#i was only a poor child not even 9 years old yet when he died | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

izzy-b-hands · 2 years

Text

Stede’s kids, aka two little shits lol, come looking for him. On their own. In a dinghy.

They truly are his children.

I guessed on their ages, so put them about idk, like 8 or 9, maybe 10 at the oldest for Alma and maybe five or six for Louis, somewhere about there. I may be wrong or off but I’m winging it for now until I find anything definitive re: how old they are in show canon lol.

A note, I did combine some historical stuff for Stede here. Mainly his first son, named Allamby, who had died by 1715 per Wikipedia.

TW for descriptions of child death re: Allamby (made up, because I couldn’t find much to give an exact cause of death, so I just rolled with it.)

I stared at this all day and I think I caught any accidentally a words or major fuck ups, but if I missed something pls let me know and I’ll fix it ASAP dsklfjaskl. Also, if any additional trigger tags are wanted that I missed, let me know and I’ll add them them right away!

---

“Another letter from the kids,” Ed said as he handed the envelope to Stede. “I’ll bet they still want to come out with us.”

“And I’ve told them their mother will not allow that at this time, understandably,” Stede chuckled. “But we’ll remind them.”

He opened the letter and started to read. “Oh.”

“Oh?”

Stede nodded and handed the letter back, moving to sit on a nearby barrel. He’d expected some whining that he hadn’t come back for a bit, or to allow them to sail with him for at least a week or two (Mary wasn’t entirely against it; she simply wanted them to be older before they did so, and that no raid would take place while they were aboard. Sensible requirements that Stede agreed with wholeheartedly.)

He hadn’t expected this.

“They’re looking for us?” Ed said, shocked. “They aren’t old enough for that. Are they?”

“How old were you when you left to be a pirate?”

“Sixteen, or about there,” Ed replied. “How old are yours again?”

“Not that,” Stede laughed nervously. “Oh god.”

“No, don’t panic,” Ed said. “After all, they’re your kids. Smart, good head on their shoulders.”

“And a proclivity to make rash, potentially dangerous and/or poor decisions?”

Ed paused. “Well. Yeah, that too.”

“Should we head their way and see if we can’t find them?” Stede asked. In his head, all he could see were two panicked children aboard a dinghy, in rough seas, potentially about to drown or starve if they somehow survived it-

“You’re picking at the thread on your jacket,” Ed interrupted the stream of potential catastrophes. “Take a breath.”

“I will, when we find them.”

“What else did the letter say?” Olu asked.

“They’ve bought their own provisions, weapons-” Ed read, then paused to laugh. “That’s wonderful! Not even my kids and I’m proud of them. Wonder what they picked up for that, because-”

“Ed,” Stede interrupted. “They likely stole money from their mother, oh god I hadn’t considered that yet. Forget being hung for piracy, Mary’s going to kill me first.”

“No one is getting hung for being a pirate, and I’m sure Mary will...” Ed hesitated. “You know, if we all go ashore, you’ll have a head start.”

“I think I need to lie down.”

“Children are much more resilient than you think,” Izzy offered. “They’re probably perfectly fine.”

“Or dead,” Stede chuckled. “I’ll make myself walk the plank if that’s the case!”

“I don’t think anyone actually does that,” Pete frowned.

“What, make someone walk the plank?” Lucius asked. “Or let their kids die at sea?”

Stede whimpered, and Ed wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Let’s not say dead unless we should find them that way,” Ed said. “And no, walking the plank really isn’t a thing. Sorry, love.”

“Right,” Stede nodded. “Then you can tie the anchor to me and drop me overboard! Maybe let Mary do it, that would only be right. And any loot could go towards funerals-”

He let himself drop out of Ed’s grip to sit on the deck, staring into space. He didn’t exactly want to take back all the years of playing pirate, but at the same time, maybe they wouldn’t have come looking for him if he hadn’t done so.

Ed peered down. “So, we’re going to take the lead on this, and I’m going to help Stede to bed. Sound good, Stede?”

He managed a nod, and didn’t fight when Ed and Izzy helped him up and more or less dragged him to their quarters.

“Try to rest, and think of something else,” Ed said as they dropped him into bed. “Read a book, distract yourself.”

He went to the shelves, and pulled out a book on the designing of children’s funerals, and dealing with grief.

Ed frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Come on,” Izzy whispered. “Sooner we find them, sooner he’ll either be alright, or we’ll lock him in here so he doesn’t jump overboard.”

“Do we know what they look like?” Roach asked.

“No,” Ed replied.

“Names?”

“Alma and Louis,” Ed said.

“Anything else?”

Ed looked back to the letter. “Alma has very nice handwriting?”

The crew groaned collectively.

“None of that,” Izzy scolded. “That isn’t helping.”

“More information would be helpful too,” Frenchie said. “What do we look for otherwise?”

“It’s two kids in a boat, probably just out there floating!” Jim shouted. “The fuck else do you think we need to look for?”

“Whoa, okay,” Olu took Jim’s hand. “Good point though, there can’t be that many younger kids out for a jaunt on the sea without any parents or someone to keep an eye on them.”

Frenchie raised his hand.

“Yup,” Ed nodded. “Go on.”

“Does their mum know they’re gone?”

Silence.

Izzy opened his mouth, then shut it and looked to Ed for direction.

“Possibly,” Ed finally said. “They didn’t say in the letter.”

“So in other words, their mum and her boyfriend might also be out there?”

Ed pondered it in a silent panic. “Yeah. Yeah, they might be.”

“Actually then, we’re looking for four people,” Frenchie said. “Good to know. Really hope we don’t accidentally find them by running over their dinghies.”

“I know we’re all probably a little scared for all of them,” Olu said. “But we need to keep our shit together. Stede’s lost his enough for all of us, frankly.”

“They are his kids,” Ed said sharply. “Though I wonder about the oldest one. Why didn’t he go with?”

“Isn’t the daughter the oldest?” Olu asked.

“Thought so, but before he came back I went snooping through his things,” Ed said. “And there’s a mention of a son, Allamby. He’s the first kid listed on anything that mentioned his family.”

“Could be he’s old enough that he didn’t want to go,” Roach offered.

“Then why not stop the other two?” Frenchie asked. “They’d tell an older sibling at least before they left. I would, were it me. Brother won’t necessarily yell at you about it, even if he doesn’t like it, and he could have been the one to give them money too.”

“We’re wasting time,” Wee John said. “Let’s get to actually looking for them, and then we can ask them about all of this.”

“Capital idea,” Ed declared. “All hands then, let’s get the show on the road.”

“At least we know they’ll be dressed fancy, if they’re that much like Stede,” Frenchie murmured to Wee John. “Could spot a bright silk from a mile away.”

The first three days were fruitless. Stede ate when food was brought to him, drank when water was presented. At night, he walked the deck while the others slept, no matter how much Ed protested. He argued that he slept enough during the days to distract himself from the worst possibilities, the least he could was take the night watch to see if they might be spotted then.

On day four, Ed joined him.

“Can I ask you something?”

Stede nodded, still looking out into the dark at the far end of the deck. The sea was calm, and the moon bright. Perfect conditions to find one’s missing children.

“Why didn’t their older brother go with?”

Stede turned. “Alma is our oldest.”

“Who is Allamby then? I may have peeked at some of your stuff before you came back, and-”

Stede shook his head. “I sort of wish you hadn’t.”

“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have,” Ed said, and took Stede’s hand, reassured when he grasped back tightly. “I won’t again, not without your permission.”

“No, it isn’t the biggest deal in the world,” Stede sighed. “Allamby was our actual first. But he passed a few years ago.”

“When?”

Stede sighed again. “1715.”

“That’s only two years ago,” Ed scoffed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“He’s gone and buried,” Stede replied. “What would there be to tell?”

“I’d imagine a lot,” Ed said softly. “How old was he?”

“Five,” Stede said, with another squeeze of Ed’s hand. “Very sweet. Liked picking flowers with me, to bring home to Mary. Wanted to study flowers, actually. Told me how he’d like to discover new ones, and he could name them after all of us.”

“Ambitious,” Ed laughed. “All that at five?”

“He had a plan for almost all of it,” Stede chuckled. “Didn’t really have any idea of how he’d make money to live of course, but truthfully I would have happily paid his way until he was on his feet. And even then, if ever he needed anything, all he would have had to do was ask.”

“What about playing pirate?”

Stede grinned, and finally turned to face Ed. “He loved it. Insisted we go down to the beach to play, the house wasn’t where a pirate would live! We’d walk down and he’d talk about everything involved with it: what weapons he’d use, what he’d most like to have as loot, even how he’d decorate his ship.”

“Flowers?”

“Lots of them. Painted on the walls, on the hull. Didn’t mind that it would mean repainting often. It was a worthy effort to him.”

He leaned into Ed, and Ed slipped his hand from Stede’s to wrap it around his waist instead.

“What happened? If you don’t mind my asking.”

Stede again looked to the sea. It was empty as it had been before.

“We don’t really know. He went to bed as usual, after two extra bedtime stories no less, and the next morning,” Stede’s voice caught in his throat. “He didn’t wake up. We thought he was having a lie in, since he did on occasion. Gave him an extra half hour to sleep or play in his room, whatever he was up to. Then Mary asked that I go up and bring him down for a late breakfast.”

Ed reached with his free hand to wipe a tear off Stede’s cheek as it fell. “Stede, if you want to stop-”

“No, he deserves to be known about,” Stede choked. “After we chose to not tell Alma or Louis about him, at least for now. That leaves only me and Mary and our parents, but they never did like him much. Too much like me, I suppose.”

He took a deep shaking breath. “I went up to get him. And it seemed awfully quiet, but he could sleep deeply. He’d played hard the day before too, all day at the beach, being the best pirate he could be!”

Stede smiled. “He would have loved it out here. I’m sure of it. Not that Mary would have wanted him out here either, but maybe when he was older, she would have...well. I suppose that doesn’t matter now.”

Ed nodded and tried to hold him tighter.

“I just thought he was sleeping deeply again,” Stede said. “He looked fine. Out cold, but fine. No blue in his lips, no gray on his skin. Not at that point, at least. But I couldn’t rouse him.”

Ed didn’t say a word, and waited for Stede.

“It was ridiculous, sitting on his bed, trying to shake him awake. Even went and got a glass of water and poured it over him, the poor thing!” Stede was openly crying now. His eyes hadn’t left the glassy water that surrounded them. “How he would have shouted any other morning if I’d done that! And it would have been deserved!”

Stede wiped away his tears, but they fell as fast as he could remove them. “Felt his forehead, expected a fever. He was cold.”

There was no wind, and the night was cool but not enough to chill. Stede shivered nonetheless.

“I picked him up and ran downstairs and called for Mary and to send for the doctor, or whoever could come by quickest that had any knowledge that might help,” Stede continued. “She knew before I did. Accepted it before I did, more like. She’d warned me before we tried for children, that there was always risk. They could die in childbirth and take her with them. Could have a horrid accident. Could be sick enough to die. Could simply die while in their cot, as a baby.”

He took a gasping breath. “But not at that age. Far too old to be a cot death. But it didn’t matter. Mary waited for the doctor at the door, and I stayed with him. Held him until the doctor made me let go.”

“And Mary?”

“Devastated as I was, but she didn’t fall apart like me until the burial. I think it really hit then. We spent days in the house, not eating, not sleeping. We talked once about what if we went to his grave and checked. Maybe he was really alright, and what if we’d buried him alive?! He’d be scared and want us and he’d think we had abandoned him.”

Ed gently prompted him to walk, to try and get him to their quarters or anywhere that he couldn’t watch the waves. At least for a few moments.

But Stede didn’t move an inch. “We nearly did it, too. Mary borrowed some of my old things, so she could move more easily. We were at the door, shovels in hand, and then we realized what we were doing.”

He sobbed. “And it would be pointless. He’d be as pale and lifeless as he’d been at his wake, in his coffin.”

It was by some grace that Izzy came out of his room, headed for the galley. At seeing them, he changed direction and strode over.

“Did we find them?” he asked Ed in a whisper.

“No,” Ed whispered back. “Could you help me get him to our quarters? I can take over the rest of the night watch.”

“You stay with him,” Izzy said. “I can do it. It’ll be nearly light before we know it anyway.”

With a bit more prompting and gentle pulling, they got Stede to walk away from the rail of the deck.

“Got something!” Frenchie called from the crow’s nest. “Small vessel, not close enough to see all who’s in it though!”

“Dinghy is ready,” Izzy said as he jogged past Ed towards it. “Roach?”

“On my way,” Roach hustled up behind him, kit of medicines and bandages and everything else in one hand. In the other was a small bag. “Got sandwiches and some jars of water in here. No offense to them, but I can’t imagine kids can estimate how much they’d need...”

“We fuck that up often enough ourselves,” Ed said. “And we’re old enough to know better.”

“And yet,” Izzy sighed, but it had no teeth behind it.

Ed tried to get a better look at the dinghy as they slowly made their approach. “I still can’t tell...looks empty.”

As they made their way beside it, he saw he was right. Still a jug of water and a basket of oranges, set by two daggers. But otherwise, empty.

“Fuck,” Izzy said softly. “Maybe they abandoned it and went ashore somewhere?”

“Why would they leave their supplies?” Roach asked.

Before any one of them could speculate, there was a ripple in the water.

Ed felt a hand grasp his at the edge of the dinghy.

Then, a face. “Oh shit! Louis, come back up!”

They watched as Alma dove back underwater and brought Louis up, a fish in his hands. “I caught one! Can we really stop somewhere to cook it and eat it? Can we go now?”

“No!” Alma looked over fearfully to them as she pushed Louis into their dinghy. “We don’t have anything you’d want! We’re looking for our dad, and he’s a pirate! Most fearsome to sail the sea, so if you’re planning to rob or kill us...”

She paused, clearly out of breath from swimming and panic. “Well, I would reconsider it!”

Izzy smiled, then broke into laughter. “Yeah, these are his. Fucking fuck, Bonnet.”

“You know him!” Alma pulled herself into their vessel, and moved her wet hair out of her eyes. “Where is he?”

“We sail with him,” Ed replied. “And he’s been a mess looking for you two, after he got your letter.”

“Told you he’d meet us halfway,” Louis said. “I told you!”

“Oh shut up,” Alma sighed. “Sorry about him, but he’s always like this, I should warn you-”

“I’m not like anything! I’m being polite and I was even going to offer to share my fish with them!”

“How about we tow you back with us, and then we’ll see about the fish,” Roach smiled. “I’m our chef and surgeon, so maybe you could help me cook it.”

Louis grinned, and set the dead fish on the bottom of the boat to hand over the rope tied to the dinghy.

“Curious,” Ed said as they started the trip back. “Did you two steal this?”

“Of course we did,” Alma scoffed. “We’re pirates.”

Izzy was still having giggle fits, even as he rowed. “Yes, yes you are.”

“Dad, ow. Dad! Help!” Louis cried out as Stede picked him up in a bear hug.

“Okay, let’s not suffocate him, metaphorically or literally,” Lucius said as he rushed over. “Hi! Your dad really missed you.”

“I can tell,” Louis said, voice muffled with his face jammed into Stede’s silk waistcoat.

“I was so worried about you,” Stede said as he finally set poor Louis down. “Did you tell your mother that you left?”

“I left her a note,” Alma said, then backed up as Stede moved for her. “Dad, I’m too big to pick up, Dad!”

He did all the same. “And look at you! Sailing in that dress! How on earth did you manage that?”

“You get used to it,” Alma said. “You’re squishing my lungs, I think.”

“Sorry,” Stede set her back on her feet. “I just. I thought you two were dead, and I had no idea how I’d tell your mother or what I’d do; it isn’t as if I’m likely to have any more children and...”

“Dad, you don’t have to cry,” Alma said, but she wrapped her arms around him and nestled her head into his neck.

“I’m hungry,” Louis said. “Mr. Roach, can we go cook my fish?”

“Yeah buddy, we can,” Roach replied. “Ed, if Stede’s looking for him-”

“I’ll let him know,” Ed interrupted gently, brushing away a tear of his own. “Let us know when dinner’s ready, hm?”

“Of course.”

The rest of the crew kept on with their various chores, but all of them stayed on the main deck, watching Stede lead Alma around to show her the ship. In return, she told him how they’d left, stolen their boat, how she’d been saving her allowance to buy everything from their food to their daggers.

No one interrupted directly, but there were smiles and soft giggles all around.

Ed was the only one following after them, listening in and silently cheering at Alma’s resourcefulness. Of all the Bonnets, she seemed the one who might not need any teaching about piracy. Maybe too young, but well prepared for it all the same.

“I am...” Stede sighed happily. “Your mother wouldn’t like to hear this, but I am so proud of you both. What you did was very dangerous-”

“You’ve said that like a hundred times already,” Alma interrupted.

“I know, I know, but I’m your dad. I have to say things like that, so you’re more careful in the future.”

Alma rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Fine, then we’ll board and steal a bigger ship next time.”

“Next time!”

“That or you come back and let us come with now and then,” she said with a little happy hop.

“While that would be a lovely achievement, I think it better I arrange with your mum something that would let you two come out and sail a bit,” Stede said. “If my co-captain is agreeable to it.”

He peered back to Ed with a hopeful smile.

“Absolutely! Say, how good are you two with those daggers?”

Alma blushed. “We aren’t. We didn’t get to practice before we left, and we’ve only used fake swords before.”

“Then I say we get you some lessons on knives with Jim before we take you two home,” Ed said.

“Which is Jim?”

He pointed out Jim, currently winning a knife-throwing contest against Frenchie and Wee John, with the Swede keeping score.

“Whoa,” Alma breathed out as Jim made their best throw yet. “Can I learn how to do that?”

“Jim can teach you that, and I’ll teach you how to take out an eyeball with a dagger, how about that?”

Her eyes shone. “Really?”

He looked to Stede, who chuckled. “I suppose. Better earlier than later, if you’re really going to be a pirate.”

She cheered and rushed away to Jim. They watched her tug on Jim’s coat, mouth moving a mile a minute as she pointed to Jim’s knife.

Jim looked back to them, seemingly waiting for permission.

Stede gave them a nod, and immediately Jim knelt down and handed Alma their knife, showing her how to hold it before tossing it.

“Think Mary’s still going to kill you?” Ed asked.

“Maybe not. Once we bring them back and work something out properly, and I’m sure they’ll need to promise not to run off on their own again. She might show mercy on me then.”

Stede leaned into him, arm at his waist, and they watched the rest of the knife throwing lesson in a contented silence.

“Roach said I did the best job he’s ever seen,” Louis told Stede proudly as they sat down to dinner. His fish was too small to share with everyone, but a portion were on his and Alma’s plates. “I bet I could learn how to be a ship’s chef from him.”

“He’s our surgeon too,” Stede said. “That means learning about bodies and blood and guts!”

Louis grinned. “Cool.”

“They get that from Mary,” Stede told Ed, sitting a spot away from him beside Alma. “She’s got an iron stomach.”

“You’re getting better with that,” Ed said. “Sometimes you just need to be around it more to get used to it.”

“Jim taught me how to throw a knife,” Alma leaned past Stede to Louis. “And Ed’s gonna teach me how to take out an eyeball!”

“Ew,” Louis giggled. “Can I learn too?”

Ed smiled warmly. “Stede, I love them. They’re awesome. I had never really thought about kids-”

“Is Ed like our stepdad like Doug?” Louis interrupted.

Stede looked to Ed with a chuckle. “Well, Doug said you two sort of decided if he was or not. What do you think about Ed?”

“Makes sense he would be,” Alma replied. “Cause Doug teaches us how to paint, and now Ed’s gonna be teaching us stuff too. Plus he’s dating you.”

They both blinked. They’d not so much as kissed in front of them yet.

“How do you know that?” Stede asked.

“I have eyes,” Alma said. “And you two act the way Mum and Doug do. You make eyes at each other.”

“I suppose we do,” Stede blushed.

“You’re literally doing it right now,” Alma said, and looked across the table to Jim. “Do they do this all the time?”

“Yes,” came a chorus of voices.

“We aren’t that bad,” Ed said.

“I bet they kiss like all the time,” Louis said.

“They do,” Izzy stage-whispered from his spot by Jim. “And hold hands, and-”

Alma and Louis broke into giggles, cutting him off.

“Alright, we have a decent feast tonight!” Roach announced as he finished setting down the last dish, covered by a high metal dome. “Hard tack, a stew that I think finally everyone will like, and-”

He lifted the dome off the dish. “Thanks to Alma and Louis, we had more than enough oranges for a cake!”

Louis turned to Stede, mouth open to speak.

“One piece for tonight,” Stede said before he could get out a word.

“Okay, but-”

“Stew first, then cake. It’ll taste better that way.”

Louis nodded. “And my fish before the stew!”

“Of course,” Stede said.

Dishes were passed from hand to hand, until plates were full. Everyone dug in, but Stede took the opportunity to take it all in.

Maybe, now and again, he could have both. His family at sea, and some of his family on land, together.

If he saved some cake for Mary, she’d be potentially more likely to say yes, and he made a mental note to set enough aside for her and Doug.

And maybe one extra piece, for Alma and Louis to share before bed.

#text post #ofmd fic #aka the fic of stede holy shit control ur mini pirates lmao #tho if I ever write a follow up to this mary is probably gonna be pissed but also like I should have expected this djslkafjsal #fkn kids man #on the plus side tho when they do sail with him they've got a sort of second stepdad in Ed (and stepdad Doug on land of course)#and a bunch of adopted aunts and uncles who are gonna spoil them rotten and also teach them shit like how to skin a man #ya know the stuff you need to know around that age lmaoo #tw child death

23 notes · View notes

sheabeeprime · 3 years

Text

My Wish (Is For You)

BY @sheabeeprime FOR @tonystankandpetieboi AS PART OF @friendly-neighborhood-exchange

RATING: General Audiences

RELATIONSHIPS: Peter Parker & Tony Stark; Pepper Potts/Tony Stark; Ben Parker & May Parker (Spider-Man)

CHARACTERS: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man), Ben Parker, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan

SUMMARY:

Peter was his name. Peter Parker. That was the child Tony was visiting.

Peter was a 9-year-old boy from Queens, New York. The file given to Tony by the Make-a-Wish Foundation described him as shy, yet fun loving and optimistic. From his own digging, however, Tony learned that he was also a trauma magnet.

When Peter was only six years old, both of his parents died in a tragic plane crash, leaving him to the care of his aunt and uncle, May and Ben Parker. Although May and Ben were noted as being extremely loving towards Peter, they only had two and a half years to try and help the grieving child adjust to his new life before he was diagnosed with a Grade II Juvenile Astrocytoma in his cerebellum.

Peter Parker is just another poor cancer kid, but he won’t let that stop him from getting the great Tony Stark wrapped around his little finger from the moment they meet. Tony, on the other hand, just wants to protect this new precious presence in his life from all the hurt the world seems to dish out onto it.

LINK: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35881288

The drive from the Memphis International Airport to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is only supposed to take a total of 18 minutes, traffic and stoplight time included. A relatively quick and easy commute for most people, even with I-240 W being as packed as it was.

Tony’s mind wondered as he stared out the window, trying to distract himself by imagining what the other people on the road were thinking. Like the old man driving way too fast for his half-baked Honda Civic. Or the teenage girl with the hand-me-down Toyota Corolla that tailgated them until they got onto I-69. He thought about how he was probably twice more comfortable in the back of his brand-new Rolls Royce then they probably were in their comparatively crappy vehicles, yet he only a fraction as happy.

Tony wasn’t unhappy per se, it was rather that he was very anxious. And Tony hated to be anxious. What did he, a billionaire superhero, have to be anxious about? As far as the public knew, there were very few people on the planet that could level up to Tony Stark, let alone cause him to sweat.

‘Stark men are made of iron,’ his dad always said. But Howard Stark was also a fan of country music, so there was no trusting his judgement.

“You’re nervous.”

Tony’s head snapped to the direction of the woman sitting next to him. A fiery, powerful red head. CEO of maybe the most influential company in the world, that being his very own Stark Industries. But above all, she was the love of his life. No one put up with him like she did, and Tony knew he took that for granted every day yet could not be more thankful that she continued to stick around.

“I am not! I mean, come on. I’m Iron Man! I fight terrorists every day, hands on,” Tony retorted.

“But this is different,” Pepper replied calmly, hands folded gently in her lap.

“Yeah? How so?”

“Because this time you’re not fighting evil, you’re helping the good. Facing the innocent. And that makes you uncomfortable, doesn’t it?”

Tony scoffed, turning to look back out the window. Unfortunately, the passing cars were no longer serving as a useful distraction, especially from the burning hole Pepper was staring into his back.

Only a couple minutes passed before Tony finally gave in with a sigh, rolling his head back towards the brilliant woman beside him. Their eyes lock for a moment and Tony knows she can see right through his façade, like always.

Tony drops his line of sight downwards towards his hands, which had suddenly become a lot more interesting and a lot less piercing than her gaze.

“I’m not nervous. I’m anxious,” he admits, eyes still trained on his now sweaty palms.

“Boss, hate to break it to you, but I’m pretty sure that those words are synonymous in this context,” Happy cut in from the driver’s seat, glancing back at them through the rearview mirror.

“No. Being nervous implies there is something to be worried about. Being anxious is a state of being. You don’t need a reason to have anxiety,” Tony replied, practically regurgitating something one of his many therapists had told.

“So, you’re admitting you have anxiety?” Happy asked.

“What? No! I-” Tony started but was quickly silenced by Pepper’s delicate hands taking his own. She cradled them for a moment, before slowly bringing them up to her lips to place gentle kisses along each finger.

“Honey, it’s okay to be nervous or anxious or worried or whatever you want to call it. Many people find this sort of thing to be scary. Seeing sick and dying children, it’s not easy. And I know you. You don’t want to let this child down.”

Tony opened his mouth to reply but found the words were caught in his throat, leaving him just gaping at his girlfriend like some sort of mouth breather. When he was finally able to get the wherewithal to push his jaw back up, Tony used all the spit his dry mouth could muster to swallow his words back down, only to then try and regurgitate them once more, like a cow chewing its cud.

“I- I, uh…what if…no, I mean…”

The billionaire wasn’t usually lost for words. He was the type who could give a TED Talk on astrophysics while drunk off his ass with no dress rehearsal. But that, math and science, was something he knew, he understood. Always growing yet never changing. It took zero space in his brain to learn and apply those principals. Talking about his feelings, on the other hand, was significantly more difficult.

‘Stark men are made of iron,’ he could hear his father say again. Tony always wondered if there was any real truth to that. After all, how strong could they really be when that sentiment left them hauling around the weight of their emotional constipation everywhere?

“Breathe, Tony. Take a moment,” Pepper encouraged, running her hands through his hair. “Now, what is it you’re trying to say?”

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Tony finally said, voice meek.

To the genius’s surprise, Pepper actually laughed. It wasn’t one of those long belly laughs, but rather a short, breathy sound. The kind of laugh a person makes in disbelief.

“You’re worried that he won’t like you?” She asked.

Tony nodded.

Pepper shook her head.

“Honey, trust me when I tell you, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. And I know that alone won’t put your mind at ease, but have you stopped to think that how the kid is going to feel? That maybe he’s going to feel the same way about you? Actually, he’ll probably be more afraid of you not liking him than you are of him not liking you. At least you’ll have some sort of common ground.”

Tony looked up at her, eyebrows furrowed. No, he hadn’t considered that prospect. Unfortunately, the car lurching to a stop brought him out of the conversation before he could formulate a reply.

“We’re here, Boss,” Happy said.

Tony sucked in a breath. Steeling his emotions back into the mental lock box from which they came, the billionaire threw on his shades and flashed his companions a nervous smile.

“Guess it’s time to find out.”

Tony then took his CEO’s hand in his own a pulled them smoothly out of the luxury vehicle before Happy could even shift into park. Better to just face the music head on, he figured.

Although the Stark Industries PR team had been specifically instructed to keep their visit to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital completely under wraps, Tony was still pleasantly surprised to find that the paparazzi presence was scarce. Only the publicity team invited specifically by the Make-a-Wish Foundation to cover the event seemed to be present, plus one or two local news stations that always hang around these locations anyway.

Off to a good start. I wonder how long that’ll last, Tony thought to himself.

Still hand-in-hand, the power couple strolled past the lackluster press personnel as they made their way towards the hospital’s front doors. There would be a time and a place for pictures, but right now Tony just wanted to meet this kid already.

As soon as they entered St. Jude’s, they were intercepted by a man dressed in beige trousers and light blue dress shirt, topped with a sleek navy suit jacket. His outfit, although nice, was nothing compared to the three-piece suit Tony was wearing. And yet, the way this man straightened his back and squared his shoulders before greeting them gave Tony the inclination that he thought himself a work of art.

This did not go unnoticed by Pepper either. She lightly squeezed her boyfriend’s hand before dropping it so that she could shake the newcomer’s hand instead. Tony knew what that meant: ‘Play Nice.’

“You must be Mr. Callaway. It’s nice to finally meet you in person,” Pepper said to the man.

“Ms. Potts. What an honor. Please, call me Austin,” he replied.

“The honor is all ours, Austin. We’re happy to be able to be part of this wonderful organization you’re so graciously volunteering with.”

Tony rolled his still shaded eyes. He hated formalities.

“Yes, the Make-a-Wish foundation is very prestigious. Great work y’all do. Really. But, uh, shouldn’t we get a move on? I was supposed to meet the kid at 10:00am sharp and it’s currently 10:03,” Tony said.

“Tony!” Pepper hissed behind a tight smile.

Callaway turned to Tony as if he had just noticed the man was in the room. As if Tony wasn’t the main event; the reason why they were there. The man’s calculating eyes scanned over the billionaire for a second before he put on a fake smile.

“Ah, yes. Mr. Stark. It’s nice to finally meet you. I know you’re a very busy man, so we appreciate you taking the time to actually grant this child’s wish,” he said.

Tony nodded curtly, the subtle jabs not going unnoticed. He knew exactly what this was about; why this man was acting so cold. Because the child he was seeing today had not been the first to request to meet Superhero Iron Man as their dying wish.

Iron Man was requested a lot, actually. And while Tony had never formally declined being part of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, he had used a lot of work arounds.

For example, he would often send the younger children that asked for Iron Man an actor look-like within a fully functional suit replica. The replica still all had the bells and whistles the kids loved to see but was safe to be around the critically ill. His go to actor was apparently really good with kids too, and a trained medical provider to boot. Never can be too safe. Anyway, Tony had been told the act had yet to disappoint, so why change the formula? He was sure his replacement was much more interactive anyway.

Kids older than eight that asked for the superhero, i.e. those at an age where they would be able to recognize the real Tony Stark from a double, would receive an invitation to get a private tour of Stark Industries. They were taken around and taught all about the current dealings of S.I., such as with prosthetics, nanotechnology, and clean energy. They would get to go to Tony’s personal museum featuring all his non-classified suit models, and even got to try on safe repulsor canon replicas. Towards the end of the tour, they were also allowed to play with prototypes projects, take selfies with the suits, and all went home with some piece of new Stark tech, like a phone or watch. That was always a crowd pleaser too.

Basically, Tony had always been very hands off when someone wished for Iron Man. He didn’t want to deny anyone an experience, but at the same time he was convinced any experience he could give would be better off without him. No one would end up disappointed this way. There is a reason why the saying “never meet your heroes” exists, much to the disgruntlement of the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Except this kid was different. Because the kid Tony was slated to meet today didn’t request to see Iron Man. No, he requested to see Tony Stark. And while Tony had publicly boasted “I am Iron Man,” there was a difference. Iron Man was a hero. But Tony? Tony was a long-time villain. He was personally responsible for fueling the evil out there that Iron Man fought against. Why would anyone want to see just him as he was, especially a child?

Peter was his name. Peter Parker. That was the child Tony was visiting.

Tony learned that May and Ben Parker had used almost every dime of their savings traveling across the country in search for a doctor that would help them but were told time and time again that there was nothing that could be done for Peter.

That was until the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital caught wind of their situation.

St. Jude’s took on Peter’s case with no charge to the Parkers. They even paid for May and Ben’s food and lodging while they stayed in Memphis to support Peter in his treatment. And it was this combination of generosity with the advanced research being conducted at St. Jude’s that led to Peter being able to have the first part to his tumor removal surgery just two months after his ninth birthday.

The second part of Peter’s surgery was set to happen on July 7, 2011, exactly one month before the kid’s tenth birthday.

And six days from today, Tony thought, checking the date on his watch.

Tony figured that’s why the Make-a-Wish Foundation had been adamant that Tony’s visit with Peter be scheduled for this week; because there was no guarantee he’d survive the second surgery.

And what a grim thought that was. Another reason why Tony wasn’t a fan of doing these sorts of visits. It was too sad.

Regardless, Tony wasn’t going to let Callaway get a rouse out of him. If he was going to be here and do this, he wanted to do it right. So, he let Callaway make condescending jokes and jabs as he led Tony and Pepper down the winding hallways of the hospital towards Peter’s room, all the while rambling about protocols and procedures in case of a fire or tornado.

Tony turned his attention away from the Make-a-Wish liaison to a special piece of paper he had folded in his pocket. It was a letter Peter had written to him to formally “wish” to meet him. Tony wondered if anyone told him how unnecessary it was, since the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s team would be the ones in charge of organizing everything on his behalf.

Dear Mr. Stank Stark,

My name is Peter Parker. I have brain cancer. My Aunt May says that makes my life hard and because my life is hard some good people have choosen chosen to grant me a wish. I don’t really understand why, but Aunt May says it is to make me happy. Good carma karma for being strong. But I don’t feel strong. She told me these people are magical, like a jeanie genie. That means they also have limits. Like, I can’t bring people back from the dead or make someone love me or have more then than one wish. I told my Aunt May that I wish to meet you. She said that was a bad wish. But I really want to meet you, Mr. Stark! I think you are so cool! I heard on the news that you made your first motor when you were younger then than me! I like to build things too! And you went to MIT. Aunt Mays says that is where smart people go and that I’m smart enuf enough to go there one day too! I hope I can do good things like you one day. May says I can do anything. I don’t know. I just want to help people. So my wish is to meet you so I can learn how. I am tired now, so I’m going to go to bed. May said the jeanie genie will only send this letter after I go to sleep. But I think that is just her way of getting me to rest, because I don’t think genies are actually real. Anyway, goodnight Mr. Stark.

From,

Peter Parker

“– and be careful not to step on his aunt’s toes. She will…Mr. Stark, are you listening?”

“Hm?” Tony replied, tearing his eyes away from the letter to look up.

Callaway looked ready to pop. Luckily Pepper was there for damage control.

“Don’t worry, Austin, I have all of that marked down. We won’t forget. Right, Tony?”

“Oh. Oh, yes, of course,” Tony replied absentmindedly, eyes glued on the door they had stopped in front of. “Is this it?”

Callaway took a moment to release all the hot air building behind his head before answering.

“Yes, that is Peter’s room. The nurses just woke him up, so he should be ready for you now.”

Tony sucked in a breath and checked to make sure his lock box of emotions was tucked away in right corner of his mind. At a painfully slow rate, Tony extended his arm as to open the door, but right as his hand hit the doorknob, one of Callaway’s bigger hands stopped him from turning it.

“You have some real nerve coming here today, you know. This must be one special kid,” the man said.

“He is,” Tony replied, shrugging Callaway off and, with every ounce of courage he had, finally pushing the door open and strutting through.

“I’ll have the nurses call you to see us out when we’re finished,” Pepper said as she trailed after her boyfriend, closing the door firmly behind her before Callaway could give a proper answer.

Peter’s room was a lot more colorful than Tony envisioned it would be. Each wall was painted to represent a different ecosystem. The wall opposite to the bed was painted like an ocean full of fish. The wall to the far left had wildlife of the African Savanna, while on the far right were creatures of the Amazon Rain Forest. Behind the bed looked like the Great Smokey Mountains filled with foxes, raccoons, bears, and squirrels.

It was quite impressive, to say the least.

Peter didn’t notice them come in at first though. It was clear in the way his face was scrunched up with his little tongue sticking out subconsciously, that the child was absolutely too engrossed in the crafting project he was attempting to complete to recognize that there had been a change in his surroundings.

Tony probably would have stood there awkwardly forever waiting for Peter to notice him if it hadn’t been for the two adults that were sitting next to Peter, whom Tony could only assume were Peter’s Aunt May and Uncle Ben.

Ben Parker smiled at Tony and Pepper like they were old friends, making it obvious that they were in the right place as he silently ushered them further in the room as a less enthused May Parker went to get her nephew’s attention.

“Peter, honey. You have guests,” May said, gently nudging Peter’s shoulder to snap him out of his hyper-focused trance.

“Hm?” Peter hummed, looking up at his aunt with what Tony could only describe as the biggest eyes he had ever seen. They were a warm brown color that reminded him of a little fawn. Of a little Bambi.

Since when did they make kids this cute? Tony asked himself, just absolutely taken with the kid before him.

“You have guests,” May reiterated to Peter, pointing at the CEO and billionaire combo.

Slowly, Peter turned his head away from his aunt until his eyes locked with Tony’s. For a brief moment that seemed to stretch into an eternity, the two just stared at each other. Galaxies passed between them, as if they were lightyears apart, but also just out of reach from one another. The poor cancer kid from Queens somehow making Iron Man feel small.

Just as Tony was about to crack under the scrutiny of this child, Peter’s face changed. It started at the boy’s big, round eyes. They seemed to gain a sort of spark, like embers flying from a fire lit deep in his soul. That heat then spread outwardly from the crinkling corners of his eyes to dust the tips of his ears and the apples of his cheeks with a rich rosy pink. But the biggest change in his demeanor was in the way Peter’s lips slowly turned upward. The smile that swept across his features seemed to keep getting wider and wider until there was no room left on his face for anything but the expression of joy.

Tony swore the room got brighter as the caliber of excitement radiating from the kid reached its peak. Tony swiped the shades he wore from where they rested on his nose, dying to drink in the light of the kid’s dazzling smile without the hinderance of his glasses.

For a fraction of a second, Tony, who had always made it his mission to stay away from kids, suddenly felt like he understood why people had the urge to have them.

Peter’s reckless brown curls of hair bounced on his forehead when he finally broke eye contact with Tony to look back at May, disbelief mixing with the happiness on his features.

“Oh My Gosh! Aunt May, look! It’s Tony Stark! Like, really Tony Stark! He actually came!”

“Mmm, that he did,” she said, a smirk playing at the edges of her mouth.

Peter’s head snapped to his Uncle Ben next. The older man just winked at his nephew, laughing at the way he just sat in his own bewilderment, completely flabbergasted over how totally chill with everything his two guardians seemed.

“Wait, you knew, didn’t you? Both of you knew! And you didn’t tell me?” Peter asked, accusingly, although his tone lacked any aggression about the situation at all.

“Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you knew, now would it?” Pepper chimed in, stepping out from behind Tony.

Peter eyes dilated another degree upon seeing the powerhouse CEO.

“OMG, Ms. Potts is here too?!” Peter asked, directing his question at Tony this time.

The billionaire laughed. Not his typical sarcastic laugh or a bitter snort, but a real, pure sort of laugh he usually reserved for his most intimate moments with Pepper or Rhodey. He couldn’t help himself. The kid’s enthusiasm was absolutely contagious.

“It would seem so, bud,” Tony answered, flashing a blinding smile of his own.

Tony watched as the kid began to practically vibrate with an overflowing, uncontainable emotion of unknown magnitude. It was so intense that this hospital bed began to shake under the pressure of his bouncing and May had to step in, placing a soft hand on her nephew’s back to remind him to calm down.

Ben seemed less worried about it though, laughing at the child’s antics.

“Peter, why don’t you relax for a minute and introduce yourself, hmm? Maybe even ask a question or two. These two don’t have all day,” Ben eventually spoke up, whilst moving out of his bed-side seat so that he could offer it to Tony.

“Oh no, Mr. Parker, I don’t need to sit. I’m fine standing,” Tony said, trying to decline the generous gesture. But one stern look from Ben told him otherwise. Tony was sitting down before Ben could even offer a retort.

“Please, Mr. Stark, call me Ben. And I insist that you sit. It’s bad for your back to have to stand in one place for extended periods of time. May and I were going to go get some coffee from the cafeteria anyway while you two get to know one another. How do you take your coffee?”

“If I’m calling you Ben, then you should call me Tony. And thank you. I’ll just have it black,” Tony replied.

Peter grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in a dramatic way, in what must have been an attempt to get the attention back on him.

Tony laughed again.

“I’m sorry, kiddo. Your family just so very charming. But I’m not here for them. I’m here for you. So why don’t you tell me about yourself, hm?” Tony said encouragingly.

Peter opened his mouth to reply as Ben, May, and Pepper shuffled towards the door in the background. Unfortunately, this did not go unnoticed by Peter, and suddenly, with his support structure leaving, Peter’s shyness kicked in.

The previously vibrant nine-year-old was now suddenly at a loss for words and shutting down fast.

Tony felt a bit of panic kick in, but before he could even think through his next steps, a voice inside of him took over.

“Hey, they’ll be right back. Okay? I promise.”

Peter still looked uneasy, so Tony allowed that voice in his head to continue its encouragement of the child, something he never figured he would ever know how to do.

“If it makes things any easier, I can introduce myself first, yeah?”

“Y-yeah. Okay,” Peter nodded.

Ben gave Tony one last thumbs up before finally leaving the two alone.

“Great! My name is Tony Stark. But you knew that already, didn’t you?”

Peter nodded again, letting out a little giggle.

Tony smiled. “Great. So, what’s your name?”

Peter gave Tony a confused sort of frown. Fortunately, Tony understood Peter’s body language better than anticipated. And while confusion was a cute look on the kid, the billionaire would much rather see him smiling.

“Yes, I also already know your name too, but I want to give you the chance to introduce yourself to me properly, just in case there is something else you would like to go by other that Peter Parker.”

This time Peter shook his head.

“Peter is fine, Mr. Stark. Thank you for asking.”

“You can just call me Tony too, you know?” the billionaire said.

Peter blinked at the man, as if he told some sort of preposterous lie.

“No, I can’t. May says it’s disrespectful to call an adult by their first name. And I don’t want disrespect you, Mr. Stark.”

“Hmm, I guess I’ll let it slide. But just for today and today only. You got that, tyke?”

“Yes, sir.”

Tony considered correcting Peter about calling him “sir” as well but decided against it. All he could hear was Pepper’s words from earlier: ‘he’ll probably be more afraid of you not liking him than you are of him not liking you.’ Continuing to harass the kid about being respectful was not a way to bridge that gap they were hanging dangerously between at the moment.

So, Tony moved on to the next easiest ice-breaker question he could think of.

“How old are you, Peter?” he asked.

“Nine, but I turn ten on August tenth!” Peter exclaimed.

“Yeah? That’s next month! What are you asking for?”

“I want all the Star Wars movies on DVD!” The kid answered without hesitation.

“So, we got ourselves a little Star Wars fan, huh?”

“Yeah! They’re, like, the best movies ever! We used to have them on VHS, but the VHS player sometimes eats the tapes, so now only episode six works.”

Tony let those words sink in, absolutely stunned. This kid was born in 2001, he shouldn’t even know what a VHS player is.

“VHS? What is this? The ‘80s?” Tony snorted.

“VHS players were around in the 1980s? But I thought that’s when TVs were invented?” Peter replied, making Tony nearly fall out of his chair.

“Bud, TVs were invented in 1927, not 1980. Maybe you should touch up on your history lessons.”

The billionaire really wanted to follow up by asking how old this kid thought he was, but decided he could only handle being made to feel old once in a day.

“Anyway, since Star Wars is your favorite movie series, tell me who is favorite character?” Tony asked, picking back up on the questions.

That got Peter’s attention. The kid looked around for a moment, as if a monster was about to pop out and scare them at any second. It wasn’t until he deemed the room safe that he went to answer the question, but not before pulling on Tony’s arm, indicating that the man was to lean in really close if he wanted to hear what Peter was going to say.

“You can keep a secret, right?” Peter asked in a hushed tone.

“Of course,” Tony said.

“Okay. I told Aunt May and Uncle Ben that it’s Han Solo, but I actually really like Princess Leia,” Peter confessed, a warm blush painting his cheeks.

“Do you mean like, or like-like?” Tony asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Peter looked disgusted.

I guess girls still have cooties at his age, Tony thought to himself.

“Gross, Mr. Stark! I just think she’s cool!” Peter said.

“Uh huh. Anyway, is there anything else you’re asking for? A set of DVDs isn’t much,” Tony said.

Peter hesitated.

“Well…I already know that they got me my own wheelchair. One of the nurses told me that I would need one since I might have a hard time walking because of where my tumor is that’s getting removed…but, and don’t be mad Mr. Stark, I know eavesdropping is bad, but I couldn’t help it when I heard them talking about how expensive wheelchairs are! I just…I feel bad asking for more.”

Tony didn’t know what to say. This had to be the sweetest and most amazing child to walk the Earth to date. It wasn’t fair that he was cursed to have brain cancer while so many other bratty kids got to go about their lives carefree. It didn’t feel right. And Tony, being the mechanic he was, felt the overwhelming need to fix this.

“Okay…what would ask for if money wasn’t an issue? If you could have anything in the universe, no questions asked, what would you want?”

“Anything?”

“Anything that money can buy,” Tony said.

“Then…Then I’d ask for the Lego Millennium Flacon,” Peter said.

“You like to build with Lego?”

“Yeah! Aunt May and Uncle Ben were donated a bunch of them by some church group when I first moved in. I’ve built so many cool things! I even tried to build a Lego Arc Reactor!”

“Really?” Tony asked.

“Yup! But I didn’t have enough blue pieces…anyway, I just think it’d be neat to have a real set, you know?”

“I mean, I’m hearing what you’re saying, but I’m still hung up on ‘Lego Arc Reactor,’” Tony replied.

Peter went flush with embarrassment, suddenly unable to make eye contact his idol. It was touching. Tony knew kids liked Iron Man, but to be so interested in his tech alone? It filled the man with a sense of pride. Tony always felt like he was doing everything wrong, but maybe this was a sign that he was doing something right.

Tony wanted to ask more questions about Peter’s Lego endeavors, but something fluttering in the breeze created by the hospital’s strong central air caught his attention from the periphery of his sight.

“What’s that?” Tony asked, pointing to the crafting project Peter had disregarded earlier when Tony had come in.

“The paper?” Peter asked back, confused by the sudden change in subject.

“Yeah. What were you doing with it?” Tony pressed.

“I was, uh, making a Möbius strip.”

“You know what that is?” Tony was baffled.

“I think so? It’s a surface with only one side and only one boundary curve, right?”

“Yeah…yeah, that’s right.”

Tony was examining the paper when it was snatched from him.

“Oh! Watch this, Mr. Stark,” Peter said, taking a pair of scissors and cutting down the center of the Möbius strip.

“When I cut the strip down the center, it makes one long strip with two full twists in it, rather than two separate pieces…and if I cut it again about a third in from the edge, it produces two linked strips! Isn’t that neat?”

Peter presented Tony with the two linked pieces of paper that was once one thick Möbius strip.

Okay, so not only is he insatiably cute and cotton candy sweet, but he’s a genius too? What have I gotten myself into? Tony thought.

“Very impressive, Peter. Did you know that, of these two linked papers you now have, one is just a thinner Möbius strip, the same length as the original, while the other is a thin strip with two full twists twice the length of the original?”

“Really?! That’s so cool! Dad never told me that part,” Peter said.

“You learned this from your father?” Tony asked.

“Yeah. We used to do all sorts of math problems together. He bought his huge book called Math GED practice. I’m not really sure what that means, but Dad said it was for ‘big kids.’ I thought it was pretty easy though. We would do four or five problems a night because Dad said it was important to keep the mind sharp.”

“So, just to clarify, you were doing high school level math at the age of six?”

Peter shrugged. “I guess so?”

“And you liked doing that?” Tony asked.

“Yeah! I think math and science is fun! And one day, I can use what I know to help people. Just like you, Mr. Stark!” Peter exclaimed.

“You don’t want to be like me, kiddo. Trust me,” Tony said.

Peter frowned. “Why not? You’re a superhero!”

“I wasn’t always. And I’m not always so good at it,” Tony confessed, thinking back to the disaster that was the 2010 Stark Expo.

“It’s okay, Mr. Stark. My mom always told me that as long as you do the best you can do, that’s all anyone can ask for. Are you trying your best?” Peter asked.

“I don’t think I can try any harder,” Tony said.

Peter smiled. “Then I think you’re good.”

Tony could feel his cheeks beginning to hurt. He hadn’t realized he was smiling so widely. He leaned in and ruffled the kid’s hair, making him giggle.

“You’re too good for this world, you know that?”

“Aunt May says that too,” Peter said.

“Then she’s a wise woman. But promise me something, yeah? Don’t try to be like me. Just try to be like you. Because you can be better than me. You can be Peter Parker,” Tony said.

Peter looked away, demeanor changing. The spark in his eyes was still there but it was glazed over such that his eyes looked glassy. His arms went to wrap around himself, and he hunched over a bit in a self-soothing gesture.

Tony felt like his stomach dropped as he watched the nine-year-old fight back tears. This was worse than watching a movie where the dog dies.

“Oh God, I’m sorry Peter! Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?” Tony asked, trying to push down the frenzy of panic bubbling up to the surface.

Peter sniffled and rubbed at his eyes for a moment before looking back a Tony with a soul-piercing gaze that the billionaire only thought his girlfriend could pull off. Except it wasn’t a harsh look, just sorrowful one.

“I’m okay. You just remind me of them,” Peter finally admitted.

Tony was confused.

“Of whom, Peter?” he asked.

“My parents.”

Tony had to let that sink for a second before realizing what it really meant. Tony reminded Peter of his dead parents. There was a bitter sweetness to that which Tony’s mind couldn’t quite comprehend no matter how much he ruminated on it.

Finally, however, it clicked.

Tony moved from his bedside chair to sit directly next to Peter on the bed itself. He wanted to offer the child some sort of comfort but didn’t quite know how. Until he started dating Pepper, Tony could have been what people call ‘touch starved.’ So, he was feeling extremely awkward about the situation to say the least.

Tony did know, however, that physical comfort was very important for a child’s development, or at least so said one of the many therapists he had acquired over the years.

Slowly, Tony opened his arms. They felt heavy in that position, and he had to focus on keeping his hands from shaking with anticipation.

Peter, however, was too absorbed in his grief to notice what Tony was doing. So, Tony took it upon himself to take his gesture a step further.

Moving at a snails pace as to make sure he didn’t startle the child, Tony draped on of his outstretched arms around Peter’s shoulders, leaving the other arm in it’s original position as an invitation to further the side hug into a full hug if needed.

And it was needed, because the next thing Tony knew, Peter was clinging to him for dear life, head buried in his chest as tears streamed down his face.

“Aw, buddy, come ‘ere,” Tony cooed.

The billionaire instinctually slid the arm that had been around Peter’s shoulders downward such that it was now stretched across his back. This way he could better hold the child against him. His grip also tightened to make the hug firmer. Meanwhile, his free hand went up to pet Peter’s head, smoothing his unruly curls back gently like Tony’s own mother used to do to him. The memory of how soothing that was driving Tony to continue no matter how weird it felt to cradle a child he had just met.

“It’s okay Peter, let it out.”

They sat like that for what could have been five minutes or half an hour. The stiches that held together the fabric of time blurring together as they were wrapped in the ambient buzz of the hospital room.

Tony found that he didn’t really mind. Actually, it was kind of nice. He found the love this child had was so innocent and pure. He didn’t have to wonder if Peter was faking it or using him or just liked him for Iron Man. Peter had hardly even mentioned his alter ego at all.

But, as per usual, all good things must come to an end.

Once he had gotten himself composed again, Peter pulled away such that he was still in Tony’s lap but was no long gripping the older man like a spider monkey.

“I’m so sorry if I ruined your visit here, Mr. Stark. I didn’t mean to,” Peter said, unable to meet the billionaire’s gaze.

Well, this just will not do, Tony thought to himself, the urge to ‘fix’ coming on strong.

Tony put a hand on Peter’s cheek and pushed gently to guide the kid into looking at him properly.

“Peter, look at me. It’s okay. I promise, you didn’t ruin anything. I understand what you’re going through. It’s not easy.”

Although his face was still red from crying, Peter no longer looked depressed. His eyes actually shone with a curiosity at the older man’s words.

“You do?” Peter asked.

Tony nodded. “I do. Well maybe not the cancer part, but I lost my parents as a kid too. I was much older than you, but still young enough to be considered an orphan.”

Peter sniffed. “Does it ever stop hurting?”

“Not completely, but it gets better. Life gets better. And I know you have so many good things ahead of you to look forward to,” Tony said.

Peter was silent for a moment.

“What if I die?” He finally asked, voice barely a decibel above a whisper.

“No no no. Don’t say that. You won’t die, okay? The doctors here know what they’re doing. I’ll make sure of it,” Tony replied, clasping the kid’s much smaller hand in his own.

“You will?” Peter looked unsure, but also hopeful.

“I will. Now, why don’t we talk about something else, yeah? I want this to be happy memory for you.”

Tony poked Peter’s nose, finally getting a giggle out of him.

“Yeah, okay,” he said.

“So…oh! I know! The Fourth of July is coming up in just three days. Are you doing anything special with your aunt and uncle?”

Peter shook his head.

Tony frowned. “They don’t do fireworks here?”

“They do. It’s just…after my first surgery, I can’t stand loud noises or bright lights anymore. Ben says it’s because my brain is still healing and that I’ll go back to normal one day, but I don’t know,” Peter admitted.

Tony gave Peter a smile of understanding.

“If we’re being honest, I also don’t like fireworks very much anymore,” he said.

“Really?” Peter seemed almost excited to have someone like him.

“Yeah. I haven’t really told anyone this, but my doctors say I have a condition called PTSD from the time I spent in Afghanistan. Basically, loud noises make me jumpy and sometimes even scared.”

“Me too! But…doesn’t that make being Iron Man hard?”

“Asking the big questions, huh?” Tony laughed, ruffling the kid’s hair. “Sometimes it does, but helping others makes it worth it. You seem to understand that, based on the letter you wrote me.”

Peter’s Bambi eyes went wide.

“You got my letter?” he asked.

“Of course I did. I still have it too. Actually, it’s in my pocket right now.”

“Sorry for all the spelling mistakes. May helped me edit it,” Peter said, blushing.

Tony chuckled. “It’s okay. Spelling is overrated anyway.”

Just then the door clicked open allowing for May, Ben, and Pepper to come filing in, laughing all the while.

“Hey, sorry we took so long. We were stopped by the press. They’re starting to get antsy. They really want to get pictures of the two of you together,” Ben said, pointing Tony and Peter.

“Hope it’s not cold,” Ben then added, passing Tony his coffee.

Tony accepted the drink, taking a long gulp from the cup as Peter watched him with interest. It was lukewarm, but the caffeine was worth it.

“You wouldn’t want any, it’s not very good,” Tony told his newest little friend.

Peter stuck his tongue out, nose crinkling in disgust.

“Oh, I know. I’ve had coffee before. It’s nasty.”

Laughter rang out from the group of adults at that statement. He wasn’t wrong. Coffee was very much an acquired taste.

Peter politely waited for the laughter to die down before he spoke up again.

“I, umm, was actually wondering if we could go outside. You know, for the pictures?”

Peter acted like he was talking to Tony, but his eyes were pleading for permission from his Aunt May.

May turned to look at her husband, who just shrugged.

“I guess if you’re feeling up to it, then fresh air isn’t a bad idea. You are going to use the walker just in case you begin to feel ataxic again. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I will not have you falling,” Aunt May stated firmly, smiling when her nephew whooped with excitement.

“Yes! Thank you, Aunt May!” he squealed.

“Why don’t we step out while they get him ready, Tony,” Pepper suggested, moving towards the door.

“What? No! Don’t leave,” Peter cried, grabbing Tony’s hand as he stood up to follow his girlfriend out.

Tony opened his mouth to say something but May jumped in before he could get a word in wise.

“You don’t want him to see you get dressed, do you?” Aunt May asked.

Peter shook his head, but he was still unsure, hand relentlessly locked onto Tony.

May sighed. “How about this: I’ll go with Tony and Pepper, just to make sure they don’t leave while your Uncle Ben gets you ready. We’ll meet you outside in the garden. Is that okay?”

Peter looked between his aunt and his new friend. Uneasiness was still drawn over his features, but he did finally acquiesce, carefully removing his hand from around Tony’s.

So out left May, Tony, and Pepper, but not without Tony flashing Peter one last smile and a thumbs up.

At first, Pepper and Tony followed May to the garden in relative silence. It was an awkward silence, unlike the comfortable silence Tony and felt with Peter in the hospital room. No, this silence contained a sort of tenseness that floated around them in almost a tangible form.

Tony was the first one to crack, not surprisingly. Rhodey always used to tell him that he liked to hear himself talk. His current therapist theorized that he was using his voice as a way to drown out the negative thoughts in his head. Either way the end result was the same.

“So, May. Your nephew is something else,” Tony remarked.

“He was good for you?”

“The poster child for politeness. I was surprised though. His file didn’t mention anything about his intelligence,” Tony said.

May stopped and turned to face him, looking mildly offended.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she demanded.

Tony raised his hands up and took a step back, similar to how a professional would recommend you walk away from an angry lioness.

“I’m trying to say he’s smart. Maybe even a child genius. Have you considered testing his IQ? I’d be interested to find out what it is.”

May instantaneously relaxed, a smile now playing on her lips as her thoughts wondered to Peter.

“He’s always been too smart for his own good. Just like his parents. Maybe we’ll get him tested one day, when all this cancer business is a thing of the past.”

“His parents were scientists, right?” Tony asked.

May hummed an affirmation.

“You know, when Peter told me we wanted to use his wish to meet you, I wasn’t so sure. I know you’re a superhero now, but the reputation you used to carry around still left a bitter taste in my mouth. Still, he was adamant, so I let him do it. I don’t know what I was expecting but the bar wasn’t high.

“Let me be the first to say, however, that you aren’t who they said you were. Peter is the best judge of character, and I can tell he is absolutely taken with you. If you were anything like I thought you were going to be, he wouldn’t have been, well, sitting on your lap laughing like he was when we walked in.

“So, I want to thank you. But not just for this. This isn’t the first time you’ve helped Peter. Do you remember the 2010 Stark Expo?”

Tony rubbed his temples, just the mention of that disaster causing a throbbing behind his eyes.

“Unfortunately. It was a complete disaster,” Tony admitted.

May let out a breathy laugh.

“That it was. I would know. We were there. With Peter too,” she said.

Tony was stunned speechless. He turned to look at Pepper who looked just as shocked as he was.

May continued. “It might has gotten out of hand, but Peter still had a blast. He ran around in a flimsy plastic Iron Man helmet and matching gauntlet for weeks. He would only take them off to shower, otherwise they were on his body. He even slept in the damn things.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Tony finally asked.

May sighed. “Because that was the last happy memory Peter had before everything began to happen that led to him being diagnosed with a cerebellar astrocytoma. Brain cancer. I have hardly seen him smile since then. That is, until today.

“I think that is part of the reason he wanted to see you. Besides the fact that he looks up to you for the obvious reasons, he associates happiness with you. You inspire him and give him hope. Coming here today, I can’t begin to describe how it’s going to change him. So, on behalf of not only Ben and I, but also his parents Mary and Richard, thank you.”

Not for the first time today, Tony didn’t know what to say. Because, as much as he wanted to go with the traditional ‘You’re welcome’ and get his conversation over with, he felt like he owed the Parkers so much more than that.

When he agreed to meet Peter, he wasn’t very excited. Tony was worried about the same things May just expressed she feared too. That Tony would be no good for him. Tony avoided children for that reason. He was too much like his father, too cold and standoffish. He would do nothing but mess them up.

Peter, however, proved him wrong. Meeting Peter…it provided Tony with some sort of catharsis that he didn’t realize his body was yearning for until it was given to him. The thought that this was coming to an end was more melancholic than he anticipated it to be. He actually felt guilty that he even considered the concept of being relieved in leaving, like he had this morning.

Tony had a lock box full of emotions, and apparently Peter Parker had the key.

Unable to articulate all of this, Tony did the only thing he knew how. He pulled out his checkbook and began making out some grand amount to the Parkers.

“Here,” he said, thrusting the check in May’s face.

May turned her nose up at the check though, pushing it away from her.

“I didn’t tell you that to get your pity money,” she said.

Tony frowned, trying to hand it to her once again.

“I know that. I know that. I just…look, you say I did a lot for Peter today, but I want to do more. Because, maybe, just maybe, he’s helped me too. And I, ugh, I guess I’m not ready to just walk away from that at the end of my time here. Not without at least trying to do something else. To make as much of a difference as I can.”

May crossed her arms over her chest, still refusing the check.

“Look if you want to make a difference, don’t do it just for Peter. Donate that money to this hospital. To St. Jude’s. Let them use it to help Peter and more kids like him.”

“I can do both you know. You can accept my money and I can donate to this research hospital. It doesn’t have to be either or,” Tony continued to push.

Surprisingly May laughed. “Man, Peter really left an impression on you, didn’t he? Look, I still don’t want your money, although you make a good argument for taking it. If you really want to help Peter, and Peter specifically, it would mean the world to him if you came to his tenth birthday party next month. If all goes well, we’ll be flying back to Queens for it so he can be with his best friend, Ned, for the event. Don’t worry though, Ned’s also a fan.”

“Yes! Yes, of course. I’ll be there,” Tony agreed, putting the check back into his pocket and offering his hand out to seal the deal.

“Really?” May asked, disbelief coating her tone.

“Really, May Parker. I could not be more serious than I am right now. Pepper can vouch for me. Right, Pep?”

Tony’s gave his girlfriend a pleading look, like a child asking his mother for ice cream at the mall. It was kind of pathetic.

The CEO gave him half smile and a shrug.

“It is true, Mrs. Parker. Tony is notorious for saying exactly what he means. He doesn’t have the wherewithal to sugarcoat things,” she teased.

Tony turned back to May with a goofy grin.

“See? So, you want to shake on it?”

May rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, giving it a nice, firm shake.

“You better be there, Tony. I mean it. You might be Iron Man, but don’t think that means I can’t hunt you down.”

“I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”

Overall, the press on the Make-a-Wish event went very well. Tony, Pepper, and the whole Stark Industries PR team were quite pleased. The pictures that had been taken for the paper of the billionaire and his new best friend are ones that Tony will treasure forever. In almost every image one or both of them was laughing. They may have taken a few selfies on Tony’s personal camera too.

Some of the more popular anti-Iron Man blogs tried to paint Tony’s visit to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as cheap publicity stunt. Tony found that most people didn’t buy that version of the story though. Even some of those blogs’ most avid followers were skeptical.

It was easy to understand why. Tony Stark’s popularity before the visit was already at an all time high. He didn’t need Peter to boost the public opinion of him. In addition, if Tony had never shown up in person to a Make-a-Wish event before this, especially when his ratings had dropped after the Stark Expo, why would he suddenly do it now? There was obviously more going on behind the scenes than the desire for publicity. Not to mention, if Tony was able to make a child as happy as he made Peter, then who cared if it was for publicity or not?

Since there wasn’t much drama behind Tony’s presence at St. Jude’s, the press on it quickly died down and it wasn’t long before everyone forgot about Peter.

Everyone except Tony, that is.

The moment Tony returned to his home in Malibu, California, he had locked himself in his lab. He wanted to make a special head piece for Peter, one that included noise cancelling headphones and special sunglass, so he could comfortably enjoy the fireworks on the Fourth of July.

The apparatus he was making wasn’t just going to be a set of sunglasses attached to some random noise-canceling headphones though. No, there as more to it than that. In the span of a day, Tony built a very rudimentary A.I. for it. It’s function would be to monitor Peter’s his heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and other factors while he wore head piece. If at any point the A.I. detected changes in Peter that might indicate he was getting anxious or having a panic attack, it would notify his aunt and uncle via text message.

The head piece had other functions too. Peter would be able to listen to music with them if he wanted to. Tony built in a couple of soothing sound options he could select from, or he could plug it into his phone. The glasses were made with Peter’s prescription in mind so they could be worn inside, but automatically transitioned to be tinted in the light outside. Tony also gave Peter the option to have manual control the tint density if the automatic transitional feature was too light or dark at any point. And last but not least, Tony made sure apparatus looked really cool so Peter wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear them. He was sure he’d be the talk of the hospital.

When he finished, he typed up a simple instruction manual and had the product overnighted to the Parkers. He threw in a slip of paper with his personal phone number on it too. He told himself he put that in there so the Parkers could contact him in case the head piece malfunctioned or needed to be adjusted, but honestly if they just wanted to call and chat, he’d be okay with it. Or if there was an emergency and they needed Iron Man…well, he didn’t want to think about that.

Tony also kept his word to Peter about making sure the doctors slated to perform his surgery on July 7 were qualified. He ran background checks on each and every member of his surgery team. If they even had one racist tweet from 5 years ago, Tony would be sure they were to be replaced. Luckily that wasn’t needed.

On the day of July 7, Tony probably had his secretary call the research hospital 30 times to check on the status of Peter’s surgery. And when the hospital stopped answering his company’s phone number, he used his personal number. HIPPA violations be damned, he would find out how Peter was doing.

At 3:04pm July 7, he got a text message from an unknown number: Peter’s surgery went well. They think they got all the remaining cancer. He’s currently resting and has a great prognosis. So would you please STOP harassing the hospital’s receptionist. Also, here is the address to the birthday party. Don’t be late. ~May

Tony already had a penthouse in New York for when he needed to visit and oversee the construction of the Stark Tower. But, that same day, Tony made arrangements with the pilot of his private jet to get him there on August 9, the day before Peter’s birthday, just so that he wouldn’t be late to the party on August 10.

He ended up late anyway.

“Oh my God, Happy, did your mother never teach you how to wrap presents?” Tony practically screamed whilst pacing around in his penthouse.

“What are you talking about, Boss? You’re the one who asked me to for help, not the other way around,” Happy grumbled as he tried to properly fold the corners of the wrapping paper around the enormous Lego Millennium Flacon Box.

“I told you, my hands are shaky.”

“Yeah right.”

Against his better judgement, Tony checked his watch.

11:55am.

He was going to be late. He was going to be late, and May was going to kill him. How would he even explain that? ‘Sorry, May. I figured out how to make whole new chemical element in a day but was stummed at the prospect of wrapping Peter’s gift.’

Yikes. At least it couldn’t get any worse, Tony thought.

And then Pepper walked in.

“What is taking you boys so long?” She demanded.

Pepper didn’t need an answer though, because when she finally saw what the two men were huddled around, the answer became pretty self-explanatory.

“Really you two? You know what, don’t answer that. Just get out of my way, I’ll fix it.”

Pepper practically pushed past the two men to get to the box. She could feel every muscle in her eyes roll at the disaster they managed to create. Thankfully it wasn’t too far gone, and within minutes, Pepper was able to turn the ugly mess of paper and tape into something presentable.

“I love you,” Tony said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, yeah. Now come on, let’s go!”

And with that they raced to the party. Happy definitely broke some traffic laws along the way, but if you’re not caught did it actually happen?

Anyway, when they finally pulled up Tony checked his watch again.

12:10pm.

Less than 15 minutes late. Nice. Hopefully May will find that forgivable, Tony thought to himself, still wasting no time as he rushed inside, Pepper trailing not far behind.

The Parkers had decided to have the event at Peter’s friend’s house, since it was small and familiar to the kid. Tony’s presence was supposed to be a surprise, so Tony felt bad about just barging into a stranger’s place without any warning, but he did it anyway.

Luckily, May was at the door waiting for him.

“You’re late,” she said monotonously.

“Fashionably so,” Tony retorted, flashing a guilty smile.

“Uh huh. Just give me that and go say hi. Peter’s in the next room playing video games with Ned,” May said, taking Lego Millennium Falcon off his hands.

Tony, not wanting to upset her further, did as instructed.

Just like at St. Jude’s, Peter was too engrossed in what he was doing to notice the billionaire walk in. Tony was okay with that though. It gave a minute to just watch this kid and take in his presence.

Much to his surprise, Peter was wearing the head piece Tony made him. May hadn’t mentioned it, but he guess that meant it worked. Even with it on though Tony could tell all of Peter’s hair had been shaved off. Not that he cared. So long as Peter was alive, what he looked like didn’t matter. And not only alive, but he appeared happy and healthy as well.

Tony smiled fondly at the way the kid physically leaned over as the car was racing in the game went around a turn, tongue sticking out, completely in a hyper-focused trance.

Tony waited for the game to end before clearing his throat, which at least caught Ned’s attention.

“Oh my God! Peter, is that Iron Man?!” Ned exclaimed.

At the mention of the superhero, Peter dropped his controller and snapped his head towards where Tony was standing.

“Mr. Stark?” he asked in disbelief.

“In the flesh.”

Tony felt his heart clench as the same spark of life that had been there when they first met could still be seen shimmering in the kid’s Bambi eyes.

“You came! I can’t believe you came!” Peter cried, opening his arms for a hug.

That was all the invitation Tony needed. In three long strides he was across the room and in the boy’s arms. The part of his heart that with clenching before was now swelling with a sort of parental joy as the kid nuzzled into his neck.

“Don’t act so surprised,” Tony said. “I will always be here to support you. Always.”

Always.

#Friendly Neighborhood Exchange 2021 #irondad #iron dad #Ironfam #fic #peter parker #tony stark #spiderman #spiderson #iron man #pepper potts #precious peter parker #cancer #tony stark has a heart #irondad hugs #platonic love #fluff #touch starved

66 notes · View notes

shtern-and-art · 3 years

Note

"Skeppy will probably cry" "Bad will probably cry". Bish, screw, that I am crying!!!

This whole thing was bloody gorgeous and I wasn't expecting that ending. I had no clue what ending to expect but that was definitely better than any I could have hoped for. Forest spirit to soulmate your honour!

I was terrified that you were gonna leave it at the point where he loses the spirit and becomes mortal again. If you had I would be actively sobbing!!!! And oh my god, the art!!! I still can't get over how wonderful your style is.

Imma ask fun things because if I don't I'll sit in a puddle of emotion all night:

What's the first tech thing Bad will buy and how annoying will he be about it? Poor Skeppy trying to answer 101 questions about something he doesn't really use XD.

Is no one concerned that the odd couple from a town they never name has a pet wolf??

Do they immediately go over to a different town or do they wander for a while. Find hidden creeks and befriend bears?

Does Bad still have a connection to nature and animals, like are creatures naturally more trusting of him?

Do they ever visit the og town again?

Does Skeppy still cause absolute chaos in other towns or has he learnt his lesson and only causes minor trouble now?

Does Bad ever try and study again? If he did what would he study and would Skeppy try to study as well?

Does Skeppy steal? I dunno, he just give off the vibe of a naughty lil trickster who'll pocket something if the owner refuses to sell it him.

Immediately after leaving the forest what the first 'argument' they have (not including the car one)?

Would they ever ride horse? If yes, how terrified would Skeppy be?

Skeppy falls outta tree. I don't know why but my mind keeps telling me that this man has great balance until he climbs trees. They are his mortal enemy and Bad finds this both hilarious and terrifying because he is going to hurt himself.

I had waaaaay more questions than I intended to have. My bad '^_^ but this story was way too much fun to read and you are entirely to blame for making it so engaging!

Make sure to take care of yourself and do stretches after and during drawing. You don't wanna hurt yourself <3

AaaaI’m so glad you liked it! :D And, dang, man, I cried while writing that part too :D

And I promised a nice ending for the main story, I did, and this one also makes the most sense narratively! For the story I wanted to tell, at least. Bad can’t really become human again, he’s changed to much. He can only move on, and do something with what he is, and has. And he did! :D That’s really nice and inspiring, this story will always have a place in my heart, heheh <3

Being a guardian spirit connected to a person and all, Bad may be not as strong as before, but he can’t die unless Skeppy dies first. And Skeppy can do that, but he’s pretty sturdy, and his lifespan operates on a whole other scale than human ones. And Bad knowing Skeppy’s real name balances it all out, makes them equal in the power and influence they have over each other.

So hellyeah, soulmates for the win :DDD

I’ll answer all questions under the cut, and this close up from one of the pages!

1) What's the first tech thing Bad will buy and how annoying will he be about it?

Probably a pager! Because it’s a more feasible thing to get than a wholeass computer Bad actually wanted :D An it means Skeppy will have to get one too, and that Bad will be having the time of his life texting him and everyone he can get a number from, even if they’re still in the room with him.

Poor Skeppy indeed, he can learn to appreciate the pagers, and later phones, too, and computers, but he really has 0 idea on how it all works and why Bad is so fascinated by it all.

2) Rat and regular people

Oh, she can shapeshift, just like Bad! If they’re out with people around, she takes form of a puppy, and Bad can pass her off as a weird mix breed rescue doggo.

3) Do they immediately go over to a different town or do they wander for a while?

Oh, since they have no end destination in mind, they can ride around for a bit, go visit some cool places and roadside attractions. Sadly, Skeppy is probably not spiritually or morally ready to full on befriend wild bears yet, and they do need money for gas and snacks. So, at some point they will have to stop somewhere and find work – at least for a bit, to save up. Life’s gonna be a bit complicated with all that, until Skeppy figures out his treasure-finding abilities :DD

4) Bad and nature and animals

He is definitely still in tune with all wildlife! Even more – Bad could become a proper guardian spirit for Skeppy in part because, in a way, Skeppy himself is part of the nature.

So yeah, Bad can understand animals (and plants) and communicate with them; they’re just more free to not take his shit, and Bad’s emotions do not “possess” them unless he makes an effort to do so.

He doesn’t like doing it, tho.

5) Do they ever visit the og town again?

Hm, I think they will completely forget about it for a while, until, like, 30+ years later they will be going somewhere, and find themselves around those parts. And they try to not appear too often in the areas they’ve spent a lot of time in already (they can be pretty recognizable, and also barely show signs of aging). But it’s been a long time, and the town’s really different now… So they make a stop, and spend a day there. They walk the unfamiliar streets between the new buildings, check out the popular hiking trail, the advertisements for hot springs and winter activities. The old cinema is still there, and is hosting an all-night marathon of classic horror movies of the last century.

Bad and Skeppy leave the town after sunset – the day was nice, but they have nothing more to do there. They ride through the forest on a well paved road, with radio playing something barely above the whisper. And in the dark of hot summer night, Bad can see the white stag running between the trees alongside their car. Shadows dance over the shimmering light of it’s fur.

Somewhere after the towns border, the stag disappears back in the forest. But the air in the car stays light and fresh, saving the smell of old pines and dry leaves all though the night.

6) Skeppy and chaos

Well, after the whole mess in the main story, Skeppy definitely learned some lessons, especially about not being a dick :D

But the thing is – he can’t really help the fact that things tend to stir up around him a lot. He naturally brings in chaos into everything, because he is, in part, a personification, or an outlet for it in the world. And so, to feel, well and good, and himself Skeppy gotta do stuff that disrupts balance, and creates some mayhem. And in gave him a lot of trouble in early life, but in the course of the main story he learned that he can chose were he lets that chaos to take hold, learned what can come of that chaos, apart from utter misery.

Like, where it can help dismantle something destructive, and where – bring in the more positive change, that was already brewing, possible, but is stagnant for some reason.

Soooo, I can’t say Skeppy causes only minor chaos in his life, but he sure learns even more about not being a dick :DDDD

7) The studying

I think Bad will want to get a higher education at some point, because he wanted to, and because it’s already new millennia and all that. Bet he’ll go for something very technical and/or literature. Maybe he’ll start by piking up some classes in small time colleges, when they stop in one place for a while, and later get into an online program, because why not.

Skeppy is not a college guy at all. He’ll listen to Bad talk about it, read textbooks if he wants to, can research stuff, buuut going to classes and doing homework is definitely not his thing.

8) Stealing

Well, you’re right, Skeppy can and will steal stuff out of spite! And will be scolded by Bad for it, and will not feel (that) sorry about it. But real stealer between them will be Bad himself :D

It’s just… he has the corvid tendencies, and a hoard (a box) of sentimental mementos from different people and events, and the thrill of stealing something small and harmless is very exciting. Bad is very proud of his little collection. Skeppy finds it very adorable, a bit hypocritical, and kinda creepy. Like, that pretty box he gifted Bad at some point is now full of stuff like:

- pressed flower from the clearing they had a picnic at on their anniversary

- the button the waitress lost that one day the storm caused a black out in the whole town

- some small animal bones

- couple pretty rocks Bad stole from Skeppy’s pockets

- penny that was once glued to the ground

- a handful of teeth people (and not people) lost in fights with Bad

- pen from some fancy hotel

- rainbow dash keychain that belonged to a child

- the list goes on

9) Argument

Oh, that same day they’ll fight over whether they should stay at the really crappy and suspicious looking motel, or go sleep in a perfectly fine forest near the road. Ironically, Bad wanted to try out the motel (because, yay, first time spending the night back in civilization), and Skeppy was the one insisting on sleeping in nature (because the motel looks like it could give you 10 diseases if you even stand near it, and sleeping in the forest is kind of nice, and means they can cuddle).

10) Horses

The guys will probably ride them at some point. Well, Bad will ride, and Skeppy will sit on his horse and hope it knows what to do and where to go, because trying to make this giant thing do something seems dangerous. If they’ll have to actually go somewhere fast, Skeppy will not survive that day, his butt (and legs) will be dead for days to come.

And riding with Bad on one horse may sound romantic and nice, but all romance dies when the gallop starts.

11) Skeppy and climbing

Skeppy is more down to earth kind of guy, more of a “rocks and caves” kind of creature, real-life lizard person or something. Up on the trees and in the air – not really his element, yeah. But it doesn’t mean that Skeppy will accept this fact easy. The embarrassment of never managing to safely make it down a tree is too strong, he just has to do it all over again, and again. And again. Because, clearly, he was distracted this time. And the time before that Bad was teasing him, and it “disrupted his flow”. And, really, maybe these trees here just do not like Skeppy much, and make him slip a lot. Yeah.

So, more often than not, if Skeppy climbs a tree, he will not stop climbing it until he falls, or the tree ends. Bad had to take him off high branches couple times, forcefully, because, of course, Skeppy was sitting there for 2 hours just to properly enjoy the sunset. He can climb down at any point, he just Choses not to. The view is amazing. The bark is literally part of his skin now, not because he holds on tight, no, he’s just Than Much one with the nature )<

---

Don’t apologize for the questions! It’s always so fun to answer them, and it makes me think more about stuff I may have skipped, or didn’t think about before. It’s really nice :3c

Again, thank you for the ask, and for being here for this story! <3

(And I’ll try setting timers for rest breaks while I draw, mb that will help)

---

In The Dark - masterpost

#mcyt #mcyt fanart #badboyhalo #skeppy #skephalo #In The Dark #it's so hot here #my laptop's keyboard is like a stove #=c=#shtern talks

73 notes · View notes

capochinootea · 3 years

Text

How the Shishigumi met Baby Louis

Me thinks Baby Louis and Shishigumi wholesome time ^-^

Free

When Free first met Louis, it was in the middle of a shootout. He was 17. Young, brash and bold. A few weeks into the Shishigumi, and he's already considered an elite, impressing those who have climbed the ranks for longer.

It was an unfortunate time when Free was met face-to-face with a child, a herbivore child, no less. Guns drawn, ready to fire at their leader’s command. In all Free’s years of living in the Back Alley Market, this is by far, the most ridiculous thing that has ever happened.

Members of the gang yelled for back up. He was ready. Ready to take on their opponents, but what he sees is a much taller, more mature lion- Ibuki, he realizes, blocking his way, hands extended.

...What?

Confused and slightly irritated, he was handed a child and the lion left to help his comrades. Poor and confused 17-year old Free sat there, as the fawn- aged 6- he guessed- giggled at him, oblivious to the danger they’re both in.

---

Ibuki

Livestock. Ibuki never fancied the business. Even for a gangster lion like him, selling livestock- he thinks of it so immoral. You must be completely fucked down to the core if the mafioso lion has more heart than you.

When news travelled to the Shishigumi of a livestock trafficking ring not having paid their share, Ibuki breathed a sigh of relief. An excuse, he thought.

Finally.

But when he got there, it was like a place after war. It smelled of filth, abandon and decay. The building barely stands, it’s pillars a breath away from collapse.

In it lay a single fawn, blood stained but alive. A living, breathing being surrounded by death, of carcasses and corpses. The fawn looked as though he was the god of death himself, mortalized in a fragile being, cursed to wander the earth, leaving death in his footsteps.

---

Dolph

For a lion who’s lived in the market for more than 2 decades, he thought he had seen it all- the mundane, the gruesome, the ridiculous. Hell, the Shishigumi is proof of that. But somehow, not even the pole dancing mice could top this.Standing there, by the mansion’s gates was Ibuki, a sleeping fawn in his arms, bundled in his suit jacket. If he were any more shocked, his jaw might have hit the ground.

Surely the trip to the livestock trafficking ring didn’t hit Ibuki’s head. If not, then that’s probably not Ibuki at all. He was pretty damned sure that if anyone in the Shishigumi were to replace the old chief (should his ultimate demise were to ever happen- he hoped soon), it would be Ibuki.

Yet he stands there, a soft look in his eyes, the happiest he looked since he joined. He can’t help but feel dumb. The market is just full of surprises.

---

Hino

It was Wednesday night. The mansion silent and empty, its corridors barely illuminated by the hanging low light above . Almost all of the lions had left for the night, sans a few lower goons keeping watch over the gates. Sitting by the hideout’s make-shift home bar, nothing felt out of the ordinary.

He cradled the cheap whiskey in his hands and circled the drink slowly. He watched the drink as it created a mini whirlpool, his reflection on the glass.

His brows furrowed in confusion. Something was amiss. This isn’t right.

His tail moved back and forth, fur standing, mind on edge. Someone foreign was in the mansion. He continued to watch his reflection, but there was no sign of the intruder.

Too late did he realize, as a creature suddenly latched onto his leg. He would've kicked the stranger out of instinct, but when he caught a glimpse of wide ears flinching, the smell of lion on him, all sense of dread died.

Looking down, he sees a fawn, toothily grinning at him, hugging his legs like they were pillows.

“What are you doing here little guy?” Hino crouches, hands folded so as to not hurt the tiny creature.

The fawn giggled, clutching his face in his mini hands. They’re warm, he noted. .

“Mr. Lion!!” He cackled.

And like a child calling for its mother, Ibuki came running up the stairs, his glasses out of place, strands of his mane flying everywhere. He looked like hell.

“Louis!” he called and bolted right after where he sat.

Such a strange sight to see. A huge lion cradling a fawn, no bigger than Ibuki’s hands. A smile found its way to Hino’s flawless features. It’s a beautiful Wednesday night.

---

Sabu

He’s getting old, he realizes. His mane is getting harder to grow, his joints more prone to aches. He wonders if growing old is a gift, with what dangers lurking in the Back Alley Market. You’re lucky if you still have all your limbs intact by the age of 30.

Sitting by the kitchen counter, he closes his eyes. Ah, well it’s not like he could complain. In fact, he’s lucky to be alive, limbs and all.

“Up!”

He cracks one eye open.

..What?

“Up! Up!” Standing there, a creature unlike him. A fawn. No older than 6 he thinks. Clutching what he assumes is a stuffed animal, a small pout laced its face.

He had so many questions.

“Up! Up!!!” The fawn demanded, now running around, making soft tap tap taps against the floors of the mansion.

How youthful, he thought, picking up the child, giggling as his arms wrap around its tiny waist.

“Funny lion man!” it cackles, now trying to climb his head, to touch his mane. He assumes his mohawk is a different sight from what the fawn usually sees.

He still has so many questions.

He let the fawn play with his mane, not minding the strands that now fall against his face, covering his eyes.

“Ibuki!!” the tiny fawn suddenly shrieked, hurriedly trying to climb down from his now lopsided mane. He watches the young fawn dash to the other, who caught him as he propelled himself in the air.

How youthful, he thought again.

---

Miguel

It’s not like he’s not used to the fearful looks most herbivores and even the lesser carnivores give him. He’s big, brawny, a lion through and through. A literal king of the beast. To say he was used to the wary stares, the jealous glares, is the simple truth.

His footsteps alone are enough to spook a sheep down to its very core. He need not speak to intimidate a room full of hyenas, no. Even baring his fangs would be too much.

Which is why he found this whole ordeal completely and utterly ridiculous.

A tiny fawn stood before him, staring up at him. Fearless, he thinks. No! He was awestruck… mouth agape and ears perked up. He looked at him like he’s something to behold.

“Big Lion Man!!!” it cackles.

Odd..

It was so odd.

He felt his heart swell beneath the hard muscle, beneath tendons, flesh and bones. Never before has a creature looked at him with such delight. From a herbivore no less.

---

Jinma and Dope

If there’s any duo more suited to work together in the Shishigumi, the title befalls on one Jinma and Dope. Another successful negotiation. Another night of festivities.

Tonight, the table was decorated with an assortment of meals, meat cooked to perfection. A flawless buffet. An impeccable occasion.

Until Jinma caught a glimpse of movement beneath the table covers. An intruder? A spy? That’s impossible. It just is. He knows no one would have balls big enough to go alone in the Shishigumi headquarters unscathed.

He eyed the table covers with great intensity. He squints, watching the creases of the fabric, waiting to see any sign of movement. Nothing. Not until a foreign tiny hand slipped under the covers to grab a lone piece of meat sat atop the table.

In an instant, he lifted the white sheet, uncovering the thief hidden below the covers. He expected a young lowly canine, or mayhaps a racoon, only to find a giggling fawn munching on the small piece of meat he’s stolen.

“The fuck..” he heard someone mutter behind him. Dope, he thinks.

“Hello!” The young deer greeted, mouth full of meat.

This is weird.

Jinma watches as the fawn finally moves to unveil himself out of the white sheets, walking towards Dolph, who picks him up like it was something he’d done before.

This is so weird.

The two lions watch with their heads tilted to the side. Confused, they see Dolph smile at the tiny fawn he was cradling, who was still chewing the meat he’d stolen.

“The fuck” Jinma mutters.

---

Agata

“What??” Agata squawked, hands balled into a fist. How could they do this? To a lion, barely the age of 16.

“I.. I can’t! I’m not sure how to?” he countered, looking anywhere but the scene before him.

A child, clinging to the cuffs of Ibuki’s suit jacket. A fawn, 9 or 10 years old- by the looks of it.

“Agata, it will only be for an hour or two,” Dolph explained.

Like that’s going to change anything.

“But! Dolph-san, why? We don’t even know who this kid is? I mean.. Why can’t we just give him back to his parents?” He blurted.. The words left his mouth before he could process what he had just said. He prayed to whichever gods listening to him to please not make him babysit a child- and a herbivore child too!

Ibuki furrows his brows, before sharing a look with Dolph, who looks as equally as upset. A beat, and then,

“Louis stays with the Shishigumi,” Ibuki stated, like it’s the most obvious thing.

“You can’t be serious!” Agata whined, his arms flailing. It was a fight he couldn’t win. He frowned.

It didn’t take Agata more than a second to realize that his outburst had caused Louis to hide more behind Ibuki, his teeth bared, eyes burning with passionate hate.

Ah... He really did not like babysitting.

#beastars #shishigumi #beastars free #beastars ibuki #beastars dolph #beastars hino #beastars sabu #beastars miguel #beastars jinma #beastars dope #beastars agata #beatstars headcanon #shishigumi headcanons #my heart #i cant #i love them so much

53 notes · View notes

mrsdoctordear · 3 years

Text

How L. M. Montgomery portrays grief in the Anne of Green Gables books

Anne encounters and navigates grief several times throughout the AOGG series, from Matthew's death in the first book to two of her children’s deaths in the later ones. In each instance, L. M. Montgomery portrays grief very accurately and stays true to its many forms—from confusion to anger and a sense of betrayal, as well as disinterest and indifference to life without our loved ones.

Below are ten different points that Montgomery hits on in her explorations of grief.

1. A part of our old self dies with the person we loved.

"It was the last night before sorrow touched her life; and no life is ever quite the same again when once that cold, sanctifying touch has been laid upon it."

(Anne of Green Gables, Ch. 36)

2. We can hardly imagine life without our loved one, yet almost struggle to remember what our life was like with them in it.

"Half the time it seems to me that Matthew can't be dead; and the other half it seems as if he must have been dead for a long time and I've had this horrible dull ache ever since."

(Anne of Green Gables, Ch. 37)

3. We hate to think that we can be happy again, as if in surrending our grief, we also surrender part of our love for the person we've lost.

"It won't hurt so much always, Anne." "The thought that it may stop hurting sometimes hurts me worse than all else, Marilla."

(Anne’s House of Dreams, Ch. 19)

4. We grow angry with what we don't understand and scoff at the beliefs we formerly held.

"It was God's will, Anne," said Marilla, helpless before the riddle of the universe—the why of undeserved pain. "And little Joy is better off." "I can't believe that," cried Anne bitterly. Then, seeing that Marilla looked shocked, she added passionately, "Why should she be born at all—why should any one be born at all—if she's better off dead? I don't believe it is better for a child to die at birth than to live its life out—and love and be loved—and enjoy and suffer—and do its work—and develop a character that would give it a personality in eternity. And how do you know it was God's will? Perhaps it was just a thwarting of His purpose by the Power of Evil. We can't be expected to be resigned to that."

(Anne’s House of Dreams, Ch. 19)

5. We hate to be alone with ourselves, for it leaves us alone with the unwelcome company of our grief.

"Would you like company or would you rather be alone?" "If by company you mean yours I'd much rather have it than be alone," said Anne, smiling. Then she sighed. She had never before minded being alone. Now she dreaded it. When she was alone now she felt so dreadfully alone.

(Anne’s House of Dreams, Ch. 20)

6. We become disinterested in many of the things we once enjoyed.

In the mournful eventide Grief was closely at my side, Shrinking from her sullen woe Much I longed to see her go. Music lost its tender grace When I looked on her grim face, Flowers no more were sweet to me, Sunshine lost its witchery, Laughter hid itself in fear Of that Presence dour and drear, Little dreams in pale dismay Made all haste to steal away. Reft of what had made me glad, Grief alone was all I had

(The Blythes are Quoted, Part 2: The Fourth Evening, Grief)

7. To forget our grief for awhile is only to remember it keenly later on.

"Oh, I wish I could just keep on working all the time, Susan," cried poor Rilla. "And I wish I didn't have to go to sleep. It is hideous to go to sleep and forget it for a little while, and wake up and have it all rush over me anew the next morning. Do people ever get used to things like this, Susan?"

(Rilla of Ingleside, Ch. 23)

8. Just when we feel as though we couldn't live with grief any longer, we realize that we haven't any other choice—for as long as it is a resident in our lives, we must learn to acquaint ourselves with it and tolerate its existence.

"'I cannot bear it,' she said. And then came the awful thought that perhaps she could bear it and that there might be years of this hideous suffering before her."

(Rilla of Ingleside, Ch. 14)

9. Once life begins to return to normal, it becomes difficult for us to distinguish between moving on and moving forward.

"And then Avonlea settled back to its usual placidity and even at Green Gables affairs slipped into their old groove and work was done and duties fulfilled with regularity as before, although always with the aching sense of 'loss in all familiar things.' Anne, new to grief, thought it almost sad that it could be so—that they could go on in the old way without Matthew. [...] 'It seems like disloyalty to Matthew, somehow, to find pleasure in these things now that he has gone,' she said wistfully to Mrs. Allan one evening when they were together in the manse garden. [...] 'I am sure we should not shut our hearts against the healing influences that nature offers us. But I can understand your feeling. I think we all experience the same thing. We resent the thought that anything can please us when someone we love is no longer here to share the pleasure with us, and we almost feel as if we were unfaithful to our sorrow when we find our interest in life returning to us.'"

(Anne of Green Gables, Ch. 37)

10. But for as long as our loved ones are in our memory, they are in our lives.

“I've read somewhere that 'our dead are never dead until we have forgotten them.' Matthew will never be dead to me, for I can never forget him."

(Anne’s House of Dreams, Ch. 3)

29 notes · View notes

ruby-whistler · 3 years

Note

Srry but i noticed in one of ur dream posts u Referred to tommy's cat as hope. I must correct u, that cat was born pussbou and died pussboi. /lh Also tommy killing that cat was nothing compared to dream killing mushroom henry in exile btw just wanna say Also for ur posts about dreams trauma or wilbur manipulating him can u provide links to vods or other proof? Srry if i seem rude i mean that in a "genuinely curious way"

Aaa sorry if my ask came off as rude im just genuinely curious :(((

hi! dw, you don't seem rude at all, and i'm extremely happy someone with a different perspective has found my blog! i really appreciate that sort of attitude and am happy to answer :]

/dsmp /rp

the cat was called pussboy by tommy, but dream only called it "the cat" and then said that "it was hope", which is why it sort of became a symbol (his hope is dead, basically) - that's why i kind of made its name capitalized, because it was more of a metaphor than anything.

most c!dream fans call the cat hope because it's just really nice and really symbolic, and also really sad when you think about it. that's why the name was used in the essay, just to clear up the confusion!

tommy killing that cat was nothing compared to dream killing mushroom henry in exile

i don't really think so? mooshroom henry was entertainment more than anything, and even if it was bad, when watching the stream i don't remember seeing him mourn that much - on the other hand, dream was very quickly and very obviously attached to the cat, with it being his only companion in months of isolation, along with the hope that even when tommy left it would keep him company.

keep in mind c!dream has been deprived of stimuli and human contact for so long it's officially classified as psychological torture at that point.

i don't mean to compare trauma or even compare deaths - because honestly, what c!dream and c!tommy have gone through individually is incomparable and i think neither should be diminished in favor of the other since they're both terrible situations.

that's why i disagree that it "was nothing compared to" - it had an obvious effect on c!dream, and was still c!tommy killing an animal specifically to hurt him, no matter what reasons he had.

when i'm talking about effects people's actions have had on c!dream, i'm not talking about those people. i'm talking about him. :) /lh

as for the trauma, a lot of people agree that a lot of the things he says or does are trauma responses, and hence it's very possible that he's had trauma before he went into prison!

this includes being repeatedly called a tyrant via propaganda by about half of your friends who decided to betray you, trying to keep peace and being pushed deeper into villainy instead, repeatedly being put in between a rock and a hard place in order to make sure the people you care about don't start killing each other, then being betrayed by your closest friends after merely trying to keep peace (sapnap & george) and just in general having no control over your life or image and grasping at straws to gain it back.

i know a lot of people with trauma who heavily relate to certain trauma responses, which aren't always just shaky breaths and flashbacks, but trauma often also manifests itself in extremely ugly and destructive ways, both inwardly and outwardly.

trying to control the people around you is also very often a response to going through trauma, as well as emotional repression which is... rather evident on c!dream during season two. it only seems to get worse with repeated abandonment.

in the end, during the vault scene, the way he acts really just isn't at all the way a healthy person would act, and a lot of his really bad mindsets come from the way he was taught by the world around him.

the character is very reserved however, and since we don't have his pov we can't really say for certain - a lot of people claim it in good faith because they have a lot of evidence for it, and i think they're certainly valid in that.

that is just before the prison, however. from what happened during the prison arc? there is no denying he's traumatized at this point.

he's been emotionally and physically abused by c!sam since the very beginning of being imprisoned, and being in solitary confinement for over two weeks is generally considered psychological (and maybe also physical?) torture. that alone shows up in a lot of symptoms of his mental deterioration while in pandora's during people's visits, and quackity's "sessions" just absolutely drove the point home.

what he's gone through during this arc is absolutely incomparable to anything others charactes have faced before, and it's just plain suffering being endured by someone who is, despite everything, still a human being.

as for the wilbur manipulation thing!! it's talking about the whole vassal scene (though even beforehand a lot of their interactions are pretty iffy), and here's a post about that :]

I also have a small question about the analysis u last reblogged cus it says "why dream needed lmanburg gone rightfully" and like. The house analogy is poor because for one cus the land is infinite. And 2 cus punz's yard was literally larger then lmanburg. And also stuff about dream being a mediator? Can u provide examples?

i wouldn't say it was poor. dream's said a lot of times that he didn't care in the slightest about the land - a lot of his problems with l'manberg arose with the fact that wilbur basically built it on lies and tried to disallow half of the server to come there. c!dream was mad about the division and the fact that wilbur wanted "freedom" to have authority in his lands - over others, as can be seen in this post also.

the table analogy was fitting not because dream was some overlord, but because these were literally friends he invited to hang out and live in a place he wanted to call home. claiming a part of it for yourself and saying people of a certain nationality can't come in is directly opposing those goals.

in the early days of the smp, dream's always been a mediator between his friends - sapnap and george, who would often get into fights and go around killing each other! he would always do his best to stop the conflict, which continued after tommy joined when he took him to court and then later tried to mediate conflicts he was a part of, which resulted in tommy killing him unprovoked, stealing his gear, and starting the disc wars when dream was trying to get his stuff back. later, during pogtopia, he is also most concerned with peace over everything, and this seems to continue indefinitely after.

Today i was thinking about how messed up the final control room was. Like. Dream arranged the betrayal and punz and sapnap killed tommy and tubbo who like. Were literal children and their pals (because the author, wilbur soot, is dead/j but srsly if u take the streamers words tommy said he was 9 during the revolution sooo)

Sorry im gonna ramble about how dumb canon ages are for a second cus like. Streamers can say the characters are one way or another (wilbur saying he is mentally 30-something, etc.) But in the end the characters act like they(or at least their streaming personas) do.

i... honestly don't find it that bad? they were in a war, and the final control room was basically just supposed to end it quicker. the l'manbergians made it clear they were going to fight to the death, so they really left c!dream no other choice. and it's not like he didn't give them chances to give up.

also yeah the 9 year old thing was retconned, because in that case c!dream would've been 14 and i don't think that's true.

c!tommy and c!dream were both young and once again, in a war. the final control room was an attempt to assure victory, which both sides would've taken if possible, but only c!dream saw he had the option.

i do agree the whole child soldier thing was bad but... complain about that to c!wilbur, methinks. he talked naive kids into fighting for his personal power. however, the age argument isn't really valid either way. they had enough agency to sign up for it, and whether or not c!wilbur pushing the intense nationalism onto them had something to do with that is another debate entirely.

Bacl to final control room cus like??? Also fun fact punz took 2 of wilbur's canon lives. And like that probably is what started wilbur's paranoia which later lead to his spiral and i. Many thoughts full of lmanburg today.

i'm pretty sure cc!wilbur said what lead to c!wilbur's spiral was a "dark, twister view of possessions" and "disregard for his fellow citizen whom he claimed to love so much", but i really wouldn't say it was the control room; if anything the sudden loss of power after the elections seems to me like the trigger for his spiral.

I watched the exile arc live and. I feel dirty almost for feeling little to no sympathy for c!dream (srry ive been forgetting to add that aa) because of his actions toward c!tommy and like. The whole probation was so humiliating and unfair and c!dream was planning to frame him for the crimes he and puffy did under the the guise of "pranks" and c!quackity was planning to seize the vice president role.

i mean... to be fair, if you didn't watch the prison arc much yet or only watch tommy's perspective i understand not feeling that sympathetic - however, i encourage you to maybe watch a few prison visits, since they could help you see the whole picture better!

i also watched it live, and i also thought it was terrible, but i share very much the same sentiment for the prison arc because. absolutely no one should have to go through either of those things, you know?

i don't think probation was that humiliating? he was just. being asked to not start conflict with the other factions for two weeks. of course, what happened as a result is in no way justified, but i don't think probation itself would've been bad at all. either way yeah the framing and c!quackity's behaviour was. very yikes, i agree.

Also c!tommy antis are dumb because they say "he deserved exile angry emoji" i dont see u saying that about ranboo. Just say you hate cc!tommy and go. Also people say c!tommy was just as toxic to c!dream and i??? No. One is the victim and one is the abuser and like. :/// man. This part is rambly srry

i wouldn't say they hate cc!tommy? cc!tommy has a persona who people think is annoying at first ( but then they subscribe because he is super entertaining big man! ) but a lot of c!tommy's actions are straight up toxic to certain characters, such as c!funndy and c!jack. he has a very dismissive attitude towards others and their trauma and it does affect the people around them very negatively.

examples; his repeated bullying and behavior towards fundy:

Tommy: “Fundy, I’m just here to kinda let you know that I – if you weren’t Wilbur’s son, you would be out of L’manburg, alright? Just remember – you need to keep that relationship with your father. I saw how asshole-y and bratty you were acting in the courtroom the other night. You need to pull your shit together young man.”

......

Fundy: “I’m wearing glasses…are you making fun of my eyesight?!”

Tommy: “Yes.”

Sapnap: “Your father would be very disappointed.”

Fundy: “Wh – disappointed for wearing glasses?!”

Tommy: “You got glasses, like what are you wearing…”

Fundy: “What do you mean?”

Tommy: “Sapnap, Sapnap, over here. Fundy, Fundy, Fundy, I’m really sorry to say this – I’m just here to publicly denounce you.”

Fundy: “…What?”

( credit for transcript: @/findingjoynweirdstuff )

he's also responsible for a big chunk of c!jack's trauma, both with actions and words, and that's why i think certain people might dislike the character, and i don't think that's wrong of them. anyone can dislike any character they want if they don't attack people for liking them, in my opinion.

also c!tommy was most definitely toxic against c!dream in the cell. it's of course understandable but that doesn't change the fact he was constantly hitting and insulting him (without dream doing anything back for a long while until he snapped) which is toxic behaviour.

i wouldn't say he was "just as" though, so i agree with you on that. they're different and they behave differently.

i made a dream blob keychain today. Is it possible to send images if u wanna see? Idk cus i havent used tumblr before. I think that's all for now. Thx for letting me talk :D peepoShy -curious anon (but fr a connoreatspants c!dream redemption arc would be cool)

yooo that's cool! i don't really,,, know if it's possible to send images? try it out and if it isn't i'll try find a way to turn it on.

also, no problem! just please remember this is a c!dream sympathetic blog, and me as well as my followers are uhh,, oftentimes emotionally attached / personally relate to the character, so if you could avoid sending hate on the character (not that you have or that i expect you to, just a friendly reminder) in the asks that would be great! we already see a lot of it unwillingly so, i'd rather not see more, but as long as the discussion is civil i'm absolutely ok with you asking more and with me answering more questions if you'd want to! :)

if anyone else would like to reblog this and add some things i might've missed with my answers, feel free to, just go easy on her (she uses she/her pronouns!) and keep it factual.

i hope u had a good or at least ok time at school today :D

thanks! i gtg now because exam tomorrow but i'm going to try write the redemption essay tomorrow as well because ohhh boy i have a lot of ideas about what all i could write around the concept.

also sorry this was long, i can't keep my tongue on the leash :[

#c!tommy critical #c!wilbur critical #my asks #curious anon #long post #history #tw torture #tw manipulation

32 notes · View notes

mewtonian-physics · 3 years

Text

my ranking of the alex rider original series (stormbreaker through scorpia rising) from ‘book i least enjoy rereading’ to ‘book i most enjoy rereading’ let’s goooo

spoilers for all 9 books under the cut

9. Ark Angel

...He went to space. He went to space. Also the entire plot could have been avoided if Drevin had actually bothered to provide a photograph of his son. I’m sure he had one. I still like this book but it’s literally so insane that I just don’t know what to do with it.

It is however really funny that Webber just goes and gives a speech insulting this super high-profile ecoterrorist group and acts like it’s no big deal and then they kill him. Shock of shocks.

8. Skeleton Key

Okay, points to this book for terrifying the shit out of me. God damn it does that shark scene scare me. Also, points for making me feel a little bit bad for a man who wants to nuke his own country because he thinks it will fix the place up. I’m still not entirely sure how that’s supposed to work, but that’s probably a good thing. I feel like understanding his thought process would say bad things about me. Still, I actually did feel sorry for him, if only a little. Dude was clearly mentally unstable and I doubt his son’s death helped at all. I also got sad about what happened to Carver and Troy. (Yeah, yeah, I’m a cringe fail American who has the American release. So sue me.) What a nightmare that must’ve been to endure... Otherwise, though, I’m not super into this book. The opening is just kind of meh and the way it leads into the rest of the plot seems a little bit unbelievable. Also, this might be an unpopular opinion, but Sabina annoys me. I would not get along with her at all and I can’t imagine her as a girlfriend. Skeleton Key does, however, absolutely excel at the emotional scenes.

Also, why are all the spy agencies so comfortable with sending in a 14-year-old? Especially when they outright admit that the other attempts have all died horribly? Bureaucracy’s a bitch.

7. Point Blank

Boo, Dr. Grief! Boo! We hate your white supremacy! I’m so glad you got a snowmobile to the face, you deserved it. (Perks of books written by Jewish people--we aren’t afraid to give the neo-Nazis an unpleasant death.) Anyway, this book definitely isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t really say it stands out in the series. It definitely does hammer home the point of just how trapped Alex is, since MI6 isn’t going to just let him go after one mission, and let’s face it, the plot with the clones is creepy as hell, if highly improbable. But I’m largely just here to see the neo-Nazi get snowmobiled. That’s right, I just completely changed the definition of a pre-established word. I’m a rebel.

Also, I hate Fiona Friend so much and overall think she just didn’t need to be in the book, but the line about ‘I’d rather kiss the horse’ made me laugh so hard. Alex, you sass.

6. Snakehead

Okay, let’s talk about how genius the plan in this book is. I love it! I love how Yu wants to kill the people involved in the peace conference without making them into martyrs, so he comes up with this whole elaborate plan to stage a natural disaster. It’s incredible. This dude was thinking so far ahead. And he would’ve gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for that meddling kid... But anyway, I don’t see a lot of books where the villain really acknowledges that killing their enemies could just cause more problems for them via turning them into martyrs for a cause. Also, the way he’s so polite and soft-spoken while also being a complete monster... This book genuinely gives me chills. Extra bonus points for the part in the hospital, the absolute nightmare of having all your organs slowly removed and sold off and everyone around you is being so nice about it? ‘Oh, don’t worry, Alex, it won’t be so bad. Here, take your medicine. Do you need anything?’ Literally just. What the fuck.

Also Ash can fucking fight me. You put your own godson in horrible danger on purpose! You killed your best friend! Bastard.

...And just in case the book wasn’t disturbing enough, Yu’s fate at the end lives in my mind rent-free and I think about it on a concerningly regular basis considering that the chances of that happening to me are so low they’re practically in the negatives. Damn you, Horowitz.

I would also be remiss if I did not mention just how much I love the tagline ‘once bitten, twice spy’.

5. Crocodile Tears

Ah yes, the book that kickstarted my drift away from the church... I kid, of course. I drifted away from the church for completely separate reasons. But Desmond McCain is always going to scare the shit out of me. The ability to kill countless innocent people while blissfully quoting Bible verses (that he takes wildly out of context and uses for his own self-serving means) is... well, I could actually say a lot about what that reminds me of, but I’m here to rate books, not religion. Moving on. This book has some really stellar antagonists, and the plot is chilling in a way that feels a lot more realistic than most of the other books. Even if some of it is a bit farfetched (sabotaging a nuclear power plant? Really?), the idea of using disasters for your own profit... well. I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on why that is so believable. The Poison Dome is also a really cool and chilling scene--even Alex, who has the luck of the devil, can’t get out of that one unscathed. Further scares come in with the fate of Harold Bulman--imagine having your entire existence wiped and your identity changed while you were asleep! The breakdown he has over it is almost enough to make me feel sorry for him, even though he was ready to exploit a teenager and make his life a living hell just to turn a profit. Note the word almost.

Also. The opening makes me cry. Specifically the line talking about how Ravi’s kids would ‘never meet Mickey Mouse’. I lose my goddamn mind every single time I read it. That little personal touch turns the scene from a statistic to a tragedy. Once again: Damn you, Horowitz.

4. Stormbreaker

Yeah, this one gets the special cover shot. And why not? What we are looking at here is the birth of a legend. Move the fuck over, James Bond, Alex Rider is on the scene now. Anyway, yeah, this book is pretty damn spectacular. It has its stumbles, but as the first book in a series, that’s to be expected. Still, it pulls you in from quite literally the first line and keeps you going right up until the end. (If you came here from my post of memes, you know how much the line ‘Killing is for grownups, and you’re still a child’ destroys me.) It has the debut of much-beloved characters such as, of course, Alex--but also Jack Starbright, and of course, the best MI6 agent of them all, which is to say Smithers. Hell, even Yassen Gregorovich, especially once you get through Russian Roulette... Man, that was a rough one.

Seriously, though. This is a really good book. The scene with the Portuguese man-o’-war still gives me the chills to think about. (Have you ever looked up pictures of those things? They’re beautiful, but holy shit will they make you regret being born. Nature is funny like that.)

We also get the introduction of, of course, Alex’s patented sass (his response to Sayle saying he relates to the man-o’-war is HILARIOUS) and we get the inherent humor of Alex screwing up an alias one time and then just going by Alex for the rest of the series so he doesn’t do that again. Really, kid, I know you’re not a trained spy or anything but did you never play pretend growing up? Ever? You can’t pretend your name is Felix for a little while? That sounds like a you problem.

3. Scorpia Rising

I distinctly remember when this book came out, actually. I was on vacation at the time, and I remember my brother annoying the hell out of the poor workers at a bookstore we frequented there to see if/when they were going to get it in. They did, finally, and we bought it immediately, and I was of course absolutely desperate to read it. He got to read it first, though. -_-

This is a great book, an absolute emotional rollercoaster all the way through. The way Blunt tricks Alex back into service by staging a shooting was exactly the kind of cold, brutal behavior I’d expect from him. Seeing Julius come back was shocking, but very exciting, too. And Razim makes an incredibly chilling villain, with his absolute disregard for human life and his desire to measure pain. Also, seeing Smithers’s house was so much fun. Smithers in this book was just really fun in general, but he’s really fun in every book, so... nothing unusual there. But also, I want an unwelcome mat. Please?

2. Eagle Strike

‘But Penny,’ you might ask, ‘why is this book so high on your list? It has so much of Sabina in it, and you said she annoys you.’ That is true. What does not annoy me, however, is basically the entire rest of the book. I love the tense opening, and then reading through Alex’s real-life ‘playthrough’ of Feathered Serpent is still one of my favorite scenes. Cray is absolutely incredible as a villain, with the way that he truly believes in his cause--which is undoubtedly a good one! Yet the extremes to which he will go for that cause, and the fact that he very nearly succeeds, are what elevate him to one of the most dangerous villains in the series. That scene with Charlie Roper and the nickels is something I can never seem to stop thinking about. Actually, I think about it basically whenever I think about large amounts of money paid in small increments...

Also, I really enjoy how he gets into the whole plot in the first place, and I really enjoy Smithers saying ‘ah, fuck it’ and helping him out anyway. Go, Smithers. You once again prove me right in saying that you’re the coolest adult in MI6.

The revelation that Yassen knew Alex’s father is one that absolutely blew my mind first time around. The way his life was threaded into the lives of the Rider family--he worked with John Rider, was saved by him, killed Ian Rider, and then died for refusing to kill Alex Rider--wow. Wow. It gets to me. It really gets to me. This book is a masterpiece. I heard that it’s going to be what the second season of the TV series is based off of, and I’m so hyped for that. We love to see it, we really do.

1. Scorpia

I don’t believe anyone who says this book didn’t get to them at all. I just think they are lying. I don’t think it’s humanly possible to not be affected by this book. God. Just thinking about it reminds me of why I don’t think it’s possible. I mean, come on. We get all this backstory about Alex’s parents, we get tricked along with him into thinking MI6 killed his father, then bam, that was a lie, and Alex may have just fucked himself over big time. Also, that plot is terrifying! (And I bet anti-vaxxers had a field day with it, huh.) Julia Rothman is a really great antagonist, one of the only ones who didn’t go and explain her plan in great detail to Alex--the fact that she didn’t actually being a plot point was something I personally found pretty clever. In general, this book is... I tend to hate when people say they ‘can’t put it down’ because it’s usually an obvious exaggeration, but that really is how I feel reading it.

And again. If that ending didn’t get to you... Well, I just think you are lying.

#alex rider #spoilers

33 notes · View notes

ingek73 · 3 years

Text

Fairytales for fuckwits: Meghan, a children's book, and the school bully tactics of the British tabloids...

Piers Morgan's obsession with Meghan Markle continues, while Mike Graham appears worried there may be too many big words for him to understand.

Mic Wright

May 6

On May the 4th, there was a great disturbance in the force, as if thousands of tabloid reporters and talk radio pundits cried out at once: The Duchess of Sussex had announced she was writing a children’s book.

Since the earth-shattering news that Meghan has written a story about the relationship between father’s and their sons — apparently based on a poem she wrote for Prince Harry — the tabloid press and talk radio stations have gone into meltdown.

The Sun has managed to crank out seven hysterically-pitched stories on the announcement since it dropped — the book isn’t out until June 8th — with each more unhinged than the last:

MEG TO PAPER Meghan Markle writes children’s book inspired by Prince Harry and baby Archie about ‘bond between father and son’

MEG-A MOVE Meghan Markle’s first priority should be mending broken relationships with royals not writing kids’ book, expert claims

SOUNDS A BIT WOODEN ‘Schmaltzy’ Meghan Markle ‘on dodgy ground’ with kids’ book celebrating fathers ‘after own bust-up with dad’ says author

DOUBLE DUCH Meghan Markle accused of copying her kids’ book The Bench from another story – but author defends her

NOT WRITE Piers Morgan slams ‘hypocrite’ Meghan Markle for kids’ book on ‘father-son bond’ after ‘ruining Harry and Charles’ ties’

'RIDICULOUS' Meghan Markle using Duchess of Sussex as author name ‘laughable’ after she wanted to cut Royal ties, says royal expert

CUT PRICE Meghan Markle’s kids’ book has price slashed already at Amazon and Waterstones

You’ll notice that Piers Morgan — a man who has turned one drink with Meghan after which he claims she “ghosted him”, which took place in 2016, into a five year and counting obsession — gets his own story there. That’s The Sun filleting Morgan’s spittle-flecked Daily Mail column on the book for its own news piece.

Morgan, who trails his columns on Twitter like they are exciting new releases rather than the tabloid equivalent of a letter scrawled in faeces forced through your letterbox, dashed out his thoughts on The Bench with the indecent haste of a man running along while his trousers fall down.

Image description: “Twitter avatar for @BreeNewsome

DEFUND & ABOLISH POLICE, REFUND OUR COMMUNITIES

@BreeNewsome

Piers Morgan’s obsession with Meghan Markle is genuinely disturbing. He’s really just using the guise of journalism to be a public stalker and harasser.

May 5th 2021

1,414 Retweets10,252 Likes”

Beneath a typically screaming Mail headline — How the hell can Meghan 'I hate royalty but call me Duchess' Markle preach about father-child relationships when she's disowned her own Dad, and wrecked her husband's relationship with his? — Morgan howled:

… she continues to cynically exploit her royal titles because she knows that's the only reason anyone is paying her vast sums of money to spew her uniquely unctuous brand of pious hectoring gibberish in Netflix documentaries, Spotify podcasts or children's books.

Of course, her equally cynical publishers don't give a damn about any of this shocking double standard.

Forget the fact that Meghan had a good degree of personal fame before she ever met Prince Harry, Piers Morgan accusing anyone else of being a cynical fame chaser is beyond parody. From his earliest days as a gossip hack, Morgan has muscled into pictures with the rich and famous, desperate to be someone.

When Meghan was willing to indulge him, he showered her with praise, but once she stopped taking his calls, he turned into the Tinder match from hell. That he has been married to his second wife, fellow controversialist columnist Celia Walden since 2010 seemingly did nothing to dampen his obsession.

Having repeatedly interviewed Meghan’s estranged father Thomas Markle — another man aggrieved because a woman would rather not spend time with him — Morgan sneers:

If she really cared about father-child relationships, she'd take a chauffeur-driven limousine on the hour-long trip to see her own father who's never even met either Harry or Archie.

It’s projection again: Piers Morgan’s ego is so egg-shell thin that after Meghan decided that one drink was more than enough, he’s spent 5 years seeking revenge and convinced that he’s been wronged, just like her ‘poor old dad’. That’s the ‘poor old dad’ that insists on talking about his daughter to journalists at every possible occasion.

At the end of an article that implies Harry and Meghan contributed to the death of Prince Philip — he died of natural causes — and rants on about “the woke”, Morgan ends with this:

But then as we've seen from her gruesomely self-interested behaviour during a pandemic that's caused so much devastation and pain to billions around the world, Meghan Markle doesn't really care about anyone but herself.

Remember, the Duchess of Sussex’s only ‘crime’ here is to write a children’s book which people will be free to buy or ignore with equal ease. But, as ever, Piers Morgan treats the news with all the proportionality of a US drone strike.

The real story here is about how Morgan — the bittiest of bit-part players in the narrative of Meghan and Harry’s lives — is so desperate to upgrade his place in the cast list that he will rant and rave to stay relevant. His departure from Good Morning Britain came after his last stream of invective about Meghan and he knows this schtick gets him the attention and money he craves.

Image description: “Twitter avatar for @MariaLRoach

Maria Roach

@MariaLRoach

Meghan Markle inside the tiny space called Piers Morgan’s head. #duchessofsussex Tap Dance GIF by Miss America

May 5th 2021

122 Retweets1,619 Likes”

Aside from Morgan’s column, MailOnline has published 9 other news stories on or related to the book announcement. The most telling of them is one that links the Duchess of Sussex’s book to another one… by the Duchess of Cambridge.

Headlined Bookshelf battle royale! Kate Middleton shares a glimpse inside her Hold Still photobook just a day after Meghan Markle unveiled her own £12.99 children's story, the story unsurprisingly treats Kate with kid gloves while continuing to imply that Meghan is the kind of person who would make gloves out of kids if it suited her devilish schemes.

There’s no shade thrown at the Duchess of Cambridge for revealing further details of her book just hours after Meghan’s announcement. Instead, the story — lavishly illustrated with images from the book — gushes:

The Duchess of Cambridge has shared a glimpse of her photography book Hold Still ahead of its release on Friday…

… Kate, 39, a keen photographer, launched a campaign during the first lockdown last year to ask the public to submit images which captured the period.

It even includes a mention of an image of a BLM protestor saying:

Over the course of the project, the Duchess shared a number of her favourite images on the Kensington Royal Instagram page, including a Black Lives Matter protester holding a sign reading: 'Be on the right side of history.'

If Meghan had done the same she would have been decried for “supporting extremists”. Remember the contrasting way their mutual taste for avocado was covered?

15 Headlines Show How Differently The British Press Treat Meghan Markle Vs Kate Middleton | Bored Panda

Over at The Daily Telegraph, Spiked alumna Ella Whelan offered her thoughts on a book that isn’t released until next month under the headline Meghan Markle’s fun-free children’s book may put an entire generation off reading, which makes it sound like a grimoire full of dark magic rather than a gentle children’s book about kids and their dads.

Just as with the Mail’s story on Kate’s book, it’s worth imagining what Whelan would say if the Duchess of Cambridge had written The Bench. Look at the following section…

It reveals something of the political superficiality of Harry and Meghan’s activism that an “inclusive” book would use the military father as its promotional message. Perhaps it’s a cultural thing, but if my kids have to read about soldiers, I’d prefer Hans Christian Andersen’s tin version rather than the woke posturing of a former royal.

… and notice that because Meghan is the author including a father who is in the military is “political superficiality”. If Kate had written a story that featured an analogue for Prince William — who also spent time in uniform, though in less dangerous circumstances than his ‘spare’ brother — Whelan would likely deem it a ‘touching tribute to their love’.

Similarly, Sarah Ferguson — the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, top Yelp! reviewer for Jeffrey Epstein’s houses and noted avoider of FBI questioning — uses the title Duchess of York on her many execrable children’s books.

Now that Meghan is the tabloid’s new monster in the monarchy, Fergie’s antics are pointed to as a positive with her books flattered even as Meghan’s as-yet-unpublished book is panned.

Image description: “Twitter avatar for @talkRADIO

talkRADIO

@talkRADIO

Meghan Markle is releasing a new children's book about father-son relationships.

Mike Graham: "It's so juvenile. This is somebody who acts like she's still in high school... it's not exactly Tennyson, is it?

@mrmarkdolan | @Iromg Image

May 5th 2021

36 Retweets221 Likes”

Over on talkRADIO, Mike Graham — a melting mass of expired meat — ranted about a children’s book, worried perhaps that it will contain too many long words. Speaking to his colleague, Mark Dolan — Dennis Pennis without the charm — Graham crowed:

It’s so juvenile. This is somebody who acts like she’s still in high school… I don’t have anything against her for any particular reason, other than she’s a bit too American, you know. She thinks everything is just great and cheesy. Rhyming the words ‘joy’ and ‘boy’. It’s not exactly Tennyson, is it?

Ah yes, that famous children’s author, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, known for such devastating rhymes as this one from The Lady of Shallot: “She left the web/ She left the loom/ She made three paces through the room.”

I’m not saying The Lady of Shalott is rubbish — though I do still hold a grudge against Tennyson after some very tedious teaching in high school — but that focusing on one rhyme in a poem is an easy trick if you want to say its shit. That Graham cannot see the irony in decrying writing a children’s book as “juvenile” is just one of the reasons he’s employed by a station with less than 1% reach.

Image description: “Twitter avatar for @NadimJBaba

Nadim Baba

@NadimJBaba

Piers Morgan ranting about the one who got away in 5, 4, 3.......

Media Guardian @mediaguardian

Meghan wins copyright claim against Mail on Sunday over letter https://t.co/cJZTgDMvgz

May 5th 2021

1 Like”

There’ll be a new round of these columns, stories, and talk radio segments when the book is released, particularly as The Mail on Sunday just lost the second part of Meghan’s copyright claim against it.

There’s nothing that either Meghan or Harry could do that wouldn’t drive these rats in a sack rabid. If they did nothing, they’d be called lazy. When they make things, take jobs, or really say anything the very media that benefits hugely from stories about them scream that it’s a cry for attention. And yet Piers Morgan regularly pissing himself in public is “commentary”.

#meghan markle #prince harry #duchess of sussex #duke of sussex #piers morgan #brokenbottleboy #toxic tabloids #uk press

24 notes · View notes

snowe-zolynn-rogers · 3 years

Text

Pairings: Past Aizawa/Mandalay

Word Count: 1,921 Words

Summary: Hitoshi and Katsuki's birthday.

Warnings: Period Mention, Menstruation Mention, Food Mention, Nightmare Mention, Death Mention, Cursing, Caps, let me know if I should tag anything else.

Usernames: Existence Is A Prison Aizawa: feral cat dad, Aoyama: gay salt, Hagakure: ranch flavored jello, Tokoyami: foil-mecha, Shinsou: farmer toshi, Kuroiro: life is a nightmare, Shiozaki: saviour, Tsunotori: schrodinger better run, Honenuki: pure, Monoma: nat20, Yamada: President Megaphone, Bakugou: deku-deck-you

Aizawa, We Agreed No More Cats: Chapter 7

6:25 AM

Existence Is A Prison

pure: It's a birthday! That means birthday breakfasts are in order!

life is a nightmare: Kiyo made everyone yakisoba buns with enoki and I made soup dumplings to celebrate.

farmer toshi: You two are so sweet, thank you.

deku deck-you: Thanks, girls.

pure: No problem!

saviour: I will not be attending class today. I will not be leaving my room today.

feral cat dad: What's wrong?

saviour: Painful period. Dysphoria. Hate living.

feral cat dad: I'm sorry, kid. I'll tell Vlad you're dehydrated and have Nemuri take care of you, she'll know more than me, but I'll bring a hot water bottle, food, and some company for you in the meantime.

saviour: Thank you, Mr. Aizawa.

feral cat dad: I am the father collective here, it's only fair I parent my child.

8:30 AM

Existence Is A Prison

nat20: I'm recording the classes for you so you don't miss anything, Ibara, dear.

saviour: Thank you, Seiko.

nat20: Not a problem, love. I don't want to see you falling behind when you don't deserve to. I mean, it's surely not your fault uterus' exist.

saviour: You're amazing.

nat20: I know.

12:45 PM

Existence Is A Prison

schrodinger better run: I'm bringing over lunch, Ibara.

saviour: You're all too nice to me. I shouldn't even be in bed still.

schrodinger better run: Ibara, honey, we're nice because we care about you. You deserve to rest this off and see when you feel better. There's no rushing yourself. I'm sure that, once you rest up a bit, Recovery Girl can help 'heal' the cramps or at least tone them down a bit.

saviour: Still, thank you. All of you.

2:04 PM

Existence Is A Prison

gay salt: I think this is hilarious, personally.

nat20: What's even happening over in 1-A, you guys have been yelling and all for like ten minutes.

gay salt: birthdayboysinbirthdayhats.jpg

gay salt: Shinsou had to come deliver something to Mr. Aizawa from Mr. Snipe's class and now everyone is questioning Kats and Hito if they're twins and Midoriya's trying to chill everyone out. Really, you should be here, Seiko.

nat20: They are twins. I mean, practically, yes, they are.

ranch flavored jello: I know, it's great. The best part is that everyone is in such a heated debate about it.

feral cat dad: I have no clue what's even happening but I'm not gonna stop this unless Katsuki or Hitoshi says something.

foil-mecha: ourclassrightnow.jpg

schrodinger better run: Todoroki, please. It's not that deep, man.

foil-mecha: I don't think he cares, honestly.

nat20: I heard more screaming. Vlad King is starting to get concerned.

foil-mecha: They said they are twins and Midoriya's trying to ask why Katsuki's mother cheated on his father. This is the funniest thing, honestly.

3:15 PM

Existence Is A Prison

gay salt: Okay, I found the 2006 First Year Sports Festival and I just need you all to see Mr. Aizawa as our age.

gay salt: younglankyaizawamidbattlewithtensei.jpg

foil-mecha: Mr. Aizawa, you were tiny.

feral cat dad: To be fair, I was an idiot kid and didn't eat well until like a week prior to that Sports Festival.

ranch flavored jello: I'll punt kick you, Dad.

feral cat dad: Yeah, yeah, I know. I started eating better after that, I promise.

gay salt: lankyaizawatakingdowntensei.jpg

nat20: Mr. Aizawa was a strong little stringbean.

feral cat dad: If you call me a stringbean again, I'll make you do garbage duty for a month.

nat20: That's normal, Father Collective.

feral cat dad: Curse these children being functional human beings.

President Megaphone: At least we know they clean up after each other and themselves.

President Megaphone: Plus, you were a stringbean, Shouta, so it's a fair statement.

deku deck-you: Wait, I just realized Mr. Aizawa told us he was divorced.

gay salt: Oh yeah, he did and nobody even questioned it!

ranch flavored jello: To be fair, we were busy introducing ourselves.

feral cat dad: Yeah, I was married for a while after high school. Maybe a year, I think.

President Megaphone: 10 months and 17 days from December 2010 to October 2011. I still think it's funny you didn't even spend one birthday married.

farmer toshi: Dad, what happened!?

feral cat dad: Well, you see, I had pressure put on me to get married to a girl I knew because we both weren't out yet as gay and lesbian, respectively, and we both realized during our marriage that it wasn't working so we went through a mutual divorce and are still friends.

President Megaphone: Yeah, Shouta and Sosaki are friends.

life is a nightmare: Shino Sosaki? Mandalay from the Wild Wild Pussycats?

feral cat dad: The one and only.

life is a nightmare; Wow.

9:52 PM

Existence Is A Prison

schrodinger better run: Dating sucks.

feral cat dad: Why, what's up, Pony?

schrodinger better run: My gf broke up with me because she realized I'm actually in Japan. I mean, I told her a hundred times but she never believed me that I was going international. for high school.

deku deck-you: Eh, the trash got rid of itself from what it sounds like.

schrodinger better run: I mean, I'm kind of happy because she never really liked me for more than just saying she was dating a cute girl but I also feel bad about being happy that we're broken up.

ranch flavored jello: Ice cream and cry?

schrodinger better run: Thank you, Toru, it's much appreciated.

2:26 AM

Existence Is A Prison

farmer toshi: Hey, dad?

feral cat dad: Yes?

farmer toshi: Can I sleep in your room?

feral cat dad: Yeah, sure, come on. Don't let the cats out.

farmer toshi: You're not even gonna ask me why?

feral cat dad: Should it matter?

farmer toshi: Well, I don't think so. I just don't want to have another nightmare but usually the caregivers at the orphanage would ask for a good reason.

feral cat dad: Well, you don't need one with me. Just don't let the cats out is my only request. Ai has figured out how to open the kitchen door and will get lost on UA grounds again.

farmer toshi: Kumo is staring at me while I open the door.

feral cat dad: Yeah, he's like that. Just ignore him, focus more of keeping Ai from making a break for it.

farmer toshi: Alright.

11:04 AM

Existence Is A Prison

feral cat dad: Alright, I was going through you kids' files during my free period and Tsunotori, your birthday is today.

schrodinger better run: Oh, I don't like celebrating my birthday. I haven't celebrated it since I was six.

feral cat dad: Why, what happened?

schrodinger better run: My cousin from my biological family made fun of my feet, we got in a fight, and I couldn't explain to defend myself so I got grounded and wasn't allowed to celebrate my birthday so I just haven't celebrated it since then.

feral cat dad: Is there still a day we can celebrate with you that isn't today?

schrodinger better run: I like celebrating my adoption date as my new birthday. October 7th.

feral cat dad: I'll put a reminder for that.

saviour: Wait, are you putting all of our birthdays as reminders?

feral cat dad: Perhaps.

7:15 AM

Existence Is A Prison

foil-mecha: I'm going to the convenience store before school for breakfast in class because I want sandos and energy drinks. Anyone else want? Say yes.

feral cat dad: YES.

foil-mecha: Are you okay? You responded in like one second.

feral cat dad: I'm just realizing I like someone and I'm suffering.

gay salt: Please.

nat20: Yes.

farmer toshi: Two redbulls and anything with egg, please.

saviour: Fruit if it's there.

pure: Yes.

schrodinger better run: Yes, I'm so hungry.

life is a nightmare: Ham is preferred, please and thank you.

ranch flavored jello: Yes, food.

deku deck-you: Yes, please.

foil-mecha: Everyone will receive redbulls and sandos.

8:15 AM

Existence Is A Prison

foil-mecha: I got held up, there was a villain attack right outside the store when I got there. I'm with food and drink and on my way back.

feral cat dad: I've already written you a pass, it's taped to the wall just inside the gate, have fun delivering food to Hitoshi.

8:25 AM

Existence Is A Prison

farmer toshi: Tokoyami is a god.

farmer toshi: tworedbullsandthreesandos.jpg

nat20: Wow, he likes you.

foil-mecha: Oh, I got three for everyone. I just grabbed a bunch so everyone can pick.

nat20: Be careful at 1b, Mr. Kan is one of those 'bring something for yourself, share it with everyone' type of teachers.

foil-mecha: And I'll tell him to fuck off because us dorm kids didn't eat breakfast this morning.

deku deck-you: Yeah, our poor stove is dead.

ranch flavored jello: It wasn't my fault! I promise! I was just cooking and it died!

feral cat dad: To be fair, it is old. I think that thing's been there since I was in UA.

8:35 AM

Existence Is A Prison

nat20 has started a video chat

[Tokoyami opening door and Vlad King stops teaching and stares at him]

Kid, you're not my student. Your class is down the hall, are you lost? -Unknown

Hey, Pony, Kiyo. Here, pick three each and a drink or two. -foil-mecha

Young man, you can't just waltz into my classroom and hand unsolicited food to only two students. -Unknown

[Kiyomi and Pony are shown grabbing their sandos and redbulls from the large bag Tokoyami came in with]

You're right, I'm not. Ibara, Kageya, Seiko, come get yours too. I found a cool one I think you'll like, Ibara. -foil-mecha

Oh? What is it? -saviour

Well, I heard you say you like apples and melon. I found you a sando with both. -foil-mecha

I'm in love with you. -saviour

Sure, yeah Get your food, I need to get to 1-A. -foil-mecha

You should be in there now! This isn't your class! -Unknown

Sir? Sir. I really don't care. I have a pass from Mr. Aizawa and I'm literally about to leave. Our oven broke in the dorms so none of us ate breakfast this morning. I went to get us all breakfast and got held up with a villain attack. Kindly, sir, I think even Nezu would be unhappy if even a single one of us hero course students weren't eating breakfast this close to the Sports Festival. So, you feel free to carry on your lesson. Let just the five of your students eat their breakfast. I promise, it won't disrupt you further than it has. -foil-mecha

Fine. -Unknown

nat20 has ended the video chat

gay salt: I love Tokoyami. I do.

foil-mecha: My mothers and fathers didn't raise a carpet, I don't exist to be stepped on by authority figures.

nat20: Thanks, Fumi. I'm starving.

foil-mecha: Anything for my friends.

ranch flavored: ALL HAIL FOOD GOD TOKOYAMI

feral cat dad: Bringer of Energy Drink, Keeper of the Sando.

gay salt: We all love you, Fumi.

foil-mecha: What a time to be alive, being adored by my peers and teacher AND getting to tell off an annoying teacher?

feral cat dad: God, yes, sando time. Gimme.

gay salt: aizawaeatingasandolikeaferalcat.jpg

nat20: Thanks, I'm scarred for life having witnessed Feralzawa.

farmer toshi: I love you, Fumi.

foil-mecha: Seems that's everyone's sentiment this morning.

farmer toshi: I'll get a crush, fucker, don't tempt me.

foil-mecha: Alright, alright.

Taglist: @everythingisstardust

14 notes · View notes