Alright, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude," he offered his free hand to Cat. "I missed you. I thought I'd done a pretty good job at hiding it, but the only person I convinced of that was myself."

"I forgive you," Cat held his hand and moved away from Foggy. "Only because you're buying us dinner."

"What?" Karen smiled. "That's generous..."

"He's celebrating that his girl's back," Foggy taunted, now walking beside Karen.

"Enough, Foggy," Matt insisted, but he was smiling from ear to ear.

"Is he drunk?" Cat asked under her breath.

"No, he's just in a good mood, for some reason."

"What kind of sick bastard decides to be in a good mood?" She joked.

Matthew kissed her cheek, it was his turn to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "How's Happy?"

"Genuinely happy for the first time in a while," Cat admitted. "He's invited the family to his apartment next weekend."

Matthew hummed. "You going?"

He knew how awkward she was about those reunions, however, now that she'd agreed to it, she would use it to her benefit, to calm her own paranoid mind. "Happy said you were invited."

Matthew raised a brow. "Am I? That's interesting."

"He's never seen me in love or whatever," Cat tried to get the explanation out as quickly as possible. "He's curious about you."

He tilted his head, frowning a little. "What's that?"

"You heard me," she said impatiently.

"You're in love?" A tiny smile formed on his lips. "That can't be right. What did you say to me last weekend? That you can't—"

"Wasn't I supposed to be the childish one in this relationship?" Cat snapped.

There it was again, same old Matthew, totally comfortable with the situation. If she wasn't the problem she wondered what on earth had worried him the other night. What was holding him back from saying "I love you" to her?

Matthew was all smiles throughout the whole evening, it was unlike him, but it looked good on him. At the end of the night, Foggy went to get a taxi for him and Karen, and Matthew followed him out to attend to a phone call. Cat accompanied Karen to the restroom.

"How long will you be staying this time around?"

Cat frowned. "Oh, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Could be months, a year... I work with friends. We er... we get hired for different things."

Karen gave her a look. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Are you like him?" Karen decided to let out a bit more. "You do things most people can't... perhaps while wearing a suit?"

In spite of herself, Cat smiled. "So what if I do? Would that be a problem?"

Karen pondered her question. "I'm not sure. You're friendlier than Elektra..."

The mention irritated her, Cat knew she wasn't that different. Matthew didn't know this yet, but their fairytale would die instantly once he did.

"What's clear to me is that Matthew has a type, and usually they end up breaking things he's barely managed to put together," Karen continued. "But you're different... I just don't know how."

"I'd love to agree, but you're wrong," she said. "I'm exactly like them: a timebomb. But —and I think this is the important part— I might be able to deactivate before I cause any damage."

"I think the important bit is not wanting to harm," the woman replied. "The rest should come easily."

"For a normal person, maybe."

Karen nodded in understanding. "But you're not a normal person."

She looked towards the bathroom's entrance and changed the subject. "We should head out, they'll start to wonder why we're taking so long..."

Cat tried to walk but Karen stopped her.

"The way he was smiling tonight... it'd been a while since I saw that. If you can find a way to be happy for him..."

Cat stared at her. "Can I ask you something, Karen?"

"Shoot."

"Do you think he likes me because I'm more enthusiastic than him?"

"No," she replied sincerely. "I think he likes you because you don't try to change who he is like we do. You understand."

"What will happen if that changes? Should I be who he would like me to be, just to keep him happy?"

"I think you're the only one who can answer that... but Matt wouldn't ask you to be something that you're not."

"You know," Cat tilted her head. "I was asked to decide how I wanted to live the rest of my life when I was very young. Back then I thought I would live less than a decade, now a decade has gone by, and I have no idea of what to do next."

"That sounds like it was a tough choice to make," Karen replied.

"It was. A friend told me then, that our life was composed of grays, I think the same but..." she stopped for a moment, the ticking was stuck in her throat. "Matthew's black and white, and he doesn't like to mix them up. I knew this and I still went after him. Part of me can't help but think I do this on purpose."

Karen looked like she might've hugged her hadn't been because she knew Cat wasn't a fan of hugs. "Matt cares about you, you don't have to go anywhere."

"Not yet, but one day..."

"One day at a time, starting with the present," Karen told her firmly. "We can't live in hypotheticals, right?"

Matt had mentioned Karen had lost her brother when she was in her twenties like Cat, and before that she'd struggled with other things too. Cat had as much in common with Karen as with Elektra, she was not beyond repair.

"We should hang out more," Cat said, holding the blonde's hand and guiding her out. "Can't be healthy for us to be around men all day."

Next Chapter—>

Taglist.

@mikaelsonwhxrebae​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @ieatpanicattacksforlunch​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @jesuswasnotawhiteman​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @siriuslysirius1107​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @greengarsstuff​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @itsyagirl01​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @23victoria​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @espressopatronum454​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @jkthinkstoomuch

[einsteinsugly]

8-10 for the question game

Leah Forman and Becca Hyde

Leah:

8. Her insecurities stem from her sister and those who bully her, mostly (but for different reasons, obviously). She wants to be an overachieving social butterfly like her sister (it's complicated, as shown below), and be accepted amongst her peers.

9. Her relationship with her sister Kate is...complicated, to say the least. Leah sees Kate as little miss perfect. She has the perfect grades, is fairly popular, and does a bunch of extracurriculars (volunteering, working for the school paper, yearbook, various instances of political activism, etc). But then Kate is jealous of Leah for being innately athletic and physically strong, and her ability to engage in a romantic (and later sexual) relationship with James with relative ease. Kate is very hesitant to act out her idealized romantic impulses, and her lack of personal and romantic intimacy causes her romantic relationships to suffer. So they both lash out at each other, and Leah rebels to be noticed (kind of like Eric throwing a bowling ball at the TV or Donna purposely failing English in season 2), but at a much larger and far more destructive scale.

10. Her relationship with Eric is kind of like Red's father-daughter relationship with Laurie. Leah is Eric's favorite, but because she's the clear underdog like he was as a kid. He's more aware than Red was, but he tends to stick his head in the sand in regards to Leah's real struggles. Leah goes out of her way to hide things from him, spelling disaster in the long run.

Meanwhile, Donna is willingly more aware. She tries to discipline/rightfully call out Leah more than Eric does, and tries to gage her emotions, and Leah is far from receptive (most of the time). She's more nuanced, and tries to fully understand her youngest daughter, even if it falls on deaf ears.

Becca:

8. She has this classic type 4 problem; how do I stand out without looking like a freak? She doesn't want to conform to society's mold, but doesn't want to be shunned by society, either. So she's insecure about how she presents herself, like her mother, but she's not willing to admit it.

9. Becca and James are by far the closest siblings in my verse. Yeah, they drive each other crazy and they poke fun at each other like brothers and sisters do, but they have a deep, protective, and symbiotic bond. Becca is the calm voice of reason, and James pushes Becca to put herself out on a worthwhile limb. Becca is also Leah and James's secret squirrel for a major plot point in my verse, which I'm keeping quiet about.

10. Hyde and Becca are each other's support systems and are pretty chill, usually. Hyde can be overprotective, especially when someone wrongs her. Particularly her first boyfriend Danny, who is kind of a Kelso, and Hyde hates him.

Jackie and Becca are complicated. Jackie loves and likes her, of course, but she struggles to understand her. She quietly wishes she had a more stereotypically feminine daughter to do girly things with, and her goddaughter Kate sort of scratches that itch. She hates that she feels this way, though, and keeps it very hush hush. Because she adores her daughter, and fiercely protects her if need be.

[haloburns]

oh! oh! do you have anything else written for you better promise me i'll be back in time?! i fell in love with that during phic phight and i've been waiting for chapter two!!

yes actually!! it got put on hold for this small event and invisobang, but i did start it! technicaly it has to wait until IB is posted because it has spoilers in it, but i'll not share those

chapter 2: where we’re going, we don’t need roads (but we might need some help. clockwork? please?)

Vlad stared at Ellie across the diner table, his eyes unreadable. He lifted his chipped coffee mug to his lips, taking another sip while Ellie continued to stare at him over her strawberry milkshake. She kicked her feet slightly under the table and her whole body moved with the momentum.

Their table was quiet, but the surrounding hustle bustle was anything but. It reminded Ellie in a delightful kind of way of The Glow Worm, though the menu was boring and lackluster in comparison.

“So you need me to help you find or create a portal to get back home because you…?”

Ellie rolled her eyes and removed the straw from her mouth. “Because I was poking around Clockwork’s lair when I shouldn’t’ve been.”

“Typical,” Vlad muttered darkly into his mug, glancing out into the rest of the diner. “You and Daniel never could mind your own business.”

Another long, tense moment, Vlad glanced back at Ellie. His expression was still unreadable, but now there was something soft and vulnerable in his eyes.

“How--” He set the cup down and curled both hands around it. “How is Daniel?”

“He’s fine,” Ellie said with a shrug. She tried to pretend that she wasn’t intensely interested in the fact that Vlad was asking after the kid he’d beat up on a regular basis for almost two years like an estranged parent asked after their kid. “He’s at Berkeley now, just started his sophomore year. Has a boyfriend that he’s insufferably in love with and a sick ass group of friends. He’s doing really well now.”

“Good,” Vlad said, slumping back in the booth with relief. “Good.”

“Why do you care, Vlad?” Ellie leaned forward, her eyes flashing briefly. Seeing Vlad as anything other than completely put together was unsettling, and it put her a little on edge. “You tried to ruin our lives on more than one occasion, and you tried to end the world and almost succeeded. Danny had to clean up your mess.”

Against all expectations, Vlad winced. “I know,” he whispered. “I’m well aware of what I’ve put you and Daniel through.”

They stared at each other. Ellie scanned the old man, her father’s, face. For the first time in his life, Vlad actually looked his age. Looked old. The anger she had been nursing for years against Vlad softened in that moment. It wasn’t like she was ready to forgive the bastard, but…

It was involuntary; her Core sent out a comforting pulse to him. It was probably the first ghostly contact he’d had in Ancients’ know how many years. He jerked his gaze back up to her, his eyes flashing red for only a moment before his Core reached out. At the same time, he turned his hand over so his palm was offered up, resting halfway across the table.

“I’ll help you,” he said, his voice still so gentle, no hint of malice or plotting hidden between the syllables. “If you’ll let me come home with you.”

Ellie recoiled instantly. She should’ve known there was a catch.

“Why? So you can start trying to ruin our life again? As if.” She scoffed and shoved out of the booth, stalking towards the door. She would just find a portal the hard way. One had to open soon, right? It is still Amity Park; it was still liminal in 1955, even if it wasn’t fully haunted yet.

“Danielle, wait!”

“Leave me alone, Vl-- Victor!” she shouted, picking up her pace. “I don’t want to talk to you, I just want to go home!”

Just as she had crossed into the green space in front of the courthouse, Vlad caught up with her. He grabbed her wrist, but his hold wasn’t the bruising grip she had expected. It was gentle. She could probably break out of it with nothing more than a twist of her arm. But something stopped her.

“What?” she hissed. “I should’ve known you had an ulterior motive. It’s you.” She gave a sneer that went from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. “You’re always plotting something.”

“Danielle, I would just like to go home,” he explained, stepping closer. “I know I’m probably not welcome anywhere in the human or ghost realms, but it’s better than being stuck in 1955.” He gave a full-body shudder.

“You’re damn right you’re not welcome.” Ellie glared up at him, and this time she did jerk her arm away. “I don’t even know if you’re allowed to come back. We all thought you were dead, but maybe the Ancients and Danny decided to put up some ban--”

“Why would Daniel be involved with the Ancients?” Vlad asked, his dark brows pulling low over his eyes. “They should have no reason to listen to him.”

Ellie snorted. “Oh, right, you weren’t there. Uh, yeah. Danny’s King now, dude. Clockwork told him around Christmas last year. There’s a whole waiting period thing, he won’t really be king until like a handful of years after he graduates college, but he’s still got the job. He’s still doing the work.”

Vlad pinched his nose. He took a slow, deep breath before pushing it out through his teeth. “Of course the little badger got himself crowned king. Everything I ever went after, and he just waltzed into it…”She didn’t think, she just reacted. Her fist connected with his solar plexus, and he doubled over with a satisfying oomph.

[purplerakath]

So I've started watching Cobra Kai, and got through the first two seasons this weekend. I've been sitting on the choices in this show that bug me, trying to make coherent word things appear, and I think I got it. So this is a less polished more... Rush in, post.

Spoilers for S1-2, nothing for S3-5 which I'll watch next weekend.

1. Narrative Tragedy vs. Dramatic Tragedy

So some of the cast go through what I'm calling Narrative Tragedy: Bad thing happens so they learn and change. While others are going through what I'm calling Dramatic Tragedy: Bad thing happens because bad thing is happening.

The latter isn't bad, but it generally doesn't make the character change, and annoyingly most of this is to keep characters from growing.

The worst offender is honestly Demetri so far, but Sam is the easier one to explain.

Miguel when swinging on Robby hits Sam in the process, this means that instead of Sam focusing on how lying to her parents creates a lot of problems and maybe she should be honest when she has a boyfriend... She's mad at Miguel for being a Cobra. Bonus: Next Season she's secretly dating Robby and due to that messes things by not telling her parents... And we can't focus on that right away because Tory tries to kill her.

Demetri is worse because he just... Is not a fun or interesting character, nothing about his actions sell his friendships to anyone because he's kind of shitty to every friend about what they like, does all the shit the bullies did to him in season 1, and we're still expencted to feel bad for him.

Hawk is a ragaholic monster, but his narrative flow feels good, and when Moon dumps him it HITS.

2. Everyone in this show is kind of an asshole, but in line with their respective schools of karate

...except Moon, who is perfect and flawless and we love her.

So the Cobras are in your face fight god assholes. They are aggressive, loud, aware of their behavior, but think that they earned this rage from what's happened to them. And they aren't exactly WRONG but it isn't exactly healthy.

Miyagi-do are aloof holier-than-thou judgy assholes who assume because they have the high ground they are not just as toxic as the Cobras. And they're wrong, but in the same delusional way Danny is wrong.

This only applies to the main Miyagi-do kids, Robby, Sam, and Demetri.

This is a 'both sides are terrible' situation and that's real. The narrative doesn't really frame it this way though. The narrative seems very keyed into how the Cobras are bad... And then whatever the hell the Miyagi-do kids do the narrative seems to ignore.

Sam and Tory's rivalry is because Sam accused Tory of stealing, grabbed for her, and fell into a dessert table. Sam could have let this go, but looped it into her 'she's right, Cobras are evil.' Demetri releasing all of Hawk's secrets? Totally cool, Demetri gets to win the fight after this for- some reason.

So far the only Miyagi-do character to have narrative fallout for his holy war is Danny. Which he deserves.

3. Generational Trauma can be spread by the 'good guys' if they have no room for patience.

My friend summed this up as 'most of the plot wouldn't exist if Mr. Miyagi were still alive.

Danny has jumped to the same conclusion about Cobra Kai every time without a moment's hesitation, his actions have been terrible and toxic, he's ruined lives in the process of this. His holy war got his daughter hurt and...

I'm terrified Season 3 will just convince him he was right.

Johnny is only better in that Johnny has more self-awareness. Cobra Kai are pit fighters, they're crude, rough around the edges, but unapologetically sincere in their awful. He's also the only one expected to let this go, and he only gets back into it because Danny (or a proxy of Danny) keeps the thing moving.

See Point one about Tragedy.

4. Don't get me wrong, I'm complaining a little.

But I do sincerely enjoy this show. it's stupid, and doesn't make any sense, but the fight scenes are fun. And Moon is adorable. And I love trashfires like the Cobras.

Expect me later to do a Magic color identities for the cast because I am having fun.

[ghostfacesleftnut]

no such thing as plot armour.

ghostface x goth!reader fic.

warnings: violence, gore, strong language, smut (rarely), gaslighting, manipulation, toxic relationships.

please note: it's been a long ass time since I wrote fanfiction. povs may switch and there may be grammatical errors every now and then. just enjoy this story for what it is! I have not plotted this story, I'm just wingin' it. I'm trying to keep the reader gender neutral for all my non fem identifying readers!

=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=✧=

Chapter One.

everyone has a fear, whether they are aware of it or not... but you? you were fearless. you were one to laugh in deaths face and face life head-on. or so you thought.

you were known by everyone at school. you belonged to the group of rejects. Emos, goths, scene kids, every alt kid in the school wanted to be your friend. what was nice about it was that nobody bothered you apart from an occasional picture taken of you without your consent and a fit of giggles from the rich kids. you never let it get to you, which is what people loved about you the most. you had an admirable confidence and weren't a stereotypical goth. you were very social, there wasn't a party that you weren't seen at. in your own special way, you were one of the school heartthrobs.

the one and only thing that prevented you from truly living the ultimate highschool experience was your boyfriend, Jet. He was the complete opposite of you. a fucking jock. seriously? a jock and a goth. you can't make this shit up. you loved him to bits and pieces, but he wasn't a good boyfriend let alone a good person. everyone knew he was a prick apart from you and the other popular kids. your best friend, Danny, was especially angry at the fact you let Jet walk all over you. he hated when you'd call him crying because Jet cheated on you AGAIN and made it seem like it was your fault. you were truly worthy of so much better. to Danny, you deserved him. you deserved nothing less than the moon and stars, and he was determined to give you just that.

-

"y/n, you listen to me alright. what Jet did was not your fault. it never has been. won't you just drop him already? he's cheated on you three fucking times now. he's not going to change" Danny hissed into the landline to his best friend. hoping that maybe this time that you would listen. you sobbed on the other end. after a few minutes, you stiffled a cry and began to calm down. "you're right. you're absolutely right, Danny. I'm going to do it. I promise." with that, the both of you bid your goodbyes and hung up. it was already 12am. you needed to sleep. there was school tomorrow after all.

Wednesday, 26 October.

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

hello !! i'm not sure if you're taking asks right now, but if so, could you recommend some fics where derek/peter is protective and/or possessive of stiles? thanks!

I sure do!

Old Traditions, Werewolf Edition by Footloose

(1/1 I 3,601 I General I Sterek)

Stiles does not work his Omega ass off to attract frat boy Alphas. Absolutely not. He's at college to get his degree. If he's crushing on an Alpha who never crosses the lines of propriety, well, no one needs to know, right?

Acquiring Big Brothers and Boyfriends by iCheat

(1/? I 4,512 I Not Rated I Steter)

Only Stiles could adopt a WW2 veteran as his big brother. That would be fine on its own but between that, the werewolf climbing through his window, the ritual deaths and the Alpha pack there's a lot going on. Well, at least SHIELDs not involved. Yet.

Your Bruises Drive Me Insane by 100percentfluffster

(2/2 I 10,118 I Not Rated I Steter)

They always seemed to forget that Stiles was human. In some manners at least. Scott and Derek always went on about how he was too fragile to be helpful. That he was a liability and the weak link of the Pack, but that awareness of his fragility seemed to always disappear when it came to their own aggression.

A story of how Peter notices the way the Pack treats Stiles and does everything he can to step between Stiles and further harm.

(baby) maybe that matters more by lavenderlotion

(4/10 I 16,610 I Mature I Steter)

“Well, well, well,” drawls a familiar voice that Stiles hadn’t even considered he might ever hear again. “The token pack human, left all alone?”

Two Men and a Tree by CarryOnMySwanSong

(24/? I 55,634 I Explicit I Steter)

A catastrophic event leaves Stiles mobility impaired, both physically and magically. After a falling out with Derek and the rest of the wolves in Beacon Hills and Peter Saving Stiles from himself, Stiles and Peter take a road trip. They do not intend to come back. Instead, they build a Pack in Montana. They are gone for ten long years before Derek calls Peter, begging for his help. After they save the day, Peter and Stiles live out their days, changing the entire paranormal world for the better.

Baseball Bats and Sour Wolves by Erin1324

(55/? I 68,429 I Teen I Sterek)

Derek is cursed with some sort of spell, and for some reason only responds to Stiles as a result. He tries to attack everyone else, even his Alpha, he's also acting super overprotective of Stiles, hardly letting anyone get close to him.

Deep Green by aurevell

(14/14 I 93,992 I Teen I Steter)

Stiles steps out of his dream between one heartbeat and the next, finding himself alone in a dark wood. The sickly light of the moon, nearly full beyond the branches, spills onto the leaf-strewn ground. It illuminates splatters of mud on his pale ankles.

It’s the fourth time this month. “Fuck me,” he grumbles, and calls Lydia.

Stiles and Lydia are lots of things: lifelong latchkey kids, aspiring Ivy Leaguers, the terrors of Beacon Hills High, and inseparable best friends. But between Stiles’s sleepwalking and the voices in Lydia’s head, their grip on reality feels tenuous at best.

Enter Peter Hale, a charming (probable) serial killer who offers the answers they need—and the chance to be something more than what they are.

Can't rely on me by Littleredridinghunter

(12/12 I 116,206 I Not Rated I Sterek)

Gerard beats Stiles up, but it's a lot worse than anyone knows.

The pack let him down, that's not really a surprise lately.

When Danny finds Stiles nearly bleeding to death the next day it's the start of a beautiful friendship.

Can the pack make amends before it's too late? Will Stiles ever forgive them for not being there for him when he needed them the most?

Desolate by Vague_Shadows

(27/27 I 130,463 I Sterek)

Derek stops short the moment his eyes fall on the huddled mass in the corner. The beta lying crumpled there is trying desperately to make himself seem as small as possible and cover his most vulnerable areas. It takes Derek almost a full minute to realize who it is and another to realize that he’s wearing tattered, blood-stained remains of the clothes he disappeared in over four months ago. The acrid stench clinging to him tells such a vivid story of the atrocities he must have endured while he’s been missing that Derek thinks he might be sick.

“Stiles?” he asks in disbelief.

Settle Down by wearing_tearing, whatthehale

(19/19 I 153,181 I Explicit I Sterek)

Stiles is a struggling author barely making ends meet.

Derek is a successful architect whose biological clock is ticking.

Enter a surrogacy agency, two packs, and a particularly sticky and toe curling heat week and you get a match made in heaven.

Actions Speak Louder than Words by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

(25/25 I 434,622 I Explicit I Sterek)

“I apologize.” The cop finally looked back up at his face, seeming thrilled. “It’s just—it’s been so long. And we finally have you.”

That was a bad word. Not found.

Have.

Stiles wrenched his hand free and took a step back, but before he could even think up a gameplan, he felt a prick in his neck and jerked away, reaching up to slap one hand against it and twisting in the same moment.

One of the others had come up behind him while he hadn’t been paying attention, and his vision began to swim even as his eyes caught sight of the half-empty syringe the guy was holding.

[lexosaurus]

Happy

A fic for dp side hoes week 2021!

Character: Sam Theme: Happiness

This fic was made especially with my good friend @ghostgothgeek in mind. Happy birthday, Steph! Thank you so much for everything you've done for me from helping me get into grad school, to helping me with my DST homework at 2am. You're such an amazing friend and I am SO so lucky to have you in my life. Love ya! Have a good one!

---

There was a lot that made Sam happy.

Rainy days where she could curl up with a good book, her weekly slam poetry meetup group, horror movies, that one hole in the wall coffee joint run by a woman who reminded Sam of her grandmother. Sam had so many little moments in her week that made her happy.

She knew some people—especially her mom—would be surprised by this. After all, Sam was the gloomy goth. The “dark and mysterious” teenage girl. The one who was constantly at rallies fighting for animals rights or renewable energy plans from the government. She knew how she came off, she wasn’t stupid.

But at the end of the day, she was still a teenager. And even with all that was wrong with the world, there was still so much that was right.

Like right now, sitting here with Danny. Well...sitting might have been too strong of a word. She was sitting, that much was accurate, but Danny had long since fallen asleep, having given up on math after an hour of struggling. Sam was going to wake him, but he just looked so peaceful, with his black hair brushing down on his face, his hand resting under his cheek.

So cute. 

She wasn’t exactly sure when their relationship had taken a turn from “just friends” to something more. If she had to pinpoint it, it might have been soon after the “fake out make out” session. Sure, she’d had feelings for him before, but that day just changed something between them. Something that neither of them could explain, neither could admit, but she knew that both of them felt.

It didn’t take too long after then for the study sessions to start. Just the two of them, alone, in one of their rooms, pouring over notes as Danny desperately tried to salvage his GPA. More than once, Sam had caught him sneaking glancing over to her when he thought she was utterly focused on her assignments. But Sam never said anything.

After all, she had been sneaking glances over at him too.

Eventually, it reached a point where Tucker called them lovebirds—as he always teased—but instead of the defensive, “We’re not lovebirds!” exclamation they reflexively shouted, Sam and Danny just blushed and looked away.

Sam would never forget the light of recognition in Tucker’s eyes, followed by a cheshire grin trained pointedly at Sam. If she hadn’t been so tomato-faced in the moment, she might have kicked his shin.

After that, the atmosphere around their study sessions changed. There was a new tension in the air that both of them could feel, but neither would acknowledge. 

Sam knew that in the end, she would have to be the one to make the first move. Danny was...well, he was Danny. He was an insecure, teenage boy. Sam could put up a neon sign shouting, “I LIKE YOU” above her head, and Danny would still doubt her.

But, as forward and outgoing as Sam was, she was still...Sam. The passionate, vegan goth of the grade. She wasn’t popular, she wasn’t surrounded by loads of other girls all the time. She wasn’t invited to the parties, girls didn’t come up to her to talk about their weekends or their crushes or anything else that could be interpreted as a budding friendship.

Danny and Tucker were her only friends. If Sam pursued Danny, and things didn’t end well, then she would have no one.

It was too much of a risk.

So Sam held off.

Anytime they were studying, and she saw Danny glancing her way, Sam wouldn’t meet his gaze. If it was movie night, Sam started sitting next to Tucker instead of Danny. After a big ghost fight, when Danny looked to her with adrenalin-filled, electric green eyes, Sam would walk away.

It hurt—it hurt so bad—but she couldn’t risk ruining their friendship. As much as she prided herself on her independence, she still was just a teen girl. 

She wanted to be liked. She wanted friends. 

But the crush wasn’t going away, the energy between them refused to dissipate. If anything, it was more obvious than before.

It was Sam’s mother of all people who finally, at one awkwardly silent dinner table conversation, was the one to talk some sense into Sam.

“So...you and that Fenton boy,” Pam had said, stirring her fork around her plate. “When were you going to tell me about that?”

Sam felt the blood drain from her face. She tried to play it off. “What do you mean?”

“Sammykins, I may be an adult now, but I was a teenage girl once. I’m not stupid. I may not...approve of that boy and his family. But seeing as you two are obviously an item now, and I want to support you as my daughter, I would expect you to invite him over to dinner to formally meet me and your father please.”

“We’re not—”

“Don’t be silly!” Grandma Ida piped up from across the table. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. You kids aren’t the sly foxes you think you are!”

There was a certain level of embarrassment at being called out by parents that Sam presumed came in the territory of being a teenager. But after the initial shock wore off, she realized something crucial:

Sam really really liked Danny Fenton.

Perhaps more than she thought she did.

So it was during another study session that it finally happened. The awkward energy was palpable, and she knew that Danny felt it too. Even if he would never say anything.

But when Danny glanced up at Sam, Sam finally looked back.

She saw the slight flush enter his cheeks as his eyes started to dart back down at his paper. But before he could retreat back in his metaphorical shell too much, Sam blurted out, “I like you.”

The pink dusting on his cheeks had spread across his face. His eyebrows shot up, and his mouth hung open like a fish. “I—uh—I think—what?”

She put her pencil down and hid her shaking hands inside the sleeves of her oversized black hoodie. “I like you. A lot.”

“Oh. I...”

Their eyes were locked, violet against blue. Sam wanted to look away, but she was never one to back down from a challenge.

“Oh.” Danny blinked, a grin slowly spreading across his lips. “I like you. Too, I mean. I like you too.”

Sam blinked. Once, then twice. But whatever she was waiting for—the “psych!” that her insecurities were sure he would say—never came. Relief spread across her body, followed by something else. Something warm, something bright.

Something like joy.

She didn’t think about anything after. She just leaned in and kissed him, allowing her body to take over. Danny reciprocated, his lips soft and gentle, as if he were worried about hurting Sam.

That much about him still hadn’t changed, not even months later. Danny still was gentle, sometimes too gentle. He still was often afraid to grab her hand, or reach out and hug her.

But, slowly, a level of comfort was beginning to settle between the duo, and with that followed confidence. It was small, it was subtle, but Sam could see Danny’s progression over the last few months. Slowly he was starting to lean over and kiss her first, or he would text her first, or he would reach over and take her hand just because. Slowly he was getting there.

And she could see her own progression too. The “what-ifs” that had plagued her life before were slowly diminishing. She was more confident now—not just on the outside, but the inside too.

And she’d even made a friend outside of Danny and Tucker. Mia, a girl who hung just outside of Paulina’s clique, had slowly become an unlikely friend, the two hitting it off after they realized that they listened to the same bands one day in class.

Sam was happy. Even if her dorky half-ghost boyfriend was sleeping instead of doing his homework, which meant Sam now had to wake him up and re-explain all the concepts. Even if sometimes Tucker teased them in that immature way he did, or if she felt at constant odds with the city about its lack of environmental awareness, or if Sam’s parents still made snide comments about the “wacky, lunatic Fenton boy’s parents.”

Sam was happy.

Which is why she leaned over and shook said dorky boyfriend awake. “Wake up, Danny. You’ve slept enough.”

Danny groaned, lazily shoo-ing her hand off his shoulder. “Come on, Sam, don’t be a party pooper.”

“What, gonna leave me to do all this by myself? Not even gonna help me a little?” Sam teased.

“Ugh, fine.” Danny pushed himself upright and rubbed the fatigue from his eyes. 

“My knight in shining armor.” 

Grinning, Danny closed the distance between them, pressing his soft lips onto hers. He was cold to the touch, but Sam thrived in the cold.

She broke the kiss, leaning back ever so slightly to gaze into his icy blue eyes. Up close, she could even see little freckles dotting his skin.

“Cute, but we still have homework,” she said.

Danny rolled his eyes and with a dramatic, “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me,” grabbed his notebook and pencil off the ground and readied himself for another hour of math.

Even with another treacherous hour of math ahead of them, when Sam looked at her dorky half-ghost boyfriend, his slightly crooked smile, his slightly too long black hair that was styled in such a way that could only be achieved through a high-speed flight, she couldn’t help but feel content.

Happy.

---

Thanks for reading!

[cipheress-to-k-pop]

The USM Team when their s/o is a great cook

Anonymous said: Omg how would the TT or USM crew (you can pick whichever) react to a member who is an amazing cook? Like yeah, she’s a great team member and can kick ass but her cooking? Elite? Gordon Ramsey has been found unemployed, wig snatched.

Peter Parker / Spider man

He won’t be that involved with you in the kitchen

Which if fine because he doesn’t really know what he’s doing

But he’s always going to eat it

And he’s always always going to praise the hell out of you

The first time you cooked something for him he wasn’t really expecting anything amazing

But he knew he would eat it without complaints for you

But once he took a bite?

This kid was literally licking his plate clean

Legit always asks for your cooking when you can help it

Sometimes he suggests you having cooking days with Aunt May because he wants you to bond

But you know it’s because he likes your food

Sometimes when he gets home and he had to tough day to your cooking he swears he’ll marry you

He loves your cooking but he loves that you take the time to cook for him even more

Sam Alexander / Nova

Boy gets kinda jealous

Because before everyone wanted him to cook

But once they found out that you cooked even better

They only want your cooking

So, he imposes the ban

The ban that you can only cook for your boyfriend

At which point Peter starts flirting with you just to piss him off

You cook together sometimes

But that either results in a whole cooking competition or the two of you going all out and making something amazing

He also watches you very carefully while you cook

And when you ask him the answer is always the same

“You’re just so beautiful, I want to look at you.”

But you know he’s trying to learn your tricks

Danny Rand / Iron Fist

I don’t see Danny as being much of a foodie

He definitely very aware when it comes to food

Like he only eats when he’s hungry and not just because he’s bored or stressed like the rest of us

So, I don’t see him being extremely amazed with the way you cook

But he definitely praises you for it

He appreciates the trouble you go through when you cook for him

And never asks you to cook if you don’t want to

One day you cooked him something after finding an old recipe in the attic

The second he tasted it; it was like he was back to being 9

Because it was exactly like how his mother used to make it

After that, he’s always asking you to cook for him

It’s quite adorable to see him whine for it

But you indulge him anyway

Luke Cage / Powerman

Another one who doesn’t understand the power of food

Not because he can control what he eats

Because he can’t

This would inhale his food if possible

He definitely wasn’t expecting you to be so damn good at cooking

Because he’s used to no one (except Sam) knowing what they’re doing and burning pans instead of food

So when you cooked one night, he was actually impressed before he even tasted it because the fire alarms didn’t go off

But once he tasted it

Wow

Sometimes you dabble in Amuse-bouche, which is meant to be bite-sized

He doesn’t get it

And it’s them like crackers

It’s kind of frustrating because you enjoy making gourmet food but he doesn’t enjoy eating it

So, you find a nice in between

You make gourmet junk

Any fast food that he enjoys, you make fancy, so you both enjoy it

Ava Ayala / White Tiger

The only one in the entire group that actually enjoys the fancy food

Yes, Danny is rich and doesn’t hate it but he definitely prefers down to earth things

But Ava is all for the stylish life

The first time she tasted your food, she was hooked, she loves loves loves your cooking

She actually understands the importance of plating for aesthetic purposes

And while she isn’t the type to take pictures of food, whenever you’re the one cooking, she always will so she can print it out and stick it in her journal

She encourages you to take a job at some 5-star restaurant or something of the sort

She’s also the only one who gives feedback

It’s never harsh or anything

But just something like, “It would taste better with a little more...”

Because she’s a cat of a sort, her taste and smell senses are really strong so just by tasting something she already knows what’s in it