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Secret Identities

Summary: Freddie's overeager adoptive parents jump at the chance of securing a new friend for their kid. The person they have in mind is Zach, someone Freddie has not typically gotten along with. Can they settle their differences? Or will their already fragile relationship be torn asunder?

"It'll be so much fun!" his mom, or as most knew her, Violetta, squealed, pulling Freddie in for a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're hanging out with kids your age!"

"Or, at least, close to your age," Aster, or Mama as he called her, remarked. She dropped a soft kiss on his head once Violetta reluctantly let him out of the hug. 

"Plus, you already know him so well- from that time you guys spent living together!"

Freddie had shared the past traumatic experiences of his life with his new mums, and they had been very supportive, sending him to therapy and making sure he had a happy and secure environment to fall back on. Unfortunately, this also meant expanding his friend group, something he generally found difficult to do. His superior intellect, while it helped him make leaps and bounds in different research projects with prominent scientists of the time, meant he struggled to relate to many other people. He had been a lot closer to Bella than he’d been to Zach, though he tolerated her since she shared his love of learning. Zach was nice enough, but not generally his taste. His mums had already met Bella and practically fallen in love; Bella’s social skills made it difficult for anyone to be repulsed by her. They’d been ecstatic by the first “friend” they’d met, so it made sense they’d jump at the opportunity for him to make another.

A phone call later, Zach was scheduled to come over that coming weekend. Freddie had spent the entire week mentally preparing for the visit. When his studies and various scientific projects hadn’t served as enough of a distraction, he decided to spend Thursday and Friday behind his closet. Shortly after moving in with his adoptive moms, he had divided his spacious closet in two - the front was his sparse wardrobe and behind was a secret compartment. Inside it was a haven to him. His prized comics made up one wall, while the other was plastered in superhero posters. A display case proudly presented the Spidey-serum along with an imitation of most of Hawkeye's arrows, and a round shield he'd started experimenting with. He picked it up and made his way to the workbench underneath a poster. He'd been experimenting with different compounds to coat the shield in that would make it significantly more durable.

Before he knew it, hours had ticked by on Friday afternoon, and his momma was calling him down to dinner. Throughout the affair, his mom eagerly asked questions about Zach. Momma was a lot less apparent with her enthusiasm, but Freddie could see her happy at the thought of his life being improved. He sighed inwardly and answered Mom's barrage of questions as genuinely as possible, trying not to let his apathy and somewhat distaste of the situation seep through.

Finally, Saturday afternoon rolled around. Freddie had spent the morning the same way he'd spent the previous two afternoons - working on the chemical compound for the mock Captain America shield.

"Freddie! He's here baby!" Mom's voice broke into his treasured workflow. Freddie groaned, tilting his head back to roll his eyes at the ceiling. Reluctantly, he traipsed downstairs. Zach was standing in the doorway taking his shoes off, his hair a much darker blond than usual, damp with a few strands dangling in front of his eyes. The boy on the doorstep grinned winningly, a sharp contrast to the sneer on the boy on the stair's face. He flicked his eyes over his mothers' faces. Mom was beaming while Momma's lips quirked into a small smirk, the equivalent of her jumping up and down in excitement. 

Freddie stifled another groan. "Come on then." Zach's smile morphed in a mischievous grin. The main reason the pair tolerated one another during the apocalypse was because of the need to survive. That and Bella, who could be relied on to break up any of their fights. Zach loved getting on Freddie's nerves and judging by the smug look on his face and the exaggerated swagger he was looking forward to that afternoon. Freddie pushed open the door to his room. Without hesitation or prompting, Zach fell into the beanbag by the window. Freddie sniffed and looked Zach up and down. "You smell like chlorine."

His lanky figure sprawled out on the beanbag, Zach shrugged. "I went swimming this morning." His curly hair was in larger clumps than usual and stuck out at odd angles. 

"And you didn't shower?" Freddie’s voice was full of contempt.

“I did,” the brevity of Zach’s reply irked the smaller boy.

“But you didn’t smell like chlorine before.”

The older boy shrugged again. “It’s swim season. The smell won’t go away until it’s over. Though I’m thinking of doing it the whole year this time.” His gaze lifted to the ceiling thoughtfully. 

Freddie wrinkled his nose in disgust. He understood the health appeal of extreme physical exertion as sports, but he couldn’t imagine how anyone could enjoy them, or the ludicrous lengths people pursued them.

“Freddie!” his Mom hollered from downstairs.

“Coming!” he called back, before turning to Zach. “Don’t touch anything. I’ll be back soon.”

Zach waited until he heard Freddie's methodical footsteps fade downstairs before springing up from his beanbag. He dashed to the bedside table and started going through the drawers. He almost slammed them shut when they yielded nothing blackmail-worthy, the fear of Freddie hearing him stopping him. After peering under the bed, Zach sauntered to the wardrobe and poked his head inside. He almost gave up when a sliver of light caught his eye. He squeezed into the wardrobe, and, ignoring the faintly glowing keypad, swung the loose back panel open. Inside was a veritable treasure trove of posters, collectibles, and comics of various heroes. Zach grinned and whipped out his phone. 

Suddenly Freddie called. "I'm back!" Zach groaned under his breath. "You'd better be in that beanbag...oh no." Freddie's quiet pacing drew up to the wardrobe. "GET OUT! I don't care what my moms will say. OUT! OUT NOW! Put your phone on the bed and stand by the door." Reluctantly, Zach retreated from the hidden room. He put his phone on the bed and went to lean on the wall by the door. 

"So, you like comics," Zach said lightly.

Freddie was bright red as he tapped on the older boy's phone. "Quiet," he seethed. He handed the phone back to Zach, having gone through it, looking for photos of his treasured room. "If you tell anyone about this your reputation will be ruined before you can say 'tesseract.'"

"Okay, Sheesh. You need to chill out little man."

"Get out of my house."

"Fine, fine. What am I going to tell your moms?" He asked around the door as he started down the hall.

"That's your problem now." With that, Freddie slammed the door, clipping Zach's nose.

Zach shrugged. Once downstairs he called out, "I just got a text. I have to go, I'm so sorry. Thank you for having me in your lovely home!"

"So soon? That's a shame." The more spritely woman skidded around the corner, the quieter one following closely behind at a more stately pace. "Do come back sometime."

He grimaced at the door before turning around with a winning smile. "We'll see." He waved as he walked down the path, and, swinging one leg over his bike, called out one more time. "Bye! Have a great weekend!"

The last thing he heard before he rounded the corner was, "You too, sweetie!"

~

“So you yelled at him then kicked him from your house?” Freddie could hear the stifled laughter over the phone. After banishing Zach from his home the day before, he'd called Bella to get a second opinion on the situation.

He sighed, "Yeah. But I'm in the right! He was snooping when he wasn't supposed to!"

"I guess. Did you talk to him or did you just interrogate him?" Freddie could hear her smirk at his silence over the phone. "That's what I thought. So do you want my advice on how to fix this?"

Freddie mumbled, "I mean, I don't really want to. He's not that great of a person anyw-"

"What was that?" Bella cut him off.

"Nothing. Please help me," the plea stuck in his throat.

"I thought so." she was unbearably smug. "Now, I want you to invite him over again. Apologize, then show him the room."

"What?!" he exploded.

"Calm down and hear me out. You will show him your room and give him a comic."

"WHAT!?"

"Just follow my advice and you'll be fine." her voice was soft as if she was soothing a spooked animal.

"You know what? I don't think I will," with that, he hung up.

On the other end of the line, Bella smirked at the silent phone. "I'll give him until Friday," she said to herself.

He broke on Thursday.

~

On Thursday night, he was sitting at dinner, his issue with Zach gnawing at him. He pushed his dinner around the plate.

"Not hungry, baby?" Mom asked, concerned.

He sighed and put down his fork. "I am. I was just wondering if Zach could come over this weekend," he choked the words out.

Momma raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? You seemed a bit te-"

Mom cut her off with an elbow to her gut. "Of course, honey! I'll text his family after dinner. But no guarantees. We don't know how busy he is."

"Thanks." Freddie went back to his dinner, zoning out of the conversation while reliving last Saturday and planning and replanning the coming weekend.

Luckily, Zach was free that weekend. He came over the same time as the week before, in much the same state - damp, messy hair, chlorine smell, cocky attitude. He steeled himself against the older boy's smug and brazen attitude and managed not to snap on multiple occasions as they tramped up to his room.

"I never thought I'd be back here," remarked Zach incredulously as he strode up and sat on the beanbag he'd been on the week before.

"Mmm." Freddie was on the bed, head in his hands, feet dangling, his legs not long enough to brush the ground. He was seriously reconsidering inviting over the other boy again.

Zach sat forward in the beanbag, "I think it's safe to assume you didn't just invite me here to hang out."

The smaller boy sighed and threw himself backward onto his bed. He grabbed his pillow and screamed into it. Zach winced from his seat but didn't move, looking on with more curiosity. Freddie heaved himself up, a few strands of his carefully gelled back inky hair astray and began speaking again, his eyes slit, "I brought you here to propose a truce." He plowed through the stunned, heavy silence. "I thought over our last interaction and -" he was cut off with a cough from Zach which clumsily masked "totally Bella". Freddie glared down at him. "And I want to attempt to improve the terms between us, so," he scooched over to his bedside table and opened a drawer, flipping up a secret compartment and pulling out three well-loved comics - Spiderman, Ironman, and Guardians of the Galaxy, some of Freddie's favorites. The bottom corner was thin and a little frayed, and the spines were white with creases but other than that, they were in pristine condition. "I'm going to lend you some of my graphic novels."

Zach snorted, "You mean comics?"

"Sure," huffed Freddie. "Read them, and then you can understand why I like them. But understand this." He hopped down from the bed and stalked over to where Zach was lounging on the beanbag. He grabbed the collar of the bigger boy's shirt and yanked it upward, lifting Zach's indifferent gaze to meet his own smoldering eyes. Zach gulped, never having been so scared of someone so much smaller than him. "If you crease, tear or so much as think of damaging those comics, your life will be ruined before you can say 'vibranium.'" With that, he released his grip on the shirt.

"Yes, sir," Zach playfully saluted Freddie, who rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "So now what?"

Freddie shrugged, "Do what you like. Leave, stay, I don't care. I'll be working on a project in the room. Don't disturb me. However," he paused at the doorway of the closet. "I'd advise you to stay here at least twenty to thirty minutes to avoid Mom's suspicion. Unless you want her to perform an investigation on your social life to try and determine why you're so flighty…"

"Got it, thanks," said Zach, grateful. He pulled out his phone and played around for a bit.

About half an hour later, he called out he was leaving. Miraculously, Freddie emerged from his "lab", if only to give him a plastic bag for the comics. With a final threat over the safety of the lent material, he sent Zach off, whose trip home was uneventful.

~

Once he arrived home, Zach thumped up to his room. He pulled out one of the comics and flipped through the pages, skimming the fading words and pops of color. He rolled his eyes, dismissing the childish trinkets. He pulled out the rest of the comics and stuffed them into his school bag, promising himself that he’d read them later, and pulled out his homework.

At his desk, he sighed and slumped forward, resting his head on the hard, cool wood. His leg bounced with unspent energy. Sitting up again, he attempted two more questions, but his mind remained fuzzy and blank. He leaned back on his chair, eyeing his window and the tree branch that brushed it. Resigning himself to an unproductive afternoon, he jumped up and made his way to the window. Leaping with practiced ease, he swung his way to the floor, mucking around with a basketball until it was too dark to play.

The comics sat unbothered until Tuesday afternoon, at which point they were smushed and creased by a tennis racket. They settled further into his bag and drifted further into the back of Zach’s head, the upcoming swim tournament, and tennis trials taking priority in his week. Any time not spent on homework or sports practice was on his phone, winding down for the day by texting friends and playing video games.

The next two weeks flew by in a similar pattern, the comics lay forgotten at the bottom of his bag, keeping half a year’s worth of forgotten permission slips company. Finally, a free weekend rolled around, so Zach made his way over to Freddie’s house, the plastic bag the younger boy had given him dangling carelessly from his bicycle handles. As he pulled up to the gate, Zach glimpsed a small black head duck away from the partially closed blinds. He smirked. Pulling up to the front door, he leaned his bike on sturdier shrubbery and walked up to the door and knocked twice before ringing the doorbell, obeying the flowy writing on the flowery sign underneath the house number. He heard rhythmic tapping approach the door before it was flung open and he was enveloped by the more eager of Freddie’s mums. She brushed his cheeks with her own, making kissing sounds like in French greeting, as the other stood to the side, stifling laughter at Zach’s reddening face, his discomfort at the overwhelming attention apparent. When he finally escaped, he gave the pair a two-fingered salute before dashing upstairs. He burst into Freddie’s room, panting. “Wow, your mom can be a bit…”

“Much, I know,” Freddie sighed. “Now sit. Tell me how you enjoyed the simpler side of my refined taste.”

“Um,” Zach awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. “I didn’t read any.”

“You’re kidding me.” Zach shook his head, making Freddie huff exasperatedly. “You had two weeks. Surely you had some free time.”

Shrugging, Zach said, “I did. I just spent it on other things.”

“Did you at least start one?”

The older boy shook his head.

“Maybe we can find something more your taste. Pass the ones I lent you to me.”

“You’re really trying to make this work, aren’t you,” remarked Zach as he passed the bag over.

“I guess. I don’t like giving up, and besides, I have nothing better to d- what did you do?” Freddie’s casual statement darkened as he peered at the contents of the bag. Inside, the comics were warped and horribly creased. “Ironman” even had a rip in the back cover. Freddie took a deep shuddering breath and pinned the damaged comics on his closet doors with his shaking hands. “Where were these for the past fortnight?” His voice quavered with pent up rage.

“In my school bag. They must've been pushed to the bottom and jostled around a bit. Sorry, I didn’t realize they meant so much to you.”

Freddie let out a burst of hollow laughter, “Surely you can’t be serious, I threatened you multiple times, and I have an entire room dedicated to those. How much more could someone care about something?”

Zach scuffed the floor from the bed. “Not much, I guess. I really am sorry. I got distracted during the week and didn’t pay them enough attention. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Freddie paused in the preparation of a rant. The older boy seemed genuinely remorseful. I might seriously regret this, he thought, as he decided to give Zach another chance. “N-no. I’ll patch them up myself, I don’t trust you not to ruin them more.” Zach winced. Freddie continued, “I think I have the perfect comic for you. And this time, it’s staying in my room so it doesn’t get damaged and so I can make sure you’re reading it. I ought to have a copy, so maybe…” he trailed off, continuing his speculations in his head as he disappeared into the back room. In the silent bedroom, Zach got up from the bed, which creaked in relief from the removed strain, and made himself comfortable on the beanbag.

Finally, Freddie emerged from the room, brandishing identical comics that declared “Captain America.” He handed him the comic before flopping onto the bed himself and opening his own. They sat in silence for five minutes until Freddie spoke up, "Get off your phone."

"What are you talking about?" The telltale click of the screen shutting off made Freddie smirk at Zach's faux innocent statement.

"I'm not deaf I heard you turn it off just now."

"Fine," Zach huffed. "How did you know anyway?"

"You weren't turning pages. And five minutes is plenty of time to finish at least one page, especially for a comic. Besides, the beginning has action and suspense and you didn't react to anything."

"Huh," Zach mused.

"Please just try. I know you don't read much, but this is mostly pictures.  Even your small brain ought to be able to process it. Maybe you can put your phone on the floor?" Freddie's voice pitched up at his last statement.

Zach rolled his eyes and slid his phone to the ground, deciding to humor the small boy. His efforts seemed genuine and his earnestness was sweet.

Sure enough, not three minutes later, Zach was enraptured in Steve Roger's story. Freddie smirked on the bed which widened into a smug grin at every gasp, occasionally sneaking glances at Zach's awed face. A little over half an hour later, Zach carefully tossed the comic at Freddie's feet, landing it on the other copy. "Please tell me you have more," Zach's voice was taut with hope.

Freddie scoffed, a triumphant grin plastered across his face, "Didn't you see my room? I have almost every single comic. Not all of them are on display, though."

The rest of that afternoon was spent in near silence. It was punctured by a few gasps, giggles, and triumphant whoops and some of the sweeter victories. Miraculously, Zach finished all the Captain America comics and started Spiderman.

Halfway through the first Spiderman comic, Zach looked outside for the first time in hours. "Geez! It's dark already?"

"Huh," Freddie was unsurprised. Spending hours rereading comics and working on his favorite projects made him lose track of time more often than not, so sudden unnoticed hours flying by wasn't out of the ordinary.

"I should probably go," Zach was forlorn, before perking up slightly. "Do you mind if I take a few comics home."

Zach sighed, lifting his gaze to the ceiling thoughtfully. "I suppose. You seem to see the value in the graphic novels now, so you probably won't damage them." His eyes drifted back to the older boy, who was on the edge of his seat in anticipation. "Fine, take them. But come back sooner this time so you haven't fewer chances to ruin them."

"Of course!" Zach reassured the boy sprawled out on the bed, "There's no way any of these will be so much as creased under my watchful eye." He winked.

Freddie rolled his eyes. "What day this week will you come over?"

"Umm… I don't have any fr-" Zach started to explain.

"Make time. You are coming over."

Zach huffed, exasperated. "I'd forgotten," he muttered under his breath, "how annoying you can be."

Freddie ignored the comment as he emerged from the secret room with two comics, handing them to Zach, who was still on the beanbag. "Now leave before I change my mind."

"You got it chief," Zach gave him a two-fingered salute as he strode out the room, pausing at the door as his movement in his peripheral vision caused him to whip around, catching Freddie with his tongue out. He raised an eyebrow at him, causing the tips of his ears to redden. Zach snorted.

"Go," spluttered Freddie.

Zach flew down the stairs two at a time. "I'm going now," he hollered, "thanks for having me!"

Aster and Violetta, as they insisted he address them, rounded the corner. The only reason Violetta wasn't skipping around the corner ten paces ahead of her wife was Aster's hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

"Surely, you're not planning on cycling home alone, in the dark?" Violetta simpered.

"Uh, I guess?" replied Zach.

"Absolutely not! It's not safe for someone your age." Violetta rebuked.

"It's really not," agreed Aster. "We'll drive you home."

"Oh, no," Zach protested, finishing lacing his shoes. "It's fine. I know my way, it'll be fine."

"Nonsense," insisted Violetta. "Our car has plenty of room for both you and your bike."

Zach sighed, knowing they wouldn't let up until he caved. "Okay. Thank you so much."

"It's no trouble."

~

Over text, Zach managed to organize to come over on Wednesday. He burst through Freddie's bedroom door to an empty room. "Hello? Freddie?" He heard sniggering from somewhere in the room. He peeked into the comic room and rifled through the wardrobe in front.

"Look up, moron," He heard from above him. Freddie was crouched against the ceiling. "Pass the comics up." Zach handed the comics up for inspection before laying back on the floor to avoid straining his neck. "Not bad," Freddie remarked. "You didn't do any damage. Well, no major damage. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're one of the heathens that doggy-ears pages." He glared down at Zach, who shrugged.

Sensing the building annoyance, Zach quickly changed the subject. He hauled himself off the floor and sat on the bed, tilting his head to focus on Freddie, who was still in the middle of the roof. "So now I know where that's from. I knew you couldn't come up with good original ideas."

"Hey!" Freddie protested, before suggesting "I have a few other projects back there. One in particular I think you'll like."

Zach's eyes shone with excitement. "What are you waiting for then?"

Freddie grinned back before motioning to the beanbag. "Would you mind pulling that over? I don't feel like walking down the walls." Once the cushioning system was below him, Freddie jumped hard and curled himself into a ball, landing with an "oomph". Picking himself up, he strode into the back room, so light on his feet he was practically skipping. He returned with a large metal circle and several souped-up arrows. "Catch," he called, frisbeeing the disk, Zach diving to catch it, saving it from clattering to the ground, as the throw fell short.

He examined it, flipping it over and spinning it a few times. "Is this?"

Freddie nodded earnestly, "A replica of Cap's shield. I'm experimenting with a chemical compound that will increase its durability. And these," he brandished the arrows, "are replicas of Hawkeye's arrows. I'm pretty sure you've seen him once or twice by now."

"I have. Hey...can I try the Spiderman thing out were using?"

Freddie hesitated, "Well, it's a bit of a pain to make, so I generally save it for special occasions."

"Like scaring me?" scoffed Zach.

"Shut up and read," Freddie tossed him the next issue of Spiderman, confidant in the athlete's catching ability to make up for his poor hand-eye coordination.

They were barely four pages in before Zach spoke up, "I wish there was something I could do to bring another...hero item to life."

"Other than being my lab rat to test the supersoldier serum and other stuff, there's not much more you're good for."

They sat in silence for a little longer before Freddie made a suggestion. "Maybe an Avengers comic can spark an idea in your weak brain."

Zach protested weakly as he accepted the comic, eager to get sucked into another hero's journey. To his delight, he found six heroes to invest in. As he read, he turned over different possibilities for weapons to bring to life. Finally, something clicked. "Hey, Freddie?"

"What?" The small boy poked his head out of the makeshift lab, where he was working on the shield.

"What about an Ironman suit?"

"No," he dismissed. "It's way too complicated. As much as I hate to admit it, it's out of my depth."

"Why don't we ask Bella?" Zach heard something clatter to the ground at his statement. He smirked, pleased he'd come up with something Freddie hadn't.

"Grab my phone, now." Freddie dashed out of the room and launched himself onto the bed. Zach grabbed it from the bedside table and sat next to him. After a quick squabble over who would ask, the phone ended up between them on speaker.

"Hey, boys," Bella answered after the second ring.

"Wh- how did you know?" Zach asked.

"Simple. Freddie doesn't normally call me on a weekday and I knew you two would reconcile."

"Oh."

"And I heard rumors you'd gotten into superheroes recently, which only confirmed my suspicions."

"You are a woman of many talents, Anabella."

"Thanks. Now," she cut off Freddie who was about to speak, "What do you need?"

Freddie held back his initial question, "Who said we needed something?"

"You never call me unless you need something. That goes for both of you."

Zach said sheepishly, "That's fair."

Freddie sighed, "Yeah, we do. Can you make an Ironman suit?"

"That's a tall order," she commented. "As friendly as I am with you two, that's going to require funding or hands-on help. Preferably both."

"Okay. When can you get started?"

The line was silent for a moment as she pondered the proposition further. "This coming break. I'm swamped with work right now, and I'm sure you are too, Zach." 

He winced. "Yeah, I am."

A faint tapping and rustling filtered across the line. "If you send the money soon, I should be able to get the material to start early. It might even be ready before the break if everything goes according to plan."

"Thank you, Bella," they chorused.

She chuckled, "No problem boys. Bye." She hung up.

The pair exchanged fervent looks, eyes brimming with eager fire.

"This is going to be awesome."

Not trying to be conceited reblogging my own stuff, but this is my friend! She adds stuff to the tags, which is super sweet since she's seen it already since she answered the same questions with her characters. I can't wait for her to share about them, they're all so loveable 💜

Character Question 8

How do they react to praise? How do they react to criticism?

Freddie: he will criticize you right back! He doesn't take negativity towards him well and gets very defensive, lashing out before it starts to hurt. If the criticism comes from someone he respects, he will pick apart whatever is being criticized and improve it tenfold.

He preens under praise. He will flaunt whatever was complimented for days. Don't flatter him too much - his body isn't strong enough to hold up his big head.

Zach: he will immediately try to fix whatever is criticized. He'll drop whatever he's doing and do his best to remove the flaws.

He takes compliments very lightly. He'll say thanks, but it'll take a lot for the intent and sincerity to sink in. 

Bella: She will work tirelessly until she improves whatever is criticized. Sleepless nights, days shut up in her room, she won't rest until it's perfect. She'll work until burnout and then won't make anything for weeks since she's so exhausted.

She'll read very deeply into praise. She takes it better than Zach, but only after analyzing the wording, the tone, and the situation on which the praise was given.

Now that she's active, I can mention this. Violetta and Aster, Freddie's adoptive moms are @pagesofcursive characters. They're both from CoF(fee) so if you enjoyed them here, go over to Briar's blog and give them some love

Secret Identities

Word count: 4,676

Summary: Freddie’s overeager adoptive parents jump at the chance of securing a new friend for their kid. The person they have in mind is Zach, someone Freddie has not typically gotten along with. Can they settle their differences? Or will their already fragile relationship be torn asunder?

Warnings: shouting, I can’t really think of anything else, but if someone spots something, please let me know

“It’ll be so much fun!” his mom, or as most knew her, Violetta, squealed, pulling Freddie in for a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re hanging out with kids your age!”

“Or, at least, close to your age,” Aster, or Mama as he called her, remarked. She dropped a soft kiss on his head once Violetta reluctantly let him out of the hug. 

“Plus, you already know him so well- from that time you guys spent living together!”

Freddie had shared the past traumatic experiences of his life with his new mums, and they had been very supportive, sending him to therapy and making sure he had a happy and secure environment to fall back on. Unfortunately, this also meant expanding his friend group, something he generally found difficult to do. His superior intellect, while it helped him make leaps and bounds in different research projects with prominent scientists of the time, meant he struggled to relate to many other people. He had been a lot closer to Bella than he’d been to Zach, though he tolerated her since she shared his love of learning. Zach was nice enough, but not generally his taste. His mums had already met Bella and practically fallen in love; Bella’s social skills made it difficult for anyone to be repulsed by her. They’d been ecstatic by the first “friend” they’d met, so it made sense they’d jump at the opportunity for him to make another.

A phone call later, Zach was scheduled to come over that coming weekend. Freddie had spent the entire week mentally preparing for the visit. When his studies and various scientific projects hadn’t served as enough of a distraction, he decided to spend Thursday and Friday behind his closet. Shortly after moving in with his adoptive moms, he had divided his spacious closet in two - the front was his sparse wardrobe and behind was a secret compartment. Inside it was a haven to him. His prized comics made up one wall, while the other was plastered in superhero posters. A display case proudly presented the Spidey-serum along with an imitation of most of Hawkeye’s arrows, and a round shield he’d started experimenting with. He picked it up and made his way to the workbench underneath a poster. He’d been experimenting with different compounds to coat the shield in that would make it significantly more durable.

Keep reading

It's up! Go appreciate her and her phenomenal story. I can't wait to bombard everyone with AU crossovers

crown of flowers

or my cof(fee) story!

my story features a chaotic group of teenagers who find a family within each other. if you like found family, lgbtq+ characters (all of the mains are part of the community!), diversity, a touch of romance (rivals to lovers! cute, fluffy relationships!), and a healthy mix of fluff and angst, then keep reading for a full(er) description!

years in the future, after a nuclear fallout has wiped out most of the population, those who survived were forced to adapt. based on their environments, they developed powers (either fire, water, ice, darkness, or storm) and formed isolated groups. eventually, as society began to rebuilt a bit, the groups created a shaky alliance with each other, but tension still runs high between people with differing powers. to create unity, the head of the government creates a boarding school, where the most powerful teenagers of each group are sent to compete for a place on the government's security team. one student from each powered group will be chosen, and they have to learn how to fight with their fists, powers, and minds.

violetta isn’t exactly what you would call powerful. her parents bought her way into the boarding school, so she doesn't truly belong there. but what she lacks in power, she makes up for in determination. violetta is put into a dorm room with four other teenagers, and, though she's never met people with different powers, they all become close friends. these are the people she will spend the most time with in the boarding school, and the ones she will learn to fight alongside.

but it’s not all roses. not everyone wants the boarding school to succeed. and not all things are as they seem. and violetta is quickly distracted by a rebellious girl who puts up walls and opposes her at every turn.

will they even survive the school year?

When I say I can't wait for this, I really mean it. You can bet on me reblogging and appreciating every one of them.

And as a bonus, I'll add all my characters thoughts on them as they come 😁

Hi! How far along are you in drafting/plotting/writing so far? CoF sounds fun, can't wait for more posts!

hi! <3

I have loosely plotted all of Crown of Flowers, which I am happy about! however, there will be a sequel that carries the arc of the first book, and I don’t have that plotted yet. I only have a basic idea of events, but no solid conclusion yet. I am working on it, and I hope this blog will give me the inspiration to keep on going!

although I have CoF planned, I haven’t had a chance to write more than a few pages in it. I am focusing on world-building and character development at the moment, so I can’t wait to introduce my characters!

I’m going to post about a character each day, so my Week of Characters is starting tomorrow! get ready! 

I wanted to post something so I'm actually active. So here, a bullet fic set in an alternate universe and the world's first taste of The Perfect Family. (And a little more context, in this AU at the very least, Aster owns and regularly rides a motorcycle. This is the first time Freddie is taken on a ride on it)

- because of something that I'm not going to spoil, high speed vehicles are stressful, so a bit of panic at first

- but he would agree because he'd guess it'd make Aster happy

- they'd kit him in motorbike gear - heavy leather jacket and pants and a good helmet - it'd be too big and would hang off him

- when on the bike, he'd cling to Aster so tightly, like fingers white, no amount of force would break his grip

- his eyes would be shut the first 5 or so minutes and he'd be shaking

- Aster knows fear when she sees it so she knew that he was afraid, so she didn't do any fancy turns until he's enjoying himself

- eventually, he'd get over the g-force similar feeling (spoilery there, you're welcome) and he'd open his eyes and start to enjoy they freedom of flying down the road

- he'd probably yelp a bit when he realises the wind was messing up his hair

- on the first turn, he'd absolutely pAniC and cling almost as tight as before

- he'd be a bit stiff coming off the bike, so he'd waddle over to Vi and just stretch his arms out so she could help him take off the copious amount of protection

- later, whenever Aster would offer a ride, if you looked very closely the moment she'd suggest it, you'd see a very genuine and excited smile and a spring in his step

I wish to begin something here: my favourite flavour of angst moments. Whenever I'm struck by a tragic moment, I'll record it here. So enjoy that! For as long as it might last.

Tonight's is any form of separation of the QPR*, Tora and her QPP**. I have written about it before, to some degree, but tonight it's just striking me. Take that as you will

*quasiplatonic relationship. If you don't know about that, feel free to ask me! I'll try to educate

**quasiplatonic partner

Oh, and hey @pagesofcursive this has one of your babis, so you might be interested

I'm going to edit this later to include the morning routine for my characters, cos this is a brilliant idea for character development.

morning routines

nyx and juni wake up relatively early every day (usually, nyx wakes up first and just cuddles with juni for a bit to wake her up,, couple goals) and they make a Healthy breakfast together. nyx is pretty hopeless at cooking in the beginning, but juni is a very good teacher

lynn also wakes up early, but she does not love social interaction first thing in the morning, so she usually just reads while eating a piece of toast or something simple

violetta would wake up slightly early, but it’s still too late for her to eat breakfast since she spends a lot of time finding a cute outfit and putting on makeup. so usually, she just makes herself an iced coffee that she drinks during her first class (“all part of a complete breakfast!”)

aster goes to sleep very late and would like to sleep in. unfortunately, she is a light sleeper and shares a room with dawn (who wakes up early). as a result, aster is forced awake pretty early as well. she eats a simple breakfast (she doesn’t like to skip meals as a general rule) and makes herself a hot coffee which she drinks during school

violetta and aster would argue with each other about the merits of iced coffee versus hot coffee. every morning. it becomes a tradition, and the argument eventually becomes very flirtatious

tora wakes up Just before school and rushes to get dressed and look somewhat presentable. if she doesn’t have any time to spare, she’ll just grab a single heavily caffeinated energy drink (tora’s not allowed to have more than one after the Incident that ended up with her staying up for a solid four days and sleeping for five). if she does have time, tora makes herself a cup of tea (her brother taught her how to make tea and she always thinks about him while making it) and eats some type of dessert or chips

dawn wakes up very early and has a very sophisticated breakfast of toast and jam. she makes herself a cup of coffee (using her expensive coffee maker, of course), and she makes patterns in the foam. yes, dawn is extra and, yes, she’s upset that she doesn’t have a chef to make her breakfast anymore, but she will persevere somehow

We're totally going to do that at some point. Totally, definitely won't take forever.

I can't wait to share everything though

youve talked about a ton of aus. share your favorite? or one your working on right now

FRICK hskpaupa I have so many favorites,,, the perfect family is, of course, perfect,,, and also I love the family au we have, which eve described here,, and right now we’re working on one that deals with a character eve has hinted at but not formally introduced,,

eventually, I will post a complete list of aus, which I will update whenever a new one is created

Comedic scene in the most recent AU @pagesofcursive and I are working on (VH and everyone else)

in honor of my second favorite capricorn, right after eve (@apocalypsewriters) of course, here’s a short fluffy story in honor of nyx! happy birthday, darling, I’m so sorry about all the angst- but at least l gave you a cute girlfriend, am I right? 

this following story is almost pure fluff, but there is a bit of angst. if you like soft girlfriends, then keep reading! <3 enjoy! 

~~~

Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest, the rhythm like music to her ears as Juni lay wide awake in the hospital room. Darkness surrounded her, pressing in on all sides; the only light came from the ancient face of the pale moon as it streamed in through the parted curtains. Unlike a few hours before, her heartbeat felt strong, the blood rushing through her veins normally once again. 

If Juni closed her eyes, she could almost imagine the room around her was her bedroom. That is, if it weren’t for the beeping of machines, and the tube in her arm, and the soft snoring of her dads from the chairs at the foot of the bed. She breathed in, trying to focus on something- anything- to block her mind from drifting to dark places full of fear and dread and-

Keep reading

So in an effort to truly dump as much as I can that has been spawned from A New Infection, here is a mostly complete list of all the alternate universes I have. Briar's characters feature in most of these, so go check out her descriptions and other universes linked at the end. Also! Any title in green only includes my characters, or at the very least, they're the main focus.( @pagesofcursive is Briar's blog, or you can click her name above)

- Family AU

Half our characters are toddlers! and are fostered by the other half. This alternate universe is almost purely fluff and fueled by chaos. The adults need help staying sane.

- Fusion AU

Follow all our characters through high school in a world that has laws from both universes; powerless people are the most populous, followed by elementals (Briar's universe) and vigilantes (my universe) at an even smaller population. There's fluff, plenty of angst, new relationships, and plenty of new, tragic backstories to discover. This alternate universe has the most polished stories, which we will be sure to post, as soon as someone is introduced.

- Game Show AU

Motivated by money, fame, friendship, or blackmail, our characters join a game show. There's betrayal, love, and old friendships being discovered, as everyone attempts to survive each weekly trial and not be eliminated before reaching the end.

- Hogwarts AU

We're both Harry Potter (not J.K Rowling) fans, so it was inevitable that we'd send everyone to Hogwarts. When a parent goes mad and threatens the wizarding world, it's up to our characters to reason with the twisted adult and save their community.

- Post-Apocalypse AU

This was created solely because of my indecisiveness; there are a few versions of ways the world would turn after being saved from the canon setting. The first short story I posted is set here, even though it's not explicitly stated. This is probably the least interesting AU, but possibly one of the more useful ones (for me at least)

- Royal AU

Scandals and servants, nobles and naughtiness; we put all our characters in a loosely fantastical medieval setting. Embodying various roles, two of our characters are neighboring princesses and employ the others. There are witches, demons, and mortal peril, and suffice to say, it's definitely an exciting time.

- Superhero AU

A New Infection characters live in a world of heroes, villains, and vigilantes. The characters are age curved, and they serve significant roles in their local metropolis. Living with gray morals, fraying patience unrecognised potential, Bella, Zach, and Freddie, masquerading under the names Scarlet Maiden, Bladed Officer, and Biohacker, strive to make their mark on the world.

- Survival AU

After being thrown in an arena and forced to battle by an unknown external source, the ten main characters plot and escape their prison and are now faced with surviving a winter wonderland and somehow finding their way home.

- The Perfect Family (TPF) AU

Freddie is officially adopted at a much younger age by Violetta and Aster. This alternate universe was formed by a selfish desire to write about more sapphic found families, balance out the angst, and give Freddie the childhood he needs.

So, yeah! These are all the AUs I've created (that I can currently remember) You can find Briar's post here since she and I wanted to create a list of all the universes we've come up with. Eventually, we may flesh out each concept, with character descriptions and roles exclusive to each universe. We'll also post stories set in many of these settings as we finish them, and we'll be sure to link to our respective master posts.

Fantastic. I have nothing else to add to this gloriousness

welcome to the world of my story, crown of flowers! I hope you enjoy these angsty teenagers and the chaos they make as much as I do!

Freddie: He has a lot in common with her, though he wouldn't realize it at first - they both come from families that they believed cared about them, but once they met their found family (well, not quite yet for Freddie in canon but AUs are a different story) they discovered what it truly meant to be cared about. When meeting her, he would act callous toward her, a little put off by her spoiled nature clashing with his pride. Eventually, he'd warm up to her and would make an effort to soften his remarks and not upset her.

Bella: She's a little resentful over the fact that Violetta cheated her way into school, instead of using skill or studying as she would have had to do; however, she admires Vi's efforts to improve and earn her place in the boarding school. Her initial shallow nature is a little off-putting, but ultimately Bella sees Vi as a good person and friend.

Zach: He respects her after her character arc, but they're very different. He'd struggle to have a conversation with her, partially because she's gorgeous and seems confident. If she ever let down her exterior and was more vulnerable with her insecurities, he'd admire her for it -defensive cordialness is a trait he shares with her, and he is too scared to let down his guard.

day one: violetta

meet violetta! as the daughter of a wealthy family, she was spoiled with everything she ever could have asked for- except, of course, a loving family who cared about her. at a young age, violetta was taught that her sister mattered more than her, since her sister was older and more beautiful in the eyes of their parents. below a layer of confidence is an insecurity that deepens every day, but that changes when violetta is sent to the boarding school, where she meets loving friends who help her with her issues.

nicknames: vi (by her friends), firefly (by aster)

power: fire

ethnicity: japanese colombian

birthday: september 25th

sexuality: bisexual

Thank you! This is from something Briar and I are collaboratively writing, set in the Fusion AU!

Hearing her thump up three more steps in rapid succession, Freddie let out a shriek before hurtling up the stairs, almost on all fours, and skittered down the hall. Bella smirked and nudged the darkly dressed girl beside her, “Kids, am I right.”

Aster nodded, her small smile mirroring Bella’s self-satisfied smirk. Catching her eyes, Bella watched a fond light come into them. Strange.

Tagging: (no one is obliged to, of course) @rose-of-sharon-cass @charles-joseph-writes @wordwizards

heads up 7 up! 

tagged by @crystallized-ink <3 thank you so much!

rule: post the last seven sentences you wrote

from broken halos

Warmth rose to her cheeks, and Vivian leaned back into their arms. “Is that so?”

“Well, nothing ever compares to you.”

“You remind me of the sunset,” she said, each word marked by her gentle accent, “with all your warmth and color and… just everything about you.” Vivian hummed softly, leaning up to kiss their cheek. “And, god, you’re stunning.”

“Does that make you the moon?” River asked, almost teasingly but not quite.

tagging: @apocalypsewriters and @pretend-im-normal (but no pressure at all!)

Freddie: He appreciates her down-to-earth nature and her practicality. Naturally, he thinks he's better than her, but that's consistent among all people at first. He's intimidated by her bravery and hardiness since he's lived a very sheltered life, but he would never admit that. Once he finally bonds with her, she'd be like a rock for him, someone to centre himself with, someone to protect him, someone who supports him. I just love The Perfect Family so much

Zach: He admires her strength - she always pushes herself to be better; even if at one point it was mostly for survival, she kept going, which is something he strives to do. Honestly, he'd love to spar with her, and learn more tricks on self-defense. Neither of them stand by and let bullying/harassing of those that can't defend themselves, which is something they can bond over. The only thing they don't have in common is their view of street authority since Zach wants to follow his father into some sort of law enforcement.

Bella: Since the main way she sees the world is through understanding, she struggles with Aster. They have completely different backgrounds, strengths, and ways of dealing with hardship. She does agree with her over opportunity - you need to work for something, to earn it, not just buy your way into prosperity. She's a little uneasy with Aster's confidence and slight aggressiveness - though they might agree on their view of some things, Bella would rather take a more passive route of judgment or action and would silently question the potentially more aggressive/defensive stance Aster would take.

day two: aster

this is aster! after her parents perished in a tragic accident, she grew up in various foster homes and a corrupt orphanage. she leaves that all behind as soon as possible and lives on the streets until boarding school. aster has fought for everything in her life and doesn’t like to depend on others. she hates when people are handed life on a silver platter, causing her to hate violetta at first. but, after a while, she realizes that violetta is trying, and they eventually form a friendship (and,, maybe something more)

nicknames: ast (mostly by juni), darling (by violetta), beautiful (by dawn)

power: fire

ethnicity: no record of who her parents were

birthday: october 28

sexuality: lesbian

Bella: She has incredible respect for Nyx's strength. She completely understands her closed off, masked nature, since it's something she does herself. She also sympathetic to Nyx's history, though she knows not to bring it up since she realizes it's probably painful and disliked. She also shares the resentment of everyone else towards Nyx's father (Nero) and will make him mysteriously disappear and be able to effortlessly evade blame if she's asked to/allowed to. everyone hates him

Freddie: He appreciates her taste - minimalistic and somewhat catering to others' opinions. He finds it a little irrational that she risked so much for a single person (but who is he to talk) and is a little judgemental of how easily he believes she was hoodwinked. Also, her internalized self-hatred doesn't make sense to him, since it's not her fault her mother died without her. Other than that, she's a decent enough person for his high standards

Zach: The hardship she went through and the strength she carries on with is very admirable to Zach. He can empathize with her about growing up without a mum angst twins However, though he will never admit to agreeing with Freddie, he also disagrees with her continued guilt over her mother's death. The world is filled with awful people, and good people need to find ways to combat that, which he commends her for doing; she infiltrated upper society and has the potential to topple the over-privileged.

day three: nyx

introducing nyx! she was raised by her mother, and they lived in poverty. to make ends meet, nyx would steal and lie without her mom’s knowledge, but they were happy because they had each other. then, one day, her mom got sick. nyx promised her mother that she would never try to meet the father who abandoned her, but she was terrified of losing her mom, so she finds him to ask him for help. her father, a rich politician, saw nyx as an opportunity to increase voter sympathy for him, so he made her stay with him as he told everyone that he found his long lost daughter. her mom passes away before nyx gets back to her. she blames herself for not getting medicine and for not being there when her mom needed her most. living with her father puts nyx in the public eye, and she learns to hide her emotions and thoughts behind walls which fall down when she meets her true friends at the boarding school.

nicknames: moonlight (by juni), honey (by aunt jetta)

power: darkness

ethnicity: greek german

birthday: january 11

sexuality: lesbian

Bella: She loves Juni I mean, how can you not and thinks she's a total sweetheart. She doesn't pity her for her heart condition, and admires her strength to stay positive, even if life isn't great. She loves that Juni, even though she was sheltered when she was younger, is able to connect with people; she enjoys spending time with her since Juni puts her at ease.

Freddie: Unfortunately for Freddie, it is very hard to dislike Juni. He finds her bubbly attitude a bit much sometimes, but whenever he's around her, it's a bit harder to frown and act disdainful to Lesser People. Out of everyone in the Crown of Flowers group (possibly my characters too) he'd probably open up to her second or third (after Dawn and then Violetta)

Zach: Other than someone who hasn't been mentioned yet, he probably matches her energy best in the group. He loves spending time with her, and feels safe around her, almost to the point of being his authentic self. He envies her a little for having such great parents, and commends her strength in battle, both in and out of the hospital and arena.

day four: juniper

this ray of sunshine is juni! she is possibly the only character with a happy homelife. her dads adopted her when she was three, and they are the picture of a perfect family with no shortage of love and support. however, juni has a heart defect that caused her to spend a lot of time in and out of hospitals for most of her childhood. juni couldn’t run around and play with other children because she was on bed rest often, so she didn’t have any friends. her dads supplied her with lots of art supplies to pass the time, and juni because excellant at painting and drawing. she keeps an optimistic look on life, as her dads taught her, and at the boarding school, she finally meets a group of friends who she loves.

nicknames: juni (by everyone), sunshine (by nyx)

power: ice

ethnicity: ethiopian

birthday: july 7

sexuality: pansexual

Bella: As a fellow Ravenclaw, she appreciates her love for reading and would love to spend hours talking about books. She thinks Lynn could stand to be a little more out there and not just stay in the background with a book, because even though she spent most of her time like that, she's been so much happier spending time with people. And ace spec solidarity!

Freddie: Her intelligence is commendable, but she's a little too much of a doormat for his tastes. He can sympathize with her, however, having spent a little less that half of his life without parents, since he doesn't really count his foster parents despite all they've done for him.

Zach: Yet another person he struggles to relate to. She's... okay for him. She's nice, and he doesn't feel defensive around her, which is always a plus. He'd probably try to read a book or two to have something to talk about her with, and he might succeed with those one or two books, but his capacity to remain quiet is very low.

day five: lynn

introducing lynn! there are very few braincells in this group, but she can always be counted on to possess both an academic and a creative one! maybe not a social interaction brain cell though. when lynn was a kid, her parents died in a car crash and she was sent to an orphanage. lynn never really connected with the kids her age, so she retreated into all the books she could find. lynn loves writing and creating new worlds in her head, and that doesn’t change when she makes friends at the boarding school.

nicknames: lee (by juni)

power: water

ethnicity: irish

birthday: september 1

sexuality: biromantic demisexual

Bella: Tora's enthusiasm is quite overwhelming, so she's a little quieter than normal around her since Tora fills silence very effectively. Her lack of control is a little grating for Bella, since she tends to be more focus oriented rather than using force and power. She feels bad for Tora's relationship with her brother, since she knows how great it is to have a healthy relationship with siblings.

Freddie: She is way too rambunctious, outspoken, rough and "unintelligent" for his tastes. Out of the entire group, she's probably the person he'd like to spend the least time with. He's a little resentful over the fact that she has supportive parents (though before meeting Vi and Aster, he didn't really know about that) The only redeeming quality he sees in her is her raw power, something he's secretly envious of in interactions in AUs where they both retain their powers

Zach: Tora and Zach match each other's chaotic energies so well. He, Tora and his cousin Ethan (who serves as the braincell of the group, though it's not very effective) are the chaos trio, who, whenever together create all sorts of shenanigans and mess. He loves her free spirit and knows he can be his true self around her, since she doesn't judge and is very open about her feelings. In basically every crossover AU we have, they're pretty much inseparable and ruin any semblance of peace the group has.

day six: tora

presenting tora! she is fiery and chaotic; her thoughts race around, never settling on one thing. she’s loyal and protective, a friend to the end. tora loves her friends and believes in platonic love with all her heart. growing up, tora was extremely closer to her brother, but he resented her a bit, as her powers are extremely strong. tora doesn’t think before acting at times, so she’s been in a couple of fights. she loves walking around nature and likes to take pictures.

nicknames: tor (by juni), zeus (by dawn)

power: storm (affinity for lightning)

ethnicity: korean

birthday: april 15

sexuality: aromantic asexual