#me (upon arriving) ok so i don't have any counts let's check this oh yeah that was the problem ok can we align it any better YEAH WE CAN

[fangedtracks]

vibrating with excitement bc i can feel myself getting better at setting up my experiments

[moldisgoodforyou]

significant upgrade

i wrote the rest of this on the plane don't come for me if there is a MISTAKE !! (however do politely shoot me a message so i can correct my typo lmao)

wordcount: 3.4k

warnings: nada except brooklyn is a BITCH, ok so maybe cursing is a warning

_________

James: SOS

Sophie

Doll

Sophie: what do you want

James: Come bar

To the bar

Sorry not sober

Sophie: I’m grading, buddy

James: No no no

DEFCON 5

Urgent

After their short back and forth, and James’ little typing bubble popped up multiple times before going away, Sophie pushed aside her work and called him. She checked Find My Friends first, feeling better about the situation once she saw Rafe’s dot at the bar with the boys. “James? Something wrong?”

“Yes. Sophie, listen, look. You gotta get here.” James told her with a little slur to his words, but what was more telling was the sheer volume on the phone call as he yelled. He was always a loud person naturally, but she swore he got ten times louder when he had an ounce of alcohol.

“I already told Rafe I couldn’t, I have to catch up on grading stuff if I want to go out tomorrow. Is something really wrong?” She questioned, but considered going anyway. She’d already graded over half the work and it was proving easier to mindlessly go through than she thought, and she could knock it out tomorrow morning if she really needed to.

“It’s like, urgent, Soph. Look, come here, wear your sluttiest top - that’s not an insult, by the way, it’s a compliment or whatever - like, empowering or some shit - shut up, Colin -”

“James -”

“I’m serious, she is not backing down -”

That caught her attention and she stood, glancing over her appearance in the mirror. “Who?”

“Just c’mere. I’ll have a drink ready for you. Are you still on that Fireball peach schnapps kick? Like a fuckin’ psycho?”

She laughed. “You drink vodka redbulls, James, shut the fuck up. I’ll be there in...uh...ten.”

“Deal. Sluttiest top!” He added before hanging up.

She rolled her eyes, looked herself over in the mirror, and shrugged. She wore an old pair of Nike shorts and a t-shirt of Rafe’s with his name on the back, an old intramural shirt. If it wasn’t senior year, and if she wasn’t locked down already, she’d probably give more of a fuck, but she just wanted to take the opportunity to hang out with her friends while she could. After swiping on a quick coat of cherry lip balm and brushing her hair, she shoved her feet into sandals and made her way to the bar.

When she arrived, she went straight to their usual corner booth and slid in next to Colin, who greeted her with a grin and a drink, as promised. James threw his arm around her shoulders and messed with her hair immediately, making her squawk in protest. “Flint, kiddo, that is not nearly as slutty as I expected.”

“The Cameron on the back adds some possession though, don’t you think?” Colin pointed out, slapping James’ hand away from her.

Sophie scowled, combing her fingers through her hair. “What am I here for?”

“Oh! Right.” James stood on his toes and scanned the bar, locating Rafe in the far corner. Rafe wore a forced smile and was leaning against the wall with a couple of the other interns from Jeni’s over the summer - including Brooklyn, who was twirling her hair and stood right next to Rafe.

Sophie stood on her tiptoes, hand on James’ shoulder for balance as she followed his gaze. “I don’t see him, what am I looking at - oh, shit.”

“Yeah, see why I told you to go for the slutty top?” James reached for her shirt, tugging at the hem until she shoved his hand away.

“No, she would have just implied I was a prostitute or something.” She shook her head and turned back to the table, then took a long sip of her drink, draining nearly half of it in one go. “I don’t want to seem, like, overbearing - I mean, she’s with the whole group.”

Colin raised his eyebrows, skeptical. “She’s touched his arm multiple times and made him link arms when they did shots earlier. Had everyone else partner up too as an excuse.”

“Exactly.” James nodded, emphatic. “I already tried to rescue him, but Colin says m’ too drunk.” He hiccuped to punctuate his statement, then pushed a plastic shot glass toward her. “Here. Got you tequila.”

She wrinkled her nose, eyeing it with a frown. “I hate tequila.”

“See! I told you!” Colin exclaimed, snatching the shot glass away and knocking it back. “If you need backup, just wave or look over or something. I’ll deck her if I need to.”

She grinned, drinking the rest of what James got her. “Thank you, both of you. I appreciate it.”

“Hey. Whoever Rafe’s dating, we’re dating too.” James proclaimed, patting her head affectionately. “Just without the fun parts.”

“Lovely.” She replied, glancing over toward Rafe again. Brooklyn was now leaning just a little closer and Sophie could practically feel the tension radiating from his body, even from all the way across the room. She frowned when the other interns seemed to agree on something, dispersing, but Brooklyn stayed.

Sophie stood there and watched for a few more moments, seemingly frozen, until Colin nudged her shoulder. “Go.”

“I’m going, I’m going.” She dismissed, taking another breath before striding across the room. Of course, someone turned at the exact moment she rounded the bar, spilling their drink down her light pink shorts, soaking the entire left leg. She didn’t even let the guy apologize before she shrugged him off with a grimace and made her way toward Rafe.

He noticed her immediately out of the crowd, grinning and straightening up once he saw her. “Soph!”

She smiled at her eager boyfriend and how he always lit up upon seeing her, without fail. “Hi, baby.” She greeted, slipping her arm around his waist as he rested hers comfortably around her shoulders. She never - ever - used pet names in public, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Thought you weren’t coming out tonight?” He asked, glancing over her outfit and frowned when he realized half her shorts were wet. “What happened?”

“Grading went quicker than I expected.” She dismissed, her eyes flitting over his expression. He looked confused and she could tell from the way his eyes were glassy that he was drunk and nearly on the verge of falling asleep. “Can I try your drink?”

“Rafe, are you going to introduce me?” Brooklyn feigned a smile, fingers tightening around her own drink.

He furrowed his brow even more, looking between the two of them. “I thought you guys met. At the charity gala thing, remember? Sophie had that really pretty dress?”

“Yeah. We’ve met.” Sophie replied coolly, taking Rafe’s whiskey sour from him and took a sip. She hated them, with all her heart, but wouldn’t dare make a face in front of Brooklyn.

“Oh! Sorry, I just didn’t recognize you, you must have been wearing a ton of makeup or something at the gala.”

“She still looked like herself.” Rafe supplied, confused. He traced his thumb over Sophie’s cheekbone, staring at her in concentration before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Sophie swore she saw Brooklyn’s jaw tick as she watched the two of them, as she watched what she used to have.

“Okay, okay. Rafe, did you tell her about all the fun things we did this summer? Sophie, you were away or something, right?” Brooklyn asked, hyper-conscious of how Rafe leaned into Sophie more and how he pressed a sleepy kiss to her temple.

“Nope.” He replied, popping the p. “Nothin’ to share. The internship was kinda boring. She was in Barcelona.”

“Oh, right. Long distance wasn’t too hard on you then?” Brooklyn probed with a sympathetic smile. She reached toward Rafe to touch his arm reassuringly, then seemed to remember at the last second that Sophie was right there, and jerked her hand back like she’d been burned.

“Nah. Why?” Rafe asked, cocking his head to the side, some of his hair flopping into his eyes.

Brooklyn grinned. “I just didn’t think you’d still be together, is all.”

“That’s funny, because I’m pretty sure you follow me on Instagram. So you’d know.” Sophie shot back with an equally fake grin, determined to come out on top in the petty exchange.

She wished Rafe was more sober so he could make an excuse for them to leave or shut the whole conversation down, but when he was drunk he didn’t pick up on any tone inflections. (She’d accidentally made him upset more times than she could count with a poorly worded sarcastic insult, and immediately felt guilty as his drunken gaze gave way to his signature pout.) To an outsider, their conversation seemed as civil as possible, like three friends catching up, until you got close enough to see the bared teeth and the tense jaws.

“No...I don’t think I’d waste a follow on you.” Brooklyn retorted, glancing down to the Cartier ring on her hand. “Sophie, usually when people wear designer, they have to have the clothes to match the rest of the outfit. Not whatever…” she looked her up and down, scrutinizing her clothing choice. “...Whatever is going on here.”

“Hey.” Rafe interjected, finally noticing the hostile undertones in the conversation. “Be nice, she’s hot in whatever she’s in.”

Sophie had to resist rolling her eyes at his completely unhelpful comment. “It’s okay, Brooklyn, I actually have style, so I don’t have to rely on wearing tacky designer clothes. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my boyfriend and I are going to go hang out with our friends.” She glanced over toward the boys for backup and tilted her head toward the door, and James and Colin started making their way over. Alright. So she’d handled that well, she thought, matched her energy without getting too emotional or heated -

Brooklyn wrinkled her nose at Sophie’s comment. “Careful. He gets emotional when he’s drunk.”

“He doesn’t, actually, he was probably just being manipulated by you.” Sophie shot back with a sharp tone, protectively curling her arm tighter around Rafe’s waist. He just watched the back and forth with a furrowed brow, not sober enough to keep up.

James and Colin arrived just as Brooklyn sneered at Sophie, shaking her head. “Whatever. He’ll end up drinking away his problems in private like his dad anyways.”

As Sophie’s nose flared and as she took a quick step toward Brooklyn, getting right up in her space, Colin immediately grabbed Rafe’s arm and pulled him away. “C’mon, Rafe, let’s wait for her outside.”

Rafe let himself be tugged along, but frowned as he glanced back at the girls. “She’s gonna be okay?”

“Yes. She’ll be fine.” Colin replied confidently, dragging Rafe and James out of the bar.

Sophie stood tall, eye-to-eye with Brooklyn. “Don’t say that shit about Rafe. You don’t know him like that -”

“I do, actually. I know a lot more about him than you probably realize. Has he taken you to the Bahamas yet?” Brooklyn didn’t back down at all, smirking when she saw Sophie’s expression falter for a split second. “Still no? He’s probably embarrassed.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Sophie snapped, unable to come up with a better response. “Give it up, you’re not with him anymore.”

“Yeah, but I know he’s not going to keep up this little facade once we graduate college. He needs someone that can keep up with his family, that’ll do more than just hang on his arm at all the charity events.” Brooklyn smiled, taking a step back. “I’ll be there for him when you can’t hold your ground.”

“You’re delusional.” Sophie shook her head, so furious she couldn’t snap back with a sharp comeback. When Brooklyn just shrugged and lifted her drink to her lips, Sophie tipped up the bottom of it, making it splash all over Brooklyn. “Have a good night.”

“Fucking -”

Brooklyn exclaimed, but Sophie just turned on her heel and flipped her off over her shoulder as she strode out. She was fuming, practically shaking, but didn’t dare break down in front of anyone in the bar.

Colin regarded her carefully, making sure she was okay. “You good? Need me to go back in and finish the job?”

Rafe, leaning on James, seemed to finally realize she’d come out. “Baby! You’re back!”

She bit the inside of her cheek, taking a deep breath. “No, I’m okay. Thanks Colin. Need help walking these two home?”

He grinned, gesturing at the way the two boys were slumped against the wall of the bar. “Might need a little help, yeah.”

She nodded and slipped her arm around Rafe’s waist, unsurprised when he leaned into her and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “Alright. C’mon, Cameron, your bed awaits.”

James sighed, striding along with them. “I want a girlfriend to bring me home.”

“Too bad, you’re stuck with me for now.” Colin quipped, grabbing James’ arm when he tripped on the uneven sidewalk.

“Was she being mean?” Rafe asked with concern, reaching for her hand. “I wasn’t listening.”

“Yeah. Your ex is a bitch.” She replied bluntly, taking his hand and squeezing it. “Am I gonna have to drag you home?”

“No ma’am. I’m good. All good.” He replied quickly, though unconvincingly as he slurred his words. “There’s a chance that I might be a tiny bit drunk.”

“A tiny bit?” Colin snorted, waving his hand in front of Rafe’s face. “You and James did multiple Jagerbombs. That always does you in.” He glanced over Sophie again, concerned. “Soph. You okay?”

“Huh?” She did her best to help Rafe along and guide his 6’3” frame so he wouldn’t trip over the sidewalk or walk the wrong direction, but was running through a script in her head of all the things she wished she had said - or done - to Brooklyn.

Colin frowned. “You’re doing that thing, Rafe says you bite the inside of your cheek when you’re mad. You want me to go back in? I’ll talk to her, I swear -”

“S’true. She does.” Rafe confirmed, then finally seemed to pick up on the anger radiating from her. “Did I do something?”

“No, baby, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She reassured him quickly, then gave Colin a small smile. “It’s okay. Thank you. I just - she just -”

“Yeah. I know.” Colin nodded. “Fuck her.”

“Exactly. Fuck her.” She repeated, a little louder and a little more confident.

James whipped his head back and started walking backward for about two steps until Colin forced him to keep his eyes ahead. “Who are we fucking?”

“We’re not - James, pay attention.” Sophie sighed, urging him along.

Rafe leaned over to press a kiss to the crown of her head, then whispered - in the loudest stage-whisper possible - “I think I’m a little too drunk for fucking.”

“Rafe.”

“Yes.”

“Please shut up.”

“Yes ma’am.” He nodded dutifully, hooking his arm in with hers. They made it to the boys’ house a couple minutes later and Colin shoved James onto the couch, tugged off his shoes and grabbed him a water bottle from the fridge.

“Alright. He’ll be fine here, Sophie, do you need help with the stairs?” He asked, noticing the way Rafe slumped onto her.

“Um...no. I think we got it.” She took a deep breath, her mind still racing from what Brooklyn said at the bar. “Thanks, Colin.”

“Night, you two.” He paused on the stairs, glancing back at James and then at Sophie for a moment before heading upstairs.

Sophie nodded, more to herself than anything else. “Alright. Rafe, baby, work with me on the stairs and then we can go to bed?”

“I got it, I got it. M’not that drunk.” He protested, but tripped up the first step anyways, knocking his knee against the stairs as he fell hard with a thud. “Ow!”

Without even asking, Colin was jogging back down the stairs all the way from his room in the attic, hauling Rafe up before Sophie could blink. He dragged Rafe up and into his room, ignoring his protests, and pushed him onto the bed. “Soph, you can go get ready for bed, or whatever. I’ll babysit.”

“I think I got it, Colin -” She started halfheartedly, only to be cut off by Colin just pointing at the door. She nodded gratefully and hurried into the bathroom, quickly wiping off her makeup and brushing her teeth. When she returned, she paused just outside the door to hear Colin talking to Rafe.

“Give her a break, okay? She just had to deal with your insane ex -”

“She didn’t have to -”

“She did, because you’re a fucking pushover sometimes.” Colin interjected, exasperated. “Your breath reeks, get your ass up and go brush your teeth.”

“You’re mean.” Rafe grumbled back, but got up and ambled out to the bathroom, giving Sophie a dopey grin as he passed. Colin followed him out but stopped in the doorway, acknowledging her with a nod.

Sophie looked like she was about to cry, overwhelmed by how nice he was being and the fact that someone even noticed that she was struggling a little with dealing with Brooklyn. Without a warning, she stepped forward and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you.”

He stiffened in her arms, then awkwardly patted her back after he was released from the hug. “It’s no big deal. Anything for a friend. Especially a friend that’ll stand up to that bitch.” He cracked a grin, nudging his shoulder against hers.

She laughed, rubbing her eyes quickly. “I didn’t realize you felt that strongly about her.”

“Yes. She’s awful.” Colin nodded. “You are a significant upgrade.”

“What are we upgrading?” Rafe asked as he returned from the bathroom just wearing his boxers slung low on his hips, with damp hair - even though they hadn’t heard the shower running - and his breath smelling of mint.

“Nothing, bud. Good night, you two.” Colin gave them a nod of dismissal and strode back upstairs, leaving the two once he was confident Rafe could stand on his own again.

Rafe reached out, noticing her slightly teary eyes, and affectionately stroked his hand over the top of her head. “You good, angel?”

“Just tired.” She yawned to make a show of it. “Where’d your clothes go?”

“Oh. Uh…” He glanced back to the bathroom. “I was gonna shower, but that was too much work, so I just got my hair wet.”

“...Right. Okay, bud, you need sleep.” Sophie ushered him into his room and onto the bed, then changed quickly into a spare pair of pajamas she’d left behind. When she returned to the bed and slipped under the covers next to him, he rolled over to face her, concern written all over his face.

“You’re upset.”

“Not at you.”

“But you’re still upset. Talk to me?” He stroked his thumb over her cheekbone tenderly, unsure what was going on - and honestly, the room would spin a little if he shut his eyes - but he was still conscious enough to pick up on Sophie’s feelings.

She nodded, rolling onto her back so she didn’t have to make eye contact. “It’s just - it makes me so fucking mad that you dated her. Not because of anything you did, but I just know you deserve so much better. And then she just still thinks she has any influence on you, she’s so damn condescending - ugh.” She rolled back over, frowning. “If we ever broke up I don’t think I’d ever be able to see you again.”

“You wouldn’t see me anymore?” He frowned, trying to keep up.

“No. It would hurt too much. That’s how I know she damn well didn’t love you like she should have.” She insisted, eyes bright again as she ranted. “She fucked up by letting you go, you’re a fucking catch, Rafe. I’m sorry she didn’t realize your worth.”

He blushed and pulled her close, nudging his nose against hers before kissing her. “You wanna repeat that again tomorrow when I’m sober? So I make sure I remember?” He had a joking tone, but seemed a little unsure too.

“Absolutely. I’ll tell you that every damn day if I need to.” She kissed him back, heatedly, as if to emphasize her point. “I love you. You’re mine and I love you.”

“M’ yours.” He confirmed with a sleepy nod, not nearly reciprocating the kiss as hard as hers. “My favorite girl.”

She pulled away, peppering kisses over his nose and cheeks before resting her head on his chest. “Good night, baby. Don’t you dare throw up in bed.”

He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes. “I won’t. Sweet dreams, Soph.”

taglist: @drewstarkey @lemur46 @jjmaybanksbaby @edgeofgr8 @quxxnxfhxll @obxtess @hoodpankow @vtgirl802 @outerbankies @messagesinthesky @nicolecarsley @svechnikolan @ilovejjmaybank @obxtess @abbyj1822 @oopsiedoopsie23 @g4bster @jjmaybankzz @freddymaybank @dontjinx-it @illbesafeforyou @moniamaybank @tovvaa @jailcalledlife @sunshineitsfine44 @randomficsandshit @outerbankspreferences @outerbanksbro @karsinner @kkmaybank @whoeveniskendall @lemur46

[rocksandrobots]

Of Rocks and Robots Ch. 33 -Don't Mole On My Parade

"Beware evil doers, for I, the mighty Minimax, doth roam the streets with my trusted partner Fred, along with his newest protégé Varian, and together we plan to buy a DVD!"

Varian watched the small robot jump upon a mailbox to proclaim this lofty goal. The little automaton looked just like his namesake, a mini Baymax, but his behavior was far different from the robotic nurse. Hiro had built him to be a sidekick for Fred and so the robot acted just as if he came out of a silver age comic.

"Hey Fred?" Varian asked.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to 'keeping a superhero's identity secret is rule number one in the hallows of superherodom'?"

His friend looked back at him confused, "It is. Why?"

"Because your robot pal isn't exactly what I would call ' inconspicuous'. Aren't you worried someone might recognize him and, you know, put two and two together?"

Fred looked surprised, as if he had never considered this possibility. After a moment's thought he called after his robotic companion.

"You know, your right. Hey Minimax,

come here, you need a disguise."

The little android dutifully ran up to the teen and Fred pulled out a pair of sunglasses and placed them upon its head.

"There! How does that look?"

"Like a small white robot wearing sunglasses."

"Exactly! Usually he wears a cape when he's superheroing."

"You seriously don't expect people to be fooled by a pair of glasses do you?"

"Why not? It worked for Henry Reeve. He played Captain Fancy in the tv show."

"Yeah but I doubt the guy was a two foot tall robot."

"As far as we know…." Fred said stone faced as he looked Varian dead in the eye; the way he often did when spouting some crazy theory that no one else believed.

Varian decided to cut his losses. There was no getting through to Fred once he latched onto an idea; regardless of how ill advised and detached from reality it was.

"So where are we going again?" Varian asked instead.

"We're going to the comic book store to buy a copy of the Professor What DVD that just came out."

"I thought you already owned every episode though?"

"I do. Of every aired episode that is. This is the "lost serial". It was recorded but never broadcast due to a production strike during the 70s and the only way to see it was through bootlegs. But now the EBC has released it in full on dvd, plus extras, like special interviews with the cast and such."

"Ok, that's cool, I guess."

"Mega cool! I can't wait to see it in all it's high definition glory!" Fred joyously squealed only to sober up as they neared the comic shop. "There's only one problem."

"What's that?"

"Richardson Mole" Fred growled.

"Mole?" Varian echoed, confused.

"My arch nemesis, remember? His is the only comic store in town that currently has any copies. The rest won't get theirs till next week!"

"Then why not wait until next week to get it then?" Varian very sensibly asked.

Fred looked at him aghast, "And let Mole gloat over getting to see it a whole week early!? Un-uh! No way! Buuuuut he won't sell me a copy; so that's why you're here."

Fred wrapped an arm around Varian's shoulder and pointed at the other teen's chest as he recounted his plan.

"You see, Minimax and I will cause a distraction drawing Mole outside. While he's gone, you quickly grab a dvd from the display stand and mix it up with a bunch of other stuff you're going to purchase and dump it all on the counter. Hopefully he'll be so annoyed by what me and Minimax have planned, that he won't notice that he sold you a copy along with all the other things you grabbed. It's the perfect plan!" Fred rubbed his hands together devilishly.

"Uh...hun….Ooor I could just walk in there and buy a copy outright instead of paying for a bunch of stuff I don't want." Varian countered.

"You know... that's so crazy…it just might work. Minimax; new plan!" Fred yelled after his robot.

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

The comic shop was not much different from the store inside the mall that Fred had taken Varian to on his first day in San Fansokyo. The main difference was it was a freestanding building and the cashier was a short child perhaps only a few years younger then Varian himself.

"Hello, welcome to my sho--oh it's you, Fred." The kid interrupted his enthusiastic greeting towards Varian the moment Fred walked in behind him.

"Why hello, Mole, unpleasant as ever I see." Fred retorted back with equal disdain.

Mole only sighed and rolled his eyes. "What do you want Fred?"

"Oh contraire, it's not what I want but what my friend here wants." Fred gently but firmly nudged Varian up to the counter as he said this. "Tell him Varian."

"Uhhh...I'd like the newest Professor What DVD...the lost episode one?... P-please." Varian wasn't sure what he had expected when Fred first asked him to come along on this quest for a DVD, but being glared at by a very irritated 12 year old from across the counter wasn't it. Moreover he hated being put on the spot like this. He really had no context for this apparent feud Fred had with this kid.

"Really?" Mole raised an eyebrow. "And there's no chance that my rival Fred here didn't put you up to the task of buying the dvd for him?"

"Uh...d-does it matter?" Varian shrugged, now completely bewildered. He had assumed Fred was only exaggerating about Mole, same as he exaggerated about just everything, but no, turns out that the pre-teen really was that petty.

"Uh, of course it matters." The kid replied as if Varian had missed something obvious. "I have the only copies in town and in limited quantities. I'll only sell them to true fans of the series, otherwise someone might just buy from me and then sell it at a mark up price online or something. Now why should I give someone else that advantage when I can corner the market?"  

Varian raised an eyebrow at this explanation but Fred stepped in before he could say anything.

"Hey, Varian's a fan. We've been marathoning the series. Tell him, buddy." Fred gave Varian another nudge.

"Oh really? Well then, Varian, who is your favorite Professor?" Mole's voice dripped with incredulity.

"Y-you mean there's more than one?" Varian began to ask in confusion but Fred jumped him, covering Varian's ears with his hands. Though it did little good as Varian could still hear Fred shushing Mole.

"Shhh...Careful with the spoilers Mole!"

"I knew it! I knew It!" Mole yelled back. "You just dragged your friend over here to buy the special edition dvd for you!"

"I did not!" Fred snapped back.

Minimax jumped up onto the counter and pointed a finger at Mole. "No one accuses my Fred of trickery, foul villain. For even though that is indeed the plan and you must have only deduced that with your nefarious cunning."

"Minimaaaax!" Fred whined.

Varian was losing his patience. He shoved Fred off him. "Look, yes, I came here to buy the DVD so Fred and I could watch it in our marathon. But so far we've only watched the first season and more copies are arriving in a week, so what does it matter!?"

"Wait? You've only seen season one, as in the original series first season from 1963?" Mole asked.

"Uh..Yeah?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Mole." Fred interrupted again. "He's going into the series completely blind. He doesn't know about… r-e-n-e-w-a-l yet."

"Renewal?" Varian echoed now even more confused. Fred had tried to drop his voice to a whisper but Varian heard anyway.

Mole's entire demeanor magically changed. Gone was his standoffish and combative nature and in its place was a look of genuine excitement.

"Ooooh, how I envy you my friend! Imagine being able to experience the whole series fresh! Oh..oh, then what's your favorite story so far?"

"Ummm...I liked the one we just finished… it's the one where they're stuck in the middle of the French Revolution."

"Interesting choice." Mole said intrigued. "So who's your favorite assistant?"

"Well I don't if she counts as an 'assistant' but my favorite character so far is the Professor's granddaughter, Sue."

"Yeees!" Mole exclaimed suddenly, taking Varian a back. "Finally, someone who sees sense! Sue is so underappreciated. You know what?" Mole continued as he reached behind the counter to pull a dvd box off the shelf. "Just to show my support in your endeavor to embark on such a daunting quest as to view the entirety of Professor What, here is the dvd to complete the collection, free of charge."

"Really?" Varian asked bewildered as Mole handed him the coveted copy.

"Yup, just come back and let me know how you enjoyed the later seasons, or stop by and maybe check out some of the other Professor What merch I got for sell."

Mole cheerily waved goodbye as Varian, Fred, and Minimax walked out of the shop.

"What just happened?" Fred asked.

Varian opened the thin box to see the disc inside. "Well, apparently your mortal enemy just gave me a free dvd."

"I don't trust it." Fred said darkly. "Mole is up to something."

"Do you want me to return it?"

"No!" Fred quickly exclaimed and reached out to grab the case. But Varian snatched it back out of his reach.

"Now, now, he did give it to me, you know." Varian said as if reprimanding a small child and a sly grin slowly formed on his face.

"Oooh, but.. But I waited years to see it… pleeesee."

Fred was practically crawling over him to get to the dvd but Varian fended him off while trying unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter.

"I'll tell you what… I'll let you have it…but for a price."

"Name it."

Varian thought for a moment. "I wanna drive the limo."

"Oh… but Heathcliff…" Fred stopped mid sentence as Varian waved the dvd in his face, his crooked smile growing wider.

"Ok. Fine." Fred relented. "But on one condition. Heathcliff has to teach you how to drive it."

"Deal."

They shook hands and Varian handed over the movie.

"Huhzzah!" Minimax proclaimed. "And once again the heroes have concluded their quest and now return home victorious!"

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

"Hey Mole," Fred shouted as he sauntered into the comic shop. "Do you got any replacement parts for a limited addition Space Hike laser gun? I kind of broke mine dur---"

Fred's voice trailed off when he noticed that the little store was empty. A week had passed since he and Varian had procured the Professor What DVD and Fred hadn't seen nor heard from his nemesis in that time. Fred didn't think that was too odd, it wasn't like he and Mole talked daily or anything, but it was suspicious for his rival to leave the store unattended without closing shop first.

Fred's senses went on alert and he instinctively went into stealth mode: dropping to the ground and crouching on tiptoe as he looked for booby traps on the shelves, behind the doors, and under the displays.

He didn't find any.

Though as he ransacked the counter during his search, he did hear the distant sound of laughter and music coming from the "staff only room." Which wasn't a room really. It was an elevator that went into the basement. Mole had a private arcade down there and must have been playing video games and had simply forgotten to lock up.

Satisfied that there was no danger of a prank literally blowing up in his face and covering him in some sort of slime or soap bubbles or something else that was similarly messy (Fred never forgot that time when Mole dumped dumped a bucket of chocolate fudge on his head five years ago) he decided to go down stairs to ask Mole about the previously mentioned parts.

What he found was far worse than a bucket of chocolate syrup.

In the basement Varian and Mole were both playing a video game. It was an old stand up arcade machine and on it was a retro beat 'em up. Both seemed to be enjoying themselves and called good natured taunts as they furiously pressed buttons trying to one up the other.

Neither had noticed Fred enter.

"Oh you're going down now!" Mole cheered.

"In your dreams!" Varian laughed.

He pressed the block button and his little pixelated character averted a punch from Mole's pixelated avatar and then grabbed said character into a hold and bodied slammed him to the ground.

"K.O.!" A distorted voice from the machine announced and Varian threw up his hands in victory.

"Ah…. Man!" Mole bemoaned. "You got lucky. I had you on the rocks."

"Yeah, I did." Varian admitted with a snicker.

"Best two out of three then?" Mole asked.

"Naw.. I got an essay I need to finish bef-" Varian paused mid-sentence as he turned around and finally saw Fred. Who just stood there with his mouth agape.

"Uh...hi, Fred."

Fred just pointed his finger at them and made an unintelligible sound like a cross between a gasp and a squeal.

"How the heck did you get in here Frederickson?" Mole said irritably.

This seemed to awaken Fred from his stupor.

"Betrayal!" He shouted, still pointing his finger accusingly at them both.

"Now Fred, don't overreact." Mole chided. "My friend Varian and I were just playing a friendly little game of Street Combat."

"Friend? Friend ?! My bestest buddy and protégé playing video games with my arch nemesis and mortal rival! This just like when Captain Fancy found the Fearless Ferret robbing banks with the Toymaker in Earth's Greatest #20!"

"Fred…" Varian started to reason with a weary sigh but Fred interrupted him.

"No. I don't want to hear it!" And with that he turned around on his heel and marched back into the elevator. "But mark my words Varian, Mole can't be trusted." And with this warning he pressed the first floor button and the elevator doors closed.

Varain rolled his eyes and followed after his friend. "Sorry Mole, I gotta go smooth things over with Fred. I'll see ya later."

"Okay, oh I almost forgot" the Professor What convention is next month. You want to go?" Mole replied as Varian hurried over to the elevator.

"Yeah sure, sounds like fun."  Varian answered back distractedly. "I'll see ya then." He waved bye to Mole as the door to the elevator closed.

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

When the elevator opened back up Varian saw Fred stomping away down the sidewalk outside and raced after him.

"Fred! Fred, wait up!"

"Why? So that you can stab me in the back again?" Fred called after.

"Fred...you're being ridiculous."

He stopped, incensed, and fumed at Varian, "Ridiculous?! Oh, I'm being ridiculous now am I?"

"Yeah, you are." Varain stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I see how it is. Crazy Fred is just being paranoid again. It can't possibly be that Mole has been trying to ruin my life since he was in dippers. Seriously, when I first met him he was a week old and I had to be the one to change him. It was all downhill from there."

Varian crossed his arms and gave Fred a reproachful look.

"Oh you don't believe hun?" Fred defended, "Well did he tell you about the time he cut the power to my house so he could win the online auction for Captain Fancy 133? Or the time he spilled hot fudge on me at his 7th birthday party? How about the time he stole my prized Captain Fancy pants? Oh, or how he bought out the mech wrestling league just so I couldn't own it? And he doesn't even like wrestling!!"

Varian didn't answer and kept up his disapproving glare.

"I tell you Mole is just using you to get to me. Don't you see? It'd be the ultimate revenge if he stole my protégé away--."

"Ok, first off, I'm not your "protégé" or "apprentice" or whatever, and second off, Mole never mentioned you the entire time we've hung out. Couldn't it just be possible that he wants to be friends with me and that you're making a big deal out of nothing?"

"Oh really? Then how would you feel if I started hanging out with that princess you hate so much? Rapunzel! Yeah, wouldn't you be hurt if I became pals with your mortal enemy."

A shadow fell across Varian's face and his mildly annoyed glare transformed into cold steely gaze.

"Fred."

"Y-yeah."

"Rapunzel left me, my father, and my entire village to die. Your 'mortal enemy' just buys the same stuff that you want."

Fred looked like a man who had just had a glass of ice water splashed in his face.

"Ooookay...I-I'm beginning to see the difference…"

Now it was Varian's turn to storm off in a huff leaving Fred to stand there bewildered.

"Wait! … She did that ?!" He turned and ran after Varian. "I thought fairy tale princesses were supposed to be nice?"

"Well, they're not, and my life is not a fairy tale Fred."

Fred pouted as he tagged long after Varian, unsure of what to say now.

Varian stopped at the bus stop to wait on his ride home and Fred sheepishly stared at his shoes. After a few awkward minutes he spoke up.

"H-hey, Varian.."

"What."

"I'm sorry….maybe I overreacted a little?"

"A little?" Varian raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, a lot. But I just don't understand why you want to even hang out with Mole."

Varian heaved a heavy sigh and relented. "Look...I just, don't have many friends ok? And before I came here I didn't have any friends. So if someone invites me to hang out with them then I wanna go. Cause that doesn't happen often, and I don't like being alone, and....and Mole doesn't know who I am or about my past. Same as Carol, or Karmi… It's just nice to feel normal for once."

"Annnd you can't feel normal around me cause I know you're magic, right?"

"For the last time Fred, I'm not magic." He growled through his teeth and then in a gentler voice said. "Also, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, you're not normal."

"Fair. Though, if we're talking 'normal' I don't think Mole counts either."

"Maybe not, but I don't think he has a lot of friends either. I guess in that way we have something in common."

Fred looked thoughtfully at that. It was true, Mole really didn't have any friends; a combination of homeschooling and being a huge nerd had left the kid pretty isolated. Fred understood that. He'd been there too, but then again he wasn't a huge jerk to people.

"I still don't get it…. Buuutt if you want to hang out with Mole I'm not going to try and stop you."

"And you're not going to pitch a fit, or sulk, or argue with me if I do?"

Fred heaved a sigh. "No. I'll be very mature about it….also very confused…but I'll be cool, promise."

"So we're still friends?" Varian asked with some slight trepidation.

"Well of course we're still friends! That was never in question. Friends have fights sometimes, ya know, but they always stick together in the end."

He gave Varian a playful nudge on the shoulder and Varian smiled back.

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

Big Hero Six walked away from the college campus and headed towards the parking lot where Wasabi had parked his car. The gang of teenagers laughed and conversed until the squeal of tires on pavement sounded off in the distance and the sound of motor revving became louder and louder.

Soon a fire red sports car came barreling down the drive towards them. They jumped back as the car skidded to a halt next to them, making black marks on the pavement.

The little group stared in shock at the close call and a window rolled down to reveal the driver.

"Hey guys!" Varian cheerfully called out, oblivious to the fright he had caused them.

"Varian, what are you doing!?" Wasabi yelled.

"Oh, Heathcliff is giving me driving lessons."

The Frederickson's faithful butler tilted his head to give the other teens a better look at him. He was dressed in his usual work attire but save for the pair of sunglasses he wore. He said nothing but his stoic face broke into a sly grin and he gave a thumbs up.  He was clearly enjoying being chauffeured around for a change.  

"Yeah, Fred let me borrow his car to practice with." Varian continued and then turned to the man sitting beside him. "You were right Heathcliff, this is cooler than the limo."

At this Gogo punched Fred in the right arm.

"Oww, what was that for?" He rubbed his arm ruefully.

"You never let me borrow the race car!" She said deeply offended.

Hiro also gave Fred's left arm a much lighter smack just to get his attention. "Yeah, and I got a learners permit; same as Varian."

"Yeah but I'll get my actual license before you so I need the practice more." Varian smugly replied.

Heathcliff interrupted this friendly spat with his usual soft spoken British accent, "Master Varian, how about we learn how to pass other cars safely on the road next; and see how fast this bad boy can really go."

"Heck yeah!" Varian laughed. He moved the gear out of 'park', yelled "See ya!", and slammed on the gas. The car took off like a shot; burning rubber as it went.

"Oh what fresh horror have you unleashed?" Wasabi asked Fred as everyone stared dumbstruck after the boisterous teen and renegade butler.

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

Hey I’ve recently lost my job and am currently hunting for work so story updates will be slow. 

If you would like to help out you can all way support me on ko-fi 

https://ko-fi.com/rachelbethhines

[katedrakeohd]

Like Father

Word count: 2908

.......

Author's Note: I wanted to get this posted for Father's Day but I got lost in Cordonia 1885 along the way, and had to make my way back. 😏😂

No warnings needed for this one, it's all emotional fluff and good feelings. You might need to keep a tissue handy though. I know I needed a few.

[Jackson Walker face claim: Jason Behr]

[Bianca Walker: Jason's wife KaDee Strickland]

[Young Drake: Atticus Behr]

Thank-you @ravenpuff02 for being my taste tester and giving me the thumbs up. 😊😂

.....

Summary: Drake and Kate are just settling in after welcoming home their newborn daughter Brooklyn. Drake receives a package from his Mom, that hits him right in the feelings and helps him reconnect with his Dad.

:: ♡♡♡ ::

- Like Father -

In the nursery at Valtoria manor, Drake and Kate Walker are spending some quiet time with their newborn daughter Brooklyn. Kate is sitting in the rocking chair cradling their little Beanie in her arms as she nurses. Drake is sitting on the rug nearby leaning up against the crib, watching them. Kate gently curls a lock of her daughter's silky fine hair around her finger, marveling at her delicate features as her tiny mouth and plump cheeks draw nourishment from her breast. She catches Drake's look of adoration and gives him a gentle smile.

"Hi there, Daddy," she says quietly.

Drake smiles back, whispering, "So how's our little girl doing?"

Brooklyn pauses her suckling, breathing a little sigh out of her nose, and then reaches out her tiny fingers to grasp the edge of Kate's robe. She looks up at her mother and blinks sleepily a few times before closing her eyes again and resuming her feeding.

Kate readjusts her hold on Brooklyn and gently rubs her back as she starts to rock, "We're doing just fine. She's looking sleepy but still seems to be hungry. Do you want to come over closer to see?"

Drake grins, an eager expression on his face as he gets up. "I'd love to. I can't help but feel a little envy at only being able to watch."

Kate giggles softly as she watches him come over to stand behind her chair. "Don't worry you'll have plenty of your own Daddy and daughter moments too."

Drake bends down to kiss Kate's cheek, placing his hands on her shoulders, and massaging gently with his thumbs. "Yes, I know. So how are you doing? Do you need anything?"

Kate sighs, enjoying the feel of Drake's warm hands. "Mmm, I could definitely get used to shoulder massages. I'm still adjusting to holding the weight of her in my arms for long periods of time."

Drake strokes his hand through her hair, dividing her long lengths and enjoying the way it waves and curls so easily as he coils and releases it from his fingers. Although it was too soon to tell, he hoped Brooklyn would have hair like Kate.

"Do you want me to get you a pillow? It would give your arms a break."

Kate tips her head back and gives him a grateful smile. "That would be wonderful. Oh, and a bottle of water?"

"Of course, anything for Mommy." He leans down to give her a kiss on the lips.

"Be right back."

On his way to the master suite, Drake meets up with his head housekeeper Marie in the hallway.

"Good morning Your Grace, how are Her Grace and the little one fairing today?"

Drake smiles at the older woman. Her jovial nature was a calming and supportive presence to have around during the settling in period for Kate and their baby. She was a mother herself and Drake appreciated her advice and suggestions.

"We're all doing well thanks. We even managed a few hours of sleep last night."

Drake rubs at the stubble on his cheek self consciously, knowing how tired he must look. He usually tried to maintain a semblance of tidiness and decorum around his household staff but Brooklyn's arrival had meant adapting to her needs over his own.

Marie juggles the laundry bundle she's carrying to hold it against her hip. She reaches out to pat Drake on the arm, giving him a warm sympathetic smile.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine. Being a new parent is an exciting and challenging time for everyone. If you need anything don't hesitate to let me or Gladys know right away."

"We will. Thanks Marie." Drake's conscience reminds him he was supposed to be doing something for Kate, and he tries to step by his housekeeper.

Marie snaps her fingers, as she remembers something else, "Oh speaking of Gladys, she wanted me to tell you that a package has arrived for you from your mother."

Drake can't hide his look of surprise, "Oh? Please have it sent up to the nursery for me."

Marie nods as she resumes her duties, "Right away, Your Grace."

Drake walks into their bedroom and makes his way to the wet bar he recently had installed. Since Christmas he'd overseen many renovations to the Manor. Despite it's stony castle type walls and grandeur the Manor at Valtoria was lacking in some modern comforts and amenities. Some bedrooms had only been heated by fireplace and were lacking any sort of heating in the bathrooms. Now they all had infloor heating.

Opening the mini-fridge behind the counter he selects a bottle of water, a cereal bar, and a cheese snack for Kate. When he had the fridge installed he'd imagined having alcohol in it, but thinking about it now he didn't see that happening anytime soon. He was a Dad now, and would probably have to keep his whiskey locked away. But that was ok. Whistling to himself he grabs a pillow off the bed and heads back to the nursery to his family.

Returning to the nursery he finds Kate lowering Brooklyn down into her crib. She smiles and beckons him over, whispering. "She just fell asleep. Is all that for me? You're so sweet honey."

Drake drops the pillow onto the rocking chair and slips his arm around Kate. "I brought you a little snack to keep your energy up."

Kate takes what he's offering and settles down onto the rug to eat her snack. Drake grabs the pillow and lays down beside her, propped up on his elbow. He lifts the hem of her robe and gently strokes her thigh as she opens her bottle of water.

Kate catches him staring at her, and reaches over to mess up his hair. "What are you staring at? I probably look terrible because I've barely slept."

He shakes his head and pulls her over to lean against him, folding his body around her. "No way. You're beautiful Kate. I could just sit here and watch you do anything all day."

Kate breaks off a piece of her cereal bar and feeds it to Drake. "Oh shush. You're just saying that because you're still traumatized from watching me squeeze out a baby."

Drake glances up at the crib as he chews, and then grins at Kate. "Seriously though, you're like my super hero. I'm never going to be able to look at your..uh. you know the same way again."

Kate pats him on the shoulder, "You'll get over it, and before long we'll be able to do things like we used to."

"How long do you think Brooklyn will sleep?"

Kate shrugs, biting off a piece of cereal bar. "It's hard to say, why?"

Drake hugs Kate around the middle and pulls her down to lay next to him. She giggles as he tucks his face into her neck and snuggles in close, his voice is muffled as he kisses her skin, "I say we should have a nap too."

"Right here on the floor?"

Drake nods, closing his eyes with a sigh. "Mmmhmm, and if she wakes up we won't be far away."

Gripping a handful of his shirt Kate soaks up Drake's body heat as she strokes his hair and kisses him on the forehead. She can't help but smile about the way Drake cuddles into her in the same way that she had just been cradling Brooklyn.

Drake inhales deeply, appreciating her scent. "Damn you smell good, different but good, it's almost like vanilla ice cream."

Kate laughs, "I've been breastfeeding. You probably smell the milk I've been leaking."

Drake shifts his position on the floor, running his fingers along the open edge of the silky fabric of her robe. "May I?"

Kate bites her lip as she feels his fingers graze against the delicate skin of her breast, seeing the curious look on his face. "You want to taste it don't you?"

Drake grins as he unties the belt on her robe and delicately lifts it away to expose her breasts. They're so beautiful and round and he gently cups one in his hand and marvels at the weight of it.

"Do they feel different? They definitely look different to me, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a guy who really likes his wife's boobs."

Kate laughs, "Of course they feel different. I need to buy a whole bunch of new bras to keep these puppies contained. And the leaking is totally random and I have to keep changing my shirt or whatever."

Drake gently strokes his thumb around the dusky pink rim of her areola and smiles as he sees a drop of milk start to form. Leaning in he collects it on his tongue, and then closes his lips around her nipple. She draws back when he tries to suck on it.

"Hey there Daddy. You only get a taste, so you better save the rest for Beanie."

Drake chuckles, then wipes his mouth. "Ok, I know she needs that more than I do. But damn that was sexy. How long before I can have you for myself?"

Kate sits up and reties her robe, smirking at Drake as he caresses her thigh. "Give me a few weeks, and let me consult my doctor. I know you're anxious, but Brooklyn is my top priority right now. Be patient."

Drake rolls over onto his back, folding his arms behind his head with a sigh. "I can be patient, dunno about lil Drake though. He has a mind of his own."

Kate gets up from the floor to check on Brooklyn. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices what Drake's talking about. "It's simply a mind over matter type of thing. Here's a suggestion, think of changing dirty diapers."

Drake grimaces, closing his eyes and chuckling quietly, "Oh yeah, that'll do it.

Kate strokes her finger down Brooklyn's soft cheek, watching her tiny hands flex and relax in her sleep. There's a quiet knock at the door and Drake sits up. "Oh right, my package."

Glancing at his lap, and raising an eyebrow Kate giggles, "Your what?"

Drake gets up and goes over to the door, "My Mom sent me a package."

Upon opening the door, Drake is greeted by a smiling Preston holding a cardboard box. "You opened it didn't you?" Drake frowns.

Preston nods, "Sorry Sir, I had to make sure it wasn't tampered with. Would it satisfy you to know there was nothing threatening inside?"

When he holds out the box, Drake takes it with a sigh. "Ok, fine. Just quit smiling at me, it's unsettling. Thank you, Preston."

Drake steps back and closes the door. When he turns, he sees Kate holding Brooklyn cradled to her chest, swaying her gently side to side.

"Oh, was that Preston?" she smiles, seeing Drake's stormy expression.

Drake doesn't answer, just rolls his eyes. He carries the box over and sets it down in the crib and opens the flaps. Kate peeks around Drake to see what's inside.

On top of various envelopes of pictures, a few smaller boxes and what looks like a folded up shirt, there is a folded piece of paper that looks like a letter.

Kate walks over to the changing table to check Brooklyn's diaper, leaving Drake alone with his things. Picking up the letter he reads:

Over at the changing table Kate hears Drake clear his throat, and when she glances over her shoulder she sees him fold up the letter and drying his eyes on his sleeve.

"Drake, honey? Are you ok?"

Leaning on the crib, and looking down at the box, Drake sniffs then mumbles, "I..I'm fine."

Kate shakes her head and then goes back to changing Brooklyn, "If you say so, but those are some fine looking tears. Seriously, what's in that box?"

Drake straightens up and tucks the letter into his back pocket, "Stuff that belonged to my Dad, and some photos and shit. Bring Beanie over and let me show you."

Kate uses a wet wipe to clean her hands, and then sanitizes before dressing her little Beanie in a fresh diaper shirt and then scoops her up into her arms. She kisses her on the forehead and then carries her over to see what has gotten Drake so emotional. "What's up Pop?"

Drake pulls an envelope of photos out of the box. "You never met my Dad, so I guess photos will have to do.”

The first photo they see is of Jackson and Bianca holding a very young Drake. He immediately blushes and tries to shuffle onto the next one.

Kate gasps putting her hand on his arm to stop him, "Awww, is that you? Oh my goodness look at those cheeks."

What about my cheeks?" Drake asks, feeling defensive. "They're perfectly boyish cheeks."

Kate giggles, "Oh I know."

Bringing Brooklyn up to her face she makes smacking noises as she smooches on her chubby cheek. "They're perfectly scrumptious. I bet your Mom gave you kisses and hugs all the time."

Drake shrugs, "I guess so. Doesn't every Mom?"

Kate shifts Brooklyn onto the other arm, untying her robe and letting her have some skin to skin contact up against her chest. "Not all Moms are the same."

Drake flips through more photos, stopping on one of his Mom and Dad kissing under one of the big trees at Walker Ranch.

"Heh, I know this tree." Drake chuckles, holding it out for Kate to see.

Kate smiles, "So do I. We kissed under it too."

The rest of the photos in the envelope show pictures of the ranch, including a young Drake sitting on a pony with a cowboy hat on his head and a big smile. He flips it over and sees cowboy Drake on Cinnamon written on the back.

Drake slips his arm around Kate's waist, pulling her to his side. “I loved that little pony.”

Kate smiles, leaning against his shoulder. “And some day Brooklyn will have her own little pony to love too.”

After looking through some other photos they swap it for another envelope. This one has fewer pictures in it. “Oooh,” Kate says, her face lighting up with surprise. “Is that really your Dad? I can definitely see the resemblance now.”

Drake rolls his eyes and tucks the picture back in the envelope, “Are you seriously going all weak in the knees for my Dad?”

Giving Brooklyn a gentle kiss on top of the head, Kate lays her down in her crib and grabs the envelope from Drake's hand and goes over to sit in the rocking chair. “Wow, you really do have the same Walker frown, and his smile.”

Drake just shakes his head and looks into the box for something else to look at. Picking up a familiar looking blue velvet box, he opened it to find his Dad's Guardian of the Realm medal. Lifting the medal away from the padding, he feels a sense of pride knowing he shares something in common with his Dad other than his genes. Closing the box again he tucks it away and takes out another rectangular shaped box. Opening it he finds his Dad's watch. Feeling a tightness in his chest, Drake chokes back a sob and his eyes start to burn with tears. Although he hated making a fuss about his own birthday as a kid, his Dad's birthday had always been a special occasion. Since his Dad was born in June, it usually meant taking a family camping trip on the weekend nearest his Birthday.

The watch he was holding in his hands was the last Birthday gift he'd ever received. Turning the watch over he sees the engraving that his Mom had gotten done on the metal case. A capital J and W were intertwined in a delicate script. Putting the watch away again in the box, he looked forward to storing it away with his own few pieces of jewelry in the wooden box on his dresser. Wiping his eyes, he realizes that Kate is watching him again.

“Must you stare at me when I'm feeling my most vulnerable?” he smirks, rubbing at the back of his neck and looking away.

Getting up from the rocking chair, Kate walks over to hug Drake from behind, and hands him the envelope of photos. With her cheek pressed up against his back, she rubs her hands up and down his chest. “It's ok Honey, you can cry in front of me whenever you need to. I'll never feel any less of you, or tease you about it.”

Drake clears his throat and glances over his shoulder at her, “But you already sort of did tease me about it not too long ago.”

“Well, yeah. Because you were trying to hide it. Just let it go Drake.”

Drake breathes in a shaky breath and covers Kate's hands with his own, his words coming out thick with emotion as he exhales. “Do..do you want to see what else is in the box?”

Kate gives him a squeeze, and sniffs back a tear of her own. “Ok, sure.”

“Let's turn on the baby monitor, and bring the box back to our room.” Drake suggests.

Kate nods, turning on the monitor hanging on the side of the crib and then follows Drake as he picks up the box and leads the way.

:: ☆☆☆ ::

@jovialyouthmusic @sirbeepsalot @emceesynonymroll @emichelle @mskaneko @speedyoperarascalparty @dcbbw @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @pedudley @kingliam2019 @kimmiedoo5 @gardeningourmet @drakesensworld @mfackenthal @thequeenchoices @debramcg1106 @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @wickedgypsymoon @griselda1121 @indiacater @texaskitten30 @nikkis1983 @lynne1993 @bobasheebaby @drakesfiance @ravenpuff02 @moonlightgem7

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[the-firebird69]

USS Jupiter was the Olympic and now is raised once again, and back in service for us after the Japs grabbed it and outfitted her with Zeros.  they lost the battle, to the Arachnid who flew over with the high caliber weapons meant for them.  they stole tons of it about half which is a lot scanned it all, re scanned and check upon loading. Zig the Enterprise sits in its watery grave. nobody came for her so we raiser her and use your own vs you. and I have just the thing will sting them with it. Zig time is valuable but he wanted to use it it failed.  we roll on it and sail towardsyou now. hugre rail guns attached. and upon thinking about it, he wants the Rescue Rangers onboard the Olympic...we think it is funny then not so wedo that now, hoping Bitol can protect her soon Zig I can and will we left this am.  no fanfare as they wanted he finally pulle d up.  we saw it too, his idea worked, the slabs went up a bit, then down, and in and hid and we left, then out, tons of room huge sections he lifted with one of his Kraken, and it is massive, how it got there I don't know, went in a tunnel like a spear. and I know.  and it was gone, as soon as it arrived. off to duty. huge with us is how many come with it.  a few spotters, and that is all no an Army of them watching for devices and more.  tons of them.  eroded away the whole town in minutes.  and then back towork off the wall soon and it will be over, no a huge ontingent arrives in massive ships.  yes. Bitol don't count yourself out Bitol, the ship coming for you to protect is our namesake and mine.  it is loaded with friends who need to beam out or other, get lifted sorry, and will be by a multinational Olympian crew of full blown demons soon. but the ship is what is important.  it is a milestone and Is our history and my doing Zues thank God it is huge your rescue rangrs a God send and son thye leave yes. Bitol to animal planet yes and it was my name of the planet ages ago, don't want any confusion there.  oh Hera this weekend,hmm animal planet no that sounds odd.... Zues hahahaha lol forgot then oh my what is that like the Japense guy says and we laugh you two done fighting jesus our ship  for jesus Christ sake Hera and we laugh ohhh animal planet um well what is that ….oh yeah nah.  and it is funny he is there now Posiden hahaha this is  ariot you want to protect a ship full of animals and rusted out crappy non flying now planes, for what??? ok we see for what they arrive. the masses. to see the ship off again...and sink her.  Khan did ok.  didn't expect itback so soon and it is alit with torches and welders and engine crews and tons of gas and oxy acetaline and mooringlines to supply ships full of fuel and all manners of transports to bring the small supped up jets and ordinance.... and we hear this y ou rat from himand them we see her anyways which the prob don't.  we get it you do but we see you don't.  and y ou scan now and we are on the prowl fo you Uriel wow this is togetherness we all rat all day out loud on each other.  to bad im not there I would be rattedout, wait, dialy at the car repair place.  it works though. and he mounts some huge cannons on his ship the work well, better htan lasers so he goes to town on lasers, easier lighter faster to make, and the  beam is pure light and strong and hisses...it is his particle beam with lightning, his namesake.  and we like it it is crackling with energy, so much it provides energy to the ship when discharged, other weapons powered by it. it is hugely successful now.  firing at full power brings a massive bang on Earth like a nuke about ten mt.  and it is a huge bang. tons ob buildings fall. old ships retained due to numbers of illegal vessels.  we need it and horizon is the game....and it was seen in the superman movie so we listend heard it wooden ships and so on.  so we roll on that today. we see you gather y our ships, ot too many only a billion small vessels we know you can muster more. so we wonder where you make them.  huge yards near shore now.  massive.  and they are loading up with other stuff to than nkes like bags of food and so on.  to live where. we get this your off to somewhere, and here too, off th east.  we look around.  nowhere to go we know of.  they look back sorry cant say.  and head out.  kidnpping imminent he says this is a sign.  they will try to forge a path too using ours and me. we get it lets stay tuned. we will ready the ships.  but we see your point.  they gather in what form.  well ships line the waters.  and more are coming.  millions.  and millions.  bout ten million a country.  huge vessels too.  to float away we think not.  and we get it we are close they state nothing through nothing there.  and we wonder what it is.  lasers mb and look. nope.  so we wait. they look directly at us you should know what this is.  we feed your Kaiju and tke one.  and they have mutagen onboard we saw it. so we ask you what to do. he says food ppl bombs mutagen.  take it all if we have time, wewill and boats. of any quality the rest trash for bombs etc. we will. and most are trash.  some bombs. food is useless and mutagen low quality.  so we trahs most of it shortly.  they look dismayed. and we don't care do we. wedo but are moreso angry that thy do that afte they started war with us.   tried trashing us all and expect any reaction but death.sowe see it is true we want them gone, and they wonder why and so on.  bombs meant for us and food for some island.  we see why, oh they suck te islands.  sowe go there. and we warn them they don't listen.  we need those for us yes caa yes we use equipment t monitor te seas so thy mount an attack on our small island lookouts Zues we see you and me now them Thor we see you boht and it is islands they want to see us.  so we say we are cloaked. they say they can see us we say so what you cantstop us we infiltrate we say no you suck at it. and we hear it over and over. so we attack them now, Bitol is out and furious.  so we let him hit those here. and h e likes it.  we hit them now.  and hit hard...furious I am and now I have my gun back in my hands, have others but this was held here and we know what you did, the guns are great..powerful and huge.  we use that too your plasma lightning what a creative genius my boy is my boy.... Bitol yes my Father you came all the way in to help me and your are him too.  Zues

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