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#also the pieces I’m writing now are just spitballs so they’re not perfect I just like thinking about price mwah
rodolfoparras · 7 months
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Pervert price who steals clothes and sniffs them as he jacks off. Or listens through your door as you get off, listening to your groans and moans as be palms himself. Him getting hard at any little praise. Price who takes pictures of you without you knowing. He definitely stares at you while you shower in the group showers. Price is a perv and we all know it, but that's alright because I love him ❤️. I'm gonna rot your brain with price headcanons trust. I'm coming back w/a sugar baby Price headcanon fr.
Content tags: pervert / creepy price proceed with caution !!dubious consent!!!
Thinking about Pervert! Price taking interest in the much younger recruit and it eats at him because he feels like a creepy old man because of it. He tries to stay away he really does but it’s not his fault that his window looks out to the training field where he can see you do practice rounds at the shooting range, the way you’ll skillful assemble and disassemble the weapon, the way the uniform seems to cling to your body, and the way your deep voice will utter words of frustration when you miss your target.
Of course Price can’t help himself but stand at the window sill, lower half just obscured from view where he’s slowly and gently pumping his dick as he continues to watch you practice.
At first you don’t notice, too focused on your task but when you do, you salute him with a soft smile on your face before you turn your back to him again and the fact that you’re oblivious to what he’s doing, along with the common courtesy you always seem to show him has him cumming all over his fist.
Pervert! Price who’ll be kind enough to offer himself to do your laundry, claiming it’s not a big deal since he’s doing his own load already, only to scavenge through the pile of clothes looking for the pair of boxers with a suspicious stain on them, pressing his nose against them as he furiously pumps his dick and before he tips over the edge he makes sure to finish on the very same piece of clothing, in the very same spot that you did
Pervert!Price who discovers you have a little boyfriend, who can’t help but lay in bed fantasizing about creeping into your room, after your boyfriend’s left, tasting the taste of his cock on your lips, or using his tongue to clean up the ropes of cum he had spilled on your body. He’d literally grovel at your feet for any crumbs you’re willing to give him
Pervert! Price who’s oh so willing to help you shower, claiming it’s important to clean throughly only for his hand to slip between your legs and gently pump your length.
You’d freeze in place, hitched breath escaping your lips as you ask him what he’s doing.
“Just getting you cleaned up properly, don’t worry about it, boy” he’d say as he thumbs at the tip and he doesn’t stop til you’re cumming all over the shower wall.
Pervert! Price who finds himself jerking off, when the two of you are in charge of patrol, separated but still connected through the walkie talkie channel and he knows it’s wrong but he can’t help but unbuckle his belt, knows he shouldn’t be doing this but pulls down his pants anyway, and gently pumps his cock as your voice trickles through the device, only responding with short words when you ask him a question, or going silent for way too long, where you only hear heavy breaths on the line, you always get a bit suspicious about what he’s doing but you never really figure it out and he always manages to make himself cum, having to find whatever is available to clean himself up
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Stupid Game...But They’re All in High School This Time AU (A Halstead Brothers + Halstead Sister Imagine)
Trigger warning for very graphic attempted sexual assault
"What are the rules?" Jay asked you as you double-checked your backpack to make sure you had everything for the first day of your freshman year of high school.
You sighed and zipped up your backpack. Your two older brothers, Jay a junior, and Will a senior, had already gone over and over this with you. "No spaghetti straps, no backpacks in class--"
"Not written school rules," Jay told you, abruptly cutting you off. "Unwritten school rules."
"Oh," you said as Will entered the living room, holding his car keys in his hand. "Walk on the right side of the hallways, always remember your locker combination or write it somewhere so you will remember it after long breaks, and no talking to the varsity football players unless it's Adam, Kevin, or Kelly because all the rest of them are absolute douchebags."
"There it is," Jay said and grabbed onto the handle of your backpack. "And if someone does this?" He tugged hard and you flew backward.
"Turn around and swing," you told him and quickly regained your balance once he let go.
"Jesus, Jay," Will said and smacked Jay upside the head, resulting in Jay letting out an ow in response. "Don't scare the poor girl. No one's gonna do that. It only happens in the movies." He turned back to you. "Don't listen to him."
"So, all that unwritten rules stuff I can just forget?" you asked.
"No, that was all legit. Just the backpack tug thing was a lie. Now let's go before--"
"Will, Jay, Y/N!" The three of you groaned when you heard your mom's voice calling you and then stepping into the living room. "Take off your backpacks and go on the front porch."
The three of you groaned again.
"Mom," Jay whined. "Do you we have to take a first day of school picture every single year?"
"Yes. And it's your brother's first day of senior year and your sister's first day of high school in general. So, get out on the porch and quit complaining. The faster I take this picture, the faster the three of you can leave."
You all grumbled and then went out on the porch to take a picture. Even though it was early September in Chicago, it was sweltering hot out. You thanked your lucky stars that Will's car had working AC because you knew that some of your friend's older siblings didn't have working AC in their cars and they always complained about how hot it was on the ride to and from school. But, it was better than taking the bus.
Once you had finished taking the pictures (and Jay pulled your hair in one of them so Will told Jay he has to sit in the backseat on the way to school and you got the passenger seat), you got in Will's car.
***
"So, meet you right here after school?" you asked Will when you entered the high school through the double doors of the main entrance.
"Yup. Jay, you got a ride home from soccer practice?" Will asked.
"Yeah. Adam's dropping me off at home. But I swear to God if I have to sit in the backseat one more time--"
"Give it a rest. I could've stepped on your foot, but I figured you'd need it for soccer. So, I let you off easy."
"Whatever," Jay mumbled.
You started to walk towards the freshman hallway and wondered why Jay and Will were still walking with you when you passed the junior and senior lockers. But, then you saw a huge group of varsity football players in the long hallway between the sophomore and freshman hallways, pointing at girls they thought got prettier or skinnier over the summer or new freshman girls for them to hit on or have a one night fling with.
"I'm gonna need to tell Kelly to keep his boys in line," Jay said to Will.
"No shit," Will replied.
"Don't you creeps have anything better to do?" Jay yelled at them. "And, I see at least three of you who are eighteen, so I'd recommend you stop ogling at minors and get back to watching tapes or something so we can actually make it to the playoffs this year."
"And what are you--" a football player who was obviously new on varsity stepped forward and started to say, but another one pulled him back.
"Dude, he's stronger than he looks and they're both best friends with Severide. So, shut the fuck up," he told the new varsity player.
"Yeah, listen to your friend," Will said. "C'mon, Y/N, just keep walking."
You did as he told you and shook off the weird encounter.
"They stop after homecoming," Will told you as he took a piece of paper from you and looked at what locker number you had.
"What do you mean after homecoming?" you asked.
Jay and Will shared a look. They had never told you about the game the football players had from late September/early October until homecoming which was usually mid-October/late October.
"We'll explain later," Will said. You walked a few more steps until you found your locker.
Next to you, there was a girl with blond hair who was wearing a flannel and jeans and brown combat boots who was helping a freshman with their locker as well.
"Alright," Will said. "So, this is your combination. Don't feel bad if you forget it after Christmas or spring break. Everyone goes to the office to ask for their combo when they get back, so don't feel embarrassed about it."
Will showed you how to unlock your locker, but it didn't budge. He tried it again. Nothing. Then, he let Jay have a go at it. Again, nothing.
"Need help?" the blond next to you asked. She was now done helping the other freshman with their locker.
Jay opened his mouth to tell her no, but you said yes faster than he could answer.
Will handed her the paper with the combination and she tried it. Nothing.
She looked down at another paper she was holding. "Ah, I know why this one isn't working. It's on the flagged list."
"The flagged list?" you asked.
"Yeah. They didn't have time to fix  some of the lockers during the summer, but they'll be getting to them this weekend, so you should only have to deal with it being crappy like this the first week," she answered.
She tried your combination again, pushed up on the lock, and then kicked the bottom of the locker.
It opened.
"Upton!" A teacher yelled. "No kicking lockers!"
"This one was flagged!" she yelled back. "Only way to get it to open!"
"Fine. I guess it's okay for this week." The teacher narrowed his eyes. "Halstead."
"Mr. Williams," Jay said and then turned back and rolled his eyes.
"What's up with him?" you asked Will.
"Yeah, Jay may or not have fired spitballs at Mr. Williams freshman year," Will answered.
"That was you?" the girl asked. "I remembered hearing that a soccer player did it, but I never got the name. Guess now I know it was you, Jay."
"Yes, it was me, Hailey." So, this girl's name was Hailey.
"Wait, you two know each other?" you asked.
"We had what, an English class together last year?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, first semester because then I got put in the honors class," Hailey said.
"That class always seemed so much more for than the normal class," Jay mused.
"Too bad you can't write papers for shit," Will told his little brother.
"Shut up," Jay groaned.
Will looked up at one of the digital clocks in the hallway. "We should get going," he said. "We've only got fifteen minutes until we have to be in homeroom."
"Good luck, fresh meat," Jay joked and you rolled your eyes as your two older brothers walked off to their wing of the school that housed their lockers.
"Want some help putting your things in here?" Hailey asked. "I have a pass to get to class half an hour late since I'm on student council and helping you guys out."
"Uh, sure, since you're here. Mind if I close my locker and then try opening it myself?" you asked.
"Go for it."
You closed your locker and then did the exact same thing she did to get your locker open, including the kick. It opened on your first try.
"Perfect!" Hailey said. You unzipped your backpack and you and Hailey stooped down to grab folders, binders, and notebooks out of it. "I'm sorry, I never actually introduced myself. I'm Hailey Upton."
"Y/N Halstead," you replied. "Those two doofuses who just left are my brothers, Jay and Will, seems like you already knew Jay, though."
"I mean, I don't really know him. I guess I know of him if that makes sense."
"Makes total sense."
The two of you continued to put stuff in your locker until everything was in there, just in time for the five-minute bell to ring.
You looked at your schedule. "You don't happen to know where Mr. V's room is, do you? My brothers told me it's not in the freshman or sophomore halls."
"Oh, yeah. You just go down the connecting hallway and past the junior and senior lockers and then you'll see-- you know what, I'll walk you there. It's kind of hard to find."
"Thank you."
"No problem. We've all been freshmen before."
***
Hailey entered her AP biology class just as the late bell rang. She took the first empty seat she saw...which ended up being next to none other than Will Halstead.
"Hey," Hailey said. "This seat wasn't saved, was it?"
"No," Will replied. "It's yours now." He looked at Hailey. "You were the one who helped my sister with her locker this morning, weren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm Hailey."
"Will," he told her.
"So," their teacher, Mr. Davis began, "since this is an AP class, there will be a lot more homework than a typical biology class. I also know some of you are juniors, so I hope that you take AP anatomy and physiology next year with me if you do well in this class. As for you seniors who are taking this AP class and AP A and P--which stands for anatomy and physiology by the way--I know that the first three chapters of this class overlap a lot, so I'm sorry if you get bored.
"But, the person you have chosen to sit next to, will be your partner for any projects we have this semester. And, they aren't typical projects like presentations and the like. They're mostly practice AP tests that I want you to take with another person so that you can talk over the answers and make sure you don't make the same mistake twice. Obviously, around February, I'll ask you to take the practice tests by yourself so that you can practice for the real tests.
"Every chapter there will be presentations. I will give each pair a sub-topic of the chapter and I want you to do a five to ten minute presentation on it for the class. I also want you to put together a Kahoot for your subsection after the presentation because I found that that makes students pay way more attention than when there isn't one because everyone wants to win."
Hailey raised her hand. "Yes, remind me of your name," he said when he pointed to Hailey.
"Hailey," she told him.
"Hailey," he repeated and scribbled her name on the piece of paper with the seating chart on his desk. "Oh, and after I go over all this, I would like all of you to come and write your name on the seating chart. Hailey of course won't have to write her name because she doesn't need to be on there twice. Anyway, what was your question?"
"I was just wondering how many practice tests we'll have to take and how often you were should meet up with our partner outside of school?" Hailey asked.
"Both great questions. For the practice tests, we'll start taking them in November because that gives us time to go over the format and content. Don't worry, I won't put any new content on the practice tests. I'm not that mean. You'll take one in November, one in December, and one in January. These will all be done with your seat partner. Then, from February on, you'll have one every month, but these will be taken by yourselves so that you get used to it before the actual test.
"As for meeting up with your partner, I'd recommend every two weeks. That way you won't fall behind on the presentations."
Hailey nodded and scribbled this information down in her notebook. But, she was also nervous. She couldn't let Will come to her house. She just had to hope that Will would have all the meetings at his house.
***
"How was your first day?" Will asked when you met him at the main doors after school.
"It was good. Not as scary as you guys made it seem. Still need to make sure I get to my classes on time, though," you replied as the two of you walked out of the building and through the parking lot towards his car.
"They'll give you a grace period to get to class on time," Will told you. "It's usually a week, week and a half until they start handing out tardies."
You were about to ask how his day was, when someone yelling stopped you.
"Nice ass, Halstead!"
Your jaw dropped and your eyes bugged out of your head as you and Will both turned around. Of course, it was a varsity football player who yelled that, of course, it was.
Will put his hand in front of you. "Y/N, I'm gonna give you my keys and you're going to unlock my car and get inside."
"Will, he's not worth it," you argued.
"Y/N, take my damn keys. I don't want you anywhere near this."
You relented and took his keys and then went and got in the passenger seat of his car. But, you watched as everything unfolded.
Will stalked up to the football player, who he knew was Derek Evans, the school fuck boy who every girl liked because he was a shoo-in to get drafted by the NFL right after high school and had really good looks even though he was a total sexist asshole.
"What the fuck did you just say to my sister?" Will roared.
"Said she had a nice ass," he replied while shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.
"You son of a--" Will lunged at him but Kevin and Kelly ran in to hold him back. Turns out they were walking out of school and saw the entire exchange.
"Will! calm the fuck down!" Kelly shouted as he pushed Will back.
"Did you not hear what he said?" Will yelled as he kept reaching out to Derek.
Kevin was pushing Derek back, too.
"We did. But you can't be fighting on the first day. If you're gonna do it, do it somewhere else not on school grounds."
"Both you, take a damn breath and walk away," Kevin told them.
Kelly pushed Will back and then grabbed his arm and walked him towards his car while Kevin walked Derek towards the football field.
"You better fucking do something about that, Severide," Will told him.
"Believe me, I'll make sure he runs lap for the entirety of practice."
"I meant punch his face in."
"Can't do that, man. I got scholarships on the line."
"At least let me bring my baseball bat to school and bash his face in. If my batting average is any indication, I could knock him out and kill him in one swing."
"That would be murder and then you'd be in prison instead of going to med school." Kelly paused and took a deep breath. "I guess now's not a great time to tell you, but freshmen are up for grabs in the game this year. The players all said they weren't going to do it because the coaches banned it, but they're going to try and be sneaky. Only writing the points down on paper and burning it, no texting about it or putting it on social media, you can only talk about it on the phone or in person, and it can't be talked about at school."
"Fuck. So the girls won't really know what's going on until it starts."
"Exactly. Just, let Y/N know, okay? And have her pass it on to some of the other freshmen...because we both know if they go to Principal White he won't do shit."
"Yeah, he's as much of a son of a bitch as Evans. But, I'll tell her. Thanks, Kelly."
***
"Jay!" Will yelled when Jay walked inside all sweaty after his soccer practice.
"What? Dude, I need a shower," he said as he threw his soccer bag and his backpack down by the door.
"Better pick that up before Mom gets home. She'll be pissed if she comes home at 3 am and trips over it."
Your mom was a nurse and worked from 2:30 pm-2:30 am, which meant she only saw you in the morning for four days a week...even though she's only supposed to work three days a week, so 36 hours, but she always picked up an extra day so that she could put some money in all of your guys' college funds. Sometimes, she'd even work five days a week and she'd be exhausted once her week was over. But, she was the hardest worker you knew and inspired you to work as hard as you possibly could at everything you did; you never did anything half-assed because you never saw your mom do that. She always gave it her all.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But I want to shower," Jay said.
"Wait five minutes. This is important," Will told him.
Jay sat down on the couch next to him. "Fine. What is it?"
So, Will explained what happened when he and you walked out of school today and how Kelly had to hold him back so that he wouldn't beat Derek Evans to a pulp. He also told him that the game was still on...and this time freshmen are fair game.
"Fucking hell," Jay muttered.
"Yeah," Will agreed.
"Should we tell her?"
"Probably. The sooner the better, too."
"Okay. Let me jump in the shower and then we can tell her and tell her how to protect herself."
Ten minutes later, Jay was out of the shower and he knocked on your bedroom door, Will right behind him. When he didn't get an answer after a few rounds of knocking, he opened your door.
"She's sleeping. Guess we'll have to tell her when she wakes up," Jay said.
"As long as we tell her tonight," Will said. "The more time she has to prepare for what's to come, the better."
***
"Jesus. Fuck," you muttered as you rolled over and looked at the time on your phone. After stretching and jumping out of bed, you walked from your bedroom into the kitchen, to see your brothers both eating pasta. "Neither of you two bothered to wake me up? It's 6:30."
"Figured you needed the sleep," Will shrugged. "Dinner's in the fridge. Mom made lasagna."
You grabbed yourself a plate and then put some lasagna on it and put it in the microwave. Then you sat down across from Jay and Will who were both sitting on the same side of the kitchen table.
"How was your first day?" Jay asked.
"Good...other than Wiliams making me sit in the front right in front of his desk. I don't mind the front because then I can see the board easier, but his desk, really? This one's all your fault." You pointed your fork at Jay.
Jay held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, really wasn't thinking about you when I fired those spitballs."
"What were you thinking about?" Will asked.
"That I needed to aim for his head."
"My god, you're a child," you laughed. "And, Will about ripped a football player's head off today. I think his name was Derek? He would've, too if Kelly didn't hold him back."
"But he said you had a nice ass," Will quoted. "Pretty sure that warrants me ripping his head off."
"Will's right," Jay agreed. "I would've pushed past Kelly and beat Evans to a pulp."
"Good to know you guys have my back. But, I'm in high school now. You can't keep fighting my battles for me."
"Too bad," Will said. "You're stuck with us."
"Ugh," you groaned and took a bite of your lasagna. "How was your day, Will?" you asked once you had finished the bite. "Any talk of what the senior prank will be?"
"We didn't actually talk about that. But, the girl who helped you with your locker, Hailey, she's my partner in my AP bio class," Will answered. Jay coughed. "You alright there, Jay?"
"Yeah, yeah, fine."
"Anyway," Will began, "she'll be coming round here a bit because we have to do these presentations. She said her brothers are usually home, so she'll probably come here most of the time. Oh, Y/N, she also told me to tell you that if there's ever a day where you can't find anyone to sit with at lunch, that you can always sit with her."
"Really? That's so nice of her. I wish I had classes with her," you said.
"Okay, since it's obvious neither of you is going to ask about my day because I'm the forgotten middle child," Jay started, causing both you and Will to roll your eyes, "I'm just gonna tell you. Nothing important happened. They just drilled that we have to take the SAT into our heads. Oh, and we have read like this 16th century crap in English 11, so that sucks."
"English 11 is the worst," Will agreed. "Good luck."
The three of you continued to eat and the Will started talking again when he and Jay were finished and you were almost done.
"So, Y/N, there's this sick and twisted tradition at school," Will began with a worried look on his face. "And it ends after homecoming."
"So that's what you were implying earlier," you said.
"Yeah, so what happens is that the football players kinda sorta get dares to do, but they aren't specifically dares. It's like there's a list of things they do with a girl and there's points attached to them. Like, apparently if a guy grabs a girl's ass in the hallway or anywhere else on the school's campus or at a school event, it's 50 points. But, since that's pretty tame, that's the only one that actually has to be done on campus. The rest of them can be off or on-campus...but they'd probably be off-campus," Will explained.
"I'm confused. So they get points for assaulting us?" you asked.
"Technically, it's just harassment...but some of the other ones could be classified as assault. But, those ones are supposed to be consensual, so the only risk you really run is having your butt grabbed in the hallway. Jay, you wanna take it from here?"
"Uh, yeah," Jay answered. "Usually freshmen are off-limits, but this year they changed the rules, so they're allowed. But, Kelly, Kevin, and Adam opted out because they're decent human beings, so if you see them in the hallway, you're safe; you don't have to be scared of them."
"But the rest...?" you trailed off.
"The rest of the varsity football team you need to be aware of."
"So, when does this game start and what do I do?"
"It starts in two weeks and goes on for a month, so until homecoming. As for what to do, well most girls just wear long shirts to cover their butts and not wear super tight pants," Jay told you.
"And if me or Jay have a class close to one of yours, we can walk you to your locker or to your next class. That should help a bit," Will offered.
"Thanks. That might help. But, why hasn't Mr. White stopped it?" you asked.
"Because he's as much of a sexist asshole as the football players. But, it's only a month. You can get through it," Will promised.
"God I hope so."
***
It had been two weeks since you started high school and in two days that stupid game of grab ass would begin. Hailey and Will were currently working on their presentation in the kitchen and Jay was playing at an away soccer game...which is where your mom was, too. You were sitting in your room working on your planner for next week.
You looked at your planner and saw Monday was circled and said The Game in black ink. God, why did guys have to be such sexist pigs? Just because they were the football players didn't mean they got on pass on all the school rules and hell, even all the general rules of society.
You shook your head and turned up your music and started writing in your classes for that week in your planner.
A few songs later, you thought you heard a knock on your door, so you took out one of your headphones. "Yeah?" you asked.
"Y/N, it's Hailey. Can I come in?" she asked from the other side of your door.
"Yeah," you told her as you took out the other headphone and paused your music. "What's up?" you asked when she entered.
"Will told me you're really nervous for the game starting this week?" she motioned to the spot next to you on your bed. "Can I sit?" You nodded and she sat down. "Honestly, you just have to be on high alert for a whole month. Try to walk by other people whenever you can and, I think Will said they already told you this, but don't wear tight-fitting clothing."
"They did. I just don't know what to wear."
"Well, I can help you with that. Let's go through your clothes and we'll take out what you can't wear during this and put it in another drawer, okay?"
"That sounds good." You closed your planner and you and Hailey began going through your dresser and closet.
"Another tip," she started, "if you have the chance to knee one of them in the balls, then do it. Why do you think they stopped coming after me halfway through the game last year?"
"You kneed a football player in the balls?" you asked as your eyes went wide.
"Mhm. Did it to the captain of the football team last year. He was a senior, so he's not here anymore, but now all the football boys know not to mess with me."
"I will most definitely keep that one in mind."
***
Jay met up with you that Thursday after one of his classes because it was in the same hall as yours. "Day going good?" he asked as his eyes darted side to side, clearly in overprotective big brother mode.
"Yeah, and no one's tried anything yet, so I guess that's a good thing," you told him.
You were focused on dodging people in the hallway so you had time to stop by your locker and change out your books, go to the bathroom, and then get to your next class all within the span of five minutes (your school really needed to make passing time at least seven to eight minutes instead of five), so you didn't hear the booming laughter of a few varsity football players behind you...but Jay did.
"Back the fuck off," Jay growled as none other than Derek Evans reached out to grab your ass. But, Jay stopped him by turning around and walking backward to shield your backside and then grabbing Derek's outstretched hand.
"Aww, look guys, the little freshman needs her big brother to protect her," Derek mocked.
"From you, yeah she does. You're a sick fuck, Evans...and that goes for your posse, too."
"Let go of my hand, Halstead."
Jay narrowed his eyes, but he let go. "Next time you try to grab my sister, that arm will be twisted so far back behind you that you can kiss your senior season goodbye."
"Whatever." He rolled his eyes and then turned around to go back the other way, towards his actual class.
"Thanks," you said as you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.
"Don't mention it."
***
Jay made his way out of a classroom later that day and saw Hailey, so he made his way over to her.
"I don't need protecting, Jay," she told him.
"I know," Jay replied. "Everyone knows about you kneeing the captain last year. Great job on that by the way. I know I'm a year late, but that was a good move on your part."
"Thanks. It was just a reflex, honestly."
"And thanks for helping Y/N with the clothes thing. She was really nervous."
Hailey waved a hand flippantly. "That was nothing, just a girl helping another girl out."
"As the world should be," Jay agreed. Hey, his mother taught him to look at women as equals and he was going to treat Hailey as such...now that he knew she could protect herself from all these assholes. Because if she hadn't kneed that captain where the sun don't shine last year, you best believe he'd be on high alert for the varsity football players just like he was with you a few classes ago. "So, our practice got canceled because of the rain and the football game got canceled, too. So, me, Adam, and Kelly were gonna go out for tacos at that place across the street, but Adam's bringing his girlfriend, Kim, and Kelly's bringing his girlfriend, Stella, and I don't want to third-wheel, so do you maybe want to go with me? That is if you don't have to be home right after school."
Her dad didn't get home until 5:30. "Sure," she told him. "I just have to be home by 4:30. But, I normally take the bus, so unless one of you can bring me home, I can't come." She figured getting home an hour early would work well so that she wasn't rushing.
"Adam's bringing me home, so I'm sure he can stop by your house, too. Where do you live?" Jay asked. She told him her address. "That's only a block away from me. I'm sure he can bring you home. I'll text him and then text you." He held out his phone. "Put your number in."
So, Hailey put her number in his phone. Then, she handed it back to him and they hurried to get to their respective classes before the late bell rang.
But, she was wondering why she was blushing so much as she turned away and why all these butterflies had erupted in her stomach when their fingers brushed against each other's when she handed his phone back to him. She wasn't falling for Jay Halstead. There was no way, right?
***
"So, party this weekend. Everyone in?" Adam asked as the six of them ate tacos.
"Whose house?" Kelly asked.
Adam said a name of a football player and told them it was Saturday night,  and they all agreed to go...except for Hailey, who spouted off some excuse about how she had to be up early on Sunday, so she couldn't go. Jay was disappointed that he wouldn't have an excuse to dance with her, but he figured there'd be other parties.
"Mom's working that night," Jay said. "So, as long as I'm home by like 2:45, I should be good. Will will probably be down, too. Then Natalie will probably come."
"Great. I'll text him so he knows how much beer to have his older brother buy...but I'm sure they'll buy extra because more people usually show up anyway."
They talked and ate for another hour before they had to leave so Hailey could get home on time.
Jay and Hailey sat in the backseat of Adam's car while Adam and Kim sat in the front.
When they pulled up to Hailey's house, Jay offered to walk her to the door, but she told him no, that he didn't have to. He insisted, but she still said no, so he let it go and she got out of the car and went inside her house.
"Dude, you so like her," Adam said as they drove another block to his house.
"I do not. I don't know what you're talking about. She's just a friend," he argued.
Adam snorted. "Yeah right. And I'm the fucking king of England."
"You should ask her to homecoming," Kim suggested.
"Kim! Not you, too!"
"It's obvious. You should ask her. She might just surprise you."
***
You woke up Saturday night to your phone ringing and breaking you out of a peaceful sleep. You rubbed your eyes and looked at the time and the caller. Why the hell was Jay calling you when it was past one in the morning?
"Hello?" you asked sleepily.
"Y/N, me and Will need your help," Jay said.
You immediately sat up. "What do you mean? I thought you were home. Where the hell are you?"
"We went to a party and we couldn't risk you telling Mom, so we snuck out around 11 when we knew you were sleeping. But, Kelly's the DD and he had two drinks, so he can't drive us home. He's not drunk off his ass, but if we get pulled over and they pull out a breathalyzer, we're all shit outta luck."
"Why can't you do it?" you asked. "You sound pretty sober to me."
"I'm two and a half beers deep and it'll probably be four by the time you get here."
"Fucking  hell, Jay. And me? You seem to forget that I don't have my license yet, just my permit. I can't come get you. You're just gonna have to wait until Mom gets home and call her."
"No! No way is Mom finding out!"
"What's in it for me? I'm not breaking the law and coming to get your dumbasses for free. And I need something from both you and Will."
"Fine," Jay huffed. "Name your price."
"You do my laundry for a month and Will does my algebra homework for a month."
"Two weeks. We'll do those for two weeks," Jay said.
"No. Three weeks or I'm not coming and you get to suffer the wrath of Mom."
"Fine," he relented. "I'll text you the address."
***
You drove Will's car like an old grandma on the way to the house party, sometimes going ten miles under the speed limit. There was no way you were getting busted for your brothers.
You turned off your car and parked in the closest spot you could find to the house where the party was at. Then, you pulled out your phone and texted both Jay and Will that you were there.
Five minutes passed...then ten and still no answer from either of them.
"Fucking hell," you muttered as you unbuckled and then grabbed the keys and got out of Will's car and locked it, safely zipping the keys in one of your sweatshirt pockets. "I swear to God if both of them are three sheets to the wind and I have to drag their asses out of there, I will not be fucking happy."
You started to walk towards the party, looking at your phone every couple of seconds to see if either of your brothers had texted you back.
You gasped when you felt someone grab your ass.
"Fifty points," he whispered in your ear and then grabbed your wrist.
Derek Evans.
"Let me go!" you told him as you tried to pull away from him.
"No can do, freshman. It's 500 points for fucking a freshman and there's no way I'm passing up that opportunity."
"Let me go!" you screamed. You even dropped your phone to the ground to try to use your other hand to pry his hand off your wrist. But, he just laughed and kept holding you. Then, he stomped on your phone, breaking it into pieces.
You kept screaming, but the music was so loud that no one could hear you. And, you tried to dig your heels into the ground to stop him, but it was no use; he was too strong.
Eventually, he got tired of dragging you and just picked you up. You punched and kicked him, but it didn't seem to work. It was like this senior was immune to pain.
He got to a shed near the side of the house and quite literally threw you against it. You groaned and took a few deep breaths. In that time, Derek had ripped his shirt off and grabbed your wrists with one hand. You dug your nails into his hands. You weren't going down without a fight.
"That's cute," he laughed. "You think some nails are going to stop me."
He dragged you over a few inches and then used some of his shirt to secure your wrists to the fence that separated this house from the one next to it.
"Help! Help!" you yelled. "Somebody help me!"
Your head flew to the right as he slapped you across the face. "Shut the fuck up!"
You whimpered and then started kicking your feet. But, he just walked away and watched you struggle as he removed his pants. Then, he sat on your legs. You couldn't kick anymore, so you started screaming even louder. He slapped you a few more times across the face until you finally  shut up because, fuck, that hurt. That just left you whimpering at his mercy as he fumbled with the string on your pajama pants. (You hadn't bothered changing your pants when you came to get your brothers, only threw on a bra on under your t-shirt.) You didn't know what to do. No one was going to save you and you were completely and utterly helpless.
***
Kelly Severide knew you were coming to pick them up as Jay had told him that when he was on his way to grab his fourth beer. He hadn't heard anything from Jay or Will yet but figured they were both shit-faced. So, he tried to text you. No reply. He tried to call. No answer.
So, Kelly walked out onto the back porch and started around the side of the house to see if you had parked. But then, he heard whimpering and what sounded like a slap and then a yelp. He started running.
When he saw what was happening, he saw red.
You were lying on the grass whimpering while Derek was just in his boxers. You wanted him to stop smacking your thighs and face because god, you were fucking hurting and you were also fucking terrified about what was going to happen next.
"Please," you whimpered. "Please, st--"
"You son of a bitch!"
Before you could even register who yelled that, Derek was thrown off of you and to the ground.
You caught your breath and just laid there panting and crying while Kelly did a number on Derek's face. He sent more punches to his stomach until he finally doubled over and groaned in pain. Then, he kicked him in the back and he fell to the ground. Kelly placed his foot on Derek's back. "Stay the fuck down you fucking bastard."
He pulled out his phone and called 911. "Hello, I'd like to report a sexual assault."
***
Will felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "Kelly, where the hell are you, man?" he asked as he dirty danced with Natalie on the dance floor.
"Will, you need to come out by the shed now," he said, still with his foot on Derek's back, keeping him down. Kelly felt terrible that he couldn't untie you, but he couldn't risk Derek getting up and trying to finish what he started.
"Why? You snorting coke out there? Because count me out. I don't do that."
"No. It's Y/N. She was- she-- It's that stupid fucking game some of the bastards I call teammates are playing. An ambulance and the cops are on their way."
Will's mouth went dry. It went dry when he heard the game part, but now it was as if it was sandpaper.
"Jay's by me. We'll be there in a second."
Will pocketed his phone and let go of Natalie. "Baby, what's wrong?" she asked.
"It's Y/N. I think one of those football players got to her."
"Fuck a freshman." Adam's eyes went wide as he let go of Kim.
"What? What about fucking?" Jay asked as he went to take another sip of his beer, but Will swatted it out of his hand.
"We need to go. Now." He grabbed Jay's arm. "Adam, explain."
The three of them started running, Jay barely being able to run in a straight line and Natalie and Kim hot on their heels, and Adam explained how he heard about one part of the game that was called fuck a freshman. But, he thought it was a joke because he didn't know for sure because he didn't sign up for the game.
"Well, obviously it's not a joke!"
Will saw Kelly with his foot on Derek's back before he saw you.
"You fucking son of a bitch!" he yelled.
"Will!" you cried.
"Y/N, hold on. We're here, we're here." He knelt down next to you and untied the t-shirt that kept your wrists tied to the fence.
It took Jay a minute, but then he realized what happened...it also took Kim shaking him and telling him she was going to slap him across the face and then actually doing it. Now that sobered him up.
You could hear sirens in the distance.
"Me and Natalie will go get them," Will said. "You three good here?"
"We're good. Now go get help," Kelly said.
***
The ride to the hospital was a blur. You were still freaking out, so the paramedics had to give you a light sedative to calm down. You remembered your brothers being in the back of the ambulance with you and you remembered Jay puking in a bucket from all the beer he drank.
You vaguely remembered the doctors asking you questions and taking pictures of your bruises. You also remembered them telling the three police officers that they couldn't question you yet. And then, you fell asleep.
***
You slowly opened your eyes and squinted against the bright hospital lights.
Damn, it must've taken me a helluva long time to get the boys out of that party if I'm waking up when the sun is this bright, you thought to yourself.
But, then you looked at your surroundings and it all came flooding back to you.
"Mama, Mama," you cried.
"I'm here, honey, I'm here," she said as she gently grabbed your hand.
You tried to sit up, but your thighs and stomach hurt so bad from Derek hitting you that you couldn't.
"I want a hug but I can't sit up," you cried as tears started to stream down your face.
She stood up and bent over the bed and wrapped her arms around you. It was an uncomfortable position for her because she was bending over to hug you, but she didn't care. You were her little girl and she'd do anything to make you feel safe and loved.
Will and Jay sat in the chairs on the other side of your bed. You hadn't even realized they were there. Will had tears in his eyes and Jay had a hand over his mouth trying to stop a sob from coming out. God, if he wouldn't have called you to pick them up, then this wouldn't have happened. It was all his fault this happened to you.
A knock on the door sounded and your mom let go of you and the two of you looked towards the door.
It was Hailey.
Jay looked to you to see if it was okay that she came in and you nodded.
"Hey," she said as she entered. "I brought donuts. Figured you might be hungry."
You were glad she didn't ask if you were okay because it was apparent that you most definitely were not okay.
You nodded and she walked over to you and opened the box. "You get first pick."
You picked a raspberry-filled one and then proceeded to take tiny bites of your donut. It hurt too much to open your mouth a lot because your cheeks and chin were heavily bruised.
You almost finished your donut, when there was another knock on the door. This time it was three police officers. Then, they opened the door.
"Y/N, I'm Trudy Platt and this is Detective Alvin Olinsky and Detective Hank Voight. We're here to take a few statements about what happened," the officer told you.
"Am I in trouble?" you asked. You did drive without a license.
"No, not at all. We just need to know what happened. We can give you a minute to finish eating if you would like?"
"Can I do it now?"
"Of course." She turned to your mom. "Mom, you want to stay in the room?"
"If I can--"
"I don't want you to know the details, Mom. Please," you pleaded as more tears fell.
"Are you sure? I'll love you no matter what, honey. Good or bad, you're still my little girl."
"I know. But I just- I want to be alone."
"Okay, me and the boys and Hailey will be right outside."
The four of them left and the two detectives left as well, leaving only you and this officer known as Trudy Platt.
"Am I in trouble?" you asked when the door shut.
"Oh, honey, no," Trudy said as she sat down in the seat your mom was previously sitting in.
"But, I drove without my license be- because they asked me to pick them up and then- and then--"
"Y/N, you are not in any trouble. Kelly Severide told us most of the story about what happened, but we need to hear it in your own words. And you can take as long as you want. Take as much time as you need."
So you told her what happened.
"It's all my fault. If I would've never agreed to go pick up Will and Jay--"
"This is not your fault. None of this is your fault," she told you.
"But why does it feel like it is? If I could've just fought him off, maybe this wouldn't have happened." You wiped your eyes with the heels of your hands and let out a strangled sob which was more like a yell. "Why do boys get away with everything?"
She pulled the chair closer to your bed. "Y/N, you have my word that he won't be getting away with what he did to you. I promise you he won't get away with it."
"But how do you know that? You can't possibly know that!"
"Because I have two of the best detectives working with me and I just know that he won't get away with what he did to you."
After a few more minutes and explaining that you really didn't want to go through a trial, Trudy left the room. She also handed you her card in case you changed your mind about the trial.
Then, Trudy Platt went to the bathroom where she saw the other girl who was in the room with you while she was washing her hands. As the girl was scrubbing her hands, Trudy noticed a bruise on her arm, a little above her wrist. It was low enough that it could be hidden by long sleeves, but that it could also ride up when the girl was washing her hands.
"You're one of Y/N's friends?" Trudy asked.
"Yeah. Me and her brother got paired up for a project and I was supposed to meet him this morning, but he texted saying family emergency. So, I thought I'd bring them breakfast," Hailey answered.
"That's very kind of you. Were you at the party last night?"
"No, I was at home."
"Is that where you hurt your arm?"
Hailey quickly pulled on her sweatshirt sleeve "No, I uh, I hit it on my locker a few days ago."
Trudy knew this girl was lying. She had worked enough domestic and child abuse cases to know the usual excuses. So, she pulled out her business card and handed it to Hailey. "This is my business card. My cell phone number is on there as well. Call me if you need help getting out."
***
Trudy, Hank, and Al entered the district and then went into the basement where there were no cameras.
"I think we can all agree on not putting that the girl was driving without a license in the reports," Trudy started.
"Agreed," Al said. "What about the boys?"
"We leave out that they were drinking, too," Hank said. "The only people who know that they were drinking are us three and them since they obviously can't take a breathalyzer now, there's no use in putting it in the reports. They were just kids being kids."
"Yeah, except for the asshole who assaulted her," Al stated.
"Yeah, except for him. We're throwing the book at that bastard," Hank agreed.
"She said she didn't want to go through a trial," Trudy said.
"What? Why not?" Hank asked.
"She said that she didn't think that anyone would believe her. He's a senior who everyone likes, hell, this whole town knows he's going to be drafted. So, she thinks he wouldn't get in trouble if he does actually go to trial."
Hank sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Well, we have 48 hours to hold him, and then me and Al will figure out how to take care of this."
***
"Are you hungry?" your mom asked when you got home later that day. The hospital had discharged you since all your injuries were superficial, such as the bruises on your face, wrist stomach, and thighs.
"No," you muttered. "I'm gonna go to my room."
"Okay, well if you want to be alone, that's fine, but I took FMLA leave, so I'll be home for a while. Take all the time you need, honey."
You nodded and then walked into your room and cuddled under your blankets. Since it was the afternoon, there was still a bit of sunlight coming in from beneath your blinds, which you were thankful for. You turned on your fan and allowed it to blow lightly on you. You were glad that you always used your fan for white noise so that you could sleep, but it also helped to muffle your quiet sobs as you cried into your pillow.
Meanwhile, Hailey, Will, Jay, and your mom were in the kitchen. Hailey had come home with you and your family so that she and Will could work on their presentation. She said it was fine, that she could go home, but Will said working on the presentation would be a welcome distraction.
"What's FMLA leave?" Jay asked.
"It's the Family Medical Leave Act," she answered as she sat down at the kitchen table. "It means I can have up to twelve weeks unpaid leave at work and still be guaranteed a job when I get back. But, I'll probably just take half of that, because uh, I won't be making any money during that time."
"I can see if I can get my summer job back," Will immediately offered. "I know I said I can only work during the summer, but I can work on the weekends even if it's only ten hours a week and I've only been off for a month, so they should probably be able to rehire me--"
"Honey," your mom said, cutting him off. "I really appreciate you thinking of that. But it's your senior year and you're taking four AP classes. School comes first. We'll get through it. This is only temporary and I do have a savings account in case of emergencies and we should be fine."
"Okay, well, you can always tell me to talk to my boss if I need to," Will said. Then, he turned to Hailey. "I'll go grab my stuff and then we can work on the project."
Will walked away to his room, leaving Jay, your mom, and Hailey. "Can I get you anything, Hailey?" your mom asked. "Water, coffee?"
"Oh, no. I'm fine," Hailey said. This wasn't about her. She knew that you needed your mom and that your mom needed time to feel what happened as well. "Thank you, though."
"I'm gonna go check on Y/N and then go for a drive. If anything happens with her, Jay, I need either you or Will to call me right away."
"We will, Mom, don't worry."
Your mom pulled Jay into a hug. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Mom." Normally, Jay wouldn't have hugged his mom when his friends were around--or whatever he considered Hailey--, but he knew his mom needed it, so he returned her hug.
"Be back soon."
Then, she checked on you and seeing that you were asleep, grabbed her keys, and left.
"I'm gonna put on a pot of coffee," Jay said. "I know you said you were good, but you can have some if you want." He made his way to the cupboard and grabbed the container of ground-up coffee beans and started putting them into a filer.
"Thanks. Might take you up on that when me and Will are working. A little liquid focus never hurt anyone," she replied.
"No doubt."
Hailey paused, she wanted to keep talking with Jay but didn't know what to say. She didn't want to mention last night either. "So, are you taking any AP classes?" she asked. "You know, since Will's apparently taking four."
"Will's a psychopath and no, I'm not. Too much work if you ask me. If I was planning on going to college, I might take a few, but I'm not."
"Oh. Then what are you planning to do?"
"Maybe the army. My mom doesn't like the thought of me fighting in wars, but she supports my decision. I just don't feel like studying is for me."
"What branch?" Hailey asked.
He raised his eyebrows at how interested she was. "I was thinking the Army Rangers. They're the first ones on the ground in war zones."
"Sounds dangerous. You're practically flying blind."
"Oh, but that's what makes it fun."
Hailey laughed. "You're an adrenaline junkie, aren't you?"
"Oh, yeah. I love rollercoasters...and anything else that gets my heart racing."
"Hear about that new coaster at Cedar Point?"
"Yeah!" Jay exclaimed. And, before he even had time to process what he was about to say, he blurted it out anyway. "Maybe we could go together sometime."
Did he just ask me out? Hailey thought to herself. "I'd like that." She smiled.
"Am I invited?" Will asked as he walked down the hallway, overhearing their conversation.
"Uh," Jay blanched.
"Dude, chill. I know you were trying to ask her out--"
Jay's phone rang before he could yell at Will to knock it off and Hailey just took a seat at the table blushing really badly while she did so.
"It's Kev," Jay said while glaring at his older brother. "I gotta take this." He accepted the call and started to walk down the hall to the bedroom that he shared with Will. "Hey, man."
Jay closed his bedroom door and sat on his bed. "Adam just told me that Evans tried to rape your sister?"
Jay ran a hand down his face. "Uh, yeah, if Kelly wouldn't have gotten there when he did, who knows what would've happened."
"Is she okay? Is he in jail? Is she in the hospital?"
Jay knew that Kevin would react protectively since he had a younger sister, Vanessa, who was in seventh grade, just two years younger than you.
"I mean, physically her injuries are just bruising." He took a deep, shaky breath to stop himself from crying. "I think they're holding Evans and we just got home from the hospital. Y/N's sleeping now."
"Evans is so fucking lucky I wasn't there. Adam said that Kelly beat his face in pretty bad, but I'd do worse. I probably would've killed him, at least given him brain damage from a concussion."
"You and me both."
"And, uh, Adam said the cops are gonna talk to all the football players?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah. The detective did mention that. He also told me and Will not to go after Evans, but--"
"You're not gonna listen?" Kevin asked.
"I'll probably wait two weeks so he thinks he's safe and then go after him. You're more than welcome to help."
"I'll cover for you that night."
"Thanks, man. So, the cops talk to you yet?" Jay asked.
"Not yet. But I really don't have anything to say. I didn't participate and I would never participate. Might mention that White never tried to stop it and Coach Davis said it was off-limits, though."
"You think Davis knew what was going on?" Jay asked.
"There's no way. If he knew, he would've kicked all of them off the team. He doesn't fuck with stuff like that. White, on the other hand, well, we both know how that cat rolls."
"I should've mentioned that when they were talking to me earlier this morning. I was just, I was so worried about Y/N."
"I get it. I'd be the same way if this happened with Vanessa. I'll tell them about it. You just make sure she's okay. And, if you, her, Will, or your mom need anything, gimme a call. I'd be happy to help."
"Thanks, Kev."
"Good luck planning your revenge. Tell me what the cover is."
"Oh don't worry, I will."
***
Two weeks later
Jay popped the screen out of his window. "You can put this back in, right?" he asked Will.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Go give Evans hell for what he did to Y/N," he replied as he got out of bed and stood by the window.
"You know, still time for you to come with me."
"I got accepted to college already. I'm not about to jeopardize that. Cover still that Kev called and needed help babysitting Vanessa and Jordan?"
"That's the one. I'll crash at his house after this is done just so it seems believable. See you tomorrow."
"See you. Don't get beat up too badly."
Jay scoffed. "Yeah right."
Then, he started the three-mile walk to Derek Evan's house.
So, Jay had decided not to actually beat him up because his parents were home and he didn't want to have to deal with the parents. Derek and the cops he could handle, but having his parents yell that they want to press charges and scream at him, yeah no. He had stashed a can of black spray paint in a bush in his front yard and grabbed it when he was leaving. He planned on spray painting rapist on Derek's white car. Even though he didn't technically rape you, he tried to, so the word still stands.
Jay got there and pulled his hat down over his face. Then, he walked up the driveway and to Derek's car. He shook the can of spray paint and took the cap off. His finger was down on the button--
"Chicago PD!"
Fuck.
***
"Your last name's Halstead?" the cop who picked him up asked when they entered the 21st District.
"Yes, sir," he answered, his head hanging low and the can of spray paint still in his hand.
"Well, I need you to take a seat right there while I make a phone call. Do not move."
"Yes, sir."
Jay sat down on the bench across from the front desk and pulled out his phone. He sent texts to both Kevin and Will.
Cops caught me. At a police station right now. Will, don't you fucking dare tell Mom.
They replied that they were shocked, but Kevin said he could always come pick Jay up if he needed it. He figured Jordan and Vanessa would be okay by themselves for half an hour. And Will promised he wouldn't tell Mom...unless Jay needed bail money, then he'd have to tell her.
"Halstead," a gruff voice barked from the side of him.
Jay looked up to be met with one of the detectives who had worked your case. But, instead of being in his uniform, he was in normal clothes. The only thing that could tell anyone that he was a cop was the badge pinned to his jeans and the gun in its holster at his side.
Jay stood up.
"I had a feeling something like this might happen," Hank Voight stated. "So, I put a patrol car in front of the Evans' house."
"Am I under arrest?" Jay asked.
"You're not. But follow me."
Hank opened the door to the office next to where the bench was and Jay followed him in.
"Have a seat." Jay sat down in the chair in front of the desk and Hank sat in the chair behind the desk. If Jay didn't know any better, he'd say he was in the principal's office. "Jay, listen."
"Wait, how do you know I'm not Will?" Jay asked.
"I know that Will had red hair. And, you told the responding officer your full name, remember?"
"Yes, sorry."
"It's okay. A little questioning never hurt anybody. But, Jay, listen. You can't go and beat this kid up or destroy or vandalize his property." Jay opened his mouth to protest, but Hank put a hand up to stop him. "I understand that you're angry and want to get revenge for your sister. But, that's not going to make it like it didn't happen. And, you'd be the one getting in trouble, not him. Severide already did a number on him."
"But, Y/N doesn't want a trial because she doesn't want to relive it!" Jay argued. "I just have to let him get away with it?"
"He's not going to get away with it, I can promise you that. I just don't want you to be the one getting in trouble for bringing a little justice to the world. I can promise you justice will be served, though."
"How? If there's no trial and I can't go after him, how will justice be served?"
"Jay, just let it run its course. Now, I'm assuming your mom doesn't know you're here?"
"No, she doesn't. I planned on going to a friend's house after."
"I'll drive you there. All this vandalism stuff will stay between me, you, and the patrolman."
Jay's jaw dropped. "Wow, thank you so much."
"Hey, I would've done the same thing if I was in your shoes. Now, c'mon, let's get you to that friend's house."
***
One month later
It was your mom's first day back to work. She said she would stay home longer if you wanted her to, but you told her you were fine. And, she thought that as well because you had been coming out of your room more these past two weeks.
You walked to the kitchen to go get some water which was normal for you. All you had been doing since you were almost raped was sleeping. You'd occasionally have dinner with your family, but that was it. You also started seeing a therapist a week after the attempted rape, which helped immensely. But, when she saw your symptoms, she had suggested anti-depressants after you had talked to her for a couple weeks. So, you were on them.
After a week, you started to gain some energy back. It wasn't back to normal yet, but it was enough that you would watch movies and tv shows, read, and journal in your room instead of lying in bed staring at the ceiling and sleeping all day.
You were on your way back to your room with your glass of water when you heard a familiar opening line to one of your favorite Disney Channel movies: Lemonade Mouth.
You poked your head into the living room. "Are you guys watching Lemonade Mouth?" you asked your brothers.
"We were gonna change it to watch some hockey," Jay said. Then, he saw Will's pointed look. "But, if you want to watch Lemonade Mouth, then we can."
Will paused the tv. "Are you sure?" you asked.
"We're sure," Will replied. "I'll go make us some popcorn while you get comfortable."
And thus started the plan of watching a movie every night to get you out of your room. Sometimes, Will would have too much homework, so you'd watch a movie with Jay. Sometimes Jay would have a soccer game, so you'd watch a movie with Will. Sometimes, Will would have a ton of homework and Jay would have a soccer game, so you'd watch a movie with your mom. Either way, it was nice to know that they were there for you and that you didn't have to talk about anything with them.
"Hey, like my new shirt?" Jay asked.
"When did you go shopping?" Will asked as he looked up from his textbook.
"Practice got canceled because Coach is sick and Hailey wanted to get some food and go to Goodwill, so we got food and went to Goodwill."
"Jesus, man, you are so whipped. Didn't you just become boyfriend and girlfriend last week?"
"Yes. Y/N you-- what's wrong?"
Your breath was caught in your throat and you felt like you couldn't breathe. If you could see yourself right now, you knew you'd look like a ghost.
"Nothing. I- I just need to get some water and then I'm gonna go take a nap."
"Okay," Will started, "you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."
You walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, but you also grabbed your bottle of antidepressants and put them in the pocket of your sweatshirt. Then, you made your way to your bedroom and locked the door.
How the hell did Jay manage to find the exact same shirt at a thrift store? It was a navy blue shirt with the Abercrombie and Fitch logo on it...the same exact shirt Derek was wearing on the night of the party.
It all came flooding back to you. You screaming...him slapping you...you crying...
You couldn't breathe.
"Ahhh!" you sobbed and dropped to your knees and curled up into a ball, taking the pills out of your pocket.
You continued sobbing and then you heard a knock on your door and heard the doorknob rattle.
"Y/N, Y/N, I need you to open this door," Will told you.
"No! Leave me alone!" you yelled.
"Can't do that. Mom left us in charge since she went back to work. If you don't open this door in three seconds, we're coming in somehow."
He got to two and you relented and opened the door.
"Y/N...what--"
You thrust the bottle of pills in his hand. "Take them! Take them, please!"
"Were you...?"
"I don't know! I don't know, Will! Just get them away from me!"
He pocketed them. "Okay, what's going on? What happened?"
Jay came around the corner.
"It's the same- the same--"
"Y/N, I need you to take a deep breath for me and then we can talk about this."
After five minutes of Will calming you down, you were finally able to catch your breath enough to talk.
"Jay's got the same shirt!" you wailed.
"The same shirt as who?" Will asked gently, careful not to touch you for fear that it would send you into another anxiety attack.
"Derek!"
Will turned around. "Jay, go rip that fucking shirt off and fucking burn it!" Jay just stood there, shellshocked. "Jay!"
He turned around and went to his room to take it off and get rid of it.
"Now, can I give you a hug?" Will asked. You nodded and allowed him to embrace you. When he pulled away, he asked, "Were you really going to do that? With the pills?"
"I- I don't think so," you told him. "I just saw them when I was getting water and grabbed them. I don't want to die."
"That's good. That's really good. But, you know we have to talk to Mom about this, right?"
"Yeah. And, I know I'm supposed to go back to school next week, but I- I don't think I can handle it, Will."
"Then we'll talk to her about that, too."
Jay ran out of his room--in a different shirt--holding his phone in his hand and looking frantic. "We have to go now!" he yelled.
"Why?" Will asked. "Where?"
"Mom just called and said she had to check out Hailey in the hospital."
***
"Hailey!" Jay yelled as he entered her room. He saw her bruised face and her arm in a sling. "Baby, what happened?"
"He- he--" And then she erupted into sobs and reached her good arm over to Jay.
You noticed that one of the officers who worked your case was also in the room.
"Hailey, honey, do you want to press charges?" Trudy Platt asked.
"I can't!" she wailed as she lifted her head off of Jay's chest. "I know I called you, but he's my dad!"
Jay let go of her. "Your dad did this? That son of a--"
"Jay!" your mom yelled.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Hailey reached for her water, but you noticed it was slightly out of her reach so you handed it to her. You hated seeing the girl who you considered your best friend in this much pain, at the hands of her father of all people.
Since you were only in school for less than a month before everything happened and didn't have time to form real, long-lasting friendships you didn't really have any close friends besides Hailey. And now, you knew how she felt when she saw you in that hospital bed six weeks ago.
"Hailey, I can't let you go back to that house," Trudy said.
"But I don't want to press charges! Can't you just pretend you didn't see that? That I didn't call you?" Hailey argued.
"Honey, since you're a minor, I'm supposed to press charges no matter what."
"But he's my dad!" she cried. "I know he's horrible, but I don't want him to rot in prison."
"Hailey, listen to me," Trudy began. "I am giving you an out here. I won't press charges, but for me not to press charges, I need you to be in a safe home."
"You're saying I need to find to find someplace else to live?" she asked.
Trudy nodded.
"Mom, can she...?" Jay asked as he looked up at his mom.
In that moment, your mom saw in Hailey what she had seen in you six weeks ago: a scared little girl who needed the comfort and love of a parent. And, your mom knew she wasn't her actual parent, but she had been over so much recently that it was hard for her to see Hailey as just one of Will's classmates...especially now since she was your best friend and Jay's girlfriend.
"She can stay. As long as she doesn't mind sharing a room with Y/N," your mom agreed.
And, it was that day that Hailey Upton decided that she wanted to become a cop.
***
Hank Voight pulled over Derek on his way home from school.
"Is there a problem, officer?" Derek asked as he rolled down his window.
"First of all, it's detective. And second of all, there is a problem. The problem is that you almost raped a girl," he stated.
"And she didn't file charges, so until she does, I didn't do that."
Hank reached over and grabbed Derek Evans by the collar. "Listen here. In two weeks, you are going to write a letter to your parents saying that you're running away because of all the ridicule you've faced because of this. And then, you're going to meet me at this address." He thrust a piece of paper into his hand. "Oh, and if you think I'm not serious, let me know if your principal shows up to school tomorrow because I can promise you he won't be there. He'll be in prison...or dead. I'll let you think over which one it is." He let go of his collar. "If I were you, I'd show up or it will be a whole lot worse for you."
Derek swallowed. "Okay."
***
Two weeks later
Hailey was settling in at your house, but you still weren't ready to go back to school.
"Y/N," your mom called from the kitchen. You walked out there. "I talked to one of your counselors. They said that they think online school would be helpful. Is that something you might be interested in?"
You never thought your mom would cave to this, but you were on cloud nine. "Yes, please."
"Okay, but can you try to go back at the beginning of next year?"
"I don't know, Mom."
"That's okay. I shouldn't have asked you that. You'll know when you're ready." She paused. "But, one of the things I'm worried about is you not getting any social interaction."
Will walked out of his room. "What if I do it with her?" he asked. "I could go to school for my AP classes and then take the other ones online. The AP ones are really the only ones that matter."
"Will, it's your senior year," your mom argued.
"I know. I can still do all the fun senior stuff, but I wouldn't have to be at school all day."
"Can I do it, too?" Jay asked. "And, I can still go to school for math and English because we know how I am in those subjects. I can even ask Hailey and text some friends if they want to do online school, too," he suggested.
Tears formed in your eyes. Your brothers were giving up their high school experiences for you.
"Boys, I don't know--"
"Mom, you said the issue was social interaction," Will began, "if we're there and other people are there, she wouldn't be missing out on social interaction."
Your mom sighed. "Are you two sure about this? This isn't a decision you can take lightly." They both said they were sure. "Okay, I'll call the school."
"I'll ask Hailey and make some phone calls," Jay said.
And so, three days later, you, your brothers, Hailey, Kim, Adam, Kevin, Natalie, Stella, and Kelly were all sitting in a coffee shop working on online school.
***
Derek Evans walked a block before he got in Hank Voight's car.
"You have everything?" Hank asked, referring to Derek's backpack filled with clothes, toiletries, and other necessities.
"Yes, sir," Derek answered. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see," was all Hank said and then he started driving.
They pulled up to a dirt area on the water with four huge silos. "What are we doing here?" Derek asked.
"Get out of the car."
Derek listened and then Hank followed him around the car. He pulled his gun out of his holster and pressed the cool, black metal against Derek's temple. Derek froze.
"Walk," Hank commanded.
Derek listened and he walked with Hank still holding a gun to his head.
Hank told him to stop and then he drew a line in the dirt with his foot.
"You see this line?" he asked.
"Uh huh," Derek answered while visibly shaking.
"If you ever cross this line again, there will be a bullet in your head. Walk and don't come back." Hank lowered his gun and Derek started walking, not looking back, doing exactly as Hank had told him to do. "Nobody fucks with my city, Evans," Hank said to his retreating back. "Nobody. Not even you."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this rewrite! Thank you for reading! Please remember to reblog/like and comment because I always love when those notifications pop up and I love reading your comments!And, if you like my writing, you can support me at buy me coffee here. It's only a dollar and it's through Paypal and any currency can be used, no subscription required! (I write these fics for free, so I figured I'd try this out!) As always, if you want ti be added to my taglist, just comment that and I’ll add you
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no-droids · 4 years
Note
whats up your not-twin here to say im glad youre back and safe!I adore the drabble you just did for Din saying "I love you" in Mando'a but you've also activated my trap card here and im sorry but So we know the mandos of Din's era follow at least one of the main parts of the mandalorian creed we know, being "wear armor."Speaking Mando'a is right up there too, and you got me thinking about how a foundling fleeing the empire wouldn't speak it that well yet and would never get to and it made me sad
omg honestly I think that makes quite a bit of sense for Din BUT HERES THE THING ABOUT HIM
HES SUCH AN ENIGMA
he’s always so RESERVED and unwilling to share practically anything about himself unless it’s situationally necessary. We didn’t learn his name until someone else said it and he confirmed it, we didn’t know he was multilingual until he spoke Jawa and the Tuskan sign language, we didn’t know SHIT about him unless somebody else was there to spurn a situation in which Din’s desire for privacy is suddenly outweighed by the conflict he finds himself in
So if Din DOES speak Mando’a, canonically, we probably won’t actually know about that shit until it’s necessary for us to know. And honestly I kinda dig that style of writing because it makes the protagonist almost disconnected from the audience, and I’d argue we know more about side characters and their backstories than we do about the two leads which then makes them 5000x more compelling and interesting. It’s also a blast to write because as an author you get to take so many liberties with characterization if only because the show itself purposefully leaves blank spaces. It’s one of the reasons I was so hesitant to actually include Mando’s real name in this story until it was confirmed in e8, because I know a lot of authors had to go back and change the spelling from Dyn to Din and all that stuff and I didn’t want to have to retcon my fic
Also I just wanna take the time to say that season 2 will probably be very different from the first season and that I might sprinkle in some new information we get as the episodes drop, but I won’t outright contradict my story. Which is gonna be tough, but I’ll TRY lmfaoo so if Mando shows up in the cold open of s2 e1 and speaks perfect mando’a or admits he DOESNT speak it at all, I genuinely apologize
while I’m here and on this subject, I tend to see a lot of mando stans trying to predict how this next season is gonna go and spitball Mando culture based off info we got from the clone wars and rebels and stuff, but honestly I think this show is a whole different ballgame and I’m hesitant to agree when I see people say things like “Din is gonna keep his helmet off around baby yoda now that they’re part of the same clan 🥺🥺” and stuff like that’s such a lovely sentiment and sweet and incredibly optimistic but we don’t actually know much at all about mando’s creed. We technically don’t actually know ANYTHING about the Star Wars universe during this time period, it’s the first piece of media that shows the galaxy after the empire’s fall but before the rise of the first order. It’s great from a fanfic perspective because more mystery means more places to insert your own creativity but I just wanted to put it out there that I’m not attempting to assert anything about the show by the way I write my fic. I’m not claiming that the way mando acts in rough day is canon or that any of the lore I’ve taken the liberty of coming up with is true. IM JUST AS CLUELESS SO ROUGH DAY IS ALWAYS JUST GONNA BE A CULMINATION OF THINGS THAT MAKE SENSE TO ME REGARDLESS OF HOW THEY END UP HAPPENING IN THE MANDALORIAN
jfc I did not mean to ramble so much I am so sorry LOLLLL
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thechatsmeow · 4 years
Text
So um... does anyone have any links to theories abt the graham/bourgeois/tsurugi/agreste connection?? I know I saw someone bring it up once but I can’t find it again and I’m having a hard time finding stuff on it in general
Tinfoil hatting under the cut (warning, it’s a long and disorganized post)
I remember seeing someone spitball about the possibility of some kind of secret society/conspiracy with them and honestly I’m?? Kinda seeing it holy shit
First I’d like to bring up this symbol
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this first appeared (to my knowledge) in Gorizilla. It flashed prominently on the screen before the movie, obviously meant to come across as a pre-movie ad. However it’s placement feels VERY deliberate. you’re supposed to notice it
when it zooms out, we see the name on the car is tsurugi
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this symbol also appears in Ikari Gozen, in the Tsurugis’ smart car. 
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I feel like this is important. Some kind of triangle with three pieces in it. The symbols inside of it remind me of halves of a yin yang sign. (it also reminds me of sharingan but my weebism is not relevant)
While we don’t know very much about Tomoe Tsurugi, we do know that she is well acquainted with Gabriel. She also, like Gabriel, has a “perfect” child that’s being groomed to be the perfect successor. (A side note, I can’t help but feel like Kagami’s ring is important also, but I don’t have anything to go off of with that.)
Interestingly, at the end of Feast, when the news shows that the Guardian Temple returned, the camera cuts to the reactions of 3 specific people. It flashes to Tomoe Tsurugi, Audrey Bourgeois, and Gabriel/Nathalie. Hmm. Sure Gabriel and Nathalie have a reason to be interested, but the other two? 🤔
What could they possibly have to do with it? 🤔🤔🤔
Back to Gorizilla. 
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old news ofc, plenty of people discussed this. just throwing it in the post to solidify Audrey’s involvement in all... this since she hasn’t really had many other hints dropped about her that I’ve picked up on. I find it interesting though out of all involved parties Audrey’s the only one who’s kid isn’t being brought up into some freakishly perfect little golden child. Maybe she decided Chloe wasn’t worth the effort lmao. 
Onto the Grahams. 
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An early reference to the Graham family twin rings brought up in Felix. We know those rings are important, somehow, but we don’t know how. They’re either super duper symbolic of something or literally magical. Given that one of them now belongs to Felix and all the little quips about him being such a little magician, and being super interested in the backstory of the rings, I’m inclined to believe they’re literally magical. Especially with how much Amelie wanted them back. I don’t think Gabriel knows the significance of the rings, he’s merely attached to them bc they’re literally his and emilie’s wedding rings. 
Gabriel’s relationship with the Graham family is actually super interesting in general. I’m fully convinced the Graham’s were up to some shady shit. Gabriel seems generally uninterested in interacting with them, and the fact that he didn’t let Adrien go to Mr Graham’s funeral shows some strain between the two families. I wonder if maybe Emilie tried to distance herself from them when she married Gabriel? I feel like Gabriel was pretty out of the loop in general, even with the Miraculous’, considering he didn’t even know how to activate Nooroo without asking. I think perhaps he got roped into Emilie’s magical bullshit.
This is probably just my super secret strong desire for Emilie to be The Real Villain shining through, but that’s neither here nor there.
We still don’t know why she was using the Peacock Miraculous in the first place, it would be super interesting if it had something to do with the Graham family and their potentially evil shenanigans. 
I want to know how the kids potentially play into this. All involved parties have a child around the same age. In Adrien and Kagami’s case at least (can’t speak for felix since we haven’t seen much of him) we have two kids with overbearing parents that isolate them and expect absolute perfection.
I’m ESPECIALLY interested in Adrien’s upbringing. Gabriel is a massive piece of shit but he must not be the only one, since he isn’t soley responsible for his isolation. His mom’s only been missing a year, his homeschooling, insane amount of extracurriculars, and complete isolation from people his own age is NOT new. Gabriel and Emilie deciding that Adrien gets to grow up as a repressed friendless ball of Perfection was a joint effort. We’re given the impression that Adrien was close with his mom and that she was sweet and loving in that vague Dead Mom kinda way but we really know nothing about her. Perhaps they were just insanely overprotective but I feel like there’s more beneath the surface here.
And isn’t it interesting that the only other kid he DID get to socialize with and befriend was none other than the daughter of Audrey Bourgeois? Who we know has to have at least some involvement in all this crazy shit? 
Another thing I think about is Gabriel mentioning his “promise” to Emilie. Now this could just be a vague romantic “I promise to bring u back wifey uwu” but wouldn’t it be interesting if she actually... made him promise to bring her back? (I’m sorry u can probably tell that i just rlly want her to be evil)
I’m not sure where exactly I’m going with all this but it’s been knockin around in my brain and i wanted to write it down for my sanity’s sake
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Comics I read this week (8/26 - 8/30)
Hey anyone and... anyone I guess. For all those looking to get into comics or who are already comics readers but don’t know which books are good, here’s an opinion on just that! 
Give it a read, let me know what you think, light some pitchforks, whatever you like:
Justice League #30
I was conflicted reading this week’s issue of Justice League: while I’m really liking the direction that Scott Snyder is taking the story, I’m really getting sick of Jorge Jimenez’s art on the series. 
While Jimenez was a breath of fresh air on the “Superman: Rebirth” series with his CG texturized drawing and smooth surfaces, his ultra-stylized and cartoony figures are starting to look more plastic and stretchy as this series goes on. He’s got a bad habit of smoothing over his character’s proportions, which make these heroes that are supposed to be cut and strong look flat and almost doughy. It’s starting to grind on me more as each new issue comes out, and maybe it’s time for an artistic switch-up on this title.
In terms of the story though, this was a good set-up issue for the Justice/Doom war that Snyder and co. have been building up to on this run. We’ve got all the pieces in place: a gathering of forces by both sides; a romp through time which sees the League meeting with both Kamandi and the classic JSA; and everything going awry right from the get-go! 
The only thing I’m slightly concerned about storywise is that Catwoman was in the Doom lineup, and with the rekindling of Bat-Cat in the latest Batman issues, I’m hoping this isn’t a portend for another breakup in King’s run. My heart couldn’t take another.
Superman #14
Let me be clear on one thing before I start in: I’m a fan of Brian Michael Bendis. His work on “Ultimate Spider-Man,” “Daredevil,” and “Alias” are some of my favorite comics, and his more recent work with “Naomi,” and “Event Leviathan” has been really good. With all that being said... man, this Superman comic has sucked hard since he took over.
Let’s just start at the story: 
It’s felt like Bendis has been really looking forward to getting started on his upcoming run with the new “Legion of Superheros,” which is something to potentially get excited about for the near future. What’s not exciting at all is the realization that this whole Rogol Zar arc has been a poorly thought out lead-in to the Legion’s return. SPOILER WARNING FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO READ THIS GARBAGE FIRE: the Legion show up at the end of the issue to invite Jon to join, as a commemoration of the day the United Planets was formed. This is fine, and could be an exciting new direction for Jon that harkens back to the classic comics. BUT did we really have to suffer through weeks of nonsensical story just to get this? 
Just to recap this arc: Rogol Zar appears out of nowhere, looking like Lobo, Doomsday and a garbage disposal with a bland imagination all had an orgy and he was the deformed kid that came out of it. This beefed-up piece of blandness comes out of the sky to fuck up Superman cause he heard there were some Kryptonians still alive in the Universe and apparently he’s a space-racist. 
Superman struggles against this remnant from the 90s while the worlds shittiest not-dead Grandpa, Jor El, is off in space traumatizing Jon and stressing him out so much he ages up to a teenager. 
But it’s ok guys! Jor El knows who Rogol Zar is, they have a connection of sorts! And Rogol Zar caused the destruction of Krypton! But now he’s allied with Jax Ur, and also now Zod maybe? And the Thanagarians are involved? So are the Guardians? Wait, now Rogol Zar is also effected by Kryptonite because he’s a Kryptonian? And now he’s just captured like that, but Thanagar’s under attack, oh wait just kidding it’s not? 
Those last 2 plot points literally happened in 3 pages this issue, right after each other. So this story is confusing and non-sensical and ultimately doesn’t mean anything, because the whole point turned out to be that Bendis needed something, some plot device to make it so Superman could say “we can’t have secrets like this tearing apart worlds like Krypton, we need a United Planets.”
None of this crap story is helped by Ivan Reis’ art, which I know some people love, but to me it looks like everything bad with the 90s except with better backgrounds and textures. But even if I didn’t hate his art, his page and panel composition is often confusing, especially during fight sequences, which doesn’t help when the story is confusing to begin with.
After reading this week’s issue, I want nothing more than to die in the garbage fire Bendis has lit and take this whole comic with me. 
The Terrifics #19
Shouts out to DC for finally figuring out how to write a Fantastic 4 comic, maybe they can show Dan Slott how it’s done. But seriously, “The Terrifics” has been the exact kind of science-adventure story that needs to be around in comics, as the landscape needs it’s fare share of science-criminals and heroes to balance things out.
First thing to note for this week, the art is great. Max Raynor (first time I’ve seen their work) has a great kind of cartoony playfulness to his characters and line-work, while at the same time keeping the models tight and well detailed. 
I’m glad that the writers of the story realized that the Terrifics function best when they’re dealing with light-hearted cross-dimensional adventures, and this new one seems like it’ll be great from the start. In keeping with the “Year of the Villain,” Lex Luthor has made an offer to Bizarro (the one for the HTREA, not the one from the Outlaws), giving him a time-machine device to reek some havoc with. 
I don’t want to spoil the issue too much, as if you haven’t read the Terrifics you really should give it a go, but let’s just say that it involves Bizarro at one point destroying Algebra, and a Bizarro Terrifics team known as “The Terribles” breaking through to the main DC dimension to challenge their Terrific rivals.
If you’re looking for something fun, cheesy, but heartwarming and action packed, definitely give the Terrifics a try.
The Flash #77
Look, I’m still not digging this whole “Force War,” or “War of the Forces,” or whatever the Flash team is trying to build up with these new force users. It felt like the DC Creative team was trying to retcon Flash to be more mythical with “Flash: Year One,” pitting the Flash against the Turtle and creating this whole mythology around the Forces of the Universe to make it seem like this clash was inevitable. 
But what this has done for me is just make the Flash feel smaller and less special. These forces and the grander narrative behind them have just diminished the Speed force, which was still shrouded in some mystery after all these years in the DC Universe, to just one force, just A force. 
There are two silver linings from this week’s issue, one more bittersweet than the other. First off, the art has gotten ten times better than it’s been in weeks. Rafa Sandoval’s pencils are crisp and clean, and though his action feels static sometimes, he’s miles better than what we’ve been seeing for a few months now.
Second, though this Force War already feels like a dud, a cool concept was introduced in a throwaway line. Flash fans, feel free to crucify me, but with the Black Flash’s appearance this week, Commander Cold talked about how he was acting like an anti-body for the Speed Force in trying to eliminate these new force users. If that’s true, it makes the Speed Force almost like a living creature that feel’s like it is under attack. But this also makes me think that, wouldn’t it have been cooler if you had the same motivation for the appearance of the Black Flash, but instead of the Force users, it was Speedsters it was targeting? 
What if all of the new Speedsters were putting a strain on the Speed Force, hurting it in some way that awoke the Black Flash? It’d still give Barry a reason to reconcile with Wallace and Avery, but would also replace this Force War with a Speed War? Spitballing here, but that sounds cooler to me.
Ice Cream Man #14
And now we break up the superheroes for something a little more horrific. For anyone who doesn’t know what “Ice Cream Man” is, the best way I can categorize it is a horror anthology series. 
The story, setting and characters change from week-to-week, except for one presence: the Ice Cream Man. Even when he’s not in whatever nightmare is being doled out that week, his fingers can be felt all over the story, and they dig into the fears you try to hide and pry them open.
The theme of this week’s story was communication, and maaaaaaaaan does this comic have a way of making you feel depressed and scared all at the same time. 
The two main characters are a husband and wife, the former who is deeply dissatisfied and finds escape in crosswords, the latter who is so starved for communication and intimacy that she makes problems out of nothing just to have something to talk with her husband about. 
I don’t want to spoil too much, as I think everyone should be reading this book, but things take a turn for the hellish when the husband goes out to buy more crosswords and finds himself trapped in one, while his wife finds out that her delusions may have been true, and worse than she thought. 
For long-time readers, the biggest thing from to take away from this issue is that perhaps the Ice Cream Man’s influence is spilling out into the world more and more, and things will only get worse from here. 
Spider-Man: Life Story #6
For any fans of Spider-Man, go out and buy this book. Doesn’t matter if you’re a new fan or a hardcore fan, this is a story for anyone who has any love for Spider-Man in any shape. This story isn’t perfect all the way through, but man is it an incredible ride.
For anyone who hasn’t heard of this comic, writer Chip Zdarsky took the gargantuan task of creating one long-form story out of the entire continuity of Spider-Man, from the 1962 till 2019, and showing how this life that we’ve seen Spider-Man live would actually play out in real-time. 
This comic took some of the best and worst arcs, from “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” the birth of Venom and “The Superior Spider-Man,” to “The Clone Saga” and the Inheritors (god those pseudo vampires were dumb), and not only makes them work within this different world that Zdarsky has made, but makes them work as a part of the larger narrative. 
While it’s not perfect all the way through, seeing the characters we know and love, especially Peter and MJ, live their lives with wrinkles and all feels like something special, and I encourage anyone who is curious to go out and cop this 6 issue series and join the ride.
Runaways #24
For all manga fans out there, I’m a huge fan of the “slice-of-life” genre. For any non-manga fans, slice-of-life stories are ones that celebrate the everyday little moments that make up most of our lives. Riding bikes with friends, going to the movies, starting a new hobby, or even just going to the store and deciding what to get for dinner, these are all the kind of topics that a slice-of-life narrative covers. With her run on “Runaways,” Rainbow Rowell has essentially made a superhero slice-of-life comic, and I’m really liking every moment of it. 
This week’s issue focuses almost entirely on Karolina and Nico spending a night out “superheroing.” Except it becomes apparent pretty early on that neither really knows what they’re doing, and whatever little problems they run into (fender bender on the 405, potentially lost children, etc.) are better left to themselves, as they either wouldn’t be able to help or would actually get in the way. It’s weird to say that watching superheroes be ineffective is really entertaining, but that’s exactly what I’m saying, and I think that is in large part to the good character writing that Rowell has done on her run, and the warm art of this series that helps you feel safe and cozy.
My favorite part of the issue is when Karolina and Nico stop for a bite to eat, and Karolina feels like she has to apologize for wasting Nico’s time. Nico just laughs it off and tells her that she was just looking to spend time with her partner, so in her eyes tonight’s mission was a success. It’s cute, it fits with the characters and how we’ve seen them grow over the run, and I like it a lot. 
That’s not to say there isn’t any action in this issue. By the time the story is done there’s a super-powered dance fight and a mysterious new superhero debuting on the scene. I’m excited to see where both of those threads go heading into the next issue.
Justice League Dark #14
Since the Rebirth of this team this has been one of the comics that I look forward to the most each new issue, and this is quickly becoming one of my favorite iterations of the team. While Batman’s gothic-detective aesthetic fit well with the team, he always felt too based in technology and the modern world to really embrace magic. On the other hand, Wonder Woman is a walking myth, a demi-god on earth, someone who is made of magic. Her role as the leader of this team alongside heavy hitters like Zatanna and Swamp Thing, along with smaller characters like Detective Chimp and Man-Bat, has felt natural and authentic.
Another great part of having Diana on the team rather than Batman is that her personality stands out. Whereas Batman and most of the magical characters in DC are generally tragic, Wonder Woman is a symbol of hope and optimism, someone who fights to see the best in people and bring that best version out of them. This works especially well with her band of misfits, who despite having much more experience than Wonder Woman in the world of magic, have far less experience in being part of a team, let alone in being “superheroes” in the traditional sense of the word. 
As for this issue, it’s a set-up chapter that ticks all the right boxes. We’ve essentially got the “Dark” Justice League Dark coming together, led by a newly powered up Circe, who are raring up to wage a Witching War against their good counterparts. While their final players are coming into the fold, the villains have already managed to plant a couple of seeds of doubt into the team which will certainly bloom into dissension. Can’t wait to see where this goes next.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11
Tom Taylor gets Spider-Man. 
It’s a simple statement, but as we’ve seen over all of the years with Spidey, not a whole lot of writers have really understood what makes Spider-Man so spectacular, amazing, superior, etc. It’s a testament to how well Tom Taylor is writing Spider-Man in this series that he’s telling small scale stories without a whole lot of action, death-defying adventure or real conflict, and yet this is some of the best Spider-Man I’ve read in years. 
The opening pages set the tone for the story right away, with one of the simpler but most honest statements I’ve seen in a Spider-Man book:
“See, Captain America is Captain America. Thor is Thor. But Spider-Man...
Spider-Man is Peter Parker...
And Peter Parker is my responsibility.”
That’s the thesis statement for this story, detailing a day in the life of Mary-Jane Watson, the often under appreciated girlfriend of our titular web-head. 
The story from then on is pretty much in her hands, with occasional monologuing from a sleeping Peter, as Mary-Jane goes about what we can only assume is a pretty typical day in the life of the girlfriend of one of NYC’s premier heroes.
Small scale stories are essential in superhero comics in order to break up long events and arcs. They’re breathing room, time for the readers to catch their breath and assess the new status quo before things get wild again. But they’re also often the stories which show us the foundations of who these heroes really are. It’s been said that power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals, and when characters with as much power as Spider-Man aren’t up against the wall and forced to make a decision, the decisions they do make show us that much more about the person beneath the mask. 
Tom Taylor has managed to show us just who Spider-Man and the people in his life really are underneath their masks by lowering the stakes. The stories are small and simple, the consequences often equally so, but what’s been created is true to the characters more than almost any stories I’ve seen before, and it’s lovely. This is one of the best books being written right now, and if you’re not reading it yet, you need to go out and fix that right now.
Detective Comics #1010
It feels like there isn’t much to say about this week’s issue. We’ve still got the stranded billionares on the island, who are now clearly being held hostage by Deadshot. Meanwhile Bruce is rescued and patched up by two WWII fighter pilots who have been stranded on this island since the war, neither knowing which side won.
I’m a big fan of Deadshot when he leans into his nihilistic killer persona, and this “The Most Dangerous Game” setup with a tech-deprived Bruce and Deadshot duking it out on an island seems interesting. Tomasi has been generally pretty good with his run on Detective Comics, so I’m excited to see how long he runs with this arc of Bruce and Deadshot trying to outsmart each other in this deadly game of cat and mouse.
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