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thequeendesi · 2 years

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A Promise

Title: A promise

Alt Title: I will ruin your fucking life

Warnings: swearing, Nate Jacobs, sexual innuendo, drug alluding, stress

Disclaimer: I don’t own you or the euphoria franchise

Rating: MA-16

Word Count : 1.9k

A/N: hi! I don’t think y’all exited five out so soon, but here it is!

@ellyskey , @minaxcarter , @leslienjazzy y , @write-from-the-heart t , @local-bxbby y , @twdbaddie1090 , @multiharlot , @lovesanimals0000 0

Flynn looked behind you and Elliot, his eyes meeting something’s. “Dada?” He asked, arms stretching out for Dada. Your gaze broke from Elliot’s as you began to look up. Your eyes meeting Nate’s.

“Nate, what’re you doing here?” You asked, pushing Elliot behind you as you acted as a barrier between the two men.

“I just wanted to see my son. Tomorrow’s his birthday. I know you got the Facebook notification.” Nate shrugged, a half smile on his lips as he looked towards Flynn. “Look at him (Name). He’s reachin’ for his Dada. You really wanna tell him no?” Nate asked, almost degrading you in a sense… just without words.

You turned your head a little to look at Flynn. Who kept his arms outstretched, eyes welling up with tears as he began to fuss. “You’re fuckin’ evil for using Flynn like that, bro. You ain’t even here for him.” Elliot injected himself into the conversation.

“El.” You said, eyebrows narrowing towards him. “Five minutes, Nate. You can sit on the couch with him.” You moved from the doorway, pushing Elliot as well a little.

“How nice of you (Name). You think you can get a picture of my son and I?” Nate asked the two of you, sitting on the couch next to Flynn. You watched as your son crawled onto that monster’s lap. You weren’t even sure Nate was human at this point, because there wasn’t any possible way that any human could be as evil as Nate. You knew if you would’ve caught him on the wrong day, there’d be a first degree murder charge.

“A picture?” Elliot whispered to himself, almost astonished at his request. But if you knew anyone, you knew Nate Jacobs.

“This is killing you, ain’t it princess? To see our son love his father.” Nate asked you. “He would’ve loved me more if you wouldn’t have broken up our family.” You felt a pit in your stomach as he blamed you. “Nate, I didn’t break up shit. You fucked Cassie when I was in the hospital having Flynn!” You shouted at him.

“Who put you into labor though?” Nate asked, looking at Flynn, covering his ears. “You’ll scare Flynn, (Name), come on.” Nate chastised you like a child. “It’s been five minutes, Nate.” You said.

“Been 4 minutes.” He said, shaking the timer on iis phone. “I got… 52 seconds left.” He put the phone down, adjusting Flynn on his lap. “Aren’t you glad I’m one of those nice and rich baby daddy’s?” He asked. “Never took you to court, I could have Flynn with me in two seconds.” He threatened.

“You couldn’t. And if you tried everything I know about your family goes public. Even your dad.” You said. “And that ain’t a threat, Jacobs. It’s a promise.” You said. Nate’s expression darkened.

A year ago, you would’ve cowered. But, you knew in front of people, he’d never lay a hand on you.

The timer rang as Nate took a deep breath, his charming smile returning to his face. “Dada has to go now, buddy.” Nate said to Flynn, walking over to you. He placed Flynn back in your arms as you hugged the confused baby tightly.

“(Name).” He said to you, exiting your apartment.

“What Nate?” You said, rubbing Flynn’s back.

“You ever threaten my family again, and I can promise you I’ll ruin your fucking life. And we don’t want that, do we?” He looked at you. “I’m sure Flynn needs one consistent parent to keep him from having issues like you.”

You took a deep breath. “Keep my parents out of your mouth. They fixed themselves.” You said. “And I’m sure they did. Which is why they’ll pass the search warrant and when their P.O’s will test them, they’ll pass. Right?” He closed the door behind him.

You took a deep breath and walked straight to the couch, reaching under it. “Fucking typical bastard.” You whispered to yourself. “What’d you find?” Elliot asked, trying to break the silence between the three of you.

“Recorder.” You responded, checking under the table, pillow, and behind your door. Finding three more tiny spyware type cameras.

“You think there’s anymore?” He asked you as you tossed them out of your window.

“He only sat on the couch.” You answered, sitting on the couch with Flynn on your lap.

“You ok?” Elliot asked, sitting next to you. “I’m fine.” You said, focusing on fixing Flynn’s hair. “(Name). Don’t push me away because you’re upset with someone else. You have to communicate with me. I didn’t do anything wrong.” Elliot reminded you.

And you hated hearing it, but you knew he was right. “I’m sorry.” You sighed. “I just hate that he does this… he wasn’t always like this.” Flynn leaned into your touch. You knew if Elliot wasn’t there in that moment what would’ve happened would’ve been way worse.

“I’m sorry.” Elliot said, placing his arm over your shoulders. You shook your head and leaned into his touch. “Not your fault.” Flynn looked at Elliot.

“Hi buddy. I’m Elliot. Or El.” Elliot greeted Flynn, reaching his hand out.

And Flynn touched his finger. You smiled a little at the sight. “So you still ain’t planning on running?” You asked him, looking up at him.

“Nah.” Elliot shook his head. “I think I’m where I need to be.” Elliot kissed your forehead. “My girl and her son.” He said.

“Aren’t you worried about the police going to your parents house?” Elliot finally asked, the question finally being asked after he built the confidence. “No. They’re clean.” You said simply.

“Clean?”

“My parents did some things. I did some things. My grandmother did some things. We’ve all done some things.”

“When’d you get clean?”

“Nate put me through detox when he said we were gonna have a family.”

“That’s crazy. You were 16 when you got pregnant though.” You nodded. “Mhm. We planned Flynn. It wasn’t ‘til after I was clean he started his shit. Was high on anything since 11, started dating him at 14, he put me through detox three days before my 16th birthday. I didn’t get pregnant for another three months.” You explained.

“Jesus.”

“Almost 4 years later and we’re still going through this shit. He went through dozens of girls. I went on one date two weeks after we broke up with a guy who’d liked me since middle school.”

“How’d it go?”

“Nate cussed me out.” You half-laughed. “Called me a whore for going out so soon. That I was already planning for another baby.”

“What was your drug of choice?” Elliot asked, his brain starting to understand why his sobriety was so important to you now. “Anything. I’ve pretty much done it all once. When Fezco found out I thought I was done for.”

“Where were your parents for all this?”

“High themselves. When you’re 12, you don’t think you’d be doing coke with mom while dad cooked dinner, but c’est la vie I guess.” You shrugged. “Why’d Nate beat you up earlier?”

“He saw the hickey you left.” He answered. “He thinks we had sex.” You sighed, pinching your nose’s bridge.

“Are you ace?” Elliot blurted out.

“No!” You sighed. “No, I’m not ace.” You know what he’s thinking though. You two haven’t had sex, but make out any time you have. “I just… haven’t had sex in a while.” You explained a little. “It’s not off the table though. I’ve been tempted. I was really tempted the other night and if I didn’t need to come home at a certain time…” you trailed off. “You get where I’m going.”

“Oh so I’m tempting?” Elliot teased.

You pushed him a little, noticing how Flynn was sleeping on your lap. “It was time for his nap anyhow.” You stood up, walking over to his room. You placed him in his crib, then closed the door behind you.

Elliot’s arms wrapped around your waist as he kissed your neck. “What’s stopping us now?” He asked, kissing down more. Your hand gripped the doorknob as you leaned into his touch, head leaning back against his shoulder.

You whispered a swear under your breath as he found the spot. “Do you want to?” He asked, hands going under your shirt to place themselves on his hips.

“I don’t do anything more if you don’t want to.” He kissed your jaw. “I want it.” You said, turning to face him. “You want it, baby girl?” He asked. “Yea.” You said.

***

Elliot ran his fingers up and down your back, clothes thrown all over the room. “You alright?” You asked, looking up at him. “Yea. You?” He asked, pushing some hair from your face.

“I’m okay.” You looked over at the baby monitor, Flynn still sound asleep. “What time is it?” You asked him. “My phone’s in the living room.” He answered, shrugging. You nodded and kissed him softly.

Elliot’s arms wrapped around your waist as he pulled you on top. “Again?” You half joked. “Nah. Just prefer you on top.” He said. You stood up, and put on a pair of shorts and a crop top. “I’m gonna check my phone. Do you want yours?” You asked, looking over at him.

“Nah.” He answered, both hands going behind his head. You nodded and walked into the living room. You picked up your phone. “Oh fuck.” You whispered.

You continued to repeat it as you called your mother’s parole officer back.

“Don’t tell me Shannon.” You pleaded.

“Your parents were arrested due to breaching their parole conditions.”

“How did they breach it?” You asked. “They tested positive for methamphetamines, marijuana, cocaine and opiates.” She answered. “Are you serious? Test them again! Watch them pee. Watch the tests show up!” You shouted into the phone.

“Ms. (Last Name), we watched them urinate. We watched the tests develop. And we watched your parents' reactions during the whole process.” She paused. “They’re guilty.”

“What’s about to happen now?” You asked, sitting on the couch. “They have to serve 430 days behind bars. They could be out with good behavior sooner, but they’re going to need to detox, because their levels were high. From what it looks like with our numbers, they indulged in cocaine this morning.”

“This morning? No, that's impossible. They had Flynn until 10 this morning.” You said. “The numbers aren’t lying, (Name).” Shannon responded. “Oh my god. They watch my son when I’m at work. They’ve been doing drugs around Flynn. They did fucking drugs around my baby Shannon!” You shouted a little, falling to your knees.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” She said, “I gotta go. I gotta find out what I’m doing next.” You said, hanging up the phone promptly and tossing your phone at the couch.

You just wanted to scream. They were clean! They’d been clean for months. You cupped your face in your hands and sobbed.

Two arms wrapped around you as you turned into his chest. “They were doing drugs around Flynn, El. I was so busy with work and Flynn… I ain’t even noticed.” You whispered.

Elliot hugged your shoulders as he kissed your forehead. “What am I gonna do? I need someone to watch Flynn while I work. I can only do the night shifts because he sleeps through the night.” You sniffed, rubbing your face. “This is ridiculous.” You sobbed.

“We’ll figure something out.” He shushed you.

#des’ writing #des’ series : angel #des’ original series #des’ oneshot #euphoria elliot x reader #euphoria elliot #euphoria fez #euphoria series #euphoria imagine

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lookbluesoup · 5 years

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We may never, never meet again On the bumpy road to love Still I'll always, always keep the memory of The way you hold your knife The way we danced 'til three The way you've changed my life No, no, they can't take that away from me

#it's their anniversary today!#nate ronan #nora ronan #art #my art #polaroid #i couldn't pick so have both #wedding #fallout #fallout 4 #really like how nate's eyes turned out :0 #fullview if it's blurry D:#sole survivor #personal fav

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demetriandelibinaryboyfriends · 3 years

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Binary Boyfriends S4 Fix-It Fics That I Need Immediately

WHAT UP BINARY BOYFRIENDS NATION, WHO’S READY TO WRITE SOME FIX-IT FIC???

Apologies in advance if any of these have already been done, but consider!!! I am always down to see more!!!

Psyche! Its turns out Yasmine and Demetri both are absolutely aware that they’re gay and are 100% faking a straight relationship to seem more cool and normal! The only reason they sell the horniness so well is because they’re both theatrical motherfuckers and wanna see how much they can overdramatically ham it up to fool the entire school into thinking they’re heterosexual

Demetri attempts to stand up for Hawk with Chris and Nate! Make no mistake, not because I think it would work, but because Demetri sometimes has 0 tact when he gets angry and I think the fallout would be very funny

Demetri and Hawk spar, but Hawk accidentally hits Demetri too hard!!! Angst ensues!!!

Demetri and Hawk spar, and they get all amped up on adrenaline and suddenly one is shoving the other against the dojo wall and making out with them!!! The entire dojo sees them and it’s very funny

Demetri jumps off the building!!! And brags about it to Hawk!!! Hawk looks at him with heart eyes because he’s a badass!!!

Alternatively, Demetri tries to jump and lands on the mattresses. He has to go to the hospital. Hawk visits him and switches between heaping on adoring praise for being so ballsy and yelling at Demetri for being so stupid and scaring the shit out of him.

Bonus points if Demetri literally only jumped to impress Hawk

Demetri and Hawk being utter and complete overprotective karate dads to Nate and Bert

Like remember how they both adopted them as their sons??? LET’S DO SOMETHING WITH THAT

Demetri dyeing Hawk’s hair in the bathtub and it’s very intimate and they keep aggressively tryna No Homo it

I think this may have already been done but I am literally always down to see it again

POV: You’re a Cobra Kai goon about to help the scary Keene kid shave off some dude’s gay-ass purple mohawk when there’s a crash and the most gangly, uncoordinated dweeb you’ve ever seen busts in through the tattoo shop window

You’re like “who’s this clown”

But “clown” as in horror movie clown specifically, because this interloper has a mildly to moderately unsettling look on his face

Cue the unsettling clown saying “Evening gentlemen :) :) :) Hope you’re not about to do something you regret to my pal Eli here :) :) :)” in a really quiet and calm tone of voice, which is. DEEPLY terrifying

*cue Demetri breaking into the world’s hugest and most horrifying slasher smile*

And he unleashes nine levels of hell on the Cobras, because he deserves to

Bonus points if he steals the razor and goes just a BIT slash-happy on them

Or strangles Kyler with the belt thing he was holding Eli down with

I just think Demetri should be allowed to completely fucking lose it and become the scariest motherfucker you’ve ever seen when someone messes with his boyfriend Eli Moskowitz

No really, just stop what you’re doing and imagine Demetri chasing Kyler through the tattoo parlor with a shaver Shining-style like “HEEEEERE’S ‘METRI!”

Like would that fuck or WHAT

On a related note, Demetri going full Slasher Movie Villain on the Cobras to get revenge after they shave the ‘hawk would also be acceptable

I think he should bring Miguel along too, I think that would be neat

Just a couple of best bros going to inflict unspeakable violence on the ne’er-do-wells who brutally violated their other best bro, don’t mind them

Demetri still gets to be more unhinged through

Because a) that’s his fucking boyfriend whose hair they’re avenging and b) Miguel has already gotten to be scary on many occasions!!! Let Demetri have a turn!!!

Demetri lets Eli come over to his house for a good cry after he gets the ‘hawk shorn! They binge Star Wars, end up accidentally cuddling on Demetri’s bed, and then they start smooching!

Sorry since Yasmine and Demetri are fake-dating it doesn’t count as cheating

Assume Demetri and Yasmine are fake-dating for basically all of these actually

Something something Demetri helps even out Eli’s buzzcut and he’s super Soft as he does it

What if we kissed…? In your basement…? After I let myself into your house and tell you you’ll always be my best friend and encourage you to not give up karate…? Just kidding! Unless…?

Eli should have leaned in and and stolen a kiss after Demetri said “whether you’re a 1 or a 0″!!!! I’m sorry, I do not make the rules!!!

Yasmine never shows up at the prom, and Demetri and Eli decide to slow-dance together “as a joke.” What happens next will shock you!

Alternatively!!! Yasmine comes to prom, and Demetri gets excited!!! It turns out Yasmine flew all the way back to Australia to dump Demetri and finally confess her love to Moon!

OR Demetri sees Yasmine walk into prom, but what’s this??? A hot Aussie girl on Yasmine’s arm that she brought back from Sydney???

Meanwhile Moon still totally ignores Eli because she’s too busy dancing with girls and/or going to prom with Piper, who she has not actually broken up with because whoever told that to Demetri is a dirty liar you see

Demetri and Eli are chillin at the prom afterparty because they went as dates and Moon and Yasmine are too busy with their gfs to hang out! Cue them wandering into the back when the big Love Square fight breaks out and Eli running in to try and help Miguel

Sadly Eli gets kicked in the chest and falls in the pool!!! Demetri is like “oh no let me help you out” and then Eli pulls him in too, just to be a little shit!!! Then they kiss in their soaking wet prom suits and it’s ridiculous and awesome!!!

Demetri and Eli participate in a Miyagi-Do training montage and it’s homoerotic

Consider!!! Demetri overhears Kyler harassing Eli during the AVT and is the one to reassure Eli about his identity and his worth because, you know that makes infinitely more sense than Moon??? AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN

DEMETRI IS THE ONE WHO GIVES HIM THE GOOD LUCK KISS THAT MAKES HIS CONFIDENCE COME BACK ACTUALLY

And Eli gets inspired by Demetri’s confidence, because damn, does this dude have balls to shamelessly kiss another boy in front of the entire AVT audience!!!

Concept: Demetri-Kyler tournament fight, and Demetri gets so fucking pissed about the way Kyler’s always treated Eli that he just goes completely feral and unhinged and nearly gives him a Brucks-level beatdown, BUT THEN

Eli actually has to be the one to get him to calm down and snap him out of it, and persuade him to show mercy!!!

POETIC FUCKING CINEMA

Alternatively, Demetri wails on Robby even harder during their fight, and talks some shit with his big stupid mouth

“Hey Robby, been doing any paralyzing lately? Or forced haircuts? How about dojo-betraying?”

Like let him talk shit, Demetri deserves to be mean and unsportsmanlike actually

Basically any POV fic showing Demetri and Eli’s thoughts as they watch each other fight

Like just anything that really dives into how they’re both like...stressed as fuck and worried each other’s gonna get hurt etc etc

Demetri just goes “you know what??? FUCK IT” and gives Eli a BIG OL VICTORY KISS in front of everyone after he wins!!!

Bonus points if Eli lifts Demetri up while he’s kissing him :O

What if--and hear me out--what if Demetri and Eli went on a gay little road trip to find Miguel??? And that was the plot of Season 5???

I may like that last one so much that I already caved and wrote a one-shot about it

Get hyped for that y’all

Never thought I’d actually get into writing CK fanfic but here we are

Fanfic writers please go batshit wild, every single one of these is, in fact, free real estate!!! And god knows I don’t have the time to write them all XD But they rest of y’all, please go buckwild!!! I will try and read every single one :D

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heyitssmiller · 4 years

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Frosted Windowpanes Part Two

I have no idea why this was so hard to write? Part one just came so easily and this... not so much. But here it is! All the holiday tropes! Christmas puns (thank you to all of y’all who gave me ideas for those)! Falling in love!

As always, @donttouchmycarrots is my hero for proofreading!! Love you <3

@lumosinlove Guess who’s back to borrow your characters ;) Thank you so much!!

Part One if you missed it!

Finn had a Plan.

Well, half a Plan.

Maybe.

Step one: meet up with Logan and Leo again. Step two: woo them. Step three: …

Well, it wasn’t much. And it was very vague. But Finn’s plans tended to never go the way he wanted them to anyway, so vague was usually for the best. And so far, it had been going well. They’d grabbed dinner several times, ran into each other at the store or buying Christmas presents downtown. And on Monday the diner was closed, so Finn and Leo spent hours at the farm helping where they could and pestering Logan. He was so fun to tease – he got all gruff and grumpy and adorable. Leo seemed to think so, too, if the number of times he teamed up with Finn to make Logan get all red was anything to go off of.

At the beginning of all this, Finn had thought he’d been overdramatic. He’d woken up the morning after first meeting Logan and Leo and assumed he’d been tired and jet-lagged and was imagining all those feelings he’d felt the night before.

And then he’d met up with them again.

Love at first sight wasn’t real. Finn knew this. But being here, meeting Logan and Leo, just might have been enough to change his mind. It made no sense, but – well, here he was. The past few days were happy, rose-tinted, and Finn couldn’t believe his luck. What were the odds that he’d find both of them in this sleepy little town?

So here he was, pulling into the parking lot of Leo’s for a cup of coffee and a healthy serving of sweet southern blond.

Leo was out front, shoveling snow and looking absolutely miserable while doing it. He was bundled in a thick coat and hat, scarf wrapped high around his neck. Finn laughed under his breath as he turned his car off and braved the cold. Poor southern boy. Leo glanced up at him briefly when he approached, then did a double take.

“Morning, sunshine.” Finn said with a cheeky grin. “Enjoying the snow day?”

Leo’s resulting grumpy look made Finn laugh. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Nate called and said he can’t make it to work today because the roads are so bad.” Leo took a deep breath, and then the rest of his words came out in a jumbled, rushed mess. “Which isn’t his fault and I’m not blaming him at all. But I haven’t started cooking and we open in thirty minutes and there’s no coffee brewing and nowhere for people to park because of this goddamn snow and so I’m stuck shoveling snow instead of cooking and I’m so far behind-”

Finn gently pressed a finger to Leo’s lips, halting the nervous ramblings. Leo looked down at his finger, then back up to meet Finn’s eyes.

Oh, he was so gorgeous.

Finn had to force himself to focus on the matter at hand instead of cherry-red lips and soft baby blues. “Relax, ok? And hand me the shovel. I’ll do this, while you get on inside and start cooking.”

“But – Finn,” Leo said, and wow did he love the sound of his voice in that southern twang.

“Leo,” He echoed with an attempted accent, eliciting a smile from the blond.

“I can’t just ask you to work. You’re on vacation.”

“First of all, you didn’t ask – I offered. And the friends I’m visiting are both at work,” Finn explained, “so I’ve been left to my own devices for the day.”

Leo winced in sympathy. “Bless your heart.”

And see, Finn had done his research. He’d googled New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and the south in general. And he’d learned that southerners were very confusing – more confusing than people gave them credit for. They were polite and kind to everyone, even if they definitely didn’t mean it. The phrase “bless your heart” could mean they either absolutely adored you or they thought you were the worst person on the planet.

Finn really hoped it wasn’t the latter. He didn’t think it was the latter, anyways.

“I’m literally dying of boredom. I’ll shovel the snow, and then I can come help you cook!” At Leo’s skeptical look, Finn brought out the big guns: his puppy dog eyes. They were known to melt even the hardest of hearts. He’d learned this lesson in college when asking his Grinch of an Ethics professor for some extra credit. “Please?”

Leo hesitated, but Finn could see the exact moment he caved. “Alright. But you’re getting paid.”

“Absolutely not. Consider it a Christmas gift.”

“I’ll pay you in food and coffee.”

“Deal.” Finn said, grabbing the shovel from Leo’s mittened hands. “Like I could ever say no to your food.”

Leo’ smile, warm and a little bashful, probably could’ve thawed the snow on the pavement if it was directed that way. “What would you like: sweet or savory?”

“Sweet,” Finn said instantly, even though he really preferred savory. His one-track mind was still stuck on dimples. “But I take my coffee black.”

“Comin’ right up.”

Finn watched him go, knowing that he had the dopiest smile on his face. Today was going to be a good day. And he knew a way to make it even better.

Finn dialed the number for Tremblay’s Trees, hoping more than anything that Logan would be the one to pick up. But of course he wasn’t that lucky. A bright, cheery voice answered the phone - definitely not Logan. “Tremblay’s Trees!0 This is Thomas, how can I help you?”

“Uh,” Finn said articulately, “Hi, I’d like to talk to Logan. Is he there?”

There was a slight pause, then: “Maybe. Who’s asking? And how do you know our dear Lolo?” The voice sounded curious, if not a little mischievous. Before Finn could answer, though, there was a scuffling over the line.

“Talker, give me the phone.”

“Oh, come on, I’ve got the five o’clock news slot tonight. Give the people what they want, Logan! Who’s your mystery caller?”

“I swear to god-”

The scuffling sound got louder, then there was a loud clatter when Finn assumed the phone hit the ground. He jerked his own phone away from his ear with a wince. “I am very confused.” He stated, not sure if anyone else heard him.

There was a small, softer rustle, then a breathless voice asked, “Hello?”

Finn couldn’t help but smile. “Hi, Lolo.”

That laugh was just as wonderful over the phone as it was in person. “Please don’t call me that.”

“Mmm… I might need to be convinced.” Finn said, letting some flirtiness slip through. “Anyways, I’ve got an idea. You busy today?”

“I’ve got the morning off. Why, what did you have in mind?”

So Finn, with the phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear, told the story of this morning as he shoveled – Nate not being able to make it to his shift, the ice and snow in Leo’s parking lot, Leo being behind on cooking and acting anxious. “So I was thinking we could do something? Like a surprise? And I know you guys need to actually sell things and make a living and stuff but I was thinking about decorating the diner? He just works so hard and he’s so stressed and I feel like he could use a little holiday cheer. What do you think?”

The other voice from earlier must have shouted, because he was loud enough to hear over the phone. “Phone guy! What the hell did you say to make him melt like that?”

Logan punched Talker in the shoulder. Hard. “I will lock you in the closet, Talker. Shut. Up.” His attention was brought back to the phone by Finn’s laugh and his demeanor softened again. He’d never met someone as chaotically considerate as Finn O’Hara. It was such a sweet, thoughtful idea. And it was something to help out Leo? How could Logan say no?

“Sounds like a plan.” Logan said, cradling the phone closer to his ear. “Most people already have their decorations so we don’t have a whole lot left, but I’ll see what I can find.”

“Perfect! Oh this is going to be so fun – fuck, I’ve gotta go. Customers just showed up. But I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Great. Ok see you soon bye!” The words reached Logan in a rush before the line went dead.

What a dork.

Logan was pretty sure he was half in love with him.

“So…” Talker said suddenly, making Logan spin around quickly. “Who are you pining over?”

Noelle, who had been passing by on her way to the kitchen, backpedaled in order to join the conversation. “Are we talking about Logan’s love life? Because I’m so here for that.”

Logan sighed and went to the coat rack by the door, grabbing his coat, toque, and scarf. “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

They both promptly ignored him. Talker grinned at his fiancée, sensing trouble he could get into. “He’s become such a sap.”

Noelle snuggled up to Talker, turning her teasing gaze to her brother. “But if it’s who I’m thinking of, they have such good chemis-tree.”

“Did you guys practice this or something?”

“Hey man, don’t be so defensive.” Talker said, voice turning serious. “You know we’re all rooting for you.”

“I hate you both so much.”

“Aww, don’t be like that, Lolo.” Noelle sighed, giving him an over-the-top hug and obnoxious kisses to his cheek. “We’re just having some fun. Do you want us to stop needling you?”

“I’m having fun fir sure!” Talker shouted, then burst into raucous laughter, which stopped as abruptly as it started. “Wait. That wasn’t Leo on the phone. You've got eyes for someone other than him, now? Branching out a little, are we?"

“No.” Logan said instantly, then winced. Because his feelings for Leo definitely hadn’t changed. But then there was Finn… “Maybe. It’s complicated, ok?”

“The redhead that was hanging out with you and Leo on Monday?”

Logan felt his cheeks heat up but didn’t say anything. Monday had been the best, though. Showing the two of them the farm and how he did his job and watching their noses and cheeks turn adorable shades of pink from the cold. Even though he’d been there for a year, Leo still seemed in awe of all the snow. He clearly hated it, but Logan could tell he still found wonder and beauty in a clean blanket of undisturbed, freshly-fallen snow. Finn, even though he was clearly freezing too, kept cracking jokes the entire time, his voice muffled by his scarf. They’d walked and talked and learned more about each other among the saplings that would be full-grown and ready to be cut down by next season.

Yeah, Monday had been a great day.

And Logan was so screwed.

“Birch, please.” Noelle teased, then softened. “But really, Logan. Both of them were just as interested in you as they were in each other. You’ve got nothing to worry about, you just need to talk to them.”

He looked up from the buttons of his coat. “You think so?”

“Only one way to find out. What are you doing with them today?”

“We’re decorating the diner.” Logan pulled his hat on and looked over at his sister. “Do you think dad’ll be ok with me taking some garland and a wreath?”

Noelle scoffed. “With all the coffee and pastries you boy’s given us, I think he’s more than paid for it. Do you want company?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on,” Talker said, wiggling his eyebrows. “We’d make the perfect wingmen.”

“You did enough while I was on the phone, thanks.” Logan said, grabbing the keys from the counter. “Ok I’m headed out. See you later.”

Talker and Noelle sent a chorus of boos after him, only stopping when the door closed firmly behind him. He huffed out a laugh, shook his head, and headed towards the display counter to grab decorations. They were a little old since it was so close to Christmas day, but they’d have to do. Logan hesitated for a split second, then grabbed the Santa hat as well. They’d get a kick out of that. He threw the decorations in the back of the truck and took off down the road.

They actually worked really well together – Leo and Finn, that is. Finn dealt with customers while Leo made the food. They had a complex, intricate dance around the close quarters of the diner but they seemed to know the footwork already and could predict exactly what the other needed without blinking an eye. Leo peered out the kitchen window at Finn as he took orders at another table, laughing at something one of the women said. He was good at this. He was naturally outgoing and good with people, but he was also efficient and seemed to be able to keep track of twenty different things at once.

Leo frowned thoughtfully down at the grits on the stove. Logically, he shouldn’t like Finn. The redhead had appeared like a whirlwind and thrown everything off course. But then he went out of his way to be helpful and sweet and thoughtful even though it didn’t benefit him in any way. He had a big heart with a lot of love to give. And he gave it willingly to everyone, it seemed.

Don’t get him wrong, that was a good thing – it was a great thing. But it also made the past few days incredibly confusing. Was Finn treating Leo like everyone else, or did he want something more?

He definitely wanted something more with Logan, though. That much was obvious.

Leo just wasn’t sure how he fit into all of this.

Finn barging into the kitchen snapped Leo out of his thoughts. He looked up as Finn started looking around for something on the counters and shelves, tongue poking out in concentration. Leo couldn’t help but smile at the little detail.

“What are you looking for?” He asked, stepping away from the stove.

“The, um…” Finn said, trailing off as he continued to search, clearly distracted. “The spicy maple sauce for the chicken and waffles.”

“In the fridge.” Leo stated plainly, maneuvering around Finn to grab flour from the pantry, brushing against his back as he did so and trying to ignore how the simple touch heightened his awareness of the redhead. Finn threw open the fridge door, scanning the shelves.

“Where?”

“Second shelf from the bottom, on the right.”

A few seconds of silence, then: “Where?”

Leo laughed, dumping a cup of flour into a bowl and heading to the fridge. He peered over Finn’s shoulder, then reached around him with one long arm to grab the bowl of sauce. “Right in front of you, sweetheart.” He teased. Finn turned around so that he was facing Leo, a look that Leo had seen a lot in the past few days but still couldn’t identify on his face.

“Yeah,” was all he said, soft and a little strangled.

Leo looked away from those deep, brown eyes and down at the sauce. His heartrate picked up significantly. “Have you tried this yet?” At Finn’s shake of his head, Leo grabbed a spoon from a nearby drawer. “Figured I’d combine my roots with where I ended up, y’know? Tabasco, black pepper, maple syrup, and a few more secret ingredients.” He said with a wink, spooning some out and holding it out to Finn. “I’m pretty proud of it, if I do say so myself. Try it.”

Instead of grabbing the spoon from Leo, Finn just leaned forwards and tasted the sauce straight from the spoon in Leo’s hand. Leo’s breath hitched and his stomach swooped as Finn straightened again and met his eyes.

Oh, he could stare into those eyes forever. Eyes the same color of the coffee Finn had slid through the kitchen window about an hour ago with the words, “figured you could use some” before dashing off to clear another table. Leo had turned beet red, but grabbed the coffee and held it close before taking a sip.

Leo also hadn’t realized how close they were. The diner was small and the kitchen was cramped, but they definitely didn’t need to be standing this close. Not that Leo was complaining.

“Is it hot in here?” Finn murmured, gaze flitting from Leo’s eyes down to his lips and back again.

Leo seemed a little lost, too, leaning closer to the redhead without even realizing he was doing it. “Must be the sauce.”

It definitely wasn’t just the sauce.

The chime that alerted them to the front door opening startled both of them, forcing them to jerk away from each other and blush furiously.

“I, uh, I’m going to go check on that.” Finn said, still not looking away from Leo as he backed up.

“Ok.” Leo whispered, reaching back to grab the island behind him in an attempt to steady himself. Finn reluctantly tore his eyes away and disappeared from sight, leaving Leo reeling in the kitchen as he entered the dining area.

Finn’s mind was still back in the kitchen, wishing more than anything that he hadn’t been forced to step away. He’d never wanted to kiss someone senseless quite as much as he did right then. And how was he supposed to keep it together when all he wanted to do was flip the diner sign from open to closed and get Logan here and finally talk to them. They’d felt this pull - this magnetism - too. He knew they did. The only thing left to do was finally talk about it.

Finn was forced to snap back to the present when the counter was suddenly covered in green needles, red berries, and festive ribbons. He looked up to see Logan grinning at him. Under his coat he was wearing red plaid, which matched the Santa hat perched on his head.

How was it possible to want two people so much at the same time? He couldn’t breathe with all the emotions overflowing in his chest.

“Ho ho ho,” Logan attempted to say, but cracked up before he could finish. Finn grinned and laughed as well, stepping forward to greet him.

“You should’ve used the chimney.” Finn joked, tugging on the end of his hat playfully. He got a smile and sparkling green eyes in return. Finn bit back a dreamy sigh. “But really, thank you. Leo’s gonna love this.”

Logan’s face grew a little worried. “How is he?”

Ha.

Haha.

That was a good question, since Finn left him standing there in the kitchen with the spoon still in his hand, looking a little lost.

He ended up shrugging, glancing back at the kitchen door longingly. “Better now. Still seems tired.”

“We’re going to have to force him to take breaks, aren’t we.” It wasn’t a question.

“Probably. If we tag team, I think we can manage to make it happen.” Finn looked down at the decorations. “So where are we putting these?”

Logan looked around the dining area, giving Finn a perfect view of his profile. He longed to kiss that strong jawline so badly, holy shit. “We could hang some over the kitchen window and some around the front window. And the wreath can go on the door.” Finn followed Logan as he maneuvered his way around tables to the front window, eyeing it critically. “The frame is wide enough that it should stay up on its own, so we won’t need nails or anything.” He grabbed the garland from the counter and then turned back around. Finn looked from him to the tall crown molding around the window.

“Need a ladder?”

“No.”

Finn laughed, grabbing one end of the garland and stretching up to place it on the ledge. Once it was secure, he looked over his shoulder at Logan and stuck his hand out for the other end. Logan hesitated, clearly wanting to do it himself, but quickly admitted defeat and handed it over. He huffed at Finn’s smug smile.

“Shut up.”

Finn laughed as he hung the garland. Logan was so small and grumpy and cute. Finn wanted to bundle him up in his arms and never let go. His little pocket-sized lumberjack. How adorable. He was so different from Leo, in basically every way. And yet Finn still wanted them both. How the hell did that work?

“I should probably check on the customers.” Finn said reluctantly, glancing around at the breakfast crowd. “Do you think you can manage the kitchen window?”

“I got it.” Logan grumbled, sizing up his next target. Finn just shook his head fondly and started making his rounds to the occupied tables. Logan grabbed the remaining garland and headed behind the counter. He couldn’t help but stick his head through the window and look around. It was several degrees warmer in the kitchen than it was in the dining area. Logan was surprised at how tidy it was, considering how hectic the morning had been. There were a few scattered dishes in the sink, but the counters were mostly clean and organized, each bowl seemed to have a designated location. Leo, focused with his head down, maneuvered between stations with an effortless grace as he breaded a chicken tender and threw it into a frier. Logan never thought he’d be so entranced by something as simple as cooking but here he was, watching Leo hum along to the Christmas music on the radio as he poured batter into a waffle iron. He grabbed a mug of coffee off to the side and looked up as he took a sip, jumping when he saw Logan.

“Logan! Hey, honey!” He smiled, like seeing Logan was the highlight of his day. Logan yearned at the sight of that smile. He seemed to be doing a whole lot of yearning lately. “When did you get here?”

“Just a few minutes ago. Brought you something.”

Leo arched an eyebrow. “That sounds a little ominous.”

“No,” Logan laughed. “No, it’s a good thing.” He held up the garland and wiggled it around a little, causing it to sway in the air.

Leo’s entire face lit up. “Christmas decorations?”

“It was Finn’s idea.” Logan said, looking back over his shoulder at the redhead. Leo visibly softened, smile gentle and eyes warm.

“He sure is sweet, isn’t he?”

You just need to talk to them, Noelle’s voice echoed in Logan’s head. Looking at Leo right then, he couldn’t help but think that maybe she was right.

“Sure is snowing hard out there, eh?” Logan asked several hours later as he looked out the window. It was a strange lull in the day – too late for lunch, but too early for dinner. They were all grateful for the break. Logan honestly wasn’t sure how Leo did this every day – it was exhausting.

Finn, who was sitting on the other side of the booth from Logan and Leo with his legs stretched out, pulled up the weather app on his phone. “It’s only supposed to get worse. They’re calling for a blizzard.”

Leo looked out at the snow worriedly. “I really don’t wanna drive home in all that.”

“Might need to close up early, then. No one’s going to be out in this weather, anyways.” Logan said, watching Leo bite his lip as he thought about it. “I could drive you, if you want.”

Leo looked over at him, relief clear in his eyes. “Would you?” He rushed to continue, “I don’t wanna inconvenience you or anything, and I know you need to get home too-”

“Leo,” Logan cut in with a smile. If Leo didn’t know Logan would do pretty much anything for him at this point, he was clearly oblivious. “I don’t mind, I promise.”

Leo seemed to accept it without further argument and looked over at Finn. “Do you wanna tag along? I was thinking about making cookies.”

“Well that depends.” Finn said with mock gravitas, leaning forward to rest his forearms against the table. “What kind of cookies are we talking?”

Leo matched his pose, mischief alight in his eyes. “I was thinking snickerdoodles, but I’d be willing to reconsider.”

“Sneak in some sugar cookies we can decorate and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Leo and Finn shook on it, keeping it professional.

Logan was infatuated with the two of them.

“So you’re closing early?” He asked, excited at the prospect of spending the rest of the day with them. At Leo’s nod, he nearly sighed with relief. “Good. You need a break.”

Leo rolled his eyes, but smiled all the same. “Maybe I do.”

Finn grinned. “He finally admits it!”

“Ok, ok, I get it.” Leo sighed, shoving Logan’s shoulder repeatedly until he got out of the booth. Leo followed after him. “I’ve got to put stuff away in the kitchen and then I’ll be done.”

Logan and Finn shared a look before trailing after him. They worked together to clean up, put food away, and organize the receipts and cash register for the day. It went much faster with three people. Before they knew it, all three of them were piling into Logan’s pickup truck, bundled up against the cold and brushing freshly-fallen snowflakes off of their coats and out of their hair. Logan pulled out onto the road, driving while Leo gave directions from the passenger’s seat.

Leo’s house was nice – small, but it looked warm and well-loved. There was a snowman out front, complete with a scarf and carrot nose.

“Cute.” Finn said as they got out of the truck, walking up to the snowman. Leo smiled, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

“My friend’s little brother made that over the weekend.” He unlocked the front door and ushered everyone inside as he held the door for them. Leo’s house was all cool tones – soft blue and purples and greens. There was a tree in the corner of the living room by the window, all lit up and decorated. There were presents under the tree, wrapped in brown paper with ribbons and bows.

Leo hung his coat on the coat rack and took Logan’s and Finn’s from them. “So. Cookies?”

“Nope,” Logan said, grabbing Leo by the hand and tugging him towards the living room. “Rest first, then cookies.” Leo laughed, reaching behind him to find Finn’s arm and pulling him along with them.

“I won’t say no to a Christmas movie.” He agreed as they all collapsed onto the couch. Finn grabbed a blanket from the arm of the couch and threw it over the three of them while Leo grabbed the TV remote.

Logan moved closer under the pretense of getting under more of the blanket. He was now pressed up against Leo, butterflies in his stomach. “My vote is for Die Hard.”

Finn scoffed, throwing his legs over Leo’s and Logan’s thighs. “That doesn’t count as a Christmas movie.”

“I beg your pardon-”

“Is it about Christmas? No. Case closed.”

Logan leaned forward to look around Leo at the redhead. “It takes place during Christmas!”

Leo just listened amusedly to the bickering as he flicked through movie titles. They were still arguing when he started the cute, old Claymation Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Both boys trailed off as the introduction music started.

“This works.” Finn said, settling in to get more comfortable, his calves flexing against Logan’s thighs as he stretched. Logan hummed in agreement, eyes already glued on the screen.

They hadn’t even met Hermey the elf before Leo was sound asleep, head pillowed on Finn’s shoulder and breathing slow and even. Finn looked over blond curls at Logan and smiled, making his heart thud painfully in his chest. He needed to talk to them, and soon. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could sit there and keep all these feelings internalized.

But it could wait until after a nap. He snuggled up close and turned back to the TV.

“No, you need to-” Leo stopped and laughed, pointing to the recipe. “Teaspoon of vanilla extract, darlin’, not tablespoon.”

Finn switched out one measuring spoon for another with a wince. “That would’ve been bad, huh?”

“Very bad.” Leo agreed, looking over at the oven to see Logan already staring back at them, a wide, almost-giddy smile on his face as he started loading cookie dough balls onto a baking tray. One tray of snickerdoodles were already in the oven and spreading out rapidly as they cooked.

“We might’ve put those too close to each other,” Logan said, crouching down to look into the oven. “They’re all starting to stick together. It’s just one big, square cookie.”

“That’s ok. It’ll still taste good.” Leo said with a shrug. They both turned when Finn started banging on the table in time to the music.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas! There is just one thing I need!” He screamed, bopping along to the song. Logan laughed and let himself be tugged forwards to dance. Leo watched as they both jumped around and danced in the kitchen, hips swaying and acting like total dorks. But they were so happy, as well. Big smiles graced their faces as they laughed and sang and held each other close. Leo whisked wet ingredients together in a bowl and leaned back against the counter as he enjoyed the over-the-top show. They were cute together in the warm glow of the kitchen – a sharp contrast to the snow falling outside and collecting on the windowsill. Finn tilted his head back to shriek the last high note, causing Logan and Leo to both burst into fits of laughter.

“O’Hara, please don’t audition for Broadway.” Logan teased, still laughing a little. Finn scowled and grabbed a tea towel, spinning it up before whipping it at the brunet.

This started an all-out war. Many a cookie lost their life in the crossfire when Logan accidentally hit Leo’s arm as he was transferring cooled cookies into a tin. They had a warrior’s send-off as they were dumped into the trash can.

After the cookies were baked and decorated and the kitchen was cleaned thoroughly, it was pitch black outside. Leo had genuinely lost track of time, but he was selfishly grateful for it. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for y’all to be driving in this weather in the dark.” He said, snagging a cookie from one of the plates and taking a bite as he tried to be casual about the two boys potentially staying the night. “I’ve got a guest bedroom and a pull-out couch if you wanna stay here.”

Finn and Logan looked at each other, then Logan shrugged. “If that’s ok with you.”

Ok? It was wonderful.

“Of course it is. I’ll go make up the beds and get y’all something to sleep in, ok?” Leo said before hurrying to his room, where he hastily made his bed and rummaged through his dresser for clothes. He muttered to himself as he pulled out two pairs of sweatpants. “Don’t make a big deal of this, Nutty. They’re just spending the night. That’s it.”

His mind fast-forwarded to imagine sleep-mussed hair, soft smiles, and rough morning voices. Sitting at the table together, nursing cups of coffee as the sun rose over a clean, white blanket of snow. They’d talk and laugh and just maybe share some coffee-flavored kisses.

Leo sighed, pressing his forehead against the edge of his dresser. “I’m screwed, ain’t I?”

Logan woke up to a gentle hand prodding his shoulder. He breathed in sharply as he remembered where he was and blinked his eyes open to be met with worried blue ones. “Leo?” He asked as he sat up, voice raspy with lack of use. “What’s wrong?”

He was greeted with an absolute onslaught of words. “There’s so much snow outside. Like, so much snow. I’ve never seen this much snow before. And I didn’t think it would be this bad so I don’t have any milk or bread or eggs in the house and I doubt I can get to the store. How long do you think the roads will be out? And what about the diner? Is snow damage a thing? Do I need to go check-”

Logan laughed softly, falling back against the pillows and covering his eyes with his forearm. “What – milk, eggs, and bread?”

“It’s a southern thing.” Logan couldn’t see him, but he could hear the pout in his voice. His vision was suddenly filled with blond bed-head and wide baby blues as Leo pulled his arm away from his face. If he could wake up to this every day, Logan would die a happy man. “Come on, sweetheart, I’m really freaking out right now.”

One of these days, the terms of endearment were actually going to kill him.

“I’m sure the diner’s fine. Besides, there’s not much we can do until the roads clear, so we’ll just have to wait it out.” Logan shifted over on the bed, leaving a Leo-sized spot open. He tugged on Leo’s arm until he crawled into bed, laying on his side to face Logan, their feet tangled together. Leo was wearing fuzzy socks.

Logan smiled at the sight in front of him, then closed his eyes again. “Go back to sleep, Leo. We’ll deal with it when-”

The door banged open to reveal Finn, face bright with excitement. “Snow! Have you guys seen all the snow? We should-” He stopped when he saw the two boys in bed, nestled together and still sleepy. He cleared his throat. “Uh, sorry. Didn’t mean to-”

“Cuddle.” Leo said, reaching up for Finn as well. “We should cuddle.” Finn smiled warmly and didn’t hesitate to clamber into bed on Logan��s other side, scooting in close and only elbowing Logan once as he got comfy. Logan grumbled, but quickly got over it when he felt a tentative arm wrap around him as he drifted back off to sleep.

Leo woke up to two boys asleep in bed with him and couldn’t think of a time when he was happier. They were all tangled together in a mess of limbs and blankets and pillows. It was warm and soft and Leo never wanted to leave. But he also wanted to surprise them with coffee and breakfast. Breakfast in bed wouldn’t be too obvious would it? He thought back to the past twenty-four hours and decided that if this wasn’t flirting, he wasn’t sure what was. Now it was just a matter of taking that next step and actually talking about it. So who cared if it was too obvious or not?

Leo glanced at Logan and Finn one last time. There was just something about seeing the two of them in his clothes. Logan’s sweaterpaws were visible from where he was grabbing onto Finn’s arm in his sleep. Finn was close to the same size as Leo so the clothes actually fit him pretty well. His face was pressed into brown hair, arm tightening around Logan as he huffed out a breath. The sight did something to Leo’s heart. He smiled dopily before sneaking out of bed, his back popping as he stretched. Ok, game plan: coffee, breakfast, talk. He could do this.

He crept down the hall and into the kitchen, trying to be as quiet as he could when getting a frying pan out and setting it on the stove. Next came the kettle for water to use in the French press, bacon, and ingredients to make homemade biscuits. Normally he would’ve done eggs, but they’d used all of them on the cookies yesterday.

The biscuits went into the oven and the bacon into the frying pan, sizzling away. So much for breakfast in bed. Leo knew the smell of food cooking would bring the other two out of the bedroom and, sure enough, he soon heard two pairs of footsteps headed towards him, one slightly muffled by too-long sweatpants hems dragging along the floor. He grabbed three mugs from the cabinet and sent a smile over his shoulder at the two boys.

Three cups of coffee: one black, one with cream only, and one with cream and sugar.

Leo pulled the biscuits out of the oven and quickly transferred them onto a plate, doing the same with the bacon before bringing both to the table.

“Leo, you’re an angel.” Finn said as he grabbed plates and silverware for the three of them. Logan hummed in agreement from in front of the fridge, where he was collecting butter and jams for the biscuits. They all joined each other at the kitchen table, still a little sleepy-eyed and half awake.

Leo, halfway through his first sip of coffee, passed Finn his mug of steaming black coffee, then Logan his own cup full of cream and sugar, just how he liked it. Logan looked down at it and sighed happily, “Love you, Nutter Butter.”

Finn’s head shot up. Leo choked on his coffee, cheeks heating up. Logan looked at them confusedly before he realized what he said and his face paled. “Shit.”

“You... you love me?” Leo asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Logan’s heart ached a little at the look on Leo’s face. God, he should’ve told him a long time ago. In response he just slowly nodded, hesitantly meeting wide eyes and hoping for the best.

Leo smiled, letting out a soft laugh. “Honey, I’ve loved you for months.” He took a deep breath, as if gathering up his courage, then reached out to grab Finn’s hand. “And I think I’m falling for you, too. Judging from the way Logan stares at you when you’re not looking, he feels the same.” Leo looked from Finn to Logan hopefully. “Right?”

Finn squeezed Leo’s hand, finally daring to hope. Maybe he could actually have this. His heart thundered in his chest, so loud that Logan and Leo were bound to hear it. “And how does he stare at me when I’m not looking?”

Leo’s eyes flicked over to Logan with a smile. “Take a look for yourself.”

Finn’s breath hitched as he looked over into evergreen eyes, bright and gazing at him the same way Finn had caught him staring at Leo so many times before. He laughed a little in relief, tracing Logan’s cheekbone with gentle fingers.

“I was a little worried we were never going to have this conversation. And I know we’ve got a lot to figure out, but...” He trailed off, a little in awe. What were the odds of this? Everything seemed to fall perfectly into place, like puzzle pieces. It wasn’t some huge revelation, though. There were no grand romantic gestures, no race against time, no frantic outburst. It was calm and gentle like the sun rising outside, casting everything in light pastels and golds.

Logan just laughed softly, scooting his chair back with a loud scraping noise and standing up. “Stop just sitting there and come here, I’ve been wanting to kiss you two for forever.”

Finn scrambled up from his seat and all but threw himself at Logan, nearly bowling him over as he kissed him enthusiastically, arms wrapped tightly around Logan’s waist. Leo smiled as he watched them. He loved their dynamic – the bickering and teasing like they’d known each other for years, and yet the head-over-heels way they looked at each other and held each other and kissed each other. They were so comfortable together, not shying away from anything it seemed. Leo couldn’t wait to see how their relationship grew and evolved over time. He couldn’t wait to see how all three of them would grow together. He stood too and joined Logan and Finn, pressing kisses to their cheeks, their jaws, their necks – anywhere he could reach.

Finn broke the kiss to press his forehead against Logan’s, eyes closed and smile a mile wide. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the first time I saw you at that farm.” His eyes turned to Leo next. He reached up and cupped Leo’s face in his hands. “And I’ve wanted to kiss you since that first bite of pie.”

“What, was the muffuletta not good enough for – mmph.” Leo’s teasing words got cut off by Finn’s lips on his. He sighed into the kiss, draping his arms over Finn’s freckled shoulders and angling his head to deepen the kiss. He could taste black coffee on Finn’s lips and had never loved the flavor more. There was another hand at his back, stroking over his spine. Logan. Leo leaned back into his hand before breaking away from Finn to look at Logan – the guy he’d been pining after for just shy of a year.

“How did I get so lucky?” He murmured, prompting Logan to lean up and kiss him, softly and heartbreakingly gentle. Leo kissed him with purpose, running his tongue against Logan’s bottom lip and causing his breath to hitch.

He thought back to his musings of the night before during his panic in his bedroom and laughed against Logan’s lips. The brunet made a questioning humming noise, so Leo leaned back just far enough to whisper, “Maybe I’m clairvoyant.”

Finn laughed, bewildered. “What?”

Leo just glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, smiled, and combed a finger through red tresses. Sleep-mussed hair, soft smiles, and rough morning voices. Sitting at the table together, nursing cups of coffee as the sun rose over a clean, white blanket of snow. Talking and laughing and sharing some coffee-flavored kisses. Those had been his thoughts last night. And here he was, suddenly getting all of those things.

“Nothing, sweetheart.” Leo said, looking down at his two with overflowing fondness as he thought of the future and hoped that those musings would come true, too.

#lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #leo knut #o'knutzy #frosted windowpanes

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melyaliz · 3 years

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Remember Me 11

Master List

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Pairing: Bakugo Katsuki x OC

Notes: Been trying to get more writing in. Pushing myself to be creative again because I feel like this energy is getting pent up and needs to go somewhere.

All Masterlists @melyalizarchive

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--------Olive---------

“Eliott the craziest thing happened to me today!” Her boyfriend looked up from his computer where he was editing photos he had taken the week prior. Flopped down on the couch dramatically down next to him, Olive kissed him quickly before continuing with the craziest thing ever.

“So you know how I was writing short stories online? Well, some dude asked me to ghostwrite for them.”

Eliott moved his laptop away so he could focus on Olive, “no way, that’s great! Wait, is he paying you?”

“Yeah, it’s not a ton but it’s a start.” Olive glanced down at her phone again reading over the person’s suggestions again, “Maybe I could make a little extra from this? Could be really fun to actually make money from my writing.”

“Yeah I mean if it makes you happy do it,” Eliott said, getting up from the couch walking toward their small kitchen where dinner was slowly simmering on the stove. “But also, come try this sauce I made.”

Getting up to follow her boyfriend Olive took the spoon he was holding out, “Oh that’s good.” she hummed approvingly

“I know right?”

“I need to wife you up so you can cook like this all the time,” Olive said putting the spoon back in the pot.

“I will only say yes to a princess cut,” Eliott teased stirring the pot a few times before putting the lid back on. “Are you done getting story propositions? Want to watch a movie?”

“Let’s do a movie.”

“Roadhouse?”

“Pain don’t hurt”

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

“So the police had been keeping an eye on airlines out of Tokyo but for American passports but we haven’t found anyone who matches the description the robbers gave us” Kirishima sighed, rubbing his forehead as Bakugou growled and threw the reports on his assistant’s desk. His poor assistant quickly gathered up the paperwork putting it back in order. After working for Bakugou for this long she knew better than to leave any mess

“The police are useless! They can’t find one guy”

“I guess it could be possible this guy is erasing the memories of the people who see him.” Kirishima offered as Bakugou grabbed his gauntlets getting ready for patrol.

“He’s such a coward, just face me like a man!” Bakuogu snapped at no one in particular, feeling his hands growing more sweaty at his anger. The feeling of Olive sobbing on his chest from a week ago still so fresh in his memory. Luckily for him - and her - it was as if she had gotten it all out. Since that night she had started finding a routine. She had started writing again and yesterday he even caught her smiling at her screen laughing to herself over some crazy plot idea she was coming up with. The sight had been such a beautiful one Bakugou had been scared to move in case he broke the spell.

That morning after Bakugou had made breakfast for them Olive had informed him that she was working on her unfinished story and planned to reach out to her editor that day. She even opened up about trying to figure out if it was better to continue on or start something new since she only had her outlines and notes to go off of. She had looked so determined and happy it was as if he had gotten the old Olive back.

While it was an improvement she still wasn’t his Olive yet and he wasn't going to settle until she was.

As they walked down the streets he could hear people getting excited to see the number 1 hero walking the streets next to the number 5. Kirishima had his own very loyal fan base that Olive had started to call his Shimanights. It also helped that Kirishima was basically the top hero who was still single.

Lots of girls flocked to them asking for pictures. Bakugou hated this part of the job. It had only been recently that he had actually started letting them shoot pictures of him. Before he would just ignore the cries of fans continuing to walk by.

Although today he was a bit on edge.

Or more than normal.

“You know,” Kirishima said, walking up behind Bakugou after snapping a few pictures with some high school girls. “I know you are dealing with a lot with Olive’s emotions and stuff but… Do you remember that time you were tracking that villain and disappeared in the mountains for over a week?

“Yeah, why?”

“You were engaged to Olive at the time and she had just officially moved here to Japan.” Kirishima sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. That week had been the longest week in his and Olive’s life. “When I went to go tell her what had happened I thought she was going to pass out. She kept saying you couldn’t die over and over again. I just” he paused again trying to find the right words.

“I know she’s upset about Eliott right now” Kirishima continued, “but she does love you just as much. How she’s acting now, is like how she was when you were gone.” Kirishima concluded. He knew when Bakugou had found out Olive had been married before the blonde had been upset. As if he was the second all over again. While it hadn’t stopped him in the long run, there was always these remnants of a scar that you can only see if you really look. That Bakugou was worried he would always be second in Olive’s life.

Bakugou looked away, lost in his own memories of that week. Coming back and seeing her in the hospital waiting for him. Her large hazel eyes filled with tears trying so hard not to cry. He had pulled her into his arms much like he had last night. She had told him over and over he couldn’t leave her. It was the only time she had ever said that. Olive had known that him being a hero was the most important thing to him and she never tried to get in his way.

But that night she wouldn’t leave his side. Holding onto him as if he would turn into dust and blow away if she so much as loosened her grip.

That had been over 2 years ago and he hadn’t thought about that in so long. It had never occurred to him that she had thought he may have been killed. Suddenly everything seemed to have a different hue on the past few weeks. As if he was seeing it all through different eyes.

“I guess” was Bakugou’s simple response as he continued walking down the street.

Suddenly all he wanted was to go home and see her. Remind her he would never leave her, he would never make her feel this way because of him.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Oive was deep in stories. Piecing them together was like a puzzle. Part of it felt like an old mussel she hadn’t worked out in a while. A bit stiff but it felt great. Getting back into the swing of things, coming up with ideas and planning stuff. Her editor had suggested she maybe look into a new idea or maybe something she had put away for a long time instead of jumping into the story she had been working on.

So laying on the floor of the living room that was exactly what she was doing. She had this one idea about a modern Esther story except for the king she has to marry is a Dragon king and she’s a unicorn only he doesn’t know that. She already had so many spicey ideas and the secret unicorn idea just had this… hidden comedy that made her smile.

A ping on her phone cut her off from her writing making her look down.

Lily: ‘Look what came up on my timeline.

As if on cue text opened up in Olive’s group chat from Lily. It was an image of Olive holding a little baby wrapped in a pink blanket. Leaning over Olive’s shoulder was Bakugou looking down at the small baby. His normally harsh features were much softer.

Lily: “That was when your goddaughter was born”

Clare instantly replied to another image, This one of Olive hanging off of Bakugo’s arm which he was flexing. That ‘I’m not annoyed but I’m trying to look it ’ scowl on his face that she was starting to realize was a signature of his.

The picture was followed up by a video from the same night. Bakugou was lifting up his arm as Olive hung on. Her body slowly lifting off the ground as she clung to his bicep. Giggling so hard she almost slipped several times.

“Stop laughing or you are going to lose your grip.” Bakugou’s voice said from the video as he watched her struggle to pull her legs up to her chest further off the ground.

“I can’t believe he’s doing that,” Clare’s voice said behind the camera

“He’s so proud of himself, show off” Lily laughed as the camera zoomed in on Bakugou’s face as he smiled down at Olive who was looking up at him still laughing.

“You are going to fall” he chastised

“I’m not!”

As if on cue her grip slipped, or maybe it had been her powers. Olive’s ass was suddenly on the floor, looking up at Bakugou blinking in shock.

“I told you, idiot,” Bakugou said, shaking his head, no real bite behind his voice.

Lily: ‘Pretty sure this one is Nate’s fav’

Another video popped up. Bakugou looking totally put out sitting on a white couch, arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m serious, why would you make me watch this utter horse shit! Vampires don’t bounce like that and what even was that robot?” Bakugou was yelling at an Olive who was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. The camera was pretty shaky; it was clear Lily was laughing as well.

“Katsuki is mad at us for showing him Robo Vampire.” Lilly’s voice narrated.

“More like mad at Olive, we are just enjoying the show” Nate, Lily’s husband said as the camera turned to him for a , an amused smile on his face.

“Oh my… I can’t stop… breath” Olive gasped from the seat next to Bakugou as he continued to rant at her.

“Seriously, how do you people enjoy that? What is actually wrong with you?”

“But look at how much fun we are having now,” she giggled, leaning forward a huge smile on her face. He studied her for a moment before pushing her face back, rolling his eyes. But there was just a hint of a smile on his scowling face. It was an impressive feat that only Bakugou could pull off.

Clare : This one is my favorite video.

It was a link to a youtube video of Olive sitting in the office of their apartment. She recognized her pink chair and pictures behind her.

In the video, she was answering some of her fan’s questions. Everything from what books inspired her at the moment, to her favorite drink to… her second marriage.

Past Olive had chuckled looking at the question for a moment before looking back up at the camera. Her eyes lighting up slightly, it was clear that whatever the question said sparked a deep joy inside that woman on the other side of the camera.

“So yes, as many of you have realized by now I am in a relationship with Hero DynaMight, Katsuki Bakugou. We met when he was in the US and have been together for over a year.” she paused the diamond on her hand catching the light as she ran her fingers through the turquoise and blue hair she now had. The one constant in her life, the ever-changing shades of her hair.

“So I know when Eliott died three years ago I had said I had gotten the love of my life and I didn’t think I could ever find another like that and I was at peace with it.” she bit her lip eyes darting off-screen for a moment trying to find the right words. “And I meant it. But… Katsuki just kind of came into my life and gave me something totally new.”

Past Olive laughed lightly for a moment at some memory that Present Olive wished she could remember. It looked like a happy one.

“They are two totally different people and there is no way to compare them. Eliott was this calm funny guy who taught me how to be comfortable in my own skin. He encouraged me to do what made me happy. Katsuki…” she paused a soft smile playing on her lips, her eyes lighting up at the memories.

“Katsuki showed me that second life keeps going and that nothing is impossible. That there is such a thing as a second chance. He…” she laughed, her hand covering her mouth for a moment that beautiful diamond that present Olive was still not used to, glinted in the light as if laughing with her, “He inspires me every day and has given me so much hope in the future.”

Olive couldn’t take her eyes off the girl on the screen. It was like seeing yourself in a fun mirror. Someone you didn’t recognize but your brain told you was you. That this woman who was smiling and so in love was the same girl as Olive. That this life this woman was talking about was hers.

As past Olive moved on to the next question - something about her upcoming book - Present Olive was caught up in her own thoughts. It wasn’t unbelievable that she could have been that happy and inlove with Bakugou. In fact she felt herself slowly falling for him more and more each day.

The door to their apartment opened, making Olive look up a huge smile on her face as the man from the videos was walking into the living room where she was sitting. When he saw her smiling face he paused, studying her. As if unsure what to do with her happiness.

Made sense. Poor guy.

“How was work?” she asked

“Fine,” was his simple reply as he took a seat on the couch. She scooted over so she could look up at him from her spot on the floor.

“So I have been thinking…” she said, scooting closer to him. He watched her, unsure how to react to this shift in her emotion. It was different from her normal forced happy, almost as if the old Olive was slowly peeking through the cracks. “Since I can’t remember anything you could basically take me to all my favorite places and it would be a new experience.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“So do you have dinner plans?”

“No” He didn’t bother to point out that his plans were to eat with her because obviously, she was getting to a point.

She gently placed her hand on his knee sending shivers up his spine. The whole, touch-starved thing getting worse by the day. Suddenly he didn’t want to have dinner plans. He wanted to take her in his arms and eat her out instead.

“So what sorts of places would we go to eat? Besides that Ramen place you took me.”

“Normally I would cook but if you want to go out we can go get street food. You were obsessed with it.”

Her eyes grew wide leaning forward getting up onto her knees so she was now leaning over his legs excitedly. The position was not helping the subtle throbbing that was going on in Bakugou’s pants. His face flushed slightly as he tried to keep his composure.

“Oh that sounds like so much fun!”

“Ok let me shower and we can go.”

And it was fun. Olive practiced her Japanese ordering so much food Bakugou felt like he would never need to eat again. They even did some shopping which resulted in a new floppy sun hat that Olive kept moving her head to make flop around, that large smile that had been on her face in the apartment never leaving.

Several hours later and a cone of ice cream each they headed back to their apartment.

“Honestly, I don’t get it,” Olive said, turning to him, “I know we have touched on this topic a few times… but...”

“If you ask me again why we are together…”

“It’s just so weird.” she laughed nudging him with her arm leaning close her body pressed against his. “You’re like model hot and I’m like maybe a 5,” she said, pulling away, both of them feeling the loss of the other. “Number 1 Hero, beloved by all, super-rich,” she ticked off each reason as she spun away from him.

He reached out grabbing her arm causing her to stop, his callus hand enveloping her much smaller one. Her hazel eyes met his that mischievous look he had not seen in months. She used to give him so much shit, the old Olive never let him get away with anything. Always laughing and joking about everything with a wit that could cut down even the most stoic of heroes.

Olive in turn felt like her feet had been melted into the concrete below her by the look her husband was giving her. So intense it felt like his red eyes were burning holes into her very soul. Peeling her raw down into someone else. The Olive she had seen on youtube video.

They stood there for a moment just looking at each other both totally lost in their own thoughts.

“Whatever we are ok!” he finally snapped, letting go of her hand breaking the tension that was as thick as the humidity of the summer night. Noticing a bit of ice cream on her nose, without thinking he brushed it away. “You also eat like a child.”

Giggling, she wiped the back of her face with her sleeve. Her cheeks flushing. “Yeah, yeah let’s just add it to the list of reasons why it’s weird you married me.”

“Oh shut up” he mumbled leaning forward kissing her, her lips were cold from the ice cream. She smiled against his lips deepening the kiss letting his tongue explore the cool sweet taste of her mouth.

Letting out a soft growl, Bakugou’s teeth dragged over her supple bottom lip. His free arm snaking around her waist pulling her closer so that she was flush against his body. He craved her more than anything else and even with them both fully clothed in the middle of a busy street he could only think about how badly he wanted her.

And then she sighed against his mouth and that was it.

“Let’s get back,” he said, looking down at her as she blinked up at him. His comment was more of a question than a statement. So much meaning laced behind those words. Thick and heavy “Please?”

She nodded softly, her large hat flopping with her. “ I would like to go back to our place. ”

His heart could have stopped in his chest. His whole body lighting up tingling at the tips. It was like when he blasted himself into the air. Light and weightless as if he could do anything. The feeling of the fire licking at his palms sending sparks running through his hand and up his fingers.

Grabbing her arm he started pulling her down the street only to pause to stop again to kiss her again before once again leading her towards their place.

Our place

She had called it our place.

- GET TAGGED -

Master List

Story Tag: @0hmydeku @inumorph @it-jinxed-us @myraticm @sizzlingdonutturtlemuffin

#bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou katsuki x oc #bakugou katsuki smut #bakugou x reader #bakugo katuski #bakugou x you #bakugou smut

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garrothromeave · 4 years

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the hell is mystreet season 6??

(warning, long post ahead)

ok so before i start this

1) ive never posted shiiiit on tumblr before so watch me suffer, im just here to talk about stuff that my friends who dont know anything about aphmau have to listen to me rant about for hours on end

2) i havent seen mystreet in like years (except season 3, i watch that frequently since im laurance and shadow knight deprived) so please bear with me because i might be completely wrong on this lol. it’s just like, pointing out things i remember

3) im sure someones already talked about this but who cares

4) im gonna do this stupid thing where i just explain myself a bit at first, if you dont want to read that just skip to the part where you see “the actual thingy:” in bold and italics

5) mild disclaimer; i am completely aware that jessica is not a professional writer. i know that she did her best to appeal to her fans, and honestly, respect for that. while this post will come off as aggressive and probably look like hate, that’s not my intention in the slightest. it’s just... intense criticism. im sure y’all probably already know that, but yeah, just stating that anyways. i do believe that jess is doing her best, and in no way do i want to dismiss any hard work she’s done. that being said; prepare for a very strongly opinionated post.

haha watch there be 10000+ typos in this making me look like a complete dumbass

ok here we go

one of the main reasons i stopped watching aphmau back in 2017 was the mess that was season 4. like, in the first few episodes of the emerald secret, i thought “woah!! this is kinda cool, im a sucker for mystery!” because of course i was, it was something new and something exciting. the only problem i had with it at the time was kim, but that’s just because i always found her annoying and out of place. i just didn’t understand why garroth dragged her along and honestly i still don’t to this day BUT, moving on.

anyways, as the season progressed, 13 year old me was of course just “:0!!” the entire time--that is, up until the reveal of the main villain. i remember watching the episode, seeing the reveal of ein, and then stopping. like, just for a quick break, but i was still just overwhelmingly disappointed. like, and this was the time when pdh was airing and ein just got made alpha (i think?) and i had really really liked eins character in pdh. either way, that really sucked and actually opened my eyes to a lot of things.

one of the main things bein’ the fact that this was supposed to be a slice of life kinda series that decided to take a turn to a more edgy kinda approach. which, i guess i regularly wouldnt mind? but seeing as mcd was kinda bein neglected at the time it just didnt sit right with me. BUT WHATEVER, point is i stopped watching mystreet all together at the end of season 4.

like, a whole year later my brother tells me that shit’s getting intense in season 5 + 6 of mystreet, and my brilliant self decided to give it a shot--but i refused to watch all of season 5, so i only stepped in when ein made an appearance. so whenever that was, that’s where i picked up because i didnt care enough to see

and y’know--i honestly didn’t hate it at first. in fact, i found it oddly cool. it wasn’t enough to get me into aphmau again, but it was enough to where i was intrigued. i dont know why, but i never watched the finale, so i didnt see the ending until just a few weeks ago--but back then, i thought it was neat. looking back on it however... im just so confused.

side note: only got back into aphmau this time around because of mcd. mainly because like, i adore the first season and the first half of the second season. and being nearly 18 now, im a lot more appreciative of plot and well-written characters n junk.

the actual thingy:

ok back on track. imma stop spilling out my story of how i got back into aphmau, and lets just skip to what rewatching mcd made me realize of season 6′s plot and shit:

-emmalyn. how the fuck does ghost even remotely exist? if she’s emmalyn as claimed, then why have we already seen emmalyn in the mystreet universe alive? look i get that creators can do whatever they want with their stories but at the same time please provide some sort of explanation good god. and maybe they did and i just havent seen it, so if there is one--let me know. but until that day imma just sit here confused as fuck

-ok so imma just be real, the whole ‘ultima’ thing is just... not great. in my opinion, anyways. like... i saw someone mention this in another post, but if this ultima stuff was like, a really big deal, why isnt it mentioned in mcd? though i suppose since its a curse of sorts, it could be later on past the time period in which mcd takes place--but even then, how did it manage to make its way into aaron’s family bloodline?

-WHY IS EVERYONE AT STARLIGHT ITS JUST SO CONVINIENT like what happened to this place being the most expensive shit on the planet or whatever, and how the gang happens to run into like, the werewolf trio and blaze and kai and guy and nate all of these people like god damn life doesnt WORK LIKE THAT

-im sorry but turning people into relics? thats... thats the best you could come up with? plus, like, how does that even work? in mcd it’s established that relics are separate entitles that choose their wielder, based on a ‘personal’ connection (being a descendent of a previous wielder) or if they’re a good match personality and (i think?) moral wise. so the whole turning-people-into-relics doesnt make much sense to be honest.

-irene really over here using her god powers to only keep her friends alive like god damn not a great god if you ask me

-can i talk about how incredibly predictable aphmaus death was? like i just kinda sat there waiting for it to happen and when it did i literally went “haha! wonder when she’ll be revived” because god forbid we actually kill off characters

-when aphmau + demon warlock fought in the irene dimension there was no passage of time whatsoever in the real world whiiiiiiiiich really bothers me because they fought in there for at least a few minutes

-speaking of aphmau and the demon warlocks fight does it bother anyone else that it had to be aaron who took over the fight?? like we get it hes the big protector blah blah blah but god damn it wouldve been cooler if aphmau had fought this battle as her. aaron fighting this battle was so underwhelming

-...love. like, thats the only thing thats needed to break out of a forever potion? love? LIKE YEAH, GOOD GUYS GOTTA WIN SOMEHOW, but its just so cliche and overdoneeee

-oh yeah and also when travis went bonkers and became the demon warlock or whatever, why’d he only take over katelyn and garroth?? like, zane had been influenced by the potions in the past as well? DONT GET ME WRONG--i do love some good brother edge, but uh, the demon warlock was just bein kinda a dumbass by not possessing zane too just sayin’

-can aaron please go to fucking jail for mass murder now like holy shit, he just got sent home on a fuckin boat. also why did blaze forgive him for killing him thats not even remotely realistic. then again, nothing in mystreet has ever been realistic when it comes to characters and motives and personalities, (cough katelyn being actually abusive and travis being an actual pervert) but yknow whatever

-katelyn and kawaii chan literally added nothing to the plot whatsoever. like lets be real, katelyn lost her personality the moment season 5 started and kawaii chan just kinda sits there :I

-ok im sorry this was bound to come up but cmon guys imagine laurances potential if he was in season 6 like god damn this is beyond maddening. AND YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A REALLY REALLY COOL PARRALLEL?? IF IT WAS LAURANCE WHO SNAPPED GARROTH OUT OF HIS MIND CONTROL THING, because it would mimic laurance’s speech to get garroth to snap out of his rage in season 1, episode 100 of minecraft diaries. like how fuckin rad would that have been? missed opportunity

-also?? why does kim/ghost know magicks?? like, if i remember correctly, emmalyn is a scholar--not someone who knew magicks. i mean, i guess research? study?? but its been established that knowing how magicks works =/= being able to use magicks. i dunno, just doesnt seem right i guess. maybe its explained, i wouldnt know (yes i know that makes me look like a dick leave me alone)

-melissa should have stayed dead. LIKE, NO, ITS NOT AS SIMPLE AS “haha it takes more than a few bullets to kill me”??? look ive got nothing wrong with melissa (cough lie cough) but yknow it would have just been cool a character... stay dead? for once? its just too fuckin cliche that shes alive god damn

-can i also just say the only good thing that came out of season 6 was travis’ dads sacrifice like damn that made me actually sad

-howww was lucinda turned into a relic. or yknow, anyone else? like im sure they explain it better in the actual show i just dont remember, but its just that easy? turning anyone into a relic? granted, a normal person wouldnt be able to produce a good relic, but idk man. IM JUST SAYING; that the only really powerful relics that aphmau should have been able to wield is the one that aaron + zane produced because shad relic and esmund relic moment. lucinda isnt even like, connected to a divine warrior. ALSO, another point, if its seriously that powerful of a relic getting one from just a magic user like lucinda, why go through the trouble? i mean i guess ofc youd want the “all powerful” one that the ultima produces but i mean damn whats the point

-ok this is just going to bother me but in one of the episodes (i think might have been in season 5 actually) where that like, guardian dude was chasing aphmau and zane and at one point they split up and the dude just chuckles at zane diverting paths and goes under his breath “youre not the important one here”, suggesting that aphmau somehow is? first of all, id argue that any ro’meave is significantly more important than aphmau was, especially not knowing much about her other than that shes with aaron. i might be missing some bits an pieces, but if i was that dude id forget about aphmau and go after zane

-killing off derek for shock factor sucked, and i know the moment was supposed to be really sad because like “oh :( aarons dad is sacrificing himself for his son” but lets be real dereks still was a shitty father and i dont think his reasons for doing what he did was very good at all

-less about plot or more like: why the absolute fuck did the gang bring kim along instead of, oh i dont know, a life-long friend? like, laurance or dante maybe?? im sure its explained, i never saw aphmaus year or most of season 5, but god DAMN id hate to be apart of this friend group AND GOD LIKE, imagine reconnecting with an old friend who ends up getting closer to your best friends and taking priority in their lives over you (cough laurance) like god damn lol

-im just going to preface this one with: i dont remember everything that’s happened, so if im wrong i apologize in advance--but (you actually can correct me if im wrong and please do) didnt like, irene reincarnate her friends in order to give them better lives? I DONT KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE, ITS JUST WHAT I REMEMBER--however, if im correct, then:

a. why the hell would she bring back someone like zane, or gene, or ivy, etc.

b. why the hell do they all have the same exact names? first and last? again, im aware that the whole mystreet+mcd tie wasn’t originally supposed to be there, but i dont think that means such a coincidence can be excused? its just a bit much if you ask me.

c. why the hell is the fact that (as much as i literally hate this) aaron is a decedent of shad being ignored? like, you’d think that something like this would be something thats actually important, or something the demon warlock couldve taken advantage of. or are we completely erasing every other connections to divine warriors besides aphmau + irene? because even if irene did reincarnate them or do whatever it is she did, does she even have the power to sever the connections between them and their ancestors? my guess is, no.

d. speaking of irene why on earth was aphmau able to talk to/see irene, they’re literally the same person are they not? did she like, fuckin reincarnate herself without actually doing it?? BUT--i will give it to them, the demon warlock did refer to aphmau as something along the lines of being “one of the 3 parts of her broken soul” or something like that. however, my point still remains. also what are the other two did i miss that or is it never explained

now; if irene in fact did not ‘reincarnate’ her friends then please ignore that little bit right there :)

but yes, those are a few of the problems i have with season 6 off the top of my head. i would go into like, season 4 and 5 more as well, but i honestly didnt feel like it. at some point i might go into other things, like how important laurance could have been to the plot of these later seasons, or HELL, even dante. i might also go into what could have made season 4, 5, and 6 actually good--maybe... a rewrite? perhaps? but im getting too far ahead of myself, so i just leave you with this for now.

and i know that as soon as i post this 15 more things are just going to pop into my head BUT im going to try and not edit this post because why stress myself with that even more

anyways thank you for coming to my tedtalk

#in conclusion i hate it here #lets go back to mystreet bein slice of life pls #anyways tune in next week for 'the hell is pdh??'#aphmau #mcd #mystreet #minecraft diaries #please ignore these next tags im just promoting relentlessly #garroth ro'meave #zane ro'meave #aaron lycan #kawaii chan #kim mystreet #laurance zvhal #pls i have no idea how to tag posts #rant

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sunshinereversed · 4 years

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𝙙𝙮𝙡𝙖𝙣’𝙨 “𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡”: 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙨

I think it’s eerily prophetic how the song “Flowers on the Wall” (performed by the Statler Brothers) radiates so strongly with Dylan Klebold. The country tune has already been associated with Dylan because it appears in the background of the video where he and Nate are driving to school. But if you really listen to the lyrics and reflect on Dylan’s inner struggles, they coincide strangely well.

Let’s take the very first line of the song.

I keep hearin' you're concerned about my happiness.

The constant ‘Are you okay? Are you sure you’re okay? You seem so down lately’ from his parents, especially Sue, is reflected here. His mother sees that Dylan is ‘moody and irritable,’ often withdrawn, spending time hauled up in his room. She notices the tightness of his voice, which is unlike him, and she offers to make him French toast or an omelet. This must be about something small, she thinks. Yet his sullen demeanor stays as days turn to weeks, and she must ask again in vain, ‘Are you okay?’

But all that thought you're givin' me is conscience, I guess.

It doesn’t even cross Sue’s mind that her son may be unwell. She is simply asking out of concern for him looking unhappy, believing whatever it is will solve itself out. His mother wears her heart on her sleeve, and it pains her to see him so sad. But what can she do if he refuses to talk about it? All she can do is ask and wait for it to pass. He’s a good kid, after all. He’ll do the right thing because she’s worked hard to instill her morals into what he does.

If I were walkin' in your shoes, I wouldn't worry none.

Dylan reassures her repeatedly. ‘I’m only tired. I have a lot of homework. Nothing’s wrong. No one gives me a tough time, I’m 6’4”.’ He wishes she would leave him alone. He thinks she wouldn’t understand; she wouldn’t listen. He tells his parents not to worry. ‘You can trust me,’ he tells his mother one evening after the prom. Dylan goes out of his way to prove that he is the golden child. It works, and they worry none.

While you 'n' your friends are worried about me I'm havin' lots of fun.

Dylan’s social life serves as a mask for what is going on in his mind. He goes over to his friends’ houses, bowls on Friday nights, makes videos after school, plays catch with his dad, and even watches old movies with his mother. He has pictures of good times with friends. Outwardly, he is smiling; life is a dream. This makes his parents rethink their concerns. He’s a happy kid who does normal teenage things. What is there to worry about? He’s assuring those around him that he’s fine.

Now here comes the chorus, which is a bit tricky but makes sense when you consider these things:

Countin' flowers on the wall.

If anyone is familiar with the book The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, this might be a clue. Like the protagonist in the book, Dylan is trapped in his four-walled cell (his bedroom) which is where he does most of his thinking and spiraling downwards. This is where he writes in his journal and vents his frustrations. It’s a toxic environment for his brain. His room is where he cries himself to sleep; hugs his pillow in loneliness; gets drunk by himself. Most importantly, it’s where he blurs fantasy and reality. While not as plainly mad as the poor woman from Gilman’s novel, Dylan is mentally tortured by what he perceives to be ‘an unfair/miserable existence’ and being ‘stuck in humanity.’ He rejects both, and often retreats into his fantasy where he is with his love and away from the world. The ‘flowers on the wall’ symbolizes his own deception of life when he is alone, and might not only symbolize his bedroom, but also his brain.

That don't bother me at all.

Unlike the real world, Dylan very much prefers to live in the fictional one he’s conjured within his mind. It’s his safe place. Paradoxically, his mind is also where he tears himself down and others around him. It’s a poisonous escape. Yet he is already so far gone in that escape, he can’t see the damage he is doing to himself. And he continues to do so, unbothered, and unaware.

Playin' solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one.

‘Playing solitaire’ could be a metaphor symbolizing his isolation and loneliness, his solitude. Solitaire is a single-player game, and Dylan feels alienated most of the time, especially when he is sulking in his room. Thinking, always thinking. Sometimes, as the line implies, until dawn. He is a night owl who cannot sleep because his mind is constantly awake. Playing music, conversing in chats on the computer, formulating poems in his notebooks, doodling, or just thinking (negatively). He oversleeps often because he is up late doing these things. He is alone, in the middle of the night, consumed by his own sadness. Something is missing inside him, and that is why he plays with ‘a deck of fifty-one.’ He thinks a significant other is the thing that is missing, and if he finds her, he will finally be playing with fifty-two cards, figuratively.

Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain Kangaroo.

For Dylan, this is a dichotomy. An everlasting contrast. The balance between two things, lightness, and darkness, good and evil, etc. He’s doing grown-up things like holding a job, applying to colleges, driving a car, and as the lyrics say, smoking cigarettes. Marlboro, preferably. At the same time, Dylan is caught between acting his age and longing for simpler days. This is where ‘watching Captain Kangaroo’ comes in. It’s a kid’s show and is intended for such an audience. Dylan thinks back with nostalgia for his childhood, when life wasn’t full of disappointments, stress, high school bullies, responsibility. He hangs onto items that remind him of his youth: his stuffed koala, origami, classic movies, his trademark baseball cap, his love for fixing old cars with his dad. Dylan is stuck somewhere in the middle of the two, never truly satisfied with one over the other.

Now don't tell me I've nothin' to do.

Again, Dylan tells those around him that he is perfectly fine by engaging in normal teenage things. He hides how depressed he feels. Dylan becomes increasingly irritated the more people ask if he’s okay. The repetition of this line throughout the song is more like a cry for help than a reassurance.

Last night I dressed in tails, pretended I was on the town.

This could symbolize several things, but what comes to my mind is Dylan’s prom night. The fact that he even goes to prom is a pleasant surprise to his parents, confirming that there’s nothing abnormal lurking on the horizon. His father helps him get dressed in his tuxedo, struggles to figure out how the bow tie works, and he pulls his newly washed hair back into a neat ponytail. His mother thinks he looks quite handsome, comparing him to a character in a movie they are both fond of. For a moment, he is just a normal high school kid going to a dance. Nothing out of the boring ordinary.

As long as I can dream it's hard to slow this swinger down.

For one night, at the prom, Dylan pretends this is his life. He is good at blocking out what he considers evil, and Dylan allows himself to enjoy the moment. He’s had a lot of practice at ignoring his pain. If he can retreat into the fantasy he’s created in his mind, he is capable of anything, good or bad. It’s like an out-of-body experience. He’s not there when he’s there. Nothing can stop him. He has two settings at this point, 0 and 100. An unhealthy dreamer can be deadly not only to others, but to the dreamer himself.

So please don't give a thought to me, I'm really doin' fine.

As mentioned previously, Dylan flies under the radar to not be asked about his well-being. He holds out his arms to point to all these social activities he’s engaging in with his friends as if to say ‘Look what I’m doing. I’m fine. Do not worry.’ It’s a cruel deception, and he doesn’t even realize he is being deceived as much as those around him are. Dylan starts to believe what he’s telling others. He doesn’t think he is worth the worry.

You can always find me here; I'm havin' quite a time.

‘Here’ can mean one of several places: his bedroom, his mind, or perhaps his existence. Either way, ‘I’m having quite a time’ is a sarcastic remark. He’s drowning in his harmful thoughts, yet that’s where he feels the safest. It’s his protective shell that he puts up against the world. Dylan entertains the idea over and over in his mind that his love is waiting for him in another existence. No matter where he physically is, he’s ‘always there’, lost in his thoughts.

The chorus repeats. Dylan outwardly seems okay. Left to his own devices, he is not.

It's good to see you, I must go, I know I look a fright.

This is a goodbye. Even though it is a casual farewell, it has deeply painful undertones. He says he didn’t like life too much but hopes he will find peace in the next one. He offers a final goodbye to those he loved, family and friends. ‘It’s good to see you’ displays how detached he feels toward the end. These are no longer people he knows fondly; it was simply good to see them. The thoughts must end, and he must leave before they worsen. Like the lyrics suggest, he doesn’t want to stick around and knows he must go. A big part of his self-esteem had to do with his self-image. The line ‘I know I look a fright’ symbolizes how negatively he thought of his own appearance. Dylan couldn’t see his own attractiveness. He felt awkward due to his height, long facial features, shaggy hair, and the way he dressed.

Anyway, my eyes are not accustomed to this light.

This is the trademark dark sunglasses that Dylan wears almost everywhere. He hides behind them, shielding his tears from the world. The light comes from the sun, and he cannot withstand the same light that others can, a nod to him feeling isolated from humanity. Though he is called the ‘sunshine boy,’ his eyes are not meant for its light. So, he dawns the shades to (metaphorically) keep it out.

And my shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete.

Unlike the sneakers worn by the jocks at his high school, Dylan sports black combat boots. They are unusual among the other students, but Dylan feels comfortable in them. Again, he separates himself from the rest of humanity. He is not meant for it. He knows he must go somewhere he feels free.

So I must go back to my room and make my day complete.

By the end of the song, it becomes clear that Dylan now lives inside the world he’s created in his mind. It almost becomes odd for him not to retreat there at least once a day if not all the time. But like the final lyrics, he goes to stay there forever and never to return.

The final repetition of the chorus only emphasizes the truth. He was not ‘doing fine’, despite all the work of convincing others the opposite.

The last line loops again before the song ends. The upbeat and happy tune only makes the message more haunting.

Don't tell me I've nothin' to do.

And no one did.

#analysis #flowers on the wall #dylan klebold #american tragedy

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wastelandlovingscenarios · 4 years

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Hey! I am really excited for seeing your blog grow and I wish you the best of luck!💛💛💛 I'm bad at requesting, so if you don't feel like doing this one - that's fine~ How would all companions (inc. X6, Preston & Codsworth) react to a Sole being a handywoman on Liziqi level and finding out she spent her childhood in a village after she casually explains to some settlers how to make booze from fruit or how to butcher and smoke brahmin?

i saw her channel and i was like :0 the whole time. i have no time or patience for that kinda stuff, haha. that girl got mad skills. ill make them react to the food she prepares, if it’s okay!

i’ll do this as regular companions and kept it short and simple!

anyways, i hope you enjoy! ❤️

he leaned on the wall, watching as sole grabbed a basket of mutfruit from under the table/dragged a brahmin corpse on a rug. he wondered why the people of sanctuary gathered around sole and was interested himself. he decided to observe from afar to avoid interrupting whatever she was doing, she seemed to have a passionate look on her face after all. he pondered on whether sole could cook or not, seeing that all the items near her were food related. his ears perked up, hearing her voice ring throughout the crowd, “okay guys! i’m gonna teach you some stuff i learned when i was a child back at my village. i’m sure this will be useful to you all and sanctuary itself so be sure to carefully look!”

sole grew up from a village? he had no knowledge of that for sure but made a mental note to ask her after her demonstration. sole looked at the settlers happily and demonstrated how to make wine from mutfruit/butcher and smoke brahmin meat. the crowd became invested in her displays, amazed sounds escaping their mouths as sole went through the process step by step in detail. it was beyond unique and something that many people don’t see often in the commonwealth; an art of the prewar times, truly.

Danse:

he would think soles skills were definitely astonishing, seeing that he’s never seen anyone do something like that before. danse would be incredibly impressed and would even jot down those notes mentally to maybe learn it himself one day. as much as he wanted to try and attempt to replicate her skills, he knew he would never be able to but on the other hand, he was way too awkward to ask sole to teach him. lost in his thoughts over soles amazing abilities, danse wouldn’t notice her striding up to him with a smile on her face. “what’s with the look, paladin?” he would jolt on surprise, a small blush spreading across his face as soles eyes traveled to lock with his. it would take him a few seconds to muster a reply. “uh- i apologize if i’ve offended you.” he cleared his throat, adjusting himself so he could stand straight, “it wasn’t my intentions. it’s just.. your skills are certainly impeccable soldier, i’m sure the brotherhood could use your abilities back at the prydwen. they seem to be proven useful.” he then look away elsewhere, hoping his voice didn’t falter in the process. “it would be much appreciated, if you don’t mind.” much to danses content, sole immediately agreed without a second thought. he would then bombard sole with questions about her life while living in a village.

Deacon:

he would be immensely amazed by soles skills and would definitely be gawking at her presentation. how she gained the skills or who she gained it from would be a mystery to him but that was the least of his worries. his priority was to ask sole to teach him how to do something as complicated as that. as sole began putting away her finished products, he walked towards her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. sole looked at him with a raised brow and rolled her eyes at the smirk present on his face. “what is it this time, deeks?” deacon would use his free hand to make over dramatic gestures as he replied, “you gotta teach me that some day, charmer. who knows, maybe one of these days we’ll open up a restaurant named-“ deacon blabbered on for minutes, making sole chuckle occasionally at his silliness. she turned to face him, resting her hand on her hip. “fine deeks. i’ll teach you on one condition.” he would let out a small, ‘hm?’ as sole continued. “i can name the restaurant if we open it one day-“ sole shushed him as he opened his mouth to retaliate, “- and no. we are not naming the restaurant any of those names that just came out of your mouth.” deacon would throw his arms in the air dramatically but send sole a small smile, “fine, fine, you win..! but you still gotta teach me.” he was totally gonna name their restaurant one day with or without her knowledge.

Maccready:

he’s a child about it. it’s clear that there’s a flabbergasted look in his eyes and mac lets himself become completely submerged in it. he was so excited to see new and foreign ways food could be executed, especially since he’s been living off sugar bombs, nuka cola, and cram his whole life. maccready knew from his core that he could not cook for the life of him and could only go as far as preparing a box of blanco mac and cheese at somewhat decent standards, so something like this easily drew him in. god, he wondered how hard sole worked at her village when she was younger. after all, he didn’t really do anything as a kid and didn’t teach himself many skills that would benefit him in the long run. soon enough, the sound of soles voice dragged maccready out of his daydream. she signaled him to come over to where she was at and grinned as he approached almost shyly. he’d try to act all maintained and calm but sole already saw the excitement he showed during her demonstration. “yeah? she grabbed a bag of already cooked and sliced brahmin meat from the box near the table and opened it. he would feel himself grow hungry at the smell of the smoked brahmin meat. sole popped a piece in her mouth and hummed contently, nudging the bag towards maccreadys direction. “it’s so good, you should try it!” hesitantly, but surely, maccready grabbed a piece and slightly bit it, only to find himself eating the whole thing within seconds. it was amazing! how did sole manage to keep their talent away from him for months?! with a full mouth, macready excitedly sputtered out words that sole couldn’t quite comprehend. she sent mac a confused look, and he blushed in response, rubbing the nape of his neck timidly. “sorry- uh, it was just really good.” sole would shove the bag at him gently, a small smirk playing on her face, “would you like more, mac?” silence filled their air for only a mere second- “yes, please.”

Hancock:

as the applause ended with the crowd, there was only one left that continued to clap loudly, attracting soles attention. she would wave at hancock who looked at her with an entertained and impressed expression on his face. “and just when i thought i knew everything about ya.” sole would giggle girlishly and walk up to hancock, wiping her stained hands with her jacket. “i’m full of surprises, hancock. you’re gonna have to dig harder if you want to know everything about me,” hancocks grin would grow wider as sole bantered on with a cheeky smile, “being over 200 years old makes me far more interesting than many people.” a laughter was shared between the two for a moment. “guess you’re right, sister. i’m guessing you hold a lot more secrets than i expect.” sole would fold her arms sassily and stare up at him with a sly look in her eyes, “you are absolutely correct, mayor hancock.” hancock would immediately detect the friskiness in her voice. “i have no choice but to earn it then, huh?” he said in a joking tone. sole would feel his arm wrap around her shoulder casually, “how’s about we go back to goodneighbor and take a sip of that wine you made? i want to know about your days at the village anyway. sounded interesting.” sole would return his friendly affection, draping on arm on the backside of his torso as she hummed. “that sounds great.”

Nick Valentine:

he was ecstatic to see that sole still attained some of their prewar skills, it was definitely a rarity nowadays in the commonwealth. it’s been a while since he’s tasted some authentic wine, the last time being with jenny, but even so, that was the old nick and not the one that existed right then and there. he was thrilled to learn more about his partner who often kept her life to herself - it was a nice change for once. nick himself has seen people work in villages back in his day, so he had an idea of what skills she could’ve picked up while living in one. sole caught him walking to her with a smile on his face and she decided to meet with him halfway. “what did you think, nick? i know my skills were probably a little rusty here and there.” nick shot sole a warm smile, noticing the small, shy flush on her cheeks. “rusty? i found it quite flawless,” sole felt her face redden more as nick continued, “for a 200 year old popsicle, you’ve done pretty good, kid. i bet no one could replicate what you just executed.” she chortled at his silly remark, feeling more confident in her own expertise. “i’m glad i was able to impress you. now let’s hope it’ll taste as good as it looks.” nicked grinned, perking up at her comment, “i don’t mind being the judge of that, if that’s what you’re implying.” she smiled softly; it was exactly what she had in mind.

Codsworth:

he already knew of soles upbringing and the impressive skill set she had. codsworth remembered almost everything she had told her husband about her times at the village and was always drawn into her interesting stories. despite that, she’d always use these skills during her times with nate, and codsworth often observed her from afar during prewar times. he’d remember the excitement in her eyes when she used to execute this hobby and had still caught the same passionate glint as she confidently demonstrated to the crowd. as the settlers departed with happy and content comments, codsworth made their way to them with a jovial tone in his voice. “it’s lovely to see that your skills are definitely top notch just like the old days, mum!” sole would grin at codsworth, a happy expression on her face. “thank you, codsworth! it means a lot coming from you.” codsworth would help sole clean up the aftermath of the presentation, rushing to do most of the work so she could rest, “anytime, mum!”

Preston:

he’d be almost speechless at soles talents, nothing more than a soft yet interested, ‘damn,’ escaping his mouth. though he knew sole was a hardworking, humble, and honest person, he was happy to learn that she did reside in a village at one point of her life. it could only mean that she had a vast amount of experience that many people nowadays aspire to have - farming, cooking in unique ways, etc. most people just knew how to use a gun and make money for a living during these hard times. seeing sole smoke a brahmin would definitely leave him awestruck, considering that he’s never seen anyone do that before. ”wow! that’s so cool, ms. sole! i hope to be like you someday.” sole shyly grinned at the child that beamed at her, opening her mouth to respond until prestons sounded throughout the crowd. “that’s the general for you. we couldn’t have found someone better.” sole chuckled nervously as everyone continued to throw strings of compliments at her. “yeah, for sure!” “we have the best leader in the commonwealth!” she would meet his gaze, embarrassed by all the attention she was receiving. preston would tip his hat as sole mouthed a timid, “thank you.” as the crowd cheered on. he would definitely have to try her smoked brahmin after her exhibition.

X6:

though a stoic expression would remain on his face, he would feel a sense of awe as sole calmly explained to the residents how to smoke brahmin meat. for sure, x6 has seen many displays of how to prepare food in the most exotic and unique ways in the institute but would be interested finding out that she had presented a new method of execution he hadn’t encountered during his lifetime. with his eyes fixated on soles hand movements and the materials on the table, he jotted down every action that she made with every second that ticked. his stillness and intimidating presence would creep everyone out and they would feel uncomfortable with x6 just blankly staring at whatever. regardless, the crowd seemed to enjoy the show despite the discomfort. after what seemed like eternity, sole finally concluded her demo and thanked the crowd for giving her their attention. the settlers applauded sole, giving her their final compliments and comments before dispersing. she smiled, proud of what she accomplished and decided to pack everything up before hitting the hay. “ma’am.” she jumped up, getting frightened by the sudden voice that rung behind her. looking over her shoulder slowly, she caught x6 staring at her with a blank expression. she glared at him. “next time, give me a warning, will ya? you almost gave me a heart attack.” x6 simply nodded before continuing on with his statement, “i believe your skills will be convenient to the institute. it’s almost remarkable to discover that you retain something from your prewar days.” soles eyes widened in surprise for a mere moment but collected herself, a small smile growing on her face. “thanks x6.” silence followed after, but x6s compliment was enough to tell her that he appreciated her talent.

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agentmarymargaretskitz · 4 years

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Hogwarts AU - gary x behrad + nate and astra Thanks 😊

“You really need to stop pining,” a curt voice instructed from behind.

Gary looked behind him to see Astra approaching him, a grimace on her face. She was in a bad mood for certain. When she plopped down beside him on the grass, his adopted sister fell flat on her back with a sigh. A few Slytherin students down the hill looked up at them with narrowed eyes. It wasn’t long before they were packing their things and walking back to the castle.

“They’re scared of us,” Astra said bluntly, angry eyes staring at the sky.

“They’re scared of our family,” Gary corrected, feeling sick as he looked across the lake at his classmates. “We’re not...them.”

“Still family. You remember the Malfoys? The Notts? Even the Black descendants. They’re still outcasts because of what their families did. Now, we’re worse than them.”

“Then we be better than them,” Gary watched a familiar dark haired boy get up and start running around after his Gryffindor friend. “Besides, times are different.”

“Not in Ravenclaw,” Astra spat. “I lost every friend I had when they got wind Lachesis adopted me. Trust me, Gary. It’s only a matter of time before Hufflepuff turns their back on you too.”

“They wouldn’t.”

He wouldn’t.

0“Think they’re planning to hex us?”

Behrad looked across the lake at where two students were sitting. When he shielded his eyes from the sun, he saw Gary with a Ravenclaw student. Astra Logue, adopted into the Savage family as a child. Behrad could practically feel her shooting daggers at him with her eyes. Shuddering, he sat back down before Nate landed on top of him.

“Hey!”

“You stopped!” Nate laughed as he rolled off Behrad. “Don’t keep staring or they’ll have it out for us.”

Behrad frowned back at Nate and his friends. “You really think Gary Green would hex us?”

Sara Lance shrugged, loosening her red and gold tie. “His dad’s Vandal Savage. No knowing of what he taught Gary or Astra over the summer before they came back here.”

Nate nodded. “I know he’s in your year, but you should be careful.”

“Zari and Mama and Baba have already written to me about him. I don’t need a lecture.”

“Behrad, we’re serious,” Nate looked back to Sara, who nodded. “I just have a bad feeling.”

“Whatever,” he scowled, pulling out his herbology book. “Thought we were going over notes anyways.”

0Gary was curled up on one of the couches in the Hufflepuff common room. He watched the flames flicker in the fireplace, hoping they could lull him to sleep. Sleep was not coming to him easily. The headmaster had talked with him and Astra about their plans for the winter given their family was at large. Unless anything happened soon, they would be spending their first holiday at Hogwarts.

“Gary?”

Behrad was coming towards him, eyes full of worry.

“Do you think I’m bad?” Gary asked quietly.

Behrad seemed surprised by the question, but shook his head. “No. I don’t, and so do a lot of others.”

“Well, you’re the first to tell me,” Gary sighed. “Everyone seems to think I’m a walking bomb. Even the teachers.”

“What?”

Gary quickly recapped the events of how he and Astra were likely to be spending break at Hogwarts. Behrad frowned at that.

“Well, if you want, you could come home with me for break?”

“You?”

Behrad nodded. “Absolutely.”

“I thought your sister literally gave an interview about watching every member of the Savage family closely.”

“Don’t care,” Behrad sat down and rested his head on Gary’s shoulder. “You’ve been my boyfriend since before any of that happened. And I’m not leaving you behind in this castle. It’s time my family met you for you, and not your family. You can even bring Astra.”

Gary grinned. “She didn’t seem ready to stay here all break.”

“Then it’s settled. You’re coming for break.”

#missing tony #ask box #legends of tomorrow #harry potter #au #garebehr #nate heywood #astra logue #ship prompt #sara lance

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xsecretblastsx · 4 years

Text

2x02 - Never Been Marcused

Here we are on a new recap, sadly we say good bye to the hamptons on this episode, but it seems fitting considering is the start of fall after all.

This one of those episodes were I barely remember what happens except for a few scenes here and there from my first watch, so it almost felt like watching a new episode. Anyway here we go.

As usual recap under the cut:

Thoughts I had while watching the episode:

Akward morning after talk between Dan and Serena, not my prefered way for the start of an episode, but what can I do

Well they are kind of cute here, I’ll admit. Though I’m kind of glad Serena’s first instict wasn’t to get back together right there and actually acknoweldging their break up had a lot of reasons behind it.

Blair looks super cute riding that bicycle, so picture perfect. Too bad is only on paper. That Marcus guy is super boring.

Blair can be like “Revenge is so 12 hours ago” but Serena’s is all of us being like “Sure Blair, you totally love Marcus and all of this has nothing to do with Chuck ofc”

I’m not sure if being refered as “ a perfect post Bass palate cleanser” can be taken as a compliment. And just like magic a wild Bass appears.

I’m just here to enjoy the akward moment every single boyfriend of Blair has to endure whenever they realize that Chuck Bass is going to be a relevant part of said relationship.

“For England” Marcus your nation is surely going to be proud of you for acting like a total englishman and accepting to be civil with Chuck Bass, the guy who just totally manipulated you into inserting himself in your date.

“Blair Waldorf a fling... you’re not exactly low maintenance” Serena speaking words of wisdom.

I guess abstinence (on Serena’s side mostly) was hard for Serena and Dan, otherwise I can’t understand why they’re acting as if keeping their hands to themselves is so difficutl, they never seemed that type of couple in S1.

Blair called him Charles, I guess she was pretty mad.

That whole sequence of Dan and Serena fooling around on the Jitney is soooo extra, and so unintentionally funny.

Nate’s family drama is never ending, though imagine the tragedy it must be for any UES to lose their money. Auch.

Surprise! Nate’s fling is actually the Duchess.

This whole dialogue: “No offense but don’t you think you’re a little outmached?” “As a guy. Blair wants to be a princess (>.<) and your greatest achievement is owning part of a burlesque club” and the cherry on top “Oh you know is love when you star talking like an assasin” Oh Nate Archibald, I love you.

Also apparently Chuck did spend tme with Bart from time to time, is kind of hard for me to imagine them playing Squash though.

Chuck keeping noble secrets from Nate. That’s love.

Hi Rufus... and Vanessa

Oh Marcus, giving so much intel to his new “best friend”.Also I kind of like the polo/vest combo Chuck’s wearing there. Weird.

“I have to present myself as crown jewel, sorrounded by other smaller slightly flawed gems, but quality stones nonetheless” this is such Blair thing to say haha.

“If you can’t find common ground wiht a dictator I don’t know who can” The added commentary is really making this episode for me.

I’ve never related more to Blair than this moment where she express how great it is that Serena’s free from Dan.

I just love when we get to see how much Chuck actually cares about Nate, selling his shares of Victrola is no small deal.

Nate and Vanessa! I still can’t believe how much I don’t mind, and actually kind of like this ship.

I kind of would love to see Anne Archibald doing her shopping at Salvation’s Army.

I love the combination of that suit with that shirt Chuck’s wearing, the color really suits him. I don’t know why but I’m noticing his wardobre much more this time around. Figures. I do remember thinking the first time around he was going to try and seduce the duchess. Now that would have been another akward moment of “Sorry Nate”

Serena looks so pretty here, even if I’m not that fan of her outfil.

“So she can warn me about the effects of too much botox” auch. Chuck: 1, Blair: 0. and he’s definately enjoying it.

I so wish Rufus had gone to tour again. He deserved to live that dream to the fullest.

“A lowly Waldorf” wow. Even I was hurt by that.

I love it when the GG voice oveer points out how ridiculous everything is. Case in point: “Chuck and Blair’s dates are mother and son, and Nate and Blair are exces, and Nate and the mother are in a book club?”

I get why Nate is mad at Chuck for not being upfront about the money, because it’s not easy addmitting that kind of problems in their wordl and even less accepting that kind of help, but Chuck’s intentions were good. Fact is he always helps Nate anyway he can.

The fact that Dan and Serena’s plotline this episode was basically just trying to resist each other, and I can’t help but think that this was the show’s way of trying to make them be more “chair like”, you know intense chemistry and sex appeal. As if.

“if the best version of the situation is I’m going to become Blair’s father in law I think is just time to move on” Now imagine that, thanks to Nate for putting that horrifying thought in my head.

And this is the start of Nate Archibald the gigolo.

“Oh my effing God” same Blair, same. Props to Nate for still acting so rightous and being all like “I don’t have anything to explain to you”

Blair telling the Duchess how things are going to be now... You go baby Vamp!

“I’m gonna turned it in a novel” so I guess this throway line was the start of “Inside”

Rufus beyond anything was first a Dad, the Humphrey kids got the best dad in the show, the kind of Dad any of the NJBC would have love to have as a parent, and yet they feel they were the unlucky ones.

That last scene between Chuck and Blair is such a display of chemistry a lot of ships wish they had. and the literal definition of what eye sexing each other means.

I feel so bad for Nate and Vanessa right now... with the add visual bonus of her sadly blowing the candles for a date that wasn’t. Feeling sad for Vanessa, now that’s new for me.

So this episode while there are moments that I really liked and it did kind of move the plot forward in some points, it also fills a lot like a filler episode and like I don’t really have much to say about it. Maybe because these storylines while I don’t hate them I don’t particularly like them either, in particular this chapter of the Serena and Dan saga this episode feels such a waste of time, they’re basically stalling because they really don’t want to have the difficult conversation of why they broke up and how they can fix their issues, and so to keep avoiding they distract themselves with taming their unrestrained need for sleeping with each other... sorry but what?

I’m not saying there’s no chemistry between Dan and Serena, but their relationship in S1 except for like 1 or two scenes was very much rooted in cutesy moments, tenderness, and how Serena was better with Dan (ugh) and how he wanted for her, not only because she was super hot, they never acted like “oh it’s so hard to keep our hands from each other, and we can’t resist this atraction” that couple were Chuck and Blair, so on this episode I just can’t buy it, it seems forced, almost as if the show wanted them to be more exciting and outrageous... to keep them as the main couple of the show as they were suposed to be, after all at this point of the show while Chuck and Blair were getting more traction, they hadn’t really overtook the show as they eventually did. It also felt part of the “omfg” vibe the show was going for, that scene in the Jitney was so extra, though in my case rather than getting me into them just made me laugh.

Nate storyline on the other hand is the one that really went places this episodes. It turns out his family is on the brink up bankrupcy because all the legal issues his dad is facing, and because his grandfather won’t help he and his mother are a very precarious situation wich leads Nate to seek help. He tries going to Chuck but on one hand he doesn’t really now how to explaint the situation, and also Chuck’s apparently really busy with scheming his way back to Blair. Except Chuck because he knows Nate is going to refuse him and he can’t help but help him either way sells his shares on Victrola and gives the money to Nate’s mom. Of course when Nate finds out he gets mad, because pride and also because he hates that Chuck lied to him about Victrola and to be fair it hasn’t been that long since they had a big fall out because Chuck wasn’t honest about stuff, so there’s that. Still, I feel I must take a moment to point out how much Nate actually means to Chuck? He loves that club, it’s a place with a lot of sentimental meaning too for a lot of reason and yet Chuck doesn’t hesitate to part with it if meants helping Nate. I know Chuck makes plenty of mistakes and awful things during the show, but these kind of moments are always kind of overlook and I just feel that’s unfair because only focusin on the worst of him, reduces him to this one dimensional villian, and in reality Chuck is one of the most complex characters on this show. These kind of moments are an example of his many layers.

So back to Nate, he ends up going to Vanessa, and I just feel this rewatch is turning me into a Nate and Vanessa shipper. Truth is I never hated this couple, but I was a bit meh to it, in part because Vanessa annoys the hell out of me for the most part, but I always thought she was less annoying with Nate. I like how she just sits and listens to Nate, and I think this is something that his best friends are not always the best at, Chuck tries but he’s more the type of friend that goes into action, he does what is need to do in order help rather than the heart to heart talk, and Nate and Serena’s friendship at this point while getting there, is kind of akward still and also there’s always some crisis going on her life that prevents her for being fully there, and Blair and Nate well.. they weren’t ever the talking type. So Vanessa helps with that, also when the show started Nate wanted in someway to detached himself from the UES and all it’s expectations and so Vannesa was that needed breeze of fresh air, and while she can be as judgy as Dan, I always felt she made more of an effort with Nate to be understanding than Dan ever was with the UES. So I like them, at least for now. Too bad Catherine happens and while Nate was really into the idea of having an affair with her this episode he realizes that’s an awful idea (the fact that she has a step son that’s older than him and is also dating Blair is admiteddly gross) but it’s a desperate time, and she offers him her help... and so we got Nate the gigolo, and that last scene in the taxi when he cancels on Vanessa made me sooo sad.

Lastly we have the Chuck and Blair part of the story, it’s always fun to see them scheming, and Chuck’s tactics these episode are rather sucessful at first and it’s mostly a display of him knowing Blair so well that he’s able to get the upper hand on all of her efforts to get on the Lord and his family good side. I should feel bad for her, in the sense that Chuck’s ruiningin her plans and it’s not fair because if he had showed up to Tuscany everything would be different. And yet I’m kind of glad he gets on her way because truthfully, this is just one of those times that Blair is trying to show herself as something she isnt’ in order to get a guy, and also climb higher in the social hierarchy, and it pains me because at the end of the day is just Blair not accepting herself, like Serena keeps pointing out through all the episode, just show the real Blair sure, she’s anything but low maintainance but there’s a lot of amazing in her that can make her shine to anyone. This plot also reminded me a bit of Blair and the prince storyline and also (because this party was trying to be very pretentious and sofisticated) that saloon thing she did with Dan in Season 5 and just remembering that gives me nightmare. So really not a fan of these particular scenes. In the end she ends up gaining the duchess via blackmail, which I like because I hate the Duchess so I’m all for Blair showing her Queen B side in full display and after this episode I missed it. It’s also the basis of that great moment at the end between her and Chuck in the Van der Bass kitchen, which is easily the most memorable thing in the whole hour and only for that I’m glad this episode exists. The chemistry and sexual tension of this whole scene is amazing and it puts to shame all the Dan and Serena “can’t keep their hand of each ohter” scenes, this is how is done. Sorry Derena.

Random bits I noticed:

The Pierces song playing in the background at the start of the episode, “Boy in a Rock and Roll Band” always puts me in a good mood for some reason.

That pearl headband Blair’s wearing at the party were so popular here for a while, I loved it so much back then, I sort of wish I had one now.

I loved the “Summer 08″ collage the Humphrey’s had in their loft. It also had this phrase “ I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality... I still believe that we shall overcome” by Dr. Martin Luther King. Kind of relevant isn’t it?

Having and episode ending with a shot of the NYC skyline at night, while New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down playing in the background... these are the kind of details I love.

Ending with a Chuck pick because I really like this suit

#gossip girl #gossip girl recap #gossip girl rewatch #2x02 #never been marcused

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saiilorstars · 4 years

Text

Redemption

Ch.2: The Mantle of the Jinx

// Story Masterlist //

Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow // Pairing: Rip Hunter x OFC

Story summary: Graciela has to deal with a stowaway on the Waverider and a team member who suddenly gains powers. Being the new leader of the Legends isn't at all what she thought it would be, especially when she can't bring herself to tell them exactly who she is.

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @perfectlystiles

(If you’d like to be added to this OC’s works/edits, let me know!)

All was quiet on the Waverider; no new aberration had occurred since the 1942 incident. The Legends had shown Graciela to a room for herself after the chaos. They were going to show her the rest of the ship until Graciela told them that she basically already knew where everything was. There was no hesitation on her part to show it by revealing a stash of hidden alcohol that Rip stored in his study. It was a done deal after that.

In her room Graciela laid on her bed with one arm over her forehead and her gaze glued to the ceiling. The letter left for her was resting over her chest, still unopened by her hands. She couldn't bring herself to do it just yet. The last time they spoke to each other, the last time they'd been in the same room, it was like every chaotic possibility happened. The screams and yells of that last argument still echoed in her head. Rip had made it very clear that he didn't want to see her ever again, much less on the Waverider.

So why didn't you get rid of the letter?

Graciela couldn't come up with a plausible reason. Her dark eyes flickered to the side. "Gideon?"

"Yes, Miss Haynez," the A.I. dutifully answered.

"The letter—did Rip really keep it voluntarily? Or did he just forget about it? Be honest, please." Graciela waited patiently as much as she could to hear the answer.

"The exact reasons as to why Captain Hunter kept the letter, I cannot say—"

"Gideon."

"Contrary to my impressionable talents, mind reading is not one of them."

Graciela rolled her eyes with a hint of a smile. She did miss that A.I. more than she cared to admit. "Do you know why he kept it? Did he forget about it? Is-is that why it's still here?"

"No, he was very aware of that letter," said Gideon. "In fact, I was privy to when he pulled it out after years of it being hidden."

Graciela blinked. She turned her head up to the ceiling. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Graciela pulled the letter off her chest and raised it up. She could see some of the words through the light but for the main part, it remained unknown. "Why'd he do that?"

"He edited something. I'm not sure what."

Graciela breathed in at the thought. What could Rip have done with the letter? She knew the first edition of the letter word for word. What could have changed? Her thoughts were interrupted with the loud sound of a thump out in the hallway. She sat upright and waited for another sound. Eventually, she left the letter on her bed—neatly folded—and walked out. Only two steps were taken in the hallway before someone dropped in from behind and knocked her out-cold.

Amaya Jiwe had stowed away on the Waverider.

~ 0 ~

Mick Rory planned to have himself a nice lunch. Graciela had given him the bottle she revealed in Rip's study. It wasn't much but it was his lunch and it tasted damn delicious. He was momentarily taken aback when Amaya literally dropped out of nowhere and threatened him with a knife at the neck. Despite her smaller stature, she had grasped him from behind and refused to let go.

"Look, if this is about me taking all the mayonnaise, you might be slightly overreacting," Mick said calmly.

"You killed him!" Amaya growled.

"Killed him? I've killed lots of people. You're gonna have to be more specific," Mick attempted to reach his sandwich again but Amaya pulled him back.

With a roll of his eyes, he reached back for her and threw her to the ground. Amaya touched the golden totem around her neck and an ape's figure and growl erupted in a blue mist above her. She charged forwards and threw Mick over the table. Amaya jumped over the table and meant to finish her work when a silver hand grabbed her wrist. Amaya's eyes widened in alarm but that didn't stop her from attempting to fight her newest opponent.

Nate's entire body was shining silver and of...steel? Even he didn't look quite sure of what was going on. Amaya tried punching him but instead hurt her own hand. Nate then hit her over the head with a lone hand and knocked her out.

Mick stared, dumbfounded, at the new sight of Nate. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I really...don't know…" Nate went honestly, raising his steel hands to look at them better.

~ 0 ~

"Let me get this straight..." Graciela rubbed her temples and not because of the pain she felt from Amaya's hit. This team was definitely something else. "You can now turn into steel?"

Nate was once again back in the infirmary and was with Ray and Graciela. His skin was non-steel at the moment but everyone was pretty freaked out by is new ability. "He injected me with Nazi serum," Nate pointed to Ray as his main defense. He definitely hadn't been searching for this.

"Good point," Graciela turned on Ray, making the taller, dark-haired man go high with alert. "Ray, what the hell did you do!?"

"U-uh, I...well..I had redesigned the serum to quintuple my own strength and transform my skin into an alloy a hundred times stronger than steel," Ray said then smiled to himself. "Steel, that's a cool name."

Nate agreed with a light smile of his own. "Yeah, especially since my grandfather was called Commander Steel. But what does that make me? Corporal Steel? Mr. Steel? Citizen Steel?"

"Who cares?" asked Ray. "You got superpowers now, dude."

"This is not a laughing matter!" Graciela interrupted their bit. "We don't know what side effects this...this thing caused. Ray, I need you to fix this!"

"Woah, hey!" Nate got up from the bed to argue over this 'fixing' bit. "I don't need fixing. If anything, I just need to learn how to control this steel-changing."

"Nate, listen to me, you don't want this," Graciela promised him. "This is some experiment gone wrong! You don't know what could happen—what could be happening—to you because of this!"

"I feel fine!" Nate snapped, and loudly. "And because it's my choice I choose to keep these powers! Ray, you can start teaching me now."

"Uh…" Ray's eyes flickered from Nate to the pretty upset Graciela.

She growled and stormed out of the night wing. She made a direct beeline for the holding room where Amaya had been placed during her unconscious state. By the time she arrived, she was more put together. Demanding and cold were one of the things she was infamous for in her days.

"What's the situation?" she asked Sara, ignoring Amaya for the moment.

Sara didn't look any happier than Graciela and Amaya did. She had her arms crossed and was facing Amaya suspiciously. "Well, she stowed away before the time jump from 1942—"

"Clearly," Graciela rolled her eyes.

"Well, she's claiming Mick killed Rex so she wanted to kill him in retaliation."

"Wait," Graciela blinked and now faced Amaya, "Rex Tyler? The Hourman? He was murdered?"

Amaya gave a curt nod. "His killer stole the Askaran Amulet."

"As surprising as that is—and it is—I'm sorry to say that Mick hasn't done any crime while I've been on board."

"He's a thief and a murderer!" Amaya rushed up to the clear wall separating her from Graciela and Sara.

Graciela shrugged. "Yeah, I know. But as far as we know, Mick hasn't been off the ship since we dropped off your team at the JSA."

Amaya still didn't seem very convinced. "With his last words, he told me his killer was a time traveler."

Graciela didn't care but beside her Sara stiffened. "Well, hate to break it to you, sweetie, but there are plenty of time travelers. Some of them are pirates and this is the sort of stuff they loot for."

Sara cleared her throat and put a hand on Graciela's arm to get her attention. "We've, um...we've been tracking someone who's been trying to alter history." Graciela's head whipped in Sara's direction, her eyes wide with surprise. "We think it's the same person that gave Krieger the super-serum. This might be your time traveler."

"What?" Graciela stepped back from Sara, completely lost. "Why am I just hearing about this now?"

"Because you've been locked away in your room!" Sara exclaimed. She had tried coming up with a way to give Graciela the rundown of the things that happened in Rip's absence but she literally disappeared for hours after 1942. Sara went for the control pad of the holding cell. "Look, if I let you out of here, you promise not to hurt Mick unless he really deserves it?"

Amaya nodded her head and watched as Sara unlocked the cell. She then stepped out and glanced at Graciela, just to be sure they were all on the same page. Graciela, though still processing what Sara revealed, motioned for Amaya follow.

"So you want to tell me a little more about this time traveler person we're facing?" Graciela didn't waste time and prodded Sara for information.

"There's not much to tell, honestly," Sara admitted. "Because we don't know a lot. This is sort of the thing we would want from you, you know…"

"Look, I may be from the future but you saw where I was from. I'm a rebellion fighter—"

"You're a what?" Amaya now oddly staring at Graciela's back.

"It's fine, I was fighting to build the city again," Graciela waved her off casually. "My city had been destroyed by this man called—"

"Vandal Savage, yeah," Sara nodded. "We know. We're We're the ones who stopped him!"

Graciela snapped her fingers in Saran's direction. "And I thank you for that. Seriously. You gave me my freedom for that."

"What?" Sara raised an eyebrow but Graciela didn't explain. It wasn't the first time she said something along those lines.

"I knew Rip before he went into their training as well as another friend there...and I may have been arrested by them for some unauthorized time traveling I did a year ago."

Amaya was still stuck on the earlier words Graciela had said. "When you say 'rebellion fighter'..."

That, Graciela would answer happily. "They took down the dictator of my city but when he was gone, every politician raced to take the power he left behind so naturally there was still some fighting left to do for the city."

Sara was silent. They supposed that none of them ever really considered what aftermath would take place with Savage's defeat. Rip certainly never talked about it either, but they all figured it was due to the loss of his family.

"Okay," Amaya started again, "So...can't we just go back in time to save Rex? This ship is a time machine, right?"

"Because we're dealing with another time traveler," Sara answered her. "If we go back and save Rex, the time traveler will just go back before then and kill Rex again, so instead of chasing our own tails, we need to identify who we're up against."

"Impressed you actually knew about that," Graciela mumbled but Sara heard perfectly.

"Rip did teach us some things…"

"I don't understand any of this," Amaya cut in again.

"Look, I just need you to trust us," Graciela turned around. "I didn't know about the rogue time traveler but now that I do, I promise we'll find them. In the meantime, Gideon will fly you home."

"I'm not going back until Rex's killer is brought to justice," Amaya said like it should have been obvious that was what was going to happen.

"You're from 1942 and part of the JSA, I'm pretty sure it'd be detrimental to have you here."

"You're from the future—"

"—yeah, so my legacy has already been jotted down in history, unfortunately," Graciela said quietly. It wouldn't be the best legacy but it was there. "But don't worry, everyone here is a professional who knows what they're doing." But just as the words flew out from Graciela's lips, the three women heard an incessant blasting above them. "Most of us," Graciela added before going to see what was happening.

They walked into the entrance of the ship where they saw Ray, in his Atom suit, shooting at Nate who was once again steel. The energy would simply reflect off him or bounce off.

"You're kidding me," Graciela's voice was enough to get their attention for about ten seconds before they started going back and forth.

"Professionals?" Amaya reminded her.

"I just met them."

"I know you not gonna take that, Ray," Jax laughed after Nate threw a humorous joke apparently. "Go crush this Tin Man."

"Nate, you shouldn't test yourself—" Graciela barely got to say before Ray was thrown against the ship's cargo door, managing to bust it open. Green clouds swarmed in the open and threatened to suck everyone out.

"Hold on, I'll close it!" Nate pushed through the force trying to pull them out. He clapped a hand over the control but electricity crackled against his steel hand and blasted him back. He was sucked out into the vortex.

Ray began to push himself closer to the door.

"Ray, get inside! We have to close the door!" Sara called to him.

"No, I got to go after him!" Ray activated his suit's helmet and flew out after Nate.

"Gideon, shut the cargo door!" Sara then shouted to their A.l.

As soon as they could, everyone rushed out of the cargo room. Alarms blared with the ship's several malfunctions and with only Jax to fix them, it was going to be a tricky one.

"What's happening to the ship?" Stein demanded when the group strode into the main room. He and Mick were standing with obvious confusion.

"Your idiots of a team," Graciela explained it with that, and frankly it was enough to understand. Sara helped her with the communications of the ship to get ahold of Jax in the engine room. "Jax, what's our status?"

"I've rerouted power from the secondary manifolds!"

"Where are Dr. Palmer and Dr. Heywood?" Stein looked around.

Graciela turned around, crazy angry. "Doctors? Ha! They don't deserve those titles! From now on, they're idiots 1 and 2!" Sara thought about defending the two but then she figured it wasn't such a far fetched statement.

"How is it you people haven't managed to kill yourselves yet?" Amaya rushed to get a seat. The ship was rocking and it wasn't gentle.

"The day is still young," Mick said just as calm as ever.

"Shut up!" Graciela snapped. She re-opened up the comm. with Jax. "Jax?"

"Yeah, I'm working on it!"

Graciela then followed up with Gideon. "Alright, Gideon, I don't know how you work exactly but can you track down Ray and Nate and take us to their position?"

"The explosive decompression caused us to lose corrective altitude, which put too much strain on the station-keeping thrusters," Gideon replied dutifully.

"For God's sake, say it how it is," Mick said gruffly. "We're screwed."

"We're screwed," Gideon repeated.

"You're a wonderful team!" Graciela ran her hands through her hair, fresh out of ideas.

Since there would be no option but to physically go and retrieve Ray and Nate, it was best to figure out where they were in the meantime and how best to find them in the new land.

"Fugile Japan? Seriously?" Graciela looked over to Sara to see what she made of the situation.

"At least we know they're alive," the blonde had settled for. "We best go get them before they get into trouble."

"How can you bring a thug on a rescue mission?" Amaya was quick to as once they group started for the wardrobe room. Mick grumbled at the insinuation. "I've known men like you. Men who take and prey on the weak."

"Listen, girly, I'm risking my neck for two morons who fell out of a ship. Why? 'Cause they'd do the same for me," he retorted in return.

"Gotta say that some crooks have a code," Graciela spoke up then added, "No offence, Mick."

"None taken. It's the first useful thing you've said."

Graciela rolled her eyes. "Now do you think Jax and Stein can really fix the ship, then?" She asked from Sara since the blonde had instructed the other two to work on the ship's malfunctioning parts.

"Rip taught Jax everything about the ship, he knows what he's doing," Sara reassured.

"Why are you on the ship?" Mick continued to argue behind them with Amaya.

"Cause I'm a member of the Justice Society of America. It's my job to protect everyone!"

"Except for me. You snuck up behind me and threatened to slice my throat like a ninja."

Amaya shot the man an annoyed look. "There's no such thing as ninjas, you idiot."

"Tell that to Chuck Norris."

"Who's that?"

"And I'm the idiot," Mick rolled his eyes this time.

Amaya resented that insult and snapped back. "And by the way, I'm not your girly—"

"Oh my God, shut up!" Graciela had stopped to turn around, her dark eyes blazing with irritation. "Now don't think I won't lock you both up in the same cell if you don't shut the hell up." She put a finger to her lips, warning them not to continue their argument and continued to walk on, though she called for Sara to lead her to the wardrobe room again.

~ 0 ~

The day was dark when Graciela and the others emerged from the Waverider. Thanks to Gideon's help, they had acquired a device that would pick up on Ray's suit signals. It would make for an easy find, hopefully, and then off to find Nate.

"The Signal from Ray's ATOM suit is getting stronger," Graciela read off the handheld device. Her boots trudged along the muddy grass, but they were dirty as it was so it didn't really matter.

Unlike Sara and Amaya, Graciela had refused to change into a typical Japanese clothing because she fully believed this would be a quick 'in and out' plan. Sara then told her she still had a lot to learn. So there she was, dressed in jeans, a purple and white, buttoned up blouse and dirty brown boots.

"Hm," Mick was the one to stop when he figured where the device would lead them. Graciela stopped and glanced back at him. "Doesn't exactly look inviting, does it? It's like "Ninja III: The Domination."

Confused, Graciela followed his gaze and saw what could only be an emperor's living quarters. This was definitely not going to be a quick 'in and out' trip.

"Never took you for a cinephile," Amaya was close to laughing as she passed Mick.

"All I know is ninjas like to hide in trees. I don't see anything," Mick's eyes were wide as he spoke. "You don't find them, they find you."

"Just because you saw ninjas in a movie, that doesn't make them real," Amaya rolled her eyes, thinking of it as nothing but stories.

Sara, on the other hand, spoke up to agree. "I have to side with Mick on this one. They're real."

Amaya couldn't decide how worse this team could get. "You think there's a secret brotherhood of men trained in the art of assassination?"

Sara almost laughed at the irony of her back story. "I hate to break it to you, Amaya, but I'm basically a ninja."

"A deadly one," Graciela agreed in front, not that delved into the topic. She'd only read the profile of Sara left by Rip and was genuinely stumped how he could have chosen such a dangerous woman.

Then again, she never understand what Rio did anyways.

~0~

It was easy to slip into the Shogun's building. It almost made Sara sneer at how their security was primitive for such an important man. Amaya, on the other hand, insisted they not get ahead of themselves and just find Ray. Graciela agreed. If there was anything she learned in her past is that what started easy rarely ended easily.

The group crossed a hallway in silence, following where the handheld device led them to. The strode into an empty room where they thought Ray stood inside his suit.

"Haircut, let's get out of here," Mick motioned Ray with his heatgun to the door. "We're saving your ass, again."

The man, however, turned around to reveal to be the Shogun himself. "It is you who needs rescuing."

Graciela lowered the handheld device with a sigh. "Seriously? He let the Atom suit get taken?"

The Shogun revealed a teethy, smug smile as he took a step towards them. "You are already defeated before you have even begun. I have been trained in the art of war by Shimura himself."

Sara didn't seem very concerned as she took the same step towards him. She whipped out her staffs and declared, "League of Assassins, class of '09. Don't take it easy on me." She zoomed past Graciela and started fighting the Shogun.

She did her best to fight him off but she didn't expect to find a more skilled opponent. The Shogun kicked her backwards and started for them when Graciela snapped her fingers and a purple beam of energy passed over the ceiling. A part of the ceiling then crackled until it fell over the Shogun.

"Interesting," Sara blinked at the sight but Graciela grabbed her arm and yanked her into a run. "How did you do that!?"

"Explain later!" Graciela hushed and nearly crashed into Ray on the turn.

"Oh, hey guys!" Ray was cheery enough to greet.

"Wrong way, Haircut!" Mick pushed him to keep going, but Ray wouldn't budge.

"What about my suit?" He froze when he saw the Shogun making his way out of the room with bits of ceiling over him. "We can get it later," he decided and rushed away.

Getting out of the forest was definitely easier by the time dawn arose. Now that they had Ray with them, they could turn over their attention to getting Nate back. Although the nab didn't have something like the Atom suit to stand out, since there was only village it was not hard to find the American amongst them.

"Nate, you're alive!" Ray beamed after he opened the door to a small cottage house.

Nate was indeed alive, and in good company with a woman. "Oh, hey, guys! You found me…" he said with a fake smile.

"I'm sorry, was this a bad time?" Graciela raised an eyebrow.

"Nope," he cleared his throat and got up, though with some groaning from his injury. The team questioned him with sharp looks but he didn't answer.

"Masako, these are, uh, my friends I was telling you about," he instead gestured to the woman with him.

She courtesy bowed at the others. "Hajimemashite. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Sake, lots of it," Mick didn't fail to answer.

Amaya shook her head disapprovingly. "What he meant to say is thanks for your hospitality, but we must be going."

Mick's gaze lowered to her with even more dislike. "No, I didn't."

"But she's right," Graciela said, siding with Amaya for logical reasons. She herself was a bit distrustful of Amaya at the moment. "Nate, let's go."

"I can't," the man made a face and soon earned the confused eyes of his team.

Graciela's eyebrows raised together, but before making a scene she smiled at Masako then flexed her finger at Nate to come over. Knowing he would have to explain himself, he followed the team out into the field where they would get some privacy.

"Why are you limping?" Sara eyed Nate's hand which wouldn't leave his abdomen for more than a minute. It was also where there was a blotch of blood. "What have you been doing!?"

Nate waved her off with a little groan as he moved to face them all. "We can't leave. Masako's supposed to marry the Shogun Tokugawa lemitsu."

"Yeah, met him. Not a fan," Sara sarcastically shrugged. She was mighty bitter he'd managed to beat her at something she was practically a master at.

"Well, the reason he sticks out in the history books is because he likes to murder his wives, and I can't leave Masako to his mercy."

"Especially since he stole my ATOM suit," Ray remarked.

"Exactly," Nate agreed before it actually hit him what Ray said. "Wait, what? You let the Shogun steal a 21st century super-suit?"

"After I crash-landed trying to rescue you," Ray made sure to remind How they all got into this mess in the first place.

"How the hell does the Shogun even know how to operate your suit?" Graciela had been wondering ever since they escaped the Shogun.

"I designed it so an idiot could use it."

"An idiot does," Mick grumbled from his spot. He'd made himself comfortable over a wagon full of hay, even looking close to falling asleep.

"Guys, bottom line is, if the Shogun has the ATOM suit, it's not just Masako and the village we have to protect. He can use it to conquer the whole region," Nate pointed out for them all to see the true danger of leaving prematurely.

"You said the Shogun's coming for your new girlfriend?" Sara eyed the field past Nate.

"Uh-huh."

"Easier to defend a village than to attack a castle," Sara then directed her glance at Graciela to see what she would say.

"Yeah, experience says that," sighed Graciela. "But here's the thing, that Shogun with the suit is practically invincible. He threw Sara like a ragdoll."

"But steel—" Sara moved towards Nate and rested an arm over his shoulder, "—is stronger. There's our win."

Nate cleared his throat rather awkwardly. "About that, I'm having a little problem accessing my powers."

"Sounds like you're having performance issues and it looks like you're not done training him yet," Sara told Ray who opened his mouth to retort when Graciela went on.

"Alright, fine. Ray and Nate can work on the Shogun strategies while the rest of us figure out how to defend a village. It should be easier than a city but I don't want to get too cocky."

"Wake me up when the action starts," Mick moved himself slightly for a better position. He spit out the thread of hay from his mouth and shut his eyes.

Graciela's look was sharp. Her eyes flickered purple, causing a same colored beam to hit the wagon and tilt it over to the side. Mick dropped with a thud and he quickly shook himself up, confused with the matter. Graciela shook her head and started back for the house.

"Did she just…?" Nate's finger moved from where Graciela had stood to the tilted wagon.

"Yeah," Sara lowered his fingers, eyes glued to Graciela's direction. "I'm curious myself of what else she's hiding."

~0~

Jax and Stein had discovered a secret room that Rip never told then about, peeving Jax off especially since he'd been forced to learn every inch of the Waverider. They'd managed to enter the dark room, which turned out to store numerous weapons.

"It appears to be some sort of armory," Stein remarked after his flashlight illuminated a row of large guns inside a glass case.

"Among other things," Jax saw a pile of books over a desk, barely lit from a computer screen. "There's a reason why Rip didn't want us in here. Some things you can't un-see."

The lights of the room turned on, giving them full view of the armory. Stein lowered his flashlight, flicking the switch off at the same time. His eyes landed on the screen and saw a familiar name blinking in and out. "Look, Jefferson, our old friend has hailed the Waverider."

Jax saw the name and blinked. "Well…" he moved towards the screen and stopped when he saw a leather bound book at the stop of the paper stack.

"Let's play it," Stein was more focused on the video. He pressed his finger against the blinking message.

'Sorry to contact you like this, Captain Hunter, Graciela. But I can't risk putting any more lives in danger…'

Jax briefly looked up from the open book he'd picked up. "Thought this was from Barry Allen?" He had made a face at the deep voice of the message. That certainly didn't sound like the speedster they knew from Central City.

"It is. Only from 40 years in the future," Stein pointed at the date beside Barry's message.

"Yeah, but he also knows Graciela? A woman born a century later?" That alone made Jax even more suspicious.

'And neither can this. Which is why you'll keep what I'm about to tell you a secret. Even from the rest of your team…'

Jax stopped passing the pages of the book, which turned out to be a journal of some sort, when he spotted a familiar person in a photograph.

~0~

Training Nate would be a little more difficult than he thought but it was not impossible. There was only a bit of a pressure since Graciela had planted herself a couple feet from them with arms crossed and a serious face that versaw everything. The woman reminded Ray of Oliver Queen at that moment.

"The ATOM suit is made of and powered by dwarf star alloy. It's strong enough to withstand bullets, arrows, and explosives." Ray had built a target out of a scarecrow and used a stick from the ground as a pointer.

"So it's impenetrable?" Nate asked, his hopes of winning beginning to dwindle.

"Not quite. Underneath the left thruster is the alpha-stabilizer. If you destroy it, the photons that stream from suit's weapons systems will overheat, theoretically causing somatic overload."

"Theoretically, that's... that's comforting..."

"You have to get close to the Shogun, and in order to do that, you have to be able to harden."

"Well, when you're putting it in those terms it isn't helping!"

Graciela rolled her eyes at the two and finally moved forwards. "Ray, how did you get him to turn his powers on the first time?"

Ray tilted his head in thought. His eyes gazed over the stick in his hand, and suddenly he whacked Nate on the side with it.

"Ow!" Nate cried but Ray him a second time.

"Interesting," Graciela mused but Nate was not having fun.

"It worked the last time," Ray almost pouted before continuing to whack Nate, this time on the back of the legs. "Come on. My serum is flawless!"

"The serum was genetically engineered," Graciela set her hands on her hips. "Nate was not. It's probably your lack of focus."

That was like an alarm set off inside Nate. His eyebrows knitted together in outraged anger. "You think I'm not focusing!?"

"Well, you did fool around when I first asked you to train with Ray and then instead of trying to find us after crash landing—on your ass I may add—you waste time with some woman—"

By the time Graciela finished her answer, Nate's anger had risen to the next level. "You don't think I don't want to save the girl, spare the village, and be a hero for once in my damn life? I spent half of my childhood in the hospital where it didn't even occur to me to dream about having superpowers—"

"And did it ever occur to you that I know what it's like to be locked away without any remote possibility of escaping?" Graciela's louder voice was able to cut him off. "I know exactly what it's like to know that you won't amount to anything good in the world. If you knew where I spent the previous year of my life, you would think twice before telling me that," she spat and stormed off.

~0~

Stein and Jax emerged from Rip's secret hatch room with troubled faces, one more than the other.

"Should we tell the others?" Stein inquired over Barry's future message.

"Barry sent the message to Rip and... Graciela, so maybe we shouldn't," Jax bitterly said as he went through the journal he'd insisted on taking. "But this—" he pulled up a photograph from the journal, leaving Stein to wearily stare at it again, "—is something we can't let slide."

A prison mugshot of Graciela was definitely something Stein would never forget.

~0~

Graciela sat lonesomely on the back porch of Masako's home, picking and tossing hay between her hands. She saw Ray's shoes coming towards her but did not initially say something when he sat down beside her. She knew the spectacle she'd made back there. It was completely unnecessary when the situation was so dire.

"Ray, I'm sorry," she surprised him with. He barely blinked when Graciela continued, "I was busy yelling at Nate when you're the one about to lose your suit."

"Well…" Ray hadn't necessarily talked about the fact he was about to lose his most prized possession.

"I'm not a top notch scientist but I know what overload means," Graciela faced him with a sad smile. "I'm sorry." Ray's shoulders slumped forwards, his eyes stuck on his lap. "I should have been more attentive to everyone and not just Nate, I just…" she sighed, shaking her head and throwing the last of her hay. She picked her head up, eyes flickering to the side. "I guess I'm just trying to be like Rip in this...team…"

Ray smiled in amusement. "Are you kidding? Rip would never shout like that, I mean he'd attempt to but Sara would shut him down. You're not like him, and I don't think that you should try."

"He was a good Captain," Graciela said, reminiscent. "I remember him, he was... just...amazing."

"Rip was…" Ray tried to figure out the best word to describe their troublesome Captain. Graciela chuckled as Ray swayed his head with no words coming to mind. "He was one of a kind, I guess, and I think if he left you in charge it was because he thought you were the best woman for the job."

Graciela's eyebrows knitted together, a slight guilt pouring from her. "I'm not so sure," she whispered. She put her hands on her knees and pushed herself up. "But I suppose it's time I stop wondering what Rip wanted and I just start doing what I always do."

"And what would that be?" Ray watched her go.

"Cause trouble," Graciela's eyes glowed purple as she smirked, much more determined now.

~0~

The Shogun made his appearance at the scheduled time the team estimated he would. He first met Nate - who was shot down by Ray's suit - and then moved on to find Masako in the fields. The rest of armed men went on a hunt for the villagers.

Sara stood tall and ready for her looming battle. The gates behind her were shut to keep the villagers protected and they were going to remain that way. Her eyes gazed over the challenger who stared back at her condescendingly. "Rematch?" Sara gave a twirl of her swords.

The man seemed more amused. "Who is your master?"

"I have no master."

"A ronin. You're not worthy of the effort."

Sara's eyebrows raised, her smirk pulling the man into the battle. The two charged at each other with all the intent of winning. Amaya charged on with her totem's help - using the strength of a lion - and went after the other men threatening them.

In another part of the forest, Mick had a run in with the very fantasy he always dreamed of. "I don't want to shoot you guys," he raised his hands, complete with his heat-gun. "I love ninjas."

The three ninjas surrounding him did not feel the appreciation.

Ray was having his own battle against the Shogun himself and was having trouble getting his sword to make damage on the Atom suit. Eventually, the Shogun knocked Ray down with the sword and let it drop to the ground. Just as the Shogun aimed his fist, powered up by the suit, Masako cut in with her family's sword.

"You dishonor my family and torture my village," the woman breathed hard and held her sword ready to use it.

The Shogun sneered and snatched the sword from her and, in the process, pushed Masako down. He raised the sword. "I will enjoy killing you."

Before he could do anything, a steel-covered hand grasped the sword. Nate had finally re-acquired his lost powers and was more than ready to use them for good. "We haven't been introduced. Name's Steel."

Back with Sara and Amaya, Amaya was going through the men as best as she could. Despite her super strength and agility, it did not make her impenetrable. As she was finishing up with one, another was trying to sneak up on her. She kicked the man in front down and heard the rise of a sword behind her. Turning around, she found the sword only midway down because someone else had grabbed it.

Graciela's eyes were fiercely purple, no sign of pain on her face despite the sword cutting her palm. "Game's over," she declared. Her purple energy encased the sword and made its texture rusty enough to break. She raised her boot and smacked it hard against the man's chest.

At the same time, Sara ran past them and appeared to go directly beside her challenger. They both came to a stop, breathing heavily, but the man began to cough. Blood spilled from his mouth and Sara turned around with a smaller blade in hand.

There was silence for a couple of seconds until the three women heard the crunching of footsteps nearing them. Thinking it was another of the Shogun's men, the three prepared themselves. A black-clothed figure stepped out with a familiar heatgun in hand.

Mick pulled off the cowl of his ninja apparel with a biggest grin possible. "Ninjas are so real."

~ 0 ~

When the team returned to the Waverider, they spotted Jax and Stein in the main room having their own personal conversation. As soon as Jax saw the group coming in, he closed down the journal he'd taken from Rip's hatchroom and waited for them all to gather.

"So, is the Waverider good to go?" Graciela came up and planted her hands on the console. She swallowed down her hiss when her bare, cut up palm touched the cold metal of the console.

"Uh, yeah, all good," Stein gave a firm nod and glanced at Jax.

Graciela's eyes flickered from one half of Firestorm to the next, and soon the rest of the team figured there was something off.

"What is it?" Sara asked, crossing her arms.

Stein seemed reluctant but Jax was determined to get some answers. "We found something," Jax took lead and picked up the journal from the console, waving it for the team to see.

"Is that Rip's?" Graciela assumed since the ship did belong to the man after all.

"Yeah, but, uh...it's about you." This is where Jax's suspicions resurfaced. His eyes narrowed on Graciela who blinked and looked back at the team. "Tell us, Graciela, what exactly is this?" Jax raised the mugshot of Graciela for the others to see.

There were various reactions from the team upon seeing the photograph. Sara's eyebrows raised together, clearly interested in the story behind that picture. Ray and Nate's mouths fell open with shock. Amaya's face hardened with even more suspicion against the team as a whole.

Mick was the only one to give a sound of reaction, it being a low grumble. "You just got more interesting."

Graciela passed a hand through her curls and sighed. "I don't think you were supposed to find that…"

"But we did," Jax went around the console with the picture still held for the others. "And you were in jail. You said that before, when you first arrived, but I didn't really think you were being serious."

Graciela snatched the mugshot from him and stared down at her face. She figured this was on her for not telling the team of her backstory, but in her defense she didn't think they would go snooping around and beat her to it.

"What were you in jail for?" Sara asked out loud, knowing that was the question everyone behind her had.

Graciela turned around, lowering the photograph. "Gideon? Pull up my case in the Time Masters' archives, please."

"Of course," Gideon pulled up a hologram a video.

"Play it, please."

The video began to play from where Graciela was forcibly pushed down into an interrogation chair. Her wrists were forced down on the table and kept there like magnets. The team could see two men walking past the camera to stand across Graciela.

"You are being charged with stolen possessions of a Time Master, illegally time travelling and trying to alter history," spoke one particularly deep-voiced man.

Graciela blew some air to get a curl out of her face. She raised her head at the pair of men. "You want me to plead guilty? Fine. Yeah, I did it." There was absolutely no regret in her voice.

"The stolen time watch belonged to Rip Hunter—" the second man began to say, alarming Graciela.

"Hey - I stole it!" she exclaimed. "He didn't even realize I did it. He had nothing to do with it!"

"You also had contact with the Time Master Kai just before making your trip—"

"He also had nothing to do with it," Graciela enunciated slowly for them to understand what she was saying. "I made the decision to go back in time, find Vandal Savage and terminate him. It was all me, alright? Me!" she shouted. She smirked, all too proudly. "And if I could, I would do it all over again."

Graciela gave the order to stop the video. She wouldn't face the others just yet. "A couple hours later is when they would tell me that everything I did in the past wouldn't even matter. Vandal Savage wasn't dead."

"You went back in time to stop Savage?" Sara blinked. "How—we...we were trying to do that!"

"I know, that came after my failed attempt," Graciela sighed heavily. "See, I went back in time about a year ago from my perspective. I went back to Central City 2016 to stop Savage. I met the Flash there and then later the Arrow and the Azalea. All of us fought against Savage, including the reincarnated Hawks, and after fighting, after thinking he was gone...I was arrested." She chewed on her bottom lip. "No jury, no court—I pled guilty and I was sentenced to a life in prison."

"But when the Time Masters were wiped out...then you must have…" Stein moved past Graciela to join the others.

"We were set free, the lot of us. I didn't understand how but the guards there - the remaining Time Masters that weren't in their headquarters didn't know what the hell had happened so...they set us free."

"But why did you go back in time in the first place?" Jax demanded.

Graciela shrugged. She supposed now was a good of a time to tell them the truth. "My name is Graciela, but to a lot of people I'm known as the Jinx. Now that name—that mantle—I took from my mother who took it from her mother and so on. From where I'm from, the Jinx was known as an evil sorceress who was capable of anything. Authorities led by Savage at that point thought it would be in the people's best interests to dissect metas and...my kind of people...and experiment on them. You have no idea how many people I lost to that," she swallowed hard. For the first time, the team was privy to a vulnerable side of her. "My parents were one of those people. My grandmother...important people. They weren't the best people—I certainly am not one either—but they did not deserve to die like lab rats for a dictator."

Her teary eyes and her shaking body reminded the team of Rip when they'd first came along the Waverider. The man had been nothing but determined to stop Savage in the past to prevent his dictatorship in the future and thus save his family. It sounded like Graciela had made a similar decision, only she had been unsuccessful and caught.

"I was sentenced to prison because I made a bad call, but I don't regret it," Graciela clarified. "I'm just sorry it didn't make a damn difference." She put the mugshot on the console and walked off into the corridors. The last thing she wanted was for the others to see her cry.

~ 0 ~

It was beyond Graciela why people would decide to bother her after such a spectacle she made earlier. She was sure it nearing sleeping time - if not it had already passed - so when she heard a light knock on the kitchen threshold and saw none other than Jax coming in. Graciela wasn't upset with him but he certainly wasn't her favorite person at the moment.

"Can I help you?" She stuck a spoon into a carton of ice cream she'd found. There had been a label of 'Sara' but she figured she could replace it before the blonde even found out.

"Um, first I would like to apologize for bringing up your, uh...history," Jax left it at that and forced himself to look at Graciela's sharp eyes. "I just wanted to make sure there was no danger to my friends alright?"

"That's fair," she agreed. "Everyone before me was...pretty bad. Me? I'm...Well, I'm not going to lie, I was a really terrible person. I was a crook, a criminal...and I liked it." She waved her spoon in the air before stabbing her spoon into the ice cream again. "But I like to think that I'm not completely terrible if I managed to switch sides wholeheartedly. I turned a new leaf and ended up leading the rebel team…"

"I'm sorry," Jax reiterated and took a seat across the table. "But I think there's something you need to listen to."

Graciela scoffed and stuck her spoon into her mouth. "Like what?" came her muffled question.

Jax pursed his lips.

~ 0 ~

Graciela followed Jax down the corridor, still eating Sara's ice cream, into Rip's secret hatchroom. She chewed calmly - something that made Jax wince because who the hell chewed ice cream?

"Leave it to Rip to hide the goodies," she mused over a glass display of guns.

"Yeah, that's not why I brought you here," Jax walked up to the large computer screen still holding Barry's message. "At first we didn't know whether or not to show you this—"

"We?" Graciela started for him.

"Stein and I were here earlier," Jax explained but moved on. "And we found this message from, uh, our friend which I guess you know."

Graciela had come up to stand beside him and saw the screen. "Barry Allen? Huh. Never thought I'd see that name again."

"You said you fought Savage together so...you know who the Flash is…?" Jax asked, just to make sure this wasn't a mistake.

"Course I know. And of course I remember him. You should've seen his face when I was arrested in front of him," Graciela held her spoon to the screen. It occurred to her that from where Barry stood, she was still imprisoned. "Did you play the message?"

"Uh, yeah, and we don't really understand it…" Jax admitted. Neither he nor Stein had been able to decode Barry's message despite all the possible topics they came up with. "But maybe you can since you're from the future...and it is addressed to you too."

Graciela made a face at him, but he just went ahead and replayed the message. Despite the good ice cream in her hands, she ended up putting her spoon back in the carton once Barry's message finished playing. Her mouth slightly opened, her eyes widening to match. Jax ultimately decided to leave her with it but was sworn not to say anything to anyone.

Graciela put her ice cream carton on the desk and stared at the screen. There were various questions that came to mind, starting with what the hell had Barry changed that would now alter the future. But then another curious thing caught her attention - why would Barry address the message to Rip and her? This ship belonged solely to Rip, people probably knew that. So...why would Barry think otherwise?

Author's Note:

So here we are with a basic overview of Graciela's background. We'll see more as the story goes on! Once again, Graciela is not the original Jinx. She's a descendant!

#ocappreciation #arrowverseocs #legends of tomorrow #rip unter #lot #fd: legends of tomorrow #legends of tomorrow fics #lot fics #rip hunter fics #legends of tomorrow imagines #lot imagines #rip hunter imagines #oc: Graciela Haynez #oc: the Jinx #fic: redemption

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imagineseclipse · 5 years

Text

Two different worlds-Chuck Bass Imagine

Listen to Surprise Yourself by Jack Garratt

You had come to the city in search of peace and quiet and what you had found was the complete opposite, you had found Chuck Bass. Arriving as Dan Humphrey’s bestfriend from childhood you never thought that you would be sucked into the world of fame and fortune you never wanted to be sucked into it all.

‘Speak and open up your mind, it’s something you should do all the time’

6 hour earlier

“You know this really isn’t for me”you shook your head at Serena and Blair who were stood in front of you, their arms folded. This was an argument you were definitely about to lose.

“Serena I’m disappointed in you, this dress is so 2003”Blair’s mouth fell open in disappointment and disgust as she eyed the dress you were wearing. You and Blair didn’t agree on much but this dress was seriously a bad idea, this whole idea was just... a bad idea.

“Fine well you find something then”Serena held up her hands, defeated by the brunette who stood firm next to her. If Serena failed to argue against Blair Waldorf then you had no chance.

“I will find something”she snapped as she entered her closet full to the brim with designer dresses.

“There’s no need to find a dress, I’m not going anymore...in fact I don’t think I ever remember agreeing to come anyway”you spoke up again, raising your eyebrows at Serena who was twirling her blonde hair around her finger.

“Oh come on y/n, it will be fun it’s a masquerade ball they are always fun”Serena pinched your arm, you swatting her away in response.

“It’s not fun when gossip girl is waiting around the corner just waiting to shred the newbie to pieces”you shuddered at the thought.

“You aren’t new anymore you’ve been living here for six months now you can’t use that excuse”Blair wiggled her eyebrows as she lay a white glittering sequin dress down next to you, pulling you up from your comfortable bed.

“And see how well I’ve done? Nobody knows who I am and I would like for it to stay that way”you gave them a warning glare.

Serena and Blair shared a knowing look, they were always in the spotlight and they understood that you didn’t want to be part of the drama, but as their new bestfriend the two of them wanted to show you off to everyone. You had met Nate and Chuck multiple times during your stay in the city and Serena and Blair had sworn them to secrecy, they weren’t allowed to tell anyone of your existence.

Truth was you had your secrets, of course the group knew about them, how could they not know. That’s why they understood your need to remain in the shadows.

“You’ll be wearing a mask”Serena persuaded you, batting her eyelids.

“That may work on Dan but it’s not going to work with me sis”you laughed, letting Blair unzip your dress.

“You and Dan are basically the same person so I figure-

“Nate will be there”Blair quickly blurted out. A blush swept across your face and you suddenly became light headed. Your small crush on Nate Archibald was no longer a small crush and it was obvious. Well to his two ex girlfriends it was. To say it was awkward at first would be an understatement.

Serena’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Nate will be there”she hummed. You wanted to throw a tantrum but really hearing that Nate Archibald would be attending the same ball made your teenage heart skip a beat.

“I guess I can spare like an hour of my time”you rolled your eyes, although you were really regretting it.

“Brilliant let’s get you all dolled up doll”Blair grinned as she tugged at your hair straightening it.

Blair&Serena 1-0 Y/N

“Is it too late for me to back out and go home?”You bit your lip, looking cautiously out into the great hall, people began to walk past and gather in the ballroom.

“Yes”Serena and Blair barked at you in unison as they ushered you towards the top of the staircase leading down onto the first floor.

You let out a deep breath, before taking a step out being pulled back towards the two girls.

“Your mask”Serena reminded you as Blair placed the white mask across your face.

“thank-you”you nodded squeezing both their hands before descending down the staircase. For a second time froze and it felt like all eyes were on you. Truly they were. Who was this beautiful angel in her trailing white gown?

Chuck Bass knew exactly who it was, and he couldn’t believe his eyes... well he could.

‘Keep exploring, seek and find. You know you might surprise yourself’

The whole way down the stairs you were concentrating on your breathing and your pathway. The heels you were wearing didn’t exactly help at all but you had to make it down the stairs without falling otherwise you really would be the talk of Gossip Girls blog for like a week.

You never noticed the pair of eyes looking out for you.

When you reached the bottom you found yourself separating unintentionally from Serena and Blair which was fantastic. Note the sarcasm, it was actually a nightmare.

You wandered through the crowd, lost. Deciding that your entrance was too much for you already you made your way towards an empty room, managing to open it with ease you came across a sight that was sore for the eyes. Your eyes in particular.

Nate Archibald and your old friend Vanessa were latched onto eachother, caressing eachother and it was like it had knocked you backwards.

Nate and Vanessa pulled apart before their heads snapped in your direction.

“Sorry for interrupting”you choked out before turning around, rushing back into the crowd. It was lucky you were wearing a mask, nobody could see the tears glistening as they ran down your cheeks.

Nate stood frozen, his mouth falling open.

“Wh-who was that?”he stuttered, it was selfish of him but he wanted to run after you. From the sound of your voice he knew he recognised you but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He knew it was bad that all he wanted to do was find you when he had just been making out with Vanessa but he couldn’t help it. Too good looking for your own good Archibald.

“I don’t know?”Vanessa’s eyebrows furrowed together not really giving you a second thought, I guess your disguise was that good, not even your friend of 12 years knew that it was you as she kissed your crush again.

You stumbled through the dance floor, bumping into people on the way. Your dress started to get caught in your heels and there was still no sign of Blair or Serena. They were probably caught up in their own drama.

A hand clasped around yours, spinning you around before you could exit. Before you knew it you were face to face with a gentleman sporting a red mask, he almost resembled the devil. At that point you should have left, but something about this man was drawing you closer. Like it was reeling you in. You really are selling your soul here y/n.

“Dance with me?”he slyly grinned, speaking in hushed tones.

“I don’t have a choice do i?”you rolled your eyes as the figure led you deeper into the dance floor. He shook his head knowingly.

Your chances of escaping were slowly slipping away thanks to this curious party guest.

He pulled your body closer to his, wrapping his arms around your waist. You squinted at your dance partner, your mouth forming an ‘o’ shape.

“You’re the last person I expected to see here, what are you doing here y/n?”he growled into your ear.

“Nice to see you too Chuck”you sighed as you swayed back and forth with him.

“No one else realised it was me, Nate didn’t even know so how did you?”you tilted your head to the side.

“That’s because Nate doesn’t see you”Chuck replied with a frown.

“Ouch”you joked.

“I see you” he blurted out.

“What?”You asked confused.

“I see you, I always have seen you”Chuck mumbled in a low voice.

You let out a laugh.

“Oh no, you are definitely not using that on me Bass”you shook your head, as his grip on your waist tightened.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”Chuck frowned. His mask still covering his face, you couldn’t take him seriously, although his red mask really was fitting. It suited him. Chuck Bass was living proof that the devil really does wear Prada.

“Whatever plans you have, you know trying to seduce me so I’ll spend the night with you? It’s not going to work with me, you should know that by now”you warned as he twirled you around, your eyes meeting his again as he held your hand. Your fingers intertwining.

You could tell that his eyebrows were furrowed with confusion behind his mask as he tried to find the right words to say to you. Your eyes did a quick scan of the busy room once more, landing on Nate and Vanessa who were at the edge of the dance floor.

Nate looked as if he was looking for someone and you didn’t doubt for one second that he was looking for you. Chuck’s pupils followed yours, rolling his eyes when he noticed you staring at Nate. When Archibald finally caught sight of you he took a step forwards leaving Vanessa with Dan. Alexa play the song ‘Too little Too Late’ by JOJO.

“We gotta get out of here”you whispered to Chuck.

A genuine grin spread across his face as he took your other hand in his. His heart did a little flip when you say ‘We’ instead of ‘I’.

“I thought you’d never say those words”he breathed out leading you away from the many people, leading you away from Nate.

“Behave yourself Chuck”you smiled as he pushed the fire exit doors open, revealing a staircase going up to the rooftop.

The two of you ripped your masks off, letting the cold air hit your faces. Your hair was all over the place at this point, Chuck took a second to take in your features, he was head over heels in love with you and it had hit him like a tonne of bricks.

“You g-go first”he stuttered out for the first time, losing confidence. This was abnormal to him, he’d never met anyone who could make him feel this nervous but this alive.

You shot him an award winning smile before slipping off your heels, wandering up the staircase your dress dragging along behind you. Chuck immediately lifted the trail of your dress, carrying it behind you as you made your way towards the roof. He really was the perfect gentleman when he was around you.

When the two of you reached the top you let out a sigh of relief. Chuck’s eyes finally peeled themselves away from you, looking out into the night at the beautiful cityscape. It was your turn to notice Chuck who stood next to you.

“Talk without a taint or hold, The doubts that should embrace your heart”

Something was different, Chuck looked different to you. Maybe it was the small amount of alcohol you had ingested or maybe it was just you realising that Chuck Bass was meant to be next to you. You really did compliment eachother. Whatever you had felt for Nate was simply attraction but this...this was something much more. Chuck Bass had always been so much more to you and you wanted to slap yourself because you were only realising this now.

You opened your mouth to speak but the words weren’t forming.

“Chuck-

“I’m not trying to seduce you y/n”he stressed, his hands running though his brown hair.

“Not yet anyway”he added with his signature smirk.

You swatted his arm lightly.

“So what is this then?”you asked curiously, your hair flying along with the wind. You found yourself not only just asking about that night, but asking about all the other moments you and Chuck had before that. The two of you were now standing alongside eachother looking out into the city.

“I wasn’t sure myself, until I found you tonight”he turned to you.

“In truth, Nate Archibald does not deserve you, he doesn’t deserve this- his hands gestured to you. To the whole of you.

-he doesn’t deserve this and definitely not this”he lightly tapped your head and then his finger fell to your chest where your heart resided. He could feel your heartbeat rise.

“Then who does deserve my heart”you whispered noticing that you and Chuck had grown closer. Although you already knew the answer.

“I do”he simply muttered before pressing his lips into yours. You kissed him back. Of course you did. He was Chuck Bass and you were Y/N Y/L/N. You were from two different worlds but that never mattered.

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veryscaredenby · 4 years

Text

The Frying Pan Colon D, A Gay Pirate Story

Prologue

“So you’ll do it?”

It was dark in the tavern, loud with the conversation of patrons, and the tailor could barely make out the general shape or sound of the cloaked figure sitting across from him on the other side of the table. He hoped that he had the right person, or this would be an awkward conversation. This wasn’t exactly something he could discuss freely with just anyone. From what he could discern, the person across from him was relatively short, and quite relaxed, as their feet were laid upon the table as they leaned back in their chair. Nice boots though, he decided, as they were very close to his face.

“You want me to kidnap the princess huh? I ain’t stupid. and I’m assuming you have at least a few brain cells up there.” The figure leaned forward, their face under the shadow of their hood now illuminated by the candle light. They had soft features but a mischievous smirk, and dark, wavy hair covering half of their left eye. “So you’re gonna have to give me real good reason as to why I should do this.”

They leaned back in their chair again, kicking their feet back on top of the table while the tailor patted his jacket, searching for the sack of coins he had stashed away somewhere, and became curious as to who this person really was and how good their relationship to the owner of the tavern might be. She was known for being quiet yet powerful. enough to scare people from coming back, so he had to wonder how the cloak bearer had the confidence to dirty the table with their boots. Finding the pouch in a pocket, he let out a small sigh of relief and ceased his wondering. He slid it across the table, and it landed next to their ankle. The mysterious tavern-goer looked at the pouch questioningly, and then to the tailor.

“Money is great and all, but I’m gonna need more of a reason to risk me and my crew’s life,” they remarked, a serious look now on their face.

“A reason?” The tailor was told that this was the person who could get any job done while they were in town, through sometimes shady means. He hadn’t prepared mentally to tell a tale, however real it may be.

“I told you I ain’t stupid. Gimme a reason and I’ll consider it. Come on, you expect me to believe you have no motive for this. This ain’t a petty crime, this is kidnapping a member of the royal family.” Their arms were now crossed over their chest as they looked towards the ceiling, possibly in deliberation. “At least give me a name. I need to find you to give you my answer. I’ll need to talk to my crew first.”

“Nathaniel!” The talior yelled suddenly, not meaning to be as loud as he ended up being, catching the eyes of a few other tavern-goers. “Ah, my name, it’s Nathaniel,” he spoke lowly this time, embarrassed and looking away. His table-mate raised an eyebrow at him, but spoke nothing of the outburst.

“Alright Nate. Can you give me some epic angsty backstory about your relationship with the princess or will I just have to wait till tomorrow.” Nate blushed and stuttered, trying to defend his honor against these assumptive claims. “Oh chill out I was only joking. I figured you must know her if you’re set on having me kidnap her. Maybe more then just know her. I must say this is not what I expected of you.” The cloaked fiend laughed, eyeing “Nate”.

“It’s not what you’re thinking! It’s not like that at all!” he was flustered and had only now realized what the other person had just said. “Wait, tomorrow?”

“Like I said, need time to deliberate, and since you don’t seem eager to tell me why I should do this, you’ll have to wait till tomorrow for your answer.” They swung their legs down again, this time turning to lean against the rough, brick wall on their left.

Nothing was said for a few moments; until he findlay had the courage to speak up. “I love her.” Nathaniel whispered lowly, embarrassed again, blush severely worsened, though there was not a drink to be seen on their table. The dark haired mystery’s eyes widened, and they looked towards the boy, though he could very well be the same age.

“I’m sorry, I must have misheard you, because I thought you said you love-“

“I do! I-“ he paused again, taking a deep breath, “I love her very much.”

“So you want me to kidnap her?” They looked at him as if he had grown an extra head.

“You don’t understand-!”

“Then tell me, for the love of sunshine!” They interrupted this time, and Nathaniel looked frustrated, trying to plan out his words.

“She’s getting married.”

“Oh cheese and crackers-“

“To someone she doesn’t know or love! She’s getting married in five days and she’s going to ruin her own life. We’ve been friends since we were little and I just can’t stand by and watch the woman I love get married off to someone she’s never met! She was supposed to be with me!” Nathaniel was standing now, having pushed his chair back and he stood, clenching the sides of the table in his fists, and ignoring any looks from their judge-y fellow customers.

“Sit down,” the person sighed, and he did. They sat in silence for a while while they both thought, until they finally spoke up again. “Alright. Meet me here, same time tomorrow and I’ll have your answer.” The nameless identity got up from their seat and began to walk away from the table and further into the tavern.

“Wait!” Nathaniel called out, stopping the cloaked figure. They sighed and turned back around. Nathaniel could now get a better look at the person and noticed they were on their bigger side and notably shorter then he had assumed, at only about five feet and a few inches, with abnormally purple hair, the most stringing feature. “What’s your name? What do I call you?”

“People around here will usually call me Sting, so I would go with that.” They put their hands in their pockets with a shrug.

“Usually?”

“Well of course those who know me better will call me by my name but I can’t exactly go giving that out, now can I?”

“I suppose not.” Nathaniel was truly baffled. He hadn’t met many people in general so this was an experience.

“Exactly. Now I’ll fetch a rag to wipe off the mess I made on our table and I’ll be on my way.” Sting turned around again and walked towards the bar, gesturing back behind him to their forgotten table with boot markings on it. “Wouldn’t be very ‘groovy’ of me to just leave it now would it?” They chucked, and with that Nathaniel had decided he had had enough for one night, and went to leave the tavern.

_______

0. Prologue

1. Chapter 1

An: Ok well I never said I was a good author I just said I had an idea I wanted to write out. This is my first story I’ve posted on here so I’m kinda nervous about it but I guess we’ll see how it goes. Most of the characters are based off of my friends and the mc is just me, I didn’t even change the first name lol. This is self fulfillment alright. This chapter is just the prologue and is shorter then the next one will be.

Also disclaimer I know nothing about Pirates or anything really, so if something is just wrong let me know and I might fix it. It’s also just a stupid story I’m writing so...yeah. I am planning to do some actual research though, eventually. Anyways I hope whoever finds this enjoys it.

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we-are-the-rebellion · 4 years

Text

Everything Is Gonna Be Fine - File 005

Date: 3/5/215

Incoming signal: Hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me? Is there anyone in the wasteland listening to me? Fuck, this is hopeless… We don’t even know if people are alive out there, we’ve never left the region because of the horror stories we’ve heard. CeeCee are you sure? …Yeah, right. Ahem! I’m Nate, I’m from the Eastern OQ region, and for the last ten years I’ve been fighting in, well to put it lightly, a pretty nasty civil war. The group I was with has been mostly killed or captured and our leader is missing, presumed dead. Please, if someone is out there and can hear this, we need supplies. Wait what’s- Shit! CeeCee get down they found-

Outgoing message: Nous vous entendons. Sur routre chemin.

__________________________

Date: 13/6/215

Location: Prison Complex, Ottowa, Ontario-Quebec Region

Nate choked out a sob and wrapped the younger man in a tight, one-armed hug. Lewis was surprised at first but slowly leaned into it.

“I’m okay.” he assured. “I’m fine.” Nate nodded, but didn’t let go. Lewis pushed him back. “We’re on a bit of a time crunch, we can talk later.” he said softly but firmly. Nate took a deep breath.

“Yeah... Yeah, of course.” he muttered, pulling back fully and looking into Lewis’ eyes for an answer. Lewis looked behind him at Zander.

“Hey man, you good to move?” Zander tried his best to sit up.

“Not really, it’ll hurt like a bitch and I might lose a few non-essential organs, but if you’re here to break me out I’ll tough it out.” he replied, wincing. Lewis and Nate frowned at each other.

“Zander...” Nate said in a “concerned mom” tone of voice. Lewis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Well, I would just break Nate and CeeCee out and come back for you, but...”

“We’re not leaving him here.” Nate insisted, folding his right arm over his stump.

“Oh so you’re part of the rescue committee now?” Lewis snapped.

“Hey! Stop fighting. Make up your minds.” Zander barked at them, coughing at the strain he had put on his voice. “If you have to, leave me here. I get that I’ll be a pain to carry, and the guards here are gonna shoot you to pieces if you aren’t quick. Just don’t waste time fighting over what to do with me.”

Nate swallowed. He hated that Zander was right, and he hated how calmly Zander was accepting this. He had always been ready to give up his life for the cause, even now that it was over.

“No. Shut the fuck up Zander, we’re gonna get you out. Somehow.” Lewis insisted. He muttered and pulled out a comm device. “Where the fuck are they... Come on come on...”

He jumped when the door opened, but relaxed when the “guard” who came in took off their helmet to reveal Milo, very flushed and out of breath.

“Where’s Tara?” Lewis questioned him, pulling him into the room and closing the door. Milo shrugged, the mute boy signing something to Lewis. Nate didn’t quite catch all of it, but he understood that he was saying something about CeeCee. Lewis nodded. “Alright, cool. Nate, help Zander up.” Nate nodded, going over to Zander’s side.

“You ready man?” he asked, sliding his arm under Zander’s shoulders and lifting him up. Zander winced but nodded, pushing himself up. Nate slowly eased him up, helping him swing his legs over the side of the bed and stand up. The burns on his leg still looked horrific, but the bruising on his side was clearly the root of most of his pain. Even though it had been a few months, the abhorrent “care” the elites had given him hadn’t helped his injuries. Once he was fully up on his feet, he let out a small yelp and nearly collapsed. Nate held him up, trying to have a firm enough grip to keep him from passing out without hurting him.

Milo and Lewis signed to each other passionately, occasionally checking a small comm device for a signal. Nate helped Zander limp his way over to them.

“What’s the plan?” Zander asked. Lewis looked up at him.

“We have one more person, we have to wait for them. I told them to get CeeCee but they aren’t back yet and they aren’t telling me anything, so honestly we may be fucked.” he sighed, running a hand through his greasy blonde hair. Zander’s face darkened at the thought that CeeCee could be in danger. He knew that the guards would kill her if they saw her trying to escape, no questions asked.

“How reliable is your friend?” he asked Lewis. He needed to know what the chances were that he’d be able to see CeeCee again.

“They’re the best.” Lewis assured him.

“And CeeCee’s better than the best, you know that. If anyone could make it out of here it’s her.” Nate added. Zander nodded, anxiety still clouding his head.

After a few moments, Lewis sighed.

“I would love to wait for Tara, but we have to go. They might still be able to get out on their own, but we have to leave.” Zander closed his eyes. He understood.

“Then let’s go.” Milo and Lewis both gave him sympathetic looks before putting on the helmet disguises and opening the door.

__________________________

CeeCee was perfectly fine with breaking herself out, which was essentially what she was doing at this point. Someone in an elite guard uniform had opened her cell, motioned for her to come out, refused to touch her and then opened a vent and crawled inside. Unfortunately for CeeCee, this person was quite a lot thinner than she was.

“I’m a big girl, you think I can fit in there?” she asked, peering into the narrow crawl space. The person looked at her blankly and shrugged. She had a sinking suspicion that this person was either deaf or didn’t speak the same language as she did. The person hesitated, but eventually they crawled through the vent and disappeared. Which was fine. CeeCee could handle herself, and this person was not obligated to risk their life to save her. It was just slightly odd that someone who couldn’t speak to her, didn’t want to touch her and couldn’t bring her with them would open her cell door and make it appear that they were here to break her out.

Oh well, life was weird. The only thing to do was to get out of here as fast as fucking possible, which was exactly what she planned to do. She slunk along the wall of the corridor, always looking behind her shoulder. She needed to find a weapon. There, just across the hall, an armed guard... Could she take them? She hadn’t been able to take care of her body the last few months, she didn’t know if she was strong enough to have a proper fight. She needed to be stealthy. She took a deep breath, walking up to them, measuring every footstep. Every step had to be quiet. Every breath had to be held. Once she was behind the guard, she leaped up, wrapping her arm around his neck in a headlock, pulling him down. The guard was taller than her, most people were since she was only 5′0, but she could use that to her advantage. Forcing someone who was six feet tall to bend over backwards to her height was a particular favorite tactic.

“Give me your gun.” she growled. The guard choked and clawed at her arm, but she didn’t let him go.

“Get off him!” barked a voice from behind her. She spun around. A new guard was running up to her, but behind him was-

“Zander?” she gasped, dropping the guard. Zander looked up at her and his eyes widened.

“CeeCee! Oh my life, CeeCee.”

She took a better look around her. The two “guards” were actually... Lewis and Milo? Lewis was still alive?

“What’s goin’ on?” she asked as Nate helped Zander limp over to her.

“We’re breaking out.” Nate answered matter of factly.

“Where’s Tara?” Lewis asked. CeeCee shook her head, trying to back up.

“Tara? Breaking out? The fuck is happening?” Lewis looked around at the other men.

“Tara is supposed to be breaking you out.” CeeCee remembered the strange person who disappeared into the vent.

“Yeah, she disappeared. I dunno where the fuck she went.”

“They.”

“Sorry, they disappeared.” Lewis cursed under his breath.

“Fuck.”

Zander coughed and everyone turned around to him.

“No time... To talk.” he said with another cough. CeeCee felt her heart break.

“We have to get him out of here.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.” Zander shook his head vehemently.

“No, you should leave me here, I’ll weigh you down. You have to go.” CeeCee grabbed his shirt collar with her left hand and yanked him forward.

“Alexander Ashworth, shut the actual fuck up. If you were any more damn stupid I’d swear that all those years around Kenji sapped your ability to make rational thoughts.” she snapped, roughly grabbing him away from Nate and starting to carry him away. “Y’all coming?” she shouted back at the three other men, who were just standing in shock. They quickly shook themselves out of their surprise and scurried along behind her. Zander laughed quietly to himself.

“I love you.” he whispered. CeeCee would’ve been more than happy to return the sentiment, but right now she was focused on getting her idiot boyfriend out of here.

Something didn’t feel right about all of this. This was way too easy.

“Lewis, did you kill the alarms on your way in?” CeeCee asked.

“We were going to, but they were all disconnected already. It was weird, but we didn’t have time to question it.” he responded, looking over his shoulder. She swallowed nervously.

“Now may be a good time to question it. I think that they’re setting up a trap for us.” Milo looked over at her, eyes wide, before roughly jabbing Lewis in the ribs and signing “I fucking told you so.” Lewis winced and looked down.

“I don’t know man... I thought maybe we were having some good luck.” Nate sighed.

“When have we ever had good luck, Lewis?” CeeCee chimed in, doing her best to look authoritative while also struggling to hold up Zander. Nate frowned at her.

“So... Now what?” Zander coughed, less in a “I’m dying” kind of way and more in a “notice me” sort.

“I swear on my father’s body that if you tell me to leave you and save myself, I’m gonna make sure you’re the only person who leaves here alive.” CeeCee hissed at him. He smiled at her weakly.

“I know. But I really am just weighing you down, and if shit hits the fan then you won’t be able to drag me all the way out there.”

“You don’t fuckin’ know what I can or can’t do.” she snapped. Zander sighed.

“CeeCee... Baby, I-”

Before he could finish, a siren started blaring.

“I guess they fixed the alarms.” Lewis sighed, grabbing Nate and Milo and pulling them along behind him as he started to sprint.

__________________________

Zander appreciated so much that CeeCee would stick with him no matter what. He loved her so much, and that was why he was going to sacrifice himself for her when she couldn’t carry him anymore. He couldn’t be dragged around by her, risking her life and the lives of Nate, Milo, Lewis and maybe even Lewis’ friend Tara. There was only one hitch in his plan; CeeCee had a very strong grip on him and was one of the most determined people who had ever lived. There was no way she was going to let him go.

“Shit! Fuck! Fuck!” Lewis shouted as he sprinted furiously down the halls of the prison complex. Guards had been alerted to the security breach and weren’t at all happy about it. A bullet whizzed over Milo’s head, narrowly missing him. Nate looked like he very much wanted to say something but was just in for the proverbial ride. Zander felt useless, like a slab of meat. He couldn’t run, couldn’t fight, could barely even stand up. How was he supposed to keep up? He couldn’t keep up, which meant CeeCee couldn’t keep up. A gunshot echoed in the corridor. Blood? No, they were fine. Keep running. Keep up.

“Fuck, fuck, keep running. Keep going.” Lewis was chanting, a reminder to himself. Keep going. Keep up.

The entrance was there. So close. Guards, blocking the way to freedom. No, not freedom, but close enough. As close as they could get.

“What do we do?” CeeCee called out. Nobody knew, but someone had to answer. Another gunshot. It sounded further away. One of the guards at the door fell, the others turned around.

Sirens still blared, so loud, so close, everywhere. How could anyone focus in here? They couldn’t, too loud.

“Just run.” Nate answered. That was all they could do. No time to focus, no time for questions. Just run. Just hope that running would work. So they ran. Zander felt like he was going to pass out. As he kept forcing his body to go beyond its limit, he suddenly felt like he was out of his body. That wasn’t it. He felt like he was still inside his body, but there was no control. Only beating heart, heavy breaths. Only running. Only sweat, dripping down his forehead and back. He couldn’t control his movements. He couldn’t control it when he collapsed.

__________________________

Tag list: @thereasontherumisgone @germanmetal

#dystopia #dystopian canada #nate sharp #lewis spiorad #dystopian world #mike shinoda fine #everything is gonna be fine #rebellion #zander ashworth #ceecee camryn #dystopian

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