That one tf2 comic scene but it's Dadspy

Red Knight Chapter 5

DP x DC | Dead on Main

Read on Ao3

——

The night after the brawl in Danny’s apartment Jason was out as Red Hood scouting a possible arms deal when he spotted it— a Curse Ghost, vaguely beastly and oozing black goo, just as ugly and unsettling as the one from Danny’s place. Jason texted him.

Found one.

So you didnʼt lose my number after all. Iʼll be right there.

Jason sent him the location- a rusted sewer grate at the edge of crime alley that he’d seen a curse ghost vanish into. Danny arrived minutes later in jeans and a jacket, same as always. Not like Jason had been expecting any different, but he had gotten used to working with the Bat. Capes and masks came standard. Danny was anything but standard.

“You bring the gear?” Danny asked as he stepped up toward the sewer gate Jason stood beside.

Jason opened his jacket to reveal he had strapped all kinds of whips and tasers and lasers and launchers to his holsters. He even wore the invisibility cuffs. And the sword.

Danny grinned. “I also brought something extra I think youʼll like.” He reached into his own jacket and pulled out, with great panache, a pair of plain white gym socks.

Jason scowled. “A selection from your laundry pile?” Still, he took them as Danny handed them over.

“If by laundry pile you mean my pile of genius inventions, then yes.”

“Iʼll pass.”

“Suit yourself.” Danny shrugged. “If getting sewer water in your shoes is your thing I won’t stop you.”

Jason frowned.

And then he found himself wearing Dannyʼs socks (back in his boots, mind you), hunting the curse down the drain tunnel, hovering inches above the water instead of sludging through it.

“Real flight just wasnʼt doable with the tech, but these still have their uses.” Danny commented from ahead, his voice echoing down the tunnel completely careless of stealth. He also hovered, simple as if gravity had just turned off for him, none of the wobbles or wavers in balance that Jason was currently trying to hide. Forty feet into the darkness of the sewer and Jason was relying on the night vision in his helmet. Meanwhile Danny seemed just fine.

As they approached a junction in the pipe, Danny slowed. “Its here,” he whispered. Jason sensed it too, somehow. The air was colder and more alive somehow, the colors more warped and saturated.

They peeked silently around the corner and there it was, lounging half submerged like an overstuffed crocodile. Black ooze seeped into the water all around it, making it hard to tell where the beast itself began.

Danny threw him a look, anticipation dancing in his Lazarus green eyes. And then without further warning he pounced.

Hopes of keeping their socks dry vanished. Danny was quickly sopping, no thanks to his outfit choice. Still he fought like a terror, ducking out of the way of massive dripping jaws that threatened to halve him as he returned blows and blasts in kind. Jason watched with trained curiosity. Heʼd been so preoccupied with not dying last time he hadnʼt learned much. This time he bit down his fear enough to make sense of how the curse ghost moved- like water and like a rockslide- and how Danny countered- like mist and lightning.

The curse ghost turned toward Jason and like a firecracker hid anger ignited and lost any inclination he had to stay on the sidelines. He instinctively reached for his guns but then thought better of it in close quarters. Instead he pulled the sword off his back. He swung with stiff determination, slicing through black crocodile hide. He felt a grim thrill as the beast roared.

Jason fought with less caution this time. More rhythm. In the end they overpowered it, beating it down deeper into the sludge until Danny sucked it up with the thermos, neat and tidy.

Danny smiled at him. “Nice work.”

Jason kneeled where it had fallen. Traces of black goo remained on the walls. He ran his fingers through it and it stuck to his gloves like slimy tar. “What the hell are these guys made of?”

Danny kneeled next to him, also inspecting the sludge remains. He pursed his lips. “It’s corrupted ectoplasm.”

Like Jason’s, Danny didn’t say. Didn’t need to.

“These guys are more solid than regular ghosts. It didn’t just phase out of here. It splashed in the water.” Danny rubbed the goo between his fingers before shaking it off.

“You said they’re Gotham’s curse, right? Makes sense that they’d be solid here, more than the regular ghosts.”

Danny looked at him, studying his face as if his mask wasn’t there. “Yeah. I think you’re right.”

Why did he feel such a surge of glowing pride at Danny’s acknowledgement? Like passing another test. Earning his way into this world.

He caught himself. What the hell did he need to prove? He knew he was a great detective- and he could do it all without all the fancy tools and access that Bruce and his flock had.

But solving the curse ghosts was one thing. Solving Danny was what he really cared about. And to do that he needed Danny to trust him.

//

During the days that followed he tried to tend to his other cases, and he thought about Danny.

Mid stakeout of an upstart drug trafficker his mind wandered. Danny, going to class like some normal college kid. Eating lunch. Making friends. Did he have friends? Jason considered tailing him again to find out, but he thought better of it. If Danny caught him snooping now it wouldn’t be easy to explain it away, and he’d lose the burgeoning trust between them. Or burgeoning friendship. Were they friends?

Jason had made allies for less before, but with Danny he couldn’t let his guard down, not completely. Jason remembered how he took down four thugs like it was nothing. He remembered how Danny looked at him with icy eyes right before he’d dropped him off a building. Every instinct reminded him Danny was dangerous.

The back alley door he’d been watching opened and it took him two seconds longer than it should have for him to react. The men nearly saw him as he ducked his head behind the corner and out of sight.

He eavesdropped on the drug deal, mentally filing away details on where the money was going. He watched as the men got in a black car, noted the license plate. It all felt a bit pedestrian compared to the Lovecraftian beasts he now knew to be lurking in the shadows.

He’d dealt with his fate share of meta weirdness and science experiments gone wrong in Gotham. But he wondered if this was how Bruce felt after coming back from dealing with Justice Leage level business. How was he supposed to focus on small time drug trade when a supernatural threat loomed large over his city?

Amity Park continued to yield no answers, even when he deepened his search. Going out of his way to delve into Gotham library archives wielded no new leads. Newspapers, business reports, even government documents- all missing or, more worrisome, heavily redacted.

When he looked again for the scientific paper by the Drs. Fenton, it had also disappeared from the net. Good thing he’d made a backup when he first discovered it, but it meant someone wasn’t taking too kindly to him poking around.

None of what he found explained what Danny was. Or, maybe more importantly, what kind of person he was.

He remembered something Alfred had once told Bruce after long nights of fruitless research. Some things you can’t solve while holed up in your cave. Some you have to do personally.

He didnʼt remember agreeing to it but he found himself meeting up with Danny nearly every night. Even if he tried to work on his other cases, inevitably a curse ghost would show up and derail his evening plans.

Danny speculated that they sought out Jason more now because he’d proved himself a threat, the same way they came after Danny. “Now that they know your ecto signature-“ whatever the hell that was- they’ll come looking. Territorial bastards.”

“Easier than hunting them down I guess.”

“I like the positive attitude.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

They established a meeting place on the roof old hotel that sat in the heart of crime alley. There had been texts exchanged at first but as the weeks went on they became unnecessary. Jason knew that when he swung up on to the roof each night that Danny would be there waiting for him.

That particular night he landed on the roof with barely a sound. Dannyʼs eyes still flicked over immediately. He sat where he typically did on the roofs edge, and his lips turned up in a half smile as soon as he saw Jason. Excitement buzzed in Jasonʼs skin like neon. Adrenaline. Just the anticipation for the upcoming hunt, he told himself. Certainly nothing else.

They weren’t waiting long before sirens and burglar alarms rang like beacons a few streets over.

“Shall we?” Jason cracked his knuckles.

“After you.”

Jason tipped himself forward off the building, diving in a short free fall. As he neared the street he didn’t reach for his grapple gun, instead he pulled on that energy under his heart, focused on his socks and hovered the last few feet to the ground. Danny followed behind in lazy twists and curls like a leaf in the wind.

They caught up with the curse ghost on the next block over. It ran through the street, a mangy goopy dog, as tall as a truck with too-sharp teeth. As it passed lights in doorways flickered and went dark, cars honked in the streets as drivers cut each other off, the cops on the corner stopped a group of teens with hands itching at their hips.

Jason felt it too, the way that whisky burns down your throat, riling you at your core.

“Ooh it’s a real nasty one,” Danny quipped. Was it Jason’s imagination or were his teeth even sharper than usual?

So far Jason had only encountered the beasts in places already filled with death and fear and aggression. It made his skin crawl to see the effect work the other way. The beast crashed through the street like an invisible wave, spreading misfortune, inciting aggression. He tasted acid at the back of his throat.

Danny had told him the curse caused suffering and then fed on it, a cycle that perpetuated ending with it getting stronger and stronger. All at the expense of Gotham. It struck Jason as blunt as a crowbar to the side. No matter what he did as Red Hood, no matter what any of the bats did— peace in Gotham had less than a snowball’s chance in hell. Not with these beasts running wild.

He ran after it wordlessly, Danny by his side. They followed the trail of misfortune through the streets of crime alley and then into downtown proper. Jason had half a though about truces and territories made with Batman in where he could and could not operate, but any qualms blew past him as his vision tunneled on the beast.

Heat churned under his skin and he felt a swell of rage despite the fact that Danny still kept pace beside him. This rage wasn’t sharp and bright like the rage he intimately knew, instead it burned oily and black.

They rounded a corner and real heat smacked him in the face. Ahead of them a building burned vigorously, flames eating their way out windows on every floor. He watched as the curse ghost dove through the open front door into the inferno.

“Shit,” Danny hissed beside him. “I’m going in.”

Without further warning Danny disappeared, presumably diving in after the beast.

The rage still burning in his gut egged Jason on to follow. Then, a cry from above. In the window, two kids framed by an orange inferno. Below on the street other people covered in soot pointed up, desperation in their voices.

Sense snapped back to him like an ice bath, priorities set. He strode toward the building and launched a grapple line, zipping up to the window.

“Grab on tight.” He hoisted two little girls off the windowsill and they followed his instruction, clinging to his midsection. He lowered them all down just as a loud crack came from the building above as the beams began to burst.

As he set the girls on the ground the older one spoke up, her voice barely a squeak. “Our brother-“

Fuck. Jason looked back up. The window frame was nearly devoured in flame. Fuck.

The wail of sirens echoed steadily closer, but not fast enough. He couldn’t just rush in unscathed like Danny had, he wasn’t wearing the jacket that made him intangible (supposedly, he hadn’t yet made it work all the way). But he still had to do something. He gripped his grapple gun and steeled himself.

And then Danny shot out of the second story window like a comet, landing haphazardly beside Jason. Around his neck, wrapped safely within his arms, was a little boy.

The sisters cried out with joy and Danny passed the boy to them, dazed and soot covered but still breathing. Danny smiled up at Jason, ashes tangled in the mess of his black hair.

“Red Hood?”

Shit. He would recognize that voice even if he were still dead.

“Batman.” Jason turned and saw his former mentor illuminated in firelight.

Fire trucks and EMTs arrived moments later, tending to the civilians and doing what they could against the blaze. Out of the corner of his eye Jason saw a flash of the iconic red and yellow on the roof. Robin was deploying some kind of fire extinguishing smoke bombs from above.

“What happened here?” Batman was never one to mince words. Still, Jason didn’t appreciate the accusatory undertone.

“Isn’t a guy allowed to save a few kids from a burning building once in a while?” He retorted.

“You’re outside of Crime Alley. Any particular reason?”

“W—“ he glanced over his shoulder. Danny was nowhere to be seen. Good. “I was just passing through. Helped how I could. But now it seems like you and Gotham’s finest have got it handled so I’ll be on my way.”

“Wait—“

Jason in fact did not wait. He shouldered his way past running firemen and slipped deeper into the shadows behind the crowd. He remembered the invisibility cuffs and with a bit of focus he made extra certain Batman couldn’t follow.

He waited till he was safely back inside the streets of crime alley (he chuckled to himself that anyone could think of these streets as safe) before he dropped the invisibility.

He found Danny waiting for him on top of their hotel.

“You okay?” Danny asked as Jason sat next to him on the edge of the roof.

“Fine.”

“Sorry I bailed so quickly, I-“

“Batman can not find out about you,” Jason interrupted. Meta or not, Batman wouldn’t be pleased if anyone as powerful as Danny was roaming around Gotham unchecked. If Bruce saw him, if he got any sense of his capabilities, he’d certainly confront him, or worse.

“Yeah, exactly, way ahead of you,” Danny breathed. “The Dark Knight is not on the list of heroes I’d like to meet.”

Jason hummed in the affirmative, satisfied.

“You get the curse ghost?”

“What? Oh, no. Forgot about him as soon as I saw there were still people. in the building. I think I got them all out before the B man showed up.”

“You’re a hero then. Or vigilante.”

“Was. I’m retired.”

“You don’t seem retired to me.”

“It’s complicated.”

In truth Jason had been relieved when Danny flew out of the building with that kid. Relieved for the kid of course, but equally relieved that Danny had chosen the civilians over the curse ghost. It meant that maybe he was just as altruistic as he claimed to be.

“So are these ghosts better or worse than the ones in Amity Park?” Jason ventured, pushing what trust he’d built.

Danny stiffened at the mention of Amity Park.

“I never mentioned Amity.” A hint of dangerous green glinted behind his eyes. Jason swallowed.

“I know. I was curious.” He replied, as breezy as possible. Like he hadn’t spent hours scouring through old records and obscure blogs to even get this scrap of information.

Danny pressed his lips together. “I haven’t been back in a long time.”

“Not even to see your parents?” Jason was getting reckless now.

“No.” Hard and cold as stone. “They’re not there anymore.”

Noted. Fenton parents were a subject to avoid with Danny. And a subject he would need to redouble his research on.

“And yeah. All ghosts are similar everywhere. Aside from the Curse Ghosts.” Danny offered, the chill fading from the air.

Getting info off of him was easy if Jason asked the right questions. Figuring out the questions was the hard part.

“How did they even get here then? The Curse Ghosts.” Jason asked. “Is there a portal close by?” Portal like the one the Fentons may or may not have created, like the one that supposedly killed Danny.

“No, they’re special. They form here in Gotham, no portal necessary,” came Danny’s unguarded reply. His gaze was far off, down into the streets like he could see them there.

“Actually,” Danny got that conspiratorial look as he turned to Jason, “Come with me.”

//

“Iʼve been trying to find a pattern for where the curse ghosts show up.” Danny sat at the messy desk in his apartment. Jason leaned over his shoulder as he pointed to a map on an outdated monitor.

It was Gotham, with red points dotting various locations. Jason recognized a few as locations theyʼd fought Curse Ghosts together but there were dozens more spots that Jason hadnʼt been at.

“Crime Alley is one obvious hot spot. Plenty of misery here to feed off of. But also— here by the docks, in the business district, by city hall, at Arkham.”

“So, anywhere.” Jason deadpanned.

Danny shot him a look. He clicked a key and another layer of dots showed up on the map.

“News stories of note- strange deaths, corruption, theft. Thereʼs always a surge after a beast shows up.”

“Seems obvious. And unhelpful.”

Danny huffed. “Yeah, well, usually one of your seventeen resident vigilantes shows up and restores order before things get too bad. Starves ‘em out a bit, unlike the big fish we were after tonight. But this is still helpful to get a bead on those to avoid real disasters.”

Jason studied the map layered with articles. “There has to be a way to predict where they’ll form.”

Danny hit a few keys and tossed him a thumb drive. “Knock yourself out.”

Danny leaned back in his chair. He looked tired.

Jason changed the subject. “So what do you study?”

“Huh?”

He gestured to the GU hoodie and various homework-esque bits around the room.

“Oh. Mechanical Engineering,” Danny replied with limited enthusiasm. “What about you? You go to school?”

“Not since I died.” Jason replied. Danny winced. “But itʼs okay. Not really my scene.”

“Oh cmon. There must be something youʼd want to study.”

“Maybe- no. Itʼs stupid.” Jason sat down on the arm of the sofa- the one that was still mostly intact.

“They have all sorts of weird degrees you can do now. You could do Crimonogy. Physicology. Extreme weightlifting with a minor in anthropology.”

“Or Literature.”

“What?” The corners of Danny’s mouth quirked up as he turned toward Jason.

“You know- the classics. Novels. The poets. That kind of stuff.”

Dannyʼs face curled into a smile. “Didnʼt peg you for the type.”

“You donʼt know me.” Jason was thankful the helmet hid the heat rising to his face.

“Touché.”

“Why mechanical engineering?” Jason countered.

“My grades were so shit in high school it was kind of a fall back.” Jason raised a doubting eyebrow.

“No really,” Danny continued, “I grew up around my parents tinkering. I couldnʼt help but pick it up. Much easier than studying Literature.”

“But do you actually like it?”

He shrugged. “Iʼm good at it. Isn’t that basically the same thing?”

Jason snorted. “Not at all. You still get to choose.”

Danny turned away, hiding his face. The silence stretched on for a long moment. Then, “So why are you a crime lord instead of a literature professor?”

Jason considered the question. Truthfully it hadn’t considered doing anything but what he did. This life he lived felt a bit inevitable. On his worst days maybe he’d considered giving up, but then his anger would always come snarling back. Anger at Bruce, anger at the Joker, anger at Gotham itself. Fighting was his only reprieve.

Or so he thought, before he met Danny. Before the irrationality of his rage had been doused completely for the first time since his death. For the first time it felt like he had room to consider. Room to choose.

“Gotham needs someone like me. As soon as it doesn’t you can catch me in the lecture hall teaching Jane Eyre.”

Danny considered him with a hint of a smile. “I’ll be sure to register for that credit when you do.”

[Tf2 headcannon thingy] how would everyone react to scouts ex leaving him with a kid

Oooh, spicy! Real spicy!

TF2 Deadbeat Ex Headcanons

Engineer:

Is one of the few mercs that actually knows anything about children.

The kid likes Engie best he is a) not scarily massive and b) doesn’t treat them like some animal escaped from the zoo.

His rage is well hidden, but god forbid the ex ever shows up at the base again.

The ex actually showed up with a new boyfriend, wanting some of their clothes back.

“Well, no problem, pardner. Lemme just...treat ‘em first. For lice and th’ like. Y’know how dirty us mercenaries can be.”

He shuts the door, opens it a few minutes later with a shoebox of ashes, then slams the door in the ex’s face.

Demo:

Will come in handy when the kid gets a little older, and he likes to hold the baby occasionally, but when it comes to actually taking care of it, he can’t be trusted.

“Ah, my ma gave me whiskey when I was a lad ‘n I turned out fine...”

As for the ex?

He’d be apathetic when sober - he’s seen it all before.

But drunk?

Someone’s house is getting blown up while a victorious Scottish battle song is played on a crappy MP3 player.

Medic:

Has a real soft spot for children, being a doctor and all, but every person under twelve that isn’t insane gives him a wide girth.

So, for a while, he avoided the baby, only giving it the initial check-up.

However, one night, the baby was crying, and he was the only one awake. He immediately donned his gloves and lab coat and went into the baby’s room, which was a cleaned out supply room with a crib and a few of Pyro’s old toys.

The baby didn’t need anything specific - the new place and the darkness had simply scared it.

Medic reached into crib and tried to pick up the child, but they only screamed louder. He hurriedly took off his gloves and tried again.

The baby calmed a bit, now only whining and whimpering. Medic turned on a lamp and rocked the baby in his arms.

The baby fell back asleep after a while, but Medic kept rocking it for a little longer.

Scout came in at one point, and Medic showed him how to properly hold the baby before disappearing back into his lab.

Ever since then, Medic felt both more affection for the child and more hatred towards the ex.

When he is tired or unmotivated, he sometimes makes little machines of torture in case the ex ever crosses him again.

Sniper:

Doesn’t hate kids, but doesn’t particularly like them, either.

Unless they can properly aim a gun or appreciate Taylor Swift, him and children have nothing in common.

He was actually the one to suggest the break-up to Scout, though, so he feels a little bad for putting his teammate in that position.

He mostly acts as a person for Scout to talk with, especially about being an adult and the feelings he still has for his ex.

“You did the right thing, mate. She made your life a living ‘ell...I’ve seen some pieces ‘a work in my time, but she was the whole bloody museum.”

He definitely has moments with the baby, though, despite his reluctance.

One time, he was cleaning his gun, and cocked it to make sure it moved smoothly.

The baby started giggling, so Sniper cocked his gun again, which sent them into hysterics.

A few minutes later, they were both laughing, and Miss Pauling poked her head in to see them both on the floor, guffawing.

Once Sniper got ahold of himself, he said, “That there is a future mercenary!”

Heavy:

LOVES children, but it took the baby a while to realize that this giant of a man was on their side.

Knows the most about children out of all the mercenaries, and is the go-to for a baby-sitter when Scout has an assignment.

Heavy doesn’t hold anything against the ex, though he doesn’t respect nor condone their actions.

He was the one who discussed the matter with the ex - he was the only one who wouldn’t kill them.

“You are leaving child with man you loved for three months. We will take. Heavy will take. But child now is not yours. You are not ma. You are just stranger. Do not come back. Heavy will break you.”

He also consoled Scout when he was the most upset, building him back up to his old self...well, as much as Heavy could.

Spy:

Really doesn’t like children, but puts up with it for Scout’s sake.

Never holds it, takes care of it, or even looks at it. However, he did stop smoking around it without Pauling even having to ask.

One day, he saw Scout crying outside of the baby’s room. Scout tried to pass it off as fatigue, but Spy, uncharacteristically gentle, stood with him until he could speak without sobbing.

Scout said he couldn’t be a father, and that only a few weeks ago he had blown up the lab, and what would happen if he killed it...!

“Scout.”

Spy put a hand on Scout’s shoulder.

“You may be impulsive, illiterate, vainglorious, a bit self-absorbed, and generally immature...”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Shut up. I’m not finished. But, all of that said, you are not cruel. You are not stupid. You are not vindictive. You took this child, despite everything, and you have taken care of them. You still wish good things upon a broken-off lover, and you took her creation with determination. Many men would leave such an offer on the side of the road or in an abandoned schoolhouse. If you can overcome such a deep loss, you can take care of a child. You are ready.”

“Really?”

“Oui. Besides, you have a doctor, a muscle-bound love bug, and, if all else fails, a woman. You are not alone.”

“Wait, so...you’ll help me change them?”

“Hell no. Well...not yet, anyway. Time will tell.”

Soldier:

Soldier is the one to bring all the supplies, food, and anything else the baby might need anywhere the team would need to take it.

He also buys most of it, since he is so ready to go to a gas station in the middle of the night.

However, this did lead to an odd exchange between him and an old woman.

“Oh, running out for the wife, I see!”

“SCOUT’S A DAD!”

“A...a dad? Oh, are you an uncle? A brother, perhaps?”

“WE’RE ALL DADS!”

“How...how many of you are there?”

“AT LEAST THREE!”

“Oh, mercy...”

When it comes to the baby, both Scout and Miss Pauling are hesitant to leave him alone with it.

Maybe when the kid is a little older.

Pyro:

Would love to hold and play with the baby, but it cries every time they get near it.

They refuse to take off their mask, but Miss Pauling always finds them sadly rocking a bunched up blanket whenever the baby gets freaked out.

In order to combat the problem, Miss Pauling got them a realistic baby doll to hold while the real thing was being passed around.

It definitely helped, but there are still times when they’re a little melancholy about it.

The only way they can really interact with the baby is through their puppet shows.

Since he can’t be understood anyway and no one can see his mask, the baby’s delighted by the shows Pyro puts on.

Pyro is slowly but surely gained the baby’s trust by having a puppet on one hand while holding the baby in the other.

As for the ex, the team has only told them vague things about it. They aren’t sure how they’ll react, and the last thing they need is another criminal trial.

For now, they’re just saying that they found the kid.

FORGETFUL T.D.

Summary: You were maybe a little too forgetful at times, after all these years, Tim still wasn’t used to it. 

Warning: Fluff

A/N: This may or may not be based off the fact that I do in fact forget that I do not have 20/20 vision. 

Also I’ve finally got back to my laptop after a week and let me tell you did I miss writing 😫 some posts might be delayed, sorry 😭

Word Count: 1.9k

Tim hated how forgetful you were.

He hated that that you forgot the simplest of things like taking the trash out or emptying the dishwasher. You forgot dates, when you were supposed to meet up with him, and birthdays. Your memory was horrible, you didn't wish for it to be, but you couldn't help it. Forgetting things has been a problem your whole life.

Hell, you would even forget the punchline to the joke that you were telling.

What you lacked in memory, you made up for in fighting. You had been a vigilante for far longer than Tim had. Where he was an amazing detective, you were a lethal weapon. The two of you together was the perfect combination when it came to crime fighting. It was why Batman always set the two of you together.

Bruce Wayne never adopted you as a kid - you had your own great parents. However, after figuring out that Barbra Gordon - a family friend of yours - was Batgirl, you somehow figured out the rest of the gang. Bruce reluctantly agreed to train you. However, he learned pretty quickly just how forgetful you were.

It was frustrating at first. He was the world's greatest detective, a great memory had to be part of the gig. However, he learned to accommodate to you, that was how you got paired up with Tim when he joined the team. The two of you were close, too close to be just friends.

It was only after a few months of constantly working together did the two of you start dating as well. A year after that, the two of you moved in together. That was when Tim really started to realize just how forgetful you really were. As much as it drove him crazy, he also found it too adorable.

Tim got into the habit of leaving sticky notes everywhere for you to remember. You loved to read his little notes - even though they were to remind you to do something that you didn't even want to do in the first place. He always left a little heart at the bottom of it.

Half the time you didn't even have to say anything and Tim was already handing you something that you misplaced. He was your blessing, your savior.

You could be his downfall sometimes. On missions, you forced yourself to go over the plan several times so that it would stick. Thankfully, for the most part you were pretty good at remembering what needed to be done and when. You knew the costs of what would happen if you messed up and made sure that a failed mission was never on you.

That didn't mean you would forget the small things, like restocking weapons and gadgets. There were a few times that you would be out fighting on the streets and run out of batarangs to throw. It would leave you in trouble and someone would have to come give you a hand. Thankfully, it was never a big enough mistake to have someone's life taken.

You and Tim were well into adult hood and had been dating for years. As you got older, the more you realized how much you loved him. It was like everyday there was something new about him that you fell in love with even more.

That week, Tim was already upset with you because you had forgot about the date night that he had planned. You tried your best to make it up to him, but he was still rather upset about it. You had tried every trick in the book - puppy eyes, the pout, doing everything that he asked above and beyond, even treating him with home cooked meals every day. None of it worked.

"Tim," you sighed. He was working at his desk on his laptop, back towards you and no sign of giving you any attention. You stalked towards him, wrapping your arms over his shoulders and placing a bunch of kisses against his cheek. "Tim, I'm sorry. I know this date meant a lot to you, I didn't mean to forget about it."

"I know you didn't," Tim sighed. He turned his head slightly so you could kiss his lips this time. "I know you never mean to forget, it's just... I had a lot planned."

"What can I do to make up for it?" You asked. After trying all week, you were out of ideas. Tim didn't really answer you, so you had taken it upon yourself to sit on his lap so you had all your attention. "Timmy, please."

"Let's get ready for patrol," Tim suggested. He gave you a quick peck on the lips before grabbing you by the legs and carrying you into where you kept your suits. If he was still giving you kisses then he couldn't have been that mad. There was only once that he went three days without so much as a cheek kiss.

Reluctantly, you followed Tim's request to go out on patrol without another plea to get him to forgive you. This wasn't the first time that you had forgotten about a date with him, he was never this upset about it before. It was best not to worry about it while you were out in the city, distractions were never good in Gotham.

You and Tim were perched on a rooftop that overlooked the city. It wasn't until you were up there, did you realize that once again you had forgotten something: your contacts.

Lucky for you, your eyesight wasn't terrible. It was bad enough that you shouldn't drive without your glasses but you could easily make it through a day in your house without them. However protecting Gotham while having to make precise, metric moves? That was something that you shouldn't have forgotten contacts for.

Since Tim was already mad at you for forgetting one thing that week, you decided that it was best not to say anything. You were too far from home to just go grab a pair and you didn't exactly carry any on you - after tonight it was probably a good idea to throw a pair into your belt in case this happened again.

The night was fine at first, you and Tim took down a few thugs with ease. You didn't miss your contacts too much and thankfully whenever you threw a weapon, Tim didn't notice how bad your aim was. It was brutal had many times you missed your target and you were sure that the people you were fighting noticed.

You and Tim were back on the rooftop scouting the city. Tim spotted another crime from down below and pulled out his grappling gun to get there. You had done the same, and aimed it in the same spot that Tim had his. However, without your contacts, you had missed entirely and you were already jumping from the roof.

It took you less than a second to realize that you were free-falling. Lucky for you, it took Tim even less time.

"(Y/N)!" Tim yelled, not caring that he used your real name. Tim had already landed in the spot that he had desired to and thanks to his incredible reflexes, he had managed to shoot his grappling hook back towards you. You were meters from hitting the ground before Tim had snatched you up.

The two of you stood on the ledge, hearts racing from what had just happened. You nearly died, all because you were stupid enough to forget your contacts.

Tim didn't care that you were on the job, he pulled you in for a long, panicked kiss. He swore that you could hear his heart racing through his chest. You had come to a lot of close calls but this was completely different than anything you had gone through. Never had a near death been your own fault.

"What the hell was that?" Tim still held your face in his hands, scared to ever let you go again.

"I, uh," you looked down in shame. It was ridiculous and you didn't want to admit the truth. "I forgot my contacts at home."

Tim's eyes closed and an annoyed breath escaped him. You could only stand there and watch as he walked away from you. Tim frustratingly paced back and forth in front of you with his hands being thrown up in the air. He was pissed at you, it was obvious.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Tim finally spoke again. "This is ridiculous, how did you forget your contacts? Why did you not say anything? You could have died right there! Do you know how heart broken I would have been? How we all would have been? Just because you forgot your contacts! I'm tired of this, (Y/N). This is getting out of hand."

"Red Robin-" You cut yourself. This wasn't the time to use your hero names, not when he was so emotional about this. "Tim. I'm sorry. You were already mad about this week and I didn't want to upset you more. I should have known better, I'm sorry. I've been trying to be better, I really am."

"Fuck, (Y/N)," Tim stalked back to you. He pulled you into a hug, a much needed one. As angry and frustrated as he was, it didn’t mean he didn’t love you and it didn’t mean he wasn’t worried. "I'm just glad you're okay, I love you."

"I love you too," You mumbled into him. "I'm going to make that date up to you, tonight, everything that I've ever done wrong. I just wish you would tell me why you were so upset this time."

Tim pulled just enough away from you that he could look into your masked eyes. The rough texture of his gloves glided against your skin but you didn't mind. "I had big plans for that night."

"What kind of plans?"

"Plans that I wanted to ask you to marry me," Tim revealed with the tiniest of smiles on his lips. He wanted this to be special, you deserved the most grand, meaningful proposal but he knew that you couldn't forgive yourself unless you knew why he was upset. This was why, Tim Drake wanted to make you his wife, and you had simply just forgotten about his plans.

"Tim," You barely whispered, shocked by his news. You crashed into him, kissing him with every ounce of love that you had. Marrying him was always something in the back of your mind, but never this early. Tim grinned into this kiss and pulled you completely flush against his body.

"Will you marry me, (Y/N) (L/N)?" Tim asked. He didn't have the ring, and he wasn't down on one knee. Hell, the two of you weren't even yourself right now - you both were in complete suit with masks on. Yet, with how dysfunctional you both were, this seemed to be more perfect than anything you could have imagined.

"Yes!" You nodded. Tears threatened to spill down your cheeks and you could barely contain the happiness in you. You kissed Tim once more. Tim couldn't wait for the day that he was going to be able to kiss you while calling you his wife.

"Just promise me you won't forget our wedding day."

if ur still taking them... 28 pyroscout 🥺

pyro tf2 said trans rights and scout tf2 said disaster bi rights and the team said queer rights and that’s what’s up, sis. (warning for discussion of past transphobia and other queer issues)

#28: First kiss.

It wasn’t that Scout was all that surprised to have Pyro end up as basically his best friend. He’d secretly been hoping that he’d get to be friends with a few of his coworkers when he’d taken the job, and Pyro was pretty close to him in age and shared a few of the same interests as him so it wasn’t unreasonable to expect to get along. It was just…

Maybe it would be more accurate to say that it was a little bit of an honor.

They hung out in plenty of places—watching TV or playing card games in the common room, hopping into a car and heading into town to watch the latest movie once or twice (or like eight times if they both really liked it), sometimes out back to start a bonfire or something for the hell of it.

But Pyro’s room tended to be his favorite hangout location of theirs, because that was the only place where they were okay with taking off their mask and suit.

Pyro had tried very hard not to make a big deal out of it the first time they’d unmasked in front of Scout. He’d been confused about what they were doing unclasping the bottom of it, since they didn’t have any food with them or anything and that was the only reason they usually did that—to sneak bites of food beneath. But then they shucked the whole thing up and over their head, shaking their head to re-orient themselves, sending their hair—he’d never thought about what Pyro’s hair had to be like before, how had he never thought of that?—bouncing around their face loosely, half-flattened but clearly very naturally curly. Pyro had to take a moment to fish something else out of their mask, a cap of some kind, probably to hold their hair down, and they clearly were trying very hard to avoid eye contact, nervous.

Scout, for once, was at a loss for words, mouth flapping in a way that was probably pretty similar to a fish for something like thirty seconds straight.

“Hey,” he finally managed, pointing at his own face where assorted freckles dotted his cheeks. “We match.”

Pyro glanced up at him, a little startled, then barked a laugh, and it sounded so much better when it wasn’t muffled. They hesitated a few more moments before they pulled off their gloves as well and set all of the newly-shed pieces of uniform down on their cluttered desk, fidgeting severely. “I guess so,” Pyro confirmed, and Scout had never noticed before that they had a very slight accent, too light for him to pick out what it had to be. “I’d never, I couldn’t tell before. With the…”

They pantomimed something up near their eyes, words stalling on them. It took Scout a few seconds to get what they meant. “With the mask?” he asked for confirmation. They nodded. “Oh. Huh. So it’s kinda like your first time seeing me too, huh?”

Pyro laughed. “I guess so,” they repeated, scratching at their stubble self-consciously, or maybe just because they finally could, and then Scout made an effort to both just move on with the rest of what all they were planning on doing when they hung out and also with not staring too much.

The jump to stripping off their suit as far as the tank top and thick-but-tight sweatpants they wore underneath was done a few weeks later when Scout had demonstrated that he wasn’t planning on saying anything, and he was only a little surprised by the plethora of burn marks and scars dotting their skin. He’d noticed an awful lot of scars all over Pyro, and he figured it was probably from when Pyro had been working as a mercenary before Mann Co., something he was aware had happened but hadn’t been able to coax Pyro into talking about. But it was nothing heinous, nothing that he figured warranted a full-body suit to hide it.

He tried to work out how exactly to ask Pyro why they wore the suit without being weird or rude. Luckily, he didn’t have to.

“I appreciate it, you know,” Pyro said one day unprompted, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. They were sat a foot or so apart on Pyro’s bed and drawing, Scout sketching out a dramatic rendition of a particularly funny pose he’d seen the enemy Sniper land in when he died and Pyro apparently drawing yet another unrealistically bright technicolor landscape.

“What?” Scout asked, glancing over at them, more obviously than he’d been occasionally doing the whole time they’d been drawing together. They tended to do this really adorable thing where they stuck their tongue out a little bit when they were concentrating, and Scout had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from smiling every time he saw it.

“That you don’t…” They hesitated. “…I dunno. That you don’t try and guess, now that you’ve seen me.”

Scout tilted his head. “Huh?”

Pyro’s gaze flickered to him and back down again almost too quickly to see. “You keep… not calling me anything,” they said. “Except for dude sometimes, but, you call everyone that anyways. That you still try and use “pal” or “buddy” instead of “man” or “lady” or whatever.”

Scout blinked.

Admittedly, there had been a good month or two right after he joined the team where he didn’t know how to refer to Pyro, and had just gone with using “he”, figuring it would be the less offensive assumption for someone in a mercenary career. Then at some point Engie finally sat him down and explained things to him, and after about a week of stumbling he finally got in the practice of using “they” and other words that weren’t particularly for a guy or girl. He couldn’t say that he really got it in a lot of ways, but he’d worked hard to learn the rules on how to be polite, because he figured he owed them that at the very minimum, if nothing else.

“What do you mean?” he asked after a second.

Pyro turned the marker in their hand over and over again. “Back before I started wearing the suit,” they started to explain, gesturing loosely at the suit in question, laid down on the chair at their desk like a deflated second Pyro (and admittedly sometimes scaring the shit out of Scout when he forgot it was there and noticed it in his periphery). “I would try and tell people I worked with that I wasn’t a guy or a girl, and they’d say sure, whatever, who cares, as long as you can kill people. But they’d look at me and start referring to me as a guy anyways. Sometimes a girl, but not usually. And only as… as neither, or both, or whatever, when I corrected them and maybe for a little while after.” They scratched at their stubble again. It was getting longer, and they’d probably shave pretty soon, if Scout knew them. “And it’s just… I always wondered what it was. I’d try and go clean-shaven all the time, wax, I wore makeup once or twice even to try and balance it out, but all that did was make them refer to me as a girl more, or look at me weird. I couldn’t seem to find the middle. So eventually I just put on the suit so nobody would… get hints anymore.”

Scout frowned, but didn’t know exactly what to say. “That’s the fuckin’ worst,” he decided on.

“I know, right?!” Pyro gushed, as if the dam had broken and they were finally allowed to feel mad about it. They sighed hard, pushing their hair out of their eyes, even if they just bounced right back into place a moment later. “They always respected me professionally, but what’s it take for a person to get called the right name, y’know!? Did they want me to wear a stupid t-shirt with instructions on it!?” Another sigh, then they looked up at Scout with those deep brown eyes of theirs, the ones that flooded Scout with an inexplicable sense of comfort. “And I guess I just wanted to say thanks. For not… I dunno. Being weird.”

Scout nodded, hesitated. “So I’ve been doin’ that right?” he asked suddenly, unable to stop himself.

Pyro smiled at him warmly. “You’ve been doing great, probably the best job anyone’s ever done,” they assured, and Scout knew his own smile was probably goofy and stupid looking, but he couldn’t bite it back.

“Thanks,” he said, having to look away, and Pyro laughed.

“And, I dunno. There was also this weird thing where I tried to date for a while and people kept not taking me seriously, then one day someone finally gave me a shot but got all weird and just straight up asked me what equipment I had on the second date and it was the worst.”

“I mean, none’a their fuckin’ business is what unless they’re asking if they should pack a condom,” Scout scoffed.

“Right!? It just sucked because most people would say “oh, I’m just into girls” or try and like, swing it as if I’m a guy and therefore it was totally cool, and only twice did I find someone who would go for whoever and one got weird about it and the other one is the person I took on two dates. Only person who ever gave me any real respect about it could only go on one date with me, and she was only cool because she kind of had some special circumstances going on too, then she had a contract abroad and we had to cut things off. And I just—I dunno. I wish people who went either way would… I dunno.”

“Hey, I fit that bill, and I’d totally date you,” Scout said, and then realized what he’d just said out loud.

Pyro was staring at him openly, mouth a little agape. They tried to start talking twice without success before finally managing it on the third attempt. “You’re bisexual?” they asked, a little surprised.

Scout immediately began backtracking. “I mean, I, I dunno,” he said quickly, looking away, face on fire, “I, it isn’t like I’ve ever really even gotten to date any, anyone but a couple girls and stuff, and, I, thinking and doing are kinda two different things, and y’know, labels and, and…”

They raised an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, yeah, I think I’m bi,” he finally admitted. “But you can’t fuckin’ tell anyone, got it? The guys already get all up in my grill about callin’ me gay all the time and, and Medic asking when the coming out party is and, and Sniper going all “what’s with the pride meeting?” and shit like that, I just, I don’t need any more of that fuckin’ nonsense, okay?”

“You know half of them do those jokes because they’re not straight either, right?” Pyro asked flatly.

Scout blinked. “The Doc and Snipes are gay?” he asked, surprised.

Pyro gave him a look.

“…Okay, I guess that’s, that tracks,” he admitted. “But—how many, who all’s…?”

“Far as I know, just Medic, Sniper, Heavy, and Spy, and those last two are also bi or something like that, and I think Demo doesn’t really swing any way,” Pyro said. “You really didn’t know? I thought they were pretty out about it.”

“Nobody tells me anything!” Scout said defensively.

“That’s fair. But… I dunno, I’m obviously not gonna go out and break out the news with confetti and streamers for you, but… I think they wouldn’t really care,” Pyro shrugged. “If anything they’d just try and wingman for you more.”

Scout thought about that for a while. “Man, what are the odds that we’d get a goddamn queer collective out in the middle of a fuckin’ desert?” he asked suddenly.

“Have you maybe considered that the people who’d go out into a desert away from civilization might be queer people trying to be more themselves where they can’t get as much backlash?” Pyro suggested.

“…Shit. That makes a lot of sense actually,” he admitted.

Quiet for a few seconds. “Let’s circle back around to that part where you said you’d totally go for someone like me,” Pyro said suddenly.

Scout pulled his hat down over his face, feeling it go red again. “Shut the fuck up, dude,” he protested, annoyed at how whiny it came out. “I didn’t mean to say it out loud.”

“Do you think about making out with me a lot?” Pyro asked, tone clearly teasing now, and Scout groaned.

“Oh my god, shut up,” he muttered. “I come out to you and you just start fuckin’ bullying me? That’s the play?”

“Duh,” Pyro laughed, and pinched his cheek, making him flush further as he batted their hand away.

“I’m just sayin’ that you’re good-looking and funny and anyone would be lucky to date you, okay?” Scout finally said, trying not to let more embarrassment flood through his voice.

That got Pyro to grin sheepishly, picking up their drawing again. “You’re sweet,” was all they managed to reply with, quieter now.

“The sweetest guy on the planet,” Scout agreed, picking up his own drawing as well, and Pyro elbowed him in the ribs, making him squawk.

He ended up coming out to Engie offhandedly during their lunch break about a week later, and he only even managed it because Pyro was sitting and eating next to him, their knee pressing into his own and bringing him enough comfort to broach the topic. Engie was immediately supportive, and ended the conversation with a pat on his shoulder and by saying he was proud of him for having to courage to say something.

That gave Scout a burst of confidence, and he ended up dragging Pyro around for the rest of the day as he came out to other teammates as well, first Demo and Soldier right after battle (Soldier needed an additional few moments of explanation but overall they were both glad to hear the news), then Medic and Heavy where they were sitting playing chess in the common room (once Heavy got past the language barrier, he offered Scout a solemn high-five in solidarity, which he accepted gratefully). Sniper was reserved for the next day, outside where he was setting up the grill to take his turn making the team dinner (he was a little awkward for a moment, clearly a bit confused and not having expected anyone to come talk to him, but once he caught on to what Scout was saying he offered one of his rare smiles and a few supportive words). 

Oddly enough, Spy was the one that made him the most nervous for reasons he couldn’t pin down, maybe partially because he didn’t bring Pyro along, but he probably handled it the most easily, treating it as no big deal at all, simply pausing for a moment before giving a flippant “Alright. Was that all, mon ami?” and shooing him back out of his smoking room shortly after.

“Look at you,” Pyro said appraisingly when he showed up to hang out in their room, clapping him on the shoulder, clearly noticing the fact that he was practically glowing.

“Didn’t even get beat up or shoved in a locker,” he said cheerfully.

Pyro looked at him for another second or two before they finally just swept him up in a hug, squeezing him almost too-tight in their excitement. “I’m so proud of you!” they exclaimed softly, and he returned the hug, burying his face in their hair when he became sure that he wouldn’t get in trouble for it, surprised and delighted by how very nice it smelled. Vanilla-y and a little coconut-y, warm like everything else about them.

It was only through the combination of circumstances—riding the nervous high from being newly-out for the first time in his life, and being all wrapped up in a hug with his best friend, and his nose being greeted by the smell of the very appealing shampoo they apparently used—that he got the exact level of confidence to do what he did next. They pulled away from the hug finally to look up at him with that same proud smile, and he leaned down and kissed them square on the mouth.

It was three or four seconds before he pulled away again with a tiny, almost-inaudible little smeck. He smiled down at them, feeling the wildly spinning combination of euphoria and fear and excitement and apprehension and thrill and terror swirling around in his chest. Their lips were slightly parted, and they stared up at him with wonder. If he ever drew the moment, he would probably draw Pyro’s pupils in the shape of little hearts, the way they were looking at him just then.

“Oh,” they said breathlessly, and laughed a little. “So you were serious when you said you’d go for someone like me, then?”

Scout laughed, couldn’t stifle it, rising up through his chest alongside his heart. “Yeah, duh,” he said, voice tinted a little higher than usual.

“Well shit, then get back down here,” Pyro said, and tugged on his shirt, and he readily obliged.

What Once Was Lost (The Mandalorian)

Part 1

A/n: This is my first fic in tumblr and I’m so excited to share it with you guys. This will take place during the mandala rain and have flashbacks to the clone ward and early empire. I hope you enjoy!! -Gen

Vaka Aerith never expected to be drawn back into a life of war and bounties. She had planned to live out the rest of her days on Sorgan but when a certain Mandalorian comes to town, that all changes.

Din Djaren x OC

Warnings: Slight Cursing

It has been a long time since the fall of the Republic, of the Jedi order. Vaka Aerith sometimes misses the war. Even though she knows both sides were heavily corrupt. That was really the only life she knew.

It had been a few days since the attack on the farming village Vaka and Kix had been staying at and some farmers went to get reinforcements for a neighboring port. Not many people knew of their pasts and they want to keep it that way. She was afraid of who would find them and wanted to keep a low profile. She was in the barn setting up for the bounty hunter that would be arriving when she felt a presence. It was something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Another force sensitive and a very powerful one at that. She quickly got up and left when she heard children yelling that they had arrived. When she got to the cart she stayed behind everyone else. Concealed by the shadows just like her partner who stood next to her.

The first thing she noticed was the Beskar armor the Mandalorian wore. Beskar was something neither of them had seen in a long time and she was intrigued by him. Her eyes soon focused on the small green creature That popped up over the side of the cart.

“This can’t be real.” Vaka spoke quietly, eyes still trained on the small creature.

“You’re seeing a tiny master Yoda too?” Kix questioned in the same state of shock as his friend. Vaka nodded and subconsciously moved closer toward it. This did not go unnoticed by the Mandalorian. When she got close enough to touch the baby, she felt a gloved hand wrap around her upper arm. Her reflexes take hold and she quickly takes her attacker to the ground and pulls around a vibroblade. She shapes out of her state when she hears Kix yelling from behind her. She realizes she has the Bounty Hunter pinned to the ground with a blade to his neck and scrambles off of his body. Vaka peers through the mask and can feel the man staring back at her in shock. Vaka is soon pulled off the ground by Kix and they both walk back towards their shared hut.

“What were you thinking!” Kix yelled once they were in the confines of the hut. “He’s a Bounty Hunter! He could have a fob on one of us.” Kix continued to yell but it fell on deaf ears as Vaka was too busy thinking about the creature to hear any of what he was ranting about.

“Are you even listening to me?” Kix knelled down to Vaka level once he noticed the far away look in her eyes. He sighed and went to sit next to her, wrapping his strong muscular arms around her in the process.

“I just don’t want you to be taken away from me. You are the only person I have and I can’t lose you.” He whispered to her as he held on to her tight.

“I don’t want to lose you either. I just don’t know what to think. The child’s force signature is so strong it clouded my mind. I’m sorry.” Vaka turned towards Kix and held onto him just as tight. They stayed like that for a long time. Enjoying each other’s company.

“I think it would be best for you to apologize to the Hunter.” Kix broke the silence and let his arms fall to his sides, removing the blanket of warmth and safety that Vaka knew all too well.

“You’re right.” Vaka reluctantly got off of her bed and went to the barn that she has set up for the newcomers to sleep in.

As Vaka neared the small building she heard the hunter talking to someone. She hid just out of sight.

“I stacked some blankets over there for you.” Vaka recognized the voice of Omera wafting through the thin walls of the structure.

“That was very kind of you. Who was that girl from earlier? The Mirialan.” Mando asked, intrigued by the young woman who came from a species he had never seen before.

“Oh that was Vaka. She came to us a few years back. She is very kind, I think you just startled her.” Omera started walking out of the barn. Once she was out of sight, Vaka took her opportunity to enter the new home of the bounty hunter. When she entered the Mandalorian quickly pulled a blaster out. Vaka raised her hands in mock surrender. Once he recognized the figure, he slowly lowered the blaster to his side. The pair stood in silence for a minute before Vaka spoke up.

“I’m sorry for my reaction earlier. I don’t like being touched that much.” Vaka mumbled quietly. Her face began to heat up from the embarrassment and she began to leave when a voice stopped her.

“The woman said you came here a few years ago. What were you before that?” He questioned the retreating figure.

“What do you mean?” Mando looked at the woman as her voice faltered and her jaw clenched. No one had asked about her past for a long time.

“Well you obviously aren’t a farmer. You carry yourself like a soldier.” He said moving closer to her. He was intrigued by this girl who looked no more than mid twenties but carried herself like someone who had seen too much. An emotion passed through her eyes that did not go unnoticed by the man.

“I don’t know you well enough to answer that question.” Vaka was angry at the new found question and hurried to leave the barn passing the child on the way out. He held his hand out to grab her pant leg but she was gone before he could do so. Vaka went back to her hut and didn’t come out until Omera came in to break the silence. When she walked in she noticed the seemingly young woman in a deep meditation.

“I told them you would go with them to scout the area.” Vaka was snapped out of her concentration by Omera.

“You did what! I can’t be involved with them.” Vaka walked over to Omera. “What if they figure out who I am. What I am.” The last part of her statement came out in a faint whisper. Almost too quiet for Omera to hear.

“It will be good for you. You could get off of this planet. See the galaxy.” Omera placed a hand on Vaka’s shoulder and gave a small smile. “Come on. Do this for me. They seem okay.” Vaka glanced through the open door of the small room.

Vaka sighed “Okay, I’ll do it.” She quickly picked up the DC-15A laying by her side, sling the tired and full looking sling around her broad shoulders and marched out of the hut with an aura of determination about her.

——————————————————————————

“I swear i’ve seen that girl before. I just can’t put my finger on it.” Cara Dune was standing with the Bounty Hunter in the outskirts of the farm waiting for their third companion to arrive.

Mando turned at the sound of the woman speaking. “Maybe she’s a rebel?” He turned away once hearing the rustling of branches. The young Mirialan woman in question was approaching from the building they assumed was her home. Vaka paused her walking once hearing her partner calling her name.

“Vaka, be careful with them. The shock trooper seemed like she recognized you.” Kix looked at the woman, eyes widened in fear. He couldn’t lose anyone else, both of them had already lost so much. All they had was each other at the end of the day.

“I’ll be fine Kix. you’re going to have to learn to trust my judgement eventually.” Vaka smiled and rested her hand on the taller man's shoulder and smiled a faint smile that seemed to relax the old soldier's worries. Kix watches a small smile on his face, as Vaka retreats to the outskirts of the village to meet the awaiting pair of outsides. They reminded her of herself and Kix when they arrived on Sorgun.

The Mandalorian already had his eyes trained on the woman when she finally joined the group. “So, shall we begin?” Vaka paused and waited for a response that never came. “I’m Vaka Aerith.” She tried to make conversation with the two skeptics.

She sighed, “Well if you’re not going to talk, I suggest we get going. We should get this done before nightfall.” Vaka stated, walking deeper into the dense, green forest to find the attackers. Man do and Cara shared a look before swiftly following after her.

As the trio made their way through the forest, they caught sight of some tracks and began to follow. It had been quiet for the majority of the journey.

Cara was the first to speak. “What can you tell us about the fighters?” Cara directed her question to Vaka. The woman in question was looking around the forest, searching for anything that may be of interest.

“They’re strong in numbers, but their tactics are primal. They rush in, kill whoever is in their way, get what they want and leave. Standard raiding situation.” Vaka's mouth spouted out before her mind could stop her. Her eyes widened as she slowly shifted her gaze to her companions. They looked shocked at the well rounded description of the raiders.

What exactly were you before you made your way out here?” Cara questioned the girl with a look of curiosity.

“I was a protector of sorts I guess you could say.” Vaka mumbled the answer and let fear gaze fall to the forest floor. As she gazed, she noticed the large indentation on the ground. Recognition took the place of embarrassment and concern on Vaka’s deep green skin, blue eyes looking up at Mando who has shifted in front of her in response  of the question Cara asked not moments before.

“Holy Shit! Walker tracks.” Vaka exclaimed at the group, pointing down towards the tracks deep within the soil. Mando and Cara’s eyes both widened and looked at each other. They both turned to the woman who had pointed the tracks out to them.

“Did you know about this?” They both asked, shifting closer to her.

“Do I look like I knew about this. They must be trying to wipe out the whole farm.” Anger flashed in her steely blue eyes and began to march back to the village.

“Hey, where are you going!” Cara began to chase after the woman, Mando following closely behind.

“I’m leaving!” Vaka huffed starting to pick up speed. “I can’t stay here with that thing not klicks from me!” Tears started to form, her eyes got darker as a memory entered her brain. She stopped dead in her tracks and dropped to the ground. When Mando and Cara caught up to her, she was breathing heavily. Mando crouched down to her level and saw silent tears running down her face, a long off look in her eyes.

Vaka Aerith and a ginger boy a few years younger than her were on an imperial platform. The sound of blaster fire and screaming filled the air as they finished dispensing the last wave of stormtroopers. Suddenly a At-St walker dropped from an incoming imperial ship. Vaka ignited her lightsaber and so did the ginger boy to her right.

“We can do this Cal. We can’t give up!” She yelled over the deafening noise of the raging battle. The walker began shooting at the pair and the two darted to opposite sides of the platform.

“Hey kid. You have to wake up. We need to go.” The deep modulated voice of the Mandalorian brought her out of the nightmare. Vaka gasped as she sat up and began to recognize the world around her. She brought her hand to rest on the one that Mando had placed on her shoulder to try and shake her awake. Vaka looked into the visor of the Mandalorian helmet, the remnants of tears still evident on her face. This was the first time Mando got a good look at the Mirialan girl and noticed the beauty that she held. Even through the tears, he could see the beauty of her blue eyes, dulled by horrors he couldn’t think of.

“Look, I don’t know what you’ve been through but I need you to get up and follow me back to the farm.” Mando spoke softly and slowly, as if he was talking to a child. Vaka looks past him to something in the distance. When Mando turned to look at whatever she was seeing but saw nothing.

“Yeah, alright.” The soft murmur manifested itself inside of Vaka and made its way out of her throat. She slowly got up off of the ground not taking her eyes off of the glowing figure of a large humanoid man, draped in light robes. He reaches out his hand but as soon as Vaka goes to reach for him, his figure dissipates. She lets out a small whimper and ducks her head low and her outstretched hand returns to its place at her side.

“Let’s go.” Vaka squeaked out as she began to walk slowly the rest of the way back to the farm. Mando and Cara shared a curious and sad gaze with each other and followed her back to the village.

——————————————————————————

“Bad news, you can’t live here anymore.” Mando calmly told the gathered farmers. Uproar began to sprout from their lips and anger in their voices. Vaka listens from inside her home.

“Vaka, what happened out there?” Kix emerged to greet the girl in a panic.

“They have a walker. We can’t deal with something like that so we’re leaving.” Vaka frantically shoved things into an old republic backpack she had saved from the war. Her hand stopped as they grazed the top of the familiar cool metal.

“You’re a Jedi Vaka, there was once a time when you could take out a whole battalion of droids by yourself.” Kix spoke softly to his friend. Vaka shut her eyes and grasped her lightsaber, inner turmoil evident on her face.

“Fine, we’ll stay and fight, but if I die, it's on you.” She walked past him to the courtyard where the Mandalorian was speaking. “If we train them, we might stand a chance.” All eyes turned to her. “I’ve done it before.” Vaka looked straight at Mando begging him to say something.

“I agree with the girl.” The Mandalorian declared eyes trained on hers.

“Let’s get to work then.” Thus began the long process of training the farmers.

——————————————————————————

It had been a few weeks since they found out about the AT-ST and the farmers were coming along nicely. Mando had been training some of the farmers in blaster handling with Kix while Cara and Vaka had been handling melee training.

“Do you think they’re ready?” Vaka asked the bounty Hunter as they looked out among the trainees.

“As ready as they'll ever be. We’re heading out tonight, do you want to come with us?” Mando asked the woman he had grown close to over the past weeks.

“I’ll stay here, wait for you and Cara to come to me.” Vaka smiled at him, patted his armored chest plate and went to go and see the child. She had been spending a lot of time with the young one and had grown close to him. She had even been teaching him some force tricks. She was trying to get a handle on his abilities before they got out of hand and hurt someone.

Night had fallen on the small village and they were all gearing for a fight. Vaka would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t worried. She was scared because she knew that if this went south, she may have to use her other method of disposal. She would have to leave the planet if that happened and they couldn’t afford to have other people know what she was.

“It’s coming!” Vaka shouted over the noise of the battle to everyone.”Get Ready!” She made her way closer to the walls as Cara and Mando came bursting out of the forest, the repurposed AT-ST walker hot on their tails. Cara and Mando ducked behind the barricade that Vaka and Kix were behind. They all waited for the walker to step into the pool, but it never did. Vaka began to panic as the walker stopped inches before it would’ve hit the pond. The walker turned on it’s floodlights. It was searching for targets. The people in the front ducked down but it began firing at the ones who had not heard the order in the rear. The raiders shot out of the forest in enormous strength. the battle had begun.

Open Fire!” Vaka yelled from behind the barricade. Shots began to ring out from both sides of the battle. Vaka had a large grin plastered on her face as she too bagan to fire on the raiders. She had forgotten how much she loved battle. The rush of adrenaline that surged through her with each shot. One, Two, Three, Four raiders down.

“We gotta get that thing to step forward.” Mando directed the statement to Vaka and Cara.

“I know what to do.” Vaka looked to Kix, “Manuver 246, like the seppie tanks from back in the day.” She smiled a sad smile at him

“We can’t.” Kix took her by the shoulders. “You know what will happen if we do. We’ll find another way.” Vaka looked towards the man she had known for such a long time.

“You know there is no other way.” She took his hand off of her shoulder and turned to Mando. “You got a grenade on you?” she asked, pointing at his belt.

“Yeah, I got one.” He unclipped the grenade and handed it to the woman. Vaka grasped the grenade and looked to Kix who was pulling something out of the backpack he was wearing. His hand emerged with a shining cylindrical object and put it out for Vaka to take. She hesitated but took the object.

“I need you three to draw it’s fire.” She sounded sad as she ignited a strange object. It was a glowing white blade that emerged from the hilt. A lightsaber. With one final nod towards the group she stood to her full height and began screaming at the walker.

“Hey, hey! Over here you tin can!” Vaka shouted standing from behind the barricade. Kix did the same and began running full speed towards the walker. Vaka reached her hand out and halted the walker. She sent more force to the beast and brought it to the ground. Kix got on top of the walker, opened the hatch and threw the grenade inside. He jumped off of the walker and was caught by an invisible force. Vaka had caught him and was now pulling him towards her.

The walker exploded when Kix finally reached the group and Vaka let go of the walker and Kix. She fell to her knees as the rest of the group took care of the remaining raiders. Mando took Vaka into his arms before she could hit the ground.

“How did you do that?” He asked, surprise evident in his voice. Vaka peered up at him through her dark lashes.

“Why don't you ask me another time? I think I need a nap.” Her voice began to fade as she fell into a deep slumber.

——————————————————————————

Mando and Cara were resting outside of the barn they had been staying in. It had been a few weeks since the battle and things had calmed down. Mando had his eyes trained on Vaka who was playing with the children, amazing them with her use of the force. She had told both of them that she was a jedi that was being hunted down by the empire. She joined the rebellion and met Kix there and they had been together at the battle of Endor. Ever since then, they had been together.

“So what happens if you take that thing off?” Cara asked Mando, a knowing smirk on her face. She had seen the way Mando’s eyes always seemed to find Vaka. “Do they come after you and kill you?” She sipped her spotchka and looked towards Mando who had moved his attention from the girl to Cara.

No, you just can’t ever outit back on again.” Mando spoke solemnly. In the months he had been on Sorgun, he had thought about taking off the helmet. Settling down with the girl who had stolen his heart. Every moment he thought about her. He couldn’t get her out of his head.

“That’s it? so you can slip off the helmet, and settle down with that beautiful young Jedi; who’s a hell of a fighter by the way, and raise your kid sitting here, siping spotchka?” Cara was shocked and amused. Mando turned his head towards her and she raised her hand in mock defeat.

“You know, we raised some hell here a few weeks back.” Mando turned his head back towards the group of children gathered around the woman. “It’s too much action for a backwater town like this. Word travels fast. We might want to cycle the charts and move on.” Vaka felt Mando looking at her and turned to face them. She made eye contact and waved. Mando was suddenly very glad for the helmet he was wearing. His cheeks began to heat up.

“Wouldn’t want to be the one to tell him that.” Cara said motioning towards the small green child who was currently in Vaka’s arms.

“I’m leaving him here. Traveling with me, that’s no life for a kid. He’ll be safer here with Vaka than he is with me. I did my job, he’s safe.” Pain was evident in the bounty hunter’s voice. He had grown to love the little womp rat even if he didn’t show it that often.

“I agree with the Mandalorian.” Kix emerged from the barn, no doubt hearing most if not all of their conversation. “But, you’ll be sad to hear that Vaka and I aren't staying here.” He leaned against the post closest to Cara. The two had grown close over the past few weeks, sharing old stories from the war. They had confided in one another on multiple occasions.

“Why not?” Cara spoke, slight anger in her voice.

“Just like you said, we raised hell and now we gotta get out. We don’t know who is still looking for us.” He spoke to the pair as his eyes made his way to Vaka and the child. He knew that the child had to stay with her. She could train him in the ways of the force.

Cara smiled at the man, bringing the soptchka to her lips. “It's gonna break his little heart.” She said, taking a swig of the drink.

“He’ll get over it, we all do.” Mano replied.

“I’m not sure we do.” Kix mumbled as he and Cara walked away.

A few moments later, Mando found his way to Vaka.

“Can I have a word?” he asked the beautiful woman. She nodded and stood beginning to walk with him. They walked until they were out of earshot of the farmers.

“It’s about the child isn’t it?” she spoke for the first time and Mando felt his heart quicken. Her voice was like honey, so sweet and soft.

“How did you know?” He asked and she just motioned to her body with a smile. “Right Jedi.” He mumbled as he realized he had suddenly lost the courage to speak. He cleared his throat and began to speak, “He’s happy with you. I think you should keep him.” He spoke quickly. Vaka just smiled and said,

“I will take him but whether you like it or not you are bonded with the youngling. He won;t take it well. I think we should all stay together. Me, himn, you.” The last portion came out quiet and her cheeks began to heat up. Mando grabbed her hand and rested it on his helmet. She brought the other hand to meet with the other side and they stayed like that for a while. She began to lift up his helmet when they heard a blaster being fired. They ran to the spot where it came from and found a dead hunter with a fob on the child.

“He’s no safer with me than he is with you, so why don’t we just stick together.” Vaka spoke to him once everything was safe. The Mandaloran chose not to argue and let her join. The quartet made the trek back to Mando’s ship and decided it was best to split up.

“Well I guess this is goodbye for a while Kix.” Vaka spoke softly while resting her hands on the sides of his face. She began to cry at the thought of not seeing him again, he was her last connection to her previous life.

“We’ll see each other again. I promise.” He wrapped his arms around her and kept them there for longer than he wanted to admit. He would miss her. They both let go and looked at each other one final time before going their separate ways. Vaka with Mando and Kix with Cara.

Vaka made her way up the wrap of the foreign ship and was greeted with the Mandalorian she had come to like. He was strapping everything down to the ship and prepping the sleeping quarters that had not been used in a while. He herd her approach and lifted his head to meet her glassy eyes.

“I know it’s not much but…” Mando was cut off by the Mirialan woman.

“It’s great Mando.” She smiled at him and they both made their way to the cockpit of the Razor Crest. Mando looked at Vaka who was setting the child in his seat and smiled behind his helmet. This was his new family.

His own little Clan.

Hi everyone. After stumbling upon a beautifully chaotic Jedi Oc I became inspired to write a fic about my own Oc making a new friend. After many early morning and late night discussions, I finally came up with a little something on how Jedi Knight Ayelet Ebele and Master Tiin Orat first met.

Tiin Orat belongs solely to the lovely @queenofbeskar​, and this fic is dedicated to them for inspiring me.

Into the Forests of Arorua

Arorua was an inconsequential planet in the Sertar Sector. Being a back-water world in the Outer Rim regions, meant that the Galactic republic often overlooked the lone planet. However recent reports of regular separatist movement on the forest-covered world had sparked immediate action. Upon investigation, a small stealth team confirmed the presence of separatist battle droids, along with the location of a new droid factory still under construction.

Once the news had reached the Jedi council, the members of the High Council wasted no time and immediately summoned the 822nd Battalion General, Jedi Master Tiin Orat along with the Young Jedi Knight Ayelet Ebele.

“Scouts have confirmed the presence of a separatist base on Arorua. We can waste no time in dealing with this threat. If the separatists are given the chance to complete the construction of their new droid factory, they could easily seize control of the surrounding systems.” Mace Windu announced, comfortably slouched back in his chair as he addressed the two Jedi standing before him. Around him sat many empty chairs, some filled with the blue projection of a hologram but most lay dormant. A telling sign of the growing demands of the war.

“Suit you well this mission will, Master Orat.” Master Yoda chimed in, pointing to the Zabrak hybrid with the end of his gimer stick before turning it back down towards the floor and returning to silence. His cryptic words revealing no clear answer for Tiin to decipher.

Returning the conversation back to himself, Mace continued “Master Tiin, your battalion will be deployed immediately to Arorua to regain control of the system. Knight Ebele, you are to accompany the 822nd with your own battalion and aid them in any way. The destruction of this factory is vital for our successful occupation in the outer rim.”

Turning his attention away from the tall Jedi Master that stood in the centre of the high council chambers to the smaller figure standing slight behind Tiin's right shoulder, Mace's gaze focused on Ayelet. “This is your first mission since being knighted Ebele, we will be watching your performance closely.”

“Watch and listen you must, learn much from Master Orat you will, young one.” Yoda chimed in once again, his eyes also focusing on the young knight, however, the hint of a smile on the old masters face reassured Ayelet that although she was young and less experienced than the Jedi that surrounded her, she was prepared to face whatever this battle would bring.

At the conclusion of the debriefing, both Tiin and Ayelet bowed deeply to few Jedi Masters present in the council chambers before walking out into one of the adjoined hallways. “Arorua. I haven’t had the chance to visit it yet. It’s quiet far out in the outer-rim regions. Very beautiful from what I’ve researched. Do you know anything of it Knight Ebele?” Master Orat asked as they walked in sync past the large windows of the corridor, her distinct man’doa accent lacing her words in a tone that Ayelet was so used to hearing from the clones that she was slightly taken aback by the sound of it in Tiin’s voice.

Ayelet took a moment to consider her answer, as a padawan she'd spent much of her time studying lost languages and forgotten civilisations with her Master so knew much about the ancient planet. She decided to keep her answer short and not allow her excitement about travelling to the remote forest world turn into a history lesson.

“It’s a world covered in a dense forest. Centuries ago, there were cities and temples scattered across the planet, but over time the woodlands consumed them in their roots and drove most of the population to neighbouring systems.” Ayelet couldn't help the small smile that grew on her face as she spoke of the forest-covered world. Nature had always been her biggest strength in the force. As a youngling, she would often venture away from her crèche mates to spend time in the temple gardens, and once she was taken on as a padawan and encouraged by her master to pursue her interest in botany, she found her true passion.

Ayelet often thought of what her life would be like when she completed her trials of knighthood and could peruse her passions. She dreamed that she would travel to exotic worlds, studying the different flora that inhabited the far reaches of space and tending to the gardens in the Jedi Temple whenever she wasn't on leave. At no point in her apprenticeship had she expected her knighthood to result in her becoming a soldier in a war she didn't understand.

Ayelet's attention was brought back to the present at the sound of Tiin's naturally loud voice. “A jungle adventure? Sounds like something out of a holo-film." Master Orat jested as she grinned cheerfully down at the young right beside her. Although Ayelet couldn't see her eyes behind the mask the Zabrak wore, she could tell that Tiin was also smiling with her eyes.

'Perhaps this mission won't be so difficult without Master Aziza’s help if I've got Master Tiin to keep me company.' Ayelet silently mused while craning her neck back to match Tiin's eye-line before replying with a humoured smile on her lips, “Yes, I suppose it does sound like that.”

As they continued down the hallway to the nearby hanger bay, the two Jedi continued speaking, the conversation slowly turning into one reminiscent of old friends as they began to grow more comfortable in each other’s company.

'Yes. I think this mission will go quite well.' Ayelet silent thought to herself as she followed Master Orat into a waiting speeder. She couldn't deny that she missed her master's familiar and comforting presence, but Ayelet could sense a similar nurturing presence residing within Tiin, and hoped that during their time spent together on this campaign a new friendship could be formed.

----------

Ayelet would normally delight at the opportunity to immerse herself in the natural world if it weren’t for the suffocating darkness that consumed the forest of Arorua.

After stepping off the gunship and into the forest she felt herself lose one sense while her others heightened in the unfamiliar environment. It was disorientating to be almost blinded but given the ears of a wolf. Even the soft susurration of the branches felt heavy in her ears. The blackness surrounding them nurtured a sense of claustrophobia even though the woodland stretched unbroken for miles.

As her clone troopers unloaded the gunships and prepared themselves for the battle ahead, Ayelet took the moment to stow away amongst the thick woodlands. Wandering a few steps away from the temporary camp they had established, Ayelet found herself staring upon the massive truck of an aphor tree. The young knight could feel the spirit of the old tree and the wisdom that it carried.

Approaching tree, Ayelet reached out a gloved hand and placed it softly upon the trunk. Sparing a glance back towards the now fully lit campsite the clones had constructed, Ayelet convinced herself she’d have enough time to meditate before General Orat arrived to discuss the assault plan.

Gently, Ayelet boosted herself up to one of the high branches on the old aphor tree to stare out into the dark woodlands ahead. The forest was ancient. The trees thick and old. It might once have been filled with bird-song and animals that roamed. But now long centuries had pasted since its former glory.

Ayelet felt her expression soften into a small smile at the familiar sensation of sunlight dancing across her face through the leaves above. Settling herself on the branch, Ayelet crossed her legs and placed both hands on the sturdy limb beneath her. Taking slow and deep breaths Ayelet allowed herself to open up to the natural world around her, letting her own spirit intertwine with the ancient spirit of the forest. Listening closely, Ayelet could hear the spirits of the forest whispering around her, their hushed words of wisdom barely reaching her ears.

A sudden disturbance in the force shock Ayelet from her tranquil state, shaking her physically back to the real world. She felt the force ripple through the tree beneath her. No, that wasn’t the force shaking. It was the tree she was in shaking. She’d become so entwined with ancient trees lifeforce that she had felt the strike to the tree as though it was to her own body.

However, Ayelet came to her senses to slowly, noticing too late that the world around her was slowly slipping upwards as her body sluggishly tipped backwards off the branch. Suddenly aware of her compromised balance, Ayelet tried to quickly pull herself back up onto the strong tree limb, but the reaction came too late. Ayelet felt her fingers lose their loose grip on the branch, causing a sense of panic to flood her as she frantically looking around her.

Perhaps there was another lower branch she could cling to to break her fall or a hanging vine nearby that she could latch onto. All Ayelet achieved as she fell gracelessly out of the tree was flailing her arms around frantically as though she would grow wings to stop her crashing into the rapidly approaching forest floor.

At the last possible moment, Ayelet called upon the force for help, wrapping its loyal embrace around her. Although she hadn’t experienced the full damage of the fall, her body ached as she made contact with the rough terrain. She laid there, completely motionless for a moment, focusing on inhaling serenity and exhaling her discomfort.

Slowly lifting her head to see what had caused the tree to shake, she had expected to see one of the AT-RT’s clumsily crashed into the trunk. To her surprise, all that greeted her was the sight of a tall figure carefully prying their large pink horns from the trunk of the tree, then proceed to gingerly rub the area atop her head. Ayelet tried to convince herself that perhaps she had hit her head harder than she’d originally thought and was simply hallucinating, that would explain the scene before her.

Sealing her eyes shut tightly and shaking her head, Ayelet slowly raising herself to sit on her knees, not fully trusting her legs to support her weight so soon after falling. Ayelet took a moment to steady her thoughts and bridle her emotions before reopening her eyes. To her disbelief, the horned figure was still there and was closing the space between them.

“Ayelet, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.” Tiin’s voice was loud enough to have started the young knight in the quiet of the forest if not for the man’doa accent and the nurturing tone in the voice. Ayelet felt herself begin to smile as she watched the Zabrak hybrid kneel before her. Even when the Master knelt down to match Ayelet’s height, she still had to crane her neck back to view the Jedi Master’s face.

“That was quite a fall, must have hurt like a shabuir.” Tiin continued as she gently placed a hand under Ayelet’s jaw and moved her head around to assess the damage, pausing for a moment when she saw the slit on the knight’s chin. Ayelet didn’t fully understand what Tiin had said but recognised the tone to know she was implying that the fall must have hurt a lot in a very colourful way.

Without warning Tiin wrapping one of her large arms behind Ayelet’s back and helped her to her feet, holding her close to her large frame in a half embrace to help support her. The sudden contact unsettled Ayelet, the feeling of someone, particularly someone that she had only spent a few days with, so close to her made her slightly tense in surprise.

But she never uttered a word in protest as the Zabrak guided her back towards the encampment. Ayelet could sense the nurturing care radiating off Tiin as they walked, like a crèche master tending to one of her charges, and began to relax into the Master's gentle hold around her.

As they slowly crossed the camp, Ayelet could hardly hear the sound of herself moving, Tiin’s loud footsteps drowning out the sound of her own light footsteps beside her. Ayelet recognised the familiar sight of the medic tent, under normal circumstances, Ayelet would be the one guiding one of her troopers into the make-shift hospital.

“Perhaps you should stay with me. Get your head checked out. You hit that tree pretty hard.” Ayelet proposed as they made their way into the shelter of the tent, a playful smile present on her lips as she continued while pointing to the top of her head. “You’ve probably left a few holes in that tree.”

Ayelet hadn’t prepared herself for Tiin’s reply as she listened to the Jedi Master laugh in response to her words. The laugh was loud, like her voice, and quickly drew the eyes of everyone inside the tent onto them, but Ayelet could feel that the laugh was genuine, so simply smiled along as the medics stared across at the two Jedi.

Survey #265

“all is fair in love and war, i’m still rotten to the core.”

What's the latest youtube channel you've discovered and binge-watched? Ha, a WoW channel that basically gives advice and tutorials on stuff. She doesn't have many videos, but she's pretty successful already and chill as hell. Kraken Latte. Does it snow where you live? Occasionally. Very rarely does the snow stick, though, because the ground will be too warm. Do you think your hair looks better long or short? Short. Do you look best with or without bangs? Bitch I loved my emo bangs fuck off. Well, they weren't technically bangs, my hair was just parted far to the left. Do you enjoy editing photos on your phone? Well, my phone doesn't have GREAT camera quality, but I usually do some subtle edits if I take a pic on it. What's your favorite thing to do on your phone? Play Pokemon GO REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Which season do you wish would last longer? Shit man, fall. At least here, the phase of colorful leaves is VERY short. Goes from green to totally bare in what feels like just a couple weeks. How many outdoor birthday parties have you had? Hell if I know. How much taller or shorter are you than your mom? We're the same height. Who is your favorite sibling? Lol wow that's mean. Do you have neat handwriting? Yeah. Do you like sushi? I've actually never tried it, but I'm quite certain I wouldn't like it. Have you ever tried seaweed? Actually yes, I believe in the 4th grade? We had I think authentic Japanese (or Chinese, idr) food, and I recall there being seaweed. I didn't like it. The only thing I liked was the white rice, I think. Do you have an actual pig-shaped piggy bank? No, but I think I may have as a kiddo. Did you dream of becoming famous as a kid? No. Have you ever been to a gynecologist? I actually haven't because I've always said I wasn't sexually active (back then it wasn't a conscious lie, I just genuinely didn't realize what we were doing was just shallow sex). I'm absolutely terrified to go anyway because I'm just very very very private about this sort of thing and honestly think I'll have a panic attack when I do have to for the first time anyway. Name three games that you are good at. Shadow of the Colossus, Silent Hill, World of Warcraft. What was your favorite board game as a kid? Ha ha, somehow, it was this shopping game called "Mall Madness." Veeeery unfitting of who I was and what I enjoyed as a kid. Do you get on Facebook every day? Pretty much. Did you watch the Kids Choice Awards when you were a kid? No. What was your favorite girl group when you were growing up? Spice Girls, I think. Do you have memories that still make you cry? Yes. Have you made your own mask to help prevent the spread of the virus? No, considering I don't leave the damn house like ever. Do you know anyone who has the virus? Yes. Not personally, but distantly. Are you proud to be an American? (if applicable) Sometimes. What countries have you visited? I haven't left America. Have you ever had a controlling boyfriend/girlfriend? No. How many true heartbreaks have you had in your lifetime? Romantically, I only consider one to be a *real* heartbreak. Have you ever cut yourself? Yeah. Do you feel like everything is falling apart around you? BOY DO I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was your first kiss romantic? Yes. Do you miss any of your exes right now? My PTSD has been awful awful AWFUL the past few days, so yes. A lot. Have you ever overdosed on anything? Yes. What would you say if you found out your last ex was in a relationship? I'd be happy for her of course, but I'd also be very confused. She's made it clear she doesn't believe a relationship is the best idea for her right now. Who was your date to prom? Jason took me to his senior prom, and I took him to mine. Do you still talk to your first love? No, I haven't spoken to him in over three years now. Wow. Whose wedding did you go to first? I don't remember. I'm sure it wasn't the first, but ONE of the earliest that I do remember was when my friend Summer's mom got remarried. He sadly passed away a long while ago though. Are you ashamed of anyone you've dated in the past? Tyler, yes. It was so pointless and a "let's see how this goes" versus a "I really like this guy and really want this relationship" thing. I honestly think I only said yes to dating because I didn't want to hurt his feelings and I was lonely. What about anyone you've been friends with? There were certainly times it felt very weird calling Colleen my best friend with how bitchy she could be. Especially when you consider how non-confrontational I am, while she charged like a goddamn bull into arguments. Have you ever made out with someone in a pool? Uhhh I think that one night when I lived at the apartment and it was just us out there late at night. He and I went back inside before Jacob and Amanda TO hardcore make out because we both way too obviously wanted it so I wouldn't be remotely surprised if we snuck in some action at the pool oof. Who’s the last person that slept over your house? Sara. Do you still talk to the last person you kissed? Yes. Have you ever kissed someone with a tongue ring? No, I was the person with the tongue ring. I actually took it out a little while back because I was tired of accidentally chomping down on it when eating and chipping teeth. I'd already told myself if I did it one more time I would, and especially right now, we can't afford to keep filling cavities that have come from it. I don't at all regret getting it and it'll always be one of the cutest piercings I think I've ever had, but it was just time for it to come out. Is it hard for you to get over a lover? I THINK I'VE MADE THAT!!!!!!!!!!! O BVIO US S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you ever tried making someone jealous? Not to my recollection. Did your last relationship end because of you or the other person? Both of us really, but she initiated the breakup, you could say. Who is the last person you flirted with? Sara. Who's the most racist person you know? Jesus Christ, I live in the South. I know dozens of racists. I guess the worst is uhhh OH the aforementioned Colleen, holy fucking shit. I highly highly highly doubt that has changed at all since we last associated with each other. If you could be a film character, who would you be? Let me be Alice Liddell. Crunchy peanut butter or smooth? Smooth is the only way to go with pb. Would you rather always be in a crowd, or be the only person on earth? "Always be in a crowd. It wouldn’t be fun, but I think it’d be better than being that alone." <<<< This. I legitimately think I'd wind up killing myself in the other case. Would you rather be rich, or famous? Why? "Rich, because...what’s the point of being famous if you’re not rich? Just everyone knowing all of your business?" <<<< Also this. Do you squeeze the toothpaste from the top or the bottom? "I start off from the top until it gets used enough that I have to squeeze up from the bottom." <<<< Lemme just steal all this person's answers lmao. How many children do you want? Girls or boys? None, but if I was to have kids, I'd definitely want a girl. Is there a story behind your name? What is it? No. What was one of the most fun things you and your college roommate did together? I didn't have a college roommate. Well wait no, during my first college attempt is when I lived w/ Jason, Jacob, and Amanda. I'd honestly prefer to not think too hard back on it to answer this. Does anyone know your bank pin number other than you? Who? I don't even have a bank account. Have you ever had a boyfriend/girlfriend who was depressed? Yeah, multiple. Would you be embarrassed to buy pads/tampons/condoms? Which one more? Pads or tampons, nah. I'd feel awkward buying condoms though. Are your parents gullible? Dad probably is; he has very little common sense. I got it from him lmao. Mom, heeeeell no. Do you still own a VCR? No. What color is the computer/laptop you’re on? Did you buy it yourself? It's black. No. Does the smell of cigarettes, weed and beer repulse you? All three do. Was the last person you kissed younger or older than you? Younger. Have you ever purchased Girl Scout cookies? Yeah. How often do you drink Monster? Never, because I don't like it. Have you ever made totally pointless videos with your friends? HAHA I was a cringy teen once, my friends. Do you like sitting on the inside or outside of a restaurant booth? Inside. I feel safer. Do you own a nightgown? No, I haven't worn those since I was a kid. Have you ever worn fishnets? Fishnet gloves. I WISH I could pull off fishnet pants. Would you rather go out to eat or be eaten out? In times like THESE???????? Bitch I wanna go eat out at a yummy restaurant. Do you always wear your seat belt? ABSOLUTELY. I get so stressed out when I see people not wearing one. Have you ever liked someone much older than you? Not much older. Have you ever been in a play? Just school ones as a kid. Is there ice cream in your freezer? No, but there's popsicles from when I couldn't get my tongue ring out and it was massively swollen and in terrible pain. Thank God I finally got it out. Have you ever liked the lyrics of a band but hated the music? Probably. Does your bathroom have a window? Yeah, but it's very small and up kinda high. Do you go somewhere to get your eyebrows done? I used to, but I don't anymore. I just leave them be. Do you believe prayer really works? Nope. Have you been on a date in the park? No. Are there any diseases/health problems that run in your family? A whole. Fucking. Lot. To just name a few, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, diabetes... Do you have asthma? No. Last person to take off your pants, besides you? Jason. Least favorite alcoholic drink? Mother of God, this white wine I tried at Colleen's forever ago. It was fucking repulsive. How did you meet the last male you texted? I mean I literally came from his balls so like Have you ever had an embarrassing email address? Ha ha yeah, the one I've always had. It's not very adult-ish or "serious"-sounding, but I don't want to change it now. Do you put shampoo in your left or right hand? Left. I squeeze with my right. Do you have a bull ring through your nose? No, I don't feel that would look good on me. Do you and your dad get along? Yes. When was the last time you did clay work/pottery? My last year of art in high school. I made an anatomical heart for Jason. I wonder a lot if he still has it after how much work I put into it. Do you like art, hate it or just not mind it? I adore art. The world would be so much more boring without it. If you had to choose would you prefer dull pain for 12hours or sharp for 2? Ew, dull. Two hours with sharp pain sounds awful. Do you know the words to the national anthem of your country? Yeah. Would you rather be a Model, Famous Scientist, Singer or Chef? Scientist, probably. I'd love to be a biologist anyway, and that's a type of scientist. Would you rather be a pilot, crime scene investigator or estate agent? Ohhh, crime scene investigator. Does making others happy really make you feel happy? Yes! Did you ever swear at a teacher in school? Why? No. Have you ever pricked your finger on Holly or another ‘sharp’ plant? Yeah. Have you ever written your own short story? Yes. What about a novel? Or perhaps you started and couldn’t finish? "I started writing several novels, but abandoned them all." <<<< Same yo. Either of the above, if this was the case, place short synopsis here: The first one was about a very close meerkat family, divided into elemental "breeds," and the prince falling in love with another of his kind. His father had a stray brother who constantly aimed to destroy the family, but he was converted towards the end. That's all I can really remember about that one. There were others like two species of animals I made also falling in love, despite being predators and prey of each other, and fulfilling some sorta prophecy with their offspring. The other two I recall- yo fuck it I keep remember more and more okay I wrote a LOT. Do you prefer SciFi/Fantasy/Action/Horror or Rom/Com/RealLife? I'm guessing you mean in books, given the last three questions? I have a strong preference for fantasy. What do you have a lot of faith in [note: can be anything]? Hell if I know. Would you rather have a big house, a lot of kids or a high flying job? High flying job, easily. I don't want kids, nor do I need a large house, especially considering I hate cleaning even this tiny one. Have you ever been to a creepy/haunted/abandoned place? Yeah. What did it look like and what were the circumstances? It was this really old, mostly dilapidated shack full of cool stuff. It was by the field near our old house. Me, my sister, and our friend hung out there and explored all the time until this freaky woman showed out and told us we shouldn't be there. Do you know a Jack? What’s he like? Yeah. I don't him that well though, so idk. How about a Lisa? What’s she like? Yeah, she's one of my WoW friends that I've become really close with. She is an absolute sweetheart, but talks about herself way, way too excessively to the point it's hard to have a conversation sometimes. I know she doesn't realize it, though. When you have children, would you like twins? I say enough that I don't even want kids, SO FUCK NO. Do you know any twins? If so, what are they called? Yes. Tyler and Taylor. I know others, but idr their names. What personality trait does nearly everyone in your family seem to have? We're stubborn as all fuck hell. Do you have any nicknames that aren’t derived from your actual name? Yeah, some online ones and then my mom has called me "Twinkie" since I was a baby. Do you have any allergies? Yeah, of pollen and silver. What is the longest your hair has ever been? To or maybe even past the small of my back. Have you ever been on a blind date? No, not my jam. What is the oldest piece of clothing you still wear and how old is it? I really don't kn- oh yes I do. I have these oooold old thin and sewn-back-up-fifty-times Batman pj pants from when Jason and I were together, so maybe like... seven years? Thanks PTSD, I'm attached to them because Batman was his thing. How often do you eat out at a fancy restaurant? Just about never. Nutella or peanut butter? UGGGGGHHHHH I've been on a nutella thing lately. Have you ever hosted a wild party? Definitely not. Name/author of the last book you read cover to cover. Do you recommend it? Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir by Tui Sutherland. Yes, it was very good. How many of your Facebook friends do you actually hang with? Besides my immediate family, like... none anymore. Have you ever donated blood? Yes. From 1-10, how much do you like decorating for holidays? This is hard to gauge. I've never seriously done it myself, and I don't really have the motivation to do it just to take it all down a month or so later. I love it in concept, but yeah. Favorite animated Disney character? Probably Kiara from TLK2. Have you ever cooked a big family meal by yourself? Ha, no. Favorite winter activity? TAKING PICTURES IN THE SNOOOOOOOOW. Do you consider rapping singing? I mean I guess? Does your home have a fireplace? No. Do you listen to any religious music? No. Do you drink soda? If so, which one is your favorite? Ugh... soda is my weakness. I'd probably lose weight easier if I just stopped drinking it. Mountain Dew Voltage is my favorite, and I've also been on a serious strawberry Sunkist thing lately. How easily do you cry? I cry very, very easily. Can you handle spicy foods? What is your spice limit? Oh yeah. The only way I know how to gauge this one is that I enjoy the "hot" sauce at BWW lol. I've actually kinda cut back on HOW much I enjoy it, though; like I'm more into enjoying my food thoroughly lately than the adrenaline of spicy food. What day of the week is laundry day for you? I personally don't do the laundry because Mom prefers to just do ours together, so. It varies, I think. Have you ever played spin the bottle? No. Do you have any stickers on your laptop computer? If so, what are they of? Not on mine, but the one I currently have to use has tooons. I don't feel like looking at the lid trying to list what they are tho. How often do you say "y'all?" It's pretty much in my normal vernacular due to where I live. Do you believe in evolution? Yes. I have questions and curiosities about it, but when you consider how truly short it has been since considerable natural selection has been observed, why couldn't it exist on a bigger scale? Do you live in an apartment or a house? I live in a house. How long have you been at your current job? I'm unemployed. Have you ever ended a romantic relationship? Yes. Phrase you say the most? Probably "oof" lmao. Have you ever kissed anyone of the same gender? If so, did you like it? Yes and yes. Have you ever given anyone CPR? No. Have you ever learned to do anything from a how-to video on YouTube? Yes, mainly just editing stuff. Have you ever auditioned for a reality competition show? No. Have you ever been in the audience for the taping of a TV show? No. I've been at hockey games with Dad, but I don't consider those "TV shows." Have you ever given money to a street performer? I've never even seen one. Do you own any homemade clothing? Not that I know of. Have you ever bought anything from a flea market? Yeah, decorations 'n trinkets and stuff. I love flea markets. Have you ever quit a job? Yes. Are your birth parents together? No. Do you or have you ever worn glasses? I've worn glasses for years now. Have you ever been broken up with? AKA died in spirit? :^) Have you ever been the victim of a nasty prank? Not to my recolleciton. Favorite fandom? Y'all been known, the Markiplier fandom is a goddamn family. Can you surf? No. What motivates you to do well in life? The knowledge that I've most likely only got one life to make something of. How lucky do you consider yourself? I mean, ALL things considered, I'd say I'm at just below the baseline, maybe? I mean I could be homeless or dying of malaria or something. Have you ever been summoned for jury duty? No. Favorite summer activity? Swimming! Have you ever lived on a farm? No. I wanted to for years as a little kid, though. How often do you get mad at yourself? I've lately been in an almost constant state of anger regarding myself, honestly. Have you ever gotten any stitches? Yes. Favorite YouTube channel? The Marker Plier guy. Do you have a pool at your house? No. Last thing that made you laugh? Something on Game Grumps. Earbud or earmuff headphones? Earbuds. Earmuffs hurt my head and ears. Have you ever been a bridesmaid or a groomsman? Yes. Have you ever gotten a New Year’s kiss exactly at midnight? I don't think so. Have you ever voted for a reality competition show? The only time I did that I remember is when Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. won America's Got Talent. I adored him and voted like mad. Does anyone in your family currently serve in your country’s military? Ummm maybe distantly? I don't know anyone off the top of my head. Are you comfortable with watching rated R movies? Well yeah.

I'm great at keeping us occupied at least

Heya, so I had a rough Thanksgiving and started that draft I've talked about...after certain things happening I no longer really want to work on it anymore, but enjoy what used to be a good concept! Still can't do the "keep reading" thing, sorry

No trigger warnings, just know this is after my NaNoWriMo, but you can read it without context just fine. Some Shigadabi and Magnetmagic, but nothing huge

"Everybody pack up your crap, we need to drive up to Sapporo," says Shigaraki, laying Father over his face.

"Why can't Kurogiri just take us? And why do we have to go anyway?" Toga groans.

"He's not feeling well, so I don't want to overwork his quirk. We're going because I said so."

Twice lowers the bottom half of his mask to cover his mouth. "Whatever you say, boss!" He begins shoving various things into a knapsack. "I just wanna lay around and do nothing!"

Dabi slowly gets off of his bar stool. "Oi, creep, you know I get car sick, right?"

"What?" He continues placing hands over his upper body. "Since when?"

"Since I made a slightly large turn. Personally, I think he just likes whining," says Spinner, nose pointed up to the air.

"Well we just won't make any 'slightly large turns' then." Kurogiri gives him a sideways glance, but Tomura promptly ignores him. "Toga, I'm serious. Get up. You're not getting out of this."

Magne pulls up the younger girl by the arm. "Who's driving? I'll have to take a pass, I don't have a license."

"You're in your thirties, how do you not have a licence?" asks Twice, standing at the door like an eager boy scout.

"My parents took mine when I got my pronouns and name changed, and then I committed two murders. That sort of eliminated the option." 

"Oh." He shrinks sheepishly. "Well, I'd say they had it coming then. Murder is not a good way to solve your problems, Kenji!"

She shrugs. "I have Pringles, you think I should bring them?"

Compress grins, debating between his masks. "Oh, absolutely. I would still like to know our business in Sapporo though, Shigaraki. It could affect what I wear."

"Well, I'm hoping to avoid the public once we're up there, so bring one of the ones you can stuff in your bag."

Dabi looks at his boss in disgust. "Really? We're stuffing things in bags, and you're bringing all fourteen of your corpse hands?"

"You say that like you're not a walking chunk of rotting barbeque as is, player two."

The black-haired villain shrugs. "Fair enough. Just don't make me carry the bag or anything."

"So can I drive?" asks Suichi eagerly, trying to get back on topic. "I really love feeling the power of a car under my hands."

"If you've already made Dabs blow chunks, I don't think that's a great idea," says Toga, digging knives out from under the couch cushions.

Spinner pouts. "Fine."

Kurogiri finishes a drink he'd made for himself, and looks around at his murder babies. "Is everyone all packed? I am sorry I couldn't make us a warp gate."

"It's no prob, Kuro, we all feel under the weather sometimes," says Jin, back to looking like he's waiting for Disneyland and not a sixteen hour drive from Yokohama to Sapporo. "I blame you for my suffering."

"We're all packed," says Atsuhiro loudly, finally placing a mask over his face. "Which car are we taking?"

Over the past several weeks, the league had stolen a lot of cars. Toga said a crime that took such thought and planning was basically pointless, but Jin liked hotwiring cars, so what else was there to do? So the league now had five vehicles, including a baby blue minivan, a pink bug, an orange pickup truck, another minivan (this one white, it was Tomura's favorite), and a bright green sports car. Compress had them stored as marbles in one of his coat pockets.

"The minivan," says Shigaraki, grin creeping past Father's fingers. "You know which one. And I'm driving."

"Shotgun," calls Dabi, sulking over to the door. "One more window to look out of as I try to keep my insides where they belong." Tomura rolls his eyes.

"So, are we gonna play any road trip games?" asks Toga, considerably more excited than when Magne had to drag her out of her chair.

"I dunno, what did you have in mind?" The tone in their boss' voice suggests he's going to turn down whatever she says, but Himiko never has been good with his social cues.

"Truth or dare! Twenty questions! Spin the bottle! Two truths and a lie! Would you rather! Kiss, marry, kill! Concen---"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" he snaps. "Whatever, just pick one. Maybe it'll stop Dabi from puking his guts out in my stolen car."

As Compress expands the white van in the alleyway next to the League's hideout, Toga cheers. "Jin, what do you want?"

"I don't care. Two truths and a lie!" He quickly clambers into the car, seizing the back left window seat.

"Sounds great!" She shuffles in next to him. "Kuro, you start!"

He lets out a short sigh. "Yes, alright, fine. I suppose I can come up with something."

Dabi hesitantly gets into the front seat, setting his own empty knapsack by his feet. "This better not get weird, or I'll just hop out of the window."

Shigaraki gives his boyfriend a pointed glare as he takes the wheel in his half-gloved hands. "I told you, you're not allowed to make jokes like that anymore. You worry me."

"Sorry," he says dryly, not sounding very sorry at all. "I'll just eat all my Altoids at once then."

The rest of the team piles in, Suichi next to Toga; Compress, Magne, and Kurogiri in the middle row. "Why wear our villain costumes if we're being discreet when we arrive?" asks Spinner, struggling with his scarf.

"To scare civilians when we stop for food. I hate lines," says Tomura, starting the car.

"Are you sure you know how to drive?" asks Jin, hand raised. "I have complete faith in ya, boss man!"

"Yes, I know how to drive, I've been playing racing games since I was younger than Toga!" he snaps.

"Okay, okay, go," says Himiko, smacking her hand on Kurogiri's shoulder.

The purple void thinks as Shigaraki pulls into the street, already scratching at his neck. "Hm...Alright, I'm ready. Number one: I am twenty-eight years old. Number two: my real name is Morimi Yoshiano. Number three: I have a scar on my eyebrow that makes it look like I shaved a slit in it to be edgy."

Magne laughs. "That third one has to be the lie."

He shakes his head, sending swirls of mist into the backseat. "Entirely true."

"Number one is," rasps Tomura. "If that were true, I would have met you when you were thirteen or so. Possible, but unlikely."

"Well, I suppose it's fitting you guessed it. Is it your turn then?"

"'Morimi Yoshiano'. That sounds off for some reason. I think I'll stick with 'Black Fog'," says Compress.

There's a murmur of agreement across the car. "Okay, I think I'm ready. My hair used to be black, I hate Sonic the hedgehog, or I've never been in a movie theatre."

Dabi turns to him with a "ha". "I know for a fact your hair was black as a kid. And everybody hates Sonic, so---"

"Excuse me, what?" Tomura almost swerves into the next lane as he turns to his now-green-tinged boyfriend. "Everybody hates Sonic?!?"

"Face the street, creep, and stop treating this like bumper cars," he says in a wavering voice.

Shigaraki faces forward. "Sonic was and is an iconic video game, vital to the development of---"

"Was it the lie or not?" whines Toga.

He huffs. "Yes, it was the lie. Your turn."

"One: I used to think Tomura was cute. Two: I've eaten dog before. Three: One time I stabbed Dabi's arm while he was asleep, and he didn't even notice."

Kurogiri looks back, slightly disturbed. "I'm not sure which answer I want to be correct."

"I don't think you'd eat a dog," says Jin, though he sounds unsure.

"That's what she wants you to---" A weird noise from Dabi cuts Spinner off. "Gross, man."

Dabi tosses a mint at his teammate's head after popping one in his mouth. "Shut up. I can't help it."

"This is getting boring, you guys are being too easy," says Toga. "The lie was the dog one."

"So what now?" ask Twice. "I am perfectly content!"

"I dunno, why don't we play spin the bottle like you suggested earlier? It's certainly high risk," says Magne.

"High risk? What do you mean?"

She grins, adjusting herself in her seat. "Well, we have a gremlin with crusty lips, a queasy piece of bacon, me, Sako, a void, a sociopath, Deadpool, and a lizard. There's not really any solid wins besides my boyfriend, and that's brought down by the fact that his not-singleness makes it awkward."

Suichi grins. "Like a game of chicken. I'm in."

"I wouldn't call myself a void, but alright, I guess."

"Isn't Himiko a minor?" asks Shigaraki, itching his neck.

"You're concerned about that but not---" Dabi hiccups, "---not driving with a hand over your face?"

Tomura huffs and takes the hand off, tossing it onto Dabi's lap. "Happy? Now I may be a criminal, but I have, like, morals."

"Oh, come on, Shiggy. I'm consenting. And it's just a little kiss," she whines. "I don't have any people my age to be my age around, you know? I want my teenage years to be as teenager-y as possible."

He stops joltily at a red light. "Alright, but if this is what we get arrested for, I blame you."

She grins. "Okay, just let me pull up the app!" Jin huddles over next to her for a minute as they type in names and adjust settings. "Ready! Who's spinning first?"

"What's the punishment if you pass?" asks Compress, taking off his mask and fanning himself with it.

"Hmmmmmmm." She taps her chin. "A good question."

"Whoever chickens out has to buy the person they didn't kiss something from wherever we stop," suggests Magne. 

Everyone groans. Everyone is broke. Even the author, writing this at 1 am after a mental breakdown is broke. The fourth wall is broke.

Anyway.

Toga presses the button on her screen, and the automated sound of a spinning game wheel sounds throughout the car alongside Dabi's groans of discomfort. "And I will be kissing...Suichi!"

The scaly villain groans. "Why me?" Still, he faces his left and takes the quick peck. "Okay, my turn." His clawed finger presses the button, and once again suspense fills the air. "Compress, that's you."

"Must I?" he asks dryly, turning around. The ordeal is over as quickly as the first round, and Compress removes his glove. "This is setting up to be a long road trip." The clicking begins once again, and finally lands on Kurogiri's name.

"Whoaaaa," crows Jin. "Are you gonna have to deactivate your quirk? We don't want his face going through. That would be hilarious!"

Kurogiri tenses. "Um. Well, there is always the option of buying you something."

"We're all broke and you know that. Come on, it isn't that bad." The magician pulls his glove on, leaning over his girlfriend.

"Yeah, besides, we wanna see your face! It's like a fun little mystery!" says Toga, leaning forward on her elbows.

Tomura glances back. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Kuro."

"No, no, they have a right to know what I look like. It's waited long enough," he says with a sigh.

Dabi, bag held lazily in one hand, turns around slowly, trying to act apathetic. Kurogiri rolls down his window, letting a gust of air in, and the fog around his slowly dissipates. 

"Whoa, you're kinda hot, in a weird, battle-worn kind of way," says Jin. "That's a lot of damage! And we're gonna repair it using flex tape!" He puts a banana sticker on the man's forehead.

Kurogiri peels the sticker off slowly, taking a few purple hairs out in the process. His face is scattered with patches of light skin, making his dark eyes stand out against his features. "What is flex tape?"

And this is where I stopped oof

New Dawn

[General]

[Mainly Grian; slight mention of Iskall, Joe Hills, Xisuma, and Doc]

A prequel to “The Problem with People”. Featuring Grian first meeting the hermits. For Grian, he hasn’t seen any other people, and has spent weeks alone in the new world, what will he do when suddenly new people come pouring in?

It was a normal, wonderful day.

It was dawn, a brand new start of a day. The brit pranced around the newly discovered island, who had just parked his roughly crafted oak boat onto the shore. Grian has been exploring for a good while now, it was just him in this world, and while it has been a bit too quiet for his liking, his element kept him company. It was the second day of exploring, and his wings have been a bit tired out, so he had temporality traveled by boat. The island he was on was considerably big, big enough for him to explore for a while and get some food on before he moves on. And so far? He had found a cute rabbit, and some sheep on the island he can shear for wool.

Grian was just quietly minding his own business. Suddenly, a portal began to materialize, the rabbit jumped out from the blonde's arms, startling him. He turned and looked around in all directions, all the other animals began to run as well. He finally rests his sight on the portal, as it lit up with an eerie purple light, voices can be heard from the other side.

Something within him was telling him to run, his element was telling him to get as far as people, that they were better safe than sorry. But Grian's natural morbid curiosity nailed him to the wet, ocean brushed grass. As the voices from the portal become more vivid and clear, he was becoming more and more unsure of what he was supposed to be feeling: Fear? Confusion? Excitement? He had no idea. His wings enclosed behind his back, almost as if to make him feel safer, he retreated behind a small hill.

A gloved hand reached through the portal.

Grian jumped, taking a step back, pressing himself against the dirt blocks. He could feel his element slowly becoming more and more hostile, as the once peaceful wind on the island became wilder and constantly changed directions. As the first person showed up, Grian observed them, he hasn't noticed him yet. The stranger had a helmet that was similar to a gas mask, with a dull green suit. He was the only one to show up through that portal, almost to scout things out. Grian watched him, as he walked back into the portal to do something, Maybe to Inform? But inform who? He felt a chill up his spine, he didn't like the idea of his little own bubble in the world being popped, but it was people! Better than talking to his own element for social interaction.

The wind changed directions just to slap a leaf onto Grian's face, almost as if to tell him to shut up.

Grian snickered, he left the hill that was hiding behind, much against his element's will. He approached the portal, almost tempted to go through it himself. The brit swatted at the purple portal matter, to test it was really real or not before he was greeted with a wave of people coming out from the portal. Grian squeaked, and in reaction to the sudden release of strong emotions; the wind picked up and became strong enough to push everyone back into the portal.

He quickly picked up a piece of paper that was left in his boat and scribbled something on. The blonde threw it into the portal, hoping for the best as he waited for any kind of response, he can't just lose people like this, anyone is fine, anyone other than just his own element.

At last, the helmeted lad had poked his head through the portal again, Grian immediately stood up from sitting, admittedly still frightened. But more or so less now.

He spoke in a British accent, a hint of apologeticness in his voice. "I'm deeply sorry for that, really sorry if we scared ya, didn't mean it." Before quickly going back into the portal to bring out the rest of the people, some of them Grian had recognized from the first attempt to enter from the portal.

Grian mentally prepared himself, but he was definitely not expecting anything like this.

All the new people, at this point, was just circling him. Grian held his arm uncomfortably, "...Hi? I suppose..." He squeaked.

The first thing someone had immediately done was throw one rose at him. Cool, I guess.

Grian picked it up, and but the rose in his hand.

"...Right, so who are you exactly?" A man with a heavy Swedish accent questioned, he would have laughed at that accent if it wasn't for the fact that multiple people are staring at him.

"Erm, I'm Grian?"

Before he could reply, another person pushed the Swedish out of the way. He wore a blue shirt and had a shaggy hair cut, and seemed kind. Grian relaxed a bit but was still very wary.

"'lright, howdy!" He began. "Joe Hills here. 'scuse their rude manners, we don't get new hermits very often, y'know?" This Joe says with a faint southern accent could be heard, however not as heavy as the former.

Grian stretched his wings out of nervousness. This was all very much a shock, "Hermits? What are you all going on about? Am I going to die?" He rambled. Obviously, very confused.

"Uh, right, X, can you explain?" Someone had said, the one with the helmet turned towards the blonde, he was previously staring at the portal. Focused on something else. He moved his attention away and onto Grian, and sighed. He took his helmet off out of respect and held out his hand. "Nice to meet ya, the name's Xisuma, mostly everyone calls me X for short."  Grian took out in wariness and shook it.

Someone started to chat in the background.

"Hold up, shouldn't we be more careful? Last time we let some random stranger in it was Evil X and we all know what happened-"

"Come on dude, Evil X wasn't that bad, he only mildly burned up the place!"

Grian ignored it and focused on Xisuma. "So, understandably, you must be really confused right now." He started. The winged brit only nodded in response. "The group here, including me, call ourselves hermits, and collectively, our adventures is called hermitcraft. Of course, you are here before us in this world, so that means you were meant to join us. Although, you did push us back towards the portal with your element. That was kind of rude of ya."

The air shifted a bit.

"E-erm, it was really not my fault?"

"What do ya mean it wasn't--"

He was starting to get really uncomfortable with the situation, Grian considered flying away at this moment, it was too much. He quickly turned around, begging his element to work with him, and jumped off a small cliff and flew off.

"Right. There he goes. Thanks, Doc."

Pyro/Medic Week Day Six: Holiday

Shipping week done by @axis-intercept

-

“Hey guys, I found a mistletoe, do you think if I put it up and got Pauling to stand under it with me, she’d kiss me?”

Medic looked up from the card game he was playing with Pyro and Heavy at Scout standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He was holding a mistletoe, looking at them with a hopeful expression.

“Probably not,” Heavy and Medic said in near unison. It was unlikely he’d even be able to get Pauling under a mistletoe with him.

“You guys suck,” he said before slinking away, defeated. He was probably going to ask someone else and get the same answer before trying his plan anyway, which he’d most likely fail. But it wasn’t Medic’s problem, he looked back down at the cards in his hands.

“What’s a mistletoe?” Pyro asked.

“A parasitic plant,” Medic explained.

“When two people stand under it, they kiss, is tradition,” Heavy added.

Pyro gave a thoughtful hum before looking back down at his cards.

***

“You want to borrow the mistletoe?” Scout asked. What had to be the mistletoe he’d found was still in his possession, hanging off a little stand on his desk. He’d been looking at it forlornly and doodling in his sketchbook when Pyro had barged into his room to ask for it.

Pyro hummed affirmation, nodding and giving Scout a thumbs up.

“Uh… why?”

“I want to kiss Medic.”

“No offense pal but your mask is going to make that hard or uh… more like impossible. Not that you guys aren’t like… super good together or whatever but… yeah, you know?”

Right, there was that and it was the reason why they hadn’t kissed yet despite how long they’d been together. Medic had never complained, he’d never even mentioned it, he was great like that. “I’ll take it off.”

Scout’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I’ll take it off,” Pyro repeated louder and clearer as he mimed taking off his mask, he was used to being misunderstood.

Scout stared at him for several seconds before replying. “Wow, for reals?” Pyro nodded. “You and him are that serious?”

Pyro nodded again. In truth he was terrified by the idea but… he wanted to kiss Medic. He hadn’t considered it before but Scout wanted to kiss Miss Pauling under the mistletoe because he liked her like that and since Pyro liked Medic like that he wanted to kiss him under the mistletoe too. It was an important relationship step.

“Well uh… good luck then.” Scout unhooked the mistletoe and handed it to Pyro. “Bring it back later though, I still need to figure out a plan to get Pauling under it with me.”

Torn between fear and excitement, Pyro gave him a thumbs up before prancing out. Maybe there was a way he could kiss Medic without showing his face yet, that would make it less scary.

***

Pyro’s grip on Medic’s hand as he led him down the hall towards him room was tighter than usual. Was it excitement or fear over whatever this was about? He was clearly eager about whatever it was, enough that Medic had let him pull him away from his work with only a token protest.

Once they were in his room Pyro closed and barred the door. He’d never barred it when Medic was in here before, presumably he only did so whenever he took his suit off. Did that mean… no, surely not.

“Look,” Pyro said, pointing up.

Medic looked up, hanging above them by a string was a mistletoe. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at it and then down at Pyro and then back up at it. It was obvious what Pyro wanted but… they couldn’t kiss properly as long as Pyro wore his mask. So… what should Medic do? Tell him that? Just kiss his mask? Or… something else?

“I want to kiss you,” Pyro said before Medic could decide. “But could you…” He hesitated before pulling a black cloth out of his pocket, a blindfold. “I want to kiss you but I’m… not ready… I’m sacred, so could you…” his nervous mumbles became indecipherable but the way he held the blindfold towards Medic, his hand trembling as he looked away made it clear what he was asking for.

Medic took the blindfold from him. “Yes, I can do that.” They’d been together for months, it was past time for them to have their first kiss, right? If this was how Pyro was most comfortable doing it then Medic would accommodate him.

He removed his glasses first, placing them in his coat pocket. He then pulled the blindfold up and wrapped it around his head, tying it at the back. The cloth was thick, he couldn’t see through it even a little bit.

“Thank you,” Pyro said followed by silence.

He would be taking off his mask, right? Right in front Medic. He’d often wondered what Pyro’s face looked like under the mask, now all he had to do to find out was reach his hands up and pull the blindfold down.

Curiosity burned like fire in his chest as his hands itched to do just that, he needed to see what was under the mask. He’d been fine not knowing before but now the option to find out was being presented to him. That would betray Pyro’s trust in him though, would it be worth it? … If it were anyone else the answer would’ve been a resounding ‘yes!’ but this was Pyro. What they had together was special and… he couldn’t bring himself to ruin it. So for perhaps the first time in his life – certainly the first time in a long while – he wouldn’t give into his burning curiosity.

“I know you want to see.” That was Pyro’s voice, unmuffled, meaning he’d taken the mask off for sure. But Medic’s hands stayed at his sides, clenched into fists, he was not going to remove the blindfold. “I’ll show you one day, I promise. I’m not ready yet though.”

“Whenever you’re ready is fine,” Medic said. “But about that kiss?”

“Yes! Exciting.” Pyro clapped before he was suddenly hugging Medic, tight and loving but brief. “I’ve never kissed anyone before,” he said as he stepped back.

“Neither have I.” Unless kissing his birds’ cute little foreheads counted, which it probably didn’t. “You’re going to have to take the lead though, I can’t see.”

Suddenly Pyro was right in front of him again. He smelled of all things related to fire, a scent Medic had learned to find soothing. Pyro kissed him first on the cheek and then on the mouth. Medic didn’t have anything to compare it to but… it was nice. The only flesh on flesh contact they’d had before this was through Pyro’s hands once he got comfortable enough to start sometimes taking his gloves off when they were alone together.

Before Pyro could withdraw again, Medic put his arms around him to pull him in for a deeper kiss. Neither of them had any experience in this type of thing but they made up for it with passion. This was something that had been a long time coming, Medic hadn’t known he’d needed this until now.

“That was really nice,” Pyro said when they broke apart for air. He was speaking softly but without his mask he was still understandable, a very nice change. He hugged Medic again, tight enough to lift his feet an inch or two off the ground. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Day Five / Day Seven

Once More, With Sincerity

Fandom: Deadpool (comics)

Pairing: Cablepool

Rating: PG-13, I guess?

Summary: There's a big, creepy, psychic tentacle monster making a mess downtown, and the X-Men are having some trouble coming up with a way to take it down. Nathan has an idea -- and this time Wade's going to like it.

Nobody else will though.

Sequel to Petty Doesn't Look Good on Us

AO3 link | I do commissions! | Ko-fi

“Why are psychic monsters always shaped like giant brains?” Wade asked. The monster turned slowly, one impossibly giant eye roving towards him.

Both Jubilee and Emma grabbed him by the arms and hauled him back down behind the half-destroyed wall, out of sight.

“Stop standing up!” Jubilee hissed at him. “It’s going to see you!”

“Well so-rry,” Wade grumbled. “Wait, one more time.”

“Wade-!”

“I knew it,” he said, dropping back down. “This thing is a blatant rip-off of the tentacle monster from Watchmen. Beak, weird brain head, tentacles—except the one in Watchmen didn’t walk on the tentacles and it didn’t shoot eyebeams, it just kinda landed on people.”

“Could someone please make him stop,” Jubilee asked the world at large.

“Greater men than you have tried, my dude.”

“Alright, I’ve seen enough,” Emma said, rubbing her forehead. “We need to go back.”

They awkwardly crouch-walked their way back to the mostly-intact 7-11 the X-Men (and Wade) had turned into their temporary base. Straight confrontation had gone disastrously: the thing was shielded from bullets and absorbed psychic attacks of any kind. Since the team consisted of three psychics, a walking sparkler, claws, and lasers (and Wade), they were going to need a very creative solution.

“We’re back,” Emma announced. She swept through the entrance with a level of drama that seemed wholly out of place amongst the debris of snack cakes and exploded soda bottles.  “Some news, and it isn’t great.” In a slightly softer tone of voice, she asked “how is she?”

Scott’s frown deepened.

“She’s awake. She says she’s fine.” It was clear from his tone that he did not agree.

Jean had tried a frontal assault on the monster, attempting to overload it with psychic energy. She had to be carried away from the battle.  Logan and Scott had refused to leave her side while Wade, Jubilee, and Emma went on their scouting run, preferring to stand vigil. It was exhaustingly predictable of both them and her. Wade hadn’t been worried; she’d just come back from the dead a year ago. She had a little more time before they’d do something like permanently stick her in a coma.

Wade made a beeline for Nathan in that way where he was trying to look like he wasn’t. Hovering by the twinkies for a while, pretending to debate between the cherry and strawberry twizzlers, all gradually scooting his way across the store until he was next to Nathan. The man was sitting with his back to the wall, legs crossed, apparently deep in meditation.

Wade knew better, though. He knew that particular wrinkle in Nathan’s forehead, and it meant he had a real monster of a headache. Nathan hadn’t suffered as badly as Jean but he’d been very pale when they fled from the monster. Wade didn’t like that At All.

He rattled a bottle of pills by Nathan’s ear, making his eyes snap open.

“I got you some aspirin from a CVS we passed on our way out. I don’t know if they’re any good against attacks from giant squid brain things, but it couldn’t hurt.”

Nathan smiled.

“Worth a try,” he said. “My head feels like it’s about to split in two.” He reached up, but his hand lingered, fingertips brushing at the small strip of skin between Wade’s glove and sleeve. A warm, bright smile smoothed away the worry line. “Thank you, Wade.”

“Whatever,” Wade said, not quite managing to hide the squeak.

If he keeps doing this, we might actually die.

Nathan had been acting very strange, the last few weeks. Always finding an excuse to touch Wade or stand near him. Sneaking away from the others when they were at the mansion so they could make out in dark corners and closets like teenagers. Watching him with a strange little smile whenever Wade wasn’t looking, but only smiling more when Wade caught him.  

At first Wade thought it was Nathan trying to make up for the whole “let’s get married to spite everyone who doesn’t take our relationship seriously” debacle, except Nathan knew he was over the whole thing and he was still doing it. (Well, relatively sure he knew. They hadn’t exactly talked about it. Wade preferred to pretend it hadn’t happened. It kept him from worrying that that might have been his only chance.)

Don’t get it wrong, the extra flirting and making out was great, and Wade really liked it. It was just that Wade liked it so much it made his brain forget how to do brain things right.

Nathan made to dry-swallow the aspirin, but Wade grabbed his wrist.

“Nuh-uh! Do you have any idea how bad that is for you? Take it with something.”

“Wade,” Nathan started, with a fond-yet-exasperated smile.

“Don’t you ‘Wade’ me, buster.” He began to rummage around in the busted refrigerators until he found a few bottles of room-temperature Gatorade ™. “Here. Replenish your electrolytes while not burning a hole in your esophagus.”  

“Be careful,” Nathan warned. “People might start to think you care.”

“I’m trying to protect your reputation as someone who isn’t a total dingus,” Wade said, watching carefully to make sure Nathan actually drank. “You should be thanking me.”

Nathan gulped the last of the drink and stood. He was just a little bit too far into Wade’s personal space again, giving him that same heated look.

“Thank you,” he said, trailing his fingertips up Wade’s arm. “I appreciate it.”

Then something happened to Nathan’s expression. His eyebrows came down and his eyes flicked over Wade’s face, like he was trying to read him through the mask. Which was weird, because Nathan never had any trouble reading Wade. Like, ever.

“Wade, I…there’s something…Look, I’ve been thinking, and—“

“Hey,” Jubilee called. “You guys coming or what?”

The weird expression rapidly morphed into a much more familiar ‘annoyance at the world at large’. Nathan sighed heavily.

“Nevermind. We’re coming,” he called back. Wade stared after him, mystified, then shook himself and followed.

“Emma, what can you tell us?” Nathan asked, now in full Messiah Mode.

“Not much, except that it isn’t just absorbing psychic energy, it’s feeding on it. I’m pretty sure its default is to sustain itself on the emotions of people around it.”

“Only pretty sure?” Nathan asked.

“I can’t touch its mind for too long or it starts sucking at me—don’t.” This to Wade, who had opened his mouth.

“So if we cut off its supply of emotions, it’ll shut down,” Jubilee said. Emma made a noise that, coming from a poorer and uglier woman, would have been a snort.

“And how exactly do you intend to shut down its supply?” she asked, nastily. “It’s in the middle of a city. Unless you can find a way to teleport it somewhere a good fifty miles in any direction from any sentient creature--“

“Tennessee?” Wade suggested.

“I can say this,” Emma said, ignoring him. “Every time I touch its mind and it starts sucking—don’t – I always feel one overwhelming emotion. Just one at a time, and always very basic. I don’t think it can handle anything complex.”

“So if we gave it a high concentration of a wide range of emotions all at once, it would overwhelm it?” Nathan asked. Emma shrugged.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Scott said. His voice was tight with worry and anger. “Maybe isn’t good enough!”

“Well maybe is all you’re going to get!” Emma snapped back. “I’m doing the best I can, Scott. I’m not a miracle worker! I’m trying to be careful.”

“Jean already tried overwhelming it, and it didn’t work. We need a different plan.”

“Jean tried a straight attack of pure psychic energy, and she didn’t do anything to shield herself. This is different.”

Scott bristled instantly.

“That was not her fault.”

“Scott, it’s fine—“  

“Of course it is! She decided to run in half-cocked—don’t!”

“I have an idea,” Nathan said calmly, taking advantage of the break in her tirade. “But we need to get close.”

“I don’t think I’d be much good,” Jean admitted. “Emma’s right. I’m burnt out.”  

“I’m staying with her,” Scott said, firmly.

“No, you aren’t,” Nathan said, firmlyer. “If this is going to work, you both definitely need to be there.”

They were less than a block away from the monster. They could hear the slick, sticky sound of its tentacles dragging along the ground. Whenever it let out that awful, piercing roar, they all flinched, feeling it rip straight through them.

“Okay, so we’re here,” Jubilee whispered, back pressed against the wall. “Now what’s this great big plan of yours?”

Instead of answering, Nathan grabbed Wade’s hand and pulled him slightly away from the others. Wade followed, finally starting to worry. Nathan was secretive about his schemes on a good day, but there was something about his demeanor that was setting off alarm bells in Wade’s head.

If this is another Providence type plan, I say we preemptively murder him.

Co-signed.

“Motion carried,” Wade murmured. Nathan didn’t seem to hear him. Once they were in a space relatively clear of rubble, he turned and took both of Wade’s hands in his own.  

“I know you wanted a big production. I was trying to think of a speech on the way over here but I couldn’t come up with anything good.” Nathan’s mouth twitched into something a little too sickly to be a smile. His throat worked hard and that weird expression came back, tight and twitchy and--

He’s nervous, Wade realized. When had he ever seen Nathan nervous? Scared, once or twice, uncertain several times, even uneasy, but nervous?

Nathan went down on one knee, and Wade’s heart stopped beating.

omigod

“I love you. Will you marry me?”

Wade’s palms went sticky. Was this actually happening? Was this a hallucination? It didn’t seem like a hallucination, since Nathan was still fully clothed, but this sure as hell couldn’t be actually happening.

“I, I’m, I don’t—wait, are you only asking me because you think it’ll kill the monster, because Nathan I swear to god—“

“No, Wade. I’m asking you for real, because I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Only with you.”  

The word came out of Wade’s mouth so fast he almost choked on it.

“Yes.”

The monster let out a horrific, ear-splitting shriek of agony, so loud that everyone winced and clapped their hands to their ears. Everyone but Wade and Nathan, who were staring at each other and smiling. Nathan stood, slowly, Wade’s hands still clasped in his, as the monster exploded with a horrible shlorp noise.

Purple goo splattered down around them like sticky rain. Huge globs of monster brains crushed cars and left small craters in the streets. Nathan was wearing the biggest, happiest smile Wade had ever seen on his face.  Judging from the way his cheeks were starting to hurt, Wade was too.

“I know you mentioned fireworks,” he said. “I hope that’s close enough.”

“Shut up,” Wade said, trying very hard to pretend like he wasn’t about to cry, fumbling to pull his mask up over his nose. “Shut up and kiss me right now.”

Nathan leaned in and Wade went up on his tiptoes and there were car alarms shrieking in the background and everything smelled vaguely like fish and it was the single greatest moment of Wade’s life. Their lips were a millimeter away when--

“Are you out of your mind?”

Nathan sighed.

“Scott—” he started. Wade grabbed his head and yanked him right back down, kissing him hard. Nathan leaned into it, and the two wrapped their arms around each other. Vaguely Wade heard Emma saying "he's kidding, right? It's a joke."

"I think it's sweet," Jean said, defensively. Wade was momentarily surprised, then mentally wadded up everything that wasn't Nathan and tossed it into a trash can. Nathan was smiling against his lips, and Wade could feel that his heart was beating a little faster than normal. Who cared what the X-Dorks thought? Nathan was his. For real this time.

An astounding improvement from last time. A+

If I had hands I'd be applauding.

After a few more eternities, Nathan asked “Better?” Wade wasn’t sure if he meant the proposal or the kissing. Either way…

“I think you nailed it,” he said with a grin.

“Nathan!” Scott shouted, but they were already kissing again.

Team C Infiltration

Setting the Scene: Team A has already begun the front assault on the large stronghold, drawing a number of the Apokolips army's forces out to the main fight. As the halls empty, Steve Rogers instructs that the goal is to search, to try to avoid engagement. Any files, databases, tech, or anything of the like is to be collected. If you must fight, the goal is to do it quietly so as not to sound up any alarms.

Steve Rogers The team was set and everything was in place. He had been half-tempted to allocate one of them over to Dinah's team, but she had promised him that she could handle herself. She had been so certain in the conversation about the mission that he didn't want to undermine her. Besides, she got people out alone. They'd make it. And if they weren't, they could signal for his squad to provide back up.

Crouching in cover, Steve was quick and succinct. "Alright. Keep tight where we can, and remember that we're hoping to avoid discovery. If it goes south, try to contain things. Ultimately, the intel is our objective. We need it at this point if we're going to make a push against Darkseid. Anything we can use, grab it. Better too much or too little."

"Is there a way to scan the area? Figure out if we're walking into virtual trip wires or things like that?" Ted Kord Teddy was more than a little nervous, but this wasn’t his first rodeo and heart condition or not he’d been deemed worth bringing along; he wasn’t going to let these people down. He’d suited up in his new combat gear, a tight fitting t-shirt with the Beetle logo on it, thick work pants with seemingly endless pockets, and a backpack in the shape of a bug that was a robot itself to assist him as needed. After all, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t fight their way out of this.

He listened to Steve go over the objective and nodded, pulling his orange-tinted goggles down. “I’ve got something for that.” He lifted a hand and tapped at a small control panel embedded in his fingerless gloves. His packsack seemed to rumble a little an several black dots flew out, “These are the Puni Possi; my beetle robots no bigger than a pin head, they have cameras and send data to a server so should be able to map the place working together and go undetected.”

“Or if other members can skills that work quicker I could focus on one section? I don’t wanna y’know… step on toes…” his brief moment of confidence gone as quickly as it came. Loki Laufeyson Ah, a team mission. How exciting. Loki had known he was going to be called upon to do things like this when he had offered his assistance to the heroes, but then they would be foolish not to want his expertise and skills. This mission was predicated on stealth and secrecy, after all, which would have been much easier for him to achieve if he had not been saddled with the group of mortals. But Loki had agreed to be (more or less) a team player, so going along with the mortals was unavoidable.

He tried not to chuckle at Rogers' typically noble speech, settling for giving the Soldier a sarcastic salute once the man's back was turned. Loki could easily scan the area with magic, but when the man in the silly bug-themed suit volunteered, he was content to step aside. "No no, you go right ahead, my good man. There is no way that I, a god, would have any more efficient means of checking for traps." Yet his sarcasm belied the real reason he was not offering to do so--his magic was still limited, so Loki thought it better if he focused what power he could on trying to keep their little team relatively concealed. He could not keep them completely hidden, but a little bit of distracting illusion could go a long way to keep anyone trying to discover them busy. "I shall merely do what little I can to offer support to you intrepid liberators." Batman The Captain was susinct in his instruction, something that Bruce found himself approving of. Time was of the essence, their window of opportunity shrinking every moment they spent standing still. His attention shifted to Ted as the man spoke and it was obvious that he was nervous about his tech from the way he backed down without any prompting. The snide remark from Loki had Batman's eyes snapping over, a sour sort of grimace settling onto his face at the unnecessary bragging.

Narcissism, while certainly annoying, was extremely unproductive in their current situation given the circumstances. The urge to check the Asgardian was there, springing up wildly, but he caught himself and held off what remark lay on the tip of his tongue. This wasn't his operation and he wasn't the one in charge. Not here and not today. Silent, he turned to Ted and gave a slight nod as a simple way of deference and turned his gaze away to watch their backs.

Rodgers could lead his team how he wished, and Batman had nothing better in his utility belt than what Ted could offer.

Damian Wayne A short inhale through his nostrils cemented his focus to the task at hand. The briefing from the man leading the charge kept his attention until he opened the conversation for potential ideas. Few served suggestions, but it was the ‘god’ who was compelled to utter a smart remark, earning a tongue click from the teenager. Urges to return the remark, while strong, would be held back by conscious thoughts reminding him of the mission.

“As Batman’s ally, I can attest that those beetles, while slightly grotesque, could prove a valuable asset to the mission,” said Robin, his gaze shifting underneath the confides of his eye mask. “If we are need in more intel, however, I am more than willing to obtain more information undetected from the computers, should they provide any use to us.” Bucky This was familiar. Not the people, necessarily, other than Steve, but a mission, Steve at the head, Bucky providing support and lending his skills. While he was skilled at attack, too, he'd basically been a ghost for decades so it made sense to have him on a stealth mission. He also pretty much insisted on being there if Steve was there so whatever team Steve was heading up, that's where Bucky could be found too.

He stayed quiet for the most part, paying attention to the group conversation but also keeping his eyes and ears open and very aware of their surroundings. He looked over to the bug guy when he mentioned robots, eyebrows raised a little but not commenting until Loki snarked about it and Bucky's eyes got a little steely. "You can do better, do it. If not? Shut up and let him." No one else seemed willing to tell him off so Bucky would, glancing at Steve but not exactly apologetic. Seemed like it needed to happen. The kid vouched for the bug robots and Bucky nodded slightly, figuring enough of them had thrown their support behind Ted for him to go ahead with the scan. Steve Rogers Steve looked up and was about to agree that Ted should scout when Loki spoke. Steve gave him a stern Look, but Bucky was the one who seemed content to call him out. The bats had both go diplomatic. He sighed. "We can kill each other later. This situation is too precarious for petty crap." Meeting Loki's eyes, he waited for an affirmative. "We're all here for a reason. Loki, your illusions can keep us hidden so no one gets a jump on us. That's what you said, right? Ted's tech'll do the scouting." Ted Kord Confidence had never been his strong suit, it only took few words from another, who was a literal god to have his shoulder’s drooping and ready to admit it was a foolish idea. Robin’s, well… somewhat backhanded compliment did make him feel a little better, as did Batman’s nod but he was more grateful than he’d admit to Barnes for standing up for him. Pity he couldn’t do it for himself. Still, not wanting to contribute to, or be the cause of, any more tension, he nodded and rapidly typed some keys to the command board built into his glove.

The tiny robots surged forward, easily finding opening’s to the compound and transmitting their data back. He pulled a small screen from one of his many pockets and a picture began to form. “Some Parademons patrolling, and security systems. These bots can’t disarm them but I could hack into them myself when we’re inside. Though there’ll be some pressure sensitive ground, laser grids and possibly more.” He narrowed his eyes, “Here,”  he held the screen up and tapped the further point of it, “My Possi have detectived a lot power going into this space; could be some kind of CPU or data storage?” He shrugged, “There’s a strong possibility what we’re looking for could be there?” Or not cause he often made mistakes and was honestly the weakest link in this mission... But he managed not to blurt that out at least.

Loki Laufeyson He might have had to go on the mission, but that did not mean Loki had to be thrilled about it, and he already had voiced his feelings on doing such a menial task. The other mortals in the strange outfits did not rise to his comment, but the other man did. From what little Loki knew of him, he recalled that he was Rogers' friend. Naturally he would rise to the Soldier's defense. "Hmm, a little testy, are we? Perhaps you might want to calm yourself. We are supposed to be quiet, after all." He did not care if the man in the bug suit performed a scan of the area; he only wanted it made clear that he was lowering himself greatly by assisting them.

Sadly Rogers was right. Despite Loki's feelings, it was not the time or place to prove his superiority. He did not wish to have to deal with Darkseid's forces any more than they did. "Yes, that is correct, Captain," he said, sighing slightly, "I merely would like a little appreciation for how benevolent I am being by assisting this endeavor." Which he was surely not going to get. Unappreciative mortals, really. It seemed the bug man could indeed scan the area, reporting back with an accurate account of what he found. Whatever the power source was, that could well be what they were after. "Oh, well done, well done." He nodded as appreciatively as he could manage, then glanced at the Soldier. "Again, I could retrieve the power source myself, but Valhalla forbid I step on any toes here a second time. Shall I just await instruction, then?" Batman It seemed that both the urge to clip the comment and the realignment of mission priorities was handled by Rodgers and Barnes, although the Asgardian didn't quite seem to grasp the concept of closing his mouth and keeping it shut. There was a tension that settled in Bruce's shoulders and he allowed his frown to edge close against the border of a grimace as he leaned towards Ted to watch the screen over his shoulder. He gave an almost absent nod at the man's assessment, working his jaw as he thought the security systems over- though, more quips caught his attention.

Batman let out a low hum as he turned to face Loki to give him the appreciation he wanted so badly, a dull and irritated frown hinted at across his face. "You showed up to help," he drawled, voice low in the monotone rumble he used so frequently on petty criminals on the streets of Gotham. "Congratulations. Your participation will be appreciated as soon as you apply it constructively. If you have a way to make this mission simpler, by all means, share. This is a team effort, after all- not a measure of individual worth."

That was something Loki needed to grasp. Especially because they were about a minute away from infiltrating an enemy base. Especially because they were about to risk their lives together for the good of the world.

Damian Wayne Alas, it would be the rest of the ‘adults’ to utter their own remarks. A nonchalant hum detracted his focus from such bickering, lest he need to hear the reprimands from the leader of the group. His olive green gaze shifted in Ted’s direction, tilting his head at a slight angle, attempting to catch a glimpse at the screen.

“Laser grids?” mumbled Robin, wrinkling his nose. “Sounds more like basic training to me. Still, I have doubts this is more than just ‘hacking the systems.’  A diversion would be too obvious. It might just be what he expects. I can only hope we’re prepared for what our next action will be.”

Bucky A slight reprimand from Steve but not just directed at him. Someone had to shut the insufferable Asgardian up, though apparently it still didn’t work. Bucky’s eyes flashed with irritation but Batman took this one so Bucky didn’t have to. So he ignored Loki as best he could and focused on the intel Ted was giving them. Sounded pretty standard and the kid seemed to think so, too. “That’ll be it, most likely. Let us know where the pressure plates are, we can take care of the demons.” He looked at Steve again, waiting for the go ahead to move in. He shifted slightly and settled in, armed to the teeth but figuring knives and the arm would be best for stealth. He wished he didn’t feel like he should be wearing a black muzzle and pushed that thought firmly aside. Steve Rogers Steve nodded at the intel that Ted brought up, trying not to roll his eyes at Loki. He knew that he was going to be difficult to work with, but he sorely wished Thor was here to tell him how best to babysit. "We all have our jobs," he said to the other. "You'll get your cookie when we get outta this in one piece."

He couldn't bite down the smirk that came with Batman's response. That was more words than Steve had heard Batman say in the entirety of their time working together. He needed to fix that. Get on making some kind of rapport. He was just so damn busy all the time that things like interpersonal connections tended to fall on the wayside. It was no excuse, though. He simply had to be better. Make time.

Looking to Damian, Steve shook his head. "We should be grateful if that's all we're up against. Things could have been a lot worse." He prayed that it stayed that easy. "Bucky and I will take point. Loki is going to keep us cloaked as best he can, Blue Beetle, Batman, and Robin, I'm relying on you to hack these systems. If we run into trouble, close ranks. We're not here for shock and awe." Setting the Scene: Steve leads the team in. As Ted's Possi picked up, there is a long corridor. A simple engagement of infrared pickups show the lasers and there is a large control panel on the other side of the room. Along the walls are a series of deep holes in the metal--intentional looking. Two corridors break away at the end of the hallway, and footsteps can be heard along each one. Beside the control panel is a door.

Ted Kord All this conflict probably wasn’t the best way to start off a stealth mission. Honestly Loki was like a sup’d up version of Guy Gardner, complete with the green theme. But he wasn’t gonna start anything, especially not without Booster there for him to riff off. But he was grateful to the others for stepping up when he was wilting. Some hero he was supposed to be. He kept his head down, the device up for them to see and let Steve decide on the course of action.

Honestly, he was relieved to be with Bruce and Damian,  letting Steve and Bucky take point while they followed in behind them. His Puni Possi were still mapping, making more detailed analysis as well as recording any sounds they heard for later use. When they arrived in the corridor he pulled two small blue beetle shaped devices from one of the many pockets in his pants and held them out, using his other hand to pull his orange goggles down.

“These are translators.” He whispered, “I loaded them up with The Bug’s language database; Kilowog sup’d it up when he visited Guy a few years back.” It should be useful if they encountered any language barriers. “Much as I love my gymnastics, who wants to go get past and hack the laser grid? I’ll head towards the power heavy room? I’ve dealt with alien tech a few times before.” He shrugged, feeling more at ease stating his skills when it was just to Batman and Robin.

Loki Laufeyson A team effort? Loki tried not to make a face of disgust as he glared at the gravely-voiced man in the silly bat suit. Was that supposed to be something reassuring? He disliked being saddled with the mortals; how was he supposed to be glad about having them around to hinder him? Of course Loki was currently hindered by the damper on his magic, so sadly he probably did need the mortals along to...ugh...help. Still, he did not wish to be reminded of this. "Oh forgive me. I was raised to be judged on my own worth and my own worth alone. I am still adjusting to this concept of 'team work.'" A slight lie--Loki knew how to work with a team. He just did not like it.

He wrinkled his nose at Rogers' treatment of him as a child who was begging for a reward. Yes he may have been demanding a reward, but who would not wish for some sort of reward after having to put up with a team of mortals? "Lovely, so I have to keep you all intact now? I certainly wish for something in return for that." At least the mortals all had sorted out their positions. Loki was merely required to keep them as safe as possible. A menial task, and an unsavory one, but he was perfectly capable of performing it.

Once inside the corridor, Loki observed the layout, frowning at the technological barriers. "Ugh, this primitive technology is so bothersome. But fear not, we are as concealed as possible." Upon hearing the footsteps in the distance, he made a slight face. "At least until anyone decides to come make a close inspection." Batman Nothing about Batman's expression shifted as the Asgardian met his gaze, the blank lenses in his cowl as impassive as ever. When Loki had babbled out his excuses, Batman turned to face Rodgers and nodded his head at the man's instruction. As they entered the corridor, he took one of the devices from Ted, turning it over in his hands as a brief examination before looking out across the grid with a tight frown. Potentially dangerous, definitely not to be messed with. With one final assurance from Loki as to their concealment, Batman peered at the gaps in the lasers, calculating the distance across in his head. It would be extremely dangerous to try and sneak across through the gaps- obviously, the intention -although something did catch his eye.

"Robin, lose the cape," he muttered unhooking both his grapple and its spare from his belt. He slid their backs against eachother and once they clicked he turned to his protégé, holding the device out for him to take.

"Fire them simultaneously and they'll make a line you can climb across above the grid." He glanced down the corridor, eyeing the panel and the gap above the lasers. Turning back, he gave a small nod. "I'll boost you."

Damian Wayne Being as he worked under the man’s careful eye for almost eight years, the teen was aware of the other’s calculated intentions. He glanced at the gaps himself, narrowing his gaze underneath his eye mask until he was given orders from Batman.

Confirming the orders with a nod, Robin removed his hooded cape from the front, carefully setting the article aside. He reached for the device presented to him with an acknowledged hum. Using the other’s backside as support, he followed Batman’s direction until they reached the corridor. The aforementioned device remained in his hand, referring back to Batman’s instructions as to where to fire.

“I got it,” he mumbled, paying close attention to his intended target. He kept the device close to his chest once Batman gave him the necessary boost. Soft breaths kept his composure, remembering his usual protocol. A few seconds of concentration gave him the opportunity to press the button on the device, firing the targets as instructed.

Now he needed to reach the grid. Bucky Loki just never shut up, did he? He was still going on and I even after Steve tried to put him in his place, again. “Y’know someone who was really so above all this and better than us wouldn’t have to keep saying it and would just do it.” Bucky couldn’t help at least one more comment directed at the irritating god then resolved to just shut up and do the work.

Steve laid out the plan and Bucky nodded. They all moved in, he and Steve at the front and assessed the situation. He could hear footsteps and the rest look like tech stuff for the others to figure out. Using army hand signals, he communicated with Steve that he’d take the one corridor and Steve could take the other. Best to silence those footsteps before they summoned more. Bucky slipped down his designated hallway silently, looking around a corner to find a patrolling Parademon. Ugly damn things. Waiting until it’s back was turned, Bucky crept up on it and clamped his vibranium hand over it’s mouth then quickly stabbed it in the throat with an all too practiced movement. Catching its weight to lower it slowly to the ground, he kept his hand over it’s mouth until the dying gurgles stopped. As quickly and quietly as possible, he carried it to an out of the way corner and left the body there then kept moving. Might as well make sure these surrounding hallways were clear, though he kept tight to where the team was.

“Got one. Continuing my sweep.” He muttered into the communicator he was wearing to let Steve know what had happened. Steve Rogers Steve sighed. This was going to be even more complicated than he imagined. Loki was difficult to work with, Bucky was so protective of the team, Batman was used to a certain kind of efficiency. They just... had to get things done. They had to do this. "Enough," he said to all of them, voice firm. "We can bicker after we get this done. But I want to win this war and take back our planet. And this is one of the steps to do it. So let's get it done."

He followed Bucky's hand signs, used to collaborating with him and feeling that bittersweet feeling of working with Bucky again. It was familiar, even if he felt guilty that Bucky still had to fight. But he supposed it was just a part of it at this point. They couldn't sit around, even if they might like too. They couldn't afford to avoid this fight.

Taking his hallway, Steve resisted the urge to incapacitate over kill. They couldn't arrest Parademons. He didn't know if they could rehabilitate them. And they were slaughtering countless humans and other occupants of earth. Steve was not really a full kill type of person, but he did what he had to do in war, bringing down two guards with the combination of his shield and hand to hand. "This hall is clear," he advised. "Have we cleared the laser field so Blue Beetle can get into the server room?" Ted Kord Even if he wasn’t as fit as he used to be, by far, he could’ve managed what Robin was doing; hopefully though, he wouldn’t need to and once the lasers were down he’d hack his way what he hoped was the CPU core room and steal everything he could off that mother. He’d even brought multiple of his translators just in case he ran out of space. He watched the pair work seamlessly together and tried to resist the urge to make smalltalk or bad jokes. Instead, he looked down at the small computer of his Possi, continuing to move through the building, recording sound and building a better map; the larger it was the better.

If the apokolips kept their stations half as similar as they did their Parademons, then he could hopefully provide a map for the general layout to make future missions like this easier.

Hearing Steve’s voice come through he reached for his communicator, “Negative on the field. But thirty more seconds I reckon they’ll be across. Once it’s down I’ll make a bee-tle line for the server room,” Okay one bad joke, but he’d avoided the smalltalk! “And take as much as I can.” Maybe he’d leave them with a little something too, he thought, typing more commands into the mini-computer in his glove.

Loki Laufeyson Rogers' friend was still trying to defend him and the rest of the mortals, and while bickering with them was always entertaining to Loki, sadly the Soldier was right. The quicker this was accomplished, the quicker he could be free of their bothersome prattling. "Yes, why don't we all just do our parts then, if we are supposed to be a team. I have already been doing my part in keeping us concealed, after all," he remarked, giving both of them a smug look.

The other mortals were all working at their tasks now, two of them trying to navigate across the laser grid and the one in the bug suit doing...whatever it was he was doing with his tech. And Rogers and his comrade went off to do what they did best--fight. Loki could not resist the urge to roll his eyes, but then he could not complain when someone else did the fighting and left him to do what he was much better at doing--magic and subterfuge. And condescending comments.

"Oh, is that the best line you can come up with? Clearly technology is your forte, and not witty banter." He would have criticized the need for witty banter in this situation in the first place, but then he had been bantering plenty himself, so he decided it was best to leave that out. Instead he focused on strengthening his concealment spell. See, he was doing his part. Damian Wayne The low hum of the lasers left a slight rattling in his ears. Keeping to his front side, Robin advanced forward. The edges of his boots, despite their weight, left little traces of sound, even during his quiet shuffles through the gap. His focus continued, disregarding the distant bickering with a nonchalant eyeroll.

Finally, he stopped as the aforementioned humming grew louder. Tapping the corners of his mask, he paused to further observe his surroundings. Admittedly, there was a skip in his heartbeat. One hand clenched and relaxed against the device given to him by Batman. There was a slight warmth underneath his hands and knees.

It was here.

Reaching into the back pocket of his utility belt, he took a small chip between his gloved fingers. Looking down towards the grid, he found an inconspicuous spot towards the backside. A few more seconds passed for Robin to find his position. He tossed the small chip onto the backside of the grid. The hum began to die down before fading to silence.

"The grid is down,” he mumbled into the communicator. “Keep it short. I’d take five minutes at most to keep the suspicions down.” Bucky Bucky took out one more Parademon after the first then circled back to guard the group. “Hallway clear.” He rolled his eyes at Ted’s pun but he’s take those over Loki’s arrogance and snobbery any day. Steve had put them in their place again so Bucky was just going to ignore Loki for the rest of the mission as best he could.

He’d make it back to the group when the grid went down and nodded at Ted. “You’re on.” Five minutes wasn’t a long time but they could probably get some good information if he worked quick and provided nothing went wrong. Hacking servers was pretty outside of Bucky’s realm of expertise so he’s just keep a close watch for danger and hope Ted did his thing well. Steve Rogers It was going well, meaning that the plan was working. He only hoped things out on the front were going well too. He didn't want any more casualties. Any more losses. They had been through enough, hadn't they? "Blue Beetle, let us know if you can't get in. We'll keep you covered." Ted Kord Teddy watched and tried to contain his nerves watching Robin work; he knew he was capable but he still worried seeing a kid doing something so dangerous. Not that he’d be fool enough to mention it. Once the grid was down Teddy was running forward, wasting no time he pulled another few blue-coloured contraptions from his many pocket and got to work on the door to the server room. It was alien tech to be sure, and it took him a minute to figure out which approach would work. Eventually, he placed a small beetle robot over the control pad, it clamped its legs around it and after about half a minute with Teddy typing away at the keypad on his wrist, the door opened.

“We’re in!” He said into the comm before dashing inside. The place was stacked with servers glowing slightly in the low light. He reached the mother-server and rested his hands over the top of it staring hard through his orange goggles and muttering quietly to himself, diagnosing the system, time needed for downloads and where to port his machines.

“I can hack it,” he spoke into the comms again, despite Bucky, Robin and Batman being close. He began to walk around the room, place more of his palm sized robots onto specific spots of the servers, “I’ll need eight minutes for a complete download. The data will be encrypted but I can hack it later, we don’t have time now.”

Setting the Scene: As the door opens, the back up security begins an alarm and the fixtures in the walls begin to produce a thick gas. More footsteps can be heard at a running pace down either hallway. Finding a way to plug up those holes would be advisable. Get ready for a fight to defend Blue Beetle while he works.

Loki Laufeyson

Amazingly, the mortals seemed to be performing their tasks well. Loki would give them at least that much credit. The lasers were eliminated and the bug man was doing...whatever with this technology. Loki kept the spell up, content to wait while the mortals finished. They were supposed to be about this quickly, after all.

But then an alarm went off, and suddenly there was an outpouring of gas into the space. Loki grimaced. Naturally this would not be that easy, and again naturally, he would have to protect the mortals even more. He could have cast a shield to try and keep the gas out, but that would require more magic than he could spare. Eyeing the holes the gas was pouring out of, Loki decided a quick spell to cover them would suffice to cut off the gas. Waving his hand, he conjured some glowing green disks which affixed to the holes, halting the outpouring of the gas.

"You're welcome," Loki announced, though in regards to the approaching footsteps, he remarked, "But you all better be on your guard, because I cannot protect you from everything." Batman Batman watched Robin with silent, unblinking eyes, as if he could get his son along the line safely with force of will alone. He was on Ted's heels as soon as the grid shut down, handing the cape over to Damian as they passed and giving him an approving nod. He was on edge, knowing their short window of opportunity would leave no time for delay. Ted seemed to have gotten this memo as well, the door sliding open quickly- however, the sudden alarm blaring around them made Bruce grit his teeth. His hand twitched towards the rebreather kept in his belt, though Loki's quick action left the movement unnecessary as the gas flow was staunched.

"You won't have to. Robin, assist Barnes." Batman turned to Loki for a pause before he decided better of it and moved across the room toward the hallway branches in a sprint. He spoke quickly into the comm in his ear, veering in the direction Steve had gone. "Captain, I'm on my way."

If they could hold stall in the hallways before they fell back, the laser grid could possibly be an asset to their cause when reignited. It would hopefully give Ted the time he needed to complete the download. Damian Wayne The screech of the alarms elicited a strong grimace, fighting back the urge to grit his teeth. He mumbled a curse when he was disrupted by a nearby hissing from his perimeter. Swinging his feet to the side, he propelled his body from the top of the grid, grabbing one of the corner with his gloved hand. Reaching into his belt, he grabbed his makeshift gas mask, fitting it over his mouth and nostrils.

Four minutes and fifty-four seconds shy of my prediction. What else is new?

That’s when he heard the hissing grow louder, forcing him to release his grip, using his hands and feet to carefully descend from the crevice where he had climbed from. He broke into a sprint upon hearing Batman’s voice on the other end of his communicator.

“On my way,” he responded, grinning underneath his mask. Without a moment’s hesitation, he continued to make his way towards the other when he reached into one of the crevices in his belt. Finding his Batarang, he slipped it between his fingers.

“Looks like some of us can finally make use of their new utilities.” Bucky Things were going well which meant Bucky should’ve expected something to go wrong. He tries not to be that pessimistic though and just did the work, hoping it would all go as planned. Ted got in and he only needed less than ten minutes. Fair enough…until the alarms went off. Fuck. He could hear the hissing and the footsteps, both of which were a concern. He tried to stay away from the gas only for Loki to cover it up. He gave him a look at the comment. He was just pulling his weight. “Steve, we’re about to have company.” He spoke into the comm as the kid came to join him. Their job was defense now so he stood at the hallway opening that lead to the server room, guarding it.

So much for stealth. To that end, he pulled out a gun as the enemies started appearing and it was on. Steve Rogers Nodding, Steve fell back to settle into a formation with Bucky that felt all too familiar. As they did so, both hallways produced a dozen Parademons with three juggernaut soldiers in strange helmets. Steve had never seen the helmets and he blinked. "On the ready, Batman and Robin. Keep them away from Blue Beetle. We don't need to win, we just need to buy time."

Ted Kord

Teddy was doing his utmost best to ignore all the sounds going on both outside and through their comm. His gaze was fixed on the screen in front of him, alien characters and walls of text flying across the screen and even across the small screen built into his glove. His fingers were azure blurs and he furiously typed on both his own and the Server Room's technology. The small scarab machines he'd attached began to hum as their whirled to life, each one storing more and more data. All the while he muttered to himself, no jokes, no depreciation... no fear for his safety should his team fail. For better or worse his mind was focused only on this task. Loki Laufeyson Wonderful. It seemed they would not avoid a fight after all. Loki was certain that they would have been completely invisible to any enemies if he had been able to conjure a stronger spell of concealment. But now the need for that was gone, for alien creatures and soldiers in helmets were heading their way. So Loki dropped his concealment spell and instead focused what magic he could on creating a few illusory doubles. They would not be as realistic as they normally would, but he assumed the creatures and soldiers would be too dumb to notice that his doubles had a green shimmer to them. Even if they did, hopefully they would still be occupied fighting them. And that would also perhaps give the mortals a little more time, as the Soldier was exhorting them to do.

"I can certainly do that," he said as his daggers appeared in his hands, and his doubles took shape around him, "At least I can have some decent company this time." After all, even being surrounded by illusions of himself was a sight better than all the mortals. Batman "Copy," Bruce huffed in response to Steve's words, picking the pace up. Within moments, Batman was stood to the right of the Captain with a determined set in his shoulders as he studied the adversaries before them. The three new soldiers were concerning, though taking down the Parademons flanking them would be easier seeing as the entire team was familiar with such acts.

Narrowing his eyes, Batman produced a batarang set from his belt and wordlessly hurled two of the weapons at the Parademon who had gotten the closest. The last was flung at high speeds directly into the helmet of the nearest juggernaut in an attempt to knock the thing off.

Damian Wayne From his left side, he could hear the parademons sprinting through the hallways towards his and Bucky’s location. He cast a sharp gaze where he found a few of the aforementioned enemies. With a hard flick, he stuck his Batarang towards one of the parademons. A strong jolt of electricity emitted from the weapon forced the other to his knees.

Steve’s voice on the communicator clarified the priority. Still, Robin kept a slight smirk underneath his mask. One of the larger soldiers made a strong approach towards Robin, reaching for his shoulder. The young apprentice scoffed at the attempt. With the back of the other’s neck briefly exposed, he bent his elbow at a slight angle and slammed hard against the skin.

“I can make do with both,” he said right before he reached back into his utility belt, I’ll save the fanfare until after we complete the objective.” Bucky Great. There were a lot of them because of course there were. Nothing was ever easy. But Steve was there, and Robin, and the priority was to protect Blue Beetle so that's what they'd do. Since stealth wasn't an option anymore, Bucky had his guns out and started firing as soon as the parademons got close. Those big ones with the helmets were new and after picking off a few parademons Bucky made a move on one of the big guys. He fired at it until he was too close then switched to melee, fists and knives with the intention of ripping the damn helmet off if he could. They were probably ugly underneath but at least they'd be less protected. He took some hits but he could as he tangled with one, noting peripherally that the others seems to be doing okay. Part of his attention was focused on Steve but he hardly had to even think about that he just always kept an eye out for him. Ducking under a blow from the big guy again he came up with the vibranium arm and tried to rip the helmet away. He took a body blow and grunted then backed off again. Not quite but he'd keep trying. Setting the Scene: The helmeted soldiers take the assaults which come from Batman, Robin, and the Winter Soldier. The helmet of Bruce's assaulted does not come off, but they seem to stagger back. A sharp and distinctly human sound is heard from Damian's. Bucky's opponent staggers back with the force of the gunshots, but they are not strong enough to pierce the armor accompanying the helmet. As soon as space was put between them, the helmeted opponent raises their hand and begins to murmur something. Around them, strange symbols begin to form, almost as if they are on fire. Single versions of the inscrutable glyphs fly toward Bucky and seem to affect him mentally.

Steve Rogers Watching the team work almost like a well-oiled machine, his eyes sweep the limited battlefield as he watches Batman and Robin at range. Many Lokis filled the area, engaging a number of the assailants. "God, that's a good trick," he said near what he thought was the original Trickster. He swung his shield, connecting hard with a parademon's face as his gaze sought out Bucky down the opposite hall. What he saw had his stomach lurching. Bucky. As if with tunnel vision, Steve slid under one of his attackers to try to force his way down the hall, hurling his shield as soon as he was close enough. It richocheted off the wall before impacting the helmeted assailant in the middle of the chest.

"Don't let them get range on you!" he shouted to the rest of the group. "They're doing something!" Ted Kord Teddy was both relieved and worried he wasn’t part of the madness going on outside the server room. Aside from yells, thumps and the occasional instruction one of the others spoke through the comm he felt isolated; just him and the thick slabs of technology. He typed as quickly as his fingers could go and the beetle robots hmm’d as they worked on their own entry points. Teddy spared a moment while a program was running to swiftly type a few commands into the screen on his glove and a dozen or so golf-ball sized beetle robots shot out of his backpack and zoomed into the hallway.

“I need another five minutes here, I’ve sent the Battle Possi out to help. Whatever’s in here has at least three firewalls and is encrypted to the max; keep them away from the doors so they can’t try destroying the servers.” The hacking would be worthless if they managed to destroy the technology. As he got back to it, the Battle Possi flew towards the enemy soldiers, firing small electrical charges that, despite their size, could pack a wallop if they managed to hit.

𝐋𝐎𝐊𝐈 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐅𝐄𝐘𝐒𝐎𝐍 At Rogers' surprising compliment, Loki was unable to keep from smirking. "Only the best from a sorcerer of my caliber," he replied. His doubles were keeping several of their attackers occupied, but they would not last long due to the blasted limiting on his magic. Already one had faded away, and Loki had to step in and fight off the creature himself.

The other mortals were doing credibly, but it seemed this fight might not be as simple as it had appeared. At the Soldier's shout, Loki glanced in his direction and saw what he could only assume was some sort of magic coming from one of the helmeted attackers. It was not something he recognized, which bothered him quite a bit, and also made him doubt whether the mortals could hold up against such an attack. "Yes, do stay away," he concurred, "This might well be beyond the rest of you." In truth, Loki was not even sure he could match whatever it was.

And though he was loathe to take orders from any of them, he acquiesced to try and keep the attackers away from the server room doors, as the bug man requested, sending the few of his doubles which remained to distract the attackers in the opposite direction from the doors. "Make it a very quick five minutes, if you please," he added irritably. Batman Bruce's eyes narrowed under his cowl as his weapon glanced off the helmet of their opponent, his attention shifting as he caught sight of Steve rushing through the hall back towards Bucky and Damian. He ground his teeth and tapped out a few mechanical 'marbles' from his belt, throwing them hard at the parademons pestering Loki's magical clones. Upon impact, the small balls exploded with a force meant mainly to disorient rather than harm- hopefully enough to give Loki an advantage.

Swiftly, Batman whirled and unhooked a small, clawed harpoon gun from its spot on his belt and fired it at the parademon nearest to Rodgers, yanking back hard on it when it pierced the armor of the creature and watched as he made his way to his friend. "Beetle, is there anyway to speed it up?" he grunted into the comm, noting the assistance of his Possi with a tight grimace.

Damian Wayne Robin’s stance hardly swayed upon his first advancement. He relaxed his jaw, observing the other’s movements. The strange sound from his opponent, while familiar, did not loosen the tightening grip once he reached the holster of his belt. Grabbing the handle of his sai, he pulled out the blade in a swift motion.

Slow and steady breaths made every effort to keep his composure. He shifted his position to the left of the hallway, his gaze not leaving the other, suspicious of the seemingly human-like noises uttered from their lips. That’s when he heard the voice on the other end give the immediate warning over his communicator. The nearby scattering in the distance indicated another distraction, though not a threatening one on their part.

“Whatever they’re doing, only thing to do is to keep them quiet,” he mumbled, using his free hand to grab his grappling hook from his belt. He raised it over his head, aiming towards the ceiling to propel himself off the floor below them. Bucky The fight is going, which is the best thing that can be said for it. No one’s gotten through to Blue Beetle yet so at least that’s a win. They just have to hold them off a bit longer. All that disappears from Bucky’s head though as a sudden, terribly familiar feeling takes over his mind.

Love=lies, life=death, self=dark side. Freedom is obsolete. Hope has no point.

The words force themselves into his head, insistent, trying to take over and with a yell, Bucky drops. It’s not quite like HYDRA, there’s something stranger to it, but it’s sapping his will, forcing him to go blank. For a moment he’s frozen, terrified of succumbing, hands gripping his head. No, no, no, not again, not after all the work he’s done. The word repeat, insistent, blotting him out, he’s slipping…

NO!

He shouts it in his head, tries to swim against that current, fights. Terrifyingly, it feels like he’s losing but then suddenly it’s gone. Bucky gasps, shaking, unaware of where he is for the moment except that he’s on the ground, the echo of the words still pounding in his mind. Steve Rogers His palm rang with the jolt of the shield returning to his grip. Dropping down by Bucky and throwing the shield up to protect them, Steve grimaced. "I hate to add to the peanut gallery, Beetle, but anything you can do. We're getting clobbered out here." And with Bucky down, they were in just a little more trouble. Though Loki making more and more troops was certainly a hell of an asset. He'd have to talk to him after this, but right now he was worried about the mission... and about Bucky.

"What happened, Buck?" he asked over his shoulder, standing up to clash with the helmeted attacker. "Are you hurt?" Ted Kord ”Working on it.” Teddy said, voice level and he focused less on the sounds from outside and voices in his ear and more on the technology before him. Things seemed to tunnel down and his lips moved silently as he planned and calculated to himself, picking up a wire from the main console and following it around the room to a far corner. He sunk down on one knee and pulled out a small laser cutter. The room was so obviously a data bank it was almost too obvious, could their enemy be smart enough to pull a set up? Massive data that would be useless and unreadable?

He spent a minute burning a circular hole through the case of one data bank and smirked, it had connections within it going to every other bank in the room. This was the main hub of data, the other a decoy. Pulling another data storage bot from his pants he jacked it into the bank and typed away, noticing a much swifter transfer of cleaner looking information transferring. The data hasn’t been too advanced for Kilowog’s improvements to translate; it’d just been gibberish!

“They set us up. I found the real data bank. One more minute and we can get outta here, make sure the exit’s clear.” He began pulling more tech out of his backpack, “I’m gonna blow this data sky-high so they can’t tell what we found and what we didn’t.”

𝐋𝐎𝐊𝐈 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐅𝐄𝐘𝐒𝐎𝐍 Fighting alongside the mortals was not to Loki's liking, but they did have their uses, such as when the Bat Man sent some small explosive devices to disorient the attackers coming for Loki's doubles. A useful toy, and he deigned to give the man a nod in acknowledgement before he took care of the attackers.

But it was becoming more and more apparent that the ones in the helmets wielded a disturbing amount of power. Rogers' friend was on the ground--without having been physically struck. That did not bode well. Loki did not want to take away any of his limited magical resources, but if he too fell prey to an attack, he would be of no use either. So he made one of the doubles vanish and instead cast a protective spell over himself, as well as over Rogers and his friend who were the nearest ones to him. "Those creatures appear to be using magical attacks," he informed them, "And I cannot protect any of us, not even myself, for very long. Is that bug-suited fool finished yet?"

One more minute, apparently. Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead fighting off another attacker and also keeping his doubles as near to the doors to the server room as possible. There was no need to worry for their safety in an explosion, after all. Bucky There was someone in front of him, someone familiar…Steve.  Bucky sits up slowly and where he is comes back to him but he’s still shaking. Fuck, he didn’t know they could do that. He also didn’t know it would be so damn easy for them to take him that way. “No…but it was in my head.” It’s quiet and the colour has drained from his face as he looks at Steve and belatedly answers his question. He hears that Blue Beetle still needs a minute and they’re still fighting. So Bucky gets up, numbly, puts his back to Steve’s and watches his six. Battle’s not over yet even if Bucky feels like he’s still shaking on the inside, like for a moment he was totally undone. But he puts a blank face on and fights. He’s good at that. Steve Rogers Steve continued the fight, watching the group around him as they held on as much as they could. Fortunately, a minute could seem like hours or it could see like seconds. For their benefit, the former was true today and Steve was thankful for that. He wanted Bucky off the field. He wanted all of them off the field, because he certainly didn't want to go up against these foes unprepared.

He was almost relieved to call the retreat. But now that they had what they came for, he knew the work had only just begun...

Uh, 7: Speeding Bullet/Spydad fic based (if you don't mind) on that iconic scene from 22 Jump Street plz?

anon you’re a fucking genius. not gonna go word for word but that’s just an incredible scene as a basis (warnings for just SO much cursing and some extremely saucy implications, but no actual saucy scenes)

7.) “I don’t understand.”

Stumbling into breakfast ten minutes later than he usually did earned Sniper some glances, which quickly transformed into stares.

Shuffling to the coffee pot and not even bothering to check what brand was in it, Sniper poured himself a cup. His shirt, the same shirt he wore the previous day, was rumpled halfway to hell, collar sitting all wrong and sleeves half-pushed onto his elbows. His boxers were equally mussed up, and as Sniper tipped his head back to chug his mug of coffee, hair sticking up in every direction, Heavy and Medic glanced at each other with raised eyebrows as a bright red mark under his ear became fully visible. Pyro was clearly trying their damndest to further muffle a laugh. Sniper just rubbed at his eyes, clearly still half-asleep.

Sniper plopped down in one of the two empty seats left at the table, the one to the right of Demo, who had to bury his face in his arm to keep from laughing, his shoulders shaking wildly, as the room got a view of his neck under his collar, still unbuttoned, which appeared to have been attacked by a wild animal.

Sniper didn’t notice the barely-stifled laughs of almost everyone else around the table. He also didn’t notice who was sitting directly across from him and looked about five seconds from committing the real kind of murder or exploding.

“Good morning,” Spy said, voice perfectly even, facade of calm almost perfectly intact except for the various muscles in his face twitching with hardly-repressed rage.

“Mmhmm,” Sniper hummed, voice slightly hoarse, head falling to rest on his arms.

Further chuckling from the table. Engie tried to hide his smile behind his mug, glancing at Spy, whose rage was somehow still growing.

“So Scout is late,” Spy observed neutrally.

“Mmm,” Sniper agreed, blinking at his coffee cup a few times before burrowing into his forearms.

“Any idea where he might be?” Spy asked, voice the kind of perfect calm that nobody in the world used.

Sniper’s head slowly lifted, revealing a mask of horror. He glanced around the table, suddenly fully awake, and for the first time noticed the way the whole team seemed to be mere seconds from collapsing into laughter.

Demo, still nursing a hangover, suddenly connected that last pair of dots, and started laughing in earnest. “Aye, finally got around to it, did ya?” he cheered, knocking his elbow against Sniper’s, who tried to repress his own grin under his coffee mug. “Took ya long enough, Mundy!”

“Stuff it, Tavish,” Sniper replied back easily, rolling his eyes, not without fondness. “Not anyone’s business what goes on in my bedroom.”

Heavy needed to gently hit Medic on the arm as the doctor almost collapsed under the force of trying not to laugh. Spy was going beet red under what little skin his mask showed of his face. He was clenching his fists so hard the leather of his gloves creaked. Neither of the pair across the table from him noticed.

“Wait, really?! Thought you two just had a pash, you’re tellin’ me—“

“Leave it, Tavish,” Sniper said, shaking his head to himself with a little grin.

“Can’t hardly! One’a my best mates gets with another of ‘em, can’t expect me to tone it down!” Demo protested. “And that’s not hardly an answer! Yes or no?”

“As if I’d say yes here in front of everyone,” Sniper huffed.

Demo was off and laughing again, rocking back in his chair with the force of it. “Damn well right! Up top, you saucy assassin you!”

Sniper took the high-five, his reluctance act slipping for a moment and showing that he was indeed clearly rather proud of himself.

Engie’s willpower cracked for a moment, collapsing forward with a short wail of laughter in his place on one side of Spy. Suddenly Spy’s hand was on the inside of his own suit jacket, and Engie hurried to take his shoulder as he tried to stand. “He doesn’t know, Spook, c’mon now,” he protested quickly even as he continued laughing, “he doesn’t understand!”

Spy shook him off, and leaned both hands on the table before him, cigarette case in one of them.

“What? What doesn’t he know?” Demo asked, looking over at Spy, eyebrows raised.

“I don’t understand,” Sniper agreed. “What are you lot still laughing about? What’s funny?”

Spy set his jaw, taking a deliberate breath to calm himself. “Bushman, being that I hate you more than every member of the other team combined, and that likewise you have no particular fondness of me, there is something that I believe you should know, should you decide to continue this behavior,” Spy said stiffly.

“Yeah?” Sniper asked, mirth fading a bit.

Spy opened his cigarette case, maintaining a venomous eye contact with Sniper as he fished through the slips of paper that made up the space behind the cigarettes themselves. No, not paper—photographs, Sniper realized as Spy slapped down two photos on the tabletop in front of him and Demo.

One, the one on the left, was a picture of Spy, a woman, and a baby. Spy looked largely the same, albeit a bit more lively, even in the faded photograph. A phrase in French was written at the bottom, and while Sniper had no clue what it said, Demo hummed in confusion, glancing up at Spy, who looked stony.

The second photo was something else—a picture of a boy, surely not even in his teens yet, wearing a baseball uniform, grinning widely at the person holding the camera. A distinctive pair of big, buck teeth and slightly-too-large ears were what really rang a bell in the back of Sniper’s mind, and he suddenly realized who the person in the photo was, and through a few more leaps of logic, what is meant that Spy had these two photos with him at all times.

He went white as a sheet, staring up at Spy with a horror unlike anything he’d ever felt before. A muscle in Spy’s jaw ticked.

It took Demo another few moments, his hangover fighting him all along the way. But suddenly he understood, and he was out of his seat in an instant, positively beaming.

“HOLY CHRIST,” Demo shouted, “SNIPER FUCKED SPY’S SON!”

Sniper was frozen in much the same way that most prey animals froze in the moment before they were killed. Spy appeared to be earnestly trying to murder him with a stare, and those around the table couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t manage it.

In the mean time, Demo had started in on some almost hysterical laughter, and a good portion of the rest of the team was following behind him.

“SNIPER FUCKED SPY’S SON! LADS, SNIPER FUCKED SPY’S SON!” Demo repeated over and over, taking a lap of the table and high-fiving everyone in turn. “HE FUCKED SPY’S SON! HIS SON!!! SWEET SHITE—“

“Understand that every time he shouts it,” Spy intoned to Sniper below the sound of Demo and the team hooting and hollering and making a ruckus, “I will kill you one more time, each more painful than the last.”

Sniper was still frozen, and therefore didn’t reply.

“LAD, YOU BRAGGED,” Demo insisted, shaking Sniper by the shoulders for emphasis. “YOU BRAGGED ABOUT FUCKIN’ HIS SON, RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM! RIGHT ‘ERE ACROSS FROM HIS EGGS! YOU FUCKED HIS SON LAD! YOU HIGH FIVED ME OVER IT!”

Spy drew a pistol from within his jacket, putting it on the table next to his cigarette case.

Demo cleared his throat, sitting back down. “Not funny. Not funny at all. Very serious,” he amended, voice quiet. “Very serious situation.”

“I, er,” Sniper began, eyeing the gun on the table. “I feel the need to clarify, that’s not what happened.”

Spy raised an eyebrow. Demo blinked. The remainder of the team followed suit, each recovering quickly from their own laughter. “What? What d’you mean, lad?”

“The, er, the other…” He spun his finger in a circle, then thunked his forehead against the surface of the table, scratching idly at the hickey beneath his ear. “Other way around.”

A beat of complete silence before utter pandemonium, and the first of several times that Spy killed Sniper following the incident.

Rooftop

(((Prompt!: Spider-Man finally revealing his identity and love to Deadpool.)))

~*~

It was an early evening in November, the night was dark and chilly, and it tended to be even chiller up perched on the roof of a high-rise building. That's where Peter was, but the cold didn't bother him thanks to his thermal Spidey suit. He was sitting on the roof edge of Parker Industries, one of the city's finest street vending hotdogs in one hand and a cup of hot cocoa in the other. Along with him sitting there, legs dangling off the edge and masks pulled up to their noses, was Deadpool of course. Bad guy takedown team ups along with platonic rooftop dates had increased over the past few months with the merc, and Peter had found himself increasingly looking forward to Wade's company on both accounts.

Peter couldn't remember, couldn't pinpoint that exact moment he finally starting believing that Deadpool had really changed from being a murderous gun-for-hire with seemingly a black hole where the man's morals should be to someone who truly stood for good —even if it was his own brand of a very "coloring outside the lines" kind of good. Wade was still a loose cannon, definitely; but more importantly, he had become a hero. He had become trustworthy.

Yeah, Peter couldn't recall when he first starting trusting Deadpool, but he could remember the first time the man made him feel butterflies. It was stupid really. They had been fighting this whack-a-do in a lion getup calling himself "Roar".  The guy was attempting to blow a hole in the Lincoln Tunnel, and despite how ridiculous the large man looked with the mane and everything, he proved to be quite the handful for Spidey and Deadpool both.  At some point during the chaos in the tunnel Peter managed to get caught off guard by a two-door car hurled at him by the crazy lion-man. It crashed into Peter's body hard, and the next thing he knew he was waking up laid out on the tunnel road. Deadpool was crouched down beside him and Peter had let out a little croak of pain. There had been some colorful exclamations of relieved joy pouring out of Deadpool's mouth at first, but then he got serious.

"That was my fault, baby doll." Wade had said. "I missed slicing that punks arm off. Are you okay?" Deadpool had asked with genuine care, placing his hand gently on Spidey's shoulder. That touch. That stupid simple innocent touch on the shoulder, and Peter felt it. The flutter in his gut.

Peter had ignored it straightaway. Pushed that feeling into the deepest depths of his mind possible, but those feelings just kept coming. More fluttering in the pit of his stomach. Smiles springing to his face at just the sound of Wade's voice when they hadn't seen each other in a while. The ache in his chest when it was quiet and they were close. And that other ache a little further down south. It took a while for Peter to accept it —four months, two weeks, and five days to be precise— but Spider-Man had fallen for Deadpool.

Peter played it cool with Wade though; acted the same and didn't let on. The hero was admittedly nervous. Sure Wade was a walking-talking inappropriate flirt canon with him, but Wade was like that with almost everyone. Even if the merc still tended to be more obscene with Spidey.  The big brave Spider-Man was afraid to put his feelings out there, too worried all of Wade's insane advances were all just a silly game. And then there was Peter's other stalling excuse, it wasn't just Spider-Man that fell for Deadpool; it was Peter Parker that fell for Deadpool. And that was kind of a problem, because Deadpool didn't know who Peter Parker was. Well, actually, Deadpool knew the lie of who Peter Parker was. Parker was Spider-Man's boss. Parker was a nerdy little CEO and "total tool" according to Wade. If only Deadpool knew the truth.

If only.

Peter had finished his hotdog and sipped from his cocoa, cradling the warm cup with both hands. Deadpool was prattling on about his last mission with the Unity Squad, and normally Peter would be all ears, though making sure he didn't appear too interested or too amused, fearing that would give away how enamored he was. Now though, Peter was stuck in one of his mental crisis modes: trying to convince himself to both tell Deadpool how he felt and also to never do it because it would only turn out to be a horrible mistake.

"...so that matchstick punk had the nerve to get all butt hurt at me for flinging us both into the lake, when he was the one that set me on fire. Accident, my fine Canadian bacon ass. I really should look into some fireproof coating. Say," Deadpool shoved the last of his second hotdog in his mouth and proceeded to simultaneously talk and chew, "does that Parker punk of yours have anything he can hook me up with?"

Hearing his last name used, Peter snapped out of his mental battle. "Huh?"

"Parker," Deadpool said the name again after he swallowed down his mouthful of food. "Does he have any fireproofing doohickeys that'll, you know, fire proof my suits?"

"Um, yeah he does actually." Peter answered. It was still always weird to talk about himself as another person. "He developed a liquid compound that can basically give any fabric it's applied to an even better thermal resistance than polybenzimida-"

"You had me 'um'," Deadpool interrupted with a grinned. "So you think the loser will cough it up for me, or are you willing to assist in a good ol' fashioned snatch 'n' grab."

Peter sighed. "You don't have to steal. And he's not a loser," Peter couldn't help but add. "Why is it that anytime Peter Parker is mentioned you have to insult him somehow."

"Now don't get me wrong, he's cute and all, but it's just the whole 'hopeless nerd trying to be Tony Stark' vibe with a whole lot less style."

Peter glared through the eyes of his mask. "He's not trying to be Tony Stark. He's trying to help people. He is helping people. Do you even know how many people he's aided with his tech advancements and donations and his own charity?"

"Ugh," Deadpool groaned. "See? This is what I don't like. You used to be an Avenger! And now this babyface corporate tool has you under his thumb, kissing his fine ass, and worshiping the ground he walks on just because he what? He like helps rebuild disaster zones, improves the quality of life for poor folks, and probably adopts every little stray kitten he comes across? Big deal. You shouldn't be working for that 'belongs-in-a-boy-band Poindexter Mother Teresa'; you should be working with me." Deadpool ended his little rant, crossing his arms up high over his chest like a grumpy little child.

"Wait," Peter cocked his head to the side in thought. "You're jealous." Peter let himself laugh. "All this time you've just been jealous of the guy."

"Hold it right there, Spidey-Buns. Me? Jealous? Never."

"Alright, I have no idea where you just pulled it out from but you are literally stabbing a knitting needle into a doll that looks suspiciously Parker-esque.

Deadpool tossed the definitely-not-a-Peter-Parker-voodoo-doll over his shoulder and grinned guiltily. "Okay, maybe I harbor just a slight teeny weeny smidgen of jealously. But come on, I'm allowed. He totally cuts in on my Webs time, and this obvious crushing on him you do, should be crushing that's on me."

Peter smiled. He felt a weight off his chest. Wade was jealous, and that there was the best indicator that Deadpool liked him, truly liked him. Peter reasoned with himself that he didn't have any reason to hide anymore; he was basically in love with Wade and the merc had his full trust.

"There's nothing for you to be jealous about. I'm not sure if I should say this, but I know for a fact that Parker has the hots for you." Peter said in a serious tone. He was about to reveal himself and that was a big deal, but that didn't mean he couldn't make it fun at Deadpool's expense.

"Hubbawha?" Deadpool mimed cleaning out his ears.

"I'm serious. He's been too nervous to meet you, but he's heard your stories and he thinks you're really funny, and he's all about that physique of yours."

"Oookaaay, even if I were to believe you that Parker digs the D, I... You know what? No. I don't believe you for a second.  There is no way Boy Scout McNerdyHotPants even remotely..."

Peter slammed back the rest of his hot chocolate like it was a stiff drink of courage, and then abruptly pulled his mask off. He started to speak in Deadpool's sudden wide-eyed silence. "I also know for a fact that he's really proud of you for turning your life around, and would trust you with his life." Peter showed the merc a small smile.

"You... I... He...... You... YOU!"  Deadpool slapped the sides of his face with his hands as his shock of reality finally sunk in.

"Yeah, me," Peter let out one soft chuckle. His heart was racing despite looking awkwardly calm. Even though he felt sure this was going to end okay, Peter couldn't help but still feel nervous now that his mask was off.

"Okay so, I'm just gonna make sure I got this all straight," Deadpool took a deep breath. "You, Spider-Man, my most vivacious of bros, are in fact and always have been Parker, Peter Parker. Your boss but yourself Peter Parker. Kmart Stark Peter Parker. Hotty bleeding heart Peter Parker.  Bumbling egghead Peter Parker. Adorkable Peter Parker. Gracious goon-"

"Just shut up, Wade, it's me. I think you calling me just 'Peter' would work out a lot better."

"Oh. Em. Gee. This is...wow," Deadpool scooted closer to Peter and cautiously let a gloved hand trail down the young man's cheek like Wade was checking if he was real. "You really do trust me."

"Yes, of course."

"And that part about having the hots for me? That some kind of joke or-"

Peter grabbed a hold at either side of Deadpool's face and drew them close together, close enough for Peter to bring their lips together. Peter's heart was racing faster now for a different reason: a fantasy of his was now finally playing out. He finally got to know the feel of Wade's lips against his, textured and rough and overwhelmingly intoxicating with how they moved along with his tongue. It was a few seconds that passed, maybe minutes —hell, it could have been hours for all Peter knew with how he was all wrapped up in the taste and how his body had thrummed to life— when Wade pulled away.

"Well, shit." The merc said breathily. "Not a joke then." Wade turned a little sombre then, slowly peeling his mask the rest of the way off. "Even though you know I look like this?"

Peter looked Wade over with sad eyes, but a small warm smile. 'Imperfect' skin and all, Peter was undeniably attracted to the merc. The underlining features of Wade's face were enticing, the curve of his jaw, the angle of his cheekbones, the shape of his lips, his body's physique. The scars on top didn't matter.  To Peter, Wade looked rugged and strong.

"I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't like you." Peter spoke softly. "All of you."

The side of Wade's mouth curled into a smile. "So Webs...er Peter, where does this put us at?"

"Together I hope." Peter answered simply.

Wade showed a bigger smile. A bright happy one, and Peter couldn't help but mirror it. "Shit Petey-pie, you have no idea how long I've been dreaming of this happening. In fact, you should probably kiss me again so I can feel that it's real." Wade wiggled his nonexistent eyebrows, and it made Peter chuckle.

"You're so weird." Peter said in a loving tone and once again brought their lips together.

~~~~~~~~

more spideypool at my AO3 happycemetery

BL Gift Exchange fic - Moxxi/Mordecai for dreamingwithsnakes

To: @dreamingwithsnakes From: @ferntxt

Little authors note:

Happy Christmas pumpkin! I hope you have a lovely week and a very happy new year! Here’s a fic for you about the rocky relationship between a hunter and a bartender (with a very special guest at the end ;D)  I hope you enjoy it! - Love Fern xxx

When he met her the first time, he was too busy being surrounded by bandits - and firing at said bandits - to consider even looking up at the commentator singing his praises. Complimenting his aim, his choice of weaponry, barely heard over the stuttering gunfire and blaring music that was just a little too glitzy for Mordecai’s taste. He didn’t see the point in the theatrics, but if that was what got him paid, he’d fight until this woman’s game was over. This was Lilith’s dumb idea, anyway – ‘we may as well, nothing else is going on, and it might be fun!’ Fun, my ass, Mordecai rolled his eyes and sighed dejectedly, popping a shot between the eyeballs of a slightly-too-close brawler. Mad Moxxi, if that was her real name, giggled with delight into her loudspeaker, riling up the crowd. He had grown used to the monotony of easy gunfights – popping shots and reloading mechanically, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was enjoying this just a little too much – the thrill in her voice as she observed the deliciously gory amount of blood and viscera exploding from these unfortunate opponents of his was hard to ignore. Only when the wave ended, and the crowd went wild, did he spare a thought to look up at the over-excited commentator. She looked down at the hunter, her heavily made-up lips curving into a smirk as they met eyes. She gave him a flirtatious little wave, before blowing him a kiss. 

“Good work, sweetie. You defeated the final wave! I do like a man who’s efficient with something long, rigid, and full of firepower.” she called, probably referring to his sniper rifle, but the woman’s bold innuendo wasn’t lost to him. He smirked back in agreement, observing her long hair and her pretty face and her wit and her cockiness and everything on top; and he fell in love instantly. The loot he won was more that compensation for the hours he spent at the Underdome, but no glittering prize was more tempting than a date with Moxxi herself, which he gladly accepted. Lilith gave him double thumbs up, mouthing ‘you’re welcome!’ as the hunter left the arena with the beautiful woman on his arm, using his other arm to call Bloodwing, but not before presenting the boastful siren with his middle finger.

When she met him the first time, she had just split from her third husband, and decided to get her fill of excitement and lust for life through bloody carnage. Hosting the charismatic and interesting Vault Hunters would be a sure-fire crowd pleaser for her audience at the Underdome. The masked man was her favourite; the soldier was too straight-edge and dull, the Siren intrigued her… but she was too brash and bold. As for the big beefy guy… well, he wasn’t much for conversation. The strange man with the rifle on his back and the bird on his arm was mysterious and interesting to her, so she watched him with eyes like a hawk as she perched up in her commentator’s nest. She taunted him playfully from her spot, but she just couldn’t get a rise out of this silent assassin. Only when he was finished with his kills did he look up to connect their lines of sight; at least, she assumed so – his eyes were obscured by those goggles of his. But she knew he was looking when his steeled expression twisted into a wry smirk after she let a soft giggle spill from her pursed lips, blowing him a kiss and offering a sultry wave. She took the time to greet them while they collected their prizes, sashaying with an expert pace up to the masked man. The gentle clicking of her heels couldn’t be missed against the hard floor, catching the hunter’s attention. “Congratulations on your winnings, mystery man. You’re a capable sniper indeed.” Moxxi smiled, leaning over onto one hip. “What’s your name, kiddo?” The masked man paused briefly from shuffling through the loot, and looked up to face the woman. “It’s Mordecai.” He responded, and Moxxi noticed his teammates looking over his shoulder to look at her, with armfuls of heavy weaponry. The siren was nudging the brawler with her elbow suggestively, and he chuckled deeply. “Well, Mordecai, I was wondering if you’d be interested in the grand prize I’m offering. Namely, a date, with yours truly.” She shaped her face into a warm smile as the siren rapidly tried to get the attention of the stoic soldier, slapping his arms and back wherever she could reach. Mordecai offered you a wide grin and a nod of acceptance, and you fell in love instantly, conveniently enough.

When the two met for their date, it was in a dingy little bar in New Haven - Pandora was a little romantically limited in terms of dating spots. They sat at the bar together, drinking Rakk ale and exchanging playful banter throughout the night. Moxxi couldn’t help but notice Mordecai’s bird curled up atop the bar, resting peacefully, the man’s gloved hand carding through its feathers. It seemed to be the leather-clad sniper’s constant companion – it was an interesting little pet, she’d never seen such a creature. “His name’s Bloodwing.” Mordecai explained, as if he had read her mind. “We’ve been together a long time, him and me. He has my back, and I… I feed him, I guess.” He snorted, and she laughed pleasantly. “He’s a very interesting bird. I haven’t seen one like that before. Can I…?” Moxxi moved her hand towards the bird, and Bloodwing make a deep groaning sound. “He’s a little temperamental. He tends to bite people he doesn’t know that well, so I wouldn’t.” Mordecai told her, and she accepted it, retracting her hand to place it delicately around her bottle.

A few months into the relationship, and Moxxi was beginning to realise that Mordecai probably hadn’t dated much. He seemed much more interested in that damned bird more than spending time with her. She had tried everything; distracting him, arranging dates, even trying to get him into bed, for God’s sake- to no avail.  One day, it got too much, and it came to a head. “So, what is it?! Don’t you love me anymore? Am I not good enough for you?!” she yelled, the mist in her eyes threatening to ruin her makeup. “No! God dammit, can’t I do anything without you taking it as some kind of personal attack?!” he fired back, Bloodwing ruffling his feathers at the commotion. “Don’t you dare make me the bad guy in this! Is it too much to ask for some of your time once in a while?!” Moxxi crossed her arms angrily, willing herself not to cry at his cruelty. “I have shit to do, Mox! Did you forget I’m a fucking Vault Hunter?! That comes with a level of responsibility! There’s always something else to do, and I’m sorry that you don’t take priority over the safety of literally everyone in New Haven!” he gestured wildly with his hands as if to emphasise his anger. “And what about you, huh? You ain’t a fuckin’ shining example of loyalty and commitment. You ran off to fuckin’ Concordia! You went to another goddamn planet without me!” “I am out of here. Come find me when you decide this relationship is worth something, and then we’ll talk! Until then, I’m done!” Moxxi announced, stomping towards the door to Mordecai’s dingy little apartment, flinging it open and slamming it behind her with all the force she could muster. She marched towards Scooter’s garage, tears streaming down her face. Her son poked his head out from under a broken runner, immediately on the defensive. “Ma?! Oh god dammit, did Mordecai say something? What’d he do this time? He better not ‘a hit you or I swear I’ll-” He was cut off by a mechanical whistling sound, and a horrific crash; Marcus’ shop behind her exploded and threw her off her feet. She looked back at the burning building and the slowly marching army of bright yellow loaderbots, and made a futile attempt to run back to the man she loved. By the time recovered from the fall and pulled herself up, Mordecai was already out of the building, rifle in hand and bird in the air. He spotted where she and Scooter were lying, and he ran over as Scooter pulled her up. Mordecai addressed him as Moxxi leaned against her son for support, the hunter placing an arm on her shoulder. “Listen to me, kiddo. You take that runner, and get you and your mom to the safe zone, okay?!” he commanded, Scooter nodding but barely grasping his circumstances in the daze the explosion had caused. “Y-yeah, you got it. C’mon Ma, we need to get the hell out of here.” He agreed, but she was not so complacent, looking up at Mordecai for some assurance of hope. “Listen to me, amor. I need to know you’ll be alright, and the best way for me to do that is to get you out of here. I’ll come and find you, okay?!” Mordecai assured her half-heartedly. She never got to give her a response, as Scooter was already rushing her away into his runner, and she looked back at the burning town, weeping softly with guilt and fear. Mordecai looked away from the carnage at the speeding runner and the cloud of dust it left, sending her away with a silent prayer and the promise of a reunion somewhere safe.

The dynamic between them was different after New Haven. The attack cost them a lot of people. Moxxi fled to Sanctuary, along with the rest of the surviving populace. Mordecai was swept back up into being a Crimson Raider, which meant he was fortifying the town, off on scouting missions, and all the rest of it. He hadn’t even had time to meet her and apologise for what he’d said, he didn’t even know if she was okay. Scooter gratingly told him that she was alright a few days after the attack, and he made it a priority to visit her, despite Scooter’s obvious displeasure in talking to him. Moxxi had opened a bar in her own time to help boost the morale and wellbeing of the townspeople; she became the gatekeeper of her own haven, providing food and drink and music. Mordecai stood nervously at the entrance to the aptly named Moxxi’s, shuffling his feet a little. How the hell would he even talk to her? How would he even broach the subject? He walked in nervously, looking around at the mostly hollowed out building; they hadn’t been here long. As if forcing his hand, she walked out of the back room with a crate; noticing him, she stepped back slightly in shock, the crate clattering to the floor. “…Mordecai?” she said, not believing what she was seeing, a man she assumed dead. He looked different now; the leather mask covering his face was abandoned, but the goggles remained. The monotonous colours of his clothes had been cut through with a thick crimson scarf wound around his leathers. He looked tired. “Hey, Mox. I’m sorry that I–“ Mordecai was cut off by a pair of slender arms around his chest, squishing him tight, and a soft face against the crook of his neck. “Don’t you apologise for this, you stupid, stubborn man. Don’t apologise for any of it.” Moxxi laughed softly, “It matters so little to me now. I’m just glad you’re alive.” “You were right, though. You were lonely, and I should have been kinder to you about it.” He responded, his hands settling on her back. “And I ain’t claiming to be any kind of expert on how any of this works, but I wanna get it right this time. An’ I hope you’ll give me another chance.”

Moxxi pulled back a little, tucking a little bit of his headband back under the strap of his goggles. She pursed her lips with a little smile. “Weeeeell, it might take some convincing. Perhaps we should go out for drinks again sometime.” “Ahh, I dunno, Mox. You’re really pullin’ my leg here.” He replied, making her laugh. “But I can’t really say no to that face, hm? I’ve got time.” Moxxi pressed a kiss to his check, escaping his grasp to call out to the young man helping her renovate the bar. “Asmus, honey, take a break if you want. I’m heading out for a little while.” She called to her ashy haired assistant, and he responded with a curt nod, placing the crate he was holding down gently to sit atop it. Moxxi turned back to the hunter, and he held an arm out for her to hold, with a wide grin. She beamed, winding her arms around his as they left the bar together, walking out into the hot Pandora sun. This would work out just fine, Moxxi thought, rolling her head over to one side to sit against his shoulder.