#i started making her around halloween off and on til thanksgiving

[wall-e-gorl]

I need yall to know that the session where wager killed fawn was *so much* that I picked back up my fawn crochet project so I could finish it and hug her for real. My desk is messy and she doesn't stand on her own (I need to get a stand) but LOOK AT HER

[liquid-luck-00]

Connections 4

Chapter 4

this is based on @thepeacetea daminette soulmate au

Masterlist *** First *** Previous *** Next

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Ever since dad and her moved to Gotham she was visited by Gotham’s Vigilantes every night before bed as they went on patrol. Every night without fail. Monday was Nightwing and Red Robin they would be on the opposite roof and wave before she fell asleep. Tuesday was only Red hood and he stood on her balcony and tapped the glass door tap, tap tap, tap. She quickly figured out it was Morse code ngt, or night, and then left. Wednesday was Red Robin and Batman they only paused and left after Mari waved at them, at least she hoped they saw her. Red Hood and Nightwing visited on Thursday and they always goofed around on the opposite roof until they made her laugh. Friday was Red Robin and he always told her to go to bed, well he put his hands together and then acted like he was going to go to sleep. Saturday was always Nightwing and he shot her finger guns and left. Every Sunday was Batman alone and he only paused a second on her balcony before leaving.

Gotham became her home the vigilantes, they were her heroes, was routine and a place where she felt comfortable. Marinette got into the normalcy of school that was Gotham Academy, and that didn’t have to do with the fact that everyone in school seemed to befriend her. Her best friend is and oddball and nothing could convince her otherwise.

The conversation of soulmates was introduced to her class today and everyone looked at marks on their skin or searched their hair or eyes. Most children knew that they had a soulmate but that didn’t stop their excitement at the news. This of course led everyone to ask one another about their marks and a girl next to her asked Mari if she had a soul mark too.

“I don’t think I have a mark. At least not that I know of” Mari frowned a little.

“Teacher” the girl chirped.

“Yes?” the teacher replied.

“what if you don’t have a mark, does that mean you don’t have a soulmate?”

The teacher took a moment to answer “Some marks only appear after you meet your soulmate, however a select few have an invisible bond that shares experiences and memories. Why do you ask?”

“She asked for me since I don’t have a mark.” Mari replied in a concise manner.

“Well we can’t do anything about the first but the second we can ask. Can you do things that you never tried or can’t explain how you know how to do things?”

Mari thought hard and two big things came to mind, no matter how she tried she couldn’t understand how she could fight with such certainty or know languages she had never heard. But the fact that they seemed so out of place put Mari on edge like she needed to keep this secret or else she’d be in danger. Slowly she spoke cautiously “I can speak another language I’ve never heard before”

The teacher smiled and responded “it is probably the language your soulmate speaks” that was all, and Mari gave a small breath as if she had kept the secret safe.

When Mari gets home, she prepares her overnight bag and a few other things as she is going to spend the next month with her brothers, second father, and her grandfather (Alfred). Dad was going on a European tour and would be joining them at the Wayne’s for thanksgiving. This meant that Halloween would be spent with three older brothers.

Once she settled into her room in the manner everyone left her to her own devices so Mari decided to ask Tikki a question that has been on her mind since class. Mari had always been good at being able to read people and having Tikki to confide in was a bonus. Tikki explained so much to her about the way that people may react and how people are connected. This led to them talking about the other miraculous gems and how they are used to maintain the world’s balance. Tikki had few words about her other half, Plagg, which was the kwamii of destruction.

“What does it mean that the two are two halves?” Mari was genuinely curious. She never thought that there could be another being that completes another outside of itself.

“Well this world is comprised of half beings. Every person has a soulmate that completes them perfectly, but the ladybug and black cat are special as the two holders are almost always soulmates of one kind or another.” Tikki responds with a smile.

“Are there different types of soul mates then?”

“Yes, there is. There are romantic and plutonic soulmates. You can only have one romantic soulmate but multiple plutonic ones.”

“How can I tell when I meet my soulmate?” she was genuinely curious, if she really did have an invisible bond then she might never know. She started to frown slightly and Tikki was watching her carefully as she decided what to say next.

The little god sighed deeply, and Marinette looked at her Kwamii. “I don’t say this lightly little bug. You have a soul of pure creation and that makes you a true holder of the ladybug miraculous because of that you are more than human. The Miraculous changes the holder depending on their affinity with the kwamii, and some changes affects is how they contact their soulmates. Little bug your connection to your soulmate will grow and when you meet them it will reveal itself. But know that the romantic soulmate is your true half and they will also be affected by my magic through you. As you grow you will be able to tell.” Tikki flew up and nuzzled against Mari’s cheek.

“Well guess we’re just going to have to wait and see aren’t we” Mari let out a laugh as she started to get up and leave her room to find Alfred.

 ---

 Alfred was busy in the kitchen like usual when little Mari cane in.

“Hi Alfred, can I help you?” Alfred gave the girl a smile and a nod as he pulled out some ingredients for cookies.

“What is bothering you Miss Marinette?” he saw the girl shift from foot to foot and he couldn’t understand it. He knew something was on her mind but what was unknown.

“Alfred are you a holder?” Her voice shook slightly, and he couldn’t understand what she meant, and his confusion was evident.

“Miss Marinette what do you mean?” he was trying to understand this, but her emotions stayed constant, that is until there was a shift and she looked up at him.

“Alfred are you a holder of the Miraculous?” her voice held such conviction and certainty, but how does she know about the Miraculous. He didn’t answer and studied the girl before sighing.

“Well that explains why you are harder to read than many others, I had a feeling a Kwamii was in the manor but…”

A red blur flew out of Miss Marinette’s purse “You are one of Duusu’s birds, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I was”

“Was?” asked Miss Marinette. She was giving a small frown and looked at him.

Alfred sighed and got out a few more ingredients. “What is your preference little…”

“Tikki” stated the kwamii, “and cookies please” Tikki gave him a smile and he couldn’t help but wish Duusu was still with him.

“Very well. Would you help me Miss Marinette?” the girl smiled and started to help him bake. She kept looking at him with a sad look almost begging him to continue without pushing him. “I was the holder of emotion during World War II but two miraculous were stolen and lost Duusu’s the Peacock pin and the brooch of the Butterfly”

“Nooroo is the kwamii of transmission or empathy, Duusu is the kwamii of emotions” Tikki explained to the child, who nodded and continued to work.

“How were they…” Miss Marinette’s voice trailed off.

“I was injured in battle and Duusu refused saying I was a true holder and he would not leave. The officers took him from me, unfortunately they were taken during a siege on Paris. I miss my old friend. “

Tikki spoke quietly “Can you, can you sense him still?”

Alfred shook his head. “his Miraculous is not active, but something is wrong. I just wish I knew what”

Both Tikki and Marinette gave him a sad smile before descending into a hug. Little Marinette hugged him tightly and Tikki was hugging his cheek. That was when the timer went off. He gave a small chuckle and went to pull the cookies out to cool.

Marinette sat on the stool near the counter and he turned, but as he did Jason burst into the kitchen, little Tikki was gone again faster than he could blink.

“I thought I smelled cookies!” Jason walked over to the cooling rack and was about to grab a handful, Alfred gave an exasperated sigh, and Miss Marinette giggled catching Master Jason’s attention. “Hey there Pixie Pop” he gave the girl a smile as he grabbed two cookies and offered her one “Cookie?” At this Alfred left the kitchen to gather the others for dinner leaving the two laughing in the kitchen.

Miss Marinette is certainly going to be a presence in the manor, he had a smile on his lips as he searched for the rest of his family.

 ---

 A week has passed since Mari arrived at the manor and she was starting to get curious. She would often notice how tired most of her brother’s were in the morning, Tim Tam specifically seemed to be a zombie and Blue wouldn’t smile during breakfast on Tuesday.  And that seemed off to Mari, she was worried that there had to be something going on.

“Tikki I don’t know what is wrong, but they seem tired and quiet like they were up late?”

“Maybe they were working late last night, Tim is still in school and Dick works.” Tikki tried to reassure her but Mari wasn’t convinced. She knew something was going on and it was more than a hunch.

The next day Jason was Grumpy and was scowling into his breakfast. That was when things clicked, she took her spoon from her cereal and tapped it on the edge of the bowl. Tap, tap tap, tap. And she continued to eat Jay Jay looked at her funny and he didn’t stop til Bruce said something to him, he grumbled and continued to eat.

Mari left for school and everything seemed normal, but she felt like something was going to happen after school. And oh boy was she right but it wasn’t until dinner that it happened.

Jay Jay was quiet and that wasn’t normal, Dick was the one to break him out of his head “What no comeback Jay”

“Huh?” he looked around and everyone was staring at him. “Guess not.” He shrugged.

“Really that’s a first” Tim said with a smirk.

“What’s on your mind Jason?” Bruce asked and everyone was now looking at Jay Jay, and Jason was staring at Mari.

“Do you know?” he practically whispered. That got everyone’s attention and now they were hyper focused on Mari.

“I only figured it out this morning” Mari practically whispered into her plate.

“And what did you figure Marinette?” Bruce asked a calm mask on his face, but his eyes were cautious.

“Jay Jay is Red Hood, that means Blue is Nightwing, Tim Tam is Red Robin, and you are Batman”

It was silent until everyone heard a laugh. It was Alfred.

“You truly are a force to be reckoned with aren’t you, miss Marinette.” He gave a final laugh before he continued, “I am quite impressed it only took a week however.” Alfred gave a smile before chaos ensued.

 ---

 Everyone tried to deny their identities, but Mari only seemed to resist the urge to giggle. Bruce only looked at the girl he considered a daughter and let out a sigh and smiled.

“clever girl” his words broke the statements of denial, but the quiet didn’t last, well not as long as he had hoped at least. Mari looked down and fidgeted with her bag the next moment a little red blob shot out and floated next to the girl.

“My chosen is more than just clever” and his boys descended into madness once again.

Dick was the first to regain his composure “What are you, a Bug-Mouse?”

Both Mari and the creature giggled and that snapped the attention of Tim and Jason. “Nope I and a Kwamii. Specifically, I am the Kwamii of creation bound to the Miraculous of the Ladybug. My name is Tikki a pleasure to meet you finally, Mari has told me a lot about you.” The creature, no Kwamii, bowed to them.

“What do you mean that Mari is your chosen?” Bruce asked and he looked at the Kwamii expectantly.

However it was Alfred who answered “ A chosen is the person who is the wielder of the miraculous and is thus imbued with the powers of the god they hold, Miss Marinette is the Holder of the Ladybug and is thus imbued with creation itself.”

“Why am I not surprised you already knew” Bruce shook his head and gave his butler a slight frown.

“You know what this means right!” Dick practically screamed. Everyone looked at him “What little bug is a little badass and if she is protecting Tikki that means she has to be able to protect herself. I can show her some gymnastics, oooh does this mean you’re a magical girl” Dick went off rambling.

“I lost him, and he is officially lost” Jason teased but it fell on deaf ears, “but he isn’t wrong” he shrugged and went to eat.

“Does Jagged know” Mari looked down and seemed torn. “He doesn’t.” she shook her head and looked sad as if lying was something she wished she never had to do. He sighed and then she answered.

“Since Alfred was a holder and you guys are heroes, I thought it was safe to tell you.” He gave Alfred a look and Alfred only seemed to smile at him.

“Well I don’t see why we cant train you” Mari looked up at him, “ But you under no circumstances can leave the cave” She smiled and jumped from her seat and ran to him, little Mari gave him a hug and thanked him. He could only chuckle at her enthusiasm.

This little girl is full of surprises and I doubt this is the last of them.

Next

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Taglist🐞🦇

@thanks-captain-obvious @mandy989 @our-preciousss @readingismyoxygen @birdy912 @shifty-lesbian-retro-goblin @todaylillypads @laurcad123 @deamonangel27 @be-happy-every-day-please @fandom-trapped-03 @thequeenofpotatoeunicornss @t1dwarrior-of-earth @saays-bitch @kawaiigiantjudgefish @k-poplunardreams @animegirlweeb @animezodiac707 @weird-pale-blonde-person @myazael @toodaloo-kangaroo @moonlightstar64 @miraculous-simmer7 @wannajointhecrabcult @blackmagicforever @iamabrownfox @inkattbi @i-wanna-be-a-ninja @justcourttee @consumeconstantly @abrx2002 @livelifeauthorstyle @certifiedbidisaster @dreamykitty25 @ironspiderstark @fantasyislive @ertyzeta @dast218

[internalsealpanic]

Of Midnight Smoothies and Murder Mysteries

Summary:  Sneaking out for a movie turns out to be a bad idea. 

A/n: So... this was supposed to com out on Halloween then I confessed about thirst then my priorities shifted. Well, since I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving this is just extended Halloween. It would be funny to do a Thanksgiving thing with the Batfam.  Thanks to @littleredwing89 and @lucy-roo for proof reading this crack. Thanks for @ereawrites for the encouragement. And thanks to @littleredwing89​ for the mood board. (I love you my dear enabler.) Also “[ ]” will indicate characters speaking in a different language. I sadly could not find grammar stuff for the language so you will have to bear with me.  This is still part of the Merc! Reader series. 

Warnings: Gore, a lot of blood, dumb bickering, Dick being a cute dork, and snake bleps.

Main Masterlist 

Series Masterlist

"Aliens don't exist," You huff around your thoroughly chewed straw, swirling the radioactive green smoothie Dick insisted that you try. You debate on whether to take out the bag of confectioners sugar you bought and pour it in. Dick makes a noise, indiscernible with his own straw in his mouth. You cast a glance at him only to see his neon blue smoothie spurting out of his nose. Your snort quietly, the noise hidden by the rustling of grocery bags against your bouncing leg but based on the way he’s pouting at you, Dick clearly sees your lack of sympathy and takes offense. You shrug at him. 

 Brushing the liquid away with the sleeve of his denim jacket, Dick levels you his best batglare. You give him an impassive half-asleep response of ‘hnnn’ which just gave him flashbacks about talking to Bruce. You’re entirely too focused on the fact that the blue of the smoothie is still alarmingly stark even against the blue of the denim.  “You’ve met Superman, right?”

 You roll your eyes at his piss poor attempt at intimidating you and pinch your straw between your thumb and index finger, trying to break apart the clumps of ice preventing you from getting more smoothie. “-Met is a strong word-” You drawled causing him to sneer.  “Just say he kicked your ass six ways to Sunday like a normal person.”

 “I fought him.”

 “You got your ass beat-” You glare at him sticking your green tongue out at him and in return he sticks his blue tongue out at you. It was true but he didn’t have to say it. This is always how your long-held arguments start. 

 “Besides, aren’t you and Slade metas?” He breaks in after a long moment, instantly cutting off the possibility of weeks of not talking to each other. You smile balefully at him. “Precisely.”

 “What? How does you being a weirdo disprove aliens?” 

 You make an affronted sound through your nose but launch into your explanation in your professorial voice. “The guy’s gotta be some kind of meta and he probably just came up with the Krypton thing afterwards. It sounds cooler, yanno?” 

 Dick looks up to the smog covered Gotham sky, leaning back against the solid brick pillar behind him. “Well, why can’t he be an alien?” He says dreamily tracing unseen constellations with his right hand. You briefly remember him mentioning stargazing with his parents when he was younger. There is something warm in the memory even if it wasn’t yours.  You look down at him, eyebrow ticking. “Ok genius, tell me why there would be aliens that look exactly like us?”

 “Why not?” He says grinning at you. The sterile lighting of the grocery store light filtering through smudgy windows highlighting his features. The shadows highlighting the shape of his cheekbones and the dimples forming at the edges of his cheeks.  When had Dick gone from cute to handsome? You shake your head, avoiding his smiling corscian blue eyes. 

 “Becaaauuuuuse, dipshit, that’s not how evolution works” You bite out. 

 “What about convergent evolution?” He offers casually and your tongue freezes. A light flickers in his eyes and his pretty mouth twitch up into a laugh when you fail to respond. “You forgot about that, didn’t you? HA”

 “I regret this conversation.”

 “HA”

 “Superman fanboy” you accuse, jabbing a finger into his chest. Dick giggles either from your weak deflection or the fact he’s ticklish, either way, your stomach does somersaults.  

 “Just say you’re wrong.” He says grinning, the divots formed by his dimples becoming more apparent.  You feel Yasiri’s tail flick across your collarbone, her body coiling up in response to your irritation. Your mouth curls too but the irritation doesn’t quite boil over as you expected it to, not when  Dick smiles at you like that. There’s a strange twisting in your stomach. You aren’t sure what it is but you’re pretty sure that you don’t like it. You blow out a breath, sound caught between a tired laugh and a long-suffering sigh, and pick your grocery bags before getting up. 

 Not even 5 seconds after you resolve to abandon him, Dick’s already by your side, falling into step with you bumping his shoulder against yours in a placating gesture. Yasiri slithers from the skin on the base of your neck to hiss at him. Dick smiles at her unfazed despite the clear and present danger. He pets her without much fuss from your usually ferocious snake. You make an amused noise at her compliance. 

 The walk is spent in easy companionable silence. The kind you two settle into when Dick knows you need to settle down. You were a sore loser when it comes to arguments but so was he, so you tend to let the other work through it. You grimace at your lightly scuffed shoes. They weren’t expensive or flashy or even one of a kind but they were comfortable, reliable, and most importantly they were from Mr. Wintergreen- Uncle Wintergreen, he insisted. The fact that he’d taken the time at all made your stomach flip-

 Your stomach dropped. Your throat and mouth felt dry. The scent of copper permeating the air as you stared at the red puddle beneath your white shoes, a severed finger poking at you. 

 "Y/n?" 

 You must have stopped abruptly. You turn to Dick mechanically and see his face crumple into worry. Before you can rush out words of dismissal, your ears tune in to the sounds of a haunting melody. Yasiri rattles around your neck once again leaving the safety of your collar bone. Your head swivels mechanically towards the old theatre. Dick looks at you curiously, concern flashing in his eyes when another scream erupts from the theater. You both stiffen, spines straightening. Eyes blown wide, your feet take you toward the theater. 

Dick falls into step with you.”You’re not seriously going, are you? You’ve- Didn’t we just watch a horror movie?”

 “You seem to be going the same way.” You point out, side-eyeing him sharply, the sour look on your face not betraying the anxiety cloying at your spine. In the corner of your eye, you can see Dick huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. 

 “I’m Robin.” 

 “And I kicked your ass just 2 days ago and served it on a silver platter while quoting the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger,” You grin absolutely, unequivocally unapologetic. 

 “I was protecting civilians!” He protests, throwing up his hands theatrically. 

 “Iieerrelevant~”

 Dick opens his mouth to contest your point but there really was convincing you on that. His face screws up and being the gracious loser that he is, he sticks his still neon blue tongue out at you. You, being the graceful winner that you were, stick your radioactively neon green tongue at him in answer. 

 You continue to bicker about the merits of his heroism on the battlefield 'til you reach the front of the theater. You tuck your grocery bags behind debris by the entrance making sure to keep them well hidden. Dick wants to point out that they’ll probably be gone by the time you two are done but Yasiri was staring at him like she was about to strike at him for real this time. 

  It- It wasn’t hard to get into the building. Dick held out his hand to you as you climbed over another set of debris. You take it. You thank him clumsily. He bows to you a gremlin smile spreading across his face. You sneer but give him a sharp smile in return. 

 It’s dark. The absence of light is thick. It makes the sounds of your heartbeats uncomfortably loud. You swallow. You trace your finger along your skin, the hilt of your knife falls easily into your hand. You trace your finger on your other arm and hand the knife to Dick who shakes his head.  You shrug and let it melt back into your skin. 

 “You have a tracker on you, right?”

 “No-” You eye him, cutting him a look of disbelief. “I-”

 “Relax, I have one too.” You deadpan. 

 Dick sighs. “You’re dad’s paranoid too?”

 “So is yours” You snip, hackles drawn. 

“Bruce isn’t my dad.”

 “Slade isn’t mine either.”

 “Mentors?” Dick offers placatingly.

 “Polite way of saying bossy prick, I guess.” You roll your eyes but concede. 

 “I mean I don’t know about Wintergreen but Alfred taught me some manners.” Dick shrugs, folding his arms behind his head somehow relaxed despite the thick scent of blood in the air or maybe this was how Dick was when he was nervous. 

 The truth was Wintergreen had attempted to teach you manners but he’d run into quite a few problems. The first being that you were a terrible student. Sure, you caught on quickly when you could but anything you didn’t gravitate towards didn’t hold your limited attention long enough to make an actual impact on you. Now that in of itself was fixable with the right kind of bribery. The other problem was less so. Your mentor, if you could really call him that, was a rude bastard. Long story short, you’ve never seen the point, much to Wintergreen’s chagrin and Slade’s amusement. You were, however, a master of mouthing off. 

 “Shouldn’t we call back up?”

 You flick your eyes to him, uselessly, but based on the shifting of the body beside you he somehow got the message. “Go ahead, if you wanna explain to big daddy bats why you’re hanging out with me, sure.”

 Yeah. That wasn’t an option. There was, of course, a silent understanding that bats probably knew about your little hangouts but still. 

You pad the walls with your left hand while your right was gripping Dick’s sleeve, white-knuckled. You cringe every now and again feeling the walls slick with what you weren’t eager to investigate. You strain your ear to listen for odd sounds but mostly to see if Dick, as you suspect, is echolocating. 

 “How are you doing that?”

 “Doing what?”

 “Silently echolocating?”

 Dick snickers. “I am not. You do know B isn’t an actual bat, right?”

 “Oh yeah, I forgot he was just a furry.” You sneer. Dick snorts a sound caught between amusement and offense. He clearly respected Bruce. Not the same way you respected Slade, maybe, but you understood how larger than life the Batman was even if he was the biggest pain in your ass by far. 

 “Do you really have any room to make fun of my mentor when yours has ‘Stroke’ in his name?”

 “I have plenty of room, probably. Why not  echolocate to check just how much room I have?”

 “Listen here-”

 The opera music floods the silent hall, sharp and clear. You feel the air around you catch fire and your fraying nerves. You turn your head to Dick. Despite not being able to see him, you know his mouth flattens and his brow wrinkles the way they do when you two agree to do something incomprehensibly stupid. This time you do not argue or question or even complain. You simply go forward.

A scream, messy and jagged, tangles with the smooth crispness of the opera music. It makes your stomach turn almost as much as the idea of who or, more appropriately, whatever was behind it. You were familiar with the cruelties Gotham’s monsters were capable of. You have, after all, worked for quite a few. 

 But this? 

 This pure, uncut agony in that scream? That was just something you could not stomach. You feel Dick flinch at the sound, almost jumping out of his skin. You squeeze his arm once, then twice, then twice once more. You feel his hand on your wrist, reciprocating the gesture. You smile at him reassuringly not knowing whether it would make things better or whether he can actually see it. 

 Neither of you is particularly good at dealing with people’s pain. That might not be the right word for it. Neither of you coped well. You absorbed too much of it. You were, however, much better at hiding it. Not that you could fault Dick on that. You didn’t even attempt. For Dick, humanity was a part of the job. Compassion? Kindness? That was to be expected of a hero not derided. To uphold that in the face of Gotham’s worst, that took strength. 

 Strength, in your case, was directed elsewhere. Something bone-breaking, more visceral. You suppose that was the problem with keeping company with survivors. Perpetually dancing on the brink of death robbed you of something but you haven’t exactly known any other life besides this. 

 The end of the hall is light by bright lights, sterile white, the kind you only saw in clinics. Your head runs through the catalog of Gotham’s rogues, possibilities of which utter psychopath could possibly be doing this. 

 “We should call the cops.”

 Not really really paying attention, you nod. You should probably. You grip the handle of your knife, flexing your fingers nervously, as another scream cuts through the air. Dick’s body curls, recoiling at the sound. The sound, this close, was enough to make you twitch. 

 “Can’t we just text them?”

 “What do you think this is? Canada?”

 “Ok, fair but make sure to tell them you’re Dickle Grayson.” You tease, smiling way too easily considering the creepy atmosphere. 

 Dick crosses his arms over his chest.“And summon a media storm?”

 “It would get the police here faster.”  

 “I hate it when you’re right,” Dick wishes he could wipe the absolutely smug grin off your face. “We need to back up. You know, in case, he can hear us.”

 “I mean you are the one unarmed here.” You say, waving your arms at him. 

 “No, I’m not. I have my bird-a-rangs.” Dick preens, taking them out from some pocket hidden in his jacket. 

 “Bird-a-rangs.” You echo, raising a brow. 

 “Yup. Bird-a-rangs.”

 “You are officially- no, you are legally not allowed to name things.”

 Dick makes an offended squawking noise.“Oh, come on! Still not as bad as Sharknado.”

 “Take. That. Back. Heathen.”

 “Make me.”

 Both of you still. Yasiri unfurls from your collarbone, her tail rattling. You spin on your heel. Your knife swings out in a wide crescent of light.  Thick crimson splashes across your face. At the end of your knife was a person- no, it was a person in the past tense. It makes a small cry when you wiggle the blade planted in its throat a fraction. Otherwise, it ignores the fact that it is, in fact, bleeding out from its jugular. It’s thick, clumsy limbs reach for you. Your stomach rolls. The thing in front of you, the mangled approximation of what was once a person, is lurching towards you. You think you sneer in disgust but your face is far too numb to tell. 

 “Dick! Just call the cops!” You snarl, panic rising audibly as more bodies emerge from God knows where. You kick the one to your front off to the side, shredding its neck. It takes everything in you not to vomit. In the corner of your eye, you see Dick type as he kicks another one away.   You two back into each other as the bodies close around you, cutting off all the exits. You roll up your sleeve tracing a blood-soaked finger over the lines of your tattoo and producing another knife. Dick pulls out his bird-a-rangs. 

 Dick landed blows but they weren’t hard enough to maim or be fatal. Even if he was to hit them with the sharp bird-a-rangs, he would still aim non fatally. Slade would kill you if you fought so inefficiently or maybe he would just taunt you. Either way, you didn’t care much for Dick’s squeamishness right now as the bodies kept getting back up. As far as you can tell, you’re doing them a favor. 

 The first wave of bodies rushes towards you. Their limbs jutting towards you clumsily. You swing your blade, vicious and precise. You feel metal clash against flesh, against bone. Blood coats every available surface on you.  You hear Dick squawk and you don’t really need to turn around to check that he’s also covered in it too. The spray of blood makes the air thick with the scent of copper. The blood on your skin burns. 

 “Duck!”

 “Goose!” You shout, ducking and slashing down at a row of bodies and legs. You hear his bird-a-rangs slice through the air cleanly and land on one of the creature's shoulders. You let out a huff of air thinking of all the more permanent places it could have landed. He throws a few more hitting them in the face. 

 Dick launches over you, using you as a springboard. You grunt and he winks at you like a showman. His foot predictably lands an impressive blow on one of the creature's faces. You two regroup back to back immediately after he lands. 

 Your eyes widen a fraction when a hand from out of nowhere grabs at your face catching you off guard. Your breath catches when you feel a hand at your shoulder pushing you down. A fist makes contact with the creature’s swollen face and it takes a moment for your mind to realize that it’s Dick’s hand on your shoulder and Dick’s fist making contact with the creature. 

 “Thanks,” You mumble, straightening yourself out. “I had it.”

 “You’re welcome, Pookie.” You flush as Dick winks at you. “You know I literally have your back.” He teases. You groan bending back into a fighting stance.

 “When we get out of here alive, we are working on your sense of humor.” Dick chuckles at that, making your muscles ease. “Says the person who shouted ‘Goose!’.” 

 You land every blow with every intent to make it fatal. Dick is still sticking to his nonfatal method. Normally, it was pure joy to watch Dick as he fights. The sheer control he commands over his muscles was awe-inspiring. Despite his size, he’s able to land blows just as powerful as yours. He would truly be terrifying if he were to be anything but himself. 

 These bodies. They’re too alive, too much. The next wave comes at you more fervently with more bodies. Another wave of nausea hits you when hands grasp at your arms. Your stomach tries to twist out of your abdomen. You try to wrench yourself free. You pull and twist and thrash, only succeeding in getting yourself pulled in deeper. 

 “Dick!” You cry reflexively. The coarseness in your voice lets the fear spill all over your vowels. 

 Dick’s corscian eyes widen with a flash of panic. To Dick, you and death were two separate lines running on parallel tracks next to each other, never quite crossing and never belonging to the same headspace. Completely mutually exclusive as far as he knew.  But right at this moment, right as you’re about to be swallowed whole by the crowd of misshapen bodies, he watches those lines slowly intersect. Dick doesn’t know where his heart has leaped to. 

 “Y/n!”

The world resurfaces in a surge of bright white light. Some small part of you is really hoping that Dick is, for once, right about the alien thing. Quietly you draw in a calming breath. It’s shallow not wanting your chest to rise too much to give away your consciousness. 

 The opera music is blaring in your still ringing head which isn’t helped by the wannabe opera singer belting his lungs out. Thankfully, that means he’s distracted. You move your limbs checking. Everything seems to be intact AND you seem to be tied up to someone instead of something which was either good or bad depending on who it is. 

 “Mornin’ sleepy head” Dick mumbles quietly, sounding relieved. You click your teeth in irritation. 

 “Morning, Disco Stick. Any chance you magically woke up with a plan or were you just taking a beauty nap?”

 “I don’t need one and sort of.”

 “Well shit, we’re screwed then.” 

 “You’re being dramatic.”

 “I’m sorry which of us is running around doing somersaults when they’re assaulting criminals?”

 “In my defense, flipping makes my kicks land harder.” Which was true but you were feeling snippy. “It also gives them much more time to dodge or counter.”

 “Killjoy.” You roll your eyes, smiling. You know he’s being cute and pouting. Given this is really not the time considering there is a man butchering another man a few feet away from you while singing bad opera. You really did stumble into a horror movie. “Please tell me you called Batman or the police.”

 “Both.”

 “How?”

 “Some of us are good at multitasking.” Dick chirps proudly leaning against you. You scoff judging just how tightly the ropes are bound around you. 

 “Well, you are good at being insufferable while still breathing.”

 “Isn’t that part of my charm?”

 You snicker accidentally tugging at the binds around you. You hear Dick wince likely from what is a bruised rib or, heaven help you, a broken one. “Sorry.” You whisper low and small.

  Shit. What if he had a broken rib. Shit. Shit. 

 “I’m ok, Hon.” Dick laughs making sure to lay the Delaware accent thick. It makes your chest feel warm even though everything else in you was freezing from dread. You snort. “Fine, bleed out for all I care.”

 “Awwww don’t be like that.” You sigh. You hate how weak you are to his puppy dog eyes. You can’t even see it. You decide to change the subject instead. “So what are the odds that we’re escaping if we break out of their bonds now?”

 “Not high.”

 “Even if I get Yasiri to gently inject him with poison?”

 “Please tell me you didn’t bring poison to our hangout.”

 “I mean. Do twinkies count?”

 “No.”

 “Ok, fine. So we’re stalling then.”

 “Pretty much.”

 “I hate this.”

 “You were the one who started heading in.”

 “Why didn’t you stop me then?”

 The man at the surgical table turns to you with a whimsical flourish as the body on the table goes limp. No, not limp. Docile. You have just witnessed a person become a body, you think numbly. The way the fight so easily left its limbs made you shudder, feeling the fight in your own limbs fleeting out. This isn’t how you want to die, not by the hand of a madman. At least, not until you’ve put your own demons to rest. 

 “Look who’s awake,” He drawls, his voice slimy and all the vowels coming out at the wrong pitches. Dick shifts the two of you so that he’s angled slightly in front of you. He squares his shoulder trying to make his lean form look far bigger than it actually is. You smile at his attempt to be protective because deep down you both know you’re the more intimidating one and you’re the one who can take more punishment. Your power and training have those pleasant side effects. 

 You see him draw closer making you snarl. “Come any closer and I swear I will rip your throat out.” You are surprised at how even the threat came out but the distilled ferocity you had put into it didn’t quite show, likely blunted by the fear pooling in your stomach.  

 “Don’t worry I’ll make you perfect too. I promise.” He reaches past Dick, grabbing you by the back of your neck. The grip on you is bruising and callous. He forces you to bow your head and look down at the bloodstains on your clothes. The browning blots of red stain your white Wonder Woman shirt. You swallow.  You felt like a lamb being dragged to slaughter. Dick, likely without thinking, bites down on the man’s wrist.

 The man pulls away with a cry, cradling his bleeding wrist. “Are you ok?” Dick asks, spitting blood out, eyes shiny with concern. You gulp down air before nodding. Dick presses closer to you reassuring you. Shaken, you press back, careful not to press hard enough to hurt him. 

 Your floundering mind comes to one conclusion. You can’t let him touch Dick. You use your strength to shift your positions so that Dick is completely behind you.  Dick tries to move you back but you plant your heels preventing him from even inching. 

 The man grabs you by the collar of your shirt, pulling you off the ground. You hear Dick’s breath hitch. His heart rate kicks up and so does yours. Fury burning in the man’s eyes. “WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?” He screams, shaking you. “NO. NO. NO. MY- I’M- NO! PERFECT. I NEED- I NEED TO BE PERFECT.” Somehow the spit flying in your face grosses you out more than the blood probably drying on your face. It’s only winning by a small margin though. 

 Bile is rising in your throat. Still, you grin, sneering and taunting. “Trust me you didn’t need help in the department,” You jeer. Dick squirms behind you. Urging you to stop. You don’t. “You think those pisspoor excuses for creatures you sicced on us were perfect. HA!” You can feel Dick shaking his head behind you.  You nudge him assuring him you’ve got a plan. You did. Sort of. It’s more of a goal really. Take his attention off of Dick. 

 “[Y/n, please no. Don’t do this. I know what you’re doing. But I can take it. Moon, please.]” Dick pleads, voice hoarse and desperate. ‘Shion’. Moon. The endearment glances of your ribs like a well placed kick to the chest. You don’t let your eyes flick to him. “[Which us is meta here?]” You whisper back in broken Romani. You cringe a little knowing just how badly you butchered the sentence.  Dick makes an affronted noise.  “Cham.” You whisper quietly, trying to shape your vowels and consonants correctly. Dick’s breath catches. Sun. Sure, the endearment seemed inadequate, too succinct, when compared to how much you care for him but as of right now it will have to do. 

 The man shakes you again dragging your attention away from Dick. Your smarmy grin cuts across your face as if you’re not pissing yourself from fear. A large hand grabs your face. Your entire body braces itself for your neck to be twisted but it does not come. He tilts your head back side to side. “You’re going to need a lot of work.”

 Your heart stops. Dick thrashes behind you. You want to elbow him. You want to scream at him to stop fucking moving but you’re entire body is numb. Your eyes flick to the man, no, the body on the table. It is breathing and writhing in agony. Your breaths pick up. You- you don’t- you can’t-

 You hear a crash and the fall of debris on a dozen bodies. 

 “B!” Dick shouts distantly. The grip on your collar disappears. A black clad fist hangs in front of you. Your eyes trace up the arm in front of you only to be met with the scowling face of the Batman. You swallow nervously while Dick lets out another enthusiastic ‘B’. Batman makes quick work of your ropes, all the while glaring at you for what you don’t know. Maybe somehow he knows this whole situation was your fault. 

 Once released, the first order of business, at least for Dick, is to throw his arms around Batman’s shoulders. Awkwardly, he reciprocates your friend’s affection. The hold he has on Dick cannot be mistaken as anything but protective. You find humor in the fact at how obvious their familial connection is yet they deny it. A teasing remark rises up your throat but is abruptly shoved back down by Batman’s unrelenting glare. Was he born glaring? 

 “What are you doing here?” Less of a question and more of a growled accusation. 

 “Careful, his rib might be broken.” You stumble out dumbly.  Dick glares at you but compared to Batman’s it looks more like a pout which is, again, hilarious. Batman loosens his grip on Dick and apparently, this is now the time Dick chooses to realize that his mentor (read: dad) is trying to turn you into ash with a scowl.     

 Dick peels away from him stepping in front of you. He widens his stance to shield you from the larger man. Dick feels an odd surge of protectiveness and he’s not about to let B attack you, especially not after what just happened. 

 They stare each other down. They seem to be having a silent argument. You want to cut in but you’re afraid you might actually turn into ash with the intensity of Batman’s gaze. 

 The loud blaring of sirens mingle with the still playing opera music in the background as a tidal wave of police officers and paramedics rush in.  

  -----

You pestered the medic to let you stay with Dick. 

 “So, what do you plan on doing?” Dick asks, leaning against you pointedly ignoring the paramedic's instruction to be careful. You let him lean into you. You know he needs all the comfort he can get.  You rest your head against his hair, placing a kiss on his scalp. Dick doesn’t comment afraid that you might withdraw if he teases you too much. 

 “Maybe grow out my hair,” You joke, pinching a lock of hair between your fingers. “Might as well considering how grounded I’ll be. Well, if uncle Wintergreen has anything to say about it.”

 Dick extricates himself from your shoulder and turns to you with a pensive look. Tilting his head, he looks at you appraisingly, wrinkling his brow. You can’t blame him. He’s never seen you with long hair mainly because you’ve never let it get too long. Too much of a hassle, too much of a health hazard. 

 Dick places his jacket over your head, draping it over you like a wedding veil. You chuckle at him, barely able to keep the smile off of your face. 

 “How do I look?” You joke twining your fingers around the cloth. You think you see Dick blush but it was probably just the cold. Dick coughs poorly disguising his laughter. He covers his mouth, depriving you of his dimples. “ Like you’re going to get married in a jean pants suit. I have dibs on walking you down the aisle.” 

 You tilt your head. Your smile tilts along with it.  “Nah uncle Wintergreen has dibs on that.”

 Dick huffs, his shoulders sag in disappointment. It’s the closest he was gonna get to being your groom, he thinks. 

 I want you waiting for me at the end of the aisle. The thought makes your heart twist. You swallow it along with the huge lump in your throat.  “You can be my last dance though.”

 You concede. Dick brightens a little at this but not by much. 

 “You sure Deathstroke wouldn’t mind?” 

 “This implies he’ll show up. He’s a busy man.” Dick laughs at that. Genuine and very Dick. This time you don’t fight the smile off of your face.  

 You smile at each other and laugh. A million unspoken sentences hang between the two of you. 

 This love of yours is reckless.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a/n: Thanks for reading. Also yes I did have to include good dad Bruce and bastard mentor Slade. I only have one braincell and it is dumber than shit. 

tag list:  @batarella , @anothertimdrakestan , @lucy-roo , @multifandomgirl-us , @idkmanicantenglish ,@birdy-bat-writes ,  @boosyboo9206 , @americasmarauders , @l-inkage @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay , @wunderstell @hyp-oh-critical, @ereawrites​

[bohemianrhapsody86]

200 Things About Me (originally 200 Things You Can Put In My Ask)

I got this off of @rami-malek-trash - don’t know who the original poster was, sorry if it’s you. I’m bored and cramping and no one usually sends me asks anyway, so I’m just going to answer all of these myself 

200: My crush’s name is: Drew (Now boyfriend, but he was my middle school crush) 199: I was born in: 1986 198: I am really: cool 197: My cellphone company is: T-Mobile 196: My eye color is: green 195: My shoe size is: 9.5/10 194: My ring size is: 9/10 193: My height is: 5′6″ 192: I am allergic to: Nothing 191: My 1st car was: 2001 PT Cruiser 190: My 1st job was: Server at a local pizzeria 189: Last book you read: Startalk: Everything You Ever Need to Know About Space Travel, Sci-Fi, the Human Race, the Universe, and Beyond by Neil DeGrasse Tyson 188: My bed is: Not very comfortable. I need a new mattress, but I need a job first.  187: My pet: A siamese cat named Chico. 186: My best friend: Amanda  185: My favorite shampoo is: I like using Aussie 2-in-1, I also like using Shimmer Lights occasionally so I can keep my gray hairs nice and shiny.  184: Xbox or ps3: PS3 183: Piggy banks are: Cool. I have one that counts my change lol 182: In my pockets: Nothing because they hate putting usable pockets in women’s pants.  181: On my calendar: I marked where I started my period yesterday, and my boyfriends 32nd birthday is next Tuesday.  180: Marriage is: Something I want everyone to have the option for if they want it. 179: Spongebob can: use his imagination 178: My mom: is amazing! 177: The last three songs I bought were? Cool and Sucker by The Jonas Brothers, Don’t really buy many singles, just albums if I’m interested and their cheap.  176: Last YouTube video watched: Brooke Candy - Paper or Plastic 175: How many cousins do you have? Too many to remember 174: Do you have any siblings? Yes, an older brother and older half-sister. 173: Are your parents divorced? Yes, they divorced back in 1999 172: Are you taller than your mom? Yes. We used to be the same height, but gravity has taken a hold of her and squashed her down.  171: Do you play an instrument? I used to play the trombone in middle school, but that was 20 years ago. I’m sure if I ever got my hands on one again, I might remember a scale or two.  170: What did you do yesterday? Went around town job hunting and then bought a maxi dress at a local craft store.  [ I Believe In ] 169: Love at first sight:Yes 168: Luck: Yes 167: Fate: Yes 166: Yourself: Sometimes 165: Aliens: Yes 164: Heaven: Yes and No 163: Hell: We live there now. 162: God: No 161: Horoscopes: Yes 160: Soul mates: Yes 159: Ghosts: Yes 158: Gay Marriage: Yes 157: War: No 156: Orbs: Yes/No 155: Magic: Yes [ This or That ] 154: Hugs or Kisses: Kisses 153: Drunk or High: High  152: Phone or Online: Online 151: Red heads or Black haired: Black haired 150: Blondes or Brunettes: Brunette 149: Hot or cold: Cold 148: Summer or winter: Winter 147: Autumn or Spring: Autumn 146: Chocolate or vanilla:Chocolate 145: Night or Day: Night 144: Oranges or Apples: Apples 143: Curly or Straight hair: Curly 142: McDonalds or Burger King: McDonalds 141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: Milk Chocolate 140: Mac or PC: PC 139: Flip flops or high heals: Flip Flops 138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: Sweet and Poor 137: Coke or Pepsi: Always been a Pepsi girl 136: Hillary or Obama: Obama 135: Burried or cremated: Cremated and turned into a tree or my ashes made into a vinyl 134: Singing or Dancing: Singing 133: Coach or Chanel: Neither 132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: Katherine McPhee 131: Small town or Big city: Small Town 130: Wal-Mart or Target: Target 129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: Ben Stiller 128: Manicure or Pedicure: Mani 127: East Coast or West Coast: East Coast - never been to the West Coast 126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Birthday because it sometimes falls on Thanksgiving.  125: Chocolate or Flowers: Chocolate 124: Disney or Six Flags: Disney 123: Yankees or Red Sox: Neither, Cubbies til the day I die.  [ Here’s What I Think About ] 122: War: Pointless 121: George Bush: Better than the asshat in office now. 120: Gay Marriage: If I can get married to my boyfriend, the my friend Jerry should be able to get married to his boyfriend, Josh.  119: The presidential election: I hate that orange buffoon.  118: Abortion: I’m pro-choice.  117: MySpace: Always had trouble figuring out my Top 8 and what background I wanted to use.  116: Reality TV: Only thing I really watch are cooking competitions. Those are the only ones that matter. Not a fan of the Kardashians or the Bachelor/ette bullcrap.  115: Parents: My mom is amazing, my ‘dad’ was never really there.  114: Back stabbers: Asshats 113: Ebay: Hardly use it.  112: Facebook: Good to stay in touch with people you want to/some of the groups on there are awesome.  111: Work: Don’t have a job as of yet. *keeps fingers crossed I hear back from someone soon* 110: My Neighbors: Loud AF and nasty. I live in an apartment and the neighbors upstairs have so many kids and animals up there it’s ridiculous. I wish they’d leave.  109: Gas Prices: Ridiculous, but not as bad as I’ve seen it before.  108: Designer Clothes: Meh, not my style unless I find something in my size at Goodwill.  107: College: Been there, done that. Not really for me. Never graduated.  106: Sports: I like watching them, mainly baseball and basketball. The NFL can go fuck themselves.  105: My family: Love my blood relatives and my chosen family.  104: The future: It’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.  [ Last time I ] 103: Hugged someone: last night when my boyfriend came over and brought me my phone charger.  102: Last time you ate: An hour ago. 101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: At my bestie’s baby shower.  100: Cried in front of someone: Sometime last week 99: Went to a movie theater: When Endgame came out 98: Took a vacation: 2010 97: Swam in a pool: A few summers ago 96: Changed a diaper: 2007? 95: Got my nails done: 2007? 94: Went to a wedding: 1999 93: Broke a bone: Never *keeps fingers crossed* 92: Got a peircing: 2012? 91: Broke the law: I probably broke the speed limit yesterday at some point.  90: Texted: about 2am this morning.  [ MISC ] 89: Who makes you laugh the most: My bestie Amanda and boyfriend Drew 88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: my cat. 87: The last movie I saw: Ant-Man  86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: getting a job 85: The thing im not looking forward to: Interviewing for a job 84: People call me: loyal 83: The most difficult thing to do is: finding a job 82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: Yep, 77 in a 55. 81: My zodiac sign is: Sun - Sagittarius, Moon - Leo

80: The first person i talked to today was: If you count texting my boyfriend at 2am, then him.  79: First time you had a crush: Sometime in Elemetary School.  78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: my mom 77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: yesterday 76: Right now I am talking to: myself 75: What are you going to do when you grow up: I have no clue 74: I have/will get a job: soon 73: Tomorrow: Never Comes 72: Today: Is the day 71: Next Summer: Not here 70: Next Weekend: I have no clue 69: I have these pets: 12 year old 17 lb cat named Striper.  68: The worst sound in the world: My cat hacking up a hairball.  67: The person that makes me cry the most is: myself 66: People that make you happy: my mom, brother, sister-in-law, boyfriend, best friend. 65: Last time I cried: sometime last week 64: My friends are: amazing 63: My computer is: pretty cool and loaded up with Sims stuff.  62: My School: I don’t go to school anymore.  61: My Car: gets me there.  60: I lose all respect for people who: disrespect me or my loved one.  59: The movie I cried at was: Endgame 58: Your hair color is: salt & pepper 57: TV shows you watch: Legends of Tomorrow, Worst Cooks in America, Any cooking show really.  56: Favorite web site: Tumblr 55: Your dream vacation: Somewhere away from my town 54: The worst pain I was ever in was: when I had that ovarian cyst. 53: How do you like your steak cooked: medium 52: My room is: messy 51: My favorite celebrity is: too many to list  50: Where would you like to be: in bed 49: Do you want children: nope 48: Ever been in love: yes 47: Who’s your best friend: Amanda 46: More guy friends or girl friends: About the same.  45: One thing that makes you feel great is: music 44: One person that you wish you could see right now: my grandma 43: Do you have a 5 year plan: I don’t even have a 5 minute plan 42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: Kinda, not really 41: Have you pre-named your children: Nope 40: Last person I got mad at: The Dump, but that’s a daily thing.  39: I would like to move to: out of the US 38: I wish I was a professional: crocheter/crafter [ My Favorites ] 37: Candy: Butterfinger Cups 36: Vehicle: Don’t really have one 35: President: Barack Obama 34: State visited: Pennsylvania 33: Cellphone provider: Always been with T-Mobile 32: Athlete: Anthony Rizzo 31: Actor: Tom Hanks 30: Actress: Sandra Bullock 29: Singer: Freddie Mercury 28: Band: Queen 27: Clothing store: Lane Bryant 26: Grocery store: Aldi 25: TV show: Don’t really have one 24: Movie: Too many to count 23: Website: This black hole of a site 22: Animal: Cat 21: Theme park: Don’t really have one. I did enjoy Six Flags over Georgia when I went back in 2002. Dollywood is always fun but it’s been even longer than that since I’ve been there.  20: Holiday: Halloween 19: Sport to watch: Baseball 18: Sport to play: Nothing.  17: Magazine: Entertainment Weekly 16: Book: Harry Potter 15: Day of the week: Thursday 14: Beach: Virginia Beach 13: Concert attended: Jonas Brothers in VA Beach 12: Thing to cook: bacon 11: Food: bacon 10: Restaurant: Hmmm....don’t know that one.  9: Radio station: Classic Hits 102.7...hardly any commercials and they tell you the artist and song title after every song. 70s, 80s, and 90s songs.  8: Yankee candle scent: Don’t have one 7: Perfume: The scented oils from a local curiosity shop have some of my fave scents.  6: Flower: Iris 5: Color: Blue 4: Talk show host: Jimmy Fallon 3: Comedian: I’ve got several 2: Dog breed: Corgi 1: Did you answer all these truthfully? Yes.    

[davidcarner]

Buy More High School Ch 10, Trick or Treat

A/N: Hey, how are you? Welcome back to the insanity that is Buy More High. Working with different authors has helped me realize part of the problem I was having with this fic and with Casey & Walker. I got it in my head that chapters had to be a certain length. What I've learned is get done what you're trying to get done, and it will be okay. So I think this is off hiatus. Also, your folks reviews to Pump Up the Jam made me get the itch again for my stuff (Not gonna lie the team up with SC is a blast) Don't know how regular this update will be but I know we've got at least three or four chapters left in this one, maybe more. Welcome to Ch 10, Trick or Treat

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, and I love this time of year.

"Really Miss Walker," Roan said with a smile taking in her costume. It was Halloween morning, and students and faculty alike were dressed up in some type of costume.

"You don't like it?" she asked, turning from one side to another to model the outfit. She was in the full Elizabeth Swann pirate costume, complete with brown vest, trousers and boots. The white shirt underneath had the puffy sleeves, and a long brown coat completed the ensemble.

"Oh, I think it's wonderful, my only question is has Charles had a heart attack yet after seeing you?" Roan's eyes were twinkling.

"I think he likes it," she replied coyly.

Roan raised an eyebrow, making Sarah grin. "I would say he's a fool if he doesn't.

Sarah leaned in towards Roan. "He said, and I quote, 'Shiver me timbers! I hope I'm getting pillaged later." Roan threw his head back and roared with laughter. "I have no idea what he means," she said innocently.

"I'm sure you don't Miss Walker, I'm sure you don't." Roan shook his head. "As for why I'm here, I think we finally have the diction right for Mr. Masters."

"I thought that was Cole's job?"

Roan rolled his eyes. "Mr. Masters struggled with Mr. Cole's accent. He was enunciating exactly as Mr. Cole, and that would have been fine, except Mr. Masters is American. I checked the rules, there a good chance points would have been deducted from Mr. Masters. I also sent an email to Mr. Quinn explaining to him all the hard work the students are doing."

Sarah smiled. "Thank you, Roan."

"Thank you, Sarah." He left and she went back to straightening the room.

"I'm so sorry I'm so late captain." Sarah turned around and saw her boyfriend with a cheeky smile. "I do hope you don't keelhaul me."

"I would never keelhaul you." She began to walk toward him slowly. "I mean you are my mate in almost every way of the word."

"Almost?" Chuck asked. Sarah stared at him for a minute and shook her head. "What?"

"Married, you numbskull."

"Ohhhh."

She tilted her head to the side. "Calm down, Chuck. I know both of us have had negative role models when it comes to marriage in our lives. I wasn't suggesting anything."

"Huh," he said, crossing his arms.

"What does that mean?"

"It means, earlier when you said you'd give me no quarter I didn't think you meant twenty-five cents." His eyes were twinkling.

She reached over to swat his arm. "Shh! You'll get us in trouble."

He grinned at her, and started to walk away, but paused. "You know sometimes when someone sees people screw up, they learn what to do and believe they can do it better."

"Oh, really, Mr Bartowski?"

"In fact, I would say, if you found someone you truly trust and rely on, you would be more than willing to take that chance."

"I take it you have someone in mind for that?"

"That's correct Miss Walker, or should I say Dread Pirate Walker."

"Keep that up Bartowski, and I'll shiver ye timbers."

He grinned at her. "You already cause me great emotion, Sarah," he said softly as he walked out. She put a hand down to steady herself on the desk in front of her.

"Blimey," she muttered.

-ooooo-

They were curled up on the couch, after the long day of school, and handing out candy. Sarah convinced Chuck to watch her favorite horror movie, Halloween. Chuck was trying not to scream every time the music changed.

"I think you did this on purpose," Chuck said to her with a glare.

She grinned at him. "Chuck, did you know that guys used to have this move back in the day where they took their dates to horror movies, just to have them cuddle into them."

He sat up, looking proud of himself. "AHHA! You don't really like this movie, you just wanted me to cuddle with you."

"Or I really like this movie, and I like you cuddling with me," she replied.

"I thought it was to make moves on women…are you trying to make moves on me woman?"

"I mean I am, but you seem to not notice."

"How can I notice that you're over there trying to hint at sexy time when I'm terrified? Huh? Tell me!"

Sarah threw back her head and laughed. "How about this? We finish this movie, you bury your head in my shoulder each time you get scared, and we'll finish with something less scary."

"We talking another movie or sexy time?"

She grinned at him. "Play your cards right, both."

"I hope not that Disney Ichabod Crane movie, that thing is scary."

She studied him a second. "You're serious."

"The Headless Horseman has a stupidly massive sword!"

"Chuck Bartowski, you can't sit here and tell me that movie legitimately scares you?" Chuck didn't say anything. "Fine, It the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?"

"I do love the Great Pumpkin," Chuck said, leaning back into her. "That other thing should NOT be seen by kids."

"Would you let your kids see it, Chuck?" She couldn't believe those words had slipped out of her mouth but after the discussion earlier today…well, she just couldn't help herself now.

He turned his head to her. He was quite for a second, and then grinned. "Probably. I'm sure their mother isn't the scaredy cat I am." She looked into his eyes, and knew what he was up to. She nodded once turned back, and started the movie back. He hid his head into her shoulder again, making her laugh. "For the record, that comment about my kids' mother really isn't saying a whole lot."

"I'm aware, Chuck," she said, stroking his curls soothingly. "I'm well aware."

-ooooo-

Three and a half weeks later Sarah found herself in the store, shopping for Thanksgiving. Ellie and Awesome had to work, so they were having dinner at Chuck and Sarah's a few days early. Ellie had come into their house, taken over the kitchen, to Sarah's delight, and began to send Chuck to the store for some supplies. Sarah went instead of Chuck, telling him to spend time with his family.

She was in the spice aisle when her phone rang. "Hey, Ellie. No, it's fine. I'd rather go, plus we both know if we sent him there is no telling what he'd bring back. Ellie, I love him dearly, but we both know him. Okay, I'll see you soon."

She walked around the aisle, and bumped into a gentleman in his 50s. "Excuse me, Miss."

"My fault," Sarah said. He smiled at her and she noticed his eyes…eyes that reminded her of someone…two someones. "I'm sorry, I'm buying some supplies for our Thanksgiving dinner tonight."

"Uh, I don't think tonight is Thanksgiving," the man replied with a grin.

Sarah chuckled. She felt like she could be open and honest around this man and she had no idea why. "My boyfriend's sister is a doctor and has to work Thanksgiving."

"Well, that's Aces. You should always be with family while you can."

"You have any plans?"

He shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "My family and I are….estranged."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, I'm the same way with my family. I'm Sarah," she said, reaching out her hand.

"They call me Mr. B," the gentleman replied, sticking out his to shake her hand. "Well, I don't want to keep you." Sarah smiled, nodded, and continued her shopping.

A few minutes later her phone rang again. "Ellie…yes, I have it. Nope, I'd much rather you call and make sure. Sorry I'm running late, I ran into this nice man and got to talking. He doesn't have a family to spend Thanksgiving with. Really? We don't really even know him. Sure, I have no problem with it. He seems to be a nice gentleman. Sure." She hung up her phone and searched for the man. She couldn't find him until she was out in the parking lot. "Mr. B!" she yelled. It seemed to take a second for him to realize she was talking to him. He turned towards her. "Would you like to join us for Thanksgiving Dinner?"

"I couldn't intrude," he replied. "Besides, you barely know me."

Sarah shrugged. "It's Thanksgiving, everyone deserves to be with family, blood or not."

He studied her a second, nodded, and helped her load groceries into the vehicle. He stopped before he got into the car. "Sarah, are you sure about this?"

"I'm positive, now get in." They got into the vehicle, and drove to her house. They got out, brought the bags in, with Mr. B lagging behind, Sarah not noticing. She went into the house, headed into the kitchen and began to sit things on the counter.

"Hey, Sarah," Ellie said. "Did he come with you?"

"Yep, he's right over there," Sarah said, nodding toward the doorway. "Mr. B, meet Ellie." Ellie turned toward the man and dropped the knife in her hand.

"Hello….Ellanor."

It dawned on Sarah at that moment, who Mr. B was. "When you say Mr. B?" Sarah began.

"It's Bartowski," Stephen replied. "Stephen Bartowski." Sarah looked over at Ellie, who was in shock. What had she done?

A/N: Wanted Halloween and that scene, plus I moved the story forward. Mission accomplished.….til next time…hope you enjoyed it! Reviews and PMs are always welcomed!

DC

[jonasmaurer]

weekend things + Hallowthanksmas party

Hellooooo. How are you? I hope you had a lovely weekend. <3 Ours had some interesting twists and turns, but some beautiful and fun moments mixed in with the upsetting moments. 

We started off Friday night feeling pretty excited because Commoner & Co. is open again in Tucson! The Ares Collective team has been making moves all summer into fall, and Kyle’s schedule has been bananas. They moved their central Prep & Pastry to a larger location, opened August Rhodes, opened their Scottsdale Prep & Pastry, and completely renovated Commoner & Co. Commoner is our fave of the restaurants because we love a fancy dinner and a cheese board, so we’ve been waiting impatiently for it to reopen. It’s our go-to date night spot! When we walked through the doors on Friday night, the interior blew me away. 

I didn’t want to be a creeper walking around snapping pics of the tables and design, so please check out this Tucson Foodie feature for some great pics!!

We were all very happy to be back.

We started with the bread, cheese, and olives course + the coconut shrimp (<— SO good!). For entrees, we all rolled with our usuals: steak for the Pilot, burgers for the girls, and salmon for me. The salmon dish had a nice fall twist with butternut squash risotto. Dinner was fantastic, and we followed it up with gelato from Blue Ice across the street.

While we were at dinner, P mentioned that her ears were hurting. She rarely tells us that anything is wrong, but on the rare occasion when she says her ears hurt, it’s a guaranteed ear infection. She hadn’t slept well for a couple of nights and it all started to make sense. I Googled for nearby urgent care options so we could get her on antibiotics asap if she did indeed have an ear infection, and while I was checking for options, I got a phone call that my grandfather had a stroke and was in the hospital. The Pilot and I divided and conquered: he took the girls to urgent care to get P’s ears checked (double ear infection, as expected), filled her prescription, and I went straight to the hospital.

I was there with the fam for a few hours and headed home for bed, without any improvements on his status.

Since the Pilot had to work all day Saturday and I had the girls (and didn’t want to take them to the hospital), I decided to make the most of the day and we had pancakes together before heading to the Tucson Petting Zoo to pet all of the animals. 

With our fave goats:

the giant rodents that are really like small dogs,

and the pigs. 

This guy’s name is Hamlet he loves Liv! He must have recognized her, because she does an animal program at school where they bring in different animals to learn about them, and she fell in love with him about a month ago. She came home and adamantly exclaimed that she’s never eating bacon again because she loves Hamlet too much. Anyway, I think he remembered Liv because each time she’d pet him, he’d snort and grunt so loudly while wagging his tail. He didn’t do this for anyone else; only Liv. It was pretty adorable. 

Later that afternoon, when the Pilot was off work, he took over for the girls and I headed back to the hospital for a couple of hours. 

Our holiday party was Saturday night and I was 99% sure that I didn’t want to go. I wasn’t feeling holly or jolly, and just wanted to stay at the hospital. My mom finally convinced me to take a couple of hours and go on on a date with my husband, especially since he’s been gone so much. I was having a “fake it til you make it” kinda night, and finally went home to take a quick shower, put some makeup on, and go to the party for a bit. 

I was thinking of doing a sleek bun or something fun with my hair, but at that point, I wasn’t feeling it. 

(Dress is from Rent the Runway <— my referral link gets you $30 off your first order)

The party ended up being a lot of fun. Since the timing was so bizarre – a holiday party two days after Halloween – the theme was “Nightmare Before Christmas.” You could wear Halloween or holiday attire, so it was a hilarious mix of Halloween costumes (Ace Ventura was my very fave) and holiday garb (like holiday dresses, ugly Christmas sweaters, etc). The decor was Thanksgiving style. The games were hilarious, the food was great, and the cake was insane. 

(Another incredible cake from Cakes by Amy! She did P’s gorgeous Frozen cake last weekend, and I know it seems like it can’t be possible, but her creations taste even better than they look.)

We didn’t stay at the party super long, but had a great time seeing our friends, grabbing a drink together, and enjoying the shenanigans. 

Sunday morning, the Pilot worked and Liv had a dance workshop, so it was just P and myself most of the day. We went to her swim class, grabbed groceries for the week, and hung out a bit. When the Pilot got home, we all ate dinner together and then I headed back to the hospital.

(Ina’s perfect roast chicken with lemon green beans and roasted sweet potatoes)

My posting schedule may be more erratic than usual this week, but I’ll still be here checking in when I can. I have a one-song workout on the way and some other fun posts planned.

If you’re the praying or good vibe-ing type, if you wouldn’t mind sending some my Tata’s way, I would appreciate it so much. <3

xoxo

Gina

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[chironsilentmind]

I. Little (1.4)

Out of breath once again Kev loses the race home to Chiron’s front door.

Kev: You going back home already it ain’t dark yet. Come on let’s go to my house play the game. Chiron: Nah… I’ll be right back iight stay here.

Chiron quietly opens the door he knew his mom could only be doing two things sleep, or entertaining company who she show him off , and brag about him. Either way he didn’t want to be by Paula.

Chiron tiptoes and slowly closes the door behind him. Chiron looks around a bit for any sign of Paula. Her cigarette still lit upon the ashtray. But she isn’t laid on the couch where he last saw her.

Chiron rushes off to his bedroom. He hears noises across the hall coming from his Momma’s bedroom. He leans in for a sec. To listen in radio is playing old school r&b love songs. A man’s voice along with his mother’s. Chiron sighs and proceeds to his bedroom grabs his dollar he had hidden behind his headboard. He always had to find new hiding places from his mother. She hated him keeping money from her. She’d take it away, but he never saw it again.

Chiron was good at keeping secrets seeing as he never really had much to say.

Chiron tiptoes back into the hall as he hears his mother room open he makes a dash for the front door.

Paula: CHIRON keep you Little ass outside boy!

Chiron heads out the front door. Slamming it shut.

Chiron scares Kev who was unable expectedly relaxed again the wall.

Chiron: Damn! Kev: wassup Little?

Chiron out of breath.

Chiron:…Nothing. come on.

Kev: I’m tired man.

Kev and Little walk along. Chiron reaches in his pocket to fish out the dollar. Shows it of to Kevin.

Chiron: Candy lady? Kev nods.

The candy lady of the neighborhood lived closer to Kev’s house.

Kev knocks on the door.

Kev: Now and Later, Lemon heads, & mike& ikes plz…thank you.

Kev grabs the candy after Chiron pays the dollar. Kev races off to his house 4 doors away. Kev lived with his Big Mama. He was the youngest of 4, well 5 if you count his cousin Ricky. He had 2 brothers & a sister. He had a big family. Chiron was an only child, at times it felt like his mom didn’t even want him. She’d never want more kids.

Kev looks back at Little. Kev: You coming?… Little: yeah

Kev never really talk about his parents.

Kevin escorts Chiron inside.

Kev: Nanny!…Big Mama!..me & my friends going to play the game!…NANNY!

Kev’s grandmother emerges from the kitchen.

Big Mama: Boy! Stop yelling in my house. Kev smiles and hugs her.

BigMama: Mhmm boy I’m not fooling wit you. Dinner gon be ready soon. Mhmm I know you got some candy. buttering me up.

Kev: not a lot! Big Mama: Kevin! You heard now…

Big Mama turns to greet Little.

Big Mama: and who little boy is you. Kev: Nanny that’s Chiron. My friend Little remember…? Big Mama: Kev hush. He can speak. And that ain’t what I asked him. Who ya Momma? Chiron: Paula.

BigMama: I used to run a daycare here. Before your Momma moved out here. Watched just about everybody kids. So I know everybody. She still nursing?

Chiron nods. Chiron: Yes Ma'am.

BigMama: Kevin I like this boys manners. He can come over here anytime. Teach yall some. Kev: Okay Nanny, Can we go play now?.

Big Mama glares at Kev.

Kev: I mean…May we please go play? Big Mama smiles and nods. Little staying for dinner?

Kev: yes Ma'am.

Kev leads Chiron into the back room.

Kev: Come on…my brother just got Mario Bros.

Kev sets up the game console. Grabs the controllers.

Kev: Little, why you was in trouble today? Chiron: huh. What you mean?

The two talk as they start a random level on the game eyes focused on the TV.

Kev: ya moms said you was in trouble before you had came out to play. Chiron: Oh, nothing.

Chiron didn’t feel right to tell Kev about Tarell, Vic & em boys. And yesterday til this morning. He’d have to explain why he didn’t come home. Him mom worrying getting mad. The reason he did it on purpose.

Kev: nothing? I’m gonna get it out of you anyways. You mind as well tell me…

Kev pauses the game to show some sincerity. Little smiles.

Chiron: It’s too long of a story.

Kev unpause the game.

Kev: ok…you gonna tell me.

Chiron shakes his head and smiles to himself.

Kev hands Chiron the bag of candy.

Chiron wasn’t really a big candy eater. On Halloween. He mostly gave away his candy to the neighbors kids who weren’t allowed to trick or treat because of their beliefs.

Chiron suddenly realize he’s in Kev’s and Ricky’s room.

Ricky was about 12 years old. So he had to share a room with Kev. Kev’s other siblings were too old. Shaun & Shaneice were Twins, Shaneice being the only girl had her own room. Trevor & Shaun shared a room before Trevor went to University full scholarship playing football.

Kev: Little you gon play or what?

Chiron focus his attention back on the TV.

Kev’s cousin Ricky walks in the room.

Ricky: Kev get out I gotta study. Kev: Nerd. Ricky: Stupid. Kev: Little. Ricky. Ricky: sup man. Chiron: hi

Ricky grabs his books & heads to the dining room table.

Kev:That’s my cousin but i call him my other brother. You don’t talk much Little. Why you so quiet all the time?

Chiron shrugs. Chiron: got nothing to say. Kev: it’s cool, we still boys.. Kev playfully nudges Chiron’s shoulder. You can talk to when you find stuff to say.

The boys continues the game.

Big Mama: Boys come on eat!

Kev & Chiron had been smelling Nancy’s delicious food since they burst through the front door. Both excited to eat her sweet delicious meal. The rush to the bathroom to wash they’re hands.

Kev: Bet you to the table… Chiron:you too slow Chiron stomach growls from hunger he realize he hadn’t eat since the morning with Teresa & Juan. Kev: Man you hungry or something..? You can go first.

The two walk to sit at the dining room table. Both mesmerized by the delicious aromas. Fried chicken, Mac'n Cheese, candied yams, ham, green beans & carrots, cornbread & for dessert Nanny’s Banana Pudding.

Chiron had never seen so much delicious food. Paula didn’t really know how to cook as well as Nanny. Chiron didn’t even see as much good food on Thanksgiving.

Kev: Little close your mouth you drooling.

They both shared a laugh as the the rest of Kev’s siblings joined the table.

Shamrock Kev’s only sister, beautiful Carmel skinned typical boy crazed teen girl.

Big Mama: i see you on my house phone again. Shaneice sighs. Big Mama: Gurl!!! Shaneice dinner time! Shaneice: Mhmm gurl, imma have to call you lata… Bye. Ricky: girls! Shaneice smacks Ricky upside his head. Ricky: OW! Big Mama: cut it, yall hush.

Shaneice looks over at Kev.

Shaneice: hey baby bro when did you get here?…? Kev: I walked past you when i came in the house Neicy. Shaneice: you did?….oh. hi! Who’s your friend?

Chiron sits quietly swinging his legs in the chair. Kev: Little thats my big sis Shaneice but we call her Neicy. Chiron smiles and waves hello. Shaneice: he don’t talk?… Kev laughs. Kev: Not much. Chiron: Hello. Shaneice gushes over him. Shaneice: aww Little you’re so cute. You’re gonna be a heartbreaker when you get older, watch. Chiron blushes of embarrassment as all eyes of the room studies him. Chiron:Thank you! Shaneice: You’re welcome. Big Mama: and he has manners too.

Kev smiles and nudges Chiron again. Kev: ay stay away from my sis…..I’m her protector.

Shaneice: Mmm Nanny this looks amazing as always. Big Mama: thank you baby!

Ricky reaches over to grab the serving plate of fried chicken. Big Mama: Grace! Boy!. Ricky:Sorry Nanny.

Chiron didn’t say grace at home. Kev grabs his hand Little didn’t care what he had to do for grace as long as Kev never let his hand go.

Chiron looks around at the collectively joined hands closed eyes and bowed heads. As Ricky starts to lead prayer. Ricky:thank you Lord for this delicious food…. Chiron peeks his eyes open a bit to looking around the room. He snickers as he sees Kev peeking back at him. Kev squeezes Chiron’s hand as Ricky finishes the grace With a collective Amen.

Kev still holding Chiron hand for a little longer. Reaches over to Ricky’s plate to steal his price of chicken. The two snicker again as Ricky realizes his now empty plate.

Ricky: Funny!

They fill their plates with the delicious food selection. And begins to eat.

BigMama: Shaneice where in the world is Shaunie? Shaneice: I don’t even know Nanny…I think he went to Michael’s house or something. Big Mama: ok…Chi Chi- Shaneice and Kev: CHIRON! Nanny Big Mama: l know his name…how you like the food baby?

Chiron: It’s great, thank you Ma'am. BigMama: you’re a polite young man Chiron, I like that. You can call me Big Mama or Nanny, Whatever you'd like. Okay? Chiron nods. Chiron: okay.

Kev: Nanny must like you, because she don’t let kids around the neighborhood call her That. Big Mama: Not that little Badass boy Tarell or that sneaky Vic & ‘em. They act like they don’t have no home training. But I keep them in my prayers. I pray for all yall. Especially living out here something always going on.

Chiron smiles at Nanny. Chiron: I like it here. Kev smiles at Nanny and Shaneice.

Kev: yeah, this is the most you’ve spoken to anyone else besides me. Big Mama: I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself here. That food got you to talkin. huh? Chiron nods as everyone at the table laughs along.

The family finishes the rest of their meal. Kevin & Chiron help collect dishes from the table for Nanny.

Big Mama: You’re a good influence on Kev. Kev stick around this one. Kev: he's alright Nanny!…she finna kidnap you from home Little. Keep you as her child.

Eventhough Chiron knew it was only a joke. He knew he didn’t mind being kidnapped away from his life at home.

Kev:Nanny I’m gonna walk Little home real quick. Big Mama: Shaneice walk them boys halfway. Kev: aww Nanny, Neicy walk too slow… Big Mama: She's is your big sister let her look after the both of you.

Kev rolls his eyes Kev: fine!

Chiron face dropped at the thought of going back home. Big Mama walks over to him give him the warmest Grandma hug he’s ever had. BigMama: you come back now Chiron, you hear? Chiron: yes Nanny.

Chiron follows Kev outside Shaneice already waiting for them.

Kev: Nanny love her some Chiron… Little? Kev whispers Why was you in trouble wit your moms?

Chiron: I didn’t come home lastnight. Kev paused in his footsteps. Kev: You what!? Chiron: I came home this morning. A little before you came for me. Kev: you brave. Nanny would’ve gave me a sore behind. Where was you at? Chiron stays silent. Kev: So you not gon tell me.

As they walked along the way they looks back for Neicy she was on her cellphone further behind.

Chiron: ok if i tell you don’t tell anyone. Kev: i can keep a secret… Chiron: i was at Juan’s house. Kev:….Juan…juan?…OG Juan? Chiron nods. They both continue to walk along. Kev: That’s crazy. Too crazy. What you do there? Chiron: nothing special met his girlfriend. Watched a movie, ate dinner, slept woke up ate breakfast, came home. Kev: Why? Chiron: why what? Kev: why didn’t you go home? Chiron: that’s a longer story.

Neicy shouts Neicy: Kev… ay yall hurry up. Kev: ALRIGHT! Come on Little let’s just run to your door.

They both pace themselves as they run to Chiron’s front door.

Kev: alright man, tell me more later. Chiron reaches to give Kev dap. To his surprise Kev refuses and hugs him instead. Chiron smiles. Chiron: Ok! Bye kev! As he enters his front door.

Chiron walks in slow not to disturb Paula. Chiron peeks around into every room. So far still no sign of Paula.

Chiron goes to the kitchen for a glass of water. When he hears a slam at door. Chiron cautiously opens the front door to see his Momma Paula passed out in the entrance of the doorway.

The only thing he could think to do is pull her body the rest of the way inside the house. Chiron struggles as he pulls Paula’s limp body inside. He places his ear to her chest to search for her heartbeat. He felt her hand rubbing his head.

Paula: Chiron you helping your Momma out.

Chiron had seen his momma like this once before a while back. It was after a 4th of July cookout at hi Nana Joyce house. The next morning his momma and Nana Joyce got into it. He remembered the loud screams very vividly. They don’t talk much anymore.

Chiron grabs a pillow from the couch place it under Paula’s head and cover her in her granny’s favorite quilt. Gave her his fresh glass of water.

Chiron bathe & dressed for bed. Peeking in on Paula one last time. Paula now sleep under their dining table. Nowhere Leg resting upon the seat of course moving her wouldn’t be any easier. He decides to leave her there. He turns off the list & goes to bed.