#rae told me to put this in the main tags so i am

[sasha-whos-askin-racket]

What's with all the Danny animosity in the tag today, I love that guy, he's so weird and fucked up and I want to put him in a little enclosure and study him under a microscope.

[make-me-imagine]

Daffodils: New Beginnings

Valentines Special: Day Eight

Day One: Morning Glories  //  Day Two: Blue Salvias Day Three: Sunflowers  //  Day Four: Pink Camellias Day Five: Yellow Tulips   //  Day Six: Violets Day Seven: Lisianthus - Day Nine: Red Roses (link to post with all endings listed)

Plot: The reader keeps receiving flowers and sweet messages every day from an anonymous source leading up to Valentines Day. But who is sending them?

Choose your own character ending (coming on Valentines Day).

Gender!Neutral Reader x ???

Triggers: Brief mention of fighting        Words: 1,569

Marvel Taglist: @aquariuslavenderhoney​​​, @thebookbakery​​​, @groovyfluxie​​ Requested Taglist: @spuffyfan394​​​, @gaitwae​​​, @fablesrose​​​, @kitkatd7​​​, @thefallenbibliophilequote​​​, @beksib​​​, @destynelseclipsa​​​, @criminaly-supernatural​​​, @tammythompson-singslikea-muppet, @belloangelus​​​, @snarky--starky​​​, @saintbootlegloras​​​, @wecallhimbrowneyess​​​, @empath-bunny​​​, @okkulta​​​, @katinthemoon,  @ravennight41​​​, @youcancallme-rae , @radhumandragonclam, @unfortunateidiotinadilemma, @past3l-w1ngs​​​  , @anonymous-pls-dont-click​​​ , @username23345​​​, @hulkswitch​​​, @theofficialzivadavid​​​, @lainphotography​​​, @fred-deeks-ben​​​, @normanijauregui​​​, @goinggoinggonzo​​, @mxxnmocha​​, @euphouriaszn2​​, @trikruismybitch​, 

February 13th

"You sure you’re alright?” Wanda asked as she watched your rub your shoulder. 

“I’m good, just a little sore.” you said reassuringly. 

You had been called out on a mission with Steve, Wanda, and Natasha to check out a possible hit on a SHIELD office. You managed to catch the assault team before they made it into the building, but a fight broke out. When you were fighting one of the men, he pulled you down a short flight of stairs, you banged your shoulder pretty bad, but it seemed to be alright now. 

You were riding back to the tower now, sitting in the back seat with Wanda.

“You should get your shoulder checked out when we get back, just in case.” Steve said, looking at your through the drivers mirror. 

“Is that an order Captain?” you asked with sarcasm as you leaned forward, talking to Steve over the seat. 

You could see him smirk at your question as he peaked back at you “If it has to be, then yes.” 

You smiled in amusement as you sat back in your seat “Yes sir” you said, saluting, making Wanda chuckle and Natasha and Steve smirk at your response. 

Doing just as he said, you had your shoulder scanned in the medical wing once you returned. But finding no real damage you went back to work. Entering into the large main room, you staggered back as a man carrying a large box passed by you when you came through the doors. Looking around you saw a bunch of people walking around. It took you a moment before you remembered that they were the people hired to set up the Valentines party.

This room was going to be the main room for the party, tables set up for the dinner and a stage in the front for the entertainment. Seeing through the large doors to your left, you figured that would be where the dancing would take place. 

Looking around, you could tell the color scheme was going to be gold and red, classy, but a bit gaudy in some areas. You saw Tony walk through nearby doors, explaining something to one of the decorators, turning, he spotted you. Leaving the decorator with a last instruction he walked over to you. 

“So, what do you think so far?” he asked as he stood next to you, motioning to the room. 

“No chocolate fountain?” you asked with sarcasm. 

You saw his eyes light up as he snapped his finger “A chocolate fountain!” Turning to one of the nearby people, he got their attention “Any chance of getting a chocolate fountain?” 

You rolled your eyes “Tony, that’s too much!”

“No no, it’s a good idea” he said to you before looking back to the other person who began writing something down “And get some skewers, fruit and marshmallows, it can be like a giant fondue station.” 

“That doesn’t sound very sanitary” you said with a frown.

He hesitated for a moment “No, it’ll be fine, we’ll put up a sign, no double dipping” You shook your head with a laugh as he turned fully towards you “So, how’d your little mission go?”

“Fine, we stopped the assault, arrested all of the members, Nat and Clint will be questioning them.” 

Tony opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted as someone called him from across the room “Go ahead, I’ve got to get back to work anyway” you said as you parted ways. Leaving the room you felt anxious again thinking about the party and what would happen. Trying to shake away the anxiety, you got back to work. 

- - -

You managed to distract yourself by working the rest of the day, and now you were sitting at the kitchen bar in the public part of the tower. Public meaning it could be accessed by all of the Avengers. 

“Hey” Wanda greeted as she wandered in “What are you doing in here?” 

You smiled at her and lifted your hand in greeting “Just finished work, I’m waiting for the rest of the party planners and decorators to leave for the day, they are constantly using the elevators and stairs, filling them with people and stuff.” you chuckled. 

She sat down next to you “Yeah, I couldn’t even get to the elevator in the first place” she chuckled “How’s your shoulder?”

“It’s good, no pain anymore.” you responded “So, are you looking forward to Tony’s party?” you asked her. 

She shrugged “Not particularly. I’m not one for crowded parties.”

“Me neither, but Tony will never get over it if I don’t show up, you too probably.”

“Oh yes I know, he told me so himself” you both chuckled. 

"Tony and his parties.” you commented just as the doors opened. Clint, Steve and Natasha walking in. 

“Ah, there you two are. “ Clint said as they made there way over to you. Clint and Steve sat at the bar with you and Wanda as Nat moved behind the bar. 

You sat and talked with the others for a while, about today’s planned attack, about who they were hired by, and then about Tony’s party. You started to feel the now familiar anxiety rise in your chest. Making yourself yawn, you feigned drowsiness before rising “Alright, I need to get some sleep.” you said, knowing that, though you were tired, you might not be able to sleep anyways. 

“Goodnight” Wanda, Nat and Steve said as you began to leave.

“Hey” Clint said.

Turning back to him you rose your brow. “Did you get any flowers from your secret admirer today?” he asked with a smirk.

“Ooh, yeah I almost forgot about that” she smirked as she looked at you. Wanda and Steve turned to look at your as well. 

“Uhh, no, but I haven’t been back to my room since lunch, soo”

“Soo, maybe there will be something now?” Nat said with a smile. 

Saying nothing you just smiled, cocked your head and then spun around, leaving in silence. Hearing chuckling from the others behind you as you left. You had actually successfully been distracted to the point where you forgot about the flowers. 

Luckily all of the decorators and planners had been long gone, so you could make your way to your room easily. As you stopped at your floor, you braced yourself for what would be on the other side, feeling a sense of familiar excitement. 

As the doors slid open, your eyes were already trained on your door. And placed at the bottom, was a tall bouquet of pale yellow daffodils tied together with white silky ribbon, a note dangling from the side. 

Quickly making your way to your door, you unlocked it before picking up the bouquet and going inside. This was the last bouquet you would get before learning who was behind all of this tomorrow. Your heart seemed to be hammering in your chest as you stared at the note.

You were almost afraid to read it. You hesitated before setting it down and going to the bathroom. Getting ready for bed, you grabbed the flowers and put them into a vase, a new one you bought at the store. Sitting on your bed, you fiddled with the note in your hand. Slowly opening it, you psyched yourself up a bit before you began to read the note. 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Daffodils

Daffodils mean “New Beginnings”. I chose these because tomorrow will be the start of a new beginning for the two of us. No matter what happens. I, of course have my own wishes of how tomorrow will go, and I am sure you do as well. Perhaps you have your own desires of who I am, and I hope that I do not disappoint you when you find out who I am.

I have so much more I want to write, but cannot seem to put it properly into words. I’m sure we are both nervous about tomorrow, but I do truly feel as though we are meant to be. And though I cannot see the future, I know tomorrow will be the start of something new, and I can only hope that it will be great. ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Reading over the note a few times you lied back on your bed as you stared up at the ceiling. You had stopped trying to figure out who it could be. Knowing that they were careful enough not to let anything seem obvious. And if you had been talking to them one on one, or when everyone would be talking about the flowers, they were careful enough not to say anything that would make them seem suspicious. 

For a moment, you debated not going to the party at all. And chickening out instead. But you only entertained the thought for a moment before you felt guilt for even thinking it. They did not deserve that. No matter how afraid you might be about what might happen tomorrow, they didn’t deserve to be stood up, especially not after everything they have said and done. But then again, what if they stand you up? What if they change their mind, and you never find out who they are?

You closed your eyes, your thoughts running rapid through every possibility of what could happen tomorrow. Eventually, without really realizing it, you had drifted off to sleep.

xx xx xx xx xx

Sooo, tomorrow is the day!

I will be releasing every ending throughout Valentines Day (10 in total); starting around 5am MST. Let me know if you want to be tagged in any specific endings.

The endings will be: Bucky, Steve, Tony, Bruce, Thor, Loki, Clint, Natasha, Vision and Wanda. 

[alyss01]

|[New blood]|

[Comfy cartel!Rae x GN! reader]

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

Genre: mafia AU

Word count: 2.5K

Requested by: @another-fantasy-world

To request: requests are open! You can request anonymous or with your account so I can tag you in it if you send a message instead of an ask.

Synopsis: Rae joins the cartel, Toast appoints you as her handler. Mostly platonic with a implied date at the end.

Warnings: fighting, weapons, blood, death, crimes (if i missed any, let me know!)

A/n: my first and only request I've done so far! I really enjoyed it and although it took some time, I'm happy it turned out the way it did. Please enjoy!

Masterlist

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

"i want you in charge of her." Toast's voice was stern as he looked at you, the documents in your hands and you skimmed through them.

You hummed, nodding your head along before closing the document and locking your eyes with Toast.

Usually you'd partner up with toast yourself, but these days he was busy recruiting new blood for the cartel. Besides that, you were itching to do some field work once more.

"What makes you think we're a good match?" Similarly to your capabilities in the field, Toast was well known for his scarily accurate perception of people. You didn't doubt his skills, but you were curious to know why he thought you'd be best suited as her handler.

It had been a while since you trained the new blood, and though you weren't opposed to it, there were others that would probably do a better job.

A small confident smirk formed on his face, the light on his sunglasses hiding the confident look in his eyes that you knew was there, "I'm sure you'll understand what I mean when you meet her."

You slid the files over the table, back to Toast as you stood up, "then I'll see her this afternoon, correct?"

Toast raised a curious eyebrow, in your eyes he could see your intentions, "you're not joining the meeting?"

"I'll catch her on her way out, don't worry about it. Just send me our task before she arrives."

Toast nodded at your words, wordlessly watching you stand up and walk out of the room.

Besides Poki, Lily and Toast himself, you were one of the capo's that had been part of the cartel since the beginning when the Don created it. Besides him, the four of you carried the most power in the ranks.

You met Poki in the hallway, her eyebrow curiously lifted as she undoubtedly had overheard your conversation.

"It has been a while, huh?" The question underlaying her words was obvious. It was well known that generally you didn't bother with the new blood of the cartel.

Shrugging your shoulders you replied, "i trust Toast's judgement." A small chuckle escaped her lips as she nodded, walking with you deeper into the building.

"Won't you scare the new blood away?" The smile on her lips told you she didn't mean it in a bad way.

"If anything, she'll scare herself." A small smile tugged your lips as you locked eyes with Poki, "although I have the feeling that won't happen to this one."

• • •

That afternoon you leant against the wall, just outside the meeting room you had spoken with Toast earlier that day. You could hear his voice and a contrasting female voice besides his.

It was obvious they were wrapping up, and you had arrived not a second too late as the door opened.

You were met with a shorter female, long dark locks that grew lighter at the ends framing her face and a mischievous smirk that rested on her lips.

She stood in the doorframe as she seemed to take in your appearance, Toast behind her letting out a small chuckle.

"Meet your handler Y/n." You gave a nod as greeting to Toast, who returned it with a small smirk, watching the satisfied expression hidden on your face.

You could see why Toast had matched you with her, the confidence in her pose and the mischievous smile on her face telling you that she was ready for what you would throw at her.

She followed you as you walked through the building. You knew that she had known you, the spark in her eyes once she heard your name obvious enough.

Despite any of that, your voice was filled with authority as you spoke, "tomorrow I will meet you in the training room." You looked at her curious face, a raised eyebrow conveying the silent question, "you don't have to worry about the field work for now."

You eyed her from the side, "is that clear?"

She nodded her head eagerly as you walked, she seemed alright enough to join the cartel, but despite that you knew how important it was to establish the ranks once more with the new ones.

In her file you had read that she'd been in the business on her own for a small while before attempting to join a organization to stay at. Because of that, she knew you, and the reputation that you carried.

The comfy cartel was a big organization, although it hadn't started as such. It had earned a reputation early on, not leaving anyone standing that opposed you.

On top of that reputation stood you, beside Toast. Even in the early start of the cartel you had partnered up with the male, making a scarily powerful duo.

Yet your loyalty stayed by Don Scarra, despite the damage the two of you could have done if you had left, or taken over, the cartel.

Over the years Toast had retreated himself to the shadows of the business, recruiting new blood and expanding the cartel exponentially.

That left you in the field, and as the cartel grew, so did your power and reputation. You had become one of the reasons why people didn't meddle with the cartel.

Judging from her reaction, the female besides you was wholeheartedly aware of that.

You split off with her after showing her how to reach the training rooms and telling her you wanted her there, tomorrow morning at ten.

You returned to your office after that, sitting behind your desk as you looked at the files on it. On top of it laid what undoubtedly was the task assigned by Toast to test your recruits skills.

Reading the papers inside a few times, you nodded, it would make a fine trip to observe.

The door to your office opened, leaving Toast leaning against the doorframe as you met his eyes.

"Knocking is a thing y'know?" A chuckle left his throat, "what did you think of her?"

You shrugged your shoulders, "could've been worse." Toast could see the pleased expression behind your words, "I'll be sure tomorrow however."

He nodded his head as you produced a phone from your pocket, typing in a number as you spoke to Toast, "that reminds me."

The phone rang for a second or two before it got picked up, "Edison, can you get me a few ready for tomorrow 10?"

Edison was in charge of those captured by the cartel to pay for their debts, or those that had turned out as a spy in hindsight.

Generally the only reason to get those out of their confinement was for the training of the new blood getting into the cartel. The only other reason would be if one of them had actually done something big enough to catch the attention of one of the higher ups.

A chuckle came from the phone, "it's been awhile since you took in someone new, what changed?"

"Toast did." Toast gave you a small smirk as you met his eyes. You could hear some scratching on paper on the other side of the call, "got it, they'll be ready at 10, what training room should they be sent to?"

"Training room four." Edison confirmed the order once more before saying his goodbye and hanging up.

You put the phone away as Toast spoke up, "I'll hear your opinion of her later."

• • •

You leant against the wall of the training room. It was similar to a gym, but connected to the main area was a shooting range, on the walls were multiple weapons to train with displayed. Pushed against one wall stood training equipment, although you wouldn't make much use of it today.

The middle of the floor was padded, the cushiony material breaking all the falls that were bound to happen on the mat. In the corner stood three males, each bound by handcuffs that were in turn fastened against a wall. Not that it mattered, even if they could get loose they wouldn't make it far before you'd take them down.

Their files laid on the bench beside you as you waited, twirling a butterfly knife in your hands with complicated movements executed with practiced ease.

Beside you stood a small rack with different knives, brass knuckles, nun-chucks and other weaponry to use.

Right as your gaze watched the clock move to exactly 10 AM, the door to the training room opened.

Rae stepped inside, her curious eyes automatically gliding towards you. You stood in comfortable clothes, Rae in her own as she walked in.

You could see how her eyes made contact with the three men that accompanied you in the silent room. It wasn't hard to see the glint flicker in her eyes, you were more familiar with it yourself.

She stood still on the mat, turning to you in silent question as you watched her.

Pointing to the cases of paper that laid beside you, you spoke up for the first time since you entered the room, "pick one"

Once she reached you, she opened the files, her eyes gliding across the words as she picked one out. A small smile formed on your face, her pick was perfect.

You walked over to the males, singling one of them out as you produced a small key to unlock his handcuffs from his wrists.

He glared as you moved, leaning behind him to unlock him.

As expected, the moment his wrists were freed he threw a punch your way. He could barely see you move away from the movement before he could feel a pain in his stomach as he dubbeled over.

Pushing him away, he fell to the floor, and you made simple eye contact with Rae.

"He's a feisty one." Your feet rested on the man's back as he laid on the floor, a small smirk on your face as you turned to him, "up boy, you're not done yet."

You allowed Rae to go loose on the man.

Although the fight could have finished within a few minutes if she had tried, you could see the extra, unnecessary, effort she put in to make it painful. There was a certain hint of sadism in her movements, and you couldn't help but feel satisfied as you watched.

She dragged it on, but with your simple command her arms locked around his neck, her grip unrelenting as the man fought for his life.

It had never been a fight he could've won.

Nevertheless you moved on, handing the woman in front of you a knife, before handing another one to her new opponent. He had seen what had happened mere minutes before and the discarded body that had been thrown off the mat.

The weapon shook in his hands as Rae went to work once more. Her fighting style was elegant and fast, calculated as she moved with precision and made small nicks that turned into deeper gashes.

Once more, the fight was over before it ever had begun. You were happy with the display of skills, although it was too early to judge just yet.

For this she'd have to approach it with a more tactful technique.

You freed the last man, pushing him on his knees as you dragged him to the middle of the room.

Ripping the handcuffs loose from the short chain that connected it too the wall, you returned the metal objects to the man's wrists as you pulled him to the middle of the room.

Your foot was dominantly placed on his back as he laid face down on the floor, "this man possesses the information you'll need for your field work next week. "

Not wasting anymore words, you could tell Rae knew what you wanted her to do. You stepped back, watching as she went to work, pulling the man in a sitting position as she gripped the collar of his shirt.

"Speak." The man shook in her hold, scared big eyes watching her carefully as her piercing gaze was focused on him.

He didn't know what to say, had he not told the cartel all there was to know already?

"I don't know!" The man clenched his eyes shut as Rae looked over at you, a question in her eyes as you shrugged. He had indeed given the cartel the information they needed, so for now, Rae had free reign.

The still blood stained knife was still stuck in her hand, the dangerous metal eerily close to the soft tissue of the man's neck, "I'm sure you do know."

Warm blood trickled down slowly and got absorbed by the fabric of his shirt.

"I- I.. don't know!" He voice shook as you spoke up, "tell her what you told us."

"He's! H.. He's- hiding in a safe house." The words finally left his mouth as he shook, not dating to make eye contact with the woman in front of him that held his life in her hands.

"Wrong." The word was simple as it left your mouth, but the man shook and shivered in Rae's hold, "no! No- its- NO!" Rae's eyes were cold as she retracted her knife, her free hand releasing his shirt as she gripped his chin, forcefully pulling his head upwards.

"I don't like liars," tears cascaded down his face at her words, "you've seen what I did to the two others, it makes me curious to what I can do with you." Her voice velvety smooth as she spoke.

This time you were certain as you realized you were liking this woman more and more as time passed.

A scream echoed through the hall.

The handle of the blade the only thing protruding from the man's thigh as his pants rapidly started to colour red around it.

He begged for the pain to stop, for her to pull the knife out and help him.

She was unrelenting until he had spilled every last bit of information he knew.

The life faded from his eyes as Rae pulled the knife from his thigh, the blood spurting out from the massive wound and the smaller ones that now littered his body.

Blood stained her clothing, but she stood proud amongst the corpses that littered the ground.

The happy glint in her eyes as she waited on your praise.

"You did well." A satisfied smile on your face, "we'll continue this evaluation Monday. Then you'll be tested on your aim, but for now this will do. At the end of next week we'll head into the field."

Rae nodded, the smile on her face bright at the words of praise you granted her.

You walked towards her, a satisfied smile painted on your features as you spoke, "then, would you like to join me for coffee this weekend?"

A small tint of red dusted her cheeks at your words. Nevertheless she accepted the offer.

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

Comfy cartel tag list:

@another-fantasy-world @and-claudia @lo-manburg @stickystrawberrysyrup @in-fucking-deed @jadesbabylon @victoria-a567

To be added, or removed from this tag list, please message me!

[ranger-jedi-knight]

A New Hero Ch 11

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20887313/chapters/55650205 Tag List: @vixen-uchiha

I’ve done a bad. I’ve been forgettin to put TWEETS AT THE END OF THE CHAPS!! IM SO SORRY!! I’LL FIX IT BY STARTIN IT BACK UP!!! As you’ll see, I’m givin Gotham some love. It just seemed right to do it. Ok, so there’s goin to be a delay as my laptops charger port(n possibly also the cable cause fuck me apparently) failed finally where it won’t be seen let alone charge. So ya, I gotta use my phone for the majority of things(but on the lucky days that I can get my laptop to work yay! But ya), so sorry bout the delays. Here it is!

The batbois could only sigh as they swung around Gotham at night patrolling. The night was tough. They’ve each dealt with three muggings, a few robberies, drug bust each and Red Hood, Batman, and Robin all dealt with Penguin trying to rob the museum. Then Nightwing and Red Robin both talked about stopping potential rapists. So they were pretty tired after the fairly active night.

Don’t get them wrong, they know they’re lucky since this was one of the quieter nights in Gotham. They’ve faced worse nights. They’re all just glad that their patrol was almost done. Red Hood glared at the street as he watched two guys following a girl. He tapped Robin’s shoulder and the two started after the three.

Lana was absolutely tired. It was late. She should have been home hours ago sleeping. But no. She had to stay behind at school, then moved to a 24-hour cafe a few miles from the college(and her apartment a block from the college), for a group project and her group kept getting backtracked. She heard two people following her and took her phone out and raised it a bit to look behind her. It was two men in dark clothing with the hoods up. Her screen lit up showing the time. 1:32 AM.

She could only sigh at the reminder. She tugged her messenger bag’s strap up her shoulder as she walked. She soon stopped under a lamp, rolling her neck as she waited for the two men to reach her. She might as well deal with them so they didn’t follow her home. Her friends Bee and Cahaya were there waiting to do a sleepover, something she promised a week ago. They were saints for being ok to wait for her even though she told them it would take a while to finish the project. So ya, she didn’t want to risk them to the two perverts.

One man put his hand on her shoulder and started turning her while the other pulled out a knife to point at her. As he turned her to face them, she pulled her bag off her shoulder and swung it hard at the two. It hit the two men in the head and they stumbled back or to the side shocked. She then kicked the knife out of the shocked man’s hand and pulled the pen out from its place in her hair. The one that held the knife reacted first and she threw the pen as hard as she could and it caught his sweatshirt and pinned him to the telephone pole behind them.

The first man growled while the other one looked absolutely shocked at what she did. The first man then charged at her and she sidestepped him while grabbing his arm. As he went past her, she stepped behind him and twisted his arm up so that his hand was against the opposite shoulder blade. Lana grunted as she raised her right foot and kicked the small of his back, sending the man stumbling down onto his knees. She turned to the other one who threw the pen onto the ground.

She smirked as she pulled her fist back and punched the man hard in the nose. As the man fell against the phone pole clutching his nose, she rammed her elbow into his head dazing him. The first man wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. Her feet kicked out before he leaned over and her feet touched the ground once more. She threw her head back, hitting his nose, then rammed her elbow into his stomach and broke from his grip and kicked him hard in the crotch. He fell to his knees gripping there before glaring at her.

Jason was shocked. He and Damian had been staring as the girl, now identified as Lana Grayson, beat up her stalkers. When the man she kicked started getting up, they jumped down behind the guy and quickly take him down. While Robin tied up the two, he went over to Lana as she sagged a bit with a yawn. “Are you alright miss? That was quite the takedown you did before we came,” he said and Lana nodded and covered her mouth with her hand as another yawn left her.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” she mumbled out as she put her bag onto her shoulder once more. Red Hood nodded at the info.

“How come you’re out this late miss? You know it’s dangerous,” he asked this time and she just groaned.

“Classmates. We-*yawn*-had-have a group project for-*yawn*-class. Just...just finished it,” she answered rubbing her eyes. Now that the threat of being raped was gone, her tiredness came back full force. Thou she wished it waited until she was safe and sound in her dorm/apartment. Red Hood smiled as he watched Lana respond throu yawns, thou she couldn’t see it.

“Where’s your place?”

“Over-*yawn*-there,” she pointed to a complex still a mile away near the college and he nodded.

“I’ll escort you the rest of the way, miss. You look like you could fall asleep at any minute,” he offered and she nodded at that.

“Thank you-*yawn*-Hood,” she said before walking toward her place. Robin nodded and told the others what was happening, well giving better details that is since they did hear his voice just not the other persons, while Red Hood walked with her.

“Ok, understood. See you two back at the cave,” Nightwing said and the others grunted their responses. Red Hood stood in front of Lana’s building as she stood in front of the door opening it.

“Stay safe alright, miss?” he called and she gave a nod and smile before entering the building with a yawn. He stayed there until he lost sight of her entering the elevator and went back to Robin who had the two men tied to the light pole.

“Ready, Hood?” Robin asked and Red Hood nodded. The two then continued on and head back to the cave to meet with the others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So Jay-bird, you ran into and helped Lana. Hmm?” Dick asked teasingly as they ate breakfast. Jason glared at Dick while Damian smirked to the side.

“Fuck off. All I did was make sure she got home safely after taking out her potential rapists. Damian helped with it,” Jason grumbled eating his breakfast.

“No need to get embarrassed, Jay-bird,” Dick said and Jason leveled a glare at him which had Dick’s smile lessening a bit.

“What’s to be embarrassed about, I helped her out as Red Hood, my job. But the thing we should be embarrassed about is how long it’s taking you and Babs to get married,” he retorted and Dick frowned with a blush, looking away. Tim and Steph snorted in response to that.

“Did you hear the news Damian? Mari’s class won the contest WE hosted,” Tim said and Damian smiled.

“Yes, I did. Mari called me to tell me the good news. For your information also, Mari asked for me to come to Paris for a few days to help finish a project they started last year,” Damian replied and his brothers nodded at that.

“Ah yes, the movie,” Jason responded and Damian nodded. “How are you helping them finish it?”

“Mari and her friends figured a good end would be for a person the main antagonist lied about showed up and exposed her,” he explained and his brothers nodded understanding. “Though, she also said she had a surprise.”

“A surprise?” Dick asked and Damian nodded.

“Yes, a surprise. She wouldn’t say who it’s for. Just that since I’ll be visiting it’d be hard to hide so she’s going to tell me. But I won’t be able to tell anyone else about it,” he explained taking his plate to the sink to clean it.

“Hope it’s a good surprise for the person,” Tim muttered.

“I’m sure it will be. This is Mari we’re talking about,” Damian countered which had the others nodding. “Now, I’ll be off, Ember and Jon said they have a surprise for me and I wish to get it over with as soon as possible.”

“Alright, brat. Have fun and don’t hurt them too much if you hate the surprise,” Jason teased out. “You know father hid the kryptonite. So Jon is safe until I locate it.”

“Well, Clark appreciates him hiding it,” Steph said and like that Clark came down into the kitchen smiling.

“I do appreciate it. And Damian, I know what the surprise is, I have a feeling you’ll really like it,” Clark said and Damian nodded to him before leaving the room to find his friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jon @supersonsfriends

Looks like the surprise went well!! Welcome back, Rae!! #yess #thatwasnervewracking #sogladitwentwell #oldmentor *Damian hugging a dark skinned woman with her dark brown hair pulled into a braid, a rose hairpin holding her bangs back, a pink nose ring on the right side of her nose along with a lip piercing. Rea held him just as tightly. Jon and Ember(pale skinned with brown hair pulled into a bun, a scar over her right eye(gray eyes)) smiling at the camera while looking back slightly at the three*

Dick smiled at his phone and Alya smiled herself as she looked over his shoulder at that. “How sweet. Knew em back before moving in with Bruce?” she asked and he nodded.

“Ya, they were close. He didn’t know what happened to them when he came to Bruce. I’m glad they’re reunited,” Dick answered and Alya nodded agreement as she started working on the case they were assigned.

“I’ll be honest. I’m not sure how this case will end,” Alya said after a bit and Dick had to nod his agreement.

“Yeah. Cahaya’s attacker is slippery. Even with B’s help, I’m not sure if we’ll be able to do this,” Dick whispered looking around as he watched their supervisor Mr. Lingo work at his desk. The man was questionable, he seemed like the perfect fit for Liam Gravesworth, Cahaya’s attacker, to bribe into looking the other way and destroying evidence. Heaven knows he keeps trying to butt into their investigation and break their trust with Cahaya. The poor girl was so scared to tell Alya about the attack even though it’s been years. It took Lana and Bee’s reassurance for her to go forward to them.

They can’t blame her though. Liam was a businessman. Rich, slimy, and was able to buy basically everyone’s loyalty. Even Cahaya’s businessman friends had trouble finding any evidence. Even with Tim helping, they mostly only could find destroyed evidence. Tapes erased from the time and place it happened. Money trails carefully covered up. “Let’s talk elsewhere,” Alya mumbled out and Dick nodded agreement.

“Alright, come on,” Dick replied and the two left the precinct. Their coworkers were speaking Spanish to each other or mumbling it. Mr. Lingo apparently was obsessed with everyone speaking Spanish fluently and didn’t like it if someone had been ignoring the app. It was freaky for them. At least Gordon was looking into it himself. Once they had proof, Lingo would be gone.

They just needed proof that Gravesworth was bribing him.

But who knows how long that’ll take to get.

They sat down at a cafe nearby and Alya rested her chin on her interlaced fingers. “We may need to get someone on the inside,” she said and Dick nodded agreement.

“But who could do it. We need someone who isn’t well known. Do you know anyone that could do it?” Dick asked and Alya hummed in thought.

“Perhaps my boyfriend can help. He hasn’t met Cahaya yet so there’s a chance he could work well as a spy,” Alya said slowly and Dick nodded at that.

“He did a business degree correct?”

“Yes. He did a theatre and business, double major,” Alya said nodding and Dick nodded agreement.

“He could work. Contact him and ask. Once you know if he’s up to it, we’ll talk to Gordon,” Dick said and Alya nodded.

“Ok, sounds good. Now, I overheard you teasing Jason earlier. About saving Lana from rapists?” Alya asked giving Dick a small glare, daring him to lie.

“Ah, yes. She was out past 1 AM because of a class project. Two dudes followed her but she dealt with them and Jason and Damian quickly finished them off. Jason then escorted her home. She wasn’t hurt, don’t worry,” Dick explained and Alya nodded, giving a sigh.

“She’s probably right in not telling me,” Alya mumbled and Dick nodded agreement patting her hand.

“Yeah. You probably would have attacked them had she told you,” Dick said and Alya gave a light glare.

“Don’t have to say it. I already know that,” Alya grumbled and Dick laughed.

“Come on, we better get back before Lingo gets suspicious,” Dick said and Alya nodded, standing up.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don’t test me. Or I’ll tell Babs,” she said with a smirk and Dick sputtered.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I would,” Alya said laughing as they made their way back to the precinct.

Mari-aculous @MDC_Designs

Can’t wait for the big surprise in a month!! #thisllbegreat #theyllbesohappy #onemonthleft #monthaway #surprise

Ok so here’s the next chap!! So ya, this was a kinda simple chap, wanted to go back to the others for a bit before the last chap of Paris. I hope you enjoyed it! Until next time u lovelies!!! -Love Willa<3<3<3

[mlovesstories]

Protective

Words: 3500

Warnings: threats to life, cussing, gun shots, stalker, protective Dean

Dean x reader!platonic

Sam x reader!platonic

Mom x daughter!reader

Summary: Dean and Sam are part of a security team charged with protecting a political figure and her daughter.  

AN: child au for @spngenrebingo

Tag List

Ask Box

Masterlist of Masterlists

“You get your ass back here!  I need to talk to you, mister!”  The seven year-old pounded her shoes into the floor after Dean.  He stopped in his tracks.  She slammed into his leg, not paying attention.  “Ow!” She fell back onto her rear.  

“Excuse me?”  He turned.  Towering over her, he asked, “What did you say?”

“Umm,” she stuttered.

“Room.  Now.”

“Mom wouldn’t care!” Reagan stood and stomped her foot. 

“Yes, she would!  Do you treat everyone else like this too?” She silently shook her head. “Go.”

“Ugh!” The little girl pushed passed him and dramatically exited the room.  

Dean’s phone rang.  He saw Reagan’s mom displayed on the screen.  

“Hi Senator Downing,” he smiled into the phone.   “How is Italy?”

“Beautiful, but politics are so difficult.  I am out of my comfort zone here, Winchester.  I just happened to check the security cameras, and my feisty daughter seems to not be having a good day.”

“You saw that just now?” Dean laughed.  “Yeah, I think she misses you, ma’am.”

“You aren’t the nanny, Mr. Winchester.” Ms. Downing sighed.  “Don’t take on nannying too.”

“I love her, you know that.”  Dean offered her a dry laugh.  “Political figures’ kids never listen to nannies anyway.”

“Fine, Mr. Winchester.  Keep her alive, please.  And tell her that if she uses that word again, our pizza night is canceled on Friday.  Tuna sandwiches instead,” she giggled knowing her daughter would hate it.

“I will alert her, thank you, Ms. Downing.  Stay safe, tell Sam hello,” referring to his brother and co-worker.

“Will do, thank you, Winchester.  Oh, you better get to Reagan.  She is trying to sneak out my office window.”  Senator Downing raced to get her words out.

“Yes, ma’am.”  Dean hung up.

“What in the world do you think you are doing, Reagan Marie Downing?”  Dean quietly entered the main hallway where he saw her trying to open the window.

“Leaving!  I am going to Italy to be with Mommy!  She doesn’t have rules like you!”  Reagan crossed her arms.

“She is more strict than me, and you know it.  Besides, I just got off the phone with her, because she saw your temper tantrum.”  Dean smirked inwardly.

“On the cameras?”  She had forgotten about those.

“Yep.  Your mom told me that you’ll be eating a tuna sandwich Friday night if you don’t change your behavior.”

“What? No! I want pizza!”

“Then act like you want it, kid.  Back to your room, no more escaping.  Let’s go.”  The bodyguard escorted her to her room by guiding her shoulders.  “Seven minutes.”  He watched her walk to her bed and plopped herself down.  Dean shut her door and guarded it so that she would not sneak out again.  After her time was over, he opened the door.  “Come on, all done.” He faced her in the doorway.  She stood from her bed and froze. “What’s up kiddo?”

“I just want my mom.”

“I know this is new, sweetie.  New house, new schedule.  But your mom has a really important job to do.  And sometimes that means she has to leave.”

“I hate it.”

“Stop using bad words.”  Dean said shortly.

“I don’t like it!”

“But you have me!”  Dean laughed.  

“Winnie!”  Reagan whined.  

“Come on, dinner time.”

“No, thank you,” she moped.  Before she could cross her arms, he swept her off of the ground and whisked her into the kitchen as she giggled.

“You don’t get to be a sour puss tonight.  Eat up.”

The next Friday night Reagan and her mother enjoyed pizza together.  Sam stood watch at the door for the evening shift.  

“Baby Winchester, go home.  There are other guards here.  Have a drink with your brother, go cause trouble or something.”

“No, ma’am.  My shift does not end until the morning,” he stated very professionally.

“I hired you personally, don’t make me suspend you.  Go.”  She grinned to herself.

“Ma’am-”

“One,” she started counting.  “Two-”

“Yes, Senator Downing.  Enjoy your evening.  Sleep well, Reagan.”  The little girl waved at him as he exited the house.  

“Where’s Winnie?”  The seven year-old asked her mom, tucking her stuffed animal underneath her arm on the couch.

“He isn’t working tonight, baby.  This is his job, he doesn’t always have to work.  Dean also has to go home and watch his own TV and do every day things like we do. He’s been with us for a while, you know he doesn’t live here with us.”

“But- I want him here to watch the movie with us.  He likes pizza too.”

“He likes you, but he also likes to hang out with his friends and go to his house too.  You know this, what’s up?”

“Nothing.”

“I know something is bothering you, kid.”  Dean walked into Reagan’s room a week later as she was coloring on her bed the next day.  She had been withdrawn and to herself over the previous few weeks.  “I’ve been with you long enough to know when something is wrong.” He planted himself on her bed, moving her feet from the bed to his lap.

“Mommy hates me, and you think I’m stupid.”  Reagan did not make eye contact.  He took a deep breath knowing not to react with a hair trigger.

“You know neither of those are true.”

“Yes, it’s true.  Mommy is gone all the time now since she became an sena- senat-“

“Senator.”

“We used to do stuff, now she is gone.  And you haven’t been here!”

“I took vacation days, baby.  I’m not leaving you, promise.”

“Fine, but pinky promise?” She put her finger up, and he wrapped his around hers.

They soon changed the subject which led to giggles and jokes.  

—————

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Winnie! Come on!” Reagan whined to Dean.

“Punching another kid, seriously?”

“She punched me first!”

“Right…” Dean rolled his eyes.

“The principal saw it on the camera at school!”

“Let’s go home. We need to have a freaking talk before I call your mother. I hate making these calls, Reagan.”

She huffed.

“Get over here.” Dean gritted his teeth. Reagan walked over to him quietly in the living room later that afternoon.  Averting her eyes, she shifted on the balls of her feet. “Look at me.” Dean crosses his arms.  Reagan slowly met his eyes, tears starting to fall. “I know you didn’t punch first. BUT you had words with her before that punch. Next time keep your words to yourself when you know it will escalate. Sit down.” Dean pulled out his phone.

“No!” Reagan stood up and tried to grab it.

“Sit. Down.” He moved away from her. “If you be quiet, I won’t tell your mom you just tried to do that.” Reagan backed up and sat down again silently. She put her head in her hands and quietly teared up. A few minutes later he handed her the phone.

“Seriously, Rae?  You keep getting into trouble. You’re lucky Dean is there and not me.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Mommy.”

“You can stand up for yourself, but make sure that you don’t instigate something you can’t handle. You’re grounded until Friday. Anything technology goes to Dean unless you need it for school. I need to go, listen to Dean and be good. I love you.”

“Really, Mom? I need to get in trouble to talk to you?” YN yelled at her mom.

“Goodbye, Reagan.” Susan hung up.

“Ugh!”

“All your devices. Go get ‘em.”

“Seriously?”

“Phone, iPad, computer, all of it.” He put his phone in his pocket. She turned and stomped up the stairs to retrieve them.

“Here.” Reagan practically threw them at Dean.

“Cool it.”

“No.” Reagan growled at him.

“Take a breath. Relax for a minute. Sit on the porch. Do something to calm down. And just for the record, don’t throw stuff when you’re mad. Go punch a bag or something.”

“Okay,” she slipped outside to sit on the porch swing.

Benny, another security team member walked in. “Umm…”

“She’s growing up. And it sucks.” Dean turned to his coworker.

“Yep. Maybe you should step back, man. You’re not in charge of her like that, ya know?”

“What?” Dean turned.

“You’re not her babysitter.”

“That’s actually my job, Senior Winchester,” Jessica, one is the nannies walked in.

“We’ve talked about this, Benny.” He became defensive, jutting his jaw out. “Sorry, Jessica. Don’t mean to undermine you.”

“I’m just saying, Winchester.” Benny sighed.

“Say it somewhere else, Lafitte.”

“Winchester-“ Benny started.

“Ah!”

Dean and Benny went running toward a screaming sound. They threw open the backdoor to find Reagan hiding behind a planter.

“What happened?”

“Bad guy!” Reagan screeched out.

“Where?” Dean growled protectively. Reagan pointed to the tall wrought iron fence. “Okay, go inside and up to your room but away from the window!” He pushed her through the door into the kitchen.

“Okay!” Reagan yelled back.

“Yes, Ms. Downing. She is fine, I promise. Stupid guy tripped when he fell off the fence and broke his ankle. We have moved to a safe house in case he is not working alone.”

“Let me talk to Reagan, please,” Susan growled, defeated.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Dean walked to Reagan and handed her the phone.

“It’s okay. You’re not in trouble, kiddo,” he whispered. She took in a deep breath.

“Mommy?” The girl’s voice was quiet.

“Hello, sweet girl. Are you okay?”

“No. I mean, Dean and Benny saved me, but I’m scared.”

“I understand. I’m coming home, okay? I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

“Let me have the phone,” Dean gestured. Reagan offered the device back to her security guard. .

“Ma’am, I can’t allow you to come back here. We don’t know why the person tried to attack. Yes, he is caught, but who knows if there is something else going on.”

“Winchester! She is my daughter, and she was almost attacked.”

“I am very aware of that, Ms. Downing. And I’m so sorry that we didn’t catch him before he got on the property. We have increased her security and have taken other precautions as well.”

“If a hair on her head-“

“Understood. Please stay where you are. I’ll have Sam take good care of you while you are separated from Reagan. I promise.”

“Call me every hour with updates, are we clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

————-

“I’m so sorry, baby. Do you feel okay now?”

“Yeah, we had to move houses though. I don’t like it.” She shrugged.

“I know. But it is to keep you safe.”

“Okay.”

Over the next few days Reagan and her security team stayed at the secondary house.

“Can I go to school, Winnie?”

“Not yet,” Dean huffed, sad for her.

“Why?”  

Benny barged in.

“Security alert, northwest corner, upstairs window!”

“Reagan, come here!” Dean dragged her to the center of the house. Dean pulled his gun out. He heard glass breaking in the upstairs bedroom.

Senator Downing’s room. Italicize

“Come here,” he pulled her into the secure basement and yelled for Charlie to follow. “Stay inside with her until I come back.”

“Winnie!” Reagan cries out for her favorite bodyguard as Charlie forced her body to move behind a door and locking it. “No!”

“Breathe, kiddo. You have to breathe.”

“Winnie could get hurt!”

“He’s Batman. Batman never gets hurt.” Charlie smiled st the girl. “You know he is Batman because you’re who?” She raised a brow with a smirk on her face.

“Robin.”

“Let’s just hang out here. Look, we have a full room down here.” Charlie turned so that Reagan could view the whole basement, a small apartment, really. They heard a loud boom and Reagan cowered, latching onto Charlie. “We’re safe. That door won’t let anyone in.”

A few minutes later Dean yelled, “Poughkeepsie 1-9-6-7!” On hearing the code word, Charlie used the heavy lever to open the door. Dean was bloody.

“Winnie!” Reagan gasped and ran into his arms. “Are you okay? Is the bad guy out there?” Her voice level wavered.

“Hey, it’s okay. Yes, I am fine and the bad guy was taken to the bad guy place. It’s alright. I promise.” The ten year-old was getting in his arms, but she cried rivers onto his reddened shirt, leaving him no choice but to continue holding her.

“We need to go. I know this is hard, but we get to go back to your house at the Embassy. We made sure no one can break in again. Can you go sit with Charlie while I make sure everyone is okay?”

Reagan nodded.

Even after extra precautions had been taken, Reagan was not permitted to go to school. Her homeschool teacher was mean and intolerable of anything other than focused, hard work.

“Forget you!” Reagan stood from her chair and walked down the hall.

“REAGAN!” Dean shouted after her. She walked up the stairs, and went into her mom’s room. “What in the heck was that?”

“It’s her fault. Mommy didn’t have to take this job. I miss school! Her job makes me scared! I miss my friends and my normal stuff!”

Dean inhaled.

“I’m sorry.”

Taken aback by his sweet response, she could tell he didn’t want her in this situation either.

“Dean, why?”

“I don’t know, Rae.  I really don’t. But I do know that you can’t talk to your teacher like that. If you have a problem with your mom, you need to tell her, not get mad at the teacher. You understand?”

“Unmf.”

“Yeah, I get it, kiddo. Now I think you have some apologizing to do and some math to learn, yes?” Dean raised a brow, expecting a specific answer.

“But-“

“Try again,” he widened his stance.

“Fine.”

When it was deemed safe for both Downing family members to be home, the ambassador was welcomed by Dean at the door.

“Hi, Senator. Glad to be home?”

“Yes, thank you.” She stepped in as Sam bright her luggage behind her. “Are you sure it’s safe?”

“I wouldn’t have brought Reagan back here if we didn’t put extra security measures in place.”

“I appreciate that.” As she entered the foyer, Reagan happened to walk through.

“Hi, Mommy.” Reagan continued walking to the stairs.  

“What was that?” The senator looked toward Dean.

“Ma’am, I think that’s a conversation for you two. We will take your bags, go say hi to her.” Dean offered a weak smile.

“That bad, huh?”

Ms. Downing ascended up the stairs and opened her daughter’s room door.

“Hey, pumpkin.”

“Hi, Mommy.” Reagan looked up from a magazine she was reading.

“Are you mad?”

“About what?”

“I know I’ve been gone a lot. And it’s been scary. But I couldn’t come home, sweetheart. Dean and Sam don’t know what’s going on, so they didn’t want me here. Now it’s safe. I’ll be home for a while. Would you like to watch a movie?”

“No, thanks.” Reagan looked back down at her magazine.  “DEAN!” The bodyguard walked into her room. “Can we go get ice cream?”

Dean looked to Reagan’s mom. She sighed and turned.

“Sure, sweetheart. Let’s go.”

At the ice cream parlor, Dean took a deep breath before starting this conversation.  

“I need you to listen to me,” he stated lowly.  

“Yeah?” Reagan licked her ice cream cone and glanced at him.  

“Your mom missed you terribly while she was gone.  She was gone for weeks to keep YOU safe.”

“It’s not my fault she took this job.  Mom did.  I get to be in this too.  Lucky me,” Reagan sighed.

“You’re not listening to what I’m saying.  You interrupted me.”

“Fine, yes, I’m listening.”

“You’ve been through a lot, but so has she.  All of those decisions about you and your safety had to be made thousands of miles away.  Your mom couldn’t be here to make you feel safe,” Dean watched for Reagan’s reaction.  

“You make me feel safe.  She just bosses me around when I get in trouble.  You actually care about me,” Reagan admitted. “I don’t like her.”

“Reagan…”

“You told me not to lie.  I’m not lying.  But I can be nice.”

“I appreciate all of those things you told me, but when we get home, I want you to invite your mom to watch a movie.  Or do your nails, or whatever.  I am off the clock soon, so I expect you to do this on your own,” Dean stared at her.  

“Okay,” Reagan shrugged.

“Thank you,” Dean cleaned up his melted ice cream on the table.  “Let’s go.”

“Mom?” Reagan and Dean took off their jackets. The two walked into the living room after climbing many stairs.  

“Hi, sweetie.  How was your ice cream?” The senator stood from the couch and walked to greet Reagan and her bodyguard.  

“Yes, it was good.”

“My shift is ending.  Charlie should be coming on soon if you need anything.  Have a good evening.” Dean smiled and exited.

“Thanks, Winchester,” the mom waved.  

“Can we watch that movie?  Which one did you want to watch?” Reagan nervously asked her.  

“Oh, I thought you didn’t want to.  Sure.  You like The Princess Diaries, right?”

“I haven’t seen that in a while.  Dean refuses to watch it with me,” Reagan laughed.  “Can we have popcorn?”

“Absolutely. Why don’t you go get your pajamas on, and I’ll get everything set up,” her mom smiled.  

“Cool, be right back.” Reagan ran up the stairs and changed her clothes.  She grabbed her stuffed Winnie the Pooh and ran to meet her mom again in the living room.  

“Who is that?” Reagan’s mom asked her, looking at the thing tucked under her daughter’s arm.  

“Winnie got it for me.  It’s Winnie the Pooh.”

“That is very cool, Rae.  Thanks for sharing that with me,” Susan smiled at the connection she had made with her daughter.  As Susan started the movie, she felt her daughter snuggle into her and relax her body.  “I’m so sorry I missed these last few weeks.  I’ll be around more.  Dean promised that he and Sam will be extra careful about keeping us safe.”

“Okay, Mommy.  Love you.”

“Love you too, Reagan.”

Sam was on Reagan’s detail the next day.

“Where’s Dean?”

“I’m not cool enough for you?” Sam laughed.  “Come on, time for school.”

“Fine,” Reagan sighed.  “Is he okay?  He was supposed to come today.  He sai he would see me today.”

“He’s sick.  That’s why you got me today.”

“Winnie?” Reagan called him on the way to school.

“Hi, Rae.  Is everything okay?”

“She wanted to call and make sure you were okay,” said said into the car speaker.  

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart.  I have the flu.”

“Okay, then maybe you should sleep.” Reagan pouted knowing she woudn’t see her friend for a few days.

“I’m okay, your mom made me take time off.”

“Yeah, ‘cuz you wouldn’t if she didn’t tell you to!” Sam laughed.  

“Don’t come back til you feel good, Winnie!” Reagan told him protectively.

“Wow, you’re all ganging up on me,” Dean started coughing.  

“Go to bed, Dean,” Sam advised.  

“Yeah, be good,” Reagan laughed.  

“Wow, you two are really laying down the law over there,” Dean laughed but continued his coughing.  

“Okay, we’re off to school.  Love you, buddy!” Sam ended the call.  

“He doesn’t sound so good.”

“Maybe we can bring him soup,” Reagan suggested.  

“No, you will not be bringing him soup.  You’ll get sick.  But if you want to make him a card after school, you can do that.  Okay, let’s get out, time for school!” Sam said energetically.

“No…” Reagan whined playfully.  

Three days later, Dean showed up to clock in.

“Hi, Winnie!” YN wrapped her arms around him.  

“Hey, Reagan!”

As they settled in, the girl reported what she and her mom had done together since he had been gone.  

“Good job, Rae!  Proud of you.”

“She isn’t so bad.  Mom’s been around more.  She even said I could go to France with her on my spring break!” Reagan let go and bounced on the balls of her feet.  

“That’s awesome!”

“I’m so excited!

Sam and Dean led the team of security on the trip to Europe.  Reagan took everything in as they walked down the street.  As the group was guided into a government building, gunshots were heard.

“Ms. Downing!” Sam screamed.  The political figure fell to the ground.  Sam dragged her into the building and Dean shielded Reagan from the commotion outside.  

“Mom!” Reagan screeched.  Sam lied her down on the carpet in the lobby.  The team didn’t see any blood.  

“I’m okay,” Susan whispered.  I’m not hurt,” she calmed them.  With guards covering the entrance, Sam and Dean looked her over.  

“No wounds,” Dean affirmed.  “She’s okay, Reagan.”

Dean looked over to the young girl as she ran into his arms.  Reagan cried quietly into his suit jacket.  

“Thank you,” Susan said, “for being so damn protective,” she smiled. 

Tag List

Ask Box

Masterlist of Masterlists

SPN Genre Bingo (including Shake It Off)

@spnsuper17

  Forever Friends (Everything):

@katymacsupernatural  

@unicornblood4ever  

@ellie-andthemachine 

@fangirl-moment-x  

@empirialwolf

@winchesters-favorite-girl  

@super100012  

@waywardnewcomer  

@percywinchester27  

@waywardsuns  

@supernatural-jackles  

@mcallmestiles 

@mandyreese 

@sdavid09  

@kingandrear  

@bellero

@rosiewinchester

@seality​​​​ 

@blogsnowflakeme​​ 

@jaycc7983​​ 

@luci-in-trenchcoats​​ 

@cherryblossom1997​ 

@because-you-never-know-when 

@lauren-novak 

@sleepylunarwolf 

@fainthearteddaisy

@choosemyname 

@internationalmusicteacher

@mersuperwholocked-lowlife 

@find-sammys-shoe 

@encounterthepast

@spn-tw-37

@torn-and-frayed 

@dreaminemz

@giggles1026

@xiumin-girl99

@bertiemaklinn

@encounterthepast

@strangedeerconnoisseur 

@human-salt-skaker-aka-cf-fighter

@sbcamp08

@mangueweaschester

@idksupernatural 

@skylarraker

@monkeymcpoopoo 

@silverstripe101a

@thevelvetseries

@jennawinchester152a

@samsgirl93

@supernatural3002

@tmiships4life 

@breereadsthings

[plumblossomkun]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 2.5: 「𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎 / 𝙸'𝚖 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌 / 𝙸'𝚖 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌」

word count: 3.7k

setting: student!Taeyong x writing assistant!Female Reader, University!AU

chapter summary: in which we learn what Taeyong did to y/n, and why, after all these years, there has only been silence. 

a/n: i mentioned i wanted to do this story justice, and it needs to be a human sort of story for that. these are real things, parts of me, as all my y/n’s are. of course, we all put bits of ourselves into our writing. this fragment just happens to be a darker bit. with that being said, please read the warnings.

warning[s]: mentions of prior self-harm. descriptions of anxiety and feelings of despair. angst. 

reminder: i will italicize flashbacks in their entirety & indicate any changes in scene or point of view in bold. and if you’re wondering where the chapter titles are from, they’re lyrics from the songs on the playlist below.

tags: @starxblossom​, @nsheeteesmain​, @cutehardcore​, @bunny-doyounq​​ ♥ send me an ask if you would like to be added!

moodboard | playlist | main masterlist | a map of the campus | extras | fun facts

previous | next

The next day, 8:45am—

— Learning Commons and Library

“Why did I let you rope me into a 9:15 class?” Jaehyun whines, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he waits by the library’s café for his cup of morning coffee. “No one gets up this early for a Life Writing class.”

You munch on your croissant and take a second to swallow before answering. “Yeah, well, you’re getting an extra two units for being a Peer Educator with me this time, and you’re not actually in the class, so you don’t have to do the work again. Plus, it looks good on a transcript.”

“You’d look good on a transcript,” is his feeble attempt at a retort, and you nearly choke on your croissant, snickering. He’s never been much of a morning person, and neither are you, but you don’t need coffee to cope with your lack of sleep; the dawn’s chill is usually enough.

He follows blearily after you as you hold the door open for him. “Come on, Jae. We’re gonna be late.”

9:00 am—

— St. Joseph’s Hall

Hesitantly, you knock on the frame of the slightly ajar door of Professor Juan Madrid and listen closely to the sounds just beyond the wood. Wind chimes and raindrops tinkle, a chair creaks, and then the door swings open.

“Y/n!” the professor exclaims, putting down his wooden tumbler on the metal cabinet next to him, spreading his arms wide for a hug, face wrinkling as he smiles.

“Hi, Juan!” you laugh, embracing the slighter man. He, like his office, smells like spring, like vanilla and lavender and a hint of green tea, and his left eye (you’ve never asked whether it’s a fake eye or just a lazy one) doesn’t focus on you when you sit in the armchair opposite his, tossing your backpack on the ground and sinking into the cushions. 

“Where’s Jae?” he asks, swiveling the office chair around so he can face you properly. On his computer monitor, a video titled “Relaxing Nature Sounds for Meditation” plays, filling every corner of the lamp-lit room with the sounds of a forest glade, twittering birds, bubbling creeks, and the murmurs of an afternoon breeze. 

You remember the first time you had set foot in his office, and you’d been sure you’d stepped into a therapy session by accident instead of office hours, because of how calming the vibe of the room was— and still is.

“Bathroom.” You lean back in your seat and let out a long breath, so that you can take a deeper one in, gathering the freshness of the forest’s song into your lungs. “How have you been?”

“Good, good.” He stares at you, brows raised as you blow out even more air with your hands pressed to your cheeks. “Did something happen over the summer?”

“Mm… kind of?” Eyes glued to a spot somewhere between the door and the wall behind him, your head whirls as you consider which parts of the story you think your lungs can handle sharing. “This summer felt longer than the last one.”

The sounds of skateboard wheels grinding against pavement and loud chatter waft up through the window as students make their way towards their 9:15 classes, and he goes over to shut it, then sits back down and gestures for you to finish your thought. 

“Kenneth broke up with me.” There’s a lump in your throat that hadn’t been there when you’d told Jaehyun and Xuxi about it, because Juan is one of the few people who has read all your poetry and prose and seen the dried tear stains on the papers you’ve submitted to him over the past two years, all the crumpled corners and the red ink and no censors. “He said… he didn’t want to drag me along with him in the future. He stopped saying ‘I love you’ to me, and I knew.”

He takes a sip of tea from his tumbler, then sets it aside to lean forward and look you right in the eye. “Are you okay?” 

“Even though I saw it coming, it still really sucked.” You close your eyes to shield yourself from the memories burning your throat, so that your next breath comes slow and steady instead of shaky. “I cried for three days. I cried for so long and so hard that I begged myself to stop crying because I was so tired of it.”

Juan nods, but doesn’t interject as you pause to take in another breath.

“I think I’m tired of relationships,” you sigh, looking down at your fists and unfurling them slowly to bring the blood back into your fingertips. At some point as you’d started talking, your nails had sunk into your palms, leaving pale crescent moon marks throbbing in the skin. “I just need a break to focus on me.”

“I agree,” he says, shooting you two thumbs up. “Boys are not worth it. You have a lot on your mind. Don’t forget—”

“—to witness instead of relive the memories,” you finish. The heaviness in your throat relents, just a little, but enough so you can chuckle. “I know, I know.”

He beams. “Exactly.”

A soft knock, and then Jaehyun peeks through the door. “Hey, professor.”

“Ah, Jae!” Juan stands to greet him, and they embrace briefly. He points him to the second open chair beside you. “How was your summer? We were just talking about Y/N’s.”

“Good, good.” He flops into the seat, but not before slipping his hand into yours and looking you in the eye apologetically. “Sorry, I heard a little bit of what you were saying when I was coming back from the bathroom. Kenneth really did that?”

“Yeah, it’s okay. I’m good. I got this.” This time, when the words come out of your mouth, they don’t feel like you’re lying to yourself. They don’t feel like poison.

“I know, angel. You’re tough as hell.” He squeezes your hand tight, then disconnects his fingers from yours and turns back to Juan with a twinkle in his eye. “So, how was going back to Spain?”

“It was nice. Good weather. A little family drama, but it was okay.” He smiles at the thought of his homeland. 

“And what about Rosa?” Jaehyun prods, grinning.

“Yeah, spill the tea!”  you gasp. “How’s that going for you?”

“Well, you know… she has a really comfortable job there. She makes a lot of money. Her house is basically a mansion.”

You clap your hands together in excitement. “Ooh, Juan… are you gonna go live with her?”

Juan smiles, shaking his head. His one good eye looks up to the ceiling, cheeks turning pink. “I’m considering it.”

“Juan has a sugar mama,” Jaehyun coughs under his breath, and the two of you snicker.

“You don’t need to worry about us, we’re graduating next year. And you won’t have any more Peer Eds to help you with Life Writing.” You press your hands to your cheeks again, but this time it’s because of the smile splitting your face. “Do it!”

“Thank you for the support, you two.” He pauses, casting a puzzled glance in Jaehyun’s direction. “Wait, did you just say ‘sugar mama’?”

“Uh-huh,” Jaehyun says, wiping tears from his eyes, chest heaving as he chortles. “Yes, I did.”

Juan throws his head back and laughs.

9:19am— —Kenna Hall

a/n: This is where the timelines of Mugunghwa and In Real Life align! You don’t *need* to read all of IRL in order to understand the plot of Mugunghwa, but you should read part five for context, linked here. I would have written it out on my end, but it would just be tedious, and Rae’s works are lovely and I recommend them! ♥

11:24am—

“I don’t like the feel of the classroom, but we’ll see if the students’ energy will make up for it,” Juan sighs, tucking his folders under his arm as the three of you exit the classroom and make your way back towards St. Joseph’s. “I’ll see you two Thursday; I’ll let you know if they approve a classroom change to O’Connor.”

“Bye, Juan,” you and Jaehyun say together, waving goodbye as the professor heads up the stairs to his office.

As soon as he is out of earshot, Jaehyun lets out a whiny groan and leans his forehead on your shoulder, putting all his weight on it. “I don’t think I can handle Life Writing as a 9:15 class, y/n.”

You pat the top of his head. “You just need to eat breakfast instead of eating one meal a day. What would your followers do, if they found out?”

“Don’t expose me! The mom followers will flood my comment section.”

“Then eat breakfast and I won’t have to. Plus, you’ll have the energy to come to class with me without coffee!” You link your right arm in his left. “Wow! Amazing! Healthy eating habits!”

He snorts, and reaches over to pinch your nose. “I don’t appreciate that sarcastic tone of yours, y/n.”

You lay your head across his shoulder, humming as he leads you behind St. Joseph’s, away from the hustle of students heading towards their next class. “Love you too, Jae.” 

It’s not golden hour yet, not even close, but the section of campus just off the main path is magnificent in the sunlight hiding just behind the fading gray gloom of the morning. You reach into the leaves to touch the ruffled petals of a peach-orange rose swaying in the wake of a ripple of wind, rubbing your thumb across its almost-translucent surface, mouth parting in awe at its softness.

Discreetly, Jaehyun lifts his phone to snap a picture of you, and you catch the sudden movement at the last second and duck your head behind your hands with a shriek.

He sighs. “Are you ever gonna let me post a picture with your face in it?”

“You have 8,000 people following you, Jae. You can tag me, but my profile is on private for a reason.” You peek from behind your fingers to check if he’s still trying to take the picture, and sigh in relief when you see his phone tucked back into his jeans pocket. “If they want to see my face, they can ask to follow me, but I don’t want any of those 8,000 people coming and commenting on my photos. I’m not nearly as attractive as you.”

He runs a hand through his hair, pursing his lips. “They’re not crazy like that.”

You wince as you accidentally drag your finger over a thorn that hasn’t been clipped off. “You never know, Jae. Especially when it comes to people online.” 

He grabs your wrist before you can walk down the path without him, and chucks you under the chin gently. “You’re beautiful. Don’t you dare think otherwise.”

You roll your eyes, but sink into his side when he opens his arms for a hug. “If you say so, frat boy,” you mumble, clinging to his warmth.

“What do you have against frat boys?” The two of you start down the smoothed stone, footsteps echoing even without walls. Tiny pinpoints of light shine through the wooden slats above, tendrils of the wisteria trees’ branches and their lilac-colored flowers creating a makeshift canopy.

“...Kenneth was part of a fraternity.” You rub your temples, your eyes losing focus as memories push at the back of your mind, demanding to be put on replay. You inhale— no— and exhale— don’t think about that— through your nose, placing a hand over your mouth as if it’ll help you keep them back.

“Hey, hey.” Jaehyun’s hand on your waist tightens, and he pulls you closer to him, onto the grass just off the side of the stone, tipping your head into his chest. “I know you’re tired of crying, and that asshole definitely doesn’t deserve your tears, angel, but it’s alright if you do. Count to twenty, and we’ll go from there, okay?”

You bite your lip and whisper, “When his friends came over, he always wanted to drink with them. He’d forget he was in a call with me.”

One. Two. Three.

Jaehyun doesn’t say anything, only wraps his arms more securely around you, placing his head atop yours with a sigh.

Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.

You focus on the sensation of his chest rising and falling against your forehead, the soft thump-thump of his heart, the tension of his jaw, instead of the way your breath starts to stutter and halt. “He’d spend hours at the gym and with his friends and he always came back to me at night but it felt like I had to make appointments to spend time with him.”

Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. 

“He let me say ‘I love you’ to him for two weeks without reciprocating or even trying to talk to me about the problem. I wish he’d talked to me.”  

Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty.

You see rather than feel the first tear fall from your face and splatter on the floor. And then another, and then a dozen more, and you can’t stop shivering like you’re in the midst of winter even with Jaehyun holding you tight. “My father came into the room, and he asked me what was wrong, and I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell him, because he couldn’t understand. I know he cares, I know, but he can’t understand.”

Another shuddering breath has you clutching at the fabric of his jacket. The tears slow, but don’t stop, and you swallow a sob before it can escape you. “Can we… sit down?”

“Of course, angel,” he murmurs, wiping the moisture from your cheeks with his sleeve. He sits with you on the bench furthest from the path.

“I don’t think I can cry any more,” you admit, examining your fingers as they tremble uncontrollably. 

“Is that a good thing?”

“I don’t think so.” The wysterias stir as a squirrel scrambles across their wood, a crow tailing it playfully, and you take a deep breath, gathering the sweet scent of their flowers to fortify yourself. “I need to feel the emotions properly. I can’t just push them down and forget about them.” 

A fallen rose petal grazes your skin, and you raise your left arm to brush it off. Halfway through the motion, Jaehyun touches the inside of your wrist, gentle beyond measure, running his fingertips over the raised white skin of the scars. He’s seen them before, you know he has, but you’ve never told him anything about them, and he’s never asked.

“Do you want to know?”

“Only if you want to tell me. I’m here to support you, y/n, no matter what. Whatever you need, you tell me. If you want me to shut up and listen, I can do that.”

“Have I told you I appreciate you?” you sigh.

“Not nearly as often as you should.”

“I take it back.”

“No, no! You tell me often enough.”

You laugh hollowly, but your eyes return to the scars on your wrist, and then they are all you can see. Dozens and dozens of thin lines, some glimmering smooth, some thin, some wider, others jagged and uneven— but all of them a reminder.

Not even the sweet wysteria can help you with the winter frost that blossoms inside your chest. You hold Jaehyun’s hand with a grip so tight your knuckles turn white. The rising sun frees itself of the morning’s pallor, and you close your eyes as its carnelian radiance washes over you.

It gives you just enough strength to speak.

Witness, instead of relive.

“The last time was just a little over four years ago.”

4 years ago, only hours after that kiss—

You jiggle the doorknob of the door to the pint-sized apartment that Taeyong shares with Ten and Johnny, but to no avail. They’ve left the door ajar before, and sometimes they just forget to lock it, but this is, unfortunately, not one of those times. Fists clenched, you bang on the door, praying that one of them is awake. A horrible, jagged feeling, something like lightning, fizzles down your spine, striking the breath from your lungs with each passing second. 

Someone groans hoarsely, and then the dark wood swings back to reveal Johnny looking down at you in sleepy confusion. He opens the door wider when he sees that it’s you, pushing his hair back over his forehead and rubbing his eyes. “What the— y/n? It’s so early…”

You look past him. The apartment is dark and silent, but you can make out the faint smell of instant ramen and the silhouette of piles of laundry on the ratty gray couch. If Taeyong was there, the couch would be clear and clean, a pot of soup made from scratch bubbling gently on the stove, the lavender candle on the countertop lit and filling the room with its gentle aroma. But it’s not. And when you meet Johnny’s eyes, his expression, even with the shadows on his side, betrays him. You take one look at the deep crease between his brows and the way his eyes don’t meet yours and recoil. 

Then your gaze falls to the floor, to the shoe rack, which is missing Taeyong’s colorful collection of sneakers and boots. “Where is he?” you whisper. 

“Weren’t you just with him?”

You try to push past him, but he stands like a stone pillar in the doorway. “That was hours ago, Johnny,” you say, planting both hands on his chest in a last ditch attempt to shove him out of your way so you can search the apartment for Taeyong, find him and call him an idiot for scaring the shit out of you. “I— let me in, Johnny, please.” 

When he hears your voice crack on that last word, he finally relents, and you stagger into the apartment, feeling your way to the couch to sit. You don’t trust your own legs to work.

He sits beside you, the sound of his breathing unbearably loud in the dark. “What happened?” he asks, though the grim line of his mouth and the softness of his voice hint that he already knows the answer to his own question.

Your breath catches in your throat, and you have to grab onto him to steady yourself, rendered faint by the very thought of it. 

“He said—” You choke on your own breath, and have to take a second to cough and gasp. Your nails sink into the skin of Johnny’s arm, but he doesn’t complain, not even when you collapse against him, repeating the words like a mantra, thinking that maybe if you keep saying them it won’t feel like ice is filling veins or that you’re hemorrhaging from the valves of your heart. Maybe it’ll stop the ringing in your ears and the shaking of your hands. “He left me. He left—”

The left hallway light flicks on, and Ten shuffles out of his bedroom, yawning. When he makes out your silhouette, crumbling against Johnny’s, he inhales sharply. “Y/n? What’s wrong?”

Johnny answers for you, which is for the best, because wetness is pooling in your eyes, and you think that if you open your mouth again, there will be rain that you cannot stop. “Taeyong. I think he just told her about him… leaving.”

Ten rubs his temples and swears in several languages, the noises jumbling together. “I told him not to wait. God, that idiot…”

And that’s all it takes, for the storm to break upon you. You squeeze your eyes shut as a deep numbness fills you from the bridge of your nose to the tips of your fingers so that the heat of the tears slipping down your nose feels like liquid fire. The rest of you feels like ice, like hail and sleet have fragmented inside of you, shards ripping apart your throat and shredding your lungs. The sobs that follow leave you gasping for air.

Ten’s slender body curls against yours, his arms closing snugly around your waist, his lethargic pulse a staggering contrast to the thunder of yours. He doesn’t bother saying anything to comfort you, and neither does Johnny. They hold you there, in silence, until you’ve cried yourself to exhaustion.

On the floor by the door, your phone lays forgotten, Taeyong’s last texts to you glowing dimly on the screen.

[4:00] Taeyong: Before you read the rest of this, I want to apologize first. I wouldn’t be able to get the words out if I said them face to face. I’m sorry. I’m a coward.

[4:05] Taeyong: Earlier, when we were on the beach, looking up at the stars, you asked me what I was worrying me. I was thinking that even after all this time… I’m still as lost as I was the day you met me. Still searching for something. Still wandering.

[4:06] Taeyong: So I made a last minute decision to go back to Korea with my family. I can’t explain it, but something is calling me there.

[4:09] Taeyong: I would’ve said goodbye, but I don’t think either of us could have handled it. Me especially. I wouldn’t have been able to go. Not if I heard your voice, telling me not to. Not after… all that.

[4:06] Taeyong: I wish I could at least tell you when I’m coming back but, truthfully, I can’t come back until I’ve found my way. 

[4:11] Taeyong: My flight is boarding right now. Knowing you, you’ll have gone to the apartment to see if I’m really gone. You’d probably beat the shit out of me for scaring you if I was still there. But I’m not there. I almost wish I was.

[4:13] Taeyong: I promise, I’ll come back when I’m ready to face you. That’s something I can say for sure. 

[4:13] Taeyong: You’ll always be my northern star.

[4:15] Taeyong: I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me.

a/n 2.0: yeah, yikes, taeyong really did that.... especially after a chapter like this, feedback is desirable. the story with Kenneth... that was my ex [name changed, ofc]. and the scars, they are mine. it really has been four years for me. but i have the support i didn’t have back then when i was younger, and i am growing still. the stars still give me hopes and dreams. i hope you look at them and dream too. and like i’ve said before-- if you ever need someone to talk to, i am here. love y’all. ♥

[marvelheaux]

T’challa’s Outside Daughter (Chapter 2)

T’challa x BlackDaughter!Reader or O/C

A/N : Here’s chapter 2! Sorry I didn’t upload this earlier, I was really busy :( I hope that you like it! Be sure to check out the story links below or search the “Zyra Udaku” tag for stuff pertaining to the fic. Enjoy! - Lanna xx

Description : Zyra is the first born of King T’challa. She moved to the states and grew up with her Single mother with hardly any contact with her father. Queen Mother Ramonda decided that with all the drama and secrets going on, that it's time to bring the family together .

Story Links:

Main Character + Faceclaim

Character List

She met one of her father's  Exes (oneshot)

TOD Prologue , Chp1

Warnings: Possible Grammar Errors, Angst, Strong Language

Words: 2K

FLASHBACK (one year ago)

        The king and the royal council gathered for a  meeting (more like a parent meeting) was in effect to discuss a verbal feud that had been going on between the King’s daughter Sariyah and the River Tribe Elder’s youngest daughter Kailee. According to Princess Sariyah, it was alleged that Kailee ‘purposely’ bumped into her at the mall and didn’t ‘properly apologised to her’ . This matter turned ugly when Sariyah’s friends were egging her on causing them to both exchange insults. Kailee’s insult ; “I’ll beat yo ass like your daddy should! Don’t play with me” is the main reason for this meeting.

“She started it!” Sariyah whined, whilst standing next her her father’s throne. “She had the nerve to threaten me!” She was trying to explain her side so she can validate her ‘innocence’ to her parents.

Kailee rolled her eyes.

“When I said I’ll beat yo ass, I mean that shit”

“Kailee watch you mouth umntwana!” the tribe leader shouted sternly to his daughter.

Kumkani DID NOT have time for this. He actually had to handle some business with the UN officials and hoped that this silly disagreement would be resolved quickly.

“SILENCE!” The room stood still as the King spoke.

“ There is no proven evidence that my daughter started this fight. Kailee, I assure you if you insult my daughter like that again, there will be consequences.”

“WHAT? I didn’t do anything to her! She called my sister a slut!”

“Meeting adjourn-.”

“If only you put as much energy into Zyra like you do with her..”

“Eh?”

Everyone in the room stunned and shocked by Kailee’s wild statement. Who didn’t clutch their pearls, threw their hands dramatically on their heads. This cause the King to jump out of his royal seat.

“EXCUSE ME? IF YOU KNOW WHAT IS GOOD FOR YOU REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID!”

Queen Ramonda attempted to plead to  her son, but she failed.

“Kumkani-”

“Ndicela uphinde! KAILEE!”

Kailee smirked with satisfaction as she gracefully stood up from her seat and projected her voice.”

“Ahem. I SAID! IF YOU PUT AS MUCH ENERGY INTO ZYRA, YOUR DAUGHTER, WHO LIVES IN NEW YORK-

“KAILEE PLEASE LEAVE! NOW!”

“Gladly. Have a great evening Kumkani.” Kailee flashed a snarky smile at King T’challa and left with her father, who was very angry at her for her rude outbursts.

The King's wife Nicolette stood up, confused. “T’challa what is she talking about? Who IS Zyra?”

During this time, The three remaining tribe elders and leaders, quickly made their way out the door, trying to avoid questioning from the Queen. Flashbacks of Zyra’s toddler laughter, and her heartstopping smile, played in his mind as he struggled to avoid his wife’s needy gaze. He stood at the place window overseeing Golden City as a distraction.

“Ramonda?” She looked to her mother-in-law for reassurance, but all she got was a solemn glance.

“Someone answer me!”

Queen Ramonda decided to leave the room promptly instead of getting in the middle. She had been quiet about her estranged granddaughter for years, solely because she wants her son to learn from his mistakes. Anything that happens between now and the future, HE has to fix it.

On the other hand, Nicolette was tired of her husband dancing around the truth and a throbbing pain in her head was brewing.

“T’challa, is it true? Do you really have another daughter?”

More images of Zyra popped up in his head; when he held her as a newborn for the first time, ‘Dada!’, her first words, the tears in Raechella’s eyes , the look on Zyra’s face whenever he pushed her away- It all was starting to consume him.

He turned slowly to face his wife, who is clearly not pleased with him.

“Yes”

Nicolette broke a cold sweat as she was trying to take in what was going on.

“When were you gonna tell me this? When she pops out of nowhere?”

“This was not how you were suppose to find ou-”

“Do better!” she spat bitterly, as she stormed out of the throne room with tears in her eyes.

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

Nicolette slumped over the balcony of the Queens’ quarters, taking in the glorious wakandan sunset, as she recapped this afternoon’s events. She turned off her kimoyo beads, because she doesn’t want to hear T’challa’s ‘apologies’. ‘How could he? After all these years.’ She questioned herself. ‘How can he keep such a secret from me?’ Everything makes sense to her now. Why she was never allowed into the King’s office before T’challa was crowned King. Why T’chaka and Ramonda spoke in codes about calls to and from New York. Why the photo of a little girl that she found was snatched from her hands from T’chaka’s personal assistant. It confirmed all the media blogs, wakandan theories and rumors of a “Bastard child and a Secret Baby Mama” that she was encouraged by T’challa to forget about.

Her busy thoughts were interrupted by a touch of someone’s hand, which caused Nicolette to jump out of her skin.

“A penny for your thoughts, My sweet?” Queen Mother sang sweetly while handing her a cup of chamomile tea.

They both sat on the balcony chairs. “I just can’t believe T’challa would hide this from me, from us.”

Nicolette took a sip of her tea. “Can I ask you something Umazala?”

“Mhmm”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“It’s not my place. Period.” Queen Ramonda stated, as she sat back in her chair with her legs crossed.

“He is a King now, and he need to act like a man and stop running from his past like a coward. This was a life lesson for him.”

Nicolette glanced at the view over the balcony in deep thought.

Her mother-in-law sat her teacup and saucer down and stood up.

“Come with me my dear.”

Ramonda led her to T’chaka’s old private archives stored in her quarters. Nicolette’s stomach churned as Queen Mother brought out a large photo album along with letters and some of Zyra’s belongings. She started to feel desperate for answers. As she browsed through the album, Nicolette’s face lights up. She came across baby photos, some with shuri and action photos of her at competitions. Zyra’s high school photo, and her graduation photo from Spelman College made her smile.

“She’s beautiful”

Her mother-in-law nodded in agreement. “Yes she is. I miss her so much.”

“...and she looks just like him.”

Ramonda and her daughter-in-law had long discussion about Zyra and her mother, and their experiences in the house before she came into the picture until the moon rose.This was all new to Nicolette. T’challa never striked her as the type to lie. But anything goes at this point.

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

Nicolette woke up to an empty bed after a restless sleep in the guest bedroom. After yesterday’s events, she was still mad at her husband and she was not in the mood for him to be trying to get on her good side, so she decided not to retire in the matrimonial bed last night. She was just about to freshen up when she heard a soft knock on the door. She sighed annoyingly because she knows who was on the other end.

“Good morning entle.” T’challa said softly.

“Hi” she said dryly, as she ushered him through the door and fold her arms. Her dry demeanor threw him off. She was obviously still mad at him .

“I’m sorry if I hurt you my queen. I didn’t mean to keep this from you.”

T’challa sat on the bed and looked up at his wife, like a dog that disobeyed his owner.

“ Keep the sorry ass apology! You owe it to your daughter, not me! You hid a whole child for years and you never told me anything! Do you have any idea how this is gonna make me look?”

“I did it to protect our relationship and the throne’s legacy.”

Nicolette’s blood boiled as she heard her husband chat shit out of his mouth. She felt like she didn’t know this man anymore.

“T’CHALLA DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF? You abandoned a your child and harassed her mother and all you care about is a legacy?” She paced back and forth.

“You robbed your child of a relationship with you and her siblings. You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“ You sit there and be a horrible father that you are, but I am going to get to the bottom of this.” Nicolette shot T’challa a nasty look before storming out the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

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

T’challa was desperately trying to win back his wife’s affection and her trust but she was not having it. He couldn’t hide Zyra forever . He knew that the day would come when he had to finally face his daughter head on and he was dreading it. It was all his fault. He was still guilty of the way he treated his daughter and her mother. ‘She would never forgive me’ He frequently thought. ‘I’m pretty sure she hates me.

Meanwhile, Queen Ramonda loaned Nicolette the late King T’chaka’s archives so she can do research on her own; watching her Youtube videos from her channel, past cheer performances, as well revisiting past photos and her contact information.

After careful deliberation, she decided to contact Zyra’s mum Raechella. She was very sceptical about calling her, cause she know how  “baby mamas” can have a negative reputation at times, but she thought it was the right thing to do. Plus Ramonda reassured her that Rae was the opposite.

Back in New York, Raechella was at work and receive a phone call from “Queen Ramonda” and quickly excused herself to answer, thinking it was an issue of high urgency. She was confused when a strange female voice responded on the other line. She introduced herself as Queen Nicolette, T’challa’s wife, and Rae was quickly on edge, bracing for a detrimental response. However, her tone seemed positive, explaining her reason for the phone call and apologising about the situation. With that, she agreed to have a sit down with Nicolette at her house.

IN NEW YORK

In a couple of days, Nicolette made an impromptu visit to New York to have this, much needed sit-down. She showed up in hopes of seeing and meeting Zyra for the first time,but was disappointed to hear that she was away in Atlanta Georgia, for a cheerleading competition. Rae welcomed her with opened arms which surprised her, because she had no idea what was about to transpire. She was also stunned by Rae’s maturity, substantial intelligence and of course her beauty. During the sit down, Nicolette was very inspired by her story- being a single mother and also being an independent working woman and bonded over motherhood. She looked through even more photos and achievements of her stepdaughter’s childhood and was in complete awe.

While they were both saying their goodbyes, Nicolette noticed something as she grabbed Rae’s hand.

“Oooo that’s a mighty gorgeous ring. Hitched?” as she giggled.

“Yes I’m engaged” Rae responded with a cheesy smile. Raechella had been recently engaged to her boyfriend Dr. Reed N’kosana, and couldn’t be happier.

“Congratulations I’m so happy for you! You deserve it!”

“Thank You so much! Take care!”

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

BACK IN WAKANDA

Nicolette and Ayo stepped out of the quinjet , and T’challa was speed walking in a distance, trying to greet his wife.

“My love how was your trip?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Nicolette said harshly, as she ignored her husband’s attempt of affection and headed into the palace.

--------------------------END OF FLASHBACK-----------------

Ndicela uphinde - please say that again

Umntwana - child

Umazala - mother-in-law

Entle - beautiful

** HEY GUYS SORRY  IF THIS SUCKED. BUT IF YOU DO LIKE IT, BE SURE TO REBLOG AND COMMENT. YOUR FEEDBACK MEANS ALOT! - LANNA xx :)

Taglist: @mxrvelous-bxrnes @melaninjoys @champagnesugamama @ginghampearlsnsweettea @kida114 @brianabreeze @royallyprincesslilly @kumkaniudaku @dramaqueenamby @mbakus-bae @killmongersmistress @theifandbegger @sarahboseman @randomassfandomwho @queennanayaa @jadesid @deansbbysblog @pananegra @sisterwifeudaku @skysynclair19 

[roselukes]

Stay a Little Longer - Ch 3 - m.c.

Previous Chapters

Summary: When Michael’s life is compromised, he seeks safety in the arms of the unfamiliar

Note: this particular chapter is dedicated to @mistletoemichael because she’s Michael’s biggest fan and one of my bestest friends and she’s going through some shit and she needed this chapter more than anyone else

Tag List: @sassy-asht0n @toofadedtofight @rosesarered516 @hoe4hemmo @heartbreakashton94 @calsfrontcurl @calumspeachy @dukehoods @holidayhood @wrappedaroundcal @mistletoemichael @plainwhiteluke @irwinkitten @hereforlukescruff @astroashtonio @catchinqcalum @irwinvalentines @kinglycalum @biggestslutforcalum @calumhampton @angelmikeyy @hotmessmichael @curlyhairedpopstars @meloncal @heavenlyhemminqs @24kcalum @calsjackets @boytoynamedcalum @alyssarester @ssophisticated-simplicityy @mycollectionofnuts @mysteriouslycali @calteahood @notoriouslyhood @ohhmuke @lukesflaredpants @slimthicccal @ghostofch

That following day, James offered Michael the position, which he accepted. He was finally able to move out of the hotel and into a real bedroom. He walked into the bedroom and set down his final suitcase. Lani leaned against the doorway of Michael’s room. “Howdy, neighbor.” She smiled at him.

“What?” Michael laughed, looking at her.

“We’re neighbors now. My room is right across the hall. Right there.” She said, pointing to the bedroom.

“Can I see it?” Michael asked, peeking into her room.

“It’s just a bedroom.” Lani said, walking into her room.

“You can tell a lot about a person by their bedroom.” Michael said, walking into her room. “Like, you have a wide range in music taste, based on the photo of Big Time Rush on your nightstand, and the picture of Billy Currington on your desk. Wait, is that you with Billy Currington?”

“Yeah, I met him when I was in college.” Lani smiled. “He wrote my tattoo for me.”

“Hold on, you have a tattoo?” Michael spun around to look at her.

“I have several.” Lani nodded. “Wanna see?”

“Yes, please.” Michael grinned and sat on her bed.

“Okay, I have a dragonfly on my ankle here.” She said, pulling her leggings up to show the ink. “I have a smaller dragonfly behind my ear, here.” She said, pulling her ear slightly to show him. “I have ‘If I leave my heart with you tonight will you promise me that you’re gonna treat it right?’ on my ribcage here.” Lani said, lifting her shirt just enough to let Michael see the tattoo, her deep green bra barely making an appearance. “And, Ashton and I have matching hearts on our wrists.” She said, showing him the final tattoo.

“You and Ashton this, you and Ashton that.” Michael teased.

“You sound like Calum. He’s always jealous when Ashton and I hang out. He was miserable when Ash and Rae Lynn started dating. Now he just hangs out with Luke all the time.”

“That Luke guy is kinda weird.” Michael said, making a face.

“You get used to him after a while.” Lani giggled. “Anyways, I was gonna head to the grocery store. Do you want to come with me?”

“I’d love to come. When are we going?” Michael smiled.

“Right now.” Lani said and walked down the hallway. Michael nodded and followed Lani down the hall. He followed her out to her truck and got in the passenger seat. Lani pulled out of the driveway and started down the gravel roads.

“So..” Michael mused, looking at Lani.

“Nope. I hate awkward conversations in the car.” Lani shook her head and turned on the radio, the sounds of Billy Currington echoing through the cab of the truck.

“Hey, you like this guy.” Michael commented.

“I don’t like him. I adore him. I would lay down my life for him.” Lani said, looking at Michael.

“You’re one of those people.” Michael chuckled.

“I have many people I would die for. Billy Currington, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, the lady that does my nails.” Lani shrugged.

“There’s a place to get your nails done here? In the middle of nowhere?” Michael asked.

“No, I drive two hours once a month to get my nails done.” Lani said, turning onto a paved road.

“The dedication.” Michael chuckled and changed the station. “Sorry, I’m just not a fan of Rascal Flatts.”

“That’s okay, I’m not either. Though, I have seen them live.” Lani said, stopping at a stop sign. Not long after, Lani parked the car in the lot at Warehouse Grocery. She walked inside with Michael, grabbing a cart. “Do you have everything you need at the house? Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo?” Lani asked.

“I could use more toothpaste and deodorant.” Michael nodded and followed Lani to the toiletries aisle. He grabbed his preferred brands of toothpaste and deodorant, placing them in the cart.

“Alright, I need to get some things for dinner and some things for Kaiden’s lunches.” Lani nodded and pushed the cart.

“Do you have a list?” Michael asked and Lani nodded. She took the list from her pocket and handed it to Michael. They went first to the canned goods, grabbing a few cans of veggies. “Don’t we grow these?” Michael asked.

“They’re not ready to harvest and we’re out from last year’s harvest.” Lani explained. She walked to the baking aisle and looked at the list. She looked up at the shelf before moving closer to Michael, her body tucking into his side. He liked having her close, but his confusion was evident.

“Lani, what are you doing?” He asked, looking down at her.

“Shh, just go with it.” Lani said. “Don’t say anything and keep your head down.” Michael nodded and tried to obey. He kept his down, but glanced up when a man approached them.

“Hey there, Lani.” The man smirked. “Haven’t seen you around the bar lately, where’ve you been?”

“Nowhere.” Lani rolled her eyes. “I’m not a rowdy college girl anymore. I have an actual life now.”

“Uh huh, sure.” The man chuckled. “I know that rowdy college girl is still in there. You can’t change who you are, Lani.”

“Y’all findin’ everything alright?” Martin, the store owner, asked. The man shook head and walked away, leaving Michael and Lani alone with Martin.

“Thanks, Marty.” Lani sighed.

“No problem, dear.” Martin smiled softly and walked away.

“What was that?” Michael asked, following Lani to the frozen foods.

“Nothing.” Lani mumbled, grabbing some frozen fruits and veggies and placing them in the cart. Michael sighed and grabbed the frozen chicken from the top shelf, placing it in the cart. He was curious, but he knew not to press the issue. When they had finished and paid, Michael helped Lani load up the back of the truck.

“Are you sure what happened in there was nothing?” Michael asked, almost regretting his decision to ask. Lani pulled out her phone and called Ashton.

“Hey, Ash. Mike and I got the groceries but we’re gonna stay in town for a bit longer. Tell Rae Lynn to get started on dinner and we’ll be home soon.” Lani said before hanging up.

“We’re staying?” Michael asked, watching as Lani started walking toward Main Street. He jogged to catch up to her after closing the the back of the truck.

“You and I are going to have a chat.” Lani said, walking into a small bakery. “Care for a donut?” She asked, walking up to the counter.

“Always.” Michael nodded and stood next to her. “One chocolate eclair, please.” Michael ordered.

“Glazed for me.” Lani said, handing the clerk a $5 bill. The clerk handed Lani the donuts and she walked over to the bar that overlooked the street. She sat on a stool and pulled her donut from the bag.

“So, who was he?” Michael asked, sitting next to her.

“My ex boyfriend. We started dating sophomore year of high school and broke up junior year of college. He knows things about me that even the boys don’t know..” Lani sighed.

“It can’t be that bad, right?” Michael asked, looking at her. She avoided his eyes and stared out the large window, watching the few cars pass by.

“It can.” Lani said, her voice barely above a whisper. “At first, he was the best boyfriend any girl could ask for. He was supportive and kind. He’d carry my books to class, he’d help out with the ranch. And then, we went to college and he changed. It was like a full 180. He started staying out all night and coming home plastered, he’d yell at me for things I had no control over, he’d threaten to burn the place down with me in it. I was terrified. He wasn’t the same man I had fallen in love with. After I left him, I needed to make money for my own place, but I didn’t have any experience with working. There was only one place that would hire me, and they only hired me because I was considered physically desirable.” Lani sighed and Michael immediately knew what she was talking about.

“You were a stripper?” He asked quietly.

“Not an actual stripper. I was a waitress at the strip club. They paid me $24 an hour to walk around half naked, giving drinks to already drunk men. Occasionally, I’d give a lap dance or two for some extra tip money, but nothing more than that. Trent used to come into the club while I was working and at first, I was scared. Then, I noticed that he was nicer to me than he had ever been while we were together. I played myself and took him back. That’s when he got physically abusive. I’d come home from a long shift and he’d start yelling at me about how much of a whore I am for letting guys touch me and put money between my breasts. He was so angry that he wasn’t the only one to see me like that.”

“Did you ever report him?” Michael asked and Lani shook her head.

“I was too scared of what he’d do to me if I told someone. I still am..”

“Hey, he can’t hurt you anymore.” Michael said, placing his hand over Lani’s. “You’re safe.”

“He holds it over me. He knows what would happen to my career and my life if people knew what I did. I got paid in cash, so I never claimed it as a job on my taxes. I could lose my teaching license if the state knew I worked at a strip club.”

“Don’t worry. He can’t hurt you or your career. Not anymore.” Michael said, squeezing her hand gently. “If he comes near you again, call me. If you feel scared, call me. I will drop everything to be there for you.”

[lostinaseaoffictionalbliss]

Having To Remember

Summary: After waking up in an unknown place Rachelle has to try and remember what happened the night before. But is it a good memory? And what will come of it?

Warnings: a little cussing nothing else

Pairing: Dean X OC

Word count: 1085

You want to know what's not fun? What's not cool in any way, shape or form? What's scary as hell? Because let me to tell you going to sleep in your nice comfy king sized bed after a long day at work and waking up somewhere completely different is not fun, is not cool, and is scary even for someone in my line of work. Nope that's definitely not my nice warm, fleece blanket, nor is that my bedside lamp, and neither is that small light peeking out from under the bathroom door, my light; mine has a blue hue. And what's worse is the warm, hard body pressed up behind me with their very muscular arm thrown over my waist.

I looked at the little clock sitting on the bedside table, it's red numbers showing it was 10:30 in the morning, way too early for this shit. Slowly and quietly I slip from the bed and make sure not to wake the man behind me. I wasn't exactly ready for a confrontation. My feet barely made noise on the carpeted floor as I crept into the bathroom. Turning the faucet on I splashed some water on face and dried it. The more awake I became the more last night started coming back to me in little flashes. Finished my job, went to the bar grabbed a gin and tonic...okay nothing out of the ordinary there. Now why am I here and not back at home. Come on Rachelle you can figure this out.

“Hello gorgeous mind if I sit here?” a voice to the left of me asked. Looking up I took in candy green eyes, unkempt dark hair and a smile to die for. “Go for it.” I turned toward him more and truly took in the sexy specimen of a man sitting next to me. It had been awhile since I had been with anyone and well he looked good enough to eat. “Rachelle, but you can call me Rae,” I offered as my new drink was sat in front of me. “Dean,” he replied licking his lips in a way that made me want to kiss them. Dean was walking sex and I couldn't wait to get out of here with him.

Many drinks later we stumbled into his hotel room our lips locked together. The room was dark and I couldn't see much, but I could feel his muscles as they rippled under my finger tips. His lips scorching my skin in a delicious way as he devoured my neck…

Well now that I remembered what had happened I wasn't freaked out at all. From what I could remember and the flashes I had gotten last night had been pretty damn fun. Something I wouldn't mind repeating. I smiled to myself in the mirror, ran my fingers through my hair and began strutting back toward the bedroom. However my smile dropped when I saw Dean dressed, tying his boots and talking on the phone. The look on his face and his tone of voice said it was something serious. That shot my idea of a second round right in the head. With a pout I picked up my jeans and slid them on.

Dean hung up the phone and turned toward me. “That was work. I gotta go, but uh last night was fun.” I let out a soft chuckle. But before I could reply my phone pinged with a text message. “Yeah so do I. Work.” I held my phone up shaking it. After getting dressed I walked up to him and gave him a small kiss. “If you're ever in town again, hit me up. I live on Boardwalk and Main. Small beige house with dark brown shutters and a motorcycle in the driveway, can't miss it.” I walked out the door expecting to never see him again. In my line of work it wasn't a good idea to get attached. It was easy to lose someone and while the sex was good I doubted he would be coming back to my little nowhere town of Adams, Minnesota just for sex.

I walked back to the bar, got on my bike and drove back home. It wasn't a lie when I told Dean work had texted. A retired ‘friend’ Jean, always contacted me when there was a case nearby as I never left the state; not unless I was really needed. Then I would pack a bag and take my car, a ‘67 Plymouth Barracuda wherever my help was required. This case was just a few hours away so I didn't need to bring out the Cuda. After I made it home I went straight to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. I had files to go over and needed to pack a small overnight bag.

As the coffee brewed I opened my laptop and looked over what Jean had sent me. Two bodies drained of blood, found outside a college bar. Well this case was going to be simple to solve. I drank a couple cups of coffee, put some clothes in a bag, grabbed my weapons and headed out the door. With everything in my saddlebags I was ready to go. I only had one last thing to do. Feed my dog Bragi. He was a Bull Mastiff, but small for his bread and he was always chasing after girls, just like the Norse god he was named for. I liked the show The Almighty Johnsons so sue me, it was a guilty pleasure. I opened the gate that led to the back yard and took care of my only friend in this world. “I'll be back in a few days.” I scratched his ears causing him to pant and give a happy bark.

Now it was time for me to go deal with some vampires. I climbed on my bike, slipped my helmet on and sped off toward Saint Cloud. A smirk on my face as I peeled down the blacktop. Nothing got my heart racing like the thought of a hunt except riding my bike and some good dick. One I got last night and the other two I was enjoying now. Though I couldn't help wishing I was with Dean back in that motel room. I really wanted to explore that body more now that I was sober and could truly enjoy it for what it was. Too bad I would probably never get the chance to do so.

Tags:

@mirandaaustin93 @sammit-janet

[possibilistfanfiction]

hiya! i notice you tag a lot of your posts with 'nora, sloane, etc.' i understand these are characters for a story you're doing. i'm curious: what's the story about?

ok ! well @turnandchasethewind (olivia) & i have been working on the sketches for this show for like. a Long time lmao it has as most projects do grown & changed & become something entirely its own & i think it’s really awesome & lovely & am rly rly jazzed for it to move forward one day

anyway the working title for it is called views, & it basically follows sloane & nora, best friends who live & work in toronto. they met when they were 18/19 at a catering gig (terrible) & theyre the kind of love that is this epic soft quiet fun powerful love between female friends. they’re young & they’re a little lost always, & the world hurts, but like. they’re Good. the current storyline begins when they’re in their early/mid-twenties & nora meets ridley, who becomes her girlfriend. ridley is rly rly lovely & beautiful & whip smart & v kind & sloane hates her which is altogether mostly funny but a little sad

sloane ideally would be played by maia mitchell just for a visual but like. a grungier cooler hot mess version of maia bc like. sloane is a trash kid she’s our absolute fav she has tons of stick n pokes & her hair is a mess or buzzed (or both) & she will wear vans until they r literally falling off. she shops mostly at black market & she got this bike off kijiji that’s like 800% terrifying. she was diagnosed with bipolar I when she was 18 & shes on meds but its obviously still smth she deals with every day. shes from vancouver & she dropped out of mcgill after An Episode but mostly bc she hated it & she moved to toronto a few months after that (which is p much immediately when she met nora). shes like our token white character shes funny everyone drags her constantly abt so many things but they Love sloane. she eats Shit food unless nora’s parents buy her groceries & she drinks a lot & sometimes she has lil spirals but she has a dog named carly rae who helps a lot. she also has a big brother named whit he’s trans & he lives in brooklyn & she Adores him. shes a tremendously talented musician but ofc being a musician is v difficult so she also works a bunch of weird jobs between music gigs. she lives in a funky apartment in kensington w like six rotating roommates. she plays sets at the beaver all the time. if sloane was gonna write a song it would be ‘young’ by vallis alps but if sloane had a themesong its a tie between i wanna get better by bleachers & control by halsey & buzzcut season by lorde & then a rly rly sad cover of i rly like you by carly rae

nora is laura harrier bc like Hot & also biracial so thats dope. shes a baker & she works at a rly cute lil bakery on queen west & she always looks so pretty & put together & she rides this beautiful linus bike everywhere w a fucking basket & everything she wears so much birds of north america & oak + fort & rly just anything from victoire & she has like 12 pairs of blundstones. shes from etobicoke & her parents are both immigrants so nora is first generation canadian shes v v invested in how that all interacts shes a smart cool kid. she’s bisexual she came out when she was 16 bc she Literally got drunk in a closet & she has a history of dating Truly shitty ppl so sloane is like v v Hesitant when she falls for ridley. she has some beautiful tattoos & some silly stick n pokes, mostly w sloane. she has a rly cool little sister named kennedy who goes to ryerson & nora went to george brown. shes rly passionate abt intersectional feminism & she volunteers w a few different organizations around the city that help lgbtq+ youth shes like. a Good person & also sloane ADORES her & nora is in a v real kinda love w sloane theyre the v best pals. also girl can Drink. once a month regardless of how cold it is she & sloane make rly good pot brownies & go to trinity bellwoods & eat them & they end up Laughing a lot. nora also fosters w save our scruff bc she & sloane adopted carly rae together but carly rae is like an emotional support animal for sloane so she spends most of her time at sloane’s apartment so bc of that nora likes to foster dogs its rly cute. she has a beautiful lil tiny studio off euclid & queen. if nora had a themesong its like some dope gay (bi) ass mix of company by tinashe & feelin myself by nicki but then she meets ridley so shes like all night by bey

pls know that nora & sloane sometimes get Rly drunk at the greenroom in the annex mostly bc they love smoking in the lil alleyway its like. their trash special place. & their songs r like. california by grimes & love gang by whethan ft charli xcx & ribs by lorde 

ok in our heads ridley is played by aj but mostly bc its hot & we love her lol, ideally ridley is quebecois metis. she has a degree in physics but her parents just both died so shes kinda taking a break from everything & rn shes a florist in the shop next to noras bakery on queen west. shes from montreal but she went to school in the states & she has a longtime ex named ash. theyre non binary & ridley & ash are still rly good friends which sloane is like Suspicious abt but nora is like sloane jfc. ridley is rly smart she wears a Lot of stay home club & j brands & she & nora have a lot of shoes n boots that look almost identical. shes queer & shes kinda just been queer forever? her parents were scientists so it was always a v inclusive educated lil home she grew up in. she was named after ridley scott & everyone always jokes that she was conceived during alien lol & honestly she probably was. shes rly funny & she has beautiful tattoos & pretty pretty eyes & nora falls for her rly fast. she has a lil quebecois accent & sometimes she forgets words in english when shes drunk or tired. she & nora first kiss outside of the beaver in the snow theyre in the alley behind the gladstone w rly beautiful street art they were smoking cigarettes & its just. soft. so queer. ridleys lil songs r hold by vera blue & 21 moon water by bon iver & Mostly corbeau by coeur de pirate

sloane has a plot twist & falls in love w jack who is half-japanese & hes rly good friends w ridley which is the plot twist part a little but the BIG plot twist part is that she falls in love at all bc she is Convinced no one can handle her & she isnt stable enough for romantic love etc etc. but jack is so good hes so smart & hes a music therapist for kids on the spectrum its like Absurd how good a person he is. hes trans & hes abt to have top surgery like a few months after he meets sloane & she goes for a while & is like blah blah im not in love w him whatever its just sex but then shes So worried abt him being ok during & after surgery & she cares abt him so much & she gets Rly drunk & cries abt it to nora its funny. one day sloane is having a rly rly bad lil depressive episode & nora has been outta town all weekend w her parents & kennedy at their cottage in muskoka & so nora texts jack like. yo sloane has bipolar i she shouldve told u this but like i gotta tell u now bc shes havin a meltdown so pls go over & bring her food from fresh get the falafel tacos & like all the pressed juice ill venmo you & Pls make her shower if she buzzed her hair try to find the scalp treatment i got her from lush its in her dresser top drawer. also shes gonna wanna drink just let her do that & make sure she takes her meds she’ll be ok itll take a day or two & hes like ok. a lot but ok. & he goes & he brings sloane food & a tshirt of his & he gets her into the shower & out to the couch & puts on superstore & she curls up into him on one side & carly rae on the other & she cries a little but honestly its not so bad & like. hes so in love w her its wild she never thought that would happen its a fun plot twist even olivia & i didnt plan on

so anyway the whole show is kinda an ode to toronto & an ode to being young & in love w your friends in a rly profound way & also what its like to fall in love w ppl u might wanna spend ur life with, a kinda love thats v new. its abt queerness & gender & race in a way thats v much present but all of the main characters r rly informed & rly like passionate abt intersectional feminism & thats a cool aspect we r both v excited abt. also sloane deals v realistically w a balance between being stable w bipolar I & also being v creative & v connected to making music which is smth thats v important to me esp. nora was sexually assaulted before she met ridley (HATE!) but we delve into that as well. 

mostly like. its just ‘we’re never done w killing time/ can i kill it w you/ i’d like it if you stayed’ 

[entergamingxp]

Driving towards new memories in Forza • Eurogamer.net

There’s this moment in the first (Tobey Maguire) Spider-Man film that my brother and I have turned into one of our in-jokes. Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben, played by Regis Philbin, insists on driving him to wherever he needs to go at one point, using the excuse that he “needs the exercise”. To drive a car. Which, you know, involves the core of the human body staying put.

Yet here I am, exhorting an even lazier form of exercise. But driving through the different realities of the Forza racing games is so much more relaxing than staring through endless TV episodes or using a meditation app. And it’s transporting in a couple of ways.

You might have those specific games to wind back with your favourite songs and podcasts. I do. And for me, the alchemy of it all rests with my generic “liked” playlist being listened to at night as the worlds of Forza glide past. So many songs keep contrasting and complementing the feelings I have with whatever seems to be happening on screen. Sometimes these games collide with the music to bend space and time, and I find myself recalling all sorts of minute details from the past, even as I drive through locations I wish I could instantly visit.

To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings

Last night, while playing the rigid track-based seventh game, I kept tapping on the gamepad, increasing the number of laps I wanted to hypnotise myself with. The tactile nature of the controller is nowhere near as satisfying as the dexterous click of a key being turned in the ignition.

I begin with a sunny loop through Rio. As the pop-rock of Owsley bleeds from my phone, I realise just how much of a happy song Zavelow House really is, reminding me of childhood Saturday mornings. Brazil is one of the places that my uncle, a history and travel buff, keeps suggesting as his next destination. I’m always asked if I’d tag along. We’re always looking at travel deals but I know full well I don’t have the courage that he and others I constantly see on social media have. I’m too afraid of the explosive Islamophobia and global fascism that’s trendy right now. Instead, I like to play out how the sunlight would feel on my skin, thinking about the version of myself that would go to such places.

In fact, the more I play the more I realise I didn’t think I’d be where I’m currently at in my life right now. That’s not a diss against myself or the concept of life. The blurring lights of speeding through tunnels make me think of all of the decisions I’ve made to get here. It doesn’t help that One Direction’s Change Your Ticket is up next (gross, I know). It’s similar to another song, both reminding me when I’ve been in difficult positions having to amend my journeys, for myself or others. Once, I had to travel away from home during Ramadan for some uni exams. Takeout pizza wasn’t as helpful as I thought it’d be that evening. All of this leaps to the front of my mind whenever I think about working abroad, unsure about what we leave behind for the ones we love. Carly Rae doesn’t help subdue these feelings.

Dubai’s track feels magical. The texture of the sand and rocks around you are just majestic, and the moulded polygons that create this Acura I’m driving are also hard to digest. It looks stunning. The first thing my mind drifts towards are the messages I sent to a social media friend from the UAE, who cherished them by saying it was a form of modern pen-pal communication.

To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings

Again, I’m unsure if I’d ever visit the country. But the sight of planes and helicopters, along with obscure K-pop and J-pop, reminds me of a time I went to drop my dad off at the airport once. All of this is floating in circular irony, as that moment when I was standing in the airport with him made me recall an old Celine Dion song. The way these virtual driving sessions trigger strangely precise yet mundane images is something I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to understand. The numerous confetti cannons jubilantly exploding as I approach the hotel fail to change my mood.

I’m aware none of this matches reality. I rewatched the sweeping images of man and nature through the complementing documentaries Baraka and Samsara. The Iguazu Falls in Argentina are something that has to be seen to be believed, and makes me question why those screensaver-like photo frames were ever a thing. I’m aware the drive-through nature of these games won’t ever hold up to something like Microsoft’s old Encarta software, where those interactive 360-degree photos were unlike anything else available at the time. They were so much more immersive than games, creating the illusion that you were inside one of those image-stitched photospheric projection domes.

I plunged into emotional depths during a particular drive in Forza Horizon 4, near the church of the made-up town. For some bizarre reason, it took me back to a time as a university student, where the local church was across the road from the edge of campus. My grandmother was alive at the time, and I called to check up on her. She told me she was fine, and that we should end the call so I could go ahead to study and be happy, the way any Asian parent or grandparent thinks all free time should be spent studying. I understood her, as she wanted what was best for me, knowing those gates are opened through education.

There’s a moment in the TV series Ramy where the main character’s father talks about the responsibilities he has to the rest of the family. He says his job is to worry, and that “I cannot live in the now, I have to live in the future”. It’s similar to the things my own father has said in the past too. It made me realise the exact value these driving games have. They’re magical experiences, because this white rectangle of an Xbox becomes an interactive art gallery of memories I can visit regularly in the safety of my own home. And although the real world isn’t as safe and carefree as driving a car that doesn’t ever have to stop, I have to visit new places in order to create new memories. I still have my father to help me navigate through this life. But soon, I’ll have to begin living in the future too.

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/07/driving-towards-new-memories-in-forza-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=driving-towards-new-memories-in-forza-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net