#and just like any kiddo shes gonna get scared when shes lost

[holybananaoafshoe]

✨️Team Dynamics✨️

I wrote this waiting for photoshop to load <3

Tired Cryo Dads

2/8

They meet Freminet when Klee gets lost while diving and starts to cry because she can’t find big bro Kaeya anywhere

I feel like a current would get them separated, it's a new place and Klee is small--the current would definitely catch her off guard

And she's been told no more bombs by mister Wrio, and she's not about to go back to the courts and get Kaeya in trouble

Freminet finds Klee during his dive and he's a little confused why a kid is alone so he brings Klee to the shore and lets her hold Percy for a bit because Percy helps him calm down when he’s upset

In the meantime, he's trying to figure out what to do? Surely her guardiens are nearby, but Lyney used to tell him it's best to stay in one spot when he got lost as a kid.....so wouldn't it be better to keep Klee in one spot?

Meanwhile, Kaeya is the epitome of the “Timmy! The mother’s adrenaline is kicking in” meme because Alice and Klee’s father are so good to him and Archon's Damn It All he can’t loose Klee

Wrio is equally anxious, but he’s at least the calmer of the two. To be fair, he’s basically the law, so he’s pretty confident they’ll find Klee

They find her on the shore with Freminet exchanging stories about Percy and Dodoco

Cue both of them being Proud™ of their kids getting along, and Kaeya and Klee hugging bc that was something neither wants to repeat

Wrio looks after Freminet bc he secretly worries about him and his siblings, but mostly Freminet who is way too pale for his liking.

He knows the kid is probably pale from all the diving he does, but still, the kid doesn’t smile often, and damnit, does he have a soft spot for kids.

So what if he takes Freminet out for tea and a hot meal after he gets back from his dives? The kid is shivering, okay?

And maybe he makes sure the kid gets home safe because his deeper dives have him out way too late at night for his liking

(Lyney is secretly thankful for Wrio’s extra protection over the youngest sibling. He and Lynette would look after him, but their magic shows tend to run late)

He also may or may not have scolded Freminet a few times when he dives too deep and gets in trouble/injured--all while drying the kid off and tending to his injuries

And when they were in prison, he made sure to give them the best treatment he could because he knows it’s not the trio’s fault, it was the Fatui’s, he just needed to wait for the circumstances to come up in court to free them

[jqhotchner]

quest

four

when the team finally arrived they immediately asked to see you. aaron wanted to speak with you alone but emily advised against it. you were going through too much right now. she knew the last thing you needed was to see aaron.

emily and rossi went instead. when they saw you they gave you a sad smile.

“how you doing kiddo?”

you shake your head and sniffle. you haven’t seen rossi in awhile. missing the rest of aaron’s team, it was nice seeing someone who felt like family.

“it’s so good to see you guys! you know i didn’t do this, right?”

“we know yn. we’ve found some very good information. we have a feeling that—”

“my father did it. i know.”

they looked at you confused. not knowing you knew everything.

“i—i can tell you guys everything but i haven’t eaten or had anything to drink in twenty-four hours.”

both emily and rossi were pissed. no matter what the circumstances are you never keep a suspect hungry or thirsty for that long.

“we’ll be right back.”

they head back to the team and spot a few officers. glaring at them, emily immediately starts to yell.

“what the hell is wrong with you!”

“excuse me?!”

“she hasn’t eaten or had water in over twenty four hours?!”

“what?” aaron looks at the officer angrily.

“listen, how we get a confession is our business. she’s guilty and continues to lie. once she confesses we will give her food and water!”

“bring her out! emily, you know what to get her? we’re gonna talk to her ourselves.”

“you can’t do that!”

“i can do what i damn well please.”

here they were. face to face after two years of being apart. two years of aaron not knowing you were back in texas. two years of him not knowing you were pregnant before you left. two years of not knowing the three kids you raised alone.

aaron didn’t know what to say. obviously he wanted to talk to you. wanted to know why you wouldn’t even allow him to explain.

but he needed to get you out of this jailhouse and back to your kids.

aaron waited until you finished your food before he asked any questions.

“are you ready?”

you reluctantly nod. you knew he knew everything. scared of how he would react when all of this was over.

“start from the beginning. how do you know robert kelp?”

you sigh. grabbing a napkin and wiping your hands.

“five months ago he came to me. i was working my shift in the back and he asked for me specifically. we talked about what his style was but he wasn’t really present in the conversation. he ended up buying something, tipping me one hundred dollars, and leaving and came back everyday doing the same thing,”

“did he say anything else to you?” emily made herself known.

“not until three weeks after the first visit. he finally opened up to me about his long lost love. telling me how they met, fell in love, and wanted to get married,”

“what did he tell you happened?”

“he had to leave to fight for his country. he told me the two of them would write letters to each other. but after about three months she stopped writing. he was nervous until he got a letter from her. she apparently was pregnant and lost the baby.”

“did he say what she specifically wrote in the letter?”

you shook your head. “no! but i do know he stated that the writing felt off. it was definitely her handwriting but it was messier than usual. like she was nervous to write it. he just assumed it was because of how heartbroken she was losing a child.”

“how long before he told you everything?”

“two months of knowing him he finally told me. he told me that he had found out that the woman he loved was kidnapped. at first i thought he was just trying to tell a really dark joke. but the more he said the worse it got. he told me that her name was sarah. and the father wasn’t her father after all. he was actually one of the kidnappers. she was locked up for her entire pregnancy. when she finally had the baby she was forced to raise the child with—with. aaron i—i can’t say it, god!”

“it’s okay yn. take your time. just take a deep breath, okay?” emily grabs your hand. you nod before proceeding.

“she was forced to raise the child with a darius y/l/n, my father.”

“what did you do after that?”

“i called him a stalker! i said there was no way my father was a criminal! my parents loved each other. but the more i thought about my parents relationship, the more it all clicked. my dad had other kids, obviously, my older siblings. i never met their mothers though, ever! when i brought it up my father just shrugged it off. he’d get angry when i continued to ask. my mother would always flinch and run to me. it was like she was protecting me from getting hurt. when we got older my siblings wouldn’t come around! they refused to be around our father. i never understood. sure, daddy wasn’t exactly soft spoken, and he did punish us a lot for doing something so small, but overall he gave us anything we wanted, kissed us goodnight, and loved us unconditionally.”

“is there anything else you noticed about your mom and dad?”

“yeah! mom was a bit weird about her family. i asked and over the years she would just remember less and less. almost like she was forgetting her past.”

“what did you do when you finally realized things were a bit odd?”

“i went to roberts house. he gave me his address just in case i needed to talk. we discussed everything. he eventually had a private doctor come in and do a dna test. when the results came it in fact stated that robert kelp was my biological father. i didn’t know how to feel. i knew i had to go to my mom! but i didn’t know how to approach the situation.”

“when you did how did she take it?”

“she laughed. she told me there was no possible way that this man was my father. she told me the only man she’s ever been with was my dad!”

“classic case of stockholm syndrome. did your mother say anything else?”

“no? i kept telling her that results don’t lie but she kept shutting me down! eventually she got angry and told me to spot bringing it up. it was all lies and darius was my father. i guess that was the last straw because i got a call from robert. he told me that someone had been following him. he told me to meet him at his house later that night. he stated he had to leave town for a bit but he needed to tell me something important.”

“when you got there what happened?”

“i saw him on the floor. he had been stabbed repeatedly, barely holding on. he kept saying father, father, father. i—i assumed he was telling me it was my father who did this. i know you told me never to touch the weapon on the body but, aaron the knife was in the side of his neck. he was in pain and was already dying. i—i just couldn’t leave him like that. im sorry! im so sorry.”

“hey! none of that. listen, you did what you thought was right. we’re gonna get you out of here, alright? get you back home to you ki—to your family!”

you nod. aaron and emily both walk right out. the head towards the team.

“i have a feeling what he wanted to tell her.”

“what is it?”

“baby girl, i got you on speaker. tell them what you found out!”

“robert was dying!”

“what?”

“i found his medical records. it turns out that he was diagnosed with liver cancer.”

“so, what does that mean?”

“it means robert knew about yn for a while. when he was diagnosed he must have wanted to meet her before she died. that night she went there he was gonna say goodbye because it’ll be the last time he’ll ever see her.” emily states.

“and seeing as he had no other family, he most likely left everything to yn and sarah,” reid continues.

“which is all the evidence the police needed to be certain yn committed this crime. she was at the crime scene, fingerprints on the knife, and she was in his will.”

“but darius committed this crime? come on guys. the man is pure genius. he kept sarah trapped for thirty-six years. he knows he’d get caught. and he wouldn’t want any of this to unfold on him or yn.” derek states

aaron thinks until it clicks. “father, father, father!”

“what?”

“robert repeated those words to yn before dying. father, father, father. he knew who the killer was. the same man who told robert sarah died.”

“one of the captors!”

“penelope! i need you to find everyone tha darius knows. he’d most likely be in his seventies. he’d be very healthy for his age and most likely served in the military!”

“on it sir!”

“lets get yn home to her kids!”

taglist:

@ivebeenthearchersstuff @shergoretzxx @slut4ethan @rosiehale23

[welcomehomerandomness]

Welcome Home Website Update Reaction Notes (3/9/2024) Part 2 (SPOILERS)

Here's Part 2 of my Welcome Home Website Update Reaction Notes (3/9/2024)! Hope you enjoy it!

Howdy caterpillar walking ASMR

“It was then that Howdy Pillar pulled out a luxurious looking scarf- If one were to take a guess, it was probably the perfect size for a large house! Wally’s eyes sparkled brightly as he looked at it, but Barnaby was not as impressed. Still, he remembered this was all for Wally.” Barnaby doesn’t like the scarf but at least he knows that Wally needs it to give it to Home…Barnaby’s a true bestie

“There, scaling the tallest of the Homewarming trees in all of the neighborhood, was Sally Starlet herself. She was wearing an outfit adorned in sparkles, glitter, tinsel, ornaments, and even strings of popcorn- She was, as she’s ever been, truly a sight to behold. Even now as she continued to climb up the tree, she was radiant.” Sally is a goddess and an icon

Sally’s nickname for Barnaby is “Barntholomew” lol

Poppy is best bird mom friend lol

Also I wonder what the sunflower-seed ham tastes like

Why does Wally’s voice sound distorted when he says “How can that be.”? Is he sad? Mad? Both?

Awww at least the story ends on a good n-WAIT WHERE’S EDDIE??? WHY ISN’T HE IN THIS STORY???

EDDIE???

I’m scared for Eddie now

Also I love how we get to hear more of Home in this storybook record even if I joke around on how I hate Home lol

Now let’s hear Wally’s Toyland…I think it’s a Christmas song lol

Well at least this one has music instead of Wally singing acapella

Wally’s singing is so beautiful...It brought tears in my eyes sniffles

Also is it just me or do the lyrics “Childhood's joy land…Mystic merry toyland…Once you pass its borders…You can ne'er return again” seem kinda sus?

Like I feel like Wally’s singing about the Neighborhood and how you can never return back home once you entered it? Hmmm…

Anyways let’s listen to Up from the Home-Top which is basically the Welcome Home version of Up from the House Top lol

Oh crap Barnaby’s dead/j

THERE’S EDDIE THERE HE IS HE’S SAFE (for now)

“You lost control!? Can’t you see we’re in the middle of preparing for my Homewarming play? Julie is my Santa Claus! And Home? Her trusted reindeer!” Sally, how does Home being a reindeer work??? Is it gonna drag itself on the stage as Julie rides on top of it or???

Oh crap Julie and Frank are dead/j

Also the song is so silly and wholesome I love it

Now it’s time for “Howdy's Holiday Hullabaloo” Record!!! I’m so excited to hear this!!!

LET’S GO KIDDOS IT’S TIME TO LEARN SOME PILLAR FAMILY LORE

“How, normally, I don’t close early for any ol’ thing! Not rain, not sleet, not snow - not even that time Julie launched herself clean through the wall over there!” Oh god I imagine that one scene from the Scott Pilgrim movie where Scott crashes through a window…But instead of a window it’s a FREAKING WALL

HIS MA AND POPS AWWW

Howdy’s brother kinda sounds like Frank lol

Poor Howdy’s dying inside

I think we all know who Howdy’s favorite sibling is lol

The brother-in-law sounds so nonchalant lol

The nephews are so adorable awww

I just realized that Howdy’s uncle is a snail which is why he’s French lol

I wonder if the uncle is a reference to the Swedish Chef from the Muppets but he’s French instead

Oh god the cousin is a stoner hippie lol

I love Howdy’s grandma

I love Barnaby’s reaction to seeing Howdy’s family at the end lol

Overall the song is pretty charming and I love it so much

Also Barnaby's Tobacco Pipe??? Honestly it’s funny but I don’t think this toy will go well if it was created today lol

Barnaby be teaching kids in the early 70s’ how to be like Snoop Dogg but instead of weed it’s bubbles

Oh god not the nephews

Now let’s listen to “Bug-a-Bye and Goodnight: An Ode to Hibernation” Record

Frank’s voice is so beautiful I love it

But Frank seems kinda sad…

I want to buy that set of homewarming greeting cards to give to my family and friends during Christmas lol

Also I want to try the Crispy Sweets frosted cereal so bad...I NEED IT!!!

And there’s a mini doodle on the side of the pictures too

OHHHHH SO THAT’S WHY THOSE SYMBOLS ARE EVERYWHERE THEY’RE PART OF A SECRET CODE

I solved the code at the back of the cereal box but I don’t have time to decipher the other code that was spread all over the website because I’m too lazy lol

I went back to the Merchandise section and found out that Eddie’s toy that Santa was about to introduce in the radio ad was an Eddie Dear Li’l Mailman Kit

I also want to buy all these toys so bad I don’t care if I’m a college student I want them all lol

“Although our Guestbook is and will remain closed for the foreseeable future, we wanted to properly recreate it for those newly joining in our efforts to explore Welcome Home! After all, it’s fun to look back and see how far we’ve come together as a community! We will be recreating all eight original pages in the near future, so check back in soon to see if you can find your message! Have fun!” I can’t wait to see the Guestbook in the future

ALSO I JUST REALIZED THAT THE CLICKABLE BUGS ARE GONE

Dang I’m gonna miss those bugs

I can’t believe I spent hours on this website lol

My hands are kinda tired from typing lol

Also let me know if I miss anything

[roostersmustache]

The Hard Deck II.

Pairing: Rooster x Bisexual Female O.C.

Authors Note: Welcome back to 'The Hard Deck!' This is not the first or the last installment of this series, so if you haven't read the first part, I highly recommend doing so! Make sure to give feedback if you notice any errors!

Synopsis: In which Charley, the daughter of Pete (Maverick) Mitchell, can't keep a certain Lieutenant off of her mind. It makes it all the more difficult considering she has his phone number in her pocket.

Warnings: Mentions of an age gap, mentions of an abusive relationship, swearing, sexual tension, and as always, sexy aviators. Bradley is 35 and O.C. is 25.

Word Count: 4k

Read Part One Here

Charley laid on her makeshift bed in the office of Penny's home staring at the ceiling. She had been lost in thought all day since the events at the 'Hard Deck' last night. It was her day off and she had so far used it to think about how Bradley, the boy she sort of grew up with, had given her his number and flirted with her a bit.

She wasn't complaining, she was just conflicted on what to do. She had her father's voice echoing in her head telling her to specifically not get with Bradley, but she really couldn't help the attraction she felt towards him.

He had grown a lot since the last time she saw him, even though he was twenty five when she saw him last. He just looked more like a man. He had more muscle on him, and his features were more mature, which was all to be expected. He was also very tall, and he always had been, but I guess Charley never really noticed just how tall Bradley was until now.

Attraction makes you notice just about everything.

It was her day off, and she didn't really know what to do with her free time. She didn't want to spend all day daydreaming about Bradley Bradshaw and his impeccable looks, so she sat up and decided she'd go out to some shops. It had been a long time since Charley had done any kind of shopping for herself, and she did find herself needing some more clothes.

One thing Charley didn't like was that she didn't have anyone to go with. The only people she knew in Miramar were Penny, who was about to head to work, and her dad, who she didn't really want to go shopping with. The last time she went shopping for clothes with her dad she was seventeen and it was a disaster. He just turned his nose up at everything she tried on complaining that it was "too revealing." So she figured she'd just take a solo shopping trip, even though those were lame.

"Hey kiddo," Penny knocked at her door. "I'm about to head to the bar, so I just wanted to make sure you needed anything before I head out."

"I'm good," Charley started, walking over to her clothes and looking for a shirt to wear. "Think I'm gonna go shopping for a bit."

"Oh fun! I wish I could tag along," Penny frowned.

"Yeah I wish you could too. Shopping alone is kind of lonely."

"You could always make good use of that number you were given last night, you know. I'm sure Mr. Bradshaw wouldn't mind going shopping with you," she smirked.

"Oh please, as if he wants to watch me shop for clothes," Charley rolled her eyes. "Besides, he's at base training for that mission or whatever."

"Actually," Penny says, her smirk growing wider. "He's not. They finished up kinda early today."

"Oh," Charley blushed, thinking about what it would be like to shop with Bradley. He'd probably get annoyed. Most men do anyways.

"Well, I gotta head to work. Let me know what you get and I'll see you tonight," Penny winked as she headed off to work.

Charley just sighed, conflicted about what to do. She would love to spend the evening with Bradley, but she was so scared to ask. But should she? What if he was just flirty with her last night because he was drunk? Or what if he was just being friendly and she took it the wrong way? She didn't really know but she did know that she wanted to ask him. Why not? It's not like he gave her his number for shits and giggles. Right?

So she found herself reaching over to her makeshift nightstand and grabbing the piece of napkin Bradley had given her last night. First, she put him in her phone and made his contact 'rooster 🐓.' Then she typed out her message:

c: hi bradley! it's charley. i wanted to reach out and ask if u wanted to go shopping w me today? i heard u got out of training early and i need some clothes but also don't wanna go by myself, but if ur too tired i completely get it. just lmk!

As soon as she sent the message, Charley tossed her phone on her bed and went back to looking for something to wear. She had turned her ringer up so when he texted her back, she would hear it. He's not going to come. But also, what if he gave her a random number?

Charley decides she's thinking about this way too much and tries to pull her mind elsewhere. She's successful, in a sense. She stops thinking about Bradley texting her back but instead thinks about how his fingers played the piano last night-

Ding!

Charley froze in her spot, and slowly turns her head to look at her phone. At this point she was so nervous for his response she wanted to throw up. She quickly folds back up the shirt she was holding before practically running over to her phone on her bed to read the message that had come through.

rooster 🐓: Hi there, pretty. Was waiting on a text from you. I would love to join you. Where can I come get you?

Pretty.

It took Charley about two minutes to realize he had asked her a question before she was scrambling to reply. She had just been stuck on the fact that he called her 'pretty' and told her he had been waiting on her to text him. That was enough to leave the girl speechless.

c: i'm at penny's! thank u for agreeing to tag along, i hate shopping by myself. do u need her address?

His reply came almost immediately.

rooster 🐓: Nope. Be there in five.

This caused Charley to basically jump from where she was and throw her clothes around in an attempt to find something to wear. Five minutes? Charley had been lounging around in her pajamas all day. No makeup on her face, and no brush had been taken to her hair. She finally settled on a cropped green tank top with some denim shorts. She put on her sandals to go with it, and for her hair she just threw it up with a claw clip. It wasn't anything fancy, but at least it was better than her Cookie Monster pj's.

After she was dressed she ran into the bathroom and put on a coat of mascara, just so she had something on. She also spritzed herself with her favorite perfume because there was absolutely no way in hell she would risk smelling anything but fabulous in front of Lt. Bradley Bradshaw. By some miracle from God, she had one minute to spare. But that minute felt like hours, as she just stood there waiting on a text from Bradley letting her know he was there. She didn't plan on shopping long, especially now that Bradley was coming along, because she knew he'd probably be tired after training.

After a couple of minutes, she heard her phone ding, and then she checked out the window. Sure enough, Bradley was parked up next to Penny's house. His signature aviators sat atop his nose as he had the radio playing in his car. He had his flight suit on which made Charley believe he was coming straight from training. Now she’d really have to take it easy on him seeing as how he’s had no break.

Once she came into view, Bradley looked up from his phone and shot her a smirk. Charley felt a blush arise on her cheeks, thus prompting her to tilt her head downwards. He got out of his car and walked around to the passenger side, leaning against it. While she was walking up to the car, he unzipped the top of his flight suit and proceeded to tie the top half of it around his waist, revealing his black t-shirt. If Charley wasn't already blushing, she sure was now.

"Hi, Bradley," Charley said, giving him a wave.

"Hi, pretty," he replied, opening the passenger door for her.

"Oh, thank you," she said, climbing inside.

Once he joined her on the drivers side, he started the car, but didn't move quite yet. Instead he turned to look at her. Charley had resulted in playing with her hands in her lap, one of her ways of trying to calm her nerves.

"Thank you for coming with me," she said, breaking the silence.

"Of course, thank you for asking me."

"Well, I didn't really have anyone else to ask so you were the first person that came to mind."

"Oh, so you wouldn't have asked me if you had someone else?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying-" She said, turning bright red.

"I know, I'm just teasing," he laughed.

"Oh," she giggled, even though it was a bit forced because for a split second she thought she had ruined something that had barely even started. "Well I just don't want you thinking I'm desperate to hang out with you, because I'm not, I just really don't know many people here except for like you, my dad, and Penny. But I'm also not saying I don't want to hang out with you because I do, but you're just a bit intimidating because you're older, and attractive, and I'm younger, and struggling to find a job-"

"Shh," Bradley said, putting a finger on her lips. "You're rambling," he smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Charley blushed. "I tend to do that."

"And I'm not older, you make it sound like I'm fifty."

"I also didn't mean for it to sound that way."

"I know what you mean, baby, don't worry," Bradley said, reaching up to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear.

She swallowed.

He smirked.

"So," he said, breaking the tension. "Where to first?"

~~

They were currently in American Eagle, because according to Charley, "they were having a big sale." But Bradley didn't see a big sale. He saw a sale, but not a big one. He just wasn't one for calling twenty percent off an eighty dollar dress a big sale. However, when Charley came out in said eighty dollar dress, Bradley completely forgot the price and immediately decided she'd be walking out of that store with that dress, no matter how expensive.

It was a baby blue sundress, one that stopped right above her knee. The straps were held together by a bow, and it had a sweetheart neckline. The skirt was nice and flowy, so when she gave him a small twirl, he almost saw up her skirt. Not that he was complaining.

"What do you think?" She asked, a smile gracing her face. He could tell she was in love with it.

"You look beautiful," is all he could say, making Charley blush.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I think I'm going to buy it," she says. Bradley doesn't miss the way she calls him by his title. He doesn't dislike it either.

"I think that's a good decision."

After trying on the dress, Charley tried on a few more things before heading to checkout. Bradley insisted that he pay, and after bickering with him for a minute on that, she finally gave up and let him pay for it. On the way out of the store, they passed a Victoria's Secret, and Bradley didn't hesitate to bring that up.

"Need anything from in there?" He asked, smirking and raising a brow. Charley followed his gaze and blushed.

"No, not really," she said quietly.

"Are you sure? Don't want to get yourself something pretty?" He asked, taking a step closer to her. She went back to playing with her hands.

"I don't have any use for any of it," she said, avoiding his eyes.

"And why's that?" Another step closer.

"I don't have anyone to wear it for," she said, continuing to avoid his gaze. That didn't last long, however, because she felt his fingers under her chin, and next thing she knew, she was locking eyes with him, his thumb and pointer finger holding her chin in place.

"That'll just have to change someday, won't it, baby?" He asked, his voice carrying a teasing tone to it. She felt her mouth go dry, and all she could do was nod.

He was so close to her, his lips just a mere inch away from hers. If she leaned in just a bit more, his lips would connect with hers. His hand had moved from holding her chin to cupping her cheek while the other one had dropped to her waist and pulled her in closer to him. Her eyes fluttered shut a bit, and Bradley didn't miss that. But instead of kissing her, he ran his thumb across her mouth, smirking at her.

"You're so pretty," he said. Charley's hands had migrated to grip onto his shirt.

"Thank you," she breathed.

He leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before pulling away asking, "Is there anywhere else you want to go?"

Yes. Your place.

"Not really, I'm ready whenever."

"Alright, baby. If you say so."

Once they made it back to the car, Bradley put on his favorite playlist on Spotify before starting to drive. Charley was a ball of nerves, because she'd never known Bradley could be this forward. Not that she necessarily minded, but she surely didn't expect any of this to be happening with him. She always expected her and Bradley to be friends, not friends that talk about lingerie. But again, she didn't mind.

"Are you hungry?" Bradley asks, pulling Charley away from her thoughts.

"Yes, actually."

"Great," Bradley said. About five minutes later they were pulling into the parking lot of this retro looking diner. Bradley hopped out of the car first and came around to her side, opening the door for her. Then they headed inside, got seated, and began looking at the menu.

"Anything look appealing?" Bradley asked.

"Everything," Charley said, making Bradley laugh.

Once they ordered and got their food, the two had fallen into a casual conversation about their lives. Bradley had settled for a burger with fries, and Charley had gotten a salad with a chocolate milkshake. Bradley, however, had ate more of the milkshake than Charley had.

"So what's this new mission you've been called back for?" Charley asked, taking a bite from her salad.

"I can't say much, but your dad is training us, and it's supposed to be a pretty difficult one. Even I don't have all of the details yet."

"I haven't spoken to my dad much, I didn't even know he had been called back, so I haven't heard anything about it. Just whispers that it's a big deal or whatever."

"Your dad didn't tell you he had been called back?"

"He tried to call me, but I was at work. It was last minute for him."

There really was no tension surrounding Charley and Bradley, except for the topic of her dad. Bradley had a deep resentment for him, one that she understood, but Maverick was still her dad. She loved him, and deep down she knew Bradley loved him too.

"Have you spoken to him at all?" Charley asked.

"Not really," Bradley said, not looking up at her. They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither one really knowing what to say, but also not wanting to change the subject because it would become awkward.

"You know he'd kill me if he saw me with you, right?" Charley asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes. But then again, I don't really care."

"Good, because neither do I."

Bradley shot her a smile before reaching over to take another bite of her milkshake, this time getting scolded by Charley because he'd "ate the entire thing and left hardly any" for her. To which he said that it wasn't even really hers in the first place because he was the one paying for it. And while they were both teasing each other, a part of him did feel bad for eating most of the milkshake, so before they left he bought her another one which she ate on the car ride home.

When he pulled back up to Penny's house, it was nearly nine o'clock. Charley assumed Penny was still at the Hard Deck, so it would just be her and Amelia that night. Nights like those were some of Charley's favorites though, because she saw Amelia as a little sister, and they would bond. Amelia would tell her all about school and the drama within her friend group, sometimes she'd bring up a boy, and Charley would tell her about the idiots she's seen at the Hard Deck. It was always fun for Charley to hang out with Amelia, so she was excited to tell her about the day she had had.

She got snapped out of her thinking when Bradley opened her door on her side of the car. He looked so good in the glow of the moon. His features were soft, which she feels is a rarity for those in any branch of the military. He held his hand out for her, which she accepted, and helped her out of the car. She wasn't going to immediately head inside, because in all honest, she really wanted to kiss him. It felt like he had teased her with kissing all day and it's what she craved most.

"Thank you for taking me," she said, looking up at him.

"Of course. I'm glad you asked me."

Silence fell over the two, Bradley leaning against his car, Charley standing in front of him, looking up to meet his eyes. Neither one of them wanted to finish the night off like that, but then again neither one knew how to initiate anything.

"Well," Bradley started. "I have to get up early for training tomorrow, so I best head home."

As he started walking away, Charley, as if an instinct, grabbed his wrist, preventing him from going anywhere. She wanted something before they parted ways.

"Wait," she said. "Bradley.." She was unable to say anything else when he turned to meet her gaze, a smirk resting on his handsome features.

"Yes?" He asked, walking back over to her and standing directly in front of her. "Did you want something?"

She nodded, but made no move to say anything. This prompted him to put them in the same position they were in earlier, with one of his hands around her waist and the other cupping her cheek. Her hands found his sides, and she grabbed onto his shirt.

"What can I do for you, Mitchell?" He asked, sending shivers down her spine.

"Kiss me." She breathed out.

"What?" He asked, his smirk returning.

"Kiss me," she said, with more urgency.

"Now that's not the nicest way to ask, is it?" Bradley teased.

"Bradley," she huffed. "Please kiss me. You've teased me all day, and it's gotten unbearable. So please. Kiss me."

"Since you asked so nicely," he said, bringing his fingers up under her chin and pulling her in for a kiss. But he didn't give her the kiss she wanted. His lips just barely pressed onto hers before he was pulling back, smiling down at her.

"Was that good?" He asked. She could tell he was still teasing.

"Bradley," she whined. "Please."

And that's all it took before his lips were firmly pressed against hers. His hand kept her chin in place as their lips danced together. Charley had never been kissed like this before. It was so smooth, so slow. Not rushed. Like he was taking his time kissing her. It made her whine, to which he pulled her in closer.

"You're so pretty," he breathed as he pulled away for a second before capturing her mouth again. She had all but gone limp in his arms as they practically made out in Penny's driveway. They could both, however, tell that they needed to stop before things went further. Because they could definitely go further. So he pulled away from her, and drug his thumb across her bottom lip before releasing her and walking to the drivers side of his car.

"Goodnight, Charley," he said to her.

"Night, Bradley," she said back sounding a bit dreamy because she had just been kissed the best she's ever been kissed in her life. As he drove off, she stood and watched him. She didn't start heading inside until she couldn't see his car anymore. But as she got to the door, she was stopped by the sound of a motorcycle pulling up to Penny's house.

On the motorcycle sat her father with Penny behind him, clutching onto his waist. She was a bit shocked, not expecting Penny to be coming home with her father.

"Hi, Penny, and...dad?" She said.

"Hi sweetie," her dad replied. "Just dropping Penny off."

"Had to take my car to the shop, so your father offered to give me a ride home," Penny said, answering Charley's question. "Will you give me a ride to work tomorrow?" She asked Charley.

"Of course!" Charley said.

"Where were you out to?" Her dad asked.

"Oh, I just got back from doing some shopping," she said, a blush rising to her cheeks.

They had arrived at the perfect time because a mere minute earlier, and her and Bradley would've been caught.

"Did anyone go with you?" Penny asked, giving Charley a look that screamed mischief.

"No, I went by myself," she lied.

"Well, I better get going," her dad said. "I've got to be at the base early tomorrow. Goodnight, ladies," he said, flashing a smile at the two before speeding off. Her and Penny started making their way back inside, but Charley didn't get far without being questioned.

"So, how was Bradley?" Penny asked, smirking at the girl.

"I said I went alone," Charley said, trying her best to not give herself away.

"Oh," Penny said. "So how'd you get his aviators then?" Penny asked. Charley's eyes went wide, and they snapped down to her shirt, where sure enough, Bradley's aviators were looped through the top of it. He had let her wear them earlier in the day because she had forgotten her own and he had insisted.

"Please don't tell my dad," she said, taking defeat.

"Hon, I would never tell your father. I know he'd freak out."

"Thank you," Charley sighed in relief. "I don't want whatever this is with him to end before it really even starts."

"Did he kiss you?" Penny asked, unlocking the door so the pair could step inside.

"Oh yeah he did," another voice said. Amelia emerged from the corner, giving Charley a wide grin. Charley's face immediately went hot, embarrassment flooding her cheeks.

"You saw that?" She asked.

"Of course I did," Amelia rolled her eyes. "He looks like a good kisser too."

Charley groaned and walked off to her "room" which really was Penny's home office that she had turned into Charley's bedroom. Her bed was just a queen sized mattress that was on the floor. Nothing fancy, but Charley found it quite comfortable. She plopped herself down onto the bed and checked her phone, trying to get over the embarrassment of being caught by Amelia. On her phone she had one new message.

rooster 🐓: I had a good time with you today. Hopefully I'll see you at the Hard Deck tomorrow night. I'd love to redo what we did in your driveway tonight.

Charley sighed, laying her phone down and staring up at her ceiling. But she couldn't shake the smile that spread across her face. Charley hadn't let herself feel anything for anyone since she ended things with her abusive ex boyfriend. She was scared. She still was scared. But she did know one thing.

She could not stop herself and the way she felt about Bradley Bradshaw.

~~

A/N: That's a wrap for part two!! I don't have a taglist yet, but if you would like to be added to one, I am more than happy to make one. Likes are appreciated, but I absolutely adore reblogs and comments. Please let me know what you think!

-Sophie

[shesinchargeareyoukidding]

Eddie Munson Sickfic: When you hurt - Chapter 4: No matter what

Read chapter one here

1975

Eddie huddled in the corner of the lumpy couch. He was afraid to move, afraid to breathe weird, afraid of having to cough again, terrified of having to throw up again. As his lungs burned and his shaking turned into full body shudders, he started to realize his efforts were completely futile.

Don’t be a pussy. Everybody gets the flu sometimes

“Everybody gets the flu sometimes.” He whispered to himself. “It’s just the flu. It’s just the flu…”

Then the coughing started again, and with it the pain. Eddie braced himself against the couch as he lost himself in it. Tears streamed down his face from the effort. Lack of oxygen was making him feel like he wasn’t really inside his body anymore. At some points he lost all awareness, some other moments saw him waking up, only to choke on his own breath again.

He didn’t know how much time had passed. All he knew was that he couldn’t do it anymore. All he felt was a dull throb of pain, traveling throughout his body. He felt so far away. He couldn’t cough anymore, but his chest felt almost too heavy to move. It meant he could barely breathe. That thought should probably terrify him, but he no longer had the energy for that. He let his eyes fall closed once more.

He was being moved. It felt like he was floating. He could hear a woman’s voice above him. Then his world tilted and he landed on a soft surface with a thud. It jostled his lungs and they made a weak attempt at a cough. Someone was patting his cheek, talking to him. What was happening? Weakly, Eddie was able to open his eyes about halfway. Mrs Vanderbilt, their neighbour, was staring down at him with an expression he had never seen on her face before. “Heya, kid. You with me?” Eddie managed a nod. “Good. Good. Listen, kid. You’re kinda scarin’ the crap outta me, here. So uhm, just hold on, will you? Don’t die on my backseat, alright?”

Eddie´s breath hitched and he tried to curl in on himself. “d-die?” He whimpered.

“Awh, no, no, darlin’. I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry. Don’t be scared.” Mrs. Vanderbilt ran her hand through his short curls in such a tender gesture that it made Eddie want to scream, latch onto her, and never let go. He could only manage a strangled sob that made him cough and almost pass out again.

“Wha’s happening?” He managed to ask, even as his eyes were trying to roll back into his skull. Mrs. Vanderbilt went in and out of focus at a dizzying pace. He could barely see her anymore. The soft fingers in his hair remained though, so Eddie knew that she was still there.

“You’re sick, baby. I’m taking you to get some help.” Help? What did that mean? They couldn’t…

“n-no hospital…” Eddie wheezed. “d-dad s-said-“

“Hush, darlin’. It’s okay. sssh.” Mrs. Vanderbilt soothed. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see any other way you’re gonna get better.”

“p-please, n-no…” Eddie pleaded, straining against the pressure inside his chest.  “I’ll… I’ll get-“ He whined in pain as he tried to take in enough air to finish his sentence.

-“Sssh… No, sweetheart. You won’t.” The woman’s kind hands wiped away at the defeated tears that had started to run down Eddie’s cheeks. “I’m not gonna leave you like this. I’m sorry, kid. But we’re goin’ no matter what you or your daddy say.”

1987

“Help! Help!” Hopper burst through the hospital doors with Eddie in his arms. “He can’t breathe! Help him, dammit! Don’t just stand there!”

Eddie was frantically trying to suck in wheezing breaths. His blue lips were opening and closing like he was a fish on dry land. His fingers were desperately grasping at Hopper's shirt and his eyes were squeezed shut.

The nurses quickly snapped into action at the sight of Hopper. One of them approached them with a stretcher. “Here, you can put him down.”

Hopper carefully lowered Eddie onto the stretcher. Eddie blindly tightened his hold on Hoppers shirt as he felt himself being let go. “Hey, hey. I’m still here, kiddo. It’s okay. I’m right here.” Hopper promised as he gently took Eddie’s hands in his. “You’re gonna be just fine.” He assured the sick metalhead as he gave his hands a firm squeeze. A nurse rushed over and put an oxygen mask over Eddies nose and mouth. Eddie flinched away at the foreign feel, but as the oxygen mask started to work he slumped back onto the stretcher. Tired brown eyes opened blearily to make eye contact with Hopper. The oxygen mask fogged up as Eddie mumbled something into it. Hopper leaned closer to him with a frown. “Huh? What was that?” Eddie’s eyes pinched in frustration and he brought an unsteady hand up to lift the mask. Hopper almost stopped him, but the urgency he saw on Eddie’s face made him wait. Eddie tried to take a deep breath and lifted the mask. “d-don’t tell w-wayne, p-please…” Nurses were approaching them again and Hopper knew they’d take Eddie away any minute.

“Why the hell not kid?” He asked urgently.

“I p-promised h-him…”

“Eddie, he should know where you are. Didn’t you say he’ll be back in Hawkins tomorrow anyway? It’s not fair to leave him in the dark.” Hopper tried to reason.

Eddie just weakly shook his head with a whispered “Please.” Three nurses surrounded the stretcher and they started to roll Eddie towards a pair of white doors. Hopper followed behind, his hands still linked with Eddie’s. once they reached the doors, one of the nurses turned to Hopper. “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait here for a while, Chief.” She said not unkindly. “He’s in good hands.” She promised. Hopper nodded, looking down at the sick kid in his charge. “You’re gonna be okay now, kid. Don’t focus on anything except getting better. I’ll take care of the rest.” Eddie’s large eyes were locked onto his. Taking in everything he said. Hopper thought for a second.

“Eddie, you know your uncle loves you no matter what, right?” With Eddie’s face covered by the oxygen mask, it was difficult to see his expression, but Hopper could see the kid’s body start to tremble even more. “Wayne is not going to love you any less for getting sick, Eddie. None of this was your fault and he knows that.” Eddie’s eyes were welling up with tears and Hopper reassuringly squeezed his hand to emphasize his point. “He deserves to know where you are, kid. He loves you.” Eddie breath hitched painfully and his tears spilled over.

“o-okay.” Came the muffled reply. Hopper gratefully patted his shoulder. “Thank you, kiddo. The nurses are gonna run some tests with you now, but I’ll be with you as soon as they’ll let me.”

Eddie nodded and reluctantly let go of Hopper’s hands.

As the white doors closed behind Eddie and the nurses, Hopper was left in an empty waiting room with a million questions. He was handed a form with even more questions and he sat down to fill it in. His mind was reeling from the events of that day. How could things have gone so wrong, so fast?

Thankfully, Hopper knew that Wayne was originally from around De Soto, Missouri. And after scouring the yellow pages for families by the name ‘Munson’ he quickly found a phone number. While the phone rang, Hopper prayed he’d found the right number. An elderly male voice picked up.

“Munson residence.”

“Uh, hi. Is uh… Wayne there?”

“Who is this?” The voice on the other end asked suspiciously.

“Chief Hopper, Hawkins police. Is Wayne there?” Hopper insisted.

“What did that boy do this time?” The voice on the other end sighed.

“I’m sorry, who am I speaking to?” Now it was Hopper’s turn to be suspicious.

“Eric Munson, I’m Wayne’s father. And I’ll tell ya what, if that boy can’t even have the decency to not get himself arrested while Wayne’s enjoyin’ a rare break from his antics, then he deserves to spend a night or two in jail.”

Hopper was trying really hard not to snap while he hadn’t had the chance to talk to Wayne yet. He forced himself to take a deep breath. “I’m not calling because Eddie is under arrest.”

“Uhhuh, so what happened then?” Came the sceptic reply.

“I would like to discuss that with Wayne, if I may.” Hopper ground out as calmly as he could.

“I’m Edward’s family too, yaknow. Anythin’ ya wanna tell Wayne, you can tell me as well.”

“No, actually, I can’t. Wayne is Eddies legal guardian, so he’s the only one entitled to his information. Now could you please get Wayne for me?” Hopper growled.

There were a few beats of silence on the other end. Then a deep sigh. ‘Wayne! Some chief of police on the phone for you!’ Hopper could hear on the other end. ‘Didn’t I tell ya that boy couldn’t stay out of trouble long enough for us to have one damn moment of peace?’ Hopper couldn’t hear any reply that may have been given before the phone rattled and Hopper could hear a familiar voice.

“Hello?”

“Wayne?” Relief flooded through Hopper’s system.

“Jim? Is it Eddie? What happened?” Wayne’s voice took on an edge of panic. Hopper hated these types of conversations. He swallowed heavily.

“… Yeah. Sorry Wayne. I’m at the hospital. Kid’s really sick.” Hopper could hear rustling on the other end. He imagined Wayne was already putting on his jacket as they were having this conversation.

“Shit… Okay. Alright. I’ll be there as soon as I can…” Hopper could hear more rustling sounds and a muffled curse. “How bad is it?” The question was asked softly, like Wayne was afraid to ask. Hopper debated on how much he should tell Wayne over the phone.

“It’s… Bad. He collapsed earlier today and when I was with him he could barely breathe. Very high fever too.” He purposely left out the part where Eddie had actually stopped breathing. That was a conversation they should have face to face.

“Dammit. He said he was okay.” Wayne cursed quietly, almost to himself. Hopper nodded, despite Wayne not being able to see him.

“It really looks like he didn’t even notice how bad it was himself.” He reasoned.

“Yeah, boy does that.” Wayne sighed heavily. “Listen. I’ll leave as soon as I can. The drive is about five hours… could you…?”

“Of course, Wayne. I’ll stay with him.”

“Thank you, Jim. So much.”

“Anytime Wayne. Drive safe. Kid needs you here in one piece, alright?”

“Yeah… yeah, I will.” And with that, Wayne hung up.

To be continued.

Next chapter

[spacecadet-ticklesinspace]

Christmas Sniffles: Chapter 3

Summary: Right around the holidays, Peter 1 gets sick.

Never was MJ so glad to have an extra day off around the holidays. She now had an extra day to prep the Christmas cookies she had promised to bring to Peter 2's church when they went caroling tomorrow and now had an extra day to take care of Peter 1. She had been awakened by her husband kissing her forehead before he left to go to Otto's lab to help the older scientist wrap up a few things before being free for the holidays.

However, with Peter 2 gone, MJ had to juggle both the role of chef and caretaker. Thankfully the youngest seemed content to quietly watch Christmas movies and while cuddling with May Bear. During one of MJ's breaks, the two watched the newer Grinch movie and Peter 1 started giggling.

The older woman smiled. "The Grinch is pretty good huh?"

"Y-yeah. Hehe reminds me ohof Dr. Strange."

MJ giggled as she stroked Peter 1's hair. Thankfully, he seemed a little cooler and even had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. However, his cough was most concerning. It was harsh and rattling.

Another timer sounded from the kitchen. As MJ hurried to the kitchen to check the next batch of cookies, there was a knock on the door.

She quickly opened it. "Oh! Hi Harry! Come on in."

Harry stepped inside, but before he could respond, a timer went off in the kitchen.

"Shoot! I'll be right back. Make yourself at home Harry!"

MJ hurried into the kitchen, leaving Harry alone in the entry way.

"Hi Harry," a voice called out.

The older man left his packages on the entry way table and stepped into the living room. He grinned when he found Peter 1 on the couch. "Hey Pete. How's it going?"

One coughed in response.

"Oh, that doesn't sound good."

The youngest Peter shrank into his shoulders. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize Pete. It happens to the best of us." Harry placed the back of his head on Peter 1's forehead

One pulled away. "I got a cold."

"I noticed. You gonna be okay?"

One nodded. "Yeah I'm good."

Harry moved to sit on the floor. "But?"

". . . I feel like I'm being a burden to MJ and Peter 2."

The older Harry gently nudged his shoulder. "Hey, that's no way to talk about yourself. MJ and Peter love you."

"I know . . ." Peter 1's voice was barely above a whisper. "I just feel like I'm causing them a lot of extra trouble."

"You can't help when you get sick Pete." The older man rubbed his arm. "It just happens."

The youngest Peter hid his face in the top of his bear's head. "But I mess everything up."

The older man's shoulders drooped. He carefully slid One's beloved bear out of his face. "Why do you think that Peter?"

The boy looked away. "I can't be left alone."

"That happens when you're sick. It's just your brain looking for extra comfort and reassurance."

"But everytime one of them leaves the room, I panic. It's like I can't let them leave my sight."

Harry gently ruffled One's curls. "You've lost a lot of people there Pete. It's easy to get scared you'll loose more."

The youngest Peter quickly scrubbed his eyes. "You've lost a lot of people too."

The older man moved One's hand away. "Let's not compare apples with oranges kiddo. Yeah I've lost people and yeah it hurt like crap. But that doesn't mean your trials are any less important than mine."

Peter 1 remained quiet.

"Did something else happen?"

" . . . I had a nightmare. . . Two kicked me out---cause I was sick."

"Pete, he would never do that. He loves you too much to do that."

Peter 1 looked up. "Y-you think so?"

Harry nodded. "I know so. They're both crazy about you."

While he still looked doubtful, a small smile crept across One's face. "Thanks."

"Course buddy." A light clicked on in Harry's head. "You know what will cheer you up? A visit from Santa Clause."

"What?"

The older man pulled away and hurried over to the packages he had brought in. "You're usually supposed to wait until Christmas day to open Santa's presents, but since he gave me these two a little early, I think it would be okay to open them now."

One's brows furrowed as Harry came back to his spot next to the couch. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"But I didn't! These both are from Santa. He just dropped them off at my house so they could be wrapped and delivered."

The youngest Peter cocked his head at the older man.

Harry set his two packages next to him. "Now, one thing you have to know about Santa's gift is they become more 'practical' the older you get. So your first gift was practical and I, of course, wrapped it practically."

Harry lifted up a blue Christmas bag covered with giant snowflakes and a half ton of glitter. He gave it to the youngest Peter who hesitantly opened it. He pulled out a brown box and read the words across the top. "Stuture replacement kits?"

"Like I said, practical. If you're anything like your brother, you'll want to have those."

This made the youngest Peter chuckle. "Thahank yohou Harryhy."

"Uh, not me. It was Santa."

"Thank yohou Santaha."

The older man winked. "I'll relay the message. And now that we have the practical gift out of the way, Santa has a semi-practical gift to give you too."

The next present Peter 1 was given was wrapped in a simple gold paper with a blue ribbon on top.

The blush on Peter 1's face darkened. He felt a little embarrassed to be receiving so much attention. "Thank you."

"Now as you can see, I have wrapped this one semi-practically. The paper still gives you a chance to tear into it."

After a little more prompting, One carefully opened the gift. Inside was a small gray Stegasorus plush.

"This guy is great." Harry tapped the plushie's nose. "Not only can he cuddle, but if you heat up the pad in his middle, you have a heated cuddle toy."

One squeezed the stegasorus with one arm. "Thank you Santa."

The grin on Harry's own face grew as he ruffled One's curls. "You're welcome Uno."

"Ihi thought you weheren't Santa?"

"Oops! I spilled the beans," Harry teased.

The cutest giggle came out of the youngest's mouth when Harry tapped his nose. "Nohow I know whyhy Two says you're soho cute."

Peter 1 rolled his eyes. "Not cute."

"Ihi beg toho differ."

"Can I give you yours now?"

The older man started. "You got me something?"

The youngest Peter pointed. "It's in the green bag under the tree."

Harry stepped over to the tree to retrieve the bag.

"It's not much, but I hope you like it."

The older man waited until he was next to Peter again before opening his gift. From the bag, he pulled out a small wooden frame. Inside the frame was a picture of Harry and the Three Peters after a recent movie night at Two's house. Harry and Peter were making silly faces at the camera while Peter 3 was layed across their laps. One of Three's hands was keeping his head propped up while the other was being pushed by Peter who was pushing it off his sides while laughing next to Harry.

It was one of Harry's favorite photos from that evening. He had finally felt like he was accepted into the group after everything that had happened. It meant even more that Peter 1 had taken time to frame it for him . . . It made his heart swell.

"D-do you like it?"

"I don't like it bud." Harry looked up at Peter 1. "I love it."

"Really?"

"Honestly Pete." Harry wrapped the youngest in a hug. "This means so much to me."

After a brief hesitation, One tightly returned the hug. "You're a part of our family too Harry. I wanted you to see that."

The older man let out a playful huff. "Is it your goal to make me cry today?"

One pulled away. "Not intentionally."

Harry ruffled One's curls. "Ihi know. You're just too sweet sometimes." Another thought crossed Harry's mind. "Hey, before MJ gets back, wanna go see the snow?"

The youngest's eyes widened. "It's snowing?"

"Yeah! Wanna go see?"

Peter 1 eagerly nodded. He hurried to stand.

"Hold on. I know you're excited, but you can't go out in juhust your jammies." The older man stood and walked over to the entryway. "Where's your coat and boots?"

"I can get---."

Harry motioned to where he was. "Already here Pete."

Peter 1 huffed and pointed out the desired belongings and, with a little help from Harry, was soon bundled up. For an added layer of warmth, a hat and gloves were added before a blanket was tossed around his shoulders.

Once bundled up, Peter 1 eagerly stood before promptly toppling to one side.

"Wow!" Harry caught him. "Little dizzy?"

"A little. The fever makes me loopy."

The older man carefully wrapped the youngest's arm around him. "Here, lean on me."

"Okay."

Together, the duo made their way outside. Outside, the snow lightly fell to the ground and dusted the ground in a layer of white.

Peter 1 shivered, but eagerly held out one of his hands to watch the small flakes coat his glove. He pushed out a little farther to try to catch some more.

Harry shifted his hold. "Hold on kid."

He helped Peter 1 down the steps so he could stand in the walkway and let the flakes coat his hair and face. He looked so young and innocent with his flushed cheeks and messy curls.

"You know, I'm not one for magic, but the snow really makes Christmas seem pretty special," the older man replied.

"It does." The youngest Peter wiggled free of Harry's hold.

"Wow! Where are you---."

Peter 1 plopped into the snow. He flopped backwards into a giggly mess.

Harry squatted next time the giggling teen. "What are you doing?"

"Mahaking aha snohow ahangel!"

Harry chuckled. "Yohou're mihissing the angehel part."

Peter 1 stuck out his arms and started moving them up and down. However, his wings looked less like wings and more like messy snow swirls. His legs were less cooperative, leaving him with lopsided trenches. When Harry helped to pull him up, One's angel looked more like an odd alien character than the intended angelic figure.

"Nihice job kid. Ihit looks awesome."

The youngest Peter shivered. "Th-thanks."

"Peter?" A voice called. "Harry?"

The duo turned to see Peter 2 walking up the driveway.

One waved. "Hi Two."

The oldest Peter stepped forward. "What are you doing out here?"

"Seeing the snowflakes," Harry replied.

"And making snow angels."

"Ihi see that." Peter 2 brushed a few flakes out of One's hair. "Looks like you're having fun."

The moment was broken by a cough from Peter 1.

"And I think that's the cue to head back inside." The oldest Peter scooped the youngest into his arms.

"Aww, but we were having so much fun," Harry teased. However, he scooted closer to wrap the blanket tighter around Peter 1.

"I can do it."

"Last time I let you do it, you nearly toppled into the carpet." The oldest Peter nodded toward the house before heading inside.

Peter 1 pouted a little on the way in.

"I'll make it up to you with hot chocolate," Two promised.

The small trio made their way back in to find MJ coming down the stairs.

"There you are!" MJ exclaimed. "I stepped away for two seconds!"

Harry helped Peter 2 set One on the couch. "We went out to see the snow."

"Ah, I see."

"But we were only out for a minute!"

Meanwhile, the oldest Peter slipped off Peter 1's coat and boots. "Seems like they had a good time."

"Did he get too cold?" MJ asked.

Two smiled. "Nothing a change of clothes can't fix."

Harry started. "Did I mess up?"

"No! You didn't mess up!" MJ stepped forward. "That was really sweet of you."

"But he got cold."

"Being out for short periods is good when you're sick Harry." Peter 2 stepped back over to the entry way to put One's jacket and boots away. "Though I'm not sure about the snow angel."

"You mean the snow creature?" Harry teased.

"Hey!" The youngest Peter whined.

"It still looked cool Pete, but call it what it it is."

One smirked. "I was aiming for biblical accuracy." Another coughing fit broke him off.

Peter 2 stepped back over to his youngest brother. "It was great to see you Harry, but I need to take care of him real quick."

"Yeah you do that." The taller man watched in concern. "Let me know if you need anything."

The oldest Peter smiled at his friend. "We will, I promise."

Peter 2 wrapped his arm around Peter 1 and headed toward stairs.

"Bye Harry." One gave him a hug. "Thanks again."

Harry returned the hug. "Thank you too kiddo. You get better okay?"

"I will, I promise," Peter 1 let go and allowed Two to help him upstairs. "Love you."

Harry couldn't hide the smile on his face. "Love you too kid."

Once the two Peters were gone, a hand gently squeezed his shoulder. "You really are fond of him aren't you?"

Harry turned to MJ. "Aren't we all?"

"You could say that." The smaller woman hugged her friend. "I'm so glad you're back."

After a moment of hesitation, Harry returned the hug. "Me too."

He hadn't realized how much he needed that hug.

When MJ pulled away, she looked up at him. "Can you stay tonight? We're going to be decorating for the holidays and would love to have you here with us."

"I'd love too, but my dad wants me to help him decorate our tree."

"Your dad bought a tree?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah, a real one. We even picked out some ornaments together."

MJ smiled softly. "Oh Harry, that's awesome."

Harry blushed as he pulled away. "Ehe, fihirst time fohor everything I guehess."

"Oh! Before you go, I need to give you something!"

MJ hurried over to the tree and came back over with a Santa Clause gift bag. She handed it to the older man. "It's not much, but I hope you enjoy."

Harry smiled as he took the bag. "Thank you so much." He grabbed two packages behind him on the entry way table. "And these are for you and Peter. The last one is for Three."

"Thank you Harry. That's so sweet."

"You're welcome. Now, I unfortunately have to get going, but I'll see you again tomorrow."

The taller man gave MJ a kiss on the head before heading out the door. He paused on the porch . . . had he just done that? He hadn't gotten that close to Peter and MJ since the betrayal.

When he turned back to apologize, MJ waved goodbye. "You're a still a part of this family Harry. Have a great night."

Harry stared at the closed door. His heart filled with warmth and wholeness as he stepped away from the porch.

[demonslayedher]

Random a/u idea, what if Takeo was left alive and Nezuko became a demon? What do you think would’ve happened? It’s no longer little sister, but big sister.

While I'm not gonna develop a full AU (my AU muse is fickle and I don't make the rules), I'm with you Anon, if I needed any more of one of the Kamado siblings, it was Takeo. I especially would had loved to see more interactions with Tanjiro.

Takeo, for how little he appeared, showed very different sides of his character, he had a complex inner world, and tried to cover up his worries with confidence. As much as he probably wanted to be seen as one of the big kids, he still looked to his older siblings when he felt insecure. In an AU in which he lived, this kid would have to face a whole lot more insecurity, as well as a whole lot more necessity to try to appear confident. It would also change the series a lot giving Tanjiro a confidante to share equal pains and concern for Nezuko.

So let's play with how this might had gone. Rather than Takeo on his own protecting Nezuko, I'm operating under the premise of Canon + Takeo. Ah, dang it, here comes the full AU bug to bite me again.

Takeo would probably want to train and fight alongside Tanjiro, but Tanjiro wouldn't accept this. I also don't see Tanjiro being able to just leave Takeo somewhere where he'd be safe, as togetherness is such a theme that Tanjiro didn't chose this for Nezuko either (the fact that she's a self-repairing demon wasn't a big factor).

So a middle route might be if Takeo was severely injured in the encouter with Muzan, like he lost a hand or an eye or something. Or both, both are pretty common in this series. Let's say he lost both. Sorry, kiddo.

So this means neither Tanjiro or Urokodaki would acknowledge him as a potential swordsman, but Urokodaki would probably teach him self-defense. So this gives Takeo some extra skills to take for the road and step in to help sometimes, but not enough to be able to, say, stop Nezuko from going berserk.

With a little brother actually still there to protect (instead of the limits of her hex), Nezuko may be more prone to aggression if anything happens to him.

So like, on that first mission, maybe Takeo leads Kazumi and Tokie in getting away, telling them to leave it to his siblings, so he gets off okay that time. Then in Asakusa it's Tanjiro who ran off and encountered Muzan, and Takeo had no idea what weird thing he was up to, that nose of his was always weird, he tells the udon vendor, whom he makes conversation with until Tanjiro gets back. Takeo would be shook up later to hear that it was their family's killer Tanjiro went running after, and he'd probably talk more about his memories in Tamayo's presence (and that would hurt Tanjiro so bad to hear). Takeo would probably openly bicker with Yushiro. But if Takeo is even slightly injured in the battle that night, Nezuko is taking Susamaru down herself.

His presence would probably stir up the events of Kyogai's arc, since obvious he'd carry Nezuko and go into the house following the scared kids, or he'd convince them to stay outside. Hmm. If indoors, Nezuko's gonna join the fight, to keep from stirring things up too much, maybe he gets thrown from a window? Or just the box does and he can't find a way out to make sure the box and Neechan are ok?? And he goes out to find the Zenitsu and Inosuke fiasco, or winds up even later to see Niichan fighting a boar guy for some reason. Yeah, let's go with that, so he never witnesses Zenitsu protect box and he maintains a long term low opinion of Zenitsu and insists he's not good enough for his sister.

Mt. Natagumo... since Takeo doesn't get flung, he winds up trying to help Inosuke, only get seriously injured and witness Inosuke almost die, and then not meet back up with his sibs until the Butterfly Mansion. But he hears the crow's instruction to capture them and is worried for them, especially Nezuko. When he gets to see them again later, he has a bit of a breakdown with how relieved he is.

Of over the course of recovery, Takeo isn't under obligation to do everything the Corp members are. He might even plainly tell Tanjiro how stupid he looks blowing on that gourd, and laugh at him when he gets pelted in medicinal tea. And more Zenitsu, ugh! Not only is this coward annoying, he's a pervert too, no way Takeo will ever see Nezuko go to someone like him! Inosuke, though. Takeo has a lot of quiet admiration for him and tries to encourage him when he's down, but he can relate at a painful level. He's just not as strong as he wishes he could be.

By Mugen Train, Takeo still hasn't been discharged by Shinobu, so he is shocked to see the change in Tanjiro's demeanor after he returns. And for fun, let's say Takeo also goes along to visit the Rengoku estate, as somebody's gotta chaperone that injured bro. In this AU, it's primarily Takeo and Senjuro who become pen pals.

Takeo continues to go along with his big sibs on missions, though he does stuff like keep civilians out of the way. On nights when Tanjiro is busy resting, Takeo escorts Nezuko out for walks through the forest and stuff. When she's not in her box and in Takeo's presence, she usually stays taller than him.

In Yoshiwara, Takeo's not a Corp member so he teases Uzui saying he can't make him do anything, he's just there to tag along. Uzui doesn't like this kid and tells him to scram, Tanjiro reminds him to behave. Takeo is there to witness how bad the disguises are and even says so plainly to Uzui. Uzui really doesn't like this kid. Takeo just kinda floats around and Tanjiro meets up with him outside during the day to give him updates, and Takeo informs him that he sucks at this. While Niichan is busy doing a terrible job as a spy, Takeo very plainly goes around to the information booths pretending to be an errand boy and gets the gossipy lowdown and figures out the demon is probably the Oiran with a rumored temper at Kyogoku-ya where the Okami just fell to her death. Sumiko is amazed, but it's too late to help Zenko. Uzui has decided he kinda likes this kid.

Anyway, Takeo totally be there in person to watch Nezuko go ballistic in Yoshiwara. It's awful, he's terrified and sad and tries to stop her... and Nezuko winds up hurting him.

And this is what leads to her coming back to her senses, breaking down in sobs as she holds her unconscious little brother. Whether this is what makes Nezuko shrink back or just makes her go even MORE ballistic until she can be put back under control enough to see he's going to be alright (like using what he can scrape of his own consciousness to assure her of this), I leave that up to choice. Either way, Takeo is in a bad state and Makio and Suma get him out of there. After Nezuko later wakes back up and saves Tanjiro, she's frantically looking for him and crying again until reunited, and Takeo has a moment of realizing how strange it is to see her to small and helpless, that's ALSO not the Neechan he always knew... in some ways he saw more of her in that ballistic state, for he always knew and worried about her spitfire side.

(And in the Taisho Secret about their mother headbutting a boar, he keeps interjecting with commentary. "Neechan, this is NOT appropriate right now. Neechan! Eh? Isn't that Inosuke? MOM DID WHAT?")

After all is said and done, Uzui has lost an arm and an eye too. Takeo tells him to join the club, he'll get used to it. Uzui decides he doesn't like this kid after all. Takeo has been injured too but doesn't fall into a deep coma like the others; he's left to wait with worry. Nezuko probably sleeps for a lot of the following two months. The Butterfly Mansion girls, Shinobu included, all try to spend extra time with him so he's not lonely (Aoi has endlessly apologized), but he tries to bravely assure them he's ok. But, he also promises Tanjiro that no matter what, he's take care of Nezuko.

Huge relief when they wake up, Takeo tags along to Swordsmith village. Takeo gets in a physical altercation with Kotetsu to let up on his deathly coaching, in that extended altercation Tanjiro has his dehydrated brush with death anyway. As Tanjiro and Kotetsu deliriously dance with delight over the discovery of the sword, Takeo is off to the side grumbling about how he doesn't like this guy. (Jealously? No, not at all, nope.)

When Tanjiro tries to give Genya his tooth, though, Takeo reacts before Genya finishes opening his mouth, yelling the same thing Genya was gonna yell. Genya, surprised, goes quiet. He winds up getting along really well with Takeo. In the battle in this arc, Takeo stats busy trying to help the villagers and stats out of the way, but when he daylight approaching, he panics and starts looking for Nezuko. He's far away enough to helplessly witness her sacrifice, but because his eyes were glued there, he's the first one to witness her master the sun. When Tanjiro is on the ground and sobbing, he notices Takeo running in his direction, and Tanjiro cries and apologizes to him, but Takeo runs right by him with a word. Tanjiro looks over his shoulder to see Takeo flying at Nezuko to give her a hug and cry with relief.

In Pillar Training, Takeo mostly hangs out with Nezuko, especially helping her learn to talk again. Nearly hurts himself laughing when Nezuko pulls the "Welcome back, Inosuke" on Zenitsu.

For the Final Arc, Takeo stays with Nezuko, but keeps up with her (mostly) when she takes off. Twists his ankle trying to follow her down the cliff, but keeps going, and... finds... uh... Toyo-san! The guy with the udon cart in Asakusa! Toyo-san gives him a rude on udon cart to look for Nezuko and hurry to get into town. At some point Toyo-san is too afraid to venture any closer, and Takeo witnesses some of the fight against Muzan, including seeing Zenitsu at his best. Ok, he decides. That guy really IS Neechan's type. But, more horrifically, he gets an eyeful of Tanjiro's arm getting blasted off and then big bro getting swallowed up in Muzan flesh. That'll be something he gets bizarre nightmares about for years.

So with his twisted ankle he's too late to stop Tanjiro from biting Nezuko, but he does throw himself into the mix. One handed, he somehow manages to keep hold of one of Tanjiro's legs, so this contributes to keeping Tanjiro in one spot for Kanao to drop in for the hit.

Takeo gets to hug both his siblings and sob once Tanjiro wakes up, while they have happy tears he's just a pure and simple wreck.

In the epilogue, Takeo winds up finding the way Inosuke clings to Nezuko super annoying and he's actually a big fan of The Legend of Zenitsu, he mistakes it for being intentionally hilarious.

The end, Takeo lives happily ever after.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 324: Is There a Force Field Around Him??

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Rat Principal was all “please tell Midoriya that I spent a concerningly small amount of money upgrading U.A. into a wacky physics-defying funtime grid so as to make the final battle much more confusing for everyone.” Present Day!Mic (or Present!Mic, if you will) and Jeanist were all “if only somebody could deescalate this dangerously unhinged mob, we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.” Ochako was all “LISTEN UP PEOPLE.” The mob was all, “god??” Ochako was all, “NO, IT’S ME, OCHAKO. I’M REALLY HIGH UP ON THIS BUILDING AND THE VISIBILITY IS LOW DUE TO THE RAIN, SO I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT MAKE THAT MISTAKE. ANYWAYS, DEKU WAS OUT THERE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR YOU CLOWNS EVEN THOUGH HE’S JUST A KID, SO I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD ALL REMEMBER HOW TO BE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS, THANKS.” Let’s see if her Big Scolding Energy has any impact.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “so I have this speech planned out, and it’s really good, but it also only really needs about 6 to 8 pages, but I’m gonna see if I can stretch it out to 17 pages so I can kill time before we get to the next volume cliffhanger two weeks from now.” Anyway but it really is a good speech though. There are feels, and tears, and more talk about how Deku is so in need of a shower that just looking at him requires a tetanus booster, and more feels, and more tears, and bonus ship drama, and an iconic callback to the very first chapter which reframes the entire series in a new context in a totally epic and moving way, and it’s all very good. Except that Horikoshi is determined to never let anyone actually give this kid a hug. Who hurt you, dude.

omg we are opening on a callback to chapter 212, a.k.a. the chapter with by far the cutest flashback that doesn’t involve any baby Todorokis

baby Ochako is lethally cute. she could literally murder someone with her cuteness. I just want to scoop her up and play airplane with her until she accidentally activates her quirk while we’re spinning around and we both helicopter up into the air never to be seen again

“a child’s insistence” huh well that’s all well and good, but I sure hope this doesn’t mean we’re going to drag out the whole “sternly lecture the obnoxious citizens” plot for another whole chapter. no offense but I think we’re good

so page 2 is just continuing the whole happy/worried faces monologue, which of course is very important to Ochako’s character as it provides the context for why “who protects the heroes” ended up becoming her thing. and this is making me think we actually are in for a whole second chapter of this sob. when will my boy finally get to rest

OH MY GOD SUDDENLY THESE PEOPLE HAVE EYES IMAGINE THAT

HORIKOSHI: [reaches for a box of tissues while tearfully penning an homage to his beloved Spider-Man 2, specifically the train scene where the crowd sees Peter without his mask and they suddenly realize just how young he is]

HORIKOSHI’S HOMAGE SCENE: “COME TO THINK OF IT, I GUESS IT WAS KIND OF MEAN FOR US TO PICK ON THIS TEN YEAR OLD KID WHO WEIGHS 75 POUNDS AND LOOKS LIKE HE LOST A FIGHT WITH SATAN’S MOLDY OLD BASEMENT”

lol at this one guy who can feel the mood of the crowd shifting and is all “WAIT, NO, I WANTED TO KEEP BEING AN ASSHOLE DAMMIT”

as many pointed out last week, this man is wearing an All Might shirt. that’s some fantastic irony there

-- SDKFJWIGKS

“LITTLE GIRL, I HOPE YOU’RE NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE WALKING AROUND DRESSED LIKE A SOVIET-ERA BUS STOP.” heh. last week I said I was ashamed of BnHA being my favorite manga. that was a lie, actually

(ETA: in the original Japanese Ochako’s next two lines are basically “the only ones covered in mud will be us heroes!” followed by “please give us some time to get rid of the mud”, with that second line basically being the single funniest thing I’ve ever read rdslkjl. Ochako thank you so much for supporting my running gags. “YEAH WE KNOW HE’S DIRTY. WE ARE GONNA TRY AND CLEAN HIM UP, BUT IT MAY TAKE A WHILE, I’M JUST SAYING. I MEAN LOOK AT HIM. HE LOOKS LIKE AN ASBESTOS COSPLAY.”)

doesn’t the megaphone kind of look ever so slightly like an axe that she’s wielding maniacally here

easy there Lizzie Borden

also that’s a really bold claim to make there. and not one she necessarily should have to make, either. but as we all know, there’s nothing that shounen manga likes more than having its heroes bravely hoist heavy burdens of responsibility like good self-sacrificing citizens

p.s. lowkey loving how Kacchan is positioned here standing slightly behind Deku. not presuming to stand in front of him all overprotectively (because he would hate if anyone ever did that to him), and kind of being unobtrusive and letting others take center stage -- but still being close enough to Deku that he can catch him if he stumbles or passes out again

(ETA: or maybe not lmao.

DEKU: [falls to his knees]

KACCHAN: [glancing up from his phone a few minutes later] “someone just sent me the stupidest meme about milk crates -- oh. uh. you good...?”

really, son. “the burdens you can’t carry, we’ll carry them for you. ...later, I mean. right now it’s late, and we’re all cold and wet.”)

also lowkey loving this OchaTsu moment here

I was going back and binging Ochako chapters this past week for reasons, and I gotta say it really stuck out to me just how often these two are paired with each other. they do everything together. it’s a really sweet friendship that often goes unappreciated but it’s very cute

meanwhile, not to be outdone by the OchaTsu, Iida is staring at Ochako with open admiration talking about how she’s fighting too. it’s been so long since we’ve had any IidaRaka you guys. I was starving and I didn’t even know it

oh my lord IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING

THE LIGHT IS BACK. he finally looks like him again. what a cathartic fucking moment omg

ffklkdw

“I KNOW YOU ARE ALL SCARED, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE DEFINITELY CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY AND WE ARE ALL SCARED TOO!” good pep talk there kiddo

BUT, jokes aside, truth be told this is the exact right approach to take imo, and something that’s long overdue. I’ve said this before, but this new generation of heroes is shaping up to be much more transparent than the All Might generation. they’re basically abandoning the almighty, untouchable Superman “heroes as gods” concept in favor of the more nuanced “heroes as people” concept instead. and that’s a good thing. seeing their heroes as humans, with human limitations and weaknesses and flaws, will hopefully not only lead to more scrutiny and accountability, but also more awareness of how hard some of them are working and how much they’re sacrificing. that’s something All Might never quite grasped back at the start of the series -- that the weak, vulnerable, injured him could be just as inspiring as the mighty, invincible him -- perhaps even more so. there’s a power in seeing otherwise ordinary people show extraordinary bravery and compassion. it inspires others to try and do the same

SSDLHK AIZAWA SIGHTING AAHHHHHH

so he was still back at the hospital this whole time?? smdh at this disrespect. that feeling when your sexy self-insert character’s powers of rationality are too strong, and so you have to nerf him so that he doesn’t ruin your Deku Angst arc twice over by (1) immediately talking some sense into Deku and making him come home Right This Instant Young Man, and (2) not allowing him to leave U.A. in the first fucking place. excuse me, you want to do WHAT now, Midoriya?? that’s it, go to your room

also living for Katsuki and Hawks’s soft expressions. Shouto’s too, although his is tinier and harder to see. and Jeanist’s 12-foot-long neck. imagine Jeanist’s head with Mic’s hair. maybe Jeanist had a mohawk back in the day and that’s why U.A.’s doors are so big now

speaking of soft faces, Enji’s is also excellent

what could this random close-up possibly imply?? hell if I know. but Horikoshi truly fears no discourse and that’s what I love about him

OMGGGG

“smh my child is so dumb.” poor Ochadad. your child is cute af count your blessings

SDOFFHSMH

I’m telling you guys. lethally, catastrophically cute

this speech is still ongoing lol. Horikoshi you’re doing so good but I think we get the point now my dude. you gotta learn how to transition out of these things

UNEXPECTED TOGA WHAT

“there we go” Horikoshi says, crossing off the last line on his list of Ochako ships. “that’s all of ‘em”

poor Ochako is just repeating the same “LET HIM REST, PLEASE, WITH EVERYONE’S COOPERATION, IF YOU DON’T MIND, WE APPRECIATE IT” talking points over and over again hoping someone will throw her a bone and acknowledge her already. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HER

literally they’re all just staring up at her silently omg. work with me people!!

now she’s saying it for the 56th time but more dramatically all of a sudden

they got so dramatic that for a minute I thought she had suddenly leaped off the building or something

look, not to rush you or anything Horikoshi, but I’m starting to get the feeling that this is yet another one of those “the volume is ending soon so I need to either hurry things up or slow things down in order to make sure we end it on my perfect cliffhanger ending” chapters where you go to ridiculous lengths to drag things out much to the exasperation of your week-to-week readers

(ETA: ftr, volume 31 ended on chapter 306, and I’m predicting that vol. 32 will end with chapter 316 (a.k.a. “you’re next!” [explodes]). I’m guessing vol. 33 will follow suit and likely end on chapter 326, so keep your eyes peeled for a big cliffhanger in two weeks’ time. Deku’s dad?? All Might in peril?? U.A. traitor at long fucking last?? we shall see.)

is Deku straight up falling in love with Ochako right on the spot lol what is happening

I know I just said that I enjoy when Horikoshi gives zero fucks about discourse, but shipping discourse is a whole different beast lol. I hope he’s prepared

(ETA: and for the record, I have no interest in shipping discourse either, as always. and I think this scene can be interpreted as platonic, tbh, with the context being that Ochako was literally introduced as someone who was willing to help him so casually without a second thought, and now here she is saving him again.

I don’t think it really fully hit Deku until this moment how much he needed saving. like I said in another meta somewhere, selflessness is basically just selfishness on behalf of others. and Deku is selfless to a fault, but that’s okay, and it doesn’t mean he needs to change -- he just needs friends who are willing to be be selfish on his behalf in turn. and I think the full emotion of what it means to have friends like that just hit him at last. everything his friends have done for him, how much he needed it and didn’t even realize, and how grateful he is. anyways what a terrible day for rain.)

-- son of a --

is he apologizing?? or pleading?? please tell me that’s not the case, because what the actual fuck. Deku you beautiful precious radiant selfless child, this is the exact opposite of how this should be. all these motherfuckers should be on their knees apologizing to you

DEKU WHY

I DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS FREAKING BOMBARDMENT OF EMOTIONS GODDAMIT. OUT HERE ARMED WITH YOUR FREAKING TREBUCHET OF FEELS TO LAUNCH AT ME UNPROVOKED. WHAT’S WITH THAT

FREAKING CHRIST. THIS BOY IS CRYING HIS EYES OUT AND HORIKOSHI IS JUST ZOOMING IN WITH THE CAMERA, LIKE CAN WE JUST CUT HIM A BREAK ALREADY. ENOUGH OF THIS. HE’S SO YOUNG AND HE TRIES SO HARD AND I JUST NEED HIM TO FEEL SAFE, HORIKOSHI PLEASE CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME THAT ALREADY WHAT IS THE FREAKING HOLD UP!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY!!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY PLEASE BE MY HUGGER BY PROXY!! SERIOUSLY GIRL IF YOU JUST HOLD YOUR UMBRELLA OVER HIM OR SOMETHING AND DON’T GO THE EXTRA MILE I’M ABOUT TO LODGE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS NOW

!!!!

A KOUTA IS GOOD TOO!!! oh my god if Kouta hugs him I will seriously 100% straight up cry. go on and test me

FOR THE LOVE OF --

is this man expressly forbidden from drawing hugs in his contract or something. DO YOU DO IT JUST TO SPITE ME?? this is tyranny, sir

AND I KNOW, THIS PAGE ACTUALLY CHALLENGED THE VERY PREMISE OF THE SERIES ITSELF, AND HERE I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT HUGS, OR THE LACK THEREOF. “this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes.” and just like that, he waves a polite middle finger at all of the Strongest Greatest Chosen One shounen protags of old, in favor of something much less conventional, much more interesting, and much more suited to Deku’s character. because if that one sentence doesn’t just sum up Deku to a T. he gladly relinquishes his Greatest Hero status in favor of acknowledging the hero in everyone. what a class act. that’s my protagonist

I love this kid so fucking much I swear. only just PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. GIVE HIM HIS HUG

[citrinesparkles]

cat.

jason todd, eventually x gender neutral reader. 1,388 words. notes: this is part one of i don't even know how many and i cannot believe how wildly out of hand this got. this was a 500 word idea and it's gonna be at least three parts someone help (thanks to @angelz-dust for being so patient with me and encouraging on this!!! would never have made it out of the drafts without you <3) warnings: danger to kids, mention of a couple arguing, animal illness (spoiler alert: it'll be fine i Promise), a little (lot) different than my usual edit: part two here!

"let me be perfectly clear: if you even think about showing back up here, i will know, and i will make your life a living hell until i finally put you out of your misery. understood?"

"yes! yeah man i get it. understood."

"then i'd get going, if i were you." the man scrambled to his feet and bolted off across the playground, leaving jason to shout after him. "and warn any buddies you might have, too!"

he picked up the discarded knife and pocketed it. he then turned around slowly, hands visibly empty in a careful attempt not to scare the two kids behind him- well, careful not to make it worse, anyway. they, understandably, seemed a little shaken already.

"are you both alright?" he asked softly, slouching just a little to seem as harmless as possible.

probably would have been easier if they hadn't just watched him threaten someone.

the older kid- probably fifteen, if jason had to place a bet- nodded silently before glancing back at the little girl he was still hovering in front of protectively, who was just... staring.

she couldn't have been older than six.

"jazz?" the boy asked, voice tight. "are you hurt?"

he was ignored. "are you superman?"

the question, innocent and earnest and a little timid, made jason laugh. "not quite, kiddo."

she tilted her head like a curious puppy, furrowing her brow. "why are you wearing a jacket?"

jason glanced up at the boy, who seemed comforted by her mini interrogation. good.

talking was a good sign, too, so jason crouched down to meet her at eye level.

"because it gets cold out here!" he said, raising his hands up with a small wiggle of his fingers. "gloves, too."

"well, duh," jazz said with a giggle- a win, jason thought. "no fingerprints."

he nodded. "also helpful."

"and the hat to hide your face!" she said proudly, stepping forward a little to point at his helmet.

"wow, you've got the whole thing figured out, huh?"

"mhm! my friend ricky loves batman and his friends. he talks about batman and nightwing and spoiler and robin and red robin and red hood and batgirl all the time! they hide their faces like you, ricky thinks it's because of bad guys."

"they're kinda cool, huh?"

"nightwing's my favorite," she said firmly, as though it was something she had considered at great length and was fully prepared to defend.

"not red hood?" jason smacked a hand to his chest in mock hurt, shifting back dramatically. "i'm crushed, truly."

"no, ricky says red hood used to be an alien, but then got bored and now he annoys batman for fun instead. that sounds mean."

...well, okay, maybe he did annoy the big guy for fun a little. "that's an interesting theory, all right."

"ricky's got all kinds of theories. he thinks batman's a robot-" jason snorted- "and that nightwing was like pinochle."

"you mean pinocchio," the boy corrected quietly. "pinochle's what gramma plays."

"pinocchio!" she exlaimed, with a "ch" sound in the middle that made jason smile. "a doll that got turned human. that's how he does all the flips and stuff, he's got magic."

"hm, ricky seems like an interesting guy," jason said thoughtfully, making a big show of rubbing the chin of his helmet. "what do y-"

he was cut off by a loud, insistent meow, and jazz gasping even louder before taking off to the bushes.

"w- hey, don't rush off like that!" he said, shooting up off the ground as the boy sighed.

"there's this cat that she's been taking care of," he explained quietly. "the thing's got attitude for days but i think it's sick or something. jasmine's been bringing it little bits of tuna and chicken, but it's not like we can get it to a vet."

jason hummed. "why do you think it's sick?"

"it's thin, with its eyes all watery and sunk."

"might just be malnourished," he muttered.

"she's been trying to find it a home, y'know."

there was a wink-wink-nudge-nudge quality to the kid's voice that did not go unnoticed.

on one hand, it was good to hear something other than fear from him, but on the other... "what part of the tactical armor makes you think i'm an option?"

"the part where you just stuck around to check on us instead of running after that guy."

okay. maybe the quiet thing hadn't been so bad. the cocky 'amateur psychologist' thing was a little grating.

"you the real red hood?" the kid asked suddenly, shaking jason from his internal grumbling.

"what do you think?"

"i think you just saved our lives, and i wanna know who i'm thanking."

jason turned to him with a flourish. "red hood, baby saver extraordinaire. at your service."

"baby- dude, i'm seventeen!"

okay, so he would have lost his bet. "noted. still a baby, trust me."

"what are you under there, twenty something? whatever, grandpa."

jason chuckled, turning back to watch jasmine pet a small cat under one of the yellow lights littering the park. "you did well, looking out for her with that guy. you got a name?"

he scoffed. "would've been better if i'd kicked him between the legs right when he opened his mouth, instead of letting him get started on the whole 'what're you kids doing out so late?' bit," he muttered darkly, pausing for a moment before answering. "my name's jordan."

"well, jordan, what are you guys doing out so late?"

"mom works nights, and the neighbors were fighting. it was loud enough to wake jazz up, and it wasn't the kind of thing she needed to hear. i figured a trip to see her cat would be less awful than hearing them call each other things i wouldn't even call my friends." the breeze picked up, rustling the trees and catching on jason's jacket. "and then the asshole with the knife decided to make a bad night worse."

"is jazz your sister?"

"yeah, she's a good kid," jordan said, fond and warm. "sorry about the whole ricky thing, though. he's obsessed with those vigilante conspiracy videos and tells her all about them at school."

"no, no, it's fine. i can't wait to tell wing about his new origin story, he'll love that."

jasmine suddenly came bounding back towards them, grabbing their hands and yanking them to follow her. "c'mon, you need to meet cat!"

"you call it cat?"

jordan bristled subtly. "is there a problem with that, red?"

"no, no, it's an appropriate name. just making sure." jason waved his spare hand at his head. "helmet makes me hear things sometimes."

jordan opened his mouth, but his sister plowed right over whatever he was going to say, pulling on jason's hand again. "cat, meet... what's your name?"

"red hood."

"you can't be red hood!" she whirled around, indignantly putting her hands on her hips. "there's already a red hood in gotham. besides, you're not even wearing a hood, so it doesn't fit anyway."

jason turned his head to jordan, who was smiling- a good sign, but probably a bad omen for whatever he was about to say. "she's right, man. it's not a hood."

"tough crowd," jason muttered. "uh... then you can call me, uh-"

"bucket!" jasmine suggested happily, tapping his helmet. "because this looks like a bucket."

if there was one thing vigilantism had taught him, it was that sometimes you actually do need to pick your battles. this...

this was not worth fighting.

"sure, fine, whatever. hi, cat, i'm red bucket." he turned away from the kids- both of whom looked entirely too happy about the whole 'bucket' thing, he thought- and crouched down to finally look at the cat.

it did look a little sick, actually.

it was gray, and thin, and-

and now it was headbutting his knee like it was trying to push him over.

"cat likes you!" jazz cheered.

"sure does," jordan said pointedly. "isn't that interesting?"

jason opened his mouth, but his snarky comment died in his throat when the cat settled down right in front of him and blinked slowly up at him with a sweet tilt to its head.

...shit.

just- shit.

he sighed, standing up and looking back to jordan and his stupid, entirely-too-pleased-with-himself grin. "so, jazz," jason grumbled reluctantly, "where does cat live?"

[dracossweetprincess]

ginny weasley x potter! reader where voldemort doesn’t exist, everyone lives happily ever after and ginny and reader, maybe a younger sister to harry, are dating and reader has to come out to the potters and sirius and remus

acceptance | g.w

ginnyxfem.reader

request: yes/no

preview: y/n is scared to come out to her family

warnings: this is very fluffy, insecurities

“darling, when are you gonna tell your family?” ginny asked, already slightly worried that y/n was never gonna let her family know that she liked girls. “tell what?” y/n asked although she knew exactly what ginny was talking about.

ginny sighed, sitting down next to her girlfriend in their shared dorm. “about us, love. you have to tell them. we’ve been together for two years and i plan to marry you someday.” y/n was just genuinely nervous and afraid to lose her family. what if they didn’t accept her? she loved them too much and couldn’t bear losing them.

“soon, ginny. soon.”

“look, i want to be understanding but you’ve been telling me that for so long now. y/n they will accept you.” ginny took her girlfriends hands, caressing them with her thumb. “alright, darling. you’re right, i’ll tell them. christmas break is soon so i’ll get the chance to see them. i could send them i letter but i think i’ll prefer to tell them in person.”

two weeks had passed and it was finally christmas break, and ginny was coming over to the potters to spend christmas. their dorm was chaotic as both the girls packed their bags, finding things they hadn’t seen in ages in the back of their wardrobes. “oh my god, my ring. i thought i had lost it.” ginny giggled, knowing y/n had been looking for it for almost four months.

they walked towards the train, arms entwined. “took you guys long enough.” harry let out. “well, ginny couldn’t decide what dress she wanted to wear on christmas eve. it’s not my fault.” y/n laughed, sipping on her butter beer latte as the train started moving.

the trip wasn’t that long since the potters house wasn’t that far away from hogwarts, y/n knocking on the door. “come in!” lily shouted. “hey mom! we’re home.” lily ran from the kitchen to the entrance, embracing both harry and y/n in a hug. “i missed you both so much, i do hope you both behaved while at hogwarts.”

“we did mom, we always do.” lily turned around to find ginny, a grin spreading across her face. “welcome ginny, please feel at home okay? we’re like family.” ginny nodded. “thank you mrs. potter.”

“oh no darling call me lily.” james had heard the noise coming from downstairs, deciding to find out what was going on. “what’s all this noise? oh hi kids, hi ginny.” james also hugged his kids and gave ginny a nod.

“come in kids, take your jackets and shoes off. the fireplace is on and we have hot chocolate with cookies in the living room.” y/n absolutely loved christmas at her house, knowing that both lily and james made it the coziest christmas ever.

the three settled in, relaxing on the living room couch under cozy blankets as they chatted about everything. “kids, time for dinner.” james called, and the three excitedly got up. “mom the food looks amazing.” harry said smiling at lily.

while the family at dinner they heard a nock on the door. “i’ll get it!” y/n got up from the chair, opening the front door to find both sirius and remus. “oh hi uncle sirius, hi uncle remus. are you guys here to have dinner with us?”

“hi kiddo, yes we are.” y/n let them come in, as they fell into a conversation with james. during the rest of the dinner, ginny gave y/n a look and y/n knew it was time. “uhh guys, i have an announcement to make.” the room went quiet as everyone looked at her, y/n feeling the self doubt in her stomach rise.

“i- i have wanted to say this for a while, but me and ginny aren’t just friends. ginny is my girlfriend, i- i like girls.” ginny took y/n’s hand for comfort, smiling proudly at her girlfriend. “oh y/n everyone already knew.” sirius laughed.

“wha- what do you mean?”

“do you think we really believed that whole just roommates thing? we love you darling. your feelings are and will always be, valid.” james got up to hug both his daughter and ginny. “we love you, so much.” lily assured also wrapping them in a hug. “i say family hug!” harry added, getting up and joining the hug.

of course sirius and remus had to join the hug too, and there the family stood, embraced in each others arms. they got back to the living room, getting under the warm blankets again, laughs filling the room as sirius, remus and james talked about their hogwarts years and their adventures as marauders. y/n now being able to cuddle up to ginny without any worries.

[hood-ex]

This is a fic written for @stxleslyds! The prompt was: a fic with Dick, Roy and Lian spending time together in the Outsiders era. Thanks for the donation, Tati 💙.

Important: This fic takes place a week after the events of Outsiders (2003) #19.

“We could use you here,” Roy says. Even with his voice coming directly through the comm, Dick almost doesn’t hear him say, “I need you here.”

A soft wind blows through Blüdhaven, ruffling through Dick’s sweat-matted hair. What a filthy night it is for a Friday. Thunder rumbling in the distance with hot, humid air filling Dick’s lungs. It’s the kind of air that isn’t natural for a place like the ‘Haven. It’s here for whatever reason, and it’s no better now that the sun has been replaced by pink and purple neon lights flashing across the strip. It’s nights like these that Dick can admit to missing his red tunic and green shorts. It was shit to wear them in the winter but an absolute godsend in the summer.

Dick sighs deeply, moving away from the ledge of the building and away from his view of the herds of drunk people whose laughter echoes between the bars and casinos. There’s a tall HVAC unit in the middle of the building that he walks over to and sits against. The fabric of his suit rubs against it, and he squirms a little at the uncomfortable position. He bears it because this is a conversation that requires a little support.

“Dick.”

“I know,” Dick mutters.

He should be under the streets of Brooklyn the same as all the other Outsiders should be. Considering the circumstances, it’s no surprise that some of them have deserted the ship for the time being. Licking their wounds in private so to speak. Dick’s not proud of it. He tacks it onto his mental bulletin board of shame where it sits up there all torn and ugly like the rest of his deplorable moments.

“I’d feel better if you were here to watch Lian when I step out of the room,” Roy says in Japanese. Dick’s brow furrows. Either Lian is in the same room as Roy and he doesn’t want her to know they’re talking about her or there’s an Outsider nearby that he doesn’t want listening in on his personal issues. “She hasn’t started therapy yet and her separation anxiety is still high.”

“High for both of you,” Dick points out. He thinks back to a few days ago when Roy had called him in a panic because he’d left all of his groceries in the middle of the store after his paranoia got the best of him and had him running back to the base to check on Lian.

“Tell me about it,” Roy laughs dryly. “I feel like I’m going fuckin’ nuts, dude.” The strain in his voice sends a full body shiver down Dick’s spine. “All I can think about is whether she’s okay and if the base is protected enough, and if I can really trust everyone here. You and Kory are the only ones I feel okay leaving her with.”

You shouldn’t trust me like that, Dick thinks bitterly. Lilith and Donna trusted me with their lives and look where they are now.

“Everyone else is… I trust them as teammates. I trust them with my life. But I can’t—"

“Trust them with Lian’s,” Dick says, knowing how much this whole situation has fucked with Roy's ability to trust anyone and everyone. Except him and Kory, apparently. Probably Ollie and the rest of Roy's family too.

He thunks his head against the HVAC unit and stares up at the dark sky. Not a single star up there, he thinks, and something like guilt burns in his chest. You took them all with you, didn’t you, Donna? Put them in your pockets and faded away. “She might not be comfortable with me there,” he says after a moment.

It pains him to think that Lian could be scared of him. Scared of him because he looks similar to one of the blue-eyed, dark-haired kidnappers who murdered her babysitter and then branded her like cattle. That type of trauma association doesn’t go away after a week.

“Kory told Lian you might stop by, and you know what Lian asked her?”

Terrible things flash through Dick’s head. Things like words born of fear or disgust. He hugs his arms around his knees and squeezes them tight.

“No, what did she say?”

“She asked, ‘Is Uncle Nightwing gonna bring Blue’s Clues with him?’”

A smile tugs at the corner of Dick’s lips and his eyes start to sting. He can’t believe that’s the first thing she thought of. It only seems like yesterday that he was watching Blue’s Clues with her in Titans Tower. Sometimes he would pause the show and ask Lian questions about each of the clues just to hear what kind of outlandish answers her kid brain could come up with. Other times the detective in him couldn’t help but steer her towards a logical answer. Roy used to always roll his eyes and tell him to stop trying to turn her into a mini Nightwing.

“That doesn’t mean she’ll be okay seeing me in person and you know it,” Dick reminds him.

Roy’s sigh is soft and muffled in his ear. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Dick’s not one to wait around.

“Let’s cross it now.”

“You’re coming over?” Roy asks, and even though he mostly sounds neutral, Dick can hear the disbelief hidden under it all.

If there was an award for the world's most shitty friend, Dick would probably be in the lead to receive it. Here Roy is dealing with the fact that his daughter was abducted and almost trafficked, and what’s Dick been doing for the last few days instead of sticking by his side? Working himself to the bone in Blüdhaven, that’s what. Hiding away from the fact that he almost lost another important person to him. Trying to avoid the crushing weight of failure that clings to him like a second skin.

Pathetic. Some safety net he is.

“Yeah, give me an hour,” Dick says.

The commute from Blüdhaven to Brooklyn isn’t bad at this time of night. Most of the traffic is packed downtown where all the bars are lined up. Dick takes the highway to avoid the worst of it.

The roar of the city dies off once he goes underground. Down here the HQ looms over him in all its steel glory. Dick’s always thought of it like one giant elevator. It’s all hard angles and sleek, silver walls. Hardly a place one would describe as homey, but it was home to a few people nevertheless.

Dick goes inside after getting his eye and hand scanned by the computer. He heads down the hallway, keeping his footsteps light and quiet out of habit. So far there’s no sign of Jade, Indigo, or Rex in any of the rooms he passes. They’re the most likely to be here around this time. From what Kory told him the other day, Grace has been spending most of her time clubbing, and Anissa has been staying with her dad. He hates to admit it but it’s almost a relief that he doesn’t have to worry about running into either of them.

He ends up finding Roy and Lian in the rec room. Lian is sitting on the leather couch in the middle of the room. She must have had a shower not too long ago because her hair is a little damp and she’s wearing a pair of purple pajamas with unicorns on them. A Cinderella blanket is strewn across her lap and a stuffed rabbit sits discarded on the floor by her feet.

Roy looks small squatting in front of her. His pants are the only sign of his Arsenal gear, and it makes Dick feel slightly out of place since he’s still decked out in full mask and suit. It’s the first time Dick’s seen Roy in person since they brought down Tanner’s operations a week ago. He looks how Dick would expect any parent to look after being targeted by a major sex trafficker: stressed and exhausted.

Those tired eyes of his shift to the doorway where Dick stands, and Dick can see the way Roy looks him over from head to toe, assessing Dick’s condition. He can look as hard as he wants, but he won’t find anything. Dick keeps his face blank and unreadable.

“It still hurts,” Lian whimpers, and both Dick and Roy's attention immediately snaps back to her.

She wraps her arms around her stomach and bends over her lap like she’s going to throw up all over the floor. Roy doesn’t move to try and avoid any possible bouts of vomit. Nothing happens as the seconds tick by. No retching or anything. There’s only the sound of Roy’s hand rubbing up and down Lian’s arm.

“Me and your Uncle Nightwing are gonna get you feeling better soon,” Roy assures her in a gentle voice. “And guess what?”

Lian makes a questioning sound in the back of her throat.

The look Roy shoots Dick is somewhere between caution and amusement. “He’s been playing quiet mouse behind you this whole time.”

Dick braces himself as Lian shoots back up like a rocket. “He’s behind me?” she asks, twisting around in her seat. Dick’s heart starts jackrabbiting because what if she’s scared of him? What if he accidentally triggers her PTSD? What if— “Uncle Nightwing!” Lian shrieks.

Relief shudders through him because she sounds happy to see him. Not scared or angry or disgusted like he feared. She’s looking at him like he just told her he brought her a bag of candy, and that revelation is enough to make him take a breath and finally enter the room.

“Hey, kiddo,” Dick says, hurrying over to the couch so that she doesn’t have to get up. “I missed you.”

Lian reaches for his hand and holds on to it. It’s not like the hug Dick usually gets from her and maybe that’s because she doesn’t want anyone touching her back after the incident. Dick will take anything he can get. His much larger hand closes over her own and he swings them back and forth lightly.

“Me too,” Lian says. She squeezes his hand three times. “Why do you still have your gloves on?”

“My hands are cold,” Dick lies. “Why were you bent over like an accordion just a minute ago?”

“Her tummy’s been hurting,” Roy says with a frown.

“It’s because tigers used to try and eat people,” Lian tells him matter-of-factly. Roy looks like he’s about to correct her but she quickly hurries on. “My brain says there’s danger and it makes my tummy stop working.”

A lightbulb goes off in Dick’s head as he realizes that she’s describing anxiety. A simplified explanation of how the digestive system shuts down and sends blood to other parts of the body when there’s danger.

“My tummy does that too,” Dick says after a pause. “I get a lot of anxiety sometimes. Do you want me to show you how I try to make it go away?”

Lian scrunches her nose. “Do we have to take medicine?”

“Nope. All we need to do is sit up straight and breathe. Breathing really deep helps our brains calm down and makes our tummies feel more relaxed,” Dick explains. He sinks down on the plush couch and demonstrates how she should be sitting. “Now move back until you’re sitting like me.”

Lian does as she’s told and scoots back until she’s resting against the back of the couch. Dick only remembers how short she is when he notices how her feet stick out straight in front of her instead of dangling over the edge of the couch.

“Now tell your daddy to get in position.”

“Daddy,” Lian slaps the free cushion beside her, “sit next to me.”

“Magic word?” Roy prompts.

“Please,” Lian pouts.

“That’s better.” Roy’s knees pop when he shifts out of his crouched position. The whole couch rocks when he falls back against it. “What’s the strat here, Wing? We need to close our eyes or what?”

Dick wants to ask him why he’s acting like he’s never done this before but the playful words stick in his mouth like glue.

“We’ll close our eyes in a second. Lian, I want you to watch how your daddy and I take really deep breaths, okay? Then we’re all going to do it together.”

“I can take really big breaths!” Lian insists. She scrambles out of her pose and gets on her knees. Her little fingers wrap around Dick’s bicep as she leans in close to him. “I can take one million breaths as big as an elephant!”

The tired and apathetic part of him tells him to ignore her kid logic and to get back on track. The uncle part of him is another story. It wants him to be fun and helpful. To distract Lian from the worries and fears she has.

In the end, he does what he always does best: puts on a performance.

“Oh yeah?” Dick challenges with a grin that hopefully doesn’t look as strained as it feels. “I can take five billion breaths as big as a planet.”

“Elephants are bigger than planets,” she says.

“I think maybe the elephants are only bigger in your dreams.”

“Yeah, they are,” Lian agrees because she’s a typical kid who will support anything that proves she’s right in some capacity.

Roy looks amused when he puts his hands on Lian’s shoulders and steers her to sit back on her bottom. “Alright little missy, no more talking. We’re gonna do what Uncle Nightwing says now, okay?”

“Okay,” Lian agrees, looking over at Dick expectantly.

Coaching Lian through the exercise is easy. The most important part is making sure she’s taking breaths that are deep enough to make her stomach expand like a balloon. Dick has her place her hands on top of her stomach so he can see them rise when she inhales.

Roy follows along and Dick can tell that he’s taking advantage of the exercises for his own benefit. His face looks peaceful and relaxed as he follows along with Dick’s instructions to suck in a breath on the count of one and exhale up until the count of ten.

“Keep focusing on counting,” Dick tells them while they exhale. “We don’t want any other thoughts in our heads. No bad thoughts or funny thoughts. Only think about counting to ten.”

They run through a few more cycles. Dick’s pleased when he hears both Lian and Roy’s stomachs grumbling as they exhale. It’s a good sign that the deep breaths are massaging their organs and decreasing any kind of stomach pain.

“That’s it,” Dick says. “We’re all done.” He opens his eyes and sees Lian slumped against the back of the couch. Her hands are still resting on her stomach, but she looks languid instead of tense like she was when he first saw her.

“I’m tired now,” Roy says. His movements are slow as molasses when he slides forward to the edge of the couch and bends over to rest his arms on his thighs. He looks at Lian. “How about you, princess? You feeling any better?”

“Mhmm. My tummy doesn’t feel really uh…”

“Tight?” Dick offers.

“Yeah, it’s not so tight anymore.”

Roy pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “Good. Mine feels a little better too.”

“Can we do Uncle Nightwing’s breathing thing again tomorrow?” she asks through a yawn.

“Sure thing,” Roy nods. His attention shifts to Dick. “Are you gonna still be here to lead us through it?”

This isn’t some kind of test but it feels like one. It feels like if he says no then he’s only proving that he’s a bad friend. That he can’t be relied on. He doesn’t want to give Roy that impression because it’s not true. Roy can rely on him the same way Dick relies on Roy. He hopes showing up here tonight is proof of that.

“That’s the plan,” he says, voice soft.

Roy leans over the couch and squeezes Dick’s knee gently. “You sure?” he asks, and his eyes roam over Dick’s face like he’s trying to find evidence that Dick is lying.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He pats Roy’s hand reassuringly in the same way Alfred's done for him and Bruce a hundred times. It's only now that he realizes it's a habit he's picked up.

Lian suddenly leans into Dick’s side and presses her weight against his arm. She pats both his and Roy’s hands.

“I’m sure too,” she says, and this time Dick can’t help but smile.

[stressedoutcanary]

Family Matters - Batfamily x Reader

Summary: A surprise birthday party and Batfamily being chaotic.

“That's it Dick just a little to the right...No the other right...No! Not there you goofus! Just...Just get down from the chandelier before it comes crashing down on the rest of us and For God's Sake let Duke handle the ribbons before you somehow strangle yourself with them”

Warnings ⚠️: Fluff, lots of it, angst because I can’t help myself, Reader has got some parental issues. Hurt/Comfort.

Word count: 2.4k

A/N: I wanted some good dad Bruce content so I did it myself. Also I might have been influenced by a post I made a while back about Bruce and his children. I haven't used reader's pronouns anywhere so it's kinda gender neutral.

I don’t know where I was going with this, my imagines are often like a train derailed from its track but I think it’s fine. So Enjoy ;)  

•°•°•°•°

"Focus (Y/S/N), don't jump in in blind, assessing what action your opponent is about to undertake and countering it out before they can complete that action, this is the key lesson for you today", Batman's commanding voice echoed in the enclosed area of the batcave as he observed you attempting to roundhouse kick the boy in front of you. It was rather rashly executed with the hope of knocking him down which, for obvious reasons, only ended up with your leg connecting with nothing but thin air.

'Damn he is fast when he actually tries.'

"Easy for you to say Old Man! You aren't the one dancing with Mister Duckboy, the teen wonder over here!", you exclaimed, panting as your chest heaved from the exertion.

"Duckboy?!", Tim looked near scandalized as you grinned in return, stealing a glance towards the giggling crowd gathered near the stairs.

Everyone was already in the cave, it was a rare occurrence, it happened only when the issues of upmost importance were being discussed. Today was one of those days; The planning of Alfred Pennyworth's surprise birthday party.

However things usually went a lot less violent, this day every year. The sparring session this year was the result of you messing up, real bad while on patrol last night and since you were around the same age as Tim, he was found to be the most appropriate partner for it. The only drawback was that he had a staff in his hands while your weapons were confiscated, because in Bruce's words 'you rely on them too much'. You were already tired and Tim had a huge advantage over you, if you wanted to win this match you had to be quick and efficient at the same time.

Distracting Tim by your comment allowed you to have an opening, gathering all your strength you went in for a forward strike. Unfortunately he was more than ready to take you on, he crouched down, narrowly missing your punch then proceeded to swipe your legs off of the ground with his bo staff making you fall butt first on the floor.

"Congratulations you've managed to hurt both my ass and my ego, Timbers", You said laying back on the ground, hands and legs spread out and instead of helping you up, Tim joined you on the floor sitting next to you. You gave him a look that was equivalent to 'next time I get the chance, I am going to push you off a roof'.

"Your skills need improvement", Bruce said in his monotonous tone as you grunted knowing that a full ass lecture was gonna follow, but before he could get another word out, Jason chimed in with a statement no one ever expected to hear from him,"You know (Y/N), he's not wrong in fact I think the old man's actually got a point."

Jaws dropped to floor, Tim looked like he just saw a ghost, Dick who was standing near Barbara pinched himself to see whether he was dreaming or not, Damian snapped his neck up from where he was sharpening his katana, even Titus and Ace perked their heads up at the sudden silence that settled over the place. Barbara, Cass, Duke and Steph looked equally shocked.

"Before you all get any ideas, what I'm trying to say is you better pay attention because B over here won't be able to save your ass, 'cause if you slack off the next thing you know you would be in a warehouse with a maniac, getting blown to bits", Jason looked at Bruce with accusing eyes.

'And here I thought he was finally going to say something sensible', you thought to yourself as he continued,

"Take it from someone who has had that experience, you guys remember right? The fact that I--"

"Died, we know!!", everyone groaned at the same time and Bruce looked like he had to physically restrain himself from faceplaming.

"Okay! Guys how about we go ahead and do the thing we all actually came here to do instead of... whatever this conversation was", you suggested, getting up and patting the dust off your clothes.

"Well then someone has got to ask the important question here", Barbara looked around as she worded her sentence,"who is going to be the one to keep Alfred busy while we get everything ready?"

Once again the cave went silent. For a whole bunch of detectives, you all were very, very scared of Alfred, including Bruce even though he will never admit it, lying to The old-butler-cum-grandpa and making random excuses for the whole 3 hours was a thought dreadful enough to make all of you exchange petrified glances at each other hoping someone would step forward to do the job.

"I'll do it", dick raised his hand.

"NO!", everyone snapped and Dick's head tilted with a pout.

"You are good at doing a lot of stuff boy wonder, hiding things from Alfred isn't one of them", Barbara comforted Dick as Damian stepped up next.

"*tt* Since none of you imbeciles have the courage or the ability to do it. I shall be the one to handle Pennyworth. Gordon, Cain and Titus, I will require your assistance", Damian spoke or rather commanded as he went up the stairs, followed by the group he chose.

"Don't mess this up for us, you gremlin!"

"Tim!", you lightly jabbed him in the side with your elbow.

"Ow! What?"

"Be nice", you narrowed your eyes and he understood you were being serious.

"Fine I'll try, but don't blame me if he starts something", Tim shrugged carelessly. You shook your head and let out an audible sigh as you followed everyone else up towards the manor.

•°•°

"That's it Dick just a little to the right...No the other right...No! Not there you goofus! Just...Just get down from the chandelier before it comes crashing down on the rest of us and For God's Sake let Duke handle the ribbons before you somehow strangle yourself with them", you eyed him worriedly.

"Oh come (Y/N) it'll be fine!", the cheerfulness in his voice made you cock an eyebrow at him from below. Duke slid in beside you.

"10 bucks says he will somehow fall within the next hour"

"Oh Duke you should know better, 20 says he'll fall within 30 minutes", you turned towards him with an evil smile.

"What are you both talking about down there?"

"NOTHING!", you both said in unison on which Dick gave you a confused look.

"Oh Hey look Steph needs my help with the cake so, see ya!", you quickly moved to the other side of the room checking in with Stephanie and Tim. She gave you a thumbs up to signal that everything was going according to plan and the place was almost ready. Everyone was laughing, bickering, having fun, it was all very rare and seeing it, a warm feeling spread throughout you.

You smiled to yourself for a moment but it faltered and a frown pulled up at your lips, a sorrowful thought crossed your mind, something you always kept buried deep down. Looking around and seeing as nobody needed your help at the moment you decided to slip out of the chaos, taking slow steps towards the patio to clear your head.

•°•°

Leaning against the railing you thought back to how you left your house this morning telling your mother that you are going to stay at your friend's place for a while and how she just waved her hand at that, not even questioning you anymore. Your mind was completely elsewhere, despite the awe-inspiring dense forest right in front of you, your eyes were lost in space.

You registered, a bit too late, the presence of someone standing beside you.

"It is a nice view, but something tells me that's not what brought to out here, away from everyone else"

"Careful there Brucie or people might think that you are actually capable of some emotions which happen include caring for people", you retorted back at him. It was always a sort of defense mechanism for you, whenever you felt exposed you countered it with snarky remark.

You closed your eyes hoping that Bruce would just walk away. But he didn't. He stayed there.

Bruce leaned on the railing beside you and waited. You took a deep breath, contemplating you next move carefully.

"...Look It's really silly so can we drop it?", you whispered wondering why in the world would Bruce of all people, care about your feelings.

"Talk to me (Y/N). I can tell when something is bothering you, I may not be your father, but you are my family.", unlike usual, his voice was gentle and genuine when he spoke to you.

"I am really not a fan of surprise birthdays", you stated, starting off vaguely.

"And why is that?"

"Because I...It's silly but this one time I spent a whole week working on a birthday gift for my mom, it was like a craft pop up box which had multiple photos of us together, I made that from scratch! everything in it I made that, I worked hard for it, I did it out of love but when I gave her that surprise gift you know what she said Bruce! She said that I wasted my time that she would've been much happier if I had focused on my studies, she never even once said that she liked it and I--", you looked at him with tears brimming in your eyes, threatening to spill.

"I don't know Bruce, it-it just makes me feel sad you know? every little thing reminds me that my mother doesn’t seem to love me anymore. There is this constant thought in my mind that no one cares about me, about what I do for them and I don’t know what to do with a thought like that."

"That's not true, look around you kiddo, you are surrounded by people who would do anything for you, who love you from the bottom of their hearts", Bruce finally looked at you, placing a hand on your shoulder.

"That's the thing! I am not an orphan!", you blurted out and Bruce looked more confused than ever.

"I'm aware"

"No! No you are not. I am not one of those kids you picked up from somewhere, I don't live here, Like I am sure you people aren't even sane, hell! you all make up the most dysfunctional family I have ever seen! I don’t belong here, you people have no reason to care about", Bruce gave you a sideways look, slightly chuckling at your sudden description of the people in the manor.

"But I still love everyone, my mom, you, every dumbass inside the manor right now, no matter much pain they cause me and I don't get why", this time when he looked at you, you didn't look like the vigilante who sucker punched The Riddler in the face last night, you looked like a scared little kid who is lost.

Bruce stood up straight and wrapped you in a hug. Something you never expected to happen in a million years. The shocked settled in after a bit and you wrapped your hands around him, burying your face in his chest.

"The people we love are still people at the end of the day. They act out, and sometimes they let us down, hurt us even, but that doesn't mean we stop loving them. For every bad memory, there will always be a good one that will get you through it. I promise you that (Y/N)", Bruce pulled away and gave you a warm smile. You couldn't help but smile back, your face matching his.

"Okay who are you and what have you done with Bruce Wayne? because I don't recognize this man who is full of emotions and on top of that, is giving free hugs right now", you broke into a grin, making Bruce's face go back to the stoic version.

"If you tell anyone, I will deny it"

"Sure you will"

Suddenly a clattering sound came from the hall, alerting you both. This, however, was followed by a 'I'm okay!' By the one Dick Grayson, which in turn was followed by Duke's 'Oh no!'

"Any idea what that was about?", Bruce inquired raising an eyebrow as you burst out laughing.

"That, you big softie, was the sound of me getting my 20 dollars, now let's get back before they destroy everything."

•°•°

You and Bruce entered back into the hall, everyone was gathered around waiting for Damian and his group to signal the beloved butler's arrival. You stood next to Tim as Jason moved towards the switches to turn off the lights.

"Okay I'll bite why are you covered in frosting before the party even started?"

"Steph", Tim replied, too tired to elaborate, leaving you giggling.

Barbara, Cass and Damian rushed through the door, looking close to terrified, with Titus tagging along.

"He is here, HIDE!", Damian said quickly closing the doors.

After a few moments, the door creaked open and Alfred's voice came through, "Master Damian, you and I will have words for what you did to-- Oh my", he was stuck to his position at the door, too shocked to say anything more after looking at the decorations and bunch gathered around an enormous cake.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALFRED!!", you all exclaimed with extreme excitement.

As the party went on you noticed that there was, in fact, a broken chandelier broomed to the side, later on there were a few not-at-all-safe stunts performed by the boys, some really bad puns made by Dick, all sorts of shenanigans by the others and cake, lots of cake. You looked around, everyone was busy doing something but now you knew Bruce was right:

You have one hell of a family, original, found or otherwise. And you love them all no matter what.

°•°•°•°•

Tags: @thesesickfics-justmakemesick

[rebelwrites]

A Fathers Love

Chibs Telford x Daughter Reader

He couldn’t believe it, today was the day his little girl got married. Sitting on the sofa he was deep in thought as the make up artist did what she needed to do.

“Da you still with us” you laughed looking at him through the mirror.

“Aye” he nodded pushing himself up to his feet “just thinking”

“You’re worried you are gonna lose me aren’t you” you said arching your eyebrow.

“Well yea kinda” he chuckled softly.

“I might be becoming a Teller today but deep down I will always be a Telford” you smiled slipping your hand into his “and I will always need my Da. That won’t change”

“I just can’t believe you are getting married today” he whispered tears filling his eyes “and who would have thought it would be to Jax”

Soon enough it was time to get your dress on so Chibs left the room to go have a smoke.

It was like the past 26 years flashed before his eyes.

After about half an hour you opened the door, creeping up behind you dad, tapping his shoulder.

His grin was wide and had tears in his eyes when he saw you.

“Lass you look so beautiful” he whispered kissing your cheek. “I am so proud of you, you managed to keep up with the club life whilst becoming an amazing women”

“Da please don’t make me cry” you smiled lighting your smoke.

“Have you got the reaper on your dress?” Chibs smirked

“Of course, got them to make one out of lace so it blends in” you grinned “the club is a big part of my life so it would be wrong not to have it. Also I want to show you something”

Reaching your hand to the neckline of you dress you rolled the top down just enough to show the black thread.

“Filip ‘Chibs’ Telford”

“You got my name stitched into your dress” he whispered.

“Yeah I did. Above my heart, I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for you dad. You some how managed to raise me as a single parent whilst dealing with the club. I’d say that’s pretty amazing” you grinned.

“God I’m so emotional today” he laughed wiping his eyes before stepping forward to place a kiss on your forehead “I love you kid”

“I love you to Da”

“Now let’s go get you married” he grinned.

———

The service was beautiful, short and sweet just what both you and Jax wanted. Mainly so you had more time to party.

Chibs had just finished his speach spilling some embarrassing memories of both you and Jax. And it was now time for the father daughter dance.

Resting your head on his chest as his arms wrapped around your shoulders, as you swayed to the music.

“I lost my breath when I saw you take your first. My whole world stopped like that and I ain’t the crying type. I just saw your eyes words just can’t describe what I see. You look just like me, yeah”

“I still remember the first time I held you in my arms, watching your Y/E/C eyes staring up at me” Chibs whispered loud enough for you to hear “I think that was the first time I had ever cried”

“Da, Don’t make me cry you old bastard” you laughed looking up at him.

“You’re gonna think I hung the moon. You’re gonna think I made the sky. That the sun rises and sets inside of my eyes And it won’t be long ‘till I hear “Daddy’s home"”

“God I used to love coming home just to hear your footsteps on the wood floor screaming ‘daddy’s home’ no made what kind of day I had you always made it so much better” he smiled with tears in his eyes.

“It was the best part of my day as well, because it meant eating dinner in front of the TV and cuddles” you giggled.

“I hope I’m still your hero ‘cause I already love you more than even I understand”

“You will always be my hero da, no matter how old I get. You taught me right from wrong, how to shoot a fucking gun, how to ride, everything I know is because of you. I mean you even taught me how to make a body disappear” you laughed.

“Yeah probally wont win dad of the year for that one” he chuckled spinning you around.

“You have in my life” you smiled.

“And one day you’ll realize I’ve lost my cape, I can’t fly. And I’m only human. And you’ll need more than me”

“I will always need my Da by my side. Yes I have Jax now but he can never replace you” you whispered resting your head back on his chest.

The song came to a end and Chibs pulled you into a tight hug. Looking up at him it was obvious he had been crying through the song. Reaching up you wiped his tears away with you thumb.

“I will always love you daddy” you whispered “no matter how old I get, my love for you will never fade”

Out of the corner of your eye you saw Jax appear smiling at the two of you.

“Chibs can I dance with my wife now” Jax chuckled placing his hand on the small of your back.

“She’s all your Jackie boy” Chibs nodded before kissing your head.

He took a couple of steps before spinning back around placing his hands on Jax’s shoulders.

“Just promise me one thing Jackie Boy, promise me you will take care of my little girl. Because if you don’t I will kill you” Chibs nodded before smiling at you both and heading to the bar.

-

“Babygirl you need to slow down” Jax chuckled wrapping his arms around you, placing his hand over you stomach “we both know you get clumsy when you rush and we can’t have you hurting peanut”

“But I’m excited” you whined.

“I know you are and I am to but I don’t want you hurting yourself” he whispered kissing your head. “Now slow it down”

“Or what” you giggled.

“Girl don’t, not when we are just about to head out” Jax groaned as you wiggled out of his arms, grabbing the bag that held the secret in.

After a quick drive you pulled into the lot of the clubhouse, gaining a few weird looks to why you was in the car and not on the bikes. Ever since you told Jax you was pregnant any where you both went he refused to take his bike.

“How you are going to keep this in until after dinner I have no idea” Jax laughed as he watched you bounce on the balls of your feet waiting for him. “Come on then you dork let’s go tell Chibs the good news”

Waking into the clubhouse, you had a grin plastered on your face.

“Dadddddy” you giggled

“Oh fuck” Chibs laughed engulfing you in his arms “this sounds fuckin’ expensive”

“I got you a present” you grinned.

“Since when did you by me stuff” he questioned taking the bag off you and sitting at the table.

“Just shut up and open it” you beamed leaning into Jax’s side, watching his reaction.

As Chibs pulled the small box out of the bag, he looked up at you arching his eyebrow. “Choose wisely? Something best not jump out at me” he chuckled slowly lifting the lid off the box. As he pulled each name card out he read it out loud.

“Papa, grandad, Pa, granda, gramps” he trailed off, eyes becoming wide, tears running down his cheeks and a wide grin on his face. “Princess, what is this?” He asked already working the answer out.

“I’m pregnant Da” you grinned.

“I’m gonna be a papa” he sobbed running his hand over his face before hugging you.

“I guess we know what name he picked” Jax laughed “Papa Chibs”

“I can’t believe my baby is having a baby” he sniffles wiping his eyes, placing his hand on your stomach.

— — —

You was now 6 months pregnant, and let’s just say protective was an understatement, not only did you have an over protective husband, who if it was up to him you’d be on bed rest wrapped in bubble wrap but your dad was just as bad if not worse. You had a prospect with you every minute of the day when Jax or your dad wasn’t with you. It amazes you that you even got to piss in peace.

“You are meant to do what we tell you yes?” You snapped as you paced the floor of the club.

“Yeah” the prospect mumbled.

“They why haven’t you got me my ice cream” you huffed.

“Kiddo your gonna wear a hole in the floor” dad laughed as he kissed your head “What’s up?”

“Dickhead won’t get me ice cream” you pouted. “And peanut really wants ice cream”

“Well it’s a good job I’m the best Da in the world and stopped by the shop on the way home then” he grinned pulling a tub of bubblegum ice cream out of the plastic bag.

Tearing the lid off, you dug your finger into the cold goodness, scooping some into your mouth. “I fucking love you” you mumbled with a mouth full of ice cream.

“I love you to kiddo” dad chuckled.

— — —

You was now 5 days overdue and wasn’t allowed to even leave the house, thanks to the prospects being on strict orders from Jax and Chibs.

You knew the guys had a busy day so prayed that the baby didn’t decide today was the day they wanted to make an appearance.

But it seemed like your prayers fell on deaf ears as you started to get twinges in your stomach, and soon enough your waters broke all over the kitchen floor.

“I don’t care what they are doing, you need to get Jax and my Da here now” you snapped “and we need to go to the hospital”

The guys had just got back from a quick run when Chibs got the text to say you had gone into labour.

Standing up from the table he took two steps before screaming.

“JAAAAAAAAAAX!!!”

Within seconds he skidded into the room.

“Yeah” he breathed.

“We gotta go boy, baby Teller is making an appearance” he grinned as he pretty much ran out to his bike.

Neither of them cared about following the speed limit they just needed to get to the hospital as fast as possible. Soon enough they had arrived and Jax stumbled into the room making you laugh at his dorkiness.

“I’m here baby” he whispered instantly coming to your side.

Seconds turned into minutes which turned into hours and baby Teller was being stubborn.

“I want my Da” you cried pushing through another contraction. Jax left your side for a couple of seconds to poke his head out the door to call Chibs in.

“Daddy I’m scared” you cried as another contraction hit. All your emotions were running high and Chibs knew that even though you was excited for this baby you was scared you was going to be a bad mother.

“Princess there’s no need to be scared” Chibs whispered kissing your head. “You have Jax, you have me and the club. You aren’t going to have to do this on your own. Now come on just breath, I want to meet my grandchild”

A couple more hours had passed and you was exhausted, but all that was forgotten when the tiny human was placed in your arms. His tiny blue eyes, which were identical to his father’s, staring up at you, watching every movement.

“He looks like you” you whispered leaning your head against Jax’s shoulder.

“Unlucky bastard” Dad laughed.

“You did great baby” Jax whispered kissing your head “he’s perfect”

“So have we got a name or did you give up and the poor lad is gonna be called peanut for the rest of his life” dad smirked walking over to Jax and pulling him into a hug, tears in both of their eyes, placing his hand on the back of Jax’s head he spoke softly “welcome to fatherhood son. Beannachd Dia dhuit”

“Papa Chibs” you grinned at you dad as you passed him your son “meet your first grandson, Jackson JR Filip Teller”

“Princess” he sniffed looking down at his grandson “I’m honoured to share my name with this little one”

[roostersmustache]

The Hard Deck II. (Sneak Peek)

Pairing: Rooster x Bisexual Female O.C.

Authors Note: Welcome back to 'The Hard Deck!' This is not the first or the last installment of this series, so if you haven't read the first part, I highly recommend doing so! Make sure to give feedback if you notice any errors!

Synopsis: In which Charley, the daughter of Pete (Maverick) Mitchell, can't keep a certain Lieutenant off of her mind. It makes it all the more difficult considering she has his phone number in her pocket.

Warnings: Mentions of an age gap, mentions of an abusive relationship, swearing, sexual tension, and as always, sexy aviators. Bradley is 35 and O.C. is 25.

Word Count: 4k

Read Part One Here

Charley laid on her makeshift bed in the office of Penny's home staring at the ceiling. She had been lost in thought all day since the events at the 'Hard Deck' last night. It was her day off and she had so far used it to think about how Bradley, the boy she sort of grew up with, had given her his number and flirted with her a bit.

She wasn't complaining, she was just conflicted on what to do. She had her father's voice echoing in her head telling her to specifically not get with Bradley, but she really couldn't help the attraction she felt towards him.

He had grown a lot since the last time she saw him, even though he was twenty five when she saw him last. He just looked more like a man. He had more muscle on him, and his features were more mature, which was all to be expected. He was also very tall, and he always had been, but I guess Charley never really noticed just how tall Bradley was until now.

Attraction makes you notice just about everything.

It was her day off, and she didn't really know what to do with her free time. She didn't want to spend all day daydreaming about Bradley Bradshaw and his impeccable looks, so she sat up and decided she'd go out to some shops. It had been a long time since Charley had done any kind of shopping for herself, and she did find herself needing some more clothes.

One thing Charley didn't like was that she didn't have anyone to go with. The only people she knew in Miramar were Penny, who was about to head to work, and her dad, who she didn't really want to go shopping with. The last time she went shopping for clothes with her dad she was seventeen and it was a disaster. He just turned his nose up at everything she tried on complaining that it was "too revealing." So she figured she'd just take a solo shopping trip, even though those were lame.

"Hey kiddo," Penny knocked at her door. "I'm about to head to the bar, so I just wanted to make sure you needed anything before I head out."

"I'm good," Charley started, walking over to her clothes and looking for a shirt to wear. "Think I'm gonna go shopping for a bit."

"Oh fun! I wish I could tag along," Penny frowned.

"Yeah I wish you could too. Shopping alone is kind of lonely."

"You could always make good use of that number you were given last night, you know. I'm sure Mr. Bradshaw wouldn't mind going shopping with you," she smirked.

"Oh please, as if he wants to watch me shop for clothes," Charley rolled her eyes. "Besides, he's at base training for that mission or whatever."

"Actually," Penny says, her smirk growing wider. "He's not. They finished up kinda early today."

"Oh," Charley blushed, thinking about what it would be like to shop with Bradley. He'd probably get annoyed. Most men do anyways.

"Well, I gotta head to work. Let me know what you get and I'll see you tonight," Penny winked as she headed off to work.

Charley just sighed, conflicted about what to do. She would love to spend the evening with Bradley, but she was so scared to ask. But should she? What if he was just flirty with her last night because he was drunk? Or what if he was just being friendly and she took it the wrong way? She didn't really know but she did know that she wanted to ask him. Why not? It's not like he gave her his number for shits and giggles. Right?

So she found herself reaching over to her makeshift nightstand and grabbing the piece of napkin Bradley had given her last night. First, she put him in her phone and made his contact 'rooster 🐓.' Then she typed out her message:

c: hi bradley! it's charley. i wanted to reach out and ask if u wanted to go shopping w me today? i heard u got out of training early and i need some clothes but also don't wanna go by myself, but if ur too tired i completely get it. just lmk!

As soon as she sent the message, Charley tossed her phone on her bed and went back to looking for something to wear. She had turned her ringer up so when he texted her back, she would hear it. He's not going to come. But also, what if he gave her a random number?

Charley decides she's thinking about this way too much and tries to pull her mind elsewhere. She's successful, in a sense. She stops thinking about Bradley texting her back but instead thinks about how his fingers played the piano last night-

Ding!

Charley froze in her spot, and slowly turns her head to look at her phone. At this point she was so nervous for his response she wanted to throw up. She quickly folds back up the shirt she was holding before practically running over to her phone on her bed to read the message that had come through.

rooster 🐓: Hi there, pretty. Was waiting on a text from you. I would love to join you. Where can I come get you?

Pretty.

It took Charley about two minutes to realize he had asked her a question before she was scrambling to reply. She had just been stuck on the fact that he called her 'pretty' and told her he had been waiting on her to text him. That was enough to leave the girl speechless.

c: i'm at penny's! thank u for agreeing to tag along, i hate shopping by myself. do u need her address?

His reply came almost immediately.

rooster 🐓: Nope. Be there in five.

This caused Charley to basically jump from where she was and throw her clothes around in an attempt to find something to wear. Five minutes? Charley had been lounging around in her pajamas all day. No makeup on her face, and no brush had been taken to her hair. She finally settled on a cropped green tank top with some denim shorts. She put on her sandals to go with it, and for her hair she just threw it up with a claw clip. It wasn't anything fancy, but at least it was better than her Cookie Monster pj's.

After she was dressed she ran into the bathroom and put on a coat of mascara, just so she had something on. She also spritzed herself with her favorite perfume because there was absolutely no way in hell she would risk smelling anything but fabulous in front of Lt. Bradley Bradshaw. By some miracle from God, she had one minute to spare. But that minute felt like hours, as she just stood there waiting on a text from Bradley letting her know he was there. She didn't plan on shopping long, especially now that Bradley was coming along, because she knew he'd probably be tired after training.

After a couple of minutes, she heard her phone ding, and then she checked out the window. Sure enough, Bradley was parked up next to Penny's house. His signature aviators sat atop his nose as he had the radio playing in his car. He had his flight suit on which made Charley believe he was coming straight from training. Now she’d really have to take it easy on him seeing as how he’s had no break.

Once she came into view, Bradley looked up from his phone and shot her a smirk. Charley felt a blush arise on her cheeks, thus prompting her to tilt her head downwards. He got out of his car and walked around to the passenger side, leaning against it. While she was walking up to the car, he unzipped the top of his flight suit and proceeded to tie the top half of it around his waist, revealing his black t-shirt. If Charley wasn't already blushing, she sure was now.

"Hi, Bradley," Charley said, giving him a wave.

"Hi, pretty," he replied, opening the passenger door for her.

"Oh, thank you," she said, climbing inside.

Once he joined her on the drivers side, he started the car, but didn't move quite yet. Instead he turned to look at her. Charley had resulted in playing with her hands in her lap, one of her ways of trying to calm her nerves.

"Thank you for coming with me," she said, breaking the silence.

"Of course, thank you for asking me."

"Well, I didn't really have anyone else to ask so you were the first person that came to mind."

"Oh, so you wouldn't have asked me if you had someone else?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying-" She said, turning bright red.

"I know, I'm just teasing," he laughed."Oh," she giggled, even though it was a bit forced because for a split second she thought she had ruined something that had barely even started. "Well I just don't want you thinking I'm desperate to hang out with you, because I'm not, I just really don't know many people here except for like you, my dad, and Penny. But I'm also not saying I don't want to hang out with you because I do, but you're just a bit intimidating because you're older, and attractive, and I'm younger, and struggling to find a job-"

"Shh," Bradley said, putting a finger on her lips. "You're rambling," he smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Charley blushed. "I tend to do that."

"And I'm not older, you make it sound like I'm fifty."

"I also didn't mean for it to sound that way."

"I know what you mean, baby, don't worry," Bradley said, reaching up to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear.

She swallowed.

He smirked.

"So," he said, breaking the tension. "Where to first?"

~~

Read Part One Here!

Read Part Two Here!

[mashiraostail]

hello!! can i have miruko and midnight with a student intern (PLATONIC) who just defeated a really strong villian that a lot of other heroes failed to beat? and they’re like suuuuper proud of them and brag to everyone about how strong their apprentice is? thank you!!

i’ve never written for Mirko but i, like most midnight simps, love her as well so hopefully this does her justice!

Rumi Usagiyama/Mirko To be honest you had no idea what you did. You’d never admit that, of course. If you’d learned anything from your mentor it was just to fake it till you made it, even if you were totally lost. Puff out your chest and look in charge, as long as you look like you belong someplace no one will bother you. Maybe you’d taken the advice too far because now you were alone, and this villain was out of your league, but it looked like everyone trusted you. When you looked around for Rumi, desperate for her help she seemed wrapped up in her own fight.  “Hey, you’ve got it! Don’t look so scared! You can’t rely on others forever!”  It spurred you on just enough, the other thing you’d picked up from the rabbit hero was her incredibly hot head.  She fully intended to go in after you, sure she knew you couldn’t rely on her help forever, but you were just a kid, she’d have a tough time taking on that guy alone and she had no intention of making you do it by yourself either, she just wanted you to loosen him up so to speak. Once her own affairs are handled, 3 lower level villains tied to a telephone pole she turns to make way to you, but all she hears is a loud thud, and your opponent is on the ground.   “Holy shit!” She shouts, starting to jump. “Did you see that?!” You shout back, also starting to jump.  “NO but I’m gonna imagine it until the day I die!” She was as strong as she looked, the way she tackles you knocks the wind out of your probably terribly bruised chest. But you don’t mind, not really anyway.  “Tell me everything!” She’s shaking you, your brain feels like soup in your head, and you can practically feel it rattling around your skull. It’s not like it had been an easy win. You definitely had a concussion.  “How the hell did you do that?!” She’s starting to inspect you for any serious damage, twisting and tugging your hero costume, “look at you go! Outshining me!”  The camera crews were fast approaching as she continues her elated praise.  “You’re gonna be a total chart-topper when you graduate!” She spins you around to look at your back.  “And you’ve barely got a scratch!”  “I think I have a major concussion. And I think a rib is floating somewhere ribs shouldn’t float.” You rub the aching area and she laughs.  “Nothing Recovery Girl can’t fix. I’ll give her a call.” Rumi is massaging your shoulders, facing you again.  “How the hell’d you do that?”   “I..honestly don’t know.” You shake your head, “it just...I kept doing what felt right.”  “You are a serious powerhouse, kiddo. Keep your books closed, you’re gonna be my sidekick when you’re old enough. I’m calling dibs.” She’s saying it to you yet also seemingly announcing it to the surrounding newscasters.  “As much as I wanna take credit for this guy, it was all my star pupil.” She shakes you some more, you love Rumi, but she was like a big sister, a buff, heavy-hitting, rough and tumble big sister who didn’t feel pain or understand that other people felt it.  “We’d love to stick around but I’ve got some damaged goods here.” She slings an arm around your shoulder, roughly, you hiss at her.  “Usagiyama-se-OW stop!” You can’t help but laugh, even as the pain rattles down your stomach.�� “Make way, make way. Come on, you saw the whole fight there’s nothing else we can tell you, just share the footage so bad guys know to watch out for this kid.” She thumps her foot and the camera crews practically part like the Red Sea for you, you aren’t sure how you ended up with such an impressive mentor.  “So I’ll give Recovery girl a ring, but until then what do you think about cake?” She meanders down the street, and arm still slung around you, “I was thinking-”  “Carrot. I know.” You pinch the bridge of your nose. “Look at you catching on, you’ll be a pro in no time.”  “Can we get a cab?” You whine, “I think I broke my nose.”  “No, and now it’s time for your next lesson under the great and powerful Usagiyama-sensei; walking it off!”  “That’s so unfair!” 

Nemuri Kayama/Midnight You didn’t attend UA, actually, you didn’t even bother applying. So when Midnight took you on as a student you were surprised, to say the least. But you learned a lot from her and had grown...surprisingly close. She was level headed and confident, everything she did she did with clear purpose, you could sense her intention even as she walked. These were all traits you were picking up, at times you probably looked much more confident than you felt.  You aren’t sure if you should accredit that or terrible luck to your current situation, and Midnight was nowhere to be found.  You were backed into a corner, this villain was way too much for you, he’d been way too much for every hero that went against them, always getting away and always leaving the hero more than a little banged up. You couldn’t run there was nowhere to go, even if you used your quirk to flee you couldn’t be sure you wouldn’t be followed, and you weren’t sure you could outrun him.  “Stop trying to size everyone up!” You can hear her voice clear as day in your head, “you’ll know how strong they are when the fight starts, looks can be deceiving, and trying to figure out a million what-if scenarios will make you forget what is. Give it your all, you’d be surprised how often it works out in your favor.” You heed her advice, believing in yourself and your abilities.  Midnight cannot believe she lost you. She had a bad habit of losing kids, just misplacing them, it’s not like she could pick and choose who was immune to her quirk, usually, she told her allies to scatter before activating it, the last thing she wanted was you passed out on the street and prone.  She skids down every alley she passes, eyes casting up to awnings and low rooftops to search for you, she hears fighting, she follows the sound.  She turns the corner just in time to see him go down, You’re on his shoulders behind him, legs wrapped around his neck, you’re hitting the top of his head, his face, pulling his nose and mouth and threatening his eyes, you were fighting totally dirty until the minute the guy hit the ground. She was proud.  “Well.” You fall off him before he hits the ground, dusting off your tattered costume.  “Look at you go!!!” She shouts and you perk up considerably at her voice, glad to no longer be alone.  “Midnight!” You beam, “did you see??”  “See?” She scoffs, running toward you, “I recorded it in my mind!” She taps her temple, “I wish I could have seen the whole fight!” She swoops you up, crushing you into her chest, “but what I did see was incredibly impressive! You’re learning well!”  You brace yourself against her shoulders as she looks up at you, “we’ve been trying to take that guy out for weeks. Eraser isn’t gonna believe it when I tell him it was you who did it.”  You flush at that, embarrassment at the thought of her bragging to her colleagues about you warms up the tips of your ears.  “God! Where’d UA go wrong letting you fly under the radar??” She was squeezing you, shaking you. You didn’t mind, despite the throbbing all over body ache you had, it was nice to be praised and appreciated, especially by a mentor as strong a Nemuri. “You’re gonna be a great hero one day.” She sets you down, clasping your shoulders in her hands, “you’ve got the makings of a real wrecking ball, sprout.”  "Do you think so?”  “Uh, yeah. Duh.” She snorts, starting to pinch your cheeks, “you’re a bulldozer! You gave that guy a beating for every hero he banged up ten times over!” She glances at the passed out villain, he was sporting two tender looking black eyes.  “You’re probably hurt.” She wraps an arm tight around your shoulders, “where’s it hurt?”  “My head.” You let yourself lean into her side, “and my legs.”  “The school is nearby, you can rest up there.” She’s rubbing your arm, they’re quick affectionate strokes that make friction heat up your arm and squeeze you close to her side. “And I can show off my star, I can’t wait to brag to everyone about you.” “That’s unbecoming!” You blush at the thought of her showing you off to Present Mic and Eraser Head, gloating about your victory to pros like Vlad King and Hound Dog.  She laughs you off, “no it’s not, but everyone’s jealousy will be!” You groan and roll your eyes but happily let her squeeze you a little tighter, it feels nice to be appreciated and Nemuri, despite how she scoffed at you when you said it, had a sort of maternal air to her at times like this. You won’t say you’ve never called her ‘mom’ by accident. “I clearly have the best apprentice out of everyone! So of course I need to show you off and light a fire under everyone’s ass!”  

[awkwardgtace]

Secret Brother Pt2

Continuing Ian and Mikhail gonna keep the same tws unless someone's asked for changes

TW: mentions of abandonment. Later parts will have mentions of a borrower being treated like a pet this is entirely painted in how fuckin wrong it is and how it added to the trauma.

Part 1 Part 3 (Final)

Secret Brother Part 2

Mikhail started living a double life after that. He was making good progress with Ian. He wasn’t sure how Ian had made any kind of home before, he seemed to struggle with basic bits of borrowing. It was becoming the highlight of most days to go home and sneak in to his own house the size of a borrower. Ian seemed almost nervous to be left in a house with a human alone, it didn’t make a ton of sense. The thing that started his move before must have been pretty bad.

The last few months had been a bit stressful too. At least one of his students seemed aware that the dorm ‘ghost’ had left with him. She claimed it was discussing her thesis, but it seemed to be highly focused on borrowers. Although she kept calling it a hypothetical idea of small beings. A study on the folklore of creatures like that which pop up in a lot of cultures. Finding ways to push her to new topics was becoming hard. Mikhail was looking forward to his afternoon with Ian.

“Ian, you around bud?” he called out. Ian rushed at him, covering his mouth. Mikhail looked at him curiously. Ian slowly slid his hand off him, seemingly happy with the silence. “What was that about?”

“I, uh, I thought I heard the human before,” he said nervously. Mikhail had been quiet, he hadn’t even opened his door. “I figured we should be extra quiet today, or just stay here, I have enough supplies for at least a week.”

Mikhail studied him, this wasn’t normal. Even if he made noise on his way, he can’t hear the noise in the walls as a human. Well he couldn’t hear them this far in, he made Ian move to make sure of that. Ian was jumpy, looking around like something would show up out of nowhere. He’d go with it for now, they’d hang out in the walls. He could teach him better sewing and they could work out the paths a little more.

“All right bud,” he said, hoping the smile would calm him. “We can stay in the walls just get some chores done in here, set up some extra paths you may need.”

Ian visibly calmed hearing that. He grabbed Mikhail’s arm and dragged him to the makeshift table. He had plenty of projects he started and needed guidance on. Mikhail was happy to oblige. They worked in a casual silence, Ian showing the parts he struggled with and Mikhail guiding him. It was a pretty normal day as far as life for a borrower is concerned, but Mikhail couldn’t ignore how terrified Ian was. It couldn’t just be that he thought he heard Mikhail, or well the human sized Mikhail, in the house. He was trying to think of how to bring it up when Ian dropped his project.

“Mik,” he started. “You’ve been coming to this house for a long time right?”

“Yeah it’s a normal stop,” he answered. He didn’t think he wanted to know where this was going.

“What do you think of this human?” Ian looked at him, his eyes had something in them he couldn’t read.

“I’m not sure what you mean bud,” he knew the right responses, but didn’t want to give them. He didn’t want to encourage Ian to be afraid of him.

“L-let’s say, there was a human you knew was bad, like really bad. If you had to pick between them and the human here, which would you pick?”

“I mean, as far as I can tell with this human, they wouldn’t do anything bad,” he started slowly. “I don’t know how bad the bad human would be in this scenario, but I’d pick the human who lives here. I’ve known them for an extremely long time, they don’t seem the type to do anything cruel.”

Ian nodded solemnly. Something was going on and he wasn’t telling him. Mikhail was tempted to push, but there wasn’t a good way to ask. He didn’t like leaving like this, but he had some work to get done this weekend, he couldn’t stay. He ruffled Ian’s hair standing to stretch, then started gathering the few things of his he brought with him. Ian grabbed his shoulder tightly.

“Mik, can you stay? For a few days?” his voice was small. Mikhail wanted to stay, to help him with what he wasn’t saying, but he couldn’t. He had to grade assignments and review thesis topics. He turned with a sad smile to Ian.

“I’m sorry Ian, I can’t. Honestly I may be gone for about a week this time. I can’t put off this work much longer. It won’t f-”

“Can I come?”

Mikhail sighed, “Ian I can’t take you with me for these trips. It won’t feel that long promise.”

Ian let go of him. Mikhail turned and saw he looked close to tears. He pulled Ian into a hug, holding tightly. Ian melted into it, seeming to need some sort of reassurance. Mikhail was more reluctant to leave, but he had to work so they could keep this up anyway. He let go and moved towards the exit, relieved to see Ian sitting back down at the table. He’d tell Ian the truth next time, he had to know he wasn’t as alone as he thought when ‘Mik’ wasn’t around.

“We’ll talk about some important stuff when I come back too all right?” he asked. Ian perked up, nodding with a look of relief. Things like that seemed to calm him, promises that meant he’d return without that being the promise. Once outside the house Mikhail waited a few minutes before shifting back. He needed to make sure Ian wasn’t planning to follow him. Once sure he focused and the world returned to its usual view. He took slow steps toward his car, climbing in to move it. Next time he saw Ian wasn’t going to be easy. He pulled the car off to the side, hidden completely from view for the weekend.

He sighed as he walked in, far from excited to deal with the guilt he’d be feeling. He went straight to his desk, if he could make it through the papers fast enough he could talk with Ian sooner. He pulled out the first and got to reading, blocking out the world around him. Ian wouldn’t come out for a while based on how he was acting. Hours passed as he worked through the assignments, a number of which would need to be completely redone. The black ink on white paper getting to him, he walked out to get a drink. The house was dark, he never bothered to turn on any lights when he came in. He reached the kitchen and flicked the light on, nearly screaming.

Sitting at the center of the table was Ian, his hook placed clearly out of reach. Mikhail couldn’t believe his eyes. He decided to act like he saw nothing, continuing on to get his water. He would go back to his desk and then Ian could keep up whatever crazy thing he was planning. Unless this had to do with the question earlier about trusting the human here. Did he know it was Mikhail who lived here? Ian must have figured it out. He turned to leave, trying so hard not to let his concern show.

“H-human!” Ian called out. There went any hope of pretending not to see him. Mikhail locked his eyes on Ian, the boy flinching as he gained the attention he wanted. Mikhail crouched down, getting himself eye level with the borrower. He was barely ready for whatever this meant.

“Hi?” he said. He had no idea how to do this. Wait he called out human, does Ian not know?

“I-I want to make a deal with you.” Ian was trying to be confident. Mikhail felt a lot of pride at that. He was so much more confident than he was a few months ago.

“What do you need?”

“I-if you’ll keep the bad human from me and my friend I’ll stay with you.”

“Wait what? What bad human? What do you mean stay with me?” Mikhail was utterly lost. Ian was here in front of him when he was human. Offering to stay with him in exchange for protection from the bad human. Now he really needed to know what was going on. He leaned down on the table, arms as a pillow, to be a little closer.

“I-I ran away from a human. They were keeping me as a,” he paused a mixture of fear and disgust on his face, “as a pet. I’ll stay with you as one if you’ll keep the bad one from me and my friend.”

“First no to that whole pet thing, you’re clearly a person. Second, I need to know about this bad human to help.”

“I-I can be good. I won’t run from you. I’ll be the project thingy for you they were talking about. I can-”

“Whoa slow down buddy, I just need information.” Mikhail was trying hard to stay calm. This is what scared him so much. Some human kept him as a pet and brought him to the school. Mikhail was going to deal with this, later though for now Ian had to calm down.

“I can do tricks, I won’t complain really. You can go get a cage now and I’ll wait right here. I won’t move at all. I won’t fight if you try to show me off either. I’ll be a good pet just as long as you protect us.”

“Kiddo, I just said the pet thing isn’t happening. I’ll just help you if you talk to me about this bad human.”

“I’m not stupid. I know you’ll want something eventually. I’m giving you something. I know you spend time at the place the bad human had brought me. I’ll be obedient for anything you need just keep the bad one away. I put the only way I can get down far enough away. Just admit you like this idea and-”

“Ian, knock it off! I’m not entertaining you talking about yourself like that’s all you’re good for. You’re a person, damn it!” Mikhail shouted. He hadn’t meant to, but hearing Ian thought he’d like this idea hurt. Over the last few months Ian felt like a younger brother, he’d do anything for him.

“H-How do you know my name?” Ian’s eyes were wide. Mikhail didn’t realize he used his name, he’d gotten lucky until now. Ian seemed far more scared than before hearing the human knew his name, starting to back away. Mikhail stood up and backed off. This wasn’t what he wanted to happen. He was going to have to show him as much as he hated it. He made his way back over to the table gripping the edge with both hands. He focused on them as he willed himself smaller. He pulled himself onto the table then sped up how fast he shifted. Focusing his gaze on Ian once he was done.

“This,” Mikhail gestured to himself, “would be why you couldn’t come with me.”