#sure they stole tech from you but wow

[lollitree]

Congratulations to Lysandre, who’s kill count went from 0 to 2. He finally did it

[rainydaydream-gal18]

Hello! If requests are still open (if not please ignore ) May I request cute parental moments each bad batch member has with Omega with reader included? For example, Tech and Reader helping Omega with her first pilot lesson?

(The Bad Batch) Batch x Reader: Parent Moments

Author's Note: This is such an adorable request!! Thank you for dropping this in my box! I decided to do little blurbs to answer this. You are free to read each one individually as romantic xReader, or view this as a collection of platonic moments.

This got me thinking about the Bad Batch doing dad stuff, and some of that fed into this XD Will probably make a separate post about it.

Enjoy!!!

Hunter: Teaching a New Skill 

   "Alright, kid. You ready?" Hunter asked, arms folded as he noted the eager expression on young Omega's face. You lifted your hand to cover your lips, stifling a chuckle as she practically bounced up and down.

   "I'm ready!"

   "First, you've got to ease up. Tracking requires patience and focus."

   "Right." Omega relaxed her shoulders. "Patience and focus."

   "That's right. It's about recognizing the signs. You may not be able to pick up on all the signs I can because of my...abilities. Neither can ________, as a matter of fact." He stole a glance your way. His tone was serious, instructive, but you caught the slightest taunting glimmer in his eye as he continued. "But she learned in her own way. And her skills aren't half-bad."

   You rolled your eyes playfully, kneeling down on one knee to survey the ground in front of you. "Yeah, sure." You eyed a branch from a shrub that had been bent in half, most likely stepped on by something large.

   "I didn't know you knew how to track," Omega said in fascination. She tilted her head curiously as your eyes scanned the area.

   "With him around-" you motioned vaguely in Hunter's direction "-we hardly need another tracker. But Hunter thought it would be a good idea to have someone else know a thing or two just in case."

   "And since you were curious about it before, _______ and I thought we'd teach you what we know." Hunter shifted his stance. He looked to you again. "So, what do you see?"

   "Looks like some sort of large leaf-eating mammal just came through here about an hour ago."

   Hunter lifted a brow at you. "And?"

   "Right. sorry. Two leaf-eating mammals. One of them is much smaller. Perhaps it's a mother and her young."

   He nodded in approval at your assessment. "Good."

   Omega's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow! _______! You're really good!"

   "Not half-bad," Hunter repeated, his smirk growing.

   "Yeah," you chuckled. "What he said. So, let's get started. Hunter, if you would?"

   "Rule number one to tracking is..."

- - - - - - - - -

Wrecker: Protective

   You, Wrecker, and Omega were walking through the woods of a strange planet one of Cid’s jobs had landed the Bad Batch on.  Omega practically begged Hunter to give her a job on the mission.  He finally agreed to let her scout ahead, but only if she took someone with.  You volunteered to go, and for good measure, Hunter ended up sending Wrecker along just as a precaution.  Though Tech voiced that the possibility of encountering a danger was minimal, there was no telling exactly what was out there.

   “Keep an eye out, kid,” Wrecker said, though his tone suggested he wasn’t the least bit concerned.  There was a certain confidence he had as the biggest and strongest member of the squad.  It meant that things were less likely to want to go up against him.

   “Don’t worry,” Omega replied, narrowing her eyes as she looked around her surroundings.  “I’ve got my eyes peeled.”

   You were both proud and amused at how seriously she was taking the task that Hunter assigned her.  It was a good quality to have.  She didn’t scoff or complain at even the most mundane jobs aboard the Marauder.  She preferred anything to being left behind.

   Suddenly, you heard the quietest snap, like a twig.  You looked over at Wrecker to see he had picked up on a presence as well.  Omega hadn’t quite caught on yet.

   Another snap.

   This time, she heard it.  She looked over at you with wide eyes, and you put a finger to your lips as a sign to keep quiet.  You then motioned for her to return to your side, and she started taking careful steps in your direction.  

   The kid was brave.  She’d already faced many dangers and handled them pretty well, but in that moment, the worry was evident.  She didn’t like the unknown.  After some of the things you’d all faced, could you blame her?

   And then the threat revealed itself.

   It was a beast of some sort, something Tech had warned about in passing.  He’d said that the likelihood of them attacking was very low as they were mostly nocturnal.  The creature bared its sharp teeth in a fearsome snarl.

   You closed the gap between you and Omega in an instant, wrapping your arms around her and pulling her behind you.  The creature bounded toward the two of you huddled together, but its was stopped dead in its tracks by Wrecker, whose shoulder collided with the beast in a hard tackle to knock it away.

   He drew his blaster and planted his boots in the ground, shielding you and Omega from the danger, and took aim.  “Hey,” he growled.  “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size instead?”

   The creature raked its cold eyes over you and Omega once more, most likely debating whether its prey was worth the risk of dealing with Wrecker.  It lashed its tail furiously and gave another loud snarl.

   Wrecker took one step closer, and it stepped back.

   It finally decided to abandon the hunt.  The beast turned and sauntered back into the forest, leaving the three of you alone.

   Wrecker let out a hearty laugh.  “Smart animal.  Knew better than to tangle with me!”

   A big smile spread across your face.  “Thank you, Wrecker.”

   “Yeah, thank you,” Omega said.  She breathed a sigh of relief, the fear leaving her features and instead being replaced by wonder and admiration for her big brother.  “That was amazing!”

- - - - - - - - -

Tech:  Bickering

   “Very good, Omega,” Tech praised the young Bad Batcher for her ability to follow his instruction.  She beamed at the note of approval in his tone.  “What next?”

   “We take a look at the systems, make sure everything’s operational.”  She squinted at the collection of warning lights flashing across the dash.  Her lips formed a small frown.  “There are a lot that aren’t…”

   “Critical systems are,” he said, raising his index finger pointedly.  “That’s what’s important.”

   You couldn’t help the snicker that escaped you, swiveling your chair in a failed attempt to hide your humor from the pilot.  Tech looked in your direction curiously.

   “What’s so funny?” Omega asked, amusement creeping into her tone at hearing your laughter snowball.

   “Oh, nothing,” you wheezed

   “I believe ________ finds humor in how I maintain the Marauder.”

   You clutched your stomach.  “Sorry.  It’s just- you’re teaching her bad habits.  We really shouldn’t have so many alerts going off.”

   Tech’s voice remained even.   “Numerous events and projects have prevented Echo and I from doing proper maintenance.”

   “Right, right.  I’m sorry.”

   Tech held your gaze for another few seconds while you bit your lip to try and cover another laugh.  His tone was still calm, though you detected that hint of underlying sass.  “I don’t suppose you’d like to assist in repairs?  Seeing that it is a concern of yours?���

   “I’m just saying,” you replied, internally oooohing at his passive-aggressive comment, “that under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t advise Omega to take off with that many alerts.”

   “Critical systems are unaffected.”

   Omega glanced between the two of you.

   “I know, but-” You sighed, grumbling, “I think I will make some repairs.  Where’s the toolkit?”

   “Maybe Tech and I could help?” Omega spoke up helpfully.  “This way, Tech could show me more about the ship, and we can get caught up with repairs.”

   “Excellent idea, Omega,” Tech chimed in.

   “Yeah, sounds good!”  You exchanged looks with Tech, all sass forgiven and forgotten, before diving into the lesson.

- - - - - - - - -

Echo: Fashion Show

   “Hey, Echo!”

   He looked up from his data pad at the sound of Omega’s usual chipper greeting.  You boarded the ship close behind her and waved.  Both of you carried a few beaten-up bags from your trip to the market.

   “Hey there,” he said with a smile.  “Get anything good?”

   “Yes!  _______ helped me find some armor!”

   “At least for now,” you chimed in.  “Until we find something more suitable.  The kid needed it.”

   Echo nodded in agreement.  “Alright, let’s see it then.”

   Omega exchanged looks with you, her eyes alight with excitement, happily taking the second bag and hurrying over to her room.  While she got ready, Echo turned to you.  His brow furrowed in a look of confusion.

   “How’d you manage this?  We don’t exactly have a lot of credits to spare after that last job ended badly.”

   “I have my ways.”  Your tone was cryptic, but he didn’t miss the glint in your eye or the pendant that was missing from your neck.

   “_______….” he began, concerned.

   “Don’t worry about it,” you insisted, giving him a gentle nudge.  “She needs this more.  The kid comes first.  Besides, you saw how excited she is.”

   Just then, Omega emerged from her room, donning her new (slightly used) armor that you helped her pick out at the merchant’s table.  She held out her arms to show it off as she walked over.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

   Echo nodded in approval.  “You look like a Bad Batcher.”

   He was right.  The pieces of armor had been scrubbed as clean as it could, though it had its fair share of scuff marks and scratches from previous use.  She looked battle-ready.

   “It does look pretty cool, doesn’t it?”

   You tilted your head to the side.  “I’m afraid those boots might be a tad too big.”  

   “They’re perfect,” she insisted.  “Oh!  I have to show Echo the cloak!”  She climbed back into her room, and you and Echo both shared a laugh.

- - - - - - - - -

Crosshair: The Pet He didn’t Want

   “Look, Crosshair!”  Omega beamed as she held the pup up towards the sniper. “We found a lost voorpak.  Isn’t she cute?”

   The pup gave a little bark and wriggled around, sticking its tongue out.  Crosshair’s already stern face twisted into a look of mild disgust.  “It’s ugly.”  The pup looked unaffected as he turned to walk out of range, but Omega followed him, holding the voorpak even higher.

   “She is going to be named Brandi.  And she is adorable.”

   “We could use another girl around here,” you joked, resting your hands on your hips.  “Come on, Cross.  Even you have to admit it’s kind of cute.”

   He sat himself down on a crate and began to inspect his rifle, most likely for cleaning.  “Don’t tell me we’re keeping that thing.”

   “Hunter said we can look after her until we find a suitable home,” Omega replied victoriously.

   “How wonderful,” he muttered.

   You and Omega exchanged looks, laughing, and took the pup back toward her room so it could scurry around for a bit.

   Over the next few days, the voorpak began growing on the Bad Batch.  Even Hunter and Echo would smile in amusement watching Omega play with the creature.  Wrecker joined in.  But Crosshair preferred to keep his distance.  He would roll his eyes and offer up complaints if the creature didn’t do its business outside or was in his way.

   It was one afternoon that the others went out for supplies.  Omega asked you to keep an eye on Brandi for a while, to make sure she didn’t get into any trouble, since you were staying behind to do a few tasks around the Marauder.  Crosshair would be around, but of course, he didn’t like Brandi.

   The pup followed you around the ship, barking playfully and smothering you with kisses every time you had to kneel down or crawl into a small space.  It was a few hours in, and suddenly, you realized that she wasn’t at your heels.

   “I’d better check on her and make sure she’s still on board!” you commented to yourself.  So, you set your tools down and went looking.  There weren’t too many places for her to hide, but you kept your eyes peeled just in case.

   Faint yip-yip sounds coming from down the hall caught your attention.  You followed it cautiously, realizing quickly that Crosshair had been down there organizing gear.  You didn’t want him to be bothered by Brandi, so you hurried your pace.  But when you reached the doorway, you were met with a most unexpected sight.

   Crosshair was sitting on a crate, staring down at little Brandi, who was hopping around in circles.  There was a small huff of air, like a brief chuckle, and Crosshair leaned down to pat the creature.

   It yipped again and cuddled up against his leg.  He didn’t say much, but you couldn’t get over the soft expression on his face.  “You’re not all that bad,” he commented, scratching the little puff ball with legs.  “I suppose.”

   You felt a presence appear at your side, and you realized that the others had returned from their trip.  Omega was standing next to you and peering through the doorway with a smile on her face.  She didn’t look all too surprised to see him being so tender toward the voorpak pu, and neither of you had it in you to taunt.  You both nodded and backed away from the doorway, pretending to have just arrived.

   “Oh, there she is!” you stated.  “She disappeared for a few, and I got worried.”

   “There she is,” Crosshair said, standing to his feet with a sigh.  He looked at Omega.  “Took you long enough.”

   “Sorry, we got side-tracked.  There was a really cool snack stand!”

[mysteryideasgroup]

MSA X DP: The Ultimate Enemy Chapter 6: Fights for Skulktech 9.9/They going to Clockwork's lair/Watches the destroyed ruin by Dark Danny, Dark Sophie, Midnight Dan 

Danny, Sophie, and Dan barely miss getting slammed by a cluster of arms. Going intangible, they snag Tucker, Sam, Monty, Elise, Susan, and Henry and fly them out of the room, then return through the door. Skulktech knocks him around for a bit, then grabs him by the neck and holds him up.

Sophie and Dan: Danny! *grabbed other clusters of arms*

ST (Skulker): Say goodbye,

ST (Technus): Ghost Children!

They lift a claw arm, which begins to spin like a scalesaw. Suddenly their gauntlet starts beeping the tune to Reveille.

ST (Skulker): Someone's hacked into the system? Again?! I thought we fixed that!

ST (Technus): We did! We must have accidentally synced up with somebody else's PDA!

Skulktech goes intangible, and their jets fire off. Dropping Danny, Sophie, and Dan, they take off through the ceiling. The door opens and Tucker, Sam, Monty, Elise, Susan, and Henry come in.

Tucker: Wow. I can still hack into his operating system with my handheld computer. I don't know whether that's exciting or depressing. 

Elise: I can hack off his tech.

Henry: I do hack skills.

Danny: [leaping to his feet] Come on, follow me! [Going intangible, he flies up through the ceiling]

Sophie and Dan: Going on! (Going to Danny chase after Skultech)

Tucker: ... We'll walk.

Danny, Sophie and Dan flies after Skulktech across the evening sky. Below, at Casper High, Mighty Falcon, University School, Jazz and Lancer are talking, while Mr. Jerry is thinking of Danny, Sophie or Dan not done yet to answers C.A.T. tests

Jazz: So you're saying Danny stole the C.A.T. test answers? But how?

Arthur: (Mind: Uh oh, not good! I think my Sister has not done yet before ready to answer!)

Jane: Not good...

Mr. Lancer: I don't know. [holding up the briefcase] Unless your two brothers and your one sister suddenly gained the ability to turn invisible and reach through solid objects?

Jazz: [cringing] But Mr. Lancer, you still have no proof Danny took the test answers.

Mr. Lancer: Fair enough. They have up until the test to return the answers. But if they cheat, I won't just fail them. I'll destroy their future.

Back in the air, Danny, Sophie, and Dan are still chasing Skulktech

ST (Skulker): What are you waiting for? Activate the Purpleback Gorilla Override!

ST (Technus): Don't tell me how to do my job!

Danny, Sophie, and Dan zaps them with ectoblasts, and they fall from the sky to crash into the ruin of the Nasty Burger. We see that the heating element is still on, the meter inching higher. They blast off again.

ST (Technus): Activating Phantom Palm Pummeler!

Their hand opens, sending out a bluewhite ray that catches Danny, Sophie, and Dan and knocks them off course, smoking. It hits them again and they reverts to human forms, then falls a short way before going back to ghost forms.

Danny: You're shorting out my powers?!

Sophie: Not take my powers!?

Dan: You take my powers!? Not good!

ST (Skulker): Indeed. Pummeler might not work on you in the future, but we had a feeling it would work on you here.

Danny: The Future?

Sophie and Dan are surprised to hear that the futures

Sophie: Wait, it’s the future?

Dan: ! The Future? Do they have alternate timelines for the Future?

ST (Technus): [laughing] Oh, I love it. You're much less powerful than the other Phantoms we have to deal with!

A third blast hits them, turning them into humans.

Danny: What are you two talking aboooou [falling] aaaagh! [he catches himself one-handed on a flagpole. Danny looks up.] Wow. That flagpole thing works? I thought for sure it would [the flagpole snaps] breeaaaak!! [He falls and bounces off an awning into a pile of trash bags.] Guess I don't have a future as an Olympic gymnast. [An arm snakes through the pile and grabs him around the middle, zapping him.] Aaaaaaaugh! [It slams him to the ground.]

Sophie: AHHH! [she catches herself one-handed on a flagpole. Sophie looks up.] Phew, Huh? [the flagpole snaps] Breeaaaak!! AHHH! [It slams her to the ground.]

Dan: AHHH! [he catches himself one-handed on a flagpole. Dan looks up.] Phew, ?! [the flagpole snaps] AHH!!! [It slams him to the ground.]

ST (Skulker): You don't have a future, period!

ST (Technus): Not anymore!

Tucker VO: I wouldn't bet on that.

Elise VO: Not done yet!

Henry VO: What do you think of this?

Tucker, Sam, Monty, Elise, Susan, and Henry come running up, Tucker running the override on his PDA. A red laser hits Skulktech and they short out, falling. As they fall they catch themselves on a flagpole.

ST (Skulker) and (Technus): Aw poo

ST (Technus): Wow, that flagpole thing-

It snaps and they fall, crashing to land doubled over a lamppost. We see the CW medallion around their neck.

Danny: [still trapped in the cuffed arm] Way to go, guys!

Sophie: [still trapped in the cuffed arm] Not right, guys freed them off!

Dan: [still trapped in the cuffed arm] Not good! They got off!

Sam: Come on, Tucker, let's see if we can get this off!

Sam grabs the cuff and Tucker grabs Sam as they try to wrench it open, Monty and Susan try to free them, and Elise and Henry try to get off. Skulktech's medallion falls off and tinks to the ground, and they start to glow blue-white. The glow races along the arm, enveloping them, and they all vanish.

The scene switches to the inside of Clockwork's Tower. The viewer shows swirls of green, and gears tick and turn everywhere. The viewer blazes, and Skulktech and the trio are thrown through it to land on the floor. The cuff springs open

Tucker: Where are we?

Henry: ??? They are here? Not good...

Elise: Oh my god... Do they have Ghost World?

The three teams wander, looking up into the gear-ridden darkness. They approach a window with a clockface embedded in it.

Danny: I don't know. The Ghost Zone, I think. [We zoom out to see the entire tower, floating in the green haze of the Ghost Zone.] But... no part of the Ghost Zone I've ever seen.

Sophie: Clockwork's time lair home?

Dan: Right, not good what happened to them?

Sam: It happened right after his medallion fell off.

Susan: I noticed that Time Medal? It's the CW logo, the Clockwork short name of CW.

Monty: ??? Clockwork?

Tucker: Then I think I know how to get us back!

Elise: Yes, right! We are trying back to present!

Henry: Right, I think it’s they’re coming back here!

We follow his gaze to a box on the wall, where six more of the medallions hang. Tucker seizes one and puts it around his neck.

Elise and Henry are ideas and get two Time Medals necklaces and put them around their necks.

Tucker: [pumping his arms triumphantly] Haha!

Elise: Got it!

Henry: Right got!

Nothing happens.

Tucker: [Looking around, then dropping his arms.] Nothing, huh.

Elise: Not good happening...

Henry: Not sure, what happened...

Sam: No, but nice bling. [She goes to take a closer look at the viewer.]

Danny: [Looking more closely at Tucker's medallion] I don't like this.

Sophie: I don’t think, used to Time Medalist?

Dan: See it...

Sam: You're going to like this even less.

Monty: Hey guys! I noticed that viewers of the future!

Susan: Not good! Look at the screens!

The Three Teams join Sam, Monty, and Susan at the viewer, where Dark Danny, Dark Sophie, and Midnight Dan are laughing and throwing ectoblasts at screaming people and buildings, then laughing. A label on the screen reads FUTURE: 10 YEARS.

----

For @laurasanchez36

AUs Alternate Universes Crossovers belongs to me 

All belongs to my msa x dp ocs sonas

All belongs to her msa x dp ocs sonas

Mystery Skulls Animated MSA belongs to Ben and MysteryBen27 of YouTube YT Series 

Danny Phantom DP belongs to Butch Hartman of Nickelodeon Series 

[xandriagreat]

Fate Be Changed

Chapter 3: The Deal

First chapter | Last chapter | Next chapter

Author's note: This is now the chapter where we go in the perceptive

Notice/warnings: food/eating, deal, misgendering, body horror, passing out

▪▪▪

Moe, Herbert, and Webs were walking around the city, hoping no one found them.

“Are you sure that they’re not going to rat me out?” Moe asked Webs as they walked.

Webs nodded with a reassuring smile. “They’re not.” 

Moe smiled and sighed softly while they all looked around as they walked.

They were amazed by the city. 

The people are pretty lively, the buildings are unique, and the music is new to them.

"Hope they have a tech store or a new place to live for now." Webs said as they walked.

They soon saw a newspaper about Moe's disappearance.

Moe got worried when seeing the newspaper.

Webs and Herbert noticed the worry on Moe’s face.

“Let’s just keep going.” Webs said to him, forcing him to continue with Herbert. 

As the three walked, Moe saw a pawn shop and he got an idea.

"What is it?" Herbert asked, looking at Moe.

Moe immediately pointed at the pawn shop, making the two look at the pawn shop.

"Really?" Herbert asked sarcastically.

“What? We need extra money.” Moe said, looking at him.

Herbert and Webs looked at each other and then to Moe, who just went into the shop.

"Alright then." Webs said, shrugging. “But he better be quick.”

"He will. But one of us had to keep an eye on anyone trying to find us." Herbert said, looking around.

Webs nodded and looked at the time on a nearby clock.

Their stomachs completely begin to grumble.

It was around brunch time.

"I'll find us something to eat." Webs said, looking at Herbert. 

“Anything that has something good. But Just in case. Keep on guard.” Herbert said to her.

“Before I go, I need to write something down first. Do you want anything other than breakfast sandwiches and other breakfast items like breakfast french fries?” she asked, getting a piece of paper.

“Coffee. Decaf coffee, please” Herbert said, nodding to her.

“Ok, I got it.” Webs said, nodding. “But don’t worry, I'll make sure to stay protective.” She puts her sunglasses on before going to get food.

Herbert nodded and stayed on watch as Webs went to a nearby fast food place.

Herbert looked around to see if anything odd or suspicious was around, ready to fight if needed while waiting.

◇

Moe went into the shop when he heard a bell over the corner of the door rang, meaning a customer had come.

The owner came out of the back and went to the counter.

"Welcome, how can I help you?"

Moe walked over to them. “Hi. I have a few things to pawn.” he said, getting something out of his pocket. 

It was a pocket watch.

He stole it from his father's room along with the other few valuables around his old home before leaving. He was Hoping it would work to start a new life.

The owner begins inspecting the watch when Moe hands it to them.

“Oh wow!” the owner exclaimed after inspecting.

"What is it?" Moe asked.

“It’s a lot.” the owner said, looking at him.

Moe tilted his head to the side, wanting to know.

"It's a completely rare 1926 Illinois gold pocket watch." the owner explained, pointing at the watch.

Moe’s eyes widened. “Wow!” he breathed, looking at the watch.

The shop owner nodded.

Moe also gave out another few variables to the owner “Could you check these too?”

The owner nodded a yes and checked them.

Some were very valuable while others were not.

◇

Herbert was still waiting for Moe to come out and waiting for Webs to come back.

Webs just came back with breakfast. 

“Got breakfast.” she said, showing the bag and handing Herbert a cup. “Here’s your coffee.”

“Thanks.” Herbert said, taking the cup from her right as Moe came out with a lot of cash in his hands.

“Wow! That’s a lot.” Herbert and Webs said when they saw the cash.

"I don't know but it looks like the rare valuables back home appear more priceless than anything." Moe said, sounding surprised.

"Well would be enough for a hotel or anywhere to save up." Webs said "But we should find a place to sit down 'cause I got a late breakfast or brunch, like some fancy people would say."

Herbert and Moe nodded.

They started to look for a bench to eat their brunch.

As they looked, Webs accidentally bumped a waitress in front of the restaurant Cole’s.

“Oh! I am so sorry!” Webs said in worry, looking at the waitress. 

"No, no, it's fine." The waitress reassured her, looking at her.

Webs couldn't keep her eyes of the beautiful woman with her gorgeous green eyes and curly red hair in a tight bun.

They began touching hands for a moment as they looked at each other.

“Um… Webs?” Moe called out, which made both women jump and step away from each other.

The waitress shook her head, rolling her eyes and she went back inside as the Webs went walking with Herbert and Moe.

Webs can't stop looking at the waitress as the waitress got back inside.

“You good, Webs?” Herbert asked, looking at her.

"Huh? Oh- uh…yea." Webs said, snapping out of it. “Just… a lot of things on my mind.”

Moe and Herbert raise an eyebrow at her before shrugging.

◇

They soon found a shady table after walking away from the place, taking a seat on the bench, and eating the food.

Moe couldn't believe that he is now in his most favorite place to go to when he was a kid. He only saw a glimpse of it when flying on a plane but now he's actually here in the city and trying the cheap food here. He took a bite of the sandwich and it tasted great.

Herbert took a sip of his decaf coffee.

Webs was eating the breakfast french fries.

Moe was looking at the sites around them as they ate.

"Please Moe, We just got here and you are already like a child looking at the sites." Herbert said after sipping his coffee. "Just eat the food."

Moe looked at him as he chewed and swallowed. “It’s our first time here!” Moe exclaimed, setting his sandwich down on the wrapper that was on the table. 

Herbert and Webs looked at Moe as he added, "I mean come on! We've been dreaming of going here for years." 

Herbert groans in annoyance. “Here we go again.” he said under his breath.

"You got the Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, in the sprawling metropolis." Moe exclaimed excitedly. "But most importantly, the Entertainment capital of the world! With all the stars walking up for premieres and finally the best awards EVER!"

Moe had learned a lot about LA in secret when he was a kid and learned about it in a magazine on the way there.

“Look, I know it’s great and we always wanted to come here but we need to be careful.” Herbert said, looking around nervously.

Webs nodded as she ate.

"I know we have to be careful, but seriously, who doesn't love the city?" Moe asked, getting Herbert’s attention as he picked up his sandwich again. "Name one thing about the city."

“It’s different with heavy traffic, droughts, a bit of smog, and being filled with strangers.” Herbert replied with a smug look on his face.

“Really?” Moe asked flatly, staring at him before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Herbert gave him a ‘you know it’ look before he went back eating.

Moe swallowed and sighed before looking at Webs. "What about you, Webs?" he asked. “What do you like about the city?”

Webs look at the two men as she chewed her food. “Well…” she started after swallowing. “I guess it’s learning about different places. Since I travel a lot.”

"Now that's the spirit!" Moe said, ruffling her hair, which made Webs chuckled softly.

The three of them continued to eat.

Webs looked at the two men and thought of an ask game as they finished up eating. “How about we play an ask game?” she asked them when she finished eating her sandwich.

The two men looked at each other and then nodded. 

“Sounds fun.” Moe said after swallowing the last bite of his sandwich.

"Alright. If you two could be any animal, what could it be?" Webs asked, getting some more breakfast french fries.

"I would be a wolf." Moe said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I wouldn't mind a scratch on the head behind the ears if I was a dog-like creature. Also, I would be able to run freely."

“I would be a snake. No one likes snakes.” Herbert said before drinking his coffee.

“I like snakes.” Moe said, looking at him, which made Herbert blush.

Webs hummed softly and nodded, a smile on her face.

“What would your animal be, Webs?” Moe asked as they cleaned up when they were done eating.

"Oh… uh… hm… I would be a redknee tarantula. It's a type of spider." Webs explained as they went to the trash to throw their trash away. "They're pretty cool."

The three went to a nearby washroom and got themselves washed up and cleaned off any grease on their hands and also began stretching their bodies before they left to meet Webs’ friends.

◇

“So, what are your friends like?” Moe asked, looking at her as they walked.

Webs rolled her eyes as she thought for a moment. “Well… the one that we’re going to see is a man named Milton T. Park. He’s going to help you two find a place and jobs to pay for rent.” she said after a bit. “The other is a woman named-”

"Um… sorry to interrupt but I think we got some company…" Herbert said the both of them through his teeth, pointing at something.

Moe and Webs looked at what he was pointing at.

A thin man wearing a white suit with a red dress shirt and glasses was looking and following them.

"Great! We got to go now!" Webs said, grabbing both of the men’s wrists and they started to run. 

The man ran after them.

Webs ran the way with Moe and Herbert running with her, going through crowds.

The three found a nearby alleyway and ran down there, hoping that they lost him.

They begin looking to make sure. 

"I think we finally lost him." Moe whispered to them.

Then the man appeared, looking down at them.

The three were startled that they backed into the alleyway. Moe stood in front of Herbert and Webs, protecting them.

Before anyone could do anything, someone cleared their throat, which got all four peoples' attention.

At the entrance of the alleyway, there was a short man with well kept hair and a fine blue suit.

"Hello." the man said, walking over to them. "My name is Rubert Marmalade."

"Nice to meet you, sir." Moe said, nodding to him. "My friends are just about to handle the stranger to get him to leave us alone because we need to meet up with a friend-"

Marmalade stops him with a raise of his hand. "Oh no you don't. It seems you are lost in the city but don’t worry. You four are in my hands now."

Then he gave him his card.

Moe looked at the card and read off of it, "'Good training, good advice. We make Dreams a reality!' Wow!" His eyes shined as if he was like a child's new toy feeling with excitement and wonder.

Marmalade nodded with a smile. "We can go to my shop and see what dreams come to become a reality that we can do." he said, pointing his hand to the entrance of the alleyway.

Without a second thought, Moe nodded.

"Follow me." Marmalade said with a hand motion to follow him.

Then the four started to follow Marmalade to his shop.

As the 5 we're heading to the store, the three friends whisper to each other.

"This was a bad idea." Herbert whispered to Moe as they walked.

Webs nodded as they were still being followed by the same quiet man. "I don't like this guy. He seems sketchy." Webs whispered. "We might need to get to Melton's place and leave the creepy guy to Marmalade."

“I like that.” Herbert whispered, nodding.

“Let’s give Marmalade a chance, ok?” Moe whispered to them.

Herbert and Webs looked at More before slowly nodding.  

They were quiet for a moment until Marmalade said, “You know, I heard about it on the news, about the missing young man, and I got a feeling that I would run into him.”

Moe's eyes widened a bit at Marmalade's words. "Well…um…" he started, unsure of what to say. "I… I think you got the wrong man. I mean I'm a… doppelganger?" he lied, hoping it would work. He's been a bit of an actor himself and a bit of a drama king as well.

Marmalade stared at him for a moment. Then Marmalade started to laugh, “Oh please! There’s no need to lie!”

"He's not lying" Herbert and Webs said in unison, wanting to protect his identity.

But the tall man completely shut both of their mouths by covering them with his hands.

Herbert, completely done with this, stomps on one of the tall man’s feet, making the man let them both go.

The three friends glared at the tall man, feeling like they needed to fight.

But before anyone started to fight each other again, Marmalade cleared his throat again, getting all fours attention again.

“Well… let’s go inside.” Marmalade said, pointing in one direction.

The four were confused until they looked around to see that they were in front of the shop. The shop was a white building with dark curtains inside and a sign above the door that read “Marmalade’s”.

All five went inside, seeing the store was a little off but kind of welcoming.

The colors were all white with hints of gold all over as they entered the shop. 

◇■

The four people looked around as they entered the shop.

The shop was dimly lit and there were interesting things inside.

There were some paintings of bees, some broken mirrors, skeleton skulls with some of their teeth removed, some dried up plants that look like they're used for herbs, some bug collections, some bottles of potions, and a lot of drawings of odd looking doors on the walls.

There was some music being played in the background.

Webs looked suspiciously at the place as Marmalade said to the four "Please sit down at the table." 

Then Marmalade closed the door, making the room a bit darker.

The four customers looked around to see which table he meant until a spot light shined over a table and there were five chairs around it.

Four chairs were medium size and facing the fifth chair while the fifth chair was big and facing the four. There was a big red curtain behind the fifth chair.

While the four were distracted, Marmalade's Shadow took their sunglasses and coats, putting them in both coat rackets and head displays.

Marmalade leads the four to the table and to the seats.

“So… what do you do?” Webs asked as they all got seated.

“I help people with reachable dreams and wants.” Marmalade said as he got to his seat and sat down. “I also help my friends with getting new clients.”

The looks on the three friends' faces were completely filled with suspicion about it while the hitman had a serious look on his face.

“Now, let’s get to know each other and your futures.” Marmalade said, getting out some cards. “Just take three and I’ll show you four of your pasts, presents, and futures.”

They began looking at each other but then each took three cards to protect their future, present, and past.

Then Marmalade tapped on the table as if to say ‘now put them down’.

All four put their cards, which were facing down, on the table. Marmalade spread each card out on the table.

The first person he showed the three cards was Moe. 

“You, young man, come from a long family business.” Marmalade said, flipping the past card.

It shows a family tree and in the center is a young man that looks like Moe.

"A shady one." Moe said as he remembered his father's business behind the scenes and under the public eye.

Marmalade nodded and had a hand over the present card. “I see. I also see that you are well known.” he said, flipping the present card.

It shows Moe in the spotlight and around a lot of people. 

“But you’re also secretive about the real you.” Marmalade said, looking at the young man, who looked surprised.

Then Marmalade spins the card for a moment to reveal the card version of Moe in darkness with a man that almost looks like Herbert while people in the light of a Victorian window in silhouette form with champagne, having a good time. 

“So you think that leaving would be a great idea, a fresh start.” Then Marmalade moved his hand in front of the card again to show both men out in the sunshine and in a field, both smiling.

Marmalade noticed that Moe was staring at the card and nodding.

"Papa got mad. Isn’t that right?" Marmalade asked, knowing that he hit a nerve point.

"Yeah. It’s sad but true…” Moe said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I know for as long as I’m alive… He's not going to take me back… unless I tell him that I’ll go along with the engagement and marry Mary, which will NEVER happen."

"But you felt more like a coward to not listen to your father's request but it tied you down." Marmalade said. "You just want to be roaming free, running around one place to another with your true love. But freedom… takes time, money, and taking the chance.” Then Marmalade flipped the future card that shows Moe and Herbert holding each other close, smiling softly.

Moe smiled at the card as he held it.

The second person to show was Herbert.

“You have had a hard life.” Marmalade said, flipping the past card.

It shows Herbert as a child hugging himself as the dark shadows around him would mischievous white smiles and laughter.

Herbert looked down to not look at the card, not wanting to face the past again.

“You thought that your life meant nothing.” Marmalade continued, flipping the present card around to show the grown up Herbert still in darkness, still hugging himself. “But that all changed when you met him.” Then Marmalade picked up the card and blew on it like there was dust on it before setting it down on the table. 

It now showed Herbert with a man that looked like Moe. However, there was a line representing the two social classes they were from. The left was all orange is Herberts as he was from the middle class and the right was all light blue was Moe as he was from the upper classes.

Herbert looked at that card as his face showed a softer side of him.

“It seems you're close to getting your happiness until someone tries to destroy it.” Marmalade said, his hand over the future card. “You gotta protect it to keep it and hold it tight.” 

Then he flipped the future card, which revealed some sort of car with him and Moe driving to the sunset.

Herbert picked up the card and just stared at it, smiling softly.

The next was Webs.

“Now for you, sir- sorry- ma’am.” Marmalade started, a small smirk on his face.

Webs’ eyes almost became like flames of anger when he said that. "Not all girls have long hair!" Webs exclaimed angrily, pointing at her hair. "At least you didn't know about my past." She was still suspicious about this.

Marmalade still smiled at her and continued, “Of course. Again my apologies. But back to the cards. You didn’t fit in with everyone.” 

Then he flipped the past card to show a little girl that almost looked like Webs, in her school uniform (mainly a girl's uniform) and long hair, being made fun of because of her style and personality, feeling uncomfortable in what she was wearing.

It almost looked like Herbert’s past card but it was very different, with both shadows representing both her family and even her society.

“You ran away from home and all of that at the age of 13 years old.” Marmalade continued, picking up the past card and doing a disappearing trick with it then to reveal it again. 

On the card was a 13 year old Webs running away, with the outfit of an oversized black t-shirt and baggy cargo pants along with her backpack and headphones. It looked like she was catching a train.

Webs held herself.

“You felt that technology knew you better than any one.” Marmalade said, flipping the present card to show a grown up Webs on a computer. 

"Well, technology has always been an escape route for me." Webs explained, looking at the card.

Moe and Herbert understood Webs.

“After years of surviving and getting your best knowledge, you help people who want to get away from their horrors. Like your two friends for example. But you want to do something more.” Marmalade continued, flipping the card to reveal her future to be a coding wiz.

Webs’ eyes lit up as she held the card.

The last one was Cuddles.

“For you, hitman, I see that you’re from a family of hunters.” Marmalade said, flipping the past card.

It shows a young version of Cuddles standing in an animal trophy room.

Cuddles nodded.

“But when hunting season is over, that’s when the struggling starts. Also, no one fully understands a mute. Isn’t that right, Cuddles?” Marmalade asked, looking at the thin man.

He flipped the present card to show a grown up Cuddles with shadow figures talking among themselves about him. 

“Cuddles?” Moe, Herbert, and Webs said, trying to hold back a laugh.

Cuddles glared at them before looking at Marmalade, who was signaling for him to come over. Cuddles got up from his seat and walked over to him, kneeling down.

“However… there’s a you that you always wanted to be and I can help you with that.” Marmalade whispered to him as reveal the future card to Cuddles and himself.

It was Cuddles having all the riches he could ever want and the biggest hunt that he wanted while at the bottom of the card were Moe, Webs, and Herbert. Moe was in a wedding suit and looking sad, Webs in a dress that everyone expects her to wear and long hair with a fake smile and crying makeup, and Herbert in rags and cleaning the floor. All three looked miserable while he looked happy.

Cuddles held the card and a big smile appeared on his face.

Marmalade hummed softly and looked at everyone when all cards had been read.

All four had longing looks and looked like they were willing to do anything to grab it.

That made Marmalade smile at all four of them. “So… What do you all say?” Marmalade asked them. “Do we have a deal?” 

◇

Moe, Webs, and Herbert were more suspicious about Marmalade but they could get them into a better life. They had to have a quick discussion first before agreeing.

“Give us a minute, please.” Moe said to Marmalade before the three had a quick huddle discussion.

"He seems promising but I don't know if we could do a deal." Herbert said, looking at the two.

“We got to take the chance. Because he knows our past and present lives, so our futures could happen.” Webs said. “Also, look at the Cuddles guy. He looks too happy about his card.”

Moe nodded in agreement.

“Look, we'll just do it quick and then we meet at Milton's at the exact time, ok?” Webs hissed at the two men.

"Fine, but it better not be a fraud!" Herbert growled.

The three broke up the huddle and looked at Marmalade, who was shaking Cuddles’ hand with one hand while his other hand was outstretched to them.

“Let’s put your hands over mine, just in case something happens.” Moe whispered to Webs and Herbert, who both nodded.

Moe had outstretched his hand to shake, with Herbert and Webs’ hands on top of his. 

They shook his hand, which made Marmalade smile more darkly.

"Yessss." Marmalade said with a dark chuckle when they were done shaking hands.

Then everyone started to hear the beating of drums and the ground started to shake.

“Hey! What’s going on?!” Herbert shouted over the loud drumming.

The next thing that the four guests knew was that the drawings of strange doors on the walls were glowing different neon colors.

All of the sudden Moe, Herbert, and Webs were trapped in metal wrists and tied up to their seats.

"Hey! I knew it was a fraud!" Herbert shouted.

"We shouldn't make the deal!" Webs said.

"LET US GO!" Moe shouted as the three, try the set themselves free

“Fraud? Let you go? No no no.” Marmalade chuckled darkly, shaking his head. “I just want my friends to see their new clients!”

Then the curtain behind Marmalade’s chair went up to reveal five scary masks and all five appeared to be alive because they were blinking and smiling big.

Cuddles jumped back and fell over when seeing these things.

The biggest mask opened its mouth and there was a talisman, it was like a necklace but it had the shape of a hamster with a heart as its mouth.

Marmalade walked over and got the talisman out before going over to Moe.

Marmalade opened it a bit and it bit Moe by the finger, taking some blood from the fresh small wound.

"Ow!" Moe exclaimed in pain.

Marmalade didn’t mind as he closed the talisman and watched the heart glow up a bit, filling up to the top with the blood.

“You little-” Moe started as he was trying to break free but was cut off when three of the drawing doors opened and different colors started to spin around Moe, Herbert, and Webs. 

Then the three friends started to painfully change forms from the colors. All three of them started to scream in pain as they changed.

Cuddles watched in terror at what was happening. Then he passed out from fear as the three friends passed out from pain.

Marmalade was smiling sinfully when the transformation was done. “I hope that you’re all satisfied.” he said to the four before shushing them. 

Then he turned around and looked at the masks on the wall.

"Soon my friends, you'll be free, along with your people." Marmalade said to them. Then he smiled at them as the masks smiled back down at him.

[sibillascribbles08]

... Okay ! @bones-sprouts

Follow up to this

“Alright, let me try to summarize this to see if I’ve got it.” Mr. Song ran his finger around the rim of his glass of gin. It was his second one, and while Jason could tell his father was certainly buzzed, he was at least on the good side of sober.

For now. 

“You and your brothers all got mutated by a yokai scientist.” His father pointed at Donnie who sat right next to Jason at the kitchen table.

Donnie nodded. “Correct.” 

“He wanted to make you all warriors, using Lou Jitsu’s DNA. Big fan of him, by the way. But then Lou snatched you out of the lab, raised you in the sewer, and for the past few years you and your siblings have been keeping mutants from running amok, stopped an evil suit of armor, and stopped that insane alien invasion.”

“We did do that.” 

“So basically, not only are you a superhero.” Mr. Song pointed again before taking a sip of gin. “You’re also a business owner of a tech company, an inventor, and some kind of super genius.”

Donnie got that smug look on his face. “Well, you’re welcome to continue with the flattery.”

Jason rolled his eyes. 

“Wow, Jase, you knocked it out of the park with this one.” His father smiled and took another sip. 

Jason just stayed curled up in his chair. “So… you’re not mad? And not freaking out?”

“The alcohol is helping with the latter, but no, I’m not mad.” He swirled the drink around. “Though you know I have my concerns about committed relationships.”

Jason groaned. “Dad.”

“Sorry, what?” Donatello asked. 

“Well, I’m sure you heard about my divorce.” Mr. Song gestured to the ceiling.

Jason internally begged for his dad not to do this in front of his boyfriend. “Dad.” 

“Caught her cheating on me. Filed for divorce. And as soon as that went through I’ve been jumping through open relationships since and I’ve never felt better.” 

“Not everyone is like you dad.” Jason mumbled and rested his cheek on his hand.

Donnie just snorted. “Apologies, but it took me this long to get my first boyfriend. I’d be pressed for luck to get another.”

Mr. Song burst out laughing. “Oh, he’s funny too. You really did get lucky, Jase.”

Donnie nudged Jason with his elbow. “Told you I’m funny.” 

“Yes, yes, you’re hilarious.” Jason shoved his boyfriend’s chair away with his foot. 

“Oh, let’s get back on track.” His father finished off the second glass and thankfully didn’t go to get another. “How did you two even meet?”

Jason immediately cringed, remembering that not-so-faithful day back in high school. “How we met or how we started dating?”

“How you met.”

He kept cringing and glanced at Donnie who made the exact same expression. 

His father snorted. “Not a meet cute then, I take it?”

“No.” Jason sighed.

“Absolutely not.” Donnie added. “I went to April’s high school to help her with a computer class project only to find out about the tech club he was in back then.”

Jason saw his father’s expression get dark, but thankfully it didn’t last. “Oh?” 

“You should have seen him.” Jason interrupted, finally sitting up. “He comes waltzing up to the three of us, introducing himself with a fake name and gloating about how ‘superior’ his tech was.”

“It was superior.”

“Uh huh, sure.”

Donnie pointed at him. “If it wasn’t superior then how come you and the others decided to steal it from me.”

Jason leaned toward him. “An easy win since you were being such a sucker for a jacket.”

“And now who has a much fancier one?” Donnie popped his collar. 

“Let your guard down long enough and I’ll take it as karma.”

“Once a thief, always a thief.”

“Oh like you don’t steal—” Jason paused when he heard his dad laughing so hard it made him wheeze.

The man leaned back in his chair, wiping his eyes a few times. “Hold on, back up. So you stole a bunch of Donnie’s tech?”

Jason sighed. “Yes.”

“And sent a giant robot after my brothers.” Donnie added. “And manipulated my intelligent drone into participating in a dangerous race.” 

Jason glared at him. “Okay, and who ransacked our hideout and broke most of our stuff just to steal some EMPs and a virus program?”

“I was desperate, okay?” 

“Boys, boys,” Mr. Song interrupted again. “Now I’m just curious how all of that resulted in this.” He pointed between the two of them. 

Jason stared at the table, trying to think.

How had all of this happened? 

Just because Donnie happened to break into his work place? And Jason followed him around without a fight breaking out? And Donnie offered to chat with him over pizza sometime? And Jason accepted it because, hell, talking that night had been fun. And he was tired. And while he’d never admit it, he was pretty lonely too. 

Donnie seemed to be having a very similar dilemma, and finally just shrugged. “It’s hard for me to place an exact event. We simply decided to quit fighting and tried being friends instead. It just worked out from there.” 

Mr. Song hummed as he nodded. “Well, that is often how it goes, isn’t it? Okay, okay, I need the details because Jase never gave them to me. Who asked who out?”

Jason opened his mouth, but Donnie spoke first, puffing out his chest as he did. “Oh, that was me. I asked him to be my business partner and my partner partner in the same day.” 

“Is that so?” His father smirked at him. “More than one reason you came home that day absolutely over the moon, huh?”

Donnie raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Jason spoke through his teeth. “Dad.”

Nope, too late, his father had that mischievous look on his face. “Jase came home that day happier than I’d seen in a long time. Trying to hide his face he was smiling so much, ears red. I knew something was up right away.”

“Dad.”

“Had to pry it out of him, but he told me. Well, only that he had a boyfriend. Didn’t want to mention that you were a turtle yet for understandable reasons.”

“Dad!” Jason snapped and hid his face all over again. 

He could feel Donnie leaning toward him. “That excited about dating me, huh?”

“Don’t give me that.” Jason snapped one of his hands out to lightly smack Donnie on the nose. “Mikey told me how over the moon you were that day too. Apparently you came back to the lair singing.” 

“What—well—” Donnie pulled his collar up to hide his cheeks. 

“You two are adorable.” His father sighed and stared at the bottom of his empty glass. “But, I don’t want to overwhelm you too much. And I’m sure you can understand that I’m pretty overwhelmed myself.” He let out a short laugh before he stood and walked over to the sink. “Stay as long as you like. But I’m going to retire to my room for a bit.” He headed out of the kitchen and into the foyer. “Nice to meet you, Donatello.”

“Oh.” Donnie straightened up. “Nice to meet you to, Mr. Song.” 

It was silent for a moment. Jason stared at the doorway, glad that conversation went better than he expected it to. His dad was pretty easy going, but grappling with the fact your song was dating a rough equivalent to the swamp thing couldn’t be easy.

Suddenly his father poked his head back into the room. “Also the walls here aren’t the thickest so if you two get up to anything frisky—”

“Dad!” Jason practically screamed. 

He vanished just as swiftly as he appeared. “Just saying!” 

“Oh my god.” Jason hid his face all over again. His ears felt like they were on fire. 

“So…” Donnie spoke up. “Want to hang out at the lair for the rest of the night?”

Jason stood in half a second. “Yes please.”

[lotus-mirage]

Trigun Stampede Episode 9 Liveblog

Ah back to the pianos. Although this might be an organ, I'm not sure if it's hooked up to the pipe-looking things behind it

Oh Knives also got help from SEEDS people. ...I thought they were in contact with all the other survivors? I wonder what happened here.

"production" "cut [the plants] off from a higher dimension" so "they can't maintain their bodies" Are they extra/multi-dimensional beings? Am I understanding that right? Huh.

that withered effect is actually horrifying, okay.

and the harvest is even worse

okay. okay ethics aside. I don't think this is a good long-term plan???? Like. Does this group have the tech to clone more Plants? Can they run that tech without power from the Plants they just killed?

Wait so this group also knows that Knives is a Plant? I'm surprised they're not using him for resources too.

Vash walks in in the middle of this??? Wow that's some timing.

okay tense scene but I still cannot take "Millions Knives" seriously as a name.

Wow and he actually kept using guns after that? I guess Vash doesn't seem to have much spite, but honestly even so I would have expected him to avoid them.

...I don't think that's the same gun, but it looks similar enough in shape that I'm considering it

I don't think 'once' is enough to warrant asking 'how many times.' Even if you count her initially taking Vash in, a) how would Knives know that b) that still doesn't warrant asking 'how many times'

Big glowing ball of purple energy. Hmm. I'd consider this a little late in the game to introduce something higher-fantasy (at least visually) to a show that's mostly been sci-fi, but okay.

Okay 'gate' is no longer requiring capitalization. And may or may not be a black hole.

I did not expect Knives to cut off his arm! I honestly thought it was going to be something kinda more mundane! ...why, though?

THEY'RE STILL ALIVE IN PRESENT-DAY!????? WHAT

But. But if they're still around. Are they just in hiding?? Why?? The whole 'lost technology' thing makes this so weird, because that means that they're kind of just sitting on the knowledge. And also presumably the Plants that were on the ship, too? Ethics aside, those also count as life-saving resources in a place that is in desperate need of that. Or if they're that close to where Knives had been, maybe he stole them already?

Well. Given the worms in the next shot I presume he'll know about them soon regardless.

Okay. Okay I had thought 'oh maybe they just live longer,' but I thought that'd be strange because... why would that be the case? Technology again? Genetic tampering???

I will say 150 years fits what I was thinking more than like. 40.

Okay yeah I didn't think that going in and out of cryosleep was an option. Do they like, automate it? That seems dangerous.

Yes, just. Light a cigarette over the very rare and extremely limited foliage, Roberto. Great plan.

actually huh do they like normally synthesize nicotine on this planet? that'd make some sense.

Okay before Vash answers the question of whether or not he can make up with Knives, my prediction is "no but actually yes." In that logically he doesn't think so but emotionally he does. And he's probably going to go with his emotions every time he sees a potential opportunity.

"third of the seven circles" yeah, okay. we're doing dante's inferno now.

Oh wait I was curious and went to google it. Dante's inferno has nine circles. Nevermind. In case it is relevant somehow anyway, wikipedia says the third circle is for gluttony, where sinners are punished in "an icy mud".

Googled it an heaven is also supposed to have nine circles. This tangent was probably wholly irrelevant lol.

What are these blink during Zazie's dialogue? They're interesting and I don't think we've seen them used like this before, but they're also throwing me off.

Oh more lore! Neat. (although. how and why does Zazie know this??)

Wait. Was the crash the twins caused the same as the one that people initially arrived on the planet in? It's only been 150 years??

...why are all of these plants red, actually? Haven't they established that's an unhealthy color for them? I thought Knives would try to take care of them a bit better?

Oh okay this is not an unfounded question. Nice.

End notes:

Okay yeah again nothing really to say here! I guess we're out of Vash's main flashback, but there's probably gonna be a bit more about what he's been up to in the meantime. I am really curious as to why Roberto and Meryl seem to have been moved from one location to another, though. I'd assume they'd be mostly irrelevant to Knives' group?

[laurie-vexen]

New Beginnings? || ft. Reg

Date: July 10th 2022

Location: Marnch, Waurdurn

Notes: Laurie tries to pickpocket a middle-aged Djayyar, and it doesn’t go the way she thought.

Laurie was running really low on gixys. As in, she only had 0.02 left. She had just barely met the ticket fee to get to this planet, but now she definitely didn’t have enough to resupply on her synthetic blood. She looked inside of her bag and carefully counted. If she rationed, maybe she had a few weeks’ worth left. It wasn’t terrible. But this outpost didn’t seem to have a dealer for synthetic blood - she guessed not many out here had Umbra customers. The transport ship she’d taken to this random planet had been out of desperation - she had to make a quick getaway a few weeks’ prior, when she stole from the wrong street gang member in The Undercity of Batreia. She didn’t have time to debate which planet to go to at the time, when a bunch of scary guys with guns were chasing her throughout the entire damn city. Now she felt a bit stuck, and now too broke to afford another ticket off of this planet. 

“Shit,” she muttered as she closed her bag. Alright, don’t panic. Hopefully the next planet wasn’t another few weeks away. She just needed to get herself enough to get a ticket out of here. The sooner the better. She stood by an odd-looking fruit stand in the marketplace, carefully scouting people passing by. It was easy to quickly swipe any exposed jewelry, especially in a crowded area. People tended not to pay attention. Maybe she could get a bracelet, or a watch...

She spotted a short Erkuss man passing by just a few feet in front of her. Well, he looked Erkuss at first. She immediately noticed the sparkling eyes despite his harmless form. Wow, a Djayyar. It wasn’t often she came across one of those. It was on fascination alone that she stared for a bit. She followed from a few feet away at his side, consciously passing through people while she kept his eyes on him. Surely a Djayyar would have something valuable. She tried to sneak a little closer. He dressed plainly. Just a simple shirt and pants. Maybe he wasn’t wealthy, but surely he had something she could use. She did spot a watch on his wrist. It looked as if it were in good condition, definitely worth a comfortable amount of gixys. She decided the Djayyar would be his target.

She got closer until she was right behind him. He didn’t seemed to notice anything. Once she was sure he wasn’t paying attention, she immediately sped past him. In one swift motion, she unlatched his watch and stuck it into her pocket. Without a beat, she pivoted off into a nearby alleyway. She waited one second before she looked behind her. He hadn’t chased her. She left out a sigh of relief. She took out the watch to inspect it. A holographic display, communication features, heart rate measurements... from a tech geek perspective, this was a cool-as-fuck watch. Maybe one day she could have a watch like this one. But, alas, there was no room in her life for luxury. She stuck the watch back into her pocket and headed out towards the other end of the alleyway.

She thought she was getting off scot-free, until the same Djayyar suddenly appeared at the exit.

He wasn’t much taller than her, but the way he crossed his arms and glared at her with those sparkly eyes was far more terrifying than any street gang member that’s ever chased her.

“Hoooooo fuck!” was all Laurie could get out as she jumped in fright.

“Your parents never told you not to steal?” the Djayyar dryly asked. Laurie considered running, but she immediately got the impression the man could kick her ass into next Tuesday. If she wasn’t scared shitless right now, she’d find that weirdly hot. Watching The Batman on the journey over here was a mistake. 

“Uh... well... they never told me not to not steal.” She narrowed her eyes. While technically true, that sounded really cringe coming out of her mouth. It wasn’t just her. The man appeared slightly perplexed at her answer, and visibly loosened up a bit. 

“Give me back the watch and I’ll forget this happened.” He held his hand out. Laurie knew when to take an opportunity to live to see another day. She wasted no time taking the watch out and putting it into his palm.

“See! No hard feelings! Just some harmless pickpocketing... expensive-looking watches... you know how it is.” She could not read him at all, so nothing on his face indicated he knew how it was. She pressed her lips together. “Or... maybe you know more about brutally murdering people who harmless pickpocket expensive watches,” she added dryly.

He raised an eyebrow, then put his watch back on. She was too afraid to move, in case the scary man chased after her. He looked at her, quietly for a moment. It was an uncomfortably long moment, actually. It wasn’t like the way creepy dudes on the street would stare, but it definitely felt like he was trying to read her. She had no real basis for assuming this, but she felt like the smallest indication would give away that she was not an Erkuss.

“I guess your thing is more staring at people in alleyways until they almost want you to brutally murder them just to make the awkwardness stop,” she spoke, desperate to break the thickening tension here. Damn, this was the closest she’d ever gotten to encountering a real-life Batman. No wonder the petty criminals were always scared shitless in those movies.

“You look like you could use a bite to eat,” he said to her surprise. Internally, she chuckled at the unintentional pun. Bite to eat, hilarious - anyway. She was very confused how he went from ready to drop-kick her to offering food. “Come. There a was ‘saloon’ I spotted earlier.”

She felt like she had no choice but to accept. If he was going to murder her, he would’ve just done so in this alleyway when no one was looking, right? 

“Uh, I can’t say I’ve ever been offered food by someone I just stole from. But, alright?”

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

His name was Reg, which was a very weird name. There was no way that was his real name, but when she asked what that was short for, his answer had been “Reg” and left it at that. She knew when to take a hint. Nibbling on her food was the safest option. He only had a cup of black coffee. Did Djayyar experience hunger the same as everyone else? It felt like an awkward time to ask.

“So you’ve spent years doing this? Just stealing from people off the streets?” he asked. The lack of emotion on his voice made it hard to determine if he was being judgmental or just asking.

“Uh, yeah. When you put it exactly like that, I guess you could say having a real job never really a dream of mine.”

She noticed the slightest hint of a smile. Did she actually amuse him? Why did she care about validation from a random guy she just met? Ew.

“A real smart-ass too,” he commented before taking a sip of his coffee. “Is that something you see yourself doing forever?”

She couldn’t really say she’d been thinking too far in the future. Last time she did that, her parents ripped any hope of that happening away from her. She looked down at her plate of a half-eaten veggie burger and fries. She never wanted to live like this. But for so long, she felt like she had to. Life as an Umbra involved a lot of moving from place to place anyway. She just had a jump start. Thing was, Umbra typically did the moving around a lot in groups, not on their lonesome. She also figured a lot of them didn’t depend on grifting to survive.

“I’d like not to, if I had the choice,” she told him honestly. “I don’t really enjoy stealing. Or getting myself into trouble. But I don’t really have that ‘stable support system’ that keeps kids off the streets.”

Reg nodded. Even though he was scary beyond words earlier, the more she spoke to him, the more comfortable she’d become. That didn’t happen often, she was usually on her toes with anyone she spoke with. 

“What if there was a chance you may not have to continue that?” he asked. She was confused. He leaned in closer. “I work on a ship. The pay’s not the best, but it gives you a stable income and you don’t have to keep doing this just to make some cash. It doesn’t exactly keep you out of the life of crime -” he smirked slightly. “- but you’d have your own place to sleep, and the crew has some... interesting... characters you may even like. I can’t guarantee it but I can have the captain meet with you. Give you a chance.”

Okay, Laurie wasn’t sure she was hearing correctly. How did things go from her fearing for her life to this stranger suddenly offering to help with getting her off the streets? Surely there was a catch?

“You aren’t about to say you’d do all this in exchange for a ‘special favor’ are you?” she felt the need to ask with a raised eyebrow.

Reg chuckled and shook his head.

“Then I’m a little confused and also suspicious why you’d do this for me when you don’t even know me.”

“That’s true, I don’t know you.” He sat back in his seat. “But I was aimless, once. Did what I had to do to get by. I know how that feels, and maybe you feel like you don’t need anyone and can do it all on your own. I also know how that feels. The ship I work on is full of people like you who were lost, until they came on board and now they have a place to call home. You don’t necessarily have to stay if you don’t want to. But I think you owe yourself at least a chance to see if maybe it’s the place for you.”

Laurie looked away in contemplation. It wasn’t often that someone came out of nowhere and offered her a place to work and stay. And if Reg was telling the truth, she didn’t have to stay if she didn’t want to. Didn’t she deserve a bit of a break from the constant running away? The stress of money and fear she’d run out of her supply and be forced to feed off people again? She didn’t want to get too ahead of herself - after all, this was all dependent if the captain he mentioned even wanted her. 

“Fine, when do we get to meet this captain?”

Reg gave her a genuine smile - a weird sight, if she were honest - and sipped his coffee.

[liopleurodean]

Season 1, Episode 6: Skin

If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a cop show

Dean, what are you doing?

Ahhh, tiny tech!

"yeah, that's called lying" DEAN

Dean? Antisocial? Neverrr

"what kinda people you hanging out with?" Valid question

Drive safe, America!

Asdfghjkl I never noticed how short Dean was next to Sam

Two places at once, huh

Dean is the furthest thing from a cop, but that'll work I guess

Can't argue with that

Wow, that place is a mess

So. Someone stole Zach's clothes, and then Zach is accused of murdering someone when he definitely didn't do it? And this has been completely ignored?

The dog agrees with me

Just to make sure

Well. He's possessed

"I wish" Dean I would Not trust you at Hooter's

Yellow eyes, huh?

She's dead

Oh no

Freeaaaky

And you're looking so hard, Dean

Does anyone actually have a bin specially for newspaper?

Fun times in the sewers (for a hot second I thought he meant Hell)

Ewww

EWWWW Dean why would you say that

"perks" as in... shooting things?

That's horrifying

No! Do not split up!

AND THIS IS WHY

That was unnecessary

Uh oh...

Really spilling all of Dean's insecurities huh

Noooooo

I draw the line at seducing someone while in another person's body

DEAN

Dean watches Star Trek!

That's freaky

Ohhhh

Rat!

Oh, I did not want to see that 😃

Argh, the CRUNCH 🤮

How DARE he touch Baby

Dang it Dean

noooo

Rip Sam

Go Sam go

Bye bye shapeshifter!

Oh I think you'll have plenty of chances, Dean

[chiliiscereal]

May I offer a prompt of how the turtles would be with a mom friendTM? you know the type I mean? like.... I think they might benefit from that kind of friend in the group lol (also I love your stories, your such a cool writer keep up the awesome work!)

Rottmnt headcanon: mom friend TM

And thanks so much!

Mom friends are severely underrated XD

——

-Okay these boys need a mom friend badly

-but that’s where you come in!

-as the mom friend you keep them safe in many ways

Donnie💜

-starting with this guy, he never really wanted a mom friend

-when April first brought you over he was cold

-didn’t even bother talking to you

-you were determined to befriend him, even though he left whenever you tried to talk to him

-you became comfortable with the turtles quickly and the others accepted your mom friend nature

-not Donnie though

-he didn’t hate you, sure, but you were too much

-you were too overbearing and too nervous for his safety!

-you’d make him wear a helmet when he used his jet pack 

-you made him put on SUNSCREEN whenever he went outside

-you told him to be careful when rewiring a project even!

-it’s like you wanted to ruin his bad boy image

-he hated it and wanted you to stop being so smothering

-…

-…until he realized that attention and moral support comes with the smothering

-the moment he realizes that he’s all for it

-he’s no longer hiding his inventions from you so you won’t bug him, but he’s seeking you out for your advice and praise

“Hey so I made this and… I don’t know…”

“Wow you built that? It’s awesome!” 

“Really? I mean, I know, I just wanted to show you that it was.”

-praise ain’t something this boy has

-have you SEEN how his brothers react to his ideas?

-he needs this

-with praise comes affection

-I’m talking homemade snacks and questions that his brothers never ask

-you’re there if he needs a cup of coffee or if he hasn’t eaten in a while or taken a nap

-“don, it’s been two days since you slept go to bed.”

-“*hissssss*”

-“I’ll make a cup of coffee for you after...?”

-“*hisses but less intense*”

-you may be good at making snacks and everything

-very good in facts

-but the questions are probably his favorite part

“Woah what’s that supposed to do?”

“Well it’s a device that’s meant to fix all the broken McDonald’s ice cream machines.”

“That’s amazing! What did you use to build it? How does it work?”

-you’re actually trying to learn about his work!

-you’re trying to learn about him!

-he loves it

-and he loves that you’re careful to

-it’s a nice change from his brothers

-you’re someone he can depend on

-doesn’t matter if it’s missions or just being a good friend

-and I mean it when I say depend

-you’re there when he needs help rewiring something or just to simply talk about his dumb dumb brothers

-honestly April isn’t even mad that Donnie stole one of her best friends

-she knows he needs this

-Donnie fully learned to trust you after the purple dragons mishap

-you told him they were untrustworthy but his heart was dead set on that satin jacket

-when he came back to the lair, late at night, with no satin jacket and a handful of his missing tech, he found you raising an eyebrow at him from where you had sat to wait for him

-he knew from then on to trust you and your opinions, even though his often got in the way

-you can often be found sitting on Donnies bed while he works, offering your company and comments

-Normally no one else is allowed in while he works but that’s just because they don’t have anything positive to provide

 Raph❤️ 

-Raph IS the mom friend

-your mom friend energy and his mom friend energy just work together so well together

-I’m talking planning missions together, figuring new ways to trick his brothers into being responsible, cleaning the dishes, and even making snacks together

-“so the mission is tomorrow right?”

-“yep! Should we bring apples with peanut butter or pretzels with hummus?”

-“well Donnie doesn’t like peanut butter, but Mikey does, so both?”

-“awesome! And you’ve got the water covered?”

-“dude I even have caprisuns packed so we’re ready!”

-the others find it to be too much with the two of you but Raph really appreciates the help

-especially during the pizza puff episode

-oh that part nearly set you on fire with worry

-Raph had never seen you that worked up

-you had a fan for Leo, a bowl for Mikey, and a bag of fruit snacks for Donnie

-Raph has to activate his supreme mom friend energy to get you to stop hovering over them

-that meant literally dragging you away from them so they could figure things out on their own

-he’s seen you be a mom friend to them all the time

-but never once for him

-you two were like... co mom friends working together to stop the younger irresponsible three

-until Raph got separated in the sewer

-oh man you were torn with worry

-you nearly destoryed the place looking for him

-and finding him all savage like that... ack that was enough to practically shatter your heart in two

-once he stopped trying to barbecue villains and destroy his brothers you took him to the lair and helped him calm down

-you even turned on a movie for the two of you so he could relax

-it was nice to have your best friend and partner in stopping crime back

-Raph of course was embarrassed because it’s HIS job to help everyone, not the other way around

-after much assurance you had him convinced that you didn’t mind

-he was grateful to have you and your help

-he just wished you didn’t worry quite so much

Leo 💙:

-this boy is soaking it all up from the start

-someone to compliment him?

-someone to help him out?

-someone to admire his achievements?

-oh he’s all for it

-he’s showing off skateboard stunts, he’s doing flips, and he’s randomly pulling you to him and creating a portal

-usually you end up somewhere sketchy but sometimes it works out

-you always have to be ready though

-one minute you’re walking to the projector room and the next you’re in New Jersey with a sheepish looking red slider

-his only problem is now he has to be more careful with skateboard tricks

-he’s fine with a helmet but when it comes to you hovering next to him while he’s going down the skate ramp...

-eh he’s not so fond of that

-praise?

-sure

-home made gifts and cards?

-always appreciated

-but you constantly trying to protect him from things he knew how to do?

-no

-just no

-now he only feels like he can skate if you’re not there or if he goes to a skate park without telling you

-you figure out quickly and still worry that he’ll mess up a flip

-doesn’t matter if you’re watching or not

-you’re the mom friend

-your job is to worry

-you promised that you’d stop worrying about him if he can back

-you didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable in his own home!

-he agreed and you did your best to keep your promise

-...

-until he actually messed up a flip

-you don’t know WHAT he landed on but it must have been sharp because there was a LOT of blood

-maybe you thought there was a lot because you were so worried but still

-you hadn’t even been in the room but you heard his shout (and crash) and you came running

-oh he was lucky you carried gauze and everything in your bag because other wise they’d have to go buy some

-you chewed him out while patching him up, much to his displeasure

-you’re both sweet and sour about it

-“I’m fine! Look, nothing’s broken!”

-“I TOLD you that you could get hurt! I TOLD you it wasn’t safe! Why did you not listen- I’m sorry does that hurt? I’m sorry!”

-“yeah it does hurt-.”

-“than you should have listened to me!!”

-for a while he’s bitter that you were just waiting for him to mess up

-clearly you thought he was just a big clutz to you

-but after a while of him avoiding you and pouting you brought it up again

-“I’m not just waiting for you to fail you know. I just want you to be okay.”

-“that’s not what it feels like! You clearly don’t trust me!”

-“life happens, Leo! Doesn’t matter how skilled you are! You’re an amazing skater but sometimes mistakes are made!”

-ha that changed his tune quickly

-“you think I’m an amazing and skilled skater?

-you just rolled your eyes and left, not saying anything about his comment

-didn’t matter

-this boy is all smiles for the rest of the day

Mikey🧡:

-he was on board from the very start

-he’s got cuddles, piggy back rides, and his own art fan/critic

-lots of baking and cooking together

-maybe even drawing if he’s lucky

-only problem?

-you don’t trust him to go out on his own

-even if it’s just to grab a video game from the store or pick up pizza

-“I’m just going down the block!”

-“what if someone sees you?”

-“I’ll be careful!”

-“just let me go with you.”

-“no! I can do this on my own!”

-you’re always offering to give him a ride or tag along just because you don’t want anything to happen to him

-that means, of course, sneaking out

-not for a long time, just enough to get some air

-but that also means you’re staying up late waiting for him to come back

-he’s your buddy!

-you can’t let anything happen to him!

-he didn’t know about it until he found you cashed out on the couch with the lamp still on

-normally you gave him an excuse about why you were still up, such as a late night snack or a movie

-but your phone and the tv were both off

-he decided to think nothing of it until he noticed that you were grumpier in the mornings

-he didn’t want his actions to affect you so he started coming back earlier

-even texting you and telling you he was fine

-you two talked and set up a deal

-he could go out by himself and you wouldn’t stay up late waiting for him as long as you had his location on your phone

-it was easier for both you from then on

[flashflashhundredyarddash]

batkids and their relationships with their siblings headcanons. under read more because this got fucking LONGGG

dick

dick is the eldest so he doesnt want to bog down his younger siblings with his problems, but if he DOES, he tends to talk to jason about it

dick and cass start to really begin to bond when Cass shows up to dicks gymnastics class for 3rd-6th graders and then cass shows up all the sixth graders and they get frozen yogurt after lmao

dick and tim are Very much thick as thieves. tim is very much like bruce on the Emotional Suppression scale, so dick just really wants to make sure his little brother is safe and happy ALL the time

Duke and Damian are the only two really permanently at the manor anymore, so when dick drops by he tries to do something with both of them. duke frantically zoom calls dick every other week to help him with his his trig homework. dick shows up to dukes high school graduation with literally the BIGGEST SIGN

everyone insists damian is dicks favorite but he does actually genuinely love all his siblings equally, his relationship with damian is just Very different from the others because of the age gap and being dami's primary caretaker for a year. dick babies dami every chance he gets

jason

would sell Dick to satan for One corn chip

him and cass don't have the greatest start to their relationship because cass is very much Against Killing so it takes a while for jason to warm up to her and earn her trust. now, though, jason is competing with steph by showing cass all the classic American Teenager things she missed out on. steph is currently winning but jason is like 98% positive a crunch wrap from taco bell is going to push him over the edge

tim and jason are currently competing over who can solve the most cases in a month. tim is winning. that won't last long.

jason Loves to Big Brother duke its so embarrassing. duke will get out of school and go to his car and jason is SITTING IN THE FRONT SEAT FRANTICALLY WAVING TO GET DUKES ATTENTION. JASON THAT IS MY CAR. signal has one (1) mission with arsenal and arsenal goes hey did you ask that girl to homecoming yet and duke is like I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU.

Damian is proof that Actually, Little Brothers are Pests. Jason fully believes that he was brought back from the dead PURELY to torment damian and he will fulfill this mission at any cost

cassandra

it actually really upset her when Dick didn't accept her at first. she knows her other siblings really adore dick so his lack of trust was really disheartening. it takes dick a while but once he Actually Accepts that cass is going to be a permanent part of their life and oh, wow, dick you really hurt her feelings he really hyperfocuses on bonding with cass for a couple of months which definitely improves their relationship

she really likes jason!! their relationship doesn't start well but because he's close with steph and tim who are cass's top two favorite people to exist ever, cass is like well i GUESS ill hang out with him more. jason is fun to talk to because he always tries his best to explain jokes and give context to what people are talking about (also tim took her to taco bell already but she didn't tell jason she just wanted to hang out)

cass LOVES tim. they just click okay. tim always seems to know when to give her space and when to push and come closer. Tim's "guest room" is just her room lets be real. tim and cass occasionally get mistaken for twins and Cass Loves it.

duke makes cass listen to metal once and cass loses. her. damn. mind. they bond over music a lot because they both Love Music to a degree the others in their family don't.

damian!! damian is her little brother!!! dami isn't As Hostile to cass at first because he is 100% aware cass has the edge in fighting and respects her. cass likes all of his instagram posts and they have a snapchat streak going

tim

tim Loves dick, dick was his first sibling!! he had Very strong hero worship when he first met dick but it mellowed out when tim got older because wow 17 is really not that cool and mature lol. tim has an open invitation to dick's apartment which he does occasionally take advantage of. tim has more than once scared the shit out of wally when wally comes over and wally is convinced they're being robbed (HA) for half a second. i mean. he's not wrong.

listen. tim understands that forgiving the guy who tried to kill you would be a Struggle for some people and it was! definitely! but also at least he can trust jason to, uh, be open about if he doesn't like tim. which is not an assurance he has with other people. so if the guy who tried to kill him tells him tim is cool now then like. maybe tim isn't that bad or annoying a person? also jason arrested a whole gang and won the cases competition but then it created a power vacuum that the whole batfam had to clean up the rest of the month. thanks, jason.

tim LOVES cass. you know how most of the time theres this empty feeling inside you and you just kind of ignore it because you don't know what will fix it or if you do, you know you can't fix it? cass makes that empty feeling feel a little less empty. they just click. tim always tries to travel with cass whenever she leaves gotham.

tim and duke. Tim is actually the sibling who duke goes to whenever he has questions he doesn't want to ask bruce or alfred about, like, life or vigilante-ing or school or college or whatever and Tim is always like yes!! i love Giving Advice and Solving Problems!! tim and duke and jason fill out their college applications together.

tim and damian. LMAO. ROUGH START THAT'S ALL ILL SAY. at some point alfred goes like fuck it. family therapy. and tim and dami are PISSED. tim and damian get along best when they have a common enemy to work against. their relationship gets much better when damian is older and they actually talk about their feelings like emotionally stunted bats. despite how bad their relationship was, tim will ALWAYS protect damian

duke

very much intimidated by dick at first. dick is so much older and has his own job and friends and life and is very much AN ADULT. dick likes to take duke out to do lots of cool stuff (paintball, lasertag, tech exhibitions, concerts, etc). also, dick PERSONALLY introduced duke to superman and is dating THE FLASH. 10/10 awesome big brother.

was intimidated by jason for 0.5 seconds before jason actually opened his mouth and started speaking. jason is literally. So Embarrassing. which is weird because nobody else really seems to feel that way about jason but duke knows he's 100% in the right here. like yeah jason is also An Adult and does Adult Stuff but he's also at the manor like every other weekend???? and he always complains about bruce but always seems to be in the same room bruce is in????? like okay jason. they bond over literature!! jason and duke and alfred will spend literal hours talking about books and duke loves it. duke is the only one who doesn't think jason is funny and jason gets so upset about it lmao.

cass has this one week where she gets really into photography and by virtue of being nearby (and also not nocturnal), duke becomes her victim subject. duke prints out all the pictures and hangs them up in his room (his favorite is one he took when he stole the camera and took a really bad selfie of them together).

tim is closest in age to duke so duke tends to hang around with him a lot. tim introduced duke to his young justice friends and duke is like yes!!! meta-friends!!!! tim really helps duke out with his powers because tim is always like wow i wonder if your powers would work if we did This? can you see farther than other people? is your visible spectrum of light different than other humans? Bruce does the same thing but bruce is boring about it lol.

damian and duke live in the same house and will be in the same room and just send each other social media posts back and forth. they follow each other on instagram and will, OCCASIONALLY, make tik toks together because they're tik tok fiends. each of his siblings have visited his parents once or twice but damian routinely comes with him.

damian

damian gets a special bullet point to say that it took him. forever to come around to the idea of having siblings. he very much believed that he was Bruce's Blood Son and everyone else were just tagalongs or allies. it took him ages to acknowledge that dick, jason, tim, and cass were his siblings, so when duke came and like a week later damian was like Ah, Yes, this is my brother Thomas everyone else was like dude wtf

listen. LISTEN. Obviously. Richard is very highly skilled. and also Father values him highly. and also Richard will listen to Damian complain about his schoolmates. and also Richard is much more patient with Damian than other members of his family. listen....,,, (all this to say damian kind of fucking adores dick lmaooooo this kid).

Todd is kind of unbearable but damian has been informed this is both a normal feeling when it comes to Todd and also big brothers. damian was an only child for ten years so yes, Father, if Todd attempts to tickle me I WILL break his fucking nose. yes i WILL put money in the swear jar but I want you to know i don't regret it. they always try to sneak up on each other but mostly fail.

DRAKE!!! but no lol once damian grows up and is like I Apologize for attempting to murder you it was wrong and you are just as much a son to Father as I am tim is like UGH i guess its cool since ur being so emotionally mature and all. also im 2 for 5 on siblings trying to murder me so im definitely going to win trauma bingo and damian is like i take it back you are insufferable. When Will My Older Siblings Stop Joking About Their Trauma.

CASS!!! listen. cass is cool. Cass Gets It. They have a special Bond. also damian really likes it whenever cass is home because 1) he gets to hang out and do something cool with cass and 2) he feels significantly safer with cass in the house because Nobody will be able to hurt any of their family if Cass is there. ALSO he tries to call her cain but everyone is like DONT DO THAT and he doesn't want to call her wayne bcus theyre ALL wayne (dick adds it on as a middle name but also Richard John Wayne West-Grayson is just. the lamest name ever so dick needs to reconsider it before his upcoming nuptials)((dick will not reconsider it except maybe whether grayson-west would work better)) and so he tries cassandra but cass is like :) call me cass and damian is like cassandra is more formal and respectful and cass is like :) and finally damian just has to give in.

Duke! him and duke actually live together so they get the Most Bonding Time and have a bunch of inside jokes as a result. (is it bad i wanted to laugh because inside jokes... joker... i'll see myself out). they're eating breakfast together (and also alfred sits with them IM NOT A MONSTER ALFIE'S LIKE 70 NOW OKAY) and duke laughs and bruce is like what are you laughing at, son? and duke is like oh damian just showed me this funny meme and then he shows the phone to bruce and bruce grabs it (both the boys groan) and after WAY TOO LONG is like "i don't get it" and so now duke and damian have to try and explain the comedic intricacy of bob's burgers

[thepixelelf]

With love, I miss you - Eric Sohn

That last song was a new personal favourite here at Tangerine Radio -- Day6 Even of Day’s Right Through Me. On a much lighter note, I’m pumped to introduce our first guest featured in our new “With Love” series! I’ll introduce him soon, and remember, you can find transcripts of the “With Love” series and other special segments on our Tangerine Radio website, which was lovingly put together by my favourite tech guy, Sunwoo. In the transcripts, I’m in bold, and guests are just plain text unless there are two, which is when we bust out the italics... at least I’m pretty sure that’s it. I guess we’ll see, huh? I’m not really supposed to talk much in this series, but who knows. Let’s welcome our guest before I ramble on any more.

Uh, hi... listeners? I’m Eric.

Wait. Listeners? Is that what I call them?

Sure.

Okay. Uh. Hi.

...I’m Eric.

You said that already!

I don’t know... What if some people just tuned in?

Between the first and second time you said your name?

...It could happen.

Relax, Eric. Just talk like your roommate is the only one listening. You prepared something, right?

Yeah.

Hoo... okay.

Um. Hey. It’s Eric.

I said that already... but it’s in my notes, so I said it again. Who knows, maybe someone tuned in just in time to hear it...

Sorry, this is a bit awkward. It’s kind of nerve-racking to know that you’re listening right now when I can’t see you. Haknyeon, you get what I’m saying, right?

Ah, sorry. My letter. Got it.

I’ll stay on track.

Don’t look at me like that! I will, I promise.

Um...

Dear you.

I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to say your name for everyone to hear, so I won’t. I guess I could’ve asked you, but then this wouldn’t be as much of a surprise, would it?

Anyways, I came on hear to say,

I miss you.

I know it’s only been like, a week, but that’s a whole week without you, so... I stand by it. Yeah.

I miss you a lot. It’s weird, but sometimes when I wake up, I look around the flat and go huh? Just because you’re not there. I feel like this is the first time in a long time that we’ve been apart -- really apart. Even back in our home town, our parent’s houses are like ten minutes away.

If we hated each other, we’d be in a real pickle, huh?

I could never hate you though.

I like to think you could never hate me either, but there was that one time I stole your fancy restaurant leftovers, so I guess that’s still on the table.

...Unlike your leftovers, hah!

Sorry, wow, that was awful. You loved it though, I bet. Wherever you are.

I can’t believe you got invited to a destination wedding, by the way. And you didn’t take me as a plus one? Rude.

Not that-- not that we’re--

Um.

I was just joking, haha... I know we’re not dating or anything. And I know you said you’d bring me if you could, but you already RSVP’d as one guest. I was kidding...

Not that I wouldn’t date you! Just, uh--

I know this is a whole “With Love,” thing, but Haknyeon told me love is platonic too! And I... love you, uh, platonically--

Ow!

Haknyeon just kicked me! Do you see what happens when you leave me alone?

This is abuse, is what this is.

I know I said love is also platonic, and it is, but Eric, are you really that oblivious?

Huh? What do you mean?

Oh, come on. You have to know that you like them--

Haknyeon!

So you do know?

I-- Dude-- Why did...

Ugh.

Even if I do, why would you just blurt that on live radio! They could be listening!

Isn’t that what this is for? And besides, you said they’d be sleeping in their timezone.

Okay, and what about your other hundreds of listeners? Ughhh this is so embarrassing...

...

Shut up Sunwoo. They can’t even hear you.

You’re cute when you’re all grumbly.

You just love this, don’t you?

I don’t hate it.

This sucks. I can’t believe I let you guys rope me into this just for twenty bucks.

Hey, whoa, you volunteered to be on With Love, Eric. Hear that listeners? You, too, can sign up for With Love, on our website, where you’ll also find the transcripts from previous episodes just like this one--

You sound like an idiot.

Someone’s salty. And pouty.

I’m not pouting!

Tell your face that.

...

Sunwoo I am going to kill you.

No I don’t want to keep going!

I mean... they don’t have to see this, right?

Did you already tell them you were coming on the show?

Yeah...

And they know about our website?

Yeah...

You might want to continue, then. Confessing and running isn’t going to look great.

I could just tell them not to read the transcript... right?

But knowing them, they’d want to even more...

Ugh.

Did you guys plan this?

...

No way! Did you guys lure me in with twenty dollars just so I’d confess the crush I’ve had for years?!

Oh shit.

Okay, that one was all you. I didn’t even prompt you this time.

Oh my god.

Oh my god!

Whoa, man! I know the table isn’t oak, but you can’t just slam your head on it like that.

Ow...

Do you want some ice?

No...

You’re pouting again.

Shut up.

It’s a radio show, Eric. If no one’s talking, it’s literally nothing. 

Fine then. I’ll talk.

Screw the stupid letter if this was your plan all along, anyways.

...

Dear you.

I like you.

I like you a lot. I’ve liked you for years. Is that what everyone wants to hear?

When you beat all the other boys at Beyblade in elementary, I liked you. When you made me a valentine’s day card in seventh grade because I was sad nobody sent me any, I liked you. When you held my hand and dragged me out of school to skip a day because I was feeling down about university applications, I liked you.

The other day, when we ate ice cream on your bed and talked about aliens, I liked you.

I like you. And I miss you. And I want to say this all in person but you’re thousands of kilometers away and I’m on this dumb radio show, speaking into this dumb microphone, and Haknyeon’s looking at me with this dumb smile on his face and I like you! Okay?!

I like you.

...

...

What?

You’re so cute.

Shut up!

With Love, The Boyz masterlist

subscribe to tangerine radio (send an ask to be added to the with love, taglist)

[rainydaydream-gal18]

(The Bad Batch) Crosshair x Reader: Cruel to Be Kind

[Author’s Note:  Okay, so I was obsessively listening to the cover of “Cruel to Be Kind” from that movie 10 Things I Hate About You (the one with Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger), and I kept thinking of Crosshair and knew that I wanted to do a fic based on it months ago.  I didn’t get around to it until today.  So, in honor of what was and will be Bad Batch eve again, here it is!  I hope you enjoy!

Word count: 658

Warnings: Crosshair’s attitude]

  Normally, it was easy to ignore.  This time, not so much.

  The familiar visor was angled in your direction, no doubt the man under the helmet was watching and waiting for your reaction to his unwarranted comment.  It sent your blood pressure skyrocketing.  The way he went about it had been unnecessarily spiteful, as it was meant to be.

  “Lay off, Crosshair,” Hunter grunted from the co-pilot’s seat.

  “It’s okay,” you said, eyes sliding shut as you took a deep breath.  “He’s right.”

  “Not really,” Wrecker interjected gently.  “Hunter’s right.  He’s got to take it easy.”

  Crosshair pulled off his helmet to show the roll of his eyes as he reached into a pocket for his pack of toothpicks, seemingly unbothered by everyone’s concern.  Echo shook his head, brows furrowed, in disappointment.  Tech watched the entire exchange in silence, which was unusual for him.

  “Really, guys, it’s alright,” you replied, rolling your shoulders a little.  “Crosshair is just being Crosshair.  One day, I won’t be patient enough to handle it.  One day, but not today.”

  The others exchanged looks.  If you said it was fine, what more could they do?  Everyone knew that the squad’s sniper had an attitude problem when it came to newcomers, but his interaction with you was unlike anything they’d seen before.  Just when they thought he was softening up to you, even going out of his way to protect you when he could, some sort of switch flipped in him.  Suddenly, he was back to being broody and taunting.  No one was quite sure why.  No one except you and Crosshair.

  “Patience?” Crosshair taunted with a chuckle, shaking his head.  “I call it weakness.  You don’t stand up to me because you can’t.  And that’s why I keep getting away with it.  It’s a wonder, really, that you can stand up to those droids on the battlefield.”

  Wow, that had to one of the longest responses from Crosshair the squad had ever heard.  Hunter was about to intervene once more when you stomped your boot on the metal floor of the Marauder’s cockpit and balled your fists.

  “Remember earlier when I said I’d lose my patience one day?” you asked calmly.  Echo raised a brow.  “Turns out, today’s the day.”  You stole a steely glance at Crosshair.  “You.  Let’s talk.”

  The others watched as the jerk had the nerve to smirk, flicking his toothpick.  You gave a subtle nod to Hunter, letting him know you’d handle this entirely on your own.  The others stepped aside as you headed straight to the back of the Marauder, out of sight, with your boots thudding against the floor.  All eyes fell to Crosshair as if to say “now you’ve done it,” but no one spoke a word as he gave a shrug and confidently strode after you.

  You were waiting for him in the closet in the back, arms crossed.  His eyes shone in the dim lighting as he approached, slowing to an agonizing pace that made your body shudder.  Finally, he stopped right in front of you, resting his hand against the wall behind you.  His breath fanned your face as he leaned.  And then his lips were meeting yours eagerly.  You uncrossed your arms to wrap them around his neck and draw him in closer.  Heat exploded in your chest as he kissed you harder before pulling back just a little.

  “I was wondering when I’d finally get you alone,” he murmured against your ear.  The hushed tone sent another shiver down your spine.  “You think they fell for it?”

  “I think they did,” you replied, peeking at him through half-lidded eyes.  You brushed against his lips once more, hearing his breath get caught for a moment as you ran a hand up to his hair.  “I love you.”

  He paused, lips turning up just a tad in a lovely smirk.  “I love you too.”

  And then he dived in for another searing kiss.

[ithehellisbucky]

forget me not

spencer reid x reader

Request: No

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: Kidnapping, torture, drowning, murder, drug mention, etc

Summary: You and Spencer don't realize you love each other until it's almost too late

Author's Note: First thing in like fucking forever, so yeah. This was originally a request and then I was at school and I couldn't look at my request so it was way off script, so I just did my own shit, this also takes place in the 5th season, in the middle just after hayley dies.

~

"The unsub is a white male between the ages of 35-45. His modus operandi is drowning in the great lakes, he's already struck Superior, Michigan, Ontario, and Huron, so we expect Lake Erie to be next." Hotch says, glancing at his phone every minute or so. It's his third case back since Hayley died, and he's picked up a habit of waiting to hear bad news.

"This unsub has recently developed a hallucinative disorder where every face he sees has an emotional connection. There were no discernable connections between his victims which leads us to believe that his mind is filling in the gaps at random." Reid says, gesturing abstractly at nothing at all in particular.

"This disorder was likely triggered by a recent brain injury connected to the Great Lakes so keep a lookout for any recent accident victims. He was very social until the accident, and after it he immediately became anti-social. He was probably in a relationship recently, but then broke it off, he is not married, but possibly has children, which he will not shy away from using in a hostage situation." Morgan exclaims as he leans against a desk.

"His victims are all over the place, so we advise everyone to be on high alert. There is no pattern to the murders, from a 51-year-old single mother of two to a 14-year-old on vacation." You pause and take a breath, looking back down at your notes. "Someone out there knows this man, so we implore you to tell as many people as possible, our Media Liaison Jennifer Jareau will be setting up a press conference, and it is very important to get this out to as many people as possible."

"Won't that just spook him more?" One of the sheriff's deputy says, with a concerned look on his face.

"Yes, but at this point, he will kill again no matter what, it's better to have the public be informed because he will take another victim, whether we find him during or after is up to us."

He nods, and looks down at his notepad, badly masking his disturbed grimace.

"Thank you and let us know if you have any leads," Hotch exclaims, closing the meeting.

You walk up to Spencer "I bet we're their favorite people right about now." You say, sipping on your coffee.

Reid avoids your eyes and continues to fidget with the chess piece that he probably stole from one of the officer's desks. "What's wrong Reid?"

"I dunno, I just have a really bad feeling about this one," He picks up his cane and walks away. When Spencer has enough he needs to walk away, and as long as he wasn't hurt that was fine with you.

"Reid, y/l/n, Garcia's got something." Morgan raps his knuckles on the doorway and calls you into a conference room. "Hey babygirl, what do ya got for us?" He exclaims, shifting the call to speakerphone.

"A luscious blonde mane and an intense yearning to hold you." Emily giggles a little bit and Garcia can probably feel Hotch's glare "oh come on Derek."

"Sorry baby, keep goin'."

"I have a name. One Larry Todd. 3 weeks ago he was in a boat accident in which he had a severe concussion and was unconscious for 3 days. He immediately broke up with his girlfriend Shelby, which she was very angry about, adieu to her Facebook page. His ex-wife reported that he missed his last two visitations with his daughter Amelia." She takes a pause "he owned a bait shop that's been closed since his boat was destroyed in the accident, and it's listed as his last residency.

"Fits our profile to a tee," Emily exclaims.

"Thanks, Garcia," Hotch says, hanging up the phone call. "Emily, JJ is in the conference so run out and let her know. Morgan and Rossi, go to the bait shop with SWAT, and Reid and y/l/n go to the ex-wife's house; Emily and I will stay here and see what else we can dig up."

Everyone goes their separate ways. The sheriff takes the driver's seat, with you in the shotgun seat and Spencer in the back. You can hear the clang his leg makes against his cane and his foot bouncing.

"I'll take the daughter, and you can have the ex-wife."

"Okay," responds Spencer.

The ex-wife Miranda opens the door sobbing when you knock on it. "Excuse me, ma'am, my name is Agent y/n y/l/n and this is my partner Dr. Spencer Reid, do you mind if we ask you and your daughter a few questions about your ex-husband?"

She continues to sob but lets you in. You look back to see the sheriff playing video games on his phone and you scoff.

Spencer sits down with the crying woman and you politely ask if you can speak to her daughter. She tells you yes and that Amelia is around back.

"Bye, Reid." You blow a kiss to Spencer and walk out the door, shaking a sinister nagging feeling itching at the back of your neck.

You walk across the pavement and open the gate to enter your unsub's former backyard. "Hi Amelia, my name is y/n, I'm a friend of your mommies."

Beginning to grow more suspicious, you pull out your gun and triple-check to make sure it's on safety. If Todd is there you know that he would be fine with sacrificing his daughter for his own goals and you wouldn't let that happen "Amelia? Is your daddy here."

"Boo!" A little girl with pigtails holding a stuffed rabbit jumps from behind the recycling bin and you chuckle, putting your gun away in your holster. "Did I scare you?"

"You sure did!" You laugh. "Wow, that's such a pretty bunny, where did you get it?"

"My daddy got it for me." She said, showing off her gap tooth.

"That's so cool! Do you remember what it was like when he gave it to you?" You kneel to be at eye level with the child.

"Yeah, he was super cuddly, now he's a little more pokey, but that's okay." She says, playing with the bunny ears.

"When did he get pokey, Amelia?" You hesitated, something was off "I just want your daddy to be cuddly again."

"A little bit ago. He used to tell me stories till I fell asleep eeeeeverynight, but then he stopped for a week and when he came back he was like a big lion."

You had a growing sense of paranoia budding in your spine, why was she telling you all this so fast? "What type of stories?"

"He used to tell me princess stories, but after he stopped for a week he talked all about ones about the scary lady who tried to take me away, but then he stopped her! And the boy who was being dangerous so he had to make sure that she didn't hurt me." She exclaimed absentmindedly.

You start to pull your phone out of your pocket until Amelia starts talking again "and just now, he was talking about the bad knight who tried to take me away."

Your jaw dropped and you tried to find the best course of action, but by the time your brain started working it was too late. He walked up behind you and whispered into your ear "Nighty-night."

And then everything was black

~~~

"Hey, mommy."

"Yes, sweetheart?" She quickly wiped the tears off of her face to turn to her daughter.

"Can I have ice cream?"

"Of course sweetheart" she gives me a small smile and gets up towards the kitchen. "Where's that nice agent that came here with Dr. Reid?"

"They weren't a nice agent, they were a bad, bad, bad knight, and they were trying to take me away, so daddy took them instead."

No.

Oh no.

No no no no no no no no.

Where were they? Where was y/n?

I pulled out my gun without a second thought and left my cane behind, I ran as fast as I could without it, and by the time I was in the backyard my knee was burning and they were gone.

~~~

You woke up halfway through the drive. The road switched from smooth the bumpy a million times over, and it smelled like bees. Not like honey, not like pollen, like bees. Just bees. It smelled nice, but you don't want to die smelling bees.

You wanted to move. Move your body, move your head, move your eyes, move anything, but you couldn't move. Nothing could move. There was a sweaty tv shirt shoved between your teeth. Your hands were bound with bristled rope and there was metal all around you and you were certain that this was the back of a van. At first, you thought there must be a blindfold over your eyes, and then you realized that they were just too tired to open.

There was an old country song playing over the radio, a love song about a family in a house. The truck stopped shaking and he pulled the ignition. A growing sense of dread filled your stomach as he walked around towards the back of the truck. He opened the door and you saw his face.

That could only mean one thing- you weren't leaving here alive.

~~~

Within minutes crime scene techs were on the scene, but I knew they wouldn't find anything useful. The only thing that was there was the absence of y/n and our distraught profile.

"They were right here, right here, they were- they were right here, right here." Hotch looked at me somberly, and Morgan rubbed my shoulder with sympathy.

"We need to update our profile," Emily said, there was no time to waste, "we know what this guy does to people, and if he would risk abducting an armed federal agent in front of his daughter there's no doubt they in danger."

"We know Emily," Everyone looks at me kind of funny like I've said something wrong, but at this point, I don't care what anyone thinks of me, "His reason for doing this was for his daughter, he took out anyone he saw as a threat, a motherly figure, someone who could be her older brother, anyone who was a threat and wanted to take Amelia away from him.

"His disorder is fairly undocumented, being exactly the opposite of prosopagnosia, where patients disassociate faces from their loved ones, causes him to feel emotions about people he's never seen before, and his subconscious is assigning meaning to them at random, picking up anyone shows the slightest twinge of distaste.

"y/n picked up more than a twinge, they were there to take his daughter away, so he likely believes they're the mastermind." Everyone looks at me and waits for me to say the thing we all know is coming "he's not going to kill them before they suffer."

As we hitched a ride back to the station my leg was bouncing like crazy and my fingers were tapping the numbers of pi into the leather of the car door. Emily put her hand on my shoulder but I couldn't feel her, y/n missing was the only thing I could feel.

"Garcia I need you to check if Larry Todd owns any vehicles large enough to hold a person, trunks, vans, trucks anything," Morgan says into his speakerphone once we get back to the station.

"Oh god it's true, he really has them?" I can hear the distraught coated thick on her voice "do you think they're in pain, do you think he-"

"Garcia we don't have time for this, does he or does he not have any vehicles in his name." I snapped, I could apologize later when y/n was in a hospital bed.

"No, but you know I'm never one to go to bed early, and it turns out his great uncle died a year and a half ago, but his van was pulled over and given a speeding ticket a few months ago, how much do you wanna bet that's our guy and not a psychopath's uncle."

"Thanks, Garcia," Rossi hangs up the phone and turns to one of the sheriff's deputies in the room, "put out an ATB on that van."

"Okay, I'm gonna go through the medical files again, see if there's anything I missed," Hotch catches my arm.

"There isn't, right now all we can do is wait and look." He pauses "we've sent out patrol cars to look for the van, go out with Morgan, and circle around Lake Erie."

"Hotch, what if- what if we don't find them, or we find them and it's too late, or we find-"

"Right now she's alive, you said it yourself, he's not gonna let her die so easy."

As disturbing as it is hearing that someone you love more than anything is being tortured, I found it strangely comforting. They're alive. They are alive. They are prepared. After Tobias took me they brought me to a CIA torture seminar, just on the off chance that anything happened, I wouldn't break again.

I stared out the window of the passenger side of the SUV. Morgan wasn't talking, he knew what I was feeling, because he felt it before, when it happened to me.

"We've got a report of the vehicle going down sunmist lane" the scanner jumps to life.

I had memorized the map the second we landed; "we're five minutes away" and then, quietly under my breath, I whispered, "I'm coming y/n."

~~~

He held your head underwater for the 7th or the fiftieth time. You can't remember. You can't remember. You can't remember anything other than the water under the dock filling my lungs.

"What do you want with my daughter?!" He screamed at you as he pulled you out again, You vomited up all the water that my body could muster. You didn't know he had a daughter.

You forgot everything you learned to do. You forgot to pretend it was affecting me, You forgot how to hold my breath, You forgot. You forgot everything.

Except for Spencer, Spencer's smile, Spencer holding you, Spencer missing you until that was gone too.

Everything went away but the water.

He kicked you back off the dock again, and for a second you gasped for air, and then you sank, nothing even mattered anyways.

The man pulled you out again and kicked you in the ribs; you felt something rip inside of you and you screamed as loud as you could, which was more like a whimper.

"Larry Todd put your hands up!" Two men came behind the man who drowned you, you couldn't remember them, but you could remember the rip in your ribs filling with water.

He shoved you back into the water and you didn't even try to fight this time, you just sank, feet after feet after feet of water. You didn't hold your breath, you didn't care.

A figure appeared above you, and you saw the angel. He had a shimmering brown halo and a beautiful bright face that looked terrified, just like an angel.

And then he pulled you up.

~~~

This might be heaven, but it might be hell. You can tell the room is white without opening your eyes. There's a steady beeping sound to your left and it smells like chlorine.

When you finally manage to open your eyes you wished you hadn't. All you see is lethargy around you.

JJ is drooling in her sleep while Emily is asleep on her shoulder, Garcia is snoring in the corner with her knitting in a pile next to her. Morgan and Rossi are nowhere to be seen, but you can't blame them, seeing people they love getting beat up over and over again never gets easier. You can hear the faint sounds of Hotch arguing with someone over the phone in the hallway.

But worst of all is Spencer. He's wide awake and his foot is tapping like crazy on the ground. There are deep and dark eye bags surrounding his eyes and hints at a beard forming on his face. His cane is tossed uncharacteristically on the ground, and he pays it no attention whatever.

You open your mouth to speak, but when you do a stabbing pain shoots through your diaphragm and you gasp. The second Spencer hears you he shoots up and kneels next to the bed, which must be no easy feat.

"Hey, how are you?" He strokes your hair as gently as he can.

You try to speak but no words come out.

"Do you want some water?" You nod, trying to not feel pathetic. The second the glass of water comes into your eye line you knock it out of his hand and it goes shattering onto the floor, waking everyone else in the room up.

You start to cry, feeling guilty and scared about why a glass of water could've terrified you so much. "Hey, hey, it's okay, it's okay, it's just a bunch of sand made into something you can drink out of, it's not a big deal, don't worry." That calms you down a little bit.

You look around to see the rest of the team cradled around you. "How are you feeling honey?" Garcia whispers as if speaking too loudly would mortally wound you.

You reach up and touch your throat, and it burns. There's more confusion, and then JJ is getting her hand cut on the glass she was cleaning, Garcia was whispering too loudly and Emily was touching your arm, and Hotch and Morgan and Rossi were walking in the room and Spencer was pushing a button on your bed and the monitor was beeping and then you were screaming.

Screaming so loudly, screaming in pain, screaming in fear, screaming in confusion, screaming because you were overwhelmed and sad and scared. "Everyone gets out," Spencer says, and everyone quickly does, he knows you best, and right now, everything was too much.

"Wh-what happened" you whisper, throat and lungs still hurting but since you had screamed the worst part was over.

"The unsub kidnapped you, and tried to drown you, your heart stopped in the ambulance, but they brought you back." You remembered "You had been dunked in the water and brought back up at least 15 times, not including when I brought you out.

"You needed 53 stitches and had a punctured lung when we found you." He pauses "You're safe now, we have him in custody and he can never hurt anyone ever again." You let out a breath that you didn't know you had been holding.

"I'm so sorry," You were crying "I forgot you, I'm so sorry. He made everything go away but the water I'm sorry that I forgot you."

"It's okay, it's okay, you didn't do anything wrong, you were trying to stay alive." He stroked your hair and held your hands gently "He tortured you, when Hankel tortured me all I could think about were the drugs and the pain, you didn't do anything wrong, you survived."

"I survived?"

"Yes."

"Can I tell you something?" You chuckled, your tears had stopped but it was still wet on your face.

"Anything."

"I thought you were an angel when you saved, and now I realize that you weren't my angel, it wasn't magic, and it wasn't godly." Spencer looks puzzled, and you paused to take a deep and painful breath "It was the fact that I am so deeply in love with you, that seeing you love me back felt like heaven.

Spencer stares at you, his mouth closed and his mouth on the floor "You don't have to say anything, just know that-"

His lips are on yours before you can finish your sentence. For a moment you forget about the pain in your throat, the burn in your lungs, and the agony all over your body; it was just Spencer.

You pulled away for breath, your breaths dancing with each other.

"I was so scared" he whimpered in fear.

You stroked his hair gently "I was more terrified than I had ever been. I was so horrified that I would wake up tomorrow and my reason for living would be dead. I was more scared than I had been when I thought my dad killed a kid, I was more scared than when Hankel tortured me, I was more scared when I realized that I loved drugs more than my own life.

"You were the person that held my hand when I was hurting so bad I would forget to breathe, and then you weren't here because you were the person in pain and I realized that I loved you because nothing hurt me more than the fear that I could lose the one thing in the world that made me feel okay."

He takes a deep breath and looks at you as deeply in your eyes as you thought could ever be possible. "I love you too, and I promise you I'll never let you go."

His lips meet yours, and through a kiss, you whisper "I'll never forget you again"

And you knew that you had Spencer and everything is going to be okay.

~~

My Masterlist

Requests are open!

~Taglists are open~

Permanent Tags: @natasha-danvers​

Marvel:

Criminal Minds:

[fantasmalresplendent]

Dean died at the ripe old age of 85.

In his lucid moments during the days leading up to his passing, in which Dean was just as sharp and as bright as he was fifty years ago, he remarked that people must think he’d robbed the cradle with a “hot piece” such as Castiel hanging around him. 

“You don’t mind that I’m a wrinkly, senile, crotchety old bastard?” Dean had asked, more than once, but he had always said it with a smile. And Castiel would smile back, replying with the same answer the answer many times, in many ways:

“You’re not senile.”

“Old, but not a bastard.”

“I thought I was the crotchety one.”

“I don’t mind.”

Then Dean would smile, and it would light up the room, and Castiel would wonder again how he came to deserve the focus, let alone the affection, of such a man.

“It’s not about deserving, Cas,” Dean had said, half-whispered in the middle of the night a few short months after they had begun to share the bed they laid in. “It’s… fuck, well I don’t know what it’s about. But people don’t get what they deserve, not most of the time.”

Castiel frowned, furrowing his brows. “They should,” he grumbled.

“Well if people got what they deserved, they’d… I don’t know, Sam would’ve actually become a lawyer, stayed in school. Jo, Ellen, Bobby, they’d all still be here. I’d get mauled by a werewolf or something, go out with a bang, and Baby,” Dean said sternly, as though chastising the universe itself for such an injustice, “Would never get so much as a scratch on her.”

“You think that’s what you deserve?” Castiel’s voice was soft, not wanting to disturb the still of the night, but steely as he considered even the possibility of Dean’s violent end. 

Dean registered that, swallowing, “I don’t know. I guess I just never thought I’d even make it this far. Hunters have the shortest lifespans of any human subspecies,” Dean cracked a smile, but his heart wasn’t in the joke. Castiel knew Dean was doing the math in his head. He knew Dean was mentally recalling how long it had been since Bobby left for heaven. Tallying up the number of people who were gone because of self-sacrifice, mistakes, pure dumb luck. Counting exactly how many years he had outlived his own mother. 

Castiel had wrapped his arms around Dean then, embracing him, surrounding him, and they curled into each other completely. Burying himself in Castiel’s neck, Dean had never felt so close to him, and yet so far away. “You don’t have to follow the same patterns if you don’t want to, Dean,” Castiel stated, as if it were that easy. “Do you want to?”

“Want to what?”

“Get mauled by a werewolf?”

Dean sniffed in laughter, and that was answer enough.

Castiel found himself stroking Dean’s hair, an action he felt suited him. He thought for a moment in the stillness and in the space between their breaths. “Maybe it’s idealistic of me, but I still think people should get what they deserve. Even- no, especially you.”

Dean took his time answering, opening his mouth several times before actually saying, “Sometimes I don’t think I know what I deserve.”

“I guess we’ll just have to figure that out together then. We have time,” Castiel kissed Dean’s forehead and he sighed at the touch. “We have plenty of time. Heaven will wait for you, no matter how long.”

Dean looked up at him then with a pout, “You sound pretty confident in that statement for a dude who hasn’t shown up to heavenly chorus practice in a few years.” 

Castiel smiled, “I’d rather be here with you. Always have.”

The man blushed. “Well, if I go… I mean, wherever I go… Where will you end up?”

“I could go with you.”

“Where?”

Castiel closed the distance between them fully, thumbing across Dean’s cheek as they kissed. “Anywhere. If you want me there, I will be there, whether it’s here or heaven. I’ll be there.”

“For how long?”

“For however long you want me to be.”

Dean kissed back, his fingers tangling in Castiel’s hair. “Yeah. Okay.”

  Sam went not long after Dean. It wasn’t a surprise; it was his time as well. His children were grown, his grandchildren almost grown, Castiel knew they’d miss him but that they’d be all right. And they knew to call on “Uncle Cas” if they weren’t, even the little ones who didn’t understand exactly how they were related, or why Great Uncle Dean's husband was only about as old as their parents.

“I mean I love the little gremlins,” Dean had said, cracking open a beer after a long few days of babysitting Sam and Eileen's girls while the expecting parents were in the hospital. He was exhausted, they both were, but beaming from meeting the newest member of the Winchester clan: a healthy baby boy named Robert. “But have you seen Sam’s house? Goddamn mess in there.”

“You… don’t want to have some of your own?” Castiel had asked carefully, taking the beer Dean held out for him.

“You’re making them sound like trading cards. I don’t know, I- I guess I never thought too hard about it.” Castiel could tell this was a lie by the way Dean didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Wouldn’t know what to do with a kid if I had one.”

“Do you think you’d be a good father?”

Castiel had met John Winchester, in Hell. Well, he hadn’t exactly met him. He had really only passed by John’s cell, stole a glance at the infamous hunter on his way to retrieve Dean’s soul. He’d never told Dean what he saw, they were not close enough at the time. He wasn’t sure if Dean would even want to know. Castiel had almost spoken about it many times, but whenever Dean talked about John, “Dad,” a look crossed over his face, sometimes for only a second. A furrowing of brows, a tight smile, a quick transition to happier subjects.

The same look crossed over Dean’s face as soon as Castiel had asked the question.

“Wow. Um, loaded question there, Cas.”

He waited for Dean to meet his eyes before continuing, “I think you would be.”

“Do- wait,” Dean shook his head, trying to understand where Castiel was going with all of this, “Do you want kids?”

“I want you to live a normal life, Dean. I want to be able to give you what you want.”

“Okay, lots of stuff to unpack here. First of all, a normal life isn’t and never was an option,” Dean leaned back against the counter, “I think we can agree on that. Second of all, you didn’t answer my question.”

“...And third of all?” Castiel prompted.

“No, second of all first. Do you want kids?”

Castiel sighed, taking a swig of his beer, considering his words. “I’m an angel, Dean-”

“Is that so!” Dean raised his eyebrows, then squinted as if in deep thought, “Weird, somehow I never noticed.”

That deserved a well-placed eyeroll, but Castiel still had a point to make. “We don’t- I’m just trying to…” he set his beer down. “I don’t know. But that doesn’t matter, what matters is that I would love and care for a child, if it were ours. If we decided that was something we wanted, I would be so happy to raise them, with you. I’d be terrified,” Castiel admitted, “At the enormous and important responsibility, but I would love doing it, if… if it was with you. I just want you to know that, I guess,” Castiel shrugged, “I don’t want you to think it’s not an option for us, if you want it to be.”

“Okay…” Dean was thinking, swirling the beer around his glass. He pointed the mouth at Castiel, “You’re still avoiding my question,” Castiel really rolled his eyes this time, “But I don’t really think it’s for me, all that white picket fence stuff. If you really wanted a kid, I would definitely hit the library and read all those, I don’t know, fucking parenting guides, and take the Mommy and Me classes, whatever. And I think you’d be a good father, better than me, I’d just let them eat gummy worms and shoot slingshots.”

“Children love gummy worms. They listen and will behave better when offered gummy worms,” Castiel knew this for a fact from very recent personal experience, “I don’t see how gummy worms could pose an issue. Slingshots, however-”

“Okay so maybe I’m overestimating your abilities a little,” Dean held up a hand, “But still, I… I like this,” he gestured to the space between them and around them, “I like us. I like waking up to a clean kitchen and sleeping in on weekends. I like not having to ask more than one person whether or not I can take a drive by myself or crank my music really loud at midnight. And I fucking hate Paw Patrol.”

Castiel smiled.

“Sam and Eileen always need babysitters. That’s good enough for me right now.”

“You’ll tell me though, if this is something you really want,” Castiel insisted, “If you think about it and decide something else.”

“Sure.”

“Promise.”

“Okay, fine, I promise,” Dean took a step forward and leaned in for a kiss then. Castiel could taste the beer on Dean’s tongue and sighed. Dean smiled against Castiel’s lips, lowering his voice to a comical level, “We could, uh, you know, try and make some babies,” Dean waggled his eyebrows and Castiel pushed Dean’s laughing face away, but grabbed his hand, turning towards their room.

They hadn’t spoken about it again, not seriously anyway. They got a dog. Dean opened a vintage car garage. Castiel learned how to bake. They took long road trips to the beaches in California, wandered through roadside attractions like Carhenge in Nebraska and Cadillac Ranch in Texas. They bought decidedly way too much merchandise at Oklahoma’s National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. And maybe they killed the occasional vampire, the wayward poltergeist, but the occasions became less and less. There were younger, more spry hunters on the road now, always welcome at the bunker to look through their library or ask advice on a particularly troublesome spirit. Sam even coerced Dean into holding what became a yearly “conference,” “What are we, a tech startup?” for the next generation of hunters to learn from the legendary brothers.

So maybe they spent more time at home than on the road, but home suited them. Routine suited them like Castiel never could have predicted it would. It wasn’t a white picket fence, but it wasn’t a lonely highway either. Dean would joke about how “boring” they’d become, but Castiel reveled in the repetition. The three hundredth time Dean brought Castiel coffee in bed was just as lovely as the third. The five hundredth time Castiel cooked dinner passed without fanfare, though Dean hugging him from behind, chin hooked over Castiel’s shoulder as he whisked, felt like fanfare enough. The one thousandth kiss they shared was in their bed, lazily breathing each other in as the first beams of sunlight shone through the window after a week of straight rain. Home, a thing he and Dean had never known in their youth, held the majority of their most precious, most banal memories. But still, Castiel always looked forward to those moments speeding down a desert highway when Dean would reach for his hand, turn his head to meet Castiel’s eyes, and smile.

Time took its time with them.

It seemed the opposite with Sam’s children, who grew up faster than Castiel could keep track of. And as they grew from waddling toddlers to full-fledged human beings, Castiel was fascinated, enamored, but Dean was simply proud. He attended their tournaments, their decathlons. He went to their graduations, weddings, barbecues, and Castiel went with him. They took the kids to concerts and movies, parks and shooting ranges, and Castiel never got tired of the smile on Dean’s face when they threw their small arms around Dean’s neck and called him their “Cool Uncle.” “Hear that, Cas? That means you’re the No Fun Uncle. The No-Funcle.”

And as the crowned Cool Uncle, he teased Sam mercilessly about his minivan and his “#1 Dad” mugs, but Castiel knew how proud Dean was of him too. How glad he was that Sam got the future he wanted, and how grateful he was that that future included him.

The brothers still fought. They still bickered, pranked, and glowered. Sam complained that Dean let his kids use power tools too young when they visited, and Dean complained that Sam’s kids were too old to have never heard “Stairway to Heaven.” The usual, the routine, many times over. But they never lied to each other, at least not about the important things, not anymore. And Castiel was welcome in Sam and Eileen’s house and lives, an honor he felt he didn’t deserve, but as Dean said, maybe it wasn’t about deserving.

It was Eileen who noticed Castiel first as he entered the hospital room the day he'd been informed that Sam Winchester was finally coming home. He didn't have to tell Eileen; she saw it on Castiel's face. They’d already spoken, he’d prepared her for the eventuality a few days prior. Eileen smiled, looking back at her husband, teasing him lightly, but Castiel knew she was holding back on her usual snark because Sam looked, well, tired. Turning away from Sam, Eileen signed, “Are you here for him?”

Castiel shook his head. “No, but someone will be here soon.” 

“You mean they haven’t given you reaper duty yet?” Sam joked from his horizontal position, speaking and signing with his usual quick wit, but not with his usual articulation. Castiel had seen him argue with Dean for fifty years like it was his job, he was accustomed to the precision with which Sam had always wielded his words. Not today.

“I don’t think I’d be very good at it,” Castiel stepped closer so that Sam wouldn’t have to crane his head, “I’m not very persuasive.”

“No kidding,” Sam shakily clasped Castiel’s hand and grinned. “I’m surprised Dean even went with you.”

“It took less persuading than you’d think.”

“How is he?” Eileen asked, but she was smiling, so she knew the answer.

“He’s good,” Castiel smiled back, “Getting what he deserves.”

Sam smirked, but his head sunk back into his pillow as if relieved. “And I bet he’s complaining about it non-stop. Asshole never knew how to take a vacation.”

“Neither do you,” Eileen levelled her husband with a fond look.

“We’ve taken vacations!”

“You always wanted to go somewhere exotic and then you’d just end up in the library. Remember Berlin?”

“They had… well I wasn’t going to find those editions in America, and-”

Sam and Eileen bickered for a bit, and Castiel did end up backing Eileen’s points more often than not, so eventually Sam recognized that he was outnumbered on this particular case.

Castiel bid his goodbyes just in time as the nurse entered the room to check Sam’s vitals. Her tone was cheerful, but Castiel could tell that she too knew what was coming. 

“Well… I’ll see you soon, buddy, huh?” Sam smiled at Castiel as confidently as he could muster for Eileen’s sake, but Castiel knew behind those laugh lines Sam wasn’t so sure of himself. Castiel supposed that worry wasn’t to be unexpected from a chosen one of Hell, Lucifer's vessel, the boy Castiel had once called an “abomination.”

But Castiel smiled, giving Sam’s shoulder one last firm squeeze. “You will.”

  When Dean died, at the ripe old age of 85, he knew what to expect.

He’d visited heaven before. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Not an exciting place, but exciting wasn’t necessarily good. Hell had been exciting, and he was in no hurry to return there. Purgatory had been exciting in a different way, years later he swore the stench still lingered on his skin. Sometimes, when he would lose himself in his “senior moments,” he thought he was back in that bloody in between. Or back in hell. Or had gone to heaven. “Times and places are difficult to navigate when your brain’s turning into gummy worms,” he told Cas once. He didn’t remember saying this a few hours later, but that didn’t make it any less true.

His brain was sure full of them gummy worms now as he clung to his body and to his life. He wasn’t completely sure where he was. Bobby’s? The bunker? His childhood home? Sammy had come to see him earlier, at least the kid had looked like Sammy… No, fuck, that was his grand-nephew, Cas had reminded him of that. Sam, his brother Sam, was in the next room. That's right, he’d told the asshole to give him some space, stop smothering him. He sort of wished he was here now though. And Cas, Cas was here, he knew that, but only because the angel was right in front of him. Cas, his friend, was holding Dean’s hand, talking about what their grand-nieces and nephews were doing in school. Dean could swear he already knew these things, but they still sounded new when Cas said them.

Dean looked over at him, and Cas was smiling.

He tried to speak, but the words stuck in his throat. Cas helped him swallow some cool water. Dean cleared his throat, “Bet you’ve been waiting for this for a while.”

Castiel cocked his head, the smile fading. Fifty some odd years and he still had that same confused look. “Waiting for what?”

“Me to beef it, finally. I know this hasn’t been easy, watching me… seeing me like…” Dean took a shallow breath. “No matter where I go next, at least I won’t be a senile senior citizen.”

“Dean,” Cas said, rubbing the back of Dean’s liver spot-covered hand, “Please listen to me very carefully.”

“Got my hearing aids in, go ahead,” Dean joked.

Cas smiled softly again. “It has been the greatest privilege of my life, my existence, to watch you grow old. I feel honored that you allowed me to experience that. Time’s different for me too,” Cas kissed Dean’s hand, “Space and time were never precious to me, not in the stretch of infinity. Not until you. Not until I was able to see you live your life and live it well.”

Tears welled in the corners of Dean’s eyes. He furiously tried to blink them away, but Cas was already there, dabbing carefully with a handkerchief. “I’m… I’m scared, Cas. I know I shouldn’t be, I’ve seen it all. I’ve beefed it a few times already. But maybe that’s why I’m scared? Because… I know what comes next. What could come next. And this is it, right? No more resets?”

Cas nodded.

Dean took a deep, shuddering breath. “If I don’t end up in heaven-”

“You will.”

“If I don’t, that’s fine, maybe it’s what I deserve, and that’s fair. But… will I see you again?”

“Dean,” Cas said sadly, but with his trademarked firmness, “You are going to paradise. And if for some reason, a completely incorrect and insane reason, you don’t? I dragged your soul out of the flames once, I will do it again. I would do it as many times as I needed to.”

Dean shook his head slightly, “Not fair.”

“It’s not about fair. It’s about the truth. Whether you believe it or not, ET goes home.”

Dean chuckled weakly. He was tired. He didn’t want to let go. He wanted to let go so badly.

He felt the bed move as Cas climbed under the covers with him. The angel curled around him, enveloping him. Dean could swear he felt the brush of feathers cradling him and pulling him closer, but he couldn’t muster the ability to reach for them, stroke them like he used to. “Sleep, Dean. I’ll be here when you wake up. Wherever, whenever here is. That’s where I’ll be. Wherever you go, I’ll go with you.”

“Swear?”

Castiel kissed his forehead. “I swear.”

  Dean opened his eyes.

The phrase, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” popped into his head, but he suspected, greatly, that he was, in fact, in Kansas. The blowing fields of wheat tipped him off to that.

No, wait. That wasn’t a field, it was a… sandy beach. It looked kind of like that beach he and Cas had stumbled upon driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, what was it called? The one where they’d had to hike down from the lookout point? The one where after they’d trudged back up the trail, they’d sat in the car and looked out over the sea as the sun set? The one where Castiel had smiled at him and the light glinted in his blue eyes and Dean had kissed Cas for the first time ever because he just couldn’t stop himself?

Muir Beach, Dean remembered, blushing at the memory. 

But just as soon as he’d reached the end of that thought, it wasn’t the ocean anymore. It was a lake. On the lake was a pier. He’d seen that pier before, couldn’t remember exactly where though.

Then without warning, but without alarm, Dean saw someone standing on the end of the dock. A young man with light brown hair and a sweet smile Dean would recognize anywhere.

Jack waved, walking up casually, “Hey, Dean.”

Dean grinned and pulled him into a solid hug. “Jack. I missed you buddy, how have you been? Where, uh… are we in…”

Jack chucked, “I think you know where we are.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know know, this could… I could be dreaming or some shit, and I guess even in a dream you could say whatever I wanted you to say, so-”

“Dean,” Jack stopped him, “This is heaven. You are in heaven.”

A relieved but small smile spread over Dean’s face. “Cool…” 

“I’m not usually here to meet people who pass on, but we weren’t going to miss your arrival.”

“We?”

“Hello, Dean.”

Dean turned around. There was Cas, beaming at him.

“Cas…” Dean reached to embrace him too, only now noticing that the hands that reached out were not as wrinkled as they’d been when he last saw them. He hugged Cas tightly, relieved more than he wanted to admit. “You’re here.”

“I’m here,” Cas’s hand went to Dean’s cheek, holding him in a kiss. They separated, foreheads resting against each other. Cas’s eyes twinkled, “We had an appointment.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean took a step back, seeing Jack grinning out of the corner of his eye. “Is, uh… is anyone else coming? Or is this the welcoming party?”

“They’re all waiting for you,” Cas put his hand down, and as he did, it was stopped mid-air, as if resting on something solid. Dean blinked, and there was Baby, new as the day she was made, parked on a long, long road that stretched far out of sight. “Any time you’re ready,” Cas tossed something in Dean’s direction, “we can go.”

Dean caught the keys on instinct, they jingled on the simple ring. 

Any time you’re ready, we can go.

He twirled them around the end of his finger a couple times, a thought itching at his brain. Or a couple dozen thoughts.

Cas gave him a look, then turned to Jack, “Could you give us a moment?”

“Yeah, I’ll go get everything ready,” Jack blipped out. 

“Get what ready?” Dean asked.

“Dean,” he turned around to face Cas whose brows were knit in worry, bright blue eyes narrowed, “Are you okay?” Dean realized he hadn’t seen Cas clearly for a few years, not since before the cataracts. He’d never gotten completely used to that piercing gaze. 

Dean blinked. “Yeah, I… I just… I’m here. Really here.”

“Yes, Dean.”

“And… you’re here.”

Cas gave him that look like he was being patient on purpose, “Yes, Dean.”

“And… fuck,” Dean stood at sudden attention, “I left Sam down there, is he okay?”

Catching Dean's hands in his own, Cas rubbed comforting circles into Dean's skin. "Sam is fine. He was there when you left. That's why I was a little late, Eileen had only just gotten home and I didn't want to leave before she could be there beside him.

"Okay," Dean took a deep breath, concentrating on the physical contact, grounding himself in Cas’s movements, "Okay. I mean I know he's gonna be fine, he was always fine without me," Dean said, almost to himself.

"And you'll see him soon."

The abrupt return of Dean’s panicked look made Cas smile a little, shake his head, "Not that soon, Dean. Don't worry." 

"Right. Of course, yeah,” Dean looked around, down the road, the back to his car, out past the waving grain that had returned inexplicably. “Well,” Dean flashed what he thought was a very convincing smile, letting Cas’s hands go as he tossed the keys once and caught them, heading towards the car, “Time to hit the road, huh?”

"Wait,” the suspicious squint was back as Cas caught Dean’s arm, “Something else is bothering you."

Dean turned around, and the ocean was back. The ocean he’d taken a trip to see, had selfishly insisted Cas come along for the ride for.

He sighed. "I just…” Dean ran a hand through his hair, “I don't know, I guess it just don't sit right that I’m… I'm gonna see Mom and Bobby and Jo and Charlie and… everyone. How am I going to look them in the face and not feel guilty that I got decades that they’ll never have? And what did I do with that time, sit on my ass? Judge local car shows? Go to freaking baseball games?"

Cas nodded slowly, simply listening. He then hopped up and sat on the hood of the Impala, shoes and all. Dean shot him an offended look.

“She’s a memory of a car, Dean,” Cas rolled his eyes, “She isn’t going to dent.” He patted the spot next to him.

Dean hesitated, but under Cas’s stare, relented. When he was settled, Castiel laced their fingers together.

“I’ve been trying to convince you for all the time I’ve known you that you’re worthy. That you deserved to be saved. That you deserved to rest.” Cas looked down at their entwined hands, “I don’t think I ever really succeeded.”

“Sorry,” Dean muttered.

“You don’t have to apologize. I know you’ve been doing a thankless job ever since you carried Sam out of your burning home. Shit, even before that,” Dean cocked his head, Cas hardly ever cursed, “you were always trying to be the hero for your mother. Some people are at fault for that,” Cas’s eyebrows furrowed briefly, “but it’s human nature to be hard on ourselves and praiseworthy of others. You, in your limited experience, could not possibly know all of the things that you’ve done that have made a difference. But we’re-”

Jack suddenly blipped into existence, giving Castiel two big thumbs up, then blipped out again.

Dean turned, looking from the space Jack had stood back to Cas then back again, “What-”

Cas shook his head with a smile, “I could never tell you exactly what you’ve meant to the world. But we had a, uh, few volunteers that wanted to show you.”

“Cas, could you quit monologuing for a second and-”

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw movement. The endless sea became endless plains which became endless trees, the landscape changing at a rapid rate.

Dean looked back to Cas in confusion, but he didn’t look alarmed. He gave Dean a timid smile, kissed him behind his ear, and whispered, “Just watch.”

Dean watched. For a moment, the scenery couldn’t seem to decide what it wanted to be. Then, it decided not to decide. Grains of sand took the form of towering trees, a picnic table, a bench. Green lake water formed the shape of a small boy, hunched over and scribbling on the table. Lastly the wheat twirled and spun and became an all-too-familiar-looking young man wearing a jacket too big for his frame, walking over to the bench and sitting down across from the kid.

Lucas. The name came to Dean from deep in his memory, he was that quiet kid who drew Dean pictures of the ghost in the lake. The grain animated Dean’s smile as he talked, the figure of Lucas showed Dean his sketches. Their forms dissolved as the scene changed and Dean's form was pulling Lucas out of the water, the sheriff having paid his due.

The figure of Dean left, but Lucas stayed and was joined by his mother, Dean remembered her too. They embraced, and the figure of Lucas grew, changed into a young man, a husband, a father. Soon a half dozen figures were standing there, waving to Dean, and then they disappeared, melting back into water. Lucas was the last to go as he was the first to arrive. He signed a phrase to Dean, and Dean knew the words: Thank you, Dean Winchester.

Then the sand reformed into a schoolgirl, the shapes in the green water plaguing her with images of mirrors and Bloody Marys until Dean stepped in front of her, holding a mirror of grain in front of the cruel, refracted specter. It dissolved, and Dean’s form bade goodbye, but the girl remained. She grew too just like the boy did, becoming a professor, graduating with honors, writing dozens of books, and changing dozens of lives. She smiled, and waved, and dissolved as well.

The shapeshifters appeared next, the sand in the form of Sam’s friend Zach, his sister Becky, and even Dean’s false shifter form, but the true form in the too-large jacket blew them all away, leaving Becky waving goodbye. She too welcomed a family that appeared by her side, and they all looked so happy and grateful to have each other.

Again and again the scenes changed. Green waters showed the cities he had passed through, the homes that were kept from destruction, entire communities that were healed. The water formed and reformed into smiling faces and waving hands. Some of the people, Dean had known on Earth. Many of the places, Dean had remembered driving through. Most of the people and places, however, were foreign to Dean. He lost count of the number of strangers who appeared, the cities he’d never been to. He struggled to keep track as they cycled faster and faster, as numerous as the grains of sand and droplets of water they were made of. It seemed that a whole generation of people, all over the world, would-be victims of an apocalypse they never even knew was happening, knew him. Through words and cheers and song, they retold the tales of Dean and Sam Winchester, the tales they had only learned once they had passed on. 

Throughout all of this, Cas pressed his shoulder to Dean’s, his presence grounding but not distracting. Dean’s grip on Cas’s hand grew tighter and tighter. Cas did not let go. 

Eventually, the images and figures departed. The sand blew away, the waters swirled and dispersed, and the landscape made its final decision. Only a simple field of golden wheat remained, waving and rippling in the wind.

Only in that newfound silence did Dean notice he was crying. He shook his head, wiping the tears away furiously.

“Dean,” Cas whispered, and Dean turned to face him, vision blurred, Cas looking at him pleadingly. “You sacrificed so much for so many for so long. You don’t have to be strong right now. You don’t have to be strong ever again if you don’t want to. You have done enough.”

Castiel wiped an errant tear from Dean’s cheek, holding his face between his hands firmly, tenderly.

“You are, and always were, enough. Your job is done. Let. Go.”

Dean did.

Cas silently pulled Dean into his shoulder as he sobbed. Dean didn’t even know why he was crying, didn’t know what for. Maybe he was happy. Maybe he was grieving. Maybe he just felt… relief. He wasn’t sure the last time he felt such relief. He wasn’t sure he ever had truly felt it.

After some time, longer than he’d like to admit, Dean sniffed, wiped one hand over his face, and raised his head. Cas was waiting for him, looking at him with care. With love.

“I, uh… I don’t gotta sign any autographs, do I?”

Cas smiled, and pulled Dean in for a kiss. They stayed like that for a bit on the hood of the car, feeling the breeze, breathing in the fresh air. Dean thought he could hear music coming from somewhere, realizing that it was the car’s radio playing softly from the cab. He knew that any time he wanted, he could hop down from the hood of his car, slide into the driver’s seat with the love of his life on the passenger’s side, and carry on his wayward way. Down the road, through the endless fields, towards the ones he had loved and lost. But not yet, not quite yet, because he had time. Maybe in the end, time was all he had ever really wanted, even if he could never allow himself to ask for it. 

Infinity stretched out in front of him like the fields of grain. It wasn’t an exciting infinity, but it was his. It was a long road, a family that waited for him, a shoulder to lean on. It was, at long last, a place to lay his weary head to rest.

[quinntamsin]

“Aurora.” She voiced the words subvocally. “Yes, Quinn?” the AI replied. “We’re going in, alert C&C we’ll need exfil.” She reloads the needler and walks into the flood infected compound.

Halo, Season 1 - Episode 4 “Homecoming”

Master Chief

We open with the fire team was a kid, every single SPartan we’ve seen and we’re pushed forward into the memory of John. The kids are march along singing a jody ( rhythmnic chanting during marching), and thus we see how the UNSC abducted and indoctrinated kids to make the Spartan IIs.

We jump back to the modern day as Halsey and her aide argue over what the Forerunner object is. Oh, wow, this woman is in a ride for her hell for what she’s going to unsleash. Cortana pops up and we get a bit of an overload on what’s going on, and Chief’s having anxiety. Heh, tear out a fucking emotional suppression implant and this happens.

Duh.

Eridanus looks like Madrigal in that it appears to be another craggy dirt ball, I thinkit’s just the spots they choose. Wait not, even the terraformed deciduous forest is kind of gnarly. I’m going to call that it’s some sort of fall sitch. Oh, and the forest IS terraformed, called it. Plus some nice foreshadowing where John locates the spot where his plot mcguffin paper is! YAY PLOT PAPER!

Dig it up - up oh, HOLES! Back on Eridanus, John is gophering along w00t! Out comes a box, (A MAGICAL BOX!), filled with “drawings and samples? What by the Nine is this wonderful weird shit! Welp, Foreunner tech is all kinds of mind-fuckery, so John drawing the same image plus Halo over and over again makes sense. Into the House! Cortana compiles images to provoke John’s memory. Giving us some shots of what his family home was.

Little John runs by with the dog and he hears his father speaking. This is something that really humanizes the Chief, and will make him more epic later on. A memory is unearthed, and we learn where John found the images. WHERE, he found the Forerunner tech! Baby John and big Jouhn as a scene was...adorable. And, he figures out that Halsey stole him. yup, fuck this lady.

Kai:

Wow, Kai-125, is basically experience an existential crisis, and yup, she’s gone and removed her chip. Fuck, go for you girl, just please don’t go all murdery please. I wanna see this as a woman reclaiming her agency, not as another “emotional female” soldier bullshit trope.

They are really placing up subtle bits of how the Spartans don’t feel, and how they explore their awakened emotions in this story. Kai, spreads blood in her hair, and I’m, not sure, how I feel on this. I think the dying of hair with you’re own blood is interesting, and it shows a small level of psychosis as well. I mean its’ her fucking blood! She’s also a literal murder machine, so I guess this is okay as well.

The doc staring Kai after the hair, and Kai calls out her bullshit. Wow, please please just don’t go all murdery. I just wana Kai to not go down that route! Okay, she’s a kid, cuz you know they were stolen kids. Keyes getting some more knowledge drop as the Spartans talk like a bunch of 10 year olds discussing Halo Weapons (like when the game first dropped) was - pretty cute. Makes sense, it would be Kai who helped Keyes break Sanghelii. I’m shipping these girls now, deal!

Keyes drops some reasons why she doesn’t like Spartans II. Wow, Spartan II pets was...fucked up. Keyes really gives an idea of how shitty their children. Hooyay, your mom supported Child Abuse! Kai and Keyes are back working on things yeah, shipping this shit. Kaiyes ftw. Heh, Kai coin’s Halo, call it.

Kwan:

Our girl is off with kill-daddy Soren on Madrigal so she can spark the blood insurrection about Vinsher the Butcher. Soren relates on how he felt as an early escapee of the child soldier abuse system *COUGH* Spartan II program! Yup, and he killed his dad, wow that’s not at all surprising. Ship design in this series is nice as it really does fit how things felt in the games.

The capital of Madrigal being carved from a mesa is pretty bad ass. And, I do like how it’s obviously this Colony is Korean founded. We see Hangul everywhere, plus, it emphasizes how much the colonies are evolving. There is also a definite Middle Asia and perhaps even Indian feel. Kwa runs into a contact, and I think this bitch is gonna betray her. Yup, betrayal runs on his face hardcore.

Oh Kwan has a bounty, looks to be about 100,000 bells!

The Folk gathering for Jin’s memorial is righteaously a mix of different rituals! A Madrigali (is it wrong I want to rename the planet Casita?) gather. Will Kwan find the generals? I mean, general in the we’re a bunch of bad ass hero commandos ala fantasy movie! Not, actual serious ranking army figures! I say this, because this is a fucking militia, genral doesn’t mean the same thing!

Kwan welp, our girl, get’s reality dropped on her. Called it! Vinsher’s actions have quelled the rebellion, and Kwan isn’t living in reality. Yup, in come riding the strongmen, and Soren’ kicks some serious ass, and saves our delusion girl. I mean, yeah, this delusion makes sense, but damn, hope she gets a kick of grounding.

Meanwhile, at the Legion of Vinsher.

Kwan is...just stuck on this road, she’s lying to Soren, I can see it. This is going to end bad. We split to Vinsher planning her death like a fucking Mafia Don. (Yup, fuck this guy he ain’t getting his own POV section). At least he’s sending an assassin, and hopefully, they’ll realize how fucking dangerous an ex-Spartan is. Vinsher is wow, he’s like a slightly less imposing Baron Harkonnen, and not as smart.

Ah Soren, being a fucking Pirate! Kwan, girl, y ou need to stop hoisting this unrealistic dream. How her father basically got a prophecy for his family. Kwan, I think is starting to realize her actions has consequences,and that in a world of fucking colonists you need to think things out.

Hottakes:

Yup, he keeps taking off that fucking helmet, I’ll just have to accept this Inferior Chief I guess. Lucky the actor isn’t shit, and I actually like him.

Lol, the side quest feel of this episode was...fucking great. I love that they are hunting for a literal piece of PLOT PAPER!

Seriously Kwa, you better deliver girl, or you’re world is going to shatter.

Kai please don’t go unhinged and get some agency BEFORE ALL THE SPARTANS DIE!

Vinsher and his bunch in pristine black as night costumes where as everyone else is in shades of grey, and orange and yellow is pretty great.

Lol, the exaggerate Spartan stompiness is...funny.

Kai dropping all the creds on Dr Keyes was...satisfying. I like Keyes, but she’s also a bit on her high horse.

Master Boof (that white shepheard of kid John), is the best fucking boy!

Kwan is...just as disconnected as one could assume.

SNERK, the assassin’s name is Franco...best ever.

GO JOHN! Calling out his kidnapping shitt abusive mother figure!

I bet you Kwan has a link to Forunner tech, calling it.

More Halsey being shitty, yup yup, stripping kids of their humanity. Cuz we can’t have a woman with severe empathy repression feel uncomfortabl when her hens come back to roost.

Seriously, I will sing and dance when this bitch dies. Fuck abusers, fuck Halsey.

[robinrequiems]

hey any1 want some superman jon and batman Damian hcs? too bad cause you’re getting them

• damian realized why no one wanted to be batman when he turned 18 and Bruce decided to give him batman when he was 22.

• jon realized why jon didn’t want to be superman when he also turned 18

• oh and right, by gave, I mean bruce sorta can’t be batman anymore. medical reasons…

• damian sorta uh. persuaded clark into giving jon superman.

Damian: look. I don’t wanna be worlds finest with you, old man.

Clark: im- im not old—

Damian: listen here, jon and i? we are gonna surpass you and my dad. so give it to jon and let me prove it.

Clark: this doesn’t seem like a good idea— you aren’t ready— neither is jon

Damian: wait- wait, you don’t believe in your son and i??? wow. WOOOW. okay. i see.

Clark: that’s not it!-

Damian: sure. sure. don’t worry. I see now.

Clark: wait I do!

Damian: no, no you don’t.. it’s— it’s okay, I get it, it’s me, huh?

Clark: no!

Damian: I get it

Clark: please i do! I’ll - oh my rao, you’re playing me

Damian: i am. i cant do this without jon though. please, Clark.

Clark: *sigh, how did he get manipulated by a kid he used to babysit* okay.

• okay so now jon may be a little overwhelmed because one day he’s flamebird, the next, he’s becoming superman? huH. it’s extremely uh. worrying. and really just? wow.

• does Damian feel bad? oh yeah. he does. so bad. but he really can’t do it alone. they always dreamed of being their parents. or being better than them. but they grew up and realized that they really didn’t want to be their parents.

• but here they were, getting fitted for their suits and adding their own details to it.

jon: hey, you look hot

damian: please. shut up.

• they could do this. they could do this. shoot they can’t do this.

• damians own anxiety was going 50 mph. look, okay? remember before heretic when Bruce thought that Damian would become a satanic batman and basically rain hell all over gotham? yeah. that’s what is going on in damians mind.

• he doesn’t want to be that. ( “you won’t be like that, cmon, d, we’re gonna be better.” ) and how Damian wants to believe jon so bad..

• he doesn’t want to become obsessed with Batman like his father did, he still wants to have a life. he doesn’t want to isolate himself away and adopt kids as a coping mechanism. that’s why he needs jon to be superman. jon helps him, he helps him not go off into his own little world and stay there. he believes that with Jon, he’ll be okay. he has to be. maybe he uses jon as his own coping mechanism, but that isn’t the point.

• together, they will outshine their parents. the supersons can do this. they are the next generation, and it’s not like they are alone. they have so many other people to help them. they’ll be okay.

• they have been preparing for this their whole life, but they both feel like they got it too soon. they thought they had more time. Damian does feel guilty when he hears jon talking about how stressed he is about superman and not living up to whatever the hell he has to live up to, but Damian does fear what would. or could. have happened if he didn’t have jon with him. becoming batman took a lot out of him, more than he would like to admit. he just got constant flashbacks to heretic and that whole fiasco he thought he put behind him a loong time ago.

Jon: are you sure you’re okay?

Damian: yes idiot, quit worrying.

Jon: I’ll always worry about, d.

• jon somehow becomes MORE sappier when he becomes superman.

• okay, also, funny story. ( Clark and Bruce don’t find it funny AT ALL ) superman and batman? yeah they sorta kissed after an almost alien invasion. in their suits. uh. in front of an alien who they were arresting for the green lanterns. most people believe that when people say it, it’s a lie, kidding. no they don’t. there were pictures.

bruce: you want to explain this?

damian: not really, no.

• the public knows there’s a new Batman and Superman since yk. Jon’s face is public and was seen as superboy flamebird and now superman, and batman was slightly smaller and had some different moves

• but here’s their main line up: batman ( dami wamie, obvi ), superman ( jonnyboy kent ), nobody ( maya:)) ), green lantern ( tai pham, my baby boy ), lace ( wallace west 2, he goes by lace instead of flash because i said so. ), and shazam ( billy b ).

• fun fact, they have a den mother even though they are all in their 20s. poor dinah.. yeah black canary is their den mother. ( stole it from from yj )

• dinah makes sure they get their injuries checked out, train regularly, and you know. don’t blow up a building.

• again.

• ( when damian and jon were younger, in their teen years, they stupidly accidentally blowed up a building. in their defense, the building was owned by the penguin. and there were no civilians in the area. but they also got a lot of men sent after them.. oops. )

• they are very chaotic. they are the definition of dumbass energy sometimes.

• damian tries to keep the pda down whenever he’s batman, BUT JON DOESNT KNOW HOW TO DO THAT

• hence the amount of photos of jon hugging Damian or kissing him

• damian has never once initiated one in suits

• ( that one time jon almost died does not count )

Damian: thought you were gonna be batman.

Tim: nah, i don’t wanna be bruce. i saw what it did to dick. I would’ve became just like him.

Damian: am i like him??

Tim: god no, bruce would never kiss superman or date him or spray paint the new justice league logo— nice logo, by the way— onto villains bases

Damian: is that a good or bad thing?

Tim; good, that means you probably won’t be a total emotional stunted person using crime fighting as an outlet for unresolved childhood trauma.

Damian: you do realize why i became Robin right

Tim: .. not the point im trying to make. I mean now, brat.

• sometimes you can see some of the heroes dropping by to surprise kids, they heard that their old mentors used to go to children’s hospitals to visit sick kids, so they did that too. on a rare day where there isn’t any crime, which is really rare, they go to a school and talk if it’s a weekday, or they drop by an orphanage to hang out with kids.

• they have gotten into a lot of trouble though. they’re still learning how to work as a team. jon and damian are used to being solo and working with each other, Tai had tagged along a few times when they were younger and knows how they work, along with maya, but billy and Wallace do not.

• they often all get into arguments.

• damian lacks a filter and will criticize everyone if they mess up. and he often goes off alone or is too blunt.

• it takes a long time before they all realize that Damian is just: Damian, he doesnt mean to be mean. ( surprisingly )

• billy is used to being the big kid stuck at the kids table, it’s funny that he’s actually the second oldest when he used to be the youngest. ( lace is like.. 27? shazam is 25.. nobody 24. & the supersons 22. pulled all those ages outta my ass. you’re welcome. )

• dinah is also their therapist. poor dinah.

• like really giving pity to dinah. but dinah loves those kids, she has known some since they were kids. she used to take damian out for ice cream and train with him, and also babysit him. ( AUNT DINAH IS MY FAVORITE GOODBYE ). and she did the same with Jon.

• dinah actually does help a lot of them get over their trauma, not completely, but most have finally spoken about it. they began talking after they all got hit with fear gas.

• that was a bad night.

• they had almost disbanded before when they thought lace had died by the hands of captain cold. they had been arguing all day, and if they didn’t, they might’ve saved him:

• but turns out he wasn’t dead.

• but the argument was still there, and it was strong. it took a while for them to actually work together without dinah forcing them.

• then soon came another new member after maya left to go do some undercover mission for the justice league regarding some alien tech being distributed some place. it was a sad goodbye, but she would be back and she would have a place here.

• welcoming: yara flor. yara was a bit headstrong and wild. damian has screamed at her a lot and almost got into a fist fight with her before being dragged off by his boyfriend 💋

• but she settled in fine. minus the fact damian really wanted to shove a batarang up— anyways. she just had to learn teamwork and shit, she was used to being a solo and she was somewhat new. so they helped her out and she became a solid member of the team.

• sometimes damian and jon just go and sit on a rooftop like they did as kids togeyher. just alone with each other. thinking about how their life changed so quickly.

Damian: i thought we’d ruin our fathers’ legacies and plummet to the ground.

Jon: *he coughed* ..what?

Damian: yeah. i didn’t think we’d get this far, but here we are.

Jon: of course we got this far, and we’re gonna get further.

Damian: i know.

• oh yeah. so. superman. fucking proposed after they defeated darkseid. ( the battle was long, so many people were left injured and on the brick of death, Damian and jon had been separated when it all started. Damian had stayed on earth at first before going to apokolips. Damn he hadn’t seen it since he got resurrected.

Darkseid: oh. I remember you.

Damian: mhm?

Darkseid: ah yes, the little boy who was resurrected here.. the chaos share, your father used it on you.

Damian: i know. i remember what happened. I was there afterall.

Darkseid: I wonder if you are as smart as the original batman.

Damian: i am.

• damian was buying time. he was waiting for reinforcements, namely the people who had powers and could take him down. damian wasn’t stupid. he realized darkseid liked to talk. his friends were fighting off the female furys or whatever they were called. he just had to wait and entertain.

Darkseid: quite the ego there.

Damian: i saved the justice league when i was 13, i deserve to have an ego.

Darkseid: oh, you are by far more talkative than the original.

Damian: thanks.

Darkseid: not a compliment, you fool.

• yeah so. darkseid tried to kill damian, with a beam thing. Damian was about to flip away like the baddie he is, but. jon. went out and yk. took the hit. dumbass.

Damian: you have such a big hero complex.

Jon: wow I just saved you and that’s what you say?????

Damian: yes.

• anyways, after they defeat darkseid, jon pops out a ring from his pocket and asks damian to marry him on apokolips.

Damian: you seriously couldn’t wait til we got on earth?

Jon: dames you almost died. what if- what if something happens, I’ve been putting this off for so long. cmon please?

Damian: you’re seriously asking me to marry you here where, I’m pretty sure, a lot of shit happened to our parents here.

Jon: no time like the present.

Damian: fair. okay.

Jon: just okay???

Damian: im sorry, do you want me to cry or something?

Jon: ughh, you can be so extra and petty sometimes.

Damian: i am not being petty.

Jon: just because I ask you to marry me here you wanna be like “okay” and that’s it

Damian: you’re so dramatic. I’ll marry you. I wanna marry you. Better?

Jon: yeah:)