#and then couldn't get back to sleep because i IMMEDIATELY thought about season 2

[antiquarianandunusual]

I’m running on 3 1/2 hours’ sleep, rewatching season two, and writing what is one of the single most angsty short fics I have ever written. Life is good. :)

[fumekara]

ALL THE THINGS I HAVE DONE (Part 2)

SatoSugu x Gn reader 

Plot: Your relationship with the strongest sorcerers in Japan was falling apart after they yelled at you and broke your heart. 

n/a: English is not my first language, there will be a final part of this writing experiment, I am not very satisfied with how it came out. 

Tw: A lot of angst, season 2 spoilers, mention of sex, polyamorous relationship, mention of the death of one's pet, the reader has a cat, in this version Geto is a sorcerer. 

If you are sensitive to mourning for your pets, do not interact with this fic. 

WC: 1.9K

Click here for part 1

You had lain down and held Nuko in your arms the night you found him under the bed in the guest room and, without your noticing, you had fallen asleep, but no one seemed to care, Sutoru and Suguru had not come to wake you up to join them. 

You were sure they were still angry with you for what had happened the night before and you didn't want to think about it, since you now had another problem to deal with, Nuko's. 

He wasn't well, not at all, you could see it from the way he was lying on himself, the way he avoided moving and the way he occasionally meowed as if to warn you that he was still alive, for now. 

You stroked his back and he let you, after all he couldn't do much. 

Suddenly you heard the sound of approaching footsteps in your room. Immediately you rolled onto your back and pretended to be asleep.

When Suguru and Satoru entered your room, trying to make as little noise as possible, Nuko lifted his head as if to find out who was interrupting your fake sleep.   

You felt their weight sink into the bed when they sat beside you and then you felt a hand gently stroking your back.

"Y/N?" Satoru called you in a low voice. You didn't answer hoping that would be enough to convince them to leave you alone.

"We know you're not sleeping," Suguru said as he approached you from the other side of the bed, being careful not to crush Nuko with his weight. 

"How did you know?" you asked resigned by the fact that it was now useless to pretend.

"Your breathing was too irregular, that's not what you do when you sleep. We know better by now after so long sleeping together." you heard Sato chuckle as he rested his head on your shoulder. He was uncertain of the movement because he was afraid you would reject him because of what happened yesterday, but when you didn't he kept to your side. 

Suguru who was in front of you removed a lock of hair from your face very gently, as if you were made of glass, the same gesture you had made to him yesterday, and it broke his heart when he thought back to how badly he had treated you after you had given him a taste of your love. 

You reached out your hand again, but not to return the affection of the two men beside you, but to stroke your cat again, who was taking quick, heavy breaths.

"He's sick" you broke the silence.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Satoru looking at Nuko.

"I don't know, but he doesn't eat, breathes poorly and sleeps all day." You rolled onto your back and the white-haired man pulled away from you to give you space.

"Is that why you didn't sleep with us last night? Or even because of what happened yesterday?" asked Suguru worriedly, but you had a hunch he was using it as an excuse to criticise you. 

"What do you mean, that I use my cat being sick as an excuse not to sleep with you?" you asked without hiding your irritation.

"I didn't mean that, we're just worried." 

"Really?, so why didn't you come to wake me up if you care so much?" you sat up and so did they. "Don't pretend you care so much, I know you don't" you spat, by now you had a feeling you didn't care what they thought anymore, not after the words they said to you last time. 

"Y/N, we do care about you. We came here to apologize to you," Satoru told you, trying to find the right words to keep you from getting angry. 

"We went too far yesterday, Y/N, we shouldn't have treated you that way" Suguru picked you up and made you rest your head on his chest and shortly afterwards Satoru joined in the hug "We are sincerely sorry for what happened".

You felt the strong urge to cry and let them wrap their arms around you, but part of you did not believe their words. By now it seemed to you that they were only pretending to really love you. All you had been thinking about for weeks was how you felt like the third wheel in your relationship, as if they were only with you for convenience, because you were fun for them and not because they cared about you. 

The way they talked to each other, cuddled and had fun without you had started to make you feel insecure about your role in the relationship with Suguru and Satoru, even though those moments made you suspect that they didn't really need you, it still remained an assumption. But you also suspected that they were more aloof and impatient with you in a different way than between the two of them, and yesterday's discussion and the fact that they didn't want you with them in bed seemed to have awakened in you the confirmation of your worries. 

"How many times do we have to go through this again?" you said trying to hide the urge to cry "Now you apologize, but I know it will happen again in the future."

They looked at each other not believing your words.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" asked Suguru. 

Then you confessed: "I am not part of this relationship.". 

"Yes, you're part of it, we love you Y/N," Satoru told her by taking her chin mat so she could look straight into your blue eyes "I know what we said to you was mean, but you mustn't think we don't love you just because we had a fight once. We..." 

"It's not just that" you interrupt him "I watch how you treat each other and you don't do it the same way you treat me. It's not the first time you've made me feel clingy, when you often do things as if I'm not there, when you change the subject as soon as I butt into the conversation or when you get nervous about the smallest things I do." you continued "I feel like that all the time, when we're together, when we talk to each other, even when we make love I feel like I'm just a fun for you, not someone you love."

After you opened up to them, your boyfriends stared at you, not believing what you had just told them. They were not sure what had made you doubt the love they both had for each other, but they thought back to the fact that the two of them had known each other longer than you, worked together and always together had faced so many problems and dark pasts that, although they had hurt them deeply, they had learnt to face them together and, no matter how hard you had tried to support them, as they had supported each other in the darkest moments of their lives. You were not to blame, they were simply part of a world of which you were not and could not be a part. 

Together they faced the death of Haibara and Riko and both shared the scars that had been inflicted on them by Toji Fushiguro. For years they supported each other and loved each other unconditionally, sharing everything with each other, everything they loved most, including you. 

They loved you, really loved you, but they knew that they had both shared something in their experience as sorcerers that had allowed them to strengthen their bond and their love, but they had left you behind.

They both did not know what to say because they knew that was the truth. The only thing they felt able to do was to hold you in their arms again, this time with more strength, with more affection, as if they did not want to let you go. Their faces were buried in you, Suguru in your back and Satoru's in your shoulder, and you heard them crying. 

"I have to take Nuko to the vet. But I think there's not much to do with him," you said, letting a silent tear slide down your cheek.

"Let us take you," Satoru told you, holding you tightly, rubbing his head in the crook of your neck.

"No, I need to be alone," your voice broke. By now you knew you had lost the boys you had fallen in love with and you just wanted to run away.

By now you could no longer contain the tears that fell uninterruptedly from your eyes, they let you go, and as you left the room carrying Nuko with you, you heard their sobs and your heart broke. 

______________

And now here you were, in the driveway of your backyard sitting on the seat of your car holding Nuko's yellow collar. 

You had been there for fifteen minutes already, but you hadn't yet made up your mind to get out and go into the house; you didn't know how you would face Satoru and Suguru. You were afraid that after all you had confessed to them before you left them alone in tears it would be the final turning point that would end your relationship. You didn't want to hurt them, just the thought of making them cry made you feel bad, you loved them, you loved them so much and you would probably separate. 

You took a couple of deep breaths and got out of the car. 

After entering the house you closed the door and took off your shoes still holding the collar. 

You had been out of the house all day and by now everyone must have gone to sleep. The house was silent and shrouded completely in darkness except for a light coming from the kitchen. 

As you silently entered you saw Suguru and Satoru sitting on either side of the dining table who, as soon as they noticed your presence, although you could glimpse tiredness and sadness in their eyes, tried to show you their best smile. 

They had been waiting for you.

They both extinguished their smiles when you approached them pointing out the traces of crying on your face, and only then did they realize that you had returned alone. 

You sat by Suguru's side with Satoru facing you and placed Nuko's collar on the table, letting them know that your cat was gone forever. Suddenly you felt tears fill your eyes again.

"Oh love, come here," Suguru hugged you, while Satoru got up from his chair to join you and do the same. You stayed like that for you don't know how long, despite everything that had happened, they were there for you at that moment, just as you were always there for them when they needed you. They let you cry and vent, hugging you as if to protect you from all the evil in the world. 

At one point you felt your body lift off the ground, you didn't know if it was Satoru or Suguru holding you, but you buried your tearful face in his neck as he carried you to the bedroom. 

They laid you in the middle of the bed and held you close all night, even when you all fell asleep together. 

Perhaps there was still hope between you, perhaps all was not lost.  

Click here for the final part

Tag: @tatahungry

[bumblebeesfromvenus]

Hi! Can you please write part 3 of bale batman x assistant reader as his wife? And how he handles jealousy after their marriage? Thank you 😊

Hello!!

I actually wrote something about this a little while ago, but because I feel like just linking the post is a bit of an asshole move, I'll add some of my thoughts!

I hope that's okay <3

Here's my previous post :)

~Fi 🐝

(My inspiration for Bruce has been dwindling, I desperately need to watch the movies again)

Part 1 ♡ Part 2 ♡

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ────── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

He will always, ALWAYS call you his wife. More than your actual name. He has to keep reminding people that you're unavailable and that you're his and his alone. Bruce perks up immediately whenever your name is mentioned. He's policing all of his employees at this point lmao

maybe someone talks about you to a coworker about how innovative you're thinking for the company is, that you're kind and exactly what this industry needs and Bruce just pops up out of nowhere like "who are you talking about? Hm? Oh, my beautiful, amazing, perfect wife? I couldn't agree more."

He gets so stealthy after being in the batman business that he scares them half to death because he's just there all of a sudden. After hearing some of the complaints the employees make (you're not at work as often anymore after Bruce insisted you focus on some hobbies instead) you're seriously contemplating putting a little bell on him just so you don't have to worry about anyone getting a heart attack.

He always has to be touching you in some kind of way. His go to is a hand on the small of your back or on your thigh when you're sitting down, he loves holding your hand, too. His thumb will brush over the cool metal of your wedding band and it puts his mind at ease.

Every single employee knows not to flirt with you, even as a joke. Not after Jake suddenly disappeared after Bruce caught him sweet talking you... (he may have a received a strongly worded letter from his landlord ((Bruce)) and, what do you know, for some reason, any other living opportunity in Gotham is unavailable right now)

He brings you flowers at least once a week (or until the ones he gifted you before can't hold their own anymore and wilt). They're always fragrant and bright in color, whatever is in season right now. And they stand nicely on your desk in a beautiful crystal vase that catches the light perfectly. He catches himself looking at them more than he he would like to admit.

Or, more specifically, he wants to see if he can catch you admiring them. He's gotten a new appreciation for these small things since you came into his life. They way you cup the delicate blossom and inhale its sweet scent is a picture he will dream of forever.

Bruce makes sure that you're only addressed as Mrs. Wayne (unless it's someone close like Luscius or a very nice coworker of yours) making it clear to everyone, again, that you're his. He gifts you a necklace with his name on it, which you wear proudly, and Bruce can't help but grin when he sees his name glint in the sunlight against your skin.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ────── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

I'm so sorry for kinda half-assing my Bruce posts lately, but I can barely write anymore 😭

I usually write at night but I'm tired then too so I'm like "Oh, I'll just write during the day." BUT GUESS WHAT I'M ALSO TIRED DURING THE DAY

Fucking iron deficiency istg

I basically sleep all the time and when I do write, it's not a lot bc I'm literally falling sleep halfway through so yeah

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 3

Episode 2: Love Muffin

~The Man Cave~

Something was up, something big. Ray had called Henry and Charlotte to the Man Cave way past their bedtimes and now, they were pacing around the main room with (y/n). She knew as much as they did, absolutely jack all and was just as worried for whatever emergency was going on as they were.

"Why would he want want us here after midnight on a Thursday?" Henry asked as they all paced around, but no one could give him an answer. Charlotte and (y/n) were still in their pyjamas and extremely sleepy, but their worried minds wouldn't let them get any sleep until they knew what was going on.

"I don't know, but if it's because he had a bad dream again, I am not gonna sing him a lullaby this time. That's your job." Charlotte looked at (y/n) who rolled her eyes and went back to her panicking.

"No, he's not been around all evening, I don't know where he is. God...I'm so worried." She breathed out and rubbed her eyes with the palm of her heels as she tried not to get into a state. He was indestructible and more than capable of looking after himself. It just concerned her that he'd not sent a text or left a note about where he was going.

"I'm here!" Jasper panted as he came bumbling down in the elevator. He had an odd choice of pyjamas; an all American flag onesie, but the weirdest thing about him was the fact that he had his hair done up in rollers.

"That's an emergency." Henry deadpanned. He couldn't see Jasper like that and not poke fun at him. It was just too good of an opportunity to miss.

"Are you...why would...curlers?" Charlotte stuttered as she struggled to put her shock into words. Why would he put them in his hair? Did he do it every night? So many questions.

"What, you thought my hair was naturally curly?" He asked the girls as he smirked at their open mouths. He just did it to spice up his look and he'd been doing it for years.

"I feel lied to." (y/n) commented, but her joking stopped as the tube alarm beeped and Ray came down, with a stupid look on his face.

"Heyyyyyy. Hello, friends. Welcome, welcome!" He breathed out dreamily, confusing the woman and teens as he greeted them. Why did he seem so out of it?

"Hey..." The kids said as (y/n) put her hands on her hips and gave him a pointed stare. She wanted to know why she had been waiting up, worried sick all night for him to come home.

"Ray Manchester, where have you been? I've been---" She was cut off as Ray smushed his finger against her lips to shut her up. Seriously, what was up with him? He'd never stop (y/n) from speaking normally, but this wasn't normal.

"And now...I want to introduce you guys to someone very special..." Ray told his friends and (y/n) felt her heart clench as she got the feeling that he was about to do something dreadful. The alarm for the other tube sounded and down came a very beautiful woman, wearing dark makeup and dark clothes. Holy shit.

"Who's that?" Charlotte whispered to the woman but she was shutting down, both mentally and physically as she sensed the worst. Her nightmare come to life, right in front of her and she couldn't move.

"I don't know. Looks like a woman." Henry whispered back, seeing that (y/n) was pale and shaking, worrying him beyond belief. It took a lot to get her like this and he didn't like how she was reacting.

Ray brought the woman into his arms and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, making (y/n) choke up as tears sprung to her eyes. Was he doing this deliberately as some sort of cruel prank? To bring this into the Man Cave at such a late hour seemed so unkind like he was rubbing it in her face and Charlotte put a hand on her shoulder as she trembled.

"Everyone...this is Gwen," Ray said her name and (y/n) immediately hated it. It could've been anything and she'd hate it, but the way the woman smirked at her sickened reaction made her heart ache more. Sure, he'd had girlfriends in the past and they stung, like she'd had boyfriends and stung him, but this felt different, more intense and like he genuinely wanted it to work. And that made her heart throb.

"Hi, guys." Gwen smiled sinisterly to the kids, who also instantly disliked her. What was Ray thinking? Bringing her down into his secret hideout and flaunting his new relationship in front of the woman he really loved, was he insane?

"Ray, can I talk to you for a second?" Henry grabbed onto his boss's elbow and dragged him away from Gwen's arms, which didn't go down very well with Ray. (y/n) hated the way he whined when he had to let go of the dark-haired woman and she had to turn away to stop her mind from keeping the image forever. 

"Hold on, I'd really rather--" The large man made grabby hands at his new woman, but Henry was on a mission and he wasn't gonna let this go without an answer. He had way too much loyalty to (y/n) and the hope of her and Ray getting together.

"Just a sec, so sorry." He said as he yanked him away, even though he wasn't sorry at all. In fact, he was rather proud of himself for getting him to stop slathering all over her.

"Are you crazy!!" Henry hissed at him as he made sure that Charlotte was comforting the heartbroken young woman behind him. Good, he needed her distracted so he could give his boss a good talking to.

"What?" Ray looked at him innocently, not being able to pick up on anyone else's feelings through the haze of love he felt for Gwen. It was like his mind wasn't his own.

"You can't just bring some stranger down here into the Man Cave!" Henry hissed, deciding to use (y/n) as his main argument in a few moments. He wanted to shock Ray into sense and if he had to pull out the big guns, he would.

"Oh, Gwen's not a stranger." Ray scoffed, looking over at the bewitching woman with heart eyes. He couldn't even hear the way (y/n) was sniffing into Charlotte's shoulder.

"Well, how long have you known her?," Henry asked as he saw how broken the young woman was. This Gwen girl better be good, but then again, the boy was sure that no one would ever suit Ray more than (y/n) did. They were soulmates.

"Almost three hours." Ray cooed and rested his head on Henry's shoulder, but the boy was disgusted with his behaviour. So many years of loving (y/n) and he was throwing it all away for an actual stranger?

"What?! Three hours?! Dude, what about (y/n)?" He said the woman's name quietly, but she was so distraught that she could only hear the words 'I've lost him' bouncing around in her head. She knew this day would come when he found a nice girl and settled down with her properly, but she didn't think it would be tonight or without her. That last shred of hope that he might turn around and say that she was the one he wanted, died when she saw his loving gaze at Gwen. He wasn't hers to love anymore.

"What about her? I love Gwen...Ooo, that reminds me. I gotta tell her she's Miss Danger and you're Kid Danger." Ray suddenly perked up and Henry scrambled to stop him, but he was too strong and too fast to hold back.

"What? No, no, no--" Henry panicked, but Ray wasn't thinking straight.

"Hey, honey?" He smiled at Gwen, making (y/n) lookup from Charlotte's shoulder with red, puffy eyes. Bless her, she'd tried everything to make (y/n) feel better, but everything Charlotte tried wouldn't work and Ray was making it worse.

"Yes?" Gwen's sweet voice turned away from her conversation with Jasper to look at her new man. 

"I bet you'll never guess who this loveable knucklehead really is." Ray put his arm around Henry, who was trying to escape his hold and shut him up, but he couldn't wriggle free.

"Not a good idea." Charlotte, Henry and Jasper shook their heads frantically and tried to make him zip his lip. (y/n) was still staying silent as her voice would just be small and quiet because she had taken in everything aspect of Gwen and had come to one conclusion. She was gorgeous, her figure was flawless and she obviously had something that Ray saw that she didn't have. 

"Kid Danger! Haha!" Ray giggled as Gwen smirked at the new information. She was working her way into the centre of the Man Cave and it was easier than she could ever have imagined. She'd heard the rumours about Captain Man and Miss Danger being a couple, but when she learnt that, in reality, they were so careful and insecure about their love, it made Ray an easy target.

"Dude!" Henry shrieked in horror, but Ray giggled dreamily. His head was spinning and his lips moved before he could stop them. All he could see, hear and feel was Gwen.

"It's okay, Gwen even knows that I'm Captain Man. Oh, and (y/n)'s Miss Danger." He brushed off their concern as they all gasped and voiced their disgust with him. Was he trying to get them all captured or killed?

"Ray! That wasn't your secret to tell!" (y/n) finally found her voice at the mention of her name. She was certain that she was having a heart attack, but she didn't want her secrets being told to everyone that Ray fancied. That was her business and the fact that he was telling every girl that walked through his life pissed her off.

"It's fine...and guess what else." Ray shook off her anger and took Gwen's hand again as she smiled evilly at him. Surely things couldn't get worse, but the young woman felt her bravery take a back seat as they started to snuggle up again. Just last night they were the closest of friends and her love had never been brighter, but now, it was like she was the stranger and Gwen had stolen the prize right from under her nose.

"Gwen and I...we're getting married." Ray smiled and that was when the dam broke. Every tear in her body came flooding to her eyes as the news broke (y/n). Literally broke her, like Ray had taken a knife, carved out her heart and crushed it with his bare hand. She bit back her sob as she turned around quickly and sat by herself on the couch, needing to look away from whatever had happened to her best friend. The teens couldn't believe it, Ray getting married to that floozy? What? 

Henry felt his own heart hurt as he watched the woman isolate herself from the group and he was taken aback by how small she seemed. Without Ray by her side, she was so lonely and fragile, like the slightest touch would break her if anyone tried to reach out and comfort her. She was on her own with her broken love.

"Heyyyy. What's the...happening?" Schwoz came in, full of beans despite the late hour, but his smile died when he saw (y/n) shaking and trying to muffle her sobs on the sofa and the shock written all over Henry, Jasper's and Charlotte's faces.

"Ray's getting married to a woman he met three hours ago!" Henry told him and Schwoz blanched at the news, his head snapping from Ray to (y/n) and then back to Ray. 

"Whaaaaaaaat?!" He gasped in horror and his nose screwed up in disgust when Ray fawned over Gwen. That should've been his best friend in his arms, not this floozy.

"And--why does Jasper have those things on his head?" Schwoz asked although he should've focused on the larger problem at hand. Screw Jasper's hair, the family that Ray had built for himself was at threat and everyone needed to pull together to find out why.

~The next morning, in Junk-N-Stuff~

(y/n) hadn't slept a wink. She'd just collapsed onto her bed and sobbed into her quilt to let out nine years of broken love. Where had she gone wrong? All those times she could have said something and she hadn't, now, she felt so foolish. She'd known all along that there had always been a chance that he'd find someone else and settle down with them, but she hadn't expected it that night and she hadn't been prepared for how much it hurt.

Henry had managed to drag her from her moping around noonish and she had moodily trudged upstairs with him so she could cry in Junk-N-Stuff. It was bad for business, but the boy knew she had to get away from Ray and Gwen's kissing. Not to mention all the...other stuff that she'd heard, which made her cry harder and hurt deeper.

"Henry..." Jasper looked to his best friend as he tried to water Omar. The plant needed care, but it was fussy about who got to give that care. Normally, it was (y/n), who was no longer afraid of the flytrap's snappy attitude, but she was currently slumped on the floor with her face pressed into her knees. Let's just say that she needed some space.

"Yeah?" The boy broke out of his deep pondering and looked at his two friends, both of whom had a problem on very different levels.

"This plant's intimidating me." Jasper pouted, but his friend didn't care. His job was on the line and everything he'd been pushing (y/n) and Ray towards for nearly two years was in tatters. He needed to think, not worry about plants.

"Dude, we got way bigger problems right now than...plant thirst." He stressed, making the young woman look up at him as he stopped in front of her and gestured his arm to her depressed state. She looked terrible, with bags under her red eyes and crumpled pyjamas, anyone would be able to tell she was mourning something or someone dear to her. 

"I mean, why would Ray wanna marry a lady he's only known for three hours?" Henry asked Jasper, and a stab of pain went through the woman's heart at the reminder.

"Rub it in, why don't you?" She sniffed and got to her feet. She was still miserable, but the floor was cold and it just made her look desperate. She was allowed to be a little desperate though, she was hurting bad.

"Maybe she has a trampoline," Jasper suggested, making Henry and (y/n) look at him with annoyed expressions. That wasn't very helpful. Even Omar wasn't impressed, but then again, he rarely was.

~In the Man Cave~

"No, I love you more. I do too. No, I love you more than you love me. Oh, I think I do." Ray smiled as he told Gwen the sickly sweet words over the phone and shuffled along the couch. Everything she did, even if it was nothing made his heart race and his brain turn to mush, which was hard for Charlotte and Schwoz to watch as they tinkered with a machine.

"All right, he's about to make me puke," Charlotte grumbled to Schwoz as she listened to his ridiculous drivel. She took back every gag and eye roll she ever made at how lovey-dovey Ray and (y/n) were together since they were meant to be. This was just revolting, over-the-top trash talk.

"No, I love you more." Ray continued to giggle and coo down the phone and Schwoz knew he needed to get to the bottom of this fast before (y/n) walked out and Ray made the biggest mistake of his life.

"What's that?" Charlotte asked as she saw him charge up a gun-like gadget that she'd never seen before.

"We can use this to find out why Ray fell in love with that woman so quickly. I will die before I see Ray lose (y/n)." Schwoz told the young girl gravely and she got the sentiment. She'd known them for only a small fraction of their friendship, but Schwoz? He'd seen it all; from their first meeting to their first fight and make-up, he'd watched them fall in love and he was going to see them together, even if it killed him.

"But how can--" Charlotte was confused as to how it worked, but there was time for questions later. Schwoz shushed her as Ray left himself open for the small man to blast him.

"Ray! Ray, come quick to me!" Schwoz called him in a sing-song voice, and even though he didn't want to, Ray said goodbye to his "lovely" Gwen.

"Yeah, I'll see you in a few minutes. I love you. Muah!" He made kissy noises down the phone. and drunkenly stood up from the supercomputer chair where he'd been rambling on the phone for the past few minutes.

"Okay, Schwoz, what was it that you wanted me--" Ray never finished his sentence. As soon as he had tucked his phone back into his back pocket, Schwoz shot his device thing at his face, making him go all wobbly and woozy.

"Charlotte, catch him!" Schwoz told the girl, but she could barely hold up a person of her own weight, let alone Ray, who was all muscle and bulk. 

"Me? Ah!" The girl screamed as Ray collapsed on top of her. At least she broke his fall.

"Good job! Now, bring him over to the sofa." Schwoz instructed her and walked off. She couldn't move, she had a huge man crushing her spleen and pinning down her arms. Her job was never easy.

~Upstairs~

"Come on, smile for me..." Jasper encouraged Omar and tried to stroke his foliage, but he just received a face full of goop. Yeah, it was never a good idea to disturb the plant, not that Henry or (y/n) cared. They were still panicking and pacing around as they thought about Ray.

"He globbered me!" Jasper whined, making (y/n) sigh as she and Henry dashed over to help him wipe away the sticky gunk. It was never nice to get it in your eyes and they couldn't leave him to blindly stumble around the store.

"All right, all right, it's not that bad," Henry reassured him as the young woman grabbed some tissues.

"Don't touch your eyes, you'll just rub it in and then it gets really bad." She told Jasper, who swiftly dropped his hands to his side. (y/n) began to clear the goo from each eye and it gave Henry a chance to check up on her. He hadn't done that yet and he felt like she deserved all the support in the world.

"Hey, are you all right?" He asked her softly, taking note of the way she was so gentle and kind to Jasper even though her heart was missing. Even without her love, she still had enough to go around and would never dream of hoarding it to keep herself happy. It reminded Henry that she always took care of everyone else and now, it was their turn to take care of her in her hour of need.

"No, not really." She whispered back, trying not to cry. She was certain that if she started again, she'd never stop and she had to put on her brave face even though she wasn't feeling brave at all.

"What you feelin'?" Jasper asked carefully, making sure to choose his words with meaning. It wasn't a casual "what's up?" or "what's wrong?", it got to the centre of her and what was going on in her mind.

"Oh, you know. I'm feeling depressed because the man I've loved for nearly all of the nine years I've known him has promised himself to a stranger. I'm angry because she's everything I could never be and...I'm scared." She muttered the last part as she finished cleaning the last of Omar's puke from Jasper's face and the boys exchanged a worried glance with each other.

"Why?" Henry asked, hating to see such a usually bubbly and cheery woman reduced to a shell of her former self. 

"Because where does this leave me? If they do...get married, I can't live here. I'll have to give all this up and move out, 'cause I can't watch Ray build a life with someone who isn't me. And I guarantee I won't be wanted anymore. He's gonna have a wife, why would he want me?" She confessed and gulped as she imagined saying goodbye to Ray for the last time. Surely, this wasn't how it was meant to be.

"We're gonna find out what's wrong with him and then Gwen--" Henry's determined speech was cut off as the devil herself came strolling through the door. Ugh, what did she want?

"Henry. Jasper. Poor little (y/n)..." She smirked as she walked into the store, a box in her freshly manicured hands. God, she was so smug and (y/n) knew that her cocky stare was her way of telling her that she'd won and there was nothing she could do to stop her.

"Hey, Gwen..." Jasper greeted her cautiously, very aware of the thick tension between the two women. Of course, he and Henry were loyal to (y/n), but they didn't want to appear too hostile until they sussed out what she was doing with Ray.

"Uh, Jasper, why don't you go take (y/n) to the bathroom?" Henry suggested to his friend as he eyed Gwen's suspicious movements. He needed some alone time with her to assess what she was up to.

"Because I'm a grown woman and I can go by myself?" (y/n) replied for Jasper, thinking that Henry was completely crazy. Like she needed an escort to go pee, she wasn't that sad.

"Then go into the bathroom and show him your Celine Dion playlist," Henry told her tightly and she got the message that he wanted them gone for a moment.

"All right, but first..." She agreed, but she had one thing to say to this emo barbie bitch before she went.

"I don't know what your game is, Gwen, but you won't win." She told the smirking woman, who puffed out her chest and looked at her like she was a child in need of a good scolding. Still, (y/n) stood her ground and kept hold of her courage, even though she was still feeling weak with sadness. 

"Oh, sweet, sweet girl. I've already won." Gwen hissed at her sharply, making the helper growl at the use of Ray's nickname for her. If she wanted a war, she could have one. (y/n) had nothing left to lose and she was too broken to care what anyone thought about her.

"I don't know how much Ray has told you, but...you can't hurt me. Not anymore, no one can." She told her rival in a low, serious voice before turning around and marching to the back room with Jasper in tow. It was true, no one could hurt her, she had moved past being a jumpy, mousy girl who was scared of her own shadow and was now a superhero of all things. However, there was one man who still had a grip on her heart and he was the one holding her together. But, his grip was loosening and she was at the point of falling if someone didn't wake him up soon. 

"Y'know...Henry. I got the feeling last night that you don't want me to marry your friend, Ray." Gwen started as soon as (y/n) and Jasper were out of earshot. She didn't want that good-for-nothing superhero bitch coming in with her superpowers and ruining her plans.

"Well, I'm glad that you got that feeling, 'cause the feeling is exactly what I want your feeling to be. Ya feelin' me?" Henry sassed her in an agitated tone, wishing to communicate all of his hate for the woman to her.

"I'm sorry, one more time?" She smirked, wanting to keep control of the situation by making Henry unsure of himself and what he was saying. She was sneaky that way.

"No, I'm sorry, 'cause I don't repeat stuff." Henry snapped back. He wasn't going to let her have the upper hand, no way. He wasn't afraid of her or how she was using Ray to get her own way, in fact, he was sure he could beat her.

~Back in the Man Cave~

After a lot of pain and struggling, Charlotte had finally managed to get Ray on the couch so he could sleep through his unconsciousness. 

"What are you doing?" She asked Schwoz in an exhausted voice, who had rapidly jogged over with some weird helmet scanner thing so he could slide it onto Ray's head. Yeah, he got the easy job.

"I am connecting this device to Ray's brain, and converting his cerebral memory impulses into audio and video images, so we can see his memories from yesterday when he first met the lady," Schwoz explained, his mouth turning into a nauseated sneer at the thought of Gwen. 

"When he first met the lady." Charlotte mimicked his funny voice, but she too had a sickened expression. Everyone hated Gwen and everyone was going to make sure she left. The girl looked at the screen with Schwoz and he pulled a lever, making his brain scanner flicker to life as it began to read Ray's mind. It was all a bit too complicated for Charlotte, but she tried to keep up where she could and soon, they'd found the right memory.

"Hey, you there!"

"Me?"

"What are you doing with that glowing blob?"

"Uh, nothing."

"That's a lie, I think you're a criminal."

"Are you...hungry?"

"Uhhh..." Schwoz and Charlotte watched in horror as they saw what had unfolded the previous night. Gwen must have tricked Ray or hypnotised him or something because he'd never give up his secrets and love for her and they weren't the only ones who knew that.

~Meanwhile, upstairs~

In the store, Henry was giving the woman a piece of his mind. He didn't trust her and for good reason, she was evil and up to no good, not that he knew the extent of it.

"I know Ray and there's no way that he'd meet you, and then ask you to marry him on the same day, unless you--unless you did something. Because I know and everyone else knows that Ray loves (y/n) and belongs with her." Henry hissed at her and that's when Gwen opened her Tupperware box. She knew that Captain Man and Kid Danger were too resilient to her charms in their own minds, so she had to unleash her secret weapon. 

"Y'know Henry...I was hoping that we could be friends. But now...I'm sorry that I made you these muffins." Gwen showed him the baked goods and the sickly sweet smell rising from them tickled Henry's nose.

"M-Muffins?!" He looked at her in confusion. He didn't trust this woman or anything she gave him, but those muffins sure looked good...

~Back in the Man Cave~

"Mmmm, yeah, that's really good. That's a really good muffin..." Charlotte and Schwoz continued to watch what had happened to Ray and they learnt that everything was fine until Gwen gave him a muffin. Wait a second...

"Captain Man?"

"Yeah?

"May I kiss you?" The sneaky woman. Ray never turned down a kiss from a pretty female begging for his attention. He had always told himself that one day, he might find someone who could distract his heart from the pain of not having (y/n) and Gwen was just another chick in line. Her kiss was nothing compared to the one he'd shared with his sweet girl, nothing ever was, but little did he know, this poison touch was about to steal him away from his love, possibly forever.

"Uhhhh...wuhhh...I like someone elseee...." Ray was powerless to stop her and his protests died where they stood when Gwen planted a gentle yet revolting kiss on the hero's lips. Schwoz didn't want Charlotte to see that so he put his hand over her eyes, which annoyed the girl. She didn't want to miss a thing; any detail could be crucial in helping their friend get back to normal.

"Now, Captain Man, is there something you want to tell me?" 

"Y-Yeah, I...I love you." What? Schwoz and Charlotte were flabbergasted at this revelation.

"That's right and you always will, so forget that silly girl in your head and love me." Schwoz puffed out his cheeks and ended the simulation as he and the teen girl reeled from the revelation. 

"The muffin!" Charlotte cried as she realised what had happened. Ray was perfectly fine until he ate the muffin!

"Yes!...What?" Schwoz wasn't following. He hadn't been paying as much attention as Charlotte and he couldn't make the connection between Ray and Gwen's muffin.

"Gwen did something to the muffin! Like...she must've added some sort of chemical or something and it made Ray fall in love with her when she kissed him!" Charlotte theorised, knowing that she was along the right lines. Gwen was evil and they had to stop her.

Suddenly, the secret door opened and out came (y/n) and Jasper, both singing to Celine Dion. The boy had taken the long way around to the Man Cave and had used every trick in his goofy body to cheer her up, which it had worked to an extent.

"Nearrrrrr, farrrrrr, whereeverrrr youuu are, I believeeee that the heart doessss go onnnn!" (y/n) sang with Jasper, not caring if she was off-key or offbeat. She was playing her sad playlist and she needed to rock out. Plus, if Celine was right, she'd come back from her heartache, yeah right.

"Jasper? (y/n)?" Charlotte walked towards them in confusion as the young woman muted the blaring music coming from her phone.

"Hey, what's up?" Jasper greeted her as (y/n) brushed some of her messy hair away from her face. Maybe getting a shower and getting dressed would be a good idea.

"Are you feeling better, (y/n)?" Schwoz looked conflicted. He was glad she wasn't sobbing uncontrollably anymore, but he also didn't want her to leave prematurely. If only he knew how cut up she was inside.

"Eh. I still feel like shit and I'm eighty-seven per cent sure I'm going to be homeless soon, but at least I've got Celine." She offered him a sad smile and it told him everything he needed to know. She wasn't feeling better, if anything she was feeling worse after having all night to think about what Ray "getting married" meant for her.

"I thought you guys were upstairs in Junk-N-Stuff with Henry," Charlotte told them, sensing that something was off. 

"Oh, we were, but Henry wanted to talk to Gwen, so we went to the--" Jasper tried to explain, but the moment he mentioned that cursed name, Charlotte and Schwoz started to panic.

"Gwen??" The teen girl cried, feeling like Henry could be in a lot of danger.

"Oh, geez." Schwoz gasped, also getting the sense that something nasty was going on upstairs.

"Come on!" The small man and girl ran to the elevator and, not wanting to be left behind, Jasper and (y/n) were hot on their heels.

"Wait for us!" The young woman exclaimed as she and Jasper slid across the cold floor. She knew Gwen was a thieving, bitchy skank, but why were they so concerned about Henry? What was going on?

~In Junk-N-Stuff~

Henry couldn't resist the temptation of a freshly-baked muffin, even if it had been made by a woman who was now considered to be an enemy. 

"Oh man, what is this, banana nut? This a banana nut muffin?" He asked the smirking woman as the spongy cake tingled his tastebuds. Little did he know that the muffin wasn't a baked good, it was a baked bad.

"Henry, don't swallow that muffin!" Charlotte burst onto the shop floor with an exuberant worry in her voice and Schwoz, Jasper and (y/n) weren't far behind her. 

"W-What--stop--ah!" Henry protested as Charlotte reached into his mouth and began to pick the crumbs out of his mouth. Yeah, it was gross to remove the gooey, half-chewed muffin but needs must and Henry couldn't be allowed to eat it.

"Henry, it's dangerous!" She tried to tell him, but Henry was instinctively fighting against the attack. Desperate time called for desperate measures.

"Use my handheld vacuum cleaner!" (y/n) passed her small device to Charlotte as she glared at Gwen. She didn't understand the full picture but she was getting the idea that this was her doing.

"Okay, out of your mouth! Henry!" Charlotte begged her friend as she sucked the muffin out, but Gwen wasn't going to let a child ruin her plans.

"Hey! Let him eat the muffin!" She yelled at Charlotte and it awoke (y/n)'s fury. This woman had come in and wrecked her life, she wasn't going to let her bully her friends.

"Back off, bitch!" She hissed back and Gwen and Charlotte engaged in a tug of war with Henry's body. They yanked him back and forth, back and forth until Henry pulled himself free of their grasps and staggered back. He tripped into a display and a large bust toppled over and onto his head, knocking the boy out. 

"Oh my god!" Charlotte gasped as her friend collapsed on the floor and before (y/n) could dish out her first-aid expertise, Jasper thrusted himself forward and offered his knowledge instead.

"I know mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!" He announced and swiftly shrugged off his jacket as he rushed to Henry's side, even though the kiss of life wouldn't help him. He was unconscious, not suffocating.

"I need to kiss him!" Gwen grabbed his shoulders and tried to force him away, but Jasper was stronger than he looked and (y/n) was ready to kick her ass.

"He's my best friend!" Jasper hissed to her and prised her fingers off of him just as (y/n) stepped forward to sort her out. Drawing her fist back, she sent a sharp punch to Gwen's jaw, sending the woman stumbling back in a painful daze.

"Sit down, shut up!" She hissed to her, ignoring the throbbing in her knuckles. It soothed quickly as the swelling disappeared instantly and if Gwen dared make a noise, she was more than happy to give her some more. 

Taking a deep breath, Jasper pressed his lips to Henry's and blew all the air in his lungs into his mouth. Henry gasped into consciousness and slowly lifted his head to see his friends looking at him in concern. 

"Quick, help him up!" (y/n) told Jasper and Schwoz stepped forward to help the couching boy to his feet. The world was spinning and his brain was fuzzy as the boys helped to keep him steady. 

"Hen, Hen, are you okay?"Jasper asked him in concern and he was taken aback by the loving gaze his best friend sent his way.

"I...I love you." Henry smiled at his newfound love, but Jasper didn't think he meant it in anything but a platonic way.

"Oh shit." (y/n) breathed out as Jasper realised that Henry wasn't joking. Okay, seeing Henry in love with him was weird and made him uncomfortable, especially when Henry latched onto him in a tight embrace.

"Hey, quit it! No, Henry--This is not a good time to hug." Jasper struggled to get him off. When Henry wanted to hug he was like an octopus, hands everywhere. 

"Henry, leave Curly alone." (y/n) tried to get him off, but no one could make him let go of Jasper. He loved him.

"Aw, you have pretty hair." The mention of Jasper's nickname switched Henry's attention and the blond boy started to pet Jasper's curls affectionately, much like how he had seen Ray do it to (y/n) when they were cuddling.

"Henry!" Charlotte shouted at her friend, but she had to face Gwen's wrath first.

"Great, see what you did?" She hissed at the girl, making (y/n) step in front of Charlotte protectively, even though she was more than happy to yell back.

"What I did?!" Charlotte reiterated in anger, not believing the nerve of the woman. She was the evil one, not her.

"Yeah!" Gwen growled, standing against the two girls, who were not afraid of a fight. They knew that they were in the right and she was in the wrong.

"We're not the ones who's been boppin' round here with a box of mystical muffins!" Charlotte argued, keeping a hand on (y/n)'s arm so she didn't lunge for Gwen. She hated her too and she would love nothing more than to see her friend give her what she deserved, but this wasn't the time for that.

"You little bitch, watch your step..." Gwen sneered and Charlotte had to take a step back to calm her nerves. She didn't want to fight either because she'd never win against a grown woman. However, luckily for her, she had a superhero on her side.

"Do you want another one? 'Cause I'll gladly beat your ass--" (y/n)'s threat was interrupted as her best friend appeared from the back, stopping her fist in the air. Dammit, why did he have to show up now?

"Gwen! I was just dreaming about the first time we met!" Ray cooed as he floated across the store and joined hands with Gwen, who was smirking at (y/n). The young woman instantly dropped her anger and reverted to her sad, reclusive self as she saw Ray go to her with a lovestruck smile.

"Hello, my sweet man." The criminal brushed his hair away from his eyes and looked at the Man Cave team with a smug smirk. She wanted them to know that she had their leader wrapped around her finger, especially since it rendered Miss Danger depressed and non-dangerous. 

"Ray, no!" Charlotte tried to stop him as she and Schwoz saw the way (y/n) lost all her confidence at the sight of Ray loving another.

"Quit--quit it!" Jasper slapped away Henry's hands as he had a different problem with love. Mainly that his best friend was acting crazy and wouldn't leave him alone.

"I can't quit you!" Henry replied in a cute baby voice and wrapped Jasper in another unwanted hug. 

"Ray, you don't really love her!" Charlotte tried again to get her boss away from that witch, but he was under her spell and couldn't hear what she was saying.

"Ray, she gave you a bad muffin that--" Even Schwoz couldn't get through to him and when he stood in between the couple, Ray just kept him sandwiched between them as he leaned over his head.

"She tricked you!" Charlotte yelled as (y/n) watched the scene with sad eyes. What had she done to deserve pain like this? If this was love, why did it hurt so much?

"Yah and she tried to do it to Henry too!" Schwoz gasped as he freed himself from the Ray-Gwen sandwich.

"Except Henry fell in love with Jasper by mistake!" The teen girl pointed to the best friends, where Jasper was still fighting off Henry's advances.

"Aw, my sweet girl's so smart!" Ray cooed, shattering the few remains of (y/n)'s heart that had somehow managed to keep beating. That was his name for her, no one else's and to hear it be used on someone else, someone who didn't deserve his love, was agonising.

"Can you please make all of these people leave so we can be alone?" Gwen trailed her finger up Ray's chest as Schowz and Charlotte frowned at her. She knew what she was doing, using Ray against them and it made them furious. 

"All right, everybody out!" He shouted at all his friends, who still couldn't believe that he was following her every order. Still, the muffins made people do anything and they realised that this wasn't his fault. Gwen was the one to blame.

"Come on, let's go!" He started to push them away as they protested, but he wasn't taking no for an answer. What Gwen wanted, Gwen would get. 

"Ray, we live here, you have no right to force us out!" (y/n) tried to fight him off, but he just kept pushing her, Charlotte, Schwoz, Henry and jasper out of the door.

"I don't want you here," Ray told her in a cold voice and suddenly, she stopped fighting. Those were the words she'd never wanted to hear coming from him and they'd only appeared in her worst nightmares. Now, they'd come to life.

"Hate to see ya go, but go! Bye-bye!" Gwen smirked at them as the last of her problems were forced out of the store. Good, with (y/n) out of the way, Ray had no hope of regaining his mind, meaning he was all hers.

~Henry's house~

The gang trudged up to Henry's porch, feeling defeated. (y/n) didn't have the energy left to cry or care about the weird looks she had received for wearing pyjamas in the middle of the afternoon on the street, she just felt numb. If she didn't belong in the Man Cave anymore, where did she belong?

"No--no--nope, stop it!" Jasper told Henry squished him against the front door when he tried to open it. All the way from the shop, he'd been snuggling and squeezing him and he'd had enough.

"I love you." He slurred and Jasper opened the door as quickly as possible. They all tumbled in, well, everyone apart from Schwoz did, who was barred from entry by Charlotte.

"Whoa, you can't come in." She told him and was met by a grumpy Schwoz.

"Why can't I go in there?" he. grumbled, wanting to sit with his friends and help the young woman through her grief. He also didn't want to stand out in the cold like a weirdo loitering on someone's porch.

"'Cause, what if Henry's parents are home?" Charlotte suggested, knowing that they'd be horrified to find a weird little foreign man in their house, even if he did work with their son.

"(y/n) is allowed in there!" He pointed to the young woman, who was trudging behind Jasper and a dumb-in-love Henry.

"That's because Henry's parents know her and are cool with her," Charlotte explained, which made Schwoz pout even more.

"But I can't stay out of here by myself!" He whined, but the young girl knew he'd be fine. No one was gonna want to kidnap him and take him home, it was Schwoz.

"Sure you can." She replied.

"No! What if someone tries to take me?" He suggested, but it just made the girl roll her eyes.

"Who would want you?" She sassed, leaving Schwoz speechless. Taking advantage of his silence, she slammed the door in his face and went over to her friends. Jasper was trying to comfort (y/n) as she curled up on the sofa and buried her face into a cushion, but there was little he could do.

"Tell me why Gwen would use tainted muffins to make Ray fall in love with her." The curly-haired boy said to his friend as he put a hand on (y/n)'s shoulder and Henry was walking around the kitchen in love haze.

"'Cause think about it. If Captain Man and Kid Danger are so in love that they can't fight crime, then they can't stop Gwen from doing whatever evil things she wants to do!" Charlotte explained, making (y/n) look up as she pondered the idea.

"What about (y/n)? She's a superhero." Jasper noted, gesturing to the pyjama-clad girl. 

"Gwen probably knows that Ray means a lot to her! So she's just going off the hope that (y/n) will be too sad to stop her from doing the evil things!" Charlotte added and the woman sat up with fire in her eyes.

"You got to admit, that bitch is clever." She sighed, snapping herself out of her sadness. She was still shaken, but she wasn't going to let Gwen beat her so easily. Ray needed her help and she was going to fight until her last breath to give it to him.

Okay then, I think we need to figure out how--how--ooo..." Jasper trailed off as Henry sat on the back of the couch and rubbed his shoulders lovingly. Even Jasper couldn't resist the pull of the gorgeous massage Henry was giving him, even though he hated how he was in love with him.

"JASPERRRR!" A loud, obnoxious voice came from the stairs and suddenly, Piper was trotting down the stairs in a foul mood.

"Oh, hey, Piper." He greeted the girl nervously, hoping that she wasn't angry about what he thought she was angry about.

"Did you go into my bathroom and take my curling iron?!" She snapped at the boy, who paled at her fury. He just wanted beautiful, curly locks, was that too much to ask for?

"Yeah, but I---" Jasper didn't need to defend himself, he had a best friend who was deeply in love with him and more than happy to bite back.

"Hey! Don't you yell at my Jasper!" Henry seethed at his sister, making his friends cringe at his odd choice of words.

"He jacked my girly-curly!" Piper hissed back. She was always ready for an argument, especially if she felt that she'd been wronged in some way. Stepping forward, she plucked two clumps of Jasper's eyelashes from his face as punishment for stealing her curling wand.

"Ow! She yanked off my eyelashes!" Jasper whined and turned to (y/n) so she could assess the damage. There wasn't much she could do, it would just sting for a few minutes, but Henry, well, he was seeing red.

"Piper! You just hurt someone I love!" The boy told her in a heartbroken, disgusted voice, but Piper wasn't done.

"Yeah, and I'm just getting started!" She growled and began to flick Jasper in the eyes as he groaned and moaned in pain.

"No, stop!" He begged, but she was too angry. She wanted him to feel pain.

"Piper, stop!" Henry yelled at her, feeling his fury grow and the lovey-dovey haze in his eyes was descending from a sweet pink colour into a deadly scarlet.

"Piper, quit that! No! No! Nooooo!" Henry reached his tipping point as his sister used her surprising strength to launch Jasper over the couch, which left him groaning in pain.

"Henry, oh my god! Are you okay?" (y/n) asked the teen as she noticed him convulsing and straining until he fell on the floor. Okay, what was going on?

"You okay?" Charlotte asked him too as Piper made herself scarce. Her work here was done, Jasper would never touch her stuff again. The girl and woman helped Henry to his feet and he blinked in confusion as his mind cleared.

"Ah, yeah. Yeah, I think so." He said in a tired voice and Jasper approached him cautiously when his best friend looked at him.

"No more hugging me, please." He begged Henry, whose face crumpled in disgust. Why would he want to do that?

"Hugging you? Ew." He gagged and his friends looked at each other in shock. The expression on Henry's face told them that he'd rather eat his own hand than give his friend a hug and that spoke volumes to them.

"Ewwww? Wait! Aren't you in love with Jasper?" Charlotte asked Henry as he rubbed his eyes and she waited for the response she was hoping for.

"In love with--what?! No, no!" The boy quickly denied it, much to the amazement of (y/n), Jasper and Charlotte.

"Holy shit, this is awesome!" The young woman breathed out as she smiled at Henry, even though he was still feeling pretty groggy.

"What is? How come Henry doesn't love me anymore?" Jasper whined. Sure, it was weird as hell to see his best friend look at him like that, but those shoulder rubs were nice.

"I think 'cause Piper when was harassing you, it made Henry feel really angry." Charlotte prompted and (y/n) suddenly knew what she was getting at.

"So?" Henry asked, still feeling puzzled after losing the effects from the muffin.

"So, when you feel strong emotions, your body releases chemicals into your brain." (y/n) explained and Jasper used her knowledge to piece everything together.

"Ohhh, so like, when Henry felt anger, it drove out his feelings of love?" Jasper theorised and he was bang on with his idea. The anger took over the love and then pushed it away, simple.

"Yeah, we think that's what happened.' Charlotte looked to (y/n) and she nodded in confirmation. It sounded plausible, now, they just needed to try it out on Ray.

"Okay, okay, so now, all we gotta do is make Ray like, insanely mad, so he'll fall out of love with Gwen," Henry said and they all knew that it was easier said than done.

"Well, but, how are we gonna get him mad enough?" Charlotte asked, but then the perfect person for the job popped into her mind and Henry's and Jasper's, as it happened.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" (y/n) asked as she saw three pairs of eyes on her and it made her skin prickle. Yeah, she knew how to make Ray tick but she didn't know if she wanted to see him like that, especially when it was directed at her.

"'Cause you know Ray better than anyone, you can get him mad," Henry told her. She knew everything about Ray, every wrinkle that made him seethe and scream, surely, she could think of something that could rile him up.

"Okay, but how should I do it? I can't just strike up a conversation with him, he can't hear me through his love dream thing, otherwise, we wouldn't be in this situation." (y/n) pointed out and they all took a minute to think. If a conversation wouldn't work, then they needed to up the ante. 

"Ooo, you could pick a fight with him," Jasper suggested and everyone liked that idea. 

"Yes." Henry nodded at his best friend as (y/n) started to plan what she'd say to her best friend. Of course, some obvious topics always upset him, but she had some other ideas too bouncing around her mind that could throw a spanner in the works. She hated to see him sad, but it was worth it because it was for his own good.

"Okay, I go in there, I start an argument and get him mad. Easy." (y/n) smiled at the boys, ready to get her friend and heart back, but Charlotte had some apprehension towards the plan.

"Oh, come on! Ray could kill you! You can't pick a fight with Ray!" The young girl reminded her of Ray's brutal strength and the worry in her eyes melted (y/n)'s heart. It was nice to have her friend's care and concern, but this was the only way.

"Char, one of us has to do it and I've got my super-regeneration so--" She tried to calm the girl, but she wasn't done.

"It might not be enough...If Ray loses his temper, there's no knowing what he'll do to you." She said softly and the woman knew she was right. Captain Man's strength was legendary and if unleashed against her small body, her power might not be able to keep up with a vicious attack. 

"We don't have a choice. If it's not me, then it's got to be one of you three." She looked at the kids and Charlotte and Jasper immediately put their hands up.

"Not it!" They said together, effectively naming Henry as the backup option. 

"Well, if I die, you're up next, Hen." (y/n) giggled at the young boy, but he was ready to step up if he had to. He'd probably survive slightly longer than Jasper and Charlotte if Ray started to throw him around the room.

"Then, let's go." Charlotte accepted their fates and they walked to the door. Poor Schwoz had been jumped by a group of mean kids and was being beaten on the ground when they opened the door. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave him alone.

"Hey, hey, hey! Get outta here!"

"Leave him alone!"

"Pick on someone your own size!"

"Delinquents!" The four yelled at the kids and they quickly scarpered when the group appeared. They were smart enough to know when they were outnumbered, but clearly not smart enough to know that bullying people wasn't cool.

"Jerks!" Schwoz yelled after them with a grouchy face and threw a twig at the kids' retreating bodies. He missed by a mile, but it made him feel better; he couldn't help it if he was an easy target for a pack of bullies.

"Come on, let's get to the Man Cave!" Henry said to his friends and they all briskly walked off the porch as Schwoz collected his shoes that the children had removed. Poor guy, he always got the short end of the stick.

~In the Man Cave~

So listening to Ray and Gwen makeout was one of the hardest things (y/n) ever had to do. She and Henry were hiding behind a machine at the back of the room as they waited for Ray to be alone and with the noise of smacking lips in her ears, it felt like forever.

"Ugh, this is revolting." She grumbled to the boy as they kneeled in the corner. Her voice was low and her knees were cold, but they couldn't risk being spotted by that evil witch. That would ruin the plan and then they'd be back at square one.

"Shhh, it's all right. You know, he doesn't mean it." Henry reminded her that Ray wasn't in his right mind and (y/n) nodded with a sigh. Right, he didn't know what he was doing, but she was still stuck in the friendzone either way. She was his friend, nothing more.

"I know, I know, but it's still gross. All she uses is tongue." (y/n) shuddered, but suddenly, Henry grabbed her shoulder and peeked around the corner of the machinery.

"Look! She's leaving!" He told her and he was right. Gwen said something about robbing the Swellview Bank and then she was off through the sprocket, probably going to freshen up in Ray's room or leave a mousetrap in (y/n)'s bed. Either way, she was up to no good, but it gave them the opportunity they needed. 

"Oh god, oh god, wish me luck." She breathed to the kid and stepped out from their hiding place. It was now or never with all her courage mustered.

"Soooo...Charlotte?" She started, following the plan they had come up with and upon hearing her cue, the girl sprung from behind the cabinet next to the elevator.

"Yeah, (y/n/n)?" The girl asked politely and innocently as she walked down from the tubes. Ray looked at them like they were insane but they kept going as per the plan.

"Who do you think should win the "Most Attractive Guy in Swellview"?" (y/n) asked the girl, starting off with a small irritating thing that would no doubt get under Ray's skin.

""Most Attractive guy in Swellview"?" She reiterated, making sure that Ray heard what they were talking about. This was sure to make him mad, even if it was just a starting point.

"Yeah, who do you think should win it?" (y/n) asked again, keeping her focus on her young friend so she wouldn't falter.

"Uh...." Charlotte held off for a minute and that's when Jasper stood up from behind the couch to say his line.

"Hey, what about Henry's dad?" He prompted, irritating Ray a bit. He had the worst hiding place and had nearly puked when he heard the couple kissing and slobbering over each other. Next, came Henry, who trotted down from the same place (y/n) did, with an innocent look on his face.

"Oh, yeah, my dad." He agreed and he and Jasper walked over to the girls. So far, so good.

"Yah, your dad is so hot," Schwoz added, springing up from the supercomputer. Okay, they were all assembled and now, they just had to set (y/n) up for the kill. 

"Uh-huh, very true, I think he's gorgeous, a very attractive man." The young woman lied to her friends and they all heartily agreed, which struck a chord with Ray. Wait, why did his best friend liking another guy get to him so much? Through his Gwen mindset, the notion pierced his heart and was like the first droplet that would start the tsunami of rage and free him.

"Wait, wait, wait a second, you guys." He interrupted their happy chatter as he tried to make sense of his jealousy. Gwen, Gwen, Gwen, was all his brain was supposed to be loving so why was (y/n) suddenly creeping into his thoughts?

"Yeah?"

"What's up, buddy?" They all looked at him with friendly faces, but they could all see the first signs of exasperation on his face. Oh good, they were getting to him.

"Just a friendly reminder, I've won "Most Attractive Guy in Swellview" for the past twelve years, sooo...it's kinda in the bag." Ray bragged, not knowing that he was falling right into their trap. This was exactly what (y/n) had predicted and with a nod from the teens, she moved into phase two.

"Well, yeah, but...you're kinda old now, so...not much point in hoping." (y/n) smiled at him, gulping when she said the "o-word" and saw how his face dropped. Ray's age was a touchy subject; he hated that despite all his power and fame, even he couldn't escape time. He was slowly getting older and older with each passing day. 

"I'm old?" He repeated, thinking he'd misheard her. Schwoz, Henry, Charlotte and Jasper were tight-lipped as they watched the couple go toe-to-toe. They were nervous, but they trusted her to get the job done and hopefully, Ray would remember how much he loved her before he started throwing fists.

"Yeah, I mean, you're so much older than me. What are you, like, over fifty?" She asked, deliberately exaggerating her estimation for maximum anger. She knew Ray's exact age like she knew her own, but she had to be cruel to be kind.

"Fif--did you just use the f-word?" Ray gawped at her in shock, thinking that his best friend was way out of order, but she just smirked and laughed in his face. 'Gwen, no, (y/n), Gwen, but (y/n)'s so pretty, no, I...love Gwen?' His mind was at war and the young woman was making it worse.

"Hey, look, I'm just saying that--" She laughed it off, but Ray was in arguing mode now.

"I'm thirty-five, (y/n). You know that." He said and patted her bare arms. She was so getting dressed after this was done. Not knowing how to carry on after that, she turned around and saw Jasper, Henry and Charlotte pointing to their hair and she got the message. Good idea.

"Well, I mean, I've noticed that you're starting to lose your hair a bit..." She told him and Ray whipped around with an angry face. 'Don't be scared, don't be scared.' She told herself and kept her expression light-hearted and disparaging. 

"What did you just say to me?" He growled at her and seeing that he was sufficiently angry, she moved onto phase three.

"Oh hey, where's Gwen?" She asked innocently, but also like she was hiding something. She played off her mocking tone by looking around the room for the evil woman and Ray glared daggers at her back.

"Gwen happens to be getting ready to go rob a bank." He informed her and she nodded in understanding. This one would really get to him.

"Or...maybe she's not going to rob a bank. Maybe, and I'm just throwing this out there, she's going to meet some other guy." She suggested and sat down on the computer chair with her arms folded and one leg crossed over the other. It was a horrible thing to suggest, but it didn't matter, it wasn't real love anyway.

"She's going to rob a bank," Ray hissed in a childish voice, but the young woman had planted the seed of doubt in his mind and it was festering into a furious rampage. Much like what Henry had experienced, the pink love dream was fading into red as Ray succumbed to his anger.

"Or maybe...she's going to meet some guy named Rob...Banks." (y/n) hinted, a look of amusement on her face just so she could watch Ray get angry at her bemused attitude.

"That's stupid. That's not a guy's name." He frowned, saying it more to himself than anyone else. Hey, since when was (y/n) so beautiful with grubby pyjamas and messy hair?

"Uh, yeah it is. Get real, doofus. Gwen doesn't want you, she wants Robert J. Banks." She taunted him, following closely behind him as he stomped away from the computer. She wasn't going to let him escape and neither were the kids or Schwoz. They had the exits covered, Ray couldn't go anywhere. It was just him, (y/n) and their argument.

"Y'know why? I bet he's way better-looking than you." She hissed in his ear, standing her tiptoes so she could say it in a malicious whisper. Ray was tensed in anger and his skin shivered at the feeling of her breath on his ear; why was she so alluring all of sudden? Gwen...

"Not possible." He shouted in response as the love chemical fought to keep control of his brain. However, his real love was stronger and it was a battle that would surely be won by his heart.

"Yep. He's probably in his early thirties, y'know, young and handsome." She snapped back in a strong voice, daring him to get even angrier. 

"That's enough, (y/l/n)," Ray ordered her, not liking this new insubordination from his best friend. How dare she question Gwen's love for him? But damn, she was hot when she was angry...

"Yeah, he's gonna kiss her so good, because why would she want you? A middle-aged, unattractive nobody who sucks at kissing! And trust me, I know! I've had experience and it was terrible, why would anybody want you?" She ranted, spewing cruel lies left, right and centre and the small part of his brain that was free turned furious at the thought of losing his soulmate over being a bad kisser, the girl he'd dreamed of kissing ever since they shared one and it was the final straw for Ray.

"Ahhhhh!" He yelled and lunged for her, grabbing her by the shoulders and the thin straps of her pyjama vest.

"Oh shit!" She squealed as Ray used his brute strength to throw her across the room, making her land harshly by the elevator. Her friends cringed as her ankles collided with a cabinet and she had to admit, that hurt. She took a few seconds to give her body the chance to repair her sprained ankle and numerous cuts, bruises and lumps. Okay, she had to keep going.

"Look, Ray, it's not my fault she likes younger guys." She panted and scrambled to her feet as Ray stormed towards her again. Ray seized her by the throat and she gulped at the fury in his eyes. Fury was good but it also was cutting off her air supply and crushing her windpipe.

"Oh, wow, look at that! A grey hair! Wow, there's loads, you're going grey, Raymond!" She smirked and ran her fingers through his hair even though movement made the burning of her lungs worse.

Not wanting to be mocked anymore, she was thrown to the floor again as Ray growled in rage. At least this time, all she had to heal was some bruised palms and a cracked larynx. She groaned as she laid at the teens' feet, but she couldn't say down for long.

"Keep going, you gotta make him madder!" Charlotte knelt beside her head and Henry agreed. Ray was mad, but he wasn't mad enough. 

"Don't you think I'm working on that?---Whoaaa!" She was dragged away by her ankles as Ray continued to beat her up. The irritation of the tiles on her belly made small friction burns appear where her tank-top rode up, but that was the least of her worries. Dragging her to her feet again by her hair, Ray forced her to the ground again, so her battered body slid across the room. Okay, she really wanted this to stop now. Time to get clever.

"Come on, hard man, you ain't so bad! Come get me, dickhead!" She jeered at him and this time when he went to grab her throat, she ducked out the way and went to jump on his back. Ray was too experienced for that rookie move though and threw his torso back so she was bashed against the couch.

"This is so cool to watch!" Jasper told her as she bent over the back of the sofa and caught her breath. She'd never put her regeneration through this much suffering and she was starting to get the idea that too much usage could really wear her down. 

"Oh, I'm glad you're enjoying my pain." She smiled sarcastically at the boy and patted his shoulder, but Jasper recoiled quickly when Ray came back. He grabbed her shoulders again and pushed her harshly against the steps at the back of the Man Cave, making the young woman wince.

"Oh, that's definitely a broken rib." She yelped, clutching her side in pain, but she had very little time to feel it pop back into shape as Ray charged at her. Raising her leg, she stopped him in his tracks before he could swipe at her and she pushed him back. 

"She probably makes muffins for all the guys." She gasped at Ray and got back on her feet even though her body was begging her to do the smart thing and stay down.

"She only makes muffins for me!" Ray screamed at her with a snarling face, but she just gave him the finger and smirked.

"Well, that's not what I heard!" She shrieked back and that's when he lunged at her for the millionth time.

"Oh, god!" She squealed as Ray flipped her over in a somersault and her back flopped roughly on the tiles. Oh good, a slipped disk, how lovely. Yet another injury that her genes rushed to repair as she lay paralysed on the floor.

"(y/n)!" Henry ran to her side with Jasper and Charlotte close behind him. They helped her up when she told them to do so and she panted at the exertion. Blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth and for a brief second, she wondered if it would be better to give up before he killed her. No. She was going to snap him out of Gwen's control or she was going to die trying.

"Uh-oh..." Schwoz's fearful voice made her look to her best friend and her eyes widened as she watched him grab a blaster from a drawer. Shit, she was too close to the others.

"Ray, don't!" Charlotte begged him, but he couldn't stop his rage. Shoving herself away from her friends, (y/n) stood in front of them protectively and stared down the barrel of Ray's gun. She never thought she'd see him point one at her, but it would always be her before her friends, especially the kids. 

"You know, Ray, I never thought I'd feel this way about you but I do. I can't help it, it's just been on my mind for a while now..." She started, giving Ray her best glare as she shrugged off the flinch from him cocking the blaster.

"(y/n), don't!" Jasper begged her, not believing she was being so reckless when her best friend had a gun in his hand. Yes, they had to make him angry, but this was too extreme, even for a super-regenerating heroine.

"I'm sorry, Ray, but I hate you!" She told him in an insulting tone and she kept her cool despite her thumping heart. She saw his eyes twinge in recognition as his finger stilled on the trigger and then...he groaned and started to shake. 

"I think you did it! It's working!" Charlotte gasped as the young woman trembled and watched her best friend fall to the floor. Thank god, it was over. 

"Ray?! Ray?!" Henry, Schwoz, Jasper and Charlotte scrambled to the man's side as she stayed leaning against the couch. She needed a minute.

"Can you hear us?" Charlotte asked him as he was led over to the supercomputer chair. (y/n) stumbled behind the group, trying to keep her nausea down as she tasted the metallic tang of blood on her tongue. She felt exhausted, but her hope was burning bright and that was what was keeping her going. 

"Ray, are you okay?" Henry reiterated as his boss puffed in the chair and shook his head from side to side. He felt so groggy and confused, but at the same time, like he'd been set free.

"Ah, what happened?..." He asked his friends as he tried to remember what he'd been doing for the past twenty-four hours. All he could see was his friends crowding around him, well, not all of them, one was holding back.

"...I was in love with a woman, uh...Gwen!" Ray gasped as the woman's evil smirk flashed into his mind. He couldn't describe how it had felt to be controlled, it was like he wanted to stop his actions, but he couldn't. Everything that was him had been shoved aside for the mind-control to take over and he couldn't stop it.

"She gave you a love muffin," Schwoz explained and Ray looked confused. He remembered something about muffins, but things seemed so blurry, he wasn't thinking straight.

"Yeah and then, (y/n) had to make you really mad so your feelings of rage and anger would overpower your muffin-induced feelings of love," Henry recalled and Ray snapped his head to the boy at the mention of his girl. She wasn't with them so...

"(y/n)...where is she?" He demanded to know and Henry and Charlotte looked at each other nervously before parting ways. (y/n) was still stood against the couch, listening to every word. Ray's eyes grew wide from horror as he took in her appearance; her pyjamas were torn and grubby, blood-stained in some areas where she'd suffered a scrape and she still had dark circles under her eyes and dried blood in the corner of her mouth. He stood up rapidly and she offered him a small smile to make him calm down, but he couldn't stop his heart from breaking.

"What...happened?" He asked her as he cautiously stepped towards her and she loosely folded her arms across her tummy. She was still hurting badly from what had happened to her that day. The beating, the sobbing, the prospect of losing her home, but most of all, the fact that she was still just his friend, nothing more, even after everything she'd been through.

"I made you mad and, uh...you, well, got mad." She told him nervously and he choked up. He did this? The blood, the torn clothing, the bags under her eyes, he hurt her? 

"I--I did this?" He stuttered, tears springing in his eyes as she sighed kindly. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know what he was doing. She wanted him to get angry and she knew that she'd be hurt. And it wasn't like her physical injuries were permanent, no, they had healed just fine, all that was left was her bleeding heart.

"I'm fine, honestly. Y'know, super-regeneration and stuff. I'll live." She giggled, even though she was feeling anything but humourous. 

"Sweet girl, I--" Ray started and his fingers twitched to reach for her cheek, but before he could say something, anything, the sprocket opened and the witch stepped out.

"Quick, guys, go hide! Take care of (y/n)!" Ray turned to his friends and gently guided the young woman into Henry's arms so he could take her to behind the couch. His touch was so tender to what it had been five minutes ago.

"Okay, Ray, I'm about to leave. It should take me about, hmmm...twenty minutes to rob the bank." Gwen told the superhero as she sauntered down the steps. She didn't see any other movement in the room, thankfully and the team tucked themselves into their hiding places.

"Aw, that sounds great." Ray smiled at her, even though the mere sight of her made his stomach churn. God, that must've been a strong muffin to distract his heart from the love he felt for his best friend. She was perfect and Gwen was so...blergh.

"Oh hey, how do you like my ponytail?" The criminal asked him, ruffling her hair up seductively and fluttering her eyelashes at the superhero. There was only one person he wanted to see do that, he was sure of that now. 

"Oh...I love it. I mean it's really cute and just so--" Ray brought his hand up to her head with a charming smile on his face. Gwen accepted his touch, but the moment his fingertips got to her hair, he yanked the ponytail clean off.

"You just ripped my ponytail off my head!" Gwen glared at him, but her sneer dropped when she saw how Ray wasn't looking at her with love, he was looking at her with hate.

"You're not in love with me anymore." She gasped and suddenly felt like she was trapped. 

"Nope, not anymore, bitch." (y/n) stood up from her hiding place with Henry and Jasper and Gwen gulped when she realised that she was outnumbered. She wasn't in charge anymore.

"Sorry, Gwen," Charlotte smirked as the woman backed up and scanned the room for an escape room. Oh, she was definitely panicking now.

"How'd you like dem muffins?" Jasper quipped, making his friends smirk. Oh, Jasper, he was goofy but loveable.

"And now, Gwen, I'd be honoured to escort you to prison," Ray told her, but she'd planned for this. The first rule of being a criminal: have a backup plan and Gwen's was particularly sneaky. She held up her phone in Ray's face, making everyone step back. What was she planning?

"Look out!"

"She's got a phone!" Jasper cried, holding his hands up like a karate master. Yeah, like he could chop his way out of trouble.

"So, who cares?" (y/n) seethed as she kept her glare fixed on her rival. She would be her greatest enemy for a long time.

"You better care, bitch. Because if I tap right here, it's gonna send a post out telling the whole world that Ray Manchester is Captain Man, Henry Hart is Kid Danger and silly little (y/n) (y/l/n) is Miss Danger." Gwen threatened the three supers as she stepped up to the tubes. Oh, that was evil, the perfect escape plan.

"Anything about me?" Jasper raised his hand and asked. He was curious to see if she had thought of him too, but she didn't care about a stupid teenage boy.

"You let me go, and I'll keep your secret. Deal?" Gwen offered the three and they descended into whispers as they thought about what to do.

"Do we have a deal or don't we?" Gwen demanded harshly, leaving them almost no time to think about their situation. It wasn't really a deal, more of a forced ceasefire.

"Yeah, we've got a deal...for now." Ray hissed at her, seeing no other way to keep himself and his Man Cave family safe.

"But someday, you're going to jail," Henry promised her. He wouldn't rest until he saw that cruel face behind bars for what she had done to his friends.

"I doubt it," Gwen smirked as a tube came down around her. She had the upper hand and she knew it.

"Buh-bye, boys and girls!" She said, expecting to blast off, but of course, the tube wouldn't work unless you said the magic words, which she didn't know.

"Off I go!... Okay, what words do I have to say to activate the tube suckage?" She asked the giggling group, feeling pretty annoyed at how foolish she was appearing.

"Oh yeah...it's uh, diamonds, rubies, lift me...tubies." (y/n) joked, struggling to keep a straight face. She wouldn't believe that, would she?

"Thank you, maybe you're not as stupid and useless as I first thought...Diamonds, rubies, lift me, tubies!" Gwen yelled and everyone burst out laughing as she stayed on her spot. Oh god, that was a good one.

"Oh dear, Gwen. Looks like you're definitely as stupid and useless as I first thought." (y/n) mocked her through her giggles, loving that she was able to get one up on the woman one last time.

"I will tap this button, I swear I will tap it!" Gwen hissed and everyone straightened themselves out. No more joking around, it wasn't worth the risk.

"Uh, just say, up the tube," Charlotte told her reluctantly and Gwen followed her advice. She was gone in a flash and they could only hope that she'd keep her word.

"Whew. This whole thing was insane." Charlotte sighed as they relaxed, although no one noticed how (y/n) had gone quiet. Really quiet.

"Yeah, no kidding." Henry breathed out, glad that it was finally over, even though it wasn't.

"Well, at least we all learned something valuable," Schwoz told them, making them look at him in confusion.

"What'd we learn?" Jasper asked, thinking that they'd learnt nothing.

"We all learned that no matter how strong love is...anger is stronger." He told them and he didn't realise that it made the young woman behind the group hyperventilate more.

"Good point," Henry said, thinking that it was fair play. That's technically what they had learned, but it wasn't very comforting for a woman who had nearly lost everything.

"Hey, (y/n/n), what do you--oh my god, are you okay?" Charlotte turned to joke around with her, but her happy mood soon died when she saw how pale her friend was. Everyone else turned around to see their friend panicking and shaking and they realised that a night's worth of no sleep, just worry was catching up to her.

"(y/n), are you okay?" Ray asked her again and reached out to touch her, but she was already walking backwards away from his reach and the gang.

"Uh, no---uh, I...don't know. I just...need to be alone for a while," She stuttered, holding her hand to her forehead as she stumbled up the steps to a tubepad. 

"Sweet girl, let me come with--" Ray tried to follow her, but she looked at him in terror and it glued him to the floor. She'd never looked at him like that, not once. Was their friendship not strong enough to survive this?

"--No, I just, ugh...up the tube!" She cried out before she had to explain herself and she left them all standing there in confusion. She rode higher and higher and higher until she reached her little slice of heaven, her happy place.

"Guys, what do we do? We gotta help her!" Jasper exclaimed, looking to Henry and Charlotte for answers since they had known her longer than he had. But just because he'd only been working at Junk-N-Stuff for like, two weeks, it didn't mean he cared any less.

"Guys, she wants to be alone," Ray told them in a defeated voice and sloped off to go slouch on the sofa. He was her best friend and she didn't want him, so how could they hope to help? He'd lost her, he'd finally fucked up enough to push her away and that broke him. 

"Wait, there is one thing we can do..." Henry speculated, looking to Charlotte with a spark in his eyes. It was risky and possibly dangerous, something they'd only drafted together for dire emergencies, which made it perfect for now. Maybe it would work.

"You don't mean..." Charlotte gawped at him, not believing he was willing to go for it. They'd only planned it on a boring homework night, like, two years ago, it was daring and precarious. Was he sure?

"Charlotte...lobsters." Henry confirmed, making Schwoz and Jasper look at him like he was an alien. Lobsters?

"Henry, just leave it, she said she wants--" Ray's gruff grumbling was cut off by Henry, who was determined to do something, once and for all.

"Ray. I know what I'm doing, trust me. I'm gonna go talk to her." Henry told his boss firmly, his tone leaving no room for arguing. He'd thought about this plan long and hard. He wasn't going to let this ship sink, not on his watch.

"Charlotte, five minutes." He murmured to the girl as he walked past but she knew what to do. If they were doing this, then she was ready. Henry jumped up to the tubepad and waited for it to come down. He knew where (y/n) would be, she always went there when she was sad.

"Up the tube!" He yelled like she had done minutes before and with a whoosh of air, he was on his way. The clock was ticking.

~On the roof~

Project Lobster was a tricky thing and the brainchild of Charlotte and Henry for when they reached the point of crisis. Two years of watching Ray pine for (y/n) and (y/n) pine for Ray had led them to this, extreme measures. They just hoped it worked.

Henry stepped out onto the roof and sure enough, there was (y/n). She was leaning on the ledge, looking out at the city with soft, teary eyes and she sensed that she wasn't alone. This was her spot, she knew when something was up.

"Y'know, Ray showed me this. Valentine's Night, almost two years ago." She called out to the boy, not even having to turn around to know it was him. She could recognise Henry's footsteps easily, even if he was treading carefully.

"The roof?" He asked tentatively after shaking off his shock, confused as to why she liked it up here so much. It was windy and baren, but he hadn't seen the best bit yet.

"No, dummy. This." She gestured to the cityscape before her and she wondered if she had the same look of amazement that Henry had on his face when she first saw the view. His mouth was open like a goldfish as he took in the golden sky, streaked with burnt orange as the sun sank on the horizon. The city didn't seem to be so noisy all the way up here and the park was tranquil, no blaring, teenage music or fights from angry adults, just calm. 

"I never knew Swellview could look like this." Henry breathed out, making her chuckle sadly. It had that effect on everyone.

"Yeah, that was my reaction." She whispered, keeping her melancholy gaze on her fingers as they rested on the wall. 

"Hey...are you okay?" Henry asked, wanting to be gentle even though he was aware that he couldn't stay up here forever. Charlotte was keeping Ray busy downstairs and he had to stick to the plan.

"I wish people would stop asking, 'cause I...don't know." She told the boy, letting out a sigh and watching a flock of birds fly over their heads. Life become so complicated that she couldn't make heads or tails of it anymore. 

"Tell me," Henry instructed her, although it wasn't a command, more of a request from a concerned friend.

"Henry...it's stupid." She exhaled, not wanting to burden a young boy with what was bringing her down. She had been holding it in for nearly six years, she could hold it a bit longer.

"No, it's not. Say it, it's okay." The teen grabbed her hand and squeezed it, more than happy to be the one supporting her for a change. She had been there for him, now he was there for her.

"It's just...today, hearing Ray talk about marriage and kissing her and loving her...it got to me," she said it in the simplest way she could. Emotions are difficult things and they're often so complex, they can't be put into words.

"It was the love muffin." Henry reminded her, even though she knew that already. She'd had more than enough of damn love muffins for an entire lifetime.

"Yeah, I know, but it made me realise that one day, I'm actually going to have to watch him walk down the aisle and it won't be me on his arm." She choked up, thinking about how she'd always been the friend, always been the shoulder for him to cry on, always there to pick up the pieces...but never the girlfriend, the one he wanted like that. 

"Henry, I can't stand by and watch him marry someone else—I'm not strong enough. I know I pretend like I don't care but I do. I really, fucking do and it's killing me that he'll never see how much I love him. I want him so much and I can't keep lying, not anymore. " She confessed, letting a tear slip down her cheek. She was so fed up with crying, it was surprising that she had any tears left after sobbing for nearly two days straight. 

It was true though, she had been through so much with him: meeting Henry, then Charlotte, breaking into their school as fake teachers, nearly getting eaten by a space bug, meeting Schwoz again, watching Henry become a man-beast, battling Invisible Brad, twice, giving Ray his childhood back, nearly dying from letting a psycho into the Man Cave on a tour, defeating the Wall Dogs, being hypnotised by Dr Minyak, defeating the Time Jerker, the Christmas Kiss, superpowers, an opposite universe, Ox Pox, the return of The Toddler and Jasper's arrival. No one else had stuck with him through all of that, did it mean nothing to him that she had?

"So don't." Henry's words broke through her memories and she looked up at him in bewilderment. What was he going on about?

"What do you mean?" (y/n) asked him, looking at him in suspicion, but he wouldn't give anything away.

"Look, just come back down to the Man Cave in...three minutes and I'll explain everything then." He told her quickly after glancing at his watch and ignored the way her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Why?" She looked him up and down, but couldn't pick anything up except that he was nervous or excited about something. Weird.

"It doesn't matter, but you have to come down in three minutes exactly, promise?" He gave her his best begging look and the offer of a promise was too good for her to resist. 

"Okay, I promise." She nodded, seeing that this was important to him. She could do as she was told, it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

"Good. Three minutes." Henry repeated the time again and then turned to leave her alone. He stepped on the tubepad and braced himself for the journey down. He just hoped this would play out perfectly.

~Back in the Man Cave~

"And that's why an octopus has three hearts." Charlotte finished recounting her story to Ray, Jasper and Schwoz, the latter of whom were very interested in what she had to say. Ray, on the other hand, was too depressed to care about octopi and their hearts, he only had one and it was broken. 

"Fascinating." He grumbled, his head resting on his palm as he slumped over on the couch. As per Project Lobster's details, Charlotte had made him shuffle around the half-moon shape until he had his back to the tubes and now, he was in position for the big finale.

"Sup, people?" Henry greeted his friends as he came down the tube on time, landing with his heart racing. This was happening and it wasn't a drill, he just had to stay calm and work with Charlotte.

"Hey, how'd it go?" The young girl asked him, Ray not even bothering to turn around. Well, that was good, that's what they wanted. 

"Oh, you know, she's still not ready to come down yet," Henry replied loudly but held up three fingers to indicate to Charlotte the time they had to play with. Three minutes on the clock and they were counting down fast. 

"Is she finished with me? Does she want to leave?" Ray asked his sidekick in a monotone voice as his heart clenched in pain from the thought of losing her. He didn't want her to go, not like this.

"Uhhh, she didn't say, why?" The boy replied, signalling to Charlotte for her to take over as he silenced the tube alarm. He couldn't make it completely silent, but he was sure that without the loud beeping, Ray wouldn't notice a thing.

"'Cause I've screwed up the one good thing I have and now my best friend hates me." Ray gulped down the lump in his throat and rubbed his eyes to stop the tears from flowing. He loved her so much, more than life itself and now she was gonna leave... Two minutes to go.

"Hey, Ray, what makes you love (y/n) so much? I mean, she's just a girl and you've gone out with hundreds of those." Charlotte prompted him, leaving it open for him to ramble to his heart's content. Schwoz and Jasper were very confused and wanted to say something, but a stern look from Henry and a finger on his lips told them that any interruption could spell disaster, so they buttoned it. 

"She's not just a girl, she's perfect and cute and smart. She knows how to make me laugh and she's not boring or big-headed. All the other girls are just dumb or blinded by Captain Man, but not my (y/n). She sees me, she sees Ray..." Ray argued, hating that Charlotte had called (y/n) just a girl. She was so much more than that.

"How did you meet?" The teen girl moved on to her next question, keeping the time in the back of her mind.

"In a coffee shop. Some jerk had broken in and held her captive, but by the time I'd gotten there, she'd already hit him over the head with a chair and dealt with everything. She was so shy and small but...beautiful. I asked her to come work for me." Ray explained, a soft smile on his face. That was the day his life became brighter, when a twenty-year-old college student beat some petty criminal up for spilling coffee down her shirt. 

"Right, that's cute. So, she's special to you?" Henry asked the question this time and he came to stand with Charlotte, Jasper and Schwoz at the couch. There was nothing left for them to do now. One minute on the clock and it was all up to Ray.

"Yeah, of course, she's special. She's stuck around through everything I've made her do and she's never complained. I make her fix my crap and wait up and do my laundry and now I take her into dangerous fights, for god's sake. What kind of a job is that for someone like her? A gorgeous, sexy, intelligent, young woman.  She's so outta my league and I know she deserves someone better who can give her a good life, but I can't help it...I'm in love with (y/n)."

"What?" Zero seconds on the clock.

Ray had shut out the world and all the noises it forced onto him, including the whoosh of a tube coming down with a weary young woman inside. She had stepped out of the glass casing just in time for her to hear the last bit and it was her gobsmacked utterance that cut through his daydream.

"What?" Ray gasped, shooting up like he'd been burnt by the couch and whipped around to see (y/n) looking at him with a wonderstruck expression. Henry, Charlotte, Schwoz and Jasper were frozen with excited trepidation; no one dared to move a muscle. Ray looked at his best friend with absolute fear from his loose-lipped admittance and felt his heart explode in panic.

"You love me?" She asked softly like she couldn't believe it herself. And she couldn't. 

She hadn't misheard and a pinch on the inside of her arm told her she wasn't dreaming, he'd actually said it. He'd actually said the words she'd only ever imagined in her wildest fantasies. 

"Wha..how--how much of that did you h-hear?" He asked her, feeling the most scared he had ever been in his life. He'd rather fight all his enemies at once than face her like this. He could practically feel the rejection coming.

"Enough..." she answered carefully, treating the situation with the utmost care like if she clung to this moment too hard, it would break. 

"Listen, (y/n), it was a mis--" She couldn't bear to let him finish, not this time. No more bouncing around the truth, not anymore. 

"No, you listen to me, Raymond Manchester. No more lies. I want the truth because I think that we aren't honest enough with each other and...we both deserve clarity after so much confusion." She told him calmly and clearly, even though she was feeling anything but calm. Absolutely fucking terrified was the correct way to describe how she was feeling or the closest she could get.

"The truth?" He repeated, looking her straight in the eyes. He'd known the truth for a long time and it had been his closely guarded secret, but not anymore.

"It's all I want." She nodded, leaving him to make the next move. The move that would change everything. 

"The truth is (y/n) (y/l/n)...I love you, so much it hurts." Ray whispered and the world stopped. His heart was thumping and bracing itself for loneliness and a life without its soulmate, whilst hers was soaring and reaching out to grab on and never let go. This was real and it was everything she'd ever asked for.

"Oh..." She gasped quietly, not knowing how else to react at first. Her mind took a second to let the confession settle in and for Ray, he took it as her being disappointed. 

His face broke away as he bit back tears again. So this was what they meant by heartbreak, it wasn't seeing her with other guys or missing her when she wasn't around, it was knowing that he'd made an error of judgement and it cut deep.

Snapping out of her shock, (y/n) stepped forwards and looked at his crumpled face. He needn't worry so much, she was right next to him, where she knew she belonged. 

"Don't look so sad, it's a good thing because...I love you too." Her face erupted into a smile when Ray's gaze shot to her face with so much shock, he looked comical. He couldn't think of anything to say that could triumph over what she had just told him so he just wrapped his arms around her shoulders and brought her into a warm embrace. The first of many that told them that they were home in each other's arms.

It was then that they both realised that their friends were shouting, clapping, whistling and dancing in celebration as they congratulated the couple and themselves for getting together at last.

"Finally!" Henry told Ray and clapped him on the back as (y/n) briefly let go of her doofus to hug Charlotte, Jasper and even Schwoz. This was their victory as much as hers and Ray's and it felt so unbelievably good to not keep their secrets anymore.

"Wait, how long have you lot known about him loving me?" (y/n) asked the group, who smirked at the baffled couple. They had drifted into each other's arms again and for the first time in forever, neither one was shy or embarrassed about needing the other's touch.

"Uh, since the moment I met you." Henry and Charlotte said together, making the couple chuckle. That was, like, two years ago, how long had this been going on?

"I've watched you two pretend not to love each other for eight years or more. You are both very blind." Schwoz shrugged nonchalantly, acting like it was no big deal, but it was. 

"Eig--you never said anything, doofus!" (y/n) slapped Ray's shoulder playfully as she leaned her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating and now she knew—it was beating for her.

"Neither did you!" He argued back and pressed his lips to the top of her head. God, the girl of his dreams loved him as he loved her, he hadn't been chasing a hopeless fantasy for all these years, it was real. He didn't know who he had pleased to deserve this, but he wasn't going to let her go again. 

"Sorry...I thought you loved all those girls you dated, you never seemed to notice me. I just assumed that everything I feel for you was one-sided." She confessed, absentmindedly drawing patterns on his white shirt with her finger. Finally, she could enjoy having those massive arms around her and not feel weird for thinking her best friend was hot.

"They meant nothing to me, I promise. I tried to distract myself, 'cause I... I thought you were out of my league since you're so damn gorgeous." His baritone voice made chills go down her spine, and she gasped at his words. Coming from him, they made desire pool in her lower stomach and she decided that she wouldn't mind hearing them for the rest of her life.

"Ray, I look like shit." She chuckled bashfully and gestured to the pyjamas that still covered her body. They were wrecked, bloody, torn and dirty and they made her feel anything but gorgeous. 

"Nah, you look beautiful." He smiled down at her and loved the way her cheeks flared up with a pink blush. So cute and all his.

"Well, Project Lobster was a success." Henry shook hands with Charlotte, who definitely agreed. If they had known that it would work this well, they'd have done it a lot sooner.

"What the hell is Project Lobster?" Ray asked the teens as he cradled his girl to his chest. His girl, he'd been saying that for a while now, but he hadn't realised how right he'd been. It felt right, so very right and he knew that he'd say it for the rest of his life if she'd let him. 

"Henry and I came up with a plan, nearly two years ago, to get you two to say I love you." Charlotte began to explain and the couple listened eagerly.

"We would get you both alone and then you walk in on the other person saying it and then you'd be all gross and stuff." Henry brushed over the basics of the plan, which made it seem a lot more simple than it had been. It was like a Mission Impossible task and they were still reeling from the fact that they had managed to pull it off.

"But, you both swore us to secrecy and threatened to kill us if we revealed how you felt, so we just saved it for an emergency..." Charlotte trailed off, having said everything that made up their devious plan and Ray and (y/n) nodded with smiles on their faces.

"We're very grateful but, I have one question." (y/n) said, a small, puzzled frown on her face. It wasn't a big thing, but she'd never live it down if she didn't find an answer.

"Sure, what is it?" Henry asked, curious as to what she wanted to know.

"Why did you call it Project Lobster?" The young woman asked and everyone nodded at her question. It was a weird name.

"Yeah, why didn't you call it Project Get (y/n) and Ray Get Together?" Jasper suggested, even though the name was far too long and complicated for a top-secret mission.

"Because he's her lobster!" Charlotte exclaimed and everyone laughed at their silliness. It was true, he was her lobster and she was his. Cute.

"Well, I'm glad that I don't have to watch you two be all pouty anymore." Schwoz rolled his eyes and high-fived Jasper. He'd worked for Captain Man for two weeks and he was sick of it too.

"Yeah, it's over." (y/n) smiled up at Ray and he smiled down at her in return. No more secrets, no more hiding, just their love for each other. Only, it wasn't quite over just yet.

"Um, Ray, this is the part where you put us out of our misery and kiss her." Henry hissed in his boss's ear and the man blushed at the four smirks being sent his way. Oh yeah, he forgot about that part. Ray looked at (y/n), who had pink dusted all over her cheeks, but there wasn't a sign of disgust or rejection on her features, just happiness and love.

"Can I?" He breathed out, wanting to make sure that she was okay with this even though she was already on her tiptoes and leaning in.

"Of course." She told him and her eyes flickered closed as their lips met. 

It was different to their first one, it wasn't about boundaries or trying to keep themselves under control, it was just them and they were free to show their love. Her hands tangled in his hair as he cupped her face to tilt her jaw open. Free to explore, Ray ran his tongue across her bottom lip and at last, he truly knew that she tasted like honey, just like he'd guessed. Before, he'd barely gotten a chance to confirm it or not and it had been so many months, the sweet taste had almost left his mind. Now, he'd never forget again. 

His lips were still perfectly soft, just like she remembered and they made a shiver go down her spine as he went further than they did last time. Mint and bubble gum burst into her mouth for the second time in her life and she practically purred in pleasure, willing to him all of her and more.

Sadly though, the burning of their lungs said otherwise and that pesky instinct that told them they needed to breathe forced them apart. Reluctantly, Ray retreated from the kiss and pulled back to rest his forehead against hers as they panted.

"Wow," he chuckled breathlessly as he thought of what to say. Henry, Jasper, Schwoz and Charlotte had seen enough of the kiss to realise that they needed some privacy now and they all tiptoed away whilst they were still wrapped up in each other. Not that they minded, they didn't need anyone else anymore.

"I know." She giggled back, feeling drunk from the lack of oxygen and all the love lifting her heart.

"You've no idea how long I've wanted to do that." He confessed, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones and down to her lips. So soft, he just wanted to have her again and again and he knew he'd never get tired.

"Well, I've wanted to kiss you again since last Christmas." She told him, trailing a hand down his chest, igniting his skin through his shirt as she felt his muscles. God, he had been pining just as much as her and he felt so stupid as he realised that every time he'd wanted to tell her everything, she would've accepted him with open arms, not rejected him like he'd feared.

"I love you so much." He told her again, wishing that he had said it sooner since they could have been so happy already if he had. Still, he now had the rest of his life to make up for it and he promised himself that he'd tell her every day. He had always told himself that she deserved the perfect guy, who would treat her like a queen and now, that was him.

"I love you too. With all of my heart." She mumbled and brushed her lips against his in a gentle kiss. It was meant to tease him, meaning she giggled when he tried to chase her touch as she pulled away. 

"Tease." He murmured in her ear as she smiled, although she was soon whimpering when he trailed his hot lips down the side of her throat and his hands ran down her curves to her hips. Five years of unspoken desire was surging to the surface, leaving them at the mercy of their lust. Now, she was actually glad that she was wearing such thin pyjamas. They allowed him to dip under her flimsy tank top and feel the soft skin of her stomach. God, she was burning up from the inside, out.

"Only for you, boyfriend." She teased further and bit her lip when she felt his hold on her tighten. A label, finally, something that could sum up what they had with two simple names. 

"My girlfriend, mine," Ray whispered into the spot just under her ear and knew that it was the thing he'd wanted to hear all his life.

Boyfriend and girlfriend. That would suit them just fine.

[imperatorcaesaraugustus]

we come now to that most special time of the week, the time or ThoughtD: Thoughts on HotD. today we look at season 2 episode 7

my favorite way to have a conversation is on a beach shouting at each other from 50 feet away

"my father is no one of consequence" how long do you plan on keeping that fact a secret, Addam?

"under the sheets and in the woodpiles" i see we're taking this idea away from Jace (or away from mushroom, depending on what source you believe) and giving it to Mysaria

also, woodpiles? i get sheets, but why woodpiles, specifically?

Addam putting in his 2 weeks with Corlys because he got hired at a new job as Dragonrider

Corlys just saying "well done" instead of "i'm proud of you" or "i care about you, son" or "i can't believe you're a dragonrider now that's incredible"

Muppet Tully's dialogue inside with Daemon sounds off to me, like they re-dubbed it over or something

i really like this Tully lad. masterful politician

some people have expressed boredom with Daemon's continuing situation at Harrenhal. those people are wrong, this is great

this whole dynamic between Larys and Aegon is nowhere in the book, but it makes so much sense as an addition and i love it

Alyn saying "I am of salt and sea" couldn't possibly be foreshadowing for something, could it? wait... is it? how far chronologically is this show going to continue? will there be time to pay that off?

"I'm going to bed" "um, when are we going back to the castle?" "oh, maybe never" nightmare camping trip for this poor kingsguard

oops Rhaenyra, it seems you've uncovered Jace's bastard trauma!

"if lowborn have dragons, it takes away my best claim for the throne" yeah, huh, it's almost like the power of kings is based solely on the arbitrary withholding of power from vast swaths of the population. a point that would have been made even more strongly if you hadn't cut Nettles from the show

Mysaria's agent looking very... inconspicuous... in that bright red cloak

"oh, you know, i'd definitely love to claim a dragon, it's just, oof, my leg's been acting up" love this man

"nah, do it though" love this man's mates

Hugh is Saera's son? that's so cool!

okay, for those unfamiliar, Saera Targaryen was one of King Jahaerys' daughters, aunt to King Viserys. she was involved in a scandal where she was sleeping with like three different minor lords, so Jahaerys sent her off to become a septa. she escaped and ran off to Essos, where she became a sex worker in one of the free cities (i think Lys? or maybe it was Volantis?). super interesting character, love that she's being referenced here

i... i have no idea what to make of what Alicent is doing

the dragonkeepers are going on strike

Vermithor looming out of the darkness is so cool. i love his design, too. it's very asymmetrical

at first i thought Rhaenyra was straight-up leaving. turns out she was moving up to the balcony, but still

holy fuck that went badly. like, obviously most of these people weren't going to succeed, but damn

Ulf just running off into the caves where the dragons live as if there's not going to be more dragons in there

i'm not as big a fan of Silverwing's design, but it is distinctive which i appreciate. this will be relevant in the next scene where i immediately recognized her very triangular head

Ulf gets a dragon and immediately goes to the worst place he possibly could have gone, King's Landing

all in all, another episode i really liked. can't wait to see what comes next week

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

The Phantom of Bebbanburg

Chapter 2

Note: happy spooky season! direct follow up to chapter 1.

Warning for entire series: fluff/angst. mention of ghosts/hauntings/deaths.

pairing: Sihtric x you (f)

summary: You were thrilled to meet up with the mysterious, former warrior again, meanwhile, the haunting activities seemed to intensify.

wordcount: 2,5k

Masterlist

'The guards won't allow me inside the castle.'

That same night after you had first met Sihtric, you already found the handsome Dane following you around in your dreams. A restless sleep it was. The entire night you swore you could feel his warm breath tickle your face, like it had done when you first spoke to him at the stables, as he towered over you.

It all seemed so real, the way you felt his strong arms wrapped around your body as you dreamt you were back in the courtyard again. Sihtric shielded you from the cold gusts of wind, which had subtly chased you away from him when you had been awake. 

And when you woke up the next morning, you found your windows open, with the curtains dancing in the cool morning breeze. And you realised you had truly been cold at night, and the feeling had simply snuck its way into your dream. But to your disappointment, it wasn't Sihtric who had warmed you. It had merely been the soft touch of your own blanket, wrapped around your cold and lonely body.

The day went by pleasantly quick as you prepared the food and drinks for tonight's celebration; the new king's birthday. Meanwhile, you kept daydreaming about your pleasant encounter last night, and your fellow maids noticed your smile was even brighter than usual. They teased you and asked which man had secretly visited you in the night, causing you to make you smile like that. But you weren't going to share the story about the stunning man with any of them yet, and he also hadn't visited you in your room, so you just shrugged with a sly smile and continued your work.

Moments later, you were all startled when a jug of fresh ale suddenly fell off a table, while no one had been near it. Every maid present stared at the spilled drink with big eyes, and many immediately made a cross and said a quick prayer. When nothing more seemed to happen, you took it upon yourself clean it up, with shaking hands, as even you started to believe the ghost stories now.

'I woke up this morning and my windows were open,' one of the maids suddenly whispered, 'but I swear I closed them before I went to bed.'

'As were mine,' another maid said.

'Mine were too,' you joined in, and you all shared concerned and startled looks among each other.

'It must be the ghost,' the first maid said, making a cross again, 'I swear I heard heavy boots walking past the door at night.'

'That could've been a guard,' you tried to ease your friend, 'they do walk around at night too.'

'No, this was different,' she said, frightened, 'the guards walk slowly, but these footsteps… they were almost running.'

'Running?' you furrowed your brow, 'are… are you sure?'

The first maid nodded positively, and the other maid let out a soft sob.

'But why would a ghost… run?'

'I heard my door rattle at night,' the crying maid blurted out, 'I prayed to God he would protect me from the souls of those savages. Maybe the ghost ran because he... he had done something unholy...'

You shuddered at the thought of the stories you heard before, of spirits getting handsy with the maids. You would ask Sihtric about it later, because you couldn't believe Lord Uhtred would do such a thing. Maybe it had been the lost soul of fallen Saxon man, you thought, as they hadn't been much more of a saint than the vikings had been. 

You tried to shake off your fear and remembered the strong winds that had occurred when you were outside with Sihtric last night. And it was the only explanation as to why the windows had opened and the doors had rattled. You definitely hadn't heard any footsteps in the night, and the weather had simply been all but calm.

And as Samhain was only two more sleeps away, fear settled easily in the minds of those who were vulnerable and afraid. And the jug of ale that fell out of nowhere? That would haunt through your mind for the rest of the day.

The had finally night arrived and, as you had served your duties during the day, you were released from your work after the sun had set. You freshened yourself up and put on your prettiest dress, which was darkly red coloured and finished off with black laces at the front. You felt like a princess and couldn't wait to meet your charming prince again. You blushed at the silly thought and quickly made way to the stables, after you had made a brief appearance at the festivity.

You walked through the dark courtyard, your skirt slightly pulled up in one hand so it wouldn't drag through the mud, for it had been raining in the afternoon, while you once again held a lit up torch in your other hand. Your heart was beating out of your chest when you approached the wooden structure, and your breath hitched when your eyes found Sihtric, looking as stunning as he had done the night before, in the bright moon light while he was watering the horses.

As you were relieved of that task tonight, no one else had shown up, so Sihtric had taken it upon himself again. He washed his hands in some clean water, turned around as he dried them on his tunic, and only saw you when he looked up. Upon the sight of you, his eyes grew wide, his lips parted slightly, and a heartwarming smile appeared on his face.

'My princess,' Sihtric said softly, and he bowed his head to you.

You chuckled shyly and played with the laces of your dress, watching Sihtric as he slowly neared you. He reached out, politely took your hand, and pressed a soft kiss onto your skin.

'You look beautiful,' he said, holding your hand in his.

'You are looking handsome too,' you said, and a soft giggle escaped before you could bite down on your lip.

Sihtric smiled and brushed his fingers over the side of your face, causing your flesh to instantly heat up at his cold touch, and your entire body burned up when he pressed his lips onto your cheek. You placed your hands on his broad shoulders, which were once again covered by his leather tunic, and moved them up into the soft, black fur, curling your fingers into the strands of animal hair while the charming Dane cupped your cheeks with care.

'You did my job, watering the horses,' you smiled up at him.

'When you didn't show up to water them,' Sihtric said softly, 'I feared you had packed your belongings and left with the rising sun. I feared that maybe something had scared you in the night, like many maids before you.'

'You think I would leave without seeing you first?'

Sihtric smiled and hummed as he gazed down into your eyes, his loose hair falling slightly in his face.

'In truth, I also wasn't sure if you would come see me again,' he said with clear hesitation, 'I thought… perhaps someone found out you've spent some time with me in the courtyard last night,' he paused, 'and that maybe you had been told off for it.'

'I belong to no one,' you said, 'no one could tell me who I am allowed to spend my time with. And I am here now, am I not?' you smiled softly, 'you shouldn't listen to your foolish thoughts.'

'It's not that simple,' Sihtric whispered, and lightly caressed your cheeks with his thumbs, 'because you, my lady,' his mismatched eyes darted over your face,' are the reason for all my foolish thoughts as of late.'

You looked away from his gaze, shyly plucking at the dark fur your hands were being kept warm in, while a thin curtain of autumn mist snuck up around you, and a light, cool breeze carried the musical notes of the festivities over towards you. You looked back at each other again, both smiling at the sudden music.

'Do you wish to dance?' Sihtric asked with a playful smirk.

'I do,' you smiled, and Sihtric took a step back.

He held his hand out to you, then guided you through the thin fog, away from the stables, towards the centre of the empty courtyard field. There, he placed one hand on your waist while holding your hand in his other, and you placed your free hand on his chest.

'I should warn you,' Sihtric chuckled as he pulled you close, 'it's been a long time since I've danced with someone.'

You smiled and followed his careful lead. Simple steps, but effective enough to make you almost swoon in his arms. You easily moved along to the faint, distant music. And soon, Sihtric let go of your hand, to place both on your waist, while you brought your hands up to his shoulders, resting the side of your face against his chest, wishing this moment would last a lifetime. You took in his smell; a pleasant mix of wood, earth and smoke, and you pressed your face firmer against his chest, breathing in his smell, wanting to remember it forever.

'I take it you have no wife?' you asked after a short while, 'since you haven't danced in a while?'

'I do not,' Sihtric said, 'once I had, but that's a long time ago as well.'

You pulled away, just enough to look up at him, and he gently took your chin.

'But what about you?' he asked, 'do I have to make the square with a poor Saxon man in order to win your heart?'

You laughed, and Sihtric felt his entire body tense up at the sight of your happiness as he held you. The sound of your laughter sent a pleasant shiver down his spine, and his breath hitched in his throat when you threw your head back slightly. He's been deprived of love for so long, and he is aching for you. Desperate for your affection, for your touch, your scent, your warmth and for your love. Sihtric knew he would love you like no other man ever had or ever could, and he decided he would never allow another man to have you after this very moment.

But Sihtric was also afraid. Afraid you'd see him as a monster, like everyone else, once you'd learn the truth about him. He had fallen painfully hard in love with you the first time he saw you, days ago, when he had secretly roamed around in the castle at night, and saw you make haste to your chamber as the chandeliers were swinging. Your beauty had caught his eye, and he had been looking out for you ever since, from the shadows of the corridors. And now that you were finally in his arms, he felt peace at last. Knowing you were safe and tightly wrapped in his embrace, and you wouldn't just disappear if he'd accidentally blink or look the other way, letting you out of his sight for only a split second.

'No,' you smiled, 'my heart is still available, no making of any square is needed.'

'Good,' Sihtric smiled, 'because it's also been a long time since I've killed an enemy, I'm not sure if I still possess the same strength and skill as I used to.'

You gasped softly and then chuckled.

'Frankly, I am not keen on finding out,' you said.

'Fear not, my lady,' Sihtric said, resting his forehead against yours, 'I would shield you from that side of me. I wouldn't want to expose you to that, you are too… precious,' he smiled, 'to see such violence.'

'Don't underestimate me,' you said, 'I've seen a lot in my lifetime too.'

'Of that I have no doubt, my princess,' Sihtric whispered, and he pulled you into his chest again.

And so, wrapped in each other's arms, you danced for moments on end, slowly, holding each other close. Savouring the touch and allowing your memory to take in the feeling, scent, sight and sound of each other, so you could easily recall it when you would be separated later once again. You danced until the light wind changed its direction, and the faint music no longer surrounded you amidst the late autumn fog.

'Thank you,' Sihtric whispered when the night was silent again at last, and he kissed your cheek.

'For what?' you smiled shyly.

'For allowing me to feel again.'

You looked up at Sihtric, completely in love. You had no idea you could feel something so strong and intense, something that made you feel alive as well as frightened that it could kill you at the same time.

'Come with me?' you asked quietly and took his hands.

'Where to, my lady?'

'Stay with me? The night, I mean… in… in my chamber,' you said, 'things have been… happening at night, in the castle,' you admitted, 'I would like it… I would feel safer if you would stay with me.'

'I would love to stay with you,' Sihtric said with a sudden sadness in his eyes, 'but the guards won't allow me inside the castle.'

'I know a way around them,' you smiled, 'trust me?'

Sihtric gave you a curt nod and smiled when you pulled him with you, towards the castle.

After you had snuck inside the castle through the kitchen's backdoor, you carefully led Sihtric to your chamber. And more than once, Sihtric had to pull you with him, behind a pillar or towards a corner, to hide in the hallway's shadow from a wandering guard or a lost festivity guest.

Once in your chamber, you were nervous and excited to join Sihtric, who was already settled in your bed. You had secretly enjoyed the sight of him undressing, and Sihtric had done the same as he helped you get out of your dress. He pulled you in his arms as soon as you laid down next to him, your back pressed firmly against his chest, feeling his warm breath on your neck. And you couldn't stop yourself from smiling, it was hurting your cheeks.

'Can I ask you something?' you spoke after a while.

Sihtric hummed in agreement and waited for your voice to sound in the darkness of the night.

'The other night, one of my friends, another maid, told me she had heard the sound of footsteps running past her door,' you said, 'and another said her door had rattled, as if someone tried to get in. Is that… I mean, if Uhtred is the one who haunts here, is that something he would do?'

Sihtric chuckled softly.

'I don't think Uhtred haunts here,' he said, 'perhaps your friends both just had a nightmare?'

'But,' you said, 'I've… experienced something too.'

'Have you?'

'Yes,' you whispered, feeling the hair on your neck stand up again at the thought, 'when I woke up this morning, my windows were open. But I… I never opened them.'

'Perhaps it was the wind,' Sihtric said, seriously, 'I mean, it sounds to me like it has just been the wind. But... I do know there are stories of other souls dwelling here too.'

'So you are aware?' you asked, 'of the way women are being chased and grabbed at night, in the hallways?'

'I am aware of the stories, yes,' he said, and grew concerned, 'have you been chased or grabbed, my princess?'

'No,' you said, 'luckily I haven't. But the stories are starting to frighten me, Sihtric. Earlier today I saw a jug of ale falling off a table, and no one was even near it,' your voice shrunk to a whisper, 'I... I am afraid.'

You felt Sihtric's embrace around you tighten, and he nuzzled your neck slowly as he deeply breathed in your scent. And he brushed his lips against your skin while he traced your bare arm with his fingertips.

'There is no need to be frightened,' Sihtric whispered in your ear, then kissed your neck softly, tasting your skin with his tongue, 'I'm here now to protect you, my beautiful princess.'

taglist: @clairacassidy @finanmoghra @uunotheangel @hb8301 @bathedinheat @neonhairspray @anaeve @bubblyabs @travelingmypassion @sylasthegrim @bubbles-for-all-of-us @andakth @bel-bottoms @willowbrookesblog @lady-targaryens-world @skyofficialxx @diosademuerte @elle4404 @alexagirlie @sweetxime @solango @gemini-mama @cheyennep3107 @little-diable @jennifer0305 @drwstarkeyy @mrsarnasdelicious @verenahx @urmomsgirlfriend1

[lucystark12]

i very very rarely listen to running up that hill but i am right now and it's just like holy shit YOU HAD TO BE THERE (weird reflection post that i just randomly started writing and couldn't stop for some reason about my depression lol that was supposed to be cute and lovey about my love for stranger things but ended up being really somber)

i didn't immediately watch season 4 when it came out on may 27th, because friday may 27th was the day that i came back from a week long class trip to the deep depths of northern washington (hell on earth, no mans land, if you will) and since my parents were out of town for my mom's 50th birthday, i was going straight to my best friend's house to stay over for the weekend. that i did. my best friend everly, whom i was staying with, always falls asleep really early, so at some point in the early hours of may 28th, probably around 1 am, i pulled out my phone and starting watching stranger things. i had spent the entire spring rewatching after all.

i got to where chrissy got possessed and immediately had to turn it off because i was in seventh grade and the bone cracking thing scared me to death (this was before i watched GOT for the first time, my tolerance for gore was not as high as it is now)

such began the first of many times where i'd neglect watching my favorite show for no reason. i did it with house of the dragon season 2 as well. so, a few days later i left everly's house and my grandma came to stay at my house with me while my parents were finishing out the rest of their trip.

at this point, the whole internet was already talking about running up that hill. it was that sunday when i decided i had to watch the show. who the fuck was i kidding? i loved stranger things. problem was, my grandma is and will always be the worst tv hog in the history of the world, so with a shitty disaster movie playing in the background, i put in one airpod and finally started watching stranger things season four.

this was a particularly rainy spring for portland, something that literally scarred me at the time because i was nearing the end of the worst depressive episode of my entire life, and the sun not being able to peek out of the trees like it had in late may last summer and every summer before that was something so insignificant yet something that really was sending me off the edge. i didn't realize how far off the edge i already was at the time. my other best friend had just started taking medication for her depression, which manifested very differently in ways that mine didn't. she was mad. she was resentful. between the few moments that she was the same laughing, loving girl i'd always known, she hated me and our other friends and hated herself more. my cousin likewise had depression so bad he couldn't get out of bed. he hadn't been to school in three months. i wasn't like that. i thought i was happy comparatively. i was diagnosed with OCD the year before and thought that was an explanation. it took getting a new therapist and unpacking my behavior back then to understand what was really happening. i never cried. when i did, it was violent. it came in bursts that lasted all afternoon. i started and i didn't stop until i fell asleep. i threw things, i refused to talk to anybody. i was failing math, which i've never done before. i couldn't understand a thing. i didn't even care to try. i hated myself. the only thing i ate was a bowl of craisins at school every day because i couldn't physically force myself to eat. i thought i was just tired even though i got ten hours of sleep every day. i was always exhausted. my therapist couldn't diagnose me because after years of being taught i had to be perfect, i refused to tell even her that there was something wrong. i thought i was stupid, i thought i was ugly, i thought i was worthless. i thought i was just experiencing what it's like to be twelve years old.

so, another rainy and overly misty sunday afternoon passed me by as i reached the ending of the fourth episode, and finally, the fated song that i'd been hearing all over tiktok and didn't quite understand yet started playing out of max's walkman. i watched the entire scene with my grandma barking questions at me about why i was tearing up.

running up that hill was my most played song of 2022, just ahead of africa by toto.

now i'm not going to say that stranger things brought me out of said depressive episode, because it didn't. the four months ahead of me were four of the hardest of my life still to this day, just as the six before them had already been. but i've grown a lot since then, and two years later when i was in spain alone, sick and crying, experiencing a little week long bout of similar feelings to the ones i felt when i first watched season four, the show weirdly managed to find me again.

the week before i had left to study abroad in spain i had learned that i got a B+ in math instead of an A- in math because my teacher wouldn't round up my 89.9%. it might seem trivial especially because a B+ is incredible process from the algebra i had nearly failed for the second time in the row the year before, but sometimes things like that can be enough to cause somebody to fall back into old habits and feelings. estranged from everybody and everything i'd turned into coping mechanisms for hard times like these when i was literally half the world away, i didn't know what to do. so, when i was in my dorm with food poisoning from a salad i'd eaten the night before, i decided to press on the byler analysis video that had popped up in my youtube feed. such began what i've been calling my "stranger things renaissance"- a second stranger things phase that's been going on since late june.

not to sound overly bylerish, but i've been seeing a lot of parallels between this summer and the summer season four came out. for reasons out of my control, i've been forced to spend a lot of time alone. this summer when i've started feeling lonely, i've taught myself that rather than overthink, to channel it into something else like writing, or doing something that will calm me down. now when i'm home alone and haven't seen a friend in a few days, i'm not sad anymore. i think "well damn" and then i move on with my night. i'm no longer depressed. with the help of my new therapist, i've gotten really close to growing out of my OCD. i no longer have to pray every night. i don't wake up in a cold sweat if i go to bed at 10:31 instead of a "perfect number" like 10:30 or 10:35. i rarely lock my bedroom door anymore. and no, it's not perfect yet. i'm not "cured"- i still have my crying episodes. i still have moments, even though they're few and far between now, where i feel the same way i did back when i was twelve.

but i'm moving on. things have shifted in my life. i've grown up and this show has with me. i started watching it on halloween of 2019 when i was in fifth grade and my friends and i did the "goodbye mike" trend in my basement. i watched the first three episodes that night and finished it for the first time during covid. it was with me through that hard time back in the day, and for some strange (haha) reason, it's with me now, and will probably continue to be with me until the show ends, because like as typically happens when i fall back into obsession with something i liked when i was a little younger, (the mcu, harry potter which remanifested in the marauders) it becomes more than a phase, but a part of me in some weird way.

stranger things may have its flaws and it might not end the way i wanted it to, but for the rest of my life it will be special to me regardless. i'm finally for the first time in my life older than the characters. i was seven when season one came out, eight when season two, ten during season three, 12-13 and season four, and will be 16 in season five.

so thanks, stranger things, for helping me, and thanks even more for showing her that there's nothing wrong with the many different aspects of her that she'd been led to believe were wrong. as corny as it sounds, she couldn't have done it without you 🫶

(say hi to baby lucy, because it's always more fun with pictures, and because depression can happen to anybody no matter what they might look or act like on the surface)

rip 2022 lucy, you would have loved the byler sunset pictures that you somehow would have found a way to relate to reddie and your best friend that you were highkey in love with. you also would have loved mike wheeler if i could explain who he really is to you because said in an EARLY analytical essay that "All I really gained from season four though was that I absolutely hate older Mike and that I wish he would’ve died instead of Max." in the same essay you say you wish you could throw mike of a cliff. oh the irony. (please laugh)

ps: if you ever find yourself feeling anything like what i described in this post, know that it gets better even if it seems like that's what everybody says and it seems like it never will. there were times back then when i didn't even know if i'd make it to the age i am right now, and now i'm at one of the happiest points ive ever been in my life. know that even if we've never talked before, i love you and i believe in you. my blog is always a safe place if anybody out there ever needs anybody to talk to.

[kayakoto-enterprises]

What does the rain remind you of?

Together alone when everybody hides inside.

POV Julianne's entries in her sketchbook. Short drabble.

Where I'm from the rain never ends. After the dry, merciless reign of the summer sun comes the wet season where storms happen almost routinely every night. Some nights it relaxes you like a rhythmic lullaby, but most times I've worried about flood seizing our home again. Still, I loved the cold weather. The feeling freed me from the heat of responsibility and accountability. Like it was soothing me to return to bed and let myself be cuddled by the world I built for myself.

I couldn't believe I let myself move to the United States. I hated the dry weather. I moved into the hottest city in the West coast only because my old friends were there. As much as I was thankful for the company funded apartments I was assigned into, there's nothing air conditioning can do that could remind me of the rainshowers of home. The sound of hard trickling on metal ceilings. The gloss it gave the grass. The pools that formed in the broken asphalt. The memory of feeling of relaxation and ease some rainy nights made my lonely heart feel.

I've been staying in Woodbrook for 7 months now. I survived and am surviving the last trickling days of winter. It was just a cold air that enveloped the town comfortably enough for people to still be outside. I couldn't understand this climate. I had thought I would like it too but the frost weakened my defenses and caused me to get ill multiple times. I guess I wasn't made for these times. I wish I could romanticize it like so many others.

The sterile blue and mint tiles of the Woodbrook Elementary Faculty Room hid under the shadows and yellow light of a sole lamp in a cubicle. I was working late grading multiple Plates by students in both Kindergarten and Grade 2 as I had put it off to work on other projects months into the new quarter. The harsh airconditioning froze my hands and legs in place. I quickly graded each paper hoping the pile would shorten soon. The coffee I had minutes ago was not helping my poor mind focus. I slumped my way to the water cooler and looked out the window. My conscience returned to me as the familiar patter of water rang from outside. Sure enough the sound of home was waiting outside. It was raining quite hard.

It had been too long. The faculty was completely dark as I ran out with nothing but my apartment keys in my pocket. I stepped out into the dark sky drumming with thunder and rain. The droplets felt like heavy hands against my back. The cold air brushed my fur. I looked up at the starless sky, falling back into the grass behind the building. It was warm again. The feeling of being in motion again. The comfort of being home.

Picture every happy memory you've had. A birthday. Christmas. A night out with friends. A long bus ride. A hot meal. All of those melt into the grass I've fallen into. I won't be home for a while. This is the closest I can be to reaching that blue garden again.

Melting. And melting. And melting.

On the concrete steps of the elementary's entrance I sat down and listened to the sound of the dying storm. I nearly fell asleep on the plantbox when a harsh yellow light cut through the dark road. My ears perked up to listen for police. I immediately sighed in relief recognizing the dusty blue doors. It's you again.

"Are you finally done grading those drawings?"

I looked up and teasingly smiled.

"No. Sorry."

"Again? How many left? Where's your stuff?"

I was just lost in a euphoric feeling of nostalgia that I didn't answer anything, just falling into her arms suddenly.

"Oh, you're wet. What have you been doing this whole time?"

"Sitting out in the rain. I laid down on the field right there when the rain was stronger."

Her expression gloomed into a frustrated, maybe concerned frown but settled back when I held her hand. Maybe it isn't just nostalgia that's clouding my judgement.

"I..I couldn't sleep when it started to rain." Sam whispered "Then I drove to your apartment and your window wasn't open."

"I told you I'd be going overtime."

She urgently pulled me off the plantbox.

"Let's just do this at my house-"

"Wait. Wait. I.." I protested "Can..can we please stay..here for..a little more?"

"Why?"

I don't understand why I was desperately arguing staying under the rain for longer. I let my hand go from her grip to sit back down on the concrete.

"I want to stay. Rain makes me less homesick."

The rain began to disappear into a tickle of water every now and then. What was left was the glistening plants and metal and the smell of the earth. I looked up to the cloudy sky. It was still going to rain. But there's this peaceful hiatus in between. The engine turned off. Sam sat down next to me, restlessly placing her face between her knees.

"I'm sorry." I feel guilty for dragging her into my own whims again.

"You have to promise me you'll take a warm bath when we get to the house. You are going to get another flu."

I nod wordlessly still lost in my own guilt.

"What does the rain remind you of?"

I scoot closer to her to hear better.

"What does the rain remind me of?"

She yawns before placing her arms around me again.

"Yes. I'll give you a pass on this one. It IS the first rain of the year."

The cicadas return to fill in the space the pouring left.

"It reminds me of the place I used to live in. The rain tonight perfectly captures the feeling of the wet season. I like rain when I can stay at home when classes are suspended. When I could watch tapes of Roy G. Biv and Lecker."

"We really couldn't be..ah..anymore opposite..can we.."

I carefully guided her head to rest on my lap. The rain returned slowly, introducing in phases.

"Why? You..you like sunny days more or you.."

"No. The reason I drove to see you is because rain makes me feel stressed. Angry even. I'm not mad at you for liking rain..but i'm too sleepy to..bathe in that kind of rage right now."

"..so, what..what does the rain remind you of?" I cautiously asked.

It took her a while to rehearse an answer perhaps. We sat in silence forever. I brushed her fur waiting for any answer. Even just a push for us to get in the truck now. Our fur and clothes almost see-through and heavy with water.

"..I had..a bad day in the city..last year. A..really bad day. When the murders were happening, I got extremely upset and hid out somewhere in Golden Apple to seek asylum. My friend died and I was being blamed for it."

"..and it was raining."

"Yes, but then at least I was hidden under hundreds of umbrellas."

My ears pulled back. I crouched down and rested my chin on her cheek.

"I..I'm sorry."

"It's nothing."

I felt a pit in my chest hearing that anecdote. I reached for my keys and dangled them a bit.

"Guess that means we should..go home now..?" I softly smiled.

"Wait. I have a happier story for you about the rain."

"Yeah? What..what is it?"

"You know I did a bit of soul searching after college, right? And..so this kind of weather followed me into the most inconvenient places or times. And whenever it did I had no money to get a room somewhere so I was sleeping under flooding soil most nights."

I nodded along listening carefully. She thinks a bit as she collects the details before talking again.

"I went camping with a friend later in the trip. I had taken so many hits so far I didn't feel like myself since my mind kept wandering towards survival rather than anchoring down my identity...like I had promised myself."

"Then he..showed me the stars reflecting on the stream near our camp.." She pauses in between words to breathe, look me in the eyes "..And how those rains or floods aren't adversaries in my journey so far..I just had to live with how natural things flow. And that really let me. Let it all go."

"So when I came back home here it was..raining. Like the rain was waiting for me here. And I welcomed it back."

My arms just naturally wrapped around her waist when she finished. I couldn't articulate properly how happy her stories make me feel sometimes. I feel safe hearing them. It's always so sure. Like everything had a reason to happen.

"It's just a shame that last year had to dampen your feelings about the rain." I said.

"I don't have any particular opinion about the weather. It's just real to me. Not good nor bad."

We stuck around the wet pavement for hours until the sign of light from the horizon reminded us to come home.

I'll probably catch the flu again. Goodbye.

[hongtiddiez]

Not Me Episode 3 Music

the (not very well kept) secret come out. i am indeed the not me rewatch event organizer. i hope you all are having fun!! anyway, i got like 1/3 through this episode without recognizing any music (other than generic background music gmmtv has used before) and thought this was going to be a small post but they really jammed a lot in the last 2/3

The episode starts back up on Stronger which we already talked about yesterday so we're gonna skip that.

Keep Asking Me - Francis Wells

We first hear this song when Yok is talking to his mother about her most recent job and subsequent loss of that job. I don't really think there's any deeper meaning to be found here, other than maybe the fact that it's implied that Yok keeps insisting he can provide for them; making some kind of connection to the title but I think it's a tad bit of a stretch.

Worlds Apart - Rannar Sillard

Finally some good fucking food! This song begins when the unnamed diplomat hopeful discovers White is a nepotism baby. The name could not be more fitting as we now know from his backstory that he and White truly are worlds apart in their social standings.

(I couldn't find the music for the scene but the scene where Yok punches Gumpa is foreplay, don't @ me.)

We see another appearance from Trade a Moment in the fight with Sean and White - where they are indeed sharing another moment (and blows.)

Waste of Time (Instrumental) - CLNGR

This is the song playing right after Yok takes pictures of a knocked out White. This is another one that I don't really think has any deeper meaning unless you want to read into the fight being a waste of time, or maybe Sean thinking tending to 'Black' is a waste of time - but again, it's a bit of a stretch.

In the Haze - At The End Of Times, Nothing

We hear this during my favorite scene in the entire show. This is just before Gumpa LITERALLY INTRODUCES HIMSELF TO WHITE. He says "My name is Gumpa. I'm the owner of this garage." because he KNOWS this isn't Black, his suspicions are finally confirmed, and he wants to set whomever this is at peace. (Still accepting @porschesbabydaddy my beloved's headcanon that Gumpa did a background check on Black and knew he had a twin. This entire scene is just a love letter to my raging competency kink.)

ANYWAY. I think this song is more for White than Gumpa - White is quite literally in a haze, he's still figuring things out, piecing together who is who, figuring out he doesn't quite have the skillset to keep up (and maybe he's still a little bit dizzy from that punch.)

(iirc this is also a song used quite a lot in other gmmtv shows)

Mountain Top - Marc Torch

This plays immediately when Yok and Dan lock eyes through the chain link fence. If we want to get really flowery (which I always do) we could interpret this as there being a mountain of space between them still, or perhaps Dan is Yok's mountain he's determined to reach the peak of (lmao). Yok has only just begun to understand the scale of Dan and his work, he's just at the very base of the mountain, but someday he hopes to reach the summit. (Also yay more Marc Torch, though interestingly enough this one is NOT royalty free.)

Kids in Love - Tellow, Lill Persson

UGH THE SONG CHOICE. This comes in midway through White cleaning off Sean's bed so he has a place to sleep. The fores sure are shadowing with this song title and it makes my dumb little heart giddy.

Go Season - MILANO

Ahh, the towel tug of war scene. I don't really have any deep comments about this one other than it's another upbeat, jaunty song that pops in during another playful moment between Sean and White.

As Sean says "I don't have a judge for a mother like you." World's Apart surfaces again to punch us straight in the gut.

Feel - Ian Post

I sure am feeling a lot of things. Feel begins just as Sean grabs White's wrist and says they'll sleep like that so White can't slip away. Sean is physically touching White, feeling the skin to skin contact, and perhaps if we want to stretch again (we're going to be so limber today) White is feeling some complex emotions towards someone who was supposed to be perceived as an enemy.

WHEW. that's it for today's episode! that was a lot and i sincerely hope you guys are still enjoying these (they do take me a few hours to make lajkgla i never realized bc i get so hyperfocused and do genuinely enjoy making them)

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

Hello!

I always love reading your thoughts regarding the show so I thought I’d ask for your opinion on a few of the missing moments from tarlos’ story! 

How do you think the first time they said ‘I love you’ went?

When TK, Carlos, Owen, and Mateo were all living together, name one shenanigan you think happened in that brief window after the grief from the fire lessened but before the break up

How did the night before their wedding go?

1.I think the first "I love you" definitely happened prior to season 2. I think Carlos would have been thinking it and wanting to say it, but I think he would have waited for TK to say it first because he would have still been a little afraid of coming on too strong after the way things happened in season 1. I imagine TK was thinking it for at least a little while before saying it. When he did finally say it, it was in a fairly ordinary moment some evening at Carlos's place. Something simple, like Carlos doing kind things for him/thinking of him/doing little things to take care of him, finally overwhelmed TK with love and he blurted it out. Carlos would have immediately said it back and they would have spent the night both being overwhelmed by how happy and in love they were.

2. I think the primary shenanigan that occurred during that time was a series of events that consistently kept TK and Carlos from having the kind of privacy they so desperately wanted and needed. Owen would try to make himself scarce, but he would be so obvious about it that Carlos would almost die of embarrassment. Mateo would be absolutely oblivious. They would get Owen out of the way and think they were about to get some proper alone time and then Mateo would burst into the room and invite them to a Marvel movie marathon. Carlos would be VERY stressed, and Mateo and Owen would be lucky that he loved them so much--otherwise, who knows what would have happened 😂

3. The night before their wedding was quiet and full of love. I think, had Gabriel not died, they might have spent it apart for tradition's sake. However, they changed any plans they may have had to do that because they couldn't bear to be apart. Carlos was having trouble sleeping as it was, so why would he suffer through a night without TK by his side? And TK absolutely did not want to be away from Carlos and would have been worried sick about him, afraid he was hurting and not sleeping if TK wasn't there to rub his back. Despite the grief lingering at the edges, they would have found themselves in a bubble of love and happiness and peace, knowing that the next day they would be husbands.

[sasusakucore]

Marichat May 2023 Day 5: Nightmare

@marichatmay (takes place during season 5 after deflagaration(kwami's choice part 2) )

Marinette woke up in cold sweat with her heart pounding erratically and her whole body trembling with fear. "Marinette, are you alright?" Her kwami immediately came to her side in order to comfort her holder. It took some time for the girl to compose herself then looked at the worried expression of her kwami.

"I am alright tikki, it's just another nightmare." She reassured her kwami who was currently sitting on her palm while giving her a fake reassuring smile. Tikki was not fooled by the fake smile but she decided to not talk about it since she didn't want make her uncomfortable. While the nightmare's were slowly reducing it was still a common occurrence which always tormented her holder and it saddened tikki that she couldn't do much about it.

"Marinette, how about we go to the balcony for a while to forget about the nightmare." Tikki suggested. "That's a wonderful idea, tikki." Marinette replied. Both hoped that hanging out on the balcony would provide relief from the nightmare.

It was currently 30 minutes past midnight in Paris and it was very chilly, luckily Marinette didn't forget to bring a warm blanket with her. She is currently viewing her surroundings while being wrapped with the blanket but her mind was plagued with many thoughts with some of them being about how the akumatized villains are getting the powers of the miraculouses from Monarch, his next scheme, her school life etc.

She also remembered that chat noir would be doing this night patrol alone today and she immediately started feeling guilty. She really shouldn't have taken his advice of not doing today's night patrol earlier this day since he somehow figured out that she didn't have adequate sleep for days and convinced her to take rest for today and at first she tried to argue against it, Chat Noir reassured her that he would be fine doing the patrol alone and he told her that she requires the rest to ensure her good health and so that she could be at top condition to deal with Monarch's schemes. But at the back of her mind she was grateful for her partner's caring and thoughtful nature.

The chilly breeze made her involuntarily shiver and her thoughts shifted to her nightmare. While the nightmare's were slowly stopping but she still gets tormented by them frequently. Her nightmares' take many form like monarch getting her and chat noir's miraculous, Chat blanc, an akumatized villain causing large scale level destruction etc. and all of them are really horrifying and she still vividly some them even now.

"Um hello there, Marinette." a voice all to familiar to her greeted her from her left and she immediately looked at the source of the voice. Infront of her stood chat noir giving her his usual grin. "Hello there chat noir." After the disaster date which ended up andre getting akumatized into glaciator again and with both of them being just friends, there was a slight awkward atmosphere between them. "So, what's up with the late night stargazing?" Chat Noir asked with curiosity obvious on his face. "I had a nightmare." Marinette replied without even thinking and after saying that her expression immediately changed into a mixture of embarrassment and panic. She then felt chat noir putting his hand on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. "There is no need to get embarrassed about it Marinette. Nightmares are terrifying even for superheroes like me and ladybug and to tell you the truth, even I have had nightmares regarding Monarch or akumatized villains."

Hearing that made her somewhat suprised on the inside though she knew on the back of the head that even chat noir might feel paranoid about the whole situation and sadness and guilt took over her because it's because of her that things are becoming so difficult and scary. "Um, marinette are you alright?" Her eyes now met her partner's worried green eyes. "I am fine, it's just I remembered my nightmare." Marinette said. "If it's alright, could you tell me about your nightmare. It might help you to feel calm." Chat noir suggested.

On one hand, Marinette was touched by her partner's gesture but on the other hand she is panicked about what lie she should tell him so that he doesn't figure out that she is ladybug. "Um, it was about monarch trying to akumatize me and destroying Paris." She internally facepalmed because this is the second time she blurted out something before even thinking twice. She really wished in her mind at that moment that she was a better liar but it was hard for her especially when she is around her trusted partner and beloved friend.

Meanwhile guilt slowly began to appear on chat noir's face. He blamed himself for marinette's nightmare since he was the reason she nearly got akumatized and he loathes it that because of him, the girl he dearly loves and cherishes nearly became a victim of monarch.

"You don't need to blame yourself about it chat noir." He immediately snapped out of his thougts when she spoke,"Looking back I don't think love between both of us would have worked out since in the end we both are from different worlds. And besides, you were the one who saved me from getting akumatized." Marinette then looked at him and gave him a very gentle smile which he loved so much.

He then gave her an optimistic grin and said, "Don't worry about it princess, even if you do get akumatized me and ladybug will definitely save you and the whole paris." Marinette loved his optimism though she knew that if she got akumatized then everything would end in a disaster. Nevertheless chat noir's optimism managed to cheer her up. She knew that she had precious people by her side especially chat noir who she knew she could count on. "I know you two will." She replied while having a peaceful expression.

They chatted with each other about many things which was mostly about marinette's life since chat noir can't tell much about his civilian life but he did tell her about what he witnesses during patrols with ladybug, some of them which she already knows since she is ladybug but chat noir doesn't know that, and some she doesn't know since there are times that she and him split up while patrolling so that they could find an akumatized villain or sentimonster quickly. He also told her about what he saw during his solo patrol.

"Wait, so ladybug is not with you, today?" Marinette asked even though she knows why. "Yeah, she us not with me today because I told her to take rest. Ladybug takes alot of stress regarding our duties especially now. I wish I could help her in someway since for the past few weeks she has been taking extra stress and it makes me feel awful that I couldn't do anything about it." Chat noir said with him having a helpless expression. "I don't if it's in my place to say this, but I feel like ladybug is happy with you just by her side and I am sure she appreciates you being on her side. Things might have gotten worse for her if she didn't have your support. " Marinette replied with confidence in her voice. "I guess you might be right. Despite the recent events ladybug still manages to remain strong and I really admire that about her. I guess what I would need to do is support her and be partner she could rely on."

Marinette involuntarily blushed when he said that but quickly managed to calm herself. She was internally relieved and happy that chat noir didn't lose his trust on her(ladybug) and instead he still finds her to be admirable. "I should leave now, I don't want you have less hours of sleep because of me." Chat noir said. "It was quite nice and fun to talk to you Marinette. If you don't mind, can we talk to each other again."

He opened his arms and made a gesture to ask whether she wanted to hug him or not. Marinette gave nod in agreement and both of them hugged each other and they both kissed each other at the cheek. "It was nice talking to you as well, Chat noir and I will be happy to talk to again. And thank you for cheering me up. Good night chat noir." Marinette, now gave him a gentle smile. "Goodnight Marinette. " Chat noir said and before he left, he gave her a tender smile.

Marinette saw Chat noir figure slowly disappearing as he was jumping from rooftops away from her balcony. Her face has became alot more joyful. She was glad she could talk to Chat noir. Tikki was looking at the whole scene with joy and she was happy that her holder is feeling much better now. Marinette decided to go back to bed, she was confident that she won't have any nightmares right now and she will have sweet dreams.

Meanwhile, as the cat themed superhero was jumping from one rooftop to another inorder to reach his home, contentment and happiness was evident in his expression since he got to talk to his love despite the slight awkward atmosphere in the beginning and he even managed to cheer her up. This night in his mind was one of the best nights of his life.

.

.

(Hello everyone, thank you for reading my snippet. It honestly took me so long to write it.I hope my snippet is to your liking since I am not really that experienced in writing snippets.)

[anbubisibuna]

I accidently deleted the Question sorry anon

But Number 6 for the Maragnus Oneshot thingy

After the Finale of Season 2

__________________________________________

It was already evening. The residents had already eaten dinner and now they had some free time before bed. Mara and Magnus were still on the road with his father. The two returned after 8 p.m. Tired but happy.

"I know I've said it before but thank you thank you." said Magnus as he led her into the house.

Mara smiled happily at him. It was nice to see him so happy. " It's okay."

The day had been so long today. In the morning she was trapped in the tower and had to perform a ritual to bring Tutankhamun and Amneris back together. In the afternoon she was at the small wedding party of Ms. Engel and Mr. Altrichter. It was an impromptu little celebration. It was utterly surprising that they both got married. Well, on paper they weren't. But that didn't matter because now they were going on their honeymoon.

The rest of the afternoon, Mara spend with Magnus and his father. They first went out to eat, played golf and then to the cinema. At the end of the day, Mara was really tired. She had hardly slept the night before. It wasn't a surprise Who could sleep in a dungeon like that? Mara was so scared and she could hear creaking noises. But she definitely didn't want to sleep in the attic now. Timidly she looked up the stairs. Mara felt a heavy lump in her throat and she couldn't go up there. Immediately she had the ghost in the mirror and the kidnapping in her head. She stood rooted to the ground under the step. Mara didn't notice how worried Magnus looked at her.

Gently he caresses her cheeks. "Hey if you want me to sleep at your place or you can't sleep at my place?"

Mara turned around and looked up at him. She felt less anxious. She would definitely be a lot less afraid if Magnus were in the attic with her, but she would like to avoid it in the near future if possible. Of course it will be difficult because it's her room.

"I'll sleep at your place.", Mara finally said. She walked away from the stairs in the direction of his room. Magnus followed her.

Mara sat down on his bed and Magnus sat down next to her. She put her hands on his knees." Thanks."

Magnus looked at her in surprise. "For what? Of course I won't leave you alone. You can stay here as long as you want." He took his hands in hers and looked into her eyes. "Okay?"

Mara breathed a sigh of relief. " Yes."

Magnus smiled at her and tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Mara got goosebumps. The two closed the gap between them until their lips met. The two pulled themselves closer to each other. It had been a long time since they could exchange such affections. Just as the two were about to dive deeper into their kiss Mara pulled away and let out a yawn.

Laughing lightly Mara put her hand on her mouth.

"I'm sorry but I'm so tired." Mara laid her head on his shoulders. She rubbed her eyes.

"We can go to bed now. I get your stuff "

Mara nodded. She was glad she had him. At the thought, she fell in his arms and hugged him tight. So tight that he could hardly breathe.

"Mara." he gasped. He tried to free himself. "I really like to do that for you , but you have to let me live for that."

Mara let him go. He pinched her cheeks affectionately and disappeared from the room.

Mara laid her head on his pillow and stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts swirled around the today's events. The kidnapping still filled with her trepidation. She could hardly remember the ritual. It felt more like a dream. But Magnus and the club had confirmed to her that it had happened. But she remembered how she screamed in desperation that she loved him and how he later confessed that he loved her too. She was glad that all the stress of the past few weeks was over. Tired, she let out another yawn.

Magnus returned to his room less than five minutes later. He had brought a pair of pajamas and also her toiletry bag. Mara sat down on the edge of the bed and gratefully accepted the things.

She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth before disappearing to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Magnus also changed. He picked up his toiletry bag and went to the bathroom as well. He hadn't seen Felix until now. He was probably with Daniel and Co in Delia's and Nina's room.

Fortunately, the club and Felix had forgiven him. They had noticed that he was really sorry and that he has changed.

But he didn't know if he could join the club. He wanted to take care of Mara now and spend time with her. Besides, he wasn't sure if she would feel comfortable with it. It was much more important to him that Mara was alright.

About an hour later, the two were lying in Magnus' bed together. Mara was already asleep. She was softly breathing and her body was relaxed as she laid on him.

Magnus was still awake. He was kind of sitting half propped on the bed while Mara had her head on him. She had her arm stretched out and cuddled around his torso.

It was definitely a tight space for both of them to be huddled together in a bed that was smaller than they were used to. But Magnus didn't care. It felt good to have her that close.

Magnus took his eyes off his phone for a moment and gazed at his sleeping girlfriend. She was so beautiful and looked so peaceful. As much as he would have liked to put down the phone and snuggled under the covers with her, he knew he couldn't. He wouldn't stay up all night. Just a little bit more. He just wanted to stay awake until he was sure that Mara was fast asleep. If Mara would wake up in the night he wanted to be there for her.

Just then the door slowly creaked open, and Felix stepped inside the floor. Seeing Mara in Magnus bed his brows furrowed in brief shock. " Oh god what am I walking in on? "

Magnus gave him an irritated look. He would wake up Mara. "Shh. you idiot." he hissed quietly. "You're not walking into anything here."

Felix bit his tongue, he sighed and walked over to his own bed. As he sat on the edge of the bed, he glanced at the sleeping Mara who was hugging his best friend tightly. "Is she okay?" he asked in a whisper.

He had spoken to the other club members earlier about how they are going to Egypt. Daniel found out on the parchment that they had six months left to do it. They wouldn't be going now for the Easter holidays, but probably in the summer holidays.

However, they did not consider that Mara could suffer permanent damage as a result of the ritual. He would then have to tell the club. Sighing, Magnus looked briefly from Mara to Felix. He shrugged his shoulders and laid his phone down on his nightstand. "She'll be okay. She didn't want to be alone."

Felix breathed a sigh of relief. He slipped under the covers and put his glasses on his bedside table. "Why aren't you in the attic? The bed there is much bigger."

"She didn't want to sleep in the attic. I suggested we sleep in the attic or here. So."

Felix nodded slowly. He scratched his head briefly as another thought nagged in his head: "And what about Victor?"

Magnus frowned.

Thoughtfully he looked at Mara and then at Felix. "He won't find out." he said with a shrug. Besides, it wasn't that important to him.

"I'll help you. ", Felix said, " I mean that he doesn't find out."

Magnus' face lightend up. " Thanks."

Felix gave him a small nod. " Good night."

" Good night." Magnus then kind of awkardly shuffled down on his bed to comfortably lay down, while doing his best not to wake Mara up. He stopped when Mara slightly stirred in her sleep. Thankfully she continued to sleep and didn't wake up. Sighing quietly in relief he began to rub her back and he felt her body relax. He turned to the side to face her while still holding her tight. After finding a comfortable sleeping Position he closed his eyes as well.

Here is to the ask prompt:

[anonymouslylovesyou]

Season 2 episode 8 Season Finale babyy @whoblewboobear

At least ppl know they are missing

OH SHIT SHES BLEEDING

I know that Kate would hate the princess carry if she was conscious

Anthony buddy head would always look worse than they are she will probably be ok

Penelope sneak out to see Eloise

Theo and Eloise making up!

The Queen is missing Whistedown

COLIN BE NICE TO WILL DAMN IT HES TRYING TO HELP YOU

Noo Jack is leaning in for a kiss gross, kiss averted

Edwinda!! She must feel so bad this happened while they were fighting

SHES AWAKE AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY ASKED ABOUT ANTHONY CRINGE

I forgive her she's in love I guess

Violet is such a trooper for her dumbass children

Oh my god fully if my mom gave me an apology like this I'd die in my sleep the next night

---

Ok boys break bc I'm eepy and emotional putting this bad boy in drafts hopefully I remember it exists

----

Good news did remember about this draft

Do not be rude to the tailor Eloise I mean it

MEETING PENELOPE OUTSIDE

Oo baby Eloise is heartbroken

OH NO A LARGE DONATION TO THE ACADEMY RIPP

Usually I don't care about that plotline but occasionally it fucking gets me

Straight to the Kate plotline! We're moving so fast

Not "was there something else my lord"

TO ASK HER TO MARRY YOU

TELL HER YOU LOVE HER. SAY THE EORDS I LOVE YOU

Eloise and Theo having another investigation date

RIP MOVED AWAY FROM THE KISS

And he's being mean about the breakup yikes fuck off asshole, I don't know that I mean that I liked Theo but also Eloise is literally doing her best

Edwinda and Kate relearning each other <3

Eloise sitting on that swing again where she was smoking

Oo Eloise knew that Anthony bought that seat

Oo Gregory we never see the younger Bridgertons

Violet eavesdropping <3

Kate's mom is calling her out for running away

Oo and it immediately makes her cry she has some blocked up emotions baby

Kate darling his ass did not ask you out of duty you're so stupid <3 fully your sister couldn't marry him *because* he loved you and not her

Aww Eloises family supporting herr

Eloise: Thank you for protecting me you're a true friend

Penelope: slowly dying of guilt

Oh shit Eloise is starting to put the pieces together

KATE AND HER SISTER DANCING

Oo interesting strat Colin with getting Cressidas necklaces

OH NO COLIN FOUND OUT but he's so sweet being protective of Penelope

AA THEY'RE DANCING

Anthony swooped in so fucking fast

NOT ONE LAST TIME

Also its so funny bitches never have to wait for a song to start one always starts at the perfect time

Damn everyone is staring

"No one else matters" truly the Bridgertons specifically are living inside a romcom

Crazy that's she's still lying to herself about going back to India babe he's crazy about you

ELOISE ARE YOU SERIOUS BUT ALSO OH NO WHAT A TRULY TEERIBLE TIMING FOR HER TO FIND OUT THEIR FRIENDSHIP IS COOKED

NOOOOOO MANN

I know that Penelope marries Colin so her and Eloise have to make up at some point

Go off Portia! She said we Scheme for the entire family or we don't scheme at all.

Oh no she's looking for Eloise AND COLIN SAID HE'D NEVER COURT HER

Bad day for Penelope overall

OH HE SAID I LOVE YOU JUST AS I TOLD HIM TO

And he thought he was bad at poetry

Damn who is going to promise to vex me everyday?

Lady Whistedown voice over is now Penelope!!

COLIN BROUGHT PROSPERITY TO WILLS BAR LETS GO

Oh no not both Eloise and Penelope crying!

Penelope writing a new issue :O

And Lady Whistedown voice over is back

Timeskip they are married

God Kate's hair is soo pretty

Daphne for sure knows from experience that they were busy fucking

Babes stop making out on the battlefield, fully your siblings are here

[spencersfunkysocks]

of things precious and forbidden

On their way home from a case, Derek witnesses what seems to be innocent gesture between Hotch and Reid. But is that really all there is to it?

Hello, peeps! I’m back with part 2 of this little series! Next part is already planned, and as a tease: It’s gonna be Rossi’s POV 👀

Thank you to @gaelic-symphony for beta-reading <3

wc: 1.8k cw: none tags: fluff, set some time during season 4/5

part 2 of “to overcome and love someone” [part 1]

read it also on ao3!

Derek groaned as he tilted his head to one side and then the other, a futile attempt to get rid of the tension in his neck. Whenever he moved, he could feel tiny sparks of pain pulsating down his spine, and he knew that that wasn't good. He would most likely have to go see a doctor in the morning.

Maybe he should stop kicking down doors without knowing what was hidden behind them — in this case, it had been an unexpected and very painful flight of stairs.

He quickly shook his head at that thought, something he immediately regretted. That door had been the one thing separating the team from the Unsub. Only a few moments later and another woman would have lost her life.

So even though he was in pain, Derek smiled. It had been a good day.

Because sleep wasn't an option and he couldn't find a position comfortable enough to stare out of the plane window into the night sky, he decided to focus his attention on something else.

He slowly let his eyes wander around the jet.

In the back, he could see Emily and JJ talking.

It was Henry's birthday soon, and somehow, Penelope and Emily had decided that it was their duty as unofficial aunts to go all out, forcing JJ to partake in lengthy planning sessions. From the way it sounded, they were currently on a group call with his favourite technical analyst, and he chuckled as he could make out the words "bouncy castle" followed by a very stern "No." from JJ.

It was hopeless, though — he had known Penelope long enough to know that if she wanted something, she was going to get it. And with Emily added into the mix, JJ didn't stand a chance.

In the row next to them, he could make out Rossi. He had what appeared to be a glass of Scotch in front of him, and his were eyes closed as he was listening to music on his headphones.

Even after a long day of working in the field, Rossi still managed to exude class — something that Derek didn't exactly envy him for, but it was definitely an impressive trait. He wouldn't have been surprised if Rossi had somehow managed to smuggle his own good brand of scotch on the plane.

"Sometimes, expensive actually is better," he had once said.

Hotch was sitting in the row diagonally across the aisle from Derek's, and he was currently buried deep into a mountain of files, already having started the paperwork for this case.

Line after line he scribbled onto the paper, his pen gliding up and down the page in a monotone yet hypnotizing motion.

Derek wondered how Hotch still had any energy left after the day they had had — even if he wanted it, he wouldn't have been able to write down a single coherent sentence.

But Hotch had always been like this: dutiful, hardworking, and with a giant stick up his ass.

Derek couldn't remember the last time he had seen Hotch smile, let alone laugh. But then again, with a job like theirs, he couldn't exactly blame him, considering all the times Derek himself had sought the solace of a church for some peace of mind.

Behind him, he could hear the toilet door open, and Reid stepped out.

For a moment, it sounded as though he was rustling through his bag before quickly walking past Derek’s seat and approaching Hotch.

"I don't want to disturb you," Reid began, and Hotch looked up at him with a soft expression on his face. "But I brought the book we were talking about. Emil of Lönneberga?"

Hotch nodded, and when Reid slightly shifted his position, Derek could see that he was, in fact, holding a book.

It was medium-sized with a blue cover, and from the looks of it it was well-loved: The pages were a soft yellowish colour, and the spine was well and truly broken.

Reid spoke up again, his voice quiet.

"It's the copy that my mom used to read to me when I was a child. For a while, this was my favourite book before I discovered Pippi Longstocking. Overall, Astrid Lindgren is a great author, and I think Jack is going to love this one."

With that, he handed the book over to Hotch. The other man looked at it for a moment, turning it around to take a look at the blurb.

Just as Reid was about to turn away, Hotch reached out and put his hand on Reid's arm.

"Thank you, Jack is going to be over the moon," he said. Derek thought he was dreaming when he saw the smile that had appeared on Hotch's face.

Reid nodded.

"Don't mention it," he answered, pulling his mouth into his signature half-grin. Then, he turned around, walking down the aisle until he reached the jet's couch and flopping down on it.

All that Derek could see of him now were the tips of his Converse peeking out from one of the armrests.

As his eyes shifted back to Hotch again, Derek caught him thumbing through the book, a chuckle escaping him when he had found what seemed to be a particularly funny section.

The entire exchange had left Derek puzzled, and he was frantically trying to sort his thoughts.

Reid had given Hotch a book.

That in itself wasn't unusual — if given the opportunity, he was more than willing to talk about and share his newest literary discoveries.

But this wasn't just any book.

It was a book from Reid's childhood, one his mother had read to him. The sentimental value was priceless, and Derek knew what that meant: No one was allowed to have that book, lest they accidentally damage it.

And yet, he had willingly handed it over to Hotch, and by extension Jack, who was a very sweet but very sticky 3-year-old.

There was an almost guaranteed risk that some pages might get torn or that something could get spilled on the book, but Reid hadn't seemed bothered by that thought in the slightest.

But that hadn't even been the weirdest part of their interaction.

Hotch had touched Reid, and he had let him.

Aside from the fact that Hotch had initiated physical contact with one of his agents, Derek couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Reid hadn't flinched or pulled away.

Instead, he had smiled.

Derek thought back to all the times he had tried touching Reid — even a reassuring pat on the shoulder used to be enough to make Reid recoil.

It had taken him years of friendship for Reid to feel comfortable with the simplest of touches, and even so, Derek had limited them to the bare minimum. He could count on one hand the number of times they had hugged, several of those because either one of them had nearly died.

Somehow, though, Reid felt comfortable with Hotch touching them.

Derek furrowed his brows, trying to remember if maybe they had started hanging out more lately, but quickly dismissed that thought.

Aaron Hotchner wasn't one to "hang out" with anyone, much less his own agents. He always tried keeping a strict work-life balance, as difficult as being a part of this team made that.

Derek tried coming up with another explanation as to why Reid would be okay with that sort of physical contact.

If it were anybody else, Derek's answer would have been simple: flirting.

Casual touches, smiles, acts of service... Whilst that wasn't Derek's style of getting with someone, he knew that other people liked to be more subtle about their advances.

Still, this was Reid he was thinking about here. Boy Genius was quite literally married to his work, and if he wasn't in the office, he was most likely holed up in his apartment with a few hundred books.

Derek shook his head — something he immediately regretted, and he barely managed to suppress a yelp.

But the thought wouldn't leave his mind, and the more he pondered it, the more obvious it became that this was the only plausible solution, the only thing that would explain this quite concerning change of behaviour.

Reid had a crush on Hotch.

Just thinking that felt like Derek had committed several federal crimes. He was glad that none of the other team members were currently looking at him, because right now, anyone, profiler or not, would have been able to see through him.

A thousand questions appeared in Derek's head.

What did this mean? Was Reid going to do something about his crush? Did Hotch like him back? What was going to happen if they ever became an item?

A shudder ran down his back as he tried to picture his boss and his best friend kissing, or worse—

He didn't allow his mind to go there.

This wasn't about him. This was about one of the most important people in his life, someone he considered to be his brother.

Derek felt a wave of relief wash over him when he realized that what bothered him about this wasn't that Reid had a crush on a man. It was that he apparently had a crush on Hotch of all people, and no matter how this played out, things could turn very awkward very quickly for the entire team.

Along with the pain pulsating in his back, he felt a headache approaching. This was not how he had imagined the journey home to go, and he didn't know how he would be able to keep this to himself.

'I have to talk to someone about this,' he thought.

But who?

The most obvious choice would have been Reid himself, but chances were that he wasn't even aware of his own behaviour, and Derek didn't want to cause any damage by bringing this up. He deserved a chance at happiness, and if that meant getting with their boss, then so be it.

Penelope was out of the question, too — as much as he adored that woman, she couldn't keep a secret to herself if her own life depended on it. She would most likely see Hotch and spill everything completely unprompted, and that was a risk he couldn't take.

A snore tore Derek from his thoughts.

From the looks of it, Rossi had finished his Scotch and was now fast asleep, his head slumped onto the wall of the plane and his headphones sitting lopsided on his face.

Derek raised an eyebrow.

From what he had heard, Rossi was a master at keeping secrets, having the perfect poker face that could even fool Reid, micro-expressions and everything.

He was also the closest thing to what Derek would consider to be a friend of Hotch's — an angle that was certainly useful in this situation.

Plus, Rossi was one of the best profilers he had ever met. If anything could tell him whether he was imagining things or not, it would be him.

Closing his eyes in an attempt to get some desperately needed sleep, he made a mental note to talk to Rossi as soon as he was back from the doctor's tomorrow.

Derek hoped that he kept some of the good Scotch in his office as well.

tagging @gettingrailedbyreid​ ✨

[belovedharringrove]

so i made a post saying that if you want proof that billy is abused by neil, that you should watch the scene where neil's asking him where max is with an abuser (but, like. don't actually do that if you can avoid it) and @sonneillonv asked to see my perspective on it.

okay so start this off properly

TRIGGER WARNING

there will be discussions of abuse to both a real person (me) and a character (billy).

i'm putting my thoughts in order as i write this so this may either be extremely short or very long.

right. i am 21 years old and i work and make my own money, and during all these years i have been abused physically, verbally and let's say financially. the physical abuse has slowed down but from the time i was 6-7 to when i was about 17 my father abused me physically almost every day, sometimes for what i considered to be the dumbest reasons but he considered to be disrespect. my dad worked in construction his whole life so he didn't have the lightest hand in the world either.

when i watched s2 e8 (correct me if i'm wrong but i believe that's the episode) i was with both of my parents.

in the episode, billy's getting ready for a date and neil knocks on his door demanding to know where max is, start insulting him, etc.

the moment i saw nail hit billy, i immediately went "see? billy lashes out at everyone because he's being abused. that is abuse." and my 60 year old father immediately disagreed with me. he said that no, that's not abuse, but billy was being disrespectful and maybe if billy had spoken better to him, neil wouldn't have had to punch him, billy could've gotten away with a slap to the wrist!!! which is a form of manipulation that he's used with me before. you know, the apologies that go "i'm sorry i yelled at you in public, but if you hadn't pissed me off i wouldn't have had to scream at you!".

then we get to the part where neil asks billy to repeat himself and i say "that's a tool that abusers use as a way of holding power over their victims" and my father once again disagrees with me. says that sometimes as a parent, you need to ask your children to repeat things so "the lessons stick better" and "they don't keep making mistakes". when i asked what mistake billy made, he floundered and then said billy lost max and when i pointed out that, in me and my older siblings case, we could both be home at the same time and be none the wiser because we're always in our rooms. perhaps the same thing can happen to billy and max? y'know, because they're humans and billy can't be expected to helicopter over a moody teenager the whole day unless he wants her to throw her skateboard at him? he just got quiet and told me to shut up.

then we get to the part that billy goes to the byers' house and he gets into a fight with steve. when max grabs the syringe and injects billy with the medicine, i say "she shouldn't have done that, that was very dangerous thing to do. billy could've died." and my mom says "but they were using that to put will to sleep, it wouldn't have hurt him." i then have to explain that we don't know billy's medical history. he could've had an allergic reaction to the medicine and simply just died. i am 100% certain that none of them have cpr training or even would've known what to do if that had happened. then they go and take billy's car, leaving him drugged and with no mode of transportation.

at this point my father is not very happy and says "well, billy is a grown man! if he hated being abused so much, he could've just fought back!" and- no. he couldn't.

billy looks like a grown man because dacre montgomery was around 23 years old in 2017 when season 2 came out and, let's be honest, the man is pretty fucking fit. but billy was a teenager. only 17 years old. it's not he didn't want to fight back, it's that he couldn't.

as a 21 year old, i have my abusive father financially dependent on me while he waits to be retired. i could easily deny him a single cent that he asks of me but i cannot. not because i'm incapable, but simply because my mind goes 'he's your father, he raised you, he loves you, do you really wanna turn into him? he did his best while raising, he wasn't perfect but who is?' and that's only a few of the thoughts that go through my mind. billy is 17 years old and similar things probably go through his mind, plus maybe 'i don't have anyone' because max proved she doesn't care for his wellbeing back at the byers house, susan wouldn't come to his defense and neil is his abuser. he's far from california, he has no friends and no other family. he's completely alone.

i really hope this made sense and i put it in a way that people understand. i am emotionally drained now because this is a difficult topic to breach for me, but if you have any questions or need me to clear anything up, just reply or send me a pm and i'll be happy to answer.

[interlunium-opus]

"I hate him spending time with you more than I hate running so you know, priorities." [ Jay. ]

[ Jay | fluff ]

Author’s Note: Here's a fluff in response to the following request "Can you maybe do a fluff/crack for Jay where maybe he felt a little jealous when you praised someone for their skill and he immediately goes competitive mode and openly tries to show how he's far better indirectly to the guy?" Hope it's close to what you have in mind and hope you like it :3

“Do you have anything to explain to me?”

You jumped, startled, as Jay appeared beside you while you were busy shoving your textbooks into your locker, “Jay! What did I say about sneaking up on people?”

“And what did I say about not keeping secrets between us?” Jay snapped back, arms crossed, brows raised, “Is this how much our friendship is worth?”

“My goodness, what is it this time?” You sighed as he fished his phone out of his pocket, turning it to show you a candid picture of you and Sunghoon from last night.

“I mean seriously, of all people to date, you have to go for this pretentious prick?” Jay scoffed before gesticulating wildly, “Look, I know I said that you need to stop being aromantic and start planting some sort romantic interest somewhere — but Sunghoon is just ain't it. In fact ! I’d rather you date the spawn of the devil, Jungwon, instead.”

You snorted a laugh before shaking your head dismissively, “Dude, we were just running last night okay? Does that even look like a date to you?”

“Okay,” he repeated sarcastically, “but you love running alone! So why are you suddenly running with someone — and not just anyone but this prick???”

“I really don’t get why you two hate each other so much,” you raised an eyebrow at Jay, “Look we just happened to bump into each other last night and since we were heading the same way, he asked if I don’t mind him tagging along for the remainder of the way — no big deal.”

“Ughh, that’s the oldest trick in book,” Jay scrunched his face, “And you said yes?”

“I mean — we’re not exactly strangers, we have been in the same tutorial class together for more than a year now," you mumbled as you zip your bag up, "He's a good running partner too. His pace was so stable and steady that it made me stuck to mine as well — I mean, duh, he's an athlete after all."

"Hey, I can run well too," Jay grumbled defensively, "You know if you needed a running partner, you could've called me right?"

“Maybe if you were as fit as I am, she would have,” Sunghoon suddenly appeared beside Jay, peering over his shoulder to look at the picture on his phone, “That’s a good picture of me and y/n — no wonder you got jealous.”

“Speak of the devil,” Jay rolled his eyes, “Aren't you a bit too greedy over what I have? first, you took up my spot for the dance competition and now you're trying to make a move on my girl."

"Jay, that was 2 years ago — get over it. You've taken my spot afterwards for the Summer competition anyway so we're actually even," Sunghoon retorted, "Also, she's not your girlfriend anyway so your territorial behaviour is pretty misplaced."

"Guys, cut it out," you shut your locker close with extra force in an effort to shut the squabbles, "Also, why am I suddenly dragged into your petty fights."

"Right sorry about that, he's just always trying to pick a fight with me," Sunghoon shook his head dismissively before turning to you and beamed, "Just stopping by to ask if you're running again tonight 'cause I would love to join again. It’s off season for ice-skating so I thought it's the perfect time to get back to running again."

“Oh? Yeah I am going tonight as well, just a tad bit late in the evening though. I want to finish up some work at the library first,” you smiled back at Sunghoon, ignoring Jay’s burning stare, “You know you can start ahead if you want — don’t want you waiting too long in case I'll take too much time at the library.”

“I’ll go when you go, don’t worry,” he reassured as he backed away, joining Heeseung who was waiting for him, “I’ll text you alright? Looking forward to tonight!”

You nodded and waved at him before turning to Jay, “What?”

“That’s it,” Jay clasped his hands together, “I’ll run with you tonight — and the next.”

“Jay, don’t be ridiculous, you hate running,” you emphasized, “which is why I never asked you to run with me.”

“Hey — I can love running if it’s for you,” he winked, wrapping an arm over your shoulders, dragging you past the crowded hallway towards your next class, “Or let me paraphrase: I hate him spending time with you more than I hate running so you know, priorities.”

“your priorities are all skewed then," you clicked your tongue, "Well, as long as you don't hurt yourself."

_________________________________________________________________________

The next morning however Jay did not show up in Modern Political Thought seminar that you guys have every Thursday morning. Though the guy is such a sleepyhead, he never misses a class even when he pulled up an all-nighter the night before. So this sudden absence, paired with the fact that he managed to run a whole 5km without stopping last night, was sowing seeds of suspicions and guilt within you. To make things worse, he did not even respond to any of your messages for the last 5 hours.

That was why you ended up being in front of Jay's apartment instead of having your lunch that noon. "Hi!" you immediately say as the door of Jay's apartment opened. It was Jake, his flatmate, with his lids only half-opened and hair all disheveled, "y/n?"

"Sorry for waking you up Jake," you smiled apologetically, "Is Jay home? He missed a Politics seminar this morning and he didn’t respond to my text at all — just wanna make sure he’s alright.”

“mmhmm, pretty sure he’s in," he answered drowsily before yawning, "but probably, still hibernating.”

“Oh okay, do you mind if I come in?”

Jake nodded, backing up as he held the door open, “Of course, come in — it’s messy though.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you reassured, making your way towards the room at the end of the hallway. As you knocked on his door, Jake suddenly shouted from the kitchen, “don’t bother knocking y/n — that guy sleeps like a log. Just go in.”

“Uhh…” you bit your lip, slightly hesitating but relented when your subsequent knocks yielded no answer.

“Jay? I’m entering okay?” you say as you let yourself in, carefully navigating around the dark room, stumbling a few times against some random furnitures.

"Jake, get out okay-" you hear him grumble from underneath the covers, tossing the other way, "just let me... sleep mo..re."

As you neared his bed, you reached over to his bedside table and turned on the lamp. Suddenly, Jay rose from the covers, his hand gripping your wrist, grunting "Jake what did I just say-"

Trailing off, he looked at you with brows furrowed in a mix of annoyance and confusion, before his expressions gradually soften "y/n?"

"dude, you almost gave me a heart attack," you muttered, sighing exasperatedly.

"Sorry, I thought it was Jake trying to disturb me again," he softened his grip and rubbed your wrist as if he had just hurt it, "Did I hurt you?"

"My heart, almost but my hand is fine," you pulled your hand away, "How about you?"

"What about me?"

"You missed class this morning," you crossed your arms.

"It's just one class, no big deal. I just overslept-"

"Is that all?" you raised an eyebrow before pointing at the crumpled muscle relief patch packs and pain relief creams strewn messily across his bedside table, "Did someone overexert himself last night?"

"Fine, I didn't come to class partly because my legs are sore," he shrugged, "but hey, I ran as much as Sunghoon did! Aren't you proud of me?"

"Not if it's at the cost of your legs!" you replied exasperatedly, "Come on, where is the rational Jay that I know? he wouldn't have let his competitiveness and ego cloud his judgements like this."

"It's just normal post-workout sore, I've had it a couple of times before," he reassured, "Also, I may hate running. But I'm actually good at HIIT and strength training so I'm not all that unfit as you think I am. Or he thinks."

"All that just so you can prove him wrong?"

"No of course not, I couldn't care less about him," he huffed, "I just wanted you to know that I can pace well with you too."

"Jay, that does not make it any better-"

"Probably also to convince you that I make a better running partner than Sunghoon," he sniggered.

"Well, guess what, you can't run if your legs are hurt," you quipped.

"Oh shit, that's true," he muttered under his breath, "Well post-workout sore usually last between 3-7 days so I'll be good as new after that. Running partners?" he stretched his hand out as if asking for a handshake.

You sighed, grabbing his outstretched hand, shaking it as if you guys are signing on a pact, "Only if you promise not to overexert yourself next time."

"Promise," his smile widened, "Have you had lunch? I'll cook something up for you."

"Your legs are hurt though."

"They're sore not hurt," Jay emphasized, scooting to the edge of his bed, "Also even if they are hurt, I cook with my hands not legs so..."

You chuckled, "Well sir, if you insists."

"Of course, wouldn't let my girl go out of this house famished," he wrapped an arm over your shoulder, grinning gleefully.