#is he dead ? Is he alive ? A secret third thing ? In any case he’s a pathetic puppet and I’m obsessed with him

[sobselpop]

Puppeteered by somebody else

Lowkey maybe totally inspired by this masterpiece by the amazing @joycew-art

[rainydayandmondays]

...in case, I stand one little chance...

Summary: New Year’s Eve shouldn’t be for charity galas. Or at least that’s what Andy believes. Good thing he can see you when he gets home.

Pairing: Andy Barber X Reader, Jake Jensen X Reader

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: 18+ only. Minors DNI. Explicit language, explicit sexual content, male masturbation, fingering (female receiving), voyeurism, Daddy kink, slight non-con, unprotected sex

Author’s Note: Our third holiday in the Holidays with Andy series. And when I told you that Andy was not too happy about this one, well...

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

Andy watched as everyone made their way around the venue making small talk with people they honestly couldn’t care less about. He sipped at the glass of champagne being passed around. But he could really go for something harder right about now.

Laurie had invited him tonight. It was the Children’s Cottage charity gala. They had really gone all out this year. Some last-minute donors had really shelled out the cash this time. Probably looking for an easy tax write off. Either way, Laurie had spent the last couple of weeks completely enveloped in putting on the best gala. Something about money attracts money. Big gala meant big donations. Or at least that’s what she had said as she laid out his suit for the night.

Andy was itching to get a way. He had done his due diligence for the night. Had showed up, providing the loving, doting husband routine as they walked into the venue. However, it was not but thirty minutes before Laurie was pulled away to schmooze with some potential donors. She left Andy to fend for himself as he looked around the event area. Somewhere along the way, he had been cornered by one of the farther leaning conversative attendees. Once they found out about his job, the man couldn’t help but to drone on about the need to tighten up on crime. Mind you, Andy was pretty sure this man lived behind a gate with a driveway that took at least ten minutes to drive up. What possible crime would he know about?

Breaking free from the conversation under the guise of refilling his drink, Andy decided to loiter by the bar for the remainder of the night. He was sure at some point Laurie would find him, until then, he would wait out, switching the champagne for something harder.

Halfway into his glass of whiskey, he felt his phone go off in his pocket. Turning towards the bar, he took it out to see the pop-up notification from his favorite app. There was movement detected. He smiled, you must have made it home and before midnight.

Andy hadn’t seen you after your Secret Santa exchange. You having taken the week off from work, he had missed seeing you flit through the office. Seeing you pour your third cup of coffee for the day in the breakroom as you talked about your New Year’s plans. He knew you would celebrate it. Holidays seemed to be too big a deal for you not to.

No, there hadn’t been any sight of you for a whole week. Well, except for his camera. There, he had seen so much of you. In the short week that it had been up, Andy was able to discover a lot about you. He had made sure to set up the motion detected notifications the day after that first night. Wearing subdued clothing to work, at home you preferred satin nighties and pajama sets. He imagined you preferred the softness against your skin. In the mornings, you would wake up and start blasting 80’s music as you danced around your room, getting ready for the day. He didn’t know he could love Bon Jovi so much being an AC/DC fan himself. But something about you lip-syncing to Dead or Alive as you made your bed had that song stuck in his head for the rest of the week.

At night, well at night were the best times. That’s when the other you came out. The you, you had shown that night whispering out for daddy as you ground against your pillow. He still hadn’t recovered from learning about your kink or the fact that it could work you up so much to squirt. But then again, daddies always know how to get their good girls there. True, at night, his sweet girl became his good girl. He watched and listened as every night you found a way to get yourself off. Whether you rode yourself to orgasm or tried with your small fingers to finger yourself there, he watched.

It always started with the headphones first, some audio you listened to that never failed to get you where you needed to go. He finally heard it Friday night when your earbuds lost their connection. He watched as you frantically tried to re-pair the headphones as a man’s voice filtered through your room telling you exactly what to do. At first, the thought of another man pulling those noises from you, even a disembodied voice, made his hair stand on end. However, if it meant that his sweet girl could get her release, then so be it.

Staring down at the notification, Andy debated opening the app now to see what you might be doing. It was still relatively early for any nighttime performances, but it might be the right time for your after-shower routine. Making his decision, Andy downed the rest of his drink, before turning to head towards the restroom. He wasn’t sure exactly where Laurie was, but given the night, she was probably still sucking up to another donor.

Phone in hand, he started to pull up the app when he rounded the corner to the bathrooms. Pushed against the men’s room, he saw his wife gripping some random’s neck as said rando had their face buried in her collarbone and his hand up her skirt. The little whimpers escaping her mouth and the squelches coming from beneath her skirt left little to the imagination about what was going on in the corner of the venue. Watching the scene unfold, Andy’s face tightened, and his jaw creaked as he bared down.

“Andy?!”

Finally noticing her audience, his wife gasped out his name, urging the guy’s hand from under her dress. She tried to right herself, as her comically wide eyes looked at him to determine just how fucked up the situation was.

Letting out a dry chuckle beneath his breath, he only stared back before calmly stating, “I’ll be in the car.”

As he made his way back through the venue, he could hear Laurie calling out to him. She only stopped once they hit the main area. She couldn’t risk making a scene. She had donors to think about.

“Jake!”

You looked up from your bed, where you had perched with a few pillows against the headboard. The night was slowly closing in on its midnight deadline and you had spent it watching the Twilight Zone marathon on TV. Jake had introduced it to you in one of the first years of your friendship. Neither of you had really been up to going to any local parties. In fact, the idea of meeting up with high school acquaintances, all home from college and pretending that college had somehow changed them in the 4 months they had been gone, sounded exhausting. Rebuffing any invitation you received, it was Jake’s late-night text asking you to come over, that won out. Laying on his parents’ basement couch, you had rung in the new year with Rod Serling and a boy who was slowly becoming your best friend.

Since then, you have made it a tradition to watch the marathon together to celebrate the New Year. When Jake had gone out on his latest mission, you know it was a possibility that he may miss out this year. In all the time you had known each other, you had only missed your tradition when he gone off to bootcamp. But even then, he had sent you a play-by-play commentary as you watched together through chat.

Now he had been gone since before Christmas, your last call the night you had shared your amazing news about school. You had gotten mad at him for not reacting the way you had hoped. Jake had always supported you in everything you did. When the last year of school almost took you out with the last of your criminal justice classes, he had stayed up with you to quiz you. And when you brought home the A’s, that he promised you would get, he gave you your nickname. The LSASTs came and he sat at your kitchen table as you reviewed each section of the exam over and over again. He made sure that you had a continuous drip of coffee until you ultimately crashed and he carried you to your couch to sleep. Reading out your final score, he had stood by with your parents, grabbing you and repeatedly telling you ‘I told you so.’ Then when your mom had gotten sick, he held you as you decided to put your law school dreams on the backburner. He rocked you and whispered that it wasn’t for forever. That was the Jake you expected it.

Thinking over it afterwards, you had kicked yourself about being short with him. Jake had always been there for you, watched over you. He had just been preoccupied with the mission, calling you from his motel room. He sent you a text later that night to let you know that all communication was going dark and he would talk to you as soon as possible. On Christmas, you shot him a text with a picture of your family’s Christmas tree lighting up the dark living room and a simple Merry Christmas.

But now, here he stood in your doorway, shuffling towards your bed while he closed the door behind him.

“Hey Ace.”

Taking a seat on your bed, you brought up your legs to make room for him and the gift bag in his hands.

“How are you here?”

“The mission finished.” He replied, grabbing hold of your socked foot and rubbing circles into the sole of it.

“But I thought you said…”

“I may have told them I had an important date to keep,” He interrupted you, squeezing your foot as he looked up at you, “Besides Hooch’s wife made him promise to be back for New Year’s.”

He watched as you smiled back at him. There was that smile. He had missed it while he was gone. Most missions were never easy for him, but you always made sure to see him off with a smile and well wishes. This last one hadn’t been the same as the memory of your displeased face popping up as he carried out his comms duty. He hadn’t meant to make you angry. It was only after receiving your Christmas tree photo that he knew may be all had been forgiven.

Driving back from the meet up site, he had rushed to grab a gift bag from his sister’s place, dropping all his bags at hers and heading out to you. His sister, used to his antics when it came to you, had met him at the door, hugging him quickly and handing him the gift bag with tissue paper ready. Outside your house, he had shoved the gift into the bag, noting the time on the car’s clock and knowing you had to be deep into their annual marathon. Knocking on the door, your mom greeted him, and he noticed she seemed to have a healthier glow about her. She welcomed him with the same genuine smile you had, before pointing to your room upstairs.

“Are you going to tell me what you have hidden behind your back?”

He smirked, grabbing at the bag and handing it to you. You made quick work of the tissue paper on top before reaching down and pulling at your gift. Holding it in your hands, you looked at the white sweatshirt with Boston College scrawled across the front.

“I am happy for you, Ace. You of all people deserve this.” He whispered waiting for your reaction when he saw you starting to chew on your lip. Your eyes lifting and tears lining each lid. He was pretty sure he did it right this time, but waiting for you to say something had his anxiety spiking. Nervously pushing up his glasses, he waited.

“Jake.”

Only hearing his name, he barely had time to brace himself as you threw yourself at him. His arms taking hold of your waist as you slung yours around his neck.

“Merry Christmas, Ace.”

He felt you squeeze him harder at his utterance of your nickname. Slowly backing away from him, you sniffled before leaning over to your beside table. A sparkly red gift with gold ribbon came into view, as you placed it in front of him.

“Merry Christmas, Jake.”

He smiled ripping into the wrapping paper and box. Inside he found Baby Yoda staring up at him talking about protecting and snacking, smirking to himself, he looked up at your expectant face.

“You like it?”

“I love it.” He replied draping it against his chest to model it for you, before pulling on neckline of the shirt he was wearing.

He hadn’t had a chance to really change and had opted to spray as much of Axe body spray on himself to cover the smell of travel. Pulling the old shirt over his head, he got a small whiff of it and was surprised you hadn’t mentioned anything when you hugged him. The shirt fully settled he caught the last bit of you pulling your sweatshirt down, a small glimpse of your belly making him clear his throat.

“So, have they shown To Serve Man yet?”

“Not yet. You know that the classic episodes are saved for actual New Years Day.” You explained as you pulled the duvet away for him to climb in next to you.

Watching the clock over the TV, he saw that you were only a couple of minutes out from midnight. But despite your best efforts, you fell asleep about an hour ago. Somehow inching your way onto his lap, you had snuggled close to him with his hand making its way to rest along your waist. It hadn’t been a conscious thought to do so and yet here he was. Short little puffs of air hitting his thighs, just under your clasped hands. He enjoyed the sense of calm the position had brought the both of you, before stroking your shoulder.

“Ace, you need to wake up. It’s almost time.”

He felt you shift, moving to turn your head towards his stomach. The little puffs of air now danced along the bottom edge of the Mandalorian t-shirt you had gifted him a few hours earlier.

“Ace, come on. You don’t want to miss it.”

At that your eyes blinked open to stare up at him. A sleepy smile stretching the corners of your mouth, as you moved up to lean against him instead.

Switching the TV to show the ball dropping in New York, the roar of the crowd echoed through your bedroom.

“5…4…3…2…1. Happy New Year, Ace.” He quietly spoke the countdown, his chin resting on top of your head as you held onto his arm.

“I’m so happy you’re here.” He felt your whisper along his arm, your hand running down to hold his hand.

He interlaced your fingers, giving a firm squeeze in response. He was over the moon to be here. The two of you were able to complete you tradition one more year. If he was lucky, he’d be able to spend many more with you.

“I’m sorry about last time. I shouldn’t have been mad at you. You were just looking out for me.”

He felt tears before he heard the sniffling. This was the second time that you were crying tonight. However, this was for a much worse reason. Grabbing onto your chin, he lifted it to see your big eyes filled with tears, “I will always look out for you.”

Your watery smile seemed to stem any additional tears as you nodded. Starting to lean back, he tried to resettle the two of you from the small break in the bubble you had created.

“One day you won’t. One day you’re going to meet an amazing woman and she’s going to make you so happy. She’ll be the one you look out for. Not me.”

The way your voice seemed to get smaller as your confession continued, made something in him ache. He wasn’t sure where all these questions about his feelings about you came from. He wouldn’t let you think that somehow, he felt so little about you.

“There will never be a time where I don’t look out for you. Where I don’t care about you. Because I can’t not. I can’t not care about you. I can’t not…” He caught himself before finishing his thought. He couldn’t go there with you. Couldn’t risk it. Closing his eyes, he opened them to find you staring back at him.

“Can’t not what, Jake?” He shook his head, swallowing hard to avoid answering your question, “Jake, can’t not what?”

Feeling the bed shift, he watched as you climbed into his lap, your pajama shorts riding up, as you stared at him straight on. Your hands came up to cradle his face, stopping him from looking anywhere other than you.

“Tell me.”

The drive home had been frosty with little to no talk being had. Getting into the car, Laurie had thankfully picked up on the fact that there was little to be said. He had caught her right out and no spinning of the truth could change that. Pulling into the driveway, Andy was glad that they had okayed Jacob to spend New Year’s at some classmate’s party. He couldn’t see this going any other way but ugly once safe in their home.

Accusations started the moment inside. The lone overhead light from the kitchen island was the only thing illuminating the house when Laurie let out her vitriol.

It wasn’t her fault.

He was never there.

Work was more important than either of them.

The image of the perfect family was what he wanted. Not an actual family.

He couldn’t expect something to last if he was never there to take care of it.

He stood cross-armed against the counter, letting his wife have her say. He watched her let everything out, her words becoming more strained as she continued. She didn’t touch what she had done tonight. Save from pleading again how it wasn’t her fault. Once she calmed to a simmer, realizing that he wouldn’t be rising to her level, he felt the need to answer.

“You’ve been different. Happier for a few months. I would say that’s probably around the time it started. Maybe it started with a few compliments, a flirtatious quip during a meeting. It probably developed from a woe is me, my husband doesn’t love me anymore diatribe where the fucker saw his chance. It could have happened in a few ways. I don’t know.” He started slowly uncrossing his arms and approaching her.

Her mouth was in line, presumably getting ready for another round of denial, when he continued.

“But what I do know, is that you never really loved me. No, we were a means to an end for each other. What I know is that I’m not the only one that has cared about appearances. What I know is that this would be a slam dunk, fault-based divorce on the grounds of adultery. Given tonight’s events, there’s going to be more proof somewhere. And what I know is that your reputation would never recover. There’s got to be a morality clause somewhere in your contract with Children’s Cottage.”

He saw her confidence start to fade. The righteous anger she had built up with her tirade diminishing as he kept talking. She didn’t have a leg to stand on and he would make sure she knew.

“But you see, what I know is that I don’t have the desire to deal with that. So, this is what’s going to happen, we’re going to finish this for tonight. Come next week, you will end whatever this little thing is. Or at least give the illusion that it’s ended. We will put up the pretense of trying to make it work for Jacob’s sake. But this will end. A non-contested divorce. Just another New England marriage falling victim to irreconcilable differences. That is what I know. And now, that is what you know.”

Leaving her in the kitchen, he drowned out the small whimpers she made as she tried to collect herself. What’s done was done and there was nothing more for it. Entering his office, he threw his overcoat on the small loveseat in the corner, before sitting at his desk. He waited to hear her steps overhead before pulling out his iPad and setting it up on the stand he bought earlier this week.

His marriage may be ending, but he still had you. His sweet girl that loved every holiday with equal passion. That didn’t seem to be touched by the darkness in the world. That had done nothing but shine a light into his life. His sweet girl, that should be right about now becoming his good girl.

Logging into the camera’s app, he waited for the feed to load as he started to unbutton the collar and cuffs of the overly starched shirt, Laurie had insisted he wear.

“Damn it, Ace”

“Tell me, please.”

As the feed fully came up, he heard his sweet girl talking to someone. Someone distinctly male sounding. Looking at the camera, he zoomed in on the image of her straddling someone. Her hands were gripping the guy’s neck, as he watched them leave heated bite marks along her neck.

“Sweet girl. Not you too. You wouldn’t do this to me too.” He whispered into the darkness of this office. He could feel the urge to be mad. To reach through the computer and punch the guy currently nibbling on his sweet girl. Pawing at her like he had any idea of what to do for her.

Rubbing at his chin, he leaned forward on his desk, his breath puffing out over his clasped hands. He wouldn’t have this. Not tonight. Not ever. He fought the anger building up when he heard your gasp. Focusing back on the scene, he watched you start to rock on the lap of your stranger. Your hips rolled in that practiced way he had memorized from before. You had switched your pillow for this man.

“God damn it, Ace. Say that you want this.”

“Jake.”

Jake. That goofy sidekick friend you had introduced him to on Thanksgiving, was the one you were currently grounding against. How could he possibly know what to do for you? What to give you? There’s no way he would be able to handle what you needed.

“Take it out.”

The little moan you gave at Jake’s words had Andy ears perking up again. He knew that moan, that was your happy moan. The moan you made as you slipped into the lovely sub headspace. He had heard that moan from you throughout this week. Each time signaling to him that you were becoming his good girl.

He watched as you fussed with something in front of you. He assumed it was your friend’s pants and zip. It was confirmed when a groan was let out by Jake. He was glad to not be able to see what exactly you might be holding onto. He could barely stomach that you had chosen to ring in the New Year’s this way. But despite himself, he couldn’t stop watching. Maybe he needed to know exactly what you do when it wasn’t just a disembodied voice with you. Or maybe he just needed to know that despite Jake’s best efforts, he would fail at giving you what daddy could.

You continued your slow grind against him and he watched as a pair of hands came around, grabbing your ass and pulling you closer. Your satin pajama shorts rode up higher and Andy wasn’t sure how much stretch they were going to give you. You pushed your ass back into his hands and Andy knew you were begging for a swift slap to each cheek. Instead, Jake just gripped them tighter, massaging each. You let out a small whimper at that before doubling down on your grind.

He knew that squeeze wasn’t what you needed. He watched as Jake’s fingers finally made their way under the hem of your shorts. Andy was able to clock the exact moment when Jake figured out that you wore nothing under those sleep shorts.

“Ah fuck, Ace.”

“Please.”

Hearing you beg gave him what he needed. Up to this point, he had spent most of the time judging Jake’s handling of you. Comparing what he might do, knowing what he would do would be better. But the sweet sound of you pleading, woke up the part of him needing to serve you. Give you what you need. He swore it was Pavlovian. He adjusted in his seat, rubbing at himself through his dress pants.

“What does my sweet girl need?”

He watched as Jake’s hand grew bolder, fingers inching further under her shorts, until his sweet girl’s back arched. Zooming in, Andy followed the fingers moving in and out of his girl’s pussy. A wet spot was growing in the crotch of her shorts, and he knew if Jake would hold out a little longer, she would let go for both of them.

“Those fingers are so much better than your little ones, aren’t they sweet girl? Thicker. Are you squeezing them, sweetheart? Show us how tight it is. Come on, I know you’re almost there.”

Unzipping his pants, Andy dove his hand into his boxer briefs, grabbing onto himself. It had only been a few minutes of watching her and he was already dripping, creating a nice, healthy wet spot in these damn suit pants. Pulling at the waist of them, he pulled them down as he grabbed at his button-down shirt. Leaving just the bottom two buttons undone, the shirt tails splayed around his cock. The pink head standing between the edges of his shirt, as he dribbled onto hem of each side.

“Jake, I’m…”

“Shit, I know. I can feel it. Ah fuck, Ace I can feel it. It’s so tight.”

“No shit, you can feel it. You better give it to her. Don’t fucking dare leave her hanging.”

Andy watched as your hips finally stuttered and you reached back to grip Jake’s hands. His finger stopped moving beneath your shorts, while you laid your head against his shoulder.

“No! You have to keep going for her.” Andy brought a fist down on his desk as he saw the wet spot grow on your shorts. But nowhere to the point it should be. You could go so much further. He would have gotten you there.

“Ace, I gotta…”

“Yes, Jake.”

That small acquiescence was all Jake needed to flip the both of you over. Balancing over you, Jake shoved his pants and boxers down, kicking them off the edge of the bed. Still slightly blissed out from already cumming, you let Jake grab at your shorts for you, followed shortly by your sweatshirt. As Jake moved to throw your clothing, Andy caught a glimpse of your glistening pussy, all puffy and coated with your juices. Andy had been letting himself bob freely, deciding he wouldn’t cum until you did. But now, seeing this, having the image of you completely bared to him. Fuck, if he didn’t have to pinch at the base of himself. It had been a while since he had cum hands-free. But if it were to happen for him again, it would be with you.

“Jake, please. I need it.”

You had reached down, dipping a finger inside yourself before pulling it up to push back your little hood.

“Fucking Christ. Are you that needy, little one? You just came and already need something inside you again?”

“Shit, Ace. You can’t do that to me.”

Andy shook his head at your friend. How was he ever going to keep up with you? You haven’t shown half of what you could do. Of what you wanted. What you cried out for as you rode your own fingers. Your legs came to hook behind Jake’s ass and that seemed to be what he needed to finally sink into you.

He could hear the little whimper that left you after Jake slide in, your legs tensing under his ass, as you got used to the stretch. Taking full advantage of the 10X zoom, Andy gawked at your lips hugging onto Jake. Fluttering a little, as they stretched around him.

“My sweet girl, look at you stretched out. She can barely hold onto him. That’s okay, she’s not used to it. We can teach her.”

Taking himself in hand, Andy mimicked the pace Jake set. Poor boy was barely holding on. He was grinding into you, with his face buried in your neck. He wasn’t even sure that he would last long enough for you to get there a second time. Andy couldn’t have it. Even if it was another man sliding into you, daddies always took care of their good girls.

“Come on my sweet girl. Daddy needs you to cum. You’re daddy’s good girl, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes.”

“Ace, shit, how are you tighter?”

Andy tightened his hold on himself, activity thrusting into his fist at your response to him. He knew you just needed a little coaxing. The okay to let yourself go. He watched you lose yourself, your grip on Jake spasming as your nails scratched at his back.

“There you go little one. Look at the mess you’re making. Fuck, keep squeezing him. Let him know exactly how good you are.”

“Fuck, Ace.”

He watched Jake quickly pull from your hold and finish himself on your tummy. It splattered against your skin and Andy had to wonder how long it had been for the kid. Or maybe this was just the hold you had on men. You could draw the very souls out of them.

He stroked himself, watching you both come down, your little mewls the only thing keeping him going. Your pussy was still twitching as more of you leaked onto the bed, while Jake tried to get himself together. Leaning back, Andy played at his balls, pulling on them trying to join you in that post haze bliss. Closing his eyes, he replayed your pussy stretched out around the cock being shoved into you. The sweet noises you made when given his permission.

“Mmm daddy.”

Andy’s eyes whipped open at that. He had let you have fun with your friend, but he be damned if you called him daddy. Looking at the feed, he saw that Jake had left the room, presumably to get a towel to clean up. You were still spread out on your bed, your legs relaxed open, while your fingers played with the spend left on your stomach. Taking a scoop onto your middle finger, Andy’s pupils blew black, as you licked it from your fingers.

“Fuck, sweetheart. I’m here. You’ve missed it haven’t you. God, I swear to you I’ll figure out a way to give it to you again. Keep licking sweet girl. Keep licking…”

He lost it. This time he didn’t even have time to aim. The half hours’ worth of edging ended with the bottom of his dress shirt soaked. Looking down at it, he smirked thinking of Laurie finding it in the laundry later.

Sitting back in his chair, he watched as Jake came back in, gently cleaning you. Grabbing his hand, you directed him back to the bed, for him to cuddle in behind you. Andy sighed. It seemed that maybe Jake was more of an obstacle than he had originally given him credit. But it was your daddy you had called out for, not Jake. And that Andy could work with.

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[clarina04]

In my previous post, I talked at length about why I think Winters and Eugene Roe are the second most perfect pairing after Winnix, so I'll share my opinion on my third place winner, which is Roe and Speirs.

Unfortunately, we don't see them together much during the series, only once, (they don't even communicate with each other) but knowing both of their personalities, I think they'd have a lot of potential.

Basically, they're both introverts, they don't talk much, they keep a few steps away from everyone, but while Roe is respected and loved for who he is, Speirs is more feared and people try to avoid him as much as possible. They're similar, yet they emanate so much different energy, and I think we all feel that perfectly. Eugene has a positive aura that makes you feel safe when you look at him. He's aloof but a sweetheart, caring about the people around him, their needs, their injuries, their physical/mental health and trying to do all he can to help keep them alive. People trust him implicitly, because Eugene has proven time and time again how good a person he is and how conscientiously he carries out his duties. We viewers also like him a lot (for me, he and Winters are the absolute most sympathetic characters).

And then there's Ronald Speirs, who we immediately know as a ruthless, cold-blooded killer, incapable of empathy for either enemies or his comrades. People are spreading malicious rumours about him, which we as viewers can decide whether to believe or not, although I would add that the directors/writers have done a perfect job in this regard, as they have created the character of Speirs in such a way that it gives you the creeps. Just think of the intense, lifeless look he gives others, his emotionless face, his mechanical demeanour, his silent movements reminiscent of a beast stalking its prey, his harsh words... It's as if the creators of this show deliberately wanted us to believe everything bad we hear about him without doubting it.

And now the justification...

We know that Eugene is there to save lives by being a medic, but Speirs doesn't believe at all that he or any of his comrades can come home alive from this war and he makes no secret of that (think of the scene with Blithe in the third episode). Unlike Winters, he doesn't try to inspire those he sees as afraid or desperate, but on the contrary... he even dampens their spirits by showing them no empathy. He tries to make them understand why it is good to be able to turn off their emotions completely and function like a machine, but this attitude only makes them more afraid (again, I can cite the case of Blithe, who was just as terrified as before after Speirs' "advice", but when Winters was there and he tried to shake him up so he could keep fighting, the curse was broken, because once he fired his gun, he was no longer afraid, and that was thanks to Winters).

Just think how interesting it would have been to listen to a conversation between Speirs and Roe, where their world views clashed. They don't even need to talk about these things specifically, just a mere sense of how different their mindsets are. As they would try to make the other understand their own point of view. Roe, who believes in God and prays to him regularly, and Speirs, who can no longer believe in anything and who has long since accepted that he is dead.

And the other thing I would have also watched at least one scene of is the two of them getting into a fight about something. Again, I can only cite the scene in episode 5, where Eugene is yelling at Winters and Welsh for not paying attention to how many ampoules of morphine they gave Moose when he was accidentally shot. Imagine how much more tense the already incredibly tense situation would have been if Speirs had been there instead of Welsh and Roe had been yelling at him. Because I'm pretty sure he would have yelled at him the same way. Eugene doesn't look like he's afraid of any of his superiors, and it's well illustrated in this scene. Even Winters and Welsh respect him, they let him lecture them, because they know exactly that Eugene is right and I have a feeling that Speirs would have reacted the same way they did. He would have kept quiet and I think this because in episode 10, when Grant is shot in the head, Speirs does everything he can to save him. That's the only scene where we see him and Roe together (I wish we could have gotten some interaction on how it all went down between them) and when they find that brain surgeon who finally performs the operation. Here it becomes clear that Speirs actually does care about his people and is not a heartless monster who doesn't care about anything because "we're all dead anyway". Like everyone else, he is tired of the horrors of the war, fed up with it all, and this incident was caused by a drunken idiot, not an enemy soldier. As it was said in the episode, people died the same way after the war was over. And Speirs didn't want any more unnecessary casualties. Enough had already died. That's why he was so desperate, and why he searched everything he could to find the right person to save Grant's life, the one he stayed with all along, interlaced his fingers with his and stroked the back of his hand. And in the meantime, there was Eugene, to whom he didn't speak, but together they fought for the life of a comrade.

The series doesn't reveal what kind of a man Speirs was before the war, (nor about Eugene) but he is certainly more empathetic than we get to know him in the very first episodes. He had his oddities, he had his unsympathetic manifestations, but overall I don't consider him a bad person. He's just a victim who's been emotionally destroyed by the war, but by the end of the show I think he's pretty much back to his old self, or at least changed if he was always like this. He's resurrected.

Overall, my opinion is that they deserved more screen time and interaction, because very interesting conversations could have been generated, which might have even deepened their relationship. Eugene could have been the one to change Speirs' outlook on life with his thinking, or at least help him understand the importance of life and why they are fighting (my god, the amount of angst and hurt/comfort that could have come out of this... I still can't believe the creators didn't take this opportunity and see the potential in the two of them...). And of course I can't forget how intense and satisfying it would be to watch two such strong characters bickering, shouting at each other to prove themselves right, and wondering which one would break first, which one would finally see that the other was right... which one would apologise first and in what form.

[writing-whump]

Migraine

Fallout with Arnie and Hector. Arnie gets sick at night.

Hector was dead tired when he got back home.

It was already dark and Isaiah had a work appointment in the city, otherwise Hector suspected he would have come too, basically seeing him off to the tram stop. Like he was worried Hector wouldn't make it without help.

After the performance he made at the mole, Hector couldn't really blame him.

His head was still spinning from all the revelations, his stomach was tied in knots over the emotional roller coaster. If he stopped to think about it too much, he would find new things to angst over.

For now he just felt raw and hollowed out and strangely...relieved.

Things weren't all solved and Isaiah skillfully sidestepped any comments about the chest pain that happened the other day. There were years of secrets and hurts and whatever weird things Isaiah got into his head.

But Hector was going to figure it out. Secret by secret if he had to. Isaiah was not getting rid of him that easy anymore.

Arnie was in an anxious spiral, even though he told Hector himself to go out of the apartment. Turned out he didn't really believe he would manage.

Hector gave him a run down of all the new details he figured out. Arnie was on his best way to draw a timeline to figure out when exactly dad's shadow went mad, when Isaiah's training started, then his missions and what other weird things happened on the way.

It was weird investigating someone who was alive and could answer questions.

Hector found the idea of the pack not noticing their leader was mad and how the hell that could happen the most alarming. A pack was there to hold up their members, cover for what one couldn't do alone. This was out of proportions worst case scenario he never even heard of before.

Arnie was more hung upon the idea of nobody being powerful enough to challange, not to mention defeat dad, aside from Isaiah. Even uncle Grayson, just a few years younger than dad, couldn't defeat him in a one-on-one fight.

Waiting for Isaiah to do that for him? Arnie was complaining about that non stop, even willing to return for a few days to see Grayson on his own. Which was a miracle, cause since coming to see Isaiah, Hector couldn't tear Arnie away from the city.

Of course, Arnie didn't have such a strong pack instinct as a human, but the way he could ignore everyone else when focused on his own goals was incomprehensible to Hector.

Then again, Arnie wasn't all that well treated by the wolves either, so maybe he should stop with the shock.

They talked almost until midnight.

Hector's eyes were falling shut insistently while sitting up. He was exhausted after feeling and purging himself of so many things the day.

When it happened the third time, Arnie made the executive decision to go to sleep.

Hector was out before his head hit the pillow, relieved his stomach was finally steady, even if it sore like he gave it a thorough workout.

...

Hector woke up to a weird keening noise.

A quiet but insistent little sound, reminding him of a hurt animal.

He slid his legs from the bed, rubbing at his eyes. Sleep was sticking to him because of the exhaustion and he didn't feel any danger, nothing alarming him to a foreign or hostile presence.

Stumbling out, he followed the source of the noise to the bathroom. The door was slightly open, but there was no light.

He pushed the door open, switching the light on. The sight hit like a bucket of cold water.

Arnie was curled up around the toilet, elbows on the seat, pressing his hands against his temples in a vice grip. He was white as a sheet, covered in sweat and there was vomit on his chin.

Even worse, when he lifted his eyes to Hector, squinting, they were bloodshot and red, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Arnie groaned as the light hit him, bowing down to wrap his hands around his head.

Hector cursed, switching the light off again, skidding to his knees beside him.

"Pipsqueak, hey, hey. When did this hit?" The sensitivity to light, the pain written all over his face...

Hector was well acquainted with Arnie's migraines. They weren't that frequent anymore, but there was a time when he was around 15 that Arnie would get them every two weeks, like on clock. Hector never felt so helpless as when Arnie cried himself to sleep in a little ball, moaning even when he wasn't aware, against a pain Hector couldn't see, couldn't heal and do nothing against.

Their best bet was usually looking out for the triggers to prevent one coming in the first place. Depending on what it was the meds worked differently. There could be too little sleep, too much sitting, stressed out, food that didn't sit well, some flues even ended with migraines on top.

Hector didn't understand where the hell they came from with a healthy teenage kid. Except now that he had seen Isaiah at the event and thought back about their crappy childhoods...yeah, probably not so weird they both carried something out of it.

It was still frustrating as hell.

"S-sorry, didn't mean to wake you..." Arnie's voice was quiet, careful of his own volume, but Hector could hear the pain and tears written in it loud and clear.

"Dumbass. You should have," Hector chastised in the softest voice he could manage, shifting to sit behind Arnie.

His eyes were adjusting to the dark quickly, but he wasn't suprised to find a puddle of vomit where Arnie's probably didn't.

Hector put his hands gently on Arnie's shoulders. "Did you try your meds? Paralen or muscle relaxants-"

"W-on't stay down," Arnie whimpered.

Yeah, then they were fucked until he could stop vomiting.

"God, Hex. It hurts so much," Arnie whined, slumping forward, all but breaking Hector's heart.

"I know, buddy. Shhhh, try to take deep breaths. We should lie you dow-"

Arnie interrupted the suggestion with a heave, but only a loud wet burp came up. The sudden quick movement made him moan though, shoulders locking up under Hector's hands.

Arnie's stomach gurgled and then swirling sound shot up his throat. The heave brought up a wave of chunky vomiting, Arnie yelping as it jostled his spine.

Hector held his shoulders, helping him aim over the center of the toilet bowl. The vomit splattered loudly into the water.

Arnie hitched, new wave of tears running down his cheeks as he curled up from the pain. "Hhhhurts..."

"Shhhhhh," Hector shushed him, wrapping up toilet paper around his hand to gently mop Arnie's face and chin from behind. "I know this sucks, bud, but you gotta stop crying. It's making you sicker."

When he puked, the pain would spike, making him puke more. It was a viscous cycle hard to break.

Arnie sobbed instead, hands gripping the rim with all their strength. "...God, God, God...we messed it up so badly....

"What?" Hector squashed himself between the wall and Arnie to get a look at him, cupping his chin. "What are you talking about, kiddo?"

"Zaya- did-" he hiccuped, "I'm ssosssorry." More tears sprang up and Arnie choked up another sob, the keening noise joining the scene. "Sosorrry."

Hector cringed, abruptly knowing perfectly well what Arnie meant.

He mentally kicked himself for not realizing sooner.

What, did Hector think only he would be affected? That only he would blame himself for not noticing, for breaking contact with Isaiah, for forcing him to handle everything on his own?

He should have called Isaiah the moment they found out. Just like Arnie said. Hell, he should have dragged Isaiah to Arnie, let them talk it out.

Arnie jerked out of Hector's hold to heave again, crying loudly as he puked up another gush, then almost choking as it came out of his nose too.

He was panting for breath, chest hitching with sobs and little moans and goddammit this was awful.

Hector shifted out of the way, changing tactics.

He sat down against the wall right behind his kid brother, then scooped him up gently to sit him in his lap. He fixed Arnie gently to lean against Hector's chest, neck straight and head against him so he didn't have to hold his weight.

"Hexxxx, oww, Ifeelsick-"

"Shhhh, lean back and try to breathe. Just breathe."

Arnie was shaking against him, heaving, but Hector stayed put, braced for it. Important was fixing Arnie's back so he wouldn't be rolling his whole spine and neck as he gagged.

A splash of warm liquid dribbled past Arnie's lips and onto Hector's hands circled around his chest.

"Shhhhhh. It's okay, everything's fine. Focus on breathing and not crying. I got you."

Arnie whined, but then sagged against Hector in exhaustion.

Hector set himself to ignore the sensation of awful smelling liquid drying on his fingers, holding Arnie's shoulder from the back with one large hand, thumb rubbing up and down.

"Breathing, remember. Just breathe. Close your eyes and don't think about anything else."

Arnie whimpered, but obeyed, taking deeper breaths. His throat was bobbing nervously against the nausea, but the immobile position and leaning against something helped steady him.

"There you go. You are doing great."

Hector waited for a bit longer, until Arnie's breathing came semi-regularly before he dared to reach for the roll of toilet paper.

Without jostling Arnie and moving with incredibly deliberate slowness, he teared a bit of the paper to clean Arnie's face and neck, then taking more to wipe his sticky fingers.

He threw it all the toilet, but he was too worried the sound of flushing would upset the fragile balance, so opted against it.

They waited silently in the bathroom, Arnie leaning his head even more back against Hector's shoulder, breathing through his mouth.

Hector dared to put his hand on Arnie's forehead, cold and clammy. Arnie sighed contendly, finally not crying.

"I'm so sorry, pipsqueak," Hector whispered. "I should have realized this would affect you too."

Arnie swallowed heavily, not saying anything. Then he made a soft throaty sound, that got Hector scrambling up in alarm.

It was a laugh. Strained and small, but real.

"What a historical moment. You apologising to me."

Hector grunted. "You are a cheeky little bastard. Worrying the hell out of me. Jesus fucking Christ."

Arnie laughed once more, dissolving into a cough at the end. His head lolled under Hector's chin. "Uhmmm. I'm cold."

"You feeling better? Not gonna be sick again?"

Arnie's hand went to Hector's hand on his shoulder, patting it lightly. "Not feeling pukey right now."

"Alright. Let's get you lying down." Hector moved slowly, carefully, but his heart was leaping at Arnie responding and being calmer. He unceremoniously picked his brother up, scrawny as he was, carrying him to the sofa.

"Here. Lie down straight." Hector pushed the pillows away so Arnie could do just that, flat on his back, neck on the same level as his back.

Arnie squirmed a little, but when Hector touched his shoulder again, he stretched his legs and rolled his shoulders tentatively.

Hector could feel the stress knots between his shoulder and neck.

Thank shadow it was deep in the night, the light being no problem.

He brought a glass of cold water, but Arnie made a disgusted grimace at it, so Hector left it on the table. He sat down on on the ground next to him with a good view on Arnie's face.

His forehead was wrinkled and eyes squinting, but he was breathing more calmly now.

Hector gently stroked his thumb over the crease between Arnie's eyebrows. "Wanna try the meds? Would a massage help? Or do you think you could manage some sleep?"

"Uhmmm. This feels a bit better," he said softly. "Think I could fall asleep. Just...stay?"

"Right here and not moving," Hector reassured, voice rough, resting his forehead on the sofa next to Arnie's ear.

Neither of them mentioned the crying again, for which he was grateful. He hated seeing Arnie cry and any reason that would cause him to do so.

"I'm gonna fix this," Hector promised quietly as Arnie's breathing evened out. "Just you wait."

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

hiiii mackerellll my brains also bad soup rn soup brain solidarity BUT nhw.... winters family torment nexus..... i did have a question for u actually. currently wading around in the tranches (early game nhw) n i wanna write them doing silly like teen traumatized child soldier shit like playing truth or dare or shit like that... what do u think their two truths & a lie would b? also like. do u have any thoughts on their civilian life. when they are Not on the job or fighting extinction level threats or having panic attacks at school. u know. that 10% <333

ALSO. NHW WAVELENGTH..... do u have any thoughts on him. my only secret backstory caveat is that he has to have the fucking worst shit nightmare rube goldberg machine luck of all time. third & final question im just curious was danny phantom vivisection real & canon or just like a Thing??????

ok im going to start with the danny phantom question bc im dyinggg to talk about this. pun intended. also this is my equivalent of rent-lowering gunshots. if u cannot deal with my dp posting u do not deserve my pd posting etc etc etc !!!

THE ANSWER IS. BOTH YES AND NO. it never Actually Happens but it is talked about!!!!!!! the whole thing is like. dannys parents are ghost hunters and dont know about his powers so theres a lot of him like. overhearing talking about them dissecting ghosts and experimenting on ghosts and such. not knowing that he is one!!! prime territory for somes angsty ass fics. however i am of the small minority that doesnt actually think the fentons are monsters apparently. they dont know!! how could they know!!!!! theyre scientists!!! do you know how much scientists casually talk about dissecting things!! its a lot!!! also theres been a few different instances of them finding out about dannys powers (almost always retconned by time/memory shenanigans but its fine) and EVERY TIME THEYRE SO SUPPORTIVE OF HIM. AND THEY TELL HIM THEY LOVE HIM REGARDLESS. AND IN ONE CASE THEY EVEN APOLOGIZE FOR SAYING THOSE THINGS AROUND HIM BC THEY DIDNT KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anyway. anyway. i digress bc i love the fentons. anyway! there are so many. SO MANY fucking fanfictions out there of danny getting dissected/vivisected. so many in fact that its one of the things the fandom is best known for by outsiders. enough that there was literally a FANDOM-WIDE DEBATE about whether to call it dissection or vivisection because dannys status as alive/dead is so unclear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lmao!!!!!!!!! worlds most fucked up fanbase i love it here

putting the nhw stuff under a cut. subjecting my followers to my dp ramble bc fuck you!!!!!! read about my ghost boy first

OK I AM SOOOO FUCKING BAD AT TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE. IM SO BAD AT IT I CAN NEVER THINK OF ANYTHING. so instead i am just going to think of fun facts about them. so actually im gonna kill two birds wiht one stone here and answer both of ur questions abt them. here we go !!!

i think it would be REALLY funny if william is the only one with a drivers license bc he grew up in Not The City (just because he has a license doesnt mean hes GOOD). dakota is lactose intolerant but chooses to be in stubborn denial about it (he canonically doesnt like ice cream!). virion, despite being compared to a cat so often, is allergic to cats. speaking of animals, william likes animals but animals DO NOT like him!! on the other hand animals absolutely love dakota he is friends with every stray dog and cat in the whole city. virion was homeschooled by his parents/the greats. virion also doesnt know much about anything in regards to pop culture/general everyday civilian life? because he was never completely removed from the cape world at any time growing up. no non-cape adults in his life. so he and william still have their movie nights where william introduces him to shitty b-movies hehehe. dakota tries to get him into more Normal movies like. disney or ghibli or whatever but virion likes the shitty ones more. ASSIGNING THEM FAVORITE GHIBLI MOVIES WHILE IM AT IT. this is not which ones i think theyre the most like, just the ones i think are their favorties. dakota likes ponyo, william likes howls moving castle, virion likes princess mononoke, ashe likes spirited away . dont ask me why. UHHH FAVORITE PLACES TO HANG OUT OUTSIDE OF THE BASE/HOUSE. dodgeboy memorial library. lightspeed hangs out there and they like her <3. antonios pizza. he lets them loiter bc they always tip really well. william likes going to the park because he has chronic Grew Up In The Woods disease and needs outdoor time or else he'll go crazy. hes not used to city life. dakota likes the park bc there are lots of little animals there and he can Run Around, virion doesnt like the park as much bc its a lot of Vulnerable Open Spaces and those make him nervous. speaking of which in my head ive grown so attached to the idea of him being so hypervigilant at all times. look at him ive given him anxiety!!! just like. the insane betrayal losing every important figure in his life immediately leading into a life basically on the streets alone picking fights with other capes led to . idk man i keep thinking about it like sleeping in shifts but its impossible to do that with only one person!!!!!!!! do u know what i mean!!!! basically translating the "growing up on fauna where everything wants to kill you" energy into this setting. HMMMMMM. I THINK THATS IT. THATS ALL I CAN THINK OF RN . SORRY FOR THE BLOCK OF TEXT

ohhhhhhh god. oh god oh fuck. i literally Have Not Thought about nhw mark yet like AT ALL only bc i know if i do ill get so sick about it. worlds most suffering man ever he is losing everything!!!!!! ok bc im thinking about lizard stuff tonight im going to answer your question with a question. we;ve kind of sort of talked about the existence of harttawa in relation to overlord and cauldron does he still get fucked up lizard mutations!!!!!! ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HIS POWERSET. i have a lot of feelings abt him being at least partially a tinker. i think before u also called him a striker (maybe? am i remembering that right) i dont think i know strikers yet what does that one mean. WHAT WAS HIS TRIGGER EVENT. OR IS HE A CAULDRON CAPE. SHAKING YOU. I KNOW I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS BUT. I NEED 2 GET TO THE WORM SECTION WHERE I GET TO LEARN ABOUT NHW ASHE SO BAD. actually i didnt get to read any worm this weekend so im gonna stay up a Little later just to get past this section where theyrre fighting the dragon suits. ouagh EXCITED.

[blackjackkent]

Aight, Jaheira, tell Hector the secret you've been keeping from him about what you were looking for at Danthelon's? It's Minsc, right? TELL ME IT'S MINSC.

"I have not been overly generous with the truth. I came here to learn of the Chosen, true enough. But I set my Harpers searching for someone else too. Tell me - what do you know of a man named Minsc of Rashemen?"

Yessssssssss!

Karlach, once again, goes into fangirl mode at once, because she is the best.

"Ahhh! Oh my god! MINSC!"

<3

Narrator: The name is as familiar as Jaheira's own - a hero of the Time of Troubles who saved the city more than once.

Hector, history buff that he is, most definitely knows a lot about Minsc (and Jaheira, and Caden, and the whole pack). He had a couple of big grins here as the narrator was going over this, but I think his smileyness is primarily because Karlach is so excited, which always makes him happy.

"He traveled with you back in the old days," he says promptly, nodding.

Jaheira smiles dryly. "I sense you mean no insult, calling scarce a century ago 'the old days.' Which is considerably *more* insulting."

Hector winces, opens his mouth to apologize, but Jaheira shakes her head, waving it off and continuing, "Minsc is an old friend. Perhaps my oldest. We fought at one another's backs times beyond counting."

Her face twists with sudden pain and she looks away from him towards the floor. "And the last time I saw him, I left him to die."

(A/N: !!!!!!!!

A couple things here - first of all, calling Minsc her oldest friend is, in my mental worldstate, inaccurate but only by a matter of a couple weeks. Caden is still alive in Faenya-Dail with Aerie, but he and Jaheira met Minsc very early in their adventures in BG1, just outside Nashkel, and the three other people in the party earlier than him (Khalid, Imoen, and Rasaad) are all now dead, one to Irenicus and two to old age.

Second - why *isn't* Minsc dead? Isn't he a human? Has Minsc been an elf the whole time and I didn't realize it? Or is it like Volo and I'm just supposed to not question it? :P

Third - NOOOOOOOO. :( Left him to die? What happened? I need to be taking notes in case any of this affects the next chapter of my post-BG2 fic. XD Although hopefully it won't.)

"What happened?" Hector asks with some concern.

"Before we ever heard of this Absolute," Jaheira says gravely, "we received word of a gathering of cultists in the Undercity. What we found was the first dark seed of this plot - a circle of cultists, with mind flayers in their midst. We might have ended it there, cut off at the root. But before I could send for help, Minsc charged in alone."

(A/N: Yeah, okay, that does sound like Minsc. XD )

"It was chaos. He was overrun, dragged down beneath a mass of tentacles. I had a choice - stay, and let word of this cult die with us, or leave him and live to fight another day."

Her voice is flat, weary, sad - but determined. She still has hope for this man she has lost.

Privately, Hector suspects he is probably dead. He has fought small groups of mind flayers and they have been the hardest fights of his life - and those were not fights he made alone. But he can only imagine the anguish he would feel, faced with such a choice as Jaheira faced in that moment.

"I'm sorry, Jaheira," he says quietly. "That's a cruel choice to have to make."

She smiles tightly. "The world takes much from those who presume to defend it," she says. "But sometimes, you get to take it back. So don't be sorry, because I mean to use you if you're willing."

She looks at him questioningly, waits till he nods in response. Of course he will help her.

"Infection. Indoctrination. Eradication," she goes on. "That has been the fate of everyone the cult has captured so far. But it has not been yours. With your help, perhaps it need not be Minsc's either."

Hector nods again, slowly. "We can try, Jaheira," he agrees cautiously. "But we don't even know if he's still alive." He is wary of offering false hope, when the chance of success seems so slim. He would be glad to find this man - for Jaheira's sake, and for Karlach who is bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet next to him - but could he truly have survived the situation Jaheira has described?

Jaheira nods soberly. "I'm not asking for promises. Just the chance." She shrugs. "The point is moot without a means to find him. Wihtout the Harpers, we shall have to find another path. I'll have a better idea of what that is once we're through the gates. It seems I need to reacquaint myself with this damned city..."

[midweastindigo]

or; an Eddie Munson Meta slash ST 5 Prediction™ slash Future Plot of My Fic so Don't Get Any Ideas:

The goals of Eddie's character, in my opinion, are: 1. to be a foil for Steve, who is still trying to be his own person and distance his present self from his past self; this is obvious in the fact that while Eddie explicitly admits he is jealous of Steve, we are explicitly shown that Steve is just as jealous of Eddie. He is afraid of being replaced in the kids' (Dustin's especially) lives by this new adult-ish person that the kids admire and idolize, an admiration that Steve has no control over, and 2. to show the kids (and everyone) that it's okay to be 100% yourself even when people are against you; that there are those out there willing to accept the risk and fight for you. This is evident in his outspoken personality, the starry-eyed looks he gets from both Mike and Dustin in the cafeteria where it's clear that he's gone on similar rants before, and his acceptance of Erica into Hellfire so quickly - he collects the misfits to protect them and give them a safe space. (And a secret third thing which is to give Mike the universal queer experience of crushing on an older friend and feel safe in the space Eddie created to accept that part of him to then accept his feelings for Will, evident, again in the starry-eyed looks Mike gives Eddie. And even though! Steve is right there! Mike "hates" Steve and I don't think he'd even subconsciously have a crush on his sister's ex lol. This secret third thing has an even more elusive secret branch of 'Eddie's character was introduced to be both Mike and Steve's bi awakenings' and Steve Harrington is no longer just a cool ally!!!!!)

I think what his arc did in ST4 is going to come full circle in ST5: that arc being as follows:

Eddie runs away -> Eddie dies after he stops running -> Eddie accepts it's okay to run and lives

Mostly because as is, his arc feels incomplete and depressing. Eddie is a morally grey character who ran away from the things that scared him the most, but as the season progressed it seemed like he started to move into more of a chaotic good alignment because he found people who believed him and believed in his goodness regardless of what the outside said, and regardless of what he portrays himself to be. He didn't run in the end. By deciding to stand and fight - a term I use loosely because how in the ever living fuck did he think he could give the bats the old runaround and come out unscathed?

On the other side, he did it to protect the people he's grown to care about. To give Steve, Robin, and Nancy more time to kill Vecna and save Max, and to keep the bats away from Dustin. So, by giving his life to protect the people who's Most Important to him, Eddie became a hero. But goddamn, at what cost? You finally face your fears and you get killed for it? You finally take a stand and get eaten alive by demon bats? It doesn't seem finished. It leaves such an open wound in both the show and the character. (Literally LOL). By completing his arc with 'it's okay to run', to me, it'll feel finished. Like this character who is flawed but is unapologetically himself finally accepts all of him, not just most of him. Not just the good parts.

So I think when he comes back Different, we're going to see this internal struggle Eddie deals with externally when he's fighting to get control back of his body (if that's the case) - like he struggled with his want to run vs. his desire to stay, and I think it'll be like that at first. He'll give in and let Vecna have full control, because what's the point? He's basically dead. He's wanted for murder. He doesn't matter. But then maybe the kids, more likely Steve, will be like 'Eddie, are you still in there?' I think there's a greater possibility that it will be Steve that recognizes Eddie is still in there, fighting. Steve can recognize an internal struggle, and I think he'll see that Eddie isn't completely gone because of two scenes. The first being where Eddie tells Steve that the ladies, Nancy in particular, didn't hesitate to jump in after him. But neither did Eddie - he may have been last to go in, sure, but he still followed them all into the pits of hell without any real knowledge of what he was swimming toward. The second is going back to ST2 when Nancy calls Steve, and their relationship 'bullshit'. It's ben shown through this that Steve believes he doesn't matter, that he's bullshit. And I think a lot of his character growth is just trying to prove to both the world and himself that he does matter.

I also think Eddie's explanation to Steve as to why he isn't a hero is precisely why A. Steve argues that Eddie is being hard on himself because again, he followed them into Mordor regardless of how it happened, B. is part of the reason why Steve will be the first to believe Eddie is still in his mind somewhere, and C. proves to Steve that Eddie wants to fight, wants to win back his autonomy, and is willing to stand by the party and fight along side them even when he didn't understand the dangers.

Eddie will try to push his way to the surface to scream 'yes! I'm here and I'm stuck!' and Steve will tell him to fight. Steve's actions, in Eddie's eyes, have always been super heroic, and something Eddie is shown to be jealous of. So, Steve urging him to fight against Vecna's control will once again motivate him to stay and fight for control rather than 'let go' or run away, and 'betray' Vecna by going against him in his own mind.

However, I also think that because it was explicit in the fact that Eddie dying did nothing to prevent Vecna's plans; Max died and was resurrected, the clock chimed, the gates were opened, that there is no possible way it is the end of his arc. Whether or not the bats ended up in the right-side up didn't actually matter, because the entire upside down is now filtering into Hawkins. Giving Steve, Nancy, and Robin "extra time" didn't actually benefit any of the party, because everything bad that could have happened, happened. So, I think in the end, it will be a parallel to Max's Kate Bush scene, with Eddie in his own mind, held hostage by Vecna, running back to his friends, that will complete this arc of self-acceptance and finding a place among friends.

Because running isn't always a bad thing, especially when you're running to something. And I think that's what his character essentially boils down to. He's been running away for so long; he just needed something to run toward - and even with him running from Chrissy, he was running towards safety. He didn't know what was happening. He kept running towards safety because an angry group of homophobes were after him, trying to kill him. He runs to safety, maybe because he never felt safe as a kid. This brings it back to him creating a safe environment for the kids that don't necessarily fit in. He wants to create a safe space because he didn't have any when he needed it the most.

I think we'll get a similar scene to when El went into Billy's mind, but I think it'll be Will, not El, to venture into Eddie's. Eddie is very similar to both Jonathan and Will in the fact that the word 'freak' is used to describe them; the differences are that Eddie embraces his title while Jonathan kind of lets it roll off his shoulders, and Will actively tried to fight against it at first. Since it's highly theorized that Will has more power than currently displayed and known, it would make sense for him to finally want to tap into that power and embrace what makes him a 'freak'. Will going into Eddie's mind to save him and protect the party is exactly who Will is as a person, and I think this is where we see why Eddie has the desire to run to safety.

Most likely, with the comment he made while hot wiring the RV, it's from his dad, because if the show wasn't called Stranger Things it'd be called daddy issues (duffle bags r u ok?) and it would give Will another reason to urge Eddie to fight, because they have similar pasts and problems with their fathers.

And I think Will will tell him it's okay to run sometimes. This will directly parallel the scenes where Bob told Will that he stopped running away in his dream, and the scene where Will stopped running and the Mind Flayer possessed him. (Something something, Will actively fighting against being a freak vs. actively fighting against the Mind Flayer, vs. him finally accepting that while what happened to him might make him a 'freak' he is still Will motherfucking Byers who survived the Upside Down and inter-dimensional demon possession. Yeah he's a freak but what makes him a freak also makes him a goddamn superhero which is precisely when his powers will kick in, when he accepts all the bad that happened to him in order to protect the party) "Sometimes it's smarter to run," he'd say. "You have to run because Vecna is coming, and he won't give up."

So Eddie does. He'll run, and run, and run while his favorite song plays in the distance because Dustin told Steve what it was and they could only hope it would help him like it helped Max. And he runs to where he sees himself as something inherently Not Eddie trying to kill Dustin or El, Steve or Will, or any of them really, but it'll most likely be Dustin to parallel Eddie's death scene with the two of them on the ground. He'll run until he doesn't think he can anymore, but Vecna is reaching out behind him and he hears everyone screaming for him and he's so close so he reaches out and suddenly he's staring down at whoever he pinned to the ground, back in his body, alone, in full control. Because he ran. Not because he ran away, but because he ran toward.

[rockislandadultreads]

New Title Tuesday: Mystery

Last Seen in Lapaz by Kwei Quartey

When a whirlwind romance leads to the disappearance of a young Nigerian woman and a dead body, PI Emma Djan resorts to dangerous undercover work to track her down in Accra.

Just as things at work are slowing down for PI Emma Djan, an old friend of her boss’s asks for help tracking down his missing daughter. According to her father, Ngozi was just months shy of graduating high school when she became secretive and withdrawn. Suddenly, all she wanted to do was be with her handsome new beau, Femi, instead of attending law school in the fall. So when she disappears from her parents’ house in Nigeria the middle of a summer night, they immediately suspect Femi was behind it and have reason to believe the pair has fled to Accra.

During Emma’s first week on the case, Femi is found murdered at his opulent residence in Accra, and Ngozi still has not been found. Fearing the worst, Emma digs further and discovers Femi was part of a network of sex traffickers in several West African countries. Migrants from Ghana and Nigeria are duped into thinking they are on their way to success and riches in Italy. But once there—if they even survive the grueling trip across the desert—they are manipulated into sex work with little chance of escape.

As successful as Femi was, he took advantage of nearly everyone he met, leaving a trail of enemies in his wake, all of whom had motives to kill him. The question is, which one of them did it? Not only does Emma have to hunt the killer down; she’s in a race against time to find Ngozi before she ends up in a pool of blood like Femi.

This is the third volume in the “Emma Djan Investigation” series. 

A Mansion for Murder by Frances Brody

1930, Yorkshire. Intrigued by a mysterious letter from a stranger offering important information, Private Investigator Kate Shackleton arrives in the mill village of Saltaire. At nearby Milner Field mansion, overshadowed by its reputation for misfortune and untimely deaths, she expects to meet the letter writer, Ronnie Creswell.

Kate soon hears the shocking news that Ronnie has been killed. At first his death appears to be a tragic accident at the mill, but soon it becomes clear that Ronnie's demise was no mishap. Kate is enlisted to help investigate the murder.

Kate moves into the tower rooms at Milner Field, as she tries to uncover resentments, industrial espionage, and old secrets in the close-knit village. Although she doesn't believe in curses, she wonders what sinister truth lies behind this latest in the litany of deaths connected to the infamous Milner Field.

Then just when things couldn't get any worse, a young girl in the village goes missing, and Kate must use all her strength and skill to unravel the mystery around the mansion once and for all...

This is the 13th volume in the “Kate Shackleton” series.

One Extra Corpse by Barbara Hambly

May, 1924. It's been seven months since young British widow Emma Blackstone arrived in Hollywood to serve as companion to Kitty Flint: her beautiful, silent-movie star sister-in-law. Kitty is generous, kind-hearted . . . and a truly terrible actress. Not that Emma minds; she's too busy making her academic parents turn in their graves with her new job writing painfully historically inaccurate scenarios for Foremost Studios, in between wrangling their leading lady out of the arms of her army of amorous suitors.

So when one of Kitty's old flames, renowned film director Ernst Zapolya, calls Emma and tells her it's imperative he meet with Kitty that morning, she's not surprised. Until, that is, he adds that lives depend on it. Ernest sounds frightened. But what can have scared him so badly - and what on earth does cheerful, flighty Kitty have to do with it?

Only Ernest can provide the answers, and Kitty and Emma travel to the set of his extravagant new movie to find them. But the shocking discovery they make there only raises further questions . . . including: will they stay alive long enough to solve the murderous puzzle?

This is the second volume in the “Silver Screen Historical Mystery” series.

Paris Requiem by Chris Lloyd

Paris, 1940. As the city adjusts to life under Nazi occupation, Detective Eddie Giral struggles to reconcile his job as a policeman with his new role enforcing a regime he cannot believe in, but must work under.

He's sacrificed so much in order to survive in this new world, but the past is not so easily forgotten. When an old friend—and an old flame—reappear, begging for his help, Eddie must decide how far he will go to help those he loves.

The notion of justice itself quickly becomes as dangerous, blurred, and confused as the war itself. And Eddie’s morale compass, ever on unreliable foundations, will be questioned again and again as the ravages of the German occupation steadily attempt to grind him—and the city he loves—into submission.

Negotiating a path between resistance and collaboration, he can remain a good man and do nothing—or risk everything he has achieved in a desperate act of resistance.

[charleswaterloo]

AGREED DO THE ULTIMATE FIC REC

Thank you so much for asking!! Okay, here we go!

DC fics that I got a few paragraphs into and already KNEW were going to be AMAZING:

1. The Jason Project by loosingletters

Warnings: Major Character Death

Jason had just wanted to see his autopsy report, he had only wanted to know what information Bruce had about his death. And when Bruce hadn't given it to him, he had stolen it. He hadn’t meant to stumble upon the bucket list of a dead child and the footage of a grieving father crossing one item after another off the list.

My thoughts: I don't often cry (which isn't healthy lmao) but this fic made me cry (happy tears!). It is absolutely wonderful and while angsty it has such a beautiful ending. I can't recommend it enough!

2. Little bird by Ididloveyou_once

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Tim knew he was fucked if only for the way that his brain was chanting Jason, like a litany. So he definitely didn’t need to hear the cold, mechanical chuckle or the chillingly delighted 'lucky me' to know that this was not good.

He took a second to look down at his coffee mournfully.

Then, he threw it at Hood’s helmet and bolted down the Tower corridor.

Or: Tim is supposed to be at Gotham Academy for a parent-teacher conference. Hood has other plans (Titans Tower AU).

My thoughts: One of the best Titans Tower AU fics I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The ending is to die for and so fluffy - it never fails to warm my heart <3

3. Straight to Voicemail by cabbagetop

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

“Red Hood. I need you to incapacitate Timothy Drake-Wayne.” “Aw, man,” Jason sighs, shouldering through the old wooden doors and out into the street with his books under his arm. “You and half the northern hemisphere. What’d he do this time?”

Jason's phone is blowing up about one Timothy Drake-Wayne (who is Jason's responsibility since when, exactly?). Jason comfort-eats. Jason suffers long. Jason reluctantly tries to keep this Raphus cucullatus of a human being alive, and maybe finds himself sidling back into the family while he's at it.

My thoughts: I was crying with laughter by the third sentence. If you want free serotonin, you will find it here folks, I guarantee it. Brilliantly written and hilarious and such a fantastic interpretation of Jason's character. Please read this lmao <3

4. miss me? by envysparkler

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Jason’s plan to observe his family’s reactions to his resurrection…does not go as intended.

My thoughts: I think I've recommended this one at least once before, but I will do so again because it is one of the best stories I have ever had the honour of reading on AO3. It has a happy ending, but was another fic which actually made me tear up. It is just beautiful and I'm sure some of you have read it before. Read it again even if you have - it's that good.

5. No Pain, All Gain by @sohotthateveryonedied

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Bruce checks Tim’s IV. “Are you in any pain? Do you need more morphine?”

Tim’s pupils are so wide that only the faintest ring of blue can be seen. He watches Bruce the way a five-year-old watches cartoons. “I’m all good, B-dog. All Gucci, like we cool teens say." His words are slurred almost beyond recognition, but Tim doesn’t seem to notice or care. "I could fight Superman right now.”

My thoughts: I know of only about 3 or 4 fics featuring Tim absolutely high out of his mind on some drug or another and this has got to be one of the absolute best of them. Whenever I feel the Depression(TM) crawling in and I need to laugh INSTANTLY I read this. It has not failed me yet. I can't recommend it enough it's so funny and a great read <3 The line below from the fic makes me scream laugh EVERY TIME:

“He’s not in his right mind.” “So? Neither are you half the time but you’re still in charge of everything.”

6. The Ouija Boy by SunnyBlue

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Timothy Drake was a stillborn baby. He was born dead, stayed that way for a solid five minutes, and was then resuscitated in the delivery room. He was a child who grew up alone, but for his imaginary friends. He had so many imaginary friends, in fact, that his parents sent him to get evaluated several times over the course of his childhood, which was spent with Tim as the only heartbeat in that house.

But that didn’t mean he was alone.

---

Tim sees dead people. When a Batboys murder investigation is going nowhere, he realizes his only chance at solving the case is to speak to the ghost of one of the victims. He has to reveal his secret to his brothers -- or risk the killer getting away.

My thoughts: STAND BACK FOR POSSIBLY ONE OF MY TOP TEN FAVOURITE FICS OF ALL TIME. I'm pretty sure I've recommended this one before but I will do so again. The story is impeccable, the mystery is ELITE and everything about it is literally perfect. I re-read this at least once a month so I can bask in its greatness and become a better person for having read it.

7. there but for the grace of god by TheResurrectionist

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

From a tumblr prompt.

AKA, "A Justice League fic where everyone argues about who's the most beautiful and intimidating sexy from the Big Three and everyone has valid points."

My thoughts: I'm going to let the note I added to the bookmark I made of this fic speak for itself. Here's what I wrote: "This was so funny - shoutout Jason for undeniable lad vibes plus the fact he felt he needed to neatly organise and write down the big three's sexiest traits."

8. American Ninja Worrier by DangerBeckett

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

It's just like Tim to give a poor college student a start in the business world. Kid's a bleeding heart, and usually, that's the sort of thing Jason avoids at all costs. He prefers his bleeding hearts on the literal side, and despite Bruce's best efforts, he's never had a head for business.

Unfortunately, though, this time the business is ninjas, and that's the sort of thing that makes Jason take notice. Because Bruce is useless, and someone's gotta make sure Tim's new internship program doesn't take down all of Gotham.

That's Jason's job, after all.

My thoughts: Please GOD just read the first few paragraphs. You'll know exactly what I mean when I say that this fic is it. Hilarious, badass and adorable. I mean, see the title of this fic rec. I just knew this fic was going to be amazing from the first line.

I have many, many more of course, but I'll leave this here for now as it's getting to be a pretty long post. Anyway, these are all fics - short and long! - that I knew were going to be absolutely perfect within the first few moments of reading. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

[fanficbitch]

In Another Life // Route 66

Aaron Hotchner x y/n

August 2013

Things at the house have been a little chaotic this morning. Aaron’s alarm didn’t go off, but he naturally wakes up early so that got us going. We’re currently all in the kitchen, Aaron making us cups of coffee, Jack making breakfast and me stuffing Jack’s lunchbox with whatever I can find.

“It’s just too late,” Aaron mumbles under his breath. “Honey, can you take Jack to school? I figure if one of us is late it’s better if it’s you.”

“Yeah, make me look bad in front of the team,” I say as I shove Jack’s lunch in his backpack.

“I don’t think the boss will be too mad,” he says.

“Good thing I’m sleeping with him,” I smirk at him. Aaron shoots me a smirk back. “But yes, I will take Jack.”

“Okay. I love you. I’ll see you at work,” he says and goes in for a kiss but misses mouth and grazes about a third of lips.

“See you at work,” I say then usher Jack out of the house.

“Mama?” Jack asks once we get into the car.

“Yes buddy?”

“Will you and Dad be home for dinner?” he asks and my heart breaks a little.

“Uh, I don’t know bud. We might have a case,” I say as I look back in my rearview mirror. Jack lets out a little huff then turns towards the window. 

“There is always a case,” he murmurs. I’m a little caught off guard because Jack usually understands that Aaron and I have to go on these trips. He has been used to Aaron doing it his whole life. 

“Jack, is there something you want to talk about?” I ask carefully.

“Dad promised he would come to my play last night and he didn’t come,” Jack says.

“But Jess and I came!” I point out.

“But Dad didn’t.”

“Dad just has to work harder than the rest of our team because he’s the boss,” I say. “But Daddy comes to lots of your things. He’s your soccer coach!”

“You guys are just gone a lot,” he whispers.

“I know we are and I’m sorry,” I say, but Jack remains quiet. “You just need to know that your Dad and I love you more than anything.”

My words get me a small smile from Jack. “Even more than ice cream?”

“Yes, baby even more than ice cream,” I say as we pull up at his school.

“Okay, I love you too,” Jack says.

“Have fun at school!” I yell as he hops out of the car. 

I begin my drive to the BAU. I kinda figured this problem might come up someday, but not this early. Jack deserves more. He deserves parents that are there for him. I don’t blame Aaron at all. He’s doing his best. But sometimes, a kid just needs their dad.

As I pull up to my building there is an ambulance leaving. I park my car and leave with my cup of coffee my boyfriend prepared. To my surprise, I find JJ, Morgan and Reid standing at the entrance. “What’s going on?” I ask as I approach them. They all have terrified looks on their face. “Oh no, who is hurt?” I ask because I just assume.

JJ stares at me but doesn’t say anything. “JJ, what is going on?” I ask, but she can’t say anything.

“It’s Hotch,” Morgan finally says.

“W-What are you talking about?” I get out.

Morgan takes both my arms, holding me up straight. “He passed out during the briefing.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, not fully understanding what is going on.

“Hotch is on his way to the hospital in that ambulance. Rossi went with him,” Morgan says and I nearly collapse. Morgan’s grip on me keeps me standing.

“What happened?” I ask urgently.

“We don’t know,” Morgan says. “Let me drive you to the hospital.”

I move the next few hours in a trance. Morgan drops me off at the hospital and they tell me that Aaron is suffering from internal bleeding. Probably from his battle with Foyet. 

Morgan is forced to leave me, but I rock back and forth in my chair in the waiting room. I can’t possibly sit still when there is so much at risk. Aaron is my everything, even his dependents are my everything.

Rossi sits next to me with his hand on my back. “Y/N,” he says softly. “I need to get to the case.”

I continue to rock despite the words. “Are you going to be okay?” Rossi asks, but I continue rocking. “Y/N?” he gets out.

I finally snap out of my rocking fit and sit still. “Yes, I hear you,” I tell him.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asks again.

“I’ll be okay enough,” I say. Rossi gives me an unsure expression. “It’s fine, Rossi, you can go.”

“I don’t want to leave you here alone,” he whispers.

“I’m okay,” I tell him. “I promise.”

Rossi squeezes my hand then let’s go to leave. I don’t blame him. There is a job to be done. A job that I should be working on. But there is no way I can work on it like this. 

After a few hours, I go up to a nurse and ask where Aaron Hotchner is. “He’s in room 402,” the nurse finally says. 

I go up the few floors to get to his room. When I get to him, my heart lifts. I was expecting Aaron to be dead, but according to his heart monitor he is still very much alive. 

I sit down in a chair next to his bed and hold my breath. What am I going to do? With Jack? With this baby? I can’t do any of this without Aaron. I scoot the chair closer to his bed so I can hold his hand. “Hey honey,” I whisper with a laugh. “It feels ridiculous talking to you like this, but I have to. You have to fight. You have to stay alive for Jack and for our baby. Please Aaron,” I beg as I hold his hand to my head. 

I wish for everything in my body to go to making Aaron better again. I know better than to trust prayers, but I feel like it is worth a shot.

I whisper and plead silently as I hold his hand. Before long, Aaron opens his eyes. It takes him a moment to adjust, but he realizes where he is. “What happened?” he asks.

“Well, you had an internal bleed from your fight with Foyet,” I say.

“After all this time?” he asks.

“Yes, after all this time,” I confirm.

He sits silently for a moment, adjusting in his bed. “How are you?” Aaron finally asks.

“It doesn’t matter,” I say quickly and wipe the tears from my eyes.

“Yes, it does,” he says. “How are you?”

“I-I’m fine,” I stutter. He looks at me a long time before responding. 

“No you’re not,” he whispers.

“How do you know?” I ask.

“Because I know you,” he tells me. “And I know you can’t hide secrets.”

I let out a chuckle. “You know me too well,” I smile at him. “I’m just worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” he says without really knowing anything. “At least, I feel fine.”

“Well, I’m going to have the doctors check you to be sure,” I tell him.

“Where is Jack?”

“He’s at school. I didn’t want to bother him unless you were awake,” I say.

“Well bother him,” Aaron retorts back. I get out my phone and text Jess all the news, good and bad. 

“I promise you, he will be coming when he can,” I tell Aaron. He smiles at me and I feel whole again.

“C’mere,” he whispers. I do the best I can to sit on the edge of his bed. There is no way you could fit me and Aaron in a twin bed right now. “I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you too,” I whisper back. “Just please don’t try and die on me again.”

“I’m not trying too,” he reassures me. “But…” he says and trails off.

“But what?” I ask.

“I had a dream,” Aaron says.

“What kind of dream?” I ask.

“Haley was there, and so was Foyet. We were watching a movie of my life and you were in it,” Aaron says slowly. “Haley told me to stay with you because you were good for me and Jack.”

I sit silently and hold Aaron’s hand. “What else happened?”

“She was bleeding, but I couldn’t stop it. But then it was suddenly gone and I couldn’t control it,” he says.

“What happened next?” I ask.

“She was gone,” Aaron says. I can tell that he is longing for Haley. I can’t really blame him.

“Do you want to talk about it more?” I ask.

“No, no,” he reassures me.

“Because it’s okay if you do. I’d be more than happy to talk about Haley,” I say as I lean against his leg.

“No, it’s okay,” he says slowly. “She just told me that I should be happy with you and that you’re good for Jack.”

Those words make my heart warm. “That means a lot,” I tell him. “There is something I want to talk to you about though,” I say and he crinkles his eyebrows together. “I think after I have the baby I’m going to take some time away from the BAU.”

“Why?” Aaron asks quietly.

“Well, Jack and I were talking this morning and he was upset because we are always gone-,”

“Jack understands that we have to travel for work,” Aaron says, interrupting me.

“I thought so too, but then today he was so sad and says we are gone a lot, which is true,” I say. “I just don’t want Jack to grow up and look back on his childhood and think we were never there for him. I understand that you can’t leave work, but I’m not as needed as you are.”

“But the team needs you,” Aaron says.

“I think Jack and this baby need me more. I want to focus on being a mom for a little bit. Then I’ll get back to chasing bad guys.”

Aaron smiles and squeezes my hand. “I think that is very noble of you. I’m glad our kids have such a great mom.”

The door to the room swings open to reveal Jack and Jess carrying a bouquet of balloons. “Dad!” Jack shouts and jumps onto the bed. I immediately want to tell him to be careful with Aaron, but I don’t want to ruin this moment. “Are you okay?”

“I am now,” Aaron says as he hugs Jack with arm and his other hand finds mine and gives it a squeeze.

Jack turns to me. “Will you be home for dinner tonight now?” Jack asks. Aaron has a confused expression on his face.

“Dad might have to stay here for a few days,” I say and Jack’s expression saddens. “But, we could all eat in here.”

“Yes please!” Jack shouts.

“Sounds like a plan,” I tell him.

[fanmoose12]

catch me if you can

Сharacters: Hange Zoe, Levi, Erwin Smith, Kenny Ackerman

Genres: Mystery / Romance

Summary: The Ackerman duo. Just the mention of this name filled Hange with so many feelings. Mostly, when she reread the files of their cases over and over, until her eyes watered, she felt pricking annoyance. Sometimes, when she stared at the dead bodies of those scarce unfortunates who stumbled upon their crimes, she was filled with hatred and a pushing need for revenge. Hange couldn’t deny, however, there were times when she marveled at the impudence of their crimes. And, when she was investigating the Ackerman’s cases and saw just how meticulously planned they all were, she couldn’t help but feel something close to fascination.No one knew who they were. No one had seen their faces, no one knew their true names. Almost everyone knew of their crimes.Hange was determined to unravel every last one of their secrets. She will put an end to their crimes and then she will get the elusive Ackermans behind bars.

Chapter 12/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Сhapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

“Oi, lady, have you gone mute? Or did you call just to give me a silent treatment?”

Kenny, that voice belonged to Kenny. Kenny was just on the other line, Levi had finally found him, in the most unexpected way, in the most unexpected place.

Levi wanted to say so much, wanted to yell and scream, wanted to curse at his uncle before his throat was dry. But his tongue felt heavy, stuck to the roof of his mouth, and in that moment, the only thing he could manage was a breathy whisper,

“Kenny?”

The only reply he got was silence, which grew in intensity with every passing second. Levi could sense Hange’s bewilder and shock, her hard gaze was burning the back of his head. But Levi ignored her for the time being. He’d deal with her later, after he’d get out of Kenny just where the fuck he was hiding.

However… Kenny still didn’t give an answer. The bastard was going to end the call and throw away that phone, he was going to slip away and disappear again. Levi couldn’t let him. He was sick of chasing Kenny, of being three steps behind him.

It was time they talk, whether Kenny wanted to or not. Levi tightened his hold on the phone, lamenting that he couldn’t fist his hands in the lapels of Kenny’s stupid long coat to give him a firm, rough shake. Then, perhaps, Kenny would finally get his head out of his ass.

“I know you’re still here,” Levi gritted, his exasperation slipping through, “So stop fucking around, and start talking.”

Finally, that earned Levi a reaction. Kenny sighed, the sound alarmingly weary. “I told you to quit, didn’t I?”

“I couldn’t, and you know that.”

Kenny let out another sigh, this time accompanying it by a colorful curse. “Are you still running around city with that detective in tow?”

Levi chanced a glance of Hange. She was staring back at him, impatience written all over her face.

“Yes. What of it?”

“Can you shake her off?”

Could Levi do that? Possibly. But did he want to do it? Not particularly. He and Hange had an agreement, after all – Levi gets his uncle, Hange gets her missing girl. Fair and square. He wasn’t going to lie to her again, even for his uncle’s sake.

“I can’t. And cut the bullshit, Kenny. Tell me where the fuck are you.”

There was another beat of silence, this one was aggravating Levi a lot more. He meant to snap at Kenny again, but just as he was opening his mouth, a vile curse on the tip of his tongue, Kenny said,

“Remember the house we used to live in? When you mother was still alive? You will find me there.”

Levi took a deep breath, a million of questions ready to spill out. The call was disconnected before he could utter a single word.

Of course, what else he was expecting from his uncle? Cooperation? Clear communication? That was never their way.

What he found surprising, however, was that Kenny was hiding in their old house. Levi would have never suspected it as his hiding place. He didn’t know that house still existed at all, he thought Kenny had gotten rid of it a long time ago – sold it away or destroyed.

But he hadn’t. And now Levi didn’t know what to think of it. He also wasn’t sure how he felt about going back to his childhood home, a house he shared with his mother, a place where he had spent the happiest of his years, before the biggest tragedy of his life struck.

Would be overwhelmed with sweet nostalgia? Or be struck by immerse grief?

Or, maybe, he would be too occupied with yelling at his uncle to notice any kind of different, more solemn feeling. The third option was certainly the most preferred one.

Turning to face Hange, Levi was meaning to explain everything to her. But as their eyes met, the quiet of the night city was interrupted by a shrill sound of her ringtone.

Hange winced, silently apologizing, and took out her phone, putting it to her ear. Levi frowned, wondering who could call her this late in the evening. He had his suspicion, of course…

It was confirmed when Hange answered the call with ‘Erwin! Is everything alright?’.

Puffing an annoyed breath, Levi paced a few steps away, giving Hange at least the illusion of privacy. But as his legs carried him away from her, his ears strained, catching every bit of conversation that he could.

However, understanding what Hange and her boss were talking about proved to be quite a task, when her replies consisted mostly of ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Huh? What do you mean’ and ‘It can’t be!’. Hange ended the call in less than a minute, finishing it with a decisive ‘I’ll be there as soon as possible’.

She approached Levi immediately after.

“We need to go to the precinct.”

What? Like hell they did, they finally found Kenny, what could be more important than this?

“Reiss showed up there.” Hange explained, answering his unasked question and furious expression. “He wants to give a statement about Historia’s disappearance.”

Well… that changed the outset a bit, Reiss’ statement was if not useful, then certainly intriguing, but they found Kenny. In Levi’s eyes, that was still the more important clue. Not to mention… that was his initial and only goal.

“I know where Kenny is,” he told Hange, expecting it to change her plans completely.

He should have known that steering Hange away from something she had already set her mind on wouldn’t be so easy.

“We’ll go there right after I take that statement from Reiss.”

She looked so calm and rational, a stark contrast to the storm inside of Levi. Did she really not understand how significant their finding was? Levi was ready to growl from frustration.

He took a step forward, his eyes narrowed. “Hange—”

“Levi.” she moved closer as well, almost invading his personal space. “We will do this my way, or you will do nothing at all.”

Oh, so she was threatening him now? As if that would ever work on him.

“Alright,” he conceded, crossing hands on his chest. “Let’s split up then. You go to Reiss and your darling boss, I go to Kenny.”

Levi thought he’d struck gold with his suggestion. Both of them would get what they wanted without sacrificing precious time. It was perfect, wasn’t it?

Hange evidently didn’t think so. She laughed in his face, stating, “Don’t take me for a fool. Do you really think I’d let you go to see your uncle all by yourself?”

So that was it. The good old argument making a return.

“Really, Hange? After everything we’ve been through, you still don’t trust me?”

Perhaps, some of his hurt had reflected on his face, because Hange suddenly deflated, something close to shame flashing in her eyes. “It’s not about you,” she mumbled, looking to the side.

“Not about me?” this spurred his anger even more. “Then, who is it about?”

Hange clenched her jaw. “It’s about your uncle, Levi. I trust you, but I cannot and will not trust him. Would you have felt differently, if you were in my place?”

Hange’s concern and doubts were certainly… reasonable. He knew Kenny would never hurt him, not intentionally, but would he feel the same if he didn’t know him his whole life? If they weren’t family?

Of course, he wouldn’t. And Hange had even more reasons to distrust him, fighting her on that was futile. He could try some more to convince her, could try and make a run for it, but he’ll just end up wasting even more time that was now so precious.

“Alright,” his shoulders slumped, as he surrendered. Arguing with Hange had a way of making him extremely exhausted. “Let’s go to your shitty precinct.”

“Really?” Hange raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You agreed that easily? I thought I would need to handcuff you…”

Well, wouldn’t that be an interesting twist of events. Maybe, he would have enjoyed it. Once the embarrassment wore off, of course.

“Thanks for sparing me then.”

“Mm,” Hange patted his shoulder with a smile. “Don’t do anything stupid, and you’re totally safe.”

Ah, what a relief.

“Shall we go, then?” she started walking, her arm already lifted to hail a taxi. She didn’t even wait to hear his answer.

Levi cursed and hurried to catch up with her.

___

The whole time they spent in the car that was headed to the fucking police precinct, Levi felt like he was sitting on needles. There was another reason why he wasn’t crazy about going to that place, and, although, it was nearly not as important as his primary one, now it was making his anxiety rise to drastic heights.

Here he was, semi-willingly heading to the police precinct again. To the place that swarmed with cops, where some of Hange’s colleagues were probably aware that he was a criminal, where he would once again meet with Erwin fucking Smith.

Their last interaction ended somewhat amicably, but what could guarantee this one would be just as successful? With man as cunning as he was, who could be sure what was going inside that big brain of his?

Besides… there was another problem, hanging heavily on his mind. And in the silence of the taxi car, Levi decided to try and deal with it.

“Hey,” he started cautiously, attracting Hange’s attention. She shifted in her seat to look more comfortably at him. Despite that, Levi kept his gaze trained forward. “We’re going to meet Kenny soon, and, hopefully, untangle all this mess, so… have you decided what will happen with him afterwards?”

What will happen with me afterwards, was the question Levi wisely chose not to voice out.

“What will happen to your uncle?” Hange pursed her lips, a point finger tapping at her chin. “I don’t know yet. I guess it depends on the solution to this riddle.”

“And his…” theirs, “previous crimes? Are you going to just forget about them?”

“I can’t really do anything else about it. Technically, we have no suspects or any kind of damning evidence. Technically, that case has been closed almost two months ago.”

“So…” he put his hands into fists, keeping them from picking at the fabric of his pants. He still didn’t lift his face, reluctant to look into her eyes. He still didn’t ask the question that tormented him the most, afraid to hear the answer.

“After all of this is over… you’re free to go,” apparently, Hange knew what he was thinking about, even without him asking the question out loud. “Like I said, there is nothing I can do to pin those thefts on you or your uncle, and since, unlike your uncle, you haven’t kidnapped a young girl…”

“Oh. So you won’t try to put me behind bars anymore?”

He was almost disappointed to hear about it.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Hange protested. “I would love to do that, but I have no means to do it.”

“The horrible bureaucracy saved me?”

That earned him a delighted chuckle. Levi’s chest swelled with pride because of this little achievement. “Unfortunately, you’re not the only criminal that got away because of it.”

“All the more reasons to thank it then.”

“Or curse it vilely.”

Levi shrugged, his lips curling in a smirk. “Depends on the point of view, I guess.”

There was a pause in the conversation, and when Levi chanced a glance at Hange, he found that she wasn’t looking at him anymore. Her face was turned to the window, her fingers drumming on the seat between them in a slow, irregular manner. She seemed pensive. Levi wondered about the reason for it.

“Hey, since we started talking about it…” the rhythm created by her fingers grew stronger, more erratic. “Have you decided what are you going to do after we finish the case?”

Had he thought about? He hadn’t had the time. But even if he had, what was there to think about? He didn’t have a lot of options.

“I remember you mentioning some kids from Singapore,” Hange continued. “Are you going to go back to them?”

Going back to the brats? That didn’t sound all that bad. Just this morning they’ve sent him a photo of the three of them, telling that they’ve settled comfortably in Jean’s summer house. They said that they’ve missed him. Levi was feeling the same. But was that enough to build a life there, so far away from his home?

He could stay with Kenny, but what if Kenny went to prison? Would there be a reason for Levi to stay then?

“You know… I think we made a pretty good team. So if you ever tire of being a vile criminal…” Hange trailed off, letting Levi fill the blanks himself.

If he understood what Hange was offering correctly, then… Oh. Levi felt his chest warm up, moving downwards, spreading that pleasant fluttering to his stomach.

Hange still was staring at the window, refusing to meet his eyes. Her reflection, however, was perfectly visible to Levi, and the slight rosy color on her cheeks made his own heat up.

“What, are you proposing I become your crime solving buddy?”

Hange shrugged, feigning disinterest. “I could use some of your skills.”

“I’ll think about it then,” he said, mirroring her detached voice.

Hange faced to him with a beam shining on her lips. It was enough to make Levi smile back.

___

Despite the late hour, the precinct was bustling with activity. Remembering his last visit and the half-dead building he found that time, Levi wondered if he just caught the police station on a particularly slow night, or if that was how it always operated, and the amount of officers running around that they saw now was unusual.

"So Reiss is actually here," Hange muttered. "Or something really bad has happened. Can't imagine what else could cause this commotion."

Oh, his assertion was correct then. The precinct was so active just because of Reiss’ arrival.

Hange walked through the precinct with confidence in her stride. She greeted every officer they passed with a quick nod, they answered her in kind, and, thankfully, most of them were too busy to pay attention to Levi. He would love if it stayed that way for the rest of their visit.

They took the stairs, crossed a couple of hallways, turned a few corners, and there they were - walking up to Hange's office. There were a lot more familiar faces there - Levi could see Nana— something, talking with two officers, and Mike, leaning against the coffee machine at the other side of the room.

Hange immediately changed their trajectory, heading to him.

"Mike!" she shouted, causing him to turn in their direction.

As they approached, Levi raised his hand in greeting. When they were close enough, Mike raised his hand too, but instead of a friendly salute, Levi received a dizzying, lip shuttering punch.

Woah, apparently he was not only a towering height, but a mountain of muscles as well, the force of that punch reverberated through his skin and almost sent Levi flying through the air to land right on his ass. Mike certainly wasn't going easy on him.

Comprehending what was going on around him became a vexing task after that hell of a punch, but Hange's loud, laced with anger voice still cut through the fog.

"Mike! What the fuck? Have you gone mad?"

Mike's answer was much quieter, Levi only barely managing to catch 'You're the one to talk..."

Whether Hange heard her tall friend or not, she gave no reaction to that line. Instead, her strong arms wrapped themselves around Levi's shoulders, making the ache in his jaw turn into a barely noticeable dull. She made him face her, her fingers gripping his chin. Despite the outrage swirling in her gaze, her touch was gentle, more like a caress.

"God, Han, he's alright, it was just a punch, I'm sure he had worse. And, he more than deserved it."

Hange looked up at Mike, long enough to give him a death glare and hiss, "Shut the fuck up now."

When her eyes were back on Levi, her voice softened considerably. "Hey, Levi, are you alright?"

He gave her a nod, tenderly clenching and unclenching his jaw. Seemed like... Mike was right. He did have it worse.

Besides... having Hange so close, seeing that worried look in her beautiful brown eyes was... extremely pleasant. Enough to make him want to remain in this position for a while longer, just to enjoy that blessed feeling for another moment.

"I told you everything was fine with him," Mike grumbled suddenly, startling Levi. With Hange in front of him, the rest of the world was left in blurs, even the man who assaulted him had faded to the background. "Now, leave the thief alone and hurry to Erwin. The big man is already in his office."

That got Hange's attention. "By the big man you mean..."

"Yep, it's Reiss. I’m sure I don't have to tell why making him wait is extremely unwise."

"Got it, got it," Hange pushed the hair back from her face, taking a step back, much to Levi's disappointment.

"Don't you worry, I'll take care of your buddy," Mike reached out to Levi, and the arms that Hange still had around him tightened. Levi felt an illogically massive amount of pleasure.

"Mike, don't you even think—"

"I won't hit him anymore. I swear," he added, when Hange just kept giving him a look full of skepticism. She left it on for another second, and then nodded, letting Levi go.

She marched off to the office without another word or even glance. Without her, Levi was suddenly too cold. And the jaw ache returned with vigor.

"Here," Mike thrusted a handkerchief in Levi's hands, pointing to his still bloodied chin. Levi accepted it with a grateful nod, wiping the blood with a disgruntled grimace.

"Now let's go, I won’t waste my smoke break babysitting you." Mike pushed him forward, back to where Levi and Hange had come from.

As he finally got a good look around the room, Levi noticed that they had an audience, quite big and intrigued one. They kept staring at him as Mike led him to the elevator. Thankfully, no one uttered a single word, or, god forbid, a question.

Levi would have breathed out in relief once the elevator doors closed, if his companion wasn't so... unnerving. Mike didn't say a word, didn't as much as glance in his direction while they rode the elevator. He was silent when they left the elevator. He was silent as they moved towards the exit. He was silent as they walked outside. He was silent when he lit up his cigarette, was silent when he offered another one to Levi. Mike was silent before he took his first drag and after he let the smoke out. He inhaled deeply through his nose, and only then he fixed his eyes on Levi.

Levi held his breath, the tips of fingers trembling in anticipation for what was to come. Hopefully, not another punch.

"I was with Han, you know? When she found that note of yours. When she realized who you actually were."

Oh... Then Mike's ire was more than justifiable. And Levi digressed – a punch would be probably a less painful option than having this conversation.

"Did she..."

"No. I've never seen Hange cry, but—" Mike put cigarette back to his lips, inhaling it slowly, as though calming himself down. Levi waited for his answer with a bated breath. "I've also never seen her look so lost. At first, she wasn't even angry or hurt, just confused. I couldn't bear to see that look on her face. So when today I saw you waltz in our precinct like that, with Hange by your side..." he trailed, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry." Levi said.

He really was. He didn't mean to, didn't wish to hurt Hange. That was never his intention. And yet, he still did hurt her. That mistake would weigh on his soul forever.

"I know you are," Mike replied, surprisingly easy. "I used to think you're a scumbag and that my nose has failed me…"

Shit, he was really serious about this whole nose thing?

"But it turns out you're not that bad. You did lie and broke Hange's heart," and for that, Levi already received a punch in the face. "However, Erwin told me what happened yesterday. You really called him and asked to take Hange home?" Mike chuckled. "Man, that took some balls."

...To put it lightly. The memories of his last clash with Erwin still elicited a shiver from him.

"I was actually worried he'd throw me in jail," Levi confessed. "I'm surprised he didn't."

"Oh, believe me, he was very tempted to." Mike revealed.

"Then why didn't he?"

Mike shrugged, shaking off the ash from his cigarette. "Because it wasn't his call, it was Hange's. Whatever that she sees in you, it is enough for our Han to trust you. And Erwin respects her enough to not get involved in that."

Oh. That was actually reassuring. Perhaps, now Levi could stop feeling like a naughty schoolboy in Erwin's presence.

"But if you make the mistake of hurting Hange again," and just like that, the reassurance was gone. "We will make sure that you regret it. Next time, I won't be pulling back my punches."

So that hit was Mike going easy on him? Fucking hell. Levi hoped he wouldn't anger that man again. His skull may not survive it.

As Mike grew silent once again, Levi finally remembered the cigarette he was still holding in between his fingers. It almost burned out, he hurried to take a drag before it went out completely.

He regretted his decision almost immediately. Mike had a fucking terrible taste in tobacco.

Discreetly, he put the cigarette out and threw it into a trashcan.

"What do you think they're even doing there?" Levi raised a finger in the general direction of where Hange, Erwin and Reiss were. "Reiss showing up, it's a big thing, isn't it?"

"The biggest one we had in a while. Have you seen that shit inside? The precinct isn't that lively even during daytime. The bigger commotion would have happened only if we got you Ackermans in handcuffs."

Luckily, that would never happen.

"And? Do you think something... useful might come out of his visit?"

"Don't know," Mike stared down at his cigarette, rolling it between his fingers. "To be honest, I thought that Hange's new case was just another dead end. But now guy as big as Reiss gets involved? I guess it's more complicated than I expected it to be."

Complicated? That was one way to put it. Levi was still baffled by the notion that Kenny was working with Frieda Reiss. Clearly, this case was much, much more complicated than they've anticipated. Clearly, he needed to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible.

As though hearing his thoughts, Mike put his cigarette out. "C'mon, let's get you back before Hange bites my head off."

"Doubt that four-eyes will care so much about me."

Mike raised an eyebrow, his face screaming bullshit. But he said nothing, only smiled enigmatically and patted his shoulder.

"Whatever makes it easier to sleep at night, man."

___

Inside of Erwin's office was brighter than Hange had ever remembered seeing. Usually he used only two sources of light - his battered desk lamp and computer screen. But today, the ceiling lights were on. Hange didn't know that he even had them.

What's more, for the first time in a while, the leather couch standing beside his desk was occupied - by Reiss and a woman Hange had never seen before. Although, Hange had never seen her, that didn't mean she didn't know her. The hair color, the face structure - it was almost identical. Eyes, however, were different. Historia had definitely inherited them from her father.

Compared to Reiss’ bright ones, Alma’s eyes seemed practically lifeless. Her expression was completely neutral, like she wasn’t entirely there, her thoughts a long distance away from Erwin’s office.

So that woman was the mysterious mother? Hange longed to hear what she had to say.

"Sorry for the wait," she flashed everyone in the room a smile and swiftly strolled inside, taking a seat across from Erwin.

"You're dressed very smartly this night, detective Zoe. I do hope I didn't interrupt your date."

The smile didn't slip of her lips, as Hange shifted, facing Reiss. "I appreciate the concern, but it is uncalled for. Nothing more important than my job."

"Your date must be very understanding. Is that the same fella I saw you with last time? I thought you'd broken it off."

Ah, so Reiss was keeping tabs on her? Lovely.

Luckily, Hange was keeping tabs on him as well. She shifted her gaze to Reiss’ companion.

"And can I ask you who is that, Mr Reiss? Is this your—"

"That's my secretary," Reiss' smile became just a fraction more strained. Hange internally cheered. "Alma."

The same name that was listed in Historia's birth certificate. That bit of doubt Hange still had, now vanished without a trace.

"She's got valuable information regarding your recent case. And since you and I are already acquitted, I decided to accompany her."

"How nice and generous of you," Hange told Reiss, before returning to his secretary. "It's nice to meet you, Alma," she put her hand out for a handshake. Alma accepted it, albeit weakly. And only after receiving a nod from Reiss. Interesting. And creepy. "Why have you come to see me?"

The question was directed on Alma. But Reiss was the one who answered it.

"Alma has something to share regarding the disappearance of her daughter."

"Oh?" Hange shared a look with Erwin. His bush eyebrows were up to his hairline. So he had no idea about it, huh? Well, wasn't it good to finally be one step ahead of him?

But for the moment, Hange had to feign shock as well.

She cast her eyes down, hands dropping to her lap. "I was under the impression that Krista was an orphan." Then, with a slight frown, she added, "Why didn't you report her missing then? We caught news of her disappearance almost a week later."

"I..."

Alma paled, her hands began to tremble. Hange's grin began to spread, she almost got them—

But then Reiss— damn him— interfered. He covered Alma's hands with his, holding them gently, like a caring father.

"Alma and Krista had just recently reconnected," he explained in a quiet, saddened voice.

"Yes," Alma confirmed. Seemed like Reiss' support has given her the needed strength - she sounded surer now. But her gaze kept its strange detachment. "Krista and I rarely talk. I had abandoned her at the orphanage when she was just a newborn, so there are obviously... some tensions between us."

Despite the emotional flavor of her story, Alma was anything but. She was talking about her missing daughter and the rocking relationship that bounded them, yet nothing of it was mirrored in her. Her voice didn't waver, no muscle twitched on her face. Alma looked bored, like she was talking about something more trivial than even weather. Damn it, even Ackerman would have done a better job at pretending.

Although, perhaps, Hange was judging his acting skills a little too harshly. Earlier that evening, his kiss was more than just convincing. Hange felt tingle in her lips at the mere thought.

The sound of Erwin clearing his throat brought her back to present, rather abruptly.

"That is a very tragic story, Miss... Alma, but what is the reason for your visit?"

"Oh right," she freed her hands from underneath Reiss' and grasped her purse, opening it. "I found this on my lawn."

After a moment of rummaging through the purse, Alma laid before Hange a phone that was wrapped in a cellophane bag. Huh, for a simple secretary she knew more than enough about preserving evidence. Not to mention that if Hange found the phone of her missing daughter lying on the lawn, preserving evidence would be the last thing on her mind. But, oh well, what wasn't suspicious about that woman?

Reaching out to Erwin, Hange silently asked him to pass the sterile gloves. Any other day she wouldn’t think twice about simply grabbing the piece of evidence, but if that's how they wanted to play, she would have to indulge them.

Once the latex was pulled onto her long fingers, Hange took the phone - eagerly, impatiently. It all might be just a ruse, and she'd be damned, but she was intrigued by it.

The phone wasn't in the best shape - a large crack ran through the screen, the sides of it were covered in bumps, and at the bottom of it— oh, just a speck, but it was undeniably blood.

Hange shivered at the thought about its origin.

Once unlocked, the phone destroyed the little doubts she had. It really belonged to Historia, the picture on the lock screen confirmed it. The photo showed Historia, who was smiling at the camera with all of her loveliness, and Ymir, who was facing away, her lips at Historia's cheek. Ah, so that's why she was so dead set on saving her? Interesting. And so romantic. Hange didn't expect such a thing from Ymir.

"You found it on your lawn, right?" Erwin asked, signaling Hange to pass him the phone. Once she did, he looked at it, with both skepticism and curiosity.

"Yes," Alma said. "I called Mr. Reiss as soon as I did."

"Alma hopes that the phone would shed some light on where Krista disappeared."

"Hm." Hange couldn't shake off the feeling that she was walking straight into a trap. Why did Reiss decided to finally act, and why today of all days? Was he aware that they got to one of his daughters, and now were close to finding another one? Did he even care? And what was the importance of the phone? It was some sort of distraction or diversion, Hange was sure of it. But for now, it would have to remain a mystery. As suspicious as Reiss' actions were, there was a more pressing matter now. They had to get to Kenny Ackerman, and get out of him everything he was willing to share. Hopefully, with Levi by her side, he'd be much more amenable.

"Thank you for your cooperation," getting out of off her stupor, Hange smiled and shook first Reiss', then Alma's hand. "If we find anything regarding Historia's whereabouts, we'll alert you immediately."

"Krista." Reiss spoke in a voice so low that Hange had to take a double take to confirm that yes, that scary tone was coming from the honest, kindhearted, absolutely innocent politician.

"What?"

"Krista, Alma's daughter is named Krista. And you were just talking about some Historia."

Some Historia, huh?

"My mistake," Hange chuckled, rubbing her neck. "It was a long day, sorry."

"Forgive that slight mishap. Detective Zoe works day and night to find your daughter." Erwin chimed in, calming everyone down with his soft, unassuming smile. Hange could barely keep her delightful giggle.

Your daughter, Erwin said, while looking Reiss in the eyes. So he already caught on? Hange wasn't surprised.

"Thank you for the visit and have a good night, Mr. Reiss, Miss Alma. My assistant will walk you to the door."

Reiss nodded, his eyes still darker than a night's sky. He helped Alma get to her feet and led her to the door, where Nifa, Erwin's assistant, was already waiting with a tired gaze and polite smile.

They left, without looking back even once. Alma didn't say goodbye to Hange, didn't grab her arm and beg to bring her daughter back home. God, that woman could have at least tried to do a more believable act.

Once the door was closed, and they were left alone, the amicable expression was gone from Erwin's face. His jaw was set, his lips pressed in a line, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I hope I don't have to tell you that you're walking on a thin ice, Hange. And that this endeavor of your—"

"I know."

"And working with that Ackerman—"

"I know." Hange repeated, firmer this time. She knew the dangers, knew about possible consequences. Last night, Erwin made sure to explain it to her in vivid details. "But this girl is in trouble, Erwin. I can't let it go before she's safe."

"Your heart was always your biggest weakness," the stoic mask on his face hardened, and then cracked, revealing a fond smile. "But it's also your biggest strength. Don't lose it."

Standing up, Hange hid Historia’s phone inside the pocket of her jacket, then flashed Erwin a cheeky grin. "Is that an order, Captain?"

"It absolutely is, detective. You may go now. Someone is very impatient."

Hange followed Erwin's gaze, turning to the door. Even through the closed door, Levi's silhouette was transparent. He was pacing back and forth, and Hange could bet that he was scowling. She confirmed that guess as soon as she left Erwin's office.

"What the fuck had taken you so long? C'mon, four-eyes, we have to hurry."

Right, Kenny Ackerman was waiting for them. Kenny Ackerman who most definitely had the answers, who probably knew where Historia was. Hange couldn't allow another second go to waste.

She quickly skipped to where Levi was standing, prompting him to start moving.

"Let's go then! The solution awaits!"

___

"Wait!" Hange stopped them as soon as they were out of the precinct. "We need to call Ymir."

Levi groaned. Why, oh why, would she want to call that impossible brat?

"We wouldn't have found your uncle if it wasn't for her help. The only thing she asked in return is to find Historia. We owe her that much."

Perhaps, that was true, but Hange hadn't considered one very important factor - Levi really, really didn't want to face Ymir again. The last embarrassment was still too fresh in his mind.

"We haven't found Historia yet," he tried to argue.

"But we're as close as ever," Hange chirpily replied, overthrowing his whole reasoning with just one hopeful sentence.

Well, his battle was doomed before it had even begun. Levi lamented this loss with a sigh. "You're too kind, four-eyes."

"And you're too cranky," she retaliated, following that devastating blow with a mighty clasp to his back. "Call taxi for us while I talk with Ymir, okay? You know where to go, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded, sobering a little. Amidst his banter with Hange, he had completely forgotten that right, he was going to visit his childhood home, the same house where he had found the breathless body of his mother at the ripe age of nine. The feelings this trip was awakening in him were still unclear.

"And where exactly are we going?" whether his face, voice or general stiffness betrayed him or Hange was just that attuned to his emotions, but worry took residence in her gaze. She froze with phone raised to her ear, waiting for his answer.

"It's at the edge of the city."

"Near the docks? Some kind of abandoned warehouse?"

"Um." Something pointy stuck in his throat, making it hard to speak. However, Hange's gaze didn't waver, as she continued to expect a continuation from him. Swallowing his discomfort, Levi muttered, "We're going to my childhood home."

"Oh." The hand holding the phone lowered. Hange took a step in his direction. For one terrifying second Levi thought she was going to hug him. But, apparently, she decided to spare him from further embarrassment and concluded that gripping his shoulders tightly was enough. She stared straight at him, and in the darkness her eyes shone with sincerity. "If you want - or need - to talk about this, I'm ready to listen. If you—"

Fucking hell, compared to Hange, every other human seemed like an utter piece of shit.

"It's fine, four-eyes. It's just the house where I found my dead mom."

Saying that was obviously a mistake. Hange gasped, her eyes widening. Her hands on his shoulders tightening. "Levi, that's—"

"Yeah, one hell of a traumatic experience, especially for a brat who barely turned nine."

Another wrong line. Now Hange looked close to tears. Levi didn't know what urge was stronger - to wrap himself around Hange and ask her to never let go, or tear his hair out.

"Listen, I've dealt with it a long time ago," he didn't, hadn't even tried, but today and right now was very obviously the wrong time to go soul-searching and uncover what consequences his mother's death had on his psyche. "Don't worry about it."

"I can't help it, but if you insist..."

With that lost expression on her face, Hange looked so damn adorable, Levi was pissed off at himself for being so unwilling to look away. Thankfully, she saved him from this heavy duty by being the first one to turn around, the phone back to her ear. Levi turned away as well, escaping temptation. His finger was just hovering over the order button, when it dawned at him.

"Wait!" he pulled Hange back to him. "Did you just call me Levi?"

It wasn't the first time this evening as well, but all the previous occasions had him too occupied with something else to notice that slight change.

"Where did the damned Ackerman go?"

"Um." If he hadn't spent the previous two days learning just how bold and forward Hange was, he'd say that right now, she looked ashamed. The red in her cheeks certainly spoke in favor of that theory. "I'll be dealing with two Ackermans from now on, right? So to avoid any confusion..."

That was a very logical, reasonable explanation. So why Levi wanted it to be something more— personal?

"The taxi will be here in five," he said, distancing himself from these pointless, foolish thoughts.

"Ymir said she'll be waiting there for us," Hange nodded readily. "Shall we go?"

And so they went.

___

By the time Levi and Hange walked out of the taxi, Ymir was already waiting for them. She was standing near the sidewalk, leaning against a shiny black motorcycle.

Levi rolled his eyes at the sight of it. Of course, Ymir rode a motorcycle. As though she wasn't already a personification of every possible lesbian cliché.

"Oh what a baby!" squealing, Hange ran up to the motorcycle, looking it over with eyes burning from excitement. "I'm sure Historia would love to take a ride on this beast!"

"What can I say?" Ymir huffed, puffing her chest. The smirk on her face was absolutely horrendous. Even Kenny couldn't quite recreate a look of that much self-confidence. "Chicks dig bikes."

"That they certainly do."

Aha, so Hange liked motorcycles. Levi made a mental note about that.

He then left behind Hange's shrilling coos and Ymir's bratty replies, taking a step closer to the house he had grown up in.

It was dark now and seemingly empty, but years ago it was always filled with light. It was filled with life - his mom's cheerful laughter, his uncle's merry jokes, Levi's own insistent, curious questions about everything he encountered. It was filled with love— but now, it was just a house - old and cold.

Although, other than that, it looked exactly like Levi had remembered. A light green house in the suburbs, with a garden, little white fence and even playground, all of it was a gift from Uri Reiss, the only real friend his uncle had.

Oh, how his mother loved that house. How she enjoyed tending to the garden, how she laughed when she watched Levi play on a swing. They were happy in this house, the happiest Levi had ever been.

Standing before it now, after so many years, felt strange. Noticing all the little signs that someone had been looking after the house ­- the lawn was moved, the trash sorted and neatly packed, even the lane was swept - was even stranger. And he used to think that Kenny had sold the house long time ago. Evidently, the old bastard was more sentimental that he let on.

"Hey," a gentle voice was in his ear, strong hands on his shoulders. "Do you need a moment or—"

He was grateful for Hange's concern. But that concern - as sweet as it was - was misplaced. They didn't have time for it.

"I'm fine," he assured, lamenting that he was too prideful to take Hange by the hand. Not that he needed it, but— it certainly would make him feel better. "Let's get moving."

They did, all three of them in perfect unison, and be it her detective's sense or simple intuition, or, perhaps, Hange really could read him as easily as a book, but she took her hand in his, squeezing his palm reassuringly. It certainly worked, her touch was like a magic that chased away the tense feeling in his muscles. Now, Levi could almost breathe freely.

When they reached the door, Hange lifted her free hand, probably with intent to knock. What a dork, Levi thought fondly. Pushing her aside, he kicked the door open with one mighty hit of his leg.

"Levi!" Hange yelled in shock. "You can't just—"

"My house, remember?"

Without another word, Levi passed the threshold, Hange and Ymir trailing after him.

Even engulfed in darkness, the inside of the house looked just like he remembered - soft, crème carpet under their feet, fern that had grown so much bigger standing near the door, a photo of—

Oh. Levi averted his eyes with lightning speed. The last thing he wanted to do was to start crying. Especially with Ymir present.

The house seemed emptier with each step they took. Doubt started to arise within Levi, and along with it - his anger. If that son of a bitch lied to him—

But then he heard it. Just at the edge of his hearing, but that sound was as familiar as it was unmistakable. The sound of Kenny playing with his lighter.

He hurried in the direction of that sound, it led him to the living room. The room was dark, the only source of light was the old TV-screen that did a very poor job of illuminating the rest of the room. Levi could barely see the outlines of the couch, but the figure lying on it— oh, Levi knew it so well.

The sight of Kenny with a bottle of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other was all too familiar. And just as infuriating. Still holding onto Hange, Levi marched to his uncle with the full intent of kicking his insolent ass.

Kenny shot to his feet moments before they reached him.

"Levi!" he spread his arms in a greeting gesture. Levi's scowl darkened. "You brought friends!"

"Kenny—"

"And before you or your detective—" Kenny swept his eyes all over Hange, his grin growing, "friend punch me, let me show you something."

"Something?" it came from Hange, who sounded simultaneously intrigued, cautious and fucking furious.

"Someone," Kenny corrected with an enigmatic wink. Before Levi or Hange could force him to explain, he shouted, his voice carrying over the entire house, "Girl! Come here, you have guests!"

There was a beat of silence, then, they heard a sound of hurried footsteps that came from the upper floor. Levi held his breath. Hange did too, and, holding her hand, he could feel her pulse beating strongly.

At last, the door to the living room opened.

"What the hell do you want from me again?"

Levi's jaw dropped. Dressed in lilac top and shorts, with her hair up in a messy ponytail she looked a bit different from the perfect girl from the photos, but truth was impossible to deny.

Before them— in the flesh, stood Historia Reiss.

[princecharmingmendes]

Heart by Heart | Chapter X | Raul Mendes

                                               *secret agent AU*

Y/N and Raul have been friends ever since they could remember. And falling in love with your best friend can be pretty tricky and messy 99% of the times, add that to the fact they're constantly risking their lives side by side on the field since they're both secret agents, and the best team that's ever existed. Perfect recipe for disaster.

Hi, this chapter is finally here, it's a bit shorter, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for that long anymore and on the cliffhanger, and this was also important for the story development. Anyway, this is the tenth chapter of this series, you can find the first ones here. Please read the warnings on this one, if you don’t feel comfortable with the contents listed on the “warnings” section, please read something else, there are a lot of other works on my masterlist and on the “fic rec” hashtag on my blog. Please give me some feedback and I hope you guys like. Happy Reading! 

                                                previous chapter | masterpost | next chapter

*Word Count: 2K+

*Warnings: cursing, violence towards the reader, blood, kidnapping, hostage situation, angst.

Please don’t read it if any of this subjects make you uncomfortable, feel free to check my masterlist for other writings.

*Posted: September 16th, 2021.

                                                  -*-

Raul was a mess as soon as he was able to get into an empty room. 

He allowed himself to finally let the severity of the situation hit him. He had no idea where Y/N and Tom were, if they were alright or what could Geonoff could possibly win with this. He certainly would’ve tried blackmailing them to get something in return of the two agents he had in his hands. 

He’s been pacing back and forth in the tiny room as he tried to remain calm enough to keep his rationality so he could still be helpful. Raul just wanted to punch his way into that base and get the kid and his girl back, but he knew that was completely stupid, even for him. He could practically see the frown on Y/N’s face if she ever heard his brilliant idea, and the vision alone was almost enough to bring him to tears. Instead he shook his head, knowing that letting his feelings take control would only be a waste of time in this situation, and that’s something he learned a long time ago when he first started working with his best friend. 

She was a really rational, and maybe even a bit cold on the field. Always with a sharp remark on the tip of her tongue and a thousand of extra plans in case something failed, she could easily slip into the role of the Professor in Money Heist. Constantly analyzing and thinking. And while she was clearly the brain of their duo, Raul was clearly the heart, not thinking twice before jumping head first to save someone or get and intel. And that’s why they worked so well, he pushed her to be more spontaneous while she kept him in his place (and alive) most of the time. 

He needed her more than ever right now. 

The sound of hushed whispers and two pairs of shoes approaching him, made Raul sharply move in the direction of the door, still on edge, and waiting for it to reveal his visitors. As soon as the handle turned, he was met with his triplet and Celine wearing the same saddened and worried expressions. He might’ve come down to help with the investigation as fast as he learned about his best friend. 

Peter sighed taking in the sight of his brother. Raul looked like a lost puppy in distress, eyes on his face but his mind was clearly somewhere else, shoulders sagged and curls a mess from the constant nervous tugging habit he had. One look was enough for him to know he was carrying all the guilt and having no clue how to fix it. It’s the same look he gave his younger self when he accidentally broke his brand knew camera. 

“We’re going to find them” was the first thing he said and Raul nodded, looking unconvinced “It’s not your fault” he then added and at that, his gaze finally seemed to snap into place as he stared his brother dead in the eye. 

“Whose fault is it then?” his voice sounded a lot smaller and less threatening than he pictured. 

“Geonoff’s” Celine mumbled “but not yours, you did what was best, what was right”

Raul shook his head in response, mumbling a quiet ‘yeah, right’ under his breath, but Celine was quick to take three steps closing the distance between them and placing both hands on his shoulders. 

“Cut this shit right now” she snapped, catching both him and Peter by surprise “you and I both know I’m not your biggest fan and never truly got what everyone else saw in you, but this past months changed my perspective of things and you’re actually a decent person, a great friend and an amazing agent, and you did the right thing” she said squeezing his shoulder for great measure “and you and I both know Y/N would’ve wanted you to do the same thing, she’d be proud of you”

Raul nodded slowly and Celine let him go at that, as he was still processing her words. Peter finally reached his brother, placing his hand on his shoulder as he turned to face him “I know you’re going through a lot right now, but we need you to help us find her, we need you to hold on a bit and try to think of the places they could possibly take her, everything you heard  or saw on the past month is useful”

He nodded again “yeah, okay, I can do that”

“Good, come with me then” Peter said patting his brother’s back “she’ll come back to us, you and I know her enough to know she’s probably making their life a living hell”

Raul snorted a little laugh, that didn’t quite reach his eyes and nodded along, as they dragged him back into the main room. He needed to do what Y/N would in his place, shut his feelings off and analyze every every they took.

                                                 -*-

Y/N starts slowing coming back into her senses, feeling her muscles burning, her arms stiff and head hurting, the dark place she was situated doing little to help her regain her memories. She tried looking around to see if she could find something useful to recognize the place, only noticing a slim frame still unconscious close to her. The person had its back to her, but from their clothes and body type, she was able to recognize them as Tommy.

Tommy who was still breathing and almost at arms reach.

That was a good sign, or as good as it could be in this situation. But he was there, breathing and no signs of big blood loss around them, so no external wounds that needed to be taken care of urgently. She tried to reach for him, but the heavy chains attaching her wrists to the cobblestone floor kept her in place.

She tried locating their belongings, or anything that could help them get out of there, but it was all missing. Raul was also nowhere in sight, which probably meant he wasn’t there and probably the info was delivered safely. At least that’s what she hopped with no signs of him around them. 

There? Where the hell was there?

That’s when it finally clicked to her, she had no idea where they were or how long was she out. They could be across the ocean as far as she was concerned. She had to get them out of there. But before she could start planning their way out with absolutely nothing and Tommy still out, she heard the grating of the old and rusty hinges coming from the only way in and out of that room, a heavy iron door. 

Coming from the source of noise that snatched her attention was the man responsible for all of this. Geonoff Reyes himself. Wearing a button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled back, and a pair of dress pants, and a smug look on his face. He took lazy long strides getting close to her, crouching down in front of her. 

Geonoff smirked at her “You know, it’s pretty hard to fool me and you almost got away with it, if it weren’t for your stupid boss you’d be home by now”

Y/N just blinked at him, a completely neutral facial expression on as she stared up at him, making him tsk.

“By the way, how is your little boyfriend? Does he know this relationship is just an act or you manipulate him as well?” he asked and she didn’t even flinch at his statement, noticing that her silence was doing more at getting him upset than clapping back “it must be sad, being such a pathetic agent and letting his little girl and friend get caught as he fled, and in the end discovering this was one sided”

Her gaze shifted quickly to Tommy and then back to Geonoff’s face, that was too close to hers for her taste “don’t worry, he’ll live for now, need him to get you to cooperate” and Y/N felt a little lighter knowing that, taking all the self control she had to not let that show on her face “you know they’ll never find you, right? Thought about sending a little photo as a gift for them, but might do it whenever we move to our next location, better lighting and stuff”

“What do you want?” her voice was hoarse, but she was able to keep her tone steady enough to not seem frightened.

“Oh, sugar, missed that sweet voice of yours, it matches your pretty face, just wish I could see that beautiful smile again, but we’ll get to that” he said patting her cheek with his long fingers, making her insides turn in disgust and she had to swallow the sudden wave of nausea down “I want something simple, just know all the info you’ve been feeding your precious little team for the past weeks, you’re smart enough knowing I wouldn’t mind hurting you to get what I want”

Y/N only stared back at him watching his brow twitch in annoyance “don’t want to hurt your pretty face, so cooperate with me and I might even let you go safely”

But her silent response seemed to be enough for him to loose it, because he took a deep breath before slapping his hand across her face for the first time. The pure shock of the action almost made her react, but she held her face up as she kept staring at him, her face burning but she wouldn’t give him the little taste of a small victory at breaking her neutral mask of indifference. 

“This could be so easy” he mumbled slapping the other side a little harder “you didn’t have to do this, you could be free by now” the third one was stronger than she was expecting, making her face turn with the pure force of it, the loud sound coming from the aggression echoing on the empty room and down the large corridor, the echo making her realize there wasn’t much down where they were, mostly just blank empty walls without doors to divide the sound. 

“What is it? Anything you’d like to say?” he asked grabbing her chin and yanking her face to look up at him, but her mouth remained closed “well, your choice”

After a few consecutive hits, one being so strong making her face collide with the wall when it turned, and she felt the sticky liquid running down her face. Her skin probably breaking with the brisk contact with the stone wall, cutting her cheek in the process. The seemed to please him, since he let out a loud boisterous laugh, making her lean her head so he could see it better mumbling a quiet “vicious bitch” under his breath “stop fighting back” before going back to it. 

After a couple more minutes, her right cheek numb already, Geonoff said grabbing her face roughly in his hands, forcing her to look up at him “Come on, sugar, you’re really stressing me out here”

“I’m truly sorry you had to kidnap and keep two agents hostage to try and prove you’re better than your sister” she said blinking at him monotonously and that seemed to hit a nerve, because Geonoff squeezed her face harder in his palms before pushing her head against the wall. 

Y/N felt her limbs giving out as her vision got blurry, her vision going dark before she felt her body leaning to her side and hitting the floor with a dull thud. The sound of shoes hitting against the rocks and the door being shut closed again a sign that the man lost his patience and left them behind. She tried fighting the numbness getting ahold of her body, but ended up succumbing at the end. 

The sounds of waves breaking somewhere near them and the constant throbbing of her head dragging her back into unconsciousness. 

                                                  -*-

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I’ll know.

*I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credit, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo

-🌙

[squeaky-boots-blog]

(Here we go. :3 Sorry for the god awful quality of the art. I'll try uploading a better version when j have the chance. )

°°°°°°

"We weren't supposed to wake up so early since we were given protocol to wake up much, much more later but, ever since the secret project stopped getting its funding from the government. We woke up, Danny being the first and Spongebob being the last to wake up. When we did, we were disoriented; confused even and hate to admit it, scared but, soon we started to thrive and learn as much as we could.

And now, here we are. Alive, breathing and thinking whilst the other toons remain in a stasis mode for who knows how long till they too awaken from their cold slumber, " -Jimmy.

Okay so, here is some more lore behind that au that you guys seemed interested in. I wasn't expecting it to get so much attention but, thank you for that! I appreciate it. The first question; yes, other Nicktoons other than the main four do exist in this au but, most are either in stasis mode in their chamber rooms or hidden away somewhere in the lab going unnoticed or encountered frequently from time to time.

Second question; how old are each of the toons in order? Danny is the oldest since he woke up from his chamber first then came Jimmy and then Timmy and lastly, Spongebob making the Spongeboy the youngest of the group.

Third question; who's role is who?

Danny is the alpha, aka the self-proclaimed leader of the group and he takes his responsibility of keeping the said group safe and protected from harm's way very seriously. He often stays up late to watch over them as they sleep at night. The bags under his eyes are a dead giveaway to this.

Jimmy is the medic and the brain of the team. He is in charge of collecting medicine and other things to keep at their main base in case if any of them get sick or hurt one day and also provides the answers to everyone's questions if asked.

Timmy is well, I am not sure of his status of the team yet other than a gatherer but, he is mostly moody and keeps to himself most of the time.

He helps gather supplies and items as well as Spongebob, whom aids him on these gathering sessions, whenever Danny instructs them to in case if they run low on supplies and that they needed more. Of course, half of the time, this means sneaking out of the lab and into the streets to collect said items despite Danny's warnings. With Timmy often saying; "what's the worse that could happen?"

Spongebob is the heart of the team. Often finding himself breaking up more fights than he can count to keep the peace. He is usually very friendly, outgoing and oftentimes; very naive. Being the youngest of the group, he is the one that everyone is protective of and would be lost without him. He holds them together like wood and glue.

---------

Okay, that's all I came up with so far. I hope you like these little info pieces. More will come soon in the near future! This is Squeaky Boots signing off.

Published; Thurs, 16th Dec. 2021.

[kevindayscrown]

The one where Kevin Day falls in love with an ice hockey player.

Part 6 Cracks

(TW: Second hand embarrassment honestly)

Anything included in this head canon takes place the semester after the Foxes won the championship against the Ravens.

Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about varsity teams in the United States so excuse any false information. Head over to the directory to find the previous parts.

Kevin Day never apologized to anyone. All he did, he did because it was what had seemed right at the moment. Regrets were a waste. He was better than that.

Unfortunately, such wasn’t the case at that time, when he was standing at the end of the hallway of the third floor of the Fox Tower where the dorms of the ice hockey players were located. He could hear indistinct chatter from the rooms closest to him.

He willed himself to walk. Eric’s room was the one furthest down the hall, according to Nicky, who had talked with a few of the hockey players. It irked Kevin more than anything that all of the Foxes had been made aware of the situation.

Even remembering their reactions fueled Kevin. Of course, Allison had laughed, Nicky had been ecstatic, Matt and Dan had tried – and failed – to hide their amusement. There were no more secrets in the team, or so Neil said, so Kevin had more or less been forced to tell them about everything that’d been happening since October.

Standing in front of Eric’s door, about to attempt to reason with him, he wondered if it was all really worth it.

It took a few tries before Kevin finally held his fist up and knocked on the door. The chatter he could hear from before paused and turned into light murmur that was barely distinct.

Eventually, the door was pulled open.

Eric and Kevin stared at each other for a moment before Kevin spoke.

“We need to talk.”

It wasn’t the smoothest line he could have started with, but Eric was towering over him, and thus, distracting him.

Kevin hated that height difference with a passion.

Eric turned and glanced at his teammates, making a gesture with his head. They all fled the room, as if able to sense the tension.

But not before they threw a glare at Kevin.

Kevin ignored them, keeping his eyes on Eric and only breaking the contact when the other closed the door.

“Came to waste your time?” Eric asked.

Kevin’s jaw clenched but he told himself he was here to reason, not fight.

“I came here to talk.”

“Then talk.”

Kevin wasn’t entirely sure how to go about this. It was a bit easier thanks to having told Eric about Ichirou and the deal he had made with Neil already, but it didn’t make it any easier that he had to ‘apologize’ apparently.

“It’s about what happened,” Kevin started and followed Eric inside, sitting on the couch next to him after Eric had gathered all the scattered boxes of pizza and the tin cans of beer.

“Well, you are alive so I suppose your… boss either doesn’t know yet or he doesn’t really care.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed,” Kevin said with a scoff. “But not quite,” He sat back, shifting a bit on his seat. Eric was clearly waiting for an explanation, but Kevin could hardly put it in words himself.

“He wants us to lead the press on. To ‘keep it up’.”

Eric was confused for a moment. For a long moment. He stared at Kevin, as if expecting him at any moment to reveal that all this was just a prank. Kevin stared at the turned off TV as if it was the most interesting thing that he had seen all day.

“Wait, let me get this straight-,”

Kevin was sure that if Nicky was here, he would make a stupid joke about it.

“- your ‘boss’ wants us to pretend we are seeing each other?”

“He is not my boss, don’t call him that. He just owns 80% of any profit I’ll ever make and if he doesn’t get that, if I don’t do what he wants, then I’m dead,” he snapped.

The silence that followed made Kevin more than aware of his pounding heart. He didn’t want to turn and look at Eric, but he could imagine his expression all the same.

“Look, I didn’t fucking mean what I said back at the store,” Kevin admitted, probably for the first time to himself as well.

“Day-,”

Kevin interrupted him before he could say anything condescending.

“We don’t even have to say we are dating. We can just let people think what they want to think. I don’t have anything to give you in return, but-,”

He stopped.

Being around Andrew had made him acquire the bad habit of never being able to say ‘please’ without receiving a cold stare.

He heard Eric sigh, and Kevin almost felt bad for dragging him into this mess.

“I don’t- Is this some kind of prank? Are the guys in my team involved too?”

Kevin couldn’t really blame him for the reaction but he still narrowed his eyes at him. He hadn’t eve told Eric the whole truth, he could only imagine how he would react then. He had barely touched the subject, having avoided sharing the harsh reality of being a Raven, of being Riko’s second.

Eric however, was only now starting to see the cracks in Kevin’s cold front. It was more like a mask for a boy who had been broken in pieces

and then had to bring himself back together. Which, Eric doubted was an easy process, considering that his whole exy team consisted of people who had been broken too in different ways.

“I’ll do it on one condition,” Eric finally said.

Kevin raised an eyebrow but waited for him to continue.

“You’ll have to apologize. Properly. No more half-assed bullshit.”

The grin on Eric’s face told Kevin that perhaps, he wasn’t asking this for the apology itself. He sighed and clenched his left hand into a fist as he thought.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, but it came out more than a grunt that anything.

Eric noticed the way he was clenching and unclenching his left hand. He took a puck they had in the dorm and tossed it at him. Kevin grabbed it and stared at it before he started fiddling with it instead of putting strain on his left hand.

“I didn’t quite hear you. Let’s try that again,” Eric said as he flopped back on the couch and put his hands behind his head. Kevin would try anything to get that stupid smug expression off his face.

“I’m sorry I said that those night practices didn’t mean anything,” he said, louder and clearer as he stared down at the puck in his hands. “They- I really enjoyed them.”

It wasn’t a lie just to please Eric; Kevin had enjoyed them. What had started as determination to become better at something for the sake of his pride, had turned into something freeing.

Kevin was learning more than just ice skating.

Eric smiled and nodded slowly. “See? Wasn’t so hard.”

Kevin went to toss the puck back at Eric but he shook his head.

“Keep it. Stop clenching your fist like that. It’s better to have something to hold onto.”

Kevin stared down at the puck as he held it in his hands. It was smaller than an Exy ball and his fist could almost close around it.

He showed his gratitude only with a nod as he slowly stood up. Eric walked him to the door and then leaned with his one shoulder on the wall next to it.

“See you around then, boyfriend?”

Kevin rolled his eyes, wondering if Eric was enjoying this solely because it would annoy Kevin.

But as he got a text from Eric later that day to arrange their first ‘date’, he thought that perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad.

[irondadfics]

I’m looking for fanfics where Peter is Tony’s biological child and he goes missing/gets kidnapped as a young child. He is raised by someone else and doesn’t know he’s Tony’s son. I’ve already read Lost Boy and Things I Almost Remember on archive of our own and I wanted to find stories with a similar plot.

WHEW! It’s kind of a long list, but we did our best finding several fics that feature both BioDad!Tony and Peter being kidnapped at a very young age. ENJOY!!

PETER IS TONY’S SON BUT THEY WERE SEPARATED WHEN PETER WAS A CHILD REC LIST

Lost Boy by winterda

Isaac Stark disappeared from a crowded park a few months shy of his third birthday. There were never any signs of him, and no arrest were ever made in connection to the case. It was as if the toddler had simply vanished off the face of the earth. Twelve years later, Peter Parker has a really bad day, which only get worse when his prints are put through the system.

Things I Almost Remember by IcedAquarius @icedaquarius31​

Peter's past is not as it appears. It all starts one day with a genetics project and slowly spirals into something Peter never could have imagined.

hydra's not a home by tempestaurora @tempestaurora​

At 6 years old, the son of Tony and Pepper Stark, Peter, is kidnapped, never to be seen again. Or, so they thought. Ten years later, while raiding a HYDRA base, the Avengers come across a new, enhanced individual, working for the enemy: in black spandex, with a tendency to stick to walls and shoot webs from his wrists, the Black Spider is a pain in the ass in more ways than one.

If They Knew All About You by MsHermia

Tony Stark had lost his son when he was only 2 years old, stolen away in broad daylight with nobody the wiser of what exactly happened. Years later, Tony has just made it through the disaster with Ultron. He is trying to keep himself and the team together but relationships are strained and tempers are running high. Then a random turn of events leads to his path crossing with that of a particular vigilante. They are strangers to each other, or so they think.

Peter Parker is on top of the world. After a few shitty years, losing his parents and then losing his Uncle, things are finally looking up. Sure he lives in a crappy little apartment with his Aunt but he might have just found his mission in life.

------

This is an AU story obvious by some of the tags. I'm starting out a few weeks after Age of Ultron took place. Civil War will be a thing. Other than that I'm not too concerned about sticking to every canon detail and storyline.

Finding Their Way Home by ElliahRose

Peter Benjamin-Edward Stark went missing on a Tuesday. For months the entirety of the New York police department, as well as anyone else the Starks could convince to join, searched for the tot. He was only three when he was taken and for four months, two weeks, and four days, Tony Stark and Pepper Stark (nee Potts) worried and fretted over their beloved child.

Peter Benjamin-Edward Stark was murdered on a Friday. A ransom call gone wrong spelt the end of the child’s life. The world grieved as the kidnappers gleefully told the devastated parents they’d find his body in the morning.

They never did.

Twelve years passed and the family was still grieving, and Tony Stark worked tirelessly to find his only child’s killer and gain justice for his son.

Meanwhile Peter Parker was having literally the worst day ever. He just wanted to help make the world a better place, but instead he got stabbed. That's just his luck, isn't it?

missing, presumed dead by hailingstars @hailing-stars

They hadn’t had a funeral for Peter.

There hadn’t been a casket or a service inside a church.

There had been, before Tony decided in his heart that Peter was gone, candlelight vigils and pleas on the media for whoever had taken him to bring him home. Neither of those did any good. Neither of those brought Peter home.

OR

Tony Stark's son gets kidnapped when he's two. Twelve years later he comes back.

I told you to be better (and you became the best) by HaruK

Tony was blessed with a healthy baby boy, and for once in his life, was actually happy. Until everything derailed and he had to send his son away to keep him safe, because those related to the Stark family, one of the worlds biggest and most targeted families in the black market, always end up hurt. With a new name and identity that Tony himself doesn't know, the young baby was wiped off the map, his existence erased, never to be heard of again. . Years later, Anti-hero Iron Man meets a local superhero vigilante and Tony becomes surprisingly close with young Peter Parker.

The Curly-Haired Boy In The Paper by Svn_f1ower @svn-f1ower​

When Tony sees the blurry, grey scale photograph of someone he thought he had lost years ago, he follows the trail to a newspaper company, to a hospital, to an adoption agency, to the police station and finally to May Parker's house.

hold him tight & don’t let go by jessicagoddamnjones @farremoved

Peter Stark went missing when he was four years old.

Eleven years later, he’s found.

Only now he’s Peter Parker by day, Spider-Man by night, and he doesn’t like the idea that his entire life is a lie.

Rise from the Ashes; Just to See You Again by Mintstream @iwritedumbshit​

Tony Stark didn't expect Mary Fitzpatrick, or the news she delivered. He didn't expect that he would become a father, or that he would actually enjoy it. He didn't expect Penny to love him just as fiercely as he did her.

He didn't expect to lose her so soon.

In the wake of the loss of his daughter he tried--tried to do right by her. He became Iron Man, he was an Avenger, he protected his world because he couldn't protect his daughter, but through it all, he hoped to be reunited with his daughter.

He didn't expect to be alive when he was.

AKA the biological daughter kidnapping AU no one asked for. Hope you read, and hope you enjoy.

Updates on Saturdays.

Coming Home by inkinmyheartandonthepage

AU – Peter Stark was kidnapped when he was just three years old. Tony and Pepper never stopped looking for their boy. Years later, Peter finds his way back home.

A Change In What We Knew by Imissyoutoo @imissyoutoo

Tony scoured the floor behind Steve as though his one-year-old son had somehow crawled to him, before finally, he looked up. The realisation dawned on him like an eclipse; the decaying darkness hiding the sun. Hiding his son. Because his boy wasn't there.

”Where is he? Steve? Where's my son Rogers?!” At only a year old, Tony Stark’s son is taken, leaving him shattered. Little does he know, his journey to find what is lost only begins twelve years later. In the most unlikely of places, and all because of two words.

”Hey kid.”

I Found You by honestchick

Tony had a son; he raised him for two years until someone kidnapped him. Tony was devastated and heartbroken. And who would have thought in Starks Expo, he’d be able to see his son once again?

move back home forever by chasingflower @evahmohns

The results say he’s not actually Peter Parker.

They say he’s Peter Stark. You know, the one who’s been missing for 10 years.

Yeah. He knows.

Soon You'll Get Better by lostinmorewaysthan1

Peter Stark was kidnapped. That was all anyone knew. He vanished into thin air, no traces left behind, when he was eight years old.

Six years later, on one of the final raids on the HYDRA bases, they find an enhanced assassin, with super strength and the ability to climb walls. No one imagined that it would be Peter. Least of all Tony.

With no memory and brainwashed by HYDRA, Peter Stark goes home and tries to recover.

Let This Road Be Mine by CommunicationFlail

Ten years ago, five year old Peter Stark disappeared. When the trail went cold, the case was closed. Now new evidence has been brought to light and Tony will stop at nothing to get his son back. No matter how many fakes he has to meet. His son is out there, and he will find him.

Return to me, the one I love so endlessly by SuperHeroTiger @superherotiger

James Edwin Stark was born on the 10th of August 2001, and for the first time in his life, Tony Stark cried tears of joy.

All the fears, all the dread that had once consumed his soul washed away with a single look at the baby’s gentle features, so familiar and yet so distinctly unique at the same time. Tony made many promises that day. Promises to love his son, to protect him, to always be there for him.

On the 10th of August 2002, James Edwin Stark was stolen in the middle of the night, and his father’s world came crashing down. Shattered and alone, Tony whispered the same promise he’d made to his son the day that he was born.

‘…My love for you is endless…’

Fourteen years later, hidden away from the world in a forest of pine, Peter Beck would dream of a day he might get to see the towering city of New York. And when a wounded stranger stumbles onto their property a week out from his birthday claiming to be a famous billionaire from New York, his dream might just come true.

Once Lost Now Found by FreckledAvenger11

Peter Parker was just trying to get used to life without his uncle. He wasn't expecting to find a familiar face in an article about Tony Stark's missing son. Follow Peter on his journey to discover just who he is. Is he Peter Parker? Is he Spider-Man? Or is he someone else entirely? Just who is he and what secrets died along with his parents in that plane crash?

So He Walks The World Alone by Miola014

This is a story 'bout a broken boy With his headphones in just to block out the noise Of everyone around him telling him the way to go So he walks the world alone Wondering if it gets better Or if he's always gonna feel empty forever So he gets lost tryna find another way back home As he walks the world alone

Or

The Kidnapped Peter Stark AU that I promised y'all!

[yandere-ac]

Is it despair bear time?

Yandere Human Monokuma X Spy Reader

"Is there a reason you called for me?" Your voice was quiet, almost monotone. Both because you didn’t want to sound rude or snappy to Monokuma but also because you were very tired. It was nighttime, 2 AM precisely, and Monokuma had woken you up and told you to come to his office. He hadn’t given you any chance to ask why or what was happening before he left, so you had to find out for yourself if this was something serious or not. This wasn’t the first time Monokuma had called you to his office, not even the first time he called you to his office at night. The only thing that made you annoyed was that these past few days he’s been waking you up in the middle of the night and telling you to come to him. And most of the time he didn’t even have a valid reason for calling upon you. And it got very tiresome really quick. You barely got any sleep these days and it was effecting you during daytime. You would nod off during the breakfast meetings and find it hard to stand without swaying and closing your eyes. And it was raising everyones suspicions. It peaked when you collapsed and fell asleep mid conversation with Byakuya and Makoto. You woke up later in your dorm, and of course the first person you ran into as you left was Byakuya. He had given you a stern look and scolded you after telling you what had happened. Most of your classmates had amounted it to you having sleep problems but the sharper ones like Byakuya and Kyoko seemed a bit more suspicious of your sudden sleeping problems.

As you walked into the office, which was just a big security room, Monokuma turned his chair to face you. There he was, the tall man had the same gleeful smile that he always had and as his red eyes fell upon you it only got wider. "Reason? Of course I have a reason. But even if I didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. You don’t really have a say in weather to come here or not. Lest you want your little secret to be revealed~" Once Monokuma told you this he let out a teasing giggle while he opened his desk and pulled something out. It was a wine bottle, it wasn’t really a surprise since he pretty much always drank it during the morning announcements. But the fact that he was gonna drink while you two talked told you that this might not be a crisis exactly. After fetching two wine glasses, Monokuma walked back to you and poured you two some wine. By this point you had already pulled out a spare chair, you had been in here so many times that you basically knew where everything was. "So tell me Y/N," Monokuma began as he handed you one of the glasses. "What have your classmates been up to? Any noteworthy news?" He took a sip of his wine after he asked you this. As Junkos spy you had to bring her information about whatever was happening in the school. You were simply a double agent, acting as a classmate when you really weren’t. Unfortunately, you had to give this information to her second in command, Monokuma. Ever since you entered the school he had been a constant nuisance, and it didn’t get any better once he started to call upon you almost every day.

"Not really no. Kyoko has shown everyone alter ego," as you started listing any noteworthy events Monokuma let out a huge sigh. "Yes I know that Y/N. I know they have found alter ego, I can put two and two together. I’m not asking you to tell me about stuff I already know, I want the inside information! What’s happening with everyone! Is there conflict? Are there secrets? Quit boring me to death and get on with it!" He took another sip. "....naturally. Celeste has started taking advantage of Hifumis desperate nature. Kiyotaka has pretty much lost it. He’s started acting like Mondo to cope with his death. And he’s gotten very possessive over Alter ego. Hifumi has been as well. Taka seems to be clinging onto the last part of Chihiro and Hifumi just seems to be in love with him." As you explained the situation to him you noticed that Monokumas eyes narrowed slightly at the end of your sentence.

"What did you just say?" The tone of his voice was cold, dead serious and poisonous. You immediately tensed up as you heard him. "Huh? I said that Hifumi seems to be in love with him-" "Him? Did you just refer to Alter ego, the computer program, as a him?" He put down his glass and rose out of his chair, now towering over your sitting form. "Do you know what that is Y/N? Sentiment. Sentiment for the people you’re supposed to be spying on." He grabbed you by the chin and forced you to look at him. There was pure hatred in his eyes. "Don’t forget the reason why you’re here, the reason why you’re still ALIVE right now." The two of you stayed silent for a couple of seconds before Monokuma let go and sat back down. "Now! Continue!" His whole attitude changed as he gave you yet another wide smile while running his hand through his hair.

You continued with your report, or at least tried to. Even if Monokuma changed his attitude that didn’t erase what had just happened. But luckily, you managed to get through all of the things you wanted to say, all while Monokuma nodded along with a smile. "I think that’s about it...I wanted to ask you something though." You said, letting out a big yawn afterwards. "Sure! Ask away doll face." Ignoring the pet name, you continued. "I wanted to ask if you could stop calling me here for mundane reasons, especially at night. I’m not getting enough sleep and Kyoko and Byakuya are getting suspicious. The last thing I would want is to be discovered because of you." As you told him this, Monokuma let out a laugh. "Puhuhuhu. So you’re tired? Why didn’t you say so Y/N?" He smirked as he stood up and grabbed your hand. He pulled you up and started to walk away, much to your protest. "Monokuma- let g- where the hell are we going?" You asked as you tried to pull away to no avail. "We’re going to bed!" As you heard his answer you had to take a second just to process what he just said. To bed? Surely he didn’t mean...was he taking you to his bed? Did he have a bed? But as he walked out of the control room and into the hallway you realised that he was gonna take you all the way to your room, and that was when you started resisting. "Monokuma no, please. What if someone sees us?! I can go there by myself! Just- let go!" You whispered in a panicked manner, but he didn’t listen. He just kept walking. But he stopped once he heard footsteps approaching. Someone was coming, and they were gonna find you!

You were panicking, begging Monokuma to just let go of you and disappear. But it would seem like he was one step ahead of you as he pulled you in closer to his body, pressing you up against him while grappling your waist, and before you realised what had happened your surroundings had changed completely. You were now in your dorm. You didn’t understand how he could do that, how he could just teleport around the school. But you didn’t care right now. You immediately pushed Monokuma away from you. Not enough to make him fall or anything, just enough to distance yourself from him. "Are you crazy!? Are you out of your mind?! Do you realise what could have happened if someone saw us!?" He didn’t even flinch as you yelled at him. He only walked closer and pushed you into your bed. "Ah shush. Is someone a bit cranky from sleep deprivation?" You growled at him but stopped as soon as he laid down in bed next to you. "What are you doing?" You moved away from him slightly but that didn’t help. "What? Cant I share the bed with my favowite stuwdent?" Monokuma grabbed ahold of you and pulled you close to him. You had tried to pry him off until you felt a huge wave of sudden drowsiness wash over you. Your eyelids started to feel heavy, and you struggled to keep yourself awake. It was strange. You were tired sure but not this tired, it was as if it just came out of nowhere. You felt Monokuma stroke your hair as he cooed to you. "Shh shh. Don’t worry, just go to sleep. Puhuhuhu" you didn’t want to fall asleep now. Not when he was here. But you could no longer force yourself to stay awake. You went out like a candle.

That night, Monokuma laid awake watching you. It wasn’t like he needed sleep anyhow. For the next couple of hours he observed your sleeping body, watching you breathe in and out, watching your chest go up and down as the air entered your lungs. You looked so cute when you slept, he’d seen it multiple times but never while he was in the same room as you. And never this closely. He probably never would have if it wasn’t for the wine you drank. You should have kept your eyes on your glass while he refilled it, silly you. He found you so fascinating, and your apparent annoyance with him only made it better. He knew you would blow your cover soon, blow your cover as the masterminds little spy. After that, it would only be a matter of time before 1 of 3 things happened. First scenario, your classmates find out about your betrayal and start hating you. If a murder occurred all of them would believe it was you who murdered the victim and falsely vote on you. After that he could execute everyone while you had to watch. Oh but you, there was no need for you to be executed since you were a spy and everyone else was dead. Then he would get you all to himself, and he could do whatever he wanted with you. Second scenario, your classmates hates you so much that one of them decides to kill you. Oh how much despair he would feel as he watched your lifeless corpse. How your eyes that once were filled with such hope would be completely empty. The thought of it made him exhilarated. He would hate for you to die, he would mourn you for days, and he would make sure whoever killed you would die in a brutal and horrific way. And finally, third scenario. You ended up being the actual blackened in the case and he could watch as you fell into despair and turn to murder. To see someone who would never hurt a fly give in and murder someone, one of your friends, is there anything better?! And ultimately, if you got caught he’d have to be the one to kill you. To execute you.

Three scenarios in which two of them leads to your death. He wished that you survived, but he would be lying if he said that the thought of you, dead, didn’t fill him with so much pain and despair. And that made him all giddy.

But for now, you were here in his arms. As he pulled you closer and sniffed your hair he felt his stomach fill up with butterflies.