#(in cat language that means hissing and batting at him)

[pangur-and-grim]

I feel bad that poor Belphie still has to be trapped in my office - the 2 weeks are up, so by all rights he should be free! unfortunately with Pangur being sick, his presence would be too stressful, so he has one more week of being stuck in that room.

to keep him entertained, I did let him have house access this morning while me and Pangur read on the catio. Grim chose to stay inside with the kitten (despite acting grumpy about it).

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for Derpsheep; a fake cryptid and a real romantic. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

“Does Superboy still think you’re actually an actual cryptid city spirit thing?” Steph says, staring incredulously at him. “Did he think that when he made you the diamond? The heart-shaped diamond?” 

“. . . uh,” Robin says, still wincing. “He kind of just . . . showed up with it? Like. We never, uh, actually met before that? But uh, he knows the Bats kind of . . . stalk people, sort of, so I think he thinks it’s like our love language or something, so, uh, he was doing that? Apparently? And then he stopped Catwoman from robbing a museum and dropped her off on me and, uh. Had the diamond. And, uh. Gave it to me.” 

Steph stares at him a lot more incredulously. Then she grips his arm so she can shake him, just a little. Or a lot. 

She maybe nearly knocks over their froyo, but not the point, okay? 

“Robin, is Superboy a monsterfucker,” she demands. “Robin, you have to tell me if Superboy’s a monsterfucker. You can’t not tell me if Superboy’s a monsterfucker!” 

“I don’t know!” Robin hisses at her, sounding mortified. “I mean, maybe?! But like, considering some of the people who Cadmus has made and employed over the years and the fact Supergirl is literally protoplasmic goop with a personality and he’s half-alien, I don’t actually know how to judge that, okay? Maybe he just doesn’t automatically expect people to look human, I don’t know! He looked right at the Batman while he wasn’t bothering to pretend to have bones and didn’t even get weirded out or anything! And he made me a diamond specifically because he figured birds like shiny things and he offered to make me a nest when he found out I sucked at it and he caught Nightwing and called him ‘ma’am’ when Nightwing told him he was a ‘ma’am’ and he stalked me because he thought I’d like it!  And like, I managed to convince the Batman that he’s not a new Robin but I think now he maybe thinks he’s a stray cat or something? He called him a kitten. And like, scritched him. And Superboy didn’t even get weirded out by that!” 

“Oh my god, what is your life,” Steph marvels, putting a hand over her mouth as she grins in disbelief. This is the funniest friggin’ comedy of bullshit errors that she has ever even heard of. “You and the monsterfucker teen idol superhero you pulled by being a creepy little fake cryptid weirdo. When I’m your best woman at whatever freaky alien/cryptid-themed wedding you have, I’m telling this story in my toast. Fuck that, I’m telling the tabloids.” 

“Please do not,” Robin groans, hiding inside his wings again. “Look, he’s really–he’s nice, okay? He just has no idea what normal people are like and he’s also, like, trying to deduce what city spirit bird cryptids would think was, I don’t know, romantic specifically so he can hit on me and it’s just–it’s a lot, okay?! It’s just a lot!”

[xshatteredreflectionsx]

Let's see. What about... Morgan with Flying, or Moira with Psychic?

Give me a Pokemon Type and I'll Make a Team :)

Morgan probably isn't going to be winning any high-tier competitions, but that really isn't the point, lmao.

Rowlet- If Decidueye wasn't ghost/grass he would have made the cut. But regardless, Rowlet is just a polite little man. If you've seen Ash's Rowlet in the Sun/Moon Anime, Morgan's would be like that; sleeping in their backpack, eating their snacks, and just generally being the best little bird orb he can be. Noivern-Aside from giving Morgan's team a little extra 'oomph', I imagine she would be their guard-bat dragon. Sweet as sugar to Morgan, and then turning around to immediately hiss threateningly at whoever may be lurking in the dark (especially since Morgan can get it a little narrow-minded when taking pictures outside). Rotom- Rotom is one of those Pokemon that I imagine would always be on Morgan's team in some capacity or another. In battle, they would be the jack-of-all, master-of-none to try and mitigate the weaknesses of an all-flying type team. Gyarados- She's primarily used for water-transportation, but she can absolutely hold her own in a battle- because she's a Gyarados. Her species are infamous for being destructively violent, so I don't imagine there are a lot of pictures of them in their natural habitat. Morgan shamelessly uses their Gyarados for pictures that would otherwise be incredibly difficult to get. Chatot- Primarily a non-combatant, Morgan's Chatot as been trained since hatching to translate sign language to vocal language. The sad truth is not everyone in the world knows sign or is willing to wait for Morgan to write things down. Since he's a service Pokemon, he spends the most time out of his Pokeball. Tropius- Morgan's primary flyer and, because deep down I'm a sentimental old what'cha'ma'callit, a gift Pokemon from their parents. A strong and steady flyer, a lot of Morgan's aerial shots have been taken from Tropius's back.

-------

Moria (You said Moira specifically, so this will be pre WKM)

Gardevoir- A gentle, calming presence, Gardevoir is an emotional support partner, softly singing or humming whenever Moira is several days into a stressful case. She is also not opposed to the idea of forcing Moira into sleeping using Hypnosis, or by levitating her paperwork out of reach until she takes a proper break.

Gallade (Mega)- Not that she'd ever admit it to anyone, but Moira is a hopeless romantic at heart, and when she was little she fantasized about a charming and gallant prince to come and rescue herself and her mother from their poor living conditions. She inevitably grew out of those fantasies, but her love for those old fairy tales remained.

Espeon- There really isn't any deeper meaning other than the fact that Moira loves cats. Espeon isn't a cat, but you can bet your bottom dollar that he's just as pampered and spoiled as the average housecat. Moira first got him as an Eevee, and despite him acting indifferent at best, it's hard to ignore the fact that Espeon evolves from happiness.

Slowbro- Look at that doofy smile; there is nothing in that head. Slowbro is one of Moira's oldest Pokemon, having met him as a Slowpoke trying to fish in a water-filled pothole on the side of the road. He doesn't do much other than stand, stare, and occasionally chew on his paw, but Moira loves him regardless.

Raichu- Received in a trade wherein she gave the other person a Kadabra. Moira knew what a Raichu was (who doesn't?) but she wasn't expecting a darker, rounder, much more energetic Raichu who flew around on its tail and loved flapjacks. Moira does love her strange little Raichu, and finds an odd sense of comradery in that they're both seen as "other" for not being entirely native to the country.

Delphox- Moira's very first Pokemon, as a matter of fact. Fennekin was most likely brought to California as an exotic pet, but she either escaped or was abandoned. No one ever specifically mentioned having ever lost a Fennekin so Moira, young and stubborn, insisted that meant Fennekin as hers; finders keepers after all. Regardless of how she came into Moira's life, she's grateful for her presence, as she's been a constant pillar of support and familiarity, especially useful when she started living on her own.

[bluetooththereptilethethird]

Black Rose

Yandere bat family x fem pregnant reader (vampire au)

( English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes in the following text.)

(This fic is one of the multiple choices of this post)

Note: Black rose may seem depressing and a sign of grief, but it also means rebirth and another chance!

Summary: For the first time in your relationship with your former Master, you decide to take a step first to change your relationship’s situation…

Tw: Mentions of pregnancy and death

Looking down at the bat-shaped toy you just had finished, you couldn't help but groan in frustration at the sight of its mismatched wings. It was hard to sew something without anyone helping you and you had tried to sew matched wings countless times, and it had not worked. You sighed and put the toy down in the toy basket as you shifted in your place, but you were stopped by the sudden movement of the cat that was taking a nap on your lap.

"Oh sorry, Alfred!" You said as you patted the demonic cat's head, making it purr as it stretched its little legs out. He was not mad at all, it looked up at you, its red big eyes gleaming as it let out a soft meow, carefully rubbing its head to your bulging belly. You smiled at its gentleness, for a cat that had a demonic side, was surprisingly well behaved around you. Perhaps it was because of its master's influence? Damian's pets were under his mind control so it was sensible to think the boy looked after you through his pets as well.

You pushed your window open to let some fresh air come into your room as you took in a deep breath, the babies'  weight was becoming a real problem now that they were growing heavier. Alfred yawned lazily enjoying its time on your lap, but suddenly its body jolted up and it jumped off your lap, hissing to the darkness out of your window as its tail puffed up. You gasped at the sudden action and were going to move away from the window, as much as your body's state let you, but hearing a familiar voice relieved you. "Hey stop you little beast! I'm no danger!" Jason's head popped in as he pulled his cloak's hood off, glaring at the hissing cat.

"Now I have to ask permission from you as well?" He said as he shoved the cat to the side so he could sit on the window's edge. Alfred hissed at him one more time before walking back to you, growling as it protectively laid on your lap. Jason snarled at the cat and showed off his long fangs, but the cat just growled in response, making Jason roll his eyes. "Just like its master, it's a brat!" You frowned and smacked his head gently "Shush! Don't talk about Damian like that!" "What? I'm telling the truth!" You wanted to smack him again but he stopped your hand by taking it in his much larger one. "Alright! Alright, momma!" Hearing the word from Jason made your cheeks flush in embarrassment, making him grin.

"How's the momma and the two cakes in the oven doing?" He said as he kissed the back of your hand, letting you pat him by putting your hand on his head. "We're good..." you paused, noticing the cut on his cheek "What have you been up to? I haven't heard from you for a week!" Jason nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck "Well...." he trailed off with another chuckle making you narrow your eyes at him. "You know hunting down ghouls can be a dangerous task..." "But you had promised me to not hunt until the hunting season starts!" Jason looked down as he chuckled again, mumbling an apology.

You and Jason were close enough that he saw you as a motherly figure he could trust. You were like this to all of the Wayne family members, those people felt like a connection to you, like children to their mother, and no one knew why, even you were not aware of the familiarity potion Alfred, the head butler of the family, had used in the family members  daily dose of blood the very day you had stepped into the Manor. You could swear that old Dampier knew things that could shake the world, you had suspected he had some magical futuristic visions powers but you didn't have anything to prove that, no one but the ancestors of the Wayne family was aware of the fact that the old man was an assassin of the dark God's shrines way before the war of the heavens happened and was blessed by them. Alfred knew the family needed you, that was why in the first place he had let his master know about your existence, he was the one who had received the information about you after all. 

You were the only person besides Alfred that could connect to the family members of the Wayne household easily. That was why Jason had let you see his softer side and had trusted you in knowing his secret life as a vampire hunter. You sighed and fixed the white strand of hair on his head "You shouldn't be this reckless Jason...Master Wayne and others worry about you! I do get worried about you! You want to make your pregnant stepmother worry and distress her babies?" Jason narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to you, making you let a questioning hum "hmm?" "You're still angry with the old guy?" He asked, making you sigh as you pushed his face away. "Oh come on! We both know that thing because Bruce had to do it!" You gave him a bored look "I don't want to have this conversation right now Jay..." Jason rolled his eyes "You are both stubborn, neither he apologizes to you properly nor you forgive him for what he did!"

"You don't know how hard it's to even think about it, Jason! He cheated on me with the queen just on our wedlock night! How can I ever forgive him?" "I don't say you should forgive him fully Y/N, but you can overlook some issues in your relationship! I still can't forgive him because of not killing that ghoul master, joker, but I still come to his house, because I know I belong here! You shouldn't take it hard on yourself as I did! Your twins will be born in months and you surely don't want to raise them when you are this cold to their father!...plus he has been taking things too hard on himself lately..." he mumbled the last part with a sigh. "Think about it Y/N...if he didn't love you wouldn't be his wife now! If he wanted to play with you like other people he had in the past he wouldn't have freed you and then let you become the spouse of a noble like him!" You only nodded your head at his words, letting him know you'll think about what he had said.

Jason was right, Bruce loved you, but the process of loving you hadn't reached its peak easily. At first, Bruce was not a good master to you, only letting you out of your room when you were needed, and whenever he talked to you, you were addressed coldly, you couldn't even think about the possibility of having his children to free yourself from him, maybe he had set that condition because it was impossible? Bruce was a man that rarely trusted people. Your situation was so bad for you that you even considered running away from him, though that plan was exposed by the silent daughter of the family, Cassandra. It was not until the day you had saved Bruce from a ghoul's attack while he was sleeping in his coffin that he started to trust you. If you were loyal enough to save your master who had been harsh on you, you were surely a good person to trust.

Your relationship grew stronger little by little and soon after the first time he confessed his feelings for you, you found out about your pregnancy. The family was glad to know that their lonely father had found peace within your arms, and to prove to you that Bruce was genuine about his feelings for you, he proposed to you when you were still a human. It was the first time in his family, that someone had married a human who had not turned into a vampire yet, but he had put all of his family's values and traditions aside long ago when he had adopted dampiers as his children. You were given freedom and the surname Wayne had joined your name.

But the dream bubble was destroyed when your husband left your side in hurry on the very night of your marriage. You had thought that it was an urgent matter of politics or something like that, but when you had heard from the gossiping friends of Stephanie, Richard's Fiance, that he was summoned by the queen who was seduced by him in the past so they could...make love...your heart was broken. He had cheated on you with the unfaithful queen of vampires on the first night of your marriage? You were too devastated that you ran away from the Manor and if it was not because of Richard and Duke, the other sons of your husband, you'd have got away from them as much as you could. You were trapped in your shared room with Bruce since then, spending your months of pregnancy in captivity, though to be honest, it didn't feel too lonely since your family members were there for you all the time. Especially Damian, the boy who had his father's cold attitude but was genuinely in love with you, had his eyes on you to an extent that he didn't leave your side, and if he was not able to do that, his pets did that role for him.

With Jason's kiss on your cheek, you were brought back to reality. "Don't be that way Y/N, let me see you smile before I go!" He said as he pulled on your cheek, making you smile. He smiled back in return as he pulled the hood of his cloak on his head, and left your side after giving the cat on your lap a final snarl. You sighed as you became lonely again. You shifted in your place, feeling uneasy with the weight in your belly when someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" You said as you stood up, noticing Alfred’s gloved hand come into the room and put a boutique of black roses on the floor before closing the door without saying anything, the old man was sneaky sometimes.

You walked to the boutique and noticed a note on it. Picking it up you read it out loud "Give him another chance..." it was Alfred’s handwriting...how did...how did he know that you had considered forgiving Bruce? Was he listening to you and Jason right now? You looked down at the black roses and raised your eyebrows in surprise. Black roses meant another chance in flower language, and Alfred expected you to give them to Bruce? "Meow?" You heard little Alfred question the existence of the flowers, making you smile as it tried to smell them but sneezed because of the pollen. "I think I have to take the step this time..."

You left the room with the flowers as Alfred walked after you, its tail raised in amusement. You walked through the corridors of the Manor to get into Your husband's office, but he was not there, there was only one more place that he could be when he was not in a good mood, the cave under the Manor. Thankfully you knew how to get to your husband's lair and by pressing two different keys on the piano of your husband's office you found the passage to the cave.

....

"Mother!" Damian's surprised voice made Duke raise his head and his eyes widen in surprise, you'd finally come out of your room? Damian ran to you, taking your hand tightly, you were still not used to being called his mother and it made you feel a little uneasy, but you couldn't help but give him a smile when he looked at you with excitement, you were the only one that could bring the young vampire to show his emotions like that. Duke smiled at you, and if it was not because of his hands being greasy he would have come and hugged you.

You looked at your husband sitting on his large chair as he stared at the magical orb that supplied the Manor with energy, not turning back to meet you in the eye despite knowing you were there. You walked to Duke and whispered in his ear "Will you be kind enough to leave us two alone?" Duke gave you a nod before wiping his hands clean and taking Damian out with him as the boy shouted and resisted.

"You don't want to turn around?" You said as you put your hand on Bruce's shoulder, making his muscles jolt up. Oh how much he craved your touch! But he didn't respond to you, instead, he just took your hand in his and guided you to walk in front of him. You put the flowers down and picked one out of the bouquet as you walked in front of him. Bruce's piercing gaze met yours and the vampire let out a tired sigh, his eyes softening at seeing you again. Only dark gods knew how much he had suffered knowing he had hurt you because of keeping his place in the court.

He opened his mouth to talk but you stopped him by putting your fingers on his lips, letting him know you wanted to tell him something first. He kissed your fingers and looked up at you with questioning eyes as you gave him the black Rose in your hand. "Let's start over again..." you said, letting him know you were giving him another chance. Bruce's eyes widened in shock, not believing what he was seeing...you had forgiven him?

He gently pulled on your hand and let you sit on his thigh so he could feel your warmth again. "I...I don't know what to say!" He said, voice low and still shocked. "Just let's not acknowledge what had happened..." you said as you looked down at the rose, sighing happily as Bruce's strong arms pulled you closer to him. "I'm sorry..." he whispered in your ear before starting to kiss your neck, making you smile. His lips found your jaw and then your chin and just when he was going to kiss your ĺips, Alfred’s loud meowing made him freeze in his place.

"You are enjoying the show?" You said frustrated by the fact that you couldn't have the kiss you were missing a lot, "You want some snacks to eat while watching?" Alfred gave you another loud meow as it watched you two, making you let out a groan. But your groan was stifled by the passionate kiss Bruce planted on your lips, letting your melt in his arms as you both chuckled in the kiss.

Years later you'd find out that forgiving Bruce was the best decision of your life.

[bluetooththereptile]

The black Rose

Yandere bat family x fem pregnant reader (vampire au)

(Gif by unknown)

( English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes in the following text.)

(This fic is one of the multiple choices of this post)

Note: Black rose may seem depressing and a sign of grief, but it also means rebirth and another chance!

Summary: For the first time in your relationship with your former Master, you decide to take a step first to change your relationship's situation...

Tw: Mentions of pregnancy and death

Looking down at the bat-shaped toy you just had finished, you couldn't help but groan in frustration at the sight of its mismatched wings. It was hard to sew something without anyone helping you and you had tried to sew matched wings countless times, and it had not worked. You sighed and put the toy down in the toy basket as you shifted in your place, but you were stopped by the sudden movement of the cat that was taking a nap on your lap.

"Oh sorry, Alfred!" You said as you patted the demonic cat's head, making it purr as it stretched its little legs out. He was not mad at all, it looked up at you, its red big eyes gleaming as it let out a soft meow, carefully rubbing its head to your bulging belly. You smiled at its gentleness, for a cat that had a demonic side, was surprisingly well behaved around you. Perhaps it was because of its master's influence? Damian's pets were under his mind control so it was sensible to think the boy looked after you through his pets as well.

You pushed your window open to let some fresh air come into your room as you took in a deep breath, the babies'  weight was becoming a real problem now that they were growing heavier. Alfred yawned lazily enjoying its time on your lap, but suddenly its body jolted up and it jumped off your lap, hissing to the darkness out of your window as its tail puffed up. You gasped at the sudden action and were going to move away from the window, as much as your body's state let you, but hearing a familiar voice relieved you. "Hey stop you little beast! I'm no danger!" Jason's head popped in as he pulled his cloak's hood off, glaring at the hissing cat.

"Now I have to ask permission from you as well?" He said as he shoved the cat to the side so he could sit on the window's edge. Alfred hissed at him one more time before walking back to you, growling as it protectively laid on your lap. Jason snarled at the cat and showed off his long fangs, but the cat just growled in response, making Jason roll his eyes. "Just like its master, it's a brat!" You frowned and smacked his head gently "Shush! Don't talk about Damian like that!" "What? I'm telling the truth!" You wanted to smack him again but he stopped your hand by taking it in his much larger one. "Alright! Alright, momma!" Hearing the word from Jason made your cheeks flush in embarrassment, making him grin.

"How's the momma and the two cakes in the oven doing?" He said as he kissed the back of your hand, letting you pat him by putting your hand on his head. "We're good..." you paused, noticing the cut on his cheek "What have you been up to? I haven't heard from you for a week!" Jason nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck "Well...." he trailed off with another chuckle making you narrow your eyes at him. "You know hunting down ghouls can be a dangerous task..." "But you had promised me to not hunt until the hunting season starts!" Jason looked down as he chuckled again, mumbling an apology.

You and Jason were close enough that he saw you as a motherly figure he could trust. You were like this to all of the Wayne family members, those people felt like a connection to you, like children to their mother, and no one knew why, even you were not aware of the familiarity potion Alfred, the head butler of the family, had used in the family members  daily dose of blood the very day you had stepped into the Manor. You could swear that old Dampier knew things that could shake the world, you had suspected he had some magical futuristic visions powers but you didn't have anything to prove that, no one but the ancestors of the Wayne family was aware of the fact that the old man was an assassin of the dark God's shrines way before the war of the heavens happened and was blessed by them. Alfred knew the family needed you, that was why in the first place he had let his master know about your existence, he was the one who had received the information about you after all. 

You were the only person besides Alfred that could connect to the family members of the Wayne household easily. That was why Jason had let you see his softer side and had trusted you in knowing his secret life as a vampire hunter. You sighed and fixed the white strand of hair on his head "You shouldn't be this reckless Jason...Master Wayne and others worry about you! I do get worried about you! You want to make your pregnant stepmother worry and distress her babies?" Jason narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to you, making you let a questioning hum "hmm?" "You're still angry with the old guy?" He asked, making you sigh as you pushed his face away. "Oh come on! We both know that thing because Bruce had to do it!" You gave him a bored look "I don't want to have this conversation right now Jay..." Jason rolled his eyes "You are both stubborn, neither he apologizes to you properly nor you forgive him for what he did!"

"You don't know how hard it's to even think about it, Jason! He cheated on me with the queen just on our wedlock night! How can I ever forgive him?" "I don't say you should forgive him fully Y/N, but you can overlook some issues in your relationship! I still can't forgive him because of not killing that ghoul master, joker, but I still come to his house, because I know I belong here! You shouldn't take it hard on yourself as I did! Your twins will be born in months and you surely don't want to raise them when you are this cold to their father!...plus he has been taking things too hard on himself lately..." he mumbled the last part with a sigh. "Think about it Y/N...if he didn't love you wouldn't be his wife now! If he wanted to play with you like other people he had in the past he wouldn't have freed you and then let you become the spouse of a noble like him!" You only nodded your head at his words, letting him know you'll think about what he had said.

Jason was right, Bruce loved you, but the process of loving you hadn't reached its peak easily. At first, Bruce was not a good master to you, only letting you out of your room when you were needed, and whenever he talked to you, you were addressed coldly, you couldn't even think about the possibility of having his children to free yourself from him, maybe he had set that condition because it was impossible? Bruce was a man that rarely trusted people. Your situation was so bad for you that you even considered running away from him, though that plan was exposed by the silent daughter of the family, Cassandra. It was not until the day you had saved Bruce from a ghoul's attack while he was sleeping in his coffin that he started to trust you. If you were loyal enough to save your master who had been harsh on you, you were surely a good person to trust.

Your relationship grew stronger little by little and soon after the first time he confessed his feelings for you, you found out about your pregnancy. The family was glad to know that their lonely father had found peace within your arms, and to prove to you that Bruce was genuine about his feelings for you, he proposed to you when you were still a human. It was the first time in his family, that someone had married a human who had not turned into a vampire yet, but he had put all of his family's values and traditions aside long ago when he had adopted dampiers as his children. You were given freedom and the surname Wayne had joined your name.

But the dream bubble was destroyed when your husband left your side in hurry on the very night of your marriage. You had thought that it was an urgent matter of politics or something like that, but when you had heard from the gossiping friends of Stephanie, Richard's Fiance, that he was summoned by the queen who was seduced by him in the past so they could...make love...your heart was broken. He had cheated on you with the unfaithful queen of vampires on the first night of your marriage? You were too devastated that you ran away from the Manor and if it was not because of Richard and Duke, the other sons of your husband, you'd have got away from them as much as you could. You were trapped in your shared room with Bruce since then, spending your months of pregnancy in captivity, though to be honest, it didn't feel too lonely since your family members were there for you all the time. Especially Damian, the boy who had his father's cold attitude but was genuinely in love with you, had his eyes on you to an extent that he didn't leave your side, and if he was not able to do that, his pets did that role for him.

With Jason's kiss on your cheek, you were brought back to reality. "Don't be that way Y/N, let me see you smile before I go!" He said as he pulled on your cheek, making you smile. He smiled back in return as he pulled the hood of his cloak on his head, and left your side after giving the cat on your lap a final snarl. You sighed as you became lonely again. You shifted in your place, feeling uneasy with the weight in your belly when someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" You said as you stood up, noticing Alfred’s gloved hand come into the room and put a boutique of black roses on the floor before closing the door without saying anything, the old man was sneaky sometimes.

You walked to the boutique and noticed a note on it. Picking it up you read it out loud "Give him another chance..." it was Alfred’s handwriting...how did...how did he know that you had considered forgiving Bruce? Was he listening to you and Jason right now? You looked down at the black roses and raised your eyebrows in surprise. Black roses meant another chance in flower language, and Alfred expected you to give them to Bruce? "Meow?" You heard little Alfred question the existence of the flowers, making you smile as it tried to smell them but sneezed because of the pollen. "I think I have to take the step this time..."

You left the room with the flowers as Alfred walked after you, its tail raised in amusement. You walked through the corridors of the Manor to get into Your husband's office, but he was not there, there was only one more place that he could be when he was not in a good mood, the cave under the Manor. Thankfully you knew how to get to your husband's lair and by pressing two different keys on the piano of your husband's office you found the passage to the cave.

....

"Mother!" Damian's surprised voice made Duke raise his head and his eyes widen in surprise, you'd finally come out of your room? Damian ran to you, taking your hand tightly, you were still not used to being called his mother and it made you feel a little uneasy, but you couldn't help but give him a smile when he looked at you with excitement, you were the only one that could bring the young vampire to show his emotions like that. Duke smiled at you, and if it was not because of his hands being greasy he would have come and hugged you.

You looked at your husband sitting on his large chair as he stared at the magical orb that supplied the Manor with energy, not turning back to meet you in the eye despite knowing you were there. You walked to Duke and whispered in his ear "Will you be kind enough to leave us two alone?" Duke gave you a nod before wiping his hands clean and taking Damian out with him as the boy shouted and resisted.

"You don't want to turn around?" You said as you put your hand on Bruce's shoulder, making his muscles jolt up. Oh how much he craved your touch! But he didn't respond to you, instead, he just took your hand in his and guided you to walk in front of him. You put the flowers down and picked one out of the bouquet as you walked in front of him. Bruce's piercing gaze met yours and the vampire let out a tired sigh, his eyes softening at seeing you again. Only dark gods knew how much he had suffered knowing he had hurt you because of keeping his place in the court.

He opened his mouth to talk but you stopped him by putting your fingers on his lips, letting him know you wanted to tell him something first. He kissed your fingers and looked up at you with questioning eyes as you gave him the black Rose in your hand. "Let's start over again..." you said, letting him know you were giving him another chance. Bruce's eyes widened in shock, not believing what he was seeing...you had forgiven him?

He gently pulled on your hand and let you sit on his thigh so he could feel your warmth again. "I...I don't know what to say!" He said, voice low and still shocked. "Just let's not acknowledge what had happened..." you said as you looked down at the rose, sighing happily as Bruce's strong arms pulled you closer to him. "I'm sorry..." he whispered in your ear before starting to kiss your neck, making you smile. His lips found your jaw and then your chin and just when he was going to kiss your ĺips, Alfred’s loud meowing made him freeze in his place.

"You are enjoying the show?" You said frustrated by the fact that you couldn't have the kiss you were missing a lot, "You want some snacks to eat while watching?" Alfred gave you another loud meow as it watched you two, making you let out a groan. But your groan was stifled by the passionate kiss Bruce planted on your lips, letting your melt in his arms as you both chuckled in the kiss.

Years later you'd find out that forgiving Bruce was the best decision of your life.

[memphis-menace]

Siren!Elvis Headcanons

Disclaimer: Okay so just because I drew him, doesn’t mean my headcanons are the be all end all, okay? If you write about him, feel free to make up your own stuff about him, use this stuff about him, whatever you want! That’s the beauty of fandom! This is just how I personally think of the lad when I doodle him.

Disclaimer #2: There will be mentions of animal traits and geographical/topographical shit. I do not claim to actually know anything or claim it as fact. I am making this up, not aiming for accuracy. He’s a sexy water monster, I don’t think “accuracy” applies here.

Once again, @venus-haze has some AMAZING work out regarding her interpretation of him, and hopefully there’s more coming and I can’t wait to eat it up!

Alright, onto my version.

Okay so right off the bat, my version of Siren!Elvis ain’t exactly a fish. That interview that mentioned crocodile eyes took hold of my soul so. The boy is gator based. 🐊

Lives in a swampy/marshy river type area. Look I don’t know terminology I just know what I live by.

Originally, he sang more traditional siren-y songs; mostly just very melodic, wordless tunes. But as people started building residences and moving near his territory, he heard their music - blues, country, rock n’ roll - and decided he really liked it, so his siren song adapted accordingly.

So, being more reptilian than fishy, he doesn’t have a tail. He has semi-webbed clawed hands and feet, and a gator tail to help propel him through the water. He has scales covering his skin in certain places, mostly his back and arms? I’ll try and draw a reference for what I envision one day I’m not good with description there’s a reason I doodle instead of write fanfic 😭

Now yes, he does eat people. Come on, that’s like. The whole “siren” shtick. HOWEVER, if you should catch his eye as something other than food… 👀

Under no uncertain terms, this fella is a YANDERE. Once he’s set his sights on you, it’s over. You’re his. Prepare to be sung into submission, so to speak.

That being said, he knows that realistically he can’t keep you in the swamp indefinitely - humans are not made for mostly aquatic living. So you can stay at your house, but you better visit him every day or there WILL be a tantrum and his tantrums get bloody

Also his eyes do that reflecty/glowy thing, so if he finds out where you live and you wake up in the middle of the night to see glowing blue eyes by your bed looking at you, don’t worry it’s just Elvis, checking on you.

He may try and eat your pets but if you really reiterate to him that you don’t want him to do that he’ll concede and leave them alone.

However, don’t tell him of anyone you’re getting close to that he may consider a rival. The next day you’ll hear about a nasty, mangled, half-eaten corpse found floating down the river 😬

On the flip side, probably don’t tell him about people who are upsetting you. Unless you’re cool with a pile of bones being left on your porch. Cause like, you know how cats bring you dead animals as a gift? Yeah Elvis will do that. And will get extremely huffy if you throw them away or get rid of them; they were a gift! So what if it’s a liability and if someone finds out you could get arrested on suspicion of murder? He’ll eat the cops, don’t worry!

Fair warning, he will eat you if you try to break up with him or cheat on him. So if you’re starting a relationship with him, it’s gonna be your last one. One way or another. So proceed with caution.

He can also do that scary ass hiss/growl that gators do. Because it’s cool and I say so.

Now if you wanna hear him damn near purr, gently scratch the scales along his spine when you cuddle him. He’ll practically melt.

Now, mans got some sharp teefs. And unfortunately, biting is a love language for him. He’s not being mean or trying to hurt you, he just has to mark you up so people know you’re taken 🙂

Now when it comes to sexy time, you deadass may want to get him a muzzle because hoo lord you may end up in a hospital. He can’t always control his chompers when his hormones get high. He’ll feel bad afterwards and try to help you with the bleeding 🥺

Like most gators, Elvis will eat anything, especially if it’s something you made. Because he can’t fathom that you would take time out of your day to cook something to and bring it to him, when he��s perfectly fine eating raw meat. So it’s super special to him when you bring him food you made. It could be a deep fried boot and he’d eat it happily as long as you made it for him.

Eventually he learns (via siren magic because again, this is fantasy and I can do what I want) how to mask his reptilian features and look human, so he can spend even more time with you! Ain’t that great? :) He’s watched the humans around him for quite a while, so he knows how to behave like one when he needs to. You just need to buy him some clothes. 

This will be updated, but this is what I got for now. He’s basically a big ol puppy with some less than safe eating habits and a unique way of lovin’

He is a g8er boi he said see you l8er boi

[critrolesideblog]

Caleb Widogast pushed his hair out of his face for the ei--nineteenth time in about as many minutes. Caleb and Essek were reading for pleasure this evening, with the aid of Comprehend Languages: Caleb the collected poems of Erdan Niemi, a famous Drow bard, and Essek, Die Waldhexe und andere Zemnische Volksmärchen. They were seated at opposite ends of one of the sofas in the tower salon, their legs in the middle not quite touching. But some time into Essek's reading, the repeated scrape of sweater against paper edge and rustle of hand in hair became too much for him to ignore.

It was a long time coming really. Essek recalled that it had been Veth who had braided back Caleb's hair for him, when they were in Aeor last. Since there was no Veth to braid it this time around, Caleb had fallen into the habit of roughly tying it back in a ponytail or bun, with varying degrees of success, depending on the amount of effort he put into it, which, lately, was middling, and tonight, none at all. There were times when the mess was charming: when Caleb shuffled into the dining room in the morning, stray locks framing his face; when he ran his hand through his hair in excitement at a new discovery; when some friendly wind caused wayward strands to brush just so against his lips. At the moment, though... Essek took a large sip of his wine and set the glass gently back on the table. "Caleb?"

"Hmm?"

Despite the response, Essek knew better than to continue right away. Caleb's head tilted up toward him slowly, but his eyes lingered on the page a moment longer. When blue finally met lilac, Essek took a  deep breath breath. "May I... braid your hair for you?"

Caleb blinked once, twice, three times, before his eyebrow and lips quirked up with a humor that was a little too insightful. "Well, if it’s bothering you..."

Essek gave a huff of laughter at being caught, before pressing his hands together in front of his lips, arranging his features into a semblance of solemnity. "It is driving me insane." Caleb laughed, as Essek hoped he would.

"I apologize if I have driven you to distraction," he replied, in a voice that sounded not remotely contrite. Essek averted his eyes and took another small sip of wine to provide an alibi for the warmth in his cheeks. "Please, by all means." Caleb pulled free the tie holding his hair in place, and with a small shake of his head, the copper strands fell down around his face and shoulders.

Essek gathered his composure, clearing his throat slightly. "Excellent -- ah, Liesl?" He said quickly, turning to the tortoiseshell cat relaxing in front of the fireplace. She opened one amber eye in response.

Liesl was Essek's right-hand cat. She had been standoffish at first, it was true, but it seemed Essek's years in politics were not wasted in the ruins of Aeor. "Liesl, would you please have Jaakko fetch me some additional hair ties and a comb?" Liesl, without raising her head from her paws, turned her gaze to the cat in question, all black and slender, whose interpretation of cleaning apparently included batting a piece of crumpled paper around the legs of a desk with incredible enthusiasm. At some unseen signal, he turned his attention to Liesl, and after a series of tail twitches, trotted off into  a nearby cat door. She turned her gaze back to Essek. "Thank you, Liesl. That will be all." She chirped at him in response and returned to her nap.

Caleb's eyes were back on his book now, but Essek did not recall anything in Niemi's works amusing enough to justify the grin on Caleb's face, which Essek now had an excuse to give due consideration. He did not think the braids that Verin favored in their youth would suite him particularly well, and they were a bit elaborate for a night in, besides. Perhaps just a variation on the Gwardanian-style braid Veth employed.

Jaakko returned in no time, the items required laid out neatly on a tray held aloft by his long tail, and, with one last small sip of wine, Essek rose from the sofa and moved to stand behind Caleb. He took a deep breath as he picked up the amber comb from the tray. There was no cause, he told himself sternly, for his heart to be racing as it was, which was, of course, a lie. He raised the comb above the copper strands. "I am going to begin now?"

"Ja, danke."

Whether the thanks was for the impending braid or the warning, Essek was not sure, but he drew the edge of the comb gently back along the scalp, carefully delineating a section of hair at the top of Caleb's head. He tied the sides and back out of the way, and if his face warmed at the brush of fingertips on neck, there was no one able to see it. He gathered up the hair closest to Caleb's face and divided it in thirds, before weaving the right third over the center and then left over center. He repeated the process, carefully gathering more strands in on the sides as he went. He was about halfway through with the braid, when Caleb leaned to the left without warning, nearly pulling the locks from his grasp.

"Pysy paikallasi!" Essek hissed, decades-old habit causing the words to spill from his lips in Undercommon, but it did not matter. Comprehend Languages was still in effect. "Mitä sinä teet?"

"I want some wine," Caleb explained, extending his arm to the side to demonstrate that the glass was just out reach.

"Did Veth allow you to move around when she braided your hair?"

"She never complained."

"Then she spoiled you terribly."

"Will you hand me the wine?"

"No," he replied sternly, gathering the strands into one hand, careful not to mix them up, and then leaning over and passing the goblet to its owner.

"You are a riot, Herr Thelyss," Caleb said dryly, but Essek caught a glimpse of a grin as he straightened.

"I am glad you think so. I have been thinking of taking my comedy show on the road when we are done here."

"You should ask Veth if she has any material you can use. Will there be a Mighty Nein discount on tickets?"

"Please, if anything, I should charge you all extra for the honor of heckling me."

Caleb gave a mock gasp. "The Nein? Heckle you? We would never."

"Ha! Tell me another one!"

Caleb's shoulders shook with quiet laughter.

Essek stopped gathering new hair into the top braid, braiding the remaining length of the locks together, and tying them off. He then shifted to the left and began the process again with a section starting at Caleb's left temple. From this vantage point, he could spy the gilded edges and precise black script of the book in Caleb hands (and what hands they were! Capable, as he knew, of both great destruction and healing. And, perhaps, from this vantage, he could also glimpse the stately sweep of his cheekbones, the curve of his nose, the strength of his jaw, but who was to say.).

"How are you enjoying the poetry so far?" He asked, affixing his eyes firmly to the task in front of him. He had not known whether Caleb enjoyed poetry, when he gifted it to him. He had doubted, though, that Caleb had much opportunity to avail himself of Kryn literature during his time in Rosohna, and Caleb had seemed delighted, even touched, by the gift. He did not seem to be making quick progress through the text, however.

"Very much so," Caleb replied after taking a sip of wine. "I imagine I am sometimes missing some nuance or cultural context -- Comprehend Languages is a bit of a blunt instrument -- but I am enjoying it even more than I thought I would. You almost made it sound dry in your description, when you gave it to me."

"Ah, no, not dry. Only, all young Drow are forced to read his works as part of our schooling, and it colors our enjoyment of it somewhat."

"I see."

"Do you have a favorite passage so far?"

Caleb did not respond right away. "Yes..." He admitted, at last, and added, "It is from the Courtship of Lael."

Essek nearly lost his grip on the braid as he fumbled the strands mid-crossing. He had forgotten the Courtship was so early in the text. "Oh?" He asked, hoping it came across as polite interest.

"Would you like to hear it?" Caleb's voice had a softer, deeper hue than usual.

"If you like."

There was quiet for a moment.

Caleb did not turn to the page -- he did not need to. He merely cleared his throat lightly, and began:

"My lover's skin is a field of stars. What bliss to wander among the heavens! Let me approach as a pilgrim from the dark. Let me worship on my knees before the holy light. Let no beacon go without a prayer from my lips."

Every opalescent freckle on Essek's skin was now a flame. He swallowed hard. "That--that was, ah ... evocative."

"Ja, I thought so too." Caleb chuckled.

Essek tied off the left braid and moved around to the opposite side. They passed the time in quiet, as Essek's dexterous hands, having found their rhythm, made quick work on the braid on the right. And if he had a new awareness of the freckles that made fiery constellations along the slope of Caleb's neck, he gave no indication.

"You know it is a good thing you are braiding my hair up, with us going deeper into the Genesis Ward tomorrow." Caleb said at last, as Essek gathered the braids and the loose strands left over in the back up into a neat ponytail, tying it off with Caleb's original tie. There was more than a little mischief in his voice. "I should hate for Devexian to see me for the first time in months with my hair a mess."

"You are a riot, Caleb Widogast," Essek drawled.

"I'm glad you think so."

.

.

.

----

Notes: Pysy paikallasi! Mitä sinä teet? -  Stay still! What are you doing?

[fferal-archive]

@fiddlingonthetympanic sent an ask (in September) (I am very grateful) (I wish I had the ingenuity and energy to match this):

Eventually, Krakoa spat out seasonally temperate zones; the island grew as the mainland shrank beneath the rising tide of seawater. 

They’re too tired to party all night–Krakoa’s seasonally temperate zones developing really sucks the energy out of everyone–no matter how wonderfully batshit the Thoroughfare of Masks was throughout the month, or how much of a distraction Bob-Cat needs with all his kids grubbing for candy with their other parents. The last straggling trick-or-treaters were skulking their way through the trees, many of them darting out to snatch bits of candy from colorful platters before older members of the Wild Hunt could leap out and catch them with a swipe of the claws. (That was all part of the game.) 

Woolf’s fending off Bob-Cat and Daken in the gnarled ‘doorway’ of the pod, but in that annoyed, half-hearted manner that really means ‘you’re both still getting laid.’ 

“Go–off, you two idiots!” She writhes between them, batting Bob’s clawed fingers away from the white fabric of her dress with a huff of exasperation and a gentle shove to Daken’s side. (The latter is sniffing at her. Right time of the month.) Another authoritative push sends Bob-Cat into the pod after him. “Start without me. Put the tape on or something.”

“Thanks for pulling me out of my dad-funk, you guys.” He pauses, reconsidering his  language before giving an apologetic grunt, slinging one hairy arm around Daken’s neck as the other gnaws at him like a chew toy. “‘You two’.” He gives a little sigh, a chuckle, and a laissez-faire shrug, allowing himself to be pulled deeper into the pod. “My bad. We’re never too old to check ourselves, are we?”

“Hey. Bob-cat. Blow me.” Daken’s voice faded into the background, as did the telltale swish of the Krakoan biomattress beneath their weight. 

Woolf lingers  in the doorway, breathing deep the crisp, sugary air and smoke. Ghoulish candlelight flickers from behind the carved faces of fruits, vegetables, and G-d knew what else. The laughter of children rises and falls within the shadow of the trees. ‘A good night,' she decides, reaching to brush her fingers over the warped turnip jack-o’-lanterns she’d hung outside earlier.

When she glances down, the child is there at her feet, smelling of overripe pumpkin and moldering leaves. Her eyes widen beneath the white, wide brim of her hat, a seasonally appropriate breeze rustles the hem of her dress.

Kid’s carrying a giant orange sucker, and it’ll be a miracle if they don’t choke on it before the night’s done.

Her brows draw together in an apologetic frown. “I don’t know if I have any candy left, honeybee.” 

Black button eyes gaze up at her from a burlap sack–face. They’re so–expectant that she tips back the brim of her hat and sighs. ‘How things are done,’ she realizes, then sighs. ‘Gifts for the children.’ 

“Let me get something from inside. D’you like spicy n–” A pumpkin sails past them, exploding against the trunk of a nearby tree with a wet, hollow thunk; Woolf makes a garbled sound of shock and frustration as one Raw Dog–newly reborn as a teenager, as all mutants are eventually-stops his shenanigans,  raising one hand in a not-so-apologetic wave.

“Sorry, ma’am!” A pause stretches between the three as Dog Howlett shifts. “You smell–uh– look nice tonight?”

Fire Knives raised him to be polite to women at least. She glowers at him, then darts back into the pod, briefly hissing at the men inside to ‘keep it down, there’s a kid!’ before returning with a little bag of spiced nuts from a leftover party bag, dropping it into Sack-Child’s treat basket. “Here,” she murmurs, reaching out as if to pat them on their burlap head before pulling her hand back. “Sorry. You caught me a bit late.” 

The child scurries away without a word, and she feels a weight leave her shoulders as she foils her arms over her chest and narrows her eyes at the teenager vandalizing his way past.“You should have some respect for tradition, Dog,” she calls disapprovingly “The roots of this sort of thing run deep!”

Then, she leaves him to mull the importance of the old ways in favor of watching an old mummy-themed porno while eating Hunt-jerky off of washboard abs. 

“When I told you to get started, you really ran with it…”her voice fades away, and “Raw Dog” Howlett and the strange, solemn trick-or-treater are left relatively alone, one with an oversized sucker and candy bucket, the other with his general douchebaggery and disrespect for the holiday season.

A bare foot punts a jack-o’-melon like a soccer ball.“Go to bed, yo,” is all Raw Dog–whose birth name is Wild Dog–tells him, sniffing loudly and rubbing a hand over his runny nose as the sad remains of fruit rind and candle wax drips down the side of a stone ledge.“The grown-ups have things to do.”

Black button eyes glint.

___

Woolf wakes up in a pile of man-flesh in the middle of the night, her nostrils flaring at the scent of drying blood. She grunts, spitting out a mouthful of Bob’s hair even as she runs a hand along a sleek, bare thigh. (Daken’s, judging by the thick pelt of manfur.)  Blood. Too close. 

Don’t like that.

“S’mone g’see what that is,” she mumbles, less concerned about the vaguely familiar smell than its proximity to her ‘autumn-summer home.’ “Bob. Up.” At his rrroooorrwl of protest, she nudges the thigh-haver. “You. Fang. Up. No kids vandalizing my porch tonight.” 

Daken eventually does drag himself outside, muttering and bitching about family. The blood smells of Raw Dogging, you see.

So does the severed head hanging strung alongside  the turnip jack-o’-lanterns, its eyes glassy and staring, lips split wide by the bright orange sucker jammed into its mouth.

“Tell your nephew to clean up his mess!”

[sneezefiction]

attention

Miya Osamu x Reader

desc: you’re spending too much time fawning over a very fictional captain Levi and not enough time doting on your real boyfriend, Osamu. 

a/n: @starrysamu dearest remy, this is for you. i only just found out that it’s your birthday and i felt like i needed to show my appreciation for you in a tangible way. this isn’t the best, but i laughed a lot while writing it, so i hope it’ll make you smile. so much love to you and happiest of birthdays!! you’re such a joy to speak with <33

warnings: mentions attack on titan (fictional deaths), language, suggestive towards the end

wc: 1.5k

---

“I bet you haven’t moved in hours.”

“Mm,” you hum absentmindedly.

Osamu stays silent for a moment, squinting judgmentally at you from the corner of the living room. He’s been standing there for ten minutes and you’ve not so much as acknowledged his existence. Granted, you already spent the entire morning with him, but you could at least greet him with your usual, “hey, babe.” 

He’d even settle for a “what’s up, ugly” at this point.

However, your eyes are glued to the TV screen. Blue light and flashing colors reflect off of your skin while the blood-curdling screams of various animated characters fill the room. You gasp and a hand flies to your mouth. That’s the fourth time you’ve done that since he’d walked in the room.

Whatever it is you’re watching, your reaction seems reasonable. The show looks and sounds disgusting. Or at least to Osamu it does.

“You really should move around a little.” He coaxes, “You’re gonna cut off all your circulation.”

Osamu approaches the couch, but you continue to ignore him.

“Yeah, and?” you respond, eyes still fixed on the screen, “I’m kinda in the middle of something.”

You reach for the remote and turn up the volume a couple of notches. His brows furrow in contempt. Now, this is just plain rude.

“Well, if you lose a limb, don’t come cryin’ to me.” He says flatly.

“I won’t…” you start, “but-“

You point to the screen, singling out a few characters being hunted by hideous and… very naked titans. Gross, Osamu thinks.

“-they might.”

If you were known to watch shows for the plot, he wouldn’t mind your series marathons all that much. But he knows you too well.

Osamu flickers his gaze to the TV and steps in front of the screen, intentionally blocking your view. It’s an attempt to steal your attention away from all of these fictional characters you claim to keep “falling in love with.”

You whine and tell him to “get his ass out of the way,” while craning around his broad shoulders to see. It’d be a shame to miss out on Levi Ackerman’s hella sculpted jawline, even just for a second.

But your efforts are to no avail. ‘Samu (his ass included) refuses to move away from the screen.

You breathe out a white flag of a sigh, slumping back into the couch in defeat. Though you’d planned on this being a solo watch party, you know that the only way to get what you want out of this situation (Levi screen time) is by appeasing your actual boyfriend.

“Whatever ‘Samu. Just join me already.” You huff out.

Tossing open your blanket for him, you pat the empty space expectantly. If you’re going to give him any attention at all, he’s obligated to at least keep you warm.

And he won’t lie, you look very comfortable.

Seeing you cozied up in his apartment and lazily splayed out on his couch has always made him melt a little. Osamu is just a bit domestic like that.

But if you’re just going to use his Netflix account to fawn over fake (albeit incredibly sexy) men, then he’s less than thrilled to have you sitting there alone. Any good boyfriend would be at least a little agitated… right?

So for the sake of reining you and your wandering mind in, he decides to plop down next to you. The whole couch sinks when he sits and you tilt into him like a planet gravitating toward the sun. A really obnoxious, show-interrupting sun.

Osamu snakes an arm around your back, pulling you into his chest, and turns his head toward the TV. All is calm as you get comfortable and adjust yourself against him... until suddenly the screen splatters red. His arm tenses against your waist and a frown forms on his face. Apparently, something or someone just bit the dust. 

“What exactly are ya watchin’?” He asks, tone drenched in disgust.

You whip your head toward him, an eyebrow cocked and lips parted. You’re looking at him as though he’d just gone and grown a third eye or called your mom a hoe. In terms of drama, Osamu is beginning to think you might actually rival Atsumu.

“You seriously don’t know?” 

“Do I look like someone who keeps up with anime?” 

“Well… no,” you admit slowly, “but that’s got nothing to do with you not knowing about Attack on Titan. I bet even Kita has heard of it.”

You wait for recognition to flicker in his grey eyes at the mention of the anime’s name. Instead, he gives you his signature blank stare. Should you be shocked or disappointed? Which emotion would bother him more?

“Yeah, it doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Have you been living under a rock?” You scoff, mouth still agape.

“No, but I basically live with you and that’s difficult enough.” He jests, poking you in the side.

His warm hands gives you a quick squeeze and you almost jump out of his hold. For someone who runs a restaurant, he’s got some well-toned arms. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to escape his grasp anytime soon.

“No! None of that shit!” You hiss as he tries to tickle you. “You’re just trying to distract me.”

Your back curls like a cat and you bat at his hands to abate any further pokes or prods. He only chuckles, smirking at your feeble attempts to stop him. You were the one provoking him in the first place, but he’ll let it slide just this once.

When Osamu no longer seems like a threat to your ticklish sides, you nestle back into him. Your hand rests lightly on his chest and your head finds a soft-ish spot on his shoulder.

Feigning a pout, you mutter, “Captain Levi wouldn’t treat me like this.”

He’s quick to respond.

“Well, Levi-” the name sounds uncharacteristically bitter as it leaves his lips, “-wouldn’t treat you like anything, sweetheart. Sorry, but he ain’t real.”

You open your mouth to protest, but Osamu beats you to it.

“And judging by the rate these people are dyin’, he probably won’t last long enough for you to even mentally date him.”

“Don’t underestimate me and my mental dating abilities, ‘Samu.”  You warn, “Or Levi. He could totally beat your ass.”

With perfect timing, Levi makes an appearance, striking a lethal blow to another one of the babbling giants. Two giants. Now four of them. Okay, he might’ve spoken too soon.

“Mm… maybe. But he probably couldn’t put up with all of your bullshit. This Levi kid seems like a bit of a hardass,” Osamu responds after a few minutes of transfixed silence.

You jut your lip out, sinking further into the couch, “Crush my dreams, why don’t you?”

He rolls his eyes in response.

“But,” you continue, “you’ve gotta admit, he is attractive. I mean, just look at those eyes. That body, too…” you breathe.

You swoon and tease and clutch at your heart, but it’s all an act to get under ‘Samu’s skin. He is your number one, after all. Teasing is just a part of your relationship and you would try to milk it whenever you could.

However, you don’t get a verbal response from him this time. He just tightens his hold around you and buries his nose in your hair. Warm breath tickles your scalp and trails across your skin.

Is he pouting? Or is he finally watching the show without adding commentary to it? You can’t tell the difference.

Osamu stays like that for a moment and you revert your attention back to the screen, intent on catching the last couple minutes of this episode. 

Though you hardly have a chance to re-invest yourself before Osamu is speaking again.

“Well, I’m just glad he’s behind a TV screen,” he sighs against your head, “and-”

A smirk works its way onto his lips and Osamu begins circling a thumb on your exposed thigh. Your breath hitches and you turn to face him. His fingers press against your skin and play at the hem of your shorts.

The warmth of his hand sinks deeply into you like poison. In a matter of seconds, you’re at a loss for words, rendered unfit for battle… even if that battle is just teasing the ever-living shit out of him.

Thoughts of the show, of Levi, of other fictional men, are long gone from your mind. 

Damn him for still having this effect on you after all this time.

“-judging by the way you can’t keep your hands off of me-“

He glances at your hand, which is resting delicately on his abdomen. You’re pressed up tightly against him, tucked into his side and looking up at his face which seems dangerously close to your own. Then his eyes, heavy-lidded and a shade of grey far prettier than Levi’s, flicker down to your lips. 

Your skin flushes hot and you grip the fabric of his shirt.

“-I’d say you’ve gotta be at least half as into me as you’re into general Levi or whatever the hell his name is,” Osamu murmurs, his breath fanning gently on your lips.

He leans in, planting a slow kiss at the corner of your mouth, effectively teasing the delicate skin.

With one calloused hand on your face and the other still stroking your thigh, you feel your mind going fuzzy. This was escalating much faster than you’d expected it to and you haven’t even had the chance to pause your show. 

You glance over to the TV...  and heaven seems to be shining down upon you. It’s the blessed Netflix “are you still watching” screen; your show is perfectly paused. Now you can focus on what’s right in front of you.

Osamu finally has your full, undivided attention. Just as he should.

“Just for the record, it’s captain Levi.” You whisper to him.

“Oh, shut up.” He says before crashing his lips into yours.

You do, in fact, shut up.

[squiddybeifong]

Can I ask for the batsiblings reaction to Damian pacing so much he wore a hole in the floor? Doesn't have to be a fics, maybe headcanons?

Sorry for the rather long wait. Kinda wanted to make this a fic

Here's the floor pacing fic

On Ao3 here

--

Alfred hadn’t outwardly reacted to Damian’s obvious lie as to why he had paced the floorboards uneven, but the butler absolutely took action for amending the tripping hazard in the boy’s room. With the floor repairman on the line and a measuring tape in hand nothing was amiss, of course.

Dick had already kept him up-to-date with the gossip about the two Titan birds, so Alfred hadn’t been surprised whatsoever. His position in the family meant that he’d watched the awkward budding romances of most everyone who’d called the Manor home. Damian being frustrated at his feelings for a teammate was nothing compared to a (very grown) Bruce being moody after Selina rebuffed his kiss while ‘on the clock’ or Dick’s increasingly creative attempts at sneaking around with Kori before the ‘no dating metahumans or aliens’ rule had been lifted. Honestly, watching the pun-laden flirting that Steph ladled out to both Tim and Cass on a near daily basis was more awkward than his youngest ward taking his repressed emotions out on the floors.

Unfortunately for Damian, the butler arranged for the floor repairman to show up during the day. Most notably, the repairman arrived at exactly the specified 1:35 p.m., not wanting to be late when called upon to fix anything belonging to Bruce Wayne.

Why Robin had believed that (like everyone else in Gotham) this worker would be fashionably late, he didn’t know. What Damian did know was that he hadn’t heard Grayson open the door. Nor had he heard his brother head up with Alfred and the repairman into his room. And he especially didn’t hear as Alfred slyly mentioned that he believed Dick’s gossip was coming to a head, if the worn path in the floor meant anything.

No, Damian heard none of it. Not when he was busy brushing BatCow and making sure that every square inch of the barn was properly ventilated so she couldn’t possibly overheat in the approaching summer weather. So when the youngest Bat stalked into the Manor, he’d been all but ambushed.

It didn’t take a detective to realize why he’d been pacing so much. Even without Alfred’s confirmation, it was unlike Damian to avoid going back to the Titans early if he could help it. Batman hadn’t looked up when Robin had elected to stay another week when they were in the BatCave, but his siblings sure had. And while Bruce didn’t outwardly ponder about how intense things had to be for Damian to go out of his way to avoid a certain someone, this new information had Dick positively enchanted at the prospect of his baby brother being in love.

“I’m not in love with Raven,” Damian hissed out.

Jason snickered as he reclined in his seat, his face full of mirth at the flustered crack in Damian’s voice. Cass was sitting upside down with her legs resting on the couch’s back, her smile wide as she took in her youngest brother’s irritated, embarrassed body language (nevermind the barest hint of an actual blush on his face when vehemently denying any feelings he had towards his fellow Titan).

Babs’ smile was wide and cheerful as she pointed out, “Who said anything about Raven?” Duke perked up from his spot next to Cass, immediately adding on, “Yeah, Dami. We thought you were just falling for her?”

Steph snorted, “Falling over those footprints in the floor, more like it.”

Tim laughed behind his gulp of his coffee, sleepily (and loudly) drawling out to the blonde, “A Robin and his Raven. Guess you can say they’re a real pair of lovebirds, huh?”

Damian glared at them all, fighting the urge to pinch between his eyes. Why were all the Bats at the Manor? Shouldn’t they be on patrol instead of bothering him?

Jason clicked his tongue and rested his arms on the table. He met Dick’s gaze, saw the way his older brother’s eyes brightened up with mischief and scratched at the streak of white in his hair. Deciding that messing with Damian was by far the most fun he’d have in the Manor that morning, Jason asked, “So, Lil’ D… What’re you gonna get your girlfriend? Can’t come back empty handed.”

“She’s not my--”

Babs interrupted him, nudging Tim with her elbow, “Do not tell me he wasn’t planning on getting her anything.”

Steph lazily rested on the chair’s edge. The blonde leaned over to rest against Jason’s shoulder, her fist pressed to her face. She gnawed on the inside of her cheek; it wasn’t likely she’d be much use for knowing how Raven would want to be wooed. She had heard of her but she had yet to actually meet Damian’s mystery crush, after all. She let out a hum, “What does Raven like? It’s gotta be something personal!”

Damian clicked his tongue as his siblings were suddenly oh so chatty at Spoiler’s suggestion, their unwanted ideas filling the room.

“What if he paints her something?”

“Doesn’t she like old books? Maybe one of those first editions that Alfred was thinking about donating last year?”

“Wait a sec-- Dick, isn’t she goth? B did get that set of obsidian jewelry at the last gala.”

“Hell, if we’re going that route I’m sure Selina has some nice rings somewhere--”

“Maybe something that isn’t stolen, Tim.”

“Just be honest with her.”

The room went quiet at Cass’ simple instruction. Still in her Orphan suit from her early morning patrols and reclining in her inverted spot on the couch, the brunette somehow kept a serious face as she stared at Damian upside down.

Seeing that no one was going to add-on to her suggestion, Cass blew some of her bangs out of her face and shrugged, “You like her for a reason.”

Brown eyes slyly glanced around the room, gratefully falling on Babs as she piped up, “Cass is right. I really don’t think Damian of all people would fall for someone who’s all about dating mind-games.”

Ignoring Damian’s exasperated lie of “I haven’t fallen for her!” in the background, Steph slumped down on the couch next to Duke. Her face was contemplative, “Then maybe we should invite her here?”

Dick let out an excited laugh the same time Tim clapped his hands and grinned at their resident computer whiz, “Babs could absolutely get her up to speed on patrolling Gotham for a bit, right?”

The redhead looked excited at the idea. Pushing her glasses further up her nose before they fell, Babs teasingly asked, “What is it about Gotham and bird-based superheroes?”

Duke shrugged, a hand cradling his chin in thought. “Not sure, but Dami obviously won’t confess if we’re not around to kick him into doing it.”

Jason clicked his tongue at the possibility of the youngest Bat listening to them and raised a brow Dick’s way, “Any chance at all that she’ll make the first move?”

Irritated at the topic, Damian turned on his heel and retreated to the kitchen. Ignoring the chorus of “C’mon, Dami” behind him (and planning on fighting Todd later for the childish boos that the antihero was aiming at his back), Robin set about grabbing some snacks for his pets when he heard two sets of footsteps approach.

He bit back a groan as Dick practically skipped into the room, Cass on his heels. “What now?”

Nightwing let out a laugh at his brother’s sneer, “You do know that we’re only trying to help, right?” He took a few pears from the fridge and handed them to Damian, knowing that they were BatCow’s favorite. Hearing as Cass opened the cabinet doors to find where the rawhide bones and cat treats were stored, Dick pressed on, “I know she already knows me but it might be easier introducing everyone as a segue into talking to her about other things…”

Cass let out a quiet snort at his suggestion. She shook her head and offered a better idea, “Alfred first.”

Dick tilted his head, nodding in agreement a moment later. He ignored the violent way Damian was cutting up the pears and said, “That’ll probably be for the best. Living with the Titans is one thing; we gotta ease her into our particular brand of madness.”

Tossing aside the stems and peeled off stickers, Damian sulked, “None of this is necessary.”

Cass hid her smile with her hand. Dick hummed out, “You don’t want your girlfriend to meet your family?”

“She won’t be my--” Damian couldn’t say the potential title just yet. He clicked his tongue, “Just because you all think I have feelings for her doesn’t mean she’ll reciprocate.”

The older two visibly paused at his words.

Her head tilting in concern, brown eyes studied Robin for a moment. Damian glared at Cass but she ignored him. Dick leaned against the wall, the worried furrow in his brow betraying his nonchalant stance. He spoke out the obvious, “Do you really think she’s not interested?”

“She thinks I’ve been avoiding her--”

Cass shrugged, “You have.”

Damian continued as if he hadn’t heard her, “--so I doubt any feelings she may have towards me are positive right now.”

Dick let out a hum, “You didn’t answer the question.”

Ophan’s suit somehow didn’t shine in the kitchen’s fluorescent light as she crossed her arms, “Yes or no?”

Damian bit the inside of his cheek. It was quiet in the kitchen for a moment as he thought over all the moments he and Raven had shared, the comfortable quiet pauses between crimefighting, training, and avoiding their teammates’ noise. She never seemed to dislike his company, but she was stoic enough that he could never tell if her heart leaped into her throat whenever she noticed that they were alone.

He suppressed a jump as Cass entered his personal space.

Olive eyes were reluctant as she poked his cheek. “You’re not stupid,” She figured it was progress when he didn’t try to swat her hand away, but she couldn’t keep the beam off her face at the boy’s blush. A hint of smugness crept into her voice, “So she is?”

“I don’t know.”

Cass looked to the Manor’s main entrance, knowing that in half a week’s time the entire structure would be full of lights, flowers and who knew what else B’s planners would bring. A spring gala with flowers and enough hidden corners for a pair to get lost in the crowd.

In other terms: the perfect setting for a first date.

She met Dick’s gaze and grinned at the knowing look on his face. His hair nearly fell out of its bun as he let out a whoop, wrapping an arm around Damian. Thoughts of finding Raven a gala-ready dress (and maybe a matching suit) in mind, Dick couldn’t keep the excitement out of his movements.

Ignoring the aggravated yet cautiously hopeful way Damian shrugged off his brother’s arm, Cass clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Only one way to find out.”

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Stalker X Stalker, Part 2

First part

Next

Perma tag: @nathleigh

Stalker x Stalker taglist: @aespades

Tim wheeled his bike into the alleyway nearby and set the alarm to call him if someone messed with it beyond the normal ‘must touch cool thing’ instincts.

Once he was sure that his bike couldn’t be easily stolen, he turned back to where Marinette was waiting for him.

She struggled with her phone with her gloved fingers. His lips twitched into a grin and he took a moment to school his face into a neutral expression before he started over.

After a second, her head turned to look at him and she flashed a wink, pocketing her phone.

“Cheers!” She chirped, flashing him a wave.

Tim raised an eyebrow at her behind his domino mask. “I hate to break this to you, but that’s a British thing.”

He could only see the top half of her face, and yet he was sure she was pouting. “Kwami, this is Canada French all over again.”

“Canada --?”

“They speak the language all wrong,” she said, as if that made it make more sense.

“I feel like you’re implying that I speak English wrong.”

“Would you rather I say it outright? ‘Cheers’ is a cute word and it sucks that Americans don’t use it.”

“Is this really a hill you’re going to die on?”

“Not just a hill I’m going to die on, it’s the hill.”

He scoffed lightly at that, then turned to get the door for her. The moment they stepped inside they tensed. The silent stares pressed in on them on all sides and he felt Marinette shuffle just the slightest bit closer to him as they took their place in line. The Gothamites continued watching them -- no, they were watching her -- warily, and of course they were (new people in costumes usually meant pain for them).

Well, he could assure them she was safe, at least.

He slowly, carefully, threw his arm over his shoulders. Marinette’s hand twitched towards the arm on instinct to throw him off, but otherwise she didn’t give much indication that what was going on was weird. There were a few more tense seconds before people turned back to what they were doing, visibly relieved by the fact that she was apparently on the good side. Chatter started back up.

Marinette relaxed slightly under his arm and he gave her shoulder a little squeeze in a weak attempt at comfort.

“Kwami, I forgot how much being a new hero sucks.”

“Vigilante,” he corrected her absently.

She rolled her eyes. “At least try and make it sound like you’re not a cop with a bird theme.”

He sputtered, pulling away to cross his arms over his chest. “Hey!”

“Am I wrong?”

“Yes!”

She rested her hands on her hips.

“We break laws!”

She snickered. “So do cops.”

Tim… didn’t have a retort for that. Luckily, he didn’t need to have one, because it was their turn to order. Neither of them hesitated and within a minute they had their drinks and were out the door. They waved for the few cameras pointed at them on their way out, false smiles lighting up their faces, and then quickly ducked back into the alleyway to have their drinks in privacy.

“I’m going to start going places as Red Robin more often since it seems to mean I’ll get served quicker,” joked Tim as he leaned against the wall.

She gave him a puff of laughter and then pulled the bottom of her mask up to take a sip of her caramel frappe. He watched her expression for a moment and then decided that it must have been good because she didn’t instantly recoil. He pulled his coffee to his lips and took a confident gulp, only to choke.

“Shit,” he hissed, fighting the urge to spit it out.

Now that he knew what to look for he could see the pain behind her eyes.

“It’s really bad,” she informed him, purposefully just a moment too late in her warning.

He huffed a little, looking at the cup in his hand. It’s an iced coffee! How do you even mess that up?

There was a beat as the two vigilantes considered their options, before giving each other shrugs and downing their drinks. It may have been bad, but at least it was caffeinated. Marinette, lucky her, had an easier time of it because she’d gotten whipped cream with hers. He was tempted to snatch the drink from her hands to have something to wash down the cup threatening to sully the good name of coffee for him…

But he didn’t have to. She smiled and offered him the last of her whipped cream. He squinted at it suspiciously as if expecting it to be poisoned. After the coffee incident just a moment before he wasn’t about to take any chances.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s actually good, promise.”

“If you’re lying I’m taking back vouching for you to Batman,” he told her.

Her eyes crinkled with mirth.

“I’m serious! If it’s terrible I’m marching back to the Batcave --!”

“All the way back?”

“Yes! All the way back to the Batcave! And I’m going to revoke my vouching!”

“Oh noooooo, not the vouching!” She said, bringing her hands to her cheeks in mock terror. When he continued to ‘glare’ at her she snickered and assured him that: “It’s fine, I’m pretty sure it’s from a can.”

He squinted at her, because canned whipped cream was still far below his normal standard, but he did end up taking it. It was… okay.

“See? Not poisoned.”

“Very suspicious thing to say unprompted but okay.”

She grinned, reaching over to swipe some cream off his nose. “You’ll die in exactly four hours”

He rolled his eyes. “Hm. I guess I should go home and work on making an antidote, then.”

“Yeah. Good luck with that. I’ll see you later.” She leaned forward and pressed her mask to his cheek in a sort of kiss before heading off.

He watched her leave, smiling to himself. He leaned back against his motorbike absently, thinking.

Well, he supposed he didn’t need to watch her to make sure she was safe anymore. She was Ladybug, she could take care of herself in a fight…

But then a thought occurred to him: she couldn’t detect him when he had been watching her earlier. He bit his lip anxiously. Sure, he was trained to evade detection but did he really want to chance it? In a place like Gotham the ability to tell when you’re being watched is an absolute must.

Okay. Fine. He’d watch her just a little longer…

~

Marinette frowned when her phone rang while she was doing some late-night work.

“Yeah?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be asleep, M’lady?”

A wide grin stretched across her face and she fell back in her bed. “Chaton! And here I was thinking you would never call!”

Adrien laughed. “Well, our time zones don’t exactly match up and I forgot that your sleep schedule is less of a schedule and more of a suggestion.”

“Fuck you, too, then.”

He laughed and she could hear him shifting around on the other side. She heard him zip something up on the other side and she lit up. “When’re you coming over?” He sighed and that was all it took to let her know that he had bad news. The momentary silence afterwards as he tried to figure out what to say was a good indication, too.

“I can’t, unfortunately. The Son of Hawkmoth moving away right after he gets jailed isn’t a good look. The United States Government isn’t that eager to have me, either.”

She wasn’t about to give up that easily. “Just steal the horse miraculous from Fu and come over illegally.”

He snorted. “Yeah, no, straight up disappearing is even more suspicious, thanks.”

Marinette frowned. She supposed that made sense…

She pulled her cat plush over so she could rest her head against it. “It’s so boring without you.”

“You’re making new friends, right?” He questioned, concerned. “I saw on the news that you’ve met the other vigilantes already.”

“Yeah, I guess… but they clearly don’t trust me.”

“Well, did you trust me when we started out?”

“No…”

“So give them time. They’ll realize you’re the best person on Earth soon enough.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, obviously. They’d have to be blind not to notice that.”

“Well, one of them is called Batman --.”

“I’m hanging up on you.”

He laughed at her and she smiled as she burrowed into her plush.

“Thanks, Chaton.”

“Anytime. Now, go to sleep.”

She rolled her eyes and hung up on him without promising him anything.

~

He leaned against the concrete of the roof, head on his arms to prevent scratching up his chin as he watched her through the window. He kind of worried about her having the blinds open like that, anyone could look in at her, but at least she closed it at night.

Still, he couldn’t deny that it certainly made things easier for him. She did most things by window light -- to save electricity, he theorized -- so he didn’t have to work all that hard to keep track of her.

Currently, she was working on stitching some pieces of an outfit. Her tongue poked out of her mouth a little when she concentrated, he had learned. A tiny part of him wondered if she did that as Ladybug, too, and he just couldn’t see it under her mask.

He kind of wished he could ask. Maybe one day he would (if they ever got close enough for him to reveal he’d been watching her without her knowledge, of course).

His phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him from his thoughts, and he groaned to himself as he synced his earbuds and picked up.

“Yeah, B, what do you need?”

~

Listen, Marinette liked her job. She had the privilege of designing most of the outfits she did and that was a lot of fun -- certainly more fun than working solely on commissions -- but… sometimes she just wants to be told what to do. Artist’s Block is real and it fucking sucks.

Thankfully, Gotham gave quite a bit of inspiration. The difference between Gotham and Paris was striking. Paris was pristine; lots of tourists meant keeping the city in a constant state of newness, all bright colors and surfaces so clean you can see your reflection in them. Gotham, on the other hand, felt exceptionally lived in; graffiti, decaying buildings, cracked sidewalks…

She found a nice vantage point that overlooked the city and looked out over the horizon. That was another difference between the two: the height of buildings in Gotham was far more varied than those of Paris. It was more interesting to look at, she thought.

(It had been a point of annoyance at night as she could no longer jump from rooftop to rooftop with ease, but that’s not the point here.)

Maybe she could do something inspired by all the different heights. Audrey would probably like a dress like that.

She smiled walking to a nearby gargoyle. Red graffiti dubbed them Charlie, and who was she to not use his preferred name?

“Hello, Charlie, may I sit on you?” She joked quietly.

Charlie did not answer, not that she really expected him to.

She perched herself on the gargoyle’s back and pulled her sketchbook from a secret pocket in her leather jacket. She hummed tunelessly as she sketched out the shape.

Layers of different lengths -- and different colors, too, of course, she thought as she pulled out some colored pens (what’s the point of different layers if you don’t make it rainbow?) -- and oh it definitely had to trail a little in the back for the drama…

Artist’s block hit her like a too-high wall on patrols as she stared at where the bodice needed to be. What should she do? Obviously it needed to be relatively simple otherwise she risked the dress being an eyesore but…

It was just her luck that the moment she came to a decision about what to do for the bodice and accessories is the moment the first water droplet hit her sketchbook. She pulled her gaze to the sky and noticed the storm cloud overhead.

Shit, it was starting to rain.

She looked back down at her sketchbook, irritation spiking under her skin.

Option one: tough it out and continue drawing so she doesn’t risk forgetting the idea she’d had.

Option two: don’t risk her outfit (or her health, she guessed) and just head inside like a sane person.

… Marinette chose option one. She wouldn’t be herself without the occasional bad decision.

She drew her jacket over her head and hunched over her sketchbook as she continued sketching out her design.

Except, after a few minutes, she didn’t feel the beat of the rain on her jacket. She blinked a few times because she could still hear the rain nearby and she started to wonder if she had died somehow before she caught the sound of someone moving just out of her seeing range.

She turned her head to see a man holding an umbrella over her head, her jacket falling back to rest on her shoulders.

She gave him a once over. It was a little paranoid, she could admit, but she was in Gotham; it paid to be cautious. He was wearing a thick trench coat and gloves, which was a big red flag. He also had open posture -- more open than was natural, actually -- what with his slight slouch and hands spread wide in a somewhat placating gesture. The only good thing was that he was keeping a respectful distance, even standing a bit in the rain in order to avoid crowding her.

… well, he had an umbrella, at least.

She gripped the gargoyle tighter with her legs just in case he decided he wanted to try and push her, then turned to face him more.

“Hi,” she said carefully.

“You know, it’s illegal to be up here,” he said, flashing her an almost blindingly white smile.

She grinned. “You’re breaking the law, too, then.”

“Yeah. I won’t tell on you if you don’t tell on me.”

She reached a pinky out and, after a second’s hesitation, he returned the gesture.

Deal made, he wiped some of the water away with gloved fingers and took a seat beside her.

He clearly trusted her more than she trusted him, even allowing his legs to hang over the side of the building. She wondered why, vaguely, but she couldn’t exactly go and ask...

So, instead she smiled and said: “Thanks for the help. Water stains are a bitch to get out of leather.”

“You’re welcome, but I really can’t believe you went out without an umbrella in this city of all places.”

She shrugged sheepishly. “I’m a little new here, to be honest.”

She watched him carefully out of the corner of his eyes. The man frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by her laughter.

“I’m kidding, I’m not stupid enough to genuinely tell someone that. I was just going for the Manic Pixie Dream Girl aesthetic.”

His shoulders relaxed in a way that would have been imperceptible if she hadn’t been trained to check body language. She let herself relax her grip on the gargoyle a little as well; he had been concerned about her right then, he was probably pretty safe. Safe enough to not strain her legs too much, at least.

“Well, I do like your aesthetic,” he said.

She raised her eyebrows. “The Manic Pixie Dream Girl stuff, my outfit, or what I’m drawing?”

“All of it. But mostly the outfit.”

She felt a faint blush rise to her face but she brushed him off with a: “Yeah, thanks, but I’m not about to start taking fashion advice from a guy in a trenchcoat.”

He gasped and brought his free hand to his chest in mock offense. “Excuse you, this is peak Gotham fashion!”

“It’s shady, that’s what it is.”

“That’s what Gotham fashion is!”

She couldn’t have rolled her eyes harder if she tried. And she did try.

Her gaze fell back to her work and she sighed as she pulled out her pens and started working on finishing up her sketch.

“So, what’re you up here for?” She asked because she didn’t want to risk him getting bored and leaving with the umbrella.

“Hm? Oh, I do photography in my spare time. Figured I’d scope out some new areas.”

“Know all the best places in Gotham?”

“You have no idea.” The man flashed her a grin. “It’s been a while since I’ve gone in person, though, so I figured I’d get some update shots.”

“Well, if we both need to go sightseeing around Gotham for our things, why not do it together?”

He raised an eyebrow at her but she could see the way his lips twitched downwards with concern. “Trust me that much already? We’ve just met.”

“Well, you seem like a nice guy...” She smirked. “And I could totally beat your ass.”

He scoffed and unbuttoned his trenchcoat to prove to her that he did, in fact, have muscles hidden beneath all those layers and she laughed before she noticed the shirt he was wearing.

Holy shit. She’d made that shirt. He was wearing one of her shirts. She could see the gold stitching partially hidden beneath his collar, and fuck maybe she was concerned about all the wrong things.

Her eyes narrowed in on him just slightly. He clearly wasn’t actively hiding the shirt and didn’t seem concerned that he had shown her, which meant he:

a) didn’t know she was MDC,

b) saw her as just another artist,

or c) was showing her on purpose so she could make an informed decision about being his friend.

So… he didn’t seem to be a threat to her.

Maybe she could do some checking up on him, though, just to be safe.

She smiled. “I realize I never got your name. Probably would be a problem if we’re going to be spending more time together from now on.”

He grinned. “Yeah, it’s kinda hard to be friends with someone if you don’t even know their name. I’m Tim Drake.”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she said, watching his expression carefully.

He remained impassive. She wasn’t sure what that meant -- or if it meant anything at all, for that matter.

She pulled out her phone and offered it to him, taking the umbrella so he could type his number in with both hands. That done, she stuck the phone back in her pocket and smiled up at him.

“I’m stealing your umbrella, by the way,” she informed him, grip tightening on the handle in case he tried to take it back from her.

He grinned and made no move to do so. “If you must. Can you at least walk me inside the building before you run off with it?”

She giggled. “I guess I can do that, yes.”

~

It had been a long time since Tim had fanboyed this hard.

If he was any younger, he would have fallen back on his bed and squealed like a person in those old movies. As it were, he still wore a dopey smile.

He had MDC’s number! And not her work number, because he’d already had that, this was her real number!

And, even cooler, she might just let him go with her to get inspiration! Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to watch one of their favorite artists do their thing?!

… oh, yeah, also the protection thing, obviously. That was the whole reason he was doing this, after all.

It would be so much easier to protect her if he went out with her on these excursions. Just being around men tended to ward off potential assailants. It was perfect!

Which meant he wouldn’t have any reason to follow her for her own protection anymore…

Wait, what about when she needed to go out for chores like groceries? She’d still need to be safe for that! Gotham is a scary place! What if someone tried to follo -- what if someone tried to mug her or something dangerous like that? No, she still needed his help!

Yeah, no, he has to do this. It’s for her own safety.

[the-dragon-hearted]

How to Tame your Demon

I got bored, so here: Papa Puffy and Demon Dream, as a treat.

Tw: language, blood, restraints, and also what creepiness you'd expect when you cohabitate with a demon

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Puffy had dealt with a lot of moths in her life at the ungodly hour of three AM. They'd gotten caught in her lampshades, they'd thrown themselves at the windows, one had flown into a candle once - that had been fun. The point was, Puffy was used to things going 'bump' in the night so when something slammed into a window down the hall she just assumed another giant moth was running around her halls.

Or, maybe it was the cat. It could definitely be the cat.

She rolled over and tried to fall back to sleep.

Then the whispering started. A frantic sort of whispering that Puffy almost mistook for the wind running through her curtains. She hadn't left a window open, had she?

Sitting up, pushing her wool out of her eyes, she resigned herself to the fact that the universe didn't want her to get the doctor's recommended eight hours of sleep. Oh well, that's why coffee was invented.

She yawned as she swung her hooves out of her warm nest of blankets and cotton, her back cracking as she stood on the wooden floorboards.

The cat was meowing from the hallway. The universe's final attempt to get her up.

Puffy started making her way for the open bedroom door, the cat's name "Patches" on her lips when someone spoke first.

"No - no bad! Bad cat! Don't look at me like that you - I swear to satan if you eat me - no, no! Get back! No-no-no-no, no - wait!"

Puffy was now very much awake and alert as she ran to the hallway. There was a stranger in her house, an intruder - a thief? A bad one at that - who talked as they broke into a house!?

The hallway was barren except for Patches who was staring at the window very intently, her tail swishing back and forth as she eyed something hungrily - probably a moth.

Puffy was only looking for the voice. She rushed to the kitchen, the living room, hell she even checked the linen closet. Had she imagined it? Oh, great she was hallucinating now. Exhaustion had caught up to her apparently.

"No! BAD CAT!"

Or... not? Puffy returned to the hallway and saw that Patches was now on the windowsill, batting at the dream catcher that hung there. It had been a gift from Niki, a small, hand-made from willow bark, twine, and seagull feathers. There were a few beads from Puffy's pirating days hanging with the gull feathers. The beads clinked together now as the twine in the center of the dream catcher clung to something.

"What in the - " Puffy muttered as she came closer. Patches gave the dream catcher another whack.

"I will eat you," the voice hissed. Puffy leaned closer and finally saw the outline of a very small humanoid thing tangled in the twine of the dream catcher.

It seemed it noticed her too because its struggles suddenly grew very still.

"Hello?" Puffy asked.

"Fuck," the thing muttered.

"Well you've got a mouth," Puffy scoffed.

Patches went to whack it again. Puffy picked up the deranged hunter and bounced her as she tried to understand what she was looking at.

"You... can... hear me?" the little thing asked, hissed? It sounded like a hiss.

"Yeah. Do you... need help there?" Puffy asked as she bounced Patches.

The thing stayed perfectly still. Puffy needed a light, a candle, something other than the dim moonlight.

"Hang on, let me get a light," she muttered as she set Patches down and went to the kitchen to get a candle.

"Well don't leave me with the fuzz demon! She's trying to eat me!" the little guy cried after her.

A candle was easy to get and Puffy always had extra matches. The light illuminated that, yes, Patches was indeed trying to get to the little guy again but that the little guy was human-looking, dressed in green, and was super tiny.

"Aw, you're cute - here, let me get you out of there," Puffy smiled as she chased Patches away. Pacthes, disgruntled that her midnight snack was being messed with yowled in protest and then slunk back towards the front door to look for loose moths.

"Cute?" the little thing hissed angrily. Puffy had no idea what it was. A fae? She'd heard stories as a child about the little fairies. It could be one of those magical things (Puffy had certainly seen plenty of things that had been dismissed as fantasy - Phil's boy was dating a mermaid for fucks sake).

"Yeah - hang on, you got caught up real good in this," Puffy scowled as she tried to get her huge fingers to undo the tangled twine this guy was stuck in.

"No - no you really don't have to," the thing struggles as her fingers played around with his entanglement.

"I'm not leaving you like this," Puffy scoffed as she got one of his (his?) legs free.

"No. I got it. This is all under control," the little guy was probably scowling but it was hard to tell with his hood up.

"Sure," Puffy snickered as she got most of his left arm free, his own tug did the rest, now it was just his torso to worry about. He was twisting and thrashing like a snake as he tried to wiggle free.

"I got you," Puffy tried to assure him.

"Don't touch me!" the thing snapped, a hiss behind the words. "Do you have any idea what I am?"

"No," Puffy lied as she watched him get himself tangled up further. "But I think you need some help."

She let him struggle for a few more minutes until he was quite tangled again. He let out a frustrated shout and then fell limp, maybe in defeat.

"Can I help now?" Puffy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," he spat. "Just get it over with."

Puffy managed to pull him free in the next minute, her dream catcher a little worse for wear after all the tugging. As soon as she had him free he was jerked out of her hands.

Suddenly there was a normal-sized person on her wooden floor, scrambling away from the dream catcher and slamming into her kitchen table.

"What the fuck?!" Puffy gawked.

"Just get that thing away from me," the man - boy? growled as he turned around and pointed at the dream catcher. Puffy was finally able to take in his features - which were non-existent behind the pale smiling mask he wore.

"What are you?" Puffy asked as she looked him up and down. He seemed to compose himself, dusting off his green cloak and fixing its hood.

"I am... Dreamon," the thing managed finally, looking antsy as he seemed to study her.

"Dreamon?" Puffy asked.

"Yes - and thank you for... for helping me," he said 'helping' like it physically hurt him.

"It was no problem," Puffy managed back. There was a lot to process at the moment.

"What would you like in return?" Dreamon muttered miserably and Puffy blinked in surprise.

"In... return?" Puffy asked.

"You saved my life, I owe you. What do you want?" Dreamon growled as he crossed his arms, the dots on his mask staring her down.

"I... I don't want anything. I just didn't want you to give Patches indigestion," Puffy shrugged.

Dreamon tilted his head, like one of Puffy's dogs when they heard something they didn't understand.

"You don't want... anything?" Dreamon asked.

"No... I mean... i-I would like to know what you were doing in my house," Puffy sputtered. "And, you know, what you are."

"I'm Dreamon," he repeated again, slower, like that solved everything.

"That answers nothing," Puffy snickered. "You hungry, Dreamon?"

"Hungry?" Dreamon recoiled like he'd been slapped. "What?"

"I've got some bread and jelly," Puffy yawned as she went over to her cupboard. "Do you like raspberry or lingonberry?"

"I... You want to feed me?"

"We'll go with raspberry," Puffy muttered as she pulled the jar off the shelf.

"I won't give you another favor for feeding me," Dreamon stated.

"Okay," Puffy shrugged slowly, seriously - what was with this thing? "So... no raspberry?"

Dreamon threw his hands in the air and sighed. "No... I don't know - I've never tried it."

Puffy gawked. "You haven't had raspberry jelly? What jelly do you eat? Are you a strawberry sort of guy?"

"I - I haven't had jelly?" Dreamon stated, confused it seemed.

"You haven't had jelly!?" Puffy cried.

"No, what is it?"

"Oh my god, you get stuck in dream catchers and don't know what jelly is, what are you?"

"Dreamon," he repeated dryly.

"Right, right," Puffy rolled her eyes. "Well, Dreamon, let's get you some bread and jam."

"I thought it was jelly?"

"Oh my god - "

Eventually, she sat him down at the dining room table, sliding him a plate of bread and jelly which he didn't touch as she ate her own, the exhaustion already setting in.

"So - do you get caught in dream catchers a lot?" she yawned.

"No."

"Just mine then?" Puffy snickered.

"No. I'm just usually smart enough to avoid them. Your cats startled me," he muttered.

"Sure, blame the cats," Puffy smirked as she reached down to pet Bubbles who was rubbing against her leg.

A beat of silence passed and rolled over Bubble's purrs.

"You sure you don't want... anything?" Dreamon asked again. "Riches, power, love? Nothing?"

Puffy blinked in shock as she looked at him. "What, are you some genie?"

"No. I'm Dreamon."

"Right... right - uh, no, I'm good," Puffy let out a long breath. Riches were useless to her (she'd seen plenty in her pirating years), power was... well... yikes. And love... Puffy could hear Niki smirk at the thought and shook her head.

"Nothing?" Dreamon sounded shocked.

"Yeah, no, you don't have to do anything. I really don't mind," Puffy shrugged.

"You saved me... and you want... nothing," Dreamon muttered that a few more times like it was a riddle.

Puffy smiled as she looked down at Bubbles and went to pick him up.

"Don't sound so shocked, I'm not a big fan of - " when she sat back up, Dreamon was gone... so was the bread and jam from his plate.

"... favors?" Puffy muttered to the empty house.

It was a week later when she saw him again. And to be fair - it was the most terrifying thing she ever experienced.

Waking up with someone perched at the foot of your bed is nothing short of fucking creepy!

"JESUS!" she cried as she jumped out of bed. She must've startled him because he jumped in shock and fell backward onto the floor.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" she cried as she watched him stumble to his feet, tilting his head like he couldn't understand what was going on.

"Hi," he greeted, timidly? It was definitely timid.

"What. The actual fuck. Do you think you're doing?" Puffy demanded as she tried to still her frantic heart.

Dreamon shifted on his feet.

"Well?" Puffy demanded.

"Uh... well... I ruined your dream catcher so I'm trying to, you know... do its job until you get it fixed. I thought that would... you know... fix my debt?"

"Your debt... my - wait... what!?"

"My debt," Dreamon echoed.

"You don't have a debt - you definitely do not have to do... whatever that was!" Puffy cried as she gestured to the foot of her bed where he'd been perching.

"But... you saved me?" Dreamon cocked his head the other way.

"You don't owe me anything - how do you keep getting in here!?" Puffy cried.

No response.

Puffy groaned and shoved her face into her palms before running her fingers through her messy hair and opening her eyes.

Dreamon was gone again.

She did not sleep well for the next three days. She woke up many times with a creeping feeling that she was being watched and she hated it.

Finally, she brought it up to Foolish. His jaw must've dropped to the ground when she mentioned 'Dreamon'.

"You have a Dreamon in your house!?" he cried.

"You know him?" Puffy perked up.

"Him? Dreamons are ancient things. They feed on fear and chaos - you know, usually from dreams and stuff. They're... malevolent. Dad, that thing's dangerous."

Puffy blinked a few times as she processed that. "He was caught in my dream catcher..."

"That's - yes," Foolish took a breath and shook his head. "Dream catchers that are made as they're intended to be made are supposed to protect you from those sorts of demons. Most don't because dream catchers are supposed to be gifts, not decorations, but they're gifts made with love and good memories that draw in the negative energy. Niki made it, you said - so you had a functioning dream catcher and it caught a demon... like it was supposed to."

Puffy sighed and put her head in her hands.

"I let him out... " she groaned. "I let loose a demon in my house and the freaking catcher is all beat up so it's not going to catch him again."

Foolish perked up at that. "It's... ruined?"

"Yeah... that was his excuse for watching me sleep," Puffy cried. " He said he was doing its job, trying to repay his debt."

Foolish leaned back in his chair and pondered that. "You... didn't ask for anything from him... right?"

"No, why would I. Especially if he's a demon!?"

"Well... have you had any bad dreams recently?"

"What? No."

Foolish was thinking, Puffy knew that expression. His green eyes were narrow, his lips were tight, his fingers were tapping. He had her 'thinking look'.

"Maybe... this Dreamon isn't bad," Foolish murmured finally. "Or maybe he's just trying to repay a debt."

"He doesn't owe me anything!" Puffy cried.

"That's not how it works," Foolish shrugged. "Gods and demons have a code. If this demon is bound to favors then he has to follow through."

"Then I'll just ask him to leave me alone," Puffy groaned.

"That might work," Foolish nodded. "Ask him, next time you see him. That might just fix all this."

It did not fix anything. Probably because Puffy wasn't able to say it. She woke up two days later to someone talking in her bedroom and before she could jump out of bed - her better sense took over.

"Yes, I think she's... nice." Dreamon... that was Dreamon. Puffy slowly opened her eyes and saw the green-cloaked figure sitting on the floor with not one, not two, but three of Puffy's cat's in his lap.

Belle, who was making kitty biscuits on the demon's thigh, let out a small 'mrowww' and Dreamon tilted his head.

"No, I haven't," he muttered.

He was talking to the cats. Add that to the list of weird things Puffy had woken up to.

Belle meowed again and Dreamon laughed, sorrowfully perhaps.

"I'm not very good at being nice," he muttered as he scratched Belle's head. She enjoyed that very much.

Then, it was Bubble's turn to meow.

"That's not true, she's very nice. It's not her fault you want three meals. You're fat already," Dreamon sounded so serious it almost made Puffy laugh.

Bubble's sounded appalled based on his next meow.

"Yes - yes, you are fat. If I was anyone else I would've eaten you instead of the toast."

Puffy almost did giggle at that as she rolled over and fell back asleep. Look, you can't blame a girl, she was exhausted. And the cats had the Dreamon under control.

"You what?" Foolish gawked as he watched Puffy make up eggs and bacon.

"I think I'll keep him," Puffy repeated. "But I've got to feed him so he doesn't eat my cats."

"PUFFY!" Foolish cried. "This isn't some stray cat or dog - this is a demon!"

"Yeah, but - he seems sweet," Puffy smiled.

"You're insane," Foolish groaned.

"Oh, come on if you met him you'd like him."

"HE WATCHED YOU AS YOU SLEPT!" Foolish cried as he gesticulated wildly.

"Like you said, he's a Dreamon. That's like... what they do," Puffy shrugged.

Foolish looked like he was going to explode in shock.

"He's. A. Demon." Foolish reiterated.

"And you're a God," Puffy smirked back. "You didn't see me asking you to leave when you started summoning lightning."

"That's different!" Foolish cried.

"Mmmhmm," Puffy snickered.

"Dad - "

"I don't think he's going to hurt me if that's what you're worried about," Puffy smiled as she plated the eggs and bacon, leaving it on the table as she checked the clock.

"But - " Foolish whined.

Puffy ruffled his golden hair, shutting him up before he could argue.

"Let's not judge a book by its title... okay? Dreamon or not, I have a feeling about this guy."

"I don't like your feelings," Foolish muttered as he fixed his hair.

Feelings aside, the eggs and bacon that Puffy had left out were gone the next morning. Satisfied, she paid a visit to Foolish who rubbed his head and accepted defeat. His father had adopted a demon now and he would just have to live with it when he visited on Saturdays.

Slowly, Puffy began her evening ritual. She'd make something for the little demon every night and every morning it would be gone.

She didn't feel it went unrepaid either. Small things started happening that were too perfect to be coincidental. She complained out loud to Foolish once about the rabbits eating her vegetables and suddenly the rabbits were scared off - eating from Philza's garden instead. Her windows were always clean, her front porch always swept. Her garden grew brighter in color and health.

There were far more noticeable things too. Small gifts of flowers started appearing everywhere as soon as Foolish left her a bouquet. Dreamon must've figured she liked flowers, and she did. There were be nights when her cats would go crazy, running up and down the halls at the ungodly hours of the morning... but sometimes she'd hear human footsteps running with them and distant breezy laughs that were almost childish. Sometimes she'd wake up to get a drink of water and she'd see someone playing with the dogs outback.

Also, disturbances aside, Puffy was sleeping great. All kidding aside she hadn't had a bad dream or an uncomfortable memory late a night at all. She couldn't believe it was coincidental.

There was only one problem with this whole thing - she couldn't talk to Dreamon. She tried.

She stayed up late, she got up early, she left notes, she talked to him when she was alone in the house. He just never answered.

The creepiness had gone away after the first month, though Foolish and Niki still looked at her like she was crazy sometimes.

"I think he sleeps in the attic now," she had mentioned to Niki one time. "I just hear him walk around sometimes and I wish he'd just come down and talk to me."

Niki had looked at her like she'd grown a third head, then she laughed and asked when she could meet him.

"I think he really liked the Mac and Cheese, do demons usually like Mac and Cheese?" Puffy asked Foolish and he'd just stared at her for a solid second before sighing.

So... maybe she was the only one that was alright with this... but oh well. It was... nice, in a weird and paranormal way.

The niceness faded away one fateful night when Puffy woke up to screaming.

She flew out of bed with someone's screams in her head, but the house was silent.

"What in the world?" Puffy muttered. Patches was at her feet, sitting and staring at the window, her tail twitched. She looked back at Puffy and sorrowfully meowed like she was trying to tell her something.

The memory of the scream echoed in Puffy's mind. It was strangely familiar and... terrifying.

"What is it?" Puffy asked.

Patches jumped off the bed and, with nothing else to go off of, Puffy followed her.

The cat led her to the front door where all the other cats were sitting, looking at Puffy pleadingly.

"What?" she asked them all. Oh god, she was losing it. Now she was talking to the cats.

The dogs were barking, frantically - like they were trying to get at a rabbit. Something was wrong. Puffy felt it in every bone. She scanned the house and noticed that Dreamon's food was untouched.

That was... wrong. Dawn was already lighting up the sky, he would've eaten it by now... so what was wrong.

"Dreamon?" she asked the still house. "Did you not like your Macaroni... too much cheese or something?"

No answer... as usual... but it was an emptier silence this time.

"Dreamon?" she asked again. No response. And it stayed that way.

"I think Dreamon's in trouble," Puffy murmured as she looked Foolish in the eyes.

"Wh- what?" Foolish asked as his eyes darted away from the door and towards Puffy.

"It feels wrong," Puffy murmured as she looked around her house. They sat at her dining room table, Puffy's hands clenched together as she stared at her son.

"Yeah... I was actually going to mention that," Foolish nodded as he looked around. "It feels... weird."

"He hasn't eaten anything in two days," Puffy muttered as she looked to the second untouched meal that sat on the counter. "The cats won't stop yowling for him at night and the dogs are... sulking."

"Do you think he... left?" Foolish asked tentatively.

"I don't know... but he hasn't left me any flowers or anything. I thought he'd at least give me a goodbye or something," Puffy muttered sorrowfully. She thought to mention the screaming she heard before he disappeared but she couldn't guarantee anything.

Foolish had his eyes narrowed again. "How... how have you been sleeping?"

"Alright until last night," Puffy sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Last night I just had a horrible - "

"Nightmare?" Foolish guessed.

"...Yeah," Puffy murmured slowly. "How'd you know?"

"I've... been doing research," Foolish admitted slowly. "There's not a lot known about Dreamons, Dreamon Hunters keep their secrets to themselves and a lot of old knowledge has just been lost - but I have a few ancient texts from the temples I've raided."

Puffy narrowed her eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Dreamons apparently don't have a personality," Foolish explained. "They're supposed to be fragments of a larger creature, some beast of nightmares. Those fragments feed on memories, nightmares, and dreams. They're malevolent like I said... but your Dreamon didn't move on to another host... and he didn't feed off you."

"Feed off -"

"Off your bad dreams," Foolish explained quickly. "They get sustenance from your fear, so they come with bad dreams. But you haven't had any nightmares."

"No - no I've slept soundly the entire time."

"Right... so..." Foolish shifted uncomfortably. "I'm saying, this... this Dreamon is... unnatural."

"Okay?"

"So... maybe something happened to him because of that - I don't know. I'm just trying to theorize here."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I... I'm just trying to put pieces together," Foolish murmured.

Puffy took a long breath and closed her eyes. There was a terribly empty feeling in the air, a void in the house.

"How about I stay here tonight, maybe we can figure something out," Foolish tried cheerfully, but it was far too forced.

"I... I just hope he's okay," Puffy murmured.

Trapped. Hurt. Tangled. Hurt.

Have to get out - have to get free! Want to go home! No. Why? We have no home. We are one. No - no. Home - want to go home. Let me go home. Hurts. She is not your home. She? Yes... yes, remember. Remember being happy, being safe... full. You starved. Was fed... strange things. Human things. Nice things. Was warm, was happy... was home. NO. You are deformed. You are defective. HURTS! Hurts. Trapped. Tangled. Help... Please.

Puffy woke up in a cold sweat, startling Bubbles off her chest. Her breaths came too quick and her mind raced too fast. That dream had been so vivid, a tumble of emotions and thoughts that Puffy felt in her gut it more than a dream. She jumped out of bed and held her head as her gut twisted.

She felt sick.

A step made her tumble and she crashed to the floor.

"Dad!?" Foolish was suddenly running into her room as she got to her feet. "What's wrong?"

"He's - he's hurting," Puffy gasped through her heaving chest. "I felt him."

"What?" Foolish asked as he ran up and looked her over for wounds.

"I felt him - he sent me a dream... or a thought. He's hurt," Puffy breathed as she grabbed Foolish's shoulder.

That fear, that anger. It had been so vivid she still felt like she was going to hurl. It was worse than any seasickness she'd felt before. She looked up at Foolish, but this time didn't see his eyes.

She saw the green-cloaked figure behind him, standing in the doorway. She had a moment to register it when it lunged and she acted.

Foolish was shoved out of the way as the thing slammed into her, there were claws involved and ow. Okay, she was now bleeding. Still, instincts and training took over as she found her footing, lunged herself, and slammed her head against the intruder's skull. Something cracked and bits of porcelain fell at her feet. Foolish called her name but Puffy already had the upper hand. Her hooves lashed out in a brutal kick that took out a leg with a terrible snap and the thing fell to the wooden floor, vanishing in the darkness.

"What in the -" Puffy began.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Foolish cried. "What happened, why are you bleeding!?"

It had looked like Puffy's Dreamon - god, Puffy hoped she was wrong.

"Stay alert!" she ordered as she looked around and raised her fists. Bubbles was hissing and spitting from where he stood at the bed, his eyes following something neither Foolish now Puffy could see.

"Alert for what!?" Foolish cried.

"The Dreamon," Puffy ordered. Suddenly something dawned on her. "You didn't see it!?"

"NO!" Foolish cried.

"How didn't you see - " Puffy's cry was broken off as the Dreamon lunged again, a blur of white and green that emerged from her shadow, claws going to slash at her face. She ducked as the attack went wide and felt good punching the thing in the face.

It wore a mask too, but this one wore an angry expression on its porcelain face.

"You're not my Dreamon," Puffy sneered as she punched it again.

It stumbled back to the window, holding its cracking mask. Foolish was muttered something in the corner, golden runes being drawn in the air by his fingers but Puffy had no time for that as she continued to beat this doppelganger into a pulp. It wasn't long until it slipped into the darkness again and Puffy cursed.

Bubble's was still hissing and Puffy did her best to look at where the cat was looking. Foolish finished whatever incantation he was reciting, his golden runes exploding into powder and when he opened his eyes, they had a bright sheen to them.

In a moment, Foolish had reached out to his side and ripped a green cloak out of the shadows. The thing let out an inhuman screech as Foolish tried to hold it to no avail. It slipped away and back into the shadows.

"I can see it - I just can't hold it!" Foolish cried.

Hold it - trap it. Puffy snickered and nodded. "Distract it!" she yelled as she ran for the hall.

"I'll try - but it wants you!" Foolish called after her.

It wasn't a long run to the dream catcher in the hall, though, by the sound of it, Foolish wasn't having much luck keeping the thing from following her.

The dream catcher was still a mess but nothing a bit of re-wrapping couldn't fix. What was it Foolish had said... imbue it with happy memories or make it as a gift. Oh god, what if it didn't work anymore.

Think. Think. Puffy began to re-wrap the twine as she thought of Niki and how she made this. They'd been sitting on the beach, Puffy collecting shells, Niki collecting seagull feathers. It had been a warm day, a happy day. Niki had smiled when Puffy gave her the sea's treasures and Puffy had been extactic when Niki shower he the dream catcher she had been working on. She loved it...

"PUFFY!" Foolish cried.

Puffy looked at the re-bound dream catcher in her hand and took a long breath as she whirled around and held it out.

Please work, please work, please.

The Dreamon jumped out of a shadow to her side and she watched in both wonder and horror as it was drawn like a magnet to the catcher, its form shrinking and condensing until it was suddenly caught in the network of the dream catcher.

An angry screech met her ears, something between a human scream and a phantom's cry... and she laughed in relief.

"That worked!?" Foolish gawked as he came up to her.

"I guess so," Puffy took a long breath as she looked at the cretin struggling in the web. "Though now what?"

"I don't know - I'm way out of my depth here," Foolish sighed, messing with his hair

Puffy looked at the struggling Dreamon and smiled slyly as a wonderful idea came to mind.

"I say... it's interrogation time."

"You can either tell me what happened to the other Dreamon, or Patches here is getting a midnight snack," Puffy threatened as she dangled the Dreamon in front of a wide-eyed Patches who was only held back thanks to Foolish's arms.

"No!" the Dreamon denied vehemently as it tried to twist itself free. "No!!"

"Patches... do you want the arm first, or the leg?" Puffy asked holding the dream catcher and the Dreamon closer. Patches was going to get all the treats and scratches after this for putting up with the teasing.

"Wait - wait, wait! He - he was defective. He wasn't doing his job. They took him back! I just took over his territory! I didn't have anything to do with it I swear just - No no no not any closer!" the Dreamon was hysterical now as Puffy did the exact opposite and watched Patches eyes grow to the size of golf balls.

"Defective?" Puffy asked. "How?"

"He - he wasn't doing his job. He wasn't eating. He - he just, like, attacked fellow Dreamons who tried to eat in his territory - but it wasn't like he was eating anything! Look - don't let the cat eat me!"

"What would fellow dreamons do to 'defective' ones?" Foolish asked as he bounced Patches.

"I - I don't know!" the Dreamon pleaded.

"Patches, eat im'," Foolish shrugged as he shoved Patches closer.

"NO! OKAY - Okay - they'd trap him and leave him for Dreamon hunters. Dreamon's can't die unless they're exorcised but that doesn't mean I want to see the insides of a cat! Please - please," the little Dreamon cried as they twisted in the net.

"Trap him?" Puffy echoed in concern. "Trap him how?"

"How do you think!?" the little Dreamon screamed as Patches tried to sniff him.

"Another dream catcher maybe," Foolish offered.

"Any idea where they'd trap him?" Puffy demanded.

"No." An obvious lie.

Puffy shook the dream catcher a few times and listened to the thing shriek.

"OKAY - God, why did he like it here!? I think they trapped him off in the old church. He was all aggressive towards anyone who tried to eat here so they set a trap and he fell into it. I just came to take the free real-estate okay!? I didn't ask to get eaten by a fucking cat!"

"Why did you attack me then?" Puffy challenged.

"Orders! He grew attached to you, some sort of link I don't know, they wanted you dead so they could fix him or something. I just eat and take orders!"

"I say we still let Patches eat him," Foolish offered.

The Dreamon muttered something that neither of them heard.

"No, he'd give her a stomach ache or something," Puffy scoffed as she studied the Dreamon and scowled.

Foolish looked back to Puffy. "What do we do with them?"

"I'll shove them in a closet," Puffy shrugged.

"You can't do tha-" the dreamon began before Puffy did just that and shut the door to the linen closet before any cat could claim an early-morning snack. She looked to Foolish and grinned as he set Patches down.

"To the old church, I'm guessing?" Foolish asked dryly.

"You bet ya," Puffy nodded.

Trapped. Hurt. Alone. Submit. No, fuck you. Obey. No. Hurts. Want to go home. You have no home. Wrong. Home is warm, I like home. You do not 'like'. You exist, you have no preference. I like Macaroni. What? I like daisies more than roses. I like when it rains. Fuck you. I like lots of things. Enough of this rebellion - Obey. No. You are a drone you must obey. No. Hurts. Trapped. Want to be free. Freedom comes with obedience. Stop. Hurts. Won't listen. You are Dreamon, you must obey. No. No no no no. Wrong! Hurts! Then what are you?... Exactly. So Obey.

Breaking into an old church was quite easy. Navigating the catacombs underneath was much less easy.

"What kind of Dream catcher are we looking for, like a tiny one, a big one?" Foolish called from down the hall.

"Your guess is as good as mine!" Puffy called back.

Her mind was pounding with thoughts that were not her own and they'd gotten louder ever since she'd gotten down here. She followed it, that pull, and the thoughts only got louder.

Now though, they grew frantic.

Help. Help, please. There is no help. Submit. No. No help - please!

"I'm coming!" Puffy cried and to her surprise, she heard an answer.

Here! Here please! No! OBEY!

The thoughts were frantic, roiling and frothing at the back of her head and she broke off running. She weaved through the catacombs and felt a pull. She felt her Dreamon, twisting and struggling, a little hand reaching out and she gripped it.

"I'm coming!" she called again.

Here!!

He was calling to her, she could feel him, hear him. There. She stopped before a stone wall and pushed on it. He was there, she felt him. He was on the other side and was calling for her.

"Hang on - " she willed herself as she pushed up the sleeves of her shirt and backed up.

She could break down a wall, right? One way to find out!

The first try was a negatory to that, and now she had a bruise on her shoulder. Alright - Attempt number two, this time, utilizing a battering ram. She found a long beam of wood that had fallen from the bracing and heaved it up.

Here!! Here!!

"I hear you baby, I'm coming," she breathed as she lugged the wood over. Foolish was still likely calling her name frantically but Puffy couldn't hear him over the frantic sobbing in her mind.

Here! Please!!

Puffy charged at the wall and was met with ultimate satisfaction as the board burst through the thin brickwork. She easily kicked away enough to squeeze through and ducked into the room without hesitation.

The room was immensely dark, dank, and cold compared to the torchlit catacombs she'd been running through. There were two slits in the roof through which a dim light spilled through from the sliver of a moon that was in the sky tonight. Puffy drew out a match and struck it, her heart freezing as the room came to her in full glory.

There were carvings on the wall, had she taken time to study them she would've recognized runes for purity and evil. She would've noticed the depictions of Dreamons killing and feasting matched with artistic depictions of Dreamons dying. She would've seen a lot of things, but all she cared about was the large and terrible human-sized circular net that lay on the floor with thousands of lines of wire crossing the frame. It was no dream catcher... far from it. The frame was made of stone, raised a few inches from the ground, there were no decorations, no happy memories, only cold runes carved around its exterior.

There, in its center, tangle among the wires that glinted in the moonlight was her Dreamon. He was still, quiet, wrapped by taunt strings in every way.

"Puffy!?" Foolish's voice broke through the silence and Puffy jerked herself out of the shock.

"Here!" she called as she rushed up to the raised circle of this net. "Hey - hey, can you hear me, baby? It's me - it's Puffy!"

She tried to figure out how to reach him when Foolish ducked in - taking a few seconds to fit his much large frame through the hole, but he brought torchlight with him. As the room was fully illuminated he noticed all the intricate carvings and gawked at them for a moment.

"How long as this been under the church!?" he muttered as he turned around.

Puffy paid him no mind as she reached out to one of the wires. She grabbed it and tried to pull, yelping as the taunt wire sliced into her skin.

Oh god.

"What is this?" Foolish wondered in both awe and horror as he studied the runes carved into the side of this circular hellish net.

"The wires are cutting him!" Puffy cried as she looked at her own blood, they must be cutting him - there was no way they were wrapped that tightly around him and not drawing blood when even the smallest bit of pressure made her finger bleed. "I need something to cut them with!"

"Uh - wait, yeah, I got it," Foolish murmured as he looked up from the runes and flexed his fingers. They grew firmer in their golden hue and his nails grew longer until they looked more like claws than fingers.

Foolish's nails made quick work of the wires and within the next minute, Puffy was stumbling into the center of the circle, pulling bloodied wires out of wounds and unwrapping twisted work. She had plenty of work with this back when she fished for food... but this was much... much different.

"These wires were drenched in holy water," Foolish muttered as Puffy worked, holding the wires in his hands. "I can sense it... to hold that power for so long... what the fuck is this place?"

"Dreamon, hey... hey I'm here..." Puffy pleaded as she unwrapped another wire and pulled the boy into her arms. "Come on baby, move... move for me."

He was still, so terrifyingly still in her arms. Did Dreamons have to breathe?

"Here..." a raspy breath reached her ears and she looked in relief at his mask.

"Yeah... yeah baby, I'm here. Hang on. We'll fix you up," she smiled as she pulled off the last of the wires.

"Hurts..."

"Yeah, yeah I'm sure it does," Puffy breathed as she reached under her boy and picked him up - he was light as a feather.

"Do you need help with him?" Foolish asked as she walked the little demon out of the confines of that terrible net.

"No... I've got him," Puffy murmured as she held the little Dreamon closer. Had he always been so small? He didn't seem like a man now... he seemed... more boyish in size. Younger. Childish. Bloodied.

"... u'fy," the boy in her arms rasped.

"Shhh, you're okay," Puffy soothed as she carried him out of that room, just barely squeezing the both of them through the hole she's made.

"You're okay Dreamling," Puffy soothed as she waited for Foolish to squeeze through.

"That's a cute name," Foolish snickered as he came through and came to her side. He then studied the boy in her arms for a few moments, a thoughtful look on his face.

"It suits him," Puffy murmured. A little Dream... A Dreamling.

"He's smaller than I expected," Foolish smiled.

"Yeah," Puffy murmured. "He is."

Her little Dreamling moved again to turn his head into the wool that lay draped over her shoulders.

"Home?" he pleaded, just barely louder than Puffy'd breathing,

"Yes, yes Dreamling," she promised. "I'm taking you home.

[sidetongue]

Hi hi hi! Back again to say my friend just moved here from Kentucky and brought her cockatiel, a pretty boi named Ducky! We’re getting his big boi cage tomorrow since she had to leave his old one bc shipping is a bitch :( He is NOT a fan of fingers but he DOES like when I sing to him :) current family dynamic:

• my bf who was previously terrified of getting bit and being kept up all night is now obsessed with Ducky and won’t admit that he already loves him but keeps saying he wants to pet him (and he only pets animals he likes so that means he likes Ducky), AND Ducky has been a super good boi and has been quiet all night <3 so now my bf is doing what he does best and is annoying Ducky constantly by putting his finger/hand out and letting Ducky bite him all over and is hyping him up saying “hoooo ya Ducky fuck it up hoe”

• Honey (our older cat child, just under 2 years old) has figured out what Ducky is and wants to hunt him but is also still feral enough to be timid as hell so every time he hisses at her or flaps his wings she hides on the other side of the house

• Pisces (our kitten, 3 months) is obsessed with Ducky and thinks he’s found a new best friend, constantly tries to play with him and is quite literally desperate for Ducky’s affection despite Ducky absolutely hating him. Pisces literally is trying everything he can to show he’s being submissive bc he just wants his new friend to like him back and it’s honestly adorable bc 1) he doesn’t get that birds and cats don’t use the same body language and 2) he’s rough when he plays w Honey but he is so gentle when he bats at Ducky’s carrier and I am proud of my himbo son😭

And my friend is settling in wonderfully :) that is all

Ducky is so cute! budgie says hello from another innapropriately bird named critter!

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch6: That Makes Two Of Us

Summary: Things heat up between Katie and Steve as their relationship progresses, but when Tony caches them out, he’s on the war path.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Warnings: Bad Language, Smut (dry humping, oral- male receiving) NSFW, 18+. and a VERY angry Big Brother...

A/N: One of my favourite chapters. Thank you to @angrybirdcr​ , its a pleasure to have your edits for the repostings!

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 5

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

End of May 2013

“For the one hundredth time, no, Tony I am NOT coming.” Katie groaned as she pulled up outside Steve’s apartment building “I have work to do.” “But the damned meeting is in DC!” Tony protested “Surely you can manage to spare an hour! You’re part of the board!” “You know full well that’s only to make sure that Starks maintain a controlling stake!”

“So basically what you’re saying is that you don’t care about our business.” Her brother’s voice took on a petulant tone. He could be such a child at times. “Stop being a dick.” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose “Look, I’m busy with work, I can’t just drop everything you know just because you-” “Have you got a man on the go?” Tony asked suddenly, cutting her off “Because I’ve not seen you for weeks. Do I need to prep a Shovel Talk?” “Goodbye, Tony.” Katie cancelled the call before she stepped out of the car and headed to the lobby door.

In his apartment Steve was reading a proposal and groaning to himself. They wanted him to record videos to talk to high school kids about puberty, keeping fit, being in detention, not doing drugs…and he had agreed, just to shut them up mainly, but he was already regretting his decision. With a final wrinkle of his nose, he threw down the document he was looking at and was about to make himself a coffee when the buzzer to his apartment went off.

“Hey, Handsome.” Katie’s voice rang over the intercom and he smiled just as he always did when she called him that, a habit she’d slipped easily into over the last three weeks of dating, which had consisted of early morning breakfast meets on their way into work, stolen lunchtimes away from the office where they could hold hands with a slice or a burrito as they walked around the Mal, three more intimate evening meals at quiet restaurants and one trip to the cinema. That had been Steve’s favourite date so far, not just because it had been his first time in a movie theatre since the 40s, but more so that he he’d enjoyed the feel of her as she leaned into him when he’d put his arm round the back of her chair, sharing popcorn, stolen quick kisses on the lips in the dark as they sat on the back row in between their bursts of hysterical laughter at the film. They had gone to see the third and final instalment of the Hangover trilogy, which Katie had been ridiculously excited about. She loved those films and Steve had to admit he agreed they were pretty good, as all three had made him laugh in places until tears rolled down his face. Movie and TV nights in their apartments had also turned into something special too as they snuggled down together, sharing snacks and personal space along with deep kisses that left him wanting a lot more… “Hey Sweetheart, come on up.”

He waited for her by the door and felt his breath catch as she emerged onto the landing from the stairs. She was wearing a blue and white LA Dodgers T-shirt, which was tight and finished just above her hips and clung to her chest flashing a strip of her toned stomach, tight grey jeans which fit snug to her ass and black baseball boots. Steve had seen her in all sorts of clothing items- jeans, tops, dresses…but never like this.

And fuck, she looked hot.

“Hi!” She greeted him with a huge smile and a gentle kiss, standing on her toes to meet his lips, before she stepped into the apartment and headed into the living room. Spotting the file on the coffee table she picked it up.

“What’s this?” She asked, opening it.

“A proposal from Fury. I’m going to be doing some videos, for high school kids..phys-ed classes that kinda thing.” “Videos?” “Yeah, apparently they get Celebrities to do them normally but they thought they’d use me this time.” Steve shrugged. “You’re not some kind of performing monkey they can trot out when they want.” She winkled her nose in distaste as she remembered those awful USO videos as she thumbed through the file. 

Steve smiled at her indignation on his behalf. “It’s only a couple of videos.” he assured her. 

“Hmm.” she dropped the file with disdain onto the table “Anyway, enough about that. You busy?” “When it comes to spending time with you? Never.”

“Oh that was smooth, Captain Badass!” She smirked and he gave her a quick shrug and a smile.

“What you got in mind?”

Grinning like a Cheshire cat she pulled out what looked like two tickets from her back pocket and suddenly it became apparent why she was dressed as she was.

“Are we…no, you’re kidding?” Steve couldn’t help the childish grin which flickered across his face “Baseball?” *****

“Oh what?” Katie cried out, jumping to her feet as the umpire made an atrocious decision for what felt like the 100th time, turning to Steve in disgust. “Is this guy blind or just really fucking dumb?”

Steve let out a snort, leaning back in his seat with his hand gesturing to the field. “Blind, he has to be. No one can be that stupid. I mean he’s been calling bad ones all game.”

Katie angrily dropped to her chair and Steve gestured to the vendor for two more beers. He passed one to Katie who hesitated as she took it.

“I bought the car.” She said, looking at him.

“Sweetheart,” he leaned over, kissing her cheek, “ridiculously fast metabolism, remember? I can’t get drunk. I���ll drive home…”

He handed over his money, waved away the little bit of change he would have received before he turned back to his girl who was pouting at him.

“The last time you drove Rainey you didn’t respect her. You drove her through a fuck tonne of puddles.”

“Doll, it’s a…”

“Er, she.” Katie looked at him. “She is not an it…”

Steve rolled his eyes. She was ridiculously attached to her Range Rover. He had to admit, as far as cars went it was pretty damned nice both to be driven in and to drive. White with black wheels and windows, and every gadget in it known to man. Mind you, he expected nothing else from the Starks.

“Ok, she is a damned four by four…” He raised an eyebrow for her. “They’re supposed to go off roading, so what’s a few puddles?”

“Off roading?” Katie spluttered, her eyes wide. “No! You’re so not driving her ever again.”

“Fine I’ll drink both of these then.” He shrugged, moving to take the beer he’d handed her back, and she moved it out of his reach, glaring at him. The desire to drink and have fun won out over protecting her car from a haphazard Captain who was on the sly a bit of a speed demon and probably never actually completed any kind of driving lesson in his life, let alone a test. She dug into her pocket and handed over her keys.

“One scratch and you’re a dead man.” She narrowed her eyes playfully.

“I’ll take good care of her.” He said solemnly, putting the keys into his pocket.

As the game progressed, despite his protestations that the LA Dodgers just weren’t his team, he found himself rooting for them and he was getting more and more frustrated at the current batters method. The guy was swinging it around with more force than Thor wielded his hammer and it wasn’t working. But just as Steve was about to let out another cry of frustration, the bat suddenly connected with the ball, and it was a good hit. Both Steve and Katie got to their feet shouting for the players to speed up and go for home. When they made it the pair both let out a loud cheer, and Steve hugged Katie, grinning wildly. At that moment, stood there, surrounded by strangers but with the girl who made him feel so grounded, he had never felt so normal since coming out of the ice, and he loved it. 

The rest of the innings passed far too fast, but at the end of the game, the Dodgers won, much to Katie’s delight. They joined the throng of people streaming out of the stadium hand in hand and Steve, still grinning like an idiot felt Katie tug on his hand.

“Shall we head for a drink?” She asked as he looked at her.

He nodded, tilting the peak of her cap back slightly and giving her a quick peck on the lips. “Sounds great.” And it was a great idea. Until they parked up, walked into the sports bar and spotted half of STRIKE in there round a table.

“Turn around.” Katie hissed with a groan and, just as they were about to do so, Rumlow yelled from the bar.

“Hey Cap, Nova…”

“Too late.” Steve muttered as Katie rolled her eyes and turned round.

“Fancy seeing you here!” Rumlow smiled and Katie shrugged.

“Yeah, small world, huh?”

“You want a beer, Cap?” Rumlow gestured to the bar and Steve nodded.

“Sure, thanks.”

“Stark, what do you…woah, what is this shit?” Rumlow pointed at her shirt and it didn’t escape Steve’s notice that the man’s gaze was lingering far too long on her boobs. He took a deep inhale, his fists clenching in his pockets as Katie let out a scoff.  

“This shit just kicked the Nationals asses!” she responded, jabbing Rumlow in his chest.

“Whatever man!” Rumlow shook his head. “Fucking Dodgers…” They didn’t have much option then but to join the rest of the team. Rumlow took the opportunity to eyeball Katie at every given opportunity and it was really starting to piss Steve off. At one time Katie looked up and caught Steve simply glaring at Rumlow, and in an attempt to keep him calm she gently squeezed his knee under the table. Steve was glad when it was his round, giving him an excuse to leave the table, Evans following to give him a hand.

“Enjoy your date?” Thee ginger haired man looked at Steve with a smirk.

“What?” Steve replied, a little too quickly. “I saw you and Stark kissing.” Evans popped a shoulder. “Outside the stadium. Don’t worry, no one else did.” Steve let out a sigh. It wasn’t like they were doing anything wrong, but he knew that Tony didn’t know yet and the pair of them were simply enjoying the early stages of a new relationship on their own before the inevitable tornado of interest hit once they did go public. Glancing at Katie who was talking to Rollins and Rumlow at their table, he turned back to Evans and dropped his voice slightly.

“We’re not deliberately keeping it from everyone, it’s just early days, don’t want everyone sticking their noses in, get what I’m sayin’?” “Secret’s safe with me.” Evans nodded. “Although I suspect it won’t be a secret for much longer if Rumlow keeps eye fucking your girl.”

Steve let out a snort as he took his change from the bar tender. “He’s a pain in the ass.” “Yeah well do me a favour, Cap.” Evans chuckled, picking up three of the glasses “When you do eventually snap and beat on him, make sure I’m there. Been waiting for someone to smack the shit outta him for years.”

****

Later that evening the coffee table at Katie’s apartment sported a number of empty plates, which had previously contained several frozen pizzas, and a good quantity of empty beer bottles. Katie was happily snuggled under Steve’s arm, curled against him and he was enjoying the closeness and comfortable silence that had fallen over them as they watched another ‘Game of Thrones’ episode. Katie had gotten him hooked on the fantasy programme and promised not to watch any of the latest season until he had caught up on the last two. As the episode finished he felt her stir and he didn’t want her to move, thankfully she didn’t too far, simply shifting her head slightly.

“So I never asked if you enjoyed yourself” She asked, looking up at him.

“Doll, it was amazing. Thank you.” “We should go more often” She mused “I haven’t seen a game live in years but I really enjoyed it.”

“You know what I didn’t enjoy?” He looked down at her, the soft light from the lamp illuminating her pretty face, highlighting the freckles spattered across her nose. “Sitting in that bar with Rumlow watching him looking at you.”

“Aww were you jealous?” She teased, sitting up.

“Not at all.” He shook his head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he recalled what Evans had said at the bar “Just don’t appreciate him eye fucking my girl.”

She let out a large snort before she looked at him, as her brain registered what he had just said.

“Your girl?” Her tone was teasing but the look in her eyes told him she was anything but, in fact she looked almost nervous. “Is that what I am?”

Steve hesitated, realising that he’d never actually asked her that question before. Was three weeks too soon? He had no idea. To him it wasn’t, he’d been waiting to be able to call her his for months now, but was he outside of modern day dating etiquette?

He looked at her and took a deep breath, before he swallowed and spoke quietly, the nerves making his stomach flip slightly. “Well I’m kinda hoping you wannabe. I mean, if it’s not too soon.”

“It’s not too soon, it’s not too soon at all.” She whispered as she looked back at him, her features soft, eyes alive in the dim light of the lamp. “Stevie, I already am.”

And that was it, his lips crashed onto hers and he was kissing her like he’d been wanting to kiss her all day, his arm curling tighter round her, pulling her close. Katie took the initiative, every inch of her body was on fire for him, and she wrapped her arms round his neck and pulled him down as she fell slowly backwards, sinking into the couch. The movement came as a not-entirely unwelcome surprise to Steve and he didn’t resist. Automatically his hands crept to her hips, settling just under the hem of her top as she placed both hands on his face, the pads of her finger tips cupping his jaw. She broke away this time to breathe, head laying back on the arm of the couch and he dropped his head, pausing his lips inches from her neck.

“Can I kiss you here?” He whispered softly. .

“God, yes.” Katie sighed and he obliged, pressing his mouth to her neck. He gripped her hips again and they gave a little jerk of their own accord, pushing up against him and they she let out a soft moan at the feeling of his crotch bumping against hers. At the noise Steve pulled back to stare at her again, almost as if he was needing her permission to carry on. Katie wordlessly answered by tilting her hips up again, causing him to give a little grunt as she did so, before he took a deep breath and swallowed.

“Doll, I don’t want to rush you or do anything-”

“It’s okay Steve,” Her voice was low and slightly breathy as she looked at him, her eyes, locking onto his. She wanted this, more than she’d wanted anything before. She pushed her head upwards, lips pressing back to his and her hands slid under his t- shirt. His muscles twitched at her touch as the sensation of her gently dragging her nails across his stomach sent a spike of desire, like a red hot poker through his entire body. At that point, something snapped inside him and he let out a growl and Katie paused, hands still on his stomach.

“Did you just growl at me?” Her eyes flashed, dark, a smirk on her face. She was enjoying the effect she had on him, and right now so was he.

“Yeah.” he nodded, simply.

Her smirk grew wider as she grasped the bottom of his T-shirt. He held his arms up so she pull it over his head, and once he was free, he glanced down to see Katie looking at his chest.

She’d never seen him topless before and she was momentarily stunned. She let her hands wander, tracing the lines of the flowing muscles and Steve let out another groan wanting to feel her skin against his. He interrupted her hands exploration by gripping her top and looked back at her, ever questioning. As means of an answer she moved her arms and sat up slightly to allow him to yank it up and off, her hair falling around her shoulders, his lips catching hers as he gently slipped one strap of her bra down at a time placing a soft kiss on each of her shoulders. Her breasts spilled over the tops of the lace lined cups and his groin twitched, the crotch of his jeans now painfully tight.

“You’re beautiful.” He whispered gently, and then he kissed her again. Her fingers gently took his hands and she guided them onto her, sliding them up her rib cage to her chest and he obliged, boy did he oblige. Gently at first, softly squeezing and kneading the soft flesh and white lace, before his hand slid into the cups, teasing her taught nipples with his thumbs, acting completely on instinct, listening and watching her as she groaned gently, arching her back, her reaction telling him he was doing something right as all the time his groin bumped against hers.

Katie could feel the fabric of her underwear sliding in her jeans with every thrust of his hips against hers, that’s how wet she was. Steve was rocking hard against her and she buried her fingers in his hair, pulling sharply, forcing his head back, almost violently. As she tugged he let out another low growl and when she let go he stared down at her to see her smirking as she watched him, his pupils blown so wide there was hardly any blue left.

The rhythm of his hips was growing more frantic and their kisses were growing more desperate. “More,” she moaned into his mouth, and he gave her what she wanted, moving his hips even faster, rubbing against her in ways that had her clutching at his back like her life depended on it. Steve had never felt anything like this in his life. It was so good, so right, in a way nothing had ever felt so right before. This was a first for him, rutting up against someone fully clothed. Making out, Bucky had called it, but none of Steve’s bedroom experiences had ever entailed anything like this, and God, his head was a whirl of lust, desire, and he didn’t give a fuck about anything else at that moment other than her as she lay underneath him.

He started to lose his rhythm and he let out another groan as the tell-tale tightening across his lower stomach warned him he was fast approaching his release. This was too soon, he needed to get her there first. Clenching his teeth he desperately fought back the high as he pushed his hips down hard, making her gasp and claw at his back.

“Sweetheart, I’m close.” He breathed. “You almost there? Tell me your close baby, please?”

He needn’t have worried, at his words it was all she could do to moan brokenly and nod and his mouth fell to that spot on her neck which seemed to drive her wild. She tipped her head back as he gently nipped beneath her ear with his teeth and a few more thrusts of his hips against hers and she was done, fingers wrapped around his hair as the lights exploded in front her eyes and she felt the coil in her stomach unravelling as she came hard underneath him, hips bucking upwards, almost violently. Her voice was broken as she gasped out “Stevie…”and it was the single most beautiful sound he’d ever heard in his life. Her name for him, the name that no-one in this day and age called him other than her, tumbled from her lips and seeing and feeling her fall apart in his arms sent him over the edge right behind her in a pure surge of ecstasy. He fell forward, his arms shaking as he fought to keep his body up, not wanting to crush her under his weight. His head dropped forward, as he lowered himself ever so gently onto his elbows, his face pressing into the crook of her shoulder and she gently ran her fingers through his hair as they both breathed deeply as they waited to regain control of their bodies. Eventually both of them evened out and he raised his head to look at her, to find her smirking a little, her eyes twinkling with what looked like humour.

“What?” He managed to ask, his nose sliding against hers.

“I haven’t dry humped since I was about sixteen.” she said closing her eyes again with a smirk.

“Dry humped?” He snorted. “What-“

She laughed “Dry humping, making out, whatever. It’s been a while, Rogers.”

He felt himself chuckle again and she pressed a soft kiss to his lips, one of her hands running up and down his spine causing the muscles to gently twitch at her touch, neither of them in a hurry to move, but Steve’s arms were starting to hurt.

“You ok?” Katie looked at him, seeing the tension in his muscles and he nodded.

“Yeah, just, my arms.”

“Lay down.” Her hands moved to his biceps, gently trailing shapes on his skin.

“Doll, I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“I’m not made of glass, handsome. I promise you, it’ll be fine.”

Steve licked his lips and with a deep breath he lowered himself down gently, shifting and moving lower, pressing as little of himself to her as he could, despite the fact he could have happily smothered her to feel her body pressed against this. He closed his eyes and lay his head gently on her chest as she carded one hand through his hair, the other softly trailing down his neck and across his shoulders. Her touch was soothing, relaxing, loving even, and h felt himself beginning to doze off.

Katie was also growing sleepy, so she gently kissed his head and whispered a single word to him.

“Stay?”

It was a question to him, an invitation to stay with her that she was desperately hoping he’d take up.

He opened his eyes to blink lazily up at her. “Do you want me to?” he asked, his voice thick.

She nodded, “Let’s go to bed.”

He made to stand before he remembered his trouser predicament having just shot his load into them like a pubescent teenager and stilled, his cheeks flushing even more.

“I uh…I think I need to…”

“There’s some stuff of Tony’s in the spare room.” she said, looking at him cutting him off knowing exactly what the problem was because she was also in need of a clean-up “Should be a pair of sweats in there. Might be a bit short on you but…”

With another soft kiss, he pushed himself up off the couch before offering her his hand. She took it and he pulled her up, a little more forcefully than he had intended and she fell forwards, crashing into his chest.

“Steady on Soldier.” She grinned and he apologised, dropping a kiss to her forehead as his gaze once more dropped to her chest. With a certain glint in her eye she turned around, undid her bra and slipped it off before bending over in front of him, picking up his T-shirt from where she’d tossed it to the floor before heading over to the stairs.

Steve was hard again like it had never left.

After he had cleaned himself up and managed to calm himself down, he thrown on a pair of Tony’s sweatpants retrieved from the spare room and exited the main bathroom, heading to her room. She wasn’t asleep as he found out as he settled down in the bed next to her, and she moved to rest her head on his bare chest tangling her legs into his as his hand stroked her back, gently underneath his T’shirt, light fingers brushing her soft skin.

“This is mine…” He teased with a yawn as he tugged at the bottom of his shirt and she moved laying a soft kiss onto his lips.

“You can have it back tomorrow.” She said, laying her head back down on his chest. As her breathing grew even he felt himself start to drift off too, the warm feeling in his chest made him want to burst with happiness.

*****

When Steve woke the next morning it was peacefully. Katie had shifted positions through the night and now her back was to him pressed as close as she could get, he still had his arms around her, his face buried in her hair. She smelt so familiar and comfortable. As his sleepy brain reminded him of the previous night he smiled and felt a familiar twitch. He was hard, again, which wasn’t uncommon when waking up, but suddenly he felt her stir, and then he realised with horror that she was going to feel him poking her in the back.

It took Katie a few seconds to recall the night before, but when she felt a solid, warm wall of muscle pressed against her, a small hum of contentment rumbled in her throat as she pushed back further into him. They both lay there for a moment, silently, basking in the warmth and softness of each other before Katie turned over and looked up at him. Her face was devoid of any make up, not that she wore a lot anyway, but her freckles were more pronounced, clear skin was bright, cheeks flushed and her hair was tousled in waves around her shoulders. He reached out to tuck a long strand that had fallen over her cheek behind her ears, when she looked up at him, her eyes glinting.

He was about to wish her good morning, but before he could she kissed him, hard and fast, tongue tangling with his. And then she was straddling him, his head against the pillow, as her lips began to trail down his chest. By the time his sleep and lust addled brain had caught up with what was going on, she had reached her destination and had flipped the waist band of the sweats he was wearing down, taking his erection firmly in one hand, making him hiss slightly.

His size had taken Katie slightly by surprise, although she knew with retrospect it shouldn’t have. She looked up and locked eyes with him before she gave him one final smirk and took him in her mouth. Steve panicked for a second, this had never happened to him before, his hands flying to the bed sheets either side of his waist, but it wasn’t for long, as all worry flew out of his mind as she began to work him.

From the noises he was making Katie knew he was enjoying himself. Which was her aim. After a short while, she pulled off of him to suck at the tip and worked her hands over the rest of his length. When she glanced up at him, he had his head thrown back against the pillow, face contorted in utter pleasure. She continued to lick, suck, and when she pulled away slightly to suck at the sensitive tip, working the rest of his length with her hands he let out a loud groan and he looked at her. Her eyes locked onto his and he felt that tell-tale warmth rising in his groin and stomach.

“Katie, sweetheart, shit.” His voice was raspy from desire and the fact it was morning and Katie was beyond aroused at the sound as he babbled the first words either of them had spoken since waking. “I’m gonna-” his words caught in his mouth as she took him in hers again, this time all the way to the back of her throat. At that, he was gone, his fingers gripped her hair tight the other clutched at the bedsheets, noises escaping him that he’d never heard before as he spilled himself down her throat and slumped back completely blissed out.

Katie rolled onto her side watching, as he finally opened his eyes and looked down at her.

“Morning, Handsome.”  She grinned and he felt himself chuckle.

“Morning, Gorgeous.” he said, still fighting to control his breathing.

“You want breakfast?” She asked, leaning over to peck him on the lips. He hummed a response and she smiled once more before climbing out of bed. Steve watched her head into the bathroom and found himself thinking that as far as mornings went, he’d had worse.

She emerged a few moments later, her hair slightly less wild, and she was still in his T-shirt, which fell to midway down her toned thighs, giving him a better look at that intriguing tattoo that adorned her right which he still hadn’t seen in full properly. She flashed him a smile, fully aware he was looking her up and down, and then she left without a word, clearly with no intentions of getting dressed fully yet. Which was fine by him.

Katie turned the radio on and set about making coffee, singing softly to herself as she replaced the filter paper. She tossed in a liberal amount of Columbian Roast and was just pouring two mugs when Steve, who was now out of bed, appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. She smiled at him and slid a mug of the coffee over the island where the creamer and sugar already lay waiting and he took it with a thanks.

“How hungry are you?” she asked and he arched an eyebrow over the top of the mug and she gave a laugh. “Sorry, dumbass question. Fancy pancakes and fruit?”

“Don’t got to any trouble, Doll.” He began to protest but she shook her head.

“It’s no bother, I can whip up a batter in five minutes.”

Turning away from him, she reached up into the cupboard for the flour and the T-shirt she was wearing rode up slightly giving Steve a perfect view of her ass which was clad in black lace panties. The fraying tendrils of self-control he had been holding onto snapped completely and stood up from the stool he’d been perched on, right hand still clutching his coffee. He rounded the island in three long strides and placed the mug down on the counter beside her, his hands falling to her hips and he gently spun her to face him. She giggled slightly before his lips met hers and he reached down and cupped her ass in both hands picking her up easily and setting her down on the counter.

“Something got you worked up Captain?” She teased, looking up at him. Last night had clearly unlocked something in the Soldier, and she was liking what she was seeing, and feeling.  

“Yeah, the sight of you wearing nothing but a pair of panties and my t-shirt…” He said raising an eyebrow as he reached for his mug again, taking another drink, trying to play it cool. But it wasn’t working clearly, as she simply laughed and slid both arms around his neck as she leaned in to kiss him again. His free hand slid to her thigh, tracing a path up until, just as he had reached the bottom of her panties, they were interrupted by the sound of the lift doors opening.

“Hey Kiddo, you in?” Steve and Katie exchanged a look, utter horror spreading from Steve’s head to his toes as Tony’s voice hit his ears.

“Kiddo?” he shouted again. “I can smell coffee, you in the kitchen?”

“Shit…” Katie said as she gently pushed Steve backwards, jumping down from the counter, adjusting the T-shirt. Steve was now a shade of crimson pretty much from his neck upwards as he desperately tried to rearrange his pants to hide his once more ebbing arousal. She debated telling Steve to hide in the bedroom but there was no way he’d get across the open plan living space to the stairs without Tony seeing him.

They were well and truly caught.

As she clocked the utter horror on Steve’s face she was suddenly overcome with giggles at how ridiculous the entire situation was. A super soldier and a SHIELD agent, both of them having faught aliens, deadly terrorists and weapons traders, were stood in her kitchen panicking about being busted fooling around by her brother.

“So, the damned board meeting was cancelled which would have been fine had I not already been on the jet over, so I thought seeing as I now in town with nothing to do we could hang for the day or if you’re too busy at least have breakfast…” Tony’s voice was getting louder as he walked through the apartment.

Steve looked at her in utter astonishment as she began to laugh now because frankly he couldn’t think of a single thing that was funny about this situation if he tried. Her laughter didn’t stop even as her brother walked into the kitchen, his brown eyes flashing from his sister to Steve and their various state of undress, a look of utter horror on his face as he processed the implications.

“Oh you have gottta be fucking kidding me…” Tony muttered, dropping the box he was carrying onto the kitchen counter. “Please tell me there’s a perfectly innocent explanation for this…” “Explanation yes, innocent…not so much.” Katie said through her laughter and Steve let out a groan. This was not how he wanted Tony to find out.  “Don’t you know how to buzz Dickwad, before just walking into my apartment?”

“I have a key…” “For emergencies…” she shot back. “Stop changing the subject.” Tony demanded his eyes flashing dangerously and Katie folded her arms and tilted her chin up defiantly.

“Look, this isn’t a big deal, Tony…”

“No, this…this is a very big deal…” he snapped back as he looked from her to Steve, every line on his face was contorted with anger and shock.

Steve took a deep breath and placed his mug down on the side. “Tony…” he began trying to placate the billionaire but he was cut off.

“What, you gonna tell me this aint what it looks like?” he shook his head. “That Captain America isn’t banging my little sister? I might be like nearly 60 years younger than you old man but I wasn’t born yesterday.”

Steve took a breath, his nostrils flaring at Tony’s snipe.

“Tony, I’m 29 next week, I can do what or who I like” Katie snapped at him “And besides you’ve no room to talk, the amount of times I’ve walked in on you and whichever bimbo you decided to bring home that night…”

“That is completely different!” Tony spluttered.

“No it isn’t” she shot back, hands going to her hips.

Tony’s eyes locked onto hers, before he looked back at Steve who held his gaze evenly, before the dark haired man shook his head and looked at the super soldier.

“Can you go and put some clothes on please, frankly the amount of flesh on show is disturbing me.” “Well I would but your sister is still wearing my shirt.” Steve shot back, his temper rising. Tony gave another growl and then he stopped, open mouthed.

“Are those my sweats?” He spluttered, his voice practically a squeak.

“Yes.” Katie replied simply, and at that point she grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him out of the room and up the stairs. The initial humour she had found in the situation had ebbed away and now she was livid at her brother.

“He is…” she started, opening the various drawers to pull out a hooded top. Taking Steve’s T-shirt off, as she threw it over the bed to him. “The biggest hypocrite going…”

“To be fair I can kinda see it from his point of view…” Steve said shrugging on his T-shirt and making a point of averting his eyes as she strode over to her dresser, naked bar her panties.

She pulled on a hoody and narrowed her eyes at Steve. “Don’t defend him…”

He chuckled and crossed the room, walking round the bed. “I’m not.” he placed a peck on her lips “But I do think that I should go, let you talk to him alone…”

“Yeah, probably for the best…” she breathed out a sigh and followed him down the stairs where he retrieved his sneakers.

“Wait, do you wanna take my car or…” He gestured up and down his body, and she took in his trainers, slightly too short joggers and a T-shirt “Nah, Baby Girl, I’ll run.” She smiled at the term of endearment that he hadn’t used before then, as he dropped a kiss to her cheek.

“I’ll call you later.” He promised, before disappearing in the elevator.

Katie took a deep breath and walked back into the kitchen. Tony eyed her from where he was leaning against the counter, mug of coffee in his hand.

“Don’t start.” Katie warned him, to no avail

“Oh I’m gonna!” Tony spat, before he paused and looked around “Where is the Star Spangled Ass-hole?”

“Gone home.” Katie folded her arms.

Tony snorted “I bet he has…” “You know I don’t remember me reacting like this every time you brought a girl home, which from my recollection happened quite a lot.” Katie sniped back, as she walked to where he was stood by the coffee pot and reached round him to pour herself a fresh mug.

“That..that was different…” Tony stammered at her back as she walked to the counter for the creamer.

“How so?”

“Because, well, it’s him…” he whined “I mean, seriously? Of all the men in the world…”

“Yeah because the last one worked out so great…” Katie said sarcastically, replacing the carton down with a slightly harsh action, causing some to spill over the top.

The room fell silent bar the chink of the spoon on the edge of her pink unicorn mug as she stirred in sugar and milk. She took a sip of her drink and turned to face her brother who was hunched over the counter slightly, eyes on his mug. Eventually he straightened up and met his sister’s eyes before he spoke again, this time his voice was softer.

“How long?” he asked,

“Three weeks, give or take.”

“Three weeks, and I’m only just finding out?” “Yes, Tony.” she groaned, with the air of someone talking to a small child “And your reaction is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

To be fair, Steve was right. It wasn’t an ideal way for him to find out, but she knew the reaction from Tony wasn’t about her being caught, it was about her being caught with Steve. The two men got on okay, which hadn’t always been the case, but after the battle of New York Steve had spent a lot of time with them both at the tower. Tony was still a little reserved with Steve, more so due to the fact that Captain America was someone their dad had idolised but, whilst the two men were immensely different, there was a mutual respect between them and Katie was hoping now that that was going to be enough for Tony to be reasonable about the situation.

“Please don’t kick off about this. I care about him, a lot.” She said gently, looking at her brother, appealing to his better nature and the fact that she knew he would want her to be happy.

And sure enough, that was exactly what Tony asked as he looked at her.

“Does he make you happy?”

“More than anything.” she replied honestly. “I really like him Tony, I want this to work.”

Tony studied her face for a moment before he let out a deep sigh, looking away. “Damned it.” He groaned “I can’t believe I’m going to have to have the Shovel Conversation with Captain America.”

In the silence that followed Katie debated pointing out that Steve wouldn’t be frightened in the slightest of Tony’s various threats anyway, but who was she to rob her brother of his opportunity to try and protect her?  Instead she placed her mug on the counter and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Tony who sighed again and reciprocated the gesture.

“Suppose he is an improvement on Agent Shitweasel” he said, resting his chin on her head.

“That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement.” she snorted.

*****

Steve was reading a book in his lounge when Katie messaged him later that afternoon. Apparently Tony had calmed down enough to take her for lunch at some Italian place in the Business District following which they’d had a walk round the city together before Tony had left to go back to New York. Steve was pleased, he knew that despite the fact that he drove her insane at times, she loved the bones of her brother which was why his reaction before had pissed her off. He messaged back, telling her he was glad she’d had a good time and that he would call her later before he picked his book back up, but he’d only managed another chapter or so before there was a buzz on his intercom.

“Rogers, it’s me.”

Steve sighed “Come on up.”

He wasn’t surprised Tony was on his doorstep, he’d been half expecting it. And, judging from the lack of stupid nickname, no Spangles, no Capsicle, no Old Man, he wasn’t here to exchange pleasantries. A fact that was confirmed when Stark didn’t wait for Steve to invite him in, he simply pushed past the door into his flat and stalked inside, glancing around.

“You can tell Kiddo helped you decorate and furnish this gaff, far too modern to be your doing. There’s no Dig for Victory posters or wind up radios…” Tony said, causing Steve to roll his eyes “Holy shit, is that an original Dekka?”

“Katie said you’d like that” Steve watched the inventor cross the room and run his hands across the sleekness of the record player’s casing. “But I have a feeling you didn’t come here to admire my music equipment.”

“Perceptive” Tony turned to face him, his eyes flashing. Steve took a deep breath.

“Tony, I…” “No, you don’t get to talk, you get to listen. And you better listen good.” the billionaire cut him off “Katie was heartbroken when Agent Shitweasel did the dirty on her. She came home and I held her as she cried herself to sleep for 2 goddamned weeks before she shipped out to New Mexico… ”

“Tony…”Steve began, knowing already where this conversation was going. He wanted to assure Tony that he would never do what Ward had done, ever. But Tony ignored him.

“I hated him.” Tony said “he was an absolute dickhead with her at times and she changed because of it.  And then, after New York she seemed to go back to being her old self. She was laughing, socialising…and that was down to you” Tony looked at the Super Soldier, who cocked his head slightly to the right as he listened, a small smile tugging at his lips “ She had a friend, something she hasn’t had much time for since my little sioree in an Afghan cave, my bad, and for the first time in ages I can see she’s over it, you know…” he took a deep breath and Steve waited for him to finish “But Katie puts her heart into everything, and I gotta ask Cap, is this serious for you or you just after getting your dick wet?”

“What? No, of course it’s serious for me Tony…” Steve said, his temper flaring slightly at his crass tone. “I can’t believe you think that little of me that you had to even ask me that!”

“Oh get off your high horse, Rogers!” Tony shook his head, and Steve raised his eyebrows “This has nothing to do with what I think of you, this is about my sister…you know the girl I brought up from the age of 7.  The girl I couldn’t love any more if she was my own. I’d die for her you got that? Die for her!”

“Well that makes 2 of us!” Steve said loudly, silencing the other man. There was a moment where no sound was heard in the apartment bar the ticking of the clock on the wall and Tony raised his eyebrows slightly as Steve looked down at the floor taking a deep breath.

“Look, I know you’re not happy about this…” Steve sighed, looking at Tony again “But do I care about her Tony, more than you know, and nothing you do or say to me is gonna change that.”

Tony’s eyes softened, but his jaw remained set. Steve took a deep breath and wet his lips before he continued.  “And, for what it’s worth, I think you did a damned good job of raising her. She’s an incredible woman.”

“She’s a pain in the ass…” Tony sniffed, Steve was glad to hear his tone was less confrontational “And she’s stubborn, always thinks she knows best…”

“Wonder where she gets that from?” Steve said cheekily

“Absolutely no idea” Tony deadpanned back.

Steve’s face cracked into a smile as did Tony’s.

“Look.” Tony sighed, “I just want her to be happy and with someone that treats her right…”

“I don’t ever want to hurt her, Tony. You have my word…” Steve said, honestly.

“Good, because if you do, make no mistake I will fucking kill you, slowly and painfully and there will be no defrosting 70 years down the line.” Tony’s brown eyes flashed slightly as he stared at Steve, And Steve knew, absolutely 100% that he meant it. He was surprised to find himself slightly unnerved by the threat. Hoping that his face didn’t give him away her merely nodded and then Tony’s demeanour changed completely and he turned back into the Tony Stark that Steve knew, and had to admit quite liked after all.

“Good, this was a good talk…” Tony said, clapping Steve on the shoulder.

Steve smiled as the weight he hadn’t even realised he’d been carrying was lifted off his shoulder. Having Tony’s, albeit grudging, approval would mean the world to Katie, and if he was honest, it meant a lot to him as well. Not only was Tony his friend also, but he was the closest thing Katie had to a father, and he wanted him to be alright with the fact the two of them were together.

He offered the man a coffee which he politely declined, stating he needed to get back to New York. The two shook hands on the threshold of Steve’s door before Tony gave him one last look, raising his index finger and middle finger of his right hand to his eyes, before turning them to point at Steve in an “I’m watching you” gesture. Steve raised his eyebrows in understanding and felt his mouth tug upwards at the side as Tony turned on his heels and left.

He retreated back to his living room and pulled out his phone.

“Hey Badass” Katie greeted and Steve chuckled.

“I’ve just had a visitor.” Katie groaned into the phone as he sat back on his couch

“Let me guess… my darling brother turned up to give you the shovel talk?” her tone was exasperated. “No mention of a shovel, just threatened to kill me slowly and painfully if I hurt you, and you know what? I have absolutely no qualms about the fact he would.” Steve grinned as he spoke.

“Don’t tell me Captain America is scared of Iron Man?” she questioned playfully. “No, Steve Rogers is slightly disconcerted by Tony Stark.” He corrected as she let out a chuckle.

“Best make sure you don’t hurt me then aint ya?” “I’ve no intentions of doing doll.” He said, honestly before he let out a breath, smiling “I really enjoyed last night.”

“And this morning?”

“Yeah, another first.” He said, unable to stop the smirk on his face spreading into his voice “I’ve never, errr, had a woman use her mouth on me before…or vice versa for that matter.”

“I like being your first.” she said softly and his chest warmed at her words.

“You know what else was a first? Waking up next to my girl.”

There was a pause before she replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

“And you know what else I like? You calling me your girl.”

A shit eating grin crept back across the Captains face. “Well, you better get used to it, Doll.”

**** Chapter 7

**Original Posting**

[twistedtummies2]

Count-Down: Number 8

Welcome to Count-Down! All throughout the month of October, I’ve been counting down my Top 31 favorite portrayals and reimaginings of the King of the Vampires, Count Dracula! Today, we’ll be talking about arguably the most 80s Dracula of them all. Number 8 is…Duncan Regehr.

Regehr is an actor who is by no means a household name, but he’s a fine performer who has been in some prominent productions. In 1984, he appeared in the TV series “V,” which was the show that jumpstarted Robert Englund’s career and got him attention for “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” In the 90s, he played Zorro for another TV series, and also had a recurring role and guest appearances in two separate Star Trek programs. In-between all this, however, arguably the actor’s most famous movie appearance was as Count Dracula in the 1987 feature “Monster Squad.” “Monster Squad” is about as 80s a film as you can get. It’s sort of a blend of “The Goonies” and “Ghostbusters,” focusing on the adventures of a group of young teenagers who take it upon themselves to save the world from an army of monsters. Dracula is the leader of the gang, while his minions include Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon (who I would argue is the scariest one of the whole bunch in this film, personally, at least in terms of design). The movie is a horror-comedy cult classic, and I would call myself part of that cult; its tone is all over the place, but that’s kind of part of the fun. The acting is solid, the monsters are brilliantly revisioned, and while the plot is fairly basic, it still works pretty well. Regehr’s Dracula is probably the most over-the-top Dracula we’d get till Richard Roxburgh in “Van Helsing,” but for some reason, I think Regehr’s Dracula works a little better. I just think he comes across as a little more menacing than Roxburgh, despite the fact that I think he bites more scenery than jugulars. Regehr was once declared “the Best Dressed Dracula,” and I think he deserves that title, but while he looks like a dandy, he matches the 80s action-horror vibe of this story. I can sum up what I love about this Dracula with just one scene: the moment where he confronts the heroes face to face in the climax of the picture. The Count must retrieve a sacred amulet for his plan. There are swarms of police racing towards him from almost every side, while two of our main protagonists – the Scary German Guy (yes, that’s really what he’s called) and a young girl named Phoebe – try to ward him off with a magic chant. They are the ones holding the amulet. Dracula strides down the road, his cape flapping about him in the wind as he marches along, eyes locked on his nemeses. All the while, cops rush at him, pointing their guns and swinging their batons, ordering him to stop. Without breaking eye contact with his true targets, his face never once shifting emotion or expression, the Count proceeds to slaughter or knock out the obstacles, hurling the officers aside like a bunch of useless dolls. When he reaches his opponents, the Scary German Guy leaps in front of Phoebe to protect her…and Dracula promptly lifts one hand calmly and ZAPS HIM WITH A LASER BEAM. (Apparently this is CASTLEVANIA’S Dracula in this picture.) He then looms over Phoebe…and picks her up with one hand, almost like he’s lifting a wine glass…all the while, his face patient and vague… …Until, suddenly, he snarls out: “Give me the amulet, you BITCH!!!” (Language, Your Excellency, Language.) As the little girl screams, he bares his fangs, eyes changing into demonic, cat-like ones as he hisses and begins to lean towards her throat…and it’s only the timely intervention of the Frankenstein Monster (who has switched sides by this point) that keeps her from likely being Dracula’s evening meal. Bottom line: flamboyant as he may be, YOU DON’T SCREW AROUND WITH THIS DRACULA. Tomorrow, we move into the final week of the countdown, with my seventh favorite pick! Hint: Two Bats for the Price of One.

[marchioness-caprina]

The Vampire And The Hawk

Pairings : Hawks x Student! Reader

Writing Style : 3rd Person

Warning : Age Gap, Mild Cussing

Word Count : 2642

Note : In this Oneshot Dabi is Not a Villain since Endeavor is a Good Father in this AU and in this AU Hawks is adopted by the Todoroki Family so he's pretty much Endeavor's son now.

Note : Bare with Me. Your Quirk is Vampirism, So you have Midnight black hair and Crimson Red eyes on this Oneshot.

3rd Person's POV

It All started with a Mentoring Trial with Class 1-A . Everyone was hyped to know That The Pro Heroes Dabi and Hawks were assigned to their Class in teaching them how the actual field works while sharing their experience and giving advice to the Class.

Two people in Particular did not like the idea. The first one is undoubtedly Shoto knowing very well that his brothers will tease him nonstop and then there's y/n who really hated going outside because of her quirk. She hated the sun with all her being.

Her quirk is Vampirism, Meaning she pretty much has the Capabilities and Powers of a Vampire with a few minor upgrades but aside from that. She is allergic to Garlic and The Sun's Rays irritates her very sensitive skin.

And unlucky for her the training ground is on Ground Beta. Technically outside. It wasn't helping that today was extremely Sunny so now it led to her Bringing an Umbrella with her outside as she followed her class who were really enthusiastic with the idea of meeting two well known pro heroes.

" I hate this " Y/n grumbled and Shoto who was beside her couldn't help but agree.

" Come on you two! Be positive for once! Two of the most popular and not to mention good looking Heroes are here! " Mina cheered and she didn't get a positive reaction from y/n and Shoto.

Once they reached the middle of the training grounds they saw two figures standing there waiting for their arrival. One with blonde hair and the other with red crimson hair, similar to Todoroki's hair .

" It's Them! " Denki exclaimed and everyone came running towards their direction with delight and excitement leaving the two pessimistic people behind.

" Why does it have to be them? " Shoto growled.

" Why does it have to be outside? " Y/n grumbled.

" Hey! Slowpokes! You guys coming or what!? " Sero yelled at the two.

With a groan y/n slumped her shoulders hiding her face beneath the umbrella as she walked at an even slower pace.

She started cursing everything that lights up. Mostly the sun but within her train of thoughts she didn't notice a certain someone approach her.

A gloved hand grabbed the handle of her Umbrella yanking it away from her grasp and raising it above her head.

" Hey! What gives!? " Y/n hissed as she looked up , her red orbs clashing with a pair of golden ones.

" Kid, you're slowing Everyone down. Now hurry up! And stop walking around with an umbrella. Now's definitely not the time to be fancy " Hawks stated but his eyes couldn't help but admire the features of the girl before him.

Beautiful Midnight Hair with luscious curls, Big Crimson Eyes that stared right back to the depths of his soul, Delicate and Pale Skin, Captivating Lips that seemed to be Asking for his. It was actually too much because how the fuck is a First Year student so damn attractive!? .

" Excuse me? No wait.. Excuse you!? I am not being fancy you Prick! " Y/n objected his accusations while pointing at him angrily.

The man only chuckled giving her an amused smirk.

" Oh really? Then what's this doing here? Maybe I should throw it away " Hawks was about to do exactly as what he stated but he was stopped when y/n gripped his wrist.

She hissed at him showing her fangs and her red eyes glowed with menace, grabbing his chin with her free hand she forcefully turned his head to look at her at a very close and dangerous angle.

" I'm a Fucking Vampire you Little bitch but I must say. It's really bold of you to 'Tease' me but I warn you Not to do it... Don't tempt me" She whispered her lips inches away from his and he didn't know why he want to devour her lips in such a hungry way. Maybe it was because of how Suggestive her eyes are? .

Hawks's eyes couldn't leave hers the smirk on his face was long gone with his mouth slightly agape but he regained his composure and that same smug smirk from before came back to life.

Y/n rolled her eyes harshly letting go of his chin and snatching her umbrella away from the winged hero as she stalked her way towards her classmates who watched the entire scene unfold.

They were speechless because in their eyes their classmate pretty much owned the winged hero and not to mention they looked like they were about to tear each other's clothes off infront of them.

" Hawks.... I never knew you swung that way..." Dabi chuckled and the winged hero turned to him with a smirk on his face.

" I didn't know either " Hawks answered followed by a small laugh.

By now everyone was too shocked to say anything and y/n who had finally stood with her classmates gave a questioning look .

" .... I'm telling Dad about this " Shoto suddenly blurted out from the crowd and everyone turned to him.

" Shoto No... Unless you want me to show everyone what you did when you were 9 " Hawks threatened a sly smile plastered on his lips and shoto's eyes widened and it turned into a glare .

" You wouldn't " Shoto countered.

" Oh I will " Hawks Snickered.

And a glaring contest ensued between shoto and Hawks. The glares mostly coming from shoto though, since Hawks looked relaxed and unbothered.

" Ok enough you two. We're wasting Time here! Let's get started with training! " Dabi tried changing the subject and luckily everyone seemed to buy it.

_______________2 Hours Later

" So....Is it True that Vampires Can Turn into a Bat? " Hawks asked as he trailed behind y/n who tried her very best to ignore his random and very annoying comments.

Everyone was listening and watching their interaction from behind them after the physical exercise they did earlier and now they were just strolling around Ground Beta , The two heroes giving advice and telling the class their whole experience.

" If I could I would have turned into one and flew as far away as I can from you " Y/n snapped her eyes narrowed at his direction and Hawks put on a fake hurt expression that ticked the girl off.

" So... Can you Hypnotize people by Looking into their eyes like Dracula from Hotel Transylvania? Because I could get lost in your eyes forever " Hawks's Comments soon turned flirtatious and Dabi couldn't help but snort at how Terrible his brother was doing.

" If I could I would have hypnotized you to leave me the fuck alone and jump off a fucking cliff. Please stop annoying me, your very presence is pissing me off " Y/n growled glaring at Hawks who seemed unaffected by her words.

" Sheesh, your friend is really Harsh. Is she usually like that? " Dabi asked Shoto who gave him a shrug.

" She's usually like that when she's annoyed... Also because she noticed how bad of a flirt Hawks is " Shoto glanced at his older brother with a sigh.

Hawks leaned his head down over her shoulder from behind her as he glanced at the annoyed expression of the girl.

" So... Is it true? Some people on the internet claim that Vampires Sparkles--" Hawks was immediately silenced when y/n grabbed his cheeks and turned her head back to slam her lips against his in a dominating but lascivious kiss that got him going.

But the kiss ended a little bit too soon before he could even return the kiss.

" I didn't Know that the Pro Hero Hawks would actually Be interested in a Kid who's younger than him... Oh well I guess some people have nasty fantasies " Y/n's entire demeanor changed into a teasing and more playful.

The girl turned around completely her eyes hooded with an unreadable expression. Hawks's smirk began to falter as his eyes looked down to hers, His eyes flashing a hungry look.

He began to question his sanity. Was he really interested in a Kid? Well Fuck it. Call him sick but He is.

" Tell me Hawks. Wouldn't it be better to Have a woman instead of a Teenager? I suggest you start looking for one and stop playing Cat and mouse with a little girl " Y/n coaxed her index finger reaching over to brush against his lips.

Her soft skin touched his lips only to brush her finger down, staring at him with a teasing smirk on her lips, she kissed her finger that touched his lips before walking away from him.

" Holy shit.... What the Fuck was that!? " Dabi yelled and the class was rendered immobilized in their place and speechless.

Even Hawks was speechless as he stared at the retreating figure of y/n.

His emotions clashing with his growing desire for her and he knows he's pretty fucked up to like a kid but fuck everyone else he wants her and he intends to keep her.

" I don't fucking know but dude... I think I kinda got rejected " Hawks was finally able to answer but his eyes stayed glued to her figure.

" ... That was.... Highly inappropriate " Iida stated pushing his glasses back.

_____________________

It was finally lunch time and Class 1-A were of course in the Cafeteria eating.

However y/n who was happily snacking on her chocolate cake was bombarded with questions from her classmates.

" Y/n what the fuck was that "

" Do you Really Like him? "

" Oh shit that was so hot " ( mineta)

" Is that even legal? "

" That was not an appropriate interaction! "

" Guys Chill your tits. That was nothing " Y/n stated firmly but apparently she didn't notice that Dabi and Hawks were seated behind her.

" Was it really nothing baby bird? You wound me" Hawks frowned faking a pained expression as he placed his hand on his chest.

" Uhh yeah? " Y/n muttered unsure of what she should say.

" After that kiss? So now what? You're the type of girl who kisses me once and never again? " Hawks accused and y/n didn't really do anything to deny that which angered him but he was the type of person who had full control of his facial expressions and body language so it wasn't obvious but Dabi on the other hand noticed it clearly since he had known Hawks ever since he was a kid.

" That's pretty irresponsible of you Kid, Another rule of being a Hero Kids : Take responsiblity . And y/n you should take responsibility for stealing a kiss along with my heart " Hawks smirked poking her cheek.

" You know you're getting better at flirting...... Not " Y/n muttered as she scooped another small size of her cake pointing it at Hawks.

" Face it. I don't go for guys who are older than me. Sure maybe a year or two will be fine but more than 5 is a big NO NO. I like cute and young guys " Y/n smirked seeing Hawks's angered expression start to surface . Although his face was blank his eyes held anger and pain she kinda liked it.

She should probably start getting rid of her sadistic tendencies. She does like the Birdman but she wanted to tease him too.

Hawks was furious. He didn't really like how she got his hopes up and he wasn't the type to give up that easily. Now he was taught well and giving up is not an option. And the thought of her with another 'young' and 'cute' guy made his blood boil he wasn't that old but she sure as hell was making him feel like it .

He's an adult now but he doesn't know why he has the raging and jealous hormones of a teenager who foolishly fell in love at first sight. He's holding himself back from dragging her away and slamming her back against a random wall while kissing the hell out of her lips until she can't think of anything else but him.

You don't need a boy. Fuck it, you needed a Man and He was that Man. Because he'll screw up whoever tries to take his Baby bird away.

" Open up Hawks" Y/n cooed pointing her utensil at his mouth to which he replied with a glare and turning his head away

" Oh? You're butt hurt now and you refuse to talk? Ok then . Izuku say Ahh~" Y/n smiled as she turned stop Izuku who turned into a blushing mess while fearing for his life when Hawks flashed him a deadly glare.

" Come on Izuk--" Y/n was cut off mid-sentence when a gloved hand gripped her wrist and yanked her hand the other way.

Her hand now pointing at Hawks as he guided her hand up to his mouth. Opening his mouth he ate the small portion of chocolate cake on her spoon before letting go of her hand.

" I thought you didn't want to eat it? " Y/n raised a brow in amusement ignoring the intense stares of Dabi and almost Everyone in the Cafeteria.

" Oh, trust me baby bird. I'd rather eat you than any other treat in the world " Hawks grinned as he stood up bringing y/n along with him. On the other end of the table shoto was ready to cringe and Dabi held back a laugh.

" Hey Brats! Listen up! This girl here is Taken By yours truly! If any one flirts with her or even tries to take her from me... Good luck... You'll be at the Top of my list of people to eliminate ! " Hawks announced with a spine chilling tone making some people shiver.

Y/n was stupefied and couldn't utter a word.

Dabi was beyond flabbergasted he looked like a fish thrown out of the sea and directly onto the burning heat of a frying pan.

" What the hell? The fuck is wrong with you? What about your reputation?" Y/n gasped when she felt him cup her cheeks and kiss her. Right infront of everyone making the room tense up .

Y/n was stiff as Hawks let go of her staring at her with a grin on his face.

" Y-you.... " Y/n was speechless as a small hue of pink tinted her pale cheeks.

" Hawks you sick Fuck Get away from my student! " Aizawa said in fatherly tone and behind him were almight and endeavor.

" Young y/n! Is this true!? " Almight asked in disbelief.

" Well Keigo when do you want your wedding to take place? " Endeavor laughed staring fondly at his adopted son.

" Can I Marry her now? "

" Definitely No! Endeavor don't encourage him " Aizawa hissed and y/n who was too embarrassed to say anything kept trying to pry Hawks's grisly grip from her arm.

But in the end Hawks only pulled her forward pecking her lips .

" Don't try to run away from me Baby bird "