Tumgik
#i just really want jason to have a decent mom figure can you tell?
queerenteen · 2 years
Text
I love the headcanon that Talia is Jason's mom figure because that truly opens so many doors.
.
Jason: I need the Joker dead but I can't do it myself, I wish my parent would do it for me
Talia: *handing over bloodstained katana to minion assassin* Already done, would you like his decapitated head in a duffel bag?
Bruce: ...
.
Dick: I'm your favourite brother right Dami?
Jason: False. You're only 50% his brother while I am 100% and therefore the favourite.
Steph: *raiding the kitchen for whipped cream for her waffles* That math sounds wrong
Damian: For once Todd is not... Incorrect. Since he is considered as both Father and Mother's child, he is the only one who is 100% my sibling
Jason: Love ya too brat
Damian: Any less and I would have already murdered him
.
Tim: *after time with the League* What do you mean that Jason's the Demon's Daughter's Heir?
Jason: Well, Damian's eleven and since I'm the older son--
Tim: *absolutely done* Great can you stop your grandfather from being obsessed with me?
Damian: He's what--
9K notes · View notes
chainofclovers · 3 years
Text
Ted Lasso 2x10 thoughts
GOOD GOD.
“No Weddings and a Funeral” is like being hungover but also coming out of a hangover. Having a terrible cold but also feeling better and appreciating every breath that comes through your nose. Embarking on an organizational project and accidentally falling into a photo album and crying about the pictures and organizing almost nothing tangible but making a few things more clear in your brain.
So much of this episode is about the AWFUL POINTLESSNESS OF DECORUM. How loud is too loud when you’re drinking stolen wine and shrieking about sex in a church right before your father’s funeral? How should you feel--thirty years later, as an accommodating, anger-averse person--about having been too angry to attend the funeral for your father who killed himself? What expression should you make when you show up really late to a different funeral? Why must you wear uncomfortable shoes just because someone died? What happens in your mind between standing up to give a eulogy for a man you’re still angry with and choosing to Rick Roll your mom and everyone else as an act of complicated love, humiliatingly incomplete until someone else starts to sing? Should you worry about your therapist seeing your normally tidy flat in a full-on state of depression mess? Is it okay to be offended that your boyfriend is so uncomfortable about death that he can’t stop making morbid jokes? Should you care about other people caring that you’re crunching an apple in church or squealing with joy to be reunited with a friend you’ve not seen in awhile? Are you obligated to explain your behavior if your kid doesn’t understand how you could stay with someone unfaithful? How far behind the counter should you sink when your [undefined relationship person]’s mother has just let you know she can see your dick through your underwear? Is a funeral reception an okay place to find a hookup? Is a funeral reception a decent spot for a break-up? Is a funeral reception a good time for a love confession when you know the person you’re confessing to is happy with someone else? And who do you make eye contact with when you can’t look directly at the person asking you if you’re okay when there’s so, so much about you she doesn’t know yet? Even if--for this tiny little moment within a vast swath of many okay and not-okay moments--you’re honest when you tell her that you are?
I fucking adored this episode because it answers all these questions very simply: Show up. Show up for yourself. Show up for your friends. Try not to harm yourself. Try not to harm your friends.
I love that this episode is about the messiness of adulthood and the things we bring with us from childhood and that it takes place partially in Rebecca’s childhood bedroom, and in Ted’s childhood memories. Dwelling in those places (whether physically or mentally) isn’t an automatic recipe for regression, but it does get everyone closer to the things that made them who they are, to the unresolved and half-buried parts of them that still make them tick today.
Forever obsessed with every single detail about Rebecca’s childhood bedroom.
Forever obsessed with Deborah’s decision to Rick Roll herself every single morning of her life.
Forever obsessed with Rebecca’s decision to Rick Roll her father’s funeral as a way to not have to make up a single word about her father and to do something very vulnerable and kind for herself and her mother and everyone.
Forever obsessed with Ted’s decision to Rick Roll Rebecca Rick Rolling her father’s funeral.
Forever obsessed with an entire found family backing it up.
I love that it is Isaac’s leadership that ensures every single member of the team attends the service for Paul.
I am very, very interested in Jamie’s love confession to Keeley because I do think it will spark some reflection in Keeley but I do not think it’ll go the cliched love triangle route.
Each scene with Rebecca and Sam struck (for me, a human being sharing a subjective perspective on the internet) the tender-awkward-beautiful-stressful chord I was hoping it would. I think it’s wonderful that Sam is honest with Rebecca about how difficult it is to keep their relationship a secret, and I love that Rebecca has a million mostly-unarticulated reasons for why she’d much prefer the secret to continue. I like that Sassy, Keeley, and Nora respond to the revelation as friends; they might be tempering their judgments in part because they’ve all gathered to bury Rebecca’s dad, but I don’t think their reactions would’ve been that different even on a happier occasion.
While there are a million and one different reasons why a continued relationship between Rebecca and Sam could cause serious ethical problems, I really love that when people share big news on this show, the people who care about them generally react by trying to see why the person is doing what they’re doing. Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t also hold each other accountable, but in my book it’s OK that Keeley’s first reaction was to feel happy that her friend is having some fun.
Also everyone has been making weird judgment calls this season, and this episode felt like a moment of real breakthroughs in terms of people telling the truth about things that happened to them and leaving themselves open to honest responses from others.
September 13, 1991. It’s so tenderly, beautifully, overwhelmingly meaningful that there’s still so much Ted and Rebecca don’t know about the things they have in common in these parallel lives they’re leading. The scene between Sarah Niles and Jason Sudeikis is so beautifully acted, and so is the scene between Hannah Waddingham and Harriet Walter. The way they intertwine to communicate that Ted and Rebecca basically lost the ability to trust their fathers simultaneously, from an ocean away? In the hands of lesser storytellers, it would feel too perfect a mirroring, but here it feels heartbreakingly imperfect. All the things they still don’t know. All the questions they try to ask each other. All the things they don’t dare ask yet. And then the storytellers are holding a candle up to all of it and letting the audience bask in the glow of this connection even if Ted and Rebecca can’t fully understand it yet.
I am so proud that Rebecca and Deborah were able to embark on the beginnings of a conversation about the ways Deborah and Paul’s relationship might have resembled or not resembled Rebecca and Rupert’s. It feels possible that they could get to a point where Rebecca truly internalizes her mother’s pride that she broke a cycle by leaving Rupert, and could maybe even understand why her mother made the choices she made. I love that in the final scene, they’re still relying on their old mother-daughter conversational patterns—the frustrations, the snippy shorthand, the passive-aggression. Mothers and daughters!
I am also proud that Ted—albeit via a joke about Sharon charging him for the house call—indicates that he understands the value of Sharon’s work. He’s changed a lot, all in realistic ways for someone who loves learning and really does want to meet people where they are and appreciate them. I’m very moved that instead of putting himself in a real harmful situation by showing up to the funeral on time at any cost, he did what he needed to do to take care of himself and accept care from someone else. And then Sharon’s suggestion that he think about things he loved about his father? And the way he’s able to share a positive memory of Rebecca’s own father at a time when she really needed it? Gosh.
Awkward, undecorous transition from 1991 to present-day incoming...but SASSY! She’s just, like, a whirling dervish of loyal friendship and not giving a fuck and penis size discussions and being casually, delightfully cruel to Rupert, who so deserves it. Rebecca was going on a real face journey when Sassy goes off with Ted at the end, and I’m sort of *eyes emoji* about all of that, but I continue to feel like Sassy is the most imperfectly wonderful friend-from-the-past kind of person and I love everything she and Nora get to do in this episode.
Keeley saying “That baby is whack” might be my favorite line in the episode? Maybe the whole show? Not really but really.
FUCK YOU, RUPERT. Bex and Diane, y’all are fine. And I truly feel for Nate...whatever scheme he’s getting suckered into. Whatever insecurity Rupert is preying on. I want Nate to go to therapy, too.
I feel like it was an unpopular opinion at the time, but I loved Rebecca’s 2x1 revelation about vulnerability and fear of getting hurt and needing to let someone love her. Sassy doesn’t always word things in the most nuanced way, but I think there’s a real possibility that she did ask Rebecca to really consider what it means to feel either safe or unsafe with a person but to know that in either circumstance, that person could end up causing her pain. Standing in that closet with Sam, managing to make it clear that she’s not asking for a break because she knows he will hurt her but because she has to figure out how to be with a wonderful person who could cause her pain...the growth, man. Makes me emotional.
I emerged from this episode feeling, of course, stunned by all the amazing parallels and revelations and beautiful acting and Rick Rolls and just, everything. I also emerged feeling sad/raw/tender because messiness and decorum and growth and coping mechanisms and death and dramatic irony and not knowing things about people and not knowing what you don’t know...it’s a sad, raw, tender place to be.
To quote a guy who got a whole sitcom (lol) named after him, life is real hard.
132 notes · View notes
murderslugs · 3 years
Text
Getting To Know Them || Slasher x Reader Bf/Gf Scenarios Pt 2
Jason Voorhees
Tumblr media
When you woke, you were lying in a dim living room. The windows were boarded with thick, rotting oak planks and the doors were bolted shut. The only light left to illuminate the room was a small lamp on the old, rustic coffee table in front of you. Beneath you was a somewhat scratchy couch, clearly taken off of someone's front line with a paper labeled "free to take" on it, or from some dump. However, you were thankful that it at least wasn't the creaky wooden floor instead. You scratched at the rope around your wrists, loosened from being wriggled around and messed with.
You sat up and allowed your vision to re-adjust, and saw the same man in flannel and ski-mask in an arm-chair on the other side of the coffee table. He didn't seem to notice your awakening, or he at least didn't acknowledge it. He was reading a book with a maroon cover, and you couldn't make out the small copper-shaded title. You studied his movement. He was calm and showed little emotion in his body language, simply reading in peace.
In a split second, you decided to break the peace and silence. "Who are you?" The man put down the book in his lap, but only looked up at you for a moment, silent. You could see him think, then make a few hand gestures. You came to the realization that it was ASL, but you never really learned the language, despite your interest in it. You saw him take a deep breath and get up, grabbing a pen and a notebook off a table to the side. He slid the items onto the coffee table before you and slowly unbound your wrists. You wrote your question out again, "Who are you?" and slid it around for him to see. He read it, and wrote quickly, in slightly messy handwriting, "Jason. any more questions?" and slid the items back.
From here, you two went on for hours, listing out questions on the notebook and answering them for each other. You filled out pages and pages, ranging from basic questions to things like "what was your childhood like?" Certain things like that, he would pause and then write that he didn't want to talk about it. Through the night or day (due to the lack of natural light, it was hard to tell,) this game went on.
Michael Myers
Tumblr media
Though you tried your best and struggled and squirmed, the man who had taken you still had gotten you tied to a chair; where you sat with a belt tying your wrists to the wooden beams, thankfully with a cushion underneath your rear. You shut your eyes for a second and groaned, throwing your head back. You always thought of yourself as strong and independent, a fighter who didn't need help from anyone. Alas, this was one ass you couldn't kick, and you hated yourself for it.
Across the kitchen, the bright lights shined on the tiled floor, and a tea kettle whistled ceaselessly. The sound of running water stopped as the man who had taken you walked from the bathroom and into the kitchen. The man dried his hands on his pants and took the kettle off the burner, shutting the flames off. You observed him take two random mugs from the cabinets above, and place them on the white countertop. He carefully poured the tea into the two cups, and a light herbal smell filled the air. After a moment, you recognized the smell of hibiscus tea. This was a familiar smell, something your aunt made every morning when you spent the night at her house in the summers between school years.
The man walked over and brought the two cups with him. A low, slightly muffled, silky voice came from behind the mask as he slid a mug across the table to you. "Careful, it's scolding." The tall, built man walked across and unbuckled one of your arms from the chair for you to pick up the mug with. "Drink." He said, before taking a seat before you. This is when he slid the mask off, to reveal a face beneath that you never would have expected. Dark brown, shaggy, messy, wavy hair fell over his forehead, and he blew it out of his grey eyes. His face was scarred and his lips were chapped, but it somehow wasn't unappealing or revolting.
"What's your name? Who the fuck are you?" You asked, leaning as far as you could with your restraints still intact. The man pushed his hair back and sighed heavily, sipping the near boiling tea. "Michael. 24. Libra." He said in a monotone voice. You rolled your eyes. "This is an introduction to your victim, not The Dating Game." You told him harshly. "Well, is there something specific you wanna know? It's not like your giving me anything to go off of, sugar cube." 'Michael' replied with the same energy in return. "Fine. I'm (Y/N). What else is there to say?"
Carrie White
Tumblr media
Like the pale girl suggested, Carrie if you remembered correctly, you came back to the public library next Sunday, around noon. You had finished the book you had most recently checked out, so you had to return it anyways. Walking down the pavement, you saw here in a light sundress, walking up the few steps and into the library. You ran to catch up and followed her, careful not to startle the girl. As soon as you got inside, you carried yourself to just behind her, and tapped on her shoulder.
The girl turned around, and a look of confusion appeared on her features. "(Y/N). We met here last week? I suggested you check out Narnia." You reminded her, an eager smile painted on your face. A spark formed in her eyes, and she returned your smile. "Oh! Yes, yes, I remember. I'm sorry, my mind is awfully clouded lately." You assured her that it was alright, and you two went along.
The two of you walked down the aisles of bookshelves, and she looked for something new to try out. Maybe she would check out a cook-book and try a new recipe, or read up on WW1. Although, you DID notice that she avoided the religious aisle. However, you didn't comment on this, out of respect. You two checked out a few books, and on the paved outdoor steps, you stopped her. "Would you like to go for coffee or tea? Even a pastry? There's a little shop down the street, I'll buy. I'd just like to talk a bit.
Carrie obliged happily, and the two of you took your books and walked down to the small cafe. It had a dim, rustic theme, and brought peace to anyone who entered it's walls. There was a faint vanilla sent in the air, welcoming you two. For about an hour, Carrie sat down with you and talked about your life, your week, basic things. It was nice to get to know her. She seemed kind, and gentle. Everything about her was graceful, from the way she sipped her latte to the way she tucked her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. As you two finished up your chats, you grabbed your things and greeted each other farewell, agreeing to meet again next week.
Jennifer Check
Tumblr media
The pair of you had become half-decent lab partners over the last few weeks, but she didn't seem to be doing well with the subject. As a result, you decided that you would volunteer to tutor her in the subject after school. So, there you were, on your way to her house after school to hang out and help her study up on the subject and with the homework. It was a cloudy day, and you could tell that a storm was brewing in those clouds above your head. Because of this, you decided to walk a bit faster to avoid being soaked.
As you arrived at Jennifer's house, you knocked gently on the door. When you received no answer, you hesitantly knocked harder. Very suddenly, a slightly older woman answered the door, assumingly Jennifer's mom. The woman looked you up and down, then quickly turned to yell over her shoulder, "Jenny! Your new friend is here!" She then quickly invited you in and brought you a small tray of white-chocolate macadamia nut cookies, offering you to take one or two ((If you have an allergy to nuts, then M&M cookies.)) "I made these for you two while you were studying. There's also sodas in the fridge in case you need a drink." Jennifer's mom said joyfully, before scooping the strap of a purse onto her shoulder. "I'll be off now, I have a job interview to get to. Jen's room is upstairs, first door on the right. Have fun you two!" She informed you before heading out the door.
You walked up the stairs until you found an oak door, and knocked before coming in. "Uh, hi, it's (Y/N), I'm here to help you study..?" You said as you slowly walked in and shut the door behind you. Jennifer was standing, looking in the mirror and smearing concealer under her eyes. She sighed and looked over to you. "Sit on the bed. You know, I was gonna gut you like a fish and drink your blood like a Slurpee, but my mom seems to like you, and I don't think you're too bad. Shame, would have been a great opportunity." She said nonchalantly. As she turned to you, you saw that her face was pale and broken out in acne.
Your heart skipped a beat and the color drained from your face. "I'm sorry, w-what...?" You tried to gulp down the fear in your words. "I'm a succubus, idiot. Don't think that I didn't notice you staring at the blood on my shoes the first day we met. I feed on people's bodies and sexual energy so I can feel good and look good. But I've decided you're worth keeping around, so I'll save that for the next chump. So, shall we get to know each other?" She said calmly as she sat down beside you on the bed.
Billy Loomis
Tumblr media
You were home alone yet again, but this time it was mid day. You were watching horror movies out of boredom on your couch, when you got a call. You hesitantly answered, to hear a familiar voice on the other side of the phone. "I'm here, come let me in." You carried the phone with you. You figured one of your friends had stopped by to say hi, and their voice just sounded messed up due to shitty reception. You went to your front door, and looked through the peephole to see someone in a shitty costume, probably from Walmart, as it was October, and stores were starting to sell Halloween costumes and decorations. You hung up the phone and stuck it in your pocket, opening the door slightly with the chain lock still intact.
"Cut it out, prankster. That's not a very creepy costume. Ooo! I'm so scared!! Listen, I've seen the original Japanese film The Ring a million times, I'm not too scared of much." You heard the person sigh and push the door forward aggressively, breaking the lock. You jumped back in shock. "Hey! You're paying for that, asshole!" You yelled only for a quick response. "No, I don't think I will, beautiful. The man said, taking off his mask. To your shock, it was someone that you went to school with, Billy Loomis. You remember him graduating just the year before you, and were a bit shocked at his sudden appearance. You two had talked a bit, and you could consider yourselves acquaintances, but never really close friends.
Billy took a step forward, and in turn, you took one back. He put his hands up, showing he had no weapons in his hands. "Look, I'm not gonna hurt, that's not what I came to do. I just want to...get to know you. Look, you can pat me down, if you really feel the need. I don't have any weapons on me." You lowered your defenses a bit, but still kept them up. "Why would you want to know me so bad?" You asked hesitantly. "Well, I looked through your window and realized I'd found you again. And I wanted to get to know the pretty (girl/boy/person) I used to look at in the hallways every day." He said in a smooth tone. And that's where your night started.
Thomas Hewitt
Tumblr media
It was a lovely Texas summer day. A warm breeze carried through the semi-tall grass in the fields, and the smell of fresh bread filled the small wooden house. On this fine afternoon, you happened to be listening to some old music, from the 50s-60s, and baking. When you least expected it, you heard a loud knock on the door. You figured it might have been one of your new neighbors looking to get to know you, or ask to borrow something. You strolled to the door and opened it, to see a rather large man in a butcher's apron, curly dark hair, and a rather scarred face on the other side. Though he had somewhat of a threatening aura, you knew that there was more behind his appearance.
You saw him open his mouth, but then stop and think for a moment. He hesitantly put his hands up and made a few broken and hand signals. You realized quickly that it was sign language, as you had an uncle growing up that happened to be deaf, so you learned it so that you two could talk. "I'm not deaf, I just don't like to speak." You watched him sign apprehensively, and responded allowed. "That's okay, hun. What can I do for you?" You asked, and he thought for a moment. "Do you have some salt I can use? Papa shot a..." He stopped for a moment, then looked back up to meet your eyes. "Papa shot a deer, and we ran out of salt to dry out the hide and season the meat." He asked, and you replied. "Of course! Come right in, I keep a few bags in the cupboard, I have a half-full one you can take home." You told him as you allowed him to come in and shut the door behind him.
Your bread sat warm in the window-sill, cooling down. As you handed him the salt, he pointed over to it. "Oh, do you want a piece?" He nodded aggressively, and you smiled. You grabbed the metal baking sheet and put it on the counter, slicing a few pieces. "Here, you can have more than one. I make it all the time, and it's just me here to eat it anyways." You told him. "Would you like to sit down and chat for a moment? I can make you tea or coffee too if you like? You can tell me about yourself. That is, if you don't have to be home right quick." The man nodded again, and set the salt down on the counter. "My name's Thomas. I'd like some...Peppermint tea, if you have it." The man signed to you, his guard down as he clearly felt welcomed in the household. "Okay, Thomas, right on it." You smiled warmly and handed him a thick slice of warm bread with butter and mulberry jam smeared over the top. "Take a seat, dear."
____________________________________________
~Author's Note~
Hi guys, I'm so sorry it took so long to get this second part out :( I've just been really stressed and not in a great mental place, plus the factor of writer's block and being scared to burn myself out. But thank you for those who have stayed through the hiatus to continue reading!! Please comment below if you have any character or scenario requests. Goodbye for now, loves!
384 notes · View notes
drabbles-mc · 3 years
Text
All The Stops
Neron ‘Creeper’ Vargas x F!Reader
Request by Anon: Could i request a Creeper fic? Like you're sick and he is taking care of you. Neti pot and secret family soup recipes and all lol.
Warnings: language, Creeper being Extra but we love him for it
Word Count: 1.7k
A/N: I love Creeper so much. I love writing for the sappy sweet side of him, too. Hope y’all enjoy! xo
General Mayans Taglist: @garbinge @mayans-sauce​ @thesandbeneathmytoes​ @paintballkid711​ @tomhardydallasstarsgirl​ @queenbeered​ @sillygoose6969​ @sesamepancakes​ @yourwonkywriter​ @chibsytelford​ @gemini0410​ @multiyfandomgirl40​ @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead​ @plentyoffandoms​ @georgiaaintnopeach​ @twistnet​ @themoonandthewicked​ @bucky-iss-bae​ @encounterthepast​ @rosieposie0624​ @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo​ @mijop​ @xladymacbethx​ @blessedboo​ @holl2712​ @lakamaa12​ @masterlistforimagines​ @kkim120​ @toni9​ @shadow-of-wonder​ @petlaufeyson​ (If you want to be added to my taglist let me know!)
Tumblr media
You’d told him not to worry, to stay away so you didn’t end up getting him sick too. Whatever it was that you had left you feeling like you got hit by a semi. Your whole body ached, and you could hardly breathe out of your nose. What had started off as a cold you thought you could just ignore and brush off, very quickly turned you into a zombie.
You were caught between trying to down-play it so he wouldn’t worry, and over-selling it so he would leave you alone and not end up getting sick himself. You should have known better, though. He was far too clingy and hell-bent on taking care of you to stay away. It was sweet, and you appreciated it, but you didn’t want both of you to end up feeling like death warmed over.
When you heard the knock at the door, you knew exactly who it was. You let out a long sigh as you forced yourself up off the couch. You folded your arms over your chest as you shuffled to your front door. When you opened the door, you came face-to-face with Creeper. His eyes were full of concern as he stood on your front steps, large cardboard box in his arms.
“You didn’t tell me you were this sick,” he said as he walked inside.
You shut the door behind him as you replied, “Because I knew you’d do…all of whatever this is.”
He made his way to your kitchen, setting the box down on your counter. Turning back around to face you, he took a moment to really look at you. His lips turned down into a frown as he looked at you bundled up in his sweatshirt with the hood flipped up, toes curling against the cold floor. He stepped toward you, gently resting his hand against your forehead.
“You should’ve called,” he pulled you into a hug.
As much as you didn’t want to be touched, you had to admit that it was nice to feel his strong arms wrapped tight around you. you managed a small smile as you leaned into his chest, “Didn’t have to, you still showed up,” you gestured towards the box on the counter, “What’s all that?”
He let go of you to walk back over to everything that he had brought in, “Your cure.”
You chuckled as you walked and sat across the counter from him. You rested your chin in your hands as you watched him unpack everything that he’d brought over. His focus was evident on his face as he set everything out—brows furrowing in concentration.
“You really don’t have to do all of this, Neron,” you told him with a slight shake of your head.
“Of course I do,” he looked almost offended, “You’re sick. I can’t just let you suffer alone.”
You smiled, not wanting to argue the point any further. Clearly, there would be no changing his mind. You amused yourself by looking over all the different spices that he had with him. While you did that, he started to root around your kitchen and pull some things together.
“Anything I can do?” you asked.
“Go lay down and rest,” he walked around to your side of the counter, “I’ll carry you to bed.”
You laughed, which in turn made you cough, “Stop, Neron, I can walk myself to bed.”
He shook his head as he scooped you up in his arm, “I got you, baby.”
You didn’t have the strength to fight him on it, so you let yourself get whisked away. It was an incredibly short walk to your room but you still let yourself lean into him.
He laid you down on the bed and pulled the blanket up over you. There was a small smile on his face as he caressed your cheek, gently pushing a stray lock of hair out of your face, “Try and get some sleep. It’ll be a while until everything is ready anyway,” he kissed the top of your head.
“Everything? What’s everything?” you smiled up at him.
“Don’t worry, I got it. Get some rest. I love you.”
Before you could ask any more questions, he turned and made his way towards the bedroom door. You listened intently for a few minutes to try and figure out what he was doing, but it didn’t take long for the comfort and warmth of the blankets to put you to the sleep.
You had no idea how long you had been asleep for, but when you woke up you heard the muffled sound of music coming from the far end of the house. A tiny groan slipped past your lips as you sat upright and forced your body to stretch. You swung your legs off the bed and stood up, stretching once more before opening the bedroom door and heading towards the kitchen.
The music got louder as you got closer to the kitchen. And, for the first time in a few days, you would actually smell what was being cooked. You had no idea what he was making, but it smelled great so you weren’t worried. He didn’t hear the quiet pattering of your feet over his music, so you were able to sneak in and find your seat at the counter without him noticing you. You watched him bobbing his head and mumbling along with the lyrics of the song that was on. Despite your exhaustion you smiled. He seemed so at-home.
“How’s it comin’?” you asked.
He spun around, ladle in his hand raised and ready to strike. When he saw that it was you, he lowered his hand with a sigh. He shook his head, “Can’t sneak up on me like that, Mama.”
“Or what?” you chuckled, “You gonna accidentally beat me up with a soup ladle?”
He wagged it at you accusingly, “Bourne almost killed someone with a rolled-up newspaper.”
You fought back a cough as you laughed, “You comparing yourself to Jason Bourne now?” you shook your head, “Anyway, how’s all this going?” you nodded towards the stove.
He let the topic drop as he turned back to all of his things on the stove, “Good. Almost done.”
“What is it?” you got up and crept over to get a look.
He watched you with a smile as you peeked into the pot on the stove, “Vargas Family recipe. Mom used to make this all the time when we would get sick. Fixed our whole shit, swear to god.”
You laughed, “Sounds exactly like what I need,” you turned back around to face him, “Never knew you were so good in the kitchen.”
He smiled as he pulled you into a gentle hug, “You never gave me a chance. Had to be knockin’ on death’s door in order to get you to rest.”
You chuckled, leaning into his touch, “That’s true.”
Sitting back on the other side of the counter, you rested your chin in your hands as you watched him finish up everything that he was preparing. There was something relaxing about watching him shuffle busily around your kitchen. He was completely in his own zone.
It wasn’t too long before he was turning to you with a bowl of soup in each hand. There was a proud smile on his face as he nodded towards the living room. He waited for you to get comfortably situated on the couch before handing you your bowl.
For a while, the only noise in the house came from the television. Each of you ate in comfortable silence. You were savoring it—this was the first thing you were able to taste in almost a week. And Creeper was too busy watching you and making sure you were alright and enjoying it to say anything. You could feel his eyes on you, but you didn’t care. A week of hardly forcing yourself to eat was all catching up to you.
Once your bowls were empty and discarded on the coffee table, he pulled you so that you were laying with your head in his lap. He gently rubbed your shoulder as you settled against him.
“There’s tea for you, too, when you’re ready,” he let you know.
You hummed in response, feeling the most comfortable you had in a while, “Thank you.”
He looked down at you, brows furrowing, “You still sound stuffy.”
You chuckled, “I’m still sick, Neron. Your soup was good but I don’t think it’s magical.
“I brought my neti pot,” he nodded towards the box he’d brought with him, “We can jus hook you up,” he demonstrated with his hand how it worked, “and clear you out. Tellin’ you, baby, you’ll be good as new.”
You shook your head, sniffling as you did, “Hard pass, Neron.”
“Why?”
“Because,” you tried not to laugh, “that’s gross.”
“I clean it after I use it!”
“I’m sure you do!” you couldn’t hold back your laugh, “Still gross.”
“Will you at least drink the tea?”
You smiled as you sat upright so he could get up, “Yes, baby, I’ll drink the tea.”
You smiled as you watched him shuffle back over to the kitchen and grab a mug for you. He was so careful pouring it and bringing it back over to you. You smiled as you cupped it in your hands. He sat back down next to you, gently rubbing his hand up and down your back. Even though you were still sick, you felt like a new person after a decent nap and a good meal. His touch was more than welcome.
“Thank you,” you rested one hand on his knee, “I really appreciate all of this.”
He shook his head, “This ain’t nothin’. If I had more time to prepare I would’ve pulled out all the stops.”
You chuckled, sipping on your tea, “This was more than enough. Thank you, seriously.”
“I love you. I got you—whatever you need,” he leaned over and kissed your temple.
“I love you too,” you leaned against his side and pulled your feet up onto the couch, settling into the comfort of him being there to take care of you when you needed it.
187 notes · View notes
Text
I have many thoughts on the weird phenomena in the DC fandom and the Batfam fandom specifically where probably the majority of people just straight up. haven’t interacted with the source material. and almost all of those thoughts can be summarized as ‘lmao that’s weird and mildly concerning’.
and because I’m annoying I will list them all here right now <3
1. To preface this post, I mean, obviously, comics are inaccessible as all hell, both in the disability kind of way and the ‘you need to understand the concept of hypertime to fully comprehend the DC timeline’ kind of way. Because of this, even if you don’t have a disability that prevents you from reading comics, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to look at the amount of comics you need to read to have even a base understanding of a character and go ‘no thanks <3′ and just enjoy fanart and fanfic in a vacuum. Ultimately, this is fandom, this is supposed to be fun, it doesn’t really matter.
2. That said, it’s VERY weird to me that the majority of this fandom just straight up hasn’t interacted with the source material, and moreover, that it’s considered rude to tell people that they should do so. It’s especially weird considering the amount of fanon-only fans I’ve seen who straight up have a superiority complex over canon. The idea that it’s gatekeeping to tell fans of something to actually interact with canon is just. so weird, and a fundamental misunderstanding of what ‘gatekeeping’ actually entails. 
3. But honestly I’m less interested in discussing the ways in which canon and fanon fans should interact with each other (personally, I think it would be helpful to create separate tags of some kind, but that’d require quite a big overhaul of the current fandom state) than in figuring out how this actually happened in the first place. On the one hand, it’s obvious; long-running superhero comics the way DC writes them have made themselves so thoroughly inaccessible that most people are simply too daunted to even try. Most media has a cohesive beginning and end (or at least, a planned end somewhere). Comics just... don’t.
But I do think it says something that, even among people who are clearly interested in the characters (since they have, you know, entire blogs about them), the effort to get into comics just seems to be too much to even bother. This really doesn’t bode well for the future of DC Comics. Obviously, I am no expert on anything at all ever, but I’d personally be surprised if DC survives beyond the few decades, at least in its current form/without a big overhaul.
4. But on the other hand, I don’t think the confusing state of DC Comics is the only thing to blame here. Fandom has a well-known problem with reducing any character down to archetypes to more easily ship and write fic/make content with. This problem is particularly prominent in fanfic, which, if you read enough of it, you’ll eventually start seeing not just the same tropes and trends, but essentially the same fics over and over again. And not just within the same fandom; everywhere, or every large fandom, at least. 
Fanon Batfam is entirely built on a bunch of those tropes; insecure/depressed sadboy Tim, team mom with optional hidden trauma/emotional problems Dick, bad boy with a heart of gold + sadboy combo Jason, abused sadboy Damian/angry easily-villified-for-fic-reasons monster Damian, good dad Bruce for found family fic and bad dad Bruce for angst fic, etc. This all culminates in a found family dynamic that’s generic and malleable to whatever fic the writer wants to write.
(This isn’t getting into the ship fic, which I avoid like the plague because the vast majority of it is incest, but I’d bet real actual money that the tropes in those fics fall under what is often preferred by the Migratory Slash Fandom.)
By having a decent excuse not to get into canon (the inaccessibility of comics) and a, by now, well-established fanon fandom, many fans feel free to use the batfam fandom as essentially an excuse to write whatever fic with reduced archetypes and tropes they personally feel the itch to write, without having to bother with even consuming a canon. This is compounded by the fact that canon itself is often contradictory and frankly bad, meaning that whatever interpretation of a character you want/need to go for your fic is at least theoretically backed up by canon (for example, you can just as easily cast Bruce as an abusive shithole dad who his kids need to get away from as a loving father figure who cares deeply for his children), which you can always use as a defense if people question your characterization.
5. This focus on fandom trends and tropes over actual creativity or care for the characters is also visible in the way bigotry manifests in this fandom; namely, in literally the exact way you’d expect. The female characters and characters of colour are shuffled to the side, non-existent, vilified, and/or reduced to harmful stereotypes. 
Barbara is probably the one I saw the most often in fanfic, but usually just as ‘Dick’s girlfriend’, and even then, she was often vilified for Dick angst (especially in fics about examining Dick’s trauma from his canon sexual assault; Kori also often gets the short end of the stick in those). After that, probably Stephanie, who fanon fans don’t really seem to know what to do with, so she’s basically just there as comic relief waffle girl, most of the time, though sometimes she can be used to either further Tim angst or further vilify Tim, whatever the fic calls for. Cass has gotten included more in batfam fics as of late, likely in response to critiques of fandom racism for leaving her out, but again, it’s clear people don’t actually know what to do with her. She’s often reduced to a racist stereotype of a quite, stoic therapist for whatever guy du jour needs it. That, or she’s in Hong Kong and just not there. Duke especially gets left in the dust in fandom, usually just being non-existent, but when he’s there, he’s almost always nothing more than the straight man for the actual fun characters to play off of. Talia probably has it the worst, though, and almost universally gets vilified by fanon stans in order to write sadboy Damian.
All of this is extremely predictable behaviour and falls entirely in line with general fandom misogyny and racism; ignoring or vilifying women and characters of colour, or using them as very minor characters at best. The only two characters of colour who aren’t regularly left out of fic are Dick and Damian, who are both also conveniently the two characters most often drawn and written in a whitewashed manner. In addition, there’s a real trend of demonizing Damian in fanon fics where he isn’t written as an abused sadboy, which I’d argue is in no small part due to fandom racism, considering Damian’s behaviour is in no way as bad as Jason’s, who doesn’t get anywhere close to the same demonization and gets woobiefied instead. I also find it convenient that Damian is probably the batboy who receives the most vilification in fic, when he’s the most obviously non-white of the batboys they’re willing to acknowledge.
Fandom often cries for more diversity in canon, only to ignore the diversity already there and focus on the same generic white guys. The batfam fandom is a brilliant example of this.
Which is not to say that fandom racism and misogyny isn’t present in the canon parts of the fandom (and canon itself); it absolutely 100% is. But I’ve found that canon fans are also more likely to like and care about at least one of the characters I’ve listed as ignored/vilified, and are willing to create and consume content for them, whereas fanon fans... aren’t, really. I’ve never seen a fan of fanon Cass the way I’ve seen fans of fanon Dick, for example. Obviously, this could just be by coincidence, or I’ve just surrounded myself with people like that, but it’s been a trend I noticed. Racism and misogyny is present in every part of this fandom and should be addressed as such, but I feel like it manifests the most blatantly in the fanon parts of this fandom. 
(I’d also recommend the articles Migratory Slash Fandom’s Focus and Beige Blank Slates, which expand more on the type of fandom racism I think is especially prominent in the batfam fandom, as well as literally every article in the What Fandom Racism Looks Like series.)
6. All this leads me to conclude that the majority of fanon fans don’t actually like the characters all that much; they’re convenient excuses for them to participate in fandom. Which I also think is, in no small part, a reason why so many of them react so negatively to being told to pick up a comic; they came to this fandom specifically to consume it as a fandom, because they wanted the fandom experience without having to consume a canon. 
This is not a phenomena unique to the batfam fandom (again, see the Migratory Slash Fandom), but it does fascinate me. While fandom is often said to be an experience focusing on transformative art, I think it’s also safe to say that, especially as fandom has become more mainstream, an increasing amount of people are looking to it less as a way to engage with their favourite pieces of media, and more as a type of media in and of itself. I think the reasons for this are similar to the reasons mass media entertainment like the MCU are so popular; you gain a lot of enjoyment out of it with very little risk involved. 
By consuming the same fics of the same characters (or the same archetypes) over and over again, you are rarely at risk of being challenged or even disappointed. It’s often very clear right from the start whether or not a fic will appeal to you, and if it isn’t, it’s easy to just look for another one. It requires less emotional investment than most other types of media, even ‘popcorn media’ like the MCU - or, yes, DC Comics. It’s safe, it’s enjoyable, it’s comforting, like McDonalds, but just like McDonalds, it’s ultimately bland and unsubstantial. 
7, TL;DR. Ultimately, I don’t think it’s like, wrong to enjoy the fanon version of the batfam without wanting to engage with canon, and I certainly don’t think it’s okay to harrass people over it. But I do think it’s in large part based on a desire to interact with fandom rather than other pieces of media because people are scared of being let down by those pieces of media (or worse, just uninterested in actually thinking), which is mildly concerning. 
41 notes · View notes
the-ghost-king · 3 years
Note
you have any nico headcanons where he’s ftm trans but then realizes he’s also nonbinary (he/they/she)? just struggling with gender identity lately ig.
Alright, anon, I hope these help you some, my gender has been rather ~~~ lately, if that makes any sense... I would also like to remind everyone to bind safely and if you need resources on how to safely bind without a binder feel free to reach out to me:
Nico always just knew he was a boy, dresses were a no-go, couldn't stand to wear anything that wasn't undeniably boys clothes
In the beginning Maria thought maybe it was just a texture problem, but when Nico was three she came home to see him cutting all of his hair off she knew it was deeper
This is why they ended up moving to America eventually, Maria decided that if they started over then Nico would be able to be himself
Bianca named him on the way over, she liked the name because they were "winning" by leaving Italy
Nothing really signifigant happens in regards to Nico and his gender through this point, he is able to play freely with other boys, and he goes to school with them and such
The same in the Lotus Hotel, nothing signifigant
When he and Bianca go to Westover Nico is kind of scared the whole time, because he is worried about being "caught", changing for afterschool soccer games and having communal shower spaces at the school is difficult for him to feel comfortable
He usually tries to shower late at night or early in the morning when nobody is around, and that works out okay for him
His chest starts developing around this point and he freaks out, he has no clue how to hide it or how to deal with the new stress
He ends up trying to find Bianca one day, and they do all sorts of crazy stuff to see if they can help, eventually they figure out how to use a piece of cloth they sew together
When Nico ends up at camp alone without Bianca, there's the problem once again of communal showers and they're rarely ever empty
This is how he befriends the Stolls
At some point the pair of them notice Nico is weirdly panicky about the bathrooms so they go stand outside and keep people out when Nico's in there... It's honestly how they perfect their pranking techniques
When Nico runs away from camp upset, just the day before his binder had quit fitting and he had been upset by that because he had to make a binder again
Although his sister dying pushed all other thoughts out of his head, the emotions from previous events were still leftover
This is why he buys his jacket TM, because the layers help hide his chest more and the weight is comfortable
At some point during the Labrynth he ends up binding with ace bandages (AN: Don't do this)
He also starts his period at some time around this point and kind of freaks out "oh no" and it's not entirely that his period bothers him, but more so that he just doesn't know how he's supposed to hide it
He also realizes at some point around here that he likes Percy, which makes him feel odd and more freaked out
He's struggling because "boys are supposed to like girls" and also he's struggling because if most boys oon't have periods and he does... why doesn't his bother him?
Despite Nico himself being trans, he doesn't have the vocabulary to describe anything he's going through, and he doesn't know there's other trans people, or even queer people of any sort
So he sort of begins to question "am I really a boy?" but there's so much going on in the world and he's got so much to do, so he can't really devote much time to thinking about it
Everything continues about canonically until he's in the jar after Tartarus
During a fight with a monster or something he was knocked over, and combine this with the fact that Nico was binding with ace bandages, he definitly breaks a rib
Which makes breathing with little air a lot harder
Eventually he's saved and through ambrosia and nectar Nico manages to heal his ribs a little
He isn't able to bind that whole time though, so he does his best to keep away from The Seven
After Cupid outs him to Jason, Jason asks a few days later if he wants to talk about it, at first Nico is like "no go away I don't like you don't talk to me"
But eventually he opens up to Jason, because Jason was like "I'm sorry you had to do that I promise I won’t tell anyone and if you want to talk we can talk"
Anyhow eventually Nico kind of just breaks down and he's like "I don't know if I'm a boy or a girl? I think I used to be a girl, but now I am a boy and I don't really remember how it happened” or something similar
It takes Jason a moment but eventually he’s like “Oh you’re trans?”
And Nico;s like “heh? What’s that?
And so him and Jason talk, but Jason is only kind of well versed in this topic, so he only covers “basic” MtF and FtM transition because he doesn’t really know enough about other genders to feel comfortable explaining it
And Nico’s like “there’s people? Out there?? Like me??” and he’s just Happy Nico ™
Nico is like “and there are people like me who like boys?”
And Jason is like “Yeah totally!” but internally he’s like (I think so??)
Anyhow Nico feels a little better, but he doesn’t feel perfect, he’s still struggling a little bit internally to recognize that there’s other people like him and he’s not wrong for being him
Anyhow, Jason doesn’t know enough about this stuff to know binders exist, Jason just has a little bit of secondhand information from tv shows and from being from California… He promises he’ll look into various things more when he’s back at camp or has decent access to internet
On Nico’s quest with Reyna and Hedge he obvious evaporates Bryce, and Reyna and Hedge find out
They find out he’s gay as in canon, but they realize he’s trans when caking him in mud
Hedge just goes into dad mode about the situation and is like “son”, “sport”, “kiddo”, “my male child” etc
Reyna knows a little more about trans stuff than Jason, but she’s kind of in the same “ehhh I’m not really sure of a few things” boat, but she’s supportive and she’s like “I will beat anyone who gives you a dirty look up so fast”
Eventually they get to camp, and all that happens
Three days in the infirmary happens, and basically Nico has to tell Will for medical reasons that he’s trans because Nico needs stitches or something
Anyhow Will is like “Oh yeah cool me too, can you take your binder off now?”
And Nico is like “heh???”
Anyhow Will finds out Nico is binding with ace bandages and he’s like “no, don’t do that” and then he goes and finds a proper binder in Nico’s size which he gives to him after his stay is up
When they befriend one another they have a short conversation about gender and Will is discussing like gender theory 101 type stuff, and he’s like “wait why dont you know this- oh yeah you’re from the thirties- wait do you even know what nonbinary means??”
And Nico is just staring at Will like he has three heads for the whole conversation
So Will teaches Nico about gender and pronouns, and gender presentation vs gender identity, etc
And so Nico goes “wait so there are people like me who are also gay?”
And Will is like “I like boys and girls and everything in between so yeah”
And the whole enby thing doesn’t really stick with Nico at that point he’s just like “hmm interesting, so testosterone?”
It’s just not his biggest concern, he’s just happy to know there are in fact others like him, and no he’s not crazy for not being dysphoric over his period, and that’s normal too
And he’s just like “oh so that’s top dysphoria?”
And Will is like “yeah :/”
“Oh :/”
“Mhmm :/”
Anyhow they become like good friends and they start dating sort of on accident, like they’re too close to just argue they’re friends anymore, and at some point Will just shows Nico how to give him a T shot and it’s like chill, they’re chill
Anyhow one day someone is kind of confused by Nico’s gender so they use the word “they” and it makes Nico really happy for some reason, so he goes back to Will and he’s like “tell me about this whole nobinary thing again?”
And Will is like “yes absolutely”
And Nico goes “I think I might be nonbinary can we try new pronouns?”
And so they go through all sorts of new pronouns, and Nico decides he still likes he/him but he also likes they/them and xer/xem… They likes she/her too but Nico finds it too uncomfortable sometimes because it reminds him of dysphoria
Nico decides xyr uncomfortable with using she/her but they like using female gendered terms so he does that
(Listen, I know Will saying “this is my boyfriend” was a big moment but Will calling Nico his “wife” is 10/10)
Nico’s friends are all super supportive and they do their best to learn more about gender and such things in order to better support and care for Nico
They all use different pronouns for xem and some people alternate pronouns too, but Nico knows that takes more practice
But it’s just like good and positive in Nico’s life
And he begins to play with fashion a lot and xe finds out xyr love of skirts with tights and combat boots because it’s 10/10 the best fashion
Nico also loves their big jackets and they just looks so comfy all the time everyone is like “I want to be him” and Nico grows their hair out long again, and gets his ears pierced and xe’s just a nonbinary fashion icon
They are just so cool once they figure out gender more and Nico’s just happy to play around with xyr gender and he just enjoys it
Will doesn’t play around with gender so much, he’s 100% a binary trans guy but T helped make him comfortable enough in his femininity to wear skirts a little bit on the occasion (Will in a cat maid dress 10/10), but heels and skinny jeans for some reason are still big dysphoria triggers for him so he does have some limits on what he’ll wear
Will gets top surgery when he’s like 17 because Naomi is an extremely supportive parent
So that’s how Nico meets Will’s mom and she’s like “it’s so nice to finally meet you!” and Naomi just immediately falls in love with xem and Will is like “I know they’re amazing”
And Nico is just really supportive and they sort of role reverse and Nico plays nurse while Will recovers from top surgery and they has to like brush his teeth and stuff
The experience (despite the fact that Will had an easier recovery) assures Nico in how much he wants top surgery, and he’s sad he’ll have to wait another year until he’s 18 to get it done
Anyhow Hades finds out and agrees to sign the wavers, so once Will is healed up enough to wear he can put his own clothes on and stuff, Nico decides to go through with xyrs own top surgery then too
Reyna comes to help Will take care of Nico, and Jason does too
Originally Will was supposed to help more with Nico’s care but he wasn’t able to do as much as he thought so they had to phone their friends
Eventually they both heal up really well and they’re happy to be done with that
Nico spends time debating testosterone, while Will spends time debating lower surgery
During this time Nico starts art school and Will starts medical school
Meeting more nonbinary people makes Nico feel at home and he determines that xe doesn’t want to go on testosterone but it’s still a maybe in the future
Will however decides he does want lower surgery, so Will and Lou Ellen decide to get lower surgery together as friends so they can share in the pain (Lou Ellen is a trans woman as far as I’m concerned this is canon)
Nico takes some time off to do school from home so he can help the two of them, and Naomi comes to live with them as well for a bit
Will and Nico both finish school eventually and they decide to adopt trans kids to help them out more
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy all of that anon! I'm all ideaed (idea-ed??) out and so I hope this is at least similar to what you were looking for, and this is helpful with your dysphoria somewhat <3
72 notes · View notes
readyourimgaines · 4 years
Text
Age Doesn’t Mean Much
Summary: Five times the BAU remembered Reid’s younger than them plus one time they were violently reminded he’s not a child. 
Spoiler/Trigger Warning: The entire ending of the second season’s 15th episode: Revelations. 
Tumblr media
Dr. Spencer Reid was merely 21 when SSA Jason Gideon convinced him to join the BAU. With the exception of Aaron Hotchner (who had also read the young doctor’s file) the team wasn’t sure how to feel about the inexperienced man. 
Other than giving a pointer or two to a professor lecturing on a cold case, Reid had no experience working in the field. The others figured that was why the poor kid pushed himself so hard: to prove himself. 
Right after the first case, Elle stopped talking down to him. Half way through the same case, Morgan decided he’d taken the doctor under his wing. JJ was the first of Hotch’s subordinates to warm up to Reid. Their friendship was an awkward one for a couple of days. To an outsider, it looked as though a childhood friend was trying to help the other through a bout of amnesia. 
Though the team never again questioned Reid’s ability on the field, there were times when they were suddenly reminded of Reid’s age. 
1: Trying to Balance on a Curb While Walking
Hotch lost count of how many times Jack would walk on the curb, one foot in the front of the other, both arms outstretched for extra balance. Almost always, one of Jack’s hands would be firmly holding one of his father’s. SSA Hotchner almost laughed at himself when he nearly held Reid’s hand on instinct. 
Reid and Hotch were walking alone to get lunch for the unit while between cases back home. They’d been walking side-by-side while Reid babbled happily about the last book he finished. Hotch contently listened, his mind occasionally wondering. 
Hotch’s mind was pulled back to reality from one of its wonderings when his hand had brushed against Reid’s. The doctor’s hand quickly formed into a fist as he concentrated on his balance, his lips pressed tightly together. While Jack had his arms stretched straight out, Reid held his at more of a slant. 
One thing Hotch quickly noticed, and was surprised the scientifically minded doctor missed, was that Reid’s ever present satchel was throwing him off balance. 
“Reid.”
“Hm?”
“Let me hold onto your bag.” Hotch held his hand out to take the leather bag.
“Why?” Reid’s foot touched down on the road as he lost balance now that he was doing more with his brain than focussing on his footing. 
“It's a hypothesis.” Hotch smirked but Reid missed it, not taking his eyes off his sneakers. 
Carefully, as not to fall, Reid removed his satchel and held it out, blindly, for Hotch to take. The older agent held it by the shorted of the two handles as he continued to walk alongside Reid. 
Hotch chuckled to himself upon seeing the look on Reid’s face. The young doctor was looking at his feet, almost in awe. He hadn’t needed to touch down since Hotch took the bag half a block back. 
Once he walked two blocks on the curb- without losing balance- Reid was content and took his bag back, putting it back over his shoulder so the pouch of it bounced against the opposite hip.
“Did you know the position of an object’s center of gravity affects its stability? The higher the center of gravity is, the easier it is for the object to fall. That’s why a small boat- like a kayak or canoe- is less likely to tip if the occupants are seated lower in the boat. 
“Textbooks usually demonstrate this with either a bus and or two cars of different heights and lengths…” 
2: Mismatched Socks
One of the first things Emily Prentiss noticed about Reid were his mismatched socks. Of course, the other BAU members noticed it too, but they never questioned it. It’s just part of who Reid was. Curiosity got the better of SSA Prentiss. 
“Reid?” 
The doctor looked up from his case file. “Yeah?”
“Why do you never wear matched socks?” She looked down at Reid’s ankles and he followed her gaze. One lavender sock, one pink with blue stripes. 
“My uh- When I was a kid, my mom would tell me it was bad luck to wear matching socks.” Reid pulled the lavender sock back up to where it should be. 
“That doesn’t sound like something that could be scientifically verified.” A slight smirk spread across Emily’s face. 
Reid huffed slightly. “The night I was taken by Tobias… It was the first time I wore matching socks in five years. Burgundy with orange stripes.” Reid blinked heavily, clenching his eyes shut. “I don’t wear socks if they match.” He paused again. “Besides, matching socks are boring. Some people say socks should be a shade darker than their pants or a shade lighter than the shoes- Hotch does the former.
“Also, 82% of men in my age bracket wear mismatched socks at least once a week because we keep losing one of a pair. And a family of four- on average- loses 60 socks a year.” 
3: Playing With Jell-O
Reid loved Jell-O. No-one was really sure why, but didn’t ask, either. Everyone had their favorite dessert, so maybe Jell-O was just his? He liked cake, sure, but he didn’t eat it nearly as often as he ate Jell-O. 
On jet rides back home, no-one ever knew what conversations were bound to come up. This week’s was what the team was going to do with a three day weekend and morphed into best desserts. 
“What about you, Reid?” Prentiss drew Reid from his train of thought.
“Hm?”
“You like Jell-O, don’t you, Pretty Boy?” Morgan checked.
“Yeah.”
“Not even Henry likes Jell-O,” JJ smiled at the thought of her young son. 
“It doesn’t have much of a taste,” Rossi added. 
“I think that’s part of why I like it, actually.” Reid fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. 
“Because it tastes like watered down Kool-Aid?” Rossi frowned.
“Yeah. All the other foods are so strong and Jell-O’s not. It’s cool, but not cold, and it’s fun to play with.”
A ghost of a smile danced across Hotch’s face. “Jack likes playing with it. He gets sad when I don’t buy finger Jell-O on accident.” 
“That’s the only kind I buy.” Reid nodded. “The red is my least favorite- It takes like Red 40.” 
“What is your favorite kind, then?” Rossi couldn’t help but ask. 
“Pineapple. Minimal amounts of dyes and you can see through it.”
“No numbers about Jell-O?” Prentiss challenged with a grin.
JJ, Hotch, and Morgan all smiled while Rossi teasily groaned. The groan got a smile from Reid too. 
“Actually, in the US, the Jell-O brand is recognized- by name and product- by 99% of the populous.” Spencer chortled. “That means that if you got a group of 100 people together, only one person would have no idea what Jell-O is.”  
4: Doodles on Everything
Dr. Spencer Reid didn’t always carry his leather satchel with him. Hotch more or less ordered him to get a notebook he could keep in a pocket. The unit chief didn’t care if Reid drew on his arms. The unit chief cared when Reid jotted down notions or points for the running case.
Garcia loved Reid’s little doodles and had a decently sized collection. She referred to him as a “chronic doodler”. The analysis tech found it almost funny that someone as brilliant and talented as Reid had so little artistic skill outside of his geographic profiling maps. 
Reid knew full well that Garcia collected his doodles. After a particularly stressful case- which always resulted in more doodles, Reid would sign and dare the flip book page before tearing it out and leaving it in Garcia’s bunker. 
There were times when Reid would doodle on his arm rather than the flip book simple because it was more convenient. That didn’t mean Garcia didn’t see those ones. No, no, no. These ones, Reid would take pictures of and send to Garcia when a case was getting to her.
Morgan talked to Garcia more than anyone else on a case. Whether or not Penelope voiced her unease, Morgan- ever the profiler- could tell. He’d have Reid a certain look and the younger man would send Garcia texts of his doodles- evenly spaced- throughout the case. If he did the math and found he didn’t have enough, nothing stopped him from drawing a couple more. 
Hotch and Gideon thought of the times their sons would draw a picture or make them a card when they had a bad day at work. Morgan was reminded of the beaded bracelets his sisters used to make him when he was injured in football or his team lost a game. 
The one hitch with their theory? Garcia was the one person who got to keep the drawings. Not even Reid kept them. She knew this fact and gloated about it to the team whenever she got a new one. All of her computer screens in her bunker had a different doodle as the screen saver. 
5: Dependent on the Team
For the most part, the BAU stuck to themselves after hours if they weren’t going out for drinks. Reid was the one exception and the rest of the team found they didn’t mind. 
JJ was the first one he texted. The message was a simple worded question: How can you tell the difference between romantic feelings and transference? The gentle blonde took it upon herself to explain to the doctor that he’d know when he was in love because how being near the person or even just thinking about them made him feel. 
The media liaison assumed she’d never really see the person Reid texted her about that Sunday evening. She was a little less than shocked to see the light in the young doctor’s eyes shift when Morgan wandered into the bullpen Monday morning.  
A month passed before JJ got a message along the lines of the one she was expecting: Reid asking for advice on how to ask someone out. How to better the wording, how to keep from straying off the point. 
The next day, he texted Elle about flowers: I have a date next weekend. Are flowers too forward?
Elle smiled down at her phone, at Reid’s innocence. She told him that flowers were a nice and caring gesture, but that he’d want to be careful with what flowers he got because different flowers sent different messages. 
This was the first of this Reid was hearing. He thanked Elle and thought more. Hotch was married. He must know a decent amount about flowers and such romantic ideas, right? So he texted Hotch: Do you know anything about flower symbolism? Elle says flowers have different messages to them.
Hotch chuckled, getting Haley’s attention.
“What’s so funny?”
“Do you remember Dr. Spencer Reid?” Hotch looked at the blonde. 
“He’s the shy, Autistic boy, right?” Haley glanced up from feeding Jack.
“Yeah. He’s nervous about an upcoming date and texted to see if I know anything about flowers.” Hotch’s thumb was dancing across the flip-phone’s buttons.
“What are you telling him?”
“That roses have the highest chance of getting him in his date’s bed. Pink camellias and carnations are signs of love and longing; ivy means friendship.” Hotch typed this by naming the flowers, placing an equal sign, and the meaning. 
“Do you know who his date is?”
“Not as far as Reid and his date are concerned.”
So yes, he did.
Friday morning- the morning before his date- Reid sat by himself on the jet ride home, trying to read a book he brought. He couldn’t focus on it for the life of him. He’d been staring at the same page for then minutes. He jumped a little when Gideon sat down across from him.
“What has you so nervous?”
“Noth-” Reid stopped short. That wasn’t the right word; the date meant everything to him. “I uh… I have a date tomorrow evening and I’m worried, I guess. I’ve never actually been on a date, but I really like this person.”
“Okay. So what about it has you worked up?” Gideon’s eyes were gentle and fatherly.
Reid thought about how to answer the question. “We’ve been friends for a while and I don’t- I don’t want to mess up so badly that he doesn’t want to be friends-” Reid froze, his eyes wide. “G-Gideon, I-”
“There’s nothing wrong.” The older man squeezed the younger’s shoulder. “If your friend know you as well as you know him, I think it’s safe to say he’s not too worried about the friendship failing. Sometimes, Reid, you have to take a leap of faith.”
+One: “I choose...Aaron Hotchner.”
“Choose, and prove you’ll do God’s will.”
“No.”
Click. “Choose.”
“I won’t do it.”
Click. “Choose.”
“I...I choose...Aaron Hotchner. He’s a classic narcissist. He thinks he’s better than everyone else on the team. Genesis 23:4, “Let him not deceive himself and trust in emptiness, vanity, falseness, and futility, for these shall be his recompense.” 
Bang. Raphael took a bullet from Tobais’ pocket and held it up, showing it to Reid. “For God’s will.”
Morgan’s heart shattered at seeing his boyfriend crouched over the body of his captor and tormentor. The side of Reid’s head was coated in dry blood, he was avoiding putting weight on his sock-less foot.
Reid limped his way over to Hotch and hesitantly put a hand on his superior’s arm as though he wasn’t sure the man was there. The young man quickly and tightly hugged Hotch.
“I knew you’d understand.”
JJ was the next to hug Reid, the doctor losing his balance slightly and the liaison easily caught him. 
“I am so sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
The second JJ let go of Reid, Morgan stepped forward and pulled Reid into as tight of a hug as he dared. He needed to feel his boyfriend in his arms but he’d seen the same video as everyone else and didn’t want to hurt him more. 
Prentiss was shocked and looked at JJ with wide eyes when Morgan kissed Reid and the doctor eagerly reciprocated. The blonde just smiled.
*****
@stxrryspencer​ @chaoticgremlinwholikescheese​ @the-need-for-reid-speed​ 
174 notes · View notes
fanficimagery · 4 years
Text
Flares
Summary: Imagine keeping a secret from your friends, but when you’re in need of a favor.. that secret you’ve guarded is now out.
Tumblr media
Words: 2.9K Warnings: Cancer. The holidays have got me thinking about my mom and I just want to give someone the happy ending my mom never got.
Curled up on the sofa, no amount of TV has been able to distract you. It's been about a month since you've started chemotherapy and as warned your hair has slowly started to fall out. You had bawled earlier that morning when you noticed it, and then tried to distract yourself by binge eating and watching rom-coms. Unfortunately it didn't work.
Sighing, you pick up your iPhone to check the time. It's just after four in the afternoon and without second guessing yourself, you scroll through your contacts until you land on one name in particular. You're not as close to him as you are to others in your friend group, but you do trust him. So after quickly composing a text, you hit send on it and hope for the best.
[Hey, Jeff. When you have a free moment, can we talk?]
Surprisingly it doesn't take long for him to reply.
[I'm actually in neighborhood. Wanna grab a bite to eat?]
[Yeah. That's fine.]
[I'll text you when I'm outside.]
With your stomach in knots, you get up and quickly make yourself decently presentable for the public. You take two edibles that had been prescribed by your doctor when the nausea and anxiety became too much, and pray that you can keep your food down when out with your friend. Jeff soon texts and you quickly pocket some money, your phone, and your keys before leaving out the front door.
Then settling into the front passenger seat of Jeff's vehicle, you flash him a tired grin. "Hey, how's your day been?"
"Boring." As Jeff pulls away from the curb, you buckle yourself in and then try to sit as still as possible. "Had to film an ad for Old Spice, but that was over and done with surprisingly fast. How was your day?"
"Honestly? It's been a shit day," you say, chuckling softly. "It's kind of why I wanted to talk to you."
"Uh oh." He glances between the road and you. "This can't be good."
"You have no idea how right you are." Sighing, you then say, "I'm not sure I want to tell you right now. It's kind of an appetite killer and I already took two edibles."
Jeff frowns. "Edibles? I didn't know you were into that."
"I'm not, but they were prescribed by my doctor."
"Doctor? What the hell is going on, Y/N?"
"I'm sorry." Wringing your hands together nervously, you then meet Jeff's stare after he's pulled off into a gas station parking lot. "I'm sick. I didn't want to tell anyone until I absolutely had to and this morning I realized I was going to have to start because I need to ask you for a favor."
"Y/N," he starts, "the only time someone is prescribed edibles is when-"
"-when someone has cancer. When the chemo becomes too much and the patient can't keep food down."
Jeff's eyes close as he deeply exhales. "Jesus." A moment of silence passes and then, "what's this favor?"
"I need you to shave my head."
"What?"
"During chemo, hair starts falling out anywhere between two to four weeks. It's been a little over five for me and I noticed it falling out this morning."
He gulps. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Your voice wobbles and tears fill your eyes, but you're quick to wipe them away before they fall. "I don't want to go to a stranger for this. This is really personal and I would rather the person shaving my head be someone I trust."
"Then yes. I'll do it." You smile, but you can't help the tears. "Christ, Y/N, come here." Jeff opens his arms for a hug and you unbuckle your seatbelt so you're able to hug him over the center console. "You know you're gonna have to tell everyone. And soon."
"I will. I kind of have an idea of how I want to tell them, but you'd have to agree to it."
Pulling out of the hug, Jeff grins. "Okay then. We'll talk details over dinner because I'm sure you're starting to feel really hungry."
"I am." Jeff chuckles and then starts to drive. On the road to the chosen restaurant , you finally say, "Thanks, Jeff."
"Don't even mention it. I will always be there for my friends." He flashes you that dimpled smile of his and for a moment you feel like you can breathe again.
Letting someone in on this secret of yours feels like a weight has been lifted off your chest.
Tumblr media
"So are you gonna tell me why we're doing a special edition of Jeff's Barbershop in my living room?" David wonders.
Zane and Heath are helping Jeff setup, pushing back the furniture and laying down some plastic so hair doesn't get caught in the carpet.
"You'll know soon enough."
"Can you at least let us know whose hair you're cutting?" He then asks.
Jeff sighs. "You'll know soon enough, man." David frowns, and Heath and Zane suddenly look interested in Jeff's vague answers. "Just- no jokes. Alright? This is going to be pretty serious."
"Jesus. What the hell is going on?" Zane nervously chuckles, attempting to cut the tension. It doesn't work.
"Okay. Well who's all coming?" David asks.
"Mariah, Erin, Carly, Y/N, Natalie, Jason, Todd, and Matt. Everyone else couldn't make it, so we'll call them afterward."
"Man," Heath sighs. "I've got a bad feeling about today. If Jeff isn't cracking jokes, something must really be up."
Jeff only shrugs, refusing to say anymore on the matter.
          - X - X - X - X - X -
By the time everyone is gathered at David's and has calmed down from greeting one another, Jeff stands next to the chair in the middle of the room. He picks up the black cape from the seat and holds it in one hand, staring out at everyone. "Ready?"
Everyone then glances around the room, anxious to see who's going to stand, and you almost laugh at their surprised exclamations when you push yourself up to your feet.
"What?!" Erin shouts, smiling. "No way!" She then looks to Jeff. "I thought you didn't cut women's hair? You nearly panicked when I asked you buzz my baby hairs."
"This is a special occasion of sorts. You'll understand soon enough," he says.
Now standing next to Jeff, you stuff your hands into the pocket of your hoodie. He wraps an arm around your shoulders and you lean into him for some much needed comfort. "I know you're all probably confused," you start, "but I have something to tell you and I figured I'd tell as many of you as I can in one go because this is kind of hard to say out loud."
Mariah frowns and leans forward. "What's going on, girl?"
You take a deep breath, but it doesn't help. Tears immediately spring to your eyes, even as you try to screw your mouth and nose up to keep them at bay. The tears suddenly have everyone on edge. "I.. I have cancer." The entire group goes silent and those who'd been staring at their phones immediately drop them. "I found out a little over a month ago and have been having chemo sessions for about just as long."
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" David wonders.
You shrug. "It was hard to process at first, but then I just got scared that you'd all treat me differently once you found out. And now that my hair is falling out and Jeff kindly accepted to do me a favor, I figured I'd tell you instead of surprising you with my bald noggin'."
Heath and David are the first out of their seats, the two young men sandwiching you in a hug. You laugh, but then your laughter turns into sobs as you cling to them. One by one, the rest of your friends stand to embrace you and whisper words of encouragement.
When they're done, you step back and wipe your eyes. "None of you guys actually have to stay for the cut, but you're more than welcome to. Jeff's gonna film as if he were back at his own place and I'm just going to talk about how I found out about the cancer."
"We're staying," Jason says. "We're gonna be here for you every step of the way."
You finally take a seat in the chair and Jeff wraps the cape around your neck. You gulp down the lump in your throat, inhaling and exhaling loudly to prepare yourself for what's about to come. The sound of the clippers turn on and you close your eyes when you feel the teeth of the clippers at the front of your hairline.
Then almost as if he's unsure, Jeff slowly drags the clippers atop your head. The moment you feel your hair being cut, you can't stop the tears that start to flow once more. This time, however, they're silent.
"So, uh, how did you find out about the cancer?" Jeff asks.
He continues to cut and it takes you a moment to find your voice. "It was stupid, really," you huff. "I was just feeling kind of worn down, but I wasn't sick. So after being utterly exhausted for no apparent reason, I went to the doctor where they drew some blood and found abnormalities in my blood."
"Didn't you lose your mom to cancer?" Natalie asks.
"I did." Shakily smiling, you take a moment to control your warring emotions. "Since my mom had it, the doctors urged me to get checked out early. I refused. And then I refused again when my dad's sister was diagnosed and my chances of having it as well were even higher."
"God," Erin sighs. "I don't think I could not know. I'd have gotten checked out as soon as possible."
"It's easy to say that if you haven't seen anyone go through it," you tell her. "But I watched my mom go through chemo several times and watched her health slowly deteriorate. I didn't want to get as sick as she did. It was horrible. So I came to the conclusion that if I didn't know, then it was okay. It'd take forever to actually show symptoms and I was fine with that."
"But the symptoms showed up early," Zane guesses.
You nod. "They did."
"What- what kind of cancer is it?" Matt asks.
"Breast. Exactly like my mom had, but nowhere as advanced as hers was."
"So that's a good thing. Right?" Todd wonders.
"I mean.." you trail off, shrugging. "My chances are better than hers were, but I'd rather not have cancer to begin with."
Everyone falls silent and the only sound for a few minutes are the buzzing clippers.
You let Jeff move your head this way as he cuts, almost missing his question. "Now that you know, do you wish you'd have gotten checked sooner?"
"Honestly? Yeah. Because if they had caught it sooner, then I wouldn't need chemo," you admit. "So my advice to everyone is, is that even though you hate doctor visits, schedule them for at least every six months. And if your family has a history of cancer, get checked as soon as possible and schedule appointments every three months to make sure nothing pops up suddenly."
"Okay. And we're.. done."
Jeff cleans you off and unlatches the cape from around your neck, but you're frozen in your seat. Your head feels a whole lot lighter and though you asked Jeff for this haircut, you don't want to see it.
"Y/N?" Carly's soft voice pulls you out of your mind.
"I'm okay." You shakily smile. "I just- it's just a lot to take in. Now I know how my mom felt when my brother cut her hair those three times."
Jeff comes around to stop before you, he grabbing your hands and gently pulling you to your feet. "Whatever you need, we're here for you." He wraps his arms around you, tucking you under his chin. "If you want to go to a wig shop, we'll go to a wig shop."
You sniffle, chuckling. "No offense to your fantastic cut, but we're definitely going to a wig shop."
"Hell yes we are, baby," Zane agrees.
The others slowly start to unwind from the serious situation you dropped into their laps, and though there are still tears in their eyes and pity in their expressions, they try to make the best of it.
Plans are made to keep you decently active, your friends wheedle more information out of you about your family's health history, and then before Jeff can leave you follow him outside.
"Hey," you call out, stalling him, the hood of your jacket pulled up and over your head. "I know how annoying some of your viewers are, so if you want I can make an intro or outro for your video to let everyone know the video was my idea and that you didn't make it for the views."
Jeff sheepishly smiles. "You watch my videos?"
"We're friends, aren't we?" You grin. "Of course I watch them. So what do you say?"
"I'd appreciate it. Thanks, Y/N."
"Mhm. And thank you. For everything."
Jeff's dimples make an appearance as he smiles, he nodding before getting in his vehicle to take his leave.
Tumblr media
The news of your cancer took every one of the fans by surprise.
Jeff had edited his video as quickly as he could and posted it with your permission. Then as soon as his video was up, you took a couple of selfies and posted them to Instagram with a link to the video that explained everything. The love and support that had quickly followed left you in tears, and feeling quite content with yourself for your decision to no longer keep your illness a secret.
The chemotherapy eventually got the best of you and there were times when you couldn't even get out of bed. It went from your friends constantly checking on you to moving you into David's spare bedroom when they found you struggling to breathe one day from an anxiety attack. You hadn't wanted to become a burden, but everyone was in agreement that they'd feel better if you lived with one of them until treatment was over. And seeing as you lived closest to Natalie and David, it was their home you moved into.
You filmed bits for everyone's vlogs to talk about your journey with cancer and about the progress you'd made while getting treatment. But soon the treatments stopped and you had to endure yet more testing to see if the chemo was doing it's job.
Then a week later, you're getting ready to go visit the doctor for your results.
As you're sliding your feet into a pair of sneakers, David's just getting home.
"Hey, Y/N. Going out?"
"Yeah." Pulling a beanie atop your head, you fix it just right before meeting David's gaze. "Today's the big day. I find out whether or not I can stop chemo for good or have to have another round."
His eyes subtly widen. "Yeah? Can I go?"
"Sure. You mind driving? I'm a bit anxious."
"Not at all. Lets go."
The drive is mostly a relaxed one, David asking about your plans should you get good news. You told him that you'd be moving back into your own apartment and that you were going back to work as soon as possible because your job was still waiting for you.
David then proceeded to assure you that no matter what he and all your friends would be there for you to fall back on should you need it. Of course you knew that, but it was nice to hear it again.
The following wait in the waiting room is quite excruciating and David grips onto your hand as your knee bounces anxiously. Smiling sheepishly, you try to quit the knee bouncing, but it starts back up moments later.
When your name is finally called, you drag David with you into the back room. Hand in hand, you enter the doctor's main office and only have to wait another hand full of minutes. Your doctor's expression is quite unreadable and even David's knee starts to bounce anxiously, but when she beams at you, you break down.
Remission. You are in complete remission.
Your face is in your hands as you sob, David's rubbing your back, and it takes you a moment to calm down. Then when you're finally able to control yourself and glance up, even the doctor is teary-eyed. She tells you that all tests and scans came back clean, but she'd still like to see you every three months to make sure nothing suddenly pops back up. You're more than okay with that and after gathering some paperwork, and standing up to hug your doctor, you and David are soon on your way.
Outside the office building, you and David stare at one another before he opens his arms and you throw yourself at him. He's laughing, you're crying and laughing, and the two of you just hug it out far longer than a hug should last.
"So who are we telling first?" He wonders, grinning.
"Jeff. Definitely Jeff," you say. "He was the first to know I had cancer, so he should the first- well, second now- to know I'm in remission."
"Well alright then. But just so you know, I'm recording their reactions."
You laugh. "Of course you are."
1K notes · View notes
whumpbby · 4 years
Note
Aaaaa! Whump, it's so beautiful! Thank you for it! I'm that anon who sent you vigilante Jay, and I absolutely loved it, thank you very much! Also, apparently, not everything made it to you, because there was one more part. Where Damian while opposing Jay actually was really attracted to him as a pup searching for omega's care, he really liked his scent from the very start and also his personality too made him secretly admire him, but he just can't admit it. It would ruin everything he was taught
2/3 and Jason himself is very confused, scared even. He may have his mom, but she is beta and while she loves him deeply, there is some things that she just doesn't understand and so can't provide, unlike batpack, who with time made themselves really tuned to him. He really loves them, but he is still painfully insecure, and Damian, young pup and Bruce's actual son, antagonizing him so fiercely really hurts him. He wishes he could take care of pup, comfort him, but it's just so uncomfortable and
3/3 and what if batpack will eventually grow tired of him? What if they find someone better? He wishes they won't, but he just can't bring himself to fully believe it. And with it, he starts to distance himself from batpack, thinking, that it's better to do it on his own, than be pushed aside by them. Batpack is miserable, Damian is alone and miserable, and Jason is alone and miserable and not quite safe firghting on Gotham's streets all alone...
******************
Yeey, anon, you are welcome;] You did most of the job, so hey ;] 
Ok, so I can get on how the Bats started to ‘court’  Jay into their Pack. 
The thing is, they didn’t. The were investigating him - and with B so invested into trying to take the kid off the streets, the rest got intrigued too and soon enough Jay had a Bat after him pretty much every other night he decided to ‘patrol’ -  if they can’t get him off the streets, they can at least make sure he won’t get hurt. And it turns out to be a family effort, because the kid has spunk and the younger bats are all, well, I can’t be a hypocrite, can I? 
So, they swap ‘shifts’ on the new kid, everyone wanting a look at the new potential colleague and Bruce is tearing his hair, because they need to find a way to dissuade the boy form doing this! And whereas Dick kind of understands his dad and agrees with him to a degree, he’s also impressed by how much the boy managed to accomplish with almost no means and little official training. Imagine what he will be able to do if properly trained! Titans would surely be interested! And then there’s Tim and Steph and Cass, who are just biding time, because they know Bruce and they know it will end up in a nominal adoption, so  may as well stalk the kid a bit;] 
And the thing is, Jason only  rarely notices that he’s being followed. He has good instincts, but he didn’t have any training and so in is head he’s so far managing to avoid detection - even if sometimes he just feels that shiver running down his spine.
That’t because, his body knows. It knows that he’s being trailed by someone - by a variety of alphas, no less. And since ‘patrolling’ is a dangerous business, Jay’s stress levels go up, but his hindbrain detects a presence of alphas and decides to latch onto the idea that they’re not dangerous to him and in time learns to find safety in them. And, since it would seem that Jay is surrounded by alphas pretty regularly, his body decides that becoming an alpha himself is unnecessary. Before, it was all fired up to turn into one - Jay lived in constant danger and stress over his mom’s safety - but now? He’s apparently a part of a pack? Nah, he can chill and be a betta, yeah? 
 Except there came one night when Jay took on more than he could handle, ends up in a boot of a car, beaten up and bound, about to be thrown into the harbour by some very disgruntled mooks who figured out that he isn’t just a street kid and is either in cahoots with the Police or the Bats, and needs to go. And, welp, Jay is sure that this is it, he is done for, he is terrified and in so much pain... 
And, at the last moment, he gets saved by no one other than Mr Fingerstripes himself. And right behind him is Batman - big and scary and growling so low Jay’s hair stand on the ends and he curls up on the ground as the two alphas make quick work of the criminals around. He manages to escape the binds on his own and makes to run - except he can’t really. There is something wrong with his leg, his nose is broken and he’s dizzy form pain, and the Bats are so imposing and so scary... 
He wakes up in the morning in the Free Clinic, bandaged and taken care of, and  scolded by Dr Thompkins, with his mom in the waiting room, all worried and tired. And he was so sure that he won’t wake up at all. He was going to die and leave his mom alone, and.. he needs to reevaluate his approach. The Bats saved him, but how many times can he be lucky before he bites it? He needs to get better. He needs to be more careful. He needs to be able to defend himself. 
So, as soon as Jay is healed, he enrols for some boxing classes. He’s a bit scrawny, but physical workouts should put some meat on him, yes? He doesn't have a lot of time to train, with school and a part-time job, but he’s trying. 
Luck smiles on the family, however, Cath finds a job that pays decently (it’s not easy to find good jobs with her history) - one of the agencies she was applying to religiously got her a position of an admin at one of the smaller branches of Wayne Foundation - and it’s not much, but it’s decent money and WF provides good healthcare to all of their employees, and Cath can finally - finally! - tell her son he can stop working and focus on school.
Jay uses the spare time on improving his skills. It’s not going badly, but his body is slow to build up muscle, which is frustrating... and that’s because the night he almost died was such a shock to his system, followed up by a pair of high-strung alphas crowding over him, touching him (he was unconscious for this part), their overbearing scent and presence, and his hormones aligned accordingly to protect him at his most vulnerable. It is a well known fact that in a pack of alphas the weakest/youngest member will more than likely present as an omega. 
Jay is not aware that he’s a member of any pack, apart from him and his mom. And the Bats are not aware that they have a new pack-member too. Except Jason starts to present more and more omega traits and it’s Dick who notices their little wannabe-vigilante started to smell inviting and it doesn’t take Bruce to connect the dots and come to the conclusion. 
Up oh, they’ve fucked up. They messed up Jay’s life more than anyone could have guessed - omegas had a hard time in the poorer neighbourhoods, all for how rare they were. Omegas came from safety, from the packs that were secure,  and accidentally they gave Jay’s body the idea that he was a part of a ‘safe’ family... and it’s not a one-way street, because now in Bruce’s head the same is happening. He was so invested in the safety of the pup that he somehow convinced his instincts that Jay was one of his - they started to put the boy in the same place he keeps all of his pups in. 
Uh oh. 
62 notes · View notes
the-firebird69 · 2 years
Text
It sounds great to a lot of people of ours and to you and he approves and to Hera and she approves. There's a few holdouts no way not at all everybody signing on they love the idea they want to run these people to the coals show them where it's really all about and what it's like take them to court and have lawyers they have no idea what they're in for
We all see them eyeballing the nuclear power plant too we're going to take them down this is one of the best days of my life this is so much fun they all wanted to go ahead and they're ordering people that make it so we're going to sue their balls off too literally and figuratively it's not time for the rebel bike yet that's going to be this surreptitious thing BG is picking up some Jason is and it's going to be like the French underground they're going to set it up with you guys finally need to you going to join up with them and thank them for doing it and our son he's going to underground with you trying to replicate Dunkin' donuts coffee and donuts as well and Burger King hamburgers luckily they say there's all sorts of women who work there and can remember going to make it all worth it because really just need the greasy spoon Ron and Mike underground and smiling probably how it is usually is it's wolverine.
So right now we're suing we're all pleased with it with the idea with the concept. The wheel in the sky is turning and the song says it right in it the sun is kissing the sky and that's about our son is kissing the day away actually and tomorrow everybody's going to be psyched to go to New Hampshire it's going on now my son is telling us how just kept on trying and trying stuff and kept trying it finally something worked should I try stuff and try stuff at worse we already have it unless it doesn't it was something doesn't work you going after these shattered on with Giants and it works and these people have interference or team teammates whatever you want to call it his mom's in there we have to clear out yeah this leadership too it's a long time a long time we maddening but I see how it is now you have to persevere and you have to go on and you can't let them win.
The good news goes back to people decide to leave because they hear it I can't can't keep it quiet they can but they want to talk to us each other
The lawsuit is proceeding we did preliminary investigation preliminary work and we went down to the courthouse and they're accepting it on a preliminary basis meaning they have to go over it and you know present it formally tomorrow and they'll have to review it but they're going to accept it and they'll be a battle there tonight and they bow back some of them were seen skipping the end time to go up there I just tried to and he was giving out free beer and it's a decent brand when did Tommy allen knows the source of. He had fine glasses and everything and they give it's a drink and toast to a dad Mac was there
Bitol and Goddess Wife
0 notes
Note
Your commentary on titans 👌👌 give us the full review
My main problem with Titans is that there is (a.) no logical and solid justification for these characters and their actions and (b.) this may just be the film nerd in me— but there’s no emotional payoff.
 What irks me more is that the cast is incredible. They’re likeable and capable of handling emotion and they can clearly deal with more than they’re given.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure from writers to showrunners to directors and crew— a lot of work and time and energy has been put into the production of this show.  But these characters are so iconic and in my nitwit opinion, it’s almost painful to see their potential go to waste.
And I say potential because there are moments— mystical and magical, full of hope and wonder and rich comic goodness that make you want more. But they fall flat. 
“Families can be fucked up.”
Titans is supposed to be about family. They literally end the last episode with the song “We are Family.” So why would these people— who supposedly view each other as found family— abandon each other at every given opportunity?
They gang up on Jason in the tower when only moments before they were all fired up about saving the kid from Dr. Light. Gar gets left behind by himself with an unconscious, cleary dangerous super clone. Donna and Dawn fully agree to let Dick rot in prison.
These actions do not reflect people who care for each other. Who want to protect and keep each other safe. Why would this be the core emotional catalyst for any development whatsoever when no actual families are portrayed?
Also, here are two established families featured this season and there were no attempts to have them act as foils for each other even though that would have made clear sense. The Wilsons and the Waynes. Two kids that share stoic father figures that are linked to their trauma. Rose and Jericho have no relationship. No communication. No reason to trust each other. Also, why does Rose immediately give up her life for her father?
Dick and Jason’s relationship had some moments that could have been great to both of their character developments. Dick is his best when he’s being a big brother to Gar and Rachel. Why not let him be the same for Jason?
Here are some things I’d do differently.
1.) No Conner storyline
 Conner, Krypto and Eve’s episode (episode 6) was quite possibly the best of the season. It’s because a family dynamic is clearly established. (It’s a little weird, I’ll admit) But these characters rely on each other. They look out for each other. They care.  (“You didn’t abandon me”// “Can I call you mom?”// “Hot dogs? Get it?”– i ate that shit up)
That being said, it also feels like Conner was just created so they’d have someone to save Jason from his fall. 
The introduction of CADMUS as another antagonist when Slade is a major, overpowering one feels like too many things to juggle at once. If they’d held out, Conner and CADMUS would have been great as the main focal point for a whole season.
2.) More Jericho
Jericho was essentially the highlight of the season. I can’t tell if it was the way he was written or the way Chella portrayed him but that’s what Titans really needs. 
humanity. kindness. friendship and family ties. 
why couldn’t he have had more time with the Titans? why couldn’t he have a relationship with Rose? 
I’d have let him explore his abilities more. His relationship with his mom, with Slade, with each of the Titans. 
They needed to have actual bonding with him. Not just a shoddy backstory.
3.) Better treatment of Rose
Rose Wilson could have been so much more than just a plot point. More than an informant. All she did this season was eat cereal, say “i’m out” and then solve a major fight plot point in fifteen minutes. We needed more of her training, her relationships, her justifications to just pick and fall into a life of an assassin. 
She and Jason had some decent moments of believable cheesy teen behaviour between them but not enough to cover the gaping hole in Jason’s storyline.
4.) Jason needs more emotional moments!!
Not going to lie, I wasn’t sure Curran Walters could do big emotional scenes or make me care as much as he did. But he did. He’s got the bratty, troubled Jason down but he needs to be more fleshed out.
Like Rose, he feels like a caricature of a troubled teen. Where’s his interaction with Bruce? His backstory? His impulsivity and need to prove himself to Dick should be established but it’s not.
That scene where he learns that Rose has been using them all along? That was better than most of what we’ve seen him do.
5.) Donna as a big sister// Donna’s relationship with loss
You’re telling me “older smarter prettier”// “you can crash at my place” Donna Troy who took care of Dick would not look at these kids and want to help? After all Diana’s taught her? WACK
Also Donna and Garth’s relationship? It felt forced. He literally said “I love you” and then died. C’mon man, really? At least give them a pre-established relationship.
6.) Kory?? what happened y’all?
She felt so underutilized this season. Anna Diop is a star. She delivers her performance so well. The moment she heals Conner, her rushing to save Rachel— she has this essence of kindness that fits so well with her strength and the potency of her powers. 
She’s a gifted, royal powerhouse.
So why give her a runaround, stretched out storyline? Why make her kill someone she cared about? 
7.) Hank and Jason?//Dawn, Donna and Kory?// Dick & Gar
The dynamic between these characters whether seen or hinted at could have literally carried full episodes. Why consistently break them apart? Or make them fight or ignore each other? Why not let them play into each other, learn from each other? INTERACT??
8.) Bruce// Dick’s version of Bruce
I like Iain Glen as an older version of Bruce Wayne. I like that he’s a bit quirky, snarky, an asshole and he  says things like “no shit.” But he doesn’t serve much of a purpose and he feels like an instant solution in certain situations. Plus he has no interaction with Jason.
That being said, the use of him as Dick’s voice of reason/subconscious does hone in on the question that Dick keeps trying to run away from— “What would Batman do?” That works for his character. It works for his growth. Their dynamic is wonderful but ultimately, not necessary. 
9.) Donna dying?
That WHOLE scene was so out of place. Why would that have happened after the climax of the story? As an extra source of angst?
Again, the Titans are separated by death. Again, a sense of a family is built up and torn down. No one should have to die for a real sense of familial bond to be established.
10.) Deathstroke’s character//takedown
He’s supposed to be the main antagonist and they all have beef with him. Rightfully, everyone should have gotten a chance in that battle. It happened way too quickly and was very anticlimactic for the old Titans.
Also, Slade killing one of their friends with one, single bullet to the chest literally does nothing for me. Especially since Aqualad is supposed to be a Titan. There’s no real conflict, no tangible establishment of hate. Where’s the torture? the real hurt?
11.) Gar, Dick and Hank and their repeated storylines
they all went through the same arcs again. Dick with his Batman struggle. Hank and his own darkness. Gar and his struggle with control and being controlled and experimented on.
This season should have been about Dick coming into his own as Nightwing. About Gar finally having some normalcy and a place that he feels safe in. He should have gotten some redemption as a hero. Hank (and i hate to say, i hope i don’t sound ridiculous but) should have gotten some resolution with Dawn. Either they’re in or out because the back and forth they do with each other is incredibly toxic and they’ve been established as smart enough to see that.
It wasn’t all bad though and I’ll probably end up doing a re-watch sometime. Since I’ve pretty much spouted asshole nonsense, here are some of the best moments:
The end of the first episode where they’re all standing around their cars and laughing? GOLD. More of that cheesy, established friendship.
Jericho hugging Dick, Dick being unsure how to deal with warmth and forgiveness. Everybody say thank you to Chella for improvising that.
Kory and Donna being detectives and arguing over jelly doughnuts? Yes, please! I love them together. How they clearly knew each other, how they worked well together to take out Shimmer. 
Kory speaking Kryptonian. Anything that furthers her development brings me joy.
Conner saving Jason. That was pretty comic book like— I liked it. 
All the scenes Krypto’s in.
Hank telling Dawn that he knows what Jason’s probably feeling. That was emotional and heartfelt. Also, Hank going “Atta boy” when they were on the phone with Slade. I’m really upset they couldn’t have a brotherly relationship because their characters are quite similar.
Gar, Jason and Rachel interacting like friends/teammates/siblings. Their dynamic works. I’d love to have seen the three of them take on a challenge together.
30 notes · View notes
sookiesookster · 4 years
Text
just going to do a quick run down of my character i’ll be bring to life on the site! as well as things i’m hunting for, for them! and there is a lot going on with everyone and ugh i’m just incredibly excited for them alllllll!!!!
makani viali - roman reigns (39) , divorced with one child -- halea’s kj apa.  line back for the dallas cowboys and he is slowly coming to the end of his football career. has been divorced for the last ten years, they have a very civil relationship with one another. bryce dallas howard is the suggested face for the mother because well she is quite fitting if you ask me ;) they’ve got a good co-parenting relationship! he has two brothers (all of whom have different fathers guess you could say mom was a bit of a whore) suggested faces are dwayne johnson and jason momoa. lastly his love life.. i’m digging the idea of a dallas cowboy cheerleader type relationship, but truthfully i haven’t given it a lot of thought! <3 
beaux kendall - chris wood (35) , single/complicated/it is in the works/but he is definitely off the market. has seven younger sisters. 24, 25(taken), 26, 27, 28, 29(taken), & 30. they’ve all got southern bumpkin names going for them so that is a lot of fun! beaux is protective of them all! he is a police officer with the austin police department and i’d love to have his partner who i’d love to be female and definitely would not mind having melissa benoist and yes i know they are a love interest in real life but i just love a cute friendship dynamic for them! also maybe an ex who fucked him up/cheated on him/made him believe love was impossible? beaux is legit a puppy dog of a human being. 
chicago rowley - thomas doherty (23) , in a relationship. came from a single parent home where his mother was worthless and didn’t raise him he raised himself type of situation. ran away at the age of 17 with the love of his life and never looked back. spends a lot of time on the road, never stays anywhere longer than a year. sings country music and plays guitar at local bars to get by. wouldn’t mind finding a small group of friends for him to make over the years that he and his lady have crashed with a time or two. 
mattea stafford - demi lovato (30) , married to an enforcer of the MC. had a horrible childhood never really though highly of herself until she meant her husband and he quickly swept her away and it was a whirlwind of a relationship. one that got worse before it ever got better, now though better than ever. has two shithead brothers (older most likely) that she has helped get out of tight spots even though they probably do not deserve it but they’re the only family she has left now -- well besides her husband and niece. owns a burlesque club and treats all her girls like fine wine and is also a front with the MC business in austin (most likely girls whom are partnered or have hooked up with MC men). 
quinne upwood - john krasinski (43) , has been married for the last 14 years and has two children (gage 10, bridget 7). their marriage has been very rocky so quinne spends a lot of time away from home -- he is a professor at baylor university. thinking maybe emily blunt for the wife -- just because we can? also looking for a student early to mid 20′s, that quinne has started to sleep with and it is complicated and he isn’t sure what he thinks of the whole thing and thinks he should tell his wife or leave her or honestly doesn’t know. this could be something that turns into a polyship, but could be something that continues where he is married but has a girlfriend? or could be one where he goes back to is wife or leaves his wife -- i want to play it out! comes from a big texas family and ALL the siblings are over the age of 40! 
rebel ellison - jeffrey dean morgan 2 (55) - married to  his wife for 26 years (jessica chastain preferred) has four children  (24, 22, 19, 18) -- runs the MC out of austin while his twin brother (remington halea’s JDM) runs the MC out of dallas! he is happily married meant his wife in the navy fell in love. also runs a motorcycle shop as the club front -- obviously. also hunting christina hendricks for remington (halea’s jdm) ex wife and the sister of jessica chastain! (bc why not have siblings married) jessica is a patch member as well as the elite bitch old lady ;) also wouldn’t mind kristofer hivju as their brother and a police officer (i will totally make you a cute little ship for him because i fucking love him and i’m not ashamed) just a whole lot of fuckery going on! and obviously need more MC members. ranking members MUST be 30+ (except vp, secretary, treasurer must be 40+) patch members must be 25+ and prospects must be 21+ there will be a lot of information for the MC and there is one in dallas and one in austin <3 and nomads in waco!)
sage davenport - sebastian stan (40) - married to his husband for ten years and i would LOVE for it to be jamie dornan! about five years ago they decided to turn their marriage into a polyship when the married couple brought in a third male (matthew gray gubler? hehe) and while everything seemed to be perfect, sage recently started hanging out with his intern/secretary in a friendly minor before he easily became smitten and now he wants to bring her into their love nest as a 4th (mostly his bc i’m thinking the other two may not be keen on females?) i’d really love for that to be shailene woodley because since seeing the gifs i’m like FUCK please man! comes from a decent size family 6-10 siblings (more information will be figured out!) 
obviously i have so many character ideas this is just my first 8 freebies ;) but i need so many things and i’m always down for smashing plots/ships and doing shit! so if you got ideas, interested in things message me here or hit me up on discord: jamie#7222
3 notes · View notes
ask-will-and-nico · 4 years
Note
Will wants to, but he doesn’t want to be the reason everyone stops what they’re doing. His oldest brother, Lee, and parents live at home. But Lee had a job and a girlfriend of his own. And Will didn’t want to impose. “Rest and think about it, sweetie,” Naomi says. “I know it’s a lot.” Will sniffles. “Is there anything else?” Naomi kisses his forehead, shaking her head. “I know it’s scary, but we’re here for you.” Will wishes he could curl up in her lap, but he couldn’t even move.
-
"But what about everything here?" Will asks. "What about Nico?" Naomi deflates a little. "I don't know, sweetie. We can work something out, okay? It doesn't have to be forever." Will shakes his head. "But I can't leave him. I promised him I wouldn't." He sniffles, wiping at his face. Naomi brushes back his hair. "We don't have to figure everything out now, okay? Think about it." Will nods slowly. To Piper, he looks like a scared child. "I don't want to be a burden. I don't wanna leave Nico either.”
-
It's so tempting, honestly, Will thinks. To go home, to have his mom take care of him. But he thinks of their farm and all that he used to do, that he won't be able to do anymore. He'll just be sitting inside in his wheelchair while they bustle around him. Not that it'd be much different here. He couldn't really walk the streets like he used to or drive over to Nico's. Gods, and he doesn't want to leave Nico, promised he wouldn't. But Nico had enough stuff to worry about besides taking care of Will.
-
Will thinks of home. He’s missed it, but he’d finally started building a life here. And he doesn’t want to go home just because he’s broken now. “Just think about it,” Naomi says gently. She kisses his forehead. “We’ll support whatever you choose.” Will nods. He feels so tired now, but he doesn’t want to sleep. He doesn’t want to be alone right now. “Can you tell me a story?” he asks. He wipes his face, knowing he probably looks gross. Naomi smiles. “Of course, sweetie.”
-/-/-
Piper’s phone buzzed, and she paused Naomi in her story telling to show Will the picture Jason had just sent her. It was Nico, out cold on the couch with his mouth open, drooling all over himself. He had the ice pack headband on, and Penny was curled up on his chest. “He’s so handsome,” Will said softly. Piper snorted, because that wasn’t exactly what she’d say about Nico, but she was glad she could reassure Will that Nico was doing well and that he didn’t have to worry about him. Will’s eyes were slowly lowering more and more, and Piper hoped he could get some decent rest now.
4 notes · View notes
lokilickedme · 5 years
Text
Tumblr media
(Okay, I’m going to do this in probably 3 parts because it’s long)
So The Department sorta happened because I wanted to get back into a regular weekly-updating online fic because, frankly, two reasons:
1) I’m worn out/exhausted/a bit burned out from working on novels and very little of anything else for the last year and a half, and
2) I crave/need the instant validation of the comment section at AO3, which you don’t get when you write a book :/
So I called a break, put away my manuscripts for a couple months, and am just indulging in some fun writing for a little while.  And since I wanted something new (sorry WIPs, your time will come again) this is what we ended up with.
I don’t remember exactly what made me go with the police department premise.  The potential for assholery and rampant egomania, most likely?  Well, you know I love that shit when it hides something slightly more noble underneath...and I think I wanted a big ensemble cast because I just adore the dynamics that can occur in groups of disparate personalities who have known each other for a long time.  That way they interact when they know each others’ secrets and there’s that one person new to the group who isn’t in on any of the jokes?  Good stuff right there.
I do remember that the first ideas for this story came to me during the Professor Jeff’s Super Science Show at the library (yeah your guess is as good as mine on that but it happens literally every time).  But if I’m being honest, I’d say it probably had more to do with Benny Hill than anything.  I have this bad habit of sitting on the couch with my laptop on my knees, headphones on, head back, inventing scenes in my head that go along with whatever music I’m listening to.  I’ve got this one insane playlist full of goofy tunes my 7-year old has requested for staging Thomas The Tank Engine crash scenes (don’t ask) and on this particular night that’s what I was listening to because why not.  On that playlist is a 30-minute loop of the Benny Hill Theme.  And all I could see in my head was a foot chase on ice and snow between a female officer, an out of shape Chief of police, a giraffe-legged office assistant, and a probably methed-up wannabe criminal who didn’t actually do anything major but was running anyway because he was bored.  It struck me funny and I toyed with the idea of sticking it into something I already had started, because I do love me some chaotic slapstick.
So the next day I’m driving the boys home from the Super Science Show and I’ve been playing around with it in my head again, and it’s taking shape into something that I know I’m going to have to work with.  We pass the Pupuseria Virolena Salvadoran restaurant downtown, and I start laughing because I’m suddenly hearing David Tennant trying to say that in his Scottish accent.
On the spot I named him Hawk and made him Captain.  And now we have one of our characters, and by the time we pull up in our driveway ten minutes later I’ve got stuff needing to be written down right now.
(the rest is under the cut for length)
Chapter 1 - Prologue - Your Boatload of Bad Decisions Has Left The Harbor
I was so anxious to get into the story but it needed an introduction, or else Greta being in this podunk town wouldn’t have any weight.  So we’re introduced to our heroine, who isn’t so much a heroine as just a decent if slightly too self confident special division officer who had some bad luck.  It’s not elaborated on yet in the story, though it’s heavily referenced multiple times that she disobeyed an order and made the decision to continue a high speed pursuit that had been called off by her superior officer, the above-mentioned Captain Hawkins, whom Greta has something of a relationship with (yeah they’re screwing, what of it).  And in the wake of that decision, Greta’s partner is killed and she’s brought up on charges, suspended, ordered to counseling, and finally shipped off to a small town in Minnesota so she can keep working while her final fate is decided by an investigative committee back in LA.
The opening chase scene was written from things I learned when I was a kid and my dad did vehicle tweaks for the Fort Worth police department from his auto shop.  The officers used to hang out drinking Cokes and telling stories while dad made (possibly illegal) modifications to their cars.  I was there a lot, sitting under his work bench with my books and pencils, listening to everything and remembering it all.  And I thought it was so damn cool.  So here we are.  What else was I gonna do with that information?  Might as well put it to use if it’s gonna be taking up real estate in my head for all these years.
For the record, I really liked Greta’s partner Joe and hated to kill him - but we needed a catalyst, and the cheerful best friend who sings Italian arias during chases while joyfully blasting out windshields is always gonna be the loser in the goner lottery.  For once the male hero dies to further the female lead’s storyline.
Heh, take that Marvel.
Anyway, sorry Joe.  There will be more about you in later chapters, so...gone but not forgotten.
Chapter 2 - Minnewhatever
This part starts out with the last bit of backstory we need to proceed.  Hawk sending Greta off to Minnesota, a place whose name she never does remember or say correctly.  She doesn’t figure she’s actually going to be there long enough to bother learning it, but Hawk informs her that her exile is likely to last at least a year, and he gives her very little reassurance that she won’t be serving every minute of her sentence.
Greta’s feeling a little betrayed here.  She and Hawk have been sort of a thing for a while, friends and colleagues and lovers, but he’s washing his hands of the entire situation and she’s left angry and a bit bereft.  But she still figures he’ll do something to get her out of it, if she’s patient and behaves herself in the new place.
Fast forward to day one in Weemeetwa.  While drowning her aggravation in a bottle of the good stuff, Greta meets her first new acquaintance and decides to just go with the cranky fuck-it attitude that she’s been harboring since the incident, gets shitfaced, and goes home with the guy.  This might have been a dual-purpose shag; Greta’s still feeling betrayed and abandoned by Hawk, so it’s a screw-you that he’ll never find out about - but that doesn’t stop it from feeling good in a vengeful sort of way.  Plus it’s cold and she’s alone and the guy - Andy, a tall sweet longhaired cutiepie with an Irish accent - is all too willing to buy her a drink and take her home for some cuddles.
In the morning Greta wakes up in a strange place full of groaning regret and ends up giving Andy a ride to the station.  She doesn’t count on seeing him again, so there’s no breath wasted on goodbyes.
Chapter 3 -  A Logging Truck, A Mountain, and A Blonde Walk Into A Bar
Now we meet most of the department.  Creeley, a gruff roughhouser with a rude streak forty miles wide, Sarah, the only other female in the department and possibly the only person alive who can keep the boys under control, Kevin, the quiet dispatch agent with an impressive mountain impersonation skill, and finally (for the moment) Chief, the slightly too good-looking and highly put-upon boss of them all.
I knew I wanted Tom Hiddleston to play Chief Tommy Davis.  This is Kong Skull Island-era Hiddleston crossed with The Night Manager, with a handful of extra pounds around the middle and a frustrated sigh that goes on forever.  He’s meant to be an ex hockey player who was waylaid on his way to the major leagues, so he’s strong and sturdy, but an injury benched him years ago and a career in small-town law enforcement has put him a bit to pasture.  Middle aged, somewhere between 40 and 45.  He’s got some stuff in his past but he’s happy now, for the most part, just living his life watching over the town.
Jason Momoa is Bobby Creeley, for obvious reasons.  I knew I wanted a rowdy, rude, loudmouthed team member that’s always crossing everyone, but who everyone knows will be there no matter what if anything goes down.  He’s instantly Greta’s nemesis from the moment she walks in the door.  Gigantic and shaggy with a permanently amused nature and a fear of literally nothing, he’s simultaneously everyone’s best friend and worst enemy.
Sarah Lancashire has been finding her way into a lot of my fics lately as side characters, so it’s no surprise she ended up here as Sarah Pearl.  Steely, tough, and highly immune to the idiocy around her, Sarah is the worn out voice of common sense that the department is running perilously short on.  She’s also my first and foremost girl crush, and I’ll admit right now that I wrote an AU ending almost immediately that involved Sarah and Greta ending up together.  It would be natural to assume Sarah would fall into the default role of mom to the group, but there’s a whole lot of oh hell nope wrapped around that trope.  She would set them all on fire if anyone would let her have some matches, but Chief made a rule against that a long damn time ago.
Dave Bautista has been hanging around the back door of my muse stable for the longest, just minding his own business and waiting his turn, but I never really had any place to stick him.  Well Drax, your time has come baby.  I chose him to play Kevin Saylor based on his GoTG scene in which he tries to convince the crew he’s invisible.  And that’s Kevin, in a nutshell.  Huge and intimidating but quiet and intensely matter-of-fact in manner, he’s in charge of dispatch and immediately inspires Greta’s hatred of using the radio.
My first (and really only) faceclaim for Greta Morley was Zoe Saldana, but I waffled briefly for a couple of weeks, trying to cater to a few readers who told me they wanted to imagine themselves in the role.  I planned to stick with that, and I tried, I promise I did.  But every time Greta opened her mouth I heard Zoe, and by the time she went on her less than fleet-footed pursuit of Wilson with the longsuffering Andy by her side, she was locked in.  Greta’s harboring some serious regret and raw emotional wounds from her not too distant past, and some time out in the American Midwest should be a much needed recovery sabbatical.  Should be.  But isn’t gonna.
Speaking of Andy...Andrew Hozier-Byrne was and is the only person I ever considered for the role of Andy Burns.  Too tall, too clumsy, too cute, too sweet, just a whole bunch of too everything - he was perfect for the role and I may or may not have written it exclusively for him.  Okay yeah, I wrote it exclusively for him.  Andy’s the local cryptid, nobody really knows a lot about him.  He may or may not be a drug dealer.  He may or may not be officially employed by the police department.  He may or may not be Irish or hypoglycemic or a blackout drunk or as goofy as he seems.  Nobody really knows, and to be honest nobody really cares, because if you need it done Andy can do it...if he can remember you asked him to do it.
So Greta has arrived, for better or for worse.  Cree immediately starts in with the sexist remarks and butchering her name, a favor she returns by embarking on what will become a neverending trail of obliterated mis-renderings of the town’s name.  Creeley and Kevin kick off another of many running gags by arguing over whether or not anyone knew she was coming, and before things can get too stupid, Chief makes his first appearance.
And now things start to get interesting.
To be continued at chapter 4, Randy Andy and The Chief of Weemeetwa
@whatevervivie
12 notes · View notes
Text
Survey #238
“crimson calligraphy written on the trees, creature from the grave, headless and hellbent for me.”
Have you ever played golf? Like, mini-golf. Is there a lake near your house? No, but there's two small ponds down the road. Have you ever made your own pizza or pasta dough? No. Have you ever watched an entire season of a tv show in one day? Uhhhhh how long are the first few seasons of Supernatural? Because Jason and I fucking binged it, and I honestly think that's partially the reason I don't even enjoy TV anymore. Like I liked the show, but jfc it became torture at some point. Not his fault at all, I just never pointed it out. BUT ANYWAY, it's definitely possible we did. What did you have for dinner tonight (or last night)? A ham and cheese hot pocket. Do your parents do things that ‘embarrass’ you? This is so mean, but my mom makes the cringiest jokes and such imo that gives me mad secondhand embarrassment. Do you like any Bon Jovi songs? Yeah, a decent handful. Who was the last person you were in a car with? Mom. Do you give people second chances? Ha, more than "second." How’re things between you and your most recent ex? We're totally great. Really as if we didn't even break up, considering I mean... nothing emotionally has changed. We just know that being together right now isn't the wise decision. It's frustrating as hell, though. We've already established we're not going to "wait" for each other, but neither of us are actively looking for a new partner, either. I want her, and from what I can tell, she wants me, too. We kinda just... don't talk about how unfair it all is anymore because we both get too upset. I was even supposed to go up there with her and her fam for her birthday and Christmas, but that's changed because she and I agree it's too soon after splitting, making it only more difficult to be around each other. We'd want to cuddle and kiss and such by instinct, so we're trying to wait until the wound isn't as fresh. Though honestly, I don't know how visiting period would go consider as said, there has been zero change in romantic attraction. Ugh yeah I just hope she figures out what she wants and all and we can get back together. Have you been to a wedding this year? No. I'm going to my half-sister's next year, though. Are you an aunt or uncle? Yes, and another niece is on her way. :') Do you expect to be married in the next two years? Probably not. What season is your birthday in? Winter. Have you ever been hunting? Fuck that shit. How often do you walk around barefoot? Always in my own house + in other houses if I'm allowed to take my shoes off. When you eat take-out, do you just eat it out of the containers provided? Usually, but it does depend on what food it is. Ex., those little boxes that have rice in them from Chinese places? I'm using a bowl. From the container is just messy. Would you need to sleep with someone before considering marrying them? Nah. Do you carry condoms? No. Would you date someone who has a hearing aid? ... Yes...? "No" is just... so rude?? Like that is something the person absolutely cannot help, nor is it a HUGE thing. It's just a hearing aid, dude. How organized are the files on your computer? Pretty decent. Folders and such. Could be better still, probably. Have you ever been to a strip club? Nah, not my scene. Have you ever brought home a stray animal? Pleeeeenty of cats. Are you physically strong? No, especially not my legs. I've got a newborn fawn's legs, jc. Still working on building the muscle back up. Would you date someone with braces? Oh my god, fuck off. Yes I would. I was the person with braces dating someone without them, so 1.) I obviously can't say shit, 2.) they're taking care of their goddamn teeth, and 3.) I dunno, wearing braces has no goddamn impact on personality???????????? Does scuba diving interest you? Not to an incredible degree, but it'd be cool. Would you ever ask your parents for relationship advice? Maybe for certain topics. Do you think people look up to you? Y'know that "oh no hunty WHAT is u doin" meme??? That's me if someone does. How often do you have trouble sleeping at night? *blinking* There are people who don't??????? Do you blush easily? Ohhhhhh yes. Do you get angry at yourself or at others more often? Hm. Not sure. Can you name five current world leaders? AHAHA nope. How many times have you had the flu? Zero. Do you think imagination is valuable? Oh hell yes. We would be NOWHERE CLOSE to where we are as animals without it. Who or what are you most impatient with? I don't know. When was the last time you mowed a lawn? Never. Have you seen all of the Star Wars films? No; seen only the first three with a friend and saw zero appeal. He didn't either. How about all of the Harry Potter ones, so far? I haven't even seen one. Jason and I started the first one together but. Paid way more attention to each other than the movie lmfao. What part of the newspaper do you typically enjoy reading? None. I collect my school's papers now though 'cuz I'm the photographer for it. :') Have you ever made a website, even a simple one? Four that I remember. The ancient and now-defunct ones were back when I think this site called Wetpaint was a host for simple sites, and a lot of us RPers posted our mob info and stuff there. I had one for Talons, one for Connrads. Ha, out of curiosity, I think I looked for them not all too long ago since I never actually deleted them, but I think the site itself was re-purposed. NOW, I have a Wix site for my photography, and then Kalahari Manor is a ProBoards-hosted site. Which was better: your childhood or your teen years? Jfc, childhood. Teen years were a chaotic and rancid cesspit in terms of mental health. What was your reaction to your first time falling in love? I truly imagine that realizing I was *in love* with Jason surpassed what a high probably feels like lmao. What does it take for someone to win your heart? I'm actually putting thought into this one and I think what appeals to me in a person most is just being friendly with a good sense of humor and obvious, shameless concern for others. AND JFC, HAVE EMOTION. Don't be a brick wall with me. Lacking an emotional side, positive or negative, is such a turn-off to me. I'm not attracted to robots. Being a gentle person is important, and for me personally, you need to actually act like you're into me. Not just between us. Do not make me a secret. AND BE CREATIVE AND WEIRD AND FRESH!!!!!!!!!!! There's nothing wrong with more "vanilla" people, but just for me myself, I need someone who stands out for some good reason. lol okay this answer's actually getting kinda long, I'll stop. There's a number of ways. What is one thing you would rather be doing? Ha ha yo real talk, Sara and I are getting all emotional and deep into our relationship, platonic or romantic, and I want me and her in her bed right now tearing each other up alsdkjfla;kwejre I love her a lot ok. When was the last time you changed your mind about something? OKAY SO I started a new birth control, right? It. Sent. Me. BACK. With my PTSD. How? Idfk, but I was suddenly obsessing over Him again, badly. I stopped that shit, and wha'd'ya know, two days later, I'm like "lol wtf I don't want him why did that just happen hunty was u ok????????". SO YEAH, that was a trip. Do you know anyone with a lisp? I'm not sure. Possibly. How much weight can you lift at once? No clue. Not a lot. Do you ask guys out, or wait for them to ask you out? I've never asked a guy out, but I wouldn't say I wouldn't. Do you like the last person who showed interest in you? I love her. Describe the last person you stared at? I have no idea. Do you like dating one person at a time, or multiple people? I'm personally monogamous. Have your experiences made you more or less sympathetic to others? MORE. Do you find smoking unattractive? I do. Have your parents ever searched your personal belongings? Mom has. Where did you get your last bruise from? ... Well. This is uh. Awkward. Tying into when I was on that medicine that made my libido fucking uncontrollable (thank the fucking lord I'm back to normal), my breasts are lookin rough, sister. Are you looking forward to anything? Nothing in the VERY near future, I think. A bit further off, Christmas. I can't wait to see the kids so excited again, and for once, we come together as a true family. Plus my #1 wish is to have my Mark tattoo improved at an amazing parlor, and I'm pretty sure that'll be happening, just obvs. not on Christmas Day itself. I'll just be fuckin STOKED when I *know* it's happening. Do you have a good relationship with your parents? Yes. How much money did you spend today? $1.25 for something from the vending machine. I didn't have breakfast, so I was really hungry. When you’re bored in class, what do you usually do? Try to not doze off. If we're not doing anything, then I'll play around with my phone. Have you ever had a song stuck in your head for more than a day? Oh, definitely. Ever walked into the guy’s bathroom? HA as a stupid elementary school with her friends, we sure did during a work day (my mom used to work with special ed kids at school). We thought we were soooo rebellious. How many wives or husbands do you want? One. What happens if you fall in love with your best friend? Ha, did. I still am, and we hope to be back together someday. Has a teacher ever flirted with you? Not that I know of. Thankfully. Is it okay for friends to kiss each other, as friends? It's not my thing, but sure, if it's consenting and both are aware it's platonic. Do your wishes ever get granted in the worst way possible? Probably in some way at some point I don't recall. How do you feel about your naked body? NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO Have you ever been called obnoxious? I don't think so, anyway. Do you wish you had a bigger family? No. Which friend would you kiss full on the mouth, no questions asked? Sara. Can you do a split or stick your foot up next to your ear? Nope. When was the last time you complained about something? I was venting some mild frustration to Sara earlier tonight. What is your favorite color combination? Favorite is probably pastel orange and light blue. Love it. Then there's pastel pink and purple. Okay pretty much any combination is about the pastels When was the last time you spoke in front of a group? A month or so back when I had to do my Lifeline presentation in FYS. Do you like group projects, or do you prefer to work alone? I strongly prefer working alone. There's no disagreements, compromises, incompetent partners, etc. Have you ever been told you were going to Hell? Yup! (: Indirectly, but. How did you respond? I don't recall, but I wish I did. Who is the most argumentative person you know? She's not in my life anymore partially BECAUSE of that shit. Do you know anyone who is crazy about proper grammar? Yes, but she has OCD as a valid reason. I'm pretty particular about it too to a degree. Who was the last person to make you feel special? Oh my gosh, my therapist told me she was so proud of me and the progress I was making that I just entirely lit up and became a total beaming ball of giggles and "thank you"s. Would you feel funny if you kissed somebody of the same sex? No, I'm bi. If your best friend grabs your hand, what do you automatically do? Squeeze it. What’s something you can cook or bake like a pro? Cheesy and spicy scrambled eggs, man. Also known as the only thing I can properly cook lmao. Do you tend to flirt a lot, even when the person isn’t single? Fuck no, if they're not single. I'll flirt with my s/o when I see it appropriate or relevant, and in a case where we're both single, I'd be very subtle about it because shy. What’s something that you think is really cute? Off the very top of my head, the Ewoks from Star Wars, oh my fucking god. They were the only thing I enjoyed in the movies. What’s a pretty bird? I mean... pretty much all of them. BUT, can we take a moment to appreciate the bearded vulture? like???? they're fucking BADASS???????????? Besides sleeping, what do you do in bed? Almost... everything. It's the reason I endured/am still recovering from muscle atrophy in my legs. Have you ever hacked into somebody’s account? Playfully, back when that was a thing for friends to do and post lovey-dovey stuff about them everywhere. Megan and I, and I believe Mini and I as well, did it to each other. Possibly more. Is having to pee really badly worse than being really thirsty? Oh hell yes it is. The former can get to a point of hurting. Have you ever touched a Qu'ran? No. Do you love animals more than most? Oh definitely. Why do you eat fast food? It's easy to grab when on the run, and Mom has almost zero time to cook. Then we both have school. Most often I just warm things up in the microwave or grab something substantial enough in the fridge. Is there always going to be that one person you and a friend makes fun of? I guess you could say indirectly, yes. Just something she said in a certain way became an inside joke. Her as a person, no, I wouldn't do that. What is a bad habit of yours that you’re actually trying to fix? Having terrible eye contact. I have a very hard time maintaining it, but I've been trying to keep that weakness in mind when talking to people. Do you write out your feelings? That's one reason why I take these surveys, yes. Do you have bills to pay yet? It's embarrassing that I don't. Not saying like, I want to pay bills, what madman would, but I do want to feel more like a proper, independent adult. Will you be changing your hair any time soon? Not the style, but one thing I'm asking for Christmas is a professional to dye my hair silver. I say pro because my hair does NOT hold color, and because of the bleach needed, Mom's concerned I'll damage my hair if I put my trust into anyone less qualified. Does your mom have a celebrity look-alike? I don't think so, but she looks UNCANNILY like her firstborn daughter. It is SCARY. Is there something you wish you could learn to do? There's loads of stuff. Probably above all, cook. Or stop procrastinating. If you could be amazing at ONE thing, what would it be? Drawing precisely what I see in my head. Because of how important they are to me, I would pay BIG FUCKING BUCKS to get how my 'kats look onto paper. What do you wish people would pay you to do? Complain about my weight. :^) I'd be able to just pay for surgery to fix that within a day. Do you take good pictures? I personally think I do. I mean I wanna be a professional photographer. How would one go about impressing you? It depends on the subject and difficulty of whatever. What probably impresses me most would be someone maintaining a mature, peaceful attitude when there is reason to act otherwise. Self-control, that's it. Do you automatically apologize if you walk into somebody? Duh? Tell me a memory of this summer: It was fucking scorching and I hated every minute of it. What’s something that you don’t need, but really want? Hmmmm. OH, HELL YES. IF I had the proper body to even remotely pull them off, I. Would wear. NOTHING. But corsets. Jesus FUCKING Christ they are so hot. What do you draw more than anything else? Just about all I draw is meerkats. What’s the most favorite class you’ve ever had? The Digital Photography course I took in high school. Or Art Honors my junior year. I really enjoyed the stuff I made. For each person you’ve kissed, describe your feelings in one word: Jason: melancholy; Tyler: dramatic; Girt(?): loyal; Sara: ideal. How do you react when you trip or stumble? Gasp and carry on. If it was a more serious trip, I look around at who saw. Are you good at “biting your tongue”? NO. Why do you love the one you do? She's been there for me without fail, has undying faith in me, supports me through everything, is honest, she's funny and very unique, her adoration for animals shows a great level of compassion, she trusts me so much despite her history, she stands extremely firmly for what she sees as right and wrong... okay I can honestly write an essay on why I love her. Would you rather get [another] tattoo or piercing? GIMME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 THE TATTOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111111111111 Do you have long or short legs? I'd say they're normal, idk. When do you listen to Nickelback? *shrugs* When I wanna? Would you rather make the first move, or your crush? Them. I'm shy.
3 notes · View notes
hood-ex · 5 years
Text
Fear Gas/Injury
Written for Dick and Dami Week 2019
Read on AO3
Dick tried to be prepared for most situations. He grew up as a circus performer where the term “be prepared” was pretty much instilled in him ever since his mom and dad had him hanging from trapeze bars. Then “be prepared” took on a whole new, more intense meaning when he was taken under Batman’s wing.
Be prepared to defend yourself. Be prepared to save a life. Be prepared to fight monsters. Be prepared to visit other planets. Be prepared to lead a team. Be prepared to take down other heroes. Be prepared to be tortured. Be prepared to die.
After years and years of putting all that into practice, Dick was pretty good about planning ahead and making contingencies plans for situations that went to shit. If he didn’t have a plan brewing in the back of his mind, he usually had someone like Babs that could help push him along in the right direction.
There were always outliers that could fuck up Dick’s plans no matter how much he prepared. Magic was close to the top of the list since it was so diverse and unpredictable. There was no telling what kind of spells or rituals magic users had hidden up their sleeves.
The not knowing aspect made Dick uneasy, especially when he was leading a team containing heroes with godlike superpowers. It only took one mind control spell to fuck up the city and kill a bunch of people in the process. That kind of horrific scenario was what lead Dick to learn as much as he could about magic from people like Zatanna, John Constantine, and Jason Blood.
Getting information from Zatanna and Jason had been easy enough. He’d worked with them enough times that there was mutual respect between them. John was another story. Prying information out of him had been as infuriating as trying to get Bruce to talk about his feelings. So if Dick had to bat his eyelashes at John and brush up against him a few times, well, that was neither here nor there. He ended up getting what he wanted, which was all that mattered.
The new knowledge of rituals, symbols, defenses, and spells made Dick feel marginally better about facing off against magic users.
Well, it did up until a second ago when a teen named Mischief cornered him on a fire escape.
She dug her freakishly long nails into the back of his neck and chanted a spell in Latin before he managed to toss her away from him. He could tell the spell had taken effect as soon as he fell to the stairs on his hands and knees, suddenly feeling extremely hot and shaky.
The more logical part of his brain was screaming at him to get away from the magic user as quickly as possible. He felt too exposed and vulnerable in his current state, and she could easily kill him if she wanted to. The other part of him wanted to just lay down and curl into a ball because his limbs, and what he could only assume was his organs, suddenly hurt so much he wanted to scream, or throw up, or do anything to make it stop.
His gloves and his suit felt too constraining. He ripped his gloves off and then squeezed his sweaty hands into fists. He put them up in front of his face, ready to defend himself even though his arms were shaking so bad, he’d be surprised if he could put any real force behind his punches.
Mischief laughed at his attempt and walked down a few steps. A warm breeze blew a few pieces of her blonde hair into her mouth. It made her spit and sputter. Dick would’ve cracked a joke about it if he wasn’t so focused on how his body was failing him.
Instead, he gritted out, “What did you do?”
A lot of pressure started to gather along Dick’s ribcage and spine. He arched his back, muscles pulled taught, and let out an embarrassing keening sound that was practically forced out of his mouth.
“A little birdie told me you fly with bats,” she said in a tone that sounded like a bad impersonation of Harley. “I thought it might be fun if you run with wolves instead. People are used to seeing bats in Bludhaven. But wolves? Not so much.”
Dick watched in horror as black fur started sprouting from his hands as if he was a damn Chia Pet. A tickle along his cheeks had him reaching up to touch his face, only to jerk back when he felt more soft fur there. Holy shit! He was actually turning into a fucking wolf. This was bad. This was so, so bad.
A hundred thoughts started running through his head at once. Was he going to survive the transformation or would his whole body break under the pressure? Was the human part of his brain going to switch off and leave him relying on animal instincts alone? How long was he going to be stuck as a wolf? Was it reversible?
Mischief shifted her weight from foot to foot and yawned.
“This was way less exciting than I thought it would be. So I’m gonna go now, but you have fun with that.” She motioned to the fur that was still spreading across Dick’s skin. “Hope they don’t lock you up in the zoo, or worse, shoot you on sight.”
She gave him a distracted wave, and after jogging down the rest of the stairs, she disappeared from the alley.
Dick tried to get up and follow after her because shit, she needed to undo this spell. He only managed to get a foot underneath him before a sudden burst of pain from his mouth made him double back over. He groaned and cradled his jaw. Okay. Screw that plan. He would just stay right where he was and try not to freak out over his canine teeth doubling in size.
Some part of him realized that he needed to take his suit off or else he’d be stuck inside of it as a wolf. Easier said than done when he was in massive amounts of pain.
Focus. Don’t forget what Bruce taught you. “Your mind is your greatest weapon.” Push past the pain and figure out a plan.
Dick managed to work out a few deep breaths even though he was panting from how much energy it was taking just to stay upright. He worked on undoing his boots. The shape of his feet and heels were already changing, which just made the whole process more difficult. After a few pathetic attempts, he managed to kick them off towards the side of the stairs.
He decided to take his comm out next because he didn’t want it getting stuck in his wolf ear. He wondered if Alfred had been trying to contact him. Since the batcomputer kept track of his vitals, surely it already alerted Alfred about his abnormal physical state. He could just imagine Alfred’s bewildered stare and downturned mouth as he tried to make sense of all the weird readings the Nightwing suit was relaying to him. To be on the safe side, Dick picked up his discarded glove and pressed the emergency button on the inside of it.
A shudder ran through his body. He hurried to pull off his mask and suit. His arms were so weak and shaky at that point, he was barely able to stretch the padded shirt over his head while simultaneously using his feet to kick off his tight pants. The fabric kept getting bunched up around his fur and Dick growled in frustration.
He was practically rocking on his elbows and knees by the time he got his limbs free. His briefs could stay on. The fabric wouldn’t constrain him too much when he was fully transformed, and if anything, it would be a major indicator to Bruce that he was the wolf.
Exhausted, he tried to settle down on his side to finish out the rest of the transformation. He froze when he felt his joints and bones starting to crack. His back arched even more and he let out the most pathetic sounding whine that tapered off into a howl. He clamped his mouth shut. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself with the sounds he was making.
A sensation came over his face that felt similar to a punch. He clenched his eyes closed, not wanting to deal with the fact that he suddenly had a snout and an elongated jaw.
The pain became so intense that he could hardly think.
“Bruce!” he tried to scream, only, instead of actual words, all that came out of his mouth was a high pitched bark. He whined and continued to writhe on the ground, nearly bashing his head against the edge of the stairs.
There was no telling how long it took for his body to twist and crack into place. It felt like he’d already spent a fucking eternity in hell by the time the shudders started to come less frequently. Was this how Gar felt the first time he transformed into an animal? Dick doubted it. Gar’s transition always looked smooth and painless. Dick never thought he’d be envious of that trait, but then again, he never thought he’d turn into a wolf either.
Slowly—oh so slowly—the intense pain started to fade away, leaving him sore and achy. He didn’t really want to acknowledge the fact that he now had a long tongue lolling out of his mouth, breaths coming out in steady pants. Right. Wolves had to pant to regulate their body temperatures. They didn’t sweat like humans. Great.
His lip curled above his teeth when he smelt an overwhelming amount of rotten trash, urine, vomit, and other disgusting fluids that were stained all over the alley. Now he understood why Ace and Titus insisted on smelling everything within a two-foot radius on walks. There was so much more to smell with a canine nose.
He was slightly horrified when he caught the scent of something that actually made him want to go find it and eat it. It was probably leftover food, and while his very human mind was revolted by the idea of eating any kind of food that was left in a dumpster, his new wolfy instincts didn’t seem to care so much about things like bacteria and parasites.
Unsanitary or not, his stomach rumbled hungrily. He usually ate a pretty decent meal after patrol, and since his body had just used enough energy to rearrange his entire skeletal system, he was pretty sure he could eat a buffet of food and still be hungry. Maybe he could put his “puppy eyes” to good use and get a hot dog from a nearby street vendor.
Focus, Grayson. You’re a wolf sitting in plain sight. Figure out how to work this body so you can get help.
Right. He could do that. He could make himself stand up and figure out how to walk like an animal even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.
It took him more time than he’d like to admit just to stand up on all four legs. Four very furry legs. Wow, he had a lot of fur. From what he could tell, his fur was black all over, which was actually a relief because it probably helped him blend in with the shadows in the alley.
As sore as he was, he couldn’t help but turn his body in a circle in an attempt to look at his massive body and tail. He tried swishing his tail back and forth a few times, but it was awkwardly stuck in his briefs, and it stayed tucked tightly between his back legs. He was actually surprised his briefs were stretchy enough to partially fit over his giant wolf ass. Even though it felt like the world’s most uncomfortable diaper, he could deal with it for a little while.
Walking as a wolf actually wasn’t that difficult. It was essentially the same thing as crawling, just more fluid. Dick practiced walking up and down the stairs as soon as he felt confident enough. His legs shook from the effort and his paws felt overly sensitive against the hard metal. There was a brief moment where his brain got a little confused and he put the wrong legs down to take a step, but other than that, he had a pretty decent grasp of how to navigate on all fours.
He was busy using his mouth to gather all the pieces of his costume into a pile when he heard the familiar engine of the batmobile rumbling close by. Ears perked, he sat down and watched as the sleek, black vehicle turned into the alley, the headlights momentarily blinding him. He was pretty sure his tail would be wagging if it wasn’t jammed in his undies.
The headlights turned off and the door opened. Dick belatedly realized that he was able to see so much better in the dark. It was almost as if he could pretend he just had his night vision activated on his mask.
He was expecting Bruce to step out looking all frowny and worried—his usual MO whenever Dick asked for help. Instead, to Dick’s surprise, it was Damian that climbed out of the driver’s seat.
Dick had to stop himself from letting out a disappointed whine. As childish as it sounded, he wanted his dad. He wanted to pretend he was 8-years-old again and that Bruce would be there to give him a stiff, comforting hug to distract him from the pain.
If Damian was here by himself that meant Bruce was out of Gotham. The emergency alert Bruce should have received was probably redirected to the cave. Dick knew better than to assume Alfred had sent Damian to Bludhaven to check on him. Knowing Damian, the kid probably heard his distress signal and jumped into the nearest batmobile before Alfred had the chance to send someone else like Tim or Cass to his location.
Dick felt a surge of affection for the kid. They technically weren’t Batman and Robin anymore, but Damian still filled the role of his Robin. He always had Dick’s back when it mattered.
Even though Dick couldn’t see Damian’s eyes, he could tell Damian was staring straight at him. He seemed to be frozen to the spot, obviously not expecting to see a giant wolf in place of Dick. Hell, maybe Damian thought a wolf ate Dick. It wasn’t that crazy of an idea. Dick had once almost been killed by a lion and a killer whale. Being taken out by a wolf wasn’t that far-fetched of a scenario in their line of work.
Dick let his tongue loll out of his mouth, trying to look as non-aggressive as possible. When Damian still seemed unsure of whether Dick was going to attack him or not, Dick gave a little twirl so Damian could get a full view of the briefs he was wearing. The whites of Damian’s mask went wide as he looked down at the GPS device in his hand one more time. That was when it all seemed to click in Damian’s head. Brow creased, he took a few cautious steps closer to where Dick was sitting in the shadows.  
“Nightwing?” Damian called out hesitantly.
Dick let out a bark that hopefully sounded friendly enough. He picked his mask up in his mouth and trotted over to the car, just barely stopping himself from rubbing against Damian’s legs. He sniffed him instead. His costume smelt like a mixture of dryer sheets coupled with a smoky scent that Dick associated with Gotham air. Underneath that was another scent Dick had literally never smelled before in his life. It was kind of sour and tangy.
Hold on… was that Damian’s pheromones he was smelling?
He inhaled deeper and then sneezed as the smell tickled his nose. The scent briefly changed to something sweeter, but it was still tinged with sourness. Huh. Maybe the sour scent was fear and the sweeter scent was happiness? Amusement? Something like that. He would try to compartmentalize it all later.
Damian plucked the mask out of Dick’s mouth with a slightly shaking hand. Dick didn’t know whether Damian was still scared of him or if he was simply scared of what the mask implied about Dick’s wellbeing. It was probably a bit of both.
Damian looked from the mask to the briefs that were stretched over Dick’s furry ass. His mouth was set in a confused frown. It took him a few more seconds of staring before he reached his hand out and held it out towards Dick’s snout. Dick nosed at his glove for a second before pushing his head into Damian’s hand.
And just like that, the awkward tension between them was broken. Damian knelt down to Dick’s eye level and ran his hand over Dick’s head and neck with a look of wonder on his face. The aching in Dick’s body was briefly forgotten as he closed his eyes and leaned his body against Damian’s chest for support. Fuzzy tingles spread from his head to his shoulders as Damian’s fingers continued to run through his fur. It felt so nice that Dick wanted to fall asleep on the spot. After a few more pats and ear scratches, Damian cupped his hands on either side of Dick’s face.
“Richard?” Damian whispered close to Dick’s ear. “Are you actually a wolf or am I insane?”
A bark of excitement bubbled from the back of Dick’s throat. He nodded his head enthusiastically, crowding even closer to the point where he was practically sitting in Damian’s lap.
Damian almost smiled. Almost.
“Are you alright? Who did this to you?” Damian demanded, losing some of the softness in his tone.
Dick flattened his ears against his head and whined. He obviously couldn’t tell Damian what happened to him, but he could show him. He nosed at the mask that was still clutched in Damian’s hand.
Mouth set in a tight line, Damian nodded. “I’ll connect it to the Bluetooth in the batmobile while you gather the rest of your things.”
Dick gently clasped his teeth around Damian’s glove before Damian could stand. The briefs were really starting to get on his nerves and needed them off pronto. He tried to convey that to Damian by twisting his head to look back at his briefs multiple times.
Damian sighed so loudly that the air from his mouth blew Dick’s fur in different directions.
“Really? You managed to take off everything else except that.”
Damian clearly didn’t appreciate Dick’s well thought out idea to make himself identifiable as a human turned wolf. If it weren’t for the underwear, they’d probably still be stuck on opposite sides of the alley, locked in the longest staring contest of all time. Dick hoped his exasperation translated onto his wolf features. It probably didn’t based on the way Damian scowled while guiding Dick’s paws through the underwear leg holes.
“There,” Damian muttered once Dick was finally free. “Now let’s get out of here before someone sees you.”
Dick gave an awkward nod and trotted back to the stairs where his boots and clothes were. He couldn’t wait to get to the manor. He was going to wolf down whatever kind of food Alfred had lying around, and then he was going to curl up in bed and sleep this whole nightmare of a day away.
The aches and pains were really starting to kick in by the time he got himself and all his Nightwing gear settled in the passenger seat of the batmobile. It took him a minute to figure out how he was supposed to sit without falling off the seat. He ended up curling into a ball and then rested his front paws and head over the middle console. The strong current of air from the AC made his ears twitch.
The smell of the car was actually kind of comforting. There was a hint of Bruce’s aftershave as well as a muted copper scent. It smelt more like the cave than anything, but even that was ten times better than the literal vomit he’d been inhaling in the alley.  
Damian started the car and pulled on the road towards Gotham.
“NM37 is connected to Bluetooth,” the batmobile said suddenly, making Dick jump. “Would you like to play the last recording?”
“Yes, play the last recording,” Damian said.
The screen on the dash lit up and then the video started to play. Dick felt his heart start to race when Damian fast forwarded through the beginning of his patrol and resumed playing the video as soon as Mischief appeared. He didn’t want to hear the fear in his voice or the pathetic sounds he made as he transformed into a wolf. He was just glad there would be a limited view of the transformation as soon as they got to the point where Dick took his mask off.
“Mischief?” Damian muttered, gaze still transfixed to the screen. “I’m not familiar with her. Has she appeared in Bludhaven before?”
Dick shook his head.
“A little birdie told me you fly with bats.”
The “little birdie” line of audio caught Dick’s attention. It could just be wordplay, but there was a chance it meant she was working for someone. If she wasn’t working for someone then what were her motives for turning him into a wolf? Money? Power? Revenge?
Dick was so caught up trying to make connections between crimes in his head, he jerked back when he felt Damian’s tight grip on his fur. He couldn’t see Damian’s eyes since the kid still had his mask on, but he could smell the way Damian scent changed to something more bitter. Concerned, he barked and pressed his head into Damian’s hand, trying to gain his attention. It was his only way of asking what was wrong in this stupid wolf body.
He was pretty sure he got his answer when he heard the grunts and whimpers coming from the audio. If he were human, he would’ve been blushing in shame and embarrassment. It sounded like he was dying.
After what felt like hours but was only minutes, the horrible sounds faded into pants.
“Stop the recording,” Damian said suddenly, his loud tone hurting Dick’s ears.
The audio cut off. Damian’s harsh breathing and the purr of the engine filled its absence.
Damian’s tight grip on Dick’s fur was starting to become painful. Dick gently cupped his teeth around Damian’s wrist and applied light pressure, basically the only way he could convey “let go.”
Damian pulled his hand back as if he’d been zapped.
“I apologize,” Damian said immediately, clenching his hands into fists. “That woman hurt you and I...” he cleared his throat. More softly, he added, “That was hard for me to watch.”
Dick watched the conflicted expression on Damian’s face morph into something more sad and timid. It was no secret that Damian was as stubborn about showing his vulnerable side as he was stubborn about everything else in life. Dick had seen that side of Damian more than a few times now. For some reason none of those times made Dick feel as worse as he did right then.
He didn’t really think about what he was doing until he leaned into Damian’s space and licked the side of his face from his jaw to his temple. He just knew he wanted that terribly sad look on Damian’s face to go away.
“Richard!” Damian shrieked. He tried wiping away the spit with the side of his hand. “That’s disgusting! Even Titus has better manners than you!”
Dick huffed and rolled his eyes. He’d seen Titus do the same thing hundreds of times, and Titus licked his balls every day. Now that was something to scream about.
Damian grumbled some more about it before they both settled back down. Dick looked out the window and realized they were only a mile or two away from the manor. He rested his head on his paws and sighed, suddenly exhausted. Any adrenaline he had before was completely gone now. The pain was still radiating through every part of him, and he knew he’d probably be too sore to even move tomorrow. He hoped Alfred could pump some drugs into his system to help with that.
It was as if Damian could somehow sense his pain when he suddenly said, “Don’t worry. I’ll find the harlot that did this to you and I’ll make her change you back.”
Dick gave him his own wolfy version of a smile and tried not to imagine how painful turning back was going to be.  
He barely even twitched when he felt Damian’s fingers slowly run through the fur on his head. He closed his eyes so he could focus on the pleasant tingles that raced from his head to his shoulders.
“Tt. You’re already spoiled,” Damian said when he noticed Dick’s tail wagging.
Dick ignored him and sighed contently, stretching his neck out to show Damian where he wanted to be scratched. The petting and scratching was something he could get used to.
Maybe there were positives to being a wolf after all.
38 notes · View notes