#second honorable mention: little nightmares. but they get a pass since they’re Actual children. not teens and up. but still on this ice.

[lurkingismypastime]

Me, adding rows and rows of tag filters just to avoid infantalizing fics like:

This post is about peter parker. And little ghost. And cal kestis. And bruce banner. And several pjo characters. And-

[helliontherapscallion]

Unexpected Encounters (Adrenaline Junkie Part 8)

Part 1     Part 2     Part 3     Part 4     Part 5     Part 6     Part 7     Part 9     Part 10     Part 11     Part 12     Part 13     Part 14     Part 15     Part 16     Part 17

Spotify Playlist (collaborative)

Warnings: minor swearing

Word count: 2,775

You walked down the now worn cobblestone path towards the main plaza of the village by Philza’s house. Whistling the first verse of the L’manberg national anthem, you wove slightly at the crowd of people gathered at the stands that littered the sides of the street. 

The village was much larger than the entire L’manberg nation. It had several different precincts with a large, diverse group of people and a few hybrids living there. It also had more amenities like shops, a library (which, to your delight, grew expansively to include more books on inventions, some being exclusively about yours. They were proud people that embraced whatever fame comes out of the area), and multiple towering office buildings.

Everything’s changed since you’ve last been here a year ago. What was now more modern used to be traditional. What was loosely populated was now bustling with people. What used to be barren was now chock full of shops and apartment complexes. It was kind of jarring to see this much change in a little over a year.

In retrospect, it was jarring how much you changed in a little over a year. The hallucinations have finally almost completely stopped along with the nightmares. They only came about once a week now. You were slowly reincorporating green back into your wardrobe. Your phantom pain has retreated into your subconscious. It was always going to be with you, so you got used to the constant pain and tingling feeling. You learned to appreciate the small things in life and just live in the moment so you would have something positive to look back on in the future.

You invented several different gadgets to help your brothers win the L’manberg War of Independence such as a portable TNT launcher, handheld long-distance communication devices (which you affectionately dubbed walkie talkies since you could walk and talk! Wilbur and Tommy were not as enthusiastic of the name as you were), and a redstone powered crossbow that continuously fired arrows until you released the trigger. Though all of your inventions were practically your babies, they did not come anywhere close to trumping your magnum opus: your metal fully functioning wing. 

After several mishaps and failed attempts, you finally made your wing correspond to the electrical impulses in your muscles so that it copied the movements of your flesh wing. It’s built out of a lightweight hollow iron and has feather shaped metal pieces protruding off from it to emulate your other wing. It was a sleek silver color that always caught a ray of sunshine and reflected it to another place. It was basically permanently attached to your body by now due to it being a pain to take on and off. It was just easier and more efficient to keep it on constantly. 

People around you stared, some in awe and some in admiration. A stark difference from when you first lost your wing. Sometimes, you resented them for treating you differently just because your name became more widely known, but you were always a firm believer that everyone deserves a second chance. Even attention seeking, unscrupulous assholes looking for cheap brownie points from their peers because ‘I knew them before they were discovered! I knew them personally, we were, like, really close!’ So for now, you tried to ignore the ugly indignation bubbling in your gut and threatening to spew out in a string of hurtful words. You were sick of being angry, especially now that L’manberg is at peace. 

You passed several people who pointed at you and whispered amongst themselves. Ignoring them, you continued onward with your head held high and your wings folded in tightly to avoid children grabbing and pulling them with their grubby little hands. It always took you a while to clean and preen them after people touched them. You hated cleaning off fingerprints and grime from the smooth metal.

Walking with a sense of purpose, you continued onwards passing multiple shops and stands until you finally reached the butcher. Opening the decorated glass door, a little bell chimed alerting the burly man behind the counter of your presence. Like the others, he stared wide-eyed at you with his lips slightly parted in shock. Great, another exhausting encounter. 

Putting on a polite smile, you broke the silence of the meat shop. “Hello, I’m here to buy half a pound of fresh ground beef. Would you by chance have any in stock?” That seemed to snap him out of his stupor.

“O-of course, I’ll get that for you right away.”

He disappeared into the backroom where frosty fog rolled out in tiny clouds. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all. Maybe he wouldn’t ask any questions or try to get to know you on a personal level.

He returned in a hurry, slapping the wrapped beef onto the counter and giving you a price. Reaching into your wallet for the cash, you paid him generously. “Keep the change.”

“I-thank you, Mx. Minecraft.”

Putting the beef into your satchel, you gave him a more genuine smile. “Don’t mention it.”

Briskly walking out, you made a beeline for the village’s main entrance. You couldn’t stand the feeling of constantly being watched and talked about anymore. Why couldn’t they treat you like a normal person? In your opinion, you were, well, you. Nothing was special about you.

As you were about to cross the threshold of the village, you heard footsteps behind you.

“HEY! MX. MINECRAFT I NEED TO TALK TO YOU.”

Stopping dead in your tracks, you closed your eyes and took a few steadying breaths so that you wouldn’t lash out at this person. You just wanted to go to your childhood home and have a nice, peaceful dinner with your dad. Was that too much to ask? 

Opening your eyes and plastering on a fake smile, you turned around and greeted him. He was a young boy, probably around eleven or twelve years old. His clothes and shaggy auburn hair were disheveled and he had dirt smeared on his face. “Hello, to whom may I owe the pleasure?”

He put his hands on his knees and tried to talk between gasping breaths. “Mx, my name’s Arthur Fox, i-it’s truly an honor to meet you. I’ve admired your work since before the war in L’manberg. You’re an amazing inventor and I wanna be just like you when I grow up. I- oooh I’m sorry, I’m rambling aren’t I?” He kind of reminded you of Tubbo in a strange way.

“No, you’re fine Arthur. Thank you for being a fan of my work, but I must get going. I have an important meeting to attend to.” You weren’t exactly lying to the young boy. Turning on your heel, you started to walk off only to feel a hand on your arm.

“Mx, I need to talk to you.”

“I really have to get going, Arthur. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“No, it’s important.”

You struggled to keep the smile on your face as you shrugged his arm off as politely as you could. This kid is determined. Too determined. “So’s my meeting. I have to go.” You started to walk off into the beaten forest path.

“Do you know about The Warden?”

You halted abruptly and sharply turned around. You let your smile and polite stature drop into pursed lips and sharp eyes.

“...Of course I do. Everyone does.”

Flinching slightly, he quickly recovered his confident facade. “No, that’s not what I meant. Do you know about The Warden?”

“Like I said,” you played stupid, “everybody does. Who doesn’t?”

He puffed his cheeks out in frustration. “Ugh, how could someone so smart be so stupid at the same time? I mean you met it didn’t you? It took your wing.”

You took a step forward and narrowed your eyes, fully facing him now. “How do you know about that? Who told you?” 

He stepped back. “I-I heard rumors a couple of years back that it got someone. I heard your name thrown around here and there.”

You gave him enough of a warning that you didn’t want to talk, but he ignored it and now he has to reap the consequences. At this point, you were so tired and drained from everyone trying to be buddy-buddy with you that you finally snapped. The only thing you wanted was to go home, you did not need this right now. 

“Well, Arthur, you shouldn’t pry into other people’s business. I’ve told you time and time again that I have to leave, yet you persist to stop me. Why? And where are your parents, didn’t they teach you any manners?”

He looked downwards and fiddled with his fingers. “They’re dead. T-The Warden took someone important to me. I… I thought you might be able to help me.”

Shit, you just yelled at a grieving orphan. You were a massive asshole weren’t you? Your eyes softened slightly and you frowned. “...I’m sorry for your loss. Is there anything I could do to make it up to you? Dinner perhaps? We can talk about how I could help you afterwards.”

He glanced up at you. “But-but what about your meeting.”

You winced. “Uh, I’m moving it forward, we have more pressing matters.” You paused awkwardly. “Do… Do you have anybody to ask permission? Any siblings?”

His shoulders drooped. “...No. I’m all by myself.”

Shit, you yelled at a grieving homeless orphan? God what kind of role model were you? 

“C’mon, kid. We’re going to my house.” 

His wordlessly followed you and avoided looking into your eyes. The walk to your childhood home was very awkward, neither of you attempted starting conversation. You sighed.

“Look, Arthur I’m sorry for yelling at you like that. That was really uncalled for, I shouldn’t have yelled or gotten mad. It’s just that- The Warden’s a… touchy subject for me.”

“It’s alright, Mx. Minecraft. You can make it up to me by… making me dinner and showing me some of your blueprints?”

He looked up to you with hope filled, sparkling eyes. You snorted. “It’s a deal, kid. We’re almost there.” 

You could see the silhouette of the house in the nearly setting sun. It was still the same as when you left a year ago. 

“Ya know,” you sighed out, “this is actually my Dad’s house. I’m just visiting him for a couple of weeks.”

“Where do you live then?”

“I live in the heart of L’manberg with my brothers.”

“That’s cool…” He trailed off. You frowned, it seems that he was nervous to meet your Dad. You probably should’ve mentioned that Philza was there to him before taking him here.

You stopped, grabbing Arthur’s shoulders. “Kid, you don’t have to worry about meeting my dad. He’s probably the kindest, most genuine man I’ve ever met. He’ll welcome you with open arms, that’s what he did with me and my three brothers. He adopted us all.”

He gave you a small smile. “Alright, Mx. Minecraft, I trust you.”

“Oh, please don’t call me ‘Mx. Minecraft’, it makes me feel ancient,” you lolled your head back and dramatically groaned out, making him giggle. “I just turned twenty, buddy. Feel free to call me (y/n).”

 Putting your hand on his shoulder, you led him to the front door. You twisted the old door knob and pushed the wooden door open.

“Dad, I’m home and I brought the beef!”

He popped his head out from the kitchen, his messy blond hair flopping onto his face. He gave you a joking smile. “Took you long enough, any longer and I would’ve locked ya out.” 

You watched as his eyes wandered over to Arthur. He frowned, revealing his frilly pink apron that Wilbur got him as a joke. Oh, you could just hear the gears in his head churning.

“...(Y/n), who’s this?”

Grinning sheepishly, you replied. “Dad, this is Arthur Fox. Arthur, this is my dad Philza Minecraft. I promised him dinner and somewhere to stay for the night. Do you have some of Tommy’s old clothes Artie could borrow for the night?”

He sighed, shooting you a we’ll-talk-about-this-later look. “Yes, they’re in the attic. I’ll grab them after dinner so he could shower before going to bed.”

Arthur timidly spoke up. “Thank you, Mr. Minecraft.”

Your dad softened and gave him a gentle smile. “It’s no problem, Arthur. And please, call me Philza. Mr. Minecraft makes me feel old.”

Arthur let out a loud laugh. Despite everything he went through, his laugh still sounds like an innocent child’s laugh. You chuckled, kids always had a silly little laugh. Philza grinned at him, a child’s laughter was something that he missed.

Arthur wiped at his eyes as his laughter died down. “I’m sorry, (y/n) said the same outside.”

“I did,” you smiled lightly at Arthur before looking back at Philza with mischief, standing up straight and putting your hands on your hips. “But I was funnier.”

“Pft, you wish. I was saying that before you were even born. So, I win because I’ve been saying it longer.”

“Whatever ya say, old man. Funniness over age.”

He playfully glared at you, placing an offended hand over his heart. “I’m not that old.”

“Ya kinda are, Dad. You’re practically turning to dust!”

He gasped. “I am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Are too!”

“Am no- wait Dad, that’s cheating!”

“You still said it though!” He sang out, grinning at you cheekily.

“No, that doesn’t count!”

Arthur’s amused brown eyes bounced between you and Philza like he was watching a tennis match. Every so often, he would giggle at something one of you said. You both took your banter to the kitchen where you and Philza started to cook. Dinner was done and the table was set in no time. There was pleasant small talk as dinner neared an end

Your dad swallowed his last bite of beef and turned his attention towards Arthur. “So Arthur, how old are you?”

Arthur gave a small grin. “I’m ten.”

“Do your paren-”

You loudly coughed, throwing a discreet glare at Philza. Mouthing ‘don’t’ from behind your hand, you took a big sip of your water and stood up. “I’ll wash all the dishes. Arthur, would you like to look at some of my blueprints while we wait for my Dad to get you some clothes?”

His eyes shined with excitement. “Yes please!”

You chuckled, putting the plates in the sink and walking down to your old workshop to grab one of the blueprints you left in a filing cabinet. You grabbed the first draft for your prosthetic and the final draft for the automatic farm.

Upstairs, you situated the blueprints in front of Arthur at the dinner table. “Okay buddy, learn to your heart’s content. I’m gonna do the dishes. If you need something just give me a shout.”

Walking into the kitchen, you filled the sink with warm soapy water and got started scrubbing. You moved your wings around subconsciously as you wiped the pots and plates clean of grease. Humming in satisfaction when you were done, you dried your hands and sat next to Arthur who was looking at your designs with complete awe. 

“You like them?”

He nodded his head so fast you thought it might fall off and started to fling questions at you. You smiled fondly at him, it was nice to see someone so interested in how your inventions were made and not just how they worked. 

You two were mid conversation when Philza walked into the room with a bundle of clothes in his arms. You grabbed Arthur’s hand and led him up to the bathroom. You bent down and rested your hands on your knees, looking at him.

“Alright buddy, everything you need is in there, clean towels are in the closet. When you’re done, I’ll be in my room just over there,” you pointed to your door. “Last door on the left. I can show you where you’ll be sleeping for the night when you’re done. Does that sound okay?”

He gave you a gap-toothed smile. “Yes, thank you (y/n)! You’re the best!”

He closed the bathroom door and you stood there. You felt… oddly fond for the boy you just met only hours before. 

Philza cleared his throat and pinned you to the wall with a stern look. “(Y/n), explain now.”

“I will, but let’s talk in my room so Arthur can shower in peace. Poor boy needs it.”

He sighed and walked into your room. You had a long talk ahead of you.

(A/N): so, how do you guys like Arthur?

Taglist (comment if you want to be added):

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[freaoscanlin]

Put It On the List

3283 words, rated PG. Clint/Laura, Laura & Natasha, Natasha & Clint.

A few months before the events of Captain America: Winter Soldier, the spy life interrupts the Barton family on a normal errand. Perhaps bringing the scary ex-Russian spy was a mistake. She thinks so, at any rate.

A/N: I wrote this as something of a prelude to an Endgame fix-it fic in progress. It predates everything in that fic and it's cute, so I'm tossing it up here for now.

“Everybody’s allowed one fun item, too. House rules.”

“Not sure they sell anything I consider fun here,” Natasha said, glancing up at the rafters dubiously, “but I’ll take it under consideration.”

“Dirty,” Clint said, walking by with a green bunch of bananas.

“Sorry we can’t provide more excitement than grocery shopping,” Laura said as she pulled out the stash of reusable bags from the trunk.

“It’s fine.”

Laura was of the opinion that a vacation should be taken somewhere exotic, or at least filled with bottomless alcoholic beverages, especially given as young and unfettered as Natasha was. But the woman who had recently become Captain America’s partner at SHIELD had apparently decided a week off merited a trip to Iowa and she had been absolutely content to tag along on family outings with no apparently sign of boredom at all.

“It’s okay,” Clint said, hopping out from the driver’s seat as Natasha unhooked Lila from her car seat. “Nat’s secretly boring at heart. It’s the best kept secret at SHIELD.”

Natasha gave him a puzzled look. “Now, that can’t be true if even you’ve figured it out.”

“Excellent burn,” Laura said, laughing. “You really should come stay more often.”

“Somebody needs to keep Cap in line, otherwise I would.” Nat easily swung Lila onto her hip, following the other three as Cooper grabbed onto his father’s hand.

Laura had already spent the entire dinner the night before peppering her with questions about working with Steve Rogers, the Captain America from the comments. Clint had mentioned him a few times after that kerfuffle in New York with the Chitauri (“Nice guy, wears khakis.”), but Natasha had the inside scoop. And more willingness to share if he was as attractive in person as he looked on TV in that ridiculous star-striped uniform (“If you like that square-jawed All-American sort of thing, sure.”). Laura had even pointed out that, hey, if he was single...

“Yes, the ex-Russian spy and the American war hero. It sounds too much like a bad eighties movie.” Natasha had helped herself to more creamed corn. “I think I’ll have to find him a girlfriend to avoid ever having to answer that question again.”

“Hey,” Laura had said, protesting.

“Fair,” Clint had agreed.

And now here was the ex-Russian spy herself tagging along at the grocery store, carrying Lila and looking like there wasn’t anyplace else she’d rather be than the big chain grocery store a few towns over because they had a better selection of gluten free snacks than the Shop A Lot back home. She trailed along as Clint took over the cart, Lila kicking her legs happily from the child’s seat atop.

“You’ve got the list?” Laura asked.

“I thought you had it?”

“Clint, I said you need to grab it off the fridge before we left. Weren’t you listening?”

“I always listen to you. But it wasn’t on the fridge, so I thought you had it.”

“That’s ridiculous, I put it there last night and—” Laura turned to see Natasha silently holding it out, eyebrows high. “Oh, that works. Thanks, Natasha.”

A half-shrug. “He would’ve forgotten it.”

“They’re impugning my honor,” Clint told Lila and Cooper, the former of whom giggled back at him. “What’s first? Edible or not edible?”

“Food first. Oh, hey, did you remember to put the popsicle sticks on here? Cooper’s day camp was asking people to donate supplies, and I put us down for those.”

“Yes, I absolutely did that. For no reason whatsoever, may I see the list?” Clint grabbed it away and underhandedly passed it to Natasha. Since Laura caught the move, she figured they weren’t actually trying to hide it.

When the list returned to her, “popsicle sticks” was written on the appropriate line in slightly loopy handwriting. “Cute,” Laura said. “Also, if there’s food you want that we don’t have at the house, make sure you put it in, Nat.”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay. Just keep it in mind.” Laura smirked. “Everybody’s allowed one fun item, too. House rules.”

“Not sure they sell anything I consider fun here,” Natasha said, glancing up at the rafters dubiously, “but I’ll take it under consideration.”

“Dirty,” Clint said, walking by with a green bunch of bananas.

Natasha rolled her eyes at him, but a small smile broke out when Laura laughed. Later, Laura noticed that a small bag of nectarines had been added to the cart.

Normally she did this errand without two spies in tow, which was a matter of getting the groceries as quickly as possible and especially speeding through the aisles with the brightly colored boxes that would make Cooper and now Lila whine. Clint’s paycheck was more than generous enough to cover their expenses, but she liked to keep the sugar down at least a little. Grocery trips could be a nightmare from that alone. But now she could send one of them down the danger aisles, while the other distracted the children.

She could get used to this.

Of course, she could have just sent Clint or even Natasha to do the shopping—or gone herself—and she imagined they’d have it done in less than a fifth of the time it took them to wander the aisles now. But Clint had been called on so many SHIELD missions lately that it was nice to just have some family time together.

She was about to suggest they hit up the putt putt course on the way home when Clint’s body language snapped into readiness. On the other side of the cart, Natasha turned away in what most people would deem a casual fashion, but Laura was surprised to see tension running across the line of her shoulders as well.

Instantly, she began to turn her head, to see what had set them both off.

“Don’t look,” Natasha said, Clint echoing her a split-second later.

Cold panic sprang up, but Laura froze in place. The air conditioning turned abruptly frigid. In the basket, Lila had conked out, wheezing a little, and Laura had never been so grateful for her daughter’s ability to fall asleep anywhere.

“This way,” Clint said in a murmur, scooping up Cooper. To strangers, it would never look out of the ordinary, but Laura knew her husband too well to be fooled. And his partner, too, apparently, for she could sense something amiss as Natasha fell in step behind her. At the end of the aisle, away from the registers and most of the store, Clint began shoving aside various things in the cart to deposit Cooper in there. He glanced at Laura. “It’ll be okay, honey. Nat, are they here for you or me?”

“Me.” The word was flat. “They’re scoping out women.”

“Who? Who’s here for what?”

She’d seen Clint and Natasha’s silent conversations before, usually at holiday dinners, but those were always warm and amused. Now, Laura was treated to the fact that they seemingly had their own entire language—and the ability to hold arguments with little more than a few nods and pointed looks.

“Mom, what’s going on?” Cooper asked. “Dad put the stuff back wrong.”

“I know. It’s okay, though. The store employees will know where to put it back properly.” Her pulse had begun to hammer, but Laura did her best to keep her hands steady as she petted Lila’s bent head.

“Fine, you win,” Natasha said, the first words she’d spoken aloud. “Where?”

“Northeast corner, break room.” Clint collected an oversized bucket of licorice, and as Laura and Cooper gawked at him, popped it open and dumped the individually wrapped candies into the cart.

Natasha dropped her phone into it and grabbed Laura’s purse.

“What? Hey, don’t—”

Natasha pulled out a few items, including Laura’s phone. This she dumped in the bucket. An unfamiliar black box, she tossed to Clint. Laura stared mournfully at the shimmery blue phone case bought off of Etsy only last week as the entire bucket was hidden on a shelf behind a case of gum. Clint tossed his hooded jacket to Natasha, gave Laura one brief, heart-stopping look, tousled Cooper’s hair, kissed Lila on the head, and strode off without looking back.

“We were followed,” Natasha said in an undertone, pulling the hood over her distinctive hair.

Followed could mean anything from evil assassins to space aliens at this point, and both of those options led to nauseating conclusions. But Natasha shot her a look, so Laura nodded and swallowed back any panic. And then she changed again, quicksilver just like Clint, so that she was bright and happy Auntie Natasha once more. She picked up Cooper out of the basket and held onto his hand, swinging it cheerfully. “Time to play a new fun game. It’s called ‘Let’s be invisible.’”

“How do you play?”

“Our job,” and Natasha actually hunkered down so that she was on eye level with Cooper, “is to get all the way there,” she pointed to the back of the store, “as fast as we can without running. Because if we run, we won’t be invisible anymore.”

“This is a silly game, Auntie Nat.”

“That’s half the fun, isn’t it? Shh, come with me.” Natasha rose and made brief eye contact with Laura, then headed down the aisle in the opposite direction from Clint. She walked briskly, but not fast enough to draw attention, and Laura had to follow. “Clint’s scoping things out,” she said in a low voice as Laura caught up with the sleeping Lila. “He’ll be fine. I’m taking you and the kids to hide.”

“Are you going to stay with us?”

“You’ll be safe.”

So that was a no. Because she knew her friend well enough, she knew Natasha was tense and watchful, but not a single thing about her betrayed that fact. Natasha didn’t lead them straight to wherever they were going, either. They crossed the store through random aisles, first through the art department and then sporting goods, and Laura’s heart sank as she noticed they were approaching the toy department. They were never escaping without at least one meltdown.

But Natasha surprised her by leaning down and whispering something to Cooper that had him giggling. And right on through they went without a single problem.

“Shh,” Natasha said to Cooper as she pushed open the door to a break room. She peeked inside, then jerked her head for Laura to follow.

“What are we doing, Auntie Nat?” Cooper asked as Natasha immediately climbed onto a table and reached for the ceiling.

“New part of the game,” Natasha said.

Laura looked at the human-sized trap door she’d opened and thought Oh no.

“You get to go up there,” Natasha said. “And it’ll be like hide and seek.”

Cooper’s expression suddenly shouted that he found the prospect of invisibility much less enchanting now. “It looks scary.”

“I’ll be with you,” Laura said. “The whole time. We’ll be invisible together, okay?”

“You first, and I’ll hand them up,” Natasha said.

Laura clambered gingerly onto the table, wishing she’d worn better shoes for this. She put her foot into Natasha’s cupped hands and hauled herself into a very, very dusty vent. Darkness surrounded her and she thought Oh, no. Cooper needed a nightlight on the best of nights. Her son was far cleverer than most; even with Natasha’s easy cheer, he could clearly tell something was off. And if he began crying, Lila was bound to wake as well. Keeping them both quiet would be beyond impossible.

Natasha passed Lila up first, and the toddler barely even stirred. Before she could lift Cooper, she hopped off the table and down to his level. Laura couldn’t hear what she said, but she saw Cooper nod and hold his arms up, completely trusting.

When Natasha lifted him up into the vent, he had his chubby little fist wrapped around a little flashlight. Laura hadn’t even seen Natasha pull that from the shelf, though she recognized it as being from sporting goods. Cooper waved it about, wildly.

“I couldn’t grab much,” Natasha said, hauling herself up so that she hung half off the trap door. Laura would kill for that kind of core strength. She slid over two coloring books and crayons. “Sorry about that. Stay here until Clint or I come to get you. If somebody comes in, we’re invisible, right?”

“Invisible,” Cooper agreed, scrambling for the coloring books.

“Good man.” Natasha reached up to ruffle his hair like Clint had done. She glanced about the air vent in a distinctly sardonic way. “Cozy.”

“Stay safe.”

“Will do.” She raised an eyebrow at Laura, and disappeared down the hatch. A few seconds later, the trapdoor slid back into place, leaving Laura in a dark vent with her children and no cell phone to keep them company.

She had to remind herself that they were lucky something like this hadn’t happened before, though that felt like cold comfort when everything smelled like dust. She shifted the sleeping Lila in her arms. “Here, set it here,” she said, helping Cooper open the coloring book. “What shall we color first, huh?”

* * * *

Nearly eleven minutes later, Natasha knelt down next to the man she’d cornered in Home and Garden and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Coincidence.”

“Yup.” Clint sounded close to laughter, the traitor.

“The whole thing. Coincidence.”

“Looks that way.”

Natasha sat down hard on the bottom shelf, which held giant sacks of birdseed. Slamming his head into those rather than the concrete floor was probably the only reason the thug was even still breathing. She’d need to hide the body soon, and alert SHIELD, but she had a few minutes to recover. The cell phone she’d stolen out of his pocket after their fight didn’t show an image of her, as she’d expected, but a completely random woman who looked nothing like Natasha outside of being the same height.

It had definitely been a hit, but she hadn’t been the target.

At least they’d saved some random woman, so there was that.

“We should’ve known they weren’t here for you when there were only two of them,” Clint said over the earpiece. He’d teased her about stashing them in Laura’s purse before they left, the traitor. And look who’d been correct to do so. It had kept them in contact as he’d stalked his own target back to the clearance section in the back. “Mine’s taken care of. You?”

“One minute.” She hauled the man bodily onto the shelf and tossed sacks of birdseed over him.

“I’ll get the phones and swing by to steal the surveillance. You fetch Laura and the kids.”

Natasha winced. The last thing she wanted to do was face Laura after ruining this outing for everybody. “I think they’d rather see their daddy after being stuffed in a dark place out of nowhere.”

“Nah, Auntie Nat is just as good,” Clint said. “Face it, you’re part of the family now, god help you.”

“Yeah, part of the family that can’t even let us go grocery shopping without disaster striking.”

There was a warm laugh from the other side of the comms. “Disaster? This is nothing compared to getting two small children through the cereal aisle without a tantrum, Romanoff.”

Natasha, reaching up to fix the braids that had become disordered during the scuffle, wrinkled her nose. She debated whether or not to swing by the staff restrooms on the way and clean up the lucky hit the thug had landed, but decided it was more important to get la familia Barton out of the vents quickly. The less time the children spent in a dark, scary place, the better.

She resolutely did not think of the absolute darkness of thatshipping container, which unfortunately brought the thoughts closer to the surface than she liked.

But she also didn’t want to scare the children, so she grabbed a hand towel off an endcap as she passed, and dabbed at her face.

Mercifully, the break room remained empty when she stepped in. “All clear,” she said, moving the table back under the trap door. “Invisible game’s over.”

From inside, she heard thumping. “Auntie Nat!”

“Cooper, wait—” was the only warning she had before the trap door opened and Cooper launched himself at her.

She snatched him out of the air, and absolutely did not think about what could have happened if she’d been slower to react. “Whoa, okay. Excited to get out of there, huh?” Laura’s white face appeared over the edge, eyes wide. Natasha mouthed he’s fine back at her. “Here, climb down, let me help your mom and your sister out.”

“I stayed so-o-o-o quiet,” Cooper said. “We colored in a dinosaur for you, but we didn’t know your favorite color so I picked red like your hair. What is your favorite color? There’s another dinosaur on the page, so if it’s not red, I can use that color instead.”

“I do like red a lot.” Natasha thought about it. “Purple, too, maybe.”

“You can’t have purple, that’s Dad’s favorite color.”

“Coop, more than one person can have purple as their favorite color,” Laura said, transferring Lila down to Natasha. Mercifully the baby had slept through all of it. “I like purple, too, remember?”

Cooper wrinkled his nose at that. “Okay, fine. I’ll make it purple.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” Natasha promised. Once the entire family had been retrieved, she pushed the trap door back into place. Of course Clint had scouted this spot months ago. His paranoia remained legendary. “Family’s secure, Barton.”

“Got it,” Clint said. “Heading to the front.”

“Meet you there,” Natasha said. To the others with her, she tilted her head toward the door. “Ready to get out of here?”

Laura looked more or less composed, which Natasha had to credit her for. Civilians rarely handled those kinds of curveballs well, but she’d been married to Clint for a decade. It stood to reason this might not even be the first time something like this had happened. Her grip on the sleeping Lila remained tight. “Coop, hold Auntie Nat’s hand, okay? Humor me.”

“All right, I guess.”

“Everything good?” Laura asked.

“False alarm,” Natasha said.

One eyebrow went up. “A false alarm gave you a split lip?”

Natasha worked at it with her tongue, scrunching her nose at the brief spark of pain. “Just another exciting day in our line of work. It all turned out okay, if you ignore that we were unsuccessful in our primary objective.”

Laura looked blank, so Natasha prompted: “Getting the groceries, Barton.”

“Pfft, whatever. We’ll get takeout. We’ll consider it an adventure, and it won’t even be the first one today. Hopefully there will be less dust this time.” Laura leaned over, conspiratorially. “I am getting my phone back, right? I really like the case, and it’ll take forever to get another one like it.”

Years of espionage training kept Natasha from staring at her like she’d sprouted a second head. Clint had told her years before that his wife was far more pragmatic than either of them, but she’d never had a chance to witness it in action before. She almost wanted to ask if this was some kind of backwoods Midwestern thing, but it seemed better not to do that.

So she settled into a helpless laugh. “Yes, we’ll get your phone back. The case is really cute.”

“Good. I knew you’d agree.” Laura squeezed her shoulder with her free hand, and it felt more like a thank you than Natasha had ever received after years and years on the job.

“One point,” Natasha said, feeling a tiny bit shy as as she pulled out a package she’d swiped on their trip through the store earlier. “We should probably pay for the coloring books. And these.”

Laura looked down at the bag of popsicle sticks and laughed. “You really are a hero.”

FIN

(the target was a leaked witsec hit. Bad timing all around)

[ganymedesclock]

So I got into a conversation with a bunch of other Voltron fans and we came up with pokemon for Team Voltron, Team Sincline, Zarkon, Haggar, and the original paladins. Kept it to two per person for sanity’s sake.

Lance: Primarina & Milotic (shiny)

Both feebas and popplio got kinda dumped on (feebas in-universe, popplio before their other evolutions were revealed) and the shiny milotic, I will not lie, is inspired straight from a comic that I thought did a good job of capturing Lance as a person. One of my friends aired the idea of Lance being involved in pokemon contests.

You bet your butt they’re the best-groomed pokes you have ever laid your eyes on. Knock knock the gorgeous squad has arrived.

(Honorable mention: a gyrados that Lance evolved himself, because he’s that kinda supportive person who’d stick it out with a magikarp)

Keith: Talonflame & Absol

Absol would probably be his signature pokemon even if it’s not his “type”- it’s a prophet able to predict danger, but also described as reclusive and misunderstood since it wants to protect people but is often blamed for misfortune- much like Keith internalizes a lot of his isolation as being his own fault.

Talonflame is light, portable, and can explore wide open places scouting around, suitable for Keith’s love of the outdoors. Also, giving Keith a part flying type reflects a bit of his relationship with Shiro, the Sky Paladin- maybe that Fletchling was a gift?

Shiro: Skarmory & Mightyena

As both the Paladin of the Sky and someone who is marked in part by his incredible determination and resilience in the face of adversity, Skarmory’s steel/flying type makes perfect sense, as well as being a real cool pokemon for a real cool guy.

Mightyena fits with his colors, but more with his ideals, as a pack hunter with a powerful sense of loyalty- Shiro is someone very conscious and empathetic to the team. And pairing Shiro with a dark type (especially one that in the gen it was introduced, was the staple of the villain teams) reflects the other side of his determination- that he isn’t afraid to act in the guise of a “bad guy” to protect said team. He also tends to try and see the good in shady-seeming allies, like his sincerity towards Rolo and Ulaz- and even a bit of his connection with Keith.

Pidge: Rotom & Phantump

Rotom is a shoe-in given Pidge’s technological focus, especially if we’re assuming they’d have a device like the Rotomdex that lets them communicate with Pidge- a level of connection with technology and pokemon alike that’s not always common or intuitive.

Phantump, out of all of the potential grass types, stuck out to me because Phantumps are the spirits of lost children- and while Pidge’s family was taken from her more than she was from them, I think it’s something she’d relate to as a lost child herself, feeling a little lonely and bereft. Phantump’s fearsome evolution also suggests towards how Pidge is growing up and turning very dangerous to cross- she’s not going to let people just walk all over her family. So- lonely child, turning fearsome guardian of the forest. “Haxus is dead and you’re next.”

(Honorable mention: Porygon because Pidge is an enthusiast of classic sixteen-bit graphics after all)

Hunk: Aggron & Bastiodon

Certain ‘dex entries describe Aggron as a creature that landscapes its territory by planting trees, suggesting a nurturing side to what is also a highly dangerous steel-coated dinosaur. 

That combined with Bastiodon being a fossil pokemon suggesting Hunk would have had to have nursed it back to life, I think both do a good job reflecting both Hunk’s formidable combat capabilities and the warm, nurturing way he relates to his allies. He’s a stone wall that you’re not going to shove around very easily. I’d imagine both of his pokemon as very gentle-tempered creatures, much like Hunk himself, but not to be crossed.

Allura: Audino & Xerneas

When Allura’s powers seem overwhelmingly geared to fortify and renew, it stands to reason she seems both divinely inspired and ludicrously powerful- hence pairing her with the life-focused legendary Xerneas.

Audino is a healer, and capable of mega-evolution- like Allura, a creature more concerned with preservation but utterly unafraid to get in there and take some names. 

Coran: Kricketune & Probopass

Mustache, he’s full of sass, his team can still kick your ass.

No, really, Probopass’s rock/steel typing is a nice nod to Coran’s resilience of spirit and his technical stripes and giving him a couple of goofy-looking yet still genuinely strong pokemon is right up Coran’s alley.

Zarkon: Hydregion & Tyranitar

Hydregion is a massive, fearsome, and highly aggressive dragon type. The shape of its wings has a passing resemblance to the wing spokes on Zarkon’s armor. It also evolves from the well-meaning-if-bitey Deino, getting increasingly dangerous through its second and then final evolution- which nicely reflects how Zarkon was a prickly elitist to start but pretty much got worse and worse. 

It and Tyranitar are both pseudo-legendaries and Tyranitar can mega-evolve, reflecting nicely that Zarkon is both a very scary person to cross and that he’s probably not really the type for a lot of real dedicated pokemon strategy as much as brutalizing would-be enemies with devastating force.

Haggar: Nihilego & Darkrai

Yveltal is not necessarily part of her actual fighting team, but she totally uses it as part of the Komar- which would possibly imply in this AU, Yveltal is rescued and taken into custody by the Blade of Marmora.

As far as the two she does use- while Haggar’s perfectly capable of leveling people in direct combat, she much prefers to fight like a living nightmare. Nihilego being able to control others, as well as its extradimensional nature as an Ultra Beast nicely reflect Haggar’s history as a scientist who researched other realities and was fascinated by the rift creature- heck, in this AU Nihilego may be one of the rift creatures that stuck around.

And Darkrai is a literal master of nightmares. Haggar’s propensity to root around in and manipulate others by using fear and deception is nicely represented here.

Lotor: Sylveon (shiny) & Silvally

Lotor’s keen sense of what it means to inspire true loyalty means he’d pick his team out of creatures he’d have a very intimate bond with- so he has two pokemon that only evolve with high friendship. That Silvally’s type-switching ability is massively effective with the sort of study-opponent-and-then-hit-them-precisely-where-it-hurts strategy Lotor uses would probably just be icing on the cake.

And, yeah, Silvally (or rather, Type:Null) totally exists in the first place in this AU because thanks, Haggar.

Sylveon being a pure fairy type, would have obvious type advantages to both Zarkon’s hydregion and Haggar’s darkrai- but also, as an empathetic pokemon highly loyal to its trainer, I imagine it’s done a lot to help him keep his head together. And its not-so-kindly Sun and Moon pokedex entries would mean that, as a clever and deceptive predator, it could more than pull its weight as his ally.

Narti: Liepard & Hypno

Narti’s manipulation appears to read much more like sleepwalking than nightmares- the host’s amnesia and trancelike calm, for example, so using a Hypno as her pokemon works just fine.

You might wonder how exactly Kova feels about the liepard, to which, I reply: Kova is the Liepard. In this AU, Narti’s connection with Kova would probably extend to her entire team, allowing her to direct and coordinate with her pokemon instantaneously.

Ezor: Kecleon & Salazzle

Kecleon being able to pull a disappearing act itself means that she could carry at least half of her team covertly with her while sneaking around, and Salazzle, being a poison type, also lends well to Ezor’s inclinations as an assassin-like ambush fighter.

Also, with Ezor being pretty reptilian herself, I can see her favoring similar pokemon.

Zethrid: Incineroar & Pangoro

This started purely because I saw multiple people say that Keith should have a Litten because fiery darkness cat, in complete ignorance of the fact that Litten grows up to be a wrestler tiger, which is the exact opposite of a thing Keith would be cool with. Zethrid, though.

She probably trains her pokemon by personally sparring against them.

Acxa: Gallade & Houndoom

Acxa’s knightly sense of honor and her fierce loyalty reflect well in both Gallade and Houndoom, given the latter’s a pack hunter. Also given her various meaningful clashes with Keith, her Houndoom could probably meet his Absol blow for blow.

Both her pokemon, like Acxa herself, are light on their feet and agile attackers. 

Alfor: Solgaleo & Pyroar

You were probably expecting to see Solgaleo a lot higher on this list, but I wanted to give Allura and Haggar opposing legendaries and someone rightfully pointed out Lunaala doesn’t deserve that.

Also, as the original paladin of the Red Lion, and the original architect of Voltron, he’s the Fiery Lions guy.

Blaytz: Garchomp & Mantine

I won’t lie to you this is 99% because Blaytz is a shark-manta man, but, he’d be pretty limited to water types since he appears to hail from an oceanic planet himself. 

I imagine him cruising around on Mantine’s back in more peaceful times.

Trigel: Tsarina & Cradily

Unlike Hunk, I imagine Trigel having a fossil pokemon because she was actually alive at the same time they were.

Tsarina is mostly there because as little as we saw of Trigel, it definitely seems like she had an edge to her and could veer harsh with her joking around.

Gyrgan: Chesnaught & Camerupt

Big, powerful tanks- a fighting type considering Gyrgan was seemingly an unarmed brawler when we see him and the other original paladins rescuing Alfor, and Camerupt because of the very camel-like beasts of burden we see in our brief glimpse of Rygnirath. 

[alyjojo]

Today is the story of how my pregnancies came to be, without the fun stuff. It plays a very large role in why I believe in God tbh.

So my ex. It’s a relevant start. Him and I were together four years, never used protection, dumb as that is. I bring that up at because, for much of that time, I just didn’t have periods. Like at all.

After about a year of waiting and taking pregnancy tests wondering what the hell, I went to the doctor (I hate doctors...back then fear won, a lot) and she gave me pills to force me to have one.

I would have one sporadically after, so I didn’t feel like a mutant, and I’d be like well okay...and didn’t go back to the doctor. But it was every few months.

PCOS seems to run in my family, my cousin has used years of fertility treatments to have children, and though it’s worked it’s been a hell of a struggle for her. I was always kind of afraid I couldn’t have kids.

July 2007, I felt a way that was different, didn’t have a period as usual, took a pregnancy test. This was a regular thing with the lack of periods. Positive. ....what?? Told him, and he lost his fn mind. I can’t describe just how stupid he acted, and I was lost. How I knew later he was a cheating pos. We went to Planned Parenthood to take their test. Negative. Idiot danced to his car, and something in me knew he was an idiot but I just let it go.

We broke up a few days later, he did, of course.

The day after we broke up, midst all my emotions yanno how that goes, I started on my own for the first time in...I couldn’t remember. And it stayed that way, regular, every month, ever since.

Mom said “it’s the guy”, who by that point she was kind of disgusted with too lol. Well. Yeah. It was? Seems so. Angry and blaming and rawr at God like I was and they were like nope sorry...not that one, and I just showed you that 🙏

He continuously plays a role in this story. Idk if he was A soulmate of some sort. I’m definitely one of his life lessons. It’s always been...deeper, even if we don’t even get along. At all.

Ok so hubby. Years later. Ex was long gone, didn’t talk didn’t nada, I lived with my boyfriend 😜 and his parents for a year, working on my car and saving money for a place. Which I did, we moved in August and September 18 (my late gmas bday), I hadn’t had a period and took a test like oh this crap again. Honestly didn’t think I could have kids...never had a scare in the year I’d already been with hubby.

Pregnant. Whaaat? So my EX sends me an email the next fn day. How? I have no idea. I had told hubby...that’s it. I don’t even remember what the email said, how are you or something idk, I avoided it like the plague before being like omg just answer and writing something quickly, send, delete. Never read it again. I’d gotten him out of my brain space tyvm bye. Well in my response was something like lol I’m pregnant. He was the 2nd person to know. And considering he flipped out and left over a baby...karma.

In my later belief system, and seeing my oldest’s chart, she has much Libra/Scorpio influencing her (10th, Saturn/Moon). I felt like initially that positive may have been her, just long enough to get him tf out. The timing of his message blew my mind. Didn’t speak again for like 10 years, baby daughter got the name I had always wanted, and gmas middle to honor her. I still see 9:18 periodically. Love u Gma ❤️

So next baby. After two years in our first apartment, we were bombarded with BEES 🐝 Like this was insane level of bees, you couldn’t leave the house without these threatening mfers chasing you to the car, management was shit, we moved.

Moved into a bigger nicer apartment in a nicer part of town. August again. Had a fun night with some drinks to celebrate the night we moved in...no protection, big fun, hubby joked drunk, there’s #2.

So September 11th...I bought it 😆 But I refused to do it on that day. September 12th...hello baby girl #2.

Years and years pass, we use condoms regularly. Very careful always. Idk how my son came to be and I’ll say it till I die. I went back to work, I had lost a bunch of weight lol, I was not in baby mode at all. I was 100% done. So much that for two months I didn’t even realize. Until my jeans stopped fitting and I was like WTF. Sure enough. Hello baby boy.

I had been playing the sure let’s be friends game 🙄 with some of my ex’s after hubby’s stupid bs. Nothing more trust & believe, hell no. And it just doesn’t work as friends either so idk why we ever tried. Will never get along. The other ones were just drama...was my Saturn return, that was a nightmare. Then we entered his, and that was also a nightmare. That’s as much as I’ll say about that 💯

The last thing I said to that same ex, 10 years later...I’m pregnant 😆 It’s a kind of karma somehow. Goodbye again, the same way it’ll always be. Like God was like I’m sorry, you need a reminder?

My children ❤️

I always blamed my husband for doing it on purpose. Because he was so happy when I was. He’ll always deny it, but the boy came out DADDY’S boy and I just let him take over because...well he wanted to. And for the first time, the baby wanted, demanded, him too. It was actually insanely sweet, still is.

I went to the doctor and said I guess I’m due in February? She’s like try Christmas. I literally threw away the whole doctor and got a new one because I thought she was lying to me 😆

So on Christmas DAY, 6pm, I’m making meatloaf bc I knew a baby would be coming soon and we didn’t want a fridge full of leftovers...water breaks. 7cm dialated by 7pm, they gave me meds to slow down while hubby dropped off the kids at gmas. Little Aries moon was OUT in four hours 🤣 My biggest baby.

Jane...we were again very careful. Condom flew off inside of me completely. Like flew. Idk how tf that happens and it was very uncomfortable to fix btw. We knew, and when it was positive, we knew. We were not in a good place at that time. It was bad.

She was due on my cousins bday, and down to the very signs they would’ve been similar, and my cousin has lost babies...kind of how we had our falling out. She was mad at me for having my boy, but she was petty and rude to me for months, it broke my heart, then her mom my aunt tells me how she and my mother just talk shit about us both, when I trusted her the most, I just...bye. Gtfo ur one of them. Cried.

Well Jane. I lost Jane. I’ll always be sad about it. Cap with Gemini moon (supposed to) ended up being a little lost Leo. Same middle name as my cousin.

It’s here I’ll mention our foster kids. Hubby’s niece by blood, nephew by marriage. They were hard, that situation was hard, the boy is on the spectrum (which I now know means dick all really, he’s incredibly normal despite his horrific early circumstances) and he alone needs a lot of care. And their parents broke up and his dads side wanted them...he’s not ours, how could we claim him first? Our niece fits like a glove, she is ours. His sisters. We felt it was taking away from our kids after awhile, having two more suddenly, with DFS and court and visits and phone calls. We were getting screamed at by the parents for trying to be good people...then my car broke down with this timing chain nightmare, his was totaled (fk u forever)...then came the positive with boy, and we gave the kids to their Dad’s mom. Who is a very nice lady, with money, sister in law be pissed or not. We all felt we just couldn’t do it.

The boy was a Christmas Eve boy. Hilarious and so smart and adorable and sweet, just a lot of work. Our niece, a Leo, born way too early (late Oct due date). Small, tiny, but healthy.

My son is Christmas Day. Hilarious and SO smart and adorable and so sweet...a lot of work. Can not look away for two seconds. Also breaks things. Also punches his sisters. Even looks kinda like our nephew. Its eerie.

I tell my husband we didn’t keep the kids...we had the kids 😞 Because I ended up losing my little Leo, born way too early 😢

These kids are why I believe everything, they’re why I have faith, they’re how I notice the funny little things others wave off as oh it’s coincidence. No, it’s not.

Whether there’s another in the future idk. With Covid it’s not something I want right now. I did have my heart set on 4, once Jane came into the picture.

Maybe someday. Maybe not. Besides #2, which hubby joked about, and she’s a silly sarcastic goose just like her Daddy 😆, it seems God has more say on that then I ever have. With everything.

Take charge types scold me like “you have the power”, and I’m like oh yeah watch this. Try to work or try to do anything, car tires burst or something, some emergency, hubby has some insane project he needs me with them for, a baby appears, or foster kids, something always happens to keep me home. They all need me here. Just how it works in my life.

Someday...who knows? For now, this year, I’m a homeschool teacher ❤️ We’re happy 😊

[anchorsandadderall]

Lessons

Laura Hale Appreciation Week

Day 2 Theme: Alpha Laura

Now on AO3

Talia loved her children. It was her love as a mother that soothed nightmares and praised good report cards (because no one brought a bad report card home to Mama Hale). It was her love as an Alpha that taught her children how to survive their lifelong walk on that high wire between the supernatural world and the human world. Derek and Cora were her babies, loved and taught as Betas. Laura was taught just a little bit different.

~~

“You must love your pack above everything else, Laura. Even above your own life.”

Laura sits in the hospital waiting room, tuning out most of the chatter around her. None of the conversations concern her. They’re all sad and frightened and private. Not for her. The cold, sterile air is unnatural enough to keep her alert. Well, that and she just plain doesn’t like hospitals. Hasn’t since she had to walk these fluorescent hallways all the way down to the morgue. The doctors were amazed that she could identify the remains so clearly when they were so badly burned. Laura didn’t tell them that it was because she could smell them. 

Tik. Tik. Tik. 

Laura drops her eyes and watches the nurse shuffle past, keeping her head low over the gurney with Isaac strapped to it. Her feet are bare. Her toenails are claws, wicked and curved. Laura lets her go. 

The intercom system pages a doctor to the room where the Alpha is taking Isaac. Isaac is already healed. Even Alpha wounds don’t heal that slowly, Laura knows. She’ll owe Ms. McCall an apology for making her make up yet another lie to cover up the track of a werewolf. A nurse is probably more equipped than her to explain why a gored teenager suddenly doesn’t have a single mark on him. 

Laura flips through an issue of Better Homes and Gardens, something six months old with ideas for Valentine cupcakes covered in frosting so red that her throat burns a little just looking at the picture. And she listens. Listens to the gurney being wheeled back out of the operating room, with that same hard squeak on the left front wheel. Listens to the nurse that leans over the front desk and murmurs quietly to the woman who wields the black marker for the scheduling board. 

“Room 2 is clear.”

Laura doesn’t hear the rest of the conversation, what the woman says happened or what questions get asked. She gets up, sets the magazine down, and walks out of the waiting room.

~~

“Your pack will love you above their own lives already. They will give them up for you in an instant. Protect them over any ideal of honor.”

Ennis pushes the wheelchair down the hallway, sparse enough on this floor that no one notices that they don’t recognize him. Or mentions that it’s probably several violations to just wheel an unconscious person around, slumped forward in a chair. Isaac’s chair is halfway over the threshold of the elevator when Ennis freezes, nostrils flaring.

  “Get in the elevator, Ennis.” Laura stands in the corner by the row of buttons, hands in the pockets of her red leather jacket. The smell of her Beta and the sound of his drugged heartbeat is enough that her eyes light up red. She doesn’t take them off of Ennis, though. 

“Hale.” Ennis grins, displaying his fangs. Laura smiles back, flashing her flat, human teeth. That gets a snarl out of Ennis, and his eyes turn red like something is bleeding into them, thick and dull. “Bitch.”

“Get in the elevator,” she repeats, dropping the smile. Seeing him glance over his shoulder, she adds, “Kali won’t be joining us.”

Not that Laura ever actually thought that the Alpha Pack was here for a fair fight, but life usually doesn’t confirm suspicions quite so nicely as it does now, when Ennis releases his grip on the wheelchair and goes to take a step back. She snatches the front of his scrubs, claws gouging deep into the skin. One good yank on the meaty handful and Ennis slams into the back wall of the elevator before the blood even begins to soak through his clothes. 

Laura pulls Isaac’s wheelchair in much more gently, then hits the ‘Close Door’ button.

~~

“What if I am stronger than my enemy, Mama?”  “What matters, my dear, is whether they are stronger than the weakest member of your pack.” “That doesn’t make me anything more than a killer.” “Power will make things complicated. You will have to decide for yourself where the line between predator and killer lies. There will be nights when you don’t sleep well because you aren’t sure.” 

“I want you two to stand down.” Laura finds she can’t muster up the same righteous anger for the twin Alphas. She’s gotten good at picking out people who are in someone else’s collection. The twins remind her of Derek a little, probably a curiosity Deucalion picked up on a whim because it was sort of interesting. Easily the most expendable members of the Alpha Pack and not particularly good at killing yet.  

“Stand down,” she repeats. “And I’ll let you go, as long as you leave town.” 

They look at each other like they think she’s crazy, like they have the advantage. Every twitch of an eyebrow is part of a conversation Laura isn’t privy to, but she doesn’t need to be. It’s not hard to guess what these two are planning. Two Alphas against one in an empty maintenance hallway, free of cameras and pesky people who might call the cops? Of course they think they can win. They’re still puppies. 

“Hey!” Laura delivers a savage kick to the body laying half out of the elevator and half in the hallway. Something cracks and Ennis’s body rolls forward a few inches, his shoulder now at the wrong angle. The twins startle back a step at the visceral reminder of their dead packmate a few feet away. “Go. Take your friend, if you want to bury him.”

“Wouldn’t waste the energy.” Silent decision made, one twin crouches down and the other one steps behind him, grabbing his shoulder. Laura watches the skin begin to fuse, as two bodies become one shapeless mass, bones cracking and shifting until the thing raises up over her. Extra limbs have turned into bulk and the abomination rolls its shoulders, joints popping as everything tries to settle into place. 

Laura looks over her shoulder at where Isaac is tucked into the corner of the elevator, still unconscious, still in need of the sort of medical help a hospital can’t give him. She sighs and flicks her claws out. “Alright then. I’ll make it fast for you, at least.”

~~

“Being an Alpha sounds… really hard.” “It is. But there will be good days too. When things are peaceful and your pack is happy, and you’ve saved the people you’re supposed to save. Then you’ll get to rest.”

Laura wakes up to the sound of the abomination’s neck snapping in her hands again. Fifth time this month. Her fingers twitch, still remembering the way the bones resisted and then just… popped. Once the wave of nausea passes, Laura rolls over and confirms that yes, another pillow has also fallen victim to her nightmares. Stuffing and shredded cloth litter the floor beside the bed. And the smell of worried Betas lingers in the hallway, so there will be no attempts at going back to sleep. 

Isaac’s door shuts as soon as Laura opens hers, so he can pretend he wasn’t worried at all. Derek stays in the hallway, though, half cast in the shadows of weak sunlight that hasn’t made it this far into the preserve yet. 

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Laura pulls him into a one-armed hug, and Derek lets her without grumbling because he’s worried and Laura is absolutely willing to take advantage of that and hold on an extra few seconds. 

“Boyd and Erica are picking Isaac up today,” Derek says when he finally gets impatient and shrugs her off, back to business as usual. “He needs a ride home, though, because Boyd-”

“Has ROTC after school. I know.” Laura ruffles Derek’s hair. “I’m fine, Derek. Don’t worry.” She heads into the kitchen to start the coffee and shake off the bad night.

The kitchen smells like coffee already. And bacon. And a little bit like smoke, but not to an alarming degree. Laura sighs, picking up the empty coffee pot. 

“What have I said about drinking all the coffee?”

“Refill it,” Aiden says, making absolutely no move to get up and do so. 

“Sorry,” Ethan adds, because he’s the nicer of the two. Though he also doesn’t try to refill the coffee. 

Laura grumbles and pulls out the wet filter, tossing it in the trash. “Did you at least save any bacon for anyone else?”

“I tried, but Aiden ate it.”

Aiden growls at Ethan, eyes flashing blue at him. Ethan does the same thing right back at him and even though Laura can feel a headache coming on already, it pushes the bad dream further away.

“Alright, enough, both of you.” Laura takes the coffee canister that Derek offers her before he moves to sit on the counter and wait for whatever was going to be for breakfast. So she’ll be on her own in figuring that out it seems. Two bickering Betas, two hungry Betas (because Isaac will emerge as soon as the kitchen smells enough like food) and she’s still a good ten minutes away from getting coffee.

For an Alpha, it feels like resting.