#danny is a tiny menace

[roses-and-revolutions]

DC x DP Prompt

To the delight of Gotham's citizens, and the dismay of her criminal underbelly, the GCPD has a new specialized unit that ACTUALLY apprehends criminals and brings them to justice!

It's a relatively small squad of mostly young adults, who looked fresh out of their teens. But age didn't matter once they got the work done. And they did, as they've already got criminals like Penguin, Riddler, and Bane behind bars for what looks to be 'for good'.

No one besides Commissioner Gordan knows anything about the squad as they operate as a mostly separate entity from GCPD. It was rare to see any of them, and any photos taken were unusually blurry. They are also extremely secretive; if you exclude their social media which are usually just shit posts, memes, and thirst edits of the Wayne family.

They were a total mystery. Almost as mysterious as Batman.

But those who have seen/worked with the squad before all had the same thing to say about them. They were cool. They had an unusually effective method. And their leader is a menace. With his sharp teeth and pointed smile. And bright blue eyes that spoke to your soul. It was a pleasure to see/ work with him, it really was. But they weren't planning on doing so again for a long time.

That being said, Gotham had been quiet for a while. A bit too quiet if you ask anyone, especially the Bats. Strangely, it didn't feel like the usual calm before the shit storm. The instinctual pit in their guts that usually formed just wasn't there. This was different. This wasn't the calm before the storm. This was the ocean receding. But no one seemed to realize it yet.

Not until the tsunami came crashing down on them.

The GCPD special unit accounts that had been inactive for the last three months suddenly pinged to life. Everyone who followed them clicked the notification almost immediately. With this unnerving calm surrounding them, who the hell didn't want to see what batshit crazy statement they would make after three months of radio silence.

What they didn't expect, was to see a crystal-clear picture of justice finally being served.

The picture was a selfie, taken in an abandoned warehouse. In the middle of the dirty floor was the Joker. He was tied up and his head hung low. You could see how beaten he was, his clothes torn and bloody. His face paint was also coming off, revealing pale blotchy skin. Reminding everyone that, he was still human, just like the rest of them.

Behind him, all lined up with smiles on their faces, was Team Phantom. They were a bit bloody and bruised as well but overall in much better condition. They weren't wearing the normal GCPD navy blue uniform, but black and white ones. All stylized to fit the wearers taste. They all looked so young, but their eyes looked like old tired eyes, finally getting some relief.

From in the corner was their leader. Only part of his face was in the picture. One glowing blue eye, and part of his Cheshire smile. His hand making a peace sign next to the Joker. Even with only part of his being shown, everyone could tell he was relived as well.

And while the picture itself was shocking, the caption was what really got them. The top was what you would usually expect from the team. A big bold 'GOT EM' ' at the top. But at the bottom in small, almost unnoticeable text was:

"He will face his punishment. We will get our retribution. May we finally rest in peace."

[monstera-modd]

DCxDP #4

Danny! Don't Eat That.

Jason Todd had seen a lot of weird shit in his life.

But nothing—nothing—had prepared him for watching his boyfriend casually crunch down on a chunk of glowing, radioactive kryptonite like it was a damn potato chip.

He stared, absolutely horrified.

“… Danny.”

Danny, utterly unbothered, licked his fingers. Licked. His. Fingers.

“Mmm?”

Jason pointed at the now very-much-gone kryptonite. “Did you just eat that?”

Danny blinked at him. Looked down at the tiny green crumbs left in his palm. Then back up.

“… Yeah?”

Jason ran a hand down his face. “Danny. That was kryptonite.”

Danny tilted his head. “Okay?”

Jason made an incomprehensible strangled noise. “Kryptonite. As in, the thing that can kill Superman.”

Danny nodded, slow and understanding. “Uh-huh.”

Jason’s eye twitched. “And you ate it.”

Danny beamed. “Yeah! It was kinda spicy.”

Jason was going to have a goddamn aneurysm.

“WHY THE HELL DID YOU EAT IT?!”

Danny shrugged. “You handed it to me.”

Jason slammed his forehead onto the table.

“I didn’t think you’d eat it!” he groaned into the wood.

Danny patted his back, completely unsympathetic. “Babe, at this point, that’s on you.”

Jason didn’t even have the strength to argue.

Which was exactly when Superman walked into the room.

“Hey, Jason, have you seen—” Clark stopped mid-step, eyes narrowing immediately. His head turned, locking onto Danny like a bloodhound sniffing out a crime scene.

Danny, to his credit, at least tried to look innocent.

Clark frowned. His nostrils flared. “...Why do I smell kryptonite?”

Jason, still facedown on the table, just pointed at Danny.

Danny, the little shit, grinned. “No clue.”

Clark’s eyes glowed.

Jason sighed. “Danny. Babe. Tell Superman where the kryptonite is.”

Danny shifted in his seat, suddenly very interested in the table. “Uhhh. Can’t.”

Clark’s frown deepened. “Why not?”

Danny gave him an apologetic look.

“…Because I ate it?”

Clark.exe had stopped working.

Jason lifted his head just enough to watch Superman go through at least six different emotions—none of which he seemed able to properly express.

“…You ate it,” Clark finally said, like he was waiting for Danny to correct him.

Danny nodded.

Clark’s eye twitched. “You ate kryptonite.”

Danny nodded again, cheerful as ever.

Clark slowly turned to Jason. “Your boyfriend ate kryptonite.”

Jason, still facedown, lifted a single tired-ass thumbs-up.

Clark turned back to Danny. “Why did you eat kryptonite?”

Danny hummed. “I mean, it was there? Also, kinda tasted like sour apple.”

Clark looked like he was having a full-blown existential crisis.

Jason, exhausted beyond words, just held up a hand. “Listen, Big Blue, if it makes you feel any better, he also ate acid, bullets, a wrench, and an entire knife today.”

Clark did not look comforted by that information.

A long, awkward silence.

Then, very slowly, Clark took a step back, exhaled, and rubbed his temples.

“I don’t get paid enough for this.”

Danny beamed. “Neither do we!”

Clark gave Jason a long, deeply concerned look. “You’re dating this.”

Jason still slumped over, muttered into the table, “Trust me, I ask myself that every day.”

Danny pouted. “Rude.”

Jason cracked one eye open to glare at him. “Danny. You ate fucking kryptonite.”

Danny paused. Thought about that for a moment.

Then, grinning like a little menace, he wiggled his fingers ominously.

“Does this make me a Kryptonian now?”

Clark just turned around and walked out.

Jason groaned into the table. “I hate my life.”

Danny patted his back again, completely unrepentant. “Love you, babe.”

Jason just flipped him off.

[bodybaggage]

The Dan-Tastic Disaster

When the JL is stuck on babysitting duty until Danny shows up

———

It started like any other Justice League meeting, with Batman brooding in the corner, Superman standing confidently at the head of the table, and Wonder Woman calmly preparing for the mission briefing. What none of them expected was to be dealing with a de-aged, ghostly child with the potential to end worlds.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Superman asked, glancing down at the toddler perched on the conference table, currently gnawing on a metal batarang like it was a teething ring.

"Safe?" Batman muttered, rubbing his temples. "No. Manageable? Hopefully."

Dan Phantom—or what was left of him in his current toddler form—looked innocent enough at first glance. Bright green eyes, tiny fists gripping onto Batman’s cape like a security blanket, a cute little tuft of white hair curling above his head. But the Justice League had been briefed on his true nature. He was Danny Phantom’s evil future self, de-aged through some cosmic mishap. And now, thanks to fate or terrible luck, they were babysitting.

"Up! Up!" Dan suddenly demanded, lifting his tiny hands towards Superman.

Superman, always the gentle giant, smiled softly. “Okay, little guy. Let’s—OW!”

The moment Superman picked him up, Dan burst into green flames, scorching Superman's red cape and singeing his hair. The Kryptonian tried to gently pat out the fire, but Dan just giggled mischievously and floated upwards, still burning, as Superman’s cape disintegrated into ashes.

“I’ll just… get another cape,” Superman mumbled, resigned.

Wonder Woman knelt down, observing the floating toddler with the curiosity of someone about to embark on an epic quest. “He reminds me of the young warriors of Themyscira,” she said, a glimmer of fondness in her eyes. “Strong, brave, and full of fire.” Literally.

She offered him a soft smile. “Little one, let me tell you a tale from my youth, of the Amazons and their triumph over the beasts of the land.”

Dan floated down toward her, his eyes glowing with interest for all of three seconds before he grabbed her lasso and swung from it like a child on a tire swing. "Wheeeeee!"

Wonder Woman blinked. “He is… very enthusiastic.”

Meanwhile, Batman was in the corner, already furiously texting Danny Phantom on his encrypted Bat-phone. URGENT: Toddler version of evil future self setting things on fire. Please advise.

Danny’s response pinged back almost immediately: Good luck! Don’t let him touch anything sharp or made of explosives. Be there soon-ish.

Batman scowled at the "soon-ish." The last thing they needed was “soon-ish.” They needed now.

"Uh, Bruce," Superman said, nervously eyeing Dan, who had now decided that the perfect place to hide was inside a control panel. "He’s touching the lasers."

Batman swiveled around just in time to see the Watchtower's interior light up in bright neon green flashes. Every screen blinked with static, and the alarm system activated. Dan was just... pressing buttons. Randomly. While humming a tune and still floating lazily around, now wearing Wonder Woman’s tiara on his head.

"Dan," Batman said in the tone reserved for criminals, children, and now, apparently, demonic ghost toddlers. "Get out of there."

Dan paused, looking Batman straight in the eye, and gave the kind of evil grin only a future supervillain could pull off. He slammed his tiny fist into the panel, causing every door in the Watchtower to open and close in a chaotic frenzy. Somewhere, the coffee machine exploded.

“Great Hera,” Wonder Woman murmured, eyeing the scene with wide-eyed awe. “He is... relentless.”

“He’s a menace,” Batman grumbled, already trying to recalibrate the systems on his wrist computer.

Superman, ever the optimist, decided to take a different approach. "Dan, how about we go play somewhere that isn’t full of very important and dangerous equipment?"

Dan looked at Superman for a long moment, then reached out and ignited Superman’s other cape. Superman sighed. “I don’t know why I thought that would work.”

Before Batman could further escalate into his “silent looming” tactic (which, thus far, had only led to Dan giggling and calling him “funny bat man”), Danny Phantom finally phased through the wall. He was panting, his hair tousled, clearly in a hurry.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Danny said, hands up. “I had to deal with this whole thing with the Ghost Zone and—oh, wow. He’s already set things on fire? That was fast.”

Batman gave him a look. The kind that promised revenge if Danny didn’t take care of this immediately.

“Oh yeah, he’s... a handful,” Danny said, scooping up the toddler, who immediately stopped causing chaos and instead tugged at Danny’s hoodie. “I told Clockwork it was a bad idea to leave him with you guys, but you know how he is.”

Batman raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me Clockwork is responsible for this?”

“Yeah,” Danny replied, casually flipping Dan upside down, which somehow made the toddler laugh instead of scream. “Said it would ‘build character’ or something. No idea what that means.”

Wonder Woman glanced between the now-quiet Dan and the previously-chaotic Watchtower, eyebrow raised. “And what, exactly, are we meant to learn from this?”

Danny shrugged, adjusting Dan like a backpack. “Patience? Endurance? Definitely not fire safety, though.”

Superman, cape now a pile of ash on the floor, simply chuckled. “Well, it was... eventful.”

“I’m just glad the Watchtower is still standing,” Batman muttered, already mentally drafting the report about the damage.

Danny grinned, patting Batman on the back. “You did great! You didn’t even let him explode anything. That’s a win in my book.”

As Danny started phasing through the walls with a happy toddler on his back, Wonder Woman watched them go, a soft smile on her face. “He truly has a way with him, doesn’t he?”

Superman nodded, glancing down at the remains of his cape. “Yeah. But next time, he’s babysitting.”

Batman, deadpan as ever, just sighed. "There won't be a next time."

[sunarryn]

DP X Marvel #23

The day started like any other in the Ghost Zone: tense, glowing, and humming with the promise of disaster. Danny had only popped by Clockwork’s tower to ask a simple question—something about paradox prevention or whatever—and definitely didn’t mean to touch the ancient, glowing relic perched delicately atop a cursed pedestal of time-forgotten sorrow and screaming. But he did. He touched it. And then everything exploded in green light and dramatic violin music (which might have been in his head).

And just like that, Danny Fenton was five years old again. Five. Chubby-cheeked, wide-eyed, pint-sized kindergarten-age with all the raw ghost powers of his seventeen-year-old self packed into a body no taller than three feet of chaos. Worse, he remembered everything—every awkward high school moment, every near-death experience, every ghost fight, every existential meltdown.

“Clockwork!” Danny shrieked, his voice now horrifyingly high-pitched and squeaky. “What the actual hell?!”

“Language, Daniel,” Clockwork said in the maddeningly serene way only a time god could manage, waving his staff with an infuriating smirk. “Consider this a learning experience.”

“I hate learning! Learning’s for school and people who don’t get turned into toddlers by rogue hourglasses!”

But Clockwork only chuckled like this was all going according to some elaborate cosmic lesson plan. Probably because it was. He vanished mid-scolding, leaving Danny alone in the tower, stomping around in his little sneakers and throwing ghost-powered tantrums that cracked the marble tiles.

Which is when the floor opened.

To be clear, Danny did not jump into the swirling blue portal. He fell. He fell dramatically with limbs flailing and an undignified scream that would later be blamed on the wind. The portal spit him out in the middle of what could only be described as a cathedral on steroids: tall golden columns, floating runes, and people in robes glaring like he’d farted during a funeral.

He crash-landed on a silk-draped table in front of the actual gods.

“…Ow,” Danny groaned, blinking up at a very tall, very unimpressed man with a horned crown and cheekbones so sharp they could cut reality.

The man frowned. “Why is there a child in the royal seidr sanctum?”

“I didn’t mean to be here! I touched a stupid relic and now I’m five and I fell through a portal and—wait, are you Loki?”

There was a pause. “Yes.”

“Cool. Love your work. Big fan. Please don’t murder me.”

Loki blinked. “…What?”

Then the child burst into blue flames and hovered six inches off the table, sparking with ghost energy like an angry firecracker. Everyone screamed. A robed man passed out. Someone wet themselves. Loki, to his credit, looked intrigued.

“Fascinating,” he murmured, circling the small floating menace. “You’re not of Midgard, are you?”

“I’m Danny from Earth, actually! I’m from Illinois! I’m just—also—kind of a half-ghost and currently five and possibly stuck like this forever!”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “You’re an abomination of magic.”

“Thank you?”

“I like you.”

“No thanks?”

But Loki had already scooped him up like some cursed kitten that wandered into his life. Danny screamed the whole way down the palace corridors, zapping walls, guards, and an unfortunate tapestry depicting Odin’s triumphs. Loki just looked delighted. Like this was the best pet he’d ever found. Like this was revenge against Thor just by existing.

“You are now Dánjal Lokison,” Loki declared.

“I AM NOT—STOP—PUT ME DOWN—”

“I shall raise you in my image.”

“I already have a dad and he’s stupid but he’s mine—put me down or I will scream and explode and possess your furniture!”

“You’ll fit in perfectly.”

Thus began the unholy saga of Danny Fenton, age five, accidentally adopted by the God of Mischief and forced into Asgardian nobility under duress. It was, somehow, not even the weirdest thing to happen that month.

Loki dressed him in child-sized black leather and tiny green cloaks. He taught him how to chant spells in Elder Seidr, how to bend illusions with his hands, and how to summon fire with a thought. Danny, in retaliation, taught Loki about Earth cartoons, fart jokes, and TikTok dances. It was a two-way cultural exchange of chaos and regret.

“I’m telling you,” Danny said one day while floating upside down and eating apples he stole from the royal garden, “if you say ‘We’re going ghost’ and then transform, it’s at least thirty percent more dramatic.”

“That’s idiotic,” Loki replied, watching as Danny exploded into white light and ghost form, now slightly glowing with new magic enhancements.

“You’re just jealous I sparkle when I fight.”

“I do not sparkle.”

“You sparkle on the inside.”

“Stop talking.”

“Dánjal Lokison, feared child warlock of the Nine Realms,” Thor once declared when he saw the tiny menace casually phasing through walls and summoning frost giants to play tag.

“DON’T NAME ME THAT,” Danny screeched, blasting Thor into a wall. Loki applauded from the doorway.

“Good aim, my son.”

“I’M NOT—STOP CALLING ME THAT!”

But Danny was starting to enjoy the magic lessons. Seidr wasn’t like ghost powers. It was older, wilder, sometimes alive. Loki was a surprisingly good teacher—equal parts unhinged chaos and genuine brilliance. He explained the threads of fate like they were spider webs and taught Danny how to pull on them without being noticed. He spoke about illusion like it was poetry and destruction like it was art.

Danny, in turn, taught Loki to prank Thor using invisible slime bombs and existentially disturbing hand puppets that whispered secrets in Old Norse.

They became a problem.

Every time the Avengers tried to contact Asgard, they were met with grainy magical holograms of a tiny child in a green cape flipping them off while floating upside down on a summoned ghost-storm cloud.

“Tony Stark looks like a soggy crouton!” Danny shouted once.

“And smells like cheap cologne,” Loki added.

“High five, evil dad!”

“High five, tiny curse.”

Eventually, Odin tried to intervene.

“This child is not of Asgard,” the All-Father declared.

“I’m not trying to be!” Danny yelled. “Please take me back to Earth! I miss McNuggets and not wearing robes!”

“He’s mine now,” Loki said, summoning a massive magical contract written in fire and Loki’s own blood. “Legally and spiritually bound. I did the adoption ritual and everything. It involved a screaming goat.”

“I HATE THAT GOAT,” Danny screamed.

“I love that goat,” Loki sighed.

“You’re both mentally unstable,” Odin muttered, rubbing his temples.

Danny was eventually granted limited “portal privileges,” which meant he could sneak back to Earth and terrorize his friends while still technically being a Lokison. Sam and Tucker didn’t even question the fact that he was a child again. Jazz just nodded like this was expected and handed him a juice box.

“Have you emotionally bonded with your captor yet?” she asked.

“I am not bonding with Loki!” Danny snapped.

“You call him ‘evil dad’ and wear his colors.”

“THAT’S NOT A BOND, IT’S A THREAT DISPLAY!”

Back in Asgard, Danny practiced summoning tiny void rifts, which Loki encouraged.

“Good,” he said, sipping wine as the rifts swallowed another fruit bowl. “Let the darkness consume you.”

“I just wanted an orange.”

“Even better.”

Eventually, Danny grew attached. It was subtle. A twitch of the lip when Loki conjured birthday cupcakes with green fire. A soft “thanks” when Loki wordlessly cleaned his scraped knees with glowing runes. A quiet night where Danny fell asleep reading next to Loki and didn’t wake up until morning curled in a pile of fur cloaks and dark magic.

“Do you miss being big?” Loki asked one night, watching the child version of his adopted problem-child sketch battle plans in crayon.

“Sometimes,” Danny said. “But…this isn’t bad. Just weird. You’re weird.”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Take what I can get.”

Loki never asked too much. He didn’t push Danny to call him ‘Dad’ or act like anything other than the feral little ghost-child he was. But he was there—smirking through tantrums, snarking through training, protecting Danny like a dragon hoards gold.

So when some ambitious frost giant tried to kidnap “the ghostling Lokison,” they were met with a five-year-old banshee of death wielding seidr, ghost rays, and an unholy screech that shattered icebergs.

And behind him, Loki arrived in a storm of green fire and fury.

“Touch my son again,” he said, “and I will erase your ancestors from the time stream.”

“I’M STILL NOT YOUR—wait, okay yeah, get him.”

They were a nightmare pair. A chaos duo. A tiny tornado of destruction and his too-proud magic tutor/father/roommate/menace.

Eventually, Danny stood in front of a new portal, Clockwork hovering beside him with his usual smug patience.

“You’re ready to go back,” Clockwork said. “To your age. To your world.”

Danny glanced over his shoulder. Loki stood there with his arms folded, expression unreadable but eyes a little too bright.

“I’ll come visit,” Danny said, voice small but steady.

“You’d better,” Loki replied, voice quiet and sharp as always.

There was a long pause.

“Bye… evil dad.”

“Goodbye, Dánjal.”

Danny turned. The portal shimmered. His small form stepped through, glowing with ghost light and seidr and something else—something new.

Back home, he hit the ground as a seventeen-year-old again. Taller. Older. But he still wore green.

In his pocket, a rune carved with love.

He never said he liked being a Lokison.

Though he’ll never stop using the name.

[mazamba]

"You need what?"

"I know it's a lot to ask," cut in Danny before Batman could go from confused to angry, "Just let me explain. I swear it's for a good reason."

Batman eyed his teammate skeptically. King Phantom was one of the League's newest and youngest members. Despite his unorthodox introduction to the team, he and his sister, Stray, had proven to be valuable additions to the Justice League and to the Teen Titans respectively. He was tall and imposing, despite his relatively slender frame. His visage was made the more menacing by the Crown of Fire that hovered above his head in a tiny version of the Aurora Borealis instead of his predecessor's green flames, the royal armor over his jumpsuit, and the fur-trimmed coat made of a rippling window into space.

"Ok, so you know how Bruce Wayne adopted Cassandra Cain, but she's David Cain's biological daughter, right?"

"..."

"...right! So, at some point, David sold human eggs on the black market," he continued, "you have no idea how hard it was to get the information on Vlad's supplier, but we did figure out that he bought the eggs from Cain for his experiments and then completely messed up the cloning process."

"How?"

"We have no idea! But my clone, my sister, has my ghost DNA, but part of mine and someone else's human DNA."

"What makes you think it's Cassandra's?"

He pulled out his phone, a two-year-old model with a cracked screen, and showed him the face of his sixteen-year-old sister in her human form next to a picture of Bruce's own eighteen-year-old daughter from a tabloid.

"She looks a lot like me," he admitted, "but she also looks a lot like Cassandra Cain, so we think Vlad got a sample mixed up or forgot to take out a nucleus or something and made-."

"A daughter instead of a clone."

It was a good thing Phantom wasn't particularly good at reading body language, or his tightening fist might've alerted him that something was wrong.

"I mean... sort of? It's different with clones. She's technically my daughter but I turned nineteen, like, a month ago, so I don't thi- I'm getting off track! The point is, Dani's destabilizing again and I need a clean DNA sample to help her. I tried to get into Wayne manor, but the place is warded to hell and back. You know Bruce Wayne, right? Can you help me talk with Cassandra?"

Batman sighed and turned his head to Phantom's right.

"Orphan."

"Motherfu-! How long has she been standing there!?"

She didn't respond to his yelp/question and instead turned to Batman.

"Take a tube to Gotham and ask Cassandra Wayne for a DNA sample."

Orphan nodded and walked off to the tubes.

"... Is it just me or was she a little quieter than usual?"

Bruce sighed, not looking forward to whatever his week was about to become.

[corkinavoid]

DDxDC Cold Fingers

Written for: Flufftober, prompt 7. Hoodie Weather

"I'm home!" Danny's voice comes from the door right after the click of the lock. Tim just hums in response, too caught up in reading the file on his tablet. He really needs to finish the report today, this case has been closed for three days now-

Something cold touches his stomach, and Tim yelps in surprise, kicking his foot on reflex. Danny dodges easily, taking a step back and laughing.

"You and your cold fingers," Tim huffs, sliding down on the couch and tugging the hem of his hoodie lower and over his knees, so his sneaky boyfriend won't have a chance to steal his warmth anymore.

Danny pouts and tries anyway, putting his palms on Tim's knees - he can feel the cold even through his pj-pants - and sliding them up slowly.

"You know I love you, Tim," he says, an innocent look in his eyes and a ton of mischief in his voice. Tim slaps his hands and moves back on the couch, out of Danny's range.

"I do, but keep your hands away from me," he warns. Danny seems to miss the warning entirely, climbing up on the couch and moving his fingers in a menacing manner.

"But it's so cold out there," he whines, trying to get closer, as Tim keeps fighting him, while still holding the tablet in his hands. "I need some warmth. And love. And-"

Tim places his foot right in the center of Danny's chest, keeping him from coming closer. By this time, he is almost laying down on the couch, and the position is really stupid. Just like his boyfriend's grin and his attempts to get his hands under Tim's hoodie.

"And I worked really hard on warming myself up," Tim argues. Which is, actually, true: it's been raining since yesterday, so Tim wisely stayed inside, bundled up in blankets and working from home. Except for patrol, but that's a whole different story. "I'm not sharing it with someone who hadn't put a token of effort in it."

Danny pouts, but sighs and steps away. Tim keeps a suspicious eye on him, but, after a few seconds, he slowly goes back to his report.

A big mistake.

The next moment, Danny all but falls on top of him, and his ice cold hands are under Tim's hoodie and all over his naked stomach and ribs, and Tim is squealing, hitting him on the shoulders and wriggling out of his grip. Danny is laughing, squeezing him in a hug that sends chilly shivers down Tim's spine.

"Cold-cold-cold, Danny, no, stop!" He gasps for air, but his boyfriend just chuckles and showers his face in tiny, quick and cold kisses. Tim shakes his head, dodging and trying to get rid of them just to prove a point.

"But ple-e-ease," Danny whines, still smiling so wide Tim is afraid his face is going to crack.

"You're..." he huffs, out of breath because of all the fighting. And then, breathes out, slumping down and going lax on the couch, "...Insufferable."

Danny's eyes are brighter than stars, and his hair is a mess. Tim runs a hand through it - yup, wet from the rain, because someone forgot his umbrella again - and raises an eyebrow.

"What am I getting in return?"

"My eternal love," Danny answers immediately, his not so cold anymore hands rubbing slow circles over Tim's skin. He shivers again, but this time, it's not because of the temperature.

"Like I don't already have that," he rolls his eyes, but he knows he is smiling.

"M-yeah?" His dork of a boyfriend hums, and then leans down, finally giving him a proper kiss. This one is not cold, it's soft and warm, slowly heating Tim from inside out until he is all out of breath again.

And Danny's hands also feel almost hot under his hoodie.

Tim smiles, wrapping his arms around Danny's neck.

"Welcome home," he greets, content and nearly melting under his boyfriend's touch. Right until a horrible though strikes him, and his face drops, "Wait, where's my tablet?!"

[evilminji]

What is "A God" and does the King of the Infinite Every Between count?

The great and endless "slipped between the cracks" of everything and all things? The souls of those Death has Taken but no God can Claim? THAT King?

Is he... A GOD.

I mean... probably not? He's a Halfa. Little hungry, right now. And very, VERY powerful. Can absolutely kick their asses. But "God"? He'd honestly have to throw that one to his advisors to go look up.

Like? If we're talking Title? Maybe. There are definitely people who worship him. He wi-( ......*cough* HI Desiree, nice to see ya.) Would LIKE, people to stop? But he can't TELL them too. That's THEIR choice. They get to make it. But if we're talking the SPECIES or BEING known to you as "God"?

Nope.

He's definitely not.

But then again? There are a LOT of Beings out there, that serve that particular Role, that aren't "Gods". Does that make their work somehow less precious? Their worshipers Faith, less genuine? It's just a position, dude. Divine management.

The great and glorified Housekeeping of Creation.

In HIS experience? A whole lot like babysitting.

Though... now that he thinks about it? WHY? Why DO you want to know? If he is or is NOT a God? Furthermore, how the HECK did you even GET this "number"? This is the Zone! Did you intentionally "@Anybody"?! Kid! Kiddo, what the actual FUCK! That was SO DANGEROUS holy shit!!! (Is this karma? This feels like karma. Is this what HE was like as a kid?? No WONDER Jazz always looked so stressed)

I could have been ANYBODY!

And? A mulish AF Percy Jackson and his crowd of friends? Just stare back up in that "I DO NOT Repent And Would DO IT AGAIN BUT WITH MORE FIRE" way only highly hormonal and deeply feral teenagers can? Just >:( ×15

Danny, the only adult here, is Concerned(tm).

They? Demand he Adopt's them. They need a BETTER Divine Parent who will ACTUALLY take care of them. And according to the qualifications they carved into the REALLY smashed together, Neo-Archaic, Call Summon Boulder they collectively carved? HE has all the "Good Parent" Qualifications they want.

So congratulations!

IT'S A CROWD.

No they aren't asking. You are Dad now, FATHER. Now come and protect your adopted offspring! And give out hugs and praise! Also we made a list! And-!

*proceeds to try and menace the literal Ruler of The Infinte Zone in a crackling squeaky voice*

And like? Well, shit. Guess he's a Dad now. They're clearly too powerful to fight. Such devastating cases being made. Oh woe, he is powerless before them etc etc.

MAN, you all are tiny!

Who wants fudge?

@hdgnj @hypewinter @ailithnight @the-witchhunter @babbling-babull @lolottes @nerdpoe @mutable-manifestation

[currentfandomkick]

Danny wakes up

Everything felt warm and… safe. That’s how Danny knew something was deeply wrong. He hasnt been safe since the Accident.

He looked around to see a bunch of rocks and… dark? Its dark. The air is a lot thicker and heavier than it has any right to be.

Did he sleep patrol again? Nocturn was probably messing with him if he was.

Everything was too heavy as he pushed himself up only to flop back down. He had fins. Fishy fins.

Was this ghost puberty!?

He wiggled his way around, and squeezed out of the opening he found.

Why are there sharks?

A baby shark was coming.

Danny hoped onto said baby shark as he’s tiny, and everything is heavy.

The momma shark caught him and her top fin (ancients he should look up more about these stupid things) and the air hurt.

choke, no air. Dad helphelp Help please!

He shifted a moment later and flew up, staring at the sharks.

He’s pretty sure the baby waved at him. As much as a shark can anyways.

He… waved back.

Then flew out as fast as he could. He checked his texts to see Valerie asking if he was okay, while Sam and Tucker were trying to get a hold of him. Jazz too.

Nothing from his parents… which was good for him. he hopes.

He made it home and went back to Fenton not far from home.

“Danny,” Maddie began. “Where were you?”

His shoulders went up and the air left his lungs.

He came to to Dad rubbing his back and telling him to copy his breathing.

“Taco again,” Danny muttered when he could get his stuttering breath under control.

Jack and Maddie shared a look with Jazz.

“Red caught him hours ago sweetie,” Mom began. “Hiding?”

Danny nodded. “F, fell asleep too.”

Jazz made that low hummed ‘oh’ sound she did whenever something over worried her for no good reason. Like him vanishing after the Taco the Octo attacked him as Phantom for… 13(?) hours.

“Don’t you worry Danno, your parents are on the case!”

Jazz and him shared a pained expression.

That was what he was worried about. That and the fish tail. That. That is something to worry about another day.

Let me know if i missed any tags and do we like Topo the Menace as the au tag?

Masterlist here

@theizzyof3malec3 @brattysleepyreader @sebas-nights @elidaweirdotaku0520 @bianca-hooks123

[noxcheshire]

HOT TAKE

But I like the idea of the phantom world being reincarnated into very unexpected people.

Like I still love the idea of Danny being Martha or Thomas.

Or Dani being another clone, or her being Damian, and Sam being Poison Ivy and or Martha, etc.

But I also like the unhinged nonsense of Sam being a clone in the dc world — ideally Kon, and Dani (or Dan) being Bruce, while Vlad is gasp Thomas Wayne.

HEAR ME OUT

JUST HEAR ME OUT

I just think the idea of Danny finding out that in an alternate world he married a nicer and age appropriate Vlad and had the son the guy has been demanding for so long in their world is hilarious.

The absolute mental breakdown that boy will go through: this is my son, and I love him, look at him go being a hero and kicking ass, but holy fucking Ancients above I fucked VLAD —

And on the other hand, can you imagine Bruce’s reaction? To his alternate mom being a sassy teenage boy, his alternate dad being an older guy ‘preying’ on this kid that absolutely HATES the guy, and being an absolute creep while his alt self **gestures to your choosing** is either a tiny girl menace or the biggest and meanest growling ghost that is BARELY tolerating being in the same space as the living.

But they also hate his alternate dad and would punch him into next week with Mom! Danny.

This man will being going THROUGH IT.

[bluerosefox]

Once again looking for a DPxDC prompt I forgot to fav.

Pretty sure it was a prompt.

Basically Danny, (and I think a deaged! Dan and Ellie) works at a cafe or someplace to eat and is seen as the calm one, Dan and Ellie are tiny menaces but adorable menaces (one of them bites I believe) and it isn't until like the Joker walks into the place ready to harm people that Danny goes full on feral and everyone see's this is where the Dan and Ellie get it from.

[stealingyourbones]

*sorts through a box of tiny bones and rare bones*

*slides over some ancient Rat skulls and Fox canines*

6' Dark academia Danny with tattoos who does traveling seminars on Space Theories and Brief History of Known Alien Species. Also has an uncanny resemblance to Phantom.

Phantom is a 5' menace on the titans team who has vast knowledge about multidimensional shit and believed to be hundreds of years old.

Tim is convinced that their either soul brothers or that Human!Danny is a reincarnation of Phantom for their world.

Connor is just along for the ride.

Shenanigans insue.

Connor would fully just watch everything in glee. Phantom's identity is more tightly secured than ever. Throughout the years, Danny has aged and his Phantom form has remained the same as it always has. He has a bet with Tucker on how long it'll take till Robin loses his mind and interrogates him about his civilian persona. Even worse? Danny is sometimes called in for consultant for the Teen Titans and various JL teams on unknown alien artifacts, fauna, civilization, anything really that's beyond the JL members expertise. Tim is losing his mind. meanwhile, Bart who has known Phantom's identity since the day he time traveled to the 21st century is having a blast with Connor watching Tim unravel.

[chaoticallyfluffy]

Introduction + My Shazam Masterlist!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Fluffy!

I am an artist and fan fiction writer who mostly focuses on one fandom at a time. My current obsession is Shazam!

My other blogs:

@fawcetttweets for Tweets from the DC universe, focusing on the daily lives of Fawcett City’s heroes and civilians

@billysadventure is where YOU, the viewer, get to choose what Billy does!

@fluffysocs for all of my OC content! Art, lore, rambles, all that jazz.

My banner was created by @chocolatebriosh during art fight! The characters are my OCs :)

You can find me on TikTok and Ao3 with the username ChaoticallyFluffy or by using the links!

I tried my best to make it chronological with the oldest on top and the newest on the bottom, so if my early stuff sucks, feel free to skip to the bottom of each section!

In order I have my ficlets, fan art, animatics, and misc (mostly add-ons to other posts or tiny ideas that are too short to put into ficlets)! Underneath all of that is my OC stuff in case anyone’s interested!

The characters involved in the posts will be next to each link! Billy and Captain Marvel will just be called Billy unless they are specifically separate beings in the post.

Masterlist begins under the cut :)

Where'd he go? (Billy, JL)

Curses! (Billy, Mr. Mind, JL)

Identical (Billy, Mary, JL)

Whats in a Last Name? (Billy, JL, Batfam)

Billy Being a Menace (Billy, Bruce Wayne)

Lies and Half Truths (Billy, Danny Phantom, JL)

Ah, a Child (Billy, JL)

Power of Perception (Billy, JL)

Doomed by the Narrative + Wrong Place, Wrong Time (Billy, JL)

The Homeless Boy and Nepo Baby (Billy, Bruce Wayne)

Two Halves, Never Whole (Billy, Jason Blood, Marvel, Etigran)

Blissful Ignorance (Billy, JL)

Blunder + Look at this! (Billy, Marvel, Shazamily,

Billy Batfam (Billy, Batfam)

Silly Billy + Pocket Home (Billy, JL, Shazamily)

What are you, a cop? + Now you see me, now you don't (Billy, JL)

Gender Swap! (Billy, Freddy)

Learning to Live (Billy, JL)

Stop Calling Me Dad! (Billy, Shazamily, JL)

Matchmaking (Billy, Diana, Gay animals)

'Tis but a scratch! (Billy, JL)

Tea With Persephone (Billy, Persephone)

Home Alone (Billy, Sivana, Shazamily)

Marvel Licks Cocaine. Wait, wha- (Billy, JL)

Body Swap (Billy, Marvel)

Parent Trap (Billy, Mary, CC, Marilyn)

Serious Accusations (Tawky Tawny, Billy, JL)

Celebrity Lifestyle (JL, Billy)

Warrior Cats (Freddy)

JL as platonic Soulmates (Billy, JL)

Swear Jar (Billy, Shazamily)

Sibling Fights (Freddy, Billy, Mary, Red Robin)

Three Kids in a Trench Coat (Billy, Mary, Freddy, JL)

Clothes (Billy, Mary, CC, Marilyn, JL)

Dead name, literally (Billy, Gay people)

Unicorns! (Billy)

No Longer 2 in 1 (Billy, other)

Magical Garbage Disposal (Billy, superman, batman)

Hot to Go! (Mary, JL, Billy)

Impromptu Tour (Billy, Batman, JL)

First Shazam Fan Art! Learning to Live outfits (Billy)

False Advertising (Billy)

The Duality of Marvel (Billy, Marvel)

Skill Issue (Freddy, Billy, JL)

Stock Photos (Billy, Marvel, C!Tommyinnit)

It's not you, its him (Billy, a random small child)

Closet Cosplay (Billy, Freddy, kind of Superman and Batman)

Experimental style (Billy)

If your reading this, i still haven't used the stickers. (Billy, Marvel)

*Pats him* *pats him* *pats hi- (Billy)

Whiteboard with friends! (Billy, Mary, Freddy, + more)

Billy Ratson (Billy, Marvel)

Bored (Billy)

Magical Girl Black Adam (Black Adam)

Sunny Sparkles (Sunny)

Ghost Boy! (Billy)

Gartic phone highlights pt. 1 (many characters!)

Tiger Bleps! (Tawky Tawny, Billy)

FREDDY!! (Billy, Marvel, Freddy)

Figurine Size Matters (Technically Batman and Billy)

Surprise! (Billy, JL)

Magical Girl?! (Billy, Barry, Poorly Drawn Evil Wizard)

Home (Billy)

Everyone Loves the Boy! (Harley Quinn, Billy)

Nails, nails, nails (Billy, Divine Twitch Chat, JL)

Stop. (Billy)

*Pats him* *pats him* *pats hi- (Billy)

My first Shazam post!

He needs more love :( (Kind of Billy)

Link to 'Kill him with kindness' fic

Asking for Eldritch Ideas (Billy kind of. Interesting comments!)

Zoooom! (Freddy, Billy, Batmans limitless funds)

Happiness (Billy)

Wip game (Billy, Clark)

Chaos boys (Billy, Klarion)

Link to 'Picture Day' fic (Billy, Cissie)

The first idea for Fawcetttweets! (Billy)

Marvel's Adventure! (Billy)

Peak Billy Design (Billy)

MY Boy! (Billy technically)

Talking about my fics release

Venn diagram (Billy, C!Tommyinnit, and Dave Strider)

DND (none technically)

Charlie (Billy, CC, Batman)

WIP Tag Game (Billy, Clark, Barry, Victor, Hal)

Implications (Billy)

Laws (Fawcett)

Link to my fanfiction called 'Bugs' (Billy)

Symptoms (Billy)

Fae (Billy)

Gotta Go Fast (Billy)

Tummy ache :( (Billy)

Migraine Posting part whatever (who cares why am I writing this with a migraine this was a horrible idea)

Here’s some of my original content! I don’t really make much of it but I thought I should at least give you the option to see it :)

OC art:

First Date (Valley, Roxy)

Chibi (Jack)

[daringdaisy]

Tangled Shells

Synopsis: The magically long-haired Michelangelo has spent his entire life trapped in a tower. He seems to be destined to stay there forever without his questions about the world left unanswered until an unlikely team stumbles upon his tower for refuge. Mikey will finally discover the world for the first time and who he really is, but ignorance is bliss. "Without warning, his instincts scream at him to turn around. With a swift motion, he raised his arm, and from the depths of the shadows, a chain emerged, crowned with an orange, spiked ball. The sudden tug on his arm was powerful, but he gripped the chain tighter, pulling back with all his strength." AN: Ngl, everything and nothing happens in this chapter if that makes sense. Also, I'm starting a tag list. Comment if you want to be included in it Tag List:@dorkatella ˋ°•*⁀➷PREVˏˋ°•*⁀➷ˏMASTERLISTˋ°•*⁀➷NEXT

Chapter 2 - Unlikely Safe Haven

⚠️Mentions of blood, animal cruelty(only in beginning), implications of physical/emtional abuse⚠️

“What a bunch of idiots”. Mickey remarks as the Mud Dogs look down the cliff. Danny rubs a hand over his face, a small groan leaving his lips, “Not to mention the hassle of getting rid of the bodies.” Leonard wipes the blood off his face, an annoyed expression plastered on his face. "The more you complain, the longer this will take us,” he grumbles. With a swift beckon, everyone starts following him, but Heinous menacing growl stops them in their tracks. Extending his fist, he reveals Piebald desperately writhing against his grip. Piebald's chirps become more panicked as she draws closer to Heinous' mouth.

Heinous tightens his grip around Piebald, his jagged teeth splitting into a grin as the tiny bird thrashes in his fist. The more she struggles, the more his fingers press into her fragile frame, claws pricking through her feathers. Her panicked chirps rise in pitch, a desperate, pleading sound that only makes Heinous chuckle.

Danny crosses his arms, clicking his tongue. "For hell’s sake, Heinous, knock it off."

Mickey, on the other hand, laughs as he nudges Henious. "C'mon, man. You got, like, a dozen bodies today. You really gotta add a bird to your kill count?"

Leonard, almost at his breaking point, finally sighs in exasperation. "That bird is not a threat to Big Mama. Let it go."

Heinous doesn’t budge. His grip tightens, and Piebald’s chirps turn ragged, weaker. His expression darkens. Leonard’s patience snaps. His hand darts out, seizing Heinous collar with a bruising grip. His voice is low, cold. "I said. Let. It. Go."

For a moment, Heinous just stares, tension crackling between them. Then, with a huff, he loosens his fingers, letting Piebald plummet to the ground like a discarded scrap of meat.

Heinous watches her flap her wings, lips curling in dissatisfaction. Leonard rolls his eyes, already walking ahead. "I don't know why she lets you roam around free when you should be in a godamm cage."

Piebald bolts into the sky, wings flapping wildly as she disappears down the cliff. Once Piebald could see the ground clearly, she saw a Raph-shaped chasm. She stops at the edge of the opening, hoping for any sign of life.

Just as she was about to delve deeper into the hole, a massive hand shot up and clutched the edge of the pit. With a sudden heave, Raph pulled himself up and landed with a thud on his back, gasping for air. “Is everyone okay?” he called out, his voice laced with urgency and concern. His gaze locks onto Piebald, and in a heartbeat, he cradles her gently in his hands. A wave of regret washes over him as he pours out heartfelt apologies, his voice trembling with the weight of not being able to shield her from harm.

Leo starts laughing in disbelief, his words slowly becoming harsh, “Okay? We almost just died because of you!” Leo throws his face into his hands, his knees hugged toward his chest. It's all the shogun's fault! If they had just stuck to their original plan, they would have been far away from the kingdom by now! 

Donnie flinches slightly as he covers the gash on his shoulder. “But we also didn’t because of him”. Donnie says. He looks toward the shogun with an unreadable expression. He realizes that the shogun needs them to reach Big Mama, but that doesn’t explain why he acted without hesitation to save them at the risk of his own life. 

Piebald perches herself on Raph's shoulder as he rises to his feet. Raph notices the worry across Leo's face. He reaches out to help him up, but Leo shoots him a sharp glare. With a weary sigh, he weakly pushed himself up, a sharp pain shooting his leg. Raph gives Leo a small smile, "You're pretty resilient, Primetime." Leo limps away, not even bothering to glance back at the shogun. How gullible does the shogun think he is to be swayed by such a fake compliment? "Don't patronize me."

Raph's smile wavers at the sharpness of his tone, shattering the moment of cordiality he'd hoped for. Piebald tweets in annoyance at Primetime's attitude towards her guardian. Raph offers Donnie a helping hand but seems hesitant, even afraid, when he takes the assistance. Raph realizes how terrifying it must be for a 6-foot guy in heavy armor with his face concealed towering over you. If he’s going to work with them, he might as well seem approachable. Raph reaches to take off his menpo, giving Donnie an apologetic smile. “I should have taken off my mask earlier. Sorry about that”.

Donnie’s eyebrows raise at the sudden reveal. He always had a secret hunch he was a Chelydra serpentin from his shell, but now his snaggle tooth gives it away. Now, he finds himself grappling with questions that swirl in his mind, like just how powerful his bite really is or where the long tail he’s meant to possess is. Leo remains stone-faced, his indifference unshaken. He shoves the mask back onto his face, muttering, “Honestly, you looked better with it on. Not by a landslide, but still…”

Raph, unamused at the comment, swats his hand away. “How about we focus on figuring out where we are, hm?”

Piebald has a flicker of recognition as she looks towards the cave entrance. This is where that kind turtle healed her wing. Piebald circles them to grab their attention, chirping excitedly. She flies over the cave entrance before Raph can ask what’s up.

The cave's entrance is concealed behind a thick veil of vines, their trunks a shade of amethyst. Cracks in the stone archway seem older than time. Donnie raises his hand to touch the vines, but they slowly move towards him. He's unsure if he should be scared or fascinated by them. Pulling down his goggles, Donnie leaned in, narrowing his gaze at the obstructed entrance ahead. "Interesting, I've never seen anything like this before."

"I'm more interested in what Piebald is trying to show us." Raph clutched his sais tightly, their handles shimmering beneath the vibrant red of his mystic exoskeleton. He raised his fist, poised to slam it against the wall. But Leo hobbles in, lowering Raph's hand. “You know you can't punch your way through everything, right?”

“Well, you can't, um…” Leo smirked as Raph struggled to make a comeback, but Donnie quickly wiped it off. “And you can't talk your way out of everything.” Leo shot Donnie a half-hearted glare, but Donnie pressed on without missing a beat. With a curious glint in his eye, he extends a stick toward the vines, which eagerly pull it into their tangled embrace. Raph and Leo exchange bewildered glances, their mouths hanging slightly open in disbelief, while Donnie instinctively takes a cautious step back. “Besides, these vines will most likely swallow your fist, or your entire body, whole."

“Oh, let me handle this then!” Leo’s fingers twitch slightly as he grabs his daggers, his mind racing. Out of all the times he needed to create a portal, where had his confidence gone? Without it, he couldn’t produce a stable portal, and if he failed, he would look weak in front of the Shogun. What if the Shogun realized he could exploit this weakness? What if he accidentally portal-jacked himself again? No, he had to stop spiraling! He just needed to clear his mind, and everything would be fine.

With a swift flick of his wrist, he only conjures up a blue spark. He turns back to them with a nervous smile, “That was just a warm-up.” Leo takes a deep breath, rolling back his shoulders. He slashes at the air again, leaving only a blue line. Leo lets out a forced laugh, his annoyance shining through.

“Something must be wrong with these daggers. I mean, I did get them from that stupid spider.” She weaves her web of doubts around him, whispering in his mind. The weight of her relentless expectations resting on his shoulders like boulders. His breathing becomes shaky as he shuts his eyes. No! Stop listening to her, Leo! He takes a deep breath, his hands trembling. With each attempt, his efforts grow more frantic, descending into chaos as frustration begins to take its toll. Raph looks more concerned than anything else, "Should we-" Raph reaches out to place a reassuring hand, but Donnie lowers it away with his free hand. "I've found it's best to let him work it out himself." Raph was about to argue, but he caught a glimpse of Donnie's gash, averting his gaze and going dead silent. After a few awkward moments, Donnie blurts out, "So, why did you save us back on the cliff?"

Raph tilts his head to the side, his eyebrows furrowed. Purple Knight can't be serious. Donnie narrows his eyes at Raph's silence. "Stop that. Judging people is my thing." Raph quickly snaps out of his thoughts, holding his hands up in surrender. "Raph ain't judging. He just confused." Donnie crosses his arms, somewhat growing annoyed. What's so hard to get about his question? “I mean, you didn't just save our lives for no reason. It had to benefit you in some way, right?"

Raph shakes his head, his tone incredulous. "No, I saved you because it's my duty." Donnie crosses his arms, trying to understand his point. "So, it's almost like your purpose?" Raph nods in agreement, but Donnie continues, "And if you fail that purpose, you'll be locked in your room until you prove you can do better?"

Raph visibly flinches at his words, his mouth opening slightly before he closes it again. Raph is not going to pretend that he's had the perfect upbringing, but oh god, that is not normal. He looks at Donnie, really looks at him, and something about the way Donnie’s arms are crossed so tightly, the guarded way he’s staring, makes his chest ache.

“No, it’s more about doing what’s right,” he rubs the back of his neck, his eyes softening. "I can’t just stand by and do nothing when someone’s in danger. It doesn’t matter if it’s smart or if I might get hurt. If I have the power to help, I have to."

He paused for a moment before looking back at Donnie, offering a small, lopsided grin. “But you know what, you're not necessarily wrong. We should always try to do better for ourselves” Donnie stays quiet for a few seconds, mulling over Raph’s words. It was such a stark contrast to Big Mama's lectures. No conditions, no punishments—just a belief in doing the right thing because it was right. The idea felt almost… alien.

He wanted to believe Raph but experience had taught him otherwise. In Big Mama’s world, kindness was just another tool for control, and mistakes were not tolerated—they were debts to be repaid.

His fingers curled slightly at his sides. How many times had he and Leo been "saved" only to owe her even more? How many times had she made them feel like they had to earn their worth?

“So, you saved us because you wanted to?” Donnie’s voice was quieter now, but still laced with skepticism. “No strings attached?”

Raph nodded without hesitation. “Exactly.” Donnie studied him for a long moment, searching for any sign of a lie. But there was nothing—just honesty, plain and simple. And that scared him more than anything.

If Raph was telling the truth, everything he and Leo had believed about the way the world worked was wrong. And Donnie wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with that.

Raph cast him a glance, catching the flicker of uncertainty in his face, but he didn’t push. Instead, he shifted his attention to Leo, who was still wrestling with the portal. He knows what Purple Knight said, but maybe an affirmation could lift Primetime's spirits. It may not have worked the last time he tried, but a little support might be just what was needed to spark success. Leo’s breath comes sharp and shallow. His fingers twitch around the hilts of his daggers. He slashes again—nothing. Despite Leo’s attitude, Raph placed a firm hand on Leo's shoulder, but Leo flinched at the touch, his eyes widening for a quick second. Raph quickly pulled his hand back, not expecting such a drastic reaction from him. He ends up deciding an encouraging smile might work better. "You got this, Primetime."

Leo rolls his eyes like Big Mama hasn't used that one before. He's about to snap at him when he notices the shogun's face. It's not one of mockery or pity; no, it's just genuine encouragement. Leo stared blankly at the shogun, taken aback by the unexpected support. Raph gives him a thumbs up before giving him space, "Take a deep breath and clear your mind."

He closes his eyes. He blocks out everything—Big Mama’s whispers, the doubts creeping in, the expectation pressing on his chest. When he exhales, it’s slow. Controlled. He slashes the air with newfound certainty. The hesitation is gone. A deep blue arc slices through the air, expanding into a swirling vortex of light. The portal stabilizes, humming like a heartbeat.

For a moment, Leo just stares before slowly smirking. Of course he’s going to play it cool—he dusts off his shoulders. “Told you I got this.”

Raph’s impressed whistle is almost drowned out by Mickey’s voice echoing throughout the forrest. “Hey guys! I think I hear noises this way!”

Panic surges through them. No time for celebration. Leo grabs Donnie and shoves him through the portal before leaping in after him. Raph barely makes it through before the portal snaps shut, leaving nothing behind but the guarded cave.

Leonard slaps Mickey on the back of the head when there’s nothing in front of the cave, “Way to go, knucklehead.” Mickey winced, rubbing the back of his head. “Oh, it's fine; Henious can just smell them out.” Heinous tilts his head, furrowing his eyebrows at the comment.

Danny lets out a huff of amusement, “He’s not a dog, you know.” Mickey shrugs, “I figured with the way he will chase anything—NO HENIOUS! STAY RIGHT HERE! LEAVE THAT SQUIRREL ALONE!”

Mickey and Danny took off in a frantic dash after Henious, who was too preoccupied with terrorizing a poor squirrel. Leonard looks deadpan at the scene before him. He’s in the middle of letting out a deep groan when he feels the small, looking glass buzzing in his vest.

Worry etched into his features as he realizes what this means. "The boss is calling! Pretend like everything is fine!". Everyone freezes up in fear, even Henious Green. And it takes a lot to scare that man.  The Mud Dogs huddle around as Leonard pulls out the small, buzzing looking glass. The polished surface shimmers before warping into the image of Big Mama—her eye half-lidded with amusement, a sharp-toothed smile curling her lips. Despite her elegant posture, there’s a weight to her presence, like a predator toying with its prey: “Hello my darlings, I hope everything is going swimmingly. You have captured the crown, right?”

Leonard pulls at his collar, sweat beading down his neck. He attempts to keep his voice from shaking “Oh, you know us Big Mama. We never come back empty handed!”

Mickey chimes up with an easygoing smile, “We’ll get the crown back from Primetime and Purple—!” Everyone glares at him, ready to maul him.

Danny slaps his hand over Mickey and yanks him out of the view. It was too late; Big Mama heard him loud and clear. She lets out an annoyed huff. "So what I'm hearing is that you let the crown slip through your clumsy fingers. Not much of surprise considering they're better than you."

Mickey gaze lowers. Danny rubs his temples. Heinous lets out a low growl. Leonard bristles at the insult. If she thinks she can do better, he'd like to see her try. He raises his tone at her unintentionally, "I'm trying my best here-" Big Mama narrows her gaze at his tone, sending a chill down his spine. He clears his throat before meekly continuing, "But they have the Shogun with them."

Big Mama's expression darkens ever so slightly, letting out a harsh sigh. The young prince has been a constant source of frustration ever since he took charge. Although she has always managed to stay one step ahead of him, he is the embodiment of determination. She knows he won't rest until she's locked far away from his kingdom. He isn’t just another obstacle; he’s a relentless force that refuses to bend, break, or be bought. She has learned that the hard way.

But what troubles her more is the sway he might hold over her little terrapins. She has noticed cracks in her control over Leo and Donnie once again. Yet, deep down, she knew they relied on her. She could easily fill these gaps with such sweet, threatning words. It always worked without fail.

But with the shogun? He’s a wildfire, and if left unchecked, he might just fuel their defiance into conviction. As much as they pissed her off with their recent act of disobedience, they were still valuable to her. Her nails dig into her desk as she tries to keep her composure. "I must say, things are certainly interesting now. But, my dear Mud Dogs, do not mistake my patience for forgiveness. You will retrieve my crown and bring back my prodigies to me." Danny pops back into her view with furrowed eyebrows, "And what about the shogun?" Big Mama chuckles darkly, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of her eyepatch. “Let’s just say I hope we can see eye to eye.”

The unspoken threat lingers in the air, suffocating. Leonard clenches his jaw before nodding stiffly, “We’ll find them. You have my word."

Big Mama claps her hands together, the tension dissipating like mist. "Fabulous! I knew I could count on my favorite little hounds." Her eyes glint with joy as she waves goodbye. "Do keep me updated on my turtlely-boos. Tootles!"

The looking glass flickers out.

For a moment, there’s only silence. Then—

Mickey groans, running his hands down his face. "We’re so dead."

Danny lets out a long breath. "Not yet. But if we screw this up? We might wish we were."

Leonard scowls, gripping the looking glass tight enough to crack it. "Then let’s not screw it up." He turns sharply toward the cliffside, eyes narrowing. "They couldn’t have gone far. Spread out. We will find them."

Micky slumps, crossing his arms loosely. "And when we do?"

Leonard shrugs, adjusting his vest. "Then we make them wish they never ran in the first place." Heinous lets out a guttural chuckle at his words, baring his teeth. He wants to beat the shogun senselessly after making him feel like a fool. Without hesitation, he breaks into a sprint, darting to the right in search of them. Mickey and Danny quickly follow suit; Mickey excitedly exclaims, "I call dips on electrocuting Purple Knight!".

Danny smiles sadistically and responds, "As long as I get to break every bone in Primetime's body!" Leonard cannot shake the feeling that this manhunt is bound to go south but cannot deny the thrill pumping through his veins. As the sound of footsteps fades away, the trio listens behind the entrance, trying to make sense of what they have just learned. Raph ran a weary hand over his face, the weight of recent events heavy on his shoulders. Next to him, Leo throws his head in his hands as he groans. He burned with frustration but more at their predicament than Raph. While he still didn't wholeheartedly trust Raph, the moment back there did make him somewhat open to his presence. Though, he still believes that he and Donnie should have fled the kingdom when they had the chance. Now, Big Mama wanted them back for whatever reason. Donnie clutches his chest, trying to steady his breathing. He's looking down at the ground, his vision blurring. He tried to think clearly, but his heartbeat drummed in his ears. No way in hell was he going back there. Even then, who knows if they were going to be alive? The Mud Dogs want to break them apart. As he thought things couldn't get worse, water cascading in the background caught his attention. He drifts away from the group, his fingers trailing along the tunnel’s damp walls. As he reaches the exit, the sight before him steals his breath. A lone tower rises amid a lush tapestry of vibrant foliage and towering stone cliffs. Its weathered stones, veiled in moss and ivy, whisper of forgotten years while the surrounding flora erupts in vivid hues, a striking contrast against the neutral colors. Donnie calls back to the other two before exploring further, "Hey guys, I found something." Raph and Leo quickly make their way to where Donnie is, their expressions mirroring his amazement. Leo points toward the tower and says, "As much as I hate Piebald, there has to be a reason why she was so excited to be here. I think it's best to take temporary refuge and just take a breather." Raph nods in agreement. "And we can see if we can find anything to treat your guys' cuts." Raph rubs the back of his neck and smiles apologetically at Donnie. Sorry about the whole cut on your shoulder." Donnie glares at him, readjusting his grip on his left shoulder. "You better be." Raph lets out a small oh as he walks away, not expecting such a sharp response. Leo gives Raph's shoulder a soft pat. "You'll get used to his...certain charm." Raph gives him a small smile before they catch up with Donnie. When they finally stop in front of it, they collectively agree that it's too high. Leo steps far enough to see the window ledge, taking out his daggers. Raph rubs the back of his neck, trying to find a polite way to word his question, "Not to sound rude, but wouldn't we be better off just climbing—?"

Stopping him in the middle of his question, Leo opens a new portal without ease. “I know it took me a while last time, but it's easier for me to open a portal when I can see where I want to go."

Leo starts to step in, but Raph grips his arm. “Raph will make sure the coast is clear.” Before Leo can argue, Raph disappears into the portal.

Piebald pecked at Mikey's hand again, making him drop the pen. Mikey lets out a resigned sigh, crossing out the name Clementine in his notebook. He flops back on his bed, Piebald landing right between his eyes. "You know, you could just tell me your name." Piebald lets out a defiant chirp, much to Mikey's amusement. "For a hummingbird, you're awfully violent." Just as he enjoyed not being alone for once, he heard shuffling downstairs. He sits up in alarm, looking outside his open door. He's about to call out to his dad, but dread settles over his shoulders. He whispers to Piebald as he grabs his kursari fundo from his nightstand. "Stay right here, I'll be back." Raph steps cautiously through the portal, his stance guarded as he surveys the warmly lit interior. For a supposedly abandoned tower, it's in pretty good shape. Too good if you ask him. There's a slight shuffle behind, whipping his head towards the sound. Oh, it's just the daft wind. He calls out for Piebald, not liking this place one bit. Without warning, his instincts scream at him to turn around. With a swift motion, he raised his arm, and from the depths of the shadows, a chain emerged, crowned with an orange, spiked ball. The sudden tug on his arm was powerful, but he gripped the chain tighter, pulling back with all his strength.

He's seen a lot of things as Shogun, but he was unprepared for what was at the end of the chain: a small box turtle flaunting the most luxurious hair he had ever seen. He was expecting something a bit more threatning. Mikey gives him an awkward smile before meekly saying, "Please don't kidnap me." Raph tilts his head towards the side, a bemused smile gracing his face. "Kidnap you?". Mikey's gaze focuses on Raph's smile, specifically his teeth. Huh, he didn't have any razor-sharp teeth like his father warned him about. Well, he had a snaggle tooth but that's just one. "Wait, you're not here for my powers?" Mikey asked tentatively. The intruder rubbed the back of his neck, and a small, nervous chuckle left his lips. "No, my companions and I were looking for a temporary refuge."

Mikey's expression falters. He could hear the exhaustion in the stranger’s voice, see the weariness in how he stood. His gut twisted. He should help them. He wants to help them. But he couldn’t. Dad wouldn’t like this. He never likes anyone near the tower. The warnings drilled into him since childhood echoed in his head: You can’t trust outsiders. They’ll take advantage of you. They'll never leave you alone if they discover what you can do.  It was the same speech, over and over again, until Mikey had stopped questioning it. He’d followed the rules and lived in the isolation his father demanded. And it was fine. It was safe. But standing here, looking at Raph—this wasn’t what his father had warned him about.

Mikey fidgets with his hair, looking down. "I really wish I could help, but my dad would freak out if he knew random strangers were here...or anyone for that matter." Raph lets out a sigh but nods in understanding. "Sorry about the intrusion and any distress I caused." Mikey bit his lip, watching Raph turn toward the portal. Sending them off didn’t sit right with him. Before he could say anything, a flutter of wings caught his attention. Piebald swooped down, landing right on Raph’s helmet. Raph sighs in relief, "Piebald, you had me worried sick!" Mikey's eyes widened as he realized that his new friend and the stranger seemed to know each other. Huh, she really did bring her friends over, he thought. Well, he thought she would bring you know, other birds. It didn’t add up. Piebald, for all her tiny, aggressive tendencies had standards—he was sure of it. If she trusted this guy enough to land on him so casually, then maybe… maybe he wasn’t a threat.

Mikey chewed the inside of his cheek, shifting his weight between his feet. His father’s voice echoed in his mind again, but was that really true? Raph didn’t look like someone who was trying to manipulate him. He looked…tired.

Mikey exhaled through his nose, his shoulders relaxing slightly. If Piebald trusted him, then maybe he could, too.

Mikey stopped Raph from leaving and said, "Well, since you appear to be a friend of my new best friend, Piebald," He shot finger guns at Piebald. "I love the name, by the way! You could have just told me that instead of pecking at me whenever my guess was wrong."

Mikey smiled warmly at Raph. "A friend of Piebald is a friend of mine." The weight of his father’s rules still lingered in his mind, but for now, his gut told him he was making the right call. As the twins wait, Leo shoots Donnie an inquisitive look, “What was that all about with the shogun?”. Donnie shrugs slightly, “Something about duty or something.” "Heh, you said doody." Leo snickered. Donnie's expression flattened, letting out the most profound sigh known to man. Raph’s head popped back through the portal, giving a thumbs-up. "Mikey’s cool with us staying until his dad gets home."

Donnie deadpans. "Wait, someone actually lives here?"

Leo processed the situation for a second before clicking his tongue in mock disappointment. "Wait… does that mean you just broke into an innocent civilian’s house? Shame on you."

Raph narrowed his eyes. Without warning, he grabbed Leo by the collar and yanked him through the portal.

"HEY—!" Leo yelped, flailing for a second before stumbling forward. Raph couldn't but smile triumphantly.

Donnie's heart sank as he watched Leo get yanked by the collar. Panic surged within him, but it all vanished instantly when he realized the shogun was just being playful. He released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, letting out a nervous chuckle to mask his anxiety. He stepped through the portal behind Raph.

With a rough tumble, Leo crashes to the floor, his satchel slipping off his shoulders and skidding away.

“OMIGOSH ARE YOU OK?” Mikey reaches down and helps Leo off the floor.

As Leo dusted himself off, a gasp of delight escaped Mikey's lips, his hands coming up to cup Leo's cheeks as he tried to get a better look. "Wow, you have such cool markings and such a vibrant color scheme. I bet you'd look great in watercolors." Leo stiffened at the unexpected touch, his mind racing with a flurry of thoughts. He just got here. What did he do wrong already? Sensing the tension radiating off him, Mikey quickly withdrew his hands, raising them slightly in peace as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry about that. It's my first time having anyone besides my dad here." Leo can't help but laugh awkwardly, realizing he was overthinking Mikey's actions. He tries dismissing the whole thing with a lighthearted comment, "I love my markings and all, but I would do anything to have killer hair like yours." Mikey perks up at the compliment, "Aw, thanks, that's-" Seemingly, out of nowhere, Donnie abruptly shoves Leo to the side. He pushes his goggles down and gets into Mikey's personal space, "Gasp! How do you have such luscious, or really, any hair at all? It should be genetically impossible for us turtles! Mikey shrugs, "I just like to say it's magic." Donnie sighs in disappointment, slumping back with his hand on his chin. Magic his ass. He needed a REAL answer to his question. A sudden idea pops into his head, casually suggesting, "Maybe you can give me a strand of your hair, if it's clean, of course, and-" "You can't just randomly ask for that." Raph gently picks Donnie up by the collar, trying to create space between him and Mikey. He doesn't want to overwhelm him so quickly. He's already doing a lot for them just by letting them be here.

Mikey waves off the comment, “I don’t mind, really.” Mikey clasps his hands together, looking towards them expectantly, “Now, how can I help?”

Donnie smirks slightly, still stifly suspended in the air. “By letting me study your DNA—” Leo tried to get back on his feet after being rudely pushed, maintaining a deadpan expression. “You know that’s not what he meant.”

As he pressed down on his injured legs, a wave of pain shot through him, anchoring him in place. He lets out a hiss of pain, grabbing everyone’s attention. Donnie scambles away from Raph’a grip and to Leo’s side.

Raph’s stomach churned the moment he caught sight of the deep red staining Leo’s leg. His grip on Mikey’s shoulder tightened instinctively, and before he even realized it, his other hand shot up to cover Mikey’s eyes. He forced himself to look away, jaw clenching as a cold sweat pricked at the back of his neck. It stirred back memories he wanted to burry.

Out of everything, why did it have to be blood?

Mikey tensed under his hold, but when he felt Raph’s fingers tremble slightly against his face, “Uh, what are you—?”

“Trust me, you don’t wanna see that,” Raph muttered, voice tight. He kept his gaze locked on the farthest wall, willing himself to think about anything other than the pooling crimson just feet away. Leo, despite the pain, manages a weak smirk. “Ohhh, I get it,” he teases, wincing as he shifts. “Big bad shogun doesn’t like a little blood.” Raph exhaled sharply through his nose, forcing a smirk onto his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Pfft. ‘Course not. Just… makin’ sure little man over here doesn’t freak out.” Mikey nudges Raph’s wrist so he can peek past his fingers."Hey! Who do you think you're calling-" Donnie barely spares them a glance, too focused on Leo's wound.“Instead of standing around, could you guys get bandages and possibly ointment?” Leo gives them an apologetic smile, trying to make up for Donnie's bluntness. "Please and thank you." Raph starts looking around the small area, "Right sorry". Mikey pries Raph's hands off and walks over to Leo and Donnie. He notices Donnie’s gash on his arm, feeling more concerned than before. He messily parts two strands of his hair, “I don’t actually have any of those things but for good reason.”

Before they can even question it, Mikey hands Leo a strand of his hair. “Here, wrap this around your leg.” Leo stares at him for a few seconds, utterly confused. “I don't…huh?”

Mikey gives him an awkward smile, “Just trust the process, alright?” Not left without much of a choice, he reluctantly grabs it.

Mikey turns his attention toward Donnie, gingerly pulling his injured arm toward him, but Donnie pulls back.

Mikey tilts his head towards the side, “I’ll give you a stand of my hair if you let me work my magic?” Donnie lets out a resigned sigh as he motions for Mikey to wrap the hair around his gash. Curse his thirst for knowledge.

“Y’all promise not to freak out?” Mikey asks. The trio exchange glances before mummering in agreement.

Once Mikey was sure both strands were secured, he started humming gently. Raph looked towards Piebald with furrowed eyebrows. He had nothing against this box turtle but wondered why she wanted them here. Sensing his confusion, Piebald points her wing toward Mikey.

All of a sudden, Mikey’s roots turn into a fiery orange. It slowly spreads down, eventually reaching Leo and Donnie’s injuries. The twins look at each other uncertainly before unwrapping Mikey’s hair. Donnie lets out a small gasp as he sees his gash is gone. Leo is about to scream when Mikey holds his hands up, “Don’t freak out!”

Leo's mouth hangs open as Mikey sighs, "Please?" Leo runs his hand through his bandana as he tries playing it cool, "What? I'm not freaking out! Are you freaking out hermano? Shogun?" Donnie shakes his head frantically while Raph scratches his chin and mumbles no. An uncomfortable silence falls over the room until Leo tries making a lighthearted joke, "Am I going to get super strength in my leg now or-?" Mikey can't help but let out a small giggle at his dumb joke, "As far as I'm aware, my hair just heals and glows." Raph gives Mikey a lopsided grin as he helps Donnie up. "Which is very cool either way." Donnie looks down at the hair all over the hair, trying to make sense of this magic nonsense.

Mikey suddenly realized he didn't know their names. He quickly extended a hand to Leo, helping him to his feet, and flashed a warm, encouraging smile."So, do you guys mind telling me your names? I'm Michangelo, or Mikey for short." Leo points to himself with a proud smile, "I'm Primetime," he wraps his arm around Donnie, giving him a noogie. "This is Purple Knight," Donnie puts his hand on Leo's face and unintentionally shoves him to Raph. "And this is...uh..." Raph looks at him, flabbergasted, "How do you not know my name? I've said it before!" Leo rubs the back of his neck, "I'm bad with names?" Raph lets out an exasperated sigh, running a hand over his face. "I'm Raphael Hamato." Leo puts a hand on his chin, a smirk slowly gracing his face, "I ain't a big fan of that. Can I call you Raphadoodle?" Mikey and Donnie look towards each other, trying to muffle their snickering. Raph rolls his eyes at his dumb nickname, "I don't know, do you want me to shove my fist in your face," Leo holds his hands up, a small huff of amusement leaving his lips, "And ruin this pretty face? No, thank you." Donnie crosses his arms, "Said no one ever." Leo slides right over to Donnie, shushing him. "But I must disagree with you. Mikey said I'd look good in watercolors." Donnie furrows his eyebrows, "That sounds more mocking than anything." Mikey shakes his head, "Nope, that was meant to be the highest compliment." Leo nods, putting his arm around Mikey's shoulder, "Finally! Someone who recognizes my greatness. You should be my hype man." Donnie lets out a small groan, "Please don't. He already has too much of a big head." Leo blows a raspberry towards Donnie, "Not as big as your forehead." Donnie's eye twitches as he takes a deep breath, "Somebody restain me before I ruin his face-" "Michelangelo, let down your hair!" Mikey's heart drops as he hears his father's voice. He points upstairs, whispering urgently, "I really like you guys and all, but you gotta hide!" Without a moment's hesitation, the trio bolts up the stairs. As they ascend, Leo instinctively reaches for his satchel, but panic washes over him when he realizes he left it behind. He attempts to go back for it, but Raph pulls him along.

So much for catching a breather!

[arisu-artnfics]

Green with envy 2025 event: @green-with-envy-phandom-event.

Well, this year I did participate on it. So I'm enlisting all my entries. (Just in English). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bueno, este año participé en el evento. Así que estoy listando mis entradas. (Solo en Inglés).

Starrybabyman (Colour) by @thatonejumbledmess.

BlobGhostLavalamp_1 (Colour) by @crunchyplastic.

CuteSpaceDanny (Colour) by @ovytia-art/ @craftybookworms.

Tiny Dani (Colour), Tiny Danny (Colour) and Tiny Valerie (Colour) by @marzfartz.

Cuddle Menace (Colour) by @weshney.

Hunter Danny (Colour) by @fuyuthefoxwriter.

Blob lantern (Colour) by @goodfish-bowl.

CloseUp_blankver (Colour) and an alternative by @goodfish-bowl.

Trees (Colour) by @the-oaken-muse.

Danny, Sam, Tuck 2 (Colour) by @smooth-jazz-radio.

DeviantArt || Facebook || YouTube

[tinynerdz360]

Above and Beyond Chapter 11: The Sam and Jazz episode

The flickering neon of the cheap motel sign cast an eerie glow through the thin curtains. Sam paced the worn carpet, her combat boots leaving imprints in the fibers.

"Are you done with that letter yet, Jazz?" Sam groaned, flopping onto the creaky bed.

Jazz looked up from her laptop, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Almost. I want to make sure it's perfect. We can't afford any mistakes when requesting a meeting with the President."

Sam rolled her eyes. "This is taking too long," Sam growled, running a hand through her raven hair. "Every second we waste, those GIW creeps get closer to the President."

"Patience, Sam. We need to do this the right way," Jazz replied, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

Sam's fists clenched. “They left him! They think he’s dead…….and he is…...but they think he’s dead dead. We don’t know how long Danny has; just cause he’s a halfa doesn’t mean he can survive for long up there.”

“Well, they think he’s an alien; they don’t know he’s a ghost. They don’t know anything. Which is why we need this meeting before the GIW.” Jazz mumbled as she continued to type.

Sam stood abruptly. "I need some air. This room is suffocating me."

As she slammed the door behind her, Sam's mind raced. She couldn't wait any longer. Danny needed them now. Her hand brushed against the Fenton shrink ray in her pocket, and a plan began to form.

Thirty minutes later, Sam found herself on a White House tour, "And here we have the East Room," the guide droned. Sam's violet eyes darted, searching for an opening.  As the group rounded a corner, she ducked behind a large potted plant and activated the shrink ray.

The world suddenly loomed impossibly large around her.

Sam steadied herself, now barely taller than a mouse. "Okay, Manson, you got this," she whispered.

She hurried along the baseboard, every sense on high alert. Voices ahead made her freeze. Two men in pristine white suits rounded the corner, following a nervous-looking aide.

Sam's blood ran cold. The Guys in White. Here. Now.

"This way, gentlemen," the aide murmured. "The President will see you shortly."

“I still can’t believe they left the ghost there on Mars.” One of the GIW agents said.

The other agent nodded in agreement.  “No matter; once we speak to the president, we can retrieve the ghost body and eliminate the ecto-scum once and for all.”

Panic clawed at Sam's throat. She pressed herself against the wall, wishing herself invisible. Agent W passed inches from her, his polished shoe a gleaming monolith.

Suddenly, a shrill beeping pierced the air. Agent W's wristwatch flashed, its ecto-detector going haywire. His head snapped down, eyes widening behind dark sunglasses as he spotted Sam's tiny form.

"Ecto scum!" he bellowed, his booming voice nearly deafening Sam at her current size.

In one fluid motion, Agent W yanked out his pocket ray gun. The weapon hummed to life, its barrel glowing an eerie green.

Sam's heart leapt into her throat. "Oh, crud," she muttered, her legs pumping furiously.

Agent W's finger squeezed the trigger. A blast of ecto-energy sizzled past Sam, scorching the polished floor mere inches from her feet.

"What are you doing?!" Agent F hissed, grabbing his partner's arm. "We're in the White House!"

But Agent W shook him off, firing wildly. "It's contaminated! We have to neutralize the threat!"

"Are you insane?" the aide, who was the GIW mole, hissed, panic evident in his voice. "You'll blow our entire operation!"

But Agent W was beyond reason, his face contorted with zealous rage. "No ghost or ghost lover escapes the Guys in White!"

Another blast. Sam leaped, the heat searing her clothes. She zigzagged across the floor, desperate for cover.

The hallway erupted in chaos. Alarms blared, and heavy footsteps pounded in the distance. Agent W's voice rose above the din: "Come out and face justice, you miniature menace!"

"W, holster your weapon now!" Agent F pleaded, grabbing his partner's arm again.

But it was too late. The sound of safeties clicking off filled the air as White House security converged on their position.

Sam dove behind a column supporting a bust of George Washington, her tiny form trembling.

"Drop your weapons and get down on the ground, now!" The commanding voice of the lead CIA agent ricocheted off the marble walls, brooking no argument. She stood squarely, her eyes fixed on the GIW agents, her own gun drawn and steady.

Amidst the tension, Sam seized her moment. She fumbled for the shrink ray tucked in her pocket, her fingers trembling as they wrapped around the cool metal.

Agent W snarled, "This is GIW business! You have no jurisdic—"

Before he could finish, Sam aimed and fired. A brilliant blue beam engulfed both GIW agents. In an instant, they shrank to three inches tall, their shouts of surprise becoming high-pitched squeaks.

The room fell into a stunned silence.

"Wha— What the hell just happened?" one of the security guards stammered, his voice barely above a whisper as he stared at the diminutive forms of the once formidable GIW operatives.

"Contain them," ordered the lead CIA agent.

Sam peeked out of her hiding spot, watching as one of the CIA agents finally snapped out of his shock and scooped up the diminutive GIW agents in his massive hand.

"Let us go, you giant oaf! We're on official business!" one of the tiny agents protested, shaking a minuscule fist.

"Official business?" The CIA agent held them closer to his face, scrutinizing them with bewildered fascination. "You mean terrorizing people with your... toy guns?"

"Those aren't toys!" the other pint-sized agent piped up, indignant. "And we're after an ecto threat. A ghost!"

"Ghost?" The agent's expression shifted from bewilderment to incredulity. "Are you serious?"

Before he could probe further, his partner called out.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" he barked, causing the aide to freeze in his tracks.

"I saw him with those men in white," another agent said, gesturing towards the tiny GIW agents dangling between their colleague's fingers.

"Look, it's all a misunderstanding," the mole stammered, his back pressed against the cool wall, hands raised in a placating gesture. "Just let me explain—"

"Explain later," the lead CIA agent barked.

The lead CIA agent's brow furrowed in confusion. She turned to her colleague, who was now on his hands and knees, peering behind the column. “What the hell are you doing, Nelson?”

 "There's another one," Nelson said, his voice filled with incredulity. "I saw another tiny; they were peeking out behind the bust."

Sam's heart raced as she saw Agent Nelson's enormous face appear, looking down at her between the gap between the column and wall. She gripped the shrink ray tightly, her palms sweaty.

"Come out with your hands up!" Agent Nelson demanded, his voice booming in Sam's ears.

Sam took a deep breath and shouted back, "I'm not coming out! I need to speak with President Davis. It's urgent!"

Agent Nelson looked thoughtful, "It's... it's just a kid," he muttered to his partner.

Sam's voice trembled slightly as she continued, "If you try to force me out, I'll shrink you too!" She aimed the ray gun at the agent's massive face, hoping he couldn't see how badly her hands were shaking.

The agent holding the GIW agents scoffed. "We could easily neutralize her at that size. There'd be nothing left."

Sam's stomach churned at his callous words.

Nelson raised a hand to quiet his partner. "Easy now, it's just a kid," he said softly, his tone shifting to a more soothing cadence.

Sam's nerves were frayed, her finger twitching on the trigger. *I need to show them I mean business, * she thought. With a surge of adrenaline, she aimed just past the agent's ear and fired.

A bright beam shot out, narrowly missing the agent and striking a painting. In an instant, the artwork shrank to the size of a postage stamp.

"Whoa there!" Nelson exclaimed, his eyes wide with astonishment. He took a deep breath, visibly trying to regain his composure. "Look, why don't you come out, and we can talk about this? I promise we'll hear you out."

Sam's heart pounded. She knew she was cornered. "I-I'll only come out if you promise to take me to the president," she demanded.

Nelson sighed, considering her request. "Look, I'll see what I can do, okay?" He extended his hand, palm up. "But first, you need to come out."

Sam glared at the offered hand, her mind racing. *Even if I shrink him, he could still overpower me,* she thought. *And hurting them won't help my case with the president. * Reluctantly, she stepped out from behind the column.

As she approached the giant hand, Sam flinched involuntarily. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and climbed onto the waiting palm. As the hand rose, she lost her balance, grabbing the agent's thumb to steady herself. It was like grasping the trunk of a young tree, her fingers barely reaching around its circumference.

Nelson stared at her in wonder. "I can't believe I'm holding a tiny person," he murmured.

His other hand approached, and Sam tensed. "I need that weapon," he said firmly.

Sam hesitated, her grip tightening on the shrink ray. This device was her only way back to normal size.

"Listen," Nelson continued, his tone firm but not unkind, "don't make me take it. Just hand it over."

Realizing she had no choice, Sam reluctantly handed over the device, and a new plan formed in her mind. *Maybe being small isn't such a disadvantage, * she thought. *They might underestimate me. I can use that. *

The agent's fingers, each as wide as she was tall, pinched the device between them with surprising delicacy.

"Thank you," he said. He then secured the tiny piece of technology in his pocket.

His giant fingers curled loosely around her, cradling Sam in the palm of his hand as he walked down the hallway.

****

The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as Sam found herself deposited into a glass jar. The transparent walls curved around her, distorting her view of the sterile interrogation room. She pressed her tiny palms against the glass, feeling utterly exposed and vulnerable.

Sam watched the CIA agents place the shrunken GIW operatives into similar containers.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," one agent muttered, peering at the miniaturized men in white. "It's like something out of a sci-fi movie."

Another agent shook his head, his face a mask of disbelief and annoyance. "An unauthorized ghost-hunting organization? Operating with government funds? The President's going to have a field day with this one."

Sam's stomach churned as she overheard snippets of the GIW agents' frantic explanations. "Ecto-entities... threat to national security... ghost on Mars..." She watched the two other CIA agents pick up the GIW jar and leave the room. She guessed to question them without her present.

*This is not how I planned this to go,* Sam thought, her heart racing. She watched as two CIA agents loomed over her, their faces twisted in a mix of fascination and suspicion. One was Agent Nelson, the other his partner. She hadn’t gotten the man’s name.

Suddenly, the jar was lifted, and Sam found herself face-to-face with a stern-looking CIA agent. "Alright, young lady," he said, his voice booming in her tiny ears. "You better start talking.”

Sam took a deep breath, steadying herself. "My name is Sam Manson," she began, “Look, I know this sounds crazy, but ghosts are real. They're not evil, though! The Guys in White have been attacking innocent people in Amity Park, and they're after my friend!"

Nelson leaned in, his brow furrowed. "And who exactly is this friend of yours?"

Sam hesitated, then blurted out, "Danny Phantom. He's... he's the alien boy on Mars."

The agents exchanged skeptical glances.

"It's complicated," Sam said, frustration creeping into her voice. "But he's in danger, and I need to speak to the President before the GIW convinces him to do something terrible!"

Nelson spoke up, “ I hate to break this to you, but the alien kid was left on Mars, he’s dead along with astronaunt Mark Watney.”

“No, you don’t understand! He’s a ghost, he’s survived worse then an alien planet. But if he stays trapped there, he’ll die!” Sam yelled.

Nelson tilted his head, “If he’s a ghost, how can he die?”

“Ugh! You don’t get it! Look, he’s special, he can die, he’s just tough. Please, he needs help!”

The other Agent sneered, his face contorting with disbelief. "A likely story from a pint-sized terrorist."

Fury bubbled within Sam. These dense agents were jeopardizing everything. "It's the truth! If you'd listen—"

Suddenly, the world became a violent blur. Nelson’s partner had grabbed the jar, shaking it violently. Sam's tiny body slammed against the glass walls, pain exploding through her as she felt warm liquid trickle from her nose. And the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

"Stop, Roberts!" Agent Nelson's voice cut through the chaos, deep and commanding. He snatched the jar away, cradling it protectively in his large hands. His scowl was fierce as he turned to his partner. "She's a minor, and at this size, you could seriously hurt her. Control yourself!"

Roberts rolled his eyes. "Oh please, she's fine. The little brat is lying through her teeth. Ghosts?  What a joke."

Sam's head spun, her vision blurry. She touched her nose, fingers coming away red.

Sam glared up at him, trying to staunch the flow of blood with her hands. Her whole body ached.

Nelson's massive hand engulfed the jar, and Sam braced herself as he slowly tilted the container, her tiny form tumbling onto his warm, calloused palm. She felt exposed, vulnerable, yet oddly safe in his careful grip.

"Are you alright?" Nelson's voice rumbled above her, his concerned eyes sweeping over her diminutive form.

Sam pushed herself up, her legs wobbling. She wiped at her bloodied nose, glaring past Nelson at Roberts. "When I get big again," she snarled, her voice barely above a squeak, "I'm going to kick your ass so hard you'll wish you'd never been born!"

Nelson's fingers curled protectively around her, forming a gentle cage. "Easy there, firecracker," he murmured, a hint of amusement in his tone.

Roberts scoffed; his face twisted in disdain. "The little brat should rot in juvie for her stunt at the White House.

Sam's blood boiled. How dare he? She opened her mouth to unleash another tirade, but Nelson cut her off.

"Here," he said softly, reaching into his pocket with his free hand. He produced a crisp white handkerchief, offering her the corner. "For your nose."

Sam reached out, her tiny hands grasping the edge of the handkerchief. It unfurled before her like a giant tablecloth, the material soft and cool against her skin. Gratefully, she pressed it to her throbbing nose, the white cotton quickly staining crimson.

Sam's mind raced as she sat cradled in Nelson's palm, the handkerchief dwarfing her diminutive form. She had to find a way out of this mess, and she had to make them believe her.

Nelson watched closely, making sure the tiny rebel in his hand was as comfortable as she could be under the circumstances.

Sam’s eyes flicked up to his, acknowledging the gesture with reluctant gratitude.

Nelson's deep voice resonated through the air. "I think we should take a break." His massive hand moved towards the jar, causing Sam's heart to race. "Sorry, kiddo, but back you go."

Sam's stomach lurched as she was lowered into the glass prison. Nelson guided the handkerchief in after her. She sank into the fabric, feeling dwarfed by its sheer size.

*****

"The President wants to see the girl," Agent Carter, the top CIA agent, announced, her voice crisp. "He's... intrigued by the situation."

Meanwhile, in a secure room, Sam sat cross-legged in her glass jar, the handkerchief she was given draped over her tiny shoulders. She was bored out of her mind.  The door opened, and Agent Nelson entered.

"Looks like you've made quite an impression, Miss Mason," he said, a hint of a smile on his face. He reached for the jar, his hand popping the lid off,  his massive hand descending toward her.

Sam's heart raced. "What's happening?" she asked, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"The President wants to meet you," Nelson replied, his fingers carefully closing around her tiny form. The warmth of his skin enveloped her as he lifted her out.

As they moved through the corridors, Sam's mind whirled. *Should I tell him about Jazz?* she wondered. * No, I better keep that to myself for now. If this goes south, I might need her help to escape. *

[abeautylives]

Times I Remember Well

(and Some That I Don’t)

Part 2

author’s note: The word "skivvies" means underwear. Apparently not everyone knows that lol

pairing: female!OCxjake

time frame: 2014-2016

word count: 7k this part

warnings: language, more teenage angst, illicit substance use, underage drinking, mentions of sex and sexual situations, fingering, angry Sam

I was serious when I said I couldn’t show my face at the Kiszka household for a while. 

Sam showed up at my front door the next afternoon, and immediately started making fun of me for being rejected by his brother. 

“Oh Joshy, why won’t you kiss me?!” Complete with immature kissy sounds and puppy dog eyes.

I could only wonder what Josh had told him happened. He wouldn’t tell me. Menace.

It was one thing to hang out with Sam so soon after the incident, but there was no way I could be around Josh. Or even Jake.

The more I thought about that night (which was a lot), the more I over-analyzed Jake’s reaction to his twin cozying up to me.

Was I crazy to think that he was mad at me? Or at Josh? The look on his face had been murderous (it got even more murdery every time I thought about it). Had I imagined that?

Because I’m the luckiest girl on earth, I didn’t have to wait that long to find out.

After three weeks of avoiding their house all together, Sam convinced me to come by for a smoke sesh in the garage. Same as always, the usual, totally casual. I knocked twice on the door and let myself in, sat on the old throw rug right next to Sam, joined the rotation with Danny on the couch across from me and Sam to my left. Around and round it went, while I refused to meet the eyes of anyone in the room but Sammy.

Jake sat upon his ugly floral throne and Josh was tucked into the corner of the couch beside him. I risked peeking up at them, back and forth, whenever I knew they weren’t paying attention. 

They were so different. More different than I had ever realized, but Josh seemed okay - a little quiet but he smiled easily and laughed freely. I don’t think Jake even glanced in my direction once, but I was too scared to look at him for too long, so who knows.

Eventually, Sam smoked too much. He did this almost every time, you’d think he’d have figured it out by then. He laid himself flat out on the cement floor and dozed off, so I asked Danny to toss me one of the dingy throw pillows from the couch. 

“Here, stupid.” I shoved Sam’s shoulder and he stirred enough to lift his head, I stuffed the pillow underneath it. He went out like a light.

Jake chose the moment Sam passed out to stand from the chair. He stayed there for a second, and I could see him from the corner of my eye. Just standing there, like a total weirdo! So yeah, I looked up at him. Don’t you worry, he was already looking down at me and our eyes locked. Of course they did.

His expression was pretty neutral but made me feel squirmy anyway, so I blinked and looked at Josh instead. You guessed it, he was already looking at me too! Except he’s perfectly lovely and sweet, so he grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

“Come grab some snacks with me, Tiny.”

Nope, Josh didn’t say that. I nearly snapped my neck jerking my head back up to Jake. “C’mon, T.”

When we were still in middle school, Sam and I would sometimes watch reruns of The Twilight Zone, have you ever seen that show? Each episode was a story about some seriously weird and disturbing shit, alternate realities.

This was like that. I had entered the Twilight Zone.

Josh was my only option for help, so I obviously looked over at Danny instead. He was melting into the couch again, lightweight.

“Let’s go.” This Jake was freaking me out. I mean, he didn’t talk to me much under normal circumstances, but he definitely never asked me to go anywhere with him. Let alone demanded it.

“Okay!” Once again, I embarrassed myself under this roof. My voice came out strained and squeaky. Let’s blame it on the dry mouth. 

He skirted around the chair and out the side door, and my body just got up to follow him. Traitor! I stepped over Sam and before I made it to the door, Josh’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

“Hey, you okay?”

Ugh, he’s so perfect. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine but he’s being so weird, right?” Right?!

“He is. He’s been kinda weird for a couple weeks, even with me. But uh… Good luck in there, missed you around here.” He released his hold on my wrist and chuckled. Traitor!

My possible friendship with Josh was tenuous at best, but I was considering a forever type of silent treatment after this betrayal. I sucked a few deep breaths into my lungs before I walked into the house, and when I made it to the kitchen, Jake was leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. He hadn’t even pulled any snacks out. He lifted his eyes to me as I walked in, and did that flippy thing with the hair that always flopped over them.

“What’s up Biebs?” He hated that (he and Sam both did, it was great), and I knew he hated that, but he was getting on my nerves with his attention, with his demands. I could see the hate written all over his face, but I crossed the kitchen and leaned into the counter across from him. Then I matched his wide-legged stance, crossed my arms, and scowled. We stared at each other for a beat, my underarms started to sweat before he responded. 

“Where have you been the last few weekends?”

What do you mean he’d noticed I hadn’t been here? Was he for real?

“Uhh, I’ve been around, I guess. What do you care?”

“You avoiding us, Tiny?” He adjusted his stance, straightening up to his full height (a whopping half inch taller than me - what is it with these guys?) but kept his arms across his chest. His hair had fallen back into his eyes and he flipped it away, and I just stared at him in silence. “Something happen the last time you were here?”

What do you know, dickhead?

“Like what, Jacob?” I smoothed out the scowl from between my eyebrows and batted my lashes at him. I’m so innocent! He did not like it. His arms dropped to his sides and he pushed himself away from the counter. In less than a second he was standing right in front of me. In a fraction of that, he had leaned in close, the tip of his nose nearly touching mine. I tried to back away, arching my back over the edge of the counter, but he moved in further.

Now my back was sweating.

“Did you fool around with my brother?”

Jesus. His question breezed over my lips and his words shot straight to my gut. It wasn’t like the soft caress of Josh’s voice asking what I was doing when I’d been begging him to kiss me. This wasn’t like that at all. 

“Uh-“ Yeah yeah, I had to clear my throat. I think I stopped breathing. “Who? Sammy? Gross, dude.”

Deflect! Deflect!

“Did you fuck Josh, T?”

WHAT?!

I pushed him away from me. I couldn’t breathe!

“What the hell are you talking about, Jake? Of course I didn’t… do that!” I’d never done that, with anyone, had he lost his mind?

“Then why is he acting so weird? And why haven’t you been here since that night?” He really seemed surprised that I hadn’t fu- had sex with Josh on the couch in the garage. What kind of girl did he take me for?

“Ask him yourself, asshole!”

“I did! Multiple times! He won’t say shit and says you guys are just friends, but that doesn’t explain why you’ve been too chicken-shit to show your face!”

Why was he so close to me again? I put a palm squarely in the middle of his chest, ready to push his ass to the floor if I had to, but he wrapped his fingers around my wrist and squeezed. Kinda hard.

“My own brother won’t tell me the truth and it’s your fault.” He pushed my hand back into my own chest. “What did you do to him?”

I was truly at a loss for words, so I uttered a few that I honestly had never said to anyone before. Not even Sam.

“Fuck you, Jake.”

But he didn’t even move! His face sort of twisted up, like he was confused, but I don’t think I could have been any more clear.

“Grow up, Tiny.”

Ugh, when did he learn how to push all my buttons? “You grow up, and mind your own business you creep. What, are you jealous I kissed Josh and not you?”

You should’ve seen it, seriously. You had to be there. He sprung away from me like I’d electrocuted him. 

“You are! Oh this is hilarious, you’re jealous.” I had to say it, the look on his face was a mixture of disgust and embarrassment. I couldn’t believe it. “Do you like me Jake? Huh? You wanna kiss me Jake?”

There’s no excuse for that one. I still don’t know why I said it. But then, ohhhh then, he rushed back into my space, wrapped both hands around the base of my skull, and slammed his lips against mine.

See? Luckiest girl on earth.

A lot of things happened in a span of a very few seconds. 

The weight of his body pushed me into the counter pretty hard, but I barely registered the pain. My first reaction was obviously shock, confusion, but it quickly turned into acceptance and my lips went from stiff against his to soft and welcoming.

Yep. I kissed him back.

My hands flew up and wrapped around his wrists, and he actually gripped my hair. I gasped into the kiss and he slipped his tongue into my mouth. He groaned, I moaned and-

“Seriously?!”

We bounced apart like the opposite poles of two magnets. Jake didn’t stop moving backwards until he hit the counter across from me.

“This is seriously fucked up, guys.” Sam stood in the doorway of the kitchen, eyes red and unfocused, but they landed on me. “Go home, T. I shouldn’t have even asked you to come here.”

Before I could argue or even get upset with him, he turned out of the room and was gone.

I was confused. Very confused. My heart was still beating erratically in my chest and my breaths didn’t feel right either. Of all the people on the planet, I had to look to Jake effing Kiszka for help.

“Jake…” My voice came out small, weak.

For a minute, he just shook his head. My vision went a little blurry.

I am not going to cry in front of another one of these idiots!

“Jake.” Stronger that time, better. “Why did you do that?”

“Why did you?”

“You kissed me first! I-“

“You liked it.”

No, no I did not. I loved it. There was enough potential that I could’ve been smitten with it.

“You’re disgusting.” As I found my voice, I also found some anger. That anger coerced my feet into action, and I found myself toe to toe with him again. I pushed a finger right into his chest, for good measure. “Don’t ever-“

I learned a few things that night. One thing was that Jake was a really terrible listener. 

He didn’t grab me again, he didn’t crowd me or slam his mouth to mine. He just leaned forward and let his lips hover over mine. That shut me up real quick. 

“You sure, T?” Ugh, he whispered. And it was sexy, and seductive.

Another thing I learned that night was that Jake was a real prick.

Because he whispered those words across my lips, wrapped his hands around my upper arms and spun us around, backed me into the counter…

And walked away.

With all that being said, that might have been the night I started falling for Jake Kiszka. But I don’t really remember.

Sam didn’t speak a word to me for six days.

He was really mad at me! Or at least I figured he was, since he sent me away and said I never should have been there to begin with. And he ignored all my texts. And calls. Shit, I even emailed him once.

I passed him in the halls at school all week, tried to catch his attention from a distance, watched him purposefully look past me, or through me each time.

I had really fucked up.

On the seventh day, he gave it a rest. A full week since incident #2, he texted me. 

sammy: I’m sorry too

That was it. I had apologized a hundred unanswered times, pleaded with him to just talk to me, for a week. After so much silent treatment, I didn’t really know how to address it.

Me: my dad wants me to stay with him for the summer

That was true. My dad always wanted me to stay with him for the summer, but I usually chose to stay home and traded out the other, shorter holiday breaks with him. I hadn’t seriously been considering it, until incident #2.

sammy: In Traverse? Are you gonna go?

Me: yeah. 

What did you expect me to say? I needed to get out of the bubble that was our town and away from all the testosterone. Granted, Traverse City is only like three hours away, but that was pretty far for a kid with no license.

Sam didn’t text me back. I was glad I was leaving.

School let out for the summer and my dad picked me up that weekend. Traverse City isn’t all that different from home, aside from triple the population. There’s plenty to do outdoors - beaches and trails - but my dad didn’t exactly provide the same kind of company as Sam. 

When you’re running free with your best friend, the break never seems long enough. This was the longest summer I could remember, but by early July Sam and I were back on regular speaking terms. We texted all the time, and eventually accepted each other’s apologies. 

But after not hearing from him at all before I left town, the first time he reached out was not all that fun.

sammy: Can I ask you a question 

Me: shoot

sammy: Why did it have to be my brothers?

Me: …

Me: what do you mean

sammy: You could make out with ANYONE else

sammy: Why them?

So Josh did tell him something. 

Me: Josh told you we kissed?

sammy: That’s not an answer.

The truth? You know the truth. I started crushing on Josh sometime between his bare chest at Fischer Hall and the skintight jeans with the peace sign patch on the ass that he started wearing later that summer. 

But I still didn’t know what the hell had happened with Jake.

Me: i already said i was sorry sam. I. AM. SORRY. 

Me: i really did like josh… he doesn’t like me back

Me: but i DID NOT KISS JAKE!!! He kissed ME and i have no clue why

Me: I DO NOT LIKE HIM, I HATE HIM

Look, I rarely lied to Sam. I had no reason to. But that text? That was a big fat lie.

How could I tell him that not only did I not hate Jake, I liked kissing Jake. I wanted to kiss Jake again. I wanted to learn how he did it, what his moves were, what made him-

No. Couldn’t tell baby brother all that. So I lied, and I avoided at all costs. 

Back to the best of friends by August, Sam was waiting in my driveway the day my dad dropped me off. We spent the last week of the summer attached at the hip again, but I didn’t step foot in his house for a very long time.

The Friday after my eighteenth birthday, Sammy threw me a party. That I didn’t ask for.

I rarely hung out with him at his own house anymore, and if I did it was only when I knew for certain that Jake wasn’t home. 

Josh and I had developed a sort of friendly relationship over the last couple years, stemming from a run-in at a movie theater. I was on a date (it went terribly), Josh was on a date (I asked him about it later and yes, that guy liked him back!), we fumbled awkwardly through hellos and introductions. He told me he missed seeing me around.

Those five words were enough to convince me that it would be okay to go to the house if he was there.

But not Jake. Never Jake.

So imagine my utter shock and horror when I knocked twice on the garage door, slipped underneath it, and found the room packed full of people.

“SURPRISE!!!”

Fuck me, right? No one likes surprise parties. I particularly hate them. Especially when I’m standing there like an idiot, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, taking in an unexpected mass of people and my stupid eyes lock on Jake stupid Kiszka.

And he smirked. Asshole.

“I’m not ready to leave you.”

Despite the garage full of our friends, I still ended up on Sam’s lap in the ugly chair, a little buzzed and kind of weepy. I tucked my face into his shoulder.

Don’t judge me. I’d already done a few hours worth of dancing, laughing and drinking. And avoiding the proverbial elephant in the room. It was exhausting. 

He shrugged off my concerns. “When I’m famous, you can just drop out and come on tour with us.” He raised his beer up to me, so I tapped mine against it. Cheers to adulthood, I guess. 

“You better get famous, you dick. Or even better, fail miserably and come live in Ann Arbor with me.”

In a month, I was graduating. It's not like I was leaving for college right away, but the reality of being eighteen was weighing on me. Sam’s reality was even heavier.

The fucking band was getting noticed. Being seen. What was I gonna do if they took off, if he left me and Michigan behind?

“Cheer up, T. This is supposed to be a party.” He squeezed me with the arm wrapped around my waist.

“Yeah yeah. I’m fine… I’m just gonna miss you.”

He was really great sometimes, my best friend. He reached down and sat his beer on the floor, then wrapped both arms around me. “I’ll miss you too, you know that.”

I let my eyes close for a minute and just enjoyed it, then sighed heavily against his neck. “Okay, sorry for the pity party. Let me up, I gotta pee.”

A few people were lingering in the kitchen when I made it into the house, they all raised their drinks and yelled happy birthday as I passed through. In the upstairs bathroom, I could hear when they filtered back outside, the house falling silent. I gave myself a little pep talk in the mirror before I left.

Get it together, woman. Have a good time, enjoy the fucking summer. Grow. Up.

Good talk, I know. 

When I hit the bottom of the stairs, I heard the refrigerator open. As I turned into the kitchen, someone was still standing there, hidden by the door.

But I knew who it was.

The fridge door swung closed and there he was. And we were alone. 

Not this shit again.

I wasn’t gonna do it, I wasn’t gonna do anything. I swear. But I kept moving to pass him and leave the room, and he stuck an arm out and stopped me in my tracks. 

“Just let me go, Jake.” See? I had zero interest in this! I didn’t even look at him. Ya know, until he physically turned my body to face him. He had the nerve to smile.

“Happy birthday, T.” Thank God he didn’t whisper it, he was so good at whispering.

“Yeah, thanks. See ya.” I tried to leave again, but he put both hands on me and kept me facing him, toe to toe. Another showdown in the Kiszka kitchen.

“Don’t be like that.”

Oh, how I hated him in that moment. Everything came back, the confusion, the anger I felt the last time we’d been here. When he basically accused me of being a slut right before accusing me of wanting him. And being right about it.

I shook his hands off my arms and took a step back. “No. No, I’m not doing this again.” I turned to leave again, and he caught me by the wrist.

“What are you talk-“

“Stop! Don’t pretend you don’t know!”

“Tiny, I really-“

“Don’t call me that, and don’t act like you don’t know exactly why I have avoided you for two fucking years.”

Maybe it was my expression, or maybe it was the tone of my voice, I’ll never know but he dropped my wrist and actually managed to look guilty.

“Exactly. Bye, Jake.”

I made it to the doorway. If I had just been moving faster, I would’ve missed it and probably never experienced what happened next.

“I’m sorry.”

There’s no way I’d heard that right. It spun me around where I stood.

“What?”

“I said I’m sorry, about that night.”

I waited for the ground to open up and swallow us, or a meteor to blast through the ceiling. Surely the world was ending. Nothing happened.

“Really. What exactly are you sorry for, hm? Why exactly do you think I hate you?”

“You hate me?” I’m sure you can imagine, but yes, he had the audacity to look surprised by that information. It pissed me off.

“Get real, Jake.” I moved closer. “Get fucking real. Tell me what you’re apologizing for, go ahead. What part of that night are you sorry for?” By the time I was done, I was all up in his space and he looked uncomfortable.

Good.

“I’m sorry I accused you of sleeping with Josh.”

The big bad anger deflated, but only a little. I really hadn’t expected him to acknowledge that.

“You accused a sixteen year old virgin of fucking your brother on a dirty couch in your garage.” He literally cringed. I get it, it sounded bad. Because it was.

“That was really shitty of me-“

“You think?!”

“Let me finish,” His hands were on me again, wrapped around my upper arms. “Please.”

All I could do was nod. That please is what did it. He really seemed to feel bad, and I was believing it.

“I said that out of anger, T. I knew something happened out there, and Josh was all fucked up about it after. He wouldn’t talk to me, and he tells me everything.” My shoulders shook with the force of that word. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

My mind was reeling, grasping for the meaning he intended. I shook my head.

“We’re twins, we don’t have secrets. I thought you either forced him to do something he didn’t want to, or you… were mean to him. Judged him.”

It dawned on me, clear as day. 

“You knew.” 

He tipped his chin and nodded, just once. 

“I don’t- then what about the rest? I called you jealous, but it had nothing to do with that. But you were!”

He nodded again. My resolve crumbled.

“Why did you kiss me?” I whispered it, but I wasn’t trying to be sexy, or seductive.

“Because I was jealous. And I wanted to.”

Gulp.

“I’m really sorry that I hurt your feelings. I never wanted you to hate me.”

“What did you want?”

As you can imagine, that question sealed my fate.

“Just you.”

My back was against the refrigerator before he even finished breathing the words. This time, there was no moment of shock, I wasn’t confused, and my lips were not stiff. 

His hands slid up my arms and into my hair, and he tilted my head. My mouth opened for him, and I gripped the front of his t-shirt for dear life.

Remember when I told you that by sixteen, I had kissed plenty? That was true. By eighteen, I’d kissed plenty more.

But this kiss was going to ruin me, and I knew it.

He let a hand slip from my hair and ran it down the length of my body, past my shoulder, over my ribs and the small of my waist, then he tucked it between me and the fridge and flattened it to my lower back. And pulled my hips into his.

Oh my god. He did want me, I could feel the evidence of that pressed against me.

“Jake.” I broke the kiss but his lips kept moving, he tilted my head further and ran kisses over my cheek, my jaw. “Jake.”

“Mm?” His hips ground into mine, he didn’t take his lips off of me. 

“What- fuck, what are we doing?” My hands flattened against his chest and pushed, just a little, and he finally lifted his face.

His breath was coming quickly, I could feel it under my palms. “What do you wanna do, T?”

My brain raced toward an answer, past all the reasons we shouldn’t do what I wanted to do. There’s still a party going on in the garage, Sam is waiting there for me to come back from the bathroom, this is a bad idea, this is Jake, Sam may never forgive me for this.

“Can we- should we… go somewhere else?” Yeah, that’s what my brain landed on.

“You sure?” The memory of that same question, two years ago, rushed in and I knew that if he walked away from me this time, I would never get over it.

“I’m sure.”

He didn’t stop to reconsider or question my decision, just took my hand and led me back to the stairs. We rushed to the second floor, not leaving time to second guess or re-evaluate. He practically dragged me into his room, slammed the door behind us and locked it.

I didn’t bother looking around, it was dark anyway but I didn’t want to think too hard about what was happening. I just let him push me towards a bed and fell into it. He tore his shirt over his head and covered my body and mouth with his. 

My legs opened and he settled between them, immediately grinding into me. This was happening, and it was happening fast. Our mouths were securely attached, so I wriggled beneath him, tugging the hem of my shirt up. As soon as he caught on to what I was doing he took over the task, sliding a hand up under my shirt and touching my bare skin for the first time. 

“Fucking hell, T.” God, his voice was ragged, he was literally panting as he leaned back to use both hands, spreading his palms over my stomach, my ribcage, skimming over the sides of my breasts and up until my shirt was over my head and thrown to the floor.

For a minute we just stared at each other, our heavy breathing the only sound in the room. 

He had changed so little and so much in the last two years. Physically, his hair had grown long, hanging to his shoulders instead of flipping across his forehead. His cockiness had transformed into confidence, and his actions up to this moment had been firm and self-assured. As we took each other in, I wondered what changes he saw in me.

Did he see a woman that night, pinned to his mattress by his eyes? At sixteen, I’d tried so hard to convince all of them that I was grown - could he see the ways that I had?

“You’re so fucking hot.” Okay, yeah it wasn’t poetry or anything, but his words pulsed through my bloodstream and settled between my thighs. Something like a whine slipped from the back of my throat, and suddenly we were moving in fast motion. He covered me again, but his kiss landed on my jaw, then below my ear, then the base of my throat. As it passed my collarbone I tangled my hands into his hair. He’d propped himself up on an elbow and the other hand slid up my ribs again then covered my breast.

I wish I could remember what my bra even looked like that night, but it hadn’t seemed like he cared.

He squeezed me softly, I moaned, he squeezed harder. Then his fingers tugged the top of the cup down, and for the first time, a part of me was truly naked in front of Jake Kiszka.

There was only a fleeting moment where he lifted his head and looked at my chest, bared to him, my nipple already hard and aching for his attention - then he dropped his mouth over it and sucked it in.

My back arched off the bed and he sucked me in deeper, his tongue swirling around my nipple before he softly put his teeth on it.

“Yes.” I hardly recognized my own voice, but he must have recognized the need or the urgency in it, because he applied just a tiny bit of pressure, and bit me. “Yes!”

His head popped up and his eyes met mine. “Fuck, you liked that?”

Was that weird? Was I not supposed to? I didn’t know what to say, so I nodded. It prompted him to pull the other side of my bra down and treat my other nipple to the same affection, so I guessed it was the right answer.

We were writhing together, friction between our hips and my hands holding his head to my chest until I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Jake, kiss me, please…”

Somewhere along the line, he’d become a better listener. His lips slotted over mine and he kissed me deeply, I felt it everywhere. Until his hand started fumbling with the button of my jeans. It popped open and he slid the zipper down. Just as his fingers danced over the edge of my underwear, he paused. 

Against my mouth he whispered, “Yes?”

I nodded frantically, breaking the kiss.

“Say it, T.”

“Yes.”

Fingers slid over cotton and tucked themselves between my legs, and my entire body shuddered. He dropped his gaze to where he was touching me as he pressed them into me and slid them up my center, catching on my clit. I jolted at the contact. 

“Jesus Christ.”

Had I surprised him? Done something wrong? Why was he pulling his hand away- oh.

His hand slipped out of my jeans only long enough to slide under the waist of my panties, then it disappeared inside them. 

Jake Kiszka had his fingers on my actual, bare-

You get it.

Again, they pressed into me and then through me, I could feel the way my body offered no resistance, slick and easy. 

“You- you’re so…” His voice trailed off, but I needed to know. What was I? What was he thinking?

“What, Jake?” I sounded breathy, my voice coming out shaky and quiet. He looked up into my eyes.

“You’re so wet.” He sounded stunned, awe lacing his tone. 

My throat closed, I swallowed hard. Embarrassment made my chest hot and I opened my mouth to say something. I’m sorry? But my mouth snapped shut because he moved his fingers through the wetness again and groaned, deep and low, before tracing up to my clit again and circling it.

He continued to watch my face, I think. I’m not sure, because my eyes slammed shut as my body bowed into the feeling, but it seemed like he was watching all of my reactions closely. I’m sure he saw my face drop when his fingers left my clit, only to see my jaw fall open when one moved lower and pushed inside me slowly.

Inside. Me. My eyes shot open and found him staring at me, nostrils flared. 

“Relax, T. You’re so tight.”

Was that bad? I pulled a deep breath into my lungs, in through my nose and out through trembling lips. Tried my hardest to relax every muscle, but I was wound so tight I felt like I would implode. 

I must have done something right, because his finger slid deeper and he murmured the worst thing I’d ever heard.

“That’s good, good girl.”

In hindsight, I know he wasn’t even trying to be sexy. But my body tightened around his finger again and he started to withdraw it. I panicked, gripped his wrist and dug my nails in just as he pushed all the way inside. 

“God!” I couldn’t help it, the invasion was overwhelming me.

“Shhh, I’ve got you.” He was pumping it inside me now. “Tell me what you want.” Focus made his features look so serious, but his voice was calm and coaxing. I had no fucking clue what to say.

So I said the first thing that popped into my head.

“More.” He smiled, his mouth curling up at the corners. I felt him withdraw his finger all the way, gasped as he swirled two over my clit, then entered me again with both. 

“Jesus, you’re so tight, you feel so good.”

So good, so good. That’s good. I let myself relax into his touch and within a few seconds my hips were moving in time with his fingers. My bottom lip was held tight between my teeth as I tried not to let any of the sounds building in my throat escape. He noticed.

His face came close, he pecked a kiss to my cheek then whispered into my ear. “Let me hear you, just be quiet.” 

I really had no choice, because as soon as the words left his mouth, he pressed his thumb to my clit and plunged his fingers deep.

“Shit Jake, yes yes yes…”

Still next to my ear, he tucked his face into my neck and kissed me there before making his way back to my lips. His tongue swept out over my bottom lip and I opened to him, let him in. My eyes fluttered closed.

Then I felt it, a tightening, low in my belly. A tingling even lower. I don’t know what I did that signaled to him, but he knew.

“Are you gonna come for me?” He asked between kisses. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

I didn’t have to. All it took was a few more pumps of his fingers, a couple circles with his thumb, and I had my first orgasm. 

Trust me when I tell you, it was a doozy. 

My entire body tensed, my back arched and my mouth opened. Thank God I couldn’t hear myself over the buzz in my head because I’m sure the sound I made was mortifying, but it didn’t matter. As quickly as it had gripped me, it started to fade away. Things came back into focus and I felt Jake’s fingers softly moving in shallow strokes before they stopped and he pulled them from me. 

“Wow.”

Who said that? Oh, it was Jake. I peeked up at him and his eyes were wide, almost black in the darkness. Then he pulled his hand from my pants and stood up so quickly, I was sure I’d done something wrong. I shot up to sit and had barely planted my feet on the floor when I heard his belt buckle clink. The shuffle of his shoes across the carpet as he toed them off his feet. The soft swish of denim falling down his legs and hitting the floor, more shuffling and he stepped out of his jeans.

Holy shit holy shit holy shit.

I didn’t even have time to truly panic, because he stepped back up to the bed and leaned down, kissing me briefly on the lips before using his hands to guide me backwards, laying across his bed again. He reached for the waist of my pants and, already undone, started to slide them off of my hips. I let him pull them down my legs until they got stuck at my shoes. 

He chuckled. I giggled, nervously. He slipped my shoes off then tugged my jeans from my feet. I shifted and sat back up. 

And there I was. Looking at Jake Kiszka in nothing but his skivvies and socks, and myself wearing much of the same. Except my tits were out, the cups of my bra pushing them up from underneath. 

Jake must have sensed my nerves, because he asked me if I was still sure. I nodded and he demanded to hear it out loud. 

“Yes.”

He turned to his nightstand, rummaged blindly  through the drawer, and when he straightened he slipped his thumbs under the elastic waistband of his underwear.

Then they hit the floor.

And there I was. Looking at Jake Kiszka in nothing but his socks. 

My cheeks exploded with heat and I was grateful that he couldn’t see me blushing in the dark, but I must have made a face, or a noise, because he was poised to tear open the condom wrapper and he stopped. 

“Are you okay?”

Oh shit, what did I do?

“Um-“ Cleared my throat. “I- yeah. Yes. Sorry. I’ve just, never done this before.”

“Ha ha, T. For real, what’s wrong?”

Ha ha? I wasn’t laughing. 

“Nothing. It’s fine, I just haven’t ever…” It trailed off, because there was something wrong with the way he was looking at me. 

“Fuck. You gotta be kidding me.” Ouch. 

His arms dropped to his sides, condom packet still between the first two fingers of his left hand. He flicked it away, it skimmed the surface of the nightstand and fell behind it.

No, no no no. 

“What? What are you doing?” There it was, a little bit of that panic, finally allowed to bloom under my skin. He bent and stepped back into his boxer briefs and pulled them up. My own semi-nudity suddenly felt shameful, so I tugged the cups of my bra back up to cover my breasts. “Jake, I still want th-“

“No. I can’t, T. You’re still a virgin?” 

Was I crazy, because I hadn’t seen anything wrong with that before this exact moment? He stepped back into his jeans and started pulling them up.

I reached out to stop him, a hand on his wrist. “Yeah, but who cares? It’s not that big of-“

“I care!” He ripped his arms away from me, pulled his pants up and fastened them. He continued as he started plucking my own clothes from the floor and shoving them into my shaking arms. “I can’t do that, I can’t be your first. I can’t fucking believe this.”

The first tear slipped and ran down my cheek, and I swiped it away, frustrated. “You’re overreacting, Jake. Why are you-“

He cut me off again. “How could you not tell me? What if I, if I had- God.”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to!” I jerked my shirt over my head and shoved my arms through the sleeves. “Why would you think I wasn’t?!” Pulled my jeans over my feet and up my legs. 

“Because Sam told me!”

My fingers stopped buttoning my pants, my head jerked up. “What?!”

“Sam said he thought you were fucking that idiot you dated last year, when you weren’t coming around for like a month. He-“

“I’m gonna kill him. That’s it, I’m finally gonna actually kill him.” 

Jake threw his arms up. “What was I supposed to think, T? With the way you were kissing me, and- and- you weren’t acting like a virgin!”

“Because you still think I’m some kind of slut, Jake? Is that it? Oh my God I’m so stupid.” I fastened my jeans and pulled my shoes on, then shoulder checked him on my way to the door.

It felt good, okay?

He was right behind me, forgetting his shoes and pulling his shirt on as he followed me down the stairs, but I didn’t stop. I bolted through the kitchen and outside, then into the garage.

A lot of people had left and I found Sam immediately, strewn across one end of the couch. He was probably crossfaded and ready to pass out, but he popped up as soon as he saw my face. 

“Tiny, where have you been? What’s wrong-“ Jake stormed into the garage behind me, and even through hooded, bleary eyes, Sam put some pieces together. Or tried to.

I was trying desperately not to cry, and I’m sure I looked it. I could feel how kiss-swollen my lips were, and I guessed that Jake’s looked the same. Add in the fucked up bed hair, and then two tears that slipped free and ran down my face. 

“What the fuck did you do..”

But Sam wasn’t talking to me. He was looking past me.

“What did you do?!”

The few of our friends that were left lingering in the garage were all staring at us. 

“Party’s over! GET OUT!” I flinched. I’d never heard Sam yell, not in anger. Everyone jumped and hustled through the side door until we were alone, and Sam took one deep breath before speaking. 

“T, come here, are you okay?”

I didn’t move, just nodded my head and wiped furiously at my cheeks. “Yes, I’m fine, I- I just wanted to tell you I was leaving.” He came to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. 

“What did you do?” I knew he was speaking to Jake, still standing silently behind me. 

“Sam, I don’t know what you’re thinking but-“

“Why is she fucking crying?”

I broke free of his hold and stopped him. “Sam, it’s okay. I’m fine, I swear. I’m going home.” I grabbed my bag from the floor beside the couch and flung it over my shoulder, lifted the garage door and slipped out.

I didn’t stop running until I reached my driveway.