#he spends a lot of his time with grandma Martha

[glow-in-the-dark-death]

You Remind Me Of Her

~

"Jason wake up I want to go see the new store!"

He felt his blankets get tugged off of him. Groaning he scrunched his face into the bed.

" Let me sleep another hour or two, it was late when I got in bed."

" And who's fault is that?"

He grabbed the nearest pillow to him and flung it to where the voice was coming from, even with perfect aim he wasn't surprised when he heard it connect with his wall and not a body.

"Yours! If you hadn't dragged me with you to look for those old music disk with you I would have gotten to bed earlier."

"Liar you would still have gone to bed late for whatever other reason."

He sat up rubbing his eyes, hissing slightly when he opened them not expecting his lights to already be on.

"Okay, what store are you making me go to today Martha?"

He dodged a swat to the back of his head. Grinning he headed towards the kitchen hearing her huff and following him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me grandma! Honestly, you're worse than a nipping dog"

"Well at least I'm not emotionally constipated like Bruce"

"True, but we're not speaking about my son right now we're speaking about you. Now hurry up! I saw the prettiest set of crystal glass cut tea set by the window when I was passing by!"

"Give me like 8 minutes to eat and get ready okay, will grampa be joining us?"

He turned to look at her in the eyes

Her green eyes, just barely glowing. The rest of her being transparent like fog in the early morning, her heels floating a few inches of the floor.

Martha Wayne his grandmother

His dead grandmother now a ghost

Just like he used to be

~

He walked into the small store the small bells jingling above his head.

"Look Jason they have such pretty things!"

His eyes followed her as she floated over to the display case. Quickly he took his phone and held it up to is ear.

"Which one's were the ones that caught your eye?'

He developed the habit of speaking into the phone when he was outside in public view while speaking with a ghost, that way nobody would give him a second glance looking like a normal phone call.

"The one with lilies and forget-me-not's."

His eyes quickly found the pieces and grabbed them. He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Is this all you wanted from here?"

The 'Do you want to continue looking?' in his gaze. She gave a quick glance around before turning back to him.

"No just that for today, we can come back another day when you don't have plans."

Jason glanced at her while he quickly paid. Leaving the store he turned to fully look at her while still having his phone up to his ear.

"Plans? I don't have any plans for today?"

A sly grin made its way on to her face

"Well I thought it's been a while since you visited Alfred and since we're in the area we might as well visit, no?"

Jason sighed, " Fine, only because it has been a while plus if I don't go you'll just keep naggin' me."

Martha gave a small huff of amusement

"That's my boy! Now! Let's get some nice tea for our visit, it would be rude to go empty handed, how about some nice cinnamon tea huh?"

"Your obsession with cinnamon tea has started to spread to me, especially the weird way you like it."

"Gasp! It's not that weird, honestly I started drinking it like that because of my cravings while I was pregnant and just never stopped. But don't lie to me, you like it just as much as I do even with the peach jam."

"Fine maybe I do."

He looked down at the time, "Let's hurry up a buy that before it gets too late."

~

He knocked at the door, shifting the bags in his hands as he waited for Alfred to open the door.

Martha waited outside with him even though she could easily phase her way inside.

Jason heard light footsteps before the door glided open.

"Master Jason what a wonderful surprise to see you here please do come in."

Alfred herded Jason inside taking note of the bags he held.

"Did you go shopping before coming here?"

"Uh yea, some of it is for you."

"For me master Jason?"

"I thought it would be rude to come empty handed so I bought tea."

"Very thoughtful of you, lets head to the kitchen to prepare a cup shall we."

Jason quickly looked towards Martha raising a brow

"You go enjoy your tea with Alfred I'm going to look for Thomas, I'll be back by the time you leave"

Jason gave a quick smile in return before quickly following Alfred into the kitchen.

"Hey Alfie we can use the new tea set I got today, let me just wash them real quick."

He turned around, not noticing Alfred's confused stare

"You bought a tea set master Jason?"

Jason turned around after quickly wiping them dry.

"Yeah look, they even have some lilies and forget-me-not's on them, saw them by the window of the shop and thought why not?" He half lied.

"I see, I haven't seen these two flowers paired up together in ...a very long time."

Jason turned towards the kitchen entrance as he heard two pairs of footsteps nearing. Both Bruce and Dick appearing in the doorway.

"Oh good you're both here, I'm about to prepare some tea master Jason brought over for us ,sit down please."

They walked over to the table, Dick quickly hugging him.

"You didn't tell me you were dropping by!"

"Get off, and yea it was impulsive decision."

"Hn, good to see you chum."

"Yeah, you too B."

Alfred walked over with the tea prepared, placing it on the table.

Dick leaned over to see the tray.

"What kind of tea is it?"

"Master Jason brought us cinnamon tea."

Dick looked over at Jason tilting his head, "Since when do you drink cinnamon tea?"

"Since none of your business."

Jason took a small sip before sighing, "Hey Alfred do you have any peach jam?"

Alfred hesitated before looking at him confused, "Peach jam? What for?"

"I like to mix it in with the cinnamon tea."

Alfred's eyes glazed over for a second before heading towards the refrigerator, "...I see, of course let me get some for you."

He quickly came back with a small jar and placed it on the table near Jason.

"Thanks Alf." He scooped up a spoonful and dipped it in his cup.

Bruce and Alfred glanced at each other.

Dick looked up from his own cup, "Does that actually taste good? Can I try some!"

He made a grab at Jason's cup, he quickly pulled it out of reach, "Don't touch mine! If you're really curious make it yourself."

Dick slumped on the table whining, "But what if I don't like it, I'll ruin my tea!"

"That's not my problem"

"Oh come oooon just a little sip!"

"No"

"Pleaseee!"

"Ugh you're worse than a nipping dog, fine!"

Before Dick could celebrate they heard twin startled noises. They turned around and Bruce was covered in tea in what seemed like he spit out his tea, both Alfred and Bruce were staring at Jason faces pale.

Jason glanced around confused, "What? Why are you looking at me like that."

Alfred straightened up clearing his throat, " Apologies master Jason you seem to have startled us a bit."

"With what?"

Bruce finally stopped coughing, "Nothing, you just...reminded us of someone."

~

Just an Idea

[shares-a-vest]

Fruity Four Advent Calendar, Day 8: Rituals

Prompt List

Today I have a bunch of headcanons about each of the Fruity Four's typical Christmas traditions/rituals. Feel free to yell with me in my inbox about these. I could literally write all day about people making and sharing food.

Steve Harrington

Steve's Christmas traditions are really only three years old. Sure, he has dinner with his parents, grandma and his great aunt Doris but that's a silent, formal dinner on Christmas Eve that his parents don't even like, it's mainly to placate the oldies.

His parents each host their respective work Christmas parties at the house. His mother's is more of a fancy dinner party. Whereas his father's company has an absolute rager that rivals all those King Steve parties.

He takes every shift available at Family Video to get away from his mum who, despite thinking she is like a Martha-Stewart-level hostess, is not.

He drives the kids around Christmas shopping. It's probably the most chaotic carpooling gets because no one is organised and getting the boys to actually pick out thoughtful gifts is like pulling teeth. He'll get all analytical giving his wisdom about how to buy gifts for girls.

He helps Max wrap her gifts and might conveniently bring a nice dinner over to the Mayfields.

Max and Dustin both call him on Christmas morning. Max asks (for like the billionth time) if he would like to spend Christmas at her house, while Dustin triple-checks he is coming over for lunch.

He insists on making dessert for the Henderson's Christmas lunch.

He buys Claudia flowers and perfume (gifts he used to give his mum before his parents gradually fazed out presents).

Steve bakes gingerbread for the kids and has Robin wrap them with nice tags for each kid.

He'll stay in the Christmas sweater Claudia gifts him for Christmas until it stops snowing.

Nancy Wheeler

Nancy's Christmas is largely dictated by the traditions of Wheeler family - their Christmases being basically the same, well-oiled machine every year.

She takes Holly shopping, wanting to include her in the grown-up stuff.

She gave up on taking Mike shopping a couple of years ago, he never had any decent ideas for their parent's gifts anyway. Plus he always wanted to sit down for snacks which Nance never budgeted for.

She spends a really long time picking out Christmas cards.

And uses a pretty, gold marker pen to write on her Christmas cards.

She always writes beautiful long messages, always personal and heartfelt.

The Wheeler's typically travel to see extended family before Christmas because Karen likes having just the family at home on Christmas morning.

Nancy and Mike spend a lot of time over Christmas playing video games together.

She makes sugar cookies for when The Party hold a holiday campaign in the basement. She makes them with Holly's help and it's the one time she allows Mike to take credit (only if he still includes Holly).

She typically ends up putting up the outside Christmas lights because Karen and Ted argue about how hapless his efforts are.

She drives when the family goes around looking at Christmas lights.

Nancy and Karen will spend hours together decorating the Christmas tree, just like they've been doing since she was a kid.

Robin Buckley

Robin's Christmas traditions are pretty much entirely focused around her busy crafting schedule and how much time her parents make her spend with extended family.

She makes every gift herself, including cards and tags and, if she has enough time, wrapping paper.

She accompanies Steve with his Christmas shopping, although she's a bit distracting, linking their arms and pulling him in every direction.

Robin and her brother Cameron have a movie marathon every year, sticking strictly to Christmas movies.

Cameron doesn't let Steve in on their traditions. It's not that he doesn't like Steve, he just wants to spend time with his sister.

The Buckley family goes to their grandparent's house on Christmas Day for dinner with the entire extended family.

Robin spends pretty much the whole time sitting in the corner with Cameron and her favourite cousin, Marcie, chatting away a million miles an hour about movies and TV.

She calls Steve multiple times on Christmas, in the morning and when he's at Dustin's to make sure he is happy.

Her aunts and uncles pester her about having a boyfriend and that's typically when she'll make an excuse to go and call Steve.

She'll set the table for dinner, making it look like something out of a catalogue but she is not allowed anywhere near the kitchen (which extends beyond Christmas, she's a hopeless cook).

Robin and her mum make Christmas ornaments, including painted baubles.

She has to suffer through her father's horribly unfunny comedy records over the Christmas break.

Eddie Munson

Eddie's Christmas traditions date back to his first Christmas with Wayne.

Wayne has always asked for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off at the plant. "I have a kid at home," he says.

Eddie is surprisingly relaxed over Christmas, probably because he knows his uncle is happy to have a few days off work.

He waits on Wayne over the holidays insisting, "Put your feet up, old man".

Up until Christmas 1984, he went with Wayne to visit his dad in prison. It was Wayne's idea to go and his decision to stop. He just felt this nagging obligation. The final straw was Eddie's father making fun of him for needing to repeat senior year.

Eddie takes flowers to his mother's grave on Christmas Eve. He'll sit and talk, and sing quietly. Wayne goes a couple of days before Christmas and tells her how Eddie's doing.

Eddie will stroll over to Max's mid-Christmas morning to see how her mum is doing and (instructed by Wayne) asks if they would like to join them for dinner.

They'll schedule the whole day around whatever time It's a Wonderful Life is airing. It's one of Wayne's favourite movies, being a huge fan of Jimmy Stewart (he likes his westerns best).

Wayne buys "the fancy, expensive" coco for the holidays. Yes, he also has festive coffee mugs.

Eddie cooks an elaborate breakfast, while Wayne makes a roast for dinner.

Eddie sits around playing Wayne's favourite blues music on his acoustic. Wayne sometimes plays a little too (he thinks he's no good compared to his nephew).

They smoke a bit of Eddie's good weed. Not too much because Wayne wants to savour their Christmas and not be totally baked.

Wayne buys Claudia Henderson a nice bottle of wine and flowers for Christmas for all the food she sends with Dustin when he's over visiting Eddie.

[nogoodninny]

I want a Gilmore Girls reboot that follows Rory and her baby. Here are 64 points on my predictions for what is to come for the next generation of Stars Hollow…

Rory will have a baby boy

The baby will be part wookie

She will name him after her grandfather, they will call him Ricky Gilmore

Rory will get her book published and come back to run the Stars Hollow Gazette

Ricky will love spending time with his Grandpa Luke and hanging out at his Diner

Kirk and Lulu will have a kid who is surprisingly well adjusted

Ricky wants to go to Chilton

Ricky wants to go to Yale

Great Grandma will spoil the crap out of little Ricky

Ricky will NOT like coffee

Rory will eventually have a daughter that she names Lorelai

Ricky and Baby Kirk will be best friends

Ricky will LOVE the snow, and can smell it coming, just like his Grandma

Ricky will often wear a backwards baseball cap, just like grandpa

Davey will work at the inn and Martha will work with her daddy

Rory is going to write a biography for Patty, and it’s going to be a best seller

Rory is going to settle down and become an actual decent person. Think more Chilton Rory than Yale Rory

As Ricky gets older Luke and Lorelai move out of the house and back into the space above the diner, so Rory and Ricky can live there

Either that or they all move into the Twikem House like Luke wanted

Ricky will be a lot like Luke, personality wise

Taylor will absolutely adore Ricky, and is the only person in town who doesn’t realize that he’s basically a mini Luke

Naomi Shropshire will actually write that book about the whale and the rabbit/mouse

It’s one of Ricky’s favorite books

It wins a Pulitzer

GG has a baby and wants her big sister in their lives

Ricky loves his baby cousin

When Ricky gets his first phone, Luke thinks it’s too soon

Ricky is the only person who finds it weird that their town still has a troubadour

Ricky is indifferent to town events, he participates, but it’s not like he counts down the days

He loves town meetings though, he thinks they are hilarious

Patty gets a pet monkey

Emily still employs Berta and her family

Ricky gives out the WiFi password at Luke’s once, as a joke, which results in the router being ripped out, and Ricky losing all WiFi privileges

Lorelai found this hilarious and was very proud

Ricky can understand Berta

Every time someone asks Baby Kirk what he wants to be when he grow up, he gives a different answer

Christopher loves Ricky, but hates the idea that he’s a grandpa now, it makes him feel old

Guy Fieri gets a cameo where he comes to Luke’s for his show Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives

Luke is grumpy about the camera crew, but Lorelai and Sookie are so excited that he puts up with it

Both Patty and Babette flirt with Guy

Kirk asks him how to have a career on Food Network

Liz and TJ have multiple kids, just as weird as they are

Rory hasn’t been in contact with Mr. Wookie since that night, until she randomly runs into him at that collectibles store in NY while shopping for a birthday gift for Ricky

She doesn’t recognise him at first, but he does immediately

She tells him that she’s shopping for her son’s birthday, then tells him all about Ricky

She explains everything and brings him home to Stars Hollow to meet her family

Luke doesn’t like him

Neither does Christopher

Ricky isn’t quite sure what to think, because he’s still pretty young, but he can sense how tense everyone is

Mr. Wookie asks if he can visit occasionally, on birthdays and around the holidays

He takes Ricky to Comic Con each year

I don’t know who or how, but somebody in Stars Hollow is going to be involved in a murder somehow

The kids love hearing stories about the Life and Death Brigade

Ricky even tried to start his own kiddie version of it in Stars Hollow

Luke and Lorelai like visiting Nantucket every year and actually look forward to it

April will have a baby at some point

a third film by Kirk

another beloved pet will die and the entire town will gather for the funeral

Emily Gilmore will sadly pass away

At leash one flashback episode

TJ and Liz get lost while camping or something and Luke has to go find them

Lorelai meets Taylor Swift

At some point during the final season she decides to write a sequel to her book, this one is about raising Ricky

The last scene of the entire series will be Rory revealing that they are thinking about making her book into a tv series.

[introwalktheline]

Bad day

↳ genre: strangers to lovers i think? im really bad at this omg

↳ pairing: neighbour!jake x reader (ft. seugi my beloved)

↳ summary: you had a pretty shitty day. unexpectedly, jake, your neighbour, came to the rescue.

↳ word count: 1515

↳ warnings: as always, bad/basic english and possible grammar mistakes; not proof-read

↳ A/N: hi there! i know im not that active on here, but i just wanted to say, i really appreciate each small interaction, and if you ever want me to write something, i'd gladly do that! i know im no special writer, im mediocre at best, so feedback is always welcome ^^ i hope you like this one-shot, please take care and remember to drink water and take your medicines <33

you still remember the day you first met. jake was coming home after a walk with layla while you were going out with martha, your dog. you still remember his astonished face, as you immediately caught up with the name's dog: after all, you had named yours after paul mccartneys' pet. of course you’d have connected the dots.

you never really showed interest in anyone besides fictional characters or celebrities who clearly didn’t even know you existed. you didn’t know anything about feelings, nor wanted you. you always thought that wasn’t for you. well, up until that moment. that first encounter was like a powerful spark, lighting a fuse you couldn’t control anymore. alas, after that small encounter and besides some small talk as you both waited for the elevator to come up, you didn't get any chance to befriend him. as much as it pained you, you two were merely acquaintances. for the most part, you LOVED being an introvert; this time, however, you yearned for a bit more self-esteem and spontaneity.

today was undoubtedly not your day. martha was acting weird, the elevator was out of order and your favorite plant had probably died, to your dismay. i mean, it was all your fault, it’s not like you took care of it. but to you, this was merely a sign of the day-to-be.

after a long day at work, you finally came back home to martha: to cheer her up, you opted for a walk in the park, and you immediately noticed how much her mood was lifted. that made your day. it may be weird for some people, but martha meant a lot to you and you shared a deep bond with her.

however, things quickly escalated when returning home, drenched from head to toe, since, of course, it was pouring, and you didn’t bring an umbrella with you, you realize, with horror plastered on your face, you left the keys inside the apartment.

you desperately knocked and called screamed like a crazy, drunk middle-aged lady your roommate's name, knowing well that seulgi had already departed to visit her family for the weekend. this feels almost surreal. this feels like one of those silly sitcoms you always laugh at. except this time, it’s not funny. you just want to go home, end this dreadful day. you were so mad at yourself, nervousness taking a toll on you after a hard day. sitting on the cold pavement, leaning against the door, a lonely tear presented itself on your face, and after that another, and another, tension growing thicker in the corridor. let’s be honest: it hasn’t been simply a bad day. it’s been a tough month. you barely recognize yourself and you don’t know who you are anymore. man, being in your twenties sucks. you’re supposed to have the best moments of your life, or so they say. yet, you spend your nights preparing for the nth exam, and you try your best to work in order to survive, which reminds you: you still have to pay the rent and you have no money left.

you were so caught up in your thoughts that you didn't notice a bemused jake approaching you. well, not until he asked if you were okay. that’s probably what you liked the most about him: you didn’t know him that well, sure, but you knew he was a thoughtful person ever since you saw him help that grumpy grandma on the ground floor as she struggled with the groceries bags, carrying them for her and carefully listening to what she was narrating.

"y/n what are you doing there? is everything all right?"

if there was something you truly hated, that was asking for help. you were always the one giving it. you just….hated depending on someone.

"yeah no worries, i'm fine! how did the run go?" you asked, as you saw him in his usual attire.

"y/n, it's freezing out here. why don't you go inside?"

another thing you hate is not being able to lie. the moment you’d open your mouth, it’d be clear as day that you were, in fact, lying. and of course, the hesitance in your voice made your unintentional message ten times clearer.

"you locked yourself out, didn't you?" asked jake, smirking at you. he was SO cute, how could you be mad at him right now, even though he was making fun of you?

"guilty" was the only answer you were able to utter, your nervous laugh echoing in the hallway. why bother concealing the truth at this point. you were just tired.

"why don't you come over? and then we'll figure something out. how does that sound?"

in any other scenario, that would've been music to your ears: maybe you had finally caught up, maybe you had a teeny tiny crush on the handsome, sweet, kind, smart boy living next door. yes, you know, such a cliché. but deep down, you knew this was just courtesy. it's not like he did want you to be sitting on his sofa on a friday night, when he could take a shower, get ready and drink with his friends, or, if he had one, with his partner.

"so what happened exactly?" asked the boy as he let you come in, genuine concern in his voice, looking at you with his big, doe eyes.

and you explained it all, from the moment you woke up and saw martha, to the moment he saw you on the ground, helpless. you were scared, to be honest. had he not rescued you, you would’ve probably panicked by now. after all, where were you supposed to spend the weekend? you had no friends, you had moved out of town for your studies... you would’ve probably had to spend money to rent a room somewhere, and you barely had some bucks to buy some food. not to mention that damned rent. again, you’d never ask seulgi to help you with it, being way too stubborn and proud.

"why don't you sleep here? i can rest on the sofa, no worries. besides, layla would love to have martha as a companion too." you swore you could see a blush creeping on his cheeks, but that was probably your delusional ass. how could mister-perfect-smile, a blessed-by-god boy, blush in front of an introverted couch potato like yourself?

flustered and dumbfounded, you didn't know what to do. it's not like you would complain if you could spend some time with him, right? it was so easy to be around your neighbour, you almost felt at home. it felt natural.

"i really didn't want to intrude though, im so sorry for being such a pain in the ass"

"intrude? oh please, y/n, what are you talking about? it's a pleasure to spend the evening with you. i won’t take no as an answer, so let's prepare something to eat! i don’t know about you, but i’m starving"

you weren't, in fact, the best cook out there. still, you tried your best, wanting to repay jake for his niceness.

"jake, where's the colander?" you asked the young man, who was busy setting the table in his living room.

"oh, it's above the plates in the cupboard!"

you weren't exactly the tallest girl alive. mounting on a chair, not wanting, again, to ask for help, you tried your best to reach the highest shelf of the cupboard, which resulted in you slightly losing balance, already expecting to end up with your face sprawled on the floor. luckily for you, jake was more observant and attentive than you gave him credit for. he was fast enough to save you from a future facial transplant, catching you bridal style.

“careful there. we don’t want to ruin that pretty face of yours, don’t we?” he mused, his laugh making you lose conscience for a moment.

to say you were speechless would be the least. was he…flirting? with you? in this economy? in this universe? THE jake sim? this was probably happening in your dreams. yet, you were so close to jake’s face, you could feel his breath fanning over your face: if it was a dream, it was a quite vivid one. time suddenly stopped; you were fully lost in his eyes, perceiving only the beating of your heart, a loud, deafening music: you were scared even jake could hear it. you forced yourself to snap out of it: what the hell were you thinking?

"ah thank you so much, it looks like i also owe you my life now" you replied nonchalantly, trying to lose the tension a bit; except, jake didn't budge and kept looking at your now pale, disoriented visage.

"you know, y/n, for such a smart person, you're pretty oblivious and dumb when it comes to feelings. now, shall we eat?” wait a minute. what? WHAT? you didn't even have the time to answer: he was already in the living room,sitting at the table, waiting for you to bring the food. still a bit shaken up, you served the food and sat in front of the boy. needless to say, you had a great time with jake. not to mention, you were actually able to flirt back. you! the shy, introvert one. it’s been a tough day, that was out of the question at this point. though you had a feeling, bad luck had finally come to an end for you. maybe you should lock yourself out more often!

[misslilli]

Felix Felicis

MSR. AU. PG-13. | tagging @today-in-fic | read on AO3

Chapter 43 - Musings Of A Felix

[ Felix ]

If I forget about The Thing that happened with my mom for a moment, I've had a pretty awesome Christmas break. Grandma lets me help around the house a lot more than Dad, she thinks she has to make me, but I actually like helping out. Polishing her silverware while she told me stories about my dad when he was little was my absolute favorite and I shone the spoons so well, I could watch my face in it, giggling at the distorted nose that stared back at me.

A story from when my dad was about my age, when he snuck over to the neighbor's farm on Martha's Vineyard with his friends to open the wire-gate in the middle of the night and release all their chickens to run around the farm and stealing their eggs for breakfast. When the farmers woke up the next day, they were in for quite the surprise, chickens running to and fro flapping their wings and hiding in places where you would never expect to find a chicken.

I snicker at the part where the farmer and his family looked for the fox who did it for weeks, oblivious to the fact that the fox they were looking for was actually right under their noses the whole time.

Wonder why Dad never told me that story. Or any of the stories Grandma tells me about him. Maybe he doesn't want me to get any ideas, that must be why he's keeping them a secret.

Sam is never in any of these stories and Grandma tells me that the boys always left her behind because they didn't want the little sister to tag along and ruin all the fun. That makes me mad at Dad a little, that he didn't know how lucky he was to have a sister back then.

I know they get along really well now, but I've always wanted to have a little sibling, ever since I can remember. I think I'd be a great big brother because I already know how the world works and I could teach them all the things I know how to do.

Suzie just got a little baby brother last month, we've met them at the farmer's market one Saturday and I'm insanely jealous, he's really cute.

She gets to push him around in a stroller the whole day and hold him and teach him all about the world and in a few year's time, she'll get to teach him how to play baseball or how to spell or how to do maths - all the things I'm really good at too but I don't have anyone to teach.

It makes me sad that I'll probably never get to have what Suzie and her brother or what Dad and Sam have but at the same time, I know should be careful what I wish for.

My dad and I had the birds and the bees talk last year, when I was really into reading books about the human body and landed on the naked-people page, thoroughly weirded out by the things I saw and read. And then I discovered what has to happen for there to be a baby and ew, gross, I can't imagine ever doing that. Gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Anyway, this is how I know it takes two people for me to have a little sister, or brother, I'm not that particular about that, which brings me to the careful-what-you-wish-for part.

All my life, it's only been my dad and I against the rest of the world and I can't imagine what it would be like if I had to share him with someone else. Someone who takes him away from me and he won't have any time left to spend with me. A step-mom. I've read Cinderella, so I have a pretty good idea of what that could look like.

Dad and I have talked about this after what happened with Mom, and I kind of liked the person he described, someone we both like and all that stuff, but what if she doesn't like me? What if she's mean to me behind my dad's back or bosses me around all the time?

What if I end up really liking her and then she leaves again, gone all of a sudden, just like Mom? What if they fight all the time and I get that icky feeling in my stomach I always get when Mom and Dad fight?

What if Dad gets hurt, too, I don't want him to be the way he was when I was little ever again. He had Sam to help him out back then but I wonder who would help me out then?

I tick off all the choices in adults I have in my life on my fingers:

Mom? No, she's out, I don't think she'd be too thrilled about the whole step-mom thing in the first place and if she ever found out I liked that new person, she'd probably hate me for it.

Auntie Sam? She's away in LA the whole year and a phone call is just not the same, you can't give the good hugs over the phone.

Grandma? Also a hug problem, she only gives out two and I don't think that'll be enough in that case.

Principal Skinner? Maybe, he's good at playing baseball but I'm not sure how good he'll be with this, he doesn't seem like the type to go to with emotional stuff.

Miss Anderson? Meh, she's my teacher and she's very sweet but she'd probably make me write an essay about it and I hate writing essays.

So having gone through all the adults in my life, there's only one option left and I have to say, it's a pretty good option. The only person I could think of to call for help aside from my dad, with a heart bigger than a giraffe's (who have the biggest heart in the entire world, if you didn't know) and who I can trust to never lie to me.

Also, the one I've decided I was going to marry all the way back in the first week of school.

Yes, she's a very good choice.

I think about all this while packing my bags to go back home again, I really really don't want to leave Grandma's house that smells like cookies all the time buuut, and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, I also can't wait to get back to school to tell Suzie and Miss Scully all about my awesome Christmas break. I'll just leave out the icky parts, they don't have to know about those.

It'll also give me more time to investigate who in the world this Squirrel guy is Dad's been talking to all the time, he must be a new friend of Dad's and I'm curious to find out more about him. Maybe I'll get to meet him at the New Year's Party tomorrow!

What kind of a strange name is Squirrel, anyway?

[crazy-loca-blog]

Casey Valentine: About Her Present

A/N: Did the inspiration suddenly hit me after I had no idea what to do about this because I had never thought about it before? It did. Set somewhere between the end of Book 3 and right after it just because otherwise I wouldn't have had things to say about Casey's future. Part of the @openheartfanfics "Meet My MC" event.

Meet My MC || About Her Past

If Casey had to describe her three-year residency at Edenbrook, she'd say it's been intense, life-changing and unexpected. Time went by so fast and so many things happened in so little time, that quite often she still thinks all of this is just a dream.

Sometimes she still doesn't believe that she survived a betrayal, a trial, and an assasination attempt. She could even write a book about it, but keeping some of these stories to herself and the people around her seems wiser.

She passed her boards with flying colors and now she's ready to face a new challenge: becoming the new head of the Diagnostics Team. Ethan offered her the job after he was offered the Chief of Medicine position by Naveen, and even though at first she didn't know what to answer, she knew that Ethan would have never offered her the position if he considered her incapable of excelling at it.

And you can tell she already has a lot of plans for the team, even though none of them implies filling the spot that she'll leave. The work dynamic with Harper and Tobias is amazing, and they all think they don't need another member at the moment.

She's also glad that her salary will allow her to get rid of her med school debt sooner than she expected, even though she knows what she'll do with part of her first payment: she'll get Esme a ticket to visit her parents in El Salvador. This is something she's been thinking about since she knew her story. She knows how it feels growing up without parents, so if she can make a difference on the life of her intern, she will.

The only condition for her to accept her new position as head of the team was to be able to set some time apart to work in the free clinic. This is one of the most rewardings experiences for her and it reminds her why she decided to become a doctor in the first place, so she doesn't want to lose that.

When Casey first arrived in Boston, it was all about the medicine. She wanted to learn from the best. Little did she know that the same guy she admired as a doctor would become the love of her life.

Everything began as a mentor and mentee relationship, but after a few months it became something else. And it's been that way for the last three years.

Their relationship has been... interesting, to say the least. They both had different reasons to fight their feelings for each other (Ethan's morals on one side, and Casey's previous heartbreaks on the other side), but apparently when two people are meant to be, things are just inevitable. And they seem to be inevitable.

After the longest time and many highs and lows, they made things official a few weeks ago. And they're over the moon about this. Casey doesn't remember being this happy before.

However, she wants to do things right this time. She has always felt her previous relationships failed because she made too many impulsive and bad decisions, and she really wants things to work this time... mostly because she has recently discovered admitted to herself that this is the first time that she is completely and utterly in love.

Yeah, she thought she had been in love before... but after meeting Ethan and understanding her feelings towards him, she just knew she had been so wrong in the past! She never felt like this about anyone before.

Do people talk about them? All the time. Does she care? Not at all. She felt uncomfortable about rumors at first, but Casey knows that people have been talking about them for the last three years, and she doesn't care anymore. She's just too busy trying to be happy to care about what people say about them.

However, to avoid any potential conflicts at work, they both have decided to keep their relationship as private as possible. And so far it's working.

If Casey learned something about friendship during her residency, is that you never know when someone may betray you. Luckily, she has few friends, but they're the best.

Luckily, they all happen to be brilliant in their areas of expertise, so they all are geting great job offers to stay in Boston. And none of them is planning to leave.

This is awesome for several reasons, but mainly because they don't need to find a new place to live or a new roomie, which is a relief for everyone, and because they won't need to schedule annual reunions to catch up on their lives... they can keep having their daily or weekly ones.

She is also lucky to keep working with people she admires a lot: Tobias and Harper. She still can't consider them her friends, but they're certainly on their way to become more than colleagues.

Outside Edenbrook, Casey also keeps in touch with her med school besties: Tracy and Lauren. They both are doing their residencies at Mayo Clinic, so the chances they visit each other any time soon are very low. However, Facetime helps them to keep in touch at least once a week... and Tracy is getting married very soon in New York, so Casey is counting the days to see her girls after all this time (maybe she should tell them that now she might be taking a plus one with her?).

Even though the original plan was that Oliver would be going to Boston with Casey, things changed after grandma Marie passed away and Oliver decided to stay back home.

The twins had never been apart, so this has been a whole new experience for them. Not only it has helped them to become their own person, but now their relationship is stronger than ever.

They keep in touch on a daily basis. They don't talk on the phone often, but they are constantly messaging each other during the day.

Oliver also visits her every two or three months. And Casey's heart feels so full of love when his brother has the chance to share with her extended family, just because they all get along really well. In fact, they've already set a tradition: every time that Oliver is in town, they make plans to spend a day at Martha's Vineyard.

Casey goes back to Virginia every summer; however, the end of her her residency might mean that this is the last time in a while that she'll be able to spend more than two weeks at home. But that's okay... as long as she has a few days to recharge her energy by being in touch with nature and with her roots, she'll survive.

Of course, she's dying to take her friends there. Ethan has already visited and he won't admit it yet, but he's become a fan of that place. He completely gets why Casey loves it so much.

The idea of returning home after the end of her residency was tempting, Casey actually considered it at some point, but she'd be lying to herself if she says her heart is not in Boston.

Going from Virginia to Massachussets was a 180 degree change in Casey's life. She traded the mountains, the lakes and the river for skyscrapers, Seaport and Boston Common. Of course, this also meant making some life adjustments and discovering new hobbies.

She finally managed to balance work and life (something that had been impossible at med school). And even though Donahue's is the place to go after the long shifts, brunch on weekends with the gang are definitely her favorites.

Bryce, Rafael, and Ethan introduced her to the gym life at Edenbrook. At first, she only trained with the guys, but now she goes a lot by herself too, especially when she feels too stressed or when she needs to disconnect from the world. However, when it comes to release anger, boxing with Jackie is most definitely the option at the top of her list.

Sienna has taught her the art of vision boards to achieve her goals, but she's far from mastering it. in fact, any person who sees her vision boards would think they were made by a 5 year old kid. At least she tries (and she may even have reached a goal or two).

She also volunteers with Rafael once a week at his community center, even though she still can't learn how to dance samba. Sometimes, they also recruit interns, residents and attendings to perform some routine health checks to whoever wants them. These events are a hit... handsy Henrietta can't deal with so many hot doctors at the same time!

Life has taught her a lot since she arrived in Boston. Third-year resident Casey is a completely different person than the girl who assisted a thoracotomy on her first day at Edenbrook.

Luckily she hasn't stopped being her best self; however, after the incident, she felt that life was giving her a second chance. And she's been making the most of it since then.

She has everything to be happy: a dream job, the best brother in the world, a group of friends that became her extended family, and a "new" boyfriend who has been with her through thick and thin during the last three years.

She still deals with some PTSD, but a good therapy and understanding that this is perfectly normal while trying to learn to deal with it helps a lot.

Now she's ready to make a real difference in health care, the one that she dreamed about making in her intern year.

Tags: @adiehardfan @izzyourresidentlawyer

[takaraphoenix]

14 for SuperWonder

14: play wrestling

All his life, he had to hold back. No Little League for little Clark, no football for teenage Clark, even in the Justice League, Clark was used to holding back when he trained with someone. Not that he did it a lot – why would he, he was so strong, he didn't need to know fighting techniques. Every now and again Bruce demanded it though, but even then Clark had to hold back.

Until Diana entered his life. She was a literal demigoddess. Flight, strength, might. For the first time in his life, Clark broke a sweat. He had to push his limits. And Diana, in doing so, demanded form. Raw strength was not enough with Diana anymore, he had to learn proper form and fighting technique. But with Diana, he didn't mind. He enjoyed learning from her, he enjoyed spending time with her. The two grew closer, uniting over their feeling of otherness. A goddess and an alien among men, exploring this world. And though Clark had grown up in this world, sometimes it still felt so alien to him, when he flew over the city, he didn't feel like a part of it.

They started dating soon after and fell in love, fighting side by side and living side by side. Diana came to really love the farm, just how grounding it was to work hard in the fields. It became their refuge and Clark's ma was more than happy for the help. She did have regular help by now, because Conner had come to live at the farm and he too seemed to enjoy the farm-life and hard work.

It was good, having this home to return to. Between his work at the Daily Planet and his work as Superman, the farm life grounded him. It became home when Diana and him had their first child, because Clark wanted his son to grow up with the values he had learned in Smallville. Diana, having fallen in love with Smallville herself, agreed that this was the best place to raise a child.

“Okay, kiddo. You gotta watch your ma and me closely, you here?”

It came surprisingly easy to channel his father, even though Jonathan was gone, he guided Clark through parenthood. Their son, Jonathan Kent, was eight years old and started to manifest powers. He was more than just a Kryptonian, he was half-Amazon, had godly blood on top of his alien blood. He was going to be so strong and with that, Diana and Clark new they had to train him.

Jon sat on his grandma's lap, wiggling his nose as he watched his parents wrestle. Not all out. The irony of that; the first thing they had shared was that they could go all out with each other. But with their son, they had to teach him how to hold back, had to teach him the steps. Diana was smiling playfully at him as she had Clark pinned to the ground.

“Mommy wins!” declared Jon proudly, clapping loudly while Martha laughed.

Diana smiled pleased as she helped her husband up, pulling him close enough to kiss.

[lacrow]

Chapter 36...

...Me too, Anya. Me too.

After the Loid/Yor heavy arc we just came off of, I was wondering which direction Endo would take things. A lot of people were hoping for some focus on Damian and Anya, and boy oh boy I’m sure those same people were happy with this week’s chapter. It’s looking like the next arc is going to focus on the kids at Eden, only instead of tests and exams we’re going to get a PARTY!?

...Sorry, got a little excited there. First, let’s back it up.

I love how Anya just flat out acknowledges she’s never going to be an imperial scholar. Loid gave up far sooner than she did, but seeing her just blatantly accept the same thing is funny and also shows she’s not oblivious or air-headed; she’s quite aware of herself (which is rare for a child, as we’ll soon see with Becky) and is much more willing to focus on her strengths. Granted, the only thing she has going for her at the moment is Damian’s crush on her (which she isn’t even aware of in the first place). Also I just found it funny everyone still thinks Loid beats his patients. Poor Loid xD.

To kick off the arc things focused on Becky and her relationship with Anya and, honestly, I didn’t realize how excited I was for that until I started reading it. Becky was desperately needing some backstory, and I feel like this chapter delivered on all fronts. Sending the girls out on a shopping trip was a great set-up, and having Becky rent out the entire department store was a smart way for them to spend some alone time and also show off just how LOADED the Blackbells really are. Plus, Anya’s reactions to everything was priceless.

Okay, so...the fashion. It was cute, it was fun, and the dresses were fantastic. With that said, there’s no way I’m going to able to fit all of it into one post lol. So, briefly, I’ll list the highlights for me;

Anya’s Cover-Girl-esque spread

All of Anya’s costumes, but most importantly the “scholar” one with diploma caps for the headbuns (fantastic)

Becky immediately thinking of dressing up for Loid (honestly kinda cringey, but at the same time funny) and going down a runway because of course she would.

The tiny detail of Becky’s hairpin changing with each costume and how it changes to a knife when she wears Yor’s sweater (I see you, Endo).

Is there more? Yes. But now we’re moving on lol

I’d be remiss not to mention Becky’s thirst in this chapter, and I love how her attendant Martha just puts up with her shit with the flattest of faces. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s well aware of Becky’s current obsession with soap opera’s, hence her casual, muted reaction. Home-wrecking is a no-no indeed xD

Aside from all her fashion shenanigans and Loid-thirst, the exploration of Becky’s character was fascinating and deeply satisfying. I was fond of her before this chapter, but now I have a much better idea of who she is as a person. Anya calling her a friend caught her completely off-guard; we as an audience knew this was already the case, but even after months of being together Becky clearly didn’t. Martha’s musings over her bratty past were insightful, and paint the picture of a little girl who grew up from a young age thinking she was a) inherently better than everyone else and b) had an image to maintain at all times. Such beliefs made it impossible to truly make friends, and she likely would have expected others around her to only get close to her in order to get material things because of her family’s wealth and status.

Besides Becky, Martha was really the standout character for me this week. It’s clear she’s been with Becky since the latter was very young; at first I took her for this exasperated servant who loathes Becky for being so spoiled, but by the end of the chapter I was pleasantly surprised to find her genuinely caring for her like a grandma or nanny. Her relationship with Becky, and by extension Anya, was very endearing and I hope to see more of her in the arc.

OKAY SO BACK TO THE PARTY!

It’s looks like this arc is going to deal more with the social aspects of Eden Academy, and I for one am thrilled. The tests and classroom and shenanigans are usually enjoyable, although I’d be lying if I said I found them very interesting. This whole backdrop of an end-of-term party, however, opens up the possibility of so many character interactions that we normally wouldn’t get to see. Just a few examples;

Becky finally meeting Loid

Yor chaperoning and causing unintended chaos

The kids all in spiffy clothing

The possibility of finally meeting Damian’s older brother

Mr. Henderson busting-a-move (god I can dream)

And, of course...

...some good ol’ Damian and Anya. It’s clear we’re gonna see an update on their relationship, and depending on how this party goes we may or may not finally get to see Anya be invited over to the Desmond’s house. Operation Strix might be up for it’s first big break in a while, and I’m excited to see how it all unfolds in the coming months!

Also, BONUS

$950 dollars!? Are you kidding me right now!? For two keychains!? Bond doesn’t even know math and he KNOWS those prices are outrageous!

[kudaunknown]

A conversation with my 104-year-old grandma

Mbuya Shava — Martha Mangoma (née Madzikoto) — is my 104-year-old grandmother.

This interview was conducted in her cooking hut, as she enthusiastically prepared lunch for myself and her other grandchildren, plus great-grandchildren, who had come to visit.

We set off from Harare, to her home village in Headlands, which is within the province of Manicaland.

Manicaland is highlighted in red (above). 

A small number of ethnic Europeans first came to Zimbabwe as settlers during the late-nineteenth century. These colonial settlers established Headlands as a trading post and tobacco farming area in 1891. At this point, they named the area Laurencedale, after their leader, Laurence van der Byl. In 1897 they changed its name to Headlands.

Her village is approximately 140km from the capital and is a part of the Makoni District - which also includes; Baddeley, Chendambuya, Chikore, Chinhenga, Chinyudze, Dewerwi, Eaglesnest, Maparura, Mayo, Mazai, Mufusire, Mupururu, Nheta, Nyahowe, Nyawaro, Tanda and Tsikada villages.

Makoni District, within Manicaland, highlighted in blue (above).

My grandmother was born in Chendambuya, raised her nine children in Tanda and now spends her days in Headlands. To me, she is extremely active, witty and downright hilarious. To my father, she is a beacon of strength. To our entire family, she is the matriarch.

She is a Christian, identifying with the Methodist Church. Her religious faith is extremely important to her, and this has undeniably shaped her worldview with a set of values that include kindness, forgiveness and hope.

This interview happened in Shona. It has been translated to English in order to make this piece accommodating for multiple friends and family, far and wide, who hold a love and interest in this ethereal being.

By my knowledge, this the most extensive discussion available with Mbuya Shava. It is an immense honour to present this conversation, as her grandson.

Me: Hi Mbuya.

Mbuya: Hi muzukuru.

How’s it going? I’ve got a set of questions I’d love to ask you.

Why?

To be honest, it was my dad’s idea and then I…

Of course it was. Sounds like something he’d request *laughs*

You know him well.

I know all of you well.

Alright then. What was your father’s name and those of his siblings?

His name was Rudzemba, and his foreign name was Zekiah. He had a brother named Maretekwa, and some sisters. A small family.

That must have been quite rare back then.

What?

A small Manicaland family.

Ahh. Probably.  

What was your paternal grandfather’s name and where did he come from?

I have no idea at all. We just referred to him as Sekuru (grandad) when we’d talk about him. He passed away before I was born.

What was your mother’s name?

My mum’s name was Zvekusekwa, and her foreign name was Esther. She had five sisters, no brothers.  

What were her sisters’ names?

You must’ve forgetten that I’m old *laughs*. I can’t remember their names right now, but let me try though. Hmmm, one was Eniah, then there was Isabella. In fact, that’s all I can remember.

Where was your mum born?

My mum was born in Chendambuya, but I really have no clue as to where exactly.

How many siblings did you have? Do you remember their names?

Like my mother, we were all girls. No brothers at all. I am the only one from that pack still alive.

And…their names?

Hmmm. Now you’re trying to embarrass me! How could I forget their names?! Alright, let me try. I’ll do it by order of birth.

So, first was, I forgot her name. Shoot! Was it Mary? No! Nyewerwai. Her name was Nyewerwai. Then, Sophia. Myself Martha as third born. Rukia was right after me. And then Oripa and Constance closed the family off. Not bad! I still remember *laughs*

How old were you when you got married?

I don’t look at time that way. It (GMT concept & Gregorian Calendar) wasn’t really a part of our culture back then. It’s really hard to say in those terms. We used to tell time by the sun’s position, our shadows and the seasons changing. I was old enough to have children.

Wait. I’ll be back. Let me help these kids kill this chicken for you.

* She walks out of the hut for three minutes, before returning seemingly agitated about the chicken’s delay *  

photo credit Andrew Tallon

Alright, so next…

What’s that on your leg?

What, sorry?

On the left there. It looks like some writing.

Oh! That’s my tattoo of your hut. The actual hut we’re in right now. I got it years ago to always have a part of you with me.

Can you wash it off?

tattoo by SWESCKI

* As she notices more of my tattoos, I go on to proudly show her nearly all 32 of them * 

No. Tattoos are permanent. They’ll all still be on me after I die.

You are actually crazy *laughs*. You must’ve learnt those ways in Australia. Some of them are quite lovely though.

Would you let me tattoo you?

No. I’m too old. But, let me tell you this. When we were younger, we used to do scarification on our faces. I had two vertical lines under each eye. I thought I looked pretty cool. And I also used to have flesh earrings.

That’s super cool to me. There’s kids all over the world, in my generation, that do that now, especially the flesh earrings.

Funny world.

Scarification reference - photo credit Anthony Asael

How much younger was my grandfather, Solomon, than you?

I can tell your dad wrote that question. Again, I don’t perceive time in that way — but he was very young. As you know, he was my second husband and I had three lovely children with him, who are your father (Elton) and his two younger brothers (Misheck and Stephen).

How many children did you have with your first husband?

I had six children with Magaso. We raised all of them in Tanda.

Do you know all of your grandchildren?

Wow. There’s a lot! Let me try. I’m forgetting. I’ll be honest, I don’t know all of their names off the top of my head but I can recognise every single one. I don’t know all of my great-grand children because I haven’t met them all, but I know plenty. Not bad for an old lady, yeah?

What’s the best food you’ve ever had?

Sadza. Easily. It’s the best. It ties our frame of culture and humanity. I only have one tooth left, so it’s easy for me to eat sadza.

What has been the best time of your life?

When we were all in Tanda, as a huge family, getting to watch my kids, nephews and nieces grow. It was the best of times. I often reminisce about them.

What was the worst time of your life?

After Magaso, my first husband, died — and when Solomon died. I was devastated. Both of those deaths cut deep, in different ways. Seeing my children grow, work, marry and have their own children is what healed me. I haven’t been sad in decades really. Every single day with this life feeds my soul. I am blessed. I have nothing to be sad about now.

What were the wars like for you?

Oh wow. That was obviously an awful time. It was scary. Violent death was so common. And your grandfather was extremely political, so we were very much aware of what was going on around us. He actually got arrested a few times for his activism against Ian Smith’s regime. He was so much like your dad.

photo credit Andrew Tallon

In 2002, you flew to America. What was that experience like? Was it your first time flying?

The America trip wasn’t my first time flying, but it was the last time I did. My first flight experience was from Bulawayo to Harare in the 90s. I was TERRIFIED. The takeoff and landing affected my breathing. I refused to eat the food during that flight because I thought we had to pay for it. Even if I’d known that the meals were included with the ticket, I probably still wouldn’t have eaten. I was too anxious.

Years later, in 2002, I flew to America with my son Stephen, his wife Marjorie and their children. Those flights were better because there were so many of them in a row. I looked out the window and knew that if the plane fell, we’d surely all die. I was a little nervous at the start. But eventually, we took many flights for that trip so, I got used to it and enjoyed myself. I got used to the sensations of being up in the sky. I never would’ve imagined anything like that when I was your age. I’ve learnt so much from my children. They got me to fly.

Your children are like rockstars to a lot of us. What do you think of your children and grandchildren?

I love them to bits. They’re all fantastic and hardworking. I love you all. I just remembered that they might hear or see this conversation. I love you.

How would you like to be remembered?

I don’t know. When I’m dead, I won’t remember you *laughs* so, feel however you want to feel about me. My request would be for you to sing songs for me at my funeral and when you think of me after that day, continue to sing and hum the songs that make you feel good about being you.

Where would like to be buried, and whom would you like to attend your funeral?

Right in this village, by the rocks at the end of the road where we bury everyone else here. I’d love for you to be there. Your wife. Your children. Your parents. Everyone who is family, I would love for them to be there if they can.

Right, Mbuya, that’s about it really. Is there anything else you would like to say?

Not much. I just want to thank God for blessing me with this life, for my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. And for those I consider family who will come into this life after I am gone.

photo credit Andrew Tallon

[elisabethsdoppler]

Hi :) I've been loving your Dark headcanons and prompts. I get so hyped when I read them. Could I ask for your baby/little Mikkel with his family headcanons when everything was happy and not the mess the family became? Like, how were Katharina and Ulrich with him? Or how did Magnus and Martha react when they found out they were having a little brother? Thank you

baby mikkel headcanons

tw: mentions of katharina’s abusive mother

martha has never been an only child! so she’s pretty happy when katharina tells her she’s pregnant

she’s really excited to be a big sister!

magnus doesn’t really remember his life before martha, so he’s okay with it too

until he realizes that katharina will have to spend more time with the baby than with him

the same thing happened when martha was born

katharina was very quick to reassure him, that she would have to take care of the baby, but she still loved him just as much

katharina was in labour for more than a day, so ulrich dropped the kids off at jonas’s house for a sleepover

martha totally had a little kid crush on jonas

jonas begged his parents to let him invite bartosz, but they said 4 kids was too many for a sleepover

they had fun though! they stayed up way past their bedtime

because of martha’s crush, magnus felt like the third wheel

so his time was spent 1. being insanely bored or 2. teasing martha

jonas fell asleep while magnus and martha were bickering

the next day, jonas’s parents took them all back home

magnus and martha got to meet their new baby brother!

magnus said that katharina looked dead

she just laughed

magnus thought mikkel was ugly

martha thought he cried too much

every time one of her babies is born, katharina gets bad ptsd and is really anxious all the time

she’s so scared she’ll end up like her mother

ulrich has gotten really good at not triggering her, but he still has to be cautious

when martha was born, magnus was practically a baby, so they couldn’t really explain it to him

ulrich brings up telling the kids about katharina’s past abuse, and she says it’s probably better if they know

so ulrich sits magnus and martha down while katharina is on a walk with mikkel

ulrich very slowly and carefully explained that their mama was hurt by her mother when she was little, so she might be a little bit anxious

he also tells the kids that this is definitely not their fault, but just to be careful and kind to their mama

he said that their parents would never ever hurt them

magnus and martha actually understood

magnus remembers when he was really little, he kept asking katharina why he didn’t know his grandma

she got really upset and had to lock herself in her and ulrich’s room while she cried

she wished that magnus could have another grandma

but she would NEVER let that woman near her babies

he also remembers katharina hugging him very tightly, and telling him it was not his fault, that she just gets sad and upset when her mother is mentioned

when katharina gets back, they both hug her

she just smiles and kisses their cheeks

also ... in my opinion katharina is the best mom in dark

she’s definitely the most attentive and present mother

like i know claudia is praised because she would do anything to save her daughter, but she wasn’t really there or loving to teenage regina

katharina makes sure her kids know they’re loved

i think that mikkel would be a strange baby

don’t get me wrong, he’s adorable

but he’s either screaming and crying or not doing anything and just staring straight ahead

martha doesn’t like babies

she doesn’t understand why they can’t walk or talk or sit up straight

like all they do is eat and poop ... she doesn’t get the appeal

as she grows up this changes, and when she’s a teenager she starts thinking about how cute babies are

magnus has always loved babies!

he just thinks they’re adorable

mikkel learns to crawl really quickly

and he’s so fast

like ulrich and katharina will look away for a second and he’ll be halfway up the stairs

if he has a huge temper tantrum, ulrich is the only one who can calm him down

no one really knows why

least of all ulrich

i have a feeling when mikkel was really little he looked a lot like mads

like if ulrich glanced at mikkel he sometimes thought it was mads

it’s just déjà vu

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Peaches and pancakes on a winter day

Spending a wintery vacation in an almost two hundred year old ranch/orchard is something totally new and unexpected - and I'm loving it!

Peachtree Estate really has flourished since Polly, Docia, and Ruby Cobblestone took on the task of restoring their ancestors's land. Polly also runs the Early Morn Bed & Breakfast, a well known rest stop along the Prosperity River Highway that's a couple blocks from the ranch that was also owned by family.

The ranch, founded by ancestor Benjamin Hiram, is still running to this day, though not as active as it used to be. It used to be a cattle ranch but when that declined it shifted to being an orchard. The place was built from the ground up by Benjamin and later his sons and descendants. It's amazing to see that something built in the 1840s is not only still standing but also operating.

Polly, Docia, and Ruby are descended from Benjamin's youngest son Langford Joseph, better known as LJ or Joe. The Hirams were a prosperous and powerful family, their influence still lingers over Aster City. Their family history is fascinating so it's no wonder why their stories live on.

Ancestor LJ had quite a reputation in Aster City. Aside from being an active community member he was known as Benjamin's fiery, high spirited, mischievous, and temperamental yet kindhearted son. He was also a ladies man who pursued and attracted suitors easily but sadly a number of his affairs were met with tragedy and/or scandal, which was why he didn't marry until he was in his mid-thirties.

What strikes me about LJ and why the Cobblestone sisters find him interesting is how polarizing he can be. You can say the same about his father, brothers, descendants, and such, but some people leave a much deeper impression than others. There's no denying that he was a nice guy, someone you'd consider a gentleman, but he was also very much a spoiled, privileged man.

Some may argue that many historical accounts paint an unflattering picture of Langford Joseph Hiram. His sister-in-law, writer Elissa Phillipson, was known to clash with him on many occasions. While she never actually spoke poorly of her in-law, some of the encounters she wrote confirms how his headstrong personality easily rubs people the wrong way. Despite what some might believe about Elissa not getting along with LJ, other family members have confirmed that the events she depicted were real and that as much as LJ was well liked and respected, he had his flaws.

I think the best way to sum it up is something his daughter Marie said about him - outwardly progressive but privately complicit. Marie was super close to him as her mother died shortly after her birth and LJ had experienced far too many losses in his life at that point so it made sense that he would latch on to her. She was said to have idolized him as a kid, then became disillusioned with him in her adolescence. Because their personalities were so similar, it's no surprise that their relationship could be stormy at times.

In later years, descendants of the Hiram family have opted for a more nuanced view on their ancestors. I guess that's why I find them interesting, not just because they have a fascinating history but also because they kept it real. Aside from the wealth and prosperity, the Hirams were just ordinary people. Polly, Docia, and Ruby admire their ancestors for their accomplishments but also hold them accountable for their questionable - and sometimes (but rarely, thankfully) malicious - actions.

As I mentioned earlier, Polly runs the Early Morn Bed & Breakfast, a well known rest stop in the area. The B&B first opened about a hundred years ago, approximately sixty years after the ranch was founded. The place is known for their pancakes, which still uses Martha Hiram's original recipe. Polly chose to take over the B&B after her mom retired mainly because she's not big on working at the ranch.

Docia and Ruby handle the ranch. Docia's an avid lover of the outdoors so she's more than happy to do the heavy lifting. From tending horses to maintaining the orchard, Docia can easily operate the ranch all by herself if she could. Like, is there anything that she doesn't know? It's no wonder people say that she's most like Benjamin in terms of not being afraid of getting her hands dirty.

Ruby's the historian of the family. She's in charge of the museum, which is the Hiram family house where Benjamin and his sons lived in. She's pretty much a walking encyclopedia on life in the wild west, however her main area of interest is fashion. Ruby also runs a blog on Victorian fashion, which is a fascinating and informative read, even from an outsider's perspective. She's a bit of a fashion designer herself, the way she takes elements from modern and Victorian styles and turns it into something of her own - I wonder why she hasn't already up and started her own fashion line yet!

Even though there's snow on the ground, there's still work to be done outside. Docia's taking on a big project by cleaning up the south end of the ranch, which hasn't been in use for over fifty years. She and her cousin Peter plan to use that are to plant a vegetable garden so they can donate the produce to families in need. So they need a lot of help plucking weeds and clearing away debris, which is why we're here to help!

Along with cleaning up the south end, we also helped with harvesting fruit at the orchard. This year happened to be a bountiful harvest! In fact, there's so much fruit that Docia and the others are still picking them - a good problem to have for now, but not in the long run; something her grandma used to say when the orchards were full. So Polly and I figured, why not have a pancake contest at the B&B and put some of that fruit to good use?

So that's what we've been doing for the past few days. In between doing yard work and plucking fruit, we also went riding along the country, made outfits with Ruby to wear around the ranch, threw snowball fights in the fields, met other family members and fellow historians, and learned a lot about the history of the ranch. Pulling up weeds is hard work but I think the cold weather and history lessons really helped pass the time more quickly. Who would've thought that pulling weeds can be fun?

As of today the south end is about 75% done. To celebrate, we threw a pancake contest so we can have a feast at the end of the day.

A Peachy Pancake Contest!

Peaches and Cream by Chelsea

What happens when you get peaches and cream and put it into a pancake? A fluffy brioche like pancake and tangy sweet peaches, perfectly paired with fresh cream and peach preserves!

Peach Milk Teacake by Tia

A peach milk tea boba in the form of a pancake?! How is that possible, you ask? Sweet, decadent pancakes with peach boba that goes perfectly with peach tea!

Citrus Surprise Pancakes by Puck

Missing the warm weather? Be instantly transported to the tropics with a blast of citrus and peach! Lemon peach ricotta pancakes topped with a zesty drizzle of orange marmalade!

Peach Custard by Maddie

Have dessert for breakfast with this decadent entree! A stack of custardy peachy pancakes topped with salted caramel. Biting into a pancake is like eating a cloud - a sweet, peachy one!

Cinnamon Spice Peaches by Chai

Warm yourself up with comforting spices like cinnamon, cardamon, clove, nutmeg, and more! A mixture of spices to compliment sweet peaches, these pancakes are perfect for a cold snowy day!

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

The Girl Next Door (Part 2) - The New Normal

Summary: Dean’s starting to realize he needs some help when it comes to taking care of both Sam and he and the reader make plans to spend a little one on one time with each other...

The Girl Next Door Masterlist

Pairing: Neighbor/Mechanic!Dean x baker!reader

Word Count: 5,000ish

Warnings: language, mention of injury, sad Sammy

A/N: Parts of this series are told from two different POV’s. Dean’s POV are written from limited third person. Reader’s POV are second person (like a typical reader insert). Enjoy!…

Dean’s POV

An hour later, Dean stumbled downstairs and sent Y/N home, feeling better than he had all week. He quietly cleaned some, the house covered in a thin layer of dust. He did laundry and got fresh sheets on all of the beds, unpacking a few belongings and hanging up his clothes in the guest room closet. His wardrobe wasn’t extensive and he wasn’t planning on getting a lot of quiet time for just him, at least not for a while.

Dean grabbed a notepad and sat down at the counter when he got downstairs again, writing up his chicken scratch into easy to read notes on what to take and when, simple enough that even Avy could understand with some help. He measured everything out for Sam and labeled it, tucking the medicine away in an upper cabinet with a note taped on the front that everything was in there. Dean got Sam’s freshly washed beanie’s up in his room and on his nightstand and cleared the path from the bed to the bathroom on anything he could trip on.

Dean hummed softly when he went to the fridge and started to take out ingredients for dinner. The last time he’d had a home cooked meal was probably two weeks, the night of Sam’s accident. The leftover ravioli meant for Sam to dig into was still sitting inside the fridge. Dean threw the container away and returned to putting together a mess of cheese, pasta, veggies and meat in a pan, one of Sam’s favorite dishes growing up.

After a few hours, Sam woke up from the couch, stretching out as he caught Dean working away in the kitchen.

“Mornin’ sunshine,” said Dean with a smile. “Or should I say, evenin’ sunshine.”

“How long was I out?” he asked.

“Eh, three hours give or take,” said Dean. “You need the rest. How’s the head feeling?”

“Uh, warmer,” said Sam, reaching his hand up, feeling a hat on there. “Thanks.”

“I figured you’re used to that flop on your head, might as well keep you warm,” said Dean, clapping his hands together. “So, I am making Sammy casserole tonight to celebrate you being back home. It should be done just in time for Avy to get home.”

“Thanks,” said Sam as he sat up. “You look a little better yourself.”

“Y/N stayed over for a while, let me get in a nap. Nice neighbor you got there,” said Dean. Sam hummed, glancing over to the kitchen. Dean set down the knife he was using and walked over to Sam, helping him up to his feet. They paused for a moment until Sam was walking forward on his own, Dean with a hand on his arm until Sam sat up on one of the counter stools.

“Yeah, Y/N’s cool. Keeps to herself mostly. I think she got out of some bad relationship or something before she moved in. She never really gave a straight answer on that,” said Sam.

“Surprised you haven’t made a move on the cute girl next door,” said Dean, wiping off his hands.

“The only cute girl I need in my life right now is about four feet tall,” said Sam. “So you can totally go for the cute girl next door yourself, Dean.”

“I’m not relationship material, Sammy,” said Dean with a smile, back to working on making up dinner. “You know that.”

“You’ve been saying that since we were teenagers,” said Sam, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, well, I don’t want mom and dad’s relationship,” he said. Sam scoffed and lightly shook his head. “Sam.”

“Not every relationship is full of arguments and it has been years, years Dean, since they went at it. They don’t do what they used to,” said Sam. “They love each other. I think it’s time you stop being afraid of commitment.”

“Says the guy who ends it after every first date he’s been on the past three years,” mumbled Dean.

“Jess died,” said Sam dryly. Dean stilled, looking over to Sam who had his brow furrowed. “I miss her. I fucking do. Every day. I wish Avy had her mom still. But she would want me to be happy. It took me time to be ready for that again and yeah, it’s hard to date when you’re a single dad that works too much. I know that. I got way more excuses than you not to try but I don’t use them, not all the time at least. I know what I want and not stringing the girl along doesn’t mean I’m afraid of commitment. There’s a connection you have with a person Dean when they’re the one. I haven’t had it happen since Jess so I keep trying, like she would want, like you want for me. Now, I’m out of the dating game for a while so why don’t you go put yourself out there for a change,” said Sam.

“Alright, alright,” said Dean, holding up his hands. “Don’t give yourself a stroke.”

“That’s not funny,” said Sam.

“It’s a little funny,” teased Dean. “But I’m sorry for teasing you wimp.”

“Jerk,” said Sam.

“Bitch,” said Dean. Sam smiled a little, rubbing his eye with the back of his hand. “Okay, you want it with the breadsticks too?”

“Yes please,” asked Sam quietly, Dean taken back for a moment to when they were kids and he made him Sammy casserole for the first time.

“Alright. We’ll make up the breadsticks too, Sammy.”

“Hi Avy,” said Sam, holding out his arms when their parents came by that night. She looked nervous though, staying by the front door and looking around the room at everyone. “Can I have a hug, honey?”

“Just be careful like we talked about, sweetie,” said Mary. Avy nodded and climbed up on the couch, shifting over slowly, Sam wrapping his arms around her.

“I missed you so much, baby. You have fun at grandma and grandpa’s? You got to tell me all about what happened at school,” said Sam. She nodded and threw her arms around Sam tight. Their parents gave them a smile as they followed Dean over to the kitchen.

“You guys want to stay for dinner?” asked Dean. “There’s plenty of food here.”

“Sure,” said John, glancing back at Sam. “You know, Dean...Mom and I were talking...we should really be the ones to move in here with Sam while he recovers.”

“I’m pretty sure Sammy’s going to put his foot down on that. Besides, you guys are both still working, you live farther away...I got this,” said Dean. “Really.”

“It’s not just taking care of Sam, Dean. You got Avy around here too,” said John. Dean blinked at him. “It’s a lot of responsibility is all I’m saying.”

“She’s my niece. I know how to take care of her,” said Dean. “Hell I take care of her all the freaking time.”

“Yeah but you can’t be fun Uncle Dean now. You’re gonna have to-”

“Excuse me but I took care of her the night her mother died and Sam was a mess and he had every right to be. I took care of her the night Sam almost died,” Dean whispered, scowling at his father. “I had to be the one that made medical decisions for Sam that night and the night after and the night after. I had to do those things because Sam trusts me. If he wants me gone, I’ll go. But I’m not leaving because you two don’t think I’m responsible enough,” said Dean.

“It’s a lot of work Dean,” said his mom, putting a hand on his arm. “No one is saying...we’re saying we’ll help is all.”

“Well ask Sam what he wants,” said Dean. “And guess what? He wanted me to be the one that moved in so I’m here. I will take the help but we don’t need you two living here.”

“Was living with us really that horrible for you?” asked John. “Really?”

“Sam and I both remember what it was like so yeah, excuse me for wanting him to recover in a place that’s calm and unstressful for him,” said Dean, narrowing his eyes.

“Alright. Don’t fight,” said Mary. “Alright. We’ll help out as much as we can but Dean can stay with Sam, alright? Boys?”

“Alright,” said John, holding up his hands.

“Casserole should be done in five. Watch Sam for me for a minute,” said Dean. He sighed and went out the front door, taking a seat on the front porch swing. He rested his hands on his head, taking a few deep breaths. He barely lifted his head when he heard the stairs creak, smiling when he saw a container be set down on the top step. Y/N just smiled and walked back over to her house, giving Dean a small wave as she went inside.

Dean picked up the container, laughing when he realized it was a pie. He flipped open the note on top, a warmth filling him up.

It’s my grandma’s recipe. Called it ‘feel good pie’. Always seems to do the trick for me. You guys seemed like you could use some after everything.

-Y/N

“Thank you, sweetheart. I needed this.”

Reader’s POV

“Morning,” you heard while you headed outside to wash your car the next day. Sam was sat on the front step of his porch, Avy playing with some chalk in their driveway. “Thanks for the pie last night. It was great.”

“You’re welcome,” you said, wandering over across the grass. “The prison warden giving you some parole time?”

“Oh no. He’s just changing into some clothes to work on his car some. I’m allowed to be alone for a few minutes when Avy’s keeping an eye on me. Small victories,” said Sam. “A little more time everyday.”

“They worried about…” you trailed off, Avy not seeming to take notice of the conversation.

“A lot can go wrong after a brain trauma. Time is the best cure unfortunately for my situation. Slow and steady. I’m not even allowed to watch TV or read right now so it doesn’t give me a seizure. I’m bored out of my mind,” he said.

“You could bake,” you said.

“Bake?” he asked.

“Mhm,” you hummed. “I mean, Dean might want to be the one that handles the oven right now but yeah, you could bake.”

“That’s...actually a really good idea,” said Sam. You saw Dean duck out of the garage, smiling when he saw you. “Hey, Dean, did you pick up any baking stuff at the store yesterday?”

“Uh, no, I didn’t, Martha Stewart,” said Dean.

“You know what? I didn’t feel like washing my car this morning anyways. Why don’t I take Sam here over to my place, let him do a bit of baking so he doesn’t go crazy today,” you said.

“Yes, please,” said Sam. Dean held up his hands, giving you a stare. You gave it right back but he sighed and relented, his gaze going to Avy.

“Fine but come get me if something goes wrong,” he said. “Now what to do with you little missy.”

“Hey, Avy. You want to come bake with me and your dad?” you asked. She carefully looked at Sam and shook her head, Sam’s face falling a little when he turned away. Dean squatted down next to her, giving her a soft smile.

“Avy, sweetie. I know we told you a lot of rules about playing with your daddy for now but you can still hang out with him. It’d make him really happy,” said Dean.

“Sorry, daddy,” she said, hopping up and giving Sam’s leg a hug.

“No, no, it’s okay, Avy. I wish I could run around with you,” said Sam. “Daddy’s still getting better.”

“I wish you’d get better faster,” she said.

“Me too,” said Sam with a laugh.

“Is your hair gonna come back?” she asked.

“Yeah. It’ll take a while though,” he said, holding out a hand to you. “Help me up? I get dizzy sometimes.”

You grabbed him with both hands, Dean keeping an eye on you both as Sam threw an arm over your shoulders.

“Come on Avy. Let’s go bake something with, Y/N,” said Sam. You led them over to your house and inside, Sam chuckling to himself. “It smells so good in here.”

“Well I am a baker, it always smells good in here...except when I burn a batch,” you said. You led them both over to the kitchen, Sam’s jaw practically dropping.

“I thought I had the fancy kitchen over here,” he said, taking a seat at the counter, Avy climbing up on one beside him.

“You got no idea what I do for a living, do you, Winchester?” you teased.

“Not a clue,” said Sam.

“Why don’t you spin around,” you said, nodding to the wall behind him. He turned in his seat, leaning back some when he saw the giant chalkboard. “That’s this week’s orders.”

“You’re a baker,” he smiled, turning back around. “For a living.”

“Yup. Need a good kitchen if I’m going to keep up with it,” you said. “So I got a order of chocolate chips I got to whip up today if you guys are interested in making some of those?”

“I think that sounds perfect.”

“Avy, you got those cookies okay?” you asked, Avy holding a pink box in front of her a few hours later. She hummed, that classic smile back on her face you were much more used to seeing. You couldn’t help but notice the layer of grime that’d been on your car was gone and the driveway was wet as you went past. You walked back over with Sam, a quiet chuckle coming from you both when you saw Dean passed out on the front porch chair with a baseball cap over his face. “Does he ever sleep?”

“He’ll get back to normal soon. I hope,” said Sam quietly. You helped him up the steps, Dean stirring at the noise, sleepily smiling at the three of you. “Turns out we live next to a professional baker.”

“How many different kinds of pie do you make?” asked Dean with a smirk.

“All of ‘em. Apple cinnamon, pecan, cherry, chocolate are my most popular probably,” you said. “Give me advance notice, I can make any kind you come up with.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” said Dean, stretching out. “I’ll so take you up on that.”

“Trust us, he will,” said Sam.

“Alright, Sammy. Why don’t you go on inside, eat your lunch and take a nap. Medicine is on the counter for you,” said Dean.

“Oh. Yay,” said Sam with a sigh. Dean held open the door for him and Avy, watching them go off to the kitchen, Sam holding out his sandwich from around the fridge door. “You can leave me alone now!”

“Dork,” said Dean, leaving the front door open, shutting the screened in one. “Thanks for keeping him occupied this morning. He’s getting a little stir crazy there not being able to use his head.”

“I think he liked it,” you said. “Thanks for washing my car.”

“I did no such thing. Must have been those car washing gremlins you hear about,” teased Dean.

“Must have,” you said, tilting your head up at him. “Thank them for me if you see ‘em around.”

“Will do,” he said.

“Dean? I’m sure Sam has good insurance being a lawyer and all. Maybe getting someone in to help watch him so you aren’t passing out on the front porch would be a good thing,” you said.

“I know. He’s in this limbo the next few weeks...my buddy at the garage, Benny, he’ll give me all the time off in the world for Sammy but I know…” said Dean, pursing his lips. “I do need help.”

“I got a friend that works as an in home nurse, deals with younger people most of the time. I can give you guys her name and the company she’s with if you’re interested,” you said. “I’m sure his insurance will cover it.”

“How much did he complain while he was over there?” asked Dean, trying to hide his laugh.

“Just a smidge,” you teased.

“Text me her name. We’ll look into it,” said Dean.

“Good,” you said with a smile, swapping phones for a moment. “So is pie your favorite kind of dessert?”

“Pie’s my favorite kind of everything,” he said, handing your phone back. You waited for him to make a joke but realized he was being serious.

“Alright. I got myself a pie expert. I may put your tastebuds to the test around these parts then, Winchester,” you said.

“Please do,” he said, licking his lips. “Last night’s pie was delicious. Blueberry and raspberry with a citrus flavored cream on top most people probably think is orange but is actually a lemon and grapefruit combo.”

“Dude, that’s scary good. No one ever picks up on that,” you said. “Like...no one. No joke, you want to come over next time I whip up some experimental stuff?”

“If I can arrange a babysitter for Sammy boy, sure,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll never turn down free dessert.”

“Awesome,” you said.

“Maybe we can get that pizza afterwards too,” he said.

“Yeah,” you said with a nod. “That sounds good. You ever have a bacon meat lover’s from Ricky’s? You have that with some bourbon and a slice of red velvet, it’ll give you a taste of what heaven must be like.”

“I bet it does,” said Dean, biting down on his smile. “I uh, I better get back in there and annoy the shit out of him. Big brother and all.”

“Wouldn’t want to keep you from that,” you said, Dean smiling as he threw his baseball hat on your head. “What’s this for?”

“It gives me an excuse to come talk to you tomorrow obviously,” he teased, heading back inside. “See you around, Y/N.”

“You are something, Dean Winchester,” you said, hopping down the steps, smiling under your new hat.

Dean’s POV

“I heard you flirting up a storm with Y/N earlier,” teased Sam late that night in his bathroom. Dean hummed, watching Sam take off his clothes in the shower until he got to his boxers. “Dude, you can go for the rest. I can shower on my own.”

“Sammy,” said Dean. “As scarring as this is for the both of us, just take off your damn underwear. I used to change you as a baby. Ain’t nothing I never seen.”

“Dean,” growled Sam.

“Here,” said Dean, handing Sam a washcloth from the towel rack.

“Really?” deadpanned Sam. Dean rolled his eyes and went to the closet, grabbing a hand towel and tossing it over. “Thank you.”

“You sit on the shower bench with that thing on your lap and use the spray thing to get clean, alright?” said Dean

“What, you ain’t gonna sponge bathe me?” mocked Sam.

“This is revolting enough without that,” said Dean, grabbing his phone and sitting up on the counter. Sam took a careful seat, a few grunts coming from him as he pulled off his boxers. “You good?”

“Why can’t I stand?” asked Sam as he tossed his underwear into this pile of clothes. “Or you know, have privacy?”

“Cause if you slip and fall or get dizzy and fall...basically you fall down, odds are you’re dead so deal with it,” said Dean, glancing over to Sam.

“Can you turn on the water,” he mumbled, glancing over to Dean. Dean nodded and walked over, turning it on warm for him, handing him the nozzle attachment. Dean kept his head down, Sam complaining often enough to know he was still conscious over there. “I’m done.”

“Alright,” said Dean, up again and turning off the water. He handed Sam a large towel and watched him dry off his top half, Dean throwing an arm under Sam’s shoulders. “I’m going to sit you down on the floor. Please have a towel over yourself by the time I open my eyes.”

“I got it, Dean,” said Sam. Dean sighed and shut his eyes, helping Sam until he heard what sounded like a slip. They flew open in an instant. Dean wasn’t positive what he did but he stopped Sam from going face first at the very least. He felt his own knees hit the ground hard, but his arms were around Sam’s torso tight, keeping him from going anywhere. Sam was down to his knees now, staring at Dean with a pant.

“Screw modesty?” said Dean.

“Screw modesty,” said Sam with a nod. Dean got his breath back and helped Sam out of the shower and sat on the floor. He handed Sam his towel, settling it over his lap.

“You’re okay,” said Dean, scooting back with a groan. He looked down, his knees a deep angry red. He gave them a rub, frowning when he saw Sam’s face. “Hey. I’m fine. Better my knees than your head.”

“What if you weren’t here to catch me?” he said.

“I am here,” said Dean, sliding over to Sam. “Shower time from now on, we’ll do it better so there’s no chance of anything happening. In a few weeks, your head will be a lot better and you can do things by yourself again and I won’t need to be here with you all the time. You’ll get your independence back real soon, Sammy.”

“I can’t drive still. Can’t work. I’m stuck doing nothing,” said Sam. “Avy’s more independent than I am.”

“Sammy,” said Dean, cupping his brother’s cheek, Sam squeezing his eyes shut. “You’re okay. Calm down for me. You were working too much and we both know it. Let’s take this as an opportunity for you to spend time with Avy, for you to enjoy life a little more, okay? Think of it as you got your own summer vacation coming up real soon.”

“You always take care of me,” said Sam quietly after a moment. Dean looked away, spotting the goosebumps on Sam’s arms.

“You need to get off this cold floor and in some warm clothes. Come on, Sammy,” said Dean. “Let’s finish getting you ready for bed.”

Reader’s POV

“Morning Winchesters,” you said the next day coming back from your jog. Sam and Avy were playing in the front yard and gave you a wave, Dean doing some planting in the pot by the end of the driveway. He smiled at you in your new hat but you spotted the bruises on his knees, Dean smirking at them.

“Oh I got these the fun way,” he said, flashing you a wink.

“I hope he bought you dinner first,” you said, Dean chuckling and shaking his head.

“Little mishap last night with bath time,” said Dean, nodding back at Sam. “Okay now though. Sammy called up that place, they said a nurse is going to start stopping by for a few hours during the day. It’ll give me a chance to work part time, get some chores done that need getting done. Avy’s out of school starting this week so I’ll need the help.”

“That’s great! You need to take care of you too if you’re taking care of them,” you said. He tilted his head, lip tugging up.

“I’ve never heard that before,” he said.

“Well if you’re not doing good, how do you expect to be able to take care of the people around you?” you asked.

“I never thought of it like that,” he said.

“Well make sure to take a little ‘me’ time too,” you said.

“Yeah, I will,” he said with a smile, glancing up at your hat.

“You want your hat back?” you asked, reaching a hand up to it.

“Nah. Looks better on you,” he said.

“Are you sure you’re not flirting with me?” you asked.

“Am I flirting with you?” he said, flashing you another wink.

“Alright, Winchester,” you laughed. “I gotta run. Lot’s of orders to get through today.”

“Hey, Y/N,” he said when you started to run back towards your house. “What’s your bakery called?”

“Sinful Sweets,” you said. “I got one of them websites and everything. Check it out sometime.”

“Will do, sweetheart.”

You were exhausted. Twelve straight hours of baking had wiped you out. Tomorrow you needed to go on a supply run but after that, you decided you were going home, sitting outside and doing absolutely nothing.

You almost groaned when you saw a new order pop up in your email. You knew better than to click on it at that time of night but it was for one of your adult dessert food types, one of your special bourbon red velvet cakes. It was a rarer order than normal but the need date on Saturday night made you chuckle along with the note from the customer.

I’m requesting the excellent baker over at Sinful Sweets make for me one of these awesome cakes I heard about. I’ll bring the bacon lover’s pizza at eight?

“Silly boy,” you giggled, grabbing your phone and giving him a phone call.

“Howdy neighbor,” he said.

“Did you order a cake just to ask me on a date?” you asked.

“Pft. No,” he said. “It’s so not a date by the way. Just two friends hanging out.”

“Uh huh,” you hummed, Dean giggling for a second as the phone moved away.

“But you know, you want to hang out on Saturday night?” he asked.

“Sure. I am going to reject your order though,” you said.

“But I want cake!” he said.

“I’m not charging you for a cake we’ll both be eating. You get the pizza, I’ll make the cake, deal?” you said.

“Alright, alright,” he said, quiet for a moment. “You sound tired.”

“Long day,” you said, leaning back in your chair. “Looking forward to the weekend.”

“Owning your own business must be hard,” he said.

“It is,” you said. “I don’t have half the problems other people do so I ain’t complaining.”

“You know, my new friend, this really cool chick, you’d love her,” he said with a smile, “She told me this thing about taking care of yourself takes care of other people you know.”

“Really? Never heard of it,” you said, shaking your head, smiling at the empty room.

“Wow. I mean, she’s a pretty smart cookie so it might be some good advice to take,” he said.

“You’re like, so not as cool as you think you are,” you said.

“Takes one to know one,” he shot back. You hummed, moving over to the couch, hearing Dean move somewhere else in the house. “Sammy and the kiddo are down for bed. S’kinda of quiet here.”

“S’always quiet here,” you said.

“You ever get scared?” he asked.

“Thank you for asking me that, at night,” you said.

“No, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“I’m just messing with you,” you teased. “I got an alarm system and self-defense training and a bat. I’m good, Dean.”

“Alright. You ever...you know...change your mind...or want some company...give me a call,” he said.

“Thanks,” you said, resting your head against the cushion. “Things going okay with Sam today?”

“Yeah, yeah. Today’s shower went much better than yesterday. Avy’s less nervous around him too which is good. It’s just slow going. They’re both used to a faster paced lifestyle. This kid does like five hundred activities, I swear,” said Dean.

“Maybe Sam will reconsider working so much when he’s ready to go back,” you said.

“Yeah. I hope so. He kind of threw himself into it all after his wife died,” he said.

“I only moved in a year or so ago. I never wanted to ask,” you said.

“No, I get that. This whole situation is bringing up a lot of stuff for him again. I can’t just go tell him it’s alright anymore and that fixes it, you know?” he said.

“Adulting sucks,” you said.

“Yeah it does,” he said. “It’s got it’s perks though.”

“I like talking to you,” you said after a beat. You heard him pause, your own head looking at your phone as if it wasn’t you that just said that. You hadn’t meant to, it slipped out was all. You felt the heat in your cheeks rise up, Dean quiet on the other end before you heard him breathe out.

“I like talking to you too,” he said quietly.

“Cool,” you said.

“Cool,” he said.

“Dean,” you hummed.

“I’m sure I’ll see you around before then but Saturday, your place at eight. It’s a date,” he said.

“Told you it was a date, Dean.”

A/N: Read Part 3 here!

[merrylittlehogwartsrp]

Happy Holidays, Emily! We are thrilled to “invite” Dean Thomas (fc Keiynan Lonsdale  ) back to Hogsmeade for a little forced Winter Cheer.  We particularly liked how Dean was set up for growth in this application--not necessarily launching a career post-Battle of Hogwarts and still learning about himself. Dean’s roommate is: Harry Potter!

OOC DETAILS:

NICKNAME: Emily

AGE (must be 18+): A grandma in the rp world

PRONOUNS: She/her

ACTIVITY ESTIMATE: I work on political campaigns and there is a race I am starting in January which kills my time immensely, but right now I have ample free time and can lurk/plot the whole time!

CHARACTER DETAILS:

FULL NAME & NICKNAMES: Dean Allen Thomas

BIRTHDATE: October 1st 1979 Dean is a FIRM Libra. “"The balanced beautifier of the horoscope family, Libra energy inspires us to seek peace, harmony and cooperation. The essence of Libra energy is charming, lovable, fair, sincere, sharing, beautiful and hopelessly romantic.“

BLOOD-STATUS: Half-Blood, although he grew up believing he was Muggle-born

* GENDER IDENTITY: Cisgender male (although I would like to eventually explore a world where Dean could be more open to referring to himself as agender or gender fluid)

* GENDER PRESENTATION/PRONOUNS: Fairly masculine, he/him

* SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Dean is bisexual, although he very only recently fully came to terms with this.

* NOTE: this does not have to correspond to canon, or to the temporary pronouns in the bios!

CHARACTER SITUATION:

OCCUPATION: Dean works at a sporting goods store near his house and while it is not his ideal job, it does leave him with plenty of time to focus on his art. This is the main way he copes with the last three years.

HOUSING: He lives in a tiny, tiny flat in Clapton. It’s about a thirty minute train ride to his home, and while he would like to stay at home, there simply isn’t enough room now that the girls are growing. Not to mention, he quite enjoys his alone time away from the chaos of his family occasionally.

SOCIAL STANDING: Dean still can’t believe that he is in The Order of Merlin, First Class, thank you very much. It’s a bit of a wild title, especially for someone that people consider Muggle-born. Dean is known as a friendly face, and will always be a friend to those who need it, but his name usually doesn’t garner recognition. And frankly, he prefers to keep it that way.

CHARACTER CONFIGURATION:

TALENTS/WEAKNESSES +Artistically inclined + Athletic, which made him a great addition as a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team -Potions. He could never get the portions right, not to mention he thought it a dull subject -Not a strong leader

STRENGTHS/FLAWS  + Bright; always knows just what to do or say to cheer someone up + Huge empath; keen ability to improve others moods + Loyal like no other person, whether that be to people or sports teams. He is your #1 Fan - Terrible at making decisions, which causes him to go with the flow a lot of the time -Self-less, which can lead to putting himself second and the needs of others first. Also causes a bit of a self-confidence issue

CHARACTER HISTORY: 

FAMILY BACKGROUND Being raised by a single Muggle mother, Dean learned early on to dislike his father, Alexander, with every fiber of his being. His parents had married young, and he always blamed their split on that. Alexander was too young, he got cold feet. Couldn’t handle a baby anymore, let alone being a father. While Martha never gave him an outright reason to dislike his father, Dean was the one acting out about it. Looking back, it was probably because he was compensating for his mother’s own nonchalance on the subject. Why wasn’t she upset? Why wasn’t she screaming? He later realized that her spending hours in front of the television set alone was her own version of screaming.

They had been fine. Martha and Dean had built a life together, just the two of them. They lived in a tiny flat and ate tiny meals and wrapped each other in tiny blankets and only each other could feel the warmth. The introduction of Graham Richards into Dean’s life was not a welcomed one. They met at his produce shop, sharing casual flirtations down the turnip aisle. Nothing made her laugh as much as those cabbages.

As Graham started spending more time in their flat, Dean started coming to terms with the idea that maybe he wasn’t all that bad. He had shit taste in sports, sure, but he was a great cook. And he made Martha happy. Damn, did he make her smile.

It took him eight years to propose to Martha, and by that point it came as no shock to anyone. They were already basically married, having moved in together years ago. Graham was basically already Dean’s father, having helped him through a break up and always supporting him in his art projects. Veronica and Bridget were already welcomed additions into the family, and shortly after baby Sam was no different.

Soon his tiny flat became a spacious three-bedroom. His tiny meals became three-course dinners. The blankets became shelters for movie nights and a home for Dean’s stories from school.

Since his father’s death, Dean harbors serious regret for his treatment of the man he barely remembers, mainly because of memories he lost and resentment he held. He wants to tell his father he is proud of him. That he understands all that he did in order to protect his family. That he would have done the exact same thing. While he can’t look back on many memories, he will always wonder what if.

LIFE DURING THE WAR: Not being able to return to Hogwarts for his final year was devastating to Dean. He loved his friends and he loved Quidditch and he loved the charmed sugar spoon that he used each morning in the Great Hall for breakfast. The fact that he was Muggle-born should not have affected his ability to attend school, but he quickly learned it was for his own good. He would stay up late and write letters his father would never be able to read. In those letters, Dean promised he would get through all this. He promised that, eventually, there would be happiness for at least one of them.

Dean wasn’t keen on having to fight in a war in his home away from home, but like a true Gryffindor, he pummeled himself headfirst into the throws of Battle. Finally, he felt welcomed again in this world. Perhaps it was the rush of finally seeing his friends after all this time (physically there, if mentally in pieces) and seeing Harry—his old friend, his sole source of hope when no one would believe that there was a reason to hope anymore—do what’s right that continued to propel him forward after all this time.

LAST THREE YEARS

Dean chose to fully immerse himself in the Muggle world. In the Muggle word, they can’t force him to run away from his friends and family. He loves being a wizard of course, but his last year on the run really took its toll on him. He still wakes up with nightmares when a neighbor makes too much noise. He is constantly afraid of being alone, as he was alone for most of his Final Year. Dean doesn’t want to think about life in terms of goals because, to be quite honest, he really has no idea what he wants to do after Hogwarts. A small part of him didnt even think he’d make it this far. Instead, he has a lot of different interests and ideas, but nothing that is jumping out at him right now. The Ministry of Magic is urging those in The Order of Merlin First Class to follow the career path of an Auror. And there is a part of him that feels he could make a great Healer or Auror, and another part of him that longs to be a Quidditch star, and somewhere inbetween there is his desire to paint and draw for a living. The more he thinks about it the more overwhelmed he gets, so he conveniently chooses not to think about it. His goal right now is a lot simpler than that–if he is forced to come back to Hogsmeade, enjoy this festive Holiday celebration before he can’t anymore.

HOLIDAY DETAILS:

The Thomases were never big Christmas-celebrators in the whole Navity-set-and-going-to-church kind of way, but they do spend copious amounts of time watching Holiday specials that come on the telly and they have a tree with an unhealthy amount of tinsel. Dean’s step-father is a fantastic baker and Dean has a competition with him and his younger sister that involves cooking competitions and ginger snaps. His mother always ends up declaring it a tie because she can’t decide. He always valued coming home for the holidays simply because he recognized the traditions he was making with his half-sisters and knew that he wanted to be as involved as he possibly could. Being away from these traditions is enough reason for him not to want to go back to Hogsmeade, but he felt like he couldn’t say no. They crammed in as many of these traditions as they could before sending Dean off on his own.

OOC SUPPLEMENT:

SHIPS:  I will not lie and say that Deamus makes me weep because clueless best friends to lovers hits a little too close to home for me, but I am also open to alternatives! Especially when Chemistry and Drama are thrown into the mix! Also super interested to flesh out Ginny and Dean’s past relationship, as I feel like that was not explored enough.

CHANGES: This is a very tiny tiny change, but I do think Dean will be excited to go to Hogsmeade. I always kind of thought of him as that guy who would actually want to go to a high school reunion of sorts, and I think it’s because he just loves his friends so gosh darn much!! He was robbed of a proper “Senior Year” and spent most of that year on the run. As a result, I think that he is spending a good portion of his life making up for lost time. Also because the kid loves a party, and a distraction.

FACECLAIM: Truly having a tough time debating between Keiynan Lonsdale and Alfie Enoch. I would not be mad with either!

[blankie-greenie-anon]

Notable stuff from HAPPY KISS ep 1

I will be making this list every episode. It’d be totally useful for future fanfics.

Kyoutarou is such a lazy bum because he literally doesn’t need to put that much effort into life since everything goes his way so easily. Nanao points out that Kyoutarou actually doesn’t face any bad consequences, making it difficult to scold him.

Animals love Kyoutarou, and according to Ryouma, they’ve loved him since a long time ago.

Kyoutarou’s dream is to become an old man, free from responsibility so he could spend his days idly.

Nanao, as we all know, loves to tease Ryouma for his reactions.

Ryouma skips when he’s happy.

Ichirou has a character tic where he tends to repeat a word three times. For example: “Kora, kora, kora!” and “Demo, demo, demo!”

Kyoutarou collects ice cream sticks to win prizes. Ryouma responsibly restocks the tea for the club. Ichirou has plants at home that he cares for.

The Student Council President, Ata, is more keen on establishing unity in a place where people have become too free and independent, unlike Kinshiro who was more into cleansing the world of base and vulgar things. Both characters want order, except the former does it by adding while the latter removes.

The Student Council Secretary, Martha, claims he doesn’t know the words ‘sloth’ or ‘indolence’, hinting that he might be a foreign exchange student who only knows basic Japanese.

Karls activates his magic with kisses. So far, the only magic he’s displayed were fire, ice, transforming water into fruits and back, shape-shifting into a human form, appointing magic powers onto other people, manipulating people into forming a contract with him, and flying.

Karls seems to have some sort of time-limit when in human form. When he shrunk into an otter, he was surprised.

Kyoutarou has a temper, but it’s a quiet one unlike Taishi’s more explosive rage. Kyoutarou makes serious threats, while Taishi starts trash-talking until he realizes and correct himself.

The boys, after transforming, can fly. This is especially noteworthy as the previous Boueibu could only fly when they are in More Better mode.

Ichirou really cares about Taishi. He was willing to charge at the monster when it hurt the latter.

Ichirou was going to chuck his wand at the monster before Karls told him not to.

Taishi knows a lot of trivia. Judging by his statement to Karls that he had a library book to return, he reads often.

Taishi hates names that makes fun of his appearances, as shown when he gets annoyed when he and Ichirou are called ‘the little ones’ and when Ryouma called him a grandma. He’s totally fine with ‘Tai-Tai’ though.

Nanao is smart enough to use battle tactics. He pretended to aim for Ryouma, causing the monster to go after him since he thought Nanao was distracted. Then, Nanao whipped around and immediately shot the monster when he was close enough and wasn’t expecting it.

The finishing move now involves drowning the enemy in a tidal wave and bathing them in a warm lake filled with blooming lotuses.

Even though the boys are supposed to have a witch theme, they are admittedly quite idol-like.

Kyoutarou sucks at giving pep talk.

Karls mistakenly called the Knights Contract a sentence before correcting himself. He also said the bracelets were ‘Happybraces’.

At the end of the episode, the Happy Kiss met the Edelstein. It hasn’t been made clear if the boys are granted the same censorship advantages as the previous characters.

Ichirou was the only one to remark how cute Furanui’s fennec form was.

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

Whole (Part 2) - brood au

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Dick Grayson, all the kiddos Pairing: implied/past/future superbat Summary: Despite his kids’ claim, Clark didn’t make all these photo albums just for himself. A/N: Equally as bad as the first part I guess. Conner is also in this album, I just didn’t mention any specific ones. Jon’s gonna take over this reunion at one point. And despite his ridiculousness, Bruce absolutely loves him already. The ending is probably a little too figurative, but it’s basically Clark thinking ‘oh man, I want to spend all this alone time with Bruce.’ but then also: ‘God I fucking love these kids so much, and I love these little moments of spending time with just them just as much as I want to spend time with Bruce.’

Part 1.

Other Brood AU things.

~~

It was like herding sheep, getting everyone back inside. The kids could barely let go of Bruce, and Dick was already off, chatting Bruce’s ear off before he could properly climb the porch steps.

They piled into the living room, Lois motioning to the sofa, offering it to Bruce. Bruce nodded silently and took it. His children began to swarm around him, Cass and Tim on one side, Damian tight to the other. Jason was going to sit next to him, but Jon beat him to the spot, curling his legs up and leaning against Damian like a scared puppy. Jason just snorted, ruffled Jon’s hair, and sat on the arm of the couch next to him.

Lois took the other chair, Conner mimicking Jason’s position on its arm. Dick and Clark remained standing.

“Do you want any photo albums, Bruce?” Lois asked, trying to cover a laugh. “Clark loves to document. Especially milestones.”

“I think there’s a whole album for each of us about losing our teeth.” Jason added quietly, smirking. Clark returned the grin.

“I just…wanted to make sure Bruce didn’t miss anything.” Clark mumbled sheepishly.

“For Jon and Conner too?” Dick teased.

“…Well, Batman does like to be informed.” Clark laughed. “…I do have some, if you want, though.”

“…Sure.” Bruce hummed. “I’d love to see some.”

Clark nodded, swallowed the lump in his throat, and silently moved up the stairs towards his bedroom. Heard Dick take over the conversation, asking Bruce about his ride here, what city he came from, if he’d seen Alfred yet.

So far, so good.

But still, ever the dad, he worried, even his small distance away. Were Bruce’s kids coping okay? Was this too much? Should he have reintroduced them one by one? And what about his own children? Conner isn’t feeling left out, is he? And Jon? Just…Jon?

As he reached under the bed for the box, he thought about maybe worst of all – his own heart. It was thrown back into the emotions of ten years ago. And he realized, more than his worry for the kids, more than his worry about how today would go, he was worried about the realization that had been smacking him in the face every second since he’d set eyes on Bruce getting out of that car.

He was still in love.

Hell, he was still head over heels. And now really wasn’t the time to be focusing on that, was it?

It needed to be about the kids. He needed to focus on the kids.

He sighed and shook his head, grabbing as many photo albums as he could carry. Made sure they were all about Bruce’s kids, though brought one down for Jon and Conner each, in case Bruce wanted to see them. Would look at them himself, if not.

He hadn’t just made these things for Bruce after all. He wanted to relive his own kids’ lives too.

Things were still calm when he went downstairs. Dick was still in charge of the conversation, still rattling on. Bruce was listening intently, matching soft smiles on both his and Lois’s faces. Jon was still as close to Damian as possible, but Jason had somehow convinced him to now lean back, against his knee. His eyes were darting between Dick and Bruce, and he was still clearly on edge, though the fact that Damian was letting him hold his hand seemed to be helping.

Dick just kept talking, even as they became aware of Clark’s return. Clark didn’t interrupt him, just carefully set the stack of books on the coffee table, handing Bruce the one on top – the one his mother Martha had made, when they all believed this custody agreement was temporary. Before Conner and Jon, for the most part.

The book was ragged and old-looking. Not because of Clark’s frequent looks through it, but because of the kids themselves. Damian looked at it a lot, when he was missing his father, or his older siblings as they went off into the real world. Jason looked at it when he was starting to feel like he didn’t belong. Cass liked to go through it with Jon, who found such a simple joy in seeing his family before he existed.

“Ho, boy.” Dick commented, as Bruce took the volume, staring almost nervously at the front cover – a picture of Clark sleeping on the floor surrounded by all five of Bruce’s kids, then babies and barely above his hip. “Good luck, Bruce.”

Bruce smiled and opened the front cover almost eagerly. Tim and Damian immediately leaned over his arms to look themselves.

Jason snorted in amusement.

The first page, and the few after, as Bruce learned, was the kids’ first day on the farm. Or rather, their first day with Grandma Martha. She was in each picture, holding Damian, wiping Jason’s face, carrying Cassandra on her back, holding Tim on her hip between her and her husband. Dozing with Dick on the sofa, and then dancing with him in front of the barn right below that.

The next page was groupings. Tim on Dick’s back. Jason holding Damian, the two with matching pouting faces. Cassandra and Damian both napping on Clark’s lap. Dick and the dog, Tim sitting on a cow, Dick climbing the barn rafters, Damian petting a horse from Grandpa Jonathan’s arms.

There was one of Dick holding Damian, squishing their noses together. But in the background, almost too blurry to be seen, was Jason. He was crying, hands balled into tight fists, held at the corner of his eyes. Clark was kneeling in front of him. Trying to calm him down, soothe him any way he could.

Bruce silently wondered why he was crying. If anyone would remember.

Though if he were honest with himself, he already knew.

“What was it like?” Bruce found himself asking. “Growing up here?”

“Quiet. Good. Nice.” Dick answered. Despite being asked to the room it was most likely aimed at him. “Different from Gotham for sure.”

“Clark actually made us do stuff.” Jason grumbled, but it was almost fond. “I spent the first year here asking why we couldn’t call Alfred to milk the cows.”

“You tried to teach Damian ‘Where’s Alfred?’ as one of his first sentences when you were mad at me.” Clark reminded, a nostalgic smile appearing on his face too. “Right behind ‘Clark is stupid.’”

“To be fair, you were being stupid.” Jason countered, pointing thoughtfully at Clark. “So, I mean, it’s not like I was trying to teach the kid how to lie.”

“Still just as bad.” Clark laughed. “I’m glad Damian decided to find his life influencers elsewhere.”

“He didn’t, quite.” Dick added. “He’s totally the one who taught Damian how to swear.”

“Jon too, apparently.” Lois chimed in pointedly. Both Jason and Clark looked at her, and she shrugged. “He had a…slip-up, a few weeks ago. And immediately claimed ‘Jason says it all the time!’ as little brothers do.”

Jason glanced down at the boy leaning against him. Jon smiled nervously, then tried to hide against Damian, even as Jason wrapped his arms around him and began to mess up his hair once more.

“I didn’t know what else to do!” Jon whined, pulling against Damian’s sleeve to save him. Damian ignored him, still looking into the photo album. “I didn’t want to lie!”

“No, you wanted to save your own little butt.” Jason cackled teasingly. He released Jon slightly, then looked back to Lois and Clark. “But see? Never taught either of them how to lie.”

“And we’re very proud.” Lois laughed. Clark smiled too, but kept his eyes on Bruce. Did it bother him, the easy relationships his kids had with not only him, but Lois? If it did, he didn’t give anything away, just quietly listening, quietly smiling, while turning pages in the book.

Damian suddenly lashed out, pointing at a picture. “That was when I started getting my teeth.” He explained.

“Oh yeah?” Bruce grinned instantly. Glanced at him, then pointed to a handwritten scribble beneath it. “And what’s this note down here about?”

“For which album the rest our dental milestones are in.” Tim smirked. Bruce looked at him now. “We’re serious, Bruce – Clark documented everything.”

“I’m glad.” Bruce laughed, then raised his gaze, absolute mirth in his eyes. “I just hope he was as thorough in his journalism.”

“Well, I still have a job, so I hope so.” Clark joked.

“Clark taught all of us to be that thorough, in everything we do.” Dick hummed. “Taught us even to be detectives just like you, Bruce.”

Bruce’s smile faded a little. “I…heard.” He muttered. Glanced up at his oldest. “…Nightwing, huh?”

“Can’t be Robin forever.” Dick countered. “And Clark isn’t the only hero dad who inspired us, B.”

“I’m Robin now.” Damian quipped.

“Will be, eventually.” Jason added quickly, even as Tim opened his mouth indignantly. “Timbo is now. And Conner is Superboy. You and Jon are still too young, squirt.”

Bruce glanced at Clark for clarification. “I benched Dick after you left them with me, for safety. But then when it was clear you weren’t coming back…well, you know as well as I do how hard it is to keep Dick in one place. And once they saw big brother doing it…”

“Not to mention when Conner came along with his own abilities.” Lois hummed. “But don’t worry, Bruce.  Robin always went out with Superman.”

“Still does.” Clark said sternly. “And on the rare chances he doesn’t…I listen.”

“One of the downsides of having Superman as a dad.” Tim sighed dramatically. “He can hear me anywhere in the world.”

“But we can’t complain too much.” Dick smiled. He suddenly glanced protectively up at Jason, and Jason instantly looked down at Damian and Jon, fussing with their shirts. “Some of us would be dead if it wasn’t for that.”

Bruce didn’t ask. Just made a mental note to ask Clark later, when they were alone. If they were alone. Just another question to the list of a million.

Still, he could sense this taking a dark turn, so returned to his original query. “Isn’t Nightwing a Kryptonian legend, though?”

Dick snorted. “I’m not old enough to be Batman yet!”

“Damian went as Batman for Halloween a few years ago.” Cassandra added quietly.

“I was five! That’s more than a few years ago!” Damian argued haughtily. “Besides, Tim went as Batman for Halloween once too.”

“You all did.” Clark smiled. “At some point. Except maybe Dick. He just chaperoned your trick-or-treating and stole all your candy as payment.”

Bruce pointed to a page, a laugh bubbling out of his throat. “I can see that, here.”

“That’s a perk of being a big brother.” Dick grinned, waving it off. He glanced back at Bruce, who was turning another page in the book. “Whatcha got now, B?”

Bruce had a small smile on his face. Emotion in his face and a near-tears mist in his eyes.

“If I’m correct,” Bruce tilted his head. Damian and Tim looked up at him, even as he glanced over at Jon. “The birth of your youngest.”

Jon’s face exploded in a blush, even as Jason dragged him back against his leg and kissed his hair.

“Oh boy, what a day.” Lois chuckled, fanning herself in memory. “Dick snuck into the delivery room when he heard crying.”

“I see that, too.” Bruce laughed, pointing to another photo. “Hopefully he let the two of you hold Jon first.”

“Barely.” Clark snorted. “He also left the other kids in the waiting room alone. Damian ended up in the nursery screaming because thought the nurses stole his little brother, as he wasn’t there yet.”

“Oh my god.” Bruce kept laughing. The chuckles grew louder and louder, and Bruce eventually had to cover his face, the amused tears slowly starting to leak out. “I am…so sorry.”

“It was…something else.” Lois admitted fondly. “Wouldn’t want it any other way, though.”

And even when Bruce lowered his hand, Clark could see the tears still flowing. Still amused, still happy, but…quickly turning into something else. A sorrow of being left behind. A sorrow of missing out. A sorrow the kids definitely didn’t need to see, not right now.

Bruce always kept his emotions hidden. Was always pretty good at controlling them. But it was no surprise that his threshold here, today, might’ve been a little thin.  That he might’ve reached emotional exhaustion a little quicker than normal.

Clark silently tapped Lois’s shoulder, and waved a lowered hand at Dick. He got the memo.

“Bruce, are you staying the night? You’re going to need a room to stay in.” Dick asked, already pushing off against the wall he’d been leaning against. “Damian, Jon, Jay. With me. We gotta get the rooms set up.”

Damian groaned, and kicked his feet in a small tantrum as he reluctantly left his father’s side at the request of his brother. Jon followed sheepishly after.

“And I’m no housewife – I’m going to need help in the kitchen getting all the food out and set up. I’m sure you’re starving, Bruce.” Lois stood. “So the last three of you, with me.”

Conner scoffed in amusement as he disappeared into the kitchen first. Tim and Cassandra followed silently behind. Lois winked at Clark as she took up the rear.

Bruce kept looking at the book, flipping through the last few pages, smiling every so often, even though he continued to cry. When he reached the back cover, he sighed, staring at it as he ran his hand down it. “…Thanks, Clark.”

“I know how you are about emotions. I know how that’s not the first thing you want your kids to see.”

“I mean.” Bruce started, looking up. His eyes were still pouring those silent tears. “…For everything.”

Clark smiled, heart fluttering, just a little. “We can talk about all that later. For now, this is probably the only moment they’ll be separated so you might want to make it count.”

Bruce smiled, running his fingers along the edge of his eyes. “Yeah, I will. I just.” Another sigh. “Can you give me a minute?”

“Whatever you need. I’ll go help them in the kitchen.” Clark nodded, backing up a little. “And Lois and Dick understand, so, you know. If you need more time or whatever, just let them know, and they’ll help you out.”

“…You turned him into an outstanding young man.” Bruce smiled weakly, leaning forward to put the photo album on the table. “All of them, really.”

“No, you did, Bruce.” Clark promised. “I just tried to clean up the rough edges.”

He left it at that, spinning away into the kitchen. He kept his eye on him, though, and his ear. Kept peeking into the living room when he felt he needed to, listened to his heartbeat when he didn’t. After he had cleared his face of tears, Bruce had picked up another photo album. And another, and after that – another.

And suddenly, Clark had a vision. He couldn’t wait until everything died down. Until the kids went to bed, or went out or just left them in peace. So he could go sit on the couch with Bruce, and go through those albums together. Talk about the things the kids wouldn’t want to, like why Dick looked at Jason when talking about almost dying, or what Bruce was actually doing during those ten years.

He couldn’t wait.

But then – Damian and Jon came stumbling down the stairs. Jon flopped onto the sofa on Bruce’s right, and Damian retook his perch on Bruce’s left. Bruce smiled, and answered all of the questions thrown his way, laughing when Jon admitted they snuck away from the older two. Let Damian take control of the book he was looking at, watching fondly as he flipped the pages to the ones he wanted.

Just a dad and two of his boys.

(In your dreams, Clark.)

He smiled as he turned back into the kitchen, and continued to help Cassandra and Conner set the table. Just a dad and two of his kids too.

(Because sometimes dreams do come true, right?)

…Maybe he could wait a little while longer after all.

[wickedninaryback]

Sharp Knife of a Short Life

Tagging: Nina Ryback 

Date: July 7, 2017 

Notes: Nina dies (you read that right) and goes to the afterlife in the Spirit World to spend out the rest of her days. 

Death wasn’t agonizing. It wasn’t dramatic and it only took mere seconds before she’d left the world around her full of apologies for Isaac and for Alex. If there had been more time she could have said more but it was as if she was suddenly being directed down a long hallway as if she were in prison, but the person speaking to her she recognized. “You missed me that much, huh?” Hayden asked.

“I did always say you and I would end up in hell together,” Nina commented.

Hayden shook her head. “Not hell, but the spirit world. I’m sure I’m on the shortlist there, but for now, this is where we are. I get to show you to your place.”

Nina frowned. “My place?”

“You’re dead, Nina. You get a place, your perfect place behind these doors. Wanna see mine?” she asked with a smirk.

The former air witch nodded, wondering how she couldn’t feel such a rage for Hayden now. She didn’t feel the pain of loss or the fiery anger that blazed inside of her. Instead, she just felt…empty. She felt as though pieces of her were missing. When they reached Hayden’s door, she opened it to find a strip club. “Twenty-four-seven. My perfect place. It’s a little less enjoyable in death, but it’s my place. Everyone gets one. Saw your Psionics teacher a while back, his was such a snooze. TVs watching the people he loves, and the food network.”

“Do you pick it?” Nina asked, curiously.

“Somehow, the powers that be just know. When you open your door it’s for you. No other door opens for you, but you can visit people If they let you in,” she informed.

“I’m really dead…I’m dead. I won’t get to have kids or get married. Isaac and I won’t have an Isaiah Edward Hale, or a Lily Alexis Hale, or Natalia Nicole Hale.  I won’t get to be an aunt to Tyler’s kids or Alex’s. I won’t get to be at their weddings. I won’t get a wedding…” she paused then. “Isaac! I left him. I left him alone. I left Alex…Tyler…could I become a ghost?”

“You can roam the world, but the spirit world is so much better. Most of us just stick around here. Being out there just isn’t our scene,” Hayden explained as they headed to the R section.

That was when she saw them, her family which caused Hayden to wave goodbye. She apparently couldn’t be around the people she’d murdered. Nina ran into her mother’s arms holding her tight.”Mama, what are you doing here? I thought you were with me!”

“When you died I knew this was where you’d be, and here I can touch you,” Martha said, hugging her daughter.

She looked to her father then. “You had your faults but you always made it seem like I was yours,” she told him.

Tim jr. nodded pulling her in for a hug. “You are. You always will be a Ryback, Ni. I wasn’t there for you like I should have been but I also didn’t drop the ball.  I made sure you had whatever you wanted in life, and I never wanted you to end up here too.”

Nina shrugged. “Hunter attack. It was quick, through the heart.”

Her father nodded. “Ours too. We never saw it coming. Never figured out who.”

Nina didn’t say anything, didn’t want to tell them who. She just looked toward the door she was standing in front of. “Is this my door?” When he nodded, she reached out almost afraid to open it. Once she did, she was astounded by what she saw. It was perfect. It was the dock from her boat house on Lake Norman. It was her favorite place. She walked further inside her parents following her, and she immediately sat cross legged on the dock.

“Hayden was right. It’s the perfect place, but not quite as enjoyable as it would be if I was alive. I wanted a family in that house. I wanted to spend summers there with Isaac and maybe even live there. Move Alex in with us too if she was still single. I wanted to fill it with good memories, lots of family to drown out the twenty years of silence that I had there. I wanted to cook in the kitchen, have paint wars in the living room.  Fix up rooms when we were expecting a kid. I don’t feel pain…I don’t hurt here, but there’s a longing and an emptiness where that should be. I wanted to do good to make up for the awful things I did do. I wanted to be a good mother one day, a good wife, and a kick ass in whatever career path I chose. All I got instead was death, but I suppose being reunited with you two isn’t so bad. We can make up for what we lost before,” she suggested. “Where’s Grandma and Grandpa?”

Martha rolled her eyes at the question after listening to what her daughter had to say. “She’s off giving someone hell as usual. Gramps T just there to hold her back if need be. Folks can’t even live in peace in death with her around.”

Nina laid back on the dock, looking at her parents then. This was all she’d wanted, quality time with them to get to know them. For them to love her and want to spend some time with her. Maybe this afterlife wouldn’t be so bad.