#//Heck; nearly forgot to add that there

[kohakuhime]

Oh!! I totally forgot I promised to post pictures of the coat that was a part of my cosplay for NostalgiaCon

I’m shy about showing my face, and I may change my mind on it later (and heck, you’ll probably see me in photos somewhere), but I did promise to show the coat in question.

So this was what I had to get to:

Do they have this coat online for cosplay purposes? Actually, yes! There’s two different versions, and one even comes with the clothes! But both cost nearly 300 dollars, before shipping.

My wallet and I agreed we can’t spend that much on a coat that may not even fit me when it gets there, so we decided to try and make it.

After much searching and anguish trying to find a coat that’s the color and length needed, I give up and decide “let’s try dyeing a coat and modifying it”. Once that decision was made, this is what we started with!

30 dollars off Amazon, bright white, needs some TLC. Has a zipper panel that I’m not a fan of, but we’ll figure out something!

It took a bit to research what to do for dyeing (I hadn’t ever before, so I had to buy the pot I needed and determine the dye needed for the material), but I got the materials for dyeing, and after several prayers to the cosplay crafting gods I went to work.

First dye bath, using Rit Dye for polyester fabrics (I had to use a formula and followed the one online—pink, purple, and charcoal gray). This is how she looked:

Not bad! She was darker when she was wet, but as she dried she came out to this pinky-purple. Not what I needed, though still a gorgeous color. So I put her back in a dye bath, but the only color I used this time was the remaining bottle of charcoal gray. Stirring a coat with tongs in a dye bath continuously for an hour is quite the workout, by the way 😂

She turned out like this afterwards:

Gorgeous color, and the closest I can get to her being “canon”! But she’s wrinkled from air drying and from being in the wash. That’s a problem for later, and it’s a solvable one.

From there, I took her to Mama’s and we got to work, and we ended up with this:

One pillowcase, an iron, three belts, and lots of sewing later, we have the coat! Mama and I used an old pillowcase for the hem and shoulders; we turned the case into ribbons and sewed it onto the coat with transparent thread. The material of the pillowcase actually weighed the edges down, so that the coat billowed outward when walking—a very cool effect!

We also cut out and sewed what used to be the zipper portion to create a “roll” to keep the coat from falling in, allowing for the collar to pop! Not pictured are the two arm belts for the upper arms, which match the one at the waist; we cut that belt in half and added buckles to it, and to hold the arm belt’s shape and size we used twist ties!

Add in some shoulder pads, and some final belt ends being sewn on the arm straps (fun fact, canonically Raphael’s arm belts/straps don’t circle his wrist all the way), and a few studs sewn into the arm straps, and BAM! We have a coat!

[j0kers-light]

His Lighthouse: Finders Keepers (LedgerJoker x f!reader)

Finders Keepers 

image credit

series summary:  

Y/n is an aspiring writer living in Gotham City and struggling to find her next muse. Her recent novel is getting all the buzz, earning her far more attention than she signed up for. But when a chance encounter results in her nursing The Joker back to health, will she find the time to write another best seller or will her own story become front page of the Gotham Gazette?

chapter summary:

Some would argue that Joker is a changed man after you left for Wayne Manor, he would say otherwise until he saw you get taken from your apartment. Nothing would stand in his way in getting you back.  

Author’s note:    

Warning! This is a long chapter!!! I humbly apologize for the long wait omg! I truly feel awful. Work did not give me a fraction of time to even glance at this draft and I almost cut it in half due to how long it was. BUT!!! I made a promise and boy did I deliver and besides.. Would y'all really get mad at me for posting a long chapter? NO! At least I hope not. That being said grab a drink and some snacks and buckle in!! I hope you like it.

I almost forgot! There is a trigger warning in this chapter so if you feel uncomfortable reading that, I encourage you to skip over it. I think I marked it with asterisk (**)

Taglist!  

@blackreaderatrisk   @twinkledinkle @clemdango04 @l3ejm @tears-of-amber @what-an-angell 

Let me know if anyone else would like to be added to the taglist!!

Last Chapter | Next Chapter 

It was impossible to believe. They all hoped that Joker was living up to his name and was simply kidding. If not, then no one knew the real Joker after all. Not even Batman.

Joker sat in his chair still handcuffed, glaring at the caped crusader seated before him. The only part of Batman's face that was visible was his mouth and it was currently set into a deep frown.

He was listening to Joker's accounts all day but he couldn't wrap his head around this latest part. It stood out from all the other outlandish tales. Was Joker really this far gone? Did he seriously change all for a woman?

For once Batman was speechless and Jim Gordon had to speak up on his behalf.

"You nearly annihilated an entire criminal organization in just one day. It's still an on-going investigation to determine who was behind the hit. We thought it was a terrorist attack at first and called the National Guard but it was you all along. Everything is."

Sometime during Joker's confession, Gordon entered the interrogation room.

The commissioner kept a low profile leaning against the wall but he soaked up every word the clown had to say and so did his team behind the two way mirror, not including the many police officers watching the live feed around the precinct.

It was impossible to fathom someone of Joker's caliber, someone purely evil, being in love.

Maybe this was all just a ruse that Joker created to waste everyone's time and make a grand escape. This interrogation was going on for hours and they still haven't found out who this mysterious woman was. Whoever she was, (if she was even real) Gordon wanted to ensure her safety and meet her.

She had to be one heck of a woman to steal Joker's heart and live to tell the tale. That or she was absolutely insane. Almost like he heard the thought, green eyes dramatically landed on the head of the GCPD.

Joker never liked the guy, always upholding the law and maintaining peace. And that mustache! But Y/n taught him to be polite to anyone no matter the circumstances. He didn't have to like doing it though.

This entire conversation wore on his nerves the longer it dragged on.

"He should have never taken my Light away from me. I call it.. ehh justice! Our good ol' boy Harvey is quite familiar with the term."

Jim grimaced from the bitter memory. Harvey Dent was a reminder that even Gotham's finest heroes could become corrupt and turn over to the dark side.

"You murdered over three hundred people for her." Batman had to add. That was the fact no one was addressing here.

Joker shrugged as if it weren't a big deal and it to him, it wasn't. He liked to think it was all done to save you but they would never see it that way.

"Your point? I'd burn Gotham City to the ground if she asked me to. The things I've done for her..." Joker's eyes glazed over in thought. "It's all worth it. For her."

"You're insane."

"....insanely in love? Why yes Batman! Have you ever been in love? The kind where your needs simply don't matter, every waking thought— every second you're awake is spent to please her? The kind of love you'll sacrifice yourself for? Or the kind that has you staring at her peacefully sleeping at four am, making promises you know you can't keep.. Have you ever changed yourself for someone?"

Joker stared at his arch nemesis, searching for the answer he already knew. "I don't think you haaave." He sang out.

Batman wasn't phased by the insult. All that mattered to him were the clues.

"So she's insane like you. Gordon, check Arkham Asylum and other mental health wards and cross reference that data to–"

"My Light is noT.. crazy! Don't you dare imply that she is." Joker growled.

Jim was shocked at the tone used.

He was going to cross reference all missing person's files within Gotham's jurisdiction with any cases with mental health issues but witnessing Joker's outburst was far more important.

"She is the most intelligent person I know! It took me forever to realize that but if she really wanted to– she could give Enigma a run for his money. The late night conversations we have are truly something else. Her mind is as jovial as it is profound. It's unfortunate she shares the same dumb ideology as you Batman- that Gotham can be saved. I always called her out on it but my Bunny can win any argument if she words it right. I assume it's what kept her alive during her.. rendezvous with Dent's men."

That got everyone's attention.

"You didn't rescue her?" Gordon questioned. Batman almost asked the same thing.

"Took me a while, but I did. I should be thanking you Bats! If you hadn't apprehended Dent at Gotham Bank, I would have blown both of his faces up along with his hideout."

The big warehouse explosion. GGN had a field day broadcasting the aftermath of it. It spanned over two city blocks and triggered copycat bombs in other parts of the city. At the time Gordon was in over his head trying to rule out other potential threats, managing the National Guard, calming the media down, and ordering his men around.

He had no other choice but to enlist Batman's help during the mayhem.

Two Face just so happened to act out in the midst of everything and Gordon's men were already stretched too thin. The timing of things was overlooked. If only they had stopped and put the pieces together. So many lives, gone in an instant. The building was completely leveled in the explosion and it was unclear whether it was a mere occupational disaster or an act of terrorism. Not once did they consider it to be a domestic dispute between the numerous criminals dwelling in Gotham City.

Joker was still at large (and awfully quiet) at the time, but once again, the stress of the situation hindered Gordon's deducing skills. It was a messy reminder and Joker's obnoxious laugh didn't lighten the mood. Everyone waited to hear what the clown had to say.

"Wanna know something funny, Bats? I could have saved everyone the trouble and not blown up the place but.. it's all about sending a message. My Light was safe and it took Dent time to rebuild his numbers."

None of them found it funny. Joker's bomb took two months to clean up and here he was saying it could have been avoided. It was infuriating.

Jim had a tick on his brow and Batman looked ready to pummel the jokester some more that is until Joker spoke again– stealing the spotlight.

"I've never experienced fear before until I met her. I was an expert on the matter but she opened my eyes to the true meaning of the word. Rather than causing it, I had to prevent it from happening. For the first time in my life, I was the savior."

Batman doubted that was true but nevertheless he let Joker continue telling his story.

He hated waiting.

Joker respected your decision to leave (since he practically forced you to go) but if he had known you would be gone for two weeks, well. He would have locked you up inside the apartment.

Joker wanted you to get a taste of normalcy with Wayne. It should have only taken a few days to rid the billionaire from your system but boy did you prove that theory wrong.

Joker never understood what you saw in Bruce Wayne yet you also had an attraction for Joker sooo that wasn't helpful. Still it gave him a spark of hope that you wanted a relationship with him once you ditched Mr. Perfect.

Joker knew you'd come back. You had to.

It didn't take a neuroscientist to notice the chemistry between you and Joker. Each kiss you shared with him was electric and drove you crazy for more. And once Joker got a taste of you, he didn't want to let you go but in the same breath, he didn't want to be overbearing and scare you off for good.

He thought he did. The two of you fought so many times in a span of a few days it was insane, but no matter how hard he tried to push you away, you didn't budge. Joker was Gotham City's worst nightmare yet that didn't bother you. You let him stay in your home and treated him like a normal human being, not some wanted criminal to be feared and avoided.

It felt... nice. He liked the company you gave him.

Joker didn't realize just how much he desired human contact until he met you. He deprived himself of it for so long; you were a drug that Joker feared he would never recover from. But despite you opening up your home and heart to him, he knew you required some space to breathe.

He had to factor in your claustrophobia and timid nature. You needed time to think, to make the right decision; to leave.

You had a habit of running away. It was a flaw of yours that Joker absolutely hated.

It hurt him to see you pack a bag and leave. He was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel but then he ruined his own chances with you when he opened his big fat mouth.

He rejected his own feelings and pushed you away. Joker hardly remembered what caused the argument that resulted in him walking out but it had nasty consequences. He wasn't there when you needed him the most. He couldn't afford to fall in love with you and thought that distancing himself would fix the problem.

People like him didn't deserve happiness, not when he devoted his life to destroying it. Joker always managed to hurt you, either physically or emotionally.

You and Joker came from completely different lifestyles and it was a factor that caused ongoing problems between you both. He thought the constant arguments were a sign that this could never work. Joker knew he was the problem and you were trying so hard to make something out of nothing.

It would never be a full fledged relationship but it could be as close to it as possible. He was glad you kept fighting.

It wasn't easy of course. If Joker hadn't ordered Frost to watch over you at the gala event, Joker would have never experienced what your love felt like. You were a terrified little thing, running on adrenaline but still determined to say what was placed on your heart. You confided in Joker, apologized when it wasn't your fault– and he finally got to steal that kiss he'd been waiting so long for.

To have you in his arms safe and sound, to feel your hands clutching onto him for dear life– it was a powerful feeling.

Joker acknowledged that you had abandonment issues but they wouldn't be a problem, not when you wouldn't be leaving his sight. He made promises he had no business creating and all was right in the world. He vowed that not even Batman would tear you out of his arms but he didn't account for Bruce Wayne to do it with ease.

You were ready to give Joker a chance and see where things could go until your doorbell rang. What was it about Wayne that had you falling over yourself? Joker didn't understand the hold the billionaire had on you.

Jealousy.. another emotion you unlocked from Joker's long forgotten vault, rose to the surface.

Joker thoroughly enjoyed the striptease you unknowingly gave him in your panic to invite Bruce inside. He would never forget the sight until the day he died. Just a glimpse of your body had him screen error 404.

Your body was a temple he wanted to defile and in time... he would.

So he took it personal when Bruce Wayne waltzed in and proposed that you stay with him. Joker got angry and jealous and he took out his frustrations on you. He said things he didn't mean and it pushed you away for two antagonizing long weeks.

Joker might've had a temper tantrum when you left but everything was cleaned up and put back in its place! He knew you liked your apartment clean. He was not about to trash it while you were gone. He had time to think things over while he did tidy up.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder or whatever Kimberly said on the reunion episode of the Real Housewives of Gotham City. This time away was a bump in his plans but nothing major.

In his own words, "You would be back and he would be waiting."

You had a place in his arms and he would patiently wait until you returned. Easy. Joker tried to be patient but he was an inpatient man. There was nothing wrong admitting that!

Once you left with Wayne, Joker roamed the penthouse at a loss on what to do. You placed him in a state of limbo and he found himself twirling his thumbs on the couch (which was incredibly comfy) and that jogged his memory about its delivery. He almost forgot!

He called Frost and ordered him to track down the two men who came to your home.

One of them openly flirted with you and that didn't sit well with Joker. You would never find out so what was the harm in killing the idiot? It put a smile on Joker's face if only for a moment. His attention span was practically non-existent with you gone.

Usually when Joker was alone, he plotted out his various heists but the stillness of your apartment clouded his mind.

What did you call this feeling again? Writer's block or something. That's what he was calling it because he refused to admit he was depressed. The city view from your balcony was a nice distraction as Joker thought about leaving your home. If entering your building wasn't so tedious, he would step out for a bit but he did not want to go through all of that trouble again.

But what if he didn't have to sneak in and out anymore? A light bulb went off in his head. Joker sat up on the couch and made a few calls to move some chess pieces around.

Your apartment complex was under his control by the end of the day. Granted it was still open to the public, but after negotiating with the blissfully ignorant management, a 'new security system' and team were implemented.

Joker now had full access to your building and the surrounding block.

He set up cameras on your personal floor and in the main lobby to monitor who came and went. Nothing suspicious would get past his defenses. Your safety was now Joker's top priority. He didn't know what Two Face wanted with you but he wouldn't get the chance to act on it. When you did return, it would be to a safe and secure building. With that in mind, Joker found himself passing the days in your apartment waiting for your return.

The first few days were the hardest. He watched the lobby's security cameras for any sight of you but the feed remained devoid of your presence.

GCPD's ongoing search for him was airing on all of the news channels in between celebrity sightings of you and Bruce together. It irked Joker's nerves but he was keen to notice you looked miserable in every single photo shown. He wanted nothing more to snatch you away but this was a lesson you both had to learn.

Joker had to learn patience; you would learn that running away never solved anything. As much as he hated to see you upset, these troubles would not last.

Being alone again was annoying. Joker had gotten used to your presence and he definitely got accustomed to your home cooked meals. He remembered a few dishes you made and tried his hand at recreating them. Surprise surprise, Joker was not that bad in the kitchen although his dishes tasted nothing like yours. It was missing something and each attempt he made never turned out like yours. The only thing left that you made was the lemon infused olive oil cake. When you first made it, Joker was skeptical of the ingredients, but the cake literally melted on his tongue and reminded him of you.

He devoured the remaining slices and made sure no crumbs dirtied your new couch.

Joker heeded your advice and played every video game on your consoles (he sucked at them at first) but overtime became a pro, and even started watching the new season of the Real Housewives of Gotham City on your streaming service. He missed your snide commentary and fun facts about the wives and heaved a sigh.

It was safe to say Joker was bored out of his mind. It was nearing a week with you gone and he was beyond restless. At night he would lay in bed wondering how you spent your day. He didn't give you any means of contacting him and cursed himself for being so careless.

Joker hoped the lack of communication didn't paint a negative picture for you.

He knew how that creative little mind of yours worked. You would expect some kind of message if he truly cared about you. And Joker did! He was just bad at expressing it.

He made a mental note to assign a detail to keep an eye on you. It would require him to return to his main hideout to organize, which was something he didn't want to do. Staying at your place kept him grounded.

Your presence lingered in the air and supplied Joker his daily Y/n fix. Without that dosage he was more irritable and quick to violence. It really was like taking candy from a baby. You of course being the greatest candy ever made.

Frost, Mac, and newly appointed Neo, were all concerned about their boss's drastic mood swings when he did return to base.

Frost was the veteran of the trio and was unanimously selected to take one for the team. Joker only listened to two people; his right hand and obviously you. Frost just chose a bad time to confront his boss about his temper.

Another gossip magazine was delivered to the hideout with your face on the cover. Too bad Bruce Wayne was also in the shot holding your waist and kissing your cheek. To an outsider's perspective it was a happy couple enjoying a night out caught on camera.

Joker didn't see it that way and saw nothing but red.

That snobby, arrogant, pretty boy had no business touching you! If Joker ever got the chance he would rip Wayne's arms clean off. He really wanted to once he picked up on your body language. You were visibly uncomfortable but the magazine didn't run with that narrative.

Is Y/n the new arm candy for Gotham's most coveted bachelor, Bruce Wayne? How long will their fling last or is she the one?

They were absolutely right. It was over before it began. This was nothing more than a fling and you would be back in his arms in no time. Right? Joker began to doubt himself when he saw the next magazine cover. It was an exclusive and had multiple pictures of you walking into Wayne Tower and leaving with the owner.

He shouldn't have thought much about it until a phone call from Mac left a bitter taste in his mouth. You were caught making out with Wayne. You were seen smiling and laughing at his jokes. You were.. happy.

All of Joker's hopes of having a relationship with you were thrown out the window. Why would you bother being with him when you had a guy like Bruce Wayne to treat you right? No one ever chose Joker and why should they? He wasn't an ideal bachelor. He chose a life of crime and solitude.

Trust no one; don't let anyone get too close. It served him well.

Joker lived by this motto but after getting a taste of your companionship and then having it quickly snatched away, being alone hurt more than ever. He finally remembered the argument you two had before your gala.

He had lost sight of who he was and wanted to forsake his feelings for you in order to be The Joker again. He tried to leave but obviously that backfired and you wormed your way back into his heart. But then you took off to explore other options. He was done giving you chances and this time he wouldn't crack under pressure.

Joker called off your security detail that same day and disabled the cameras inside your penthouse to erase every aspect of you from his mind.

A mistake he would regret, perhaps for the rest of his life.

He couldn't remember how many days had passed since then. He immersed himself back into the role of The Joker but at what cost? He was back to his nonexistent sleeping schedule, meaning every little thing irked him.

A few minutes of broken sleep each day meant Joker couldn't stand any unnecessary noise and he isolated himself in his bunker as a result. His only reprieve from his constant headaches was walking around the hideout. Everyone knew to keep a good distance away whenever he did and understood to keep their mouths shut too. But he hired idiots who didn't own a single brain cell.

Joker was moping around when he heard people talking. His ears originally drowned out the mindless chatter until something that was said caused him to snap.

"I'm telling ya! These shifts are dumb and it's all for some stupid broad. We don't even know who she is!"

"Keep it down John John! Someone will hear!" Another goon whisper-yelled.

There were a group of them loitering around the common room, talking smack on the clock but John John kept running his mouth despite the warning.

"Ahh shut up. She's hot. I'll give the boss that, but all we do is follow her around with no explanation as to why. If we're killing her, I say we do it already."

"W-what if she's important?" A new recruit asked.

None of them noticed Joker walking into the room with murder on his mind.

John John scoffed and leaned further back in his chair. "Important for what? Pfft. She might be a good f__k but I'd get bored of her too quick. She looks like a homebody that reads dictionaries for fun."

"Hey don't knock it till ya try it. I heard the silent ones are secretly freaks." A random goon mentioned. It earned him a round of laughter from the group.

"Oh yeah? I would like to tap that then. I might even pay her a visit on my next shift– ya know, to see if the sayin' is true."

This time John John was the only one laughing. He eyed his buddies frozen in fear around the table. "Oh c'mon on. I can't be the only one who's thought about it!"

One of them pointed behind him. Joker patiently waited for John John to turn around.

When he did, he too paled in fear. "B-B-Boss! I didn't know you were t-there... I was ahhh just joking about–"

Without warning Joker reached out and snapped Lil John John's neck. The other goons at the table jumped to their feet but their days were numbered for laughing and carrying on about you. Joker was scary on a normal day but something or rather someone had pushed him over the edge.

Nothing could cure his unpredictable episodes and fits of rage. He was a dark shadow haunting the hideout, bringing death to anyone who dared to breathe in his direction. Hearing those fools joke around about you, as if they deserved to be in your presence, was the last straw. Joker didn't hesitate carving a permanent smile on their faces. Finally it was quiet again. He could sulk in peace.

Joker continued roaming the halls until a goon intercepted his path. "You. Go clean up the commons room."

The guy didn't question a direct order but he wasn't expecting the bloody carnage that awaited him in the next room. Joker had gone crazy. Well, um... crazier. At this rate none of them would survive this sudden mood swing of his.

Joker was officially fed up with waiting. If you didn't come home soon he just might lose what little that was left of his mind.

You couldn't move and a full on panic attack was hitting you hard.

Two shadows behind you were talking but you had to strain too hard to hear them. Everything was like tunnel vision times a thousand. You could see the light at the end, but you couldn't reach it.

What did they drug you with? Everything felt sluggish and wrong. The fallen water pitcher was spreading all over the floor and it saturated your designer jumpsuit. You couldn't feel it. Your eyelids were so heavy but you fought against the pressure to keep them open.

It was hopeless thinking but your only thought was Joker over and over. He was the only person that could save you. Your throat felt tight but you still cried out for him.

You could tell by the state of your apartment that Joker was long gone and he wasn't coming to save you. He would never know what happened to you. You were going to die here. Panic wrapped its claws around you and squeezed. You were choking on the very air you were struggling to get out. Your head hurt and dread sat on your chest like dumbbells.

No one cared about you having an episode on the floor. The two intruders were too focused on their active phone call.

"Hey boss. We got the girl like you wanted."

"Excellent work! She'll stand trial for what she's done. Bring her to the main warehouse. I'll be there shortly."

One of them nodded but had to ask. "Cool but uhh what do we do with her until you get there?"

A subtle voice chance was made and they both knew Two Face was now present. "Tie her up! I want her alive but a few bruises won't go amiss."

Even though Two Face planned in advance for you to be kidnapped, he had prior business at the Gotham bank as Harvey Dent that just couldn't wait. He trusted his henchmen to not screw anything up during his absence. A few more orders were given over the phone before the former district attorney hung up.

The two goons laughed to themselves. "Hehe sounds like we got full custody!"

"Good! I've had my eye on this one for a while." He crouched down and noticed your distress.

You couldn't hear anything but their body language told you enough about their intentions.

He wiped the tear falling from your eye. "Ohh I'm not gonna hurt you too badly. I can't speak for my friends back at base though. Besides, you won't feel any of it no ways."

You managed to smack his hand away proving his statement wrong. He stumbled back and rose to his feet.

"Woah is she supposed to be able to move?!" He asked his buddy.

This was supposed to be an easy job, despite being undercover for days. "Nah. That stuff puts out elephants." He passed another needle to his partner. "Here, hit her again."

You felt another prick this time on your arm which numbed over instantly. Whatever this stuff was, it worked fast and efficiently. You hoped they didn't overdose you. What little energy you had left was sucked away when they applied duct tape over your mouth.

Everything became dark thereafter.

You woke up stiff and absolutely parched.

Your throat was drier than a desert but you chose to ignore it to focus on talking in your surroundings. Your Blüdhaven instincts were automatically activated given the circumstance.

Dad sat you down at a young age and educated you on what to do in the off chance you were kidnapped, held at gunpoint, etc. You thought it was in preparation for if his gang ever turned against him, but Dad's survival lessons were the reason you were still alive today. It helped you in plenty of situations and it would help you right now.

'First thing my little Y/n/n (your nickname), survey your surroundings. Any small detail could be vital to your survival.'

You could hear your Dad's informative voice guiding you step by step in your time of need. You shook off the lingering fog from being drugged and began searching the area.

This wasn't some accident but an organized hit. They didn't risk the chance of you seeing anything in between relocating you nor a peek at where you currently resided.

'Take in the room and not just the walls but what does it sound like? Is there anything that looks out of place? What does it smell like? Now's a good time to remember if your captors said anything during the grab.'

The room you were in was some kind of abandoned back room, that much you could tell.

Not much was in the room itself but you could hear the whirling of machinery in the distance. Perhaps a forklift inside of a factory? There were thousands in Gotham; you could be anywhere. Singling out which one could take days, time that you did not have. You failed to remember anything your captors said that could be useful, except for the fact these were Two Face's men.

It baffled you that he really held you accountable over a fictional story you wrote.

Just what was he going to accuse you of? Having a great imagination? Did you break some kind of freedom of speech law? Maybe copyright infringement, though you doubted it. Cindy checked all of that before moving forward with publishing. You had no idea how your fictional story was so controversial in Dent's delusional eyes. There was no trial you had to stand accused of. You weren't a murderer for writing a book about three of them getting away with their crimes. You did nothing wrong!

But you couldn't focus on that right now.

Dad appeared in your mind again. 'Next, take in your physical state. Are you immobilized? Can you free yourself and move to a safer location? If not, find something to change that. You're a smart girl, Y/n. Use your terrain and your brain. They're the best tools you'll have in any situation.'

You nodded as if he was in the room with you.

The room was dimly lit but you felt stable. You flexed your muscles and winced. Correction; you were tied to a chair with tape still over your mouth. And it wasn't like the many movies and books you knew, where the main character broke free and escaped.

These were real criminals with real life experience. Your restraints were tight, offering you no room to even wiggle your fingers behind your back. Your ankles were in the same predicament but firmly tied to the legs of the chair.

You weren't getting out unless someone cut you out.

'Which leads me to the worst case scenario. You're stuck. I hope you never find yourself listening to this particular step but should it happen little one, listen well. Be patient. Someone will come to check on you. It might take days.. but they will come. Find out their intentions and use it to your advantage until you crack the code. This is where that brain of yours will come in handy. Do anything it takes to escape. But don't be reckless. Trust your gut.'

No one was coming to save you. You left Bruce and you had abandoned Joker. None of your friends knew what peril you were in. You had to find a way out by yourself.

Dad put a lot of faith in you but you didn't have any supernatural powers or his above average strength; all you had was your imagination and cunning wit. Hopefully it would be enough against Two Face. It had to be.

You went over his criminal profile that GGN news aired every now and then.

Dent was manipulative, arrogant, and his extensive knowledge of law enforcement would prove difficult if he drilled you with any legal jargon. His hand-to-hand combat skills were a force to be reckoned with and he knew his way around guns.

Your history with guns was only defensive countermeasures and knowledge on how to break them down for cleaning. You would die trying to fight Two Face.

However his binary view on life combined with his schizophrenic outbursts would be the biggest challenge. You did some research about the illness while fleshing out a book character once— Dent's case was special and required an expert to handle.

You would be out of your element if you tried to reason with him. He was unpredictable and unlike Batman, he killed without hesitation. Peace was not in his dictionary. It would be like talking to a moody adolescent with a loaded gun. You've been in far worse situations and somehow managed to pull yourself out yet this time felt more dangerous. You had to be wary. One small slip of the tongue and everything would be over.

You finished your mental pep talk and waited for Harvey to come. No matter how long he kept you waiting, you would face him with a calm indifference and talk your way out of this.

But he wasn't the one that opened the door.

A guy of average height who was, (not that you were interested) rather decent looking, walked in. Nothing was memorable about him and perhaps that's why he was under Harvey Dent's employ.

You quickly noticed that trend with Joker's men. No one stood out in order to blend in.

He smirked at you as he came closer. Right away you knew something about him was odd. One, he couldn't stop staring at you. Two, he was smiling like a schoolgirl with a secret.

You flinched when he invaded your personal space. "I wonder what makes you so special to them."

His words threw you for a loop. You were expecting some kind of interrogation like they did in the movies. Not a vague compliment.

"Aww you look confused. Well let me tell you. You managed to catch the attention of three powerful men. Boring old you. I bet you feel wanted." He looked at you with an emotion you couldn't quite name. "I know I would if I were you."

Was this man insane? Pause. That was a dumb question. All criminals in Gotham City were.

You heard a sharp clicking noise and whimpered behind your duct tape when he brandished a Swiss knife. It dragged across your cheek and left a fat welt.

"Quit whining. I sharpened it just for you. Now. I get Bruce Wayne. Every girl falls for him and I know you had your fun with that. But The Joker? Ohhh you must be a sick puppy to crawl after him! We've seen the two of you together. You must think he's gonna save you like one those f___king romance novels you write about but guess what? You're alone. With us. Which leads us to bachelor number three! My boss really wants to talk to you. I wonder why. Do you know?"

He tapped your nose with the sharp end of the blade. Did he expect you to reply? He tilted his head to the side, patiently waiting. You couldn't talk so you shook your head.

But it seemed that wasn't good enough. "C'mon you have to know. You know!" He kicked your chair over, sending you crashing roughly to the floor.

Your head bounced off the ground and searing pain consumed your body. The drugs had worn off. You felt everything in that one moment. The brutal attack left you discombobulated. All your weight was tipped over so abruptly that you landed mostly on your head. If your arm wasn't broken, it would definitely bruise.

Your captor here must've shared a split personality like his employer for he rushed over to check on you. "I'm so sorry! I-I don't know what came over me. Let's get you back in order. Up you go!"

As quickly as he knocked you over, he set you upright. The second sudden shift of balance made you queasy but you couldn't vomit and risk choking on it with the gag still in place. Nausea and dizziness. You hoped he didn't give you a concussion.

He didn't seem to notice your dilemma. "Where was I? Right, I think I know why Two Face likes you."

Oh God. That was the last thing you needed right now. Joker was more than enough to handle. He must've seen your eye roll and scoffed.

"Not like that you dumb whore. As if the boss would want someone like you. I meant he likes your mind! Your way of thinking. Tweak it a bit and you share the same ideologies he wants to change Gotham with. Order, justice, and uh.. something else. I can't remember. I just can't wait for the two of you to meet. Aren't you excited?"

When you didn't answer, he got frustrated again. You didn't know how to respond with duct tape over your mouth and he seemed to ignore that crucial fact.

"I said— are you excited?!" His knife cut through your black jumpsuit like butter.

If the material were any cheaper the blade would have done more damage to your skin. However the stinging sensation was still unexpected and you cried out in pain. He licked the small bead of blood from the knife, laughing to himself.

Yup he was insane. Lovely.

"That was fun I.. I want to do it again. It's been a while since I've had someone with a beautiful complexion like yours to play with. I want to.."

"Joe!"

You both turned towards the door where another male stood. He took in the situation he walked in on and sighed. "Boss wants her alive, remember?"

"But.." Joe protested. You thought Joe was such a common name for a person who was anything but. You were just glad he wasn't focused on you anymore.

"You can cut her up after the Boss is done with her. Geez man pull yourself together. You're acting way too much like Zsasz."

Joe apparently didn't like the comparison and argued with the other guy all the way out the door. It slammed shut giving you a possible clue of it being solid. Metal perhaps?

Regardless of the material, it echoed throughout the now quiet room leaving you alone with your thoughts and a splitting headache. They were all crazy. You couldn't escape this and Dad's voice in your head was rather quiet all of a sudden. Would Harvey seriously toss you to these animals after he got what he wanted from you? At this point, there was a line gathering and you did not want to stick around and participate in it.

'Do anything it takes to escape. But don't be reckless. Trust your gut.' You repeated the advice over and over in your head to pass the time.

Stuck inside a dimly lit room triggered your trauma but you couldn't afford having a breakdown. Staying alert and vigilant was the key to staying alive. You had no way of keeping track of time but enough had passed for someone to at least pretend to check up on you. You'd been waiting for who knows how long.

Was it rude to make noise? It felt like they neglected you. Was there an etiquette book for kidnap victims? If not, you should definitely jump on creating one. Matter of fact.. just to pass the time, you drafted a prologue in your head and played around with some ideas.

The many footsteps walking past your holding cell/room interrupted your brainstorming and instilled fear in your veins. You weren't sure if it was a fear tactic or just normal foot traffic, either way the anticipation of someone barging in kept you rigid in your seat. Being surrounded by this many men was nerve racking.

If you could scream you would; to try and get someone's attention. You were getting restless and a small part of you wanted to get this confrontation over and done with. The door slamming open scared you senseless. Thank goodness it wasn't Joe back for round two but it wasn't Two Face either.

Two men came in and you tried to read their body language to figure out what they wanted. One guy looked bored but the other one had his eyes set on you with a leery grin. You knew those eyes too well.

They stirred up old memories that you buried deep in the file cabinets of your mind. Despite growing up around violence and experiencing your fair share of close calls, everyone had their triggers.

Yours just so happened to be tight places where men touched you.

                        *** TRIGGER WARNING STARTS NOW ***

"Heh, I told you she was in here. Joe wasn't lying. She is beautiful.." He eyed your black jumpsuit with its exposed shoulders and modest cutout above your cleavage.

It was modest until Joe and his careless knife skills turned it into a plunging neckline. If your hands weren't tied behind your back, you would cover up from his lecherous gaze. But that didn't stop you from cowering away as he approached your chair and cut your legs a loose.

Your first reaction was to kick him. "I told you she'd looked like a fighter!" He dodged your foot with ease, literally batting it away.

The second guy got comfortable leaning against the wall. "Whatever."

"You're no fun." The other male turned his attention back to you when he heard your muffled sobs. Your entire body shuddered in disgust when he clawed at your waistline.

"You already know what comes next huh? That's good, it saves me time explaining. Maybe if you behave I'll let my friend over there join us."

"Dude we don't have time for all that. We're not supposed to be in here." He eyed the door warily.

"Go wait outside if you're gonna ruin the mood." The lead male didn't care for a reply and fought you to position your legs to suit his needs. He tutted when he found that your pants were not separate but a full outfit and started searching for a zipper.

Your heart was beating out of your chest trying to fight him off.

Sadly your attacker thought your feeble attempts were nothing more than a nuisance. "Hey.. stay still would ya?" He had enough of you moving about and did something about it.

Your mind didn't register you were hit; your brain sent you spiraling back to the past.

'Not this again. Anything but this.' You pleaded.

Maybe another miracle would happen and stop this nightmare before it began but no masked vigilante came to save the day. You refused to be a victim again; it took you so long to move on and forget the first time.

Your assailant rolled his eyes at you crying in distress. "Shh it'll be fine if you—"

The first round of gunshots went off in the distance. Next came the shouting.

It made your attacker pause and turn towards the door. "What's going on out there?!" He asked his partner.

He was just as clueless. "I dunno."

Then an alarm went off feeding their curious minds. "Who the f__k is dumb enough to break in here?"

Was it false hope thinking it was Joker coming to save you? You knew it was impossible. He made it clear he was done with you after two weeks of radio silence. His men only confirmed your doubts at Cindy's office and at the pizzeria. You made a mistake leaving Joker; he wouldn't be bothered trying to save you. But a girl could dream. The silence in the room was interrupted by static from a walkie talkie.

"We're under attack! Requesting backup in the loading—" The plea was cut off by a spray of bullets and screams.

Whatever happening out there sounded serious. The two goons came to a unanimous decision. Whoever their intruder was, they had to be the real deal to break past their defenses.

"What do we do?" His partner panicked.

You could tell this wasn't what he signed up for. The one assaulting you seemed to have more experience in the crime world and took charge.

"Boss wants her alive, no excuses." He sighed. "But I'm not waiting in line to have my fun with her. Cover the door for me. I'll make this quick."

You were tired of theoretically being passed around! You were a human being, not some shiny new toy! You began fighting against your restraints and the male above you with more determination.

He growled trying to keep you still. "Don't make this more difficult than it already is!"

                           *** TRIGGER WARNING HAS ENDED ***

A loud thud right outside the door made everyone freeze.

It was too quiet until the door suddenly exploded clean off its hinges, causing billows of smoke to envelope the small space.

You didn't know whether to be terrified or amazed at the sight. From the smoke three individuals each separately wearing a giant hamster, panda, and bear costume emerged wielding semi automatics.

Today couldn't get any weirder than this. Your captors were just as confused but wisely took up defensive positions. The quiet one whipped out a gun from thin air whereas Mr. wannabe rapist scrambled off your lap and used you as a human shield.

And like a coward he held a knife to your neck and started talking smack. "What is this? Some kind of messed up kid's birthd—"

You screamed as a slew of gunshots rang out inside the room. How you avoided being hit was a mystery but only two bodies fell dead and all was silent.

Other gunfire and shouts were heard throughout the building but your focus was on the panda costume steadily approaching you. You didn't know if it was friend or foe, but your panic vanished when he ripped the costume head off.

You could have fainted on the spot. Joker's signature green hair was a dirty, sweaty mess but he was still a sight for sore eyes. You thought you were dreaming but he was really here. Your frantic tears turned into ones of joy. Joker tossed his headgear to the side and rushed over.

You appeared unharmed but up close he saw the damage Dent's men had inflicted. Aside from your tear stained face and disheveled clothes, your arms were bent at an awkward angle, most likely from being bound too tight and Joker noticed there was originally rope around your legs.

He didn't think twice before ripping the duct tape off your mouth.

"OW!"

He had the decency to look guilty. "Sorry."

Joker went behind your back and proceeded to cut the ropes around your arms. They fell into a useless pile and you didn't waste any time throwing yourself at Joker.

He wasn't expecting the bone crushing hug. "You came." You sobbed into his fluffy getup.

"Uh yeah." Like it was obvious. You pulled away to look him in the eye. Your e/c was misty with tears yet full of hope.

"I've never been so happy to see a giant panda before. I.. I thought I'd never see you again. I thought you hated me!"

Joker's men were standing guard in the room but he didn't care about keeping up with appearances. He couldn't wait any longer. He hugged you back and inhaled your scent. You were back in his arms, shaking with fear, but otherwise safe. He couldn't be happier.

After he saw you being drugged in your apartment, nothing else mattered except getting you back. Joker was a nervous wreck ever since and planned a last minute raid on Two Face's base of operation where he suspected you were held.

The liquor warehouse was just a front to move the illegal weapons that Dent smuggled in from outside city limits. Joker knew it would be risky to break in but saving you was the only thought on his mind. He rounded up his best marksmen, quickly debriefed them on the objective, and rolled out. Get in, grab you, and take down as many enemies while escaping, and then torch the place.

It was a simple and otherwise successful mission once they found the room you were being held in. Thankfully, a random thug pointed them in the right direction before Joker pointed a blade straight into his major neck artery... It was nice of him to help out before he died. All that was left was a dramatic entrance.

Joker thought it fitting to use some of the smaller explosives he brought along to blow the door in. When the smoke cleared and Joker saw that piece of filth on top of you, he couldn't think straight. He automatically assumed the worst had happened and reacted accordingly.

Was it excessive to empty a full magazine into them? Maybe. Joker wished he could revive them just so he could torture them slowly until they begged for mercy. No one touched you except him. So why were you so shocked to see him?

"Now why would I hate you, Y/n?" Joker mumbled into your braids.

Whatever gave you that impression? Joker wanted the exact opposite. He wanted you to know just how utterly obsessed he was about you. He finally came to terms with his feelings. It wasn't good for his reputation, but he couldn't go another day without you.

It literally drove him (more) insane. He craved hearing your intelligent voice stumbling over itself when explaining things to him. He missed your exotic looks and your hypnotic scent. Every little nuance about you was a calming remedy for Joker's sanity and he craved it and more.

You became a feature in his life that he didn't want to remove, at least not anytime soon. What would it take for you to believe that?

Joker tilted your head back with a finger under your chin. "Y/n.. I don't just go around saving people. You do know that, right?"

Did you know that you were special enough in Joker's eyes to orchestrate a rescue mission into his rival's territory with no proper reconnaissance? That he put so much on the line just to get you back? Probably not, but you were coming around to his way of thinking. It was just a lot to take in.

In between your gala event being shot up and then staying with Bruce for two weeks– so much had occurred that even you couldn't keep up with the drama.

Joker gave you plenty of examples of his hatred towards you. He cut your hands in an attempt to scare you off, however when necessary– his soft and affectionate side would come out and take all of the pain away. The way he held you that horrid Friday night after the gala was the same way he embraced you today. With the utmost care and a dash of desperation.

Two Face and his crazy goons faded into the background while you were in Joker's weird panda arms. You'd ask about it later. Right now you let your heart settle back into a calm beat protected by your Prince of Crime.

But now was not the time to relax. The brown bear that came with Joker pushed his costume head back. Lo and behold Frost appeared looking fed up with the whole situation.

He still didn't get paid enough to witness your lovey dovey moments with Joker. "Yo J, we gotta go."

Well that was new. You didn't peg Joker as a nickname kind of guy. Sure he gave you plenty.. (you hated most of them with a passion) but Joker seemed to already be a nickname.

Much to your shock he responded to the shortened version of his alias. "Then let's gooo."

He urged his right hand man to scout ahead before turning back towards you. "Can you walk?" He asked you gently.

You tried standing on your own but your legs quickly gave way. Did the drugs leave some lasting effects you didn't know about?

Joker let you use his forearms for balance and you heard his displeased growl. "They better not be broken, Y/n."

"Oh I'm so sorry. Next time, I'll ask my kidnappers to treat me better." You bit back.

"Sounds like a good idea." Joker sarcastically grinned. He flagged over the remaining costumes, a white and brown hamster and an orange fox that you didn't see before.

"Mac. Neo, cover me. We're getting out of here."

They both nodded under their headgear when Frost returned. He too nodded, giving the all clear signal. It was now or never.

Just how many people were involved in this rescue mission you wondered? Joker put his panda head back on before he scooped you up. Your startled yelp was drowned out by a staccato of bullets in the nearby area. It sounded like a warzone. You struggled to wrap your legs around Joker's body suit but you managed to hold on for dear life somehow. His arms were like steel bars around your waist. You weren't going anywhere.

The group moved as one and you got to see where Two Face held you captive.

It was some dusty storage closet deep within a warehouse. If Joker hadn't come to save you, there was no way you would have escaped on your own.

"Close your eyes Y/n." You glanced straight into the panda's black empty eyes.

You knew Joker could see everything behind them. To the right the fox suit was reloading his gun. Behind him, the cute hamster covered everyone's rear. You assumed each disguise matched the personality of the owner, although you were at a loss on what Joker's represented. You opened your mouth to ask when rapid gunfire erupted from up ahead. Frost and the fox immediately returned fire.

The carnage they left in their wake was unsightly so you took Joker's suggestion and buried your face in his chest.

"Move! Move!" It didn't matter who said it, there was no time to question the details.

You heard more gunshots but Joker's steady gait as he ran kept you distracted. He held you tight especially when the group was ambushed in a corridor. The others were handling their own but it was clear they needed help. So without warning Joker adjusted you onto his hip so he could open fire.

You were in the middle of a shootout but your dirty mind just had to act out.

How strong was Joker if he could hold you up with just one arm? There was no shame in being turned on. Hopefully he didn't question why you coyly tightened your legs around him. Bullets didn't have eyes and they rocketed off of everything around you. You heard wood exploding into splinters and numerous tinks as metal hit metal.

Joker didn't mind you screaming since it was drowned out by the gunfire. He did happen to hear Frost screaming at him to duck and good thing that he did. Joker used his odd outfit as a human shield, right as a bullet hit the wall where your head once was.

It was too close for comfort. Joker wanted you out of here and fast.

"Almost there! Up ahead, hard right!" You assumed it was Frost who gave out directions– everyone still followed.

Joker put his shoulder into opening the backdoor and you were blinded by the sunset. You couldn't see a thing but felt when Joker jumped into a van with you in tow. He adjusted you in his lap and spoke into his earpiece.

"Fox, Ham, Bear, and most importantly.. Bunny." He stroked your cheek after saying that. If you weren't so shaken up you would've been flattered.

That stupid nickname was growing on you okay?

"And the rest?" Joker turned towards the door when the hamster costume ran up fiddling with a small contraption.

It lifted its head and Neo's face was shown. "Everyone is accounted for and retreating now."

Joker seemed pleased to hear that. "Good. Give me that." He snatched the odd device out of Neo's hand.

Neo eyed you briefly before hopping into another van. You could see Mac's blond hair behind the wheel anxious to get moving. They were sitting ducks idling in the loading dock yet everyone had to wait on Joker's orders to move out.

He gave the signal when he banged his fist on the metal wall. The van immediately sped off with the other getaway vehicles right on its rear. You assumed Frost was the driver of your van since he was driving like a bat out of hell. That wasn't surprising to you. You told him about his terrible driving before.

An excessive clicking noise brought you back into focus. Sitting in Joker's lap was a dream come true but watching him spam a red button on the tiny controller had you stumped. Nothing was happening and Joker was voicing his frustration.

"Joker what is that?" You covered his hand with your own to stop his erratic behavior.

A loud explosion answered your question.

The back door to the van was still open but the powerful shockwave slammed it shut. You were thrown further into Joker's arms, absolutely terrified that the building you were just in was now up in flames.

A bomb. Joker was playing around with a bomb and you watched him detonate it. Scratch that. You touched it! Did you set it off by accident?! You turned around to chew Joker a new one but he was already one step ahead of you. Joker literally stole your breath away. It was as if your two week hiatus had never happened.

His lips felt the same, (still chappy mind you) but ever confident as they brushed against yours. He was desperate for more contact and deepened the kiss while keeping your head still. He didn't want you running away, not anymore. There was nowhere else you'd rather be.

You twisted around and straddled Joker properly, holding fast to his hair. You needed this. You needed him so you returned the same energy Joker offered you tenfold. It was only you and him in the back of the van and the close proximity had your senses electrified. You didn't feel this powerful energy with Bruce. He could not compare to Joker's passion.

The sheer desperation to connect with his dangerous man had the hairs on the nape of your neck rising. Joker pulled back for air and brushed your cheek with his thumb, not expecting you to flinch. You were hurt.

The van went over a bump and both of you rocked with the motion. "What happened back there?" He asked.

You shook your head. "N-Nothing. It's nothing.."

Joker didn't buy your weak smile and stopped your hand from touching him.

He was sweaty and his makeup was smudged all over but you didn't care. You'd accept any form of Joker after his heroics today. Adrenaline was pumping in your veins keeping you energized but the last thing you wanted to do was talk about what happened, or rather, what almost happened during your capture.

Joker refused to take no for an answer. "Y/n."

If you weren't going to fess up, he'd find out himself. Joker sighed before inspecting you over. He saw a bruise forming on your face; probably from a rough slap or punch and his green eyes drifted from that mark down to the tape burn around your lips.

That was his fault for ripping it off so harshly. He kissed the redness away as an apology.

His gentle nature was too much for you to handle. You choked on a sob and Joker's eyes dropped down to your chest watching it heave. Your neckline was crudely cut, showing off more skin than your outfit originally intended to.

Joker couldn't ignore the fact that another man was on top of you earlier. "Did he.. uh you know.." Joker brushed your thigh in passing.

"No and could you just drop it? I-I don't want to be a victim again."

Joker listened carefully to the words you used but he didn't pry. When you were ready, you would tell him about your past. For now he had you safe in his arms and that's all that he cared about.

Joker leaned back and held you close even as sirens wailed in the distance, no doubt headed to the mayhem he created in order to rescue you.

You weren't quite sure when you dozed off but you woke up to the sound of Joker giving Frost instructions.

"Circle back around twice just to be sure and then head back to the hideout."

You were laying on something warm and fuzzy. Then you remembered the wild day you had. There were a few fibers from the panda suit stuck in your mouth– you spat them out before locking eyes with Joker. He liked seeing you freshly awake and unaware of the world around you. He saw your brain reboot within your e/c orbs.

"What's going on?" You asked.

Joker didn't even bother explaining. "Go back to sleep."

"We're being followed aren't we?" His silence was all the proof you needed. You sat up to peek out the small window but only Gotham City 's traffic greeted you. Maybe Joker saw something you didn't?

He urged you away from the window and back into the comfort of his arms. "It's nothing, Y/n."

"Clearly it's something if you don't want me finding out. And what's this about heading back to your hideout? I am not going there!"

Great, your sassy attitude was back and worse than ever. Why couldn't you sit back and make things easy for him? Oh right— then you wouldn't be Y/n and that's what he lo...

Joker cleared his throat. "Y/n your place isn't safe. How many times has it been broken into?"

Both of you knew the answer. One too many.

It wouldn't deter you. "So? I refuse to stay at your hideout, ugh if you can even call it that. Have you seen that place? I'd rather go home. Fight me on this."

Joker knew he lost when you pouted those plump lips of yours. He couldn't say no to you and there wasn't anyone around to see him cave in so quickly. Joker lost a little piece of himself every time he submitted to your demands.

You knew he wouldn't deny you. This man was wrapped around your pinky finger and the sad part? He was fully well aware of it. He got Frost's attention and promptly instructed the van to be redirected back to your place.

Joker's reward for listening to you was a shower of kisses. He really should agree with you more.

Not much else happened on the drive to your penthouse.

Sure Joker couldn't keep his hands off you and you might've let some moans slip out but the trip itself was uneventful.

You felt the van come to a stop before the door was opened from the outside.

The familiar sight of your apartment complex was straight ahead and Joker wasted no time whisking you inside. He still had his costume on and it probably looked outrageous to security to see a panda carrying you through the service entrance. Yet you weren't stopped by any guards nor did any alarms go off from the suspicious activity caught on camera. Did your apartment grow lax with security while you were gone?

Joker boarded the service elevator with you in tow and glanced down to see you frowning. Somehow he knew why you were upset. "Uh.. a lot changed while you were away."

That much was obvious yet he didn't elaborate on exactly what. You waited for an explanation but none came.

The lift arrived at its destination with a soft ding. Joker took two steps towards your dark painted door before he whipped out a key (did his panda suit have bottomless hidden pockets?) and unlocked it with you still nestled in his arms.

You could overlook being carried around by a giant panda, you dismissed Joker's affectionate behavior, (for now) but you drew the line at him in possession of your key. Things weren't adding up in your brain.

"Uh.. Joker? How did you get my apartment key?"

He carried you inside and sat you down on a nearby chair and swiftly turned to lock back up. What was it about men ignoring you today? Joker walked right past you to complete a sweep of the place and eventually deemed it secure. Your place was as you left it.

The brand name suitcase Bruce bought you was untouched and still off to the side. The pitcher you were using to water your plants was still overturned on the floor yet the water itself had mysteriously been cleaned up. You couldn't see the clock from here but you were anxious to know how long you were held captive.

Surely this all didn't happen in the same afternoon. The twilight glow pooling in from the floor to ceiling windows proved it could be possible. You heard Joker grunt behind you. He was wiggling out of his bulletproof suit to reveal the most unusual sight of today.

He was in casual clothes.. at least by his standards.

Gone was his signature tailored suit and coat. Joker now stood before you in a black dress shirt and slacks. It was still dressy but seeing him in plain threads did something to you.

You wanted to see him more casually again. A loose tee or some grey sweatpants perhaps to show off what you felt grind against you in the van.

'Pull yourself together Y/n! You're not that desperate... well not yet.'

Maybe the grey sweatpants were a selfish wish but you had a hunch Joker could make anything look good. He did pair the color green and purple together with ease. He pushed his matching dyed hair off his forehead and sauntered his way back over to you.

After today's events you shied away from his predatory approach but Joker couldn't help it. Intimidation was in his blood and it was about time he told you the truth. He waited until you looked up from your seat to begin.

"I watched you get taken." Joker pointed to the far corner of the room where you could barely make out the camera lens of a device.

When did he install that? Were there more around the penthouse that you didn't know about? Did Joker invade your privacy and install one in your—

Joker directed your line of vision back to him by tracing your lower lip with his thumb. It took everything within you to not suck it into your mouth. An innocent, horny reaction! Who wouldn't do it?

"I panicked. I didn't know what to do! You were taken from me again and I already suffered through two long weeks of you being away. I was tired of waiting! I just..."

You were speechless as Joker closed his eyes. His head fell against your forehead and you could feel his breath fan across the bridge of your nose. His hands came to a rest on the wall behind you— boxing you in.

"I don't know what it is about you that vexes my mind.. but when you're away I just... lose it! I'm not myself with or without you. It's stupid. My every thought shouldn't revolve around you but I've had enough time to uhh, face the facts. I think.. I think I need you, Y/n."

Joker's heavy breathing was the only sound in the apartment save for your pounding heart. Words failed you. What were you supposed to say after that? You broke The Joker. You didn't even know how, but you did.

"J-Jok—"

"Shut up Y/n. Just shuT up. I thought saving you would stoP the voices in my head but they're still there. I can't get rid of you when you're both the cause and solution to my madness. It's a never ending cycle when it comes to you. I.. don't know. I don't know.. I don't know!"

Joker punched the wall behind you while mumbling to himself.

It pained you to see him struggling with his emotions however you weren't sure if it was the best idea to comfort him right now.

You knew what ailed Joker. You understood how he felt and what he failed to acknowledge here. His doubts were loud and clear so you cast aside your fear and swooped in to kiss him. There would be time to talk things out later, right now Joker needed help.

He needed you.

He didn't kiss you back at first but you weren't upset by it. He didn't lash out, that was a good indicator to continue. Joker's lips were unsure even as you pulled away, sighing.

"I know Joker. Trust me I do. Look at me, please." You said the magic words and two hauntingly beautiful eyes bore into your own. You were blown away by the intensity they held.

What did you do to this man? While you wasted time with Bruce, you left Joker all alone to make sense of his feelings. You weren't around to explain why he felt this way and as a result, he struggled and doubted himself. Joker was lost and desperately needed assurance that he was doing right by you.

He wasn't known for wooing females or being romantic. This was all new territory for him.

You weren't scared of him, you enjoyed his company, perhaps even craved it the same way he did yours. There were no ulterior motives behind your kindness and affection. That's what confused him the most. You didn't want anything in return; you were simply a woman who wanted to be with a broken man like Joker.

Why was a question that would baffle his mind forever.

Why when you had a successful future ahead of you without him in your life? Why did you keep Joker in your orbit when all he did was put you in danger? Why did you look at him as if he hung the very stars in your night sky? Great, your flowery way with words was rubbing off on him.

Still it was the perfect analogy for the celestial goddess sitting in front of him.

You reached up to cup his face and came in contact with the scars that made him so unique. You considered Joker to be very attractive, unfortunately he didn't agree.

All he saw in the mirror was a monster but you saw beyond his outwardly appearance. You saw him as a person capable of so much more than murder and destruction. Maybe one day he would see himself the same way you did, but until then, you would show Joker that he was beautiful, starting right now.

"You asked me earlier if they hurt me. They didn't."

You paused to kiss his left cheek and smiled when he tensed up from the sensation. You hoped they were sensitive. He needed to feel this affection that you prepared to spoil him with.

"You wanted to know if they touched me..." You dragged your lips over to his other cheek, letting your words cling to his marred skin.

"...they didn't but I want you to."

You looked at him through your lashes and saw his eyes widen the moment he understood your suggestion. You felt it in the way his hands tightened on your hips.

He was wary of going forward. So you gave him a little push.

"I want you to touch me, Joker. Make me forget that today ever happened. Make me feel good because I know you can." You saw Joker fighting a losing battle with himself.

It was so hot to see such restraint in a man capable of mass destruction. Joker wanted to ruin you piece by piece and study every inch of your body– but you already had a very traumatizing day. He couldn't do that to you.

Joker shook his head, backing away. "You need to uh.. rest Y/n."

'Now who's being difficult.' You thought wryly.

You stood up from your seat and glared at Joker. He didn't know what you were up to until you jumped into his arms. He had only seconds to catch you. Joker's hands naturally landed on the flesh of your thighs to keep you upright. He caressed and squeezed the skin there as you rocked your hips into his.

"Please... help me forget." You whispered into his ear.

He felt your hands tug his hair and he knew then; it was a wrap. After you begged him so sweetly, how could he refuse? The living room and hallway were a blur and Joker didn't bother fumbling with the lights when he burst into his bedroom with you in his arms.

You were a whiny little thing grinding against him and tugging at his clothes. It was as if your goal was to distract Joker enough to drop you. His head was getting dizzy with every kiss you branded onto his neck.

Each one was hotter than the last and they tore at Joker's remaining self restraint. He didn't want to be rough with you but he couldn't help but toss you onto the bed.

A moan escaped your lips as your back hit the covers, although an airy laugh replaced it when Joker dragged you back to the edge of the bed by your ankle.

"C'mere bunny." Joker saw you make a face after hearing your nickname but you reached out for him regardless.

He batted your hands away to take in the view. At last, he had you sprawled underneath him. He never thought this day would come yet here you are. When he saw you in Chinatown that day, he knew he wanted you. And Joker always got what he wanted.

Without warning, Joker was all over you. He was desperate with his affection and never stayed in one place for too long. You immediately picked up his apparent fondness for your neck with the rapt attention he bestowed upon it.

He attacked it with open mouth kisses and little nicks of his teeth that had you squirming in pleasure. "More Joker. P-please..."

He eyed you briefly and pulled back. He hummed at your disheveled state and trailed his finger from your lips down to your cleavage. He stopped to play with the cut ends of your jumpsuit and tugged at it expectantly.

Was he asking for permission to take it off? You would never know since Joker ripped it into two, straight down to your navel.

Your startled moan made him hesitate for a second but nevertheless he continued his pursuit with zeal. The cold air in the room had your nipples hardening instantly although Joker staring at them also sped up the process. The steady rise and fall of your chest was a beacon to his gaze.

You were absolutely divine. Joker saw you before when you stripped out of your gala dress, but seeing you lying bare underneath him now was a completely different experience. He was grateful you chose to be with him.

Trying to understand why didn't matter right now. Joker wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Your gorgeous body, all for him to touch and pleasure, he didn't know where to begin. Thankfully you grabbed Joker by his hair and shoved him towards your breast. A woman who knew what she wanted. Joker groaned in pleasure.

The vibrations from it had you crying out. You'd worry about his makeup staining your skin later. All that mattered was the pleasure Joker so readily gave you.

He playfully licked your left nipple before sucking it into his mouth. Another strangled gasp from you was heard. Joker soaked up each sound you made. He wanted to hear more. He moved to tease your other breast with his fingertips and felt when your hands tightened in his hair. The slight pain made him groan again and switch sides so that both of your breasts got some much needed attention from his mouth.

Your pathetic whines and gasps motivated him to bite down on your areola. You pulled Joker's hair with a shout and in doing so, caused his mouth to leave your tit with a wet pop. You had the urge to look down and were glad that you did.

Joker's lustful gaze was on you. He gave you a lazy smile as he crawled up your chest to capture your lips.

You could make out with Joker for hours and never get bored. Each time he sucked or brushed his tongue someplace new, it sent jolts of pleasure all over and you couldn't get enough of it.

Joker broke away to leave red lipstick marks along your jaw and up to your ear. "Mmm. I wonder if my bunny.. mmm.. tastes as good as she looks."

You gasped right as Joker snaked his hand down your stomach to the tear he created. You were still wearing your jumpsuit but with one word it could be removed completely.

He cupped your sex and cooed when your entire body jerked with a sharp cry. "Ohh that was a new sound. You like it when I touch ya there?" He pressed down right where your clit was over the material and you choked back a moan.

Joker felt you nod against his shoulder. He kissed your cheek before grabbing it firmly with his other hand. "Ah ah ahhh.. Y/n. Use your words 'n tell me."

He started to rub your pussy harder with his palm. The friction was there but it wasn't enough. You wanted to feel him with nothing in the way.

You weren't above begging for it. "I.. Joker please. I want.."

You couldn't speak in full sentences with how Joker tortured your body. He smiled wickedly each time you failed to voice your desires and offered you no relief. He continued rubbing in harsh circles, waiting for your reply.

It was nice to know that his sadistic nature persisted in the bedroom. It drove you crazy.

His index finger began outlining your pussy lips from top to bottom and you couldn't take it anymore. "Take it off Joker! I want you to touch my—"

You weren't finished begging when Joker ripped the rest of your outfit off. You hoped he didn't have a fetish for ripping clothes, your closet couldn't handle an expensive kink.

You could barely handle the sight of Joker on his knees staring at your bare legs. His hands kept them spread while he looked down in awe. It was official; everything about you was beautiful. Your skin looked so smooth and it glistened with your slick and he spotted a few beauty marks and other cute blemishes that adorned your flesh.

You grew uncomfortable lying there being gawked at. "J-Joker stop staring at me.."

You shifted on the bed but Joker wasn't deterred. He was taking in the sight of your wet pussy weeping for his touch.

The things he planned on doing to you. By the end of tonight he wanted you exhausted and sore from pleasure. Could you handle his sweltering passion? He couldn't wait to find out. But first...

"Are you trying to find where my clit is or something?" You said in jest.

Joker had a brat to tame.

He rolled his eyes at the stab at his skills. He tried gaining your attention but you were bashful and could hardly keep eye contact with him. His little bunny was shy. To be honest he wasn't surprised but he was still curious.

"How long has it been for you, hmm?"

Joker rubbed your thighs as your eyebrows dipped in confusion. "What do you mean?"

You heard Joker suck his teeth before he bent down and stole a kiss. It took your mind off the fact that he started to unbutton his dress shirt. By the time Joker pulled away from your lips, his shirt was on the floor. You got an unobstructed view of his tanned skin and the muscles he hid from everyone. A true diamond in the rough; he was utterly gorgeous and all yours.

Although Joker had some old scars along his body, he wasn't ashamed and looked hot with them. Most were small, tiny silvery nicks on his otherwise smooth skin but there were a few that you couldn't help but trace with a heavy heart. So much pain, but Joker was still beautiful in your eyes. You didn't get to explore long. Joker caught your hand before it touched his v line.

"Focus Y/n. How long since you had sex?"

You turned your head. Good thing he didn't jump right in. It was obvious you were hurt in the past, but he needed to know just how badly before going forward.

"Um.. almost two years. B-Before I moved to Gotham. It's one of the reasons why I moved." You met Joker's knowing gaze and weakly smiled. "It's in the past. I'm okay. Really. You can touch me.. I ahh I like it when you do."

Joker nodded and kissed you again to rekindle the mood. "You dooo? Just me?" He asked.

You nodded but stopped when Joker sighed. "You're a big girl Y/n. I need you to be more vocal and talk to me. Can you do thaT?"

Your previous partners didn't like loud girls in bed so it would be hard to adjust. Even though he asked nicely, it was definitely an order. Joker was being gentle with you right now, but he was losing patience.

He left more marks along your neck and looked up at you when you spoke. "Yes, only you. I only want you to touch me."

You never seen green eyes become so dark before. Joker looked near feral. "Touch you here?" He kissed your collarbone.

"No." He bit the underside of your breast. "Here?"

You whined and pushed him lower. "No!" Joker smiled and dragged his touch down to your waist. You watched with bated breath as he took handfuls of your thighs and attacked them with kisses. "Hmm.. here? Or maybe..?"

Joker waited until you were shaking your head no, to lean forward and lick your pussy from the bottom to the top before leaving a kiss on your clit. You screamed instantly. "Yes! Right there!"

Joker didn't say anything else after that. He attacked your pussy with vigor. He flicked his tongue over and over your clit and teased it between his teeth, groaning loudly at the taste. He didn't come up for air and practically devoured you like a man starved.

Your essence was the best thing that Joker had ever tasted. He swallowed and pulled back to breathe but didn't wait long before diving back in.

You on the other hand were thrashing around the bed in pleasure. No matter how hard you pushed his shoulders, no matter how loudly you cried out, Joker didn't stop. He just batted your hands away whenever you tried. He growled and held you down when your hips started to buck uncontrollably. Joker bit your inner thigh when you started to squeeze his head unknowingly. He was in control here, not you. He would set the pace.

It just felt so good. Too good. Your heart was racing and the room was spinning. You were burning up and climbing to a precipice, you so desperately wanted to fall off of. You had to warn him.

"J-Joker.. I..I'm. It's so good I-I can't!" You babbled in between pants for breath.

Joker read in between the lines and left one last kiss on your clit before resting his cheek on your thigh. "Look at you. My bunny's so needy. You wanna cum?"

You frantically nodded your head while trying not to cry.

"Use your words my smart girl."

Your string of yes's and other useless phrases were jumbled and desperate. You tried speaking coherent sentences but failed miserably. Joker loved seeing you go dumb all for him.

For that he had to reward you. "There you go, Y/n. That'sss it sweetheart."

You cried out feeling Joker slide not one but two fingers into your pussy– slowly dragging them in and out, in between mouthing at your swollen bud.

Thank goodness you lived on the top floor. You could be as loud as you wanted without any noise complaints. Joker's fingers were longer and thicker unlike yours that couldn't reach the spongy spot needed to get you off. Your own hand would never cut it anymore, not when Joker spoiled you rotten. If you had the energy to look down, lustful green eyes would be staring right at you, patiently waiting for the exact moment you fell apart.

Joker wanted to see you unravel at the seams. He wanted to feel your sopping wet hole tighten around him and never let go. Joker wanted to see all of his hard work come undone.

And you were almost there. "Good girl Y/n. Let go.. and give me everything." Joker growled out on your clit.

His order was the breaking point for you. You toppled over with a jerk of your hips. Joker's eyes almost rolled back into his head seeing you fall apart. Your silent scream turned into uncontrollable sobs when he didn't stop fingering you, rather helped you ride out your high just a little bit longer.

His fingers still scissored inside of you as he suckled on your clit, milking every last drop of your juices onto his awaiting mouth. Your thighs became his earmuffs and your hands were tangled in the sheets trying to stay grounded to Earth.

You came down from your high numb and tingling all over. Your ears were ringing and it took far too long for you to register that Joker was still lapping at your pussy.

"..stop too much." You whined at the overstimulation.

Joker was upset but leaned back onto his knees, a little dizzy himself, but ravenous for more. He licked his fingers clean and eyed your listless form on the bed. It shocked him with just how much pleasure he gained from making you feel good.

Joker had to grind his hips into the mattress as moans and jumbled up versions of his name escaped your lips. He hated to admit it, but he almost came too. It had been a while for him as well and after getting a feel of your hot wet hole spazzing around his fingers, he couldn't wait to feel the same sensation around his dick.

The thought alone had him jumping to action. The soft chime of a belt being unbuckled snapped you out of your afterglow. The sight of Joker removing his slacks gave you enough energy to sit up straight. Your hand reached out and came in contact with Joker's abdomen. He held it there and sent you a fiery hot gaze.

"Think you're ready for more?" You eagerly nodded (not forgetting to reply verbally) and you got to see all that Joker had to offer.

Ain't no way. Ain't no way all of that was fitting into little ol' you.

You stared at Joker in shock as he chuckled under his breath. Did you voice your concerns out loud?! Apparently so, since Joker leaned down and gave your lips a quick peck.

"I'll make it fit. Just for you, my pretty little bunny. Don't you worry." He pushed you back down.

You were still wary and rightfully so! Joker stroked himself before aligning his leaking tip to your entrance.

It didn't matter how wet you were, the size difference had you second guessing everything. You didn't get the chance to back out before Joker pushed the head in. Inch by inch Joker carefully slid his dick into you. He had to pause and collect himself over the excruciating heat wrapping around his member. He hooked one of your legs over his hip and laughed at your sharp gasp. Your look of pleasure would be his downfall. He was only halfway in and you couldn't handle it. Might as well rip the band-aid off.

A sharp thrust brought Joker flush with your body. Both of you moaned in delight.

Full and stretched beyond your imagination, all you could do was lie there and take it. Joker however panted like a bull trying to adjust to your warmth. You managed to suck him in and force him out at the same time. It was an endless loop of torture that he relished in.

"Y/n.. f__k you're so t-tight!" Joker said, gritting his teeth.

He dragged his length out of your heat only to slam it back in with a maniacal laugh. "Ohhhh this is gonna be good." Joker set his knees into the bed and proceeded to lay the wood.

After that, you mentally checked out. Your tears of pleasure streamed down your face as Joker had his way with you. You wanted to forget about what happened today? Mission accomplished. You wanted to make Joker feel beautiful? Ehhh.. task failed successfully.

The only thing on your mind right now was breathing and cock.

To be honest, you couldn't remember your own name once Joker set a demonic pace with one goal in mind; to screw your brains out. Joker's hands were everywhere. One of them kept your leg bent to your chest whereas the other roamed your body– cupping your breasts, leaving bruises on your hip, or drawing tight circles on your clit.

It was still sensitive from before and you jerked erratically, trying to say Joker's name. He took some pity on you and leaned down to pant in your ear.

"Poor little Y/n, sooo sensitive after going.. oh so.. l-long without a proper f__k."

Your eyes crossed after a particularly hard thrust. Joker grunted through it and continued teasing you. "Hmm.. you still with me bunny?"

Joker let go of your legs to grab your face with both of his hands. He slowed down his thrusts and grinded his dick into you– in hard, cruel circles. His forehead rested on yours and he breathed in the same humid air as you.

"Y/n. Talk. To. Me." He slammed his hips into yours, putting emphasis on each word.

You floated back to awareness with a submissive gasp. "T-Talk to.. you." He arched an eyebrow and leaned down to wake you up some more.

Joker's kisses were stifling and black dots were dancing across your vision. You sighed into his mouth and let his tongue do most of the work as his powerful thrusts came to a halt.

You broke away from him, protesting. "Why did you stop?!"

A pair of green eyes cut through the fog of your pleasure. They ravished your body until they brightened up with an idea.

"Joker! What? No!" You were so confused as to why he pulled out of you and rose from the bed.

You reached out for him but you weren't prepared for Joker to flip you over onto your hands and knees and slap your behind. The change in position was unexpected and so was how swiftly Joker slid right back into your pussy without a single word. You wailed at the intrusion and accepted each fat inch of his dick with gratitude even if it was too much for you to handle.

It felt too good to complain about anyway. Joker groaned at the new angle and pushed your shoulders down onto the bed. Your cheek met the cool sheets right as Joker sped back up to his original brutal pace.

The wet sound of skin hitting skin and your helpless moans quickly enveloped the room.

Your hips were bound to be black and purple with the firm grip Joker had on them. He forced your body back onto his powerful thrusts and became mesmerized by the sight. Each loud clap sent ripples across your skin and it unlocked something in Joker.

Praise and degradation fell from his lips in a perfectly blended cocktail that went straight to your core. You were nothing but a rag doll for Joker to use and break and he loved it.

Any pleas made by you were swallowed up by the sheet's thread count. You grabbed at anything you could but moaned loudly when Joker forced both of your wrists behind your back. It was clear that Joker loved being a dom in the bedroom. It was evident in the way he shoved your head further down into the pillows and laughed.

"Good.. girl Y/n. My good girl, taking my— hmm." He dropped his head onto your shoulder, shivering slightly. The poor bed frame was slamming into the wall in tandem with Joker's thrusts into your pussy.

You were but a drooling slut at this point but it's what you asked for. Joker chuckled remembering what brought this on.

"Ohhh have you forgotten sweetheart? You wanted to.. forget. Wanted me to make you.. feel goodd you said. Does it, Y/n? C'mon.. Answer me!"

You were yanked up onto your knees by your hair when you didn't reply. Your strangled moan shook the whole room as Joker doubled the speed of his thrusts and snaked a hand up to squeeze your throat. Not enough to finish the job, but enough to make you see stars and giggle like mad.

"You dirty slut, you like that? Oh Y/n.. I.." Joker bit into your shoulder mid sentence. You felt his hips getting sloppier and knew he was nearing his end.

Joker licked the sweat forming on your neck and panted in your ear. You barely heard the chants of your name in between his low pitched groans begging for you to cum. One of his fingers reached down to play with your clit and to help sped up the process, sending you hurling over the edge unexpectedly.

"C'mon bunny.. yes that's it! Cum for me. Do iT for me Y/n, yes that's my girl... my sweet little-" Joker choked on his moan and pumped his load into your pussy.

It was too much but Joker talking you through it was the best part of coming undone. He followed your descent into the pillows, unable to stop rocking his hips into you.

He never wanted to leave your warmth and he braced a hand on the headboard when a full body shiver overwhelmed him. He never felt this indescribable hunger with any of his previous partners before. You elevated him to a higher place. Sex would never be the same after you.

Every inch of his body was on fire and hypersensitive and he could.. not.. stop f__king you. Joker's hips had a mind of their own and pumped the last drops of his cum into your quivering womb.

Joker's hand slid down from the headboard and back onto your hips once he found his center. It took Joker a minute to catch his breath but when he did, he broke out into a raspy chuckle.

You would be the death of him. Joker was still lightheaded but you would always be his main focus. "Y/n.."

You shivered, feeling a lone finger trace down your spine. Why did everything feel so hypersensitive yet out of body like? You lay on your stomach twitching and numb from the mind blowing orgasm Joker gave you. You heard him call your name but was helpless in moving or saying anything back. You were a noodle. Joker frowned at your lack of reply. He regretfully pulled out of you, already mourning the loss of your heat, to flip you over.

You gasped but otherwise remained comatose until Joker cupped your cheek. "Ya still with me doll?" He cracked a smile seeing you roll your eyes at the nickname. Joker had so many for you it was ridiculous.

You responded to his gentle kisses and slowly but surely, gained enough muscle function to grab ahold of his shoulders. "There she is." Joker said on your lips. "ThoughT I lost you there."

You hummed. "You did for a hot minute. Joker.. you are a danger to my health."

"What do you mean?" He laid down by your side and left lazy kisses along your neck. It was safe to say you two entered the pillow talk stage.

"You and that big dick of yours rearranging my guts and breaking backs. My braids sweated out and it's all your fault." You whined when he playfully bit your shoulder.

"Did you die?"

"N-No?"

Joker scoffed. "Did you forget about today?" You looked off to the side where your torn outfit lay in a sad pile. Joker did get your mind completely off of being kidnapped. "Yes.."

"And I knooooow it felt good. So.." He raised up on his elbow to look down at you.

You noticed his hair in complete disarray from your fingers and the edges of his makeup was smeared from sweat. All in all Joker's post-sex look was incredibly hot. He grinned at you the exact moment a flashing light from outside illuminated his profile. God this man was handsome.

"I think my job here is done." Joker sighed. That earned him a scoff. "Oh? Did I not do a thorough job?"

His green eyes gleamed in the moonlight and without warning, Joker picked you up off the bed– heading to who knows where.

"J-Joker! What? Where are we going?"

He carried you into the en-suite bathroom and sat you down on some type of seat. The overhead lights gradually turned on automatically due to the late hour. The low setting gave the room an intimate feel and Joker capitalized on that.

He kissed you soundly before walking over to the shower to fiddle with the settings until the glass enclosure was filling up with steam. Only then did he return to your side.

"I uh heard somewhere that females need to.. ahh pee after sex." That's when it hit you. Joker sat you down on the toilet.

How embarrassing.

"Um. Well you're not wrong. I do feel..." You looked at him in a panic. "Joker, did you cum inside of me?"

He was already across the room picking out towels and his preferred soap from the linen closet. "Uh yeah."

Cue your panic. You were so caught up in the moment you forgot to wrap the goods! How could you be so careless?! You never peed so fast in your entire life. You sent a silent prayer up that your birth control pills worked it all out. Joker came over once he heard the bowl flush. You were trying to stand up but the task was proving to be difficult.

His male pride soared seeing you unable to walk to the sink.

"Oh shut up, I should be mad at you." You made it to the vanity and washed your hands right as another pair snaked around your middle.

"I was too rough but I know ju-st the thing to fix thaT."

He helped you across the room over to your shower and the sight of it brought back memories.

Joker's first shower at your place where he didn't know how to use a loofah or knew that soap could be in liquid form. You still remembered his hands roaming your body and trying to steal a kiss through the steam. What a time.

Now Joker stood behind you kissing and nipping at the back of your neck without a care in the world.

"Do you have a fetish for necks or something? Geez.." It was probably was a bad idea to ask that since Joker used his hands to massage your neck with enough pressure to make you moan.

"And if I do? I don't hear you complaining about it."

Fair point, but you'll never let him know that. You just huffed and swatted his hands away. You turned around to tease Joker but your gaze gravitated to his lips. The prominent red lipstick he wore was practically gone, no doubt decorating your neck the most.

"I have red lipstick all over my body don't I? Don't answer that. I already know. Are you.. gonna join me?"

Joker was already backing you into the shower before you could finish your sentence. Joker's predatory gaze cut through the dense steam. His first motion of business was to push you straight underneath the shower head.

"JOKER! My hair!" You jumped away but it was too late.

You felt the moisture seep into the elegant updo Florence spent so long to create. You focused your anger on the man who ruined it.

"What. You said I messed it up anyway so..." He noted.

"I could have slicked the edges back and made it work! Now you got it wet! My natural hair will get puffy and mess up the braids."

Joker cradled you in his arms. "I'll help you take it down or.. whatever."

"No you won't." You didn't know which was hotter. The water or Joker's chest soothing your back.

"Bunny, did I not just say I'd help?" He was about to run his hands down your body but you spun around in his arms instead.

"It's not taking it down that's—" You abruptly stopped. Joker didn't know what was wrong until you spoke again. "J-Joker your makeup.."

He arched an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

He wondered why you darted across the shower and covered your eyes. He dabbed at his face and much to his surprise his fingers came back white and smudged.

Well f__k. This wasn't good and your confession only made it worse.

"I.. I saw your face."

[mirrorred-star]

Whumpuary Day 4

I think I forgot to put the whumpuary2023 tag on yesterday’s post, because I was lowkey freaking out because I’d finished it that morning and I wasn’t that happy with how it turned out. The upside of finishing stuff in advance is that I’m not thinking about the actual work in so much detail when I’m posting it.

[ETA - I checked and I did add it - its an autism miracle!]

Prompt: dead on your feet

Fandom: kingdom hearts

The heck is going on: Kairi is the local damsel in distress. Hollow Bastion is like pretty much the end of the first game. There are disney characters sometimes.

(I know canon contradicts the events of this fic from being able to happen - Kairi's basically comatose for nearly the whole game - but do I look like I give a fuck? KH did Kairi so dirty anyway.)

Warnings: Exhaustion, failed escape

The only means of escape was the old-fashioned way - on foot, walking as far as she could before she could go no further, seeking cover as much as she could.

Kairi had found a path of rocks in the water surrounding the castle, and had no where else to go but across. There was no cover anywhere as far as the eye could see, but there was no other path that led away from the fortress.

So she ran across the rocks, until she was too tired and had to walk, until she was too tired and had to step on each one at a time.

*

Kairi didn't know how long she'd been walking. Once she had gotten past the lion-shield knights and the gryphons without faces she had been ready to crash, but she had to keep moving - they had to know she was gone by now, and they couldn't afford to lose her for their big plan. So she kept stumbling forward, long beyond exhaustion, with no plan but the hope that if she got far enough away, they couldn't be able to find her, and she would be able to rest, and find a means of getting away from Hollow Bastion and to somewhere else.

A quick glance backwards showed a cloud of black specks in the sky, moving towards her. If she could keep going, maybe she could outpace them. Maybe, just maybe...

The awful sound of large wings became louder and louder. But Kairi kept moving. Maybe they wouldn't see her and would go away. Maybe they weren't looking for her and were out here for some other reason.

Then the first gryphon-thing landed in front of her.

She started to go around it but another landed beside it. And another on its other side.

Kairi turned around, but another landed behind her, lashing its tail.

There was a puff of green smoke, and Maleficent appeared.

"Did you think you could escape me?"

Kairi sank to her feet, utterly defeated.

Maleficent transformed into a dragon and took the exhausted girl in her claws, then took off back to the fortress.

[purplealmonds]

Memento Mori 💀⌛️

Process walkthrough under the cut!

1. Thumbnail - This idea came to me the Thursday night before the final livestream. Given the violent energy, I think I was very much in the anger/denial part of the 5 stages of grief. I only discovered the channel 5 days before it was to die, so I was more than a little upset that I wouldn’t be able to experience all of it. I can only imagine how it feels for those who were invested from the beginning.

---

2. Cleanup Sketch - Lots of pieces in this comp that won’t be legible in a single image, so I’m splitting it between the foreground and background elements.

The foreground: the shattered hourglass – glass shards exploding outwards and grains of fine sand bursting from either side. Figuring out how the wooden supports splintered and snapped was a bit of a challenge.

The background: The iconic exponential spiral, equally shattered as the hourglass. I wanted the spiral to be slightly offset on the cracked surface.

--- 

3. Color Flats - Blocking in the colors. Mostly monochrome, but we start seeing purples in the sand which will eventually become the accent color for the final piece. At this point the value structure is kind of a hot mess, but I’ll start fixing that in the next stage.

Just the background flats, since 99% of the details gets blown out in the next step. A shame, but necessary for the legibility of the piece.

---

4. Lighting Pass - Significantly brightened the background so the hourglass is the distinct, undisputed focal point. Shadows and initial highlights added. The biggest challenge was the transparency of the glass. It needed to be dark enough to pop out against the light background, but light enough to be convincingly see-through and accentuate the silhouette of the skulls.

---

5. Inversion - Threw a bit of a curveball and inverted half of the background to be on brand with Unus Annus. 

This threw off the readability of the dark colored hourglass, so I added rimlights, highlights, and reflections where needed. The sand looked to much like paint splatters than individual grains, so I used a custom speckle brush and gradient masks to give it a more gritty quality.

---

6. Final Touches - Nearly forgot to add the flying glass shards, whoops! Really added to the explosive movement in the piece. I also aggressively utilized the airbrush and gradient tool to bloom the heck out of everything to add atmosphere. A subtle chromatic aberration as a finishing touch to add color vibrations and more energy. And that’s it- that’s my 1st and very belated fan art of Unus Annus!

[clanofjones]

OK BESTIE I keep getting these dreams too so if you don't mind I'll add my own:

(also gonna tag @theosb0rnway bc I told him about the dreams)

An episode called "Goongala": Casey and Casey Jr centric because they're goofy. Casey dictates the day 'Casey bonding', and and quickly realizes she doesn't know what she's doing anymore than Casey Jr does. Most of the episode is spent by Casey bulshitting her way through the day with Junior, ending frequently in a fight, because she's a Casey, and that's how it be. All the while, they exchange sweet little wholesome talks. It all comes to a head eventually, and Casey comes clean right before they get blown up by some angered Yokai. Casey Jr assures her that it's okay, they get to fighting the Yokai back, upon which Casey uses the classic "Goongala" catchphrase. After the fight, upon seeing an ice cream truck, Casey Jr suggests that they get some, and just walk around. Casey agrees, and it's actually really sweet. The episode ends with both of them returning to the lair, looking like they fought God and couldn't care less.

Running Gag: I imagine that Casey is naive as heck, as in the apocalypse, it was probably either you're with us or you get a Krangified, and if you were lucky you'd get a 'LOL get wrecked' note. This plays into how Junior interacts with literally anyone. Big Mama tried to trick him into joining the Battle Nexus? Totally works. She's not even sneaky about it. Purple Dragons decide to make Donnie's life worse by manipulating Junior like with S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. in Breaking Purple? He agrees before Kendra can even rub her hands sinisterly. (I actually did write this in a sense, here)

Speaking of which, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. comes back. Donnie's not gonna let his robot child stay dead. He's also an instant hit with the newcomers. Draxum is neither disappointed nor surprised, but of course he would never say so, so Mikey reads him like a book and tells Donnie.

Episode: Sunita, April, and Casey go out for Laser Tag. But, all three of these being weirdness magnets, they get caught up in Donnie's rivalry with the Purple Dragons, who have turned the Laser Tag room into a deadly obstacle course: The Purple Dragons against Casey, April, and Sunita. Casey gets way too overcompetitive, and attempts to decapitate Kendra. Sunita gets her to not, and Donnie, shutting down the deadlier bits for his friends, says "no, let her, it'll be funny!" before knocking out a flying machete. The episode ends with the Hamatos + co triumphant.

Episode: Return of that psycho dentist dude. A Donnie and Raph episode. Open with Donnie and Raph in the Hidden City, under the goal of finding actual hoverboards that actually hover, something they are both psyched about. and the two are nearly jumped by a trio of would-be captors. Being ninjas, Raph and Donnie kick their butts. Upon the cursory inspection, Donnie says the following: "My diagnosis? They're doctors. Nay, the worst and most detested by the common population: Dentists..." [both shudder] The episode follows the efforts of the Creepy Dentist People (CDP) trying to jump Raph and get his snaggletooth, while the turtles don't really know what's going on and just don't want to go to the dentist because Donnie "does the effective oral inspection on a bi-weekly basis, such distrust is a true folly!" and both think that Splinter set up a dentist appointment and forgot to tell them. Only when they meet the head CDP dude that they figure it out, and a fight ensues, only stopping when a gang of CDP try to discombobulate Raph by running him over with a Jeep, only for Raph to get out of the way, and the head CDP gets run over instead. The entire events is proclaimed as a "certainly odd and completely unforseen turn of events that no poor soul could have predicted" and the episode closes with the CDP seeing a sea beast with even odder teeth and diving in after it, and Raph and Donnie go back to finding the hoverboards.

Episode: An everyone episode. When Casey Jr asks what cotton candy is after seeing it on a commercial, Splinter and Mikey decide that they're going to take Casey Jr into town to a fair. Splinter grabs April, and Mikey Draxum, to the former's slight apprehension. April calls the others, and determines that it's their first fair, much to her shock. She decides that it will be the best, hands down, cue Shenanigans (TM). Casey and Mikey get into a friendly competition with a darts game, Leo and April see who can go on the tilt-a-whirl the most without puking, both with empty stomachs, Splinter and Donnie realize the others made off with all their cash, and go on an epic quest of robbery from the employees that keep rigging the games. Raph, Casey Jr, and Draxum all have no idea what to do after buying five caramel apples for each of them, so Raph picks a random direction, and by some stroke of luck, run into the tallest roller coaster in the park. Draxum insists that there are too many issues with the structural integrity to hold an average of five humans, plus himself and Raph, but of course, neither listen to him. The roller coaster breaks, because of course it does. Casey takes the caramel apples out of seemingly nowhere, and managed to stick the broken bits of track back together with caramel. Fun times are had by all, good clean fun. Raph, Drax, and Casey Jr came out with a new respect for caramel apples, Mikey and Casey came out with several stuffed animal prizes and three unconscious carnies, April and Leo with three slushies and a lake with a bit of puke, and Splinter and Donnie came out as millionaires. Good, clean fun.

Running Gag: Nobody, not even Draxum, knows who Warren Stone is. Still.

Episode: One of those stock-episode clip show things. When the sewers and subsequent old subways are on lockdown due to an accidental sighting of S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and Mayhem, the turtles, Splinter, Draxum, Casey, Casey Jr, April, Shelldon and Meyhem are all locked inside the lair. Everyone goes around sharing stories, flashlight style, giving insight into the untouched on elements of the story: Raph's time being 'dead' during the Battle Nexus: New York business, Casey's early days with the Foot Clan, the future apocalypse and what Future Donnie, Raph, April and co. were like, how long exactly Draxum has been around for, how April met the turtles, where the heck Mayhem was during S2, etc.

Mayhem will just lie on someone's head, and if you get teleported, you live there until he leaves. Accept it. Casey Jr does. Casey and Draxum do not. This leads to some very funny footage.

Yeah that's all I got :)

If you don't mind, thought, OP, could I maybe write your Splinter and Draxum one sometime down the line? Or maybe I could do some art for it or smth, It's really good, I can totally imagine it happening in canon :)

Had a dream I was watching season 3 of Rottmnt, it was so vivid and now I’m sad that it isn’t real. So I’m writing some highlights from the dream before I forget.

Draxum and Casey focused episodes on what they were doing during the movie. There were really cool action sequences with original music and everything. It was so cool. There was one scene where the screen divided in half to show both battles.

Music during action scenes. There was a lot of it. I suspect it might have been because I watching Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur before going to sleep tho.

An episode premise: April finally had a good stable job. She was going steady for a whole 2 weeks setting a new record. The turtles got a little suspicious since April can never keep a job for long. Cue investigation, it turns out the job is a front. A front for a cult. April accidentally joined a cult. By the end of the episode April accidentally destroyed the cult in the same way she usually ends up losing her jobs. Alas the curse of April losing her job was too strong.

Another Episode Premise: Splinter and Draxum go undercover for an intel mission at a fancy club. The cover story being that they’re two friends who are trying to reconnect. They’re kinda bad at it since both argue like a married couple. This actually works in their favor tho as the person they’re trying to spy on to get info on is a huge romantic who is super invested in trying to get the two to “reconnect”. Both are forced by the turtles to play along for the sake of the mission. By the end of the episode Draxum and Splinter have performed a proposal, a wedding, a divorce, another re proposal, alongside with a remarriage, but not another divorce because they have to book it away because the turtles got captured. Which meant by the end of the episode Draxum and Splinter were still married.

Over Arching Story: Bishop was hunting down the remaining Foot Clan members. Which included trying to find former Foot Clan members for any information. Of course leading Bishop to Casey. Casey sends him on a wild goose chase as she goes on her own mission to find her former bosses. Being the B plot for a lot of the episodes. In one instance she teams up with Piebald in a gambling ring to win some info.

Running Gag: Casey Jr tries going into the dating world but has trouble since most people who are his age now, were adults during the apocalypse. So if he does find someone to date who he doesn’t recognize they usually end up being some form of “not real”. Highlight examples being: an alien who assumed a human persona to lure specimen to experiment on their ship, a demon with similar motives to the alien except it wanted to eat Casey Jr’s soul, an ai made by Bishop made to find potential Foot Clan members. What was funny was how obvious a lot of them were, like the alien wore a “I believe” shirt but with sharpie added “don’t”, changing it to “I don’t believe” (real master of disguise right here). The demon’s “flirting” was something along the lines of “if souls were edible and had taste, I bet yours would be a delicious meal that would amplify my demonic powers. If I had demonic powers, which I don’t because I’m a perfectly normal human. But in the hypothetical where I do-”. The ai when asked it’s favorite hobby responded with “breathing and being human”.

Bishop had an entire episode where he beat up different clans in his attempt to find the Foot Clan. Making some leave their old clans to join Bishop since he bested them in battle. But Bishop didn’t want a bunch of ninja (idk why not, that sounds incredibly useful) so he sent them on a wild goose chase but every time he did they came back having accomplished the goal. (Again I don’t understand why he kept acting like they were an annoyance when they were getting him things like THE GOD DAMN ELIXER OF EVERLASTING LIFE)

That’s all I have the energy to right. If I remember anything worth adding I will but I think these were all the highlights.

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Hey

It’s been a bit...

I rewatched Zexal’s finale.

...I still kinda don’t like it.

I enjoyed it a lot more this time around, I like where we end up with the ending and the actual Yuma vs Astral duel is really good and exciting and brings everything that happened over the course of the series together in a really nice way.

The emotions of the duel on the other hand... “Yuma needs to remember to have fun duelling!” Hi, Judai called, he wants his character arc back, he says he did it way better. And I agree with him. We see Judai hit rock bottom, we see Judai become so obsessed with winning over anything else that it warps who he is to such a drastic degree that he becomes a villain and kills people. Sure, Yuma changed as a result of constantly having to duel for his life but it’s not nearly as fleshed out as Judai’s arc. If you’re gonna repeat the same arc, can you at least do it better so I don’t feel like this has already been done and been done better.

Also “the two partners who’ve done nothing but work together over the course of the series are now duelling each other with the ultimate conclusion of separating.” Yeah... that’s just Yugi vs Atem again. Except that duel had the characters being honest and even vulnerable with each other in their final meeting and did well acknowledging both characters’ growth while Yuma vs Astral... did okay with Yuma but Astral’s growth is somewhat ignored. It’s shown at the end but for a lot of it, he’s faking this honestly still really jarring goal of wanting to destroy Barian world.

Also, as a side note even the “partner lies that he’s gonna do a big bad so his partner will beat him” aspect was something VRAINS later did better with its finale duel. That’s not Zexal’s fault as VRAINS came after but it does add to my point: Yuma vs Astral isn’t a bad duel but falls a bit short as a finale. All its main points are things three other finale duels in the series did better and in 2/3 cases, did first.

Iffy finale aside though, man I loved revisiting this show. I forgot just how much I loved Zexal’s characters and how beautiful the animation is and how well executed the twists are and how emotional some of these duels are-

My god, it’s great. And the dub managed not to take away from most of that, except the Barian’s backstories, holy shit were those massacred. But the rest is actually pretty faithful to the sub, at least in spirit. It’s not perfect, and I certainly prefer the sub version overall, but aside from the Barian’s backstories, none of the changes it had really took away from the experience for me.

And with that random and amazing rewatch over I should probably pick up Sevens again. I like Sevens don’t get me wrong I just don’t feel much inclination to watch more than a few episodes of it at a time. Plus I’m watching it in sub so it’s not something I can watch in the background like I can with the dubs.

Also quick update: I have no intention of quitting Tumblr, and I never did. I love this cursed place and Yugioh too much to ever leave completely. Heck, even during the week I took off from posting I was still lurking around in the shadows of this place like... *long sigh of ‘I really hate to make this pun but it fits’* like a spectre. I’m not leaving. But I won’t post as often as I was.

[theninjamouse]

Sick Day

You're not sure if it's a monster thing or a Grillby thing, but you've always thought that Grillby just doesn't get sick. The closest he even gets is headaches, which you may or may not have caused on a few occasions of reckless activities that landed you at the hospital.

Turns out you were wrong.

Waking up in a sweat is a common occurrence given Grillby's tendency to lock you in a teddy bear hold during the night, but on this particular morning you wake feeling more liquid than person. Gah, gross.

Kicking your feet free from the thin sheet, you swipe at your face, blinking blearily. The light coming in from the window is the dull blue from a sun not yet risen. The room, always warm, is unbearably hot.

The debate of whether to poke Grillby awake or just camp on the couch for a few more hours dies as your eyes fall on your still slumbering partner. It's normal for the edges of his face to get soft and fuzzy when he's sleeping but nearly all definition of his head is gone. The color is weird too; waves of uneasy green and deep red sweep over his face and bits of flame hiss and spit erratically.

"Holy sh- hey, Grillby." Reaching out, you gingerly touch his shoulder, wary of waking him into a panic if he's having a nightmare. "Grillby?"

A deep throated groan rumbles from his chest. He shifts and you think his head turns towards you. He makes a questioning noise and you just barely catch that his eyes have opened to thin slivers.

"Hey," you say gently as you sit up. "Are you okay? You look more like...a regular campfire than usual."

He doesn't answer for a moment, blinking owlishly. Then he lifts a hand, looking down at the fingers that have molded into stubby digits. "Ah," he rasps before a terrible crackling cough shakes his shoulders.

Alarmed, you move to help him sit up, patting his back. The fabric of his shirt is scorching hot. "Holy crap, are you sick?"

Wheezing, he tries to speak, fails and then just nods miserably.

Your mouth drops. He’d been quiet and subdued last night sure, but you thought that he was just tired from a crazy work week. "I thought you didn't get sick!"

It takes him a moment to get the breath to mutter, ".....very...rarely."

"Geez, okay, um. Here." You take your pillow and add it to his, fluffing them up against the headboard. "Lean back here."

He follows your guiding hand with meek compliance, which more than anything tells you he's out of it. What the heck do you do now? None of the human cures for colds or fevers will work here. No point in a glass of water or medicine made for human bodies. Maybe there's monster medicine? Would a monster candy work?

Leaning over, you grab your phone off the nightstand. It's a little after six. Hopefully Toriel is already up and moving since it's a school day.

"Good morning Shore," she greets after just a few rings and you breathe a little sigh of relief. "Is something wrong? You're rarely up this early."

"Yeah, um, Grillby's sick." You look over at him to see he's closed his eyes, head slumped against the wall.

"Oh dear! Is he alright?"

"I don't know, I think so?" You try not to let your voice hitch. "He's burning really hot and his colors are weird and he's got a cough. Do you...have you ever dealt with monster sickness?"

"More than my fair share," she says sympathetically. "Though it has been a very, very long time since the last fire based illness I cared for."

"But you have cared for one? What do I do?"

"He needs to stay fed; the excess heat is his core attempting to burn out the illness."

"Like a human fever."

"Exactly." There's a noise in the background and you hear Toriel respond as if she's placed her fuzzy paw over the phone. "My dear, I'm terribly sorry, there's a bit of a crisis happening this morning, I need to take care of this but I will call you back. For now, keep him comfortable and keep him fed. Oil heavy foods, perhaps sprinkle on some butane-”

Bu-what now.

“Oh dear, there goes Frisk. Call me if you have any other questions, I’ll be by with a pie later!” Click. 

Ah. Great. You sigh and set the phone down. At the slightest shifting of the mattress, you say, “Dear, where do you think you’re going?” 

Grillby freezes, one loosely formed hand gripping the edge of the blanket. “Kitchen,” he rasps. “...I need...”

“To eat, yeah, Toriel told me. I’ll get it so you stay put.” Scooting over, you push him back against the headrest. It’s a fight to quell the urge to put your hand up on his forehead. It’s obvious enough without feeling that he’s literally burning up. 

“Normally this would be the point I’d go get a wet rag or something,” you joke weakly. “But I don’t think that’d be helpful to you.” 

Grillby mumbles something that might be a sassy remark or just another groan. 

“Got any butane?” 

The noise this time is definitely a groan. 

You pat his thigh. “Sorry, queen’s orders.” 

He gestures towards the kitchen and you slip off the bed. Grillby’s kitchen is always stocked so it’s easy to gather together ingredients for a stew. It’s no chicken noodle soup but at least it’s soup like. You do indeed find a canister of butane in one of the cabinets. The large ‘Highly Flammable’ warning on the side has you pausing. How exactly do you add butane to a stew? How much? Eh, probably best to just bring the whole thing and ask Grillby. 

It’s not long before the stew is bubbling and a rather lovely smell fills the kitchen. You’re no Grillby, but you can make a very solid stew. You grab a bowlful, the butane, turn and yelp, nearly dropping them both. 

Grillby has either ignored your orders to stay put or just forgot because there he stands. But the effort of moving seems to have stolen away what energy he had left because now he looks more like a matchstick than a monster. His head is just a simple flame flickering with the same harsh colors and his shirt hangs loosely on his thinned frame. 

“Oh geezum, you scared me,” you wheeze, wincing at the hot stew that splashed on your hand. “Are you okay?” 

He...maybe shrugs? It’s hard to tell with how little mass he has right now. You set the butane down and guide him to sit on the couch. When you offer the bowl and spoon, he forgoes the spoon altogether and cups the bowl in his now fingerless hands and chugs the entire thing down in a matter of seconds. 

You blink. “Oh. More?” 

“...Please.” 

More you get, bowl after bowl until the pot is empty and then you remember the can of butane still sitting on the counter. When you bring it over, Grillby sparks with a low disgust but takes the can. With a low cough, he gestures for you to back up before taking a deep swig. 

The burst of heat and flame has you wincing, even at a fair distance. Your jaw drops a little at the sight of him chugging down the liquefied gas like it’s an ice cold glass of water on a summer day. By the time the bottle is empty, some of the shape has returned to his head, though the edges of his face remain fuzzy with dark green flames.

You cautiously approach as he sighs heavily and sets the bottle on the floor. “Better?” 

“Hmm.” He certainly looks a bit better, at least a little. He blinks sleepily at you. “Hi.” 

“Hi matchstick.” 

The whine he makes at that is so utterly adorable you can’t help but take his little matchstick flame head in your hands and plant a kiss where you best guess his forehead is. Totally worth the slight singeing of your lips. 

“Do you wanna go back to bed?” you ask as you card your fingers through his headflames. Ow, hot. 

He grunts and shakes his head. “Stay....here,” he mumbles, tugging on your shirt. 

A grin pulls at your mouth. “Fine, but you should get some more sleep. Even an elemental needs rest when sick.” 

You sit and Grillby immediately slumps over so his head rests on your lap. He snuggles his face into your stomach and tucks his arms in close. Oh heavens above, you’re not happy he’s sick but he is unfairly cute like this. 

“Comfy?” you ask gently, rubbing his head again. 

He hums quietly. “Sorry,” he tacks on as a mumble. “It...will pass...quickly.” 

“It’s okay to be sick, it happens to everyone.” 

He mutters something else, but sleep is already claiming him. You stroke your thumb over his cheek. “Just rest,” you whisper, though you’re fairly certain he’s already slipped into slumber. “I’ll take care of you.” 

[aliasimagines]

Birthday Suprise

the crows x reader

a/n: writing fanfiction for my own birthday is so cringe but I guess it's a tradition at this point.

warnings: cursing, the story probably doesn't make any sense im way too tired 😅

word count: 1177

The morning sun rose further up on the horizon, trying to fight off the heavy layer of fog that laid on Ketterdam. 

You got up to open the window, to let in some fresh air, but stayed there for a few seconds to observe the scenery outside. 

A fond smile found its way onto your lips. You saw half-drunk people stumbling on the streets below, trying to find their way home after a long night of partying, and you saw workers and sailors rushing towards the docks.

You loved the city this early in the morning. Though you knew it wasn't the case, it felt less dangerous. Like the town itself tried to disguise all the horror and crime for a few hours before revealing it all again. It worked, because all you wanted was to sit down on the cobblestoned street and just watch this seemingly innocent 'play' unfold. 

You shook your head at the thought, and quietly whispered to yourself "Happy birthday." before closing the window and going to change. 

Once dressed up you grabbed your stuff and looked in the mirror. The costume Kaz stole was perfect, your disguise was believable. With one last glance you looked yourself up and down before rushing outside of the Slat. 

You didn't like making a big fuss about your birthday. You didn't like the attention, so you were glad you could go on a 'job'... Yet, when yesterday night Kaz asked you, you felt kind of… disappointed? 

 "Y/n." you heard Kaz's raspy voice call out after you as you were about to leave the Crow Club. All of you just returned from a three day mission and you wanted nothing more than to sleep. 

"Hmm?" you turn back to Dirtyhands. 

"I have a job for you." 

"Now?!" 

"Tomorrow. I need you to go to the 6th harbor. Rollins has a new warehouse built there after the last one burnt down. I need you to steal the blueprints and make sketches in and out of the place." he said casually. "Unnoticed, of course." 

"Not to second guess you, or anything, but it'd be safer if Inej did it. I'm nearly not as good at sneaking as she is." 

"She already has another job to do tomorrow." he states, and you nod. Rest truly was an unknown activity amongst the crows. 

"Go on foot, and try to stay as close to the docks as possible." On foot?! Saints, you'll be away all day. "When you are done come straight to the Crow Club. I'll have some business to attend to here but I want you to bring me the sketches first thing." 

"Got it." you nod with a defeated sigh.

 You walk down the stairs of the Slat as quietly as you can, trying not to wake up anyone. Rushing past the closed doors of your friends just powers the feeling that's been building up in your stomach since last night. Did they all forget? 

You tried not to think about it. This is just like any other day. Nothing special.-you tried saying that to yourself over and over again but you still didn't feel better. 

You try to shift your focus on the job, and the strangely beautiful weather. 

It worked for the most part. You did what you had to do and before you noticed it was already late in the afternoon and you were on your way back to the Crow Club. You got rid of your sailor uniform and changed back to your regular clothes a few blocks down. By the time you got to the club you were hungry, tired and… wait. The club was less lit than usual, and there was no laughter, no talk coming from the gamblers. In fact you saw no one around. 

"What the fu-" as a cue, your friends all jumped out of their hiding spots and screamed 'Happy Birthday Y/n!' in unison. 

You gasped. 

"Guys! What.. What the heck?" you saw Inej quickly light some candles, making the place much lighter. You notice the cake in the middle of the table which is also heavily covered in bottles of booze and all kinds of food. 

"We wanted to surprise you." the suli girl said, stepping in front of you. 

"To try and thank you for being such a great friend." Jesper added. 

"And to show how much we love and appreciate you." Nyina said. 

You were at loss for words. 

"It's also a great opportunity to stuff ourselves full with cake." the heartrender said with a playful wink. You laughed at that but soon caught yourself. 

"You guys shouldn't have, I really don't deserve it and-" 

"You do." you heard Mattias speak with his fjerdan accent. "You are a true friend Y/N." 

"Who also makes the best lemonade." Wylan adds making all of you remember the time you fucked up a mission very badly and tried to cover it up by making a shit ton of lemonade. You all laughed. Even Kaz had a slight smile on his face. 

"They are right. You deserve this y/n." you felt so ashamed for thinking they'd forgotten about you. How could they? They loved you so much and you loved then so much too. You felt happy tears rolling down your cheeks. 

"I love you guys so much." 

"Awww n/n!! We love you too!!" Nyina was the first one to capture you in a hug, Jesper and Inej followed closely, then Wylan and Mattias gave you a quick hug too, even Kaz patted your shoulder really quickly. You looked at the gang of young criminals, you called your friends, your family and smiled. 

You all sat at the table, you drank, you ate, you joked around, talked, laughed and you couldn't be happier. After a few hours you all got quieter. Inej gently nudged your arm and nodded towards the stairs that lead to the rooftops. 

"Come on." 

You raised an eyebrow but the Wraith already grabbed your hand and pulled you up and led you up the stairs. You noticed all the others followed right behind you. Stepping outside the fresh cold air slapped you in the face put you quickly forgot about it all as you looked up at the sky. There was not a cloud in the sky, making it seem like a beautiful black canvas covered in glowing spots. The stars shone so bright, you could remember when was the last time you saw them like this. 

"This.. is breathtaking." they smiled at you. You all sat down at the blanket that was laid out and started looking for constellations. 

"Thank you." you said, tearing your eyes away from the night sky. "This was the best birthday I ever had and easily one of the best days of my life. Thank you for making my life better. I love you." 

You felt Inej laying her head on your shoulder and hugging you. Kaz softly nudged you with his cane and everyone said 'i love you' back in their own way. 

[might-be-tiny-gt]

Heck yeah, give us some Dion fics. Go off. Give us the grape flavored attorney.

You know. I absolutely adore all the silly descriptors people have come up with for Dion. “Grape Flavored Attorney” has got to be one of my favorites. Anon, thank you for inspiring this.

“I think you’d be like, the best kind of grape soda.”

“Eww gross! Grape soda’s terrible!”

“What are you talking about? Grape soda is amazing. It’s also carbonated so it’s bubbly just like you.”

“Did you just use the same supporting point you used on yourself?”

“Did I?”

“Uh, yes you did. You used that same point when comparing yourself to Dr.Paprika!”

What a weird argument to walk in on. Phoenix and Edgeworth had stepped out earlier to pick up lunch while Maya opted to wait in the office, “Just in case any clients showed up.” Though Phoenix had his suspicions that she was getting out of footing the bill. She’s a grown up with grown up money, he shouldn’t have to pay for everything. But that’s besides the point. Walking in he found Maya, not on her usual spot in the couch, but standing over someone at the piano. That someone was in all black half heartedly playing a few piano keys, not out of inexperience mind you. It’s just very difficult to focus on playing when you’re laughing.

“Dion?”

The girls turned to Phoenix and Edgeworth as they were locking the door behind them. Both caught off guard, attempted to stifle their laughter but they could barely hide their grins.

“Hey Nick! Pfft… Welcome back.”

“Pfft, Hello Mr. Wright, Prosecutor Edgeworth”

“I didn’t realize you were coming.” Nick started as he and Edgeworth started putting down the to go boxes, “I would have gotten you something from Eldoon’s.”

At that, Maya immediately made a b-line for the table, “Woo Eldoon’s!!”

Dion, chose to stay at her seat by the piano, “Don’t worry about it. I was just in the area and thought I’d stop by and pick up my check.”

“Oh ok, yeah I can gra-“ Phoenix stopped mid sentence. He forgot to stop by the bank this week….

Luckily for Phoenix, it seemed like only Edgeworth picked up on his sheepish look and he did what any good partner would, change the subject, “Are you preparing for a role in a kitchen cabaret at the theatre?”

“What?” Dion was completely caught off guard. Thank you Edgeworth, bless your soul.

“You and Ms. Fey we’re talking about being grapes?”

Dion let out a chuckle and Maya nearly choked on her food, “No, Maya and I were talking about a silly hypothetical.”

“Mm-yeah,” Maya slurped the rest of her noodles before continuing, “If we were all drinks, what would we be. Dee’s totally grape soda.”

“But grape soda taste so… artificial. If I’m grape flavored anything, then I’d be grape juice. The really classy kind.”

“Classy grape juice,” it was a bit jarring for Edgeworth to says something so silly, “Would that not be wine?”

Dion took a second to ponder, “No… I think I’d more sugary than a red wine.”

“OH MY GOSH,” Maya suddenly stood up scaring everyone with her sudden excitement, “Edgeworth is such a tea person!”

“Well I do enjoy tea yes, but what does that have to do with-“

“No I think Edgeworth is more of a coffee.”

“Coffee? Why coffee?”

“Easy, coffee starts off bitter and strong but add the right amount of sugar and cream,” Dion gestured to Phoenix and Maya, “And it becomes a completely different drink.”

Edgeworth took a moment to process the comparison. He wasn’t sure it that was intended to be a compliment or not. Phoenix for his part enjoyed the back and forth between everyone. It was dumb debate, sure, but it was nice to discuss something so low stakes. A lot of insanity had occurred in past few years and to be able to sit down and talk about what drink everyone would be, it was a nice change of pace.

“Wonder what kind of drink I would be?” Phoenix didn’t realize he said that last thought out loud catching the attention of the debating ladies. They started intently at him and then to each other. In perfect unison they gave their answer.

“Water.”

It was Edgeworth’s turn to hide his amusement.

“Water? Why water?! Are you two calling me boring?!?”

“Oh course not Nick. You’re refreshing.”

“If you say ‘like a spring breeze’ I’m kicking you out of the office.”

Edgeworth chimed in, “I think most beverages would be considered refreshing.”

“Yeah sure,” Dion began softly playing a tune on the piano as of using music to support her point, “water’s pretty refreshing, but there’s more to it. Water isn’t just a drink. It’s our rivers and oceans and rain. Water is everywhere and has such a strong impact on everyone it encounters. Water is powerful and essential to life,”

Phoenix was pretty touched by the gesture. Then Dion continued, “And water, much like you Mr. Wright, can’t be bothered to remember going to the bank to grab my check!”

“HEY!”

[applepiry]

Trying Something [Koushi Sugawara]

Or Day 2. Wax play 

!!18+!!

WC: 1377

Contains: College AU, Smut! Wax play, Oral, Dom!Sugawara

Pairing: Koushi SugawaraxFem!Reader

Ry: I forgot I was filling my sink while writing this and nearly flooded by kitchen so... enjoy 

[Smut Under Cut]

“Can we try something?”

Your eyes flutter open to stare at your silver haired boyfriend, wondering what in the heck he could be asking about. The two of you had been in the middle of making out when he had suddenly pulled away to ask such a question. With Koushi Sugawara, the question could be leading up to just about anything. Everyone saw this man as just a sweet innocent man, but the truth was much different. 

“What do you mean ‘try something’?” you have no choice but to be cautious.

“Can we use wax?”

“Like… from a candle or do you want me to wax my-?”

Suga rolled his eyes at your sarcasm and gently nudged you, “Wax from a candle, you doof,” he replied, his brown eyes watching you with curiosity.

“Oooh, in that case~,” you coo at him, giving his lips a peck, “I’d love to.”

Koushi grinned at you and crashed his lips with yours, kissing you heatedly. You returned the deep kiss, your hands moving around his body, slipping under his shirt and gently tugging at it. While he was slender compared to most men, he still had such a well toned body, you could feel every muscle as they relaxed and tensed with each of his own movements. One of his hands was groping under your shirt, trying to feel every inch of your skin. 

His hand finally came to rest on your breast, rolling your nipple between his fingers as your deep kiss turned sloppy. Letting out a loud moan, your body shivered at his touch as your lips separated, his mouth trailing down to your neck. Inhaling a shaky breath, your fingers tangled in his hair for a moment as he got down to your collarbone before lifting your shirt over your head. Your bra was next, disappearing quickly once Suga set his sights on it. His mouth attached to one of your nipples, rolling his tongue over it and gently sucking, enjoying the sounds you made with each movement.

Letting out a whine when his mouth disconnected with a pop, he grinned up at you and lifted himself off of the bed. You watched through half lid eyes as he went to the closet, pulling out a box and bringing it back. Shifting so you were sitting up more, you looked at it with curiosity.

“Strip down, love,” he said as he got out fuzzy hand-cuffs, a lighter and a long purple candle. 

You complied, taking off your pants and wiggling your hips in a teasing manner as you slowly slid off your panties and gently tossed them at him. They landed on his shoulder, his free hand grabbing them and putting them into his back pocket. He slipped only his own shirt, tossing it to the side before he held up the handcuffs, twirling them around one of his long fingers. 

“This way you don’t stop the wax from dripping where I want it,” he said, staring you down with a certain look in his eyes until you sighed and put your hands behind your back. 

“...Fine,” you murmured, chewing on your bottom lip. You didn’t like to be restrained, as it meant you couldn’t touch Suga as much as you wanted to. Touching him was the best part.

“Thank you, love,” he purred as he cuffed your wrists. He kisses your temple before helping you lay back, propping you with a pillow so your arms aren’t totally squashed under your weight. He grabs the candle and lighter, flicking it on and watching the flame for a moment before lightening the candle. 

Slowly, the flame moves downward, causing the wax to melt and begin to drip. A few droplets hit your side and you let out a soft whimper, your body twisting a bit from the odd feeling. 

“How does it feel?” his voice is low, his usually pale skin pink as he watched you, flushed as he enjoyed the view below him. Another bigger drop hits your skin, right in the middle of where the others had been. You let out a loud moan, your legs squirming together, trying to feel some kind of friction. He grins, “So, good, then?” 

You nod, “P-Please t- Ah!” you shout in surprise as another hot glob of wax hits your skin, the fire getting hotter and therefore causing more wax to build up. 

“Please?” Koushi licked his lips, his eyes half closed as he watched you much too closely, his eyes slowly moving down your body and stopping at your wet pussy. He watched as you wiggled your legs before slowly opening them at the knees, whimpering softly. 

“Please touch me,” you finally manage.

“Wow, you enjoy the wax this much?” he said, his eyes sparkling as he lights the candle again, letting it build up some wax before spilling it onto your stomach in a line. Your body jerks up, eyes closing, letting out a loud moan at the sensation the hot wax creates across your soft stomach. Whimpering and panting softly as your body settles back down, still wiggling around trying to get friction on your quivering cunt.

It wasn’t so much the wax, although it was nice, but the way his deep brown eyes bore into you and enjoyed watching you squirm… Something about them made this all that more amazing. It was like he enjoyed watching you squirm.

“It’s not nice to ignore me, YN.”

You gulp, your eyes snapping open, focusing in on Suga as he leaned over you, his body shifting between your legs. Shit, you had totally forgotten to answer him.

“So-Sorry..” you whine softly, watching as he leans down between your thighs, resting his head on your stomach. 

“Did you like the wax?” he asks again, kissing your stomach sweetly as you nod. He frowns a bit before biting down next to your belly button. 

“Y-Yes!” you yelp out, squirming, unable to touch him with your hands tied behind your back. All you want is to curl your fingers in that beautiful grey hair and shove him between your legs, but this time, Sugawara is in control. He also seems to be revealing in it.

His smile is back and he moves down, sweetly kissing your mount, your hips moving up with his actions. Both hands push down on your hips, holding you there as he clicks his tongue at you. His hazel-brown eyes look up into yours, his tongue flicking over the folds of your pussy. You whimper, your eyes squeezing shut as you try to move your hips. Slowly, his tongue slips between the folds, slurping up your juices as he buries his face deep in your cunt. 

His nose gently nudges your clit as he flattens his tongue and runs it along every inch of you. He watches you, you can feel his eyes boring into you, as he uses his tongue to prod the hole every now and then. A slender finger rubs against the entrance as his mouth moves up, sucking on your clit as the finger slides inside of you. He curls it, moving it inside of you as he licks and sucks at your bud. His finger moves around inside you, his tongue exploring your sopping pussy, moaning at your taste. 

As you wiggle around, he just smirks as he adds another finger, building up more speed and curling them perfectly so they rub against the bundle of nerves deep inside you. The fingers scissor inside of you as they fuck your dripping cunt, his eyes never leaving your face. His suckling at your sensitive swollen bud along with his tongue swirling over it every chance it could finally pushed you over the edge. Finally, you came into his mouth as your hips tried their best to buck wildly, since only one of his large hands was holding you down now, moaning his first name loudly. He groaned, his eyes rolling back as he sucks in your juices, still finger fucking you as you rode out your orgasm. 

Panting heavily as you come down from your high, you mumble unintelligently about wanting to be unhandcuffed. Suga licks his lips, savoring your taste and seemingly mulling over your request before he chuckles. 

“No, I don’t think so...” he starts, shifting off his boxers and jeans, kicking them aside, “I’m not done with you yet, YN.”

​ This is for @vixenpen​  @starry-eyed234​ ‘s Event! 

MasterList for XXXMas

Main Event Post

[phantomphangphucker]

Ectober Day 30: Disguise - The Guise Of Change

When Danny died he really didn’t change much at all, and that was a problem. But ghosts only resembled their living selves rather than looking the same as they once did.

Danny’s well aware his disguise is flimsy at best, borderline non-existent at worst. The divide between his two halves was practically reliant on the fact that being half-dead was illogical and should be impossible. Like, literally and explicitly impossible; even in the opinion of ghost experts. Slapping on a jumpsuit and some colour changes does not a good identity-hiding costume make. He had felt a little jealous of Vlad in that regard. Put Masters and Plasmius next to each other and almost no one is going to think they’re even related. The face shape was pretty much the only similarity, but the shadows a ghosts glowing eyes could throw across their faces really changed the way their faces looked. Ancients, that’s probably the only reason his parents’ hadn’t recognised Danny Phantom’s face as being identical to their son's face. Same for the rest of his body honestly, his jumpsuit didn’t exactly hide his figure. If he lost his glow he would have probably be screwed. Utterly screwed.

Problem was, he couldn’t change his ghost form. That was literally just his body, his suit was basically a second skin. Hair couldn’t be dyed and if he wanted to wear a mask it would get constantly destroyed, and he’d have to carry it with him constantly. The chances of someone finding said mask on human Danny Fenton was too great a risk and absolutely would get him revealed in a heartbeat. And he wasn’t about to ask Vlad how the heck his ghost form looked so different from his human one. Even the guy's physique changed. Masters was a skinny man, Plasmius had a comically broad chest. But Danny’s not about to let that man think he’s learned anything from him. Vlad is not going to be his mentor in any shape, way, or form. Fuck that guy and his villainous ulterior motives.

So that had kinda left him in a bit of a pickle. So what did he do? Eh, what he usually does. Ignored the problem and hoped it went away, while also making his paranoia just that much worse. Did that usually work out for him? Hell no. It usually bit him squarely and directly in the ass soon rather than later. So whole ass, he expected to get bit; and probably by some stupid mistake or something ridiculously simple. Like someone taking a photo of him and accidentally turning on their phone’s colour invert. His parents’ tech messing up was always a possibility and had almost shattered his disguise more than once. To this day he is supremely glad that Dash is a bloody moron and that his dad is stupidly easily distracted. But standing in front of his mirror changing between his forms, he thinks he might just avoid that ass bite for once in his half-life.

Watching the muscle on his arm change, shrinking down in human form to the point where he’s borderline scrawny then bulking up in ghost form to the point where he thinks he’s got a more muscular look than Dash does. Even his bone structure seemed to be changing now. His ghost form had a muscular broadness that his human form simply didn’t. Even his hands got bigger in that strong man muscular way. It weirded him out a little actually. But his running theory was that all the fighting and his increasing ecto-level was all going to his ghost half, rather than his human one.

Sure he knows now that some of the other changes -like his fangs, claws, and tapered ears- were just him starting to develop into an adult ghost. His jumpsuit was going through its own changes naturally too, but that really doesn’t help him disguise himself at all. Plus the similarities to Dan’s jumpsuit, that he was starting to notice, was hard to feel happy about. At least he hasn’t started forming a cape or anything yet; even if that actually would help make his body look different between forms. Well okay, the pointiness did frame his muscles in a way that made them a little more noticeable. So he guesses it does help a little.

The wavy smoky look his hair was taking definitely hid its shape, he just seriously hoped it stays wavy thick smoke and doesn’t transition into full-on flames. Sure that would make his forms look even more different, but he’d rather his forms look similar than look like Dan. But... sighing and shaking his head at the mirror, Dan was his future self, that’s probably what he’s going to look like no matter what he does. Well, excluding the red eyes. ClockWork had told him how the eye colour change had been due to Core damage that the whole ‘tearing out his humanity’ thing caused. He used to tell himself that he wouldn’t wind up looking like Dan since future Vlad said Dan was a combination of Phantom and Plasmius. But nope, according to the much more trustable resource that is ClockWork, Phantom had cannibalised Plasmius in pretty much a psychotic bout of madness. Since apparently completely cannibalising another ghost can make you stronger and even steal their powers. Danny is never making use of that information.

Changing back human, another good thing was that none of the injuries he got ever scarred. Because no way could he explain all the kinds of scars he would have otherwise. Running a hand over his jaw, even his face was leaner in human form; and his cheekbones and eyes were a little shadowed/sunken like he didn’t quite eat or sleep enough, which he didn’t. He was starting to get facial hair in both forms though, at least it was kinda smoky in ghost form though. Running his thumb over the stubble, it annoyed the heck out of him how it was growing in as a pointy goatee and literally nothing he did seemed to change that. He’s pretty much resigned himself to the look at this point because he is not just shaving it off. He’s also resigned himself to Vlad making ‘approving’ and ‘mocking’ comments about it. Whatever, the guy can shove it.

Now, the only thing he didn’t like about the differences between his forms was that it wasn’t just his appearance. He actually was physically weaker in human form. He didn’t just look scrawny, he was scrawny. It was annoying as Hell and very often he forgot that he couldn’t lift something in human form that he could in ghost form. It almost annoyed him enough to make a damn point to workout in human form. Problem was, that would run the risk of his human form developing in the same way as his ghost one. He didn’t want to make his forms look even more similar. And Ancients, both Fenton and Phantom bulking up? Talk about suspicious. That would be just another thing for anyone suspicious of him to add to their lists of suspicious shit. So he’d rather put up with the annoyance and inconvenience of a weak human form. Hell, he wore baggy clothing to accentuate his skinniness.

Moving to flop down face-first in bed, changing between forms a bit just to feel his feet dangle off the bed slightly and then not at all. The height difference was something else getting annoying. He’s blaming that on him not eating enough, his ghost forms height had nothing to do with a good diet, unlike his human form. He honestly expects that as an adult there’s going to be a solid foot difference between his forms. Maybe more. Honestly? He’s just gonna have to get used to the differences. Even something as simple as rolling his shoulders or taking a deep breath felt so different between forms. But hey, it was worth his secret identity not being nearly as see-threw as glass. Now it was more like very foggy glass.

The personality differences he made a damn point to emphasis between his forms probably helped too, which used to be hard to do but now it just felt natural to be meek and timid while human then bold and carefree while ghost. Which Jazz worries wasn’t exactly healthy, for him to effectively be juggling two personalities, that he genuinely might have forcibly developed two personalities. Even his friends have pointed out how he’d act a little differently based on form even when it was just with them. But needs be musts. If he had a level of a split personality then so be it. Besides, being stronger made him feel bolder, being smaller made him feel like more of a pushover. That just seemed right and natural. Being tiny just makes people feel tiny. Being large in a muscular way just makes people feel imposing. That’s normal, right? Eh oh well, if it’s not then it’s not. He’s not normal in the first place anyway. And yeah, he wasn’t doing the whole superhero disguise thing even remotely normal or according to the movies and comic books. But fuck it, it seemed like it was going to work out for him, and he doesn’t have to carry around a suit or disguise crap. There will be no changing in phone-booths for him or wearing a jumpsuit under his clothing (which honestly? Talk about an easy way to get caught).

Hell, maybe those fictional heroes should be jealous of him. All he had to do was alter his molecular/genetic structure and the substance his body was made out of, not cart around a whole ass disguise and perpetually speed change. And now that his body was changing, well maybe he actually was lucky.

End.

[jess-the-vampire]

Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 47

Previous / Next:

-

"So what do you think angel?".

Sky motioned to the platters of food that were nearly finished, having prepped the chefs and even helped out with, lexi adding final touches wherever she wanted, much to the chef's dismay. Angel of course seemed super tired and still stressed, as if thinking any small thing could ruin the whole entire night and mess things up with the king of spider monsters.

His dad wasn't cruel, he was no toffee or shastacan.

But the disappointment was enough to scare him.

He never used to care about this before, but now...it was always on his mind, taking over it. He nervously looked over what they had prepared, his father was coming in a few minutes, he wasn't dressed because they had been occupied with getting the dining hall ready and checking and changing the dinner options...5 times, they had wasted so much time and angel still wasn't sure they got things right.

"I...I'm not sure...maybe-".

"Angel...we don't have much time left, we spent hours getting stuff ready...we gotta get you changed...we're going to have to go with this...", she wasn't saying it to be mean, but angel didn't have time to be picky right now, especially if he wanted to have anything ready at all for his father. She patted his back to reassure him and ask if there was anything else he wanted to add to the meal his father would like.

But he only shook his head, disappointed but knowing she was right and they had to get moving.

"Let's go get changed...", his voice sounded defeated as he waved to marco before heading his way out, followed by sky who also waved to the demon queen, "Just don't be long, we'll be calling everyone to dinner very soon, remember he's not the only new guest we have here tonight". They gave her a knowing look and sky felt a fit in her stomach at remembering her grandma was finally coming over.

"I'm surprised you're so calm", he mumbled to the butterfly princess.

"Hmm?".

Angel turned to face her, "Your grandma is coming over and you're acting like it's not a big deal at all, you're not panicking over food, what you're going to wear...you're the complete opposite of me...". Sky was actually nervous even if he didn't think she looked it, but at the same time this event wasn't exactly about impressing her or proving anything to her so she had little reason to freak...as much.

There were other reasons to worry about her grandma that involved stuff outside of sky herself.

Whatever was really happening was more between her grandma...and her mom, less so about sky, her own mom had way more of a reason to be packing just as bad as angel was at the moment. Her grandma could be soft and sweet but also strict and scary if she wanted to be, not to mention pretty overbearing, she seemed to think at times she knew better then others.

Which of course, did not work for the current queen at all.

She had been trying to keep her mom out of her work for as long as she could, and now she was coming and there was nothing more she could do to convince the former queen to turn back to her retirement. She was coming and it would take more then usual to get her to turn back and away from the mess she had come to help try and fix where her daughter had failed.

Moon had gotten involved with sky being queen...a little, but her main focus was usually on her own daughter, after all...her daughter was meant to be the one teaching sky in the first place. So if she had to butt in and do star's job for her that wasn't good on star herself, though sky would argue this made moon look just as bad when it came to teaching star in the first place.

Anyways, she hated to even be involved during their bickering with stuff like this, she was lucky so far her life involved a lot less of it then she could've had. Being involved in the drama of two adults is a lot like being involved in the drama of two annoying teenagers, and sky had the urge to ask landon to borrow some of his headphones just to be safe.

"Well...guess i don't stress as much about making a good impression...most of the time, even when people were treating me like garbage i never really put on a fake persona and look to impress them so i guess it's just something i don't do", sky shrugged and tugged the prince along further, "But i mean, you got it way worse then me right now so that also probably makes a difference...".

"This feels like something a child would do after breaking one of their parent's things...doesn't it?".

"I guess you can say that yeah".

He hid his face within his hands, red, "You must think i seem like a real fool right now, you keep trying to reassure me and i keep freaking out about it and i just can't help it..." and that's when sky held out her hand, him taking it...still embarrassed. "It's fine, i'm not making fun of you for it...i get it, this whole thing is kinda important to you...you're going to be ok".

"I need to breathe more often...".

"It's still a learning process, you'll get used to it...hopefully, c'mon let's just get you dressed before you melt into the floor", she tugged him along as they made it to her room, which of course, was very much guarded still, angel awkwardly sat on the bed as sky headed inside her own wardrobe. "I'm assuming you're personally not into dresses so we'll rule that out for now, besides, i don't think any of my dresses will work with your back legs anyway".

Angel touched one of them in response.

"Good call".

"Now what i DO have is some stuff i was going to give to judas for his coronation, i started working on clothes ideas and these are mostly scrapped...i haven't had a ton of time to work on them exactly...but i nearly forgot i had been working on a few things for him...so maybe you can wear one...if you want to that is...if not i got other stuff in here...".

"Such as?".

She walked out holding a leather jacket and jeans.

"I mean, look, i dunno what exactly is your style outside of fancy stuff...but you could try...?", angel stared at the clothing with uncertainty, he still clearly didn't know what he wanted to do with his appearance and he had little time to think about it. Sky placed the clothes on the bed, "Hey...look...you can do whatever you wanna do...just make sure it's something you want to do...".

He took a minute to really think about it, nodding his head as he softly spoke.

"Well...leather might not really be me...but...you...have any sweaters in there? That might be more my speed...but...i'll wear a shirt under it and um...I'm ok wearing one of jude's jackets...", something about how he said it made sky smile, he seemed actually happy with his own choice. A choice made by him for him and not to please his father or anyone in particular.

"Sounds good, i can find that for you, you can shower real quick and we'll be good to go".

"What about you?".

She turned to face him, "I'll be fine as is...promise, you just need to worry about yourself and what you wanna say when your dad finally arrives, that's WAY more of a concern. You can think about it more in the shower and everything...". Angel glanced at the clothes and drawings sky and sunny had been working on earlier, clearly being reminded of the upcoming plans.

But he didn't say anything, instead sky fetched what he needed and he was quickly shoved into the closest nearby royal bathroom. What emerged soon later as a fresher smelling prince of the Arachmen, wearing a collared shift with a sweater and jacket overtop, he still had some nice shows and pants on but he seemed quite comfortable, his hair tired back behind him but a lot looser then it used to.

"How do i look?", he held out his arms and spun around to show the princess all of his angels, just to make sure he wasn't missing anything.

"Like a goober".

"What?".

"You look great, trust me, but tell me how you feel about it?".

He looked down at himself, adjusting his sweater, "Well...i feel...warm...and...comfortable".

"Perfect".

"You really seem to care about...me liking this stuff...don't you?", she shrugged as she brushed his sweater to make sure there weren't any loose hairs on him, "Well i mean, as someone who got annoyed at my parents telling me not to wear my hat for fun events, i'm not the person that's gonna force you one way or another...i just want you to like...be comfortable being yourself...and being that way to other people".

He softened at that as they made their way to the dining hall, to meet up with everyone. Most of everyone did seem to be there, though the most notable absent ones were judas, landon, celeste, her other mom, and...mason? She saw Queen Lucitor dressed up nearby in a rather radiant looking dress before approaching, still tugging angel along, guess angel wasn't the only one who decided to dress up real quick before dinner.

"Hey...where's-?".

"Judas? Off taking some time for himself still...hopefully he'll rejoin us soon, he's being kept company by katrina right now actually, she called in a bit ago. As for mason, he's still with fae and janna, they'll be a little late to eat, and well...landon and celeste are apparently visiting luna right now...so i'm not sure how long they'll be there but sadly we don't have time to retrieve them all...we'll just have to check in on them at dinner".

"Wait...visiting luna? Why in the heck would either of those grumps even want to be in the same room as her right now?", but she didn't have the time to question it, as here came her mom, in a rather nice golden dress and fixing her crown as she ran past her own daughter and into the dining room, the heavily armed guards quick to get out of her way.

"Guess Grandma's here...".

And sure enough, as sky turned around, followed by a few more guards came a new flowing figure with silvery hair tied back in a braid, wearing a blue gown with a cape, and with diamond marks that matched her heavy makeup. Angel was stuck in place, unable to move, and sky followed, stiff as a board upon her arrival, now wishing she had changed her clothing.

"Hello Skyler".

And before sky could say more she noticed another figure approaching and if the situation didn't make it obvious enough, the spider legs did. King Amir ArachFord striding his way next to the former queen, standing in place, looking rather nice all things considered, guards nearby holding gifts for most likely his wife as he looked at the group who had been waiting for their arrival.

Angel looked like he might actually have fainted.

"Hello Angelus.".

"Hello...fath...dad".

This was going to one hell of an awkward evening.

-

"We outta do this with fae more often...", janna smirked, way too pleased with herself as the mole man trembled in his seat just looking at fae. Ever since the girl had come into the room everything had gone from bad to worse, the lights broke, his chair broke, a rock fell from the ceiling and hit him on the head, he fell over a dozen times, it was eerie to say the least.

Something about the little girl was off, and yet somehow, the other small demon in the room seemed so unfazed, sitting and cheering her on.

In fact everyone was unfazed but him.

The downside to working with her was well, she was a wild card, there was a high chance something bad to could happen to any of them, though the difference was he was alone, they were not. Fae didn't want to accidentally hurt mason but she wanted his companionship in this situation, she would've felt way more uncomfortable without a face she was used to helping her out.

She had never considered her cruse to be much more then an annoyance at least, burden at worst, being asked to put it to use had been an...interesting idea she never considered before. Though she did feel a little uneasy interrogating anyone, she wasn't exactly sure about this guy much and even with her abilities and protection...who knows what her powers might do.

Might make things worse.

But janna seemed confident, jackie writing in her notepad as janna lured around their prisoner.

"You really voluntarily decided to work for a criminal? I mean i get the appeal and everything but you made a bad choice in working with the one who nearly hurt my kid", nearby jackie sighed and shook her head, janna never changed did she? "I mean, sure she's super scary and everything, but you didn't even think to turn her into us? Woulda saved us a lot of work".

"Look, i had no idea she was a criminal, i told you, our kingdom barely knew about all of this...ok? She showed up, needed a place to stay, i had that old chamber and she stayed...that was it".

"You knew she was doing bad stuff though", Jackie added, "Otherwise you wouldn't have reacted the way you did in the bar when the queens and king confronted you, you keep denying you knew the full extent but you clearly knew something more you haven't told us about...there's no way you didn't know something, she had a child locked up down there for hours...and you ran from us when we tried to arrest you...".

"Well i-".

"If you are as innocent as you claim you're certainly not making yourself out to look that way to any extent, you're better off confessing the truth then risk us going any further to scare it out of you...there's no point in defending this person so much". She sent him a cold glare that challenged those of even moon's as the man shook a little as a result.

" You have no idea how scared i was...how much she made me fear for my life, that she would never leave me be and would destroy me if i said or did anything, i meant no harm to anyone, but i had to worry for my own safety lest it have happened to anyone else i had known in my home". Jackie kept writing in her pad, "Sir, we are not trying to pretend you weren't afraid...but you could leave, you should've told someone".

"And what? Risk being killed? Even now if i say anything more i risk them bursting in here and destroying me, you lot can't protect me, you couldn't even protect your own castle. I'm better off shutting my trap and keeping quiet about what's going on then risking my own life. Even if...you have dangerous children around to scare info out of me...at least dying to her might be...less painful then whatever that magical horror might do", she didn't seem as sure on that last part but he shut his mouth tight.

Janna didn't seem to enjoy that, she didn't felt they were getting rather close on the whole matter, they'd been in here for hours at this point and had only gotten just a little of what they were looking for, and they needed so much more. They could already feel themselves getting hungry and they couldn't stay much longer, but they didn't want to leave like this, without what she had been looking for since the moment she entered this room.

He had to know something more that he wasn't sharing, he couldn't be this out of the dark like angel was.

Janna stood in front of him now, face in his face, she was good at scaring people in her kingdom but he wasn't from her kingdom...so it was unlikely he knew who he was messing with. She couldn't exactly hurt him, jackie was in the room after all and so were two kids, but she had a thing for mindgames and of course...hypnotism. So maybe she needed to try something else to get it out of him.

"Janna?".

"Hmm?".

"I don't like that look on your face, i know what it means", and indeed jackie had remembered it since they were really young kids, it was the kinda face that told her to be very mindful of janna's next few actions, otherwise she might get into a mess herself. It was also the face she tended to make before marco got themselves in a whole heck of trouble from her.

"What does it mean?", the man asked, a slight tinge of nervousness in his voice.

This of course, immediately made janna very happy, she might of finally had something.

"Oh well, you won't have to worry about that, not unless you talk to us", she drummed her fingernails on the table between them, "I mean, you don't wanna ask questions you don't want the answers to after all". He didn't want to show he was worried, but janna could sense it on him, so distracted he didn't notice fae's bad luck triggering a glass of water nearby to shatter, scaring jackie and the kids.

"You're bluffing".

"I'm one of the queens of mewni, if i want to make a threat, don't assume it always means i'm just bluffing, you'd be surprised the kinda people i've been able to crack...much tougher then you".

He appeared as if he wanted to say something in response to that but chose to keep his mouth shut instead. Janna seemed pleased at that response, though maybe she would've liked for him to challenge her, would be a perfect way to start scaring him. Jackie tugged on janna's shoulder, pulling her back, "Trust me when i say, she doesn't really tend to bluff...but she is also right...you might be better off admitting what you have on you...".

"I...I stated my reasons...i can't".

"Sir, this is to help protect tons of people, if you tell us what you know many people can rest well at night, we understand you are fearful, so are we...but this is important and you need to be brave for them", he paused a moment, thinking on her words, but he still shook his head. "Sorry, no can do...if i have to live in this prison for the rest of my life, i'll take that over meeting a gruesome fate".

He just wasn't going to budge, and they were just going to have to change tactics.

Janna looked to Jackie, still grinning and clearly asking permission for her to go wild on the man before them, and jackie...as reluctant as she was...knew she just wasn't going to be winning this one.

"Look, i'm not ok with you doing stuff like that, but as long as not actual physical harm comes to him, then it's worth a shot i guess...but i am taking the kids outside, they really should eat something and i don't think they should be apart of this if we're about to make things get a whole lot worse, and i definitely don't want whatever you do affecting them...so...fine". Her reply seemed to make janna even more excited, and the man more confused, clearly expecting violence to have been what janna was talking about.

"We're leaving?", mason asked, stretching his wings.

"Yeah, we're not going to stick around for this mess, trust me, you don't want to...", she left her notepad out for janna, her look stern. "Write anything of importance, don't lose it, and don't go too far...i mean, i know you won't make any promises for sure but i still at the very least want to make sure i say that.". She moved fae away from the scene, and gathered her sword nearby.

"So did i do a good job with this or-?".

"Fae, you did well, but you're still a kid, you need a break...time to let janna take over for a bit ok?", she headed them out of the heavily guarded and locked door as janna rubbed her hands together, mason spotted the man sweating as the door shut behind them. "Is janna gonna do what the crazy mask person did to Loki? take over his mind and make him speak?", it was odd for him to come out with it like that but he wasn't stupid.

"Kinda...yeah, but not exactly, she's not using magic".

"It's a lot like magic though, magic for the mind".

"I guess if you really think about it, it is a little like magic for the mind, but just remember not to mess with the minds of others for bad purposes, janna is doing it to help us out, and no damage should come to the man...but never use it to harm anyone ok?", sheesh, jackie didn't have any kids and yet she was so...mom-like, patting the two on the shoulder as they nodded.

"Miss Jackie?".

"Hmm?"

"Are you upset about...miss luna?".

This seemed to make her stop in her tracks, blinking at mason curiously, "Well um...i can't say i'm not, i mean she was my top student and imagining her as being an enemy this entire time is well...not quite...what i wanted to happen. Putting your trust in someone only for them to be arrested rarely leaves you with any sort of good feeling, but why are you asking?".

"Cause everyone seems to be really upset about luna, including both my brothers...", his wings feel to the floor, "Judas was pretty close to her and landon...well actually landon kinda doesn't like her but having her here still makes him upset...and you were one of the people who hadn't said much about her since she got here...so...i wanted to know".

"I guess considering she was my student...i probably should've had more to say about all of this...truth be told, i just decided maybe i should stay out of it. It seems like whatever is happening, it's something that more involves the queen and you kids then me, so i just do my job and keep to that, i don't add my own thoughts unless i'm usually asked when it comes to this".

"Why not?".

"Because usually it's not my place, some things you gotta stay out of, i'll be here to help you all whenever you need me, but i won't intrude on your personal feelings and drama like that...not unless you want me too, you guys are going through enough to also include me within all of that. You don't have to worry about me with all of this, ok? Worry about you".

"But i want to, besides, i don't want you to feel upset and left out too~".

She affectionately pet his head, fixing up his hat, "Thanks mason, it's nice of you to care about me, it is genuinely sweet of you." She fixed herself up and took fae's hand, "Hopefully whatever is going on with luna gets sorted out, i'm sure i'll be updated on her as time goes on...since her parents seem to be...unavailable, I'll kinda have to be in charge of her throughout this".

"So...you're kinda gonna be treated like her mom?".

"Basically".

If only she knew.

"Anyways, we'll come back for janna, after you both eat and get whatever else you need, you're been in there long enough anyways".

"Oh yeah, it's dinner time isn't it?", he'd been in there so long he hadn't been keeping track of the time at all, no wonder he was getting so hungry, his family had to have been already eating by this point. "Yeah, though just be careful when we get there, we have guests tonight, we don't want to be impolite or anything...after we eat i'll personally drop fae back to her home...honestly i'm surprised your parents are so...lenient".

"if it makes money, they don't care if i have to do out for a bit", she shrugged and said nothing more.

"You know, you might be unlucky, but people should treat you a little better...being unlucky isn't your fault", she didn't respond again to what she said but jackie swore she at least saw her eye move to look at her a bit, "You're more then just your luck, you're a very charming girl from what i can tell, you're honest, you're helpful, and you clearly care about your family to be trying to help them".

"It's fine, i don't mind being alone and everything, more time to...think and everything", mason stuck his head out to look at her but she still didn't look at either of them, "Mason's my only real friend, everyone is always turned away. Bad Luck, either i lose to them to it or they decided they no longer want to deal with it, it's something i'm just used to".

"Well that doesn't seem fair, friends should stick by through all the trouble you go through, you clearly mean no harm to any of them".

"But i can't blame them either, even now i have to warn people when i first meet them to stay away from me, just in case they might get hurt, mason only hangs with me because he's...not scared of me, he doesn't care...but other people do...i mean, i told him to stay away the first time i met him because i didn't want to be in trouble if he got hurt hanging around me".

"You really feel like this all the time?", now the woman looked extremely concerned, more like a mom then she had expected to be over this small child. "That sounds really awful fae, i'm so sorry you have to go through that at your age...you shouldn't have to be scared about hurting your friends at your age, you should be making friends and spending time with them whenever you can".

"Easier said then done", she mumbled.

"Well, now that i'm here in mewni, i'll see if i can help you make some friends, i train all kinds of knights of many different ages here, they're unafraid of any danger and maybe they're a good fit for you! They probably won't mind your bad luck at all". She seemed rather doubtful of any of that but it was the nicest thing anyone had said to her in a good while that didn't come from mason.

"If you say so".

It probably wasn't the exact answer jackie wanted to hear, but not the worst kind either, at least fae seemed midely interested. "Hey, if anything, back there was a pretty good audition for you, you know how to be intimidating and you're already good with horses, i'd say it might be a match made for you, but don't pressure yourself, it's ok if you don't want to".

Fae nodded.

"You don't have to invite me to all your royal meals or whatever, i'm not exactly royalty...", but she quickly felt mason's wing pull her into a side hug, "Doesn't mean we can't invite you, you're friends of royalty, so that's just as cool and just as much of a reason for you to eat with us". She let out a smile, not a big smile, but a genuine smile that only made mason more happy.

"Just make sure to be on your best behavior, with moon there and king arachford, we're in for one heck of a night", she informed as they made their way to the door, being let in by guards to see everyone else already seated. Mason already noticing his missing brothers right away, but not saying anything in case that might of been out of line, though star was quick to notice her wife's absense.

"Is janna still working?".

"Yeah, she had a few other methods she wanted to try out, she should be here soon, i took the kids though", mason and fae heading to open seats for them, the woman looking between everyone. "I really hope i didn't walk in on anything, i know we're rather late but things took a lot longer then we were expecting and he was rather hard to break somehow".

"Even with fae AND Janna?".

"Well considering we just now got here, what else do you think happened? If it had been that easy we would've been done hours ago, but while fae did scare him, he apparently is way more scared of...Her, threats against his life it seems, and as far as i can tell he's never seen their face, so janna's going to try a new tactic and you'll have to meet up with her after dinner depending how it goes".

Star wasn't used to Janna not being able to scare the living daylights out of anyone before, she just hoped her mom nearby wasn't taking it as another sign of imcompintence on her or janna's part. Jackie took her seat after saying hello to the former queen and helped herself as more food was being set out, mason looking over to sky as if asking why his brothers weren't here.

She mouthed to him from across the table that it was a long story.

She really wanted to go find judas, he had to be hungry as well at this point, but she knew he needed his space right now either, it just was on her mind right now. She was worried in what state she might find him in the next time she saw him, sure he'd dealt with a lot before but this whole thing broke down most of his world, there was no coming back from that easily.

She just didn't want him to be alone through it either.

But she had to just wait it out, through dinner, and well...there was plenty to distract her if she wanted to be distracted. Her grandmother had wasted no time in getting into her reasons for being here, as anyone would expect of her. Star of course being incredibly nervous the entire time, worried just what her mother might point out and fuss over and make things worse.

Star loved her mom, she was helpful and not always such a pain.

But she could feel the disappointment in her voice. She had never had so much trouble with anything in a long time, she could usually handle threats like this and yet this one seemed to doop her at every level, it didn't look good on any queen but especially not her. Moon couldn't complain too badly, she herself had been involved with scary threats and hadn't always known what to do.

But that didn't mean she didn't need help.

It became very clear she needed to get involved, whether star liked it or not, maybe having her there might ponder different results. She was already talking about their plan and discussing what she did and didn't like, clearly the idea of using a royal celebration as a trap was not exactly her favorite idea in the world, even if it had a decent chance of actually working.

But that didn't surprise Star, at all.

Of course Star wasn't the only one at the table with parental issues that were on the rise, Angel and his father had been silent all dinner so far, most of the conversation being had by the two butterflies. They both had mostly just sat and ate, though Sky swore the king had been eyeing her a few times, probably wondering exactly how their friendship had been progressing considering sky was indeed sitting next to angel.

Nora however, was trying to be as cheery as possible, even though she also seemed worried for judas. She clearly sensed the tension in the room and was trying to be as cheery as sunny was, but even sunny was talking more to galexia and was staying out of the argument. Marco and Tom were keeping to themsleves as well, it seemed moon brought a new atmosphere then it was before now.

One that kept everyone quiet.

Sky wanted angel to just talk to his dad but that wasn't something she could just make him do, it was one of those things that had to naturally happen and right now was far from natural, as sad as it was. She did feel they wanted to talk though, but maybe more in private, where there weren't so many people around to listen in or make things more uncomfortable then they already were.

They just kept...looking at each other.

She could only imagine what was going through their heads, the king had barely left his kingdom in what must've felt like forever for him and now he was dropped in the middle of his wife being revived, his son dealing with his issues, and moon overall. This could've been a happier meeting if things were just a little less tense right now for him and everyone else.

"It's good to see you sir".

That's when the king turned to Sunny, who was waving to him, he waved back smally.

Remembering the small girl who had spent time with his wife in what felt like so long ago, he didn't seem to know what he wanted to say though, but he coughed into his hand to not be impolite. "Well, i appreciate being invited, having globgor take over the kingdom for a little...it's nice, i was really happy to come over and...not have to deal with too much at the moment".

Angel sunk more into his seat.

"Well we're happy to see you too ! It's nice having new people come over for dinner! You look good!",

Leave it to sunny to know how to talk to people and make them feel super welcome, even in the most awkward of circumstances. He looked over his old suit and nodded, "Thank you, it belonged to my father, i wanted to look my best...for Arana, i didn't want her to wake and see me look like such a mess, though...i'm sure i will when she wakes up...i ugly cry".

"She's going to be so happy to see you and angel!".

"Yes...", he glanced over to his son, who wasn't making eye contact with him still, "I'm sure she will. though she has so much to catch up on, being in this state for so long...and she might not even completely be herself after she wakes...her mind...damaged, there's going to be so much work to do...but we'll try and manage the best we can...hopefully".

"I semi met her...in her mind", sky mumbled, "I mean i wasn't intended to do that, mom just wasn't good at making a barrier around her to warn me before i got sucked in, she seems...well...she seems like she's still really lovely, i know i never was close with her throughout everything, but...i hope when she gets up to get to know her a bit better".

He was smiling, feeling more comfortable among everyone in the room, even if the queens weren't paying attention, even tom and marco looked pretty happy.

Angel was still quiet though.

He was having a hard time breaking his silence to just talk and speak up, even though he had to, he needed to. But sky put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, if you want to talk to him after dinner...it's ok, like don't force it or anything...or you might say something you might regret. No one is judging if you don't want to get into it at the table with a bunch of weirdos...".

He nodded, appreciative.

"You cooked a wonderful meal for my arrival, i really do appreciate the effort, though you didn't have to make any of my favorite dishes", and that resulted in sunny glancing to angel himself, smiling, "Hey, if it wasn't for your son, we might of had a harder time preparing for you, he knows what you like and what would mean a lot to you, he really valued making this dinner".

Angel blushed deeply at the comment, he shouldn't be so embarrassed about that, it just felt weird still to be...complimented...and to his father too.

His father seemed really touched at the thought, and that only made angel more flustered, this whole thing was going better then he expected.

"I'm sad to see young prince lucitor isn't here, i would've liked to see him again after the last time at the trial, but i assume with everything going on he probably has other responsibilities at hand", tom and marco looked at each other and sky readjusted herself in her seat, "Well uh...something like that, you're not completely wrong, you might see him later though".

"I also have no idea if i've said this before, but i want to thank you too princess", sky froze in her seat, the man folding his arms on the table. "You put yourself on the line for my son and you did help him get free of all of this...that was not something you had to do for him or my family, especially considering everything you had been put through, i really can't thank you enough".

"I mean, i mostly just winged it, i barely knew what i was doing but...thank you, you're super welcome", He then turned to angel, and nodded, "I must admit...i missed having you home, it's been a lot lonelier then before, you look...good. It's really nice to see you with good friends and having a good time, i wouldn't want you to be dealing with...our kingdom".

"How bad is it?", nora meekly asked.

"Let's just say going out right now is not a great option, not to say our people had no reason to be mad, but i feel they have gone too far. I think they really feared four our livelihoods after that trail, not just with the butterfly family, but if the person angel had betrayed would come back and kill us all as some form of retribution. I think you can say for sure angel isn't...popular there".

Angel was about to sink even further in his seat as his father talked more.

"However, they seem to have a soft spot for what sky, nora, and judas did...they've never seen our kingdom be so...defended before like that, the spiderbites especially. So perhaps something about your friendships do regress some of the anger." Nora blushed red as she instinctively grabbed her hair, "It's no problem at all, i just wanted to help...her and...".

He smiled gently at her, "Not once in our kingdom have we gotten so close with the others like that, i think while the people are mad they can't deny they really are impressed angel somehow managed to get the spiderbites to be on decent terms with us". Angel felt an ease of tension and anxiety, sitting a bit more up back in his seat, did he actually do something...right? And people liked it?

Sensing angel feeling a little better at the words sky interjected.

"Yeah, angel's been doing pretty great recently, i mean, don't get me wrong, he's pushed my buttons quite a few times and everything, but he's been pretty helpful and making a lot of progress. Like i really appreciated his help when i went through the castle to save one of my friends, he had my back the entire time...even though he didn't have to".

Angel was definitely less anxious, but now he and nora both were blushing at being praised so much.

"Angel was really involved during the underworld castle incident?", guess the man wasn't aware of his son being involved in it at all, and sky patted the spider next to her on the back. "Oh yeah he was, i mean at first i came in to save him, but then he stuck with me the entire time even though he was scared, it was honestly pretty cool of him to do".

Angel's father actually seemed to be rather impressed, not expecting these kinds of actions from his son before this point, angel had done very irrational things before this point but nothing noble and brave like this. Though the man did seem still upset about what happened before he did seem impressed about what he was seeing now, and angel felt he could breathe again.

"I-".

"It's ok angelus, we'll talk more about everything later...we have a lot of catching up to do".

Angel nodded in agreement, and the table felt slightly more at ease, not that the argument up front had stopped anytime soon. The women hadn't been paying any attention to the nice moment at all, star was still debating her mom on all her ideas and moon was very much still telling star off for not getting her involved sooner to clean up this mess.

This was the kinda thing that made sky hate family reunions, did all famlies have to fight like a bunch of idiots when eating dinner together?, Cause even judas's family did that at times and he got annoyed about it.

The sooner they got out of here the better.

Even the Lucitors were getting tired of it, Marco quickly standing up, actually starling the butterflies from their talk. They looked over to their husband and sighed, "I'm going to look for landon and celeste, maybe judas...if they don't want dinner we can bring it to them later. But we'll be having dessert soon and they still haven't shown up, so i'm going to check on them".

In the back of sky's mind though, she was sure it was half actually that, and half not wanting to be here and hear the adults argue.

But Tom stood up to, "Actually i'd like to join you, we might be able to save time by spreading out, they're my kids too.". Tom taking their partner's hand and kissing their cheek as they headed out with a wave to the kids in the room. They were smart on finding a way out of this situation, that was for sure, even angel and his father were looking for an excuse out but that wouldn't do.

They needed some permission, especially since this wasn't their castle and they were here as star's guests basically.

"-I'm just saying star, you should've taken these precautions after what happened with toffee, i know you're struggling hard here but this is all too much and it's gone on for too long and has gone too far. It's time you let someone else take the reigns, i have more military experience, so i should be able to help with some of my ideas, then we might be able to work further on this".

"Mom, we have a plan!".

"Star, plans aren't 100% You know that. There's so much you might have not even considered, and even if it did work, things can go wrong, what if they escape?", of course moon probably didn't know it but her words were beating sky down just a little. It had been her plan for the most part and she knew it wasn't even a great plan but gee, thanks grandma.

But she had a point, this was a serious situation, they couldn't afford to have a plan with possible holes or cracks in it either. Ddi they want to capture the criminal or lose another time? Sky felt herself mindlessly start playing with her food, her mind wandering during their argument. Angel mumbling under his breath, "i mean, i thought it was a pretty smart idea".

If judas couldn't be here, she was glad angel and nora were.

"Well then we'll make it work! It's a good idea mom, we need to lure them, that's the only way we're going to get anywhere!", star was determined on this one, she had to fight her mom on it, otherwise they might not get another chance. Not to say her mom's plans couldn't work, but the sooner they did this the better and who knew if they'd get as good an opportunity later.

"Star, i understand, but it's dangerous, imagine how many people will be there, in the line of fire too! Safety is important here, and if things go poorly we have a high chance someone won't make it", even though his name hadn't been mentioned at all, angel knew she was talking specifically about him. His heard his father grunt across from him, before finally getting the ladies's attention.

"I do have to agree about safety, this is a young prince's coronation after all, you are inviting an enemy onto troubled grounds. Luring them is a smart move but perhaps moon needs to modify the plan however she can", the thing was, they all agreed the plan would need to be worked on anyway, they knew it, but obviously star didn't want moon to be the person in charge of it either.

"Look, i know you don't want me here but i promise star, this won't be as bad as you think, the more minds the better to work on this. Soon enough we'll be able to breathe again and i can go back to resting, we're just going to have to work together and no amount of yelling at me is going to be making me go back into retirement", the queen sat back in her chair and star let out a huff of defeat.

"Fine".

"Since meteora is back i'll be talking to her later, i want to catch up on anything i've missed recently, because judging by all the faces at this table, i have missed quite a few details it seems", she glanced at sunny and galeixa, then to fae. Guess when it came down to it, they probably would be minor details to any average mewman hearing about all the crazy stuff going on with the criminal.

She smiled at the spider king, fixing her dress, "Sorry, i know we were talking awhile over there, nearly forgot we had a guest over your highness, as soon as we finish eating we'll take you to visit your darling arana, she should still be resting right star?". Star still looked rather mad as she leaned against her seat, but she complied to her mom's question, "Well yeah...but like...no promises what'll happen when she wakes...the spiderbites are sure she'll have memory issues no matter what".

"She will", nora mumbled, "Memories can be healed but...having us heal all of them...was unlikely with how quickly we figured out what was happening...but...maybe over time, things might work...at the very least...she's not near death now...", it was a plus, they could give her that. She wouldn't be the same as she was but she wouldn't be too gone either.

"You...think...she'll remember me?", the king muttered softly, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I'm sure she will, her family seems to mean everything for her", she didn't honestly know at the end of the day, but she had to hope at least, she had been in her mind,

The door opened, and three figures entered, tom and marco back surprisingly quickly, but with a guest at hand. Judas was standing behind them, he didn't look great but he didn't look awful either. He must've been hungry though, as he didn't even look at anyone as he sat down to eat in silence. Even the spider king didn't get a look, the man shocked at the teen's demeanor.

He had never seen prince judas so...rough before.

Judas was usually a happy individual, making jokes and helping everyone around him. Now he looked to be too inside his mind to really focus on anyone in particular, he just wanted to get something in his stomach and head out to be back in isolation as soon as possible. Angel and Nora also looked deeply troubled, both wanting to reach out to the boy who was ignoring them.

Tom and Marco whispered to sky as they passed by, "We found him in a hallway nearby, he just wants to eat, give him his space...landon and celeste are still with luna". That didn't make sky feel any better though, judas seemed to have silenced everyone, even queen moon seemed a little stunned. She wasn't around that much but she knew enough to know this didn't sit right with her.

This was the prince who was supposed to be king soon, and not only that, but whose coronation was the center of their plan.

And here he was, looking like a depressed mess.

How were they supposed to casually have a conversation with judas like this?

Well to put it lightly, they didn't, the room was silent until judas finished eating and excused himself to go and sleep. His parents didn't even protest it at all, letting him leave the room before standing up a few moments later to drag landon and celeste over here. Both of them clearly having waited till they knew judas was a little whiles away before heading out as to not bother him.

It felt like without judas some soul had been ripped from everyone.

Even Sunny.

It said a lot when even she said nothing to him.

Judas came over to get some food and left without so much as a word, not to his friends, his family, anyone, it was the worst anyone had even seen him in a good while and it left everyone with a sense of dread and sadness.

It took a minute for anyone to even talk at dessert, and the one to actually break wasn't the person anyone had been expecting to speak first at all. A small cough coming from next to mason, Fae shoving chocolate cake into her mouth as she spoke. "Y'know, mason is super happy and everything and everyone talks about how cute he is, but honestly judging by how you all are, it seems judas is the one that usually makes everyone super happy when he enters the room...no offense mase".

"It's ok, i'm not mad".

No one argued against that, judas was pretty much a friend to anyone.

He really knew how to make everyone feel better about themselves, and be someone's shoulder to lean on, and stand up for everyone if he could. In some ways he was the life of the group, he kept everyone going even when they were breaking down. Sky bit at her lip, "I know we got stuff to do but...next chance we get...after he has some time...we should all be there for him...do something nice".

"I agree", they all looked to King Amir, who eyes his son, "He's a good kid, and he's done a lot for us as well, i would be happy to contribute if you wish to have my help. I would love to pay you all back as much as i can after everything you've done". Even though neither of them were in the room, tom and marco would be extremely grateful for the kindness once they heard about this.

Everyone cleaned up quick, most of them heading out to their room to sleep protected, though the spider monsters parted off to speak, moon and star were off to deal with their issues with janna included, and sky almost was out herself when marco quickly came running back. They seemed relieved to see her, panting, they looked a little panicked and that immediately didn't sit well with sky.

"Landon and celeste...they're not with luna?".

"They aren't?".

"And luna isn't in her room either!".

-

"Dad...there's a lot i want to say".

"I know, it's been on my mind since the trial, a lot has been on my mind, it's...really had me thinking", they closed the door behind them, angel taking a seat in the vacant room as guards blocked the door for them. "Don't assume i'm not mad, i am...even if i understand why, but i also could tell you were terrified...and...i can't be mad at you for something like that either", he paused for a moment, his ears twitching.

"I...haven't...been a great dad...have i?".

Angel didn't answer, but that was all he needed.

"Angelus, you disobeyed me horribly and put everyone at risk...but it's not just your fault...it's mine, i'm your father...i should've been keeping a better eye on you, should've been helping you deal with these issues and feelings and stopped comparing you to judas and sky and...it's clear i did hurt you. If i had done something sooner maybe i could've prevented something bad from happening, prevented you or anyone from getting hurt...i never really thought as hard as i should about the things you were going through...i expected you to just...be this or that, and all that seemed to do was turn you against me".

"But i didn't listen to you...you know that, i constantly skipped lessons and went out when you didn't want me too and even got myself hurt multiple times as a result...i would've protested anyway", he still felt guilty, if he had listened none of this would've happened in the first place. But his father went on, "Maybe, but that didn't mean i shouldn't have tried harder...i've been so overcome with grief...i've neglected you a bit...no...a lot. Ever since you stayed here i've had so much time to think to myself and...i screwed up, i know i did.".

Angel wanted to protest but he actually couldn't deny any of the words his father had been saying, his throat tightening. "Arana never would've wanted me to neglect you that way, not even for her...this entire situation was just as hard for you and...i didn't handle it in the ways i should have. No way that a dad should have, and i feel i should apologize to you directly, for any hurt i may of caused, we should've been dealing with this situation together...not apart...and i'm sorry".

Angel felt tears starting to wallop, as much ashe tried to hold them back, he then laughed a little in pain.

"I...Is it bad if i say i didn't expect you to come here and tell me you're sorry?", his voice felt cracky and he quickly cleared his throat, "I expected you to be upset with me...not want me to come back home, i was preparing to hear bad news even if sky was sure things might be different". His father didn't seem surprised by his words, he had probably been just as prepared for angel to lash out at him for leaving him.

And he wouldn't have been mad at him at all.

"I...reconsidered a lot, while we were separated...i'm not shocked at all you feel that way...you probably felt...i didn't care about you...thought of you as just an heir...and not my son, and...that was wrong of me to do...".

"And the people?".

"I want you back home angel, whether they do or not, you're still my only son, and you should still be allowed to come home and make a name for yourself, have a fresh start".

He stretched out his legs, all of them, his mind still processing his father's words. "How can i be sure things will be different? I don't want to go back there and have everything be the same, go back to being hated or alone...i'm worried things won't change for sure...i know i have changed, but that doesn't mean everyone else feels the same way".

"I know. i won't force it if you want to stay, i know you like it here".

Those words made angel feel more comforted, his father really was hearing him out, it was baffling. "Yeah, well, here is where my friends are and everything, i mean the citizens don't like me either but...at least i have friends". He tapped his fingers, his eyes closing, "But that doesn't mean i don't want to go back, if i could...i want both...i do want to be home...but i think this is also my home...".

"I understand, and i won't keep you from it...but if you want to go home, i think we can manage something...eventually", he paused, taking a seat next to his son and wrapping his cape around them both. "I think for now you will have to stay here, if even just to keep an eye on your mother, and until things are fully good back home...but I'll make sure to send you anything you want from home to make you more comfortable here...".

"I hope when i go back home, things will be a lot easier...i want to make things easier...to help, the kingdom, it deserves so much that i haven't given it", the king nodding, "I think you'll do great things...someday, we both have some learning to do...as kings and leaders. We...made a lot of mistakes...and it's going to take time to heal from them, but...i think we can".

"I...was willing to accept you didn't believe in me but...i like hearing it anyway", and angel shifted as his father hugged him, patting his bad and it seemed the man was even crying into his son's shoulder. "I...missed you...so much, more then i ever thought i could...it was alone without either of you...i want both of you back. I want something with you...i just...".

Angel's arms wrapping around him, enjoying the hug back.

"Thanks dad".

BOOM

The noise made angel's stomach drop.

Their nice moment interrupted by more noise coming from outside, angel getting up to check out the windows right away. The room they were in had a nice view of the courtyard of the castle and there he finally got view of what made the noise that drove him to panic. It seems somehow luna had gotten herself out of her room, and she was just...standing there...she wasn't trying to escape or fight or anything, but celeste was screaming at her, storm clouds starting to appear close by.

The booming of their thunder so loud it was impossible to miss.

Angel seemed really puzzled, what had been going on that he wasn't aware of this time?

But on closer inspection he could see sky down there, with judas's parents, trying to resolve the scene at hand before things go so much worse. Amir stood up to see what his son was looking at and then angel remembered his father didn't know about the uh...multiverse situation and seeing celeste accidentally perform magic was bound to be a bad idea, the boy quickly pushing his father away much top his confusion, "Incident in the courtyard...we outta get going".

Amir seemed skeptical that his son wasn't hiding something from him but followed angel regardless, just in case it was too dangerous for him to look.

And by the time they headed lower they found tom taking luna away back to her room and celeste and landon in marco's grasp, a tired sky nearby and nodding to angel, a sign they needed to talk later so she could explain further. "Sorry sir, seems we had a situation, er...the prisoner broke out and these two were um...handling it, you might of heard my son landon using magic a bit...i promise no one is hurt".

"Your fire powers can be that loud?", the king turned to the demon, who didn't respond, his face embarrassed and mad, but at least the king seemed to be buying the excuse.

"You'd be surprised", marco said with a cheeky smile, "We're one scary dimension for a reason after all".

"Well in that case, i'm glad you handled it, i got worried for a moment, the noise startled me and i thought something bad had happened".

"No no sir, it's alright, promise, landon will just be more careful next time".

It was a smart cover up, even if the idea of fire sounding a lot like thunder was a bit odd. The king just shrugged, and noticed the young prince and princess looking at each other, coughing to excuse himself. "Well angelus, i'm going to see your mother...you can come and join me later...alright?". Angel smiled back, "Thanks, i'll see you later", before his father left with guards right behind him.

Marco nodding their head to head to the nearby closet, the kids still in his clutches.

"What happeend?".

Sky snorted, "Celeste tried to challenge luna to a duel, that's what, not that it worked, luna didn't even fight, she just...stood there". Celeste grumbling under her breath, "I wanted her to face me for betraying us how she did...that's it...she said yes, we were only supposed to be out for a few minutes, but then she didn't...do anything, she stood there...she made me feel like a fool".

"She stood there?".

Landon shrugged, "I guess she changed her mind about the duel...", though it seemed there was more to it and under his mom's watchful eye he confessed. "I'm sorry i was hoping they'd reconcile or something, i wasn't trying to get anyone to start a fight or anything, i couldn't even convince her not to, she and luna pushed me back from it all...ok?".

At first marco wasn't sure whether to believe that but celeste added on.

"He's right...he...wanted me to go and get along and i just...look...i'm just angry ok? I just want her to apologize or something or just feel bad...i hate her stupid smug looking face and how she is to everyone...i'm so sick of it". She looked like she might break into tears, "I didn't mean to worry anyone or anything i just...i'm so tired of being walked over...".

"Celeste...hey...it's ok", Marco sighed, "Look, i know i'm not really your parent here but...maybe you need to talk to some adults about...your anger...like tom...if it's really taking over your life like this you need to seek some help". She sniffled and they pet her hair, "You should not have done any of that, ok? But it's ok, we'll deal with it from there...and get this sorted out".

"Did luna say much about what went on down there?".

Marco shook their head, "We'll talk about it later, i'll take landon and celeste with me...you both are expected to go see arana so you should head there, guarded of course, perhaps you can sort some stuff out on the way in terms of our next steps...but for now i'll see you both later...and take good care of each other. Oh, and make it back to sleep soon, ok?".

They both nodded, heading on their way to see arana, watching celeste and landon be wandered off like naughty children.

"Those two...every time"., sky shook her head, "Celeste needs help, i just hope she can get some...this all hasn't been much better on her". Angel's ears twitching, "We're losing people...aren't we? Judas, luna, celeste...we're falling apart a little...and right before we're supposed to react a plan too, what happens if we can't get everything ready or fall apart before this?".

"I don't know.".

That was the honest truth, she didn't know, it was all out of her control, but if things didn't get better there was no way they'd get this plan to even work. They'd be doomed before the plan even started. How much longer before she and angel cracked? Nora? Even sunny or lexi? She felt a bit of unease, she was now the leader or this group and said group was now falling apart.

"I'm going to keep up together...we have some healing to do...but i think we can do it...but...first...we should go see your mother, we can deal with it later...when it's a good time to do so", angel nodded to her, "Judas...helped me, a lot, and i want to return the favor to him. I...I don't know how exactly i can do that for what's going on but...i'm willing to try".

"You don't have to y'know?".

"He's my friend, and so are you".

She appreciated that, "It's not going to be simple sadly, the arm thing has been apart of his life for years, he's not going to be over it so quickly. It's kinda a lot to process...i mean, he had so many nightmares as a kid because of it, it ruined his life...he might feel like...it's all his fault for what happened and not...y'know, that it isn't his fault that no one knew".

"Yeah...i'm sure it will be".

They were contemplating what they could do and what might help as they made to what was now arana's own private room near the wing, upon special request by her husband to keep any onlookers from bothering her. Honestly, sky was happy not to have to keep going into that wing, some privacy was nice, the door opened for them and the guards standing outside.

"You're here!", the king was delighted to see them, still holding his wife's hand, "I wasn't sure how long it might take for you to join me, but i'm happy you're here, come, sit with me...she's moving...". He nodded to seats nearby, the teens making themselves comfortable. "When i see the Spiderbites i'm going to owe them so much for this, i never thought i'd even see her so...lively again".

"Well they're stuck here with us. so you'll get a chance i'm sure".

He was still occupied with his wife though, "I...have so much i want to tell her, but...i can't, not right away anyways...she's going to need time when she wakes up, her mind was so...damaged...but i promise once i can i'll make sure she knows everything she can and i'll make sure we celebrate her recovery. I could not have asked for a more...wonderful gift".

"In all fairness...it was partially dumb luck".

"You call it dumb luck, i call it fate", he pet the queen's hair gently, "You will always be welcome in my kingdom, princess".

"Well right now i can't even go within a few feet of your kingdom but thanks a lot, maybe we'll get to hang out...after everything rests." Her attention drawn to angel, "Besides, he still owes me a hangout to make up for the mess he put me through, so we'll try and get that done first before we make too many promises right now". she bumped angel next to her, who coughed.

"Oh yeah, right...thanks for reminding me again, all of this distracted me a bit".

"Whatever, as long as it's nothing crazy...the party is gonna be crazy as is...", she grumbled, her voice filled with dread.

"Perhaps you can accompany my son for jude's coronation...", the king piped up, looking between the two, "i assume you were planning to do that anyway, but I think he could use the company...he hasn't been allowed to really go to a party like this in years, and it might help to have someone around to well...watch over him and get him back into the swing of things".

Sky never considered this was angel's first party in a long time, maybe that's another reason he was nervous.

"Yeah sure...of course...as long as he doesn't go wild", she was joking of course but who could say for sure angel wasn't secretly a party animal now for all she knew. Angel laughed and in the moment things seemed easygoing and rather nice for all the stress of earlier, it had been such a long time since the entire arachford family had even been in the same room together.

Much less happy together.

Angel felt finally as if the butterflies had left his stomach fully, his stress about his dad gone.

But then a noise caught the attention of the group, interrupting the moment for them. Their first instinct was to turn to look at the queen, and sure enough, the noises were coming from her directly, she was stirring and it no one has seen her making noises like this in a while, especially with how silent these days she had been. It was a small breathe, then a whimper, then it almost sounded as if she was trying to speak some words, not that they could tell what the words actually were.

Then movement, the queen was stirring even more, startling everyone in the room further, the grip on the king's hand tightening. His mood was shifted, as if worried something was wrong for a moment, only for her legs to start moving as well. Her eyes started shifting around the room, her ears wiggling before she turned her head to face the group.

This was the most movement she had done in awhile and it had caught them entirely off guard.

"A-arana?".

She jolted again, her face shifting a bit more as she looked over the faces of her guests with a softness they hadn't seen in a long time.

"Angel?".

[amintyworld]

For the prompts! “Where WERE you?! Are you… okay…? Goodness, you’re burning up!” With Anxceit?

Hot and Cold

A/N: Hey Anon! Sorry, this took a while, but I finally got some motivation to finish it, and I hope you enjoy it! BTW, I forgot to add in part of the prompt, and I’m sorry, but I still hope you enjoy it anyway! - Minty

Summary: After an argument breaks out between Janus and Virgil, Virgil quickly leaves out into the incoming snowstorm. 

TW: Hypothermia, mention of cheating, unconsciousness. (As always, tell me if I missed anything!)

-------------------------- 

Virgil was stupid.

There was no other explanation for the reason he was walking down 11th Avenue beneath the bright streetlamps, rubbing his arms and shivering like a drowned cat. Tears slipped down his cheeks, turning a bitter cold as they left wet droplets on the sidewalk. 

Virgil Ingram was an idiot, there was no doubt. Only an idiot would run out the door without a jacket. A cold gust of wind left a cold chill in Virgil’s bones. His teeth chattered slightly as he tried in vain to get warm. 

It all started with a simple disagreement, a simple argument over some dishes, and within a few minutes, it turned fiery. The couple shouted at each other for hours, yelled at each other. It was Virgil’s and Janus’s first-ever argument as a couple, and Virgil was more than a little scared. 

Fear did always get the better of him. Virgil guessed that’s why he ran. That’s why he ran away from the person he loved more than anyone else in the world because he was afraid with a few words it was all over. It had to be over, right?

Janus’s face - twisted into a pure rage, his yells loud and sharp. No one could love him after a blow-up like that. Virgil’s heart burned with heartbreak, and his nerves rocked his body. Though he felt like going back, his mind urged him forward. He didn’t know where he was going, all he knew was that he was too ashamed and anxious to return. 

Suddenly, another chill blew through his bones, making him shiver. His head pointed down, he noticed the wetness of the sidewalk in confusion. He looked up - snow. It was snowing and he was wearing nothing but a T-Shirt. 

Awesome.

----------------------------------

Janus paced the living room, his cellphone in hand. He tried following his boyfriend when he booked it away from the house, only to quickly lose track of him and find his jacket on the ground on their doorstep - he hadn’t even noticed it when he chased after Virgil. 

The jacket he’d gotten for his boyfriend - hand-stitched, black with white sewn purple patches. Janus would never forget the look on Virgil’s face when he opened the present - that smile that made his heart melt. It was their one-year anniversary.

The jacket lay sprawled across the couch. Janus’s mind was worried for Virgil, making it spin like a top. He regretted every word, his anger dissipated all too quickly. It didn’t matter anymore, the argument, the anger, the back-and-forth - none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered to Janus was Virgil. He tried not to think about Virgil getting hurt, or kidnapped out in the cold and in the streets. 

Janus’s eyes checked his phone for the 15th time that evening. He’d called Roman in a panic after a few hours and Virgil not returning. Roman tried to calm him as he promised his friend to search around and make sure the emo was safe. Silence engulfed the small house. Janus huffed as he sat back down on the couch, his phone face up on the coffee table in front of him. His leg shook nervously as he waited for a sign, a signal… anything.

His eyes snapped toward a sound, the vibrating phone on the wooden table.

--------------------------------

Virgil doesn’t remember what exactly happened. All he remembered was the numbing coldness seeping so deeply in his bones, making every fluid motion feel like knives digging into his skin. He remembered he was going to try to make it to the nearby bus stop for some kind of relief from the wind and snow. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he rushed into the night, but...

He remembered someone… calling his name?

Then… warmth. Comforting, warm warmth… Virgil’s mind began to grow tired as his body went limp and he heard a panicked voice mumble ‘Shit-’.

---------------------------------

Roman rushed toward Janus’s house, holding Virgil in his arms - his body freezing cold. He didn’t know whether Virgil was dead or alive, the only thing that told him otherwise was the small heaving in his chest as he slept in his arms. The snow was heavily falling on his car, coating his window and roof in a thick layer of white within seconds when he found him.

Virgil was shaking, shivering, looking paler than normal as the snow coated his head and shoulders, turning his warm brown locks white. He got out of his car quickly, calling for him and running over as he began to slowly plummet toward the ground, Roman dashing quickly and managing to catch him in his arms. 

Roman rang the doorbell six times, and when Janus opened the door he rushed inside, trying to find the warmest area possible. “Where WERE you-?!” He saw Virgil and his voice dropped. “Is he… okay?”

He beelined for the small fireplace in the corner of the living room, scrambling to remember what Logan taught him to do in those first-aid classes, all he knew was that he needed to get warm and get warm now. He turned to Janus quickly. “You got matches?”

“Uh… I… yes…” Janus was looking toward Virgil with concern, not knowing what was wrong as Roman carefully set him down next to the fireplace. 

“Grab them, now!” Roman yelled, nervous as all heck.

Soon enough, Roman lit the fire, leaving Virgil unconscious on the floor. Janus took a deep breath to calm his nerves as Roman explained the situation. “He got hypothermia, I dunno what to do, he nearly collapsed in the snow-”

“What can I do to help?” Janus asked, and Roman tried to recall his training. 

“Just, uh… you need to get him warm! Warm drinks, blankets… oh! He needs to get out of those wet clothes.” Roman said, and Janus just nodded. 

“I’ll get him out of those clothes and in some blankets. You should make some tea.” 

Janus rolled up his sleeves and walked over toward the roaring fire, Virgil still cold and now wet from the heat, looking weak from the cold, and Janus couldn’t help but chastise himself - this was all his fault, he shouldn’t have yelled. He moved Virgil’s limp body closer to his own, pulling up the soggy t-shirt and throwing it to the side, moving to his jeans, then socks and shoes. He grabbed a soft blanket and held Virgil’s cold body close to his, wrapping the blanket around both of them. 

He was still breathing. Thank god for that.

Janus positioned Virgil against his chest as he ran his fingers through Virgil’s hair, feeling his heartbeat with his own. Virgil’s wet hair soaked Janus’s white shirt, and he reluctantly opened it up to get it dry, leaving Virgil asleep on his bare chest. He felt his face flush as Virgil sighed, leaning into his chest more, being cute again.

The more Janus thought about it, the more he realized that his boyfriend was naked to his undies sleeping against his chest, the closest they’ve ever gotten thus far physically. His boyfriend was almost-naked cuddled up against him, and his blush deepened. 

He’d never really seen him shirtless before, and it never occurred to him up until this point that this was… Virgil was shirtless. He tried to remind himself it was for his health, that he was freezing, but… for some reason, the blush never left his cheeks. 

Maybe it had to do with the fact that their chests were touching, or Virgil’s sleepy cute sigh, or that fact that they were cuddling next to a fire...

Roman walked over with three steaming mugs, more relaxed knowing everything was under control. “Alright, I made tea and hot chocolate for Virge, you know how he doesn’t like tea that much-” A grin spread across his cheeks as he looked to Janus’s blush. “Should I… leave you two alone for a bit? Wouldn’t want to be interrupting anything-”

“NO- I… you’re not… everything’s fine, I’m just trying to keep him warm-”

“I see. Well, I’ll be in the kitchen if you guys need anything, seems you two need some time alone-” Roman smirked, walking away with a steaming mug toward the kitchen once more, a knowing look on his face. If looks could kill, Roman would be dead right now with the way Janus stared daggers at him as he left. 

Janus sighed as he shifted to grab his cup of tea and began to sip, his fingers fumbling through Virgil’s hair, content, trying to relax from the tension the evening brought. The clock ticked by, and Janus just sipped his tea, trying to figure out what to say to him when he woke up. Eventually, Virgil stirred, his eyes slowly beginning to open, looking up and around him with confusion, and Janus’s hand wormed into his. “Hey.”

“Uh...hey,” Virgil said awkwardly, a smile on his face. “Uh… I…”

“I’m sorry. I never should have yelled, I never should have gotten so upset, you should be able to have your own privacy-”

“No, I’m sorry. I… I should have told you what was going on instead of just running away, I…” Virgil bit his lip. “I got fired.”

“Oh,” Janus said. “I’m so sorry, Vee.” He squeezed Virgil’s hand, making Virgil look down, a blush sneaking on his face. 

“Uh… please tell me this is some kind of weird nightmare-”

Janus laughed. “Sorry to say you’re not dreaming. You were freezing up, I needed to make sure your wet clothes were off so you could get warm again.” Their eyes met again. “You really scared me. Please, don’t run out on me like that again.”

“I thought you were done with me for good,” Virgil said softly, and Janus held Virgil’s cheek as he met this with a warm smile.

“You are the best, most amazing person in the world, Virgil,” Janus said softly, his fingers running through Virgil’s hair. “A little argument won’t change that, I promise.”

“Hm…” Virgil smiled softly, both hearts beating as one at that moment, wrapped in blankets by the fire, and soon enough they found their lips together, happy to just have each other.

[just-call-me-the-intrusive-thot]

Forever Is A Long, Long Time

Pairings: Romantic Logicality

Verse: An Unlikely Suspect (Among Us AU)

TWs: Makeout mention, implied sexual activities, they’re really soft honestly..

Summary: Patton and Logan have been dating for a couple years now, but with only a month til their next voyage on the Skeld, and Logan working overtime to be the best Captain the crew could ask for, they rarely get some alone time. Luckily, Patton has the perfect idea...

(Recommended music: I Wouldn’t Mind by He Is We)

–

One Month before the Skeld Departs: 

Patton excitedly made his way along the corridors of MIRA HQ to reach the cafeteria; he’d been stuck in the greenhouse all morning and early afternoon tending to the needs of the plants and their development cycles, but finally he could spend time with his boyfriend. Logan had been working so tirelessly, Patton couldn’t help but admire his passion and drive. 

After all, the Skeld’s next captain needed to be someone the crew could feel safest with after all. Not that Patton ever believed his boyfriend was incapable, if anything, he believed Logan was already more than qualified for the job. The crew echoed the sentiment as well. But Logan seemed determined to keep working himself into the ground at this rate.

Patton had decided to fix that.

In his backpack rested lunch for the two of them, made ahead of time to spare them the long wait in line, the cyan-clad crewmate merrily continuing his trek to the cafeteria until he could see that familiar silhouette approaching the intersection of the threeway corridor.

“Logan!”, Patton beamed cheerfully, his radiance only matched as Logan turned toward the voice of his beloved. Once they were within touching distance, Logan was more than welcome for the embrace Patton offered.

“Greetings Patton,”, he chuckled, clearly already exhausted, “I apologise for not dropping by sooner-”

“Don’t you go over-working that noggin of yours any more, Logan! You’ve been working hard, so I wanted to surprise you with a homemade lunch!”, he opened his backpack and pulled out the lunchbox he’d prepared when Logan stopped him gently. His hand softly caressed Patton’s, “That sounds wonderful Patton, but I would sooner enjoy it… well… with just the two of us?”, he gestured to the rather full canteen with a quick nod of his head.

Pat noted the red tint cradling Logan’s cheeks, standing out against the collar of his dark blue uniform. Equally flustered by the thought of spending some one on one time with his boyfriend, Patton agreed, “Of-! Of course!! Where um, would you like to-”

“We may do so in my cabin-”, Logan offered, making sure to clarify, “Simply for convenience! I mean, we have work we must be on call for-”

Oh my god, how could someone so tall and handsome look so adorably flustered in an instant? 

Patton giggled, “It’s fine, Logan, lead the way!”

The trip through the halls brimmed with mirth and starlight; Patton’s puns - while Logan maintained they were still awful - never ceased to wrench a fond sigh and a smile from his boyfriend. Once they were comfy in Logan’s cabin, Patton carefully opened up the lunch box to present an array of home cooked goodies; a tub of pasta each, and some mini berry tarts made specially with Crofters Jam. The latter made Logan’s eyes glisten in a way Patton hadn’t seen since their last trip to Earth.

“Starlight,”, Patton nearly melted at the love in Logan’s tone, “Where did you get this? We haven’t been authorised for any recent excursions back to Earth...”

Patton grinned cheekily, “I miiiight have specially asked Remy to get his buddies at the Earth station to beam over some~!”

Logan gasped, “Patton! You know full well-”

“I know, “all snacks and supplies must be given a month in advance to be checked over”, but I always follow protocol every other time I’m manning the loading bay! One little stowaway isn’t gonna get me in trouble. Besides, I wanted to make this really special before your debut as our new Captain!”

A tenseness found its way up Logan’s spine, going easily noticed by Patton. His smile softened into a gentle concern, “....You’re ready, Sunshine. I know it.” An easiness settled on Logan’s shoulders at the nickname, prompting Patton to continue, “It’s scary being in charge, I really, really don’t blame you for being anxious about it, but if anyone can keep us safe, it’s you, Logan.”

Gracefully, Patton softly picked up a blackcurrant tart, softly holding it for Logan to take a bite, earning a flush of rosy pink across the taller man’s cheeks.

“Heck, I trust you with my life, now and forever, Sunshine.”

Logan gave a small huff, but his smile was unwavering as he took a bite of the tart. The delicious homemade filling was nearly as sweet and filling as the love and support Patton offered so readily.

“Forever is a long, long time, Starlight. But I agree.”, he licked his lips, “Your baking never ceases to amaze me, it’s delicious.”

“Well then, I suppose I should try it-”

“Absolutely.”

Without missing a beat, Logan softly set the treat aside and brought Patton in for a kiss. Soft and slow though that changed with a gentle licking of Patton’s lower lip. All of a sudden, the cyan crewmate could taste the berry flavour lingering on Logan’s tongue, letting himself be pulled into Logan’s lap. Their kisses always ended up this way; deep, romantic, full of longing, a scream of “I love you” in every second that melted away. 

Patton let out a small gasp as Logan broke their kiss to trail his lips down Patton’s neck, “Logaaaan… I thought you said-”

“Change of plan.”, he murmured against Patton’s neck, “Turns out I would rather die than be without you for too long.”

He joked, softly meeting Patton’s flushed gaze, “Besides, I am the Captain now, I believe I am allowed to bend the rules a little…”

Patton had no intention of arguing. It wasn’t how he’d planned their time together to go, but hey, the ring in his pocket would just have to wait a little while longer….

----

Part 1 of the An Unlikely Suspect pairing snippets!!

~

It’s so fluffy I almost forgot this canonically happens a month before the events of An Unlikely Suspect and OOF is that a punch to the gut. .... did I still add in a bunch of details that will make you all want to pry off my kneecaps with a spoon? Absolutely.

Here’s the original fic for those who haven’t read it yet! (do heed the tags! and there is a sequel in the works!)

Taglist: @somehow-i-got-an-account   @cateye-glasses   @fandomsofrandom @patton-cake @does-this-look-logicality-to-you @justalittlecorrupted @irritating-lady-knight @katlikethesword

[xayneimagines]

Part Time Immortality (pt 1?)

Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Pairing: Spike x Reader

Warnings: Cussing?

Genre: I think it’s cute and funny.

Summary: Y/n is a vampire with a soul who works a normal human job and does a lot of normal human things. Spike doesn’t get it. Featuring, Spike pinning and Y/N being a little hard to get? (This isn’t a request. I just started a new job and my body is hella mad at me for it).

  “I don’t get it, pet.”

  “And I don’t get why you’re even here. Now both of us are confused.” The kitchen was mostly loud and crowded, but luckily the spot of the dishwasher had some space away from the racket. For a while, Y/N enjoyed the extra space and the separation from others, though recently that space has been filled by a vampire who, for some reason, has been allowed to enter the establishment with little to no questions?

  “It just makes no sense. You do realize you’re an immortal being, right? All-powerful, grr, and what have you.” As Spike spoke he fished a cigarette out of his jacket, placing it lightly between his lips before lighting it. Spike had been at this same tangent for what seemed to be days. It wasn’t until today that he actually followed Y/N into the establishment, complaining about their odd choice in income. Really, he just couldn’t stand the idea of the somewhat object of his affection slaving away at some shit show that only gave them minimum wage. 

  Y/N let out a sigh at the sound of the lighter, not fully turning towards the vampire to address his oddly mortal addiction. 

  “Do you have to do that in here?” They didn’t hate smoking generally, but in a small place that was already humid and stuffy, it threatened to make them just a little more uncomfortable and that extra discomfort could cause them to snap.

  “What, is it illegal?” His face tightened, not liking being told what to do. Granted, he’d make a lot of exceptions for Y/N, but he couldn’t just roll over and be lovey-dovey when the bloody person wasn’t even with him. 

  “Uh, yeah. Passed 1995 in California...not that it hasn’t just been ignored for the most part...” Pulling the rack out from the dishwasher had hot steam blowing up into their face, irritating them further. 

  “Ugh, still so annoying.” They quickly wiped their wet hands on the apron before moving onto the next batch of dirty dishes, rinsing off the ones that wouldn’t just get washed in the dishwasher.

  “Yes, well, immortality doesn’t make you immune to getting annoyed...in fact, it tends to make it worse.” He took another long drag of his cigarette as he watched them move around the line. It was odd how they could make the most lackluster movements entrancing to him. They didn’t add anything special to their movements, but he could write a poem of how he felt it was a show nonetheless. 

  As they loaded in the next part of the dishes, y/n turned around with another heavy sigh and stared at Spike. They leaned against the counter behind them and crossed their arms, a pout setting in on their face. 

  “Okay, what is it? Why are you here? Actually, why did they even let you in?”

  “Well, for the last question, most of your coworkers including your boss is at least buzzed if not drunk. Something about kitchen service brings out the worse in any creature. Secondly, I’m just trying to figure out why you’ve subscribed to this bullshit? Aren’t you a bit young to have a soul? You should be out killing and stealing. Unliving up the good life.” His tone carried his disbelief and his arm gestures added that flare to sell home the point.

  “Well, the whole soul bit was a choice and I’m working so that I can get money so that I can pay bills and blah blah blah. I don’t do the dine and dash thing.” This wasn’t the first time Spike shared his disbelief over their choices. Heck, he wasn’t even the only vampire that used their choices as some quip against them.

  “Fine, you don’t have to. I’ll provide the all you can eat buffet.” The way he spoke was nonchalant and confident. 

  “Oh yeah? And what’s the price for that?” They couldn’t help the huff of laughter that escaped them. It was odd to be at the end of his praises, especially considering their past was filled with literally trying to kill each other. 

  “Just for you to be on my side. I think I’m being very generous.” He locked his eyes onto Y/N to gauge their response. It wasn’t as though he was simply testing the waters by this point, he all but declared the word ‘love’ since he had come to terms with his feelings. Looking at their response was more of a service to see if they were at least opening up to the idea. 

  “No, you’re being very demanding and persistent. I’m friends with the scoobies and an enemy to the big baddies, which includes you by the way! In case you forgot!” Their arms had dropped and they looked at him with such an expression of disbelief that it could almost hurt his feeling. It probably would have added to the sting of rejection if he didn’t have a good bet on them feeling the same.

  “...You think I’m a big baddie?” A mischievous smile spread across Spike’s face at the perceived compliment. 

  “Oh my god, Spike. What has gotten into you? You literally tried to dust me a few mo-”

  “BACK TO WORK Y/N! SAVE YOUR LARP TALK FOR OFF THE CLOCK. YOU TOO….BLONDEIE...” The boss had rounded the corner and had apparently decided to get strict on the amount of work being done. Y/N rolled their eyes before turning back to the dishes, shaking their head as they tried to brush off the shout.

  “...Honestly, it is amazing the human race has lasted this long.” They couldn’t help the exclamation, frustration building up with every moment spent inside of the kitchen.

  “See! You’re too good for them. You should be with your own kind-” Spike quickly went for it, figuring now was as good of a time as any to accurately show what he was meaning. 

  “You mean you.” Y/N interrupted with some annoyance written on their face but not nearly as much as earlier when the boss had spoke up. They had turned back to the vampire, already losing their motivation to continue the job at hand.

  “Yes, you should be with me. Glad we agreed to this!”

  “Spike!”

  “Y/N!”

  Y/N groaned and turned away from the vampire once again, annoyance causing their body to feel as though it was heating up despite knowing that wasn’t likely. While they were trying to will themselves to put forth the effort into their job, they simply just stared at the dishes. They stayed quiet for a moment, their thoughts racing with the conversation they were having. 

  “Spike, even if I said yes, you have that chip. You couldn’t provide if I wanted you to.”

  “Oh sure, rub it in love.” 

  “I’m not mocking you, Spike. At least not right now.” Their voice had gone somewhat quiet by the end of their sentence before they looked back to Spike, confusion, and a sort of vulnerability showing in their eyes. The look risked causing Spike’s heart to start beating.  

  “So, why are you being like this exactly? Last time I checked you hated me about as much as you hate Buffy. Something about me being a no-good vampire like your old friend Angel?” 

  “Well, you are an awful vampire. I’m not going back on that.” He snorted, eyes glancing to his hands as he fidgeted ever so slightly.

  “So then whats going on? Are you okay?”

  He hesitated at the question, always caught off guard when they expressed any concern for him. Of course, they would ask questions like that and then wonder why he was so intent on providing literally anything for them.

  “Why do you care if I’m okay?” He tried to egg them on, wanting to get them to confirm something he already knew. The question obviously backfired as their face went back to a look of exasperation.

  “Okay, if you’re just going to act like this the-” They were interrupted by Spike holding his hands up, trying to show he was backing off with his motions. 

  “You’re right, you’re right. Look, I-”

  “I TOLD YOU TWO-”

  “OH, SHUT THE FUCK UP CLENT! Jesus Christ, I swear, everyone else here can dick around, however, and whenever, but the moment I just breathe he fucking bites my head off.” They hadn’t realized how hard they had been gripping the lip of the sink behind them until a noise of metal crushing got their attention. They looked towards the now bent sink before looking back to Spike, already wanting the night to be over with. 

  “Listen, I get you want to do the whole human thing, but at least go after a different job. You’re fucking miserable, and coming from me that’s saying something. All these centuries I’ve tortured people and not once was I evil enough to put them into food service.” Spike shook his head as he watched Clent leave the area, his attention only being drawn from him when he heard Y/N bark out a laugh. A smile spread across his face at the pleasant sound that accompanied their smile. God, he’d kill to be able to hear that for the rest of his undead life.

  They stayed quiet for a moment before they shrugged. 

  “Fine. I’ll at least quit this shit job. But I’m still not being a bad guy with you and I’m getting another job when I can.” Y/N couldn’t keep their smile down, small chuckles continuing to escape them as they untied their apron. Spike clapped his hands together, standing up straighter. 

  “Good to hear. Now let’s get the hell out of here!” 

[thattimdrakeguy]

I could see Tim as bi. (Ironically, he comes in behind Dick, Steph, and Cass for "least likely to be straight". Not that I think all the batkids are gay, Bette Kane is clearly straight.) Conner struck me as comphet, mostly because "girl wants to make out with him, he's busy playing vidya". Bart would be all "Oh yeah, I forgot people were obsessed with labels before 2030."

Too much of Tim’s narration makes him just come off like he’s trying to convince himself. Like when he was debating on rather or not to date Steph (which is still out of character to me, but anyways) it just sounded like he didn’t know you could just like...be friends with a girl. It was cause he suddenly enjoyed hanging out with her--despite all the times he shows he doesn’t.

Or he just likes a perfume’s smell, and all of a sudden that means he’s attracted to the whole women, when he only cares about the smell only--it’s just odd. Plus things people say to him like “Grow a hormone” add to it.

Only times he seemed to actually like a girl in that way was with who ever the heck took the job of Robin writer after Dixon and absolutely butchered Tim’s whole personality while he’s at it, as well as FabNic who I don’t even think understands him nearly as well as he thinks.

I don’t really headcanon sexualities unless I can genuine see something that makes me think otherwise. Like I don’t think I have any other headcanoned sexualities besides Kyle Rayner and Connor Hawke, cause SUPPOSEDLY Kyle was supposed to be bi and Connor gay, but Dixon shut that down.

Oh I guess I headcanon Cassie as bi because she has some moments where she seems attracted to girls on occasions, but she also seems genuinely into Conner as a real deal crush.

Conner and Bart are just straight to me though. Like Conner seems too genuinely attracted through actions of his, and Bart has had some obvious innocent crushes to girls. And never seen anything that’d make them seem attracted to other genders.

Steph seems pretty straight to me, any hint otherwise is like--recent and by writers I’d never use as a good source on a character. Dick is an ally, but idk if I seen anything that actually makes him seem LGBT+

But Cass is so undiscovered and so I have no set opinion on that.

It’s just me though and how I go about reading comics. I don’t really do headcanons a lot, unless they feel naturally spurred off of something. It’s just kind of how my brain is wired when it comes to stuff.