#watching sad cartoons was really a bad idea tonight
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You know what would be cool? Blitzwing actually feeling bad and crying silently about it.
But the real kicker is the tears. He cries energon (aka: blood)
(he’s not supposed to, but he can and it hurts)
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Born This Way (Because Of Negligence Towards Basic Scientific Safety)
(IDK how far apart the Fenton kids are in age, so Jazz is an Undetermined Age Where She's A Toddler But Also Very Verbal. Maybe it's the Genius Genes letting her learn faster. Let's go with that.)
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Maddie coughs, spitting out another glob of ectoplasm. "Well, at least know it's not an issues with the cooling system."
Jack sneezes out the ectoplasm stuck in his nose, and then grins and stands triumphantly. "Still a step towards success!"
Jazz frowns from where she's playing with her doll, safe within a Fenton Anti-Ghost Toddler Chamber. "Mommy, you should cover your mouth." She points at her own mouth. "Mr. Wummy on TV says dat getting weird stuff in your mouth is bad."
"Mr. Wummy is a cartoon, dear. We're seasoned scientists, we know what we're doing." She wipes herself off, and sits down. "If there were any side-effects to accidental ecoplasmic consumption, we'd know."
"But what if Danny doesn't like it?" Jazz point at her mother's belly.
Maddie pats her belly. "The baby is still just a fetus, sweetie. It can't tell what it does and doesn't like yet. And why are you so sure it'll be a boy?"
"Because I'm your baby girl. So now you need a baby boy!"
Maddie tilts her head and smiles lovingly at her daughter. "Oh, you're adorable." Nothing cuter than Child Logic.
Maddie stands back up, and puts her hands on the workbench. "Now, let's see about that firing mechanism..."
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Maddie brushes her teeth, sighing when her toothbrush comes away glowing green. "We really messed up a lot of experiments today. I think I swallowed a whole ghost's worth."
Jack spits a similarly colored mouthful of toothpaste foam out. "At least it doesn't taste as bad as it smells."
Maddie puts her hands on her belly, the bump now quite obvious. "II hope we're right about it not having side effects."
Jack's expression softens. He gently pulls his wife into a comforting hug. "The doctors all say he's as healthy as can be, Mads. You don't need to worry."
"I still worry anyway, though."
"Of course you do. You're his mom! But we'll worry together, and if you ever need me to, I'll do the worrying for us both! While you relax and give him more tips on how to avoid ghosts once he learns to walk."
Maddie giggles, and sighs. It'll all be fine... nothing to worry about.
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Jazz has her arms crossed, a teddy bear hanging from one hand. "Five times!"
"Yes, and did we mention we're so proud that you can count so we-"
"Five times!" She shouts again, waving her little sticky toddler hand at them. "I saw you eat the bad green stuff five times!"
"We didn't eat it," Maddie says patiently, "It got into our mouths by accident."
"You swallowed it!"
"Only a tiny bit, only on accident, dear."
Jazz puts her hand on her mom's belly. "Danny is gonna be here soon and he's gonna be mad!"
"He won't even know it happened, sweetheart."
"Yes he will! He'll be the smartest ever, just like me and like you and like daddy! And he'll be so upset and never stop crying!"
"Babies do that anyway, sweetie." Maddie rubs her belly. It's true, Danny is due any day now. And yes... there's been some extra Ectoplasm Incidents lately. Maddie just can't stay awake sometimes, and... well. That's not exactly good when working on ghost hunting machines.
"Your baby brother will be perfectly fine," Maddie assures. "He's a healthy baby boy, and he'll be just as healthy when you meet him."
Jazz lights up at the mention of meeting him. She can't wait!
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Jazz bounces excitedly in her dad's arms. She gets to meet her baby brother! Finally! She's going to read him bedtime stories, and protect him from closet monsters, and show him how to throw a tea party!
Jack chuckles. "Calm down, sweetie, you don't get to play with him quite yet! He's still very fragile."
"But he's okay?"
"Yes, he and Mommy are both okay. Better than okay."
Jack knocks on the hospital room door, and they enter.
Maddie is holding Danny, and it looks like she fell asleep. Jazz gasps, even though all she can see so far is the blanket bundle.
"He's tiny!"
"Very." Again. Ah well. Jack had always hoped one of his kids would groww up to be taller than him, but maybe it'll have to be a grandkid.
He walks over, and smiles at his sleeping wife. "Okay, let's be quiet," he whispers. "We don't want to wake mommy."
Jazz nods seriously.
Jack sets her on the bed, and Jazz carefully crawls closer to Danny. She moves the blanket to get a good look at his face, grinning widly-!
She frowns. "Where is he?"
"What?!" Jack hurriedly picks up the bundle, making Maddie startle awake. "Holy-"
"Jack? Honey? What is it?!" Maddie's tone becomes increasingly panicked.
Jack, looking a bit pale, hands the bundle back to her. She gasps.
It's empty, and freezing!
"Where- where is-"
And then suddenly. He's there.
Fast asleep, wrapped up snug and tight. His little face still red from being brand-new to the world, his tiny tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly as he snoozes.
He disappears again.
Maddie thinks she's about to pass out.
Finally, Jazz breaks the horrified silence. "I told you to cover your mouths!"
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Danny sleeps all the way home, and all the way up to his room. Jazz is waiting by the bassinet, and peeks in as soon as he's placed down. She frowns. "Mommy, his hair is white. He's not old."
Maddie sighs. "No, he's not. Apparently it just... does that, sometimes."
Danny yawns, and opens his little eyes. Jazz's own eyes widen as well. "He's glowing!"
"Yes... that happens too."
Danny screws up his face, and starts crying. Maddie picks him up and rocks him. "Poor baby... he's so cold."
"Why?" Jazz tilts her head.
Maddie sighs. "Well... your father and I... we think he's half-ghost."
"How?"
"... Probably... the ectoplasm," Shame burns in Maddie's veins.
Jazz, wide-eyed, reaches to to try and touch Danny. "Is he dead?" She doesn't sound sad, because it looks to her like even if he is dead, he's still alive.
"No!" Maddie shuts the idea right down. "He is a very healthy, living boy! But he's... different."
"Are you gonna trap him?"
"Wh- Jasmine, why would you ask that!"
"He's a ghost."
"No! No, we never treat him like any other ghost. And he's only partly ghost, so it barely counts. Now, Mommy has to feed him so he can go back to sleep. How about you go pick a movie for tonight?"
Jazz nods. She takes that job very seriously. There's a science to picking movies.
She heads off, and Maddie looks at Danny's sniffling little face. His eyes are back too baby blue, but his hair isn't quite black yet.
At least he's still visible.
At least the side effects seem mild.
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It's about 6 am when Jack bolts up too use the bathroom. On his way back, he decides to check on the kids.
Jazz is asleep, cuddling a stuffed animal. Jack smiles.
Danny is also asleep, wrapped up in a cute little onesie and floating above the bassinet FLOATING ABOVE THE BASSINET?!?!
Jack runs over and grabs Danny from the air, pulling out a Fenton Ghost-Whapping Baton!
And then he looks at Danny, who's whining, and sees sleepy glowing green eyes looking at him.
"Oh. Um, sorry, son." He puts away the baton. "I thought a ghost was stealing you."
Danny yawns. Jack sees a cold breath puff out of his son's mouth, despite the room being temperature-controlled to keep him toasty during the nights.
Jack puts Danny back into the bassinet. He leaves, and comes back a little bit later with some equipment.
He sets up a rudimentary ghost-shield to keep Danny from floating away during the night, but won't trap him. He can still float a little, if need be.
"The scariest ghost we've faced yet," Jack mumbles. He kisses Danny's forehead, and sits there until Danny falls asleep. By then, Danny is human again.
Jack leaves, and in the morning he and Maddie begin working on some upgrades for Danny's room.
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Danny babbles happily as Jazz plays peek-a-boo with him.
"Boo!"
Laughter.
"Boo!"
More laughter!
"A-boo! A-boo!" Jazz can't stop grinning. She's a great older sister! Look at her go!
She takes Danny's hands, and moves them over his face. "Now, where's Danny? ... Here he is! Oh."
Danny isn't there. But his clothes are, and something's inside of them. And Jazz is still holding two chubby baby arms, even if they're cold and invisible.
Jazz stares for a second, and then speaks. "... Peek-a-boo?"
Danny reappears, and squeals with laughter!
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Maddie sits down to give Danny his bottle. She's brought him out shopping with her so she can grab some replacement parts that fried in their latest invention, the Fenton Ecto-Extractor!
Jazz had thrown a fit when she'd heard the name, and it startled Jack so bad he'd turned it on too early and it completely collapsed on itself! It took half an hour to convince Jazz that they weren't trying to use it to make Danny normal, just using it for themselves now that they know it can cause... strange things, to happen.
Danny drinks the bottle with no issue, and burps as soon as she starts his back. Really, he's a pretty easy baby. Except for the ghost part.
Maddie is getting him back in the stroller when Danny's face screws up. She watches a cold, visible breath leave his mouth, and then he starts to scream. Sobbing, wailing baby screams, attracting the concerned and/or annoyed attention of most people around them.
"He's just tired," she assures loudly. His breath is still puff out in cold clouds, even though it's perfectly warm in the mall.
Maddie quickly picks him back up and hugs him, bouching and singing to try and calm him down.
Danny starts to quiet down. She puts him back in the stroller, but as soon as she does (as soon as he looks behind her with those bright, bright green eyes) he starts crying again.
She sighs and picks him up, hurrying back to the car. She'll just come back for the parts later. Clearly, something is upsetting him.
Something that she just can't see.
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Jazz leans away from Danny, grinning. "There!"
Danny is propped up on her bed. Maddie and Jack needed to quickly decontaminate themselves, and so Jazz had to watch Danny for just a minute.
And in that minute, she's does some redesigning.
Danny's fluffy white hair has a little bow in it, and she's put some of her kiddie makeup on him.
Danny disappears for a second, and the bow falls. When he reappears, it's not on his head anymore. He looks at Jazz blankly.
Jazz crosses her arms. "No fair! I was making you pretty!"
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Maddie stumbles into Danny's room. She flicks on the light, and turns off the Fenton Ghost-Shielding Hanging Mobile. She reaches in and pulls the crying Danny out of the bassinet, shushing and rocking him.
Danny's eyes are bright green again, and Maddie can see his breath. "Oh, you always get so worked up when this happens," she says softly. "Is the cold upsetting you?"
Danny doesn't answer, just cries more.
Maddie takes him to her and Jack's room, and lays down with him on her chest. Jack rolls over in his sleep and puts his arms around her, cradling both of them.
Danny falls back asleep soon, and Maddie sighs. She can still see his breath, but at least he's calm now.
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Jazz holds up her drawing, and shakes her head. She goes back to scribbling, and moves closer to Danny. "This is black," she says to him, pointing at the crayon she's using. She picks up another color. "And this one is red."
Danny stares as Jazz keeps scribbling. Jazz assumes that means he's learning.
"I'm going to let Mom and Dad know I saw this in my closet," she says seriously. "I think people know you're special and want to steal you!"
Danny blows a spit bubble by accident, and laughs when it pops.
Jazz's eyes hold more determination than ever. She scribbles with the fury of a million warriors. "You're very valuable." She learned that word yesterday. "So you need lots of protecting."
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"Do you think this will make her feel better?" Maddie asks as she closes the panel.
Jack lifts his soldering mask and nods. "If one thing can make a person feel safe, it's fifty anti-ghost devices hidden in their walls!"
"I just worry about that doodle. What if something really got in?"
"Mads, you personally handcrafted every single sensor put up in the kids's rooms! If a ghost had gotten in, we'd know! To get past then they'd need deep knowledge of exactly how our deigns work and how they detect ghost energy, and no ghost has that!"
"You're right, you're right. Still, I hate to think she might be having nightmares about something like that. It looked like it had devil horns."
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"Peek-a-boo!" Jazz grins at Danny. "Peek-a-boo!"
It never gets old for him! No matter how many times they play, Danny loves it!
"Peek... a-boo!" Jazz does little jazz-hands.
Danny disappears, and Jazz grins. "Where's Danny? Where'd he go?"
Danny reappears, and-
"B-b-boo!"
Jack and Maddie dart into the room! Maddie swoops Danny up, eyes wide!
Danny giggles, and says it again. "Boo!"
Maddie and Jackie both tear up. In unison they shout, "HIS FIRST WORD!"
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Danny gnaws on the toy with his little baby gums.
"I can't believe it. Already teething," Maddie sighs, holding him. "Seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital."
Jack wipes his eyes. "He's growing into a young man already."
"Oh, Jack, stop it, he's not nearly a young man."
"But he will be before we know it!"
Maddie pats her husband on the back comfortingly as he begins to blubber.
Maddie closes her eyes, thinking about those early months with Danny, figuring out how to prepare for his floating and invisibility, learning to not panic when his eyes and hair changed color, learning that sometimes when they do his clothes change color as well...
She's startled out of her thought by something warm and wet on her lap.
She looks down to see the teething toy on her thigh... and a whole lot of nothing where Danny's head should be.
Then it' back when she blinks, and he's beginning to whine for his toy.
She quickly picks him up off her laps and retrieves it, giving it back to him.
So... the ghost abilities are still developing, then. She'll have to let Jack know about this later.
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"Daniel Fenton," Jack says, the most serious Jazz has ever seen him, "You're in big trouble this time, mister. I don't know how you did this-"
Jack shakes the empty tube of baby snacks, safe for teething babies.
"But I will get to the bottom of it!"
"Look like he already did," Maddie jokes, setting Jazz's breakfast down for her.
Jazz laughs, because it sounds like a Smart Adult Joke and she thinks those are funny, even when she doesn't understand them.
Danny babbles, smacking his chair's food tray.
"Oh no you don't, mister! You're getting regular baby food this morning and that's all!" Jack grabs the jar of food, and holds up the spoon. "Now, here comes the Fenton Ghost-Tracking Copter!"
He puts the spoon up to Danny's mouth-
-and right through his head.
He gasps and pulls back, and Danny's head reappears. He babbles, smacking the tray again.
Maddie drops her fork. "I can't believe I forgot! That's what I was going to tell you about!"
Jazz looks at her parents. "You didn't know he does this?"
They both gawk at her. "You did?!"
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Danny reaches up and grabs Jazz's nose. Jazz wrinkles it, and he laughs.
Jazz sticks out her tongue and crosses her eyes, and Danny laughs even harder!
Jazz looks at her parents as they finish setting up the picnic blanket. "I'm the funniest big sister ever!"
"You sure are, sweetie!" Maddie scoops Jazz up and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "You get it from me."
Jack laughs. "It's true! Your mother could get the whole Ghost Hunting Club laughing out HAZMAT suits off all day long back in the day! ... 'Course it was just the three of us, but still, three's a crowd!"
"May as well have been doing stand-up," Maddie says, setting Jazz down on the blanket.
They enjoy the little outing, the sun shining but not beating down, the cool breeze just enough to crispen the air but not freeze.
And then Jazz looks at Danny. She sees glowing eyes, and a puff of breath come out of his mouth. "Uh-oh. Mommy! He's gonna cry!"
Maddie picks Danny up right as he starts to wail. She hugs him, and is shocked. He doesn't feel cold this time!
Is he just cold inside?
Or is there some other problem?
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Jack rubs his ears. "That child wails like a Banshee!"
"He could very well be doing exactly that," Maddie points out. "We still don't know what other abilities he'll develop as he ages!"
"Or how well he'll be able to control them. ... Mads... should we homeschool him?"
"It's a little early to worry about that, Jack."
"I know that tone, you're worrying about it too."
"... We can't just keep him isolated from the rest of the world, Jack. It'll be unhealthy for him. And what if it makes him lean into his ghost side too much?"
"So you think we should let him go to school."
"Yes. ... But not pre-school. We'll teach him to not use his abilities around other kids, and then send him to Kindergarten."
"... Alright, Mads. If you think that's what's best, then that's what's best!"
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"Come on, that's it! Yes, yes, WHOO!" Maddie picks Danny up as soon as he walks over. "Who's a strong little Fenton? Who's the best little boy at walking in the whole wide world?"
"Danny!" Jazz cheers from the couch.
"Danny!" Maddie and Jack both cheer at once.
Danny laughs and squeals, kicking his legs and flapping his arms. His first proper Walk! Not just a step or two and then crawling, that was real walking!
Jack takes Danny, holding him aloft. "You're a real butt-kicker in the making, son! You'll be as strong as your old man someda-"
Jack feels something bump him, hard.
He shouts as he goes down! Danny going with him!
But as Jack meets the floor, he feels Danny's weight disappear from his hands!
He lands with an "oof", and looks up to see Danny floating above him, surrounded by a faint white aura. Danny looks down and babbles, sucking his thumb. Then... he moves.
He's only ever floated in place before. But as he looks down at his dad, he kicks his little legs and moves! Moving right across the room!
And then he looks behind his dad, and his breath comes out in puffs. He starts crying and wailing hysterically.
Jazz peers at where Danny is looking. "Mommy, hit the air with the stick!"
Maddie gently grabs Danny. "Why, sweetie?"
"Danny is scared! So we have to protect him!"
Maddie grabs her Fenton Baton, and gives the area Danny was looking at a good thwack. She expects it to go right through the empty air.
Instead there's a loud zap! There's a cry of pain! And then a semi-transparent form zooming out of their house!
Maddie's jaw drops. Jack scrambles to his feet and grabs every ghost weapon in radius, forming a protective circle around the family with them!
Maddie looks at Danny, who's now calm.
And his breath isn't visible.
Hmm...
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"We're just seeing if my hypothesis is right," Maddie assures.
Jazz sobs, clinging onto her leg. "NOOOO! HE'LL GET HURT! OR STOLED!"
"Stolen, sweetie. And Mommy and Daddy would never let that happen."
Jazz scream-sobs again.
"What if we can promise you the ghost will be in a big, big box?"
Jazz looks at her mom with watery eyes. "Like around Danny's crib?"
"Yes, like that."
"But-but he's so little."
"It'll just be a second, sweetheart."
Jazz sniffles again. "... Can I hold the stick?"
Maddie smiles softly. "Yes, sweetie, you can hold the stick."
A couple hours later, Jack and Maddie return home with a ghost in a box. It's yelling something, but the box is soundproof.
Jack sets the box down, and goes to grab Danny. He comes back, and holds Danny firmly while walking towards the ghost. Danny's eyes are covered by a too-big hood on his little shirt. He can't see, or hear, that there's a ghost nearby.
Danny's breath comes out a visible puff about two feet away from the ghost, and he starts crying. Jack steps back a ways, and Danny's breaths become normal again. He settles down.
Jack walks closer. Puff of breath, and crying.
Jack steps back. Normal breath, calm Danny.
"He can sense ghost's," Maddie says, looking in awe at her baby boy. Her face breaks into a grin. "He's his own portable ghost detector! He'll never be caught unawares, he'll be able to always defend himself!"
She runs up to Jack and hugs them both, kissing Danny's little forehead. Danny babbles.
"He'll never be caught unawares," Maddie says again in relief. "Oh, this makes me feel so much better."
"Mommy? ... Does that mean we're haunted all the time?"
Maddie's relief hardens and breaks in her chest.
All those times Danny's Ghost Sense has gone off inside! All those times!
She pulls away. "Jack, we're upping our security!"
Jack nods. "Time for FentonWorks 2.0!"
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Danny giggles as his dad chases him around the house. He phases through doors and turns invisible in hiding places, always giving himself away with laughter.
Jack grabs Danny just before he phases through the next door. “Gotcha!”
Danny laughs, happy little kid squeals that you can hear through the whole house. Jack puts Danny on his shoulders and heads into the kitchen. “He’s getting pretty good at running! Say, whatcha making, Mads?”
“Meatloaf. Would you mind helping?”
Jack sets Danny down at the table and helps Maddie make dinner, while Danny eyes something on the counter.
“Cookie.”
Maddie looks over. Danny is staring at the cookie jar. “No sweetie, no cookies yet.”
“Cookie!”
“Not yet.”
Danny starts to cry. “Cookie!”
Maddie walks over, and gives Danny his binkie. Danny refuses it af first, but once he has it he calms down fast.
He looks at the cookie jar still, though.
And, slowly, he lifts out of his chair. He kicks his little legs, pushing himself forward. He plops down on the counter, and reaches into the jar with an intangible hand.
He pulls out not one, but two cookies!
He gets so excited that he starts waving his arms, making happy noises.
Jack looks over. “What? Maddie, he’s gotten into the cookie jar!”
“I’ve got it!” Maddie walks over and scoops Danny up in his old Anti-Ghost-Phasing Blanket. Soft, warm, and totally ghost-proof.
Danny whines. “Cookie!”
“I said not yet, honey.” Maddie grabs the cookies and puts them on the counter. She safety pins the blanket around Danny like a little cape, except it takes away his powers.
Danny sits in his chair, throwing a fit! But to no avail. Eventually he just sits there, tear-faced and angry.
And then Jazz walks in. She looks over at the cookies, and then at Danny.
She walks over and snatches them off the counter as quick as she can! She casually walks over to the table, and hands them to Danny.
Danny brightens up. He shoves one cookie in his mouth, and gives the other back to Jazz. His original intention.
Jazz smiles, and scarfs the cookie down just before Maddie turns around.
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“Why?” Danny looks at his mom with wide, innocent eyes.
Maddie’s heart aches. “People might get scared.”
Danny frowns. “Scawy?”
“No, no, you aren’t scary. But the... idea of ghosts, for a lot of people, can be scary.”
Danny thinks, and then walks over to the fridge. “Scawy.”
Maddie looks at the drawing Danny is pointing at. It’s Jazz’s drawing of The Ghost.
The one that’s been haunting them for months.
Black horns, it looks like. Red eyes. Deathly blue skin. It makes Maddie shiver, knowing it had direct access to her children for so long.
Danny starts to cry. “I scawy!”
Maddie scoops him up. “No, no sweetie! You are nothing like that monster, nothing like it at all! And you never will be, I promise!” Maddie hugs him tightly. “Oh, my poor baby... how about we take a break? Do you want to help Jazz paint something?”
Danny sniffles, and nods. They head upstairs, leaving the talk for another day.
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“Kindergarten, Jack,” Maddie says, packing the little lunch box. “He’s already in Kindergarten!”
Jack is already openly sobbing as he makes Jazz a sandwich.
“Do you think he understands what he needs to do?” Maddie asks no-one in particular, just worrying.
“He understands perfectly!”
Maddie jumps a little, and turns around to see Jazz smiling proudly. Danny stands right next to her, a shyer smile on his face. Maddie tears up at the sight of him with his little backpack and school outfit on.
Jazz looks at Danny. “Go ahead! Show them what we practiced!”
Danny puffs out his chest to look strong. “I won’t go through anything, turn invi-invisi- um, turn not-seeing-me, I won’t fly, and, um... and if I feel another ghost, I’ll use this!” He pulls his little Fenton Emergency Pager out of his pocket.
Maddie wipes her eyes. “Perfect, honey,” she says, letting the pride seep into her voice. “Oh, my baby boy! Growing up so fast!” She picks him up and kisses his face. Danny wraps his arms around her neck.
“Do I have to go, mommy? They’ll think I’m scary.”
“Oh, honey. You aren’t scary, I promise.”
“... What if I need to be scary?”
“Mommy will come be scary for you.”
“She very good at it,” Jack chimes in, shivering a little as he remembers the time a ghost attacked while Maddie was buying Danny’s first pair of little shoes. By the time it was over, Jack almost pitied the thing.
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Maddie gives Danny one last hug. “Remember, calls u anytime you need us, okay?”
He nods. “I love you, Mommy. I love you, Daddy. I love you, Jazz.”
“You’re just going to school, not saying bye forever.” Even as Jazz says it, her lip wobbles and her voice cracks.
Danny floats up to the car window give her a hug, before being quickly held up by Maddie to cover the power use.
“That’s the only time today you’ll do that,” she reminds him.
Danny nods.
Eventually... the goodbyes are done being dragged out. Danny’s family drives away as the teacher leads him inside.
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Danny sits on a swing by himself, not sure what to do.
Usually at home he plays using his powers. He doesn’t know how to be good at tag without making it so people can’t touch him, or how to play hide-and-seek without turning invisible.
He kicks the sand. This is stupid. He misses Jazz. He can play with her.
“Hi.”
Danny looks up. Another young boy is standing in front of him, holding some kind of electronic. The boy holds out his hand. “I’m Tucker.”
Danny shakes his hand, focusing very hard on keeping it a real hand. “I’m Danny.”
Tucker shows him the electronic. “Want to play my game?"
Danny looks at it. It’s a coloring game. He nods.
They pass it back and forth between each other for a while, both coloring in different parts of the same picture.
Eventually it’s time to back in. Danny and Tucker ask if they can sit closer together.
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“So, how was it?” Maddie asks, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she picks Danny up. “Have fun?”
“I made a friend!” Danny yells! “His name is Tucker and he’s really nice!”
Maddie relaxes. “Oh? How did you meet?”
“He let me play his coloring game!”
“That’s wonderful!”
“We made a tower out of blocks and it was the strongest ever! And I never used my powers!”
“I’m so proud of you, sweetie!”
Maybe Maddie can stop worrying now. ... Probably not.
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“What if we gave it big scary horns?” Danny says as he doodled something in crayon. “Like the thing that watches my window.”
Tucker looks at him with wide eyes. “A monster watches you?”
“My parents don’t let it touch me. They hunt ghosts.”
“Oh. Do you hunt ghosts?”
Danny shakes his head. “I’m too little.”
“Oh. Me too.”
“You should give it bat wings.”
They both look up. The quiet girl who usually sits in the back is standing in front of them, her hair pulled back in a tight black braid and her clothes perfectly pressed.
Danny looks at the drawing, and nods. He adds the wings. “We’re drawing the monster from that story we heard today.”
The girl sits down. “I bet it had claws. And could breathe black fire!”
Danny adds them on. “You’re really smart!”
The girl nods. “I am.”
“I’m Danny.”
“I’m Tucker!”
The girl grins. “I’m Samatha.”
“Wow... that’s a long name,” Danny says, eyes wide. “My sister has a long name too. Do all girls have long names?”
Samantha thinks. “I dunno. I haven’t met all girls.”
“Oh. We don’t know all boys, either.”
They spend the rest of free time coloring. Once it’s over, Samantha moves to sit with them.
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“So, how was today, sweetie?”
“I made another friend! She’s really good, and her parents make her have long hair but she wants it short, and we made this with her!” He shows Maddie the drawing.
Maddie grimaces a little, but turns it into a smile. “It’s lovely, dear. Looks... a little like Jazz’s picture.”
Danny nods.”The monster in the story lived in the window. So does this ghost.”
“... What?”
“He lives by my window. But he can’t come inside, so I make faces at him and make him mad.”
Maddie speeds up a little. “Danny, we’re going to be altering your windows when we get home. Okay?”
“Okay.”
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Danny leads Sam and Tucker to his room with his tiny arms full of snacks. He brings them inside, and proudly stands in the middle. “This is my room!”
"Cool!” Tucker exclaims. “Whoa, you have a computer?”
Danny shakes his head. “That’s to keep ghosts out. Ghosts hate us.”
“You’ve seen some?” Samantha asks, eyes wide.
Danny grins. “So many!”
“Can we see some?”
“Sure, I can even-”
They hear a gasp in the doorway. Turning to look, they see Jazz. “Danny, you didn’t let me meet your friends!”
Danny looks horrified. “Oh no!” He runs over and pulls Jazz into the room. “This is my big sister Jazz! She’s the coolest big sister!”
“I’m Tucker!”
“I’m Sam!”
Jazz grins. “Guess what I learned yesterday?” She points out of the room. “How to use the remote!”
The trio of toddler’s eyes sparkle. They cheer for Jazz as all of them descend, ready to Take Control Of The TV!
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“-and this is The Box Ghost,” Danny says, showing his friends the doodle him and Jazz made at home. “He’s silly. He wants to be scary, but he isn’t.”
Tucker and Samantha nods like it the most important thing they’ll ever learn.
Danny pulls out the next drawing. “This is Scary, the ghost from my window.” It’s a new drawing, a little more detailed thanks to Jazz being better at drawing now. And Danny having seen the face so, so many times. “I don’t see him anymore. Mom and Dad kicked him out of the window.”
“He’s ugly,” Samantha says, wrinkling her nose.
“He looks stinky,” Tucker agrees.
Danny looks over at the window. “Shhhh! He’s here!”
Tucker and Samantha look at the window. They see nothing.
They look back at Danny. They see little puffs coming out of his mouth, and his eyes are the wrong color.
Danny pulls his pager out. “It’s okay. Mommy will come scare him away.”
“We can’t see him,” Samantha says.
Danny nods. “He’s hard to see.”
“Do you have to have glowy eyes like yours?” Tucker asks. “I have to have glasses. Are your eyes like Ghost Glasses?”
Danny thinks, and then nods. “I guess so. ... OH NO!” He covers his eyes. “You aren’t supposed to see that!”
“Why not?”
“Mommy said it’s a secret! You’ll think I’m scary!”
“But it’s not scary.”
Danny tilts his head, still covering his eyes. “It’s not?”
“No, it’s cool!”
He slowly uncovers his eyes. “... Do... you think this is scary?” He holds out his arm, and makes it invisible.
Tucker and Samantha gasp! Danny pulls his arm back, about to cry. They think he’s scary, they won’t be his friends anymore-
“That’s so cool,” Samantha says.
“I wanna do that!” Tucker exclaims.
Danny can’t believe it for a second. And then he grins. “I can do more stuff too! I’ll show you at my house!”
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Maddie paces the floor while Danny sits on the couch, his little face burning with shame.
Jazz sits next to him, arms crossed. Jack stands in front of him, Maddie pacing beside her husband.
“You told your friends?” Maddie asks again.
Danny nods, keeping his head low. “I didn’t mean to. I saw Scary, and my eyes turned green, and I can’t fix that.”
Maddie sighs. “I know, sweetie, but you showed them more after! We caught you flying them around your room! How can you even carry both of them at once?!”
“It’s easy when I’m a ghost,” he says, still keeping his head low. “Everything’s easy when I’m a ghost.”
Maddie stops pacing. “Oh, sweetie... I know it must be strange for you to suddenly have to hide it.”
Danny nods. He sniffles a little.
“It’s for your own safety, son,” Jack says. “You understand that, right? We just want you to be safe.”
“Other kids can be mean, Danny,” Jazz says. “I’m smart, and some kids are mean to me for that.”
“But Samantha and Tucker aren’t mean!”
“No, they aren’t,” Maddie concedes. “... I guess what’s done is done. Danny?” She kneels down in front of him and gently lifts his head up, wiping his tears away. “We aren’t mad. We’re worried. They’re your friends, but they also don’t understand this the way we do.”
“... Can you make them understand?”
Maddie nods. “We’ll absolutely have a talk with them. You can go get them from your room right now, even. But Danny? No-one else. Okay? These two kids are the only kids you will ever tell. Promise?”
Danny nods, still sniffling. “Promise.”
Maddie puts on her HAZMAT glove and holds out her pinkie. “Fenton promise?”
Danny links her pinkie with his, letting it go ghostly. “Fenton promise, Mommy.”
“Okay. You can send your friends down now.”
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Danny waits for his mom to come pick him up, Samantha and Tucker sitting next to him.
Samantha looks up suddenly. “I don’t like my name.”
Danny and Tucker look at her.
She stands up. “From now on, my name is... is Sam!”
Danny and Tucker clap, because they learned that’s the polite thing to do when someone has a dramatic moment like this. They learned it from watching the older kids do a play.
Sam sits back down. “I’m Sam,” she says happily. “Sam.”
“Sam is a good name,” Danny says.
“Easier to write,” Tucker says.
“Yeah.” Sam is very proud of her new name.
They wait a bit longer, and a long black car pulls up. Sam stands up, but her parents don’t step out.
A tall, white-haired man does, one none of them have ever met before. He smiles down at them. “Hello, Danny. Hello, Danny’s friends.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m a friend of Danny’s parents,” he says, giving a slight bow (or maybe just bending over to hear them better since they’re so much shorter than him).
“I don’t know you,” Danny says, accusatory. “Mrs. Emma told us about people like you!”
The Man shakes his head. “I’m not a stranger, I promise. Your parents and I are very close.”
“I don’t know you,” Danny says again. He steps between The Man and his friends. “I’m gonna tell Mrs. Emma on you.”
“Danny, really, your mother called and asked me to pick you up.”
“You liar! She always picks me up!”
“She’s fighting a ghost right now.”
“She leaves fights to come get me!”
The Man sighs. He grabs Danny’s arm. “Stubborn like your parents. Come on, I promise you’ll be fine.”
“NO!” Danny yanks his arm, trying to get away. “LET GO OF ME!”
“Stop making a scene!”
“LET GO! YOU-”
Danny gaps, a puff of breath coming out and his eyes turning green.
“S-Scary,” he whimpers. “SCARY! MOMMY! MOMMMYYYY! SCARY HAS ME!!! HELP!!!”
Danny yanks again, Tucker and Sam finally running inside to get Mrs. Emma!
The Man scowls. “I’m trying to help you, little badger!”
“YOU’RE THE SCARY IN THE WINDOW!” Danny looks at him with bright eyes, tearful and afraid. “GET AWAY!!!”
Danny’s little hand glows green, and suddenly The Man is clutching his stomach instead of Danny’s arm. Danny runs inside, right into Mrs. Emma’s arms. He sobs to her as she frantically calls the police, trying to read the plate of the car speeding off into the distance.
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Maddie hands Jazz a Baton. “This is in case this ‘Scary’ come after you,” Maddie says, still shaking a bit. “Okay?”
Jazz nods.
“Danny, this is for you.” Maddie hands him a black-and-white suit. “This is to keep other ghosts from sensing you, okay? So wear it under your clothes.”
Danny nods, still crying.
Maddie looks at Sam and Tucker. Their parents were late picking them up, but with the attempted kidnapping it was decided that they’ll stay with The Fentons for a few hours until their parents could get them.
“You two get these.” She hands them Fenton Pagers, and Fenton Fun-Sized Ghost Stunners. “They can hurt people too, so only use them on ghosts. Or if someone tries to do... what you saw today, ever again.”
Sam and Tucker nod.
“And Danny? From now on, wait with Mrs. Emma until we come inside to get you.”
“Yes, Mommy.”
“And when I get my hands on this ‘Scary’, I promise you’ll never have to worry about him again.”
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Danny looks around to see if anyone is watching. He, Tucker, and Sam are crouched under a desk in the classroom while everyone else is out at recess.
He holds out his hand to the stack of paper, and closes his eyes. For a second, nothing happens.
And then it glows green, and a small beam shoots from his hand! Tucker and Sam gasp!
“You’re like a superhero!” Tucker exclaims, standing up.
“A ghost superhero!” Sam says, standing up too. “You need a superhero name!”
Danny shoots up, smiling widely. “What should it be?”
They all think for a long, long time.
Sam perks up. “I know!”
She grabs a book from the corner. The book is a Halloween one, mostly for pictures with just a few words. She flips to a page, and points to it. “This word! It means Ghost!”
Danny and Tucker peer at it. “How do you say it?” Tucker asks.
Sam grins. “Phantom!”
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“Phantom?” Maddie says, looking at the doodle.
Jack nods. “Apparently Sam came up with it! Our boy wants to be a ghost hunter after all!”
“Superhero, this says.”
“Same thing!”
“Jack, what’re you making there?”
Jack holds up the suit, one of the prototype Anti-Ghost-Detection suits for Danny. “I got out my old needlepointing stuff and am making him a superhero costume! See, it’s a P!”
Maddie squints, trying to get a better look at the outline. “It looks like a D.”
Jack looks at it. “Hmm. I guess from some angles. But it’s a P! Or, DP! Danny Phantom!”
Maddie’s expression goes soft. “Awww! Okay, you keep making that, and I’ll hang this doodle on the fridge! But no actual ghost fighting until he’s at least fourteen, right?”
“Absolutely!”
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Danny steps into the school “Halloween Party” with his hands on his hips and a bright grin, looking like a mini-version of his dad behind him.
“Aww, and what are you dressed as, Danny?” Mrs. Emma asks.
“A superhero ghosthunter!” Danny says proudly. “My parents made this for me!”
“It’s great,” Mrs. Emma says genuinely. “Alright, go mingle! We’re going to make paper jack-o-lanterns later so now is the time to trade candies!”
Danny walks over to his friends, still striking the pose. Tucker, dressed as a robot made out of cardboard boxes, pouts in slight jealousy as Danny comes over. Sam, dressed as a vampire, grins. “P for Phantom!” she yells.
Danny runs over faster. “Yeah! My dad put the logo on!” He shows it off proudly. “I’m gonna be the best ghosthunter ever!”
“You can work from the inside!” Tucker says, getting over his jealousy thankfully quick. “Make them think you wanna haunt stuff too!”
“Yeah!” Danny strikes another pose. “But I’m actually going to catch them all, because I’m Danny Phantom!”
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Danny and Jazz are playing with dolls in the living room. “Pow! Take that!” Danny shouts, making his doll punch Jazz’s.
“Nooo!” Jazz cries out in a husky voice. “But how? I’m The Scary! Nothing can not fear me!”
“I don’t fear you!” Danny waves the hand of his doll, making laser noises. Jazz shakes her doll around, making dying noises. “I’m Danny Phantom, the strongest ghost boy ever!”
“Nooooo!”
Maddie chuckles, watching them. “That Scary better watch out for more than just us.”
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“Where are we going?” Danny asks again.
“It’s a surprise!” Jack says again, still as excited as when the road trip started.
Danny huffs, looking out the window again. “Why couldn’t Sam and Tucker come?”
“Because they’re spending Summer visiting their families,” Maddie says. “And so are we, sort of.”
“I though Auntie lived in Spittoon,” Jazz says.
“She does! This is different.”
After hours (years in the minds of the kids), they pull up to a mansion. All fo the boredom washes away instantly, Jazz and Danny cramming into the window to see it!
“Are we rich?” Jazz demands to know.
“We’re well-off, but not quite. Welcome to your honorary Uncle Vlad’s house!” Maddie cheers.
“Vlad was out best friend in college!” Jack says, grinning. “He got back in contact with us a few years ago and we’ve been thick as thieves since! He asked us too come over this weekend, and we thought we’d surprise him and let him meet your two at the same time!”
Danny and Jazz cheer! THEY GET TO STAY IN A MANSION!
The family piles out of the car, and stand in front of the door! Maddie and Jack make sure Jazz and Danny look extra nice, and ring the doorbell!
It takes a long minute, so they ring it again!
Finally, a man opens it up! “Oh, Maddie, Jack, I’m so sorry I didn’t hear-”
Danny shrieks. His eyes are glowing bright as they can, his breaths giant puffs! He holds up his hand and send a little beam right into Vlad’s side!
Vlad falls back with an “Oof!”
“Danny!” Maddie scoops him up. “What on earth has gotten into you? Oh, Danny!”
Danny is sobbing pointing at Vlad. “It-it’s him! The-The Scary! He-he tried to take me!”
Maddie and Jack freeze. Slowly, they both look at Vlad. Jazz pulls out her Baton.
“Vlad?” Maddie says coldly.
“Didn’t I only invite you two?” Vlad wheezes.
Jack points a ghost detector at Vlad. It goes off.
“Now, now, I can explai- AGCK!”
Jazz starts happening him with the Baton before he can finish his sentence. Maddie hands Danny to Jack. “Sweetie, close the door and take Danny back to the truck. I need to have a word with Vlad.”
Jack does as told, holding Danny in his lap and soothing him.
“He-he tried to take me,” Danny sobs again.
“Don’t worry, son.” Jack hugs him tightly. “No-one’s ever going to be able to do that. We’ll always keep you safe. We promise.”
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“And what do we always wear while testing new devices?” Maddie asks, handing Danny a Fenton Ghost-Zapper that would use Danny’s own ghost energy to work.
Danny grins, and puts it on. “Face mask!”
“Because?”
“Because lab safety is very important!”
Maddie grins. “That’s right! And who do we thank for reminding us of that every time we’re in the lab?”
Danny points. “Jazz! Thank you, Jazz!”
Jazz grins proudly.
#danny phantom#Danny Fenton#Jazz Fenton#jack fenton#maddie fenton#vlad masters#vlad plasmius#kidnapping tw#attempted kidnapping#fanfic#my attempts at fanfic
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🐤Little Bird pt. 2 -(Hawks x Reader x Child)
[drummed up a sequel for "Little Bird" as I got super inspired to do another one~ I hope you guys like, its a bit lengthier than the first so I hope that's ok~]
Read pt. 1 here
Keigo winced a bit as he mended a cut on his abdomen, sighing a bit as he thought back to the fight he’d been in. He had been off his game that night and he had no idea why. Or maybe he did. He wasn't sure. Thinking about his family hadn't really distracted him that much before, so he didn't know why it had today.
It had been two days since he’d bid his family farewell and promised to try and be home that night. It must have been weighing on his mind more than he thought. You really did have the patience of a saint, he told himself every day that he didn't deserve you and he honestly wondered how you were still around.
He loved you and your child, there was no mistaking that, and he really wanted to spend more time together with you but it was hard being the number two hero. Normally he was able to push those thoughts aside and do his work but for some reason, his child was in the forefront of his mind.
After dressing his wound and putting his jacket back on, he left his agency to go on patrol, hoping that things would be calm enough he could sneak home afterward. He waved at a few kids who were playing in a nearby park and flew up, scanning the area for any troubles before heading off. His patrol led him to where he had just been a few hours ago, the street having been cleaned up from the fight he’d had with a villain, the one who had cut him.
The fight hadn't been too bad, only a storefront window had been broken but it wasn't the broken window that caught his attention, or even the people staring at him as he landed. It was the display in the window. Sitting atop a shelf full of stuffed animals there was a single, black and white stuffed panda. He actually laughed out loud to himself.
So that was what had him distracted? He couldn't believe himself, shaking his head as the store owner approached him.
“Hawks, thank you so much for your help earlier!” The man said and his workers behind him nodded in agreement, thanking him as well. Keigo rubbed the back of his head, assuring them it was fine.
“It was no problem, are you all okay?” He asked and they nodded, clearly excited that he was there. He smiled, glad that they were all right, and assured them he was fine as they saw him get attacked. “Oh I’m fine, no worries here,” He insisted. “But I do have a question,” He said, pointing to the stuffed panda. “How much is that?”
____________________________
You hummed to yourself a bit as you stirred the curry in the pot. It was almost ready and thank god because you were starving. It had been a long day at work but getting to come home with your child made you feel much better. You just wished you could make them feel better.
They had been sitting by the kitchen window since you got home, gazing up at the sky, their little wings folded around them in a little cocoon as they sat there waiting. You knew what they were waiting for but you had no clear answer for when he would be here.
“Sweetheart,” You said, breaking them from their skywatching, looking over at you owlishly.
“Yes, mama?”
“Dinner’s almost ready, would you set the table for me?” You asked and they sighed, hopping down from their chair to go over and do as you asked, mopey in their movements. You felt your heart break a little, seeing them so sad. You hoped you could cheer them up with a good meal. Or maybe a nice bedtime story.
It was sad that you couldn't really plan for Keigo to be there, seeming almost like a single parent at times as you had to plan everything and take care of them on your own most days. You knew it wasn’t Keigo’s fault, you had both known what you were getting into when you got into this relationship. You just hadn't planned for a baby at all.
You weren’t even married.
You had a feeling Keigo had some commitment issues, not that you could blame him, not with his job taking up ninety percent of his time. Not to complain, after all, you loved your little one, it was just hard at times and you knew Keigo knew it. That's why you couldn't stay mad at him. He was out there keeping the city safe, and that included the two of you.
You just wished you could convey all that to your child and get them to understand but they were young and just wanted their dad to be around. You sighed to yourself as you brought dinner to the table, spooning out rice and curry onto the plates your child had set out before returning to their spot by the window.
You let them look for a little bit longer, making them a cup of juice and bringing it over to their spot at the table before going over to gently stroke their hair. “It's time for dinner honey,” You said softly smoothing down their fluffy hair, but it popped right back up. You giggled to yourself at the sight. They were just as floofy as their father.
They looked just a second longer before they relented, coming to the table to eat with you. It was a quiet dinner, you asked about school and they said it was okay, taking peeks behind them out the window just to check but the evening turned tonight and there was still no sign of him. You washed the dishes after you had both eaten, your child returning to the window, head propped in their hand as they watched the moon rise, squinting at it.
“Mama,” They asked making you look over at them. “Is the moon made of cheese?” They asked and you snorted a laugh. You used to believe that yourself when you were little thanks to cartoons always making it seem so, but you had learned as you got older. It was such an out of nowhere question it caught you off guard but it made you laugh.
They puffed out their cheeks at you, blushing at your laughter at their question. “What?” They asked and you composed yourself as they looked annoyed at your laughing at them.
“Actually sweetie, it's not, but you’ll learn in school,” You assured them, and they “ahh’ed” and went back to their sky watching. After a few moments, they sighed deeply and rested their head against the window sill, fogging the window with their breath.
“Have I been bad mama?” They asked and you tilted your head at the question. Honestly, they were a wonderful kid, always kept to themself, liked to read, and were rather quiet on most days. Sure sometimes they were hyper or whiney but they were a child, it was to be expected. You wondered why they would ask such a thing.
“No sweetie, why do you ask?” You wondered and they turned to look at you, tears pricking at the corners of their eyes.
“Maybe that's why dada doesn't come home…” They said and you felt your heart squeeze at their little face in such distress. You put the dishes on hold to go over to console them, kneeling in front of them and taking their face in your hands.
“Baby, your dada loves you,” You reassured them as tears fell down their cheeks. “He’s just busy, he doesn't stay away because he wants to honey, he stays away because he has to. Your dada is a hero, he keeps the city and us safe.” You said and they sniffled.
“So you don't think he’s mad at me?” They said and you shook your head.
“Not at all, in fact, he always asks about you when he texts me, and when he can he calls to check on you like he did last week remember?” You reminded them and they perked a little at that remembering.
“Y-yeah…” They said, wiping their nose on their sleeve. “Your right.” you smiled and kissed their forehead.
“Don't worry, he’ll come right home the second he gets a chance.” You said and they nodded, wiping their eyes a bit. “Now, why don't we go get you ready for bed?” You said, patting them on the back to nudge them towards the bathroom.
“Okay mama,” They said and trotted off, going to brush their teeth and get their pajamas. You leaned back against the counter in your kitchen a bit, your face in one hand, tearing up a bit. You couldn't believe that they would think this was their fault.
Oh Keigo, where are you? You thought to yourself before composing yourself and going to help your child get ready for bed.
____________________________
“So the moons not made of cheese?” Your child asked and you smiled shaking your head.
“Nope.”
“You swear?”
“Of course,” You insisted. You were never dishonest with your child. Ever.
“I’m telling everyone at school.” They said in a huff, crossing their arms and settling back into their pillow. You giggled as you tucked them in, ruffling their hair a bit. “Can't believe it isn’t made of cheese! I’m gonna ask Mr. Hoshiko about it.” He insisted, mentioning the science teacher at the school.
You weren’t sure they would understand the answer, but hopefully, the science teacher could explain it to them. After all your child was only in first grade and the teacher mentioned taught fifth-grade science. You prayed he didn't say it was made of cheese.
“Well, are you all settled?” You asked and they nodded, laying back and you kissed their forehead, about to say goodnight when you both heard a voice from behind you.
“Can I get in on that?”
Your child shot up, almost hitting you in the head as they did so as you looked over your shoulder with a relieved sigh. It was Keigo. And he was holding something behind his back. “Dada!!!” Your child exclaimed excitedly, jumping out of bed to go and hug them as Keigo knelt to meet them. “You’re here!” They said happily, looking up at him with the biggest smile you’d seen in a while.
You were so relieved and glad to see him but you let your child have their moment with him as they had been yearning for it for a long time. Keigo picked them up with one arm, kissing their cheek and blowing a raspberry there making them giggle.
“How’s my little bird?” He asked and they snuggled into his neck.
“Happy~” They said honestly and he smiled, giving you a wink and you shook your head at him but smiled just glad he was there. Keigo snuggled the child a bit before pulling away, looking at them as they looked up to him.
“Hey, can you do me a favor?” Keigo asked and they nodded.
“Sure dada.” They said tilting their head at him curiously. “What is it?” They asked and Keigo pulled out what he was holding behind his back. You smiled warmly when you saw what it was. He remembered.
“Can you take care of this little guy for me?” Keigo asked your child and their eyes got wide and they gasped happily taking the stuffed panda from their dad.
“Yes~!” They insisted, hugging it tightly. “He’s so cute, what’s his name?” They asked and Keigo put his other arm around them to hold them more securely.
“Well, I thought you could name him,” Keigo said. “After all, he’s gonna be your responsibility.” He insisted and your child took the panda up, looking at it with a thoughtful face. They thought for several minutes before settling on one.
“How about Dandy?” He said and Keigo smiled.
“Dandy the Panda? I like it.” He insisted and your child beamed, hugging the panda again.
“I’ll take good care of him,” They promised and Keigo kissed their forehead.
“I know you will little bird.” He insisted, beckoning you over so he could put an arm around you and gave you both a big squeeze. “I missed my family these past few days, sorry I was gone so long.” He apologized and you pat his chest gently.
“It's okay, we understand, don't we honey?” You asked and your child nodded, looking up at him.
“Dada keeps us safe~” They insisted and you nodded.
“Exactly.” You said and they smiled, nuzzling back into Keigo’s neck. It was a sweet sight, especially when Keigo looked down at them with nothing but love in his eyes. You wished you could keep this way forever but after a moment you rubbed Keigo’s back and stood back. “We should get them to bed,” You said and your child pouted, hugging Keigo tight.
“No, I want to stay with dada!” They insisted and Keigo chuckled.
“How about you sleep with us then?” He offered and they nodded, holding him. You smiled and nodded, patting their head gently.
“Fair enough, let’s go get him tucked in,” You said as Kaigo yawned a bit and you chuckled. “And you apparently.” You teased leading them from the bedroom to yours. Keigo face planted gently onto the bed, rolling over to lift them up and down a few times before letting them crawl under the covers.
You went to change into your pajamas in the bathroom, leaving Keigo to tuck them in, tickling them a bit, and getting smacked with the panda bear. Keigo chuckled and went to change after you were done, the three of you settling into bed together once he returned, your child between you, snuggling into Keigo’s chest.
“Dada, I learned something today.” Your child said sleepily, hugging their panda to their chest.
“What’s that?” Keigo asked.
“The moons not made of cheese,” they said and Keigo laughed out loud.
“It's not?” He asked and your child nodded, too sleepy to be mad at his laughing. Keigo smiled and rubbed their cheek gently. “Well now, I guess that means we have no reason to fly up there,” he said and your child nodded, closing their eyes.
“Will you be here in the morning dada?” They asked and you looked at Keigo in an assuring way, as if you already knew the answer would be no but he surprised you.
“Yep, dada’s gonna be here all day tomorrow so we can spend time together, just you and me.” he promised and you looked at him in surprise before smiling softly at him and mouthing “thank you” to which he nodded and settled in, reaching an arm around the back of his child to hold you too kissing your head.
“Goodnight little bird.” He said to your child but they were already fast asleep.
#keigo takami#keigo x reader#keigo takami x reader#hawks x reader#bnha hawks#hawks#bnha x reader#bnha fics
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Day-to-Day
Part of the Whatever Tomorrow Brings series
Chapter 3: Jack
Word count: 4.2k
Read over on a03, or below the cut:
Let me know what you think :)
November 2002
Emily thought she knew what exhaustion was, thought that the long days and short nights at the BAU had taught her how to function on small bursts of sleep.
Then she had a baby.
Her body was running on fumes. The 36 hours she had spent in labour with Theo had left her shattered, and in the three weeks since her baby was first placed on her chest she didn’t think she had slept more than 90 minutes at a time.
She groans as Theo cries out from the bassinet sitting up on the edge of the bed and reaching out for him before he could wake Aaron up. It was his first day back at work in the morning after his paternity leave and she wanted him to get as much sleep as possible
“Ok, sweet boy.” She says, lifting the baby into her arms and settling back into bed, she one handedly shrugs off her pyjama shirt and undoes her maternity bra so she can feed her son.
She rests her head against the headboard and closes her eyes, knowing it was only a few short hours until the day would begin.
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Aaron wakes to find his wife sat up, her eyes closed as she leant against the headboard, Theo fast asleep on her chest. She was wearing her maternity bra and her sweatpants, clearly having given up on a shirt at some point in the night. She had one hand cupped under the baby’s bottom, the other hand moving up and down his back. The movement was the only sign that she was awake.
“Your son hates sleep.” She murmurs, opening her eyes to look down at Theo. “Well, apparently he hates me sleeping.”
Aaron sits up next to her and kisses her bare shoulder and cups the back of Theo’s head. “You should have woken me up.”
She smiles at him, exhaustion clear across her face. “You have work, it didn’t make sense for both of us to be up.”
“Can I help at all?”
“Can you take Jack to school?” She asks, looking back down at Theo. “Now he’s sleeping I might try and have a nap.”
“Of course.”
______________
She’s late picking up Jack from school. Theo had slept in the afternoon, and so had she, and the next thing she knew she should have already been out of the house. She gets there as soon as she can, Theo screaming in the back seat and her nerves very much on edge.
“Ok, baby. Please stop crying.” She practically begs as the car pulls up to the school drop off, Jack stood there with his teacher. She steps out the car, and opens the door for Jack to get in. He gets in, not even looking at Emily as he clicks his seatbelt into place. Pulling the door shut, muting the sound of Theo’s crying. Emily turns to Jack’s teacher, sees the sympathetic look on her face.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs Hotchner. I’ve been there myself.”
Emily smiles and nods at her as she gets back in the car. She sees Jack in the rearview mirror, the upset on his face clear as his younger brother continues to cry.
“I’m sorry, Jack.”
He doesn’t respond.
_______________
Aaron gets held up at work on his first day back, leaving Emily to sort dinner for a still grumpy Jack as she tries to soothe Theo. She ends up with Theo in a baby wrap, content to sleep against her as she cleans away dishes from the, very mediocre, mac and cheese she had made.
Jack is still sulking when she walks back into the living room, his eyes fixed on the tv screen as he ignores her.
“Jack, sweetie, that's enough cartoons for tonight.” She says gently, feeling like she was treading on eggshells. He made no move to turn the tv off, the usually very reasonable 9 year old ignoring her. Emily sighs, one of her hands on Theo’s back, as she walks further into the living room, turning off the tv herself.
He finally turns to look at her, his eyebrows furrowed in a way that reminded her of Aaron. “I was watching that.”
She raises her eyebrows at his tone. “Jack.” She says calmly. “Please don’t speak to me like that.”
Jack rolls his eyes at her and stands, walking past her. “Whatever, Emily.”
“Jack.” She says firmer this time. “I know you’re upset, but you have to be respectful, ok?”
“You’re not my mom.” He replies. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
Emily feels like the wind has been knocked out of her, exhaustion and everything that being a mother to a newborn makes her react in a way it usually wouldn’t. “Go to your room.”
“I hate you.” He says as he stomps up the stairs, slamming the door to his bedroom loud enough to wake Theo.
Emily shakes her head, tears pooling in her eyes as she tries to soothe the baby.
______________
When Aaron gets home he finds his wife crying on the couch, Theo in her arms and the baby wrap abandoned next to her.
“Sweetheart.” He immediately puts his briefcase down and sits next to her, gathering her into his arms. “What’s wrong?”
“I suck at this.”
He cups the back of her head, pulls her face from his neck so he can look at her. “You suck at what?”
“Being a mom.”
It takes him a second to react, her words surprising him. “Em, you’re the best mom.” He says firmly, not even entertaining her comments for a second. “What happened?”
“I was late picking up Jack from school.” She says, shifting a, miraculously, sleeping Theo to rest his head on her shoulder. “I overslept and he was so mad.” She shakes her head at herself. “And he was grumpy all evening, and told me I wasn’t his mom. I overreacted and sent him to his room.” She clears her throat. “He told me he hated me.”
He sighs and cups her cheek and kisses her forehead. “That doesn’t make you a bad mom, baby. You’re exhausted. And Jack is adjusting. He’s gone from being just with Haley, to losing her, to living with us and becoming a big brother all within just under 10 months. That’s a lot for anyone, let alone a 9 year old.”
Emily nods. “You’re right.”
“And he doesn’t hate you. Far from it. He’s just not used to sharing you. Sibling jealousy is completely normal, even when you don’t include the rest of it.” He kisses her forehead. “Want me to talk to him?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’ll do it.”
__________
She gently knocks on Jack’s door an hour later. The baby settled and Aaron with him.
“Jack, it’s Emily.”
There's a pause, and for a moment she thinks he’s fallen asleep. “Come in.”
Emily walks in and smiles at him. He was sat in his bed, his favourite toy tucked under his arm. “Hi, sweetie.”
“Hi.”
She closes the door behind her and sits on the edge of his bed. “Should we talk about earlier?”
He looks away from her, sniffs as he looks down at his bedsheets. “I’m sorry.”
She places her hand under his chin and makes him look up at her. “I am sorry too, I think we were both a bit sad and said things we shouldn’t have.”
Jack nods and suddenly moves towards her, hugging her. She wraps her arms around him too and kisses his hair. “I’m sorry, Emily. I don’t hate you.”
“I know you don’t, sweetheat.” She kisses his hair again, her hand running up and down his back. “I’ve had an idea.” He removes himself from her grasp, his head tilted in curiosity at her.
“What idea?”
“How about on Saturday, dad stays home with Theo for an hour or so and you and I go get breakfast at the usual place?”
“Just the two of us?” He asks, the hope on his face making her chest swell.
“Just the two of us.” She confirms, ruffling his hair. “What do you think?”
His smile is the only answer she needs.
______________
August 2012
It’s when Sara asks him about the picture that he keeps in his dorm room that Jack really, truly, thinks about it for the first time.
It’s a picture taken at his high school graduation. Emily on one side of him, Amelia on her hip, his dad on the other with Theo in front of him. All of them have wide smiles on their faces. The trauma they had been through less than a year before, and still lived with, not present in the happy family photo.
Sara smiles when she sees it and picks it up off of his desk. “Wow, is that your mom? She’s so pretty.”
Jack finds himself almost unable to answer for a moment, unsure how to explain his family dynamic to his new girlfriend. That he had only met his dad when his mom was dying. That a bigger part of him than he would admit had spent the last decade of his life watching Emily with Theo and now Amelia wishing that she was his mom too.
“Yeah.” He says before he can think about it. “Well, technically no.” He corrects, shaking his head at himself, immediate guilt for discounting Haley. Sarah frowns at him and puts the photo back down. Jack sighs, running his hand through his hair. “My mom died when I was 9. Emily is my stepmom, she’s raised me since then.”
Sara smiles at him and reaches for his hand. “Did I ever tell you my dad is technically my stepdad?”
Jack shakes his head at that, the new information about his girlfriend sinking in.
“Well.” She continues. “He married my mom when I was 12, but he’s always been there since then. He’s my dad.” She pauses as if she’s considering if it’s her place to continue, but after a moment she does, a kind smile on her face. “It’s ok if you consider Emily as your mom, you know? I’m sure your mom wouldn’t mind.”
That night he lies in bed and looks at the picture, thinks of how Emily had been there through everything since they’d met. How far they had come since she was teaching him Spanish to distract him from an argument between his parents. How far she had gone to protect him and his siblings when they were separated from his dad, sacrificing her own happiness for them. How fiercely she loved him, the way he knew she would go to war with anyone who hurt him.
She was his mom.
______________
November 2012
Jack gets more and more nervous as they approach Arlington. Sara was coming to meet his family for the first time, for Thanksgiving break of all things. He’d felt confident when he had first suggested it, wanting his girlfriend to know that part of his life.
Now he was more unsure than ever.
“I wish you’d calm down.” Sara says, rolling her eyes at him from where she was sat in the passenger seat. “Isn’t it me that’s meant to be nervous?”
“I know, it’s just...they are really intense.”
Sara stares at him for a second before sighing. “Ok fine, do you want to go over it all again?” She suppresses a smile when he looks almost relieved at her suggestion. “Go ahead.”
“Don’t be surprised if you hear more than one language being spoken.” Jack says as they pull off the freeway. “And, despite how much she might end up talking about her job, please don’t let Mom scare you.”
______________
Emily smiles as she opens the front door to Jack and Sara, beckoning them in from the cold. She immediately pulls Jack into a hug, which he gladly returns.
“Jack, I missed you.” She pulls back to look at him, to try and see if he had somehow changed in the few months it had been since he had last been home. “Your dad will be glad to see you, he’s been talking about this all week.”
Jack smiles at her. “It’s nice to be home.” He clears his throat as he pulls away and grabs his girlfriend's hand. “This is Sara.” He turns to Sara and smiles at her before turning back to Emily. “Sara, this is my mom - Emily.”
Emily swears her brain short wires for a second. Jack had never called her mom before, exclusively calling her by her first name the entirety of their relationship. She doesn’t have time to react before Sara smiles.
“Nice to meet you, Emily.”
She recovers in a second, pushing the emotions down until she has time to process them later. “Lovely to meet you too.”
They all turn to the sound of small feet hitting the hardwood floors, Amelia careening into the back of her mothers legs. She wraps her arms around Emily’s leg, shyly peering out from behind her. Emily smiles, grateful for the distraction, as she bends down and picks her up, settling the 3 year old on her hip.
“Amelia, this is Sara.” She says pointing at her, a smile on her face. “She’s Jack’s girlfriend.” Amelia proceeds to bury her face into Emily’s neck, making her smile and kiss the side of her daughter's head. “Sorry, she can be a bit shy around new people.”
Jack leans forward to try and catch Amelia’s eyeline. “Millie, can I have a hug?”
Amelia turns her face to look at Jack, her hand playing with Emily’s hair, before she smiles at her brother and leans towards him, smiling as he scoops her into his arms.
Emily smiles as she watches her youngest and her eldest together, Amelia giggling as Jack tickles her, brings her out of her shell so he can introduce her to Sara properly. Theo bounds down the stairs to see his brother, the way he had missed him was clear for everyone to see.
She feels the emotion flare in her chest again, the memory of how it sounded when he called her mom flooding through her.
______________
Aaron walks into his bedroom, a small sigh as he runs his hands through his hair, Amelia’s demands for Emily to come read her a story making settling her down for the night. He hears water running in the ensuite and heads towards it.
“Sweetheart? Apparently I won’t do for storytime tonight.” He walks into the bathroom. “You do the voices better…” He trails off when his eyes land on his wife, the way she quickly wipes her face to get rid of the tears she is clearly trying to hide from him. “Em, baby? What’s wrong?”
He places his hand on her cheek and the dam breaks, tears streaming down her face. He pulls his wife into a hug, feels the way she grasps the back of his polo shirt, her fingers digging into the material.
“It’s stupid.” She sniffs into his shirt.
“You’re never stupid.” He says, his hand running up and down her back. He pulls back enough to cup her cheek, wiping away the tears.
“Jack called me mom, Aaron.” She says, sniffing as more tears fall down her cheeks. “He’s never done that before.”
Aaron smiles at her. It hadn’t escaped him that his son had been calling her that all night, as if he had been for years. He’d noticed Emily’s momentary reaction every time, the way she froze slightly before suppressing a smile.
“You are his mom, Em. You and Haley both are. Despite the circumstances, he’s been lucky enough to have both of you.”
She smiles at him, laughing at herself as she wipes tears away from her face. “I know, and I’ve always been happy for him to call me whatever he wants to.” She shakes her head as more tears start to fall. “I just don’t think I realised how much it would mean to me.”
Aaron leans forward and kisses her forehead. “Love you.”
“You too.” She hugs him close, letting him hold her tightly. “What were you saying about storytime?”
Aaron chuckles before pulling back to look at her. “According to our daughter I can’t do the voices like you can.”
Emily laughs. “I should probably go read to her then.”
“Why don’t you get into bed? I’ll bring her in here.”
“If we do that she’ll fall asleep with us, we’ll never get her back to her own room.” She raises an eyebrow at him, he’d always been the firmest in keeping their children in their own beds.
“We can break the rules just this once.”
She is just settling into bed when Aaron walks back in, a sleepy looking Amelia perched on his hip, her storybook in her hand.
“Hi sweet girl.” Emily says as Aaron places Amelia on the bed, the toddler immediately crawling under the covers and curling up against her mother.
Amelia tilts her head at Emily and places her hand on her cheek, clearly taking in her blotchy skin and red eyes. “Mama sad?”
“Oh, no sweetie. Mama is ok.” She kisses the side of Amelia’s head and takes the book out of her hand, smiling as she realises it was Goodnight Moon, the same book she had read to her daughter every night so far that week.
Aaron climbs into bed next to them, wrapping an arm around both of them as Emily opens the book, pleased to have both of his girls in his arms.
______________
June 2018
“Mom?”
Emily turns around in her kitchen, a cup of tea in hand, and smiles when she sees Jack standing behind her.
“Jack! Hi.” She rounds the kitchen counter to hug him. “What are you doing here?”
He hugs her back. “I had no more classes today, thought I’d pop by before Sara was done.” They had moved back to the DC area after college, both of them going to medical school at Georgetown. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
She looks at him curiously. “Of course. Shall we go sit down?”
They settle in the living room, Jack suddenly seeming nervous as he clears his throat and pulls a small box out of his jeans pocket, passing it over to Emily. She opens it and her eyes widen at the ring inside.
“It’s beautiful Jack.” She smiles at him. “I am already married though.”
“Mom.” He says, unamused at her attempt at humour.
“Sorry.” She bites her lip to stop herself from smiling. “So you’re going to propose to Sara. How are you going to do it?”
“I don’t know, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. How did Dad propose to you?”
Emily smiles at the memory. “I’d actually just had my tonsils removed and he was looking after me. I woke up from a nap and he just asked me.” She laughs. “Actually it’s more like he told me. He just said ‘marry me.’” Emily realises that hasn’t helped at all. “Jack, you’ve just got to do what’s right for you and Sara. You’ll think of something.”
“Dad thinks I’m too young.”
Emily rolls her eyes. “I think what your dad is forgetting is that I was your age when we got married.”
“What was it like when you planned your wedding?” Jack asks, the idea of planning his own stressing him out even before he proposed. Emily smiles at that, his confidence in the fact Sara would say yes.
Emily knew she would too.
“Oh I had very little to do with it. I just let my mother get on with it. The only things I picked were your dad and my dress, and let me tell you she had something to say about both those choices.” She smiles at Jack, a slight look of mischief on her face. “I’m sure if we called her she’d be happy to help.”
Jack pales slightly at the mention of Elizabeth’s involvement. “Oh god, no.”
______________
May 2019
Emily finds him exactly where she expected to. She smiles reassuringly at him when he turns around to look at her, before turning back to look at Haley’s grave.
It was a tradition of sorts. Jack came here whenever he had a big life event, anytime it was an important day. His high school graduation, as soon as he could after his college graduation. The day he finished med school.
“I thought I’d find you here.” She says as she reaches him, standing next to him. “Are you ok?”
“Yes.” He answers quickly, before turning to look at her, smiling sadly as she quirks an eyebrow at him. “No. I feel guilty.” Jack says, looking back at the granite headstone in front of him, purposely not looking at Emily.
She furrows her brow. “Guilty about what?”
“That I don’t immediately miss my mom in moments like this. It’s the biggest day of my life and part of me feels like I’ve come here out of obligation.” He admits. “She’s been gone so much longer than I had her, and sometimes I forget you aren’t my biological mom.” He sniffs, his jaw tightening as he tries to hold back his emotions. “And then I remember and I feel awful.”
Emily had spent the entire time she had known Jack wishing she could take his pain, his grief, away. Grief Emily had got a taste of only the year before when she lost her father. He had lost his mother at such a young age, and hadn’t known his father for the first several years of his life. He still had so many unanswered questions, things Haley had never had the chance to fully explain to him.
“Sweetheart.” She says, placing her arm around him and putting her hand on his shoulder. “She wouldn’t want you to feel like this. She loved you so much.”
He nods, wrapping his arm around her. “Is everyone worried?”
“Sara doesn’t think you’ve left her at the altar if that’s what you mean.” Emily says, a wry smile on her face. “But we should get going.”
______________
Emily smiles as she dances with Jack, Sara and her father dancing alongside them.
“Thanks for today.” Jack says, a smile on his face as he looks at her.
“No need to thank me, Jack.”
He hums in his throat in disbelief. “I have a lot to thank you for really.”
“Jack-”
“We’ve never really talked about it.” He says, the song they were dancing to fading into the background. “The older I’ve got the more I’ve realised how hard it must have been for you at the start, but you’ve never said anything. Never really made me feel any different.”
Emily smiles at him, emotion welling in her chest. “Jack, of course I didn’t. You were a kid. You’re my kid.”
He stops the dance, the music coming to an end anyway. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, Jack.”
“Can I cut in?”
They both turn to see Aaron standing there, smiling at both of them. Jack steps back, indicating his father can step in to dance with Emily.
“I should go see my wife.” Jack says as he steps away.
Aaron smiles at Emily as he pulls her to him, one arm banding around her back, the other grasping her hand in his. “I remember dancing at our wedding.”
Emily laughs. “That was so long ago now.”
“We’re getting old, Mrs Hotchner.”
She makes an outraged noise, uses the hand on his shoulder to smack him lightly. “Speak for yourself, Mr Hotchner.”
______________
Emily kisses the side of Amelia’s head, her daughter fast asleep on her lap, the excitement of the day too much for the 10 year old, the evening now passin into the early hours of the following morning. She laughs when she sees Theo dragging Elizabeth up to dance, always able to convince his grandmother to do anything.
“Hi sweetheart.” Aaron says as he drags a chair next to her and sits down, throwing his arm across the back of her chair. “Is she ok?” He asks, smiling at Amelia, her head pressed against Emily’s shoulder, her mouth hanging open slightly as she sleeps.
“She’s fine, she’s just tired.”
He kisses his wife's temple. “It has been a long day.” He looks over to Theo and Elizabeth and back to his wife, not missing the sad smile on her face. “Are you ok?”
Emily looks at him. “Yeah. I just wish Dad could be here, that’s all.” She sighs, the thought of John’s death only the year before still felt sharp to her at times. The feeling she had when she got the call was still fresh, as if it had happened only yesterday.
“I know you do, baby. I do too.” He kisses her temple again, trying to press all of his love and support into her skin
“He really loved Jack.”
Aaron smiles at that, memories of Jack trying to teach John how to play video games. The way he had instantly had the older man wrapped around his finger as soon as they had met.
“The feeling was mutual.”
They sit there and watch their eldest dance with his new wife, the promise of a new beginning hanging in the air.
#hotchniss#hotchniss fanfic#hotchniss fanfiction#aaron hotchner#emily prentiss#aaron hotchner x emily prentiss#Hotchniss AU#WTB Universe#ITSWM#Day-to-Day#criminal minds fanfiction#family fluff#Criminal Minds AU#Jack Hotchner
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Room to Breathe
Based on this post by @sleepyvirgilprompts but I deviated from the intent a lot.
Tw: Panic attack, Unwanted physical contact, yelling, accusations, anxious thoughts, swearing
Ship: Platonic LAMP
Virgil was an idiot, a tired idiot, but an idiot. He’d just wanted out of his room, the shadows and the dark making it impossible to relax that night. Just like it had the night before. He was exhausted, he didn’t even plan to sleep that night, he just wanted to breathe a little. So, he grabbed his blanket and headed to the Light Side living room. It was the first time he’d really left his room in the last few days.
He’d turned the tv to the lowest volume and clicked on the first thing he saw. An episode of Over the Garden Wall. That was fine, Virgil liked the animation.The low volume was soothing, he turned the subtitles on and let himself zone out.
This of course was dumb, relaxing somewhere he shouldn’t be when he was exhausted. Predictably, he fell asleep.
He didn’t know how long he was asleep, but he woke up to the sound of footsteps, footsteps coming closer. He woke up slightly at that realization, looking around and realizing where he was, sending himself into a panic.
He looked around in vain for a place to hide, the tv was still playing softly, when the footsteps sounded impossibly close and Virgil had gone completely delirious with the cocktail of exhaustion and pure panic in his body, he threw the blanket he’d brought over his head and willed himself to stop breathing so loud.
Now, in any other state, Virgil would’ve recognized this as stupid and ridiculous. But right now, his brain seemed to be operating with a child’s ideas of object permanence. “If I can’t see them, they can’t see me.”
So when he heard Princey’s voice his heart almost stopped, “Hello? Patton?”
When Roman got no response, he tried again, “Lo?”
Virgil briefly thought of making a run for it, if he kept the blanket on his head, maybe the prince wouldn’t know it was him. This plan actially sounded pretty good, but just as Virgil was about to make a breal for it, he felt the blanket being tugged away from him.
He was too shocked to resist, suddenly, the anxious trait found himself staring into the eyes of Creativity.
“Anxiety!” The Prince cried incredulously.
Virgil flinched away at the loud noise, “Good Evening, Princey.” He said in a forced casual tone.
“What in Thomas’s name are you doing down here?!” Roman looked mad. Virgil could feel himself moving closer to the edge with every shouted word.
“I could ask you the same question.” Why was he making this worse?
“I live here, you creep!” Roman is in his face now and it’s too much, Virgil has to get out of there.
He pushes Roman away, not hard, but enough to get him to back out of his way. He runs to the stairs, panic blinding him. He bumps into something solid and firm, arms catch him from falling down the few stairs he’d made it up.
“Woah, there, kiddo? Whatcha doing down here so late?” Patton. Patton, oh no oh no oh no oh no...
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Roman huffs angrily from the bottom of the stairs. “He pushed me, trying to make an escape attempt. Good job, Pat, you got him.”
Patton frowns, “Anxiety?” He asks softly, “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”
Virgil lets out a strangled cry, Patton’s arms are still holding onto him, keeping him in place and it’s all too much. He can’t get away, he has to get away. He’s settled on flight, he didn’t want to hurt any of them, but he was so close to losing all control. Why couldn’t they just let him go?
“What are you all doing?” God no. Why did they all have to be here? Why couldn’t he have just stayed in his room?
Virgil was hyperventilating, he couldn’t get himself to focus enough to even explain himself. The only thoughts in his mind right now were, “Go! Go! Go! Danger!” And it was making it impossible to even listen to the words being spoken to him.
“Patton let him go, for Pete’s sake! He’s having a panic attack!” Logan snaps.
“Oh no, kiddo, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize-” Patton stops talking when Virgil yanks away from Patton’s loosened grip and immediately starts running up the remainder of the stairs. They all three flinch at the sound of Virgil’s bedroom door slamming shut.
Patton makes a move to follow the anxious trait, but Logan puts a hand on his shoulder, “Don’t.”
“But he-”
“Is in a serious state of distress, due to the both of you. I doubt he wants any comfort right now. Give him space,” Logan interrupts irritably.
“He left his blankie...” Patton mumbles sadly.
“Logan, that fiend was down here doing gosh knows what, and you want us to give him space?” Roman cries indignantly.
“Ro,” Patton frowns at the prince, “He probably didn’t mean anything by it. He hasn’t come downstairs in days, why’d you chase him out?”
“He was hiding under a blanket,” Roman rolls his eyes, “That’s pretty suspicious. You need to stop being so nice, Pat. Not everyone is good.”
Logan descends the stairs with a blank expression, he looks around the living room critically, “It appears he was watching television,” he drawls.
“Well, yes, I’m sure it appears that way,” Roman defends weakly.
“You chased my dark strange son away for watching cartoons,” Patton looks like he might cry. “Ro, he may never come back down here again!”
“While I doubt that’s true, he may be reluctant to leave his room for the foreseeable future.”
Patton shoots Roman a sad look.
Roman huffs, “You won’t make me feel bad. It’s not happening.”
“Ro...” Patton whispers in a pleading voice, “He didn’t even do anything.”
“Maybe not this time,” Romman mumbles defensively.
“Any-” Logan pulls out a vocab card “-beef, you have with Anxiety is merely because he’s doing his job. Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean you can treat him like a criminal for every little thing he does.” Logan states firmly.
Roman groans, “Why do you always take his side?”
“Because he needs the support,” Patton shoots Roman a firm look, “You shouldn’t be so mean to him, Ro. He doesn’t mean to make you mad, he’s just doing his job.”
“Okay, okay! Enough with the guilt trip! I’ll apologize to him!” Roman stomps up a few stairs before Logan stops him.
“Not tonight,” Logan looks at both sides seriously, “Neither of you should bother him anymore tonight. He needs some time to breathe. We can discuss it in the morning.”
Patton nods sadly, “My poor kiddo...”
Roman rolls his eyes, “Whatever, I’m going back to bed.” He never even gets the glass of water he came downstairs for in the first place.
*****
Virgil spends the rest of the night on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop. For someone to come pounding on his door, demanding an explanation for the previous night, and his solemn oath to never do it again.
Neither of those comes, not even in the morning, when Virgil is sure everyone will wake up angrier than before.
Roman was probably furious. His worst enemy lounging on the couch.
Virgil waited all day for that pounding knock, it didn’t come. Instead he spent the whole day expecting it. And being shocked when he heard a soft tap early on in the evening.
“Kiddo? I brought you some pizza?” Patton. Probably to lull him into a false sense of security. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore the moral trait.
“No thanks, I’m good.”
Outside the door, Patton frowns. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Virgil wants him to leave, he wants him to leave. The silence stretches on for long enough to make him start to think he had.
But then, “Anxiety, I’m sorry Roman chased you out of the living room last night.”
Virgil freezes, his entire body tenses up. He knows he should say something but his entire mind has gone blank.
“He really shouldn’t have done that, kiddo,” Patton continues, “I’m sure he feels bad about it.”
Virgil seriously doubted that, Roman didn’t feel bad. About anything, ever. “It’s fine, I shouldn’t have been down there anyway.” His voice sounds nonchalant, but the fact that this was just another way he’d never be accepted made his heart ache.
“Oh, Anxiety, no!” Patton cries in a horrified voice, “Kiddo, you’re allowed to be in the living room.”
“Yeah, sure. Thanks, Pat.”
“I mean it.” Patton’s voice had done solemn and serious. “Roman shouldn’t have chased you out, you have just as much of a right to be there as the rest of us.”
Virgil sighs and climbs off the bed, he stalks to the door and swings it open. Patton blinks at him in surprise, “You don’t really want me there. I appreciate the thought, I really do. But you and I both know I’d make it awkward. No one really wants the embodiment of fear and nervousness in a room, Pat. Thanks anyway.” He attempt to shut the door, Patton stops him with his foot.
“Wait! That’s not true at all, Anxiety. I’d love for you to come downstairs and hang out with us. Logan doesn’t mind you doing so, either.”
Virgil nods, “And Roman?”
Patton grimaces, “He’ll come around. But he doesn’t own the living room. You have just as much right to be there as he does.”
Virgil shakes his head, “I don’t want to piss him off.”
“Language,” Patton warns lightly, “and he’ll get over it. Why don’t you come down with me? I won’t let him chase you out again, promise.”
And he looks so hopeful, and Virgil didn’t even realize he’d nodded until he felt Patton’s hand grab his and suddenly he was being pulled along downstairs.
“Wait, Patton!” Virgil protests.
Patton stops in the middle of the hall, “If you don’t want to go, I won’t make you. But I really don’t want you to feel like you’re not allowed downstairs.”
Virgil nods, “I just don’t want a repeat of last night, I’m sorry I ran away. It was just...”
“Overwhelming?” Patton offers, “that’s okay, Anxiety. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just glad you’re not mad at me, I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that. And besides, Roman promised me he wouldn’t do that again.”
“He did?”
“Yeah, I think Lo and I made him feel bad. He shouldn’t have chased you out.”
“I—are you sure he’s not more mad now? He did find me downstairs in the middle of the night.”
“Which you’re completely allowed to do,” Patton replies.
“I’m just saying, it was odd. And I know I’m not the easiest person to trust. Just...don’t be too hard on him about it, okay? He doesn’t deserve that.”
“Do you really mean that?” Virgil whirls around to see Roman standing at the end of the hall.
“Jesus! Are you trying to kill a guy? Who sneaks up on Anxiety?” Virgil cries exasperatedly.
“I wasn’t sneaking up on you, I just happened to over hear. But you really aren’t upset with me for last night?”
Virgil shrugs, “I was in your living room in the middle of the night. It’s fine.”
Roman shakes his head, “It isn’t, you...you were just watching cartoons. I’m sorry.”
Virgil’s eyes widen in surprise, “Thank you.”
Roman offers a tentative smile, “Would you like to come downstairs and watch a movie?”
Virgil smiles, “Yeah, thanks, that sounds great.”
Patton squeals excitedly, “I’m so glad you two made up! Now! Let’s go get Logie to make us snacks!”
__________
I just ran with this i don’t even have an explanation
Taglist: @idont-freaking-know @aceawkwardunicorn @emo--nightmaree @a-yeet-bop-bop-boom @me-a-mess-morelikelythanyouthink @katlikethesword @tranquil-space-ninja @book-limerence @cute-and-angsty-princess
#sanders sides#platonic lamp#platonic moxiety#ts sides#fanfic#thomas sanders#ts roman#roman#roman sanders#ts patton#ts virgil#Patton#Patton sanders#Virgil#Virgil sanders#Logan#ts Logan#Logan sanders
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Luz’s mother really doesn’t want to send Luz to camp. She knows once she leaves, there is no going back. But Luz has a knack for getting into trouble, and one day she stumbles into the same type of people her mother would have preferred she avoided. After helping Luz dissolve her high school bully into dust, Eda and Lilith know right away that this kid is just like them - a child of the gods. So Luz hops on a Pegasus and heads to Camp Half-blood, where she embarks on a dangerous quest that makes her both friends and enemies... and she might even save Olympus along the way.
Chapter Nineteen: We Play the World's Most Dangerous Game of Ultimate Frisbee
The dance floor was filled to the brim with students enjoying the music, so Luz led Amity by the hand to a more quiet spot on the outskirts where they wouldn’t be bumped by other dancers. When they got to a good spot, Luz gave Amity an experimental turn, and the daughter of Aphrodite giggled as she did a spin, and Luz saw the tip of her sword hanging just above her knees.
“Wait, you actually put your sword there? I thought you were joking!” Luz exclaimed, and Amity laughed, her cheeks flushing red as she pushed her dress back down with the hand that wasn’t tightly gripping Luz’s.
“Where else was I supposed to put it?” Amity asked sheepishly, “I’ve never needed to carry my sword while wearing a dress before.”
“I’m just surprised that the great Amity Blight doesn’t have a magically concealed weapon like I do.” Luz teased, wiggling her fingers to show off Aletheia, which was sitting comfortably on her ring finger.
Amity rolled her eyes. “Magical artifacts like that are few and far between. And not all of us are stupid enough to choose a cursed weapon like that one.”
“Hey!” Luz put her hand over her heart as though offended, but the smile stretching across her face gave away just how unbothered she was by the comment. “I love my magic sword and all its cursed qualities, alright?”
The two of them twirled around to the upbeat music together, cracking a couple of jokes and laughing. Luz couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d been this happy. Sure, she was on a dangerous quest to save Olympus and probably the entire world, but at this moment, in this stupid university hall holding Amity’s hand and spinning her while her best friends watched in the wings, Luz thought tonight couldn’t get any better.
After a moment, the song switched, and it took on a much slower rhythm. The pair’s dancing slowed, and Luz started to feel the heat under her collar. She could do the upbeat and quick dancing, but suddenly the idea of pulling Amity in for a slower dance was making her nervous.
Amity seemed to be feeling similarly, because she cleared her throat, her cheeks turning pink as she looked away from Luz awkwardly.
Exhaling nervously, Luz mustered a smile and squeezed Amity’s hand. “Would you want to um…” she gestured with her free hand to the room around her, and thankfully Amity just giggled.
“Yeah… okay.”
Luz's smile grew, and she gently pulled Amity closer to her. She gently put her hands high up on Amity’s waist, and the daughter of Aphrodite timidly let hers fall onto Luz’s shoulders. She was so close, Luz could make out the tiniest details about her she hadn’t noticed before. Her chipped black nail polish or the splash of freckles across her nose. The two swayed slowly to the music, not really following any sort of dance in particular.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, not with Amity’s gold eyes staring at her softly, but Luz’s heart was beating way too quickly in her chest to be able to just enjoy it. The need to say something, anything at all, quickly overcame her.
“So uh, this is nice.”
Amity snorted at Luz’s awkwardness, which just made her heartbeat quicken. Amity was so cute when she laughed.
“Yeah, it is. I’ve never been to a school dance before.”
Luz swallowed hard. Her heartbeat had now sped up for an entirely different reason.
“I have.”
Amity, who hadn’t noticed the change in Luz’s demeanor, just tilted her head curiously. “Oh yeah? Was it anything like this one?”
“I… I don’t really remember.” Luz really didn’t want to talk about it, but she wasn’t going to ruin the mood just because she’d answered Amity’s question.
Amity, however, had seemed to pick up on Luz’s hesitance, and she frowned. Her hands on Luz’s shoulders tightened reassuringly.
“Luz, are you okay?”
Luz shrugged her shoulders. “The last time I went to a school dance the kids there played a prank on me and it ruined my dress. I haven’t been to once since.”
“What?” Amity gasped, her eyes widening. “Why would they do that? ‘
Luz felt her eyes beginning to prick with tears at the memory. She’s swallowed hard to force it away.
“I’m kinda the weird kid at my school. I don’t really fit in. There was a group of girls who found out about my crush on this girl and… well… it’s a long story. They picked on me all year. But the semiformal dance was the worst. They met me outside before I could even go in and threw the punch on my dress. Then I found out the girl I liked was in on it and… well, you can guess how it went from there. I just went straight home. It was mean… but I’ve dealt with worse, you know?”
Amity’s frown had deepened, and Luz wanted more than anything to change the subject off of Maya. This was supposed to be fun, and a way for her and Amity to get closer. She didn’t want to unload all her old mess on her. Amity didn’t deserve that.
“Luz, I’m so sorry. I heard about those girls from my siblings. One of them was an empousai, right? They’re terrible monsters, they like to pick on unclaimed demigods-”
“It wasn’t the monster,” Luz interjected her face flushing red. She was embarrassed to be talking about this, but it wasn’t as bad as she had thought it might be. Amity wasn’t judging her. She wasn’t faking any sympathy, she just… listened. But despite the careful and kind way Amity was letting Luz talk, the usually upbeat demigod was letting all those quiet feelings bring themselves to the surface. She was angry, and hurt… and bitter too.
“The monster didn’t come until after the semiformal. The girls who bullied me… they were just regular kids. Regular mortals who just wanted to make me feel terrible for no reason other than that I was different.”
Amity was quiet, and the two continued to sway to the slower music together, when Luz looked at her, she saw Amity’s face morphed into sad contemplation. Luz tilted her head curiously, and Amity eventually sighed.
“Luz, I owe you an apology,” she said, her voice so low that Luz would have missed it if they weren’t so close.
“Wait, wait?” Luz asked, her eyes widening owlishly.
“I do,” Amity insisted, her arms tightening around Luz’s shoulders as they continued to sway. “I was… not nice to you when you first came to camp. I’m really sorry about that.”
Luz chuckled, her cheeks heating up as she looked away. “Amity, you don’t have to be sorry you’ve made up for it enough. You saved my life back in Kansas-”
“And you saved mine first when I definitely didn’t deserve it,” Amity retorted. Luz bit her lip, not knowing how to respond. Amity caught this and reached one hand off Luz’s shoulder to push a loose strand of hair behind her ear nervously. Luz’s shoulder tingled at the loss of contact.
“Just… please let me apologize ok? Honestly, I’ve been kind of amazed at how brave you are. You’ve done things I could never do…”
Luz finally let herself laugh, maybe because of the craziness of where the conversation had turned, or maybe because Amity looked so sheepish, Luz couldn’t help herself.
“Yeah right. Are you going soft on me, Blight?”
Amity’s eyes narrowed playfully, and she smiled. “In your dreams.”
Luz laughed again, and somewhat out of reflex she pulled Amity closer to her, and Amity moved too, resting her head on Luz’s shoulder as they moved to the song. It had changed again, to a more fast-paced beat than the previous song, but their dancing didn’t change tempo, and instead, they kept swaying slowly.
Luz’s heart was beating so fast she wasn’t sure if it had stopped or was just skipping too many beats to count. Amity’s cheek was pressed against the top of her shoulder, and her arms were wrapped tight around Luz’s neck, and Luz could feel the lace sleeves of her dress tickle the skin on her neck. Luz just simply let her hold herself there for a few moments, savoring it before she remembered she hadn’t actually responded properly to Amity.
“I forgive you,” she whispered, and Amity looked up in surprise, meeting Luz’s brown eyes with her gold ones.
“You do?” She replied, her mouth dropping open in surprise.
Luz shrugged her shoulders, a bright smile pulling at her lips. “Yeah, after everything that’s happened on this quest, you’ve more than earned it.”
Amity just gaped at her for a few seconds, before the biggest smile Luz had ever seen on her stretched across her face. Luz laughed again at the sight, it was like she was a little kid opening her Christmas gifts.
“Why are you laughing?” Amity asked, her smiling pausing as though Luz was making fun of her.
“I’m not laughing at you,” Luz promised her, biting her lip to keep more giggles from spilling out of her mouth. “I just think you’re cute when you smile.”
Amity blushed, but the smile didn’t leave her face. Luz was suddenly beginning to feel bolder, taking that as a good sign as any. Her hands on Amity’s waist tightened, and without meaning to her eyes flickered down to Amity’s lips.
Amity must have seen this because her blush deepened, but she made no move to pull away. Luz’s mouth began to go dry, and she felt herself move closer and closer to Amity. Her stomach was fluttering nervously, and she couldn’t believe she was actually about to do this.
Just as the gap between them got smaller and smaller, Luz’s eyes out of nervous habit flickered to where Willow had been standing earlier, and with a jolt that felt like ice running through her veins, she reared back from Amity, her eyes widening.
Willow was nowhere to be seen. She scanned the prom quickly, and to her horror, Gus was gone too.
“Holy Hermes, how long ago did Willow and Gus sneak out?”
Amity jerked back from her quickly, her face still flushed a deep red, but her eyes widening in a similar panic. “The mission! I totally forgot!”
“Me too,” Luz exclaimed in horror, but she couldn’t help the pink that ran up her cheeks when she realized exactly why she’d forgotten. Her left hand had slipped from Amity’s waist to her hand when they’d separated, and she squeezed it absentmindedly as she started dragging Amity through the crowd. “We have to go.”
The pair pushed through the crowd of students, careful not to alert any of the security of what was happening. When Luz thought they were clear, she pushed open the side door with her shoulder and pulled Amity through it, a rush of the cool summer air hitting her in the face as they went outside.
Luz’s heart was hammering in her chest as she let go of Amity’s hand, immediately missing the warm contact. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two of the masks, tossing one to Amity. They pulled them around their faces, (nothing fancy, but it was black and covered their nose and mouth) and started walking hastily towards the classics building.
“I hope they haven’t been waiting too long, who knows what is protecting that shield,” Amity said quietly to Luz, as the two of them ran next to one another.
Luz nodded, her own anxiety beginning to climb. Gus had told Luz before that while it might appear many Greek artifacts were just out in the open, a lot of the time there was something from their world keeping them there, out of the mortal's line of sight. Luz hoped that after losing track of time Willow and Gus weren’t in any kind of danger.
When they arrived to the classics building, (Amity had been leading the way since all of the buildings seemed to look exactly the same to Luz) Amity skidded to a stop, and Luz followed suit. The door was open, with a plank of wood wedged between it.
“They’re inside, Gus must have unlocked it and left it ajar for us,” she said, pushing the door open. “Let’s move.”
Luz didn’t need to be told twice. The pair moved quickly through the halls, and thankfully Amity seemed to know where she was going because Luz would have gotten hopelessly lost.
When they rounded one corner in particular, Amity held her arm out, stopping Luz.
“Did you hear that?” She asked, terrified.
Luz paused, listening closely. She didn’t hear anything in particular, but then a loud alarm bell starting ringing, following by a banging noise. Luz tensed when that sound was followed by a yelp she could recognize anywhere.
“Gus!” She yelled, reaching on her ring to uncap Aletheia which shifted into a sword. Luz pushed through the door and past the ringing alarm bells a few feet down the hall with Amity close on her heels. When she burst into the room, her eyes widened.
“What are those?” She squeaked to Amity, whose mouth had dropped open.
Willow and Gus were at the edge of the room, holding out their weapons threateningly. Behind them, there were half a dozen metal warriors that had come to life all around them. Four of them had swords, and two had spears, and they were closing in on Willow and Gus, their faces designed into scowls, their eyes flashing a bright neon blue.
“Hephaestus left automatons to protect the shield!” Gus shouted from the front of the room. He had his own spear and shield up and ready, and next to him Willow was holding out her sword, a new bronze shield strapped to her arm.
“Help us!” She screamed, swinging at one of the spear-holding statues, who deflected.
Luz and Amity didn’t hesitate before charging into the fray. Luz lunged at one of the automatons with its back to them, and she managed to slice it right in half. Amity swung her own through the head of another, and it collapsed to the ground. That’s when the other two in front turned to the new opponents.
Luz had to hold back a yelp as one swung, and her sword collided with it. Luz was pretty good with her blade, but this automaton was no laughing stock. With its full attention on Luz, it managed to dodge and parry her attacks like a pro, and Luz had to focus all her attention on it.
“We have to go!” Willow shouted as she met the spear of her automaton. “An alarm sounded the second I touched the shield. If we don’t get away now, security will catch us!”
“How are we supposed to get past the automatons?” Amity said, her sword stuck between the automaton as she pushed against it. Gus was in a similar position, his spear stuck between his own shield and the other automaton.
Luz grimaced, pushing forward with a particularly hard strike. Her automaton dropped a few feet backward, and Luz noticed something she had missed before. Every time the automaton stepped backward, the gears in its body moved too, and it had to wait a few moments to adjust before swinging. A classic slower attacker. She looked behind the automaton and saw a row of potted plants growing against the wall behind them, and all of a sudden, Luz had an idea.
“Willow!” Luz yelled, shifting her sword back into her ring and slipping it on her finger, ducking under the automaton’s next swing. “Let’s do the thorn vault! The one we practiced for capture the flag!”
“What?” Willow exclaimed, swinging against the automaton again, narrowing missing its arm. “Are you crazy?”
“Just trust me!” Luz pleaded, already reaching into the inside pockets of her suit. She knew she had put these in there for a reason. Her hands wrapped around the leather hand buzzer, and she slipped it over her left hand.
“Okay, you’re actually crazy!” Willow said, but she got into position anyway. “Gus, Amity! Get ready!”
“Get ready for what?” Amity said in horror, and Luz could tell she was already dreading their idea. From behind her, the potted plants began to rise, getting thicker and thicker with every passing second.
Luz had to duck against the automaton’s next swing, but she slammed the hand buzzer against the bronze statue, and electricity began spilling up into the machine. It started vibrating wildly, and Luz grinned in satisfaction as it’s blue eyes flickered. She looked at her other friends.
‘Now or never!”
“I’m ready!” Gus yelled back, pushing against the automaton with his shield and putting some space between them.
“Alright!” Willow yelled, slashing her sword in the air. “Luz, now!”
The roots came flying at her almost quicker than she was expecting, and Luz jumped, landing hard on the feet of the thick vines. They were easily two meters thick, and still shooting forward. But Luz didn’t have time to admired Willow’s obvious skill.
“Heads up!” She yelled to Willow, slamming her hand buzzer against the head of her own automaton, and the machine began to fizz out wildly, just like Luz’s had. Willow reached out her other hand, and the shield flew towards Luz. She caught it in her free hand, and as the thorns began to turn and spin towards Gus, she slammed it down hard on the head of the automaton, startling it enough that Gus could run it through the neck with his spear.
“Alright!” Gus whooped in excitement, spinning and kicking the automaton’s headless body down to the ground.
“Willow!” Luz shouted, pointing to Amity. “Turn!”
Willow slashed her sword in the other direction, and Luz had to wrap her now empty hand tight around the vine as it spun towards Amity. Knowing she didn’t have another plan, she tossed her the shield, and the daughter of Aphrodite caught it, slinging it around her corsage as she smashed the face of it against the automaton, pushing it a few feet away from her.
Grinning at her opening, Luz jumped off the vine and landed in front of the stumbling statue. She slapping her buzzer against the automaton, and the whole thing began to vibrate until it collapsed to the ground.
Willow and Gus cheered from behind them, and Luz threw her hands up in the air, grinning gleefully. “Alright!”
She reached around with her non-buzzer hand and pulled Amity into a hug. “Teamwork, baby!”
“Luz!” Amity yelped, pointing behind them. Luz turned her head, and her stomach dropped. There were two mortal security guards, who were watching the whole thing with their mouths dropped.
“Uh oh,” Luz said slowly, already backing away. Now that the adrenaline had faded, all she could hear was the sound of the security alarm and the feeling of the room’s cameras on her body. This was definitely not good.
“Over here!” Gus exclaimed from behind them, and when Luz turned her head, her friends were already running towards the emergency exit against the sidewall. Turning towards them, Amity and Luz started sprinting, and the security guards seemed to finally snap out of their trance.
“Hey! You kids get back here!”
“What do we do?” Amity hissed as Willow and Gus pushed the door open. “We’re going to get caught!”
“I’ve got it!” Luz said, reaching into her suit’s inside pocket and pulling out the bag her siblings had given her back at camp. She didn’t know what this was going to do, and she was feeling terrible that the mortals were going to have to deal with it, but surely this was better than getting electrocuted by the buzzer. “Get through the door, now!”
The second her friends had pushed through the door, Luz turned her head and threw the bag against the ground at the entrance as hard as she could, praying this would give them a clean getaway.
She had gotten a little more than she’d bargained for.
The ground exploded in a fleet of purple powder, and Luz was knocked clean off her feet. She was pushed backward, rolling against the ground as she heard screaming coming from her friends behind her, and the guards on the other side. She hit the pavement with a thud, rolling a few feet, and she struggled for breath as the air was knocked out of her lungs.
“Luz!” Came a very high pitched voice from next to her. Luz blinked, coughing as she saw Amity above her, trying to pull her to her feet. “Are you alright?”
When Luz realized what Amity sounded like, she couldn’t help but chuckle through coughs as she stood on shaky legs. “Why do you sound like that?”
When she realized that she sounded like that too, she laughed again. Gods, she sounded so funny.
“I can’t believe Viney gave you a helium bomb,” Amity said exasperated, and Luz laughed even harder. “That could have killed you!”
“Did it work?” Luz asked, trying to stifle her chuckles. In hindsight, it wasn’t so funny as it was ridiculous, but for whatever reason Luz just couldn’t calm down.
“It did, but it won’t for long if we don’t move!” Gus said from next to her, his voice also unreasonably high pitched. Luz laughed so hard she thought her lungs were going to explode.
“What’s wrong with her?” Willow muttered from next to Gus, and Amity rolled her eyes.
“She was in the direct blast,” Amity replied quietly. “she’ll be like this for a little while. But we have to go.”
“I threw the bag, and it just went like… BOOM!” Luz said to them, her grin so wide she was sure she probably looked insane. “I saved the day!”
“Yes, you did,” Amity said to her gently, already pulling her along by the hand as the four of them started running. Luz’s feet were stumbling as she went, and she was slightly aware of the aching in her chest as she ran. Probably when she hit the ground when it exploded. Gods, that was soooo funny. She was snorting to herself just thinking about it.
By the time Luz was able to process where she was, they were already back at where they had ditched their bags. Throwing their stuff over their shoulders, Willow grabbed Luz’s bag as the demigod collapsed to her knees, laughing so hard tears were running down her face.
“What do we do?” Gus asked, and Luz clutched her stomach at the sound of her voice. Her laughs had become silent, as she struggled to breathe. “We can’t take her anywhere like this… and the mortal police will be here any minute.”
“She’s going to start losing it… and I mean more than she already has,” Amity whispered to them, looking at Luz in panic. “She’s probably not going to remember any of this.”
Willow was humming under her breath, looking around the building to prom with her eyes narrowed in focus. Suddenly her gaze flickered over to a mom, clearly waiting for her kids, and her eyes widened.
“Leave it to me,” she said certainly. “Just get all our stuff ready and I’ll be right back.”
“Willow, what are you doing?” Gus hissed in panic as she began to walk over, and Amity leaned down to Luz, who had now just started vibrating on the grassy floor. Luz felt a hand touch her back, and when she looked up, Amity was looking at her anxiously.
“Luz? Just try and stay calm ok? Everything is going to be fine.”
Luz caught herself choking on laughter once again, reaching up with her hand to gently touch Amity’s face.
“I can’t believe I did that, I flew like… so high into the air. Did you see it? Was it so cool?”
Amity bit her lip, nodding gently. “Yes, Luz. It was very cool.”
Luz chuckled again, clutching her stomach. She was only half aware of her vision beginning to go in and out.
“It was cool. But do you know what would have been way cooler?”
Amity frowned, leaning in to look at Luz, who was still cackling to herself, pressing her hands against her stomach, and neck, and face, in an attempt to suppress it. “What, Luz?”
Luz sighed to herself, feeling her eyes beginning to close. Was she about to fall asleep? Maybe. She was very tired after all, and her chest was aching, and her stomach was clenching so hard she was worried she might throw up. She didn’t want to do that in front of Amity.
“I would have liked to finish our dance,” Luz said, so quietly Amity had to lean in to hear it. “I was finally working up the courage to kiss you, you know.”
Luz didn’t remember much after that. Between someone hauling her limp body off the ground and yelling from all around, she had kind of zoned out. She did remember being put into some kind of car, and by that point, all she had to do was lean her head on Amity’s shoulder before she finally fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
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Masklophobia: Chapter 6
Karl's Paradise- 02x04: My Webby Valentine
Now onto the 4th episode of the 2nd season. It's a... ...god damn Valentine's Day special. As you can tell by the title. Anyways, let's dive right in, shall we?
The episode begins with that hillbilly lizard, who's at the start of every episode, taking a nap by the "Welcome to the Paradise" sign. He then awakens, yawns, then a cartoon bee flew into his mouth. He choked for a while, then eventually spat it out. Next, the show pans to the Paradise town, festive in Valentine's Day decorations. We witness a lot of heteronormativity coming from the stock puppet characters. After that, we cut to the Paradise Critters.
More random puppet characters are fishing by the lake, when Fins popped up, holding a bouquet of roses, saying "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! *Chuckles*" The fisher puppets come to take a closer look at the roses, and sniff them, but then water had sprayed out. She laughed, then presented them with real roses as a "No hard feelings" apology.
Cut to Junior; He was in school, where his classmates were having a card exchange. A female student (named Shirley) was two seats away from him. Shirley was a dog puppet, with pigtail like ears, and she appeared to be checking Junior out. Ughhhh, forced romance on eight year-olds. She stared at Junior as she watched him sort through his box of cards, just carelessly shuffling and making himself a mess. The mammoth stopped as he picked something up: Chocolate candies with a card attached. Shirley seemed to be fullfilled, implying that it came from her. Unfortunately, Junior crumbled up the card, tossed it aside, then ate the candies. Shirley was left heartbroken. "Boys..."
We then now cut to the Happy Belly Diner. Yum-Yum was placing a bunch of Valentines Day treats, including a punch bowl, on the counter. Barkstone and Saxxo stared in awe. Mama LongLegs was in the background, hovering over a bowl of soup. Back to Yum-Yum, she said that King Karl had chosen her to be the caterer for this year's Valentine's Day ballroom party. She let Saxxo have a sample of one of them. After trying one, he commented with glee.
"Mmm, mmm mmm! This some hearty, heart filled goodness right here, Yums! Although... Maybe ah should try another batch-"
"Don't you dare, honey! These are for the Lovers Ball! But... ...if you're still hungry, I whipped you up a special Valentine gift."
Yum-Yum presented Saxxo with a small gift box. Inside the box were Valentine's Day sugar cookies, shaped like hearts.
"Aw, mama, this awfully SWEET of you. Wish ah had the time to make you somethin'."
"No need for that. Just keep up with them soothin', jim-dandy melodies."
"Oh! Perhaps ah can treat you to a personal, live performance. You gonna dig this tune! Ah wrote it specially for the Lovers Ball!"
"Interesting. Do you have a name for it?" Asked Barkstone.
"Yes indeedy, man! It's called 'Gonna Take Super Sticky Glue To Keep Me Close To You!'"
While Saxxo played some smooth jazz on his saxophone, the next segment transitioned. It was a beautiful, pencil drawn animation, with a harp score, about a cupid helping a sad, lonely boy cheer up by hooking him up with a girl. ... Apparently, romance is the key to find happiness. Good animation. Bad message.
We're back to the Happy Belly Diner scene, except it's filmed from the outside, with Van Goose coming up. Before she enters the diner, she ran into Mama LongLegs coming out.
"Hahppy Vahlentine's day, Meess LahngLegs!"
"Ohhhh, *Stomps foot down* bah humbug!"
The spider storms away angrily, leaving Van Goose confused. As she entered, Saxxo stops and greets the bird.
"Ees eet just me, or ees LahngLegs up een seex ahrms?"
"Mm. It ain't just you, babeh. She has been quiet around this room, sittin' all by herself while lookin' so gloom." Said Saxxo.
"I'll say. She ordered herself some soup, and told me to hold the fly." Said Yum-Yum.
"Fortunately, there is a basis behind this tale. The poor lady arachnid is faced with another lonely episode on the most romantic day of the year! The day where she once believed she had a chance to find the love she's been yearning for, but now accepted the fact that it would just turn out the same dull way as always. Well, it's not her fault for being so unattractive." Said Barkstone.
Saxxo and Yum-Yum both smacked the blue dog for that last statement. The four fell into a discussion on how they wanted to cheer Mama LongLegs up. Barkstone suggested that they let her be. Yum-Yum suggested that they find a man for her, who won't be repulsed by her looks. (Maybe a literal blind date) Saxxo suggested they each give her a gift to make her feel better. Suddenly, a lightbulb appeared over Van Goose's head, indicating that she had an idea.
We pan to the outside of LongLegs's cottage, then inside of her cottage, where we find her knitting webs. She made herself a sweater, complained about how ugly it looked, then dealt with the fact that she might as well wear an ugly sweater, since she would never catch true love anyways. The doorbell rang. LongLegs threw her sweater on the floor, then marched angrily to answer the door.
"Can't a lady go through an emotional state in peace?!"
Nobody was there. Well, something was there. On her doorstep, there was a basket, which contents were a bouquet of flowers, a heart shaped box, and an envelope sealed off with a heart sticker. She took the basket inside. The flowers were an assortment of different colors and varieties, and smelled like a breezy garden. Inside the box were chocolate covered grasshoppers. They looked yummy, and tasted like they came from an expensive candy store. The letter was a romantic poem.
"Each passing day and each passing night, I wish I could keep you in my sight. With your stellar talent, I knew you had broke the mold. All six arms of yours I wish to hold. Let's reprise Miss Muffet, add in a little twist. Whereas instead of running away, it ends with a kiss. You are the spice providing the flavor. I'd like to meet you sometime later. With love... ...your secret admirer."
Mama LongLegs was so delighted, she began to break into song. I am not gonna recite it for you. It's pretty forgettable. Anyways, it was about her wondering what her secret admirer is like. Is he tall, short, fair, or dark? Is he slender, or a brawny champ? Is he an elegant duke, or a wild bad boy? Throughout the song, we are taken into her cartoon visualizations. She imagined her man to be another spider of some sort. Marvel Comics' Spider-Man was deemed the "brawny champ" of the song.
"I don't know what he is, or what he looks like. All I know is that I finally found someone who admires me deeply. Wait, 'I'd like to meet you sometime later.' *Happily squeals* Ohhh boy! Ohhh girl! I betcha he'll be there at the Lovers Ball! Oh, but what shall I wear? I can't be seen in this old thing on a special night like this! How's my breath?! My hair is way too uptight!"
Meanwhile, watching from the window outside;
"'I'd like to meet you sahmetime lahtair?' ees zat whaht we wahnted hare to believe?!" Van Goose snapped.
"I'm sorry, babeh. Ah was runnin' low on time to tell a rhyme, so ah improvised. Is that a crime?" Saxxo replied.
"What if we just tell her that the Lovers Ball is probably not the time her secret admirer had in mind?" Asked Yum-Yum.
"Because zen she'd question us on how we knew zat hare secret ahdmeerair wahnted to meet hare sahmetime lahtair. eet just gives eet ahll ahway."
"You have a good point. What do we do now?"
Unfortunately for Barkstone, he had plans.
"I'd love to help you untangle out of this WEB, but I have to get ready for the Lovers Ball tonight. I have a date with a purebred Maltese!"
The magician dog disappeared in a puff of smoke. The three other Critters coughed, and started fanning away the smoke.
"Why, I don't believe him! There's only five hours away till the ball, and he just gave us the bum's rush! Boy am I surprised he managed to land himself a date."
Yum-Yum's complaint gave Van Goose a new idea.
"I sink I cahme up weeth a new nahtion!"
"Sink is right. We sure sunk."
"No, Saxxo, no! Sink! Sink! Idea! I mean I've gaht a new plahn!"
"New plan? Well, why didn't ya say so? Lay it on us!"
"You see: LahngLegs ees hahpeeng fahr hare secret ahdmeerair to be ze perfect mahn, right? Hut whaht eef we try to cahnveence hare zat he's naht whaht she'd expect?"
Yum-Yum and Saxxo liked the plan, and they slapped both of Van Goose's wings a high-five. We cut to the next skit, where it's a humorous cartoon that tells the tale about animals "expressing their love" in different ways than humans. I'm pretty sure that's what animals do before they mate. Of course, kid shows shouldn't let kiddies know that the animals fuck.
Now we're down to the LabRat segment. Same opening with the eerie enterance and organ music, blah blah blah. Pan to LabRat. It appears he is working on one of those chemical setups. I don't know science, sorry. All the chemicals are then transferred into this cologne bottle, then the rat seals it. Eger appears, and he has a potted flower on his head for no reason.
"Hello, master!"
"Why hi, Eger. How has- Eger, you have a potted flower on your head."
"Ohhhhh, that's funny! So do I! Anyways; Happy Valentine's Day, master!"
Eger gives LabRat a Valentine card, where it said "You blinded me with science."
"Awwwwww, Eger, you shouldn't have. Really."
"So, what did you get me?"
LabRat panicked for a moment, and searched around his labcoat to find something. He then pointed to a fake distraction so that Eger would turn his head. LabRat grabbed the potted flower, and gave it to him.
"It's lovely! Now I have a match for the one on my head! So, what have you been cooking up, master?"
"Oh, it's a device that will put an end to all loneliness."
"An ever-lasting pet rock?"
"No! Even better! *Turns the bottle around to reveal the labled name* A love potion!"
"Love potion? Love potion, master?"
"Yes, love potion! By just applying a small dose of this highly concentrated pheromone, the scent will lure in the love of your life!"
"Master, I don't think it's a good idea to force love on someone like that. Love takes time."
"Love takes forever. (Or in my highschool case, love takes never)"
"But master, it doesn't sound right! Love is too precious to mess with! A girl has a life of her own, you know? Why not just use the basic steps to winning the female species?"
Damn, this is probably the only time Eger had some decent sense. Also, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear the term "female species." Eger then brought out a presentation board with all the steps.
"Try being nice to her, like she were a person like you. Talk to each other to find out what you like in one another. Give her some pretty flowers. Then that's it! You don't need no stinkin' love potion."
"You have pointed out some very good details, Eger. But with my pride, the heck with it! I need a date to the Lovers Ball!"
Dismissing Eger's advice, LabRat told his assistant to stand by the door. He dabbed himself with the love potion, only at his arms and behind one of his ears. Then he told Eger to release the test subjects. Eger opened the door, to let in a couple of female puppet characters. If they were standing outside of the cellar this whole time, how come we didn't see them in the segment's intro? LabRat freshened his breath with breath spray and he put on a bowtie.
One of them approached the rat. Instead of giving him affection, she slapped him across the face. Another one came over, and stomped on his foot. The third one pushed him over. Finally, they all joined together for a good rat beating. Can't say he didn't deserve it. When they were done, the ladies exited the cellar in disgust. We pan to LabRat lying belly down on the floor. Eger hovered over him. When LabRat asked Eger to help him up, he just hit him on the snout.
"Bad master!"
Eger left to join the ladies, leaving LabRat alone in his lab. Groaning in pain, the rat picked himself up, using the nearby counter for support.
"Ya know, I've truly learned something from all of this."
You may think he has learned his lesson on not to probe a woman's feelings, but no, he decided to relabel his new invention as "hate potion."
The last animated skit of the episode, we watch yet another lovely animation (stop motion) about candy hearts forming the word "Valentine," then into a beating heart. We then transition to the night scene, outside of the Lovers Ball. Pan to inside, everyone is having a ball. Dancing with their partners, eating, drinking punch. Saxxo was performing on stage. Slouch was the security, but currently sleeping on the job.
Barkstone was wearing a black tuxedo, Yum-Yum wore a skirt and some jewerly, Saxxo wore a sequin suit, Van Goose wore a white tuxedo top, and Mama LongLegs had a red dress, pearl necklace, and her hair tied in a ponytail. Speaking of Mama LongLegs, she was sitting at a table for two, all by herself. Van Goose was at the buffet table, getting herself some punch, while watching the poor spider await for her Prince Charming. A pig puppet approached her table.
"Is this seat taken, ma'am?"
"Yes!"
"By who?"
"My dreamboat, that's who!"
"Where is he?"
"He'll be here, eventually!"
"Has he arrived yet?"
"No, but he will!"
"Mind if I warm up this chair for him while you wait?"
"TO THE MOON, PORKCHOPS!"
Mama LongLegs raised her voice, causing the pig to scurry. Van Goose went over to Yum-Yum, who brought over another tray of hors d'oeuvres, and told her to act now. The bear came up to LongLegs' table, helping herself to a seat. LongLegs was confused at first, because she was expecting a man.
"Hey, LongLegs. How have you been, hun?"
"Ahhh, I've been doing fabulous now that I've found love on this day to celebrate! Heeheehee. Now please get out of that chair before he gets here and thinks I gave his seat away."
"Oh, you met someone? I'm very happy for you! What's this fella like?"
"Well, we didn't exactly met, but we're expecting to meet here, at the Lovers Ball. He implied it in the letter he sent me. *Gives letter to Yum-Yum* Along with some chocolate covered grasshoppers and fragrant flowers. Now, may you pardon yourself-"
"*Pretends to read note* Oh my goodness. Uh-uh, oh my goodness. Tsk tsk tsk."
"What is it?"
"Hun, I think I recognize this handwriting. I don't know his name in particular, but I do know who this came from. This dude dropped by the Happy Belly Diner a few weeks back. Gracious, I've never seen such a messy eater in my life. He slurps his stew, shoves his entire plate clean in one bite, and digs his face, literally, into his dessert. Talk about animal manners. Messy, messy, messy."
"Ooooooohhh, sounds like he has the appetite of a real predator! I like that in guys."
Well, that failed nicely. After being politely asked to move from the chair one last time, Yum-Yum excused herself. She then broke the news to Van Goose, on how LongLegs was excited to know that there's someone who eats more disgustingly than her. Van Goose decided to ask Saxxo next. Meanwhile, Yum-Yum found a sad, lonely old man. ...dog. Drowning his sorrows in punch.
"You seem under the weather there, Barkstone."
"Well don't rain on my parade."
"Had trouble with your date?"
"Like that's any of your business!"
"Okay-"
"She left me for this feeble, puny little Chihuahua. I'll never understand women."
Elsewhere, Saxxo was playing the tune he showed us earlier in the episode. Suddenly, Van Goose called him from behind the red curtains. The show still had to go on, so Saxxo put someone else in his place. A rabbit puppet that played the spoons. Saxxo went behind the red curtains, then came out covered in roller bandages, and walked with a cane. King Karl witnessed the whole affair, which got him to be suspicious. The tiger limped as fast as he could to Mama LongLegs.
"Oh jeez, Saxxo! What happened to you?!"
"That fella... Your secret admirer... Earlier that day, Ah was just all cool, playin' mah music to go, when ah bumped into HIM! He a bad dude! I'm not talkin' bout the good kind of bad!"
"HE did this to you?"
"Uh-huh. I wanted to pass by, and forget the whole thang ever happened, but this man got issues! He battered me to a pulp, and was well aware that ah was uncapable of defending myself. Look at dis body and say otherwise!"
"Golly! He must be such a strong, sturdy hunk! (I think I'm in love!)"
"What about me?!"
"Well, you did bump into him without saying 'excuse me.'"
That plan backfired as well. The only option left was to tell Mama LongLegs the truth. Before Van Goose got to say anything to LongLegs, Barkstone made a dramatic entrance with a puff of smoke. He was now sitting in that chair, wearing a ridiculous spider costume, and a false mustace.
"Sorry I'm late, madam! My limo needed repair. Might I introduce myself: I am John George Henry Lewis Raphael III! Owner of the largest oil company in the Paradise, and The First National Kidney Donor Bank!"
Van Goose tugged Barkstone by his false mustace and whispered into his ear.
"Bahrkstahne, whaht ahre you doing?"
"Helping out, of course. You owe me big time in this, by the way."
The dog continued to chat with LongLegs. You couldn't tell by her face, but her tone showed that she wasn't falling for it. ...and ready to kill.
"My, you sure are lovely on this fine night! Did anyone ever tell you that you look better in the dark lighting?"
"Barkstone... ...what is this?"
King Karl appeared and asked "Yes, what is this," but in a lighthearted manner. After Van Goose painfully tore off the false mustace from Barkstone's face, she explained everything. Since LongLegs' bad mood and losing hope in Valentine's Day, Van Goose decided to make up a fake admirer so that LongLegs knows that she is loved. Barkstone provided the flowers (magically), Yum-Yum made the chocolate covered grasshoppers, and Saxxo wrote the poem. Van Goose guided them.
She also explained that they never intented to have this secret admirer meet Mama LongLegs, but had no choice because Saxxo got carried away in the rhymes. King Karl lectured the four Critters. He told them that it's never okay to fool somebody's feelings, and quotes that love is too delicate to mess with. There are many alternatives to making your friends happy, especially on Valentine's Day. Van Goose timidly stepped up to Mama LongLegs, and apologized for all that has happened.
"We're ahll equally sahrry, LahngLegs. We just wahnted to mahke you hahppy, ahnd breeng your speerit een Vahlentine's Day bahck, because we cahre fahr you. We nevair meant to breeng such hahrm."
Mama LongLegs hesitated for a moment.
"As much as I want to be mad at you, it's just impossible knowing I have friends who love me so much. I guess the best Valentine a woman can ever have is her own friends."
Van Goose and Mama LongLegs hugged things out. The others joined in too, even Barkstone, only because the moment was too heartwarming to ignore. Before the episode ends for good, and the credits roll, it's Paradise Fun-Time, which Van Goose shows us how to make crafty Valentine's Day cards. Seems more relevant than any of the hacks from 5-Minute Crafts. Catch you later, loves!
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100 Followers Celebration!
God, I’m late with this, but I finally passed the 100 follower milestone and I wanted to do something for it to show my appreciation. That something turned out to be almost 3000 words of emotional hurt/comfort and dumb boys in love, so I hope someone enjoys it.
I can’t even express how grateful I am to have (over!!!) 100 people think I’m worthy of following when mostly I just reblog other people’s posts and scream in the tags, but this is me trying to get the point across. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the people who continue to tolerate my bullshit and occasionally encourage my sad stucky edits and my angsty fluff fanfics. You’re all amazing and wonderful people!
Also cross-posted on Ao3 here.
you left your mark on me like footprints in the snow
“Buck, you awake?”
It’s sort of a moot point, seeing as Bucky — light sleeper that he is — would have woken up the second Steve stepped across the threshold of the living room, but he feels compelled to ask nonetheless. His ma was a stickler for courtesy, especially when it didn’t cost anyone a dime, and while he can’t quite manage to defer to politeness when it comes to aggravating superiors, it comes easy as breathing with most everyone else.
Bucky isn’t everyone else, and half the time Steve doesn’t bother filtering himself around him, but tonight—
Tonight’s a bad night.
But it’s not Bucky’s night for a change.
As Steve pauses at the back of the couch, arms crossed and head ducked, he sees Bucky smoothly push himself up into a sitting position from where he was stretched across the cushions, rolling his shoulders back as he scrubs his flesh and blood hand over his face. He was awake, judging by the dog-eared book he lets slide to the floor; Steve can’t make out the cover from this angle, but he’d bet anything it’s one of those YA novels Sam recommended to him that he refuses to thank Sam for. Something about Greek gods and terribly unlucky teenagers. Steve doesn’t go for fantasy often, but he knows Bucky’s been plowing through the series for the last few weeks.
“I’m always awake,” Bucky says once he’s gotten a good look at Steve, despite Steve’s best efforts to tuck all the visible hurt away behind an admittedly shaky smile. He’s joking, mostly — when Bucky first came home, he rarely got more than an hour or two of sleep before some imagined threat had him prowling the confines of the apartment, checking and rechecking the locks and the security system. Nowadays his sleepless nights are still disturbingly frequent, but not every night, and he can usually pass them by reading or watching whatever he finds most interesting on TV.
Bucky quirks a brow when Steve remains silent, tilting his head. Assessing. “You, though,” he continues as if he hadn’t paused at all, “you should be dead to the world, Rogers. Sawing logs, or whatever it is they say when you snore louder than a damn foghorn.”
“I don’t — I don’t snore,” Steve bites out, reflexive, which just gets Bucky’s other brow jumping up to join the first.
“So it’s one of those nights, huh.” Bucky nods to himself, twisting around on the couch to lean back against the armrest, legs spread invitingly. He pats the space between his thighs. “Good thing I’m a certified Steve Rogers expert and know exactly what you need.”
Steve considers refuting that claim, but he can’t bring himself to bother with it. A flare of indignation does pulse under his skin (he hates the idea that he needs to be managed), though it peters out just as quickly as it came, taking with it the last shred of warmth Steve’s been clinging to since he slipped out from beneath his bed covers. Bucky’s right, anyway; this is what Steve needs, something they’ve pieced together in the months after Bucky felt safe enough to put himself back into Steve’s orbit.
Rubbing briskly at his upper arms, more for something to do with his hands than any hope of warming himself up, Steve hesitates another moment before he sighs and climbs over the back of the couch to crawl in between Bucky’s legs. Bucky wraps his arms around Steve’s waist instantly, tugging him until his back is flush with Bucky’s chest. He noses at the nape of Steve’s neck, presses a kiss there that has a delightful shiver rippling down Steve’s spine, then wedges his chin into the space between neck and shoulder.
“What’s the threat level with this one?” Bucky asks quietly. Threat level is their established short-hand for how bad a nightmare was, what kind of toll it took on them. It’s easier getting that out than something like I woke up crying reaching for you can’t get my heart to calm down can’t breathe woke up alone and had to bite back a scream, and Steve can admit that Bucky’s nothing short of a goddamn genius for giving Steve a way to explain without explaining.
“‘Bout a seven,” Steve says, which means it’s closer to a nine than he’d like. He can still feel the phantom chill of wind and snow on his face, the ice-clogged water in his lungs, arms outstretched but grasping at nothing nothing nothing. Bucky’s face, frozen over and glassy-eyed. No air, no breath, no life in either of them — but Steve, undead, trapped below the ice, forced to watch it all play out on repeat—
“Uh-huh. Seven. Sure, I’ll go with that for now.” Bucky’s voice is right against his ear, his breath warm, the solid weight of him so very real that Steve shudders again, leaning into him even though there’s hardly space left between them to close. “You need me to do anything extra special?”
Steve shakes his head, then pauses, reconsiders. “Keep talking?”
His nightmares are — strange. They’re quiet, mostly, unless they involve the train, and then it’s the clack-clack-clack of the tracks, the high-pitched whistling of the wind, his own desperate screams. But when it’s the ice… it’s almost silent. Like an old film, the reels spinning on soundlessly around him. Colors are muted, too, shades of gray and blue and the occasional vibrant streak of red that could be blood, could be his suit, could be the afterimage of staring too long into a bright light.
Bucky huffs a laugh and tightens his arms around Steve, and in return Steve shifts to lay his hands over Bucky’s skin, one sliding along his forearm, the other reaching down to slip under the hem of Bucky’s shorts. He’d grab the metal arm (it doesn’t bother him, and it’s body temperature from being tucked under Bucky on the couch) but he needs skin right now, and he knows Bucky doesn’t begrudge him it.
“Talking,” Bucky murmurs. “You gotta pick the one thing I’m no good at anymore, don’t ya. No, no, don’t start,” he says, reading the tensing of Steve’s body all too well, and Steve slumps back into his hold, caught out. “I’m not sayin’ I won’t do it, and I’m not gettin’ all self-deprecating on you, either. Words are hard, sweetheart, you know that.”
“Sorry, Buck. We can just put the TV on, or—”
“I said it’s fine, Rogers. Relax. I’m not in the habit of doing things I don’t want to these days, even for you, which is a goddamn miracle considering all the shit I put up with for your benefit when we were kids. Christ.”
Steve rolls his eyes, which he knows is the exact reaction Bucky was going for. “Alright, I’ll bite. What’d I talk you into that was so bad?”
“God, Steve, Snow White? How many times d’we see that in theaters?”
“What? You loved that movie!”
“No, you loved that movie, despite being fuckin’ colorblind. I went because I’m a goddamn sap and I couldn’t get enough of the wide-eyed baby deer act you pulled every time you got to see all that animation in action. You sparkled, Steve, it was addicting.”
“What?”
“Whaddya mean, what? Can’t a guy get all sentimental over how cute his best guy looked staring adoringly at a cartoon?”
“No, I mean— you went for me? We weren’t even…”
“First of all, jackass, I don’t gotta be in love with someone to wanna see them happy. Second, I honestly can’t tell you if I realized that I was in love with you back then. It’s all mixed up with how I definitely felt during the war, and then with everything that came with thawing out here.”
Hold on—
“Bucky. Bucky. The war?”
Steve’s half-twisted around in Bucky’s arms now, staring at him, slack-jawed, because they’ve never had this conversation before. Nothing even close to this has ever come up between them. When they got together this century, they only acknowledged that they’d never considered doing so back in the thirties, that their feelings only really surfaced now because they finally had a moment to rest without the fear of discovery hanging over their heads. Bucky has never breathed a word of loving Steve at any point before that.
But Bucky doesn’t seem to understand what’s running through Steve’s head, because his brows furrow as he stares right back at Steve. “Why are you acting so surprised? You think I curled up with you every night just ‘cause I was cold?” He pauses. “I mean, alright, yes, I was freezing and you were a goddamn furnace all of a sudden, but—”
“You have never said shit about this, Barnes, what the fuck?”
And there’s Bucky rising to the challenge in Steve’s voice, lifting his chin and narrowing his eyes. Refusing to let go of Steve, though, for which he’s grateful; he needs the grounding weight of him all the more in this moment.
“I ain’t exactly proud of it, Steve. You and Carter? Fuck, you made my blood boil with her.”
Steve blinks. Blinks again, shakes his head like that’ll make Bucky’s words fall into a neat little line he can actually understand. He feels Bucky’s chest expand as he breathes in deep, feels it deflate as he lets it out in a heavy sigh. His eyes are nearly silver in this light, and so sheepish that Steve just wants to set this aside and kiss on him until he’s smiling again. But — he wants to know, fuck, he doesn’t like secrets between them anymore, and he knows Bucky’s the same way. It’s not the best time to get into this, but really, in the grand scheme of things… it’s as good a time as they’ll get.
“God, alright. I was jealous, okay? Whether or not I knew what you were to me while we were still in Brooklyn, I sure as hell knew it then when I was watching you two dance around each other for months. The way you’d stare after her, the way she tucked herself right into your side whenever you were in the same room… I was sick with it, hatin’ her and hatin’ myself for feeling that way when I didn’t have a fuckin’ claim to you. When you were happy with her and I couldn’t make myself be happy for you. You think I like admitting I couldn’t put my best friend’s happiness above my own bruised ego?”
“Buck…”
“Aw, don’t look like that, sweetheart. Was my own fault for never saying anything. And, well, for all I knew back then you were straight as an arrow. You thought you were pretty straight, as I recall. Maybe it woulda just driven a wedge between us if I’d said something.”
“Fuck that.” The words are whispered, but they get Steve’s point across just fine — it’s Bucky’s turn to blink, leaning away from Steve slightly like he needs a better look at him to process what he’s just heard. Steve just follows him, getting his knees under him so he can cup Bucky’s face in both palms, holding him close. “Fuck that. I always loved you, Bucky Barnes. Platonic, romantic, doesn’t fucking matter. If you think for one second I woulda left you over something like that—”
Bucky laughs again, a quick, sharp little thing that barely interrupts Steve’s vehement protests, but the kiss Bucky plants on his lips does the job of getting his attention.
“What a stubborn asshole you are, sweetheart.”
Scowling, Steve kisses Bucky again, harder this time but still achingly sweet. “You think I’m lyin’?”
“Do I look like an idiot? No, I don’t think you’re lying, but that’s what you’re saying now, with the glorious gift of hindsight. You can’t say for sure that’s how you would have reacted, and I wouldn’t have blamed you for it.”
“One more time, Barnes, ‘cause I do think you’re a little slow on the uptake tonight. Fuck that. You got my ass through every fuckin’ illness that so much as looked at our borough, got me through ma’s death… you think you catchin’ feelings was gonna scare me away? I was afraid of you leaving, god, I woulda clung to you forever if you let me, even if you got married, had kids, whatever. I probably wouldn’t have believed you could like me, but I wouldn’t have been mad at you over it.”
It’s quiet between them once Steve’s gotten it all out of his system, save for his heart thudding in his chest and their quickened breathing, the tick-tick-tick of the ceiling fan above them. Steve refuses to look away from Bucky’s searching gaze, and god, yes, he’s a stubborn asshole, but he’s also right! He’s right and he’s going to prove that to Bucky, one way or another, because this is too important to let go. He doesn’t want Bucky thinking even for a second that there is a scenario where Steve would throw him over for someone else. Anyone Steve loved — anyone who loved Steve — would have had to accept that Bucky came first, always.
In hindsight, Steve maybe should’ve figured out his own damn feelings long before he reached the 21st century, but that wasn’t exactly his point right now.
Steve doesn’t know how long they sit there like that, holding one another without saying a word, but he doesn’t tear his eyes away from Bucky’s for a single moment of it, willing him to understand that he’s always been Steve’s anchor, his touchstone — that absolutely nothing short of death could ever come between them, and fuck, even that didn’t stick. And he thinks Bucky might be getting there, the way a slow, tremulous smile spreads across his face, a flush high on his cheeks that does things to Steve’s heart.
“I love you.”
Steve’s eyes crinkle as he smiles, automatic, ducking his head down to press into Bucky’s neck, the fabric of his worn t-shirt soft against Steve’s cheek. It’s far from the first time either of them have said it, but Steve still gets so giddy over it, knowing he gets to have this, have Bucky, to hold and kiss and adore this man in his arms for as long as they’re both alive… it’s heady, and something Steve doesn’t want to take for granted, not even for a second. The road they took to get here was too brutal for Steve not to be damn grateful for every moment they have together.
Which means he doesn’t mind the teasing they get from the rest of the team, the not-so-sly remarks and gratuitous eye rolls that Sam and Natasha are so fond of, the downright lewd shit that gets thrown right back in Tony’s face when Bucky reminds them all that neither of them are innocent grandpas.
It’s all part of getting to love Bucky the way he deserves, the way he’s always and will always deserve, and if there’s one thing about the future that Steve unequivocally loves, it’s that he can be as open as he wants about just how much he loves Bucky. And, if people do have a problem with it, Steve can kick their asses — mostly over Twitter, but still. He’s a fan.
“Love you too, Buck.”
Bucky hums, content, and readjusts so that Steve is mostly laying flat on top of him, the both of them stretched out across the couch. He snags the blanket from where it’s half-spilled onto the floor, draping it over Steve enough that it covers the majority of their bodies. Steve snuggles in, wrapping his arms around Bucky’s back, giving him a gentle squeeze to show his appreciation.
He’s all but forgotten the phantom cold that drove him out here in the first place.
“Wanna try going back to sleep?” Bucky murmurs, rubbing circles into Steve’s back.
“Nah. You’re still gonna be here, don’t wanna sleep alone.”
“Mm, fair point. You just gonna lay here, then?”
He could, Bucky won’t protest his weight or the company. “Yeah. Right where I wanna be. You could read to me, though?”
“I’m in the middle of the book, Rogers, you won’t have any clue what’s going on.”
“Just like the sound of your voice, Buck. It’s soothing,” Steve argues, and he’s slurring his words a little, he knows, but he doesn’t care and Bucky doesn’t call him out on it. “Read to me?”
He feels the rumble of Bucky’s laughter in his own chest, pressed right up against him, then the shift of the couch as Bucky grabs his book from the floor and braces it against the dip in Steve’s spine so he can read.
And yeah, Bucky’s right — Steve couldn’t tell you a thing about what’s happening in the book right now (there are gods and monsters and quippy teenagers, but none of it settles quite right in his brain, none of it takes any recognizable shape) but he couldn’t be happier regardless.
Turns out it’s not so bad of a night after all.
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Stuck with the mother-in-law
Pairing: Kamilah x Mc
Disclaimer: Characters belongs to PB
Tag list: @kamilahtopme @gavryllo @made-me-deep-blue @sapphics-choices @nighthuntresskatherine @cheeto-choices @beccaislove @whoinvitedalx @thepotatobleh @toyhenoctus @shanuuh @wildsayeed @voltos9 @iam-the-fuckin-queen @ilovekamilahsayeed @soundtrackforlife @thecleveridiot09 @otakufangirl-12 @scarlet-letter-a0114 @justejuste727 @deereboy97 @h-doodles @slytherinthoughts7
Prompt: Kamilah thought she had gone through more approvals than any other living being, with 2000+ years old, she thought she had seen it all, but when Mia's mother decide to pay a visit and stay for a few days in New York, Kamilah has to deal with her mother-in-law... Who happens to be a bloodkeeper and don’t like her at all.
The wooden floor was cold against her skin, but she didn't care, she had promised herself that she wouldn't leave, no matter how cold and hard the floor was. The little girl could hear clearly the low cry of her mother coming from behind the door, she had already been there for two days, two days without leaving the room. Two days without Mia being able to see her mother.
At this point she should have been used to, the "bad days" were becoming frequent that month. "Bad days" was what Mia's father used to call the days when Mia's mother became reclusive, cold, and extremely prone to explosive surges. Mia always thought that this was a very strong headache, but she hoped that her mother would heal soon. She missed her mother more than anything else in the world.
Mia never understood how a person could be so kind and loving at one moment, but explosive and cold at another.The little girl lay on her stomach against the floor, spying under the door where a dim light came from her mother's room.
"Mommy?" Mia called her.
No answer.
"Mommy, it's me. Please open the door." Mia asked, without answer again.
The little girl stretched her little fingers to the box of tissues she was carrying and took two, stretching them under the door.
"Please, Mommy don't cry." A little smile came over her face as the tissues were pulled. She sat down and leaned her back against the door, holding a portrait in one hand.
In the portrait lay a photograph, Mia wiped the tears that fell from her green eyes, looking at the photograph of her parents with her. The latin features and the seriousness in the severe brown eyes and black hair highlighted the beautiful young face of her mother. Hugged by her father, a beautiful young blond man with green eyes hidden behind his thick glasses. Together, both were holding a little girl.
"Mia?" Her father's thick voice called out to her, making her look up.
"Hi, Daddy." Mia said wiping her eyes, her father looked briefly at the door and a glance of recognition appeared on his face. Mia looked at her father, knowing full well from his clothes that he had just come from his work. The loose tie on his tweed suit, the tired eyes behind his glasses, and the leather bag strap on his shoulder.
"Is Mama on a bad day?" her father asked, Mia shook her head in affirmation.
"Daddy, do you think that... Mommy's sad because of me?" Mia hesitated to ask.
"What? Why?"
"Maybe because I didn't do very well on my math exam, I know she was expecting a lot from me." A tear ran down her little face, her father sighed tired, getting down on his knees in front of his daughter.
"Isabella Amelia Cortéz Evans" He touched her face looking deep into her inherited eyes. "Your mother is not like that because of you, you could never disappoint her, you are our greatest pride. Your mother... " He took a break before he went on. "She's just going through a bad phase, that's all, but I'm sure it will soon pass."
"... In the meantime, why don't you and I go in the kitchen and get dinner ready? How about we make lasagna and then watch cartoons on TV, okay?" He messed up her blonde hair with a smile on his face, making a dimpled smile appear on his daughter's face.
"Right!" Mia took her father's hand and followed him down the stairs. "Can I call Rebecca and Alex to join us for dinner?"
"How about just the two of us tonight? I'm sure you can call your cousins for the weekend."
"Okay."
...
Mia looked over at her side as she listened to her father's snoring, who was immersed in a deep sleep, he fell asleep after dinner on the couch next to her while watching cartoons on TV. Mia got up and took a blanket and covered her father, gently removing his glasses and leaving them on the coffee table.
An idea popped into her mind, her mother even though she didn't attend dinner tonight, maybe she was still hungry. Mia went to the kitchen and heated up the rest of the lasagna in the microwave and took it upstairs on a tray.
What the little girl didn't expect was her mother's bedroom door to be open.
"Mommy?" She called, opening the door a little wider so she could see her mother clearly.
And there she was, her black hair caught in a loose coke, wearing only a sweater and sweatpants, with her back to Mia, sitting on the bed.
"Mama, I brought your dinner. Daddy and I made lasagna." Mia approached with caution.
"Thank you, sweetie." Her mother answered with a weak smile, Mia left the tray on the bed and approached hesitantly watching her mother's red eyes and pale face.
"Don't cry." Mia lifted the sleeve of her blouse and wiped her mother's eyes, receiving a weak laugh.
"I'll be all right, darling." Her mother touched her face. "Mommy's just..." Suddenly her mother stood still, eyes glazed and distant.
"Mommy?" Mia touched her mother, not expecting a wave that invaded her body, images and faces of people appearing in her mind. A man with blue eyes, long hair and a cruel expression on his face, a woman accompanied him, with black hair, tanned skin and brown eyes, people screaming and running and blood everywhere. "Who... Who are these people?" Mia asked scared.
What she didn't expect was a strong push from her mother who knocked her down.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Her mother screamed angry, an expression of terror and anger on her face.
"Mama?" Mia called her tears in her eyes, being greeted by a look of hatred, being ignored by her mother who locked herself in the bathroom. “MAMA!”
Sweat dripped from her forehead, with her breathing panting and her heart racing, Mia sat on the bed. The girl sighed, passing her hand across her face.
"It was just a nightmare..." She said to herself, trying to calm down. “...Or a really fucked-up memory." She was used to her frequent nightmares — which usually involved Gaius, Rheya, Lily's death, or some of her many traumas. They were frequent and agonizing, but she was already used to them. Now seeing her parents... She didn’t know which one of them, was the worse.
The girl looked to her side, finding Kamilah, who was lying on the left side of the bed, her tanned chest descending and ascending, immersed in a light sleep. The silk sheet partially covered her naked body, memories of last night wrapped Mia's mind, and a smile came over her face as she silently observed the features of Kamilah's gorgeous, calm and serene face.
She still had no idea how she had managed to marry Kamilah, but the thought that after 2000 years she was the only one who had managed to put a ring on Kamilah's finger made her chest fill with pride.
The thoughts involving her wife were interrupted by the memory of her nightmare involving her mother. The girl sighed and looked at her watch, there were still 4 hours left for her to go to work, and she was sure she wouldn't be able to get any more sleep.
Mia got out of bed carefully so as not to wake Kamilah, and went to the bathroom. Under the hot water shower, the girl leaned her face against the marble wall, letting the warm water fall under her face.
"It was just a memory, that's all." She said to herself.
...
Raines Corporation, 19:30pm
Sitting in her leather armchair in her Raines Corporation office, Mia leaned back while talking to one of her newest clients.
"...You have to admit that the potential of this contract to benefit both us is extremely high..." She supported the phone on her shoulder as she spoke. "Danny, at the end of the day you and I are the same, we think and see the profit this will bring us.”
“...Exactly, we can run this country. Japan? Who cares about Japan? You and I will close this deal together and be partners." With her attention focused on the origami swan that she patiently made in her desk, she noticed her assistants entering her office silently.
"...Really? I am so happy that you and your investors liked the whiskies and cigars I sent. Seriously, it was from the heart." She laughed. "Sure, I'll see if I can convince Kamilah, for us to go spend the holiday in Hamptons.”
She gestured for the assistants to leave the contracts on her desk.
"Danny, you're the man. I knew you'd understand, I'll see you and your investors on Wednesday, with a celebration." She smiled victoriously when she saw that she had managed to close another deal. "Okay, I'll tell Kamilah you sent her a hug, tell your wife and kids, I sent a hug too.”
When she turned it off, she raised her eyes to her assistants.
"Guess who closed another deal?" She pointed to herself. “That's right, me. Booom, it's Britney bitch" She gestured by pretending to knock over a microphone.
"Um, by the way, we have something else." Natalie mentioned it.
“Yeah? What?" Mia turned her attention to her origami swan.
"Your mother called. She asked you to return the call." Tyler told her while collecting some papers, making Mia stop at the same moment.
"My mother? What does she want?"
"She didn't say, she just asked you to call back," Natalie told her.
At the same moment her heart began to beat fast. Was her dream a warning she chose to ignore? If she'd mentioned it to Kamilah, maybe she'd say yes.
"All right. You two can go." Mia said and picked up the phone, sighing patiently before calling her.
The phone rang a few times before her mother answered.
"Hello, hija," Her mother said at the other end of the line. “It’s has been so long.”
"Hey, mom." Mia said sheepishly.
...
"You are so quiet today," Kamilah commented in a low tone, as if making a mere observation.
Of course she had noticed, she always notices all things, Kamilah would not let go of a behavior that differed from her usual behavior, but as always, patient, Kamilah waited for her to pronounce herself.
"Huh?" Mia looked at her.
"Distant and distracted too." Kamilah completed her observation.
"It's nothing." Mia lied looking at her plate. "Didn't you enjoy your dinner?" She asked.
"I'm not the one not eating." Kamilah told her, drinking a sip of her glass of wine. "And you know I like it when you make puttanesca paste."
"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?" Kamilah asked, as if she was stretching out a hand so she could pick it up.
"I had a bad dream yesterday." Mia started talking. "It was a memory, like I was reliving this childhood memory, you know?"
Kamilah nodded, silently. Her brown eyes warm and understanding.
"I couldn't sleep afterwards. I didn't want to wake you so I came to the kitchen and arrived early at work. My day was going so well today, I kicked ass at meetings, closed two deals today, and even made Aiko lose a contract. I was so happy, and then my mom called."
At the same moment Kamilah's expression changed, she was watching her cautiously now.
"And what did she want?"
Mia bit her lower lip, looking at Kamilah with fear, her brown eyes looked for an answer that Mia feared to give her.
"Mia?"
"She called to say she's coming to New York. She wants to stay a few days... A few weeks with us." She waited, she waited for an answer from Kamilah, when she looked at her, she saw the expression on Kamilah's face, the same one she saw in old memories that made thousands run for their lives.
"Your mother... wants to stay with us." Kamilah said it like she was trying to absorb the information. "She automatically invited herself to stay here?"
"Yes."
"I think I've lost my appetite"
"Babe..."
"Why? I don't understand."
"She said she wants to spend some time together. She wants to get closer and improve our relationship." Mia told her, taking a sarcastic laugh from Kamilah.
"She's up to something." Kamilah said more to herself than to Mia.
"Babe..."
"I don't understand why she decided at the last minute to come here and stay in our house." Kamilah dropped her napkin on the table. "You invited her?"
"No!"
Kamilah sighed, Mia touched her hand over the table.
"Mia, your mother hates me." Kamilah told her.
"What? She doesn't hate you!"
"She specifically told me that she was against our marriage, that I wasn't good enough for you, and that we wouldn't last. Aside from all the comments she made during, before and after the ceremony to make you quit."
"Alright, I agree, but my dad loves you, he's crazy about you. And he supports our relationship, as does my whole big family."
"Except your mother."
"My mother doesn't like anyone. It's not personal."
"I guess in that case it is. Your mother's a Bloodkeeper, she's seen all my past and knows all the terrible things I've done, I never expected her to approve of our relationship, but I also didn't imagine she'd make my life hell. She criticizes me at every possible moment, and I can't kill her because she's my mother-in-law.
"She made my life hell too, but now she seems to want to fix things, maybe it's different. Babe, I did not want that either, but please, just this once, if she does something, I will send her away. But make an exception for me." Mia looked into her eyes, looking for a breach.
Kamilah sighed, thoughtful.
"Alright, for you." She knew perfectly well that there was nothing she didn't agree with when it came to Mia, she could deny it and roll her eyes and say it was stupid and kill anyone who told her, but she knew that if Mia asked her to stop a moving train, she would. And even if she had to accept the devil woman itself in her house, she would accept to please her wife.
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Thoughts on Sons of Garmadon cuz redesigns :]
Also instead of watching all of the season and then adding my thoughts later I instead took notes while watch the season so that’s why this post is incredibly long, sorry about that :/
Anyway enjoy :>
Sorry for the accidental posting and I don’t want to rewrite everything so here’s from the original post
Lloyd reading the title of the episode also caught me off guard the first time I watched this
Basically Lloyd caught me off guard entirely the first time I watched this
Also his eyebrows are now THICC
“Still thirsty?”
...
I can see why people like Nya a lot (._.’)
Nya’s badass and f—king love her
Also the water bubbles she makes look really nice
Jay mimicking Cole is adorable
The first time we see them after a year and the first thing we see them do is argue and disturb a group of people that took a vow of silence 
I love them
“Did I call you at a bad time?” They’re in the middle of a fight with the mechanic, what do think?
Also Pixal calling Lloyd “Master Lloyd” :’/
“Whoever said fight fire with fire clearly didn’t know what they were talking about.” “Hey, you’re stealing my lines!” I love you Kai
“Who likes ice cream? I do! How was that line Kai?” I love you Zane
Them teasing Lloyd for his deeper voice and them just genuinely having family fun bonding time just fills me with such happiness that I can’t describe with words :’’’’’’’’>
Misako abandons Lloyd yet again, and she was just starting to act like a good mother in Hands of Time >:/
Jay is not understanding a single thing being said to him, but at least he’s trying 👌
Their excuse for not mentioning the royal family throughout the series is “they like their privacy”? Really? Like really? Are they expecting us to believe this bullish-t? 
Lloyd seeing Harumi for the first time: Can You Feel The Love Tonight🎶
Now Cole’s the only one who hasn’t had a crush in the series he is so gay and the writers can’t convince me otherwise
Can I just say the lighting for the inside of the place is beautiful? Cuz it is.
Also I just realized Cole’s the only ninja that isn’t wearing sleeves on his ninja suit, that’s cool👌
Since Harumi’s natural hair color is white, does that mean she’s albino?
“The maskes must never be reunited” Says the person who reunited the mask >:/ I know she’s acting good here but still
“No thank you, I actually gave up sweets. My body is a temple.” The moment I heard that for the first time I was like “WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO MY BOI?! WHO HAS HURT HIM?!”
Lloyd, stop stalking the princess, that’s illegal >:|
“Don’t worry, we’re ninja, we’re experts at this kind of thing” They proceed to loose the mask, let their main villain onto their ship, and Lloyd gets a crush on her :/
Grade A ninja-ing right there 👌👌👌
I’m on episode 2 and seeing Harumi acting nice and sweet and connecting with Lloyd and knowing that she’s faking all of it, I just feel so so so so bad for Lloyd :’<
Cole, don’t try to give Lloyd advice about girls when you aren’t even attracted to them
Ok so I procrastinated a bunch on doing this for some reason so Yee, let’s continue
I’ve only seen Mystake for 1 scene and if anything ever happens to her I’ll kill everyone in this room and myself
Oof I’m now sad and realize why everyone likes her
Ok so we all agree the tea Mystake gave Jay and Lloyd to see the drawings move is weed right? Or had weed in it?
Why is Cole hiding in a garbage bin when Zane is using a perfectly good newspaper? Also oh boy can’t wait to see Rocky DangerBuff and Snake Jaguar in action :3
The way Snake walked into the bar Jesus
and I’m trying to watch this without skipping it cuz to me the whole thing is very awkward and I can’t stand awkward stuff like this but I also heard there was glacier so I’m gonna try to watch this without yeeting my phone and burying my face in my pillow
Chloe: Snake is gorgeous and we stan
Me: I know he’s beautiful look at him, he’s amazing
He’s bad boi and baby boi at the same time and I love him
Just added Cole into a scene with the ninja when he’s actually still kidnapped by UV so noice job Ninjago HQ 👏👏👏
Zane looks so weird in the flash of Wu finding him dear god
Stop bothering him Cole, let Zane Rp as Snake for a little bit longer
DAD COLE DAD COLE DAD COLE DAD COLE DAD COLE DAD COLE
Cad is what Cole would have named the baby if it didn’t turn out to be Wu cuz Cole + Dad
Ali: "Why cad?" "Its cooler than Chad cause you take out the h for hoe"
Ali/clumsy you’re a genius
”you didn’t think it would that easy, did you?”
Guys is weird to think that UV is 100 times hotter after saying that line?
Mommy UV vs Dad Cole, Mommy UV is fighting Dad Cole for the baby
Oof I remember what’s gonna happen to Zane y’all and I’m not happy plz Mr.E stahp plz
Mr.E to the SOG after he kicks Zane’s ass: Guess who just got murdered!
“Not all men-“
Me: You’re right, Zane Ninjago would never do this
Mr.E: I’m on my way, I’m on my way, I’m on my way to kick Zane’s ass :D!
Cole is Pearl from SU confirmed, he was staring at baby Wu sleeping
Harumi: Maybe we can use this blanket at a Parachute?
Lloyd: What do this is a cartoon?!
Lloyd proceeds to do the exact thing he said wouldn’t work
Also Harumi is the best actor I’ve ever seen like seriously 10/10 👌 actor, playing with Lloyd’s heart strings like she’s been doing it for years
“How to be a heartbreaker” is Harumi’s jam and theme song
SO I WAS ADDING MY THOUGHTS ON HERE AND TUMBLR JUST DECIDED TO BE A LITTLE B-TCH AND CLOSE ON ME BEFORE I SAVED MY THOUGHTS AND NOW MY THOUGHTS ON HALF EPISODE 5 AND 6 ARE GONE OOF SO I’M JUST GONNA SAY THAT PIXAL IS HAVING SELF ESTEEM ISSUES OR SOMETHING SIMILAR AND SHE’S AMAZING AND IT’S MAKING ME SAD THAT ALL SHE SEES HERSELF AS ASSISTANCE AND NOTHING MORE
Also Lloyd falls onto a few branches and gets a hurt arm that requires a blanket while Nya was at the front of the ship with 0 protecction and was basically yeeted to the main deck while it crashed into the jungle and she doesn’t even get a break?!
I know Nya is stronger than Lloyd but GOSH DIDDLY DARN I didn’t know she was that STRONK!
Baby Wu: “Ninja never quit hehehehehe”
The ninja:
Lloyd: Confused Green Bean Noises
Harumi: kisses him on the cheek
Lloyd: •////• completely forgets what he was confused about
Harumi saved by lovestruck Lloyd and boners
Cole to Baby Wu: You took care of us, it’s only fair that we take care of you.
Me:
GOD I LOVE COLE HE’S AMAZING
Harumi and Lloyd during that one waterfall scene in Episode 6:
Also Harumi’s backstory for why she likes Garmadon and hates the ninja including Lloyd, it completely makes sense cuz she was a child that over heard that the ninja didn’t do sh-t and Garmadon saved the city so it makes sense why she hates the ninja and believes Garmadon should be Ninjago’s leader, and since it happened when she was young she didn’t think things through, she didn’t think about it from the ninja perspective and especially didn’t think about it from Lloyd’s perspective cuz she was a child, kids don’t tend to think about the other person’s perspective on things, so I think it makes sense and it’s really good 👌 also this is Ninjago’s first main female villain, all the other ones were either second in command or were in a crew that worked for a bigger villain so yeah that’s cool
“Don’t you guys have any idea what she’s doing? She’s resurrecting Garmadon! Lord Garmadon!” Yeah no sh-t Kai, the name of their gang is “Sons of Garmadon”, of course they know and of course they’re ok with it why do think they’re helping her?
“Then it’s a good thing the Quiet One isn’t a bad guy but a bad girl” It doesn’t matter that Pythor, Chen, Morro, and Garmadon had dicc, what matters is that the greater evil didn’t listen to them dipsh-t.
Harumi screams a lot, like Princess Peach/Damsel-in-distress amount of high pitch screaming and I’m surprised Lloyd or the other ninja haven’t told her to shut up at one point.
a slightly dark room suddenly turns a little bit darker
Harumi:
Lloyd: Jesus even when I was a kid I had tougher skin then you, I know this is a little hypocritical for my to say, but grow the f—k up god
Ok woah woah woah, how did Lloyd go from “I didn’t tell you about the fact that I’m part Oni, Mystake only told me and Jay” to “You’re the Quiet One” like he isn’t wrong but how did he put it together in such little amount of time?
Ok this is how the Lloyd vs Harumi fight should have gone down:
Lloyd: Give me a good reason not do destroy it right now.
Harumi: I’ll give you 2. You want to see your father again and you love me.
Lloyd: HAH! While you busy being a heterosexual b-tch I studied the blade!
Lloyd kicks Harumi’s ass and the day is saved
Am I wrong? Lloyd only met Harumi a couple of days ago, it’s like Anna from Frozen but LEGOs
“Love is an open door” is Llorumi shippers theme song
“I WANT YOU TO FEEL THE EMPTINESS THAT I FEEL”
B-TCH HAVE YOU NOT SEEN HIS F—KING CHILDHOOD HE HAS MORE TRAUMA THEN YOU WILL EVER GET YOUR F—KING LIFE TIME!!!
I KNOW SHE IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER AND THAT SHE HASN’T SEEN HIS LIFE LIKE WE HAVE BUT DAMN IF IT ISN’T ACTIVATING MY PROTECC-LLOYD-AT-ALL-COSTS-AND-THAT-THIS-IS-TOTAL-BULLSH-T INSTINCTS
“Or we’ll have to get all ninja on you!” “What does that even mean?” “I don’t know I was improvising” Tbh that’s a mood Kai, at least to me
Lloyd: Guys, Rumi is the Quiet One!
The ninja who are currently surrounded by the SOG including Harumi: Oh really, ya don’t say?
Lloyd just got yeeted out of a waterfall so it sorta makes sense why he didn’t notice
Lloyd said I won’t let you get away with this and Harumi said YEET
They have Lloyd they have the masks and we have trouble
Baby Wu: Puppy!
that ain’t a puppy Sensei it’s a giant underwater scorpion monster
I forgot they tamed the giant underwater scorpion monster and named it Crabby, and Jay hugged one of Crabby’s claws, Jay’s favorite pet the ninja have ever had is Crabby confirmed
“So this is your true face without the mask, no wonder you covered it” Damn Lloyd is salty, LET LLOYD SAY F—K 2020
Chloe: Lloyd said "bitch u ugly" poetically
Me: Yeah, he got the saltiness from Kai and the poetic speech from Zane
“There was never anything between us”
One episode earlier
“You want your father back, and you love me”
One episode earlier
Harumi kisses Lloyd on cheek and proteccs him from the corrupted Samurai X suit
Me:
Harumi gets close to Lloyd
Me: KICK HER IN THE NONEXISTENT BALLS
Yay the most useful and totally not child abandoning character, Misako, is here and giving Lloyd information that he already knew and is being incredibly useful buy not only abandoning Lloyd for a second time in his life but also finding Baby Wu for the SOG Hooray
“Stop Rumi, this isn’t you!” B-tch you’ve only known her for a couple of days, and she has played with your heart, in dangered your friends, and tried to kill you and your friends on multiple occasions, and she nearly succeeded on killing Zane (though tbh Zane gets nearly killed every season so that isn’t a surprise)
“You were right, this isn’t me” YOU SERIOUSLY BELIEVED HE’LL FALL FOR THAT BULLSH-T AGAIN? AFTER YOU TRIED TO DROWN HIM AND HIS MOM WHILE SUMMONING HIS EVIL DAD FROM THE DEAD? HAH, B-TCH YOU THOUGHT!
“Stop. Save it for someone who cares” Yesssssss I love youuuuuuu by baby boiiiiii
Sees the arm coming out of the anvil-thing
Me: Terminator Garmadon? Also this is what happens when we complain too much, we also gotta be more specific people! We can’t ask for just Garmadon, we need to ask for Good/Sensei Garmadon or else we’ll get bullsh-t like this!
THE SCENE OF THE NINJA SINGING WEEKEND WHIP JUST PLAYED AND THE HAPPY WHOLESOME VIBES AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Also there’s no way harumi gets the resurrection spell right on the first try, like no way, impossible, like she even gets interrupted by Lloyd and the ninja at the end and then Garmadon appears after that? Like I’m not a witch/wizard myself but I’m pretty sure that’s not how spells work? You don’t just start a spell, stop before the spell is finished, and the spell still works :/
Also how the hecc did Garmadon know where to find Harumi? It was never explained, he just like punched his way into the police station and was like “Yo b-tch what’s up?”
“I can turn him once, I can turn him again” ends up getting his ass handed to him and nearly dieing for the millionth time in his life
“That sounds like a really bad idea” “And Kai knows bad ideas, he’s full of them” Oof Kai just got roasted
“Lloyd, what are you doing?” “I’m sorry, Nya. I have to confront him” OOF HE REALLY DID JUST PULL A KAI DIDN’T HE
I’m not gonna quote everything Lloyd says here cuz there’s too much but DAMN HE’S REALLY PISSED OFF AND IS REALLY DOING A KAI JESUS
I know we all wanted Sensei Garmadon back but I’m ngl this Garmadon looks really cool and gives really good evil speeches to unmotivate his opponent
OOF Y’ALL REALLY HAD TO ADD LLOYD HOLDING OUT THE PHOTO OF HIM AND GARMADON WITH LLOYD STRUGGLING SAYING “FATHER” AND THE PHOTO GOING INTO THE WIND DIDN’T Y’ALL MY HEART CAN’T TAKE THAT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AND I STILL HAVE TO MAKE IT THROUGH EPISODE 10 WHERE I KNOW LLOYD’S HEART IS GONNA BE RIPED OUT OF HIS CHEST AND STOMPED ON WITH A SPIKED SHOE
F—K HARUMI F—K NINJAGO HQ F—K EMPEROR GARMADON F—K THE SOG JUST LEAVE MY POOR BABY ALONE
Y’all I don’t think I can make it through the next episode f—k man
Holy f—k I forgot Emperor Garmadon reads the title card in episode 10 oof
“Not so fast!” “‘No so fast”?! You used that ages ago!” True, it sucked then and it sucks now
“My brother is coming” “How do you know?” “I know” Dang even baby Wu doesn’t tell people sh-t
“You sure you’re up for this?” “I was married to him once, I’m up for anything” Ok so you’re saying that as if you were the one that was treated badly in that relationship and not the other way around like it should be but whatever floats your boat pal
“Careful!” “Are you actually doubting my ability to closely approximate the true value of our surroundings? I’m a nindroid.” Damn Zane is pissed
COLE LITERALLY JUMPED OFF THE BOUNTY TO CATCH BABY WU NOT KNOWING JAY WAS GONNA CATCH HIM AKA HE WOULD HAVE DIED FOR BABY WU I’M SCREAMING GOD I LOVE COLE
Ok so Lloyd you are excellent at fabulous/eat-a-dicc-b-tch exits like wow 👏👏👏👏👏
Also the scene with the 4 OG ninja and Baby Wu traveling to the first realm looks really really nice ngl
All in all I really really like this season, it’s great 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
#ninjago#ninjago kai#ninjago jay#ninjago zane#ninjago lloyd#ninjago cole#ninjago nya#ninjago harumi#ninjago ultra violet#ninjago mr. e#ninjago misako#ninjago garmadon#ninjago wu#ninjago pixal#ninjago mystake#ninjago incorrect quotes
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Casual moths - chapter nine
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Chapter nine - mothers and bears
The sun falls in thick golden rays through the white curtains of Callie’s bedroom, casting it in a warm glow. There’s a wave of serenity washing over them as Angel pulls her closer to his body, trying to savour the peace and quiet of a Saturday morning.
“ We should get up, Daisy is gonna come knocking any moment now. She needs her cereal.”
Angel buries his head further into her hair, getting lost in the scent of her hair. The scent of flowers. The scent of her.
“ You gotta teach your kid how to properly make some cereal. Who puts the milk first. “
“ This is something that won’t leave your head, huh?”
“ Nah. It’s wrong.”
Callie’s body shakes with silent laughter. “ You know what? You just let her watch you do it your way a few times and she’ll copy it soon enough. She adores you. “
“ Does she? “ Angel says and tries to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible.
“ Uh-huh. It’s always Angel this and Angel that. You’d think you’re her boyfriend. “
“ Aw, you jealous mamí? “
“ Nah “ Callie responds before turning around and cradling his face in between her hands “ I’m happy you guys have such a strong connection. She’s my life. The most important person for me. There would be no you and I if she didn’t get along with you.”
“ Yeah, I’m glad she likes me too. “
“ Mama! “ a little voice calls out from the room across the hall. It’s not something Angel ever thought he would appreciate, having a kid around but something about this little routine him and the girls have established in the last few weeks feels — right.
Travis hasn’t shown his face since the run-in at the carnicería but somehow the situation still weighs heavy on both of them. Angel hopes and prays that this is it. That Travis has learned his lesson and has pissed off. But this is Angel Reyes and his life is never that easy. Things don’t just go right for him. If they do they don’t stay that way for very long. He’s constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop and things to nosedive.
“ Mamaaa! “ Daisy’s little voice calls out again making Callie let out a sigh before slipping on her pyjama pants and Angel’s shirt left discarded on the floor.
“ I’m gonna go feed the little monster, you go take a shower then join us. “
Her lips are smiling and so are her eyes and Angel can’t help but notice the flutter it sends through his heart. He hasn’t felt this way since fucking high school. It’s silly but it’s so so nice to feel this way again.
“ Alright. “
“ Alright. “
Callie throws him a wink before walking out into the hallway leaving him alone tangled in the sheets that still smell like her, that still hold the warmth of her skin. If heaven really is a place, he thinks, this must be it.
The kitchen smells like bacon and eggs and toast and a burst of laughter carries through the air coming from the open dining room.
Daisy is devouring a bowl of cereal, watching some cartoon playing on the tv in the living room as Callie puts some bacon on a plate.
“ Man, you girls are already throwing a party without me huh? “ Angel exclaims as he steps into the room, making the girls look at him with smiles playing on their faces.
“ Good morning, Angel “ Daisy says as she waves at him then focuses her attention back on the show and her cereal.
“ Morning princess. “ he replies then walks up beside Callie, placing soft kisses up and down her neck. “ and good morning to you too. “
Something about being with her is different than being with any other woman, Angel realises. Even the most mundane things feel remarkable, special.
“ Sit down, you goof. I made you breakfast. “
“ So you get really strong. “ Daisy chimes in, clearly having caught a small part of their conversation.
“ You don’t think I’m strong enough? “ Angel asks as he walks up beside Daisy and starts tickling her and ruffling her hair. “ You think I’m weak, huh? Huh, little monster? “
Laughter fills the air, fills the entire house. Joy lives here, in every corner and every room. It’s something Angel isn’t used to. It’s something he knew back when he was a kid but something that seemed to have gotten lost along the way. For a long time, he thought that’s what growing up is, losing a bit of happiness as you experience the world for what it is. Being here now though, he realises he was wrong. Joy and love can live everywhere, at all times. Life doesn’t have to make you bitter and angry and sad. Sometimes it just makes you stronger. Love harder. Hold on tighter to the people you love. The people that love you back.
Maybe, if he tries hard enough and believes in himself, in the man he can be, maybe then he can let go of some of his demons and let love in.
That morning they sit at the dining table and have breakfast together and laugh and talk and just exist together in a world where bad things don’t happen and the sun filters through the curtains and the world has a golden tint to it.
Angel remembers then, what it felt like to have a family. One that loves unconditionally. One where secrets don’t exist and you don’t have to wonder if they’re keeping stuff from you, for your sake or theirs.
“ So, there’s a party later tonight. Do you wanna come? “ Angel asks Callie as he stuffs the last piece of bacon into his mouth. He hopes his words come of nonchalantly and casual though they are anything but. The club, that’s his family, his brothers. Up until he’s met her, it’s been the biggest part of his life, the most important thing. Recently though the priorities kinda shifted. It’s scary and confusing and he knows that the club should come first, always. But though his head knows it, his heart seems to not give a fuck. His heart is with his flower girls.
“ At the clubhouse? “
“ Mmh.”
“ Do you want me to come? “
“ Wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t. “
“ Then yes. I’d love to. “
“ Can I come? “ Daisy asks, eyes sparkling with hope and adventure.
“ Aw babes, “ Callie replies, “ It’s a party for adults. “
The defeated “oh” that leaves Daisy’s lips almost breaks Angel’s heart. For a moment, Angel lets his mind wander to a future where there’s another little girl sitting at the table with them. One that looks a little like him. He’s honestly not sure his heart could deal with all that love. Having his own kid was never an idea he liked to entertain. It never felt like something he wanted or needed. Now that thought doesn’t seem all that delusional.
“ You can stay with grandma though, and play with the dog. And maybe go in the pool while it’s still light out. “ Callie tries to reason though all she gets in return is a sad shrug.” But Angel isn’t there. “
Yup. That’s it. He’s officially wrapped around this little girl’s finger. Completely smitten with her and the way she breaks his heart with her words.
“ Princess, how about this. Tonight mommy and I are going to a party and you stay with your grandma and then next week I’ll take you out somewhere. You can choose. “
“ Disneyland? “
He honestly should’ve expected that one.
“ Ah that’s a bit far but how about the carnival? “
“ Yeess !! “ Daisy cheers and enthusiastically claps her little hands in excitement. “ I wanna go on all the fast rides.”
“ A little daredevil huh? “
“ I don’t know what that means. “
“It means you’re brave and you like fun. “
“ It means I’m prone to suffer a heart attack at an early age, “ Callie murmurs around the rim of her coffee mug making Angel crack a grin.
A warmth settles around his heart as he lets himself take in this moment. Bad things exist, they are very real and very scary and they wait around every corner and Angel is still waiting for the other shoe to drop but right here and right now with his girls, life is sweet. And bad things don’t exist here. Not on a perfect golden Saturday morning.
“ There’s no reason for you to be this nervous. We’re only dropping the little one off. We’ll only be there for a few minutes“
“ I’m not nervous. What are you talking about? “
Callie doesn’t answer instead, she raises her eyebrow in mock disbelieve.
Okay, maybe he is nervous. So what? This whole meet the parents thing, it’s not something he’s done a lot before. There have only been two girlfriends that brought him home to meet their parents and both of those were high school girlfriends. Those relationships didn’t hold nearly as much importance to him as this one does. What if her mom realises the kind of person he is? What if she doesn’t think he’s good enough. Which he isn’t but — it’s one thing to be aware of it, it’s a whole nother thing to have her mother know it too.
The red door to the little one story home swings open, revealing the smiling face of a woman that looks just like Callie but older. She has the same warm eyes, the same kind smile. Something about the Cordell women makes you feel — home.
“ Hello. “ she says then glances towards Daisy who wraps her arms around the older woman’s waist. “ hello my princess. I’m so excited for our girls night. “
“ Grandmaaaa. Grandma look this is Angel. “
He tries to swallow the knot that’s building in his throat at the mention of his name. Being included feels incredible but being put in the metaphorical spotlight in front of Callie’s mom feels — terrifying.
“ It’s so nice to meet you, Angel. This little one won’t shut up about you. And this one “ she says and nods towards Callie “ hasn’t stopped talking about you either. “
Angel is well aware of how crazy he is about Callie. Of the fact that she never fully leaves his mind. That whatever he does he wonders what she’s doing at that moment. To hear that she thinks about him in return, it gives him a sense of pride, of validation.
“ Nice to meet you too. Yeah, I don’t know why they want to keep me around but I ain’t complaining. They’re — the best. “
“ They are. “ Mrs. Cordell agrees and grants him another warm smile. There’s no fakeness there. It’s sincere and comforting and motherly and he realises then, how much he’s missed a presence like this in his life.
“ oookay, we gotta go. “ Callie chimes in and Angel can’t help but smile at the red tint sweeping across her cheek.
“ You kids have fun alright? Me and the little miss here are gonna make pizza and watch frozen. “
Angel can’t help but admire the love these women have for their little girl, for their family. It really puts things into perspective.
Callie leans down to place a big smooch on her daughter’s cheek and tells her to be good and behave which Daisy only replies to with a charming smile and an “I’m always good”.
Angel doesn’t doubt it. This kid can do no wrong in his eyes.
Just as they bid Mrs Cordell goodbye and are about to turn away from the door, a pair of small arms wrap around Angel’s leg. “Byeeeee” Daisy mumbles against his jeans as she presses her face against him “I’ll miss you.”
Yup, definitely wrapped around her finger. “I’ll miss you too, kid.” And it’s the god honest truth.
As the scenery of Santo Padre moves past the window, Callie notices that wherever they’re going, it’s not the direction of the clubhouse.
“ Are you kidnapping me? “
“ What? “ Angel chuckles. “ Why would I do that?”
“ I don’t know. We’re not going in the direction of the scrapyard though. I know that much.”
“ Yeah … maybe I wanna take you on a little detour. “
“ Do you now? “
“ Mmmh. “
For a moment they let a comfortable silence wash over them, to relish in the knowledge that they’re existing together in this very moment. Hearts beating in sync.
“ Hey, Angel? “
“ Yeah?”
“ Are you happy?”
And for the first time in a really really long time he doesn’t have to think about it, doesn’t even hesitate as he answers.
“ Yeah, I am.”
She rests her hand on top of his and locks their fingers together. It’s tiny signs of affection like this one that he never thought he wanted but no never wants to miss ever again.
A few minutes later Angel pulls the car into a parking spot in front of a very familiar facade.
“ The shop! Oh, it looks almost finished, you guys did a great job! You told me the windows aren’t done yet. “ Callie gasps as she gets out of the car and walks towards the front door of the flower shop.
The windows are new, no cracks anywhere. There’s a decal on one window saying “Daisy’s flowers” in a swirly font surrounded by little daisies stencils.
“ Yeaaah I might’ve lied about that. Shop’s finished, babe.”
“ No way?!”
The look on her face makes all the work so worth it. He’s used to women looking at him as if they adore him but this is different. It’s usually either because they wanna fuck him or because they like the privileges that come with hanging around a patched member of the Mayans. Callie looks at him and she really sees him. All that he is and all that he can be. Callie adores him for his personality, for his actions. Callie likes Angel Reyes. Not the Mayan. Just Angel.
“ Let’s go inside. “ he says and unlocks the door, leading her inside by placing a hand on her lower back.
“ Wow, Angel! This looks even better than before, I — “ Callie stops in her tracks as her eyes fall onto the wall that, the last time she’d been here, had been smeared with a threatening message that still makes her skin crawl.
“ Do you like it? “ there a nervous edge to his words. He’s pretty sure she likes what he did to the place though he needs to hear the words. He needs the confirmation.
“ Did — did you do this? “ she points at her wall.
Where the treat had been scribbled, there’s now a beautiful mural of a bear and cub on a field of daisies underneath a starry sky. It’s incredibly detailed and colourful and — it’s perfect.
“ I did.”
“ This is incredible.”
“ It’s nothing, Callie. Honestly. I’m not much of a painter, honestly but I didn’t trust anyone else to do it. Trust me I tried finding someone but ... “
Before he even realises what’s happening, she’s got her lips locked on his, her fingers combing through his hair, her body pressed up against his. Angel Reyes has shared a lot of kisses in his life and yet not a single one can compare to her kisses. They always mean something deeper. Something real.
“ Angel Reyes?” she whispers as she pulls way.
“ huh? “
“ I’m in love with you.”
He’s heard those words so many times from so many different girls. Those words were always empty, hollow and fake. They never mattered.
They matter now though. More than anything else ever did. And for the first time in his life, he says it back.
“ I’m in love with you too. “
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All Better?
Will had known from the age of six that he'd grow up to be a doctor. He could pinpoint the exact moment the idea was planted in his head. It was one of his fondest memories and never failed to make him smile. Sometimes, when he was stressed, or sad Will would think back on it and almost immediately feel better. Guess childhood memories had that effect.
Reaching out with his hand to tightly grip Jay's, Will let out a shuddering breath. Tears blurred his vision as he tried to recall those memories up now. Anything to help reconcile the image of his brother's prone and broken body laying before him. Anything to help drown out the continuous beeping of the heart monitor in the corner. He supposed that it should grant him a small amount of comfort but unfortunately all it did was remind how much of a failure he was as a brother.
So instead, he imagined the beeping turning into the sound of Jay's laughter, echoing down the hallway of their childhood home. His small and unsteady feet trying their hardest to keep up with Will as they ran around the furniture.
At the respective ages of five and two, both brothers were bundles of boundless energy. Unfortunately for Jay, he hadn't quite developed the fine motor functions required to weave his way around all the furniture and toys without bumping into something. Will could still remember the exact feeling of horror he had, when upon turning around to gloat victoriously from atop the couch, he saw Jay trip over the edge of the rug and smack the ground with a loud thud.
Jay went chin first, sliding a few inches across the carpet. Both boys were silent for a few seconds before Jay's face scrunched up in pain and he let out a loud wail. Will frantically slid off the couch and ran towards Jay, praying their father wouldn't wake up. He had just gotten home from a graveyard shift a few hours ago and was supposed to be watching them while their mother was at a doctor's appointment, but as soon as the door had closed behind her, their father had rounded on Will. The instructions had been clear.
"You are responsible for Jay and you will under no circumstances, wake me before my alarm goes off."
Panicking slightly, Will pulled Jay onto his lap as best he could. Jay was clutching his chin with a hand and sobbing, his face red with anger. Gently Will pulled Jay's hand away from his chin, frowning at the rug burn.
"It's ok," Will said confidently. "I can make it better, but you have to be big like me and not cry. We don't want daddy to wake up. Can you be big like me?" Will asked.
Jay smashed his lips together tightly to keep from crying, chin quivering. He ended up looking more grumpy than brave but Will wasn't about to mention it. Slowly they stood up, Will grabbing Jay's hand and pulling him towards the bathroom.
With great determination Will managed to help Jay climb up and sit on the edge of the tub, just like their mama did when she cleaned up Will's scrapes and cuts. Giving Jay a quick kiss on the head, Will climbed up onto the counter, grabbing all the necessary items before sliding back down onto the floor.
"You're doing a good job," Will reminded Jay when he started to sniffle again. "Don't worry, it'll be all better soon."
Will opened the bottle of rubbing alcohol and tried to carefully pour it on the rag he held. Unfortunately it ended up spilling more onto the floor than the rag. Jay giggled slightly at the mess, laughing harder when Will stuck his tongue out at him. It was nice to hear Jay laugh, knowing he was the one that made him feel better.
"Be brave," Will said. "This is going to sting but then you get a bandaid. We even have blue ones." Holding the bandaids out for Jay, Will took advantage of the distraction they provided, and quickly dabbed the rag across Jay's rug burn, praising him so he wouldn't start crying again. Once that was done Will blew gently across the wound until it dried and applied a blue bandaid. He examined his handy work for a second before adding a bunch more, just in case.
"All bedder?" Jay asked, staring wide eyed up at Will when he was finally done.
"Mmhmm, all better." Will confirmed with a nod of satisfaction. Mama would be proud of him right now. "C'mon let's go get some popcorn and watch tv."
Will smiled slightly to himself at the memory. Their mother had come home an hour later to find them cuddled up on the couch watching cartoons and shoving their faces with popcorn. He had been so proud of himself that day and any other time he'd needed to patch Jay up. His younger brother had been a bit of a wild child, always getting himself hurt trying to do dangerous things.
After that day though, Jay wanted to do everything Will did, looking up to Will like he was a hero. Will wished he could have lived up to Jay's expectations, been the hero he needed. He didn't feel like a hero much right now, he just felt like a failure.
"It's not your fault." Connor's voice sounded from the doorway.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Will snapped back, purposely refusing to look at the other man. His grip on Jay's hand tightened when he heard Connor make his way into the room, standing at the edge of the bed.
"I do actually, because no matter how hard you try you can't control someone else's actions. You didn't make your father push Jay down a flight of steps, just like you didn't make Jay go over there."
Snarling in anger, Will whipped around to glare at Connor. "Don't you dare try and blame Jay for this. I should have known something would happen and stopped it, that's my job as his brother. I'm supposed to protect him."
Connor held his hands up placatingly, "I'm not blaming him and I'm not blaming you, no matter how much you think you deserve it. You had no idea something like this could happen. Your father, the one who pushed him, didn't even know. It was pure bad luck Jay fell the way he did."
Will shook his head, "Doesn't change anything, I knew that one day our dad would go too far." He turned back to face Jay. "Dad was already pissed that he was being moved into a new place, I shouldn't have let Jay go help him alone. I can't make this better. I can't fix the fact that our father almost killed him."
"I know I'm not going to be able to change your mind on that but I'm sure as hell, that your brother is going to be pissed when he wakes up and sees you like this." Connor forced Will to look at him. "You can't go back in time and stop this from happening, but if you want to help your brother then you can stop wallowing in self guilt. The only thing that can come from that is hurting yourself and Jay because lord knows, he is exactly like you. He sees you suffering and he will feel just as guilty as you do now and he sure as hell doesn't need that extra stress."
Connor didn't want to be mean to Will right now but no one was doing anything and he couldn't just sit back and allow Will to self destruct. They may have their arguments but Will was still his friend and what else are friends for, then to be there, lending a helping hand to pull you back onto your feet when you need it most. Right now, Will definitely needed that hand.
As much as Will wanted to argue that he should be suffering alone with Jay, he knew Connnor was right. Jay would spot his guilt from a mile away and ignore his own health just to ease Will's suffering. They were too much alike for comfort sometimes. "I need him to be alright."
"He will be," Connor said confidently, even though he knew better. "He is already showing remarkable improvement from when he was brought in. The swelling around his brain has reduced to a comfortable enough level for them to remove the drain later tonight. You might be stubborn as hell but I'm pretty sure Jay has you trumped there. No way in hell he'll let this take him out."
Will let out a weak laugh. "Your right. That pains me to say, by the way."
"I generally am," Connor said, feeling slightly better now that Will seemed to be coming out of his funk. "I'll be back to check up on both of you later." He gave Will a comforting pat on the back before making his way out of the room, stopping when he heard Will call his name.
"Thank you," Will said. "I needed to hear that." Connor nodded his head, leaving as quietly as he arrived.
Will turned back to his brother, focusing all his attention on the injured man. He leaned in, whispering in Jay's ear, "I promise you that no matter what happens, I'm always going to be there for you. I know I wasn't there for you after I left for college but I'll never leave you again. You just have to come back to me." Will choked out the last sentence, bowing his head in prayer.
A few hours passed until Jay was taken to have the drain removed. Will stood in the hallway watching them take his little brother away. He knew it would be a while before they returned so he found a spot where his co-workers couldn't find him easily. Natalie had been eyeing him with great concern and he knew she wanted to talk to him but right now he just needed a moment alone, to gather his thoughts before Jay came back. Finding an empty room to hole up in, Will sunk down with his head between his knees, allowing his mind to wander to better times again. A time when he had been there to protect Jay.
Will had never been one for violence, that was more Jay's area, even for someone who came from Canary Ville. Sure, he knew how to throw a swing or two but he'd rather avoid it if he could. Unfortunately it was something the bullies in his grade had noticed rather quickly. They'd throw a punch once or twice, maybe say some rude things, but it never really bothered him that much. Most of it never even phased him enough for more than a passing thought.
Jay on the other hand took great offense to it when he found out, which wasn't until his freshman year and Will's senior year. It was just dumb luck Will had been walking by when he was close enough to hear Jay confront one of his bullies. Now Jay, unlike his older brother, loved to get into fights. He might not have been large in size, his growth spurt came a little late in the height department, but he didn't take shit from anybody and loved to have a chance to prove himself. So of course when he decided to take care of the people messing with his older brother he had to confront the largest one of the bunch. A large jock who looked like he might be taking steroids.
Will had heard Jay's yelp as he went sprawling to the ground, struggling to stand back up when the jock's foot kicked him in the side. He went back down to the ground, wind knocked out of him. Will's entire body seemed to burn with anger and all he could think about was beating the living hell out of the asshole attacking his brother. At the time he was unaware that Jay had started the fight, not that it would have mattered, and simply assumed the jock had decided that Jay was an easy target like his brother.
"Hey!" Will shouted, dropping his things and running towards the fight.
"Well would you look at this, your brother wants a beating too." The jock smirked down at Jay, completely ignoring Will. The smile was knocked off his face when Will spun him around delivering a swift punch to the nose. The bully howled and stumbled back, surprised that the other male had actually hit him and that it hurt so much. "You bastard! You're going to pay for that!"
"Fuck you," Will yelled, hitting him with an upper cut in the solar plexus, knocking the breath out of him. As the jock gasped for air, Will quickly punched him in the kidney and his body spasmed for a second. Blinded with anger, Will hit him again and again screaming obscenities, until someone was pulling him away.
"Will! Stop!" Jay yelled, pulling his brother away from the whimpering mess on the ground.
Will panted heavily for a second, taking a moment to catch his breath, before noticing the large crowd that had gathered around them.
"We gotta go before a teacher shows up," Jay urged, continuing to tug on his older brother's arm. Will allowed himself to be pulled away from glaring at the writhing mess on the ground. "That was so cool, I knew you could take him."
Will groaned at his little brother. "Did you plan this?" He wouldn't put it past the little brat, Jay was surprisingly conniving when he wanted to be.
"Of course not," Jay said with a smirk. "We should probably skip the rest of the day. I doubt he'll rat on you but it might be better not to test it."
Will chose not to respond but allowed Jay to lead him off campus. He watched as Jay chatted on about how cool Will was, his smile bright as could be even though he was obviously going to have a nasty black eye tomorrow, if not within the next few hours. Jay bruised easily, their mother said it was because his skin was so pale.
They made their way to a nearby park to sit down for a few minutes, while Will examined Jay's head. "Why did he go after you?" Will finally asked.
"Well," Jay started sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I might have started it."
"Seriously? C'mon man you're like half his size, why would you do that?" Will asked, feeling frustrated.
"Because he's an ass to you! He can't just treat you like that, someone had to stop him."
Jay yelled, quick to defend himself. He might have miscalculated his abilities but Will showed up and everything had been fine, better than fine. "You kicked his ass, Will. Why were you letting him mess with you if you didn't have too?"
"Because it doesn't bother me and despite what dad says, fighting isn't the answer to everything." Will flopped onto his back on the grass once he was sure Jay was going to be fine. "Besides. I got lucky. I surprised him and knew enough anatomy to know where to hit him. Probably got lucky hitting the right spots too."
Cocking his head to the side, Jay looked curiously at his brother. "What do you mean? What's anatomy got to do with punching a dude."
"Hit a guy in the solar plexus you knock the breath out of them, hit them on the kidney it will kinda paralysis them with pain. At least that's what I got from the book." Will looked over at Jay staring at him in awe. "Don't give me that look, it's also really dangerous. You can seriously hurt someone and I shouldn't have done it. So don't go trying it on someone, you little maniac."
Jay smiled innocently, "Who me? I would never."
"You're a menace," Will groaned.
"I know but I'll always have you to make it all better," Jay replied with a cheeky grin.
The door to the room he was in opened, distracting Will from the memory. He looked up to see Natalie standing in the doorway, silently asking to join him. Sighing, he waved her in, patting the spot next to him.
"I'm going to be ok," Will informed her. "Just needed some time to get myself together."
"I know." Natalie sat down next to him, reaching over to hold his hand tightly. "But if you need someone to lean on, I'm here. You might have to be strong for Jay but you don't have to be for me."
Will gave her a watery smile, clutching her hand tighter in his. "Thank you. I might have to take you up on that when Jay starts driving me up the wall about getting back to work."
They laughed with each other before falling into a comfortable silence. Natalie broke the quiet, "They wrapped everything up a few minutes ago, they should be bringing Jay out soon. All the scans are looking good so far."
"Do you think I'll have to tell him what happened?" Will asked suddenly.
Natalie faltered for a moment before giving Will a weak smile. "You might have too, or someone else could do it. Connor or I, maybe Voight?"
"Lord, no. Not Voight." Will shuddered. As much as Voight might care about his team, gently breaking bad news to someone was never going to be something Will could imagine him doing. Although, being a cop probably required it fairly often so he might actually be good at it. Still though, this was Will's job. "I should be the one to tell him."
"Ok." Natalie stood up, offering a hand to help pull Will up. "Should probably get back there, wouldn't want to miss your spot next to his bed. I hear it's the most wanted seat in the hospital right now."
Laughing, Will allowed Natalie to help him to his feet. "His team only dreams they could have that spot, I'm almost certain I nearly grew roots there earlier."
The two laughed together as they made their way back to Jay's room. Seeing his brother already back in the room, Will quickly made his way to the chair beside him and grabbed his hand again. He heard Natalie get a call for an incoming trauma, so he settled down as comfortably as possible to wait out the time until Jay woke up. A few visitors came by, mostly the intelligence unit, but other than that Will was left alone with his thoughts until he finally fell asleep.
A sharp painful yank came from Will's scalp causing him to swat the air. "Stop." The tugging continued, growing incessantly more annoying every time. Whining, Will swatted the air again in an attempt to make it stop.
"Willll, oh Willll, wake up you weirdo." Jay's voice slurred.
Will shot straight up at the sound of his brother's voice, quickly remembering where he was. "Jay! Oh, thank god."
Jay smiled dopely up at his brother. "They gave me the good drugs."
Will had trouble keeping his laughter at bay watching Jay act so completely out of character. "I can tell, you seem like you've been awake for awhile."
"Yup," Jay continued to smile brightly, even though he was obviously falling asleep already. "I told'em no, good drugs, but they said yes, good drugs. You think Voight is gonna be mad they gave me drugs." Jay started speaking in a whisper. "Drugs are bad."
Will couldn't keep the smile off his face, just so happy Jay seemed to be completely fine mentally. He bent his head giving the back of Jay's hand a kiss, ignoring the whines about cooties, thanking every deity out there that Jay was ok.
"Get some more sleep," Will ordered, noticing Jay struggling to keep his eyes open.
Jay nodded sleepily, "Everything's going to be all better?"
"Yeah, everything's going to be all better," Will promised, brushing Jay's hair gently out of his face as the younger male drifted off to sleep. If there was one thing he'd learned thinking back on his past, it was that he may not always be there to prevent Jay from getting hurt, but he sure as hell would be there after. He would never abandon Jay when he needed Will, because after all, what else are big brothers for?
#halstead brothers#jay halstead#will halstead#jay and will halstead#one-shot#whump fic#chicago pd#chicago med
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Fantasia (Stucky)
For @indiana-jackson who gave me this::
And basically made me fall in love.
Bonus IronHusbands at the end because I love them.
****************************
1940
It wasn’t easy managing the time to go see a movie, not with Bucky working two jobs trying to make ends meet and Stevie getting over a cold again, but somehow Bucky got a few extra coins in his pocket, an extra warm coat for Stevie and stole out of work a few minutes early to make it down to the movie theater in time for the showing.
“What is it?” Steve huddled up in the uncomfortable chair with his hands tucked under his legs, all too thin limbs and too big blue eyes and a shock of blond hair that would’t ever stay tamed. “What’r’ya so excited about, Buck?”
“Just watch.” Bucky had heard people talking about this movie, about the colors and the music and the way the cartoons danced along perfectly, and even though Stevie couldn’t see all the colors, Bucky just knew the tiny blond would love it. “Think you’re really gonna like this, Stevie.”
“We should’a saved the coin for--”
“Stop.” Bucky shook his head. “You had’ta give up art school and I know that made ya sad so I thought this would make you feel better. We can do this, I promise.”
“If you say so.” Steve had a scowl that would quell even a soldier, but it softened when he saw Bucky’s excited grin. “What’s Fantasia, anyhow?”
“You’re gonna love it.” Bucky assured him, and as the lights went down, he inched just a little bit closer to his best friend and swallowed back a pang of nervousness. “And Stevie, I was thinkin’-- I was thinkin’ maybe we could get dinner after. I got a little extra money and it would sure be fun to treat you to a night out.”
“A night out.” Steve scoffed, his eyes widening as the first strains of music filled the theater. “Sound like you’re talkin’ to a dame you wanna get friendly with. Why you talkin’ like that?”
“Not-- not a dame.” Bucky fidgeted at his shirt, the best one he had in a color he knew Steve liked. He’d dressed up tonight, scrubbed real good in the shower and done his hair so he’d look his best when he admitted his.. his feelings for Stevie. He didn’t know if Steve felt the same way, or if it would ruin their friendship but he had to say something cos it was all eating him up inside.
A movie had seemed like a good idea, and Bucky had thought maybe it would seem like a date, but Steve obviously hadn’t clued in yet so maybe he would have to be a little more direct. “Um Stevie, listen. I wanted to talk to you about something--”
“Oh, Buck look!” Steve’s jaw fell wide open as the first segment began. “Look how beautiful it is!”
“Yeah.” Bucky dropped back into his seat, his gaze fixed on the sharp lines of Steve’s profile and his hands clasped tightly so he wouldn’t reach out and touch, a line of resignation in his voice as he answered, “Bout the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
****************
Present Day
“Buck?” Steve poked his head into the movie room and grinned when he saw Tony fussing with a boxy contraption and Bucky watching with a bewildered expression on his face. “Hey, what’s going on, you said to meet you in here?”
“Thought we could watch a movie.” Bucky gestured towards the massive TV. “But I don’t know how to work it so Tony had to help.”
“What our resident grouch means to say--” Tony dusted his hands off and stood up. “--is that he murder scowled at the TV and nothing started playing and JARVIS called for me before things got broken. You should be good to go now, though. It was an old movie and I had to pull the old VCR out of storage. Bucky, we should have a talk about movie streaming one day and why no one uses VHS anymore.”
“C’mon Buck, a VHS? You’re such an old man!” Steve teased and Bucky flushed in embarrassment, ducking his head until his hair fell into his eyes. “We might be a hundred but that doesn’t mean we gotta use a VCR!”
“My thoughts exactly.” Tony said wryly, and patted Bucky on the shoulder as he went. “Good luck, you two. I’ll see you later.”
“Thanks Tony.” Bucky mumbled, then jerked his head towards the couch. “You wanna watch with me?”
“Of course I do.” Steve’s eyes did that thing they used to do when they were just kids, going all soft and melty and just like when they were kids, Bucky’s heart about stopped in his chest, his breath hitching and palms suddenly clammy. “Where should I sit?”
Stevie was so good about that, so good about making sure Bucky had all the space he needed. After the Winter Soldier, after Hydra, after everything some days Bucky thought he would never be normal again, but then Steve would look at him like that or say something easy and Bucky would be okay.
He was always okay when Steve was around, and even though it had taken seventy something years to watch a movie together again, none of that time mattered.
Bucky was just as in love as he’d always been and after seventy something years, he finally had the chance to say something about it.
“Sit right here by me.” he said slowly, hopefully. “That alright?”
Steve’s answer was an ear to ear grin and a quick little jump to wedge his giant frame right in next to Bucky, wriggling and shifting until they were touching from shoulders clear down to thighs and knees and it wouldn’t have been anything at all for Bucky to just reach over and take Steve’s hand.
So that’s exactly what he did.
“Oh my god, is this Fantasia?!” Steve’s eyes lit up and his mouth fell open as the first familiar frames filled the screen. “Buck, is this our movie? I didn’t know this was still around, you remember the day you took me to--”
He stopped when Bucky’s fingers wove through his own, the big brunette squeezing at his hand carefully.
“...Bucky?”
“It’s um--” Bucky cleared his throat. “It’s probably a prettier movie now that you can see all the colors, right?”
“I--” Steve kept staring at their hands. “What’r’ya doin’ Buck?”
“First time I took you to see this, I wanted t’hold your hand so bad.” Bucky confessed quietly. “Wore my best clothes and put on a little cologne, wanted to ask you on a date but didn’t know what you’d say. Wanted to hold your hand cos sometimes I thought maybe you loved me like I loved you but then other times I thought you didn’t and I was scared.”
“You-- you wanted it to be a date?”
“Couldn’t get ya to look at me long enough to ask.” Bucky cleared his throat again. “You kept starin’ at the movie and I kept starin’ at you and you kept sayin’ how beautiful it was and I--” he shrugged a little. “Ain’t never anything half as beautiful as you, Stevie.”
“...is this a date, Buck?” Steve asked in a near whisper. “Fantasia and holding hands and-- and all that?”
“I know it isn’t much.” Bucky swallowed back the embarrassment and rushed on. “But I dunno how to do all the courtin’ stuff anymore and I thought maybe-- I mean, we don’t have a whole lotta good memories, Stevie. But this is one. So I thought maybe you’d--”
Steve leaned in and pressed their mouths together, reaching with his free hand to cup Bucky’s cheek and Bucky startled for just a second, then gave in with a quiet sigh and kissed Steve right back.
“I wanted to kiss you that night.” Steve admitted when they parted, still close enough to bump noses. “The movie was amazing and you took me out to eat and you were so goddamn handsome. I felt like you were courtin’ me and I kept telling myself that was crazy but you kept looking at me--”
Another kiss, longer and sweeter and this time Bucky didn’t let go until Steve had shifted on the couch and all but climbed into his lap and then there was nothing but quiet whispers and gentle touches as the score to Fantasia rose and fell in the background.
“I’ve loved you forever, Stevie.” Bucky muttered and Steve nodded, pulled him even closer. “I know Buck, I know.”
**************
“Tones?” Rhodey looked up in surprised when Tony knocked on the door to this office. “Hey sweetheart. What are you doing here?” a closer look at Tony’s face and the Colonel asked in alarm, “Have you been crying?”
“No.” Tony denied and wiped away the tears in his eyes, coming over to his husband obediently when James opened his arms. “I mean yes.”
“Yes.” James laughed and pulled Tony onto his lap. “Tell me what’s up.”
“Back before the war, Bucky took Steve to see Fantasia and was going to confess he loved him during the movie but never got the chance so instead he spent the whole movie staring at how excited Steve was and loving him even more, and yesterday Bucky had me track down an old copy of Fantasia and then he got Steve to come watch it and now they’re kissing because they’ve been in love for a century and finally got to say it!” Tony blurted out all in a rush and James blinked at him a few times.
“How are you not crying?” Tony asked incredulously. “You have a heart of stone! Seventy years! And they get to watch their movie together and confess their love? IT’S THE SWEETEST THING IN THE WORLD!”
“Well yeah, Tones.” James said slowly. “But watching the person you love while they are watching a movie-- that happens all the time, Tony. It’s sort of cliche.”
“You say that, but I’ve never known anyone who actually does that in real life.” Tony denied. “It happens in romantic comedies, but not in real life. It actually happened in real life for Steve and Bucky and--”
“How many times have we watched Back to the Future, Tones.” James interrupted and Tony promptly answered, “One hundred and seventeen times. Every weekend for most of MIT and at least once a year since then.”
“I’ve maybe seen it all the way through....” Rhodey thought about it for a few seconds. “Twice?”
“That’s ridiculous.” Tony scoffed. “How could you have only seen it all the way through twice unless you were--” he paused, eyes widened. “Rhodey, do you watch me instead of the movie? Is Back to the Future our Fantasia?”
“I’d think so.” James replied easily. “I only watched it cos I thought you would like it, and while you were geeking out about the technology and laughing, I was staring at you, at your smile and the way your eyes get all bright when you’re happy.”
“Wow.” Tony twisted the gold band on his finger. “How come you falling in love with me during Back to the Future doesn’t sound as romantic as Bucky falling in love with Steve during Fantasia?”
James rolled his eyes and shoved his husband from his lap. “Time travel just isn’t as lovey dovey as classical music and beautiful animation. I can’t help that you’re a science nerd.”
*************
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