#the way they’re my favorite tv couple of all time despite getting like 5 minutes of screentime together

[pomegran-art]

“all my life i’ve spent the nights with dreams of you.

and the warmth i missed, and for the things i wished, they’re all coming true.

i’ve got my love to give, and a place to live, guess I’m gonna stay

it’d be a peaceful life, with a forever wife, and a kid someday.”

[violetwolfraven]

Ray Molina: Best Dad Ever

For the March 11th explosion of content thing. Just Violet being a fantom and doing my part for this!

Tw: mentioned death, mentioned abusive parents, mentioned panic attack.

So the boys can be seen and heard when directly touching Julie after the whole post-Orpheum glowy hug thing but Ray doesn’t know that just yet.

What he does know is that Julie’s mental health took a rapid turn for the better for seemingly no reason and then a couple weeks later he found out she joined a band without telling him.

He’s not stupid. He knows that’s probably because of the band, though he is a bit confused as to how she even met them.

He kinda figures it’s a kids and your internet tricks thing but there’s some flaws to this theory.

1) He asks Flynn what she knows about the boys only... it seems like she doesn’t know much of anything. That’s weird because he knows Julie tells her practically everything.

2) The boys have American accents despite Julie claiming they’re from Sweden.

3) Carlos is a terrible liar and on the rare occasion Julie actually talks about the boys he gets this weirdly conspiratorial look.

So anyway Ray doesn’t really believe it’s as simple as ‘I met these 3 Swedish boys on the internet’ but he trusts his daughter’s judgement and he leaves it alone.

Anyway he has other things to focus on.

Such as how Ray has literally never been able to keep track of his keys/phone/hats/camera parts/stuff and now it seems to just pop up whenever he’s looking for it.

Also he keeps feeling like there’s someone with him around the house more and more.

Like not a malicious presence like Victoria fears, and definitely not like Rose is around watching him, but like someone is there.

Sometimes it feels like there’s more than one presence around. None of them familiar but all of them friendly.

Oddly enough, whatever or whoever it is feels almost like Julie or Carlos. Young and excitable and like a verse of a happy song. He’s not sure why they’re around, but they definitely don’t feel dangerous, so Ray doesn’t feel threatened.

But some days a better comparison might be to Trevor back when Rose first introduced him. Raw and fragile and very, very sad.

Ray tries to put on happy music or a Disney cartoon or something on those days and he doesn’t quite know why or how but the energy usually gets more positive when he does that.

Anyway after a while of this (after the Orpheum performance) he starts noticing weird things that Carlos and Julie do now.

Carlos will just carry around a small whiteboard and a couple pens and he erases it whenever Ray comes into the room but before he does it almost looks like there’s two, three, or even four sets of handwriting on there.

And he walks in on Julie talking to herself like. All the time.

Carlos doesn’t ask for help on his math homework anymore. Julie makes this insanely good chicken recipe for dinner once and then clearly panics and lies when asked where she got it. Flynn makes a set of rainbow friendship bracelets one day while she’s hanging out at the Molina house but he doesn’t see Julie wearing the match to the one she keeps.

Plus Carrie starts hanging out at their house again?? Out of the blue?? And none of the girls have a good explanation for how they made up??

Then later Nick Danforth-Evans (who Julie used to talk about having a crush on but hasn’t in a while) starts hanging around too and the kid seems... well, Ray doesn’t want to throw the word ‘traumatized’ around, but he’s jumpy and guarded in a way that can only be described as a little bit traumatized.

So all 5 kids are clearly keeping some secret and Ray’s getting suspicious and worried.

He sits them down and asks what’s going on. Like is one of them having problems at home, or..?

The kids, simultaneously:

Julie: no, we’re just all in a play together!

Carlos: we’re fine we’re just ghost hunting!

Flynn: we’re exhibiting bisexual-pansexual-lesbian solidarity!

Carrie: Julie and the Phantoms and Dirty Candi are doing a collaboration album!

Nick: we all joined jazz band??

Ray’s calling bullshit at this point.

Then Julie and Nick both look up directly at the same spot, somewhere a couple feet above the arm of the couch, which is seemingly just empty air.

Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem like the other kids can see it but they all seem to be waiting for something and Ray is wondering if they’re sharing a hallucination??? Are they all on drugs??? Should he be worried???

Then Julie says to meet them in the studio in 30 minutes. Flynn, Carrie, and Nick go home to give the Molina family some alone time.

*cue music performance where Ray is introduced to the boys*

So anyway Julie and Carlos (with the help of the ghosts whenever one of them has something to say and grabs Julie’s hand) give him a clearly-sugarcoated version of the last few months.

Ghosts of Trevor’s dead bandmates help Julie reconnect with music, they form a band, they meet another ghost, other ghost accidentally gets them involved with evil magician ghost, Nick got possessed, Carrie figured it out and helped plot to get him un-possessed, evil magician ghost is still out there and they’re sticking together so he can’t get any of them in the future.

Despite how they say it like it’s no big deal, Ray now understands why the kids have been acting so weird because all these things sound scary and painful.

Also the more he thinks about it, the more he worries about the fact that he has three 17-year-old boys sleeping in his garage who died terribly of food poisoning.

They are children and they died incredibly painfully and then almost got enslaved and/or erased from existence.

Then one day Ray’s feeling one of those presences around the house again and he realizes it’s probably one of Julie’s ghost boys.

Ray: who’s there?

Whoever it is freaks out and leaves, and Ray takes notes for next time.

The next time he feels someone in the room, he has a notepad ready and he writes down “Luke, Alex, or Reggie?” from what he remembers from Julie’s introductions.

Immediately, there’s a spike of anxiety in the room.

Ray: it’s okay. You can stay and we don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I’d like to know who it is I’m not talking to though.

There’s a few seconds of hesitation, and then the pen picks itself up and the name “Reggie” gets circled.

Ray: the bassist with the flannels, right?

Yeah, written in a teenage boy’s messy scrawl.

Ray: okay, do you want to watch a movie?

More hesitation, and Ray’s not sure what that’s about but he’s starting to suspect with the amount of fear still in the room, and there’s a good 20 seconds where Reggie doesn’t respond before I don’t know.

Ray: Moana or Tangled? Moana.

After that, he takes a page out of Carlos’s book and gets a small whiteboard with 3 pens that stick to it magnetically. Red for Reggie, blue for Luke, and pink for Alex.

Reggie has written conversations with him most, but Luke does sometimes too and Alex does least often but he’ll still request a movie occasionally.

All of them are wary around him and Ray doesn’t quite know what to do to earn their trust. But he asks questions about their preferences on things. He says they did good on their latest show. He remembers which movies are their favorites and introduces them to music he thinks are their styles.

Luke is a big fan of Fall Out Boy and Reggie fucking loves Taylor Swift.

Alex is less consistent but occasionally Ray will play a song and he’ll write something like This is a cool song.

He starts to be able to tell which energy is which even before they write who it is right around the time the boys start to be visible for longer and longer after playing.

They play a really good show and stay visible for like 2 full days and that’s the first (but not the last) time Ray really gets to get to know them.

He starts noticing after really good shows like that one how even more now that they can be seen, they’re all a little... off from how Nick and Carrie and Flynn act around him.

With Luke it’s mostly because he’s trying so hard to impress because *gasp* he and Julie are a thing but there’s still a little bit of tension that seems like it comes from something deeper than just being nervous around his girlfriend’s dad.

With Reggie it’s subtle caution. Like he’s happy to be hanging out with Ray but he’s constantly ready for something to go wrong. There’s a catch in his smile, a hesitation before he states an opinion, a practiced carefulness where he changes the subject at any sign of even mild frustration.

But with Alex... it’s mostly just avoidance. Like if he poofs in while visible and it just so happens that no one else is there, he’ll find an excuse to leave.

And Ray lets him, of course. He doesn’t want the kid to feel trapped. But all of the boys’ behavior bothers him.

On the rare occasion they spend more than 2 seconds together Alex is really quiet. He won’t admit if Ray guessed wrong about a song and he doesn’t like it even though his body language makes it clear he’s not vibing with it. Actually, his body language pretty much just spells I am very uncomfortable in every situation where Julie or Carlos went to the bathroom or someone went to grab a snack and they’re alone even for 5 minutes while he’s visible.

Ray’s not stupid. He knows three 17-year-olds don’t end up getting their instruments left to their only living bandmate’s new best friend’s family by having good relationships with their own families.

He doesn’t exactly want to bring it up, but he kind of knows.

Then one day he’s sitting with all 3 boys watching a movie while he fixes something on his camera and Julie and Carlos are at school and he messes up a little part that means he has to start over (don’t @ me I know nothing about cameras) and swears out of frustration louder than he meant to.

He reaches for the screwdriver on the coffee table and

And Reggie and Alex both flinch.

Ray hadn’t even noticed they were tracking his movements, but while Luke seems to just have moved his focus from the TV to his friends in concern, Alex and Reggie both look too tense to play it off.

He figures its as good a time as any to have a chat cause these boys aren’t his sons but they don’t have anyone else acting as a parent figure to them and he feels the need to take care of them. He pauses the movie.

Ray: Can we have a talk? About you boy’s families?

Naturally Luke jumps in to try to distract him immediately, telling a story about his dad taking him fishing once, but he stops when Ray asks him to stop.

Ray: That’s not what I’m talking about and I think you all know it.

The boys are all still silent. Luke looks 500% ready to deflect again. Reggie and Alex look more like they’re expecting to get yelled at or worse.

Ray: I just want to help. I’ll drop it if you want me to but I want you to know that I would never do something to hurt any of you intentionally. You can talk to me about anything if you need to.

He means to make it an option of ‘you can talk but you don’t have to if you don’t want to,’ but the boys clearly don’t take it as such with how Luke starts talking immediately.

Luke: I ran away when I was 17. My mom and dad didn’t want me to stay in Sunset Curve, I think they thought it was going to get me into drugs or something.

They have a short talk about parents having good intentions not equalling them being right to push Luke so hard they pushed him away and it’s okay to feel hurt by that and then press play on the movie again and Ray thinks he sees all 3 boys relax somewhat during that.

A couple weeks later Reggie comes in visible and hesitantly asks about watching this series he saw when Carlos was scrolling through Netflix once.

Mid-episode he blurts out

Reggie: I don’t want to look for my parents and I feel weird about that.

He rambles for a while about knowing he was lucky that his family had money and his mom and dad told him they loved him and stuff but also he remembers so many fights between them where he felt caught in the middle and it never ended well if he chose a side but there was no way to win because they’d both turn on him if he didn’t so it was just this constant balancing act to try to prevent fights in the first place.

Reggie: I felt like I was walking on a tightrope. Like, all the time. I tried so hard to keep them from getting mad at each other or at me. Only it never worked and it was always a question of when they were going to snap next and it was confusing cause one day we’d go to the zoo and everything would be fine and the next they’d yell at me and send me to bed without food.

He feels guilty for not wanting to put in the effort to find them because he’s pretty sure on some level they did love him but he doesn’t want to see them again.

And he doesn’t want to know if they even miss him at all because when he got older and the fighting got too intense he would sneak off to Luke’s or Bobby’s and no matter if he stayed away for an hour or a couple days they never seemed to notice he was gone.

Ray listens and a lot of things about Reggie start to make sense. How he’s so careful not to catch him in a bad mood. How he shuts down whenever anyone raises their voice. How he helps out so much in an effort to stay on Ray’s good side.

It’s a day and a half after the latest show so they can’t really hug but Ray does what he can to provide comfort and validate his feelings anyway because damn Reggie is a good kid and he didn’t deserve that.

Reggie and Luke get more comfortable with coming to him for meaningful chats, or even just to vent about whatever’s going on lately.

Eventually they seem to feel almost as comfortable with him as Julie and Carlos do so it kinda becomes a routine.

Like Julie will ask for cuddles when she’s sad about missing Rose or she’ll walk in and vent about Carrie and Flynn being so obvious about liking each other but somehow not realizing it’s mutual and she and Nick are 3rd wheeling and going insane.

Carlos will excitedly ramble about his latest baseball practice shenanigans for an hour but also sometimes ask for someone to watch old home movies or listen to old CDs from Rose and the Petal Pushers with him.

And that’s normal. That’s been Ray’s life since his kids started talking. But the thing is that it’s just as normal when

When Luke tells how he’s still angry about his music getting stolen because it feels like a part of him was taken away and he worked hard on those songs. Also one day he very shyly admits

Luke: I like Julie a lot.

Ray: I know, kiddo.

Luke: You’re not mad?

Ray: As long as you two make each other happy, no. I’m happy for you.

And it’s just as normal when Reggie talks about missing his little cousin Kelsi and wondering where she ended up only for them to look her up and find out she’s a major Broadway writer/director now oh my god— and also

Reggie: I think I like boys. Like boys are cute. But I know I’m not gay because girls are cute too and ugh it’s confusing it’s probably nothing I guess everybody goes through this.

Ray: Have you ever thought you might be bisexual?

Reggie: Bi-what-now?

Ray, already digging out his old flannels that he would have passed down to Julie except they’re too big for her: It’s okay to like both, kiddo.

All this is great of course. It’s great how Reggie and Luke aren’t afraid anymore and they feel validated and seen and listened to.

But months have passed and Ray notices how Alex remains separate. He still avoids Ray when he can and stays quiet and cautious when he can’t.

Like Ray still senses Alex around him sometimes but never right after a show when he’s visible. He doesn’t come to him with problems. He’ll stay and listen when Ray plays a song he thinks he’d like, but he still seems so cautious and Ray doesn’t know how to help.

He asks Luke one day while he’s introducing him to a Wicked bootleg if he’s done something specific to scare Alex away.

Luke gets this really dark look on his face and he just

Luke: Let’s just say that my parents didn’t do everything perfectly, but they’re saints compared to Alex’s.

Ray decides to drop it, but Luke wants to reassure him.

Luke: You haven’t done anything wrong. He’s just not very comfortable around most adults in general. It’s one thing when we’re invisible, but...

Ray: I just wish I could help.

Luke: You do help. But it took a while for Alex to trust me.

The conversation ends there because Luke starts getting really into Defying Gravity.

But then that night Julie comes in with a kind of out of character movie request so Ray thinks Luke talked to her.

Because Julie does not like most romcoms that aren’t musicals. She gets bored. But she requests Love, Simon anyway.

Ray kind of sees what she’s trying to do there because now that he’s thinking about it the boys haven’t really seen many things with queer rep. Especially not queer main characters.

And nobody’s really told him that Alex is gay but cmon he’s an elder bi. He has accurate gaydar so he can support his queer ducklings.

Despite how the boys all know being gay is more socially acceptable now (they found out about Nick’s dads and the girls gave them the ‘gay marriage is legal now’ talk) they still seem kind of baffled by how there’s an entire romcom centered around a gay boy and it did well.

From there Ray tries to find more movies and tv shows with canon queer representation.

And he keeps giving Alex space but also trying his best to show him that he’s not like his parents.

For a long time nothing changes beyond Luke and Reggie getting increasingly comfortable with him.

Well that’s not completely true actually cause Reggie starts tagging along to photo shoots and becomes Ray’s unofficial mostly invisible assistant.

Then the band plays an amazing show and the boys stay visible for a full week.

Around the middle of that week, Ray goes out to the garage to find Reggie and see if he wants to come on a photo shoot.

Reggie isn’t out there but Alex is.

And he’s crying. Hard.

He looks like he’s going to poof out when he sees Ray there but Ray’s already 100% ready to do exactly what he always does when he walks in on Julie or Carlos crying.

Ray: Alex. Hey, buddy, it’s okay. I’m here. It’s going to be okay.

Alex freezes and it breaks Ray’s heart how that kind of concern is clearly not what he’s expecting.

Ray: Are you okay with being touched?

Alex looks kind of like he’s in shock but he nods.

He clearly doesn’t really know what to do with it but he kind of melts into it when Ray hugs him and he just sobs on his shoulder.

When he’s stopped crying enough he starts rambling about how he’s been looking everywhere but he can’t find Willie.

At that point he’s basically having a panic attack so finding out what’s wrong takes a backseat compared to calming him down and Ray knows how to do that because he and Rose used to do that for Trevor all the time.

Ray: Alex, breathe. In for 4 counts, hold for 7, out for 8. Breathe with me.

It takes a couple minutes until Alex has calmed down enough, but once he does, Ray asks what’s wrong and what’s happening with Willie.

He only vaguely knows who Willie is from what he’s been told by the other kids but he knows he’s important to Alex.

So Alex takes a deep breath and explains that Caleb confronted him and basically said the boys had to join his house band or he would make sure he’d never see Willie again. And he doesn’t want to ask his family to sacrifice themselves for him but he doesn’t want to lose the boy he loves either.

Ray wants to throw hands but from what the kids have told him about Caleb, he has a better idea.

Ray: Here’s what we’re gonna do, buddy. Reggie said Caleb has this super catchy number, The Other Side of Hollywood?

Alex: Yeah?

Ray: How quickly do you think Luke and Julie could come up with an arrangement for you four to cover that and how desperate do you think Covington would be to make sure a video of that never gets published without crediting him?

Alex: :o

Spoiler alert: Julie and Luke, in collaboration with Carrie, can come up with an arrangement very quickly.

They do a private performance of it and film it and basically blackmail Caleb into letting Willie go.

Willie has an empty house that used to be his parents’ that he still considers his so he mostly crashes there if he needs to. Also he loves skating around so much that he never stays in one place for very long.

Julie can see him but she can’t make him visible so it’s a little odd but Ray gets an orange pen for him for the whiteboard and he finds skateboarding videos and stuff for when he visits.

They eventually figure out that he can be part of the magic by adding him to the band so they give him a tambourine and yay now Willie can be seen but that’s later.

The biggest immediate change to come out of all this is Alex.

He’s not afraid of Ray anymore for the most part (healing isn’t linear and he can’t help a few bad days) and he starts actually talking to him. Not about serious stuff but he’s talking. Mostly just rambling about how Willie makes him feel or how Luke and Reggie have been being annoying lately.

Then one day he comes in really nervous and says something about Reggie saying he talked to Ray about his parents.

And Ray confirms it and asks if there’s anything Alex needs to tell him.

Alex sits down and clearly he’s been holding this in for a long time and he just unloads how he came out to his parents because his youngest sister found his diary and he was scared she’d tell them. They didn’t react well and when he cried out of fear and frustration his father... gave him something to cry about.

His father did that a few more times, trying to ‘make him man up,’ and Alex never told his bandmates but he always knew they could see the bruises and that was why Bobby made it so clear his garage was open and his house was a safe place to run.

But Alex didn’t no matter how bad things got because he guessed some small part of him thought he deserved it but mostly it was about how his oldest sister dropped out of college and ghosted the family and Alex was the next-oldest so he felt responsible for protecting his younger sisters even if they both had learned behaviors from their parents and hated him.

Then that summer he found out his parents were planning on sending him away to some Christian camp where they’d ‘fix’ him.

Alex made it clear that he wouldn’t go and if they tried to make him he’d run away, but their ultimatum was that he couldn’t live under their roof if he was gay.

So he didn’t. And it was a situation somewhere between getting kicked out and running away, but he packed a bag and never went back.

He ran to Bobby’s house, he wrote a whole bunch of angry songs, and he tried not to think too much about how he understood why his older sister left and how he was doing the exact same thing to his younger sisters.

By the time he’s done explaining everything Ray’s trying not to cry but Alex is definitely already crying mostly out of anger.

Alex: I hated them all. I hated Molly for leaving me and I hated my mom for turning my little sisters against me and I hated my dad for hurting me and I even hated Anna and Josie for not standing by me and I just hated them all so much. I still do. And it is so stupid that I feel guilty for that because they were terrible to me and I was 16 and I didn’t deserve that but I do feel guilty for it because they’re my family and I hate them.

Ray doesn’t have much to say because damn this is heavy stuff but he assures him that after what he went through he has a right to hate his blood family.

Alex tells him awkwardly when he’s calmed down a bit that Luke is the only other person he’s ever told about all this, because after he ran away they dated for a few months before figuring out that they were better as friends.

Reggie and Bobby guessed parts of it and Julie probably has too but none of them have asked and Alex thinks he might tell Reggie and Julie someday if it ever comes up but he never did end up telling Bobby.

Ray assures him that he won’t tell anyone and also that he would never do that. He would never do anything to hurt Alex or the others on purpose.

He makes a silent promise that no one will ever hurt one of his kids like that again and if Caleb or anyone else ever tries, they will regret it.

But anyway on to happier matters.

Willie visits a lot and he’s a little skittish around Ray but he loosens up after he jokingly mentions one time that Willie and Alex are like the beginning of the Sk8ter Boy song.

Alex and Ray might be Denim Jacket Buddies but once Ray digs his old leather jacket out of the closet he becomes Leather Jacket Buddies with Reggie.

You’d think he has to tell Carlos and Reggie off the most for breaking things but he doesn’t. It’s Carlos and Luke.

Also Ray doesn’t consider himself an overprotective dad but Julie and Luke are not allowed to be alone in a room with the door closed.

Neither are Alex and Willie technically but it’s harder to enforce it when they’re both ghosts.

Lmao all the kids follow the rules anyway because they love Ray and he’s not being unreasonable.

He helps Julie in her plot to get Carrie and Flynn together and also he helps Nick plan how to make a move on that cute boy on his lacrosse team.

Because Nick loves his dads but they’re disaster gays. Neither of those men can properly flirt. They fell in love because of a baseball rivalry and Nick doesn’t trust their advice.

Pride month rolls around and Julie makes sure to book a big gig the day before the parade so the boys will be visible and tangible.

Trevor’s on tour and can’t get away and Flynn’s parents are working and Nick’s are busy too so Ray finds himself escorting this whole little gaggle of various queer ducklings to pride.

Carlos isn’t quite sure what he is yet so he’s just got a rainbow flag painted on his cheek and a shirt that says I love my bi sister on it.

Julie’s all decked out in the bi colors, complete with ribbons braided into her hair and a flag to use as a cape. She made the tutu herself and it took her hours but it turned out really good.

Luke’s got a tank top with the pan colors and a trans flag as a cape and also yknow face paint of course.

Reggie browsed thrift shops everywhere until he found a flannel in the bi colors and he’s got that along with pink purple and blue laces in his combat boots and what Ray is really hoping is temporary dye and not spray paint in his hair.

Alex has a rainbow shirt that matches Willie’s and matching bracelets with Flynn. Also he painted rainbow hearts on his cheeks and put a lot of effort into them and they look really symmetrical.

Willie’s of course matching shirts with Alex and also he has sparkly rainbow socks and a flag to use as a cape.

Carrie’s got a whole ensemble in the lesbian colors complete with a pride wig and also matching necklaces with Flynn.

Flynn’s matching colors with Carrie but more in her style with of course matching jewelry with the people closest to her. She’s got friendship bracelets corresponding to Alex and Julie.

Nick’s got a pan tshirt and a fedora with a ribbon in pink yellow and blue plus face paint cause all of them have face paint. Nothing too crazy.

Meanwhile Ray’s got a bi bandanna and one of those shirts that’s like Free Dad Hugs.

Plus everyone did each other’s nails with varying degrees of success the night before and Julie did Ray’s so they turned out good.

Nick’s lacrosse buddies and the rest of Dirty Candi are around somewhere but they didn’t ride in the same car so they’re not that relevant.

They party. Celebrate being alive. Idk I’ve never gotten to go to pride.

And afterwards they all go back to the Molina house and the couch isn’t really big enough for all of them but it’s okay it’s not like they know how to sit correctly anyway.

They all kind of pile together and cuddle and watch movies until Flynn and Nick’s parents can come pick them up.

And Ray just looks around and realizes that

Sure only 2 of them are his biologically

And 3 of the others have good parent(s) who are actively a part of their lives

The remaining 4 are technically dead

But he has 9 children and he’s totally fine with that.

Cause he’s Ray Molina: best dad ever.

Victoria’s head is going to explode when she finds out that not only is the Molina house really haunted, but he’s adopted the ghosts.

[bevioletskies]

how sweet it is (to be loved by you)

summary: Although he would never admit it, Apollo really wants to impress Klavier by making dessert from scratch for their first date at his apartment, despite his complete lack of baking experience. With the help of his overenthusiastic sister (and no help from his mischievous cat), Apollo thinks he just might be able to pull it off.

word count: 4.8k | read on ao3

a/n: For @klapollo-week, day four of seven (prompt: "cooking"). All seven of my fics take place in the same continuity! However, each can be read as a stand-alone, with the exception of day seven being a sequel to day five.

This fic takes place at some distant point in time after Spirit of Justice where Apollo and Trucy have learned that they’re siblings, but doesn’t reference any specific plotlines otherwise. Fic title is from the song How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by Marvin Gaye.

“Don’t look at me like that, okay? I can feel you judging me, and I don’t appreciate it. I swear, I-I know what I’m doing! But it doesn’t help with you staring at me like you just know I’m gonna screw up!”

Mikeko blinked. “Mreow.”

“Polly, are you talking to your cat again?” Apollo turned to see Trucy walking towards him with huge bags of flour and sugar in her arms.

“Just a reminder - his name is Mikeko, and he’s an asshole,” Apollo grouched, hurrying over to help before she could drop everything on the floor. The last thing he needed was to get white powder stuck in his kitchen tile grout, again. There was a reason Ema wasn’t allowed to bring her forensics kit to his place anymore. “He peed on my rug the other day. I thought he was sick so I took him to the vet, and nothing. He’s an asshole.”

“You talk about your cat like you talk about your boyfriend, and I dunno which one’s worse,” Trucy mused, elbowing him playfully. “Though obviously, you love ‘em both, since that cat tree over there looks like it costs more than your TV. And, y’know, the fact that you asked me to help you bake for him! Er, your boyfriend, not your cat.”

“You don’t say,” Apollo said dryly, hoisting the bags onto the kitchen counter. “Klavier has an insatiable sweet tooth for a guy with a six-pack. I blame his parents and their baking habits.”

“C’mon, you love his parents,” Trucy giggled. She hopped onto the counter, nearly knocking the flour over in the process. Apollo shot her a dirty look that she blatantly ignored. “So, what’re we making? I’m surprised you asked me to help and then didn’t tell me what we were gonna do!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Apollo sighed, smoothing out the wrinkles in his apron. “We’re making, uh...bienenstich, or bee sting cake. It’s one of his childhood favorites, apparently; it’s got vanilla cream and…” He paused to glance down at the recipe on his phone. “...‘a crunchy caramelized almond topping’.”

“Sounds yummy!” Trucy replied, idly swinging her legs back and forth. Mikeko seemed very interested in chasing her untied shoelaces. “Seriously, though, why did you ask me? I mean, when I first started living with Daddy, I learned how to cook pretty fast, but I never really learned how to bake.”

Apollo softened. “I just wanted to hang out with you, Truce. That’s all.”

Trucy folded her hands over her heart. “Aww, Polly!” She then grinned devilishly. “Of course you did.”

“Now you’re an asshole, too,” Apollo informed her, kissing her cheek before turning back to the other side of the kitchen. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Mikeko, sitting in his sink, lounging lazily across every last mixing bowl he’d just washed. “Mik, what the hell - you were just on the floor a second ago, you - ”

“Meow,” Mikeko interrupted, his tail swishing nonchalantly through the air.

“...cool, cool.” Apollo wiped his hands, then proceeded to lift Mikeko right out of the sink and deposit him onto his cat tree. His paws were still damp; he mewled in protest. “Well, this is going about as well as I expected.”

“I’m excited,” Trucy offered, still beaming. “Let’s go!”

_____

Once Trucy found the appropriate playlist to blast on her phone (“Any performer worth their salt knows they need good background music, Polly!” “But...this isn’t a performance. Also, this is more Maroon 5 than I’m comfortable with.”), she got to work on re-washing the dishes Mikeko had ruined while Apollo shuffled around the kitchen, grabbing the rest of the ingredients. He’d bought quite a few items he didn’t usually have in stock, having next to no experience with baking. The recipe claimed bienenstich was easy to make, though he had his doubts when it came to his abilities - and his luck.

“So, how’ve you and Klavier been?” Trucy asked, drying the last of the spatulas. “Things must be pretty good if you’re baking for him.”

“Good, definitely good,” Apollo replied. “We’ve had a couple of hiccups, but nothing we’ve had to worry about, y’know?”

“Gee, how romantic,” Trucy drawled. “I was hoping for something juicier than that, Polly! Have you had any fun dates lately? Cute moments? Nice gifts? It sure was nice of his mom to send more apple strudels to the agency the other day!”

“Are you my sister, or a tabloid reporter?” Apollo flicked a spray of flour onto the front of her apron, ducking before she could retaliate. “Well, we had a good time at his parents’ house the other day. I made pretzels with his mom, and his dad had a ton of podcast recommendations for like, nerd stuff. We, uh...we even talked about Mom for a bit. They wanna meet her someday.”

Trucy’s eyes widened. “Really? When’s that gonna happen?”

“Not sure,” Apollo admitted. “But hey, do you wanna join us when it does? They’ve been dying to meet you, too.”

“Like you have to ask!” Trucy said brightly. She took a moment to methodically spread out all of their equipment across the kitchen counter, smiling in satisfaction when she was done. “There - we’re ready to go. What’s the actual first step?”

“The dough, it says,” Apollo said, turning back to the recipe. “We’re s’posed to mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Although I guess the actual actual first step is measuring the ingredients.”

“I’ll do dry, you do wet,” Trucy replied, passing him one of the mixing bowls. “Y’know…‘cos you're such a wet blanket and all.”

Apollo blinked. “...okay, wow. We’re here to bake a cake, not roast me.” Trucy giggled mischievously, then got to work on measuring out the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Apollo, meanwhile, started with pouring the milk - easy enough - then stared at the egg carton and sticks of butter sitting in front of him. He’d never been intimidated by either before, but right now, he found them oddly daunting.

“Polly, are you trying to perceive the ingredients or somethin’?” Trucy asked, rapping her knuckles against the side of his head a little too sharply for his liking. “The cake isn’t a lie, you know.”

Once again, Apollo found himself looking at her incredulously. “Wha - th-that joke is older than you are!” Then, a brief swish of movement over Trucy’s shoulder caught his eye. “Wait…” Sitting on the opposite counter was Mikeko, who was innocently sniffing the bag of sliced almonds. “Mik - ”

“Mrrh,” Mikeko purred, his tail perking up at the sound of his name. He then flopped onto his side, rolling over to present his belly. “Mrrh?”

“Don’t ‘mrrh’ me, get away from there,” Apollo huffed, flapping his hands in Mikeko’s direction. He seemed unmoved. “Do you want me to lock you in my bedroom? Really? Is that what we have to do?” Sighing, Mikeko got up and hopped down from the counter, sauntering off to the living room with a sulky grimace. “Thank you.”

“You really do act like he’s human,” Trucy commented, watching Mikeko go. “Mr. Edgeworth’s like that with Pess, only he’s way nicer to her than you are to Mikeko.”

“Probably because Pess doesn’t sit on his chest in the middle of the night while he's sleeping and make him think he’s having a heart attack,” Apollo said wryly, reaching for the sticks of butter. If he let them sit out for too long, they were going to start melting. “How’s that whole...thing going, anyway? I feel like Mr. Edgeworth’s been visiting the agency a lot lately...only, nothing ever seems to happen.”

“Story of their lives, according to Ema and Aunt Maya,” Trucy said, rolling her eyes exasperatedly. “At this rate, I’m gonna get married before Daddy does!” She then smirked. “Or should I say, you’re gonna get - ”

“Hey, l-let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Apollo protested, his cheeks reddening. “How’s it going with the dry ingredients?”

“All done!” Trucy chirped, tilting her bowl slightly so he could see. “Wait, you still haven’t done the butter or eggs yet? Apollo!”

“Yeah, yeah, I was kinda busy dealing with that jerk over there.” Trucy glanced across the way to the living room; she could’ve sworn Mikeko was sticking his tongue out at them. Apollo then pushed the butter towards her. “Here - you do the butter, I’ll take care of the eggs.” The two of them worked in silence for a minute or so, the only sounds in the apartment being the crinkle of the butter’s parchment paper and the tap-tap of the eggs against the mixing bowl. It didn’t take long before their silence was broken. “...shit.”

“Eggshell?” Trucy guessed without looking up. “Sheesh, you really did need help. Here, give it to me!”

Apollo nudged the bowl in her direction, defeated, then wiped the sweat off his brow. “Damn, I didn’t think I was gonna be this bad! I made bread and pretzels with Klavier’s mom, and that went pretty well.”

“I bet it’s ‘cos she did most of the work,” Trucy teased. “Wait - Apollo, there’s more eggshell in here than actual egg!”

“I…” Apollo paused. “...have no excuses.” He then groaned. “Ugh, we still have so much left to do! This cake better be worth it.”

“It’s more like if you think your boyfriend’s worth it, and he is, isn’t he?” Trucy finished fishing out the last of the eggshells, then poked Apollo’s side with her yolk-covered finger. “So c’mon, let’s keep going. We mix them together, right?”

Apollo smiled softly. “Yeah. And hey, I’m...I’m really glad you’re here, Trucy. Thanks for helping me out.”

“It’s just baking, Polly, you don’t hafta be so dramatic,” Trucy said, though she was beaming regardless. “Now move it, or this cake’s still gonna be in the oven when he gets here!”

_____

A little over two hours later, Apollo jumped up from his couch at the sound of his doorbell. His face brightened when he saw Klavier on the other side of the door, dressed casually in an oversized hoodie and joggers. Klavier had been so particular about how he’d dressed for their first few dates that Apollo was always happy to see him in more relaxed attire. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”

Klavier raised an eyebrow. “You always greet me in the strangest ways, schatz. Did something happen, are you okay?”

Apollo let out an internal sigh of relief; Klavier had yet to notice anything off-putting at all. “No, no, I-I’m fine, just - i-it’s been a long day, and it’s good to see you. I mean, it’s always good to see you - usually good to see you, depending on what’s going on, ‘cos not gonna lie, you still pull the most inane crap in the courtroom, but, uh. It’s good that you’re here. Hi.”

Klavier’s eyebrows remained raised. “...hi. Anyway, I brought dinner and dessert.” He lifted the two bags he was carrying so Apollo could see. “As it turns out, our favorite Taiwanese place was having a promotion. Spend thirty dollars or more, we get free tofu pudding. Achtung, I love a good deal!”

“That’s not what your bank account says,” Apollo teased. “And, er, that’s great, and we should definitely eat it while it’s fresh, but I actually made dessert for us, too.”

“Really?” Apollo was starting to think Klavier’s eyebrows were never going to come back down. “What did you make?”

“No spoilers,” Apollo said, tugging on Klavier’s sleeve. “C’mon, get in here before my neighbors spot you. I swear, I heard one of them blasting Love With No Chance Of Parole the other night. If they find out you’re my boyfriend, I’m never gonna hear the end of it.”

“Finally starting to recognize my songs, are you?” Klavier chuckled, stepping into Apollo’s apartment. “I’ll make a Gavinners fan out of you yet, baby.” He then looked around, curious, as he took off his shoes. “Your place doesn’t look nearly as bad as you made it sound. It’s...charming.”

“Real diplomatic way of saying it looks like crap,” Apollo said wryly, closing the door behind him. He was well aware of his peeling wallpaper and cat-scratched furniture, his dusty windows and his water-damaged ceiling. “Wait until you have to use my bathroom. I swear the sink is haunted.”

“How comforting.” Klavier’s eyes lit up at the sound of tiny little feet padding over in his direction; he crouched down so he could be at eye level, one hand outstretched to beckon him closer. “Why, guten tag, kätzchen! I’m so glad I finally get to meet you.” Mikeko stopped dead in his tracks, eyeing Klavier up and down warily. Then, without another sound, he turned and walked away, tail swishing pointedly in the air. Klavier looked up at Apollo dejectedly. “Ach, what did I do?”

“Mikeko only likes me and tolerates Trucy,” Apollo shrugged, trying not to laugh at Klavier’s miserable expression. “I wouldn’t take it personally. C’mon, let’s eat!”

“I’m going to take it a little personally,” Klavier muttered under his breath, following Apollo across the open living space. It wasn’t long before they were set up at the dining table, working their way through their Taiwanese beef noodles, fried chicken, and scallion pancakes. Apollo hummed happily as he ate; he hadn’t realized how hungry he was or how difficult baking could be until now. “So, how was your day?”

“Didn’t do much,” Apollo said, shrugging. “Since it’s my day off, I just kinda - y’know, played video games, watched some TV. Re-organized my bookshelf for the millionth time. I still haven’t decided if my brain likes it organized by author, title, genre, or color.”

“You also made dessert, apparently,” Klavier replied. “Are you really not going to tell me what it is?”

“Curiosity killed the cat, and even though my cat’s an asshole, I prefer him alive,” Apollo said, playfully nudging Klavier’s leg with his foot. “You can wait thirty minutes, can’t you?”

“Ach, the suspense,” Klavier laughed. “Fine, fine. Can I at least ask why you decided to bake for us?”

“It’s the first time you’ve been to my place, so I figured I’d do something nice,” Apollo said, sniffing very slightly. The smell of burnt sugar was starting to waft into his nose; he crossed his fingers underneath the table in the hopes that Klavier couldn’t smell it, too.

“Er - are you okay, Apollo?” Klavier asked, lowering his chopsticks. “You’re...sniffling. I didn’t accidentally bring some pollen in here, did I?”

“Sniffing, not sniffling,” Apollo corrected. “There’s a difference. And nah, it’s nothing. Just wasn’t sure if Mik might’ve peed somewhere...as he does.”

“Ah, cats,” Klavier said, nodding sagely. “Don’t tell your kätzchen I’m more of a dog person, bitte. We’re already off to a bad start as it is.”

“Brave of you, saying that out loud,” Apollo remarked. “If Mik comes after you in your sleep tonight, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Klavier turned to look at Mikeko, who was currently on the kitchen counter, scarfing down his dinner. He lifted his head to make direct eye contact, chewing menacingly all the while. Klavier shuddered. “How about you, what were you up to today?”

“The most boring prosecutor’s office meeting ever, not that that’s anything new,” Klavier sighed, turning back to face Apollo. “And I had no cases to prosecute, so I spent my day wishing I was here instead. Even if you and Mikeko weren’t around, I’d rather watch your wallpaper die a slow death than listen to Herr Payne whine about his life while we’re all waiting for the coffee maker. I don’t see how it’s my or Herr Blackquill’s fault that he hasn’t had a raise in over ten years. If all he can brag about is making new defense attorneys cry instead of actually doing his job, then he should be grateful he still has a career to begin with, ach.”

Apollo blinked. “...huh. I guess I never really thought about the kind of office politics you have to deal with. Meanwhile, the only thing I’ve had to deal with lately is Athena nearly breaking Trucy’s finger during an arm-wrestling match.”

Klavier winced, popping a piece of chicken in his mouth. “Is that something that happens often?”

“More often than it should,” Apollo replied sagely. Klavier wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or slightly terrified.

After they finished dinner, Klavier insisted on helping Apollo with the dishes, seeing as how there was a huge pile of them in the sink, almost none of them from their dinner. Some were splattered with cake batter, others with vanilla cream. Thankfully, Apollo had already rinsed all the pans and utensils he’d used to make the topping, or else the sliced almonds would’ve given him away entirely.

“No peeking in the fridge or you’re not getting any,” Apollo warned, waving a spatula in his face.

“Are we talking about dessert, or...something else?” Klavier blinked innocently when Apollo continued to glare. “Ja, ja, I hear you.” He then paused. “Can I at least speculate? I have an educated guess.”

“You have zero patience sometimes,” Apollo complained, knocking his hip against Klavier’s, though with their height difference, it was more like his hip against Klavier’s thigh. “Let’s finish up here so you have nothing to complain about, alright?”

As they puttered around the kitchen together, Apollo had to subtly, but constantly direct Klavier away from the oven before he could see the remnants of a burnt pan still left on one of the stovetop elements; he hadn’t had enough time to completely scrub them away, though he had gotten rid of the worst of it. For once, he was grateful Klavier favored heavy scents, which seemed to be masking the smell for him.

“Mrrp.” Just as Klavier was drying the last of the plates, he felt something weaving between his ankles. “Mreow?”

“Have you changed your mind about me, kätzchen?” he asked, delighted. Mikeko aggressively smushed his face against Klavier’s calf in response. Apollo watched them both in amazement. “Is that a ja or a nein?”

“Mrrh,” Mikeko rumbled.

“Oh, this is definitely a trap,” Apollo warned. “He probably wants something from you, so don’t fall for it, Klav.”

“You talk about him like he’s an unruly witness on the witness stand,” Klavier said, amused. “He’s just a sweet little kätzchen, what could he possibly - ” Mikeko sneezed, violently.

“There it is,” Apollo sighed.

Klavier winced at the wet spot Mikeko had left behind on his sweatpants. “Achtung, gesundheit!” He then chuckled, shaking his head as Mikeko wandered off, clearly pretending nothing had happened. Either that, or he was embarrassed, though Apollo suspected it was more the former than the latter. “Like human, like cat, I see; it’s allergy season all around. Is it my cologne, do you think?”

“Might be,” Apollo shrugged, wiping his hands. “Okay, you big baby, are you ready for dessert now?”

“You’re acting like I’ve talked about nothing else,” Klavier protested, wrapping his arms around Apollo from behind and burying his face against Apollo’s neck. He then began pressing slow, deliberate kisses along the length of Apollo’s throat. His nose was momentarily filled with the scent of Klavier’s aforementioned cologne, the scent of sandalwood instead of burnt sugar. “I would love to have dessert, baby.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Then we can eat what you made after.”

“Why am I dating you,” Apollo groaned, lightly shoving him away. Klavier snickered, hopping up onto the kitchen counter. “Sheesh, you’re like a cheap Hallmark card and a bad pick-up artist at the same time.”

“Is there such a thing as a good pick-up artist?” Klavier mused, still grinning. “Anyway, I’m serious. Let’s see what you made for us, liebe.” Apollo felt oddly nervous as he opened his refrigerator and carefully pulled out the covered tray from the top shelf. He set it down on the counter, right beside Klavier, then went to grab plates, forks, and a decent-sized knife. “Ah, a knife! Was my prediction correct?”

“Can you let me live for two seconds, please?” Apollo grumbled, softening when Klavier leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. “Okay, okay, careful around the guy with the knife in his hand. I-I’m gonna take off the cover now.”

They both held their breaths just as Apollo lifted the tray cover, as overly dramatic as it sounded. The sensation was stupidly similar to how they felt during a particularly stressful trial. Klavier’s eyes widened at the sight before him. “...bienenstich?”

“Wait…” Apollo leaned closer. “...what happened?!”

The state of his bienenstich was...questionable, to say the least. To start, the caramelized almond topping, which had hardened nicely in the refrigerator earlier, now looked like it had been through an earthquake, full of little holes and fissures. The thick layer of vanilla cream between the two layers of cake was oozing out the sides, having somehow melted since Apollo put it in the fridge over an hour ago. Finally, most of the bottom layer of cake was soggy and crumbling apart, clearly thanks to the melting cream.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Apollo exclaimed, setting the knife aside and hurriedly digging his phone out of his pocket. “Here, I took a picture earlier, i-it - it looked perfect, I-I made sure of it - ”

“I’m sure it did, Apollo,” Klavier said gently, rubbing his shoulders in sympathy. “Let’s see your picture, then.”

Groaning, Apollo held his phone up to Klavier’s face. “Seriously, look. I took so many photos, I was gonna send ‘em to your parents and thank them for teaching me the basics...I even made the topping three times ‘cos I burnt the first two attempts!”

“Is that what that smell was?” Klavier shrunk at Apollo’s venomous expression. “Sorry, baby, I just - I didn’t want to say anything in case it was, you know, a weird apartment smell.” He then perked up. “But if you ask me...looks have nothing to do with taste. That goes for both food and people, apropos, though I consider myself blessed that you’re the very best of both.”

“Har, har...also, ew,” Apollo added, wrinkling his nose. “Well, let’s hope you’re right.” With renewed vigor, he picked up the knife once more and carefully cut two modest-sized pieces, transferring them to their respective plates. He passed one plate to Klavier, then, after they exchanged nervous looks, they both took their first tentative bites. “...oh.”

“See? It’s just as I said!” Klavier declared, grinning victoriously. “I’m not going to pretend it’s the most perfect bienenstich I’ve ever had, but - it’s good, Apollo. It’s really, really good. I wouldn’t have known it was your first attempt if I hadn’t seen it. Even then, it’s hardly a disaster. Just a bit, ah, lopsided.”

Apollo was quiet for another moment or so, letting the taste linger on his tongue. The texture was a bit odd, thanks to the half-melted cream and the soggy cake, but it was just as sweet and satisfying as he’d been hoping it would be. “...huh. So I guess we didn’t accidentally swap the salt and sugar like I thought we might’ve done.”

“We?” Klavier echoed as he took another bite, more generous in size this time.

“Yeah, Trucy came over to help me. Guess I forgot to mention that,” Apollo added. “We haven’t had much time to hang out outside of work stuff lately, so...I thought it’d be a fun afternoon thing. Kinda turned into a nightmare instead? Like, the smell of burnt sugar is everywhere for a reason. Don’t look inside my oven, please.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Klavier laughed, delighted. “I can only imagine what went on before I got here, achtung.” It wasn’t long before he was scraping his plate clean; he was still eyeing the rest of the cake hungrily. He turned when Apollo made a mild noise of disgust. “Ah - what happened?”

“What always happens around here.” Apollo plucked a tiny, but obvious cat hair from the end of his fork. “At least I didn’t eat this one. I think I’ve consumed more cat hairs than I’ve had paying clients.” He then looked at Klavier with raised eyebrows. “You’re not expecting another piece right now, are you?”

“I like bienenstich, okay?” Klavier said defensively, though he finally got down from the kitchen counter so he could put his fork and plate in the sink, dropping a sticky-sweet kiss on Apollo’s cheek on his way over. “Danke, baby, that was really good. Can I take some back with me, bitte?”

“Of course, babe. I’m certainly not eating the rest of it by myself,” Apollo snorted, finishing off his own piece. He put his dishes in the sink, taking a moment to rinse off his and Klavier’s plates, then let out a relieved sigh. “Well, at least it tasted good, even if it looked like crap.”

“I know it’s pointless, saying this to you, but - don’t worry so much, hm?” Klavier wrapped his arms around Apollo’s midsection; before Apollo knew it, he was being lifted and set down onto the counter, right where Klavier had been. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, bringing his hands to rest on Klavier’s shoulders, his legs wrapped loosely around Klavier’s waist. “I’m impressed, liebling, I mean it. I know Mama’s been teaching you how to bake, but for you to do it on your own time for us to enjoy...I should really step up my game here, don’t you think?”

“Hardly,” Apollo said, dropping his head to Klavier’s shoulder, pressing a kiss to Klavier’s neck. “Thanks, Klav. Glad you liked it.”

“Bitte schön,” Klavier replied, gently lifting Apollo’s chin so he could kiss him properly. They both tasted like vanilla and honey; Apollo pushed Klavier’s hair out of his face so it wouldn't run the risk of getting sticky. Mere seconds later, they were interrupted by a tiny, impudent meow. Sighing, Klavier reluctantly broke away so he could stare down at the culprit by his feet. “Can I help you, kätzchen? I thought we were cool...until you used my sweatpants as a tissue, that is. These are Moncler, I’ll have you know.”

“Mreow,” Mikeko trilled, tail thrashing violently against Klavier’s leg. Shaking his head in amusement, Apollo got down from the counter so he could pick him up and cradle him, rocking him back and forth like a baby. “Mrrp.”

“I’m kinda curious to see if he’ll let you pet him,” Apollo said. “You wanna try?” Klavier lifted a cautious hand, then slowly began petting Mikeko, taking care not to disturb the sleekness of his long, thick fur. Klavier let out a soft laugh when Mikeko began to purr, his eyes closing contentedly as he smushed his face against Klavier’s hand, just like he’d done to his leg earlier. “Hey, would you look at that - it’s a not-Christmas miracle!”

“I feel as if I’ve been blessed,” Klavier chuckled, rubbing Mikeko’s ears for good measure. “Have I passed your secret test somehow, kätzchen? Am I a good partner for your papa?” Mikeko mewled happily.

“I can’t believe you didn’t even do anything and he already likes you,” Apollo sighed. “Mik, I thought you were smarter than this.”

“I can’t tell if you want him to like me or not,” Klavier said dryly, dropping a kiss to the top of Mikeko’s forehead. Mikeko’s purr only seemed to intensify. Apollo rolled his eyes; now Klavier was just showing off. “So now that all of our bienenstich excitement is over, should we put a movie on, maybe try a small bite of that tofu pudding? I have a desperate need to cuddle after the day I’ve had.”

“Day you had?” Apollo echoed, neatly depositing Mikeko back onto his cat tree. “You said you had a boring meeting and no trials. How bad could it have been?”

“I had to listen to Herr Payne gush about his wife that definitely exists,” Klavier bemoaned, lifting the back of his hand to his forehead as if he were about to faint. Apollo was sure if he rolled his eyes any harder, he would sprain something. “Herr Debeste kept asking to borrow a pencil for some reason. I’m serious, baby, don’t laugh at me, he kept knocking on my door every thirty minutes - ”

“The only baby I see around here is you, baby,” Apollo teased, prodding Klavier in the chest. “But fine, fine, I hear you. You go sulk on the couch and pick out a movie while you wait. I'm gonna put the bienenstich back in the fridge and send your mom my pre-disaster pictures. Maybe she’ll have some advice for my next attempt.”

Klavier perked up. “Next attempt? You mean you’re going to make it again? Ah, ich liebe dich, mein schatz, mein süßer, mein - ”

“Oh my god,” Apollo groaned, sighing. “Maybe, okay? Maybe. I’m not making any promises, I don’t want my apartment to permanently smell like burnt sugar hell.” Still, Apollo found himself biting back a smile, kissing Klavier briefly before lightly nudging him in the direction of his living room. “...and I love you, too. Dork.”

_____

a/n: Welcome to my fourth entry for Klapollo Week 2021! Continuity-wise, this is the sixth of seven fics, but again, there is no need to read the others to follow each fic on its own. Mikeko being a jerk who only likes maybe three people at a time is one of my favorite random headcanons! I know I set a lot of my fics in Apollo's apartment (or Klavier's), but one of the main reasons that I do is for Mikeko and Mikeko alone. If you're looking for a Mikeko-centric fic (kind of), if you could read my mind is one of my favorite short-ish fics that I've ever written.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Likes and reblogs would be much appreciated. Hoping you’re all safe and healthy and doing well ❤️

[shinycorvidae]

How Vic and Hiro Ended Up Sharing a Brain Tapeworm

(cowritten with @smilepal)

Part 5: Vroom, Vroom Bitches We Are All Going to Hell

TW: gore, character death

Takemura leads Hiro out behind the motel, pulling a squirming, gagged and tied Deshawn out of the trunk and tossing him on the ground like a bag of rocks.

Hiro yanks the gag out.

“Deshawn.”

“Oda! Heyyy we can work this out, there's no need for this-”

“Where the FUCK is V? What did you do with her?”

He hauls the man up by his collar, and gives him a shake. Takemura had said he hadn’t needed Hiro’s help but wisely decided not to say anything. Hiro’s eyes are intent. He hasn’t interrogated someone in a long time but ingrained habits are hard to break.

“Easy, just chill man!” His hand is reflexively inching towards the gun in its holster and Hiro’s eyes dart to it--he reaches out and gets a grip around his wrist and squeezes--Takemura can hear the sound of metal crumpling and a howl from Dex.

“Start talking.”

“Alright! I’ll show you where we dumped the body! Just let go!”

He’d hoped by some miracle V had gotten away or was safe somewhere/in hiding. If anyone could pull that off it’d be her. He dropped Deshawn’s wrist--the cybernetics mangled, hanging limp

“Well? Get going.”

Find V first. Find V first. --it’s a struggle not to throw himself at the other man, to break and just keep hitting until his blood cools, but he’ll wait, can wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If there was any doubt in Hiros mind that Deshawn was going to die today, it vanished when they reached the junkyard. He can't have tossed V away, like, like she was some trash he was done with. Even he wouldn't be that stupid-

At first he doesn't even see her. Just mound after mound of garbage. Then he rounds a corner and there she is, stretched out across the ground, a couple feet away. A broken tv is hiding most of her lower body, and her face is turned away from him, but it's unmistakably her. Her blue hair is almost completely brown and matted with dried blood. She's not moving, she's not breathing, shes- She's just sprawled there as if someone had just tossed her in with the rest of the garbage.

They just tossed her. His V was dead and Dexter. Deshawn. Had disposed of her with the trash.

Hiro didn't remember when he'd dropped to his knees in front of her but he can remember getting up. The mixture of a wail and a yell as he launched himself at Deshawn. Takemura dropped the fixer, nudging him towards Hiro.

He can remember screaming at Deshawn but not what he said. And he can vividly remember the look of horror in Deshawn’s eyes as he grabbed both sides of his head and started squeezing. Deshawn had nowhere to look except directly into Hiro’s furious eyes. Deshawn’s mouth begging, scrabbling at Hiro's metal hand and arms until his nails broke.

He remembered the smell of piss as Deshawn realized he wasn't going to stop. And the final moment when Deshawn’s skull gave under his fingers. Hot blood sprayed across his face, and he didn't flinch, didn’t look away. He just took in every bit of life draining from Deshawn’s broken eyes until there was nothing left. He remembers crunching the last remnants of the skull in his hands. Pulling them out of Deshawn's cranium, and letting him drop. He remembers flicking the bone and viscera off, as one might flick errant drops of water off their hands.

He doesn't remember walking a few feet away after and dropping to the ground. He just knows he's on the ground and staring listlessly at the mound of garbage in front of him. He feels cold despite all of Deshawn's blood on him, still warm. Deshawn is dead. Jackie's dead. V's dead. What's left?

Nothing.

There's nothing left for him to hurt, to maim. There's nothing left inside him except ice creeping through his veins. He doesn't notice his hands are trembling until he looks down at them.

Takemura stands quietly, watching the younger man shake. His bloodlust was distasteful but it was in the name of loyalty and revenge. Takemura could understand that.

Unfortunate that his witness is dead, perhaps her corpse could be-

Impossible. His eyes must be desperate. He swore she just-

She's breathing.

"You. Mercenary."

The man continues staring at his hands, no sign he heard him.

"Oda."

He doesn't respond, forcing Takemura to stalk over and shake his shoulder.

"ODA!"

He raises his head and gives Takemura an empty stare.

"V. She's breathing."

Oh. So he finally snapped. It was only a matter of time. A matter of time until his heart was just too wounded to function anymore and started creating its own reality.

Takemura slaps him across the face. It hurts. This is real.

He can't move fast enough, half running, half scrambling over trash to get to V. He scrapes up his knees and it hurts, he feels hurt again because there's hope. How? She had a bullet through her-

He should have known, he should have checked, if anyone could survive this of COURSE it'd fucking be V.

He came to a sudden halt next to her and slowly lowered himself. He took her pulse, feeling it beat, slowly but surprisingly steady beneath his fingers. He turned her over, lifting her gently, gently, upright, cradling her in his arms.

Vs eyes flutter open. They’re unfocused and in pain but still have her sharp look.

"Hiro....that...."

"V, oh fuck, V shh shh just let me-"

"....better not....be your....blood."

Hiro just lets out a choked laugh, hiding a relieved sob. There's tears streaming down his face but he doesn't give a fuck. She probably won't remember this anyway.

Takemura steps up to him, and Hiro is suddenly aware of the fact that the man in front of him has been hunting V just as desperately as him and he has no clue why.

"Oda. We need to move"

Hiro covers V with his torso, snarling at Takemura.

"GET AWAY FROM US."

"You fool, I don't want to harm her! I need her alive!"

"Leave. Us. Alone."

"And how are you going to get her to a ripperdoc? I drove us!"

"...Fuck! Fine. But if you touch her-"

“I will not. We must leave quickly. Arasaka is on its way.”

“What?! How did they find us already?”

“I called them. Get in the car, this place smells like shit.”

“YOU WHAT?!”

Takemura just turns away from him and starts walking back to the car.

“GET BACK HERE YOU- fuck, hes not listening. V I’m going to have to pick you up now, alright?”

“Nova...”

Hiro gently lifts V into his arms, making sure her head is supported. V’s hand curls weakly into the fabric of his shirt. She feels so light and fragile when he's holding her like this. Has she always been so small?

The walk to the car feels long. No matter how careful he is, every step he takes jostles V’s head, causing her to flinch. Her hand stays clenched against his chest, grounding him in the fact that she's strong. V’s a survivor, she'll be fine. She has to be fine.

Easing her into the front seat of the car is easier than expected. For some reason one of Arasaka’s top soldiers drives a fucking convertible, completely open to the air. V crinkles her brow at it as Hiro secures her seatbelt.

“This. is a stupid. nrgh car.”

“You are not in a position to be complaining, thief.”

Hiro bends down to pick up Deshawn's pistol before vaulting into the backseat. V arches a brow at him. He hates pistols almost as much as she does.

“Getting the feeling I might need it in a moment here.”

“Seatbelt.”

“I think I'm going to need the mobility V. Thanks though.”

They only make it about ten minutes from the junkyard before Arasaka drops on them, materializing out of nowhere. A perfect ambush. V has faded back into unconsciousness and Takemura immediately takes a bullet to the side. Hiro does what he can to cover their asses, most of his shots going wide.

"Of course it'd be a fucking car chase. COME CLOSER YOU CORPO COWARD FUCKS, I’LL GIVE YOU MY FUCKING FIST."

Vs slight gasp of air, a barely there laugh makes Takemura study her more deeply. Her breathing is shallow and irregular, tanned skin is paler than before. And yet, her eyes track every enemy that crosses her view.

He's barely keeping the car intact. The over-muscled monkey isn't helping. Shit, he might be making it worse. They need more firepower.

"Thief. V."

Her eyes turn towards him while her body stays motionless. They're starting to glass over, focusing in and out on his face. She's fading.

"You hear me? We need your help!"

He pushes an airhypo into her hand, curling her fingers around it himself so she doesn't drop it.

V is barely here. She knows she's in a car. A strange man's driving. There's an airhypo in her hand. Why is there a hypo? There's someone screaming...what...

"I'LL RIP YOUR INNARDS OUT THROUGH YOUR THROAT YOU RAT BASTARDS!"

The voice fades again. There's an airhypo in her hand... something about Hiro. Hiro. Hiro needs help. The strange man needs help. The airhypo. It's in her hand.

Just as Takemura is about to take the hypo back and try to do it himself, V snaps into action. Her whole arm jerks out, then in, slamming the hypo into her chest.

Vs sudden loud gasp and heavy breathing distracts Hiro for a moment, eyes more focused on her than the ensuing firefight. Takemura shoves a pistol in her open hand.

Vs brow wrinkles in disgust. It may be a desperate situation but it's definitely not her favorite tool.

"Ugh."

Hiro lets out a full blown laugh, before turning back to the fight, relief and resolve coursing through him.

"Good to know you're still in there V"

Enemies start slowly dropping instead of swarming them, red holes opening up in their chests.

Hiro can finally split his focus and check on V. Keep her talking, keep her here.

"Wow, you're still a better shot than me"

V gives a small snort in response, using her second hand to steady her trembling pistol.

“Not hard."

"Wow, so much for any praise for saving your life. You're welcome."

"Who's he?"

"An ally. For now."

".... assassin."

"I know V, I know. Don't worry, I can take him"

Takemura glares at him from the corner of his eye, but there's no time for an argument.

"Go for his throat. Cyberware deactivated."

Takemura spares V a look of shock, surprised she would know. There's no visible difference, she shouldn't be able to tell.

It doesn't matter though, because a mantis bladed freak is launching himself at the hood of the car.

V manages to empty half a clip into him before Hiro launches himself over her, grabbing the freak’s blade with his palm before he can impale V on it. They wrench it free and bury it into the hood, anchoring themselves.

The second blade whips past Hiro's face, passing so close to him that a couple strands of hair are sheared off.

Takemura unloads his entire clip into the now flaming soldier.

"Die already!"

The burning freak persists, hitting Hiro with the back of the blade, throwing him into the backseat. The blade raises above V poised to slice her open. Takemura slams the accelerator.

"Hold on. Burn in hell!"

The car careens into the pole, and V loses her unsteady grip on consciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The world is on fire. Her head hurts, she can't breathe, what is....she cant-

Someone is dragging her. There's....arms around her shoulders. The fire disappears. Everything's blurry. There's voices but she can't understand them. Someone runs a hand across her cheek.

The voices get louder. They move away from her. She's not paying attention anymore. Her visions clearing. There's a bad man. He's moving. He's a threat.

Threats must be removed.

She doesn't feel the recoil but she sees her hand jump, and the bullet hit her target. The threat stops twitching.

Threat removed.

A hand closes around her gun. Trying to wrench it from her.

No. Dropping your weapon is death.

V pulls it back, refusing to surrender this fight. She has to hold the line.

"V. It's okay, you can let go."

Hiro. He....He can take over.

He'll protect the clan. She can let go now.

The gun falls from her hand.

"Don't you dare faint again."

Someone tries shaking her but it's so far away.

"V. V, stay with me. Keep your eyes on me, please-"

She's so tired. The clan is safe. She can rest now.

"V!"

[gleekto]

Full Fic: Even Better Than the Real Thing

Words: 18,295 (how did that happen?)

Full fic now on AO3

Summary: College AU/Famous!Blaine and Fanboy!Kurt - Kurt POV

Kurt really doesn’t have time to figure out the dating world between being a freshman at prestigious theatre school, LAADA,  and his active but secret blogging life in the Sing!Fandom. So what if Sing! ended last year? There are still fics to read and actors to follow. Especially the uber talented heartthrob lead, Blaine Anderson. He can act. He can sing. He can even dance. He’s gay. He’s out. And he’s only 24. Kurt is willing to twiddle his thumbs and click refresh until Blaine Anderson’s next project.

He just didn’t expect the next project to be on his roommate Rachel’s new TV show.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12

Even Better than the Real Thing (13/13)

They decide to tell Rachel first. Aside from being the obvious choice, she would be a nightmare if she ever found out she was second shrift to anyone in Kurt’s life. He would definitely not be able to handle her moping around the apartment wondering if he even really considered her a friend in the first place - last week he finishes her oat milk, this week, he’s dating her co-star and she’s the last to know. Of course, in this scenario he never had any of her oat milk, and she wouldn’t be the last to know, but regardless, not telling her first certainly wouldn’t be worth the headache.

“So you think we should just let her walk in on us?” They’re still lying half naked in Kurt’s bed hours after their “reunion”, Blaine lying on his front, Kurt on his back, with Blaine’s butt as his pillow. “I mean she should be home in what - 20 minutes?”

“Oh shit,” Kurt looks at his watch. “More like 10. And I think my breakfast dishes are still sitting on the table.”

They scramble to put on clothes, quickly make Kurt’s bed, and Kurt amusedly watches Blaine try to figure out how to arrange his throw pillows, while he finishes cleaning up his dishes. By the time Rachel waltzes in the front door, they’re sitting across from each other at the kitchen island, each with a cup of hot lemon tea, and trying to look casual.

“Hi Kurt. I have had the busiest day. Let me tell you I’m completely exhausted-” Rachel finally looks up and sees them. “Blaine?” Kurt can feel Rachel trying to come up with a way to phrase her obvious question.

“Hey Rachel,” Blaine smirks, amused, but doesn’t offer any explanation. Kurt kicks him under the table. “Ow.”

“So you’re um-” Rachel purses her lips. “Both feeling better now, I take it?”

“Much better,” Blaine smirks again. 

“Okay yes,” Kurt huffs. “We are feeling better and we are,” Kurt motions between Blaine and himself. “Yes.”

“Yes?” Rachel claps her hands excitedly. “This is so great - can you imagine the PR headlines for the show?” Kurt glares at her and she stops. At least for the moment. “I mean, I’m very happy for you. So anyways. You have my blessing.” Kurt laughs out loud.

“Thank you?” Blaine looks at her suspiciously.

“Well, Kurt is my best friend and I do have inside knowledge that you are a good kisser.” Now Blaine laughs out loud. “So may you be blessed with all that goodness.”

“Oh I will be,” Kurt says and Rachel at least looks slightly embarrassed. So he’ll take it as a win.

...

The fun part is telling Mercedes - it’s always so satisfying to have her approval. They FaceTime her.

“You look better,” She notices right away.

“I am,” Kurt beams, Blaine standing behind the computer out of her view. “We talked and-”

“And?” Her eyes go wide.

“And, yeah,” Kurt shakes his head still in a bit of disbelief. We’re seeing what happens.” She squeals in the best way. “And actually,” Kurt smiles even wider, “There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.” Kurt’s favourite part is watching Mercedes’ jaw drop as Blaine saunters into the frame.

“Hey Mercedes,” He smiles his warm smile. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“And you, Mr. Blaine Anderson.” Mercedes smiles reflexively shaking her head back and forth. “I am just - wow. Hello.” Kurt remembers being starstruck. It feels like a long time ago.

“No need to be so formal,” Blaine dismisses. “Kurt just calls me Mr. Anderson.”

“You wish,” Kurt elbows him in the side.

“And he even has a sense of humour,” Mercedes is still smiling dumbly.

“Well, maybe next time we’re alone,” Blaine whispers so only Kurt can hear and he gets elbowed even harder, Kurt trying to remain casual.

“So we do need to ask you not to mention this - or any of our future hang outs - on your blog,” Kurt adds, half in jest all in earnest. 

Mercedes nods but Blaine chimes in, “Though if you did say that you had a friend who met me, and that I do have a much better sense of style than Colin Red, I would appreciate it.”

“You did get yourself a comedian, Kurt.”

“My style is better,” Blaine huffs.

“And you can mention that ‘your friend’ said the guy Blaine was with was at least a 9/10,” Kurt says.

“You mean a 10?”

“Aren’t you sweet,” Mercedes nods at Kurt, impressed.

“You think I would date a 9? Please. It will all be confirmed when I talk to my publicist, anyways,” Blaine says nonchalantly.

“Your publicist?” Mercedes and Kurt repeat at the same time. Mercedes in shock, Kurt curious.

“Just give me five minutes.”

...

Who is the pretty face having coffee with Sing!’s favorite heartthrob? You asked  and JustJay has the answers. His name is Kurt Hummel and we have got the SCOOP! 

Kurt laughs as he clicks on the link the next morning. Blaine had spoken to his publicist for a total of five minutes and said a sum total of seven words. Kurt Hummel...Dating...19...LAADA...Rachel’s roommate.

Sorry to any of the hopeful fans out there. Blaine Anderson of Sing! and That’s So Rachel fame, officially confirmed that he is off the market. At least for now. He is dating Kurt Hummel - and he’s his co-star’s roommate. Awkward!

But good luck to the happy new couple!

And that’s it. Kurt Hummel is dating Blaine Anderson. And some of the more ‘high end’ entertainment bloggers note that Blaine requests privacy about his personal life at this time. At least that way they can decline couple selfies when a fan sees them out to eat.

...

Kurt isn’t able to see Blaine again until the weekend, thanks to a lengthy  location shoot. He has the week to catch up on his school work, only being mildly distracted by Blaine’s flirty texts - He laughs out loud to his empty apartment when a pic of Blaine shirtless in his trailer, with the top of his boxers showing above his jeans, pops up. 

Blaine: Finally gets to see me shirtless whenever he wants.

What an ego. 

Kurt: Definitely not as often as I want.

Kurt is pretty sure that’s what makes Blaine come right back to Kurt’s apartment with Rachel that Friday, rather than at least dropping his bag off at home first. “First weeks of dating are always the hardest,” Blaine says as he shuts Kurt’s bedroom door and pulls Kurt on top of him and kisses him long and slow. 

Kurt pulls back. “The hardest?”

“Mmmm,” Blaine mouths along his neck. “Very hard not to want to be naked all the time.” Kurt can’t really argue with that. Despite his sense of romance, he definitely does not want to go out right now.  

It doesn’t take them very long to shed their clothes and crawl into Kurt’s bed to wrap around each other. Then it slows down as if in slow motion. The last time they were together was desperate - Kurt was surprised and nervous and unsure of what was happening. Now he’s calm (in a horny sort of way) and he lets Blaine wrap around him as Blaine explores his body - the sensitive spot two inches under his armpit, the strip below his belly, even his balls which Blaine cups in his hands. He moans in appreciation and Blaine likes it. He likes it too.

He lets Blaine finger him open that night while Blaine gives him a blowjob and it doesn’t even feel like a thing. Kurt is on his back and Blaine is sinking up and down on him, wet and slow, slurping in a sort of grotesque satisfaction. Kurt lifts his knees up to see what might happen andBlaine pops off momentarily and stares at Kurt’s open legs, then stares at his eyes as he grabs the lube. When Kurt nods, Blaine sinks back down and touches him so effortlessly that Kurt forgets to be nervous. Light presses turn to one finger, then two. In and out.  So many sensations and then he’s coming in Blaine’s mouth.

There is just something very easy about being with Blaine Anderson.

...

Rachel is the one who convinces them to do the interview. 

They’ve been dating uneventfully for half a year when That’s So Rachel gets renewed for a second season. Other than the occasional photo request or silly headline - Blaine Anderson buys some strawberries while out for a walk with his beau - Kurt feels like he’s having a pretty regular first relationship. They spend several nights a week together, but not every night, they see plays, bake cookies, hang out, have spectacular sex thanks to Blaine’s well honed skills (It’s not my skills, it’s you, Blaine says over and over but Kurt still thinks he’s indulging him). Tumblr seems like a distant memory though Mercedes tells him there is an active RPF fandom writing fics about them  - Klaine, she says. What on earth is a klaine? And he’s still acing all his classes.

Then one day the request comes from good old JustJay, and Rachel is all in.

“It will be such great publicity for our new season,” Rachel insists. “The true love behind the show. Come on, you know it will be fun.”

Kurt definitely does not know that. Neither does Blaine. But they give in mostly because Rachel is pure enthusiasm and what really is the harm? So they find themselves sitting on a little couch in JustJay’s small rented studio, arms crossed on their laps like the little old couples in When Harry Met Sally.

“It’s true. He was a fan,” Blaine confirms. “Of my first TV show, Sing!”

“That’s his false modesty talking. I was a fan of Sing! But mostly, I was a fan of Blaine Anderson - young, out, gay. Not bad looking,” Kurt teases. “But I was Rachel’s friend and roommate long before I knew anything about them working together.”

“It was serendipity,” Blaine squeezes his hand and the camera pans in. Kurt can just imagine the fics that will come out of this.

“It was random luck.”

Blaine continues, “We have a lot in common - growing up gay in Ohio, love of musical theatre. We even both sang in show choirs. I’d never date a fan, though.”

“But,” Kurt continues his sentence. “When we met through Rachel, I was too embarrassed to admit I knew who he was. I was just trying to get through a five minute awkward conversation with my celebrity crush without making  a fool of myself.”

“But I wouldn’t let him go.”

“He wouldn’t let me go.”

And the rest is history.

[spaceorphan18]

What do you think about Kurt and Blaine’s chemistry in season 5? for some reason I’ve always felt like it was really off in the New York arc. I’m not sure whether it was the fact that the writers were only giving Klaine tension instead of happy moments or whether it was due to Darren/Chris, or if I’m just imagining it. Kurt just definitely seemed so cold during that period of time.

You know, I kinda figured I’d get this question eventually, lol.  

So - let’s talk about the New York Arc and Advanced Television Production.  

This question has /layers/ lol. 

For a simple answer, so you can check out if you’d like, I think their chemistry was fine, I think production was super rushed and flimsy at points, and I don’t really think Chris or Darren had anything to do what you might feel is /off/ but since actors are the face of the show, they get the brunt of the feedback.  

For a longer answer (and I mean long) follow under the cut! 

So, among being an avid fan of film production where I’ve picked up a lot of the industry knowledge (to which I’m not very -- just a fan) I’ve been listening a lot to The Office Ladies podcast, and they’ve been bringing some stuff up that I think is important to remember about film and tv production.  There are a lot of parts that go into it.  There’s the writer’s intentions, the director’s vision, the editor’s cut, the producer’s needs, and the actor’s performances.  And between those things - the show becomes what it is.  

1. The writing - The writing of Klaine in the New York Arc makes more sense when you look at the thing as a whole within context.  Kurt and Blaine were headed down a path towards a break up.  Kurt felt like he was losing his individuality and wasn’t communicating that well to Blaine, there were also some unresolved issues due to the previous break up, and the fact that Kurt was so stubborn on his stance about marriage.  Meanwhile, Blaine was so insecure, he depended on his relationship to mend those feelings, and tried to preserve that perfect feeling instead admitting that he needed help and the relationship wasn’t perfect.  

I’m oversimplifying, there are a lot more complex parts going on but neither of them were truly happy despite them feeling grown up adults in the city of their dreams.   The point being that they needed some time apart to grow up and mature a little to understand what being in an adult relationship means (explored more in season 6 after the break up).  

One of the problems, in general, with the writing is that it was so focused on the more dramatic moments of the Klaine story, we didn’t get to see much happy down time or times when they did work better.  This is a fault of Glee in general being a story about big moments and broad brushstrokes rather than zeroing in on the nuances of a complex relationship.  

2. The direction - believe it or not, the actors are kind of vessels for what production needs them to be.  Chris and Darren are both professionals (I’ll get to them in a minute) and if the director wanted more angst he’d give them another take.  Ultimately - the director makes the call whether or not he’s happy with how the scene is playing out.  If the directors weren’t happy with Chris or Darren’s performance, they would have done it over again.  

3. Editing - so, I’ve studied Glee long enough as an artform to now have paid attention to things like editing.  And let me say this -- I have long had issues with the way this show is edited.  I’ll have to do a separate post on it if you really want it, but let’s say -- how you put together a TV show from various takes makes a huge difference.  And by season five, the editing was choppy and often misleading.  Part of it is because the scripts weren’t great.  Part of it is because at this point I think they were under pressure to get things done in a short amount of time.  And part of it is, I believe, by season 5, most of production didn’t have their hearts invested as much as they used to.  

This goes and in hand with... 

4. General production -- I do think this context is important.  A beloved member of their family - Cory Monteith - had just passed away.  That is /hard/.  It’s hard to work around, it’s hard to write around, it’s hard to produce a show when someone you care for just isn’t there anymore.  On top of that - Glee was not as popular as it once was.  They were probably getting pressure from the network to do the show with less money, which meant less time to do all the normal production stuff -- and because glee had to incorporate things like musical performances, they were always pressed for time, which can cause sloppy production values.  

5. Notes from the Network - there are always some -- I have no idea what they were, and what the network insisted they had to change, but the network always hand some kind of hand in shaping the show for better or worse. 

6. Chris and Darren -- okay, let’s talk about this, even though I’m a little over this one, cause I’m tired of the two of them getting blamed for things - especially in season 5. 

First of all, I don’t know either of them personally.  And I think it’s unfair to speak for them.  Unless they come out and say specifically how they felt about that time period, I would say take this analysis with a grain of salt.  

No. I don’t think Chris was checked out.  I’ve often said that Chris’s time on Glee is a lot like going to college.  Sometimes it can be the best times! Sometimes it can be the worst.  I know when I finished, I just wanted it to be done and over so I could move on with my life.  I do think Chris was tired of certain aspects of the show -- I think he was tired of having to grow up on camera and in the media.  I think he was tired of people constantly thinking he was dating his costar when he (clearly) was not.  And both he and Darren were vocal about not really wanting Kurt and Blaine to get married (or being boring in the background of scenes). 

Do I think he hated his job? No.  Do I think he hated Klaine? No(ish).  I think he wished Kurt had his own story line, and I do think both he and Darren actually enjoyed the heavier emotional stuff they were getting by the time season 5 came around.  I also think that Chris does not want to be known as Kurt nor as one half of a popular TV couple because it impedes on his individuality.  And I also think Chris was ready to move onto other things in his life.  

Do I think that bleed into the show? No, I really do not.  I think Chris knew how the season was going to play out - and played it accordingly.  

(As an aside - I want to point out that Kurt during the NYC Arc is generally unhappy with more than just Blaine.  And in fact, I’d argue, he’s more irritated with Rachel at any given point than he is with Blaine.  Go watch Old Dogs New Tricks again -- he could have stuck it to Darren/Blaine, he did not.  He stuck it to Lea.  But that’s a completely different topic for later.)  

Meanwhile, Darren! So, I’m going to preface this by saying -- I love Darren, I really do, and under good circumstances, he can be a great actor.  And he has some just stellar moments in the NYC Arc.  He also has some not so great ones, too - and out of the two of them Darren wavers in acting quality during this time period.  I promise, it’s not a slam on Darren (I do love him!) but there’s some over-acting (and a little underacting) that’s going on, which doesn’t help much. 

Also, I want to point out, that a lot of issues Chris was vocal about concerning Klaine, Darren had as well, he was just better about being diplomatic to the fans about it.  He also wasn’t (as) bothered as Chris was about the whole tinhat thing (unless it involved verbally assaulting Mia, which then he put his foot down - yes that happened.) 

So.... let’s talk a little about the episodes in NYC Arc and hit up some of the problem points, shall we? 

New New York 

The biggest issue people always seem to have with this one is the performance of You Make Me Feel So Young - which is off putting out of context.  They’re supposed to be happily living together, right?? What’s going on?? Well, we’re a good nine months after Blaine moved in, it’s the morning after the bedbug scare where they were up half the night, and Kurt is a person who just needs his space and they’re living in a place that doesn’t have any walls. On top of that - Blaine is pushing a little hard on his fantasy of wanting to be an old married couple already. I’m not surprised Kurt isn’t all roses and daisies about it.  

Am I sad we didn’t get to see the first few months of sunshine and rainbows? Yes absolutely! They definitely allude to the fact that they’re having a lot of sex -- and I’m sure there were a ton of sexy times in the beginning. But living in one room with five-ish other people is not fun, especially for someone who needs alone time and space to recharge.  Or someone who just wants to have sexy times with his fiance and can’t because roommates.  

No, You Make Me Feel So Young isn’t the most feels-y, but I’ll also argue that Kurt isn’t the most checked out either.  There are moments in there where Kurt is genuinely happy and having fun messing around with Blaine.  And the point of the song is that they are young and shouldn’t be singing that dumb-ass song about being old marrieds anyway.  

The other thing is the whole Blaine moving out stuff.  Which... is entirely because it propels the plot of everything else going on, not because logic.  I do not really believe any young, engaged couple wouldn’t kick their friends out to their other friends house if that was an option so they could be together. But the show needed Kurt and Rachel to remain living together so Kurt could continue to be Rachel’s emotional prop.  Whatever. And they wanted to set up the ending where Blaine moved back in again as a full circle moment (even though they end up breaking up again, lol I’ll get to it.) 

So writing nonsense aside, I think they handled the important scene at the end of the episode really, really well.  It’s one of my favorite Klaine scenes because it’s a time when Kurt actually expresses what’s in his heart - that he’s conflicted because he’s figuring out that love is not all you need to make a relationship work and he doesn’t know how to navigate that -- or if ultimately, the relationship is what he wants.  But, it is, and his saying that his relationship with Blaine is one of the most precious things in his life is one of the strongest affirmations about anything that Kurt ever gives.  Happy or not happy in that moment, Kurt values his relationship with Blaine above everything - and will protect what he thinks the relationship means at all costs -- even if it means breaking his own heart in the process.  

Bash

This episode is a mess, and the weakest written episode of the arc.  It’s essentially two very different plot lines unevenly stapled together.  Kurt being bashed doesn’t get enough screen time, and it ends up being a morality tale for Rachel rather than delving into the impact it has on the actual gay members of the group.  Blaine’s POV is very limited, which is a shame because there’s an entire story there they really should have told.  

I’m using the still above to show that, yes, as awkward as the set up the scene above is - Kurt’s happy to see Blaine when he enters.  

Why is Kurt so cold during the scene where they lay flowers at the dude’s attack scene?  I don’t think he is? I think he’s recovering from getting the shit beaten out of him, and I’m under the impression that they guy actually died in the initial shooting of the scene and they changed it in post to have him live.  On top of that - Blaine’s feeling clingy because he almost lost the person whom his entire self worth is relying on at the moment.  

Tested

Tested is super, super complicated, and I’m just not going to rehash it here... again.  Please read my meta on this one - I do go incredibly in depth on it.  

I will say this -- Tested is an episode that is densely packed, and relies on subtext to tell a lot of its story.  While I love this episode, the episode needed to be 100% focused on Klaine to really do the stories they were telling justice, and a lot of it is up to interpretation.  

The biggest push back I always get on this one is the ending, and Kurt seeming ‘cold’ here.  And I’ll say this -- You can love a person deeply, and still be as affirming as you can, and still be upset about how they were treating you.  You can be sympathetic to their plights and frustrated that these conversations keep having to be had.  Blaine’s insecurities are feeling heavy to Kurt -- that is a part of being in a relationship, that is a part of being in an adult relationship.  Your prince and knight in shining armor is going to eventually be a human being with problems that you can’t always solve.  And sometimes that is tiring - no matter how much you love a person.  

Opening Night

There is zero Klaine in this episode - because it’s Rachel’s episode, and Kurt was needed as the gay best friend emotional prop.  Do I think there was an missed opportunity to show Kurt and Blaine happily dancing together at the club? I do! But I don’t think it has anything to do with any interpretation of their characters.  I think they told the actors to go have fun - and they did. 

The Back Up Plan

I don’t necessarily have any major faults with this episode, nor have I heard much push back against it?  Out of all of the episodes - this is the one where I do have some minor quibbles with acting, some of it being from Darren not clicking Blaine on for ten seconds or so at the beginning, and some of it from Chris being over-the-top in a few places, but nothing that fully takes me out of it.  Neither of them are being different in scenes with each other than they are in scenes with other people.  And there are some really solid Klaine moments in the episode itself.   

Old Dogs, New Tricks

AKA The one that Chris wrote.  Here’s my thing...  there isn’t very much Blaine in this episode (wisely so).  I think a) Chris wanted to write Kurt a story line that didn’t involve Blaine so Kurt could have a story line that didn’t have Blaine -- and that’s fine and valid and b) I don’t think he wanted the pressure of writing for Blaine, so wisely didn’t have him in it much. 

He wrote a very sweet Klaine moment that incorporated the overall story.  I have no complaints.  And I’ll add -- Chris (purposely so I assume) directed all the passive-aggressive writer-y things towards Rachel.  I do believe if he ultimately was having issues with Darren (or Blaine) he would have had zero compulsion about bringing that into the script. 

The Untitled Rachel Berry Project

Do people have issues with this one? -- I really only have one, and that’s the end of the scene referenced above with the still.  And it’s a good example of how I think production effects story.  This is a beautiful scene, until the last few beats.  We have this big emotional moment for Klaine -- and then it’s capped with a really dumb joke about Blaine being the luckiest guy in the world and a throwaway, badly edited kiss (scored to some upbeat, tacky scoring).  If it were me - I’d let the emotion of the scene continue, let the boys stay on the steps, let them kiss in an emotionally driven moment, and then they can go run up stairs to have sex and not make a joke about being turned on by birds.  The last ‘joke’ can be left on the cutting room floor because it’s really not needed.  But Glee being a ‘comedy’ felt the need to cap the moment before the break with a joke because it’s Glee.  

See what I mean? That’s not Chris or Darren’s fault.  That’s one part writing, one part directing/editing, and one part my opinion of it not working.  

Otherwise, I really don’t have issues with this particular episode. 

I’ll say this though -- a) Kurt is incredibly happy to have Blaine move back in and that means something.  b) the reason this is left on such an upbeat note, and not necessarily foreboding of what’s coming next season is that there was a real chance they weren’t getting a next season -- and they wanted to make sure the characters ended in happy places in case this was the series finale.  c) we were shortchanged two episodes from this season -- who knows what more they could have developed if the had had more time. 

*****

I don’t know if any of this helps (or if any of my additional meta helps) but I suppose I’ll say this -- I’ve meta’d these episodes so much that I see the cracks in the production, but I don’t really take issue with them anymore.  I like the story being told, and all things considered, I don’t think it’s all that bad.  

I think one thing to keep in mind is how Glee tells stories in general.  Are the couples happy? Well, then they’re in the background not doing anything.  Are they having conflict? Yes - well that’s front and center.  Also, keep in mind that Glee prefers telling stories about couples getting together more than them being together (or breaking up).  We start season 6 after the break up, and even season 4′s break up happens at the beginning of the season - why? Cause Glee loves writing angst-y couples who eventually get together in a big moment.  

And I’ll add to that -- did you notice that Sam and Mercedes go through a similar arc as Klaine during the NYC arc? No really - do you know why Mercedes breaks it off with Sam? Because their lives are just in different places and she wants to preserve her good feelings for Sam -- and that’s very similar to Kurt’s reasons at the beginning of season 6.  

No - this season isn’t happy, flirtiness of Kurt in season 2 (and I’ll argue that was Kurt’s story - not Blaine’s, and it’s also somewhat flimsy in structure when considering the love story aspect of it).  It’s not the background moments of season 3 - because they’re together, and there’s not a classroom to be backgrounds of.  (Could they have done a little more in the group scenes? Sure - but it’s not that bad.)  It’s not the angst fest of seasons 4 and 6.  And not helping is the fact that the first half of season 5 really had very little Klaine development at all.  

so, back to the beginning, I feel like the story they wanted to tell was about Klaine having conflict and resolving said conflict, and getting them to grow into an adult relationship.  Do I wish there were more happier times to balance that out? Of course I do! Do I feel like there’s a lack of chemistry or that Chris and/or Darren are to blame? Absolutely not.  Hope this helps a little Nonny - and feel free to ask me about specific moments if you need to <3 

[blouisparadise]

Here is a list of amazing bottom Louis fics that were posted or completed during the month of December. Between the first month of the Bottom Louis Fic Fest and all the other fics that authors posted throughout the month, it’s clear that this was a great way to end off a great year of bottom Louis fics! We really hope you enjoy this list.

Happy reading, and have a Happy New Year!

1) The One Where Harry Fucks Louis While Wearing A Ballerina Dress  | Mature | 1440 words

So now here he is, Harry Styles, one of the biggest pop stars of this generation, about to head on national tv with a ballerina dress and an hard on. Life truly is amazing.

2) A XXX-Mas Miracle | Explicit | 2078 words

Harry's favorite camboy is doing something special for Christmas. He can't exactly miss it, can he? Absolutely not.

3) Pretty, Pretty Lights | Explicit | 2827 words

It's the first time Harry and Louis have been home for Christmas together since their parents got married. More importantly, it's the first time they've been home together since they'd presented. They meet up under the glowing lights of the Christmas tree.

4) Fine Line | Explicit | 3281 words

This is just a tiny fanfiction that in my head was really just a Survival Instinct spin off, but then became a thing of its own.

5) Starlight In Your Eyes Of Blue | Mature | 4360 words

Harry is in New York while Louis is back home at London waiting for Harry’s return. Unfortunately, Harry may be unable to come back home in time for Christmas and most importantly—Louis’ birthday. Louis can’t wait any longer to be in a bed that’s no longer empty but in the end it changes.

6) Christmas Glows With Love | Explicit | 4837 words

Harry, a photographer, is taking photos for a porn magazine cover. Louis, a solo porn star, is up for just about anything!

7) When You Touch Me, Paint Me Like A Van Gogh | Explicit | 4866 words

There's a cricket in the room.

Louis is pulled from a hazy dream state by the startling knowledge that there's a cricket in his room.

(Harry has been away for a month. He comes home to Louis in the middle of the night - dramatics and smut ensue.)

8) Have A Little Bit Of Pride | Mature | 5906 words

They had talked about going to pride together since they started dating 3 years, but had always been too busy during the month of June to make the move to actually go, but this year they had convinced the boys to go so they cleared their schedule to take part in as many activities as they could.

Or Harry is Louis' really hot boyfriend who keeps getting flirted with at pride, so Louis confronts Harry. Sex ensues.

9) Somebody Gets Hurt | Explicit | 6796 words

Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles have been romantically linked for years. The couple threaten their careers after trying to amuse themselves on a slow day.

10) My Little Omega | Mature | 8339 words

Harry Styles is a well-known boxer that happens to be an alpha. He also happens to be in love with his omega neighbor, Louis.

11) Lights, Camera, Acción (You Can Be My Daddy) | Explicit | 8845 words

Basically, Louis is a slutty little camboy and Harry fucks him. It's literally just porn and the plot is only there to connect the smut scenes.

12) Should Be, Meant To Be | Explicit | 9174 words

Prompt #65: Louis signs up for a Sugar Daddy dating website on a drunken dare. He forgets for a while, until one night he gets a notification for a message request from none other than his really hot (really rich) boss, Harry Styles.

13) Winter Night Traveler | Explicit | 9398 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

A dangerous snowstorm leaves Louis stranded in his cabin. Lucky for him, he gets an unexpected visitor...

14) Call If You Need Me | Mature | 9419 words

If anyone asks later on, Louis plans to tell them that it’s all Niall’s fault.

15) The Time is Now for Me And You | Explicit | 9944 words

Note: This fic included because it is part of the Bottom Louis Fic Fest, but the main pairing is Liam/Louis rather than Harry/Louis.

Louis inhales shakily and then buries his face into the crook of Liam’s neck and cries. Liam just holds him close, keeping his hand moving lightly along Louis’ spine to let him know that he’s here and that he will be alright, despite Liam not knowing what’s going on.

It doesn’t take longer than a few minutes of crying before Louis extracts himself from Liam’s embrace, seemingly having collected himself enough to not break down again.

“Do you wanna tell me what all this is about?” Liam asks gently, keeping a gentle hand on Louis’ arm.

“We broke up.”

or; Liam is a weenie and Louis is a mess.

16) By the Still Of Your Hand | Mature | 10630 words

Louis has a little insecurity, Harry makes him feel better about it.

17) If My Heart Was A Compass, You'd Be North | Mature | 11121 words

Louis is a famous travel vlogger, and Harry is a famous vlogging food critic. They travel the world with their best friends and fall more in love with every continent they step foot on. When Louis' love declaration threatens Harry's dreams of giving Louis the perfect proposal, craziness ensues.

18) Foolishly Laying Our Hearts On The Table | Explicit | 11262 words

The one where Harry is in love with his best friend Louis but doesn't think he stands a chance until some wisdom teeth and a rather unusual confession might just change his mind.

19) Pour Decisions | Explicit | 12203 words

Prompt 80: AU where drunk!Louis fills out a fake job application for hot boss Harry Styles, including lurid details about his ‘desired position’ and ‘qualifications,’ and accidentally submits that instead of the real one.

20) Wrap Me Up In Your Love | Explicit | 13223 words

Every time Louis tries to tell Harry his big news, they always get interrupted. Louis becomes increasingly more frustrated as Harry becomes more confused about his Omega’s behavior. Or the one where Louis is pregnant and keeps getting interrupted in the most obscure ways every time he tries to tell Harry.

21) Just A Little Taste | Explicit | 13257 words

Louis works at The Blind Bat as a bartender during one of the busier times of the night. Typically, there’s one bartender on duty, his best mate Niall Horan, but Louis steps in to help with the demand. There’s always someone who needs a drink, a menu, or something to replenish their energy. He also has to look out of the humans who willingly allow vampires to feed on them. He’s quite protective of the regulars who come to get their kicks with a quick drink and a bite. A vampire’s bite, and the rush of endorphins that come with it, can be addicting. He should know.

22) Wake Me Up With It | Mature | 13699 words

The one where Louis makes Harry tell him a kink he's never gotten to try out, and then he offers to do it with him, which leads to Harry's heart exploding afterward when Louis seems to have meant it as a one-time thing. Featuring a pining Harry, a scared Louis, and excessive use of the word baby.

23) You'll Be Home For Christmas | Not Rated | 15214 words

“Honesty, Lou, just ask Harry for help.”

Louis remained silent as he continued to scowl at the Christmas calendar Niall had hung on their refrigerator.

“And be nice to my calendar filled with holiday cheer,” Niall instructed. “You’re going to burn a fucking hole in it from the way you’re glaring at the innocent thing. It’s not the calendar’s fault that your heat is starting so close to Christmas.”

24) Everything I Do | Explicit | 16390 words

Harry’s ready, has been for a while now, and he’s fairly certain Louis is too, it just hasn’t been on the top of their priority list. There have been offhand mentions, a comment here and there, more in jest than anything, no serious discussion or consideration. Harry stands up straighter, a stomach-churning thought forming in his mind. Has Louis been waiting for him to ask?

OR the one where Harry finds a book of Elizabethan courtship rituals which sets in motion a series of events that can lead to only one conclusion.

25) Don't Call Me Angel | Mature | 16648 words

Manhattan is a dangerous playground for the rich and entitled Alphas of New York. Those same wealthy Alphas are robbed after spending one night in the presence of a blue-eyed Omega and Officer Styles is assigned to the case.

26) Paint Me A Literature Of Love | Explicit | 18513 words

Harry loves literature. It also just so happens he falls in love with a painter who is the perfect subject for prose and poetry.

Louis loves art, specifically acrylic. It seems perfectly fitting that he finds a man that inspires him to paint with all the colours in his supply.

27) Sweeter Still When We're Alone  | Explicit | 20066 words

Louis is looking up at him, eyes glazed over and fucked out. His hair is a mess and Harry truly feels like he’s fallen under Louis’ spell.

“That’s right, you little witch,” he groans. He grabs the back of Louis’ hair and pulls it so that his head is tilted so far back that they’re barely centimetres apart, breathing in the same air. Harry closes his eyes and moves closer.

Nobody ever tells you that love potions taste like cherries.

28) Absolutely Smitten | Mature | 20121 words

Adopting Clifford was a way for Louis to finally cope with his loneliness, as a lively dog would spice up his life and his boring daily routine. Now, he surely didn’t expect Clifford to lead him to meet one strange man obsessed with his cat that he walks and cooks with.

Somehow, Louis falls in love pretty fast along the way.

Or. Louis is walking his dog. Harry is walking his cat. Leashes get tangled, and feelings too.

29) Ready To Fall | Explicit | 21220 words

“Ninety and rising,” Nick says triumphantly, as though making Harry’s heartbeat pick up by thrusting an obscenely attractive person in front of his face is any kind of success. “Louis Tomlinson has just walked into our control room and suddenly our dear Harry Styles has lost all ability to speak. Could this be some kind of strange coincidence?”

“I hate you,” Harry hisses, forcing his eyes back into Nick’s direction, uncaring that the mic must have picked it up. “I thought we agreed that you were going to play fair.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nick denies, except he’s holding up a picture of Louis’ face now, sharp cheekbones prominent, soft lashes nearly sweeping against his cheeks as he looks down, and his fucking mouth –

“A hundred and two!” Nick crows, all but clapping his hands together in glee. “The highest it’s ever been!”

“To be fair, I did bend over the desk on purpose,” Louis’ voice comes crackling in the headphones. Harry practically breaks his neck whipping his head around at the sound of it, gaping at him through the glass panel. “You can’t really blame him for getting a little excited about that, can you?”

30) Written In The Stars (That's You And Me) | Explicit | 22632 words

Louis pushes himself up on one elbow and stretches enough to just barely trace his fingertips over Harry’s jawline. Harry’s eyes drop to track his movements as he does it again. “D’you feel that?” he whispers.

To him, it feels like all of the universe’s magic lives just beneath his skin when he touches Harry with intent. It feels like something special. Louis watches Harry’s lips part and wants to touch that too. He almost does, but then Harry shakes his head. “Feel what?”

Written for the prompt: Louis is a funny and bratty psychic and Harry is set on proving he's a scam.

31) Bloom | Explicit | 24887 words

When they first meet at Harry’s flower truck, Harry falls hard but Louis’ unavailable. Only before long, Harry reignites a spark that Louis thought long forgotten.

32) Swept Me Off My Feet (Took My Heart And Took Me Down) | Explicit | 25447 words

When Louis had decided to reopen his mother's bakery, he never thought a charming alpha would walk in through the door, let alone fall in love with him over tea, dessert and music.

33) The World Is Vast  | Explicit | 25858 words

“I hate this. I fucking hate this so fucking much.” Harry began to cry. “She was only 17 for fuck’s sake. She had her whole life ahead of her! She should be researching colleges and skipping school to hang out at the mall. She should be playing with her little brothers and helping her mother in the kitchen with dinner. This is bullshit! Complete bullshit! I thought I could do this, I thought…”

He didn’t finish his sentence. Instead he kicked the brick wall before collapsing against it, his head back, rain beating against his face, mixing with his tears.

They stood in silence for a few moments before Harry looked to Louis. He saw the same sadness and sorrow as the night before. He felt the same connection, the same feeling that he and Louis were alike - both broken looking to belong.

Or - The Killing Au.

34) Ours Are The Moments I Play In The Dark | Mature | 30830 words

Jane Austen's Persuasion AU. Nine years ago Louis Tomlinson was persuaded to break off his engagement to Harry Styles, a poor sailor. Since then Louis has come to regret being so easily convinced to give up his one chance of happiness. Now Louis' family is in debt and his childhood home is being sold. In a complete reversal of fortune, Harry has returned to England a wealthy bachelor looking to settle down. Events conspire to bring them together once more though Louis is- must surely be- the last man on earth that Captain Styles would think of now.

35) Building Me Up (But Buttercup, You Lied) | Explicit | 31007 words

Harry’s mouth felt dry just saying those words. What he had with Louis was so much more than a simple ‘fuck buddies’ situation. It was slow kisses in the morning between soft sheets and shy smiles, it was holding hands in the afternoon while walking and eating ice cream. It was breakfast for dinner, laughing and licking honey from each other’s lips as they shared goals and even some secrets, it was happiness, it was glow.

To Harry, what he had with Louis meant everything. Until Louis decided it meant nothing.

36) From The Start | Explicit | 32171 words

Louis has no idea that one act of kindness will cause his life to spiral out of control. But that's what happens when his new friend fake proposes to him and a video of it goes viral.

37) Listen To Your Heart  | Explicit | 35019 words

Louis has always been comfortable being Harry’s one and only. When Harry starts to branch out, Louis has a hard time letting him go.

Harry is very lucky to have someone who listens to what he has to say, despite the fact that he’s deaf. He’s finally feeling like he’s coming into himself, but Louis seems bothered by his newfound confidence.

38) Every Lonely Place | Explicit | 38062 words

Facing the fact that he’s been prioritizing his career over his relationship, Harry proposes to his longtime boyfriend Louis on a whim. But when yet another work emergency takes precedence over their plans, Louis decides he’s had enough. Harry goes to bed drunk and alone, and when he wakes, he finds himself in an entirely different world. Over and over again, Harry visits a lifetime he’s once lived, across time and dimensions. And wherever there’s a Harry Styles, there’s a Louis Tomlinson.

39) Now That This Old World Is Ending | Explicit | 49184 words

Needing a good distraction from his broken heart, Louis Tomlinson goes on a camping trip with his friends to Northern England. However, a different kind of distraction arises when his friends disappear from their camp. Hellbent on finding them, Louis soon discovers that the area has been taken over by a cult and teams up with a resentful archer with fire in his eyes and blood on his hands.

Far Cry inspired AU.

40) You'll Find Me (In The Region Of The Summer Stars)  | Explicit | 49929 words

Or the one where they're all greek gods except for Harry, who thanks to Niall has to defeat everything from sirens to giants to dragons in order to survive. What Harry doesn't know is what could be waiting for him at the end of his quest -anything from nymphs to dryads... or even a certain soulmate omega.

41) Thinking About The T-Shirt You Sleep In | Explicit | 52489 words

Harry's alpha fraternity donates to a local thrift shop (because of Liam's latent crush on a cute beta in his lecture). Louis' financial situation (and confusing omega instincts) lead him to make some interesting fashion purchases. Lots of pizza, feelings, and not-really-lying.

42) Warming Up to You | Explicit | 56227 words

“I feel you,” Harry nods along as he zips his bag open, carefully pulling out his fancy looking camera before pressing a button to turn it on. “I love taking pictures for a number of reasons, but I think the best part of the whole thing is that I’m able to go through my older pictures and have all these memories from those moments come back to me.”

He puts the camera against his eye and points at Louis, and before the shorter one can even react, he hears a ‘click’, and Harry’s smiling down at the screen of his camera.

“And I don't think I want to forget about the day I got stranded in a cabin with a pretty stranger,” he finishes off.

43) Not That Gone | Explicit | 61995 words

Note: This fic has mentions of BH.

A few weeks after Louis and Harry, *ahem*, reconnect at their high school reunion, Harry temporarily moves back home. Louis isn't sure he has the emotional fortitude for a prolonged fling with the man of the dreams.

44) Beautiful Stranger | Explicit | 66074 words

When Alpha Harry Styles attends the Gucci Cruise 2020 show, he knows what to expect: clothes, clutch bags, and a few too many pretentious people. What he doesn’t expect, however, is to run into an Omega who is more beautiful than anything on the runway.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.

[if-found-return-to-gusu]

Saturdate with Lan Zhan Pt 8 (Final)

Lan Zhan drove me all the way to my shitty apartment. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted the night to keep going and going and going. 

And then

He said “Let me help you carry your things”

Which is fair. 

I had a lot to carry. 

I didn’t really WANT him to see the hole I lived in, but my desire to make the night last even a few minutes longer won out in the end. 

He didn’t say anything about the mess. Or the fact that it’s one room with a closet of a bathroom attached in the corner.

Or how my “bedroom” is partitioned off by a hanging sheet to hide my bed. 

I stared at my feet for a bit. I’m normally not ashamed of how I live, I earned every knobbly corner of this place after all, but I don’t know… I want Lan Zhan to think the best of me and where I live is just undeniably shabby. 

But even so

Even so

I didn’t want him to go. 

I wanted him to stay. 

So I asked him if he wanted to stay for dinner. 

I didn’t have any food in the place, but I did have an entire book of take out menus. Ha!

He smiled at me again 

And despite the small room

Despite the mess

Despite how shabby the place is

He smiled at me and said he’d love to join me for dinner!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I shoved my stack of take out menus (the best part of where I live is that everywhere, EVERYWHERE, delivers here) and told him to pick whatever he wanted!!

While he looked through them I started clearing off my little table. It’s full of art supplies normally and is covered in (completely dry) paint, but it does work as a dining table in a pinch. 

I apologized for the mess though. I don’t normally have guests over. 

Maybe I am ashamed of how I live…

Ah well.

 Anyway he picked my favorite Indian food place. Knew he had good taste! (Present company notwithstanding).

“I know you’re not so big on takeout, but you’ll like this place!’ I said. “Besides the only other option is me cooking and no one wants that.”

It was then that I realized that I own exactly one chair and no couch. 

Normally this isn’t a problem because I just sit on my bed to watch TV or whatever. 

Well in complete mortification I improvised by dragging the table over to my bed so we could at least have a place to put our food while we ate. We picked out a movie to watch for when the food arrived. 

Bless this man for not commenting on my shitty lifestyle. 

We were actually able to get through about half of the movie after we finished eating and we were honestly both getting a little drowsy before we started hearing… noises.

Okay so she doesn’t bring someone home every night, but when she does, Wang LingJiao likes to be LOUD.

I don’t mind it but I’m betting Lan Zhan probably did. 

I mean it’s her house and she can do what she wants in her own home. It’s great that she’s enjoying herself but ughhhh… Not exactly what I would have wanted for the first time having the love of my life in my room. 

And then, of course, she started getting louder .

“Don’t worry that means it’s almost done.”

I tried to kinda laugh it off. 

“She likes to put on a show,’ I said. “You know she really likes it when she’s quiet.”

And then I realized that was WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION and asked him to please not ask me how I knew that. 

I actually recently helped her get out of a really shitty relationship recently. I broke into her apartment to tear the asshole off of her actually and apparently that gave her the last push she needed to finally end things. The restraining order actually should go through later this month early next month! I’m really happy for her!

Well anyway to thank me she took me out to dinner and, well, she’s an oversharer. 

(Will note that she was only ever REALLY loud with him. Pff. Apparently he’s decently equipped but has no idea what to do with it. All the hardware in the world is useless if you don’t read the manual she says. Like I said. TMI. )

Well at least it didn’t last long. Poor girl. 

Well either way it woke us up. And I realized how late it was getting. 

And I just… I didn’t want him to go. 

I really really didn’t want him to go. 

So I said that I knew it was late and I’d understand if he’d rather not but he’s welcome to stay the night if he wanted so he didn’t have to drive home in the dark. 

And I told him we’d have to share the bed so I’d understand if he didn’t want to. 

And he just said “I am comfortable sharing your bed with you only if you are”

A;LDSKJFA;LSDJF;ASLFD

IS HE A PRINCE?

SERIOUSLY IS HE A PRINCE???

So I do what I always do and hide my a;sdlkjf;aslkjfa;ldkjf by teasing. 

“Who wouldn’t want to share a bed with you? ;)”

Complete with wink

Dear god what is wrong with me? Just thinking about it now I want to crawl under a rock. 

He just coughed a bit and his ears turned nice and pink but he agreed. 

So I went to my “clean” hamper and offered him some of my comfy pajamas to wear. They’re big on me so they should fit him pretty well right?

Right????

Okay the shirt was a bit snug but you won’t hear me complaining!!!

A;sdklfjas;fj;aslkjfl;jf;aslkd;l

So we curled up together 

And he 

Kissed

My

Cheek

Again

A;lkdfj;asldjfa;sldjfas;ldjf;lf

And then we just…. Fell asleep

Somehow over the past couple months I have managed to fall asleep in Lan Zhan’s arms more times than I can count!

I’m guessing that’s another thing I should probably try to avoid. I don’t want whoever he’s seeing to get the wrong idea. 

Ah well.

Somehow I woke up the next morning to the smell of food??? And not leftovers from yesterday??????????? Lan Zhan was in my kitchen cooking up breakfast for the two of us!!!!!

(How does this keep happening?????)

When I asked him where the fuck he got the ingredients he said he ordered the 2 hour grocery delivery service that I didn’t know existed.

(Also it wasn’t THAT late and he’d already been up for more than 2 hours??? What time does he wake up in the morning???!?!?!??!?! Fucking 5 am????? Seriously!!)

So we eat this magical breakfast and he offers to drive me to work since we have the same shift that day. He even says he’ll wait for me to shower first

(Which of course means in my nervousness I forgot to bring my clothe with me INTO the shower because I normally don’t have to which means I had to run out in a fucking towel and tell him to stare at the WALL!!!

;adlskjf;asldkfja;sldfas;dljf;alsdkjf;lsakjf

But apparently he didn’t LISTEN because he asked me about the scar on my back. From when I was stabbed. 

Well he asked about it on the car ride to work. 

I told him it was a long time ago. That I got stabbed a few years ago but it’s nbd.

And it isn’t really. I mean it healed up well enough. And I even managed to get most of my range of motion back in that shoulder! So it’s all good! Could have been much worse!

Besides, everyone gets hurt now and then.

But he still frowned at me. I hate it when he frowns. And told me he doesn’t like that I got hurt. 

Well that really doesn’t.. Change anything. 

And besides, you should try to make the most of what you have, right?

SO I told him “on the plus side I can tell you when it’s gonna rain!”

And Mr. SnarkMaster said “So can I. I look out the window.”

So /I/ said “You can tell when it IS raining! Not the same!!!”

“Clouds”

THIS MAN!!!

“I can tell when it’s gonna rain TOMORROW!”

;SDLKFJA;LDK

He was quiet again after that, but then he took my hand at the next red light and looked at me and said “I still don’t like that you’ve been hurt. I know everyone gets hurt, but this is something else.”

I told him it was from before we even knew each other. There’s no point dwelling on it now that it’s past. Not like we can do anything to change it. 

And it’s not exactly like I’m looking to repeat the experience. 

Then he said he’d make sure to protect me so it won’t happen again. 

I didn’t say that, while it’s a nice thought, he can’t be around me 100% of the time. He’s got other things in his life that are more important than I am. But… yeah… it's a nice thought. 

Instead of saying that I just told him to watch the road. 

He tried to snark me by saying the light was still red but the light chose that SECOND to turn green so I win. 

Ha!

He didn’t bring it up again but I bet he was thinkin’ about it still. 

We made it to work eventually and I shooed him up to his apartment to shower and change while I opened up. 

And so he did. 

And that’s… well I guess that’s it. 

[punkrockmads]

Close Call

Chapter 5

Yara, Lev and I are riding our bikes through the neighborhood. It's a peaceful afternoon. The sun is shining and a light breeze rustles through the treetops. Manny and Abby are at work so the three of us decided to hang out and enjoy the sunshine. We're coming to a stop sign when I get this feeling of dread. I look just ahead of us, noticing a young boy walking in the street... and a car coming towards him. Something in me snapped and I jumped off my bike, running toward the kid with Yara and Lev rushing behind me. The car isn't stopping. Why isn't the car stopping?!

"Kid! Move!" I yell as loud as I can, but the kid doesn't even notice. The car keeps moving. Closer and closer. I keep running, thinking only about getting the boy out of the way. "No!" I scream. I can hear Yara and Lev shouting but I can't make out what they're saying as I run into the road and shove the kid out of the way and onto the sidewalk. The sound of the car's screeching brakes make me panic, realizing what's about to happen. Before I can even react, the car smashes into me and I fall to the ground, head hitting the road. My ears ring loudly and my vision blurs slightly as I reach to touch the right side of my head. Something wet... I pull my hand away, seeing it covered in blood. Pain shoots through my entire body as Yara and Lev rush to my side, looks of pure horror and panic on their faces. I try to sit up but Yara holds me down, leaning over me. She's saying something...

As I try to focus on what she's saying, the ringing slowly dies down. "It's okay. Just stay down. You're gonna be okay." Yara coos, a warm hand on my cheek.

"The boy..." I mumble, almost too quiet for Yara to hear, especially when the driver is talking on the phone with 911.

"He's okay." Yara says, trying to smile. Her hair drapes down like silky black curtains shielding her face. "He's okay. You saved him." I close my eyes, trying to hide from the sunlight that makes my massive headache worse. Yara puts a hand on my other cheek, cupping my face. "No, no, no. Keep your eyes on me, Maddy. Stay with me." I open my eyes again, despite my inner protests, and gaze up at Yara. A small, clear droplet falls from her face onto the ground beside me. Is she... is she crying? I'm completely unaware of the sirens in the distance.

"Don't leave." I whisper, placing a hand over one of hers. I'm not sure why I feel the need to say it, but I know I need her to stay with me. "I'm scared. It hurts." I sniffle, letting a few of my own tears fall. Everything hurts. I can't pinpoint any exact injuries because everything feels injured.

"I won't leave you." Yara promises. It's then that I notice a few men moving to lift me onto a stretcher. I panic when Yara lets go of my face so they can move me. Yara senses it immediately, grabbing my hand. I try so hard to turn my head and look at her but it hurts too much. "It's okay, Madison. I'm right here." Yara squeezes my hand, my heart rate slowing a bit. I'm lifted into the back of an ambulance, Yara and Lev climbing in with me. Yara never lets go of my hand. I focus on controlling my breathing and keeping my eyes on her but I get really tired and eventually fall asleep.

*MANNY'S POV*

I'm just finishing changing a patient's catheter when another nurse walks into the room. I smile at her and she asks me to step out of the room with her for a minute. I nod, following her out into the hallway.

"What's up, Rose?" I ask my coworker. She gives me a pitiful smile... bad news.

"Manny, your sister's on her way to the hospital." Rose pauses, clearly seeing I don't understand what the problem is. Maddy visits the hospital all the time and even helps Abby and I with patients now and then. "She's been in an accident." She explains. I feel my heart drop into my stomach, eyes going wide. No. No, not her. This can't be happening.

"What happened?" I ask, trying to keep my composure. It's not working. I think I'm going to be sick.

"She was hit by a car." Oh, God. "Her injuries don't look too serious but she did fracture her wrist. We can't be sure of anything else till she gets here."

"Oh my God." I mumble, covering my mouth with my hand and looking to the floor. Rose puts a hand on my shoulder, making me look back at her.

"She saved a five year old boy." I look at her, completely shocked and confused. "She jumped in front of a car to save a little boy. He would not have survived if she hadn't done that." My sister is a hero. I want to feel proud but I'll save that for when I know she's okay.

I remember she was supposed to be hanging out with Yara and Lev today. "Are Yara and Lev okay?" I ask, folding my arms over my chest.

"They're okay." Rose nods. "They're on their way with Maddy now. They'll be able to stay with her." I sigh, closing my watery eyes and nodding. "Do you want me to cover the rest of your shift so you can go see her?"

I contemplate it for a moment but I know Maddy wouldn't like if I stopped taking care of people who need me. "No, it's okay." I decide. "She'll be pissed if I do. Can you... can you have Abby take care of her? She has a pretty empty schedule and Maddy trusts her." Rose nods, patting my shoulder before turning and walking away.

"Oh, Maddy." I mumble to myself. "What did you do?"

*MADDY'S POV*

"Ow..." I groan, waking up to find myself laying in a hospital bed. The pain has dulled down quite a bit but it's still present. My right wrist is in a cast. It's dark outside, the room is lit up by a small lamp in the corner to my right. To my left, Yara is sitting in a chair, sleeping peacefully, hand holding mine. I squeeze her hand using the bit of strength I have and she shifts, eyes opening slowly. She turns and looks at me with a wide smile when she sees me awake.

"Hi." Yara whispers, leaning closer to me. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." I take a deep breath, noticing the slight ache in my side. "How bad is it?"

"Bruised lung, couple cracked ribs, fractured wrist and a concussion. No stitches, though so I guess that's a plus." Yara lists. I touch the side of my head to feel a thick bandage probably covering up the gash. "You could've died." She tucks a lock of hair behind my ear.

"That little boy would've died if I didn't do anything." I say. "I couldn't let that happen."

"You're a hero, Mads." Yara says. "But seriously... never do that again."

"I don't make promises I can't keep." I tease with a grin. Yara rolls her eyes, kissing the tip of my nose with a warm smile. For a moment, all of my pain vanishes at her touch. "Where's Lev?" I ask, noticing her brother isn't with her. She looks down and I follow her gaze to see a familiar sleeping boy on the floor, curled up with a blanket and pillow.

"He didn't wanna leave, either." Yara explain, nudging Lev awake with her foot. "Lev. C'mon." Lev sits up and blinks at me a few times before he realizes I'm awake. He scrambles off the floor and hugs me with a giant grin on his face. "Hey, careful!" Yara warns.

"I can't believe you did that!" Lev mumbles into my shoulder. I let go of Yara's hand to wrap my good arm around him, looking at Yara with an assuring smile to let her know I'm okay. "Oh my gosh." Lev sits up. "I'm supposed to go tell Manny you're up!" And with that, he speeds out of the room. I look back at Yara. I can tell she wants something but doesn't want to ask, her lips are pursed and her eyes are fixated on her hands that are resting in her lap.

"Yara..." I mumble, reaching to take her hand once more. "Lay with me?" She looks at me, a bit of confusion mixed with worry. I scoot to the right, making a space for Yara. The hospital bed isn't exactly big, but it's the perfect size for the two of us to lay in together.

"I don't wanna hurt you." Yara says, a tiny frown on her lips.

"You won't. I promise." At this, Yara lights up a little and sighs, giving in. She stands up, pulling back the covers and crawling in, careful not to jostle me around or bump any monitors or IVs. When she's laying under the covers, I shift to lay on my side, cuddling into her. Yara wraps her arms around me delicately, hesitant to put too much pressure on my aching body. I hide my face in the crook of her neck, wrapping a leg around hers and carefully resting my injured arm on her torso. "You can hold me, Yara." I hum, looking at the wall mounted TV to see Bolt is on. Someone probably turned it on for Lev. It's cool I have the same favorite movie as him. I could watch this movie about a loyal dog and his owner for days and be perfectly happy.

Hesitantly, Yara holds me tighter, relaxing when she finds no sign of discomfort. "You really scared me, Maddy." She says after a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry." I mumble, leaning up to kiss her cheek.

"It's okay." Yara says with a hint of a smile in her gentle tone. "I'm just glad you're alright." She kisses my forehead before we turn our attention back to the movie. She's so warm. A few minutes later, Lev comes back with Manny and Abby. They're both still in their uniforms. Manny immediately rushes to my side.

"Thank God you're okay." He breathes, kneeling beside the bed and scanning my face as though he's trying to prove to himself that I'm here and alive. He touches my cheek, another way to prove that I'm not a zombie or something. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah, actually." I respond. "A little sore but... okay." Manny sighs.

"I'm proud of you for saving that boy." Manny starts. "But, if you ever do that again, I'll kill you." I know the last part is a joke because of the way his lips curve into a teasing smile. I flick his nose and he backs away, rubbing at it with a small chuckle.

"What happened to the kid?" I ask.

"His mom came out after hearing the ambulance sirens." Abby speaks up, standing by Yara. "Apparently her son figured out how to unlock the front door and she was in the middle of ordering a cover for the handle when he got out. She doesn't know how to repay you."

"How about get that damn cover?" I joke. Abby laughs, lightly.

"You saved a little boy's life today." Abby says. "That's something no mother could ever repay you for."

"And, like I said, we're very proud of you. But never ever do something like that again." Manny says. I nod, giving him a tiny smile. "Okay, you need to sleep." Manny stands up. "You're being released in the morning."

"I can stay... right?" Yara asks. Manny looks to Abby for confirmation.

"I don't see why not." Abby shrugs. I smile, glad I won't be alone here.

"Can I stay, too?" Lev asks. Abby shakes her head and Lev deflates a bit.

"No way." Manny says, lifting Lev onto his shoulders. "You have to help me decorate Maddy's room for when she gets back!"

"Can we use balloons?" Lev's voice is hesitant.

"Absolutely!" Manny laughs.

"... I guess I'm okay with this." Lev decides. Abby snorts and Yara and I chuckle at Lev's need for balloons.

"Goodnight, you two!" Manny calls, leaving with a cheering Lev.

"Goodnight!" Yara and I call back. Abby just smiles at us before chasing after the two children... well... child and manchild.

"You tired?" I ask Yara once the door is closed.

"Not really." She shakes her head. "You?"

"No." I say. "...Wanna watch the movie again?"

"Definitely." She says with a small laugh, reaching for the remote.

[tree-choose-pot]

Knock Knock, Anybody Home?

A big part of the reason I was excited about this trip was the chance to visit friends and family.  And as many can attest, I’m good at inviting myself over, often without much notice.  Covid-19 has put a bit of a damper on visits and public gatherings, but just about everyone we’ve crossed paths with has been open to a small gathering.  We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our friendly stopovers on our otherwise ‘road to nowhere.’

Our first visit was during our trial run to the California central coast.  We visited by brother and a friend I met in the laundry room in college. She is a traveler too and is always up for figuring out a get-together.  My kids adored her little girl and now ask to FaceTime with baby Faye.   My family stopped by our campsite, where the kids showed Uncles how to make a fire, and my family said “this looks fun... for maybe a week, not a year!”

Then, after officially packing up the RolyPoly but before pulling it out of the California storage lot, we flew to Arizona in June and rescued our good friends from quarantine, as they thanked us for being a good excuse—an out of town visitor—to all get together for a pool party, walks, and a moms’ night out.  I played golf with my Tucson golf buddy, we visited the kids’ favorite babysitter who is excitedly pregnant with her first, stopped to see our old neighbor, and went for a moonlit walk with a couple who always adored our kids, which turned into a lightning show, which lit the mountain on fire, which turned into one of Tucson’s worst-ever fires!  Yikes.  We really feel at home in Tucson, and were all very happy to see our friends.  We then had a 2nd special visit with Anina’s longest friend (they hung out as newborns in Tucson), when he and his dad were visiting grandparents at a summer lake home in Minnesota near where we were camping.  Such a treat!

Friends with these gals since we all had newborns.  We now each have a boy and a girl, and still go to each other for venting and advice.

BFFs on a SUP in MN.

When we changed our routing away from Covid- and protest-ridden Seattle and the closed borders of B.C. Canada, we found ourselves in Boise and called up an Air Force family that had retired the same time as Bill and had moved closer to family.  We had a fantastic catching up session and found they were also struggling with the decision of where to call home.  They invited us to a family 4th of July BBQ, complete with front yard fireworks, and we all loved every minute.  

We then were lone travelers traversing the mountains and Great Plains.  We met up with the above mentioned Tucson friend in central Minnesota, than timed our arrival in Door County, WI for the Sawicki family reunion I already blogged about.  After that we had our Campbell family reunion in Michigan, with Bill’s 2 brothers traveling up also to join in the fun.  Uncle D and Aunt C gives both kids plenty of love, attention, and fun gifts/activities whenever we visit!  Uncle C and his new wife are pet lovers and silly with the kids, and Uncle S spent 2 nights in the RolyPoly with us, which the kids just loved!   It was nice to spend a good chunk of time in Fremont, MI, to not only relax with family but also explore the town.   Our Michigan nephews are getting old, as one was about to start college, one high school, and one who lived with us a few years ago was also visiting from Texas.  Anina spent some time trying to figure out the odd behavior of teenagers.   

We also had wonderful visits with Bill’s two good high school friends, and his cousin’s ‘farm-tastic’ family.  They invited us to a barrel racing event they were hosting at their farm.  It was a fundraiser organized by his cousin’s daughter on her 16th birthday!  She and her brother are accomplished rodeo athletes (probably not the right term) and I’d say they’re great event planners too.  Anina and Benji were treated to a ride on one of the family’s race horses!  We just might like to come back for another Michigan summer!  

Watching his 11 year old ‘1st cousin once removed’ prepare the rodeo arena in Ravenna, MI.

Just two brothers playing ball with an up-an-coming star.

On our way out of Michigan, we visited some good friends from our Bogota days in their downtown Grand Rapids condo.  They’ve continued living and working abroad and have just returned for this crazy stateside 2020. The kids played with a basket of unique toys from around the world while we enjoyed a meal, memories, and conversation.

Our next stop turned into an unexpected stay-over in an Indiana front yard.  Bill’s good long-time friend invited us, as long as we brought her favorite breadsticks from Fremont, MI.  This family has a 5 yo boy and 8 yo girl, and a dog and a golf cart.   The kids were the friendliest, most fun playmates!  We just had to stay the night on their lawn.  We enjoyed wine and dinner around their fire pit, and after breakfast the next morning Anina did a little zoom school with her new kindergarten friend.  He lost his tooth sitting right next to her, which was super memorable for Anina too.

In New York and New Jersey, my over-age-65 family welcomed us despite Covid.  I deem our risk for infection to be low, but we were extra careful leading up to our visits.  I definitely still had some paranoia thanks to the “YOU’LL be OK, but you’re going to kill Grandma” paraphernalia.  We spent my Uncle’s birthday at a Long Island petting zoo (his wish!), and had many hours of fun playing with my cousins’ old trains, games, beanie babies, and legos.  My grandmother is hearing less and seeing less and constantly worrying that the children are going to fall, choke on something, or just implode for no reason, but I think we infused some joy into her quarantined life.   I’m sure glad we didn’t give her Covid, as I need all the future guardian angel grandparents I can get.   In New Jersey, we celebrated Anina’s birthday with my uncle’s homemade spaghetti and meatballs, and enjoyed some ‘comforts of home’ for a week or so, such as laundry, cable TV, and yard work!

These two know how to keep the kids’ attention!

Anina (heart) Cheeca.

Treated to ice cream by my dad’s cousin at Cape May’s Sunset Beach.

Unfortunately, we bypassed our many friends in the DC area, as I needed a break from pandemic visit anxiety.  So we started exploring the southeast for a potential home town.  We were welcomed by my mom’s cousin, aunt, and uncle (my grandfather’s brother), who all follow our travels on Facebook and are helping raise a 3 year old granddaughter.  My kids were pleased to have a kid day, with bubbles, cupcakes and a little girl’s room full of toys.  They live in Murrels Inlet, SC and began filling us in on alligators, flooding, and the slower pace of life (they’re New Yorkers)!

I’m sure I forgot to mention somebody, and I may add photos as I find them, but to sum it all up, we have loved our visits with familiar faces; it has been a very special part of our trip.  We are learning during this pandemic the importance of physical presence with other people.  Virtual visits are nice but I’ve always preferred real visits.  That’s right... I’ll drive 3,000 miles to see you!

[takaraphoenix]

Dr who for the ask game

Thanks for playing! This is also a big, fun one! :O (I do love that the majority of these asks hit target on my own biggest obsessions x3 We checked off like all the live action shows at this point, I think, the only things left are anime/animated xDDD)

Again with a cut due to the sheer size. ^^°°°

Top 5 favourite characters: CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, The Doctor, Yasmin Kahn

Other characters you like: Rory Williams Pond, Graham O’Brien, Mickey Smith, Bill Potts, Sarah Jane Smith, Craig Owens

Least favourite characters: Rose Tyler by a landslide

Otps: not realy any actual OTPs but ships I guess I’m fond of would be Vasta/Jenny and Rory/Amy

Notps: every ship involving the Doctor, because I just honestly find it weird and uncomfortable to look at the Doctor as a romantic or even worse yet sexual being, but most of all Doctor/Rose and Doctor/River, also Jack/Ianto

Favourite friendships: I am living for the current team dynamic, 13-Yaz-Graham-Ryan are really good but my forever favorite is the Doctor and Jack, also the best team-up was the Doctor with Donna and Martha, that was perfect

Favourite family: THE FAM! 13′s team

Favourite episodes:oooh mmh, I do have multiple favorites, so let’s do this!

Blink: it is such a good episode, there was a time I just popped that one in when I had 40 minutes to waste

Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords: for me personally, this is where Doctor Who peaked. My absolute favorite storyline and episodes and team-up - my favorite Doctor with BOTH my favorite companions in an episode with my favorite Master as the enemy. Amazing. There was a time when I would regularly rewatch this, just these three

Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End:Suuuch a satisfying conclusion for a four series plotline, all of the companions coming together like that? It was so good

The Lodger & Closing Time: I love Craig and I love how these two episodes switch things up!

Favourite season/book/movie: Rather obviously, series 3 - the return of Jack, the series where Martha is the companion, a series with my favorite Doctor and four of my favorite episodes in it!

Favourite quotes:THE ANGELS HAVE THE PHONE BOX! xD And the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff! I got that one on a necklace even! *laughs*

Best musical moment: uuurgh the soundtrack of this show is actually so good? I listened to it on a loop for years. Series 3 and 4 being my favorites, they make you feel things, man.

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: Just this series when Jack returned. And let me elaborate to just convey how hard I fangirled at that, because it wasn’t just “oh a fave!”.

You see, Jack is... kind of why I’m here? I watched the first series with my mother back when it started airing in Germany. But they kind of... stopped dubbing it and it stopped airing in Germany and eh, I was okay with it because this show seemed weird like they just switched out the actor of the MAIN CHARACTER who does that what the fuck and I really liked Jack but he was gone now too so oh well.

However, then I read online about how Jack was in series 3. So... I went online and Doctor Who is genuinely the first TV show I ever watched in English, because I wanted to see Jack but there was no dub.

Then series 3 ended and both Jack and Martha left and I was very meh because I remembered that this is the show that constantly replaces its whole cast.

You can probably guess what happened next, but Jack was in the finale of series 4. So I went back into Doctor Who, rewatched what there has been so far all the way up to the series 4 finale - and that was when I was sold, because holy shit even with the switching of companions, they just bring them back! They just brought them all back! That was such a good pay-off.

Ironically, that was when I actually stuck around and started watching the show in real time instead of waiting for the next Jack appearance to bring me back from hibernation. Ironically because - well, that was the last we saw of anyone. (Aside from 10 in the 50 year special.)

That hard, hard cut from 10 to 11, no return of any companions...

Needless to say that when 12 came and went with no care for anything pre-11, I kind of... came to accept that this was it. Especially when they announced yet another hard cut - as in Moffat would finally be replaced and with the new era, both a new Doctor and new companions - I was so sure we’d never get to see anyone from the old crew again.

So when, after literally ten years, Jack Harkness returned and was so... so... Jack, I made the loudest, most unholy sound and the excitement of them actually acknowledging that he would be back for more and he would be there when the Doctor needs him? Tears of joy.

(but aso pls #LetMarthaMeet13 okay? Okay)

When it really disappointed you:YOU’RE MAKING A 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL. YOU HAVE SOOO MANY GOOD COMPANIONS. BUT. BUT YOU BRING NONE OF THEM BACK. ONLY ROSE TYLER’S FACE. OF ALL OF THE FACES. OF EVERYONE I COULD HAVE SEEN AGAIN IN THAT SPECIAL, IT HAD TO BE BILLIE PIPER’S MEDIOCRE ACTING. REALLY? REALLY??

Saddest moment: When 10 regenerated

Most well done character death: Surprisingly enough, this show makes me care even about the one episode characters to the degree that I find their deaths frustrating. It’s pretty good at character deaths overall

Favourite guest star: Does Craig Owens count? Because he only had two appearances in total. And the second one was genuinely a surprise to me; I was sure that The Lodger would be a stand-alone, never to be seen again kind of deal

Favourite cast member: John Barrowman! David Tennant! Freema Agyeman! I love all three of them and seeing them in other things always makes me really happy!

Character you wish was still alive: I mean, Bill. Can you imagine if the lesbian companion had gotten to meet 13?? Death :D

One thing you hope really happens: Martha. I mean, come on. Jack is back, Jack warned the Doctor, promised to be there when needed. There’s no way Jack lost contact with Martha and Mickey, even with those two off in space fighting aliens alone. I’d love for this... very, very big plotline that is currently happening to include the Doctor’s old friends coming back once more to help.

Most shocking twist: I mean... I mean it’s gotta be this series’ Surprise Origin Story. Like, I still can’t quite comprehend that one.

When did you start watching/reading?: As mentioned above, when it first started airing in Germany

Best animal/creature: Does the TARDIS count as a creature? Because then Sexy wins!

Favourite location: THE TARDIS. I wish they’d show it more often just casually. I wanna see the companions hang out in there, I wanna see their rooms, see that indoor pool and stuff

Trope you wish they would stop using: "OH NO THE DALEKS ARE STILL ALIVE AFTER THE LAST TIME I TRIED GENOCIDE ON THEM *gasp*”... Like. The very first time they brought them “back from the dead”, it was really cool because as a newbie you never met them before but you get they are important. Then they were wiped out. And then they returned again. And okay, sure. So they were wiped out again. And miraculously survied again.

Look, I get it. Doctor Who has three recurring entities in the villain gallery who are like... obligatory - the Master, the Daleks and the Cybermen. But for the love of everything, stop trying to show it as a “surprise twist” that the bad guy is a Dalek like we all knew they’re coming they’re the cockroaches of the universe, they ALWAYS surprise, stop acting like we should be shocked that they’re back again.

Every time, the Doctor goes Pikachu meme but with sad eyes and like just... have the Doctor groan, kick a Dalek and go “not you again”, instead of “how did you POSSIBLY survive THIS? :O” because after the sixth miracuous survival of a genocide, it stops being a surprise twist... -_-

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: Clearly something, because it has me come back for more like a masochist despite me being a character-driven viewer - me, abandoning the show after the first series was very in character, because I’m attached to characters and if you routinely replace all the characters, that’s... not really my thing. Somehow, this show defies the odds there

Funniest moments: JACK FLIRTING WITH PEOPLE AND THE DOCTOR GOING “NO STOP THAT!” xDDD

Couple you would like to see: NONE. NO ROMANCE. KEEP THAT SHIT OUT OF MY DW!!! Urgh. Just give me fun found family space adventures. I swear ever since the cast announcement I have had a twitchy eyebrow waiting if they’ll push for Ryan/Yaz and so far I am sooo glad they are NOT. I just... want friendship and space adventures, no fucking romance. At all. Not with the Doctor, not between companions. No drama

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: ...to stay in character, I have to say Dominic Sherwood. Partially because I am obsessed with him, but also because I WANNA HEAR HIS BRITISH ACCENT FOR A WHOLE ASS SERIES PLEASE

I would also like to see the return of James Marsters though. Time Heist teased by showing his face and acknowledging his existence in Doctor Who (it’s not like DW has acknowledged a whole lot of Torchwood canon so far, considering the catastrophic events TW has dealt with without the Doctor...), so that had me kind of hopeful he may at least cameo for an episode...

Favourite outfit: I looove Martha’s red leather jacket and Jack’s coat

Favourite item: The chameleon device

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: *clears throat awkwardly* ...Yes?

a metro card holder thingy with the TARDIS on it,

an I pin I have on my pencil case,

a necklace with a miniature TARDIS,

a necklace with the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey quote in a swirl on it,

a necklace with a Weeping Angel pendant,

a mug with the 10th Doctor as a cat on it,

a lanyard with Police Call Box written all over and a miniature TARDIS dangling on it

a TARDIS dress,

a whoosh-sound making door opening TARDIS with size-fitting figures of the 10th Doctor, Jack, Martha, K9, Idris, 11, Rory and John Hart (it’s James Marsters’ pretty face, okay?),

a Funko Pop 10th Doctor,

another TARDIS but this one is smaller and can’t open,

a larger TARDIS that can open (and is the right size for my Doctor Whooves),

a Doctor Whooves (if that counts since he’s technically My Little Pony but also he’s the Doctor so like...),

a TARDIS-blue stuffed owl with Police Owl written on it,

the first four series on DVD,

a poster from the 50th Anniversary with the War Doctor walking away from an explosion and 10 and 11 on either side of him,

a pocket watch that is the chameleon device

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: Mmmh I would like to be on the current team the most, I think? Generally speaking, their adventures were less intense than most others and I dig the family vibe

Most boring plotline: Boring, huh? There are always a couple stinkers, at least one in each series, but a really boring plotline was... Clara’s post-Impossible-Girl one. I LOVED her as the Impossible Girl, she was so interesting and I think that after she went into the Doctor’s timeline, the character should have been retired. Have her, I don’t know, dissolve there, since she is spread out through time. But that she stuck around was... not good, for her character? Her love drama with Danny was incredibly boring and not fun to watch (especially when she tried to kill the Doctor :D)

Most laughably bad moment: THAT FUCKING MOON EPISODE. THE FUCKING EPISODE WHERE THE FUCKING MOON TURNED INTO A FUCKING EGG AND AN ALIEN HATCHED TO THEN LAY A NEW MOON EGG IMMEDIATELY AFTER BEING BORN AND HUMANS JUST FUCKING SHRUGGED THAT SHIT OFF. Urgh. There are a lot of cringey things happening on this show, but this takes by far the crown. It was so stupid, so dumb, so ridiculous

Best flashback/flashfoward if any: Every time we learn more about the Doctor’s past *^*

Most layered character: I... I mean the Doctor. So many layers, so many lives, so many years

Most one dimensional character:Mh, this is harder... Among the not one-episode-off characters? I guess Nardole. Like, sure, good guy, but... not really all that deep that one

Scariest moment: Blink with the Weeping Angels. They lost A LOT of their scariness the more they were used - Moffat really overused them, in my opinion; they would have done better only appearing very rarely. But that first episode with them was just daaamn

Grossest moment: Cassandra?? Woman only made of skin?

Best looking male: CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS

Best looking female: MARTHA JONES

Who you’re crushing on (if any): Martha Jones

Favourite cast moment: John and David being cute behind the scenes is always amazing, but the bes moment is definitely the 500 Miles video!

Favourite transportation: The TARDIS, that’s not even a question!

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): Whenever we get to see (not destroyed) Gallifrey? It’s so gorgeous??

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you:SO MANY AFTER THAT LAST SERIES. But also things like: Where did Clara fuck off to in her flying diner? What exactly is Jack doing now that there is no Torchwood anymore? How in the world did Torchwood ever even work like how was the Doctor just never around during these gigantic problems?? WHO WAS THE DOCTOR’S FIRST WIFE? And what was the Doctor’s child like? Because the only one ever even mentioned is the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan, but a granddaughter implies one more generation between. WHERE IS JENNY? Since she is also the Doctor’s daughter but also just fucked off into space and like why is she not trying to track her parent down??

Best promo: I mean, it clearly works when they show me Jack’s face so that’d be it for me :D”

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: At the series 4 finale, as above more elaborately explained

IN DEPTH FANDOM QUESTIONS

[victimofthemusic]

Five Times Tony Stark Was a Good Dad (And One Time He Wasn’t) Pt. 5

Hey guys! We’ve almost reached the end and I’m so excited to get the last few chapters up. This chapter was inspired by Tom Holland’s adorable relationship he has with his dog, Tessa and a few other fics that I’ve read over the last couple of weeks. I have the outline for the next chapter so it should be posted in the next couple of weeks! Enjoy and thank you for reading (:

If you want to read the other chapters, you can find them here: Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, & Pt.4

~~~~~~~~~

“Peter, your mom and dad, they—“ Aunt May choked on a sob, her grip on his shoulders tight, “They—“

“They’re not coming back, bud.” Uncle Ben said softly, bright blue eyes filled with unshed tears and something tight wound its way around Peter’s heart.

“No, you’re lying! I want my mommy and daddy!”

“They’re gone, Peter.”

Gone

Gone

Gone—

Blood, so much blood. Peter looked down at his hands, the dark crimson staining his skin and dripping on to the sidewalk. Sirens blared in the distance, there was shouting, erratic heart beats, pained groans—

Uncle Ben

“Pete—Peter, I—“ A cough and blood spilled from his lips, slipping down his chin and Peter could only watch, helpless.

“Ben, please—please hold on—“

“Take care of May—“

“—I can hear the ambulance, just a little longer—“ Peter pleaded, tears blurring his vision and panic gripping his racing heart.

“—be…safe—“ Another cough, more blood, a wheeze.

He can’t breathe, he can’t breathe.

Uncle Ben—

“No, no, no, please uncle Ben, please don’t go—“

Gurgling, more wheezing, even more blood.

“Sir, we need to ask you to move so we can help him—“

“—He’s going into shock—“

“—he’s not going to make it, he’s lost too much blood—“

“—I can’t find an exit wound, the bullet is still in there—“

“—Peter—“

“Uncle Ben, please—“

My fault my fault my fault—

“I told you, if you didn’t stop messing with my business, I was going to kill everyone you loved.”

The Vulture smirked as he held the gun to May’s head, his eyes dancing oddly as he watched her squirm and cry heavy mascara tears. She struggled against his hold, her dark eyes pleading with Peter.

Save me, save us.

But he couldn't move, his body was trapped underneath the rubble of what was the roof of the building. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe and he couldn't think clearly. His spidey-sense was going haywire, his body was alive with pain and he could taste the blood in his mouth.

“Peter—“ May begged.

The silver of the barrel glinted dangerously in the lowlight and Peter squirmed, crying out in agony as rebar stabbed him in the thigh—

“I told you, stay out of it—“

“Peter—

“Say goodbye to your aunt, Peter—“

“Peter please—“

“—I warned you—“

“Peter—!”

A gunshot and more blood—

“No!”

Peter

All my fault all my fault—

Peter—

There’s so much blood—

“Peter!”

His head was on fire, his senses in overdrive—

“Peter—damn it kid—“

A hand grabbed his arm and he cried out, fire coursing through his veins—

“Peter!”

Choking on a gasp, Peter opened his eyes to total darkness. His legs were tangled in the sheets and he could feel sweat-soaked state of his shirt clinging to his back. The back of his head was tingling, the hair on his arms standing at attention and he realized, as he tried to focus on getting air into his lungs, that he wasn’t alone and someone was talking to him.

“—you’re okay kid, you’re okay—F.R.I.D.A.Y. give me his levels—“

“—blood pressure is one-fifty over ninety, heart rate is at one hundred and fifty beats per minute—“

“Kid, can you hear me? It’s me, Tony, you’re in your room at the tower, in Manhattan, you’re safe, no one can hurt you—F.R.I.D.A.Y. hit the lights, level four, we don’t want to overstimulate his senses—“

Dim light filtered through the darkness and Peter felt something in his chest loosen at being able to see his surroundings. The familiar light charcoal walls, the blue of his bed spread, the giant IronMan poster hanging over his desk and Tony, kneeling on the plush grey carpet beside his bed, watching him with unconcealed concern and Peter’s gut twisted with guilt.

“Mr. Stark—Tony, shit I’m so sorry—“

“Pete,” Tony interrupted, voice uncharacteristically gentle, “it’s okay, you’re okay.”

Peter opened his mouth to protest, but no words would come out. His mind flashed back to blood, all the blood, my fault, my fault, May screaming—

Something was in his eyes, stinging and blurring his vision and something that resembled a sob ripped itself from his lungs and made it’s way passed his lips. His entire body was shaking, his head was spinning and he could feel the bile rising in his throat, the lump pressing harder against his esophagus until he couldn't breathe. He bolted up out of bed, tripping on the bed sheets and ignoring the harsh cold of the tiled bathroom floor, he fell to his knees in front of the toilet and threw up dinner.

Wave after wave of nausea hit him to the point where it felt like it was never going to let up. His brain was still swirling with the images of blood and death, the sounds of uncle Ben’s protests and May’s screams still playing through his ears and Peter prayed to anything or anyone who would listen to just make it stop.

A hesitant but strong hand landed gently on Peter’s shoulder, another coming to rub in between his shoulder blades as the vomit gave way to bile and his throat and stomach ached in protest of bringing up anything else.

When the world stopped spinning and the angry sea in his stomach settled, Peter lifted a weak hand to flush the toilet and pushed himself off of his knees to lean heavily against the sink. He rinsed his mouth out before he grabbed his Darth Vader toothbrush, wanting to rid his mouth of the horrible taste of stomach acid and half digested Pad Thai.

Peter ignored his reflection in the mirror as he wiped at his mouth and he could feel Tony’s concerned stare burning a hole in the back of his neck, but he ignored that, too. He could feel the fatigue in his bones, but his mind was too hectic to go back to sleep, his stomach lurching in protest at the thought of seeing more of—

“Peter,” Tony said, voice soft and Peter, startled, met his worried gaze in the mirror, “Why don’t you take a hot shower and change into some new PJ’s, okay? Meet me down stairs in the living room when you’re done.”

Peter nodded numbly, already stripping out of his sweat clothes. He fought against the anxiety rising in his chest at being left alone again and for a wild moment, he thought about asking Tony to stay outside the bathroom, just to have the comfort of knowing someone was there, in case something or someone wanted to get him at his most vulnerable. Like the time Peter snuck out of bed and into the living room when he was five and supposed to be sleeping. Aunt May and uncle Ben were sitting on the couch, watching Jaws and the next night, at bath time, Peter was terrified of getting into the water, images of a hundred foot long shark with bloodied jaws of his victims flashing through his little mind and Ben, bless him, stood outside the bathroom in case he had to fight off a shark for him.

“I’ll be right outside Pete, nothing is gonna get you, you’re safe with me.”

Shaking his head, he mumbled for F.R.I.D.A.Y to turn on the water as hot as her code would allow her to go, the A.I. forever coded to keep his safety in mind.

He washed quickly, not wanting to be by himself for longer than he had to or to keep Tony waiting for too long. Stepping out of the shower, he toweled himself off and headed back into his room, shivering as his hot skin met the cold air.

He noticed the fresh pajamas laid out on his bed, along with the new sheets that were on his bed—they were blue when he went into the shower and now his sheets had IronMan all over them, in different stages of action and despite the nightmare still fresh in his mind, he smiled at Tony’s attempt at humor.

Shrugging into his new pajamas, he wrapped himself in his Star Wars blanket and made his way down stairs, where he found Tony waiting for him on the sofa with two steaming mugs of something in his hands and the opening scene of the first Star Wars movie playing at low volume on the giant flat screen TV.

Tony handed him the mug—hot chocolate—when he sat down and manifested a blanket for himself and another one of Peter, in case he wanted it. Peter took a hesitant sip from his mug and had to bite back a moan of satisfaction when the rich sweetness met his tongue and danced over his tastebuds. There was no way this was Swiss Miss.

“All the way from Belgium,” Tony confirmed his thoughts, taking a sip from his own mug, “It’s my favorite and way better than store bought, bleh.”

Peter huffed a weak laugh at Tony’s snobbish tendencies and took another sip of the delicious brew, ignoring the piping hot temperature because it was so so so good.

He snuggled deeper into the nest of blankets as F.R.I.D.A.Y. started the movie and all thoughts of the Vulture and Ben and May’s blood curdling screams drifted as he was taken to a galaxy far far away.

Tony wrapped his arm around the back of the couch and began playing with Peter’s shower dampened curls, running his fingers through it. A small smile found its way across his lips as Peter leaned into his touch, his shoulders relaxing further into his blankets, his eyes never leaving the screen in front of him, sipping away at his hot chocolate.

Peter looked so small and vulnerable, wrapped up in Avengers themed blankets and sipping his hot chocolate from an Iron Man mug and it made Tony’s chest ache at the youth that radiated from the scene in front of him. Peter was just a kid, barely a teenager and he was already dealing with horrific nightmares that Tony himself was no stranger to. He had his own demons that preyed on his unconscious mind every night and he wouldn't wish some of things he saw on his worst enemy, let alone the fifteen year old kid sitting next to him.

Tony wanted to ask him what his nightmares were about, but he knew Peter, as much as he trusted Tony, wouldn't want to talk about it and burden Tony with his problems. Peter, because of his intelligence, was often treated with a level of maturity that didn’t match up with his age and Tony was no stranger to that. People forgot, often times, that because he was so smart, that he developmentally, he was still a kid. A stupid teenager with stupid teenage tendencies that, mixed with his scary level of intelligence, often times turned into disaster.

Peter had a brilliant mind and Tony could only imagine what his subconscious mind could conjure up to scare the kid so badly that he got physically sick from it.

A light snore broke Tony from his thoughts and glancing down, Peter was now snuggled into his side, dead to the world and holding his mug precariously in his grasp. With fond smile, Tony gently took the mug from his hands and placed it on the coffee table, making a mental note to grab it in the morning. Slowly, so he didn’t disturb the sleeping teen, he slid out from the couch and scooped Peter into his arms, ignoring the warmth that bloomed in his chest when the kid snuggled closer to his chest, his hand resting against the arc reactor as he dozed on, completely oblivious.

He made it to Peter’s room without a hitch—the kid was still snoozing away and Tony didn’t drop him, so he counted it as a win. He walked across the soft carpeted floor and carefully eased Peter down onto his fresh Iron Man sheets. Peter snuggled into the pillows easily enough, but when Tony tried to remove his arms from underneath Peter, a small frown caused a furrow to appear between his eyebrows, which gave Tony pause. Peter, as if he sensed his hesitation, rolled over on his side and snuggled back into Tony’s arms, his hand once again finding purchase on the arc reactor. The furrow between his eyes disappeared and he seemed to settle back into the pillows, his body relaxed and face smoothed back into the serene expression of one in the middle of a good nights sleep.

Tony hesitated, ensuring that the kid was settled and comfortable and asleep, before he tried to get his limbs back, once again coming up unsuccessful.

Because the kid adhered himself to Tony.

As in, he was stuck.

To Tony

Like the little spiderling he was.

“You don’t make things easy, do you kid?” Tony muttered, sighing as he weighed his options.

His back was already aching from being bent over this long and there was no way he would be able to do this for the next several hours or whenever the kid decided to get up.

He wasn't gaining ownership of his limbs anytime soon and if he tried, he’d probably rip his skin off and then he’d have to deal with the weight of Peter guilt for god knows how long. They hadn’t explored this particular enhanced ability too much, but Tony was sure without any sort of experimentation, this would not end in his favor if he tried to move and it’s not like he wanted to wake the kid up to ask him to kindly remove himself from Tony and give him the use of his arms back.

So that left Tony with only one option and that meant he had to roll Peter over, facing the opposite way and Tony crawled over him, holding his breath and praying that he didn’t wake the kid up. Finally, his body met the softness of the mattress and his lower back sighed in relief. He had to rearrange some pillows and adjust the blankets, but he settled, his eyes heavy, he watched Peter—the way his eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks, the small pout on his lips, the serene expression on his face as he dreamed (hopefully) better dreams. And the way his hand never left the arc reactor, it’s soft glow illuminating the room like a night light.

And that’s when Tony got an idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter trudged into the Tower, his back pack slipping off of his shoulder and landing haphazardly on the floor, but Peter couldn’t find it in himself to care. He face planted onto the couch, curling up into the fetal position and closed his eyes, sighing in satisfaction at finally being able to rest.

His nightmares had been getting worse, to the point where he didn’t sleep at night. He either stayed out late patrolling or caught up on his homework, choosing to do something more productive with his time than falling victim to nightmares.

And some nights, when it was really bad and homework and patrolling couldn’t keep the thoughts at bay, he’d web his way to the tallest building he could find and sit there and just listen to the city—sirens, clubs, taxis, car horns, chatter. His thoughts got drowned out by everything else going on around him and sometimes being up high, felt like it was the only time he could breathe.

“Kid, I know I’ve told you make yourself at home, but that doesn’t mean you get to just toss your stuff wherever you feel like—“

Peter groaned, opening a bleary eye to watch Tony nudge his backpack out of the way with his foot as he made his way over to the couch.

“”m sorry, I’ll pick it up later.” He muttered, burying his face back into soft cushion.

“Or you could pick up now, bring it down to the lab and get cracking on the homework I know you’ve got piled up in there.” Tony countered, sitting on the coffee table.

“It’s Friday and I’ve already finished all my homework last night.” Peter said, voice muffled from the couch cushions.

He could feel the weight of Tony’s stare as he shifted on the couch and Peter was avoiding looking him in the eyes, knowing the question that was on the tip of Tony’s tongue.

“That bad, huh?” He asked, his tone going from harpy to soft, gentle and it still made the guilt rise in Peter, knowing that Tony worried about his sleeping habits along with everything else he had going on in his life.

Peter hesitated and Tony sensed it, “Pete, you can talk to me.”

He was ashamed to admit it, but he felt tears fill his eyes. He was just so tired. But he was afraid, of closing his eyes, of seeing Ben die, all the blood and May and the Vulture—

“It always starts with my parents,” Peter began, voice thin, “I-I don't remember them much, but I remember the day they died—Ben and May, they sat me down and told me that my parents weren’t ever coming back. Even though I don’t remember them much, I still feel like there’s this loss? I guess is the best way. Like there was piece in my life where they should be and they’re not there anymore. It’s like a—a void?”

He can feel his voice get shakier as his brain goes over his nightmares that intertwine with memories and he feels like he’s asleep, trapped somewhere he doesn't want to be.

“I uh, I was there, the night Ben died,” Peter admits in a whisper, “I had just gotten my powers, I was scared and confused and I couldn’t tell anyone and we got into a fight and I ran away and Ben came looking for me and there was this guy who—“ Peter chokes on the words, everything coming out in a rush, “he had a gun and he had just robbed a liquor store and Ben tried to stop him and he got shot and I was walking home and I saw it and I couldn’t—I couldn't stop it. There was so much blood and he was dying and it was my fault. I shouldn't have ran away from home and if I hadn’t, he wouldn't have been there and he’d be here. There’s always so much blood, I smell it and I see it and I see him, drenched in it and there’s nothing I can do.”

Peter chokes back a sob, his hands shaking and his chest tight, “And then it’s the Vulture—he has May and he’s holding a gun to her head. He warned me that I should've stayed out of it, that I brought this on myself and I can’t move because there’s a building on top of me and I-I can’t get out, but he has May and she begging me to save her, help her and I can’t. He shoots her and I can hear her screams and there’s more blood and he’s laughing and so much blood and I—“

Peter’s babbling at this point, shaking with tears and he’s so tired, so fucking tired and all he wants is to sleep and he doesn’t know how to without the nightmares.

He doesn’t know how he ends up in Tony’s embrace, but one minute he’s sitting on the couch, crying like a baby and the next thing he knows, he’s being pressed into a warm chest, the edges of the arc reactor digging into his cheek. Warm hands are carding themselves through Peter’s hair and it’s so nice, to be held and just cared for. Tony smells like Tom Ford cologne and engine oil, the arc reactor is giving off a soft glow and he just feels safe.

He settles himself eventually, pulling away from Tony and wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie.

He meets Tony’s eyes and half expects him to crack a joke to ease the tension, but he doesn’t. Tony looks tired too, but in a different way and it makes Peter feel guilty. He knows his nightmares have taken a toll on Tony’s sleeping habits, interrupting whatever sleep he does manage to get to comfort Peter through his nightmares.

“Pete, I know it’s not easy, to talk this stuff through, but it does help.” Tony said, ruffling his hair, “not talking about, not sleeping, it makes things a lot worse than they need to be and you know you can talk to me, whenever you need to.”

He cupped Peter’s cheek in his strong grasp, urging him to look up into his eyes and Peter complied, “I know what it’s like to relive the horrors of your past and the manifestations of what could’ve happened and I hate more than anything that you have to go through this, especially at your age. You’ve seen things that someone even my age should have to witness and I’m so proud of you for still trying to push through. You’re so strong, bud, but it’s okay to ask for help. Even with stuff like this, okay?”

Peter nodded and Tony patted him on the back, standing up, “No science stuff today, you need sleep, but first, I need to show you something.”

Peter followed him down to the lab, ignoring the urge to fall over on the next available surface to finally succumb to the fatigue that was pulling at his eyelids.

“Now, as much as I would love to have sleep overs and be clung to like a Koala does a tree branch—,” Tony began, giving Peter a side eye.

Peter gave him a sheepish smile, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

“—I need my sleep too and you need to learn how to sleep on your own, because even though I don’t mind being your security blanket, there’s going to be times where I’m not available so—“

F.R.I.D.A.Y. opened the lab doors and Peter noticed two things.

The first was the labrador puppy sitting patiently on the lab table with a red bow around it’s neck.

The second, was that it seemed to be curious about an object lying next to him (her?), sniffing at it curiously and giving it an experimental lick.

“Hey, paws off the prototype mister—“ Tony said, rushing over to the work table and grabbing up the object that oddly resembled an arc reactor—similar to the one glowing in Tony’s chest.

The puppy merely blinked up at Tony, it’s tail tapping a soft beat against the metal lab table.

Peter was beyond confused.

“Tony, what—“ he began, looking from the puppy, to Tony, back to the puppy.

“Well, first off, congratulations, it’s a boy!” Tony said, scooping up the puppy and thrusting it into Peter’s face.

Big, brown, puppy eyes stared up at him eagerly, a pink tongue poking out from his mouth and aiming for Peter’s nose.

Peter was sure he was going to melt from the overdose of cuteness.

“Is he—is he mine?” Peter asked hesitantly, taking the puppy gingerly from Tony’s hands and cuddling it close to his chest. The puppy panted happily, lapping at Peter’s chin and wriggling in his arms to get closer, his paw resting on his chest.

“Yup, just picked him up from the shelter today—I went the adoption route, rather than the shop route—and he’s all yours. Don’t worry, I talked to May and she was up for the idea, even talked it over with your landlord, just in case. I’m paying for all the vet bills of course, but the responsibility—making sure it eats, sleeps and gets walked and all that jazz, is on you.”

Peter stared blankly at Tony, “You bought me a dog?”

“Adopted,” Tony corrected with a tut, “but yes, I did.”

Peter studied the puppy, who was now content on chewing on the draw string of his hoodie and he couldn't help the smile that graced his face if he tried. He had a dog. A dog. Of his very own.

His

“Tony—I—thank you, but why—“ Peter fumbled for words, glancing up at the ball of cuteness to look at Tony in disbelief.

Tony gave him a smile, giving the dog (Peter was really going to have to come up with a name), a pat on the head and he got a lick for his troubles, “I talked to Rhodey, told him you were having a rough time of it lately and he works with the VA and he told me about all the research they're doing into emotional support dogs for soldiers who come back with PTSD. Labs are supposed to be one of the top breeds and they ease anxiety, nervousness and they can even sense a nightmare and help you through it. This little guy was entered into the program and he proved to be a little to rambunctious for the discipline, so I gave the partnering shelter the program uses a quick phone call and well-ah.”

Peter stared down in awe at his new companion and couldn't believe that this adorable ball of cuteness was his.

“Rhodey is going to help train him up a little bit, but he’s going to sleep with you and hopefully, having his presence in the room will help ease some of your anxiousness to sleep and help with your nightmares but if it doesn’t—“

Tony turned to the lab table and handed what Thor, (Peter decided the puppy looked like a Thor) was about to use as a chew toy, to Peter, who shifted the puppy to the floor to take a better look at it.

It was an arc reactor, the same one that Tony had in his chest and it glowed the same soothing blue tone light that emitted from Tony’s, but it was little bit bigger and tapping it, a thinner beam of light filtered from the center of it and looking up at the ceiling of the lab, an image of the Iron Man helmet was projected onto the tiles.

“It’s a nightlight,” Tony explained, “I’ve noticed that the glow of the arc reactor is soothing to you, whenever you’ve had nightmares and I think it’ll help that, should this little guy fail at the one job I’m giving him and I’m not here, you have a light when you wake up, so you’re not in the dark.”

Peter was exhausted. That was the excuse he was going to use for why his eyes were watering for the second time in the last hour and not because Tony got him a dog that he loved, but also made him a night light in the shape of the one thing that calmed Peter during his worst nights. Something he’s never admitted out loud, but Tony figured out anyways.

“Tony, I—thank you.” Peter breathed, staring down at the nightlight and the puppy simultaneously and Tony waved him off.

“It’s no big deal, I just had to make a few tweaks to the program—I also made sure to add in the same feature my reactor has, just tap it and it becomes your suit. In case theres an emergency or whatever. Not that the tower will ever be attacked or anything, but it helps me sleep at night, knowing my suit isn't too far away from me,” Tony furrowed his eyebrow, “some have called that hyper-vigilance, but I called it being a good boy scout and being prepared, even if the experts don’t see it that way but I’ve never been one for soft sciences—“

Tony’s cut off abruptly when Peter wraps his arms around him and squeezes, to the point where Tony’s sure he’s cracked a rib or two but he can’t find it in him to care. He squeezes the kid back with just as much force, his heart warming at the thought of getting this parenting thing right.

“You’re the best, Tony, thank you.” Peter says as he finally pulls away, brown eyes shining with the upmost sincerity and Tony grins, ruffling Peter’s curls.

“Don’t mention it, kid, I just hope this helps.”

~~~~~~~~~

It was a late night in the work shop for Tony, he was working out some kinks in the software for Peter’s suit and adding some new upgrades he’d thought of in the recent months and he wanted to surprise Peter with them when he woke up in the morning.

He’d sent the kid to bed hours ago, despite the complaining and the pouting—all on Peter’s end and even though Tony wanted him here with him in the lab, he was trying to be good at this parenting thing and that meant curfew’s and rules and boundaries. At least that’s what the parenting books said.

Tony stretched, his lower back popping back into alignment in the most satisfying way. He had reached his limit of what he could do, it was up to F.R.I.D.A.Y. to finish inputting all the changes and Tony found himself wanting to check in on Peter.

“What’s the time, Fri?” Tony asked as he headed out of the lab and into the elevator to go up to the penthouse floor.

“3:26 am, boss.” She replied back dutifully.

“And how’s underoos doing?”

“Mr. Parker is currently in R.E.M sleep, his BP is one-forty over eighty, body temperature is one-oh-one point six, pulse rate is steady at ninety five beats per minute—“

“I didn’t a whole med report F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Tony said with a roll of his eyes as he made his way down the hall way towards Peter’s room.

“Of course, boss, my mistake. Should I make a change to my code to respond with a open ended and general statement such as ‘fine’ or okay the next time you ask about Mr. Parker’s well being? Would that suffice your curiosity?”

Tony didn’t know where he’d placed the sass level last when he updated the A.I.’s code but he knew for damn sure it wasn't at one hundred. He didn’t dignify the sassy A.I. with a response, choosing instead, to let it go ignored and check on Peter himself.

The door was cracked open, so Thor—Tony rolled his eyes at the name but after living with the overenthusiastic lab the last couple of weeks, he couldn't deny that Peter had chosen a rather fitting name for the dog—could get in and out of the room if he pleased, but Tony had never seen a more devoted animal in his life.

Thor and Peter had taken to each other right from the get go and at this point, they were inseparable. While labs were generally friendly and loved affection from anyone, there was no denying that Thor clearly favored Peter over anyone in the room. He followed Peter around the tower like his own shadow and never left his side during the night, which caused DUM-E to work over time to get rid of certain stains out of the carpet. And Peter was just as enamored by the puppy as Thor was with him—it was a match made in heaven.

Peeking his head into the doorway, Tony couldn't help the smile that graced his lips at the sight before him. Peter was sprawled out in his bed, covers half kicked off, Iron Man pajamas in full view and snoring away. Thor was in an equal state of comfort—his little body splayed out on the other side of the bed, head rest on Peter’s out stretched hand and snoozing away next to his owner. The arc reactor nightlight was on display on Peter’s night stand, the Iron Man symbol floating on the ceiling like a reminder that no matter what, Tony was always there for him and his heart warmed.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., take a picture and archive it, I need to send this to May.”

“As you wish, boss.”

Just as Tony turned to go back to his room to finally succumb to the fatigue he could feel starting to creep up on him, Peter made a whimpering noise and in a flash, Tony was back in the doorway, poised to wake the teen if need be. But before he could, he heard the telltale sign of sheets rustling and then the sight of a little yellow head popped up from his resting place. Tony watched as Thor scurried over to Peter, climbing up his body and finding a place on his chest, sitting down right over his heart. He began licking and pawing gently at his face, urging his human to wake up from whatever scary thing was causing him discomfort. After a moment, Peter seemed to settle back down and Thor watched him closely before he, too, settled back down. Rather than moving back to his original place, he curled up on Peter’s chest and his big eyes caught Tony moving back out of the door way and his ears perked at the intrusion, but he didn’t move from his distressed human.

Thor stared at Tony and Tony stared right back, caught in a Mexican stand off with a four month old labrador puppy.

Tony cracked a smile and nodded to the dog, “Good boy, Thor. Keep watching over underoos and keep him safe, okay? And if you need to, come get me, you know where I sleep.”

Tony turned back into the hallway, but stopped himself and looked back over his shoulder at the dog that was starting to doze off again, but perked back up at Tony’s reappearance.

“—and if I catch you chewing on my favorite Gucci slippers again, we’re gonna have to have a talk, okay? They don’t make them anymore and I know I’m a billionaire and Tony Stark, but lemme tell you, getting Gucci to bring back an old style is damn near impossible. Saving the world is a piece of cake compared to that, capisce?”

Thor simply blinked slowly up at Tony, before he shuffled around so his head was now nestled into Peter’s shoulder and his butt was facing a rather affronted Tony.

Canine or not, Tony understood the gesture for what it was.

He just got told to kiss a furry ass

“You’re lucky Peter likes you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you guys for reading and please feel free to let me know what you think (:

[watchingminecraftyansim]

Post 5 - Late Again

Hi, I’m Isabelle, and only one post this week, because I do not feel well, physically, I mean. emotionally and mentally I’m fine. Anyways let’s get onto talking about episode #6 of Yandere High School by SamGladiator

This episode starts out where the last one left off, with lunch ending and the students heading towards gym class. Here Rowan says that the students will be getting a field day, because he gets a bonus if the students don’t exercise that day, and while I’m no expert, I think having students not exercise is the opposite of the job of a P.E. teacher. Everyone then goes and plays outside on a playground that wasn’t there yesterday, Taurtis goes down a slide and falls off half way down. JtsTheDane says that “This is like falling down the mountains in Sweden.”, there is a lot of things I find wrong with this statement, first of all, his name has Dane in it, not Swede, second the Jotunheim Mountains, are primarily in Norway, and it’s true that some of them are in Sweden, some of the Rocky Mountains are in Canada, but they are usually thought of as an American thing. Plus they already mentioned him being from Norway previously, was it THAT HARD to say Norway instead of Sweden? Have I gotten to worked up about a small anachronism in a Minecraft roleplaying series? Yes, most likely. Moving on from my geography rant, we meet Salex, someone who starts flirting with Taurtis the instant she lays eyes on him. I mean… you do you ma’am. We also get the obligatory Invader flirts with Sam, Sam finds it gross, I comment on how it’s because of the beard and make snarky comments about how that’s not cool, we’ve done this song and dance before, you know how it goes. A funny bit from this episode is everyone jumping on one side of a seesaw that doesn’t work, because it’s minecraft, to try and lift PowerDragon. There’s no plot relevance to this bit, I just chuckled every time I saw it in the background of the video. Taurtis manages to get Salex’s number and Sam suggests a double date, with him and Sookie as the couple despite the fact that he and Sookie are not dating. A fact when Taurtis asks Sookie if she and Sam are dating, and she honestly just seems confused, along with saying Invader can have him when she threatens to fight her over who can have Sam. Sam punches Invader at one point and Rowan fucking decks Sam because he will not stand for abuse. We then see Jay and Gareth in the “Kissing Shed ;)”, and it doesn’t look like they are kissing, but rather Jay is just sitting in the shed while Gareth smokes some weed in the corner. Taurtis and Sam then go to do hopscotch, but not before Taurtis gets himself stuck in a soccer net and get punched out of it by Rowan. Sam then proves to be unexpectedly good at hop scotch, skipping 8 blocks, with the help of being punched. After some more hopscotch related shenanigans we see J stuck at the top of a tower of sand, and Sam punching the sand to get him down. After this Sam and Taurtis discuss ideas for movies to see on their double date, eventually settling on Bee Movie, with Sam stating that he hates Paul Blart Mall Cop, and Rowan states that he loves Bee Movie and that he will go along with the kids. Sam then decides to ask Sookie out for the double date and it goes well, with him rambling and messing up his talking to her, so overall an 8/10 on the asking her out, I wouldn’t have done much better.

After this Sam comes up with the idea for the scam of the century, where he and Taurtis race, and everyone bets on Taurtis and then Taurtis wins and they split the money. Their words not mine. Either Sam or I don’t know how betting works, because I am confused about how this would work Rowan races Taurtis instead and beats him by a lot, but no one really counts that. Then the proper betting on the Sam Vs. Taurtis race commences, with sam taking the bet money, and then a rain storm starts, and Sam pockets the betting money, cancelling the race due to rain, saying that it will happen tomorrow. Will it happen? Probably not, Sam likely hustled the whole school. Everyone heads back inside, but Jay ventures outside for a minute in the rain and gets struck by lightning, but school ends before they can get him to the nurse’s office (side note, does this school even have a nurse? They ask this in the show and don’t get an answer), so Rowan just kicks them out with Jay jumping off of the school’s upper floor balcony followed by Taurtis. Sam and Taurtis then head to Jay’s house along with ChanYandere for Manga club, and Sam keeps calling them comic books. On the way we see teacher Gareth sitting in the middle of the road, can someone like, check on him? He’s obviously not doing well. We then get to Jay’s house and he has made a miraculous recovery after having roughly 1.21 gigawatts of power delivered directly to his nervous system. We then get to see everyone in the manga club, there’s Invader, a couple other people, and the best character in this series, Jts, who is making food for everyone. We then see Rowan staring at the manga club from across the street in his apartment. We also see Jay’s cat, who is being loud, in order to quiet him down Taurtis feeds him cat meat, I don’t have any funny comments here, just take it in. Invader says that HunterXHunter is her favorite mango. Jts finally finishes what he was cooking, Rabbit stew, and gives some to everyone, Sam is understandably upset by this, but before we can get too deep into that the manga club transforms into the Hot Wheels® Club. Invader gives Sam a Hot Wheels® car, and they abandon talking about Manga in favor of playing with their Hot Wheels®. ChanYandere does not seem impressed by this.

Taurtis and Sam notice Rowan still watching them from his balcony, and tell him to stop staring at them and to watch his TV. Rowan’s response is that he wants to watch the Bee Movie. We also see Gareth in Rowan’s apartment, who had come over to watch Paul Blart. Sam says they should sneak over there to watch it, and when questioned by Taurtis, asking that he thought Sam hated Paul Blart, he responds that he likes sneaking around and doing illegal stuff. Taurtis jumps off Jay’s balcony to get to the sidewalk, while Sam takes the stairs and the two start to sneak into an apartment. Notice I said an apartment, because it is not Rowan’s. They soon realize their mistake and make their way up to Rowan’s apartment, and instead of sneaking in they ring the doorbell and ask to be let in. While they’re doing that Gareth states that he got the wrong film, and instead got the Spanish dub of the Minion Movie, which I would argue is worse than Paul Blart, all things considered, even if Gareth considers it his favorite anime. We also then realize the TV is in Rowan’s bedroom so they would all have to squeeze into there to watch it, so then they make their excuses and leave, stating that they are going on a double date. Rowan tells the boys to go pursue their love shouting “#Invadater”. It is then revealed that the apartment they went in accidentally was Invaders and when Sam asks Taurtis to come up with an excuse he says that sam wanted to panty raid her, to which invader responds with “;)”. Whatever floats her boat I guess. They then go home and play Smash Bros Melee, with Taurtis saying he mains Meta Knight, even though he was added to the franchise in Brawl, I swear it’s like they didn’t even google these small likely improvised bits before they said them. 

And that was the end of the episode. Also I wanted to mention but could never find a good place for it, but there was random cuts in the episode, as well as Taurtis’ mic quality just going down the toilet before returning to normal. I mean, it’s fine I just found it weird. Tune in next week where hopefully I post twice instead of once.

[purplesurveys]

682

what is your favorite kind of ice cream? This is in nearly every survey but uhhh cookies and cream. I also like queso real. if people could read your mind, what would they usually find? These days you’d find it almost empty, honestly. I’m nearly out of stuff to do, they’ve suspended online classes so I can’t be productive for school anyway, and I spend most of my days sleeping. In my defense it IS my way of catching up on rest after being excruciatingly burned out from January to the first few days of March, but it’s only a matter of time until I’m fully recharged again and I have to look for other ways to kill time. who do you talk to on the phone most often? My girlfriend. This question is super timely too, lmao. That’s all we can do these days. what's a song that makes you feel happy? Countdown by Beyoncé. It’s like Love on Top’s overlooked sister. what celebrity would you like to meet? Kristen Stewart or Hayley Williams, but they’re WORLDS cooler than me and I feel like I’d just unconsciously act stupid if I do meet them. 

Side note: So Paramore always calls a fan up on stage during their shows to sing Misery Business and I already have had a chance to be that fan. Usually the fans elbow each other to get to the front so Hayley has a better chance of seeing them and picking them. But knowing how much cooler Hayley is than me, I never volunteered and I was happy to stay unseen hahaha. what's the best concert you've ever been to? Paramore the second time. Coldplay was also BEAUTIFUL but it technically doesn’t count because Gabie and I watched the show from the top floor of a nearby parking lot – we weren’t actually in the concert grounds. Still a hell of an experience, though. what is your favorite clothing store? Independent stores that sell whatever fashion trends are making the rounds on Instagram is usually enough for me. H&M used to be my fave but I haven’t bought anything from there in a while. how did you meet your best friend? I met Angela in Grade 1 because our class numbers were right next to each other – I was 8 and she was 9. I met Gabie from a mutual friend. do you need money to be happy? Yes. I’m materialistic as fuck and I’m not even gonna try to hide it haha. what is something you do well? Getting kids and/or dogs to like me is one. what's a good idea you've had recently? Nothing’s really come up. This lockdown/school break hasn’t been requiring me to use my brain cells at all. what is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Fried rice, sunny side eggs, hot dogs, and bacon. Sometimes I’ll also be in the mood for tapa, which tastes heavenly at breakfast. how far in advance do you prefer to plan? It depends on what I am planning... < Pretty much. I know what I want to be doing in the next five years, but at the same time I don’t know what I plan to do in the next five days. do you like to wear high heels? I love trying them on, wearing them to events, and how I look in them; but they never seem to like me. My toes or ankle usually start bleeding by the 2nd or 3rd hour of having them on. how many slices of pizza do you usually eat? Two or three. Four if I’m really hungry. can you remember life without technology? what was it like? Not really. I did grow up around gadgets, and before I was 4 I was already watching my cousins and uncles play the PS1. I don’t think I know of a world without technology beyond radio and TV considering I’m from Gen Z; but at the same time, it was also a time when adults were still a little wary of these new gadgets, so us kids weren’t allowed to use our Gameboys and PSPs for too long, and we were always encouraged to play outside. what gift would you like to receive? I just want a taste of outside/restaurant food again, dude. To be fair to my dad who’s a chef, he knows how to handle his ingredients and we still get to eat delicious meals despite the lockdown... but it doesn’t stop me from missing Frankie’s or Yabu.

what's the last thing you paid for? I paid for gas when I drove up to Gabie’s house like, three weekends ago. It was the last time I got to be outside before they implemented the suspension of classes. what's the last movie you watched? I think it was Titanic, when it was newly added to Netflix. do you remember your dreams? I’ll remember it sometimes, but my memory lifespan for dreams is only a couple of days. I have to write it down on my phone if it’s a dream I particularly don’t want to forget. do you play any instruments? No. I do know a couple of melodies on the piano, but I’m a phony and can’t say I genuinely know how to play the tunes – I can’t read notes, the way I position my fingers on the keys is abysmal, and I only know/memorize which keys to press because I watch YouTube covers over and over. do you always smile for pictures? Yeah. I find my neutral face super ugly so I always smile for the camera. what are you most excited about right now? I can’t say I’m excited for anything right now... it’s hard to be, with everything that’s been happening. I can’t even be excited for my own birthday next April, which might also get hit by the lockdown. if you had $5 in your pocket what would you spend it on? I’d do a quick run to a convenience store and get myself bottles of soju and mudshake to keep me company during this boring-ass break. how often do you buy things via the internet? Very seldom. I prefer spending my money on eating out. would you like to live in a different country? if so which one? Yeah absolutely, I always think of places to live in other than my own because this country really is the worst to be stuck in. I keep thinking Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. what animal would you see first if you went to the zoo? I dunno, I’ve never been to a ZOO zoo. But if I remember correctly, the ecopark we have in my high school has birds like the Philippine eagle and peacock as the first few animals you see. if you could switch places with someone for a day, who would it be? It’d be interesting to see how it feels like being Blue Ivy for even just 30 minutes lmao. do you prefer the aisle, middle, or window seat on a plane? Window, then middle, then aisle.  what's your favorite song from a movie? Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine that got played in Twilight and Breaking Dawn. where would you like to volunteer? If I could, I’d be helping the homeless in Metro Manila affected by the lockdown at the moment and give them food and clothes, considering our national government isn’t doing jack shit to help them. would you rather go out for dinner or cook at home? Go out for dinner precisely because I can’t cook. who sent the last text message you received? It was from my service provider saying I’m out of data for the week. what's your favorite flower? Peonies. what's the last song you listened to? I Will Always Think of You, from the BoJack Horseman soundtrack. do you like being alone? There are moods that I prefer it. Tonight is one of those nights, so yes. what was the last thing you ate? Chicken wings that my dad made for dinner. how do you find new music? Spotify is amazing at making recommendations based on the songs/artists you already listen to. I also get suggestions from friends. what is your dream travel destination? Thailand, Turkey, or Greece. if you could play any instrument what would it be? The piano. what's your favorite city? Locally, Makati or Vigan. Internationally, and that I’ve been to, Bali. what's the last youtube video you watched? I was watching BuzzFeed’s Worth It series. SO good, and so rewatchable. where are you going on your next trip? I dunno if we’re planning anything because of the virus. My next vacation might already be something I fund myself, once I get a job. what are you currently addicted to? Seafood.

[evien-stark]

✧I Need You✧ Chapter 18 [5%]

It was sad when life had to eventually resume. A week into the new year you found yourself up on the back pathway of the mansion as he flew off into the sky. It was pointless to stand there and watch him disappear into the distance, but part of you couldn’t help it. You’d done it a few times now, and every single one you wondered if it would be the last time you’d see him. And you weren’t sure whether or not you wanted that ache to dull.

“The Ten Rings have a ship boarded and locked.” A military operation he was honing in on, if only because they were behind it. It helped his case a little bit that the Navy couldn’t free their own men, but hustling in on a government operation was asking for trouble.

Tony had been furiously researching every little thing he could find on the Ten Rings. The people that had kidnapped him. Every time he went out after them you remembered Coulson’s warnings in the debrief, “They’re not to be trifled with.”

And yet Tony was keen on doing a whole lot of trifling. As JARVIS read out the mission clear log hours after, you started wondering if it was just blind revenge. For someone that claimed he wanted information, all those operations ended up in every single terrorist dead. You also wondered if that was going to take a toll on him sooner rather than later.

Playing good guys versus bad guys… taking lives…

“I don’t remember asking for your help.” Nick Fury’s voice came over the computer in the lab and you turned away from your Stark Industries work to tend to your Iron Man work. He looked mad from his little square on the desktop. “Inserting yourself into my missions is begging for trouble. You want trouble?”

“As I heard it, your boys were stuck. So you can send a check to the office.” You were simultaneously scared and at the same time unafraid of Nick Fury. Mostly because you knew showing fear to him was probably the worst mistake you could make.

“Haha. Very funny. You think you’re cute, huh?”

Tony’s face came up on screen next to Fury’s. “As a button, I’ve been told. But really it’s more my chiseled handsomeness that people comment on the most.”

“How are you two gonna turn me down and then keep sniffing around my operations? You’re lucky you haven’t been dragged to a black site.” Despite his threats, he didn’t sound like he was even close to thinking about going through with them.

“What about something more like a gold site? Maybe a light cobalt?”

“Keep yucking it up, Stark. Yap, yap, yapping away.” You were wisely choosing to stay out of this as much as you could. “If I send you another packet you’d better sign your names to it. Otherwise keep out of my business. Or else.” And just like that he was gone.

“Or else. Pfft.” He was also resolved to be unafraid of Nick Fury and SHIELD.

“Maybe we shouldn’t keep pushing him, Tony.”

He made a face at you. “Look, when the guy stops coughing up dime-store villain lines, I’ll consider it. Until then, we’ve got work to do that they clearly can’t.”

You twirled a pencil around between your fingers. “It’s all fun and games for you, but if he comes after me, I don’t exactly have a bullet-proof suit to climb into and fly away in.” All you had were mind games. Ones you weren’t even good at. Ones you didn’t really want to be good at. It wouldn’t serve you if agents dropped in in the middle of the night and carried you off, anyway.

“About that...”

“No, Tony.”

“I’ll paint it your favorite color.”

“No.”

The world could only handle one Iron Man.

And you could barely even handle that. But for him, you’d press on.

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

  “So you think it’s right for Tony Stark to operate a weapon unauthorized by our military?” Valentine’s Day and you’d rather be doing anything but getting yelled at by a Fox News correspondent. “We call that vigilante justice, and it’s punishable by law.”

“Tony has been protecting people. Saving people. Saving countless lives. Destroying weapons aimed at innocent people. Cleaning up a decades long mess that no one else has had the means to put a stop to.”

“Who gave him the right? Certainly not me! Here at Fox News we don’t condone vigilantes!”

“Is the peaceful silence hurting your bottom line?"

 You got in real trouble for that one. But it was worth all the undignified screams that came with it. For all the anchors did decrying Stark Industries and the mad woman sitting on the throne aside mad self proclaimed king Tony Stark, stocks shot through the roof. That may have had more to do with tentative whisperings about the Stark Expo relaunching. But you’d take well deserved victories where they came.

The world was different now. The louder, angrier, more violent voices were fading into the shadows. Scared they’d be heard by Iron Man and snuffed out. No one wanted their locations found. No one wanted their weapons destroyed. For once murder rates dropped. Killings stopped. War came tumbling down.

Some things about it still bothered you. Would always bother you. But you could only ever show a brave face and make sure you stood by Tony’s side. That was your job.

Besides that…

You loved him.

And as long as it kept making sense, as long as he didn’t fall down the path of Obadiah, choosing who lived and who died gleefully or start trying to turn a profit off of Iron Man’s activities… things would be okay. The fact that he’d turned down several military hearings and briefings and requests was all the proof you needed. It felt like every day those tensions were growing.

No more so than when the military tried to use him. “Thanks for taking the heat.” His voice and face came from your laptop in the early AM, just past three.

You’d been unable to sleep, not unusual when he was out. The bed was too empty to sleep in, so you’d curled up on the couch. Waiting. Waiting for this. “Just doing my job.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that shade of red on TV.”

“She basically blended into her dress.” Snorting to yourself, taking a long sip of tea that had gone cold some time ago. “Are you on your way home?”

“Couldn’t get there faster if I tried.” The real reason he’d called, no doubt. Even so far away you could tell. He was upset.

You cradled the laptop closer. “What happened?”

“I know the military has been in a real hole since I pulled out of weapons, but letting Hammer take a lead on anything- how desperate can you get?” It sounded pretty bad. But you were already well aware. As soon as you’d read Hammer’s name on the dossier in the file, you knew this mission wasn’t going to be an easy one. A B-2 bomber had been charged across enemy lines inside a Hammer transport. It was very likely he was the sole reason Tony had been asked to come in.

“What did he screw up now?”

“He blew a whole mission on promises that his tech worked the way it was supposed to. Am I the only one with a brain out here?” He shook his head softly, roll of his eyes. “And Ross has another thing coming.”

That would be General Thaddeus Ross, who had asked for Tony’s help on a rescue mission. You worried, briefly, that lives had been lost. No doubt a fault of Ross, but Tony would shoulder the blame. A setup? “Talk to me, Tony.” If he was about to be thrown under the bus, purposefully, you needed to know everything.

His eyes squared on the camera, looking as if he was staring at you briefly before they shifted slightly, looking at your video window instead. “They were putting things where they shouldn’t have been, and got caught red handed. They fed me bullshit and sent me in on a shoot-to-kill. They told me it was Ten Rings activity. But it was just… soldiers fighting their own war.” Shaking his head again, eyes dropping for a few seconds. “They tried to trick me into murdering everyone there to cover up their own trail.”

“And blaming you if it ever got out.” It chilled you to your core, thinking about that. The military trying to use him like that. Like old times. Yet it somehow was completely unsurprising. “But you realized it.” Why else would he be debriefing you like that- talking to you, you reminded yourself. Not everything was a mission. You couldn’t let it be.

“Of course I did. On the list of people who think they’re smarter than they actually are, General Ross is sitting pretty right underneath Justin Hammer.”

You nodded. Foolish of them to think they could get one up over him. Even if you had worried. A thought you’d keep to yourself. “So you stop accepting pleas from them, if they can’t be trusted to do the right thing.”

“I’m nobody’s lapdog.” His tone had grown hard. “That is the last time I let someone talk me into flying into a war zone where I can’t tell who the good guys are and who the bad guys are.”

By contrast, you softened your own voice. “You know now.” There was a boom on the front landing, all metal and shockwave. “You’re home?”

“I just got in. Give me a minute, I’ll be right up.” With that his call ended and you couldn’t help but snap your laptop shut and move to stand. He’d still have to get the suit off, but that was no longer a thing you were shy about seeing. And even if he would be upstairs in just a couple of minutes…

It had been days since you’d seen him last. And he seemed pretty slighted. Good will carried you downstairs to the semi-darkened lab. The process of unpacking the suit had gotten much better. You knew Tony had been tinkering with it for a while. He was already out of it, standing at the computer console, pulling on a long sleeved shirt.

Something he did very abruptly as you opened the lab door, startled. “Couldn’t wait one minute? I mean, I know I’m irresistible, but stroking my ego this late in the evening seems like a pretty bad idea.”

Despite him being absolutely right about that you went to put your arms around him, giving him a little squeeze. “Welcome home.”

Easy satisfaction rolled through you when he hugged you back, a little tighter than usual. “Thanks.” His hands went to your shoulders, holding you at arm’s length. Just taking a good look at you. You let him… but there was this new sense of unease. You weren’t sure if it was just you… “Really. I’ll be right there. I just have to update my files.”

You gave him a little nod. “Do you want me to make you some tea?”

“Tea sounds great.”

Leaning up on your tiptoes you pressed a light kiss just underneath his cheekbone. You hadn’t seen him in a few days and just a touch of neediness found its way to you. Between his missions and work… he was very clearly still devoted to you.

Things were good.

You were happy, if not exhausted from work and worry. And he seemed…

How did Tony seem?

“How does tea in bed sound?” You dropped your tone. You weren’t an expert at flirting, but he didn’t need your senses to hear the promises there.

“Like a dangerous adventure.” His grin was weary and you immediately felt bad for choosing now of all times. Now was not a good time. He’d just been pushed around by Ross. Had just flown hours to get home.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. You kissed him on the other cheek, apology in your smile. “Tea and then bed.” Changing up the meaning entirely.

“Sounds perfect.”

You didn’t need much more of an excuse to run off and hide your embarrassment. Lucky he hadn’t called you out on it. He really must have just been exhausted.

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

 He waited until she was all the way up the stairs and setting a kettle on the stove to lift his shirt again. “JARVIS, have the readings come back from the suit?” He kept his voice low despite the fact there was no way she’d be able to hear him.

“Yes, sir. Blood toxicity levels at 5%.”

The beginnings of a terrible, angry black etchwork had started lining his skin around the Arc Reactor. He’d gotten lightheaded and actually lost consciousness for a few seconds on the flight home. He couldn’t let that happen again. “What’s on the books for Palladium poisoning? Tell me green tea is the cure.” Slumping to sit in his desk chair.

“Unfortunately no, sir. There is no viable research into Palladium poisoning. There is no known cure.”

He sat with that diagnosis, staring blankly out into space. “How about that. We’ll figure something out.” What other choice did he have? “...in the meantime, run me a quick calculation- at the current rate of spread, how long do I have until I don’t have any longer?”

“My current estimate with lean for faster spread as time goes on… I’d say by the end of May.”

A breath of air escaped him, eyes closing, grinning to himself, shaking his head. “So. Either the best birthday present I’ve ever given myself or the last.” A cure- a workaround... or nothing. No other choice.

“Shall I inform Ms. INY?”

“No.” More guttural noise than anything as it exploded out of him. “Not a word. This goes under prime executive files. She can’t know.”

“With all due respect sir, I think you should allow her-”

“I don’t need your respect. Or what you’re about to tell me. You’re not telling her. Are we clear?” She couldn’t know about this. He couldn’t do that to her. He just couldn’t.

“...yes, sir.”

“Window some simulations for element replacement. Don’t wait up for me.” He pushed himself on his feet, knowing if he spent any more time there she’d grow suspicious. He had to keep this away from her. A daunting task on its own considering the thing. He just needed a clear head. And…

To not think about how soon May was coming.

There at the stove she was leaned half over two cups of tea, dunking bags in and out. When she saw him approaching she looked up and smiled like she’d just seen the stars for the first time. It killed him. “Let’s go to bed, honey.”

“Honey. That’s new.”

He put an arm around her and took the offered mug of tea in his other hand. “Trying it out.”

She hummed something soft in thought. “Try it out a few more times.”

“Yes, dear.” Smiling as she lightly elbowed his side.

“One thing at a time, I can only handle so much excitement.”

Her laughter got him going. Quiet and tired. Just basking in the enjoyment of each other’s presence. Upstairs she moved away to sit cross-legged on the bed, staring up at him again with those big wondering eyes. Unable to help himself, he sat next to her, reaching a hand up to cup the side of her face, holding her close, relishing in the close of her eyes and that soft sweet sigh as she leaned into his palm. As he kissed her it only became clearer.

 She can’t know.

She can’t know.

[burlybanner]

Syzygy -6

Syzygy - An AU of Infundo (post-Infundo Chronicles).

Chapter 6: S**t Gets Too Real

Chapter 6 Summary:  Tony Stark’s a genius. Sometimes he wishes he wasn’t.

 Gentle warning: Slob stuff and multiple stuffings ahoy.

Link to Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

** Surprisingly, Bruce got hungry pretty damn quick after Hulk's stuffing. He didn't think he'd feel hungry ever again but after eating a banana he'd soaked in a double portion of his gainer solution, his stomach roared to life soon after waking. Being so suddenly and frightfully hungry shocked him, but thank the chubby powers-that-be that Steve had a huge country breakfast waiting. Bruce gobbled multiple servings of buttery Belgian waffles soaked in syrup, several donuts, half a coffee cake from his favorite bakery, and a couple of spinach mushroom quiches.

Which, to be honest,  was nothing near lunch a few hours later at a private buffet ("to celebrate new growth," Tony'd told the manager). Bruce had rolled his eyes. Of course Tony said something that stupid out loud. They'd brought some of the gainer formula to the buffet, shook it over Bruce’s food, and Bruce tore into the portions like a bull in a glass factory. And it surprised him. It took an hour of heavy gorging before he almost felt full and he'd never eaten that much for that long before. But it felt...great. No, more than that. He felt incredibly pleased. Sated. Beyond high. 

His pants got so tight at the restaurant he'd had to undo his belt.

His fullness turned him on and he begged Tony and Steve to blow him in the limo, on the way back home. But they weren’t total heathens; they waited until they returned for stuffing sex, 

where one of his boyfriends fed him sickeningly sweet desserts while the other blew him, effectively creating double orgasms. 

God. They'd been ridiculously horny. Insatiable rabbits.

And then there was dinner. Holy shit, dinner turned into another orgy when they mixed the day's remaining formula into his meals. After several dishes and baskets of rolls Bruce couldn't suck in his gut to fasten his pants. His stomach bloated and swelled in his lap as he slurped down sweet sriracha chicken,  Thai coconut curry, and on and on. Food continued coming as fast as he ate it and he barely choked one meal down before the next course presented itself. He'd spilled a ton of food down his shirt, but he didn't care. He mindlessly gobbled everything up like a sloppy, greedy piggy wallowing in mess.

Then they sated themselves with sex. Again and again.

Bruce's body quivered from the memories and his dick jumped in his pants. He wondered how the rest of the night would go which dampened his enthusiasm. He had to fall asleep and his body would be taken over, forced to consume whatever Hulk desired. Thinking about Hulk's "meal" worked like ice water on his libido.

Bruce sighed and nervously squeezed his stomach. "You really found everything?"

"Sure did, Pooh."

"I would've...no. I wouldn't' have asked. I can't imagine what you went through to get it. After everything I ate today, I thought you would've been sick of catering to me."

Tony smiled gently and gave Bruce a quick kiss on the lips while slipping on a pair of sweatpants and his nano shirt. "For you? I'd buy the moon, Pooh Bear. Besides, today's good eatin' was to slick you up for tonight. You don't think Steve and I noticed your apprehension? Perish the thought. You're stuck with us."

"And how," Steve sighed, coming up behind him. Steve was still floating in a post-coital glow and his high was infectious. He wrapped his arms around Bruce's shoulders and gently swayed him side to side, palming Bruce’s spare tire while bouncing his heavy overhang. "Betcha gained a ton today, Porkpie."

Bruce shuddered with lust and kissed Steve's arm. "We'll see."

"We still have the bonus round," Tony told them. He snapped his fingers. "Bruce, bed. Steve, get him sleepy." He checked his watch. "I've got caterers to catch."

Bruce suddenly perked up. "They're here? Already?"

"In an hour. But I need to set up for Hulk. He likes his food ready and he likes getting messy, as you know."

Bruce snorted softly. "I saw."

"I've got a few things prepared. No worries, Brucie, it's not about you now. Rest up for the nightly pig-out."

Bruce chewed the inside of his cheek. "Be careful, yeah?"

"Always, Brucie Bear. Always." Tony winked and skittered out, but Bruce wasn't convinced. Tony could be notoriously bad at self-preservation and he'd need all of his skills for the Hulk.

Please be careful, he thought as a silent litany, even as Steve kissed his neck and led him to their bed.

**

"Yeah, lay it out."

The caterer and their helpers looked confused. "On the--"

"On the tarp, yeah. Line up the steno and servers in a line. The tarp's fireproof," Tony explained, although he doubted they thought that was the weird thing. "Set it up. I'll take care of the rest."

"Of course, Mr. Stark."

Fortunately they didn't bat an eye. He figured they'd seen weirder things. Probably from him, come think.

He gave the catering crew time to plate everything but kept checking his watch. He still had to prep before Bruce showed up.

When they lit the last steno he clapped his hands. Only one startled. Good. "Awesome. All finished? Wonderful. Someone'll drop off your gear tomorrow, or you can bill us. Jarvis, see 'em out. Thanks." He shoved a bunch of hundreds at the nearest person.

"If you would, please follow the lights as I direct you to the exits." A few of the newbies blinked around the room, but most of them knew the drill; they'd dealt with Jarvis before and knew their way out.

When the last one left the kitchen, Tony let out a slow puff of air and stilled his breathing. "How're we on time, J?"

"The last caterer will leave the building in approximately two-point-six minutes, sir. From what I've been observing with Captain Rogers, I estimate Doctor Banner will enter NREM sleep in approximately six minutes."

"Perfect. You clear on the plan?"

Tony could almost hear Jarvis sigh. The minute pauses mimicked one enough times. "Of course, sir. Although if I may interject?"

"Shoot." Tony darted around, finishing the set up before Bruce-Hulk lumbered in.

"I assume Doctor Banner will want--"

"Nope, no," Tony said, cutting off his AI. "This is a need-to-know op only and Banner doesn't need to know. Not until there's conclusive proof. You cut the feed on my mark, got it? Don't go all HAL on me."

"Perish the thought, sir." Jarvis would be chuckling, if he were human. "But I felt I needed to voice my concerns, considering your current relationship status."

"Duly noted. Bruce will...well." Tony gestured flippantly. "Either way we'll know conclusively and I'll apologize to Bruciekins tomorrow. I'll have to drag the rest out of him later anyway."

"Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission?"

"You got it, J."

**

Within ten minutes of Tony's talk with Jarvis heavy feet slapped the kitchen floor. Not as heavy as Hulk's actual feet but it wasn't Bruce's footfalls either; Bruce's tread was normally softer and shuffled more. The new steps were definitely steps of purpose and power.

"Hey, Hulk, it's Tony. I'm over here."

"Tin Man?"

Bruce - no, Hulk - poked his head into the formal dining room. It was damn weird, but Tony had no problem differentiating between Hulk taking Bruce's body, and Bruce himself.

"Yeah, it's me. Have a seat. I got your grub."

Hulk snuffled and snorted the air, and plopped heavily next to Tony. "Smells good. What's that?" He poked a server, and Tony lifted it.

"Twice fried ostrich wings, like you requested. Cajun spiced, using a seasoning mix from that guy you remembered on TV."

"Prudhomme magic," Hulk rumbled, and Tony stopped short from reeling in surprise. No. Definitely not stupid. At all.

He'd have to keep on his toes.

"That's right. Chef Prudhomme's legendary seasonings." He watched as Hulk took an ostrich wing and sniffed it cautiously. Laughing, he stuck half in his mouth and crunched it, bones and all.

"Good. Good ostrich!"

“Some of the best chefs in Louisiana fried it up and sent it to you. We've also got your--" he tore off another lid, "--deep fried Rocky Mountain Oysters, swimming in white gravy, and..." he removed another server lid and stopped short of shuddering. “Crocodile and alligator tripe, simmering in an alligator head with the eyeballs still attached. Just like you wanted."

Hulk grunted his approval, scooped a hand in the warm stew, and slurped it. "Good. Very good. Where's main dish?"

Tony sighed deeply. "Big Green, you've got some unique tastes and I'm diggin' the vibe. But just know for Bruce's sake we couldn't serve it to you raw."

Hulk slammed his fist on the floor, but it was still Bruce's fist. So Tony called it a win despite his tantrum. "Cap said anything!"

"Yeah, he did. But think about it. You wanna do Bruce a solid, right? Make him big and cuddly, like you?"

Hulk snorted, but folded his arms in a childish pout. "Yeah."

"And you wanna make sure you can do this again, right?"

"Hmph."

"Then you gotta do right by him. You're in his body, so take it easy." Tony removed the last lid. "Ta-daa...frog and rattlesnake stir fry. Not quite raw but as close to raw as we could make it without making Bruce sick."

Hulk grabbed a handful of the hot dish and shoved it in his mouth. "Banner not get sick," he muttered. A frog leg tumbled from his lips as he talked with a full mouth. "Banner has Hulk's immunity. No poison can kill Hulk!"

"True, true," Tony said. "But it can hurt Bruce temporarily. He wouldn't want that, and he'd kinda hate you for it."

"Mm." Tony could tell Hulk was mulling it over as he continued shoving the food into his mouth with his bare hands. The last server had the deep fried andouille sausage with crayfish gumbo in it (crayfish heads still attached, of course), but Tony figured Hulk would get to that eventually. It was definitely the messiest of all the dishes. Who knew Hulk was such a foodie of weird foods?

"Andrew Zimmern ain't got nothin' on you," Tony muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, Hulk. Go back to feasting."

Hulk nodded vigorously and scooped fistfulls of one dish, then the other, and poured them into his mouth. A lot fell to the tarp, but Hulk scraped up the scraps. Waste not, want not, he supposed.

After five minutes of watching Hulk develop an easy eating rhythm Tony licked his lips. "Hey, Jarv," he said quietly.

Jarvis relayed his response to Tony's hidden earpiece: "Understood, sir."

Although Bruce pinned a GoPro to his robe Tony'd hacked the camera days ago. He had Jarvis loop the feed so it'd show Hulk chowing down. He knew he'd only have a few minutes before it'd look suspicious, so he had to hope he got everything he needed from Hulk in one take.

"Hulkie," he began. "You love Tin Man, right? Love all this great food?"

"Mm. Yes. Good food. More tomorrow?"

"Sure. Let me know what you want before we wrap up tonight. Can't promise you everything, but we'll do what we can. Like the rattlesnake. That fair?"

Hulk snorted and dumped a handful of the gumbo in his mouth. Which, of course, dripped down on everything. "Is okay. But not great."

Tony chuckled. "I get it," he said, then sobered. "I also get what you're not telling Bruce. You're workin' the system, Big Green. Not sure I'm okay with that, and I know Bruce won't be."

Hulk didn't respond, but continued stuffing his face.

Good. He knows I'm on to him.

"Pull back on the control shit - you're mucking around with Bruce's subconscious more than he's aware; I saw you at dinner today. Don't deny it."

Hulk laughed, deep and throaty. "Fooled you. And Banner."

"A little, yeah. But I know that's not all - you're not dumb but neither am I. You helped Bruce with that gainer cocktail, didn't you? I'm guessing there's more junk in there than Bruce realizes."

Hulk stilled, and for the first time that night Tony wondered if he'd have to activate the nanosuit. "I see what Banner sees," he murmured. His voice was oddly calm, oddly quiet. "But Banner doesn't see what I see. He doesn't know what I know."

Bingo.

"It's all an act, isn't it?"

"No."

A chill came over Tony and his brain overclocked. "Shit...Hulk isn't the only one in Bruce's head, is he?"

He almost smiled, but the expression wasn't Hulk's. Wasn't Bruce's, either. "Are you going to tell on us?"

Don't. Don't freak out. Don't. Freak. "Depends." Tony was surprised at how calm he kept his voice. "Who are you, and what are you planning?"

The Person sighed softly and briefly brushed away food from Bruce's robe. "Actually, I like being left out of things. I work behind the scenes, and I don't wish any harm. I'm actually the one helping maintain control over Hulk these days...I suppose in a pinch you could call me the lecturer-researcher construct." He paused, tilting his chin before sharply nodding.  "Call me Professor."

Tony swallowed. "Professor? Like when Bruce works at NYU?"

Professor hummed. "I'm present at any event where he's teaching, or when he learns something new. But honestly, I'm harmless. You've seen me before - I was the first to touch the Tesseract."

Tony sat back on his heels and scrutinized Professor sharply. "Huh. Yeah..." he gestured lamely at Professor's face. "I can see it now, a little. I remember that expression." Burned forever in his brain, now.

Sighing heavily Tony licked his lips, pausing at whatever seventh hell revelation this was. "So, um." He shook his head. He wanted a drink. Several. Despite cutting back for his boyfriends' sakes he wanted to drown his brain in a tank of whiskey. "Where...?"

"Where does this put the four...hum. Five of us?"

Tony nodded lamely. "You outflanked me. Royally."

"Did I?" Professor seemed to take that in stride, and smiled coyly to himself. "It wasn't my intention. I simply revealed my hand because it was timely. There wasn't anything left to hide." He tilted his head and gazed at Tony. "It doesn't change anything. Of course you should tell Banner and yes, even Captain Rogers, but do ask yourself if this is the right time. Could be fairly disastrous for the three of you if your timing's off." Tony narrowed his eyes slightly. Was that a veiled threat--?

Professor stretched and yawned, and held his hands above his head for a beat. "I'm actually quite pleased Banner wishes to become immobile, Tony." He smiled softly and ran his hands over Bruce's swollen belly, imitating a mother-to-be's reverence. The image burned Tony's retinas and he felt sick - maybe a bit horrified. "I'm looking forward to reading all the books I've yet to read and I'm glad for the time I'll have to myself."

Professor checked his wrist, as if viewing an invisible watch. "By the way, you should tell Jarvis to turn the camera feed back on. It's been far longer than five minutes."

Tony snorted. "You sly motherfucker. You knew all along."

"Of course I did." He winked and saluted Tony with two fingers. "Be seeing you, Tony."

Tony watched as Bruce's body shook before returning to shoving food in its face.

"Good food! Hulk wants more tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Big Guy," Tony whispered. He let out a shuddering breath and ran a hand down his face. "Jarv, tell me you recorded all that."

"Yes."

The AI's response was curt and to the point; he probably had as much to think about as Tony did.

"What the ever living fuck."

"Sir. Doctor Banner's Person was correct in one sense. It's been far too long, and there's bound to be an interrupting glitch in the feed if closely scrutinized."

"Yeah. I know." Tony licked his lips and made a circular motion in the air. "Go ahead and turn it back to black, J. Shit. I have no idea what the fuck I'm gonna say tomorrow. Hell, I dunno if I can keep up pretenses tonight."

"Might I suggest trying your best, sir? Especially as we're going live in three...two--"

"Shit."

But somehow Tony plastered his showman's grin to mask his shell-shocked face pretending for all the world he didn't do a Prince of Bel-Air, Freaky Friday flip. He watched Hulk eat most, if not all, of the dishes and he whistled for the 'bots to clean up the mess before guiding Hulk to the shower and repeating what Steve had done the previous night. But his mind was split and he knew he couldn't maintain the act for long. Both Bruce and Steve'd know something was up but he wasn't sure how, or when, he'd tell them.

God. He hated covert shit.

Ch. 7