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fyonahmacnally · 9 months

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Carterhaugh-Wood Academy (Fae AU)

READ THE FULL STORY ON AO3 HERE.

BIG thanks to BigMammaLlama5 for her artwork! (@bigmammallama5)

Special thanks to @lovesastateofmind1 for being the best beta on the planet, but even more so for being a phenomenal friend and beautiful soul.

Shoutout to @chaotic-super for being supportive, encouraging, and hugely distracting. :)

Chapter 1 - The Candidates

January, 2019 - Somewhere near the border of Scotland; Carterhaugh-Wood Academy & Training Center, administration conference room.

A pile of thick folders lay stacked in the center of the conference room table as J’onn Jones and Catherine “Cat” Grant, co-headmasters of Carterhaugh-Wood Academy & Training Center file into the room to discuss applications and recruitment of new trainees. In both of their long lifetimes, neither have come across such an elite selection of candidates. Most of them still have two more years left at their respective colleges before they can even set foot on the grounds of the academy, but J’onn and Cat both know they need to be proactive and keep an eye on this bunch.

“How do you want to tackle this, J’onn?” Cat asks as she perches her glasses on the end of her delicate nose, scans the room for coffee, flicks through the folders neatly stacked on the table, and takes a seat. “Looks like we have about twenty files to get through before we can narrow it down to start the official recruitment and acceptance process. Do you know how many are applicants versus strictly recruitments?”

J’onn casually walks around the table curiously taking in the petite faery while sampling her thoughts with his telepathic powers, watching as she takes her seat at the imposing mahogany table. Both are powerful faeries with telepathic abilities and have been headmasters at the academy for centuries. They’ve seen some of the most elite minds in fae history pass through these walls and spend every January sorting through the latest applications and desired recruitments.

“Well, not sure really. I haven’t had a chance to flip through them yet. I say we start with the applicants first. It’ll be easier to narrow those down, then focus on the recruitments since those will take longer. Recruitments usually take more…convincing.” J’onn smirks as he reaches across the table and grabs the stack of folders, handing Cat half.

J’onn opens the first file in his stack. “The first applicant is Nia Nal. Areas of focus include psychology, cultural history, and paranormal science. Loki fae with powers of astral projection, illusion casting, and several other interesting things that could be very useful. I believe her mother was a professor of paranormal science and psychology here many years ago. Looks like she is currently attending National City University and is expected to graduate in Fall of 2021. Her skill set would definitely be useful. Let’s keep an eye on her. It’s a yes for me. What do you think?”

Cat grabs the file, flips through the transcripts with an impassive look on her face. “Mmm. Yes, I think she is worth keeping an eye on. Moving on. Applicant Lucy Lane. Areas of focus are legal, forensic, and investigative studies, elite research skills, and combat strategy. She is a pixie with teleportation, earth manipulation, magical misdirection, and…oh, nice - I like her other abilities, too.” She pauses to remove her glasses and places the arm on the edge of her bottom lip. “I believe her father was kicked out of here when he attended. If I remember correctly, he was a condescending asshole. Her skills are impressive, as is her transcript, but if she has her father’s ideals or attitude, I’m not sure she’d be a good fit. However, I’d like to keep an eye on her. She is scheduled to graduate Fall of 2021 as well. You agree?”

“I know her brother-in-law, Clark. He’s a bit of a know-it-all, but a good guy. Her sister, Lois, is a spitfire and nothing like their father so I am willing to bet Lucy is more like her. I think Lois mostly raised Lucy anyway. She could be a good asset.” J’onn pauses to look Cat in the eye and grabs his next file. “Next up, James Olsen. Hmmm, nope. His grades are terrible and he’s already been kicked out of one program for disruptive behavior and fighting. He sounds like a liability that we do not need. What’s your next one?”

Cat picks the next file from the stack, rolls her eyes, and scoffs at the folder in her hand as she flips through it. “Next applicant is Michael Matthews. Areas of focus are bartending, socializing, and…debt collection? Seriously? Like hired muscle?" She scoffs, again. "No real life experience. Still lives in his parents’ basement playing with himself because no one else will. He may as well have listed his preferred pronouns as frat boy dude-bro." She says haughtily, wrinkling her nose before tossing the file in the no pile. "Next up, Jack Spheer. Areas of focus are computer, investigative, and forensic sciences. He’s, oh, haven’t been around his type in quite a while. An Incubus with powers of manipulation, aura reading, accelerated healing, and mmmhmm, yeah, yes he’s quite interesting. His transcripts are all top level and he is scheduled to graduate Summer of 2021. He’s definitely a good fit. What do you think?”

“Agreed. We can add him to the stack to keep an eye on. What do you have next?” J’onn glances at his next folder with a shake of his head, slowly removes several from his stack, and pushes them aside. “Some of these are just…I have no words, Cat. I suppose they get points for the courage to apply?”

Cat glances over at the gentle faery, sighs, and grimaces at her stack as well, removing a few more. “Here we have applicant Imra Ardeen. Areas of focus are psychological and legal studies, combat strategy, and elite research skills. She is a nymph with powers of photosynthesis, scent/pollen air manipulation abilities, and regeneration of nonlethal injuries. Excellent transcripts and letters of recommendation. She is a yes to watch for me, graduates in summer of ‘21 and seems like a brilliant addition to bring aboard. Next applicant is…” She pauses to flip through several pages of the file. “Eve Teschmacher. Meh, she is just average. Her transcripts are good, but I have seen better applicants already so I think she’s a pass for me. And another one, applicant Dey, um, William. Also rather mediocre and his smile is…unnerving." She says, eyes scanning over the attached photo before thumbing through the rest of the stack. "And these three aren't very impressive either. Add these to yours and let's move on to recruitment. Perhaps there's something promising there."

Cat sets the files aside and pulls her glasses off to rub the bridge of her nose. These meetings always give her a monster headache. It baffles her how some of these folks even have the cajones to fill out an application, much less send it. She has to give them points for gall. She is pinching her nose when J’onn breaks into her thoughts.

Feeling her discomfort, J’onn gently prods her. “You want to take a break before we dive into the last few files?”

Cat sighs, “No. No. Let’s get through these so we have a better idea of what we are looking at for the next two years. If these recruits are anything like what they’ve been hyped up to be, we'll need to act quickly. The offers will be rolling in and I will not be one-upped by that pompous, egotistical man-child running Heatherwood Institute again."

“Alright, well, let’s dive in. First up, Querl “Brainy” Dox. Specialties include…” J’onn flips through the file for a quick look at the transcripts. “Mathematics, advanced tech, probability, and statistics. Wow. This person has genius level intellect. I can see why that moniker would stick. No wonder they go by the moniker of ‘Brainy', it fits.”

Cat grabs the file from J’onn and parses through it herself as she taps her dainty fingers along the pages. “They’re Loki, too. That could prove quite useful. They’re able to shapeshift and it also says here that they have mastered molecular rearrangement. Fascinating.”

J’onn chuckles as he stands from the table to stretch and walk over to the refreshment bar at the back of the room. “They do seem to be a good fit for this recruitment class. Would you like some tea, Cat? I need something to get through the rest of this stack. I’m starting to get a headache from staring at all these files.”

A deep, dramatic sigh escapes Cat’s mouth as she drops her glasses onto the dark wood in front of her. Rubbing her temples, she leans back in her chair. “Yes. Please, J’onn. Fortunately, we only have…” She pauses to count. “Five more files to sift through. From the looks of it, these are the best of the best of the recruits.”

J’onn sits a steaming mug of tea in front of the feisty woman and heads back to his chair with his own cup. A mischievous grin crawls across his face as he chuckles. “Then let’s get on with it. I have professors to visit and trainees to torment.”

“So, this Querl is definitely a yes for me. They are set to graduate in Fall of ‘21. Seems like most of these, no, all of these applicants and recruits are two years out from starting. That could be good and bad for us.” She shuffles Querl’s file to the ‘yes’ pile, picks up another one with a dramatic flick of her wrist, and tosses one to J’onn.

“Winslow Schott, Junior, also known as Winn.” Cat rolls her eyes and sips her tea before continuing. “Set to graduate in Summer of 2021 with specialties in computer science and software engineering. Says he has high level coding and hacking experience. Wonder how that was determined? And do I want to know what kind of government watch list Mr. Schott is on?”

J’onn reaches for the file and scans over the paper in front of him. “Hmm, his father was the notorious Pixie that caused the deaths of all those workers at that toy factory several years ago. Looks like he has done everything he can to distance himself from that. His abilities would certainly be useful. Teleportation and hallucination inducement. He’s a yes for me. Thoughts?”

Cat purses her lips and taps her chin as if in deep thought. “Yes. He seems like he would be useful to have around. As long as he doesn't share his father's questionable viewpoints, he'd be a great addition. Next." She drops the folder onto the modest pile of acceptable candidates and looks to J’onn for the next one.

“Samantha Diane Arias. Goes by ‘Sam’. Specialties are economics, business, chemistry, and linguistics. Graduation date of Summer, 2021. Excellent grades and looks like she got her bachelor’s degree in business at the same time she finished high school. Powerful too. Rare elemental nymph with control of all four elements. That would certainly be useful in dimensional crises." He nods to himself, impressed. "There is very little limit to what she can do. This list likely barely scratches the surface, Cat.” J’onn can’t believe what he is looking at. He’s been around a long time and hasn’t seen a fae that can command all four elements in hundreds of years.

Cat shakes her head and rests the arm of her glasses against her bottom lip. A habit she loathes, but can’t seem to break. “Her expertise in chemistry paired with her abilities could prove unparalleled. Definitely add her to the stack.” She agrees. “Now, moving on. God, this gets more tedious every year. Here we have Alexandra Marie Danvers. Goes by ‘Alex’. Specialties include biology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering. Graduation in Fall of 2021.” She pauses to sip her now cold tea with a shuddering grimace. “Looks like she’s a shapeshifter, but, oh, she’s not just any shapeshifter. Unusual, she can shift into both human and animal form. Also has advanced healing abilities. Right. Yes. These are absolutely an asset to us. J’onn, these candidates are quite impressive.”

She closes Alex’s file and places it on top of the other seven that have made it to the ‘yes’ pile, her mind racing with all the possibilities of what these potential trainees could accomplish. She is broken out of her marathon of thoughts by J’onn’s light gasp. She hears him murmur across the table and looks up.

“Kara Zor-El Danvers. Wait...” J’onn scratches his head and his mouth drops open for a moment. He’s heard of this kid. If he remembers correctly, this one is from one of the most powerful, ancient families known to their species, but the last name doesn’t match. He knows that middle name though. Zor-El. As in, one of the original families of their kind. Cat must pick up on his thoughts. She grabs the folder from his hand and flips through it with increasing interest and barely contained excitement.

Cat is very impressed with this Kiera person’s file. Not only is she from one of the most powerful families of their kind, her intellect is quite impressive as well. “We definitely want her here and need to do whatever we can to make it so. According to this, she is a Valkyrie with seer and oracle abilities. J’onn, if this is true, she is one of the most powerful fae alive right now. The ability to cause doubt, confusion, and intimidation while also being able to see the past, present, and future? We need her on our side, in our ranks. Look at this.” She hands the file back to J’onn, mouth open wide in awe.

J’onn sifts through the transcripts and lets out a low whistle. “Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Masters in Physics. Set to graduate with PhD’s in both Biomedical Engineering and Physics by Fall of 2021. Barely 24 years old? I’d say we need to make her our number one priority in this recruitment class. I don’t see how there will be anyone else that could compare.”

Across the table Cat lets out an inelegant snort-laugh, then clears her throat. “Hold that thought, Mr. Jones. Lena Kieran Luthor. Yes, from that family." She pauses for dramatic effect. "Bachelors in Business - achieved before she graduated high school, might I add. Masters in Computer Science. Set to graduate with PhD’s in both Biomedical Engineering and Physics by Summer of 2021. And she’s 22." Cat lifts her pristinely sculpted brow at the dark-skinned man across from her.

J’onn raises a dark brow in return and slides the file across the table, pulling it into his eyeline. “I guess the rumors were true. This is the most elite class we’ve had in centuries. Miss Luthor is a Succubus. And a powerful one at that. Powers of seduction and manipulation, of course, but aura reading and enhanced strength are not typical. She’s on par with the power of the Kara Danvers kid we just saw. Could you imagine what the two of them could do together?” The possibilities are endless, he thinks. “Cat, I think we’ve found our top two recruits.”

January, 2020 - Somewhere near the border of Scotland; Carterhaugh-Wood Academy & Training Center, administration conference room.

There’s a quiet rustling in the crowded conference room as Cat takes her place at the head of the deep mahogany table. J’onn quietly sits to her right observing the other women in the room. The rest of the room falls into silence giving the tiny, yet fiery woman at the helm the respect she commands. She glances around the table at the collection of six women with a knowing smirk on her lips. Each of the formidable professors were hand-picked by her for this precise reason and it makes her almost giddy to see it coming to fruition. Every one of them attended this academy and learned with and from J'onn and herself throughout several years, then each were offered a lucrative contract to step into their current roles. Dual roles, really. Professors and trainers, first and foremost, but also seats on the committee about to commence at this very table. The decision and preparation committee for the most impressive and elite class of candidates to cross the threshold of this building in a very, very long time. Cat nods her head and makes eye contact with each of them as she prepares to begin.

“Well, now that we are all here and settled, let’s get started, shall we?” She smiles as she pours water into the glass in front of her, sips it and lifts a perfect brow. “I see that some of you have been poking around in the files in front of you. Good. Each of you has a copy of the files on our next class of students. These ten candidates are set to comprise the most impressive class I have seen in decades, likely longer. Two in particular, are the most powerful of our species to set foot through these doors, ever. We have roughly two years before we start to prepare for them. One year before their acceptance and recruitment letters go out. That means, you have very little time to create a curriculum to teach, guide, and mold them.”

She glances sideways at J’onn and tilts her head. “Do you have anything to add, Mr. Jones?”

J’onn folds his hands across his stack of files before looking at each of the professors individually. “I do, Cat. Each of you will have a responsibility to teach and guide these candidates to be even better than they already are. They will need to hone their skills, fortify their knowledge, and make us all proud of who they become. They are the future of our kind and you have a highly coveted role in creating it. Don’t waste it.”

Cat nods and grabs her glasses to place on the bridge of her nose before digging into the process. “Each of the files have been separated into sets of two. These sets are how they will be roomed together. If any of them do not accept our invitation, we will address that on an as needed basis. One, and sometimes two, of you will be assigned as advisors to each pair. That is what we will be addressing now so you are better prepared to develop the required curriculum. Any questions so far?”

A dark-haired, olive-skinned woman raises her hand and brings all eyes to her. “Ms. Grant, Jessica Huang, or Jess, in case you don’t recall. Will we be teaching all of them or just the ones we are assigned to? Should we all work together to develop the curriculum? I guess I am unclear as to what exactly you need from us.”

“Yes, Ms. Huang, I indeed remember who you are. Excellent question. You will all need to work together on the curriculum. However, each of you will have your usual specialties and will be the primary advisor to the pair that are within that specialty. There will be some overlap, but please, work together to make it smooth and compatible as a whole. Anything else?”

“Leslie Willis. Ms. Grant. Mr. Jones. Is this going to be an accelerated program or the standard two years? That makes a difference in how we design it too.” A white-haired woman with a raspy voice asked. “When we came through the academy, it varied, but all of us had the full two years to get through it.”

This time, J’onn spoke up. “Ideally, Ms. Willis, we would like to keep it at two years with everything that needs to be covered, however, I think if you want to try to get it all in within eighteen months, give it a try. Nothing less than that though. I don’t want to rush through this. Not with the level of these incoming candidates.”

Cat lets the information settle in for a moment as she taps her glasses on the files in front of her before continuing. “Okay. Now let’s get into who is doing what and advising whom.”

“To start, let’s direct our attention to the screen to my right.” Cat stands and walks toward the projection screen on the far wall. “Beside each of your names is the candidate or candidates you will be advising. Again, there are overlapping areas of study so I will encourage you to swap information and help each other. This is a team and we will be wise to work together.”

She pauses for effect and continues her pacing in front of the group. “Meegan Morris. You will be advising Winslow Schott and Jack Spheer. Their areas of study are your areas of expertise so I expect it will go well. You will likely also be assisting Andrea Rojas with Querl Dox’s advisement since there is some overlap.” The short blue-eyed woman locks eyes with Andrea and receives a nod.

“Next up, Lena Luthor and Kara Danvers, our top two candidates. They will be with you, Ms. Prince as they are both within your wheelhouse. However, you will likely have some overlap with Ms. Huang in advising both Alex Danvers and Samantha Arias." Diana nods in agreement. "That brings us to Lucy Lane and Imra Ardeen. They will be with you, Ms. Willis. You and Gayle will have some overlap as well. And Gayle, you will be advising Nia Nal. She has very unique capabilities, Ms. Marsh. Take heed.”

J’onn clears his throat and stands as Cat takes her seat again. “All of you were chosen specifically for this task and this committee. We expect a great deal from you and know you can rise to the occasion. Having said that, please know that we are here to assist you should the need arise. If you need help with anything along the way, no matter what it is, make sure you reach out. Is that understood?”

His dark brown eyes scan the room as his powers scan their thoughts to make sure he is indeed being understood. “Good. Now, I would suggest all of you stay and start working on some ideas. In the grand scheme of things, you really only have 18 months to prepare for their arrival. Cat and I will let you know if any of them decline our invitation. If you don’t have any further questions, the meeting is adjourned.”

With the continued silence in the room, both Cat and J’onn gather their files and head back to their own offices. Both lost in thought and wondering what the next few years will bring. She does have a few concerns about what she knows are a few dark secrets lurking in the halls of this place and the two potential top candidates they're recruiting, but she can’t deny that she is more excited than she has been in centuries. Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor could change the fae world as they know it. She just hopes some things remain secret.

January, 2021 - Apartment of Lena Luthor and Samantha Arias just off the MIT Campus; Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Sam barrels through the door of the apartment she shares with her best friend, hands full of coffee and the mail she just collected on her way back from class. “Luthor! Lena!!” She yells. “Where the hell are you?”

“Jesus, Sam! What the fuck?!” Lena peeks her head around the doorframe of the office they share, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. “Is the building on fire? Is something chasing you? Why the hell are you screaming?”

Sam just chuckles as she drops everything on the island in the spacious three bedroom apartment they’ve lived in together since graduating high school. She sighs. She knows they will both be sad to leave it behind after graduation at the end of the summer. Neither have any idea what they want to do yet, but plan to take the rest of the year, September through December to travel and figure it out. They deserve a break, after all. As she drops everything on the island, she sees two letters mixed into the pile. One addressed to each of them from none other than the Carterhaugh-Wood Academy. Shaking her head she stares at the envelopes in curiosity.

“Hey, don’t get your underwear in a twist, princess! I was just excited to see you and wanted to know if you wanted to go out tonight. But first, look at this.” She glides over to the dark-haired woman still stationed in the doorway. “We both got something from Carterhaugh-Wood. Did you actually apply without telling your best friend?" Sam pouts.

Lena grabs the letter and stares at it with a very puzzled look on her face. “Of course not, Sam. I would have told you if I had. You know that." She says gently. "To be honest, it hadn’t occurred to me to apply. It isn’t a terrible idea. They have some archives and research I would love to get my hands on. I just hadn’t thought of it. What do you think it’s for? I mean, what could they want?”

Sam shrugs and grabs the letter opener off her desk to pry hers open, gently passing the piece of metal off to her best friend as she pulls the letter free. Her face scrunches and her lips purse as hazelnut eyes scan the words in front of her. “Wow. This is interesting. I never thought about applying either, but it looks like they want to recruit us anyway. According to this, they want me to start with the next class in January, 2022. If I accept…room, board, all texts and supplies will be covered. Plus, I will get a monthly stipend on top of it. Holy shit, Lena!" She exclaims, slapping at the ravenette’s arm. "They’re offering to give me $4,000 a month on top of covering all the usual living expenses.” Her eyes are wide as she glances up at her roommate. “What does yours say?”

Lena pulls her letter from the envelope and scans over it. She shakes her head and raises her emerald eyes to look at her friend. “More or less the same as yours. The last part says that upon completion of the two year academy, we are basically guaranteed a job within the realm of the fae or an undercover human role. Sam, this could be exactly what we have been looking for. Can you imagine the type of research we could do and how much good we could do in the world?! The type of technology that this academy has access to is unmatched! Why haven't we considered this before?!”

The brunette laughs at her raven-haired friend and shakes her head. The excitement etched across her porcelain features is one of the cutest things she’s seen from her in a long time. It’s almost child-like. Something she hasn’t witnessed on Lena’s face since they first met in boarding school all those years ago when Lena was only thirteen. God, that seems like eons ago. Here they are, both about to graduate with dual PhD’s from MIT. Warmth spreads in her chest and she suddenly has a lot of hope for their future.

January, 2021 - Apartment of Alex and Kara Danvers just off the CalTech Campus; Pasadena, California.

Kara lets out a dramatic sigh as she unlocks the apartment door after a dreadfully long day on campus. The workload is heavy enough with two PhD programs at the same time, but she just had to volunteer to tutor some of the undergrad students, too. To say she is relieved to be home is a gross understatement. She barely gets her shoes off and bag dropped by the couch before she hears Alex’s key in the door. She pulls the door back open and has to stifle her laugh when her sister almost faceplants on the floor.

“Seriously, Kara! I could have broken my nose! What’s wrong with you?!” The redhead scowls. “See if I bring you takeout again. Asshole.”

Kara lets out a breathy laugh as she takes the bag from her sister and closes the door. “I was just trying to help! Calm down. Why are you always so, bristly, Alex? Gosh.”

Alex just glares at her as they both walk toward the couch and drop down onto it with a sigh of relief. “I cannot wait until the end of the year to be done with this and figure out what we’re going to do next. Speaking of, have you thought about it?”

The blonde glances at her sister and shakes her head. “A little, I guess. I talked to Eliza about working for her company, but I also kind of want to travel a bit or find something outside of what we’ve always known. Ya know?”

“Yeah. I get it. Me too. My friend Vasquez works for this agency that does a lot of research for various biotech companies. I may reach out to her and see what she thinks about me applying there. Not sure yet though. Oh, I grabbed the mail on the way in.” Alex reaches out to grab the mail as Kara starts dishing up the takeout.

She hears Alex grumble something and turns to see what she is griping about, popping a potsticker into her mouth. Realizing her mistake, she pauses to chew and swallow before asking. “What are you mumbling about, Alex?”

As she looks up and makes eye contact with her sister, an envelope gets shoved into her greasy hands. “What the heck, Alex?! My hands are greasy, you jerk.” She sits the envelope down to wipe her hands when she realizes who the letter is from. Her eyes bolt back up to Alex’s.

“Yeah. That’s what I was grumbling about. What do you think they want? I know we talked about applying there a couple years ago, but I never did it. Did you?” She asks the blonde with a concerned lilt in her voice.

“Alex, come on. You know if I did, I would tell you beforehand. Do you think they’re recruiting us? They recruited Clark when he was still in college. Maybe that’s what this is?” She could feel the dreaded crinkle on her forehead broadcasting her anxiety, but couldn’t do anything to stop it. “I mean, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. They have some of the biggest, most accurate archives known to the free world. Plus, can you imagine the technology and research we would have access to! Alex, we could do tons of cool things!”

Alex laughs and runs her finger underneath the lip of her envelope as Kara does the same. Both women scan over the words as their eyes collectively get wider with each passing second. The redhead lets out a soft gasp and looks back at her sister. “Kara, this is something we almost can’t refuse. Do you see this? We could actually make money while we are there! They want to give us a monthly stipend on top of everything!”

The blonde is blankly looking at the letter in front of her. She knows her mouth is likely gaping open without her permission, but she can’t help it. “Alex. I think we know what we're gonna be doing after graduation. Guess we better start getting our response ready. Holy wow! We’re going to Carterhaugh-Wood!!”

July, 2021 - Somewhere near the border of Scotland; Carterhaugh-Wood Academy & Training Center, administration conference room.

The clicking of heels and the sound of muffled voices fill the hallway outside the conference room as Cat glides confidently through the door. It’s more or less six months away from the beginning of the next round of training and the deadline for all candidates to give their responses has just passed. The committee is just beyond the doors in front of her and, thankfully, all of their coveted recruits and candidates have responded in agreement to attend. Now she has to make sure the curriculum is set and the texts, supplies, and whatever else is needed, have been taken care of. Nothing can stand in the way of these candidates’ success.

That reminds her, she needs to check in with J’onn after the meeting, making sure certain things are buried very deeply in the archives to prevent their discovery. She doesn’t necessarily want to keep the information hidden, just really hard to find. It seems more honest that way, but she knows it would be best if it remains where it is until this class graduates. Maybe even longer. She sighs. Cat is a lot of things, but deceit isn't a tactic she has employed in a long time. Her integrity is quite crucial for her role at the institution. However, she doesn’t think anything good will come from these secrets being discovered. She sighs again, straightens her spine, and opens the door with her usual haughtiness.

“Good morning, everyone. Let’s get started. We all have important things to do and places to be.” She glances around and takes her seat. “J’onn, can you stay afterward for a few minutes or meet me back in my office to discuss a few things?”

Dark brown eyes lock onto hers. She can feel him pressing into her thoughts and allows it. He raises a brow and tilts his head to the side as he sifts through her mind. “Of course. I have to teach a class at one, but we can meet after. Your office at 2:30 this afternoon?”

She nods her head and turns her attention to the rest of the group seated around her. “Today is a good day. All of our candidates have agreed to start in January. Each of you has a copy of the acceptance letters. Please read over them and put them in the files you already have on each new trainee. Now is the time to let me know if there are any issues with the curriculum or related materials. We have just under six months before everyone will be at orientation. So, let’s get started, shall we?”

Cat looks up when she hears a soft knock on her office door. J’onn is standing there with his signature stern smile. She nods her head for permission to enter as he does so and closes the door behind him. The tiny woman leans back in her chair and taps the arm of her glasses on her bottom teeth.

She signals for J’onn to take a seat in the chair opposite her and places her glasses back on her nose. “I think you know what I asked you here to talk about, right?

Dark eyes connect with blue ones across the expanse of the desk between them.

“I do.” He nods and allows the silence to settle before speaking again. “Four of our new trainees have connections in their pasts that we have to be careful about. Given the skills and levels of intelligence they have, it will not be an easy task. We can bury them a little deeper in the archives and put an encrypted key on them. However, it will be a matter of time before they get to it. You and I both know they will, eventually.”

Cat knows he’s right. The best they can do is bury the information in an obscure place with encrypted protection and hope they are deterred long enough to at least get through the program first. “You’re right. We can only hope they are busy enough with the program and don’t have the time to focus on it. Let’s just hope they don’t get too curious. If they start pulling at the threads and team up, we’re screwed.”

J’onn can’t help the laugh that escapes him as he listens to Cat finish her thoughts. Not because it is even remotely funny, but because the truth in that statement scares the absolute fuck out of him. “Yes, let’s hope.”

September, 2021 - Somewhere in the Greek Isles on the beach.

Lena glances over the top of the book she is reading at her best friend lying next to her on the beach lounger. She can’t believe they are both doctors now. They’re finished with school, soaking in the sunny leisure of the Greek Isles, and set to start Carterhaugh-Wood in January. If someone had asked her younger self, she wouldn’t have believed this was possible. Yet, here she is. Happy. Relaxed. Ready to begin the next chapter of her life. Getting her freedom from her evil brother and mother…no, not mother. She had a real mother. Lillian is a monster. Lex, well, he is just an extension of what Lillian is, but possibly worse if she thinks about it. He’s a lot more charming than Lillian. He’s more of a wolf in sheep's clothing.

She shakes her head. How the hell did she go from thinking about how happy and relaxed she was to those two? They certainly don’t deserve her thoughts. Not after the way they treated her. She’s suddenly drawn out of her thoughts when something pelts her in the forehead.

“Oww. What the fuck, Sam?!” She rubs her skin and glares at her best friend. “Why are you throwing shit at me?! What are you, twelve?”

Sam just laughs. “Sorry, sorry. You were just staring at me and then I could tell you got lost in a thought spiral. So, I fixed it!”

She laughs even harder as Lena starts picking up random things and tossing them at her. It shouldn’t, but when she gets her best friend to act like this, it makes her seriously giddy. When they first met, Lena was the most serious and quiet thirteen year-old she had ever met. The teen was more mature than even she was at sixteen. While that isn’t saying much because well, she was sixteen, Lena acted more like an old lady than some of their teachers. So yeah, seeing her act her age right now is a source of tremendous joy.

“Hey, for real, what had you so stuck in your head, Kieran? I haven’t seen you like that in a while. Care to share?” She watched her friend closely. This could go one of two ways - deflection or sincerity. She wasn’t sure which would win out.

The green-eyed woman paused and dropped her eyes to her lap for a moment before subtly nodding her head. She locked her eyes onto Sam’s and shifted her body toward her before she spoke. “At first, I was thinking about how happy and relaxed I felt. But then Lex and Lillian crashed the party again." She says self-deprecatingly. "Getting my freedom from them truly couldn't come at a better time. I hate that I lost my father, but at least he made sure I wouldn't be dependent on them anymore."

The brunette reaches out and gently squeezes Lena’s hand. “I’m glad too, Lena. You didn’t deserve to be subjected to them and I hate that you had to live in that hellscape for so many years. I’m just glad we met and got to room together. You had me to corrupt you! What more could you ask for?”

They both laughed and let the silence and the warm breeze wrap them in an embrace that carried the somber thoughts away. They didn’t have much more time to enjoy themselves and wanted to soak up every bit of their freedom before entering the doors at Carterhaugh-Wood. They both somehow knew their lives were about to change forever.

Mid-December, 2021 - The Danvers home; Midvale, California.

Alex pulls into the long drive and takes a deep breath as she shuts off the moving truck. She and Kara didn’t have much time to get their whole apartment packed up and make the trip from Pasadena to Midvale. It isn’t a terrible drive between the two cities, but doing it in a moving truck makes it take longer and definitely makes it infinitely more stressful than either of them would have liked. Not only is the truck big and clunky, they also have their shared car attached to the back of it. To say that she is glad to finally be in their childhood driveway is an understatement. They now only have approximately five weeks to figure out what they are taking with them to Carterhaugh-Wood and what they need to store at the house in front of them. As much as the two of them want to travel a little before starting their training, they know it isn’t feasible.

“Hey, wake up, Kara. We’re here. Kara!” The redhead pokes her sister in the forehead and shakes her shoulder. ”Wake up! We have to say hi to mom and unload the truck.”

The blonde finally opens her eyes and blink owlishly at her surroundings before stretching. A giant yawn cracks her jaw before she is awake enough to speak. “Ugh. Unloading the truck sounds like a terrible idea, Alex. Why can’t we do it tomorrow?” She whines as they both get out of the truck.

Alex rolls her eyes, even though she knows her sister can’t see it, it’s the principle of it. “Kara, you know we have to have the truck turned in by ten in the morning. Do you want to get up early enough to unload everything and have the truck back by ten? Because I have known you most of your life and I know you are not a morning person. So, if you are okay with getting up at the ass-crack of dawn and unloading it, go for it.”

Alex makes her way around the back of the truck to unlatch the car and park it next to her mom’s car. The sooner she gets moving on this, the better. She really just wants to eat her mom’s famous lasagna, shower, and go to bed, but knows she has to prioritize. Now if she can just get her sister in gear. She peeks her head around the passenger side to see that the blonde is finally making her way to the back of the truck with their mother in tow.

“Hey, mom!” Alex says as she jogs up to give Eliza a hug. “I forgot how much of a pain in the ass driving a moving truck is.”

Eliza chuckles and gives her daughters each a kiss on the cheek. “Language, Alexandra. I am glad you made it safely. Was the drive okay?”

Kara chimes in as Alex unlocks the roll-up door on the truck. “It wasn’t horrible. Just long. It’s not so bad when we are in the car, but that truck is just a behemoth! Plus, the initial traffic getting off campus was gross.”

They make idle conversation as they unload the truck into piles of what needs to go where. A majority of the furniture is going into the finished basement since they had taken most of it from there when they left for college anyway. The rest of it is going into their bedroom and guest rooms to sort through over the next month. Figuring out what to take with them is going to be an exercise in patience. Especially since Kara is such a sentimental sap that struggles to part with things. Getting her to part with something for two years is going to be a serious pain in the ass for Alex. It took her longer than she cares to admit getting Kara to reduce what she took when they left for college. Now they're going to be continents away.

As the sun is setting, the truck is finally empty. The last of the boxes are stowed away and ready for them to deal with later. They head into the house and shed their shoes at the door. Both sisters sigh as their shoulders sag from the long day of travel and heavy lifting. The mouth-watering aroma of fresh pasta lures them toward the kitchen before either even realize it, too excited to have their first home cooked meal in a while. Conversation is light and jovial, catching up with Eliza and learning about all the new projects she’s working on. Kara and Alex help clean up, pack what little leftovers away, and tell their mother goodnight before heading up to their shared childhood bedroom.

“Phew, I am beat. I feel like I could sleep for a week, Alex.” Kara says, settling into bed. She shifts around for a moment, and then right on cue lets out a little squeal and kicks her legs like an excited toddler, completely contradicting her claims of exhaustion. “I can’t believe we’re finally doctors! I mean, I know we worked our butts off, but it still doesn’t seem real. Ya know? And, in a few weeks, we’re going to be a world away from everything we’ve ever known. I’m excited, but also a little bit scared. Are you?” Kara looked over at her sister as she rolled over onto her side.

Alex pulls the covers over herself and rolls to her side as well. “I’m definitely excited. Maybe a little scared too, but mostly excited. It’ll be cool to see new places and be able to learn more about our species. I mean, mom has taught us a lot, but being able to have access to some of the biggest and oldest research archives related to the fae as a whole will be so fucking cool.” Alex pauses before continuing. “Plus, part of me wants to see if I can find anything out about dad. He worked so closely with one of the headmasters so there has to be something there, right?”

“I’ve thought about that too. Wondering if there is anything there about my parents or Jeremiah. Surely there is something. Even if it’s just a tiny breadcrumb, at least that is more than we know now.” She makes sure her sister is looking her in the eye before she continues. “We just need to be careful, Alex. We both know that what happened to my parents and Jeremiah is shrouded in secrecy. I don’t want either of us to get in trouble before we even have a chance to make our way. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I can use the money we’ll be getting. It will go a long way in starting out in life and I don’t want to ruin it before I get the chance to enjoy it. So, promise me we will at least wait until we settle in and get a feel for the way things work before we start a side project. Okay? Promise, Alex.” Kara looks at her sister with wide blue eyes and her cute little pouty, puppy face.

“Ugh. Fine, Kara!” Alex sighs and pulls the duvet over her head. “Just put that fucking pout away. That thing is deadly!”

The blonde laughs and pulls her own duvet up as she snuggles into the mattress to try to get some sleep. She has no idea what the next two years will bring, but knows she is definitely ready to find out.

Mid-December, 2021 - The Arias Residence; Metropolis, New York.

Sam and Lena try to relax at the Arias Estate after storing most of their belongings in the basement. They’re currently sorting through their clothing, electronics, and books, trying to decide what to take with them for their journey to Carterhaugh-Wood. When Lionel died, Lena removed all of her belongings from the Luthor Estate as quickly as she could. She knew she had to get everything out of there before Lillian tried to get her hands on anything she valued. Fortunately, Sam’s father let her move everything here prior to the two of them moving to Cambridge for college. Storing everything here while they are at the academy is much the same and she is incredibly grateful Sam’s father has somewhat taken on Lionel’s role. As distant as he is from Sam, he at least treats Lena the same, much like his own daughter.

“Hey, where’s your dad?” Lena asks. “Have you talked to him since graduation?”

Sam looks up from her task and tilts her head. “I talked to him when we got back from our trip to let him know we were having everything delivered here, but not since. I figure we will see him sometime this week and for sure for Christmas. He’s probably at work. Same as always. That’s where he spends most of his time anyway.” The brunette hesitates for a moment before continuing. “I still can’t believe he went to work for The Luthor Company after your dad died. It doesn’t make sense to me. He left a lucrative position with a reputable company to work with Lex and Lillian? Something about that doesn’t sit right with me. Every time I try to ask him about it, he deflects and changes the subject. I know he’s a good man, but the fact that he is working with those two makes me wonder and I hate it.”

Lena quietly listens to the taller woman. She has often wondered that same thing and has no idea why a brilliant scientist and reputable man like Samuel Arias would choose to work for the devil and her spawn. It’s a subject they haven’t spoken much about, but have both often questioned independently. “Yeah, I agree, Sam. Something about it is suspicious. Have you ever wondered if he and Lionel figured something out before he died?” The dark-haired genius wavers a bit before continuing. “It’s just weird that Lionel dies and your dad leaves his position at Loki Tech to work for my evil family. I wish I had been able to get more out of the house after Lionel died. I know there was something in his office that they didn’t want me to get my hands on. Lex hovered around me like a buzzard when I went in there to get some of my father’s books. If I hadn’t wanted to get out of there as fast as I could, I would have poked around a bit more. There’s no way that this is just a coincidence, Sam.”

“We’re on the same page, Kieran. There is a rat somewhere and I think my dad might know something. We need to figure out a way to get some information from him before we leave. Let’s snoop around in his office while he is at work this week. There’s bound to be something we can find.” Sam sighs. She has often thought her father knows more than he is letting on. A mischievous smile spreads across her lips. “He’s pretty good at keeping his cards close to the vest, but between the two of us, I think we can get him to share something. Though, it might take a bit of the good scotch to get him talking.”

Lena chuckles and shakes her head at her best friend. “I won’t say no to the good scotch! And, snooping around in your dad’s office has always been fun, Sam. We both know he will be long gone when we wake up in the morning anyway. Do you think he knows something about Lionel’s death? The timing of him going to work for the family company is just weird. Add that to the fact that his death was suspicious…” She pauses to blink the tears away. “Anyway, I feel like there is so much that we aren’t being told and I fucking hate it.”

Sam walks over to her friend and wraps her in a warm hug. Releasing her, she lets her hands slide down pale arms, and latch onto delicate hands. “I know, Lena. Between both of our mothers disappearing, your father dying under odd circumstances, and my dad suddenly changing companies, there’s too much for it all to be a coincidence.” She rests a comforting hand on Lena’s cheek, pats it, and pulls away. “My gut says there is at least a connection between Lionel’s death and my dad going to work for the Luthors. The company my dad worked for prior to that did a lot of work for the fae elders. I know he traveled to Carterhaugh-Wood and met with Catherine Grant, one of the headmasters several times. We both know that he and Lionel were good friends. Do you know if Lionel ever traveled with him?”

“I don’t know for sure since I was at boarding school for so many of his trips, but I know he mentioned traveling with your dad a few times. Never about where they went, but he did talk about them traveling together.” The emerald eyed beauty tilts her head, grabs Sam’s hands, and stares at her best friend. “Wait, Sam, do you think we might be able to dig around in the archives at the academy? Do you think there might be something there? I want to see if I can find anything out about my mother, Elizabeth anyway, but if there is even a slight chance that there is anything about my father, I want to know.” The dark-haired woman squeezes tan hands and steps back to her pile of books. She desperately wants to know more about her mother, but she also wants to know what happened to her father. She is absolutely convinced his death was not of natural causes like it was claimed. Her gut instinct is that Lillian had something to do with it. Those archives could hold the key to unlocking years of unanswered questions.

The brunette sighs and locks her hazel eyes onto the hazy green of her best friend. “Who knows if that place has the answers we want. I think that if any place would, it’s there. But, Lena, we have to be careful. There is no telling what we could find and how much danger it could put us in.” She holds her hand up to stop the incoming protest. “I’m not saying we won’t look, but promise me we’ll wait until we adjust to the place first. We need to figure out how things work before we start pulling threads to things we don’t know about. Please, promise me. Okay?”

The pale beauty nods her head and reaches out to squeeze Sam’s forearm. “You have my word, Sam. We’ll wait, but just know that I plan to dig around in those archives. With or without you, I am going to be looking. There’s no way I can pass up an opportunity like that.”

She raises her eyebrow at the woman standing across from her and dares her to say anything different. They have both lived through some serious trauma and have helped each other achieve more than either ever thought possible already. If she has the chance to dig into the two evil monsters that are still alive and find out more about her biological parents or what happened to them, she’s taking it. Even if Sam doesn’t help, she’s going to dig.

Sam laughs, pulls her best friend close again, and squeezes tight. “Oh my dear Kieran, I would expect nothing less. Not even close.”

Remaining chapters on AO3: Carterhaugh-Wood Academy (Fae AU)

@supercorpbb

#scbb 2023 #supercorp fanfic #supercorp #fae au #kara danver #lena luthor #sc fanfic #sc fic #lovable dorks #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #ao3 #kara zor el #alternate universe #folklore #fae magic #irish lore #folk magic #scbb

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pencilofawesomeness · 1 year

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Some Fairy Tail x Twisted Wonderland stuff

because I can merge my current media fixations if I want to.

I started thinking about which dorms the Fairy Tail peeps would be in, for the funsies, and then I thought more about it and then it spiraled into me actually drawing it. I have more ideas, too, but I limited it to one each. For now.

Anyway have some of my thoughts, because I have nothing else to do with them. I have more, of course, but here’s a bit:

Erza: Heartslabyl [Housewarden; fae] —very much believes that rules are important, but in a chaotic way —forgets other people don’t think the way she does —easily stuck in her ways —passionate; can be very emotive —very dedicated to ✨ special interest ✨ (swords, armor, etc)

Natsu: Savanaclaw [dragon-fae] —feral gremlin child; can be pugnacious, but also pretty chill —stubborn but not particularly ambitious —doesn’t rely on anybody, necessarily, but also is very group-orientated —protective of friends pack —very emotive but allergic to being openly vulnerable —depending on backstory, has other people trying to dictate his future

Lucy: Octavinelle [human] —doesn’t like not having any control in a situation —pursues personal ambitions / personal happiness —likes ✨ contracts ✨ —not above being sneaky, but keeps her word —collects keys friends etc

Gray: Scarabia [human] —allergic to failure —poor natural teamwork skills (used to doing things alone) —will throw away morality for success’ sake —self-esteem is an unstable pendulum —dabbles in scheming

Juvia: Pomefiore [merfolk] —cares about what other people think of her —will alter herself to fit in, even to her own detriment —very, very tenacious when she gets focused on something —she is beauty, she is grace, she will punch you in the face

Mystogan: Ignihyde [Housewarden; human] —anti-social is his middle name —dedicated to a job he did not want (cleaning up father’s mess, etc.) —really good with items and gadgets —just wants to do his own thing if he ever gets a break —life goals? nonexistent

Freed: Diasomnia [half-human, half-fae] —likes to swear his loyalty to his peers; dedication to group —weird af has a certain decorum he upholds —magic is easier than a normal social life —confident in his abilities but not in how he is perceived —concerned about his sense of belonging

#fairy tail #twisted wonderland #fairy tail x twisted wonderland #crossover au #erza scarlet #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #gray fullbuster #juvia lockser #mystogan #freed justine #this got out of hand but I had fun #yes I have more ideas about who would be in what dorm #and I have all the housewardens picked out #but I wanted to keep this to fairy tail members / major characters #and they were also the first ones I thought of and sketched out #I also had fun messing with the races a bit #trying to vibe check them thusly #giving juvia sharp fish teeth was very self indulgent #it was worth me failing to figure out a pose for her where I could show them off #these all started as quick sketches but then I was compelled to shade #so it's a bit nicer than I intended but eh #I had fun #also I learned that the housewardens design their own outfit #literally while in the middle of this project #so I think erza's would be more customized #rather than the og housewarden design #she would probably have a little armor flair to it #mystogan I did towards the end so I messed with his a bit #he probably has a hood too but I couldn't draw it in and keep the high neck

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centralperkchenford · 8 months

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Chenford ❤️ their daughter asks them how they got together

This one was so fun to write! I love Ava-she’s my favorite original child.

Chenford ❤️ their daughter asks them how they got together

You'll never have to be alone I love you and that's all I really know (it’s a love story)

“Daddy?” Says a tiny voice besides him. Tim looks up from his desk to see his five year old daughter Ava looking up at him with big blue eyes, her hair in the pigtails she had begged Lucy for this morning.

“Hi baby.” Tim says reaching for her, she comes immediately and climbs up on his lap. There is silence for a few minutes as Ava adjusts herself on his lap.

“I have a question.” She says seriously. Tim raises his eyebrows at her. Usually Ava would be bouncing around the house or chasing Kojo around the yard like the chaotic child she was. But she seemed perfectly calm which had Tim suspicious and wary.

“What’s that?” He asks her. She looks up at him, her cheeks red and her eyes wide.

“How did you and mommy get together?” She asks. Tim tilts his head at curiously wondering where this came from.

“Why do you want to know that Aves?” He asks her. Ava shrugs her shoulders and then plays with his shirt a little bit.

“My friend Lacey was telling me how her parents got together and then she asked me and I didn’t know.” She says mournfully. “It made me sad.” Tim’s heart clenches a little and he kisses the top of her head ready to tell her anything she wanted to know but before he could even say a word the front door opens. Ava is off his lap in seconds yelling “mommy mommy!” As she runs to greet her.

Tim shakes his head in amusement as Lucy comes in the room with three year old Daisy on her hip and Ava at her side. Ava hops back onto Tim’s lap and then looks at him expectantly. Lucy just laughs as she bends down to kiss his cheek and puts Daisy on his other leg.

“Ava said you are going to tell her how we got together.” Lucy says in amusement. Tim nods and looks at his oldest daughter who hasn’t taken her eyes off of him.

“Well let’s start from when we realized we liked each other.” he begins looking up at Lucy. “It started with this undercover operation.” Lucy snorts from where she is sitting next to him and he quickly turns to look at her.

“What?” He asks a little puzzled. She rolls her eyes at him.

“C’mon Tim it started way before that.” She says. And okay maybe she is right, maybe they didn’t get together until later but their feelings- well at least his feelings started before Vegas.

“Do you want to tell the story?” He asks her. She shakes her head.

“No. You got this.” She says and waves him on to continue. He sighs and looks between his two daughters who are both staring at him.

“Okay fine. Your mom is right, our feelings for each other started before the UC op. For me it really started when I saw her in this beautiful green dress at your Aunt Angela’s non wedding.” Tim says and Ava’s eyes light up.

“Mommy still has that dress. It was the one you wore the other night and the next morning it was on the hallway floor.” Ava says proudly. Lucy coughs in amusement and Tim’s eyes widen in surprise that Ava even noticed that.

“Right.” Says Lucy. “Daddy couldn’t wait to take it—” Tim gives her a half amused half exasperated look. And he wonders where Ava gets it from.

“Anyway.” Says Tim quickly before Ava or Lucy could say anything more. “I told mommy to save me a dance but unfortunately Aunt Angela got kidnapped.”

“What’s kidnapped?” Daisy asks. “Auntie Angela isn’t a kid.” Ava rolls her eyes at her little sister.

“You don’t have to be a kid to be kidnapped Daisy. Anyone can be kidnapped. That’s why daddy doesn’t want us ever running off and we always have to hold mommy and daddy’s hands.” She says looking at Tim for confirmation. Tim beams at her in pride and gives her a quick kiss.

“Your sissy is right baby.” He tells Daisy gently. “Aunt Angela was kidnapped and then she was rescued but then—” He looks at Lucy to see if she wants to say the next part about Jackson. She shakes her head and Tim reaches around Daisy and squeezes her hands.

“Mommy’s friend Jackson was— he was hurt really badly and he..” Tim pauses not sure what to say to a five and three year old about someone being killed.

“He died.” Says Lucy quietly. “And daddy didn’t want me to be alone so he invited me to stay with him.”

Ava looks somber as she looks between her two parents. “I’m sorry mommy. My friend Lacey’s grandpa died too.” She says softly. Lucy looks at him and then at Ava and kisses her on her cheek.

“It’s okay sweetie. I miss him everyday and I wish you could have met him.” She says. Tim blinks at his wife. He knows she still struggles with Jackson’s death and missing him. He missed Jackson too in a weird way. He wonders what the younger man would have thought about him and Lucy getting together and living the life they both always wanted.

“Then what?” Daisy asks. “Did you kiss?” Tim snorts and shakes his head.

“No. Not yet but we did hug. And it felt..” He says and looks up to see Lucy smiling softly at him.

“Different.” Lucy finishes for him. “It felt different.”

Tim nods in agreement because it did feel different and he felt like if the phone hadn’t rang he would have kissed her.

“But we rescued Aunt Angela and then went on with our lives.” Tim says. “Then I met—” He glances at Lucy seeing if she wanted him to bring up their exes.

She nods. “It’s part of our story Tim.” She says softly. “And honestly they are one of the reasons we realized our feelings for each other. So it is important.” Tim nods his head in agreement once again knowing she is right. “I met Ashley and mommy met this man named Chris and—” He says but Ava cuts him off.

“You dated someone else other than mommy?” She asks aghast and then turns to Lucy a frown on her face.

“You said daddy was the love of your life!” She says tears welling up in her eyes. “Why—” Lucy laughs and pulls Ava off Tim’s lap and onto to hers she runs her hand soothingly through her pigtails.

“Baby, daddy is the love of my life. But sometimes you have to be with someone else to find the love of your life. It doesn’t just happen magically.” She says softly. “It’s part of falling in love.” Ava nods and lays her head on Lucy’s shoulder and then looks up at Tim.

“What happened after that daddy?” She asks eagerly. Tim huffs out a laugh and pulls Daisy so she’s more on his lap.

“Well daddy and mommy dated Chris and Ashley for awhile. And it was.. fine. We liked them both a lot. And then the UC operation happened.” Tim says. “And we had to pretend to be a couple.”

“Like Daisy and I pretend to play house?” Ava asks. “That’s silly.” Tim looks at his daughter in amusement.

“It is a little silly. But it was part of our jobs.” Tim says. “And so we had to practice kissing.” Ava lets out an excited squeal. “You practiced kissing? You didn’t know how to—” She says and Tim glances at Lucy who is smirking at him and then Ava.

“No. We both knew how to kiss Ava. But we had to pretend to be together so we needed to kiss each other.” He says. “And so I—”

“Your dad gave me this weak little peck on the lips.” Lucy says cutting him off and Tim makes an indignant noise.

“If you are going to criticize my kiss.” He says but Lucy just laughs reaching over to pat his hand.

“It’s okay babe. You got better.” She says smirking again at him. He rolls his eyes and adjusted Daisy on his lap. Her head was on his shoulder but she was still staring wide eyed at him.

“And then your mom kissed me and well—” He says smiling at the memory of their first kiss even if it was for practice. It made him short circuit for a minute, and it made him realized he wanted to do kiss Lucy again.

“And then Aunt Tamara came in.” Says Lucy. “And we jumped apart.”

“Cause it was just pretend?” Ava asks and Tim looks at Lucy who nods solemnly.

“Yes. It was for work.” She says. “Your daddy left and aunt Tamara teased me and then—”

“And then the next day at work I was going to say something but I chickened out.” Tim says not looking at Lucy.

She makes a soft noise. “You were going to say something?” She asks in surprise.

“Well yeah Luce. I was but I didn’t want to—” Tim says shrugging his shoulders. “Were you going to say anything?”

Lucy bites the inside of her cheek and nods. “I was scared. About what it all meant.” Tim nods in understanding and continues. “Anyway we went undercover to Vegas and we were on a airplane. And we got news a very bad woman had escaped.” He says glancing at Lucy. “And so we went into the bathroom to uh—” He hesitates not sure how to continue. “We went to the bathroom to wash our hands.” He finishes lamely and Lucy gives him an exasperated look.

“We were supposed to be uh—” Lucy says. “It doesn’t matter. I kissed daddy and broke his brain again.” She says teasingly and Ava giggles.

“Daddy’s brain breaks a lot when he’s around you mommy. I have seen it.” Ava says giggling some more.

Tim sighs. “Anyway.” He says. “A lot of stuff happened and then we were in the hotel room and—”

“Some bad guys came to the door and we fought them. And I saved daddy’s butt.” Lucy’s says scooting over so her shoulder is touching his. Tim rolls his eyes once again at her in fond exasperation.

“Mommy has saved you a lot huh daddy?” Ava says and Tim looks over at Lucy who smiles softly.

“Yeah she has.” He says and it’s true and in ways his daughters wouldn’t even understand right now.

“He has saved me too.” Says Lucy and Tim hears what she’s not saying. He literally brought her back to life after pulling her out of the barrel.

“Then what happened?” Ava asks Tim “After mommy saved you.” Tim looks down at Daisy who was still looking up at him. She was the more serious one, more like him but she was Lucy’s twin.

“Well we came back home and well.” Tim says. “Someone was hurt on the sofa and—” He trails off his mind wondering to that night. He always wonders what would happen if Chris hadn’t been bleeding on the couch.

“It became awkward and then daddy sent me to UC school and—” Lucy says. “And we didn’t talk for awhile and then daddy got hurt.”

Ava blows out a breath and looks between her parents. “Then what? Did you talk?”

“I gotten broken up in the hospital.” Says Tim not looking at Ava or Lucy who were staring at him.

“The other woman broke up with you when you were hurt?” Ava asks. “What a—”

Tim turns to look at his daughter. “Ava Bradford do not finish that sentence.” He says sternly. “Yes. She did. But then your mom came and sat with me.” He says and Ava looks up at her mother.

“And then I pulled a prank on daddy. And things were normal for a little bit.” Lucy says reaching over to run her fingers through his hair. Tim smiles at her softly.

“And then we had to ride together and well.. mommy’s friend Chris was being..” He starts and raises his eyebrows at Lucy.

“He was being a little annoying.” She says hesitantly. Ava sits up a little.

“Like how Daisy is when she wants to borrow my toys.” Ava says. Lucy snorts a little bit.

“Yes except you love your sister Aves. And you know how to share.” She says. Ava knows how to take a hint too. Chris didn’t Tim thinks.

“I told mommy she deserved someone who was worth the effort and we talked some more after work..” Tim says continuing the story. “And we came to the conclusion we wanted to us a chance.”

“Because it was worth the risk.” Lucy says. Tim nods and shifts Daisy on his lap. He looks down at his youngest daughter and smiles. Her eyes are now closed and she’s clutching his shirt like she did when she was a baby.

“I broke up with Chris.” Says Lucy. “And then daddy ask me out.”

Ava looks between him. “And that’s it? It took that long to get together?” Ava asks. Tim laughs and reaches over to tug on one of her pigtails.

“Yes. But it was worth it and sometimes finding your true love takes awhile Aves.” He says. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”

Ava signs a deep sigh. “So I guess Colin isn’t my true love?” She asks him. Lucy covers her mouth.

Tim gapes at her. “Who is Colin?” He asks. Ava shrugs her shoulders.

“I thought he was the love of my life but I guess not.” Ava says nonchalantly. “I guess I will have to keep looking. Sam shared his snacks with me the other day.” Tim thanks the lord that he’s holding Daisy otherwise he would be on the floor from a heart attack.

“Baby you are five you don’t need to find your true love right now.” Says Lucy her shoulders shaking with laughter. Ava bites her lip and shrugs sliding off Lucy’s lap.

“Well at least I know what not to do. Don’t short circuit like daddy.” She says and then turns and skips away.

“Where did she come from?” Tim asks in disbelief. Lucy laughs as she leans over to kiss him.

“She’s a free spirit Tim with no filter.” Lucy says and then bends down to move Daisy from his lap. “You know I haven’t thought about how we got together in a long time. It was nice talking about it.” Tim smiles at her as she stands up.

“I love you. You know that right? No matter how long it took.” He says and Lucy smiles at him and he continues. “It was worth it.”

Lucy looks at Daisy who is sleeping soundly on her shoulder. “Oh it was definitely worth it. I couldn’t imagine anything better than what we have right now.” She says. “I love you too Tim.”

Tim shakes his head fondly as he watches her walk away to put Daisy in her bed.

He is so damn lucky. He has the life he always wanted.

***

Later that night, their bedroom door creeps open and Tim sits up to see two small figures in the doorway. He looks over at Lucy but she’s sound asleep. He waves his arms to the two figures and Ava and Daisy make their way over and climb over him, settling in the middle.

“Daddy?” Ava says. Tim looks over at his oldest her blue eyes wide.

“Yeah baby?” He asks quietly. Ava lays her head on his chest.

“I’m so glad you took a chance with mommy.” She says. Tim smiles and kisses her hair.

“Me too Aves. Me too.” He says softly and looks over at Daisy who is cuddled into Lucy’s side and then at Ava who is cuddle into his and yeah this is perfect.

#chenford #the rookie #chenford fanfic #tim bradford #tim x lucy #lucy chen #chenford fic #anon answered

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catindabag · 11 months

Text

TBOSAS on Crack short take (22)

*The continued adventures of the ✨Four Drunken Mentors✨* Read [this] first.

*Inside the Tributes’ Truck*

Drunk!Sejanus: Festus! My bro, you have to wake up! We’re already riding the ✨Party Bus✨!

Drunk!Festus: Five more minutes, dad.

Coral: Ew! He’s drooling on the floor like a pig!

Drunk!Festus: *points finger at Coral* I have a cheesecake coupon! Your insults are invalid!

Mizzen: What’s a cheesecake?

Drunk!Coryo: *points at Treech* Lucy Gray!? What happened to you?! Why are you wearing an ugly hat?!

Treech: Are you talking to me? Are you seriously talking to me, pretty boy?!

Drunk!Coryo: You think I’m pretty?

Treech: Yeah. You single?

Drunk!Coryo: Oh, thank you, Lucy Gray! But I already have a rich boyfriend. So no. I ain’t available.

Drunk!Sejanus: Yeah! You tell Lucy Gray to stay away, my love!

Treech: And who are you again?

Drunk!Sejanus: I’m Coryo’s rich boyfriend. So go away Lucy Gray!

Treech: You do know I’m the male Tribute from Distri-

Drunk!Coryo: Oh, no! Lucy Gray, what big feet you have?! And what ugly clothes-

Treech: For the last time, I am not your Tribute!!

Drunk!Coryo: *starts crying* Lucy Gray, why are you being so mean to me?! I gave you food, you big meanie!😭

Lucy Gray: *is still laughing and rolling on the floor*

Drunk!Lysistrata: *grabs and shakes Marcus* Jessup! Jessie, why are you ignoring me?! We should be working together!

Marcus: Seriously, shorty, you have the wrong guy!😫

Drunk!Lysistrata: Jessie, are you cheating on me?! Are you seeing other Mentors?! Is that why you’re ignoring the ✨Great Lizzie Vickers✨?!😭

Marcus: The great what?

Drunk!Lysistrata: Who are you seeing behind my perfect back?! Juno?! Livia?! Felix?! You’re seeing Felix Ravinstill, aren’t you!!

Marcus: Felix?! Who the heck is-

Drunk!Lysistrata: You are swinging with Androcles Anderson, aren’t you?!

Marcus: *turns and glares at Jessup* Aren’t you her Tribute?! Shouldn’t you be helping me right now?!

Jessup: Nope. She definitely has you, Jessup.😂

Drunk!Sejanus: *smiles at Reaper like an idiot* Marcus!

Reaper: Get away from me, you vermin Capitol boy!😡

Drunk!Sejanus: Marcus?! Stop being such an ass!😭 And why aren’t you eating my sandwiches?!

Mizzen: To be fair, I was the one who ate his sandwich-

Drunk!Sejanus: Here! Let me feed you! *shoves a slice of ham into Reaper’s mouth*

Reaper: Stop! I am not your stupid Tribute!

Drunk!Coryo: *suddenly hugs Reaper’s waist* Jessie! Jessup, Lucy Gray is being mean to me!😭

Reaper: What the heck, Blondie! Do I look like Jessup to you?! Unhand me this instant!

Drunk!Coryo: *hugs Reaper’s waist tighter* Lucy Gray wants to hurt me, Jessup!

Treech: Fight me, Blondie!

Drunk!Coryo: I’m not even blonde! My hair color is freaking white as Snow!

Treech: Whatever, Snow White. Let’s fight!

Drunk!Coryo: No way! I’m too weak and skinny to fight!

Reaper: Why dis my life? Why me punish? *is malfunctioning*

Drunk!Festus: *finally woke up from his stupor* I’m up! Festus Creed is back, baby!

Mizzen: Welcome back. Now feed me more of these delicious cookies.

Drunk!Festus: Are you Carl?

Mizzen: You mean Coral, right?

Drunk!Festus: Carl! Nice to finally meet you!

Mizzen: I’m not-

Coral: Yup. He’s definitely Carl from District 4.

Marcus: Oi! Oi! Is anyone gonna help me get rid of this crazy chick?! *glares at Lysistrata*

Drunk!Lysistrata: *starts crying and hugging Marcus tighter* Jessup, why are you seeing Felix?! Is it because his family’s more powerful?!

Dill: Who’s Felix anyway?

Drunk!Festus: Oh, he’s just The President’s favorite grandnephew.

Marcus: He’s the President’s what?!

Drunk!Lysistrata: Or maybe it’s because he’s richer and prettier than me!

Marcus: Stop hugging me!

Tanner: *looks at the chaotic scene* I’m so glad I’m not one of them right now.

Sol: I’m just happy that my Mentor is not here to see this mess.

Hy: *coughs* Me too. But I still hope my Mentor is “normal” or whatever “normal” means in the Capitol.

Teslee: And not like those weirdos.

Lucy Gray: What are you talking about?! They’re the best ones! They’re literally the cake with the cream!

*Meanwhile, at ✨The Academy✨*

Vipsania: Guys? Hey, guys!

Felix: What’s the problem, Vipsy?

Vipsania: Have anyone of you seen Coryo and Lizzie?

Felix: No. Maybe they’re just running late?

Vipsania: How about our two class idiots?

Dennis: Sejanus and Festus? They shouldn’t be late. They have cars.

Felix: Should I call my uncle’s Peacekeepers and search for them?

Clemensia: Oh, c’mon! They’re fine! Stop worrying! We’ll be meeting our Tributes soon!

Apollo: Yeah! They should be heading to the Zoo at this very moment!

Diana: I think their journey is being broadcasted right now!

Juno: *turns on the TV* That’s the truck right there!

Felix: And if we zoom in a little bit- Oh, no.

Vipsania: What?

Felix: Look at the screen!

Everyone: *sees their drunk classmates crying and hugging Reaper on LIVE TV* What the actual fu-

Felix: How did they even get in there?!😱

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eggy-the-boy · 1 year

Text

the idea of a portland row game night is so funny to me because i feel like it would get so chaotic.

Lucy is the kind of person to win without really trying.

George would strategize everything and win.

Lockwood would strategize everything and some how still lose.

Lockwood and Kipps would get so competitive with each other that they spend the whole time trying to one up each other. They usually both end up losing anyway but at that point they don't care.

Holly is just happy to be there and watch everyone around her implode. Like if they played Monopoly Holly would be the bank manager while ensuring there is enough tea and snacks to go around.

the Skull is banned from playing because he spends the whole time trying to mess with Lucy.

#hello I still love this show and I WILL be cringe on main because it's my tumblr and I can do what I want :D #anyway this does feel a little half baked but I guess i can always add to it #I wanna see them play uno so bad #lockwood and co #lockwood & co #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #quill kipps #holly munro #george karim #lockwood and co netflix

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lizziethat · 1 year

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How would you describe Kiara’s and JJ’s chemistry and how it’s evolved over the seasons? As I’m rewatching s3 you can really feel the tension between the pair but it’s not really sexual tension?? Like you can feel the attraction to each other but I feel like there’s so much more depth to them by this point. It just seems like by s3 it’s not so much the physical affection/intimacy they are longing for but something deeper emotionally. It seems like in season 1 there was a lot more sexual tension and maybe it seemed like that just because of JJ’s strong physical attraction to Kiara in the beginning.

Anyways this a chaotic question and it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense but I’m curious to read your thoughts! :)

This is a fun question because I've sorta wanted to discuss this and didn't know where to start or how to go on this tangent, but the question has helped me with framing by giving me a reason to discuss the general idea of sexual tension that TV typically presents to us.

I think there's this notion -- sort of reinforced by many years of TV -- that there's one kind of relationship progression, and that relationships usually go from what we think of as the "sexual tension" stage to something deeper. There are clear examples in entertainment of couples where that is so, and the typical procedural will they/won't they couple is one of those. Think Mulder and Scully, Bones and Booth, Castle and Beckett, and even Tim and Lucy. But that is, of course, not the only kind of relationship progression there is.

For couples such as the ones I mentioned, though, it is the only available one. They met as adults, and when you do, it's easier to recognize physical attraction before anything else. The rest, you have to build, and it is incredibly rewarding to see couples build these relationships. Jiara, however, doesn't fit into this at all.

Because Kiara and JJ met as kids. There's no sexual tension between kids. There's something different that happens at one point, sexual awakening -- and boy, does that get complicated when you're thinking about someone you already care for, your friend, and in the midst of feeling new things. Oftentimes, you will even repress your feelings in a situation such as that one, because ...it's awkward! This is your friend.

In this regard, though, I think S1 Jiara was the Season where we saw JJ and even Kiara, more comfortable with just the physical aspect of their relationship, or the "she's hot," kinda banter, if only because it's easier to joke about something you think is never going to happen. Writing-wise S1 JJ and Kiara aren't being written as endgame, so the jokes make more sense. And yes, Rudy and Madison have great, believable chemistry, that can feel like friendship with a hint of more, and that's how we ended up here, but the key to how believable the progression is isn't just on their chemistry, but in the setup.

You fall in love with your friends more often than not, despite friends-to-lovers not being the most common trope we see in entertainment. And when you do, it's because you already love them, because you start not from 0 but from 5, and kinda marry that with oh, actually, I think they're pretty darn attractive too, and I also think all these great things about them and maybe, maybe that means more ...so by the time we get to S3 with Jiara, it's so much deeper, because it can be no other way. The emotional connection was already there from the beginning.

I think that's also why they play the charged physical moments as a discovery, too. They're not discovering that they're attracted to each other, they're discovering that their attraction coupled with their feelings makes for something they'd never felt before. Again, on a scale from 1-10, Jiara in S3 is at a 7 ...and the natural instinct is to reach for more, to look for the deeper emotional connection, which can probably only be achieved when feelings are expressed, reciprocated and you start thinking of a shared future.

tldr; I think Jiara works so well because their relationship has always felt rooted in a deep love for each other -- like the best friends-to-lovers romances always are -- that was there long before they ever thought oh, he/she is actually pretty darn hot. Which, they do! They really do. It's just never been about only that. It couldn't be, because in so many ways, they loved each other before they were attracted to each other.

LIKE, LOOK ...that's love before sexual tension, which doesn't mean there is no sexual tension, it's just the order is different!

#outer banks #obx #jiara

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emotionalcadaver · 11 months

Text

Part 13: Dance of Darkness

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Grace Burgess x OC

Summary: Their day starts with a funeral, and somehow it only gets worse from there.

Word Count: 3,389

Notes: I am so sorry that it’s taken me so long to get this out! I’ve recently been juggling finishing up college, family visiting, some health issues, and my other stories so things have been a little chaotic. But I hope you enjoy this next installment! No warnings.

Masterlists: Main • Series • Fic

Previous Part • Next Part

Chapter 1: Bird of Doom

Lucy tugged her black coat a little tighter around herself to protect against the chill of the wind that brushed lightly over the graveyard. Her eyes fixed dully on the pile of dirt that sat beside the open grave, every once in a while flicking over to glance at Ada, holding little Karl close to her. The priest’s words were little more than numbed mumblings. Nothing that he had to say was of much value to Lucy anyway.

She supposed that there was something twistedly funny about the whole thing; a priest standing there, speaking of God and heaven and eternal souls, when the Devil was standing right there over the grave, hands crossing in front of him, head bowed just enough so that his hat hid his eyes in its shadow. So that no one could tell if the orbs with which he used to see were red or blue. His shoulder brushed against hers, an eternal, warm comfort in the otherwise harsh coldness of Birmingham.

When the priest had finished speaking, Tommy took a few measured steps forward and cleared his throat, giving a brief, yet heartfelt speech about his late dear friend, Freddie Thorne.

Thunder rumbled. Esme and John’s baby was crying. The black veil that was covering Polly’s face flapped in the wind. Every once in a while, Ada’s chin would tremble; the only evidence that she was fighting back tears.

Lucy had to give her credit for how well she was handling the whole thing. Perhaps Tommy’s little sister was actually much stronger than she had ever given her credit for.

The ceremony ended with them each taking a handful of dirt in their hands, tossing it into the grave to splatter onto the top of the coffin already settled in the hole. Taking a step back for the next group to toss their handfuls of dirt in, Lucy trailed behind Tommy and Ada towards the exit of the cemetery. Ada had her arms wrapped around herself, while Tommy spoke to her in a quiet voice, trying to convince her to come back to Birmingham. Ada ignored him, instead focusing on the unfairness of the wealth he had acquired over the years. As if he needed to feel guilty of the rewards he’d more than earned through years of hard work and diligence.

“So now they’ve made you ashamed of us, eh?” Tommy cleared his throat, raising his cigarette to his lips. Lucy sighed, linking her arm with his in what she hoped would be some form of comfort. Much as she understood where Ada was coming from in a way, she didn’t understand why she had to be so harsh with the rest of the family when they just wanted to help her. Not to mention that all she ever ended up accomplishing was hurting Tommy’s feelings, hard as he may have tried to hide it.

Polly came up behind them, interrupting to give an update on Karl, who was off playing with his cousins. She smiled through her veil, then took a step forward. “Ada. Are you coming home?”

“I’m going home,” Ada corrected. Tommy was looking down.

“It’s alright, Pol. We make Ada embarrassed.”

“That’s not what I said,” Ada snapped back.

“You didn’t have to,” Lucy said. Tommy tightened his grip on her in silent warning, and she locked her jaws shut before she said anymore while Tommy tried to explain to Ada the potential danger she would be in during the expansion in London. She wasn’t convinced.

“The expansion means it’s gonna be dangerous to be a Shelby in London for a while,” he shot a look at Ada that was notably concerned, particularly for him.

“Yeah. Well, I’m not a Shelby anymore. And I’m not a Thorne now either. I’m free.”

“I’m not sure that argument is going to be persuasive with the gangsters in London, Ada,” Lucy tried.

Ada looked at them all. “I’ve got to get Karl home.”

Polly reached out to her as she walked past, but then pulled her hand away. Tommy had his lips pressed together, drawing in a slow, deep breath, worry etched into his face like stone even as he told Polly he would get some of their men to watch Ada’s house until the danger was over.

It had started up raining, big fat droplets splattering down onto them from the sky. A man on a motorbike had come roaring up the path, speaking urgently to Arthur, who began to walk promptly towards them, gesturing to Tommy, who moved to meet him halfway. Lucy went to follow, but not before she heard Polly muttering under her breath.

“Till the danger passes. That’ll be the bloody day.”

∗ ∗ ∗

“You’re really sure that you don’t want me to come with you?” Lucy fretted, crimson painted lips rubbing together with worry.

“Yes, love, I’m sure,” he said, trying hard not to let her fussing irritate him too much. She was just worried; he couldn’t exactly begrudge her that. “I need you to begin organizing a clean up and refurbishment of the pub. I don’t want it to be out of commission for very long.”

Her arms were crossed over her chest. “Alright. I’ll make the calls.”

“I’ll meet you after,” before he could step out the door, she took a step forward, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Tommy rubbed her back in what he hoped was a soothing manner.

“Don’t die.”

He bit back a laugh. “I won’t. Promise.”

Stepping back, she pecked him once quickly on the lips. “Okay.”

Tugging his hat on, he stepped out the door and began walking briskly down the road, pulling a cigarette from his case and setting it between his lips, lighting it. She’d been a little more clingy than normal, as of late. He wondered if it had something to do with Freddie. Perhaps his rather sudden death had affected Lucy more than he thought. Or maybe it was the knowledge that soon they would be heading back into London. And London for Lucy held a lot of conflicting, dark memories.

It wasn’t like he particularly minded. And if being closer to him made her feel safe, he wasn’t about to scold her over it. But this particular meeting was one that he needed to attend alone.

The explosion at the Garrison while they were at the funeral had taken him by surprise and put them all on edge. He was hoping that this meeting would reveal at least some answers as to who was behind it.

Then he could send Lucy to cut their eyes out.

∗ ∗ ∗

He spent the entire walk back to the office stewing, his frustration only mildly dissipated by the time he threw open the big double doors to his office. Lucy was sitting at the round table near the fireplace, scribbling at some papers.

“Oh hey, you’re not dead,” she said, greeting him with a chaste kiss after he’d shut the doors behind him.

“Funny,” he grumbled dully, walking to the desk at the far end of the room, tossing his hat onto the wood surface and collapsing into the chair behind it. Lucy came around, hopping up to sit on the desk in front of him, finger trailing over his arm.

“It didn’t go well?”

He just grunted, one hand holding his cigarette, the other snaking around her waist, and she laughed in a combination of delight and confusion as he pulled her from the desk to instead sit straddling his lap, burying his face in her neck. She smelled like cigarettes and her perfume, and when her fingers petted through his hair and massaged at the nape of his neck, he allowed himself a brief reprieve of peaceful contentment. Amazing, how she could almost instantly make him feel better with just a simple touch.

“It’ll be alright,” she said. Tommy nodded, leaning back from her neck to look into her deep green eyes. He would tell her about the new situation with the Irish and the assignment they had forced upon him in a moment. For now, he just wanted to bask in having her nearby. Allow her presence to soothe his irritable mood and shot nerves.

“The information you gathered about that Irene O’Donnell and her son came in handy,” he informed her.

“Oh, good.”

“I need to make a call,” he reached for the phone, pulling it from its cradle. Lucy made a move to get off of his lap, and he tightened his arm around her waist. “Just where do you think you’re going, eh?”

She laughed again as he pecked a kiss to her jaw while he tucked the phone against his ear.

“This will just take a minute,” he promised. Lucy nodded, body resting more heavily against his chest as she got more comfortable.

∗ ∗ ∗

She sat on a stack of crates beside Tommy, legs swinging. He was leaning against the crates, eyes staring out the opened entrance of the garage. Neither of them said anything, both just silently brooding over the task that the Irish had assigned to them.

Well, technically to Tommy, but he’d gotten permission to bring her along. And it wasn’t like she was going to just leave him to carry out the assassination on his own.

They both snapped to attention when Moss approached them.

Tommy mumbled a few orders to him, handing him a wad of bills from his pocket.

Moss pocketed the cash. “I’ve got some information you might be interested in. No charge. An old friend of ours is coming back to the city. He’s, uh, just passing through, he says,” as he continued to describe this ‘old friend,’ Lucy’s blood grew cold, jaw clenching. Moss bid them goodnight, and they both watched as he walked away. Lucy hopped down from her seat on the crates.

“He can’t mean who I think he means, can he?”

Tommy pressed his lips into a thin line and Lucy groaned.

When she’d heard from her sources of information that Grace had shot Campbell in the leg at the train station, she’d laughed for about a solid five minutes. When she’d told Tommy, he’d grinned, eyes dancing with silent mirth and approval. It was the least that the old bastard had deserved.

She’d hoped that the multiple humiliations, both public and private, that Campbell had suffered during his stint in Birmingham would mean that he would be reluctant to show his face in the city again.

Apparently not.

“Is it just me, or is our list of potential problems growing by the day?” she asked.

“No,” Tommy said, tossing his cigarette to the ground. “It’s not just you.”

∗ ∗ ∗

They arrived late to the family meeting on purpose. Half the time John or Arthur were late anyway; they might as well get a taste of how fucking annoying it could be.

The hum of Polly’s voice was the first thing Lucy heard as Tommy held the door open for her to step into the betting shop, but when they strode into the room, everyone went silent. Polly had been staring at Esme tactfully from where she was standing near the double doors. Esme was seated on the stairs, a book in her lap.

“I’m told only family are allowed to speak,” she said. Lucy felt her eyebrows lift. News to her. Eyes snapping accusingly to John, he met her look with a stubborn glare. It was no secret that if John had it his way, Lucy would probably have gotten her lips sewn shut by now. Jackass.

“Everyone’s allowed to speak,” Tommy disagreed. “On your feet, Esme. Let’s hear what you have to say.” John cleared his throat, shifting from foot to foot. “I speak for our household. So, could–”

Tommy fixed him with an ice cold, stern gaze. “John, this company is a modern enterprise and believes in equal rights for women,” Lucy didn’t think she’d ever loved him more than she did in that moment. He looked back at Esme, again encouraging her to speak.

She put her book aside, bracing a hand on the banister to raise herself up to stand on the staircase, towering over the rest of them. “I’m not a blood member of this family,” she started. “But perhaps, indeed because I’m not a member, I can see things in a different light. So I’ll get to my point–”

“That would be nice,” Polly ground out. Lucy felt a sudden rising desire to slap her. These people. They really seemed to have no appreciation for how cold and unwelcoming they could be; how difficult it was to actually become a member of their inner circle. And how intimidating it was to speak to them all the way that Esme was. Of all of them, Tommy was the only one who had actively accepted Lucy into the group with open arms. Still, after years of nothing but loyal service, the others froze her out.

It was hard not to be bitter about it.

Esme spoke in her soft, low voice. About the things she had heard about London and the wars that were forged down there between the gangs. “London is just smoke and trouble, Thomas,” she concluded.

“‘Thomas?’” Polly quoted incredulously. Lucy rolled her eyes. That was his name, wasn’t it? Or did Polly think that she was the only one who had the right to call him by it? Tommy leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, watching Esme closely as she spoke.

“Thank you, Esme,” he said, taking the glass of whiskey Arthur offered him from over his shoulder. “Firstly, the bang in the pub had nothing to do with London. Understood? The bang is something I’m dealing with on my own with Lucy. Secondly, we have nothing to fear from the proposed business expansion so long as we stick together. After the first few weeks, nine tenths of what we do in London will be legal. The other tenth is in good hands. Isn’t that right, Arthur?”

“That’s right,” Arthur concurred.

“Some of you in this room have expressed your reservations. Fair enough. Any of you want no part in the future of this company, walk out the door,” Tommy gestured. Lucy glanced amongst them, waiting. “Right now,” he was staring specifically at John. “Go and raise your chickens. For those of you with ambition, the expansion process begins tomorrow.”

At that, Polly started. Arthur brought his glass to his lips, smirking.

No one moved towards the door.

∗ ∗ ∗

“Polly. Give me the combination.”

She ignored him. Straightening, he shoved his hands into his pockets. He supposed that she was overdue to have another fit with him about the way that he was running things. But still, the last thing he had wanted to hear when he came in to open the safe was how he should have spoken to her first before making decisions about the expansion. Or to be questioned about why he had gone to the Black Lion pub.

Oh, and she had changed the combination to the safe. Probably just to annoy him.

Why, why, why did they all insist on making everything so bloody difficult all the time?

“What happened to the pub is Irish business. We’re in a situation where, for everyone’s safety, it’s best if some things remain undisclosed.”

Polly looked up at him, setting down her pen. “You’ve told Lucy.”

Tommy sighed. “Lucy’s helping me with it. But there’s no reason to get the rest of you involved.”

“But you tell her, and not me?”

He looked at her, levelly. “Yes.”

Polly’s jaw twitched, but she thankfully didn’t push the matter anymore. “So why tomorrow?”

He internally counted down from ten, and then told her, again, his plan to head into London while all the bosses were at the races. The Italians and the Jews had been at war for months, and the Jews needed allies.

“Yeah, but we don’t,” Polly shot back.

“We need a foothold at the southern end of the Grand Union. The Jews control Camden Town.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Lucy has eyes and ears in London. They’ve been providing us with information.”

“Information that you trust?”

“Lucy’s information is rarely bad, Polly. She does good work. And she knew the current leader of the Jews during the time that she lived in London. She didn’t know him well, but she knew him. That gives us an angle in.”

The expression on Polly’s face was fearful and suspicious as she fretted. Afraid that he was going to get himself killed. Probably even more afraid that he was going to take the whole lot of them down with him.

Still, he tried to explain. To get her to understand.

He was pretty certain that he failed, in that regard.

“Now, please, open the fucking safe.”

Polly looked away only for a moment before standing and going to the safe. “You know it was a fine speech you made in there, about this company believing in equal rights for women. But when it comes to it, you don’t listen to a word we say.”

He looked away, keeping his jaws locked tight. He listened to Lucy. He listened to her advice and her opinions all the time. But he doubted that would count for anything to Polly and her absurd, undying hatred of the woman who was both his lover and his assistant.

∗ ∗ ∗

“Love, are you okay?” Lucy was curled up in the seat by the fireplace, glass of whiskey balanced loosely in her hand against her thigh while she watched him where he was seated at his desk.

“I’m fine,” Tommy mumbled without looking up. “Why?”

“You’ve been quiet. More than usual.”

Sighing, he set his pen down, leaning back and rubbing at his eyes. “It’s nothing.”

“Did Polly say something to you?”

“Polly always has something to say to me these days.”

“Mm,” she angled her head in agreement. Resting his knuckles against his lips, Tommy examined her.

“Lucy?”

“Yes?”

“I…you don’t think that I don’t listen to women, do you?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean…you don’t feel like I ignore your opinions, do you?”

“What?” she looked truly stunned. “No! Never!” she unfolded herself from the chair, striding across the spacious office to him in a quick few paces. Setting her glass down on the desk, she smoothed her hands over his hair. “I’ve always felt like you listen to me. Even when we disagree or you decide to go against my suggestions,” a rare occurrence, admittedly. They were so often on the same wavelength when it came to most things, business and otherwise. She shot him a knowing look. “Polly just thinks every idea she’s ever had is pure gold. If you’d listened to her, the company wouldn’t be even close to what it is now and she’d still be buying secondhand jewelry and telling fortunes on the side to make an extra buck. I’m not saying she doesn’t have good ideas or insights, but she’s not always as irrefutably correct as she tends to think she is.”

Tommy hummed. “Yeah. You’re right,” he leaned his head against her, feeling the steady thumps of her heart through her clothes. “Thanks,” with a sigh, he decided now might be as good a time as any to bring up the other thing Polly had said to him that had been prickling in his head since their meeting. “She thinks it’s Grace’s fault.”

“What? How?” Lucy stiffened at the name, and with his ear against her chest he was able to hear the way that her breath caught in her lungs.

“Who knows? She seems to believe that I don’t trust any women now ‘cos one betrayed me,” he tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling, as if the answers for how to deal with his aunt were written up there somewhere. “She says that I should just forget about her.”

Lucy started unconsciously fiddling with the plain gold rings that adorned her hands, staring at a spot on the wall. Her eyes contained the same lost, pained expression that he was sure crossed his own every time he thought of Grace.

“Easier said than done.”

Thank you for reading! Please consider leaving a comment, reblog, or like. I always appreciate feedback and love getting the opportunity to interact with you and hear your thoughts!

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#tommy shelby #tommy shelby x oc #peaky blinders #lucy winters #lucy winters x tommy shelby #my ocs #my fanfiction #dance of darkness #fanfiction #lucy winters x tommy shelby x grace burgess #tommy shelby x grace burgess #tommy shelby x grace burgess x oc #grace burgess x oc #grace burgess #grace burgess x lucy winters

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reality-exodus · 4 months

Text

The Last Hours of a Herondale

Ch2 sparkles

Words:2k

Pairing: Matthew Fairchild x Fem!Herondale

I walked out on a fast pace without turning back or waiting for my brother's Parabatai. I was wearing my own coat now as I strolled down the alley to get on the bridge and find my way to the institute.

"He just worries you know" I heard, I could see Matthew walking behind me with the side of my eye, he was still holding his extravagant coat in hand. "And can you please stop rushing on my account I will get my alcohol, therefore I wish this was more scenic" Matthew joked. I admired the way he used his vocabulary always, sobber or not. I listened to his wish, my arms crossed across my torso, I was making this gesture to highlight my fury, although if I am being frank I was shivering to the freezing temperature of London.

"Didn't sincerely seemed like he was concerned about me, more like he did not have the mood to hear our father whine about his daughter to be wandering alone helpless in the streets of this horrific city, As if I am a damsel in distress." I barked, my nerves were still tense, I was too angry to concentrate on anything.

Matthew didn't reply immediately, he touched my shoulders carefully to place his coat on me, he observed my being cold. I tensed and reflexively turned to face him, shocked, not so much because of his gesture but with the fact that I felt as if I would see something. I always looked chill with my charisma therefore I was freaking out most of the time internally. "Do not worry, I know. It is not nice to watch another broken past." He assured me and I exhaled relieved lightly and placed my arms on the sleeves while he tied the belt around my waist gently.

"Its never the past that gets me unnerved. Even though I think I witness the worse of you every time you drink alcohol." I spoke and looked at him. I rarely seen his eyes so upclose. They were green, darker as if the reasons that got him drunk every day and night had shaded his eyes too.

"And what unnerves you?" He asked me. Despite the instability of his voice that seemed so familiar since he was more drunk than sober.

"When I see the future, I have only seen it a few times. Three to be honest." I spoke and looked elsewhere, I was scared to look for his comment or his eye contact, these were things I avoided speaking of, barely mentioned them to my parents. "I will get going it gets colder" I excused myself, expecting him into offering to escort me.

"I was leaving anyway, my beautiful bottle is right down this way." Matthew spoke and walked away from me. I smiled and started walking down the bridge.

The way there was peaceful and calming, I was gazing at the cloudy sky trying to make out at least a small, tiny star but the rain that started a few minutes ago was getting stronger. It felt nice, the droplets on the coat and on my hair made me colder but the feeling was refreshing as the wind blew as well. I placed my hand to the bottom of my chaotic braided bun and set it loose into the two braids and I started loosing them as well.

I was so peaceful and calm. Forgot about my fight with James, the vision of Polly, the demon splatter and the times I saw James disappear and Matthew almost lose his life. I opened the door and walked in unknown of the mess I was in. I hoped I wouldn't meet anyone. I only went inside Lucie's room, I hoped she would be awake. I knocked the door.

"Come in" her sweet voice sounded and poked my head in. "What happened to you? Where is James?" she asked, her voice sketched with concern as well as her expression, she stood up from her desk and approached me. We were the same height even though she was two years younger than me. Her hand got my wrist and pulled me inside her room. "If mama and papa see you, you'll scare them to death." She spoke.

"Nothing happened, we only killed a demon." I replied and threw my boots next to the door and walked to her mirror to witness myself the big deal. I, indeed looked horrible, my light brown hair were wet and filled with mud that made them stick together and my face had dirt as the rain spilled the light make up I wore. "James made it explode." I sighed.

"And why are you wearing Math's clothes?" she asked me. "You are shaking..." she noticed.

I smiled subconsciously as I took off the coat and let it fall on the ground. "He accompanied me up to a point on my way home and I was cold." I explained briefly as I started taking off the heavy and wet equipment. "Could I use your bathroom? I do not feel comfortable being on my own." I added with false hopes that she would not start the curiosity drill of questions.

"Why? What happened?" Lucie asked me as she assisted me, with great care to not trigger any seizure, to take off the rest of the equipment until I was with the underskirt.

"Nothing in particular." I spoke as I took her comb and started untangling the mass in my head trying to remove as much of mud as possible. I felt my sister's gaze upon my back and let out a sigh. She probably was the only person I was unable to keep secrets from. I was a pretty cold person therefore Lucie can read me, even though my pages are always blank. "Alright, I fought with James before I left. I was certainly right with my arguments. Perhaps, I was a bit harsh." I explained.

"Oh do not even worry, he won't remember it in the morning..." Lucie smiled lightly. "This is why you came here. To cover for him, so mom and dad won't know you returned alone?" her smile got bigger. She is such a sweet angel. When me and James fight she is more sad than we are. 'You are twins, you can't talk to each other like that, you are supposed to be two of a whole' she usually quotes and tries to stop our conflict which most of the time plays out into a best sarcastic comeback battle as we actually forgot what we fought about.

"You really think so?" I asked lightly and then walked into her bathroom as I started washing the mud from my face.

"Do you remember what you fought for?" asked Lucie and my smile disappeared lightly. "Well, since it is this serious, tell me about it." She encouraged me and I exhaled unwilling to so.

"Do not tell mama and papa... James started disappearing during the battle... It was a close call for me and Math, and especially for Math... After we killed it, we went at that stupid tavern they hang out... And I had a seizure with flashback. So we were kind of on edge both of us." I unriddle the events of the night as I filled the tub with water.

"I don't think you are worried that you spoke harsh to James. You are simply upset. Come on. Have your shower and I will get you some tea and then I can tell you about my book, so you take your mind off." Lucie giggled and I nodded with soft smile. I winked and nodded before she closed the door of the bathroom.

I came out of the tub and saw that my sister brought pajamas and underwear, freshly washed, they smelled vanilla and sandal wood. The clothes were mine. I wore them and walked out to the bed where I saw her laying with a book. "Feeling better?" she asked me and I nodded.

I climbed next to her on the bed and placed the book aside with a smile as she took her brush and removed the towel. Lucie began to brush my hair. I have curly and long hair, longer than hers, with the color of my father's while I had my mom's eyes, deep gray. The brush met a comb and she abruptly untangled it making me jump.

"I am careful, you know that" Lucie reassured me with a sweet smile, she knew I was anxious.

I didn't really felt when I fell asleep, I hugged Lucie's stuffed animal. Tomorrow would be a great day, the Carstairs would arrive. I was happy to see them, to see Daisy and Alastair again. I was probably the only one who found Alastair likeable but this didn't really matter, he didn't seem to care that much to converse with anyone. Us Herondales have a special place for the Carstairs family in our hearts. My father's parabatai was a Carstairs, uncle Jem became a silent brother under awful circumstances while he was on his death bed owing to a demons doings. I cannot imagine how my father was feeling back then, I do not have a parabatai like James has and like Lucie will soon have. I have a close relationship with Barbara and Anna Lightwood but none of them to a point to have such eternal and unbreakable bond.

Uncle Jem must be the only person I can talk to about the visions I see and not feel like a freak. The whole clave looks at me and my brother as if we are some kind of unexpressed danger against the Nephelim race. Even my mother and father are uncomfortable when we speak about it. Perhaps it is in my head. Uncle Jem always knows what to tell me to ease me and not make me feel... different from everyone else. Speaking of whom I had to summon him, I was obliged to report to him every single vision I had as well as the conditions it came under.

"Lina..." I heard in my sleep as I felt a soft shake. I turned around ignoring the voice and this is when the blanket was pulled violently from my figure. "Lina!"

"What!" I exclaimed disturbed and shot up.

"Get dressed we have to get breakfast the Carstairs will be here soon" Lucie spoke as she was literally jumping up and down on her mattress.

"Is James back?" I asked her.

"Yes he is." James replied and I turned my head to see our brother sitting in the arm chair on Lucies room, it was next to the pile of my dirty clothes.

"Oh Good morning" I greeted and sat up and leaned to the bedframe as I stared at him. The gash on his hand was fully healed and he looked well and rested.

"Oh Good morning to you too" He chimed therefore his expression was just like mine dead serious as we only stared at each other. I could sense Lucie darting her gaze between us.

"Now come on you two..." Lucie began when a ghost appeared in the middle of the room.

"Oh look at the two naughty Herondales following their father's footsteps once again. Stubborn as donkeys!" Jessamine floated in the room.

"Ah great, here were the commentary again." I spoke inside my teeth.

"Jealous much Lina? At least the ghost can form more ingenious sentences than you." James smiled at me. The revenge begun.

"At least the ghost has the intelligence to think before they speak nonsense." I smiled back, Lucie was saying we had the same facial features, even our teeth and expressional wrinkles were the same, everything except our eye-color. He had brown eyes, I had gray.

"At least the ghost has manners!" Jessamine whined at us. "Like father, they say..." she sighed and floated to the edge dramatically.

"Does she though?" James asked Jessamine and she turned her attention to him, her expression puzzled.

"You really do just barge in a room, that is really not lady like." I commented with a fake frown, my posture was suddenly fixed as I was remarking the good manners that my father always said were more important than anything else. She was the last Lovelace of her family name and now she was haunting my house.

"Uh Tessie really left your upbringing to Will didn't she?" Jessamine huffed in annoyance when my father opened the room.

"She indeed did, Jess. Aren't they adorably charming?" My father asked as he looked at us his eyes were smiling.

"So adorably charming that they get on my nerves almost as much as you do Herondale." Jessamine spoke up.

"Then I did a wonderful job." He smiled lightly and sat down on the bed next to me. "How did the hunt go? You must have returned late huh?" Will asked us. I could see his gaze searching for injuries or any sign that needed his attendance or an iratze.

"It went well actually. We found a Deumas demon" James spoke and then my father looked at me.

"And? What happened?" Will asked us, I could sense his enthusiasm.

"Well at first I was up the building watching Matthew and James. And they struggled a bit, so I thought I would step in." I smiled proudly and felt James' eyes on me.

"Yes, Lina stepped in and saved Math's ass..." James spoke and our mom stepped in.

"James! Language." She noticed and allowed him to keep going.

"She used the whip and injured it and lured it away from Math but then it cornered her and thankfully Thomas was there and assisted Lina." James continued and smiled at me.

"James recovered from the hit and he tried to kill it at first but then he had a gash on the hand during this attempt so me and Thomas kept it in line when my bright twin came slashed it and filled us with ichor and blood." I finished the story.

"And then we stayed at Devil's Tavern for a drink." James spoke up and looked at me.

"Or eight?" I lied with a giggle.

"Eight? Linette!" My mother exclaimed and made a move to touch my forehead and I pulled myself from the way.

"I am fine mom, I do not have temperature or something. I was only a bit dizzy and Luce offered to brew some lemon balm with anice to sooth my stomach." I exclaimed. They knew I was uncomfortable with physical contact.

"I was with her as well. And so were the boys its really not big deal, or the first time it happens" James tried to cover for me but he earned an almost infuriated gaze from our father.

"Well it isn't that bad..." Lucie intervened.

"Well I was celebrating the demon victory. And then I got entinced by the drunks around me?" I smiled and my father shook his head. "I know I am a girl and I shouldn't- ." I started off and then saw my parents exchange a look.

"Lina... It is not that. Honestly I couldn't care less what each one of those pretentious Clave members has to say about me, my wife, my children or my parabatai. Both me and your mother have been through the gossiping and it doesn't real phase us, it never did. We just want you to be safe." My father spoke and carefully took my hand I exhaled as I realized I was still wearing gloves.

"I don't see you preaching my twin about these. But anyway, I see your points and your concerns." I spoke and gave him a light smile and removed my hand. If you'll excuse me. I must get prepared for breakfast." I excused myself to go to my room. I didn't know how I felt and suddenly I wasn't in the mood of socializing either. Even if it was with the Carstairs.

#james herondale twin #lucie herondale #james herondale #the last hours #matthew fairchild x reader #lucie Herondale x sister #will herondale #will Herondale x tessa gray #wessa daughter fanfiction #the last hours fanfic #the shadowhuter chronicles #the infernal devices #thomas lightwood #christopher lightwood #anna lightwood #shadowhunters oc #shadowhunters #shadowhunters fanfiction #jessamine lovelace

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escudofracturado · 2 months

Text

Always Gold || Milo & Luci

TIMING: Late September LOCATION: UMWR PARTIES: Milo (@escudofracturado) & Luci (@luci-in-the-stars) SUMMARY: After a failed attempt at dorm living, Luci enlists Milo's help in moving out. CONTENT WARNINGS: Sibling death tw

Luci had -admittedly - lasted longer in the dorm than Tia thought she would. She was pretty sure if Ingrid hadn’t absolutely hated her. Since she moved in she seemed to think Luci was a freak of nature and someone that should be removed from the school. It was probably all of the notebooks -or how Luci talked. Maybe she hadn’t liked Snow? It wasn’t something that was wholly new to her, a lot of people off the bat didn’t like her in school for some reason or whatever, but she had hoped it would be different here. So while the administration had been willing to work with her - even offering to move her in a few weeks- Luci was fairly sure that just getting the waiver to move off campus would keep her from walking on eggshells. She needed space for alchemy and honestly, dorms made her sad.

Besides, while she liked school and went to all of her classes she didn’t spend much of her time on campus now anyway and she didn’t think it would change. So, she had hopped on to the apartment listing and had been excited to get the okay to move. Luckily Ingrid had spent the last few days just ignoring Luci instead of wanting to get her expelled or something. Still, it hadn’t stopped Luci from purposefully moving her bed frame an inch to the left hopefully causing her to trip.

Still, as she waited for her brother she sighed at how quickly she had to pack up her things again. Poking her figures through Snow’s carrying case to pet her white fur as she waited. “It’s okay Snow. Wynne is super nice and you’ll have more space there. Milo will be here soon,” Luci said reassuring her familiar who seemed more nervous than she was. She should have gotten a carrot for her.

______

It had only been a matter of time before something happened. Milo loved his sister, and he would do anything for her, but between her curiosity and her difficulties with reading people, she did tend to find herself in some chaotic situations. Granted, it usually wasn't a huge deal, and she almost always managed to get away with it, too. Couldn’t be him. But still, he worried. Especially here.

He knew he needed to chill out, though, that he was making things weird between them, but how could he? Milo was the one who ruined everything and landed them here, and he knew he really shouldn't be around anyone like this— he was dangerous. However, Luci had come to find him anyway. And it wasn’t like he wanted to be alone, either. He wanted to protect everyone from himself, but he was too much of a coward, too selfish. He wasn’t able to just be alone with his thoughts, with himself, so he had managed to make some friends here. And he wanted to have a relationship with his sister. Aside from their aunt, they were all each other had now…

These days all he wanted was to lie face down on the floor of his room and never get up. But his sister needed help moving, so floor time would have to wait til later.

By the time he arrived at UMWR, Luci was already there waiting for him, of course. “Too cool for school dorms?” he asked in place of a proper greeting. Bending over, he looked into the carrier with a smile. ”Hi, Snow.“

______

Luci was still a little surprised seeing her brother now even when she tried to hide it looking over her shoulder as he approached. It was a bit odd - something that she couldn’t quite describe other than feeling off. Normally she might have asked Milo if he knew what she was feeling, but that seemed a little - rude at the moment.

Instead she snorted, rolling her eyes at the notion and said, “I’ve never been too cool for anything, Milo. Ingrid though - um yeah she didn’t like me much.” She shrugged slightly, not at all bothered by the dislike even if it meant she had to move out of the dorms. It wasn’t the first time that someone hated her instantly and while she ought to feel sad about it she couldn’t. It was inevitable, and Luz just didn’t feel the need to keep energy on it. “I didn’t cause any fires this time at least right? Just me being a freak this time, I guess.”

She let him see Snow, the little Jackalope’s eyes looking curiously at the other spellcaster and moving to get a pet instantly calm with two de la Vega’s around. It didn’t surprise Luci, and instead made her smile slightly. “I think that’s a hi from Snow. For the record, she didn’t like Ingrid much either. First night she tried to get Snow kicked out - but luckily I had some paperwork.” She had forged the paperwork months ago and the University had sided with her on that one. “I managed to get it all down here while she was out. - Um, we should probably leave quickly though. I don’t think she’s smart enough to realize what I did, but still. ” It was mostly because she had threatened Snow. Familiars shouldn’t be apart from their person.

______

He could feel the awkward tension in the air, hanging over the interaction. His lips curled up into a smile as he managed to pull a laugh out of her, but there was still that feeling of uneasiness churning in his stomach. There were so many things that they had been purposely ignoring, leaving unsaid, and they hung heavily between the two siblings, creating a distance that had never been there. Not to this extent, at least. Never to this extent. But he tried his best to ignore it, to be the person— the brother— he had once been.

He frowned as his Luci mentioned her ex-roommate. “Well, fuck Ingrid, then.”

It was good to hear that she hadn’t started any fires, but his brows furrowed as she called herself a freak. “You’re not a freak, Luz. Did she say that?” Had his sister been getting bullied by her roommate? She didn’t seem bothered, but still the idea worried and saddened him. Milo had dealt with enough shitty kids back in school to know how vicious people could be, how painful it could be to hear the same hurtful words thrown at you over and over.

It was nice to see Snow again, and to see that she was still comfortable enough with him to demand pets. Despite his worries, it brought a small smile to his face. He, of course, obliged to her demands, though he looked up with a scoff when his sister continued to tell him about Ingrid.

“For real, though, fuck her,” he repeated, shaking his head. Giving the jackalope a last pet for sensing the girl’s bad vibes and watching out for Luz, he finally stood. They probably should start moving, but she shouldn’t have to rush just because her roommate was an asshole. “But, like, what’s she gonna do? You’re already leaving. Also, I can go up if you missed anything,” he offered.

______

Luci sighed a little at his response, shrugging and responding, “ I don’t - language, Milo. You don’t have to curse even if she wasn’t really nice.” It was partially to hide that she was annoyed by her former roommate. She had hoped to find a friend in her, but that had been pretty clearly not something the other had wanted. She hadn’t realized he would pick up the language either.

At the question she shrugged, going to pick up the backpack that she had put between her feet. “Does it matter? I don’t have to talk to her again,” Luci said finally knowing that it was fair enough. She’d never really been considered particularly normal, and she didn’t really care much about it before. Sure, she wanted friends here in Wicked’s Rest, but she would survive without them if she had too.

While repeating the words she tried to not laugh, thinking that it was a little silly. “Oh I don’t think she can do anything to me, to be fair. I just don’t want to be here when she realizes I moved everything just slightly off kilter - or maybe the fact that she shouldn’t have been copying my old chemistry notes if she wasn’t going to be particularly nice - I think the midterm was a week ago? She should get the results now-” She said it matter of factly, knowing that she probably did tank her grade.

At the offer of getting anything she missed she shook her head and said, “No, I was careful and I have everything packed and labeled even.” Luz didn’t have much - it hadn’t been easy to get to Wicked’s Rest, and she hadn’t been interested in bringing everything she owned, figuring that she could gather things as she lived here in the next four years. So everything had pretty much fit in the couple of suitcases she’d arrived with, plus a few ikea bags she’d managed to borrow last minute. She had already sent a few boxes to the apartment thinking it would be easier than lugging them there, and had a few things waiting for her anyway.

______

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. Milo’s filter was not the best. He didn’t like insulting people with curses, but he was terrible at keeping his language ‘clean.’ At work, he could mostly keep it in check, but anywhere else? All bets were off. Especially with people he felt comfortable around. And despite the weirdness, Luci was still someone he felt comfortable with— she was his sister, after all. He tried to respect her non-cursing, but he also just really wanted to hear her curse? Also, like, for real though, fuck Ingrid.

He watched her reach for her bag, frowning at the response (or the lack of a response, he supposed. But that felt like an answer itself.) He had fixed his face by the time she looked his way again, but the feeling of frustration and worry continued to swirl around in his gut. “Yeah, that’s fair, I guess,” Milo replied, dropping the subject. He didn’t want to push it– he couldn’t, not with the way things were between them.

It startled a laugh out of him, Luci’s admission. “F– reaking amazing,” he laughed, catching himself. Man, he’d missed her. Shoving down the sudden guilt and sadness, Milo tried his best to focus on the amusement and fondness in that present moment. Luci was brilliant, and she should not be messed with.

And of course she had thought to label and pack everything, he wasn’t surprised. Still, he had moved a few times now, and he always managed to miss Something. “Figured. But, you know, if you need it, offer stands,” he shrugged.

But it was time to do the actual moving, so Milo grabbed some Ikea bags, letting out a small ‘oof’’ as he stood up. They were heavier than expected, weighed down by her books, probably. “How many books do you have in here?”

—

Luci snorted not believing for a second he’d actually be able to keep himself from cursing. She loved her brother, and knew him well enough that it would only take a few minutes before it happened again. It was something she had oddly missed, although she wasn’t going to encourage it either. Snow was there after all, and her little ears shouldn’t have to hear curses.

He didn’t used to let her get away with non answers, but she supposed now most of their relationship seemed to be dancing around answers. If she was braver about it she might have called him out on it, instead she just secured her backpack on herself and grabbed one of the suitcases to push Snow safely under her arm.

Luci couldn’t help the grin hearing Milo laughing and stuttering out a fake curse. It was nice to hear, and while she wouldn’t say she was especially funny it was something that always made her feel better. Mostly, Milo had a habit of laughing with her, not at her, and it was something that after she noticed had made her want to say more and more outrageous things.

Luz nodded, starting to move the suitcase with a nudge. Hearing him picking up the bag she gave a chagrined look at being caught. “Uh - well define what a book is. If it’s a finished volume, only five, if you mean journals too - twenty between the two bags. Sorry I can trade you for Snow if you want for one of them.”

—

This felt good. Even if it didn’t feel totally right, even if they were ignoring both of the very large elephants in the room. He wanted things to be okay so badly. Nothing was, but for a moment it felt like it could be. Luci was smiling and laughing, and the tension? It didn’t feel Quite so heavy. It certainly wasn’t as heavy as the twenty whole ass journals that Luci had packed away.

…okay, he was being a little dramatic, they weren’t that heavy, but it was heavier than he had been expecting. Milo shook his head, grinning at her reply. “And how many did you have when you got here?” he asked, wondering just how many she had managed to finish in the span of a month. It always astounded him how quickly she could go through notebooks, how she managed to write so much, how she always managed to find so much to write about. It was like how she processed the world, made sense of it, being an observer. And it was interesting to him, to see how his sister’s mind worked, how she looked at things.

He supposed it wasn’t Totally different to how his mind worked, especially these days when he didn’t really feel like he was in his body most of the time. His emotions were trapped, muted, behind a glass wall most of the time, and there were times he literally felt like his being was a few inches to the right, clipping through his body. Didn’t that sorta make him an observer too?

Still, he’d always worried the habit could keep her from fully being present, keep her from fully enjoying or experiencing things. Not to mention people being dicks about anyone doing stuff that was outside the norm. But he wasn’t being very present at that moment.

“Nah, you’ve got her,” he said, waving her off. But he continued with the bit because he had to. “I’ll just suffer.”

It was very extra.

—

At the question Luci raised one of her eyebrows in fake thought as she said, “Well I brought six that were half finished, and five that weren’t started yet. There was a sale. I got the rest here. Mostly because everything here is pretty fascinating. Did you know there’s statues that people say can see you too? I don’t know if I believe that, but wouldn’t that be interesting.” She had one she hadn’t touched - the one that Gen had given her last Christmas that for some reason she couldn’t seem to write in. She hadn’t quite figured out why, but that one wasn’t in the bags anyway.

She kept that in her backpack, if only to keep it out of any official counts. Stretching her arm slightly she said, “A few of them are from my job actually. Vera has a lot of instructions so I’m making sure to write them all down. It’s actually pretty helpful.”

Writing had always been easier for her to gather her thoughts, and while she was pretty comfortable typing there was something to physically writing things down that had always helped her. That and she had a habit of mixing little technical diagrams next to things. It felt like something an Alchemist should be good at. After all, her magic was pretty much a form of writing at the end of the day. It was also her way of making sure not to miss little things about people, to understand why they were doing what they were. What if she didn’t notice something and it turned out to be important?

At the comment of suffering Luci chuckled and said, “Your sacrifice has been noted. I appreciate the help, and for the record so does Snow.”

—

It was so many notebooks, he could never. And he definitely couldn’t manage six at once. If anything, there would be one, and it would be So Messy.

The town was definitely fascinating. However, that wasn’t the first word he would use to describe it. And at the mention of the statues, Milo froze for a moment. “Yeah, I– Watcher’s Way, right?” he asked. But he already knew exactly what she was talking about. “They’re creepy as fuu–dge,” he finished, nodding. “Creepy as fudge.” Censoring himself only made it sound silly, but that was probably for the best. Also for the best? Changing the topic.

“Oh, yeah?” he asked, grateful to talk about literally anything else. “How’s that been going, by the way? What’s Vera got you doing over there?” While he’d been to the magic shop before, he wasn’t sure how much Actual Magic they had going on over there.

…he’d really been doing a piss poor job at what he’d come to this stupid town to do. But he had to work and that often sapped up all of his energy. Sometimes he wasn’t sure how he worked up the energy to drag his ass out of bed. However, being around other people helped him get out of his head for a few hours, which was something. His head wasn’t a super fun place to be, after all.

In response, he gave her a two finger salute before reaching for the other suitcase. “Of course,” he shrugged. “You know I’d do anything for you, kid.” It didn’t matter if things were weird between them, Milo would always be willing to help his sister.

—

“Hm, I think so. I’d have to check,” Luci said as he asked where the statues were. She had written it down somewhere, but she didn’t want to get it wrong. At his attempt to not curse an eyebrow went up, a part of her wanting to make fun of him but nevertheless holding her tongue. After all, she had to give him something.

“My job? It’s okay. Mostly it’s just working in the front and helping customers. Vera gives me little projects to do though so that’s nice.” She didn’t add the fact that most of the little projects ended in failure, of her getting something wrong. Vera was still pretty nice about all of it though. Chalking it up to Luci’s age and not something being wrong. Alchemist had to start somewhere after all, and well even when her magic wasn’t fighting her it wasn’t as if Luci’s experiments always went well anyway. “How’s your work going? Still have birds around?”

Luci nodded at the sentiment, even if it felt a bit heavy in the air. She believed him, that he would help her through most everything. It was the bits on the outskirts that made her pause most though. That maybe he would try and help, but he couldn’t do everything. It was like when people say the day they saw their parents as humans with flaws and not superheroes - she couldn’t quite picture it with their parents but she did with Milo and Gen.

“I know,” Luci still ended up saying out loud, as if maybe the both of them needed to hear it. “That’s why I called. Well that and I really didn’t want to do it alone. Also so you could meet Arden and maybe Wynne if they're off work.”

—

“Well, either way, Watcher’s Way? Zero out of ten, do not recommend. It’s giving weeping angels,” Milo offered in lieu of any actual explanation. Just thinking about the odd experience with the then googly eyed statues felt unsettling.

“Ah, customer service,” he sighed with a smile. It was probably difficult for Luci— hell, it was difficult for him, and he was usually good with people. There were just some incredibly rude and unpleasant people in the world, unfortunately. “But it sounds pretty cool aside from that– you love a good project.”

At the mention of birds, he shook his head, “Always with the birds. They’ve been getting kinda rowdy recently, I dunno what’s up with that.”

“But, aside from those little narcs, it’s chill,” he shrugged. He liked his job well enough. “My manager’s a bit too serious, but my coworkers are mostly okay. And customers aren’t usually a problem— see a lot of the same art students and the seniors from the knitting circle at the community center.” They always asked about his projects and gushed about whatever they were currently working on or planning, and it was very sweet.

“Plus, always some cool local art,” he added with another shrug. He’d been thinking about his job more recently, about what he wanted to be doing, if he should just go work at the Sugar Pot with Alistair. It would be a good environment, and he got along quite well with the older spellcaster, but that was part of his reservations. As much as he said otherwise, Milo was sure he’d bother the man if he was around him constantly. Always too much, but simultaneously not enough. He’d ruin it somehow because he ruined things…

But he tried to shove that aside for now.

Luci had called him because she didn’t want to have to move all by herself. She knew he would help, would be there for her, would want to meet her new roommates and make sure she was safe in her new apartment. That was good. That made him feel good. Despite it all, she still trusted him, and that made his chest ache something awful.

They would be okay …could be okay. He could do his best to pick up the pieces and try to be a good brother for her.

For as long as she would let him, at least.

“Oh, I know Wynne a little!” He said, perking up. “But it’d be good to meet ‘Arden,’ and just see the place, yeah.” He had to look out for her, after all.

#sibling death tw #writing #wickedswriting #collab #luci in the stars #wr luci #i won't let go of your hand; luci

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