#no imaginary bro is getting left behind! when we look dashing we look dashing -together-

[onceinawhilemoon]

Finished the Mycroft’s Pride DLC and you bet I have some thoughts to share. Long read ahead and Spoilers if you haven't 100%-ed the DLC!

Interesting how you can look at the DLC as Mycroft's way of distracting Sherlock from uncovering the past, like if he can't talk him out of it, he might as well distract him as much as he can and hope for a miracle, similar to how Jon distracts him with all the childhood memories and the treasure hunts and challenges. The psychological implications/interpretations of that last one are vast: Sherry is deep down dreading the truth enough that he wants to stall as much as possible, or maybe he realized he missed Cordona so much and wants to spend as much time as possible here before leaving for good, or maybe it's a coming-of-age thing where he sees it as a chance to revisit and relive his best childhood memories and interests before he grows old and out of them, or all the above.

Either way, I really appreciate FW making Mycroft more prominent in Sherlock’s life and depicting him as a parental figure who clearly takes so much pride in having raised him and, in Mycroft's words, shaped him into the fine and productive young man that he is today. Despite all the miscommunication and the bickering and arguing, the only thing that remains solid and unwavering in their turbulent relationship is that Sherlock is Mycroft's pride and joy. (omg look i said the thing)

I lose it every time Sherlock goes into tsundere mode and makes a show out of how much he does NOT want to accept the request.. before he accepts it. He goes “let me guess.. it's urgent and important and lives are at stake and Mycroft’s too busy with his tea parties and keeping the Crown's jewels to do it himself? Alright, give it here. I'll handle it. I'm far better equipped anyway.” like stop you’re killing me with those lmao especially since I'm sure this is a nod to the canon ACD universe where Mycroft is portrayed as lazy and can't be bothered to make his own bed whereas this Mycroft is too diligent for his own good; running multiple operations at the same time and losing agents left and right and probably losing his mind with stress and not to mention the constant worrying over where Sherlock is and what he's doing and what sort of trouble he's got himself into and whether it's serious enough to require intervention. I mean, the man has long earned the right to ask for some help lmao.

Funny thing is, I finished the Muse From Abroad case and unlocked the cabinet of curiosities just before finishing the DLC, so they just had a tense argument and Mycroft stormed off and then sent Sherlock a letter right away asking him to drop everything and pursue one more thing for him, even said it like "consider it a holiday!" and Sherlock was like sheeeeeesh Mycroft and his errands and then, as usual, he went and did the thing anyway.

Like no matter how tsundere he wants to get about it, this man still can't find it in himself to refuse his brother’s requests (for the most part) and I think that's freaking adorable, like don't tell me he doesn't secretly revel in his older brother's "Well done" and “Great work” just like when Mother used to praise him for figuring shit out and Jon said it’d be the happiest Sherlock’s ever been. This boy is still at an age where he craves and cherishes praise. After all, he made up an entire person to be his cheerleader (among other things) and to constantly tell him how great he’s doing and how much he’s proud of him.

I can also see Sherlock begrudgingly agreeing to take Mycroft's requests as him never wanting to miss on a chance to outperform his older brother, and probably even keeps a record to guilt-trip Mycroft into returning him favours, like "remember that one time you sent me to all sorts of ungodly places just to fetch a book? How about when I almost died busting a gang operation for you? See how much you owe me? now give me all the dirt you can on this dude." (the "almost died" is dramatic exaggeration. It was me who almost died fighting the Eels. Sherry on the other hand is a badass I'm sure it was a piece of cake for him lol) I love this headcanon also because him having a little competitive sibling rivalry thing going on with Mycroft is even more adorable, no matter how one-sided it is because I doubt Mycroft cares as long as Sherlock gets the job done and learns a few more tricks of the trade.

And it makes me sad to think this has all probably changed now that their relationship is in a blender dangerously set to start blending on the highest speed...

Anyway, here's the real reason why I made this post:

... to tell you how loud I screamed

(Ngl I was hoping for like a bonus Mycroft cameo at the end or something but THIS made me giddy like a schoolgirl)

But back to serious talk..

Jon said something in the Missing Shopkeeper case when they found the body along the lines of “the ugly reality of being Mycroft's agent,” and I agree. These requests serve to give Sherlock a glimpse into the nasty reality of Mycroft's day-to-day job; he's getting to learn just how grim and dangerous it actually is—that it's not all cushy and royal tea parties and getting to rub shoulders with the rich and powerful as Sherlock would like to think, if only just to poke fun at his older brother's career choices.

I also love how even Mycroft's agents and acquaintances have depth and intrigue and backstories.

Like Ursula Oni, the well-respected chief archivist in City Hall. She's so good at her "other job" that she managed to hide a whole other- other job as a grave robber for a considerable time, so much so that even Mycroft himself (probably) was unaware of her nightly exploits. (For real though, discovering her body genuinely saddned me. She seemed nice enough, and I kept interacting with her every time I was in City Hall hoping she'd give me a quest. Alas..)

There's also Yeasmin, the Cordona Chronicle editor-in-chief, who's not only a hardcore Holmes stan and just here for the tea, but turns out to be the wife of the murdered agent/shopkeeper. And the way she reacts when Sherlock tells her the truth by leaving Mycroft's service is interesting; like there are layers here: there's distrust and resentment toward her boss for hiding the truth from her, indicating that there's limit to Mycroft's elusive and covert methods that his agents won't tolerate, and there's some light shed on how messy things turn out when interpersonal matters become entangled with the professional.

What boggles me is that Mycroft specifically gave the letter about the husband going missing to Yeasmin of all people to deliver it to Sherlock, with strict orders not to read it, and, with total faith in her boss, she complied without asking any questions.

I'm starting to actually consider if this case was a test to see what Sherlock would do and how he'd handle the situation. Will he tell Yeasmin about her husband's death? or keep it from her knowing that Mycroft will never tell her. I mean it's all possible. I mentioned in an earlier ramble how I believe Mycroft carefully researches and chooses the "errands" he sends his brother on beforehand to ensure his safety. Anything could be a carefully planned test.

Quick two cents on In for a Penny:

I wonder why Mycroft has a particular dislike for the Manghir? I assume since it was gifted to him by the mayor, it's having to do with how corrupt Sinclair is.

Headcanon: maybe the mayor offered it to him as some sort of lowkey bribe to keep some dirt on him in the ground aka "invaluable help" and Mycroft begrudgingly accepted it because he knew his little brother would be ecstatic to have it among his collection? (or maybe it's just the fact the manghir has a freaking cthulhu head engraved on it and Mycroft’s prophetic big brother senses were itching…)

But yeah, again, Mycroft making time in his overpacked schedule to put together the coin quest for his little brother is the sweetest thing, like I can totally see that being his love language. He knew exactly what kind of things interested Sherlock and what would keep him entertaind (and educated, Mycroft not wasting a single opportunity to subtly train his little brother in espionage is kind of hilarious) I appreciate the mentor-protégé dynamic that FW set for them in this adaptation.

It's a shame that Sherlock never got to finish the coin quest in time before shit hit the storm and they had to leave Cordona for good, thus he never got to have that meeting with Mycroft and report his findings and share what he'd learned, something that Mycroft was looking forward to with great anticipation as he expressed in his quest letter… it would have been a precious bonding moment for them and it's a real shame that they never got to have it...

Anyway, back to the outfits. Look at Jon???

Look at him!!!

More screenshots because I couldn't help myself:

(don't pay attention to Jon's feet clipping through the carpet lmao)

He looks so embarrassed here and I totally get it. Sherry you're so brave I could never wear my sibling’s clothes in good faith. And you look stunning btw.

I wonder if this game also changes your outfit back to default in serious scenes because I would do ANYTHING to see Sherlock confront Mycroft like this. I'm sure the exchange won't suddenly spike to 90 degrees awkward; your brother catches you screwing around in Cordona dressed as him… can't begin to imagine the level of embarrassment.

Anyway, time to run around town and fuck shit up officially. 🕴🕴🕴🕴🕴

[keelywolfe]

FIC: A Skele-ton of Tricks and Treats (baon)

Summary: It’s Halloween and Stretch is playing chaperone for the neighborhood kiddos....help?

Tags: Spicyhoney, Established Relationship, Humor, Fluff, Neighborhood Kiddos

Notes: Like I couldn’t have Stretch trick or treating? October has to wrap up with a bang!

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

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Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

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If Stretch had any complaints about his less than traditional years of schooling, they were all canceled out by the simple fact that he’d never had to ride a school bus.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wincing at they hit yet another bump that the shocks completely failed to absorb. Less shocks and more like vaguely startleds at this point, and they sure as hell weren’t keeping any of it to themselves.

The seats were their own nightmare and yeah, okay, it was a fair guess that there weren’t many school grade kids at his height. Which was a damn good thing because the only way Stretch fit was cramming in sideways and letting his legs dangle out into the aisle.

When he’d agreed to chaperone this trip into Ebott, he’d kinda thought his years of bus riding would serve him well here. Not so much; the city buses weren’t first class or anything and he was still waiting on a steward to offer to fluff his pillow, but at least on those he wasn’t worried about knocking himself out with his own knees.

But eh, all of that was a me-problem. A glance back into the bus showed nothing but the excited faces of ghosts and ghoulies, along with maybe a few characters from Fortnight.

The parents that came along had a dash of apprehension thrown in to their excitement. Not that Stretch blamed ‘em. Last year they’d planned to take the kiddos into Ebott and after the fire at the Beanery, that little jaunt was canceled. The kids still got in their trick or treats in New New Home, but they’d been pretty damn disappointed to miss their chance at showing off their costumes to an all new audience.

This year, Edge stepped in to help with the planning, started laying in the foundation way back in the summertime. Thinking about it made Stretch smile a little, cause wasn’t that his baby through and through? Busy as he was, he’d helped the school administrators connect with their local Ebott counterparts to introduce Monster kids to Human ones. They’d all had assemblies together in both Ebott and New New Home and it must’ve gone okay, because they’d started planning this whole ‘trunk or treat’ event back at the beginning of the month. Knowing Edge, he’d gone over all of their proposals with a fine-tooth comb and then checked it again, just in case it changed when he wasn’t looking.

Couldn’t really blame anyone for being paranoid about this one. They needed everything to go smoothly on both sides, for plenty of reasons.

Him playing chaperone to the kids who came over for his weekend experiments was a little unexpected, and that was the truth. Stretch wasn’t exactly convinced it was the best idea considering a lot of people probably assumed he needed constant adult supervision himself, his bro included. But the kiddos were excited and two of them had asked for him to paint their faces as skeletons again. Like he could say no to that?

His own costume was Jack Skellington, the same one Edge gave him last year. Damn shame that he hadn’t really worn it since then; his argument that Jack Skellington existed 365 and therefore was perfectly appropriate for grocery shopping didn’t go far with Edge and sitting around the house in it only meant he got left behind.

Spoilsport.

Another bump in the road almost sent Stretch to the floor. He managed to catch himself, settling back on the hard cushion masquerading as a seat, and wondered ruefully how Edge was doing with his ride.

Edge was bringing in his group from the Y for the event and Stretch wasn’t gonna lie, he was a little nervous about meeting them. Edge didn’t really offer to bring him along on Wednesdays and Stretch wasn’t sure why that was, but it also wasn’t a question Stretch really wanted answered. Could be a hundred different reasons, really. Humans could be weird about what they saw as same-sex relationships, or maybe Edge was fussed over his HP. Maybe there was paperwork and shit they’d have to do for him to be allowed and Edge hadn’t gotten around to it.

Maybe Edge thought they wouldn’t like him.

Whatever, he was gonna meet them today. He’d even made candy bags like last year to add in to the rest of the treats, so all the kids would be plenty sugared up by the end of the night. Kids liked candy, they’d probably like the people who gave it to them too, right?

The bus jolted to a stop with enough force that a loud chorus of yelps and groans went around. By the time Stretch untangled his limbs enough to stand, all the kids were crowding into the aisle, the siren call of candy irresistible.

“Hold on a second!” One of the teachers at the front called and reluctant silence fell. Even Stretch quailed a little under that stern look, even if Teach up there was about a foot shorter than him. “What are the rules?”

“Stay with your chaperone.” Came an uneven recitation and she nodded.

“That’s right. Can I get chaperones to raise their hands?”

There was a title Stretch never expected to have. Hands rose overhead. Stretch shrugged and raised his too, pressing his palm to the roof of the bus. His kiddos giggled and, yeah, he was pretty sure he was hard to miss. But hey, he had be a team player or he wouldn’t get invited to prom.

“Very good. And the second rule?”

“Be on your best behavior!”

“Be on your best behavior, right!” She nodded, pleased. “We are here representing all Monsters, and we need to be on our best behaviors. Now, let’s go, single file, no pushing, and you will all stand with your chaperone when we get off the bus.”

“hear that, guys?” Stretch muttered to his group. “try not to lose me in the crowd.”

They all giggled softly, earning a look from the teacher that Stretch returned with pure innocence. He didn’t think she bought it, but that was fair. He hadn’t really been able to pull innocent off since he’d lost his stripes, probably not even before that.

His first step off the bus was met with a flurry of flashes and shouts. Stretch blinked at the various people standing around with cameras, trying to cram in closer to get a picture and calling his name. Humans in uniforms were standing in front of the wooden barricades holding them back and that was the only thing keeping them from scrambling over and probably right into his lap.

Oh, great, the press’d caught wind. Lovely. Probably even been invited but a reminder would’ve been nice, especially since Stretch was gonna end up with his picture in the paper again.

Stretch plastered on his cheeky public grin and waved, holding his kiddos back with one arm. He leaned it and said to them, low, “big smiles, okay, guys? we got this, just follow me around to the other side of the bus.”

Oscar was in the lead, his eyes wide beneath his mask, and he nodded, pinning on a wide grin that didn’t quite meet those anxious eyes. Stretch kept up his own smile as they filed off the bus, guiding them around the front of the bus and out of sight.

“good job,” Stretch told them, heaving an exaggerated sigh of relief and wiping away imaginary sweat. “when it comes to the press, you gotta keep smiling and keep walking, got it?”

“Yes, Mister Stretch Papyrus Sir,” came in a chorus and Stretch shook his head, scruffing a rough hand over a couple costumed heads.

“you’re all brats,” Stretch told them affectionately and they giggled, empty candy bags rustling.

The parking lot was closed off on the other sides, the press could only look in from the entrance. That had Edge’s influence all over it; enough of this would hit the news and social media to make the higher ups happy, but without stressing the kids out with too much attention.

Directly in front of them were rows of cars parked around in a sort of maze, their trunks open and even from here Stretch could see the buckets of candy, the decoration and lights, and the faint sound of ‘thriller’ playing out from an open window.

The kids were already shuffling their feet, eyes on the prize. “soon, guys, let everyone get here first.”

Even as he spoke from around the bus came a roar from the gathered crowd and another vehicle pulled in through the gate. This one was more of a van and was painted with the happy faces of children and the YMCA logo.

That’d be Edge’s group then and Stretch was shuffling as much as the kids by the time the door opened. Edge came out first, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, which was practically a costume for him, anyway. Despite Stretch’s well-thought out Powerpoint on why Edge should dress as Santa, (since he wouldn’t do Sally, seriously, total spoilsport), in the end, Edge pointed out he’d be a skeleton dressed as Santa, which would technically make them both Jack Skellington and that was more cliché than he could stomach in one serving.

Meh, whatever, and Stretch had to admit, this was the first time he’d ever seen Edge in a YMCA volunteer sweatshirt. Not a bad look on him, especially since he wore those jeans tight, damn, baby.

He caught sight of Stretch almost immediately, but his attention was focused inside the van. Lip reading wasn’t exactly workable for skeletons, but Stretch didn’t need to hear what he was saying to his group to know exactly what it was. Stay with your group, best behavior, yadda yadda. Been there, heard it, keep the t-shirt, he had plenty.

Edge backed away from the door and kids started coming out like the ghoulish version of a clown car. Not that Stretch knew what to expect from Edge’s kids, despite hearing about them often. They looked pretty much like the Human-flavor of his own group. Ghosties, ghoulies, a couple skeletons and Stretch was pretty sure he recognized Edge’s hand with their makeup.

They followed Edge across the lot with the same uncomfortable smiles as Stretch’s minions, until both groups stood face to face.

There was a moment of silence, each group eying the other warily. Stretch swallowed, a certain tightness surrounding his soul. Press he could handle with a careless smile and keeping the language to PG-13. But these kids meant something to Edge; he spent time with them every week, sometimes helped their families with paperwork for different kinds of assistance, got the boys into special programs. He knew every one of them by name, their parents’ names, and whoever was listed on their pickup cards. A couple of them he’d known longer than Stretch and Edge had been together, they were important to him and—

“You gonna say hi to your boyfriend or what?” From the shortest kid in Edge’s the group, one of the skeletons. His grin was far more honest now than he’d worn walking past the press.

Edge ignored the rising laughter. “Excuse you, he is my husband, and yes, I am. Hello, love.”

“heya.” Stretch waggled his fingers at them all, “how’s it going, guys.”

“He’s real tall.” From one of the other Human children, this one dressed as a robot, if you assumed that scientists decided aluminum foil was suitable construction material.

“So am I,” Edge said, pointed out.

“Not as tall as Stretch,” Oscar said doubtfully and a murmur of agreement went through both groups.

Stretch only grinned smugly at Edge’s exasperated sigh. “Yes, thank you, Stretch does have height superiority over me, and little else.”

A gleeful ‘oooooooh’ went through their miniature crowd and Stretch barked a laugh. “i do love to hear your sweet-talk, babe.”

But he couldn’t help tensing as the small skeleton in Edge’s group stepped closer, peering at Oscar. All of these children had enough HP to withstand some force or they wouldn’t have been allowed to come, but Humans often didn’t understand how easily their intent could hurt. Oscar knew firsthand, knew from his mother being in the hospital, and he was familiar with Antwan and Jeff, and yet—

Oscar’s skeleton mask didn’t quite conceal all his fur and his ears poked through his hood, far too sensitive to be pinned down for any length of time. He stood wide-eyed as the Human skeleton gave him a thorough once-over.

“Cool costume,” said the Human child, finally and his painted grin widened. “Wanna get some candy?”

“Yeah!” Oscar said excitedly, and both of them dashed towards the open trunks, the others trailing behind with hoots of laughter.

“No running, you’ll trip!” Edge called after them. They slowed to what might arguably be called a fast trot, candy bags raised as the treat givers started passing out handfuls. “Come on, let’s catch them before they get too far ahead.”

“I love you,” Stretch said abruptly. Because it was true. Because Edge worked so hard for this to make all these kids happy. Because he needed to hear Edge say it back and he did, with a soft smile of his own.

“I love you, too.” Edge started to take his hand and blinked when Stretch drew away.

“yeah, okay, love and hugs, let’s catch up, i need to get my own treats.”

Edge’s confusion morphed into a pretty amazing amount of horror. “You are not.”

Stretch blew a raspberry at him and hurried after the kids. “heck yeah, i am! brought a bag and everything!”

Edge closed his sockets, pained, but he didn’t say a word as Stretch shook out a bright orange plastic bag decorated with grinning jack o’lanterns.

The line went pretty quick, a Human dropping generous handfuls of candy into every bag, exclaiming over costumes as each child chirped a thank you.

She paused as Stretch stepped up.

“trick or treat!” Stretch offered with what he was positive was a winsome smile, giving his empty bag a little shake.

Winsome didn’t seem to be winning today. She eyed him up and down and said, dryly, “You’re pretty tall for a kid.”

“He is, indeed,” Edge agreed and Stretch could feel his grin going a little strained, hopeful imaginings of candy winging away. “But he’s never been trick or treating before.”

It was like turning on her sympathy switch. Instantly, the woman softened, and her smile was filled with same compassion that likely filled her soul, “Of course. Well, then, let me give you your first trick or treat candy.”

Into his bag went the same generous handful that the other kids got. Stretch beamed at her and hopefully his greedy delight was to be expected, “thanks!”

“Wonderful costume,” she called as they followed the kiddos to the next car.

After that, it was damn easy. A couple pieces of candy always called for their brethren to join them and despite the double-takes and a couple bemused smiles from the Monster volunteers, no one questioned Stretch’s trick or treats. By the last car, all the kids had bulging sacks, with guilty chocolate smears on their faces or sucker sticks poking from their mouths.

Most of them were digging through their bags for more and Stretch crouched down to join them, pawing through the brightly colored wrappers like Scrooge checking his gold.

A presence at his side made Stretch look over to see the short skeleton peering into his bag. “Aw, you got a full size Reese’s! Peanut butter cups are the best!”

Hmmm. “i’ll trade you for two charms suckers,” Stretch offered. The kid goggled at him and immediately began digging through his bag. That was all it took for other kids to crowd in and the trade wars to begin. Negotiations were fierce and while Stretch had grown up bartering on the streets of New New home for all kind of stuff, these kids proved to be shrewd dealers. In no time, most of his chocolate was traded away for suckers and Stretch was pretty sure he’d earned that title for himself.

Eh, that was fine. Those caramel apple ones were worth the price.

That was Edge’s cue to step up and announce, “If you’re all quite finished, it’s time to get back on the buses.”

The cool night air was filled with disappointed groans. Monster and Human children alike hastily exchanged phone numbers and online handles, getting a last few selfies in while Edge and Stretch watched.

Stretch was blinking pretty damn hard by the end, watching all that friendship in the making. Looked like costumes and candy were a universal language.

As Edge began herding his group back to the van, Stretch remembered that snark about his height and called out to him, “see you at home, mama bear!”

The explosion of laughter from his group was as sweet as the sucker in his mouth, and Stretch grinned smugly around the stick as Edge turned back to him and said with dark promise, “You certainly will.”

Oh, yeah, that could mean so many terrible, wonderful things. Worth it.

His own group began to wander forlornly in the direction of the bus, lugging their bags along.

“Mister Stretch Papyrus Sir?”

He looked down at Oscar. “yeah, kiddo? did you have fun?”

The kid’s mask was tucked into his bag with his candy, those huge damn eyes of his hopeful. He nodded solemnly. “Yes. Will we get to play with them again?”

That was the dream, wasn’t it? Humans and Monsters together, having fun and being friends, and kids who cared more about the costume than underneath it.

Felt like it was taking a long damn time to get there, but this seemed like a pretty decent start.

Stretch lightly tweaked the end of one long ear. “i hope so, kiddo. c’mon, let’s head out.”

Both of them paused and smiled gamely for the press before climbing on the bus, Stretch struggling to lower himself back into his torture cube for the ride home.

It was all good, the drive was pretty short and Edge would be heading home as soon as he dropped off his group.

That gave Stretch a little time to prep before his honey arrived. Edge was probably thinking of a trick right now as payback, but the first one home was the one who had a chance to bait the trap.

Stretch settled into his seat with a sigh, his full candy bag nestled into his lap. There were plans to be made and Edge might be better at designing traps, but Stretch also had a claim to the name Papyrus; he knew a thing or three.

Besides, he was the damn Pumpkin King. Tonight was his night and by the end of it, they were both gonna have a treat.

-finis-

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Witness

Did someone say “more Branded AU?” No? Well, you get it anyways! Because Jay just dumped a whole bunch of art and I got suddenly motivated! I haven’t written Chase in this AU yet, let’s see what his backstory is. Again, Branded was made by Jay, @blade-of-memeora! Go check out more on their profile!

The morning dawned cool and gray. Chase woke up to weak sunlight landing on his face. He rolled over to see Stacy had already woken up and left. She’d been kind enough to make her side of the bed, but apparently she also opened the curtains on their bedroom window. Probably as a way to remind Chase to get up. He smiled sleepily, then flung away the blankets and stood up.

He walked into the kitchen moments later still in his pajamas. Stacy was already dressed for work, her short dark hair neatly combed, framing her glasses. She was currently sitting at the kitchen table, yanking a brush through Caroline’s hair. Caroline’s brother, Liam, was sitting at the counter, trying to lace up his shoes. He looked up when Chase entered the room and started to giggle. “Daddy’s in his jammies.”

Chase ruffled his son’s hair. “Well, Daddy doesn’t have to go to work like Mommy does. You buds have breakfast yet?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Well, we can’t have that! Do we have time for pancakes?”

That caught Caroline’s attention. “Yes! Yes we do!”

“Carol, I can’t do your braid if you keep wriggling,” Stacy said, playfully exasperated. Caroline settled down. Stacy grabbed one of the nearby hair ties, checking her watch in the same motion. “Are you sure you can do that in time, Chase? School starts in forty minutes.”

Chase frowned. “Mmmaybe. Probably. Possibly.”

Stacy bit her lip. “It should take maybe fifteen minutes. And it takes another ten minutes to drive to the school. If I walk to work today, everything will figure out.”

“Aw, you don’t need to walk. I’m sure I can make something else.”

“Pancakes!” The kids said in unison.

“No, I don’t think you can,” Stacy laughed.

“Hmm, I see your point.” Chase smiled. He walked over to the cupboards, pulling out the pancake mix, milk, and other ingredients. “Anything big going on today? For any of you?”

“I think we’re gonna have a quiz,” Caroline said, stroking her newly-braided hair.

“I dunno,” Liam shrugged.

“I have a meeting with the other department heads,” Stacy said. “Should be home a little bit late. What about you? Any plans for having the house to yourself?”

“Oh!” Chase brightened up. “Well, I checked the delivery site, and it says my new camera should be arriving today! So I can take that out around town, been a while since I did one of those.”

“Nice,” Stacy said. “Hey, while you’re over there, get the cereal bars out for me?”

Chase opened one of the higher cupboards, pulling out a box of granola bars and sliding them across the counter towards Stacy. “Y’know, you should really have something more substantial.”

“I can pick something else up from the cafe.” Stacy stood up and grabbed two of the bars from the box. Then she turned right back around, grabbing her work bag. “Guess I’m heading out now. See you kiddos later.” She stopped briefly to give Caroline and Liam small kisses on their foreheads. “Chase, you might need to fill up the gas on the car, it was getting close to empty last I checked.”

“Wait! Before you go!” Chase abandoned the pancake batter and dashed across the kitchen, stopping next to Stacy just as she was about to leave. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Have a good day at work.”

“Aw, thanks, sweetheart.” Stacy smiled, her cheeks turning a bit pink. “I’ll see you around 6, if everything goes smoothly.” And with that, she left.

Chase stared after her for a moment, a dopey smile on his face, before he was interrupted. “Daaad, is the grill supposed to be making that noise?”

“Oh!” He spun around and rushed back. “Yes, Caroline, that’s normal. Now do either of you want anything in your pancakes or do you want them plain?”

Much later in the day, Chase was sitting in the living room, playing with his new camera. It had arrived soon after he’d picked up the kids from school. And now that it was fully charged, he was getting used to the buttons and settings. The quality was amazing, so much better than his old one. He’d say it warranted a bit of a test run.

He glanced over at the wall clock. It was getting close to six. Stacy said she should be home soon. Maybe he could surprise her by meeting her halfway.

After a brief check in on the kids, who were playing video games on their DSs together, and making sure they would be safe to leave alone for a few minutes, he swung open the front door and stepped outside into the cool fall night. The street lamps had come on in the neighborhood, though the light hadn’t completely left yet. The sky was a gray-blue color, with the horizon tinted orange with the last remains of sunset. Chase turned on the camera. Still a pretty good picture, even outside. He walked a couple blocks before pressing record.

“Hey, what’s up my dudes? I’m Chase, welcome back to Bro Average. I got a new camera today, and thought I might test it out for you guys. Look at this.” He panned around the street. “It’s dusk and we don’t have too much night blindness going on. And check this out!” He pressed a button on the side of the camera. “This thing even has night vision! That’s so cool! Totally not one of the reasons I wanted to buy this.” He chuckled, turning off the night vision again. “Cost a lot, too. Been saving up for months to get this model.”

He walked another two blocks, aimlessly chattering to his imaginary audience about anything. Life, the surroundings, current events. Maybe he’d edit that out, he wasn’t too sure. “Okay, but I know what you’ve all been wondering this whole time,” he finally said. “Why are we out here, in the suburbs, just past sunset? Is it really just to show off the new camera? Well, sort of, but you guys are in for a treat. I’m introducing someone to the channel who you’ve never seen before, but probably heard me talk about. Like, a lot. That is, if she’ll let me keep the footage…in…”

Chase stopped in his tracks. He’d just rounded a corner, coming out from behind one of the houses. Now, staring down the street, he could see Stacy, walking briskly in his direction. She wasn’t too far, close enough that he could recognize her silhouette but still small in the distance. He grinned. He could really surprise her by waiting just out of sight. He backed away so he was mostly covered by the corner of the house’s tall fence, with just his head and the camera sticking out. “Oh my god, that’s her! Okay, you got your look, not it’s time to hide and let her just happen across—wait. What was that?”

Some sort of flash had appeared in the corner of his vision. His eyes snapped to the other side of the street. There were three people there, he could make them out in the fading remains of green light from the flash. They hadn’t been there before, had they? The green light disappeared, but he could still see their outlines and…were they looking at Stacy? Chase squinted. They were. Not only that, they were speeding up to match her pace.

What was this? Who were they? He couldn’t quite make them out...and then he remembered the camera in his hand. He turned on the night vision, and looked through the viewfinder to see the three people clearly. Two of them were wearing capes, but the all had…masks.

Chase could feel his heart stop. No. No, that was…that wasn’t possible. This couldn’t be happening to them. Sure, he’d read about the masked people and the trouble they were causing on news websites, but they’d always seemed far away, even though some of the incidents occurred in their very city. There was no reason for them to come after Stacy.

Stacy was speeding up. She must have seen them out of the corner of her eyes. Chase opened his mouth to warn her, to tell her he was there, to say anything, but no words came out. And the masked were speeding up too.

Suddenly, there was another flash of green light, and the trio disappeared. Chase leaned back from the camera, blinking away the darkness caused by the flash in the night vision. When he could see clearly again, the three masked were standing in front of Stacy. What the hell? Nobody could run that fast! Stacy yelped. She was close enough that Chase could hear that sound carry down the street toward him. “Back off!” She quickly composed herself, digging into her work bag. “I’m giving you one warning!”

“And we’ll give you one in turn.” Suddenly, three different lights flared to life before lowering down into a steady glow. It was coming from the masked’s hair. Each one a different color: Bright green, deep blue, rose red. The voice from before continued. “This will be easier if you don’t resist. You’ll find life better after, we can promise you that.”

“Ha! Sure.” And before the masked could respond to that, Stacy took her hand out of her work bag and whipped out the pepper spray she always carried, spraying the trio with a hiss. The green-haired one and the red-haired one reeled back, leaving Stacy just enough room to squeeze past them and start running.

Unfortunately, the blue-haired one had been unaffected. That one threw out their hand, and a flurry of dark blue energy spattered outward, circling around Stacy and covering the sidewalk beneath her feet in an icy sheen. She slipped, falling forward and landing hard. The masked immediately circled around her.

“Good job, ice bird,” said the voice from before. “Pick her up.”

The blue-haired one did so, pulling Stacy up and holding her in front of the red-haired one. “Let me go, you—you pricks!” Stacy stomped hard on the blue-haired one’s foot, but they didn’t show any reaction.

“We will. Eventually.” The red-haired one leaned forward, with the green-haired one hovering slightly behind him. “But first…” They snapped their fingers, causing a sudden gasp of red light to appear in their hand. They tossed the light back and forth between their hands, and it shifted and morphed each time it passed, like the masked was throwing mist itself. Stacy’s head followed the light, turning left and right, mimicking its path. Until the light slowed, hovering in midair between the masked’s hands. It twisted, contorting in repeated shapes, swimming mesmerizingly. The longer Stacy watched it, the less she struggled, movements slowing until they stopped entirely.

“Good,” said the voice, evidently the red-haired masked. They stretched their hand to the side, clearly expecting something. The green-haired one responded, a splash of green light coming from their—no, his, unlike the other two this one was clearly a man—hand. And suddenly he was holding something, which he passed into the red-haired one’s outstretched hand. “Thank you,” they said. They adjusted the position of the item, then reached out and plucked Stacy’s glasses off her face, letting them fall to the ground. In their place, they put the item on her face.

Chase realized it was a mask a split second before Stacy’s hair suddenly changed color, flaring a soft light orange.

“Perfect,” the red-haired one said. “You can let go of her now.” The blue-haired one released their grip and took a step back. Stacy didn’t run. She just stood there, lifelessly. Like a robot waiting for instructions. “Would you look at that. Not only did we get a new one, but kitten’s first mission was a success!” The red-haired one turned to look at the green-haired one. “Take us back now, kitten.” The green-haired one nodded silently, and in another flash of light all four of them were gone.

Chase felt rooted to the spot. The same way he’d felt during the whole, short encounter. Stacy was…she was gone. Been taken. And he hadn’t even attempted to help. Sure, he’d been outnumbered, and they had—had magic, but that was no excuse. She was his wife, for god’s sake. And he just watched.

He rubbed his eyes on his sleeve, wiping away the few tears that had escaped. What was he supposed to do now? Could he go to the police with this? They knew about the masked one’s attacks, but he doubted they knew about the whole…magic thing. He had footage, so maybe…but…Chase swallowed. He just…didn’t know. Didn’t know what to do.  How was he going to make up for losing her income? What would he tell the kids? Why hadn’t he done anything?

He leaned against the fence, closing his eyes. His hands were shaking as he turned the camera off. He needed solutions, yes. But more importantly, at least right now, he just—just needed to talk to someone. And there was one person who came to mind. He pulled his jacket close and set off back toward home. He’d get the car, check on the kids, and then head off toward the shop district.

Jameson entered the front of the shop. He’d made a brief detour back into the workshop to pick up a recently-repaired clock to replace one that had been sold that day. The first thing he saw when he came into the front was Chase, standing in front of the counter, clutching a video camera. He smiled at him, but that quickly faded when he saw the wide-eyed, trembling expression on Chase’s face. JJ put the clock on the counter and signed, What’s wrong?

“It’s Stacy,” Chase blurted. “She—I went out to find her, she was walking home and it was late—I don’t even know what—how do I—there were these people—you know what kind of people, right? They—I don’t—I didn’t—” His eyes were watery.

Slow down, JJ signed. Breathe. Remember how to breathe? In...Out...In...Out... He waited until Chase had calmed down a bit before continuing. Now, what’s wrong?

Chase didn’t say anything, just thrust the camera at JJ.

After a confused moment, JJ took it. He fiddled with the buttons for a moment before figuring out how to access the previously recorded footage. As it began playing, he pulled over a chair and sat down. Chase hopped over the counter and ended up looking over his shoulder. At first, it just seemed like one of Chase’s goofier vlogs as he tested out the new camera. Until Chase finally caught up to Stacy and the three masked appeared. Jameson froze the moment they came on screen. One of them had hair glowing red…no, no it was a different shade. And seemed to be a different type of magic. It wasn’t too long before Stacy was masked as well, and all of them disappeared. Jameson looked up at Chase.

“I didn’t—I didn’t even do anything, Jamie,” Chase choked. “I just stood there and watched, like a-a-a coward. I should’ve at least tried.”

Chase, stop it, Jameson signed firmly, putting the camera down on the counter. It’s not your fault. People do strange things in high-pressure situations. You never know how you’ll react until you’re there. You were paralyzed, it was a perfectly natural response. And besides, at least you were able to catch what happened instead of being left to wonder.

Chase folded his arms. “I just—it’s Stacy. I should have tried.”

I have no doubt you did, Jameson assured him. But the panic dulled the response. It’s okay, Chase. It’s not your fault. He stood up.

“I...I guess,” Chase muttered.

No, you don’t ‘guess,’ you know. Say it.

“It’s...it’s not my fault.”

There we are. JJ smiled encouragingly. That’s a step in the right direction. But for now...I think I need to show you something.

Chase blinked. “Show me what?”

Just a few minutes later, the two of them were in the apartment above the shop. Chase had been here before, of course, but now JJ was showing him the one room he’d never been inside. It had always been kept locked, and honestly it was pretty well-disguised as a part of the wall as well. The only reason Chase even knew it was there was because he’d been here enough times to notice it. JJ unlocked the door, pushing it open and flicking on the lights.

“...dude,” Chase breathed.

The room could’ve been lifted out of a crime TV show. Around the edges were filing cabinets, and there were two tables with maps spread on them. The far wall was taken up by a board with photos, sticky notes, newspaper articles, and grids pinned on it. Chase walked forward in a daze, stopping right in front of the board. He turned around to look back at JJ. “What is all this?”

This is where I keep the information I’ve acquired about the masked, Jameson explained. I’ve been looking into them for years.

“How many years?” Chase asked, raising an eyebrow.

Oh. Shortly before we met, Jameson signed with a wry smile. But I wasn’t able to really start gathering information until my later teen years.

“Damn,” Chase muttered, turning back to the board. Every photo, every note, was connected to each other with red string. Except for one in the center: a polaroid picture of two people lovingly embracing. It was labeled “Mrs. + Mr. Jackson” with a date. “That’s them, huh?” he asked, turning back toward JJ. “They knew?”

Jameson sighed, sadness suddenly marring his features. Yes. They knew before me. Do you remember the fire? It...wasn’t actually a fire. It was one of the masked.

“Holy shit, dude.” Chase remembered hearing about the fire. Jameson hadn’t talked about it once in all these years, at least not besides the bare bones. “They—they can do that?”

Some of them. I’ve gathered that they have different types of magic. The ones who can—can do damage like that are rare. Jameson took a deep breath. But they exist. And whoever is behind all this sent one after them. They were getting too close, so he destroyed everything—Jameson suddenly stopped, closing his eyes and making a conscious effort to control his breathing. His hand was shaking, so he steadied it with his artificial one.

“Hey, Jamie.” Chase walked back over to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Jameson’s eyes opened. “I’m…I’m sorry. Sorry about everything. But…I mean, you’re not alone. You’ve still got me. And I’m sure your parents would be proud of what you’ve done here.”

Jameson gave a small smile, placing his hand on top of Chase’s for just a moment before signing Thank you.

“And now…” Chase removed his hand. “Well, now you’re gonna have help.”

JJ tilted his head. Are you offering?

“Of course I am!” Chase smiled. “We’re gonna get to the bottom of this, find whoever’s behind it, and get them to let everyone they’ve taken go, including Stacy. What do I need to know to do that?”

Jameson laughed, the sound near-silent. Well, then. It seems you have a lot to learn. Let’s get started.