#if he changes the logo that's one secret identity people just. would not guess

[braisedhoney]

okay but can you imagine—

[heliads]

Like A Daydream (Part Two)

Based on this request: “A Peter Parker oneshot where the reader can put people to sleep with her touch, but she’s got something against the Avengers. As per usual, Spider-Man isn’t really that involved himself with the Avengers, but still helps them out, so they’re enemies. Yet she and Peter are friends in their normal lives, not knowing each other’s secrets”

ok someone asked for a second part and i literally could not resist. enjoy babes

part one / masterlist

You swore to yourself that you wouldn’t let your dual identities be a problem. It wouldn’t come in between you and your regular life, not when you first started, and certainly not now. The fact that you just found out that Spider-Man is your best friend Peter Parker doesn’t have to change anything. 

It’s a foolish hope, and you know it. For one thing, Peter’s getting closer to figuring out your own secret identity by the day. You thought you’d been able to convince him you were just a normal teenager that night you’d come home late from a run-in with the Avengers and his own superhero persona, but it looks like your luck won’t last forever. 

In truth, you’d always assumed that something like this was bound to happen. There’s no way that you’d be able to keep your identity as Nightmare a secret forever, even though you’d like nothing more than for that to happen. There are simply too many eyes in S.H.I.E.L.D. bent on tracking you down. 

After all, who are you to stop them? You’re just some kid trying to find her friend. You don’t know what you thought you were getting yourself into when you first tried to track down your missing inhuman friend, Alyna, but it has quickly spiraled out of control. 

The only hope you now have of actually tracking her down lies in the information you were able to recover on the day of your break-in. You haven’t gotten a chance to look at it yet, but you intend to do so today. It could all be totally useless, but at least it’s something you didn’t have before. 

You’re feeling quite paranoid about the whole thing, so you decide to open the files at school. If S.H.I.E.L.D. is somehow able to trace the signal when you open the files, they’ll only track you here, and they might assume that they’re finding Peter and not you. It’s the best you can do for a cover. 

You wait until school is out, then pull out your laptop and find a corner of the building with no security cameras overseeing your every movement. You plug the flash drive into your computer with trembling hands. What are you going to find on this thing?

As it turns out, you find a whole lot of nothing. The files you were able to access are just entry level nonsense, stuff they probably allocate to interns who need to feel important but don’t have the clearance for anything else. You can guess at a few locations that might prove useful in the future, but other than that, you’ve hit yet another dead end. 

You sigh, frustrated, and slam the lid of your laptop closed, revealing a figure standing right in front of you, their arms crossed in disapproval. You freeze— you hadn’t heard Peter come in, but it’s too late to try and hide. 

By the looks of his expression, he knows exactly what you’ve been doing. You still try to weasel your way out of it, though. 

“Say, Peter, I didn’t realize you were still here. Were you studying for the chem quiz? Believe me, I couldn’t be more stressed about—”

Peter cuts you off coolly. “Why are you looking at S.H.I.E.L.D. files? Don’t try to deny it, I saw the logo on your screen.”

Your wary smile drops like a stone. “I was just, uh, googling the logo. Art reference image, you know?”

Peter scoffs. “You know I can tell when you’re lying, right? Why do you have those files?”

You can see Peter straining to say something. He knows that Nightmare was in the Avengers facility and that she managed to steal some S.H.I.E.L.D. files. He can’t reveal that he knows this, however, because only Spider-Man would have heard about that, and Peter doesn’t think that anyone who isn’t an Avengers affiliate is aware of his secret identity. 

You’ve been afraid of this reveal ever since you found out that Peter is Spider-Man. It was inevitably going to happen some point, although you’d hoped to have at least a little more time with your best friend before he started to hate you. It’s a shame that everything you’ve ever built with him, every inside joke and long lasting memory, is about to be torn down to mere shreds of a once perfect life. 

You jerk your head towards the doors. “Can we continue this conversation outside? I’d imagine we both have secrets that we don’t want overheard.”

Peter blanches, realizing what you’re hinting at, and starts to walk mechanically away. He seems as if he’s headed to the gallows; in a way, he is. Peter’s secrecy, his normal life, all of it dies today along with your friendship. There is no way that he would ever forgive you for this, and you’ve known it all along. You wish you could have avoided this fate, but it has been tied to you ever since you accidentally saw his face that day on the rooftop. 

Peter’s steps are brisk, utterly devoid of the usual rhythm that typically sweetens his movements. It’s as if all individuality has been drained from him, leaving behind only this betrayed boy. You did this, you think. Even before he knows for sure, he knows, and it’s killed him.

The two of you stop in an alley not far from the school, just out of view of anyone else. Peter checks one last time to see if anyone is watching. Upon seeing that no one is there, he turns back to you, arms folded across his chest.

“So?” He asks, voice cutting to the bone, “What was that about? What do you know?”

You sigh. “Yes, those were S.H.I.E.L.D. files. And yes, I know you’re worried about them because you were there when I stole them from the Avengers facility. You were Spider-Man, and I was–”

Your voice cuts off, but Peter picks up just where your tone drops. “You were Nightmare. God, I hoped I was wrong about that.”

Your mind flashes with a hurt like nothing you’ve ever known before, even when your friend Alyna vanished without a trace. “How long have you guessed that I was Nightmare?”

Peter grimaces. “Since the first day I met you. We were both suited up, and I had no reason to suspect it was you, but your voice sounded the same. It wasn’t until I was going home after the day you broke into the Avengers complex that I realized something was up. You were laughing over my guess that you were an Avenger because it was absurd to you. You were never an Avenger, you were trying to kill them. You were Nightmare.”

You scoff. “I wasn’t trying to kill them, Peter, I thought I made that obvious even before I found out you were Spider-Man. I could have knocked you out and dropped you off of a building any time, but I didn’t.”

Peter spreads his hands. “Oh, and what a great display of kindness that was. You didn’t kill me when I was asleep.”

Your eyes narrow. “At least try to work with me here. I’m not some kind of supervillain, Peter, I just kept my other identity hidden. In case you missed it, that’s exactly what you do, too.”

Peter holds up a warning finger. “Actually, there’s a pretty big difference between the two of us. I’m a good guy. I stop robberies, I keep this city safe from people like you. I mean, what were you doing, trying to steal S.H.I.E.L.D. files? That seems like supervillain behavior to me!”

You laugh bitterly. “Always drawing the worst conclusions, aren’t you? I wasn’t doing any of that for me, I was doing it for my friend. There was a girl about my age, someone who might only come second to you in terms of people who mattered the most to me. She was an inhuman, and S.H.I.E.L.D. kidnapped her to join their ranks of gifted soldiers. I’ve been doing all this so I could find her, not because I’m a monster.”

Peter’s face twists; with what, you can’t tell. “You were fighting all of us just for one inhuman? How do you know S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t take her in because she was causing problems?”

You shake your head slowly. “I know her, Peter. I know she was a good person. Did all of your empathy leave the second you realized I was Nightmare? Believe what you want about me, but some part of you must know that I wouldn’t do any of this if I didn’t have to. I’m trying to save my friend. Tell me that doesn’t match everything you know about me.”

Peter’s eyes harden, and then he all but rips his backpack from his shoulders. You watch confusedly as he rustles through the pockets for a piece of paper and a pen. He scribbles something on the note, perhaps a name, and thrusts it at you, snatching his hand back the second he can.

“Take it. That’s the man in charge of Avengers recruitment. If you want to know where your friend is, that’s the person who can help you.”

You keep staring at him. “Why do I feel like there’s a cost?”

Peter almost flinches, then spits the rest of the words out in a hurry. “I gave you what you want, now you’re going to do the same for me. Find the man or don’t, I don’t care. Just leave me alone from now on, alright? I can’t be around you, not if you’re attacking the people who protect this city.”

You draw back from him, even as you want nothing more than to rush to his side and beg him to reconsider. “Peter, what are you talking about? We’ve been friends for years. You can’t seriously be doing this. I told you I only ever fought the Avengers to get information on my friend.”

Peter, however, remains firm, even if it seems to be tearing him apart before your eyes. “I know. You’re choosing your friend. You just chose the wrong one.”

Before you can say anything, he turns and leaves, walking briskly back out of the side street and into the clear light of the afternoon. You watch him go until he is a trace of silhouette, then nothing at all. The paper crunches in your curled fist, but you can’t convince yourself to care. You’ve just lost Peter, the one person you can’t bear to live without. It has been awful without Alyna, certainly, but life lacking Peter is an entirely different sort of hell.

Things doesn’t change as the days pass, either. You were hoping that this could be nothing more than a shocked reaction to a surprising truth. Peter has never fared well against earthshaking revelations, and although it’s certainly momentous to find out that your best friend is an inhuman currently fighting on the opposite side as you, you were hoping that he’d still stick by you. At the least, he could try and separate his friendship from his work, just like you have.

However, when you go back to school the next day and find Peter doing his best to never so much as look at you, you realize that this isn’t going to be the case. He’s switched his seat in the classes you share so the two of you are no longer side by side, he no longer walks with you between classes, and he avoids you like you’re a deadly parasite, not someone who up until last night had been his best friend in the entire world.

It cuts like a blade. You don’t know that you’ve ever felt this empty, this lacking in purpose. You can’t help but wonder if Peter feels this same kind of hurt, or if he’s utterly numb to the agony currently threatening to tear your heart from your chest. You miss him with everything you have, and he’s just down the hall, across the room, or three feet away and always studiously avoiding your gaze.

Who do you have to blame except yourself? You have been Spider-Man’s enemy the past couple of months, so of course Peter would react strongly. Still, you don’t know how you’re supposed to fill the gaping hole in your chest, even with the possibility of learning more about Alyna’s disappearance.

You still haven’t even followed Peter’s tip and tracked down the man meant to lead you to your vanished friend. Perhaps some part of you thinks that it still represents the deal, that if you refuse to chase down this man, Peter will have to come back to you. After the second week of Peter’s abandonment, you realize that nothing you do will convince him to return to you, so you push aside your last feelings of grief and decide to start searching again. At least you can have one friend after all of this.

Thus you find yourself alone on a dark afternoon, running across the roofline of the New York city skyline on a quest to find a S.H.I.E.L.D. informant and track him to his workplace. This man, Brett Neal, only travels to a specific facility in the afternoon, and always makes sure he isn’t being followed.

Despite his best attempts at secrecy, though, he can’t shake you. You’re dressed in your Nightmare uniform again, mask pulled snugly over your face. This time, you won’t be distracted. This time, you’ll be getting what you want, because if you walk away from this with nothing yet again, you don’t know that you’ll be able to survive the loneliness of letting down yet another friend.

You promise yourself this, repeating it over and over in your head like a protective mantra, but your thoughts stumble about fifteen minutes into your pursuit. There’s a scuffling sound happening in a street a block or two down, and although it’s none of your business, it’s certainly causing a fair amount of passersby to walk hurriedly in the other direction.

Just before you can convince yourself to ignore the whole matter, the fight shifts down a block and begins again right beneath you. You get a snapshot of the conflict: two figures locked in deadly combat, one with dripping, animal jaws easily large enough to snap a human head in half, and the other wearing a familiar red and blue suit, swinging on ropes of spider web.

You need to keep going. You have no idea how long you have until Brett Neal changes his schedule, and your lead on Alyna’s disappearance is gone yet again. Peter has pushed you aside for the final time. If your roles were reversed and he was the one watching you get into trouble, he would not stop for a second, and neither should you. You tense your legs, and keep running.

Down below, Peter doesn’t manage to dodge a snapping lunge from the beast in time, and its fangs sink into his shoulder. He cries out, a noise that’s mostly lost in the turmoil. Only the barest scrap of the sound makes it up to you, but it’s enough.

Brett Neal carries on unbothered, no shadows lingering on his heels. You dive down from the roofline in one swift movement, smooth as water flowing from high above. You land on the creature’s head, distracting it from Peter long enough for it to charge after you. You fling out a hand, which lands on its hairy back, disappearing in tufts of fur that eerily resemble human hair. 

You’re not sure whether this thing is man or beast at heart, but it responds well enough to your gift. You watch as its hungry black eyes disappear behind strong lids, and just in case, Peter coats the thing’s forelimbs in webs to make sure it stays down.

You can see Peter taking a hesitant step towards you, as if he wants to say something. Just before he can, however, you hear a clatter of heels at the opening of the street, and throw yourself around the corner just before someone else appears on the scene. It’s another Avenger, Tony Stark. You can hear the identifying sarcasm even without having to see the man’s face.

“Good to see you got that one. Rogers and I saw a couple more go down towards Central Park. I swear, if one of these furballs gets seen by the news, we’re going to have our heads on pikes by the end of the day. Gotta love the job, right?”

Peter mutters something noncommittal, and you listen as Tony’s voice shifts into a more questioning tone.

“Say, have you seen anyone here? I swear I saw someone else. You don’t suppose there’s another person watching, do you?” Tony asks.

This is Peter’s chance to rat you out. All it takes is a single word, one finger pointed towards the mouth of this alley, and Tony will have you. If Peter wants to reveal you, he can. Judging by his recent behavior towards you, Peter would enjoy that all too much. He sees you as an enemy, even if you’ve just saved him. This fight with the creature changes nothing.

Yet Peter’s voice remains casual. “Nothing except this guy. I’ll catch up with you in a second, I’m a little winded. Maybe dog allergies extend to weird werewolf hybrids.”

Tony chuckles. “Sure thing, take as much time as you need. You’ll probably be able to track us well enough. Just follow the sounds of screaming.”

You hear Tony fire up his repulsor beams and head out of the street in a blur. Seconds later, Peter appears around the bend.

“He’s gone,” Peter offers, and you nod.

“Why didn’t you tell him I was here?” You ask.

Peter lifts a shoulder, looking away. “You just saved my ass, I figure it would be mean to pay you back by setting Iron Man on you.”

You fold your arms across your chest. “Guess I should know better than to expect any kindness, then. Just another deal, right?”

You start to turn away, but Peter hurries to your side. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t know what to think when I realized you were Nightmare. I thought that meant you were going to keep fighting me.”

You remain stock-still, unable to allow yourself even a moment of hope. “What made you change your mind?”

Peter reaches up, pulling off first his mask then yours. “That. You’re still my friend, even if we’ve got different goals. I need you more than I thought. Besides, I’m not going to stop trying to save this city, even if it means I still work with the Avengers. I’m not asking you to stop looking for your friend, either. I just need to know that we can coexist like this, and you proved that when you saved me.”

You look up at him, almost afraid to believe what you’re seeing. “So that’s it, then? Friends again?”

Peter smiles. “Friends always.”

He reaches over, tangling his arm around your shoulders and pulling you close. You let your eyes shut tight, blocking out the rest of the world except for this moment, just the two of you. You can feel Peter press a kiss to the top of your head, and you lean in to his touch. Some part of you is terrified that you won’t ever find your inhuman friend; another, that you’ll never be truly free from S.H.I.E.L.D. finding you. For now, though, you have Peter, and that’s more than enough for you.

peter parker/marvel tag list: @namoreno, @rogueanschel, @thatfangirl42, @mycosmicparadise,@ellobruv, @caswinchester2000, @with-inked-solace, @sher-lokid7, @amortensie, @23victoria, @watchreadfangirlrepeat, @gods-fools-heroes

[6rookie-writer0110]

Let's make a playlist of your favorite songs

Cassie Lang x Male Reader Stark

Request - Can you do Cassie lang x Stark!reader where he and cassie are the same age since they are born in 2007 and should be 16 in 2023. R is Tony's son and survived the snap. Before the snap he was best friend with Peter and ned when he was like a kid and the three of them hang out. Plue Y/n and peter do like spiderman ideas. After the snap he was living with Tony, pepper, and his little sister in the lakeside cabin. In the year 2021 he got bitten by a radioactive spider but has an alchemax logo and number 42.

Since you were a toddler you have been friends with Peter and Ned. Always together playing together. Even during high school, you didn't lose your friendship with Ned and Peter. You have always been into creating music and art, sometimes you would like to tag the buildings and the trains. Only, Peter and Ned knew they are your supporters.

Sometimes you and Peter would do parkour. You and Peter have sketchbooks and notes of being a hero and being called ’Spiderman’

You, Peter, and Ned never left each other side. People always saw you three spend time together all the time.

-----

Spring 2018... 50% of the population disappeared. The older you got, you started to study what happened during the fight against Thanos. You collected notes, hacked into your father’s computer and his friends’ computers then into Shields.

You survived the snap when you found out what happened it broke you. You cried when Peter didn't survive, or when your dad is stuck in space. You would spend hours in your father’s lab and look at his stuff.

”Y/N, I knew you would be here. You are like Tony can work on something for hours or days” Pepper said.

She put her hand on your shoulder.

”I miss him and Peter,” You said.

”I miss them too. You should see Ned, he came by earlier” Pepper said.

You nod.

”I will go see him. *sighed heavily* I want Thanos to suffer” You said.

”One day he will,” Pepper said and she kissed your head.

Later, you went to see Ned. Ned did give you new ideas for your spiderman gadgets so it won't break half of the time. You and Ned start to work together on it.

✬ ✫ ✯ ✬

The year 2021...

You walked through the alley for a short cut. You dropped your cell phone, you bend down to pick up. You stood up and checked your phone while walking you hit a web. You tried to get rid of the web and you didn't notice the radioactive spider crawl on your shoulder and bite your neck.

”What the hell?” You yelled.

You rub your neck then noticed the radioactive spider on your forearm. You noticed the spider has an alchemax logo and number 42.

”You are coming home with me” You mumbled.

You went home and straight to the lab. You put the spider in a small tank and watched it move around.

-----

The next day you woke up feeling strange. You couldn't explain it, you are in shock just seeing electricity go through your hands. You start to breathe hard and your heart started to beat fast. You go to the bathroom to wash your face suddenly you turned invisible.

”I have powers!” You yelled.

Your mood changed, now you are happy that you have powers. You always dreamt of being a hero and having powers, you couldn't stop smiling. You called Ned and told him to meet you at your house. Ned did help you figure out what kind of powers you have.

----

You stare at your father’s suits and you thought about using them. But you wanted to make your identity as a hero, you want to give people hope again.

the first suit you made with Ned it's an armored suit. Ned helped you pick out the colors red, white, and black. When Ned saw you wearing the armor suit, he freaked out.

”Dude, it's awesome! You will be the coolest hero ever” Ned said.

”Thanks. I can't wait to go to the city and start saving people” You said.

You and Ned high five each other. You go to the city and start saving people. Everyone started to talk about the new hero on tv and the Internet, you felt proud of yourself.

✬ ✫ ✯ ✬

Being a hero wasn't easy for you. You found out working alone is hard, some people didn't like what you are doing. Other people do cheer for you. Balancing life and being a hero is very hard. But you got an idea and you worked day and night to make the app called ’Friendly Neighborhood 1.0’

People can report crimes and you will go save them and keep you in the loop, what happens in the city.

Today is slow and no one is in trouble. You decided to go tag some places. You swing to an abandoned building, you take out the spray cans, and started to draw. You stopped to put on your headphones then you started to draw again. Once you are finished you took pictures then tagged the subways.

----

You got an alert on your app, gang gun shoots in downtown. You started to swing fast and you see people caught in the crossfire. You started to venom blast to fight them and you used your web to take their guns away. You noticed the boy is deaf and you started to do sign language and he smiled.

”You know sign language?” Cassie asked.

You nod. ” Yes. I thought to learn so I can communicate with someone who is deaf”

You asked questions to the boy and you're glad he isn't hurt.

”I’m Cassie and this is Roger,” Cassie said.

”I’m Spiderman,” You said and it in sign language.

Later on...

You and Cassie became friends. She found out your secret when your mask fell apart while fighting Kraven the Hunter. Sometimes you would swing to her place to see her. She would always smile when you're around.

---

Cassie noticed you set a spider-free and didn't kill it.

”I hate spiders I don't know how you stand them,” Cassie said.

”it was a harmless spider. I don't feel scared when bugs are around” You said.

”I hate all kinds of bugs. But it's cute, you liking bugs and not killing them, bug boy” Cassie smiled.

You laughed and smiled back at her.

”Bug boy?” You asked.

She nods.

”Your new nickname” Cassie giggled.

”Thanks for the nickname?” You giggled.

”Anytime, Y/N” Cassie smiled.

~The next day~

Cassie went to your house. She met Pepper then Cassie goes to your bedroom. Cassie didn't say anything, she watches you make beats and you started to sing, you have your headphones on. She kept watching you and you keep making beats. She tapped your shoulder and you looked up, your eyes opened wide.

”Cas!” You said too loud.

”Hi Bug boy. You are talented” Cassie said.

”Thanks. Sorry, I didn't hear you come in” You said.

”So, you're into music?” Cassie asked.

”Yes, also I'm into art. If you want I-I-I can show you my work” You said shyly.

”I will like to see it, Y/N,” Cassie said.

”Cool!” You said.

You grabbed your sketchbook and she starts to look at your art.

✬ ✫ ✯ ✬

The year 2022

You told Cassie you wanted to upgrade and design a new suit. Again Cassie caught you making beats this time you teach her how to make beats.

”This is fun, Y/N,” Cassie said.

”I’m happy that you're enjoying making beats,” You said.

”Y/N aren't you scared when you swing around the city?” Cassie asked.

”At the very beginning, I was terrified when I would swing and jump from extremely tall buildings. Much later on, the fear went away so I'm not scared anymore. If you want you can swing with me around the city” You said.

”Okay. That would be an interesting experience, but yeah let's do it. Oh, I got an idea how your suit can look” Cassie said.

”Tell me,” You said.

Cassie started to explain how your suit should look with what colors. Music is the main inspiration for your suit 2020.

----

You are standing on the roof with Cassie. She wrapped her arms around you very tight.

”Ready?” You asked.

”Y-yes,” Cassie said.

You hold her tight and you start to swing. Cassie’s heart is beating faster and faster, you feel her grip tighten. You keep swinging and you noticed how scared she is. You stopped on top of the hotel building.

”Are you okay?” You asked.

She put her hand on her chest.

”No!” Cassie yelled.

You laughed and she smacked your arm.

”I’m guessing you had fun?” You teased.

”I got scared halfway. I thought I was going to fall, I don't know you get used to that” Cassie said.

”Takes time. I got over my fear the more I started to swing” You said.

”I won't do it again,” Cassie said and you laughed.

----

Cassie is sick and you went to buy soup for her. You knocked on her window, she opened it and let you in then you take off the mask.

”I got this for you, Cassie,” You said.

”Thank you, Y/N” Cassie smiled.

”Cassie, I know we been friends for a while but I really like you a lot and I hope we can be more than friends,” You said.

”Y/N, I like you too a lot. I would kiss you but I don't want you to get sick” Cassie said.

You smiled and she sneezed.

You and Cassie do spend time together mostly watching tv or movies. Cassie finds it sweet that you're taking care of her. You gave her medicine and reheat the soup. Later, you and Cassie do play board games, video games and asked questions about each other.

You noticed Cassie has in her bedroom for a while. You go upstairs and you can hear her crying

You sit next to her on the bed ”Cas, what's wrong?”

”I miss my dad so much” Cassie cried.

You wrapped your arms around her and she starts to cry more. You rub her back and you listen to her.

You did try to make her feel better worked for a little bit, but she is still feeling depressed. You stayed with her all-day

✬ ✫ ✯ ✬

Finally, your 2020 suit is complete. You can't stop smiling and start to put on the suit. The led mask, you loved it when Cassie told you about it. You got an alert on your app

”Time to test out the suit,” You said.

”Be careful, Y/N” Cassie said.

”I will,” You said.

Cassie watched you swing away.

You were busy saving people, Doctor Octopus and Kraven the Hunter kidnapped Cassie. They sent you a message and you got angry. You started to swing rapidly to Doctor Octopus’s lab. Cassie is tied up in a chair and she is feeling terrified.

You start to fight them. You used venom blast to punch Kraven, then Doctor Octopus grabbed you. Kraven punched you then you kicked him in the face and you used your web to cover Doctor Octopus’s face. You turned invisible and you started to fight them.

----

You grabbed Cassie and left the lab. You stopped on a roof and she hugged you tight then she smacked your chest.

”What was that for?!” You yelled.

”You know I hate it,” Cassie said.

”I’m not a speedster. I had to swing us away from them” You said.

You take off the mask.

”I know but I still hate it,” Cassie said.

Cassie started to ramble on then you did the same ramble on. She kissed you and you kiss her back, you and Cassie pulled apart and smiled. It's the first kiss.

✬ ✫ ✯ ✬

Time Skip~

Everything changed for the best. You found out Tony came back from space, you ran to him and hugged him.

”I missed you, dad,” You said

He kissed your head and held you tight.

”I love you 3000, Y/N,” Tony said.

Peter came back and he hugged you and Ned. Ned told everyone by mistake you are dating Cassie. No one knew about the relationship just yet.

”Sorry, bro,” Ned said.

”When we will get to meet her, Y/N,” Tony said.

”Soon, dad. Don't worry about it, Ned” You said.

You celebrated with everyone and you can't stop smiling.

----

You and your family moved to the woods, now live in a cabin. Now it feels like a family and you don't want that to change. Your little sister started to scream and ran towards Pepper.

”Why do you have a pet spider?” Tony asked.

”I hate spiders,” Morgan said.

Pepper was going to kill your pet but you stopped her.

”Stop!” You yelled.

The spider is in your hands.

”The spider is my pet. I got used to him being around” You said.

”Y/N, I will never understand why. But please just keep him in the cage” Pepper said.

”I will,” You said.

You go to your bedroom and put the spider in the tank. You feed him and just watch him.

✬ ✫ ✯ ✬

Date Night...

You arrived with pizza and she kissed you. You and Cassie played videos and it became competitive. You were going to take her out, but there is a rainstorm. The night is going well, she is having fun with you. You and Cassie eat pizza and started to debate what is the best movie and worst movie.

Later, you and Cassie started to play Uno but you and Cassie argued about the rules. You and Cassie eat more pizza and tried to play Uno again. Later, you and Cassie watched a movie on the couch, but end up falling asleep.

----

Scott found out what happened, he is in shock. He rushed home and knocked on the door. Cassie opened the door, they start to cry and they hugged each other. You did spend the night at her place, then Cassie introduces you to Scott.

“Wait, you're Tony’s son!?” Scott said.

“Yeah, I'm his son,” You said.

“Hurt my daughter and I will go after you,” Scott said.

“Dad!” Cassie yelled.

“I won't break her heart,” You said.

“I will keep my eye on you, Y/N,” Scott said.

“UGH!” Cassie mumbled.

Later, Scott joined you and Cassie for breakfast.

---

Later, you meet up with Peter to show him your 2020 suit. Peter is loving the suit and asked many questions about how you build your suit. You and Peter worked together to save people.

[catxsnow]

KIDNAPPED

Request: Can I please request something with "have I been kidnapped?" + "Um.. that's unclear". Go crazy with it.

Warning: car crash, uh, swearing, cringe (I was 3/4 done this and realized I hated it so, uh, Sorry Amanda) 

A/N: Reporting to you live and Tipsy friends what’s good

Word count: 2.6k

San Francisco usually wasn't a crazy city. Sure the traffic sucked, but at least the views were nice. The local shops always had something interesting and you were guaranteed to find a coffee shop on every block. Over all, you were glad you moved there, it was a nice change in your life - one that you needed.

However, when this group of so called 'Titans' showed up, things got pretty out of control. Buildings got destroyed, people were put in harms way with the sudden increase in villains showed up to take these guys out. You hadn't had the luxury of running into any of them, hopefully you wouldn't have to.

You moved there to get away from your hectic life, you didn't want to be thrown right back into something even worse. The news was filled with these guys - a girl getting chased on rooftop by her deranged father, Robin falling to his death only to be saved by someone who resembled Superman, even a green tiger.

It was interesting seeing them all on the news, but other than that, you never wanted to be involved in any accident that they caused. It seemed they were used to hurting people more than saving them - even if it was accidental.

San Francisco seemed to be safer than the last city you were in. For once, you could walk home with your headphones in and not worry about your surroundings. Just like any night, you walked from work back to your apartment in the late hours of the night, wanting nothing more than to just crash in your bed.

The night was cold and no matter how tightly your wrapped your coat around yourself it didn't bring any more warmth. The sound of traffic was tuned out by your headphones. Street lights illuminated your path and you were so close to your home that you could almost smell the inside of it. Not actually, but you really missed your room after that long day.

The sound of a crash overpowered your music. You turned back to see what had happened by the second you had done so all you could see was the tail end of a car coming directly towards you. There was no time to move out of the way or even to think. Even if there was, you were frozen in your spot with fear.

A body crashed into you before the metal of a car. Your heart rate was going so incredibly fast that black spots filled your vision. You should have been dead, that car was coming right at you. You tried so hard to keep yourself awake, but the only thing that you saw was a red 'S' on a black t-shirt as you passed out completely.

><

You woke up to arguing and bright lights staring down at you. Your head was pounding and it took you a moment to remember what had happened. A car had nearly hit you and somehow you impossibly had been saved. Then, embarrassingly you completely passed out from shock. Wherever you were now, it certainly wasn't a hospital.

There were several people standing together, each of them trying to talk over one another. You sat up on the bed, rubbing your eyes in hopes that this headache would go away. "Uh," you spoke up, but none of them had heard you. They were too engrossed in arguing to notice that you had woken up.

"Hello?" You tried again. Still nothing. You tried to listen in to what they were talking about and quickly came to the conclusion that it was you. Whoever saved you obviously wasn't supposed to bring you there, that was what the yelling was about. There was also the point that you couldn't just be left in the street unconscious - another good point.

This time, you coughed loud enough for one of them to look over at you. Your eyes narrowed in on his t-shirt, it was the same one that had saved you. And it wasn't just any 'S', it was Superman's logo. Whoever this guy was, he was obviously fast enough to be related to the man of steel himself.

As you looked at the others in the group, you picked up on who they were as well. Fiery red hair, bright green hair, these were the people that were on the news. You were in the Titans home base with the heroes themselves. "Holy shit," you mumbled out, eyes wide. There were a few there that you didn't recognize and you were sure it was only because they were in civvies.

"You're the Titans," your jaw fell slack. As much as you bashed them to your friends, saying how much danger they brought to this city, meeting them had been completely different. This was a group of people that kicked ass and had quite literally saved your life. You never thought you'd meet them, especially under these circumstances.

The oldest one - or at least you assumed him to be - looked at the one with the green hair. "Don't let them leave," he ordered. The others followed him out into the hall. They had no idea what to do with you, that was obvious. Conner shouldn't have brought you there. They understood he was still new at this, but he should have known better.

You still felt in shock. Shock from nearly dying. Shock from being saved. Shock from waking up in the Titan's home base. You never expected your day to go like this, and you never wished it to. These masked heroes brought nothing but trouble to San Francisco... and yet if it wasn't for them you wouldn't be standing there.

The green haired one awkwardly rocked back and forth on his heels. This must have been the one that could turn into the tiger - at least it made the most sense in your mind. He avoided looking at you. The squeak of his sneakers against the floor and the hum of the medical equipment at your side was the only sound in the room. It drove you nuts.

"Can you turn into any animal or just a tiger?" You suddenly blurted out, unable to take this awkward silence any more. His eyes widened at your question. How did you even know that he could do that? How had you pieced together that they were the Titans so quickly anyways? None of them were in their suits.

"Uh..." Gar trailed off. "Tiger is just the easiest," he answered. "How did you know that I could do that?" You raised your eyebrows at him - was he serious? Without words you point to your own hair. He seemed to understand what you meant. Green tiger, green hair, it was pretty easy to put together. You could see his cheeks tint red.

"My name's Garfield. Gar," He tried to cover up his embarrassment. Gar cringed at the sound of his voice cracking.

"Should you be telling me that?" You asked. Wasn't the whole point of being a hero having a secret identity? This was the first time that you had met one, and it certainly felt like he didn't really know what he was doing. Nonetheless, you were just happy that they didn't kill you for knowing their identity - or their secret location.

"You already know what I look like what's the harm in knowing my name?" Gar shrugged. He wanted nothing more than to get the attention off of him - so he decided to throw the new guy under the bus. "Besides I think Conner kinda already has a crush on you, so."

"Super-rip-off?" You asked. To be fair, you didn't know his name, or if he even was related to the great Superman. All you knew, was that he had saved your life and you were grateful for it. And from what small glimpse you got of him, he was pretty cute too.

"He probably heard that," Gar told you. Heat rose to your cheeks with embarrassment. "But yes. Superboy. He's the one that saved you and brought you here. Really, he probably should have taken you to a hospital but he's kinda new at this whole thing so, yeah. I guess now they're trying to figure out what to do with you."

"So, have I been kidnapped?" You asked again. The leader had said that you weren't allowed to leave and that Gar was supposed to stop you if you tried to. Would you ever be allowed to leave again if you knew their secrets? Would they really trust a stranger that they just met? They didn't even know your name!

"Um, that's unclear," Gar answered. To be honest, he really didn't know what Dick planned to do with you. After growing up alongside Batman, it was drilled into him to be super cautious. He knew how to keep his identity safe and not let anyone know who he really was. Conner had ruined that pretty quick.

"My name's (Y//N), by the way," You told him, sticking your hand out for him to shake. Gar grinned and accepted it. For everything that just happened to you, you were taking it all pretty well. He expected you to freak out, or even something worse like faint again. "I guess if I am being kidnapped you should at least know who I is."

Gar pulled one of the chairs beside the bed to sit across from you. He started asking you questions about your life - what you did, what you liked to do in you spare time, things like that. It was nice talking with him. For a kid, he seemed like a very genuine guy. You wanted to ask about him, but considering his lifestyle, it didn't seem like a good idea.

It felt like hours that you were stuck in there, chatting away as the people outside that room tried to figure out just what to do with you. Finally, the man that saved you - Conner - and the one who ordered Gar to stay with you, came back in. The two other women that were with them earlier hadn't come back.

You smiled at them both, hoping that your kindness would lessen whatever sort of punishment they had coming for you. Conner looked flustered at your smile, proving Gar's theory even more.

"Superboy shouldn't have brought you here," The oldest one spoke. He looked familiar, and it took you a few moments to realize why. He was that kid in the circus - the one that's parents died in the middle of an act. The Flying Graysons - this must have been Dick. "We talked abo-"

"You're Dick Grayson!" You grinned. Excitement grew within you for meeting someone you idolized as a child. "I went to like four of your shows when I was a kid! Oh my god you and your family were like my heroes! We stopped at Haly's Circus for three weeks straight. You were the reason I joined gymnastics, I wanted to be like you!"

Dick looked taken aback by your sudden outburst, as did Gar and Conner. His shock turned to a smile, it was nice to see someone who remembered his time in the circus. It reminded him of his childhood, being back there - no responsibilities, no drama, just fun. What were the odds that Conner picked up one of his old fans?

Why was he here? What connection did he have to the Titans? The three men watched as the gears in your brain turned as you pieced everything together. Bruce Wayne took him in when he was a kid - right around the same time that Robin - another childhood hero of yours - showed up. Was he Robin?

No, the one on the news a couple months back was shorter, and had different hair. But the Robin that was in Gotham - the Robin that you looked up to - had the same acrobatic techniques as Dick had. "You're Robin," you looked over him, picturing him with a mask and green suit. "The old Robin. Which means... Bruce... Holy shit!"

"Wow you put that together a little too quickly," Gar looked impressed by your analytical skills. First guessing that he was the tiger, then Conner being related to Superman in someway, now Dick being Robin? You were good. "And you look angry," he looked over at his mentor. Dick's arms were crossed and his jaw tight. This little revelation just made things far more complicated.

"Oh I'm so fucked," You whispered to yourself. Knowing who Batman was? That was something that very few people knew about. You certainly weren't supposed to know and yet here you were. "I don't suppose you'll just believe me when I say I'm really good at keeping secrets and that I promise to never say anything?"

"I do, actually," Conner spoke for the first time since you had met him. The three of you looked at him in shock. This man didn't know you, he couldn't possible just believe your word like that. "I can hear your heartbeat, you weren't lying."

"So I can go?"

"No," Dick stopped you. "If I find out that you did tell anyone out secret, I will find you. Trust me, I'll be far more kinder to you than Batman." Conner could hear your heart rate once more. This time, it was erratic - you were scared. You gulped and nodded your head. The last thing you wanted to do was get on their bad side.

Dick gestured for you to follow him. You did, with Gar and Conner only a few steps behind the both of you. The apartment was massive, and beautiful. But if Bruce Wayne was funding it you expected nothing less. You didn't get to look at much before reaching an elevator. Dick pressed the button and the doors opened wide for you to walk in.

"You don't want my name? Address? Anything to track me down?" You asked.

"I've already got a file on you," Dick answered. You should have known that he would. If he was really Robin, he would have found out everything about you the second you were carried through those doors. "And if I really wanted to find you, it wouldn't be that hard. Just remember what I said."

"Right. Don't tell anyone or Batman will break my bones. Got it," you shuddered at the thought, walking into the elevator. "Nice meeting you all, I guess." You looked over at Conner, "Thanks for saving me, and uh, feel free to call me," you winked right before the doors closed. Gar was right, and he was cute.

Conner's face flushed red. They watched in the small screen as you went down. A smile grew on your face - it wasn't very often you were so forward like that. But hey, you weren't going to see him again so why not? Unless, he did actually call you - which was unlikely. Did heroes have romantic partners?

Conner looked over at his friends. Gar was giving him a thumbs up at the win and Dick was holding back a chuckle. None of them expected their evenings to go like that, but it sure was interesting to see it play out. You seemed like a nice person, and by the way that Conner could tell that you weren't lying, a trustworthy one as well.

"You have their number in that file, right?"

[andie-cake]

Hmm...

I think it would be interesting to flesh out Emma going to visit Jane (and see Tim, maybe for the first time if we’re staying in canon here) and learning that she’s gone. Maybe not terribly fluffy though, but fun dynamics with Tim and it could explain how she ended up staying with Tom and Tim for the borrowers AU?

In terms of fluff, sorry my brain doesn’t like fluff without some tinge of sadness, for HOHF, Emma and Paul fight [villain of your choice] and someone gets hurt and the aftermath of that. Alternatively, I’d love to know if Tim has the Nitro Gene and if so, if he joins his Aunt Emma and Uncle Paul in the field. That could be so cute! (Although, he could also join mission control or maybe make friends with another super if Hannah has powers as well? But that’s not Paulkins...) If you feel like picking up a family fluff piece, which is personally my favorite genre, lol, I’d love to see Paul and Emma as parents and if their child shows their powers early (since it’s not nitro gene specific from Paul, if it can be inherited, of course, and now I’m imaging Jack Jack from the incredible, lol) or for Harriet and Tex to come back and see their baby (oh that would be adorable because grandparent plants and you can imagine how proud they would be of Emma!) or to see how Slacky interacted with the baby. (I’m imagining a how a Golden Retriever interacts with babies now... 😂) Or, if you’d prefer to ignore children all together, Emma going back home and taking Paul to meet Harriet and Tex (meet the parents essentially). Well, I’m not sure if any of those ideas seem interesting, but if not, I hope they’re able to help get some fun ideas flowing. Have a lovely weekend! 😊

Okay, so... A lot of these are stuff that I want to explore in longer stories eventually, both the Borrowers AND the HoHF prompts. But you DID give me an idea for some HoHF family fluff between Emma and Tim!

"Here's that big project I was telling you about!"

Emma had been back in Hatchetfield for what, six, seven months now? And she'd long since made a name for herself as Wild Flower. She was respected, loved even, by the town that had once cast her aside. And what's more, she'd managed to connect with her nephew, who seemed to think she was cool despite her absence for most of his life! If it wasn't for the fact that Tim didn't know she was Wild Flower yet, she would've chalked it up to that.

After all, Tim loved superheroes. Understandable, considering his mother was one of the most revered supers in the country before she died. Being raised by someone like that was bound to give someone a deep respect for the career. And right now, Tim was showing Emma his most recent token of appreciation. A social studies project he'd done for school about superheroes around the world.

It was a large cardboard diagram, with a map of the world taped to it. Coming from a line pointing to each continent (barring Antarctica, because duh), was a photograph of a super that was native to said continent, accompanied by a short paragraph with information about them.

"Wooooow, you really know your supers, bud!" Emma mused as she scanned over the diagram, impressed.

Tim looked up at her with a bashful smile. "Thanks," he said, blushing. "Wanna hear more about each one?"

"Educate me!"

"Okay, so," Tim began excitedly, pointing to the super whose picture corresponded to Australia. A woman with long, blonde hair and a bright blue superhero getup. "That right there is Tidal Crash, she's an Australian super with the power to control water."

"Can she talk to sea creatures?" Emma asked, encouraging her nephew to continue.

"Yeah, telepathically," Tim replied. "She's like the cool version of Aquaman."

Emma snickered at Tim's snark. God, he was such a Perkins. He continued on, pointing to the picture next to Africa. A dark-skinned man with long dreadlocks and an award-winning smile, half his face covered by a deep purple mask.

"That's Radi ya Umeme," Tim continued to explain. "He's from Kenya, and his name is Swahili for 'Lightning Strike'. He can control the weather, but he's really good with lightning, hence the name. He's kinda like Madbolt in a way, only y'know, not evil."

Emma chuckled, remembering her most recent encounter with that old nutjob. Madbolt was a fascinating case, he'd been causing trouble for Hatchetfield since around the time Emma was born. Not even Jane had managed to land him behind bars. Tim continued, his finger landing on the South American picture. A man with dark, curly hair and deep brown eyes, clad in a black leather costume.

"That guy is Espalda con Púas, his name is Spanish for 'Spiked Back'," Tim said, talking as though he was still presenting the project to his teacher and classmates. "He's from Chile, and as his name would imply, he can grow spikes out of his back and sharpen his teeth and nails into fangs and claws!"

Emma nodded, urging him to continue. With an excited smile, Tim moved on to Asia, where a picture of a short-haired woman with a shining mask lay.

"That's Dá Quy, she's from South Vietnam," he continued. "Her name means 'Gemstone', and she can control different ores and minerals and stuff."

Tim moved on to Europe, where a picture of a woman with short brown hair and an elegant, but still practical costume lay.

"That's Lady Nighthawk, she's from England," he explained as Emma continued to listen intently. "She can talk to animals and harness their abilities to fight. She visits Hatchetfield once a year, too!"

"Right! I think I remember your mother telling me about meeting a 'Lady Nighthawk' before!" Emma exclaimed in recollection.

"Yeah, mom worked with a lot of supers," Tim mused fondly before moving on to the final picture, the one corresponding to North America. A grizzled man with long dirty-blonde hair and a decked-out suit. "And finally, there's Eagle Eye! He's an ex-military general who can shapeshift into a bald eagle! And he's got this awesome combat suit that he uses in human form! He's from Washington D.C., but just like Lady Nighthawk, he visits Hatchetfield sometimes!"

Emma smiled at the sight of the super who'd been acting as a mentor to her for the past week. During a rescue mission she'd nearly bungled, Eagle Eye- or John MacNamara as she'd learned his real name was, swooped in to lend a hand. He'd taken a shine to her, and offered to help coach her in the ways of being a superhero. Emma had been learning lots of valuable information off of John. But of course, there was no way Emma could tell Tim about-

"Speaking of, did you hear that he's been working with Wild Flower lately?"

Okay, nevermind! Emma froze, surprised by her nephew's casual mention of her alias. Was this a good time to tell him? Better test the waters to be sure...

"Oh yeah, Wild Flower!" she exclaimed, trying to play it cool. "I've, uh... been hearing lots about her lately!"

"Yeah, it's so weird!" Tim chuckled. "It's like she just came out of nowhere!"

Emma nervously drummed her fingers on the headboard of Tim's bed, where they'd been sitting for the past couple of minutes. Did he mean that in a good way or a bad way?

"She's awesome, though!" Tim continued, an excited sparkle in his eyes. Emma's heart began to race. "Her powers are so cool! I mean, she can summon that big flytrap thing! What was it's name again?"

"Slack-Jaw?" Emma replied, a barely-contained smile on her face.

"Right, Slack-Jaw!" Tim recalled. "And did you see her new costume? The green jacket with the cool logo on it?"

"Mhm!" Emma hummed in response, happily recalling the day she was presented that jacket at Town Hall. The mayor had recognized her feats of heroism, and had the jacket tailor-made for her to replace that ratty old, ill-fitting red leather jacket she'd bought from a Goodwill in a scrambled effort to make a good costume. It still needed some tweaks now, but the new jacket was an excellent start.

"And now that she's getting lessons from Eagle Eye, she's only gonna get better!" Tim gushed. "She's just so- Aunt Emma? What're you smiling so hard for?"

God, Emma couldn't keep this secret any longer. She had to tell him.

"I have a question for you, bud," she began, resisting the urge to just tell him outright. "Did your mom ever say anything about both her and me having the Nitro Gene?"

Tim's eyebrows shot up. "Oh yeah!" he exclaimed. "But she said that you didn't like talking about your powers, so she never told me what they were. I figured you still wouldn't wanna talk about them, so I never asked."

Emma's heart fluttered. What had she done to deserve such a considerate nephew? "You wanna take a guess?"

"O-okay, but why n-" Tim cut himself off, the gears clearly turning in his head. After a few moments, he turned to Emma with a look of awed realization on his face. "W-wait, Aunt Emma... Are you saying that you're...?"

"Wild Flower?" Emma finished, eyeing him cheekily. "You bet!"

A smile slowly blossomed onto Tim's face. "No way!" he exclaimed. "B-but mom always said you didn't wanna be a superhero!"

"Well, people change their minds sometimes!" Emma retorted. "And I decided to finally put my powers to good use once I came back home."

"Wow..." Tim gaped breathlessly.

"But I'm still your Aunt Emma, first and foremost!" Emma quickly clarified. "I'm still the same person, just y'know... with plant powers."

"O-of course!" Tim stammered, his mind looking certifiably blown. His face grew serious. "And don't worry, I won't tell anybody about your secret identity!"

Emma snickered, tousling her nephew's hair. "I appreciate it, bud," she said, pulling him into a hug. "...Want me to introduce you to Slack-Jaw?"

"...Maybe."

[quicksilversquared]

The Substitute Ladybug: Chapter 5

After Lila takes things too far and Marinette ends up with a broken leg, Paris is going to have to deal with a different superhero arrangement for a bit. Having to share her superhero identity with her parents before Hawkmoth can be defeated isn’t something that Marinette had planned on doing, but- well, it might end up being a bit of a blessing in disguise.

links in the reblog

"Why do you always put Sass away when you get Tikki back for the evening?" Mrs. Cheng asked curiously one evening as she and Marinette worked together to make dinner. "Surely it wouldn't be that hard to have both of them out, would it? They seem to get along just fine."

"Wearing more than one Miraculous tends to drain the energy out of whoever is wearing them," Marinette told her mom. It was still weird to be openly talking about the Miraculous like this, even two weeks after her leg broke, but Marinette was slowly getting used to it. Besides, despite how strange it felt, it was nice to be able to talk with someone besides Tikki about the Miraculous again. "I've done it before, of course. For only a couple hours is fine, but I don't want to risk slowing down how fast my leg heals at all."

Mrs. Cheng's eyes grew wide, and she stopped chopping up vegetables for their dinner, slowly setting the knife aside. "Oh, my. Yes, I can see where you maybe wouldn't mess with that."

"Marinette has worn over a dozen Miraculous at once before," Tikki said proudly, settling down on Marinette's shoulder next to Sass. "And handled it throughout an entire akuma fight! Most people would collapse and lose consciousness at once."

"Most people would collapse with far fewer Miraculous," Sass agreed. "It was really impressive!"

"That sounds dangerous," Mrs. Cheng fretted. "Who knows what that could do to your health in the long-term?"

Tikki giggled. "As long as our holders aren't multi-wielding long-term, it's fine! We give our holders enhanced healing abilities, since it's never good for them to be out of commission for long. So maybe people are tired in the short term, but they start healing as soon as they go back down to one Miraculous."

"And if they take on too many Miraculous and pass out?" Mrs. Cheng worried, glancing at Marinette. "And can't take the Miraculous off? Could the kwamis-?"

Sass shook his head. "No, not unless they had given us express permission before collapsing."

Mrs. Cheng looked even more worried. "Have- have people died from that before?"

"I was careful, mom!" Marinette protested, knowing what her mom was so worried about. After all, Master Fu had been concerned as well, and had insisted on checking in with her every day for a solid two weeks after the Kwami Buster fight. "Splitting myself with the Mouse Miraculous made the effects a lot more spread-out and easier to bear. And Master Fu was there when I put them on, he could have pulled off some Miraculous if I couldn't take it!"

"It's a sign of a strong spirit," Tikki said proudly. "I'm very proud of her."

"We are, too," Mr. Dupain boomed cheerfully, bursting into the room with a basket of leftover loaves of bread. "What exactly are we discussing here? Marinette, of course, but specifically?"

Marinette tried not to sigh as her mom and the kwamis filled her dad in. Her parents had always been proud of her, but now that they knew about her double life as Ladybug- well, they were impossibly more proud not and they weren't at all hesitant about showing it. That she was able to juggle even more than they had originally thought and still be managing as well as she had- well, they had been impressed.

"Papa, what's the bread for?" Marinette asked as soon as they had finished talking, eyeing the basket. It wasn't unusual for her dad to bring up a single loaf or a few buns for them to have with their dinner, but this was more than their usual amount unless they had company. "Are there people coming over?"

"No- oh, I forgot to tell you, dear, I'll be going out on a bit of a patrol with your partner this evening. Not late, since I need to stay on a baker's schedule, but if Hawkmoth is going to scale back to only harder attacks, I need to get in more practice." Her mom smiled. "And Chat Noir loves it when I bring snacks, of course. He's a growing boy who's getting plenty of exercise. Did you know, the last time I brought treats, he managed to identify what bakery I had gotten things from just by taste? I had made sure that I didn't bring anything that had our logo on it, but apparently he's familiar enough with the bakery that he can pick out our products just by tasting them!"

Marinette blanched. "Maman, what about secret identities?"

"I didn't say that we had made them, just that I brought treats and then he guessed where they were from. I'm being careful with secret identity stiff, dear. It's really more your partner who isn't, but- well, I won't share too much of what he's said." Her smile turned sad. "Not all of it would be mine to share, either."

Marinette blinked, considering that, then decided to push it out of her mind for now. She had known for a while that Chat Noir didn't have a great home life- he had never said anything specific, but there had been a good number of hints and offhand comments- but she didn't want to pry.

"That's very cool that he knew where you had gotten things," Tom said, nodding in approval. "A lot of people go 'oh, if it's just bread, there's no difference'-" he made a face "-but he must be one of those people who slows down and properly enjoys his food enough to pick up on what makes us different." He shot a sly look towards Marinette. "I don't suppose you've changed your stance on making Chat Noir our future son-in-law? Absence is meant to make the heart grow fonder, after all!"

Marinette promptly turned bright red. "Papa!"

"To be fair, Adrien also seems to really enjoy what we make in the bakery," Mrs. Cheng chimed in, only making Marinette's blush grow worse. "And what we cook at home, too."

"Ah, yes! That's a fair point." Her dad tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we should expand the range of things that you bring with you to share with Chat Noir. I know he liked the things we made for brunch, but he didn't gush like Adrien sometimes does."

Mrs. Cheng huffed. "Oh, the boy was just nervous and put on the spot! It's not fair to compare them, really, is it, Marinette?"

Marinette could only bury her face in her hands and groan, already looking forward to dinner being over and being able to escape this whole conversation by hiding in her room.

It was weird enough for her parents to know about her double life. For them to apparently be so shipping her- Ladybug-her- with Chat Noir...

Seriously, when had her life gotten so strange?

  Two and a half weeks into her superhero sidelining, Hawkmoth appeared alongside Mayura and both a sentimonster and an akuma. Marinette considered that, considered the odds, and then took the temporary chair lift they had installed- a rented one, courtesy of Lila's bank account- down to the bakery to fetch her dad. It was nearing the end of the day, so it wouldn't be hard for one of the back bakery workers to cover the counter for ten minutes- five for the superheroes to move on-site, five for the actual fight- and then Marinette could take over until her parents returned.

A Turtle Tom would be-well, no one in their right mind would want to cross him.

"I'm sending the Bee, too," Marinette told her dad, pressing a second box into his hands. "Chat Noir has done fusions before, he can handle it. Then you guys can take one fighter out in one shot and have it be three against three instead of three against four."

"And you don't just want a fourth fighter out there?" her dad asked. Marinette shook her head.

"It's too many people to keep track of. That, and- well, Queen Bee was Chloe, and she never should have been a Miraculous holder in the first place. I just went back to her because she had experience." She made a face. "But with the hissy fit she threw when Chat Noir and I told her no more- when she joined Hawkmoth for the day without being akumatized first- she ended up revealing almost all of our teammates' identities. So we're definitely not going back to her. And I don't want to have two completely new people out there at once."

"Solid logic," Mr. Dupain said cheerfully. "All right, I'll deliver the Bee to Chat. I'll see you- no, sorry, hear you out there?"

"Of course, papa!"

Marinette watched him leave- he was going to find an alleyway to transform in, since he would be a bit too noticeable leaving the bakery already transformed- then took the chair lift back up to her temporary room to transform, taking several deep breaths to steady herself as she did.

This was going to be the biggest fight that she had guided as Vipera. There were going to be a lot of moving parts to remember and keep track of, and that was pretty intimidating. The akuma and sentimonster were the biggest priorities- she knew from experience that once those were defeated, the supervillains tended to flee pretty fast- but she had to make sure that whoever was fighting Hawkmoth and Mayura stayed safe, too.

As soon as Vipera pulled out her lute to get set up, she could see her three teammates were out. Her dad was still moving, racing to catch up with Coccinelle and Chat Noir, who were clearly waiting for instruction. Vipera hastily pulled up her video feeds, doing her best to catch up on the situation as fast as she could. Soon enough, the news would break that the superheroes had been seen out and about and where they had last been spotted, and they would lose part of the element of surprise.

"Ah, nice choice on the Bee," Chat Noir said cheerfully as soon as Tanker arrived and handed over the box. There was a crackle of static as he transformed. "A very a-bee-ling choice."

Vipera groaned. "No."

"And I look un-bee-lievably handsome," Chat Noir continued, the smug grin clear in his voice. "In fact-"

There was a muddle of muffled words on the other end of the line and then mercifully, the puns stopped.

"Right, so use the Bee right away to take someone out," Chat Noir said after a moment. "Got it, my Lady. Are we ready?"

Vipera took a moment to breathe, falling into her normal state of- well, focus, but also connection with the Snake's powers. "Ready. They're moving south- if you can circle around to the north, you might be able to surprise them. Da- Tanker, maybe hang back a little. You're a little more. Uh. Noticeable."

Tanker laughed. "Okay. If you say so."

Onscreen- thankfully, Sass had been more than fine with accommodating her request for more screens, so that she could have multiple views plus a map of Paris with where her partners were all up at the same time- the akuma and a sentimonster raged on. Hawkmoth and Mayura were staying largely to the side, sometimes not even visible. Clearly they were banking on the superheroes not seeing them- or perhaps they were assuming that Ladybug was out of town and so the superheroes wouldn't have access to the backup Miraculous, so in turn it wouldn't matter if they knew about the supervillains being there. Coccinelle and Chat Noir would have to come out either way, after all.

The supervillains were going to regret that assumption soon enough. After all, the trio out in the field was carrying not one but two extra Miraculous with them in their initial push, something that rarely ever happened. Normally Ladybug ended up retreating to grab an extra Miraculous or two mid-battle, since she and her partner could generally handle the akuma battles themselves.

Hopefully it would give them a serious edge this time. It probably wouldn't be able to happen often, since Marinette was often at school when akumas attacked, but this one time everything just seemed to come together perfectly.

"Getting close," Chat Noir murmured in his earpiece. "And- oh! Sting!"

Vipera bit back her already? when she spotted her partner on-screen He had managed to sneak up on Mayura and, as she watched, slammed his trompo into her back. Mayura froze up with a cut-off squawk. Hawkmoth let out an angry yell, and Chat Noir was forced to dodge away from Mayura as the akuma of the day wildly shot beams of light in his direction. As soon as he had an opening, Hawkmoth dashed over to Mayura and grabbed her up, hauling her stiff body away over the rooftops as the akuma covered his escape.

Vipera blinked. Well. That was one way to kill two birds with one stone. Now they just had to finish up the fight with both the akuma and the sentimonster before Hawkmoth could stash Mayura somewhere out of the way and come back.

"I see the possessed item- it's the belt!" Coccinelle announced, peering over a rooftop. "Vipera, can you activate the timer? I want to know if our weapons and deflect those blasts, and that's the safest way to do it."

"Of course. In five, four, three, two, one- set." Vipera gave a sharp nod to herself as she set time zero. Onscreen, her teammates surged forward, weapons spinning or- in Tanker's case- simply held out in front of him. The akuma fired, and several seconds later, Vipera hastily reset.

"Okay, the weapons do deflect the beams, but then they reflect off wildly," she told them as the surge repeated. "Dodging is better, so you don't accidentally send the beams at each other!"

Chat Noir snorted out a laugh as he dodged straight into a roll. "Let me guess- last time, we did just that?"

"Yeah, two of you were taken out." Vipera winced at the memory. "That wouldn't have gone well- Chat, dodge left!"

With three on-site fighters and only the sentimonster and akuma to deal with, it only took a half-hour's worth of corrections to turn the battle into a four-minute smackdown. Most of those corrections had to do with stray reflected beams- those were just annoying to deal with, she didn't envy the superheroes out there- and because of that, most of her comments had to do with ducking at certain times.

"That was great," Chat Noir said cheerfully, once everything had been set to right with the Cure. "Really good job, my Lady. These fights are going so smoothly- or at least on our end they are. Did that take many tries?"

"Not really," Vipera told him. "Nothing awful, at least, and I really only had hints that were easy to remember this time." It really was sweet of him to worry. Her mom had mentioned more than once before how concerned Chat Noir was about her using Second Chance, and she could understand why. If the full five minutes- or almost full five minutes were reset again and again and again, that could add up to a lot of time, time that only she really remembered.

...somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if it would be considered abuse of the Miraculous if she used the Snake in the morning to snag a few more minutes of sleep after her alarm went off.

(It probably wouldn't work.)

"And really good job with that Sting first thing," Vipera added quickly. "That was smart thinking, taking Mayura out. I thought you would go for the akuma or the sentimonster, honestly, but what you did was much better."

She could imagine the small smile and the slight blush on Chat Noir's face as he murmured, "Thank you, my Lady."

Praise almost always made him strangely bashful, or at least when it was coming from her. It was pretty adorable, actually.

"I don't think I was really needed at all," Tanker commented with a booming laugh. "Better safe than sorry, though, I suppose, and it was an interesting experience to be able to jump from roof to roof. I don't think that I would want to do that on a regular basis, though."

Chat Noir laughed. "I'd say it grows on you, but I actually really enjoyed it from the start, so..."

"I want to be out running on the rooftops," Vipera said grumpily. It was funny, really- when she had very first started being Ladybug, she hadn't wanted anything more than to be back on solid ground as soon as possible, her feet solidly under her and not dressed in magical spandex. Now? "Or running at all. Crutches are getting old really fast."

"I'd offer to carry you on a piggyback loop around town, my Lady, but your parents have already forbidden it," Chat Noir told her. "Something about the jostling probably not being good for your leg?"

Vipera pouted, then sighed. Even with as antsy as she had been feeling, it wasn't worth risking injuring her leg further. Her parents were right. "I'll survive without it." Her Miraculous beeped again, and she added, "I have to go, but good job, everyone."

"And to you, too!" Chat Noir chirped again before her transformation finally gave out. Marinette grinned at Sass, handing him a treat before hauling herself out of bed and reaching for her crutches. She had to get downstairs and cover the counter fast, before her parents' employees started wondering about them.

As she did, though, her mind returned to the problem she had thought of earlier, before the fight really started. Today they had been lucky, and she had been at home to fetch the extra Miraculous. If she had been at school instead...

Well, maybe she could have called her mom up, but that depended on Mrs. Cheng not having left yet. Coccinelle could always turn around and go back to the house, of course, but... well, it was probably better if they minimized the number of times that Coccinelle returned to the bakery while transformed. The risk of someone seeing her...

Maybe that should be a last resort sort of thing.

Marinette frowned in thought. Really, she needed to be able to get to the Miraculous Box quickly, and then get whatever bonus Miraculous they needed to her teammates so that they could either double up or bring the Miraculous to a temporary holder. And that would be impossible-

-except it wasn't. After all, the Horse existed. She would have to charge up between portals, of course, and then her mom could bring the Miraculous back after the fight. All Marinette would have to do would be to always carry the Horse- in a super-safe spot, of course; even if Lila was no longer at the school, she didn't want to risk Chloe or Sabrina digging through her bag, or Alya accidentally stumbling on it- and she would be able to get back to her room right away.

Another bonus: not having to direct a fight from a random closet or study room. It would be much safer and more comfortable to sit at her desk.

It would probably be less risky if she made a secret pocket in her bag, maybe one protected by a small lock. Marinette could make that tomorrow, probably, and have it in place by Monday. Then she would really be ready for anything.

Marinette smiled to herself as she took over the bakery counter, her mind already whirring with ideas of how to install the pocket without it being obvious. She had fabric that would match the lining of her bag, so that was easy enough, but she would have to hide the stitching from the pocket on the outside of somehow. Maybe some applique flowers would be just the thing, a fun little touch to really make the backpack personalized while hiding the seam lines and distracting from any odd shapes in her bag. Add in some embroidered vines that would twist and turn between the flowers, and any odd seam stitches left visible would soon be forgotten. It would all have to be hand-stitched, since her sewing machine was upstairs and it would be difficult to use inside of the backpack anyway, but that was fine. The stitching would be even easier to hide that way.

Hopefully her parents would get back soon. Marinette was already itching to get upstairs and start sewing.

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

One of these days I’ll remember to crosspost all these chapters.  Anyway here’s Chat and Rena bonding

XXX

Adrien awoke to the sound of the shower running.  

“Nngh… Plagg?”  He mumbled, only to remember that he’d slept transformed.  Ladybug’s handmade masks were great, but his tended to slip off his face if he turned over in his sleep.  The last thing he wanted was for her to pay an early-morning visit and discover his identity.

Not that Ladybug ever visited their secret base in the mornings.  But he kept hoping anyway.

The water was still running.  Had the metal plate behind the colander come unlatched?  It was more reliable than the plunger they’d originally installed, but it could still be finicky.

He stretched before rolling off the couch.  If the shower had turned on by accident, he’d better fix it before all their water ran out.  Ladybug didn’t want to use Longg’s powers more often than necessary.

He shuffled over to the bathroom door and— 

“Hey, creep!  What’s your problem?”

Adrien jumped back and blinked, and his eyes finally focused on the orange fox hovering in front of his face.

“Trixx?”

“Duh.  Why are trying to barge in on my holder?  Didn’t anyone ever teach you to knock?”

“Wh—I didn’t know she was here,” he said honestly.  “What’s Rena doing here at” —he checked the clock on the microwave Carapace had bought— “five in the morning?”

“Plumbing maintenance at my apartment,” Rena’s voice filtered through the door over the sound of running water.  “Didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Er, uh—sorry!”  He backed away from the door and parked himself on the couch again.  Somehow he hadn’t thought through the implications of having a shower in the base.  Sure, he’d used it several times—but more often than not, he was the only one here.  It felt weird to be sharing the space with Rena Rouge, who he still didn’t know that well.  LIke suddenly getting a new roommate.

He’d never had a roommate before.

He shouldn’t complain—he’d come here because there was a chance he’d have company.  Even when he didn’t, the underground base felt more alive than his sterile apartment, with its grey-washed walls and decor supplied by his father’s new interior design line.  As if his living space was just another walk-in advertisement.

Besides, this was where he’d left his Switch.

“What are you doing here, anyway?”  Trixx asked, spinning circles around Adrien’s head.  “You homeless or something?”

“What?  No.”  He shook his head, trying to get rid of the dizziness.

“Huh.  Rena and Ladybug think you are.  Since you’re always here.”

His cheeks flushed.  They’d talked about him?  It was almost sweet that they worried.

“Plus, you’re always buying fancy stuff, like your video games, and the expensive take out boxes you always leave in the trash, and the shampoo that smells like roses—”

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

“—I mean, it would make sense, if you blew all your money and ended up on the streets.  Or under them, I guess.”  Trixx shrugged.

The kwami had a point.  Maybe Adrien should curtail his spending if he didn’t want to give away his identity.

“It’s nothing like that.  I just get take out a lot because I’m not much of a cook.”

“Finally, something the amazing Chat Noir is bad at.”  The door opened, revealing Rena Rouge in ripped jeans and a denim jacket with an Anansi logo sewn over the shoulder.  Huh.  He’d never pegged her as an MMA fan.  Her hair was still wrapped up in a black towel, but she’d slipped her mask on over it.

“I keep meaning to learn,” he said.  

Marinette would probably be willing to teach him, but she was always busy with classes or projects.  Nino had practically called him a lost cause after he’d managed to burn a grilled cheese.  He knew Alya was an amazing cook, but he worried a little about how incompetent he’d look next to her.

“Then today’s your lucky day.”  Rena smiled, spinning a spatula around her finger.

“You—you’d do that?”  Adrien perched on his knees, crossing his arms over the back of the couch.

“Why not?  You’re afraid you’ll burn the base down?”

He probably wouldn’t.  At least the walls were solid stone, and there weren’t any maids who would report his mess to his father.

“That face isn’t very reassuring,” Trixx said.

“Don’t worry, he’ll do fine.”  Rena yanked him up by his arm.  “Trixx, will you plug in the griddle?”

“Aye-aye, Captain Rouge!”  The kwami saluted and connected the hot plate to the extension cord.

Rena grinned.  “Arrrg, excellent job first mate Trixx!  Now, hoist the cooking spray!”

Trixx searched the shelf and pulled out the metal canister.  He popped off the lid, which went rolling off across the floor.  Rena picked it up and put it on the kwami’s head like a little hat, and they both laughed together.

Adrien found himself smiling too.  He and Ladybug had definitely made the right choice in letting her keep her miraculous full-time.

“Alright, swashbuckler Chat.  Your turn at the helm.”  Rena Rouge positioned him in front of the griddle, then sprayed down the surface.

“What?  Already?”  His eyes widened.

“No better way to learn than by sailing straight into the cannons.”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure there’s a lot better ways to learn.  Ways that don’t involve getting exploded.”  He didn’t even know how to work a griddle.  There was a knob on the side with numbers.  A temperature gauge?  And there was some kind of tray sticking out of the bottom.  He didn’t have a clue what that was for.

“Just don’t Cataclysm anything and you’ll be fine.”  Rena patted his arm.  She grabbed a carton of eggs from the polka-dotted fridge and set them on the counter.  A bowl and a whisk joined it; she really had stocked the whole kitchen.  All he’d contributed was some blackberry ice cream, which he ate straight out of the carton.

“Alright.  No Cat—”

She slapped her hand over his mouth.  “Don’t say it!”

“Right, right.  My bad.”  He blushed.  He really was a disaster.  Good thing Ladybug wasn’t here to see him like this—not that she’d be surprised.

Rena shook her head with a chuckle.  “I can’t believe I ever thought you and Ladybug were cool.”

“Hey!  Ladybug’s very cool.”  He put his hands on his hips.

“Okay, Ladybug’s still cool.  But admit it.  You’re both just big doofuses under those masks.”  She poked his nose, at the spot where his mask met skin.

“Joke’s on you.  We’re doofuses even with the masks.”

She laughed.  “Fair enough.  It’s comforting, though.”  She cracked an egg into the bowl.  Why she was putting it there and not on the hot surface, he didn’t know.  “I’m just a normal girl outside of the mask.  It’s nice to know you guys are the same way.”

“I can’t say I’m a normal girl, but I get what you mean.”  He grinned.  “It’s funny.  Carapace told me the same thing.  I guess we lose some of our mysterious appeal when you look too closely, but… I like that.”

“Really?”  She cracked another egg, then washed her hands under the tap he and Ladybug had set up.  

“Yeah.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I want people to trust us.  But sometimes people expect too much if they don’t see our flaws, too.”

She pressed a whisk and the bowl of eggs into his hands.  “Stir.”

He nodded.

“That makes sense,” she said in response to his earlier comment.  “Illusions can be useful, but they don’t hold up under pressure.”

“Exactly.”  He stirred the eggs.  Not fast enough; Rena took his hand and demonstrated how to beat the yolks to a runny mixture.

“Cheese, milk, and bacon bits, First mate Trixx.”

“Arggg,” he said, disappearing into the fridge.

“You do like cheese and bacon, right?”  Rena asked Adrien.

He smiled.  “Who doesn’t?”

Once Trixx delivered the ingredients, they mixed them into the egg goop.  It looked pretty gross, like a soup gone wrong.  But Rena instructed him to dump it on the griddle anyway.

The mixture sizzled on impact.  Man, that smelled way better than it looked.

“We’ll flip it in about a minute or two.  Omelettes cook pretty fast.”

He stared at the eggs as they slowly turned from translucent yellow to opaque white.  It was soothing, watching tiny bubbles pop as the change took place.  Why had he been so nervous about cooking again?

“This really is your first time making eggs, huh,” Rena commented. 

“That obvious?”  He blushed a little.  “It’s pretty much my first time making anything.”

“You sure you aren’t homeless?”  Trixx asked, poking his stomach.  “You look like you eat enough.  But every kit should know how to feed himself.”

Adrien’s ears and tail drooped.  He really should know.  If he ever wanted to cut ties with his father and his company, he’d need to live more frugally.

“Don’t give him such a hard time.  There’s a first time for everything.”  Rena brushed Trixx aside, then handed Adrien a spatula.  “Here.  Flip the omelette.”

She said it like an order, but she was smiling.  He thought he could hear the message hidden behind the words: I’m not going to judge you.  I know you can do it.

After living under the weight of his father’s doubts, it was a breath of fresh air.

“Thanks.”  He smiled.

(It wasn’t just for the spatula.)

XXX

“So, you spend the night here a lot?”  Rena asked as they ate their breakfast.  She’d taken off her hair towel, and it hung on the back of her chair to dry.

He shrugged.  “Not too often.”

By that, he meant he slept over five nights out of the week rather than all seven.  Nathalie still came to check on him every Tuesday, and Thursday evenings were spent with his old bodyguard.

“How’d you learn to cook like this?”  He asked to change the subject.  The omelette was light and fluffy in his mouth, with just the right amounts of salt, pepper, and cheese.  And it had only taken them around five minutes.

“My mom’s a pretty amazing cook.  She had me flipping omelettes before I learned how to walk.”

Adrien tried to keep the wistful look from his face.  His mom had always had chefs to cook for them, even before she disappeared.  If he’d ever asked, would she have had recipes to share with him?  Maybe Aunt Amelie would know.

“This was fun.  Makes up for how sucky my morning started, at least a little bit.”  Rena smiled, cleaning the rest of her plate.  She took Trixx’s too; she’d placed the kwami’s breakfast on a little saucer.

Adrien still wasn’t done—he’d wanted to savor the first (edible) food he’d cooked himself. 

“I’m sorry you had a rough morning,” he said.  “Anything I can do to help?”

“You can do the dishes, catboy.”  She winked and slung her bulky purse over her shoulder.  “I’ve got to hit the road.  Can’t miss the sunrise, or I’ll have gotten up this early for nothing.”

“Sunrise?”

“For my photography portfolio.  Nice shots of superheroes are one thing, but but I’ve gotta have a little bit of diversity.”

“I didn’t know you did photography,” He said. Of course, there was a lot he didn’t know about the other heroes.  “You should get some of your photos developed.  I bet they’d make this place a lot brighter.”

“Not a bad idea.  This place could use some livening up.”

She smiled at him over her shoulder before calling out, “Trixx, let’s pounce!”

Orange light washed over her, replacing her outfit but leaving her purse and fake mask.  She hung the mask back on its hook before pushing open the door.

“And Chat Noir?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re here for you.  Me, Ladybug, Carapace—if you ever need anything, you call us, alright?”

She might have phrased it as a question, but her eyes said it was an order.  It felt… weird, having someone other than Ladybug worrying about him.

But he could get used to weird.

He smiled.  “Alright.”

Maybe they didn’t need photos after all.  The room already felt a little brighter.

[optimistic-violinist]

2. Band Names and Personality Differences

A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back to the CALM Band!AU. So this is the second story chronologically! The first one can be found here, one shot can be found here, and the fic that started it all here! Thanks so much for reading and for your kind comments! As always, enjoy!

Word count: ~2500

Warnings: none

Also I can't get Keep Readings to work so I'm very sorry for the long post!

Logan double checked the address on his phone and glanced back at the building. Yes, this was the place. It had taken about two weeks for them to find a time where their schedules aligned and Patton had invited them over for a song writing session at his place. It was a nice apartment building, close to downtown, but not over the top.

Shrugging, Logan entered the building. He had sent Patton a text and a moment later, was buzzed in, where he then proceeded to the fifth floor.

“Hey Logan!” Patton called from the kitchen. “Come in and make yourself comfortable, I’m just finishing up.”

“Thank you.” The music producer hung his coat up and slipped off his shoes before fully entering the apartment.

It was lovely, homey place. The front hallway led to a spacious living room decked out in blue and white with huge windows overlooking the city. A keyboard, guitar, bass, mic, and music stand were set up against the wall facing the couch and coffee table. To his right was the kitchen, separated from the living room by a bar counter. Patton was just pulling a sheet of cookies out of the oven.

“I didn’t know everyone’s favorite, so I made a couple different types.”

“That’s very kind of you Patton. You didn’t have to go to all that trouble.”

Patton just shrugged, a pleased, if somewhat shy smile on his face. “I like baking, so it was no problem.”

Logan sat on the couch, perched on the edge of it, trying to look comfortable, but absolutely failing at it. He was looking around, just kind of taking it all in, when the doorbell buzzed.

“Hello? Patton-cake, are you home?”

“Oh!” Patton quickly ran over to the PA. “My neighbor,” he quickly explained. “Hi Mrs. Foster.”

“Hi dear! Could you help me with my groceries? I think we can get them all in one load if you helped.”

“For sure! I’ll be right down.” He turned to Logan. “I’m sorry, but she just had hip surgery recently, and, anyways, this’ll be really quick! I’ll be right back.”

He was out the door before Logan could reply. Alright then. The music producer looked around and stood to go inspect the instruments.

The guitar was baby blue and obviously well loved. Logan had done some research on his fellow compatriots and knew that Patton had been playing ever since he was a kid. The bass looked newer as did the keyboard. There was a box of sheet music tucked underneath. A quick rifle through revealed loose sheet music of random pop songs, and beginner’s Disney, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Star Wars books. Patton seemed to dabble in piano at least.

Glancing at the door to make sure Patton hadn’t returned, he got up and pressed the power button and pressed a couple keys. Hm. Not a bad keyboard.

Logan shifted to be more directly in front of the keyboard and played a chord. His hands shifted and he began to improvise- he’d had a tune stuck in his head earlier and built off of that.

Logan loved piano. It had been his first instrument and he had never given it up, even when he got into electronic music and DJing. He loved that too, but he loved how logical and expressive the piano could be.

Hand over hand, he finished with a scale that ran the length of the keyboard and was left echoing, a pleasant resolution to the melody. He nodded in satisfaction and turned around only to nearly stumble back.

“Well don’t stop there,” Virgil said.

The other three were all sitting on the couch, Patton on the edge of his seat, Roman looking attentive, and Virgil actually looking at ease for once, guitar case leaning against the couch. Logan could feel a hot flush creeping up his cheeks.

“Logan that was so good!” Patton squeed.

“I say, you’ve been holding out on us! That was amazing!”

“Yes, well,” Logan cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. “Ah, thank you, I suppose.”

“How long have you been playing?” Patton asked.

“Well, my whole life practically.”

“What song was that?” Roman asked as Patton got up to grab a cookie (or two) and a notebook.

“Oh, it, uh, doesn’t have a name. It was inspired by Rewrite the Stars, but I just kind of… made it up as I went.”

“We’re using it!” Roman yelled, jumping up. “That’s the melody of our first song and Logan’s going to play the piano for it.”

“Only if he wants to,” Virgil cut in. Logan made grateful eye contact, but now he was thinking.

“I suppose it makes sense. If we are trying to keep our identities a secret, then no one would suspect me of being the keyboard artist. Or of Patton being the bassist for that matter.”

“Being the basis of what?” Patton joked, settling down on the floor near Virgil. “Anyhoo, I’ve got my notebook and I’ve been working on some lyrics and I think they’d go really well with your melody, Logan.”

Virgil leaned over and pulled his electric guitar out of its case along with a mini amp and played an experimental riff. “Logan, you want to play that again?”

Logan nodded and played the same experimental starting cord, followed by another, before starting into the melody.

“Starting off alone, can make the road seem pretty long,

“Going, going, going, and before too long, you’re gone.”

Roman scooted over to join Patton on the floor, reading over his shoulder. Virgil joined in, rounding out the sound with some supportive chords.

“Thinking no one understands. No one can relate.

“You hope you don’t lose yourself, caught in a stalemate.”

“Calm down,” Patton sang. “You’re doing just fine. You’ve got others by your side!”

“Calm down,” Roman echoed. “It’ll be alright. Just keep on going, that’s how you’ll find the light!”

“When troubles come and things all change,” they sang together. “Calm down. You’re gonna be, you’re gonna be, gonna be alright.”

Logan took off, running through scales and complicated melodies, backing off to allow Virgil to knock out some impressive rifts.

“That’s all I’ve got so far,” Patton admitted.

“I love it,” Roman announced as the others trailed off and nodded supportively. Roman pulled out his phone and opened a note. “I came up with some lyrics myself. Could we somehow put them together?”

“We can always try!” Patton announced.

Two hours later, personality differences had become clear and, while they had their first song nearly done, and the lyrics for another one started, Patton called for an enforced cookie break, putting himself between Logan and Roman, who were trying not to fume, and Virgil sat on the bar counter, looking annoyed, trying hard to not quit then and there.

“I’m just saying-“

“Logan, shush. It’s cookie time.”

“I just don’t understand-“

“Roman. Eat your cookie.”

“Yes, Dad.” Roman muttered and munched on his cookie. Virgil snorted.

“These are really good Patton.”

“I’m glad you like them! And there’s plenty more, so help yourselves. Just don’t get a stomach ache!”

He really is like a dad, Virgil thought, swiping two more cookies. “Y’know,” he mused. “We still need a band name.”

“I’ve been thinking about that!” Roman cried. “What do you guys think of Dreamers Come True?”

Virgil gave a hmm of disapproval that accompanied Logan’s confused look.

“I don’t think so,” the producer said. “We need something more straight forward. Perhaps… Variety? Or Farrago?”

“Boring!” Roman moaned.

“Come on now Logan, we aren’t opera singers,” Patton joked.

Logan stared at him confusedly. “You realize ‘farrago’ is not Italian in origin. It does stem from Latin though, so I could see how you-“

“It’s a joke Pocket Protector.”

Patton seemed to sense things were heating up again. “Calm down guys.” Virgil spoke over them, before they could start arguing again.

“Maybe that should be our name,” he smirked. “Calm Down. We’ve said it enough today. And it is in one of our songs.”

Surprisingly, the others actually considered it.

“We should also probably have codenames,” Logan mused. “Calm is a four letter word and there are four of us. It would not be hard to make it an acronym.”

Patton immediately jumped in. “You could be Logic! ‘Cuz it kind of goes along with your DJ name and it starts with L and you’re the smart one in the group!” The others looked like they wanted to protest that last statement, then thought about it and realized he was right.

“And Roman, you could be Creativity since this was your idea in the first place! And your lyrics are really good.”

“I will admit, it has a nice ring to it,” Roman mused. “What about you two?”

Virgil raised his hand. “Just call me Anxiety. It’s how I feel 90% of the time anyway.”

Virgil caught Patton looking like he wanted to say something, but stopped. Instead he said, “So that leaves me with M.”

“Mom! You made us cookies.”

“No,” Logan said, shaking his head, Patton looking grateful. “Remember, people will be calling us these names.”

“What about… Morality?” Patton suggested. “I know it’s kinda weird, but-”

“I like it. It suits you somehow,” Roman said.

“You are the common sense in this group after all,” Virgil agreed.  Again the others looked like they would protest, then realized there was no use. “So is this, like, official?”

“CALM it is!” Roman declared. The others nodded.

“Sweet. I’ve got to get going, but thanks again Patton. This was… fun, I guess.”

The others bid their farewells as Virgil left and the others left soon after as well. Roman’s head was buzzing as he- or, well, his driver- drove away, and he pulled up a drawing app on his phone. After all, they would need a logo and as Creativity, he figured he could get a head start.

Taglist: @celestial-firestorm @oddball-wqri @fioxypurr @kaytikitty @purplesoul-at-hogwarts @stop-it-anxiety ((I added you cuz you said you like to be tagged in things ok byeeee))

[dyketectivecomics]

Guess who has two thumbs and cant wait to finish things before publishing them!!!!!!!!

(just a preview for the Night Force fic that I keep talking about and never actually get around to finishing apparently)

...

While Zachary held nothing but love and respect for his cousin in his heart, he was starting to become every bit annoyed with her as she lingered in Shadowcrest’s foyer. As she pulled sticky notes from her hat, he did his best to indulge her, taking them each carefully from her, only half-listening as she gave him reminders to go along with each note.

“-and Mikey’s helped me make arrangements for Sasha, but the rabbits in the West Wing will be your responsibility, Zach,” she repeated as she handed the last sticky note and adjusted her bowtie immediately after. “As will the rest of Shadowcrest. This space mission shouldn’t last longer than the weekend, but please remember to-”

“Relax, Zee. I’m the pinnacle of responsibility.“

“That is what has me worried,” she grumbled, fixing her top hat so it rested perfectly atop her head. “OT EHT REWOTHCTAW.” A portal opened in swirling shades of blue and violet, and just before the magician stepped through, she turned one last time to her cousin, her voice having just a hint of a threat of violence. “And no parties.”

And with that final word, the magician disappeared.

With a flourish, Zach tucked all of the notes up one sleeve and pulled out carefully signed envelopes out of the other, double checking the names on each as he flipped through them. When satisfied, he held them aloft, cleared his throat, and chanted a simple spell to send them on their way.

“REVILED SETIVNI OT YM STSEUG.”

And just as soon as they disappeared in a flash of light, he pulled up the sticky notes once more and turned from the foyer to make preparations. He made sure to properly dispose of the notes in a bin around the corner.

…

More than anything, she wanted one dinner, one last semblance of the order she had from before. Just one ritual untouched by the magic and mysticism and mortal peril she faced when outside of the Williams’ home. Idle chit-chat and polite interruptions over mundane things were a welcome pace.

Normalcy. Something so sweet and now so sacred. Something she had been so severely lacking with the latest fantastical adventure that Baron Winters had dragged her unwillingly into.

And for just a few minutes, it seemed as if she may just have it.

But all too soon, Raven found herself sighing in annoyance when she recognized the ostentatious calligraphy that adorned the envelope as it popped into existence and fell right onto her dinner.

Of course Zatara would find a way to contact her at such an inopportune time.

She’d just revealed her biggest secret to her family days ago, by sharing her secret identity and almost all that it entailed after that disastrous first mission with Winters’ so-called new Night Force. She’d only just regained her teachers’ trust, after her aunt and uncle had stepped in to cover for the unfortunate mess she’d caused. She’d just been settling into that old routine that had seemed another lifetime ago.

And now Zatara was about to compromise all of that again for…

She wrinkled her nose, vexed as she read further through the card.

He was inviting her to some, so-called, exclusive house party?

She scoffed at the thought, folding the invite over and setting it aside. She only got a few more bites of green beans in, before she could sense everyone’s eyes on her. A gentle thrum of curiosity, with opposing hints of excitement and nervousness.

“Is that from one of your, um, Titan friends, honey?” Alice asked delicately, breaking the tension that had formed around the table. Always leave it to Aunt Alice, to cut right to talking about elephants in rooms.

“It is only Zatara, being a nuisance,” Raven explained, waving a dismissive hand as she picked at her food with her fork. She started to wonder where her appetite went as she felt another thrum of excitement around the table then.

“Wait, like, Zatanna Zatara?” Mary-Beth asked with a gleam in her eyes, “So her magic is all real, like yours?”

“Not quite like mine,” Raven found herself correcting, and winced a bit as she realized she failed to keep the venom out of her voice. “And also not from her. She has a cousin. Zachary. Much less talented, and much more annoying.” She paused a moment, sensing the growing curiosity that hung in the air, answering the unasked question.

“He has invited me and our… mutual acquaintances to a party this weekend. But I do not think-”

“You should go,” Jack said between bites, carefully swallowing before continuing. “It’s good for a growing teen, to be around other people that share your interests, even when you don’t always get along with them.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Uncle Jack, but I already have friends-”

“But not friends that are… magic,” he pointed again with his fork, a sly smile forming on his face, “Besides, I don’t remember you telling us you had any other plans this weekend.”

“It is clear across the country-”

“Rach- Raven,” Alice said, catching herself, “If you keep finding excuses for why you couldn’t, you’ll never see the reason why you should.”

“That’s deep, Mom, where’d ya get that from?” Mary-Beth laughed, and soon the discussion derailed back into mundanity.

And as the conversation drifted, Raven wondered if spending the weekend just outside of Gotham with her fellow Night Force members would be such a bad thing after all. She certainly didn’t know them well enough to develop any strong feelings, positive or negative, towards them.

And Uncle Jack had made a good point, about her not having plans in the first place…

…

Shadowcrest was exactly how she had imagined it. Victorian gothic architecture that matched every other estate in the countryside. If pushing just past Gotham City’s limits could be considered countryside, that is.

Unlike many of those estates, which had fallen into vacancy and disrepair over the years, Shadowcrest stood tall and proud. The roofline looked as if it had just been patched in, the paint as vibrant as the day it first touched the paneling, and the whole building absolutely hummed with energy. A magical building, indeed, and one that had Raven pausing at it’s doorbell as she lifted her hand to buzz herself in.

She cursed her momentary hesitancy under breath before pressing the bell with a tad more force than necessary, rolling her eyes as “Abracadabra” could be heard playing throughout the manor.

‘Leave it to the stage magicians to have a sense of humor,’ she thought idly.

When Zach opened the door, he looked as if he were trying to keep the surprise off his face. Certainly, it wasn’t often that a Teen Titan darkened his doorstep, in civilian clothing no less! But he couldn’t seem to help himself as his eyes traveled over her body to take in her outfit.

The yellow sundress was a shock, but not at all unflattering on the teen empath, sported with tan flats and a jean jacket that was her only protection against the first chilling winds of autumn. An outfit much more telling of her point of departure, from sunny San Francisco, than her current destination, in the dreary American Northeast.

“So, she doesn’t dress like she’s ready to attend a mid-2000s Fallout Boy concert, like the rest of us,” he noted, a smirk beginning to grow on his face. Raven made her own mental note of his comment as she took in Zach’s own outfit for the evening. He had evidently ditched the tophat and tails for more comfortable jeans with strategically placed holes, and a shirt sporting a band’s logo that she couldn’t immediately place.

“I am only here because I am curious about your library, Zatara,” she said carefully as she pushed past the boy, “Let’s not make this any more difficult that it needs to be.”

“Only you would see an invite to an exclusive party, and have eyes solely for the library,” a voice called lazily from the next room over, making Raven pause as she changed her direction towards it.

To the left of that oh-so-grand foyer that hinted around a more timeless design, was a classically victorian-style tea room, where the rest of their teammates had evidently made themselves at home, much to Zach’s very tangible frustration.

Raven could practically taste the mingling emotions in the air, wafts of annoyance and hints of glee. And once again, that common, nearly electric undercurrent of excitement and anticipation. The room was like a powder keg with so many players ready to go. She wondered idly how the others must have felt, with so much energy once again in the air.

Klarion was placed the furthest away, draped lazily along an armchair with his legs hanging off the side. He gave the empath a quick nod before turning back to the tablet in his lap, hands glowing in time as he appeared to be mixing and experimenting with how the tech was adapting to his magic.

On the loveseat, Traci was engrossed in her own conversation with Kid Devil, who Raven recognized only from brief encounters before this whole mess with Winters had begun. Eddie Bloomberg had only just run into these powers of his not too long ago, after all. The pair briefly acknowledged the empath before returning to their conversation, Eddie’s hands becoming more animated as Traci laughed along with his antics.

Which only left the final two players in the room, Skye Harper, who was making herself comfortably at home lounging on a summoned bean bag chair that clashed horribly with the rest of the decor, and Black Alice, sitting in the only other armchair in the room. And apparently making backhanded comments, as always.

“Guys, the coasters. Please,” Zach groaned as he snapped his fingers to hide his mumbling as he summoned more. Klarion’s feisty feline had taken most of the mats, playing or otherwise tearing them apart, as pets are wont to do.

He grabbed Teekl by the cat’s scruffy neck to berate it. “No more chewing on these ones, got it?” The cat only gave him a hiss, swatting and missing as the magician dropped it. It bounced happily into Klarion’s arms as the pair gave the magician a glare.

“At least now the party can really start,” Alice continued, stretching her arms over her head in boredom. “Demons make everything much more interesting-”

“Half-demon,” the empath found herself snapping. It couldn’t be helped, however, with how the room had shifted. That peculiar lilt the power-snatcher used just then, made her skin crawl. She couldn’t stand to let that feeling. “And how do you know that I am here to start the party? Maybe I will end it before it even begins.”

“Told you she’d be a narc,” Eddie laughed. “Everyone knows she and Za-”

With a piercing ring, Zachary’s phone chimed off, alarm magically charmed to stop all thought except what the reminder was set to. A spell that was little overdone, as Raven could feel a mild headache making it’s home right between her eyes. She didn’t need to guess, much less imagine, what everyone else must have been feeling.

“Ugh, the popcorn!” Zach groaned, “Okay, everyone stay right here, I’ll be back with the flicks and everything and then we can get this started! OT EHT NEHCTIK.”

Immediately after the magician had completely disappeared, Klarion was on his feet, heading out of the very same doorway Raven had entered from.

“You guys can stay if you want, Teekl and I are going to explore,” he declared lazily over his shoulder, heading right for the stairs.

“I don’t think Zach would appreciate that,” Skye started hesitantly, but before she could protest any further, the other teen mystics were out of their seats and similarly following suit.

“I’m going to search for blackmail material,” Alice laughed. Traci shrugged her shoulders, following close behind with a rebuttal of, “I don’t completely condone it, but I’m in.”

Eddie declared himself Klarion’s unofficial shadow and the two were off in the blink of an eye, disappearing around a corner before anyone could ask what destination they had in mind.

This left Raven to sigh wearily, recognizing Skye’s growing anxiety and knowing she would be helpless to stop the others. She was damned regardless, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from fulfilling her promise to find Shadowcrest’s library and discover its secrets for herself.

“I could use the company-” Before she even finished the thought, the Wind Elemental was at her side, her face was split into a wide grin as she grabbed the empath’s hand, leading her down the East corridor.

“I’m pretty sure Zach said the library would be this way!” she said.

A minute later, in the now empty tea room, the magician reappeared with popcorn and movies in hand.

He let out a low curse as he realized the mistake that had been made, all too late to avoid its consequences.

[stories-by-jane-holmes]

A Chance In Time

Written by Jane Holmes

Hello! This is my first ever fan fiction and first post here on Tumblr. This is a story I wrote about two sisters thrown into an alternate reality where some of our most beloved Marvel characters are real. I hope you enjoy! I will be posting each part every Wednesday until it is complete. This is all new to me so any advice would be appreciated.

Part 1 of 12

Word Count: 2,078

Warnings: Some mild violence later in the series.

*Spoilers* If you haven’t seen all the Marvel movies and don’t want anything spoiled, don’t read this.

“Come on Sonora, give it back!” Hope reached for the emerald necklace Sonora held above her head. Sonora jerked it further up and away from her sister. “This isn’t funny.” Hope scowled at her sister. Even though Sonora was younger by more than ten years from her, she was quite a bit taller. “Oh, alright. Good grief, you need to learn to have fun more often.” Sonora rolled her brown eyes. “What you call fun isn’t fun.” Hope snatched the necklace with the single emerald from her sister’s grip. “Well, you used to be fun. But you’ve changed. And it’s not for the good.” Sonora stomped off to her bedroom and slammed the door. Hope felt regret settle in the pit of her stomach as soon as her sister had left. Sonora was right, she had changed. She went outside and walked to her favorite tree. A large maple tree near the top of her family’s property. It was nestled between two other trees, the ground soft with moss and new grass. Sitting on the soft moss she leaned her back against the tree and held up the necklace. It wasn’t like the necklace was a priceless heirloom. She had found it in a thrift shop just yesterday. Its’ gaudy gold clasp held a vibrant green emerald. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. She frowned as Sonora approached her. She didn’t mean to argue with her sister. Sometimes it just happened. “Hey.” Sonora plopped next to Hope by the tree. “Hey,” Hope mumbled back. “I’m sorry.” “Me too.” They sat for a few moments in silence, the breeze stirring the leaves above them. “It is a pretty necklace… in its own way, I guess.” Sonora looked at the necklace in Hope’s hands. “Can I see it closer?” “Sure.” Hope handed Sonora the necklace. Holding it up Sonora inspected it. “You know what it reminds me of? The time stone from those Marvel movies we used to obsess over.” “Huh, I guess I never thought of that. It’s been forever since I thought of those movies.” “Riiight.” Sonora laughed. “Like what… yesterday?” “Used to obsess over? Come on, just because we haven’t watched one in a month doesn’t mean we aren’t still obsessed.” Hope laughed. “Sometimes… sometimes I wish the characters were real. Could you imagine meeting Iron Man? Or Captain America?” Sonora sighed. “Or Spider-Man?” Hope nudged her sister and they laughed. “Yeah, well no use in dreaming about something that can’t ever happen.” Sonora held the necklace up for Hope to take back. Hope grasped the necklace. A faint glow started in the emerald got brighter. “Sonora, do you see that?” “Mmhmm.” Hope and Sonora watched as the stone covered them in bright light until they closed their eyes. Everything around them went dark. “What… what just happened?” Sonora’s voice shook. “I… have no idea. But Sonora… I don’t think we are at home anymore.” Hope’s hand shook with terror. Sonora let go of the necklace. “There’s a light… under what looks like… a door?” Sonora crawled to the door and stood up, feeling for the handle. Once her hand felt the cold smooth metal of the handle she slowly opened it. “Hope, get over here.” “What?” Hope crawled over to her sister and stood. Sonora opened the door a little bit wider and gasped. The two sisters peered out to what looked like a mansion. Glancing behind them they were in a janitor's closet of some sort. Sonora stepped out, glancing around. “Sonora! What are you doing?” Hope whispered loudly. “This place seems vaguely familiar. Like a dream…” Sonora started walking down the hall, where it opened up to the rest of the house. Hope sighed and went after her sister but ran into her when she stopped abruptly. “There you two are!” A loud voice called to them from their right. Turning to see who was talking, Sonora gasped. “We have been looking all over for you two. Come on, we need to get going.” He said. “You’re… you’re…” Sonora stuttered. “Tony Stark?” Hope whispered. “Yeah, who else would I be?” He laughed. “Are you guys okay?” He watched them curiously. Hope and Sonora didn’t say a word and only stared at him. “Did Pepper not tell you the plan?” He looked at his watch. “Pepper?” Hope spoke up. “Yes, Pepper, your aunt. Come on you two. You are acting strange. And we already have a doctor for that.” Hope laughed and covered her mouth. “Ah, there’s a glimpse of the nieces I know. Now come on, we need to get going.” He spun around and the sisters followed him. “Why does Robert Downey Jr. Think he is Tony Stark?” Hope whispered to Sonora. “Don’t you recognize this house? This is the house of Tony Stark from the movies. Hope, we somehow got transported into the Marvel world.” “Come on, that’s impossible….” Hope stopped and held up the necklace from around her neck. “Maybe not so impossible eh?” Sonora nudged Hope forward as they followed Tony Stark to a limo. “Your aunt will be meeting us in New York,” Tony said as he turned to look at them. “Are you sure you two are okay? You’re acting… odd.” He glanced around. “Loki didn’t get you with the tesseract now did he?” “We are fine. Didn’t you say we would be late?” Hope smiled and entered the limo. Sonora sat next to Hope and looked around her with wide eyes. Tony sat across from them, phone in hand. “Ummm where are we going again?” Sonora asked. “New York, to the Avengers base.” He held up a finger, indicating to hold on as he took a call. “Yeah, what do you want. What do you mean Peter flooded the kitchen. How… you know what, I’ll be there in a few hours with Hope and Sonora. Yeah, my nieces are coming with us. Just put Toy Story on and give him popcorn, he’ll stay out of trouble for a few hours. Don’t send him to any quantum realms before I get there. Okay, see you.” Tony set his phone down and looked up. “Now where were we? Oh yes, I thought Pepper told you we were going to spend the summer in New York?” “I… forgot,” Sonora said. “I’m sorry it wasn’t the summer we had originally planned. No amusement parks or anything…” He shrugged. “Aren’t we a bit old for that?” Hope laughed. “I figured I had a lot to catch up on since we haven’t really had time to do much since you two came to live with us.” “It’s fine. I’m sure we will still have fun.” Hope looked out the window and realized they had arrived at the airport. “Alright, it’s time to fly.” Tony grinned and exited the limo as soon as it stopped. “Well… I guess you get your wish.” Hope raised her eyebrows at Sonora. “You may want to keep an eye on that necklace of yours….” Sonora exited the limo, Hope right behind her.

“Here we are, the Avengers headquarters.” Tony rolled the window to the SUV down so they could see better. “Wow, it’s so… big.” Sonora said in awe. “Yeah, well it houses a lot of people now that everyone is here. Have to make sure no one starts a civil war or anything.” Sonora couldn’t believe this was happening. One moment she was sitting in her yard and the next she was at the Avengers headquarters, riding in a car with Tony Stark, who considered them his nieces. The car rolled to a stop in front of large glass doors. Sonora followed Hope out of the car and looked around. A fountain with the Avengers logo was the main focus of the yard just in front of them. “Happy, could you show the girls to their rooms? I need to go talk with Cap about some stuff.” Tony fixed his glasses with his finger and scowled. “Peter, what did I say about eavesdropping?” Peter Parker slowly descended from the roof that was above the driveway where the doors were. Sonora watched as what looked to be spider web, held him up. Her heart started beating wildly. His brown hair, brown eyes, and Queens accent was everything she had imagined. “Sorry, Mr. Stark…” Peter jumped off the spider web and landed on the ground. He turned to look at Sonora and Hope, questions in his eyes. “Peter, meet my nieces, Hope and Sonora. Ladies, this is Peter Parker or as some call him, Spider-Man.” Tony glanced at his watch again. “Well, now you’ve gone and done it. They know my secret identity now!” Peter scowled. “Peter, we are at the Avengers headquarters. Plus, they are family. Could you and Happy show them where their rooms are? I need to get going.” Tony skipped up the stairs and disappeared through the sliding glass doors. “It’s… uhh… nice to, uh, meet you.” Peter said nervously. “Nice to meet you too. Right Sonora?” Hope elbowed her, amusement in her eyes. “Peter, you can help me with their luggage.” Happy plopped two large suitcases by Peter. “Oh, I can get my own bag…” Hope said. “No worries, we will get them for you. Now let’s get you to your rooms.” Happy carried two bags as did Peter. The sisters following behind. Sonora held her breath as Peter Parker walked beside her. She had to be dreaming. She was going to wake up in her room at any moment. And how was she not going to call Peter Parker by the name of the actor who played him in all the Marvel films? Her head started to spin and she realized she still held her breath. Letting it go she felt her lungs burn. No, this wasn’t a dream. She wouldn’t have felt that if it was. They were in some sort of an alternate reality. “Here’s your room Sonora.” Happy opened the door. Sonora stepped into the room. The cement walls and ceilings were softened with a grey fuzzy rug, large pictures of trees in black and white, a cozy sitting area with two grey chairs and a wooden table, and a large white bed filled with plush pillows. She walked to the opposite end of the door and looked out the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the woods. She turned and looked at them. “It’s beautiful.” “Your uncle spared no expense for your room.” Peter looked around, an eyebrow raised. Happy nudged Peter. “How about you put Sonora’s luggage over there while I show Hope her bedroom right next door. “Alright.” Peter went near the closet she hadn’t seen at first. Happy and Hope disappeared through the door, leaving Sonora and Peter alone. She felt nervous all of a sudden, alone in her room with Peter Parker. “Do you play?” Peter turned and asked her. “Sorry? What?” She stared at him. “Guitar. Do you play? I saw you brought a guitar.” He moved out of the way and pointed to a guitar case. “Oh, yes.” “Can you play something for me?” He brought her the guitar case and held it out to her. “Sure, I guess so.” She smiled and took the case. Laying it on the bed she unzipped it and there before her was the most beautiful wooden guitar she had ever set her brown eyes upon. Lifting carefully from the velvet lining of the case she strummed the strings, the sound echoing slightly in the room. She realized the acoustics in the room were great for music. She sat down in one of the grey chairs, Peter sitting in the second one, watching her eagerly. She started playing the song I Don’t Care and she couldn’t help but sing. It was a catchy tune. “Wow, did you write that?” Peter asked once the song was over. She laughed. “No way. Ed Sheeran did.” “Who?” Peter asked. Sonora bit her lip, confused. “Peter… what year is it?” “That’s an odd question. It’s two thousand and twenty of course. Why?” He eyed her, his brown eyes confused. “And Tony is still alive?” She whispered. “Yes, of course, he is. Why wouldn’t he be?” “But what about Thanos?” “Who? You’re confusing me.” He laughed. “Sorry.” She blushed. “It’s fine, really.” He patted her hand that rested on the arm of her chair. Warmth spread through her at his touch. Sonora had never been more confused in her life.

[noradarhkpalmer]

when it rains, it pours

Title: when it rains, it pours

Rating: T

Pairing: Nora Darhk/Ray Palmer aka Darhkatom

Warnings: none

Summary/Notes:

The Legends stopped being Legends 18 months ago. That left everyone to either resume or find civilian lives. For Nora Darhk, figuring out civilian life has been more than difficult. And that's how she ends up on Ray Palmer's doorstep in the pouring rain asking for a place to crash for the night. Only she gets something more. Something she's always wanted.

There will be an epilogue posted sometime tomorrow!

As per usual I blame these following hooligans: @princesstomaz, @timetravelingpalmer, @superstitious19, @jakelovesamy, @truelittleblackstar, and @iaintnosidekick.

ao3 link: here

The small awning above his front door was the only shelter that had been provided for her for the past four blocks. She had seen lights on and rang the doorbell a few times but no answer. And of all the things she was worried about, Ray just not being home wasn't one of them. She had fully expected to come all this way from the shelter to find a woman answering the door. She’d ask to see Ray and then Nora would zero in on the rock on the woman’s finger. She wouldn’t be the least bit surprised in the year and a half since she had seen Ray Palmer that he would have found someone and settled down. Just like he had always wanted.

They’d sit across from each other on his bed eating some healthy meal he had prepared, talking about life and what it would look like if they ever stopped being Legends. She wanted to subtly, not so subtly hint that any time she thought about life after the Legends, she always pictured him by her side. But she always chickened out when it came to verbalizing that.

The day they stopped being Legends came a lot sooner than any one of them ever thought. They had literally been to hell and back together as a team but that didn’t mean their story was over. But one bad temporal storm put the Waverider out of commission indefinitely, and then permanently when the Time Bureau was absorbed into governmental agencies, both secret and public.

Before being completely dissolved Nora and a few others (Zari and Charlie) had been given modern day identification papers, that way no one would question any of them if they needed to get a job or a place to live. Given that Darhk was a pretty distinct last name, all of her papers said Nora Adams, after her mother’s last name. But inside, she was still a Darhk, they couldn’t take that away from her, no matter what silly little papers said. She had gone from wanting to completely get away from the legacy her father left behind, to vehemently preserving her personal history. To hold onto some semblance of identity she had created for herself as Nora Darhk after no longer being a demon vessel.

She rung the doorbell a fourth time and finally the door opened. Her breath left her. He hadn’t changed a bit. His hair was a bit shorter but other than that, he was still her Ray. Well, he’d never technically been hers. No matter how many times she had dreamed he one day would be.

“Nora?” He looked past her into the raging thunderstorm outside. He was hard to hear over the rain and the water draining off the awning. “What are you doing here?”

“Can I crash for the night? I just… I really need a place to stay.”

Within ten minutes she’d changed out of her sopping wet clothes and into a large navy blue shirt with an art festival’s logo on the front and she definitely had noticed the Palmer Tech logo on the back under the sponsors. She’d also been given sweatpants too large for her, they dragged the floor a bit and she had to roll the waistband up a few times but both articles of clothing were dry and that was all that mattered. She used the towel she’d initially dried off with to squeeze the excess water out of her hair. When she returned to Ray’s living room, she saw him stoking the fireplace.

“Thanks for the clothes,” she said quietly.

Ray turned around, almost shocked to see her there, in the flesh, after eighteen months of radio silence. “You would’ve caught a cold staying in the wet ones. I went ahead and put them in the wash so they’ll be clean, I hope that’s okay.”

Nora smiled at his gesture. Always wanting to look out for people. “Totally fine.” She walked further into his living room. “Sorry to barge in like this… I probably scared your family.” She looked towards the stairs where his family had no doubt been instructed to wait while he saw who was the impatient intruder.

Ray shook his head with a sad smiled. “I don’t have a family. I mean I have my mom and my brother and his wife and my nephews but I’m not married.”

“I guess that’s why you gave me your clothes to put on and not your wife’s.”

“Cause I don’t have one.” Ray picked up a mug and offered it to her. She took the calming tea and let the warmth from the mug bloom across her hands and up her arms, right into her cheeks, to mask the fact that she was so incredibly torn by the fact that Ray had not in fact settled down quite in the way she thought.

They sat across from each other on the couch, cross legged, much like they had when they’d sit on his bed and eat dinner on the Waverider. The ghost of the memory caused Nora to shiver and Ray reached for the knitted throw that was on the back of the couch and gently draped it around her.

“So you’ve got a house in the suburbs of Star City but no Christmas card Palmer family inside it?”

“I don’t live totally alone.” Ray whistled and Nora heard a thumping from above her, she looked up at the sound of the noise which quickly traveled over to the stairs until the pitter patter of paws barreled down the stairs and over to her, nearly knocking her tea out of her hand.

“Whoa boy, let’s not scare our friend here.” Ray gently tugged the large goldendoodle over to him and scratched him between his ears. “Nora, meet Chewbacca, or I usually just call him Chewie.”

Nora smiled and hesitantly reached out to pet the pooch between his ears. He leaned into the pet and smiled up at Nora. “Hey boy… you’re as hyper and friendly as your dad I see.”

“I got Chewie about six months after I moved here. It was lonely without well an extra eight people constantly stomping around. Chewie can sometimes make about that much noise so, it’s a welcome comfort.”

“At least you don’t have to share a bathroom with him.” She smirked and took a sip of her tea.

Ray chuckled. “Yeah, that’s definitely the biggest benefit to living off the Waverider.”

“For some.” Nora looked down at her mug and watched the steam swirl in the cup.

Ray placed a hand on her arm. “Is everything okay?”

“Do you want the long answer or the short one?” She looked up at him, she had learned long ago how to open up to him but a lot could change in 18 months, and if he didn't want to hear all of it anymore, she'd understand.

“Long, if you need to get it all out, Nora, do it. I’m here.” Ray rubbed her bicep comfortingly.

“The Bureau, before they were dissolved, set me up with basically any type of I.D. I’d ever need which is good and it no longer says I was born in 2003 on my driver’s license and they also gave me money to get started because they knew not all of us had lives to just resume. Me and Charlie and Zari all had an apartment on the south side of Star City but they got married and I had to find a place and because it was down to just me and I didn’t trust anyone else to live with, the money ran out. I can’t exactly put ‘demon vessel’ on a resume and I don’t really have the best temperament so working somewhere in like a retail environment… let’s just say it would be worse than Sara’s stint at “Shower, Sink, and Stuff”. I’ve been hopping from homeless shelter to homeless shelter for the past four months.”

Ray paled. “Nora… why didn’t you come find me at Palmer Tech? I would’ve given you a job. Even a job in mailroom would put a roof over your head. I make sure every one of my employees can provide for themselves.”

“I don’t really have the skills to warrant working at a tech company. I can hack computers but I really don’t think you want that.” Nora shook her head. “Besides, I don’t want a hand out. I can take care of myself.”

“Can you? I don’t mean that to say you’re an invalid but I think sometimes, part of taking care of ourselves is knowing when to ask for help. If you don’t have anywhere to go, you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want.”

“It’s a big enough house.” She chuckled.

“My hopes and dreams were a bit ambitious when I first left the Waverider. Picking back up at Palmer Tech wasn’t really all that hard. But my family still doesn’t really talk to me and Team Arrow is more than capable to continue doing the superhero thing without me and honestly? Seeing Felicity and Oliver and their growing family would've just been too hard.”

“Because you wanted that.”

“Maybe I wanted it with Felicity for a very short time but she was honestly such a blip in my love life. I’ve kind of given up on thinking someone would want me for the long haul, ya know?”

Nora placed her hand over his. “Don’t give up hope. The person that deserves Ray Palmer needs to have solved world hunger or something. She’s out there, Ray, I promise.”

Ray took in a deep breath, looking like he was gearing up to say something a few different times, but losing his nerve. He finally looked down at their hands, and tangled their fingers together.

“I know our lives are going in two different directions but… I feel like… you should know… I had feelings for you at one point. But I never wanted to pressure you into something you didn’t feel. You’ve had enough of your choices taken away and I…”

“I had feelings for you too.” Nora swallowed hard. She wanted to tell him how she still did. But his had probably faded, and like him, she didn’t want to force him into something he didn’t feel.

“You did?”

Nora nodded. “But I was saving you the heartbreak of having to deal with someone so broken. I’m not exactly the easiest to get along with.”

“I always felt so much more at ease talking to you than I did any of the other Legends.”

“That’s cause I was your little pet project. Operation Turn Her Good.”

“That’s not why. And you weren’t my pet project, you were my friend. You are my friend, Nora.”

“And being with me would just be holding you back… I’m just old broken baggage, Ray.”

“You’re not… Nora you’re… I didn’t…”

“You should be having this full life, Ray. I know that looks different for everyone but you told me so many times what that would look like for you.”

“But when I stopped being a Legend, yes I did want to settle down and have a family but the person that I pictured all that with? I didn’t see her anymore so I just didn’t even try to find it with someone else.”

“Doesn’t mean you want me now. Or should for that matter.” Nora sat her mug on the coffee table and stood up. “I’ll umm…” She scratched her head. “I’ll come back for my clothes tomorrow… I’ll find a laundromat to wash these in or something… I’m sorry, I should go.” Nora made her way to the door and was nearly reaching for the doorknob when she felt a hand tug her back. Ready to fight Ray (verbally) to get him to give up, realize she wasn’t worth it, she turned around, and was instead met with his lips.

And her resolve to fight him completely shattered.

Nora wrapped her arms around his neck and he picked her up to kiss her better. Nora wrapped her legs around his waist and soon Nora felt her back press against the front door. She felt the vibrations of the storm raging outside against her back and it only fueled her need to keep herself as glued to Ray Palmer’s body as possible.

Ray pulled back briefly for air. “I do want you now. You’re the only person I want this life with.” He pressed their foreheads together.

“I want you too.” She pulled back a little to look his eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Ray kissed her again, moving them from the door, to up the stairs, and up to Ray’s bedroom.

xxxx

Nora wasn’t sure where she was. Whatever mattress she was laying on was far more comfortable than any she’d slept on since the Waverider. Nora went to bury her face into the pillow but was met by the warm bare chest of Ray Palmer. Nora looked up and finally realized where she was.

She looked down at their state and smiled. She curled into him further and he tightened his arms around her. Nora rested her head on his chest, letting his heartbeat fill her ear. Soon she felt fingers trace up and down her bare spine and she looked back up at Ray to see that he was indeed awake.

“Mornin’ handsome.” Nora grinned and leaned in to kiss him softly.

“Good morning.” He smiled.

“Did last night really happen?”

“You tell me.” He tugged the sheet down slightly to expose them to the cool air.

Nora gasped in feigned offense and dragged the covers back up over them. She moved off him, she'd been half laying on his body, and instead curled up next to him on her own side of the bed, facing him.

Ray ran a hand up and down her arm. “How are you?”

“I’m laying in bed with a man I harbored feelings for, for nearly two years, and he loves me back. I feel pretty amazing.” She grinned goofily and buried her face in her hands out of embarrassment.

“That man is taking you in as well.”

“Ray…”

“If you don’t want to live here, not sure why, all the beds are this comfortable.” He made her grin at his comment. “Then at least let me find you a job at Palmer Tech so you can get your own place.”

“Not going to just buy me an apartment?”

Ray chuckled. “I can if you want me to.” He grinned.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” She poked him in the chest. “But you know what… I think I would like to stay here. Right here. In this bed.”

“Really?” Ray swallowed hard, inferring her more than just joking implications.

“Really.” Nora pulled him in for a kiss. “I wanna stay here forever with you.” She pressed their foreheads together. “And I don’t want to waste any more time.”

[suteshiro]

ALL for crown.

I LOVE YOU

If your character wasn’t an adventurer, what livelihood would they lead?

Wouldn’t you want to know

Who in the party would your character trust the most with their life?

For now I can’t say for sure? From the ones he currently knows it’s hard to tell bc he trusts Love in a Personal Way but is lowkey convinced he’d sell him to Satan for a corn chip. And Gank seems p trustworthy in that regard but they have only briefly met each other

What are your character’s core moral beliefs?

No one gets to control or take away someone else’s autonomy

What relationship does your character have with their parents and siblings?

Parents? Hate ‘em. Siblings? H

Does your character have any biases for or against certain races?

Eeh, I don’t think so

What is your character’s opinion on nobility? On authority?

Take a wild guess ksvjfnskjv 

He doesn’t think someone having authority is inherently bad but he hates every person in authority he’s ever known of so his opinion has been formed based on that

Describe your character’s current appearance: clothes, armor, scars they’ve picked up along the journey, etc.

I’m lazy. You know what she looks like

What location encountered in the campaign has your character felt the most “at home” in, or just generally liked the most?

Campaign hasn’t started yet so I can’t say anything about which locations visited she’s liked! She feels very comfortable at the spot we’re starting at tho

What deity, if any, does your character worship? What’s their opinion on other people’s worship?

Caenrys babey. She’s a bit weirded out by people who dedicate themselves to organized religion but in general she doesn’t stick her nose in others’ religious business

If your character had time to pick up any artisan’s tools, game set, instrument, etc., what would it be?

Artisan’s tools: I think he’d like glassblowing! Woodworking is cool too

Game set: playing cards probably

I don’t think he’s rlly interested in music as something he himself might perform vkjfnfksjn

Learning how to use a poisoner’s kit could be fun

Describe your character’s current relationship with the player character sitting to your right.

I’m not sitting next to anyone so I rolled for it and got Gank (@prophe-seer​‘s character)

Crown likes Gank a lot! They only met like, once but they rlly got along. She feels a bit bad for them bc they seemed to think she was rlly nice and instead of considering she Might genuinely be nice she jumped to “oh shit the bar is fucking underground for this guy” skvjfnksjfvn. So she’s surprisingly attached. She wants them to have an actual friend bc it seems like they need it

What is your character’s current goal, summed up in one sentence?

I’m headed straight for the castle

Does your character ever want to “settle down” with a spouse, children, house, etc.?

Currently, no. She has a lot of dangerous shit to do and is too caught up on being A Free Spirit That Actually Gets To See The World to like,, consider settling down. And she hasn’t given any thought to what life she’ll have after her goals have been fulfilled.

But I’ve actually given some thought to this and I think she wants to make a family one day. Idk if it’ll include children (probably adopting older “problem” children tbh) or a spouse but she definitely wants to settle down with at least one pet

Has your character ever been in love?

H,

What battle in the campaign has been most memorable to your character?

Haven’t played yet!

If your character wasn’t whatever class they are, what would they be instead?

Probably a fighter skjvfnskjfvn or a paladin

What is your character’s favorite season?

Autumn! Lovs the cronch. Loves to get to cool down after summer

What would your character’s Zodiac sign be, following stereotypical astrology?

I actually already made this decision ksjfnkvsjn she’s an Aries. I remember liveblogging my decision making to a friend regarding this but i cant remember what it was and im lazy

Where in the world does your character most want to visit?

Oh you know

What is the biggest mistake your character has ever made?

Oh you know,

Does your character have any noticeable scars? If so, what are their stories?

Probably not!

What animal best represents your character?

Wolf,

If your character could go back in time and change one thing about their life, what would it be?

Oh you know,,,,

Which other player character does your character find themselves having the most in common with?

Not sure yet!

Does your character regret any particular choice the party has made?

idk yet ksvfsjfv

What would your character say their best trait would be?

uuuh i dont think he thinks of himself in positive terms a lot skvnksjfvn

he’d probably name his strength or smth like that

What is your character’s greatest fear? Deep, irrational?

Oh, you know!

What is currently motivating your character to stay with the party?

I don’t know cause we don’t have the plot hook yet

What are your character’s hobbies and interests outside of their class?

he likes collecting small trinkets and going to festivals and thats. about it

What would most people think when they first see your character?

“Oh shit sexy”

What stereotypical group role does your character play in the party? (The Mom, the Mess, the Comic Relief, etc. Optionally: What role would your character play in the “Five Man Band” structure?)

Surprisingly, I think it’s The Mom skjvfnksnvksjnvf he seems to be really going in the “What The Fuck. Are You Okay. I Must Protect You”

But also he’s absolutely the mess

 In a five man band he’s the leader, lancer and big guy all at once. Probably the lancer tho

What is your character the most insecure about?

He’s completely unable to see himself as a kind person worthy of tenderness

What person does your character admire most?

Gaylia!!! He thinks she’s so strong and cool

What does your character admire and dislike the most about the player character sitting to your left?

Going for Love since I talked about Gank already. He bedrudgingly admires how cunning and People Smart Love can be. Absolutely hates how much of a Bastard he is and how hot he is

Why is your character’s lowest stat their lowest (the in-character reason, not “because there’s no reason for a wizard to have 16 strength, duh”)?

Both int and wis are at a -2!

Wisdom: he wasn’t uh. raised in a way where he rlly got to learn the ways of people’s minds, or do anything but repress his own feelings. and once he was out on his own he was so focused on being a reckless fool he never even tried to change that

Intelligence: He has big adhd and always had a hard time learning. Instead of being supported he was yelled at and punished for stupidity. He retaliated by refusing to keep trying. So now he’s dumb 

What would be your character’s theme song/favorite band/favorite genre of music?

I have an entire playlist for him please look at it I worked so hard on it-

I think most  relevant are Castle by Halsey and Emperor’s new clothes by p!atd. I think he would also associate those songs with himself and really like them. Royals by Lorde is also up there for sure. And Rise from League of Legends

What stereotypical role would your character play in a high school AU/if they attended a normal high school? (Nerd, jock, bully, goth, etc.)

Goth jock.

What treasure/item/artifact that your character has collected during the adventure is the most important to them?

Not particularly precious to him and not in the adventure since we haven’t played yet but he has Love’s broken antler skvjfnksjfv

Is there any particular weapon, item, etc. that your character longs to find?

Oh you know

Where does your character feel the most at home?

Gaylia’s place probably,

Does your character care about how they’re perceived by others? How do they change themselves to fit in with other people?

She’s built her entire identity around refusing to give a fuck, however in truth she probably actively tries to be seen as rebellious and maybe intimidating

What does your character think is the true meaning of life?

Bold of you to imply she thinks that much

What is your character’s scent? (Bonus points for a description that sounds like it could be from a bad [or awesome] fanfic.)

Roses, lilies and musk ( have no clue if those go well together)

Does your character think more with their heart or their brain?

Heart, absolutely

What is your character’s most recent or frequent nightmare?

haha,,,, ha,,,,,,, h

What opinion does your character have on [CERTAIN ESTABLISHED GROUPS/AUTHORITIES IN THE GAME WORLD]? (Dragonmarked Houses, royal crown, etc.)

Wouldn’t you like to know

How did your character spend their childhood? Where did they grow up/who were their childhood friends?

What aspect of your character’s future are they most curious about? (If they could know one thing about the future, what would it be?)

I will keep that to myself!

What colors are associated with your character?

Who in the party would your character prioritize rescuing, in dire circumstances?

Love,,

Is your character the most swayed by ethos, pathos, or logos?

Pathos

If your character was granted a single use of Wish, what would they use it for?

I will keep that to myself!

What is your character’s favorite spell? If they don’t use spells: what is their favorite personal weapon/combat maneuver/skill/etc.?

She has spells and enjoys using them (probably mostly eldritch blast) but nothing beats her good trusty zweihander

How does your character feel about keeping secrets from the rest of the party?

She has no qualms with it ksvjfnskfjv

What type of creature in the world is your character the most intrigued by?

Love I dunno, snakes? Snakes are weird

When they were a child, what did your character want to be, or think they were going to be, when they grew up?

I don’t think Crown thought she was gonna make it to her 20s

The player character to your left admits that they’re passionately in love with your character. How would your character respond?

I rolled and got Gank skfvnksjvfn

I think he’d be flustered and flattered and be like “oh! we can. certainly try dating! but I can’t say I return your feelings right now. uh. sorry,,,”

If somebody (an NPC, someone from their backstory, etc.) your character trusts/loves asked your character to do something against the party’s best interest, who would they side with?

Ah,,,

That’s a very complicated question that depends on many factors I’m afraid 

Does your character value their own best interest more than the party’s?

He wants to think he does, at least skvjnskvjf

What decision would the party have to make in order for your character to consider splitting off from the group?

Who knows!

How does your character imagine the way they will die?

Doing something stupid, completely alone

What is your character’s greatest achievement?

Making it to 25 honestly svkjnksfjnv

Is your character willing to risk the well-being of others in order to achieve their goal?

Depends on who those others are

What is your character’s opinion on killing others?

Sure why not let’s do it man

What is your character’s favorite food? Beverage?

Pizza and orange juice?

How generous is your character? Especially to those they don’t know?

Surprisingly generous! Maybe not so much with money but she’s always willing to lend a helping hand

What is your character the most envious about, regarding anyone in the party?

I don’t understand this question svknskjfv

The player character to your left and the player character to your right are both telling your character two different versions of the truth. Who does your character believe?

Again I keep choosing between Gank and Love bc they’re the only ones she knows kjfvnskjfvn I mean. it depends. if it’s on something Important I think she’ll side with Love but in general she’s more likely to believe Gank 

What is your character’s sexuality/relationship with sex?

Big bisexual, first of all!

She actually has a complicated relationship with sex! Being in any kind of Intimate Situation used to be very triggering for her. But she worked through it and now she’s. Horny

What is your character’s biggest pet peeve?

When people leave without paying their part.

Describe how your character feels about the party’s current situation/objective/etc.

Shit man I dunno we have no plan

Who in the party would your character trust the most to keep an important secret?

Love is the only one she’s known long enough to build any meaningful trust with svknskfv

If your character knew that they were going to die in a month, how would they spend the rest of their life?

Probably with his only genuine friend, trying to live life to the fullest kvjfnskfv,

What makes your character feel safe?

Being fully aware of his surroundings with easy access to his sword

If your character had the chance to rename the party/give the party a name, no questions asked, what would it be?

No party yet!

What memory does your character want to forget the most?

H,

If your character had to multiclass into a class they currently aren’t the next time they level up, what would it be and what reason would they have for doing so?

Fukinuh. Paladin? He rlly likes Caenrys and is like “fuck it let’s do another combat charisma-based thing”

What television/book/video game/etc. character would your character be best friends with? (Or: what media character is your character the most influenced by/similar to?

He was heavily influenced by a webcomic character but i will keep Who a secret just in case it makes people figure stuff out skvnskvn

What unusual talents does your character possess?

Really good at doing things without looking, apparently skfjvnsfv

How does your character feel about receiving/giving orders? Are they more of a leader, or a follower?

Giving orders is. Kinda hot

Receiving orders? Die

What does your character’s name represent to them? (Or: why as a player did you choose your character’s name?)

Among other things, Crown’s name represents her proclaiming herself as someone with full authority, if anything, over herself. She’s claiming at every moment a position of power and I think that’s very sexy of her

Is your character more of an introvert, or an extrovert?

Ambivert, probably! Loves people but may get overwhelmed being around them too much

How far is your character willing to go to pursue the “greater good”? Do they believe in a greater good at all?

In theory she doesn’t believe in the greater good but she lies to herself so who knows what she’d do when push comes to shove skjvfnksjfv

What does your character want to be remembered by?

It’s complicated and I’m too lazy to explain it, especially without spoiling anything

What would be your character’s major in college?

He’d shrivel and die in an academic setting pal

Does your character consider themselves a hero, villain, or something else?

It’s complicated,,

Let’s say hero and keep it there

What major arcana tarot card best represents your character?

I’m between The Fool and The Magician. Strength is also fun

Where does your character see themselves in 20 years?

Oh, you know!

What is your character’s relationship with magic? Are they scared of it, wish to know more about it, indifferent to it?

Magic is,,, kinda hot!

Who is your character’s biggest rival?

Love ksjvfnksjfvkjsfv

What is your character’s guiltiest pleasure?

Bold of you to imply he feels guilt over anything pleasurable

What does your character hope for the afterlife?

He doesn’t think about that

Who in the party does your character trust the least?

Just as he trusts Love the most he also trusts him the least. Shady bastard

What is your character’s biggest flaw?

-2 wisdom

How did your character learn the languages that they speak?

Uh. Growing up and being raised?

What is your character’s favorite school of magic/type of weaponry?

GREATSWORD AND EVOCATION BABY

What is most important to your character: health, wealth, or happiness?

Happiness

What advice would your character give to a younger version of themselves?

“There’s power in your anger. Take action before it gets worse”

Are there any social or political issues your character feels strongly about?

It’s hard to explain bc I don’t know Politics Words

What, currently, is your character the most curious about?

;)

[richiefuckfacetozier]

Okay, imagine the IT kids in the 2010s. Eddie's is gay and with Richie and Sonia knows about it, but she desperately tries to avoid talking about it and pretend it isn't true. And then Love Simon comes out, and Eddie convinces her to see it with him, and it helps her accept Eddie being gay and being with Richie

This took a bit to answer because I am on vacation and wanted to write a little fic about this very thing! I’m doing it in first person present because that’s how it is in the book Simon Vs the Homosapien Agenda, which is a terrible title for a book thank god they named the movie Love, Simon.

Exhale

Located on Ao3

Richie and I lay on the couch watching television. He has an arm around my waist, while my head is in the crook of his neck. I trace my fingers along his arm slowly then sigh softly.

“What’s wrong?” Richie asks immediately. I smile at the intuitiveness my boyfriend always has even with the slightest of mood change.

“I’m taking mom to Love, Simon tonight.” I mumble.

“No fucking way.” Richie uses his other arm to push himself up, so he is leaning above me to scan my face for a lie. “She’ll never agree to go.”

“I mean…”

“That movie is the funny, heartwarming, adorable, and the gay romantic comedy we both have craved since we were 13. Your dragon of a mother will hate every minute of it. I’m picturing her face and oh my godddd…” Richie starts laughing which brings my anxiety to a tipping point. I can feel my face heating up faster than a fry cooker.

“Thanks for the fucking support.” I try to roll off the couch and move away but Richie traps me in his arms. I attempt to struggle, “No! You don’t get to cuddle me if you are going to be an asshole!” Richie starts to run his hands up my sides making me laugh and squirm. He swings his leg over to straddle my legs and get a better hold on tickling.

“Mercy! Mercy!” I laugh still wiggling aggressively. Richie grabs my hands and brings them above my head. He smiles down at me then brings his mouth forward to kiss. I return the pressure but pull away soon after with an unsure expression. “You really think I shouldn’t take her?”

“Ah. Still on the Ice Queen.” Richie leans back entwining his fingers with mine. “You should definitely take her. I just think she’ll refuse to go or walk out before it is done. Which will just hurt your feelings baby.”

“I’m not a baby and it won’t hurt my feelings if she walks out.” I lie terribly. “I don’t care what she thinks.”

“You’re not a baby, you’re MY baby.” Richie kisses my neck slowly his lips giving my skin goosebumps. “And it WILL hurt your feelings. You broke your phone when she told you to break up with me.”

“It was an old phone anyway.”

“You yelled at me for 10 minutes straight when she ignored you for a week after coming out.”

“You told me I had small hands.”

“You do have small hands.”

“I blacked out during that argument.” I muse.

“When are you two going?” Richie says softly.

I bite the inside of my cheek subconsciously. “Tonight, I didn’t tell her what the movie is about.”

Richie places a hand on the cheek I am chewing. “It’ll be ok. I’ll sneak in the back and will be ready to watch the rest of it with you when she runs out.”

I glare at him but still manage a little smile. “Fuck you. She might like it.”

“We’ll see.” Richie laughs then kisses my glare away.

“What’s the movie about?” My mother asks as we wait in line for popcorn. Her arms are crossed and she looks thoroughly bored.

“It’s a teen romcom,” I say quickly.

“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad.” She says reluctantly as we step forward to the cashier. “Can I get a large popcorn and a medium soda…”

I look to the side and see Richie wave before heading into the movie. True to his word, he came to watch the movie.

A million anxious thoughts are flying through my head. I keep trying to convince myself that this IS a good idea. She WILL see how accepting and loving Simon’s parents are. Then change her mind about me.

“What do you want to drink?” My mother’s voice cuts through.

“Diet Coke is fine. Thanks, Ma.” I say patiently. “So Ma, I was thinking we should get dinner with Richie after the movie.” She tenses up immediately and does not answer. “I know you’re not the biggest fan but it would be nice for my mother and my boyfriend get along. He’s really good to me.”

“I’ll probably be tired after the movie.” She says tersely. The drinks are handed to her and I grab the popcorn bitterly. Then we head toward the theater.

My mother briefly glances at the poster of the movie before walking in to grab seats. “The boy on the poster looks a little like you, Eddie-bear. He’s cute.”

I grin tightly. “Thank you, but I like to think my eyes look less tired than his do.”

She tuts at my joke clearly not realizing I am kidding. “Oh Eddie. That’s not what I meant.”

There is a nervous energy flowing through me as we try to find a good place to sit. I can’t believe I got her this far without an issue. All I can do now is pray she does not run out before the movie is finished.

As we sit down the lights dim, I take a peek at the very back row and spot Richie lounging tossing skittles in the air then catching them in his mouth. I smile at him until he notices me. He makes a show of kissing his palm then blowing the kiss in my direction. I humor him by catching it in my hand and placing the blown kiss against my lips. The nervousness begins to ease.

I love Richie.

I turn back around as the last preview ends and the 20th Century Fox logo vibrates through the room. My palms are sweaty and I’m practically shaking.

I keep peeking at her from the corner of my eyes then the moment of truth happens. Simon begins his opening monologue where he talks about his normal life, great family, adorable friends and he says, “…so I am just like you except I have one huge ass secret…” As Simon looks out the window of his room to see the handsome gardener.

I see my mother tense. My stomach drops as I realize she is absolutely going to walk out. Her hands are gripping the armrests. I continue to eat popcorn acting unperturbed.

As Simon goes out to his car, he says to the gardener, “I like your boots!” And I feel the second-hand embarrassment like I did the first time I watched it with Richie. Last time we laughed and whispered about how Richie used to poorly flirt with me. “I like…your boots!”

Then my mother chuckles.

I stare at her quickly then look back at the screen. I can’t believe my ears just witnessed my mother laughing at a gay boy unsuccessfully flirting.

She laughs a little louder when Simon hits his head on the steering wheel in shame. She doesn’t completely relax but is definitely into the story.

Throughout the film, she smiles, laughs, nudges me at cute parts, and I am in a state of complete elation. She mentions how much Leah is just like Beverly, sassy but sweet to me. She whispers how much she hates Martin and thinks he is the worst person.

We both weep of laughter when Simon has a daydream of his straight friends ‘coming out’ and our identical cackling laughter was so loud after Abby says, “I’m heterosexual,” and her mom cries dramatically, “Oh God help me, Jesus!”

Every time a guy flirts with Simon she asks me, “Oh my god! Is it him?! Is that Blue?”

“Ma!” I whisper back with a laugh. “You’ll see.”

“This is torture.” She replies.

When she starts crying, it’s beyond overwhelming for me. She cried after I came out to her, didn’t say a word, just cried. But she is crying now as Simon is outed to the whole school.

She cries when Simon’s father handles it badly.

Continues to sob as Simon ignores his family.

She cries when the bullies make fun of Simon publically then claps with everyone as the teacher yells at the bullies.

The crying keeps coming as Simon blows up at Martin. “I’m supposed to be the one to decide when and where and who knows. That’s supposed to be my thing. You took that from me!…So just leave me the FUCK alone!”

Mom is sobbing really hard. I look over at her and say softly, “Ma, it’s ok.”

“No, It’s not!” She says in full voice. People around us shush her but she ignores them. “I’m so sorry Eddie-bear. I’m just…so sorry.”

I don’t know what to say so I nod back. “We’ll talk after the movie.”

As the movie goes on mom calms down a bit.

My favorite moment comes when Simon and his mother finally talk. He asks her if she knew and I can sense mom getting anxious about the conversation. I think about how horrible our last talk was and wonder if she is thinking the same thing. As Jennifer Garner’s character says “…But these last few years, more and more, it almost like I can feel you holding your breath…” My mom reaches over and grabs my hand. I squeeze it and start to cry myself. I don’t think I’ve ever loved my mom more in my entire life. “…You get to exhale now, Simon. You get to be more you than you have been in…in a very long time. You deserve everything you want.”

When the credits roll and the lights go up, mom spends the whole time talking about her favorite parts. That she is so happy to have guessed correctly about who Blue was.

Richie walks down the path to them hesitantly. “Hi Mrs. K! Hey Eddie! I saw you both here and thought I would say…well…hello.”

She looks at him and gives a small smile then throws her arms around him. Richie stares at me in confusion and my mouth parts in awe.

She pulls back with a huge smile on her face. “You are such a good boyfriend to my son and deserve to know that. I would like to take you to dinner with us if you are free?” She has an expression of complete sincerity.

“Sure! I’d love to grab dinner with my two favorite Kaspbraks.” I grin at him. Mom leads the way out of the movie theater. Richie hangs back to take my hand and kiss my cheek.

I let out an exhale of air I didn’t know I was holding. As if all the pain I have been feeling is blowing slowly out of me. 

I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.

@sam-i-am2468 @ohheydatsme @missingstanleyuris @jaederp @loser-marsh @jem-carstairs-is-perfection @reddieaddict @richieskata @reddie-brasil @lesbihonest-imhellagay @richietoaster

[rosatyan]

From Management Consultant to Entrepreneur

Jennifer Chong from Linjer: From $0 to $10m in 3 years

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59d195f9e4b0f58902e5cd93

Jennifer Chong, Co-Founder of Linjer

I was fortunate to sit down with Jennifer Chong, the 29-year-old founder of Linjer, a contemporary brand whose minimalist leather bags and watches have gained a cult following among style aficionados. In its third year since Jennifer created the brand out of her living room, Linjer is on track for more than $10 million in annual sales. The following are a few of my questions and answers with Jennifer.

What inspired you to start Linjer?

It all started when my partner and co-founder, Roman Khan, needed a leather briefcase for work. He wanted a bag that was well-designed, high-quality, reasonably priced—and that didn’t have a flashy logo on it. But he just couldn’t find this bag. He felt stuck choosing between fast fashion brands and overpriced luxury brands.

We knew that luxury brands marked up their leather bags by ludicrous amounts, often 10 to 20 times the cost of production. We got the idea to make bags of similar or higher quality, and to sell our products at a more reasonable price.

Did you have any previous experience in fashion or design before launching Linjer?

I have no formal training, but I’ve always loved making things, whether it was building intricate Lego houses when I was young, making wooden furniture, or even, more recently, making leather goods by hand. Formal training becomes less important if you have a strong vision and are willing to learn. A lot of the skills that I use as a designer today I’ve just picked up along the way. There’s a surprising amount you can learn by just searching on Google, and, of course, through making mistakes.

You were previously a management consultant. Did that job prepare you at all for starting Linjer?

Definitely. When I was a management consultant, I spent a lot of my days doing analysis in spreadsheets, gathering information through interviews, and tinkering in Powerpoint slides. All of these skills translate quite directly into running Linjer. Every day I’m working through the numbers for the business, learning from conversations with customers and vendors, and thinking about how best to convey the spirit of Linjer into everything we do.

How did you get the funds to launch the first collection (leather bags for men?)

Roman and I spent $20,000 of our savings getting everything ready for launch. That went towards developing our brand identity, making prototypes, and doing photo and video shoots. The actual production of our first collection (with the Soft Briefcase at the center) was going to cost $50,000 given that all of our suppliers had minimum order requirements.

We didn’t have $50,000 to bet on the bags selling, so we ran a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to see if people were interested in what we were doing. The tagline was “Fine leather goods without the luxury markup.” It went incredibly well – we ended up getting $144,000 in pre-orders in about 40 days and were able to kick off production; however, we still had not raised enough money from investors not to need supplemental income. For the first two years, Roman and I took turns working full-time jobs so someone was paying the rent. It was only in late 2015 that we both went full time with our own business.

I only discovered Linjer after your huge Kickstarter campaign last year, where you got $1 million in pre-orders for your watches. Why did you decide to make watches?

Again, it was a personal need. We both used to pull out our phones to check the time. It really stressed us out because we’d always see a barrage of emails, messages, and notifications on the screen. We wanted to make watches that would help us live more simply and more thoughtfully, and we thought that watches would be a natural extension of what we were doing with our bag business. We saw an opportunity to make minimalist, high-quality timepieces that we’d be proud to wear and that wouldn’t cost an obnoxious amount of money.

Linjer uses the same supply chain as luxury brands, but you sell your products for a fraction of the price of traditional luxury brands. How are you able to sell at such accessible price points?

We sell only on our website (www.linjer.co), which allows us to shave off middleman costs that traditionally inflate the price of luxury products. It’s also a matter of just choosing not to mark up our products like crazy.

You’ve gotten rave reviews from editors, customers, and influencers, and you’re constantly sold out of your leather bags. What do you think has been the secret to Linjer’s success?

We have an excellent product – and I think our customers understand what incredible value they’re getting when they put on one of our bags/watches for the first time. We are extremely selective with what materials we use (for instance, we only use full grain vegetable-tanned leather and sapphire glass on our watches), and with what suppliers we work with. We’re always pushing to elevate the standard of product quality and design.

Minimalist design is trending right now, but it often comes out looking generic. 

How do you keep Linjer’s designs so interesting?

When you’re designing something minimalist, every single detail counts that much more. We’re quite militant about getting these details right – for instance, we were very fussy about getting the taper on the second hand of the watch just right. We’re not afraid of iterating 50 times on a design to get it perfect. We also like to play with colors and materials, like in our Tulip Bag. That also keeps things fresh!

What part does customer feedback play in your design decisions?

When it comes to design, we don’t take advice from other people. Roman and I set our own rules. We can’t push the boundaries if we just do what people expect of us. Our watches don’t have a logo on the face. This was a bold decision – what high-end watches can you think of without a logo on the face? The owner of our watch factory was apprehensive. He told us we were out of our minds. In his thirty years in the industry, none of his clients had ever made a watch without a logo on the dial. Now we’re his fastest-growing client.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t care about the actual experience of using our products. We place a strong emphasis on functionality and strive to make each product a delight to use. After all, we use our products ourselves.

What has been your company’s biggest challenge?

Keeping up with demand. We were on track to reach $5 million in sales last year, but our production couldn’t keep up and it caught us totally off-guard. The production capacity of factories is quite inelastic, so we’ve had to start new partnerships to ensure that we’re ready for 2018.

As I understand, Linjer is still self-funded. Do you plan to seek outside investment?

It’s not in the cards right now. We don’t need it and I think we’re better off with it. We want to be accountable first and foremost to our customers rather than to investors.

What excites you most working in today’s fashion-tech space?

There are so many direct-to-consumer brands cropping up nowadays. Generally, they seek to offer a fairer price and/or a better product than incumbents. I’m personally very excited to watch how these direct-to-consumer brands are changing the relationship between brands and customers. We’re teaching consumers to expect more thoughtfulness, care, and transparency from the brands they buy from. I think this is a very good thing.

What’s next for Linjer?

We’re setting up an office in Hong Kong and are looking to hire for a number of positions! You can see our Careers page for more information. We’re excited to get our new Tulip and Mini in stock in October; almost 3,000 people have pre-ordered them and have been waiting for months to receive them. We also have a new bag and watch collection in the pipeline and we are exploring other niches. Finally, we are preparing for our first pop-up, and we’re praying that our products don’t go out of stock again this holiday season! But I guess that’s a good problem to have.

[loving-jack-kelly]

Newsies Boyband AU!

Now first of all I would call them the Newsboys but like...that’s a real band that exists so idk what their name would be

But anyway! Boybands! Fun and cute and lots of wiggle room!

Crutchie

lead singer

beloved by his bandmates and by most fans but every once in awhile there’s that one fan

Idk I just think Charlie is overrated....he can’t sing that well, Jack has a nicer voice, and I think he only gets to sing lead because of his leg :/ I’m not ableist or anything, I just don’t like him

Mostly Crutchie ignores things like that but once in awhile he wonders if they’re true

Jack

lead guitar/harmonies

very much the Hot Onetm but people tend to overlook his talents

designed the logo and does all of the shirts and album covers but doesn’t make that public knowledge

the Crutchie Bashers usually use Jack as an excuse and Jack is having none of it he’s a master vague tweeter

I love all my bandmates and everyone is perfectly suited to what they do, from lights to vocals!

I feel like people forget Crutch and I have been best friends since fifth grade and I have videos like this cause if they didn’t they’d ask for more [video of Crutchie singing The Wizard and I at a middle school talent show]

he loves singing harmony, and only sings lead if somebody makes him. two songs in their repertoire include him on melody

Race

the drummer

(haha guess who still likes EYDW with all his heart?)

he’s the Wild Onetm but everyone adores him because he’s cute and funny

Racetrack Higgins Highlights:

“So I was like, fuck it-wait shit I can’t swear in interviews-fuck! Dammit, sorry, I-” “Race just stop talking”

he broke a snare during a concert once and put it on his head like a hat

pictures of him kissing everyone in the band, on crew, and even fans on the cheek but it’s because that’s what he does. In Italy. That’s how you greet people. and it just carried over

always wears a necklace with a shark tooth. gazes into the distance when asked where it was from and responds with, “I’ll never forget her.” Actually bought it Wings on a day off in North Carolina

changes hair colors every other week. fans go to two concerts in two days. first one he has bright red hair. next day it’s bright blue.

slowly acquiring more piercing until one day they’re all gone.

“Lmao you though those were real? I cried when I got a single ear piercing.”

then people think his tattoo is fake and it isn’t but it’s ridiculous. like literally the word “THOT” on the back of his neck. Spot dared him to.

so people love him even though he’s wild

Spot

designs sound for recordings and live shows

most fans only know him as the one goading Race on

but once in a while somebody recognizes him in the sound booth and is like “ahh, that’s who he is”

also secretly write lyrics sometimes but asks to be credited as “Sam Carlson” so his poetic writing doesn’t ruin his tough guy image

which makes people think of all these crazy theories as to who Sam Carlson is and why he writes songs randomly for the band

is the only reason Race hasn’t gotten lost on tour in a gas station

is the one who set up the Walkie Talkie system that keeps everyone organized

the star of Jack’s snapchat story half the time but never caught doing anything strange? people just know he’s awesome and says funny things

is the one who adopted the cat and resulted in him being named Asshole but it was an accident

Katherine and Sarah

managers and lighting designers

really cool and really gay

every time they’re doing a show around a Pride parade time or during Pride month there are rainbows and other flags everywhere

Sarah is also in charge of PR after the Incident of Race accidentally DMing a fan who’s username included Jack’s name something along the lines of “sup fuckface where are you everyone else is here and you’re the one who said he was bringing the good stuff”

by good stuff he’d simply meant the Purple Doritos but the fan didn’t know that and it took a while for people to let that go

People think Jack and Kat are dating for a long time because they’re always together

it literally took like fifty pictures of Kat and Saz kissing before people stopped denying how gay she was

Davey

plays bass but also violin and other related string instruments

sometimes sings a third part but not usually

people don’t give him much credit until there’s a new song

which starts out really slow and is only Jack singing and Davey playing cello but mid song it picks up and Dave changes instruments really fast like in the space of one beat to violin and goes really hard and the song tops the charts for weeks because it’s like crazy good

“yeah I’m a classically trained violinist, I just usually have more fun on bass” “...” “but i like that song a lot, most times I’m on violin it’s slow and boring”

that song is also when most of the Crutchie Bashing started because it was the first really popular one that featured Jack on melody since only Jack sang

Their shows are legendary for being good like the vocals the instrumentals everything is always good

they got their start in college where Crutchie got them into one of the theatres and it was just for fun

but Race, the wild one even in the very beginning, realized that they were actually really good and signed them up for some show like America’s Got Talent or something like that

and while they didn’t win overall, they did get enough attention to get a record deal

and then they just EXPLODED and became the new big thing

which kind of freaked all of them out a little bit because what has started as fun music with friends was suddenly paparazzi and crazy fans and people wanting to know “when is it what is it where is it how are you will you” about their songs

but they mostly acclimated pretty fast

Crutchie had the hardest time because while he’s friendly he’s also a but of an introvert and needs his privacy which was suddenly a lot harder to find

like most boybands, instantly there were Those Fans who shipped people

the most common one became Jack and Race because they seemed like the ones most likely to like each other

really though it was Spot and Race, who balanced each other out, and Jack and Crutchie, who’d been in love for years and only figure it out when people started trying to ship Jack and Race which made Crutchie really jealous, and the people who nobody knew as well like Specs and Romeo, Kat and Saz (at first they became better known later), etc

they get a really good rep with people because they’re always willing to take a selfie or like fanart as long as it isn’t creepy, or answer questions

Jack hosts monthly Q&A sessions on his snapchat and each time it’s somebody new

so like the first one is Crutchie, then Davey, then Race, then Katherine, then Sarah, the Romeo, etc

They don’t come out for a long time but one day they’re performing in a town where there's this big news story about a gay kid getting harassed at school and they know the kid is there because it was the only positive thing they found on his twitter, so they all come out together like the entire band and crew

“So we’ve heard about some of the stuff that’s been going on here, and we want everyone to know that we don’t agree with it, at all. In fact, things like that effect us, too. I’m not the most eloquent speaker, but if you’re hurting today because of who you are, of how you’re born, know that you’ll always have support with us.”

And Jack kisses Crutchie in public for the first time which leads to Race stealing Crutchie’s mic and yelling something about “get up here asshat we can’t let him show us up!” and then suddenly every single couple involved in the band is on stage being proud of who they are

the kid who was getting bullied cried and then they invited him backstage and he cried more and it was really sweet and they stayed in touch

After that the Discoursetm is horrible around them for like, months

“reminder that Jack is dating Crutchie and shipping him with Race is not cool”

“reminder that we can ship whoever we want with whoever we want and it doesn’t cause harm”

“stop calling Jack bi when he’s gay, don’t erase his identity” (jack retweets it with the added caption “I’m bi as heck actually everyone is pretty and it’s not fair :)”

“they’re just faking it for attention!!!1!!1″

after a few years they announce it’s their last tour and people are like “oh no, what happened, did people start fighting?”

and their answer is “no but we’re like twenty eight now and honestly just want to get married and settle down”

except for Spot and Race who plan on going around the world in eighty days and then getting a dog and doing it again with the dog

or at least, that Race’s plan, Spot just honestly wants to stop moving around and settle down a bit, but maybe not get married yet

So the band breaks up and people are kinda sad but every time they’re all in one place, which is pretty often since they’re all best friends, somebody snapchat/instagram/twitter/youtube gets a new video of them messing around

Jack and Davey out out a solo album and it’s really good

Crutchie gets coerced into releasing a Christmas album and it’s funny

and Davey makes a Hanukkah album that’s him playing and singing traditional songs that he sang growing up and it’s gorgeous

Bonus: Red Carpet Tidbits

because I have a lot of feelings about Crutchie’s style

Crutchie gets known for never wearing a normal tux like it’s always custom done and never just black or navy

also his makeup is always On Point like crazy good and people are like “tell us your secrets” and he’s like “lol cvs and years of practice and makeup tutorials from YouTube”

Jack wears normal suites but there’s always a twist

the first was the time he actually just spilled paint on himself in the suit bc he’s an idiot but there wasn’t time for a new one so they ended up just going with it and it looked pretty okay

and after that he get’s suites from like Macy’s modified to look better on him and to add cool things

also his hat game is pretty terrific

he’s also a total hipster and people know it

Davey wears totally normal red carpet men’s attire but lets Crutchie do his makeup and look absolutely gorgeous

Race wears crazy stuff

like you know the Great Comet ensemble costume design? probably things like that. formal wear turned into punk style things and he pulls it off and lets Crutchie do his makeup too

the best picture of the band is from like, the Grammys or some award show like that where Crutchie is in a purple suit, Jack is wearing a beanie and a jackson pollock styled color splashed suit, dave is looking fine in a perfectly normal suit and SUPER Extra but good makeup, and Race is like barely clothed but still obviously supposed to be wearing a suit like thing and like a foot shorter than everyone

[katrandomtiger]

Bamboo Skewer Ch2

Read it on AO3

First

This is a hitman!AU fic.

146 stood quietly before raising his hand and then lowering it again. He looked down at the mud caked to his boots and then to the road before sighing.

“I have no idea.”

76 snorts as 146 starts to pull at the edge of his mask. He steps around the shorter man to inspect the road.

It looks well used. Tire ruts are carved deep into the concrete and the lines of tar used to patch cracks are close together and a few look almost new.

A cough turns 76’s attention back to the man behind him.

146 is holding the tablet out to him. The image on it has changed from the map of the compound maze to a map of the road with a ‘You Are Here’ pin and a moving purple dot.

76 glances up at his partner and comes to stand at his side when a message pops up on the screen.

‘Sorry about that stagnant map I gave you. Couldn’t risk sending transmissions to you while you guys where in the compound. I see you two found the highway pretty fast. That makes my life way easier.’

The two hitmen exchange glances before turning back to the new message that popped up on the screen.

‘There is a car coming to pick the two of you up. They are friendly even though they don’t look like it. They’ll set you two up and get you everything you need. I’ll be in touch.’

The messages disappeared and the skull shape from before faded into the center and spun before vanishing again.

“So we just wait?” 146 stuttered indignantly as he glared at the map. The dot was pulsing at the edge of the screen.

“Unless you want to go for another jog, I guess we do,” 76 said flatly. He walked over to a boulder and sat on it, leaning forward and letting the water on his headpiece roll down his jaw and drip to the ground instead of into his jacket.

146 glared at 76 and stayed planted next to the road watching the dot on the screen. His usually pristine outfit was soaked two shades darker, his boots where coated in mud and grass, and his ponytail was starting to droop. He looked how they both felt.

They waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, a set of lights appeared in the distance.

76 and 146 retreated away from the road, just outside the tree line and waited as a long black hovercar pulled up. On the front passenger door sat a logo of a square balanced on edge over two parallel lines.

76 sucked in a sharp breath once he recognized the symbols. 146 shifted uneasily next to him.

The HAI Corporation: the leading developers of artificial intelligence. The corporation came into existence shortly after the end of the Omnic Crisis and bought out straggling Omnica factories. Despite the controversy surrounding them, the corporation continued to design, refine, and build omnics.

Headed by Solomon Waverly, the HAI Corporation has also made ground breaking discoveries about the human mind and how it works. They have set new standards in the psychology field and in the robotics world.

They recently have started a partnership with the Russian robotics company, Volskaya Industries. It didn’t sit right with many people but the advances they have made are unprecedented.

The hitmen tense as the door pops open. 76 places his hand over his side arm as he watches a short woman exit the car.

“You two must be the infamous hitmen, Soldier:76 and Okami:146. I am Madison Maddox,” she said as she drew closer to the pair, “We are here to bring you to our facility in Flashpoint.”

Madison turned and both men flinched as the light from the car caught on what looks to be a metal endo skeleton peeking out from a large hole torn in the side of her face.

“Why should we go with you?” 146 growled as 76 pulled out his gun.

Madison gave them a dead stare before she burst into a fit of laugher, “What other choice do you have? The next town is thirty miles away and you just blew up a formidable chunk of a Society compound,” she snorted, “Here, let’s pretend that they don’t find you and drag you back for extreme punishment and complete reprocessing. If you make it to the town without getting eaten by a bear, what will you do? Your identities are compromised. No one will help two well-known killers. You’ll die in the gutter or in the woods.”

76 lowers his side arm even as 146 starts to growl again. She’s right. The identities of those who were made into hitmen aren’t secret. Catalogs full of hitmen profiles were readily available to anyone who wanted to review them.

While most people wouldn’t outright attack them and the police couldn’t really do anything because of the conditions hitmen worked under; it was a huge risk being in public.

He sighed before holstering his gun and grabbing 146 by the sleeve. The shorter man hissed but did not struggle as 76 tugged him closer to the hover car.

“Wise choice,” Madison cooed as she opened the rear door for her passengers to get in.

146 pushed 76 roughly into the back before roughly sliding across the leather seat with his bow between his knees. Madison slid into the front next to the hulking man driving.

He looked like he could have crushed the car with them in it if he wanted to.

--

Several hours passed, the rain eventually slowed and the thunder rolled less often. The car remained mostly silent aside from Madison checking in with the facility they were headed to.

76 dropped in and out of a light doze. A headache was building behind his eyes and the nausea was getting worse as time went on.

146 on the other hand sat straight in his seat with his eyes never wavering from the windshield. His bow was secure in his hands unlike 76’s rifle which was pinned between the driver side door and his knee.

Finally, a cityscape began to rise from the horizon. A black obelisk of a facility loomed closer until they pulled into the parking lot.

Madison and the driver, Mulligan, exited and opened the doors for the hitmen. Mulligan ended up having to half carry 76 to the sliding glass doors where a man in a suit and a pair of doctors waited in light purple scrubs.

The man peered at them through half lidded eyes. He seemed to be chewing on the back of one of the two piercings that sat under his bottom lip. Once he seemed satisfied with the newcomers he nodded and walked off without a word. The shorter male doctor grimaced at the suit before turning back and giving the hitmen a nervous smile.

“Uh- Welcome to the HAI Corporation mental care division. I am Lauren Jacobs and this is Dr. Waverly,” he gestured to the person next to him, causing his already crooked glasses to slide down his nose.

Dr. Waverly was of an average height; her hair was styled into an undercut with the top bleached white and a piercing sat under her lower lip. 76 was bothered by her eyes, they were hyper focused on him as though she could see into him.

“-so I’ll have you follow me this way.”

76 shook his head to clear his thoughts as Jacobs led 146 down a hall with Madison. When 76 went to follow, Mulligan held him tight and turned to Dr. Waverly.

“You’ll be with me,” she said, her voice ringing slightly in the empty white halls, “Mulligan, you are dismissed. I will guide our new guest to the med bay.”

Mulligan shot her a wary look before releasing 76 and heading down the hall the others had left through. 76 watched him leave before turning back to the doctor.

He jumped slightly when he saw how close she had managed to get to him. Her bright smile also caught him off guard as she grabbed his wrist and tugged him down another corridor towards and elevator.

“Where are we going?”

“Med bay. I’m under the assumption that the Society fitted you with a tracking chip at the very least. I just wish I had up to date files on you, but I doubt they cared enough to keep anything like that on you.”

76 snorted at the dry humor in the doctor’s voice before partially unzipping his jacket and pulling out the now damp and bent files. He stumbled a little when she stopped to snag the files out of his hands. A mischievous smile broke across her face as she leafed through the papers.

“Oh. I like you already,” she hummed before leading them into an elevator. She hit the bottom button and scanned her badge on the reader.

Dr. Waverly flipped through his files. The rapidly dropping elevator sent his head spinning so fast he tripped into the wall and held onto the railing for dear life.

“C’mon,” she encouraged as she slid her shoulder under his arm and her arm around his waist, “You can do it, big guy, I bet you’ve had worse.”

She wasn’t wrong but that didn’t stop the room from spinning violently under him. It was a miracle that she managed to drag him into the lab and onto the medical table.

He watched as the doctor walked around the room to grab various supplies before setting them on the table with him and turning to flip through the pages of his records again.

She hummed to herself and her eyebrows knitted together in concern, “You’re a little fucked up, aren’t you?”

This startled a sharp bark of laughter from 76 which earned him another dry smile before she picked up a hand scanner and ran it over his chest.

“A little fucked up is an understatement.”

“So it would seem. I’ll have you take of everything above the waist, now,” she chuckled as she pulled out a scalpel and gauze.

76 complied and held still as she cut into the barcode that was tattooed under his left collar bone. She pulled out a small metal chip from the incision before gluing the cut together and bandaging it.

“You can call me Stef by the way.”

76 turned his head to look at what was now three different Stefs, “…Jack,” he slurred.

Stef smiled and crawled up on the table so she was kneeling next to him. She checked over the seams of his headpiece, trying to find the tiny catches to release the visor and mask. With a small sound of victory, she popped the releases and pulled the front pieces off.

He wasn’t too much to look at right now. The circle under his eyes were probably dark, the scars across his face felt agitated, and his eyes where unfocused and unmoving.

“Oh. Can you see right now?”

“Not really, my eyes are useless. The implants give me blurred vision and the visor clears everything up.”

“Ah,” Stef said as she slid back onto the floor and backed the visor pieces and set them with his jacket, “I don’t want to do too much else with you right now. I can see you’re really struggling right now.”

76 made a strained noise of confirmation as Stef helped him to his feet. He swayed uneasily and gagged as his nausea came back full force.

Together they stumbled and swayed down the hall. Everything started to blur as the doors passed. He tripped and blacked out.

When he woke up again he was laying on something incredibly soft with a very heavy blanket over him. The room was still spinning but a hand holding onto his anchored him down.

Two sets of glowing green and purple eyes watched him in silence for a moment as he struggled to lift his head. The higher set of purple blinked and said something unintelligible before turning and leaving.

Stef leaned over and whispered something to 76 before a needle entered his arm and the world went dark once more.