#a meal quickest because i am actually going to pass out’

[fingertipsmp3]

Just sitting here eating breadsticks in the calm before the storm tbh

[annalu86]

My TO

“So what was your training officer like, Officer Chen?”

The reactions of the group around the small table couldn’t have been more different upon hearing this simple question.

John Nolan’s eyes grew wide, he lent forwards slightly in his chair, becoming very interested in his lunch in front of him. His eyes regularly darting to watch the reactions of his friends and colleagues.

Angela Lopez on the other hand lent back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest openly taking in the scene in front of her. Ready.

Lucy Chen let out a slightly nervous cough of surprise as she was mid bite of sandwich, she began chewing frantically so that she could answer the question before someone, mostly likely Angela, could embarrass her.

And lastly Tim Bradford. Who upon Arriving at the table had smiled politely at the new face, who he knew to be Johns new rookie (Nolan had lent across and quietly whispered “Tim Bradford, Metro Liaison sgt” as way of an introduction), and taken his seat next to Lucy. Brushing the quickest kiss against her cheek as he sat, they were both in uniform after all, he hungrily set about demolishing the sandwich Lucy had pushed in front of him. Tim’s demeanour didn’t change upon hearing the question, his eyes didn’t flicker, his focus on the food of in front of him unswerving.

“Please” Lucy said, still swallowing sandwich “it’s lunch time, call me Lucy” she stalled

“Ok, Lucy” Officer Mason smiled “Officer Nolan has been so kind, so helpful! I’ve learnt so much already” she enthuses glancing at John who preens despite the obvious attempt at flattery “and I’ve met Detective Harper, who I know helped train Officer Nolan and Detective Lopez here was also a TO. Everyone seems so different, style wise. So how was your experience?”

“Yeah Lucy, how was your experience?” Angela grins widely, earning the briefest of glares from Lucy

“It was great actually!” Lucy says cheerfully, an involuntary snort of surprise erupts from John, earning him his own glare from Lucy. Tim’s focus remained on his lunch. “He taught me so much and made me the Officer I am today” Officer Mason nodded happily.

“It was all smooth sailing then Officer Chen?” John wasn’t going to let the months hed spent listening to Lucy moan about her nightmare TO slide just because Tim was now her boyfriend!

“Well…” the smile on Lucy’s face dropping for a split second to deliver another well aimed glare at John “if it had all been easy I wouldn’t have learnt as much”

“That’s so true!” Officer Mason enthused “it’s so important to learn from your mistakes” lucy nodded kindly.

“And you always got along?” Angela couldn’t help but take her turn

“No one gets along all the time, spending all that time alone together. There are going to be disagreements, but you work through them as adults, as professionals” Lucy finishes with flourish. She can’t help but notice the slight smile creeping at the corner of Tim’s mouth.

“So it was always very professional?” Angela pressed, before Lucy could wonder what she was getting at Angela continued “he was never unreasonable in his expectations? Didn’t punish you for simple mistakes?”

“Angela” there was a warning note in Lucy’s tone but Angela just grinned. Tim, nearing the end of his meal continued to keep his head down and ignore them all.

“He didn’t ever kick you out the shop and make you walk?”

“Or take your duty belt on a bathroom break” John added helpfully

“ Didn’t get you into a fist fight with a man twice your size”

“Or refuse to let you wear short sleeves in the middle of summer”

“Didn’t” Angela and John were in full swing now “take a picture of you when you fell asleep during a night shift, get it printed on a bunch of shirts and then pass them out around the station!”

“I’d forgotten about that one!” John said with a roaring laugh, turning to an increasingly shocked looking Officer Mason “I wear mine when I garden”

“Didn’t nickname you the goat whisperer, didn’t set a powder bomb off in your face, didn’t”

“Enough” said Lucy quickly eyes flicking between Tim and Officer Mason, trying to judge each persons reaction to the retelling of Rookie Chen’s adventures with her TO. “I think Officer Mason has got the idea” she laughs gently.

Tim, having finished his meal quietly began clearing up his trash.

“I look back on my time as a Rookie with nothing but appreciation and fondness, like I said, it made me the cop I am today. I’m very grateful to my TO for that.

“Wow.” Officer Mason shook her head from side to side “honestly it sounds like a bit of a nightmare! I haven’t heard any of the other rookies mention anything like that, please tell me he’s moved away from being a training officer now”

“Yeah, actually” Lucy says with a grin “I was his last Rookie”

“Except for the one after you that washed out” Angela whispered, as helpful as ever.

“Is he still in the LAPD? What’s he doing now?” Officer Mason gulps, eyes wide.

The sound of chair legs scraping across concrete draws everyone’s attention suddenly as Tim pushes to his feet

“I think he’s the metro liaison sgt now right?” And with that he simply leans down and once again plants a soft kiss on Lucy’s cheek, then silently turns and strides away.

Lucy can't help but chuckle as Officer Mason's already wide eyes bulge and her mouth opens and closes a few times, like a goldfish.

"He really was a great TO, a total pain in the ass, but a great TO" Lucy smiles at the young woman reassuringly.

"And as a boyfriend?" Angela asks, having clearly enjoyed watching it all play out.

"Still great.." Lucy grins wickedly "still a total pain in the ass!"

# Add tags to help people find your posts

[inmamawords]

2 years ago I would drive my 3 littles to school every morning taking back roads just to mix up the drive and avoid stop lights. Daily I would see this meek, quiet, fear in her eyes skinny girl sitting in the grass on the backside of a fast food restaurant alone. My heart ached every single time I passed her and yet it took weeks for me to actually do something. Day after day I would pass her and she would be in the blazing hot sun not even in a shaded area. I’m unsure of why she would sit and wait there but Her face always looked sad and scared. I wasn’t sure what to do until finally I just did something. I pulled over, rolled down my window and she looked at me out of the corner of her eye. I handed her a bag of snacks and wipes and chapstick and asked her “are you ok?” she replied hesitantly “yes mam” I then replied “are you safe?” And with a stuttering lack of confidence said “yes mam”. I sensed a feeling of hurry like she wanted me to get out of there before something happened or someone saw her talking to me. In my soul something was not right with this situation I just felt like someone was watching. Maybe they weren’t, maybe this moment happened so that it would send me down the path of wanting to make a change and actually acting on my compassion but I couldn’t unsee the fear in her eyes and the hurt inside. I went home to my cozy house full of food, a bed, a shower and had a heavy weight of sadness on me. My life felt crazy at the time having 3 kids under 4 and 1 of them not sleeping and yet As hard as my life would feel and as dark as the night would haunt me, I was safe, I was comforted and I was fed. All the things she wasn’t. The thought of someone being in danger or hungry or hurting right before so many peoples eyes haunted me. A million cars would pass her every morning and just go on living, I couldn’t be another one who turned a blind eye, I couldn’t let this feeling go.

This led me to a google search “how to help trafficked women in Pensacola” I don’t know if she was trafficked but something with the uneasyness in her eyes and looking around in fear while speaking to me told me she was or that she just wasn’t in a safe environment at least. This search led me to the Pensacola Dream Center. I went to their website and took the quickest step to get involved and that was To purchase items to put together a meal for a family in need and bring it in to donate. So that’s what I did and that’s where my journey at the Pensacola Dream center began. This meal ministry is now called “Meal Kit Moments” and it’s such a great and easy way to love on someone in need.

Weeks passed and I continued to drive the same route to the kids school and didn’t see her for 3 weeks. I wondered if her talking to me made her move her location. Until finally one morning I saw her and asked if there was anything she needed, she replied “yes mam, rubbing alcohol it’s how my mom and I clean ourselves” I then asked where she stayed and she told me they lived under the bridge, I asked her how old she was and she was the same age as me… homeless, scared, taking care of her mom. I don’t know anything else about her because after I brought her 1 more bag of food and cleaning supplies I didn’t see her again for a very long time. I would drive the same route and pray and hope to see her again but I didn’t Until 1.5 years later I was handing out Christmas cookies underneath the I-10 bridge, and I came upon a tent and out came the girl I once met that had inspired me to do the very thing I was doing. Chills. I am so grateful for where God has led me down this road of loving on the homeless. If it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have the relationship I do now with a very special person who we now call family.

[max-and-furiosa]

allow me to introduce you to my cats

My (now) husband and I adopted these little babies in September 2016, when they were 10 weeks old. We got them from the local SPCA and it was love at first sight.

We went into the shelter expecting to adopt a single older cat. We left with two kittens. We didn’t make this decision.

Furiosa did.

Furiosa is a classic tuxedo cat on the small end of medium sized, but she is quite sure she has the influence of the sun and control over the universe as she knows it. When she wants something, she will do everything in all her kitty power to get it. And when I walked into the shelter that day, she decided she wanted me.

I had to walk past her to see the older cats, because a lot of kittens were on the main floor for hopefully speedy adoptions. Furiosa - not named then - reached out through the bars of her carrier and swatted at me to get my attention the first time I passed by. She did it again when I came back out, and spent the rest of our visit attempting to get my attention and ignoring basically everyone else in the area. She was adorable. She was rambunctious. She was determined. My husband and I agreed to see her and her brother in the visiting room to get to know them a bit.

Long story short, I went home with two new kittens, one of which was showing the quickest and most intense signs of bonding towards me that I had ever experienced.

So let’s talk about them!

This is Max. He’s a domestic shorthair with gray and white fur and a thick undercoat. (He is the source of all of the dust and hair in the house. I’m convinced his sister hardly sheds and he is the sole source.)

Max is very sweet, very shy, and is as smart as the potato chips he thinks make for a good snack. I am pretty confident, to be honest, that he had an accident before we adopted him that stalled his mental/emotional development. He 100% acts like a kitten between 6 and 8 weeks old. He’s a full grown and very strong cat, but he’s as smart as a kitten and has all the senses of one. Thanks to this, he’s totally harmless; he doesn’t get aggressive when he’s scared, he seeks comfort in the people/things that he trusts.

Max’s favorite things are:

Making biscuits on soft blankets (only if a human is present with him; it’s apparently a group activity)

Laying upside down anywhere and everywhere

The Red Dot (tm) (he will run himself sick chasing a laser pointer bc he’s stupid and has no sense of self preservation)

Max’s least favorite things are:

Being Outside in literally any capacity that is not the back patio (a cat safe place that will be seen in future photos)

Not being fed the moment he feels the slightest twinge of hunger (usually about an hour before actual meal time in which he’s a total nuisance)

Being restrained for any grooming needs regardless of actual pain/discomfort level (aka he freaks out at having his hair brushed as much as he freaks out at having his teeth brushed)

Moving on…

This is Furiosa.

She’s a small-medium tuxedo shorthair with green eyes that look like they see a little too much of you when you makes eye contact. She has a heart nose and black toe beans and is 100% aware of how pretty she is.

Furiosa is like the polar opposite of Max and may have strategically sapped his INT stat from her brother in the womb. Where Max lacks intelligence, Furiosa makes up for it ten-fold. I’m convinced she knows a fair amount of English and understands a lot of what I say to her; because of this, I tend to talk to her like a small child more than a cat. She seems to appreciate it.

Furiosa is also convinced that she and I are Soulmates Who Are Destined to Be Together and makes it incredibly clear to anyone and everyone who comes near me. This makes things especially hilarious because I’m married, and she thinks my husband is her Ultimate Rival (tm) in the battle for my true love. The nice thing about all that is how much cuddle time I get with her. The downside is how much cuddle time she wants with me.

Furiosa’s favorite things are:

Going for walks in her pet stroller; night time is best time and she expects at least one stranger to stop and love on her. I must be present.

Going outside on the patio to watch the world; she has a catio and lots of plants where bugs might hide. Best experienced if I am present.

Being as close to me as possible; sleeping on my shoulder is best, but she will settle for next to me and will almost always be found nearby regardless.

Furiosa’s least favorite things are:

When I leave the house without her. Every time. No matter how routine it is. Hates being away from me. Yells about it.

Being denied precisely what she wants precisely when she wants it; will throw a fit if you don’t let her outside because it’s 110°F, will pout if I cannot hold her right this moment, and will bite my nose and bap me if I don’t feed her when she wants.

When I have any physical contact with anyone at all; from hugging a friend to cuddling with my own damn husband, she will make it known that she Disapproves.

And there you go! That’s Max and Furiosa, my babies, the lights of my life. And I am going to share photos and stories here when the fancy strikes me. Enjoy!

[calypsoff]

Thirty Nine. Part 3

Robyn is an emotional wreck, I hate that she continues to cry because she doesn’t need too “I am sorry, they are happy tears and just the fact you’re here with me Chris. Throughout this tour I have been so worried about you, I just thought he would do something stupid. He won’t get better, he won’t do it, but you did. It’s been a battle and to see you like this, you’re happy!” she spat, licking my lips laughing “yeah, I understand but don’t cry it’s fine I am here now. I was ignoring your calls for this reason” Robyn breathed out rolling her eyes “I was like Mel he’s not answering, he’s posted a picture like that. He is out in Cali; he is ignoring me. I was going to come back to Cali to sort you out actually, I was so mad. But look at you Chris! Look at you” she placed both hands on my arms “I am in awe; Chris I am just so happy. I am speechless, and you came here for me. How is it? Last time I saw you there was a walking frame, so tell me?” she moved her hands back “I can walk and stand on my own, walking I am not the quickest and long period of standing is no good for me so that is why I came here to rest, nigga can’t take that shit you know, but I will get there. Other then that I am well, but yeah. I came here for you. To surprise you, I honestly don’t know what I would do without you Robyn, like you really gave me a reason to love, like you don’t think it and you’re going to tell me to shut up but if you weren’t around, I wouldn’t be alive. I would have accepted death, the only reason I cried and felt the way I did at that moment because I had a reason to be here, I have you and I felt I was losing you at that moment, to never see your face. I thank you so much Robyn” Robyn shook her head “don’t say that you look so handsome Chris. I am crushing on you so hard right now; you look so much better. You look so, vibrant. That is the word, you look so happy. And you shaved, thank heavens, oh god. I love you” Robyn walked over to me, placing my arms around Robyn and picked her as I hugged her “oh I forgot, you got muscles now. Is this what we are doing now?” I chuckled; she knows I am going to be flexing.

Robyn is getting changed so we just waiting for her to come out, Rorrey rested his arm on my shoulder “you got Majesty again? What is this?” he pointed laughing, looking down at Majesty “because back in Cali, I called Majesty annoying and Noella got angry with me” Rorrey laughed “well who told her to bring this baby around people unwell” Noella put a finger up Rorrey “I am just saying, but we all friends now. Clearly Majesty likes you” nodding my head “she is too damn cute though, her cheeks are so chubby” Rorrey reached over stroking her cheek “she is, little fatty” Robyn finally came out “can we go and eat now!? Damn!” Rajad spat, she took a while “be quiet” Robyn a little shy now. I saw that look on her face, she put her head down as walked off “wow, see how she walks off knowing I can’t walk fast” Robyn gasped looking at me “she is straight rude, the man is trying and you running” everyone is getting so annoyed with Rorrey “are you his backing singer, nigga shut up. I was coming, I was walking around to you. Oh now you like Majesty” see I knew she would say that “Majesty was saying how nasty you are, she likes me actually. It’s ok you go, I have Majesty now” Robyn side eyed me “clearly, and that ugly thing behind you” she pointed at Rorrey “you both look like a gay couple with a stolen baby” Robyn is so mean “jealousy, wow. Damn, you want me to put the baby down” she is sassy.

This restaurant is amazing, it’s beach front. Like the beach is right there and it’s remained open just for Rihanna, it’s cute because they have a welcome home banner here for her too. I think Robyn forgets I am slow with walking, she always walks off, but she knows I am with her family anyways, her brothers are cool, and I do like them. Pulling the chair out next to Robyn “you keep leaving me constantly, I thought you missed me” sitting down on the chair “I do, but you was deep in conversation with my brothers so I thought leave it” shuffling the chair in “I think you getting shy with me though” Robyn rolled her eyes laughing, she really is and is lying “be quiet, you wish” she knows I am right, I am sat right across Ronald. Out of every person that I could be sat across, it’s Ronald. Leaning forward on the table, Robyn placing her arm around my shoulder, resting her head on my arm “I have missed you so much, I find it so surreal that it’s you here” looking to the side of me “admit you crushing on me first” she moved off of me and lightly hit my arm “anyways!” Robyn got up from her chair “let me do a little speech, so I am just so happy. Happy that the tour is over, happy that I can now just spend time with my loved ones. Thank you all for bringing me out here, for having this end of tour meal, I love you all so much and thank you. My voice is nearly going, and Chris being here. It’s really topped it off for me, Mel stop recording me!” Robyn laughed “I am stopping now because I can’t speak anymore” she sat down, clapping my hands as she shyly sat down and shuffled her chair in.

I am not hungry, not in a bad way but I feel so nervous about it all. I feel nervous proposing to Robyn anyways, I would like to have done it privately but I know how much her family mean to Robyn so that is why “what’s wrong” Robyn placed her hand on my knee, I jumped a little “uhm nothing” sitting back on the chair, placing my hand a top of hers. Wrapping my hand around hers, just staring at our hands together, they fit so perfectly “I am tired I guess, but I am also happy the tour is over, I can spend time with you finally. I am just happy, don’t worry about it” I am nervous as fuck, but I can’t say anything about it “so Chris how did you meet my daughter? I think I remember my daughter saying you met at her concert” Ronald asked, here he goes “yeah, but I met before then. She came to my school as an exchanged student. You must have known that right or you just asking questions just because?” see I am already annoyed about earlier “I haven’t met you before, I don’t know who you are” he thinks he is clever “and what I am trying to say, you should have known if you paid attention to Robyn instead of Rihanna” Robyn looked between me and her dad “don’t come to me like that, you don’t know me” I chuckled “but you don’t know me either, you came at me sideways. I don’t want your daughter’ money, when she came to America did she have money then? No, weren’t you the one that failed to send her money when she was in VA because you spent it on something else” Robyn turned to me “please stop, let’s not do this right now” nodding my head “your dad came at me, he said I want your money, I am defending myself. I don’t want your money Robyn, never have. But let’s move on” I will drop it “dad please, this stops now. I don’t want it” least she told her dad off too cause he is an asshole.

Lightly touching Robyn’ hair at the back, twirling her hair between my fingers. I like it when she has it opened, I also liked the shaved side thing, but I think she said she was going to grow it out, I heard her saying it to Yusuf, she is in deep conversation with Yusuf, and I am just sat here playing with her hair. Robyn eventually turned her head to me smirking “you done?” she said smiling from ear to ear “not so much” resting my arm against the back of Robyn’ chair as she sat back, shuffling my chair to the side so I can be closer to her. She snuggled into me, resting my arm on her shoulder “I feel a little shy with you, not going to lie. It’s like seeing you all over again, feels like the time when I saw you at my tour date and you came, the following night I just couldn’t stop thinking about you. I will get over it but I am just so happy you are here” Robyn placed her hand on my thigh “I wouldn’t do that if I was you, I mean you know I haven’t had any in so long” Robyn giggled “be quiet” she mumbled, lightly nuzzling my nose against the top her head “you staying at a hotel?” I said in a whisper “you know I am staying with my mother” taking in a deep breath “you are getting a hotel though” Robyn looked up at me “for what?” she said with the biggest smirk on her face “on a real, at this time of the night. My mother would refuse” rolling my eyes “but I want to blow your back out so now what?” Robyn put her head down giggling “don’t just giggle and be touching my thigh, I need a solution” I want sex, it’s been too long “first of all I haven’t had a shower from the tour, I just came here. I am also tired, I want us to have a special night. Ok listen” she turned to me “solution is, we go tomorrow. To a hotel, but we can’t do it at my mother’ house. Because it’s been a while, I don’t want her or my brothers to hear” I groaned out “how am I going to deal with that? Tell me” Robyn pecked my cheek “come” she got up from her chair.

Robyn held onto my finger as she walked passed her family, is this like a walk of shame. This is awkward but we went inside the building “you bad” I know where she is going now, she is trying to make me happy “you don’t have too you know? Like this, I mean I can wait one more day. Like a honeymoon thing” I yanked my hand back and gripped her wrist “but we can” she furrowed her eyebrows “no, I think we can have a special time tomorrow, I know we will” wrapping my arms around Robyn, I need to also gather myself to propose to Robyn. Placing my hand on Robyn’ butt “I love you so much poppa, you made me so happy, you do not understand. You just coming here, just because I didn’t think you would have come in the first place but you’re here, to see you like this too. I probably stank right now too” I inhaled deeply “stop it” moving my head back “you smell just fine, is your momma going to let us sleep in the same bed now? This is concerning” I just thought of that now “yeah but like it’s a little awkward to have sex there, just because I know the sex about to be nasty. It’s been so long” she knows, biting on my bottom lip smirking “you know it huh” pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead and squeezed her close to me, I mean yes we could have had sex quickly in the bathroom but really, do I want to do that when I want to burn her out and put her into several positions “god I missed you” I really did.

Staring at Robyn across from the table, I am sat with the boys, but I just want to be with Robyn, and I can’t stop looking at her. She caught me staring and I just laughed putting my head down “aye Chris, you said you was going to give us free things? Well me” looking at Rorrey “I did?” I questioned confused “Black Pyramid” letting an oh “yeah, yeah. I got you” nodding my head looking back over at Robyn, she is staring at me. Robyn is really twirling her hair between her fingers too, smiling at her lightly. She winked at me, more like blink but it was cute. I sighed out, realising the song playing in the background, Alicia Keys – Un-Thinkable. Such a fitting song “you nervous” looking at Rorrey “a little” he slid over a shot glass to me “some courage” smiling lightly, he is right. This could help, taking the shot glass. Downing the content straight, I didn’t even think about it because I need it. Placing the glass down, I am feeling it now. Just everything, like from seeing her then to now I am sat with her family, I am scared “what if I fuck up?” I mean that could happen “what do you mean?” Niko asked “he’s going to propose to Robyn” Rorrey whispered, his eyes widened “go! Do it now” he said it like it’s so easy to just do it.

I have so many things going through my mind, what if the ring is just ugly, what if it doesn’t fit, what if she doesn’t want to do it just yet. I need to do it, I am sweating a lot too. Mel has this stupid look on her face “and what do you want sloth, that is your new name” rolling my eyes at her “man, shut up. Can I just borrow Robyn? Or I could jus sit down” I just chickened out on it, I sat down with my hand in my pocket, my hand over the box “the hell nigga?” Mel said, Robyn looked over at me “you good over there” she asked, I couldn’t help but laugh. This is just laughable, I am so dumb “uh yeah, just floating around” Mel snorted laughing “floating huh, you had too much weed over there” I am sweating so bad, I look so awkward, and Robyn knows it “you want to go home?” shaking my head “maybe take your tee off, you’re sweating” clearing my throat “yeah, you know like it’s been a year since I like met you again, I seen you at your tour that time. It’s been pretty much a year, since we reconnected. I just thought I would point that out” Robyn cooed out “it’s nice you remember that, but it has been, crazy right” Robyn went right back to talking to her friends and family, Mel poked her bottom lip out at me “come on now” wiping the sweat from my forehead, what am I doing because this is terrible.

I have been sat here with my hand over the box “come, we are going now” how long have I been here, we are going “Robyn” I said as she got up “mhm?” this is terrible “I love you; I really do. I am so glad you came back into my life” Robyn placed her hands over my face, pressing a kiss to my forehead “come on, you a little romantic today” she grinned, Mel eyeballed me “this is bad” I said, Robyn is walking off to go to the house. Fuck this, I shot up and got in the way of her friend that was following her. Getting down on one knee “Robyn, I have been trying to ask you. Will you marry me!?” I shouted, I shouted as loud as I could, and I heard the gasps. Everyone stopped walking, opening the box “I been trying to ask you just sat there, but will you marry me, and we can be together forever? I love you” Robyn turned around slowly in utter shock with me being on one knee, she looks in horror but also shock. She was going to place her hand over her mouth, but it froze there in position, shock has taken over Robyn staring at me “will you marry me?” I asked this time with her looking at me “me?” her little voice said, nodding my head. Her sobs left her lips “yes, oh my god yes” she cried out, I think my leg fell asleep, but I got up. I closed the box as I hugged Robyn, I didn’t expect to get so emotional myself, but I did, tears left my eyes “I love you so much, stop crying” she is making me cry, the cheers and claps around us was heart-warming to hear. Just to feel the love form everybody.

Robyn is really shaking, even putting the ring on her finger she is shook “I can’t believe it” Mel screamed running into Robyn as they hugged “ahhhh yessss bitch, my girl is getting married. She is about to be a wife, ahhh!” closing the box, that was stressful “I was about to cuss you out when you flew by me” Sonita said “but all is forgiven, I haven’t seen my friend so shook and crying. It’s nice to see her so happy” I chuckled, I thought she was going to beat my ass “I am shaking” Robyn walked over to me “the ring is beautiful Chris, I am in love. You really want to marry me? Is this real life” nodding my head “of course I do Robyn, I love you to the moon and back” Sonita held Robyn’ hand to see the ring “this is so beautiful, you paid out for my girl. Good, you treat her like a queen she is. That ring is beautiful” they are gushing over the ring, I did good then and I am happy with my decision, I can’t believe I did it “congratulations son, you will be my son in law. Welcome to the family” Monica held her arms open waving me over, stepping back from everyone and made my way to Monica “thank you for accepting me” hugging her close “you’re perfect for her, you make her smile so much and you love her, remember to always love my daughter even through her bad days, support her through it all, even the people that like to take advantage” I am sure that last part is shade towards Ronald, I am sure of it.

[pitviperofdoom]

Fundraiser Commission #6

Thank you for donating $20!

Prompt: “Inko x Rei Todoroki, smth cute, canon(ish) verse (OR smth in an existing fic-verse if it calls?)”

Sorry it took so long for me to finish another commission! I’m hoping to have the last three out in the next week or so.

Inko found the restaurant without much difficulty.

It wasn’t far from the bustling train station, and Izuku gave very good directions—in between repeated apologies that he couldn’t pick her up himself. Of course she understood; the life of a hero was a turbulent thing, impossible to predict. And her poor boy sounded so distraught over the phone, she couldn’t possibly be upset with him for it.

The invitation had come somewhat out of the blue: Izuku called her one evening and asked her if she wanted to join him and Shouto for dinner on Saturday, and of course she had enthusiastically agreed. Inko would have been happy to have her son and his boyfriend over for a home-cooked meal, but Izuku had been adamant.

And so it was that Inko approached the restaurant her son had chosen. She had dressed for the occasion; this particular restaurant wasn’t fancy enough to be intimidating, but it was no hole-in-the-wall izakaya, either. Enough to warrant a little decorum on her part.

She found Izuku waiting outside for her, nicely dressed if a little rumpled. The only real sign that he had just come off of a patrol was the darkening red-purple mark over his cheekbone. He was quick to come in for a hug. Inko squeezed him tight, partly to express her love and partly to make sure that he was eating enough. Satisfied, she released him.

“Shouto and his mom are inside,” her son told her. His eyes were darting about, never settling on her for more than a few seconds.

Now that was a surprise. Inko didn’t remember Izuku mentioning Shouto’s mother. “Oh dear, am I late?”

“No, don’t worry! Our table’s reserved, you’re fine.”

Sure enough, when Izuku led her to the correct table, Shouto was already waiting there with a familiar white-haired woman that Inko had only met a few times before. The former Todoroki Rei gave her a smile as she approached, and Inko found herself returning it. The last time she saw the woman smile, it had seemed a delicate thing, as if a strong breeze would whip it away. It was firmer now; it would take a bit more to shake her happiness, it seemed.

The four of them exchanged pleasantries until the server came to take their order. Izuku sat with Shouto, which did little for his fidgeting. He seemed extra chatty today, especially next to Shouto, who Inko could swear was being quieter than usual.

It was only when the waitress took their orders and left that Izuku, after watching her retreat out of hearing range, finally settled. Inko watched as his arm shifted, in such a way that she was sure to mean he was holding his boyfriend’s hand.

Izuku waited until Shouto was finished answering a question from his mother before speaking.

“S-so, um. We had a reason for inviting you out. Which I guess is sort of obvious? N-not that we’d need a reason to spend time with you, of course! But we decided we wanted to have all four of us together this time, and there’s a reason for that.”

Inko’s heart stuttered and nearly halted in her chest.

No. Could it be? She shot a glance at Shouto’s mother, and found the woman’s gray eyes nearly glowing with anticipation.

“I asked Izuku to marry me,” Shouto continued, and Izuku squeaked softly beside him.

Inko gasped. “Ohh. Oh, Izuku.”

“Isaidyes,” her son blurted out, and Inko barely had time to reach for her napkin before the tears came.

Their little get-together dissolved into sniffling and congratulations and a few motherly hugs that stretched the bounds of restaurant etiquette, but Inko couldn’t bring herself to care. Her son was marrying the man he loved. Her precious boy had never looked happier, smiling from ear to ear with a bruise from work blooming on his cheek.

When the server came with their meals, Shouto’s mother caught her eye and winked. Inko beamed when she recognized the knowing smile of a fellow mother ready to scheme.

They had a wedding to plan, after all.

---

In the end, there was plenty for them to do. Izuku took to organizing everything with his usual gusto, filling up notebooks with lists, reminders, and contact information that might have made Inko’s head spin if her son weren’t so talented at organizing everything.

A few things were set in stone. They already had an officiant chosen from among their friends, as well as a photographer and a DJ—no less than Earphone Jack herself. Other than that, the guest list was the quickest to finish: classmates, co-workers, friends and former teachers, as well as immediate family on both sides. It was to be a small, private ceremony, with only family, close friends, and trusted acquaintances invited.

Endeavor was, naturally, not on that list. As far as Inko knew, his name was not even mentioned.

(Good, she thought with no small amount of satisfaction. The last thing this wedding needed was a pair of unfriendly eyes in the audience. She had tried to ignore the media’s unwelcome comments on her son’s nuptials, but the former Flame Hero insisted on making himself and his displeasure oh so very noticeable.)

Hisashi was also never mentioned, not by Izuku nor by Inko. And why should he be? He had hardly been mentioned in passing in their household for twenty years now.

Of course, there were a few things that escaped the grooms-to-be: tiny details that made little difference, areas outside their expertise and comfort zones. Those very details were what brought the two women to Inko’s couch, to confer over catalogs while the boys visited possible venues.

“Hmm,” Inko frowned over a booklet of floral samples. “Todoroki-san, what do you think of these as table settings? Very small, but tasteful, I think.”

“Oh, those look lovely,” she agreed. “And, there’s no need for formality between us. Please, call me ‘Rei’.”

“Oh! Are you sure?” Inko knew she was blushing, because her surprise and embarrassment were overwhelming and blushing was inevitable (Izuku had to get it from somewhere, after all).

“It’s a personal preference of mine,” Rei said with a small smile. “I go by my maiden name in public, and with strangers. But I would like us to be friends, if that’s all right.”

“Oh, well, yes! Of course!” Inko tried not to stammer. “And you may call me Inko, as well.”

“Are you certain? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable…”

“Ah, believe me,” Inko chuckled. “If I called you Rei while you called me Midoriya, it would feel off-balance. Inko is fine.” She cleared her throat. “Do you know if your son has a favorite flower? Izuku likes marigolds. Anything yellow, actually. Though he’s shown a fondness for roses, in recent years.” She paused, hoping this was delicate. “Red and white, of course.”

This drew a laugh from her new friend. “I think Shouto would rather defer to his fiance’s preferences in flowers.” After a moment of thought she added, “Truth be told, I think he’d be happy with following Izuku’s lead on everything.”

“Yes, he seemed a bit overwhelmed with all the details,” Inko mused. “Poor dear. And Izuku! I’ve heard him change his mind on things five times each. Shouto wants what Izuku wants and Izuku doesn’t know what he wants because he also wants what Shouto wants.”

“Well, that’s what we’re here for, I suppose,” said Rei, smiling again. “I have to confess, I’ve been so excited! I wanted to badly to help Fuyumi with her wedding, but that was…” Her voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat. “Anyhow, the boys should be out for another hour or so, so we may as well narrow down more of the choices they have ahead of them…”

Inko watched as the other woman flipped distractedly through the catalog pages. She knew only what Izuku had told her, which wasn’t much, but she did know that Shouto’s sister’s wedding was a hushed, hurried thing, in the midst of the Endeavor court case. Rei had still been in the hospital then, hadn’t she?

She pushed those thoughts aside. There was a reason Endeavor wasn’t welcome, several even. “I think the menu is next on their list,” Inko said, keeping her voice light and brisk. “Why don’t we look up caterers for them to choose from?” The thought brought another at its heel, and she popped her forehead. “Oh! And a baker! How could I forget—it’s no wedding without a proper cake.”

Rei looked a little relieved at the shift in topic. “Right, of course. Izuku didn’t happen to leave any notes on menus, did he?”

“You know, I believe he did—where did I put it down…?” Inko pushed aside a book of font samples and another catalog before she found the notebook that Izuku had left her. “Ah, here we are! Just a moment… yes, here’s the page!” Inko passed it over. “It looks like the cake is settled—Izuku wrote down ‘Sugarman Confections’ and circled it three times.”

“Oh yes, Sugarman!” A smile broke out over Rei’s face. “He’s on the guest list with the rest of their old classmates, isn’t he? I heard Shouto talking about that—Izuku wasn’t sure if it was right to hire him for his services when he was also a guest, but Shouto pointed out that they would be ordering from one of his bakeries and not necessarily hiring him, specifically. That seemed to alleviate the worries.”

“And Earphone Jack is handling music, I know Izuku was very insistent about that,” Inko said with a smile. “Or… rather, I think it was Earphone Jack who was insistent, and Izuku was mostly resigned to it.”

“They’re all very keen,” Rei remarked. “I think they’ll all be looking for ways to help when the day actually comes, guests or not.”

“Heroes, all of them,” Inko sighed, and her mood promptly flipped over on its head.

She couldn’t be sure what caused it. Maybe nothing; it was always so frustrating when these things came out of nowhere, especially in front of someone who didn’t know her well and might mistake it for something else. But at that precise moment, sitting on her battered old couch surrounded by evidence of frantic wedding planning, Inko was overtaken by another flood of tears.

“Oh! Oh, dear…” And now she was embarrassed again, weeping as she searched about for a box of tissues and found none within reach. It was far too late to try to turn back the tears or try to hide them. She was crying, and that was all there was to it. “I-I’m terribly so-orry, I don’t know… what came over me…” A soft bit of cloth was pressed into her hand—a handkerchief?—and Inko jammed it into her eyes, partly to stem the flow and mostly to avoid looking at whatever expression Rei was wearing at the moment.

“How embarrassing!” she exclaimed, once she could speak again without her voice wobbling too severely to be understood. “Forgive me, Rei-san, I haven’t any idea what’s wrong with me—” She tried to swallow another sob, and was only partially successful.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Rei said gently, as she took back the sopping-wet handkerchief and replaced it with a fresh one. “What’s a wedding without panicking and tears?”

Inko choked on a laugh. She couldn’t laugh now, or it would come out in undignified squeaks. As it was, it took her a few tries to compose herself fully. “It’s not panic, don’t worry,” she said, wiping her eyes for the umpteenth time. “I’m just… overwhelmed. It’s all so much—and it’s not as if it’s come out of nowhere, but… sometimes I just look around, and that’s all it takes.”

Rei watched her carefully, neither interrupting nor answering, even to ask for her handkerchief back.

“It’s just, for the longest time it was only the two of us, you know?” Inko went on, still mopping at her cheeks, though it was more for restless energy than necessity. “Izuku and I… it’s just been the two of us and the rest of the world, for years, and then… and now…” She coughed. “I’m sorry, I must not be making any sense.”

“Take your time,” Rei assured her.

Inko did so, allowing herself a few more deep breaths before speaking again. “He was so lonely before,” she whispered hoarsely. “I did my best, but it never felt like enough—with Hisashi gone, and all his peers… I knew that he was lonely, and there were so many times that I could see he wasn’t happy, but I just didn’t know what to do, and then… and then he turned fifteen, and everything changed. And now he’s—now we’re here, and he’s found someone, he’s found so many people and they love him and he’s getting married and he’s never going to be alone again.” It all left her in a rush, thankfully with only a few more tears slipping free.

Rei was silent for a while. Her hand rested on the couch cushion between them, not reaching but offering. “It’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it,” she said quietly. “Seeing him so bright. Happy.” Inko looked over just in time to see the other woman’s throat bob. “After being afraid that… that he lost his chance at happiness forever, because of something you did. Or didn’t do.”

“Oh, Rei…” Inko’s heart gave a painful twist.

“You’re right,” Rei went on, smiling softly at nothing in particular. “He’s the one who did all the finding. He found my Shouto’s smile, for one. I still wish I knew how to thank him for that. But I suppose helping plan his wedding is a step in the right direction.”

Inko couldn’t think of the words to answer her—and who knew if she could speak without crying all over again even if she could—so she simply clasped the offered hand warmly.

By the time their sons returned, the two women were cooing over flower arrangements, with not a single tear, tissue, or handkerchief in sight.

---

There were no seating sections, nor was there a need for them. The aisle was a necessity, but ultimately meant nothing. The two grooms shared friends, and the point of this ceremony was to come away sharing family, so what was the point of dividing them at the start?

In the front row, Inko wept unashamedly. Beside her, Rei clasped her hand and let loose a few joyful tears of her own.

[shes-an-oddbird]

Road Trip

Merry Christmas @bookishandbossy, from your Fitzsimmons Secret Santa. I’m running a little late but here it is. A one-shot of Fitzsimmons bonding as they road trip across the country. As I’ve never done a proper road trip most of the facts are vague but I hope you enjoy it none the less. 

Quick Summary: Fitz and Simmons just missed their ride. Daisy offers them her old van to make the cross country drive to their research meet site. 

*Mostly fluffy with like two seconds of angst because I gave Jemma my anxiety over driving. 

They had a bad habit of bickering to the point that they forgot what was going on around them. It had happened several times in the short time that they’d known each other and once before they’d even met. Dr. Simmons and Dr. Fitz had been independently working on separate sides of one larger project for some time before there was a need for them to collaborate. Dr. Simmons was running tests on both the flora and fauna of an area that was recently impacted by a small meteorite and were now showing signs of unusual behavior. Dr. Fitz was contacted when the readings they picked up from the meteorite itself proved unmeasurable on their own equipment and they needed to expand the machines capabilities.

Eventually the lead on the project contacted them about working together to find the connection between their two projects and it had been regular shouting matches ever since.

Daisy, Jemma’s roommate, had called them out several times on the blinders they wore when they were together and arguing. The world could collapse into chaos around them and they wouldn’t notice. Up until now Jemma had brushed off the accusations.

Now that she was watching the shuttle, the one that was carrying the entire research team to the meteorite sight, pull away, she would have to admit that her friend might just have a point.

“Guess we’ll just have to walk then.” Fitz said sarcastically still riled up from their bickering match. What had it even been about this time? Something about packing her samples to close to his equipment. Had that really been worth missing their ride. Jemma tore her eyes away from the disappearing bus to look at him unamused.

After a solid moment of glaring she asked hopelessly, “we could get tickets for another bus?”

“That shuttle was paid for by the foundation to go directly to the campsite, I doubt there is another bus heading that way, if there is it’s probably a million exchanges and more tickets than I can afford, can you?”

Jemma knew she didn’t either. “Well there has got to be another option.”

…

“So you still have a good ten miles when the tank is on E and the emergency break light goes on and off whenever it wants, the radio usually works well unless you’re on a bridge, haven’t figured that one out yet, and there is plenty of room to sleep in the back and I do mean sleep, I don’t want anything dirty going on in my van.” Jemma’s eyes went wide, her cheeks turning bright red at Daisy’s suggestion.

“I assure you Daisy, there will be none of that.”

Daisy stared back at her doubtfully and then glanced quickly at Fitz who was embarrassedly scratching at his ear.

“Yeah okay, sure.” She pulled the keys from her pocket and held them out towards Fitz who looked surprised.

“I’m driving?” He asked, surprised.

“Jemma is scared to drive.”

“I am not, I just don’t like too!” Jemma took the keys with a huff and headed to the driver’s side door.

“Alright, calm down, all joking aside, be careful.” Daisy leaned through the open window as Jemma climbed in. “And try to have some fun, I’m guessing you’ve never been on a road trip.”

“The farthest trip I ever took by car was when my family drove up through Perthshire, it was a beautiful there.”

“Well there are some great sights here too.” Daisy assured her.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jemma wouldn’t mind stopping to see a few sights but they were also way behind the shuttle and the team couldn’t start with out their part of the research.

“Bye Fitz!” Daisy waved to him and he gave an awkward wave back. She stepped back from the van as Jemma started it up. She shifted them into drive and they were off.

…

She really wasn’t a bad driver. She passed her test just as she had every other test in her life. She just was a little anxious. There were just so many other cars. And Daisy’s old van wasn’t exactly easy to maneuver. She struggled to see over the dash, even propped up the two chair cushions Daisy had in the driver’s seat. The little bobbling hula girl that sat above the radio was extremely distracting. And she just knew if she started talking to Fitz again they would get wrapped up in conversation and loose her concentration.

“I don’t mind driving you know, if it makes you uncomfortable, I mean.” Fitz offered as they neared the on ramp.  She must have been fidgeting. She had thought she would be better once they were on the highway but if he was offering…

“Okay, let me just pull off here.”

Jemma sat back in the passenger’s seat with a relaxed sigh.

She was a much better passenger than driver. She had typed up an entire itinerary for the trip while Fitz had filled the gas tank. It included the quickest route and ideal routes to optimize sightseeing and attractions without putting them too far behind schedule and several maps using several back roads to avoid traffic and road construction should they run across it.

“Do you really think we’ll have time to stop anywhere, the shuttle wasn’t planning on making many.”

“If we’re very careful and don’t stay anywhere too long.” Jemma reassured him as she reread her notes. “A few other team members are flying in from out of the country so we’re not actually due there until Friday afternoon.”

Fitz nodded. “So what’s the first stop?”

…

Apparently when Simmons had said they couldn’t stay anywhere too long, too long was somewhere between seven and ten minutes. It was a shame because the view from the Blue Ridge Parkway was a sight to be seen with all its large blue mountains spreading into the distance. Getting out of the mountains quickly wasn’t so bad though. His ears popping on the way down had been a relief.

There were several museums that would have been worth stopping at but would have taken much too long to properly enjoy.

There were a lot of national parks on their path though and with each stop Fitz found himself able to extend their stay but picking a topic and getting her started talking about it. She could tell him the names of every flower and bird and even several fish in murky creek beds. Her enthusiasm was unmatchable, but he tried to volley back with some historical facts as there wasn’t much in his field to talk about in the wide-open natural environments.

The only time Fitz found himself wishing Jemma would stop talking was when their conversations continued back to the van and all the way to the rest stops where they crawled into the back and tucked in for the night.

The van was spacious and Daisy, who apparently used to live out of it, had it outfitted like a tiny apartment, complete with a mini sleeper sofa bolted to the floor. Fitz insisted that Jemma sleep there and he would sleep on floor with his own sleeping bag. Despite Jemma being elevated above him they were very close and Jemma insisted on sleep on her side facing him and recapping their day.

It was strangely intimate, even in the uncomfortable sleeping conditions.

However, when silence fell it was almost worse. He was left to his own thoughts and those were starting to revolve heavily around his traveling companion.

…

“I’ve got a surprise.”

“Oh?” Fitz ask, not taking his eyes off the road.

“We’re not stopping at the Grand Canyon.”

“I thought you were excited about that, you set aside the whole day for it.”

“I am, but I was thinking we could stop there on the way back,” she explained quickly brushing over the fact that she was inviting him to ride back with her instead of taking the shuttle home. “Today I wanted to pick something that you would enjoy since you’ve been so kind as to drive the entire time.”

“It was really not a big deal.”

“Well even so, I thought it should be your turn to pick, only I wanted it to be a surprise, so I tried to pick for you.”

“Okay?” He looked uncertain but Jemma was sure she was spot on with her plans.

“Just take the next off ramp, I’m know you’re going to love it.”

 …

The local zoo was currently hosting a family of capuchin monkeys that had been rescued from an area being heavily effected by deforestation. She knew she had nailed it when Fitz’s eyes lit up upon seeing the sheer number of little monkeys bouncing around inside the exhibit. His usually grumpiness was completely replaced by a childlike joy and he started spewing out facts like she had been doing since they left Virginia.

They spent most of the day at the Zoo. They went to a few other exhibits before Fitz led them back to the Primate habitat under the guise of finding their way back to the van.

“This was really great Jemma, how did you know?”

“Well you mentioned way back when we first started working together that you’d love to have a monkey for a lab assistant.” She explained as they walked side by side through the crowd. “At first I thought it was just a shot at me and my lab etiquette being to – uh – specific, but then you’ve been wearing monkey print pajama pants to bed all week so I thought there might be a fondness for them somewhere in there.”

“Well you were right.” He lamented. “But can you please not mention the pajama pants to anyone.”

“Absolutely.” Jemma agreed. “So, what do you want to do for dinner?”

Fitz didn’t reply right away. He fidgeted next to her and when her hand brushed his he jumped away from her. “I don’t know, what are you in the mood for?” He said hastily.

“Oh, anything would be fine, I think there are a few fast food places before we hit the highway.”

“Why don’t we go somewhere nice?”

“Nice?”

“Yeah, like with a table and chairs, we’ve not had a meal at a table that the food didn’t come to us on a plastic tray for days.” His reasoning was fair. Jemma however was more interested in his rapidly reddening neck and face. Why was he so embarrassed about making dinner plans?

Oh!

“Yes.” She answered, grinning. “Let’s go somewhere nice.”

…

They ended up at a fairly casual restaurant but it didn’t have a drive thru outside so they decided it counted. Besides neither of them had packed clothes for anywhere fancier.

Dinner gave them a chance to talk about topics beyond the biology of the fish and migration patterns of rare birds. They talked about growing up back home and the culture shock coming to school in America, especially at such a young age.

Fitz talked about his mom, which left Jemma smiling over the love he had for the women who raised him.

Jemma returned his story with ones of her own about her mother talking her to her university classes when she was teaching or her father telling her about the stars on the nights it was clear enough to see them.

Her story left Fitz with an idea and after they left the restaurant, they drove to the nearest rest stop and open the backdoors of the van. They watched the sunset and the sky turn from beautiful warm oranges, pinks and purples to deep blues and finally a blanket of black stitched with bright stars.

She could name them. As if she wasn’t impressive enough. And she took his hand to help him trace out the constellations. She inched closer every time she grabbed his hand, until she was pressed against his side.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why she was moving closer and Fitz was far smarter than the average rocket scientist. He leaned down to meet her as she stretched up to press a kiss to his lips.

“I’m glad we missed that shuttle.”

“Me too.”

…

“Hey Fitz?”

“Yeah?”

“Which rest stop is this?”

“Were still in New Mexico.”

“We are?” Jemma said double checking her maps. She wouldn’t trade yesterday for anything in the world but they were way behind schedule. “I can’t believe how far behind we’ve gotten, we’re going to be late and its going to put the whole team behind.”

“We can drive through the day today, it should put us back on track.”

“You’re sure, let me know if you get tired, I can drive too.”

“Of course.”

…

The storm had rolled in out of nowhere and it was pouring. Fitz had pulled off the road and they checked several weather reports before determining it wasn’t going to pass anytime soon.

“We should stop for awhile, I can sleep for a bit and we can pick up again after the rain passes.”

Jemma fidgeted in her seat. They were already so far behind.

Fitz laid down to rest while she stayed up front in the passenger seat reviewing her research for as long as she could. Her obsessive checking of her watch was becoming annoying, even to herself.

The rain wasn’t really that bad.

Its not like she’d never driven in the rain before.

She moved over to the driver’s seat and started up the van. Fitz could still take over when he woke up, she’d just get a few more miles checked off in the meanwhile.

Fitz woke shortly after she got on the road. Some jerk behind them had laid on their horn and then sped around the van. Since then Jemma had been tense. Fitz offered to take over but she felt bad for him being woken and didn’t want to relinquish the wheel yet.

“Don’t worry, I think the rain will be letting up soon.”

…

Jemma clutched the steering wheel, her knuckles white. She couldn’t see. There was just sheets and sheets of water pouring down on them. She had slowed the van to a crawl but she still couldn’t see the road in front of her. The trees were blurred and the radio was completely drowned out by the sound of rain beating against the roof.

“Jemma you’ve got to pull off the road.” Fitz said calmly.

“I can’t see the road.” She couldn’t see the road, how was she supposed to get off of it.

“It’s okay, it’s just right next to us, alright.” Fitz tired again. She started to reach for the blinker but stopped short and grabbed the wheel. “You can do it.”

She reached again. She managed to move the lever and started to slow more.

A horn blared and Jemma jerked the van back onto the road. Ahead of her she saw a shower of sparks as a transformer blew on a light post. She shrieked and felt herself began to cry. She wanted to get off the road. She wanted to never drive again.

Something chilled touch her arm. Fitz’s hand was rubbing her forearm gently, until he slowly clasped it around her wrist. “It’s okay, we’re almost there.”

“Where?” She cried helplessly.

Fitz shook his head. He didn’t know where they were either. Still holding onto her wrist he leaned forward, eyes squinting into the rain.

“There!” He said after a minute. “Pull off now.”

For some reason she didn’t hesitate. She turned the wheel. Fitz’s hand released her arm but hovered over the steering wheel until she had them safely pulled off the road. Fitz set the lever in park and cut the road hazard lights on. She was frozen. She could not let go of the wheel.

“It’s okay, we’ve stopped Jemma.” She stared out the window. Several cars were still zipping by. Was she that bad a driver. Had she over-reacted that much to rain? She couldn’t hold it back anymore and started to sob over the stirring wheel.

She felt her seat belt release. Her hands were pried from the stirring wheel and she was eased to the edge of her seat where Fitz could more easily wrap his arms around her. “It’s okay, breath slowly okay.”

“Where are we?”

“It’s a rest area, I just barely saw the turn.” He stood suddenly. “Here, you sit, I’m going to drive us down to the parking lot.” She nodded and crawled out of the seat and into the back of the van. She grabbed one of the several pillows on the sofa, clutched it to her chest and curled the rest of her body around it. She eventually heard the engine cut off. Fitz quickly crawled to the back with her and she felt his hands rest reassuringly on her arm and back once more. “I think we just need to sleep here for the night, I’m going to go check if they have anything worth eating in the vending machines.”

She heard the van door slide closed and managed to unwind herself from the pillow. She wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t come back. She probably could have gotten them both killed. She felt herself quickly sliding her emotional scale from terrified to mortified. She should offer him money for a cab or a rental car to get him out of here.

It was a shame, she really liked him a lot.

The van door slid open.

Fitz climbed back inside with a bit of difficulty as he balanced two paper cups. “They had one of those machines that makes coffee and tea so I’ve got tea, un-caffeinated because, well, caffeinated didn’t seem like a good idea.” He handed her one of the cups carefully. “The lid blew away, its crazy out there.”

No kidding. He was drenched from head to toe.

“I also got,” he reached into the pockets of his sweatshirt, “crisps, honey buns and a couple of granola bars, they didn’t have anything else that looked healthy, sorry.”

“Thanks.” Jemma stared at him.

“What?”

“I thought you were going to leave.”

“And go where?”

“Anywhere, somewhere far away from crazy me and the death van.”

“Why would I do that?” He asked. “And you’re not crazy.” He added with a roll of his eyes.

“Fitz did you not see me out there, I shouldn’t have been driving in this, I could have gotten us killed.”

“No one should be out driving in this Jemma, it’s a monsoon.”

“Exactly but I wanted to get to the research site on time and I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay, we’re fine now.”

“But – “

“It’s Okay.” He repeated firmly.

Jemma finally went silent.

“It’s the concentrating on the road I have trouble with,” Jemma explained. “You see I used to really enjoy driving because it was a quiet place to be with my thoughts, I could prepare for a speech in my head while driving to class or do calculations in my head to save time once I arrived at work but sometimes I’d get too involved and forget I was even behind the wheel, when I realize it, I’m always panicked.”

“You’re a daydreamer, anyone can see that.”

“You make it sound so poetic, what happens when I’m daydreaming and I hit someone.”

“I think you’re more aware of what’s going on then you give yourself credit for.”  

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Fitz assured her. He hesitated for a second before leaning forward to gently kiss her lips. She couldn’t help her small pleased smile. “That said, I don’t think your confidence needs to be tested on this particular trip so maybe I’ll drive the rest of the way.”

“Thank you.”

…

“Hey Jemma, wake up.” The gentle shaking of her shoulder and Fitz’s voice finally pulled her out of her sleep. She was surprised she was so comfortable sleeping on the floor of the van. “Come on Simmons, the rains’ stopped, you’ve got to see where we are.” She sat up. Still groggy but he was becoming too persistent to ignore.

“You know I would have thought you liked to sleep in.” She said as she watched her companion swing open the door of the van.

“On any other day but you’ve got to see this Simmons.”

She crawled to the door and squinted against the sunlight. As her eyes adjusted she could see wide open blue sky and the sloping green hill that the parking lot was situated on. Behind them was a plain looking rest stop, a cookie cutter brick building with a map just outside of it. She stood and followed after Fitz. As she climbed the hill she wondered what could be so thrilling at a rest stop but Fitz’s was so excited it had to be something.

As she reached the top she could see the amazing view. It stretched out for miles, all green and marbled rock cliffs. “Its gorgeous but we’ve seen a lot of great views.”

“Well how’s this sound, see that wooded area over there?” She nodded. “That’s the research sight, we’ll be there by noon if we leave soon.”

Jemma looked more closely. It was too far to see and breakage of branches or other damage but it all started to look familiar from her maps. They made it.

That was less exciting than she expected. She looked back up at Fitz who was already looking happily down at her. “You know it wouldn’t be so bad if we were just a little late, I think there’s a museum not far from here.”

Fitz’s smile grew. “Let’s go.”

[lilith-lovett]

Found Families - Home is Where the Hart is - Chapter Ten

We have reached chapter number ten. I have recently realised this series is going to be quite long so I hope you keep enjoying this seemingly never-ending fic because we have a long way to go. Now this scene has been one a lot of people have been commenting about and I loved writing it despite how long it took me. So, I hope you enjoy it all as well. Thanks.

Masterlist

Summary: Logan finally meets Patton’s children. (And is an absolute savage while doing so)

Word Count: 5662

Warnings: Child abuse, past child abuse, past bad experiences with orphanages, anxiety, skipping meals, self-deprecation, description of bruises and injuries, self-harm (Logan intentionally silences himself by hurting himself I wasn’t sure what to labelled it as), murder mention, nightmare mention, panic attack mention. (If there are any I have missed please let me know).

It was another five days before Patton returned to the Orphanage, this time with his children in tow. He had called to arrange a session almost immediately after gaining Roman and Virgil’s approval, but not before calling Emile to tell him the good news. He spent his morning; coaxing Roman out of bed, urging Dee to change into anything other than his snake printed pyjamas and convincing Virgil that Logan wasn’t going to hate him. All before 9 am. When they did manage to actually get out of the front door and into the car, an awkward silence hung over the family. Roman - who had called shotgun - remained surprisingly quiet. Hart family car rides usually consisted of three things; the consistent tapping against Virgil’s phone screen, bickering over who controls the radio and Roman’s belting of show tunes. None of which were present.

Roman sat, leaning on one elbow, staring aimlessly out of the car window, watching the blurry colours and shapes fly by. While Virgil - who Patton watched through the rear view mirror - fiddled with galaxy printed fidget cube, gifted to him by Emile on his very first therapy session and had used regularly ever since. The rapid, repetitive clicking of buttons filled the thick, uncomfortable silence, as well as the soft music being emitted from the car radio.

“Hey, everything is going to be alright. If you feel uncomfortable or want to leave at any point, we will and try again another time,” Patton reassured, catching the attention of his children. “Nothing will change the fact that you all are my sons and I love you all very much,”.

“We know padre,” Roman said finally moving away from the window to flick through the radio stations before pausing on a upbeat, cheesy pop song, humming along with the tune.

“Jeez dad, sappy much,” Virgil groaned but the previously anxious fidgeting had settled somewhat.

“So, you are both okay with this?” Patton asked a hint of hesitation present in his voice.

“Yeah we are. Right Roman?” Virgil said leaning forward to rest his elbows on the back of Roman’s seat.

“Fine, fine. I promise I’ll try and be nice to the nerd,” Roman sighed sinking deeper into his seat. “But don’t expect me to like it,”.

Patton giggled and at long last the small bubble of anxiety which had been building within his chest had vanished completely, replaced by a flowering sensation of pride and unconditional love for his children. The jigsaw puzzle of his dreams were coming together piece by piece, nearing its completion and this was the final step in uniting his family. Patton could imagine another person sat in his well-loved, baby blue Ford Focus, engaging in passion-fuelled debates regarding everything from Disney movies to classic poetry, humming along to the radio, arguing over who controls the radio and filling the empty seat as well as the empty spot in the family.

“Alright kiddos, we’re here,” Patton announced, pulling up to the Orphanage, glancing out his window at the rather imposing building he would be glad never to see again.

Roman and Virgil had both gone silent, Patton had expected that. Neither had overall great experience with the orphanages and care homes they were in. Roman had been floating within the system since birth, remaining at the same orphanage for the first six years of his life until Patton arrived, where he was berated for his misbehaviours caused by his then undiagnosed ADHD, labelled as a misfit instead of gaining the attention he needed. While Virgil and Dee were constantly being transferred, jumping from home to home, never settling in one place for to long before being forced to pack up and leave again because of their complex situation and Virgil’s trauma. Orphanages brought up bad memories for them and as he entered, balancing Dee on his hip, he kept both close to his sides.

Mrs Davis, who at this point he had interacted with on several occasions was, as per usual sat at the front desk, typing away listlessly on her computer until she caught a glimpse of Patton herding his three children through the doors, eyes widening at the sight.

“Mr Hart, lovely to see you again. I wasn’t aware you were bringing guests,” Mrs Davis said her surprise evident in her tone.

“It nice to see you again too, and yes these are my children. I am bringing them to meet Logan today,” Patton explained in the quickest possible way, to avoid any further dilly-dallying as with the extra attention Virgil had already hidden himself entirely behind Patton’s leg.

“Children. Oh I didn’t know you had children, how precious. You and your wife must be busy with this lot,” Mrs Davis exclaimed her red shiny lips stretching into a sickly sweet smile, directed towards Dee who burrowed his face into Patton’s chest, concealing his burn scar. Patton sighed internally, the conversation felt far to similar to the unpleasant one he shared with Madame Claire only a few short weeks ago.

“There is no wife, it is only me and my kiddo,” Patton reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time. “Now may I go and see Logan now?”.

“Ah yes, of course. He is waiting for you in your usual room,” Mrs Davis said attempting to and failing at hiding the shock painted across her features.

“Thank you,” He said with a smile as he took Virgil’s hand, preparing to make his way to his and Logan’s regular meeting room but a large and imposing figure stood in his way. Madame Claire.

“Mr Hart, a pleasure to see you again,” Madame Claire said completely blocking his path forward, forcing him to meet her gaze, her too wide smirk ever-present on her lips.

“Ah yes, you too. But I apologise we really do have to get going,” Patton said quickly hoping to escape the commanding matrons presence as politely as possible, though it was a challenge to restrain the harsh words he did wish to speak to her, he persisted. Maintaining his smile throughout the interaction.

“Of course, do not let me keep you,” She said at long last stepping aside to allow Patton to pass and continue his journey to Logan without delay.

“Who was that?” Roman whispered once they were out of earshot or a ‘Roman whisper’ as Patton liked to refer to them, as they were considerably louder than a typical whisper.

“The owner and head-matron, she doesn’t like me very much,” Patton explained recalling their first interaction, secretly glad he hadn’t had any run-ins with her since then.

“Why?” Virgil asked cocking his head to one side, his too-long fringe flopping over his eyes with the movement.

“It’s…it’s a long story,” Patton said after some deliberation, definitely not wishing to tell his son what he actually thought about the woman. “Now, here we are,”.

As they arrived in front of the meeting room door Virgil’s grip tightened on his hand and Roman pressed into his side. Patton pushed open the door, revealing Logan who smiled the moment he sighted them and Patton prayed for this meeting to go well, bringing him one step closer to inviting Logan to join his family.

Logan had waited in anxious anticipation since he woke this morning, forgoing breakfast because of the anxiety-driven churning of his stomach and he did not trust his ability to keep food down. He had spent the greater majority of his morning spent in Maggie’s office, pacing - as per usual - relaying to her all of his fears and anxieties regarding the upcoming meeting with Patton’s children. Who he reminded himself that Patton spoke extremely highly of. She countered every single worry, claiming them to be cognitive distortions and the meeting would go fine if he would just be himself but Logan wasn’t so certain. He informed on several occasions he had a less than favourable personality. Too boring, spouting facts and information only he would ever find interesting. He was too aloof and robotic to connect with other children his age and that is what he was afraid of. Patton’s children finding him too dull and uninteresting, urging Patton to cease his visits and give up on him completely.

Logan found himself now, sat in his armchair, lessening the strain on his aching body. The bruises had faded over the weak from a vibrant purple to a muted yellow and sickly green with patches of brown predominantly covering the back of his calves, his lower back and dark rings around his wrists stretching up his arms. The persistent clicking of his shoulder joint had settled, the pain dulling to mild discomfort with any sudden movements and the shallows cuts had almost vanished completely. To conceal his injuries he had worn a long sleeve shirt, which had previously been owned by another orphan and considerably to large on him but the extra length allowed him to pull the sleeves down to cover his wrists and hands, ending just below his fingertips. His book ‘The Murder of Rodger Ackroyd’ sat in his lap, having had been returned to him by Maggie who retrieved it from Madame Claire’s office but he made no move to open it. Merely tracing the pads of his fingers along the binding and smooth cover as he watched the door, awaiting Patton’s arrival.

Logan did not have to wait long as a short while later he heard three sets of footsteps coming down the corridor and not but a moment later the door burst open, revealing four figures. Patton, his lips curled into their usual warm smile which he returned, in his arms he held a toddler who held a snake stuffed animal in his curled fist and two other boys stood on either side of him.

“Hiya Logan, I’m sorry it has been so long since I last saw you. And these are my children; Roman, Virgil and Declan but we all call him Dee,” Patton said gesturing to each of his sons as he spoke their names.

Roman, the eldest presumably as he was significantly taller than the others, stood on Patton’s right, arms folded across his chest. His appearance was considerably different than his siblings which made sense as Patton informed him they were adopted from separate orphanages, several years apart. He has a bronzed complexion, stiff auburn curls and bright emerald coloured eyes, visible even at this distance, accentuated with a splodge of colour on his upper lid. He was dressed casually and rather impractically in an all white outfit, white t-shirt and white tight fitting trousers, underneath a glossy red jacket embroidered with a yellow crown. From his body language and disinterested expression, Logan inferred Roman was not entirely pleased to be there, which only heightened the unease building within his stomach.

Virgil - Logan took note of the unusual name - stood on the opposite side of Patton, partially hidden behind him. He was substantially shorter than Roman, in his slouched over position, but stretched to his full height Logan assumed he would lie a few inches shorter than himself. He was pale, with straight jet black hair with a long fringe which partially concealed his eyes from view but from the small visible section, revealed sharp steel grey eyes and under his eyes were dark purple bruises - evidence of a poor sleep schedule. His outfit was a dramatic contrast to his brother’s, everything he wore was black; black t-shirt, black trousers and black shoes, expect from the purple patches sown onto his oversized black hoodie which drowned his thin frame. He wore black gloves indoor which Logan thought rather strange but considered the fact he may have poor circulation and used the gloves to keep his hands warm. Virgil appeared noticeably anxious, unlike Roman, by the way he curled into Patton’s side, hands fisted into his hoodie, attempting to hide their visible tremble.

The third Declan or Dee as Patton referred to him was balanced on Patton’s hip. He and Virgil were most similar in appearance, he remembered Patton telling him the two were biologically related which explained the similarities. He shared the same dark locks as Virgil but where Virgil’s were straight Dee had unruly curls which bounced with every movement but that was where the resemblance ended. A large burn scar on the right side of his face, across his right eye and stretching down his neck and presumably a lot lower, the sight startled Logan and the strangest of sensations built in his chest but he fought to not allow the shock to show on his face. He also had a heterochromia with one blue eye and one hazel eye, which sparkled as he glanced around the room at the wide variety of toys and games strewn around the room.

“Salutations Patton. And it is nice to meet you all,” Logan said attempting to conceal the slight waver in his voice.

Patton set Declan down, allowing him to run as fast as his chubby legs would carry him and play with the toys available, following behind him, silently urging Roman and Virgil towards the armchair.

“Ugh, what are we to do now?” Roman muttered underneath his breath.

“I suppose Patton wanted to allow us to break the figurative ice between us,” Logan explained as Roman rolled his eyes and Virgil remained silent, glancing between the two, fidgeting with a cube shaped object.

“You don’t have to say figuratively, I know what you mean,” Roman replied folding his arms across his chest.

“I believe I do, as there is no ice in the vicinity for me to break. Also because we reside in Florida it would be extremely improbable for there to be ice and I do not possess the strength to break ice,” Logan stated.

“Wow, you are such a nerd. Even your clothes are nerdy,” Roman said the mockery present in his tone. Logan glanced down at the outfit he wore almost every day. What was wrong with it?

“What is wrong with my clothes?” Logan challenged generally confused by Roman’s statement.

“I mean look at them, they are so nerdy. What are you wearing?” Roman taunted pointing towards his chest, at his too large shirt.

“I could ask you the same question,” Logan said the automatic response fell from his lips without a second thought and the entire room was silent. Until Virgil doubled over in uncontrollable laughter, releasing soft snorts, the first noise Logan had heard from him. Breaking the increasingly uncomfortable silence.

“I…I,” Roman gawked mouth opening then closing again, the rebuttal dying on his tongue, evidently not expecting Logan’s quick-witted response from his elongated silence. His face curled into a scowl and in one fluid motion he turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go and get him,” Patton called him, balancing Dee on his hip and following behind Roman leaving Logan and Virgil behind.

The adrenaline had faded as quickly as it arrived and his brain finally caught up with his mouth, as he realised what he had said. He slapped a hand across his treacherous mouth, digging his nails into his chest, relishing in the sting as he internally berated himself for his hurtful words. Roman hated him. Roman was Patton’s son. He had insulted Patton’s son. Patton was going to hate him now, he was going to realise talking to him was a mistake and he was never going to come and see him again. He was…

 Virgil had finally managed to compose himself, wiping the tears from his cheeks. Maybe this guy wasn’t such a stick in the mud after all and any one who could get Roman that frustrated was worth keeping around. Virgil glanced towards Logan, who had been unusually silent, when he noticed him with one hand clamped over his mouth, nails digging painfully into his skin. He was going to hurt himself at this rate.

“Hey, stop that. You’ll hurt yourself,” Virgil said tugging Logan hand away from his face, also breaking him out of the presumably negative mental spiral he was trapped in, leaving angry red indentures behind.

“I apologise, I did not mean to insult Roman. It just slipped out,” Logan explained lowering his head, tracing his fingers across the cover of the book in his lap.

“Don’t worry about it, he’ll get over it,” Virgil said with a shrug, hopping onto the armrest of Logan’s armchair, pulling out his phone to scroll through Tumblr. “Dude, that was a sick burn though,”.

“I’m afraid I do not understand, words cannot cause physical injury,” Logan said turning toward Virgil, cocking his head to one side in confusion.

“No, I mean you roasted him good,” Virgil reiterated. Jeez this guy was a nerd.

“A roast but there was no meat involved. Are you making fun of me because this is very different than I am used to,” Logan said with a furrowed brow. Oh no Logan thought he was bullying him, he was going to hate him now and all hope of becoming friends were going to be ruined because of him.

“No, no. I mean it was a good insult,” He explained praying Logan would understand and he could salvage what he almost destroyed.

“Oh, I believe I understand now,” Logan said after a moment of thought and Virgil released an internal sight of relief. He hadn’t ruined it completely. “Virgil, like the Roman poet,”.

“I guess,” Virgil said not knowing quite how else to respond. He didn’t like his name, it was weird and made him stick out, he couldn’t recall at time when someone didn’t comment on it.

A silence fell over the pair and alarm bells were set off in his mind. Nobody was speaking. Was he supposed to say something now? What would he say? Would Logan say something? Should he just say something? But what if he started speaking while Logan started speaking, leading them to speaking over each other and make everything even more awkward then they already were.

“Um Virgil…Does Patton hate me now,” Logan asked his voice low, barely a whisper. Virgil had to strain his hearing just to understand what he was saying. The question surprised Virgil, it was the sort of thing he thought on a daily basis but Patton had mentioned briefly that Logan had, had a difficult upbringing like himself. So maybe they were more alike the he originally thought.

“You could murder someone and Patton would never hate you,” Virgil stated with a chuckle, recalling the numerous times Uncle Emile repeated the same phrase to him whenever he doubted Patton’s love for him.

“I would never kill anyone,” Logan exclaimed Virgil burst out laughing once again at the look of horror on Logan’s face.

“It’s just an expression, besides me and Roman do it all the time. When we first met we hated each other, we were constantly at each others throats, calling each other mean nicknames and bickering over every little thing. I guess it was kind of how we bonded, through being mean to each other,” Virgil said reminiscing on the thousands of arguments shared between the two brothers, over the most random of topics.

“I thought you were supposed to be siblings?” Logan questioned.

“Yeah, that is just how most brothers are,” Virgil responded with a nonchalant shrug. “We aren’t as bad now, we tolerate each other more but he is still a pain in the neck,”.

Logan had gone quiet again, the uncomfortable silence weighted heavily of Virgil’s shoulders. He really hated silence so he did something entirely out of character he talked. He talked about anything and everything. He talked about his rocky relationship with Roman; every argument, their stupid nicknames, passion-fuelled debates about Disney movies. He talked about his own crappy orphanage experiences; the constant moving, the nagging matrons, finally meeting Patton for the very first time - which didn’t go very well. He talked about life living with Patton; the weekly movie nights, family dinners around the table, all of his dumb dad jokes. And Logan listened. Nodding along to his stories with a small smile on his face.

“So, this is a pretty decent place,” Virgil said glancing around the moderately sized meeting room, filled with toys, books, games and activities. It was much nicer than the orphanages he was placed in when he was younger.

“Oh, yes,” Logan mumbled shifting in his seat, wincing when he pressed to harshly on one spot. Virgil took notice of this as well as the dark rings around Logan’s wrists visible when his sleeve slipped down with a dramatic flick of the wrist, only to he hidden away a moment later. His heart seized at the sight of the bruises, of the well concealed wince of pain. It was a sight he knew well. Hiding pain behind a mask. Someone was hurting Logan.

“Virgil, are you alright?” Logan asked a hint of concern present in his voice and Virgil instantly snapped back to reality.

“Yeah sorry. So, what do you think of my dad?” Virgil asked quickly changing the subject.

“Patton has been an interesting test subject,” Logan replied lowering his head once again, focusing his attention back on his book which he hadn’t actually opened yet.

“Test subject?” Virgil inquired.

“Since meeting Patton, I have been studying his behaviours and attitudes to determine his motives and why he…,” Logan cut himself off abruptly as if he didn’t want to speak the last part.

“Why he what?” Virgil pressed.

“Choose me,” Logan admitted with a sigh, after a elongated silence. “There are numerous more suitable children than I. So, why did he choose me? I am still trying to figure out the answer,”.

“He probably thinks you need help,” Virgil said with a shrug. His dad was a fixer. He found broken people, took them in and fixed him, bringing them into his family or famILY as he liked to call it. Caring, it was what he was good at. Caring for those who society deemed unlovable.

“Did he help you?” Logan asked turning once again toward Virgil.

“Yeah, he did,” Virgil answered recalling the moments when his thoughts were too loud and he felt he was drowning in his own mind. When crippling nightmares took hold during his most vulnerable points and Patton stood by him. Holding him on the nights when his anxiety reared its ugly head, helping him through numerous panic attacks when he felt he might die.

Virgil thanked Patton everyday for adopting him and his brother, giving them a life they never would have received otherwise. Loving them both whole-heartedly despite Virgil’s messed up mental health. He couldn’t have asked for a better dad.

 It didn’t take Patton very long to locate Roman. He was sat in the foyer, his knees pulled in tight to his chest and his face was hidden in his hands. Patton adjusted his hold on Dee before approaching Roman who startled as he sat beside him.

“Dad, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I know I said I would be nice to Logan, I’m sorry. It just slipped out. I really tried. I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry,” Roman frantically rambled, apologising again and again without pausing to take a breath.

Patton recognised this to be one of Roman’s regular spirals, where his brain was moving to quickly, forcing the flow of words out out him. At this rate, he would soon start hyperventilating. So, in order to break the cycle he placed Dee into Roman’s lap who playfully tapped on Roman’s cheeks, giving him something else to focus on rather than the spiralling thoughts in his head.

“I know, I know. I’m not mad sweetheart but I need you to breathe for me. Can you do that for me?” Patton asked softly placing on hand on Roman’s shoulder and the other he brushed through his hair, encouraging him to slow his breathing which he eventually did, his previously sharp breaths evening out and he slumped against Patton.

“I’m sorry,” Roman murmured into Patton’s chest. “I’m really sorry,”.

“Whatever for?” Patton asked stroking Roman’s hair as Dee busied himself with his toy snake.

“I was mean to Logan, I promised to be nice to him but I wasn’t,” Roman admitted burrowing his face deeper into Patton’s shirt, staining it with tears.

“Roman, look at me,” Patton said lifting Roman’s chin in order to meet his watery gaze. “While yes, what you said wasn’t very kind. You can still fix it can’t you, by apologising to Logan,”.

“You were frustrated because Logan didn’t understand your expression but that is just how some peoples brains work, it takes a little longer for them to figure out,” Patton explained brushing his thumb along Roman’s cheekbones, wiping away any fallen tears. “And if it makes you feel any better, I’m sure Logan is feeling the exact same way,”.

“You think so?” Roman asked lifting his head, scrubbing away the remainder of his tears.

“I know so,” Patton replied taking Dee from Roman, balancing him on his hip and extending his free hand towards Roman who took it bashfully, pulling himself to his feet. “Should we go back now?”.

“Yeah, okay,” Roman said refusing to let go of Patton’s hand as he lead him down the corridor, back to the meeting room.

Once they returned to the meeting room Patton was surprised to see Virgil perched on the arm rest of Logan’s arm chair, talking animatedly while Logan sat quietly listening, a small smile creeping onto his face. Patton almost teared up at the sight. He had never witnessed Virgil open up to anyone this quickly before, talking freely with such ease, his fidget cube sitting unused in his lap. Patton’s anxieties regarding his children’s opinions of Logan vanished in an instant, watching how easily Virgil and Logan had managed to connect in such a short time, he thought maybe his dream would come true much sooner than he expected.

“Go on,” Patton encouraged ruffling his hair before urging him forward as Logan and Virgil halted their conversation, taking notice of them standing in the doorway.

“Um Logan, what I said wasn’t very prince-like. So, I’m sorry,” Roman said fidgeting with the zipper of his jacket, looking anywhere else other than Logan’s eyes.

“Prince-like?” Logan inquired glancing at Virgil for an explanation.

“Roman used to think he was a prince,” Virgil stated with a shrug, shooting a smirk in Roman’s direction.

“I did not!” Roman spluttered, scowling, crossing his arms across with chest with a pout, face flushed with embarrassment. Patton chuckled at the exchanged. Roman was swiftly approaching his teenage years, preparing to leave his childhood between but Patton knew he would never entirely abandoned his love for the imaginary despite his stubborn assurances. “But, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said you were a nerd. Even though you are,”.

“You are forgiven,” Logan said obviously catching Roman off guard by the evident flinch. “I also feel I need to apologise,”.

“Why?” Roman questioned.

“I was also rude to you, I believe that warrants an apology. So, I am sorry,” Logan responded. Patton smiled at him, catching his eye over Roman’s shoulder.

“Uh…um…yeah whatever,” Roman stuttered before he turned swiftly, returning to Patton’s side by the door, a blush still present on his cheeks.

“Times almost up kiddos. Do you mind if I have a little chat with Logan before we leave?” Patton asked handing Dee over to Virgil once he had hopped off his perch, holding his brother securely in his arms and walking toward the exit where Roman was still stood.

“Virgil wait!” Logan called out to Virgil, holding out a small cube-shaped object the the palm of his hand. Virgil’s fidget cube. “You dropped this,”.

“Keep it, I have loads at home,” Virgil said with a shy smile. Logan merely nodded, curling his fingers around his star-printed cube, thumbing over each individual side.

“Okay kiddos, go wait in the foyer. I’ll only be a minute,” Patton said.

After Virgil and Dee said their goodbyes to Logan, Roman simply gave him a curt nod, before they disappeared down the corridors. Patton approached the armchair where Logan sat, kneeling in front of it, Logan was still smiling at the fidget toy in his hand, presumably admiring the pattern. It was of space - this favourite subject - after-all.

“I’m guessing you got along well with Virgil then,” Patton said smiling warmly at Logan who jolted back to reality as Patton spoke.

“Yes, he shared many interesting stories with me,” Logan replied eyes brighter than they had been when Patton arrived. It was rare for Virgil to talk to anyone outside of the family but it seemed Logan was an exception to that rule.

“He is a good kid, they all are. And they have been through so much and…and I-I am just so p-proud of them,” Patton sniffled his eyes stung with tears but he fought against them, so not to alarm Logan but his efforts were all for naught as the waterworks began to flow.

 The moment Logan saw the tears spill from Patton’s eyes and rolled down his cheeks, his brain went into hyper-drive, flashing through all of the possible reasons for Patton’s sudden sadness. What had brought on such a reaction? Was it Logan’s doing? The sight made Logan’s heart hurt in a way he had never experienced before, seeing Patton sad it wasn’t a sight he ever wanted to see again. Logan wanted to make it better but he didn’t know how to comfort someone. Would Patton respond the physical reassurance or verbal? Would be wanted to be touched or would be prefer to be left alone. Logan didn’t know. He hated not knowing. But then he had an idea, he had witnessed and been the recipient of Patton’s comforting tactics. Maybe Patton would appreciate the same treatment.

“Um…there, there,” Logan said extending his hand, sinking it into Patton’s unruly curls, moving his hand back and forth like he had witnessed Patton do for both Roman and Virgil during their own moments of upset. But Logan had to admit he was a little surprised when Patton burst into a fit of giggles.

“Aw Logan, you’re so sweet. Don’t worry, I’m not sad,” Patton said with a smile despite the tears and Logan was momentarily confused.

“But you are crying,” Logan said gesturing to the tears tracks staining Patton’s cheeks who quickly wiped them away but the smile remained.

“They were happy tears,” Patton announced with a giggle. Logan had never made the connection between the function of crying with any other emotion other than sadness, he had never known crying to be anything other than a sign of weakness but Patton expressed all of his emotions good or bad without shame or humiliation. It reinforced his theory that Patton was a rather confusing person but one he wished to understand and to be around, though he hadn’t quite figured out an exact reason why. But he liked it.

And maybe, just maybe emotions weren’t such a bad thing.

Notes: Logan’s reaction to insulting Roman would be the exact same as mine if I was ever in a confrontation. Saying something which could be considered mean and immediately regretting it. A reminder, yes Virgil is actually ten. Yes he is very mature for his age. If anyone says anything about it you can fight me (just kidding, please don’t I’m soft).

Tag list: @i-do-not-dislike-fudge @poems-art-darkness-n-more @alex-cain @amber1594 @darkrainbow333 @falseh0od @lovingcreatorstrawberry @mason-does-a-thing @callboxkat @tacohippy56900 @anxiousangel121 @comicsimpson @harrypotternerdprincess @cobythinks @whatschooldoesntteachyou @fandomkitty8 @coloursintheblur @read-write-inspire-repeat

If you would like to be added to the tag list or have a question about the series please do not hesitate to ask. My asks are open.

[kickstartmyheartmc]

Revival: Chapter 2

Word Count: 2,656

Taglist: @fastnfearless, @fandomshit6000, @public-enemy-sixx

               Nothing sounded better than a relaxing day at the spa for your 18th birthday. You were nearing six months at Dottie’s house, and you were just about ready to head out on your own. Over the course of working at Donny’s, nothing suited you better than working six days a week, eight hours a day. This meant more tables, more hourly pay (despite only being $2.14/hour), and less time to sit and think about the future. After listening to Dotty’s advice about planning for the future, you sat down and considered your options, but nothing came to mind. You thought you had your life planned out but turns out it was all fabricated within your own head. You never knew what you wanted to do with career choices, how you wanted to live alone and where, nor did you know how the hell you were going to keep your head afloat while paying the high rent in Los Angeles. Ah, this is what Dottie meant by planning for the future. You shook your head and decided it was a problem to solve later.

               Your mornings started at 10:00 AM every Monday – Saturday. You woke up, took a shower, got dressed in one of the many uniforms you’d acquired, and shuttled yourself to work on quickest Greyhound bus. Watching people interact with each other was always the best part of the ride. Some days there would be women staggering down sidewalks in broken heels or torn jackets, clearly heading home after a long night of partying. On other days, couples strolled down the sidewalk, leisurely chatting after a filling brunch. Some days you were jealous, and others you despised the very idea of a relationship.

               A relationship in itself was not the part you disliked so much as the actual act of going through the pain and heartbreak to get to the one you would be with for the rest of your life. Back home in Florida, it was rare to run into someone that was interested in you as a person since it was a small community and they all knew about what happened with Mom. Once she passed away, nothing was the same. Your friends abandoned you in fear of becoming black sheep and losing their more popular friends; none of the older kids even spared you a glance; even the younger children, the ones that remained friends with a couple of your younger siblings, would not give you the time of day. No one acknowledging your presence when you so desperately needed it hacked away at your identity; maybe that was the reason why you felt the need to start over.

               Starting over was harder than it sounded, especially when homesickness was such a bastard. One day in July, only three months after you arrived in California, you fell into temptation and called home. Jim, the second youngest brother, picked up. “Hello?”

               You smiled instantly. “Hi, Jimmy! It’s Y/N, how’ve you been?”

               The line was silent for a moment. “Y/N? Where did you go?” His voice was strained, as if he had to hold back his emotions.

               “I-I can’t tell you that, but I miss you a bunch.” You sniffled, not realizing your eyes started to water until then. “How is everyone? Are you all alright? Where’s Dad?”

               “He’s working right now.” He paused for a moment, and you heard the shake in his voice when he said, “We’re mad at you. You didn’t have to leave.”

               That felt like a knife through your heart. “Jimmy, I never meant to hurt any of you. I did this for me and my well-being, please understand.” You chewed on your bottom lip, wiping away a tear. “It sounds selfish, but I promise it was for the best… for everyone.”

               There was a bang through the phone, as if Jim slammed it against the wall. “God damn it, Y/N! When you disappeared, he went on a binge and fucking left for three days! We may not be children anymore, but we can’t get jobs yet! We’re stuck with him until we all turn old enough!” You could not see him, but he was clearly crying. It was odd for a 14-year-old teenage boy to show this many emotions. “You abandoned us, just like Mom.”

               Your voice dropped almost an octave. “Don’t you dare compare me to her.”

               “Why not? What’s different between her not being a part of our lives and you just up and leaving? You even had the choice, and still left!”

               Now it was your turn to slam the phone against something; unfortunately, the nearest surface was the glass surrounding you within the phone booth. The glass shattered and left a few open cuts on your hand as you screamed at your brother. “I NEVER wanted to leave, but I had to so I DIDN’T end up like Mom! Good fucking luck, Jim, because Dad will ruin your life like he tried to mine. At least I got out while I could.” With that, you slammed the phone back down, hanging up on your little brother.

               Your hands were shaking as you walked away from the phone booth. You loved Mom and everything she tried to do, but it still hurt to be compared to her because of how she didn’t even try to help herself. After hearing Jim say what he did, your mind raced a mile a minute, efficiently pumping adrenaline through your veins.

               “Sure, Y/N, just call home and casually act like nothing is wrong,” you muttered to yourself, arms crossed to ensure you looked scarier than you actually were. “They’ll definitely just speak without resentment. What do they have to hate you for?” You kept crying while striding down the streets of Hollywood. Stores passed by without a second glance, music coming from some and the sounds of sizzling grills leaving others.

               You stopped in front of a music store with a canopy covering, hoping to sit and bawl your eyes out without interruption. You let your back slide down the brick wall, smudging the light eyeliner you applied only hours later. It was only a few minutes later that the door flew open and smacked you in the knees, effectively causing a scream of pain to emit from your lips. “Fuck!”

               The person who’d swung the door open quickly bent down. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” He awkwardly held his hands in front of you, not sure where to place his hands to help you.

               You glared at him. “Fuck off, will you?” You sniffled and stood up, wincing a little from the pain. “You should’ve been more careful.”

               The stranger stood with you and huffed. “I was only trying to help.” He eyed you, his lips curling back into a light sneer. “What were you doing sitting there anyway?” He opened the door to the store and, despite your rude attitude, silently motioned for you to go inside with him. You complied, albeit reluctantly.

               “Long story short, my family sucks and I’m glad I left.” You shivered as the air conditioning hit your skin. “I’m… I’m sorry for reacting the way I did.” You tried to smile at the stranger, but it turned out to be a lost cause because he was turned away.

               “Don’t worry about it. I have my fair share of family shit to deal with.” He turned back around and smiled at you. “What’s your name?” he asked gently.

               “Y/N. What’s yours?” You managed to pull off a real smile this time.

               “Frank. It’s nice to meet you.”

               “Next stop, Sunset Boulevard!” The bus driver’s voice boomed throughout the tin container, jolting you from your memories. You stood up and followed everyone else getting off. A few of them filed into the Whiskey-a-Go-Go, more than likely employees considering it was only 9:50 in the morning. You paced yourself to Donny’s in order to walk through the doors right at 10. While strolling and taking in the scenery of fall time in Los Angeles, you let yourself get lost in your thoughts once more.

               “Frank. That’s an original name.” Your snort indicated the sarcasm underlying your tone.

               Frank shrugged. “It was my dad’s name, but he left when I was three, so I don’t really feel much of a connection to it.” He took a few long strides and quickly positioned himself behind the register. “On that note, welcome to High Hits.” He let his arms open to either side of him, indicating you to look around the store and take everything in. “Is there anything I can get for you today, young lady?”

               You rolled your eyes and sauntered over to the Beatles’ section. “That’s funny.”

               Frank tilted his head inquisitively. “How so?”

               “We’re practically the same age, therefore I’m not ‘young’ to you, I’m just new.”

               “Smart ass.”

               Your head whipped around as you tried to act shocked. “How dare you insult me, a lady, by cursing in my presence.” You went back to flipped through some of their greatest hits and gasped when you saw their 1968 album The Beatles. “Oh my god, a legend.”

               Frank popped up behind you, making you jump a little. “That’s one of my favorites. Wanna listen to it?”

               “Well, yeah, but I don’t see a player in here.” Just then, someone walked into the store and pulled Frank away from you. He shot you a glance and shrugged, as if to say sorry. You sighed and slid the vinyl back into its place, effectively leaving the store in a better mood than when you walked in.

               “Hey, Y/N!” yelled Donny from the kitchen window. “About time you showed!”

               You looked down at your watch. 10:30 AM. Holy shit, you were late. Where had the time gone? “Sorry, Donny! Just have a lot on my mind.”

               “Don’t worry about it, just get this place open for me.” He slipped his head back into the kitchen as the sound of flames on a grill took over the place. You immediately clocked in and got to work.

 It was dinner time rush that same day. Someone didn’t show up for their shift and Donny asked if anyone could cover it, so you opted in for the extra cash. Besides, he promised a free meal on the house and you couldn’t turn down the best burger in town.

               “Order up!” yelled Donny from the window. You lumbered over, piled the three plates on your arms, and rushed over to table 42.

               “Hello, boys,” you said, putting on that dazzling smile. “Here I have an order of blueberry pancakes, a grilled cheese sandwich, and my personal favorite, a cheeseburger supreme without the mayo.” You placed the food down in front of all of them and wiped your hands on your apron. “Is there anything else I can get you—” Your voice cut out as you locked eyes with the one on your right, alone in his side of the booth. “Frank!” You instantly recognized him from the record shop three months ago. The only thing different was he dyed his hair jet black.

               “Call me Nikki,” he said, clearly trying to hold his smile back. “How’ve you been, uh…?”

               Your smile faltered a little bit. “Y/N,” you reminded him, clearing your throat. “Is there anything I can get for you three?” You scanned the rest of the table, carefully examining the other two men there, but neither of them were paying you any mind as they were too busy scarfing down their meals.

               “Don’t mind them,” Nikki said, waving his hand their way. “We just finished performing at the Starwood.”

               “That’s pretty neat,” you said. “I need to get back to work now, but if I have time I’ll come back over.” You flashed him a smile once more and ran off. I wonder what happened to cause him to change his name. You shrugged and got right back to work. Twenty minutes passed by and it felt as if it was only a few seconds. Time may fly when you have fun but working has a whole other concept of time by itself.

               As the night began to slow down, you leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, taking in the restaurant as a whole, wonderful home.

               “See something interesting?”

               You jumped at the sound of someone speaking so close to you that you could feel their breath. You turned and came face-to-face with Nikki. “Jesus, Nikki, what the hell?”

               He chuckled and dug the toe of his boot into the floor. He looked you in the eyes and his breath covered your face, allowing you to detect traces of alcohol. There’s no way he’s old enough to drink, you thought. “Just wanted to hang around and talk to you. Are you done working yet?”

               That caught you by surprise. “U-um, not yet. I still have to finish my side work and front of house duties.”

               “Well, whenever you’re done, you’re invited to the party I’m holding with my bandmates at the lead singer’s apartment.” He smiled, held out a piece of paper with an address on it, and sauntered off. As you examined it, memorizing the address, a customer asked for assistance and you hopped to it, sliding the piece of paper into your apron, destined to be forgotten in a moment’s notice.

 An exhale left your lips as you let the cool October air cover your face while leaving the restaurant. It was an exhausting day, and thankfully Donny said you could have the following day off to rest instead of working like you always did. On the walk home to Dottie’s apartment, you remembered the invitation to Nikki’s party. “Shit,” you hissed, searching in every apron pocket, unable to locate the small slice of paper. You thought you would remember where it was at, but fatigue plagued your memory, making it impossible to form a cohesive thought at the moment. You sighed once more before turning to head home.

               Along the way you spotted a golden retriever laying on a cardboard box, watching everyone walk by with sadness in its eyes. He pulled at your heart strings and you could not resist the urge to stop and check on him. “Hey, baby,” you whispered while crouched beside the dog, petting it on its head. “What’re you doing out here alone?” The dog looked up at you and scooted a little bit closer, silently begging for more connection. That broke your heart.

               “Y/N, why is there a dog behind you?” Dottie asked as you snuck into the apartment—or tried to.

               Your shoulders tensed up and you turned around to face her. “She looked so pitiful,” you complained. “I couldn’t just leave her there.”

               Dottie crossed her arms, taking a firm stance against your weakness. “I’m not allowed to have pets in this apartment, let alone strays. You’ll have to let her go and she’ll need to find her way to someone who can take care of her.”

               “Please, Dottie? I’ll take her to a shelter tomorrow.” You folded your hands in front of your chest, bending your knees a little in order to pull the sympathy out of her. You always wanted a dog, and if you could save this one, it would make you feel that much better.

               Dottie huffed out a “fine” and went back to the dining room table. “But if I find out you don’t take it to a shelter tomorrow, I will evict you both myself!”

               You chuckled. “Thanks, Dottie!” The dog followed you to the guest bedroom, which had evolved into your own room because of the sheer amount of time you’d been there, and made itself at home, taking comfort in the carpeted floors and heating that coursed through the apartment. You gave the dog one last pet before heading to the bathroom to take a nice hot shower and head to bed for the night.

[lukes-writing]

Prologue: The Last Mission

Project introduction | Next chapter

Word count: 6800 Warnings: Violence, gun violence, head damage, mild language Note: The prologue is longer than an average chapter of this story, so please don’t get discouraged :) The other chapters have a standard length of 3-4K on average.

September 12th, 9:41 PM, the Trinity Gate inhuman enclave

“Holy Hell,” Vlade mutters as he grabs the greasy, sleazy handle of rusty metal door. The damaged, flickering solar-powered lamps illuminate the letters written in black paint - INHUMANS ONLY. The smaller letters below them, sprayed there using a red spray paint, elaborate the message: Pinks will be eaten alive, or some other nasty shit.

An old neon sign, as faulty as the lamps, shines above the door: HERRING’S inhuman pub. Vlade would never voluntarily visit such place. However, now he has an important task to complete and it requires him to enter this nasty place. Vlade started to reconsider his job choice for the hundredth time this week.

He takes a deep breath and steps inside. He is immediately struck by loud trance music and hot, stuffy air. The smell is impossible to describe. Besides alcohol and greasy junk food, there are smells of various unconventional foods and drinks favored by different inhuman races.

Vlade closes the door. The interior is similar to any underground club found at every corner of the human part of the city - gloom interrupted by psychedelic flashing lights from the dance floor, wooden tables of various sizes, a large bar, several casino games and gambling machines.

It is the dwellers of this club that are making Vlade uncomfortable. There are inhumans of all shapes and sizes. About half of them look like humans, maybe except for several oddities. But then, there are straightforward monsters. Vlade passes by some kind of burly creature with gray skin loudly slurping on something which looks and smells like a still full animal stomach.

Just go and never look anyone in the eyes. Vlade carefully seeks the man he’s looking for, avoiding any eye contact. He is scared, even though he is usually the one who invokes respect. He is about two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular figure. His leather jacket, heavy boots, long hair, and stubble completes the image of a guy not worth to be messed with.

Finally, after a nervous walk through the pub, Vlade notices his contact. He is already sitting by the table with a shot of clear liquid in front of him. He is tall and burly just like Vlade, but his head is shaven and the right side of his face is covered by a complex dark tattoo.

Vlade takes a deep breath and gives the man a firm gaze of his dark eyes. “Jaromir?” he asks.

The tattooed man nods and Vlade sits on the chair across from him. “And you must be Vladislav,” he says with a rasping, breathy voice. Vlade also confirms it with a nod.

At that moment, Jaromir reaches under his chair and pulls out an old, sawn-off shotgun. Without hesitation, he points both barrels at Vlade’s face at point-blank range and pulls the trigger.

A loud gunshot echoes through the pub. Several guests apathetically look in the sound’s direction, but they immediately return to their business. They are either too drunk, drugged or careful to poke their nose into someone else’s business. Besides that, violence isn’t an uncommon sight in inhuman enclaves.

“Man, was that really necessary?” Vlade utters, wiping the pellets and soot off his face.

Jaromir grins. “I just had to make sure you’re not a Pink, y’know.”

Vlade raises his eyebrows. “What if I was a human?”

“Then, the Slurpers over there would probably get a free meal,” he gestures towards a group of three naked inhumans hunched up on the floor. They have roughly humanoid shape, pallid skin, gaunt figure and long, scraggy limbs with long fingers on both hands and feet.

They are already looking at the duo with their tiny, dull eyes in their wrinkly, oblong faces. At the end of the muzzle, they have tiny circular mouths lined by needle-like teeth. A thin, flexible tongue keeps emerging from the mouth, making a loud, slurping sound.

As soon as the savage inhumans realize the gunshot killed nobody, they continue sticking their tongues into wide jugs containing animal blood.

Jaromir continues in a different tone. “Sorry about it, but it was the quickest way to make sure you’re really a Fext. I know most of the local Fexti and this is the first time I’ve seen you around.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Vlade replies. “You know, I’m something like a nomad. I’m on the run from The Society, so I have to move often. This is the first time I’ve been at the Trinity Gate enclave.”

Jaromir laughs. “What did you do to deserve the attention of these sons of bitches?”

“A bit of this, a bit of that,” Vlade says. “They call themselves Supernatural law enforcement, but it seems they’re not used to prosecuting Fexti as they tend to be mostly peaceful.” He pulls out his phone and browses it for a moment. Then, he shows Jaromir a page containing his photo:

The Society is looking for VLADISLAV KOVAR

Race: Inhuman / Fext

Prosecuted for: Manslaughter / Heist / Rioting

Eyes: Dark brown / Height: 203 cm / Hair: Light brown / Figure: Slim, muscular

Jaromir smiles and nods in satisfaction. “So it seems you’re a brother who understood what it means to be a Fext. Damn. We have bulletproof skins, great strength, we are almost invulnerable, and yet most of the Fexti choose to sit on their asses or even… cooperate with these suckers.”

“Unbelievable,” Vlade utters. “An inhuman who cooperates with The Society is the worst kind of scum.”

“You tell me,” Jaromir finishes the glass in front of him and waves at the waitress who looks like a human girl in a black cropped top and skirt - Vlade doesn’t know what kind of inhuman she is as many races, including the Fexti, look and act exactly like humans.

“Anything to drink?” the tattooed man asks.

“Just a glass of water,” Vlade replies.

Jaromir raises his eyebrows, but doesn’t say anything. The inhuman girl soon brings the water for Vlade and another shot of clear liquid for his companion. For a moment, the two Fexti just enjoy their drinks and listen to the omnipresent numbing music.

Then, Vlade finally makes the first move. “Okay, now about the ‘friendly talk’ you promised me.”

Jaromir leans towards Vlade in a conspiratorial gesture. “So, I see you are a Fext outlaw. One of these not afraid to use our powers. But how do I know I can trust you?”

Vlade laughs. “Man, do you think I am some kind of Society’s snooper? I’ve already shown you that The Society wants me dead or alive… or anything in between. My family disowned me. I can’t stay in one place for longer than two weeks. I think I no longer want to be alone. I need… guidance.”

“Then guidance is what you can get,” Jaromir smiles.

“So as I understand it, you are a leader of some kind of Fext gang?”

“It can be said like that. We take advantage of the fact we look like humans, so we can freely move, even outside the enclave, unlike our brothers there,” he looks at the hungry Slurpers nearby; the blood in the jug has run out, so the creatures have started to fight each other. “The cops aren’t equipped for robbers with bulletproof skin. And they’re far from discovering the Fexti’s weakness,” Jaromir chuckles.

“Sounds good,” Vlade returns him the smirk. “I’m already kind of tired of endless roaming. I guess you have some sort of hideout, don’t you?”

“You bet we do. I’ll take you there if you want.”

“That means we can seal the deal?”

“Of course. If we gather enough promising Fexti, we can take control over Trinity Gate in no time. With humans and their laughable politics… we, the inhumans, would have taken over the world if that goddamn Society didn’t constantly try to stop us.”

Vlade takes a sip of the water, listening to Jaromir’s words. The older Fext nods in satisfaction as he sees his younger companion holding onto every word he says.

“You know, humans are ridiculous. We, the inhumans, usually don’t have any quarrel with each other even though we come in all shapes and sizes. Look at that fella over there. He is a half fish, yet I just let him live his life. Actually, the Gillscalys are great business partners. Even Herring, this pub’s owner, is a Gillscaly. And humans? They can hate each other to death because of different skin color. Skin color. Do you understand it? And we are the ones who must live in ghettos.”

“You have a point,” Vlade nods.

“We can just wait until the humans destroy themselves,” Jaromir continues. “Or… we can speed it up a little. The humans are defenseless against Fexti. They are so cute and squishy. Actually… if you aren’t scared, we can take it as your initiation. But once you go… you’re in this with us. Understood?”

“Of course. I didn’t expect anything else.”

“Very well, Vladislav. Now listen closely. You probably know about the three territories the United States split into after the second civil war, right? I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”

“The three territories,” Vlade nods. “The Central Confederation, the Republic of Northeast and the Commonwealth of Great Moors. The territories, which perfectly complement each other, are still plagued by skirmishes, riots and sabotages without any hope for uniting any time soon. It’s like the civil war never ended. Do you want to… do something about it?”

“Of course I do,” Jaromir’s eyes flash with zealous malevolence. “If we just assassinate the leaders of all three territories at once, with a bit of luck, we would be able to appoint a Fext in their place. That way, we would basically take control of the former United States… to the favor of inhumans.”

Vlade can hardly contain his excitement. Not because he’s so excited about Jaromir’s plan, but because his mission is successful. Thanks to a tiny microphone hidden in his clothes, The Society already knows about the malicious plans of the rogue Fexti.

Now let’s finally leave this place…

“You look scared, Vladislav. Is something wrong?” Jaromir smiles. “Is it too much for you? You don’t need to take part if you don’t want to, but I would honestly be disappointed. I’d expect something more from a Fext who has a file in The Society’s database.”

“Of course I’m in.”

Jaromir offers Vlade a handshake. However, before their hands can touch, they’re approached by another Fext. “Jaro, before you start planning stuff with this guy, maybe you should know that he works for The Society. Thanks to him, I spent two years in detention.”

Jaromir yanks his hand back and gives Vlade a hateful look. “Is that true?” he barks. “Are you a filthy snitch of The Society? Damn, I knew I should examine new recruits more closely. Your file in The Society’s database… they arranged it for you, right? You sneaky son of a bitch.”

Vlade doesn’t even try to deny it. The Fext who revealed his identity was Karel, a rogue inhuman he arrested two years ago for rioting. Wiccan made a mistake here. The team should’ve made sure there are none of their past cases present in the pub. Now, the Fext convict ruined everything.

“Hey!” Karel shouts with a high-pitched voice. “This long-haired Fext over here is an undercover Enforcer! GET HIM BEFORE HE ESCAPES!”

The members of The Society, or Enforcers, have a mixed reputation among the inhumans. Those who live according to the law are glad the secret association of humans and inhumans with special talent watches over them, ready to punish all offenders. On the other hand, the underground inhuman communities like this usually aren’t fond of having Enforcers this close.

While most inhumans don��t find the presence of an Enforcer worth interrupting their business, a few of them actually stand up and attack him. Vlade turns tail and runs towards the door, but is stopped by a tenacious-looking humanlike inhuman.

Vlade punches him, hoping it’s not a Volatile, an inhuman with acidic body fluids. Luckily, he collapses to the ground with a gasp - a Fext punch is one of the most feared things among those familiar with inhumans. However, this short delay is enough for Jaromir to catch up and attack Vlade from the back.

The Fext Enforcer stumbles forward, but doesn’t fall. He turns around and catches Jaromir’s incoming fist. Vlade strikes back, punching the outlaw in the face; the Fext punch is so powerful it even nullifies the hardness of another Fext’s skin. In other words, two Fexti can get into a fist fight just like humans.

Jaromir curses and spits out blood.

Even though Vlade is a well-trained, skilled Enforcer, he still gulps as he sees two figures appearing behind Jaromir. Two other Fexti. Tall, muscular and good-looking - three main appearance traits of all members of this inhuman race. A man even larger than Jaromir with a butch cut and aggressive, weather-beaten face and a lean, fair-haired woman whose cropped top reveals her stone-hard midriff.

“Oh, geez,” Vlade utters and evaluates his possibilities.

He sees Herring, the pub’s owner, just a few steps away from him. As Jaromir mentioned, Herring is a Gillscaly, a fish-like inhuman with a humanoid figure, shiny scales all over his body, webbed hands, gills on his neck and bulging eyes.

Vlade makes a long step towards the Gillscaly, grabs him and holds him in a chokehold; he smells a faint fishy smell typical for all the Gillscalys. Jaromir and his henchmen step back. Right now, eliminating Vlade is more important for them than Herring’s life, but they also knew that if Herring died, they would have to face the ire of the local habitués. After all, Herring was the one who built this place and established this small community of inhuman outcasts.

“Let me go…!” Herring, dressed in a black shirt, pants and apron with the pub’s logo, gasps with a croaky voice typical for Gillscalys. “Goddamn Enforcers!”

“I don’t want to hurt ya,” Vlade hisses. “Just keep calm and play along.”

Jaromir stops moving, his shotgun aimed at Vlade and his hostage. His henchmen also stay back. The other inhumans stay out of Vlade’s way as they don’t want Herring to get hurt.

That way, Vlade makes his way to the door. He opens it, using his elbow to press the handle. The cold outside air touches him, providing a nice relief from the atmosphere inside the pub. Then, he pushes Herring forward into the pub, turns tail and runs on the street.

“Wiccan! WICCAN!” he shouts. “We have a problem!”

The things got out of hand and now, Vlade will need his team’s support. The original plan was to peacefully gather the intel, then disappear and foil the Fexti’s scheme. But, thanks to Karel, the plan changed. However, Vlade’s team was ready for every eventuality.

“Vlade, right here!” the Fext hears from behind one of the large dustbins. A second later, the leader of Team Menhir shows himself in the electric lighting.

Wiccan Salisbury is not very tall, wiry man in his middle forties with the first signs of wrinkles appearing on his face. However, that’s the only sign of his age. He wears long dreadlocks, a black polo shirt, jeans and a denim jacket. His youth also reflects in tenacious blue eyes and tomboyish smile.

“We have a problem,” Vlade repeats.

“Fexti?” Wiccan asks.

“Yeah.”

“Hey, everyone!” Wiccan shouts. “Start the battleplan ‘To Kill a Fext’. We have been exposed.”

After hearing this call, the remaining human members of the team appear on the street.

First, Vlade notices Ophelia Salisbury, Wiccan’s wife. She is a tall, lean woman with light brown skin. She has hypnotic black eyes, prominent swan neck and long hair tied into a top bun. Her attire consists of a blouse in the color of galaxy purple and a long, hippie-style skirt accompanied by excessive jewelry on her neck, wrists and ears.

Both partners are armed - Wiccan with a carbine rifle with laser sights, Ophelia with a 10mm semi-automatic pistol. Both of these are capable of stopping almost any inhuman, but the Fexti require a different strategy.

Finally, Gerard Skellinger shows up. Slim, average height, in his late twenties, dressed like a cowboy including the hat, long, wavy hair, good-looking face, reckless personality. Gerard enjoys two things - the presence of pretty girls and a good fight with the inhumans. Fortunately for him, he has plenty of both. First because of his looks, second thanks to his job.

They all knew the fifth member of the team, second inhuman besides Vlade, is somewhere around them.

“I hoped Vlade would screw up!” Gerard smirks. “Who we fighting?”

At that moment, Jaromir bursts out through the pub’s door, accompanied by his two Fext henchmen and several other inhumans brave enough to oppose the whole team of Enforcers. The tattooed Fext pauses upon seeing four combat-ready figures, but then just smirks and fires his shotgun. The blast is aimed at Wiccan, but Vlade jumps in front of him like a living shield, pellets ricocheting from his Fext skin.

The Society members take cover behind anything possible - a low wall, a large dustbin, over the corner of a building across from the pub. The armed inhumans open fire and Wiccan and Ophelia return it. Vlade doesn’t have to care about the bullets, so he can just smash them with his powerful fists.

Gerard doesn’t use any firearm. However, he has his faithful set of Artifacts.

During the time spent in South America, Gerard discovered the so-called Mind stones which can resonate with powerful minds and move, even levitate, at its will. Gerard just stole six of them from the local shaman and ran away. At home, he attached various technologies, gadgets and weapons to the stones and started to use them as his “Artifacts”, one for every situation.

Gerard reaches into one of the six pockets on his vest and deploys an Artifact marked with a red diode. He feels the Mind stone inside it connecting with his brain, levitating in the air like a drone. He sends the Artifact towards the group of inhumans, then activates the weapon attached to it - a small, yet powerful laser rifle.

The red beam hits one of the hostile Gillscalys, immediately piercing through the inhuman’s shoulders. The fishman screeches in pain, drops his gun and stumbles back inside the pub. Then, Gerard notices a human-like inhuman with a revolver aiming towards Wiccan’s cover. The beam goes through his head, killing the inhuman on the spot. Moreover, his acidic blood ignites and sets his head ablaze, revealing the inhuman was a Volatile.

Vlade tries hard to fight off the two Fext thugs. The woman is agile, the man is strong. However, Vlade has better training and technique. Jaromir watches it all with his shotgun ready.

“You don’t stand a chance, Enforcer scum,” Jaromir taunts him.

Together, the Team Menhir members manage to reduce the numbers of aggressive inhumans to an acceptable minimum. “Okay, it’s time to deal with these Fexti,” Wiccan utters.

Vlade rushes forward and tackles down the female Fext. Then, he rains several punches on her face. The amount of damage would incapacitate any other being, but the Fexti are far more durable. She just endures Vlade’s attack while trying to fight back.

However, Vlade is a skilled melee combatant and already knows all the dirty tricks. And also how to counter them. He doesn’t let the woman stand up, allowing the others to deal with the male Fext thug.

“Kirlian! Now!” Wiccan commands.

“I’m on it!” a voice sounds, coming seemingly from the neon sign above the door. Then, the sign, attached using two rusty chains, starts to tremble and jump up and down. Shortly, one of the chains breaks. The sign swings like a pendulum and hits the male Fext straight in the face.

The sign shatters and a loud crack of electricity follows. The Fext groans and stumbles backwards. An uneducated person would think this is only a minor, barely appreciable injury, but in fact, the electric crack sealed the Fext’s fate.

“Ouch, that hurt,” the voice still coming from the broken sign says. “Gerard, your turn!”

Gerard leaves his cover and runs towards the Fext, dazed by the attack. Several remaining armed inhumans open fire on him, but Gerard has his own line of defense - an Artifact marked with a yellow light with a gadget which allows it to create force fields. The parapsychological drone hovers around Gerard and deflects incoming bullets using a hi-tech shield which looks like flickering air above a hot highway.

The man draws his weapon - a long two-handed sword with a thin, double-edged blade. With a battle cry, he swings the sword at the Fext who has no hope of deflecting the attack. The blade slices through his skin, muscles, tendons and bone, just like it would do if used at a regular human.

“Sayonara, my friend,” Gerard smirks and steps back.

The Fext’s head disconnects from his shoulders and hits the ground with a tubby thump. The decapitated body makes a few steps towards Gerard, but it soon stumbles and collapses, bleeding from the stump of its neck. The head’s glazed eyes stare at the night sky with an empty expression.

There aren’t many ways how to kill a Fext, but using electricity is one of them. The electric shock burns the layer of flexible, yet stone-hard substance similar to the insects’ chitin exoskeleton growing under their epidermis and on the surface of their bones, responsible for their apparent invincibility. Their body immediately starts to regenerate the layer, but in the meantime, the Fext is vulnerable to physical injuries.

“Good job,” Wiccan says. “One down.”

As soon as the first Fext falls, Jaromir turns tail and runs away. Vlade, still brawling with the Fext woman, notices it. At that moment, he knocks his opponent down with a powerful punch, stands up and starts to pursue the Fext gang leader. “Hey, stay right here!” Vlade shouts. “In the name of The Society!”

Jaromir ignores him and continues running through the narrow backstreet.

The Fext woman recovers from Vlade’s beating and joins the chase.

“Kirlian! Stop her!” Ophelia shouts.

This time, the voice comes from the nearby dustbin: “Understood.” As soon as it starts to talk and move, two nearby Slurpers feasting on some kind of half-rotten carcass run away with startled, throaty sounds. The dustbin falls down and starts to roll toward the running female Fext.

Unaware of the danger, she trips over the dustbin and falls on the ground. She starts to get up, but Gerard already deployed another one of his Artifacts. This time, a sound similar to a dentist drill breaks the silence. The Artifact marked with a black brand has a small buzzsaw attached to the Mind stone.

However, instead of attacking the Fext directly, Gerard guides the Artifact to the rusty lamp illuminating the woman’s laying body. With a loud screech, the saw starts to cut through the pole the lamp is attached to. The blade is small, yet powerful. The job is done within seconds.

The lamp collapses on the Fext’s head like a cut-down tree. Another crack of electricity sounds through the night as the solar-powered lamp shatters on her head, knocking her down again. The Fext woman shoves the fallen lamppost away and makes another attempt to stand up.

However, she is immediately stopped by three gunshots coming from Ophelia’s firearm. The bullets end up in her forehead and the Fext woman collapses again, this time with no chance of recovering.

After hearing the gunshots, Vlade, while still running, turns over his shoulder to see the Fext woman with three holes in her forehead falling on the ground. Good, his team is watching his back. That means he can focus on pursuing Jaromir, running a few meters ahead of him.

The two Fexti run through the inhuman enclave, watching the filthy backstreets slowly change into more decent parts of the inhuman part of the city. The inhuman bystanders observe the chase, preferring to step out of their way. They run through a neat park, the marketplace and a trade district.

The chase is long; the Fexti can run for a long time without getting tired thanks to their massive amounts of stamina. However, Vlade is faster and younger. On a small town square, Jaromir slowly starts to lose his lead. Then, Vlade jumps forward and tackles Jaromir down, chaining into a powerful punch into the outlaw’s face.

The Fexti face each other and circle around like boxers. Jaromir is the one who attacks first and the two end up in a furious fistfight. Vlade is quicker and has better technique, but Jaromir is stronger. Every hit that successfully connects with Vlade’s face blurs the Enforcer’s vision and causes him to stagger.

Vlade responds with quicker jabs and precise strikes from various martial arts. As the fight continues, Vlade starts to get the upper hand. An inhuman in the ranks of The Society is always more than welcome, but Fexti are especially valued for their strength, endurance and stamina. They are intensely trained in martial arts and survival tactics which basically turn them into walking tanks.

Vlade, with a trickle of blood emerging from the corner of his mouth and numerous bruises on his face, finally strikes Jaromir down with a precise hook punch. The outlaw’s right eye can barely open because of the swelling around it. The left eye stares at Vlade with hatred.

“I think it’s a good time to surrender, don’t you think?” Vlade says. “The members of your gang are dead and my teammates will be here in a minute. It’s over.”

Jaromir responds with a condescending smile. “An inhuman… working for The Society. Supporting human supremacy. You can do more than this, kid. If you just let me go now, I’ll forget about you. I’ll move to a different city and I won’t bother you and your team anymore.”

Vlade hesitates. “No,” he says in the end. “My teammates are counting on me.”

“So your allegiance to Pinks is stronger than allegiance to your own kind?”

“I just want both humans and inhumans to live in peace.”

“Locked up in filthy ghettos.”

Vlade lets his guard down - exactly as Jaromir predicted. The outlaw lashes out, thrusting his knee into Vlade’s stomach. Vlade gasps and doubles over. He tries to counterattack, but Jaromir disorients him with a powerful punch before he firmly grabs his shoulders and shoves him away. The younger Fext staggers backward, falling into a shop window of a small general store. The sound of shattering glass wakes up the sleeping residents of the small district. Jaromir lets out a grin as Vlade breaks the strip lights illuminating the window and the sparks land on him.

The Fext skin is, unfortunately for them, a great electricity conductor. Vlade groans in pain as the sparks change into a current engulfing his whole body. He has been struck by electricity several times before and, like always, he feels a strange, empty feeling on his whole body as the skin layer which makes him invincible briefly disappears. He feels weak. So… human.

“Do you adore Pinks so much? Now you are one,” Jaromir smirks. He takes his time as he slowly approaches dazed Vlade. The young Fext just keeps his eyes on his enemy, aware he’s at his mercy now. However, he doesn’t start to beg for mercy. He will keep his Fext dignity until the end.

Vlade hears hasty footsteps on the concrete accompanied by voices. His teammates.

But it seems this is exactly what was Jaromir waiting for.

He raises his shotgun and points it at Vlade’s head with a grin. “This time, it should work better,” he says as he pulls the trigger just as the rest of Team Menhir arrives to witness it.

“VLADE!” Gerard shouts.

“OH NO!” Ophelia screams.

“Shit…” Wiccan utters.

Vlade’s head literally exploded. His blood, brain tissue and bone fragments splatter all over the store - its owner, a Gillscaly, falls on his knees and wails loudly.

The Enforcer’s body collapses, blood gushing from the frayed stump of his neck. Jaromir observes it with a smile, then gives a look to the remaining Enforcers standing nearby, shocked and unable to move. “See? It’s not that hard to get rid of The Society’s scum,” he cackles. “Are you gonna miss your Fext friend? Don’t worry. I’ll send you to him in a minute or two.”

Wiccan and Ophelia are shaken by their teammate and friend’s death, but they don’t lose their temper. Just as their training says. They have been members of The Society for about twenty years already and they have witnessed their teammates dying. It was just a part of their job from time to time.

However, the same can’t be said about Gerard who joined Team Menhir seven years ago after a member of the team was KIA - killed in action. Since then, the team successfully avoided tragedies and the composition of the team stayed at Wiccan, Ophelia, Gerard, Vlade and Kirlian for quite some time.

“You son… son of a bitch!” Gerard screams and rushes towards Jaromir, not minding the warnings of his older teammates. The Fext raises his shotgun again and fires, but Gerard’s shield Artifact is already there to block the pellets. However, Gerard alone can’t stand a chance against a powerful Fext.

At least that’s what Jaromir thought.

Gerard faces Jaromir, who is at least thirty centimeters taller than him, with his sword. The Fext doesn’t need any weapons even though he still has his shotgun. He takes a swing at Gerard with his fist, but the Artifact blocks it, absorbing the energy of the impact. It wobbles in the air, but protects Gerard from Jaromir’s wrath.

Suddenly, Jaromir’s eyes open wide. “What the…?” he whispers.

Gerard smiles. His plan came together.

The man rapidly swings his sword from above, giving all his strength into the strike. The blade splits Jaromir’s head in two and continues until it stops somewhere at the collarbone area. Gerard then pulls out his blood-drenched sword and removes the red fluid from the blade using an elegant swing.

Unlike Vlade, Jaromir doesn’t die immediately - the Fext endurance is still present. He tries to take a few steps forward, but since his brain has been split in two, his legs can’t coordinate their movements and the Fext falls on the ground soon.

Gerard stands above the wriggling body. Instead of showing mercy by finishing off the Fext quickly, he just watches Jaromir’s struggle. His eyes move in opposite directions, both halves of his mouth try to speak - each half seemingly tries to say different words. Blood is pouring from the crevice in Jaromir’s head, but not fast enough to make him bleed to death quickly.

Another Artifact hovers close to the body, marked with blue diode. There are two spikes on the front side of the device, small lightnings flashing between its tips. Gerard guided the electric Artifact to sneak towards Jaromir from behind and electrocute him, making him vulnerable.

“Gerard! Oh God, what have you done?” Wiccan shouts at his teammate with an angry expression in his face. “Did I give you a command to kill him? Damn you! We needed to know if there are more members of his Fext gang hiding somewhere. Now, the chance is gone.”

“He killed Vlade,” Gerard mutters.

Wiccan controls his temper; he remembers Gerard and Vlade became close friends, almost like brothers, and Gerard had to lose control over himself when he saw his friend fall. “I know. But in this job, people die, Gerard. Vlade is the third teammate I lost. I know it’s hard, but such reckless things… you just can’t.”

“Please, Wiccan, you can scold me as much as you want, but do it later,” Gerard says with an emotionless voice. “Now… let’s just leave this place. I guess our job is done here anyway.”

October 14th, 2:23 PM, The Society headquarters at Trinity Gate

The remaining members of Team Menhir gather around the urn containing Vlade’s ashes. The room, called “Hall of Heroes”, holds approximately fifty urns. Fifty Enforcers of The Society who died while serving in Trinity Gate. Every headquarters has its own Hall and some of them hold much more urns since Trinity Gate is one of the newer territories.

The Hall of Heroes is a bright room with marble walls holding numerous shelves made of stone. The urns are placed on the shelves. A big part of the room is still unused, indicating that The Society has still a lot of things ahead - both pleasant and unpleasant.

Vlade’s urn is placed next to the urns of two other Enforcers who served in Team Menhir. Wiccan, Ophelia and Kirlian are the founding members, Gerard and Vlade joined later, after they needed new blood. The first deceased member was a human girl named Tara with pyrokinetic powers who, ironically, died in a fire she started and couldn’t control. After she died, Vlade took her place.

Gerard joined the team after the death of Kazuki who was a Tengu, Asian inhuman resembling a humanoid crow with large wings. Tengus are related to Shriekers, much more common (and more troublesome) feathered inhumans who lost their wings throughout their evolution. Actually, the Shriekers were responsible for Kazuki’s death as one of them used a stolen rocket launcher with heat-seeking missiles to bring the Tengu out of sky.

The team mourns in silence. There seems to be nothing left to say.

“I miss him,” Ophelia finally says while wiping off a tear. “He truly was proof to that cheesy saying that ‘the Fexti have impenetrable skin, but soft heart’. He was… such a great friend.”

“You tell me,” Gerard sighs. “He was like a brother to me.”

“It doesn’t feel good, being the only inhuman in the team,” Kirlian’s voice sounds seemingly from nowhere. “He understood me. Don’t get me wrong, but now I feel… alone.”

“Vlade’s death was a tragedy,” Wiccan speaks. “Both for our team and The Society. He was one of the Fexti who refused to be passive. After I got to know Vlade, I’d personally slap anyone who’d say Fexti are cowards. Vlade was braver than all of us combined.”

“And also, he had the best sense of humor,” Ophelia says. “Remember how we used to sing…”

“Vladislav, baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more,” Gerard sings.

For Ophelia, this silly song parody was the last straw. She bursts into tears, hugging Wiccan tightly.

The man lets his wife calm down. There is one more thing to be discussed and Wiccan needed to weaken the influence of emotions at least as much as possible. “Alright, guys,” he speaks. “Now, when Vlade is gone, we need to discuss the future of Team Menhir.”

The team picked its name after a large monolith located in the Great Moors district of the city. Wiccan, Ophelia, Kirlian, Tara and Kazuki used to meet there, even though it was sometimes hard to keep the Tengu out of everyone’s sight. After Vlade and Gerard joined, they jokingly talked about renaming to “Team Hair” as all of them had long hair, but the name based on their favorite place was just too hard-wired to be changed.

“I doubt we have anything to discuss,” Kirlian says. “We just have to get a new member. That’s how The Society works, like it or not.”

“Members,” Gerard corrects him.

Wiccan raises his eyebrows at him. “What do you mean?”

“I quit,” Gerard says. “You can call me weak, oversensitive, whatever you want, but I just… can’t do it any longer. I’ve always had a feeling that working for The Society is too much for me and now, when I lost my best friend, I’m certain about it. I’m sorry.”

“Gerard… are you sure about this?” Ophelia asks.

The man nods. “The Society changed me for the better. Remember? I started as one of the convicts you were after, but instead of imprisoning me, you decided to make me a part of your team after Kazuki died. I know, I work here for only seven years and I don’t even qualify for the retirement benefits, but I just need to quit.”

“You’ll need to give up your Artifacts. Are you ready for it?” Wiccan says.

“Yeah, whatever. Peace is all I need now.”

Wiccan, Ophelia and Kirlian look at Gerard in silence. They remember when they saw him for the first time. Almost twenty at that time, robbing anything in his sight using his Artifacts. He didn’t give up easily and it was his persistence that impressed the team.

It happens more often that one would think - some of the convicts captured by The Society have a chance to redeem themselves by joining the law enforcement unit. And Gerard had all the requirements to become an Enforcer. Life in The Society changed his life. First for better, now for worse.

Wiccan nods. “Of course. We can’t force you to stay here if you really want to go. You just have to contact the Capital Branch which will officially release you and tell you the conditions. You know, never tell anyone about what you saw and stuff.”

“We’ll miss you, Gerard,” Ophelia hugs him. The man had become something like her son. She was the one who persuaded him to give up the petty criminal life and join The Society. She’d secretly hoped Gerard would lead the team once she and Wiccan retire. But now…

“Should I say it, or…?” Wiccan says.

“Go on,” Ophelia replies. She already knows what her husband is about to say.

Wiccan sighs. “Ophelia, Kirlian, I think we’re in this for too long now. Twenty years while ten is enough to retire officially. I think Team Menhir should be disbanded. Vlade’s death and Gerard’s departure confirmed it for me. The new blood should receive a chance. Trinity Gate needs a new team.”

“I agree,” Ophelia nods. “It’s sad to just… throw away everything we’ve been through. But I also see no point in dragging it out. Initiating the new team will be the last thing we’ll do as The Society members. And then… we’ll finally have some time for ourselves.”

“What about you, Kirlian?” Wiccan asks.

“I can’t say I’m happy about it,” Kirlian’s disembodied voice says, “but it seems I’ve been outvoted.”

“So… okay,” Wiccan doesn’t seem to know what to say. “I officially disband the Team Menhir here and now. We have to announce it to the Capital Branch as soon as possible, before another case breaks loose. ELIPSA will then find and initiate new Enforcers.”

ELIPSA is an agency which belongs to The Society. The acronym means Entries and Locations of Individuals Possessing Special Abilities. This agency keeps track of people with special talents or supernatural abilities and the inhumans who are suitable for the Enforcer career.

Ophelia takes Wiccan’s hand. “I have mixed feelings about this,” she says. “Finally being able to live peacefully… but without the thrill.”

“We deserve it, darling. After twenty years of risking our lives.”

During the following days, Team Menhir is officially disbanded and the remaining members receive the veteran status. Gerard was allowed to leave freely after he handed over his Artifacts to Wiccan. ELIPSA immediately started to seek new Society members near Trinity Gate.

The Society members are carefully chosen by ELIPSA members, veterans with a lot of experience who seek people displaying abilities other people would find unnatural or genius knowledge of a useful subject such as technology or science. The team also has to be balanced, a fair amount of muscles, brains and special abilities. Piecing together a new team isn’t an easy job.

However, after a few days, ELIPSA finally came with the first results.

“Looks promising,” Wiccan says after he took a look at the files of the possible new team members at home. He picked one of them personally and ELIPSA approved his choice.

“Such nostalgia,” Ophelia smiles. “Remember when we were new recruits?”

“Yeah,” Wiccan returns the smile. “Now let’s go to sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll have to deliver this to the Capital Branch.” He points at the wooden casket containing Gerard’s Artifacts. He opens the casket and looks at the devices connected to Mind stones, small parapsychological drones.

Red, blue, yellow, black, purple and green. Each one with different usage.

But then…

“Hold on a second,” Wiccan barks. He closely examines one of the drones, then another. Then he curses so loudly Ophelia shrinks back. “These are fake!” Wiccan announces. “Damn. I was wondering why is Gerard handing them to me without any sorrow!”

“What does that mean?” Ophelia asks.

“Gerard still has the real ones.”

Author’s Note

So that was the first part of the story I’m working on. Sorry if it looked too much like some splatter, the rest of the story is more sophisticated... a little ;) Don’t hesitate to let me know what you did and didn’t like, just hit the Comment button or send me a message. If you want to stay updated, follow @lukes-writing and if you have friends who you think might like this story, let them know!

Thank you for reading!

@notquitenovelist

[prettywordsyouleft]

Becoming Human - Chapter 10

Previous Chapters:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

After my shift finished, I took the quickest path to the subway, riding it home in a weird state of anticipation. Gunhee had messaged earlier on that he had taken Leo back to my apartment when his own shift ended, and for some reason, the desire to see if Sohyun’s words were right or wrong had left me in a state of unknown. It felt so unfamiliar to expect anything of someone passed Gunhee. I had grown up with him as a child and when I returned from England, we had fallen right back into our friendship where it had left off.

Relationships with other humans, however, had either been destroyed by my constant clinical thinking from my studies or just never pursued enough by myself. Sohyun was the only exception, and although we were complete opposites, I held her close within my world.

But that was it.

And now, after years of being the same way, I was strangely hopeful at the new interactions I was facing with Leo. I wondered if Sohyun and Doctor Jung were right, and because of my lack of physical connections with others, I was going to end up in a situation that would ultimately be undesirable. The cries within my mind that Leo was a robot were slowly quietening. They were still there though, and as I walked towards my apartment, I reminded myself over and over to stop expecting too much from him.

I’ll see you later.

My eyes looked forward then, a stupid smile crossing my lips at the idea that he could be actually waiting at home for me. Would he be waiting on the sofa? In the kitchen? Would he have made dinner? Would he even remember the words he had said that had worked me up so much today?

I entered the apartment complex finally and felt as if my heart would explode through my chest as I waited for the elevator to open on my floor, my door soon standing tall in front of me. I stood there for a few minutes, attempting to calm myself back down. Finally, I put in my passcode and then entered the apartment, shutting the door behind me and removing my boots before turning around.

And there he was. He wasn’t waiting on the sofa. The house didn’t have an aroma of a cooked meal, nor was he occupying the kitchen area. Instead, Leo stood on the landing of the small hallway, his eyes quietly soaking me in, relief that he could see me again after hours of being apart.

In that moment, our real and artificial worlds collided. I stepped up into the house and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my head into his chest as the first tear fell. The tall man stood still for a moment and then his arms were soon around me, holding me close to his body. I couldn’t distinguish anything different within his embrace than others I had been in and smiled, my tears falling more readily.

“You waited for me,” I managed to splutter out after the tears stopped. “You actually waited.”

“Where else would I go?” he softly asked, his hand now up in my hair and patting the curls rhythmically. “You had to come home to me and I had to wait for you. Why are you crying?”

“People don’t wait for me.”

Leo shifted back, his eyes searching for more understanding. His thumbs came up and wiped away the tear lines stained upon my cheeks. He then sighed lightly. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“Today I laughed inwardly at a client we have for finding small issues in her Kboy bothersome and so she requested a face-up with a reason that to me sounded so silly. And then I realised, who was I to judge her for finding that annoying? Who am I to decide that her new choice was less suitable than she imagined it to be? As long as he made her happy and she was not in any harm, isn’t that the best situation?”

“I mean, I somewhat agree, but what does this have to do with people not waiting for you, noona?”

I lowered my head, fresh tears threatening to fall again. “I’m cruel. I act like I’m nice but really, I think of people and categorise them from my psychology studies. When I shouldn’t be diagnosing them with my self-decided theories but accepting them for how they are if I want people to accept me.”

“I accept you,” Leo said immediately, smiling lightly as he lifted my chin up so I could see him again. My chin wobbled in his hand and it made his smile grow. “And I think you’re kind. Your heart is in the right place, Choi Yerin. If it wasn’t, would you, the self-proclaimed never going to own a Kboy, have saved me otherwise? You saw something in me that others weren’t ready to. Maybe I’ll be the lucky one who gets to see things in you before others do. I think I got a glimpse of the more vulnerable you tonight.”

“Maybe I am blurring our lines too easily,” I whispered and Leo smiled again. It made me pout and he broke out into a small laugh. “Don’t laugh at me!”

“Don’t be insanely cute then.”

“I was being serious though.”

Leo nodded and gently guided me towards my bedroom door. I glanced at him with wide eyes and then at my door. Another laugh escaped him. “I don’t know what is processing through that mind of yours right now, but I can sense you have had a big day full of emotions. I read that humans are faced with constant emotions and an overload from them can be exhausting. You should get changed and I’ll prepare something for dinner, so you can rest for the remainder of the night.”

“No.”

He eyed me carefully and then shook his head. “I don’t understand, why did you just say no? What exactly for?”

“I will change and I am tired but I want to cook dinner together.”

“Together? But it would be easier for me to just prep-”

“Don’t you want to know more about humans and why they interact with each other?” Leo nodded. “Cooking together is another way to be close with the people you care about.”

“I understand that, but it’s only one person eating so it would be too burdensome to have two individuals making one meal.”

I smiled, taking off my jumper and opening the door to my room. “Just listen to your noona for once, okay?”

  Music played around the apartment as we both managed to fit into my small kitchen, Leo preparing the vegetables as I worked on seasoning some beef before popping it onto the stovetop. I watched as he cut the cucumber and carrot expertly, fast and precise. I wondered during all these years of my adulthood if I would have felt this alive if I had invited someone else into my life earlier. Or if this was just the effect of having Leo around. His different way of viewing our human world made me question just how well I had lived until now.

“Your eyes should be on the food, not me.” His voice startled me and I jumped, shifting backwards. Leo dropped the knife and reached out to steady me before I knocked into the frying pan on the stove and potentially caused trouble. However, being back in his arms seemed just as dangerous to me. Again, like the night where he saved me on our walk, he jumped away himself, quietly going back to the preparation of the food. I frowned; he hadn’t resisted my hug earlier on.

I had been obviously emotional then. Right now he simply was helping me from a potential accident and then continuing on with his task. I decided it would make sense if I were a robot to not find the close proximity anything to give a second thought to.

It was how we differed. Since hugging him and being vulnerable, it was all I could think of. I thought of how I wanted to cook together, remembering my Mother telling me that food made together tasted better. I had wanted to try it once. Instead, I was starting to over think the situation. The music now seemed to mock me, and as I turned to check the beef, I noticed it was burned on one side.

This wouldn’t taste good at all. Reality was returning to me. The window I had seen of something magical happening to me was fading fast. Because it was hopeless to think of Leo as anything but what he actually was.

The sooner I remembered that, the safer it would be for me.

Next chapter!

A/N: Oh Yerin, what are you doing! She was so giddy and enjoying everything until that last moment. I sense some angst coming out way >_>

Sorry this chapter was late to be posted today Xxx

Want to be added to the notified list? Leave a comment or reblog letting me know that you wish to get tagged in the upcoming chapters! Thanks everyone for the continued support!

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Becoming Human Masterlist | Fiction Masterlist | Request Guidelines

[rebidezi1985-blog]

Are there any recommendations or solutions for long wearing cushions? I currently use the Hera UV Mist cushion and by 2 or 3pm my new colleague asks me if I wear any makeup. I actually went out and bought the Etude House Fix and Fix Primer and it seems to have made my cushion last a bit longer but I still look ghastly by the time it late afternoon. I in a job that requires me to perpetually be talking to clients too.. I meditate often and enjoy the silence, I am very sensitive to subtle enegies, I carry my crystals with in my travels, but through it all I have far more questions than answers. I just trying to make sense of it all. Then again I guess that what everyone on every level is doing. Sugarpill does the best single shadows, hands down. You can get them in compacts or in pans to put in magnetic palettes. The pans are huge, the colours are bright, and the formula is smooth and pigmented. And I did get back the next year on a 50 mile loop that I recommend to any hardy hiker who 영동출장마사지 doesn't get nose bleeds at high altitudes.I've dubbed it the Crabtree Pass Loop after its highest point. You'll be hard pressed to find a better, more challenging one in the park.The trailhead is at Horseshoe Meadow southwest of Lone Pine, at 9,900 feet one of the highest eastern access point to the Sierra's crest. Either the Cottonwood Pass or Cottonwood Lakes trail provide the quickest entries; my party my bachelor party, as it were, since I was to be married the following Saturday chose the Cottonwood Pass route since it was familiar to us and appeared more direct.In less than four miles through Inyo National Forest's Golden Trout Wilderness, you top 11,180 foot Cottonwood Pass. It 영동출장마사지 so nice to hear someone finally acknowledge that the influencer schtick (vs. The unrelatable celebrity schtick) only works because it plays on your natural need for connection and representation. It necessarily exploitative. I currently considering switching from iPhone to Android (though not just because of this game). I have the iPhone 5S, which is several years old and the battery is terrible. Many pros and cons I heard of iPhone vs. Give yourself a compliment today and recognize all the things you love about yourself. I sure there a lot. Acne doesn define you. I suspect that's also why you do better in real life. Good luck. 32 points submitted 5 days ago. 2 points submitted 3 days agoShe would be the worst Bachelorette of all time. She is completely unreliable as a narrator to the audience. She continued to date Paulie while he was publicly in a relationship with someone else because he told her it was fake and for his career. When I travelling for months and crossing into different climates, I like having my winter clothing compressed and packed away if I not opening the bag for a few weeks or a month. I buy cheap ones from Daiso (a Japanese $2 chain store) that don require an actual vacuum and they work just fine they meant for storage are pretty durable. Easy enough to pack a back anyway since they flat and light.. The cakes take about 5 minutes on the stove top and then just a 1 hour rest in the fridge, so they very easy to make from scratch. Do these first, pop in the fridge, and then cook the rest of your meal. Or you can make a batch ahead and have them as an easy protein packed side or snack. So while the seller didn specify which "printing" you get, it the same as, for example, an American vs European printed card where one might feel different than the other. The vast majority of the resale community does not care and does not distinguish. You may yourself wish to do so going forward when reselling this card.

[the-banannah]

A new Story Idea for Mwah

Ok,, had a pretty weird bits and pieces dream last night, but that's because I had bits and pieces of sleep. (Also, dream space is weird, what happens there I'm not liable for)

OK!

Young Lady (mid/late 20's not sure what age specifically yet) is studying abroad (meaning over in the UK cause I'm in North America) on journalism/reporting.

Her current lease is almost up, so she starts looking for another room to rent, sees an add in the paper for a fairly cheap price, goes to check it out, thinking it's gonna be way too good to be true, cause that price is wayyyyyy too cheap.

The Landlord is there and he's too handsome, but he's also really business like, "Are you so and so?" Says she.

"I am, and I have twenty minutes to show you the house, please don't dawdle."

The 'room' is actually a mansion, super comfy but obviously build in recent years. Landlord (Name's Luke btw) gives her the quickest walk-through of the century, stops back at the parlor and informs her that he's gone throughout most of the week, but would be living in the house on weekends, and would prefer not to be bothered since he's usually decompressing from work.

"What kinda work do you do?"

He's real quiet for a moment and gives her a critical look. ".... Custodial, for a nationwide company-"

"So you're a janitor?" Before she can fix her snide comment, which wasn't meant to be snide, or rude, she just wanted some more clarification-

"...Yes."

His watch beeps (She doesn't recognize the brand) and he informs her that the lease agreement is on the counter, as well as keys, and she's welcome to see herself out. He grabs a briefcase and a funny feathery hat she thought was a piece of art off the wall and leaves.

Other than him leaving a stranger in his really expensive house he didn't seem too bad, didn't give off a funny vibe, and true to his word, the contract and the keys were on the counter.

Contract was pretty straight forward, no friends over on the weekends, no friends or SO staying overnight on weekends, clean up after yourself, food, laundry, water, and electricity were included in rent, she would be a fool not to pass this up, and there was even a 'grace month' to see if she wanted to stay, so her first payment was easily a month away.

She signs the contract, takes the keys and gives herself another walk-through.

She moves in that week with the help of a friend on a Friday. She started to personalize her room, starting with some cleaning, only to come face to face in the laundry room with what she swore could have been a gremlin in flannel. The basket was dropped, she turned and ran-

-head first into Luke, right into his chest, which didn't seem to wind him at all, even though she's now got a headache.

"I said I'd be home on weekends."

"What was that?"

"Tho I suppose Friday usually isn't a weekend-"

"Luke?!"

"-My mistake."

"Is that another tenant?"

"No, that's a colleague from work."

"Why does he look like that?"

"He always looks like that, but he'll be gone by tonight, he just needs to do some laundry."

(This may or may not be the actual word flow, bear with me, it's now 30 min since I woke up, it's all escaping me now 😭)

Anyways, the Lady and the Landlord eventually warm up to each other, even more so when the Lady gets laid off from her work, and ruefully tells Luke she's gonna need to get out of the lease.

He says that he can't break the lease(tho he seems really weird about it, like if he broke it early (even tho it was only a month) he'd be in trouble?), but he can put an addendum on it, that she does house work (he already kept the place spotless) in exchange for rent + extra.

She takes the addendum, and as she starts to clean (Mostly it's just dusting) she notices every Monday there's either a lot of hair, glitter, dried flower petals, just really odd things left over from whatever Colleague Luke would bring over for laundry/a meal/whatever the excuse of the week was.

After a daring rescue from an unsavory fellow, they get even closer, to the point that she starts giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek out the door.

Eventually, Luke comes home on a Thursday, and organizes a nice meal for the two of them, and explains what his job is.

He's a custodian yes, but he deals with supernatural clean up. The Fae have a rave out in the forest, there's going to be over sized mushrooms, glitter up to your shins, and spider webs that shouldn't be so thick, or have writing in their weaving. Trolls have another Civil War, there's a forest missing now. Paranormal, mythical creatures, myths and legends, anything that's out of the 'ordinary', they clean up. And if someone doesn't clean it up, humans will find out.

And sometimes they do, that's the colleagues Luke has been bringing over, humans that need to get cleaned up and sent back out, if their psyche isn't broken. And if it is, they help that human transition into the next stage in their life.

(INSERT MORE PLOT POINTS, THE BIGGEST THING I WANNA GET TO IS A LONG STORY AWAY)

It's been a bit since the dinner, but Luke and the Lady are getting along splendidly. She's got her degree, started freelance reporting on the side, and they've been in a relationship for a while too.

Only downside is that Luke has to keep her secret from work.

And Work wants her to transition to the next stage of her life, or death, whichever happens first.

They have no idea that they've been in the same house for so long, much less dating

She's known that Work might want her dead, she asks Luke that if it comes to that, at least make it painless and/or a surprise.

What she doesn't know is that Luke has a ring meant for her, not a dagger

Work decides that Luke is incompetent to complete the job, so they send The Never Ending Bus (name pending)

It's a bus that only stops to let people on, they never get off, unless they're with Work, even then, it's usually just to take a shortcut rather than flying in a plane.

Luke knows that's a mental death sentence, and tries to follow through with the job, but can't.

As the bus is pulling up to the door

Luke pulls out the ring box and gives it to the Lady.

She doesn't know what it is yet, but gets onto the bus, shortly followed by Luke, who's trying to appear like he's going to work (he's failing, big time)

She and him 'happen' to sit next to each other on the bus, and that's when she looks at the box.

I'll add more as I go, but that's basically the gist! Human gets wrapped up in Fae Cover Up Org, falls in love with one of their most efficient workers, has to go into hiding to live

[paleorecipecookbook]

6 Ways to Naturally Beat Anxiety (Plus the 7 Best Foods to Eat)

An expected rush of energy or tension than manifests from a future or potentially looming situation can be a good thing—your body is telling you to focus and pay attention. But it can also be extremely stressful for people who are prone to regular anxiety problems. (1) When the proportion of anxiety for a situation is distorted or magnified, or your symptoms overrun your life, it’s time to find better ways to address it instead of just passing it off as temporary or a form of excitement.

What Causes Anxiety?

The symptoms of nervousness, anxiety, and excitement can all be quite similar:

Racing heart and increased pulse

Sleeplessness

Tension

Confusion

Cold sweats

Stomach upset or “flip-flops”

Dry mouth

The causes for anxiety disorders are not pinned down officially but are most likely caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, physiological, and developmental factors. (2)

Can Anxiety Be Naturally Improved?

If you are privy to this special high-anxiety club, you know where I am coming from when I say that I will try just about anything to alleviate stress when and where I can. High anxiety is terrible.

As an instant gratification nation, we are always up for the quickest fix when it comes to losing weight, avoiding colds, and yes, even alleviating symptoms of anxiety and stress. A pill, a fad diet, a shot: often time these are very necessary, but like most things, when you are diligent, disciplined, researched, intentional, and thorough in your daily choices, you can have a healthy trickle-down effect throughout all of your bodily functions, systems, and even your psyche.

If you are already maintaining a clean diet, you may notice less of these ailments surfacing in your life. Eating clean means more than just keeping fit and physically in shape, it also means keeping your mood sound and stable as well! You may not see the quick-fix effects of the shortcuts, but when healthy practices become your lifestyle, the perks keep coming and have longer lasting results.

Not only is it important to avoid foods that may spike contributing symptoms of anxiety, but to also eat foods that promote well-being and mental fitness. Below are some mood supporting methods and tips for happy-mind boosting meals and preparations, as well as some things to avoid in your diet when it comes to irritability and stress. You may just need a few tweaks here and there to see massive results in the mind, mood, and mental health arena.

Please note: we aren’t saying that all anxiety can be eaten away. Anxiety and other mental health disorders can be serious, so if you’re struggling, make sure that you seek out help from a qualified professional immediately.

Cravings and Overeating

Cravings are like deficient little soldiers screaming, “You want crunchy, salty, sweets NOW, or this plane is going down!” It is easy to cave and grab processed and refined snacks when we are already feeling bad.

Anxiety and depression can be like parasites. They feed on refined empty carbs, growing and growing, taking over and developing more cravings and addictions. We crave processed foods and quick fixes like sugary snacks and caffeine because they falsify happiness feelings by spiking blood sugar and energy levels. The crash is hard and fast, causing your system to go into overdrive. Now your organs and your brain are both stressed out.

The habits of giving in to cravings associated with moods can quickly lead to binges or completely falling off the wagon. The guilt of eating processed foods alone is enough to give you feelings of anxiety. A too-full tummy disrupts healthy digestion and sleep, not to mention shame and discomfort.

Overeating can also be triggered by stress. Even if you are eating healthy foods, overeating is not good for your physical or mental health. Eating consistently and thoughtfully is the best way to avoid a two-hour binge marathon on either junky or healthy foods. Too much is too much.

6 Ways to Naturally Combat Anxiety

When you’re tired of the cycle of anxiety, over-eating, stress-eating, or falling into junk food cravings, there are some simple ways to start a pattern of healthiness. These six tips can not only lead to more balanced eating, but they can help to curb anxiety patterns or to help lead to better mental wellness.

1. Cut Out the Sugar

Break the blood sugar crashing cycle and eat regularly. This helps to avoid junk food cravings. Incorporating foods into your diet with natural sweetness like carrots and apples can help train your taste buds into appreciating natural flavors over caustic and artificial ones.

Avoid processed foods and pay attention to food additives that create spikes and affect your mood. If you are already maintaining a Paleo lifestyle, you may notice that cutting out sugar (even Paleo forms) and starchier carbohydrates can decrease your cravings even more. Sticking with very minimally processed and whole foods is the easiest way to be sure you aren’t eating refined sugars on a daily basis.

2. Eat Regularly

Most people are familiar with being ‘hangry,’ which is the more adorable way of communicating that you are so hungry that you are actually angry. You may have low blood sugar, which is causing this irritability, anxiety, and even panic.

Keeping your blood sugar steady means maintaining your serotonin production, which is a chemical that is naturally occurring in the human body that is said to contribute to mood stabilization. (3) Eating regularly, especially meals that are balanced by healthy fats and proteins, can provide balance.

3. Go Caffeine Free

Being over-caffeinated can cause dehydration, which can be linked with depression and other anxiety symptoms. (4) Coffee promotes alertness and awakeness, but can also cause irritability and major jitters as well as being disruptive of restful sleep patterns.

Quitting java cold turkey has similar effects so if you are interested in giving caffeination the boot, phase it out slowly by drinking bone broth or golden milk, or use bulletproof coffee for a more gentle and time-released caffeine fix.

If you’re like me and you love the ritual of hot coffee in the morning, you may need to find something else to replace it. Consider waking up and going into an immediate 10-minute meditation or morning stretch session, or switch your hot cup of morning brew to herbal tea.

4. Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated can help with a plethora of anxiety-prompted ruts. (5) Your body runs more smoothly when it has plenty of water, not just from drinking it, but also from eating water-packed foods, like fruits and leafy greens.

Start your day, before you do anything else, by drinking a large glass of water. If you want to follow with a hot beverage of some kind afterward, that’s fine, too. But water is irreplaceable when it comes to being a healthy person, mentally and physically.

5. Manage Your PMS

If you are already maintaining a clean diet void of all the common triggers, take your eating a few steps further by focusing on hormone balancing. Menstrual irregularities, as well as reproductive hormones in general, can contribute to food cravings, anxiety, and mood imbalances.

Herbal tea preparations like red raspberry and supplements like chaste tree berry can help to naturally temper problematic cycles. Magnesium citrate can also aid in reducing cramping and other muscular discomforts, while promoting a calm nervous system and mind. (6,7,8)

Additionally, using a tracking method for your cycle can help to identify anxiety patterns related to hormones, which can better equip you to address them.

6. Avoid Junk foods

Foods that are riddled with sugar and additives, or are deep fried, packaged, and highly processed are void of nutrients and can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety. This is because they interfere with the normal bacterial balance in the gut. Your gut is important for not only your physical health but your mental health as well. (9)

The psychological and physical connection between the brain and the gut is a two-way street. Your brain sends signals to your gut, but your gut also sends signals to your brain. Anxiety or nervousness can be either a cause of or a product of poor digestion, or both.

Fried and processed foods are typically low in fiber and saturated with denatured and often rancid, low quality cooking oil. Foods like these will either move through your gastrointestinal tract quickly, causing diarrhea, or sit there too long, causing constipation or other digestive problems. If you want to keep your anxiety in check, avoid foods that do not nourish you and which also mess up your gut.

7 Best Nutrients to Eat for Anxiety

While you can improve anxiety by following the six tips above, there are also specific nutrients and foods that can effectively reduce anxiety and work toward bringing more balance and calm to the body.

1. Amino Acids

Amino acids are building blocks within the body. They are core components of proteins, but they also fulfill duties of creating neurotransmitters and producing hormones. Nine out of 20 amino acids are essential, eight of which we need to live and function. The only way to get these essential amino acids is from outside sources, like diet.

Amino acids like tyrosine and tryptophan make the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which regulate mood and ease symptoms of aggression. (10) Getting these essential amino acids is important for many reasons, some of which have everything to do with mental health and neurological development.

Foods that are naturally rich in essential amino acids include:

Eggs

Pineapple

Nuts and seeds

Turkey

Spirulina

Parsley

Figs

Leafy greens

Cacao

Avocados

2. Protein

Eating high quality protein will also supply your body with essential amino acids that are necessary for neurological health. (11) Not only will you feel fuller longer, but your body will be able to effectively build and repair muscle tissue, as well as maintain a steady production of neurotransmitters to combat anxiety.

Foods that are the best sources of clean protein include:

Eggs

Grass-fed beef

Pastured pork

Free range chicken

Wild caught tuna

Chia seeds

Hemp seeds

Pumpkin seeds

3. Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, best known for its sleep-inducing effects after gorging on Thanksgiving turkey. Eating foods rich in tryptophan can increase your production of serotonin, which can make you feel calm. (12)

Serotonin is a chemical produced by the brain to regulate mood, and tryptophan is key for the body’s production. Your body does not produce tryptophan on its own, so eating foods rich in this amino acid is essential.

Foods rich in tryptophan include:

Turkey

Nuts

Seeds

Red meat

Chicken

Seafood

Eggs

4. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are well-known for their effect on alleviating symptoms of depression as well as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (13)

Oily fish contain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are the two primary amino acids found in omega-3s. Certain plants, seeds, and nuts are sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which converts into both DHA and EPA in the body.

A diet rich in omega-3s can alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety, improve cognition, and even temper aggression. (14)

Foods rich in omega-3s include:

Sardines

Mackerel

Halibut

Salmon

Oysters

Flax seeds

Chia seeds

Sea vegetables

Walnuts

5. Folate

Folate refers to tetrahydrofolate derivatives, which are naturally found in foods, as opposed to folic acid which is a synthetic compound that is fully oxidized. Folic acid is a manmade nutrient usually found in fortified foods and supplements. The two terms used interchangeable quite often when it comes to talking about nutrients, but they aren’t at all the same thing.

Folate is required for numerous body processes, including mood balance and neurological development. Folate coenzymes are required for the metabolism of several important amino acids as well as other essential body processes and conversions. Because some people lack the ability to convert folic acid into usable folate, eating foods that have naturally occurring folate is essential for brain and body health.

Foods rich in natural folate include:

Eggs

Spinach

Collard greens

Mustard greens

Romaine

Asparagus

Broccoli

Citrus fruits

Berries

Sunflower seeds

6. Vitamin B

The B family of vitamins is broad, but most notably B6 and B12 have extensive benefits for energy metabolism and nervous system function. Research shows that B12 has a major impact on depression and neurotransmitters and that even a slight deficiency can produce significant symptoms. (15) B6, along with folate, help B12 to be properly absorbed and utilized, and a deficiency in one can result in symptoms of deficiency in others.

Foods naturally rich in B vitamins include:

Poultry products

Bananas

Clams

Oysters

Mussels

Crabs

Eggs

Beef and other red meats

Almonds

7. Vitamin D

Lack of vitamin D, particularly in the winter months, is a major contributor to the winter blues or seasonal affective disorder. Sunshine is the most potent source of vitamin D, thanks to the liver’s ability to use cholesterol to convert skin exposure into this usable nutrient, so in those gloomy months when there is next to none, it’s important to increase vitamin D in other ways. There aren’t many dietary sources that are high in vitamin D, so consulting a practitioner and using a high-quality vitamin D3 supplement may be beneficial.

Foods that contain some vitamin D include:

Liver

Egg yolks

Mushrooms

Fish eggs

Salmon

Bottom Line

Anxiety can range from being an irritation to a debilitating problem. When it impacts your personal and professional life, and natural wellness aids don’t seem to help, make sure that you consult a qualified practitioner to find answers for your health needs.

The post 6 Ways to Naturally Beat Anxiety (Plus the 7 Best Foods to Eat) appeared first on PaleoPlan.

Source: http://ift.tt/10qRbxJ

[fall2019kulife]

Kutztown University Diet

Prologue

On Friday night around 1am students make their way to South because who would be at south at 1am, just everyone. So the students place their orders at the kiosk only to find out their order numbers are about 100 people to go. They sit down on the edge of the walkway and sit and wait. They begin to complain about how hungry and tired they are as they look over to see a bunch of kids eating cereal because it’s the quickest thing you can get to eat. An hour and a half later someone finally get their grilled chicken sandwich and fries and proceeds to push people out of their way just to get some BBQ sauce. The students make their way to find a table, which is hard because almost all the seats are filled, and to get there they have to dodge pool players and drunk people who don’t know what they are doing. All that waiting and hard work getting a seat didn’t seem worth it when that student finally sits down and tries to eat their grilled chicken sandwich and the bun completely falls apart and the fries are cold. A typical day at Kutztown University consists of stressed out students who need to just take a break from classes or work and eat some food. The question is where do they get this food? This question becomes life or death when it comes to thinking about what you want to eat and or go at 2am in the morning after a long night of “studying”. How far do you wanna walk? I mean do you have the option to drive? Do you want actual food or cafeteria food? Is delivery an option because who wants to leave their bed? What’s open? Well there are many options for those hangry KU students out there who are struggling to figure out want the want to eat.  Act one, “Eating on Campus” is going to explain the places one can go to eat especially for students living on campus. Act two, “Eating off campus” is going to talk about exploring different restaurants off campus.

Act one: Eating on Campus

As a student at Kutztown and having the experience of living on campus, I have eaten at every place Kutztown dining has to offer. When I lived on campus my favorite place to eat was upstairs in South where they had this amazing and full salad bar. This place also had a dessert bar and my friends and I would have cupcakes almost everyday. Now I live off campus I still am able to eat on campus by going to the Academic Forum in which I usually get chick fil a or a panini from the Marketplace. A lot of students tend to stay on campus and use flex, bear bucks, or meal swipes because most students don’t have too much money and its cheap on campus. The biggest place to eat at Kutztown in South Dining Hall. This is because this is at the end the DMZ where all the living quarters are for anyone who lives on campus. For those who live on campus have a meal plan and the Dining Hall takes swipes like Cub. There are two floors in South where the bottom has a fast food vibe with a cafe and pizza while upstairs sells the mediocre lunches and dinners with a salad and dessert bar. Cub’s, the only other place on campus that takes meal swipes, food is pretty much the same thing but a lot smaller and the food is not as freshly cooked. Right next to Cub is Starbucks which is where tired students tend to flock too and in-between classes it becomes real busy. Then there is the Academic Forum which is a popular place for those who commute and those who don’t have a meal plan. This place has another cafe that sells Starbucks coffee, Chick fil a, International food, and a marketplace that has a salad and sandwich bar.

To have another student’s perspective of the food on campus I have asked Sarah Kriesher about how she feels of eating on campus. She says she really does like eating on campus at the Academic forum. “Chick fil a is the best thing that has happened to Kutztown University. I eat there a couple times a week.” She is also obsessed with the Starbucks on campus because she is able to use her flex to buy her Salted Caramel Mocha lattes. She says she is not really a big fan of South however it can be really convenient . “Since I live at University Place it is so easy to just walk two steps to south to eat but honestly sometimes it can be way to busy and and it could take forever to get my food.” She also explained that she is however grateful for it since it is open 24/7. She is not really a big fan of the food itself. “The food at south and cub since it’s like the same place, it can get really repetitive and after a while the food starts to taste bad.”

Act 2: Eating off Campus

I have been a student at Kutztown University for about two weeks before I started getting tired of their food. Everyday it's the same thing, chicken nuggets, a burnt burger with a stale bun, and a handful of frenchfries. I’m lucky if that handful of fries were warm. At this point I am tired of eating school food every single day. They make it seem more appetizing by adding stuff to the menu but if it actually is something good, it won’t last. It’s just another passing glimpse of hope that is what their kitchen could actually make if they applied themselves just a little more. Don’t get me wrong, I like the occasional meal on campus, but not every day.

It gets to a point you need a larger variety to choose from and to eat something that hasn’t been sitting out for half an hour. My friend Sam and I decided it was time to go exploring for new things to eat down mainstreet. I was in the mood for some pizza so we stopped in at Tommy Boys. Tommy Boys is the favorite restaurant that everyone who attends Kutztown knows and loves. It is one of those places cramped into the downstairs of one of the townhouses on mainstreet. They have a very large kitchen but the seating inside that is available isn’t the greatest. There are four or five tables usually with the ability to probable seat eighteen people in total. There isn’t much standing room when they are really busy, and trust me, on a friday night they get busy. I have never heard anyone not liking it there.

Sam has Celiacs disease and is unable to eat anything with gluten in it without getting sick. Tommy Boys offers accommodations to food allergies, they make a pizza with a gluten free crust so he is able to eat there without getting himself sick. Besides there being gluten free crust Tommy Boys also offers a wide variety of menu items so if you have some other sort of food allergy there will always be something for you to eat.

Another local favorite while walking down mainstreet looking for something to eat is Mommas. Mommas is on the opposite side of the street but very close in distance to Tommy Boys. Their pizza is very good too. But just the same as Tommy Boys, their menu is not limited to pizza. While relative in size the atmosphere inside of Mommas isn’t the same as Tommy Boys. It is more of a place to come in, grab a slice, and go. Where as Tommy Boys feels like the type of place that you would like to sit down and hangout for a while with all of your friends.

Most places on mainstreet are open pretty late on the weekends, sometimes during the week they are open pretty late too but you’d want to get something to eat a lot earlier than midnight during the week. Having a meal cooked for you specifically is the best thing in the world. You don’t have to share, but you could if that's what you would like to do. And in the event that you weren’t to finish eating all your food from being full, you can take your leftovers home with you for a midnight snack, something that south doesn’t allow you to do.

Sophia Staskowski (Act 1)

Noah Russo (Act 2)

[tum-tigger]

Lancitty and/or Kurmanda!

Had to put this under a cut because I have way too many feelings about both Lancitty and Kurmanda and this is practically a book - I’m so sorry!  Like, really.  No one feel obligated to read this whole thing.  I am entirely too long-winded. 

Thanks so much for asking! :)

L A N C I T T Y

Who cooks: Lance, probably, assuming Kitty’s cooking skills are on par with her baking skills.  I feel like Kitty probably has a few things that she can make passably well, mostly types of salads and pastas that are hard to mess up and won’t suffer overmuch if one or two ingredients get forgotten or measured wrong.  Most of the cooking is on Lance, though.  Anything he grills turns out especially amazing, but he gleaned enough skill off of Freddy to be a better cook than Kitty no matter the method. When Lance isn’t around, Kitty probably has a lot of meals at the Institute - I headcanon that she’s involved there throughout her adulthood, so it’s no stretch to join them for a meal every so often.

Who does the laundry and other chores: They divvy them up.  Kitty is a pretty neat person, whereas Lance isn’t really bothered by a mess until it gets out of hand.  For the sake of their relationship, Lance adheres to Kitty’s standards of cleanliness.  Mostly.  I’m sure there’s plenty of times where Kitty has to insist he put his dishes in the dishwasher or remind him that a quick rinse will NOT take care of all of the facial hair that didn’t fall into the sink.  Lance is probably almost exclusively in charge of taking the trash out and Kitty does the laundry because “not everything can be washed on a normal cycle and then dried on high heat for the quickest results, Lance - like, there’s care labels for a reason!” I think most of the other chores would depend on who’s home and what else there is to be done.

How many children do they have: I headcanon three.  The first one is definitely a surprise and Lance is very apprehensive (read: freaking the fuck out).  He‘s never considered himself a baby person and has had zero positive male (or female, for that matter) influences in his life to learn parenting skills from, so he’s sure he’s going to ruin the kid’s life.  I imagine there’s a lot of Kitty breaching the subject, only to be brushed off by Lance so many times that she lets her hormonal rage loose on him and they have a fantastic fight.  After a night or two apart, they manage to have a mostly-civil conversation where Lance is able to open up to Kitty about his insecurities and she’s able to listen and assuage without her pep-talk sounding more like a lecture.  Fast forward to Lance nearly (if not actually) passing out in the delivery room and (further on down the road) panicking when Kitty wants to try again for a girl. XP  They have another boy, which is how they end up with three total.  Lance is glad the third is a girl.  Sure, this parenting thing isn’t as awful as he thought it would be, but it’s still downright terrifying, at times, to be responsible for three little lives.

I realized halfway through the above paragraph that I lied! XP  I kind of headcanon four kids, because I have this strong desire for them to adopt another child later on when their biological kids are in their teens/early twenties.  I picture an elementary school-age boy who’s as much a victim of the system as Lance was when he was growing up.  Probably an early-developed mutant whose powers have massive destructive potential, like Lance’s do.  Someone Lance sees himself in; someone who he can’t let grow up the way he did.  So when Cerebro gets a reading and the X-Men come swooping in, it isn’t long before he becomes an official part of the Alvers family. :3  Kitty likes when Lance steps up to the parental plate.  She doesn’t lose the chance to tease him a little, though.  “Remember when you didn’t even want one kid, Lance?”

I could talk for ages about the kids and my respective headcanons for them, but I’ve already gotten off track, so I will spare you. XP

Who’s more dominate: Lance, for sure.  Kitty knows when to put her foot down though. ;)  And I think she’s the only person he would let see a more vulnerable side of him when she turns the tables.

Favorite nonsexual activity: Kitty likes to watch Lance practice guitar.  She’s honestly impressed that he’s had the patience to get so good at it and he likes the opportunity to show off for her.  She also likes to watch him work on his Jeep, and he’s actually taught her some basic vehicle care.  By the time she gets her license, Logan doesn’t have to teach her how to change the oil or change a tire or anything else along those lines because she knows enough from Lance.  And while she can be a bit of a menace on the road at first, she has a knack for the technical work involved with owning a vehicle.  She’s picked up more from Lance than he realizes because of him talking his way through things as he does them - no one has ever really been as interested in his hobbies as Kitty.

Lance likes to lay his head in Kitty’s lap while she reads or studies.  On the best days, she plays with his hair and fills him in on all the latest gossip.  Sometimes they’ll go to the mall: he’ll drive and carry her bags and, in return, she buys lunch.  They hit the arcade after and Kitty doesn’t scold Lance when he uses his powers to improve his performance in certain games.  The occasional cuddly movie evening is a thing, as long as Kitty is back before curfew. 

In short, they really just enjoy spending time together and not arguing.  I don’t know that they’re really picky about the particular activity.

Their favorite place to be together: Honestly, just off in the Jeep somewhere quiet or locked away in Lance’s room at the Boarding House.  Lance feels like he’s under the microscope when he’s at the Institute and anywhere too public they run the risk of either of their groups of friends finding them and giving them a hard time.  Sometimes they sneak out on a late-night drive: Lance plays classic rock and Kitty listens to him sing along under his breath with her window rolled down and forgets that they’re on opposite sides of a conflict that shouldn’t even exist.  Sometimes they just drive the back roads and hold hands. Other times, they find a spot to pull off for cuddles, make-outs, and serious talks they’re only capable of having in the dark - these are the times they learn the most about each other; things they can’t tell their friends when they ask what they see in each other.

Any traditions: At the start, I think their relationship is too rocky (haha) for them to have any solid traditions.  They’re so on and off that there’s no guarantee they’ll even be together to carry out a tradition the next time it rolls around.  Once they’re older and solidly together, I think they’d develop cute birthday and anniversary traditions.  Maybe they always take an anniversary road trip, just the two of them.  And when Lance is away on SHIELD missions it’s tradition to never call Kitty unless it’s obnoxiously late at night, as a throwback to all of their teenage phone calls that lasted until 1am. XD

Their “song”: Lance finds himself associating the song “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith with Kitty, and he’ll 100% deny it if it comes up.  That doesn’t stop him from tearing up when they dance to it at their wedding reception, though. ;)  Kitty has a new, positively saccharine love song for them every other week, as well as a mixtape full of girl power songs and all the best 90′s and 2000′s breakup songs that she blasts when they’re on the outs.

What they do for each other on holidays: Lance sucks it up and goes with Kitty to spend Hanukkah with her family. XP  It causes him enough grief that it could be considered his gift to her, but his SHIELD paychecks are nothing to sneeze at so he does good in the material gift department, too.  Not only does he hate Deerfield, having very few good memories there, but I don’t think he’d ever be super chummy with Kitty’s family.  Carmen and Lance just glare daggers at each other whenever they’re in the same room.  Kitty goes back and forth between telling Lance to behave and scolding her father for saying something scathingly passive-aggressive.  Rebecca doesn’t actively pick on Lance, but she doesn’t defend him and has no idea how to carry on a conversation with him, so she doesn’t make a good ally.  All the family drama, coupled with the fact that there’s never any discussion of mutant powers or their careers that involve their mutant powers (and the fact that Lance isn’t even Jewish) makes for a hellish time for Lance.  **Just to avoid coming across the wrong way, Lance doesn’t dislike Kitty’s culture.  He’s happy to celebrate any Jewish holiday far far away from Kitty’s family and their disapproval. XP 

Kitty makes sure that they stay in a hotel that contains none of her other extended family when they visit Deerfield, as part of her thanks to Lance for putting up with them.  They give each other their gifts in private to avoid discussing them with any of the Prydes, and they always spend Christmas together, just the two of them (plus the kids when they come along), since this is the holiday that Lance grew up celebrating.

Thanksgiving is spent at the Institute, and New Year’s is spent with the Brotherhood and their families. 

Valentine’s Day involves the usual gifts (because Kitty is a sappy romantic at heart) and a night alone in a hotel, kid-free. ;)

Where did they go for their honeymoon: Lance lets Kitty pick, because he’d just as soon check into a hotel a few towns over and lock themselves in a suite alone for a week or two. XP  Kitty takes them somewhere tropical and has all of these activities planned - they end up skipping half of them to laze around on the beach where she has plenty of opportunities to ogle Lance’s muscles and he has plenty of opportunities to grab her around the waist and fling her into the ocean.  Lance gets roped into a couple’s spa day and Kitty sits through a cover band show snuggled up under Lance’s (very soft - you’re welcome) arm.  Jet skiing happens.  Maybe some snorkeling.  Definitely a night of skinny dipping.  Lance gets a glorious tan and enjoys foiling Kitty’s efforts at sunbathing by wringing out his hair over her or tugging at her undone swimsuit straps.

Where did they first meet: Outside Kitty’s locker in Deerfield High~  If they knew of each other before then, the series doesn’t tell us, but they’d certainly never met officially. 

Can we talk about how much my heart breaks for Lance in that moment,though?  He has no idea what a mutant is.  He thinks he’s a freak of nature and that he’s all alone.  And then Kitty falls into his life and he’s so excited because this is someone like him.  We don’t know how long ago Cerebro got a reading on Lance, but Xavier knew about him before he knew of Kitty and never bothered to come for him.  It’s really fucked up how choosy the Professor is with his students in Evo.  Lance has had his powers and, therefore, been on the radar for long enough to figure out COMPLETELY ON HIS OWN how they work and how to channel them.  He is able to trigger a brief earthquake or concentrate his abilities to a specific area.  He’s obviously been at this for a couple weeks at the very least (probably more like months) - there’s no reason why Xavier couldn’t come and explain what a mutant was to him so that he didn’t feel isolated. 

And his whole insistence that nothing can control him once he controls his powers implies that he‘s been at the mercy of others and felt powerless for a long time.  He projects those feelings onto Kitty when they first meet, wanting her to be as lost as him so they can lean on each other because he has no other way of expressing that he needs somebody in his life who gets it.  I don’t think he’s had many stable influences in his life, tbh.  I disagree with his methods, but I really think all of Lance’s actions were driven by his desire to have some semblance of control as well as someone in his life who gets how tumultuous he’s felt since the emergence of his X-gene (and even further back than that).  It’s only once they’re both older and more mature that they’re able to support one another emotionally in the ways that they both needed in the beginning, but weren’t able to communicate.

Any pets: I don’t know that an X-Man and a SHIELD Agent have much free time for pets, honestly. XP

What do they fight over: They do a lot of arguing over Lance being a part of the Brotherhood.  In my head, the Brotherhood boys aren’t so oblivious/quiet about Xavier blatantly not choosing them for his team.  Toad’s story makes them all especially angry. 

Kitty doesn’t understand the twisted sense of allegiance that spawns when someone takes a group of outcasts, who have been spit on their entire lives, and bands them together to dominate over the people that turned their noses up at them.  In the Brotherhood’s case, this is not only most humans, but is also Xavier and all of his picture perfect mutants. 

The X-Men, while all obviously with problems of their own, haven’t had it as rough as the Brotherhood.  The Brotherhood have issues that can’t be worked through prettily or easily, partially because of the nature of those issues, and partially because of their general outlook on life.  I will never not be angry at Xavier for not stepping in.  I don’t know how long he’s been working with Wanda, but did it never occur to him that maybe Pietro is just as tormented in a different way?  Did he never think that the kid who’s been bounced between every foster home in the system might need his guidance more than the girl that is guaranteed to at least have a stable and loving home environment, even if she never sets foot in the Institute? 

Xavier might genuinely care about Kitty’s welfare, but I’d bet he’s just as concerned about her powers not ending up in the wrong hands.  Kitty tells Lance that he’s being used as a means to someone else’s end, and he fails to see how her situation is any different.  Mystique and Magneto are the people who decided he was worth the trouble of recruiting, so that’s where his loyalties lay.  Even with them gone, his teammates need him more than Xavier could ever want him.  So there’s a lot of tension between them whenever that subject comes up.  Kitty’s been very privileged - she looks at things much more black and white than Lance does.

Do they go on vacations, if so where: Aside from their annual trips back to Illinois (which don’t really count), I think they’d try to take a vacation a year as long as their work schedules were obliging.  I really want them to go to Greece some time in the future, but I want Lance to discover his Grecian heritage before that trip, so I‘m not 100% on when that would occur.  They have to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at least once.  They can make weekend trips to nearby beaches, but Kitty makes sure that they get to see some more far-off beaches once in a while.  While working with SHIELD Lance visits some places that he adds to his mental list of possible vacation spots.  Oh!  I also headcanon that a bunch of the X-Kids go on a last hurrah trip to Hawaii around the time they’re all starting to graduate and temporarily go their separate ways.  Kitty brings Lance along for that trip. :)

K U R M A N D A

Who cooks: I think this is entirely dependent on what type of cuisine they feel like having.  Or whoever is available to do the cooking.  They come from very different cultures, so they each have a different arsenal of recipes at their disposal.  Their favorite thing is to be able to prepare a meal together - they like to integrate elements from both of their upbringings whenever possible.  Plus they can feed each other bites in between like the lovesick children that they are. XD

Who does the laundry and other chores: Both of them!  They have a day of the week dedicated to household chores (a habit I imagine they both retained from their parents) and they like to tag-team when possible.  Kurt and Amanda are one of those obnoxious couples that can have fun doing absolutely anything, and that includes cleaning.  The only thing that is Kurt’s job consistently is the cleaning of anything high, because there’s no reason for Amanda to climb to dust the high shelves when her husband can teleport. XP  Even then, I bet there’s at least one time where he teleports her up there so he can hold her while she cleans through uncontrollable giggles.

How many children do they have: I see Kurt and Amanda as two people who love the idea of children, so I headcanon them with five blue, furry kids.  In my mind, they wait a little longer into their marriage to have kids.  As newlyweds, Amanda’s in college and Kurt’s knee-deep in X-Men shenanigans and it’s just never a good time for a baby, especially once the other X-Men start having children and need to take time away from active duty.  Kurt is always working at the Institute, training, or out on a mission.  Amanda spends her time buried in schoolbooks or keeping busy as a mutant rights activist.  They discuss it, of course, but the discussions always seem to end with a cryptic ‘when the time is right’ or ‘when things calm down some’ type of conclusion.  It actually gets to the point where Kurt fears that Amanda just doesn’t want to have kids with him because of the persecution they would undoubtedly face.  Kurt would take these concerns to someone like Kitty or Scott, who would tell him he’s crazy and that he should really just talk to Amanda.  That talk goes well, Amanda admitting that she’s waiting for a perfect time that probably doesn’t exist with their lifestyle (not that she regrets their lifestyle, they just definitely have full plates).  This leads to a weekend getaway and baby #1 approximately nine months later. XP   I’ve always envisioned decent gaps between their kids - the youngest still a toddler when the oldest is starting high school.  Just every couple years: “You know what would make our life even more fun and full of challenges?  Another baby.” XP 

Bonus headcanon: they know none of their children’s genders ahead of time, because they’ve each been curled up with their little tails between their legs on the ultrasounds. :3

Who’s more dominate: Amanda, especially early on.  I think she would be the one to initiate even the simplest displays of affection, because Kurt is too afraid of scaring her away.  He’s a complicated mix of confident in their relationship and positive that someday she’s going to look at him and realize that she could have someone with less baggage.  Amanda is so sure of what she wants that it’s soon not hard for Kurt to believe that she’s here to stay.  I think she stays more dominate throughout their relationship, but Kurt eventually gains the confidence to switch things up pretty frequently. 

Favorite nonsexual activity: Anything that involves goofing off together.  I see Kurt and Amanda as a very fun-loving couple.  They’re the types to spend summers mini-golfing, go-karting, and frequenting amusement parks.  I love that they go to the concert together in Self-Possessed - I need more of that.  I picture them spending a lot of time hanging out with the rest of the Institute kids as well!  I want huge groups of mutant kids + Amanda on mall excursions and having movie nights in the lounge.  But yeah, Kurt and Amanda are up for almost anything as long as they’re together.  I think date nights would be really important to them too, especially as a married couple with a young family; they value that one-on-one time with each other.

Their favorite place to be together: Anywhere Kurt can be his blue, fuzzy self.  Their top three places are probably: the Institute, Kurt’s parents’ house, and their own home.  Kurt is most comfortable around his friends and family who know his secret and let him be himself.  Amanda likes Kurt best blue, and is pretty much adopted into both of his families long before they’re officially married.  There was a time when Kurt thought no one would ever want to be his friend, let alone date him, so to sit in a room full of people who accept him 100% for who he is makes him giddy with happiness.  These are safe places, whether they’re socializing, or simply getting to know each other better in between kisses.

Any traditions: ICE CREAM AFTER EVERY SCHOOL DANCE. Breakfast in bed for birthdays and Mother’s/Father’s Day.

Their “song”: It’s kinda cheesy, but I definitely get Kurmanda feels whenever I hear “Stand By You” by Rachel Platten.  It’s not even like it’s “their song”, because the canon timeline takes place before it even comes out, but it does remind me strongly of the two of them.  I’m sure there’s a more fitting option, but I’m drawing a blank.

What they do for each other on holidays: Amanda and Kurt are Christmas sweater people.  They pick them out together every year.  Then they pack them and head to Germany to spend Christmas with Kurt’s parents.  Kurt’s parents adore Amanda right away - she’s just the kind of fearless and faithful that they’ve always wanted for him, and they’re unbelievably happy that their son found someone who loves him as he is.  They insist on buying Amanda a present and wrapping it for placement under the tree, so the kids are temporarily banned from the house for a couple hours on one of the days leading up to the holiday - can’t have them peeking.  Kurt and Amanda use that time to go for a quiet walk with a thermos of hot chocolate and knitted hats. 

They definitely get each other really sweet, sentimental gifts - it’s not a Kurmanda Christmas unless one of them cries over a present.  They are also A+ mistletoe spotters and will canoodle beneath it whenever the opportunity presents itself.  Amanda likes to warm her nose by giving Kurt Eskimo kisses or shoving her face in his neck - his fur keeps him the perfect level of toasty for cuddles.  They also always have a top-notch Christmas card, especially once the kids are in the picture and they’re a family of seven in matching pajamas.  I just love these cuties at Christmastime! :3

Naturally, they’re staples at the Institute’s Thanksgiving dinner.  They’re usually still in Germany for New Years, and they obnoxiously call their friends in different time zones to let them know how the year’s going so far, since they won’t hit it for a couple hours yet. XD

They still make each other handmade Valentine’s.

Where did they go for their honeymoon: These two don’t go on the most traditional of honeymoons.  I’ve always pictured them just hiding themselves away in a cabin in the woods and getting cozy by the fireplace at night.  All of their friends expected them to go somewhere with plenty of nightlife to keep them entertained, and that was definitely something they considered.  Ultimately they decided on the simpler option.  Their little cabin reminds them of the nights spent in Kurt’s childhood home in Germany; safe, warm, loving, intimate in all the important ways.  I think it would be a priority to Amanda that they honeymoon somewhere where Kurt doesn’t even have to think about putting on his image inducer.  She likes the real him better than anything and she wants to spend their first days married just drinking in the sight of him unafraid and unashamed of his looks.  And, you know, naked cuddles in front of the roaring fire are a very appealing prospect, too. ;)

Where did they first meet: That fated math class~  The thought of Amanda quietly crushing on Kurt from sometime close to when he started attending Bayville High, all the way up to Shadow Dance, is just adorable to me.  She’s so shy in the beginning - it makes my heart happy to see her go from stuttering in his presence, to running up to him after he and all of his friends have been exposed as mutants and shunned by the entire school. That moment, and all the subsequent times she supported who he was, really cemented a lot of my Amanda headcanons.  She’s Kurt’s ride or die.  She’s not afraid of people knowing she’s dating a mutant, even though it obviously paints a target on her back.  I honestly think that, even if she and Kurt were to break up down the line, Amanda would still remain friendly with all the kids at Xavier’s, and she’d still put her neck on the line to demand they be treated like human beings.

Any pets: I really don’t headcanon these two with any pets either.  All of their children are furry with tails, if that counts?  XP  They joke that there’s enough hair to vacuum up with the five kids and Kurt in the house.

What do they fight over: The main cause of conflict in their relationship stems from Kurt’s fear of prejudice-induced violence.  I don’t mean to make Amanda sound insensitive toward his fears, but she can definitely be pushy when it comes to Kurt’s usage of his image inducer.  In the series we see her turn it off randomly in the street, and Kurt drops his books in the scramble to disguise himself again.  She wants Kurt to flaunt his mutation - an easy thing for her to say when she hasn’t had to face the persecution he has.  In the Evo comics, we see that Kurt was hunted as a demon before coming to the Institute, and obviously the Friends of Humanity are very much a thing in Bayville.  Kurt is very aware of the danger his natural appearance puts him in - you don’t forget an attempted burning at the stake - but he is even more aware of the danger it could put Amanda in.  I certainly don’t think that Kurt would NEVER EVER go out in public without his inducer on, especially once he’s older, but there would definitely be a higher chance of ridicule without it.  So I think that the argument over the image inducer would be a fairly common recurring one. 

There’s an added complication to this argument when the kids come along.  Within the walls of the Institute, they’re obviously safe in their blue fur, but Kurt knows better than anyone the danger they’d be putting themselves in to appear in public that way.  It breaks Amanda’s heart to have to raise them in fear and teach them why it might be safer to hide themselves.  I think that when they’re old enough to defend themselves, Kurt gets a little more lenient with their appearances, but he probably strongly encourages them to keep hidden when they’re little.  After all, even if people know they’re mutants, a blue child with fur and a tail is always going to attract more attention than an outwardly “normal” one. 

I want them to have at least one child who, from a young age, is more inclined to embrace their appearance.  I’ve always pictured this one as a little girl and second-youngest.  Kurt and Amanda argue over Amanda’s encouragement of the I-love-myself-blue-and-don’t-care-who-sees attitude.  Amanda doesn’t want her baby to be forced hide who she is when she doesn’t want to and Kurt argues that her safety is more important.  Amanda says something about Kurt projecting his fears onto their kids and Kurt reiterates that there are people out there who would gladly nab a young mutant from the streets to make an example out of.  This brings into play the very real, heartbreaking concept that it’s all-to-often the would-be victim’s job to make themselves unappealing to the attacker.  

Do they go on vacations, if so where: I feel like at least one trip to Vegas has to happen for the party animal that is Kurt Wagner. XD  They’re both a part of the aforementioned last hurrah Hawaii trip, and I’m sure they make it to other beaches in their time.  There’s plenty of years that Christmas isn’t the only time they’re in Germany - I want them to backpack through Europe in a loop that starts and ends at Kurt’s parents house one of these times.  I think their kids would inherit their adventurous spirits, so theme parks would be popular destinations for the family.  Imagine them in Disney World, tho.