#when I imported this and watched this back I yelled 'DANNY' at my screen because fucking hell u fruity lil fuck ur so fucking loud

[princemick-archive]

2015 Singapore GP // post race

[five-rivers]

Solutions to Nonlinear Equations

For @currentlylurking for the Phic Phight.  :)

.

“Ancients, Vlad.  I’m not rejecting you because I’m a rebellious teenager and you’re an adult, I’m rejecting you because you’re incredibly creepy.”

Vlad sniffed in what he hoped was an aristocratic manner and raised an eyebrow, minutely adjusting his grip on Daniel to keep him pinned to the floor.  

“We’re human-ghost hybrids, Daniel.  I’d hoped that you’d have realized by now that we are meant to be ‘creepy.’”

Daniel squirmed and began to mutter into the carpet. “Clockwork never acts like this, I’m fine with him—”

Vlad pulled back as if burned.  He hadn’t heard that name in—in—

In a long time.  

Years.  

The thought was almost expelled from his head when Daniel managed to elbow him in the jaw hard enough to make him see stars. Before he knew it, Daniel had slipped from his grasp and zoomed away.  

Whatever aspersions Vlad cast on Daniel’s mastery of his ghostly abilities, the boy was fast.  When he put his mind to escaping instead of picking a fight, he managed it more often than not, to Vlad’s great frustration.  Hence Vlad’s usual strategy of needling the younger half-ghost until fighting was the only thing on Daniel’s mind.  

He set down on a nearby roof.  There went his plans for the day.  Which, admittedly, had consisted of distracting Daniel while his ghostly minions set up a nasty surprise for him at the school, hence making him fail his test, which would, in turn, convince Maddie and Jack to let Vlad set Daniel up with a tutor, something he had suggested to them earlier, and—

Well.  Daniel would find them, now, no doubt.  

Ah, well.  

He had more important things on his mind, now.  Such as, how in two worlds did Daniel know Clockwork?  Because Daniel never just said things like that.  He barely knew anything about ghost culture.  He wouldn’t know to bring up obscure, secretive, ghost historical figures.  He wouldn’t know what that particular name would mean to Vlad.  

Tongues of fire flared out of his fingers, bringing a measure of stability to the gyrations of his core and his emotions.  

Daniel knew Clockwork.  And, it seemed, met him with some regularity.  Enough for him to compare his actions to Vlad’s.  

Would that ghost never be satisfied with ruining Vlad’s life?  Was he not satisfied with—

He cut off the thought, shaking his head.  Never mind that.  

What Vlad needed to do was find Clockwork.  Which meant inducing Danny to go to him at a time when Vlad when Vlad could follow.  Which meant determining when he had visited Clockwork in the past.  An undertaking to be sure.  

He closed his eyes and teleported to his lab beneath his mansion.  

“Maddie!” he called out, even before his body had fully reformed.  

The hologram flickered to life with a faint crackled from the projector.  “What is it, sugarpie?” it asked with a smile.

“Review the audio recordings from Fentonworks,” ordered Vlad.  “Search for the term ‘Clockwork.’  Report findings to me.”

“Sure thing, honey!”

Vlad had to review the cheerfulness settings on the Maddie program.  Maddie was upbeat, but not that upbeat.  This was almost sickly sweet.  

He threw himself into a nearby chair.  

Clockwork.  He thought he’d never hear that name again.  Not after he’d been literally and figuratively ghosted by him.  

He telekinetically pulled a book off his shelf. He ran his fingers over the leather tooling on the cover.  The book had been given to him by Clockwork, years ago, when he was still in that hospital.

Clockwork had been the one to first show him the Ghost Zone, and all the wonders in it.  Clockwork had been his friend, his only friend, through that long, agonizing hospital stay. He had been supportive, wonderful, kind. He visited often, though not on a regular schedule.  He’d helped Vlad ride out the waves of misery and anger that so often threatened to overwhelm him.  

Then, without warning, nothing.  

No goodbye.  The last time he left, he had even said something along the lines of ‘see you soon,’ although the memory was frayed from age and Vlad could no longer recall the exact words.  For a long time, Vlad had worried something disastrous had happened to Clockwork. But then he had finally managed to build his own portal, reach the Ghost Zone under his own power, and, according to every search he did, every line of inquiry that bore fruit, Clockwork was just fine.  

Vlad had been furious.  He had been betrayed.  He had spent the better half of a decade trying to plot revenge against Clockwork, before realizing that was akin to plotting revenge against a god and turning his sights to a more manageable target.  

Now…

Now, Vlad just wanted answers.  Both as to the reason behind his abandonment and as to why Clockwork was apparently repeating history with Daniel.  

“Sweetie pie,” said the hologram, with a chime, “audio processing complete.  There are over ninety-nine instances where the word ‘clockwork’ is mentioned.  Would you like to play the selected files?”

“Yes,” said Vlad.  “Include the video portions where available, and the thirty seconds immediately prior to and following the mention.”

He turned his attention to the nearest screen.  He had a lot of videos to watch.  

There was an envelope pinned to it.  It was sealed with wax, impressed with the image of a pocket watch and the initials CW.  Vlad attempted, and failed, to suppress the growl that grew in the back of his throat. Was this a joke to Clockwork?

He tore the envelope from the screen, ripped it open with equal viciousness, and began to read.

.

Three cups sat on the tea service tray next to the teapot.

“Are you expecting someone else,” asked Danny, “or am I going to break one of these?”

Clockwork chuckled as he began to pour the tea.  “The former,” he said.  “Although you may always surprise me with the latter.”

He handed Danny his cup.  Danny inhaled deeply.  It smelled sweet.  “What is it?” he asked.  

“A chamomile blend,” said Clockwork.  “For calm.”

“I think Sam drinks chamomile before she goes to bed,” observed Danny, offhandedly.  “Who’s coming?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Danny made a face.  “Do you have to be mysterious all—”

The front door of Clockwork’s lair slammed open, and Danny jolted forward in alarm – the only people who regularly did that were the Observants, who didn’t much care for Danny – but Clockwork put a steadying hand on his shoulder and rewound his tea into his cup.

“Clockwork!” came the expected yell.  The yeller, however…

“Is that Vlad?” asked Danny, not quite scandalized, but more than a little surprised.  

“Why, yes,” said Clockwork.  

“Did you – Clockwork, did you invite him here?”

“Other than the Observants,” said Clockwork, “no one can enter unless I will it.”  He took a sip of his tea.  

“But,” started Danny.  

Clockwork raised a hand.  “Don’t worry, he’ll find us soon enough.”  He repurposed the hand to pat Danny’s knee.  “And even should he prove to be in a combative mood, I will not allow you to come to harm.  You are safe here, Daniel.”

“Thanks,” mumbled Danny, looking away, towards the door in the sitting room through which Vlad would presumably enter.  

Sure enough, a few seconds later Vlad half-flew half-skidded into Clockwork’s sitting room.  He leveled an accusatory finger at Clockwork.  “You!” he proclaimed, with a great deal of venom.  

“Hello, Vladimir, I’ve poured you some tea.  Why don’t you sit down?  I understand it has been some time.”

“You under-?  No!  I will not sit down!  I will not drink your tea.  Not after you abandoned me for over a decade, just like that bumbling oaf—”

“Hey!” interjected Danny, not only because Vlad had once again insulted his father, but because he could tell that Clockwork, regardless of his stoic façade, was actually quite upset.  

“Don’t interrupt me, Daniel,” snapped Vlad.  “You don’t know what this, this ghost is. What he does.  You don’t know that he gets close to you, makes you think you’re friends, and then drops you without a moment’s notice.  Did you think it was funny to string along a man in dire straits? Did you?”

“I did not abandon you, Vladimir, I—”

Vlad scoffed and went on a tirade that Danny honestly found hard to parse.  But it sounded like Vlad and Clockwork had known each other in the past and then fallen out of contact in a way that aggravated Vlad’s abandonment issues.  Which didn’t seem like Clockwork at all, but Vlad sounded extremely certain and insistent, and Clockwork’s upset was actually finding its way into his voice, now.  Danny didn’t—

With all the force and abruptness of epiphany, Danny realized what was going on here.  

“Wait, wait, wait,” said Danny, putting down his cup. “Vlad, breathe or whatever.  Clockwork, you did tell Vlad that you experience time nonlinearly, right?”

“Of course,” said Clockwork, clearly offended.

“But Vlad, ah, had you gone through natural portals often when you met Clockwork?  Or, like, did you ever see him without him initiating contact?”

“I didn’t have my portal built yet, Daniel, so, no.”

Danny turned to Clockwork.  “Why did you-?  No that doesn’t matter.  Haaauuuhh, Clockwork, do you have-?”

Clockwork waved a hand and a whiteboard appeared.  

“Thanks,” said Danny, picking a marker up from the little shelf on the bottom.  He uncapped it, then recapped it.  “Actually, before that.  Vlad—” he pointed at Vlad, who looked about one second from exploding “—you have some idea of how old Clockwork is, right?  Or at least how old ghosts can get?”

“Yes, Daniel,” said Vlad, managing to overlay his supercilious ‘I know better than you’ attitude over his still obvious anger.

“Okay, great.  So, just to establish, Clockwork has been around at least since, uh, beginning of time?”

“Give or take,” agreed Clockwork.  “Although I have not experienced it all directly.”

“Right,” said Danny.  “Just, already, his perception of time is different from our because of age differences.”

Vlad looked slightly less angry, and slightly closer to curious.  

“But, then, there’s the larger issue,” continued Danny.  This time his uncapping of the marker was decisive.  He drew a flat, straight, horizontal line across the whiteboard.  “This is our timeline.  We deal with time linearly.  We’ve also got, I don’t know, parallel timelines, like this.”  He drew several more lines.  “You following so far?”

“Yes, Daniel, I’ve read my share of science fiction.”

He was probably rolling his eyes.  Curse his solid-colored red eyes.  It made interpreting his looks and figuring out where he was looking during a fight much more difficult.  

“Anyway, Clockwork isn’t on any of these lines. Because he experiences time nonlinearly.”  He drew a squiggly up and down line on the board that resembled the world’s saddest sine wave.  Or cosine wave.  There wasn’t a y-axis on the not-quite-graph, so it wasn’t like anyone could tell the difference.  They were effectively the same.  

And Vlad still made fun of him for failing math. Danny knew plenty about math.  He just didn’t have time to do the work.  Mostly because of Vlad.  

“Now, that, that is Clockwork’s timeline.  It isn’t always in contact with ours.  It’s, like, solutions to a system of equations. Nonlinear equations,” he specified, in case it had been too long since Vlad had encountered basic high-school-level algebra.

“It is somewhat more complicated than that, Daniel,” said Clockwork, exasperated.  “It’s more of—"  

“Yeah, but this gets the idea across more than the whole parade metaphor, doesn’t it?”

“I would say not.  This doesn’t even begin to touch on my abilities.”

“That’s because we’re just talking about your perception of time,” said Danny.  He considered for a moment.  “And also your ability to interact with our timeline.”

���Which includes my ability to perceive multiple timelines.”

“But that’s complicated, and I still don’t get it,” complained Danny.  

“It is less complicated than what you are currently trying to explain.”

“To you maybe, but the whole point of this is that you aren’t seeing things the same way we are.  You disappeared on Vlad, what, a decade ago?”  He looked to Vlad for confirmation.  

“A decade is hardly any time at all,” said Clockwork with exasperation.  He sipped at his tea.  

“It was fifteen years.”

Clockwork made a somewhat dismissive motion with a gloved hand.  “It’s a tiny fraction of your life as a whole.”

“It’s… closer to a third of his current lifetime,” said Danny with a wince.  “Or a fourth?  I don’t know how old you are, dude.”

“I went to college with your parents.”

“I know, and you were already graying then. Your age is weirdly hard to place.”

Vlad gave Danny a look, but his body language was no longer screaming ‘I’m going to beat the snot after you.’  Danny counted that as a win under the current circumstances.  He disliked Vlad, but in a fight with Clockwork… Well, Clockwork could demolish just about anyone.  

Not that Clockwork would.  Just that he could.  

“Daniel—”

“Please, Vladimir.  Just sit down.  Try the tea. I made it for you.  I knew you would be upset, although I could not see exactly why.”  Clockwork was almost pouting, now.  “Fifteen years is such a short time.”

“Clockwork, I’m fifteen.”

“I know,” said Clockwork, patting Danny on the knee. “Your timeline is so small.  And cute.”

Vlad was now distinctly on his back foot, offput and disarmed.  “His timeline is cute?”

“It is.  Don’t worry, yours is almost as cute.”

Vlad opened and closed his mouth like a dying fish. Danny pushed the whiteboard away.

“Don’t worry about it too much,” he said.  “Like I said, different perception of time.”

“I really didn’t mean to make you feel abandoned, Vladimir.  I simply wanted to give you some time to, ah, how should I put this?  Have space?  Find yourself?”

Vlad sat heavily on the couch.  

“You get used to it,” said Danny.  “But, Clockwork, do you think you can talk him into having fewer evil plans?  Because, really.  There are way too many.  Like, one a week.  They’re destroying my grades.  Have you ever seen anyone else who had weekly evil plans?”

“Evil plans, Vladimir?  Really?”

[five-wow]

I have a little crisis going on. My friend saw me checking in on tumblr on my phone a week or so ago and asked me what I was looking at. I told her about H 5-0 and McDanno. She likes gay ships and started watching.When she was finished with season one and had watched the conclusion of the season final she asked me why Danny ditched Rachel in favor of Steve. I told her because he loves him – duh! But I guess she just doesn't feel the vibes for that ship. (1/2)

She told me while she got why maybe Steve would fall for Danny she didn’t understood how Danny could develop feelings for Steve, didn’t even get how they’ve become friends with all the arguing. I know I can’t convince her and I don’t want to.But when I was home again, it got me thinking… and to my sheer horror I nearly came up with nothing (okay, he payed for the dolphin swimming and helped finding Meka’s murderer, was there for the memorial service) but otherwise? (2/2)            

Dear god, I don’t know myself why Danny would fall for Steve. I haven’t watched season 1 in a while. Could you please remember me? Sorry for the Long three part ask. (3/3)             

OKAY SO. Tragically, I haven’t watched season 1 in a while either, because I still haven’t gotten around to that rewatch I keep saying I should probably do, BUT. HOWEVER. YET.

It might be a bit of a mess, but I’m always ready to ramble about why Danny might fall for Steve. This ended up as nearly 2k words, so I’ll put it under a cut:

I think that a crucial first thing to understand is that when Danny yells, it does not necessarily mean he’s genuinely angry. I definitely get how if you do interpret it that way, the entire show could just kind of look like Danny doesn’t even like Steve very much, let alone loves him. Yelling CAN mean he’s angry, and of course it often DOES mean that, but just as often (or perhaps even more) it overwhelmingly means that he cares. Loudly. Right in your face. (There’s a later episode, 3.15, in which Steve does something heroic but stupid and Danny yells at him afterwards and Steve goes, kind of gleefully, “You were worried about me” and Danny says “Worried? No, no, I was worried about my car” but it’s VERY obvious that he’s lying, like, to the point where that’s the whole joke here. There are probably other instances that prove the yelling-Danny-does-not-mean-a-Danny-who-doesn’t-like-you, but this is my favorite because it’s extremely, blindingly obvious, and the narrative actively wants us to see it that way.)

To jump right in with the deep stuff: Steve offered Danny a job and gave him a family and a place in Hawaii and a purpose and the feeling of being useful, and he did it at a time when Danny was living a pretty miserable existence where even after six months he was still being hazed by the other Detectives for being the haole who wears a tie. Danny tells Tani in one of the very early season 8 episodes that Steve has a way of coming into people’s lives at just the right time, and that he did that for everyone on the team, including Danny. Obviously if you’re watching season 1 you can’t know what’s being said in season 8, but it’s just confirmation of stuff that’s definitely there on screen in season 1, too.

Steve is good at his job. Really, really good, and even if his methods are crazy, he ends up helping people. Danny can be shocked at the means and still appreciate the end at he same time.

Steve’s surprisingly smart, too. A bit of a dork sometimes - Steve with that teacup in 1.10? “I like tea.” NERD. (He’s also absolutely saying that to rile Danny up, and essentially that just means he enjoys arguing with Danny which is SO PERFECT for Danny, who can’t stop it even if he tries. More about that later.)

Steve makes Danny laugh. It may sometimes be a laugh borne out of shock, perhaps even anger, but there’s definitely laughter. (Steve also goes along with Danny’s silly banter and smiles about it - Danny’s “you miss me, don’t you?” when Steve is being a super secret spy on the museum ship in 1.07 and Steve’s “yeah, yeah” and “but you don’t swim” are a wonderful example.)

But then, on top of all of that, Steve is also kind. Of course there’s the hotel room with dolphin swimming he gives Danny as an apology after Danny makes it clear that he thinks he deserves one (which, by the way, still make me scream a little, because everything after that one moment ALWAYS portrays Steve as extremely unwilling to spend a lot of money on anything, even gifts, AND because yes, it’s a way to apologize, but it’s also something that immediately shows Steve gets Danny, because it’s not just for Danny, it’s for Grace! it’s for Danny to have fun with Grace), but he also makes a call to the Governor when Danny has issues with Rachel over visitation rights for Grace, and he does it behind Danny’s back. He comes to Meka’s funeral, not because he needs to grieve, but because Danny is grieving. When Grace and Rachel get car-jacked and Danny has to leave suddenly in the middle of a case, Steve’s immediate response is to tell him to call if he needs anything and then look completely thrown for a moment after Danny leaves. tl;dr: Steve CARES, and Danny, a man who is definitely not stupid, knows this. I mean, it’s not like he has to look far to see it anyway - he experiences it, over and over and over again. (And Steve’s there like this for the whole team, not just Danny, but in season 1 it’s definitely mostly Danny, because after Steve he just has the most problems, poor guy.)

(Side note, that episode I mentioned in which Grace and Rachel get car-jacked and Danny rushes to them? 1.16? Later on, Steve is going full camouflage ninja in the forest on his own and then his phone starts buzzing and he sees it’s Danny and the first thing he does after picking up is ask “are Grace and Rachel okay?” and when Danny then asks about the case he goes “don’t worry about that” to calm Danny down, and they end up having a lengthy conversation about Danny’s problem while Steve is panting trying to hold a log in the air for some very important SEAL reason, but he doesn’t complain a single time or even mention that he’s kind of busy. Danny needs him, so he’s available.)

And I mean, obviously, there’s these: “Maybe you’re not as alone around here as you think, Danno.” “I know you.” “I picked you, didn’t I?”

If I can just circle back around to something we’ve sort of covered: Danny yells a lot. He has a temper. He gets angry. He doesn’t get along super well with most people, and then along comes Steve, who initially INFURIATES Danny to the point where Danny ends up hitting him after they meet, but instead of getting angry back or holding a grudge, Steve is impressed and takes it in stride and still wants Danny to work with him because he sees Danny’s talents, and he doesn’t let himself be intimidated by the attitude. He lets Danny rant and get angry and he argues back but also calms Danny down when needed, and everything we’re shown indicates that he enjoys that dynamic. Essentially, Steve is the ideal partner for Danny, and Steve is also lonely and he’s loyal to a fault and they have a similar sense of humor and their banter flows ridiculously smoothly right from day one and their personalities just click and Steve keeps inviting Danny over for beer and letting him walk into his kitchen unannounced and dragging him into Steve’s classic car for its first test drive, so what do you know? Steve’s also a really great best friend.

Danny says Steve is terrible with kids and then Steve is actually GREAT with Grace. Like, when Danny gets hit with the sarin gas and Steve picks Grace up from school because he knows she’ll be getting out soon and there will be nobody waiting for her? That’s something that you can bet means the world to Danny, because Grace is his world. ALSO, Steve goes to get Grace and deliver her to the hospital personally, even though it’s a ridiculously busy day with two cases to work at once, one of which might lead them to Wo Fat, the killer of Steve’s father, which is Steve’s Huge Tragic Backstory and the thing he’ll usually drop anything else for. Except Grace! (Obviously, if he knew when Grace would need to be picked up and hadn’t done anything about it, that would have been a huge dick move, so you could say he had no choice, but that still means that 1) he knows when and where to pick Grace up in the first place, which shows he cares enough to pay attention to something that he couldn’t have known would ever be relevant until that moment, and 2) he could have sent Chin or Kono or Jenna or Duke or Kamekona or random HPD officers, and he did not do that. He went there in person. He went to get Grace.)

Which leads us neatly here: Steve, a guy with virtually no family left except for one very estranged sister (and an aunt we don’t know about yet and a mother who’s actually still alive, but those can’t really be counted at the end of season 1), is a HUGE FAMILY MAN. What’s Danny’s whole reason for uprooting his life and being miserable five days a week but still feeling it’s totally worth it for those other two days? LOVE OF FAMILY. Danny definitely, 100% can appreciate that quality in other people, and Steve has it, he just had nowhere to direct it for the longest time.

In the same vein, Danny is a True Dad. He sees Steve, this lonely guy who just lost his dad, and in the fandom it’s generally acknowledged that Steve saw Danny and went “yes, this one, I’m keeping this one”, but for all of Danny’s complaining, he also adopted Steve on the spot.Steve needs a Danny so he doesn’t get himself killed (the very first episode immediately hammers this point home really hard), and there’s no way Danny isn’t aware of that on some level.

Also just. Yes, Steve does a lot of things Danny tells him he shouldn’t do. Yes, Steve is an idiot sometimes. But he also listens to the things Danny yells at him, and when it really matters to Danny, he changes his behavior. There’s that apology hotel room, for one, but there’s also that bit in the episode about Meka, Danny’s former partner, where Steve is not entirely convinced that Meka wasn’t a dirty cop even though Danny keeps insisting he can’t have been because he was a good guy, and Danny gets so mad Steve doesn’t believe him that he walks off (“If my word is not good enough for you, then I don’t know what I’m doing here,” he says), so a while later Steve goes after him and he keeps asking questions until he understands what Danny means - you know your partner, you trust your partner, the way Danny trusts Meka is the way Steve trusts Danny and that’s why Danny’s behavior makes sense - and from that point on, he fully has Danny’s back in this crusade to clear Meka’s name, even though there it’s not like there’s suddenly more hard evidence to support it.

So why would Danny ditch Rachel to go chase after Steve? Well, because he knows at that point, no one else might do it, and at least not the unrelenting way Danny will. Because Steve doesn’t have many people and deserves to have someone stick up for him. Because there is zero doubt Steve would do the same thing for him.Because Danny knows that in that moment, Steve needs him more than Rachel does. Because he has to make a choice and he’s inevitably going to regret not being there for one of these people, but apparently, to Danny, getting to Steve is more urgent. Because he’s putting Steve’s needs before his own. Because they’re partners and they’re family and they’re friends and that really, really means something. Because it’s Steve, and he means something.

[cards-onthetable]

Lol what?

-me the entire time I watched this episode. I don’t have that many thoughts because I don’t care about any of this at all. LeT’s DiVe iN!

Danny

Remind me who the Delgados are again? I mean, don’t actually bc I don’t care. But I feel like I’d be more invested in this storyline if I remembered.

But damn @ straight up showing a murder like that on screen. That’s A Lot for this show.

Oh the psychic lady is back? This should be fine

I am seriously missing how these cases are all connected. I guess that’s what happens when you spread some story out into 3-4 episodes over two full seasons like what’s with this lame attempt at a cohesive story arc?

We’re moving on to this club setup situation and all I can think about is all of my Questions about this whole phone/wire situation, but it’s fine

Oh, hooray, they caught the guy who killed Linda. Nice.

I don’t know how I feel about this last psychic scene. Like... it’s meaningful, and a Big Deal, but also.... is it that meaningful? To let this psychic lady who Danny’s met like twice now convince him to take off his wedding ring? I would’ve much rather seen that happen over a conversation with Frank or Henry - actual important people in Danny’s life who can offer some insight as two men who have also lost their wives - instead of this nobody psychic getting that role.

Frank & Lena

Dude Frank’s Big Three are hilarious.

Bit ~presumptuous~ of Lena to go around telling folks she has the commissioner’s ear when she’s never met the dude, lol

About to be Frank’s sister??? Um lol I don’t think that’s how the whole in-law thing works but okay

Did Frank Reagan just say the word “icky” on my TV? Lol what? 😂😂😂

GAWD it’s like they’re preparing for war up in the PC’s office. Everyone is sooo awkwarddddd

Lena Janko is ridiculous like, to the point where I can’t even enjoy this 😂😭

“Very masculine” is 100% a nod to “Nice place Reagan...could use a woman’s touch though” except it’s not a nod in a cool way, it’s like the writers rewatched that scene and changed it a little bit so they didn’t have to start from scratch 🙄

GAWD say Edit one more time. Please

Frank is a bigger person than I am yo I would’ve shot that shit right down the second she started asking for courtesy cards like I don’t care whose mother you are

“I KNOW SHE’S VERY SENSITIVE ABOUT THESE THINGS, I WOULDN’T WANT TO UPSET HER” LOLOLOLOLOLOL OF COurse, New Eddie is Very Sensitive and Easily Upset

How widespread was this scheme of Armin’s that apparently people have recognized the Janko name everywhere Lena has moved to? New York is a big city dudes, I’d think she could find some luxury high rise somewhere that isn’t run by her husband’s victims. Like considering Jamie and other cops had never heard of the case back in the day, how Big could it have really been? Lol whatever I’m thinking too much. God knows the writers don’t think when it comes to this shit.

This rich old lady with her tiny cat-dog is my all time favorite Blue Bloods character

“Looks like we might not even need to see the security footage!” Lol @ Garrett with those Detective Skillz

Lena is back in Frank’s office and what is with Frank’s hand gestures/body language? Lol it’s weird af like Frank Reagan should not be pressing a hand to his chest like that 😂

EDIT lolol

I can’t force myself to feel invested in this whole Lena situation oh well

Family dinner

I’m bored of this. they’ve had this exact same conversation 2948 times in the last 9 years

But it’s worth noting that Eddie didn’t cross herself after the prayer which lol, will probably make some people mad (I’ll be lurking on the Facebook page later folks, behave yourselves) but I appreciate it. She’s not Catholic, she hasn’t become Catholic, hooray for reality or whatever.

Jamie & Erin’s case

Lol @ Eddie screaming Jamie’s name on this scene. I thought he’s only Sarge at work? 🙄

Related: you’re still trying to tell me nobody at their damn precinct suspects a thing? Bullshit.

Daaaaaamn @ this bar fight yo.

Jamie Reagan does terrible CPR. I die laughing every time that shit crosses my screen. It’s TV, yeah dude, but like, can we at least make it look a little more realistic? Get his hands in the right spot? If I ever die in a bar fight or dentist’s office somewhere, Jamie Reagan is not who I want responding.

Convenient of this drunk trashbag to admit to the crime as soon as he’s out of earshot of everyone else.

The dude survived all the way to the operating table? LOL NOT AFTER THAT SHIT CPR

ARe yOu CaLLiNg mE a LiAr?! All I can think of is this Classic Moment:

Jamie said “wHaT DiFfErEnCe dOeS iT MaKe?!” twice in thirty seconds, in case anyone still thought this show is well-written and not sloppy

Say TO MY FACE one more time, Jamie. To mY FaCe

Lol that scene in Erin’s office is... fine? It exists? I don’t care about anything all I can think about is where is Anthony’s sixteen-year-old foster son? 🙄

WHY IS ANTHONY TRACKING JAMIE DOWN AT WORK to intervene in his ~professional disagreement~ with Erin? UGH like what makes Anthony so important that he gets all these roles? He’s not A Reagan yet he gets solo scenes/storylines with Erin, Jamie, and Eddie this season?

Why does he even exist? To turn Erin’s lawyer storylines into detective storylines. It’s dumb and demeaning and doesn’t let us see Erin doing her actual job and “Anthony” should not even exist as a role on this show. In this essay I will

“THE BOY SCOUT’S GOT SOME SPUNK AFTER ALL” lol @ that entire sentence

God I’m only halfway through this damn episode someone save me.

LOL @ Anthony yelling at this poor Statue Of Liberty chick. And LOL @ the stabby ragey drunk with fancy lawyers dating some girl whose job is Performance Art in Times Square. 😂😂😂

And now Anthony’s yelling at both of them in his office? I mean I’m all for anyone yelling at Various Reagans but w.h.y. does Anthony exist.

Except LOLOL 4ever @ Anthony pouring himself two shots and then peacing out, CLASSIC.

THE FINAL DINNER SCENE: Frank Officially Meets Lena

Lol this opening of just Frank and Jamie is awkward af

Eddie’s so nervous and jittery. 😂 “I would like... to introduce you.... to my mom...? Maybe?” It’s funny and for once I’m not bothered by this whole Demeanor on Eddie (it makes sense for her to be nervous about introducing her mom to Jamie’s family) but also don’t start talking to me about how this could/should have occurred during Jamie and Eddie’s pre-engagement dating relationship that we were deprived of, it’s fine

Eddie and Jamie’s cute little “hey...hey” was like, the most meaningful/cute/appropriate-for-an-engaged-couple Moment they’ve had all season, so thaf’s where we’re at now.

Lol I’m so pleased @ how Nothing that scene was.

I’m going to go give my three dogs a bath. It’ll be more fun and interesting than this episode, so. ✌️

[soarincynthia]

New McDanno fanfic!

Hey y’all, here’s my new fanfic, I hope you enjoy it!Stay tuned for the sequel chapters!

It was quiet when Steve walked into the 5-0 headquarters, he had spent the morning in court, testifying for their latest case at the new prosecutors request, normally his partner would do this, but he was currently visiting his parents in New Jersey so Steve had to do it, As he quickly looked at his watch, he saw it was past 12pm, which explained the quiet, the rest of his team was certainly on their lunch break, he quickly did the maths in his head to calculate the time in Jersey, maybe he could try and call Danny,he had been gone for almost a week and he really missed his partner "STEVE, STEVEN,Come on buddy!" Danny's voice came from Tani's office at the other end of the headquarters, what was going on?

"Danny?Back already, babe?I thought you were flying back next weekend, what happened?" Steve was at the door in a few strides and quickly entered the room without knocking, scanning the room for his partner His smiling face turned into a frown when he realized the sound came from the screen on the far wall of the office, the rest of his team sitting in front of the tv with big popcorn buckets

"What's going on here, guys? What are you watching?" « Told you guys he would be back soon and he wouldn’t be happy” Lou smiled with an I told you so expression Jr looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, while Jerry looked deeply interested in his popcorn, looking everywhere but at him, only Tani had the balls to smirk, though a blush crept up her cheeks, “Well, see, boss, it all started when Jr here kept going on and on about your heroics in the field and how you were so strong and so amazing blah blah blah, “Oh really, thank you Jr” Steve smirked watching Jr, who blushed crimson instantly, man, he forgot how fun it was to make the new recruits squirm Tani continued: “So naturally I had to shut him up and I told him that while you were a great boss and commander, in many ways, Danny was the better detective and deserved more credit” Lou intervened “And of course this resulted in the kids fighting all week, so I asked Jerry to prepare us a few of your best moments, both of you and Danny, and now we’re rewiewing evidence to determine exactly which daddy is the best and the strongest, Not that I care but I just couldn’t stand listening to the kids bickering anymore” Steve shook his head,his team could be badasses when it came to being under fire and catching the worst criminals in the islands, but they also could act like stupid college students in a frat dorm “Ok, then who’s winning for now?” “We’re on a tie, after Lieutenant Williams flying into Korea to rescue you, and you flying into Colombia to rescue him, so we’re trying to break it now” Jr responded, looking at him before looking at Tani who smiled softly “Ok, then what are we waiting for, hit play and let’s find out who’s the strongest, a navy commander a Jersey cop” Steve said before taking a chair and sitting next to Jr, looking at the TV and stealing a handful of popcorn “Just one minute,boss” Tani said, fiddling with her phone for a few seconds, before putting it down and hitting play on the remote “Ok, here we go” “Steve, you son of a bitch, don’t you die on me now, you hear me?” Danny’s voice resonated in the room, and suddenly Steve found his eyes filling with tears hearing his partner’s desperate tone, Truth to be told, he had never looked into what happened that day, never requested the file or listened to the recordings, what use could it be for him, he’d been there, lost a liver, gained a new liver and nearly died, he didn’t need to know anything else, Oh but how wrong he had been, he clearly had missed out a few important details, like how this had also impacted his partner’s life Yeah, Steve had acted like a selfish prick, as Catherine had called him in one of their phone conversations during his convalescence Steve watched in horror at the screen, it was a news flash info showing the beach being cleared out, the plane coming closer and closer,before crashing on the beach, Danny’s discussion with the control tower resonated in the speakers, the guy asking Danny to land in the water, Danny refusing to do it, choosing to put the plane on the beach, to leave a chance to Steve to survive, at the risk of his own life, then Danny coming out of the plane, yelling at his team to come get Steve, that he was still alive, clutching his own ribs, walking with difficulty, but still yelling and fighting for his partner and best friend Damn, he never realized how brave Danny had been, of course he knew his partner always had his back but he knew that in that plane, while he was unconscious, Danny had been left fighting for both their lives, and yet he never hesitated, he chose the best option for Steve, never even giving a second thought for his own life, for his kids, for his family, he had been ready to put everything at risk for a little chance for Steve to be safe, damn that took some courage, the kind of bravery that even some of the best of the best seals wouldn’t have been capable of; Steve looked at his hands in shame, all the times he had made fun of Danny, ribbing him about his height, his moody grumpy attitude, damn, he’d even went as far as telling him his son would grow up to hate him like he did, just hours after Danny had saved his life twice, by landing the plane on the beach then by giving him a piece of a vital organ, his mom would have slapped him good, if he’d heard him being so ungrateful while growing up. “Here is Lara Hough, reporting live from Honolulu, Hawaii, where a reduced 5-0 team is currently in operation, Earlier in the day, Commander McGarrett, head of the 5-0 special force has been injured while undercover on a mission, which resulted in his team continuing the case without him, his second in command Lieutenant Williams, who earlier in the day landed the plane carrying the injured Commander, acting as head of the force for the rest of the case, even though he appears to be injured himself, if the way he is walking is any indication As you can hear,and see, the firefight seems to have now ended and the team is currently walking out with their prisonners, let’s see if we can talk to Lieutenant Williams or Lieutenant Kelly to get more informations” But before the reporter could even call out to the team, the camera panned to Danny, his face bloody and tired, still clutching at his ribs, talking on the phone, speaking a few words to Kono and Chin, before getting into the camaro and driving off like a racedriver “Well, it looks like the force team has received an important message and must move now, so we will try and catch up with them later, let’s wait for the head of the HPD Duke Lukela, to give us more details on this case” Steve didn’t wait for the end before he took the remote from Tani’s hands, switching off the TV “Ok, I get it, Danny wins this one, guys”Steve said, looking at the young ones, “I agree, sir, that was seriously badass” Jr added, looking like a kid meeting one of his superheros Steve nodded, his mind still couldn’t process how this small haole cop could be so jaw dropping amazing, he knew he’d made a great choice in picking Danny, the man was loyal, protective, sweet, a wonderful father, a great cop, his best friend but man, this was exceeding his craziest expectations, Danno was just awesome, as Charlie would say, and Steve could only nod, the kid was right about that, his partner was just awesome and he wondered how he could have been so lucky to draw his gun on him 9 years ago, yet so blind not to be grateful for his luck Yeah, making Danny his partner was clearly the best decision Steve had ever made, and suddenly he knew what he needed, what he’d needed all along, he had to go see him, he had to talk with Danny, and he couldn’t wait for the weekend, he had to go to him, maybe he could go home early today, pack a few things and call the base to see if he could get a flight on a navy plane, that way he wouldn’t have to wait for the next flight out of the island to the mainland, Maybe he could call the base now, see what he could do to go see Danny as soon as possible, maybe he could even see if the Governor could lend him his private plane, after all the team needed his second in command to work properly, maybe…. “Boss?” Tani’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “Your plane leaves in an hour, I’ve saved you a seat, Lou will drive you to the airport, Jr will take care of Eddie until you both come home, and you already have a bag of clothes in the camaro’s truck, so off you go, go get your boy” Steve just smiled softly at her, standing up, kissing her on the cheek quickly, murmuring his thanks, before fleeing the office with Lou behind him, muttering something about idiots in love making him run, Jerry excused himself, with a boyish grin and an admirative smile directed at Tani Jr just looked at Tani with wide eyes “When did you get him a plane ticket?” “When he came into the room and took a seat to watch with us, remember I was on my phone for a few minutes? I was on the airlines website, booked him a seat then” “How did you know he would want to go to Jersey?” “Boys are so thick, seriously babe, you want to be a cop, you have to learn to observe things more closely, Steve ran in because he heard Danny’s voice, you’ve seen how they both are with each other, how close they are, they both are head over heels over each other but they were too stupid to admit it, so it was up to us to push them in the right direction, mission accomplished, tada!” Jr just shook his head “You are good, remind me never to doubt you again” Tani smiled proudly “And don’t you forget it, now forgive me I have to go call Kono and settle a little bet, oh and would you like to have dinner with me tonight, as a date I mean?” Jr blushed, before nodding his head and smiling at her “Good, then pick me up at 7pm?See ya later,Junior”Tani winked at him before exiting the room, her phone already on her ear “Yo Kono, guess what?You owe me 200$, yup I did it….”

Now alone in the room, Jr took a few minutes to look at the file Jerry had bought in with him, going through it quickly, he had to admit that while Steve McGarrett was clearly a model for Navy seals, if he wanted to make a career into 5-0, it was Danny Williams he should look to emulate, his track record and experience were unbeaten, he now understood why Steve had asked Danny to take Jr on the field, he knew everything about being a Navy Seal, but he had to learn how to be a cop, to be any good at this job. He clearly needed to apologize to Lieutenant Williams for the way he disregarded his career and importance in the team, his place as Second in command in the force was clearly well deserved. Shaking his head in amazement, Jr put the file back in the desk drawer, before making his way out of the HQ, Since there was no pressing case, Jr decided to leave early, he had to go to Steve’s house, pick up Eddie, maybe go for a swim or a run for a while to manage his anxiety, then get ready, he had a date tonight with the perfect lady.

[dannowilliamsrp]

@hikariyaoishipper Part 2 of the McDanno fic you asked for. 

Part One can be found here.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Catherine had her own place. She promised that she wouldn’t do any more missions during her pregnancy and to be safe and sensible. Danny gave her numbers of people on the force and other people she could trust and go to and ask for help in case of any weird and unexpected emergency. Danny knew how the SEALs worked.  Steve wanted to be as involved and helpful as possible and suggested that Cat come live with them. Catherine didn’t want to be a burden and she didn’t want to feel incapable. She was still early on and could very well manage thank you very much.  Danny knew that Steve understood but his now growing parental instincts were yelling at him to ‘act’. So he suggested a compromise. Once Catherine reached her seventh or eighth month, she’d move in and let them help. In Danny’s words, “At that point, the kid’s gonna treat your bladder as a punching bag, and you’re gonna wanna have someone around to help. TMI, I know but when you have kids...it’s one of the most beautiful and yet kinda disgusting things in the world.” She agreed. They ordered take-out, rented a movie and talked about basics. The doctors they’d see, the due date, babyproofing Steve’s house and Catherine’s apartment.  It should feel a bit weird, or so Steve thinks. There was so much history between all of them but they all loved and respected each other, and that was a key difference. Steve and Danny sat in the love seat with Steve’s arm around Danny, while Cat sat happily in the recliner.  It was, however, funny the look of horror that passed both of their faces when Danny told them some of the realities of pregnancy that awaited them.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` “Will you stop pacing, you’re making me dizzy,” Catherine told him as she finished her breakfast.  “I can’t help it. We’re going to find out the sex of the baby today!” Steve said happily, finally sitting down after pacing impatiently waiting for Cat to finish breakfast.  “You guys didn’t want it to be a surprise?” Grace asked as she packed up her things for school.  “I thought about it but Steve really wants to know,” Catherine told her. She was glad that she could hang out with Grace and still be on good terms. Carrying Steve’s baby, she holds this fear of being seen as an enemy. But Grace is an open-minded and mature young woman. It gave both Steve and Cat some reassurance that with Danny’s parenting, their kid will turn out as good as Grace.  Steve stole a piece of fruit from Cat’s plate and pouted before he said, “A lot of people have kept secrets from me. My kid won’t.” “Wait until they start getting hormones,” Danny said coming into the kitchen.  “Is that aimed at me?” Grace asked with an innocent expression.  Danny rolled his eyes, “Come on, we’re gonna be late.”  “We’ll meet you at the clinic, okay Danno?” Steve told him, leaning in to kiss Danny on the lips and then Grace on her forehead.  “About that...you guys sure you want me there? It’s...it’s an important moment. Very intimate.” Danny said, bringing up some of his concerns and worries about where lines are and overstepping them.  “Of course we want you there Danny,” Catherine told him. “You’re my boyfriend. You are the third parent Danno...you deserve to experience this just as much as me.” Steve told him.  Danny felt somewhat stupid for needing constant reassurance about this, but he was glad that neither SEAL felt tired of reassuring him.  “Alright. We gotta get going. But I...I’ll be there soon.”  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Alright Miss Rollins, everything seems to be coming along nicely. Everything is just as it should be. And this...this is your baby.” The doctor said, turning the screen so the three of them can see it.  All three of them were very emotional. The doctor smiled at them before saying, “I’ll give you a moment and go print out some copies.” Catherine was tearing up and reaching out for Steve’s hand, “Steve?” “Yeah?”  “I don’t see it!” “What?” Danny asked.  “I don’t see my baby!” She cried and covered her mouth.  “Oh well it’s righ-” Danny began but then Steve chimed in. “I don’t either...I just didn’t want the doctor to think I’m a stupid father.” Steve admitted.  Danny was exasperated and amused by how having a baby trips up some of the strongest, smartest, and most badass SEALs he knows. Originally he’d been in the back, wanting to give them their moment since he’s already been through this before. But he stepped up and pointed to the screen. “Okay, you guys see this? This shape right here?” Danny asked as he used his finger to trace a shape. “Yeah...” They both answered.  “That’s it.” Danny stated. “That’s it?” Steve asked, tilting his head. “Yeah, that’s it.” Danny nodded. “Oh...well, I saw that!” Catherine stated, and Steve nodded along. Steve pulled Danny into a hug and kissed the top of his head tenderly while Catherine grabbed Danny’s hand and gave it a thankful squeeze.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Aren’t you going to go pick up Charlie?” Steve asked as he came into the living room and saw Danny watching a movie.  Danny sighed, “Rachel’s being...difficult.” That made Steve frown. “She’s not letting you see Charlie? But it’s your weekend, isn’t it?”  “It is. But she’s...mad at me.” Danny told him.  This was the first that Steve’s heard of this and it made him frown deeper. He sat next to Danny and pulled him into his arms, “What happened?” “After Grace’s accident and the time with the hurricane, well, you know how the feelings resurfaced. Or rather...memories of a time when we were happy together, ya know?”  Steve did. It was one of the worst times in his life because he was sure he was going to lose Danny to Rachel and have to watch him be happy for a time and then miserable. Steve didn’t believe in their relationship but he never dared to voice his thoughts until Danny brought it up on his own.  “But then you guys didn’t get together, and we did. Is she mad about that?” Steve asked.  “She was. Well, not mad, more irked. She wasn’t surprised but I guess she didn’t think us as serious as we are for each other...until Grace told her about us having a baby.” Danny said.  There was a small joy that rose in Steve every time Danny referred to the baby as theirs. But that joy was stunted with the new revelation.  “She’s keeping you from Charlie because of us?” Steve asked angrily.  Danny sighed, “I’ll fight it. I don’t want you to worry about it. She couldn’t keep Grace away from me, she’s not gonna keep me from Charlie or our baby boy.” Steve’s nostrils flared with his anger and pulled Danny in even closer. “If you need or want me to do anything, just ask for it okay?” “Thanks, babe.”  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Have you thought about names yet?” Catherine asked him while he helped babyproof her apartment.  Steve stopped what he was doing and tilted his head, “Yeah...some. You?”  “Yeah but most of them sound like cliches. I do want their middle name to be Joe though.” Catherine replied.  “Why not for a first name?” Steve asked.  Catherine shrugged. “He was a big person in our lives. It’s a name that carried weight and I don’t want it to be too much pressure. But I still want him to carry on his legacy.” “Well, I’d offer my dad’s name but my sister kinda beat me to it. Joan and John are cute but...I think she’s doing my dad proud enough.” Steve said.  “What about Matthew?”  He knew the importance of that name. How could he not? “Are you sure?” He asked.  “Matthew Joseph sounds very mature and noble, doesn’t it?”  Steve smiled, “Danny’s gonna love it.” And he did too. Despite how much he tries to reassure Danny that he is very much an equal part in this, he can feel the doubts. This...this would be a concrete reassurance.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ idk how many parts of this it’ll take until I complete the request xD hope you like it ^^ 

[marshmallowgoop]

Ryuko: Senketsu, if I go too far, I’ll need you to stop me.

Senketsu: I cannot promise that. It is you who is wearing me.

Ryuko: Sheesh, you’re an outfit that doesn’t have much give, you know that?

Senketsu: But when you were out of control, you did stop. Using your own willpower. That is why I am not frightened in the least.

Ryuko: Gotcha. We’re all responsible for our own actions.

I’ve written pretty extensively on Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship and why I think it’s so healthy, positive, and commendable (to put it mildly). But I don’t think I’ve focused enough attention on the above scene from episode 13, “Crazy For You,” which is a particularly strong example of the merits of Ryuko and Senketsu’s partnership.

On a surface level, the moment emphasizes and is utterly dedicated to the importance of good and proper communication---something especially noteworthy in a series that even describes itself as having a “lightning pace” (episode 16). By focusing so heavily on Ryuko and Senketsu’s conversation, there’s a considerable significance placed on talking to and being honest with a friend; the message is clearly and unambiguously that in any close relationship, it’s absolutely crucial to be open and truthful with one another. Otherwise, you’re not going to get along well. As Mako puts it earlier in the episode, you’ll just be “glarin’ at each other.”

Of course, a scene devoted to the positive effects of strong interpersonal skills probably doesn’t seem all that groundbreaking, but in an action-comedy anime, I love the inclusion of such a thing. It would have been so easy to gloss over emotions and provide viewers with over-the-top battles and little else, but Kill la Kill decided to breathe some real life and soul into Ryuko and Senketsu’s teamwork. The two of them have to endure hardships and struggles just like any real relationship, and just like in any real relationship, they have to work through those hardships and struggles to come back together.

More on that line, the moment is also remarkably humanizing---and sweet---for Ryuko. Throughout the episode, Ryuko hides her guilt and self-hatred behind flimsy assurances that she’s all right and explosive anger and rage. She smiles reassuringly at Mako’s mother, Sukuyo, and she yells fiercely at Shinjiro Nagita, but in the end, she finally, finally reveals everything on her mind to Senketsu. We’re then left with a character who is far more than an infallible hero or the “straight-up punk” that she describes herself as (episode 8); Ryuko is a flawed, complicated human being whom viewers can readily empathize with, and, as a result, it’s incredibly endearing to see her let down her walls and allow someone into her heart. 

Kill la Kill comes off as a strangely affecting and memorable series due to all this narrative weight placed on real-life emotions and feelings while the characters inhabit a world that’s one of the most ridiculous to ever be put on screen, and when it comes to the included scene at the top of this post, I think that’s a phenomenal thing. Because that scene? It’s also wonderful when you consider the history of how relationships have been portrayed in fiction.

While Ryuko and Senketsu are far from the “norm,” it’s not at all uncommon for a fictional story to imply that it’s essentially one person’s “responsibility” to keep another person in line. In the article “The Vulnerability of the Relational Self: The Implications of Ideals of Gender and Romance for Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence,” author Elizabeth McManaman Grosz discusses this topic at length, arguing that “the notion that a special woman can tame the beast” and “is thus, in a way, responsible for controlling his beastly nature” is one of the widespread cultural discourses that effectively “primes” women to accept and brush off instances of abuse (81, 88). 

Again, of course, I recognize that, in many ways, Ryuko and Senketsu really don’t have any place in Grosz’s argument. For one, Grosz exclusively utilizes the work of Western authors and philosophers to support her position, and entire other books have been written concerning Japan’s ideals of gender and romance and their implications and effects (believe me, I’m in the midst of reading through just some of said books). On top of that, the fact that Ryuko would be taking the place of the “man” in the situation I screenshotted for this post does question the applicability of Grosz’s article here.

But I find Grosz’s thesis compelling in regards to Kill la Kill because, in a lot of ways, Ryuko and Senketsu do rather embody typical positions of men and women in fictional stories both East and West... except, the roles are reversed. Ryuko is the unruly, aggressive, and hot-blooded protagonist just as a man often is, and Senketsu exhibits many traits that are traditionally associated with women; he’s sensitive, emotional, and a considerable worrywart. Further, while I find the term “love interest” both degrading and unfitting for Senketsu in a series that Word of God denies any romantic intention for, I have to admit that he fits many of the conventions. In an anime with a cast primarily composed of women, the fact that Senketsu is arguably coded as male makes him, just as the standard heteronormative “love interest,” the most narratively significant character of another gender in the show (for just a few other examples, see Ran from Detective Conan, Sam from Danny Phantom, Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon). Whether I’m watching an anime or an American cartoon, I don’t think I’d be too surprised to see a scenario like the one from the end of Kill la Kill’s thirteenth episode, where a man tells a woman that he’s afraid of losing control and needs her to be there for him so that he doesn’t.

What makes Kill la Kill different is more than the simple reversal of roles, though; Kill la Kill also reverses the harmful implications of this standard set-up. Instead of it being Senketsu’s “job” to “lead [Ryuko] to ‘moral decency,’” as philosopher Immanuel Kant noted a woman must do for a man in the late eighteenth century and of which Grosz argues is an ideal continued on even to this day (such as in sports culture, as elaborated upon in Susan Bordo’s The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and Private), Senketsu outright tells Ryuko that she must be in control of herself (qtd. in Grosz 87). It’s not Senketsu’s responsibility to keep Ryuko from abusing him, and the fact that both understand and acknowledge this is, well, good. Senketsu is not going to write off or blame himself for any mistreatment he receives from Ryuko because he feels he failed in “pleasing” her, and Ryuko’s ending sentiment that “[w]e’re all responsible for our own actions” indicates that she feels the same way towards him. Both Ryuko and Senketsu are cognizant of each other’s emotions and needs, and they will not allow abuse to continue without a word about it, as is sadly often the case in reality (Grosz 95).

It would still be nice to have an actual situation in which a man is in the standard “man” position, but I’m happy to see anything like this at all. Abuse and mistreatment are seriously discussed, the responsibility for poor behavior is placed solely on the actor rather than the receiver, and the fact that this kind of moment receives so much focus in the first place absolutely signifies the importance and power of proper communication with a loved one. Ryuko and Senketsu are my most favored relationship in all of fiction, and it’s scenes like this that really emphasize why.

Sources

Bordo, Susan. The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and in Private. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.

Grosz, Elizabeth McManaman. “The Vulnerability of the Relational Self: The Implications of Ideals of Gender and Romance for Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.” Women's Studies, vol. 47, no. 1, 2018, pp. 80-97. 

Kant, Immanuel. Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. Translated by Victor Lyle Dowdell. Southern Illinois UP, 1978.

Kant, Immanuel. Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and the Sublime and Other Writings. Edited by Patrick Frierson and Paul Guyer. Cambridge UP, 2011. 

[artificialqueens]

cute boi {biadore} - imafuckinglibra

Meow meow bitches did someone ask for a biadore fic ft trans Danny? No they did not but you know what I’m a little trans boy with a crush on another little trans boy so yeah. Deal with it. Inspired by true events that’s all I’m gonna say on that enjoy tw dysphoria duh bc I’m a dysphoric piece of shit k bye

“Hm…uh-uh.” Danny protested when a loud ringing and something vibrating on his sternum woke him up.

He slapped his chest till he found his phone to turn off his alarm, rolling over with it in his fist to try and get 5 more minutes of sleep before his second alarm went off.

Once it did he noticed a notification on his screen of someone who tagged him in something and immediately sprung up.

[@ i_adore_u : @ nottodaysatan tagged you in a post ]

He rubbed his overly tired eyes a few times to get them to focus on the pencil drawing of the faceless selfie he posted the night before of himself in bed.

The beautiful thick graphite outlines framing every curve of muscle on his slender back and ass poking out under the covers of his blankets contrasting the delicate fine shading.

@ i_adore_u: You fucker! You drew me!

He quickly typed out a message in his dms towards the artist who drew him. He didn’t know much about this nottodaysatan guy except that his artwork was almost as intimidating as trying to talk to him was.

He’d been following him for some time and pretty much stalked his page non stop when he needed some inspiration for his own work.

His lines were always pristine, his way of curving every muscle of whoever he drew next so unlike any other and the way he could add so much intricate detailing to fabrics was just honestly mind boggling.

And as an added bonus he seemed like an albeit scary, genuinely nice guy. They had talked a few times, complimented each other’s work, talked about artists they admired or exchanged drawing tips but that was pretty much all he knew about the stranger.

@ nottodaysatan: Good morning to you too.

@ nottodaysatan: And yes I did, I thought it was cute so I had to

Typing…

Danny smiled at the flashing dots and reluctantly pushed himself up to roll out of bed. Scruffing his long hair up between his pale fingers as he walked towards the bathroom grabbing the black briefs with his stp neatly tucked into it laying next to his bed in the process.

“Morning.” His roommate, Tyler, sang from the kitchen of the small apartment when he passed him.

“Hm.” He nodded stepping into his underwear after he closed the door behind him.

“I made coffee!” Tyler yelled.

“Coffee…” He yawned while he peed. Looking down with a scowl at the silicone prosthetic poking out from his Rodeoh’s as he did. “I hate you.”

After insulting his crotch he stood in front of the mirror with his hands on either side of the sink examining his appearance.

His unruly dark, chin length brunette hair framing his soft cheeks and exhausted puffy eyes.

“You decent?”

“You care?” He yelled over his shoulder scoffing at the fact that his roommate would even ask at this point after seeing him naked so many times before.

“I brought the java.” Tyler placed the chipped black cup down next to him but he intercepted it and immediately took a hard swig of the hot coffee. “You have 2 minutes before we need to leave by the way.”

“Why? It’s so early.” He whined at him.

“Because you overslept you beautiful little bitch and it’s like 11 the fuck you mean?.”

“Shut up.”

He turned back to the mirror standing up straighter this time and turning side to side to examine his chest.

“Think it’s a tape day.” He groaned digging through the medicine cabinet for the bright orange packet labeled KT Tape.

“Only 2 more weeks, babe.” Tyler tickled his sides trying to get a smile from him. “Can I put your hair in pigtails while you do the thing?”

“Yes please.” He finally smiled at his friend and dumped the last 2 strips of snipped black tape out onto the counter.

While Tyler was behind him securing his hair in small braided pigtails either side of his head with chunky black hair ties he went to work snipping one of the strips in half.

Placing it an inch or 2 from his nipple he pulled it back against his ribs and secured the tape and his left breast against his side.

Tyler was right, in 2 more weeks he’d finally be getting top surgery and he’d never again have to worry about tape, binders or wearing 70 layers of shirts to hide his chest.

“You going to draw a new one?”

“Already did.” Danny answered while he secured the other strip in the same spot on his right side. “That’s why I overslept, I worked all night on it. I’ll post it later though.”

“Okie dokie. Happy 3 years.” Tyler took a break from his braiding to hug him while Danny let the significance of those words sink in.

This week marked his 156th shot of testosterone that he’s had to inject into his upper thigh. It just so happens the anniversary of it falls around the same time as pride month so each year he’d draw his body and the progress it’s made instead of taking a photo like most of the other trans posts he saw.

“By the way cute guy totally drew me.” He quickly changed the subject as he tucked his plain black shirt into his jeans before they left the apartment.

“You’re late.” Their friend Jason scolded when they opened the door and spotted him tapping his foot waiting for them while their other friends smoked on the stairs outside.

“Only by…” Tyler checked his phone’s time. “2 minutes.”

“2 minutes is still 2 minutes too late.” Jason snapped at him making them both panic.

“It’s Danny’s fault! He overslept, yell at him!”

“Hey! Way to throw me under the damn ocean.”

Tyler pulled up his shoulders but when they saw Jason still glaring at them they quickly ran down the stairs to avoid another scolding.

“I could never yell at this angel baby.” Jason cooed throwing his arm around Danny’s shoulders when he reached them on the curb.

If Danny had been paying attention he’d probably have made some smug comment to rub the special treatment he got from their unbearably anal friend in but reading the message he had received while getting ready was just far more important.

@ nottodaysatan: I wanted to ask you something. A whole bunch of other artists are doing this pride thing and I don’t really know what to draw but a friend suggested I do a piece of me kissing someone? Would you be interested if I drew you?

“Cute guy distracting you?” Tyler teased.

“Who’s cute guy?” Aaron on the other side of them asked making Danny blush.

“I don’t know if he’s cute or not, I’ve never seen his face but his drawings are super cute. He’s just this like really, really good artist that I’ve been following for like ever.” He explained trying not to give his infatuation away.

“Stalking him you mean.” Tyler scoffed making ooh’s arise from the rest of the group.

“Shut up!”

“You shut up!”

“No, you!” The roommates began bickering back and forth when Jason’s palm across the back of Tyler’s head broke them up.

“Bitch!” The shorter boy yelped. “Slap him too!”

“Never.” Jason kissed Danny’s forehead which made him giggle and stick his tongue out at Tyler.

He frowned at them and mumbled something about being unloved but was promptly shut up when Danny’s arm swept his legs out from under him and the other was placed behind his back.

He spun him around in a circle once or twice till Tyler broke face and laughed it off before they continued walking to the big college building where their class for the new semester was.

He did however refuse to put Tyler down once while they made their way across campus earning them a few glances from passing students.

It was still the 2nd week of their 2nd year and because their new classes were in a strange building Aaron and Danny, who were both music majors, asked Jason to tag along in case they couldn’t find their way back.

Since Jason was studying design he’d been in the building in question during their first year and knew his way around it much better.

Tyler didn’t actually study anything there but he worked part time in the cafeteria so he’d usually walk with them just to keep an eye on Danny. Not that he didn’t trust him or anything but he knew how easily distracted the pizza loving mermaid was and after the 5th time that he got lost on campus he vowed never to let him walk alone again.

When they all finally separated Danny and Tyler dragged out their goodbye like a mom saying goodbye to her kid on the first day of school.

Danny fake cried trying to be as overly dramatic as humanly possible even throwing his arms around his short friend’s shoulders as Tyler screamed some barely audible babbles about his baby growing up.

“Don’t die! I love you!” He shouted behind him when they finally did part as Danny watched him walking away waving at him.

“I want extra cheese on my fries for lunch!”

“I got to go too.” Jason tapped Danny’s shoulder while he was placing his order.

“Okay. See you for lunch? Pretty please?”

“Sure, I don’t think I have anything around then.” Jason smiled at him before he turned to leave.

“Bye, babe.” Danny pulled him back for a hug but let go just in time for Aaron to finish saying good morning to his first year boyfriend, Justin.

Despite their dawdling in the hallways by the time they took their usual seats way at the back by the door the lecturer still hadn’t arrived so Danny started scrolling through his favorite artist’s feed again to ease his boredom.

@ nottodaysatan: You know I’ll need a photo of you if I’m going to be drawing you?

@ i_adore_u: Right sorry.

He had completely forgotten to even reply to his crush but seems it wasn’t necessary, he must’ve read his mind or something and knew it was a yes.

Danny quickly scrolled through his phone looking for the selfie he took before they left hoping it looked decent enough to impress his crush. Even though he thought he looked down right adorable with his braids, the small brimmed hat tilted back on his head and the cute bag thrown over his shoulder resting against his hip.

@ nottodaysatan: Thanks. Not bad 😜😉😬

He bit his thumb to hide the grin forming at the corners of his mouth from the less than subtle compliment before he decided to take a risk.

@ i_adore_u: Why don’t we make it fair and let me draw you too?

Typing …

He instantly regretted his decision when he saw the floating dots and tried doing damage control as quickly as possible.

@ i_adore_u: I don’t want to you to go through the trouble and not get something in return that’s all

The flashing icon at the bottom left of the screen disappeared and Danny’s heart dropped right out of his ass.

‘I fucked up. I fucked up. I fucked up.’ He started internally chanting, cursing his own stupidity when his phone buzzed again.

@ nottodaysatan sent you a message

@ nottodaysatan: Seems fair. Sorry I’m in class so can’t take a better one.

Danny had to resist doing a little happy dance when he saw the message but especially when he opened it and saw the selfie he had sent.

“Cute guy.” He whispered when his mouth dropped open at the sight of the most beautiful tan man he’s ever seen.

He was in a white tank top with messy black hair and looked down at the camera with big dark brown eyes and a hint of a smile at the corners of a his gorgeously full pink lips framed by dimples and some light scruff.

@ nottodaysatan: Make me look good or I’ll kill you 😉😠😜

@ i_adore_u: Meanie ☹️☹️

Danny typed out followed by another selfie of him pursing his lips, pulling the best emoji like face he could that he quickly took just as the lecturer was walking in.

Before he could check the response Shane, his musical theory lecturer, started the presentation. Instead of paying attention however Danny took out his sketchbook and a red pencil and began drawing them.

At first he started innocently enough with a reference of a picture he and Tyler had taken over the weekend where they were on their couch together. Tyler’s arms around his neck and his lips against his forehead, perfect for an innocent enough doodle.

The longer he was looking at the picture of cute guy though the more his mind started to wander and eventually he began drawing a second one just for himself.

This time using his fantasies as reference while imagining what those puffy lips would feel like against his own or the way his fingers would caress the back of his neck.

-

“I open my eyes and see his head burried between my legs…I grab his hair and pull his face even closer into my cro…”

“Hey!” Someone barked followed by a very loud, very hard open palmed slap on the metal table they were sitting at which made Danny nearly jump out of his seat.

“I was singing out loud again, wasn’t I?” Danny apologetically smiled at the circle of friends sitting around the table when he realized where he was.

He had missed the entire lecture too lost in his drawing and by the time the hour was over he had finished the drawing of them kissing and was working on cleaning it up on his iPad while they sat outside for lunch. How he got there in his zombie like haze was still a mystery though.

“Yes.” They all dryly answered in unison.

Danny had a very, very bad habit of singing out loud whenever he got too lost in his work and seems like many a countless times before he ended up not only embarrassing himself again but his friends too.

“And you were singing The Wet Dream.” Aaron next to him grinned mischievously.

“Why did I ever listen to that stupid album you gave me?” Danny groaned dropping into his palms to hide his insanely flushed face.

He made a vow right then and there to never, EVER ask Aaron for music suggestions again. The last recommendation he gave was a Lords of Acid CD that only seemed to get him into even more trouble than usual. Case in point.

“Are you going to talk to us or just draw that all day?” Brian asked stealing one of his fries.

“I just have to finish this outline then I’ll be all yours.” He slapped Brian’s hand away and popped a fistful of cheesy fries that Tyler crisped up a little extra for him into his mouth. “How it look tho far?”

He sat back a bit so his friends could lean over and look at the drawing of cute guy’s lips brushing over his with his hand around his throat. Their lips only connected by the small string of saliva Danny added but their bodies pressed tightly together sitting in each other’s laps with their legs interwoven.

“Hey, Roy.” Jason tilted his head up to greet someone behind Danny, who at first he disregarded until the person spoke.

“It’s pretty.” An unfamiliar gravely voice commented.

“Thanks.” Danny turned to thank whoever, presumably the guy his friend greeted, it was for the compliment but when he looked behind him there was nobody there.

Instead the stranger plopped down onto the empty seat next to Danny with his crossed elbows hitting the table. His big, perfect teethed smile framed by dimples which made Danny’s head spin. “Hi.”

“Cute guy.” He whispered in disbelief feeling his face turn pale as if he’s see a ghost.

“Name’s Roy actually but that works too.” He laughed nodding his head. “I thought I’ve seen you around before. If I knew we went to the same college I’d have said hello sooner.”

“Um…” Danny’s mouth flapped open and shut for a few seconds like a fish out of water before he looked to Jason in fear.

“Danny, that’s Roy he’s a 4th year. Roy that’s Danny, he’s shy.” Jason clarified pointing to each boy as he introduced them.

“So listen, I sketched something in…”

“I gotta’ go.” Danny interrupted him and with his iPad in hand he ran off towards the other side of campus for his commercial music class.

Roy wanted to run after him but his legs locked up when he realized how desperate and uncool it would look.

“Sorry for scaring of your friend.” He looked to the students around the table, tapping the metal with his index finger to drown out the awkward silence when nobody responded.

“I know how you can make it up.”

-

When Danny got home after his last class, too embarrassed of his behavior at lunch but even more from the fact that cute guy, Roy, saw what he drew of them Danny decided a nap was probably the best option.

Well embarrassment and the fact that he didn’t sleep more than about 3 or 4 hours the night before and his body wasn’t taking the fatigue well.

He woke up very grumpy 2 hours later when he heard his friends in the living room chattering and making themselves lunch and walked out ready to give them an earful for so rudely interrupting his peaceful afternoon nap.

“You mother fucking cocksuckers!” He yelled swinging his door open but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a new face amongst the group of boys.

“Hey. Cute briefs.” Roy raised a hand to wave but before he actually could Danny ducked back into the room slamming the door shut abruptly behind him.

‘Fuck me running.’ He closed his eyes praying this was a bad dream. No way did the cute guy he’s been crushing on for over a year even before seeing his picture just see him without a shirt on.

He was going to laugh at his taped down chest any second now he knew it. The sooner Roy left the better that’s the only solution. He’d leave and they’d never speak again.

Or he’d leave and tell everyone what a gross freak he was.

‘Shit!’ He threw the book closest to his reach against the bed.

“Something I said?” Roy asked when Danny came back out after calming himself, this time with his shirt on and his jean half hazardously pulled up.

‘God he’s cute.’ Roy shifted in his seat at the sight of him, making sure it wasn’t too noticeable by leaning for his cup of coffee in the process.

“No.” Danny pouted walking into the kitchen before returning with a beer and making sure to stand on the other side of the room away from him.

Roy took a sip from his cup to collect his thoughts so he could perfectly and effortlessly recite the excuse he had prepared as to why he was in his apartment.

“Just came over to talk about those drawings. Thought maybe we could do a collab? You can work on the shading and color since your digital shading is phenomenal and I don’t have a tablet or anything and then I can do the fabrics and bodies.”

“I don’t want to work with you.” Danny blurted out in the coldest tone he could muster given his embarrassed state.

“You don’t?”

“I just don’t like your like energy man.”

If he had looked up from the tab of his beer can that he was fiddling with he’d have seen the hurt expression on Roy’s face.

The sting of rejection hitting a nerve straight down to the center of Roy’s being, gnawing at his ego causing his go to cold defensiveness to rear it’s ugly head.

“Right, I’m sorry what’s your name again?”

This caught Danny’s attention. He looked up from his fidgeting and stomped back into his room. “Get out of my fucking apartment.” He snarled slamming the door shut.

Danny heard some commotion outside his room but decided it wasn’t his problem, bad enough he just insulted the guy he had a crush on and told him to leave he didn’t want to face the consequences or admit he overreacted too.

“What the hell is your problem?” The door flew open and Roy barged in.

He couldn’t leave it there, he should’ve but he couldn’t. If someone was going to reject him like that they better give him a damn good reason. Actually if Danny was going to reject him like that that was the case. Anyone else he’d probably just had read them and left it there.

“I told you to leave.”

“Answer me then and I will.” The shorter man stood his ground folding his arms with a brow raised waiting for him to answer after he closed the door for privacy.

“Maybe I just don’t like y…”

“And don’t give me that bullshit answer again.”

Danny stood still for a second trying to center his thoughts before he took a deep breath and blurted out his feelings. “Fine! I have a crush on you!”

“So you’re 9?” Roy snorted. “You like me so you tell me you don’t like me? Yeah, real fucking logical.”

“No I just…” Danny looked down feeling ashamed of not only his actions but his body. “You saw, stuff. Stuff that I didn’t want you to see.”

‘Stuff?’ Roy quickly deduced what he meant and without thinking blurted it out.

“Your chest?” Roy’s harsh voice softened as he slowly approached him as if he was a wounded animal who might run any second. He placed his hands either side of Danny’s hips, looking into his eyes for permission before he touched him.

Danny’s heart began racing uncontrollably fast, the butterflies in his stomach now in a complete chaotic frenzy as Roy’s brown eyes flicked between his.

Slowly, delicately almost his hands slid up his sides underneath his shirt, lifting the fabric to reveal first his abdomen with the fuzz down the center before he exposed his taped down chest.

“You mean this?” He knew what he was doing was completely irrational and way too unlike himself but something inside him couldn’t stay away from this boy.

What he knew his words could never sufficiently express he gave over to his actions. He needed to reassure him of how beautiful his body was and that he never had to be ashamed of it.

“Yeah.” Danny nodded looking away from him. “Why do you even care if I like you or not?”

Roy tilted his head up to lean in closer, close enough that Danny could feel his nervous, rapid breathing against his lips.

“Because I like you…” Roy whispered into his parted lips before they made contact with his.

Instinctively as their lips passionately made up for every second of yearning Danny’s body melted into Roy’s.

But when his hands came up to hold onto the shaved back of Roy’s head he unexpectedly jumped away and released the fabric of his shirt.

“Shit I…sorry.”

Danny wanted to question why he pulled away so out of the blue or more importantly why he kissed him at all but before he could Roy, now a bright red, was already on his way out the door.

“Hey? Wha…what was?” He tried following the boy speeding out the apartment’s front door but for such a short guy he was actually surprisingly fast.

“I have to go.” Roy shouted never looking behind him as he ran down the steps. “Sorry!”

Danny was simply left staring at the now empty street where he swore he still saw Roy’s dust cloud like some cartoon character after a hasty escape.

“What did you say to him?” Jason came to stand behind him.

“Nothing. He just kissed me and, and ran.”

“He kissed you?” His friends all shouted and he turned around unsure who to look at or answer.

“Yeah?”

“He kissed you? Like, on the lips?” Tyler repeated the question.

“Which lips?” Aaron smiled making Justin smack his chest.

“Yeah which lips though?” He asked too.

“Jason.” Danny disregarded them and turned to his skinny friend placing his hands on his shoulders to look him in the eyes. “Tell me everything you know about him.”

-

“Howdy howdy.”

“I fucked up.” Roy sighed into the mic of the white headphones hanging either side of him.

“What now?” His blonde friend on the screen raised both brows hiding his mouth behind his cup of tea.

Roy dropped his head into his palm, running his fingers through his unruly black hair getting ready to explain everything, not just to Shane but to himself as well.

“Remember that artist I follow? The one with the pencil sketches that he digitally shades?”

“Sure, let’s say I do.”

“I was right, he does go here.”

“Oh. Do I know him? What’s his name?”

“Danny something. He’s really tall, real slim, long dark brown hair…gorgeous.” He tried his best to regain some form of composure but picturing him as he explained just turned him back into jelly.

“Danny Noriega. He’s in my musical theory class, really good kid.”

“You do know him…never mind then I’ll talk to you when I get home.” He tried hanging up their FaceTime call but Shane stopped him.

He took a sip from his starbucks cup and looked around at the other scattered about students waiting for their drinks in the courtyard. He knew it was preposterous but he still felt embarrassed at the thought that any of them might actually be listening and see he had a heart. A heart he never showed and had no intention on showing any more of.

“This morning I met him and he ran away, so logically I went to his um, apartment and yeah we kissed.”

He watched the grin on his roommate’s face grow insanely bright making him roll his eyes.

He was usually so in control and composed, how did he let things get so out of hand and let his emotions take over like that? Roy never even liked anyone or had hookups, he didn’t have time for feelings and romance and all that other mushy crap.

He focused on his studies and his art and that was that. He was a 4.0 student who’s never even gotten a B and made damn sure it stayed that way by remaining locked only on what was important, his studies.

Yet here he was frantically calling his roommate after running out the apartment of a boy he kissed the same way he did after his first kiss ever in middle school.

He was embarrassed? Him?

The same guy who’s life motto was ‘Never let a bitch see you sweat.’? How did that happen?

Sure this way of thinking was how he got his reputation of being the no bullshit person he was, and yes some took it as confidence and others as cocky but either way people respected him and that was all that mattered.

But Danny did something to him. He had managed to turn him into a total nervous mess with one simple kiss.

“What’s up?” He heard the last person he wanted to even think about speak on the other end behind Shane. The voice of ‘it’ only making him sink even lower into his seat.

“Roy’s sharing his feelings.” Shane smiled at his boyfriend leaning up for a kiss before both men turned back to him.

“Feelings are for ugly people.” Willam snarled but Shane hit his shoulder and told him to zip it.

“Agreed.” Roy nodded tilting his head into his hand. “So how about we forget I have them and I’ll see you at home?”

He cut Shane off mid sentence by hanging up and instead took out his textbooks and sketch pad to start working on the upcoming project he had due. Anything to distract himself from the beautiful creature that was Danny Noriega.

The less he thought about him the better.

His usual method of distraction didn’t work so great this time though, all he could do was think about those lips and the way the petite chest rose and fell when he lifted Danny’s shirt or the way the faint muscles on his abdomen flinched when he touched him.

His sketch of a boatneck gown with elegant filigree like detailing soon turned into a drawing of Danny with his hands tied above his head with the same fabric as his gown. His small chest with the black strips covered in hickeys and bites.

‘Fine! I have a crush on you!’ Danny’s words echoed in his mind as he etched the blushing around his bites in with his red pencil.

‘You saw, stuff. That I didn’t want you to see.’

Stuff.

His mind wandered further to the feel of his soft skin under his fingertips as he outlined the muscle of his pec. Honestly what stuff did Danny even worry about? His chest was so petite that Roy doubted even when it wasn’t taped down it would look any different.

‘I wish you could…’ His train of thought got interrupted by his phone lighting up making his heart skip a beat.

He braced himself first before looking down at the device, some part hoping that maybe Danny would’ve dm’d him or something.

‘Of course not.’

He felt like an idiot for ever even thinking that, if you run out on somebody after exposing something he was clearly very self conscious about why would he ever want to talk to you again?

He didn’t mean any malice by it he just truly didn’t care and he wanted to try and show Danny that. Clearly a failed lame attempt to make him feel better about himself.

He couldn’t think about this anymore though it was giving him too much of a headache so instead he turned his phone on airplane mode and turned on his music to zone out any further spiraling thoughts.

With no further distractions Roy eventually got so lost in his sketching that he worked through about 4 more cups of coffee before he called it a night and packed up his stuff.

But on his way home he couldn’t get Danny off his mind again and decided to take a chance and message him. What’s the worst that could happen right?

-

Danny couldn’t sleep that night, his mind was too plagued with everything that had happened that day and thoughts of his rushed kiss with Roy.

“Roy…”

Jason had told him what little he knew of him like how he was a New York native ish, unlike the rest of their friend group, and how he’d been a legend amongst the other design students for his incredible garments and impressive work ethic.

For example at the end of every semester the college would put on an exhibit of the work they did and Roy’s work has never been skipped over once in the four years that he’s been there. Apparently the other lecturers even used him as an example for what the others should stride to be.

‘No. Sleep, I need sleep.’ Danny scolded himself when he found himself halfway through Roy’s feed again. He switched off his lights, turned on some music and put his phone to one side to try his absolute best to calm his mind and actually sleep.

When he realized it was a futile attempt and that he’d probably never fall asleep at this rate he, out of habit, reached for his go to cure for insomnia, which pretty much meant reaching down his boxers.

As he closed his eyes thinking back on Roy’s lips he wrapped his index finger and middle finger around his growth, which was rapidly growing more erect the intenser his fantasies became.

“Fuck…Roy…” He moaned through broken breathing when he took his now fully erect growth between his fingers and began jerking himself off faster, rubbing his head with his thumb with every pass.

“Fuck me.” His moans grew louder when he brought his other hand up towards his nipples, squeezing the small pink nub tightly as he bucked his hips into his fingers.

He slid his feet up curling his knees up shut together as the thought of Roy’s puffy lips engulfing his growth overtook his mind.

He wanted to feel him, every single part of him. His hands on his skin, his dick in his mouth, those gorgeously full lips on his - everything.

Before he could enjoy his rapidly building up release he felt his phone vibrating next to his head about 3 or 4 times and panicked thinking it meant a call, probably from his mom since she was then only person to call him ever.

@ nottodaysatan: Sorry I ran out I shouldn’t have panicked and just left like that but I like you too

@ nottodaysatan sent you a message

@ nottodaysatan: I finished that drawing of us to make it up to you

@ nottodaysatan sent you a message

@ nottodaysatan: Okay maybe I drew 2 things I couldn’t get you out of my mind

@ nottodaysatan: Here’s my number call me when you get these so I know you still want to collab 800 - 454 - 8000

Danny threw his hand over his face to hide his squealing from the joy that he actually got Roy’s number but more of the fact that Roy actually admitted to being shy.

He immediately texted Roy and after that sleep definitely wasn’t an option anymore. They spent the entire night talking about everything from their majors or art to even bad hook ups and pizza.

It was like the longer they talked the more Roy’s softer side came out instead of the harsh always professional side Jason warned him about. In fact it was more like Jason had been talking about someone completely different.

Roy was sweet and charming, a great sense of humor and quick wit and he never seemed to question Danny’s transition. He never even brought it up.

Roy - 04:22

I have to go to bed now chola

Danny - 04:22

Whyyyyyyyy????

Roy - 04:23

Bc I have class at 8

Danny - 04:23

Fiiiiiiiine. Meanie.

Danny - 04:23

Goodnight

Typing …

The 3 bubbles disappeared again and Danny waited a good 20 minutes for them to return but they never did, eventually he decided Roy probably just fell asleep and gave up.

He went to work setting the alarms he forgot so he’d have more than 5 minutes in the morning before he set the drawing Roy did of his chest as his lock screen.

He heard a knock at the door and after checking the time realized it was probably Tyler coming home from his other job as a bartender. He was just as scatter brained as him and often forgot his keys at home.

“Stop losing your…Hi.” His mouth fell open and he bit his lip to hide his huge baffled grin when he saw Roy standing outside instead of his roommate.

“God I have no idea how I’m going to function on 3 hours of sleep. I mean I’m used to the long hours trust me, but this is ridiculous.” Roy casually walked in past him yawning as he spoke.

Before Danny could even register what was happening Roy had disappeared into his bedroom.

‘What the…’ He chuckled to himself till reality hit him and he made a run for it after him.

“Hey, you said you’re going to bed?” He asked standing in the doorway where he saw Roy already making himself comfortable in his messy bed beneath the covers.

Only sitting up for a second to yank his shirt off over his head revealing his stubbly chest before he fell back down into the sheets.

Danny ogled him for a minute taking in how beautiful his body was, he wasn’t well built by any means but he sure was very well defined with every curve of muscle around his pecs and biceps perfect.

“Never said who’s bed.” Roy yawned again securing a pillow beneath his head.

“Well you can’t sleep here, sorry.” Danny stated matter of factly walking towards him with his arms crossed.

“Too late already asleep.” Roy closed his eyes and started fake snoring which made Danny giggle. God how could this absolute idiot ever be the scary bully Jason warned him about?

“You can’t! Get up!” Danny grabbed the pillow from under his head and hit him with it a few times.

Roy however quickly put an end to it by grabbing his waist and pulling him down onto the bed with him. “Shh, tired. You can continue hitting me in the morning.”

Danny couldn’t put on his very unsuccessful tough guy act any longer and instead snuggled up into the extended arm under his head to nuzzle his face into Roy’s collar. “Fine.”

God he smelled good. Danny closed his eyes to take in every second of Roy overwhelming his senses and savor the moment he had longed for so long.

“I’ll make it up to you then.” He yawned a final time before pulling Danny’s hips into his with his hand on his ass. “Now goodnight, chola.”

He wanted to enjoy the moment of closeness a little longer but when he felt his chest hitting Roy’s and his bulge pressing against him his dysphoria kicked in and he panicked.

“Wait, no. I can’t.” He pushed himself away from Roy and off the bed but Roy grabbed his wrist so he’d be fall back in a seated position on the edge of the bed.

“Why not? It’s just sleeping?” Roy tried putting his hand on his waist but Danny sprung up again.

“No.” He covered his chest with his arms and looked over at his briefs laying to the side with his packer in it.

In his peripherals he caught Roy’s eyes following his which only made his anxiety burn heavier.

He was utterly vulnerable without his packer on and without his chest taped down or binded. He didn’t want Roy to see him like this and run. Sure he saw his chest when it was flattened but this was different, his chest was different.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to put my shirt back on?”

“No…” He could feel his uncertainty bubbling up along with his insecurities the longer he stood there shielding himself from the boy in front of him.

“Come closer, please?” Roy asked sitting up slightly, resting on his elbow. “So I can talk to you.”

Danny obliged stepping closer to the bed so Roy could grab his hand and guide him as he climbed with his knees onto the mattress.

“Okay.” Roy pulled him down by the waist when he got close enough so Danny would be straddling him before he sat up in a similar position to what Danny drew. “Can I touch you?”

“Why?” Danny looked into his eyes unsure of his intentions. He trusted Roy enough not to run but not enough that he knew for sure he wasn’t going to disapprove of what he saw once he looked behind the proverbial curtains.

“I want to show you something.” Roy smiled.

Fuck that smile. He couldn’t say no to that beautiful smile. “Okay.”

Roy placed his hands under Danny’s shirt on his ribs making his heart race uncontrollably again as he leaned in for a kiss.

Their lips connected slowly at first till Danny eased into his touch and their kissing intensified. The way Roy’s lips passionately locked with his distracted his frantic mind so much he didn’t even flinch when the hands on his ribs moved down to hook his thumbs into the fabric of his shirt and pull it off over his head.

“That’s not fair you’re too good at that.” Danny whined when Roy pulled away.

“I told you earlier I don’t care about this?” Roy tilted his head down to kiss down Danny’s jaw as he held his petite chest in his hands.

Roy wasn’t lying either. He didn’t care and now that he’s seen Danny’s chest without anything holding it down he cared even less. It was small, probably even smaller than his was. Small enough that he couldn’t fathom why Danny would ever be ashamed of it or even feel the need to hide it.

As Roy’s mouth continued placing kisses in a trail down his jaw and throat, nipping at his pulse point the warmth of his palms pressed against his nipples reignited the release Danny had been denied earlier.

“Oh fuck…don’t do that.” Danny moaned lifting his head to allow Roy better access to his jugular and clavicle as he kissed further down.

“What? This?” Roy smirked pushing him down so he’d fall onto his back. Danny watched him with hungry eyes as he bent down over him taking one of his nipples in his mouth.

“Yeah that…shit.” Danny moaned deeper this time, his hips lifting against Roy on their own searching for any contact to ease the familiar tingling growing in his lap.

“Why not?” Roy let go of the pink bud with a pop and moved on to the next one.

His exhaustion was being too overshadowed by the intense desire to hear those moans again, to feel more of the body pinned beneath him to even give himself time to think what he was doing through.

“Because, you already ruined it once tonight.” Danny whined.

“I did?” Roy cocked a brow letting go of his nipple to look at him containing his smug grinning to himself.

Oops.

“Maybe.” Danny blushed looking away. “I…I was thinking about you earlier and then you dm’d me and I couldn’t, um finish and then we stared talking and stuff.”

“I’ll make it up to you.” Roy purred in his ear before he fell back into the same position as earlier yawning again. “In the morning.”

“But…fine.” Danny pouted crawling over the bed to lie down next to him. “But I need the blankie between us.”

“Why?” Roy looked up puzzled at him trying to figure out what was happening as Danny tried tugging at the blanket to pull it between them.

“It’s weird.”

“Tell me.”

“I can’t…I have this thing where I can’t have my hands touching my chest.” He admitted looking away. “It just freaks me out if I feel any part of me touching my chest and then I can’t function or sleep or anything.”

Seeing the vulnerability again made Roy’s heart grow heavy, he didn’t know how he’d do it but he knew that he needed to help in any small way possible.

“That’s okay.” Roy smiled swiping the blankets away and pulling him in so close against himself there was no room between them. “Then you won’t have to.”

“I hate you.” Danny pouted draping his arm around Roy’s neck so his hand could play with his hair.

“Really?” Roy asked with a hint of amusement in his tired voice. Giving him a quick kiss before he took the pouty lip poking out between his teeth feeling Danny moan into his mouth. “Because I adore you.”

[glitterrhowell]

Time Ignites A Spark

Title: The Bully

Pairing:  Daniel Howell & AmazingPhil (Phan

Word count: 1.7k

Warning/Genre: angst. fluff

Summary: Prompt: Phil takes Dan to the park and Dan gets teased by another kid

Note:  Hi! This is going to be 5 chapters of little dan goodness! These are written for ficmas and the prompts all came from my lovely friend Christy (Fadingcrystalvoid). I will be posting one chapter a day leading up to Christmas so hopefully everything goes smoothly as I'm getting a new prompt each day without any knowledge of what they're going to be. These prompts should hopefully fit together to make one cohesive story. So I hope you enjoy and I appreciate everyone who reads!

Read on A03

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“Daddy, can we please go to the park?" Phil sighed softly and swiveled his chair around to look at Dan. "Maybe later kitten Daddy has to finish these emails ok?” He asked hoping Dan would accept his answer.

Tears started forming in Dan's eyes and Phil could tell he was on the verge of a tantrum.

Thinking quickly Phil formed what he hoped would be a solution. “How about this you go and watch one movie and when that movie is over we can go to the park ok?”

Dan face contorted as he thought. "Ok, daddy." He finally said.

Phil let out a sigh of relief.

Phil walked Dan out to the lounge and got him settled in.

“What do you want to watch princess?" He asked flipping through their DVD collection.

"Can I watch frozen plewse?"

Phil grinned Dan wasn't usually this polite which means he was trying really hard to be on his best behavior.

“Of course you can kitten." He said popping the DVD into the player.

Phil leaned over and gave Dan a quick kiss on the head before he turned to head back to his office.

~~~~~ Phil groaned surely there must be an end to all that emails. His eyes flickered to the screen noticing there were still fifteen unopened emails I'm his mailbox.

Eyes starting to twitch and hurt Phil took his glasses off and rubbed into his eyes perhaps a little harder then he should have as it seemed to intensify the headache he had already had.

A soft knock on the door got his attention.

“Daddy?" Dan questioned softly sticking his head in the door.

“What is it baby?" Phil asked turning back to his emails.

"Frozen over.” He whispered softly.

Phil glanced down at the clock on the computer. He couldn't believe over two hours had passed already. He sighed, “Alright kitten a promise is a promise go get your shoes on and we'll walk to the park ok?”

" Yay! Thwnk you Daddy!” Dan squealed.

~~~~~~ The walk to the park only took a few minutes since they didn't live that far. Dan buzzed with anticipation the entire time.

“I'm going to swing dawdy!" He squealed swing Phil's arm back and forth.

" That's nice baby,” he smiled.

They came upon the park and Phil walked him up to the swings. “Ok kitten daddy's going to go sit right over there, " he said pointing to the benches over on the other side of the swings.

" But daddy I want you to push me!" He whined.

Phil closed his eyes "Baby daddy isn't feeling too well, maybe in a little bit ok?" He asked knowing full well that Dan would probably tucker himself out before he remembered Phil had said that.

“Is daddy sick?" Dan asked suddenly worried. “ I don't want daddy to be sick!” Tears formed in his eyes.

“No daddy's not sick Darling just a headache ok?” He said trying to calm the boy down.

Dan looked at him skeptically before finally accepting his answer, “ok daddy I'll by myself for now. You go sit." Dan demanded pointing to the bench.

Phil chuckled "alright love I'll be right over there if you need anything. Have fun ok?”

" Ok daddy!” The boy screamed already leaving Phil alone as he ran to get on the swings.

~~~ Phil hadn't been sitting here long before a woman probably in her mid-thirties sat down beside him.

“Hello!" She bright exclaimed, “My names Victoria." She said extending her hand to Phil.

Phil really didn't feel like socializing but not wanting to be rude he extended his own hand, “Phil."

Which launched the women into a full-fledged bragging session about her daughter.

Phil sighed not really wanting to listen but being too socially awkward to saying anything to her.

Eventually, the conversation took a turn when the women mentioned some new kids show that had come out that her daughter loved.

“Dan loves they show as well!" He said.

“ Oh is Dan your son?" She asked. "Yeah,” Phil said not wanting to get into the logistics with this women.

“It's such a great show it taught Emily her ABCs in less than a month.” She gushed.

This lead them into an in-depth conversation about children's tv and the benefits it had.

~~~~ Dan watched his daddy talk to the women and sighed he wished his daddy was with him but his daddy didn't feel good. Getting bored on the swings he got off and made his way over to the slide. He patiently waited behind a boy for his turn to go down the slide.

While waiting his turn he felt a tap on his shoulder, ”Excuse me but what are you doing?” A young girl about a foot Shorter than him asked hands on her hips.

“Gonna go down the slide." He said shrugging his shoulders.

He turned back around because the line had moved. He was now second to next in line.

“You're too big to play!" The girl shouted. Startled tears started to form in his eyes. “What do you mean?" He asked lips quivering.

The girl stomped her foot, “ Your an adult you're too big to go down.” She said once again.

Dan was confused what was she talking about he was little just like her. His brain was too small to comprehend that what she was actually saying was his long limbs would definitely be a little long to go down the short slide.

With tears still in his eyes, Dan turned his back to the girl hoping she would go away and leave him alone. But instead of leaving him alone the girl kept yelling at him and by this time Dan was close to full in sobbing. He turned around to yell at the girl to go away when out of know where he felt hands on him and the next thing he knew was he was on the ground in the dirt.

This caused a very distressed Dan to have a full blown Panic attack sobbing and covered in dirt.

Phil was in the middle of telling the women how Dan had once fallen asleep in the middle of the store when he heard Dan scream.

Shook from his conversation Phil stood up and Sprint over to where Dan sat still on the ground. Once he reached him he got down on one knee, “Danny what's wrong?" He asked frantically trying to figure out why his boyfriend was a sobbing mess sitting in the ground.

Dan threw into Phil's shirt clutching the material of his t-shirt in his hand. Sobs wrecked through his body shaking him with every breath.

“She--sh-she pushed me, daddy!” He wailed pointing to a small blonde child stood next to him looking slightly frightened.

“Is this true? Did you push him?” Phil demand.

Dan clutched Phil's shirt tighter and buried his face into his neck as the girl spoke.

“Yeah, but I didn't know he be a big baby about it and cry.” She said the scared look on her face now gone.

“Why on Earth would you do such a thing?" He demanded.

Phil held on to the sobbing boy waiting for her to answer.

“Emily, what is going on?"

Phil looked up to see the Victoria the women he had been talking to run up.

“Is this your daughter ?" He asked.

The women wrapped her arms around the girl, “Yes this is Emily."

" Well, your daughter just pushed Dan down and doesn't seem to be sorry about it.” He snapped.

“Wait this is Dan?" She asked looking confused.

" Daddy I wanna go home!” Dan sobbed.

"Shh, it's ok baby we'll go home soon.” He said rubbing circles into the crying boys back

" Is this some kind of joke?" She asked still looking completely confused.

Phil was getting angrier by the minute. “Of course this isn't a joke! Don't you see him crying?" He asked pointing to the now whimpering boy.

The women and her daughter didn't say anything and just stared at them. Finally getting fed up Phil pulled Dan up with him and stood up “ I think you owe him an apology.”

"No way I'm not apologizing to him! What I said was true he is too big to be playing here. He’s a freak!” Emily shouted at him tears now forming in her eyes.

Phil looked at Victoria and the women wouldn't meet his eyes.

“Well, aren't you going to make her apologize?” He demanded.

Victoria looked at him hateful now. “I'm not making my daughter apologize to that freak! She screamed pointing at Dan.

This caused the bow hiccuping Dan to begin sobbing again.

Not even worried about an apology anymore Phil took Dan's hand and started walking away. He very much wanted to tell the women she and her daughter were being hateful and should be ashamed of themselves but his top priority at the moment was Dan.

Trying his best to soothe the clearly upset and crying boy Phil had wrapped himself around Dan again. Of course, making sure they were far away from the hateful mother and daughter.

Phil held the boy and let him cry and eventually his sobs subsided.

“Daddy?" A small voice questioned him.

Phil hummed, “What is it kitten?"

"Why was that girl so mean?” He whispered into Phil's neck.

Phil sighed “I don't know baby.” He answered honestly. "some people are just hateful I guess."

Dan sighed and shoved his face closer I to Phil's neck.

Phil just sat there hugging the boy when an idea came to him. “Hey, baby how about we go home and we can play princess?”

Dan perked up, “Really daddy?” He asked suddenly getting excited.

Phil chuckled “of course I know it's your favorite game.”

Dan squealed with excitement and shot up trying to pull Phil up with him.

Laughing again Phil stood up and took Dan's hand. Yes, he still had a headache but he today reminded him how important his baby was to him and all he wanted to do was make him happy.

So Dan and Phil made their way back to the apartment where Dan dressed Phil in a pink princess dress and covering his face messily in makeup with Phil enjoying every moment of it.

[quality-on-a-patch-of-awesome]

Who’s ready for some more headcanoning?

Now that I’m back home, here are some of the scenes I imagined up watching season 2 of Iron Fist. They’re behind a cut because of spoilers and because they got way more epic than I thought they would.

At some point, while they’re off on their adventures, Danny gets himself a bit beat up and Ward is cleaning him up (because the scene of that actually happening in the show was one of my absolute favourites), but Danny won’t shut up and sit still so Ward just kisses him. He doesn’t even realise that he’s done it at first because it just came so naturally to him. Then he notices that Danny has just frozen and it all hits him and he’s going to panic, but he doesn’t get the chance before Danny is kissing him. He worries that this is going to mess up the best thing in his entire life, though. He still worries, even when he and Danny are in bed together and only stops (a little, anyway) when Danny wakes up the next morning from where he fell asleep with his head on Ward’s chest (while Ward spent a few more hour panicking before eventually passing out from the stress) and then Danny looks at him like everything is right with the world.

They may or may not make it out of bed that day.

Alternatively, while Ward is patching up Danny, instead of kissing him, he’s just hit by the revelation that he’s stupid in love with Danny and probably has been for a while. He doesn’t take it too well (because this is Ward and feelings are notoriously hard for him) and shuts down.

Danny doesn’t take this well because he thought they were finally getting somewhere and how can that just go away? So he doesn’t stop bothering Ward about what’s going on until Ward has enough of the badgering and everything just spills out.

When Ward eventually stops talking (he has a lot to say and when he starts, he can’t stop), he stares at Danny, waiting for some kind of response, probably planning how quickly he can get out of there (he’s definitely expecting it to go badly).

“Thank god it’s not just me.” Danny steps in and presses his and Ward’s mouths together.

Ward will give Danny shit about that later, when he’s done finding out what every part of Danny tastes like.

Eventually, they have to go home.

The plane lands, but Ward doesn’t want to get off because how can everything be the same now? Things were good, while they were away, but things were so much less complicated when it was just them.

Danny calls Ward an idiot and proceeds to love him just as fiercely at home, in front of the whole world, as he did while they were away, when half the time it was just them.

Or, season 1 ended with Danny and Coleen going off on an adventure together and season 2 started with them living together. Maybe season 3 starts with Danny and Ward living together

No one knows what’s really going on. Maybe people think they’re already together. Maybe people think Ward invited Danny to stay with him, while he readjusted and found his own place, after his break up with Coleen. Maybe people think Danny is staying to keep an eye on Ward, in case he falls off the wagon again. They can’t be sure because Danny and Ward are the same around each other as they have been for months.

They don’t figure it out until Danny and Ward talk about going home and they leave holding hands or they talk about going to bed and disappear behind the same door.

Even then, people still aren’t convinced about what’s really going on.

Option 1 for Danny and Ward coming home.

They come back of their own accord and find everything has gone to shit while they were away.

They think about leaving again to escape it all, but Danny has a pathological need to fix things and they throw themselves into making everything better (Ward still can’t believe he’s doing that kind of good).

Option 2

Danny gets a call from Luke and/or Jess to get his dumbass back home as soon as possible because the world is about to end. Also, Matt’s not dead, but he won’t explain how or why until you get here, too, and we really want to find out what the fuck is happening.

They’re on the plane and in the air within an hour.

Danny isn’t mad that Matt is alive and has conveniently forgotten to mention it until now- he just pulls him into the biggest hug he can manage and asks so many questions that Matt barely has time to get a word in to explain.

Ward gets angry enough for both of them (and then some) because not only is he not a fan of people coming back from the dead (finding out that Matt was never technically dead is of little comfort), but he’s still pissed at Matt for how many times Danny went out into Hell’s Kitchen and nearly got himself killed trying to honour the promise he made to Matt.

They save the world and when they’re all exhausted and almost passed out afterwards is when all their feelings about what happened really come out (maybe before it was just Matt explaining what happened).

Option 3

Matt is the one who calls Danny to come home. (You have to imagine that this is a video call).

“But aren’t...” Danny frowns at the screen, like he’s not believing what he’s seeing. “How?”

“It’s a long story, Danny, and one I will gladly tell you as soon as you get home. We need you.”

“I...” Danny looks down. “I don’t know if I can. I have a lot of...”

“Were you not listening, asshole?” Frank’s face appears on the screen. He looks as if he’s ready for the fight (if he hasn’t already been in one). He does not have time for this shit. “Home. Now.”

Ward, who had been hanging around in the background, appears at Danny’s shoulder and glares at the screen.

“You’re supposed to be dead, too. I am done with people crawling out of the goddamn ground we put them in.” Ward had gone with Danny to Matt’s funeral and who hadn’t heard about Punisher? He didn’t think he would ever be ready to trust another person who came back from the dead, no matter the circumstances.

“Hey, asshole,” Frank scowled at Ward, “you don’t get a vote.”

“What the fuck...”

“Ward.” Danny puts a hand on Ward’s arm, which is enough to calm him down.

Ward glares at the screen one last time before wandering off into the corner of the room and pulling his phone out to start making arrangements for flying home (if there was a problem, Danny wouldn’t take much convincing before he was jumping at the chance to make it right).

“Danny, I know this is a lot to ask- I know you have your answers to get out there, but I need you to come home, Danny. It’s.... It’s Luke.”

“Is he okay?”

“No! He’s batshit insane.” The rest of Frank’s rant is cut off when Matt mutters something to him before he wanders out of frame.

“Danny, Luke is lost and I can’t bring him home by myself.”

“You’re not by yourself.”

“Frank is... Yeah, he’s a help and he might make choices that none of us could, but he doesn’t know Luke like we do.”

“Then call Jess.”

“She won’t get involved and she won’t tell me why. Danny, please. I need you.”

-

It all goes to shit, of course, and whatever Luke has been doing ends with them kidnapped or trapped or something. Ward might not be there with them, but it’s important that Frank is because Matt is bleeding, pretty heavily, and Frank has got to be there to cradle Matt and beg him not to die for real this time.

Danny thinks that this is it. There’s no way out. Matt is barely hanging on to consciousness and Frank is busy trying to keep him alive (he’s also probably injured). He’s the only fighter they have left and he’s only just hanging on. He squares his shoulder when the door crashes open again and almost throws a punch before he realises that it’s Jess standing in the doorway.

“Don’t just stand there.” Jess steps back and waves through the open door. “Get Murdock to the hospital before he bleeds out- Danny and I have got business to take care of.”

-

Whatever Danny and Jess do, stops whatever Luke is up to (I don’t know any of the details, it’s just important that it works) and they all wind up at the hospital, waiting for news on Matt (Frank won’t leave his side, even when Foggy and Karen show up).

Luke turns up, looking and sounding more like himself than he has in months, but no one is happy to see him.

Danny almost throws a punch.

Jess actually does.

Luke is sorry for it ending up like this because it was never what he wanted, but he can’t take it back now. He’s especially sorry that he made Jess choose Danny and Matt over him.

“It wasn’t a choice, Luke- you lost your damn mind. I don’t care who or what you are to me, if you do that again, I will not hesitate to put you down.”

-

The world nearly ends again.

Luke thinks sacrificing himself is the way to make it up to his friends.

Danny calls him an idiot, when he shows up, Matt and Jess trailing just behind him.

Luke doesn’t have words.

“You’re sorry.” Matt shrugs. “That’s enough for me. Not so much for Frank, though, so you should probably stay out of his way- I think he might actually kill you.”

“Not if Ward gets there first.” Danny grins and claps a hand on Luke’s shoulder before running ahead of the group. “Come on, guys- we’ve got a world to save.”

Luke looks at Jess, who stares back for a second before looking away.

“Can’t let you die- I’m not raising this kid alone.”

Danny is the only one surprised by that (Matt has been hearing the baby’s heartbeat for weeks).

-

They save the world. Everything is not fine, but they work on it. Danielle Cage’s middle name is now Matilda for her Uncle Matty. I just really wanted to have baby Dani in there, for some reason.

Frank hears Matt in the confessional and, as soon as Matt steps out the door, he has a whole lot of reasons of why Matt Murdock needs to be alive way more than Daredevil. He yells them all at Matt.

Matt doesn’t imagine that this will end with them falling into bed together, but he’s not exactly disappointed when it goes that way (he’d be lying if he said he’s never thought about that before).

Or Frank mutters his reasons for wanting Matt alive between kisses.

Or, my personal favourite reunion scenario, is that Frank and Matt have known that the other wasn’t dead the whole time. They’ve been keeping in touch- letters, e-mails, texts, notes around the city or whatever else- but when Matt steps back out of that confessional door and Frank is sat in the first pew, it’s the first time they’ve seen each other in whatever exact number of days they’ve both got memorised. There’s probably yelling (I always imagine there’s yelling at a reunion between Punisher and Daredevil) and clinging and the realisation that, somewhere along the way, they accidentally fell in love.

Maybe that’s how Matt finds out what’s going on with Luke- Frank has seen Luke go downhill and if this isn’t going to destroy the city, he should probably reach out to the people who might be able to talk some damn sense into Luke Cage. Also, he finally got too desperate to see Matt again.

[voltron-the-galaxys-protector]

Chapter One: The Paladins

third times the charm, please reblog.

It was a loud knocking that oh-so rudely awoke Lance and Danny at fuck-knows AM.

“Nope!” Danny groaned out rolling over and burying his head under a pillow.

“No way I'm doing it!” Lance objected.

“You gotta, I already said I wouldn't.”

“Fine but you owe me like a million sweets,” Lance sighed sitting up, green face mask on, his naturally curly hair unruly and tangled and in blue pyjamas with cats on them, truly a model.

“Hello?” He greeted, yawning as he opened the door.

Rubbing his eyes he barely registered the person was talking until they barked. “Citizen!”

Lance's eyes focused and he was hit with the immediate realisation and the subsequent dread that a Aerusian guard was yelling at him.

“Yes si- ma'am?”

“Did you hear any of that kid?”

“It's-” He glanced at the clock. “-Five AM, gimme a moment.”

A very tired Danny butted Lance's side and looked up at the guard with bleary wide eyes.

“Who the fuck are you?” He asked, making direct eye contact with the considerably taller guard, completely fearless in the face of someone who could probably murder him is she pleased.

“I am Plaxum, personal guard to the princess Allura.”  the blue skinned guard replied stone faced.

“Cool name what do you want?” Danny leaned on Lance's side almost pushing his brother over.

“The princess has personally requested that you be part of a very important mission, please pack your clothes and essentials, this is not up for debate.”

“Can we at least sleep a bit longer?” Lance asked.

“No.” And with that Plaxum left them to get ready.

“Well crap.” Lance sighed.

“That was uh, strange to say the least,” Danny commented, moving to grab some cargo shorts and a shirt.

“You could say that again Pidgey,” Lance sighed throwing himself onto his bed.

“That was uh, strange to say the least,” Danny repeated, throwing a shirt and jeans at Lance's head.

“Careful! Careful! I got a mask on dude!” Lance cried indignantly, chucking a paperback book at Danny's head as he pulled on his pants.

“Suck it up princes- oof-” He fell forward as the book hit him. “-Dick.”

Lance grabbed his clothes and ran into the en-suite bathroom narrowly avoiding being hit by a copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

He emerged with a less green face, his brown hair neat and a baseball tee on halfway as he tugged it down.

“Is Killbot Phantasm 1 an essential?” Danny asked stuffing books into a duffel bag.

“Uh, no.”

“Okay I'm taking it.”

“You're awful.”

Lance filled a backpack with clothes and toiletries, stuffing in hair gel concealer and a few face masks in last as he struggled to close it.

“Bro you missed mister cuddly!” Pidge gasped holding up a ratty old teddy bear.

“Dude if the princess saw me with him I'd be crucified.”

“Yeah but I don't want you climbing into my bed when you have a nightmare without him.”

Lance snatched away the teddy bear, shoving it in his bag.

“Much better.” Danny grinned satisfied.

“I wonder what this mission is?” Lance murmured looking at a picture of their family back on Earth that sat on the computer desk.

“No clue, I hope it's fun.”

“Yeah, it'd be a cool story to tell mama.”

“Papa would freak out though,” Danny added making Lance laugh.

“He would.”

“I hope it's fun enough to make papa freak out.”

“Me too.”

In the Kogane household all was peaceful apart from the loud grunting of one Keith beating the living daylights out of a punching bag.

A loud rap at the door made the boy fall backwards halfway through a kick, getting hit in the face by his bad for his qualms.

“Ow.” He whispered rubbing his cheek and heading to answer the door.

He opened it seconds before the guard was about to knock again, hitting his head slightly as he lowered his hand.

“Yes?” Keith sighed rubbing his forehead.

“Would you be Keith Kogane?” Keith nodded “ah good, Mr Kogane you and your brother Takashi have been selected by the princess for a very important mission, please wake your brother and pack essentials, I'll be waiting.” That got one more sigh from the boy as he turned around.

“J-just my luck.” he whispered heading towards his brothers bedroom.

Takashi was quick once he heard the order, packing essentials and helping Keith.

“Here take the text to speech machine.” Takashi said handing Keith a watch that projected a screen for Keith to type on, reading it out in a robotic voice.

“It's p-probably just a short m-mission, I won't have t-to talk to anyone,” Keith murmured, looking down at his feet.

“But what if you do have to talk to people? What then?” Takashi offered crossing his arms and sitting back on his heels.

“N-no, if I just g-go mute n-n-no one will think I'm weird,” Keith murmured nervously.

“Someone will always think you're weird, that doesn't mean you should inconvenience yourself to please them.”

“If I t-take the d-damn watch will you leave me be?”

“Yes.”

Keith snatched the watch from Takashi, securing it around his wrist.

“Happy?”

“Yes.”

Takashi hugged Keith's shoulder.

“I'm so proud of you, you're so brave,” Takashi smiled. Keith scoffed.

“S-sure, whatever you say,” he murmured, smiling as he returned the hug.

“C'mon, let's go,” Takashi said warmly. Keith nodded and they headed out, following to guard to wherever they're supposed to go.

Hunks labrador Sunny greeted the knock at the door before her owner, barking and bouncing, tail Wagging so fast it was surprising she didn't fly away like a helicopter.

“Woah woah don't scare away our guests Sunny!” Hunk laughed running over and grabbing her collar as he opened the door.

A guard smothering a smile with her hands greeted them.

“Hello, would you be Hunk Garrett?” She asked putting on a straight face.

“That's me! What's up?” The boy in question asked standing up a bit and letting Sunny sit.

“The princess has specially selected you for a very important mission, you are to pack essentials and then follow me.”

Hunk prepared a response as the guard closed the door, he sighed and headed to his room packing clothes books and various important tech and meds.

“Okay done,” Hunk said opening the door again to the guard.

“Well follow me, and take the dog,” Hunk looked from the guard to Sunny and shrugged clipping a leash to her collar and following after the guard.

The princess sat reading over letters from advisors on how to deal with the supply shortage.

“Your highness? The paladins are here,” A guard said sticking her head into the room.

“I keep telling you to call me Allura, Romelle, I hate being called highness,” The princess sighed, standing up and putting away the letters, glad to have an excuse to ignore her duties for a moment.

“Oh right, well if you'll follow me.” Romelle led Allura to a hall with stairs down to a ballroom, she stood on a balcony looking down on where five humans stood awkwardly, chatting between themselves quietly.

Allura cleared her throat loudly and all the humans stood straight looking up at her.

She looked them over, a Latino with curly brown hair and a lazy smile, Lance McClain.

His short brother with a brown Bob and large round glasses that framed his feminine face, Danny McClain-Holt.

A Japanese man with a lost arm and a scar on his cheek from battles long passed, Takashi Kogane.

His short and quiet brother with a mullet with emo bangs and a hoodie standing curled in on himself, Keith Kogane.

And a tall dark-skinned boy with a ponytail and a big heart, Hunk Garrett.

“Welcome! You have been selected out of many for this mission because of your unique personalities and traits,” She began to walk down one of the two staircases to stand in front of the humans.

“Right what is this mission exactly?” Lance asked getting elbowed in the side by Danny.

“Don't be like that Daniel, Lance you have been selected to be the new paladins of Voltron,” Allura explained coming to stand in front of them.

Lance's jaw dropped and all the others had similarly shocked responses. Allura, proud of herself for this reaction continued.

“Takashi, you are a brave fighter a genius strategist and a fantastic fighter, I want you to be the black paladin.” She handed him a map.

“Keith, you are loyal and terrifying with a sword in your hand, with Takashi by your side you are unstoppable, I want you to be the red paladin.” Keith grinned taking his map and looking it over.

“Danny, you are analytical and curious, constantly learning and improving, an incredible young genius, you shall be the green paladin.” Danny jumped taking his map.

“Green! Hell yeah!”

“Lance, you are a good listener and protective of those you care for, you adapt easily and protect others selflessly, you will be the blue paladin.”

“And Hunk-”

“Yeah no thanks,” Hunk interrupted shaking his head.

“What?”

“Look I came here to be safe, I didn't sign up for saving the galaxy.”

“But you must, you're the only one who fits the yellow lion perfectly.” Allura insisted pushing the map into his hands.

“Why? All these traits seem rather normal.”

“Because it's more than personality, it's your quintessence, your magic! You have to be the yellow paladin!”

Hunk scowled grabbing the map and looking it over, sighing.

“Fine you owe me.”

Allura grinned.

“Perfect, now if you'll follow me we have quarters for you to live for now, and we'll get someone to care for your dog Hunk,” Allura said, heading into a door.

The paladins looked to each other shrugging and followed her.

“Wait so we have to live here? Me and Lance didn't say goodbye to our siblings.” Danny asked running up to walk next to Allura.

“You'll see them again but you must be together, you need to be friends to be a team.”

Danny sighed falling back into step with Lance.

Allura pushed open a door that lead into a large room with five beds, with all the paladins stuff on each of them.

On one side there was a holo-tv set into the wall, the other had a door leading into a bathroom.

A window was behind the two beds with Lance and Danny's stuff on them and drawers separated each bed.

“Go crazy,” Allura smiled letting the grinning teenagers run in and look around.

Keith pulled a book out of his bag as Danny pulled Killbot Phantasm 1 out of his.

Keith typed quickly on the holographic screen of his watch, putting his book down, and a robotic voice read out.

“Killbot Phantasm 1? I loved that game on earth!” Danny looked up and grinned.

“Wanna play?” He asked making Keith nod vigorously.

Together they connected the game to the tv and started playing together.

Hunk looked over to Lance who was staring out the window wistfully.

“Hey, Lance right?” He asked sitting on the bed startling Lance out of his stupor.

“Yeah, hi.” Lance said flashing a grin.

“I'm Hunk if you didn't hear, you excited?”

“I guess,” Lance sighed turning to sit next to Hunk. “I'm scared if me or Danny gets hurt our siblings will be upset.”

“I'm scared too but think of how cool it'll be for them to have their brother be the blue paladin,” that made Lance grin.

“They'd love it, I'll just have to keep us safe eh?” He looked to Hunk grinning ear to ear.

“Yeah that's the spirit!”

Lance stood up. “Cool, I'll go message my older sister about what's happening.”

“Good idea, I should probably tell my mamas.”

“Yeah.” They stood there a second smiling at each other, then ran off to find their respective communicators.

Takashi carefully unpacked his and Keith's stuff putting them in their respective drawers and grabbing out his phone.

No new notifications.

He sighed putting it in his pocket and heading over to sit and watch over Danny and Keith who were grinning ear to ear as Danny rambled on about the game.

It was good Keith found a friend so easily, he deserved it.

Takashi hoped Keith would get to know this team, maybe he'd talk to them, who knows, the possibilities were endless.

And they seemed pretty positive.

[wordsablaze]

Five Times Dan Got Jealous…

…And the one time jealousy was the last thing on his mind, ft. collabs, puppies, misunderstandings, unbuttoned shirts, twitter selfies, and a happily ever after. Written with the marvellous @jocollins! Enjoy!

A/N: help out and get a fic? Bold is Dan texting and Italic is Phil texting!

Phil was making another youtube video. But not a simple one. It was a collab. With another guy.

Usually, Dan didn't mind that but this time he'd heard some things, he'd heard that this guy had a crush on Phil and, well, Dan really wasn’t one to share what was his.

He let Phil start explaining their video, he didn't say anything when the guy was looking at Phil with adoration in his eyes, he just let it happen.

Then they started filming.

Dan could hear them laughing, but it wasn't casual laughter, it sounded flirty, and he wasn't happy with it.

Dan didn’t want to be rude and intrude on their filming so he simply took out his phone, sending a quick text to Phil.

- Wanna kiss ya. -

He waited for Phil to reply, expecting either a light scolding or an equally sappy message back but he got nothing, just an empty screen.

He didn't do anything at first but then, once he heard the other guy ask for Phil's number, he got a bit angry, trying not to worry but not being able to help it.

He wasn’t even thinking when he sent another message, sure that Phil was holding his phone.

- Oh baby, you felt so good last night. -

He knows Phil has received the message because he heard an embarrassed squeak that has to be his.

Then, a small message:

-Dan, seriously, let me finish this…-

- Don’t give him your number. - Dan sent a text, then another one: - Please. - and one more after that, - I can fuck you better than he ever will. -

- You're not serious…-

He heard Phil laugh again at something the other guy said and then the thud of phones being put down. He groaned, flopping onto the floor with a frown.

- Phiiiil! Could you please come and help me, quick?! - Dan yelled, putting a bit of panic in his voice to make sure that Phil would have no other choice than to come.

He heard the other guy mutter something that didn't sound good but, sure enough, Phil's footsteps sounded down the hall and then his head appeared in the doorway.

- Yes, Dan? What is it that couldn't wait another ten minutes? -

- This. - Dan pulled Phil into a heated kiss, letting one hand roam through his hair and, with the other, pulling him closer by his waist, making sure to leave Phil breathless.

Phil blinked once they pulled apart, clearing his throat, but he was smiling.

- Okay… - he breathed.

Dan was biting his lip, still holding Phil close, looking him deep in the eyes.

Phil smirked softly. - Aw, Danny, don't be jealous, I know you give the best kisses… -

- Only kisses? - Dan let his hands drop to his sides, his nose scrunching up a bit.

Phil frowned and lifted his chin up with his fingers, leaning in close. - For now… If you let me finish filming and get rid of him, I can find out if you give the best of, well, everything else… - his voice was velvet, soft and promising and kind of sexy.

- Then go and get rid of him. - Dan pulled Phil into one more, hungry kiss before letting him go, slapping his ass playfully.

Phil gasped, then blushed, winking at Dan.

- Sure thing, Mr Jealous. I'll see you soon, be ready… -

- Can’t wait. - and with that, Dan felt happy again, his jealousy replaced with excitement.

Dan couldn’t bring himself to smile, he had no idea why.

He and Phil had decided to visit the dog shelter and so, that’s where they were, kneeling in front of the little puppies in their area.

The only problem was, most of them seemed to prefer Phil, excitedly climbing into his lap and leaving Dan to awkwardly sit there and watch.

Dan tried to get the puppies’ attention with little treats they gave them but none came, they were all over Phil.

Phil didn’t seem to notice Dan’s problem at first, giggling as the puppies tried to climb up his arms.

- Phil, - Dan whispered, trying to get some of his attention.

- Yeah? - Phil asked without looking at him, making a cute face at one of the smaller puppies.

- Phiil, - Dan whined a bit louder.

Phil groaned and looked up to see Dan’s pout. He laughed and shook his head. - Dan, come on, why aren’t you playing with the little doggos? They’re so cute! -

- Because they prefer you, - Dan growled in a cute way.

As if proving his point, the one puppy that had been sitting on his lap got up and ran to Phil, jumping onto his knees excitedly.

Phil jumped, then stroked its ears, looking back at Dan. - Uh… Come over here then… -

Dan scooted closer to Phil right away, letting their legs brush together.

Phil smiled at him, lifting one of the puppies and placing it in Dan’s arms. - There. Now, smile, you grumpy old man! -

- Hey, you are older than me. - Dan stuck his tongue out at Phil before starting to stroke the puppy, scooting even closer to Phil.

- Do you want to get any closer? - Phil laughed but didn’t move away. At least, not until a puppy jumped between them and forced them to split so they didn’t squash it.

Dan wasn’t happy about that, trying to put a hand on Phil’s thigh.

Almost immediately, one of the puppies bit his hand, growling playfully. Dan yelped, snatching his hand back and scowling at the adorable but slightly annoying puppy.

- Mine, - Dan growled back at the puppy, pulling Phil’s hand into his.

Phil laughed, shaking his head. - Don’t tell me you’re in competition with the puppies? -

- What? No. I'm just telling them that you are already taken. - Dan tried to hide the obvious truth.

Even the puppies seemed to doubt him. Phil shrugged and turned back to them, holding his hands out and letting them nibble at the treats.

Dan watched Phil for a moment before trying to scoot closer once again.

This time, the puppies let him, one of them settling down over both his and Phil’s legs. Dan smiled, letting his head rest on Phil’s shoulder, breathing in his scent, the smell of warmth.

- I love you, - Dan whispered to Phil with almost no sound.

Phil waited a moment before turning to him and smiling widely. - I love you more than these puppies… -

And with that, all of Dan’s jealousy was gone, a big smile spreading over his lips.

Phil had been spending the whole evening texting someone and laughing, grinning time from time.

It made Dan feel uneasy.

He tried to brush it off when another joyful laugh escaped Phil’s lips.

He used to react like that when we first start texting…

His mood was getting more and more sour as the evening went on but he didn’t have an excuse to stop Phil from texting until his stomach started rumbling.

- Phil! Get your butt over here! We need to eat! - Dan yelled, hoping he could have his own conversation with Phil now.

But Phil just kept texting whoever he was texting and grinning like a lovesick teenager.

Dan felt even bigger jealousy strike his body.

He counted to ten, like you were meant to do, and put the plates on the table, warming up the leftovers from yesterday. Once they’d heated up, he yelled for Phil again: - Phiiil! Come on, it’ll get cold!! -

But yet again, he got no answer, Phil was too deep into his conversation to even hear Dan.

Fed up, Dan angrily sat at the table, staring at their food until he couldn’t hear anything anymore, he was too focused on trying not to explode.

Phil’s joyful giggles were haunting him, not letting him calm down.

He didn’t want to hurt Phil so he grabbed his phone and messaged Phil, hoping that he’d see the message: -The food is getting cold, get off your phone!-

There was no reply for 10 minutes then a simple, short - ok -

And yet, still no Phil.

Dan groaned to himself as he got the message, then stared at it for what seemed like an eternity, waiting, sitting there on his own.

Then he got a notification from Twitter, saying that Phil had tweeted.

“It feels so good to meet a person that you can spend actual hours talking to and not get tired!”

If it had been any other time, Dan would have laughed at the emoji, but now, he was angry and hurt, feeling left out and less important.

Dan stood up, making the chair fall over from the intensity of the action, stomping off to their bedroom, letting the door slam shut a lot louder than needed.

He heard Phil finally, finally get up and walk to the kitchen where their food was now cold, then the footsteps got closer until they were outside their bedroom. A small knock echoed on the door before Phil just walked in.

- Dan? What’s wrong? Why’d you leave before eating anything? -

- What’s wrong? - Dan hissed, throwing his shirt somewhere in anger. - You’re asking me what’s wrong?! I waited an hour for you to get your ass to eat together with me! An HOUR, Phil! -

Phil’s confusion changed to guilt as he picked up the shirt and draped it over their desk chair.

Dan was trying to unbutton his jeans in anger and still long-lasting jealousy but he just couldn’t get it to work, screaming at himself in frustration and despair.

He was about to give up entirely when Phil put a hand on his shoulder, not letting him say anything before he was guided to the bed.

- Dan, it’s a button, don’t kill it because you’re angry with me, - Phil murmured, gently reaching to undo said button.

- I’m not angry. I’m hurt! Know the difference. - Dan was so overwhelmed by all the jealousy that he felt close to tears.

Phil undid the button fully before looking up at Dan, smiling at him. - Hey, you know you’re the most important person to me. I mean, come on, I was texting my mum half the time, you don’t have to be jealous of her… -

- You were ignoring me… Wait, what? - Dan looked Phil in the eyes, feeling confused.

Phil smiled cheekily. - Who did you think the tweet was about? -

- Some guy… - Dan murmured, feeling the shame overcome him, hanging his head low.

- You’re not wrong, actually, - Phil said before laughing a little. - It was about you, silly! I was reading back our messages! -

- You were…? - Dan looked up, feeling a bit emotional.

Moving to sit beside Dan, Phil nodded. - I knew you’d see the tweet and I thought you’d know it was about you. Who else would it be? You’re the only one I can talk to for more than five minutes. -

- I’m sorry, Phil! - Dan threw himself into Phil’s arms.

Phil wrapped his arms around Dan’ pulling him close. - I’m sorry for making you think I was ignoring you… -

- I forgive you. - Dan looked up at Phil with literal heart eyes before pulling him into a love-filled kiss.

Phil gasped for a second but then kissed back, sliding one hand into Dan’s hair.

Just by feeling Phil’s soft hand in his hair and his strong arms around him, Dan’s jealousy dissolved, replaced with love and reassurance.

Dan and Phil did not go to clubs very often.

Nope.

But today, one of their friends had asked them to come, practically begged them to, because it was his birthday and he wanted to throw a party.

Even before they left, Dan knew this wouldn’t go well; Phil just looked too good and Dan didn’t want to share him with anyone else.

And he was right, everyone’s eyes were on Phil.

And those three top buttons that had been left open were making it even worse.

Dan could barely stop staring, he only ever looked away to glare at the people who were also entranced by Phil, even though he didn’t know it.

And damn, Phil was smiling at everyone so politely, making these guys drool even more.

Dan grabbed Phil’s hand, not caring that it was too hot and they were both a little sweaty, making Phil look to him in shock.

- Please button up that damn shirt, I don’t care that I said it looks damn sexy at home, now I want you to button it back up, as you wanted in the beginning. - Dan tried to not let his voice sound too hard.

Phil just frowned at him. - But, Dan, it’s so hot, I’ll melt! Do you want me to melt? -

- What? No. - Dan shook his head, still not letting go of Phil’s hand.

- Then enough with the fuss! Come on, let’s get a drink before we both die of dehydration! - Phil pulled Dan along to the drinks table, a smile still on his face.

Dan made sure to stand right next to Phil, pressed slightly against him, standing with his side facing the bar so that he would be in front of at least half of Phil’s ass and no one could check it out.

It still didn’t work, some random guy walked over to them with a lazy, probably drunk, smile and looked them both up and down, his gaze lingering on Phil and his open buttons.

- Well, hello there. Fancy a dance? - The guy asked, winking.

- Fuck you. - Dan growled, throwing an arm around Phil’s waist, pulling him even more against himself, giving the guy a death glare.

The guy just laughed. - Maybe later. All I want right now is a dance with him if you don’t mind. - He nodded at Phil.

- No. - Dan growled again, gripping Phil’s hip even tighter.

- Ow, - Phil mumbled but didn’t move away, just loosened Dan’s grip enough to stop it from bruising later. - Dan, what’s up? What’s wrong with one dance? -

- If you want to dance, then dance with me, not some drunk guy who just wants to get in your pants. - Dan hissed.

Phil blinked in surprise before turning to the guy, a frown on his face. - Is that true? You just want to have sex? -

- If you’re offering, - He laughed.

Phil made a face, sighing. - I’m not. I have a boyfriend. Sorry. - Then he turned to Dan and smiled before kissing him softly.

Dan sighed with relief as they kissed, pulling Phil fully into his arms.

Phil’s arms slid around his waist and pressed the two of them together, as if they weren’t close enough already.

- Will you please button up that shirt now? It’s driving me crazy… - Dan murmured, pressing their foreheads together.

Leaning closer to Dan’s ear, Phil shook his head and whispered: - Why don’t we go back home and you can unbutton it entirely? -

Dan’s breath hitched for a moment, then he nodded, pulling Phil with him to the exit.

- I never liked clubs anyway, - Phil laughed as they walked out, the cool breeze hitting them.

Dan just laughed, shaking his head.

- You really are driving me crazy. - Dan looked down at Phil with a big smile on his face.

The smile on Phil’s face was equally as wide as the two of them happily started to walk back home, their hands swinging between them, and Dan couldn’t find it in him to be jealous anymore.

Dan was scrolling through his social media when he saw a photo of Phil he hadn’t seen before: it was a selfie, more like sexy than cute, where Phil was in the bathroom, his collarbones showing and his eyes even more blue than usual.

Dan was really confused about where this photo had come from, he would have been the first one to see it if Phil would want to post it on Instagram.

- Phil! - he yelled, then remembered that Phil had gone to buy them some milk because they’d used it all up yesterday.

Groaning, he chose to scroll through the comments, hoping that one of them might tell him more about his photo.

The comments weren’t making much sense so he moved to twitter and there it was.

Phil had personally tweeted the photo.

But to some random fan.

Some random fan who just so happened to be a male.

Phil had sent a sexy selfie of himself to a random guy, without telling Dan.

He always was asking Dan’s opinion on photos he posted.

Dan frowned, squinting at the photo, wondering when it had been taken and why he hadn’t been told; he couldn’t help imagining the worst.

Dan texted Phil after a few minutes of simply drowning in thoughts of all the possible scenarios.

- Hey, will you be home soon? -

The reply was, thankfully, instant: - Yeah, should be five mins, why? -

- I just miss you already. -

- Alright, alright. I’m bringing chocolate! -

- I’m waiting for you. X -

Dan still felt really uneasy, bad thoughts eating him alive.

After a few minutes, he got another text from Phil: - Didn’t you see the surprise I sent you? -

- What surprise? - Now Dan felt even more confused.

- The one on twitter? Didn’t you get it? -

Dan could almost hear the confusion in Phil’s text.

- No… -

Dan felt a bit scared now, wondering if Phil had meant for him to see the photo he’d sent someone else. He couldn’t help wondering if this was Phil’s way of saying he had a crush or something.

Dan felt a bit dizzy from all that was happening, waiting for Phil to come home faster.

He didn’t feel himself drop the phone or start panicking but he did hear when Phil’s keys jingled in the door a while later, after which there was a small thud, followed by Phil’s footsteps walking through the house.

- Dan? Dan, where are you? -

- Phil, are you interested in some other guy? - Dan couldn’t help himself and asked right away when Phil finally entered the room.

Phil just stared at him, his mouth open, before slowly shaking his head. - What? Of course not! Why would you think something like that? -

Dan felt so relieved that he slid down on the couch, letting out the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

- I just… I got jealous. And my mind couldn’t stop imagining the worst and… and… I just needed to ask it straight away… - Dan breathed out.

Phil’s expression softened and he sat down next to Dan, lacing their fingers together. - Dan, I can’t love anyone else when I have you… what did you get jealous of though? -

- I saw everyone re-posting a sexy selfie of yours and then I saw that you’d tweeted it to some guy… It was such a sexy selfie but I had no idea when you took it or why you didn’t ask me before posting it… and that guy… well… He looked younger and fitter… I just… ugh. - Dan pulled his own hair in frustration, feeling the jealousy hit him again just by imagining the guy drooling over Phil’s photo right now.

He looked up to see Phil’s reaction and gasped; Phil was pale, biting his lip anxiously. - Phil? -

Phil cleared his throat nervously. - Uh… You- I didn’t ask you because I was meant to send it to you… Just before I left, as a, um, gift… Oh no… -

Before Dan could process that, Phil had run out of the room.

- Phil! Wait! - Dan was up on his feet in an instant, running to Phil.

He found Phil muttering to himself, pacing back and forth as he stared at his phone in horror. When Dan arrived, Phil looked up, close to tears. - Dan, I sent it to the wrong person, what- I don’t know what to do… -

- Oh… - Dan sat down next to Phil, snaking an arm around his waist, pulling Phil down with him.

Dan took his phone, simply deleting the tweet.

- Well… I don’t know, just ignore that you did it? - Dan looked over at Phil. - You really meant to send it to me? -

Phil took a deep breath and nodded. - Of course. Who else would I send that to? - After a second, he added: - I hate it when people make their profiles look the same as yours. -

- You are so cute, - Dan murmured, a big smile spreading over his lips, pulling Phil into a deep but sweet kiss. - I love that photo, but, next time, maybe send it through phone messages. -

Phil nodded again, smiling a little. - Yeah, good idea. I’m sorry… - he whispered softly.

- It’s not really your fault. Now, will you tell me when you took that photo and what you were thinking about? Because, damn, you looked sexy as fuck. - Dan pulled Phil even closer, getting lost in his eyes.

- Oh, Dan, can’t you guess? - Phil smirked, winking at Dan. - You were the only thing on my mind. -

- You are the only thing on my mind now. - Dan bit his lip, his eyes getting darker with love and lust, all his jealousy gone.

There are a lot of ways to announce that you and your boyfriend want to get married. Some are fancy, some are simple, some are crazy, and some… well, some are just weird and unexpected. So, of course, Dan and Phil would choose the latter for their announcement.

They hadn’t meant to say it but they couldn’t help it, the conversation at the dinner table just gave them a perfect opportunity: Dan’s mum had just asked whether Phil’s brother and his girlfriend were getting married anytime soon.

So Dan grabbed Phil’s hand tighter, bringing it in his lap, looking him deep in the eyes and nodding with a nervous smile playing on his lips.

Dan was nervous, even more than that, he tried so hard not to start shaking or have a panic attack. It just felt so important. He let the moment of when they'd actually decided to do it play back in his head to calm him down a bit.

Phil squeezed his hand gently and gave him an encouraging nod, knowing that he’d wanted to say it, to tell everyone.

- Well, we have no idea when he’s getting married but we would love to see you all at the church on the nineteenth of October, around noon… - Dan blurted out before taking a huge sip from his wine glass, squeezing Phil’s hand so hard that it was turning a bit blue.

Their families stared at them in shock, their mouths dropping open comically.

Dan was scared they’d stopped breathing but then his mum coughed nervously. - What are you saying? Are you two...? -

Phil nodded on behalf of both of them, smiling. - Yeah, we are. We’re ready to get married! -

- Fuck, I’m going to faint… - Dan mumbled so quietly that only Phil could hear, already feeling dizzy.

- Breathe, Dan, it’s okay, we’re not actually getting married yet, - Phil whispered to him, shuffling closer so the two of them were basically sat on the same seat.

Dan nodded, leaning against Phil, downing his wine glass.

- Huh, so, the weather? - Dan laughed, still feeling nervous.

It just was so important to him.

Phil’s brother and his girlfriend shared a knowing look before smiling happily at them before his brother said: - Of course we’ll come! We’d better get the best seats! -

- We were talking about how we want it and, - Dan looked Phil in the eyes, getting lost for a moment because of all the love he saw there. - And we're thinking about making it small, like maybe only family… - Dan couldn’t look away from Phil’s eyes, feeling the very familiar urge to kiss him.

Their mums both make a high-pitched squealing noise of excitement, making the others all wince.

- We would be honoured to come! Have you boys organised everything already? -

- Well, since it’s already two weeks away, we have looked for churches. Nothing else really. - Dan breathed out, not caring about what the others would say and pulling Phil into a small but really soft kiss.

Phil kissed him back but giggled before the kiss could get any deeper, pulling back with a fond smile and turning back to everyone else with a blush on his cheeks. - Uh, sorry… -

- I just can’t get my lips off you. - Dan was still looking at Phil with heart eyes, forgetting about everyone else in the room.

- Oh, get a room, Dan! - his brother laughed, making a face that only Phil saw.

- Later. - Dan waved him off, turning to look at their family again. - So what were we talking about? - Dan took a sip from Phil’s wine glass.

Immediately, Phil took it out of his hand and put it back on the table, out of Dan’s reach. - That’s enough wine unless you want to really embarrass us both, - Phil said quietly, shaking his head in amusement.

Luckily, nobody else heard.

A wide smile, almost a smirk, appeared on Dan’s face.

- I know that smile, - Phil’s mum laughed, - I think dinner is over for tonight guys! -

A small blush appeared on Dan’s cheeks.

- But will you all come? To the wedding…? - Dan asked, nervousness coming back to him, all his playfulness gone.

It almost looked scary, the way everyone at the table suddenly started nodding, saying that yes, they would come.

- See? Nothing to worry about. - Phil smiled at Dan.

- I just want it to be perfect to you. - Dan looked at Phil with pure honesty, letting all his guards down.

Phil looked ready to cry but took a deep breath and swallowed. - As long as you’re there, it’s more than perfect for me. -

- I will make sure to give you the best wedding you can have. - Dan put a hand on Phil’s cheek, every word full of indescribable love.

A week later, Dan was still trying to do just that, the two of them choosing what to wear for their wedding day.

They’d looked through a dozen different shops before finally, finally finding the one they were in now, having tried on matching suits and agreed that they were perfect.

- Just, I want to add one more thing to them. - Dan turned to Phil, looking him up and down, feeling so damn happy to be the reason why Phil was in a suit.

Phil nodded, tired but excited again because Dan’s eyes were sparkling. - Okay, what do you want to add? -

-  A blue rose. To compliment your ocean deep eyes. - Dan breathed out, feeling so excited and still not believing that they would actually get married in less than a week.

The smile on Phil’s face was bigger than any he’d ever had before so he nodded again. - Of course, that sounds amazing. I love it… love you. - His voice got quieter at the end so that nobody else would hear it but Dan.

- Just please don’t start to cry or I swear, I will overflow this place with my own tears. - Dan let out a laugh, smiling at Phil.

Phil giggled instead of crying, then raised an eyebrow. - Should we get you a black rose? You know, for that aesthetic you keep talking about? -

Dan was breathless, his eyes watering, so he just pulled Phil into a big hug.

Once they’d recovered, they ended up buying the two roses, one blue and one black, then going back home and trying them on again so they could take a photo with no interruptions.

You could see how Dan was more comfortable now, joking around, even squeezing Phil’s butt right when they were taking a photo.

Phil had a blush because of that in most of the photos - that they’d never delete, ever - but they chose a more innocent one to send to their families, wanting to show them a sneak peek of what was to come.

- You look so adorable and so damn sexy. - Dan murmured in really soft voice, even softer than he usually spoke with Phil when they shared lovely moments, looking down at the photo.

- It’s your fault! - Phil laughed. - Will you let me send the photo before you distract me and we forget all about it? -

- Uh? - Dan looked up with eyes full of love and admiration, - Yeah, yeah. But kiss me first. -

Phil grinned and planted a tiny, fleeting kiss on Dan’s lips before grabbing his phone and running out of the room, already typing as he went.

Dan laughed, running to catch Phil, but not so fast, letting Phil stay ahead.

When Dan was sure Phil had finished sending it to whoever the wanted to, he tackled Phil from behind, wrapping his arms around Phil and laughing. - Can I get a proper kiss now? -

Dan didn’t even wait for an answer, leaning down to kiss Phil’s neck.

- I like these suits even more now that I know they're so flexible. - Dan ran his hands over Phil’s chest, a smile playing on his lips. - But let’s get them off before we ruin them. -

Phil nodded, wriggling out of Dan’s arms and staring at Dan in his suit - Right, we wouldn’t want to mess up our perfect wedding… I can’t believe we’re getting married! -

- It is one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. I just love you so damn much. - Dan pulled Phil back closer, helping him unbutton the suit.

Phil reached up and started to unbutton Dan’s in return, smiling happily. - That’s good, otherwise getting married would be a bit awkward… -

- Well, even if I didn’t love you, I would get married to you because well, first of all, you are so damn good in bed. I wouldn’t even ask you to pay me for getting married to you. - Dan joked with a serious face, looking straight Phil in the eyes.

For a moment, Phil looked hurt, but then he must have understood that Dan wasn’t being serious because he just shrugged. - Oh, so that’s all you love me for? And here I was thinking it was my blue eyes, as you said… -

- I didn’t tell you why the fucking is so good with you. Your blue eyes make it so much better. And since no one else has eyes like yours, I am staying with you. - Dan couldn’t hold his serious face anymore, a big grin breaking out on his face.

Phil grinned, trying his best not to laugh. - Good to hear it, I wouldn’t want to get married to someone who has a bunch of people with the same eyes in his closet or something! -

Dan burst out laughing, pulling Phil’s jacket and shirt off, putting them back on the hanger perfectly.

Shivering a little, Phil did the same for Dan’s shirt and jacket, his looking a bit wonkier. He frowned at it, then turned to Dan. - How did you get it to look so perfect? -

- What did I get to look so perfect? You? You don’t need my help to look perfect, you already are. - Dan smiled, pushing Phil’s hair back.

The blush that spread across Phil’s face was almost as bright as a sunset. He looked at Dan with pure love in his eyes. - You are perfect and I love you so much, Dan. -

His heart singing, Dan smiled back - Will you do me a favour? -

Without even thinking, Phil was nodding his head, ready to do anything for Dan.

- Will you wear your glasses for me? When we get married? - Dan asked.

- You really want that…? - Phil asked, a bit unsure.

Dan put his hands on either side of Phil’s face, looking at him with sincerity. - Of course. They are beautiful, just like you. And they’re also much sexier than contacts. - He winked.

Phil blushed, - You know that we will have the whole honeymoon, right? -

- Every day is a honeymoon when you wear your glasses, - Dan drawled.

- Oh, shut up. - Phil pushed Dan away playfully before putting the rest of the clothes away.

Dan just laughed, lying down on the bed.

- I can’t wait to call you my husband. - Dan closed his eyes with a big smile on his lips, fully ready for the big day.

- Well, - Phil said, lying down beside him, - you don’t have long to wait… -

Not long at all, as it turned out, because the next week passed by almost too quickly, the two of them organising the decorations and cake without really thinking too much, knowing that it would be perfect anyway.

But right when the day and the hour came, Dan felt all the nerves that he should have felt in the past week at that one moment. He just couldn’t stay calm, freaking out and even having a breakdown, locking himself in the bathroom.

He didn’t show or tell it to Phil since they chose not to see each other right before the wedding, he didn’t want to freak out Phil as well but, right now, just minutes before the wedding was meant to start, Dan broke down again, locking himself in the bathroom yet again.

He had no idea why he was so nervous. He was now understanding all the movies where one person ran away screaming.

He was about to start crying when the bathroom door opened. As if it hadn’t even been locked. He looked up to see Phil smiling kindly at him. Phil kneeled down next to him and took Dan's hand in his, rubbing this thumb over the back of his hand softly.

- Dan, don’t you dare leave me on our wedding day! Come on, everything is going to be perfect! We can’t get married in a bathroom though… -

Dan stood up, pulling Phil up and into a deep and rushed kiss, calming down right away as if this was his medicine, almost forgetting that he shouldn’t slide his hands into Phil’s hair, relaxing at their skin touching.

Phil grabbed his wrists before they could mess up his hair and pulled back a little, his eyes watering a little because of how happy he was already. - Hey, it’s okay, we’re going to be husbands and nothing will go wrong. Are you ready? -

- I’m sorry that I ruined it… I just… I have no idea what happened… - Dan sighed.

Phil kissed him again, their lips barely touching, but Dan could feel it all the same. He then shook his head at Dan. - Nothing you do can ruin today, I promise. Now stop the negativity, I want to get married already! -

Dan laughed, taking Phil’s hand in his.

- Then let’s go and do that. - A big smile was spreading over his lips.

Phil bit his lip for a moment before smirking a little. - Can we walk down the aisle together? -

- Why not? It’s our wedding, our rules. And I don’t want to let go of you. - Dan smiled, pulling Phil even closer.

- Thank you, - Phil said, then let one of his arms slide around Dan to rest on his waist, taking a deep breath. - Shall we go? -

- Yes. - Dan grinned, opening the door for Phil.

The two of them walked slowly, carefully, not wanting to trip and injure themselves. By the time they got to the door of where everyone was sat, they could hear the music, ‘interrupted by fireworks’, playing softly.

Dan stretched out fully, holding Phil’s hand in his, leading him to the altar.

They could see their family smiling at them as they walked, all of them happy, their mums crying a little even though the wedding had just started. Even Dan’s family dog looked unusually happy.

When they stopped and turned to face each other again, Dan let a wide smile spread over his lips, getting lost in Phil’s blue eyes, ready to say their vows.

Just by hearing Phil’s vow, Dan’s eyes were watering and he needed to take a couple of deep breaths before he could say his, with his voice still shaking, him getting all emotional.

He wasn't the only one. Phil’s voice wavered near the end of his, a lump in his throat, and, as Dan whispered his vows, his voice full of hope and promise, Phil could barely see, practically crying.

Both of them had written their own vows, filling them with little jokes but also genuine, thoughtful words full of love.

Dan still kept a real smile on his lips, his hands shaking so terribly that it was hard to get a ring on Phil’s finger with the first try, making them laugh a bit.

Thankfully, Phil’s clumsiness had taken a break and he didn’t drop Dan’s ring, managing to get it on his finger on the second try, having to hold Dan ’s hand to stop it shaking.

- Now you shall kiss. -

That was all they needed to hear at that moment, pulling each other into a deep, loving kiss.

A single tear slipped down Dan’s cheek from happiness.

Phil brushed it away, laughing a little before pulling Dan back into a kiss, a softer, slower one this time.

Dan broke apart before they could get too carried away with the kiss, resting his forehead against Phil’s for a second before turning to face their family with a big smile, holding their linked hands up in happiness.

- We did it! - Dan couldn’t control his joy, a squeak coming out.

Their family cheered, everyone either crying or tearing up by now.

Phil turned to Dan with teary eyes and a cheeky smile. Leaning closer, he whispered, - Hey, Dan, are you still feeling jealous? -

- Now everyone can be jealous of me because, as of today, you are officially mine. - Dan smirked, grabbing Phil’s hip.

- I was always yours, Dan, - Phil replied, but laughed anyway, kissing his cheek. He couldn’t help it, Dan just looked so happy, so amazing.

Because, for Dan today, jealousy was the very last thing on his mind…

like/reblog but don’t repost, thanks!

[all-the-love-harold]

It’s a Sign of the Times - Part #1

April 7th 2017

8am

You were at your kitchen counter with a cup of green tea and bowl of fruit listening to the radio one breakfast show waiting for Sign of the Times to debut. You’d heard the song a thousand times before, but this is the first time the world would hear it you. You’d been the first person he played it for, in the car on the way to your flat after you’d picked him up from the airport when he’d arrived home from Jamaica.  You knew he was proud of it, but you also knew that he was nervous to release it.

When One Direction started their hiatus in December 2015, Harry spent most of his time hiding away in your flat, trying his best not to be found. You didn’t mind, you met him when you moved to London in 2013 and he had been your best friend ever since. You always loved when he stayed, it made your flat feel much less lonely. Even now, 18 months later he stayed at your flat more than he did his own.

“Good Moring” you heard Nick’s voice echo through your radio and stopped eating, you were feeling second hand nerves for Harry.

“Good Morning” Harry’s voice sounded around the room,

“I feel a bit sick about this, you are no longer, we would say this sentence, Harry from One Direction, you are now, Harry Styles Solo artist. How does that feel? And how does it feel now knowing that this is like day one, of a really important you know new chapter in your life?”

“It’s a bit weird, I feel like I’ve been hibernating in the studio for so long” he certainly had, you couldn’t count on one hand how many days you would find him in the studio, playing around with different edits of his songs, trying to get everything perfect for the release.

“It’s a good song isn’t it?”

“It’s the song I’m most proud of writing I think”

“It feels like a smack in the face”

“Thanks, I like to smack in the face”

“It’s like I’m here and this is what I sound like, it’s massive and it sounds really good in here”

“It sounds good in here when you do the high bits”

You heard your phone buzzing across the counter and got up to answer it turning the radio down on the way over. You saw Harry’s face light up the screen and swiped to answer.

“Hiya Solo artist Harry Styles”

You heard him chuckle on the other end “Did you hear it?”

“Course I did, wouldn’t miss it for the world H, sounds good on the radio”

“Surprised you’re up this early on your day off”

“Heyy, I only got the day off for you, and if you’re going to be a prick about it I’ll go into work, they always need extra hands”

“No no, you need the time off, you better be coming to the release party tonight”

“Again, I wouldn’t miss it for the world”

“Good, because I have a friend that I’d like you to meet”

“Hmmm, I’m listening” You’d been single for over a year now, and Harry was determined to find you a boyfriend

“His name’s Danny, and he’s ruggedly handsome, trust me, you don’t want to say no to this one Y/N”

“You said that last time and look how that turned out”

“Yeah, sorry about that, old Jimmy was not my finest choice”

“I don’t think he’s anyone’s finest choice”

“Probably not, but Danny, Danny’s a great guy, you should definitely give him a chance”

“I’m interested, if he’s as ruggedly handsome as you say”

“Wonderful, I’ll come over soon and we’ll find you something to wear”

True to his word, about an hour later there was a knock on your door and Harry was stood there, two cups of coffee in his hand and a beanie on his head.  Handing you a cup as he walked in, placing himself on the couch. He let out a load groan and put his feet up on the coffee table

“Make yourself at home then” you stared at him “Just because you’re a solo artist now, doesn’t mean you can put your feet on my coffee table.” He took his feet off the table and handed his phone to you

“It keeps ringing, and I don’t know what to say when people tell me it’s a good song”

“What do you want me to do with it?” you held the phone in your hand, and it started to ring again, looking at the screen, you saw that it was Des that was calling

“It’s your Dad, you should probably answer this one” he rolled his eyes, but he took the call while you went to your room to get changed out of your pyjamas. He was on the phone for a while, by the time he had finished you had curled your hair and done your make up, nothing special for today, just a little bit of concealer to cover your dark circles, you’d put a full face on tonight for the party.

“Well don’t you look nice” Harry said walking into the bathroom and looking at you in the mirror

“My best friend released his first single today, wanted to look nice to celebrate” you turned and smiled “How’s your Dad?”

“Very Proud apparently” He said, picking up your can of hairspray and inspecting it

“Of course, he is H, everyone is” you put your make brush back in its jar and turned to Harry “Should we go and get some lunch?”

“Absolutely” he nodded, “My shout”

“I hope so” you walked out of the bathroom and grabbed your handbag off your bed “Did you drive here?”

“Yeah,” he took his keys out of his pocket and showed them to you “car’s parked a block away though, didn’t want anyone to know I was coming here today.”

You put your jacket on while Harry pulled his beanie over his head and put his hoodie up, he didn’t want to be seen until later that night. You both walked to his car staying a few feet away from each other, you’d been spotted together before and immediately fans and media outlets assumed you were dating, which didn’t help with either of your dating lives.  Harry drove to your usual café and parked around the back, so the car wouldn’t be seen. When you walked in he greeted everyone that worked there with a handshake, like he always did. You took your seats in the back of the café and as you were looking at the menu, you heard the familiar sound of your friend Alison’s voice.

“It’s my two favourite people” she beamed walking over to your table

“Ali!” Harry smiled, getting up to give her a hug, “What are you doing here on a Friday?” Ali was one your friends from uni, she was always energetic and great fun in small doses but that was all you could take. She worked for an accounting firm on weekdays and occasionally picked up a shift at the café to save some extra money.

“Just getting my lunch to take back to the office” she pointed at the counter where one of the staff was making her fresh sandwich, “Heard you on the radio this morning, H, it’s a great song, I’ve had it on repeat in the office all morning”

“Thanks Ali, means a lot” he nodded modestly

Ali turned to you and told you about the rumour she heard about one of your classmates getting a job in her building and you told her that you were having your day off to celebrate with Harry. Your relationship with Harry had always confused Ali, she could never understand how it had never been anymore than a friendship, the chemistry that you shared with Harry matched that of the best couples that you knew, but there was no way either of you wanted anything more than a friendship. Ali had always pushed you to make a move, but to you, Harry would always be the boy that you met in an airport the day you landed in London, that let you live in his house while your flat was being fumigated, and that wouldn’t change.

“Ali” the waiter called, “Sandwich is ready.’ She turned and walked to the counter taking her sandwich and thanking her friend.

“I’ll see you two tonight” she waved as she walked by your table.

“Stop staring at her ass Harry” you glared at him

“Sorry” he cleared his throat “You know I’ve always had a thing for her”

“You’ve never hidden it well”

“She’s single right?” he asked taking a sip of his water

“Yeah, you finally going to make a move?”

“Maybe” he shrugged.

When you both finished eating your lunch, Harry paid, and you made your way out the back door to his car, which was parked at the other end of the parking lot. As you walked, you spotted a member of the paparazzi. Harry was a few feet in front of you, so you ducked your head so that they couldn’t see your face, and pulled your phone out to text Harry 

“Paps in the corner, behind the bushes, they’ve probably already snapped a few pics” 

You saw him take his phone out and looked towards the bushes sending you a reply 

“Go out the front of the cafe, I’ll pick you up from there” 

You felt your phone buzz and you subtly turned around, checking your bag, so that they would think you left something inside. You went in and told the manager that the paparazzi were sitting out the back, before heading out the front door, and waiting for Harry to round the corner.  A few minutes later his car appeared and pulled up to the kerb so that you could get in.

“So much for staying hidden today H”

“As long as they didn’t get you in the photos, we’ll be safe, don’t want Danny to get the wrong idea” he laughed, not worried about the pictures.

You arrived back at your building, and opened the door to your apartment, hanging your handbag on it’s hook while Harry took his beanie off and went straight to your bedroom.

“What are you up to?” you yelled after him

“Finding you something to wear tonight” he called back, while he opened your wardrobe. You followed him and sat on your bed, watching him go through your things.

“Style me Styles” you giggled

He pulled a bronze lace dress out of the wardrobe “This is nice” he nodded “I’ve never seen it before”

“I bought it to wear to a work Christmas party last year, but I decided not to go”

“Let’s put in in the maybe pile for tonight” he turned back to your wardrobe, flicking through the rack, pulling out a similar looking pink dress and holding out to look at it properly “These are almost the same dress Y/N”

“They are not! This one” you held up the bronze dress “shows more cleavage, and that one” you pointed to the one Harry was holding “is all pretty and lacy and I just couldn’t stop myself from buying it”

He nodded, placing the pink dress on the bed next to the other one and returning to the wardrobe. A few moments later, he pulled out another pink dress “This one matches the album cover” he handed it to you

“No one’s seen the album cover yet, so the point would be lost on everyone except you”

“It would boost my ego though” he shrugged

“Fine” you said standing up off the bed “I’ll try it on, and the others too” you unbuttoned your jeans and took them off as he passed you the first dress, unhooking your bra you laid the dress down and unzipped the back. Harry was watching intently as you stepped into the dress, wriggling a little to get it past your bum. “Zip me please” you turned your back towards Harry and he zipped up the dress.

“Danny’s a lucky guy” he said, looking at you in the dress

You looked in the mirror, not liking how the dress fit around your chest “It would look better if I had cleavage to expose”

“You’ve got great tits though, that makes up for the lack of cleavage”

“Harry!” you giggled and threw your bra at him

“It’s true!” he laughed catching the bra. You tried the rest of the dresses on, and settled on the bronze one because it was the most comfortable.

“Alright” he said turning to your shoe closet “Shoes”

“Black ones I think H”

He waded through your shoes, pulling out dozens of black pairs, almost all identical, growing more frustrated as the more you said no. Finally, he pulled out a pair of black stilettos that laced up at the ankles.

“Yes!” you said, “Those ones”

“Wonderful” he said standing and flopping down onto the bed “I’m exhausted now”

You laughed and laid right next to him “Me too, I woke up early to listen to some crappy song that was coming out today”

“Hmm” he sighed contently “Me too”

It didn’t take long for the two of you to drift off to sleep. Harry could sleep anywhere, and you really were exhausted, this was your first day off work in a while and it was nice to catch up on some sleep.

***

You woke up an hour later when you could no longer feel Harry’s hot breathe on your neck. Rubbing your eyes, still a little hazy from your nap you stood up and walked into the kitchen, finding Harry near the doorway, putting his shoes on.

“Where are you off to?” you yawned

“Home, I’ve got to get…” he stopped talking while he looked for his other sock

“Away?” you giggled

“Ready” he chucked at your reference to his song. He pulled the laces tight on his shoe and stood up, making his way over to you “I hope I didn’t wake you up love”

“It’s alright, I need to get ready too”

He placed a gentle kiss on your forehead “See you 9, text me when you get there” he turned the door handle and gave you a stern look.

You nodded “Bye H.”

He walked out the door, closing it gently behind him, making sure his beanie was on enough to cover his hair, he went outside and made his way quickly to his car. London traffic was always busy on a Friday and what would normally be a ten-minute drive took forty and he was running late to meet his stylist. He speed into the driveway, pulling the handbrake and jumping out of his car. When he got inside he checked his phone, finding that his stylist was also running late. He let out a sign of relief and sat on the couch in the sitting room resting his head on a cushion, taking a moment to breathe before the night got hectic. He couldn’t take his mind of Alison, the way she walked into that café with a sense of importance and spoke so sweetly about his song. He’d always been intrigued by her, but today he just couldn’t get her out of his head. The buzzer rang about ten minutes after Harry sat down, and pulled him out of his daze.

“Heyyy, it’s stylist Harry!” he exclaimed into the intercom

“Heyyy, It’s Harry Styles!” Harry Lambert countered back. Harry buzzed him into the gate and opened the front door to greet him. Lambert hopped out of his car, opening the door to the back seat, and taking out Harry’s suit.

“Shoes are on the other side H, can you grab them?”

“Sure thing” Harry walked around to the side of the car and grabbed out Gucci box that contained a new pair of shoes for him to wear tonight.

***

Harry sat in his chauffeur driven car, dressed in an all black suit, with nails painted black to match. Tonight, was his night, to celebrate his hard work and to launch his solo career with all the people that made it possible, but it was also your night. It had been a long time since you had the chance to go out and properly enjoy yourself and Harry knew how much you needed this tonight. His friend Danny, who had helped with the set design for the album artwork, was, as he had told you this morning, ruggedly handsome, but not good enough for you. In Harry’s eyes you deserved the world, and some one that could give you that, but he knew you weren’t ready for anything serious, so he settled for setting you up with guys he thought would at least treat you like an angel.  

The car pulled up and Harry jumped out, thanking the driver ducking his head as he moved towards the building to avoid being seen by any paps that may have received word of the launch party. He was met at the door by his manager Jeff, who shook his hand “Congratulations mate, you’ve got a number one single”

Harry’s eyes widen at the news “What? No way?”

“It’s not official yet, until next Friday, but it’s looking good”

You and Alison had arrived together about ten minutes before Harry did, immediately heading for the bar and grabbing a drink each.

“Bartender’s cute” Ali said taking a sip of her drink

“Go for it Al” you winked, “I’ve got my eye on someone else tonight”

“Do you?” she asked, surprise evident in her voice “and who is this knight in shining amour and why aren’t you talking to him”

You giggled, finishing off your drink “Sorry, Harry has his eyes on someone for me” you held up your glass “shall we get another?”

The room was buzzing with excitement and you spotted Harry by the door talking to his manager, as you made your way towards the bar, you left Ali to flirt with the bartender, knowing that he would shut her down quickly and hoping that she would turn to Harry for comfort.

“Mr Harry Styles” you said when you were close enough to him for him to hear you

“Miss Y/N Y/L/N” he smiled as you made your way over to him

“You look handsome tonight” you said as you hugged him

“You look quite nice yourself, who picked that dress for you?” he winked, and you nudged him playfully

“Some loser” you smiled

“Some loser that will probably have a number one single”

You looked at him in amazement “You could have opened with that” he shrugged in response “congratulations H, I’m a very proud friend”

“Let’s go and get a drink, Danny’s at the bar” he winked at you and you both turned heading towards the bar.

“So is Ali” you winked

“The usual plan then?”

“Yeah, but neither of us is to leave before speeches tonight, that would look bad on your part”

“It would” he agreed as you reached the bar. He introduced you to Danny and he really was as ruggedly handsome as Harry had suggested. He was tall, with messy brown, not unlike Harry’s, and stubble that hid his sharp jawline. His eyes were a deep brown that you could easily lose yourself in and he spoke in a welsh accent, which is one accent that you had always had a thing for. After all the niceties had been observed between the tree of you, Danny got you both and drink and you split away from Harry, leaving him to make his move with Ali.

Yourself and Danny took a seat on the couches on the other side of the room, where it was much quieter.

“So, how do you know Harry?” he asked, finding the common ground between the two of you

“I met him in an airport four years ago, and he took me in like the lost puppy that I was and we’ve been friends ever since”

“He’s a good guy” Danny nodded

“One of the best” you agreed “He said you helped with the album artwork?”

“I did, I’m a set designer, so I got everything organised and looking pretty for the photo shoot”

“They’re lovely photos” you glanced over at Harry while you were talking, seeing him and Ali laughing together and assuming that things were going well. You and Danny spent the next few hours getting to know each other, flirting back and fourth and drinking more than you should be. When it was time for speeches, you and Danny made your way towards the microphone so that Harry could see you. Ali found you and made her way over to the empty seat on the other side of you while Jeff was giving his speech.

“He looks good tonight, doesn’t he?” you whispered to Ali, hoping that she would agree

“He’s a handsome man Y/N” she whispered back “there’s a sparkle in his eyes tonight”

You held back a smile, you knew that sparkle was a combination on pride in himself and lust after Ali, you’d seen that look before and you knew that Ali had too. She leaned over to you again, just as Jeff was finishing his speech

“Y/N?”

“Hmm?”

“You wouldn’t be offended if I went home with H tonight would you?”

“Why would that offend me Al?”

“I just thought that maybe you had a thing for him?”

“He’s my best friend Al, I wouldn’t dream of having anything more with him, I’ve seen too much” you laughed

“So you’re ok with it?”

“Go for it Al, you both need it” you took a sip of your drink “Plus” you put your hand on Danny’s knee “I’ve got Danny”

Your attention was drawn back to Danny who was starting to get annoyed with Ali’s presence. He placed a hand your thigh and looked at you intensely

“Should we get out of here Y/N?”

You wanted to, you really wanted to, but you promised Harry that you would stay for speeches. “I told H I’d stay until after speeches”

He sighed and rolled his eyes “I’ll get you another drink then” he got up and walked away just as Harry got to the microphone. Noticing that Danny was walking Harry made eye contact with you giving you a thumbs up, thumbs down motion, trying to gauge whether things were going well. You responded with a smile and a thumbs up and he nodded and started his speech, thanking everyone involved in the making of the single and the album, giving special mention to his manager and his family. You spotted Anne and Gemma in the corner crying with pride and you smiled, feeling the tears well in your own eyes.

“And Lastly,” he said, looking at you “I would to thank Y/N, my wonderful best friend, who has been a constant source of positive energy throughout this whole process, encouraging me to keep going when I was ready to give up and giving me a place to escape for a little while, Y/N, you’ve been incredible, and I can’t thank you enough for everything you do for me, I certainly don’t deserve a friend like you”  

You held your now full glass up to Harry as he finished speaking about you, tears now evident in your eyes. Danny put his arm around you and you leant into him resting your head on his shoulder. Harry wrapped his speech by thanking the venue and the staff and handed the microphone back Jeff, who lead the crowd in a toast to Harry and Sign of the Times. After that everyone went back to mingling and you felt Danny push your hair behind your ear. You turned to face him and before you knew it your lips were attached, and Danny’s hand was moving towards your inner thigh.

“Now, we can get out of here” you said between kisses. Danny stood immediately, adjusting himself to hide the growing mass in his pants. You found Harry in the now thinning crowd and singled to him that you were leaving with Danny. He smiled to himself, pleased that this set up was successful.

You and Danny made your way outside and hailed a cab. After giving the driver, his address Danny closed the partition and unbuttoned his pants, pulling out his less than impressive hard cock.

“Fix this for me will you?” he looked at you and down at his cock. You were taken aback by the gesture, but you obliged, wrapping your mouth around it and gently licking the tip before putting the whole thing in your mouth. Before long you felt the car pull up and quickly removed his cock from your mouth, and watching him pull his pants back up before taking his wallet out of his pocket to pay for the cab.

You both stumbled up to his dingy apartment where he immediately showed you to the bedroom, once again pulling out his cock, and pushing you down onto the bed. Your lips met his and his hands made their way towards your centre, pushing your panties to the side and lining his cock up with your entrance. You let out a quiet moan as you felt him fill you up, not even a minute later, you felt him coming undone above you, his orgasm spilling inside of you. He immediately rolled off you and laid next to you, catching his breath.

“Is that it then?” you said, unimpressed with his selfish love making, if you could call it that.

“You were incredible love” he said looking at you, in a post orgasm haze

“You weren’t” you said standing up and adjusting your panties “If that’s all you’re capable of, I think I’ll be leaving” you picked your back and made your way to the door, not hearing a single protest from Danny.

You left the building and ordered an Uber to pick you up and take you home, sending Harry a text while you were sat in the back.

“That was a bust, dude didn’t even last a minute. I’m headed home now, hope things are going well with Ali”

You got a reply sooner than you expected “I’m sorry Y/N, you can stay at mine tonight if you’d like? Ali’s had a few too many, I’m in the cab now taking her home, meet me there?”

You told your Uber driver that you needed to go to your friend’s place, and he turned at the next street, heading towards Ali’s. “Sure thing H, we’ll tuck her in and call it a night, sorry you didn’t get yours tonight either”

“Hey, it’s a sign of the times.”

Well that’s part one! I hope you all enjoy it and I can’t wait to get started on part two! I’ve been excited about this series for a long time, and it only gets better from here. I appreciate any feedback, so feel free to tell me what you think! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, if you celebrate, and if you don’t I hope you had a lovely Monday 

All the Love, Lyss . xx 

Master List 

[five-wow]

I AM CATCHING UP. here are my thoughts on 9.17!

i love a good bank robbery/heist story, so at least in theory they definitely have my interest here.

“nobody needs to die today!” one of the bank robbers yells, right after one of his buddies shot the armored car driver in the back and he fell to the floor and i kind of presumed he was dead (though he might not be?)

he just shot another guy! right in the head, so i’m pretty sure this one at least is definitely very dead, oh boy.

ahhh, the other bank robbers didn’t want this. barely three minutes in and there’s already trouble (i mean, aside from the obvious this-bank-is-being-robbed part, of course)

danny and steve arrive at the crime scene in the camaro! always a good look

eep. junior knows a woman who was present during the robbery (i think it’s his ex? wasn’t that the plot of this episode somehow?) and she’s already lying about having had her head down the whole time, which is not a great start

one armored truck driver to the other: “never take [women] at face value. there’s always something more complicated going on.” ah yep, the good ol’ ‘women are incredibly mysterious creatures who never say what they mean and it’s impossible to follow their logic’ thing. hilarious. i may look unamused, but i am totally laughing on the inside.

tani: “well, i have to cancel my 5pm mermaid class.” awww, i like that they’re calling back to that!

ohhhh wait, this girl who raised her head at the robbery wasn’t junior’s ex, but she recognized one of the robbers and he’s junior’s ex’s current boyfriend! ahhh. there’s the link.

tani and junior fight because tani thinks that junior should tell steve about what they just found out (and she’s right!!!) but junior thinks he owes his ex (layla) to doublecheck it was actually her boyfriend before he does anything, and in the end junior goes to talk to his ex alone which seems like a REALLY BAD IDEA, GUYS

layla: “oh, this is you doing me a favor?” much as i love you, junior, she has, you know, a point there

now tani has to lie to steve about junior’s whereabouts which is Bad.

and junior is IGNORING HER PHONE CALL. it just went from Bad to Worse.

junior shows steve pictures he took! if steve’s “you should watch out for your own blindspots” advice is all the drama that comes from this, it’s a bit of an anticlimax (even though i’d actually like that), but the episode still has sixteen minutes to go so who knows (except for everyone who’s already watched it)

“didn’t you find it a little bit odd that five grown men would rent a hotel room for the day?” ... this reception desk guy has apparently been reading enough fanfic that he doesn’t bat an eye at this.

steve and danny are interrogating their newest suspect! there isn’t any hugely significant mcdanno content this episode (so far), but i just like seeing them on screen together. makes me happy, yay.

layla’s boyfriend (husband? i don’t remember) wants to kill junior (or at least he pulls a gun on him and says “i’m sorry, junior”) so he... lures junior to a public park that has cars passing by in the background? that’s the best location he could come up with?

for once the bad guy (one of the bad guys) is someone who’s important to someone who is important to a person on the team (that’s a complex sentence part, but okay), so junior yells “hold your fire!” which is... good, but also kind of ironically underscores that maybe they shoot the bad guys a little too easily at all the other times

junior shoots tory (layla’s boyfriend) because tory is in a panic and caught and doesn’t want to go back to jail and he raises his gun at junior, and welp, this got veRY PAINFUL VERY FAST

we end it with junior telling tani about his history with layla and i like that. i like that it’s clear they both made decisions that led to this complicated place they’re in now.

less of a fan of layla slapping junior, but i mean, i’m not here to get into how weird i think it is that women slapping men is a normalized and acceptable thing in our culture for some reason. junior didn’t deserve this, but from layla’s point of view, it makes sense.

in the end, i mostly liked this episode! i’m definitely here for some more junior content, steve and danny were both on screen if not exactly instrumental parts of anything, and overall i really liked the plot. the angst at the end about junior shooting tory also worked for me a lot better than i thought it would have???

on the other hand, i’m a little unsure about the way some of the plotlines in this episode ended. the mastermind behind the heist told steve and danny that overconfidence always leads to ruin when they were interrogating him, but then we never see him or steve or danny again in the episode, so that was pretty much an empty threat. i suppose he meant the thing with junior in the park, probably? but how was that going to help him at that point, when he was already captured? and in the end their evil park plan didn’t pan out the way the bad guys wanted anyway, so i suppose the guy should have been warning himself about overconfidence, not steve or danny. which is actually a nice ironic twist, but they never wrapped that up on screen, so it only works if you’re giving it way more thought than h50 usually seems to expect their viewers to put into things.

the other big thing is the part where junior withheld information from steve, and tani told him not to do that, and he was a slight asshole to her and eventually very suddenly DID tell steve. telling steve was good, in theory, but then after that the whole withholding information thing ended up having zero consequences, kind of like when tani finally confessed the whole story about the gun at adam’s place to steve. on the one hand, i was relieved at the way it sizzled out both times, because i don’t generally like deception-for-the-supposed-greater-good-which-leads-to-drama plotlines, but on the other hand, it seems like wasted screentime if steve very mildly going “yeah that probably wasn’t a good idea and maybe don’t do it again” is all it leads to after all the buildup and all the “you should tell mcgarrett or he’s going to be super mad and might fire you!!!” warnings. bonus: i get that junior is going through a lot this episode and that tani isn’t going to call him out right now, but i still think he should probably apologize to her, at the very least for not picking up his phone when she called him after having lied to cover for him.

so yeah! not my favorite episode, but i liked it, mostly.

[cards-onthetable]

I'd ask you to write a March Madness Joble but that feels very American-centric and maybe no one's interested. But if it led to playing a little one-on-one in the Reagan driveway with Looks and heavy breathing and Competitive Flirting and Jamie trying not to push him up against the brick on the side of his father's house maybe people would be interested. 👀👀🏀

Oh, like this?👀👀👀👀👀👀

This is like, Aggressively American so I apologize to all our non-basketball obsessed dumpster members. It’s also a lot of words and I’m kind of mad about it. Consider it an authorized add-on to @ontherockswithsalt‘s highschool!Joble AU and party like it’s 1999.

***

“That was not a foul!”

The loud protest rings out as I cautiously slip inside the Reagans’ back door. “Come on, you’ll let it go when Miami’s hanging off the guy’s back, but you call that?”

I don’t recognize the voice, but Jamie’s reply is unmistakable. “He got him on the arm, Danny!”

“Jamie?” I call. “Hey, I’m here.”

“Who’s that?” Danny demands, but Jamie doesn’t answer him as he appears at the edge of the kitchen.

“Hey, sorry, I knocked but…”

“But it’s a little loud in here,” Jamie shrugs. “Come on in, we’re just watching Purdue give Miami a run for their money. My brother’s here. Hence the yelling.”

I trail him into the living room just as his brother Danny slumps down hopelessly into Mr. Reagan’s usual armchair. “This is so bad. Dammit, Jamie--”

“Not my fault your bracket sucks,” Jamie shrugs. “This is Noble, by the way.”

Danny turns a lazy glance on me. “Oh, that kid Mom was talking about.”

“Uh -- yeah, him,” Jamie confirms. He meets my eyes with a grimace that’s either apologetic or embarrassed, I’m not sure, but it’s damn cute either way.

“Basketball fan?” Danny asks.

“March Madness fan.”

“He’s pissed that Miami isn’t walking away with this game,” Jamie explains.

“I got Miami in the championship!” Danny wails. “Purdue sucks, they’re a ten-seed. This shouldn’t even be a game.”

Jamie rifles through a pile of papers on the coffee table -- his family’s tournament brackets, I realize -- and quickly checks. “No, you have them losing in the Final Four.”

“In my precinct pool, you dummy, the one that matters,” Danny grunts.

I squint at the score in the corner of the grainy screen, where number two-ranked Miami is losing by two. “Well I’ve got Miami in the Final Four too so…”

“So both of you are idiots. Miami doesn’t have the defense to match Purdue’s big guys.” Jamie holds up his own bracket sheet, a smug smirk tugging at his lips. “Go Boilermakers.”

“Lotta game left,” Danny warns him. “Don’t count your chickens, kid.”

Slinging my backpack off my shoulder, I drop onto the couch near Jamie. He does still help me out with Lit class but it’s become more of an afterthought, almost an excuse for the amount of time we’ve been spending together. I’m here once or twice a week, not to mention quiet mornings spent across from each other at our usual library table before class, and other… friendly excuses to hang out whenever they come up.

Danny -- a gruffer, more human contrast to Jamie’s polished parents, his Ivy League sister, the other brother who is apparently just a taller version of Jamie -- turns out to be more entertaining than the game. Purdue is dominating and soon there’s no question about who’ll win.

“You should’ve listened to me,” Jamie shrugs at his brother, who isn’t soothed by the sentiment. “I said when you turned in your bracket…”

“You did not, you’re full of it,” Danny grumbles.

“You know, I bet most people have Miami winning,” I offer. “Nobody thinks a ten will beat a two--”

“Well, not nobody--” Jamie interrupts.

“I didn’t ask you,” I say, shutting him up with a blind elbow to his biceps across the couch. “Who else you got in the Final Four? You could still have a chance.”

Jamie wrenches his arm away and counters with his own elbow. “Well I’m the only one here who got this game right, so maybe you should be asking me.”

I finally lean back against the couch, no longer playfully excluding Jamie from conversation with the angle of my body. “Oh-ho, you got one upset right, better call Sportscenter.”

“My bracket’s better than anyone else’s!” Jamie insists. “My entire Elite Eight is still alive. What about you, Danny?”

“It’s still early,” Danny retorts.

“Yeah, pretty early to have half your teams out--” Jamie ducks, laughing, as Danny pegs a wadded paper towel at him. “Well, you two enjoy watching your brackets die. I’m hungry.”

Taking the paper towel ball and the empty bag of chips from the coffee table, he heads to the kitchen. A moment later, when the game goes to commercial, I follow him.

“He’s just jealous because my bracket has been better than his every year since I was like, ten,” Jamie tells me. “Whenever I could start making informed decisions instead of random guesses.”

I help myself to the other half of the peanut butter sandwich he made. “That wasn’t until you were ten?” I tease.

“Well yeah, I don’t think I really understood the more obscure statistics until then--”

“Oh, my god,” I groan. “Why’m I not surprised?”

“What?” He wonders. “It’s how to do things if you want to win.”

“Stats don’t win games,” I argue. “If they did, there’d be no upsets, the Final Four would be all the one-seeds…”

“No, see, that’s not true. There are other important factors to figure out which team should win any given game, it’s not just win-loss record.”

I shake my head. “You’re the only person I know who can take something fun and make it like, some boring math problem. Your stats only mean so much. What matters is how you actually play.”

Jamie lets out an amused scoff. “That’s what stats are, man. They tell you how you play. A little more specifically than good or bad.”

“There’s no substitute for just playing,” I maintain. “Knowing how someone is on the court. You can’t break that down into a bunch of numbers.”

“Jamie!” Danny yells. “I’m gonna take off. Tell Mom Linda’s working on Sunday so she won’t be at dinner.”

“Okay,” Jamie calls back. “Any miraculous comebacks in there?”

“Can it,” Danny shouts, and the front door slams behind him before Jamie can do more than snicker at his brother’s frustration.

“You play?” he asks me as he turns to replace the jar of jelly in the fridge.

“Play?” I echo.

“Basketball, dude. Do you?”

“Sure.” I don’t, really. I quit organized sports around the time the coaches got serious and started to be pissed at me for dicking around.

“Alright then, let’s go,” he challenges with a flick of his eyebrows. “One-on-one.”

My eyes widen at the challenge. “What’ll I win?”

“That’s the question I should be asking you.”

“You’re not driving my car,” I announce, killing that dream of his before he can bring it up again.

“Sounds like you’re concerned. You know, I was the top three-point shooter by percentage on my eighth grade team.”

“How about you let your game speak for itself.”

“Just want you to know what you’re up against,” he says, an easy smile betraying his confidence. “Let me go change, be right back.”

He heads upstairs and returns quickly, having switched to mesh shorts rather than the jeans he was inexplicably wearing for a casual night in at his own house. Once he’s tied his New Balance tennis shoes he leads the way outside, where a hoop I hadn’t noticed before hangs above the garage door.

“First to eleven baskets wins,” Jamie says. “Jump balls go to the offense. Inbound at that crack right there. Here, you can be on offense first.”

Basketball propped against his hip, he waits at the designated crack in the driveway pavement as I position myself across from him, facing the basket. Then he passes me the ball and bends his knees into a defensive stance. I dribble in place for a moment before I attempt to go around him, only for his long arm to slap the ball away. He manages to grab it and turns to the basket to make an easy layup.

“Oh, so that’s how it is, huh?” I call out.

“Doesn’t have to be,” he smirks. “You could, I don’t know, play a little--”

“Alright, hey, check me the ball, let’s go.”

“One, nothing,” he says, and we start over.

This time I’m more ready for him. With a little momentum towards the basket, I stop short and send up a jump shot before he can adjust. It bounces off the rim and I dash for the rebound, making the second shot I take.

“How’s that for ‘playing a little’?”

“We might have a game here.” Jamie jogs to the inbound line and pushes his hair back off his forehead. “What’s wrong, Sanfino? Nervous?”

“No. For you, maybe.”

I bounce him the ball, expecting him to dribble and set himself up for his play. Instead he immediately flies past me and makes a show of his shot while I can just stand there and watch him score.

“What was that?” he calls as the ball rolls away. “Who’re you scared for?”

“Okay, so that’s how it’s gonna be?”

“How it’s gonna be? What, like a game? I’m not here to bake cookies, man. Get the ball.”

“You get it.”

“I’m winning.”

Brushing past him, I wing out an arm to shove him and then I smack the ball hard against his stomach. “Not for long.”

He’s a better ball handler than I am, but I’m bigger and I’m not afraid to throw my weight around a little bit. Where he pulls out fancy moves, dribbles between his legs and cuts around me to the basket, I just lower my shoulder against his chest and push back, keeping my dribble with the other hand until I’m close enough to turn and shoot. Despite our different styles we’re evenly matched, tied at eight when I have to take a time-out.

Jamie sends a confused frown my way as his chest heaves with a deep breath. “‘S wrong?”

“Lemme get some water,” I say, swiping at my sweaty forehead with the hem of my t-shirt.

“Hurry up, we gotta finish before my parents get home and park in front of the hoop. Whoa, unless that’s your whole strategy--”

“Strategy?”

“Put it off long enough that we can’t finish, and therefore you can’t lose.”

“Big talk from a guy who’s not actually winning,” I remind him with a teasing grin.

He body-checks me as we both go for the kitchen door like he can’t leave the game on the driveway. It’s different seeing him like this, letting loose a little rather than taking everything so seriously. Between that and the physical closeness of him as we play, every nerve in my body is buzzing and it’s kind of distracting. I don’t need the water break so much for the water as to relax myself for a second before I really do lose this game.

We down glasses of water, check the score of the game that’s on in the empty living room, and head back outside. Jamie pulls off his Harvard sweatshirt and his shirt comes up with it, flashing skin I didn’t ask to see. It almost surprises me when he shoves the ball at me and I remember I’m supposed to beating his ass.

“Let’s go!” he urges. “We’re losing daylight here.”

I pass him the ball to start his offense and he pulls another quick move around me to make a ten-foot jumper. Then I promptly miss the same shot, and he shoulders his way underneath me to come up with the rebound. Ducking away to reset, he beats my slow defense once more and I can just catch his point beneath the basket.

“Uh-oh, game point,” he pants, managing a knowing grin. “It’s your last chance, bro. Don’t blow it.”

“I’m not about to blow anything,” I assert. “Quit fucking around, Reagan, and inbound the ball.”

“Oh, he’s serious now, folks,” Jamie narrates to nobody. He takes the ball as I get in position at the line, and he bounces it to me. “Less than a minute left and it’s a two-possession game. Sanfino has the ball--”

Dribbling with my right hand, I turn my back to his defense and drive left to the basket.

“He’s going for the basket,” he continues, his breath hot at my neck as I push against him. “It’s a tough man-to-man defense. Lots of traffic in the lane--”

He’s fucking distracting, his teasing and his hips pressed against my ass stirring something deep in my gut that I try to ignore in my struggle to focus. When I shove off him with a strong push of one arm and turn to shoot, I’m just throwing up a prayer and it bounces hopelessly off the rim.

Jamie pivots and goes for the ball with me close behind. We both get our hands on it, fighting until I yell, “Jump! Jump balls go to the offense,” and rip the ball away. He scrambles to get back on defense but I’m quick enough to make the layup.

“Sanfino makes the layup and it’s getting interesting here in Bay Ridge, folks…”

“Oh, my god, shut up,” I demand, but I can’t help the laugh that escapes my winded chest.

He ducks his face againt a defined shoulder to clear the sweat, and then I pass him the ball. “The shot clock is winding down -- Reagan for the win -- five, four, three--” And he swishes a perfect long jumper, ending it without ever leaving me a chance.

He pumps a triumphant fist and jogs around me to get the ball before it rolls away. “And that,” he declares, “is what happens when you think you can beat the best three-point shooter on the 8th grade Bay Ridge Badgers.”

“Badgers?” I yelp, cracking up. “No way.”

“We only won two games,” Jamie admits. “But I made eighty-three percent of my three-pointers.” He stows the ball in the garage and shuts the side door behind him as he approaches me. “Hey, man, good game. That was fun.”

I accept his outstretched hand and we pull each other into a sweaty back-slapping hug.

“We’ll have to play again sometime, and I won’t let you win.”

“Let me win? Let me?” He shoves me back and heads for the door, grabbing his discarded sweatshirt as he does. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, dude.”

Running a hand through sweaty hair, I stay on the driveway for a beat to let a deep breath and a nice stretch disperse all the jumpy energy flowing through me. And then I follow him into the house.

[valiantvigilant]

Compromised [Part 2] (Dick Grayson x Reader)

hello everyone! This is Compromised Part 2! If you haven’t read Part 1, you can read it here (Hopefully this link works, if not please let me know!!) Well, I hope you enjoy! I apologize for this taking so long to be posted. I had a lot of shit going on in my life that wasn’t very good, but things are better now! I went on vacation and it really helped me relax and unwind so I could heal! Now that I’m back, I decided it was time to finish and finally post Compromised Part 2 haha! _____

Dick Grayson didn’t like waking up to an empty bed. Normally, you would be there, warming up the other half of the bed with your body heat. But, today when he rolled over and woke up, the right side of the bed was cold. He frowned and got up, his joints popping as he stretched. He looked down at his phone on the nightstand and picked it up. Unlocking it, his thumb instantly went to your contact and hovered over the call button. - You were packing your bags, Jason accompanying you. The two of you sat in the living room as you picked out what you wanted/ needed to bring. Simultaneously, you had the file on Danilo Carrera pulled up on your hologlove. “What’s this Danny guy like anyway?” Jason asked as he folded his clothes. “He is a total creep. He kept touching me and flirting with me,” you reply in disgust. “I don’t regret punching him in the face one bit. I’m pretty sure I broke his nose.” “I’m proud of you (N/N),” Jason said with a grin. You roll your eyes and smile back. You were about to say something back when Dick’s contact came up on your screen, indicating that he was calling you. You pursed your lips and decided to answer the call. “Hello?” “(Y/N)! I, uh…hi.” He began awkwardly. “I woke up and you weren’t next to me…” “Yeah, I stayed at the Manor last night,” you reply. “I figured…” There was an uncomfortable silence before he broke it again. “I h-heard that you and Jason have a flight to an island near Santa Prisca.” You raised your eyebrow at the fact that he stuttered. Dick hadn’t sounded this nervous since he first asked you out back when you were teenagers. “Yes, we do.“ “If it’s okay with you, I was wondering if I could…come say goodbye before you go.” You chewed the inside of your cheek as you took in that sentence. “Sure.” “R-Really?! I’ll be over soon!” He said hurriedly and hung up. You sighed and ran your fingers through your (h/l) (h/c) locks. “Even with the way he acted yesterday, you still give him your entire heart. Just as you do every day.” Jason comments with a side smile. You turn and look at him, giving a soft one in return. “He’s the love of my life, even if he did act like a complete asshole.“ - Dick Grayson drove anxiously to the Manor, clutching the ring tightly in his right hand. He felt so nauseous right now, his palms were sweaty and the stress was building again. He wasn’t used to this feeling, not at all. Dick was accustomed to stress, but nothing like this. He took a deep breath once he pulled up and exhaled, slipping the ring in his pocket. Alfred opened the front door, greeted him, and then told him that you were upstairs in your room. Dick thanked the kind butler and headed directly to your said location. He took another shaky breath and knocked on your door. You had just finished double checking your room to make sure you hadn’t forgotten anything when there was a knock at the door. You opened it to see your boyfriend, a weak smile on his usual cheery face. You figured it was all the stress he was under. You know from personal experience that stress can throw patience, empathy, logic, and control right out the window to be forgotten. You allowed him in and shut the door with your foot, giving you two some privacy. As soon as the door shut, he instantly began spewing apologies from his mouth. ”I’m sorry,“ he croaked out pathetically. “I’m so so sorry. I ruined everything last night. The mission ended up in shambles because of me and now you and Jason have to risk your lives to go to Santa Prisca because of my mistake. I’m so sorry, please forgi-” You cut him off by wrapping your arms around his neck in a warm hug. Stunned by the sudden embrace, Dick wasn’t quite sure what to do at first. However, he quickly snapped out of his little trance and hugged you back, almost immediately sinking into your figure. Pulling away from him for a minute you look at his face and see the dark circles and pale features. You put a hand to his cheek and rub your thumb under his eye. “What’s up with you? You haven’t been yourself lately,“ you ask gently. All your annoyance and disappointment because of his actions, vanished as you saw his stressed state. “I’m just so…overwhelmed,” he mumbled. “Bludhaven is becoming more and more of a mess, that case is tied into that, I messed everything up, and…” his voice trails as he thinks of the circular object in his pocket. “And?” You question. He shakes his head. “It’s nothing. But, I’m just so…done (Y/N). So stressed out. It’s making me feel sick.” You ran your fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes in relief. He loved it when you did that. “You do look quite pale. Maybe you should take a little break, love.” “I can’t. I need to protect people, and be there.” “My dear, you already do so much.” You replied. “Bruce is right. You need to get yourself in check before going out into the field again. You’re emotions are all churned up. It isn’t healthy to keep going like this.” He pulled away from you, his eyebrows knitting together. “I knew you would side with him. I know, I compromised the mission. I fucked up. It won’t happen again.” You frowned and crossed your arms over your chest. “We can’t take the risk of that happening again. Not when Black Mask and now Bane are involved. It’s too unpredictable.“ “Whatever (Y/N)! It’s always been about the mission with you anyway,” he snapped. Your eyes widened and you gave him a look of hurt. “That’s a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?” You say, becoming somewhat agitated. “You are working yourself to the bone Dick, you are loosing control of your emotions left and right. This is not normal.” “Don’t tell me what I need to do and not do (Y/N)! It’s my body and my life! I’m an adult and can make my own decisions!” He growled. “Perhaps you should start acting like an adult instead of a rebellious teenager!” You yelled back. The two of you glared at each other, the stare being full of fire and anger. You take a deep breath and close your eyes. “Look, obviously you have some shit you need to deal with right now. So, it’s good that I’m going away on this mission. It’ll give you some space,” you say, calming down. He sighed and ran a hand through his dark locks. “I’m sorry (Y/N)…I just…you’re right. I do have a lot on my mind,” he mumbled. “Of course I’m right,” you tease with a wink and a grin. You took his hand and the two of you made your way to the Batcave where Jason was waiting for you along with Tim and Damian. Bruce was at work, and Alfred was upstairs making lunch. (He had wished you and Jason a safe mission while you came down.) “Well, boys,” you state. “We will see you in a few days. Hopefully.” You engulf Tim and Damian in smothering hugs, which ended up in them two arguing over who you loved to hug more (besides Dick). You chuckled at their bickering and shook your head. “Okay, well if you two dumbasses are done arguing, (Y/N) and I have to get going.” Jason cut in. “Plus we all know that she loves to hug me more!” “No way Todd! She definitely loves to hug me more than you and Drake. I am best after Grayson,” Damian said, puffing out his chest. “Pft! As if!” Tim said sarcastically. “Boys, boys. After Dick, I love you all equally!” You assure with a laugh. Looking down at your watch, you realize that your flight was going to leave soon! “Alright, I’ll see you guys soon!” You give Tim and Damian one last hug before you turned to Dick. He engulfs you in a tight squeeze, burying his face in your hair. “I love you,” he murmured. “I love you too.” The two of you parted and he pulled you in for a passionate kiss (which had Tim and Damian gagging.) Dick put a hand to your face and rubbed small circles onto your cheek. You could sense the worry in his blue hues, so you gave him a gentle smile to calm them. “Don’t worry Bird Boy, I’ll come back to you in one piece,” you state with a wink. He lets out a small, nervous, laugh. “I won’t let anything happen to her,” Jason piped up. Dick and his brother locked eyes and the eldest sent a nod his way. He wanted more than anything to go on this mission with you. It’s not that he didn’t trust his brother…he just wanted to be by your side. He always was by your side, and you his. That’s just what you guys did. You were Dick and (Y/N), Nightwing and (Y/H/N). You were a team. You gave him one last kiss before you and Jason made your way to the zeta tubes. “(Y/N)! Wait!” Dick called out just before you walked in. You turned around and looked at him. “Hm?” He had the ring clenched in his fist and he opened his mouth, but no words came out at first. “Dick? Are you okay?” “I…I have something important to ask you when you get back,” he finally spoke, internally kicking himself as soon as the words left his mouth. “Oh, alright,” you reply with a crooked grin. “I’ll see you soon! I love you!” With those words, you and Jason disappeared with your bags. Dick sighed and put the ring back in his pocket, running his fingers through his hair in a stressful manner. “Grayson, you are pathetic,” Damian stated flatly. Dick whirrled around and glared at the youngest sibling. “I have to admit, the Demon is right Dick. That was just sad. Why don’t you ask her already?” Tim stated. “I don’t know! It’s just been plaguing my mind lately, and especially with last night’s mission and all the other crazy shit…I just can’t do it. I know, it’s sad and pathetic. Believe me, I’m aware.” “You better ask her soon, she is gonna find out eventually, whether you tell her or not.” Damian commented. Dick sighed once more. “I know.” - The flight to the safe island near Santa Prisca didn’t take long. (The perks of Bruce having connections got you two a faster flight.) From there, you guys took a motor boat to Santa Prisca, and the mission began. You and Jason were dressed in your hero uniforms and had placed comms in your ears before splitting up. You swiftly made your way through the thick jungle terrain and to the warehouse that Bane and Danny would most likely be in. Batman had said they received a tip that Black Mask would be here and they would finally conduct their business. You made your way to the roof of the building and wriggled into the air vents. “Red, I’m entering through the ducts. What’s your 20?“ “Garage number 3 was open because of a recent exportation of drugs which was to be shipped to…” his voice trailed. “Bludhaven, Gotham, and Metropolis. This apparently is bigger than just the Bat’s territory. I’m downloading and transferring the delivery schedule to you.” “Copy that,” you reply, pulling up the computer that was built into your hologlove. The information was downloaded and your eyes skimmed over the delivery schedule before receiving other files from Jason. An update map of the facility was one of the files, which you were grateful for. You had a lock on Jason’s location and scanned the map for a save rendezvous point. “Down the hallway, to the left of this room is a storage room. It’s right below me and it appears to have not been open for quite some time. According to its contents…in there are old vials of venom. The former formula it appears. It’s going to be sent to be destroyed two days from now,” you state. “Meet me there.” “10-4, (Y/H/N).” You quickly and quietly made your way through the vents to the room. Slipping down into the said place, you landed quietly on your feet. Jason soon entered the room as well and walked over to you. “What’s the plan (N/N)?” He asked. You pulled up the map and information of the facility so the two of you can see. “Well, there is a storage room down at the other end of the hall that contains the new Venom formula. We need a few samples of that, so Bats or Red Robin can analyze and break down. Now, down at the opposite end of the hall I’m going to go out on an educated guess and assume that this room is where Black Mask is having a meeting with Bane,” you explain. “One of us needs to get the Venom and the other needs to get evidence of this meeting,” Jason stated. “Precisely.” “You’re definitely are lighter on your feet than I am. I’ll get the samples while you eavesdrop.” “I planned on being the eavesdropper anyway, especially with your habit of always causing a scene,” you tease. You could practically sense his eye roll as he punched you playfully in the shoulder. “Alright, I’ll catch up with you soon.” “Stay safe, Red.” He sent a nod your way as the two of you exited the room in silence, going your separate ways once more. You followed the map until you were outside the room in which the meeting between Bane and Black Mask was supposedly being held. You looked around and found an air vent and wormed your way into the ventilation systems like before. You pulled up the computer on your hologlove, quickly hacking and disabling the motion and heat sensors. You smirked and crawled to where a vent was in the back corner of the room. You could hear the voices of Bane and another man speaking in Spanish. “That girl really did a number on your face, eh, Danny?” Bane said in his native tongue. “That bitch will pay, next time I go to Gotham I’ll hunt her down,” the voice of Danilo Carrera replied, tone full of spite. You held back a chuckle as you remember how you broke his nose. “You don’t even know her name,” Bane continued. “I wish I did…she asked a lot of questions. She was beautiful though, too bad she has a husband. God, the things I would do to her.” You scowled at his words, your face crunching up in disgust. “Focus, Mask is supposed to be here any minute now.” You silently pried open the vent and placed a small camera in the corner of the wall. You closed the vent and linked your hologlove to the camera. On the screen came a clear view of the room. You snickered internally as you saw Danny’s nose all taped up. A few minutes passed before Black Mask finally entered the room, two of his assistants following, a female and a male. “Gentlemen, it’s nice to finally be able to discuss things in person. Our last meeting was unfortunately interrupted, I apologize,” Black Mask stated as he took a seat at the table across from Bane and Danny. “Some bitch and her husband caused a scene,” Danny said in an annoyed tone. “Yes, my men are working on trying to track them down.” “If you find the girl, I want to get my revenge,” Danny mumbled. “That isn’t the objective here,” Bane hissed in Spanish. He turned back to Mask. “Ignore him, we came here to talk about business. Not some girl who happened to get a good punch on him.” “I completely understand his desire for revenge. If we find her, she is all yours.” Danny’s lip curled up into a sinister grin. “Anyways, back to business like you stated. You have shipments of your new Venom formula ready for Bludhaven, Gotham and Metropolis, correct?“ “Yes, the shipments should arrive by morning.” “Excellent. Once in Gotham my people can do a little experimenting with it with some of the drugs, chemicals and technology we have. If all goes smoothly, more supplies and things will be sent for you to make more, as long as I get fifty percent of the profit you make from this new formula.” “Fifty percent?!” “I think fifty percent is a sufficient cut for me, considering I’m now your number on supplier for things so you can make your Venom,” Mask said cunningly. Bane grit his teeth in annoyance, then took a deep breath. “You drive a hard bargain Señor,” Bane said, clearly annoyed. “You have a deal.” Mask smiled wickedly and the two shook hands. He opened his mouth to say something more when a huge rumble shook the building, almost knocking you over. Thankfully you didn’t, or you would’ve fallen through the loose vent. “What the hell was that?!” A man burst into the room and spoke in rapid Spanish, too fast for you to translate. Bane cursed as he heard whatever the man said. You pressed your finger to your comm. “Red, what’s your ETA to the storage room.” You question. “Busy. Can’t talk.” He grunted back, the sounds of fighting in the back ground. Shit. Jason must’ve caused that explosion and blew his cover. He really does enjoy causing a scene…although I was considering blowing up that shipment of Venom before it left for the States…perhaps he beat me to it. We need to get rid of the rest of it though. At least what they have already made would be destroyed until we need to analysis on it. You thought. You helplessly sat there, monitoring Jason’s location from your hologlove. Unable to do anything, for it would blow your cover as well, you tried thinking of ways to get out of here. You had gotten all the Intel you needed to confirm Mask’s and Danny’s relations with Bane, and you had gotten several files from them. You hoped, Jason got the samples. The door to the room slammed open and you saw through your camera, Jason being dragged in by three men, seven or eight others following. He was tied up with rope and was bleeding from several areas. He looked up at Bane from behind his red helmet and you could tell a sneer was on his face. “Ah. One of the Bats Birds, came to visit my island.” “Uh…sir…the shipment headed to leave tonight was destroyed..” one of the men said awkwardly. “What?!” Bane roared. The man when to repeat himself but Bane punched him in the gut, sending him to his knees. “You’ll pay for this Red Hood,” the Santa Priscan man snarled. Jason chuckled, wincing slightly. “Looks like your little drug plan got delayed. How unfortunate,” Jason said sarcastically. “Mr. Hood, you always seem to have a way of fucking things up!” Mask yelled slamming his hands on the table. Jason laughed again. “Oh, I know.” Mask walked over and kicked him in the head and stomach. He saw a large wound on his chest and knelt down, sticking his finger in it. Jason let out a small cry of pain. “These men can have a go at you, but once their done, my partner and I will make sure you aren’t here to fuck things up ever again.” Your eyes widened at this as your mind raced for a plan. Suddenly, an idea popped into your mind. You went to your hologlove and gained access to the systems again. You swiftly shut down the power in ths building and set it to come back on in about a minute. Lifting the vent silently, you began your plan as the lights went out. “What the hell?! What now?!” Mask said angrily. You grabbed your camera on the way down from your hiding place and ran over, starting to take down each of the men easily. Reminder to thank Bats for the teachings on the ‘Element of Surprise’ and the nightvision upgrades in my mask, you thought to yourself as you took out the last man. Bane and Mask stood in the dark, confused on what was going on. You had about twenty seconds before the lights came back on so you untied Jason and started to pull him along. “He is escaping!” Mask yelled. “Not off my island he isn’t!” You shoved Jason through the door and just as you were about to go, the lights flicked back on. You turned around and saw Bane with a small knife in his hand. Before you could process, he threw it and it stuck right in your shoulder. You let out a scream of pain, and Jason grabbed your hand, pulling you through the door way. The two of you ran, twisting and turning down hallways. “Are you okay?” You ask, panting because of the pain and adrenaline. “Just a scratch,” Jason replied, clearly lying. “You?” “Just a scratch,” you state with a smirk, gesturing to the knife in your shoulder as you reached over and yanked it out. “Looks like Bane is getting interested in toys that are a bit more lowkey,” you muttered as you put the small knife in your utility belt. “We need to get out of here.” “No shit Sherlock!” “No, we really need to get out here. Possibly within the next three minutes and…twenty five seconds.” Your eyes widen. “Did you do what I think you did?” “If what your thinking is ‘plant a bomb that destroys the rest of the new Venom except the ten vials I have in my utility belt,’ then yes.” You smirked again, letting out a laugh. “Funny, I was thinking of doing the same thing.” “Perfect. Batman isn’t gonna be happy when we get back, is he?” “Probably not. So much for strictly recon.” “We never listen to that rule anyway.” You looked behind Jason and yourself and saw men, and Bane running after you. More of them burst out of rooms, guns in hands and they started to shoot. “Things are getting hot in here (Y/H/N), any ideas on how the hell we are gonna get out of here?!” “Down this hall, make a left then a right. It was your entry point. From there we can run into the jungle and head to the motor boat,“ you state. “Slight problem. My entry point was destroyed.” “That’s our only option. Everywhere else we will for sure be cut off and put in the blast considering the rest of the Venom is near by where we need to exit.” You state as the two of you follow your directions. Garage number 3 was no longer there, just as he said. Flames were everywhere from the explosion and debris were mangled and jagged. You two continue to run, although slower because of your wounds and the fire. “We aren’t gonna make it past the blast zone in time (N/N)!” “Just keep running!” Fire and smoke swirled around you, bullets whizzing past your ears due to the terrible aim of Bane’s men (which you were thankful for.) You two made it to edge of the jungle before a searing hot force slammed you forward. Your body was flung and impacted the ground in a harsh manner. Rocks and sticks scraped you and your body screamed in pain. You looked around, everything was fuzzy and chaotic, your vision was blurry and you couldn’t find Jason. Screams of people could be heard behind you, though it was muffled due to the ringing in your ears. You stumbled and tried to get to your feet, but no avail. The blood loss was finally taking it’s toll and you collapsed on the ground. Looking up to the sky, the last thing you saw were the stars before darkness enveloped it’s blanket around you. - The last thing you expected to happen after this mission, was for you to wake up in a hospital bed in the Batcave. Although, you weren’t all that surpised, considering the events that took place. However, let’s just say, the light stung your eyes when you woke up and you were not happy about that. You cracked your eyes open and saw the white popcorn ceiling. You squinted and sat up, wincing slightly as you looked around. The heart monitor next you beeped and you looked down at your arm and saw an IV sticking out of it. Then it all came back to you. The mission. The explosion. The flames and the knife wound in your shoulder. Saw your uniform ripped and cut in certain places so you could be bandaged. You looked to your right and saw your beloved boyfriend asleep in a chair. Your eyes softened at his exhausted looking state. Behind him was a cloth curtain and you felt curiosity well up inside you. You bit your lip to prevent from wincing loudly as you slowly slipped out of the bed. Taking the IV with you, you looked at yourself in the mirror that was in the room. Your shoulder was bandaged up as well as your head. There was a bruise on your cheek and a few stitches under your right eye. That’s definitely gonna scar, you thought. You walked over to the curtain, peeked your head in, and saw Jason laying there. He was bandaged up as well, an IV in his arm too. He looked up from the book he was reading and his eyes filled with relief. “Thank God you’re awake. I was sure Golden Boy was gonna have a heart attack.” He said sitting up more. You took a seat on the chair beside his bed. “What the hell happened? How did we get here?” You questioned. “After the explosion, I, in my partially conscious state, was able to get the two of us to the motor boat and on to open water. I was able to send a distress signal to the Bat Computer and here we are,“ Jason explained. “Does this mean I owe you one?” You ask. “Maybe. But, I’m glad you’re alright. Dick almost had my head on a platter because the Alfred thought you might not make it…you were unconscious for four days.” “Damn…” You murmured. “Well, I’m okay. I’ll make sure he doesn’t try to kick your ass.“ The two of you exchange smiled before you walked back to your bed. You look at Dick, a soft smile going on your face as you brush a few stray hairs from his. You take the spare blanket from the foot of the bed and drape it over his shoulders. When Dick had gotten the call that you were seriously injured, he had been in your shared apartment in Bludhaven. The call made shivers run down his spine and he dashed into the bathroom to vomit. The thought of you possibly dying made him sick and all the stress and worry he had been feeling came crashing down on him. On the morning of the fifth day of your (lucky) recovery, he felt his heart jump into his throat when Alfred had came up to his room to tell him you were awake. The raven haired boy didn’t hesitate to make a run for the Batcave. And there you were, doing some basic yoga stretches as some light ‘training.’ Your shoulder hurt like a bitch, and your torso was all bruised and cut up, but you did what you could to get up and get your blood flowing. You never did like to sit around, even when not injured. He made his way down the stairs and you turned around, hearing his footsteps. Before you could open your mouth and say anything, he wrapped his arms around your frame and held you to his chest. His eyes filled with tears of relief, and he couldn’t help but let them fall. You felt him tremble as you hugged him back, his tears hit your neck and you felt pangs of guilt and empathy. You rubbed his back lovingly, and pulled back slightly, cupping his face in your hands. Wiping the tears from his cheeks, you gave him a warm smile. “I told you I would come back to you in one piece,” you stated. He let out a laugh and sob mixed together, his glossy blue eyes staring into your shimmering (e/c) orbs. “I love you,” he chokes out. “I love you too.” “I told you I had something to ask you once you came back.” “Yes, you did. What is it, my love?” You ask zealously. He took a deep breath, getting himself together. “I love you. I have loved you since I first laid eyes on you. You are the most beautiful girl, in the whole world and I…I want to spend the rest of my life with you.“ He gets down on one knee and holds the glimmering ring out to you. Tears instantly fill your eyes as his continue to do so. ”(Y/N) (L/N), will you marry me?“ A smile broke out on your face, one that was wider and brighter than the sun. “Yes! Always, yes!” ______ I apologize for the ending being so…eh. Ugh I’m sorry.