#one small step for lem

[lemememeringue]

just had my wisdom teeth pulled. AMA

[theemissuniverse]

“IS YOUR GIRLFRIEND SINGLE?” HENRY HART X FEM!READER

SUMMARY : After Henry as Kid Danger looks bad on the news, he helps the community in order to gain public opinion back. When he meets you, his whole mission goes out the window. (Henry is 18 & graduated from high school, reader is 20. This is low-key written as if it was an actual episode.)

CONTENT : flirty Henry, suggestive content, reader is very feminine

MASTERLIST

As much as he loved fighting crime and saving lives, being Kid Danger did not have its perks sometimes. Kinda like what he was doing now. After he had accidentally insulted veterans just because he said he didn’t think they should get a gold star for joining and didn’t think they were automatically good people on the news, Ray suggested for him to do community work to get the people back in his good graces.

Some of the stuff was small, like saving a cat from a tree. Others it was if he could save them from a burning building.

Just great.

He decided to take a break, going into a bakery to get something to drink and a small donut. When he walked in, it smelled amazing. The smell went to his stomach, making it let out a rumble.

The atmosphere was girly. He could tell the owner was a woman in her twenties just by the small details in the place. And because it was so goddamn pink.

He went to step in further but when he did, a man stood in front of him. He had to be about early to mid twenties. Henry noticed the baggy clothes he had on and he could’ve sworn it was a hot summer day.

The heat was clearly not getting to this man as he had the brightest smile on his face. “Oh my god! You’re Kid Danger!”

Henry was annoyed. And hungry but he knew he couldn’t be as mean or as sassy like he usually would be so he instead pulled off a fake smile. “Hey, man.”

“Can I get a photo?”

‘Can I kick your ass?’ Henry bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying something smart like why is a grown ass man asking for a picture but he waved it off. “Sure.”

The guy stood next to him and roughly grabbed a hold of Henry’s shoulder. Henry let out a sigh but fixed his face when the guy held up the phone for the photo and smiled.

After the guy took the picture, he backed away from Henry to examine the photo. “My girl is not gonna believe this.”

“I’m sure she isn’t.” Henry pulled off but what he really wanted to say was ‘I’m sure she isn’t gonna believe a grown man was excited to see Kid Danger.’

“Thanks man, I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, no prob….lem.”

Henry was in amazement when he saw you behind the counter. You were absolutely, undeniably gorgeous. You were so breathtakingly feminine that it made his stomach have butterflies.

The way you smiled at customers seemed like you had all the joy in the world and he wanted to be included in that joy. He noticed the way you’d tug on your sleeve when you were a little nervous or anxious. Your freshly done acrylic nails tapped on the counter and boy did he want to see those hands wrapped around something else.

Your lip gloss went with your black lip liner perfectly. He didn’t care what sticky mess he’d create, they were gorgeous and he wanted to kiss them.

When you walked back to hand the customer her muffin, he noted you wore heels but you were still shorter than him. So that had to put you at 5’4 height which was insanely short for him considering he was a 6’0 male.

You wore a cute little apron over your shirt and skirt. The way you walked, you knew you were pretty. You knew men found you hot. That’s what made you attractive to him.

“Um…” Henry forced himself to break out of his trance. “Who’s that?”

The guy turned to see who he was talking about and when he got it, he nodded in confirmation. “Oh, that’s my girlfriend. She owns the bakery.”

Henry kept staring at you, trying to find it within himself to look away but he couldn’t. He needed to talk to you. “Is your girlfriend single?”

The guy laughed when Henry said this. “That’s a good one, man.”

“Uh huh…yeah…” Henry didn’t bother to put up with the conversation anymore before walking over towards the front counter.

There you were, counting the drawer. He figured you were changing shifts at this time which was perfect because you wouldn’t be busy dealing with customers.

“I’ll help you in one minute.” You looked up to give who you thought to be a customer with a polite smile when you saw who it was. “Kid Danger? What are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood. Trying to take care of the town.” Henry said slyly. He saw you snicker and raised a brow at it. “What?”

“You and Captain Man trying to do crowd control from the news thing?” You asked, going back to count the money.

Henry had completely forgotten about that. “Oh you saw that?”

“Relax. I agree with you. I don’t think the troops are all good people.”

Henry relaxed after finding out you weren’t mad at him about what he said on the news. “Oh. Okay. Cool. What’s your name?”

You continued to count the money with a playful smile. “Why do you need to know my name?”

He thought about it for a second before coming up with an answer. “Because…” he leaned against the counter. “I wanna know if your name is as pretty as you look.”

You chuckled at his flirtatious response and looked up at him. “Aren’t you a little young?”

Henry scoffed, offended. He wasn’t that young and you didn’t look that old. “I’m eighteen. That’s the legal drinking age in Australia.”

“Oh really?”

“Uh huh.”

You went back to count the money before responding. “(Y/N).”

“I was right. It’s just as pretty as you.”

He noticed you trying to hold back your smile. “You’re cute but I have a boyfriend.”

Henry tilted his head at you. He then turned around to face the man you claimed as your boyfriend. He was bragging to all your customers that he just took a photo with Kid Danger. He then faced his attention to you. He could tell you were embarrassed. “That him?”

You sighed, looking away. “Unfortunately.”

“How old is the grown man?”

“Twenty four.”

“Oh…how old are you?”

“Twenty.” You finished counting the money and started to place money in envelopes for your drop. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”

Henry looked at your rack of baked goods. It was a whole range of muffins, donuts, cupcakes, and cookies. “Give me the pink sprinkled one.” He saw the look you were giving him and he pointed his finger at you. “Shut up. I can be grown and like sprinkles.”

You held your hands up in defense and went to grab the donut. You handed it to him and when you did, he pulled out his wallet. “Oh, you’re good.”

“Don’t do that.” Henry handed you the twenty dollar bill and grabbed the donut. “Keep it.”

You gave him a look as you put the money in the register and put the rest in the tip jar. “Money doesn’t impress me Kid Danger.”

“Tell me what does so I can.” Henry took the bite out the donut and when he did, the pink sprinkled chocolate donut melted in his mouth. “That’s a really good donut.”

You smiled. “Thank you.”

Your boyfriend walked over towards the two of you. He leaned over the counter and kissed you on the cheek. “Hey, babe.”

Henry was furious. You were completely out of his league. How the hell did he even get you? Why were you downgrading? You owned a bakery for damn sake. It was like you were doing charity work for him.

Don’t get him wrong, Henry wasn’t exactly a homewrecker but the home doesn’t look too happy. Not to mention it didn’t matter once he wanted something. When he wanted something or matter of fact, someone, he was going to get it.

“That is bizarre.” Henry said out loud.

“Babe! Look! I met Kid Danger.”

You nodded, finishing with the register. “I see.”

“But I’m too young?” Henry questioned, motioning to your boyfriend and you rubbed your forehead out of embarrassment.

At the next moment, a big man walked in with a brown paper bag on his face. Henry looked at him and he already knew he was going to be trouble. “I hate this town.”

The big man walked over to the three of you at the register. “Give me everything! This is a robbery!”

Henry placed his hand on his temple in annoyance at the man. “Why do you all announce you’re doing a robbery? We see you doing it!”

Your boyfriend let out a squeal as if he was a little girl and ran away, hiding in the bathroom. Henry gave you a look again and you sighed. “I know. I know.”

Henry was impressed. You didn’t seem that phased with a big man coming in trying to rob you. The man went in his jacket pocket then pulled out what appeared to be a gun.

Everyone in the bakery got down, fearing for their lives. Henry didn’t and you didn’t.

You were a little nervous, you had to admit but you felt a little at ease considering a superhero was standing next to you.

“I said give me everything.”

Henry sat his donut on the counter before stepping in front of him so he wouldn’t be in eye contact with you. “Dude. Step out.” He looked at you and then looked at the robber. He whispered the next thing so you wouldn’t hear him. “I’m trying to get her number.”

This time the robber pointed the gun. “Now!”

Henry gave him a look not even phased. “Is that a nerf gun?”

The robber’s demeanor faltered at the question. “Um. No.”

“Yes it is.”

“No it’s not.”

“The tip is orange!”

“You’re about the catch this tip in a minute.”

Henry’s eyes blinked at the way the robber worded. “Whoa. First of all, pause. Second of all, you’re wearing a brown paper bag on your head.”

“So?”

Henry reached over, snatching the brown paper bag to reveal his identity. The robber gasped and Henry rolled his eyes, throwing the bag down. “Just leave before I embarrass you.”

The robber didn’t listen. He pointed the fake gun to the rest of the customers, scaring them. “Give me everything now!”

“Okay…I’m officially done with this.” Henry spun the robber back to him and punched him in the face. The robber didn’t go down because he was so big.

The robber tried to punch Henry but Henry with his hyper mobility was quicker. He grabbed the man’s hand and made him punch himself. Henry kicked him in the stomach. Then twisted his arm before giving him a spin kicked.

The man finally got knocked down. Henry looked back over to you in a flirty way. “See how I just did that?”

You looked at him, amused. “I see you’re not finished.”

“Hmm?”

The man grabbed Henry by his shoulders and picked him up before tossing him across the bakery. Henry landed on the wooden chairs and broke them on the process.

You sighed. “Really? I was just about to paint those chairs.”

Henry got up quickly. He charged at the man. He had the man pressed up against the wall. Henry kneed him in the gut and choked him.

The robber pushed Henry to the ground. He then tried to stomp on Henry but Henry moved too fast. Henry kicked him in his ankle. It made the robber drop to his knees. Henry grabbed a rack of cookies and smacked him on the robber’s head.

“Okay, you win! You win!” The robber got up, kind of crying and ran out the store.

Henry dusted the cookie residue off his fingers. “And that’s the way the cookie crumbles.” When everyone felt safe, they stood to their feet and clapped at Henry. Henry waved at the applause before walking back over to your register.

He took the donut he was eating before off the counter and bit back in it. “Hopefully I can finish in peace now.”

You eyed Henry up and down. “You know what? That was impressive.”

Henry wasn’t expecting you to say that. “Really?” He asked with a mouthful.

You leaned over the counter. You used your finger to wipe the remaining crumbs off his lips. Your pink acrylic nails grazed his lips. You looked him right in the eyes as you did it. “Really.”

Henry really wanted to bend you over the counter after doing the gesture but unfortunately he had to control himself.

He couldn’t say anything because your boyfriend came out the bathroom. “Is he gone?”

This time, you looked pissed.

You came from behind the counter and slapped him across the face. “You idiot! You were just going to let him rob me? I mean…he was a shitty robber but that is so not the point!”

Your boyfriend looked guilty. “Well…well Kid Danger handled it right?”

You nodded in a matter of fact way. “Yeah. He’s going to be handling a lot of stuff from now on. We’re done.”

“Ooh.” Henry said like a child as he finished the donut. “You heard her.”

Your boyfriend looked like a sad puppy dog. He started to walk out of the store but before he did stopped to look at Henry. “Can I get an autograph?”

Henry gave him a look. “Dude. No.”

Your ex finally walked out. You looked over to everyone in the store. “Alright everyone. I’m closing early for the day.”

Everyone nodded, understanding before exciting the store. Henry walked a little to you to cut the distance. “Did I hear correctly you dumped the man child?”

You didn’t say anything. You went in your pocket and handed him your business card. “Call me when you’re not busy taking robbers down.”

Henry looked at the phone number and smiled. “Oh yeah? Did I also earn a heroic kiss?”

“No, but you can watch this ass walk away.” You told him playfully as you started to head in the back to your office.

Henry tilted his head, biting his lips as he watched. Your ass did look good in the skirt you were wearing. “I’m not complaining.” You let out a laugh when you hit your office and Henry looked back down to the number. “Man, I love being Kid Danger.”

[jackoshadows]

Firstly, why is it that Sansa can only be praised by comparing her to Arya? Secondly, in what world is Arya physically strong and more than Sansa?!

The masculinization of Arya Stark by tradfems in fandom has become so commonplace that I suppose many of them imagine this is how Arya and Sansa are in the books:

In case folks don't know this: ARYA IS TWO YEARS YOUNGER THAN SANSA! She's the younger sibling!

Anyone who has read a Jon POV chapter should know that Arya is a skinny, little girl. Jon specifically makes a small, lightweight, thin sword for Arya to handle.

And Arya … he missed her even more than Robb, skinny little thing that she was, all scraped knees and tangled hair and torn clothes, so fierce and willful. - Jon, AGoT

Arya has been on the run for two years, hunted by Lannister men, a slave put to hard physical work and starved for food.

She spent the rest of that day scrubbing steps inside the Wailing Tower. By evenfall her hands were raw and bleeding and her arms so sore they trembled when she lugged the pail back to the cellar. Too tired even for food, Arya begged Weese's pardons and crawled into her straw to sleep. - Arya, ACoK

Often as not, she went to bed hungry rather than risk the stares. - Arya, AGoT

"Lommy's hungry," Hot Pie whined, "and I am too." "We're all hungry," said Arya. - Arya, ACoK

Arya watched them die and did nothing. What good did it do you to be brave? One of the women picked for questioning had tried to be brave, but she had died screaming like all the rest. There were no brave people on that march, only scared and hungry ones. - Ary, ACoK

I knew we should never have left the woods, she thought. They'd been so hungry, though, and the garden had been too much a temptation. - Arya, ASoS

"An inn?" The thought of hot food made Arya's belly rumble, but she didn't trust this Tom. - Arya, ASoS

Rabbits ran faster than cats, but they couldn't climb trees half so well. She whacked it with her stick and grabbed it by its ears, and Yoren stewed it with some mushrooms and wild onions. Arya was given a whole leg, since it was her rabbit. She shared it with Gendry. - Arya, ASoS

The biggest toms would seldom win, she noticed; oft as not, the prize went to some smaller, quicker animal, thin and mean and hungry. Like me, she told herself. - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

We have the contrast of Arya having to trade some carrots and cabbages they picked from an overgrown garden to get some food and the innkeeper complaining about the lack of lemons to the sumptuous 64 dish feast in the Vale with a 12 feet tall lemon cake made especially for Sansa.

Anguy shuffled his feet. "We were thinking we might eat it, Sharna. With lemons. If you had some." "Lemons. And where would we get lemons? Does this look like Dorne to you, you freckled fool? Why don't you hop out back to the lemon trees and pick us a bushel, and some nice olives and pomegranates too." She shook a finger at him. "Now, I suppose I could cook it with Lem's cloak, if you like, but not till it's hung for a few days. You'll eat rabbit, or you won't eat. Roast rabbit on a spit would be quickest, if you've got a hunger. Or might be you'd like it stewed, with ale and onions." Arya could almost taste the rabbit. "We have no coin, but we brought some carrots and cabbages we could trade you." - Arya, ASoS

Sixty-four dishes were served, in honor of the sixty-four competitors who had come so far to contest for silver wings before their lord. From the rivers and the lakes came pike and trout and salmon, from the seas crabs and cod and herring. Ducks there were, and capons, peacocks in their plumage and swans in almond milk. Suckling pigs were served up crackling with apples in their mouths, and three huge aurochs were roasted whole above firepits in the castle yard, since they were too big to get through the kitchen doors. Loaves of hot bread filled the trestle tables in Lord Nestor’s hall, and massive wheels of cheese were brought up from the vaults. The butter was fresh-churned, and there were leeks and carrots, roasted onions, beets, turnips, parsnips. And best of all, Lord Nestor’s cooks prepared a splendid subtlety, a lemon cake in the shape of the Giant’s Lance, twelve feet tall and adorned with an Eyrie made of sugar. For me, Alayne thought, as they wheeled it out. Sweetrobin loved lemon cakes too, but only after she told him that they were her favorites. The cake had required every lemon in the Vale, but Petyr had promised that he would send to Dorne for more. - Alayne, TWoW

Arya was already a little, skinny girl smaller than Sansa when they left Winterfell. She has been worked to the bone, sleeping rough and gone hungry. Again, by what logic is this Arya supposed to be physically strong and more than Sansa?!

There is this idea that's often pushed where Sansa is some dainty, fragile princess while Arya is this strong executioner henchwoman and it's just so tiresome and toxic.

Arya is also not Brienne! They are two different characters. If you want physically strong warrior types to compare to Sansa, there is already Brienne. Arya is the smaller, younger sister. In canon and logically, it's the taller, bigger, elder sister with access to good, rich food who would be physically stronger.

The Stark looking Starks tend to be slender and quicker compared to the bigger, stronger Tully looking Starks.

He was of an age with Robb, but they did not look alike. Jon was slender where Robb was muscular, dark where Robb was fair, graceful and quick where his half brother was strong and fast. - Bran, AGoT

The biggest toms would seldom win, she noticed; oft as not, the prize went to some smaller, quicker animal, thin and mean and hungry. Like me, she told herself. - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

"Can't you guess?" Jon teased. "Your very favorite thing." Arya seemed puzzled at first. Then it came to her. She was that quick. They said it together: "Needle!" - Jon, AGoT

Arya was always quick and clever, but in the end she's just a little girl, and Roose Bolton is not the sort who would be careless with a prize of such great worth. - Jon, ADwD

This is one of the reasons for why Jon Snow is so protective of Arya Stark - he certainly doesn't see her as some physically strong warrior type, despite gifting her with a sword. He's scared for her because he knows that despite how clever she is, Ramsay can kill, rape and torture her - she's 'just a little girl'.

Arya deserves to be protected, same as Sansa. She is not there to be anyone's henchwoman, she does not have super strength and she is certainly not physically stronger than Sansa.

[lurkerdemon]

We Have a Blob-lem - Part 2

====

(Part 2 continuing from this)

In which I have decided to give this random drabble a name.

====

“Stay safe!”

Orphan waved to the civilian as she grappled away. She could already hear the beep on her com from Oracle to signal the police were coming to pick up the muggers. Regardless, she picked a building alcove and watched the would-be victim continue down a few blocks before she was satisfied with things being resolved. That and she had to wait up for her partner after all.

Speaking of, she felt a brief chill settle on top of her shoulder followed by a quiet growl in greeting. One hand reached up to scratch the creature. She got another growl in response as she adjusted her position a little higher.

“Sorry. Good job. Helped.”

The cold spot shifted and she felt the slight pressure of something moving into the corner of her hood. Cass smiled and used a finger to reach in and continue scratching. Minutes passed while she sat and took the time to enjoy the night air. Her patrol had ended anyway, nothing lost in taking some time for her own silent watch.

A small grumble from her hood notifies her before she sees a familiar green glow on a rooftop below. The moment after is tense until she recognizes white hair and a monochromatic outfit. Cass readies herself and then swings down behind the building’s air conditioning unit, the entire maneuver silent as she peeks from the shadows.

Danny meanwhile was having the worst game of “cold or less cold.” Which is not a nuanced scale when the person seeking is already a few notable degrees below normal body temperature. He swore he felt the tiniest hint of his ghost sense though, and it definitely got stronger when he flew higher up. 

And as if on queue to taunt him, he saw another tiny puff of mist escape his mouth. He floated just a little higher and groaned. Where the heck was this thing?!

“I swear if this is Skulker or something he’s getting souped for a week.”

He frowned as he felt the chill go down to more of a cool breeze. Okay so not that way. Danny poked his head (literally) through the wall of what would be the rooftop stairway access. Annnnnd nope. At least it wasn't in the building. Yet.

He pulled his intangible body back with a sigh, one loud enough that he almost missed the muffled giggle. A quick spin to the right and- nothing. Then he feels a tap on his opposite shoulder. Brows knitting together, he glares to the left.

Nothing. Again.

The rooftop took on a green glow as Danny exhaled in one long hiss of annoyance. Halfway through he noticed the freezing mist that came with it and swung around to-

“Ca-Orphan!”

(Which he definitely said totally normal and did not yelp.)

Cass’s face was an inch or two from his own, mask and hood covering most of it. Danny swore he could still feel the grin underneath though. He instinctively took a step backwards at the close proximity.

Which of course had to make him trip, gravity about to acquaint him with the stone rooftop if he hadn't levitated at the last second.

He floated upwards laying horizontal, arms crossed. “I meant to do that.”

Cass raised an eyebrow. Danny cleared his throat. “So uh, what brings you here?”

“Feeding the baby.”

He blinked. “Feed what now?”

She reached inside of her hood, hand slow and gentle as she pushed the fabric aside. Then bringing her hands together to cup something in front of her, her blob ghost companion flickered back into the visible spectrum with a small huff at having its nap interrupted.

Danny blinked again. “Is that a tiny Batman cowl?”

Cass nodded, scratching the top of the blob who rumbled happily in response.

“Helper. Calms civilians.”

He floated closer, examining the creature for a moment.

“They got… bigger.”

Cass shrugged. “Big meal?”

Danny raised an eyebrow.

“And B said it had to stay at the manor.”

Cass just stared him straight in the eye. Both of them knew he didn't care long before he finally broke and cracked a smile.

“Well at least I know my ghost sense wasn't on the fritz. Think it eats Batburger?”

“No. You do.”

“Aww, you know me so well. Let's go!”

- - - -

Turns out Blob ghosts do eat BatBurger. Or more accurately, absorbed Danny’s fries into itself and then refused to give them back until Cass coaxed it into letting go.

Danny just prayed Cass wouldn’t share the picture with Damian or he wasn’t gonna hear the end of it.

======

@breannasfluff

To clarify, I am working the above on what remember seeing of DP fanon on "ghosts can feed on emotions."

Ergo, blob invisibly slurps up victim's negative emotions so people hopefully have less trauma due to a brush with crime.

Food for the pet and helps people, so win-win.

(Just no one tell Bruce)

[cherrys-muses]

CHRISTMAS STORY SIX | CHASING CARS — dad!tangerine x reader

w; not much!, some fluff — i’m not too sure about this one omg i’m so sorry </3 im better than this. i promise a better tan fic soon

an; when i tell you i also missed writing for dad!tangerine :,) omg.

Juliet had been bouncing off the walls all day from the candy she had kept sneaking from the bowl on the counter, giggling when you had caught her little fingers in it, playfully swatting it away. 

“Your tummy is going to be so full of candy, you’ll turn into candy yourself.” 

She had settled down then, a small cheer in your head when you had noticed. Now she’s helping you bake some sweet treats for after dinner — even though you’re sure she’s going to be sick from how much sweetness she’s had from one day. 

But it’s Christmas and you’d never refuse your baby a treat on a holiday — or any day for that matter. 

“Lemon cookies for Uncle Lemlem?” 

Your brows lift slightly and you glance over at her. “Lemon cookies? Or maybe a lemon cake?” 

Her eyes widen and she nods quickly, curls bouncing with the movement. You laugh softly and nod along with her. “Alright, lemon cake it is!” You turn and grab an extra bowl from the cabinet, before grabbing a couple more things you needed. 

You had tried to let her mix, but the flour had kept flying up into her hair and onto your clothing — now she’s only dumping in ingredients, allowing you to mix. Once you slide the two pans into the stove, you turn back to start on the icing. 

“After this, how about a quick bath before Daddy and Uncle Lem gets here?” 

“Then presents?” 

She’s been so good about not complaining with the presents that’s still wrapped and ready to be ripped from the confines of the decorative paper. 

“If he’s here, yes,” You nod, pulling the white bowl towards you and placing it into the refrigerator. “I promised him you’d wait though. He really wants to see you open them.” 

She nods and allows you to help her onto the floor, ushering her towards the bathroom. You’re quick with washing her hair, freeing it from the mix of flour that had poofed back up at her once she had dumped it. 

You slip on cozy christmas pajamas instead, braiding her hair into two braids. Her hand reaches up to rub at her eyes, blinking owlishly. You lift her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Tired?” 

“Mm.” She shakes her head. That really means yes. Smiling, you walk over to your bed, placing her down next to you, humming a soft tune, rubbing your hand up and down her back. 

She’s out for her nap quickly. Pulling away slowly, you walk back into the kitchen to check the cake. Nodding to yourself when the toothpick comes out clean, you pull it from the oven and place it onto a cooling rack before untying your apron. You’d already cleaned with Juliet, heading to the bathroom to take a quick shower yourself. 

Picking out your matching pajamas with Juliet, you smile to yourself and think about two certain presents waiting underneath the tree. 

Juliet giggled when she noticed the matching pajamas you both had worn, Tangerine and Lemon stepping into the living room just in time. 

“Well, aren’t you two just as that snowbear outside?” Lemon grins. 

“Lemlem!” Juliet quickly runs over and wraps her arms around his legs. He places the presents in his hands down, quickly lifting her from the ground with a grin of his own. He hated when Tangerine would call him that — because he knew he was being mean and teasing him about the nickname his niece had gifted him. 

Tan smirks, shaking his head as he walks over to you, pressing a firm kiss to your lips, hands cradling your face as he pulls back. “I’ve missed you.” 

“And I’ve missed you,” He nods. “Thanks for waitin’. I’m surprised I didn't walk into a full breakdown.”

“She’s been good for me all day. I kept her busy since she first woke up this morning,” You nod, glancing over at her. “Though, we do have a present for you an Lem that we want you to open first.” 

Tan’s brows lift slightly when he pulls away from you, glancing back at the little girl who giggles. “Now where is my hug? You went to Lemlem first.” Tan pouts. You roll your eyes, grabbing the two presents as Juliet slips from Lemon’s arms. 

“Only I can call him that, daddy. Not you!” She walks over and allows him to pick her up from the ground, giggling when his mustache tickles her cheek as he presses a kiss against it. 

“It’s fun to say.” He smirks at Lemon who squints his eyes at him. 

You step over and hand Lemon his present and Tan his. Juliet reaches for you and you take her quickly, stepping back and watching them open the box. 

“Oh, yeah!” Lemon cheers, grabbing the pajamas out. 

Tan’s lips pursed together and he stares at you. “You just had to get him one, didn’t you?” 

You grin. “He’s family too, Tan. Be nice.” You tease. He smiles a bit, shaking his head. 

“We’ll be quick. Wait one sec.” He walks past, Lemon following behind as he dances a bit. Grinning, you turn and look at Juliet, holding your hand up for a high-five. She gives you one, giggling. 

—

Several presents, a big dinner, slices of cake, and a movie later, Lemon is passed out on the couch, snoring. You throw a blanket over him, smiling a bit as you feel Tan’s hand wrap around your waist softly, pressing his lips to your temple before grabbing some plates and walking into the kitchen. 

You follow behind him. “How was the mission?” 

He dumped the trash into the bin, shrugging. “Have a big bruise on my side,” You frown and make your way towards him. “But, I’m glad to be home.” 

“Are you okay?” 

“Nothing a warm bath can’t fix.” He shrugs, beginning to wash dishes. You pout slightly, watching as his hands work under the water. 

“Honey, you don’t have to do—”

He leans over and presses his lips against yours, cutting off your words. “Hush,” He whispers, before straightening his back and continuing. You smile a bit, shaking your head. “You do them when I’m gone, the least I could do is wash some when I’m back. I’ll be up in a minute, okay?” 

You nod and walk towards your shared room with Tan, falling onto the bed, eyes slowly slipping close. Soon enough, you feel the bed dipping under his weight, eyes opening and noticing a small box placed in front of you. 

You lift your head slightly, staring at it. “What’s that?” 

“Another little something I wanted to give to you in private — just you and I.” 

You stare at him before sitting up. He stays laying on his side, a hand propped under his chin as he watches you begin to open the box. There’s a ring inside, eyes widening at how pretty it is. 

“Tan, this is—”

“Your new ring,” You look over at him. “I wanted to get you a new one since your old one was what I could only afford when I asked you,” His hand reaches for your hand, his thumb brushing over it softly. 

“I promised I’d get you one. One that you deserve.” He nods. 

Placing the box onto the nightstand, you lean close and press a kiss to his lips, hands cradling his face. Pressing one last quick kiss onto his lips, you press your forehead against his. “It’s perfect, Tan, and I love it,” You nod. He grins. 

“But I also love this one.” 

His grin falters a bit. “What? How could you love that one? It’s janky and has some diamonds that had begun to loosen — because that bloody prick had lie—”

“You’re getting yourself all worked up, honey,” You laugh softly. “I love it because it reminds me of…us. It’s the first ring you’d given me when you told me how much you truly loved me. I couldn’t just stop wearing this one when it has so much meaning to me.” 

He stares down at the ring on your finger, nodding slightly. “So, I can take the other one back and get the money?” He’s only teasing, but he wants to see what you’ll say. 

“Uh, no,” You pull away from him. You grab the box from the nightstand, grinning as you push it onto your finger on your other hand. “I’ll just wear it on this one.” 

He lets out a laugh, lifting and pressing a kiss against your lips, dipping you slightly as his hands grip your waist. “I love you,” He presses a kiss to your temple. “So much.” 

You drop your head against the pillow, reaching up and holding his face. “I love you. Hold me?” 

He shifts around on the bed, pulling the covers over the both of you, pulling you close. His hand tangles into your hair, scratching at your scalp softly. He smiles when he feels the flutter of your eyelashes against the side of his neck. 

“Goodnight, my love.” He whispers. 

“Goodnight, handsome.”

| tags — @oceanblvd111

| please do not copy my work! comments, feedbacks, reblogs, & requests are welcomed and greatly appreciated! ❅

| border — @/silkholland

[broareweabouttoviberightnow]

watchin tex pt 2!!!

startin off strong. n lemme say this. fuck their dad frl. tex ilysm. he's such a kid. "Mason ur not givin him any reason to stay by bein mad!" tex. hon. ily. that's your dad. he shouldn't need a reason to stay. u should be his reason hon.

ur always mad at me so let's just hear it now🙄 ohhh if their dad has one hater it's me. if their dad has no haters I'm dead.

THEIR DAD HASNT EVEN BEEN DOIN THE RODEO. HES JUST BEEN. DICKIN AROUND. ohhh mason is a much stronger man than me. if he had said that to my face I would have KILLED his ass.

tex man. he just misses his horse. man. he gives him a lil kiss n everythin. damn. all this boy does it take loss after loss.

"Right Gentleman?" "GENTLEMAN??"

the look. on masons face. when tex says he hates him. hmmm. ough.

so. uh. masons number is 40 for the basketball team right? n I was thinkin huh. I know that has some symbolism somewhere. n I checked real quick. "the number 40 signifies a period of transformation, testing, or preparation, often representing a significant change or new beginning, like a period of waiting or trial before a new phase in life begins" huh. ough. ouch. hmm.

tex, literally in the scene before: man I hate u. I've never hated anyone in my life this much. tex, the second his brother gets hurt: oh shit I gotta go check on him. yeah bud u hate that guy. uh huh

c'mon theyre not gonna catch us! he says. as he loudly cackles n acts out what is about to happen. in plain view of the teacher.

johnny n tex poutin so hard. man they're just kids. lookin at each other woefully when they're told they won't be in the same classes next year. man. they're just kids man.

hes my brother even if he's not your son. ough. aough. my stomach flipped. that's. OK. uhhh. aough.

watchin the movie n havin to come to terms fully with how fuckin STUPID lem is. never LIKED the guy but jesus. 'I know this situation is about to be dangerous. n I think. I would be a good idea to take my old friends kid brother with me. as back up. shame he doesn't look meaner :/" good lord

theyre always drivin cars right up the middle of the road. Just straight over the lines. stressin me out.

somethin about how the dealer looks a lot like Mason. I can't make my brain work rn but there's somethin there.

somethin about how tex holds the gun. it's so juvenile. it's so reminiscent of how he's definitely seen characters in movies hold guns. he's playin a part. he's tryin to step into a role he ain't meant for.

this is a nonsense thought but ough both Dallas n Texas shot n bleedin callin from payphones for help. aough

the way he twists the cord up in his fingers. Jamie? yeah I don't know my own phone number :( do u know my number :( are u drunk?? no :( I just got shot :(

aww no he's got blood all over his cowboy boots :(

the long shot of him sittin on the curb?? ough. he's so small. man. he's just a kid. goddamn.

hey mace man. I don't hate you. I don't hate you man. OH. OK. WELL. I'm SICK

dog. when I get my hands on their dad? it's over for him. can't be any more coherent then that. it is OVER for him.

is this where they keep the bodies? n then Johnny poppin up AOUGH!! HEY!! they're KIDS man AOUGH!!

jesus. tex fillin out the application for Mason? cool. cool cool cool. I'm gonna be sick to my stomach. oh my god. I'm gonna be ill.

"I dunno he ain't much of a father." "Well you ain't either n you've been tryin longer" OUGH THESE BOYS

OH. yeah. oh. uhhh. OK. umm. well. final scene no that's cool. that's good. umm. made me a lil sick to my stomach. it's rough where ur goin/ it's rough where ur stayin. but I'll make it. OH. yeah. uh. I gotta go sit in a dark room. for a bit. uhh. yeah. ok.

[marytunno]

-read below-

Since it’s a speculation about the future I had this… weird idea… I honestly lost hope about knowing what is going to happen in twow or ados but I asked someone that knows… ( I sang her a song, I didn’t have to kiss her btw)

HIGH HEART

Something old lingered in that place, Arya could feel it into her bones as she watched her breath turn into a small cloud fading into the night. She could hear something whispering through the trees, the leaves and the howling wind having a secret conversation, the night sky dark and menacing like a bruise, no moon, no stars, only a trembling fire casting long shadows through the camp.

Something old came from the night.

She noticed her as the figure emerged from the woods, small, long white hair almost touching the ground moving along the shadows, the flame burning slower, its light shy as the ghost approached. 

Swift as a deer Arya moved from her cot, the voices turning clear as she got closer hidden like a mouse, Lem and Tom, Thoros and Beric were there too, talking with the small woman. The ghost talked about her dreams, too old for kisses and wine they said she was, dead kings, dead lords, squids, a black dog, a wolf howling in the rain… Arya felt a chill run down her spine as she tried to decode those words, riddles ancient and yet new, painting the future the ghost saw in her dreams.

A twig cracked behind Arya, she turned around startled, someone had caught her spying.

It was just Gendry, of course.

- What are you doing here?- he whispered, as if he cared about not giving Arya’s position away

- The same thing you are doing!- she snapped, her eyes still focused on the queer woman, she had red eyes like Jon’s direwolf.

He snorted and got closer - Making sure you are not running away and getting yourself killed?- 

What did he care about anyway… he had chosen the brotherhood, he was the one getting himself killed, she did not care for sure.

- I don't want to speak to you…- this time she turned around to face him, glaring at him with her silver gaze.

He scowled unsure about what to do, if Arya wanted to hate him for not being her playmate forever she could suit herself, fucking highborns.

Arya focused again on the small woman, dreams of clangor and bells, a maid slaying a giant in a castle made of snow, words that made no sense to her.

- You cannot hide from me child, come into the light…- 

Arya’s heart jumped in her chest, the voice of the ghost loud and adamant, a cold sensation at the base of Arya’s neck. The woman’s mouth opened in what once had been a smile but now resembled more a grimace, like the ones painted on mummers’ and actors’ masks.

Arya was no craven, she was brave like a wolf, she was not afraid and so she stepped from her hiding spot, Lord Beric looking at her with an indecipherable expression.

The woman studied her, her red eyes seeing inside Arya, burning through her skin. Arya breathed in the night air, she was not afraid, her eyes looking straight back at the ghost not allowing herself to look down. 

She called her a child, a wolf child, a blood child… her old hands, in anger, or fear, or folly, closed around Arya’s arm like old bones, her nails digging into Arya’s skin.

-I thought it was the lord who smelled of death…- cried the woman

-You are cruel to come to my hill, cruel. I gorged on grief at Summerhall, I need

none of yours. Begone from here, dark heart. Begone!- Arya winched, the woman’s cold grip driving blood from her, something older than fear in those unnatural eyes.

- Let her go! - Gendry’s voice thundered as he took Arya from the woman.

Arya didn’t need his help, she glared at him and opened her mouth to just say so when the ghost laughed, an unnatural laugh, like a screeching of old stones, bloodchilling.

- Let the children be… there’s no harm to them…- stepped in Thoros, his face lit by his precious flames.

- Rain is coming …- the ghost stared at the sky, her milk-white hair moving with the wind, something whispering to her, something Arya could almost feel, something as old as the north talking to the small woman.

Arya took a step back bumping into Gendry, he seemed as confused as her looking at Lord Beric for an answer, an order, an explanation.

- Old faces, old curses… nothing good comes from them…- croaked the woman 

- I can tell you what I know, boy, what the weirwood whispers to an old shadow… I can smell the blood in you, dangerous blood to have… I’ll tell what I know… my price a kiss… -

Instinctively Arya turned to look at Gendry, his expression still, like a deer faced with a hunter's arrow. 

- What? No!- he said after a second

- Don’t you want to know what blood runs in your veins, the storms that made you, the days that were and the days that will come?- continued the old figure, grief and hunger in her whole being 

-No…- continued Gendry, his hand still holding Arya’s arm 

- I don’t care about your visions!- he finally said, the flame flickered again under the wind turning almost to embers, it smelled like rain.

Staring in the dark, those ancient red eyes, Arya wondered what those eyes could really see… in dreams… in the wind…through time and space… she wasn’t scared… 

Arya had dreams too… wolf dreams… were those just her mind playing with her? 

Were the gods trying to tell her something?

- I’ll give you your song! Let them be… or Lem will keep his promise and you’ll meet with his steel… - said Tom, not a sign of his proverbial humor in his voice

The small woman kept her stance.

- Old… so old…. what a curse… It’s been so long since I have known the warmth of a kiss… I’m nothing but old bones and old flesh… You like denying an old woman of her last pleasures… pity… I have never kissed king’s blood…- 

Goosebumps on Arya’s skin, was it a curse that those who saw the future had to speak in riddles? Thoros opened his mouth as if to speak, his eyes never leaving the dying fire.

- Look in your flames pink priest… but not here… this place belongs to the old gods… not fond of your fire… you’ll see my words are right… I’m but what remains… fading like mist in the morrow…- 

Arya bit her lip, she was not scared of the crone, not like Gendry or Lem or Tom or even Thoros… she was a wolf… the old gods protected her too… and so she spoke…

- I’d kiss you to know the future, what do you see? Do i get to my family?- 

Tom coughed twice to hide his laugh, saying something about her being crazy.

- Are you gone stupid?- Gendry’s voice behind her, his hand still holding her in place close to him

She ignored him, he didn’t listen to her, not about the things that mattered, she was not going to listen to him.

- Please, my… - Arya had no idea how to address the small woman

- I need to know!- her mind thinking about Robb and mother in Riverrun, Jon at the wall, Winterfell and it’s walls so high and safe, the smell of home and food, she was so close, if it hadn’t been for the brotherhood she would have already reached them, she was sure.

- Ney! Stay away from me… I don’t need your sorrow… you smell of death… stay away!- thundered the crone 

Arya stomped her foot on the ground, like a child throwing a tantrum, she wanted to know, she needed to know what the future was holding for her. 

- I’ll stay until you talk! You’ll have to bear my smell of death until you tell me what I want!- spoke the daughter of Eddard Stark, she left Gendry behind her walking straight in front of the woman favored by the gods

The ghostly figure winced, her eyes closed, listening to the wind.

- Let her be Arya! She has already suffered a great pain! Go back with Gendry…- Lord Beric spoke 

- Ney, your Grace… too late… Child… you’ll have what you ask… and may we never meet again, dark heart!- 

Arya could feel the anger in the woman’s voice, the pain, but she wanted to know.

The storm was approaching, heavy clouds upon them carried by the wind, a silent lighting, no thunder.

- You are destined to great sorrows child, your tears will never dry on your face, I hear war cries, beasts howling, blood on their fangs and on the ground they run upon… and yet home gets further away… always a step out of reach… you’ll see through many eyes and yet all you’ll see will be death… I can hear waves crashing against waves as a giant welcomes you… and where the lights never go out I see darkness… death… and at the end, if someone comes home, wolf child, it’s no longer you…-

Arya’s nails were digging into her palm, she was a liar, a stupid liar like everyone she had met since leaving home! 

- You’ll cry tears of blood upon stone, upon snow… I see golden eyes, silver ones too… and…- 

The crone stopped for a moment, as if sniffing the air around her

- You’ll not find your family in riverrun… a different fate awaits… the twins… a promise, a vow, a wedding… you’ll never find the ones you seek…I see only death on your path beware…-

- You are a liar!- cried Arya

- I can’t change what awaits you… my eyes are not mine alone… my ears have lived a thousand different lives… If you don’t like your fate the fault is yours and of the painful road that comes… and yet… you’ll be granted something I can only dream of…- 

Arya took a step back, her heart thundering in her chest, she did not care what the small woman said, she was going to get back to her family one way or another, no matter the price.

- …you’ll see spring…- the ghost spoke as if speaking a curse  

- Now Begone! Away from this old bones!- 

- Tom, I’ll have my song, the same one…- breathed the woman putting as much distance as possible from Arya, sitting on the ground close to the singer

- Let’s get back Arya…- Gendry’s voice almost startled her

He guided her away, their backs to the fire, a sad melody filling the air.

- And boy…- they froze in their place

- You’ll soon learn the price you’ll pay for the brothers you chose… death hanging from the same trees that you’ll hide behind… orders from a heart of stone…stone… and ice… stolen steel… you’ll find one half and mend what it’s broken… a ghost of a long lost king you’ll never love… a name you’ll never have…and I can hear voices… of whom you’ll meet and of whom you have met… and as snow falls south all roads will cross again…- 

Gendry kept walking, trying to ignore those cryptic words, nothing good came of knowing one's future… for what he knew no bloody gods were whispering to the woman… and if pain and death was all she could promise it was just because they lived in a world made of those things.

- You’ll learn to listen… you’ll have the chance…sweet irony… they’ll have blue eyes… but your children will be nothing but wolves…- 

The words of the woman got lost in the wind as Tom kept playing his song, the figure now only crying holding herself and rocking back and forth. 

Arya cursed and kicked a rock while Gendry kept dragging her back away from the fire. 

- She is a liar… she is just old and crazy and wants our wine…- spat Arya, the words she had just head haunting her mind and turning into tragedy

- Of course, Arya… Don’t believe a word she just said… no one can see the future… and who says he does is a fraud like my master said ‘bout Thoros… She did not make sense… we will take you to your mum and brother no matter what!- 

Gendry tried to reason with her, looking at the anger simmering in her eyes.

- Yes… to get some gold…- she replied, cold

- I’m not doing it for the gold!- he said back

Arya said nothing and sat down in her place, her arms crossed. A light turned the sky yellow and then it bruised to black again, and as the thunder struck came rain.

Someone cursed, someone kept sleeping, only a few noticed… as she had arrived the ghost of high heart was gone… faded back to her mist and woods… 

- She was right about the rain…- spat Arya feeling the cold droplets fall on her skin

Gendry snorted 

- Aye, the sky was dark since noon and I’m sure even Anguy could smell the rain coming… Easy to see the future when it’s happening already… listen to me Arya… she is wrong… she doesn’t even know what she was talking about… like you heard all that bullshit ‘bout my blood or something… - 

- Maybe your blood is important…- she said flatly, her skin hurting where the nails of the small woman had pierced her skin

- My blood is worth shit… if they had given her some more wine she would have started calling Lem king and Tom his sweet lady of the forest…- 

The rain was pouring, Gendry’s black hair wet and sticking to his forehead, too mad to be distracted by the storm.

Arya smiled, maybe he was right, maybe the woman’s words had been that… just words… 

She had cried and prayed for death, she had killed and spilled blood… and maybe her heart was dark, full of hate and she smelled of death… but her future was going to be different… 

- Feel better?- he asked her after a few seconds ignoring Lord Beric’s squire complaining about the rain waking him up

She nodded.

- Now let’s find someplace dry to sleep in…- he said, the matter over.

They did not speak anymore of the words heard, not Arya’s curse to suffer and lose herself and what she loved, not the wedding at the Twins, not the eyes she was supposed to see through… they did not speak of wolf children nor the ghost’s dream of spring… 

Arya thanked Gendry when he gave her a dry coat; they had found shelter together with Jack and Harwin between the trees. 

- Still hate me now?- smiled Gendry stretching close enough to her 

She bit her lip. 

- Are you coming to Winterfell with me?- 

He did not answer, but she heard all she needed to hear. 

The silence hurting as much as the unspoken answers to their questions.

A troubled sleep fell on the camp, rain soaking them to the point of fever, haunted dreams in a haunted place. 

All I know is future flickers, still unwritten, but if you listen to the weirwoods on a starless night, as the wind howls tales of things that will become, if you close your eyes and let the dreams come… between all the bloodshed… and the cursed thrones and heavy crowns… between ice and fire… you’ll see a winter that must be braced to once again witness spring… you’ll see some good and some bad… and if you wait long enough you’ll see two children someday meet again.

Hope you liked it <3<3 Thank you to everyone who read and a huge thank you to everyone who made beautiful works for this appreciation week, my gendrya shipper heart was very very happy.

[whumpbug]

you know what i need more gene and cassidy physical contact rn actually…..don’t care they can be at each other’s throats i just need it (shaking them in a little jar that is my mind)

HI MELLO i wanted to make this into a fic so. here you go. it was originally going to be a silly fluff fic but then the Voices (lem) gave me an idea and i ran with it.

i was literally Sad writing this. gene is in the trenches, the TRENCHES i say. its so bad. you get small, but meaningful physical touches and Angst.

DISCLAIMER: this is set like. a little earlier in their relationship. this is meant to be The moment that gene started realizing he perhaps Wanted this man. i'll make a timeline at some point bc the stuff i've written is not in order IM SORRY GUYS

cw: drunkenness, period-typical homphobia, internalized homphobia

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

“No. No. Y’get away from me, Deputy Dipshit. Not today.” Cassidy slurred. “You ain't takin’ me away.”

He nearly fell off of the barstool when he turned to shoved an indignant finger in Gene’s direction, catching himself on the side of the counter with a small “woah!”

Gene narrowed his eyes. “Did you just call me Deputy Dipshit?”

Cassidy suddenly let out a loud snort and, this time, really did fall off the barstool with a solid thump. He only kept cackling and clutching his sides.

“Deputy Dipshit!” He cried, breaking out into another round of laughter.

“I really am sorry to bother you Delaney,” Mr. Stetson, the bartender, began. “But he was causin’ some problems and pickin’ fights. Can’t have that in my saloon.”

“Of course, sir. I understand. I’ll take care of it.”

Gene sighed.

“No! Don’t you take one step closer Delaney, I ain’t going with’ya!”

Gene took a step closer. “I ain’t gonna arrest you, Silver. Just gonna sober you up.”

“Hmm.” Cassidy squinted up at Gene, and now Gene could really see how drunk the idiot was. 

His cheeks were flushed. His hair was mussed and his eyes were half lidded and glazed over, but he had this dopey, infuriating smile plastered across his face. He was slowly getting himself to his feet, but his foot caught on a crooked plank in the floor and it sent him listing forward, and Gene rushed to meet him, catching him by the arm.

“Woah.. s’all spinny..”

“Yeah, well, moonshine’ll do that to you. Can you walk?”

“Yep.”

Only Cassidy made no move to take even a single step. Even with Gene’s large hand around his bicep, he was swaying in place, like he was rocking on a ship. 

“Jesus, Silver,” Gene breathed, pressing himself flush against Cassidy’s side and wrapping his arm around his waist. “Come on.”

Cassidy simply hummed softly and put practically all his weight on Gene. The pair staggered their way out of the saloon and into the empty street.

“Where’re we goin’?” He slurred, letting his head loll towards Gene’s shoulder.

“We’re gonna book you a room at the inn so you can sleep this off. Ain’t no point in trying to get you on your horse.”

“Mmh.. yeah.. Scotch don’t like me ridin’ drunk..”

“I’ll bet.”

The two arrived at the small inn down the street with relatively no issue, until they reached the steps. Cassidy's boots must have been made of lead, because the man simply refused to lift his feet.

Eventually Gene sighed, and lifted the man by the armpits and set him on the porch.

Gene adjusted his grip around the man’s middle and stepped up to the front desk. The woman looked up at him, unamused.

“How can I help you, Delaney?”

“Just bookin’ a room for my friend here. He had too much to drink. Anything available?”

The woman flipped through the log book before turning her deadpan gaze back to Gene.

“Third room to the right. Don’t leave a mess.”

“Yes ma’am,” Gene replied, pulling out a few bills from his wallet and depositing them on the counter. The outlaw was going to owe him.

Cassidy let out a soft groan as Gene led him down the hall. He thanked the stars that they didn’t have to climb any stairs, or else he might have had to throw the man over his shoulder like a damn sack of potatoes. 

Cassidy mumbled something unintelligible.

“What was that?”

“I said,” He lifted his head from where it was lazily slouched over. “M’glad you’re here.”

“Weren’t you just telling me not to come near you--”

“Shaddup. I just.. Montana’s not gonna let me back in’ta camp tonight. I pissed him off.” Cassidy hiccuped lightly, letting his head fall toward Gene once again. “Would’ve slept in the woods tonight.”

Gene didn’t know what to say. Part of him felt like he wasn’t supposed to hear that in the first place.

Gene had his fair share of run-ins with Montana. The man was mean and cold. In all honesty, he sort of scared Gene. He certainly couldn't imagine being raised by the man. He was ruthless.

With Cassidy, at least Gene had a certain sense of security that he wouldn’t be shot dead at the drop of a hat. Their relationship had progressed as of late. Gene saw him less as a criminal that needed to be locked away, and more as the complicated man he was. He couldn’t quite explain it.

Maybe it was more akin to companionship that Gene would have liked to admit.

So he said nothing. He simply half-dragged Cassidy into the small room and deposited him on the bed. 

Cassidy groaned and let himself fall onto his back, blinking blearily at the ceiling.

“Why’re you helpin’ me.. in the first place,” He slurred. He didn't look away from the ceiling.

Gene began to work on removing Cassidy’s boots for him. “‘Cause we can’t have a crook out on the streets, now can we?” 

“Mmmh.. then why didn’t’ya put me away.” Cassidy hiccuped quietly.

“In jail? Guess I didn’t feel like walkin’ that far, is all,” Gene huffed. “Sit up.”

Cassidy obliged, squeezing his eyes shut at the wave of vertigo that overtook him. He swayed where he sat. Gene stepped closer, leaned closer, and began to methodically unbutton his coat for him. He could smell the liquor on his breath.

For a brief, fleeting moment, he thought that perhaps this was not something that two men should be doing together. It was intimate. Too intimate, especially for a deputy and an outlaw. 

Suddenly, Cassidy reached a clumsy hand up and found Gene’s large, calloused one. He gripped it firmly and lifted his flushed face.

“D’laney.. You.. you’re a real good guy..” He hiccuped. “Wan’ you t’know that.”

Gene felt the blush creep up his ears.

He averted his eyes. “Stop talking. You’re drunk.”

“Hah. Yeah.”

Gene worked Cassidy’s arms out of his coat and with that, the latter flopped unceremoniously onto the bed. He let out a slow, sleepy groan.

Gene huffed a small laugh and hooked the coat on the bed post. He watched Cassidy blink dazedly for a few moments.

“Turn on your side, Silver.”

Cassidy simply grunted, but didn't move.

“Christ.” Gene leaned over the bed and pulled Cassidy to lay on his right. Some hair fell over his eyes, and Gene reached up to brush it away, but--

He did not expect such a visceral pit to form in his stomach when Cassidy leaned into his hand.

The man relaxed, burying his nose into Gene’s fingers and sighing contentedly. His eyelashes fluttered against Gene's palm.

Gene's heart stopped.

Before he thought better of it, Gene gently, tenderly cupped Cassidy's cheek and ran a thumb along his cheekbone. In the dim candlelight of the room, Cassidy looked something out of a grecian myth.

Never had he seen something so beautiful. Gene thought he was going to be sick.

He snatched his hand away as if it had been burned.  

“I’ll get goin’ now,” He said hurriedly, crossing the room to the doorway in a few strides. He needed distance. He couldn’t be near that damn outlaw, not when it felt like his heart was going to beat out of goddamn chest.

Cassidy was already snoring, curled in on himself and pulling the pillows tight to his chest. He looked peaceful.

Gene felt anything but.

He shut the door behind him and bid the woman at the front desk goodnight before all but racing out of the inn. His head was spinning so much, he started to wonder if he was the drunk one.

A drink didn't sound too bad, either way.

He found a small space between buildings and sank down the wall, lowering his head. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to quell the fire that burned in his chest.

Why did he feel like this? What was wrong with him? Cassidy was a man. Cassidy was a criminal.

And yet all Gene wanted to do was march back into that room and pull Cassidy into his arms and let the world fall away. He wanted to be near him, to be with him, and that thought terrified him.

Gene’s hands flitted to the ring on his necklace. He shut his eyes.

Christ, help him.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

The Beginning of the World

He dangled his feet off the ledge, peering curiously into the emptiness. The grass grew in thick, wild clumps around him, and his fingers toyed idly with the strands. A crown of flowers intertwined themselves with his hair, vibrant blossoms resting on the soft curls.

His eyes were twin suns, glowing with the blinding light of the stars. His laughter was the wind, merry and fickle. His heart beat in time with the waves. He swelled with power, growing with every beat.

Restlessness overtook him, racing on careless feet. Follow me, it seemed to say. 

With a light-hearted bounce, he flipped himself off the ledge, back onto safety. His landing was immaculate, as always. The wind beckoned to him too, begging him to join in the fun, and he obliged.

Life was a thrum of music, a melody of animals and a harmony of plants, the deep bass of rocks and raspy whispers of the earth far below. Fire sang in her soprano, belting out the tempestuous ballad of life and death. Wind hummed cheerfully, irreverent and uncaring of the passions and despairs of mere mortals. Water swirled and splashed in rhythm to the cycles of mortality.

And he, ruler of them all, danced to the tune. It was polka, then jazz, then deep, heavy metal. It roared in his ears, dipping and rising like his breath. There were no words, only raw passion.

He twirled, leaped from treetop to treetop, then fell to the ground with the grace of a feather. Flowers blossomed where he stepped, a vivid explosion of blossoms and beauty. Birds gathered in a circle about him, a halo of sparrows and hawks and albatrosses. 

The animals gathered below to watch his frolicking. There were deer with massive, branching antlers, and does with liquid, eloquent dark eyes. Rodents, mice and squirrels and rabbits, stared up at him, noses twitching with fascination. The wolves and lynxes stood side by side, enraptured by him. Time stopped in its passage to admire his mania.

This was the birth of a god, he thought. But a god was ruler of only one thing. He had become something else, something more. And he relished it, throwing his arms in the air to welcome it.

He was in the air, the fluid currents that glided effortlessly. He was in the waters, the crashing of waves into shore. He was in the fire and the earth. He was in everything, and everything was him. 

Gone was the forest, gone was the precipice. He thought too small, he decided. It was time to see the full picture. And with the blithe laughter of the innocent he knew all.

Beneath the swirling waters and the murmuring winds lay death, drowning and suffocation, pain and suffering. The gaiety of the fire gave way to the agonised cries of burning alive.

The flowers crumbled to dirt in his hands, the deer and does becoming rotting carcasses. Dessicated bones lay scattered, slowly returning to the earth.

And the screams. Delicious, anguished pleas of the helpless, the grieving and the dying alike. The pain of the lemming in the jaws of the fox, the roar of the bear as an arrow dug into its flesh. The blood and the beatings and the bestings all rolled over him.

Death and Life. Pain and Joy. Bliss and Agony. Light and Darkness, Good and Evil. Everything and Nothing. It swirled in a pot of colours, a whirl and twirl of time and space. 

He was Life. He was Death. He was Good and Evil, Order and Chaos. He was everything at once, and yet nothing.

He laughed at the folly of mortality. He laughed at their deaths, with the heedless bliss of the immortal. He laughed at their pain, their passions and their despairs, so inconsequential. His voice tinkled across the world, higher than the songs of the angels, lower than the beating of the world's heart.

And yet- He was a person! He belonged down on the ground, with two eyes instead of a million ones. He belonged with veins of blood, not of magic.

Magic, too, he was the god of. Magic which darted along the skyline, jigged on the edge of volcanoes. Magic who slept with the bear in the winter and cavorted with the fish. Magic that lay in everything, a stream of power that followed no rules, obeyed no orders, save his. He was the master of magic, mercurial, mischievous magic.

Don't, his soul begged.  Don't do it. You're a person. Remember? You had loved.

He had been mortal once, he remembered in a dim part of his mind that still clung to those meaningless moments. He had been foolish and young.

And he had loved, indeed.

Love and Hatred. That he was too. He felt it in his bones, the snarl of rage and loathing, the rumble of protection and adoration. It flowed like an undercurrent of magma, molten iron in his veins. Love and hate moved the world, shaped it and moulded it. Fickle things, they were, but he was a fickle being. It suited him just fine.

The little bit of him cried and begged, screamed in haunting melancholia that would have broken any person's heart. No! No! Turn back! Go back to your old self! You're a person, not an infinity!

But he was no mere person, not anymore. Despair was a part of him, beautiful in its gut-wrenching agony. 

no. please. It wasn't even a whisper, easily drowned out by the breath of the living. don't forget. Was it even his? It was so desperate, so pitiful, and he so mirthful, that it seemed unthinkable.

With a jolt, he remembered someone, someone who could have said those words. It was hard to think of a single individual, so complex was he. A face, perhaps, quickly whisked away by the annals of time. A person, someone he had loved and who had loved him in return. Naught but a memory.

don't let it end like this, the memory begged. please.

But what did he care for endings and beginnings? He was all, and nothing at once.

no- The voice was gone, forgotten by a flighty God. He tossed it out onto the wind, let the gusts toy with it and laughed along merrily.

His laughter was the harsh wind across the moors, the death rattles of soldiers in a war, the fires crackling as the world burned. It was mocking, uncaring, cruel. Yet it was the chirping of birds in the summer, the giggles of playful children, the autumn leaves crunching beneath running feet. It was bliss, endless and infinite joy. All the emotion in the world was packed into the ringing noise.

The world, he ruminated, was too small for him. He watched life wink out and flare back up, and decided to see more. See further. There were worlds beyond this, stars beyond his sun. He would see it all, he decided.

His gaze turned to the tiny precipice overlooking an endless chasm. It was impossible to focus on it, so microscopic it was. But it was the start of his world, and so it was where he would depart too. 

How long had it been? One year? A hundred? A million? The trees had dwindled to gnarled husks, ancient grandmother's curling in on themselves. Capriciously, he laughed at their fragile shells. 

He was in the swirling clouds and fluttering leaves, in the sky and the grass, and then in the chasm of the unknown. But he was not in the Void.

He was the Void.

[dailypaydays]

Once upon a time,

Wolf bought a large litter of Swedish lemmings from a man for 400 thousand dollars. The nice man told Wolf that these lemmings were actually the puppies of a new breed of ferocious guard chihuahuas, and if he gave them enough love and sunlight and water they would grow up to be amazing protectors for him. Wolf was overjoyed to have these small critters and took them home where he lets them free roam in his workshop around wires and electrical equipment. Wolf feeds his Swedish lemmings ground beef, eggs, sausage, ham, and coffee every morning so that they’ll grow up to be big strong chihuahuas but now his lemmings are craving meat. Wolf named his little Swedish lemmings after his own children back at home and had little tea parties with them where he’d cry and beg to see them again and get horribly drunk puke all over the table and blow his nose on one of them. One day Hoxton decided to pay his pal Wolf a visit in his workshop and he accidentally stepped on his favorite lemming little Anya Andersson the second. His lemmings tried to eat Hoxton in the night, and he was so mad about it that he broke a beer bottle over Wolf’s head and he passed out for 13 minutes and his lemmings licked his blood off the floor.

The end

[lemememeringue]

annual review done! I am average and exemplary! got a 4% raise 🙃

[quitealotofsodapop]

When the five new fruit babies arrive, does this mean Smokey's pilgrimage is over?

I mean it's one thing to have Xiao Qi and the two wolf siblings along, but add in five more baby monkeys? Reborn!Pigsy is no doubt putting his hoof down if they are, they are not childcare service.

Well... Smokey/Reborn!SWK was about a couple years into a pilgrimage thats meant to take like 9/17 canon years when he and Liang/Reborn!LEM got the accidental windfall of baby monkeys.

It happens during the "Macaque" chapter where SWK gets kicked out by Xuanzang/Tripitaka for killing the bandits. LEM def defends Smokey's actions - violently once he witnesses Tripitaka using the Headache sutra on SWK. Lets just say a monk almost got folded until Pigsy and Sandy stepped in.

Cue the 3 monkeys + 2 wolf kids leaving on a a sommersault cloud to;

Complain to Guanyin.

Drop the kids off at FFM so they can introduce them to the good, zero-monk life while SWK has a small emotional breakdown.

Check up on that weird tree they planted a while back- WHAT THE?!

The Weird Tree: *looks like a peach tree, but has 5 infant monkey-shaped fruit* SWK & LEM: "UHHH..." Zhu Yu (wolf child 1#): "Those are the ugliest pears I've ever seen." Xiao Qi: *bouncing excitedly for some reason*

At first the adult monkeys think maybe the fruits are ginseng/manfruits that just look kinda weird? Until it requires both of their strength to pull one off a branch, and then the peach-skin-like coating of the "fruit" sloughs off and reveals a squalling newborn baby monkey.

SWK & LEM, both covered in fruit juice: "Oh my-" "-Sweet Guanyin." The Four other "fruits": *start swaying and making cry-chirps* SWK & LEM: "UH OH." Xiao Qi: "Yay!!!" Wolf siblings: *confusedly licking their new sibling clean*

Smokey has to manifest a few baby/fruit baskets so him and Liang can literally catch the other four as they drop naturally. Seems that picking the eldest fruit "woke up" the others.

And when its all done, they have five very grumpy infant monkeys that smell like fruit. And once the youngest dropped, the tree curled in on itself like a wilted flower and seemed to revert to a sterile trunk.

The two monkeys are shaken, covered in not-fruit juice, and theres five babies screaming in their ears + their three extant kids running around excitedly.

SWK, holding four baskets: "...we really should have stayed with Master." LEM, still in shock while holding the eldest of the five: "Maybe we can bribe him with one?'

Guanyin soon manifests to explain that she gave Tripitaka a talking to about abandoning his student. She pauses mid-sentence, looks at the two parent monkeys, blinks, and admits a little sheepishly;

Guanyin: "I blessed your false-ginseng tree to give you children once you had returned from your journey. It seems that the tree misinterpeted your banishment as your return." SWK (almost all limbs occupied with rocking a cub to sleep): "YOU THINK!?" Guanyin: "My blessings multiply depending on the desire of the parents." SWK & LEM: *nervously glances at one another* *Later when all the pilgrims reunite* SWK & LEM: *both look sleep deprived, and are covered in baby monkeys* Pigsy: "WHOA... how long did we leave you two alone for?" LEM: "A whole day." Pigsy: "You worked fast then!" XD SWK: "Pigsy I swear to buddha, I'll throw you into the Mother-Child River if you make another joke."

SWK has a small crisis of choice now. He can't leave Master alone or he'll definitely get eaten. But he doesn't want to be an absent figure to his kids - and Xiao Qi has made his intentions to continue on the pilgrimage no matter what.

SWK & LEM: *share a look* Pigsy: "No. Absolutely not." SWK: "I can't leave Liang alone on the island with five babies. It's not fair." Sandy: "And we'll need them if Xiao Qi wishes to continue on with us..." Pigsy: "NO." Tripitaka: "We aren't a nursery service." Pigsy: "Thank you!" Tripitaka, places hand on SWK's shoulder: "We're family." Pigsy: "Noooo!" *Cut to each Pilgrim holding a baby* Pigsy, threateningly: "You two best keep it in your pants from now on!" SWK: "Thats not how they were made!" Pigsy: "I don't wanna even hear about your bedroom activities!" Xiaolizi/Little Plum: *squeaks angrily from Pigsy's back* Pigsy: "See? Even he's tired of it!"

Each Pilgrim gets a fruit baby to hold.

Pigsy is very upset by this turn of events, but luckily his little buddy (Plum) backs him up in his rantings ("Meh!" "Thats what I'm saying!").

Sandy is just rattling off history facts and stories to Cherry while the baby just "ooo"s and giggles at everything he says.

Tripitaka gets Peach, cus the little girl is the easiest to hold and seems interested in the monk's vague Buddhist sayings.

Apricot just *leaps* onto Ao Lie's back and refuses to be moved less he starts crying. The dragon-horse feels a little smug to be his favorite.

Jujube has to be kept close to the monkey parents or else she tries running off to cause mischief. Very much her Baba's daughter.

Xiao Qi is still a Baba's boy, and will 100% cling to Smokey if his hands are free. The wolf kids feel a little left out at times, but Liang is quick to focus attention on them when the fruity babies are causing a fuss. A few of the babies learn how to transform into wolf pups so they can run together as a mini-pack (Apricot prefers to be a horse foal).

As for the potential dangers of having so many small children on this journey? While both monkey parents would have *preferred* to have raised the cubs on FFM, they know that they can do so much more good in the world while travelling.

And a lot of demons would look at the pilgrim group like; "Are those monks? Sweet Yama! How many baby demons are there? They def aren't good monks in any case. Ain't worth my time." XD

We are talking about super-powerful, nigh-indestructible, nature-healing babies after all. The real people in danger are whoever dares think they can handle a baby in a fair fight.

[shadowphoenixrider]

The Rescue Gambit (1/5) Meet the Team

(When Gambit's solo mission goes terribly wrong and the rest of the X-men aren't available to bail him out, Shadow turns to some old friends to mount a rescue mission. Shenanigans ensue.)

(Welcome to this monster of a fic, the longest I have ever written in my life (14K in total, give or take). Thankfully for you, dear reader, this is split into parts! Who knew writing a silly little rescue fic with my friends' characters would turn into this. Regardless, enjoy!)

Shadow strode down the street, weaving past people with single-minded determination. Her destination was a small, non-descript cafe on the corner of a city street, and she pushed her way inside.

The cafe’s atmosphere reflected the more relaxed area of the city; only a couple of patrons taking up the wooden tables and chairs as they sipped their beverages, and the person behind the counter only barely glanced up at the new arrival into their establishment.

Shadow’s eyes wandered over the room until she spotted a group of men and a woman gathered around one of the larger tables by the window, three of the gents on the hard chairs and the woman and other man in the plush cushioned seats backing up against the glass, supplying most of the noise with their chatter.

She grinned broadly, and headed towards them.

One of the men saw her first, large and bald with a neatly braided brown beard, and he threw his arms wide, beaming widely.

“Shadow!” He cried in his rich Geordie accent, and the others’ heads immediately whipped around to see her approaching.

A chorus of greetings went up as they rose out of their chairs and stumbled out from behind the table towards her, taking it in turns to wrap her up in a hug.

The first was Ber, a large Polish man whose true name was beyond the English speakers' ability to pronounce, as much as they tried. He shared a similar build to the man who had spotted her; a large, five foot nine man with soft features and body, bald except for his neatly trimmed dark brown beard and icy blue-grey eyes. He was clad in a light brown jacket over a pink top with the picture of a grinning, winking demon over the text of ‘SMILE MORE!’, soft grey tracksuit bottoms and well-worn green trekking boots. He hugged her close and yet with an endless gentleness that befitted the animal his name was related to.

Myst was second, a more wiry fellow of five foot six, with short brunette hair that was also trimmed short in a beard and moustache and darker brown eyes. A dark shirt and jeans, a shield with a grey-ish purple skull and crossbones printed on the former, with a teal zip jacket overtop was his clothing ensemble, and he gave Shadow a cheeky grin, eyes darting to the side just to check no-one had followed her.

Lemming, the man who had seen her first, gleefully swept her up into his embrace almost as soon as Myst had stepped away. His hazel brown eyes, sequestered behind his rectangular glasses, sparked with excitement, his grin wide and crooked, wearing a black shirt proudly displaying the logo of a local metal band. This was overtop of black cargo pants and equally dark coloured trainers. He was the tallest of the group, at five foot eleven.

Drifting came next, smiling serenely as she stepped up to the smaller woman. She, like all the others, stood taller than Shadow at five foot seven, with bright green eyes and gorgeous long wine-red hair, wearing an asymmetrical halter top of white and green on top of black jeans. There was a brief hesitation before she embraced Shadow too, which Shadow warmly returned.

And then last, but certainly not least, came Shadow’s adoptive brother and the only one of the group she could look directly in the eyes: Ebak. He strolled up to her casually, his cheeky, knowing smile on his face, reflected in eyes so dark brown many mistook them for black. His long curly ginger hair was tied back in a ponytail, a scruffy stubble over his cheeks and chin whilst a childhood scar slashed through his thick right eyebrow. He wore a button-up green and grey varsity-like hoodie over a black shirt displaying the red targeting computer from the first Star Wars movie, along with blue jeans. The short, stocky man opened his arms widely, gathering his sister up in a tight embrace.

“It’s good to see you again.” Ebak spoke as he pulled away, his accent rich and soft around the words.

“We’ve missed you!” Ber added from close by.

“I’ve missed you all too.” Shadow smiled, her heart feeling so swollen it threatened to burst out of her chest. She took a breath to hold back the tears threatening to well up in her eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve not managed to see you guys again before today. Things have been…complicated.”

“So I hear.” Lemming replied, leaning back in his seat.

“Yeah, I was wondering what happened to you after you suddenly stopped turning up at the hospital.” Drifting commented, as the rest all took their chairs again. Shadow slipped into the empty spot in the window beside her and Lemming, sighing.

“It’s a long story.” Shadow admitted. “But the short version is someone got me suspended on the 'suspicion’ of being a mutant - a suspension that’s still in place, by the way - and then I went and got myself involved in a fight between a Friends of Humanity weirdo and the X-Men. The latter of which took me in to their place to keep me safe from retaliation, which is why I haven’t exactly been present until now.”

“Wait, hold up.” Myst held his hands up. “You’ve been living with the X-Men this whole time?!”

“Technically still am.” Shadow added.

“What?!” Multiple people exclaimed, except for Ebak, who just listened calmly. Myst turned to him, narrowing his eyes.

“You knew already, didn’t you?”

Ebak shrugged nonchalantly.

“She called me a couple of days back to tell me what was happening. Which was good, because I was juust about to go and have a look around the place myself.” He eyed Shadow, arching his scarred eyebrow.

“Which was what I was afraid of.” She replied, folding her arms. “The last thing I want is my brother coming face to face with Wolverine and having to work out how to un-fillet him. As you can imagine, I've not really had the experience re-attaching limbs!" Ebak waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m glad they’ve been keeping you safe.” Ber said, his voice gentle and reaching across the table towards her. “I was worried about you.”

“I know.” Shadow smiled weakly, squeezing his hand. “I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet about it. We’re pretty sure any time those thugs would kick off is long past, though.”

“Let’s hope so.” Drifting commented. “But, correct me if I’m wrong, but you have a reason for calling us all here, right? I’m pretty sure hanging out with your friends involves less panicked 'hey can you meet at Leon’s as soon as you can, please?’ messages.”

“Maybe Shadow really, really missed our company.” Replied Lemming. Drifting gave him a tired, long-suffering look.

“As much as Shadow likes our company, I don’t think she’s ever been that desperate to see us.” Drifting retorted.

Ebak cleared his throat loudly, silencing any further discussion.

“Shadow?” He asked.

She took a breath, looking between all her friends.

“I need your help with a rescue mission,” she said.

“Rescue mission?” Myst asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Shadow nodded. “Bit of background. This morning, I and another one of the X-Men, Gambit, were out in the city…”

“Gambit, I’m not sure this is a great idea.” Shadow said, glancing around the wall to the small fenced compound beyond. “You’re not exactly geared for infiltration right now.”

The Cajun grinned.

“Don’t worry chère, Gambit not gonna stay for long. Jus’ quick in an’ out, get de lay of de land, swipe some formula, den come right back to you.”

Shadow sighed, exasperated.

“Look, I don’t doubt you’re an excellent thief, but I’ve really got a bad feeling about this. This isn’t just some shady office block downtown. We should at least wait until the others are back.”

“Contact said dey recently got a shipment in.” Gambit replied, his tone now serious. “Dis be the time to swipe it. Waitin’ for backup might give 'em the chance to move it on. Den we might never figure out what it is.”

Shadow swore internally, knowing he was right. And yet…

“Okay. At least let me call for backup if you don’t make it out, alright?”

He looked back at her, searching her face.

“Give me least fifteen minutes, chère,” he said. “If I’m not out by den, call de others.” He grinned widely. “But Gambit will be by ya side soon enough, you’ll see.”

“I sure hope so.” She sighed, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “You take care now, alright?”

“Always, mon amie.” Gambit flashed her a wink. “See ya on de other side.”

And with that, the lithe mutant sprang gracefully up the side of the building, hopping from wall to wall until he disappeared over the lip of the roof.

“Considering we’re here, I’m guessing he…?” Myst trailed off. Shadow sighed, shaking her head.

“I gave him twenty minutes, just in case something came up. But when I returned to our previous look out, I was just in time to see his unconscious body being taken into the main building.” She explained. “As far as I know, he’s still being held in there now.”

A brief silence settled over the friends, all pensive.

It was Drifting who spoke first.

“Pardon me, but you’re with the X-Men, right? The group of mutants who go around saving people and blowing those Sentinels up? Why didn’t you go to them?”

“I would, if they weren’t dealing with some important mission right now.” Shadow explained, running a hand through her hair. “I don’t know if they’d be able to get over here in time before something happened to him. At best they’re just going to move him, at worse…” She shook her head. “I know you guys aren’t the same, and neither am I, but you were the only people I could think of that could get together to help me break him out.”

They looked amongst each other.

“Shadow, you really think we can go up against guys who took down an X-Man?” Lemming asked uncertainly.

“Just because Gambit’s an X-Man doesn’t make him any more a mutant than the rest of us.” She shook her head. “And he wasn’t geared for a mission, just casual clothes. All it would take is for someone to sneak up on him, or to make a mistake, and he’d be captured like anyone else.”

Ebak rubbed his scruffy chin thoughtfully.

“So sneak in, get Gambit, and sneak out again?” He said. Shadow nodded.

“Yes. If we could get a sample of that chemical formula those guys seem to be moving around, that would be ideal, but the main thing is to get Gambit out of there before anything happens to him.”

“That’s easy for you.” Myst folded his arms, eyeing the smaller man. “You can just blink in there when no-one’s watching.”

“If no-one’s watching.” Ebak repeated. “There’ll be security cameras in there for sure, and going in alone is what got Gambit caught.”

“Yeah, and I would prefer not to lose you to those bastards too.” Shadow added.

“I’m not sure my power is going to help you to be sneaky,” Ber piped up, smiling widely, “but you know that I will always help you, Shadow. Any way I can.”

She smiled warmly back, touched as always by his unwavering loyalty.

“Oh, I’m sure there’s something a big bear man can do to help us.” Ebak grinned over at his friend. “You always need a little bit of muscle when the stealth mission goes awry, right Number One?” He flashed a wink in his sister’s direction, and she rolled her eyes at his nickname for her.

“Well, I guess I’m coming too,” Drifting spoke. “On account of being able to almost completely disappear.”

“Only come if you want to.” Shadow eyed her seriously. “That goes for the rest of you too. I know this is big ask for you all, and I wouldn’t judge you at all for stepping away to keep yourselves safe. But know I wouldn’t’ve called you if I didn’t think you had it in you to help me.”

Drifting considered this for a long moment, before she nodded.

“You are going to need the one mutant with invisibility in this, and someone has to keep an eye on you all.” She smiled as Shadow chuckled. “Just don’t leave me alone in there, okay?”

“Of course not.” Said Shadow. “I intend to get everyone out of that place. No-one left behind.”

Ebak leant over in his chair towards Myst, looking at his friend expectantly. The younger man folded his arms, avoiding his gaze until he uttered a long sigh.

“…Fine. I’ll guess I’ll come along too.” He shot a glare at Ebak, now grinning smugly. “Someone has to keep E safe.”

“Your portals will be very useful.” Shadow smiled. “We’ll need a quick a getaway. And, maybe,” she smirked, meeting Ber’s gaze, “an instant-Ber delivery system, should things go south.”

Ber grinned widely, his ice-blue eyes sparkling with mischief. A smile pulled at Myst’s lips at that, entertained by the thought.

All eyes now turned to Lemming, who seemed to have shrunk in his seat. He glanced down at his hands, fidgeting with his watch.

“I dunno what I could do to help,” he said, unable to meet their gazes. “My power’s useless for this.”

“Hey, be kind yourself!” Ber cried. “Don’t make me come over there and hug you!”

“I have a few ideas how a man with manipulation of time perception could be useful.” Ebak spoke, drumming his fingers together. “Besides, you’re more than just your power, my friend.” He smiled, leaning forward. “Out of all of us, you’re the most knowledgeable of weapons - that could definitely help give us an edge in knowing what we’re going up against.”

“Yeah. If we know what they’re packing, we can get an idea of how well funded they are and how dangerous.” Myst added. Shadow nodded slowly.

“And that will definitely be information Cyclops and the others will wanna know after we get out,” she said. “Also. On the very real possibility that something does go horribly wrong, we will need someone on the outside to get the rest of the X-Men.”

Lemming paled slightly.

“You…you sure about this?”

“Very sure. I’ve been around them long enough to know you also need a back-up plan, even if that backup plan is 'oh shit I fucked up, I need an adult’.” Shadow reached into her pocket for a pen. “I’ll give you the address, anyone got some paper?”

There was rustling from around the table, until Drifting pushed a small scrap of paper over to the other woman. Shadow thanked her, before beginning to slowly write it out in her neatest handwriting.

“Here.” She handed it to Lemming, who looked it over, tucking it into his pocket.

“Alright. I’ll come along.” He smiled, resting a hand on Shadow’s small shoulder. “To make sure y'all come back safely.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” Shadow smiled. “All of you. I know this isn’t gonna be easy or a walk in the park, so I’m really grateful for your help.”

“We’ll always be here for you.” Ber replied, smiling. “You know that.”

“What the Ber-man said!” Ebak added. “We’re your friends. Your problems are ours.”

Drifting nodded, as did Lemming.

“Besides, what the use of having the power to turn invisible if don’t use it to get into places I shouldn’t be.” Drifting commented, smiling wryly.

“Yeah! And think about it, how often does anyone get to say that they helped rescue an X-Men?” Myst pointed out. “Uh, provided we pull this off, of course.”

“I have faith in us.” Shadow smiled. “You’re not only my closest friends, but the finest group of mutants I know who aren’t famous. We can do this.”

“Right. Well, if we are going do this, we need to solve one very important problem,” Lemming said. “Communication. It’s not like any of us are telepathic or anything.”

“No worries, I had the exact same thought as you.” Shadow smirked, retrieving a small nylon pouch from her pocket. “When I briefly returned to the mansion to call you guys, I picked these up.”

She opened it, gently spilling its contents out. They leaned forwards to examine the small objects.

“Are these ear pieces?” Drifting asked, picking one up to examine it.

“Got it in one.” Shadow grinned. “They have the microphone attached, you can clip it subtly to a piece of your clothing, then press the body when you need to talk through. It’s what we use when we don’t have a dedicated comm. We’ll sort the frequency out in a bit.”

“Am I right in thinking you might have a plan for us, then?” Ebak asked, taking one of the ear pieces.

“A preliminary one, though we’ll need to do another rekkie before I’m sure.” Shadow said. “So, I was thinking…”

(Next: Break In)

[campy-mccampface]

From what we can tell, the Lemmings have always been this way, i.e. being in lockstep, hanging out only among themselves, etc. As far as I can tell, all the Bean Scouts at the time of the show are 13-ish years old.

I’m sure by this point, as they mature, they start becoming restless. They want a change. They consider becoming more individual crucial to becoming adults. That’s not to say it goes smoothly even though they all agree about it. It’s hard; this is all they’ve ever known! They’re quite literally trying to become different people.

The first step the Lemmings take is seeing each other less, and that hurts them very much because they don’t have friends beyond each other, so separation automatically means loneliness until they do. Then they have to wonder: How do I make friends that aren’t my brothers? The only friends they’ve ever had were made for them! Their first attempts thus are very heavyhanded and awkward. (“Excuse me, cashier, do you wanna be friends?”)

Eventually, after they do some Edwardesque research into what friends are and how to make them, they try again. And this time, they get much further.

Larry draws inspiration from Camp Kidney and goes all-out on getting closer to nature and toughening up. He starts wearing flannel, chopping wood, fishing and especially hiking on his own. He starts a hiking blog and gets a little group of buddies going. They hit it off immediately and this little circle he’s started are his ride-or-die bestest pals for the rest of his days. He becomes a hiking guide as an adult, and has a small but loyal fanbase for the videos he uploads. (You know who really likes them and joins him a lot? Patsy. I wonder where that leads.)

Louie meanwhile realizes he’s not much for camp. It’s very sobering when it hits him that he only enjoyed it when it meant having something to do with his brothers. On his own, he’s tired of the dirt, the bugs, the rashes and so on. So what does he like instead? Well… he likes being tidy. And cute. And wearing things to stand out. Being colorful. Before even he knows what’s happening, he becomes a prettyboy, and a hairdresser, and he takes to it like a duck to water. He also starts seeing Larrison the stork, (who’s now a basketball star.)

Leonard did some interning with Nurse Leslie and finds he really likes helping people. In his free time after camp and before leaving high school, his nose is always in books and he’s volunteering at blood drives etc. After graduation, Leonard goes to medical school where he studies like nobody’s business, earns all necessary degrees, licenses etc., and becomes a traveling doctor. He’s really not around much as a result but he calls his brothers at least once a day and always shows up for Christmas and their birthday.

Liniment, the youngest, had the most difficult time of the brothers in regards to becoming his own person. He floated from hobby to hobby and for a few years was very aimless and dreary. (His brothers of course helped keep his spirits up!) Eventually though, Liniment decided, why not go back to square one? He returns to Camp Kidney where Slinkman is now Scoutmaster, and Lazlo now Scoutmaster’s Assistant. He becomes the year-round groundskeeper, (something Camp Kidney never had even in summer,) and Lazlo keeps him included in activities and so on. Liniment also picks up a love of gardening and flowers (from Lazlo of course,) and he really pretties up the camp and professionalizes its vegetable garden.

They still keep in touch and hang out all they can, (again Leonard can’t much in person,) and although they’ve become “their own people” they’ll always love one another and routinely reminisce and laugh about all the time they would follow each other in smashing into trees and such.

[just-another-star-47]

Holidays in Hogsmeade

Farmboy Sallow

Probably a little niche-like but Sebastian on the field, doing some hard work.. I mean.. 🙈

With tousled hair, Sebastian straightened up on the bed and looked out of the window in disgust. The sun was already high in the sky and he rubbed his eyes, trying to understand how he could sleep so long.

Yawning, he got up and stumbled to his washstand, eyes half-open, to splash cold water on his face and tame his hair, which was standing on all sides, at least a little.

The soothing cool water did wonders and stretching his body, Sebastian stepped out of his room freshly dressed, only to stop indecisively in the corridor and listen. The whole farmhouse seemed empty. No murmur from the kitchen, no creaking floorboards from the upper floor. Unsettled, he stepped to one of the windows and looked outside into the garden and immediately his body relaxed again.

Sitting on the small wooden bench between the wild roses, Ominis seemed to be listening to the conversation between Corvus and Luscinia with an amused grin.

"If you don't dig the earth deep enough, all our work will be of no use at all."

"Dearest sister, I am doing my very best here and for that I think I deserve some praise."

"Are you getting petulant now because you found a task you couldn't master right away?"

Briskly, Corvus raised his spade and hurled earth and dirt at Luscinia.

"A little more respect for your older brother."

Before the situation could escalate further, Sebastian stepped between them, testing the ground with the toe of his shoe, loosely folding back his shirt sleeves.

"Actually, it's a bit early to be digging up the ground."

Eyes wide, Corvus pointed at his sister, "It's her fault!"

Luscinia threw a tuft of grass at him, the first thing she could catch on the loose earth.

"I was just hoping we could sow some more vegetables for this winter. And since the garden hasn't been used for a long time..." she fell silent, unsure.

Sebastian shook his head and laid his waistcoat over a fence post before loosening his tie.

"It's all right, we'll make the best of it."

He winked at Luscinia and tossed his tie over the fence as well before taking the spade from her hands and beginning to expertly dig up the earth.

For a moment all that could be heard was the sound of the tool being forcefully sunk into the earth, only to sweep the top one down shortly afterwards.

"May I know why it has suddenly gone so quiet?" interjected Ominis curiously, causing Luscinia and Corvus to speak hastily and muddled before they looked at each other briefly in confusion and Corvus burst out laughing. He then pressed his tool into his sister's hand and patted Sebastian on the shoulder.

"You guys do it. I'll go and prepare lunch then."

He gave Ominis another quick wave through his hair and marched out of the garden and towards the village.

Frustrated, Luscinia stared after him until Sebastian gently nudged the tip of her nose and brought her attention back.

"Sit with Ominis, I'll handle this."

Vehemently she shook her head, "I want to help you, just show me how to do it properly."

With a smirk he leaned towards her, hand under her chin, thumb brushing her cheek and kissed her tenderly first on the forehead, then on her lips.

"That's my girl."

Patiently, he then demonstrated the correct movement, watching her execution with one foot on his spade blade, giving her additional guidance in a soft voice. They then worked in silence until the midday sun blazed down on their heads, causing them to pause.

With a gasp, Luscinia wiped the sweat from her brow, her gaze falling on Sebastian's chest, his shirt now wide open, the skin underneath glistening with sweat. At the upper back, the fabric had settled against the bulges of his muscles, making his shoulders and small of his back look even broader.

"By Merlin's beard...", Luscinia turned her gaze towards the pale white clouds before strolling behind Sebastian into the house where Corvus and Ominis had prepared lemonade and lunch.

[lndslorepuzzler]

World Underneath: Micro-Universe

01: Art Appreciation and Criticism: Michael, who has been working in the Gaia Research Center, is glad to be out of the building. Back on campus, between his thesis and job applications, there is an elective class to look forward to: Art Appreciation and Criticism. 

Most of the course evaluations make commentary about how handsome the professor is, how nitpicky he is, and how the best way to skip class is to bring a cat “but honestly, who would want to miss this?” 

Michael, who has met Qi Yu before, is amused by all of these comments.

.

02: Lesson One: Michael met Qi Yu as a student; he was late to class, but took notes studiously; as a science student, he valued “clarity and communication,” which made his first conversation with Qi Yu all the more interesting. Instead of being “enigmatic and aloof,” Qi Yu helped Michael get his notes in line, and suggested he sit front and center at the next lecture, mostly so he could use Michael’s excellent notes to get himself back on track after losing his thought mid-lecture. “It (happened) when (his) ideas (got) a little too tangled.”

.

03: True Colors: Michael considered Qi Yu’s class as a break, but found that he truly enjoyed the world of art when Qi Yu brought in one of his own pieces for students to critique; Michael couldn’t connect with their perspectives. When prompted to share his opinions with the class, Michael says the painting looks messy to him, but the colors are strong, and the piece is calming to look at. Qi Yu tells him that his instinct was spot-on, that the piece is the result of venting about Thomas. Michael is “surprised that Qi Yu even remembered his major.” The experience opened the art world for him, and makes his own world feel very small and grey.

.

04: Absurdity & Negative Space: The midterm exams gave Michael a taste of the pressure in the class. The art majors were to get their work critiqued, and the non-art majors were going to learn how to appreciate it. The vibes were decidedly serious and anxious; Qi Yu’s commentary makes them nervous. After class, Michael speaks with one of the art majors about their piece, and the student comments, “No wonder Qi Yu likes you.” Michael is confused, but makes a decision about his final project.

.

05: Field Trip: On a class trip to Verona, Qi Yu is down-to-earth and approachable. He catches Qi Yu in a courtyard, and just as he’s about to leave, Qi Yu tells him to “take that away!” “That” is a cat; Qi Yu thanks him by name for removing it. 

“For a long time, it was the only interaction that put Michael at ease. It somehow even lightened the nine-kilo cat in his arms. After all, back in the lab, he was just “that Linkon intern” or S460602, his staff number.” 

At Qi Yu’s final class of the semester, Michael and the other students engage in conversation about the experiences, critiques and other facets of the class. Michael waits until most of the other students have left before giving Qi Yu his final project: an image of LCMECs, “cells from the lab where he spends most of his days and nights.” He explains that they’re a type of immortalized cell, and that they remind him of Qi Yu’s paintings. 

“The splendid microscopic world, teeming with life under high magnification, has become Michael’s sanctuary in the sterile, grey lab. He steps forward, energized, but his next words are stuck in his throat. Qi Yu wasn’t listening to him. His gaze is fixed, almost glued, to the name of that cell.  Confused by the professor’s intense focus, Michael racks his brain to remember the full name of the cells. LCMECs… Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Cells. As for the first word, it was Lem-something.”

.

06: LCMECs: Michael is on his way to EVER HQ, three months in. When he asks a familiar face where LCMECs come from, he’s told to keep his curiosity to himself, and having too much knowledge will just get him in trouble. He has a feeling about it, but it’s a wild guess, at best.

Michael remembers the final art appreciation class; when Qi Yu had held the paper up to the window. 

“The setting sun, just like today’s, cast a soft glow through the paper. A gust of wind tapped the window, and the microscopic universe on the paper seemingly came alive. Ting colored blocks transformed into miniature colorful fish, their tails flickering as they danced from Qi Yu’s fingertips into the dusty air. “Professor?” Michael approached him cautiously, unsure if he should interrupt.  “Question. Do you typically extract cells from living subjects? Or are they…” Michael was surprised by Qi Yu’s unexpected inquiry. “It depends honestly. I’m not privy to that information. I’ll have to check with the lab. Next time I’m there, I’ll put in a request.”  “Ah… Don’t worry, I was just curious. But tell me, what do you think of these cells?” 

Michael explains that Qi Yu’s class has helped him to find his passion again, because the LCMECs are the “perfect blend of biology and art.” Qi Yu agrees that “biology is a fascinating subject… a masterpiece painted by nature itself.” 

Qi Yu tells him, “Michael, if you achieve great things in biology, never forget that.”