#no wonder the bad batch are turning into the bald batch

[anoray]

The Galaxy's most erratic pilot

Seeing some recent posts about Tech's, um...unconventional piloting skills reminded me of a particular riot racing moment during Faster:

Tech: "Transmit the schematic of the left tunnel to my display." 

Omega: "On it".

Wrecker: "Right now? Shouldn’t you just focus on not getting blown up?"

Tech: "I can do both."

And then he does :3

[baddest-batchers]

Kiss Me Then Kiss Me Some More

Tech fans, come get ya’ll’s treat! another tooth ache inducing fluff piece about the bad batch’s beautiful balding man by yours truly. I was delirious with sleep as I wrote the end of this so please forgive any mistakes or whack ass sounding sentences. I’ll will go back through and edit this later. enjoy ya’ll’s cake!

Tag warnings: gtfo younglings, very fluffy and sweet but mildly suggestive, whole lotta kissing, slightly jealous Tech. reader and Tech have only been together for a short time. first ‘I love yous.’ new relationship jittery sweet goodness.

Summary: Tech x fem!reader. you and Tech have only been together for a month and you’re both still discovering new things about each other. On this particular evening, you approach Tech wearing Wrecker’s shirt and for the first time in his life, he’s jealous.

Word count: 2.5k

Taglist: @alegendoftomorrow @techwrecker @stellarbit

Divider by: @general-ida-raven

“Hey, Tech.” You smiled sweetly down at him from where he sat in his bunk. He was stripped down to his blacks snugged under the sorry excuse for a blanket that every clone was issued upon beginning active duty service.

“Hello, cyar’ika.” Tech greeted you while briefly looking up from his datapad, a small smile gracing his features at the sound of your voice. You blushed at his use of the Mando’a term while the butterflies in your stomach took flight.

“Are you busy?” You asked, slightly tipping your head to one side, hands clasped together behind your back.

“Not especially.” He replied, “Are you in need of something?” Tech continued tapping away at the keys of his datapad for another few moments.

“Oh, well I was just wondering..if maybe you’d like to cuddle and watch a holofilm with me?” You looked everywhere but at him while a blush crept its way across your cheeks.

Your relationship with Tech was still quite new, you two only having been together for a month, and you both were still learning to navigate being a couple within the squad.

Sitting more upright in his bunk, Tech set aside his datapad and adjusted his goggles that had slid down his nose. His eyes settled on you as he looked you over standing before him. You were wearing lounge shorts and a shirt that was several sizes too big with the Republic emblem on the shoulder of it’s left sleeve and Wrecker’s CT number and name sewn in Aurebesh into the hem. Though, Tech could tell it was his largest brother’s shirt simply by the size of it.

“You are wearing one of Wrecker’s shirts.” Tech stated and raised a quizzical brow as the unfamiliar feeling of mild jealously tugged at his heart. He inwardly scolded himself for feeling such a way but found that it was not so easily dismissed.

“Oh, yeah, he gave it to me when the ship’s air conditioning was broken a few months ago since my GAR issued sleepwear was long sleeved.” You answered him quickly, taking note of how his expression had changed after he had gotten a proper look at you.

Tech nodded but didn’t speak for a moment, seemingly lost in a thought that made his features harden just a bit. You glanced over his face as his lips pursed ever so slightly and immediately recognized the slight jealously he must be feeling over you wearing his brother’s shirt.

You dropped your gaze down to the shirt in question that hung very loosely on your body and then brought your eyes to look at Tech again, his expression unchanged as he stared off in thought, no doubt trying to wrestle with his feelings.

You couldn’t help the soft and barely audible “oh, Tech” that left your lips as you realized what he was feeling.

You smiled softly, deciding then that you’d make sure he felt every bit of your devotion for him in that moment. Climbing into his bunk, you reached for the privacy curtain and pulled it closed with a gentle swoosh. Turning from your seated position to face him, you leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Tech snapped out of his introspection at the contact of your lips to his face, feeling his heart rate begin to quicken slightly. He noticed that you had pulled the curtain closed around his bunk but before he even had time to wonder what you were doing, he observed as you reached for the hem of Wrecker’s shirt. You pulled it off in one smooth motion, then folded it neatly and set it down on the floor next to his bunk.

Tech’s eyes widened behind his goggles as he took you in sitting before him, wearing only your GAR issued shorts and bra. His face had flushed considerably as his eyes wandered over your body. Watching him take in the sight of you seated in front of him made a blush spread across your own face. Dropping your gaze from Tech, you instinctively crossed your arms over your middle and shifted a bit nervously on his mattress.

Taking you in for another lingering moment, Tech finally opened his mouth to speak. “You are…stunning.” He said breathily while his eyes memorized every detail of your figure. Your blush deepened under his gaze. You smiled shyly back at him while tucking some of your hair behind your ear in an effort to keep from fidgeting nervously.

After passing his gaze over you once more, Tech leaned over the side of his bunk, reaching for the storage drawer just beneath it. He pulled from it one of his own GAR issued t-shirts, and pushed himself back up into the bunk. Once seated comfortably again, Tech offered you the shirt, “Here. I’d much prefer it if you wore my shirt instead of Wrecker’s. You may have it if you so desire it.”

“Thanks, Tech.” You murmured sweetly in surprise as you took his shirt from him. You ran your thumb over the stitching of his name and CT number embroidered at the bottom hem. Glancing back up into his deep brown eyes, you reached across the short distance separating Tech and yourself, gently bringing your hand to rest against his cheek. “I didn’t mean to make you jealous. My other sleep clothes need to be cleaned and Wrecker’s shirt was the only top I had.” Your tone had shifted, taking on the sincerity that reflected in your eyes. You hoped that your reassurance would ease his troubled mind.

Tech’s eyes flitted between yours and then down to your lips and back up again. “I am aware that you did not mean to cause me any ill feelings, dearest. It had just occurred to me that I would much prefer to see you wearing one of my shirts instead of my brother’s.” Tech’s voice was quiet as he admitted his feelings. Your eyes widened in surprise at his words and you felt your face flush yet again. He was terribly skilled at making you blush, even during the most inopportune moments.

Slowly, you moved in closer to him, setting his shirt aside then bringing your hand to rest on the other side of his face. Your fingers pressed firmly into the sides of his face as you gently pulled him towards you. Tech gasped slightly at your touch which made you smile before pressing your lips gently to his. He kissed you back with fervor while his hands came up to firmly grasp at your shoulders.

You felt Tech begin to shift in front of you without breaking the contact of his lips on yours. Gently, he eased you into his lap while his hands almost possessively found hold on your waist. Your body was now fully flushed against his with your legs wrapped around his waist and crossed behind him. Tech slowly, but deliberately began trailing feather-light kisses down your neck and across your shoulder. His touch pulled a sound from you Tech wanted to hear repeated over and over again for the rest of his life. The heat that was building within him was growing hotter the more he touched you and the more you whispered his name in pure bliss.

“Tech, Tech, my love…” You half whispered, half moaned against his ear. This sent a shutter through him as his hands began roving over the bare skin of your waist and back. You squeezed your legs around him in a desperate attempt to be even closer to him.

Feeling you press further into him sent Tech into overdrive. With one smooth motion he flipped you so that you were positioned underneath him with your legs still wrapped around his waist. You gasped at the sudden change in position while the warmth in your chest began to spread throughout your body.

Gazing up at him, wide eyed and with lips slightly parted, you uttered his name again, “Tech…” your voice dripped with desire as your eyes flickered back and forth between his own then down to his lips.

He stared back at you, both his hands on other side of your head with his weight not completely resting against you. Tech searched your face for any sign of discomfort before leaning down to kiss you once more.

“Please alert me if you become at all uncomfortable.” Tech insisted before lowering himself onto you, not wanting to push any boundaries you might have.

“I’m more than comfortable with this.” You smiled and gestured with a glance down at your two bodies, his hovering tantalizingly close just above your own. Your consent came much faster than he was expecting but he smiled down at you in a way that conveyed all the love and admiration he held within his heart. Before he could lean down to resume expressing his affection, you whispered something to him that he thought he must have heard incorrectly with how quietly you had spoken.

“I love you, Tech. I’m yours.” You whispered while taking in his expression. Neither of you had said those three little words yet, but now seemed like the perfect time to tell him. If you were being honest, you had loved him from the moment you first spent time alone with him in the cockpit one night during his watch shift, but it had taken a while for the two of you to admit your feelings for each other.

Tech’s eyes were wide and his breath hitched in his throat as his heart hammered against his chest. He opened his mouth to respond but the words wouldn’t form, so he just gazed down at you through his goggles with his lips slightly parted.

You chuckled softly while slowly running your fingers through his soft curls at the nape of his neck. “It’s okay, you don’t have to say it back if you’re not ready to.”

But his reply tumbles from his lips before you’ve barely finished your sentence.

“And I love you, however, based on the simple fact that I have been enamored by you since the moment you joined this squad, it is I who belongs to you.” He breathes out his reply.

Tech’s words bring tears to the corners of your eyes and you whisper his name yet again in an almost choked breath. It’s enough to push him forward, resting his weight against you and pushing his lips to yours in near desperation, like he needs your lips on his like he needs air in his lungs to breathe. Tech continues his desperate quest to taste as much of you as he possibly can, kissing from your lips down to the soft spot under your ear, then further down to your pulse point.

His kisses pull a gasp from you and then he hears you repeating his name over and over in the most blissful tone he’s ever heard. “Dearest, you will drive me mad with the way in which you are uttering my name.” Tech whispers into your neck, his mouth never leaving your skin.

“M-mad in a good way?” You breathily stutter out, further burying your fingers in his hair.

“Well, yes, of course in a good way.” Tech chuckles darkly against you while his hand moves to tangle in your hair. You sigh his name again, just to see and feel his reaction. Tech groans quietly into the spot between your neck and shoulder then places another needy kiss there.

“How touching, but could the two of you not do that while some of us are trying to sleep.” Came Crosshair’s voice from his bunk above Tech’s, annoyance dripping from his tone.

Your eyes grew wide at the sound of Crosshair’s voice as Tech pulled back slightly, rolling his eyes at his brother. Your hands retreated from the back of Tech’s head to cover your face as it turned as red as a meiloorun.

“Yeah, and for that matter, could you guys wait until the rest of us aren’t still aboard the ship before getting, uh…intimate?” Echo chimed in from the adjacent bunk.

“Oh kriff.” You cursed through your fingers as you locked eyes with Tech for a brief moment.

“Technically, we are not engaging in any intimate activity at this moment other than kissing.” Tech pointed out shortly to both of his brothers before planting another kiss to your forehead.

“Tech!” You squealed, bringing both your hands to cover his mouth. His eyes flashed with a mischievous and confident glint from behind his goggles.

Your hands slid down to rest on his chest as you giggled awkwardly. After a beat of silence, you mustered up the strength to speak directly to Echo and Crosshair.

“He’s right, guys. We were just kissing.” You say, trying to keep your voice steady and even, though your heart was still pounding from embarrassment.

“Doesn’t matter.” Crosshair shot back lazily. “If you’re gonna kiss in here, then at least have the decency to warn us first. Or find a different part of the ship that isn’t where we all sleep.”

Tech propped himself up onto one arm before pushing himself back into a seated position on his mattress. You let out the smallest of whines when the weight of his body pressed against yours was suddenly gone. After adjusting his goggles, he offered you his hand and pulled you up to sit next to him, both of your backs against the wall of the bunk.

“We did not plan on osculating. It happened organically.” Tech stated matter of factly as he adjusted his goggles again.

“Real romantic, Tech.” Echo deadpanned.

Echo’s comment made you bury your face in Tech’s shoulder. Huffing out a breath, you decided to silence Crosshair and Echo hopefully once and for all tonight. You really couldn’t handle much more of this teasing.

“Regardless, Tech is still right, we didn’t plan on making out. But get over it for kriff’s sake, I’m sure both of you have been caught more than once getting cozy in here with some fling or another so, stow it.”

The room would have been deafeningly silent if not for the hum of the Marauder. You worried for a moment if you’d spoken too harshly to Echo and Crosshair, but the feeling quickly drained from your mind as Tech interlaced the fingers of his left hand with those of your right.

“So, she does bite.” Crosshair’s slightly muffled chuckle broke the silence. “Watch out, Tech.”

You let out an exasperated sigh while pinching the bridge of your nose with your left hand. Before you could open your mouth to snark back at the sniper, Tech leaned in close to your ear, his breath fanning against your neck, stopping you from saying anything further.

“Do you indeed bite, mesh’la?” Tech whispered so that his brothers couldn’t hear. “What an intriguing thought. I do intend to find out at a more appropriate time and place if you do.”

Your eyes grew wide at the sudden boldness from Tech. But without skipping a beat, you turned your head to face him, leaning in to kiss him deeply before taking his bottom lip between your teeth and giving it a slight nibble. You gently pulled away and gazed at him through half lidded eyes, a suggestive look crossing your face as you took in his pleasantly surprised expression.

“Only if you want me to.” You whispered with an enticing lilt to your voice.

“Oh, I most certainly do.” Tech murmured as he leaned in to capture the soft spot under your ear in a gentle kiss.

•••

[jewishcissiekj]

hi let's talk about her

Honestly I have so much to say about her. so much. so here's some of it

-Asajj (NOT VENTRESS THAT'S HER LAST NAME ISTG PEOPLE JUST HATE USING HER ACTUAL NAME AND IDK WHY I GUESS IT'S A COOL NAME BUT ASAJJ IS ALSO A COOL NAME AND)

-Asajj was last seen in canon in the Dark Disciple novel. Where she died. I would never recommend that book to anyone so if you haven't read it yet please don't. In short, after becoming a Bounty Hunter in The Clone Wars she grew out her hair, got a cool yellow Lightsaber and for some reason teamed up with Quinlan Vos to try and kill Dooku. They didn't manage to do it. And Asajj died (was fridged) trying to protect Quinlan. The Bad Batch will not contradict that, as was said by the creators. So this is just a summary for anyone who hasn't read it because I wholeheartedly believe that book is bad

-I have not watched a single Bad Batch episode in my life. As a disclaimer. I started the first one, watched their TCW arc and saw memes screenshots clips and spoilers but I do not know this show. I will watch it now that Asajj's there tho

-She does not have the same outfit anymore! It's a change, and we haven't gotten a clear look at her new design so idk how to judge it yet. Might be to look less recognizable, but it has a very different vibe than any of her prior outfits. There's a leftover shoulder pad and probably some other stuff from her last design but I feel like they kinda clash with the new one and tbb's design language in general. The Bounty Hunter look has a very TCWish feel to it and this one is a sharp turn in another, much more casual direction. I'm not inherently against it but I guess we'll see how it looks in action soon

-In my opinion the hair looks like shit. I don't think she should have hair ever. I don't understand why she can't be bald. Why is she bald when she's evil and has hair when she's a padawan (good) and when she is "redeemed"? guess we'll never know. It's a leftover from the cancelled Dark Disciple TCW arc design (and the Dark Disciple cover and promotional material ofc) and it's bad if you ask me but to each their own and if you like it good for you

-Her Lightsaber!!!!! Same case as the hair in terms of irl development but I like it so much better. The yellow just fits her character and it's pretty. Would love for her to find another one and get back to dual-wielding (I know that won't happen)

-The bag and pouches make me so happy as a design element do you think she carries a (tooka) cat in there

-Now, visually she looks great and the animation style is smoother and nicer than TCW (as is the quality), but what about the direction the character's going in? I didn't like her being dead before, but I felt like it was somewhat better than her being shoved into being a cameo character in new content. If you can't touch her after a certain point, you also can't mess her up. But I do wonder where they're going with her. A few questions:

-Asajj in canon is a directionless character. Also, a partially nonsensical and inconsistent character in her choices and storylines. I've talked about it a lot but in short she just feels messy. What's her purpose in life? Her motive? Her origin story doesn't really make sense, even. She's a Bounty Hunter, sure, but why? If all she wants is revenge on Dooku and maybe money (which was pretty much the case in Dark Disciple), what's she doing after the Empire? And more importantly, why?

-Obviously, the question I haven't asked yet because I don't like it: How the fuck is she alive? Nightsisters have a weird relationship with death but seriously, how?

-She's a Force User after the Rise of the Empire now, so what does he do about that? Is she founding The Path? Fucking around and finding out? Making a not-Jedi-not-Sith order with other force users she finds? Is the Empire after her? Do they know she's live?

-What about her girlfriend? Is Latts Razzi safe? Is she alright?

-Why is she in The Bad Batch show? Are we making her into a cameo character or is there a purpose? Why'd they bring her back? For fun? What is she doing after the show? Floating in dead space? Cameo-ing? Will we have a book?

-OK enough for tonight but if we see Quinlan Vos in the show I'll become violent (/neg). We probably will (he might just get mentioned idk).

[talesfrommedinastation]

My redneck neighbor Doug watches 'Bad Territory'

As a few people have quickly surmised, the Bad Batch episode in which they go to Space Swampy Badtimes and punch gators was going to send Doug over the edge with joy. Y'all right!

So, turn up the CCR to 'Born on the Bayou', and prepare for some of the more unhinged things Doug's texted me.

CW: Little more mild, just excitement. When Doug starts rambling about Cajun food, just click here. He says it's one of the best places for boudin and bbq and they'll even process a deer you found on the highway.

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

Episode 8: “::happy Cajun noises::”

Well we back in Space Daytona, outside the HMS Search Warrant because Daddy Rambo can’t afford a trailer now. Does that thing have air conditioning? 

Man, Toaster Strudel’s always gone, is he a space trucker now or what.

Oh, man, it’s Church Lady! She don’t seem too upset by Ryan-from-Accounting being somewhere else, fighting the Space Balrog. But we know why she’s not sad. 

(Does this involve Mayday?

"Who?"

Sassy Park Ranger?

"Hell yeah it does! He’s her beau."

What about Ryan-from-Accounting?

"I done told you once I tell you again RYAN-FROM-ACCOUNTING DIDN’T DESERVE THAT SMART INDEPENDENT WOMAN NONE!")

Maybe Daddy Warcrimes will hang out with Church Lady and she can double dip with him and Sassy Park Ranger. It’s Thanksgiving, dark meat and white meat are on the plate.

(WTF?!)

Well you know why Church Lady’s the Church Lady? She’s been talking to other church folks and if there’s one person who knows how to get info on people it’s the church ladies. Seriously, how do you think they organize EVERYTHING and know EVERYONE. You think they go to church for Jesus that’s a bald lie up in here. 

So Julio fires up the stolen work truck and he and Daddy Rambo are off. 

Wait, if that’s their home, where Little Orphan Blondie and Daddy Warcrimes sleeping? The beach? Come on now. 

Aw, shit, man, is that THOTH STATION?! Meat Muffin, these show people reading your white trash love story book and made it into reality! They owe you MONEY GIRL! Think they’ll meet Fred Johnson or Anderson Dawes?!

And look it’s CAMINA DRUMMER! 

Oh wait no that’s that Chick-that’s-in-Everything! Looks like she’s doing business with the guy Han Solo shot in the club. Think she’s selling him Columbian nose candy? 

Well she’s drinking a whole thing of pinot, don’t blame her, I’d be drinking if Daddy Rambo was up in my club whining for names. Go on the Facebook, Daddy Rambo, it’d be easier.

They’re off somewhere else to help the Chick-that’s-in-Everything. OH MY SWEET TITS OF CHRIST THEY IN LOUISIANA AGAIN! IT’S AN OIL REFINERY! No one can breath! They got a PONTOON! Everything’s orange and sticky!

Oh look at them out in them stinky bayous of Terrebonne Parish! Man did they film this entire season in my home state like it’s the first season of True Detective now I wonder. Man that was a good show. 

Aw man, mines in the water! It IS TERREBONNE PARISH! “He won’t expect us,” damn right he won’t. The Chick-Thats-In-Everything sure knows her shit. She’s a redneck hunter and the lady’s got grit. I wonder if she’s caught Steven Segal. 

There better be OH MAN IT IS! 

SPACE GATORS!!!!!

YEAH! PUNCH EM JULIO! SHOOT EM CHICK-THAT’S-IN-EVERYTHING! OH DADDY RAMBO GOT CAUGHT BUT JULIO PUNCHED IT TOO! PUNCHING GATORS AND THROWING KNIVES AND SHOOTING GUNS IN THE BAYOU, MEAT MUFFIN I LOVE THIS DAMN SHOW!!!!!

The only bad thing about this is now I need to go back to Thibodaux to Bourgeois and get some crawfish boudin, maybe some cracklings, some hogshead cheese too. 

Daddy Warcrimes is doing that thing where you sit around and breathe. Jenny tells me to do that. I’m like woman I do that every damn day at work what’s the difference now. 

They’re at the place–it’s a shack in the woods surrounded by home made bombs and the owner’s armed to the teeth?! MEAT MUFFIN THEY GONE DONE AND FILMED IT AT MY COUSIN CLAYTON'S HOUSE IN TERREBONNE PARISH NOW!!!!

Oh man it ain’t my cousin Clayton whose been weird since he got out of Angola,  now they’re hunting Jeff Goldblum from The Fly! Except now he’s a mantis! Hate those things. Jenny set one on fire after she caught it snapping at one of her hummingbirds. That woman, man, you don’t mess with her garden, she’ll take out the hairspray and a lighter and make a torch out of it. Love her. Married two dozen years now.*

Oh! Jeff Goldblum is trying to escape–but the Chick-That’s-In-Everything knows her shit and cuts her own wire to the pontoon! Maybe she IS Camina Drummer after all. 

Oh, man, they done got that mantis son of a bitch. Now, back to Thoth Station, and of course, the Chick-That’s-in-Everything ain’t coughing up a dime. Just flings Daddy Rambo right off her ship. 

Oh, man, who is she calling? 

I hope it’s not Gun-Safety-Muppet, I hate that blue bastard. 

*= Jenny is a delight and really does flip from ‘Sweetie, you need to meditate’ to ‘I will set bugs on fire for threatening my birds’. She’s the one who taught Jimmers to corner and kill everything in their yard.

@skellymom @cdblake1565 @sued134 @amalthiaph @yeehawgeek @merkitty49 @eyecandyeoz @isthereanechoinhere96 who else loves Redneck Doug?

If you want to be added, please let me know!

PS- I have his ramblings from the last two episodes, but they were not nearly as deranged as this.

[bigbadbatch]

The Light We Feel - Ch. 1

Prologue

Hunter x fem!OCKeep reading

Jedi OC meets the Bad Batch for the first time.

Chapter One - Thea’s POV

“And then we blasted the creature out of a window!” I laughed at Omega’s excited story, the girl so expressive as she told her tale, she nearly knocked cups off the table she sat at. “No wonder your brothers went on this mission without you. You are the perfect size snack for an angry sarlaac.” I finished wiping down the bar counter and sat with Omega at the sabaac table. The table lit up, the game blinking into the starting positions. Omega huffed. “The only reason I didn’t go is because of the sand. I hate sand. And that’s all Tatooine is. Sand.”

She made the first move. I took a moment to study the board. This is how it had been for the past two weeks, ever since Marko dropped me off. Omega’s brothers had been away on mission, and she had been so excited to meet me. “Cid doesn’t play against me anymore. Not since I wiped her of credits.” Omega had complained. Since working for Cid I had become not only the resident bar-keep, but Omega’s confidant and ally. In these past two weeks, the we had formed a sort of bond. Though I had easily ten years on Omega, a sisterhood had bloomed. I must admit, it felt good. I had spent months isolated, and with the constant moving and running, friendships were brief. Omega was so easy to talk to, and so smart. It amazed me how quickly she picked up on things.

Those first few nights we had talked for hours. About Omega’s past, her brothers (Clones- can you believe it? A squad of defective clones who deserted the empire as it rose) and of my past, too. “I’ve lived all over the galaxy” I’d say. “Loth is my home world, and I miss it very much.” I’ve found the most compelling lies also hold fractions of truth.

Omega believed that I had been an archeologist, traveling the planets surveying and eventually dealing in artifacts. The story was that I refused to sell an artifact to a rivaling faction of the culture it came from, and had to flee and go into hiding. “That’s why Cid took me in”. I’d said, the first time I’d had to share my new story.

But now I sat across from Omega, having made a series of moves that I actually thought would finally earn me a win against the young girl.

“Omeggaaaa, where’s the Mantell Mix, I’m starving!” A loud booming voice echoed through the bar as a hulking shape stepped through the doorway. “Wrecker!” All thoughts of the game abandoned, Omega hopped up and ran to hug who I had come to assume was one of her brothers. My breath caught. In walked four clones, but these clones didn’t look how I expected them to. They were all of varying heights and build, and were tattooed and adorned with a myriad of scars. Still my heart pounded, and I struggled to calm the beating. Clones. The sound of blaster fire echoed in my memory. My body tensed, ever so slightly, and I struggled to remind myself- You’re safe. I took a few quiet, deep breaths and plastered a smile on my face. Show time.

“Hi.” I said. “You must be the band of brothers I’ve heard so much about. I’m Thea.” Wrecker, an immensely tall and broad man, bald with a blind eye shook my hand vigorously. “Nice to meet ya. Thanks for keeping Omega company while we were gone.” A tall thin man looked up, his goggles reflecting gold. “Yes Cid mentioned over comm that she had a new recruit she’d taken in. Pleasure to meet you, I’m Tech, you’ve met Wrecker.” A shorter man, with droidian appendages and additives nodded and chimed in with a simple “Echo. Pleasure.” I turned to the last man and my heart stuttered. He stared at me, his eyes flicking over my form. He seemed to study me, seeing past my facade and into the very heart of me.

He knows.

But he didn’t reach for a blaster, didn’t make to carry out that world-ending order as other clones had. He gave a terse nod, his long hair falling into his face. He had broad, strong shoulders and arms, a tight lipped smirk above his stubbled jaw. The tattooed skull half of his face seemed to grin as he said, “Name’s Hunter. I’ve gotta get this to Cid. Nice to meet you.” And he was off. I exhaled. Perhaps he didn’t have some sixth sense after all.

Omega prattled on to her brothers, regaling them of our talks and our games, her infinite wins against me, and of the time I roughhoused two patrons out the door with only my bare hands after a bar fight had broken out. “She’s really strong! Wrecker, she might could take you in an arm wrestling match!” I laughed. They laughed. And my fears eased. I smiled at Omega and got up to grab the men some caf. Hunter walked back into the bar, and his eyes met mine. He smiled softly as I handed him a cup. “So.” He said. “Cid has your first mission with us ready to go. Feel up to it?”

I nod.

He smiles again.

And we begin.

Chapter 2

[lunarninja613]

Where I Belong (Bad Batch Modern AU)

Inspired by @transformersluna and people on ao3

Umber had never left her mother’s lab. The blinding lights and the smell of chemicals was all Umber had ever known. Now there she was, sitting in a car with her sister and three strange men who were supposed to be her brothers.

Umber sat next to the window. The person in the driver’s seat wore glasses and had neatly combed hair. The man sitting next to him in the passenger’s seat wore a blue hoodie and a baseball cap, and sitting behind him was a man with a red bandana that kept his long dark hair out of his eyes and a skull tattooed over half of his face. Omega sat next to Umber, acting as a barrier between her and the men.

The man with the face tattoo had tried asking what her name was, but Umber had simply hidden behind Omega, who ended up answering for her. Speaking of her sister, Omega had warmed up to the men almost immediately and was already making conversation with them.

After a bit of driving, the car pulled into the driveway of what Umber assumed was the men’s house. Umber emerged from the car and was immediately greeted by a warm breeze, which was nothing at all like the cold lab that she had grown up in. Omega came out of the car and stared at the house, her eyes filled with wonder.

“Home sweet home,” the man with the baseball cap said as he began making his way towards the house, the two other men following suit. Omega grabbed Umber’s hand before following the men into the house.

The first thing Umber saw upon entering the house was a bald, beefy man with a scar over half of his face sitting at the dining table. At the sound of the door closing behind them, the man looked up at them.

“You’re here!” the man exclaimed as he got up from his seat and made his way over to the two girls. Umber hid behind Omega as the large man came to crouch down to their level. “My name’s Wrecker. What’re your names?” he asked, a big toothy grin plastered across his face.

Being the bravest of the two, Omega spoke up, “I’m Omega,” she chirped before turning to look at Umber, who was still hiding behind her, “and this is Umber.”

Just then, Umber heard shuffling coming from the other room. She looked up and saw a tall, lanky man with silver hair and a crosshair tattoo over his right eye leaning against the doorframe.

Omega seemed to have noticed him too because she gave him a shy little wave. The man just scoffed before heading back into the other room.

“Eh, don’t mind Crosshair. He’ll come around.” the man with the baseball cap reassured Omega.

“Ooh, ooh, ooh, let me show you your guys’ room!” Wrecker exclaimed before leaving the kitchen and bounding up the stairs in the other room and Umber clung to Omega’s arm as the two of them followed the man.

The girls were led upstairs where a very excited Wrecker was waiting for them in front of a closed door. Wrecker then opened the door behind him to reveal a small room with two cots and string lights hanging on the walls.

“This...this is our room?” Omega asked in disbelief.

“Sure is!” Wrecker replied, beaming with pride.

Omega and Umber both cautiously stepped into the room, as if it would all disappear like the whole thing was a dream.

Only, it wasn’t a dream. It was real.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the next several hours, Echo, the man with the baseball cap, showed the twins around the house while Tech, the man with glasses, ordered something called pizza.

During the tour, Omega took the opportunity to ask Echo several questions, all of which Echo was more than happy to answer. Umber, on the other hand, remained silent.

By the time the tour was done, the pizza had arrived. The two girls followed Echo into the kitchen, where they saw flat, square boxes, paper plates, and plastic cups set on the table. 

Hunter, the man with the red bandana, opened one of the boxes to reveal a steaming piece of flat bread covered in cheese, sauce, meat, and vegetables.

Wrecker had taken out a bottle of soda and the loud hissing noise that the bottle made when he opened it had startled Umber and Omega. Hunter was quick to reassure the girls that they were in no danger, and Tech had agreed with him before he started explaining the science behind soda while everyone else grabbed a slice of pizza.

Umber had taken the seat between Omega and Crosshair, and stared at the pizza as if it were one of the complex puzzles that her mother would often task her with solving, because surely, food couldn’t look as appetizing as what she had in front of her....right?

Umber suddenly became aware that someone was watching her. She turned her head and was met with Crosshair’s icy glare.

“It’s not going to kill you,” he hissed. Umber gave a small nod before taking a small bite of the pizza, and to say that it tasted good would be an understatement, because it was the best thing that Umber had ever tasted in her entire life!

Once everyone had finished eating dinner, Hunter gave Umber and Omega some clothes, toothbrushes and toothpaste and told them to get ready for bed.

Once finished, Omega went back downstairs to bid the adults goodnight while Umber waited for her in their new shared room. It was much different than what she was used to, but she would make do for the time being.

Omega eventually came back to the room with Hunter right behind her. Once Omega was settled in, Hunter bid them goodnight, turned the lights off, and shut the door and Umber was a bit surprised when she did not hear the click of a lock seconds after the door had closed. Perhaps there was someone listening on the other side of the door. No, that couldn’t have been it, because if that were the case, she would be able to see their shadow under the door and she wouldn’t have heard the sound of footsteps getting further and further away.

Umber turned to look at Omega, who was already fast asleep in her cot. Umber sighed as she lay back down on her cot. She stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to overtake her as well.

As she waited though, Umber thought back to what her mother had told Hunter about him and his brothers being incapable of taking care of two ten year old girls and how he shouldn’t get his hopes up.

“Do not get your hopes up. They will soon be back with me, where they belong.” Nala Se’s cold, harsh tone echoed in Umber’s mind before she drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edit: This is also inspired by @kaydear. I really, really, really, really loved the Modern Bad Batch AU fanfiction that they did on ao3, but it took me forever to find it again because I read it a few months ago and forgot who the author was and what the fanfiction was called!

[gwaean]

The Rescuers  

Part One: “Old acquaintances meet again"

 Summary: You are a mandalorian rebel friends with Captain Rex so you are well aware of the entire "clone situation" going on. And of course you want to help as much as you can. You then go to Ryloth trying to help the Syndulla's and maybe find your old friend Cody. 

 Pairing: None. Yet. But will be a Crosshair x Reader.

 Gender: There'll be no mentions of gender or pronouns on this part yet. Though further in the story it might have she/they pronouns used.

 Word count: 1.6k

 Tags: Injury recover, post-clone wars story, rescuing clones/friends, a bit of melancholy?

 Warning: Brief description of injury.

 Notes: So, I literally dreamed most parts of this story (I know, crazy Star Wars obsession here). I filled up some parts as I was writing of course. And it turned out a bit like a beautiful sad tragic. I might even do a playlist for this fanfic actually. Hope u enjoy it :) 

 The war, the republic, the jedi all have ended. Literally on the same day. And what it seemed like a fresh start, finally a moment of peace in the chaos turned into nightmares. You weren’t there when it happened, you just heard the news of Obi-Wan saying the jedi order and the republic had fallen and you also heard the now Emperor Palpatine telling everyone that the clone wars has ended and the jedi were traitor, they’ve tried to assassinate him according to well… himself. And now he’s forming this new galactic empire, giving people numbers like the ones clones used to have and killing off any resistance against this new order. Everyone seemed to believe him, you gotta give him that he was a pretty damn’ good  liar indeed. But you knew better than that. You are mandalorian after all and were friends with no one less than Duchess Satine and Senator Padmé. You helped them countless times in their diplomatics and you even fought with the jedi and the clones at times. They were good people, yes, the order might have messed up at lot but traitors? Murders? They sure didn’t deserve to die like that and I guess… No one does.

  You quickly then joined the rebellion. There you found many of former politics like Senator Organa and even a clone… Captain Rex (or is it Commander now?). You’ve met him once before and he seemed like a good person and looks like he’s really a great man just like you thought. You soon became friends. But sadly, the other clones you knew before like Cody were still with the empire. Though both you and Rex were very determinate to help others like him. And also, obviously, protect your allies against the empire.

  Well, as expected trouble begins. There’s been rumors about what’s going in Ryloth with the Syndulla’s and the empire occupation. Worried about them and their people, you go there to help as you can. And if there’s need, you’d call more rebels to help too though you didn’t want to envolve more people yet because you’re afraid of the reaction it could cause ( and what that would cost for ryloth and its people). You also have a tiny tiny hope that maybe just maybe Cody could be there.

  Arriving in Ryloth, you discover the Syndulla family have indeed oppose agains the empire occupation and they’ve went into a lot of trouble because of that but apparently a group of mercenaries (?) have already rescued them from the prison they were sent to. One less problem for you to fix I guess. You were glad for them but you still want to spy a little on the empire and see what you could find out after all, the trip couldn’t be for nothing.

  You find your way and get to a particular high hill with a great view of one imperial base. You pick up your binoculars and the only person you see in a sort of balcony is a very depressive-looking Crosshair. You remember him from that one time clone force 99 saved your butt from the mess you’ve yourself in. He was… quite unfriendly, let’s say. But he did get the job done and made sure you were okay so you just ignored his behavior. Looking at him now it was looking at a shadow of him. 

   It made you remember what Rex told you once: 

“We clones were all created with this chip thing in our my minds. We were made for the war and the war only but apparently someone thought it would be great if they let us think we've got free will. That we could be anything we wanted to be after the war. So we made friends, some of us found a family with our jedi. They let we hope. Just so we have all of that taken away from us with order 66. The war had ended for everyone except for us. We had our will taken from us, our minds controlled by this chip and we had to follow orders. While we're still there conscious of what we were doing we had to kill the people we fought together the entire war. I remember her face... I'm so glad she didn't see my face. I couldn't bare.” 

 Thinking about what all the clones been through, you can’t just leave him like this. He did save you once and this was your chance to repay that. Rex keeps saying we can’t save everyone (more to himself than to you) but one person is better than nobody, right?  At the time you improvise a plan: neither the empire nor Cross can’t know yet that you’re a rebel. You haven’t done anything yet incriminating (at least not that they were aware of). So you can just jump in there where he was standing and talk to him. Worst case scenario he ignores you. However you sure knew how to annoy him enough that at least he would call you out and when that happens you act. Ok, that you still have to figure out exactly how you would act. Well, half of a plan is better than no plan.

  You just jump in behind his back and of course he points his gun at you as expected. But he apparently recognizes who it’s standing in front of him and put his riffle down. 

   “ Hello there.”  You say.

   “What do you think you’re doing?”  He replies.

   “Oh, please, don’t act like you aren’t happy to see me.” 

     He gives you a faint of a smile. “Don’t flatter yourself.” 

     You smiled back. “But seriously, what you’re doing here all alone? And why- You finally noticed the burn mark on his now bald head. - are you like this? Doesn’t the empire takes care of its soldiers? Nor your squad? The bad batch, right? That’s what you called yourselves?” 

     His face closes again. “You have nothing to do with that. I’m-” 

     “By yourself?” You pause for a moment. “Alright, I get it. You’ve probably been through a lot. We all have. Not sure why you’re like this but it doesn’t matter right now. I just wonder… Don’t you want to get out of all of this?” 

     Cross pauses for a moment. It seems like he's considering the possibility. “I… I can’t.” 

     “But…”  You then think. You remind yourself of how protective he was that one time you were saved by them. Maybe this instinct was still there, you had to try. You saw a pointed rock close to where you were standing and decided that you would accidentally cut yourself. “Ouch!” 

    “What’s up?” 

    “Oh! Nothing! Just might have cut myself here.” You show your hand now with a bit bigger than you expected cut and some blood.

     He almost laughs at it. “What a little clumsy one you are, eh?” 

     His mocking at you, that’s something, right? “Yeah, I guess….” 

     “Well, let’s go?”  He points to the door.

     “Go where?” 

     “Don’t you wanna take care of that, sweetheart?” 

     “Right, medical bay then?” 

     “Obviously.”  Perfect. He would be right where you needed him to be.

  The both of you enter the facility and walk directly to the medical bay. The empire base is pretty much a bland dark and boring military base with some troopers walking around, some commanders (you think) yelling at the soldiers and some droids doing whatever they have to do. You knew only that they were “r - unities” but droids weren’t exactly your area of expertise. However you do notice that the troopers walking around still wear the same clone armor from back the war. And you feel guilty. Because as much as you’d like you won’t be able to help them all. They’ll stay there with their chips on being controlled by the empire…. By the force, that was a hole guilty trip you knew you shouldn’t take. It wasn’t your fault. No, no. They did this. Palpatine and his men were the monsters. Not you. And certainly not these poor clones. One day, yes, one day maybe you could come back and save them?

 “Hmmm…. You wanna me to do this?”  Cross says. You were so distracted in your thoughts you don’t even realized you were already in the medical bay.

 “Oh. You don’t have to.” 

 “It's fine. I’m used to do this anyway.” 

  “Ok. Be my guest then?” 

  “Wow, you’re so funny.” He jokes.

  “Whatever. Just do your thing.” 

  “Give me your hand.”  

 You give him your hand and he takes it. And to your surprise he’s very gentle while taking care of your wound. He applies some alcohol pads to clean the wound. And as he presses the wound to stop the bleeding you reach for your gun and keep looking at his face. His very concentrated. It’s almost like the rest of the galaxy doesn’t matter. He’s only there at the moment focused on helping you. And you’re trying to plan how you’re gonna knock him out to take his chip off.

 “Now I’m gonna get some stuff to make a bandage for ya, ok?” He says and turns his back. Now is you chance. You turn your blaster to stun only and shoots. He falls. 

 “I’m sorry. But there’s no other way.” You whisper as if he’s actually listening. 

 It takes some effort (seriously, Crosshair's heavier than he looks) but you manage to put him on one these surgical stretchers. You also have to learn super quick how to use the pad control to see where the chip’s in and take it off. But it’s done. And you wait and wait… For what it seemed like hours though it was only like 15 minutes.

And he wakes up very confused.

[heyitssmiller]

Frosted Windowpanes: Part One

The Christmas Fic is here! Featuring Logan the lumberjack, Leo who owns a diner, and Finn who was just trying to have a quiet, uneventful holiday (lol). This was supposed to be a oneshot, but y’all know I’m too long-winded for that, so it looks like we’ll be having at least one more part for this story!

@donttouchmycarrots Thank you so much for proofreading/encouraging/being such a wonderful, wonderful friend. I don’t think I’d still be writing without you and iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou 

@lumosinlove​ Again, thank you for such wonderful characters! And for creating such a wonderful, welcoming fandom! I never thought I’d post my writing where people could read it, but then I met y’all and here we are! You guys are amazing! Happy Holidays, everyone! <3

Part Two is now up!

.

It's that time of year When the world falls in love Every song you hear seems to say

- The Christmas Waltz

.

Piercing, bitter cold greeted Logan as he stepped outside for the first time that day. The kind of cold that made the entire body tense up and the breath hitch. It was a quiet early morning, with a stillness that only freshly-fallen snow could bring. Logan took a second to pull his toque further down over his head as he grabbed the chainsaw by the door before heading out to the truck, passing the sign with red, clean lettering that read Tremblay’s Christmas Trees.

“Took you long enough, sleeping beauty.” His sister, Noelle, teased from the driver’s seat of the beat-up truck that barely started most mornings.

“It’s too early for this.” He grumbled back, sliding into the passenger’s seat as the truck reluctantly spluttered to a start.

“The faster we get done out here, the faster we can go deal with customers.”

“That’s not exactly helping.”

Noelle laughed as she drove back into one of the fields, parking the truck at the far end. “Come on, it’s not that bad. They ask to buy a tree, you help them pick one out, take their money, and strap it to their car. Easy.”

They got out of the truck, grabbed the chainsaw from the back, and headed towards their first tagged tree. Logan grabbed the tree around its trunk to stabilize it while Noelle powered up the chainsaw, putting their conversation on hold. She crouched down to start cutting the base of the tree trunk, creating a notch before starting the back cut. Logan waited until the tree felt unstable before giving the tree a gentle push in the right direction and removing his hands. The tree hit the ground with a thud.

Noelle took that as her cue to continue their conversation. “Don’t pretend to be all grumpy and stoic. I know you like some of our regulars.”

“Some being the key word here.” He replied, grabbing the tree trunk again and beginning to drag it to the truck. Noelle just gave him a look that clearly said I see right through you but didn’t comment as she looked for the next tagged tree.

Logan heaved the Christmas tree into the bed of the truck and shoved it into one corner; he could probably fit one more tree alongside it before he started stacking them. He stood up straight, turning his head to watch the sun rise and peek over the tops of the trees, bringing rays of light and warmth with it.

Leo basked in the warmth coming from the oven as he took out a fresh batch of croissants, a welcome reprieve from the weather outside. He quickly put the next tray of pastries into the oven and transferred the baked croissants onto a plate, where he let them cool just a little before drizzling them with honey. He hummed along to the Christmas music playing on the radio as he worked on getting the diner ready to open in a few hours. He started the gumbo, red beans and rice, and jambalaya, letting them simmer on the stove before whipping up his fried chicken batter and breading so that it was ready whenever he needed it. Next was the cornbread, which was made from scratch and poured into muffin tins to create the perfect individual servings. Coffee was brewed, quiches were placed in the display window, waffle batter was whipped up and sitting in a bowl on the counter.

Leo was arranging croissants into a basket when the back door opened, letting all the cold air in and a small flurry of snow with it.

“Good morning!” Nate called as he came around the corner, shedding his coat and hat. Leo honestly wasn’t sure what he’d do without Nate. Running his own diner was hard – it was even harder when he’d moved to a different country, not knowing anyone there, and kept afloat with barely anything but his optimism and his confidence in his cooking. Nate was the first person he’d hired when business actually picked up, and he’d been there ever since. He had a real knack for cooking and managed to make every person that walked through their doors feel welcomed.

“Headed out to the farm?” Nate asked when he saw the basket of croissants and the large thermos Leo was filling with coffee.

“Yeah.” Leo said, grabbing coffee creamer and sugar and shoving them into his coat pocket after he slipped it on. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Nah, I can hold down the fort while you’re gone.”

Leo smiled as he grabbed his hat. “Thanks. There’s croissants in the oven, but they’ll be done as soon as that timer goes off! I’ll be right back, ok?”

Nate gave him a look. “No you won’t.”

“No, I won’t.” Leo agreed with a laugh. “But I’ll be back before morning rush.” He said as he braced himself and opened the door to be greeted by the frigid Canadian winter.

Even after a year and a half, he had a feeling he’d never get used to this weather.

He made a beeline for his car, quickly getting behind the wheel and cranking the heat as high as it would go. He put the car in drive and slowly pulled out onto the road, keeping a firm grip on the wheel and his eyes on the road. He knew he was probably causing a traffic build-up behind him, which made Leo feel a little guilty. He’d driven through hurricanes countless times, but snow? Black ice? He was absolutely terrified of that. So he took his time, eventually turning off the main road and driving until he reached a sign with red lettering and a Christmas tree lot. There were handmade wreaths and garlands, and white Christmas lights strung up over the rows of trees for sale.

Leo put the car in park and grabbed his stuff, breath hitching as he faced the cold winds again. Marius, the head of the Tremblay family, was at the checkout counter, writing something down on a pad of paper. Once he looked up and saw Leo, he smiled broadly. “Hey, Nut!”

“Good morning.” Leo replied, raising the basket and thermos in his hands. “I come bearing gifts. Coffee and croissants.”

“You know you don’t have to do that.” Marius said as he gave Leo a stern look. “I’m sure you’ve got other things to do.”

Leo shrugged, opening the basket and offering them to the man. “I like doing this. Y’all work hard and have ridiculously long hours. And you work in this weather. I feel like you could use a little warmth.”

“You and your southern manners.” He grabbed a croissant anyways, taking a big bite. “Your favorite’s still out there bringing some trees in.” He said, motioning to one of the groves to the left. Leo could faintly hear the sound of a chainsaw in the distance.

“I don’t have favorites,” Leo protested as he set the thermos and croissants down on the table, even though it was clearly a bald-faced lie. He thought of evergreen eyes and a gorgeous laugh and a smile that left him breathless. He blamed the redness of his cheeks and ears on the cold. “I like all of you equally.”

“Right.” Marius said, dragging out the vowel. He was smiling, though. “He’s lucky to have a friend like you, you know.”

Leo had to force his smile to remain steadfast. Friend. That was all this was ever going to be, no matter how much his heart yearned for something more. He needed to learn to be content with that – it wasn’t fair to Logan otherwise, or to himself for that matter. He could be a good friend and leave it at that. It was still better than not knowing him at all.

“I think I’m the lucky one.” He said, only then remembering the sugar and coffee creamers in his coat pocket. He fished them out and set them on the counter next to the thermos. “I do have to get going, though. I’ve got the breakfast rush to deal with.”

Marius waved him off playfully, grabbing another croissant. “Go on, then. I’ll try to save some for the rest of them.”

Leo laughed at his antics, breath clouding in the air. “I’m holding you to that.”

Marius watched him get in his car and drive off very slowly with a chuckle. Damn southerners. He looked down at the coffee creamers and sugar, knowing Logan was the only one in the family that used them, and started speculating.

He heard the rumbling of the truck as it came in, the back loaded to the brim with trees. Noelle and Logan’s bickering could be heard before the truck’s engine got turned off, which was saying something. Marius grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee. He was going to need it.

“I mean, come on. Back to the Future is clearly the superior 80s movie. It’s definitely better than Top Gun.”

Logan closed his door, staring at his sister with a combination of horror and disbelief. “How dare you. Those aren’t even in the same genre!”

Noelle looked over at Marius right as she was about to start her counterargument and spotted the pastries and coffee. She grinned and abandoned Logan at the back of the truck in order to beat him to the food. One croissant was immediately shoved into her mouth as she grabbed another and then reached for a coffee cup one-handed. Marius snorted and grabbed it from her, filling it with steaming coffee.

She groaned. “Lolo, your friend needs to stop by more often. Fuck, this is good. If I wasn’t in a committed relationship already, I’d ask him to marry me.”

“Please don’t call me that.” Logan said gruffly, but his words were betrayed by a smile. He looked down at the pastries, eyes soft and smile dopy.

Marius knew that look. More importantly, he knew his son. And everything fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

“Maybe Logan should ask, instead.” He teased, although a part of him was completely genuine.

Logan choked on his first bite of croissant.

.

“Finn!” June shouted as soon as she flung the door open, throwing herself into his arms. Finn laughed and hugged her back. Two seconds into his visit and he knew this was going to be the best way to spend the week before Christmas. He hadn’t seen June since they graduated college and, even though they kept in touch, it wasn’t the same.

“Four years is way too long.” He said as she let go. “Let’s not go that long without seeing each other again, ok?”

“Deal.” She replied, grabbing his bag for him and leading the way inside. The apartment was warm and cozy and lived in – there were books on the coffee table and a large pile of mail on the counter and a few stray dishes in the sink.

Finn loved it.

Heather, June’s fiancée, smiled in greeting and stuck her hand out to shake. “You must be Finn.”

He had originally thought it might be a little bit awkward, meeting his ex-girlfriend’s fiancée, but Heather seemed kind and welcoming and unperturbed about the whole thing. He shook her hand and returned the smile. “Heather. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh god.” She laughed, shooting June a look. June just winked and leaned over to check whatever food was in the oven.

“All good things.” Finn promised, letting Heather lead him to the guest room. It was as happy and welcoming as the rest of the apartment. As soon as they were out of earshot, he continued, “I’m really happy for you guys. She’s happier than I've ever seen her.”

“So am I.” Heather said wistfully as Finn set his bag down. “Bathroom’s through that door if you need it.”

“Thanks.”

When he rejoined the group in the living room, he noticed something: a distinct lack of Christmas decorations. June used to love decorating her college dorm room for the holidays – she went all out with little things she bought at the Dollar Tree and a miniature Christmas tree from Walmart. They used to get the tree together every year. It was strange that she hadn’t continued the tradition.

“No tree?” He asked June, surprised. She shrugged and scooted over on the couch to make room for all three of them.

“Haven’t had the time. I’ve been so busy at work and Heather’s been traveling for conferences. It’s not the same when you have to decorate by yourself.”

Finn hummed understandingly. He knew the feeling. “Why don’t we go get one now? Do you think some places are still open this late?”

Heather and June looked at each other, seeming to have a telepathic conversation. Finn watched on in amusement as they communicated with raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes and shrugs until they apparently made up their minds.

“Tremblay’s is probably still open. They’ve got the best trees, anyways.” June explained, turning to look at Finn. “But I’ve got to stay here and make sure our dinner doesn’t burn.”

“And I’ve got to stay here and supervise June while she uses the oven.” Heather added. Finn laughed, remembering too many times June had burned herself while using the rickety old oven from the 1970s that still lived on in their dorm building.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Finn teased and ruffled June’s hair. She just rolled her eyes and didn’t even bother trying to smooth it out again. Ruffling hair was one of Finn’s main ways of showing affection – she knew it would just get messed up again. Finn fished his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his navigation app. “I can go get the tree, if you want. You said the place was called Tremblay’s?”

“Finn, you really don’t have to-”

“No, I want to!” He cut in, standing up from the couch to grab his coat. “I didn’t bring presents for you guys because I’m so bad at gift-giving, so this can be my Christmas present.”

Heather hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t mind?” She asked, glancing at June again. “We can always go out and get a tree tomorrow.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be back soon, and with a tree!” Finn said as he reached the door, turned to give a cheery salute, and headed out to his car.

After a frankly terrifying drive through narrow back roads and potential ice hazards, Finn followed his app to a little tree farm off of the main road. There weren’t many cars there, thankfully, and it still looked open. The rows of white lights hanging above the trees were all lit and glowing, snow was falling at a slow, sleepy pace. It looked perfect, like something out of a dream.

And that was before Finn saw him.

The man working the front counter.

Finn raked his gaze over the man and swooned. Wavy brown hair, bright eyes, shoulders and arms so broad and built that it seemed like they were about to rip the plaid shirt he was wearing. With a nametag that stated Logan, he seemed like a rugged, Canadian, lumberjack dreamboat. Finn swallowed, making his way to the counter and the absolute vision behind it while he focused on not tripping over his own two feet.

“Hi,” Finn managed, trying not to get lost in evergreen eyes. “I’d like to buy a tree, please.”

“What type of tree would you like?”

Oh, the accent.

Finn was screwed.

“Uh…” Finn trailed off, looking at Logan and struggling to find words. “A Christmas tree?”

“Spruce, pine, or fir?” When Finn’s expression turned more confused, Logan smiled in exasperated, awed delight. Who drove all this way for a tree and had no clue what they were looking for? Most people at least had some idea. But not this one, apparently. Those big, Bambi eyes were lost and absolutely adorable.

“Do you have a size you’re looking for?” Logan asked, receiving a more perplexed look.

This was too funny. “Do you know anything about what kind of tree you want?”

“A pretty one? But not too expensive. Or too tall. Or heavy – I’ve got to get it up a huge flight of stairs.”

Logan couldn’t hold back the laughter any longer. He leaned forwards against the counter and laughed, eyes squeezing shut and shoulders shaking. Finn watched with a smile of his own, taking in the way his eyes crinkled at the corners and the contagious nature of his laugh. He felt like this – this right here – was the only thing he wanted to do for the next several hours, especially if he was the reason for the laughter. He thought of that song he could never remember the name of but heard a lot on Tiktok that said, “oh no, I think I’m catching feelings” and never related to a song more in his entire life.

“Ok,” Logan said when he’d finally caught his breath. “Ok, I’m going to pick one out for you, how’s that sound…?”

“Finn.” The redhead supplied with a laugh of his own. “And please. I have no clue what I’m doing.”

“Clearly.” Logan stepped around the counter and led him towards a group of trees. “These are Douglas Firs. They last a long time, smell great, and they don’t take a lot of trimming or maintenance. They’re also pretty cheap since they’re so common.”

Finn looked from the trees to another group of trees a little ways off. “They all look the same.”

“Who’s the expert here?” Logan teased, shooting him a look over his shoulder as he walked from one tree to the next. Finn trailed after him eagerly, watching calloused, muscular hands trail along the needles of the trees.

“We can go look at the Fraser Firs, if you want, but I really think one of these is your best bet.” Logan continued, stopping in front of a mid-sized tree. “How about this one?”

Finn looked at it, then back at Logan. “What do you think? Since I clearly don’t know anything about trees.” That drew another smile from Logan, which made Finn vow to himself to make the brunet smile like that again.

Logan dragged the tree out from the rest of the group and looked it over. “I think it’s a good one. Good shape, healthy. I sure know how to pick ‘em, eh?”

Eh. How adorably Canadian.

“Sounds good. It’s not even for me, so my input doesn’t really matter a whole lot.”

Logan sent him a confused look. “So you went out at nine o’clock at night to get a Christmas tree, and it’s not for you?”

“I don’t even live in this country.”

“What?”

“I’m visiting friends that live here, and they’ve been traveling or too busy to decorate like they normally do, so I decided I’d get the ball rolling and find them a Christmas tree.” Finn shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Not only was he stunning, he was thoughtful to boot.

Logan clearly had a type.

“That’s nice of you.” He removed the tree from its stand and started lugging it to the counter, watching the redhead trail behind him yet again out of the corner of his eye. When he reached his destination, he set the tree down and found Finn staring at him with a look of awe on his face. He bit back a smile. “How long are you staying?”

Finn was silent for a second, as if in a trance, then snapped out of it with a little shake of his head. “Huh?”

That smile he was holding back broke through. “How long are you staying in town?”

“Oh. Just for the week, then I’m off to spend Christmas with my family back home in New York.”

“A New Yorker, huh?” Logan asked as he bagged the tree up, attempting to do the accent and making Finn laugh. “This must be quite the change of pace for you.”

“You have no idea.”

Finn’s stomach growled, making his eyes widen and his cheeks burn in embarrassment. It must’ve been loud enough for Logan to hear because he turned back around to face Finn and quirked an eyebrow. “Hungry?” He asked, then told Finn the price of the tree. Finn handed his card over.

“Yeah. Haven’t had dinner yet.”

“I, uh, I know a place.” Logan said, playing with Finn’s credit card before meeting his eyes and quickly adding, “If you’re interested. I haven’t had dinner either.”

Finn grinned, not even trying to hide his excitement. The only thing he’d wanted when he left June and Heather’s apartment was a tree. Now he had a potential date with this gorgeous, witty guy? Yes please. “Yeah?”

Logan shared his smile, leaning forward against the counter and looking up at him through dark, dark eyelashes. Finn’s heart fluttered. “Yeah. Sounds fun to me.”

“Great.” Finn said, unsure of what else to say and suddenly feeling a little awkward. Was he supposed to wait for him to finish his shift? Were they driving together? Where was this restaurant?

He needed to text June.

Shit. She had been making dinner when he left. But he’d already agreed to dinner with Logan. But it would be so rude to not spend time with his hosts. But he would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn’t go on this date.

He pulled out his phone as Logan ran his card through the system to text June.

To June: Sooooo there might be a change of plans. Some hot guy is my acting tour guide for the night and I won’t be making it home for dinner. But I promise I have a tree and I will be back eventually.

It only took June a few seconds to respond.

From June: Damn. You go, Finn.

He laughed under his breath, then pocketed his phone. When he looked up, Logan was looking at him and holding his card out. Finn grabbed it and shoved it into his wallet, which he pocketed. “Ready to go?” Logan asked, grabbing the trunk of the tree and preparing to drag it again. “I can drive, if you want. We’ll strap the tree to the top of your car and then head out.”

“Works for me. Do you need help with that?” Finn motioned to the tree. Not that he minded the view – quite the contrary – but he felt bad not doing anything.

“Want to grab the netting towards the top? We can carry it instead of dragging it.”

Finn grabbed the netting and followed Logan’s lead as they both lifted the tree and started carrying it out to Finn’s car, Finn giving directions as they went. Getting the tree to the top of the rental car was a struggle, but they managed and strapped it down.

They hurried to Logan’s car and shut out the cold as quickly as they could. Logan started the rickety old pickup truck that smelled strongly of Christmas trees and took off down the road at a much faster pace than Finn would ever dare to drive these roads.

“I have a feeling you’re going to love this place.” Logan said as he turned right onto the main road, accelerating a bit more. “Pretty much everyone does. It’s not very Canadian, but you can’t beat the food.”

“What defines a restaurant as Canadian?” Finn mused, looking over at the driver. “Maple syrup? Poutine?”

“Watch it.” There was no heat in Logan’s voice, so Finn didn’t take it to heart. They slowed down and pulled into a parking lot of a diner simply called Leo’s. The outside looked a little rundown, which made Finn a little apprehensive, but the windows were all fogged up from the temperature difference between inside and outside, which was always promising.

Logan turned the car off and shot Finn an excited grin. “Ready?”

Finn couldn’t tell if he was excited for dinner with him or just the food. Hopefully it was both.

The inside of the diner was… eclectic. The walls were a faint yellow, but there were splashes of deep purple, green, and gold in the decorations on the walls. Mardis Gras, Finn realized as he spotted some masks hanging on the wall. The food smelled amazing – warm and spicy and savory. Behind the baked goods on display counter stood a young kid with a cleaning spray and a rag, wiping down the counters. He looked up at the bell that signaled the door opening and instantly recognized Logan. He sent them a smile before turning his head and shouting towards the direction of the kitchen, “Leo!”

There was a loud clang, followed by a muffled curse. “Be there in a jiffy!”

Finn looked to Logan in confusion. “Was that a southern accent? Like American south?”

“Leo.” Was all Logan said, a happy smile on his face.

“You guys can go ahead and sit down,” The kid at the counter said. “I’ll bring some menus.”

“Thanks, Nate.” Logan led the way towards a booth in the front corner of the dining area and sat down facing the door. Finn sat opposite him, accepting a menu with thanks. The menu consisted of southern U.S. staples – biscuits and gravy, grits, red beans and rice, fried chicken, etouffee, jambalaya, po’boys, fried catfish, cornbread, the list went on.

“So is this guy from Louisiana?”

Logan wasn’t even looking at the menu, he was watching every nuance of Finn’s expressions as he took everything in. “New Orleans, born and raised.”

“How the hell did he end up here?”

“He had an uncle who owned this place and left it to Leo when he died. Originally he was just going to fix it up and sell it before going back home, but two months led to a year and he’s still here. Doesn’t seem to be planning on going anywhere else for a while, either.” Logan suddenly perked up, looking at something over Finn’s shoulder. “Here he comes.”

Finn swiveled in his seat and stopped dead in his tracks.

Tall.

They were both greeted by a dimpled smile as Leo approached their table, flour or powdered sugar – Finn wasn’t sure which one – all over his apron and a dusting of it in his fluffy blond hair.

“Hey, Logan. See you’ve brought company!” His accent dragged sweet and slow like molasses, so very out of place this far north. But it was refreshing, like a breath of fresh air or the sun coming out from behind the clouds after a week of rain. As he got closer, Finn realized what he’d thought to be flour in his hair was actually a gray streak. And wow, were his eyes blue.

How was everyone here so attractive?

“Finn, meet Leo. Leo, this is Finn.” Logan said, smile never leaving his face as he looked between the two. “He’s new here.”

Leo arched an eyebrow. “And you brought him here?”

“You do have the best pie in town.”

That got another sunny smile from Leo. “Damn right I do. But dinner first. Can’t go on spoilin’ your dinner with pie.” Those blue eyes turned to Finn, causing his breath to hitch just a little. “What’ll you have, sugar?”

Finn simply wasn’t going to survive this night. Was this a dream? That would explain all the attractive guys – the probabilities of something like this happening in real life were slim to none. He pinched his arm harshly. Not a dream.

What the fuck?

Finn realized he still hadn’t answered and was just staring at the blond. He cleared his throat and quickly averted his gaze to the menu, not really reading anything but grateful for something else to look at besides the two guys in front of him. “Um… what would you recommend?” He finally asked, grateful that he could get his vocal cords to actually work.

Leo hummed, thinking about it. “Personally I really like the muffuletta, if you’re looking for a sandwich. Definitely the gumbo if you’re in the mood for soup. I do make a mean fried catfish, too.”

Finn wasn’t sure what exactly a muffuletta was, but he ordered it. Logan got his usual, whatever that meant. Leo wrote down their orders and gave them one last smile before retreating to the kitchen. They both watched him go, then Finn whipped back around to face Logan.

“Is he real?”

Logan just laughed, leaning back in his seat. Finn panicked for half a second, terrified that what he’d said was the worst possible thought to voice on what was potentially a first date. But Logan didn’t seem to mind. He just looked back at the kitchen with a soft smile Finn hadn’t seen before.

“You know, I ask myself that a lot.” He said quietly, as if he hadn’t meant to say it out loud. And Finn finally understood.

He was in love with Leo.

The sound of a record scratching filled Finn’s head.

Wait.

That didn’t make any sense… because Finn was ninety-five percent sure that Logan had been flirting with him all night.

Hadn’t he?

They made small talk while they waited for their food, and Logan was pleasantly surprised at how… easy it was. He normally didn’t like small talk and didn’t share personal stories with strangers, but here Finn was, pulling stories out of him that he normally wouldn’t share on a first date.

Was this a date? Logan couldn’t decide if he wanted it to be one or not. One hand, this was definitely the most fun he’d had in weeks. On the other hand, Leo. He sent a glance towards the kitchen window before focusing back on Finn’s story about one of the parties he and June went to back in college. There was lots of alcohol, mattresses, and a roof involved. Finn’s storytelling included a myriad of different expressions, all of which Logan found endearing. The wrinkle of his nose when he talked about drunk frat boy antics, the way he got all soft whenever he talked about June, the laughter lines around his eyes when he told a funny anecdote.

How was it possible to be so cute and yet so hot at the same time?

And how had he met two guys who fit into both of those categories?

Nate brought their food out while Logan was in the middle of a story about the time he’d found a squirrel in one of their trees and got attacked when he tried to relocate the thing when Nate came back with the food. Finn had the muffuletta, which was apparently meat and cheese and some sort of olive spread or something – Finn had no idea, but it looked and smelled amazing. Logan had a bowl of red beans and rice in front of him, but he was waiting to see Finn’s reaction to the food before starting his own.

Finn took a bite of the sandwich, then his eyes widened almost comically. “Oh my god.”

“I know.” Logan said, getting a spoonful of red beans and rice.

“Where has this been all my life?”

“Just wait until you try the pie.”

Finn didn’t speak again, he just ate. The food clearly took precedence over any possible conversations. Logan couldn’t help but agree. Finn ate like a man who hadn’t seen food in a week, finishing the sandwich in record time. He leaned back in his seat when he was done, letting out a happy, content sigh. “Holy shit. Is everything on the menu that good?”

“Pretty much.”

“And he hasn’t been on the Food Network yet?”

Logan grinned. “Not that I’m aware of.”

“We should tell them to get up here and try this food.”

“Y’all, I don’t have time for the Food Network.” Finn jumped a little as Leo reappeared with two slices of pie. “I appreciate it, though. You liked it, huh?”

Finn looked up at him. “I kind of want to come back every day I’m here.” And he meant it. He wouldn’t be coming back just for the food, though.

“Well, I definitely won’t stop you.” Leo said with a dimpled smile. Finn barely held in a dreamy sigh.

Dimples.

“Why don’t you join us?” Finn asked, scooting over to make room for the blond. But Leo just shook his head with a rueful smile.

“I wish I could, but I’ve got twelve pies that need to be made.”

“Twelve?” Finn asked in mild horror. ��When do you sleep?”

“The chocolate crème pies are in high demand, especially around the holidays. But it’s fine, I don’t mind it. I’m just glad I've got business.” Leo seemed to be ignoring the sleep question, which was never a good sign.

“You look tired.” Logan noted, face muddled with concern.

Leo laughed softly, but didn’t seem to take offense. “Thanks a lot, darlin’.”

Logan broke eye contact and pushed the residual whipped cream around on his plate. Finn hadn’t even realized he’d started eating, but he quickly followed suit and fuck, was that good.

“I just meant you need to take care of yourself, that’s all.” Logan mumbled into his plate without looking up, almost as if he was afraid to see the cook’s response.

“Says the guy who works even longer hours than I do.” Leo teased, causing Logan to roll his eyes.

“That’s because it’s almost Christmas and I work at a Christmas tree farm. It’s only temporary. We’ll be back to normal by the end of the week.”

“Well, good. You deserve to sleep in for once.” Leo said, taking a step back towards the kitchen. “But I really do have to go. Those pies won’t make themselves.”

“Do you want help?” Finn asked hopefully, He honestly couldn’t think of a better way to spend the night than baking with these two. Being given instructions in a thick southern drawl, helping Logan make pie filling, trading stories (and maybe kisses) while they waited for the pies to be done.

But Leo quickly dashed his dreams. “That’s sweet, honey, but I think I’ll be faster on my own. I’ve got a system that makes it pretty efficient. And I don’t give out my recipes to just anyone, you know.”

Oh, but I’d love to be someone to you.

Logan also looked disappointed. “We should get going, then. Don’t want to keep distracting you.”

“At least you’re a welcome distraction.” Leo said with a wink before he turned and disappeared into the kitchen. He let the door close behind him before backing up to lean against it, tilting his head back to rest against the wood and closing his eyes. The happy façade dropped in an instant.

Because Logan was out there, on a date with a guy. A handsome, kind, funny guy who would have absolutely no trouble sweeping Logan off his feet.

And that guy wasn’t Leo.

.

Finn flopped dramatically onto the couch back at June’s apartment, muffling a scream into a poor, unsuspecting pillow. June looked up from her book with a laugh. “Well hello to you, too.”

“I’m in love.”

“Oh?” Heather asked from her spot cuddled up next to June.

Finn turned his head sideways to open one eye and look at the two of them. “With a lumberjack and a cook.”

“Ah,” June said knowingly as she dog-eared the page she was on and closed the book. “Beware the lumberjacks. They’re known to be irresistible. Alright then, which Tremblay was it?”

Finn cocked his head. “What?”

Heather smiled as June tilted her head back and let her run her fingers through dark brown curls. They were so cute it was almost sickening. “There’s four of them: three sisters and a brother. Which one did you fall for?”

Finn couldn’t have held back the smile that crossed his face even if he tried. “Logan.”

June groaned. “I get it. Holy shit, those eyes.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t know he cooked, though.”

“No, the cook was another guy.” Finn sighed as he twisted to lay on his back and stare wistfully up at the ceiling. “Leo.”

“The southern one with the diner?”

“That’s the one.”

“Damn, O’Hara. You do know-”

“They’re head-over-heels in love with each other? Yeah, I got that.” Finn stretched his legs out to rest on June’s lap. “But I’m also pretty sure that was a date. And that Logan was flirting with me.” He sighed again, covering his eyes with his arm. “I’m doomed.”

“Always so dramatic.” June teased. “Just date both of them.”

Finn froze, his mind going completely blank. “What?”

“Date both of them.” She repeated, unfazed. “Polyamorous relationships are a thing, you know. Who says you can’t date both of them?”

Finn moved his arm away from his face to stare at her. “Huh.” He finally said, mind kicking back into gear. That sounded… perfect, actually. Only a few hitches. Did Leo even like him? They’d barely talked to each other. Finn could see Logan being ok with the whole dating two people thing, seeing that he was flirting with both of them, but what would Leo think? And the other hitch. “I’m only for a week, though.”

“Then you’d better act fast, lover boy.”

“I’ve got a question.” Heather piped up.

Finn looked at her and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to ask her question.

“Where’s the tree?”

He could probably see it from their front window if he bothered to stand up, still strapped to his rental car. “Shit.”

[jessiebanethedragon]

Can you do some fluff with hunter where he and the bad batch meets the reader with her parents at her house (maybe for an important gathering)? The reader is super shy and nervous when her parents first introduces her and she hides behind a wall, but she slowly comes out to greet them. Hunter flirts with the reader, complimenting her on how beautiful and pretty she is and calls her his princess Hunter kisses the reader’s hand like she’s a princess and her parents are like “I like him”

I hope i got this right, and i wrote it more princess style anyways because i love the idea of medieval!Bad Batch, hope you enjoy oxoxox 

Lets face it, meeting new people sucks. From the fake smiles and awkward handshakes to boring small talk and nods of ‘oh how lovely’. Meeting a bunch of super elite Clones was somehow ten times worse. Why did you even have to be here anyways? It’s not like they were here for you. Curse whoever out there decided your father needed increased security. 

Your mother calls your name and you groan. Curse dresses as well. The floor length thing makes you trip when you walk and looks ridiculous anyways. Stupid senators with their stupid fashion. 

You walk with your head down, like usual, watching the tips of your toes peak out from the swaying skirt. Avoiding the busy hallways, instead opting for the lesser traveled older corridors that fill your childhood memories. Stopping when the corridor gives way to the fresh air of the outside. You just couldn't do this. 

“Where is that daughter of ours?” your mother sighs, calling your name again, before turning back to the open courtyard. Your father looks completely unbothered. 

“She will be here in her own time.” He states, laying a comforting hand on your mother's raised shoulders. 

“It’s rude.” she counters worriedly.  “Oh maker look, there they are.” You hear the ship before you see it. Swooping downward at a tremendous speed that makes you take a few steps back in shock. Covering your eyes from the harsh wind that it brings down you retreat to the shadows. You cannot do this, you simply can’t. You’re thinly veiled annoyance is caving inwards to reveal your fear. Throat clenching as you see one, then two and three, and a massive fourth clone step off the ship. All cased in terrifying armour that shows you exactly how dangerous they all are. And with the helmets they look less human and more like human killing droids. Even though that's what they're here to protect you from. 

“They’ll be nice,” you tell yourself pacing as you try and force your feet outside. “Don’t judge a bantha by it’s herder.” And yet, you remain in the safety of your corridor watching as they cross over to your parents.

It’s the tallest one who takes his helmet off first, revealing a scared bald head that scares you senseless. In Front of him must be the most annoyed man ever, his scowl does nothing to soothe your nerves and whoever's beside him seems too engrossed with his vambrace to even look at your parents, let alone you in your hiding spot. And the last one, well the last one is something else entirely. He’s got the darkest and longest hair out of any of them, and from his position at the front of the group he’s clearly the leader. His red bandana makes you want a smile, clearly he doesn't like hair in his face. Your smile falls when you see why. The other half, the one that wasn't facing you is covered in a black tattoo of a skull, and your stomach plummets. Horrifying. But you still haven’t taken your eyes off of him. Horrifying and captivating. He catches your eye just long enough to wink before you dash behind one of supportive pillars. 

“Greetings gentlemen!” Your father booms. 

“Senator. It's a pleasure,” The guff voice greets your ear and you know exactly who it belongs to. 

“Likewise, I've heard amazing things about you and your men.” There's a bumbling of introductions between them and your mother. Before you hear the dreaded words. 

“My daughter should be around here somewhere.” she calls your name yet again and you have no choice but to take shaky steps over to the group. The walk feels like it takes ages and you can feel a particular set of eyes on you as you go. Looking up to find a smirk on his tattooed face and hand extended towards your own. Hesitantly you pace yours in his. 

“M’lady.” He greets, brings your hand to his lips and places a very deliberate kiss to your knuckles. Even with his gloved hands you can feel how firm they are and part of your mind wonders how good at kissing he really is. 

“This is Sergeant Hunter, he’ll be running things around here for now,” You father supplies. 

“It’s uhm, nice to meet you.” You squeak out. Taking your hand away but somehow holding eye contact. 

“Trust me, the pleasure is all mine.” The man is looking at you with respectful longing, something you didn't even think was possible to convey with just a look. And you, well you just sorry to stand there and try not to drool. 

“Ah yes, well.” You stammer, thinking of any excuse to get you out of his presence. “I should be returning to my notes.” perhaps not the most impressive lie you’ve ever told, but it’ll do. You spin on your heels to take off. 

“Would it trouble you to lead us inside?” The sergeant asks ever so kindly, and you swear he sees your nervous shakes. “I’d like to see the physical layout not on a holomap, if that's alright with you.” He turns to your parents for permission which they gladly grant him, and he’s by your side in an instant. His crew trailing a few paces behind, all murmuring between themselves. 

“Well, yes, i uh, well, right this way.” You look up at him, to receive a full smile. And maker he is so much more handsome up close. You blush brightly when he offers you his arm. 

“I think the sergeant is a good fit,” Your mother says, with a smile. 

“I Couldn't agree more.” Your father agrees, offering his arm to his wife and following you and the commandos back inside. 

[rwbyremnants]

=Chapter 36

In no time, the three of them were in the backyard. Ruby looked nervous to the point of nauseated, but she was trying to be good about masking her nerves. And failing.

“What’s going on?” Yang finally hissed.

“Yeah, and why am I here?” Weiss asked. “Seriously, I thought you would only want your sister’s advice.”

The small girl squirmed, fidgeting with her fingers. “Well… jeepers, I think you’re really swell, Weiss, and you’re so nice to me! And you helped me and Yang start talking again, so it seems to me like you’re great at advice, y’know? A-and I thought it made sense to ask you! But if you don’t want me to ask your advice about stuff anymore, that’s fine! Really!”

“Why don’t you tell us what the problem is first?” Yang chuckled, cuffing her around the chin.

“Okay. I… yeah.” Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself. “I d-don’t know what to do about Homecoming!”

“Huh?”

“The dance! Remember? The… one you asked Weiss to?”

Rolling her eyes, she said, “I know what Homecoming is. What’s your beef with it?”

“Penny. She asked me, and I kinda… shot her down, but I didn’t mean to! She just really caught me off my guard - since I don’t even think girls can go with other girls. But now she kinda thinks I don’t want to go.”

“Ohhhhh,” Weiss breathed, nodding in understanding. “Yeah, I remember that now.”

“Right!” Pulling at her hair, she started pacing as she went on, “And now I wanna make it up to her in a really big way! But… this isn’t my thing, y’know? And I don’t even know if I like her in that way, but she seems to have caught it from you guys.”

Unable to help herself, Yang burst into laughter, doubling over and slapping her knee. Ruby pouted, and Weiss patted her arm gently until the Dragon could manage speech again. “CAUGHT! Like it’s… the goddamn measles!”

“Well, she did! Seeing so many girls dating? Y’know?”

“Ohhhh… oh boy, that was great.” Straightening up and wiping her eyes, she said, “You’re a big tickle, Sis!”

“Forget her,” Weiss sighed in mild annoyance, patting Ruby’s shoulder now. “I think it’s very nice that you want to go with Penny… assuming there’s no fella who’s caught your eye?”

“Not really,” she admitted with a little shrug.

“Then there’s no reason you two can’t go as friends. If she wants to think of it as a date, that’s fine, right? Just… tell her you have bad breath if she wants to make out.”

Yang snorted. “You don’t even have to do that. Okay, here’s what you’ll do…”

As she whispered into Ruby’s ear, Weiss tried to busy herself with staring off into the clouds. The whispering went on, and on, and on, and Ruby only nodded and breathed a little “Ohhhh” or “Yes!” to indicate she was listening. Eventually, she decided the two sisters needed this time to conspire and made her way back into the house, knowing she would scarcely be missed. They could always track her down later.

“Why the long face, Little Weiss?”

She squirmed. “My father was the last one to call me that.”

Kali frowned, setting the pie that had just come out of the oven down in the middle of the dining room table to cool. “It will never be uttered again.”

“No, no, I… it’s alright. You mean it very differently than he did.”

“Naturally.” She came over to drape her arm around her shoulders. “What was the matter before you came in here, then?”

“Nothing, actually. Today has been… very nice. All up and down the map! I just felt a little left out trying to keep up with Ruby and Yang. And I know that’s stupid,” she hurried ahead, making sure she got her words in before Kali’s rebuttal.

“Of course it isn’t stupid. Erroneous, maybe. But your feelings are your feelings.” When Weiss still didn’t look convinced, she guided her over and sat her in a chair. “You’ve had Yang all to yourself all day, and now you don’t, so you’re sad. But that will pass.”

Nodding, she stared down at the table for a second. Then something strange came to her; something she wasn’t sure she should say. But she began with, “Mrs. B?”

“Kali,” she corrected gently.

“Kali. Um… I know Blake has been weird about it, but… I think it’s a kick that you and my mother are becoming friends. And I can tell she’s really happy, too.”

The older woman blinked a few times before her lips twitched into a small smile. Weiss knew that one; adults always smiled like that when their children were being good in a “cute” way. “Thank you.”

“Ugh… fine, nevermind.”

“No, no, I mean it.” She took Weiss’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I actually do appreciate you saying so. You’ve already pointed out how strange it would be if I stopped flirting with you to flirt with your mother, and I can’t disagree, but… as of right now, I really am just happy to be there for your family. And having your support in that only makes me even happier.”

Allowing her lips to twitch into a smile, she breathed in relief, “Good.” Then she patted the back of Kali’s hand. “Where’s Blake, anyway?”

“Out with Emerald and some of the others. I’m not sure. Would you care to help me with my pasta? It’ll be time to get dinner going soon.”

“Yeah! I mean, we have to pull our weight around here.”

“That wasn’t why I asked,” she laughed, glancing up as Willow entered. “Ah, good ‘morning’ in the afternoon.”

But Weiss’s mother was busy breathing in deeply, eyes closed in bliss. “That… smells… divine.” The other two only giggled in bemusement as they all headed into the kitchen.

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

The rest of their Saturday was fairly uneventful and dull, but highly pleasant. Yang and Ruby stayed for dinner, the latter mentioning that Uncle Qrow had only been planning to open some cans of tuna for them that night - which made Kali turn her offer into an outright command that she not leave only to head toward such a disappointing fate. Blake turned up halfway through and wolfed down some food, making some excuses not to hang around with them more and heading up to bed.

When Weiss tried to ask what that was about later, she only whispered that she wanted to be left alone. She almost felt like pressing the point - since they had been making such great progress lately. But Blake insisted that nothing was wrong, she just wasn’t up to speaking a great deal. Nothing more to be done from that point onward.

The next day, Weiss strongarmed Yang into getting together with Pyrrha so they could all study again. The redhead was one of the most patient teachers she had ever known - and she wasn’t even an actual teacher - but even she seemed to find Yang’s inability to grasp certain concepts a bit taxing from time to time. However, through dogged determination and their combined efforts, they all managed to help prepare Yang for the upcoming test.

Not that Yang’s frequent bribes of kisses helped. Weiss only succeeded in fighting her off most of the time, and no amount of throat-clearing from Pyrrha seemed to put her off it. At least she seemed to be moderately less queasy about things like that now.

Which Weiss asked her about a bit later, when they were taking a break.

“Am I what?!”

“Are you interested in Cinder?” she asked again, voice steady and bald of any deception. “Honestly.”

Clearing her throat, Pyrrha smoothed her hand over her hair as they fished the bottle of milk from the refrigerator. Mrs. Nikos had made a fresh batch of cookies that would go nicely with that. “You’re wrong, Weiss. I… know how it looked, but I don’t have those sorts of feelings for women.”

“Then why do you look so nervous when I ask about it?”

“Because I- I’ve never been accused of liking someone!” she burst out anxiously. “Cinder’s affections feel so strange, I- my stomach twists into knots when she touches me, but not in the good way you’re implying. Not the way it does when I see Jaune smile in class. It’s more like I feel… afraid.”

“Alright, alright,” Weiss tried to reassure her, a hand raised as the other held the glass steady for Pyrrha to pour. “I didn’t mean to pry. Honest! But you know how it looked at the hospit-”

“Yes! Yes, I… I know. But surely you understand that I only wanted to… to make Cinder feel less wrong, less… oh…”

“Sad?”

Pyrrha nodded, setting the bottle back in the ice box. “Sad. I’m sure you felt the same way I did. It simply isn’t right for a woman so full of confidence to be so broken. Don’t you agree?”

“I do. Seriously… that isn’t the part I’m wondering about. I knew why you did it. But once it was happening, and you were sitting next to her on the bed…”

“Yes.” Her wide eyes turned to Weiss. “What about it?”

“Then… you looked as if you were enjoying yourself. You just wished you weren’t.” Their gaze met, both of them uncertain. “Were you?”

The room fell silent for a few seconds. Pyrrha looked down into her glass of milk but didn’t respond, didn’t elaborate. Now Weiss felt awful for having brought it up at all. She was honestly hoping that a little gentle nudging might help Pyrrha come clean, or at least settle any fears the two of them might have been wondering about. Instead, it just seemed to awaken them afresh.

“Pyrrha, I’m really sorry if-”

“Hey, what’s taking you two cats so long?” The instant Yang stumbled into the room, she sensed the bleak atmosphere in the room and flinched back. “Whoa… why do I feel like I goofed in coming down here?”

Pyrrha favoured her with a practiced smile. “It’s nothing. Just getting distracted; I’m sorry. Here, take your glass; we… we won’t have to carry so much this way.”

She took it, shooting a confused look at her girlfriend - who had no great idea of how to respond exactly. She wanted to make amends for pushing too much. Even now, she still wanted to know if Pyrrha really didn’t like Cinder in a way beyond friendship, or if she was merely afraid of enjoying those frequent advances and wanted to cover those feelings so completely that they would cease to exist for all intents and purposes. If so… lying to herself was only going to hurt her in the long run.

But most of that was speculation. And Weiss cared more about supporting her friend than digging for the truth. She just wasn’t sure how best to go about supporting her in this situation anymore.

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

Monday morning brought school, and even more confusion about everything. Blake had been quite sullen and distant again the night before, but that morning she was all sunshine and rainbows, telling Weiss she looked nice and that she hoped they would all have a nice day in class. Pyrrha also acted like nothing had happened between them the night before, just plastering on her patented “politician smile” and greeting everyone cheerfully. In contrast, the normally-chipper Ruby was walking around in a cloud of uncertainty, acting jumpy - as if someone would spring out from inside of a locker and demand to know her true feelings about Penny.

Life was kooky.

The only thing that did make sense was Yang being in a fantastic mood. Their skinny dipping session had seemed to ease a lot of her anxieties and sorrows about other situations - such as her mom, and the fate of the Dragons overall. She locked arms with Weiss often and they chatted about fun, light topics. It was just what they needed.

Unfortunately, Ruby didn’t make good on any of her plans that day. Weiss asked what they were but Yang remained tight-lipped; she said it would be much more fun as a surprise when it went into effect. But it seemed they weren’t going to get that surprise today.

They were going to get another.

“Hey, kiddo,” Qrow called out as he strode over from the parking lot, his white-and-grey suit standing out like a sore thumb on the campus full of boys in sweater-vests and tweed sportcoats, polo shirts and lightweight jackets. The wave was casual. Yang tensed, but Weiss tried to remain calm; she wanted to see how this might go.

“Hey, Uncle!” Ruby piped up, grabbing him up in a hug. “What’s up? Am I not catching the bus?”

“Not today. Gotta head over to a neighbouring town for a run. Need my copilot.”

Her smile only widened at the prospect. This girl really did seem to love living with him as much as Weiss loved having her own mother back in her life. “YAY! Road trip, road trip!”

“Pipe down,” he rumbled in his gravelly voice, tousling her hair. The girl only giggled. Then he glanced over at Yang, face becoming somehow yet more passive than the already-nonchalant expression of before. “Yang.”

“Qrow.”

“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” Weiss shoehorned herself in, reaching out a hand. Hopefully, it might diffuse the tension. “Weiss Schnee.”

“Yeah. I know. Schnees have been runnin’ this town for years.” She drew back the hand an instant later. He hadn’t even glanced at it.

“Hey, lay off my girlfriend,” Yang warned him.

“Ooooh,” he breathed with both hands raised in false fear. “I’m shakin’. And shocked ya turned out just like your mom.”

Yang’s face darkened with anger. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Chasin’ skirts instead of chasin’ fellas. It’s…” He paused to choose his words carefully. “...a crazy coincidence, don’t ya think?”

“Mom doesn’t chase anybody. You know that. She doesn’t even go out anymore, she’s always working…” Her lips shut and she turned to march away, then thought better of it - but only enough to force herself to stand there with her back to Qrow and Ruby, arms folded over her chest and entire frame seething with barely-restrained rage.

“Sure, kiddo, sure. Been a while since I even talked to her.”

“That’s your fault. You picked your side, and you… you picked wrong.”

“Yang,” Ruby whispered, but Yang sighed in annoyance and she fell silent immediately.

“Really believe that, don’t ya?” he asked with a slight edge of biting humour. “Little spitfire. Too much of your mom, too much of your dad. Or maybe just enough.”

Folding her arms tighter, the Dragon grunted, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothin’. C’mon, Ruby.” But just as they began to stride away, Weiss hurried to circle around behind them, blocking their path. “Excuse us.”

“No.”

“Wanna try that again?”

“I said, ‘no’!” She stamped her foot as she went on, “You and Yang are going to talk, and if I have to… to kick you in the shins until you stay, I will! Don’t think I won’t!

Looking distinctly unimpressed, the man grunted, “Yang, do you wanna tug on your little girl’s leash here?”

However, Yang sighed in defeat, rubbing at one side of her face. “No… trust me, it’s not gonna make any difference. She gets something in her head and there’s no stopping her; we might as well accept it. What do you want us to do, Weiss?”

“Talk. Now. Is that really so crazy of me to ask? Really talk, don’t just say a bunch of mean things.” When nobody answered, she rolled her eyes and turned back to Qrow. “Let’s start with this: what did you mean by ‘just enough’ of her parents? I think you were going to say something nice.”

“You think all you want.” But of course she still wasn't moving. He rolled his eyes and said, “Fine, fine. I was gonna say… this is stupid.”

“No argument here,” Yang said with no hesitation. But before Weiss could protest, Qrow was actually answering – and it was a genuine answer.

“You got your mom's spunk. And that fierce loyalty that almost nobody really sees. She could have dumped you out in the streets, but even though she's about the worst candidate for a mother I've ever seen-”

“Forget this! I don't need to hear you talking about her like-”

“Wait, wait,” Ruby spoke up, finally seeming to catch on. She and Weiss shared a little smile. “I think… you should let him finish.”

Qrow looked a little ruffled by all the attention, but was trying to hide it behind a veneer of disinterest. “Like I said, she’s no prize as a mom. And she knew it. Always knew it; that’s why she gave you up in the first place. But after you two lost Summer… she took you in anyway. Takes a lot of guts to do something you don’t think you're any good at for somebody else because you’re the only name in the hat - and she’s been doin’ it for years and years. Because she doesn’t turn her back on family unless they give her a good reason. Real loyalty.”

Yang’s mouth just barely uttered an “Oh.”

“And as for Tai… he was kind of a flake, still don't know why he twenty-three skidooed on us. But he had a lotta love in his heart for his friends, family. Strong and didn’t know the meaning of ‘fear’. And, uh… I think you got a lot of both of ‘em. That’s all.”

“O-oh,” she breathed again, and this time Weiss noticed her eyes were watering. But she turned away, arms tightly folded over her chest. “Fine.”

“Yang,” Weiss insisted very quietly. But Yang didn’t budge. So she turned to Qrow and nodded at him. “Thank you for saying that.”

One hand waved it off while the other fell to his almost-niece’s shoulder. “Eh. C’mon, Ruby, we’re burnin’ daylight.”

“Okay,” she said quietly, favouring Weiss with an uncertain little smile. “See you later, okay?”

“Yeah. See you, Ruby.” Once they were out of earshot, Weiss stomped over to Yang and seethed at her back for a few seconds. “You could have at least said ‘thank you’ instead of ‘fine’.”

“Wh-why should I thank him? He just… still didn’t… what a big clod.”

Her arms wrapped around Yang’s waist, hugging her from behind as she shivered with unshed tears. “I know, I know. What a meanie, telling you that you’re loyal, and brave, and you have a big heart. How dare he!”

By that point, Yang was truly sobbing, and she turned to hold her girlfriend as close as she could, needing the creature comfort. Weiss did her best not to let her shock at this release show; just held her, petting over her back and hair and giving her the chance to have all those feelings. They stayed like that until Blake happened along and asked what the matter was, to which Yang completely sidestepped before rushing off to get home.

“That girl is just weird,” Blake remarked with a small shake of her head. “Mondo strange-o.”

“Yeah. So, um… do you think maybe her mom would let you come over now? Because it still seems like she’s being stubborn about houseguests. I think that stinks.”

Her shoulders raised up and down within her leather jacket, staring off after the blonde driving away on her motorcycle. Wistful but resigned. “Nah.”

“No?”

“Probably not. But I see her enough in school. And when the Dragons hang around, too, I guess.” When she saw Weiss squirm, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “You can stop now. I’m not a charity case, and I’m… okay with how things turned out. So enough with the babysitting. I’m fine, Weiss.”

She bit her lip for a second, indecisive. Then she finally hugged her around the middle. “I’m glad. Because I’m a Dragon now, too, remember? If you’re in pain, then I’m-”

“I get it,” she laughed weakly. “Let’s go home, you weird hug-monster.”

When they got there, they saw a few more bikes parked in the drive than were normal. And Weiss was just beginning to get familiar enough with her fellow gangsters to tell which bike was whose.

“Salem? And Vernal, and… and that is Cinder’s bike, I think, but she’s not even out of the hospital yet!”

Blake shrugged as she left her helmet on the handlebars. “We really need to get that new Shopkeeper’s set up. Somewhere.”

As she could have expected, Salem was seated in the living room with Kali and Sienna, discussing things in hushed voices. Weiss noticed her own mother was conspicuously absent; that would have worried her, but Kali looked far too calm for it to mean anything dire. Probably had her hidden upstairs.

“Ah, there are a few of our babies,” Kali said with a half-smile. “Good day at school?”

“High Dragon,” Weiss said with a slight bow in her direction. Salem barely tilted her head downward in recognition. “Where’s Cinder?”

Almost as if summoned, Cinder appeared from the dining room with a glass of iced tea. She was still heavily bandaged, and leaning on Emerald for support, but she looked a little more hale and hearty than she had the last time they saw her. Flirting with two women at once had done wonders for her complexion.

“Schnee,” she rasped with a slight smile, which Weiss returned.

“Fall.”

“Belladonna,” Blake grunted in mild annoyance at being ignored. Cinder smirked. “Now, what’s this all about? I didn’t know we were having a pow-wow. We would have told Yang.”

Salem waved a hand of dismissal. “This is not an official meeting, Blake. We’re discussing how to proceed.”

“He’s got a little too many higher-ups backing him to rub him out now,” Kali warned her, sounding as if she had already made that point before but was trying to rearrange her words so that they would be more convincing. Weiss’s gaze sharpened on the older women. “There’s no way it wouldn’t lead back to us - even if we asked the boys to do it instead.”

“Agreed. However, we may not have much choice; if we languish here while our enemy amasses yet more power, we may find the option vanishes from under our noses. He’ll be out of reach soon.”

Cinder spoke up, surprising them all. “Make it quick. Hell, I’ll do it - sweet revenge.”

“Wait, wait,” Weiss interrupted before Kali could speak again. “What is it we’re talking about? Who needs to be… you know.” She had a suspicion, but wanted to confirm.

Salem blinked at her a few times before she answered. “You haven’t heard? Our timetable has been… truncated.”

“I haven’t. I mean, apparently.”

For a moment, no one answered. Then Kali stood and crossed to her small television set, turning the dial to get it warming up. Within several seconds, they were staring at a black-and-white image of a newscaster with a handful of papers, gazing into the camera and trying to be serious without being dour, square jaw outlined in strong relief above his suit.

“...within these past weeks, with the fire at the abandoned building as further proof of criminal activity. Mr. Schnee says that he hopes his term in office as mayor will usher in a new age of peace and prosperity for the city of Vale. Now here’s Lisa Lavender with the weather…”

[mercurryblack]

Chapter 3: Cait

Shakes wait for nobody, unless it’s a murder case.

❃❃❃

“Haah… haah… haah… haaww, crap.”

Despite her best efforts, Lillian had been unable to catch up with her teammates, not least with the lead they had gained on her. She was far from lacking in stamina or fleetness of foot, but in the several minutes she had spent talking with Rudyard, the rest of her team had been too far ahead of her for any chance of overtaking them.

It had taken her nearly ten minutes to reach the restaurant even at a full sprint, and she was winded and sweating buckets by the time she arrived. Looking up through one of the restaurant’s bay windows, she caught a glimpse of Cait, Harriet, and Amaryllis, already seated in a booth and each enjoying a tall milkshake.

“Why, funny meeting you here, Lilly!” Cait grinned widely at their leader, as she dragged her feet in through the front doors. “These drinks are ten Lien each, thank you in advance~!”

Lillian groaned, shaking her head in exasperation as she tiredly walked over to the cashier to pay for her teammates’ shakes, including one for herself. “And there goes forty Lien down the drain…” she grumbled.

Amaryllis giggled. “Our leader’s so generous. We should do this sort of thing more often.”

Lillian glowered at her sister as she slid into the booth seat next to Cait, across from Amaryllis. “Yeah, sure.” She darkly muttered under her breath. “If you wanted a milkshake, Am, all you’d need to do is wring out your fat—”

Hattie cringed, not wanting the two to start squabbling lest their argument end up affecting her through her Semblance. Feeling others’ emotions had its uses, sure, but it could be such a pain sometimes.

Turning to her raven-haired teammate, she loudly cut off Lillian’s retort, “SOOOoooo… Cait… how ya’ doing?”

Cait shook their head and gestured a shrug with their free hand. “Truth be told, it’s so boring around here. I wish the Vytal Festival would come sooner, so all of us could have some fun.” they complained. “There’s only so much I can take of watching Lilly and ol’ Rudyard smack each other around before it stops being entertaining.”

Their remark wasn’t just their own sentiment, either— many of the Haven juniors didn’t see much excitement inside or outside the Academy. They were smack in the middle ground, stuck right between the freshmen and sophomores who were still figuring out life as a Huntsman, and the seniors who had the ability to undertake official Huntsman-level missions (on provisional licenses, nonetheless.) On days like these, there wasn’t a lot to look out for aside from the Vytal Festival, which had left the juniors even more antsy than usual.

“I wonder if we could join the senior school trips. I heard through the grapevine that the last batch almost didn’t make it back alive.” they joked.

“Wow, that sure sounds fun,” Amaryllis said sarcastically.

Cait smirked in response. “Oh, c’mon, Am,” they drawled, sarcasm evident in their tone. “The adventure’s calling out to us. Aren’t you also bored of sitting here all day, when we could be out there fighting Grimm and the dregs of humanity?” They sat up straight, jestingly pumping a fist halfway in the air with every sentence they finished.

“Yeah! Fighting!” Hattie stood up with them, playing along with Cait’s theatrics.

Spurred on by Hattie’s exclamation, Cait continued. “Don’t you wanna feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins as you fight the biggest and meanest beasts you’ve ever seen in your life?”

“Yeah! Adrenaline!” Hattie followed suit.

“Don’t you wanna just throw yourself onto the Grimm and die for a greater cause?!”

“Yeah! Die for— wait, wait a sec, what?” Hattie cut herself short when she realized what Cait had just said.

Lillian rolled her eyes. “Believe me when I say it’s not all you’re making it out to be. Look, the Vytal Festival Is less than a month away, and we’ve already got our training schedule planned out until then. Why don’t we just enjoy the weather and relax? When we go back to our room, I suggest we have a nice little siesta.”

Harriet grinned. “Aw, that’d be great! That Grimm Studies paper can wait for the weekend, am I right?” She gently nudged Cait.

Cait ceased sipping their sweet drink and froze up for a moment, before their eyes widened as far as possible. “We have a paper due for Professor Branwen?” they said, a horrified expression dawning on their face.

Amaryllis looked up from her milkshake with a concerned expression. “…We thought you knew, Cait. The rest of us spent all of yesterday evening trying to finish it.”

Lillian facepalmed. “You completely forgot about it, didn’t you?”

In spite of their initial reactions, it didn’t come as a surprise for either of the Armilde twins that Cait couldn’t remember their latest assignment. Normally, the dark-haired individual just tried to catch some sleep in class and worry about their academia later.

“Oh, man. Now I have to stay up all night.” Cait groaned, banging their forehead onto the wooden table.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you with it!” Hattie brightly exclaimed. Leaning into Cait’s ear, she whispered, “If you word it differently and stuff, I’ll let you just go ahead and copy off mine.”

Cait responded with a grin. “Sweeeeet. Thanks, Hattie, I owe you one.”

As her teammates continued talking about the easiest way for Cait to forge their essay, Lillian felt a small buzz from the Scroll in the pocket of her shorts. Pulling it out, she saw a message notification on the glowing cyan display.

1 new message from: red_cueball, the screen read.

Get your team, come down to Second Precinct ASAP. Speak there.

“It’s Rudyard.” Lillian responded, twisting her lower lip between her thumb and index finger’s knuckle in mild confusion. “Weird. He’s asking all of us down to the police station— the one where Agave is, I think.” Letting go of their lip, she quickly stored her Scroll back in her pocket as she stood up.

“Change of plans, guys. Finish up your shakes.” She said, before eyeing Cait. ”You got your wish, Cait. It looks like we might be getting a bit of excitement after all.”

***

A short, brisk walk later, LLAC arrived at the Second Precinct, where Agave was stationed.

The two-story building wasn’t much to look at from the outside— a grey, weathered monolith of concrete, with two lines of glass windows demarcating the first and second floors. From a look through the windows, it seemed like a busy day for the precinct, and surely enough the station was bustling inside. In the relative peacetime, the police were picking up any slack on the academy’s part in regards to logistics and security for the Festival. It wasn’t nearly as bad as if Mistral proper had been hosting the tournament, but it nonetheless seemed more intense than previous non-Mistral years.

LLAC began to navigate their way through the crowd to the reception booth. Some of the police force members were in suits and a few in plainclothes, but most of the officers were clad in the full Mistral uniform— a dark brown double-breasted coat with grey sides, replete with a peaked cap.

Reaching the booth, Lillian leaned against the plexiglass screen between her and the officer manning it, gently tapping on it to get his attention. “Hey. I’m looking for a Huntsman who’s supposed to be here, Rudyard Millard? Forties, bald, big mustache…?” She asked.

The policeman lifted his gaze from the computer and nodded. “You’re the students? He’s up with Detective Yuen, second floor, room 132 on the right side of the hall. Said they were expecting you.”

“Thanks.” Lillian waved, and LLAC continued to the stairwell at the back of the floor.

Despite the greater distance, it took them less time to reach Yuen’s office from the ground floor than it did to reach the reception from the entrance. The upper floor was devoid of personnel, aside from a few detectives working in their respective offices.

As they walked up to the office door, Lillian suddenly halted and craned her neck towards the window. “Is that… who I think it is?” she said, squinting her eyes as she peered between the wooden blinds.

“Who?” Cait asked curiously.

“I think— yeah! That’s his old leader Sardion with them.” she replied, surprised at the sight of the blonde man. She’d met him before a few times in passing, but never really gotten to know him. Quietly, she wondered what had gotten both of them to come to the precinct.

Did something bad happen?

A small but clear sniffle interrupted her thoughts, and she turned around to see who had made the sound

“Huh? What’s wrong, Hattie?”

The girl’s expression had turned shaky, and she looked to be on the verge of tears. “Whatever they’re in there about, it’s really bad. I feel… loss…” her voice wavered as she replied. Despite her ignorance of the situation going on inside the room, the negative emotions that she felt through her Semblance were nearly overwhelming.

Amaryllis placed a comforting hand on her teammate’s shoulder, giving her sister a worried glance. “Uh, Lilly… did Rudyard actually mention what he wanted us down here for?

Cait raised an eyebrow, looking uneasy. “Reaction like that, it can’t be anything good.”

Just then, a dark-skinned woman with golden eyes opened up the door— Detective Yuen, Lillian surmised at a glance from the woman’s vest and suit. A bronze badge was clipped to her belt.

“You must be LLAC, then.” Yuen said. “You’d best come in so I can get you lot all caught up.”

That said, the four of them followed Yuen into the office. Rudyard and Sardion turned to face them, but neither responded with a greeting aside from a curt nod of the head on Sardion’s part. Now that they were in clear view, the rookies could get a better look at their downtrodden expressions— it was clear as day that something was wrong.

Cait was the first of them to speak up. “So… are you guys going to tell us what exactly happened?”

Agave crossed her arms and hesitated for a second, preparing for any emotional windfall that the four might have to the bad news. “Long story short, last night, their other teammates from SYBR were found dead in their homes.” she replied bluntly.

The four teammates audibly gasped in shock. It all made sense now— why Rudyard and Sardion looked so beaten down, and why Yuen had only spoken to them first rather than everyone else in the group.

Lillian brought a hand up to her forehead, shuddering slightly from the news as she drew a breath. “No wonder you said you sensed ‘loss’, Hattie. Gods… Rudyard, I don’t even know what… I’m so sorry.” she said, turning to her mentor.

Rudyard gave her a small nod in response. “Yeah… yeah. I, uh…” He trailed off, unsure of how to respond without letting his emotions overtake him.

It pained Lillian to see Rudyard in such a distraught state. She wanted to offer him some words of comfort, yet it didn’t feel right to speak. It seemed like only a few seconds ago that he had been joking with her, and everything had been fine.

“Would you continue repeating it, Detective?” Sardion spoke up.

Yuen nodded, before continuing on. “We know it’s a murder, and a professional’s work at that. Cleanly done, whoever did it left just about little to no physical evidence. All that we know so far is only how they died— slash wounds of separate degrees, on the both of them, but what I didn’t mention earlier is that Yaara also suffered some… burns, that we haven’t identified yet. Some sort of chemical compound, based on a glance.” the detective reported. 

“Okay, okay, okay,” Cait said, waving their hands in front of their face. “So we know what happened, there’s an assassin on the loose in Mistral. But why’d you call us here?” they asked impatiently.

“Cait—!” Lillian hissed. “Have you ever heard of a little thing called tact, idiot?!”

“So what?! I mean, yeah, it’s absolutely horrible what’s happened, but what’re we going to do about it?!” Cait snapped back.

Yuen turned to Rudyard, fixing him with a suspicious look. “As a matter of face, I’ve been wondering about that as well. Why exactly did you call them here, Sir Millard?”

“Because I think these four could be able to aid us with the investigation.” Rudyard replied.

“I— come again?” Yuen exclaimed, her eyes widening.

“You know these other kids too, Rudd?” Sardion asked, also surprised by Rudyard’s response.

“I wouldn’t say as well as Lillian personally, no, but I do know that they’re as good as their leader. They can help us.” the Huntsman assured.

“They’re still students!” Yuen argued, before turning to face the four of them. “No offense, kids, but I don’t think Professor Lionheart would like you to get involved in a serious case just yet. Especially not one such as this.”

Rudyard dismissed her with a small wave. “Don’t worry about Lionheart, I’ll arrange something with him. Just trust me on this one.” he said, before abruptly walking away from the group and out of the office.

The remaining six of them were left standing around in silence, caught off-guard by Rudyard’s abrupt departure. Yuen and Sardion exchanged confused looks, as if they were contemplating whether to trust Rudyard’s advice or not. 

Amaryllis decided to break the silence. “So… what are we going to do?” she asked.

“What are we going to do?” Yuen repeated, bemused by the girl’s subtle assertion. Regardless, it seemed like they were on board with the case, like it or not.

Sardion cleared his throat. “We’ll talk more about where we should go from here tomorrow. Rudyard and I will talk to Professor Lionheart, and ask him to excuse you four from your classes while you’re helping us out with this case. For now, rest up. If you’re really as good as how he made you out to be… can I expect all of you to be here tomorrow at nine in the morning?” he said.

The four Hunters-in-training would have responded more eagerly, but any excitement of theirs rapidly faded as they remembered the exact circumstances of this case. Instead, they each replied with a determined expression and a curt nod.

“Well… then, I guess we’d probably best all reconvene tomorrow. It’s already getting late. Detective Yuen, thank you for your help. And Lillian, uh—” Sardion glanced over at the other three teens, whose names he wasn’t aware of yet.

“Oh! This is Harriet, that’s Amaryllis— my sister, and the one over there’s Cait.” Lillian said, indicating the rest of her team.

Sardion gave the rest of LLAC a small wave and a sad smile. “Ah, it was nice meeting you three. I wish it could have been under better circumstances.” He headed for the door, turning round one last time. “I’ll see all of you tomorrow, then? Bright and early.”

Lillian nodded. “We’ll catch up then. Try and get some rest, Sardion. Whatever’s to come, we’ll have your back throughout it.”

As the old soldier walked away, LLAC and Yuen fell silent, at a loss for words now that the two remaining members of SYBR had left.

Cait gave Hattie a gentle nudge. “Hey, at least this means I can get out of that Grimm Studies paper now.” They whispered into her ear, in a half-hearted attempt to lighten her mood.

“...Way too soon, dude.” Hattie replied with a wince.

[todorokiaimee]

Blues In The Night  15. My Heart Belongs to Daddy

Previous Chapter | Chapter Song

Note: This chapter is VERY spicy. Like wow. If you wish to skip the spice, it begins and (kinda) ends with a row of “****” ENJOY!

Sitting alone on a park bench, Lafayette lit a cigarette, the small flame emitting the only source of light in the darkness. Pulling out his cellphone, he looked out into the night for any passersby before dialing, taking a long drag from his cigarette. After two rings, the line connected, a low voice on the other end, “This better be good.”

“Hey boss, I think I got a new target for ya,” Lafayette said between puffs. 

“I’m listening.”

“I found this chick with one hell of a quirk.”

The Boss sighed, annoyed, “Obviously if you’re bringing her up as a target. Get to the point.”

“Well what had happened was, the chick cut her leg, and get this, my leg was cut in the exact same way! The bitch was nowhere near me! And the cut didn’t seem to bother her one bit! I don’t think she even felt--”

“How did you find her?”

“She’s been hanging around Pro Hero Todoroki. I guess she’s his girlfriend maybe? But I checked and she’s not a Pro-”

“No. She won't work.”

Lafayette huffed, surprised by his boss’ reaction. He thought he had a slam dunk. “Why not? Boss, she’s perfect for this job.”

“She’s too close to a fucking hero. People will go looking for her. How stupid can you be?”

Angered by his comments, Lafayette shook his head, taking another drag of his cigarette. After all this time, how could The Boss still doubt his skills? “I can take her! They haven’t found anything yet, and they aren’t gonna!”

 “I said no goddamnit!” The boss barked into the phone. He took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer tone. “That’s an order. Besides, we don’t take girls.”

The line went dead as Lafayette growled, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. With a sigh, he stood from the bench before tossing his cigarette to the ground. He mumbled under his breath as he activated his quirk, disappearing into the shadows, “Yeah, fuck you too.”

____________________________________________________________________________

After a long night of patrols, Todoroki trudged up the stairs to Aimee’s apartment.  After dealing with nothing but low life villains and incompetent sidekicks all day, he wanted nothing more than to be in the arms of his beloved. He longed to take in the sweet smell of her coconut shampoo and have his face buried in her neck, and a few other places as well if he was being really honest. 

It had been about twenty minutes since Shoto had last text Aimee, letting her know he would be arriving soon. He knocked on her door and was once again met with no answer. With a sigh, he turned the knob of her door to find it unlocked. Again. He knew she had only unlocked it for him, but it still made him nervous for her. 

Walking through her unusually quiet living room, he saw no sign of her, instantly putting the hero on edge. How strange. She usually at least has the TV on or some music playing.  “Aimee?” He called out, walking into the kitchen. Once again, Aimee was nowhere to be found. Walking over the kitchen table, he saw a batch of cookies, neatly placed on a cooling rack. Still warm. 

He cautiously walked down the hallway to find her bedroom door closed. His eyebrows knitted together in concern as his heart rate began to quicken. She’s probably just taking a nap. Don’t jump to conclusions. 

Readying himself for anything, he slowly opened the bedroom door, Mochi darting out the room and past his legs. He flinched, cursing under his breath. Shit! I could have ended you, Cat. 

It was then that Shoto finally heard music to his ears, Aimee’s soft giggle. He lifted his eyes to see Aimee standing next to her bed folding her laundry with earbuds in her ears. Shoto let out a sigh of relief before wiping a hand down his face. No wonder she didn’t answer me. 

Aimee still hadn’t noticed his presence, as she had her back to the door. Shoto watched her for a moment as she continued her work. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she wore an old ratty t-shirt and shorts. His eyes traveled up and down the length of her exposed chocolate legs before she dropped a sock, bending over to quickly pick it up. 

“Whoops, lost one!” she giggled, examining it in her hands. “Oh, my sushi print socks, I love these.”

Shoto smiled watching her in the doorway, his irrational fears melting away. Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back close to his chest. He sighed as he began to slowly kiss her neck, before giving it a quick nibble, earning a small gasp from the ravenette. Shoto chuckled as he continued to place soft kisses to her neck and shoulder, mumbling against her warm skin, “Still not locking your door, my love?” 

Aimee cleared her throat, before hastily pulling the earbuds out of her ears and disconnecting them from her phone, putting it on speaker. “Oh, Shoto! I’m actually on Facetime with Daddy,” Aimee said apologetically, gesturing to her phone which was propped up against her clothes hamper on her bed.

Ohh fucckkkk. Todoroki felt his stomach drop as his eyes shifted to her cellphone screen. There he saw the face of an angry black man, bald with a neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard. Shoto then released Aimee from his hold, as a deep red blush warmed his face, giving the man a quick nod.

“Aimee…” The Colonel grumbled through the phone. “Why on earth are you not locking your doors?”

Todoroki sighed with relief. Perhaps he didn’t royally fuck up after all. He turned to Aimee, tucking a stray curl back behind her ear. “See, I’m not the only one who worries.”

“Ain’t nobody talking to you, boy,” Aimee’s father snapped.

No, I definitely fucked up.

“Daddy! Be nice!” Aimee pleaded, wrapping her arm around Shoto’s strong bicep. 

Biting the bullet, Shoto decided there was no way out of this but through. “Good evening, Colonel Faurie.”

“Todoroki.” Colonel Faurie nodded back curtly. “Actually, it’s good you’re here. I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

Shoto instantly began to perk up, perhaps he could turn this fiasco around. “Of course, sir.”

“You’ve been courting my daughter for a few months, correct?”

“Yes sir, I have.”

“Then why haven’t you at least shown your face to me? Back in my day, you needed the father's permission to date steady!”

Shoto’s face fell. He really wasn’t winning any points with Aimee’s father tonight. Then he felt a gentle squeeze on his arm, turning his gaze to see Aimee coming to his rescue. 

“First of all Daddy, nobody does that anymore. Second, if you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at me. I never brought up coming to see you because I thought you’d be too busy.”

That’s when Shoto saw her father soften for the first time. The Colonel gave his daughter a bright smile while he shook his head, cooing “I am never too busy for my baby girl.” Hmm, Todoroki thought, perhaps he isn’t so stern after all.

“Todoroki!” Colonel Faurie barked.

“Sir?” Shoto answered in surprise, his eyes wide.

“You will accompany my daughter to dinner at my home this Saturday at 19:00. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t be late.”

Turning his attention back to his daughter, Colonel Faurie gave a warm smile through the phone, before ending the call, “Bye baby girl, have a good night.”

Todoroki sighed with a huff as he pulled Aimee back into his arms, laying his head on her shoulder, defeated. “And I thought my father was intense.” 

Aimee giggled softly as she began to run her fingers through his hair, comforting her stressed-out beau. “He’s not that bad. He acts all tough but he’s really a big softie.” Aimee smiled to herself before continuing. “Honestly, this is the first time he’s ever taken any interest in who I’m dating.” 

Shoto quirked a red brow with a hum, “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or worried.”

 “Cher,” Aimee said, making Shoto meet her eyes. “ You’re the first serious relationship I’ve had in a while. It’s only natural he wants to check you out.” 

Shoto closed his eyes with a nod before pulling away. “I suppose you’re right.” 

Aimee watched curiously as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. “Who are you calling?”

“The agency,” he answered while dialing. “I have to make sure I have coverage for patrols Saturday night. Your father didn’t exactly give me a choice.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Saturday night, Aimee and Shoto were driving down the busy streets in Shoto’s Tesla, before turning into a wooded area. After a few miles, they reached a military base surrounded by a tall steel gate and guarded by armed soldiers. Pulling up to the gate, Shoto rolled down his tinted window, a soldier bending over to peer inside, “IDs and state your business.”

“We have an appointment with Colonel Faurie at his home,” Todoroki said as the couple handed over their IDs to the man. The soldier looked over their IDs and then flipped through his papers on a clipboard. After writing something down, he handed the plastic cards back to the couple before waving them through.

After a few moments, Shoto pulled up next to the curb in front of Colonel Faurie’s small townhouse. Turning off the car, Shoto exited the vehicle before walking around to open Aimee’s car door. She took his hand, stepping out of the car, Shoto giving her a weak smile. 

“Why do you look so nervous?” Aimee questioned, squeezing his hand as they walked up to the door.

“Truth be told, I am a bit nervous.”

“Hey,” Aimee paused, wrapping her arms around the hero. “I love you, so he has to love you too.” Leaning up on her tiptoes, Aimee pressed a sweet kiss to his lips, Shoto melting into it instantly.

“Mmm,” he hummed against her lips. “Thank you, my love. I love you too.” He pulled away opting instead to hold her hand in his before letting a small sigh escape his lips. “Here we go,” he mumbled before knocking on the door.

Soon after, the couple heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. It swung open to reveal a tall African-American man with a natural scowl on his face. He wore a wool Ascot cap to cover his bald head, his salt and pepper beard groomed and trimmed nicely. He also had a very muscular build, which surprised Todoroki given his age.

“There she is! Welcome home baby girl,” the man said as he pulled Aimee into his arms, hugging her warmly. 

Aimee giggled softly, hugging her father back tightly before pulling away. “Hi, Daddy. I’d like you to officially meet my boyfriend, Todoroki Shoto.”

Todoroki gave the man a small smile, holding his hand out to him and bowing his head, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Colonel Faurie.”

Aimee’s father looked Todoroki up and down suspiciously, before gripping his hand in a firm handshake. “Todoroki.” He said curtly. 

Great, I’m still on his shitlist.

Making a complete one 180, Colonel Faurie turned his daughter with a warm smile, “Come on in. I’m just waiting on my roast, just another 10 mins or so.” He ushered the couple inside before closing the door behind them. As they took off their shoes and coats, Colonel Faurie excused himself to the kitchen to finish cooking. 

Aimee smiled, looking over to her beau as he stood awkwardly in the living room, looking painfully out of place. “I would show you around, but this is pretty much it,” she shrugged, gesturing vaguely around the room. “My old room has been turned into his gym and the dining room is part of the kitchen. You don’t want to get in Daddy’s way when he’s cooking so it’s best we steer clear until called.” Walking over, she hugged Shoto from behind, pressing a chaste kiss to his back. “But please make yourself at home.”

Shoto nodded, placing his hand overtop Aimee’s in a loving gesture before a wall of pictures caught his eye. Walking over, he examined the photos and saw many familiar faces. Most of the wall was adorned with baby photos of Aimee. Apparently, she had been born with her impressive head of curls. Shoto smiled as he took in a picture of baby Aimee sitting on a baby scale. She had the biggest smile on her face and her curls covered her eyes. She had to be the cutest baby he’d ever seen. 

Next to that photo was a picture of Aimee and her mother. The two were baking something. Aimee, who looked to be around five years old in the photo, was sitting on the kitchen counter, covered in flour. Her mother had a bright smile on her face, helping her daughter wipe her face. Todoroki really got a sense that Mrs. Faurie was a really kind and gentle woman. In fact, she reminded him of his own mother in a sense. 

After that, a picture of Aimee’s father caught his attention. He was dressed in his formal uniform, adorned with many shining medals. Standing next to him was a man that Todoroki recognized as the Army General, shaking his hand. Aimee’s father must be pretty valuable to the military. Maybe that’s why he’s so stern. 

Turning his head he saw a photo that surprised him, Colonel Faurie with a wide grin. The picture showed a much younger Aimee’s father with a group of men. They were all in casual clothing and they appeared to be on what looked like a fishing trip. Are these his friends? I’m surprised he has any. The Colonel had his arms around the shoulders of two men, one a short older man with a potbelly,  grey beard and glasses, and the other was very tall and lanky. He almost looked sickly by how thin he was, but his green eyes and crooked smile seemed somehow familiar.  

“Soup’s on, kids!” Aimee’s father hollered from inside the kitchen, gaining Shoto’s attention.

As the couple began to walk towards the kitchen together, Shoto turned to Aimee, a confused expression on his face. “I thought your father said he had prepared a roast for dinner?”

Aimee giggled lightly, shaking her head before patting his cheek. “It’s just an expression, cher.”

“Oh,” Todoroki muttered, a slight blush on his cheeks as they joined Aimee’s father at the dinner table. 

After Colonel Faurie lead grace, everyone began to dig in, filling their plates with the piping hot food. “The food looks delicious, Colonel,” Shoto said with a small smile, trying his best to get on the man’s good side.

“Of course. Did you think I was going to serve my baby slop?”

“What? No of course not, I was just…” Shoto continued to stammer as he could feel his left side begin to warm up. What is this man’s problem? It was just a compliment. 

It was then that Shoto felt the warmth of Aimee’s hand on his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “At ease soldier. He was just joking around with you.”

“Oh.” Shoto instantly relaxed squeezing Aimee’s hand back, lacing their fingers together under the table. He turned to Aimee, a coy smile pulling at his lips, “Now I see where you get that smart mouth.”

A pink blush warmed Aimee’s cheeks as she hid her face away from Shoto with a smile, taking a bite of her food. Shoto continued to stare lovingly as his beloved while he ate until Colonel Faurie cleared his throat, gaining his attention once more.

“Todoroki. So you’re a Pro Hero, huh?”

“Yes, Sir. I went pro right after high school.” 

“I see. Well, you certainly have the quirk for it. Two quirks in one, that has to be handy.”

Todoroki nodded as he ate, perhaps Aimee’s father didn’t hate him as much as he thought. “What is your quirk, if you don’t mind me asking? I don’t think Aimee has told me,” he asked hoping to keep the pleasant conversation going. 

“It’s called Agility. When you boil it down, it’s just that: advanced agility. Both mental and physical. It’s helpful in combat on the front lines but nothing too flashy,” Aimee’s father paused before pointing a finger at Shoto. “That being said, don’t think just because I’m an old man I won’t beat your ass if you deserve it.”

“Daddy, you and I both know you will do no such thing,” Aimee deadpanned, coming to Shoto’s recuse once again. 

“I’m just messing with him, mon doudou. Mostly.”

“Duly noted,” Shoto hummed between bites. “By the way, may I ask what ‘doudou’ means?”

Aimee turned to her beau, giving him a soft smile. “It’s a term of endearment… but it’s not really translatable.” She thought for a moment as she tapped her chin, looking for the right words. “It’s kind of like a child’s favorite blanket or stuffed animal that they can’t do without.”

“Aimee’s was a stuffed lamb which she named Lamby,” Colonel Faurie interjected. “Not very creative this one.”

“Oh hush! I was only two!” Aimee protested with a giggle.

“Oh and when she lost Lamby she cried and cried. Inconsolable,” Her father paused, a smug smile growing on his face. “But guess who found him and saved the day? Daddy! Ain’t that right, baby girl?”

“Yeah yeah,” Aimee mumbled, fighting a smile. “Did you have something like that growing up, Shoto?”

Shoto thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No. My father wouldn’t let me get too attached to anything. He thought it would make me weak.”

“Yeah well, Endeavor does seem like an uptight SOB,” the Colonel shrugged, taking a bite of his roast. “No offense.”

“None taken.”

The conversation then dwindled into an awkward silence, everyone looking down at their plates while they ate. Even so, Aimee didn’t seem to mind it. Her father was behaving much better than she thought he would. The last boy she brought home, he interrogated like he had stole the crown jewels (albeit that was in high school). 

Finally, The Colonel picked up a napkin, wiping his mouth before he spoke in a stern low voice, “So, Todoroki. What are your intentions with my daughter?”

Whoop there it is. Aimee sighed, internally facepalming.

Todoroki answered without missing a beat. “I intend to love and cherish her for as long as she’ll have me.” 

“Mhm, I see. But are you gonna make an honest woman of her?” Her father countered. “I can’t have you stringing my baby girl around if you just want to be a big shot playboy.”

“Daddy! Don’t pressure the man!” Aimee gasped.

Todoroki couldn’t help but smile at Aimee as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. This was not the first time marriage had been brought up to him after all. “It’s a bit early, but with all due respect Sir, I wouldn’t be dating your daughter if I didn’t think I would marry her sometime in the future.”

Another warm blush flashed across her cheeks as the thought of getting married ran through her mind. Aimee pictured herself walking down the aisle in a white dress and Shoto waiting at the end in a tux. It was almost too perfect a thought to believe.

“There. Will that satisfy you, Colonel Faurie? Stop giving him the third degree.” 

“Well, you are my only baby girl. And just like your mother, you deserve the very best.”

Her mother. Shoto cleared his throat, addressing the Colonel, “Aimee has told me so much about Mrs. Faurie. She must have been a lovely woman.” 

The Colonel nodded his head solemnly. “She was. Right up until the end.” 

“I’m sorry if I brought up a sore memory. Aimee never told me how she passed and I didn’t want to press her.” 

Aimee’s father sighed heavily, his dark eyes growing sad. “My Nettie passed away in a terror attack caused by a villain. The bank she was in collapsed. The first responders told me that when they found her body, she was covering a small child. That tells you the kind of person my Nettie was. Even without a quirk, she went out of her way to protect others.” 

Todoroki hummed, turning to Aimee, her head also hung low. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

 “I’m at peace with it now. Nettie was too good for this world,” Colonel Faurie sighed. “Now I try my best to make the world a safer place for people like her. I went into Special Ops for her. So that nothing like that will ever happen again.”

“Thank you for your service.” Todoroki bowed his head deeply to the man, his heart breaking for the two of them. It must have been incredibly difficult to rebuild their lives after losing such a devoted wife and mother.  

“Are you sure you can keep my Aimee safe?”

“Pardon?”

Aimee quirked a brow at her father, clearly confused. “Daddy, he’s a pro-hero. How much safer can I be?” 

“That’s all well and good but you don’t get to be a popular and successful pro hero without gaining a few targets on your back.”

 Todoroki continued to stare blankly at the man while Aimee tried to smooth things over, her eyebrows knitting together. “Don’t pay him any mind, mon cher. He’s just giving you a hard time.”

“I know you were attacked a month ago,” The Colonel said flatly.

Aimee’s eyes widened in shock as she stammered, “What-how? It wasn’t in the news.”

“You think I don’t keep tabs on you, girl? The question is, why did it happen in the first place?” Her father then turned his gaze to Shoto, pointing a finger right at him, his face cloaked in anger as he spat, “I can tell you right now, you would have been safe if you weren’t hanging around this guy!”

“Daddy!” Aimee exclaimed, absolutely mortified by her father’s behavior. 

“Colonel Faurie, you’re right,” Shoto said in a calm voice. “Aimee would probably be safer if she had never met me. Being involved with me does come with its fair share of problems.” 

Aimee looked back at Shoto in utter shock before he gently took her hand in his, rubbing small circles into her skin with his thumb. “Call me selfish, but I don’t want to let her go regardless of that fact. So because of that, I vow to keep her safe and protected. Not just myself, but I guarantee that every pro hero she has met thus far, my good friends and family, would gladly lay their lives down for her.” A small smile pulled at Shoto’s lips as he gazed down at Aimee before tucking a curl behind her ear. “Of course, she would never ask. She’s far too caring and considerate for that. Much to my dismay, I already know she would take a bullet for me in a heartbeat. Given her quirk, she’s probably the only one of us that could take one and still walk away without a scratch.” 

Todoroki paused before turning to face Colonel Faurie, his steely heterochromatic eyes peering straight into his dark ones. “I suppose I should thank you for that Colonel. You made sure she could fend for herself.” Even though his words were complimentary in nature, Shoto couldn’t help the anger and malice that slipped into them as he thought of Aimee, ashamed and scared on his bathroom counter, worried about his reaction to her quirk.

“You better watch yourself, boy” The Colonel warned, his face turning into a deep scowl. 

“I think we’re done here,” Aimee interjected, getting up from the table, her eyes beginning to sting with tears. “Shoto, why don’t you go warm up the car?” 

“Are you sure?” Shoto turned to her with concern only to met with a curt nod and a tight squeeze of his hand. 

Reluctantly, Shoto stood from the table, giving her father a quick bow before retreating to the living room, putting on his shoes and coat. Stepping outside, he lingered on the doorstep, listening intently. He didn’t think Colonel Faurie was the type of man that would hurt his daughter, but Shoto didn’t feel right leaving her completely alone after that yelling match either.

Inside, Aimee and her father walked into the living room, both steaming mad as Aimee worked to put her shoes on. 

“Who does that boy think he is, talking to me like that in my own damn house?” Colonel Faurie huffed, crossing his arms.

“Daddy, you’re the one being rude here!” Aimee snapped. “How could you? How dare you treat him like a common criminal!”

“I’m your father! I’m supposed to keep you safe, that’s my job! This boy is a threat to your safety!”

“I love him, Daddy!” Aimee shouted, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “I’m happy. That’s all that should matter. But you’re fixated on this one incident!” 

“You and I both know this won’t be a one-time thing,” Her father spat. “You’re not only dating someone in law enforcement but a celebrity as well. So not only criminals will be after him, but crazies as well!”

“You’re military! You don’t think you have any targets on your back?!”

“Yes, but my work and decisions only put me in the line of fire. Not you. I intend to keep it that way!”

Colonel Faurie took in a deep breath, willing himself to calm down, “I just want what’s best for you, baby girl.”

Aimee shook her head, grabbing her coat. “Shoto is what’s best for me. Bye Daddy.”

Turning on her heels, Aimee walked out of her father’s townhouse, running into Todoroki on the doorstep. He watched helplessly as Aimee breezed past him, marching toward the car. “Hey, are you okay?” He asked softly as he followed behind.

Aimee shook her head as she wiped hot tears from her eyes, Shoto opening her door for her. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Shoto nodded reluctantly. He wanted to comfort Aimee after such a heated argument, but he was ready to leave this place as well. Getting in the car, he pulled away from the curb and drove off the military base, past the guards. Soon he reached that same quiet wooded area, pulling off to the side of the road. 

Todoroki parked and turned to look at Aimee. She sat in the passenger’s seat, afraid to meet his eyes, worried she would fall apart if she did. She sniffled as she held her hands up to the heat vents on the dashboard. Watching her closely, Shoto could see that her hands were trembling.  “Aimee, darling. Talk to me,” he paused, with no response. “I heard everything.” 

“I’m so sorry, Shoto,” Aimee whispered. 

“My love, you have nothing to be sorry for.” Todoroki took her hands into his, kissing them while warming them with his quirk.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think he would treat you that way,” Aimee sniffled, her eyebrows knitted together. “Like you mean to do me harm.” 

“He does have a point.”

 Aimee’s eyes shot up to Shoto as she pulled her hand from his grasp to point square against his chest, Shoto’s eyes widening in surprise. “Todoroki Shoto don’t you dare start up with that foolishness too!” 

“Hey hey hey,” Shoto cooed, reaching out to pet her soft curls. “I’ve already said I’m much too selfish to let you go. I’m never walking away from you.” 

Aimee let out a deep sigh, leaning forward to rest her head on his shoulder. “Don’t you scare me like that.” 

“Shh. I’m not going anywhere, as long as you’ll have me. Not even your father will keep me away.” 

Shoto kissed the top of Aimee’s head as she chuckled weakly, “And I was worried about your father.”

“You came to defend my honor though,” Shoto said with a smug smirk on his lips, as he played with her hair. 

Aimee let out a groan, pulling away from Shoto to slump back in her seat. She covered her face with her hands mumbling, “Oh my God, I hate that you heard that.” Aimee sighed, crossing her arms as Shoto watched her carefully. “ ‘But Daddy I love him!’ Ugh, I sounded like a dramatic teenager in a Disney movie.” 

“You love Disney movies though.” Shoto snickered, his long slender fingers still playing with her hair. 

“Yes well… they’re all still teenage girls uprooting their lives for a boy. It’s stupid on paper, but it works out because it’s a movie.” 

“Hm. Maybe so,” Shoto shrugged nonchalantly. 

“It has been a long time since I was viewed as a bad boy though,” Shoto hummed with a sly smirk. “Here to take the innocence of the fair maiden.” 

“Truth be told, I do have a bit of a thing for bad boys.” Aimee teased, trying to play coy. 

“Really?” Shoto said with a quirked brow. “I would have never guessed.” 

“Baby, all women like bad boys on some level. I like a man that can do both.” 

“I’m intrigued. Please continue.”

Aimee bit her bottom lip, a faint blush warming her cheeks as she turned to face the hero. Shoto sat patiently, a smug look on his face as his piercing eyes looked her over. Does my sweet Aimee have a naughty side?  

“I love it when you hold and cuddle me and give me sweet forehead kisses,” Aimee paused, looking up at Shoto from underneath her long eyelashes. “But I also wouldn’t hate it if you pull my hair and fuck me so hard that you rearrange my guts.” 

Shoto sucked in a breath before a wicked smile pulled at his lips. “Darling, you only had to say so. I am the duel hero after all.” 

“Oh, are you gonna be a bad boy now?” Aimee teased, giggling lightly.

“Get in the back.” 

“Huh?”

“You heard me.” 

“Yes, sir.”

*************************************************************************************************************

Aimee got out of the car, leaving her coat in the front seat. Shoto also exited the driver's seat, tossing off his coat. Pressing a button on his dashboard touchscreen, the back doors of his Tesla opened up like a spaceship, the couple stepping inside. 

After pressing the button to close the doors, Shoto looked over to Aimee, a calm but domineering look on his face as he carefully rolled up his sleeves. Aimee’s heart beat wildly in her chest as she watched Shoto carefully. Shoto always made her skin tingle and heart flutter, but something about tonight was different. Something about Shoto was different, and the energy he exuded was palpable.   

“Come. Sit.” Shoto said calmly, patting his lap. Aimee did as she was told, carefully sitting on his lap as he pulled her close, her back against his strong chest. Next, Shoto’s skilled fingers slowly began to raise her skirt, watching her body language for any resistance as he whispered into her ear, “I love it when you wear skirts. You make it so easy for me.”

With her skirt pushed up to her waist, Shoto reached for her lacey panties, gently playing with the band before tugging them off, Aimee lifting her hips to ease the process. She bit her lip as she pressed her thighs together, needing that bit of friction as her arousal began to pool.  It was then that Shoto maneuvered his knees to the inside of hers, pushing and keeping her legs wide apart. Aimee’s breath hitched as she felt the cool air against her naked heat. 

Shoto began to place hot kisses to her neck and shoulders as his hand snaked underneath her shirt. He palmed her breasts over her bra, groping and kneading until a small moan escaped Aimee’s lips. He hummed at the sound, sucking at the delicate spot behind her ear, “Is this what you like, Aimee?”

“Y-Yes, sir.” 

He chuckled darkly, licking his lips. “Naughty girl.”

Pulling his hand out from under her shirt, still holding her close with the other, Shoto held up two fingers to Aimee’s mouth. “Suck.” 

Aimee took his fingers into her mouth without hesitation. The hero sucked in a breath as he felt Aimee’s hot mouth against his fingers. She sucked on them gently at first, before swirling her tongue around and in between his fingers. Shoto groaned at the sensation as he imagined his long cock in her mouth instead. That’s for another day. “That’s my girl,” he murmured against her neck before pulling his fingers out of her mouth. 

Snaking his hand back down her body, Shoto slid his slender fingers between Aimee’s slick folds, coating them in even more moisture. “Mmm, so wet for me.”

Aimee moaned as her legs pushed against Shoto’s involuntarily, needing more friction. She licked her lips as she rested her head back against his shoulder, her chest heaving with anticipation, “Only you.”

A small smile pulled at Shoto’s lips as he began to rub slow small circles against her clit. Painfully, torturously slow. “Say that again,” he whispered in her ear, his lips ghosting against her skin.

“Only you. Only for you, baby”.

“That’s right, beautiful.”

Finally, Shoto’s fingers plunged deep into her heat. He sighed at the feeling of Aimee’s walls tightening around them as she mewled, gripping his arm that held her tightly in place. Shoto slowly began to pump his fingers in and out of her entrance as he continued to whisper sweet nothings into her ear. 

Aimee still couldn’t believe she was in this situation. Never in her wildest dreams would she think she “Aimee goodie two shoes Faurie” would be getting fingered in the backseat of a car parked on the side of the road. She definitely never thought it would be by Todoroki Shoto. Who knew this sweetheart of a man had such a kinky side to him. 

Shoto pumped his fingers harder and faster, curling them to hit that extra special spot. Aimee moaned loudly in his arms, her breath hitching from the pleasure. Soon she began to squirm in his hold, her hips bucking into his fingers, chasing release. Shoto however only tightened his grip on Aimee, pulling her even closer to him, making sure to keep her legs spread wide. “Where are you going, my love?” Aimee only let out a lewd mewl in response. “You’re doing so well.”

Still writhing in his hold, Aimee moaned Shoto’s name as she screwed her eyes shut. A light layer of sweat had begun to form over her body. Shoto only hummed in her ear, a slight smirk on his lips as he to used his quirk to gently warm his fingers, using his thumb to draw small circles over her clit.

Relishing in the new sensations, Aimee’s muscles grew taut as she felt that familiar tightening in her gut, teetering on the edge. “Shoto… I’m gonna cum…” she announced, breathless.

Hearing those words, Shoto stopped his movements, removing his fingers from her cunt. “Ah ah ah. Not yet.”

Aimee let out a pitiful whine at the loss of contact as she turned to stare at Shoto in disbelief. Did he just? “What, why’d you stop?” she pouted, her bottom lip jutting out. “Please baby… I was so close.”

Hushing her cries, Shoto grabbed her face, pressing his lips to hers, claiming what was his. Pulling away ever so slightly, Shoto peered into her large brown eyes. He loved how expressive they were, how he could see her every thought in those chocolate orbs. “Trust me, darling. It’s worth the wait.”

Reclaiming her lips, Shoto continued to kiss Aimee roughly. She didn’t care what he said, leaving a girl hanging like that is just rude. Such a tease. Rolling her hips, Aimee began to grind against his bulge, showing no mercy. Two can play this game. 

Shoto groaned at the sensation, his rock hard erection pulling against the fabric of his pants. While their tongues engaged in a dance for dominance, Aimee’s hand began to snake across her plush thigh and toward her still exposed sex. Feeling her movements, Shoto quickly grabbed her wrist as he growled low against her swollen lips, “Don’t you dare touch yourself.”

Fuck… Aimee stopped in her tracks as she stared into Shoto’s heterochromatic eyes. They were half-lidded and his pupils were blown out with lust. She knew he meant business. All her life she told herself to never let a man rule her, but at this moment, submitting didn’t sound half bad. In fact, it felt exciting. 

Noticing her change in demeanor, Shoto placed another kiss to her lips. This time it was much softer, as he took her bottom lip into his mouth, sucking gently before releasing it. “You know, I thought a teacher would be better at following directions,” Shoto teased, a chuckle rumbling low in his throat. “Stand up and turn around.”

This time, Aimee did as she was told without question, rising from his lap slowly, crouching so as to not hit her head on the roof of the car. Her face burned from the deep blush across her cheeks. Turning around to face him, she hid her face in her curls, turning in towards her shoulder. She may be submitting, but she’d be damned if she let him see her flustered and needy. 

A small smile pulled at Shoto’s lips as his eyes took her in: Aimee hunched forward over him, completely disheveled as she timidly rubbed her thighs together, looking for some much-needed friction. “Oh don’t get shy on me now, my love.” Cupping her face in his hands, the duel quirked hero placed a soft kiss to her forehead. The gesture seemed almost too innocent to Aimee as she watched him lean back in the leather seat, undoing his pants with a devilish smirk. He pulled his pants down past his hips followed by his boxer briefs. He hissed as his length sprung free, slapping against his washboard abs. While giving himself a few slow strokes, Shoto motioned to Aimee, “Come here.”

Without a word, Aimee straddled Shoto as he made quick work of unbuttoning her blouse, exposing her amble blossom. He peppered her hot and tingling skin with icy kisses, leaving many purple marks in his wake. Aimee mewled as she held his head in her hands, running her fingers through his peppermint hair as she began to grind her hot slick cunt over his shaft. 

“Mmm..” Shoto groaned against her neck. “So eager.”

“I want you, baby… Please.”

“Aimee,” he warned.  “You’re topping from the bottom, my love.”

“So?”

Shoto chuckled darkly, pressing a kiss to the hollow of her throat. “I should have known you’d be a bratty bottom.” Suddenly, he harshly pulled Aimee’s bra down, pushing her breasts up and out of the padded cups. Shoto licked his lips as he eyed her hard and sensitive nipples, now exposed to the cool night air. “Perhaps you need a reminder.”

He took her bud into his overly hot mouth, resulting from his quirk. A gasp escaped Aimee’s lips as she arched into him, a small whimper following as he rolled her other bud between his icy fingers. 

“Who’s the only one that can make you feel this way, love?”

“You…” 

“Good girl.”

Shoto lifted his head to look into Aimee’s eyes, tipping her chin to hold her gaze. “If you don’t follow directions I’ll make you wait even longer to cum.” Aimee let out a childish whine, surprised by her own sound. When did she get this desperate and needy? “Come now beautiful, don’t pout. Are you going to be a good girl for me?” 

Don’t tease me! Aimee continued to pout, frustrated from lack of release. In response, Shoto quirked a red bow as he lightly pinched one her tender nipples. A breathy moan left the ravenette’s throat as she bit her lip, nodding fiercely. 

“Use your words, Aimee.” 

“Yes!”

“Yes, who?”

“Yes, sir!” 

“That’s my girl.” 

Lifting her hips, Shoto alined his length at her entrance. Aimee locked eyes with him as their hot breath fanned in each other's faces. Taking his warning to heart, she wasn't going to make any moves without his say. Shoto gave her a quick nod, giving her the okay, Aimee lowering herself onto him. Pressing a kiss to her lips, Shoto swallowed her moans as her walls stretched to accommodate him. 

After a moment, Aimee began to roll her hips just a bit, timidly meeting Shoto’s eyes, asking for permission. Shoto smiled, holding her close before kissing her temple. “Go ahead beautiful. I’ll let you know when it’s my turn.” 

With his blessing, Aimee started grinding and rolling her hips in earnest, loving the full feeling he gave her as Shoto squeezed her plump ass. Aimee panted as she continued to chase her release, throwing her head back as Shoto began to kiss, lick and suck on her soft breasts.

“Bounce,” Shoto commanded.

Without missing a beat, Aimee began to bounce on Shoto’s length, leaning forward over his shoulder so as to not hit her head. The steamy car soon filled with the sound of their shared pants and moans until Aimee began to slow down, her thighs burning. Aimee cursed under her breath, trying her best to keep the rhythm until Shoto slid his hands from her ass to underneath her plush thighs, helping to lift her and keep her steady. “Keep going my love, I got you.”

With Shoto’s help, Aimee was so close to her release that she could taste it. Her gut began to coil once again as Shoto kissed her neck and shoulder tenderly, blowing icy breath on her sweaty bare skin. 

“Shoto, I’m almost there…”

“Are you now?” Shoto smiled, peering up at her.

“Please cher… Can I?” Aimee pleaded.

“Not yet, beautiful.”

Shoto moved his large hands to grip her wide hips, effectively holding her in place. Aimee whined a pathetic cry, gripping his shoulders like a vice. Why is he torturing me? Doesn’t he know how bad I need this?

“Oh, poor baby…” Shoto cooed before placing a gentle kiss to her lips. “You said you wanted a bad boy.”

Still holding Aimee’s hips securely to him, Shoto then scooted his hips forward so that they hung off the seat of the car. To support her weight Aimee adjusted herself so that her feet touched the floor, looking at Shoto questionably as he gave her a wicked smile in return. 

“My turn. Watch your head.”

“Huh?”

Without another word, Shoto began to mercilessly pound his hips into Aimee from underneath, fast and hard. She let out a carnal wail as she threw her hands up to press against the roof of the car, protecting her head. The sound of skin slapping skin filled the car as Aimee quickly reached her tipping point once again, teetering on the edge of sweet, sweet release. 

“Fuck Shoto!” She babbled, tears pricking at her eyes. “Baby I’m gonna cum! I can’t hold it! Please please let me!”

Shoto smirked, grunting and groaning as he felt his own end approaching. “Do it. Cum for me.”

With his permission, Aimee snapped, cumming harder than she ever had before. A sea of white clouded her vision as a scream ripped through her throat. Her thighs trembled as Shoto studdered one last hard thrust, spilling ropes of thick cum inside her. He moaned into her hair as they both rode out their highs there in the back seat of his Tesla. 

As Aimee collapsed in his arms, Shoto held her close, rubbing her back as he peppered her face with sweet kisses. Aimee closed her eyes as she listened to Shoto’s heart beat. It was racing just as fast as hers, slowing down as they caught their breath. He had put her through the wringer, but he was right. It was worth it. So, so worth it. 

*********************************************************************************************************

“Are you okay?” Shoto whispered, kissing the top of her head.

“I can’t feel my legs,” Aimee muttered into his chest.

Shoto chuckled, a warm smile gracing his face as he pet her hair.

“We can stay here for as long as you need. How about your guts?”

“I don’t think I have any left. You literally fucked my guts out.” 

“Mission accomplished then.”

After a few moments, Shoto pulled out with a groan before reaching over to the middle console, pulling out a small box of tissues. After cleaning up as best as they could, the pair readjusted their clothes, Shoto taking the time to button up Aimee’s blouse himself, placing a kiss to her chest with each fastened button. 

The couple then made their way back to the front of the car. After taking their seats and buckling up, Shoto turned to Aimee with a soft smile.

“Let’s get you home so we can cuddle up with some Netflix.” 

“Ugh, why are you so perfect?” Aimee teased, playfully shoving his shoulder.

Shoto shrugged, pulling back onto the road.

“I’m far from perfect but I aim to please. I’ll make you some hot tea with honey when we get home too.”

“Tea?” Aimee questioned, quirking a brow.

“Your throat must be sore after all that screaming,” Shoto said with smug smirk.

“Shoto!”

Sharing a hearty laugh, the two drove off into the night. Aimee took Shoto’s hand, lacing their fingers together as she looked out the window to the passing trees. Maybe those Disney teenagers were onto something, after all.

Chapter 16

[drblueneck]

Massive Genderbent AU - Rookie 9 edition

Ok. I should really NOT be writing that, but that little shit of a story wouldn’t leave me alone and I couldn’t focus on my studies and I was going CRAZY. So, here. It’s written. NOW LEAVE ME ALONE BRAIN, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!! I decided to post it, because I want people to enjoy the beauty of genderbender. This will turn into a fullfledged story. Maybe. Probably. Certainly. But not right now. Because I don’t have time. I NEED TIIIIMMMME.

As spring was in full bloom, it was time for Hideo-sensei - Head of the Academy - to peruse the new application forms for the upcoming year. Going through each of them and smiling at the familiar clan names, he took him a moment to notice the higher than normal percentage of girls being enrolled. As he took a closer look, his surprise went up a notch. The heirs of the most prominent ninja clans were to be in the same year class, and all but two were females. It had been a long time since such a thing happened! Hideo-sensei idly wondered if the girls would be up to par with the boys, and winced at the ludicrous idea of Genin teams made up mostly of kunoichi - their strength would never amount to that of their male counterparts, science said so. Or, well, science said so before Tsunade-sama gave it the finger... Hideo-sensei shook his head and snorted. Frankly, what were the chances for all these girls to end up like the legendary Sannin? Prodigies were a fluke, not the norm.

With a rueful sigh, he closed the files and signed them, already mourning for this future batch of Genin who would more likely than not bring down their forces’ strength for months, if not years - that is, if they ever graduated instead of mooning over boys like so many were wont to do in their debute... Hopefully, these kunoichi would have a wake-up call sooner than later!

Years later, looking back on this biased oversight, Hideo-sensei would berate himself for dismissing so easily what Konoha saw as its new rising stars and the best ninja of their generation.

  Shikaku stared at his ranting kid from where he was sitting under the shade of the great oak in their backyard, ears used to relentless tirades after years of mariage to his dear banshee of a wife. He loved her, really, he did, but damn if that troublesome woman didn’t turn him half-deaf in the first two months of their marital life. It’s without shame that Shikaku would readily admit to having prayed for his kid to turn out like him - lazy and fond of long stretches of silence. The Nara genes were usually strong, to the dismal of those who married into the clan, but it looked like Yoshino’s were as stubborn as her!

Troublesome woman indeed, Shikaku thought with fondness as his daughter finished her rant about ‘not being a kid anymore’ and thus demanding to be ‘trained as a real kunoichi to kick butts’. Maybe he stayed quiet for too long because she started tapping her tiny foot on the grassy ground, arms crossed as she dished out her best glare, and all that was done in a perfect imitation of her mother - and it only made her father want to laugh and squeeze her in a hug.

Which he did.

“Daaad! I’m serious!” Shikaru wailed, tugging harshly at her father’s spiky ponytail to punctuate her words.

“Yes you are,” he cooed, rubbing his scratchy beard against her chubby cheek.

“I wanna leaaarn!” She wailed again, squirming in his grasp and trying to escape his beard, struggling not to laugh and keep up her angry pout. It tickled!

Trapping her into his arms, Shikaku let himself fall down on his back, adjusting comfortably his neck so that he could watch the fluffy clouds go by.

“Maa, why couldn’t you be a lazy one just like your dad, hm?”

The child instantly stopped her useless squirming and with fire burning fiercely in her brown eyes, she hissed like an angry cat, “Cause I’m gonna beat Inoshi! He made Chou cry!”

Aaah, right. The first time he and his teammate decided to officially introduce their kids to each other when they were four, Inoichi’s boy - who lacked a brain to mouth filter - had taken one look at Chouza’s girl and pointed at her before saying with all the innocence of the world, “Daddy, look, she’s fat.” The poor Chouko had bursted into tears and clung to her father the whole day while Shikaru, true to her name, spent a good ten minutes scolding the boy before launching herself into a philosophical pamphlet of sorts on the serious issue of body image within the shinobi world. Inoshi had gaped at her, a bit pale, before hunching his shoulders and muttering a bit too belligerently, “Well, you’re definitely not cute...”

Inoichi had confided that to this day, his son still obsessively kept his hair short, traumatised by Shikaru gripping on his tiny ponytail so hard that she tore out a big clump of fine blond hair. Another of her mother’s bad habits... It was a good thing Shikaku got so used to the rough treatment that it felt like his head was made of steel, otherwise, between his two troublesome girls, he would’ve turned bald yeard ago!

Anyway, all that had been a year ago, and Shikaku had to marvel at his daughter’s ability to hold a grudge.

He hummed under his breath at another of his daughter’s whine about ‘stupid boys’ and wanting to train.

“Then you’ll be happy to know that you start the Academy next month,” he said, nonchalant, happy to stare at the powdery blue sky with the light weight of his kid securely held against his chest. Said kid abruptly sat up, pushing a bony knee into his ribs and he ‘oofed’. Kids... so uncaring...

“Really?!” she cried out as she bounced on his stomach, her almond-shaped eyes almost glittering with stars.

“Really.”

Shikaru dropped back down against him, squeezing her skinny arms around his neck with all her strength - and Shikaku was proud to say that it was actually a lot - as she smothered her excited ‘”thank yous” into his shirt, her feet kicking out in a show of unrestraint happiness and narrowly missing his jewels.

Inoshi was going down. Ha!

  It had been a long time since a masculine presence had been felt in the Inuzuka household. From as far as she could remember, Kiku had always been surrendered solely by her mom and sister and their dogs, with the occasional clansmen dropping by to check in with their Head. And if asked, Kiku would tell you that her mom was badass.

Once, she had asked where her father was and mom bristled and waved a fist in the air. “Who needs that pussy when you got me, huh?” Hana later told her that dad had left them because mom scared him. Tch, mom was right, what a scaredy-cat! Inuzuka women were the bomb!

And Kiku wanted to be just like her mother.

It actually amused Tsume greatly to see her youngest daughter following her everywhere like a lost puppy, even when she went to work in the Jounin HQ or meeting with members of the Council for clan matters. Kiku would closely watch her every move and copy them – sitting with an arm thrown on the back of a chair, legs slightly splayed out or crossed at the ankles; fingers drumming on the table when she wanted to fuck with uptight people like Hiashi or Fugaku; lips turning into a snarl when she wasn’t happy… Yep, her daughter was cute as a button in her mom-worship antics.

Tsume actually thought it was all just a phase and that her childish wonder would soon fade out, but Kiku never stopped praising her mom with starry eyes, asking stories of her missions, and more recently, pleading to start her training in the shinobi arts like Hana. She had already given Akamaru to her a few weeks ago, wanting her to acclimate herself to her life-partner, but Tsume had wanted to leave the shinobi training for a bit later to make sure the dog would be able to follow… So what to do, what to do?

Sighing over her dilemma, Tsume entered Shikaku’s office and dropped her latest report on his desk, not feeling one bit sympathetic as he groaned while glaring at the pile of reports that would soon turn into a tower. Usually, he had to hunt down his Jounin to get their reports on time, but strangely these past few days, they’d all been quite eager – gleeful even! – to complete their administrative duties…

Tsume shot him a mean smirk. “Serves you right for ditching us last week with the new recruits,” she said snidely, still peeved that heir commanding officer had disappeared for a whole afternoon and let the more seasoned shinobi drill the baby Jounin. Shikaku was way too good at hiding from them, the sneaky bastard.

“God, I’m surrounded by nagging women,” the man groaned, signing the papers he was reading with a flourish and attacking a new batch.

“Beats being surrounded by whiny men,” was Tsume’s quick retort.

Shikaku shrugged and stretched his arms, which Tsume took as her dismissal. All too happy to leave the Jounin Commander to his own suffering, she skipped to the door with a bounce to her step, only to reluctantly stop when Shikaku called out her name.

“What.” She was a busy woman, dammit.

He smiled apologetically before asking, “I was just wondering if you were putting your daughter into the Academy this year? Mine is going, and I’d be more at ease if some of the kids she knows were to attend too… Shikaru really needs to up her social game,” he added thoughtfully.

God, that man could be such a mother-hen sometimes! Tsume wondered if he would’ve been this dotting had he had a boy as laidback as him… Probably not.

“I’ve put in Kiku’s application but didn’t tell her anything yet. You know how my clan likes to keep the kids as long as possible and teach them at home before sending the little brats to schools, what with our dogs needing proper training too…”

Shikaku nodded. Many clans were like Tsume’s, enrolling the kids only for the last two or three years of the Academy as they preferred – or simply needed in some cases – to train their kekkai genkai first and foremost before even thinking about formal schooling.

“Well, if your girl is anything like you, she’s going to take to shinobi training like a fish to water,” he said in a smile, complimenting his Jounin’s ruthless efficiency on the field, and Tsume grinned back, showing her sharp teeth.

Maybe sending Kiku earlier than expected would actually be a good thing. Her girl was driven after all!

“She’s been bugging me about training her for weeks now. I think she’s ready to commit,” she mused outloud in a prideful tone.

With a wave of the hand, she turned around and leisurely walked out Shikaku’s office while calling out, “My girl’s totally gonna make you turn prematurely grey when she’ll be under your command, Nara!”

Chuckling at the muttered “troublesome” that her enhanced hearing caught, Tsume made her way back home, the grin never leaving her face. Damn right, her Kiku was going to become a kickass kunoichi!

(Shikaru means “to scold” which I found hilarious. Inoshi comes from inoshishi which means boar, Kiku means chrysanthemum because I just wanted to have some coherency between her sister and her, and Chouko means butterfly child, which is cute af. Next one should’ve Female!Sasuke, Male!Hinata, and I’m gonna have so much fun.)

[originaljediinjeans]

MCU Rewatch: “Doctor Strange” (2016)

This is probably stating the obvious, but I’m convinced that the order of the Mystic Arts(TM) or whatever it’s called has a secret worldwide following outside of Khamar-taj and the sanctums. 

I don’t think Stephen Strange cares about Christine Palmer the way Christine cares about him. And I don’t really think they’re going to end up together--their lives are going in completely different directions. But I don’t care, and I don’t care who else comes into Doc’s life. I ship them. 

As a surgeon, Strange loved the challenge and risk of his profession, and he also loved to inspire envy in others. 

Yeah, being able to have full use of your hands without pain is so nice

Rather than being a cautionary tale about safe driving, this movie is about how to deal with a life transition and finding meaning after everything changes

But seriously, NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER take your eyes off the road

The “Sad Montage”

The first time I watched this movie, the scene that sold me on Cumberbatch’s acting was his argument/rant with Christine. Also his sarcastic American accent is so perfect. 

Another fun fact: I wasn’t an actual Benedict Cumberbatch fan until I saw him in full costume in Doctor Strange. I took one look and I was like, “That’s it, call me a Cumbercookie and put me in the batch.”

I mean his outfit, his powers, his problem-solving genius--Doctor Strange is just SO COOOOOOL

So where did those surgical/medical trophies of his end up? Who bought them?

This time watching the film, I was reminded with my own impatience with my own disabilities. Sometimes I’m like, “Can I do it by myself? Can I be normal? Can I not be limited? Truly?”

One of the greatest themes in this film is the consequences of selfish desire. You can have things your way and ruin the multiverse for everyone else, or you can care about what other people want/need (esp basic things like the right to Life and respect) and actually make more of yourself by giving to them

Jason Pangborn had every right to turn Strange away. Strange had turned him away. Now the same doctor had come to him begging for help, asking him how he had recovered. It would have been totally fair to turn him away and give him a taste of his own medicine. Except that it wouldn’t have been fair at all. Not to mention, other surgeons had turned Strange away to save their own selfish careers. One ordinary person decided to not be a jerk and that made all the difference.

Gosh, Mordo in the post-credit scene is such a piece of crap

“Good luck.” Pangborn knew Strange was in for a struggle. Khamar-taj doesn’t take just anybody, and he probably guessed it would be less than welcoming to someone with Strange’s ego

Interesting artistic note in the whole scene with Pangborn: he and Strange start talking on opposite sides of a fence, but when Pangborn decides to confide in Strange, they move to a gap in the fence so he can stand closer and talk more quietly.

Another artistic note: it’s almost always cloudy/partly cloudy or raining in the NYC scenes but sunny in Nepal

Another thing: the guy that Strange talked to in physical therapy. This whole thing happened because he wanted to prove a point to Strange. Wow. Goals.

So does Strange ever actually learn the power to heal/repair his hands? You could argue that when he’s studying the time stone that that is what he’s investigating. There’s also the “It’s not about your hands” scene. Once he unlocks the sling ring, he has the confidence enough to give himself a shave/haircut. By the time Kaecilius attacks, he still complains about his hands shaking, but he still has pretty basic use of his hands and he can do whatever magic he wants. IDK I feel like the hands were never relevant to the plot after a certain point.

I’m convinced that Strange has his accident at least 3 years before the film actually takes place, depending on when they got the A up on Avengers tower. If Strange was recovering from the accident/trying to fix his hands for about 6 months, then maybe he was at Khamar-taj for a little over two years.

The scene with the Ancient One in the corridor between sanctums. She’s doing something with the Eye and the stand its on and the globe above her. What is she doing?

Tilda Swinton looks great bald but her head is really small. like really. But having no hair brings out her beautiful face. Her nose is actually perfect. Just an observation.

“TEACH ME.” Discovering the Multiverse and the Mystic Arts actually opens a whole new world to Strange. A whole new way of thinking. And he’s amazed by it. He wants to learn more, not just to fix his hands. He advances so quickly in his studies because he wants to learn everything he can. He is so curious. (and it’s something he can be good at without full function of his hands, he finds out). This dude is such a Ravenclaw, wow.

But of course he also isn’t doing anything else with his time right then.

I hope Christine got paid overtime the day Strange showed up twice.

I think the reason I respect Christine Palmer so much is because my mom is a nurse and she used to work in the ER and we really get to see her doing her job.

My favorite scene has to be “Try me, Beyonce!”

“It’s not about your hands.” It’s not about what is physical and right in front of you. “It’s not about you.” It’s not about what you want for yourself or what you can do. Or can’t do.

Strange pays attention to the hints about Kaecilius going AWOL and the ritual he stole. There were probably other people talking about what happened, rumors and whispers from the other students, dark hints from the other instructors. Also, the Ancient One isn’t shy about showing him the Dark Dimension and what it’s capable of. 

I get the impression that some Mystic Relics don’t like people or even want to work with them. The Cloak of Levitation, on the other hand...

The whole time at the fight at the New York sanctum Strange is probably like “What is happening??????” the whole time

I was actually kind of disappointed when the whole spinning/revolving/altering architecture effects turned out to be just the power from the Dark Dimension. Like I thought that was how all of the “magic” worked. 

The Ancient One is a great teacher. Her methods are kind of problematic (the whole Everest thing) sometimes but she knows how to push the people who need it. She’s really patient but kind of strict. I think her whole thing is just Tough Love. 

Doctor Strange is a match for Kaecilius as far as powers but just barely. The Cloak really gives him an advantage.

I think the Ancient One lengthened her life the way she did partly because she wanted to serve as Sorcerer Supreme. Maybe no one else for a long time was a good fit for the job.

Wow, she calls him out about still wanting to control life and death just as he’s mastering the Mystic Arts. Smart.

We get enough Mordo backstory in the film to make him an interesting character, and we get it mainly through him reacting to Strange and to the events he witnesses.

Mordo was actually ready to CRY when Strange flew into the Dark Dimenson, he was like “no, how could you? are you serious?” and Kaecilius wanted him to think that Strange couldn’t resist Dormmamu’s promise of “eternal life”

The Ancient One’s fall out of the Mirror Dimension onto the streets of NYC is really scary

The Ancient One has been drawing power from the Dark Dimension to lengthen her life, yes. But she knows Dormmamu is a liar. He has tempted her but she has resisted. What a trooper.

The longer the fight in the Mirror dimension goes the more it starts to look and feel like a bad dream

The Ancient One tells Strange that one of his motivations in his past life was his fear of failure. And then Strange flies into the Dark Dimension and confronts Dormmamu in a time loop, he lets Dormmamu kill him painfully over and over again, he fails until he succeeds. He allows himself to fail because he knows that failure is part of the process. This speaks volumes about what he did in Infinity War. 

Post-credit scene: Pangborn suspected Mordo right away. Makes me wonder about their relationship at Khamar-taj.

Kaecilius is really warped. Reeeeaaally warped.

The Ancient One in that first scene with Strange: she understands medical terminology, she understands ways of thinking in different science and philosophy fields. That scene does so much to introduce the concept of the sciences and other fields being different ways of looking at the same thing and I love it

[purkinje-effect]

I Shall Not Want, 1

Ours Is the Kingdom, Chapter 3. Go to previous. Go to next.

August slammed the door shut once inside the Nuka-Town Market, and he stood in tacit assertion of his presence. It only took eye contact with two Operators standing guard on the scaffolded awnings in the middle of the circular unpaved area, before all six raiders on guard duty made themselves scarce. With tired displeasure, he walked up to the chem bar and sat. The dusty-haired older man, enslaved to man the bar, stiffened with a wide-eyed frown, and he nearly pulled at the shock collar in the same fashion one might a shirt collar.

“Father Wachusett,” the man uttered, almost hoarsely. “What a sight for sore eyes. It’s been months! What... what’s eating you?”

“Forgive me for being away so long. I made a trip to Burlington, and I got caught up in some things.” As the barkeep slid over a bottle of red wine, August ignored the nickname the raiders had given him and which the slaves had subsequently taken to using for him, and he smiled in on himself. He filled a shot glass from a waist pocket to help himself, then returned the bottle itself along with a fistful of various prewar money. “Thank you, Maddox. My friend, with everything that’s changed, I’m relieved to see you’re still in one piece. That you all are.” He enunciated to the whole Market without turning to them, then grew hushed after he downed the oblation. “By Atom everything’s changed.”

“For the better, I’ll swear it. By the sound of it, you know we’re under new management? The guy’s a doll compared to Colter. Decreed anybody that beats a slave gets beat twice as bad. By him. And that a body’s gotta pay for slave favors. I’m not the only one especially glad for that part. And I’m sure you noticed the Disciples are out of the picture. No more splattered guts to clean up, just because somebody got a little too excited.”

“These are all wonderful things to hear, but has anyone come to you all and discussed the removal of those collars yet?” He glanced over to Mackenzie, the blonde over at the medical table, who shied from his sight at first before standing firm and frowning at him. “I didn’t think so.”

“It could be better,” Shelbie agreed shakily, from the general goods kiosk between Maddox and Mackenzie. The young brunette made triply certain it was just August and the slaves present before continuing. “Don’t get me wrong, this is heaven compared to how it was before. But the collars... I think they feel like we’d all leave or kill them--or both--if they let us out of them. They wouldn’t even need the shock collars if they’d just treat us right.”

“Many of us have lived here longer than anywhere else,” interjected Aaron, the balding old man at the weapons kiosk. “Many of us are disinclined to leave, even despite the tenants we have to share the park with.”

“I just wish it were more than myself working toward a solution. This place was so peaceful before they came. I think we all miss the time before Colter.”

“I think they’re really starting to take strides in the right direction,” Maddox continued. “The Geek’s boyfriend keeps my kiosk absolutely rolling in caps. Never had such an extensive stock since this past month! Sure, I wish they’d let me go back to working in the Cappy Cafe, but I can respect the outfit’s reliance on my chemistry savvy.”

“Is anyone else experiencing similar prosperity?” August stirred to make the rounds, pocketing his glass. “Shelbie, I can imagine you’ve got a surplus of Disciples gear to profit from for some time. And Mackenzie? Can you spare a few blood packs?” He slouched to glare at her in desperation. “I’m ravenous.”

“I, I, I, absolutely.” The medic hated that look more than anything else about him, and it took her a moment to recover from being on the receiving end of it. She had to remind herself that, being what he was, he likely couldn’t help but intimidate, even when expressing humility. She fumbled the folding lid of the pale blue medical cooler, and pulled two of them out for him. Before she could even quote a price, he gifted her fifteen caps and twenty dollars, and she nodded graciously, adding it to her till. “Will you need any Stimpaks? I haven’t had the chance to get a new batch this week, and I was about to get to it this afternoon, since Katelyn’s caravan was in this morning and brought in a large shipment of antiseptics.”

“She’s left again already? That’s no good.” August glanced over to the brahmin pen, which did not contain the pack brahmin the caravan head used to travel. He paused, slicing open the neck of a blood bag with his folding razor, and sucking on its contents, unashamed around this group accustomed to his habituation. “No, I like that the least of what I’ve learned so far. I know the partnership she has with Shank. This won’t do.”

“Said she was drummin’ up business outside the immediate area,” Shelbie said, standing up straight as she shuffled the items on her tables expectantly. “Called prospective customers traveling here fresh meat. Made me shiver something fierce, the way she said it.”

“I should never have told the Geek about the power plant.” Chip, the repairman, kicked at the rocky sand, but calmed himself by rubbing at his peppery beard with both palms. “This is all my fault. All I wanted was for somebody to get the plant running again, when the raiders won’t let me step foot outside the park unsupervised...”

“--To hell you’d ever think a guy like that’d play into a scheme this big,” Aaron hollered, furious at the self-deprecation. “This is all Gage’s doing, and you know it. The man practically brags at how skillful a puppeteer he is. And now this place is a neon attraction in the desert, luring in the gullible and travel-weary. If it weren’t for how the new Overboss is, I’d think this was all a plot to expand their slave numbers, not profit from travelers.”

“Aaron, Aaron. My friend,” August soothed. “You don’t have any of the Disciples’ knives for me, do you? Call it abject restlessness, but I’m most enthusiastic to make myself the disciple they should be worrying about.”

“Most of them don’t stand a chance against you, Father,” the old man insisted, unfolding a rag of various tools that had been filed down into have a sharp end. The Child of Atom bared a fanged grin as he plucked up what had the heft of a hatchet but the motion of a machete. Turning it over in his hands, the spine had been a combination wrench, and to it had been bolted a thick, sturdy rectangle of sheet metal that had likely belonged to one of the Galactic Zone’s robots. The blade had been recently sharpened by Aaron himself, but the blood stains had not been polished out. The last of August’s money spilled out on the rag. “Especially not wielding... that.”

“I’ve had enough of forgiving their trespasses. This is a holy place, and they have done nothing but defile it. This is a place for all, not simply all with the caps to save themselves from the raiders’ scorn. I wish I’d been able to do more before now. You all have suffered long enough.”

“We’re hardly suffering at all now,” Maddox promised, trying to get August’s attention back. When approached, the man stared up at him and drummed at the bar counter, changing his tune. “You’re at your best with a little Calmex to bring out the instincts of everything you’ve got in your veins, Father. I’ve got a theory for improving on the formula, but there’s a little problem.”

“You make stellar Calmex,” he replied in a lyric, still caught up in the delirium between a recent meal and a new blade. “What’s halted you in your new formulations?”

“I need bloodworm meat. From what I understand, none of the Operators out at Dry Rock Gulch have so much as mentioned seeing one since the Geek gave them the all-clear to move in.”

The man-shaped creature flattened his lips together, and his ears rang as they folded against his head. His eyes widened, and he shook his head with jaw clenched.

“I suppose I know which zone I’m starting my tour with, then.”

Go to Next »»»

[jojoscracklife]

Beach Buddies In Spring

Title: Beach Crackies In Spring

Author:jojoscracklife

Summary: Crack baby fanfic with Jotaro and Okyasu on the beach while Jotaro mosies down memory lane.

Warnings: crack, swearing, crack

Word Count: 895

Jotaro Kujo awoke to his alarm at precisely 5:00 A.M. and headed to his usual spot on the Morioh Beachfront. He had to write a thesis for his marine biology degree, but he still had no idea what he was going to write about. Along with the stress of Joseph coming to Morioh, and Chilli Pepper still in possession of the arrow, Jotaro felt slightly overwhelmed. The moment he began to show some emotion from the stoicism, he heard a familiar “Yo!” from behind him.

   Okuyasu Nijimura, the thickheaded bff of his uncle Josuke, decided to skip school and sit by the beach. Jotaro wanted to get up, but he decided to stay when the bald child asked him a very scary question.

      “Hey, who the hell was DIO?”

      Jotaro feels a tremble through his body. Just the thought of that ripped blond babe of a vampire made him remember the good old 80’s.

   “Why are you screaming that name?” Jotaro responded with a panicked expression.

Okuyasu replied simply “It’s in all caps, so I assumed you could only scream his name. But who was he?”

   “An old enemy of the Joestars, and I killed him. He killed a few of my friends before I beat him. Crazy bastard dropped a steamroller on me, and almost killed Josuke’s dad.”

   “Josuke told me about that, and I was wondering something. Were you always so calculated? I mean, a guy as smart as you had to have been able to kick his ass no problem, right?”

   Jotaro was sent on a trip down memory lane. He sat back down and began to describe what kind of kid he was. He loved his mommy. Played fun board games with her. Then he watched a Clint Eastwood movie, and decided he wanted to be a cool kid. Cool kids never showed emotion, beat the shit out of random bystanders, and called their mothers bitches all the time. Then DIO happened. That son of a bitch stole his great grandpa’s body, and sent his mother into a state of near death for 50 days. They had to travel to Egypt to save his precious mommy, and Jotaro was ready to do just that. Along the way, he met an Egyptian fortune teller, another Japanese student, a French guy, and an actual Boston Terrier. Oh, and his stupid American grandpa was there too. Everybody survived until about the end, where the fortune teller got turned into a pair of hands, the dog got kicked to death, and his class buddy got a big hole punched through him. All by two gay, homoerotic vampire men.

   “Man, and I thought me and my brother had it bad with DIO, but he fucked you right up, didn’t he?” Okuyasu flashed a big, stupid smile at the stoic man.

   Jotaro held back a smile and replied “He really did. Do you want to know how I beat him?”

   Okuyasu lit up like a christmas tree “Hell yeah! What were you like in your prime?”

   Jotaro described being able to see in the stopped time, and learning to move for a measly 2 seconds. Then, he gushed about punching a steamroller so hard, it was suspended in the air between the two of them, and the real epic moment where he waited for DIO to hit his time limit, and then stopped time himself, popping up behind the cocky bastard and punching his legs really hard.

   “And you know what I said to him?” Jotaro smirked at the boy.

   “Oh shit, did you tell him like ‘This one’s for my great granddad’, or something cool?”

   “No, I told him ‘There’s one simple reason why you lost, DIO. It’s because you really pissed me off.’”  Jotaro awaited his reaction.

   “Holy shit, that is the lamest thing you could have said. Like, really, ‘You pissed me off’? Couldn’t come up with anything else?”

      Jotaro looked like someone just slapped his first batch of cookies out of his hands and spit in his face.

   “Did you even do anything to really hurt him?” Okuyasu asked with a stunned look on his face.

   “I- I mean, I kinda crushed his skull, but not for very long. And I also, uh, broke his stand’s legs, making him explode. I guess that might have hurt him, or something.” Jotaro replied timidly.

   Okuyasu laughed back, “Dude, I just would have kicked him in the balls a whole bunch, or even scraped them away with The Hand.”

   Jotaro remembered that the boy had a similar stand to Vanilla Ice, except instead of his whole body annihilating space itself, it was just his hand that could do it.

   “I don’t have to sit here and take this.” Jotaro scraped his notebook and pencils and started his way back to the hotel when he suddenly felt himself dragged back, and Okuyasu put his arm around the tall child.

   “Oh come on, don’t be such a baby. Come on, let’s go eat some Italian, and I can just sneak back into class before lunch break ends!”

   “Well, I guess I’m in a real spaghetti mood.” Jotaro smiled lightly.

      “Cool, but you’re paying. I’m a high school student, and you wouldn’t want to stiff Tonio, he might be in some Italian mafia!” Okuyasu gave Jotaro a hearty pat on the back.

   “Oh, good grief.” Jotaro sighed.