#she asked me to talk with my inner kid and I CRIED

[timetohealit]

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[jules-loves-lukecastellan]

i have a request for luke taking care of you on your period 💗 thank youuuu :)

| luke castellan x fem! aphrodite! reader

౨ৎ warnings ౨ৎ: periods (??)

౨ৎ summary ౨ৎ: you’re on your period and luke takes care of you. (ik i said aphrodite reader but that doesn’t play into the plot at all so feel free to change it <3)

“I never knew you could be this scary…”

you were dying. a million knives stabbed into your body as you cried out for help. that’s what your period felt like to you. cramps made you want to end it all. you were laying in your bed, not DARING to move because even if you moved a muscle, your whole body would ache like someone stabbing you with a sword over and over again.

“what would happen if i just ended my life?” you thought to yourself. “these cramps would sure go away.” as you were talking to your inner-self about k*ll*ng yourself, you saw luke, your wonderful, amazing boyfriend lay down beside you.

“hey princess. what’s got you so tense?” luke asked, about to hug you. “get. your. fucking hands. away from me.” you said in a very serious tone while making a very serious face. luke instantly retracted his hands and his expression changed from happy to worried. “what happened angel? are you sick? did i do something wrong?”

then, all of the sudden, you started bawling you eyes out while barely getting out, “n-no i’m on my st-stu-stupid period and you didn’t h-hu-hug meeeeeeee!!!” you cry with big tears streaming down your face and off your chin.

luke registers what’s happening and automatically scoops you into his strong arms, kissing your tears away. “hey hey hey. it’s ok. i’m sorry. i love you so much sunshine. i’m sorry i didn’t hug you.” he says in a very empathetic tone. you continue to cry and he continues to whisper sweet nothings into your ear until you stop crying.

you sniff and shakily say, “sorry babe. i’m just hurting and i hate life.” “no no it’s okay. i don’t blame you at all. it’s not your fault you deal with these cramps!” he says hugging you and kissing your neck. just then, he had an idea. “i’ll be right back angel. i’m not leaving i just forgot something in my cabin ok?” he asked, making sure it. was ok to leave you. “ok..” you say a little suspiciously.

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as luke is walking out of your cabin, he think who to go to about this stuff. then it hits him like an arrow hitting the bullseye. clarisse and annabeth. first he goes to the athena cabin to see annabeth. he knocks on the door and coincidentally, annabeth answers. “oh hey luke. what do i owe the pleasure of?” she asks curiously.

“hey annie. i was wondering if you had any of those uh.. things you stick in to stop from bleeding? i think they’re called tampons?” he asks while whispering the word “tampons”. annabeth rolls her eyes at his slight immaturity and shut the door in his face.

just as luke is about to walk away, the doors opens again and annabeth stands there with all kinds of tampons. “before i give these to you, who are these for exactly?” she asks, cocking a brow. “oh. they’re for y/n. she’s on her period and im making her a bay basket.” (i mean bay basket cuz like its summer and bay yknow? i thought it was clever lol).

“oh wow. that sucks for her. tell her i say feel better .” annabeth says before smiling and shutting the door. next, luke went to clarisse. he was just about to walk towards her cabin when he found her irritating a kid. “hey clarisse that’s not nice. knock it off” luke says, giving the kid a chance to run away. “whatever luke. what do you want?” clarisse asks as she starts walking back to her cabin.

“well y/n’s on her period and i’m making her a bay basket. i was wondering if you could help me get some stuff she might like since you’re her best friend.” luke says, fidgeting with his hands. as soon as luke says “y/n” clarisse’s mood instantly changes to happy and she energetically exclaims, “of course i’ll help you! i love y/n.”

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luke is walking back to the aphrodite cabin with a basket filled with a pink fluffy blanket, a whole bunch of chocolate, tampons, a squishmallow (don’t ask how he got all these “human” things from camp half blood lol), fake pink roses (so they never die), a candle, and some extra goodies like his hoodie and matching pajama pants with him.

he knocks on the door and you open it, looking angry at who disturbed you. but your expression softened instantly when you saw it was luke. you pulled him inside as he presented the bay basket. “surprise! you should not be going through this much pain on your period so i hope i could make it a little better.” he said while smiling from ear to ear.

you look at the basket and then at luke as you take it and set it down. you walk over to luke and throw your arms around him, jumping and wrapping your legs around his waist. “thank you thank you thank you!” you says while crying because of how happy you are.

the rest of the day/week is filled with luke, luke, and more luke until you’re finally done with pain (for now hehe).

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౨ৎ a/n ౨ৎ- i hope that i fulfilled ur request lol <3 i had sm fun writing this!! feel free to request any more u want!🫶🏻🫶🏻

-jules🎀

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@t0byisher3 @simrah1012 @mimisamisasa @lizziesfirstwife

[pocoyo-yo]

'𝟒𝐓𝐇 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐌𝐀'

SUMMARY: when toji anime concept art dropped millions of panties dropped around the globe

WARNINGS: smut, fem!bodied reader, slight daddy kink, praise kink, degradtion, breeding kink, slight breath play/slight choking, fingering, mating press (pos.), unprotected sex, creampie, slight lactation, mentions of preganacy, sorta.. kinda baby trapping, petnames (baby, ma, pretty girl, daddy) toji is a toxic, manipulitive baby daddy ngl

────────────────────

BABY-DADDY TOJI who knows you can't live without him. who knows he's the only one who can keep you satisfied.

you complain about him and yet you let him in. everytime he uses the same excuse as to why he's there 'just wanna see the baby, nothing more'.

he finds himself playing with the one year old daughter you two shared, catching you giving him glances here or there. you may not have even known it yet, but he could tell you were needy. your breathing pattern, the fact you had your thighs pressed so tightly together, it was so obvious you wanted him to fuck another baby in to you.

"megumi 'nd tsumiki miss you," he tells you while playing patty-cake with his baby girl. it wasn't a lie either, the two did prefer you compared to toji's previous girlfriends (if you could call them that)— shit, tsumiki preferred you over her own mother. "they keep askin' about lyric.. they wanna spend time with their lil sister.."

you attempted to make a point, "they can see her when it's your days," you added. "but i do miss them too.. they're very sweet kids, nothin' like you."

toji scoffed, "yeah? but i still made megumi just like i made lyric.. they're somethin' like me, and besides,"

he held up lyric and placed her face next to his own.. a smug smirk on his scarred lips.

"doesn't she look just like daddy.."

────────────────────

BABY-DADDY TOJI who sloppily makes-out with you on the couch after you put the baby for a nap. one hand squeezing your jaw and the other cupping your pussy while he thrusts two thick fingers inside of your weeping hole.

"talk to me, ma," his fingers curled, pressing firmly into that spongey spot within your walls while rubbing your clit with his thumb. "talk to me.." he huffed in between kisses.

your hips jumped as you rolled yourself on his fingers, trying to apply more pressure to that spot.

"feels s'good toj'.." you whimpered and dug your heels into his shoulder blades. he forced your face back from his, making sure you could lock eyes with him. those same emerald eyes your daughter had inherited.

"mhm i know, pretty girl," his strong hands squeezed your cheeks together, your lips were swollen from the kissing, and tears clung to your lashes. you were just too fuckin cute. "nobody can please this spoiled lil pussy like i can, yeah? .. not even you, ma.." he chuckled as your eyes flicked back in your head, his movements had become faster and his fingers pushed deeper than before.

your hips bucked erratically, trying to chase your approaching high. you babbled on moans as your arousal rolled down his knuckles. your pathetically wet pussy was all you could hear besides your own whimpers.

"nobody," you cried. "nobody but you daddy.."

you bit down on your bottom lip, trying to supress your moans and not wake the baby while you squirmed from the overwhelming pleasure.

"did ya miss me as much as i missed ya? fuck.. how bad was it─ not bein' able to make yourself cum like i do─ like daddy does?" he asked, groaning at the sight of your puffy pussy growing bruised from how hard he was fingering you.

"soo bad.. so so bad," you moaned, his grip on your face loosening. "you reach so fuckin' deep.. make me feel so good, toji.. missed you so much.."

your voice quivered, "toji.. i need it bad.."

"need what, ma?" he asked you.

"need," you sniffled. "need your dick, toj'.."

he scoffed, "i know but i gotta prep you," he chewed on his inner cheek as you slid your hand under your tanktop and began playing with your sensitive tits. "just cum on my fingers and i'll give it to you.. i know how needy you've been without me, ma. my poor baby's been sufferin without this dick, yeah?"

you whined, "that's it..?"

"that's it," he kissed your nose. "that's all daddy wants.."

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BABY-DADDY TOJI who has you so cock drunk that he had to cover your mouth 'cause at that point you didn't even consider the fact you'd wake the baby.

but he couldn't blame you.

it had been about five months since he fucked you and right now it seemed like, even with prep, he was splitting your lil cunt in two.

it was a sloppy mess down there, you had forgotten how many times you had creamed around his cock.. but it was enough that it made each thrust make a wet, gushy squech-like noise.

only he had you like this.. so pathetic and desperate for a man's dick.

but it wasn't just that alone, of course he was blessed with a big ass dick, but toji actually knew how to fuck. he knew where to touch, what to tease, how fast or how slow he should go to get the ideal reaction from you.

"so fuckin messy," he grinned, a thin layer of sweat coating his skin as his heavy balls slapped repeatedly against your ass. toji found himself slipping out of you and he rubbed the tip of his cock over your clit. ".. so fuckin sensitive.."

you whined and bucked your hips against him til he finally pushed his cock back into the warmth of your gummy walls.

"you love this dick don't you, ma?" toji grunted, pulling his hand down so that you could speak.

his tip kissed your cervix and you gasped, "love it so much, toji!"

"ya can't live without this dick, can ya? just gotta fuckin' have it like a lil addict," toji chuckles, his thrusts grew harsher and more precise by the second. "what? you addicted to this dick, baby?"

you sobbed, "m─ mhm!"

"at that point then," his hand snaked around your throat. your thighs were now pressed firmly against your leaking breasts.. your pussy spread open and getting fucked 'til it was turning red. "might as well call this my fuckin cunt.. 'cause you can't please it properly without me.." toji huffed, squeezing your throat just a bit.

"it's," you whimpered. "it's your cunt, toji.. only yours!"

you could feel yourself coming to another orgasm.. your entire body was feeling it─ feeling him. that was his effect. every nerve, fiber, and ounce of your being could feel him when he fucked you. shit, even when he wasn't fucking you. lyric was an perfect example of the fact that toji was never going to be out of your life for good.

"missed you so much.. oh m'gonna cum! m'gonna cum again toji.." you warned him, clawing at his chest as your tits bounced with the newfound speed of his thrusts.

"fuck, just wait a sec, ma.." he rasped.

"can't," you whined. "gotta cum now.. please!"

he squeezed your throat tightly and groaned, "listen to me," you gasped for air as tears rolled down your hot cheeks. "do ya love me, baby?"

you blinked tears away as air filled your lungs once again..

"y.. yes, I love you too much toji.." you admitted.

"love ya too, ma," he smirked. "let me cum inside this pussy, yeah? let me make sure every man who looks at you knows i've been inside this pretty pussy.."

you let out one final gasp as you gushed around toji's cock for maybe the fourth time already, and in response to your cunt spasming around him he buried his cock deep inside you, shuddering as he let his jaw hang low and thick ropes of cum painted your inner walls.

toji kissed your calves while kneading your bare tits as you tried to collect your thoughts.

but only one echoed throughout your mind

everything hurts.

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BABY-DADDY TOJI who laid next to you in your bed, letting you rest on his chest. his lips pressed into your forehead while holding you close, softened cock nestled in your walls.

"toji.." you mumbled, voice hoarse.

"yeah, ma?"

"i'm not on bc.." you confessed shyly.

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BABY-DADDY TOJI who fucks you to sleep raw after hearing those words, making sure he claimed you on on every surface of your apartment before your daughter finally sturrs awake. he mumbles something about you resting.. and that he'll take care of her til you wake.

that familiar smug look on his face as he watches globs of his cum drip from your hole.

he knows good and well that he finally had you.. he finally caught you with your gaurd down..

now you were for sure stuck with him 'cause after all that, baby number two was definitely guaranteed.

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[sapphicmsmarvel]

feyre: lost and found

i cried multiple times writing this LOL (i’m dying inside) 

this is me trying to heal the inner child that just wanted her siblings around. may my sister rest in peace and my brother can rot in hell (he’s not dead, just to me). 

tw: talks about addiction, drinking alcohol to numb thoughts, death of a sibling, abandonment of another sibling. 

noted: platonic use of “baby”. Unless you have a crush on Feyre then it can be romantic.

anyway i feel like i need to submit this one to my therapist. 

A very bittersweet moment for you was watching your friends with their siblings. You tried not to get emotional when you saw Feyre and Elain baking together. Or Nesta and Feyre friendly bickering. 

Even their not-so-friendly bickering was emotional for you.  

The normalcy. Having someone you know deep down who won’t turn on you for saying the wrong thing. 

You’d do anything to have an inside joke with your brother. For your sister to be alive let alone argue with her again. 

You felt guilty for having those thoughts. Jealousy. What kind of friend is jealous because their friend's sibling isn’t dead? 

You felt broken. 

It was a party, some random one the Inner Circle decided to throw. Nothing special, or else you would’ve felt really guilty.

After a while, your thoughts got to you. About how you should have these moments with your sister still and never will again. How your brother left you in the dust. And now you work for the Night Court. 

Suck my balls folks

You thought as you tipped the wine bottle into your mouth. 

Oh yeah, you’re drinking. You don’t drink. Not because of an addiction, it just tastes nasty. But you needed something to quiet the noise. You grabbed a bottle of Rhys’ fancy shit. 

Blegh, it was horrid. But it was something. 

Eventually, Feyre found you sitting against the balcony in her study. You needed somewhere quiet. It was the end of the night anyway. But seeing her happy with her sisters overwhelmed you in a way that made you feel horrible.  

“Hey.” She knocked against the open door and leaned slightly on the doorframe. 

You tipped the bottle to her, “hello.” 

“You have your inner monologue face on. What's up?” She stepped closer to you. 

She walked through the terrace doors to where you were leaning against the brick balcony. 

“I’m fine, Fey.” You said as she stopped in front of you. 

“And I'm human.”

“What?” You asked incredulously. 

She shrugged. “Thought we were telling lies now.” 

You couldn’t help but snort as she sat next to you. 

“You’re drinking. That means it’s bad.” She nudged your knee with her own. 

Yeah. She had you there. 

“My mind is loud.” You swallowed. The bitter gross wine taste. 

“About what?”

“It’s…” You shook your head. “You’re going to think I'm a bitch.” 

“You’re my bitch.” She joked. It was rare to see the High Lady so jokey. She had a hidden side not many saw. 

She was a little shit. 

You did a breathy laugh through your nose. “Okay fair point.”

“Seriously, what happened?” 

“Promise you won’t hate me?”

“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. 

“Promise?” 

“Pinky.” She answered and held her pinky up which you grasped. 

You took a deep breath. “I just, I'm jealous.”

“Of?”

“You and your sisters.”

“What do you mean?”

“I would do anything to have had a true sibling. I mean I did. I had two. One preferred drugs over her family, then she died. My brother left to god knows where. Completely abandoned me to pick up the pieces of the puzzle my sister destroyed. I had to help raise her kids, keep some normalcy. And yeah I had my parents and friends. But, I would’ve done anything to have had a sibling my age. On the same level. Going through the exact same scenario and they would know the exact way I felt. I wanted a partner in crime.” 

Feyre was silent which spurred you on. “I know you three didn’t always get along. But, you still would always have each other's back. My own siblings stabbed me in mine. I am alone.”

“Were.”

“What?”

“You were alone. You have us.”

“And I love you all. But it’s not the same. I’m grateful for the found family, but it would be nice to have some blood family that actually likes me.” Even your cousins, aunts and uncles never really liked you. But that’s a different story to unpack that you don’t have energy for. 

She didn’t have anything to say, because she knew there wasn’t anything to say. She knew nothing she could say would help you. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have unloaded all of this-“

“Shush.” She said, pulling you into a hug. “I’m just sorry that I don't know how to help.”

“That’s the thing Fey. You can’t. Nobody can. This is my life and I need to make my peace with it.” Your voice wobbled. “It’s not fair.” 

It was silent for a moment, you managed to subdue the crying until she said, “I got you, baby. Let it all out.” 

“It's not fair.” You cried harder and she held you tighter. Her chin was on your bent neck, your face in her elbow. One harm was holding your head while the other rubbed your shoulder. Her scent of lilacs and pears washing over you. Grounding you just a bit. 

The childhood birthday parties where neither sibling showed up. The arguing that would ensue when they did show—as rare as it was. Your fathers’ drinking problem. Your mother smiling like everything was okay for the one child that deserved better—you. She was protecting you. She would have loved her step-kids (your technically half siblings) if they had treated her kindly. You are her whole heart. 

The gifts your siblings would buy you last minute. While you were grateful for those gifts, they weren’t meant for you. Half-assed comments and broken promises beating down on your already distrustful heart. 

As you cried into Feyre’s arms, she vowed then and there that nobody would ever hurt you again. She knew she couldn’t ‘heal’ you. She didn’t want to, because you were never broken to begin with. 

“It’s their loss.” She whispered. But she knew you heard it. “It’s their loss, Y/N. Always will be. You are loving, supportive, protective. You are magnetic. You encapsulate the feeling of safety and comfort.”

You sniffed, your tears staining her sleeves as you buried into the crook of her elbow. 

“I wasn’t a good enough reason for them to stick around.” You mumbled. 

“One of the best things that could’ve happened to me was meeting you.” Her voice was thick, as if she was hiding her tears. But you felt the warmth of her tears hit your neck as they dripped down her cheeks. “I can’t take away your pain. But I can hold you through it. It would be my honor to do so.” 

She would hold that promise until her dying days, she knew it and so did you. 

“I am not leaving you. Understood?”

You nodded. 

“Good. Because I need you.” She gave you a squeeze. “We all need you. You keep us afloat, sane. You give the best hugs.” 

You let out a small, watery laugh at that. 

You two pulled away from each other, you rested your foreheads together. It broke her heart seeing your puffy eyes and red skin, tears from those who did not deserve you. 

She whispered into the night, into you. “You may have been lost, but now you’re found.”

[xxxninjaxxx23]

You brought the light I needed in my life

Part 3

Sam is struggling with her inner demons and tries to fight what she feels for Y/N. After an heated moment at the gym, Tara must step in and clean up her mess of a sister.

(Later that week)

(Tara’s pov) Well my hopes of getting Sam to talk to me about that night just went out the window. Almost a week has passed and I haven’t seen or heard from Y/N ever since that day I met them. When I asked Sam about it, she always said “It’s fine Tara, you have nothing to worry about.” Or “I’m ok Tara, I just needed some time to think.” She doesn’t even talk about Y/N period. Whenever we go eat with the others,she’d shoot a glare at us if we try to bring it up.

Anyways I got fed up and didn’t want to be around Sam today so I left and went to meet Anika in film class. When I got there and we shared a hug, we talked about our subjects and daily life issues, mine regarding Sam

“And she seems to be getting worse by the minute. Keeping herself locked in her room and won’t even say what’s going on with her or Y/N.” Anika took a sip of her drink

“Look, I get you’re trying to help and all but Tara, do you think you should be sticking your nose into someone else’s business even if they don’t want to talk about it? That’s so not cool.”

I rolled my eyes “Oh sure genius, I would leave her alone if she wasn’t keeping me up the last few nights with her crying. God she sounds like a humpback whale when she cries.” Anika nearly choked on her drink when she heard that. I patted her back as she started snickering

“That is so mean and funny at the same time. Tara carpenter, the all time savage when she needs to be.”

I shook my head “I don’t know what to do Ani. I can’t just leave her like this, even if it’s not my concern.” Anika nodded “Maybe just maybe. Sam will come around when she’s ready to talk, as for your ears. I have professional grade earplugs if you need them.”

I pull out my phone and check for texts “Ok, I might have to take those by tonight.” I said.

Meanwhile Samantha laid on her bed, hand clutched to her stomach as a result from the constant drinking.

(Sam’s pov) So I got a call from my boss saying that a new employee was currently in training and needed to be put on my shift for today but I will still be compensated for my hard work and able to go back tomorrow (hence why I love this job) only problem is, my stomachs been angry with me lately. What with all the drinking and the stress of avoiding Y/N, also Tara who won’t shut up about it.

I managed to climb out of bed and take a ginger ale candy before sitting on the couch watching a movie that Tara left on stream. ‘Sigh’ “And she used my credit card to buy the ultra high definition! Figures.” I wrote the amount on a piece of paper to tab that out of Tara’s pay later on.

While watching the movie, I got a few texts from Tara and….Y/N which I picked up and just sent a small text

“I’m fine, just watching a little tv.”

“ ‘Sigh’ no point in sitting here all day” I said, going to make breakfast before I hit the gym today. ‘Pretty much all I do, well before Y/N tried to crawl their way into my fucked up life. Honestly I’m doing them a favor no matter how I really feel.

(After breakfast)

After I ate, I sat down for about an hour, watching another one of Tara’s shows. I tripped over one of her shoes the last time Y/N was here. At first they thought I had a kid or another little baby sibling with me.

When I told them no and asked why, they said it was because of the “kids” size shoe I tripped over. I had a field day with that, telling them that it’s just Tara’s shoe and to never say that around her. It didn’t end well for me when I did that, she’s got teeth as sharp as a piranha.

(One hour later)

“Ok…I guess it’s time to hit the gym.” I put on my jacket and head out. The gym is one building away from my place and I could use the walk. I spoke too soon when an empty cup got thrown at me by a passing car halfway there.

“Yup like I said, I’m doing Y/N a favor.” I shook my head and kept my pace, going to the gym.

I set my bag and towel in my assigned locker then went to go for a run on the treadmill. I looked around the place a bit as I ran in place ‘good thing the gym isn’t too packed today’ I put my AirPods in my ears.

(Later)

After my run, I move over to the dumbbells and began lifting my usual weights (readers choice lol) I did a good amount of reps before moving onto the bench press. I decide to kick it up a notch and upgrade to the heavier weights than my usual.

I took the barbell off its stand and started my reps. I got off to a good start, what with the headphones blocking out small sounds or any creep trying to hit on me. I made it very clear that I’m uninterested in their company or conversations.

As I was in the zone, I spotted a familiar figure to my left, lifting dumbbells ‘no…no, it can’t be! Is that?’ I didn’t get a clear look as I lost my concentration, dropping the barbell on my chest “OW! Fuck!!!”

The figure, dropped their weights and went over to get the barbell of my chest “You ok Ma’am?” I nod and look up only to see they recognized me “Sam?! Omg this is a pleasant surprise.” I smiled sheepishly “heh heh. Yeah it sure is.”

After Y/N helped me, I decided to take a break and have a snack. Unfortunately they sat down next to me ‘Jesus Y/N. Why can’t you leave me alone?’ But I put on a smile and offered a protein bar and water for them. “So….fancy seeing you here” Y/N said. I scoffed a bit “I always come to this gym. What’s it to you?”

Y/N playfully put their hands up in surrender “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. Im just surprised I came to your rescue.”

“I could have gotten that off myself. I didn’t need your help.”

Y/N was a bit taken back by my blunt words “Sorry. I’ll um….stand back and let you do it next time?”

I felt my heart beat at a quick pace when that warm feeling came back to me. But before I could process my feelings to Y/N, I saw my father sitting beside them, grinning and making a knife gesture “Christ almighty why can’t you leave me the fuck alone!”

(Y/n’s pov) if I thought the last words were harsh, I’m surely mistaken. “Sam please-“ then she went off again “Everywhere I go, you’re there just watching me! Trying to hover over me when I don’t want you to!” I was a bit confused “Sam what? You were the one who approached-“

“Shut up just shut the hell up for one fucking second! I….can’t even live a good life with you always there in my shadow just breathing In my damn presence, wasting my own breath and energy talking to you!” I felt my heart tear up a bit but before I could speak again, Sam went for the kill

“You….useless….sack of SHIT! You and your little legacy, everything! I hate it all I just can’t…..I hate you. I HATE YOU!!!!! If you’re done sitting there you can “kindly” get out of my sight, get out of my life completely, before I do something I won’t regret!” My heart was now shattered into pieces completely and Sam just tossed the remains in the trash can.

I felt a bit of anger rise up in me. Nodding “I get it Sam. I get the message loud and clear that I’m not wanted anymore. Thank you so much for yelling at me just to drive home the point!” I got up and tossed my snack in the trash can “Well fuck you then! Have a nice life Sam.” I stormed out of the break room, slamming the door.

(Sam’s pov) I flinched. In all my yelling at Billy, I completely forgot Y/N was still sitting there in the crossfire. I quickly got up and bolted for the door “Y/N wait!” As I was running I felt my ankle catch on one of the bleachers legs, spraining it.

Shaking the pain off, I limped towards the door “Y/N wait! Hold on!! As I opened the door, I saw them already walking out the front entrance. “Y/N! P-please.” They turned around to look at me one last time but I couldn’t bring myself to speak which they sighed and closed the door.

I dropped to my knees, staring at the wall ‘What have I done….’

(Outside)

I needed my place of comfort right now. I promised Tara I wouldn’t do it again but I’m really desperate at this point. I put on my jacket and helmet, then started up my motorcycle. Tara gave me a speaker for my birthday and attached it to the motorcycle. Might as well put it to some use. I hit shuffle and let it play from there as I tore down the road.

(Later that night)

(Tara’s pov) “Damn it no! How did you get past me!” I gripped the switch controller a bit. Chad chuckled, taking a sip of water “Sorry guys, I don’t know why I’m so good at this game.”

“Mario kart 8 is fun but it hurts my fingers” Anika said. “Um babe you know there’s an auto drive setting you can set up.” Mindy said.

I shook my head “And where’s the fun in that? I think the regular mode is good on your fingers. Makes it feel like your pressing down on the gas pedal in real life.”

Anika started selecting another level “Hey maybe that’s how Chad beat you T. As far as I can see, his thumbs aren’t red like yours. Ouch.”

Tara grumbled, fishing money out of her wallet to give to Chad for winning. “Wow you’re betting money from your girlfriend on Mario kart? That’s low, even for you peabrain.” Mindy said.

Chad whipped around, slightly embarrassed “Hey we both agreed on it right Tara!” I nodded “See? Plus I promised her I’d be a good boy in-“

“OK we don’t need to know that!” Mindy said throwing a chip at Chad which he surprisingly caught in his mouth. “Too slow.” He said which Mindy threw the finger before turning toward her girlfriend“Just start the game my love.”

‘Sigh’ Of course. Out of all the races, Anika had to go and pick rainbow road. No phobic of corse but this stage is so unbelievably hard, especially when my controller is stuck in “motion” control just because the sticks are broken.

While starting the course, I’m already in 11th place because pretty boy had to go and knock me off the course by “accident” when we started. Halfway through the race, I got a bit used to the controls but I’m still dreading on my wallet being eaten up again by Chad.

Luckily I was saved when my phone rang “Guys pause it please.” to which they did “Hello?”

“Yes is this Tara Carpenter?” The voice said ‘Oh great, I already know who this is.’

I clear my throat “Yes Stan it’s me. What’s wrong you seem upset.” Stan laughed a little “Upset. You’re goddamn right I am!! ‘Sigh’ Look, can you please come down here and get your sister? She’s already at it again, causing another scene in my bar and lashing out at my customers. I’m already 5 seconds away from calling the cops!

I pinched the bridge of my nose scoffing in disgust “Ok just hang tight, I’ll be right over.” Before hanging up.

‘Damn it Sam can I have one day, just ONE day of not taking care of you?!’ I shook my head, grabbing my jacket from Chad’s room. “Guys, I gotta head out. As munch as I want to keep playing, I have to go get Sam…..again.”

They nodded their heads, understanding what I meant “Alright love, do you want me to give you a ride there and back?” Chad asked. I shook my head “Thanks for the offer babe but I have a feeling Sam drove her motorcycle there. No way I’m letting her drive that deathtrap home by herself.”

“T do you even know how to ride a motorcycle?” Mindy said, giggling. I folded my arms “I do too, know how to operate a motorcycle Minds! Quinn and I used to sneak it out a couple of times when Sam was asleep” though she did most of the driving.

Chad smiled and gave me a peck before leaving “Be careful out there. Call me when you get back.”

I nod “Will do, love you Chad.”

(Later)

(Sam’s pov) “Had enough drinking your sorrows and throwing a tantrum for one day?” He said, sitting next to me “Not until you’re finally cleared of my conscience forever, maybe then I’ll be at peace.”

He “rubbed” my back “Well somebody’s got to. Otherwise you’d be just like your mother going down her path instead of facing your problems head on.”

I picked my head up and threw a glass at him, which passed and hit the wall. “You ever start to think that YOU’RE the reason I can’t have a relationship or any friends?! Another person down the drain because you had to show up and ruin it!”

He laughed a bit “Sweetie I was only trying to warn you to be careful. You didn’t have to go screaming at the both of us.” God, why do I even bother with him. Then a bunch of cameras flashed me in the face

“Samantha carpenter? Gale weathers here questioning your take on the latest murders in woodboro. Do you think Ghostface will follow you to the big apple or have you become-?”

I spit on her “Your about to see another Ghostface if you don’t get the hell out my face!!” I shoved the cameraman towards her. She scoffed and walked away, good riddance.

I angrily stumbled over to the table and slumped on it once again, closing my eyes for a bit and ready to knock out the next person that bothers me. I was having a good slumber until I felt a hand on my shoulder “Sam.”

(Tara’s pov) The next thing I knew I saw a fist fly right at my face, hitting me in the jaw. ”Ow! What the fuck Sam?!” Then she fell to the floor “Shit! I’m sorry, I’m very sorry Tara. I didn’t know that was y-you.” I held my slightly bruised jaw

“Just get the fuck up, right now!” Sam “quickly” picked herself off the floor throwing her arms around me, crying down my shoulder. “Please, forgive me….I’m sorry Tara I’m so sorry that I’m such a fuck up and a sorry excuse of a sister!”

Oh good god she reeks of alcohol! “Sam. Would you PLEASE get off of me! I’m not mad just….fuck! I can’t even talk to you right now or breathe!” I pushed Sam off for relief “I want you to go outside and wait by the bike, I’m driving us home.”

Sam tearfully nodded, handing me the keys. “I’ll meet you out there in a few minutes.” I said before she stumbled out the front door.

Stan was sweeping up the floors before giving me a look “I’m gonna permanently ban her if she can’t control her temper in here. That’s the third time this week. You better see to it that you have a LONG talk with her!”

I rolled my eyes “You want a tip? Keep your nose out of other people’s business and stop giving them more than they already had!” before leaving to meet Sam outside.

As I found the bike with the key, I see Sam throwing up her drinks behind it “You done sis?” I said patting her back.

“Mhm….mmm so tired.”

I got on the motorcycle and turned the key “Come on then. I’ll put a movie on at home and you can go to sleep.” Sam coughed a bit before handing me her helmet “Here….put this on. I don’t have a spare but I always put your safety over mine.” I sighed a bit before feeling her arms wrap around my waist

“Are you sure you know ‘hic’ how to drive this t-thing?” I scoffed “Yes. I do actually. I um, looked up a video before coming here. Let’s just go home sis, you’re already wearing me out.”

Sam nuzzled her face into the back of my neck as I took off.

(One motorcycle ride later)

(Sam’s pov) I can’t say how impressed I am with Tara’s motorcycle skill. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was sneaking it out from the garage every night, that girl always likes to get into trouble.

As I got off the bike, I waked a few steps before suddenly falling to the ground. Looks like my ankle is more swollen from putting too much pressure on it earlier. I tried looking for something to help me walk but I found nothing.

Seeing no other option I carefully pick myself up and kept my balance leaning on the railings before it ran out. “Sam! You ok?” Tara said, noticing that I wasn’t making any progress.

“I’m fine sis. I’ll catch up.”

Tara shook her head and walked over to me, turning around and cupping her hands “Hop on, I’ll get us up there.”

“Tara no. I’m too-“

“Will you just get on my back?!”

I smiled a bit “Well….alright then.” As I gently got on Tara’s back, she hoisted me up quicker and held onto my legs.

I got worried when Tara had to lean forward a lot just to keep her balance, I felt terrible that she has to do this. “Tara please just let me-“

“Sam would you stop being so stubborn and let me take the wheel in our relationship? You always put yourself before others but never let them return the favor, just let me as your sister help you just this once.” Tara said as she headed for the stairs since the elevator is broken.

‘Sigh’ “Just tell me if you getting tired.”

Tara nodded as she prepared to climb up 7 flights of stairs….with me on her back!

(7 flights later)

(Tara’s pov) Not a lot of people know this, but I got a really strong back. So strong that I actually won an award for being able to carry so many items on my back as I walked without any aches. Unfortunately I got the nickname “Pack mule” from the other students for the rest of my high school life, but I proudly carry that title with pride and dignity to this day.

As I dropped Sam on the couch, I sat down next to her and peeled off my shoes and socks, sighing in relief from the soft carpet. I wasn’t expecting to carry Sam up seven flights of stairs, my poor legs and feet.

“All I know is, you owe me another foot massage, a really good one too. Oh my poor aching toes, having to carry such a heavy load.” Sam threw a grape at me “Hey, you wanted to carry me the whole way here, ask Chad to massage your gnome feet.” She said, smirking.

I threw Sam the finger before gesturing her to lay her head on my lap. “Come on. It’s time to tell the doctor what’s wrong.”

Sam crossed her arms, sitting up “Very funny sis. I already told you everything’s-“ I slapped my hand over her mouth

“BEFORE you finish that sentence, let me remind you that this is the THIRD time I had to drop everything and get you home. Even after you promised me that you wouldn’t be drinking your pain away again! You either tell me what’s going on or I’ll go throw myself onto an oncoming train tomorrow.

Sam glared at me “You wouldn’t fucking dare! You know I won’t be the same without you.”

I smirked “Think I’m bluffing? Just try me!”

Sam punched the table “Fine….Fine! You really want to know what’s going on in my fucked up life, Y/N?!” She took a breather “You really think you can help me, can you?”

I looked at Sam in offense “I’m your sister. Siblings are supposed to help each other out, even if it’s problems like this.”

Sam gave me a small hug before placing her head into my lap “Ok, listen….about Y/N”

[archangeldyke-all]

Coming to your blog to relax and calm down bc I got some shit going on and it's starting to irritate me. If/when you've got the time for it, and if you're comfortable, it'd be really nice to see sev and reader helpindheal each other's inner children, could be modern or in universe if you want.

Love you, love you, kisses if you want them, I feel like fucking crying right now

my poor baby mars. ily so much baby i hope this helps you feel better <3

men and minors dni

sevika's the only person you can be your truest self in front of. it goes both ways

sometimes it's anger: you coming home exhausted and pissed off and spending thirty minutes ranting to sevika about your idiot boss.

sometimes it's sadness: sevika burying her face in your chest and holding onto your body like her life depends on it as she cries.

sometimes it's joy: both of you giggling and dancing around each other as you laugh and joke.

but the specialist of all, to you at least, is when you and sevika can be like kids together.

you've never been with someone you can be so goofy with. someone you feel so safe around, someone you feel so seen with.

it comes out in a lot of ways.

sevika gets sleepy around you so easily. you asked her about it once, why she's always slumping to sleep on your shoulder or in your arms, and she just smiled shyly and shrugged. "just feel safe around you." she mumbled. you tripped over your own breath and pulled her into after hearing that.

you guys play together (video games or board games or just hand games) and get so competitive about it. sevika gets this giddy glint in her eye when she's winning, cackling and jumping in her victory. if you're winning, sevika will do any and everything she can to beat you. wrestling you to the ground or blocking your view of the tv screen or tickling you or stealing your paper money-- she's half motivated by her need to win, half motivated by the giggles and screams she gets out of you.

as corny as it is, you guys aren't just girlfriends, you're best friends. sevika knows you so well, and you know her so well, that you're both so in tune with each other that half of the time you don't even need to talk to communicate. you have a series of specific hand gestures and facial expressions you've created throughout your relationship that work like a secret little language between the two of you.

you both revert to love-sick middle schoolers after a while together. sometimes you'll find little crumpled up pieces of paper in your pockets or tucked away in the book you're reading-- all of them little love notes from sevika. in exchange, you're always doodling your initials right next to one another, a big heart around them.

you guys make friendship bracelets together, and once sevika gets the hang of it, she's making you a new bracelet about once a month. if she ever catches you without one of her bracelets on (all of them stitched with a little S) she'll pout until you put one on. she refuses to take off the bracelets you make her, even if it means she'll have a forearm full of handmade bracelets.

sevika loves doing your hobbies with you, or having you do hers with her. she loves sitting next to you as you read and working on her laptop, or vice versa. she loves napping in your lap while you play video games, or having you sit in the kitchen while she cooks up snacks.

but her favorite thing to do is have you teach her, or being able to teach you.

she finds out you can't change a tire on your own, the next thing you know she's got you out on the pavement, showing you how to do it. or sevika admits to you that she's never played minecraft before, so of course you make her download it and start a game with her.

one time you told her you couldn't cook. she dressed you up in her favorite apron and walked you through each and every step of making dinner that night. it was sweet and romantic and cute-- and then she threw a handful of flour at your face and it became an all out food war in your kitchen. by the time you were done, you were both out of breath, abs aching from laughing so much, and covered in various sauces and powders and crumbs.

one of your favorite ways to spend time together as a couple is taking and edible and building a blanket fort, then spending the day cuddling inside, watching cartoons and eating junk food and goofing off with one another.

one night as you're falling asleep, sevika jolts awake next to you. you blink your eyes open and look over at her.

"babe?" you ask. she hums, settling back down against you.

"jus' a nightmare."

"you okay?"

"all good. got my girl here with me, i'll be okay." she mumbles. you laugh.

"love you baby."

"love you too. i feel like... i dunno. i feel like a kid around you, y'know?" she asks, yawning as she nuzzles against you. your heart melts and you press a kiss to her head.

"i know." you say nodding. "happiest kid in the world."

@fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay @ellabslut @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner @shimtarofstupidity @love-sugarr @chuucanchuucan @222danielaa @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther @gr0ssz0mbi3 @ellsss @sevikaspillowprincess @leomatsuzaki @emiliabby

[spencelle-secret]

MORE SPENCELLE HEADCANONS! FT. BY MY FANFIC SERIES

(also still inspired by @impossiblekraft 's headcanons they posted as well!)

*elle speaks spanish when she's frustrated, or if she's talking to camilo to sooth him. spencer finds her frustration really sexy, and elle ends up giving up because of it.

*elle and spencer noticed camilo has a birthmark on his chest, similarly placed to wear elle's scar is. elle cries at this fact, and it makes her feel better about having a scar.

*spencer and elle go on double dates with emily and jj.

*spencer saw camilo make a facial expression once and it looked so much like elle that he laughed for about ten minutes. elle had to ask him what was so funny.

*camilo's eventual first word is "mama"

*spencer and elle's first date without camilo (aunt penelope was babysitting!!) they went to see the movie "vacancy" in theaters. afterward the got dinner, and went home. they were up all night (wink wink nudge nudge).

*elle likes to wear spencer's glasses while they are...cuddling. hugging. doing the tango. ballroom dancing. you know what i mean.

*they have a small wedding only for close friends. they have a blast!

*for their honeymoon, they go to jamaica so elle can "show what he missed" from when he didn't go with her and derek last time. they spend a week there.

*after elle loses a bit more baby weight, she gets her belly button repierced. she also gets a tattoo on her lower back (which a pair of butterfly wings. she gets a second pair after they have their second kid). she also gets a cross on the inner forearm in memory of her dad and flowers on her right collar bone for her mother.

*speaking of tattoos, spencer gets a small "C" behind his ear. he eventually ads a "L" for their second born on behind the other ear.

*goose remains a fierce protector of the family. he also is a giant softy for penelope (because she spoils the hell out of him)

*gideon and hotch both babysit at one point. gideon also gives camilo a few bird plushies.

*gideon leads elle down the aisle in place of her dad.

thats all for now! check out my series below! and if you do fanart based on any of these, PLEASE TAG ME! i want to see it <3

[vasyandii]

Hi, Vasya! I’m sorry, if you wrote it somewhere and I just missed it, but I was wondering, what are Naks relationships with other Chimera members (ok, Krueger is obvious and I remember you writing about Syd). Is it ‘just business’ for her or are they her friends? What does she think of them? Thank you so much!

Hi Thank you so much for the Ask!! Im going to section out by each individual operator if that's okay (I'm really bad at explaining things so please bear with me ;-;)

NAK'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH CHIMERA MEMBERS (+How I think Nak would draw them)

Beforehand: These are just my personal Headcanons from how I interpret their characters and voicelines!

SYD

I briefly mentioned Syd being someone Nak views as an older sister figure in her Bio so I'd like to touch more on that-

Nak, She sees Syd as a sister because Syd's the first person she's comfortable enough to talk about her personal experiences and cares enough about her that Nak shows interest in what Syd as to say. For a long while didn't have a healthy support system before she fled Laos . Being introduced to Syd, she was reluctant and dismissive for the first week or so. However, seeing how Syd was trying to at least be on good terms with her, she thought it was safe enough to give it a chance.

Syd (from her voicelines) is outgoing, friendly, strong-willed, and determined. Nikolai probably asked her to intergrate Nak into the group. Both of them being from wealthy families of people with political/military influence is something they have in common. She understood to an extent why Nak had difficulty trusting people (Not including the whole Naga Trauma stuff) and was willing to take up the challenge.

They hang out during breaks, Nak gets to experience Normal life stuff like a Girls Night, doing her hair, going shopping.

YEGOR

Yegor, having 3 kids himself, probably has an instinct to protect and look out for those who are younger in the field (from His interactions with Rodion and his discomfort with using children during interrogation). He's lowkey concerned abt Nak because she's one of the youngest members in the faction. He knows how people in their early 20s would act from his personal experience but Nak doesn't fit the mold and it's worrying, even if he doesn't say it.

Nak has cried because he called her "kid", she didn't even realize she was crying from that. It was like an inner child healing experience. She initially didn't like him because she felt like he was "treating her as if she's a child" but grew to respect him since they have pasts in organized crime and he feels like her idea of a dad.

NIKOLAI

Nikolai is hard on Nak (alot of cleaning duties, etc.) Because she's one of the youngest people in the faction. " If you wann work here you gotta be good at your job" mindset. He knows that she's a good operator so he pushes her to do her best, with boundaries of course.

Nak thinks of Nikolai as a better version of Naga. She says he's a pain in the ass but really respects him; He got her a job, he accommodated for her issues with routine mental check ups, and his methods with missions is efficient and more her style. She's called him Dad on accident a handful of times, I don't think Nikolai bothered to correct her though.

ISKRA

Iskra doesn't have an opinion on Nak, she respects Nak's ability as an operator but thinks she's a bit strange

Nak thinks Iskra is so cool. She doesn't know how to talk to her because she thinks Iskra is really pretty and admires her relationships with the other female operators. She wants to be friends with her.

Farah

Farah doesn't have an opinion in Nak, doesn't know her that well.

Nak is a bit intimidated by Farah because of her Accomplishments, respects her as an operator

Krueger

She thinks he's stupid and dumb (they kiss)

If you made it this far thank you or reading, the post corrupted initially so that's why it's longer 😭😭

[lokavisi]

This vent turned Loki Appreciation Post™️ got rather lengthy, so I'm gonna pop it under a line so it doesn't take up too much space on your feed. But I do appreciate it if you read it. I need some good vibes...

I don't really talk much about my personal life on this blog, but I've been having a Week™️. Well, maybe Two Weeks™️. Two weeks ago, my wife and I had the beginning stages of a cold and accidentally passed to 3/4 other people in our TTRPG group. We got over the cold, and last Monday night/Tuesday morning, we were in the ER because my wife was having such intense upper abdominal pain. She seems to experience acid reflux in an atypical way. The meds they gave her have been helping, so that seems to be what it was, but now she's getting a sore throat again. We went to the clinic today. She got a strep, flu, and COVID test, which all came back negative, so the person said she likely picked up a virus while at the ER. (Even though we were both masked the entire time, there is still always a possibility.) Now I can't tell if I'm getting sick, too, or if I'm just stressed out of my mind. I've been taking care of her for the majority of this past week and haven't really been able to take care of myself in the ways that I need to. On the few days she was feeling ok, I went to some overstimulating events that I don't feel like I fully recovered from, either. I've been holding back a full breakdown all day, but short periodic cries have helped relieve some tension.

And here's where I'll tie it in to Loki: last night, I decided to do some journeywork since I haven't in a good while. I thought it might also be some good self-care time to visit the little home space I've made with Loki and his family. The thing is, Atlas was the one to great me as soon as I entered trance. In chatting with him a little, it was obvious that Loki called on him to really drive home the "you don't have to carry/aren't carrying the whole world on your shoulders" message. After this realization, it took me a second to really lock onto Loki's energy so I could talk with them about it. When I finally did, they showed me all these key stepping stones of progress in my journeying practice, especially finding and traveling to different locations. So they asked, "Why do you want to come to this place you spend so much time in?" Referring to our little home space. I broke down, and when I heard myself speak, it was like I was hearing a child. I was saying I just "wanted to see daddy" (i.e. Loki) and I didn't like that every task I picked up felt like a whole world for me to carry. Then I started apologizing to nearly every major deity in the Norse pantheon for not doing any of the work we've spoken about doing together. Each time I named one, they appeared before us. I was bawling into Loki's chest as they held me, and I could feel the tears and snot dripping down my actual physical face, too. As I did, I shifted into a toddler. Loki wasn't just hugging me. He was holding me, my legs around his waist with his right arm under my butt to hold me up. He motioned to everyone around us, saying that they are all family and part of this home space. Like my inner circle. Then he referenced me going to other circles (i.e. learning about and working with deities or spirits from other pantheons and practices) as a way for me to learn. And that they will all still be here for me even when I venture out to "meet new people" and that some people I meet may even join us in our inner circle. Cue Apollo walking up to us, holding his arms out for me to go to him. Loki passed me over to him like a parent handing their kid off to a babysitter or family member. There were a few small things that happened after that, but I'm still so struck by that sense of family. I felt so much more relaxed crying into Dad's (Loki's) arms. I felt safe and loved, and I felt safe and supported even when I was handed off to Apollo.

I'm really holding on to the comfort of those moments right now as I still try to care for myself in this moment. I am slightly dreading the inevitable inner child work that this was also clearly alluding to, just because I know it will be a lot emotionally, but it clearly needs to be done, right? It feels like a lot to maintain my current practices and deity relationships AND explore new ones. That in and of itself feels like taking on the world, and that doesn't even include all of the mundane adulting shit I have to do every day. I've just been so overwhelmed and overstimulated this week. I need everything to just stop for a second. I need to not be needed for just a little while. I need to be held for just a little longer until every last ounce of tension gets released from my mind and body. I need to get 10-12 hours of sleep for the next few nights. Gods, give me strength and rest, please. 🙏

[anawrites3]

Jaden back in time!!

Still a good boy!

Universe swap- royalty!!

Thank you for asking <33

So Jaden back in time is the story I was talking about lately! It’s omegaverse fic where Jaden, Dick and Slade’s son, gets sent back to the time when Dick and Slade aren’t together yet. They’re not even lovers at this point, just enemies so you can imagine all the drama :3

I posted a snippet some time ago, you can find it right here but lemme post here another one!

Everyone was already in the Cave when Dick got there. They were standing in a loose circle around the pup not to overwhelm him but even from a distance Dick could see it’s not an issue – the puppy just seemed excited, talking about something at a rapid pace. There was a smile on his lips, so broad it was pushing at his cheeks and he kept gesturing widely with every word. Dick felt himself smile as well as he watched. Jason was crunching in front of the kid, nodding attentively at the pup’s story. Tim and Damian, one smiling and one frowning, were standing a bit further away but still close than Bruce was. The man sat at the computer, watching the pup with a calculating gaze and didn’t even react when Cass poked him in the forehead to show that she didn’t apprentice him doing it. “-and then we got some ice cream!” Dick heard the pup say as he got closer. “We even convinced dad to get some and he doesn’t like sweets much. That’s so weird! Who doesn’t like sweets?” Jason looked in Dick’s direction when he noticed him and a moment later the pup turned around as well. Dick met the puppy’s eyes – they were a shade of blue, like a sky before a storm – and watched the way they widened as the pup gasped. “Mama!” He yelled out, running towards Dick. Dick froze. Everyone in the Cave froze, save from the pup who threw himself at him with all he got, almost shoving him off his feet. Little arms wrapped around Dick’s waist as pup’s head pushed against his stomach and it was like all air was pushed out of Dick’s lungs. “What- I…” He started, unconsciously hugging the pup back. His inner omega was purring somewhere in the back of his mind and he looked at the pup with wonder. ‘Mama’, he said. And he came from time travel or another dimension. “You’re here, mama! It was scary, I didn’t know what happened because one moment dad was there and then everything disappeared and I was alone on the street! And you and dad always say that when something happens on the street I can look for grandpa or my uncles or aunt Cass and I found uncle Jay and he took me here but you weren’t here and I still don’t know where dad is and-” The pup’s scent was pushing off happiness and the last hints of fear and when he looked up at Dick there were tears in his eyes. Dick found himself shushing the pup without even thinking about it, gently wiping at his eyes. “Hey, it’s alright now.” He mumbled softly, hugging the pup tighter. “Mama’s here, baby. You’re okay.” His.

“Still a good boy” is an apprentice Dick story that I talked about right here so go check it out! Have a little snippet as well <3

“It’s like I’m still there.” He whispered, voice cracking. He looked down at his hands, clamped tightly together and didn’t dare to meet Bruce nor Jason’s eyes. “When I see him… It’s like I never left. He said it himself. One word from him and I… I’m…” “It’s not your fault, Dickie” Jason insisted. He placed a gentle hand on the edge of Dick’s shoulder – the last time anyone touched him too close to his neck he started screaming – and peered down to met Dick’s gaze. “Ya hear me? It’s not. I know you know it too.” “I just want to get him out of my head.” Dick cried out. He wiped roughly at his eyes before he started crying. Slade didn’t like it when he cried and Dick didn’t care what Slade thought but it was still difficult to just allow himself to cry. It was difficult to ignore the panic that burned his chest when he thought his master would see him like that and what he’d do. “I want… I want to be normal again.” “And you will be.” Bruce promised. “You just need time.” Dick hiccuped.

Last but not least uniwerse swap - royalty is a fic where Dick gets thrown into a universe where he’s a crown prince of Gotham! He has no idea how it happened or what is happening but basically he’s just to survive there without revealing that he’s from future and also without fucking up that Dick’s life.

In that world Dick and Slade are secret lovers :3 This Dick doesn’t know that and he’s certain that Slade is there to kill him and the rest of his family.

I talked about this wip the last time I did the game so you can check it out right here as well!

A snippet;

Maybe a few minutes passed by – really, why the hell would they need a castle this big? Even the manor was too big for all of them – when a hand wrapped around his face and was yanked through the door he was just passing. He shoved his elbow into attacker’s stomach and the man grunted but didn’t let him go. “It’s me.” A familiar voice whispered in his ear and it did nothing to calm his nerves. Slade let him go before Dick managed to send another elbow, this time into his throat, and turned to close the door after them before turning back to face Dick with a smirk. “We haven’t seen each other for weeks and this is how you greet me?” He chuckled. “I should have guessed.” “You grabbed me.” Dick accused him, trying to subtly put more distance between them. Of course, Slade noticed. And he moved closer, not stopping until their chest were pressed together. “So it’s my fault?” He teased with a smirk. “Naturally.” Dick swallowed heavily. “Naturally.” Slade allowed with a quick dip of his head, his lips still curled into that grin. “Let me make it up to you then.” And then he leaned down to press their lips together.

Ask me about my wips!

[marvelandponder]

💖 🖊? Maybe these can go hand in hand! (Unless you want to keep your favourite parts for when they come out haha)

Fanfic Ask Game! Hehehehe! I was hoping somebody would use the pen! I'll answer the first one in general, then give you a snippet from an upcoming story I just finished revising (off to be illustrated!) 💖 What do you like most about your own writing? Hard to say, but I really love writing and dialogue. I've had to read back so much of my own stuff since I try to edit it to a good point before it goes to Bevin - so I will admit a terrible sin: I laugh at my own jokes. I also cry at my own stories, but I cry easy! 🖊 Post a snippet from a current WIP. (let's goooooo!)

Her knuckles clunked against the hardwood, resounding.  Floorboards shifted and sifted dust until a chain lock clocked open, and the door stepped back to let a half-awake, swollen-eyed Timber Spruce work out how to parse the view. “Sunset Shimmer?”

Mud clung to her rain-filled boots as Sunset stood on his covered porch feeling like a wet rat in a sewer drain. “... Hi,” she said, soaked through. “I’m sorry. I know it’s late, and dark, and you probably don’t exactly want to see me…” Over her shoulder, the rain splattered on her motorcycle, pouring off the roof. What’s he supposed to think? Any sense of cool had abandoned her and a chill broke through her layers. “I’ve got something I need to say to you.”

All the sleep loitering his eyes cleared out, and Timber brightened as if a shiny new bus pulled into camp. Chest sitting higher enough for her to notice his musculature, he pulled the door open with all the enthusiasm she got out of Banana or Spike. “Yeah?”

She got one look down at herself. He seemed to do the same, and he elected to join her on the porch. As he did, she reached into the inner pocket⁠ of her jacket and pulled out what she came for: two tickets to the Fall Formal. 

Once he locked eyes with the ticket stubs, the power of his intense brows shrouded over everything, trees fallen on the forest floor. Thunder rumbled somewhere so far off that it could’ve been a bend in the wind. “Oh, no,” Timber said, kind of smiling. “I gave those to Twilight. She should get a chance to use them with someone.”

Sunset only moved to nod. Her leather creaked like the rain.

The firm hold his brows had deepend, gutting a trench between themselves⁠ until suddenly, they let go. 

“Get back together with her,” she said, blacker than the pitch outside of the porch. 

“Sunset⁠—”

“You make her laugh. You’re the same kind of weird. You’re good for her.” She could hear the rasp of her voice working over that one. “Maybe she rolled her eyes a lot and things ended, but I was there. I know she loved you. And I can guess how you feel about her.”

Timber listened to her in the rain in his pajamas and bedhead-hair. 

“I thought if you broke up, she’d be sad but…” Celestia, the sound of how she cried the first night. Twilight’s rawed out voice dragged out into shaking quiet before another blast like each breath was a new wave. Sunset’s hand gripped her own soaked shirt just the same as she’d gripped the shirt on Twilight’s back. Mist crested off the eavesdrops. “I want her to stop hurting,” she said, Timber’s edges blurred. “She’s my best friend in any world.⁠⁠” Dull-eyed, she shook her head, tickets raised. “So? What’s stopping you? Go on and ask her to the dance.” 

The wind changed and Timber shook his overly fluffy head. “... You have to know I’m not going to do that, right? You have to know that.”

Sunset’s ribs cramped, stitches in her sides. She shoved the tickets into his chest. “C’mon! I know you still like her! You crazy kids deserve each other⁠—what’s wrong with you?”

Rubbing the spot where the mushrooms on his shirt distinguished him as a Fungi at Parties, Timber looked down at the tickets at his chest like he was expecting something else to be there. “I don’t know what she told you about our breakup but think about it for a second: You’re talking about Twilight Sparkle.” He turned his chin to slant his look to her. “You really think she’d ever make a big decision without thinking it through?”

[dreamtigress]

Director's Cut View for Verbanden & Geesten

For @devoted-people-hater

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ many many stars for your creative genius! Surprise me 😮

From the Fanfic Writers: Director's Cut...

Thanks for the compliment and the ask! I want to take a moment to talk about Chapter 3 of Verbanden & Geesten.

I'd known for a while that I needed to send Kaz to his childhood home. Take a look at what visiting the farm might do to his psyche, if he gives himself the chance to really spend time there, revisit his past. It was one of the harder things I've written, in terms of emotional processing, not only for Kaz as a character, but for myself.

I've spent a lot of time, over the last few years, starting to unravel my own childhood traumas. With my therapists, with close friends. One of those friends has DID (Dissociative identity disorder), and we've discussed how trauma in kids, especially autistic kids, can manifest in masking to the degree that your mind splits into alters. She's given me insight into not only DID, but other facets of mental health as well. Our trading of 'funny childhood stories that turn out to be trauma' has been helpful for both of us. She's also an amazing writer, and we trade reading commentary.

I explore the possibility of a DID diagnosis in Kaz a lot in my stories. The friend I mentioned has talked at length about what it was like to gain back her core alter, her original self, during her journey through mental health exploration. I realized that might happen for Kaz, if he got to a place where he was starting to open up with Inej, with Jesper and Wylan. By going to the farm, Kax triggers childhood memories to surface, and comes face to face with parts of his mind he'd long thought were dead. Like the inner Kaz Rietveld, and the more true version of Jordie.

I thought I truly put him through the wringer, and I will tell you I cried more than a few times, during the writing and edit runs. And then... Then the wife of my friend read Verbanden & Geesten. And she said something that sticks with me. "I love how gentle you are with Kaz."

I thought, "I guess?" But in reality... I want for Kaz to grow, to heal, to be able to accept love and praise. I want him to be able to be Kaz Rietveld sometimes. And in order to do that, he had to go through the pain of unlocking that inner vault that had been untouched for so long. To face his past, and invite it forward. And that's why Chapter 3 of Verbanden & Geesten is one of my favorite things I've written so far.

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 4

Episode 5: Danger Games Part 2

~A few hours later, in the Man Cave~

Eventually, (y/n) had dragged Ray home from Henry's house after the boy had begged her to remove him and his ragging from his ears so he and the Game Shakers could get to bed and forget about the stupid game for a few hours. She had agreed, probably quicker than she should have, but his babbling was getting to her too and with a few smiley apologies to the teens, she'd shoved him through the door so they could begin the walk back to the Man Cave, his arm wrapped around her waist as they blew more bubbles to return to normality. 

Upon coming back down the elevator, they had discovered Schwoz and Bork testing out some magic tricks and seeing as though the woman had firmly told her boyfriend he was gonna have to wait to get her alone that night after his comment, they had decided to sit back and watch as Schwoz attempted to saw himself in half. 

It was a cool trick to be fair, fascinating to watch, difficult to explain and hilariously funny to watch when the two men pulled a very mean trick on the poor guy and pulled the two halves further apart so he could be put back together. Now, Ray was sat on a chair, a root beer in his hand, his girl trying to hide her giggles as she perched on his knee and Bork chuckling next to them as he complained about having his torso on one side of the room and his legs a few metres away.

"Come on, you guys, put me back together!" Schwoz whined as he felt his toes wriggling, but not where he'd normally expect them to be and the strange sensation was bugging him. It was a mean prank, but no one could be assed to help him, not when it seemed oddly humorous to see him struggle, one half here and another half there.

"No, no, Schwoz, you wanted to show us a magic trick, now, you gotta finish it, right, sweet girl?" Ray exclaimed, laughing with his girl as she struggled to not smile, preferring to drown his chuckles in her drink. It wasn't her typical idea of humour but something about it was funny and seeing Ray looking so damn hot in his chair just made her want to sit with him and never move. Complaining would spoil the mood and she didn't want that, not when he looked so good and his hand was casually resting on her inner thigh.

"Yeah, just keep wiggling, Schwoz, you never know, you might get back together on your own." She teased, doing a little wiggling of her own in Ray's lap since she was feeling the effects of the porch kiss coming back and whilst she loved seeing that goofy grin on his face, she was being to regret not letting him drag her off to the bedroom the minute the elevator opened. And speaking of the elevator, Henry and Charlotte had come down to the Man Cave...with a very big problem in tow. He may or may not have brought the unconscious Game Shakers into the Man Cave because they may or may not have discovered his secret identity when they were getting ready for bed. Oops...

"Aw, but I forgot how to reattach myself! Henry! Help me!" Schwoz cried upon seeing the boy and girl wheeling in a massive tube of teens, but he was way too stressed out to help anyone but himself and the sight of the kids/strangers in the Man Cave, (y/n)'s mouth drop open in pure shock, but luckily, Ray hadn't noticed yet, which was good, as Henry started panicking. "No, no, I can't, man! I got something going on right now!"

"Uh, Bork, can you take the talking part of Schwoz out of here, please?" The young woman asked the strongman politely as her hand grew clammy at the glimpse of Hudson wearing Henry's mask that caught her eye and Henry quickly covered his face with a tissue before Ray completely lost it. He was gonna, he was gonna lose all of his shit and scream and shout, but he hadn't noticed yet and that gave them time to prepare and panicked as Schwoz's head was wheeled away. 

"No, no, wait, wait, you have to take my feet, no! Stay alive, I will find you! He cried as Bork dragged him off to the hidden rooms behind the supercomputer and (y/n) had about five seconds of pointing and eyebrow gestures to silently interrogate the teens about why the fuck were there a bunch of unknown kids in the hideout and why was wearing a superhero's mask and costume. The worried, panicked, terrified, nervous, crazed hand gestures and pained expressions she got in return weren't telling a good story.

"Hey, Henry, who's in the... Hey, aren't those the Game Shaker kids?" Ray's head tilted in confusion as he finally saw the snoozing group and recognised who they were. He wasn't shouting yet, but that was because he hadn't heard the worst of it, so (y/n) latched herself onto one of his arms, preparing him and herself to hear what must've been terrible, terrible news.

"Okay, now, don't get mad, hug (y/n). Go on, hug (y/n), she keeps you calm 'cause she's your girlfriend and you love her so, hug her, please." Henry started, pointing to the woman on Ray's arm and the man frowned at his weirdly calm voice and his instructions. He followed them regardless of the strangeness of their nature, he'd never turn down an opportunity to hug his girl, but something was still bugging him. (y/n) did keep him calm when he overreacted and the way Henry spoke, it was like he was trying to tame a wild animal before it bolted.

"Henry, they're waking up!" Charlotte hissed as she noticed the Game Shakers mumbling and twitching, the side effects of the green lasers Henry had used on them wearing off. He'd panicked, knocked them and his sister out and called the girl, who he thought would know what to do, but unfortunately, Charlotte was just as out of her depth as he was. More so when she saw Ray's confusion slowly hardening into anger, even with his sweet girl running her hands up and down his chest in an effort to keep him from losing it.

"What? Oh, shhhh—Charlotte, open the elevator door. Come on, go, go!" He told her, thinking on his feet since he really didn't want to laser them all again. He could just lock them up, it was fine. She did as she was told and once the door was open he shoved the recycling tub inside before running to the control panel and flipping the power level, effectively using the elevator as a prison. All the while, Ray's hold on his girlfriend was getting incredibly tight, so much that she was worried for herself a bit (super-healing always helped her panic) and him since she had no idea how he was going to react to what had so obviously happened. 

"Uh, what's going on? Why do I have to hug my girlfriend?" The man asked, his face showing that he wanted a straight answer and that for once, he was in no mood for games. Henry was sweating, Charlotte was buzzing, he could practically taste their anxiety, and it was rubbing off on him, which, in turn, rubbed off on (y/n). It really wasn't a good situation for anyone.

"Hey, why don't we all go and have some hot chocolate?"  "Could we?" Charlotte and Henry suggested, hoping that they could use their boss's love of food to help them get away from this, but not even they could distract Ray right now, not even (y/n) as she squeezed her eyes shut and dropped her forehead on the man's chest, bracing herself for a shitstorm. The adorable, goofy personality was gone and instead, there was a fuming, seriously strong superhero standing in front of them, demanding their honesty and loyalty as they kept their secret from him.

"Henry!" Ray snapped, his heart pounding as he saw them both gulp and felt his girl shiver. His blood ran cold at the thought of intimidating her, she felt so small and he forgot how huge and terrifying he could be when angry, so he cursed himself for losing control in front of her and raised a gentle hand to pet her hair, just as the Game Shakers started crying and banging for help. Their cries made him tense again, but he bit back his sharp tongue, fearing that he'd say or do something he'd regret that would make her whimper more and just the thought of that made him hurt so bad, he kept it all in, just for her.

"The—the Hudson kid, he found my gum and blew a bubble," Henry confessed, walking past his boss with his hand raking through his hair as he felt his terror rising. He was worried for himself, for Ray, for his new friends, for everything and the way Ray's face seemed to crumble with fear, disappointment and anger made it worse.

"Oh, shit, Henry..." (y/n) mumbled, ripping herself away from Ray as the panic infected her too, making her lose sight of what she really needed; his arms around her, his comforting words in her ear, telling her it would be okay. She just started pacing, her eyes screwed shut and a hand on her mouth to stop any pained noises escaping her. Ray's eyes followed her like she'd ripped out his heart and his brain automatically jumped to conclusions, assuming that she was scared of him at that moment and felt like...his arms weren't home, they were dangerous and that broke him when Henry kept going.

"And then he turned into...you know like me." He admitted, seeing how his big plan of keeping Ray with (y/n) was going to shit as the woman wrapped her arms around herself and not him, thinking that if she made herself small, then the pain would hurt less. She didn't want Ray to be mad, she didn't want Henry to lose his job, she didn't want those kids to pay the price for an accident, she didn't want any of it.

"And everyone saw?!" Ray interrogated his sidekick, his face growing red and the veins on his neck popping out as he struggled to cope with two crushing blows at once. Henry had screwed up his secret identity and possibly put his entire life's work in jeopardy and even more heartbreakingly, he had screwed up with his girl, again. How could he keep her safe if she didn't feel that with him? He'd vowed to protect her from everything she was scared of, he had never thought that he'd be on that list or that she'd be standing a few metres away from him and he'd feel like they were worlds apart. Maybe he'd judged it wrong, maybe it wasn't the right time for the ring, maybe it was but not with him...

"Yes! Yes! They all saw, man, they all saw! And the—then that—that Kenzie girl, she figured out that I'm Kid Danger!" Henry shrieked, everything just pouring out of him like he couldn't stop it, he just wanted to tell the truth even if it could make things worse for him. He was in too deep and had gone too far to lie now. "Oh my god..."

"And then—and then, I freaked out, I freaked out, man, I freaked out and then, I just...I just..." Henry panted his fingers grazing over his whiz watch as every moment replayed in his mind and he felt like he could breathe like the walls were closing in on him as Ray got closer, demanding an answer, which only made it worse. "You just what?!"

"Raymond!" (y/n) snapped, her eyes burning into him with a fury that made him back off like he'd been wounded, his heart bleeding once again as her anger was directed at him again. Now, she was scared and mad, this couldn't be good, this could only mean that she wouldn't be in his bed tonight and the next and the next, what if he'd finally done it? What if this disaster was what drove them apart? Not seeing his inner turmoil, (y/n) put her hands on Henry's shoulders and turned the kid's face in her direction, even though he couldn't meet her eyes. "Henry, I want you to take some deep breaths and tell me what happened..."

"And then, I just started zapping, (y/n/n). And I—I—I just couldn't stop, I zapped everyone...and then I zapped my sister! I zapped my sister, man!" Henry sobbed, finally letting his tears escape as he broke down and curled into Ray's chest to cry, squishing (y/n) in between the two of them as she hugged him back. Charlotte watched awkwardly as Ray tried to comfort his sidekick, not knowing if he was doing the right thing since the last time he'd tried to comfort someone, she'd pulled herself away. Oh god, was being pressed against him making her uncomfortable right now? Why was she crying too?

"Henry...hey, Henry, yeah, look at me, you're not in trouble, but we gotta fix this. And you need to stop crying because seeing you cry makes me cry! So come on, dry your eyes and get out your gum, 'cause Captain Man needs both his sidekicks right now." She pulled away from the kid, both of their eyes red and puffy from all the emotion washing over them, but once it melted away, they were left with a sense of calm and level heads. Ray's heart skipped a beat at her mention of him needing them and it couldn't have been truer; he wanted to reach out and touch her, kiss her, tell her he was sorry for being...monstrous, but he thought she'd heard enough from him for one night and chose to just silently dig around for his tube.

"Okay, yeah, you're right. We can fix this, right Ray?" Henry asked his boss, looking hopeful that he wasn't about to fire him or say that the consequences of his fuck-up were irreparable. Ray clenched his jaw and shoved a gumball in his mouth, his movements mirroring his sidekicks' albeit with much more ferocity behind them, which made the air freeze as they waited for his reply. Jeez, he definitely looked furious, tense, like if they said one more thing he'd started throwing fists.

"Yeah, we'll use the memory-wiper. They won't remember a thing." Ray grumbled, standing in a wide space so he could snap into his suit, although he'd also factored in how she needed space from his temper and he needed space to calm down. It wasn't the best method out there and certainly not the kindest, but they didn't really have any other choice, not that (y/n) could hold her tongue. Ray normally took her advice on board, factored it into his equation and listened to her when no one else wanted to, but he wasn't in a good place right now.

"We could try something differe—" She argued, knowing that they should at least talk to the kids first and see what they had to say before they removed every memory in their heads, but the way his head snapped to meet her gaze, a cold, hard sternness in his eyes, it made her words run dry and his harshness plugged the silence.

"It's not up for discussion." He told her coldly, in the harshest voice he'd ever used with her and it was like time stopped. Henry and Charlotte looked at him with shocked, almost angry expressions at the tone he decided to use and blowing the bubbles felt numb for (y/n) like she was in a goldfish bowl looking out at the muffled world around her. Her super suit materialised around her, not that she felt it, she could just feel her heart breaking as she wondered what she'd done wrong and if there was anything she could do to make it better.

With their suits on, Ray went to grab the memory wiper and Henry stumbled over to the elevator's controls, with (y/n) hovering somewhere in the middle. The tension was thick in the air and the screams and shouts in the elevator were getting louder, but even still, Ray was determined to do this, he saw no other way.

"All right, kid, time to clean up your mess." The superhero grumbled, turning up the power on the device in his hand. He didn't want to do it, it's not like he enjoyed wiping the brains of kids, far from it, neither did he like how it divided his Man Cave into different opinions and disrupted the playful harmony in there. The sooner they did this, the sooner things could get back to normal, whatever normal was.

"You don't have to say it like that." (y/n) muttered, getting out of the way so she wouldn't get blasted accidentally and she hated the way her feet took her back to Ray's side like they knew it was safest there. It was, it was always gonna be safe with him, she just didn't know if he was okay with her being there.

"Come on, man. Do we really have to erase their memories?" Henry asked Ray, praying that by some miracle, or maybe by having (y/n) back in close proximity, he'd change his mind and suddenly say that they could be left alone, but it was wishful thinking.

"Yes! And turn the elevator power back on and open the door. Sweet girl, get back, I don't want you forgetting too." The man ordered, his tone softening slightly at the end as one arm pushed his girlfriend behind his shoulder. Okay, that made her heart flutter and she swallowed to keep her emotions under control. It was just his temper, she shouldn't take it to heart and knowing that he wanted her next to him was a good start for calming things down.

Henry flipped the lever again as Ray entered the settings on the memory wiper, his muscles tense under (y/n)'s fingertips when she tested to see if he'd left her touch his back. He did, of course, he welcomed her touch, thankful that she wasn't so scared that she couldn't be with him anymore and some of his frustration melted away when her cheek rested on his shoulder blade. Maybe it was a misunderstanding...

"Arghhhh, that's bright!" "Are we in heaven?" Kenzie and Hudson gasp as the Game Shaker kids were finally freed from the elevator, all of them blinded by the bright, flashing lights as they stumbled around in their pyjamas. The Man Cave had that effect on a lot of people and they blinked in awe as they saw Captain Man, Kid Danger, Miss Danger and some other girl stood there looking awkward and nervous.

"Hey, kids..." Ray smiled tightly whilst (y/n) poked out from behind him, properly revealing herself to the teens. It broke her heart to know that in a few minutes, they wouldn't remember any of this or any one, but she daren't say anything, not when Ray was still quite mad.

"Hello, everyone," "Good evening..." Henry and (y/n) greeted away warmly, standing next to Ray so the group was isolated and Babe blinked at Charlotte. She knew who the heroes were, but this girl was a complete stranger and she was fairly certain that this was all a dream. Or maybe this was all very real and her life had just gotten a bit crazier.

"Oh, uh, my name is Daenerys Targaryen...and pretend I'm not here," Charlotte told the kids, ignoring how crazy it seemed to be named after a fantasy character, but honestly, the teens weren't that interested in her, they just wanted to know how and why they were in this whacky place. 

"What happened to us?" "What is this place?" Kenzie and Trip asked, still blinking under the lights and seeing as though he was about to ruin their lives, Ray figured that a calm, soothing tone would be the best approach as he replied to them. He didn't want to scare them, that would be so annoying, having to chase down the kids as they tried to run away from the memory wiper's beams. It was just easier this way.

"Hi, everyone. Welcome to the Man Cave. Now, if you kids will just look this way, please. Look towards me, I'm just gonna use this to take a pic of you guys!" He lied, trying to seem honest, even though the device in his hands looked nothing like a camera, but at least it rolled Hudson, but then again, nearly everything fooled that kid.

"Oh, yeah. That's a great idea. Come on, everyone, let's get in close." The blond boy smiled and wrapped his arms around his friends so they could all huddle in. The girls and Trip were a little weirded out, but said nothing as Hudson squished them all together, their lips twitching into confused smiles as Ray aimed the wiper at them, powering it up to fire, but...

"All right, stop it! If you're gonna wipe their memories, you should at least have the guts to tell 'em." Henry stopped Ray at the last moment, making Charlotte and (y/n) peek out from behind their fingers as the Game Shakers gasped in horror. He was planning on doing what to them?! Pic, their asses, Captain Man was a born liar and hearing about his devious plan made them splutter. "What? Wipe our memories?!"

"Ahhh, it's fine, it's fine. It's just a camera...with a trigger. Okay, everyone, smile and say amnesia." Ray brushed off their worrying, taking aim as the teens panicked, Henry holding (y/n) back as she itched to help them or stop her dumb boyfriend or something, but he couldn't bear the thought of the man snapping at her again. His boss had a tendency to be a little destructive and so God help him, he was not gonna let him ruin the best thing in his life just because he was having a bad day. No way, Jose.

"WAIT! Wait, um, if—if you wipe our memories, we won't be able to make the cool game about you!" Babe stopped, thinking on her feet as Ray's pointer finger licked the trigger, freezing when she mentioned his video game. Smart girl, using Ray's ego was a sure-fire way to get what they wanted, mainly to retain the memories, and it made Ray pause for a moment as Kenzie took her best friend's idea and ran with it. "Yeah, and we had all those amazing ideas."

"I know, too bad, right?" Babe sighed, Trip hurriedly agreeing with them as Ray seriously considered what they were saying. He really wanted that damn game, but he had his rules and authority to think about, would he just throw all that away.

"Wait, wait like what ideas?" Yes, yes, he would do that. He was technically just testing the waters, trying to see if the kids were bluffing or not, but the idea had caught his attention and honestly, he was swaying. If they played their cards right, they were in with a chance here.

"Just stuff, like you, Captain Man, and Kid Danger and Miss Danger, travelling through time, fighting—fighting moon robots!" Babe answered, making most of it up on the spot, but she had long honed her bluffing skills and the details piqued Ray and Henry's interests. (y/n) wasn't particularly bothered about being in the game, but she saw the way her boyfriend's muscles loosened and how the memory wiper was slowly being put down, so she was willing to back it all the way. She could fight moon robots, she'd fight anything if it meant things went back to normal. "Yeah, moon robots!"

"And other villains from history." "And from the future!" Trip added, knowing that the more detail they added, the more it seemed like they'd actually thought this through and when Captain Man stroked his chin, looking all thoughtful, they held their breath. Please, no memory-wiping, please, no memory-wiping...

"Hmmm, so like a time travel angle." He pondered, loving the idea of him, plus his two sidekicks, kicking ass throughout history. That did sound awesome and just knowing that his name and face would be out there even more for people to recognise and adore, that just won him over pretty much.

"Yeah, yeah and we'll call it..." Kenzie trailed off, trying to think of something clever as Hudson wandered around the room, finally stopping when he found Schwoz's feet. He poked them, prodded them, tickled the soles so his toes wriggled and just knowing that there were someone's legs left unattended was fascinating to him. 

"Crime Warp!" "Yes, Crime Warp! That's definitely the name!" Babe and Kenzie shouted, coming up with a reasonably cool name from the top of their heads and by the look of the mystified glaze in Ray's eyes, he loved it. It was mysterious, edgy and all about him (and (y/n) and Henry, but that's just semantics), what's not to love? "Crime Warp..."

"This game sounds pretty sick, dude!" Henry whispered in his ear, tapping (y/n)'s arm so she'd get close to him and encourage him too. It wasn't a lie, he loved the idea too, but the woman's voice in his ear always twisted his arm because he was wrapped around her little finger, even if his moodiness did sour things sometimes.

"And it's all about you, sweetheart..." She purred to him, carefully hugging his arm and smiling, trying to see if he would warm up just a little and it worked. It worked a lot. Ray removed his arm from her hold, making her smile drop for just a second before it went around her shoulders, bringing her body to his slightly so he could plant a kiss on her hairline, making her release a breathy laugh. It was like things were settled between them again, not in a verbal way, they'd talk it straight later, but for now, they felt...okay and that was good.

"I know, I know, sweet girl. I know." He whispered, back, standing straighter to act like nothing was happening, their hushed voices were just them having a brief pow-wow, but on the inside, his heart was fluttering. She wasn't scared, she was smiling, she didn't shun his touch, she curled into him more and when he pulled back, her hand stayed in his, keeping them connected through anything.

"But, we can't make games without our memories." "It's simple biology." Trip and Kenzie argued, making Ray consider what they were saying for a moment. He couldn't have his cake and eat it, he couldn't wipe their memories and keep the promise of a cool game about him, so he was left with a decision, do it or don't do it.

"Hey, whose feet are these?" Hudson asked, tickling Schwoz's feet with delight as they wriggled, making (y/n) look over for a moment as she heard the small man giggle in the hidden corridor. Right, she couldn't explain that phenomenon, so she just had to get the kid away from Schwoz before he peed himself from the laughter. "Hey, leave those alone, you don't know who they belong to or where they've been."

Hudson immediately ran back to Trip's side, hiding behind his back as he got a strange, unnatural feeling from the feet and he deemed it best to keep well away. Going back to the important matter at hand, Babe, Kenzie and Trip looked at Captain Man with hopeful eyes, hoping he'd spare them because they certainly hold up their side of the bargain if he did. However, when Ray went to open his mouth, the answer ready on the tip of his tongue, the computer alarm sounded, drawing the superheroes' attention away abruptly. 

"Uh, what's that?" Babe asked, wondering what the invasive racket was and why the screens were flashing red. Charlotte ran over immediately, reading the monitor since that was kinda her job. "Breaking news."

"Go check it out," Ray told her, earning himself a stern glare since that was her plan the entire time. Why did he think she was walking if not to see what all the fuss was about? And, he was a tad rude; just because he was the boss didn't mean he couldn't use his manners, something his girlfriend always encouraged when he was getting a bit above himself. "What's that magic word we talked about for when you want someone to do you a favour?"

"Please," Ray added, squeezing her fingers in a silent apology as Charlotte accepted his answer. Was that so hard? Jeez, thank god (y/n) was around, he'd have them doing all sorts of laborious shit (something they'd witnessed with that whole parallel universe crap, Ray going off the rails without his soulmate).

"There was trouble tonight in New York City." Trent Overrunder started the report, grabbing everyone's attention as the news flashed up on the monitors. Upon hearing the native city's name, the Game Shakers ran over, Ray, (y/n) and Henry close behind them so they could listen for their job. Technically, it was out of their jurisdiction, New York being on the opposite side of the States, but if the need was dire, then they'd go anywhere; Captain Man would always help anyone if they asked for it.

"Also known as the Big Pear," Mary added, not realising that she'd mixed up her fruits, but the sentiment was there, not that Trent was any less forgiving, as usual.

"That's wrong, Mary." He told her, not caring how his colleague's face fell at how she'd messed up again, on national TV of all things. His face remained emotionless like he was just gonna brush over her sadness and not make her feel better, something which rubbed (y/n) the wrong way.

"I hate that guy. Why's he always gotta be so mean to her?" She whined, feeling Ray's arms snake around her waist and pull her back into his chest where he could keep all of her worries away. He knew how much she wanted to give Mary a hug for all the shit she went through and it just made him smile at how naturally caring she was. Yeah, something was up and he probably should've given it his full attention, but he couldn't, not when she looked over her shoulder and brushed her lips over his, the gentlest kiss they'd ever shared, but one they needed more than they realised. 

"Anyway, tonight, a brutal attack was attempted on famous rapper, Double G Griffin when he was in his office, grilling a steak." Trent carried on, sending the Game Shakers into a deep shock and panic. Their friend, boss and dad was attacked? What the fuck? They had so many questions concerning his safety, why, how, when and who, but none had more than Trip, who felt faint at the news. He couldn't lose his dad...

"My dad was attacked?!... Okay, that's disgusting." He cried but was quickly shushed as the anchors started talking again, making him wipe away the saliva that covered his cheeks. They listened eagerly, their ears straining for every word so that they would know every detail, even if the story got worse the more it went on.

"And according to New York Police, the attackers claim to have been hired by a criminal from right here in Swellview, Doctor Minyak." The man went on, the superheroes' hair standing on end when they heard the name. That bastard, he couldn't keep it local, he just had to move out of their patch, but if he thought that they wouldn't chase after him, then he had another thing coming. He was a Swellview criminal, which meant he was still their problem. 

"Minyak..." Ray growled, his arms tightening around his girl as his anger picked up again, but this time, it was well-justified. The doctor had crossed a serious line, bringing violence to the table and hurting innocents just to get under his skin and it took every ounce of restraint in his body and the feeling of (y/n) conjoining their hands to stop him from losing it again. He was glad she was there and glad that she seemed as ready to kick Minyak's ass as he was, Henry too. They didn't have much love for brutality either.

"That's the guy that was trying to stop my dad from doing the revenge charity concert." Trip exclaimed, shaking Babe's arm with every word, something he didn't realise he was doing until his grip got too tight and she yanked it away from him. She didn't need a bruise, not when they were gonna come up with a plan to save/protect Dub. "Yeah, I'm following along."

"Luckily, Double G was unharmed, but thanks to a box of fireworks, two of his main bodyguards, Bunford Simmons and Rutherford. P Ainsworth were very harmed." Trent reported, making the kids whine in sympathy as they heard the terrible, terrible news. They loved the bodyguards and would hate if anything bad happened to them and it had, so their day/night wasn't going so good.

"They'll be resting painfully in the hospital for a while, but the two bodyguards are expected to make a full recovery." Well, that was some good news, at least. No permanent damage, but it still meant Dub was unprotected and that Minyak was probably swanning around thinking his plan was gonna work for once. Like they'd ever let him contemplate that notion, he needed to know he was a loser, a cowardly, smug loser who didn't stand a chance against three superheroes and a bunch of disgruntled kids.

"I guess they forgot to guard their own bodies." Mary smiled, proud of her little wordplay even if the timing was a little awkward and morbid. Trent though, was repulsed by her humour and rather than just grin and bear it like most polite people would do, he simply stood up and walked off set, leaving the poor, blonde lady to wilt in disappointment. What an asshole.

"This is a disaster!" Trip cried, walking away from the supercomputer in a frantic fashion as he thought about the very real danger his father was in right now. No one knew how eccentric he could be, not like Ruthless and Bunny, no one knew how to keep him safe from nutters like Minyak as they did, what were they gonna do if there was another attack at the concert?

"No, no, come on. They said Bunny and Ruthless are gonna be all right." Babe followed him, her voice calm as she tried to stop his worrying, but it didn't help all that much. They still had a huge problem; who was gonna protect Double G now? They needed someone who would actually stand a chance against Minyak, someone who knew how he worked and how he thought, someone who had an excellent track record against him.

"But they're in the hospital! Resting painfully!" He snapped a reply, not meaning to be spiteful, but his emotions were running high until his eyes landed on Ray, (y/n) and Henry, wait a second... "Captain Man, Miss Danger, Kid Danger, you guys gotta come back to New York with us to protect my dad. Please!" 

They thought about it for a minute, debating whether it was their problem if it was in an entirely different city, but this was Minyak, he was their problem, they angered him. It was technically, kinda their fault, not that they'd ever admit it and when Ray looked at his sidekicks, they gave him subtle nods. They were all in, willing to do what was right, but he wanted to bargain, just a little. "You guys swear you're gonna make a super cool game about me, Miss Danger and Kid Danger?" 

"Yes!" "Totally!" Their enthusiastic replies were instantaneous, (y/n) and Henry giving Ray the side-eye of mild disgust at how he didn't agree unreservedly as they did. Seriously, the stupid game again? That's what he was bidding a man's life against? Another thing to be added to the pile for stern words about with his girlfriend later and more grovelling for him. He never learned. The moment was drawn out for a few seconds, Ray walking over to the magic box containing Schwoz's feet just so he could add a touch of drama, his mind already made up.

"Well, kid, sweet girl...looks like we're going to New York!" Ray broke the news with a smile, (y/n) tackling him in a flying hug as the teens breathed a sigh of relief at him accepting their request for help. He couldn't say no, it wasn't in his nature and it went against every moral fibre of his that screamed for justice, not to mention how his sweet girl would never forgive him, he could never have said no. Henry and Charlotte shared a grin too, ecstatic that they got to go on a trip they'd always wanted to go on (of course, it was about their duty too) and they also smiled at how the lovey-dovey couple were as much in love with each other as they had always been, if not more so.

"Thank you." (y/n) mumbled into Ray's ear, feeling like she should say it just to show him how she appreciated, no, admired his kindness, how he was willing to help a bunch of kids in a city that he had nothing to do with, merely because it was the right thing to. His arms tightened around her, taking most of her weight as she stood on her tiptoes and his cheek fell against the crown of her head, him feeling like she shouldn't be thanking him, he should be thanking her for sticking around when he was an asshole. No girl could leave Captain Man, they sought the fame, his good looks, his endless charm, but none stayed when all that fell, leaving him as a normal guy with normal feelings, a temper and fame that stretched to his working life and nothing else. (y/n) stayed and he was thankful for that, she loved everything, the good and the bad.

"S'okay. I'm sorry for shouting earlier, I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you, not when you were just trying to help." He replied, one hand stroking her face tenderly, his thumb running over her cheekbone as he tried to convey every ounce of remorse he felt in a twenty-three-word sentence. She was so sweet and he was so bitter at times, he wondered what did make her stay, why she didn't leave for someone who didn't have the baggage he did, the stress, the constant possibility that one emergency call might be their last if something went horribly wrong. 

"It's all right. You're human, you're allowed to feel angry. Captain Man isn't indestructible on the inside and that's okay." She said softly, her hand resting on his cheek too so she could show him the same tenderness. It was just about him keeping her safe, it worked the other way too and by no means did she expect him to be perfect, he wasn't a robot, he screamed, he shouted, he did dumb shit sometimes and whilst it hurt when he was prickly with her, she always brushed it off because she knew him and knew that him at his worst was miles apart from him at his best. She stayed because she loved him, all of him.

"I love you, sweet girl. Always, even when I'm stupid and I don't show it, I love you." He mumbled, unaware of how Charlotte and Henry were still smirking, the Game Shaker kids whispering giddily amongst themselves about flying home with three superheroes. He didn't care, not when she snuggled closer and pressed a short but very sweet kiss to his lips, pulling back to lean their foreheads together.

"And I love you. Always, whether you're Captain Man or Ray Manchester, I love all of you." She replied, feeling like the Man Cave was quiet for just a moment, even with all the chattering and thrumming machines. It was peaceful between them and that meant their home was peaceful too...until Schwoz opened his big, fat mouth.

"Are we really going to New York?!" The small man shouted excitedly from the other room, assuming that the announcement extended to him too. he just had to put himself back together and he'd be with them, after all, he'd always wanted to go to the Big Apple (not pear, sorry, Mary).

"Yeah, but not you, Schwoz!" Ray shouted back, feeling a little awkward at how he'd misunderstood the situation. This was a protect and kick-ass kinda mission, two things Schwoz wasn't particularly good at. No, he needed to stay here and watch the Man Cave, both pieces of him.

"Oh, come on! Just take my upper half!" He whined, trying to convince them like he could fit into an overhead storage locker or something. Yeah, like they could get half a man past the border, just hearing his voice sent the New York kids into a perplexed horror. 

"No thanks, Schwoz, that is both weird and disgusting!" (y/n) replied flatly, wishing he'd just shut it about going on the damn trip so she could get back to kissing her boyfriend, who smiled awkwardly at the teens as he kept screaming about his halves. There was never a normal day in the Man Cave...

~The next day, Double G's concert, backstage~

Well, they'd made it, the Big Apple! Broadway, Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, bagels, yellow cabs, angry people, Time Square, Central Park, the Empire State Building, everything was just pure NYC. Dub's concert was a few minutes from going live and everyone was getting into position. 

Charlotte and Trip were in the broadcasting room, having used his fame and status as Double G's son to get past the security and questions people threw at them, and now, they were Ray's eyes in the sky, watching everything from every angle. Hudson, Babe and Kenzie were hanging out in different areas backstage, casually strolling around to see if they could spot Minyak, with Ray and (y/n) having stressed a "no engagement policy". They just said what they saw, they'd do all the hard work. The heroes' had to get close to Dub if they were gonna guard his body as bodyguards so they'd come up with a brilliant if embarrassing, plan. Backup Dancers, oh yeah. 

The boys got to look like two adorable pharaohs, blending in with the stage's Egyptian theme and (y/n) wasn't much different. She managed to swipe a spare costume from some unsuspecting dancer and surprisingly, it fit pretty damn well. They'd have to ignore her minimal makeup, she had no time to go full Egyptian Goddess, but with the accessories, shimmery halter top and skirt, plus her gold sneakers, she looked the part and Ray was more than appreciative of the way her ass and hips were accentuated in the outfit.

(Sorry about the quality, this was the best screenshot I could grab <3)

"Henry, Ray, (y/n), you copy? Henry? Ray? (y/n)?" Charlotte's concerned voice came through on their earpieces, distracting them from getting their costumes straight. Jeez, they only needed a minute, they couldn't look like a mess of international TV, people would be scrutinising them, well, it would reflect on Double G if his dancers looked weird. "Where are you guys?"

"Okay, hey, Char. We're on stage, no sign of Doctor Minyak yet." Henry reported into his watch, (y/n) biting her lip when her hand slid up Ray's arm, the muscles that rippled under her fingers completely exposed in his pharaoh tunic. Yeah, maybe she should've been concentrating a bit more, but she couldn't help give his bicep a quick squeeze, not when he deliberately flexed to make her swoon even harder. He was loving her attention, her outfit, her everything way too much to say it was supposed to be a stealth mission.

"Copy that," Charlotte replied, ending their connection for the time being so they could concentrate on their spying and she and Trip could work on the monitors. He had to be somewhere, there was no way he'd call them, swear revenge and attack the rapper for nothing, he was just being sneaky, like usual.

"Babe, Kenzie, it's (y/n), can you hear me?" The woman moved onto the next pair after she'd finished ogling her boyfriend, promising herself that she could worship his god-like chest and arms later when they'd wrapped this up. The girls picked up immediately, recognising her voice despite the name drop. They knew where the Man Cave was, they knew about Henry, it only made sense that they knew her and Ray's identities, after swearing never to tell, of course, them being way too honoured by the privilege to even think of betrayal.

"We do." "Go for Kenzie." They replied softly, trying to not seem suspicious to anyone around them by talking into their borrowed whiz watches. The last thing they wanted to do was tip-off Minyak, who no doubt had brought some goons with him, meaning there could be eyes and ears everywhere. That was why Ray was being so careful, he needed to stay one step ahead of Minyak if he was gonna spoil his plan.

"Yeah, uh, for the Captain Man, Miss Danger, Kid Danger game..." Ray butted in, thinking that since he couldn't see anything, for the time being, they could negotiate and plan a little more, despite his girlfriend making the call to ask some proper questions, not chat about the dumb game. Henry groaned, she smacked her forehead, but Ray either didn't hear or didn't care 'cause he wasn't bothered, he just turned and admired his girlfriend's figure.

"I mean, I was gonna ask if they've seen anything but okay." She muttered, noting the way his gaze trailed up her thighs and you'd think her having her hands on her hips would tell him to focus, but his pupils dilated and he just smirked, pretty pleased with the view he was getting. Soft thighs for days...

"Yeah, I just think I should have really big muscles, like even bigger than the ones I actually have." He told the girls, having been prompted by his girl feeling up his arms and it was like instant inspiration. He wasn't ignorant of the fact that she had a thing for his arms and how insanely huge they always seemed to be compared to her smaller figure and because of the way his biceps made her quiver, he just thought that they should stress that it was the game, give her something to blush about every time she played it. Almost like a subtle reminder of what/who was waiting for her at the end of the day; his muscles would always find a way to drag her onto his chest where she always slept best before finally settling around her waist for the night. Yeah, his muscles were great.

"Now is not the time for that and stop staring at your girlfriend!" Henry hissed into his watch, watching as (y/n) flushed and Ray winced from the loud feedback. He definitely got the message, the young woman even more so when she remembered who else was in on the frequency, namely a load of kids who didn't need to know how she and her boyfriend constantly drilled over each other. Henry and Charlotte were used to it, but that didn't mean the Game Shakers had to be.

"Will you guys just keep an eye on my dad?" Trip asked impatiently, feeling like everyone, mainly the superheroes AKA their main line of defence, were getting distracted. If his dad hurt then they will have failed and he wasn't gonna let that happen. 

"Yeah, it's all good, Triple G. We got eyes on Double G right now." Henry soothed him, the three of them watching as Dub did some...butt exercises? His instructor was really working his hips, loosening them up for the concert, but never mind the weirdness, at least he was in their line of sight and he was out of trouble. If the guy needed to wiggled his butt, then that was fine by them.

"What are you two doing?" (y/n) asked the boys in confusion when her head snapped to her left and right and she saw that they were taking the instructors orders as their own and copying Dub's acting by shaking their butts and thrusting their hips. Lord have mercy on her filthy, sinful soul, just watching Ray move like that, it dragged her mind to the gutter, her cheeks darkening ever so slightly as they scrambled for an answer.

"Hmmm? What was that, sweet girl?" "Huh? Hmmm?" They stuttered, stopping as she knitted her eyebrows together and gave them both a judgemental look. Okay, weird but she could move on, she had to if she had any hope of not dragging her boyfriend off in search of a spare janitor's closet. 

"Whatever, let's just go." She told them, taking Ray's hand and dragging him off the stage so they could keep looking for Minyak or any of his lowlife minions. It was nearly time for the show, just fifteen minutes or so and Minyak was already in the building, over the stage, in fact, plotting Double G's demise with Nurse Cohort by his side. This was gonna be the one, the one where he succeeded and regained his notoriety for finally foiling those who tried to stop him. His device, something of his own invention, was gonna turn Dub into a howling, raving idiot and embarrass him in front of millions, how intrinsically evil was that?

~Ten minutes later~

"Double G!...Double G!...Double G!" The crowd chanted, pumped for their hero's appearance on stage as the lights dimmed. This was it, the big moment, the cameras were rolling, the stage was set, everything and everyone was in place, including Minyak, all anyone had to do now, was wait for the man himself to appear on his podium and the music to start. 

Dub's ass lit up on stage, two, luminescent G's on his pants so his logo would be the first thing people saw and now it made sense that he was doing butt exercises a short while beforehand. The beat picked up and so did the sway of his hips, his butt moving from side to side just like his coach had instructed him and it was a pretty funny yet incredible way to start the show, definitely a Dub special. The G logo stopped shaking as the beat reached a crescendo, the gold glitter sparkling under the lights when he fell to the sound of "drop that", illuminating the stage in a pyrotechnic explosion as sparks flew and the crowd roared.

There he was, Double G, stood in the darkness like he was blinded by the lights, but he owned the stage, commanded it and this was all part of his act. The lights turned on, smoke spreading across the room as he stepped forward on a golden platform, flanked by two more G's on the left and right as the screams deafened him.

"MIC!! SHADES!!" He yelled, both items appearing in his hands as if by magic, a trick that wowed both the people in-house and those around the world, watching from their homes. He slid the shades over his eyes like he was donning his Double G persona with that mere gesture and with the order for the audience, both in the arena and elsewhere, to scream, the show officially began as he ran up some stairs to a higher level. 

"I go by the name! Double! G!" He screamed, prompting the dancers backstage to rush to their places, ready to rush on as soon as he started rapping. Ray, (y/n) and Henry, being in costume, were ushered with them, their heart rates increasing as they realised that they'd have to go one with no practice, no rhythm and no clue what they were doing. This was gonna be fun.

"I'm livin' ma life, you wishin' you could, I do ma own thing, I do it so good. No key on ma payday, it's right, high key, I'm the gold on the mic. You pay for the show, well I'm in it..." Dub rapped, his dancers knowing the moves, the beat and the superheroes stumbled awkwardly onto the stage and tried to blend in.

"Uh, what are we doing?" Henry asked the couple, (y/n) getting a vague idea of what the dance was since it was the same one from the music video, so she wasn't completely clueless, unlike Henry and Ray who had no idea what was going on. They just needed to look normal.

"Just keep an eye out for Doctor Minyak," Ray told him, more worried about the doctor and whatever he was planning than dancing. He was a superhero, not an entertainer and whilst he would like to feel (y/n)'s hips grinding up against him to the music, they had much bigger things to worry about.

"Hey, we're supposed to be dancers. Don't you know the moves from the music video?" (y/n) hissed at them, roughly copying what her fellow female dancers were doing, feeling a bit heavy-footed with the first few steps, but she was doing better than the boys, who just swung their arms and stamped their feet awkwardly, the young woman getting into it as they built up to the chorus.

"I just do what I do, so you do you! Yeah, and I never fall long! Just do what I do, so you do you! Top dog, I'm a boss! I'm in it to win it, we on! Ma squad is so Gucci, we gone! You talk 'bout my back, but you smile in my face, between ma semmies, we throwin' the shade! I'm drawin' a line in the sand! So, we keep it all in the fam, I know that I make it look easy, livin' so hot, I make you feel crazy!" The music went on, (y/n) really showing her natural rhythm as she copied the female dancers with only a few mistakes in between and she looked like one of them, her mind casting back to the music video she'd seen a million times. Ray and Henry were still awful, but all of them were looking for Minyak, who was ready to pounce. 

"Nurse Cohort! It's time!" He exclaimed his special device that made people sound like Wookies still on his wrist. His assistant encouraged him to do it, wanting this whole thing to be over so she could file her nails in peace and Minyak didn't need telling twice. "I shall!" 

The doctor climb up to the rigging, supporting his weight on one arm precariously as (y/n) and her newfound squad steamed forward with Dub, her hand on his shoulder like she really had been hired. She was trying to freak out at touching the Double G, telling herself that he was just a person like her and just because he was a gazillionaire didn't mean she should lose it, not when she had one eye showering the crowds and the stage for Minyak. "No! They can't do it like me!"

Being the utter idiot he was, it didn't take long to find Minyak, who slipped as he tried to cling to the rigging and landed face-first on the stage, where the sight of numerous, confused dancers diving out of the way caught the attention of those watching. Double G boogied on as the doctor groaned and got to his feet, Kenzie and Babe rushing to their stage entrance once they'd seen Minyak from their screen.

"You guys! Minyak's on stage!" Babe exclaimed into her watch, instantly piquing the attention of Ray, Henry and (y/n), the latter of whom toned down her danced and slowly moved the back of the troupe once she realised that something was going down. It's fine, she could party with Dub some other time. 

"Where?!" Ray asked, his eyes frantically looking for his enemy as his girl grooved back to his side, trying to appear like she was fading out slowly, but with all the action, no one on stage could see what was happing. Minyak was just another body in the sea of people to them.

"He's stage right, next to the big G," Charlotte replied, she and Trip seeing everything from the broadcasting room, meaning that they saw the villain falling down and everything. Great, that meant they'd have to get across to the other side without looking weird or alerting Minyak, two things which were easier said than done.

"There!" Henry pointed and the couple's eyes followed his direction until they saw the man trying to avoid the dancers and all the fun going on around him. He stuck out like a sore thumb and whatever he was up to, it wasn't to wish Dub his congratulations on holding a damn good concert. 

"Ugh, Minyak! He's ruining the show!" (y/n) growled, watching as the criminal limped around the stage, dragging the leg he'd injured in his fall and he was clearly causing a disruption that was hellishly confusing for anyone watching on TV. Dub hadn't noticed, or maybe he had and just carried on like a professional, but either way, the supers had to do something before he did something evil.

"Let's go back there," Ray told his sidekicks, seeing the perfect spot behind a big G for them to safely pop some gumballs. Babe and Kenzie had their own little plan of attack whilst they were transforming or whatever, following Minyak to the other side of the stage as he danced and Dub kept singing.

"Okay, guys, let's blow a bubble..." Ray started, throwing some gum into his mouth as his sidekicks stood on either side of him, mirroring his movements. He'd be sad to see (y/n) change out of her cute little dancing clothes, but he loved her in anything, preferred her in nothing, so either way, he was happy.

"And save a Double..." She smirked, turning to Henry so he could finish the rhyme they'd come up with on the flight over to New York and damn, it felt epic to say as they prepared to don their hero attire. "G!" Their bubbles popped, the Egyptian costumes disappeared and in their place stood Captain Man, Kid Danger and Miss Danger, ready to kick some doctor butt.

"Let's go attack Minyak." Henry smirked, informing how (y/n) quickly gave Ray's arm a squeeze just because they were now hidden by the suit, but by no means any smaller. They were still rock-solid, full of power and completely hers to fondle and admire; yeah, she liked his arms.

Circling back from around the G, the heroes walked onto the stage, looking to see where Minyak had scurried off to and spotted him pretty much where he had been moments prior, only this time, their striking uniforms stood out amongst the dancers and he immediately knew that they were there to spoil his plan.

"No! Captain Man, Miss Danger and Kid Danger! Quick, stop them!" He yelled, his fear spiking when he realised that he wasn't free from justice in New York and that no matter where he ran off to, they were following behind him to protect the innocent citizens of wherever. Ray, (y/n) and Henry rolled their eyes, stepping forward at his empty threats, only to recoil slightly when three masked Jackal dancers blocked their path and revealed themselves to be Billie, Jean and King from the cargo plane. They obviously hadn't learnt their lesson; never deal with Minyak unless you want trouble and face full of fist.

"I think those three dancers are Minyak's goons!" Charlotte told her watch, watching the way they acted in front of the heroes and she thought it was best to warn them, even though they could already sense the danger they were in. Well, danger for the goons, they could take these idiots any day.

"Yeah, we figured that. Don't worry, we'll sort 'em." (y/n) replied quickly, seeing Ray clench his fists in the corner of her eye and once she'd ended her reply, her fists did the same, coming up protectively over her abdomen and chest.

"Sorry, boys, girl, doctor's busy right now." One of the thugs spat, looking up and down at the heroes as if they hadn't received a pasting for crossing them last time. All they needed to do was keep them occupied whilst Minyak lined up his shot for ruining Dub's voice, but it was just Captain Man and his team fighting this battle.

"Oh, gee, that's too bad, 'cause, uh, I got this thing on my hand..." Ray grumbled, flexing his hand like it was cramping up and he stepped forward to the guy who spoke like he was in pain and definitely not like he was about to slug him. The man tilted his head, not having realised that Captain Man wasn't one for boring, he liked to add a bit of spice to his fighting. "What thing?"

"Your face!" The large man exclaimed and punched the goon across the jaw, starting a brawl between the superheroes and Minyak's heavies as they tried to punch their way across the stage, something that drew the doctor's attention. Henry ducked out of the way of Jean's punches, his hyper-motility making him seem like a blur as he jabbed at his gut, making the guy groan in agony as (y/n) took on King.

"Nope, gonna have to hit harder than that, asshole!" She smirked as he tried to punch her across the face like Ray had done to his associate, but no matter how much he tried to break her jaw, her nose, her arms, her legs, rupture her spleen or her kidneys, she just bounced back instantly, fighting through the small bursts of pain before healing back up and getting on with it. She kneed King in the groin, practically purring in victory as he doubled over in pain, allowing her to kick him in the face too. That gotta hurt, but Minyak was taking his final shot and they were all busy scrapping, so desperate times called for desperate measures...

"That's a rap, Double G! No! Hold still!" He growled, trying to get a fix on the man as he danced to his music, meaning he couldn't get a clear shot. That was good, Dub was unknowingly protecting himself from lifelong embarrassment and Charlotte was quick to notice Minyak's shenanigans.

"You guys! Minyak's aiming something at Dub!" The girl told the heroes, not knowing what the something was, but it couldn't be friendly, not when he was scowling like that. Seeing that they needed to get over there and fast, Ray and (y/n) gave their opponents the hardest punches they could, rendering them dazed and confused for a few moments as Henry pummelled his guy's stomach with lightning speed, knocking him to the ground too. Meanwhile backstage, Babe and Kenzie were on a mission of their own, sneaking to the lights guy and with a little distraction, they were able to mess with his controls so the bright stage lights blinded Minyak from his task, buying their friends some time.

"Say goodbye to your voice, Double—Argh!" Minyak groaned as he tried to say another quirky line before he went down in history and he did go down, right after he was kicked in the face back a dancer twirling around the stage. He fell to the floor, dropping his device as he stumbled and clutched his cheek before looking around for the thing that was gonna bring him fame and glory. "My thing! Where did it go?!"

"Captain Man! Miss Danger! Kid Danger! Minyak's weapon is right behind you!" Charlotte's voice came through on their earpieces, she and Trip were still able to see anything and everything. They knew where the thing was, they could see it on the monitor, but they couldn't grab it and it was so frustrating to see it lying there as Minyak struggled for clarity.

"Wait. Where'd you say the weapon is again?" Henry asked, (y/n) and Ray were a little preoccupied with two guys double-teaming them to listen properly. They heard something about the weapon but were a little busy working together to fend the men off, Ray lifting his girl up so she could kick a guy in the face when he came running towards them, him slamming his elbow back into a man's nose when he came running from behind. That kinda thing.

"On the floor!" Charlotte stressed, wishing she could run ad tell them or do it herself, but she wasn't close enough to to the stage and a small break in their brawl allowed (y/n) to search the stage floor as Ray gave her a bit of cover, beating any guy who dared to come near her into a pulp.

"There! Kid, it's on the floor, there!" She yelled, pointing at the wrist thing momentarily before Billie or Jean or King or whoever grabbed her arm, twisting it harshly so she had to give up and fight back, kicking his shin with her steel-toe boot. Seeing where she was gesturing to, Henry made a split-second judgement call and dived for the device thing, sliding along the floor to grab it when a thug grabbed his ankle and yanked him back, leaving the weapon where it laid.

Henry was back into the fray, kicking the guy who grabbed him as the music continued, the dancers danced, Dub rapped and Minyak howled in frustration, scouring the ground for his thingamjiggy. He stormed past Captain Man, who was too busy smacking a guy who'd briefly bruised (y/n) to stop him and made his way up the stairs, going for Dub with or without his invention. He could still ruin the show with his bare hands.

"Man, who the butt are you?!" Dub screamed as he turned and saw some crazy, heavily breathing weirdo claw for him, disrupting the show as he was forced to quit rapping to keep himself safe. 

"Doctor Horacio. T Minyak!" He bellowed in response, ready to end this charade once and for all. Meanwhile, the backstage crew were going insane, panicking about what the hell was going on and wondering who the party-crashed was arguing with their star, but no one had an answer and Dub was too much of a professional to let some sick loner ruin his revenge concert for some poor kids.

"If you wanna stop me, this is the wrong time!" Dub screamed, still moving with the music so the crowd wouldn't worry or stampede, but he was very confused and slightly fearful as to what this psycho was doing on his stage. Seriously, where was his security?

"What do you want?!" He screeched again when Minyak lunged for him, the weapon being kicked around on the floor as everyone struggled for control, apart from Kenzie, who poked her head out from the curtains to see what was happening.

"Kenzie! You gotta grab this!" (y/n) shouted after she noticed the girl and shoved the thug trying to restrain her backwards so she could kick it in her direction. The weapon skidded across the stage, landing next to the teen who quickly picked it up, unsure of what to do now that she had it.

"Sweet! What do I do with this?!" She yelled, hoping they could give her some guidance since they were the superheroes, not her. She was just a nerd who made video games with her friends, she wasn't a fighter, she was a Games Shaker.

"Blast Minyak!" Ray replied back with a shout, punching a goon again as he struggled to keep them down. These men were relentless and even though they were nowhere near tired yet, all this crap was getting pretty repetitive. Their advice boggled the brainiac, who had no idea how to "blast Minyak", but she didn't have much time to think about it as a henchman strode towards her, intent on ripping his boss's thing from her hands. The girl screamed and ducked back behind the curtains, seeing Hudson checking out the buffet.

"Hudson! Catch! Blast Minyak!" She screamed, making the boy roar (Minyak had tested his weapon out on him, what a dick) as he received the invention and Billie came into the backstage area, making Kenzie scream again. He ran for Hudson, only to be stopped by two stagehands wheeling a huge G across the room and the boys hopped around it like they were playing tag, only with much more dire consequences. Babe came running when she heard the commotion and seeing his chance to lose the psycho chasing him, he chucked the device in her direction, allowing her to catch it just as Billie grabbed him. He put up a fight, a producer joining him, buying Babe enough time to run back on stage where Minyak had taken Dub to the floor where he'd strangle him or something. 

"Babe! Blast Minyak!" Henry instructed her when he saw how she had no clue what to do, and her floundering tuned to a calm smile when she saw how cute he was when fighting. Aw, (y/n) saw the look between them, something that didn't distract her from twisting a thug's arm behind his back, but definitely warmed her heart even in the moment of peril. 

"Anything for you, Kid Danger!" She replied sweetly, feeling her heart flutter as Dub pinned Minyak down for ruining his concert. They needed to get this show back to normal and there was no telling was the mad doctor would do next, so there was no time for romance.

"Babe, blast him now!" (y/n) shouted, struggling to watch for any men that might charge at her as the one she was facing grew more and more relentless. Seeing that she had no other options, the girl looked to her left and decided to climb the stage's support structure for a better shot, one where she'd be high enough to get the doctor and not her boss/friend. Billie broke free from backstage, rushing to tackle her from the rigging, which made her freeze in terror, only for Kenzie and Hudson to hold him back with all their strength. Seeing that she was the only one who could do this, she aimed the blaster at Minyak, but Dub was still in the way and she couldn't risk hitting him.

"Dad! Jump! Hurry, dad! Jump!" Trip's voice came over the intercom, reverberating all around the arena as Dub recognised his son's voice. Dub wasn't going to stick around with Minyak for much longer and trusting his son who could see that he'd have the perfect landing, he made the leap of faith, landing perfectly in Ray's arms. Well, it wasn't every day he got to carry a famous rapper bridal style, this was an honour.

"Hello, Double G! Glad I could catch your show." He smirked, so proud of himself for coming up with that quip on the spot and as (y/n) stumbled over to see if they were all right, the couple was shocked to discover that Dub knew who they were. Okay, pinch them, this had to be a dream...

"Captain Man! I love you and Miss Danger! Your girl is hot!" He screamed, making (y/n) blush and squeal to herself at the kind compliment and Ray blushed as he furiously nodded in agreement. His girl was hot and he was also kinda fangirling on the inside at how he'd touched Double G, holy shit. Everyone but Minyak was happy and he just so happened to pick up the leftover mic from when Dub had dropped to safety.

"Stop! Everyone halt your gyrations!" The villain screamed, silencing the festivities as the heroes looked at each other to see what he'd do next. He was unpredictable, anything could come out of his mouth, anything to ruin the concert. "People of the world! Look at me! I am the greatest supervillain of all time!" He screamed into the mic, just as Babe took her shot, free from other people or weirdos trying to attack her, it hit dead centre, making Minyak's head go all fuzzy for a second. 

He looked dazed for a few seconds, everyone watching with bated breath for him to say or do something but he just shook his head and stared at the crowd blindly. 

"ARGHHHHGHHGGRGHH!" Was the only thing that came out of his mouth. He really did sound like a Wookie and the audience began to laugh at how ridiculous he sounded, because the angrier he got, the more his garbled voice became hilarious. Ray and (y/n) giggled with each other as Henry and Dub snorted and Minyak fell to his knees in despair, finally admitting defeat as the world laughed at him. Another plan failed, oh well.

"All right, let's bring it home!" Dub yelled, picking up his mic so they could continue from where they'd left off and the music soon came back on, the crowd getting back into it as Henry and Ray did their little hand clap thing for a job well done and went to walk off the stage, but Dub wasn't gonna have that. They'd saved him, this was their moment as much as his. "Hey, hey, hey! Come on, guys, yeah, yeah!"

"Just do what I want so you do you! And I never fall long!" The man sang again, dragging the heroes to centre stage where they just accepted the fact that they were part of the show now and just accepted it as the dancers came back on. They moved to the rhythm unashamedly, Ray and (y/n) laughing along together as he held onto her hips and she followed the actual routine. She'd have to teach him later.

Hearing Babe, Kenzie and Hudson cheering at the side of the stage, they beckoned them over, knowing that they'd saved the day just as much as they had and they deserved to party too, rub it in Minyak's face a little as he sulked and watched. Charlotte and Trip were quick to join too, the former being a little shy so she just stuck to the back, but Trip tackled his dad in a warm hug, so relieved to see him okay. The dancing continued, the group of the Man Cave team and the Game Shakers entertaining the crowd of thousands.

"Hey, Hen?" (y/n) yelled in the boy's ear, knowing the music would cover up what they were talking about. Plus, everyone's focus was mainly on Dub or maybe Trip, the real celebrities, so she was free to do a little digging as she swayed her hips with Ray, enjoying the feeling of his hands casually running up and down her waist.

"Yeah, what?" The boy asked casually, too focused on his moves to notice the lilt in her voice or the small smirk on her face. He just wanted to keep dancing to Drop That Wat, it was only when she spoke again that he started paying attention.

"So, uh, that Babe girl, over there? She likes you, a lot, I think." She smirked, watching as the kid froze for a second before moving again, although this time he was noticeably less energetic and his eyes quickly darted across the golden GG platform to see the brunette laughing with her friends. Wait, he knew that they'd been a little weird in his house, maybe a little smiley, but really? A crush on him? A Game Shaker? He didn't know how to react to that, but Babe was really pretty and he'd found himself smiling back, laughing when she said something funny...oh, god, did he like her too? 

"You really think so?" He asked, the woman laughing at how his eyes were as wide as saucers and how his skin went pale before he blushed. Wow, he was really easy to read when it came to romance and just by the way he bit his lip, she already knew that there were two new lovebirds in her life. She'd watched way too many romcoms to be wrong, she knew cute love stories inside out, apart from when it came to spotting how her best friend was in love with her and had thought she was the most beautiful, intelligent, unattainable woman for ten years before they confessed, but that was neither here nor there.

"Yeah, she obviously has a crush on you. And I mean you, not Kid Danger. Would I be correct in assuming that you like her a bit too?" (y/n) smiled widely, her cheeks aching a bit as Ray twirled her a bit, completely oblivious to their conversation since it was about love and he wasn't very good at noticing that either unless it was pointed or forced out of him. Henry gulped, glancing at Babe again and his breath hitched and that was an answer. He didn't need to say anymore, she just knew when his dancing died down to barely a jig and his face grew into a smile without him even noticing it. Yeah, there it was, the lovesick smile, the one that she, that Ray, that anyone who had ever been in love had given to their crush and Henry Hart was giving it to Babe Carano. 

"Maybe. Just a bit, she's really pretty and funny and cool and—" Henry stopped himself realising that he rambling and gushing about the girl he'd only known for a couple of days, but to (y/n), it was cute and she knew that people who waited rarely found happiness, they were just left with regret.

"Take it from me, kid. I waited ten years to tell the man I love that I felt the same way and I wish that we had said it sooner, 'cause it would've meant less pain and confusion on both sides. Just stay honest with her and see how it goes. I'd hate to see you regret not doing anything." She put a hand on his shoulder, not caring if it seemed weird that they were having some touching moment in front of thousands, if not millions, of people, but it felt like it was just them, a sister advising her brother on what to do.

"Thanks, (y/n/n). Ray...doesn't know how lucky he is." He returned her soft smile, seeing her eyes wrinkle in happiness at her words before the man in question saw that she wasn't dancing and pulled her back into his chest, inspiring a fit of giggles and more movement from her as Henry watched with a sigh.

Maybe he would stay in touch with Babe, maybe he would tell her that he was interested in being more than friends and maybe if his friend was right, they could be something more. All he knew was that Ray better get down on one knee soon, 'cause girls like (y/n), they're one in a million.

[thesleepiestselkie]

hehe i got tagged in one of those ask games by @whatever-lola-wants

1. Are you named after anyone? i accidentally stole one of my friends' names as a middle name? i don't think that actually counts tho

2. When was the last time you cried? lmao talking to my mom about how much we both miss my brother a couple days ago

3. Do you have kids? nope! my wife does, and i consider them family, but we're not in that kind of place where i could call them My Kids.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? oh god i am so snarky. whenever i get annoyed i get sarcastic and usually stay that way until i get called on it or say something so dickish i notice myself lmao. i'm working on it

5. What is the first thing you notice about a person?their hair, 100%

6. What’s your eye color? i have stupid white person ya protag eyes. i have an inner-eye heterochromia, so the majority of my iris is blue, but there's a brown ring that becomes more or less visible depending on the lighting conditions lmao so i have goddamn color changing anime eyes. i am not proud of this

7. Scary movie or happy ending? this is a very weird dichotomy. plenty of scary movies have happy endings. i don't like outright sad endings to movies, or anything too navel-gaze-y, but i'm a sucker for a happy ending, and also for jumpscares

8. Any special talents? does designing period architecture in the sims count

9. Where were you born? i was born in virginia, us, which has practically no bearing on my life whatsoever because i moved away when i was 2 and i regularly have to ask my parents what town i was born in

10. What are your hobbies? i read a lot, study japanese, play video games, and write/draw/paint/etc when the mood hits

11. Do you have any pets? yes! my sweet baby iphigenia is tagged under #iphi.baby and she has a sibling named gremlin (my wife's cat)

12. What sports do you/have you played? none now, but... soccer, tennis, gymnastics, and swim at various points growing up

13. How tall are you? 5'8"

14. Favorite subject in school? anything mythology or folklore related! which in grade school was mostly english class, and then classics courses in college on top of english courses

15. Dream Job? right now i think my goal is to become a human rights lawyer, although the exact confluence of what i'm good at and what i care about might end up being different

Bonus: any significance to your blog's name: i plead the fucking fifth

tagging: @sadclowncentral @poltergeistings @nonbeenaree idk y'all don't gotta and if anyone sees this and wants to do it bc it sounds fun u should say i tagged u and go for it (& @ me so i see it!)

[mr-m0th]

Some rambling because I remembered a little about this story I made up as a kid (mostly nostalgia infodumping, to be honest)

I have decided the main character's name was Ashley, cuz I can't really remember it at the moment. She was this selectively mute, I believe, little kid, not older than eight or so, and she had an older sibling named James or something.

And most of it were short comic strips, like those you'd see in the newspapers. Ashley was always in the focus while James did all the talking

Ashley was the artistic, smart kid. She was a little weird, but at the end of the day she was just like any other child. She liked to play in the snow and dress up.

I believe she had a friend/crush or something? At first, I wanted her to be with her sibling in comics that required talking, but because her sibling was older than her, it made more sense to give her a friend at school since the entire point was for Ashley to never speak. So I made a boy and a girl to be her friends, so others could do the talking for her.

Needless to say, it went over into some romantic things really quickly. I mean, the characters were literally children so it never went beyond hand holding, but I remember my mum finding a comic once where Ashley was blushing at her friend and asking me if that was me.

That was embarassing, to be honest. I may have cried a little.

I actually think that was what made me stop drawing Ashley altogether, cuz the whole ordeal was kind of humiliating when she started telling family members about my non-existent crush. But oh well, what can I do?

Healing my inner child by continuing my childhood story hehe :P

[dropintomanga]

The Coolest Boy Is the Depressed One - You and I Are Polar Opposites

A new romantic-comedy manga focused on total attraction of the opposite kind has gotten the attention of manga fans over the world. Kocha Agasawa’s You and I Are Polar Opposites focuses on a very outgoing girl named Suzuki who decides to date a very introverted boy named Tani, despite whatever flak they’ll get from their school peers. While the main couple gets really good development, there’s one character that I found to be the most relatable in terms of how people struggle navigating new relationships.

The character I’m talking about is a young man named Taira, who is depressed over how relationships work. Taira first appears in Chapter 4 when he finds out Tani and Suzuki are dating. He doesn’t get they’re dating and has his suspicions because he believes there’s a social pyramid, where people flaunt their relationships to gain status. Taira does confront Suzuki about Tani and Suzuki says that Tani’s cool because he stays true to himself. Taira then reflects about himself in a depressing manner and says he’s been stuck in the social pyramid he complained about.

While Tani is an introvert like Taira, he doesn’t compare himself to others like the latter does. Taira has bashed himself many times even while criticizing others. 

One thing that stuck out to me about Taira is his acceptance of himself over why he’s not able to date anyone. He’s a bit envious of Tani and Suzuki’s relationship because they each formed their identities without shame. I remember a time back in high school where I saw a couple just like Tani and Suzuki. The guy looked very nerdy while the girl looked like one of the popular types. I wouldn’t say I was jealous, but I always wondered about myself. Maybe I did have an identity or was trying to form one, but the social hierarchy in my school made me want to fit in with a group of people that I didn’t necessarily belong with. I wanted to be one of the cool kids while being myself when that wasn’t possible. So I think I saw a bit of myself in Taira.

Taira genuinely cares about other people who stay true to themselves due to his own experiences failing at social relationships. He’s just often trapped in his own head. What I love is that Taira’s inner thoughts are always on display in blunt fashion. A lot of teenagers and young adults have felt pressure in how to be close to people they want to be around or avoiding other people as needed.

What I like even more is that Taira has friends who are willing to past his insecurities and provide outside perspectives as needed. When Taira thinks about what makes Tani and Yamada great guys while reminiscing about a personal relationship failure, he stumbles into Suzuki and Tani. Both of them decide to join him to the convenience store where he works. Taira decides to ask why Suzuki wants to hang around someone like himself and Suzuki says that it’s more fun with Taira around. Taira actually shows a smile on his face after her response.

Taira later shows how his values are starting to form as he tries to tell a girl friend (and potential love interest), Azuma, to stand up for herself. The two ran into a bunch of old classmates, some of which dated Azuma and dumped her nonchalantly. Azuma plays it off, but Taira said she deserves so much better and that she should yell back at her exes for dumping her. Azuma is surprised by Taira’s words and realized that she could’ve been more angry. The cutest thing happens when Taira apologizes to Azuma the next day for assuming way too many things about her and giving her unsolicited advice. Azuma didn’t mind the advice, but lets it slide.

When I think about my days (and frankly, most teenagers and young adults) dealing with depression, I look back and realized that I didn’t have many values growing up. I just went with the flow of things. When things got heavy, I didn’t know what to do and just cried. Like Taira, I still act disgruntled about people at times. But after being around a bunch of people who make me laugh/cry all while staying true to themselves (even if they make me sigh) and enjoy being around me, I think to myself, “I finally am starting to gain some kind of identity that I want to develop.”

Having core values is so important and they’re a huge buffer in protecting against depression. Sure, some of them will lead to hardship, but you welcome the challenges they bring because you really care. When I look at Taira, he reminds of someone who’s somewhat going through a personal case of ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy). Taira welcomes everything into his head, is self-aware of his thought process, and learning how to define his values through his good and bad experiences with those around him.

I just hope that more depressed youth who genuinely care about others discover this manga and smile with this beautiful face.