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#outside pov
satoshy12 · 5 months
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Amity Parker Don't understand other Hero cities.
And started a massive pilgrimage to Amity Park.
It all started when a few people from Amity Park went on a field trip to other hero cities and got very confused pretty fast. - What do you mean people die here so often in hero fights? - What do you mean by buildings getting destroyed and not fixed? (blob Ghost do that all the time, they seem to love it!) Are your hero not doing their job!!!?
At first, the people of Gotham, Metropolis, Coast City, Bludhaven, or Dakoto City were pissed, but after the people of Amity Park just said they should stay a few weeks in their city, they would notice it. After one week in the new city,  most people moved out of their city to Amity Park. While this city had once a week has a world-ending threat, that threat seems to just have fun with the child hero in a fight. And those people helped them. The Victims of Scarecrow actually got help from the Master of Fear Fright Knight, who fixed their minds.
Number 1 rule in Amity Park - Don't feed the tiny cryptid Fenton after 10 p.m.; the last time we had winter in the summer was because of that. - Yes, they are fangs, and they are real. Don't try to let yourself be bitten. When he slept, the last one almost lost their hand. + The other Hero in their cities didn't take long to notice it, that they have significantly fewer people living in their cities. Like most of their cities, they lost 30–50% of their civilians! And no one seems to want to tell them where they are, as more civilians are leaving!
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steddiealltheway · 5 months
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Hopper has always been fine with El hanging out with what she calls “the whole party” because that means that Max will be there. And if she’s with Max, that means less time with Mike. And less time with Mike, is one of Hopper’s favorite things.
Unfortunately, Hopper comes to find out that “the whole party” also includes Eddie Munson. But unlike most of the idiots in Hawkins, Hopper knows that Eddie’s a good kid who wouldn’t (or more likely couldn’t) harm a fly. On the other hand, he’s also the kid who used to deal Hopper his weed for super cheap in exchange for some fatherly advice and maybe a get out of jail free card every now and then. (Really, the kid just had a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Hopper would just happen to turn a blind eye and forget to file the paperwork which was really just unnecessary extra work).
But this all makes it hard to answer El’s question of why she’s not allowed to hang out with the whole party this time. Fortunately, she’s quick to ask more questions such as, “Is it because Eddie is an older boy? Because you were fine with us hanging out with Steve.”
“And Steve would keep you guys in line and safe.”
El crossed her arms. “And what if I guaranteed that every time Eddie was there, Steve would be too?”
And Hopper thought that maybe that was actually a good solution. Harrington was known to babysit a multitude of kids at once, so adding on Eddie to the group wouldn’t be too much of an ask.
Cue Steve and Eddie being practically attached at the hip a few weeks later, and Hopper realizing he accidentally played matchmaker.
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meteor752 · 2 months
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Honestly the story of mlp must be very weird from the pov of a random guy in ponyville, like one day a new antisocial librarian moves into town, and like a year later that librarian ascends into godhood and becomes the new ruler of the entire world
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samdeancrimespree · 1 month
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so i just rewatched 1x06 skin… there are a few things about the scene at the end when sam is tied up and the shifter is having its little villain speech moment that just hit me
so it had Just been wearing Rebecca’s skin to trap him, but then it switches back to dean, ig to freak Sam out or upset him. the shifter says it’s so that dean gets framed for the murder but like girl u could’ve just killed sam when he was unconscious, it would’ve been way easier. and based on that weird convo they had in the sewers, it’s already established that the shifter wants to use dean to hurt him. Also i find it funny how every other murder in the episode is between romantic partners and then the shifter decides to do the same thing to sam and dean. Anyway
and then. the shifter says “i will be sorry to lose this skin. your brother’s got a lot of good qualities. you should appreciate him more.” which Sounds like it’s about deans physical appearance, because i highly doubt the shifter is gonna be upset to lose dean’s trauma-ridden, sam-obsessed brain. which is completely and utterly INSANE to say to someone about their brother. except that the shifter also knows deans thoughts and memories. see where i’m going with this
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teecupangel · 6 months
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@thedragonqueen1998's reply to this post
That new tag actually is an idea/AU i've thought of lately. XD Where Desmond gives birth to Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton before being kidnapped. I've personally had him just suddenly become pregnant, no sex needed to lean more into the "Desmond is the Chosen One". XD Plus, we need more Dadmond tbh.
Virgin Birth.
Desmond had never even heard about it until he googled ‘Is it possible to get pregnant without having sex?’.
This is, according to Wikipedia, different from Immaculate Conception.
Desmond would like to reiterate that he was not the second coming of Virgin Mary.
… as far as he knew.
Not only that, he had been a virgin before he gave birth, having enough trust issues to fill a goddamn dam at the moment.
It wasn’t like he didn’t want to know how sex feels like.
It was more that he was still scared that his father or someone his father sent would come find him and take him away from this freedom.
He can’t go back.
He would never go back.
Especially now that he had three sons to think of.
They were born on December 21, 2005.
At least, that was what Desmond believed.
The morning of December 21, his stomach started hurting so badly he couldn’t leave his bed. The pain ebbed and flowed from paralyzing pain to almost unnoticeable, giving Desmond a chance to text that he wouldn’t make it to his shift because of ‘stomachaches’.
His boss assumed he had diarrhea and told him to stop eating weird cheap shit.
Desmond was pretty sure that wasn’t it but it wasn’t like he could go to a clinic and get this check out.
Clinics meant asking questions about who he was and his history.
Clinics left tracks that William Miles can find.
Desmond knew how the game is played.
And fuck that. Desmond wasn’t going to give up his goddamn freedom because of a stomachache.
It will come to pass.
Like every pain Desmond ever felt.
So he closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling, timing his breathing to the ebb and flow of the pain.
By midday…
Desmond fell asleep.
He didn’t know if the breathing helped him fall asleep or if he had passed out from the exhaustion and pain.
When he woke up, the sun had started to set and…
The pain was gone.
His bed was a lost cause, covered in blood, but Desmond’s attention was focused on the three small forms lying on the bed between his legs.
His sons.
Three bloodied (and, Desmond was being honest, wrinkly newly born ugly) babies who were all staring at him as they make cooing sounds.
That was the day Desmond became a father.
And also the day he googled ‘Is it possible to get pregnant without having sex?’.
They were… low maintenance boys, Desmond supposed.
They only shout when they needed to get Desmond’s attention and they weren’t fussy over their drinks. They seemed a bit disgruntled every time Desmond had to change their diapers but they didn’t cry.
They rarely cry.
They only truly cry at times when they were asleep and Desmond believed that they would have nightmares during those times.
His boss was strangely alright with Desmond suddenly appearing with three babies, only looking at him with a frown as he told him that this should be his wake up call to use condoms.
Even his coworkers believed that the one day that Desmond said he was out because of ‘stomachache’ had been code for him freaking out because an ex had left him with three sons as a big fuck you or something.
The most support Desmond got from them though was letting the babies stay in the office.
He had to buy the collapsible playpen though but it was fine.
It gave him an excuse to get more shifts just to pay for his and his sons’ living expenses.
One of his coworkers asked why he didn’t just give them up for adoption. It was clear that he wasn’t ready for it.
And Desmond couldn’t explain it.
He wanted them.
They might have been a surprise but… they were his.
And…
Whenever he felt tired or felt like everything was becoming too much… just feeling them in his arms was enough.
It was enough.
.
.
Miles’ kids were strange boys.
They didn’t make any messes and they were polite… most of the time, anyway.
He knew it was bad to let Miles use his office to keep the kids. Hell, this bar was not a good place for kids and Miles should really just get a babysitter but he didn’t mind.
Miles was homeschooling them… in a way.
It wasn’t his place to give parenting advice anyway so he stayed out of whatever Miles planned for his kids. As long as they don’t hinder business, they could stay.
Altaïr was always on that second hand battered laptop that always made loud fan noises when it was turned on. They mostly kept it on because of it.
At first, he thought Altaïr was just playing in his laptop but… he was studying. Every tab he could see was either educational or… well… Wikipedia pages. Even the YouTube account Desmond shared with his sons were filled with educational videos, mostly something connected to history or engineering or technology.
Desmond liked to say that Altaïr was a genius and had been saving up to buy him a better laptop for the past year now.
Ezio, on the other hand, was more of a people’s person. He liked to talk to Desmond’s coworker before the start of their shift and he was a charming little bugger. Charming enough that many of Desmond’s coworkers started to give them food and juice boxes, saying they made too much or their parents or grandparents gave them too much food and there’s no more space in their fridge…
He was pretty sure that was Ezio’s plan from the very beginning. Build up a network of helpful adults.
Then there was Connor.
He had a different name that Desmond and his brothers use but it was hard to pronounce so he just let everyone else call him Connor.
He followed his father or one of his brothers most of the time, quiet by their side.
Observing.
He was the one who helped out the most, always following Desmond and helping him whenever they were doing their final clean up before closing for the day.
When he was with Ezio, he was always earnest with his questions, taking everything the adults tell him seriously.
When he was with Altaïr, he would lean close and read with him quietly. They would share the earbuds that they had with tape on the right wire because the casing had broken apart and watch videos quietly.
They were… nice kids.
Desmond was a good father dealt with a bad hand.
He supposed…
Buying Desmond a cheap laptop would be cheaper than raising his pay this Christmas.
Would save him more money in the long run, that’s for sure.
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littlesarcasticdemon · 8 months
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Okay so we all know the fics where stiles is kicked out of the pack or the ones where he kind of just becomes part of Derek’s pack after the torture incident really just Scott being a bad friend
Anyway just imagine how funny that shit looks from an outside view like imagine being his classmate and living like across the road from him just being confused why someone who was previously wanted for murder is practically living at the stilinski house or like a person who is known to be dead(Peter) one day just walking out of stiles house or like witnessing Erica Boyd and Isaac sticking to stiles and constantly like touching him at school or like one day this person like overhears one of the pack or Liam calling him mum or whatever
Like I feel like it would be so funny to read just the utter confusion and like I have got to find out what the fuck is happening of that
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Am I the Asshole? by formosus_iniquis
@formosusiniquis
Rating: Teen and Up
6,052 words, 1/1 chapters
Archive Warning: Chose Not to Use
Tags: Stobin Month (Stranger Things), Stobin Month 2024 (Stranger Things), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Reddit AU, Some AITA typical terrible people, All relationships outside of Stobin are minor, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends, Platonic Soulmates Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Queerplatonic Robin Buckley/Steve Harrington, Nonbinary Steve Harrington, Nonbinary Robin Buckley
Summary:
r/AmITheAssshole u/HufflepuffHero94 9yrs ago AITA for being concerned about my girlfriends living situation? Even if nothing is going on I'm just worried that living in this kind of environment isn't safe for her. I mean this guy is probably just pretending to be her friend to get in her pants, I think the fact that they're from the same small town means she can't see that. I really think she would be better off if she moved into the dorms with me aita? --- aka the stobin AITA au
This is a MOD rec as a part of our Fic Fridays.
Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!
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backpackingspace · 1 year
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wait no omg a tired jedi sick of trying to explain jedi relationships to people who just don't get it. (So your master is your dad? No your brother? no So you don't love them? of course I love them) and flips the script. Explain what a father is to me. No no give me an exact list of measurable traits of what makes a father. Is it going to be the same list if I ask someone else? It turns into a month long academic debate.
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Note
For a prompt: honestly, I’d love to see more of outsider’s perspectives of Ava and Bea, like you did with the shopkeeper and her wife.
[tbh this has basically everyone u would want to see!! lol - 10k ao3 here]
//
yasmine
camila and beatrice have been video chatting often lately, and have figured out something encouraging,  you think. you try to understand everything, but it seems like, especially when jillian is on, they're speaking a whole different language. sometimes you're a little blown away by the both of them still: camila is brilliant at anything to do with technology, and kind, and funny; beatrice is brilliant at, well, just about everything, and, even though she's been working steadfastly to research how to get ava back, she still has sunkissed skin now, light hair and freckles. sometimes you see a flash of a tattoo on her wrist.
it hadn't really surprised you, to see ava lean forward while the whole entire world was ending and kiss beatrice — a little awkward, for you, but mostly achy. you haven't ever cared about sexuality, but you definitely don't when it comes to the two of them: because there's harm and then there's duty and then there's love.
one day you're sitting with camila, pretending to read more than actually reading, when beatrice facetimes. you know this because, honestly, sometimes you're a little nosy. it's fine; you helped save the world and sometimes the ocs, with incessant and constant training, gets kind of dull.
when camila answers, beatrice is crying. from what you can see, she's in a sports bra, you're pretty sure; you're scared, for a moment, that she's hurt, or that something really bad has happened, but then she's laughing and say, 'ava's here; ava's here,' and camila starts to cry.
'she's — she's okay?'
and then, a literal fucking miracle, ava's face — the same as you remember; so pretty and with a friendly smile — pops up on screen.
'holy shit,' camila says, and then she's laughing too, her eyes filling with tears. 'hi, ava.'
'hey,' ava says, then crams in next to where beatrice is sitting on the couch, practically on her lap, but you can't really begrudge them. beatrice is in a pair of sweatpants and, indeed, a sports bra; ava has, ostensibly, changed from whatever outfit she came back in, because she's wearing a big soft t-shirt and a comfortable pair of shorts. maybe that's what she wore in — wherever she was, but you're pretty certain those are beatrice's clothes. 'yasmine too, hello.'
beatrice is still crying and smiling and ava leans into her side, runs her fingers gently under her eyes to dry her tears.
'— how?' is the only thing camila gets out: are you okay?; do you remember us?; do you want to kill us now?; how long have you been gone?; are you still the ava we know?; what is going to happen to this world now? sits in your chest, but ava just shrugs.
'i heard bea, all the time.' beatrice blushes slightly, but she just tucks her face into ava's arm from a moment. 'and all of you too. but, bea, the strongest. i think it had something to do with her being in the ocean, maybe? and the city of angels.' she turns to beatrice. 'a little on the nose, don't you think?'
'oh yeah,' camila says, 'that's it, definitely the only reason.'
beatrice rolls her eyes but ava just smiles. 'and because she loves me, i suppose.' she scoots even closer to beatrice, who sighs happily. 'something just — spit me out, i guess. right in bea's living room. which, if i do say so myself, is way better than cat's cradle, no offense.'
another miracle in a series of miracles beyond belief. 'wow,' you say, and there's a beat of silence before everyone is laughing again, camila wiping tears.
'anyway, maybe you can come to us, tomorrow?' ava asks. 'i don't — i would like to stay here, if i can. if that works. at least for a few days.'
'you're — you're healed?' you can't help but ask.
ava nods. 'lots of scars,' she says, but then shrugs, and beatrice runs a gentle hand up and down her spine. 'but yeah, i'm good, as far as i can tell. not old as fuck, either, which rocks.'
'we can come tomorrow,' camila says, then starts crying all over again. 'i can't wait to see you. both of you.'
ava grins. 'yeah, don't come too early, though. i have plans.'
beatrice really blushes then, coughs into ava's shoulder.
'i will be sure to let beatrice know before coming,' camila says.
ava's smile is way too bright, all of a sudden, and beatrice groans and you kind of want to cover your ears before ava says, 'that's what i'll be doing tonight.'
'goodbye, ava,' camila says, even though she laughs. 'i love you, so much.'
ava leans into the camera, like she wants to reach through it. 'i love you too. i am — there are no words for what i feel, seeing you all again. and how much i missed you.'
'well, have fun tonight,' camila says. 'please don't tell me any details when we visit tomorrow.'
'this one time, i'll spare you.'
'thank god.'
//
keiko
you meet her on an otherwise unremarkable monday afternoon. you're running through your forms before the advanced adult class you teach, and when she walks in, you notice her immediately: muscular in a cutoff tank, in a way that's unassuming and speaks to years of training specifically in martial art, a calm expression on her face. her hair is back in a meticulously neat bun, and, when she sees the wall of bo you've spent a few years collecting, her shoulders relax and she lets out a big breath. vanessa is at the front desk and, while she's the best to go out in weho with, she's not the most knowledgable.
'hi,' you say, stepping up beside the desk. 'i'm keiko.'
she offers her hand and shakes firmly, calluses similar to yours. 'beatrice,' she says. 'pleasure.'
'can i help you with anything?'
'i'm hoping to join a dojo.'
'well,' you gesture to, in fact, the dojo behind you, 'you've come to the right place.'
she grants you a small smile.
'we have classes, all levels. would you like me to show you around?'
'that would be wonderful, thank you.'
and you had shown her around; you had sold her a monthly trial membership — a few advanced adult classes and some time for open practice — and a gi and obi — she'd calmly informed you that she's a black belt, and when she came in the next afternoon for the advanced class you teach, you had felt immediately embarrassed when she runs through forms with the kind of power and ease you had only seen a few times in your life, even at the olympics and world championships.
'that was a great class,' she says, far too kind a compliment for someone who is probably the one person you've met since you retired a few years ago who could beat you in a competition.
'you are — incredible.'
she shoulders the compliment with reluctance. 'i haven't trained in quite a while.'
'that is honestly insane.'
she laughs, after a moment. 'a much needed mental health break,' she says. 'but it felt good, to return to this, in this way.'
'do you — i saw you looking at the bo the other day,' you say, and you don't miss the way her hands twitch. 'would you like to use one? i have to clean and close up, anyway.'
she hesitates, but then, 'are you sure?'
'absolutely,' you say. 'pick any one you want; you can train over there, it's got the best view of the ocean.'
'that's very kind.' she's solemn, and a little quiet. 'thank you, keiko.'
she walks, barefoot and at home in her gi, and runs her hands gently over each bo. she picks a medium length one, black and sleek and heavier than your favorite, and then takes a deep breath and starts moving so beautifully you can't even quite follow it. it's mesmerizing, and you watch until she slows and then sets the bow on the ground and, to your surprise, sniffles. she wipes tears off her cheeks and you quickly start cleaning, granting her as much privacy as possible. she takes a deep breath and then takes the bo and walks back over to the wall.
'if i find one of my own,' she says, 'can i store it here? it's all right if not, of course.'
'you're more than welcome to do that.' you don't quite know what to say to her, the most talented martial artist you've ever seen in your life, who never competed at any events you know of, randomly in your dojo, who had just cried running through forms with a bo, small and coiled tightly. 'and, honestly, you don't have to feel like you need to come to classes. you're more than welcome, but i think you're beyond anything i would have to teach you.'
she laughs after a few seconds. 'i really did enjoy it.'
'maybe thursday we could spar? i'm here in the morning.'
she seems to weigh it, but then she nods. 'that sounds fun. thank you, keiko.'
you get to know her quickly: the way she moves and her favorite forms and the first time she throws you, you lie on your back in a little bit of shock: you haven't lost in years. she just stands calmly and offers you a hand. 'who are you?'
she just laughs.
you get to know her, as the days go along. you get lunch, one day, and you flirt with the host and the waiter — 'i love cute boys,' you say, 'what can i say?' — which amuses her.
'my partner is a flirt,' she says, but the smile slips from her face before she can stop it. she clears her throat. 'she's very sick, right now,' she says, quickly, as if to avoid your questions. 'but, still,' she says, sitting up a little straighter, gathering herself, 'a flirt.'
you learn not to ask about her partner; you learn that she surprisingly loves pepperoni pizza and beer; you learn that she's rich and lives in a beautiful house on the beach, but she's generous and lowkey, especially compared to everyone else in los angeles. she works in tech for a firm in spain — the details vague, but that's tech anyway — and, when you offer to let her teach a kids class, she smiles gently and accepts. she's patient and seems to enjoy correcting their form and teaching them kata one step at a time; she encourages them and makes sure to teach, quietly, that the goal is never, ever to harm, only to protect. she's one of your best friends, quickly, and is also impossible to beat whenever you spar. she goes out with you and your friends in weho one night, gets very drunk and turns down what feels like an entire club of women, and then tells you, on your couch at home while you give her a glass of water, that her partner’s name is ava, and that she’s kind and smart and beautiful and loves to dance. she doesn’t cry, but she curls up, small and sad; you haven’t mentioned it since.
one day, beatrice texts you, early in the morning, Hello! Ava's treatment worked, so she's back with me now, for the foreseeable future.
it's very businesslike, but she's always a stiff texter, and you know how excited she must be, how relieved.
Hopefully forever, she sends, and you know you're right.
you meet ava a few days later, hanging onto beatrice's side when she comes to the dojo after a few days off. you realize, in one flash of a moment, clear and sacred, that you really have never seen beatrice smile before — not until ava looks at her when she takes her bo off the wall with the softest expression. devotion; adoration. love. beatrice blushes and returns it, a smile in full force so powerful it knocks the air out of you slightly.
you also realize that you've never seen beatrice show off before, and you decide, right then and there, you're never sparring while ava is watching. you can lose, sure, but being humiliated is not on your to-do list. when you tell ava that, as she watches beatrice in a little bit of a daze, she just laughs. 'she's incredible.'
'yeah,' you agree as beatrice swipes the bo along the ground so hard you think she could break an ankle, then stands without a breath in between. 'she is.'
//
ray
the second time you meet ava, she's in a tiny bikini, bright orange, with a wispy gossamer coverup that you're sure beatrice bought just for her. it kind of makes you laugh, and it's barely warm enough to be out without a sweater, let alone in a bikini, but ava waves when you come in from the whitewater. bea is still waiting at the outer break, exhausted this morning for reasons that made her blush and you had laughed, delightedly.
'your girl is taking forever to catch anything today,' you say.
ava almost glows, you think, at your girl. 'we didn't get much sleep last night,' ava tells you with a wink. you grin and high five and then offer her a spot on your towel after you unzip your wetsuit and pull it down to rest along your waist.
ava is beautiful. you had wanted to know her, for months, and finally, she's here — young and so, so pretty; small and surprisingly muscular. you would never say anything, but you know she had been sick, and there are scars all over her body, puckered and angry still, shiny and pink. you know bea doesn't care, and you don't either, but ava moves a little gingerly and you fight the urge to ask if she needs help. she settles, eventually, legs stretched out in front of her and her palms behind, leaning back into the sun, face turned up toward it. she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in, then slowly lets it out.
you notice beatrice about to catch a wave, and you're happy when ava seems, like a sixth sense, to open her eyes just in time. bea is talented: balanced and strong and had learned to surf on a short board and relatively big swells quicker than anyone else you'd taught; when she’d shown you her bo one day — mostly because it was just out on her coffee table — you had been both very turned on and a little terrified. she’s the most gifted athlete you know, and so it’s no surprise when. she rides the biggest wave of the day all the way in, kissing the lip a few times, and ava sighs.
'she's so hot, jesus christ.'
'no comment.'
she laughs. 'we didn't get a ton of time together, really, before i... got sick.' she pauses, looking at beatrice collecting her board in the whitewater. 'she was scared. but now, it's like —' she shakes her head — 'i just love her so much.'
'yeah,' you say, a little teary for your friend. 'i can tell you, without a doubt, that she loves you too.'
ava grins, then stands and walks toward beatrice, who lets ava pull down the zipper of her wetsuit with gratuitous hands, a kiss to the nape of her neck, and then grabs beatrice's hand and laces their fingers together. 'wanna come over for breakfast?'
'i would — yeah,' you say, 'i would really love that.'
you step in, quickly, once ava cracks an egg so hard it goes all over the counter and beatrice only looks on in adoration.
'you're a disaster,' you tell her, but she just shrugs. ava is still in her bikini and cover up, and beatrice's hands sit on her hips while you fry some eggs and chop up vegetables to make a passable pico. she smiles into the crook of ava's neck and they make you a little breathless: a happiness that quiet; a love that big.
//
ayanna
you've been working at this coffee shop for a week now, and every morning, the hottest woman you've ever seen walks in, clearly just from the beach, and orders the same thing in a british accent that makes you want to groan. you're new to this part of los angeles, which is bougie as hell. it's mostly white influencers who order overly complicated drinks for no reason, but the pay is above minimum wage and your manager has worked with your class schedule easily enough.
plus — beatrice.
she's quiet, exceedingly polite and always tips at least twice of what her drink costs. she smiles and has freckles and you burn your hand more than once sneaking a glance at her strong arms and tattoo on her wrist and, eventually, a new one on her shoulder and collarbone that you had seen because she's decided to make your 6:42 am better by wearing a cutoff tank and shorts today.
'good morning, ayanna,' she says, and it's fucking electrifying that she knows your name, even if you have a nametag on your apron — it still counts.
'hey, beatrice. how were the waves this morning?'
she leans against the counter, just slightly, and you will yourself to keep your cool. 'how much do you know about surfing?'
'nothing, really.'
she laughs, not unkind. 'well, in that case, the outer break was far, which means i had to paddle a lot, but the waves were beautiful. can't regret it.'
'uh,' you say, super smooth, 'regular order?'
'yes,' she says, 'and can you add a chocolate croissant? oh, and an olive oil coffee cake. thank you.'
beatrice doesn't seem like the kind of person to eat a croissant and a coffee cake for breakfast, but who are you to judge: that sounds awesome, frankly. you tell her your total and she tips, like always, excessively, and then collects everything with a kind smile.
'have a great day,' she says, and you're too flustered to say anything other than an extremely eloquent, 'same.' mohammed laughs at you from where he's unpacking more to-go cups and you flip him off before you greet the next customer.
/
it's a few days later when your routine gets broken by another beautiful woman, who seems a little in awe of this stupid, trendy coffee shop, but beatrice wasn't in yesterday and it's already 7:19 and she hasn't been in today. it's not that you expect her, really, but she is the best part of your shift, so, whatever. you can have a harmless crush if you want.
'hi,' this new person says, and then reads your nametag. 'ayanna, what's up?'
your mind blanks, because you're pretty much face to face with an angel: she's small and lively and has pretty, delicate features and her hair is pushed back beneath a bright pink beanie, just at her chin. her hands, playing with a small, elegant black wallet, are delicate too. 'nothing,' you get out, 'just, you know, work.'
she smiles. 'yeah, i'm a bartender. opposite end of the day, but i get you.'
you glance down at your screen, just to have something to do other than stare. 'so, what's your order?'
she gets out her phone and reads off iced coffee with cold foam, and then locks it and inspects your pastries. 'can i get one of each? i want to try them all.'
you laugh, something fond and a little ridiculous about that, but you say, 'sure thing. what's the name?'
'ava,' she says. 'thanks.'
mohammed rolls his eyes at you while he gets the iced coffee ready and you put each pastry neatly in a to-go box, because ava is right there and you certainly hadn't needed to get her name. but whatever, she's gorgeous and it's early. ava tucks the box of pastries under her arm. 'ava, tell me which is your favorite the next time you come in.'
ava seems delighted by this. a good sign. 'sure thing,' she says, and then waves.
/
the next morning, it all comes crashing down. there's horrendous traffic, even at 5 am, and you barely make it on time. there's a rush of rude ass customers way too early, and you spill a shot of espresso down your apron.
but, then you see beatrice, and it's wonderful, and perfect, and so great: you're ready today, to ask for her number; you can do it. but then you see ava walk in right behind her after holding the door open, and it's like slow motion when ava bumps into beatrice's side and laces their fingers together and places a sweet kiss to her shoulder. you know there are flowers that sit there, under her hoodie, gorgeous in their greyscale, and ava seems to know as well.
'ayanna,' beatrice says, the biggest, most contented smile on her face, 'good morning.'
you nod and smile, although you're a little crushed. 'hey, beatrice. and hi, ava.'
'hello!' it's way too early for this kind of cheer but it's a little infectious.
'this is my partner, ava,' beatrice says, as if it wasn't horrifically obvious.
'back from quite the business trip,' ava says, looking at the pastries again. 'very remote, no sweets. gotta make up for lost time, you know?'
beatrice blanches a little but ava looks at her sweetly and she recovers. 'can i get my usual, and whatever chaotic order ava wants?'
ava laughs. 'my favorite was a tie,' she says, 'between the chocolate croissant and the olive oil coffee cake. which, i know, beatrice, you had said, but whatever, okay?'
beatrice smiles. 'okay, ava.'
they both, despite their bickering, are so tangibly happy your spirits lift. you'll take the L, if you have to, for people to have what they clearly do. they overtip, as always, and then take their leave.
'ouch,' mohammed says. '0 for 2 this morning.'
you sigh. 'more fish in the sea, i guess. gotta keep the faith.'
he laughs. 'that's the spirit.'
//
jillian
'okay,' ava says, sitting up as best she can with a grimace, 'if bea can't get into bed with me, what about you?'
you spare a glance for beatrice, who only rolls her eyes in amusement and underlying sadness: ava is in pain, to the point where she can't walk, can barely sit or lie down. she's on muscle relaxers and pain medicine so she's comfortable, but it's complicated and tedious, to try to fix her spine — or, more realistically, stabilize it — without killing her.
'how about we see how you're feeling after surgery?'
ava groans. 'that's so boring, jillian.'
you walk to her bedside and take her hand, squeeze it gently. 'ready?'
ava takes a deep breath, braver than anyone you've ever known in your life, time and time again. she looks at beatrice, who bends down and kisses ava gently. ava tucks a strand of beatrice's hair behind her ear and then cups her face. 'in this life.'
beatrice nods. 'in this life.'
'i love you, bea.'
beatrice kisses ava's forehead, eyes closed in reverence. 'i love you, ava.'
ava looks at you and then nods, teary and afraid. 'ready.'
other than your son, you have never been as determined as you are now. you control all of the tech to make sure ava is fully sedated but still alive, that the halo is dormant enough to allow the surgeons to work on her spine without it healing their interventions immediately. it's kind of a miracle, you think, that it all works — but, then again, it seems that ava is prone to miracles. it goes smoothly, without a hitch. ava will have chronic pain and limited mobility, at least some days, during flares — but it will be manageable. it will be livable.
beatrice is asleep when you bring ava back into the room, wheeling the bed as quietly as possible. she stirs, exhausted, from her chair, and you get to tell her — and then, after, a crowded room of ava's people, ava's family, waiting nervously — that it had gone as best as it could. you were sure she was alive, and that she'd wake up, and that, as far as you can understand, her pain would be significantly reduced. ava deserves more than that, much more, but it's what you can give.
you wake beatrice gently, a squeeze to her shoulder. you tell her first, because ava loves her: 'she did great. everything went as perfectly as it could.'
beatrice sniffles and then stands and hugs you. 'thank you,' she says, strong and calm and trembling with the force of it: the love of her life, safe and cared for.
'hot,' ava rasps from bed, and beatrice laughs and lets go of you and hurries to ava's side, takes her hand.
'hello, darling.'
ava lifts her hand and cups bea's cheek, and then wiggles her toes under the blanket. she grins up at beatrice, then grins at you. 'it worked?'
'yes,' you say, and it can't bring back your son and you can't fix the world, heaven or hell, but this — this — you can do: 'it did.'
//
mary
'hey,' you say, softly, when you notice beatrice start to stir on the couch. she presses her nose into the pillow behind her head, then the couch cushion, and then reaches up and rubs her eyes, scratches above her ear, and scrubs a hand over her face and blinks dazedly.
'a new shift?' beatrice looks around at the walls and windows darkening, trying to gain her bearings. she's in a hoodie and shorts, comfortable and soft, a pair of pale pink socks on her feet, her broken leg in its brace propped on a few pillows. ava had carefully draped a soft blanket over her, but beatrice had thrown it mostly to the side in her sleep.
'we're not working, beatrice.' you say it kindly, though, and offer her a glass of water with a metal straw ava had shown you proudly in one of the drawers in their kitchen. she sips greedily, without any embarrassment — maybe she's on pain meds enough to not care; maybe she's known you for so, so long it doesn't matter; maybe she's been shown a degree of love you have known only once.
she pats your hand. 'i know.' she wrinkles her nose. 'where's ava?'
'i threatened her to take a walk.'
beatrice laughs. 'glad to know she still understands who the best of us is.'
you want to argue with her — you're the best of us, beatrice; you always have been — but her head lolls to the side on the cushion and her eyes are fluttering open and closed. 'i like your haircut,' you offer instead. you wonder, with pride, what she's learned about herself, what she's let come forward that she's always known.
she smiles softly. 'yeah?'
'yeah. you’ve got a great soft dyke vibe going on. looks good on you.'
you’re not sure about the word, but you love her and you understand. and — she grins. ‘that’s the goal. androgynous and comfortable. i — i’ve grown into what i want, i think.’
'speaking for myself, i love to see it. it’s a whole vibe.’
‘yeah.’ she looks down and fiddles with her phone case for a second, not coordinated like usual. 'hey, so, feel free to tell me to fuck off forever, if you want, but one of my best friends is... basically the best.' she squints, focusing so intently and still producing a mildly incoherent sentence. it’s charming. 'i know there's no one that could — i know, mary. i know. but i think you'd like her.'
your heart aches, because beatrice lost ava but she came back; because beatrice has hurt all the same. and shannon wouldn't have wanted you to shut yourself off from the world. 'she's hot?'
beatrice laughs delightedly, pushing herself to sit up further. 'very, very hot. if you need backup, just ask ava.'
'ava thinks everyone is hot.'
'true. but, most of all, me.'
she says it with such stoned confidence it's hard to even tease her. 'okay,' you say, 'when should i meet your friend, then?'
beatrice gets out her phone and slowly clicks through a few screens, then squints. 'she'll be here in twenty minutes for dinner.' she holds her phone close to your face, not at all steady, but you do make out your name and then ray making the best birria ever (for ava) one right after another.
'should i stay for dinner, then?'
she grins. 'i think i'm falling back asleep. so you should definitely stay. she could use some company.' she stares into space for a minute. 'let me send ava a voice note so they know not to pester you when they get back.'
'maybe a text?'
beatrice just shrugs and sends a meandering three minute long voice note, sort of explaining the situation but mostly proclaiming her undying love, and so you follow up with a coherent text saying, beatrice wants me to meet your friend. if things are going well, can you not third wheel? you owe me, and ava responds with a, FUCK YEAH!!!!! you're the best and ray is the best!! bea is a genius, and then, i'll make up so many totally valid excuses to leave you two alone, and, finally, the patio is very romantic. dig into bea's stash of very expensive wine and whiskey too, in my honor.
you laugh, and tell beatrice that ava was excited about the idea.
'speak of the devil.'
ava puts her tote down when she gets in the front door, a bouquet of flowers poking out from it. 'mm, not quite.' she kisses bea on the top of her head and then proceeds to do the same to you, although you swat her away. 'try god's favorite angel instead.'
'i will never.'
beatrice looks at ava, adoringly, too much for you to stomach sometimes. 'want to go to the balcony? i can nap out there just as easily as in here.'
'totally,' ava says. 'mary, have fun with ray. you can text me when the birria is finished and i'll just pop by to grab some for us. but she really is awesome, even just as a friend.'
'a spontaneous blind date,' you say, although you do have a few butterflies in your stomach. it doesn't feel wrong, to go on a date, although you do feel sad, and longing, because you had something beautiful and it didn't last. but, still: 'this better be as fun as you promise.'
'it definitely will be,' beatrice slurs, and ava looks at you amusedly.
'okay, you're way too high to be trusted in this situation. let's go.'
'i don't need help,' beatrice says, although it's a full task to watch her sit up and get her crutches from their resting place against the side of the couch. but she does it, slowly and unsteadily, and ava puts a careful hand to her low back when she wobbles. but then all is well, and beatrice tries to wink at you and fails, and it makes you laugh. 'have so much fun, mary.'
you promise to try, and you pick up the book ava had been reading earlier, pretending to do something with your hands as you hear them bicker as they very, very slowly make their way up down the hall, but eventually a door closes and it's quiet. hey shannon, you pray, as you often do, i might kiss someone else soon. sorry. but i think you would be happy in this life, especially if she's hot. ava is annoying, but so good; you would be proud of her. beatrice you're always proud of, i know it. i love you, in the next.
it settles something inside you, and when ray lets herself in their front door, your breath catches a little: she has a mess of black curls cut to her ears, and tattoos down both arms, a linen button up only fastened halfway up her chest, a few chains sitting there. she's smaller than you, and she tucks her sunglasses into her shirt and then smiles.
'hey,' she says, 'i'm ray. she/her pronouns. beatrice sent me a very incoherent voice note that her "hot friend mary" was here, finishing out a business trip, and that i should woo you by making dinner tonight.' she holds up her grocery tote. 'hopefully you're mary, because you are in fact very hot.'
you laugh. 'well, i don't know about the last part, but i am mary. beatrice and i go way back.'
'amazing.' she settles, familiar, at the kitchen island. 'do you like to cook? beatrice and ava are disasters.'
'i love to cook.'
she grins. 'good,' she says. 'birria is their favorite, so it's good to know, if you'll be around for a bit.'
she's beautiful, and her forearms are strong and her hands quick when she starts to lay out the ingredients. you tell yourself to be brave: beatrice and ava and their big house full of love, overlooking the ocean. so you stand next to ray, elbows bumping for a moment, and she smiles at you in a way that makes you feel electric. 'i think i just might,' you say.
she nods down at the onions she's setting aside, but her smile doesn't fade at all. 'well, if you want help looking for a place, let me know. unless you want an insane house like this, in which i can't help at all.'
you laugh. 'it is beautiful, though.'
'yeah,' she says. 'i love it here.'
you think, as you let ray explain tasks and her great-grandmother's recipe, as you open a few windows and hear ava's laughter waft in from outside, like the sweet spices you add to the meat, as ray squeezes your hand, just once, after you finish chopping cilantro.
you might kill ava when she comes in to get their plates a few hours later and quips, 'oh good, you're already betrothed. congrats!' before walking away. you throw a chip at her that falls disappointingly short, but she laughs, and you think you just might love it here too.
//
angela
you're finding a table on the patio of your favorite wine bar when you see beatrice sitting at one near the railing, alone, writing in a journal. there's a part of you that doesn't want to interrupt but she's quiet, whenever she stops by for lunch with ava, and she reminds you a little of noel.
she looks up when you stand near, and then genuinely smiles. 'angela,' she says, and stands very properly; it's a breath of fresh air to see young people with manners still. 'what a nice surprise.'
'i can see you're busy.' gesture to her journal. 'so please feel free to say no, but would you mind if i joined you?'
'not at all,' she says, and then pulls out a chair for you before sitting back in her own and closing her journal. 'to tell you the truth, i haven't even ordered any wine yet.'
you laugh, charmed immensely already. 'well, shall we split a bottle? they have my favorite chardonnay here, if you like that.'
'i — yes,' she says. 'ava is working this afternoon, so that would be wonderful. i appreciate your company.'
she's a kid, you realize, all over again with a pang in your chest: when ruth had told you that she had invited someone in her early twenties to come to water aerobics, but then you had met ava and all of your frustration had gone by the wayside. 'likewise.' the server comes, one of your favorites, and asks happily if you'd like your typical glass. 'a bottle, instead, tommy,' you tell him, and he salutes with a grin, which makes beatrice laugh.
'you like this spot?'
'i do,' you say. 'it gets good light.'
she seems to understand what you mean, because she leans back and lets the sun rest on the planes of her face peacefully. ava hadn't stopped talking for days about beatrice cutting her hair, months ago, even more excited than when she herself had shown up with pale purple hair — ridiculous, in a way, but she had been happy and young and so you grant her it all. beatrice's has grown out a bit by now, which ava still talks about, and her muscles, and the freckles across her nose, all exuberant young love — but you can tell, you've always been able to tell, when someone feels comfortable in their skin. the utter joy of being a space where someone can become.
'i love the light here,' she says. 'i grew up in london, and then switzerland, so i've come to appreciate the sun.'
'my wife wanted to move here for that reason alone.' you laugh. 'we met in oakland, but she was so set on los angeles.'
beatrice seems deeply unfazed by wife, and thanks tommy for pouring her wine after you taste yours. 'how long were you together?'
'fifty-four years,' you say. 'married for fifty-two of them.' you roll your eyes. 'legally, for eleven, but i never cared much for that distinction.'
'of course,' she says. 'and, not to sound trite, but i'm sorry, for your loss.'
and it had been a profound one: you had no idea how to get up each morning, until ruth had dragged you to this ridiculous water aerobics class. so you smile, gently. 'noel was a light in this world. the breadth of that love — i wouldn't trade a single minute.'
she swallows, glances down and swirls her wine. 'i can only hope to have the same, with ava.'
you reach out and squeeze her hand. 'if it's all dependent on love, i'm certain you will. ava adores you.'
she sighs, looks into the sun again. 'i used to be a nun.'
you can't help but laugh. 'did you really?'
beatrice nods, and waits a moment before she laughs too. 'it seemed like the only thing that would keep me safe, from — from myself, i suppose. but then, of course, i met ava. a divinity, i suppose, more than i could've ever imagined, really.'
'noel was a reverend,' you say, and remember the benedictions she prayed at your feet: her neat suits and short hair and round-rimmed glasses as she got older, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes when she smiled.
beatrice smiles. 'would you like to tell me about her?'
you would, very much so, and so you do: you met at a protest when you were nineteen and she was twenty-one, and you kissed her two nights later underneath an apple tree just starting to blossom. she put you through law school, working three jobs, and when you finally got a job at a firm and ferociously worked your way up — for her — she went to divinity school. you had many children — beautiful boys in love with each other; beautiful girls in love with themselves — pass through your home, often showing up at noel's church with no family anymore. you fed them, and you had to watch so many of them die. and then — and then the world healed itself, in one particular way, and it was never easy; it has never been easy. you married noel once, in your garden, with your friends, and you married her again in her own church, years and years later, the rainbow flag outside and the stained glass the same kind of holy. it has been hard, and sorrowful, but it was worth it. the joy was worth it.
you see the gentle set of beatrice's shoulders, the way her chest is flat beneath her shirt, and you know she understands.
she sniffles and wipes under her eyes and then squeezes your hand tightly. 'i don't quite know what to say, but — thank you, for sharing. what a beautiful love.'
you clear your throat. 'yes. but, noel made me promise not to live a boring life, or to withhold any of my love. so if you have any aunts who might be interested —' you wiggle your eyebrows — 'please let me know.'
she laughs. 'unfortunately, i don't. but i'll be on the lookout.'
you make a big show of acting disappointed. 'well, i know you're taken — not that that has always stopped me before — but i'll take pity on ava. i like her.'
beatrice blushes, all the way to the tips of her ears, and you grin.
you finish your bottle of wine together, and she tells you about judo and aikido and about ava's new interest in geology; she asks about your greyhound rescue, malcolm, and his newest sweaters. she pays the bill, despite your protests — it's a particular joy of mine to use my homophobic parents' trust fund for queer gifts and adventures.
'bring ava, for dinner sometime,' you say. they have a house on the beach and a love that's so safe, so bright — but the world harms and harms and harms, and they are your children too.
'i would love that,' beatrice says, quiet and grateful. 'i would really love that.'
//
dakota
training service dogs is, in your opinion, the absolute best job in the world. your organization focuses on multi-purpose dogs, for medical and psychologic assistance, often both. it's a challenge, especially if handlers aren't fully equipped. but sometimes, it's your favorite thing ever.
when you first meet ava — and beatrice — you're charmed immediately. ava has a cane but sits down on the floor without hesitation to take korra into her lap, who immediately pinch bites but nuzzles into ava's arms anyway. 'bea,' she says, 'oh my god.'
'her name is korra,' you say, and beatrice laughs, just once, when ava perks up. 'she's small enough that you could change it, if you wanted to, but —'
'i love legend of korra,' ava cuts in. 'bisexual heroine! sick back tattoo. hot brilliant rich girlfriend.' she soots beatrice a wink, which makes her blush. 'i am not changing a perfect name for a perfect girl.'
'well then,' you say, 'do you mind if i sit with you and walk you through the plan?'
'oh,' ava says, 'i can get up. i just got excited.'
you wave her off. 'i like to play with her too. she's so sweet.'
'bea,' ava says with a grin, relieved that your decision was exclusively about the dog and nothing to do with her disability, 'you wore your old jeans just for this occassion.'
beatrice sighs, but she sits without any hesitation and melts, a little, when ava puts a squirming korra in her arms. 'hi, sweet girl,' she says, and runs her hand along korra's soft head and her feather-light spine. then she looks at you, 'do you mind if i record you? just audio. i know you'll give us all the instructions, but i find it helpful to have all forms of processing available so i can understand best.'
ava shoots you a glance sideways, trying not to laugh, but you keep it together. 'sure.'
beatrice and ava come in every session, five minutes early, with korra making incredible progress. eventually, ava comes by herself and happily explains that she's learned how to drive with hand controls on the days she needs to, which is fucking awesome. when you tell her that, she laughs and nods.
korra is a rockstar with her positive reinforcement training, and ava reports every time some new milestone she's reached. you'll work with the both of them for at least another year, but — 'you've done such an incredible job already, ava.'
ava shrugs, scratches behind korra's ears where she's happily sitting by ava's chair, calm and panting a little because she'd just worked on some difficult commands. 'i love to learn.' she shrugs. 'and i really love korra. i guess it's just — it is what it is, right? life and pain and whatnot. and, anyway, she helps.'
korra licks your hand when you offer her a small bite of a hot dog, and you swear she smiles at you. 'yeah, i know she does.'
//
marcus
Just do me a favor and look over the project before you roll your eyes at me, ekugbe texts you. admittedly, she is one of your favorite architects to work with, but she's also your ex. It's a good friend of mine, she follows up with, as if that's a plus. whatever. It's something you'll find meaning in, I promise.
it's annoying, because she's probably right, you think, and then she's definitely right when you open her email a few hours later and see detailed, gorgeous plans to redo a house on the water so that's it's ADA accessible. it's sleek and all clean lines, perfect materials planned; the owners, beatrice gu-knight and ava silva, you read, had clearly spared no expense in their plans, and, inevitably, ekugbe's mock ups are beautiful. you sigh. I'll meet with them, you text. you type out, But not because of you and then erase it, mostly because you sister keeps telling you that you don't need to send out more negative energy into the world.
you call beatrice's number the next day, and she's very proper and very british, and when you meet her at the house later, you're kind of in awe at how stunning it is already.
'we bought it as is,' she explains, 'but my partner, ava, needs it to be accessible for wheelchair usage now.' she doesn't sound sad, not a single regret at having to change one of the simplest, most well-designed and amazing houses you've ever seen. she's inches shorter than you but commanding still, straight backed and quietly confident, dressed in simple linen pants and a t-shirt, a cardigan thrown over her shoulders, a dark green beanie and lighter green glasses, barefoot — rich in the understated way that some people in los angeles are, palpably and casually, and you know that anything you need will be there for you, right away.
'i'd like to keep the doors to the patio, for sure,' she tells you, leading you on a tour. they space is designed to be indoor/outdoor, with doors that open all the way to a small hot tub and a giant patio. 'i'm sure you saw the blueprints ekugbe drew up — and, by the way, sorry, i know you have a complicated past, but she really did say you were the best, especially with projects like this.'
'it's totally fine,' you tell her, and when you see the release of tension in her shoulders, you genuinely mean it. she explains that they'll want to move the primary bedroom and bathroom onto the first floor, down a hallway that currently has two offices. you've contracted on many houses this big before, so the space is something of a blessing. 'that won't be a problem, especially since it doesn't look like the wall between them is load bearing.'
'great,' beatrice says. 'that's what ekugbe told me, so it's good to make sure.'
you go through the rest of the house: they'll need a wheelchair lift along the stairs, which won't be hard to install because it's just one staircase, straight up to a big enough landing that there won't be any issues. she wants to redo their kitchen and bathrooms entirely, so that everything will be reachable and safe. it'll be a huge project, but one you feel — even though your head is spinning at changing a house like this — is important. is a labor of love.
'ava and i will be here for the next two weeks, and then in europe for a few months. what do you think a reasonable timeline is for you? i would like to set up a rental for us, if you need longer than that.' it's not snooty, although the words are. it's matter of fact, just a series of tasks and logistics.
'as long as materials come on time, especially if we order them now, i should be able to do it in that timeframe.'
'wonderful,' she says, and clasps her hands in front of her chest, an endearing gesture. 'well, please send over anything to sign and payment methods, and let me know a start date.'
'will do.'
'also, marcus?'
'hmm?'
'can i help you blow the wall out?' she grins. 'i've always wanted to. i have four black belts, if that helps.'
you just laugh. 'yeah, sure. why not?'
/
ava sits in her chair, pretty, in the same linen pants that beatrice had worn the other day, which is kind of funny and kind of sweet. she looks significantly more sad than beatrice about the state of their house, though, as you lay down tarps in the office to protect the floors.
'i swear i only agreed to this because bea promised you'd let her use a sledge hammer.'
'it'll be beautiful, when it's done.'
she sighs. 'i really do believe you. just, a bummer, you know?'
'my brother uses a chair,' you tell her. 'i like projects like this. and, plus, this house is amazing no matter what. your patio almost brought me to tears.'
she laughs. 'yeah, we fell in love with it right away.'
beatrice walks in in a cutoff tank and work pants, practical boots, and ava groans.
'best roleplay of my life,' she mumbles, and beatrice rolls her eyes.
'thank you for letting me have a little fun, marcus.'
'of course.'
'do i need a hard hat?'
'definitely not,' you manage without laughing, and hand her a sledge hammer.
ava watches, riveted, as you and beatrice go at the wall a few times, and then beatrice pauses and looks toward ava. 'want to get a few hits in? it's very cathartic.'
ava hesitates.
beatrice just pauses, patient, and then says, 'unless your back is hurting, i know you'll be strong enough. it's not that heavy.'
ava grins and wheels forward eagerly, lifts the sledgehammer and then nods. beatrice offers her her safety glasses and then backs away to the threshold of the door. ava swings, just fine, and gets a good chunk of the wall to break off from where beatrice had already been working, and she laughs and looks back at beatrice with a happy, relieved expression.
eventually, your crew takes over, and beatrice and ava take their leave to a rental for a few nights before they go do whatever they're doing in europe. the house comes together beautifully, it really does.
at the end, you call ekugbe, maybe for drinks.
it surprises you, the light you're able to let in.
//
mari
'do you think i'll be faster than bea?'
you laugh, show ava where to put her hands on the wheels of the racing chair for maximum and most efficient torque. 'with practice, for sure.'
'gross,' she says. 'why not right away?'
'it just takes a little getting used to. but i'm certain you will, if you enjoy it.'
'well, you're ripped, so i'm enjoying it so far, that's for sure.'
you roll your eyes; you know both beatrice and ava well enough to know that ava's flirting is fun and entirely harmless. but, still, she's beautiful, so you allow yourself to preen nonetheless.
ava lets out a big breath. 'okay, let's fucking go, right?'
'i'll ride next to you for now, and then you can race beatrice.'
'sick.' she pushes a few times and picks up some speed, and you watch exactly what you'd felt yourself the first time you'd gotten into a chair like this: a big smile spreads across her face as she rounds the corner of the track without any problems. when she slows down you do too, and you're worried for a second before she just sniffles and wipes her cheeks. 'this is... this is so fun?'
'yeah,' you say. 'it's kind of the best.'
'as a kid, after i got hurt, and then, you know, after things started to get worse for me lately, i — i didn't think i could do this, ever. it's just — i feel so full. and so fast!'
'i didn't think i'd get to do this either, after i got hurt.' you'd had a complete spinal cord injury, when you were twenty, a car accident that wasn't your fault. your whole life had changed, in a split second — a track scholarship and rock climbing and snowboarding and judo evaporating, just like that, when you woke up from surgery, or at least that's what you thought. but your big sister had sat by your bedside and researched inpatient rehab, and financing, and outpatient rehab, and then, a fucking miracle in your life: paralympic racing. it's led you to do everything you loved before, just creatively, and, 'now i have four gold medals, so, here we are.'
'yeah,' ava says. 'here we fucking are!'
you reach over and high five her, and you look over to where beatrice is sitting on the bleachers; even from far away you can see her gay ass little smile at ava's joy.
'also, the gold medals?' ava says. 'extremely hot.'
you laugh. 'do you ever stop?'
ava shakes her head. 'hardwired, i'm afraid.' she frowns. 'unless, of course, you're uncomfortable, in which case i will stop immediately.'
'oh, no,' you say, 'keep going. it's fun.'
'i'm an excellent wingwoman, at any time. you just let me know.'
'i'll take you up on that soon, i'm sure.'
she laughs and takes off again, getting the hang of her form and how to lean into turns. eventually, she calls beatrice down from the bleachers; beatrice is probably one of the most terrifying athletes you've ever met, but ava's pretty fast already. they race a few times, laughing by the end, trash talking incessantly, beatrice eventually leaning down to kiss ava, both of them sweaty.
'last one back to the bleachers has to do the dishes tonight,' ava says, and takes off full tilt. she barely stops in time before ramming into the stands, but beatrice is laughing too hard to come anywhere close. it's joy, you think, in the hot sun. real joy.
//
mother superion
'so,' ava says, fidgeting in front of you, shifting from one foot to the other, rocking up on her toes. she's gotten older, a few years enough for you to be able to tell the subtle differences.
'yes, ava?'
'okay, i know this is stupid and antiquated, but, well...'
'is this a crisis of any kind?'
she shakes her head.
'then just breathe.'
she takes in a deep breath and lets it out, then sits on the bench next to you when you pat the space. 'i love beatrice.'
'i know.'
'i, well, i guess i'm asking you if i can marry her? i want to propose, and i'll do it, whatever you think, but — it would mean a lot, to me, to have your blessing.'
you hold out your hands and wait for her to take both. there is something holy in her back, something that you had thought was the most sacred thing in the world until you met her. but there is something holier, consecrate, in the way she loves — beyond the highest order you have ever known. in the way she loves you all, and life, but especially in the way she loves beatrice, one of your favorite people in the world. she died for it. you know, in a way that makes you ache, she would do it again.
but the war is over. the war is over, and you have watched them both become.
'there is nothing in this life that would make me happier than to bless your marriage, ava.'
'oh,' she breathes out, runs a hand through her hair, long now, with the tips dyed pink — just for fun! — and then smiles. 'okay. well, great. just gotta get bea to say yes then.'
you don't want to be unkind — you can feel the halo humming with ava's very genuine nerves — and so you don't laugh. instead, you ask, 'do you have a plan? a ring?'
ava lights up, and the halo's hum shifts to comfortable, warm. they'll go to switzerland, she tells you, and pulls up a picture of the ring on her phone — simple and elegant and handsome, all at once. she wraps you in a hug as you tell her so.
'i love you, ava,' you say.
she sniffles. 'i really love you.'
you feel the halo against your hand, through her sweater. 'please send me a save the date.'
//
'ava,' you say, as ava paces around their bedroom. 'bea is going to be right out there, waiting for you. after everything, you cannot possibly be nervous about this.'
she shakes her head. 'about marrying bea? definitely not.' she's in her dress, flowy lace and cotton, off-white because i'm certainly not a virgin, she had said while she was looking, and than had laughed and winked as you had rolled your eyes. 'i'm worried about the halo going off.'
you want to laugh, so hard, but it actually is an issue: most of ava and bea's friends and family don't know anything about the halo, mostly for their protection. 'i'm sure you can get all the glowing out on your honeymoon.'
ava does laugh, then, relieved. 'that's for sure.'
and it's beautiful: you get to stand in front of the altar your friend built for her partner, and you get to pray for their whole lives to be full of this stunning, soft love. they say their vows, and beatrice cries the entire time, which eventually makes ava cry, and then you cry, and then you all laugh.
'by the power vested in me by god, and the state of california,' you say, 'i now pronounce you wives.' ava laughs, delighted, and turns to bea, then looks at you impatiently. you roll your eyes. 'go ahead,' you say.
ava wastes no time, leaning forward to capture bea's lips in a sweet kiss, which beatrice lets linger long enough for a few good-natured wolf whistles from the crowd. ava kisses bea's forehead and they smile, alone in their own universe, before turning to everyone. there are cheers and you're pretty sure everyone was crying.
you get drunk on champagne at the reception and cry even more when you see beatrice in her tang jacket, when she tells you that you were right: there's no shame in loving ava; there never has been. and, a miracle, ava is hers. there are things more certain to you than faith.
'your marriage is going to last annoyingly long,' you tell her. 'i'm sure of it.'
she holds you tight. 'i'm sure of it too.'
//
salma
your aunts are the fuc—freaking coolest. not only do they visit often, but you get to visit them in california, where they live in a big house on the beach and sometimes take you to disneyland. your aunt bea teaches you to surf, and your aunt ava teaches you how to make a bunch of virgin cocktails — which you find very fun — and they both sit and do puzzles with you whenever you want, even if your brother gets bored.
your grandmother — you guess, you never met her and you've never even talked to her, but she was your dad's and beatrice's mother — dies one day. you don't really care; she apparently was a huge asshole to your aunt when she was little. your dad picks you up from school like normal, and you wait impatiently for asaad to make his way out.
your dad takes you to get ice cream and then tells you that she died. you don't care, which is maybe bad, but you don't owe her anything. people can be mean for no reason, to someone like you, to someone like your aunt bea, so you don't care.
your dad is quiet for a few days, and then your aunts visit. you do a little double take when your aunt bea takes her beanie off and her hair is shorter than you've ever seen it, but you hug her quickly, as tight as you can, your head reaching the middle of her chest — when your cat died in third grade your mom had taught you about grief, how it lasts a long time and it's okay to feel, how different cultures have different ways of expressing it. you hug your aunt ava too, and she ruffles your hair and cups your cheek. 'what's up, beautiful?' she says, and it makes you feel it, from someone so pretty: beautiful.
when you get older, your aunt bea will help you change your pronouns, and pick a new name — peace, you decide on — and she calls you her niece, which you love. when you get older, she'll be even more amazing to you, the way she's so kind in a world that hasn't been, the way she loves your dad and your brother and your mom, the way she loves your aunt ava.
for now, it's late and your aunt ava is asleep in the guest room, and your dad had kissed your forehead and gone off to the bathroom he shares with your mom. you go downstairs to get a glass of water, and you see your aunt sitting on the couch, peacoat rumpled and very still and, if your dad's breath was anything to go by, probably pretty drunk.
she looks up when she hears you, and then smiles gently, a little unfocused. you sit next to her, rub your hand along her buzzed hair with a laugh, and it gets her to laugh too. 'you look cool.'
she kisses your forehead. 'that's very kind.'
you play with her fingers, with the ring there, warm even though it's cold outside. 'you know,' you say, 'you've made the world safer for me.'
the sound that leaves her is between a laugh and a sob. you want to be smaller, just for a moment, so you could climb into her lap like you used to when she was little.
'i'm really sorry your mother sucked balls.'
then there's definitely a laugh: 'did aunt ava teach you that?'
you grin into her shoulder. 'i can neither confirm nor deny.'
she tugs you to her, buries her face in your hair for a moment and then wipes her cheeks.
'i'm glad i'm like you,' you say, the best you can for now.
'oh, darling,' she says, then swallows so she doesn't start crying again, you're pretty sure, 'i'm so glad. you are such a light in this world. don't let anyone let you believe you aren't wonderful.'
'i won't,' you say, a prayer, like you kneel and understand with your mom; a promise.
'and, you can always call me.'
'ew, on the phone?'
she laughs. 'or text, if you must.'
you burrow into her side even further. 'i'll call, aunt bea. i always will.'
//
g-d
of course, if there's anything you know, it's blessings.
you know beloved; you know holy. people call you by different names, all falling short, all trying to grasp at you. you know beloved, and worship, and belief.
you look down on them sometimes, because you can. ava — her name the familiar of eve; the meaning in a sacred language, life; something divine against her will in her back; one of your children who had faced more cruelty than she should have — laughs, every day. even on days that hurt for her, she smiles and she laughs and there is a love there: for your world, for its waves and the sun and stars and moon; she, too, sees that it is good. beatrice, gentle and unsure and certain, prays to you still, and to ava, which you don't begrudge her. she worships every day, the most faithful on earth.
of course, there are things you let run their course, the small joys and small miseries: swimming in the ocean, chocolate cake, the first fall of snow; traffic jams and broken wrists and lilith. there are some things even you can't entire shift: ava's broken back and the heaviness in beatrice's mind sometimes. but you watch them, from time to time, in their house on a beach that brings them wonder, when they visit the mountains and fall asleep in front of a warm fireplace, listening to a record that skips before you step in and turn the machine off.
you'll let them grow old together, of course — greying hair and ava's impatience with politics and beatrice's stiff knees in the cold. there's time, for the halo and for all of it, but ava died to save the world, once. ava died for love, and she lives for it too.
in this life, they say to each other, quietly and often. you let things run its course but you step in, from time to time: you will give them peace. they'll want more of them, greedy, and perhaps you'll let them — and the next and the next and the next.
but, of course, this life, this life — you make sure it's a good one.
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formosusiniquis · 11 months
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last night, i dreamt i still knew you
Tommy Hagan & Steve Harrington, One Sided Tommy Hagan/Steve Harrington, & Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson
aka the one where Tommy goes to college, gets lonely, introspects on the classic high school homoerotic friendship, and Ferris Bueller helps provide some insight on the self
He imagines a happy Steve, a jealous Steve, a down on his luck Steve; but every single one misses him. Every Steve has the same empty and wanting space in his heart that Tommy used to fill. Armed with a million maybes and what if’s Tommy still had no intention of doing a thing. He’d spend his time in Hawkins, with his family, and when the summer came to an end he’d tell his mom it was just such a shame that his old friends were so busy. But Hawkins is a small town, has always been a small town. And even with hours of late night imaginings that all hinged on small town coincidence, he wasn’t prepared for Steve Harrington outside The Hawk with a gaggle of high schoolers and Eddie the Freak.
it's 4k babes it just reads better on ao3
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satoshy12 · 4 months
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My hero actually DID his job!
It had been a political meeting with the big media, as Vlad had to listen to other citizens talk about their heroes and complain about how they have more supervillains and damage. As a reporter, asked Vlad, the mayor of Amity Park, what he thought about it. He himself didn't talk about villain attacks or similar.
Vlad:" It's not my fault that your heroes are failures."
Yeah Vlad insulted every hero and city just with 1 sentence.
Politician angry from Metropolis:" What the hell are you talking about?"
Vlad:" How many years did your heroes fight their villains in your cities with collateral damage?"
Someone from Gotham said, " Maybe now 20 years maybe more."
Vlad:" The hero in Amity Park only took 1 year to show all his villains the right path, that they dropped being evil, and only once in a while visit to fight the hero without any damage to the city other than that place where they fight."
Vlad had built an Arena for it; it helped both Ghost and Danny fight and train.
Many of them are silent, as if they couldn't believe 1 word to say, " Impossible. Our heroes tried it for so many years."
Vlad:" If your failures did their job, you wouldn't have any villains years ago. So, yes, I don't think your heroes do their jobs."
Vlad then didn't talk anymore about this theme; he got bored of it.
And for the media and politicians, 1 online search and they saw Vlad told the truth... And they were kind of angry and confused. How comes that boy in 1 year fixed all his villain but someone like Superman or Batman wasn't able to do it for years!
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talshiargirlfriend · 5 days
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a little friendly banter
Psssst hey @deadheaddaisy your pals Kelly and Rostov are here ☺️
“Everything’s green, Mike. Whatever gremlins have been hanging out in the intermix chamber, we seem to have chased them away for now!” Kelly made a superstitious gesture as she handed him a PADD with diagnostic results. 
“Maybe that offering shrine at the chief’s workstation finally did the trick,” Rostov grinned. “Will I see you at the movie later?”
“Of course!” she tossed over her shoulder with a smile brighter than the warp core. “You know I never miss a murder mystery!” 
He smiled fondly at her departing back.
“Now that is the face of a man who is smitten,” came Commander Tucker’s amused voice behind him. 
Oh God, was it that obvious?
“It’s not like that.” Mike turned the PADD over in his hands before passing it on to his CO. 
Tucker raised his eyebrows.
Mike lowered his voice, “It’s … we’re not together or anything, but she’s really great. I mean, she’s so smart and funny, and she can kick my ass at poker—“
“Rostov, everyone can kick your ass at poker,” Trip interjected.
“Haha, shut up, Sir. I like it when she does. Have you ever heard her sing?” He placed his hands over his heart. “Like an an… gel,” he trailed off as he looked to see what had drawn Trip’s attention. 
Ah, of course. Commander T’Pol had just entered Engineering. She was right on time for her usual afternoon update from Commander Tucker. One hundred percent necessary despite the fact that she could view all engineering reports from a console on the bridge.  He pressed his lips together to keep from smirking.
If he’d looked half as goofy grinning at Kelly as Tucker did looking at T’Pol right now he’d absolutely deserved that ribbing. Jesus. 
“Buuuut then I guess you’d know all about being smitten, eh Chief?”
“Oh come on, not you too, Mike,” Tucker groaned. “It’s really not like that, ok?” 
“Whatever you say, Chief…” Rostov accepted Trip’s pained look as dismissal and stepped back to watch the two commanders square up. 
“What can I do for you, T’Pol?”
“I came to view the diagnostic reports, Commander.” 
She accepted the PADDs without so much as glancing at the data on them, and then looked up at Trip with doe eyes. 
“and to inquire whether you will be attending ‘Movie Night’ this evening?” 
Crewman Second Class Michael Rostov had seen a lot of weird shit since leaving Earth, but a Vulcan flirting had to be near the top of the list. 
He grinned. Whatever you say. 
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modernwritercraft · 1 month
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Advice
Want to know what helps me with my writing or art?
I look at it from an outside perspective. I pretend I'm a stranger coming across it on the internet and see how everything looks and flows. It helps me find weaknesses in my writing and helps me feel better about my art when I'm feeling bad about it.
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frownyalfred · 11 months
Link
Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Batman - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne Characters: Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, background gotham OCs for flavor Additional Tags: POV Outsider, outside!pov, Identity Porn, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, but he's trying so so hard ok, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is a Ray of Sunshine, Minor Injuries, look gotham EMTs don't care which crib they rock up to, they just care about their patient and if they're gonna get shot, not NOT inspired by nightwatch, Protective Bruce Wayne, no beta we die like jason todd Series: Part 8 of DC outsider POV Summary:
The address -- 1007 Mountain Drive -- told Alex two things: one, their patient was either going to be someone unreasonably wealthy or an unlucky service worker, and two, getting to the actual patient was going to be a bitch.
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dnfao3tags · 4 months
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dnfao3tags' bookmarks #4
Tumblr media
rapture
by silversandstone
gen | comp. | 2k
Dream and George, through the eyes of Dream's personal bodyguard.
He hasn’t seen this much adoration between two people anywhere but wedding photos. Yet here he is, on a security job at VidCon, watching a pair of Minecraft streamers hold each other like the world would end if they let go.
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pollyna · 2 years
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Around 1995.
Andrew does recive a lot of strange request, when he gets a new Admiral uniform to work on. Admiral Kazansky's one is almost innocent, if innocent is the way he's going to use it but that isn't something he should bother with. He asks for an internal pocket, on his left breast, large enough to fit three photographs, not visible to an outside eye and not impossible to reach/use because sometimes he's going to take the photos out to watch them. And it has to be done on both his jackets. Andrew has just the time to take a pick on the photos and the subjects are a young aviator and a kid. Probably Admiral Kazansky son's. He forgets pretty quickly about it, after another Admiral asks him for a modification to the zip of his pants because- Andrew doesn't finish to read the description.
June 2011
Admiral Kazansky has three stars on his jacket and their already talking about giving him a fourth one. Andrew doesn't know what this man does to get promoted this fast but, at least, he still doesn't make strange requests. Just his pocket, always the same size and measurements. It's unusual but sometimes it happens and when Admiral Kazansky himself walks in his shop he shouldn't be looking around to see for the kid, kids?, he always has a photo on him. There's another person with him but he surley isn't a kid but a captain and he's looking around the place like is the first time he sees it. It's certainly the first time Andrew sees him. The Admiral is nice and probably the less chatty of the group, signs on the line at the end of the page for six times and asks if the pocket is still doable. Andrew is going to answer that yes, it's a pocket not a two way lampo because receiving a blow job during a call is more important than the call itself! when the other man asks what pocket?
The one the Admiral has his sons photos in? Andrew answers and maybe he should really learn how to shut the fuck up because Kazansky's face is red and he looking everywhere but on the table. You totally have a pic of Bradley there don't you? he asks taking the jacket and opening the pocket with the most childish reaction Andrew has seen in a while. Oh Tom he murmurs before start laughing this man thinks I'm your son and you had a photo of me on you since 95?! God man if I could go back I would beat some sense in the instructor who gave you the callsign. Iceman my ass.
Andrew is looking at the picture and the man in front of him and yeah, he can see the resembles now. Just know he sees the wedding rings around their fingers and when the captain kisses the Admiral he lets him do. I love you, you big softy. But I'm going to find a better picture of us, all together, so you can stop going around with one that makes people think I'm your son or I'm dead. C'mon Admiral, we have place to be and things to do.
Admiral Kazansky smiles at him from half the shop away and they're outside before Andrew can check he sign it all. He shouldn't care, because he has so much work to do and so much strange requests to try and create but he almost let himself giggle a little because Admiral Kazansky is going around the world with the photos of his kid and his husband, safe and secure, just where his heart beats the strongest and it makes him strangley happy and proud of his work.
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