#there is no hate more important to the Rogues' then the hate for family. and it should always be the main priority

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

The Rogues' rules are actually pretty funny.

1. Never kill a speedster

2. No identity thefts of a living Rogue

3. No killing children, women or capes

4. No drugs

5. Watch each other's backs to the end

6. Don't fight each other

7. There's nothing more important than family

8. Try to refrain from killing in general

[deadsetobsessions]

Danny no longer has a haunt. So… he decides to find another one. And while he technically has a whole world (other dimensions aren’t an option because he’s going to stay near where Jazz’s grave is, damn it) there’s only a couple of other places with enough ambient ectoplasm to sustain him. Nanda Parbat, Tokyo, and Gotham.

Nanda Parbat had a weird old musty immortal that kept trying to summon him and exchange power for the ability to “take a worthy body and rain as much destruction” as he’d like. As if Danny would need a body to bring the world to its knees.

Tokyo… it’s too far from Jazz’s grave. He could ask Wulf or even open his own portal but when Danny tried it out, Tokyo was too peaceful. Obviously there’s crime, but nothing… nothing big like Danny’s used to.

Danny ends up picking Gotham, even if the sewer zombies and the weird group of rich fruit loops with an adoption problem creeps him out. So, he destroys the portal, packs up his parents’ house and sells it, and hauls ass to the cesspool calling his name. His family’s stuff is stored respectfully in a vault located on the deepest parts of his personal haunt in the Infinite Realms.

And honestly, he’s doing better. Sure, he’s got a shitty apartment near another revenant’s almost-haunt and he feels like he’s drowning all of the time, but Danny isn’t in danger of turning into Dan, he’s catching up on royal paperwork, and he’s got like a job as a barista. In his own coffee shop that paid for using his parent’s money (who, despite their hazardous everything, made a crap ton of money off of their more normal inventions).

Gotham’s got some pretty interesting local gangs, most of which respected the sanctity of Danny’s cafe. Sure, they tried blowing it up and tried extorting money from him in the form of “protection costs” but after three months of failure, they gave up.

(Really, the local gangs gave up when they saw him take three shotgun shells to the chest and continued to work.) (They didn’t know it never hit him. Intangibility is extremely useful.)

The Rogues, on the other hand, just gave Danny flashbacks. Their gimmicks are different, sure, but after years of Box Ghost, Skuller, Lunch Lady, etc., Danny’s more than done with costumed villains. They don’t bother him either. Some of the reason is probably due to Harley and Ivy, who had walked into the cafe and (because they were bruised and scratched up from a fight) triggered Danny’s mother hen tendencies. They were promptly fed and watered and caffeinated and their hyenas were also similarly taken care of. They declared the cafe under their protection and that was that.

Red Hood stops by, and begins to interrogate him. But when Danny met his… helmet eyes? The crime lord paused, paid for his coffee, and sat in a corner table of the cafe for the rest of the day.

And he kept coming back?

But Danny figures it’s because Hood was a revenant and people who had come close to death tends to feel more comfortable around him.

(Considering this is Gotham where people almost die every other day? Yeah, he’s pretty much friends with everyone. Or at least, less likely to get shot.)

(Hood does stay because of the King’s presence and the Pit calming itself, but also Danny’s hot and he’s got a sleeper build and Hood definitely did not imagine himself in the place of the heavy box he saw Danny lift effortlessly onto a table. No.)

But of course, the peace couldn’t last forever. But by then, Danny was so antsy, he welcomed the trouble with open arms.

It starts with a clown. Danny knows who he is. He knows who Danny is.

So, Danny has no idea why the clown thought it would be a good idea to aggravate the owner of Gotham’s official neutral grounds. See, Clovkwork? Danny’s learned how to gauge his own political importance!

“HAHAHAHAHA! COME OUT, DANNY-BOY! LET ME TELL YOU A JOKE!”

Danny comes out and grabs a chair, and with a flat expression, says, “you’re not funny and I hate clowns.”

And then he swings and slams the chair into the Joker’s face. Over and over again until Danny’s sure the clown won’t get back up. The thing about Gotham’s outdoor chairs is that they’re mad out of steel and are bolted down to the ground to prevent undedicated thieves (dedicated thieves can and will steal the bolted down steel chairs). The Joker’s hired muscle just watched this scrawny twenty-something year old yank the steel chair and take some of the fucking ground and the bolts with it and beat the fuck out of their boss who is the literal Joker.

They surrender on the spot and is taken to jail. Danny just smiles at the officers who come by and since he’s got pretty privilege and they don’t want to mess with the guy who, again, owns one of Gotham’s official neutral ground and also beat up Joker without breaking a sweat, the officers just lets him go with a warning.

And then the bats comes, and wow, Danny’s playing mentor to a formally dead person again!

But before that, the Red Hood asks for an autograph on the Gotham Gazette article with a picture of a tired Danny standing over Joker’s prone body. Then Hood stammers through asking Danny out (which Danny said yes to because he’s tired, not blind, and Hood is built like a brick house and HOT).

Batman interrogates him. Danny, who can tell that this man needs therapy and is Sad TM, tells Bats that Danny’s died before and that’s why he’s like this. He also calls Batman a furry, but like in a nice way. And then he kicks Batman out with a coffee and a file on Nanda Parbat.

Now, Danny’s got a date to prepare for and he realizes that maybe this is what Jazz wanted for him- to be happy and mostly safe and happy. (Or, happier, he thinks. It’s been a long time since he’s been truly happy, but this might be a good start)

[brucewaynehater101]

I'm so glad you like it! Honestly, I'm pretty jealous as well. Though, I don't doubt he has the white noise generator and uses it on more than just those trips. Could you imagine Bruce and the other Bats going to the Supers, Clark, Kon, Kara, and Jon (who if I remember correctly has the best ears out of all of them) and when asked to track him down by sound, all of them are just like, "Red Robin? Oh no we can't do that." and when asked why, Clark gets nervous and says, "well. None of us have ever been able to hear his heart beat. We don't know what tech or magic he uses but *none* of us have ever been able to hear his heart. Not since he was 15. I asked you one time why I couldn't hear him and you just hummed at me!"

Meanwhile panic is rising in not just the hero community, but also the villain one. Red Robin has a *lot* of connections and if someone took or heaven forbid killed him? The Gothem Rouges remember what happened when the second Robin died, they know how bad Batman got. Now the Robin who saved them from him is gone? And now Nightwing and Red Hood and Spoiler and all the rest are on a Hunt, getting more violent like Batman did? Oh no, they are all going into hiding until this blows over.

Then there's also the villains connected to members of Young Justice. The Flash's Rouges Gallery hears that one of the Mini Speedsters is in a grief spiral and could end up seriously hurting them because one of his best friends has gone missing and is presumed dead? Fuck No. They are keeping their noses clean until it's done. So are the people who tend to antagonize Metropolis because Kon is *not* holding back. He grabbed Matallo and used his TTK to make him fall into thousands of pieces and then just stared down at him with a cold look of anger before leaving. Dr Light when to the ER when he tried to mess with the Teen Titans while both Dick and Damian were still on call and Tim was missing.

On day four of Tim being missing, Damian's head suddenly snaps up and he says, "I need to check a tracker." and the rest of the Bats follow him to the bat computer. When asked what he is doing, Damian admits, "a few years ago when I still hated Timothy, I put a tracker inside of his favorite camera, which he just so happened to bring with him on his trip. It may still be there and if he has his camera-" a few moments later, there is a ping on the screen showing the tracker is o the move, currently crossing the boarder from Kentucky into West Virginia. Tim has no idea what hell is coming for him, mostly because he figured that the Bats knew he did this every other month to unwind and relax. Traveling on a train for 4 to 6 days is his version of a vacation.

Glad for the add on. However, I think the angst reason for Tim "not having a heartbeat" would be because Kon died.

After Kon died, Tim created the machine to make sure no one else could hear his heartbeat (especially because Kon wasn't around for that anymore). When Kon came back, it was still a rough time for Tim. He was practically a feral and distrustful raccoon. Since he's still working on trusting people again, his heartbeat is still hidden (plus Kon hasn't brought it up, so Tim kind of forgot).

The stuff about the rogues is so true! That's why a few fanworks call Tim the "heart" of the batfam. I think all members play important roles and will similarly be missed. The heart comment is a cute nod to his role as a bridge and leash (he helped B obtain a larger support group and prevented him from killing people).

I like that this has Damian being the one to find out. Though Tim is grateful there's was a way for his family to find him while they were freaked out (he thought they knew about it), he's also exasperated at the tracker's existence. He probably pulls a prank on Damian for it.

Also, Tim 100% brings this incident back up with Bruce whenever the man complains about Tim's habit of overworking. He looks his father in the eyes and says, "The last time I took a vacation, you freaked out and mobilized the entire hero community to find me." They both know that's not what happened, but Tim is also not wrong.

[bomber-grl]

Leo Valdez x Child of Hecate ☾

Pairing(s): Leo Valdez x Gn!Reader

Leo was most definitely intimidated by you at first sight 😭

I mean all attractive people are, not to mention how mysterious and cool you seemed

Leo knows a baddie when he sees one

Well anyway, the only way the two of you could have possibly crossed paths was by someone else or you orchestrating the whole thing

Ofc again, it’s my girl Annabeth

She’s been at camp the longest and has a reputation so ofc she’s the one who always introduces reader and love interest

Well, it was only after annabeth needed help from the Hecate cabin and Leo was involved because he was the problem

An invention of his went rogue (luckily not because he built it wrong) but yk

Well once you do annabeth thanks you in her own way and when Leo has the chance to speak he just..can’t?!!

I mean not only do you seem cool but gah damn u look like a goth baddie

Home boy is stunned and can only manage a stupid as joke/ pick up line which even he asks himself, why???

Well while hes internally committing he heard the least expected thing

Which was you of all people laughing

You’re usually quiet and kept to yourself so seeing you like this was like when the clouds move and lets the sun shine in-

Cringe ahh mf , really this generations Shakespeare

Well he’s so shocked then the two of you just stand there like 🕴️🕴️

And if he manages to have his inventions go rogue every other day and needs your help specifically, well let’s just say it’s a coincidence

The two of you inevitably get close and the more he hangs out with you the more he falls in love

On surface level you’re dark, mysterious and most of all, intimidating

But now? You’re so easy going, it’s like the two of you have known each other since fetus days

Eventually you two get together because of an adventure that ended with you two getting closer and more open.

Once Leo is your boyfriend- he’s insufferable

I mean he’s his usual goofy, flirty(?) self and he’s so cringe but you love it all the same

Best believe Leo is head over heels for you and when it comes to your magic and stuff he’s particularly keen

especially when you randomly give him a crystal necklace for whatever reason and suddenly you hear Leo going around camp casually mentioning that his witchy s/o got him something

Which, yk endearing but still a lil embarrassing

Leo is always there to help you when you’re making potions, spells, it doesn’t matter

I mean at times he’s a bit spooked at what you can do but he’s still by your side regardless

Now, when it comes to your family on your Greek side- he’s scared

I’m mean, you’re probably scared too depending on if you’re a guy considering how basically every daughter/ female family of Hecate hates men

(You’re probs exempt cuz ur mom Hecate but still)

Bro is spooked, he does NOT want to be a guinea pig

And speaking of your mom, Leos timbers and shivered at the thought of meeting her and her not liking him

I mean it’s not all that important but depending if you’re especially fond of your mom then he’s shivering and timbering

Anyway, Leo is so lucky to have you by his side especially since sometimes he can forget how strong you are

(Also ik hecate is a minor goddess in the books and her children are shown to be weak but i refuse to acknowledge that as child of Hecate)

If you ever try and read his palm or do his birth chart he’ll probably just nod along and not know what you’re talking about 💀

Gotta love Leo

And if any animals that are sacred to Hecate approach you two he’s scared shitless (looking at you snakes)

Not to mention how crows can literally speak, no thank you

[tiredfox64]

Can I ask request a Kuai Liang x reader on the reader also being a pyromancer but always kept it a secret and Kaui Liang finds out about the reader's ability and tries to help teach only for the reader to avoid him out of fear of either being made fun of or accidentally hurting him until Kuai Liang shows his ability to prove the reader otherwise?

A Lighter to a Bonfire

Yip notes: Goodness, I need to show him more love. I was out here working to get dragon crystals to buy him more clothes and I barely make fics for him.

Pairing: Kuai Liang (MK1) x Gn reader

Warnings‼️: FUEGO FUEGO FIRE FIRE

At the young age of five, you discovered something that you thought was a curse. It all started from an incident where your emotions were out of control, resulting in you bursting into a ball of flames. Your parents were horrified. They didn’t know what happened and neither did you. They thought this was an instance of human combustion but you were fine. No burn or scar left behind. That’s not right.

Through research, you found out that there was a long history of pyromancers in your family. It looks like it went on for years before diminishing by the 1900s. Fewer children were being taught how to control their abilities until the practice died out. That was until you had your incident. Looks like it jumped some generations.

Unfortunately, nobody in your family knew how to help. They tried their best to get rid of it but it was no use. Blessings, cleansings, healing, and even chicken blood could not rid you of your destiny. All you could do was adapt. For you, adapting meant staying away from people.

You rarely had friends out of fear of hurting them. You distanced yourself from your family which saddened them. You had to focus on keeping yourself calm to prevent any incidents. You would hate to burn anything, especially if it was something of yours. Some days you would wonder why it had to be you. You cried from the despair of being alone. It was a sacrifice you had to make to keep everyone safe. No one could have helped you.

Or so you thought.

On a random day, you were visited by a man with glowing eyes who said he was the protector of Earthrealm and the god of fire. His name was Liu Kang and for once you felt hope. You thought that god himself would help get rid of this stupid curse. That wasn’t what he came for. Instead, he said he wanted to train you and help you control your pyromancy abilities, just like he helped your ancestors. He informed you that he would bring you to someone who could be of great assistance.  

Though you couldn’t get rid of this ability at least you could learn to control it. You could live a better life now. You can have friends and your family near you without worrying about them getting hurt. You were on board with this. Liu Kang was pleased to see your enthusiasm and said he would bring you to the Shirai Ryu to gain assistance.

This was truly a new beginning for you.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

There was a spark the moment you met Kuai Liang. Liu Kang never mentioned that he was so handsome. And he was the grandmaster? You’re gonna be assisted by the grandmaster? This was exciting.

Kuai Liang was intrigued by you. All Liu Kang told him was that you were in need of assistance. You needed training and guidance on how to keep your emotions steady. It was important that you didn’t condense your emotions but instead balance them. Kuai Liang initially thought you were some rogue person who had no other purpose in life because Liu Kang didn’t say anything. He didn’t tell him that you were a pyromancer and you were never told that Kuai Liang was one as well. A pretty good one actually.

Maybe it was god playing a practical joke on you. Maybe it was god wanting to let time tell what would happen between you and Kuai Liang. There is really no real reason why Liu Kang didn’t tell you two that you’re both pyromancers. He just wants to play matchmaker.

Kuai Liang found it best to meditate as it’s a great way to stabilize yourself. It quiets the mind and calms your breathing. Plus, it’s an excuse for Kuai Liang to step away from the stress of building a new clan. If he has to deal with another incompetent initiate or losing track of Bi-Han he’s gonna combust and never extinguish.

Your time with Kuai Liang was peaceful. It wasn’t easy in the beginning. You were afraid of being too hopeful and wasting your breath on something that was doomed to fail. You feared that the moment you thought you had control over yourself you would accidentally burn everything around you. Your mind ran wild with these negative thoughts. They’d make your skin all clammy and your chest would burn with the flames that flowed through your veins. Then Kuai Liang would tell you to breathe. Hold it for five seconds then let it out just as slowly. There, don’t you feel better?

Kuai Liang had a lot of patience when it came to you which was almost shocking. He always seemed to be in a rush when it came to everything else. He needed the initiates to better themselves fast. He was in a rush to catch Bi-Han and prevent him from causing any harm to the realms. With you, he acted like he had all the time in the world. You weren’t sure if it was because Liu Kang told him he had to be cautious or if Kuai Liang was doing it out of kindness.

The real answer is that Kuai Liang feels like there is something special about you. He didn’t know what it was but he had a gut feeling you and him weren’t all that different.

You had a feeling too but not the same one he did. He was suspicious, you were straight-up feeling. Who could blame you? You spent most of your life cooped up in an effort to prevent yourself from hurting others. You meet a handsome man who shows you respect and doesn’t fear you in the slightest. Even some of your family feared you for your explosive tendencies. But him, oh no, he looked at you like you were a person and not a ticking bomb. It’s reasonable that you would find comfort in him. Maybe a little bit of affection too.

That’s what makes you scared. You assumed that Kuai Liang doesn’t know you’re a pyromancer since he never brought it up or taught you how to control it. You were afraid to burn the bond you were starting to create with him.

At this point, you two weren’t just meditating together. You would take walks together which were soothing. You two would have conversations while having tea, sometimes inviting Tomas to join. You’d laugh, smile, sulk, and cry, all in front of Kuai Liang. He made you feel wonderful and to hurt him by accident would kill you. You wouldn’t hurt him on purpose of course but the flames that run through you wouldn’t hesitate to burn his skin.

So you try to keep yourself composed, even fearing good emotions would make you flare up. Good or bad it doesn’t matter; any strong emotions could set you ablaze. You know that because you accidentally used your powers while you two meditated.

You just wanted to take a quick peek at Kuai Liang, one wouldn’t hurt. You opened one eye and looked over at Kuai Liang who was kneeling next to you. His face looked peaceful with the way his eyes were closed. You looked down at his chest and saw how it slightly moved with each breath he took in and let out. Don’t forget to take a look at those muscles. You couldn’t help but smile softly at the gorgeous man beside you and feel grateful for what he’s done. Then you felt it. You felt that burning, tingly feeling that spreads across your skin when your powers start acting up. You looked down to see the palms of your hands were on fire like two little bonfires. You gasped without thinking and closed your hands tightly. The flame extinguished for now. It would come back if that feeling in your chest kept swirled. You closed your eyes, not noticing Kuai Liang looking at you, and went back to meditating. You focused on getting rid of that warm feeling in your chest.

He noticed, of course. He saw the black smoke that arose from your hands. The dark color of that smoke could only come from fire. It clicked in his head and that gut feeling made sense. You were a pyromancer, just like him. He didn’t know what to feel. He felt kind of hurt that you hid this from him. It would be unfair to hold this fact against you since Liu Kang didn’t disclose it to him. Then he started to wonder if that was the true reason you needed assistance. It would explain why Liu Kang brought you here instead of the Wu Shi to help with your emotions.

He gets it now but he won’t say anything yet. If it is true, he doesn’t want to disturb your peace. It’s best to finish the meditation session and then confront you.

After you both were done, Kuai Liang was about to ask you something you got up and walked swiftly out of the room. You didn’t give him time to get back on his feet. You held your head low as you slipped into your temporary room. Just like that, it was like how you used to live. Cooped up and too afraid to be near people.

Kuai Liang got up and started walking down the halls. He guessed you would run back into your room. He was there in under a minute and was knocking at your door.

“…yes?” You called back.

“You ran out of the room pretty quickly. Is something wrong?” He asked.

You could tell he knew something was wrong by the tone of his voice. You debated with yourself if telling him the truth would do any good. It’s not that easy to explain you can produce fire.

“I’m just tired. I’ll be fine in a few hours. Don’t worry about me.” You were trying your best to get him to leave you be.

He sighed at your dismissive attitude but what could he expect? You were hiding this for a long time, you clearly don’t want anyone to know. It would be unwise to leave this issue untouched that’s why he needs to discuss this with you. From the looks of it, he could easily mistake you for someone who just discovered their abilities. He has no clue that you have been dealing with this all your life.

“Okay. Be sure to come out for dinner. I want to talk to you once dinner is finished.” And with that, he finally left.

You were left a nervous wreck in your room. You thought all your progress was reversed and you were back to square one. You knew it, you knew this would happen. The moment you got close to someone you started burning up. You flopped face-first onto your bed and groaned out loud. Things are just never easy for you.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

Great, now Kuai Liang was struggling to catch you.

After he said he wanted to speak with you his mind immediately started working on a plan for you. He wanted you to figure out how to be a pyromancer and he would train you like he was trained. After that, you definitely won’t feel the need to hide your powers.

But you never came. After dinner, you went right back into your room. He came knocking at your door and you ignored him by pretending to be asleep. No matter, he’ll just catch you tomorrow.

…yeah no.

Kuai Liang wasn’t going to force you out of the room. He wants to keep you calm since you were unable to control your abilities. It was frustrating to him that he had no other way to get you out. He tried talking to you through the door but you would either stay quiet or give him short answers.

“I only want to help you.” He yelled through the door.

“I’m fine.”

“I know you need help with your pyroman-“

“I have no idea what you are talking about!”

You’d deny having any pyromancy abilities. You didn’t want him to help you out of fear that he would get hurt. He’d sigh before leaving you alone.

He hates to do this to you but he might have to catch you off guard. You can’t stay cooped up in your room all day. You eventually have to eat. He knows you’ve been sneaking out just to nibble on some snack when you think no one is looking. He knows you’re stuffing your cheeks with tangerines, don’t lie. Nobody eats ten tangerines in one sitting except you.

All he can do is wait for now.

The sun had set and the moon began to rise. All was quiet with the occasional cricket chirping. Right on schedule you were creeping out of your room quietly. You did manage to control your fire a little. You were using your finger as a candle to guide your way around. You were in the kitchen area in under a minute. You grabbed those tangerines like you’ve been starving for days. The lights suddenly flicked on. In your most vulnerable state, you were caught with a bunch of tangerines in your arms and your finger lit. Who was the person who caught you in the act? Why it was the Shirai Ryu’s grandmaster, Kuai Liang.

You curled your finger up and extinguished it by closing your hands. You slowly put the tangerines back like that was the problem here.

“I knew you had pyromancy abilities. Why did you hide it?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Your finger was on fire.” He replied bluntly.

“Just leave this alone please.” You begged.

“I will not. You have to let me help you. I can teach you to control it. Controlling it involves your emotions being stable, yes, but it also involves physical control. You have to control where it goes.”

“No!” You blurted out.

You surprised Kuai Liang. This was the first time you ever raised your voice. It was also nighttime and the deafening silence was interrupted by your plead. You immediately felt bad and decided to tell him the truth. It’s the least you could do.

“I don’t want you to help me because…I don’t want to hurt you. I’m scared of hurting others. That’s why I’ve hidden it all my life. I really like you and I don’t want to end up hurting you because I struggle to keep emotions under control.”

At that moment the skin on your arms began to tingle and your hands started to produce embers. You looked at Kuai Liang who was calm. Even as your hands started to catch fire he didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he walked closer even though you pleaded with him to stay away from you. You backed away from him until your back hit the kitchen counter. You thought you would cry because you were so frustrated with yourself. You were upset with how your life had turned out and now the one good thing you had was about to be ruined. That’s what you thought before Kuai Liang took hold of your wrist and placed his other hand next to yours. You watched as his hand caught fire. It was hotter and brighter than the fire you produced. Little embers from both your hands danced in the air before dying out. You stared in awe at the sight before you.

Kuai Liang was a pyromancer, duh.

“Oh…” The realization was setting in.

“As I said before, I can help you.”

He folded his hand over yours, extinguishing both your flames. He held your hand in his, squeezing it to make sure you got the point that this was real.

“I had absolutely no idea.”

“Now you know. I hope this will help prevent you from running away from me next time.”

Your eyes shifted down in shame. This could have been figured out sooner if you weren’t so afraid. Kuai Liang doesn’t blame you luckily. You thought you were alone in this world. You clearly aren’t.

“I’m sorry.” You apologized.

“I accept your apology. Now that you know I can properly teach you how to control yourself. Soon, you will be a greater pyromancer than me.”

“I don’t think so. I think I’m pretty late with this.” You joked.

“It is never too late. Get some rest. In the morning I will start training you.” Kuai Liang slowly let go of your hand, also hesitant to do so.

It felt like a weight was lifted from your shoulders. You had nothing to fear in the end. You were just being silly at this point. But things will be different now. You have a real chance to get a hold of your life and be better than ever. Maybe you will be just as great as Kuai Liang.

Oh all of this is so exciting you just might—

Fwoosh

Oops, you caught fire again.

Kuai Liang ran back to you and took hold of your hand. You calmed down and the fire that surrounded your body died down. You actually startled Kuai Liang with that.

“Perhaps you should stay in my room for tonight. I need to keep an eye on you.”

Yap notes: Kuai Liang and Guatemala have failed me on the same day. What kind of cruel joke is this. I promise I'm not mad what are you talking about? Also sorry if the first part seems to be different than the second. I started it, wasn’t feeling, and came back to it way later. Yes I did started craving tangerines hella bad how could I not—🍊🦊HEY! HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK IN MY DEN?! PAY YOUR RENT! Adiós!

[chasing-faith-and-fate]

So can we get a back story or info on the other clans and how there daily life is? Like do they struggle with mistreatment from there leaders or other higher-ups in the clan or other clans?

I guess I can give you some? It's not really important to the story so why not

Wisteria:

They're the oldest of the clans, originally from another territory with other clans who were way too aggressive which is what drove them away. Half the cats split off to become Brindleclan.

They're very much known to be outrageously kind, which current deputy Windshade really hates, he's looking to change the clan image when he becomes leader.

Despite this- the clan was the first to start culling any cats that simply didn't age as they should, or otherwise acted out of character (some cats may have not have been Taken, but just had other problems. The clan did not stop to think about that.)

Applestar is the first leader that hasn't had any of the original founders in her family tree. She's an outsider, but she's very liked, even by her more power hungry deputy.

She's mates with the healer, which is why she made it legal for them to have families and relationships, this wasn't allowed in Wisteriaclan before her.

Windshade is part of a polycule with Sparkclan cats, Weeddash and Airdazzle. It's very much a secret even tho it wouldn't be too frowned upon.

Wisteriaclan are very much of the mindset that you can overthrow any leader that the majority doesn't like. It's expected.

Brindle:

They were hit the hardest by takers, the creatures took ⅔ of their population, and they're still struggling to build it up again.

They did however go to many lengths to ensure they only threw actual Takers into the rift, the process of weeding them out took a long time.

The current generation of power holders are quite generous, offering help where their clan didn't provide it in the past. They aren't exactly happy to do it, but they're desperate for allies.

They have a pretty bad habit of power imbalance which leads to infighting and conflict between the cats.

They're currently (as of moon 34 in game) that have Takers among them.

If any clan falls to anything that's not Takers, it's probably gonna be Brindleclan. They're sadly very accident prone and have no fucking self preservation.

Robinfleck is plotting murder very often. Take that as you will.

Spark:

The Sparks (as they currently are) was formed by a group of rogues that found the two others. The clan didn't like many of the rules and so have their own system.

For example, the clans name changes with the leader. The leader is also always related in some ways to the previous one. This is the nepotism clan everyone.

Sparkclan never had issues with Takers, no one knew why, but the Sparks were and still are very very arrogant about this fact.

Chasingclan is an offshoot of Sparkclan, and despite what Sparkstar says, they have never gotten along since the separation.

As you may have noticed, a lot of Sparkclan cats have scars across the bridge of their nose. This was a mark of disrespect, an old tradition to make those who break the laws or speak out against the leader and their family get marked. Now it's a cosmetic thing some just ask for.

They're the least liked of all the clans by the other clans.

Their healer recently committed a crime that led to a kit dying and has been exiled. She is roaming around unpunished.

[willakk]

Cradle-to-Cradle

After plot plaguing my mind, most often when I was trying to sleep, I decided to do Invisobang this year! I had the wonderful opportunity to work with two fabulous artists: tinyspectre (art) and EyesofCrows! They put so much love into their pieces so please go check it out! I'll link their art here soon! I also had some help with all the nitty gritty of the story by my beta reader WriteDreamLie! I hope you enjoy the story as much as she did!

Anyways, here's the story I've been working on!

Cradle-to-Cradle (1229 words) by WillaKK Chapters: 1/14 Fandom: Danny Phantom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Danny Fenton & Danielle "Dani" Phantom Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Sam Manson, Vlad Masters, Danielle "Dani" Phantom Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Vampires, but not an au, Blood and Gore, Blood Drinking, Characters Consuming Ectoplasm (Danny Phantom), Ghost Hunger (Danny Phantom), Self Depreciating Thoughts, Slight Panic Attack Summary: What starts as what appears as a change in heart with Vlad unintentionally leads to Danny being placed in a fatal situation, one that doesn’t involve his typical fare of rogue ghosts. Instead it’s vampires. Danny now has to ensure that Vlad’s schemes are stopped before it is too late for Elle while also navigating his new relationship with his mortality.

Here’s the first chapter below the cut!

Danny hates Vlad. No, hate is too simple a word. Danny despises Vlad.

Poor, unassuming Danny thought that Vlad was finally turning around. Of course, he wasn’t; Danny should have known better. See, earlier that evening, Vlad had invited Danny over for a dinner of reconciliation. With the elder Fenton’s out that weekend at a conference, it seemed as if Vlad left his scheming behind. Vlad could have easily benefited from them being away from Danny’s safe embrace. Vlad could have easily taken control of the situation and finally accomplished one of his greatest goals. But, he didn’t. He stayed in Amity Park and asked for dinner over kind and apologetic words. Danny should have known better.

When Danny arrived at the way too grand house, Vlad welcomed him in with open arms. Of course, Danny was still apprehensive. While seeing Vlad like this was not too uncommon, it was typically when he put up a façade. That was something that Danny was too used to seeing whenever his family interacted with “Uncle Vlad”. The instance here could certainly just be a façade, Danny realized. But, maybe he is finally changing? Maybe he finally realized what he was doing was just wrong and plain creepy.

It seemed as if Vlad was true to his words as they had conversation over dinner. He apologized for his spur of the moment actions that caused the Fentons harm in the past. He said that he had gone to meetings with a therapist who helped him understand and better his thoughts. (Danny couldn’t believe that Vlad would actually admit to needing help, but that night was full of surprises wasn’t it?) Vlad then apologized for all that happened with Danielle.

“Words aren’t enough for that, though, Vlad.”

“I know, Daniel, that’s why I would like to at least financially support her so she can live a life like a normal child. I wronged her in the past” — Danny huffed at that — “It’s my responsibility to rectify that.”

Danny couldn’t help but applaud Vlad for his change in attitude. Maybe things would finally turn around. Maybe Vlad could live up to “Uncle Vlad”.

The food was also very delicious, Danny had to admit. Vlad did have a keen eye for high-quality delicacies. The Italian Soda that Danny had did taste a bit odd though: “Do not worry, Little Badger, it’s made from specially imported syrups straight from Italy! You just are not used to the pure high quality. Now, maybe if you came over more often this would not have been a problem, would it not?”

With all the talk, food, and Danny’s horrible sleep schedule, Danny was already getting pretty tired by dessert. But it was chocolate lava cake so Danny couldn’t pass on that (not like he would want to pass on dessert in general). Vlad had made sure that the dessert was really something special: he had to since it was commemorating a monumental time of change. Instead of the typical plain rich chocolate, there were spices in it as well. It was an awesome idea, Danny had to admit, making the chocolate lava be reminiscent of lava. But, he couldn’t really enjoy it in all of its glory because he really was getting tired and maybe his thoughts were becoming a little fuzzy. Maybe he should get home. And, it seemed as if Vlad was getting a bit tired as well, if Danny interpreted his expression correctly.

Danny exclaimed that he best be getting home because it was getting late, yet omitting the fact that he also didn’t want to keep Jazz waiting around for him (“Just in case,” Jazz said). He then added that he was glad Vlad was finally making a change for the better and that hopefully they could have dinners again.

“Of course, Little Badger, I look forward to it.” Vlad escorted Danny to the door and bid him good night. It seemed so normal, especially for Vlad. Maybe things were really turning around. Oh! How much easier Danny’s life had just become. Maybe he’d finally get to finish the movie marathon with Tucker.

As Danny left the single lamp lit doorstep towards the street leading home, the cool autumn breeze was inviting. The fireplace that Vlad had burning made the home a bit too stifling for Danny’s ice core’s taste. The breeze also woke him up a bit, and, wow, he really was getting tired. He didn’t realize that he was this tired before. Maybe he should walk home a little faster.

Wait, flying would be faster, wouldn’t it. It was only a fifteen minute walk, but anything to shave that down would be welcomed. Danny double checked his surroundings. Luckily, no one was out. Even the outskirts of Vlad’s higher class neighborhood were still nice enough that no one loitered and most people stayed in their welcoming homes late at night for comfort (and safety from ghost attacks that were all so more unsuspecting in the night). With no bystanders in sight, Danny went to transform. But all he felt was a small fizzle of energy. Yes, his brain was a little fuzzy, but he still realized that that wasn’t normal. He tried again: the same results.

Oh, Vlad. What did he do? What was he up to? Danny really shouldn’t be this tired. Maybe he should sit down for a minute. No! Keep walking Danny, keep walking. No falling asleep now. Ugh! I should have known Vlad was up to something. What if something happened to Jazz, too?

Ten minutes away now, he was almost there. He needed to make sure she was safe. Wait, who is “she”? Sam? Elle? … Jazz! Jazz is home alone. Oh, wow! It got dark really fast. Are those street lights not working? Hmm, they really need to fix those. Wasn’t that where Skulker … Focus Danny. Keep walking home. No stopping.

Eight minutes away. Oh, there’s the cafe. They have good croissants. But, they’re closed now, aren’t they? Too bad, Jazz would have liked one of them. Jazz! Walk faster. Could he close his eyes while he walked? He was really tired. Was that a noise? No, it’s just my feet.

Is that a person? Maybe. But he just needs to walk. He’s right next to the cafe now. It feels like a whole minute has passed but he’s only walked a short distance. Is there more than one person? Ah, it doesn’t matter. Wait! Does it? They are moving very very fast, or is Danny just moving very slow?

Ouch! What was that sudden sharp prick of pain near his neck? He should fight those people off. He can fight them off for Ancient’s sake! He’s Phantom. Oh! But maybe he shouldn’t. No, he really doesn’t need to. There’s no problem. The pain is still there but it’s okay. Isn’t it? Wow! The world is getting really fuzzy. It’s like it’s covered in a big fur blanket. Like Cujo! Hmm, yeah, he’s a nice doggy, very nice. Hmm, maybe he should just close his eyes now. Yeah, that’s a good idea, then the street light a few doors down wouldn’t be so bright. Then he could sleep. He liked sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Hmm, what’s that “ba-dump” noise that’s been slowly slowing down? It’s too loud, he doesn’t like it. Oh! Is it stopping? That’s nice. Sleep.

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

Giving all the bad traits to Aegon and all the good traits to Aemond IS NOT good writing by any means this also leads somr people to think that Aemond of all characters is better and more fitting to be king than Rhaenyra and Aegon lmao

I agree, anon. I think it's important to Aegon's and Aemond's stories that they kind of have inverse narratives. Aegon is the one who is underestimated but pulls through against all odds, while Aemond is the one who is overestimated and lets his family down when they need him. As much as I hate it, I've made my peace with the show softening Aemond by giving him the bullied child narrative, but I really hope the show doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the extent to which Aemond nearly singlehandedly costs the greens the war due to hubris and shortsightedness. The fact that Alicent is telling Rhaenyra that it will be her son Aemond that comes to save them, when in fact it is Aegon who eventually returns to King's Landing, has so much potential for drama and angst. And I don't mean to hate on Aemond. He can be a fun character if they let him do his badass dark prince thing, rather than trying to make him the actual competent one. He can strut around and look cool, fine, but it should be made clear that it's all bluster. Because while Aemond is ignoring strategy and going rogue, Aegon is rehabilitating his own injuries as well as his dragon's (while kicking a milk of the poppy addiction) and infiltrating Dragonstone by turning Rhaenyra's people over to his side, and doing this at a point when most had written him off as dead or dying. It's impressive, and the show should give credit where it's due.

As for who would make the better king, I think going by the books, Aemond falls behind both Aegon and Rhaenyra. He's holds grudges, listens to no one, does not compromise, shows no restraint, and on top of it, he has a huge violent streak paired with a gigantic dragon. Aegon can be violent and hot tempered, but he can also be talked down, and he does show both restraint and mercy. He and Rhaenyra both, at the very least, listened to their advisors, but Aegon had a lot more room to push back against his, whereas Rhaenyra was more beholden to hers (and when she finally does push them, her support disintegrates). In the end it's listening to the wrong people that does them both in, but I think the fact that they listen, period, puts them ages above Aemond. A king is only as good as his worst counselor, but a king who listens to no counsel whatsoever is just a tyrant.

[adainesfroggieboggy]

siobhan thompson appreciation post because her characters just make me so happy and they're so. good. she's so good at characters! spoilers for every intrepid heroes season of d20. i could do a whole other post about her sidequest characters bc they're so good.

Adaine Abernant. The Elven Oracle. She's always been one of my absolute favorite characters ever. Her anxiety representation in the first season makes me feel more seen, understood, and represented than any other character ever. She's literally so cool! She starts freshman year as an awkward nerd and becomes a cool nerd! Her anxiety never goes away, but the medication makes it manageable. She hates her parents because they're awful! Just the rep of having awful parents and hating them and that's okay because they suck! You should hate your parents if they suck as bad as the Abernants! Not everyone gets a redemption arc. If they suck, they suck.

Misty/Rowan. Misty is the perfect representation of an old lady who gives no fucks. She flirts so hard with that guy at the pixie wedding. She openly admits to having been friends with John Wilkes Booth. But at the same time? Will not give her age. A lady never tells. She's absolutely ancient and doesn't fucking care, but she also has this undertone of absolute existential panic because she needs adoration to survive! She stays relevant because she has to! Don't get me started on Rowan. I have a crush on Rowan Berry. She's reborn and immediately starts flirting with Pete, which is iconic in its own right. She's a bard who gives bardic inspiration by either flirting or complimenting, and sometimes the lines blur just a little bit. Absolute queen shit. She defeats the queen of Faerie and has no desire to go back until the Fae court tells her hey. You left us with no leader. And then brings democracy to Faerie! President Rowan!

Ruby Rocks! She starts the season as a kid who loves her sister just so much. That's the most integral part of her character. She's a princess and a rogue, and she loves her sister. She has a lot of development over the season! She ends as a woman who fights for her family and her country. She hates Saccharina when they first meet, a new sister on the tails of the loss of the most important person she's ever had. After Jet's death, she's overcome with grief and takes a level of shadow sorcerer because of it! Her development is amazing, a truly wonderful arc.

Iga Lizowski! Oh. My. God. She's the first pc that is a mom in d20, or at least in the Intrepid Heroes. Her relationship with her kids is so fun to watch, from urging Jessica to engage with the chest to bringing her into another part of the Unsleeping City. Then Nick, who she hadn't pressed at all to take responsibility for the chest, decides to become another defender of his family's magic! Not only is she an amazing mother, she's a fortune teller by trade! She knows full well that everything she does has merit, and that magic is real, but makes it all seem like a lie to cater to her clientele. It's not her intention to become a part of the Dream Team, but when her family is threatened, she fights like hell. Also she has a pseudodragon that's just a magical chihuahua and that's so old ladycore it's such a perfect choice.

Riva. They're just on their gallivant, honestly. They decorate their psychodrone with magnets. They're trying to sell pleasure putty. They make their own hours, but they don't know how. Riva is sweet and fun and naive. They love their friends and they love the outside world and they're having a great ass time on their gallivant.

Rosamund. Du. Prix. Quick little shoutout to Siobhan's princess voice because no joke she did my favorite accent. It borders on transatlantic (my favorite accent) but is very Disney princess. She starts as a Disney princess, too! To have a character looking for her true love wake up, search for him, and ultimately sacrifice her chance at having him is *mwah* beautiful. True love isn't real! She directly confronts this, and a member of her party is living proof of it. She has to see the prince who came to save her, and upon meeting him, she realizes how fucked the idea is. He kisses her once and that's all? She doesn't know him, she doesn't love him. How can she live happily ever after with him? Her story is about having things happen to her, but she wrenches the pen from the authors' hands and writes her fucking own! Once upon a time, there was a princess who tried speed dating!

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Slowly but surely replying to older asks. I say it every time but I mean it: thank you for being patient.

One ask about Shroudcest and one ask about Rookvil today!

Anonymous asked:

Imagine imagine imagine.

Cause this is funny to me.

Someone's flirting with Idia, yeah? (or just talking to him, not even flirting) (well, I guess it'd be a one sided conversation....)

And Ortho was off doing whatever and he comes back and he notices-

And he gets all angry and whatnot-

And Ortho's got instant connections to the internet-

And he figures out who the person is and basically destroys their social life.

Like, in the middle of this conversation, this person checks their phone and finds out all their friends have ditched them and their entire online life is up in flames.

Simply because Ortho got a little jealous.

Anon, this is so unbelievably easy to imagine lol Despite Ortho really wanting his precious Idia to have more friends and connections, he is much more jealous than he thought! And much more of a little shit than people think… We really love this kind of scenario for them, to be honest.

Ortho is way too powerful for how emotionally unstable he is! Rogue little yandere robot :( His niisan is his and his only! That poor guy probably just wanted to talk about homework or something trivial like that…

Anonymous asked:

the rook hate be crazy, sorry for the nonsense you’ve been dealing with for doing nothing wrong. anyway rookvil appreciation hours. rook is so observant and reverent that he’s always looking out for his queen and vil is just a bit tsun lol but i love how vulnerable vil is with rook. like the lines implying vil has cried in front of rook before, that they sleep in the same bed, rook knows vil’s family situation, vil commenting on rook’s thighs in beanfest implicitly meaning he spends a lot of time looking at them lol, rook has access to vil’s room and waits for vil… as much as i love savanaclaw rook and mourn his loss everyday, he willingly changed himself to be worthy of being by vil’s side via his own free will; vil did not MAKE him do anything they just talked a lot. my mans is more whipped than heavy cream. idk about you but rook mentions he struggled to feel or express emotions before he knew about theater (specifically neige but let’s ignore that for vil’s sanity lol) so it feels significant that rook obviously feels and emotes so strongly over vil (also something something ortho struggles to feel or express himself before movies and acting so what i’m getting at here is they should spitroast vil at least once lmao.) if it was revealed they’re canonically dating the only part i’d be surprised about is that it got through disney’s censors.

It’s okay, Anon. The whole thing kind of made us appreciate Rook and RookVil more, to be honest lol I sketched them for a couple of days nonstop after that whole thing happened.

It also made you write this ask! It took me some time to reply, but every time I was rereading it I smiled because god this is such a good ship. Everything that you’ve listed is just so… wonderful. All those interactions, all this connection, all those moments that imply their closeness that is on a much deeper level than we get to see. Sometimes when these two talk, it feels like we’re eavesdropping lol they just have this vibe to them, as if every dialogue has some additional context that we don’t quite get.

Vil’s comment about Rook’s thighs and him bulking up though lol poor Epel didn’t know what to make of it and probably didn’t want to think about it…

You’ve made such a good point about Vil being more vulnerable with Rook, and I think this vulnerability is very important. Vil feels like someone who probably doesn’t usually allow people to get very close to him, but once he lowers his guard for someone, that person becomes very special to him. Or I guess it’s the other way around… anyways, he trusts Rook enough to always have him by his side, and he probably vents his frustrations with the industry and anything else that troubles him to Rook the most.

And this trust isn’t one-sided: I feel like Rook trusts Vil a lot too. We know that he has a lot of secrets, and even Vil probably doesn’t know a whole lot about his upbringing and stuff, but he certainly knows more than other people + listens carefully enough to understand implications without prying into it too much. They give each other enough space in general, I guess? I know it sounds funny considering Rook’s whole stalking thing but lol their connection is special. They learn from each other and from what they have together.

It makes sense that one person that Vil trusts so much and loves so much is a weird theater nerd who doesn’t quite understand tact, but is very honest, supportive and genuinely passionate and loving. It makes sense that one person that Rook trusts so much and loves so much is an obsessive perfectionist that takes care of him, enables him and inspires him every day. Both of them are kind of insufferable, but they are the perfect type of “insufferable” to each other lol And yeah, let’s not forget about the power of knowing all the obscure theater/film references the other one makes!

I also absolutely agree that it wouldn’t be surprising at all if it was confirmed that they are dating lol The only surprising thing really would be the fact that Disney allowed it.

[imposterogers]

I swear in the next few years more and more people are going to jump on the “gotham was a hot mess but it was also a campy insane mostly enjoyable hot mess” train. it has a nuanced relationship between alfred & bruce wayne where they openly admit how important they are to each other, it has david mazouz delivering a believable 12 year old bruce determined to save gotham from corruption and crime with his bare hands, it has psuedoscience and borderline supernatural magic, it has jim gordon the most hated bitch in the entire city, it has gotham actually being a cesspool built on a hellmouth where only people who live there would ever step foot in it, it as dozens of rogues and a mess of crime families, eccentric costuming..... truly a comic book come to life (beloved & beloathed) 

[radioactivepeasant]

Snippets: Free Day Friday

Aka "you've ruined a perfectly good Damas is what you did. Look at him, he's got anxiety"

(For context, I gave Damas a backstory of being last in line for Haven's throne, but also Last Man Standing. This had something to do with Praxis hating "the default king". Long post warning, it's a whole one-shot again)

At some point in his life, the Precursors had decided that Damas was their least favorite Maridius. Any time something went well for him, it had to be immediately balanced by something awful.

He found acceptance and camaraderie that he never had from his elder brothers among the Forward Guard in the war.

And then Menelaus and Nicostratus died stupid, pointless deaths trying to seize glory, leaving Damas the sole focus of his parents' hopes.

He found an escape from the pressures in running the numbers, working out which districts needed food more than soldiers, and which districts needed more protection than most.

And then Father died and Mother shut herself in a convent, no longer interested in anything to do with her disappointing youngest son.

He actually had support from people for focusing on them and not the nest-

And his eldest brother's childhood friend literally stabbed him in the back and left him to die in the desert.

For a time, he'd assumed things would never get better. That the Precursors were tired of reeling him in and out like a fish on the line. But the hook pulled once more and he found himself using the skills he'd learned from the guards who raised him, joining a rebellion against a tyrant and defeating him against the odds.

And then the Precursors let him have ten good years. They let him find love, and family. They let him become a father. And then they ripped it all away in the cruelest way possible.

Damas knew it was foolish to hope that Mar was alive. He knew Phobos had been right to move on from him -- from them -- and throw herself into operating the orphan barracks of the Cliffside district. But he couldn't let go yet.

So he'd endured. Two bitter years he'd endured. And when he found that scrap of a boy in the desert, only to watch him outdo warriors twice his age, he'd thought maybe things were getting better.

Jak was...hard to define. The kid had seen more combat than some of his most experienced scouts. He carried scars on par with the surviving child-soldiers of Atys's reign. And while he shared their distrust of authority in general, he had none of their understanding of ranks and rulers. He just...treated everyone like they were his equal.

And after the kinds of things he must have experienced in his short life, Jak probably had every right to consider himself the equal of any senior Wastelander.

And for a moment, Damas had foolishly let himself hope that the Precursors could leave well enough alone. That they'd just...let him have this-!

Annnnd then Jak had to go and break the one rule. The one law Damas had given him.

Do not compromise the Arena.

Six other candidates had been doing their third trial against the Leucas Freebooters in that Arena. Six other candidates whose results had to be thrown out, who had to wait for full citizenship, because Jak refused to fight, and Sig had decided to waltz into a trial without checking to see what the purpose of the trial was!

Damas was either going to lose his mind, or go fully rogue and declare war on the Precursors. He couldn't discount either option yet.

Deep breaths, Damas. Deep breaths.

Jak knew not to mess with the purity of the Arena. He knew that, didn't he? He couldn't have gotten this far without understanding how important it was to keep the trial balanced for all candidates! He had to have known the consequences for not only compromising the others' trials and putting them at risk of the Freebooters getting the upper hand on them, but open mutiny-!

He wanted to shake sense into the boy. Maybe smack him upside the head and hope it jarred his common sense loose. But he wasn't likely to get that chance.

Even if Sig had caused this, he had all three amulets. Jak only had two. Those two protected him from a lot, but not public mutiny. A challenge in private Damas could have handled.

He knew Jak -- he thought he knew Jak -- enough to make him understand whatever instruction or decision he had a problem with. He knew how to phrase things to make it sound like all Jak had done was ask for clarification.

He couldn't cover this one up. Not with this many witnesses.

Damas knew the name of the creature thrashing beneath his ribs. Terror.

It clawed at his lungs, coiled around them until he couldn't breathe. Kicked at his heart until he felt every beat like a hammer.

I can't lose him too. I won't lose him too!

He didn't know when, exactly, things had changed between them. Was it before he'd admitted that he'd never had a father to teach him- well, anything? Was it before his second trial, when Phobos had pointedly compared the boy to her own students? Was it her less than subtle hinting that he find his closure in helping the boy he'd dragged out of the mouth of death?

Did it even matter?

You've taken enough from me! You can't have him, too!

It was depressingly easy to mask fear with anger. He had been doing it all his life.

In hindsight, so had Jak.

Damas wondered later if that was why the boy didn't seem afraid. He glared at Damas the whole time, but in those eyes was a challenge: I see through you. You don't fool me.

Damas hoped no one else saw through him.

"What have you done?" he demanded, slamming the butt of his staff onto the stone with a ringing clang.

"One of those Freebooters could have shot you in the head -- shot your comrades -- because you threw down your gun! You placed yourself and them in danger!"

I stopped the trial because of you! Do you not grasp how serious this is?!

"Freebooters?!" Sig exclaimed in surprise before cutting himself off.

"And you, you're a veteran of the Arena! You have no excuse for this!" Damas snarled.

He knew he was going to have to set a punishment. If he didn't, the legislative council would. And he knew which of the two offenders they would favor.

"I shouldn't have to tell you the penalty for sabotaging citizenship trials!"

Sig risked a glance at Jak, then set his jaw.

"You're right," he said in a voice as artificially calm as Damas’s was artificially angry. "I don't have an excuse. I take full responsibility. Don't put this on Jak. He didn't know I'd be there."

Interesting. Sig was trying to protect Jak.

But in doing so, he was trying to force Damas into an impossible decision. One that would haunt him the rest of his life if he carried out the known sentence. After everything Sig had done for him, exile felt like blasphemy.

Damas clearly wasn't the only Spargan who thought so.

"Sire, think about this!" One of the Arena guards set foot on the pathway as if he intended to join the offenders.

"It can't end this way, it can't! Sig is one of us!"

One of his comrades, emboldened by his courage, joined him.

"He just came home from assignment!"

"Stop," Sig warned them, but was ignored.

"Lord Damas, Sig’s served faithfully as your spy in Haven two years! Surely it's not that surprising that he might forget to check a roster!"

"Char is right!" The first guard cried, "It's the newcomer who deserves no mercy!"

You'd better shut your mouth-

Damas knew they were just standing up for a fellow Spargan. He knew that if Jak had all three amulets, they'd be rallying on his behalf, too. But it rankled to see them turn on the boy so quickly.

"Sire, if anyone must be cast into the desert, it's him!" Rikard pointed a shaking finger at Jak.

The words were out before Damas had time to plan his next move.

"Absolutely not! I'm not letting him off that easy!"

Oh rot. He had to follow that up with something.

Think, Damas! Use your shiny, spiny, head for once and think like Obed taught you!

He thought of the old captain of the Krimzon Guard -- when that had meant something, when only the king’s honor guard wore those tattoos -- the man who had raised him when his own family hadn't been interested in such a weak channeler.

There's always another way, whelp."

Then you tell me, Obed! I don't know what to do!

He reached for that memory desperately.

*Sometimes, you face your enemy head-on. And sometimes, you wait until you see a weakness. A loophole."

"You're talking about my brothers again."

"Now, did I say that? Clean the gunpowder out of your ears, whelp, before you get me in trouble!"

A loophole. I can do that. I can still save them-!

Damas sucked in a calming breath through his teeth.

"You do make a point about Sig’s record of service. I would not be king if I did not try to keep you all alive."

Let this work, please, Obed, if you're still watching over me, let this work.

"This once, I will give you the opportunity to salvage this. In your absence, metalpedes have settled in Turquoise Canyon and begun harassing our artificact carriers."

He leaned on his staff and hoped no one saw the tension in his jaw for what it really was: fear.

"I want you to drive into the heart of the nest and take out anything that moves."

He turned on his heel to send a hard stare Jak's way.

"Unlike Sig, you get a choice right now: stay here and forfeit your second amulet, or go with Sig and repay the damage you did today with something that benefits your community."

He prayed Jak could hear the emptiness of his threat. That he would know what Damas needed him to do.

Jak was not technology-friendly. Anything that required precision or aiming was more likely to be used as a blunt force weapon. But put him on a turret gun and the boy was a prodigy. If he went with Sig, the odds of them both surviving skyrocketed.

Jak's glare melted into something uncertain, even a little fearful. He was weighing his options. Good. That would sell the act more to the guards -- who were, like all watchmen, incurable gossips.

Damas saw the moment the light clicked on for Jak. He knew that glint.

Jak nudged Daxter, almost too quickly to be seen, and Daxter nodded. To anyone else, it would seem he was responding to Jak.

Damas knew that Daxter was answering him on Jak’s behalf.

Message received.

"I'm not gonna let you send Sig in there alone."

Damas almost smiled. Defiant to the last. Never change, Jak. Unless it's to learn some common sense-!

"Then perhaps something good can come of this debacle. But understand this, boy: coming back from destroying that nest does not mean this discussion is over. I expect you to turn over your gate pass when you return. You're off scouting for three weeks."

"You're grounding us?!" Daxter shrieked.

"Keep talking, I'll make it a full month."

That one wasn't an empty threat. If he'd thought it would keep Jak out of harm's way, he'd keep him off missions indefinitely!

"We're going," Sig said quickly, and grabbed Jak by the arm before he could protest.

"I'd say good luck," Damas said dryly, "But then, luck won't help you."

which is why I'm sending Jak.

The second the elevator was out of sight, Damas dropped into his throne with the most long-suffering, exasperated groan he'd ever made.

"Someone tell me this is a dream and I'm actually dying of boredom in a financial meeting right now," he said sarcastically.

When no such reassurance arrived from the guards, he dropped his head into his hands with another irritated sound.

In the silence that followed, even over the water wheel they both heard him mutter,

"What am I going to do with that boy?"

Rikard was...not a bad guard. He did his job, and he stuck by his comrades. But he had a big mouth sometimes.

"You...favor the newcomer then? Is it his age?"

Damas aimed a tired glare at him over his fingers.

"Boy, if I told you some of the things I did at his age...."

He groaned again.

"This is boundary-testing. I've seen worse. Rot, I've been worse!"

Silence enveloped them again as the two guards stared at Damas, and Damas stared back. He hadn't meant it to come out like that. After several seconds of owlish blinking back and forth, he said simply,

"Crap. I think I adopted him."

Char turned her head quickly to hide the fact that she was trying very hard not to laugh at the king’s slightly stunned expression.

"Do you...think this will be an adequate lesson?"

Rikard winced. At least he knew he was questioning Damas’s choices in parenting. Er, ruling.

"The nest? Perhaps. It's the confinement that's going to get him." Damas snorted. "You know how Wastelanders are about adrenaline. You ground a kid like that? End of the world."

Mar was exactly the same. Gods, if he's as stubborn as Jak at that age, I'm done for. Might as well write the epitaph now: "died of a heart-attack from idiot sons doing idiot stunts".

"As long as he doesn't set anything on fire in the Arena, sounds good to me," said Char, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Are we clear to return to our posts?"

"Can't set things on fire if I don't let him get two yards away from me, right?" Damas grumbled, but he waved a hand in dismissal.

Once alone, Damas dragged his fingers down his face and muffled a scream in his palm. He was going to get Sig for this. Babysitting. Indefinitely. Or maybe make him handle Arena trials for a while, let him feel that stress! And Jak? Jak was grounded. So, so very grounded. If he had to make Jak sit through meetings with him in the throne room to get it through his head, then so be it. No stunts, no racing, no "the Precursors made me do it" nonsense.

Briefly, he glanced up at the statue of the Oracle in his throne room. Gaudy thing, but it did house a lot of parts of the water wheel.

Damas flipped it off.

[whereianonymouslypostfics]

Triage

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader

Word count: ~5k

Summary: Aftermath of Breach

A/N: Taking a slight break from angst

Warnings: recovery, mentions of anxiety and more anxiety, break ins, blood, injury, but some fluff!?

Yelena sighs heavily as she continues to tap her foot against the tile impatiently. She’d been charged with taking Boone and Rogue to the ER because everyone else was either busy cleaning the house, figuring out what happened, or taking care of you and Wanda. Honestly, she preferred this job because she felt like if she had to wait at the hospital to figure out what was going on with you, she’d just make herself sick from the stress.

She knew that you were probably worried about your dogs, and she wanted to make sure that she could say that they were taken care of. She thinks back to earlier when she’d brought the duo in and told the receptionist exactly what happened. She’d seemed shocked but Yelena had said it with a completely straight face. She’d simply claimed that the dogs had been hurt, maybe shot during a home invasion and they needed care. Both dogs had to be carried into the car and then the hospital. Rogue had perked up for a bit at the bright fluorescent lights and the familiar environment, but even his anxiety wasn’t enough to keep him conscious.

Yelena had warned them about his anxiety and told the staff to do whatever they had to in order to treat them. Money wasn’t an issue.

That had been over an hour ago, and she’d been promised that she would get an update as soon as one was available. She was worried of course because these dogs were your children, and it would kill you to lose them. That said, Yelena figures you’d be proud of them for protecting the family. She guesses that the dogs bought both you and Wanda time to wake up and not be ambushed by the 5 people that had snuck into your house.

Yelena is about to release another sigh when the door across from her opens and she’s faced with someone in a white coat. The woman is tall and seems calm which she supposes is a good sign. She smiles slightly before she closes the door behind her and introduces herself.

“Dr. Lancaster, I’ve been taking care of your two boys.”

Yelena nods at this and sits up to offer her hand for the brunette to shake. She doesn’t realize how nervous she is until she feels the tension leave her once she’s given the good news.

“They’re both going to be fine. Boone’s surgery went well and Rogue only needed some sedation to stitch up what appeared to be a knife wound.”

Yelena frowns at this, but she nods before the doctor continues as she glances at the chart in her hands. Yelena feels as if it’s mostly for show and she’s not really reading anything at all, but that’s hardly important right now.

“I would like to keep them both here overnight to make sure that they don’t decompensate.”

That sounds like a good plan considering that they don’t have anywhere else to go. They could go home with her, but she may not be there long as her sister’s already texted her asking if she was free. She doesn’t mean to say all of this and she blames her nerves, but she thinks she makes up for any awkwardness fairly easily.

“That would be great. They don’t really have anywhere to go tonight with their parents in the hospital. Can they stay together?”

Yelena thinks that if Rogue wakes up and has his brother beside him, he won’t be so stressed. He hates new places and hospitals in particular, and if he wakes up alone, he might lose it.

After watching the doctor consider everything she’s said, the brunette eventually nods and offers Yelena a smile.

“We can manage that. We’ll call you in the morning with an update and to arrange a pick-up time.”

Yelena’s already standing up as her mind starts to wander to what she’ll find when she goes to the hospital to check on you and Wanda. According to Nat, Wanda had been stabbed while protecting Natalya, and you had been shot and stabbed trying to fight your way to your family. Yelena couldn’t wait to figure out who was responsible for this because she was going to enjoy shooting them all.

“Thank you.”

After paying the rest of the deposit, Yelena gets in her car to heads toward the hospital that you and Wanda were taken to. She should call her sister for an update on you, but she’s worried that if it’s bad news she won’t be in the right mindset to drive. She takes a deep breath before starting the car and sitting back and taking a few seconds before heading out of the lot. She glances back at the hospital behind her in her rearview mirror. She hopes that the dogs do well. She doesn’t want you to have to worry about them on top of everything else.

Since Wanda was the conscious one at the hospital, she’d gotten her arm taken care of quickly before finding out where you were going. You were still in surgery by the time she was finished up, so she had no choice but to wait impatiently as they finished taking care of you.

She had barely been told anything, and she was yet again frustrated by the fact that she no longer had an entire team of medical professionals at her fingertips.

She frowns as she thinks about this.

She is frustrated by a lot of things at the moment. Mostly she’s frustrated that this happened. That there was even an opportunity for this to happen to them. She isn’t sure who the other mobster even was. You didn’t exactly stop to ask before blowing his head off.

Wanda takes a deep breath as she considers what to do next. She has time to kill and as much as she wants to just wait until she can see you, she decides to get to work on figuring out what happened tonight. She figures that her friends are working on it, but she has a few calls of her own to make.

Rogue registers the odd smells before he realizes that he’s no longer home. The scent of disinfectant, blood, and other animals makes his eyes snap open. His vision is blurry, but the sight in front of him makes him tense immediately.

He can see someone sitting a little bit away at a desk that has a number of monitors on it. They’re wearing a stethoscope and holding a chart in their hands, but Rogue doesn’t know her and he’s automatically on edge. When he tries to sit up he realizes a couple of things. He’s got a cone around his neck and as he smacks it against the wall of his kennel, he realizes that he’s not alone. He starts thrashing around only to see that his brother is lying on the floor beside him. He’s also in a cone and Rogue releases a whine as he tries to figure out where he is.

The last thing he remembers is being at his house when all hell broke loose. Some strangers had broken in and he and his brother had tried to hold them off. He feels a dull pain in his stomach, but otherwise he’s feeling pleasantly numb. He stands and continues to whine until someone comes up to the door of his glass cage with a smile he can’t see.

“Hi buddy, are you feeling better?”

Rogue doesn’t do much other than sink down to the floor and whine again in confusion. When he smells the other dogs and few cats that are here, he realizes he must be in a hospital, but he doesn’t know why you’re at least not here. Whenever he’s been subjected to a vet hospital, you were always there to keep him company. He supposes it’s good to have his brother with him at least.

When the latch on the door opens, Rogue startles and nearly pulls out his IV as he tries to scramble to the back of the cage he’s in.

It’s less of a cage and more of a small room with concrete on all sides but the door, and a floor covered with a hard plastic grate that’s been covered with blankets and baby blue potty pads.

Rogue manages to step on his brother twice in his attempt to flee, and Boone yelps before his tail starts to hit the ground at the sight of a new person. He’s less scared than his brother, and he doesn’t even try to move as he lets the technician reach out and scratch his head. He’s also wearing a cone and despite not being happy about this, the drugs he’s on now make him less aware of the inconvenience.

“Hey Boone. I’m sorry you and your brother are here, but you looked super cute cuddling a few minutes ago.”

Boone just releases a whiny yawn as he accepts a few more head scratches. He doesn’t remember much more than his brother, but he’s just as eager to leave. He tries to sit up but he’s stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He doesn’t realize he’s had major abdominal surgery, but the tech, Carrie, does and she knows he needs to rest. She just continues to pet the shepherd while watching Rogue out of the corner of her eye with a smile.

“It’s okay, bud. We’ll let you know when it’s time to go out. For now, try to rest. You won’t go home until tomorrow.”

If that.

Carrie’s not oblivious to the rumors spreading around the hospital. A local vet’s dogs had been brought in the middle of the night by a presumed family member. This was following a home invasion where certainly one of them got shot. It was a lot to take in, and this type of thing didn’t happen very often. Unfortunately, they saw cases of animal abuse where dogs or cats were injured by knives or guns, but nothing like this.

This story didn’t seem made up and a little research, or rather gossiping, told her how little was being made public. She didn’t really know what to think, but given that it wasn’t her business she didn’t think too much on it. She was just glad that the shepherds were good patients.

Rogue was very nervous and froze up whenever someone was near, but he wasn’t aggressive. He just tried to run away if he felt closed in. He took a lot of patience, but most of the time, he let her do his treatments as long as she went slowly and didn’t make any loud or sudden movements.

Boone was more amenable to treatments as long as he got pets in between. Sometimes he’d lick her hand or try to paw at her if he believes she’s taken too long to do something and he’s gotten bored. It was adorable and more than a little distracting. However, the fact that the doctor on call tonight was Dr. Lancaster was enough to keep Carrie on her toes.

She’d always been slightly intimidated by the older woman. She was no nonsense and knew her shit better than anyone else that worked here. That said, she never acted full of herself, and she never lost her patience with anyone. Despite the difficult job and the long, long hours they sometimes worked, she seemed to have limitless energy. The brunette managed to keep going all day long on just one cup of coffee.

Carrie didn’t understand it, she had a cup nearby at all times at the nursing station, and if it was empty she’d be counting down the minutes until she had a break to get another.

Although it probably shouldn’t have, Dr. Lancaster's arrival to the ICU almost half an hour later surprised her. Carrie had finished with the other inpatients on her side of the ward, there were only two more tonight which was a blessing in several ways, so she was keeping the shepherds company.

Most everyone else was sleeping, so Carrie decided to try and gain Rogue’s trust. It wasn’t an easy task, but she was using one of his favorite treats, at least here, to try and tempt him closer to her. Not even all of him, she just wanted him to poke his head and cone out of his run.

This task was made a little more difficult when she had to keep Boone from stealing his brother’s treat by offering him one of his own. She couldn’t feed them too much just in case they had to go under again, but even the miniscule amount of fake cheese on a stick was worth seeing Rogue cautiously peek out around his four walls.

“Good boy, Rogue. Come on, it’s okay.”

Carrie smiled as she held the tongue depressor covered in cheese in front of Rogue’s nose while keeping Boone with his nose nearly to the ground as he ate his own snack.

She didn’t realize she had an audience until she finally succeeded and Rogue took the offered treat with a tentative lick. He wasn’t nearly as aggressive with it as his brother, but she let him eat at his own pace as she risked taking away Boone’s now barren tongue depressor to try and pet Rogue.

He flinched which broke Carrie’s heart, and he stopped eating for a split second before he relaxed and let her touch him. She smiled as she scratched his ear and he finished his cheese before turning to lick her hand with a whine.

It was Rogue’s attention turning to something behind her that clued her in that she had company. When she turned and saw who was watching her, she had to tamp down the urge to apologize for doing something wrong. She was just spoiling their patients a little bit. No one was being neglected.

When the shepherds’ doctor just smiled at her she nearly sighed in relief, watching as she took slow steps toward her.

“Look at that. He’s warming up to you.”

Rachel stopped in her tracks when she saw Rogue stiffen and try to slink back into his run. She didn’t want to scare him off and ruin the progress Carrie had made, so she backtracks and sits in the unoccupied seat with a sigh.

She’s exhausted but it’s barely 4am and she has another 4 hours until she can even think about going home. She usually loves her job, but tonight had been difficult for her. She’s just glad that they aren’t overwhelmed with patients like they sometimes are during this time of year.

The two cats that are here are recovering from lily toxicity and a few dogs on the other side of the room either have broken bones or a new pacemaker to get used to. She lets her gaze wander to the ECG monitor in the corner that showed everyone who was hooked up. Since nothing looked abnormal, she turns her attention back to the trio in front of her with a small smile.

She had acknowledged what the woman who dropped off Rogue said. She shared it with her staff too. She always felt it was important for her staff to know the temperament of their patients. That said, when she was warned that he could be anxious, she had no idea just how terrified the shepherd was going to be. She was grateful that she’d remembered the blonde saying that he’d do better with his brother nearby.

“You probably heard him wake up from sedation. I thought he was dysphoric, but he just started to panic.”

Both Carrie and Rachel frown at the thought of what had happened immediately following Rogue waking up from his brief procedure. They’d waited until Boone was out of surgery and in a recovery kennel before waking up Rogue. They wanted to deal with him as little as possible if he was going to be difficult to manage, but he’d woken up on his own eventually. He’d nearly jumped to his feet and started screaming and then trying to flee when he saw he was surrounded by strangers. To be fair, he still could have been a little loopy on his drugs, so he may as well have been seeing purple elephants. It wasn’t until someone thought to try something other than holding him at arm’s length or drawing up more sedation that he calmed down a little.

“He just wanted to see his brother.”

Carrie says this because she remembers rushing into the recovery room off the OR to find Rogue only seconds away from being sedated again. He’d woken up Boone and the other shepherd had howled so loudly she’d nearly jumped in surprise.

“Rogue ran so fast toward him, I thought he was going to mow him down”

It had been a bittersweet sight because as heartwarming as it was, it just reminded them of how scared Rogue must have been. He had jumped into the kennel next to his brother, hid behind him and tried to make himself as small as possible. They hadn’t even bothered trying to put on his cone for another hour.

Whenever they walked the dogs outside, Rogue wouldn’t go too far from his brother. Boone didn’t seem to mind their situation as much, but he offered his brother comfort whenever the other shepherd would whine and nudge at him with his nose. Carrie actually had a picture of them sleeping side by side, Rogue with his face practically in his brother’s cone.

Her mind wanders to what supposedly happened to him tonight, or rather this morning, and she can’t help but ask. She blames her lack of caffeine and the fact that Dr. Lancaster has never been mean to someone as her reason for asking. She realizes that she probably should have just left it alone, but she’s glad that she doesn’t get scolded for her curiosity.

“Do you…what do you think happened to them Dr. Lancaster?”

The brunette in question doesn’t answer immediately because although she had hours to think about it, she still wasn’t sure. She wanted to believe that these dogs had been injured protecting their property and their family, but she honestly couldn’t be sure. She couldn’t get a good read on the woman who had dropped them off. She’d seemed worried, yet distracted which could have been for several reasons. For one it could have been because she was trying to figure out how to deal with the aftermath of a home invasion, or she was trying not to worry about getting in trouble.

She honestly wasn’t sure what to think about the fact that she’d dug a bullet out of one dog and closed up a large knife wound in the other. She wanted to be around for when they released the duo. She was hoping to see how the dogs reacted to whoever picked them up. Maybe that would convince her one way or another.

If she suspected animal abuse, she was obligated to report it to the police. That said, she really hoped that wasn’t the case.

She glanced back at Rogue and realized that the fact that he was such a fearful dog didn’t really instill her with a lot of confidence.

Eventually she looked back to Carrie who was seriously regretting her question.

“You mean, do I believe what everyone is saying happened?”

Carrie looks away briefly but eventually she nods before muttering a quiet ‘yeah.’

Rachel just shakes her head before glancing at the clock again. Only 4:05am.

“I honestly don’t know.”

The incessant beeping of your monitors was both comforting and driving Wanda crazy. She had been sitting in your room following your surgery for nearly 3 hours, but she couldn’t help but be restless. Despite figuring out how everything regarding last night was going to be handled, she wanted you to wake up.

She’d been told that you were in the clear, and she was thrilled to hear this but at the same time she was devastated that this had happened. She hates that you had gotten so hurt that you’d been in surgery for hours and probably wouldn’t wake up for the rest of the day. She felt guilty for not being able to help you last night, and guiltier still that she had one small wound compared to your two major ones and then several smaller ones.

She also hates that she’d agreed to let Natasha keep little Nat for the day while she waited for you to wake up. Despite the fact you were going to have to stay in the hospital for a while, she didn’t want to wait to go back home and see her daughter. That said, she wasn’t going back home until you were with her, and you could both be with your daughter.

She looks up at the sound of footsteps and she has to remind herself that it’s almost lunch time.

“Hey, I brought you something to eat before we go.”

Yelena was never one to beat around the bush, but for once Wanda was too tired to be confused by it. She accepted the food given to her, and she started eating before she bothered to ask Yelena where they were headed.

“Thanks. Where are we going?”

Wanda had already been told that you weren’t going to wake up any time soon, so she tries not to feel guilty about leaving you for an hour or so with Steve and Bucky. She hadn’t forgotten about her dogs, but it hadn’t even occurred to her to ask how long it would be until they could come home. Apparently they weren’t going to. They were going to stay with Bucky and Steve until you were out of the hospital. Natasha had offered to take them, but after hearing how injured they were, she realized that taking care of them and Natalya would be too much.

So the dogs were going to get to spend time with their uncles.

Rachel had broken her rule of no more than 1 cup of coffee in 12 hours by the time discharge for the shepherds arrived. She’d been here much longer than normal, but she wanted to be present for this. If she had to stay longer to submit a report to the police, she wanted to be sure of her decision.

Wanda was too nervous to go inside with Yelena, so she just sat in the car and kept watch as she waited for the trio to come outside. She figured the doctor would go over instructions first so it might be a bit, but Wanda tried to be patient as she thought about how much time she could spend away from you. She wanted to be with you and her dogs, but she was certain they wouldn’t be allowed at the hospital. Certainly they were exhausted and deserved a nice break after all they’d done last night.

She was still extremely grateful that they had both made it.

The sight of Yelena standing at the front desk with her two coned dogs and someone who must be a doctor makes her sit up straight. She watches as their tails wag and she can’t help but get out of the car and wait for them. She knows she probably shouldn’t get any closer, but even standing at the edge of the parking lot seems too far away. She watches Yelena turn around when Rogue barks at her, and she smiles widely when the blonde waves goodbye to the staff before heading out the door.

Rogue’s panting in excitement and wagging his tail so hard it hurts where it slaps Yelena’s leg. She unintentionally drops his leash as the shepherd races toward his mom with a series of high-pitched whines. Wanda can’t stop her eyes from tearing up as she kneels down to catch Rogue and then pet Boone who comes to stick his coned nose in her face.

“Hi boys. I missed you. Yes, I know, Rogue, I love you too, my good boy.”

Wanda just lets Rogue lick her and try to climb into her lap in greeting. She’s glad to see that he’s feeling better, and she honestly can’t even tell where he’s hurt from where she’s almost sitting on the ground. She manages to catch a glance at Boone’s shaved stomach and she wonders what kind of surgery he had. She supposes she’ll ask later, but for now she just wants to enjoy her beloved dogs’ presence.

“Are you ready to go home? You’re going to spend some time with Steve and Bucky. How does that sound?”

Rogue jumps to his feet, but he doesn’t go far as he leans into Wanda and pants excitedly. Wanda finds it a little difficult to stand up given that Rogue is insistent on not being out of contact for a second. He nearly knocks her over and Yelena has to grab her hand to help her stand when Boone and Rogue both try to smother her. She can’t help but laugh as she reaches down to pet the duo one more time before she takes Rogue’s leash and leads him to the car.

“Let’s go home.”

As Rachel watches Rogue nearly take off the blonde’s arm to race toward the redhead that’s waiting just off the sidewalk, she realizes this must be one of his moms. Despite how he’d warmed up to Carrie earlier, this is another thing entirely, and she’s glad to see how enthusiastically he greets the other woman. She watches as Rogue licks her face and paws at her legs before her sunglasses are sent flying onto the sidewalk. She doesn’t seem to care, but it does give Rachel time to realize that she’s crying. She looks so happy to be reunited with her dogs, and it’s moments like this that remind her of why she chose her job.

She wonders why the redhead hadn’t come in with the other woman. Seeing how happy the dogs are too see her, it seems odd. However, later, when she’s packing up her things to go home hours into her day off, she realizes that the woman looked vaguely familiar.

It bothered her the whole way home, but after putting a little more thought into the apparently true circumstances of how the shepherds arrived at her hospital, she can’t help but wonder if she was right.

She would have never admitted it, but a couple of years ago she’d gotten way too into true crime. She had listened to the classic podcasts, the most popular ones, and then some more esoteric ones that related to their city specifically. She’d learned about the massive gang presence in the city and how it was mostly controlled by two people. At least it had been up until recently.

Something had changed and her favorite podcaster had speculated wildly, but no one knew for sure why Wanda Maximoff had left the business.

Despite being 90% sure that the redhead she’d seen earlier had been her, there was no chance in hell that Rachel would have dared to ask her. She hadn’t even realized it until she listened to one of the old podcasts again, but after the realization had hit her, she’d spent nearly an hour searching the web to try and find a recognizable picture of her.

The one she found was rather grainy and sad looking, but it was enough to confirm her suspicions.

Wanda Maximoff was Rogue and Boone’s mom, and she now had no doubt that they truly had been injured during some sort of attack. She had no idea what to do with this information. She was certain that no one else noticed during the 3 seconds that Wanda wasn’t wearing her sunglasses.

Honestly the best thing to do would be to forget about the whole ordeal. She supposed after the night she’d just had, she’d try to do just that. She stands up and heads to her kitchen because she’s certain that she’ll need a drink to accomplish this.

When you finally come home three days later, you can’t be bothered to be embarrassed by crying at the sight that greets you.

Wanda is sleeping on the couch with Natalya in her arms and both of her dogs sleeping on either side of her. Both of them are in their cones and Boone’s practically hairless on his stomach, but you don’t care about any of that. All you can bring yourself to think about as you more or less limp toward your sleeping family is how grateful you are to still have them in your life. You’d had nightmares only every night since the break in and you worried every time you woke up that someone hadn’t made it. You’d been too relieved for your friends comfort to know that you were the worst off of the group. That was fine with you.

When you finally reach the couch, you smile at the sight of your dogs stirring. Well Rogue was just shifting to get more comfortable beside his mom, but Boone was actually waking up. When he sees you he’s nearly on his feet. You smile at him as he sits up quickly and tries to jump off the couch, but you stop him as he startles Wanda awake who quickly grabs hold of Natalya who of course is still asleep.

She looks to her friends first, everyone who would be hanging out for a few days. She should feel embarrassed by her desire to not be alone for a bit, but she couldn’t help it. The first night in the house with just the dogs and Natalya had been too much and she’d called Natasha and asked her to stay over. She’d brought her sister and of course Bucky and Steve had shown up only a little bit later.

It was nice to be around her family, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Pietro would show up at some point too, but for now she was happy. She had you back and they were all going to be fine.

Masterlist

[brucewaynehater101]

I want Duke included in batfam family fics. being the older sibling Damian needs, relatable yet guiding. Tim being ‘Dukes robin’ and having lots of respect for Tim yet he’d also steal his slice of pie. Duke and Jason hanging out, and Jason appreciating how he never tries to lecture him. Duke and dick matching vibes (or as much as they can) when on patrol and somewhat in the family, and both trying to make their brothers calm tf down. Bruce trying desperately to not fuck up with Duke like he did his other sons, only serving to confuse and slightly alarm Duke. Alfred and duke being the only ones with more then *1* braincell.

he also has so much potential for angst of being a meta in a family everyone thinks hates metas, and people somehow forget him???

(I have more just don’t have the energy to write it all down)

Heck yes! I agree that Duke needs to be included in more batfam fics (and especially as a more pivotal role). I personally try to add him a bit, but I fear I do not include him enough as a key member of the batfam.

Duke is hella important and should be treated as such. I'd love to see more fics with him pissing off GCPD for fun. Just chaos and pranks against GCPD, rogues, Batman, and the Batkids. Also, he should he allowed to punch (or kick) as many JL members as he pleases (Hal was just the first).

Duke and Dick having similar fashion ideas is a cute idea I've seen in the fandom. I would also just love to see more fanart of Duke rocking some fun outfits for galas (especially if the galas follow the AU of Gotham being super weird with their social norms). Duke being featured on magazine covers, being asked to model, and being interviewed would be cool fanwork ideas to play around with. I've seen so many of the other batboys and none with Duke as a magazine cover.

Here's my ideas on how Duke could interact with different batfam members. Feel free to reblog if you have ideas yourself or think the dynamic should be different.

I feel like Duke and Cass would get along really well as chaos gremlins who get away with their shenanigans. Messing with Commissioner Gordon is a favorite pass time of theirs. For some reason, even when presented with evidence, Bruce doesn't believe that Duke and Cass would do the things they get away with. It's both impressive and annoying to the other batkids.

Duke could have a weird relationship with Tim. On one hand, Tim is Duke's Robin. The cases he's solved, feats he's accomplished, and respect Gotham has for Tim's Robin in general (for being Batman's therapy kid) are unfathomable. On the other hand, he's seen Tim walk into the same wall four times within three minutes. They both share a love for riddles, but Tim can be an idiot at interpersonal relationships.

For Damian, Duke has seen how the world picks up kids and spits them out. He's seen kids lashing out, how they merely want to defend themselves, and how fantastic they are once you get to know them. He's been angry and spiteful at the world too. For Damian, Duke's hella impressed at the kid's heart despite all the shit he's been dealt. Duke would encourage chaos, talk with the kid about how different emotions have impacted Duke's actions and life, and is an overall supportive figure. They can often be seen doing both wild stunts and "common for their age group" activities for fun (although the game Sorry is banned because of them).

Jason and Duke would probably have a complicated relationship due to Red Hood's actions. Their similar childhoods (as far as economically and location based) would lead to jokes and shared customs that they chat with Steph about (such as Creepy Toe Joe or that specific gas station or the phrase they say as they passed that one pothole). Despite that, they have different viewpoints on Bruce and murder.

Duke is probably one of the more emotionally intelligent and communicative batfam members. If Alfred is the sassy version, Duke would get a good laugh out of those remarks and the astute observations.

Bruce and Duke angst could go hard. Bruce is trying so hard not to make his past mistakes. Duke and his perception of Bruce (he holds Bruce in high regard) and how that affects their relationship.

As far as Duke being in a "perceived to hate metas" family, that could either be hilarious or angst. I imagine people trying to intervene or "save" Duke from the Bats would be infuriating and sad to see.

Duke could also laugh at the batkids' superhero friends and how they, even as adults, are banned from entering Gotham. Duke is free to live in the manor and come and go as he pleases. Any of the batkid's meta friends have to be snuck into Gotham.

[clangenrising]

I want to take a second to talk to those of you who find it funny that Scorch has been calling the Clans a cult. I agree, it is kind of humorous, but I do want to be a wet blanket for a sec and point out that the Warrior Cats Clan structure IS actually very cultish. As far as I can tell, the Clans meet at least three out of four criteria laid out in Steven Hassan's BITE model of Authoritarian Control.

The BITE model lays out 4 kinds of control that Cults and groups like them use to keep their members in check:

Behavior Control Information Control Thought Control Emotional Control

And Warrior Clans exibit most of these traits (keep in mind I haven't read past Omen of the Stars). More below the cut

Behavior Control

Dictate where, how, and with whom the member lives and associates/isolates (Clans live in specific areas and only really socialize with their own clan)

Dictate where, how, and with whom the member has sex (half clan and outsider mates are extremely discouraged and even punished)

Major time spent with group indoctrination and rituals (Warrior Clans are full of ritual ceremonies that create group cohesion)

Rewards and Punishments used to modify behaviors (breaking the code results in punishments ranging from disliked duties to physical harm and cats can be rewarded with things like the best patrols or getting their warrior names early)

Impose rigid rules or regulations

Separation of Families (if a kittypet joins they are discouraged from ever talking to their family again.)

Information Control

Compartmentalize information into Outsider vs Insider doctrines (Clans discourage their members from listening to kittypets, loners, and rogues)

Extensive use of Cult Generated information and propaganda (I would argue the ubiquity of StarClan in Clan life would count. StarClan's word is seen as pure truth not to be questioned.)

Thought Control

Require members to internalize the group's doctrine as truth including organizing people into us vs them and adopting the group's reality as the only reality.

Change a person's name and identity (this is a big one! If you join a clan you are highly encouraged to take a Clan style name. You become a warrior and that is your new identiy)

Forbid critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy allowed (The leader's word is law. StarClan is not to be questioned.)

Labeling alternitive belief systems as illegitimate, evil, or not useful (A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet)

Emotional Control

Promote feelings of guilt or unworthiness such as Identity guilt, not living up to full potential, etc (Half Clan and kittypet bigotry within clans ticks this box when applicable)

Instill fear of enemies, thinking independently, the outside world, leaving or being shunned by the group, losing one's salvation, etc (Again, more present in Clans that are depicted as 'evil' by the books but things like fear of losing one's salvation is present in kit tales that warn cats about ending up in the dark forest)

Phobia indoctrination: instilling irrational fears about leaving the group or questioning the leader, saying things like there is no happiness outside the group, shunning those who leave so people fear losing their friends and family if they do, never allowing for legitimate reasons to leave aka anyone who does was weak or selfish or brainwashed. (This one is fairly self explanitory)

So yeah. The clans tick all the boxes that cults do.

Now, I want to be clear, im not saying you should start hating the clans or that you're bad for thinking they're cool. Part of that is that Cults inherently try to sound cool to draw in members and part of it is that its okay to enjoy fiction about things that are bad or immoral. The important part is being able to recognize and understand those things.

So my real intent here is to get you to examine the media you engage with more critically and, most importantly, as someone who was born into a cult and managed to escape:

Be careful not to let fun depictions of cults normalize cult behavior. You are not immune to propaganda and I would hate for any of you to get sucked into a group or religion that will control you in these ways. I recommend you take a look at the BITE model in its entirety and really think about how it may apply to groups you are in. Cults are really good at painting themselves as welcoming and fun and they are not. Look out for yourself.

I love you. Your regularly scheduled Warrior Cats content will resume shortly.

[cacoetheswriting]

celebrity skin. (part four)

pairing: rockstar!eddie munson x popstar!fem!reader word count: 4.7k summary: as the relationship progresses, strong feelings develop.

content warnings: 18+, minors dni: suggestive & mature themes, adult language, use of pet names, mutual pining, oblivious idiots in love, talk of bullying & past trauma related to bullying, mentions alcohol consumption, family issues / family drama— if i missed anything, pls let me know!

a/n: this is a little filler chapter, but there’s details here that will be important later. also, it’s just a little happiness and fluff in the lives of eddie and his favourite popstar ;)

& psa: images used in the header don’t depict readers physical attributes! these are also described vaguely in the story, only that she’s a little shorter than eddie.

celebrity skin. masterlist

Eddie is used to dealing with bullies.

His entire life consisted of people — mostly strangers — hating on him for one reason or the other. No matter the setting he found himself in, someone always had an opinion and they were never afraid to voice it. 

Whether it was to gossip about the way he was raised, his family situation, (which frankly wasn’t anybody’s business, not like they cared). Or to voice their distaste about the trailer park Eddie grew up in, unsafe and unclean. Then there were the folks that had a never ending issue with his personality, the shit he found interesting that differed slightly to most, and the music he was into, heavier than the charts. And for the more shallow crowd, his physical appearance always caused a wave of upset since how he chose to dress was a clear indicator of who he was on the inside.

The high school bullies, like Jason Carver and his gang of dipshits, well, they never let Eddie forget he was less than. On most days, he didn’t let that bother him. He had thick skin, Uncle Wayne made sure he knew from an age arguably too young that people were assholes and Eddie should never let anyone get into his head. Hence the provocations with Hawkins’ finest, that often led to fights he knew he could easily win, but never did since Uncle Wayne also said, “be the bigger man”. 

The music industry jackasses who wouldn’t give him a chance ‘cause Eddie and his band didn’t fit whatever image was considered hot at the time. Rejection after rejection. Bullshit reasons that made him angry, if not for himself, than for his friends that followed him out to Los Angeles, chasing a dream he’s had for years.

Then there were the critics: “who told these guys they’re good enough to try?”, “poor quality of lyrics and an even poorer performance”, “listening to the latest Corroded Coffin record is time I will never get back. sadly.”, “and for the next group of friends who think they have what it takes, let this be a lesson, you really do not”. To Eddie, these were empty words by people that hid behind a pen and paper, never bold enough to say it to his face. Although, it definitely hurt more when it was a fan gone rogue. Displeased by whatever shenanigan the band got up to and lashing out in the only way they knew how — cruel words.

Yes, Eddie was used to dealing with nonsense and he thought by now, at this stage in his life, he’d faced all of the bullies the world had to offer.

That is until he got involved with you.

Associating himself with someone of your stature was not a mistake by any means. In fact, Eddie would say the only mistake in his relationship with you was the time between your first meeting in August of ‘92 and your reconciliation all those months later. Time lost, wasted.

And Eddie was not an idiot. He knew that once people found out that ‘Corroded Coffin frontman and America’s sweetest popstar’ were some sort of an item, they’d voice their opinion, warranted or not. He was prepared for that, just like he was prepared to protect you from the usual bullshit he normally endured in the tabloids since he could take it, but you were pure and didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.

Granted, he didn’t expect he’d have to stand up for you so soon. He also didn’t expect the one person really rooting against your relationship with him, the one person he’d have to look out for amongst the group of usual suspects, would be your very own grandmother.

Yet here you all were.

Pacific Dining Car was exactly the type of restaurant Eddie usually avoided. Too much history in a place like this, attracting too many tourists who wanted to snap photos of the building featured in that one Chinatown scene. Privacy didn’t exist in a public setting like this one and Eddie knew to be careful with his reactions, after being burned once too many times in the past: ‘Eddie Munson, guest from hell.’. 

The dinner location, chosen by your grandmother, also clearly bothered you. Knee bouncing, brushing erratically against the rockstar’s own leg, as you looked around to every misplaced sound, anxious of who could be listening in on the conversation with the matriarch of your family. 

It didn’t help that the line of questioning offered by your grandmother was nothing short of hostile and with every passing second, you felt increasingly upset because you never got a chance to warn Eddie about her clear bias and obvious distaste towards him.

But on the outside, Eddie seems calm. His large, ring-clad hand is spread across your bouncing thigh, thumb rubbing gentle circles into your covered skin. He holds eye contact with your Nana from across the table, unafraid of her words and how downright rude she is being. He even makes a joke at his own expense, earning himself a brow raise, as if to say “I didn’t know you had it in you”.

Even if it’s all a charade. Eddie knows not to let the bullies see him sweat, and at the end of the day, the longer he’s sat at this horrendous dinner with your grandmother, the more he’s convinced that’s exactly what she is: a big bully.

“And tell me about your parents, Edward?”

The hold he has on your leg gets a little tighter, so you glance at him, witnessing how his features shift just for half-a-second from composure to an expression you haven’t seen on him before. A certain melancholy behind his brown eyes that’s reminiscent of when your mom thinks about the father she’s never met.

Suddenly, you’re feeling protective and a confidence that’s failed you all night resurfaces. You turn back to look at your Nana. Placing one forearm on the table between you, then lift your index finger, which she notices immediately, and in a voice quite stern, you warn her to stop.

“I think that’s enough of the third degree,” you say to your Nana, unafraid to hold her gaze for the first time all night. “Eddie’s been very gracious, answering all of your questions very honestly when he really didn’t have to.”

Eddie says your name ‘cause he doesn’t need you fighting his battles, but you don’t pay attention to the murmur that’s escaped his lips.

“Can we just finish our meal in congenial silence, please? You’ve flown across the country, for what exactly, I still don’t know. Since you’re here and you invited us out for dinner, let us at least enjoy dessert,” you snap and retrieve your arm, wrapping it instead around Eddie’s bicep.

There’s a moment of silence. Your Nana’s scrutinising gaze falls on where you’re now visibly holding the rockstar sitting beside you. She’s not the only one looking. The sea of murmurs and glances engulfs you whole, yet right this moment, it’s not bothering you in any way. In fact, you welcome it.

Eddie tilts his head in your direction, a small smile circling his lips as you lean into him further, resting your head on his shoulder. He’s not really thinking of the people staring either. In that moment, as the emotions from the evening slowly die down, the only thing on his mind is how strongly he feels about you.

Even though Eddie has never needed anyone to stand up for him, anyone to fight off the bullies he’s often encountered, watching you put yourself in the line of fire, protect him from your own grandmother, further ignited these feelings inside of him. Fondness, care, and something much stronger than the sexual attraction that’s clearly been there from day one.

He places a kiss on top of your head, lingering a little longer to inhale the scent of your undoubtedly expensive perfume. The corners of your lips twitch upward at the contact. This morning, you were a nervous wreck about the world knowing you and Eddie were some sort of item. Now, mere hours later, you might as well have been holding up the middle finger and calling the paparazzi yourself. If anything, it was a liberating experience.

“I guess it doesn’t matter what I say,” your Nana says with an exaggerated sigh. She picks up her wine glass, taking a slow sip of the maroon liquid.

“Is that really so bad?” You question.

The shrug she offers is answer enough. It makes you roll your eyes, though the reaction isn’t appreciated by your grandmother. She tuts her tongue, shaking your finger at you as she takes another sip of the wine.

“That’s not very lady-like,” she says in a displeasing tone while leaning slightly forward.

You match her movement, letting your arm fall into your lap as Eddie places his on the back of your chair, fingers reaching out for you, softly grazing your back through your blouse.

“Oh, and how you’ve been behaving all night, is?”

“Honey, I’m just looking out for you. Why can’t you see that?”

It’s condescending, the way she says it, so it makes it all the harder to believe. And that’s the way it’s been your entire life. Her word was gospel. There was no fighting it. She was a manipulative woman and what she wanted to happen, always got done.

That didn’t bother you growing up. Mainly because her strong opinions and calculating hold on the world around her got you where you currently were: America’s favourite starlet. Selfish? Yes. But you’ve been called worse in the press.

There was someone else involved now. Someone you cared about arguably more than you cared about your career or pristine image. Eddie didn’t judge you like everyone else in your life did, and even though the two of you didn’t have the best start, being around him these last two days was nothing short of heavenly. So he didn’t deserve the treatment he’s so far received from your Nana.

“I’ve said this many times before, but anything I’ve ever done since you were a little girl was to get you where you needed to be. Get you where you belong. Now that you’ve made it, a little appreciation would be nice.”

Her words sting. Tears burn in the corners of your eyes as you tell her you’ve always appreciated her. She just shrugs again. Now Eddie’s the one being protective. He straightens his posture and before you realise what is happening, the rockstar is chiming into the conversation.

“With all due respect, there’s no reason to treat her the way you do.”

Your Nana’s eyes shift to Eddie, a smug frown circling her lips.

“Edward, please don’t get involved in business you know nothing about.”

The rockstar smirks. “The fact you’re calling this business, instead of a moment between family, tells me all I need to know about you,” he states and before your Nana gets a chance for rebuttal, he turns to you.

“Let’s get out of here, okay?”

All you do is nod, pushing down the tears and smiling at him with appreciation.

-

Time in Los Angeles moved differently than in New York.

The pace was slower, more relaxed. There was no urgency with anything. People took their sweet damn time, no matter how hectic their schedule was. None of this go, go, go, that you would find on the streets of New York. You appreciated that about California, which is perhaps why you ended up staying longer than intended. 

That and the curly-haired boy you got to wake up with, every morning for the past three months.

The Corroded Coffin frontman had opened his home to you entirely following the dinner with your Nana. He had his assistant contact Holly that very same night and the following morning, your belongings were brought from the hotel to his Hidden Hills property. A week later, you arranged with Val to ship some of your clothes from your New York apartment.

In the months that passed, Eddie’s home had quickly become your favourite place on the planet, and despite not being a couple in the official terms, your relationship with the rockstar grew stronger with every hug, kiss, and every single time he put his strong hands on you, touched you in a way that made you see stars.

Tabloids were eating it up too. Every outing you and Eddie had graced the front page of every shitty magazine this country had to offer — which your labels were genuinely thrilled by ‘cause it helped create a buzz about your upcoming single with the band.

Obviously there were the people like your Nana who hated the relationship and made their unwanted opinions quite clear, or the people who doubted and thought it was some sort of PR stunt to boost sales. However, in your bubble with Eddie, you simply stopped caring. He made all of your anxieties disappear with nothing but a sweet smile.

And during this time, between spending hours by the pool, hanging out in the kitchen that before you came along was never used, or pulling orgasms from one another for hours on end, the two of you also had time to work on new music together.

There was honestly enough material for an entire album, if not two. Lyrics to songs that would never actually see the light of day, which made the whole writing process all the more special. Just you, Eddie, and his guitar. Scribbling rhymes on napkins, magazines, anything that was within reach once inspiration struck.

The songs were quite good too. You both knew it. Perhaps the best music either of you have ever come up with, but it was also vastly different from both of your usual styles. One song together, a guaranteed hit. An entire album? That’s a sell out.

So there’s a box underneath the bed you now share together filled with all the written lyrics and maybe, one day in the very distant future, they would get published in a memoir about your lives. Until then…

“Serious question,” the boy that’s constantly on your mind asks while stepping out of the bathroom, a loose towel hanging around his hips, water drops trailing down his toned and tattooed torso. “What are you wearing tonight to the party, sweetheart? Marianne said we should be somewhat matching, but I’ve got no fucking clue what that means.”

“Never attended an event as a Hollywood it couple, huh?” You tease, sitting up.

“Never really dated anyone, and you know that, baby.” 

He stops at the foot of the bed and leans down to peck your lips, wet curls patting your cheeks. You hum against him, satisfied at the contact, and he smiles, wide, teeth grazing your mouth.

“Well, we’re not really dating either,” you murmur.

“So I guess we’re not actually attending this party as a couple, huh?” Eddie bites back playfully before kissing your cheek. He stands straight and you watch, eyes trailing along his multiple tattoos, as he wanders towards his closet.

There’s a happy expression on your face, one that’s only ever present around Eddie. How he makes you feel is not affected by any label the two of you have on your relationship, so do you really care that he hasn’t officially asked you to be his girlfriend? 

Perhaps.

Actually, not really.

He's told you many times that he has difficulty processing emotions correctly, “like a normal person would, sweetheart”. Given the stories he’s told you about his upbringing, it’s completely understandable. And it’s not like you offered any guidance in this department as your idea of love was fairly skewered too. Idealistic, since your parents had it so good from the moment they met, but also messy because your Nana presented the other side of the coin with how she led her life.

To this day, your mother doesn’t know who her father is. She’s not entirely sure if he even knows she exists, if he’s even still alive. She’s asked many times, but as far as you were aware, she was never given a straight answer. Then there was the man your Nana eventually married. Rich and handsome, the only two consistencies in her string of stories about the lavish life they had during the brief time they were together. From what your mom remembers of those days, the man was kind. “And honey, at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters when it comes to love,” she’d say whenever she’d talk about him.

Eddie is kind. 

Taking your mothers advice, that’s all that matters.

You hop off the bed and follow the rockstar. He’s rifling through some shirts when you walk up behind him, wrapping your arms around his torso. He relaxes into you. It’s minute, but you notice it immediately and it makes your heart flutter ever so slightly.

“I like that black one,” you say after resting your chin on his bare shoulder. “And if Marianne says she wants us to match, that will go with the dress Versace made for me. Especially if you wear it with those leather pants you have and pair it all with a chain or two.”

Eddie takes the shirt you pointed out off the hanger without question.

“If only I had you before last year's Grammys,” he huffs out a lighthearted laugh, “My outfit was so bad. I know you definitely wouldn’t have let me leave the house wearing what I did.”

You chuckle delicately while letting your arms fall. 

“Well, now I wanna see a picture,” you tease, then take a step back to lean against the set of custom-built drawers in the middle of the space.

“No way,” Eddie protests and spins to look at you, a wide grin gracing his features. He places the shirt to the side and stands in front of you, knee bumping against your own. “Sometimes I’m glad you actually didn’t know who I was before we met,” he says, taking your face in his hands, “This is one of those times.”

You roll your eyes. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“Think Grace Jones with that gold cape-thing,” Eddie cites, “They had me wear something similar over my outfit, but instead of a plain one, it had all these random embroideries. I looked like I had just gotten out of bed.”

The picture he’s painted appears in front of your eyes and you throw your head back in an array of soft giggles.

“I was at last year’s Grammys,” you say in between those chuckles, “Can’t believe I didn’t see you, especially if you say your outfit was that atrocious.”

Eddie ponders your words for a moment, licking his lips. His thumbs graze along your cheekbones, almost as if he’s fighting himself, fighting whether he should say what he thinks to say: “I deliberately avoided you.”. 

The Corroded Coffin frontman has made it clear since day one that he’s known exactly who you are. Shit, that wasn’t hard. The entire world knew you. 

While Eddie was trying to graduate high school for the third time, you were gracing covers of magazines all the girls in Hawkins bought. And although he’d never admit it, he was guilty of buying some of said magazines too, though for different reasons than his female peers… 

The printed images fueled his fantasies. After all, he’s just a dude and you have always been drop-dead gorgeous. Though, at risk of sounding like the perv he can sometimes be, he’ll keep that part to himself. 

Honestly, that’s why he’s never really said much other than simply knowing who you are. 

It’s why he’s never said anything about seeing you at different events you both attended over the years, once he’s made it big with the band. Or why he’s never said about wanting to talk to you then, only because he wanted to get into your pants, not because he was a fan since he really didn’t care for the music you produced — yeah, perv. 

He definitely feels guilty about it. Especially now that he’s succeeded. Especially now that he does get to have you, kiss you, pleasure you. And aside from that, he’s gotten to know you on a much deeper level than what you presented to the world. Jesus, especially now that he’s fallen for you. Harder than he intended.

“I-I saw you,” he eventually admits in a murmur so quiet, he has to clear his throat and say it again, only louder. “I-I thought about walking up to you and using my usual charm, you know. Flirting with you a little, making you weak in the knees.”

“Why didn’t you?” You ask, stringing your brows together.

Eddie smirks. “‘Cause you’re you. Hot and honestly a little intimidating,” he answers honestly. “Baby, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the second you enter a room, all eyes are constantly on you. There’s this aura about you, it attracts a lot of attention, wanted or not, and that scared me.”

He pauses. “I saw you, thought you looked smoking and I think I even said that to the guys,” he laughs, “But when I downed a drink for a little liquid courage, it did the complete opposite. I couldn’t move.”

You nod at his words, taking them in.

Then you wonder what the last year would’ve looked like if you officially met Eddie a few months before you actually did. If he came up to you at the Grammys, what would you have said? Would you have landed in bed with him the way you did anyway? Would you be here right now, feeling all that you’re feeling for him? Or would it have been a random hook up in the bathrooms of Radio City Music Hall, only to be forgotten before they announced Album of the Year.

Shaking the thoughts away, since at the end of the day, it doesn’t really fucking matter, you push yourself into Eddie even more, chest pressed against his, hands on his neck.

“Does it still scare you?”

It’s a whisper. Loud enough to hear, especially as you incline towards him, lips now mere inches apart.

He shakes his head ever so slightly. “Wouldn’t have followed you into my home last August if it did.”

“Good.”

When your lips connect in an ardent kiss, one of Eddie’s hands moves to your waist. He squeezes, fingers slowly making their way up your tank top, caressing your skin. He’s slow with his movements, deliberate ‘cause each of your pressure points is engraved in his memory — and no matter what happens between you, he’s convinced how your body reacts to his touch, will remain in his thoughts forever. 

Shit. Is this what love is?

The nerves kick in then. He pulls back slightly, scrunching his nose for a brief moment, before letting his arms fall and taking a step to the side. Tilting your head in his direction, you poke his arm.

You’re a little flustered by his sudden departure, missing his touch instantly. When you go to question what just happened, Eddie’s avoiding your gaze, fidgeting with the shirt he placed to the side.

There’s a slight sting in your chest, but you push it down because his mood tends to change depending on what the two of you are doing, or where the conversation is heading — just like yours often does. This was clearly one of those situations. Something crossed his mind and whatever it was, must have startled him a little.

“Where did you just go?”

He doesn’t immediately answer your question. Taking the time instead to slide on a pair of clean boxers, the wet towel disregarded on the wooden floor. He then works to unbutton the shirt you picked out for him, and you give him the time he needs ‘cause he’s often done the same for you.

And Eddie’s head is spinning. He knew his feelings for you were strong, he just didn’t realise that they were this strong. He didn’t realise they were love strong. 

Love is a big word. It’s a big deal. Falling in love with someone is an even bigger deal and yes, he’s imagined falling in love with you over the last few months you two spent living together, but that doesn’t mean he was prepared for it to happen.

Gareth would tell him he should’ve been prepared.

Eddie recounts the stories his bandmate shared about meeting his “better half”, and how the two of them fell in love, eventually starting their beautiful family. Eddie then thinks about how beautiful you look in the morning, bare-faced and peaceful. He thinks about how you make breakfast in the morning and dinner in the evening, both meals which you eat together at the kitchen island you first met by, and a smile circles his lips at the memory. 

He then thinks about how much more you’ve opened up since then, telling him about your childhood in New York and the woman that really didn’t like you being with him. All those stories only affirmed this belief he’s had that you grew up in completely different worlds, yet you never let those differences get between you. If anything, for someone who grew up richer than the richest of Hawkins, you were more down to earth than every single one of them.

Jesus H. Christ.

“I-I… Fuck,” the rockstar clears his throat before finally looking back at you. “Wanna skip this thing? Watch MTV or somethin’ instead?”

You chuckle. “You want to bail on our own release party to watch MTV? The guys will kill us. Not to mention Marianne, she’d definitely have our heads.”

“But, we have fun watching MTV,” he whines, reaching for you once again. He guides your arms around him before resting his hands on your hips and pushing himself into you. “Plus, I think there will be other parties we’ll get to go to as a couple.”

You arch a brow, smirk circling your lips.

“A couple, huh?”

He smiles down at you. “Yeah, sweetheart. A couple.”

Heat rushes to your face. You’re unsure as to why you’re suddenly feeling embarrassed, but your hands move to your face, barely covering your eyes. And Eddie is smiling wide, definitely pleased by the reaction he’s gotten. So he places a tender kiss on each of your fingers, before reaching for them, intertwining with his own.

“Would you like that?” Eddie asks quietly, leaning closer as he does.

A nod of the head and a peck on the corner of his mouth is your response. It’s all Eddie needs for his heart to soar inside his chest.

“Then I think we should attend our own party as a couple,” you say quietly against his lips. “And I promise, the second it starts getting boring, we’re leaving to watch MTV in nothing but our underwear.” You draw out the last syllable, voice fading into nothing.

Eddie groans, low tone, then nods his head rather reluctantly. You kiss him gently once, then a second time only deeper, before freeing yourself from his grasp, also rather reluctantly, and walking back into the bedroom.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” you call out.

The rockstar is behind you within seconds of the sentence leaving your lips. He attaches himself back to you, like a magnet, mouth to the crook of your neck, trailing sloppy kisses upwards towards your jawline. And you squeal in his embrace, laughing as he pushes you forward, stumbling towards the bathroom.

“I’m gonna help,” Eddie quips.

“But you literally just showered,” you giggle.

“Didn’t you hear me,” he stunts, nibbling on your earlobe. “I’m gonna help you, baby, ‘cause what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t?”

And you’re on cloud nine when he labels himself as such. You tell him you like the sound of that, even though it’s such a miniscule thing in the grand scheme of things, after all, you’ve been acting like a couple for months.

But he says it again, “I’m your boyfriend now, sweetheart.”, and you’re shaking with excitement. Eddie fucking Munson, your boyfriend.

Let’s really hope it ends well.

as always, thank you for reading! reblog & tell me what you think

celebrity skin. masterlist

& tagging some cool ppl that expressed interest: @eviethetheatrefreak , @thirddeadlysin , @haylaansmi , @nope-thanks , @tlclick73 , @vintagehellfire , @ashlynnkennedy , @avalon-wolf , @sidthedollface2 , @papillonoirsworld