#tpr fic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

noxnthea · 2 years

Text

Winterhawk ficlet: “But I’m supposed to be the witch in this relationship!” + Vampires + Marvel x DC crossover + eventual possible Clint/Bucky/Jason Todd wc 850 —

Clint steps into his house, tossing his keys in the general direction of their hook. A tiny purple puff of smoke, invisible to all but other magic users, ensures that the keys land exactly where he wants them. He shrugs out of his jacket, putting it next to Bucky’s. Nice. His boyfriend must already be here, though Clint coulda sworn he wasn’t gonna arrive until after dinner.

Not that he’s gonna complain about Bucky showing up early, it’s just that Clint’s really hungry. He was looking forward using his magic to reheat his leftover pizza to that perfect balance of crispy and melty goodness that he can never quite achieve via normal, human methods like microwaves or ovens. Even though Bucky’s just regular dude, not a speck of magic in him, Clint’s learned the hard way to never use magic in front of others if they might pick up on its effects.

“Hey babe,” he calls out. “Glad to see you’re using that key I gave you. You get off work early?”

Rather than an answer, there’s a crash from somewhere deep in the house.

Clint’s instantly on high alert. He puts his thumb to the ring on his middle finger, activating the sigils that give him access to his power stores. He walks through the kitchen, one hand in front of him. “...Babe?”

There’s another crash, then, a quiet ‘shit’, a pause, then, “In here!”

“In where?” Clint asks, concerned.

“Basement!”

Clint’s breath catches in his throat. Bucky shouldn’t know about the basement. It’s warded against sight and detection. Even Nat approved it, said her magic didn’t so much as itch when she came near it before he adapted the wards to recognize her. Fuck. “Don’t look in there,” he says hurriedly, sprinting for the stairs. “Everything in there is uh, a prop? It’s all, uh, parts of a play. Yeah, okay, you remember, I was a nerd in school, did ren fests and things and —”

He reaches the door to the basement, winces at the broken wards as he passes — he should have felt them break — slams it open. “I mean, not that ren fests are just for nerds, or that being nerdy is a bad thing, it’s just —”

His voice dies in his throat.

Bucky’s standing in the center of the room, one hand extended to his side, where a red flame flickers, swirling bright crimson smoke into the air. The other stretches forward, fingers flexed upwards, palm flat towards a man that’s bound to a chair against the wall.

Well, no, not a man — a vampire.

Silver chains wrap around his ankles and wrists, keeping him tied to the chair. Three crucifixes make up the back of the chair, and thick ropes anchor him in place. A vat of holy water is suspended in midair above him, poised and ready to drench his unruly hair and ruin his leather motorcycle jacket.

“Hey, Clint,” Bucky says. “Sorry, this was the closest warded and supplied place I could take him, and the silver in my car wasn’t holding up.”

“The silver in your car?” Clint echoes weakly. He blinks, rubs at his eyes. Yeah, nope, that’s his totally human, totally non-magic boyfriend trapping a vampire with what looks like a pretty damn powerful purification spell in progress.

The vampire jerks his head back, twisting his face so that he can spit the gag out of his mouth. It’s a pretty mouth, fangs aside. “Ren fests are totally for nerds,” he says. “I bet you both are regular attendees.”

Bucky sighs. “Sorry, thought I had that tighter.”

The vampire winks. “Looks like someone needs to practice on their knot work, though— ,” he flexes strong biceps against the ropes, then smirks, “— seems like you’ve got at least some practice tying people up.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “You’re relentless, Todd. I cannot wait until this spell goes through and you’ve got your gods-damned soul back. Maybe then you’ll be a little less annoying.”

He waves the hand that’s extended in front of him, and a flicker of red flies from the flame above his other palm, shooting towards the vamp.

Before it arrives, the vampire chuckles. “Oh, sweetheart. As if having a soul is gonna make me keep my mouth closed.” The flicker of red yanks on the gag, pressing it through his lips, behind his teeth. His chuckles continue, and there’s a glow in his eyes that makes one hell of a promise.

The red flicker flies back to rejoin the flame over Bucky’s palm. It’s an effortless display of strength: one spell cast in the middle of at least two others, the animation of two inanimate objects, multiple targets held in concentration at the same time. Gods, the level of focus required alone — Clint hasn’t seen anyone this strong since, well, himself.

Holy shit, and Clint thought Bucky was attractive before? He shifts on his feet at the sudden discomfort in his jeans. He steps forward, letting the door to the basement swing closed.

“But,” he says, mind still skipping like a broken record, “I’m supposed to be the witch in this relationship.”

“Yeah,” Bucky says, “about that.”

—

Ficlet two of @ladyladylady1's birthday week!

#winterhawk #established winterhawk #:flaming elmo gif:#all aboard the marvel x dc crossover train #thanks tpr for converting us all #i just smashed like ten magic/supernatural/witch/paranormal lores together in one fic #*nervous laughter*#it's fine it makes sense #marvel x dc #jason todd #clint barton #bucky barnes #LADY I LOVE YOU HERE ARE SOME MORE OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS #my fic

73 notes · View notes

moonscarsandstars · 4 years

Text

tw; breakups

~~~

“...I’ve got nothin’ left, I’ve got nothin’ left to lose.”

The vinyl slowed down, til it stopped and silence filled the air again.

Swallowing tightly, Sirius reluctantly pulled himself out of his bed, reaching across the messy bed for his wand, and accio’ing his old, creased docs.

The same ones he wore on his first date with Remus.

Fuck, he’d give anything to get the stupid tosser out of his mind.

“Moony? Get the fuck out of my head, and just get out,” snapped Sirius, his voice growing weak at the end.

But only silence responded.

“Pads?” Came a voice from the room the next room. “You’re awake already?”

If Sirius had it in him, he’d shout back. But here he was.

“Padfoot?”

Before Sirius could answer, the door burst open, and James was rubbing his eyes at the doorway. James’s hair was a curly nest, his shirt hung off his broad shoulders as he rubbed his glasses on his shirt before putting them on. Only to see Sirius clearer.

Sirius’s eyes really said it all. The red rimmed eyelids, the shadows beneath them, and red shade that didn’t look like it was leaving anytime soon.

“Fuck, Pads, you should’ve called me.”

“You were sleeping so well, I- I didn’t-”

“I’m definitely not going to sleep well while you’re in pain, Pads. You’re so much more important than that.”

“Beg to differ...”

“Pads,” whispered James, voice breaking. “D’you want to talk about it? Or talk to Moony?”

“N- no!”

Looking up in confusion, James raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Nothing- don’t want to disturb him.”

The lies were beating hard against Sirius’s chest. If there was one person he’d keep in the dark about this for as long as he could, it’d be James.

“Something’s up with the two of you, isn’t there?”

Easier said than done apparently.

“Nothing, Prongs, I promise,” said Sirius, in a steadier voice than he thought he could manage. “Absolutely nothing.”

~~~

“Sirius isn’t okay,” said James warily.

“I know.”

Remus said it quietly, refusing to look up in fear that James would figure it out.

It was the last thing the two of them had agreed on. They’d seen the way it fucked up friendships, and it would kill them to see James in that position. Granted, it was easier said than done.

“What happened between both of you?”

“Nothing...?”

It sounded too sarcastic.

“Please don’t lie to me, Moons.”

“No, really, I promise Prongs, really. Nothing’s happened.”

James looked wary, but he could also see the way Remus started pulling at his sleeves and biting the sides of his cheek.

After all, he didn’t live with Remus for seven years to come out with nothing about his anxious habits.

“Okay then.”

“Yeah.”

“What’re you doing?”

A wooden clicking sound James wasn’t aware of slowed down, and he suddenly flipped his head to see it. A red and gold jumper was being messily knitted, fray strands everywhere.

It was odd. Remus’s jumpers were near perfection normally. He could never stand otherwise. But then again, not much nowadays was normal.

Remus gestured vaguely at the knitting, which was barely half-assed. But he didn’t seem to care, like he barely even knew what was going on with it.

“It’s- why isn’t it as good as it normally is. Is something up?”

“’M tired,” muttered Remus reluctantly.

“Why don’t you take a nap?”

“Not that kind of tired.”

“Oh. D’you want a hug? Or space?”

“Space, I think,” said Remus, ignoring the itching need for affection that was crawling under his skin.

“Sure?”

“Yeah... thanks.”

“Welcome,” said James.

But it was as soon as he pulled the door shut that the worry filled him.

If there was anybody that could help them, it had to be Lily. It was barely a dizzy apparation before he was at Lily’s house.

“Oh come on, Lils, please be at home,” he muttered frantically, knocking at her door much harder than he intended to. The seconds waiting there were agony, as he tapped his foot impatiently, mind swarming with ideas and theories.

The door opened with a click. “Yes? Oh, hello Jam-”

“What happened?!”

“What?”

She looked taken aback. And for once, James wasn’t paying attention to the way the dim sunlight shimmered on her dark red hair.

“Between Sirius and Remus? What happened?!”

“Didn’t you know?”

“What?!”

James was hysterical now.

“They broke up.”

109 notes · View notes

matan4il · 3 years

Photo

So I’m talking to @toughpaperround about a fic she’s beta’ing for me and just express that all I want is for my writing to make people happy.

Then the next day I wake up to this. Just a small reminder why she’s the greatest supporter in this fandom! She beta’s and helps make so many people’s fics better, she encourages anyone with self doubt, she constantly reblogs writing advice, she podfics to make people’s writing more accessible, she’s taken it upon herself to create graphics for my fic, Blue Against Blue, when I had none and wasn’t even thinking of creating any such for my writing, she creates fantastic, themed rec lists for fics, she signal boosts fandom events and now she’s also made me this, out of the blue.

And that’s in addition to creating her own content!

So yeah, I’m a puddle of feels.

Thank you for the wonderful friend that you are and for all that you do for everyone in this fandom. You’re amazing! xoxoxox

12 notes · View notes

citrinekay · 4 years

Photo

tfw when you’re writing a period piece and you realize you don’t know how long anything has been around ever 😅

#i have at least five tabs open when i'm writing this fic at all times #the number of mundane things i want to reference and them i'm like wait .... was that around in the 30s #writing #tpr

7 notes · View notes

kathrynalicemc · 1 year

Text

•Introducing The Phoenix Archives•

The Phoenix Resistance was an underground rebellion led by Devon Marlowe from August 1997 to May 1998. What follows is an account of classified and sealed records from that time.

I’ve been meaning to do this ever since my fic series ended almost a year ago now. Introducing The Phoenix Archives (TPA), a series that will introduce new lore and one shot stories to the already completed story and canon. These will be additions that I didn’t include in the original story for whatever reason. They will most likely be side stories that fit into the empty spaces of time between written chapters or be off screen stuff. None will directly interfere or rewrite the original canon story! ALSO this will be open to anyone who wants! If you weren’t around for the stories original run and want your oc to be a part of it HMU! I’m always wanting to add more to the story. Could be recruits to TPR or maybe you have a safehouse you want to add to the list!

Check out the original series here!

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #tpr #tpa #the phoenix resistance #the phoenix archives

12 notes · View notes

terrainofheartfelt · 2 years

Note

Musicians!Humphreys my beloved!!! So you alluded to them working with some of Lincoln Hawk’s old material, but apart from that, what genre(s?) of music do you see them working in? For Jenny I definitely picture rock, but also that’s probably because of Taylor Momsen more than anything else lol. For Dan I’m actually not sure - for someone with as many opinions on art and film and literature as he had, I can’t actually remember if he ever talked about music? I mean, with his upbringing and personality you have to imagine the guy would have some strong opinions, but I’m not entirely sure what they would be!

(Also this is an incredibly minor nitpick, but unless there was fraud, deception, or coercion involved in their marriage (or physical incapacity that was unknown at the time of marriage), Dan and Serena would be getting a divorce, not an annulment. The reason Rufus and Lily got their marriage annulled was because they were technically married under false pretenses i.e. an undissolved previous marriage. The whole short marriage = easy annulment thing is a misconception and, at least in New York, the rules are quite specific and pretty strict. Anyway I love literally everything else you wrote sjskfjfjdkd that is just one of those tropes for me lol)

Yesssss my kind of question! This is multi-pronged, so come on this journey through my thought process with me.

I’ll be honest, all these hcs are based off my own personal music tastes, but hey, my fic my blorbos my rules. Which is just to say, Momsen’s work with TPR isn’t really my cup of tea, nor is Badgley’s musical moonlighting, so that’s kind of…separate from how I’ve painted this all in my brain.

Music tastes-wise (I actually wrote meta for Ivy about this but it was sooooooo long ago, but I could probs hunt it down if you’re interested) I think both Dan and Jenny are the type whose taste is shaped SO much by their parents, and then as they became their own people, those tastes diverged and converged and evolved. One thing I think about a lot is a passing comment from Jen in s2 when she’s like…sorting the record collection? and she mentions Muddy Waters and when I first heard that my heart went !!!! bc I listened to Muddy Waters growing up too bc my dad LOVES that artist (self recognition through the other, etc.) so I think, in addition to the Lincoln Hawk 90s rock of it all, Dan and Jenny were brought up on a diet of blues, classic rock, and folk—think Laurel Canyon. (Some artists: Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Nina Simone, Mavis Staples, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Pat Benatar, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Tim Buckley, Jeff Buckley—Rufus and Alison actually would have been settling into the Brooklyn artist scene in the late 80s/early 90s when he was there too, right?—Simon & Garfunkel, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, I should probs stop now…)And another pet hc of mine is that Alison was into some country music, but like, the good kind—not this bullshit stadium country, but what my friends and I call ~Lady Country~: like Brandi Carlile and The Chicks formerly known as Dixie. Dan and Jenny both know “Cowboy Take Me Away” by heart. now I’m tempted to share my lady country playlist…

So for Dan, he grows into a pretentious music lover: we see him talk about Eliot Smith & Morrissey, and I think growing up he and Vanessa get each other more entrenched in their own pretentious tastes—he’s a classics and rock and punk and indie and folk guy. He sticks to the genres he deems as “Good” and it’s not really until Serena and Nate come into his life that he takes off his blinders. In his 20s, he doesn’t really have a set framework for what constitutes as “good music” in terms of genre, if it’s well-written, it’s well-written. He becomes a lowkey swiftie, not in a like, internet girl kinda way—he just respects her game, and he LOVES the geniuses behind boygenius, and, as we’ve established in this corner of the fandom, Hozier is His. Some other artists for him: Paramore (Jimmy Stewart was his first celeb crush but Haley Williams was his second), Frank Turner, Bleachers, Andrew McMahon and Brian Fallon (and all their associated acts), Lord Huron

Jenny has always just liked everything in the way that girls are allowed to/have to like everything. Her tastes range from the artists she learned from her parents, the poppunk overlap between her & Dan & Vanessa, her riot grrl rock, plus pop music, plus the indie finds she loves to sniff out. My Jenny playlist jumps from genre to genre like nothing else—actually, my blorbo playlists, I don’t really put something on there unless I think it is something that suita the character’s taste, so Jenny’s has Range, darling, and Dan’s keeps to his hipster-light taste, and Blair’s leans towards vintage sound, and Serena’s is poppier…anyways… Some artists that I keep in mind for Jen: Kesha, Halsey, Panic! at the Disco, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks (and Fleetwood Mac), Amy Winehouse

Which brings us back to: what kind of musicians would this make them? In the post-canon fic-let that you responded to with this ask, I have a particular album in mind: In the Game, by Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill. It’s a collab between two very excellent artists—whose lyrics just scream dan & jenny to me. O’Neill just—she sounds like Jenny to me. She has this captivating, bluesy, raw kind of voice, she can be so tender, but wail when she has to. (and I think, if you were to strip her voice of the hard rock affectation she sings with—bc that’s her genre, no shade—Momsen would sound the same). And genre-wise, the more I think about it the more it fits. Bc this album is an interesting blend of blues & folk with a little bit of rock, and I think that suits, bc neither Dan nor Jenny would want to write music that sounds too much like Lincoln Hawk and their dad, they’d want to create their own thing, and what happens is a gelling of their tastes, starting in the overlap of their venn diagram, and stretching the other into branching out. In the way that Jenny loves listening to anything and everything, she is also down for trying any genre, but I think Dan—whose not a frontman like his sister and father are—would stick to his comfort zone, but his comfort zone is like, fantastic.

And there’s this note I made for this au—which will maybe someday become a fic?—that sort of defines how I hear them as performers. Jenny sings like she’s trying to pull the emotion out of the listener, to make them feel what she’s feeling. Dan sings like it’s the very words that are being pulled out of him. They’re both emotive, but in different ways; one is more…in your face, while the other is more turned inward. Artists that I think are like Jenny in this sense (it’s not genre-based, it’s more a vibe): tswift, Kesha, Hayley Williams, Brendan Urie, Mick Jagger, Brandi Carlile. Artists that remind me of Dan with this kind of emotive, lyrics led vibe are: Phoebe Bridgers, Hozier, Sara Bareilles, Jeff Buckley. Also important notes: Jenny can WAIL, okay? Like she has so much voice in such a little body. And Dan is really, really good at hooking into his falsetto at all the right moments that can make a person just— he’s not a belter like Jen is—her voice is undoubtedly bigger—but he has that command over his instrument. Like the way Hozier and Jeff Buckley and Brendan Urie can just — hook into their head voice and make a Moment? yeah.

I could go on about musician!Humphreys forever, so if you have more to ask, by all means 💜💜💜💜

And bestie. listen. I so appreciate everyone who has their pet centers of knowledge and information and is very into sharing them (see above) music is mine, but marriage law is not, so please, when a girl says she posted a thing after writing it in mostly one sitting and without any proofing, please give her a little bit of grace. ♥️

#asks #anon #musician!humphreys my most beloved #ty for asking! i love talking about this in case you couldn’t tell #gg hcs #plus a lil bit of #gg meta #the other day I was talking to my brother #and he’s seen lucy daucus & julien baker live #and has tickets for phoebe #and he said ‘i’m hoping once I complete the trifecta I can just ascend to this new lesbian plane of existence’#which is a hilarious but also very dan humphrey thing to say #his gf definitely gave him side eye for it tho

8 notes · View notes

wiseabsol · 1 year

Text

As an update for everyone, I've slowly been making my way through the repost project in an unrevealed collection on AO3. It's been a little on the tricky side, since some stories actually have multiple versions (namely the one-shots) and some stuff is unfinished and I'm debating how best to handle those. I don't know when I'll be able to hit the reveal buttom and let you all dig in, in part because I definitely do want to eliminate some of the, uh, distasteful bits. I'm hoping I can maybe reveal the collection as a Christmas gift to you all, though? "TPRS" is going to be the biggest hurdle, because that sucker is so long and is the Mewtwo fanfic equivalent of Elfen Lied.

On the plus side, though, looking at my fanfic roots has been kind of fun, and I am looking forward to releasing some never before seen stories. Also, looking at "TPRS" is definitely going to make it easier to get through an "AS" reread, because boy howdy is "AS" much better. I also have some more bonus content for "AS" started, which I'm hoping to work on more this year, as well as the fic itself.

Of course, I also have a fantasy/scifi/horror original fiction novel in the works, so that should take priority. I have it on good authority, though (i.e. people who have been reading my work for a while now), that it's promising so far. I also have been revisiting my thesis project from grad school with some new ideas, too, which has been exciting.

In short, I know it takes me forever to get anything done these days, writing-wise. But the juices are flowing, so it's just a matter of time.

#My writing #Adult life has been a kick in the teeth for getting creative work done #But I'm trying

4 notes · View notes

edupunkn00b · 3 years

Text

Punks‚ Poets‚ Parents - Ch. 12: The Good Thing

Prev - Ch. 12: The Good Thing - Next - Master Post - [ A03 ]

Fic rated M, this chapter rated T - CW: Remus likes to swear (not around Jay) - WC: 4100

I will fight, will fight with my heart I will fight, will fight with understanding In my mind the weather never changes Skill overcomes unfavorable conditions A straight line exists between me and the good thing I have found the line and its direction is known to me Absolute trust keeps me going in the right direction Any intrusion is met with a heart full of the good thing - The Good Thing, Talking Heads ---

Friday, May 19, 1984

It was a quiet Friday morning in May and Logan had woken early. He'd finished his fourth cup of coffee by the time Patton stumbled into the kitchen, hunting for breakfast. Logan nudged him to the table and set in front of him a mug of light and sweet coffee and a plate of eggs, whole wheat toast, and fruit.

“Wow, Lo… this feels like my birthday.” Patton looked up at his brother, a brittle smile pulling at his cheeks. “Thanks. I… I really needed this. I’ve got a long day full of home visits ahead of me.”

Logan settled into the seat across from him, hands wrapped around yet another cup of coffee. He was already a quarter of the way through that morning's second pot. He nodded, “You seemed particularly distracted when you came home from work last night.”

Patton stabbed a forkful of eggs and popped them in his mouth. “Yeah,” he mumbled after he’d swallowed and sipped some of his coffee. “I had a review of my open cases with my supervisor.” He took another few bites of his eggs while Logan watched him over the lip of his own coffee mug. “My supervisor wants me to close out half my cases.” Patton gulped at his coffee then stared into the half-emptied cup before he added, “Including Jay’s.”

Logan nodded once, his fears confirmed. Patton could barely look him in the eye last night when Logan had gotten back from watching Jay. Instead, Patton had taken his case files to his room, claiming the need to call it a night. But he hadn’t gone to bed.

Instead, Logan had heard him pacing in his room well past one o’clock in the morning when the teacher had finally fallen asleep. Judging by the deep shadows under Patton’s eyes, he’d stayed up even later than that.

Logan slowly sipped at his coffee, looking down into the dark liquid swishing in his mug. “And what precisely would ‘closing out’ Jay’s case entail?”

Patton leaned forward, dragging a hand through his hair as he finished the last of his eggs. “My supervisor wants me to support the mother’s request for a TPR—a termination of parental rights. Ms. Heaney, um… She was admitted to a treatment facility out West, but the court won’t release her while she has parental responsibilities here in New York.” Patton’s lips turned down, looking like he’d eaten something sour. “Her 18-b lawyer is all for it.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe any parent would agree to that, but….”

“But she has hardly served as a model for parent of the year, has she?”

Patton shrugged, cutting the crusts off his toast.

Logan bit the inside of his cheek, giving Patton time to say more, to tell him what he wanted to know so he wouldn’t have to ask. At Patton’s continued silence, Logan finally murmured, still staring down into his—now empty—coffee cup, “And what would that mean for Jay’s current foster care placement?”

Patton didn’t answer at first and instead took one last bite of his breakfast and stood to clear his plate. He faced the sink, silently rinsing his dishes. He turned off the water and sighed before replying. “I need to find him a permanent foster placement. Jay’s young. He needs a home with the potential for adoption. It won't be easy, though. Pre-adoptive placements for kids with disabilities"—without needing to look, Patton raised a hand to interrupt Logan's correction before he could begin—"kids with perceived disabilities are hard to come by.” He hung his head as he slowly dried his hands and when he spoke, his voice was low. "Another group home may be the only option."

Logan didn’t even try to soften the razor’s edge in his voice. “And in what way is his current placement inadequate?”

"Lo,” Patton sighed, turning around and leaning against the sink. “I know how much you care about all of your students, and this kiddo in particular, it's just… I'm not gonna be able to get my supervisor to sign off on a”—Patton lowered his voice to a whisper—”homosexual to be a permanent foster home for a seven year old boy."

"Patton!” Logan growled through clenched teeth. “That is the most closed-minded, bigoted bullshit I have ever heard you say!”

"I'm not saying I think it's right!" Folding his arms in front of his chest, Patton turned away, shaking his head. "I'm just trying to be realistic. The Bureau will want him in a stable home with a mother and a father."

“Pat, you and I both know that the presence of a husband and wife in a home does absolutely nothing to guarantee the safety and wellbeing of the children within.” Logan glared at Patton, hands shaking. "It certainly did not keep us safe."

“You think I don’t know that?” Patton cried, hugging his arms against himself, tears filling his eyes as his jaw trembled.

Logan frowned, looking down at the floor before stepping closer to Patton and pulling him into a hug, rubbing his back. Patton stiffened at first but soon melted into the familiar security of his older brother's arms. Logan squeezed him tighter, whispering, “I’m sorry, Pat.”

“It’s okay. I know you weren’t trying to dredge up old memories. It’s…” he sniffled, sighing against his brother’s shoulder. “It’s just hard sometimes in this job, you know?” Logan nodded, resting his cheek on his little brother’s head. “It’s why I do it, though. I wanna make sure other kids don’t have to go through what we did.” Logan hummed, quickly wiping away a tear from his own eye, disguising it behind adjusting his glasses.

After a few minutes, Patton started to fidget and Logan released him. Logan sat back down, wordlessly thumbing through one corner of the files on the kitchen table. His hand froze and he looked up at Patton.

"What about single fathers? Does your supervisor feel the same way about them?"

“Well,” Patton’s brow furrowed. “Releasing Jay to his father would be different. But we'd first have to identify and then locate him and the mother herself says she isn't sure.”

“How would you go about establishing paternity, if his father were to be identified?”

Patton shrugged, “We use a standardized blood type test and his mother's statement.”

Slowly nodding his head, Logan hummed in response. “And then you present the lab results in court?”

He sighed heavily, shaking his head. “We don’t have the budget to pay an expert witness for such basic results, so the social worker just signs an affidavit based on the lab report.”

Logan rested his hand on the tall stack of files and stared at his brother, one eyebrow slightly higher than the other.

“You're—you're not suggesting….”

“You are correct, Patton. I am not suggesting you do anything. I am merely asking questions.” His eyes never left Patton’s face. “What would be the recommended course of action for someone who believed he was the child’s father?”

Patton gnawed at his lip, briefly meeting Logan’s eyes. He looked back down at the case file in front of him, the small Polaroid of Jay staring back at him with those haunted eyes. He’d taken the picture himself the night he went to pick up Jay from Mr. Puños’ apartment. The boy hadn’t cried, or screamed, or fought to stay. He’d just stood behind Mr. Puños, watching with those big eyes, looking almost resigned to leave. He’d hugged Puños for a long time until finally the man had stood up and placed the boy’s hand in Patton’s.

“I suppose that if someone believed he was the boy’s father, he should contact me and I can arrange for a blood test. I would also need to speak with the boy’s mother in jail, to confirm his suspicion.” He looked up at his brother. "I imagine Ms. Heaney would feel a bit better about her decision to relinquish parental rights if she knew Jay was going to be with his father."

“Supposing you already had a blood test drawn. And it indicated paternity.” Logan stared into Patton’s eyes.

“Well... that would make things easier, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, I suppose it would.”

Patton stared at Logan for a few moments. “Thank you for breakfast, Lo. I should head into the office. I have a few calls to make and a site visit at Rikers to fit in, so I should probably get ready.”

“I hope the breakfast helped make your day a little bit easier. I should be going, as well.” Logan stood, taking his empty coffee cup to the sink and turning off the coffee pot. He quickly gathered his bag, wallet, and keys, and slipped through the door, giving his brother one last nod before he did.

Patton nodded and gave him a little wave as he left, then opened up the file on the top of the stack. Patton held Jay’s picture as he reached for the phone on the wall, calling his supervisor, hoping to leave a message on her voicemail.

Instead, she answered on the second ring. “Oh, hi there, Bridgette, I, uh, wanted to start your day with good news. It’s about the Heaney case.” Patton winced. “Mm-hm, yes. Well… I had that babysitter take a blood test.” Patton closed his eyes as he nodded, humming in response to his supervisor’s warning about wasting agency resources.

“Well, the, uh, mother suggested it, actually. It, uh, it turns out that he’s the biological father. It’s why she left the boy with him before she….” He swallowed, looking down at the picture of Jay as he listened to his supervisor's reaction. “Yeah, I—I think we might have a real success story.”

---

Logan stood outside the school in the bright morning light. The city around him was relaxing into those brief few weeks of near-summer, just before the oppressive heat started, choking the city until the end of September. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the warmth of the paper coffee cups in his hands, the gentle heat of the the sun, and the excited children's voices around him, pushing away the barbed lump of lead in his chest.

A student called his name as they walked through the gate and he turned to smile, nodding in response when a tiny figure suddenly plowed into his legs, nearly knocking him into the gate. He looked down to see Jay's bright smile shining back at him.

"Well, good morning, Jay, it is a pleasure to see you!" Logan's smile matched Jay's as the boy stepped back, looking over his shoulder to see that Remus had caught up to him.

"I can't even imagine running toward school at this age!" Remus laughed. He kept a tiny bit of distance between himself and Logan, feeling a buzz in the air between them. He gestured quickly in Logan's direction, "I can't say I blame him now, though."

Logan lips twitched in a warm smile for Remus as he cleared his throat and met his eyes. "Good morning... Mr. Puños."

"Good morning, Teach." Logan chuckled and handed him one of the coffees. Remus smiled in surprise but took a sip as Logan looked down at Jay again.

"Jay, please go wait at our class line up spot and I will join you all shortly." Jay peered closely into his teacher’s eyes, a tiny wrinkle pressed between his eyebrows.

Whatever he found behind Logan’s eyes seemed to reassure him and his brow smoothed as he nodded, turning to hug Remus and waving at both of them. Logan and Remus watched him walk through the gate and toward the class line up area on the blacktop. Just before they lost sight of him in the crowd of students, they saw another little child race to catch up with him, calling out his name.

He turned and smiled when he saw the little girl and they continued together toward their line.

Remus' voice cracked as he asked Logan, "Does… does he have… a friend?"

Logan was smiling broadly. "I did not want to say anything in case it was just a non-event, but, yes, yesterday they colored together and shared responsibility for passing out pencils."

He smiled, watching until he could no longer spot their little heads in the crowd. Shaking himself, Remus turned to Logan, "I'm guessing that's not why you met us here, though."

"That is correct." Logan took a deep breath and adjusted his glasses. "I—I do not wish to alarm you, but we have something important to discuss that could not wait until this evening. Something about Jay."

Remus crossed his arms, bracing himself. "Okay. Okay, rip it off like a band-aid."

Looking around at how near they were to the gate, Logan gestured with his chin further down the sidewalk and they walked together, close enough to hear each other's lowered voices, distant enough to not appear like anything more than a parent and a teacher.

Nodding brusquely, Logan began. "There have been some developments in Jay's foster care case and… I have done something… rash." Remus' eyes narrowed as he listened. Logan let out a slow breath. "I know you love Jay and have gone to great lengths to ensure his well being."

"I would do anything for him."

Logan met his eyes. "I am glad you said that, because… because you may have to."

---

"Holy fuck," Remus breathed, leaning back against the rusted wrought iron fence surrounding the school. Logan watched as he took a long swig of his coffee.

"If this is too much to ask—”

"Do you think it'll work?" Remus interrupted.

The icy rock that had settled in the pit of Logan's stomach since that morning's discussion with Patton melted away. He smiled softly and nodded. "I've been doing some reading and… apparently most of New York's paternity laws appear designed to attempt to prevent fathers from denying paternity once established." He shrugged, "The great wisdom of our legislature could not envision a man actually wanting the responsibility of caring for a child.

"I think the bigger question is, though… do you want this?”

"I was in foster care when I was a teenager." Remus' eyes grew dark as he shook his head. "I love Jay. I don't want that life for him." His voice cracked and he stood a little straighter, rubbing a harsh hand over his mouth, jaw clenched tight.

Logan's hand twitched with the effort of stopping himself from pulling Remus into his arms right there in front of the school. He met Remus' eyes and his own message echoed back at him. Tonight.

"So you will likely hear from Patton by midday today." Logan looked toward the gate, the flow of students noticeably thinner. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his inner jacket pocket. "Here is a list of the next steps. Patton has an answering machine on his phone at work. Call him if you do not hear from him."

Remus looked down at the paper. "Okay, I…" He looked up at Logan, smiling with tears in his eyes. "Will you still come over tonight? Maybe for dinner?"

"I would like that." Eyes darting back to the school, Logan sighed. "I need to go." He met Remus' eyes again. "I…."

Remus nodded, smiling. "Me, too." He raised his cup in salute, "Thank you, Mr. Sanders, for the coffee and for—” he waved his hands around him.

Heart beating just a little faster from the warmth in Remus’ eyes, Logan murmured, "It is my pleasure, Mr. Puños," before turning and racing back toward the gate.

---

Remus had just pulled the tray of lasagna from the oven when the doorbell rang. He wiped his brow. June had kicked off with a bang and the heat of the day combined with the heat of the oven to turn the kitchen just a tad too toasty. Remus opened the kitchen window wide as Jay set down the last fork in his hand and then ran to the door, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for Remus to check the peephole. Glancing down at the boy, Remus grinned broadly and whispered, “He’s here!”

Jay ducked under Remus’ outstretched arm as he opened the door, rushing in to be the first to greet Logan in the doorway. “Well, good evening, Jay.” Hugging his leg tightly, Jay let out a small laugh as Logan ruffled his hair.

“Please come in,” Remus murmured, closing the door then brushing a soft kiss against Logan’s lips before Jay pulled him into the kitchen and toward the table. “I hope you’re hungry.” Remus chuckled and kissed him again when Logan’s face flushed lightly, “I meant for the lasagna, Teach…”

Once they’d settled around the table, Logan nodded a quick thanks as Remus passed him the salad bowl, then scooped some onto Jay’s plate. “I found out this afternoon that a spot opened up in the summer program at the school.”

“Oh, that’s great! Are you still running the K to 2nd group?”

Logan smiled, “It’s how I found out.”

“What do you think, Jay? Would you like that? It’s a lot like your after school program now, but with Mr. Sanders instead of Miss Kate.” Jay’s eyes grew wide and he nodded rapidly. Remus turned again to Logan, “What can we do to hold a place for him?”

Logan grinned and took a sip of his water glass. Remus laughed, “You’ve already got him on the list, haven't you?”

He shrugged, “Not permanently… I did not want to lose the spot before I could check with you. It would have been a simple matter to take him off the list if either of you were not interested.”

“It helps to have a man on the inside, huh?”

“I suppose so.” Logan took a quick bite of the lasagna and smiled, “Oh, this is quite good.”

Remus grinned and winked at Jay. “I had an excellent assistant chef.”

“Job well, done, gentlemen.”

They ate together in a pleasant silence for a few minutes before Logan cleared his throat. “I have some other news—good news—well, I hope….”

Remus reached across the table and smiled as he stroked Logan’s hand, “What’s the news?”

“I was speaking with my neighbor and the apartment downstairs from mine is becoming available. It is precisely the same layout… two bedrooms, eat-in kitchen, sufficient closet space. It is rent-controlled, and my neighbor has been there for twenty years, so the rent is quite reasonable.”

“Wow." Remus blinked, nearly speechless. "That would be…”

“If it would be too awkward—”

Shaking his head and laughing, Remus interrupted, “I was going to say that would be amazing.”

Logan smiled. “I can introduce you to the landlord tomorrow, if you like.”

---

Remus and Logan had just finished cleaning up after dinner when Jay bounded into the kitchen wearing his new pajamas, hugging Grover and a small stack of books close to his chest. Remus grinned, “Ready for bed?” Jay nodded and presented the books to Remus. He smiled, eyebrow raised. “Teeth brushed?”

Laughing, Jay opened wide, showing off his freshly scrubbed teeth and the small space from the baby tooth he’d lost earlier in the week. “It’s story time, then.” Jay turned to Logan and hugged his legs, then grabbed Remus’ hand, pulling him toward the other room. Logan followed them but paused near the front door as he reached for his blazer.

Remus caught his eye, “Oh… you don’t have to… Can… Can you stay a little longer?”

He smiled at Remus. “Happily.” Logan waved goodnight to Jay then plucked a book from Remus’ shelf and sat down on the couch to read while he waited for Remus to settle Jay into bed. Engrossed in his reading, he was surprised by Remus’ low murmur some time later.

“Mmm… There’s nothing hotter than a man reading poetry.”

Logan blushed, adjusting his glasses. “I believe that statement to be rather exaggerative.” Laughing quietly, Remus pulled out his journal and a pen.

“Do you mind if I just jot something down and get it out of…” he waved his hand around his head, waggling his eyebrows.

“Of course not.” Remus settled next to Logan on the couch, leaning against his side. He sighed contentedly as Logan wrapped one arm around him. Logan stroked Remus’ arm with his thumb as he watched him write. After a few minutes, he tilted his chin toward the journal. “There is nothing hotter than a man writing poetry.”

It was Remus’ turn to blush as he craned his neck, capturing Logan’s mouth in a slow kiss. After a few minutes, Remus suddenly broke away, exclaiming and writing furiously in his book. Logan grinned, adjusting his arm as Remus shifted, leaning his back against Logan’s chest and tucking up his knees to support the journal as his pen flew across the page.

After several minutes of writing, Remus’ pen slowed and he tapped the edge of the book. “Logan… I….” Remus traced the veins on the back of Logan's hand. “Did I do the right thing? You know… it is actually impossible for me to have fathered, well, anyone. I’ve never… “

Logan nodded and closed his book, placing it in his lap. He stroked Remus’ hair and hummed. “From the bits that you’ve shared with me, I feel confident saying that you and I both know, all too well, that there are far more important parts to being a good father than simply providing… DNA.”

Remus hugged Logan’s other arm against his chest. “I just want what’s best for him,” he whispered. “That’s all I want. If there was a chance that he’d have a better life with some other family….” He winced. “I mean, I… I'd hate it, but….”

“Remus… You should know that… Jay was not doing well at the group home.” Remus shot up and stared at Logan, hands flexing at his sides. Logan quickly assured him, “No-one hurt him, nothing like that. They did everything they could to care for him.”

Remus relaxed slightly, leaning against Logan’s side again. He took a deep breath and resumed stroking Remus’ hair. “After the first day, when the counselor from Foundling picked him up from school… Jay was… he was inconsolable. He wouldn’t eat… they don’t believe he slept.” Logan sighed, “Based on his behavior in class, that would be my assessment as well.”

“How could they let him not…” Remus had to fight to keep his voice low.

“They did all they could. Jay wouldn’t allow anyone near him until he saw the van that took the children to school.” Logan worked to steady his own breathing as he thought about Jay’s devastated expression the second day when he still did not see Remus after school.

“The team at Foundling fully supported returning Jay to you. The director told me that he personally phoned the judge to expedite the paperwork to let Jay come home.” Logan leaned over, and kissed the side of Remus’ head, gently stroking Remus’ face and encouraging him to settle back down against his chest.

“Every person who has gotten to know you and Jay has seen that he needs you.” Logan met his eyes and smiled when Remus’ furrowed brow finally began to relax. “The way you care for him matters more than biology. Only a broken system would refuse to recognize and support that. This is the right thing to do.”

Remus nodded, and laced his fingers together with Logan’s. He kissed his knuckles, then sighed as he hugged Logan’s hand against his chest. Logan watched as Remus’ breathing gradually slowed and his eyelids started to fall. Smiling, Logan opened his book and continued to read.

Less than an hour later, Jay quietly padded into the living room. Logan looked up and whispered, “Oh, Jay. Did you have a nightmare?”

Jay shook his head as he stepped closer to the couch. He stood in front of them, a small smile brightening his face as he watched Remus sleep.

“He must be very tired. Shall we let him sleep?” Jay’s smile broadened and he nodded.

Jay bit his lip as he eyed Logan’s book. “Would you like me to read you a story?” Logan set down his book and frowned lightly at Remus’ sleeping form, puzzling out how to retrieve a story for Jay without rousing him.

Jay held out his hands and shook his head. He raced to the bookshelf and took down a Frog and Toad book. He handed it to Logan, eyebrows raised. When Logan nodded, Jay clambered into Logan’s lap, resting his head against Logan’s shoulder and twisting his fingers in Remus’ shirt sleeve as though it was a security blanket.

Logan smiled, propping the book on his lap to hold it with one hand, his other arm still draped across Remus’ chest. “Two short stories and then you must return to bed. You need optimal sleep and rest.” Jay looked up and nodded rapidly, resting his head back against his shoulder as Logan began to quietly read.

‘One day in summer Frog was not feeling well. Toad said, “Frog, you are looking quite green.”

“But I always look green,” said Frog. “I am a frog.”’

Jay giggled quietly and snuggled closer to Logan. He smiled down at the boy and continued to read.

“Today you look very green even for a frog,” said Toad. “Get into my bed and rest.” Toad made Frog a cup of hot tea. Frog drank the tea and then….‘

---

taglist: @mavenmush @melaniidarling @braingoburr @lunatatic @demon9980 @crossiantgay @psychedelicships @justmeandmygayships @ts-creator-boost @bluerosesbleedred

29 notes · View notes