#i will devolve into a single celled organism

[queenofthequillandink]

Celci just wanted an easy-access space to communicate with her coworkers in a timely manner. Unfortunately for her, she's stuck with these four idiots in a group chat of her own making. AKA none of these motherfuckers has a single brain cell or an iota of self control as soon as they can relax even a little, which means the group chat devolves into chaos literally immediately.

Lol I lack self control, so here's an ISWM chatfic.

[arwamachine]

ao3 stats game

Thank you for tagging me, @thetimemoves!

Rules: Give us the links to your wonderful words with the most hits, most kudos, most comments, most bookmarks, most words, and least words.

Most Hits/Kudos/Comments/Bookmarks: Most hits, kudos, and comments—by a landslide—goes to Indefinite Lines. This is my post s4 mega-fuck-off of a fic that endeavored to take everything we were given in canon and turn it into something beautiful. Epic villains. BAMF!Rosie. Love for days.

To Stand Before the Storm still holds the title for most bookmarks, I assume because sheep. 🐑

Fourth Most Kudos: This is You Might Just as Well Be Blind, a fun-as-hell, fake-relationship-for-a-case, only-one-bed fic I managed to churn out at record speed for a fic exchange that somehow managed to turn out not that bad. Bonus BAMF!Hudders.

Most Words: Once again, Indefinite Lines by a landslide! This fic technically takes place over the course of 4,650 days. There was a lot to say.

Least Words: Excluding the Pridelocked poetry I wrote, that would be Origin of a New Species, the first fic I ever posted! This is a bit of an odd one, told from the perspective of a Sherlock who is so bored that he (metaphorically) devolves into a single-celled organism...until John helps, of course. This fic is a perfect example of why fanfic is so fucking awesome, because nowhere else would I be able to write that bullshit and have anyone else be willing to read it 😆

[auniverseforgotten]

top five episodes of anything of your choosing

LIME THIS IS SO HARD XD THANK U FOR THE ASK!!

So I'm not sure if this is "top five episodes of a media of your choosing" or "top five episodes of anything ever" SO IM DOING TWO also I like so many episodes so I'm just rolling with what comes to mind right now dfhvg

ALSO HEADS UP FOR POSSIBLE SPOILERS FROM: Star Trek The Original Series, Star Trek The Next Generation, Duck Tales [2017], Doctor Who [Tennant], Sherlock Holmes [Granada], Monk [season 1], Boueibu [Season 1+2]

SO FOR THE FIRST MEDIA. STAR TREK YAHOOOOOOOOOO this is unfortunately just The Original Series [TOS] and The Next Generation [TNG] because I still haven't had time for Voyager or Deep Space 9 yet orz

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

-Court Martial [TOS]: Gives us a look into how the Federation handles trials, and while I don't love some of the parts, the fact that Spock catches the computer tampering via chess match is so good.

-Eye of the Beholder [TNG]: Troi being an empath is the huge focus here, and the constant twists and turns really keep you guessing. And TROI AND WORF AUGH WHY DID THEY PAIR HER WITH RIKER IN THE END WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY

-Spock's Brain [TOS]: REALLY don't like the HEAVY sexism going on BUT it's really fun to have Spock be in peril and Kirk and Bones so desperate to save him uwu

-Tin Man [TNG]: The focus for this episode is Tam Elbrun, a Betazoid who is a gifted telepath even by their standards and an alien entity 'Tin Man'. Tam winds up catching 'Tin Man''s thoughts, and discovers that it calls itself Gomtuu, and that it is of an ancient species. He decides to join Gomtuu's journey to commit suicide in a star going supernova. Very bittersweet end for a character who didn't fit in, but he created a lasting impression.

In no particular order:

Trouble with Tribbles [TOS S2 Ep15 Dec 29th 1967]

Okay I mean this one is CLASSIC. This is THE Star Trek episode for so many people. You read that title and you are picturing Kirk buried in fluffballs, with new ones falling upon his head the entire time. I love the Tribbles, they are SO CUTE AND GOOD and give me SO MUCH SEROTONIN.

I do also enjoy the overall premise though; a planet being fought over by the Federation and the Klingons, and the victor will be who can make it agriculturally viable. Fun twists and turns, and the Tribbles wind up VERY IMPORTANT bcus they don't like Klingons and. Not ever Klingon looks like a Klingon. c:

2. Immunity Syndrome [TOS S2 Ep18 Jan 19th 1968]

THIS ONE HITS SO HARD. It starts with a Federation ship entirely populated with Vulcans dying and Spock getting SLAMMED with that, and all he says about the Vulcans is that all they could feel was shock. And then we find it. A giant, all-consuming single celled organism, like a giant amoeba. But as it eats more and more, the time for it to split is coming which would doom Everything.

NOW DURING THAT someone has to go to that thing and science at it, and both Spock and Bones step up to the plate; Spock is chosen for his Vulcan biology, and he does later rub it in that Bones probably wouldn't have survived it. But It's SO AWFUL for Kirk who is choosing basically WHO WILL HAVE TO DIE of his two friends. They do haul Spock out of there but,,,yeah.

3. Genesis [TNG S7 Ep19 Mar 21st 1994]

SO THIS ONE IS FUN BECAUSE EVERYONE STARTS DE-EVOLVING. The local hypochondriac is in the medbay again and he gets a booster. And THAT is where everything goes wrong. People start displaying older, more primal behaviors, crew members begin to devolve, and by the time Picard and Data, who had left the ship, return, everything is SO SCREWED.

The cure is found by Data's cat, Spot; she has been turned into an iguana, but her babies are still kittens. Something something amniotic fluid. AND WHILE THEY'RE DOING THIS. Worf is a fucking BEAST now and he almost gets Picard!! :D

4. The Devil in the Dark [TOS S1 Ep26 Mar 8th 1967]

So first of all this episode is THE start of Bones going "I'm a doctor, not an [x]" so jot that down. BUT ANYWAY mining planet, tons of rare minerals, but the crew are being killed one by one by a mysterious monster. Eventually it gets at the generator which means EVERYONE CAN DIE if they don't fix it.

Now, during the mining they kept finding silicone nodules. Except they're eggs. The miners have been accidentally destroying thousands and thousands of eggs of the creature that is the last of its kind alive, which they discover is called a Horta after Spock mind melds with it. This one just hits hard and fast AND it ends relatively happily; the miners reach a truce with the Horta, and she hatches the eggs of her species and they tunnel up all kinds of minerals. And the miners are like symbiotic parasites <3

5. Masks [TNG S7 Ep17 Feb 21st 1994]

The Enterprise finds an alien archive that was frozen within a comet; but the moment they begin to burn through the comet, the Enterprise begins to Change. Most of all, Data does. He winds up essentially downloading the personality and soooorta 'spirit' of every single person in that alien race- including its deities, not all of which are kind.

It's Datacentric AND a really cool concept; I really enjoy the thought of a species locking its collective consciousness into a library as a last ditch effort of preservation. Hits different.

OKAY AND NOW THE OTHER I PROMISE I'LL TALK LESS in no particular order

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

-All of the opera Looney Tunes, Rhapsody in Rivets, Feed the Kitty, One Froggy Evening, and so many others: THEY'RE GOOD VIBES BRONT

-Most episodes of the Pink Panther cartoon: GOOD MUSIC FUNNY HAHA

-All of the original Pokemon series: look Ash annoyed me at times but the sheer VIBES of this series,,,,never matched again, not for me at least.

-Doctor Who, Classic Who: Dragonfire serial: My fave companion Ace is introduced and one of my fave Doctors [Seven].

DuckTales [2017]: The Duck Knight Returns [S2 Ep16] AND Let's Get Dangerous Parts 1&2 [S3 Ep12-13].

So these are the two HEAVILY Darkwing Duck focused episodes of the show. Now I didn't grow up with DW, idk if it just wasn't playing or if we didn't have the channel, but even I can feel the pure nostalgia in this episode. I love that it looks at the grimdark remakes of superheroes who have always been goofy or at least Hopeful and the way it works it into the story, PLUS the jealousy of an old actor vs the new actor stepping into the role. My ONLY complaint with this one is that it PERFECTLY sets up Darkwing's nemesis Negaduck to show up, literally the older actor is in the sewers and the dye leaks out of his costume showing it to be Negaduck colors AND IT'S PERFECT HE EVEN SAYS HE'S HAPPY TO PLAY THE PART and then they DON'T EVER ADDRESS IT.

Let's Get Dangerous focuses in on Saint Canard and Gosalyn [and her missing, presumed dead grandfather]. I saw this one after I started watching DW, and honestly it's a really great interpretation of her story. The science and danger are really high up there and I enjoy it, and it's the last really good taste we get of the DW trio because they are never gonna make a DW Duck remake OTL

2. Doctor Who [New Who]: The Impossible Planet and the Satan Pit [Series 2 Ep 8-9]

Look any Doctor Who is gonna be hard bcus Donna is prob my favorite new who companion and Tennant is my favorite of the modern Doctors, but something about this episode just really HITS for me. I love getting to this dying planet in the orbit of a black hole and you think alright well that's the problem BUT NO ACTUALLY IT'S THE FUCKIN UHHHHH DEVIL. OKAY. THANKS.

There's possession and there's ancient evils being awoken, there's a high stakes escape from the planet and Rose gets to be a BADASS and also she gets to talk about the important of UNIONIZING. I can't explain well why I really enjoy this one, I think it just. Scratches an itch.

3. Sherlock Holmes [1984 Granada Series]: The Blue Carbuncle

I LOVE JUST ABOUT EVERY SINGLE EPISODE OF THIS SERIES BUT,,,but,,,the vibes on this one are just it, okay? It's a Christmas episode sure but it's the 1800s and it's not super slammed in your face, but also just. It's warm. A husband on the outs with his wife loses his hat and goose but they're returned by Holmes, and he is down on his luck and oh he makes me so sad...the really heart-wrenching plot with the man framed for the theft whose wife wants to believe him but is terrified AND THEIR KIDS,,,

AND AT THE END Sherlock wants to sit down for their meal but Watson just Can't, not while an innocent man is in jail, and he and Sherlock go and free him and his wife and kids hug tackle him aaaaa,,,

4. Monk: Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger [S1 Ep12]

Look I'll be real this one is mostly on here because I love Willie Nelson and he's in it I can't okay??? But I just really love who Monk is and how he is, and he gets the chance to play with Willie on the radio BUT SOMEONE ELSE RUINS IT,,,,BUT THEN THEY PLAY TRUDY'S FAVORITE SONG AT HER GRAVE AT THE END AAAAAAAAAAAAAA and also a very sympathetic murderer always throws a wrench in things.

5. Binan Kōkō Chikyū Bōei-bu LOVE!: Ep8: Love Wanders AND Binan Kōkō Chikyū Bōei-bu LOVE! LOVE!: Ep12: Love Will Save The Earth!

I COULDN'T FINISH THIS LIST WITHOUT ONE ANIME OR BOUEIBU BEING ON THIS LIST.

Love Wanders I love so much because friends having a fight...FRIENDS HAVING A FIGHT....and Atsushi's past friendship with Kinshiro that broke apart [at the time] in a similar way, a sudden distance that he doesn't know how to cope with. This time it's a monster, not curry, and EN. SWOOPING IN TO SAVE ATSUSHI FROM THE BLAST EVEN THOUGH HE'S STILL ANGRY. They're married your honor they did the love attack together they cut the wedding cake they are MARRIED

And for LOVE! LOVE!, I love many episodes but Love Will Save The Earth! Really hits different. YUMOTO really hits different in it. A ton of people can do a way better job of explaining it than I can but the Beppus obsession with Goura and Yumoto's love for his big brother [also Goura for non boueibuers] slam into each other head on here and Yumoto ALMOST GOES BERSERKER MODE!!!

SORRY THIS GOT SO LONG DSFXHGVG THANK U FOR THE ASK!!

[catgirl-catboy]

So I just hit the PnF episode where they go on vacation, and holy shit can we talk about how TERRIFYING the de-evolutioninator would be if this universe didn't operate on cartoon logic?

Like, Doofensmirtz's plan would legit kill everyone. Devolving them would change their brains, which would be a form of personality death.

Sure, he's technically still alive as a single-celled organism, but functionally he should be dead.

[carnographix]

I think that listening to Falling Funk for an extended period of time has turned my brain into complete and utter mush. Absolutely melted it. I've devolved. (Or, evolved, based on your perception of me.) I've become a single-celled organism. Some kind of fucked up little bacterium.

[ladyofzantland]

He loves what he can see.

He doesn't have the intelligence to perceive or comprehend what he cannot see.

Like most men this part of the brain has devolved into blindness over hundreds of years, as they developed their toxic masculinity and the patriarchy that we know in society today.

It's not his fault anymore that he is incapable of understanding. It's his forefathers and even his ancestors that developed in a way that allowed this to happen. Would you judge a fish for not being able to climb a tree even though they developed from the same single-celled organism?

He loves what he can see, so I show him all of me.

But now he has questions.

How does one describe the color red to someone who was born blind?

If I can do nothing else to revive sight in man today, then I will do the only thing I can.

I will teach our sons about the color red. ❤️

[lol-jackles]

This post will probably never get posted but I don't care 🤪 I'm just too hooked on the drama and that Jared is coming out looking more and more glorious in this. Apparently Danneel is deleting all Jared related comments from her IG post. (This is after Kripke's tweet confirming that he didn't know that didn't know) lololol . I'm SO glad now that Jared tweeted what he tweeted! Including his disappointment as well as his "patchup" statement as that along with Kripke's and Jensen's statement offer a good contrast that Jensen is not even acknowledeing the issue here. Ohh and apparently some ackles aunt is replying back to comments with anti-Jared comments 🤪 Has spn fandom been always this entertaining? I'm new here, and I confess I'm enjoying it more coz I like Jared and I'm glad he's thriving AND that he's right ✌️

Has spn fandom been always this entertaining?

I guess that's why I'm still here, gossiping and speculating away. But also in spite of its repuation, the SPN fandom are actually one of the better behaved fandoms. Shocking but true. I used to be in the superhero fandoms and it was a daily apocalypse with constant banishments to the cornfields. The difference is everybody in the superhero fandoms are assholes. The Sam/Jared girls keep the SPN fandom from devolving into a primordial soup of single-cell-single-brain organisms.

Ohh and apparently some ackles aunt is replying back to comments with anti-Jared comments

That's probably Kelli, she's married to Jensen's aunt Darla Shaffer and using her twitter handle. She always trying to be one of the cool kids who are actually mean girls.

[zweis-fr]

i'm tired and & unable to photoshop it but imagine this meme: 'FR updates with Hannibal Buress' and the punchline is ofc 'FR updates..... is all the same'

[deliciousdietdrpepper]

It’s hard to love anything made by people tbh. I watch campfire flames for four hours and feel more fulfillment than most television. maybe I should devolve into a single celled organism for self-care

[popkas]

Hooray!  We’re about to get into a stretch of enemies that are REALLY EASY TO DRAW!  I’m so happy.  I’m still tired after drawing Smorg.

The Yux is a bioengineered creature that spawns off smaller Yuxes.  So is it a single-celled organism?  I don’t know.  It looks to me like someone devolved a Furby.  The X-Nauts made it in a lab and it...exists, I guess.

[penofdamocles]

for the meme: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89

100 Random Character Development Questions

When is their birthday?

Madison/Mikael was born on November 10th, 1961. (Is it obvious that he’s a Scorpio? I think it’s obvious that he’s a Scorpio.)

Do they do anything to celebrate their birthday?

He’s only known what it was at all for a couple of years now, the first year he was given his laptop as a gift and stayed in watching movies with Sec, this year, however, stuff came up on his birthday, also with Sec. ..pretty rough stuff. He didn’t mention that his birthday ever even happened, to anyone besides Sim, and didn’t do anything special. The motivation to have a good time wasn’t really there. He’s not interested in sappy traditions celebrating his own existence, anyway.

Does your character like coffee better, or tea?

Mads’ a little bit of a caffeine addict, and coffee keeps him running in the morning, but Sec used to make tea for him all of the time and it calms him down way better than coffee ever could. When it comes to actual preference, he’d rather have tea.

Are they in good health?

He can’t technically not be, angels’ physical forms aren’t built to change, decay, or have many of the vulnerabilities human bodies do. The lack of cells and organs definitely accommodates that. Physically, Madison’s just fine, quite fit in fact, though he always looks a bit tired. Mentally however? Absolutely not.

What is their favorite fairy tale?

Surprisingly, Madison’s pretty fond of the story of Beauty and the Beast, even though it does trigger him a bit. (That applies to several things, though.) The concept of someone transformed into something unrecognizable as human for a dumb, selfish mistake, hopeless, doomed, and alone with “people” whose suffering is his own fault and always remind him of his own pain, meeting by chance someone who sees through the body he’s been put in and rescues the beast from himself just by loving him enough.. It resonates with Mads, and reminds him that there’s hope when he’s inevitably mannequin-ized again. It reminds him of what his family’s done for him before in these situations, and that there’s no reason they won’t do it again.

Have they ever been bullied or teased?

Absolutely. Everyone around him was aware of the hurtful mistakes Madison had made when he first popped out of thin air into the real world, and from that point until the day he left his home universe Mads was harassed, cruelly mocked, occasionally assaulted, and perpetually dehumanized as punishment for his actions by nearly everyone who knew him, including one of the people he was forced to live with. Is it really any wonder he has paranoia and trust issues?

How do they display affection?

This depends on his comfort and trust level with a given person, as well as what said person expresses interest in. Mads does a lot of gift-giving, especially now that he can afford to, and expresses affection by putting effort and consideration into his choice of gifts. He’ll also do this in a more casual way, sending his friends posts he think they’d like on a regular basis, frequently going out of his way to find blogs full of their interests and send several in a row. His closer friends receive the privilege of frequent hugs, a display of trust in making vulnerable physical contact, though his embraces usually go on a bit too long. Closer than that and he likes to cuddle, and loves holding hands, continuously retaining contact with people he wants near him is extremely comforting, and helps reassure him that they probably aren’t judging him and aren’t likely to just up and leave. This is all inherently platonic, though most of it extends to romantic partners as well.

What’s their view of lying?

Excellent question, given his history. Madison’s a bit of a pathological liar, though it was much, much worse before S punished him for it. Now he’s so highly and perpetually conscious of the things he says that when he does lie, he’ll catch himself and admit it or simply take it back. This doesn’t extend to talking about his feelings, which he still defensively covers up via jokes or outright lies in most cases, though that’s getting more difficult to do as well, the more he opens up. Trolling his friends is also an exception, when it’s something silly that won’t hurt them to believe for a few minutes; he does still think lying is fun, even if he realizes it’s a bad thing at most times. As for being lied to, Madison’s paranoia and self esteem urges him to assume most things that disagree with what his brain is telling him to be lies, but he’s working on that. If someone close enough for him to believe did actually, intentionally lie to him, and he found out about it, he’d be very hurt that they betrayed the trust he worked so hard to give, and wouldn’t be able to think of them the same way again after that.

Is your character an introvert or an extrovert?

To be honest I don’t really understand these two categories very well, but he’s probably an introvert? Madison thinks a lot more than he says out loud, and being around more than one person does drain his energy extensively, but he can’t stand being alone for too long either, and not talking to anyone especially leaves him in a pretty shitty mood.

How vocally expressive is your character?

This depends on his mood, who he’s talking to, and about what. Most of the time in casual conversations he tends to default to a steady monotonous tone, especially when using sarcasm, and accentuates dramatically at moments he thinks would be funny, but it’s all very controlled. When he’s stressed he does something similar, though it’s much more noticeably clipped and curt, and he uses concise, vague phrasing. Usually the difference is most obvious by how tightly his jaw is clenched while he talks. When emotionally upset, conversely, Mads loses most focus and power over how he speaks, often causing him to mumble at odd moments, stutter, hesitate, and when he is occasionally convinced to talk about what’s going on, he goes into rambling run-on sentences that he tends to lose track of, expressing more emotion as it continues until the confusing explanation devolves into crying or panic of some sort. During situations like this, every single word he says betrays what he’s feeling, which can make him more afraid of talking at all.

[captawesomesauce]

Thoughts at 220pm

My blog has devolved into an animal reblog blog...

That sentence has too many blogs in it... but you get what I mean..

I'm never around anymore, I'm rarely on tumblr at all, I don't use any other social media. This year has been a year of great change... some good some bad.

I've struggled at times, I've failed a lot, I've done my best every day.

Health wise, my pain levels are at the worst they've been in a long time because I've avoided the surgeries I need in exchange for focusing on other priorities. Was it a foolish thing to do? Medically... probably... Quality of life... Not at all...

And that's what I want to talk about... quality of life.

Life isn't special, life isn't important... quality of life is. You would not look at a man trapped in a prison cell being tortured day in and day out and smile, pat his hand, and wish him a long life. Yet we do that with people in chronic pain and with chronic illness. Everyone says health is the most important thing, but for those who have poor health, we then change that to hey... at least you're still alive!

But being alive with poor quality of life, it's a hell that cannot be described. It's a torture that is constant.

Thankfully, my quality of life has been improving. School is going well, the EOC project has been kicking my butt and I'm really working hard on my FEMA certs. The wildfires turned everything sideways and I spent a lot of time setting up RAWS units which are weather stations, and working with the Forward Observers to help track the fire, as well as keep everyone safe. I got a 94 on my midterm exam, and while no score has been returned on my essay, she said it was nearly perfect when I spoke to the professor.

The main thing is that I'm staying out of the house. I'm leaving most days before noon and getting home around 3 or 4am. I'm finding ways to stay occupied, stay busy, and exploring so many new things. New student clubs and organizations, new groups, new sports even. I've seen a South African Jazz Concert and the UCLA Philharmonic, I have gone up to the top of parking structures and taken photos of the city at night, I've seen panels and speakers on a variety of topics from science to politics. Tonight I'm going to see a sneak preview of a new Nat Geo documentary!

Also, as some of you know... a very special person has come into my life. A person that reminded me what it was like to feel supported, feel loved, feel respected. A person that is on my same wavelength to the point where time with them isn't a struggle, a fight, but it recharges my soul and is such a huge positive to my quality of life. I miss Mystic so much, not a day goes by that I don't... I went from having a wonderful woman to love and a cat that was my heart and soul... to being alone. Completely alone. For the first time in my adult life, I had no one... nothing. I'll be blunt, I am not meant to be single, I suffer and struggle so much when left to my own devices. But now... now there is an amazing woman who just talking to her, spending time with her, reminds me that life is pretty amazing with the right people in it :) She makes me laugh, she laughs at my bad awful horrible jokes. She is affectionate, she is not stingy with her time or attention, she cares, and she is understanding. Her thoughts, her words, her actions.... everything about her makes me feel like I need to consume it all. We talk about everything and nothing, and yet it feels like hours go by in a blink as I lose all track of time with her. She is cute, she is adorable, she fits so perfectly into my life and I am happy... and she is happy... and we're both happy we found each other. It just feels healthy, it feels natural. More than anything, I feel like i have someone in my life who wants to be there and isn't just using me.

Those last few relationships have left me bruised and battered. Monica hurt me so badly by running away right after I lost my eye sight ... she never really explained, but it was obvious that she just didn't want to be with anyone who was disabled. She made me feel like shit in so many ways by her actions, because I had always been there for her, always given and supported and loved with all I had... and in the end, she was gone. Erin was a shitshow... and ended badly, and I still burn about that. The way I felt so used and manipulated. There were others too, especially Shannon. I still have so much baggage from her bullshit... it took a long time for me to feel comfortable being me again, and not having who and what I am used against me and weaponized.

I'm not perfect, but i know how to be in a happy, healthy relationship. I have done it long term for many many years and Sally taught me so much about giving, loving, and respect ... and when she died, I knew it'd be a long time before I found anyone like that again.... I just didn't realize how shitty other people would be... how they'd use me for my money, use me for my attention, and just try and destroy me as often as they could. The ones who cheated on me, the ones who tried to make me ashamed of who I am .... they're the past, and they left their mark....

But now... now I'm taking my time to just remember what it's like to be in a healthy relationship based on good communication, shared joy, no games, no bullshit, no lies.... no one has to be right, no one has to put down the other... no ego bullshit. It's just two people who enjoy being with each other - good days and bad.... with the shared goal of just loving each other as best as we can, regardless of the circumstances around us.

That... has made my quality of life so much better and I'm very thankful for having that person in my life and in my heart :)

So until this quarter ends, and winter break comes, I'll probably just be posting music and cats for a bit... y'all can still message me 24/7... you know I never sleep, but i might be out and about and busy :)

And that's a-ok! lol

[kineticallyanywhere]

WIP Excerpt - World Walkers

So I have an outline for a fic where Roy joins Cindy and Cisco to hunt down an inter-dimensional menace, and along the way they pick up Beastboy and Bumblebee and meet everyone’s favorite batboys (like Jason Todd). The only thing is it’s long and character driven so I’ve been hesitant about funneling time into it (given my other projects I still haven’t finished) but also I just want some solid action and fun for my baes. Also I wrote this whole scene (from chapter 2) and I’m supes proud of it and want to at least share this. 

Small chunk of context: this is a slight canon divergence from current Arrow, as Roy is still in hiding and trying to embrace his new life and identity... with mixed results. (So the narration swaps between his cover name (Jason) and his real name (Roy). 

Red Arrow

Roy Harper died in prison, early 2015.

A year later, Jason Troy moved to Gotham. Apparently cars were always getting busted there for one reason or another, so mechanics were in high demand. Unfortunately for Jason, not high enough enough demand to pay a stable living wage to the grunts at Ma and Pop shops — the “additional property taxes” probably played into that. Jason didn't argue about it. He and his roommate paid their fifty bucks to the sharp guy in the suit once a month and nobody had any problems.

Roy Harper, convicted of vigilantism, had a beef to pick with organized crime.

Jason Troy kept his head down. He wasn't so sure about his roommate, though. They'd met on Jason’s first day at work at the body shop, and hit it off pretty fast. They'd also both been desperate for a step up out of Gotham’s dregs, and soon Jason's new buddy Roy (ha) had gotten Jason a second job with him at a bar in midtown and was eating Jason’s Captain Crunch every morning. Jason drank his beers, so they called it fair.

Roy Drake, though, had some sort of bone to pick with all authority. He was a perfectly great coworker and got his jobs done, but one could hardly ask the man for a glass of water without at least the briefest moment where he seemed to size you up to see if you were worthy of it. Oliver had trained Roy well enough--

Jason.

Jason had been trained well enough to be able to read the way Roy -- Drake -- the way Drake would smother down a full-on explosion into the meekest of eye twitches every time the shop boss called him “son”. The boss called everyone that, even the girls. Still, Jason awaited Drake’s final eruption day with an excitement bred by morbid curiosity. Sure, Drake would get fired, but it would be a spectacular blaze of pride and daddy issues.

In the meantime, bartending was still a skill Jason put to use three nights a week. Drake worked the weeknights that Jason didn't, and they both worked Saturdays. This didn't mean that Drake never showed up at the bar during one of Jason’s shifts for one reason or another, but he didn't usually do so on a slow night, at top speed, half stumbling over a misplaced chair, to leap over the bar counter like a gazelle and slide through the kitchen door while shouting, “I’m not here!"

The kitchen door swung back and forth in his wake. Jason was pretty sure the middle aged man at one of the tables missed a few heart beats. Jason’s hands paused for a moment before adding the two clean glasses in his hands to the stacks. He leaned over to call through the kitchen door. "Are you not?”

Drake shoved the door open with his shoulder to poke his head back out. At some point in the last ten seconds he’d tossed his leather jacket. As he said, “No, I'm not. Roy Drake is not here today,” he tossed the neck of a kitchen apron over his head. Then he flung himself back into the kitchen. From inside he shouted, “Benvolio is though!”

Jason exchanged a blank look with the regular at the bar counter. She was halfway through a dissertation she came to announce that she was quitting every other week. Tonight she was halfway through her weekly regular - her husband would pick her up in twenty minutes, before she started flirting with her reflection in the mirror behind the counter but after her sentences slurred into single words. She gave Jason a wobbly shrug.

Jason rolled his eyes and shook his head. Back towards the kitchen, he shouted, “Benvolio is the cook, of course he’s--” The slam of the back exit door echoed all the way to the dining room.

Drake's head poked back through the kitchen door. He snapped a hair net over the scratch of white hair at the crown of his head and looked Jason dead in the eye. “Yeah. He's right here.” He pointed sharply to himself with a gloved hand, nodded, and vanished back inside. The door gave a few final swings before finally stopping.

The regular - Carly - waved her glass around. “T’ll B’n’vllio I w’nt fries,” she managed to say in more than one word. Her tolerance was improving.

“Comin’ right up!" came from the kitchen.

Jason… didn't want to know. He knew that Drake got up to things he wouldn't talk about, and Jason had his suspicion about what those things were. Parts of Drake's irregularity of schedule, despite actually having a regular work schedule, were very familiar to Ro-- Jason. If Jason’s suspicions were right, though, then he'd have to cut ties with Drake immediately - for the safety of both of them - and Jason didn't want to do that. Drake was the best friend Jason had managed to make in his new life and he didn't want to throw it away. So he'd play innocent. He'd keep his head down.

He'd hide his roommate from potential pissed off hostiles. Because if Jason had learned anything about Drake within the first thirty seconds of shaking hands, it was that Drake would eventually, inevitably, punch someone important in the face.

So Jason went back to work.

It took ten minutes for Carly to finish her fries and for anyone new to walk in; a Latino couple, a young man and a woman, with a critical amount of suave hair between them. They weren't holding hands but the way they moved in each other's space and bounced verbal fire was pretty telling.

“--nothing wrong with a good homage,” the woman was saying as her partner held the door open.

“This is gonna be about the movie again, isn't it,” he guessed, shutting the door behind them.

“It was a good movie!”

“I know, babe, I showed it to you.”

“Don't know what was wrong with that guy,” she hissed. She led the way to the bar counter.

The guy gave his partner a comforting shoulder pat and made eye contact with Jason. "Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” Jason replied automatically. For a moment, his mind was somewhere else. Something about this guy brought up memories. A trick arrowhead, a cell phone camera…

The guy squinted at Jason. “Have we met before?" he asked.

Oh, I hope not, Roy thought to himself. Out loud, Jason said, "I don't think so,” and shook his head. He took in the guy's BB-8 shirt and leather sleeved jacket. Curled hair, red jeans, eyes big and sparkly enough to make dogs cry? Quite the aesthetic. Roy was pretty sure he'd remember a guy like that, but he was coming up blank. Mostly blank. Jason kept his face innocent, but something about the eyes, maybe…

It’s all pretty freakin’ cool, right?

Where had he heard that?

“Hey, so, we're pretty new to the area,” the guys girlfriend was saying to Jason. He turned his attention to her. If her boyfriend really had met Roy Harper before, it was better if neither of them remembered it. “I've got a friend of a friend around here, and we're trying to find him, but I think his phone is dead. He wasn't at the place we were supposed to meet, so we've been asking around and someone said he hangs out at a local bar a lot, but--”

“There's three bars on this block alone,” Jason finished for her. His thoughts flew back to the kitchen, but his face was simply curious. His stream of thought was quickly devolving into a colorful array of swears, a language which he'd been picking up from Drake via exposure. This was how you asked around for someone who wasn't looking for you.

She smiled and Jason analyzed that smile for any sinister tick or violent gleam but she only looked tired. “Exactly,” she huffed.

“This is our fourth try,” the guy said with a dry smile. He wasn't looking Jason up and down anymore, attention averted by the conversation.

“I don't know the name of every customer,” he said.

The woman laughed at herself. “No, of course not. We're just…” She rolled her eyes and slumped. “We're really desperate. He's just-” she held a hand just over six feet off the ground “-about yay high? Black hair, kind of a hunk?”

“You just described half our customers,” Jason told her.

The semi-almost-familiar guy tapped her arm. He waved his hand around his forehead and said, “And he had the--”

“Right!” She turned back to Jason. “He’s got this patch of white hair at the front.”

Jason’s eyes almost slid right over his own shoulder to the kitchen door. He managed to stop at Carly, who had reached the stage of being pleasantly out of it and played the beat off with a shake of his head. “I dunno,” he said. He looked between the both of the couple to avoid unnatural eye contact. He looked down at the counter like he was thinking - and spotted the handle of a pistol under the woman's jacket. He hid the hitch of his breath under a sigh and shook his head. “I only work three or four nights a week.”

In Jason’s mind’s eye, he could imagine Drake standing on the other side of the kitchen door, sweating. Good. If these people didn’t get to him first, Jason was going to start throwing his own punches. Jason had really liked these living arrangements, why was he always befriending trouble magnets.

Maybe it was him. Maybe he was the trouble magnet.

The couple shared a look that Jason didn’t know how to read - something between questioning and certain, which was a meaningless description.

“Sorry I can’t be more of a help,” Jason said. It was a hard balance to walk between pushing them out the front door and being casually disinterested.

To Jason, the woman said, stiffly, “No, we get it. It’s fine.”

The woman pressed her hands to the counter as if to get up, but to Jason’s - internally smothered - dismay, instead of leaving, the guy took a seat next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t we take a break?” To Jason, he asked, “You got menus?”

“Yeah, sure.” Jason handed them a couple menus from under the counter. “Hit me up when you need me,” he told them, and took the temporary escape to close out Carly’s tab. Her husband would be there soon.

While he helped Carly fumble through her wallet, he kept an ear down the bar.

“I’m not hungry, Cisco,” the woman said.

The guy - Cisco? Was that a name? - leaned on the counter and closer to her side. “You gotta eat something, Cindy,” he said, softly. “This isn’t gonna sort itself out in a day. How many days were you on this before you came to me?”

Cindy didn’t respond.

“Cindy?” Cisco prompted.

When Jason turned to swipe Carly’s card in the register, he caught a glimpse of Cindy hiding the bottom half of her face behind her hand. Cisco skillfully hid a sigh behind a deeper breath (Digg used to do that a lot) but Jason couldn’t get a look at his face without giving himself away. For a few moments he just focused on punching the right numbers into the register.

While Jason got Carly’s receipt to her and greeted her husband as he came in, Cisco got Cindy to mumble over a few menu options with him.

When Drake had busted through the doors, Jason had expected him to be running from some giant henchmen in suits, hot on his tail, bullets ready to fire and maybe even a knife to throw. The couple that was actually looking for him were none of those things. Well, the woman, Cindy, did have a gun, but other than that Jason would have almost believed that they really were just looking for a guy who’d ghosted on them. He certainly didn’t expect professional pursuers to be arguing about poor work habits.

Jason wanted an excuse to go back to the kitchen to talk to Drake himself, but he couldn’t just leave them at the counter without an excuse. Maybe he should drop a glass or something. No, the new manager would kill him.

Jason had gone back to cleaning glasses when Cindy slapped her hand down on the counter. They’d been whispering about something that Jason couldn’t hear until she said, “Alright, if I eat the fries, can we do this the easy way?”

“Yes,” Cisco said immediately.

“Fine. Bar guy!”

Jason lifted his eyebrows in surprise and turned from his glass. It wasn’t the worst thing a customer had called him but the sudden burst caught him off guard.

“Can I get a plate of fries?”

Jason put his rag and glass down. This was his chance. “Yeah, let me go tell the cook.”

On his way to the kitchen he looked over his shoulder when Cisco called, “And some water?” As Jason nodded to him, he mouthed “Sorry.”

Okay, no way these people were looking to drag Drake away and beat him up in an alley. Drake had to be paranoid, or overreacting. Plenty of people carried guns, especially in Gotham.  

As Jason pushed through the door, he heard a thump and an “Ow!” Just as the door was swinging shut behind him, he heard the woman hiss, “Don’t apologize to him, he’s lying to us!”

Nope. Not paranoid. Definitely time for an escape plan.

Jason found Drake sitting on the counter, playing a game on his phone. He didn’t look up when Jason walked in, but said, “Yo, Troy, you want some fries? We still got some.”

“Good. Plate ‘em,” Jason told him, and then snatched the phone out of his hands. “Plate ‘em for the woman at the bar who’s looking for you. The woman with a gun.”

Drake’s eyes widened. The hairnet really tied the look together. If Roy Harper wasn’t potentially about to lose his cover, his new life, and his best friend’s front teeth, he might have laughed.

In a loud whisper, as if his pursuers might somehow hear through the door, twenty feet away, he said, “Did you tell them I’m here?”

Jason indulged him by whispering loudly back. “Of course not.” He started throwing fries from the heater to a plate. He couldn’t stay in the kitchen too long, it’d get suspicious - but if he came out with the plate ready it might buy him an extra minute.

Drake hopped off the counter. “You can’t tell them.”

“Why would I tell them?”

“You’re like, an upstanding citizen and shit.”

“I’m not-- wait. Drake are they cops?”

Drake didn’t answer, he moved towards the small window in the back door and peered out into the alley.

“Drake!”

“They’ve probably already got people out back. Shit. I gotta--”

Jason thumped him over the back of the head. He was shorter than Drake by give or take half a foot, but felt no less capable of intimidating him by sticking a finger under his nose, even with a plate of hot fries balanced on the other hand. “You keep your ass in here and tell me what you--”

“Bar guy!”

Jason and Drake both froze. The call had come through the still closed door to the dining room. It was the woman’s voice.

Jason jabbed Drake in the chest for good measure. “Stay. Here,” he ordered and then he pushed back into the dining room with his shoulder. Jason had… meager confidence that Drake would actually stay put.

Back at the bar, Cindy sat up straight when she saw Jason walk in with the fries. Cisco had his head on the bar. The middle aged man was still at his table, typing away at something on his laptop. They weren’t alone. Roy couldn’t decide if that was a good or a bad thing.

“Jason,” he said, as the door closed behind him.

“What?” Cindy said.

Jason tapped his nametag with one finger.

“Oh,” Cindy said and then moved on immediately. “Listen, make his water a shot of something random.”

Jason put the plate of fries in front of them. Cisco grabbed a couple without lifting his head and they disappeared behind his hair.

“Cheap random or expansive random?” Jason asked.

“Doesn’t matter, it’s for a bet,” Cindy said. “Actually, make it something terrible.”

Cisco groaned.

Jason pulled a smile like his heart wasn’t starting to pound. “Do I even want to know what the bet is?”

Cindy’s grin was vicious. “You’ll find out.”

Fu--

“Are you sure we haven’t met before?” Cisco asked. He’d brought his head up and started squinting at Jason again.

Cindy had caught him lying before, Jason couldn’t risk an outright lie again. Jason squinted like he was trying to remember - if they were looking for Drake, then they might have seen Jason with him before - and shook his head. “I don’t know, man, maybe? I’ve moved around a lot, been here less than a year.”

Cisco hummed and stuck some more fries in his mouth. Cindy opened her mouth to say something but Cisco kicked her under the counter. She swung her head around to glared at him and he stuck a fry in her still open mouth.

The weird casual couple action wasn’t distracting Jason anymore. He tried to take a quick scan of them for any more concealed weapons, or police badges, but came up empty. Cindy carried herself strongly, but Cisco was too casual to be a regular fighter. Roy was confident he’d be able to at least give Drake an escape route, if it came down to it.

Jason turned to the liquor wall to look busy. “Red or green?” he asked, pointing between two bottles.

“Red,” Cisco said.

“Solid choice,” Jason said automatically. “Red’s so much cooler than green.”

“Preach.”

So they could agree on colors, at least.

Jason made quick work of grabbing a shot glass and filling it. While he did, Cisco said, “Y’know what, make two.” He turned to give Cindy a confident look down his nose.

She smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re that confident?

While Jason got out the second glass, Cisco pushed the first one in her direction. He opened his mouth to say something else, but then stopped dead. His face went blank, mouth still half open, and for a solid two seconds, he was completely still. Then he blinked. Then he closed his mouth. Then it opened again. Then he looked at Jason.

Roy froze at the sight look on Cisco’s face: Recognition.

Shit. Play it off, play it off.

“Something on my face?” he asked.

His partner looked at him, concerned. “Cisco?”

What the hell gave me away?

Cisco’s eyes were wide and he opened and closed his mouth, covered it with one hand, looked over his own shoulder, back at Jason, moved his hand onto his cheek and his elbow onto the table. “Nothin’,” he said. His voice got higher and his smile got wider and faker as he kept going. “What. It’s good. We’re all good. ‘S fine here, what’s up?” He turned his mouth back into the palm of his hand. He pointed at the bottle in Jason’s hand. “Shot?”

Jason had no idea how to read that. Where did this guy know him from? Jason was still drawing a blank. Cisco had glanced over his shoulder at the middle aged man, still typing away, so maybe he wasn’t interested in outing Roy either. But how would he know Roy was in hiding? Going under a fake name might have been enough of a clue.

How did Roy know this guy?

Jason focused on filling the second shot glass. Cisco started drumming his fingers across the table. Cindy was giving them both a strange look. Jason put the bottle back before getting their glass of water. Jason was surprised how steady his hands were. If his identity was on a string before, that string had fraied to a thread. A thread held up by a guy who his best friend was hiding from in a hairnet in the kitchen.

Jason was really starting to like this life. It was normal, or as normal as it got in Gotham. He had a great roommate (-- well --) and their place had laundry machines and the dishwasher didn’t work but they were both pretty good about not stacking dishes in the sink and Roy was almost able to think about girls again without thinking about--

“Do you have a pen?” Cisco asked suddenly.

Jason startled a bit and said, “What?” before catching himself. “Yeah,” Jason said - somehow his voice didn’t crack - and tossed him one from his waiter’s apron.

Cisco snatched it up and slid the napkin out from under the water glass. There was already a wet curve on it from the glass, but it didn’t get in the way of his drawing.

He drew an arrowhead. Roy’s stomach turned to lead.

Cisco looked up at Roy for a reaction. Roy didn’t even know what his own face was doing anymore. It probably didn’t matter. This guy’s girlfriend had a gun a foot from her hand.

Whatever his reaction was, it wasn’t what Cisco was looking for. On the other side of the line of wet napkin, the side closer to himself, he drew a circle. Then he drew a zigzag across the circle. It looked kinda like the logo for The Fla--

“Oh--” Roy said allowed before choking himself off, and pushing himself into a coughing fit.

The Flash. This guy - Cisco - was friends with the Flash. They’d only met once, years ago. Roy knew they were the same age, but Cisco’s style had been much less mature before (BB-8 shirt notwithstanding).

The civilian man was still at his table. Felicity would have told the Flash and his friends what Toy had done to help Oliver.

Roy was still coughing. Cisco pushed the glass of water towards him. “You okay?”

Roy punched his chest and cleared his throat. “No, yeah, I’m good.” He cleared his throat again and gestured to the hallway at the back of the dining room that led to the bathrooms. “If you guys could just -- ehmm -- give me a second.” He made short eye contact with Cisco and jerked his head towards the back.

Cisco’s eyes widened and he nodded, a bit over dramatically. “Yeah, go ahead.”

Cindy was still looking between the both of them. “What?”

Roy let Cisco tell his girlfriend whatever he needed to and made his way to the bathroom. The men’s bathroom only had two stalls and Roy made quick work of making sure they were empty. As soon as he was sure the room was empty, Cisco came through the door.

After one last peek through the door before shutting it, Cisco said, “Roy Harper!”

“Cisco! Uh…” Roy couldn’t remember his last name.

“Ramon,” Cisco filled in.

“Sorry.”

“Nuh-uh, don’t sweat it.” Cisco clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve had bigger things to worry about.”

Roy clapped him on the shoulder, too. They’d clearly never been all that close, but Roy remembered liking Cisco, and there were seven levels of relief hitting him in that moment, not all of which he was able to identify. “I’ve seen news from Central City,” Roy told him. “You guys aren’t going for cakewalks either.”

Cisco shrugged. “Meh. Could be worse right now. Team Flash is in that ‘Calm before the Big Bad’, y’know what I mean?”

Just took out the guy who’s been trying to kill and/or mess with the Team Boss for the last six months; waiting for the next one. “Yeah, I know that feeling,” Roy said, laughing a bit at the familiarity of it all. Before Roy could let himself follow the rabbit hole of vigilante talk -- he was out now, he was normal -- he had to ask, “What gave me away?”

“The shot glass,” Cisco said.

Roy took three full seconds to try and figure out what that meant before asking, “What? Was… the red and green comment?”

“Huh? No--” Cisco squinted at the ceiling for a second. “Well now that you mention it. No, I -- oh.” He planted his hands on his chest. “I have superpowers!”

That answered nothing and brought up six more questions.

“You’re a metahuman?” Roy looked Cisco up and down again. He didn’t look… what was a metahuman even supposed to look like? Roy’s experience with metas extended as far as Barry Allen and what he’d seen on TV. Somewhere along the line that left the impression that metahumans only showed up with great fanfare and a costume.

Cisco smiled and rubbed his hands on his pants. “Wild, right? Turns out three out of three people standing within two feet of a dark matter explosion get irreversibly mutated. Anyway, so the shot glass--”

CRASH

Roy and Cisco flinched at the sudden noise from the dining room. They shared a quick look and then Cisco let Roy step past him to peak out the door. As Roy moved, he said, “Please tell me that wasn’t your girlfriend.”

“She…” Cisco bit his lips for a second. “I can’t promise that.”

Roy carefully pressed the door open. The door was around a slight corner, so he couldn’t see the bar counter from his vantage point, but he could see the dining tables, and the two armed thugs in suits - a man and an exceptionally tall woman - with guns. One of the suits had latched his arm around the neck of the middle aged man, his buddy had her gun to the customer’s head. The table with the man’s laptop had been pushed over; that must have been the crash.

“You know where he is,” the woman was saying to someone by the bar, out of sight - Cisco’s girlfriend, no doubt. “Just tell us, and this nice man gets to go home.”

What the hell had Drake gotten himself into?

Roy quickly and quietly pulled the door back shut. The next bit of dialogue took place entirely in rapid harsh whispers.

Roy started with, “What the hell did you bring here?”

Cisco bounced back, in matched whisper, “What are you talking about?”

“There two guys with guns out there!”

“Frack. Lemme see.” Cisco leaned around Roy to peer out the door for himself. As he took in the situation, he looked more confused than allarmed.

“What is it you want with Drake, what did he do?”

Cisco pulled the door back shut. “Who?”

“What do you mean who? Roy Drake, the guy came in here looking for!”

“We didn’t know his name, we just knew he was here.”

“Why are you looking for him? Why are they looking for him?”

“I don’t know! I mean, I know why we are, but I don’t know what they--” Cisco cut himself off to point an accusing finger at Roy. “Ha!”

“What?”

“He is here!”

“For the love of-- yes! He’s in the kitchen.”

Before Cisco could get off whatever victory comment he had, and before Roy could get any more answers as to what the heck was going on, a loud voice from the dining room carried through the door.

“Fellas, fellas! This isn’t necessary, is it?”

That was Drake’s voice.

Roy panicked. He had his whole head out the door before Cisco grabbed him by the shoulders and stopped him there. They were lucky the guys in suits hadn’t noticed them, but Roy’s heart was beating in this throat. He shouldn’t be this freaked out, he was trained better than this, but it had been so long and Drake was just a guy (maybe) and this setup in Gotham had be so great (for what it was) and what if he had to get new paperwork all over again? Could he even risk contacting Felicity again for new stuff if he ended up with these new suit guys on his ass?

From Roy’s new vantage point, he could just see the outside of the bar counter. Cisco’s girlfriend, Cindy, had stood up from her stool and faced her stance towards the men and kept her hands on either side of her head. She looked far too casual for someone under threat of death, but then again if she was hanging with a mainstay of a superhero vigilante team, Roy could get a pretty good idea of in what situation she and Cisco might have met. Her attention was turned over her shoulder though, and she watched as Drake leaped over the bar counter and into Roy’s vantage point. Drake had pulled the hairnet and apron off, but he must have left his leather jacket in the kitchen. He also carried himself far too casually for the situation.

“I’m the one you’re pissed at,” Drake was saying. “Nobody wants to pay the guy to scrape blood out of the woodwork tonight, right? The Falcones just had that shoot out, none of the cleanup guys are gonna be available till next week.”

“Real quaint town you’ve situated yourself in here,” Cisco whispered. Roy elbowed him.

Roy didn’t have any weapons on him. A mini crossbow, or a throwing dart - or hell, even one of his escrima sticks - would have given him options, at least.

“The boss wants a few words with you,” the woman was saying to Jason. A cruel smile had slipped onto her face, and her buddy was smirking. “You’ll come along like a good delinquent?”

Drake grimaced like her words had offended his taste buds. “‘Good delinquent?’ How about we talk about your quip skills in the van, yeah? Yours could use some work.”

The woman’s face turned from confident to sour, but she relaxed her grip on the gun as Drake made a step forward, as if to go with her. Before he could take another, Cindy grabbed his arm.

“You don’t have to do this,” she said.

He smiled a bit, and took her hand off his arm. “Don’t worry, miss. We’re all gettin’ home safe.”

Then he took a few more steps forward and held his hands out to his sides in a ‘here I am’ gesture. “Well? Take me to your leader.”

“Hehe,” Cisco half-snorted in a laugh. “I like this guy.”

The woman didn’t. She moved the gun from the middle age man’s head to Drake’s chest. “Don’t get cocky, asshole.”

Guns are mid- to long-range weapons, the Oliver in Roy’s mind chided. Treat them like it.

The gun snapped out of the woman’s hand and into Drake’s in a fraction of a second. Drake slid a step back, a shot punched through the dining room, and the thug that had been holding the middle aged man fell to the ground. The woman’s face broke from stern control to surprise and panic.

Drake had all of half a second to smirk back at her before the front doors burst open. Two more big thugs in suits already had their guns out when they took in the situation and then opened fire.

Roy hadn’t realized how far out from the bathroom door he and Cisco had gotten. They both ducked behind the wall for cover and shots kept firing. He couldn’t peer out to look without risking getting hit by a stray shot, or becoming a target himself, but he was pretty sure at least one shot had fired closer to the back of the room, from the gun Drake had. Or maybe Cindy had pulled out her own piece, but Roy still didn’t know what she and Cisco wanted with Drake, so who would she be shooting for?

Having so many questions was wrapping his stomach in knots, he had to look. He only managed to half turn towards the doorway before a shot whizzed through it and into the center of a crappy painting that hung on the wall. Now there was a hole right in the wall of a quaint little farmhouse. Nice.

Roy clung to the hope that if they hadn’t stopped shooting then they hadn’t hit each other quite yet. One of the guns out there was not a regular pistol. He’d only heard the sound of one reload over the noise. He thought he heard furniture falling, and wood splintering but it was impossible to get a good picture without actually looking. Someone shouted. Was it Drake?

Then there was a sound that Roy had no idea how to translate, followed by a thud and something snapping. Then Cindy shouted “Cisco!” and Cisco pushed himself into the doorway before Roy could stop him. Cisco stood in the door for a whole second (“Sharpen your reaction time, Roy. Read the room quick, find the danger points.”) before lifting a hand and some… something shot out of it. Something bright and blue and pulsing and Roy was far enough outside his hiding spot at this point to watch the woman in the suit fly across the room.

Roy read the room quick - every table overturned, three out of seven destroyed by bullet holes, Cindy standing next to Drake who was crouched against the underside of a table and holding his shoulder. Cindy leaned down to check on Drake - there was red between his fingers - a fifth thug pushed through the door shoulder first, a large gun already in his hands--

“Get down!” Roy shouted and tackled Cisco to the floor. Cisco’s yelp was cut off by the ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta of automatic gunfire flying above their heads. The thug aimed the gun lower but the bullets only cracked and bounced off the marble tops of the tables Roy and Cisco army crawled to shelter behind. Roy put himself between Cisco and Drake so he could rip off his apron and shove in into Drake’s bloody hand.

“You owe me an explanation, and every ice cream bar left in the fridge,” Roy told him over the hail of fire.

Drake’s eyes widened in surprise and then his smirk almost looked proud. As he said, “That’s fair,” the shots fell silent.

Reloading.

“Cindy!” Cindy moved to stand but Cisco calling her name was enough to make her hesitate. He gave her a look that was somehow both stern and pleading. She rolled her eyes and made an exaggerated show of pulling her pistol out of her jacket. Then she stuck it over the top of the table, barely looking, and a pellet of light - that was not a bullet - punched the guy with the automatic in the shoulder and he went down.

Then she vaulted herself over the table and popped the last man standing as she went. She marched confidently across the room though the carnage.

Roy, Drake, and Cisco all peaked cautiously over the edges of the table. Drake gave a low whistle. “Who is that?”

“Spoken for,” she tossed over her shoulder.

Roy gave a laugh at Drake’s expense. Drake was still bleeding quite a bit, though, and probably had a bullet in his shoulder, so it was only one (1) laugh.

Cindy got about halfway across the dining room before the kitchen door burst open. Roy had half a breath to yell, “Duck!” before a new guy in a suit shot his pistol towards her head.

She dropped like a flash and rolled towards the barstools. The guy in the suit vaulted over the bar, but when he landed Cindy swiped his feet out from under him with a sharp kick. His tailbone hit the floor the same moment another of his buddies came through the kitchen.

“How many people did you piss off?” Roy asked. He made sure Drake was putting pressure on his shoulder; he was.

“We don’t have time to tell my entire life story,” Drake told him.

Yeah, he’d be fine. Roy jumped over their barricade, the new-new guy - Thug #7? - launched himself over the bar, and Cindy sent her foot towards Thug 6’s face. Before Seven could made a grab for Cindy’s hair, Roy served him a front kick to the chest, sending him stumbling into the stools. Cindy landed her kick and knocked Six out cold, but some of thugs one through five, Roy lost track of which was which, were getting back up. Roy kept his fists raised and slid to stand at Cindy’s back.

“Oh, now it’s a party,” Cindy said. She was facing the front doors, which burst nearly off their hinges to let more guys in suits into the bar. It was getting pretty crowded. Roy realized suddenly that the customer from before was gone. He hoped the guy made it out okay. And maybe called the cops.

The thugs, whom Roy started assigning random numbers in his head, circled up around them. Cindy spun with him, back to back, in careful stances, to keep a read on them all. Maybe seven thugs (henceforth referred to as One through Seven) made the final circle, at least one was already bleeding from somewhere and not all of them held guns. Roy caught a close glimpse of Cisco pulling Drake’s curious head down, out of sight. Roy couldn’t let him and Cindy lose the thugs attention. Maybe Cisco could get Drake out.

Four said, “Are we quite done yet?” A british guy, fancy.

To Cindy, who matched him step for step, gun hand high, he said, “You do this often?”

“Not with a buddy,” she admitted. “You?”

Roy cocked a shoulder. It’d been a while for him, too. “Like riding a bike, right?”

“Here’s hoping. Duck.”

Roy dropped. A stun shot - or whatever she was firing - sailed over his head and knocked Three into a chair and to the ground. Roy took the surprise round to shoot out a leg and crack Five’s kneecap. Cindy dropped to his level and a gunshot sailed above their heads. Roy flipped over Cindy’s shoulders and caught the offending gun with his foot, acquainting it with the floor. A poorly-timed weave left a fist to sting Roy’s cheekbone, but the rest of the momentum and a well timed shoulder shove pushed Two back into One. A stun shot went off behind him.

A sharp crack came from the direction of the bathrooms. From the same direction, “Roy!”

Cisco tossed two sticks of wood - table legs, Cisco broke them off - and Roy caught one in each hand. They spun across his palms so easily into ready position it was almost like he’d picked up a pair less than a year ago. Almost like he’d been allowed to move like Arsenal less than a year ago.

Almost like he’d been Roy Harper less than a year ago.

Roy had half a second to think, “I’m gonna regret this,” before Seven asked for it.

For a solid thirty seconds, everything was a blur of swings and missed gunshots. Cisco’s assist had drawn some attention his way, but Roy managed to clock the one that went for the hiding spot in the back of the head; Four dropped like a rock and didn’t get up. A stun shot went off and Six dropped behind him before he could turn around. When he did, he tossed one table leg end over end over Cindy’s shoulder, which sliced open Two’s face. One more back-kick to the gut from her boot brought him down.

Huge arms wrapped around Roy’s neck from behind. A spark of absolute panic shot through him and then the thug who grabbed him - Six, he was pretty sure - shouted and dropped him. Roy pivoted and spent half a second savoring the sight of Cisco with both arms wrapped around Six’s neck. He had to have jumped to get up there, and he dug his heels into Six’s hips to stay grounded. Six stumbled backwards (Cisco had clearly never tried to choke someone before, but boy was he making an effort) and started to fall backwards towards the ground. Cisco was going to get crushed--

And then… and then a pool of bright blue light spread out on the ground beneath them. Instead of crashing to the floor, Cisco and Six fell into the pool - the whirlpool - and then the pool contracted in on itself and vanished.

There was a heartbeat, and then short burst of light came from the ceiling. Six fell out of the light, Cisco right after, and Cisco landed on top of Six, punctuated with a hard knee to the gut. Roy couldn’t tell if it was an intentional jab or of Cisco had just fumbled the landing and he was saved from cracking his own knee by landing on him.

But what the heck was that?

Roy caught himself staring. Suddenly he was aware of One standing next to him, looking similarly dumbfounded. They made brief eye contact. Roy whacked him upside the jaw with his table leg.

“Stop!”

The momentum of the room pulled to a halt. Cisco stood up off of Six, Cindy stopped with her gun pointed directly at Three’s face, which was wincing and bleeding from the nose. He peeked an eye open when Cindy didn’t shoot. Roy stood over One, who was moaning on the floor, and turned to the voice.

Seven stood at the far end of the bar, behind the table barricade. He had an arm around Drake’s neck, and a gun to his temple. Drake had one arm pinned between his back and Seven’s torso and the other hand was occupied holding the apron to his bleeding shoulder. Drake laughed around a grimace of pain. “Well, this is going great.”

Seven jerked his grip tighter, which caused Drake to clench his jaw, and shouted, “Shut up!”

Five - the guy Roy had kneecapped - hurriedly limped to stand by Seven. He pointed his pistol between Roy and Cisco and Cindy with one hand, and searched for objects to balance against with the other. His eyes were wide and sweat slipped out of the grey hair at his temples. His buddy Seven didn’t look much more settled about their situation. They were the looks of full-of-it assholes who, even with their muscle and numbers and guns, couldn’t take out less than a handful of freaks.

Roy couldn’t believe he’d forgotten how satisfying a look it was to see.

Seven, voice, admirably, only kind of shaking, said, “You let us walk, your buddy here gets to see the daylight again.”

Cindy marched forward, face set in stone, and Seven and Five both flinched - Seven’s finger twitched against the trigger - but Cisco grabbed her arm. She sent a glare his way, but he didn’t take his eyes of the thugs.

“You okay?” Roy risked calling to Drake.

Drake pshed. “Donate more blood than this at charity drives.” Drake’s eyes darted to the table leg in Roy’s hand, which had a not insignificant amount of blood on it now. “Didn’t know you could dance.”

Before Roy could brush it off, Cisco said, “It’s important to have hobbies.”

Seven tightened his hold again and backed up towards the gap between the bar and the back wall. “Enough chatting!” To Drake, he said, “You’re gonna get what’s comin’ to ya!” and continued to drag Drake around the bar and back towards the kitchen.

Roy caught Cindy growling, “Let me go, Cisco,” under her breath.

“Wait,” Cisco told her.

One wrong move, and that twitchy trigger finger put Drake in the dirt.

Several of the thugs lay unconscious on the floor, but the ones that still had their wits scrambled up. They made wide arcs around Roy, Cindy, and Cisco and followed Seven and Drake through the kitchen door. Roy could hear the back alley door slam shut behind them, and then it was over. No gunshots, no cracking wood, no shouting. Just--

A bottle slipped off she shelf behind the bar and shattered across the floor.

Roy sighed.

Cindy whirled on Cisco. “What the hell?” she… ‘asked’ wasn’t the right word.

“You can’t get your answers if he’s dead!” Cisco defended, his voice pitching up.

Cindy whirled away and marched a few steps to kick at a broken table.

Oh no, the tables. The chairs, the stools, the bar -- oh man there were definitely more bottles on the shelves ten minutes ago. The two shot glasses for whatever bet Cindy and Cisco made were gone, too. Roy dropped the table leg, which gave a single thump as it hit the floor, and ran his hands down his face. So much for this job. So much for his rooming situation. So much for keeping his head down. So much for this city. So much for Jason Troy.

Cindy and Cisco were still sniping back and forth but Roy didn’t really catch any of it until Cindy turned to Roy with, “And who the heck are you?”

Cisco opened his mouth as if to answer but then looked at Roy to defer to him. Looked like it was up to him to spill his cover or not. Not that it meant much anymore.

“Roy Harper,” he answered. “Who the heck are you?”

[musetotheworld]

I'm glad you're still taking prompts because I have one, lol. Set after the Adam fiasco. Supergirl rescues Cat after an alien attack but a chemical secretion/reaction from the alien means they're literally stuck together until the effect fades. Quarantined at the DEO, they can't be 'professional' any longer.

Kara spends the first hour wishing teleportation were one of her abilities. That, or maybe J'onn’s ability to fade through walls. Anything that would get her out of this situation.

They’d tried to keep up the charade, of course. Sent agents to CatCo rather than bring Cat to the DEO. Spoken about Kara as if she were just an innocent bystander. There was no familiarity with any of the agents Kara knew so well by now, no bright smiles or questions about family. Everything stayed perfectly professional. They brought in a few DEO medics to act as ‘emergency responders’ and did everything possible to make it seem like a routine response to a strange situation.

And of course, none of it impressed Cat. She seemed impossible to please, sighing endlessly as she pulled away from Kara as if hoping the mysterious substance would suddenly release its hold. She didn’t yell at the agents, not beyond a few snapped comments here and there, but even without that it was profoundly uncomfortable.

Because no matter what happened, Cat would not acknowledge Kara’s existence. She avoided looking at her, the tugs at their joined arms were never commented on, and any time an agent spoke to Kara the pretense extended to that agent as well. For all the attention Cat paid her, Kara might as well have been a mannequin.

It had Siobhan smirking all afternoon until the DEO banished her from the office citing contagion concerns. Likely one of the agents had seen Kara’s barely suppressed anger after a particularly pointed interaction between CEO and new assistant, but whatever the reason, Kara was grateful. Even if it meant sitting next to Cat in awkward silence as the agents gathered samples and the medics ran their tests.

“We’d like to call your emergency contacts,” one of those medics says after the first hour, approaching with caution as Cat stiffened. “It’s been an hour, and protocol states we’re to reach out to the designated individual if the situation continues past that. Do either of you need to update that contact?”

“You can call, but I highly doubt she’ll bother answering,” Cat says. She sounds dismissive, even bored, but Kara hasn’t spent this much time learning her tells for nothing.

There’s a layer of hurt beneath the calm, and Kara wishes things were better between them. Wishes they still had the ease and familiarity from before Adam, before things went to hell and “strictly professional”. If this had happened then, she could have reached out, offered some form of comfort or understanding. Anything but sitting awkwardly and pretending she didn’t hear how much this was affecting Cat.

“No, Eliza is fine,” Kara says quietly when the medic turns to her, hoping they’ve been briefed well enough.

Alex is Kara’s official emergency contact in the CatCo system, but they can’t risk her showing up here. Not when the agents react with an instinctive respect, not when Alex commands it without thinking. Not when Alex has been around CatCo more than a few times since Kara started here. And not when Kara knows her sister’s image has shown up in several Supergirl shots over the last few months as DEO agents respond to whatever alien threat is looming.

Cat isn’t blind, and with the recent appearance of Bizarro so soon after only barely convincing her Kara wasn’t Supergirl, there was no sense in tempting fate. Better to keep Alex out of sight.

Except it turns out Alex might have been safer, all things considered. Because Cat goes politely cordial when Eliza arrives, asking questions and making casual conversation. And when Eliza makes a suggestion to the medics, Cat asks about her work.

“Oh, I’m a bio-engineer,” Eliza says with a smile. She seems fairly charmed by Cat’s friendly demeanor, even if she’d been a little wary at first. “This particular situation isn’t my area of expertise, but I do know a few things here and there.”

“Well then it’s a good thing you’re Kara’s emergency contact,” Cat says leaning forward a little in the way she does just before springing a trap. Kara wants to jump up, wants to do something, anything to stop whatever is about to happen, but she doesn’t know what it is. What if she just makes things worse?

“I doubt she ever considered they’d call for a situation like this, but I suppose it is,” Eliza says, looking at a sheet of paper one of the medics hands her with a slight frown. “I’m just grateful I can help, even if my doctorate isn’t really in medical fields.”

“I suppose that runs in the family,” Cat says, sounding interested but relaxed, as if she’s splitting her focus. It’s her way of putting people at ease, and it scares Kara more than any alien she’s faced before. She can’t stop it, doesn’t know what’s coming, but she knows something is about to go wrong. “A scientist mother with some medical knowledge, one daughter following in her footsteps, and the other flying her own path.”

“I’m very proud of them both,” Eliza says without looking up from the report in front of her, totally missing the way every agent in the room freezes at her words.

The worst thing is the way Cat reacts. Rather than anger, or gloating, she’s silent. Even Kara can’t tell what she’s thinking.

The agent in charge reacts first, phone out and calling the DEO and giving an update now that Cat Grant has proof of Kara’s identity. Even if she didn’t have a recording or the words in writing, she had enough information to run the story anyway. The lack of concrete evidence wouldn’t matter at that point. The story would be out, and millions of eyes would be on Kara. Irrefutable proof would follow soon enough under that kind of attention.

The relocation to the city DEO base doesn’t take long, and if the situation were any less serious Kara would be seriously put out at the fact there’s been a closer base all this time. The flight to the desert base takes no time at all, but getting the dust off her boots and cape is a pain. Every time she forgets and collapses into her bed or onto the couch she has to spend the next day cleaning up the mess.

“Well, thirty minutes alone in a shadowy government building and no one’s come to threaten me,” Cat says once they’ve been settled into the med bay. The medics have all scattered to run various tests on the substance now that they’re in the same location as the labs, and the two are alone for a moment for the first time since the alien had attacked. “I’m starting to think I might make it out of here after all.”

“Give it a bit,” Kara mutters. “This time of day, Alex is probably just stuck in traffic.”

“Ah yes, that would be the Danvers sister with a spine, correct?”

The words hurt, and for once Kara doesn’t push down the emotion. She lets it boil over into anger in a way she’s never dared before. But she’s never been both Supergirl and Kara with Cat before. She’s never been able to show every side of her, she’s had to hide no matter what face she presented to the woman.

“If we have to be stuck together, you could at least try not being insufferable,” Kara grits out, raising their joined arms to make her point. “You might be the Queen of all Media, but this is a shadowy government organization that doesn’t exist. This kind of fight wouldn’t be as easy as you’d like to think.”

As soon as the words leave her lips Kara wants to take them back, horrified she’d spoken so frankly. But she’d impressed Cat, Kara can tell that much, and it keeps her from immediately backtracking. Beyond that, she gets nothing.

Settling back in her chair with a disgruntled sigh, Kara resigns herself to a very uncomfortable few hours until the scientists come up with something to break them apart.

At this point, she’d rather go five rounds with her uncle.

***

“Kara!”

The worry in Alex’s tone, as well as the fact she’s using her real name, tips Kara off that someone has filled her sister in on the latest developments. Which means things might get very awkward very shortly.

Well, more awkward than they already are, she thinks as she moves to stand and gets pulled back by Cat’s weight against her. She’s consciously dialed her strength back to human levels to avoid hurting her boss, which means the tug nearly pulls her off balance and has her staggering slightly to regain it.

“I’m okay, Alex,” Kara says, resolutely ignoring the way Cat rolls her eyes. They haven’t said a word since Kara had snapped at her, and this doesn’t seem like an auspicious time to break that silence.

“You’re not okay! Mom gave your secret away to your boss, who happens to be the head of an international media conglomerate. Oh, and you’re also physically stuck to that boss. So no, Kara, don’t tell me you’re okay.”

Kara can’t blame her sister for being upset, but she’d hoped it wouldn’t be this bad. Right now, she’s not sure whether to be embarrassed or frustrated with Alex, even though Kara understands where her sister is coming from.

“It’s handled, okay?” Kara tries to reassure her, still hoping they can keep the situation from devolving further.

“Not yet it isn’t,” Alex says darkly, turning her attention to where Cat is still sitting looking fully composed. How she manages that with one arm stretched in front of her and attached to Kara’s is anyone’s guess, but she does. “You have a single good reason I shouldn’t lock you in a cell so deep they never find you?”

“You mean other than the inconvenient detail that I’m currently attached to your sister?” Cat fires back. Alex is in full tactical gear with a rifle slung over one shoulder, probably to make a statement, but Cat doesn’t flinch. And if not for a small flicker of fear in her eyes, even Kara would think she was perfectly calm in the face of Alex’s anger.

“Alex, relax,” Kara orders, trying to sound authoritative in the hopes it will make Alex trust her. “She didn’t tell the world last time she figured me out, what makes you think this time will be any different?”

“We don’t know she wasn’t going to tell the world,” Alex argues. “We convinced her before things got to that point.”

“Oh, please,” Cat says, finally standing and moving to Kara’s side. It presents them as a unified front, something Kara has missed and hopes isn’t temporary. “Do you really think I would let a story like that just sit around if I had any intentions of publishing?  Like hell I’d risk the Planet scooping me. If I’d intended to expose Supergirl’s secret identity, the article would have been written and posted that night.”

“You could’ve been waiting for proof,” Alex argues, refusing to back down even when Kara raises a calming hand. “The way you’ve treated Kara lately, you really expect me to believe you were somehow looking out for her?”

“I had all the proof I needed to at least raise the question in people’s minds. The rest would have followed.” Cat is just as determined as Alex, and considering the agent’s earlier threat, Kara is impressed. It takes a strong soul to stand up to Alex when she’s feeling this protective.

“No more arguing,” Kara tries again.

“You’re right, no more arguing,” Alex says, eyes narrowing as her hands tense. “Because there’s nothing to argue about. If she tells anyone who you are, or if she so much as hints at holding this against you in any way, I might not bother with that cell.”

“Alex, out!”

This time Cat’s reaction isn’t subtle, though she mostly hides it behind a scoff. But Kara knows her too well, and Alex is too well trained to miss this one. Cat is legitimately frightened Alex might actually carry out her threat.

“I see what you mean about the sister,” Cat says, turning as far as their linked arms will allow. “She’s certainly convincing.”

“She’s worried,” Kara defends, wanting to make this right but not knowing where to begin. It’s not just Supergirl that’s between them now. It’s betrayed trust and buried hurts freshly resurfaced. It’s secrets and confidence and failed communication. There’s too much to fix with a few words.

“I did manage to catch that, beneath the bluster,” Cat says with a deep sigh, turning back to meet Kara’s eyes. “And loath as I am to admit it, she’s right.”

“What do you mean?” Kara asks, not sure where this is going. Cat almost never admits she’s been wrong.

She can show it in a hundred different ways, but the words don’t come easily. And when she’s in situations that put her on the spot like this, she usually defaults to pretending she’s completely in control.

“God, Kara,” she groans. “Even you, with all your Sunny Danvers optimism, have to admit I’ve treated you like shit lately. I can’t blame Agent Scully there for thinking I’d do the same in this situation.”

“Then why did you push Eliza for my identity?” Kara asks, confused. “We could’ve sat in your office until they solved the problem and skipped all of this.”

“I saw a chance for the truth and took it,” Cat shrugs. “I didn’t think much beyond that. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised your sister wants to lock me in some cage somewhere.”

“I won’t let her do that,” Kara says immediately, daring to reach out with her free hand to rest it on Cat’s shoulder. “She’s worried about me just like she always is, but I won’t let her do that to you, okay? In fact, I’ll make her bring you a phone so you can call Carter. And Adam, if you want.”

She’s not blind or an idiot, she knows why Cat is scared. If it were only about herself, she would have fought. She would have reminded Alex who she is and what pressure she can bring to bear. She would have demanded to speak to the director, to the President even. The fact she hadn’t speaks just as much as her threats would have.

“You aren’t my assistant here,” Cat says with an attempt at her usual dismissiveness. But Kara can see the thanks in her eyes, and she knows how much the offer means.

“I am unless you’re firing me,” she dares to say, one brow raised in something like challenge as she stares Cat down.

“I believe that would fall under the ‘holding this against you’ clause of your sister’s threat,” Cat points out with a wry smile.

The moment stretches on, full of unspoken communications that Kara doesn’t think any of the languages she knows could encompass. It’s them, purely and completely, and nothing else. Something has shifted, something has changed, and for once they’ve both decided to let it happen, trusting it’s all for the better.

“So we think we have a solution,” Alex interrupts. She’s removed most of her tactical gear, and is holding an opaque container in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. “So we’ll see about getting you free, then we can move on to making sure none of this makes headlines tomorrow.”

Cat sniffs at the sight of no doubt every NDA the DEO has on hand, but doesn’t protest. Kara knows any protest would be solely for show, but she’s grateful they won’t have an argument about this as well as everything from before.

As Alex directs them towards the sink and begins to scrub at their joined arms, Kara narrows her eyes down at the foam. “Alex, is that dish soap?” she asks incredulously, recognizing the blue liquid from years of household chores.

“Something about it negates the adhesive properties of the alien secretions,” Alex says with a shrug. “One of the scientists suggested it after remember something her kids did a few years back.”

“Soap and water,” Cat says in disbelief. “We were glued together for hours because no one thought to try soap and water.”

“Would you rather we tried that first and the soap had a negative reaction with the substance?” Alex says sharply, looking a little defensive of her science division.

Kara’s just glad to finally be free, and as soon as they’ve dried their arms off she pulls Cat into a hug, unable to resist the need to hold her close. They’d been stuck together for hours, but this feels different.

And from the way Cat doesn’t fight, just wraps her own arms around Kara, she thinks the need is mutual. Whether it’s just catharsis, or whether it has something to do with the shift in their relationship, Kara doesn’t know. But for the first time since Cat had insisted they be purely professional, she’s hopeful they’ll have a chance to figure it out.

And when Cat’s lips press just barely against her neck before she finally pulls back, Kara thinks they both know what’s changed.

[rootindiahealthcare]

Top Six Diseases Should Worry You More Than Ebola

Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian subject visiting the U.S., died this morning. He was the primary then way solely patient to be diagnosed; with hemorrhagic fever within the U.S. It’s vital to not trivialize his death, however, it’s conjointly vital to place it in perspective. In Africa, the virus has claimed the lives of a minimum of four,033 individuals and; sickened quite eight,300 others, in line with the planet Health Organization. But that one case has captured the news, inspiring headlines like: - “The ISIS of Biological Agents” and “U.S. has left itself hospitable ebola fever natural event.” Meanwhile, in our country, the picornavirus sixty-eight has infected a minimum of 628 individuals since August.  Most of them were young children. RELATED : Cheap branded PRODUCTS  for Beauty and makeups  “When individuals are anxious a few threat like hemorrhagic fever, it doesn’t essentially matter if they appear at numbers, facts and chances,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC’s National Center for protection and metabolism Diseases. “Because of the means our brains work, one thing rare and exotic is far scarier than something that’s acquainted.” As anxiety regarding hemorrhagic fever mounts, we have a tendency to asked the consultants that U.S. diseases we must always be distressed regarding or a minimum of a lot of distressed regarding than hemorrhagic fever. Here are six, in no specific order. ENTEROVIRUS D-68 Last month a 4-year-old boy in New Jersey visited sleep and ne'er woke. This week, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed; that the boy was infected with the picornavirus sixty-eight, or EV-D68. That very same week a 10-year-old woman United Nations agency; conjointly tested positive for the virus died twenty-four hours when being admitted to a hospital in Rhode Island. Enterovirus sixty-eight fits into a category of viruses that features hand-foot-and-mouth illness and infantile paralysis. Every year, ten to fifteen million individuals devour AN picornavirus, Schuchat same, however, picornavirus sixty-eight is a wholly new natural event. While picornavirus sixty-eight was 1st discovered in 1962. This is often its 1st natural event. Dr. Madonna Anne Jackson is the director of infectious diseases at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas town, Missouri. The primary cases of picornavirus sixty-eight. Kids with asthma-like symptoms were admitted to her hospital in early August. By month’s finish, the hospital was admitting to thirty to thirty-five cases on a daily basis. Understand Virus Just as doctors are learning the way to diagnose the virus, it's evolving. In Colorado, ten patients developed polio-like symptoms, with limb dysfunction and problem respiratory. Four of these patients tested positive for picornavirus sixty-eight. Similar cases are rumored across the country; from Bean Town to port of entry. It’s still unclear whether; or not limb dysfunction is joined to picornavirus sixty-eight. However, researchers are finding out the chance of an association. “It spreads similar to the respiratory disorder, however, we have a tendency to don’t knowledge several can get chilly and the way many will want hospitalization and how many will find yourself with a polio-like health problem,” Jackson same. “In terms of what’s at our feet straight away, EV-D68 has become the foremost vital virus.” How to defend yourself: Wash hands typically with soap and water for quite twenty seconds before touching eyes, nose or mouth. Avoid shut contact with people that are sick. cowl your coughs and sneezes with one thing that’s not your hands. clean surfaces, like toys and doorknobs. keep home if you’re sick. MEASLES This kid displays a typical contagion rash, four days into the health problem. Before widespread vaccination, ninetieth of youngsters; and babies contracted the contagion. The amount born to fewer than 2000 cases a year; and was nearly eradicated within the U.S.; till folks stopped inoculating their kids. Rice Measles, a pestilence that causes an infection of the systema respiratorium. That was nearly eradicated within the US when a vaccinum; became widespread in the early Nineteen Sixties. Within the years since, the virus became thus rare here. That its symptoms irritability, high fever, and a rash. That were largely forgotten, as was the speed of infection. Before routine vaccinations, every case of contagion created seventeen new secondary cases. The big apple Times recently rumored. But in 2008, because of a mixture of international travel and susceptible populations — most from folks opting out of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccinum for his or her kids — the virus resurfaced within the U.S. Babies of susceptible mothers are at the best risk. they're too young for the vaccinum and lack immunity from their mothers. thus far in 2014, there are quite 600 contagion cases, nearly all of the kids. “That’s astounding for 2014 to suppose that there are that several cases for an illness that ought to have gone away within the U.S.,” Jackson same. Measles isn't fatal One person in each one,000 cases dies from it — however, it needs a good deal of hospital resources to treat. several kids with the contagion can want element or ventilators and are at a larger risk of developing the respiratory disorder and different microorganism infections. contagion also can cause hearing impairment and permanent brain injury. In rare cases, kids with the contagion proceed to develop acute sclerosing phrenitis. subacute sclerosing leukoencephalitis may be a rare nervous disorder that develops years when a contagion infection. It starts as wakefulness and forgetfulness, however, it devolves into hallucinations and seizures. Most subacute sclerosing leukoencephalitis patients die at intervals one to a few years of designation. How to defend yourself: For best protection, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends inoculating your kids twice: once after they are 12-15 months previous, and once more after they are 4-6 years previous. WHOOPING COUGH This is the microorganism that causes infectious disease; or respiratory disorder. This vaccinum for illness loses effectualness; when five years. Lost booster shots mean that the illness is discovery a lot of types within the U.S. Cases of infectious disease, or respiratory disorder, have up sharply since 2004. In 2012, 48,277 cases were rumored within the U.S. That’s the most important range since 1955. infectious disease is caused by a microorganism and starts with cold-like symptoms. The dry, hacking cough will last for up to ten weeks. Some patients flip blue pursy for air. “In my thirty years of applying, few weeks has gone that I haven’t diagnosed a case ,” Jackson same. Children between seven and ten years previous are hardest hit. She said, and it’s particularly dangerous for infants. However, deaths within the U.S. from infectious disease are rare. There have been twenty deaths among the 48,277 cases in 2012, as an example. “Deaths are now — twenty to thirty a year,” Jackson same. “Those are twenty to thirty deaths that we have a tendency to shouldn’t have.” There is a vaccinum for infectious disease; However, it’s not as effective because it once was, Jackson same. Within the Nineteen Fifties. The U.S. relied on a whole-cell infectious disease vaccinum. One that used full strains of the microorganism. However, the whole-cell vaccines had facet effects; from swelling at the injection web site to fever. within the Nineteen Nineties; industrialized nations shifted to mistreatment an single-celled vaccinum containing solely components of the microorganism. However, when 5 years, immunity from the single-celled vaccinum wanes. Then around 2004, the microorganism mutated, and cases took off within the U.S. NewsHour’s Betty Ann Bowser rumored on the outbreaks in 2012: How to defend yourself: Regular booster shots facilitate, Schuchat same, particularly for pregnant ladies United Nations agency wish to shield their newborns. Mothers will pass immunity on to their babies, that helps them through their 1st months. In fact, a respiratory disorder dose within the trimester protects ninety p.c of babies in their 1st year of life, in line with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. DRUG-RESISTANT microorganism Methicillin-resistant cocci aureus (MRSA) has unfolded on the far side hospitals. The deadly, antibiotic-resistant microorganism is found on each 2 out of a hundred individuals within the U.S. More than two million individuals within the U.S. annually develop AN infection from an antibiotic-resistant microorganism. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates a minimum of twenty-three,000 individuals die from those infections annually. With AN overuse of antibiotics, many sorts of microorganism became proof against the medicine that when eliminated them. Infections and diseases that were once cured by one medication currently need stronger antibiotics to treat. Doctors have seen rises in antibiotic-resistant T.B., staphylococci infections, social disease, and respiratory disorder, to call many. It means that long, painful and pricy hospitalizations whereas doctors realize the way to kill the superbugs. once a second- and third-tier antibiotics can’t cure the infection, the expedient is removing infected tissue. Infection Reach Methicillin-resistant cocci aureus, or MRSA, is one among the foremost virulent. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are eighty,000 MRSA cases once a year, and 11,000 individuals die from the infection annually. MRSA is unfolded through skin-to-skin contact and speak to with infected materials, like surgical tools or respiratory tubes. It’s a plague in hospitals, and it's spreading on the far side clinics. But there has been a decline in MRSA deaths. In 2011, there have been nine,000 fewer MRSA deaths than in 2005, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, due to higher hospital practices to forestall the unfold of the microorganism. however, 2 in each a hundred individuals carry MRSA. How to defend yourself: defend yourself with handwashing, correct sanitation and applicable use of antibiotics, Schuchat same. RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS Chest x-ray of a 16-day previous baby with a respiratory organ injury because of metabolism syncytial virus. virtually every kid contracts the illness by age two. By age 2, virtually every kid within the U.S. has had metabolism syncytial virus or RSV, Jackson same. It’s a respiratory organ infection, inflicting babies to cough, wheeze and have a fever. RSV is transmitted sort of a respiratory disorder via droplets from sneezes and coughs. just like the contagious disease, it seems each winter like mechanism, Jackson same. For most babies, RSV isn’t serious, but 125,000 babies once a year are hospitalized for the virus. Premature babies or kids with heart or metabolism issues will develop a lot of severe symptoms and need ventilators or element to breathe. Overall, the death rate from RSV is low considering however high the infection rate is — or so 250 deaths a year, Jackson same. So why is RSV an enormous problem? not like a contagious disease, there’s no vaccinum or antiviral to treat it. The virus stays on surfaces for as long as eight hours, spreading quickly through daycares and households. For the old and older smokers, RSV will cause respiratory disorder, which might be deadly. “The overwhelming majority of babies do fine, however, it's an awfully high burden of illness,” Jackson same. How to defend yourself: Wash your hands ofttimes. clean surfaces. bad kids mustn't act with individuals with cold-like symptoms. From the CDC: A drug referred to as palivizumab (say “pah-lih-VIH-zu-mahb”) is on the market to forestall; severe RSV health problem inbound infants and kids United Nations agency are at high risk. The drug will facilitate stop development of great RSV illness. However, it cannot facilitate cure or treat kids already littered with serious RSV illness; and it cannot stop infection with RSV. INFLUENZA AND respiratory disorder In Gregorian calendar month 2013; the big apple town declared a public health emergency as contagious disease swept the state. with nearly 20,000 individuals infected. Influenza and respiratory disorder go hand-in-hand; and are a lot of probably to kill you; than any communicable disease. Contagious disease ranks range seven on the CDC’s list of ten high killers. Quite 53,000 individuals died from contagious disease. Respiratory disorder in 2010 in line with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention; and that’s simply within the US. “The respiratory disorder is miserable, however, this is often on the far side miserable. It’s a high fever, severe muscle aches…people keep in mind the minute it hits them,” Jackson same. “It runs its course over seven days, And an antiviral will ratchet it down, however (the flu) continues to be an awfully severe health problem with the whole list of complications” — starting from ear infections to a respiratory disorder. Respiratory disorder Lead Risk And whereas the contagious disease virus itself is deadly. A lot of deadly is that the respiratory disorder. That typically follows, she said. Most healthy individuals, regarding tierce of the population, carry the microorganism. This causes respiratory disorder in their noses. However, once an infection just like the contagious disease takes over the body. The microorganism migrates into the blood and finishes up within the lungs. Millions are hospitalized for the health problem. Schuchat says, but babies, young kids and also the old are at the best risk. That’s why the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends; that everybody over six months previous gets the annual contagious disease vaccinum. “Last year, quite a hundred youngsters died from the contagious disease within the U.S. And that’s one thing that we have a tendency to do have vaccines for,” Schuchat same. “It could seem acquainted, however even healthy kids get the contagious disease and might die from it.” Ebola Ebola needs contact with bodily fluids like vomit, blood, spit; or weewee to transfer from person to person. However, the contagious disease is well mobile on droplets projected from coughs and sneezes. That fly through colleges, offices, and households. The tragedy is that several of those contagious disease deaths; might are prevented with the annual flu vaccinum, Jackson same. “We have a vaccinum And an antiviral medication for contagious disease, and it still causes deaths,” she said. “We have Americans petrified of hemorrhagic fever. However, fewer than fifty percent of USA citizens make the most of the contagious disease vaccinum. It’s one thing that’s progressing to be here. It’s returning.” How to defend yourself: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that caregivers and infants six months and older get a contagious disease vaccinum. Also, cowl your coughs and sneezes and wash hands ofttimes. If you’re sick, keep home from work or faculty Read the full article

[wouldthehill]

wish I could unquadrouple my genes

and devolve my bony jaw

wanna go back to the times

I sucked up bacteria through a straw