#*shrugs as I backflip back into the shadows*

[allgoodnamesrgoneee]

hi! i love your work so so much! i have a request for you, i know it takes you a lot of time to get thru your requests but i hope you will see this soon ❤️

would you be able to do one when reader is in an abusive relationship and kylian is her friend and they have been in love since they were kids but couldn’t find a way to work it out somehow so she dates someone else who’s absolutely awful and kylian is worried and protective? happy ending please haha

thank you in advance and i so look forward to what you do with my request i have a feeling it will another masterpiece 😍😍😍

Hi! Hope your having a great day.

I really liked this request, and I got so much inspiration, I started writing immediately. I hope you like it.

Don't forget my Patreon is now available for $3 for the month of December; don't miss your chance to catch up on all the exclusive content before the month ends!

Safe Haven

Masterlist

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — The one where he saves you.

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 — Kylian Mbappé x You

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 — 4.3k

Warnings! ANGST!! protective!Kylian, you have a shit boyfriend, TRIGGER WARNING!! Abuse, domestic violence, FLUFF! Kylian is your guardian angel,

The café hummed with soft chatter and the rhythmic clink of ceramic mugs, a cozy soundtrack that usually invited comfort.

But Kylian barely noticed.

His attention was on you, sitting across the table, absently stirring your coffee as if lost in thought—or avoiding it altogether.

His sharp gaze caught the faint bruises peeking out from beneath the sleeve of your sweater, their mottled edges just visible under the soft café light. He clenched his jaw, biting back the wave of anger and helplessness that surged within him.

He knew better than to mention them directly—he’d tried before, only for you to shut him down.

“How’s work?” he asked, his voice deceptively light, masking the feelings that were brewing inside him.

You looked up, forcing a smile that didn’t reach your eyes. “Busy, as usual. But good.”

He nodded, even though the lie tasted bitter.

You were thinner than you’d been the last time he saw you, the shadows under your eyes darker. The spark—the vibrant, carefree energy that you used to be—felt like a distant memory.

He couldn’t recall the last time you laughed uncontrollably, the way you used to when you were kids, running barefoot through the fields, teasing him mercilessly about his attempst at a backflip.

That version of you felt like someone from another life, a ghost he couldn’t reach no matter how hard he tried.

Kylian had given you so much space over the last few months, trying not to push you into discussing something you weren’t ready to. But he couldn’t stop himself from wondering what he could have done differently—if he’d spoken up sooner, if he’d been stronger or braver—would you be with him instead of the man you now called your boyfriend?

You didn’t tell him about it, but he knew.

How could he not?

“Kylian.” His name was a whisper on your lips.

He snapped out of his thoughts, looking up to meet your gaze. “Yeah?” he answered, voice hoarse.

“Are you okay?” you asked, brow furrowing.

Kylian was caught off-guard. “I—yeah, I’m fine. Just tired,” he said, rubbing a hand over his eyes. He felt his heart clench at the look on your face. So worried about him. It should be him worried about you not the other way around.

Kylian swallowed down the lump in his throat, his gaze dropping to your hand, your delicate fingers still wrapped around your coffee cup. He’d always liked your hands—had even sketched them once, during a boring math class when he was younger. Not that they looked the best.

Now, he couldn’t help but notice the way they were shaking, the tremors almost invisible.

“Hey, you don’t have to stay.” He cleared his throat. “If you’re tired—”

“No, I mean, it’s fine. I have a few minutes.” You shrugged.

“I understand. I’m probably taking up too much of your time anyway,” he said, forcing himself to smile.

Your brow furrowed. “No, that’s not—”

The door to the café jingled, and Kylian didn’t miss the way your shoulders tensed at the sound. His stomach sank, a cold dread settling over him. He didn’t need to turn around to know what—or rather, who—had caused it.

“Hey, babe. You’re late,” a voice cut through the warm buzz of the café, gruff and sharp.

Kylian’s chest tightened as Adrien approached the table, clenching his fist under the table. You flinched, muttering a quiet, “Sorry, Adrien,” your voice barely audible over the blood pounding in Kylian’s ears.

Adrien’s hand landed on your shoulder, his grip firm, possessive, and entirely too telling. Kylian’s eyes narrowed as he caught the flicker of pain in your expression, the way you recoiled ever so slightly. Adrien turned his gaze to Kylian, his eyes cold, daring him to intervene.

“Time to go,” Adrien said curtly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Kylian’s chair scraped loudly against the floor as he stood, the sound cutting through the air like a challenge. “She’s not ready yet,” he said evenly, his voice steady, though his fists clenched at his sides.

Adrien straightened, towering over him, but Kylian didn’t waver. The protective instinct roaring to life inside him drowned out the rational voice warning him to tread carefully. He’d spent too many nights wondering if he should’ve done more, said more, instead of tiptoeing around the cracks in your life, afraid of making things worse.

“Kylian, it's fine,” you said hurriedly, standing and grabbing your bag. Your words were meant to soothe, but your tone betrayed you. It wasn’t fine. Not the way your hands trembled as you slung the bag over your shoulder. Not the fear flickering in your eyes as Adrien’s shadow loomed over you.

And certainly not when Kylian remembered the late-night calls, your voice breaking as you insisted everything was okay while your silence screamed the opposite.

He reached out, hand brushing your arm, trying to reassure you. “Are you sure, Y/N—” he started, his voice catching as Adrien interrupted, his hand tightening around your wrist.

“Yeah, we’ve gotta get going. Nice to see you, Kylian.” Adrien’s words dripped with sarcasm, his eyes glacial.

You murmured something indistinguishable as Adrien dragged you away, leaving Kylian with nothing but a heavy feeling and a cold cup of coffee. He watched you disappear out the door, the memory of your haunted eyes searing a hole through his chest.

That night, Kylian sat perched on the edge of his bed, his phone resting heavily in his hands. The glow of the screen illuminated his face in the dark, but it was the storm in his heart that truly kept him awake.

He couldn’t bear it anymore.

Watching you crumble under the weight of someone else’s cruelty was killing him slowly. You deserved better—so much better than what life had handed you. You deserved love, the kind he’d always wanted to give you, but he’d been too much of a coward to fight for it when it mattered most.

His thumb hovered over your name in his contacts, trembling with indecision. Minutes bled into each other as he stared at the screen, lost in a sea of regrets and what-ifs. What if you didn’t want to hear from him? What if it was already too late?

The sharp, shrill sound of his ringtone sliced through the silence of his room, startling him so violently that his phone nearly slipped from his grasp. His heart leapt into his throat as he scrambled to pick up the call.

“Y/N,” he whispered, your name escaping his lips like a prayer. His heart pounded with a rhythm that threatened to drown out every other sound.

“Kylian…” Your voice cracked through the line, so soft, so fragile, that he almost didn’t recognize it. Your tone made his stomach twist with dread.

“Hey,” he said, forcing a calmness he didn’t feel, his voice catching as he heard your faint, uneven breathing. It only took a second before he picked up on the muffled sobs in the background. Whatever composure he’d been clinging to shattered in an instant.

“Help me, Kylian,” you whimpered, the sound hitting him like a dagger to the chest. “I can’t—I can’t move.”

His blood ran cold, fear clawing its way through him. “Y/N, what’s happening?” he demanded, panic creeping into his voice despite his best efforts. He shot up from his bed, fumbling to pull on a pair of jeans.

“I’m… I’m in the bathroom,” you managed between sobs, each word cutting through him like shards of glass. “Adrien—he was so angry—he hurt me, Kylian. I—I didn’t know what to do…” Your voice broke entirely, dissolving into gut-wrenching cries.

Kylian froze, his mind struggling to process what you’d just said. He’d never heard you sound so broken, so utterly defeated. It tore at his very soul.

“Okay, listen to me. Don’t move, alright?” he said firmly, pulling on a sweatshirt with trembling hands. “I’m coming to you. Right now.”

“Please, Kylian, don’t let him get to me.” Your voice cracked, raw with desperation. “I’m so scared…”

He could feel his heart splintering with every word you uttered, but he forced himself to stay strong—for you. Grabbing his keys, he bolted out of his apartment, already dialing 911 with shaking fingers as he sprinted toward the front door of his building.

"I’m coming, Y/N,” he whispered, the vow burning in his chest. “I won’t let him hurt you again.” He spoke the words, but he wasn’t sure if you were even still on the line to hear them. “Y/N? Y/N!!? Answer me!”

No answer.

He didn’t even realize he was crying until he saw the tears drip down his face. He was halfway to your place when the operator picked up, his words tumbling out in a disjointed, panicked mess.

“He’s going to hurt her. Please, you have to help us. I don’t know what he’s going to do. I can’t lose her,” he cried, the last word cracking in his throat.

The operator tried to keep him talking, but Kylian was too far gone to focus on anything but your broken sobs still echoing through his phone. The sound was forever seared into his head, haunting him as he drove.

By the time he arrived at your apartment, he’d convinced himself of the worst. Every nightmare he’d been trying to suppress had come alive in his mind, clawing at his sanity and leaving him raw with terror.

His heart thundered wildly, a beat of dread that pounded louder with every frantic step up the stairs. He barely registered the ache in his legs or the burning in his lungs. All that mattered was getting to you.

When he reached your door, there was no hesitation. The wood splintered under the force of his kick, the loud crack echoing through the apartment. He froze for a split second, his heart lurching in his chest as his eyes found Adrien standing in the kitchen.

Adrien turned at the noise, his lips curling into a cruel, mocking smile that made Kylian’s blood boil.

A storm of rage surged inside him, hot and blinding, coursing through his veins with a fury he’d never known. Every thought, every ounce of logic, every shred of restraint burned away, leaving nothing but raw, unrelenting anger. Without a second thought, he lunged forward, his body moving before his mind could catch up.

Kylian didn’t care about the consequences.

He didn’t care about the destruction he was about to cause. There was no room for anything but the white-hot need to make Adrien pay. His fist connected with Adrien’s jaw, the sickening crack reverberating through the room. He barely felt the pain in his knuckles as Adrien staggered backward, already crumpling before Kylian tackled him to the ground.

The two of them slammed into the kitchen table, the force of the collision shattering it beneath their weight. Adrien’s curses filled the air, but Kylian barely heard them. His vision was a blur of red, his world reduced to the satisfying sound of his fists meeting Adrien’s face. Blow after blow, he poured every ounce of his fury into the man beneath him.

It ended as abruptly as it had started. Adrien lay on the floor, curled into himself, his hands clutching his broken jaw as he whimpered in pain. Kylian stood above him, chest heaving, his fists trembling and smeared with blood—his own, Adrien’s, he couldn’t tell.

“Kylian.”

Your voice. Soft, broken, barely audible, but it cut through the fog like a blade. He turned, his breath hitching as his eyes found you.

You were huddled on the bathroom floor, your body limp and trembling, your face streaked with tears. Bruises marred your arms and neck, vivid against your skin, and the sight of them made something inside him shatter. There was blood—so much blood—and the sight of it made his stomach twist painfully.

As he approached, you whispered something, your voice trembling, but the words were lost to him. All he could focus on was the fear in your eyes, the pain etched into your expression. His knees hit the tiled floor as he knelt beside you, his hands hovering uncertainly before he gently pulled you into his arms.

You flinched at the contact, a broken sob escaping your lips as you collapsed against him. Your body shook violently, every tremor a testament to the horror you’d endured. Kylian held you close, his arms tightening around you protectively, as if his embrace alone could shield you from the world.

He didn’t speak; there were no words for this. Instead, he buried his face in your hair, his breath ragged as he fought back the tears burning in his eyes. His hands trembled as they stroked your hair, his touch as gentle as he could make it. Your cries filled the small bathroom, echoing off the walls and breaking his heart anew with every sound.

He held you, rocking you gently, his own breaths hitching as he whispered silent promises into the air. You were safe now. You were in his arms, and he wouldn’t let anything—or anyone—hurt you again.

Not while he lived.

When the police and paramedics finally arrived, Kylian refused to let you go, even as they gently coaxed him to give you over to them. He couldn’t let you be taken from him again. You were his to protect now, and he would spend the rest of his life fighting for your safety.

The ride to the hospital was a blur of noise and color, the sounds of the sirens and the flashing lights mingling to consume him whole. But none of it mattered. Not as long as you were safe in his arms.

When they finally arrived at the hospital, Kylian stayed at your side, his fingers laced tightly with yours, feeling as though letting go might mean losing you. His grip was firm, almost desperate, and the silent promise in his eyes—I’m here, I’m not leaving—was unshakable.

Even when the nurses and doctors ushered him away, insisting they needed to examine you in private, he stood frozen for a moment, his hand hovering in the air where yours had been. Then, reluctantly, he stepped back, the ache in his chest growing heavier with each step that took him further from you.

Outside the door, the minutes dragged, each tick of the clock hammering against his already raw nerves.

He paced the narrow corridor, his footsteps echoing in the quiet, sterile hallway. His gaze never strayed from the closed door, the sight of it both a barrier and a lifeline.

Inside, you were there—hurt, vulnerable, but there. His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms as anger and fear collided within him, swirling a storm in his stomach.

He wanted to be strong for you, but the truth was, he was terrified. All he wanted, all he needed, was to hold you in his arms again, to feel your warmth against him, to reassure himself that you were still here, still breathing.

The moment the door opened, Kylian was on his feet, the chair he had been sitting in scraping loudly against the floor as he sprang up.

His heart leaped into his throat at the sight of you being wheeled out, your small frame seeming even smaller against the stark white sheets of the hospital bed. Your face was limp, twisting a knife in his chest.

For a second, he couldn’t move, frozen by the sheer weight of the fear he’d been holding back. But then, the tears came, hot and unrelenting, slipping down his face as he stepped forward and gently took your hand.

Your skin was cold, far too cold, and the sob he had been swallowing threatened to break free. He tightened his grip on your hand, his thumb brushing over your knuckles, as if the simple gesture might anchor you—and him—to something solid.

He tried, tried so hard, to hold himself together for you, but the tears wouldn’t stop. Silent at first, then heavier, until they dripped onto the blanket covering you.

Without hesitation, Kylian climbed onto the narrow hospital bed beside you. He moved carefully, afraid that any sudden movement might hurt you, but his need to be close to you overrode every other thought.

He slipped an arm around you, cradling your fragile body against his own, and pressed his face into your shoulder. The faint scent of lavender and vanilla, though dulled by the sharp tang of antiseptic, wafted his senses, soothing him instantly.

He laid his head against your chest, his ear pressed to the place where your heartbeat was steady and strong. That sound—it was everything. It was life, it was hope, it was you. His arms tightened around you as though he could shield you from the world.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he felt his lungs expand fully, his breath coming easier. You were here. You were okay. The crushing weight of fear that had threatened to break him all night began to lift.

He kissed your temple, his lips lingering there as he whispered into the quiet, “I won’t fail you again. Never again.” His voice was hoarse, thick with emotion, but there was no wavering in his promise. Whatever it took, whatever he had to do, he would keep you safe.

As your breathing slowed, your chest rising and falling with a soothing rhythm, it lulled him into a peace he hadn’t known in days. The tension in his body eased, and his eyelids grew heavy.

There, with you in his arms, he allowed himself to drift into sleep, deep and restful, knowing that for now, in this moment, everything was right again.

You were safe. And that was all that mattered.

You woke to the sound of beeping, the muted murmur of hospital chatter bleeding through the closed door, and the feeling of warmth against your body.

Your eyelids fluttered open, your gaze focusing slowly on the unfamiliar ceiling above you.

For a moment, you forgot where you were, disoriented by the sterile smell and the harsh overhead light filtering in through the window blinds. Your body ached, every muscle protesting as you shifted slightly, and then you felt it—a warm weight draped across you.

Kylian.

He was curled against you on the narrow bed, his arms wrapped around you as if even in sleep, he couldn’t let go. His head rested on your shoulder, his breath soft and even against your skin.

The sight of him broke something in you.

Tears welled up in your eyes as the memories of the night before crashed down on you like a tidal wave. Adrien’s fury, the pain, the fear that had gripped you so tightly it was hard to breathe—and then Kylian, bursting through the door like a storm.

He had come for you. He had saved you.

You reached up with trembling fingers, brushing them gently against his cheek where a bruise was slightly formed. The motion made him stir, his brow furrowing before his eyes fluttered open. For a moment, he looked confused, his gaze darting around the room until it settled on you.

“Y/N,” he breathed, his voice thick with sleep. Relief flooded his features, and he sat up slightly, his hand instinctively reaching out to cup your face gently. Always gently.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his thumb brushing away a tear that had slipped down your cheek. His eyes searched yours, dark and filled with so much concern it made your chest tighten.

You tried to speak, but your throat felt raw, your words catching. All you could do was nod, tears spilling freely now as the enormity of everything hit you.

“I’m so sorry,” you whispered, your voice barely audible from how dry your throat was. “For everything—for dragging you into this, for—”

“Hey, no,” he interrupted firmly, his hand shifting to cradle the back of your head. “Don’t. Don’t apologize. None of this is your fault, Y/N. You hear me? None of it.”

His words were steady, unwavering, and you believed him because you wanted to. You wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, you weren’t as broken as you felt.

“I was so scared,” you admitted, your voice trembling. “I thought—I thought I wouldn’t make it. And then you—”

“I’ll always come for you,” he said, his voice breaking slightly. “No matter what, no matter when. I’ll always be there.”

His words wrapped around you like a blanket, warm and comforting, and for the first time in what felt like forever, you felt safe.

You leaned into his touch, closing your eyes as his forehead pressed gently against yours. The world outside could wait. For now, in this quiet, sterile hospital room, all that mattered was the warmth of his skin against yours and the safety of his arms.

“Thank you,” you whispered into the space between them. “Thank you for saving me.” You felt his body tense against yours before he gathered you into his arms again.

“You’re safe now,” he murmured, his words a quiet promise. “You’re safe, Y/N.” His voice rumbled against you, vibrating in his chest beneath your cheek.

For the first time since you could remember, you truly believed that. You were safe. And it felt wonderful.

Weeks passed, and with them, healing.

You spent the first two in the hospital, but by the third, you were well enough to be discharged.

Kylian never left your side. He pushed your wheelchair down the hospital corridor, refusing to let anyone else take his place. It was his right, his privilege, he said. And you let him.

When you were finally cleared to go home, he drove you to his apartment. You didn’t argue; you didn’t need to. It was quiet there, peaceful, with him always nearby.

At first, you were hesitant to take up space in his life, but Kylian left no room for doubt.

He cooked for you, and insisted on carrying you to the couch when you were too weak to walk. He never pushed you to talk, but his presence said everything: I’m here. You’re not alone. It was a comfort, a shelter, that you’d needed for so long.

One evening, as you were lying on his couch, cocooned in a blanket, he sat beside you, a cautious distance away. He took a deep breath, his eyes clouding with something you couldn’t quite name. You could see his thoughts playing out across his features as he struggled to find the right words.

"I'm sorry." The soft glow of the lamp casts shadows across his face, but his eyes remain steady on yours. “I should’ve done something sooner,” he says, his voice thick with guilt. “I saw what was happening, but I was too afraid. Afraid of losing you… even though I never really had you.”

His confession startles you. You sit up slowly, wincing at the lingering pain in your ribs. “Kylian, it’s not your fault,” you whisper. “You didn’t hurt me. He did.”

“But I let it happen,” he counters, his jaw tightening. “I—” He cuts himself off, running a hand over his coils. “I should’ve told you how I felt. Maybe then you would’ve been with me instead of him.”

Your breath catches. How he felt? The room feels suddenly too small, too quiet. “How you felt?” you echo, your voice barely audible.

Kylian hesitates, his vulnerability laid bare. “How I feel,” he corrects, his gaze searching yours. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. Watching you with him—it tore me apart. But I didn’t think I was good enough for you.”

Tears well in your eyes, not from pain but from the overwhelming realization of what Kylian has done for you—what he’s always done for you. “You are good enough,” you say, your voice trembling. “You’re more than enough, Kylian. You saved me. You’ve always been there, even when I didn’t know I needed you.”

Before you can second-guess yourself, you reach out, your fingers brushing his. His hand is warm, grounding, as he laces his fingers through yours. His breath hitches, and for a moment, neither of you speaks.

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispers. “But I won’t let anyone hurt you again. I should’ve been brave enough before, but I won’t waste any more time.”

His words are a promise, a vow. It takes your breath away.

You meet his gaze, your heart pounding in your chest. You don’t look away. “I'm not ready to open my heart again. I-I can't.” you admit, your voice trembling but resolute.

Kylian’s expression softens, the tension in his jaw easing as he takes in your words. His thumb gently grazes the back of your hand, a quiet reassurance. “I’ll wait,” he says simply, his voice steady. “For as long as it takes. I’m not going anywhere.”

The sincerity in his words lights up your soul, and for the first time in what feels like forever, the weight pressing down on you feels a little lighter. You lean back, settling into the cushions again, and Kylian adjusts, staying close without crowding you.

For a while, the two of you sit in silence, comfortable silence.

“Kylian?” you murmur after a while, your eyes drifting to the ceiling.

“Yeah?” His voice is quiet, almost hesitant, like he’s afraid to disturb the fragile peace between you.

“Thank you,” you say, glancing at him, your lips curving into a faint smile. “For everything.”

He doesn’t reply immediately, his gaze searching yours as if committing this moment to memory. Then, he nods, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Always,” he says, and you know he means it.

For the first time in years, you believe that you will be safe—that you will be more than safe. You will be loved.

-Bianca🌻

[lalacliffthorne]

date night means Azriel, an empty apartment, candles in the kitchen and pasta on the stove... and some other things.

(date night. that's it. that's - that's the post. that's all I need to say. WHAT AM I DOING??)

Carefully holding the match to the wick of the last candle, watching as it caught on fire, I gently blew out the match and straightened up, staring at the candles lighting the kitchen along with the warm lamp in the corner. My heart thrummed, and I started to smile brightly.

The front door squeaked softly when it was opened and fell shut again, and I turned around quickly, just in time to see Azriel halt in the doorway.

Something rose in a soft flutter in my chest at the way the warm light of the candles flickered over his cheekbones and jaw, throwing shadows under the dark hair curving over his forehead and making his eyes look like molten gold when he slowly let his jacket slide off his shoulders.

"Hi." I linked my fingers behind my back and rocked on my feet lightly as I grinned at him, wide and cheeky.

Azriel stared at me, and one corner of his lips curved, just far enough for me to catch it as his eyes narrowed gently.

"Hi." His deep voice sent a tingle down my spine, smooth and low, the light narrow to his eyes deepening when he slowly propped his shoulder against the doorframe. His gaze flickered over my face, amber iris bright in the warm light as I caught a gentle twinkle spreading through it. Then he lightly raised a brow. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nope." Fighting against my bright, cheeky smile, I shook my head, flicking the used match into the trash and linking my fingers behind my back again as I slowly started to move towards him, swaying innocently as I shrugged. "It's just that - Cass has the late shift at the gym, so, he won't be back until who knows when, and Rhys is having dinner with his dad,", I grimaced, and Azriel's lips curved further, his eyes dragging over my face as I got closer.

"Mor is with him though, so he should be fine, but he's also gonna be gone for a while probably, which means,", slowly coming to a halt right in front of him, I peeked up at Azriel through my lashes, barely biting back a wide grin as I shrugged, "technically, we have the place to ourselves." I raised my brows, feeling my heart skip and dip and flutter when Azriel's glowing eyes moved over my face and slowly, the right side of his lips curved upwards until he was smiling, that one-sided, barely there grin that caused his cheek to crease and eyes to twinkle and my breath to become very, very short.

Humming softly, Azriel gently pushed off the doorframe, his chest brushing against mine when he raised a brow at me, that half-smile causing my heart to do one backflip after the other.

"And you have an idea how to make use of that?" His voice brushed down my spine, soft and steady and so, so deep, I almost shivered.

"Mhm." I rocked back and forth on the spot and smiled up at him, bright and cheeky as I bit onto the inside of my cheek. "We could make pasta, because we happen to have everything for that really mean sauce you make -"

Azriel hummed again, his smile tilting into more of a half smirk as his eyes dragged over my face, and I felt my own smile widen as I shrugged.

"Then we could watch a movie;", I squinted, "no adaptions, and... I don't know." I stared up at him, feeling my lips curve as my heart thrummed against my ribs. "Do some other things."

Azriel's eyes twinkled brightly in the flickering lightly as they moved over mine, narrowing as the crease in his cheek deepening. "Other things like board games."

I felt a giggle bubble in my throat at the dryness vibrating through his voice and widened my eyes. "Yeah. Or face maks, or -"

Azriel leaned down and kissed me, and my breath hitched and faltered when his hands slipped to the back of my neck as he moved closer. His chest pressed against mine, and my heart slid into my throat when I clung to his sides and Azriel's fingers slipped into my hair, gently tipping my head back before he lazily deepend the kiss, unhurriedly tracing his tongue over mine.

A soft sound broke from the back of my throat, and Azriel chuckled, the vibration travelling through the kiss as his thumb gently brushed over the side of my throat. He pressed another kiss onto my lips, slow and unhurried and causing the world to tip. Then he raised his head, and when I managed to open my eyes, I found him staring down at me, creases in his cheeks and amber eyes twinkling as they moved over my face.

"Sounds good." His quiet, low voice made my heart dip and swerve when one corner of his lips quirked, and I slowly started to smile back cheekily.

"Okay."

Gently sliding his hands down to my waist, Azriel dipped his head and pressed a warm kiss onto my cheek. "Give me a minute and I'll change."

I saluted sarcastically, and Az huffed and flicked my nose before turning around, and feeling my heart thrum against my ribs, I barely held back a ridiculous bright smile.

A few minutes later, Azriel appeared back in the door, in sweatpants and a black t-shirt that clung to his lean, muscular torso. My breath hitched as something turned over in my chest, and Azriel's eyes twinkled when he moved past me, leaning down to press his lips onto my head and patting my side as he mumbled into my hair: "C'mon, I'll need your help."

The world outside was pitch black, the candles on the window sill and table flickering as Azriel and I moved around the kitchen, bumping elbows and causing me to giggle while his lips curved.

I had realised quite quickly that the whole thing would have taken a lot less time if it had been just one of us. Mostly because there would have been less distraction, because like this, usually only one of us was busy at a time and it ended in things like Azriel standing behind me, his chest in my back and hands pressed onto the counter right next to my hips as I chopped the vegetables, Az pressing slow kisses against my shoulder that made my breath stagger and heat rush into my cheeks, causing Azriel's lips to curve. Or in me wrapping my arms around his waist and mumbling into his back about Feyre's idea to go on a vacation together next summer and the book he had given me that was causing me far more heartache than words on paper should be allowed, causing his body to vibrate with quiet chuckles, or in him leaving fleeting kisses against my temple whenever he moved past me that made me lose my breath far too long to stay focused or -

You get the picture.

Watching as he slid the tray with vegetables into the oven, I took a sip of my drink and leaned my hip against the counter, considering the water ready to cook the pasta and the pan already placed on the stove.

"What now?"

The flickering light of the candles made the trace of a crease in Azriel's cheek seem deeper than usual when he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel and tossed it onto the counter. Then he leaned down, his hands slipped to the sides of my neck, and he kissed me.

A slow breath left me, and my heart rose in a pounding flutter when I reached out, my hands sliding over Azriel's lean sides before slipping under the soft cotton of his t-shirt.

A quiet, deep sound left the back of Azriel's throat when my fingertips brushed over his warm skin, muscles shifting under my touch when he took a step forward. His chest pressed into mine, and I could feel him melt into my touch when I lightly curved my fingers into his sides, feeling nothing but solid muscle under my palms.

Azriel exhaled slowly, and something started to thrum against my ribs when he kissed me deeper. His fingers slipped into my hair, palms tipping my face up, and the world began to tilt under my feet when deep slowly grew feverish. Feverish and a little desperate, both lazy and rushed at the same time. His hands slid down over my body, pulling me closer and squeezing my hips before slipping up again, one cupping my ribcage as the other slid back to my neck, and not able to stay still any longer, I stretched with a quiet sound to kiss him back.

Azriel groaned softly against my lips, his grip tightening as he pushed forward until I bumped against the counter. His chest curved into mine, the hand on my neck sliding up until it was gently wrapped over my throat, tipping my head back, and my breath got caught in my chest. Then Azriel leaned down and grabbed the back of my thighs, lifting me onto the counter.

I almost bumped my head against one of the cabinets and felt a quiet sound of surprise leave me, followed by a soft snorted giggle that made Azriel huff into the kiss. His lips curved against mine, then he slipped his hand between my head and the hard wood, palm pressing against the cabinet as he kissed me again, slower this time, more gentle, less hurried. His free hand slipped to the back of my neck, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, slowly pulling him towards me. Azriel complied, his warm, solid body sinking into mine, and his hand slipped away from the cabinet, arm wrapping around my waist and pulling me into his chest until there was no space left between us, bodies tightly pressed together, my legs hooked around him.

By the time the oven beeped, my lips were buzzing and tingling and I could taste Azriel on my tongue, his breath quick and uneven against my skin when he pulled back, lips ghosting over mine. Then he exhaled softly and chuckled, leaning his forehead against mine. My heart soared at the way his eyes crinkled, and I stretched to press my lips onto his jaw, up and following the line of his cheekbone, until a soft sound broke from Azriel's throat that made my fingers grip his t-shirt tighter as his hands squeezed my waist.

Straightening up slowly, Azriel's lips quirked as he gently lifted me off the counter. My knees wobbled a little when my feet hit the ground, the turning and swerving in my lower stomach not letting off, and when I raised my head, my breath hitched, because Azriel was still close enough that his chest was pressing into mine and I could could the golden specks in his iris, twinkling in the warm light of the candles.

The oven beeped again, and Azriel's lips curved. His calloused fingers slipped under my chin, tipping it up as he leaned down and pressed his lips against the corner of my mine, warm and gentle and causing my breath to hitch. Then he sent me a light wink and straightened, his fingers brushing down my throat before he grabbed the oven gloves, causing me to glower at his broad shoulders.

Tease.

"No, but it works!" I grinned widely, widening my eyes, and Azriel huffed.

"It's atrocious."

"Oh, come on." I stared at him, barely fighting my beaming smile as my heart thrummed against my ribs and Azriel's lips curved, his thumb drawing slow circles on my knee as he stared right back.

The kitchen smelled of pasta sauce and candles and the cool air outside, my glass was empty next to Azriel's and the bowls were scraped out until there was barely any trace of sauce left. Azriel was comfortably leaned back into the corner of the couch, long legs stretched out, one of his arms draped over the backrest I leaned my shoulder into, my legs pulled up and twined together as I grinned widely at him. My knees were pressed against the side of his thigh, and I could feel the warmth radiating from him.

Azriel just shook his head, the lightest hint of a crease forming in his cheek even as he stared at me. Staring back, I felt something rise in my chest, fluttering and swelling as a smile slowly spread over my face, growing brighter and brighter. Then I pushed myself up, clambering onto his lap and leaning forward to press my lips onto his.

I could feel Azriel's hands close around my thighs in surprise and how he sucked in a quiet, sharp breath that made my heart flip and a wide smile build on my face. Then a soft huff rumbled through him, and I felt his lips curve upwards as his hands slipped to the back of my knees.

Azriel dragged me forward, and my breath hitched and stumbled when I felt his torso press into mine, warm and solid, causing my back to arch and my body to curve into his when Azriel leaned into me and kissed back, deep and heated and causing me to sink my fingers into his hair, a soft sound leaving me. One of Azriel's hands slid up to cup the side of my neck, his thumb stroking over my pulse point as his tongue lazily licked over mine, and a soft groan rumbled through his chest that made something twinge in my stomach.

Winding my arms around his neck, I exhaled a little shakily, feeling Azriel's hand slide under my shirt and up my back, and my hips rolled down, causing a deep sound to break from his chest, his grip tightening as he pulled back just far enough for his heavy breath to hit my lips. Then he mumbled, voice husky and so, so deep: "Rhys kills us if we have sex in the kitchen."

A soft snort left me, then I started to giggle, and Azriel's lips curved into a slow grin, his hand beginning to gently rub over my back as his grip softened and he softly nudged his nose against mine.

Pulling back a little to smile cheekily at him, I raised a brow, feeling my heart rise and flutter.

"Think you can still survive a movie or -"

Azriel's eyes narrowed, and I could the see moment his smirk turned just this side of a little wicked. His gaze dragged over my face as his iris began to twinkle, and his quiet, low voice caused my breath to catch when he challenged: "Can you?"

Rain had started to drum against the windows, the candles I had carried into the living room flickering softly as I curled into Azriel's body, feeling his chest rise and fall in my back with his slow, steady breaths, his fingers swiping back and forth over the inside of my thigh. His other hand was linked with mine, calloused skin rough and warm against mine as he huffed into my hair at every stunt scene that seemed to defy the laws of physics.

"There's no way he's really doing that."

I widened my eyes a little and tore my gaze away from the screen to stare up at him. "He does; I swear, he's actually -"

Azriel scoffed, and when I craned my neck a little more to stare up at him, I barely fought the way my lips wanted to curve at the sight of him, lounging against the cushions, staring at the screen in a strange version of a disbelieving but grudgingly impressed scowl.

Something in my chest grew in a wild flutter, and stretching quickly, I pressed a kiss onto his cheek, warm and firm and long enough for a wave of his cologne to fill my nose and my heart to rise into my throat. Then I pulled back and grinned up at him, and Azriel's lips curved, softly but growing as he stared down at me, the golden specks in his eyes twinkling.

Nuzzling more into his chest, I turned my gaze back ahead, just as I heard keys in the lock of the front door. It was pushed open, followed by a longing groan and an impressed "Huh.", and I snickered softly, feeling Azriel grin into my hair. A few seconds later, a tall figure appeared in the doorway, and when we turned our heads at the same time, Rhys leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, wearing a very expensive looking black suit and sending us a tired grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Kids."

I sent him a slow, wide smile. "Hello."

Rhys squinted, and some of that twinkle appeared in his violet iris.

"If you two did it in my kitchen -"

There was a snort somewhere in the hall, followed by a deep, chortled laugh, and Azriel rolled his eyes towards the ceiling.

"Speaking of that,", Cassian appeared behind Rhys and raised his brows, his eyes twinkling shit-eatingly, "if you two sleep in Azriel's room tonight, just remember that I'm right next door and that the walls are kinda thin here; no reason to defile the kitchen and me -"

Rhys' shoulders shook as he started laughing, his head tipping back, and in unison, Azriel and I scowled and flipped them off.

@azrielshadows1nger @waytoomanyteenagefeels @secret-ly-here @knmendiola @luvmoo @azriels-mate123 @bookishbroadwaybish @maybe-a-winchester @stayinglow-exploringworlds @harrystylesfan2686 @icey--stars

[toasecretsanta]

From @tsarinatorment for NatureGuardian using the prompt Percy has heart to heart talk with Nico about everything (Happy or ANGSTY)

Nico frowned as he perched on the porch of the Big House, listening to the chaos of the infirmary.  Will had firmly kicked him out, pointing out that due to his early fade out from the battle, he’d been away from Apollo’s summoned miniature plague and therefore hadn’t caught it – and his boyfriend wanted it to stay that way.

Not that Nico could say he particularly minded not being in the thick of things, especially when that involved almost the entire camp’s population sneezing and snivelling so badly that none of them could stay on their feet, but he did mind that Will was running around and treating everyone else near enough solo, what with Kayla and Austin as two of the worst-affected, and Apollo himself being… well.

Will was a much better healer than Lester, even if Apollo clearly cared, and was trying.

Still, Nico wasn’t happy about the whole thing, and the company that had just appeared from the direction of the lake.

“Hey,” Percy said, grabbing one of the porch chairs and spinning it around before straddling it backwards.  His hair was wet, so clearly he’d let it get wet on purpose during his clean-up of the Colossus.  Nico suspected it was to drive away the hay fever fumes.

He grunted back at him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Percy.  Percy had been his hero since he was a kid, even if Nico had managed to shift the hero-worship-crush nonsense his younger self had had on the son of Poseidon.  He just didn’t want to deal with Percy right then.

Or at any point in the near future, really.

“This Apollo thing is a mess,” the older demigod said after a few more moments, obviously not getting the hint that Nico didn’t really want his company right then.

He grunted again, shrugging because Percy wasn’t exactly wrong, and looked back towards the infirmary again.  Occasionally, he could catch a glimpse of Will as he flitted about between beds.

“How’s Will holding up?” Percy asked him.  “Given… well…”  He trailed off awkwardly.

“He’s coping,” Nico muttered.  Badly, he added silently, which was another reason why he didn’t like being banished from the infirmary while Will fretted over everyone else and bossed his turned-mortal dad around.  Will was going to burn himself out and Nico hated the feeling of helplessness he got whenever that happened.

“Ah,” Percy grimaced, apparently hearing the silent addition.  “How about you, Nico?  We haven’t spoken in a while.”

There was no way Percy was dumb enough to not realise Nico didn’t want to have this conversation, but he stayed slouched on his backwards chair as though he didn’t have a clue, and part of Nico wanted to push him off, just to break the cool hero façade Percy had going on.  He’d seen him flailing frantically enough times to know he wasn’t so much a cool hero as just another demigod.

Unfortunately, the annoying little-kid part of Nico that had been making itself known more and more since he’d officially started living at camp and socialising with demigods – occasionally even those whose names didn’t start with Will and end with Solace – still saw Percy as the cool hero, and wouldn’t let him even give Percy a small nudge.

“Surviving,” he said instead.  “Not dissolving into shadows much anymore.”

The smile Percy gave him was genuine, because of course Percy was genuinely glad that Nico wasn’t about to fade from existence.  It was the sort of smile that would’ve made his stomach do backflips and butterflies, and drag yes out of his mouth to everything Percy said a year ago.  Now, it just gave him phantom butterflies, barely there but enough to remind him of what had been, before he’d met Will and discovered what a reciprocated crush felt like.

Discovered the difference between loving someone, and the idea of someone.

“I’m glad,” Percy said.  “Glad that you’re doing better, I mean.  I was a bit worried when I didn’t see you in the fight.”  The phantom butterflies dissolved as Nico’s stomach twisted unhappily at the reminder that he’d been near enough useless in the fight.

Percy, for all that he’d turned up to save the day again, had moved on from camp.  Sure, he dropped by every so often, but everyone knew he was going to Camp Jupiter at the end of the summer with Annabeth.  Nico didn’t blame him for wanting to live somewhere that was near-guaranteed to be safe from monsters taking opportunistic pot-shots, he didn’t.  Besides, another full summer at camp being reminded that he’d once had a crush on the heroic Perseus Jackson sounded like hell.

But Nico was uncomfortably aware that that left him as the camp’s resident Big Three kid, with all the expectations that came with it.  Percy was a front-line fighter, Thalia had been a protective pine tree for years, and Nico…

Well, Nico should be a front-line fighter, except he was also more of a guerilla warrior – or would be, if he could shadow travel without passing out almost immediately afterwards.  He didn’t regret the journey back from Greece with the statue, but he hated what it had done to his ability to travel through the shadows.

He hated how much it worried Will, too.

“I wasn’t needed,” he deflected, which was a lie in as much as his shadow travel had been the fastest way to get the flying chariot away from Sherman’s control, but otherwise true because he hadn’t been. Not when Apollo had already rescued all the demigods and had a plan all sorted that didn’t include him.

He pretended not to see the way Percy’s sea-green eyes darkened in disapproval.  “You’re always needed, Nico,” he said, and Nico scoffed.

“I wasn’t needed then,” he repeated, clarified.  “Apollo had it in hand just fine without me.”

The noise Percy made proved that his excuse wasn’t flying at all.  “No he didn’t,” he said.  “That guy did not have that in hand at all.”  Nico glanced over to see him sending a look at the infirmary, one that was usually reserved for people Percy didn’t really respect much.  “Apollo’s not the worst god, sure,” he continued, “but he’s still…”  He trailed off, scrunching his face up as he clearly tried to search for the word he meant.  “Flighty.  He did help us out once, I guess, but… he was kind of lame every other time I’ve met him.  This week very much included.”

Nico’s one encounter with the godly Apollo had included the first time he’d been treated decently since discovering he was a demigod, and now that the rose-tinted glasses he’d once viewed Percy with had shattered, Apollo’s kindness stood out even more amongst the sea of betrayal, abandonment, and dismissal he’d received that day.

Still, he couldn’t quite disagree with Percy’s assessment.  “I suppose,” he said.  “He’s definitely not the worst, for a god.”  Apollo cared, or was at least doing a very good job of pretending to.  Will was struggling with a lot of the current mortal-god situation, but the one thing he seemed to have accepted without any problems was his dad’s personality, so Nico was inclined to let that point stand unchallenged.  “Or a mortal-god.”

“He was on the front lines,” Percy agreed.  “And isn’t he trying to help Will now?”

Nico snorted.  “Trying to,” he said, not bothering to mention that Apollo was still doing a better job than he would.  Despite Will’s best efforts, he was not a natural at helping patients.

“It’s his own fault if he gets sick,” Percy pointed out, “given he summoned the thing in the first place.”

“As long as it doesn’t make Will ill,” Nico grumbled.  Percy sent him a teasing grin.

“If Will gets sick, you’ll just have to look after him,” he said.  “Not that I think I’ve ever seen Will get sick.”

“It happens,” Nico said shortly, although admittedly whenever he had seen him ill, it had been because he’d pushed himself too hard.

Like he was threatening to do again now.

“You’ll know better than me,” Percy admitted easily.  “In that case, good luck!”  Finally he stood up, kicking his chair to one side haphazardly.  Nico watched him wander towards the Big House, where Rachel’s shock of red curls stood out in the fading evening light.  “You’re good for each other, I think,” he added after a moment.  “I’m glad you’re happy again, Nico.”

Was Nico happy?  Not right then, with his boyfriend stuck with a bunch of ill kids of his own volition.  But overall?

“I’m getting there,” he admitted under his breath as Percy disappeared.  “I’ll get there.”

[thatbeluga]

Wet Sock 2x09: Womb Builds a Destiel Bomb

Season One / 2x01 / 2x02 / 2x03 / 2x04 / 2x05 / 2x06 / 2x07 / 2x08

Wombat did a double triple backflip frontflip and landed expertly on his marsupial toes. Rad was launched out of Ohio and slammed face first into the dusty road, but pushed off with sheer chin strength and righted herself, also striking an Epic Pose. Then Misp came tumbling through, about to form an Epic Pose, when they tripped on their Crocs that were still sticky with Grimace Shake. They smacked into their brother and mom, sending all three sprawling onto the ground.

"Misp you fucking dweebus," Womb groaned, struggling to his feet or paws or whatever. Rad rubbed her head, looking up.

"Where...when... are we?"

A giant election map dominated the sky, clouds proclaiming that putin was stepping down. A darkened town surrounded them, the remains of a former Superwholock empire. The distorted notes of Wendy Williams on the Masked Singer performing Native New Yorker echoed across the ruins.

"We're in November 5th, 2020," Womb said, glancing around at the empty houses. Misp screamed, pointing at something on the ground.

It was a piece of fishing tackle, left in the middle of the road. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be holding a pride flag. Misp walked toward it, eyes so wide they could make Y/N jealous. Just before they could grab it, Womb swatted it away.

"Hey!" Misp kicked Womb. "I was gonna get it."

"You don't want to touch that. I read about it in our grandparent's secret tomes," Womb said, pointing to another abandoned fishing lure further down the street that was wearing a rainbow sticker. "It's... oh god... it's queer bait."

"No!" Misp said, stepping back. "That can't be true! Queer bait isn't real!"

"It's very real," Rad said, kicking a stray queer bait into the shadows. "It caused the downfall of many an empire. You don't fuck with queer bait."

"As long as we steer clear of it, we should find everything we need to save Beluga and Fuck," Womb said. "We just need to build a bomb."

"FUCK YEAH! BOMB!" Misp shouted.

Womb pointed to the sky, "Every midnight, Castiel confesses his love to Dean, and this realm is briefly revived. If we harness all that energy, we can build a bomb big enough that Y/N will have to come to fix the damage herself. While she's distracted, we can find Bel and Fuck and bring them back to the estate."

"Or," Rad said, shrugging in her iconic pose. "We could just go home."

"But Mom..." Misp said. "I really wanted to build a destiel bomb. With womb. I mean also save my grandparents from having their atoms torn apart by Y/N, but mostly I wanted to build a bomb with womb, mom."

"Offspring, the queens and kings of the multiverse sing that oh fuck I can't rhyme that much, well actually, Author!Beluga can't cause he's shit at writing poetry on the spot," Rad said, shaking her head, but in fact, she was not dead, and her favorite color was not red, but she wished she could eat some bread, in bed, and then go to the fictional country from Brandon Sanderson's the Stormlight Archive, Jah Keved.

"...whut?"

Rad knelt down, and patten Misp's mushroom head. "If you want to save your grandparents, that's fine. I won't stop you from building a destiel bomb. But I'm not gonna help you either."

"But Mom, it's Beluga and Fuck," Womb said.

"Yes," Rad said. "They handled themselves before. They can handle themselves without our help."

She turned around, and opened a rift back to the Quarter Family estate. She turned back to her kids. Womb shook his head.

"I'm gonna help Womb with the Destiel Bomb, mom," Misp said. Rad nodded.

"Don't get queerbaited."

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

Rad walked back into the manor, her head hung. She had no idea how long she'd been gone, but hopefully Elmo hadn't--

"RAD!" She looked up to the ramparts of her estate and saw... Elmo.

And standing behind her, cerulean orbs quavering, was Y/N.

[ahungeringknife]

365: February 19

Warning for drug use (its just weed)

Sage (Smoke) is such a funny character to me. I can't wait until he shows up again in Entropy.

--

Shin repressed a groan seeing who their forth was Drifter had paired them with for Gambit. ‘Dredgen’ Smoke was a Titan of a special… reputation in Gambit. One Shin didn’t always like playing with because he was a slacker. Not something Shin would ever call a Titan but Smoke was a special sort. “Sah’ guys,” Smoke said over fireteam comms.

“Smoke,” Wolf said, also not excited he was on their team.

“Aw man I get to hang with the Wolf and her posse. That’s sick, man,” Smoke drawled.

“Gotta make it fair somehow I guess,” Savant said with a shrug.

“Fucking Drifter,” Shin grumbled.

“Psh, don’t be a downer Skinner. I ain’t a Dredgen for nothin’,” Smoke scoffed.

“I’m going to kill him,” Shin said over private fireteam comms with Savant and Wolf.

“No way. He’s a Falling Star. Kill him once we melt the Prime,” Savant complained.

“Like you need the help,” Wolf scoffed.

“Girl! Like you need the help,” Savant cried making Wolf laugh. They’d talked right over Drifter’s monologue about Gambit and were transmatted into the Haul in simulated EDZ.

The first half of the match went fine. Wolf, as always, was their anchor on the bank keeping the blockers down. Shin let Savant and Smoke scoop the motes and worried about just slaying and only stopped to argue with Savant over who got to invade. “You guys fight too much. You should just do rock paper scissors,” Smoke said over comms as Shin was about to give Savant some friendly fire.

“No one asked you-

“That sounds like a great idea!” Wolf said. “Figure it out. The other side is fat with motes and I don’t want to deal with Knights solo.”

Shin scowled. “Fine,” and he held his hand out to Savant.

“You should just let me do it,” Savant complained but complied.

“No. On one. Three, two one,” he said quickly. “HA! Paper beats rock, fuck you,” and he very nearly did a backflip through the invasion portal.

“He’s such a brat,” Savant said over team comms while Shin was bringing out his sniper rifle.

“Beat you fair and square, Hunter. Don’t be a sore loser,” Smoke said.

Shin lined up a pair frantically running up to their bank to deposit motes and got them both as perfect domes. Across the map someone shot at him and he swung his gun around to find who was shooting him as his shielding was chipping away from pulse rifle fire. He managed to get a shot off but only on the body and another gun started shooting him as well. He bailed from his lane and tried to get some cover. He heard the sound of Light and looked up as a shadow flew across his line of sight and he was just in time to see a rocket headed right for him.

He came back on his team’s side. “Good kills,” Wolf said as he jogged to join them again.

Shin ran to go help Savant and Smoke but noticed Smoke was missing at the beach. Where the fuck was he? He helped Savant mop up the beach and on his way back to the bank he made a detour to pick up some ammo and found Smoke in the dilapidated building with his helmet cracked and smoke was pouring out of his neck. Shin’s eyes narrowed and he went over to the Titan and smacked his helmet so it spun. “Knock that shit off, we’re in the middle of a match,” he snapped.

Smoke grabbed his helmet and pulled it back around straight. “You and the others got it on lock. Chill Skinner man,” Smoke said lazily. “But yeah yeah fine before you do that Hunter thing and explode like a little chihuahua,” and Smoke pulled the roach of some hand rolled joint from out of his helmet and flicked it onto the ground. “Little Hunters always so yappy when I’m just trying to have a good time.” And he walked off rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles. Shin stalked after him fuming.

Smoke did get back into the game and they summoned the Prime quickly after. The other team sent over an invader a few times but they were focused as quickly as possible while the team also dealt with envoys and fodder. The other team also had their Prime and Shin and Savant took turns feeding the Prime with the deaths of their enemies but the game was going on a while. Drifter had stacked the other side with Dredgens as well because anything else would just get rolled and their invaders usually got a pick or two themselves.

“This is getting real boring,” Smoke said at one point and Shin glared at him where he was leaning against a wall holding his shot gun.

“We’re literally in the middle of a game!”

“Yappy yappy,” Smoke made a ‘talking’ motion with his hand as he put his shot gun away. “Let’s get this over with,” and he braced himself against the wall.

“Not like we haven’t been doing that this-“ Shin jumped when Smoke launched off the wall in a snap of such loud thunder it made his ears ring. Their Prime still had a sizable amount of health yet from the last invade but they’d cycled their envoys a few times.

“Hey watch where you’re flying!” Savant cried as Smoke blasted past him and Shin moved to keep the Prime in his line of sight, and Smoke.

The explosion on Smoke’s impact with the Primeval made the bar on the top of Shin’s HUD lurch and disappear. Smoke was standing where the Prime had been, dusting off some Taken dust from his hands and gauntlets. “And that’s a wrap,” he said.

“Woo! What a smash!” Drifter cried. “Guess I’ll need to get creative to slow you three down.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Drifter,” Wolf said and they were transmatted back to the main ship.

Shin poked at his rewards; a pair of gloves his Ghost was dismissive of so didn’t bother with them. Smoke took his helmet off as he inspected his new AR and snapped his fingers at the end of a short rolled cigarette in his mouth. “Oi! No smoking on the Derelict!” Drifter yelled from his podium.

“Hold your horses, Drifter,” Smoke said.

“Next time keep your shit together, Sage,” Shin growled at him, using his actual name because he hated calling anyone by their Dredgen name. It still pissed him off Drifter was doing this.

“Yap yap yap, Skinner,” Sage said and had his Ghost dismantle the gun into glimmer and shards.

“I said no smoking, Sage,” Drifter yelled from the distance.

“You’re just annoying,” Shin growled at him.

Sage looked at Shin with the most relaxed look he could muster. Sage was a dirty blonde with tanned skin and light brown eyes and could have been attractive if he wasn’t such a lazy stoner. “You really need to learn to chill out, broski.” He took the rolled cigarette out of his mouth and offered it to Shin. Shin didn’t take it. “Guess you’re Wolf’s friend first not Hunter’s,” he scoffed and took it back.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wolf asked.

Sage smiled at her and Shin’s glare through his helmet increased. “With the greatest respect Y-W; you’re a Vanguard pet. Nice proper spick and span Guardian,” he put the cigarette back in his mouth. “Anyway. Later kiddos,” and his Ghost transmatted him out.

Shin made an angry noise. “He’s so annoying,” he growled.

“More than me?” Savant asked.

“It’s close!”

Savant chuckled. “That’s impressive I guess.”

Wolf patted his arm. “Just get over it.”

“Oi! You three going to fuck off or what? I got the next group about to spawn in,” Drifter called.

“Yeah yeah,” she waved him off and her Ghost came out to transmat her. Savant just climbed out of the reward pit to bother Drifter; gross. Shin huffed and signaled for his Ghost to take him out too.

[redstainedglasses]

Experimenting

Glass clinked softly as clawed hands tapped idly at them. Reaper stood at a shelf in the workstation of his garden as he rummaged through his glassware seeking out a proper container. 

"That one." Chimed in a voice, giddy as usual but with an undertone of lessening restraint. Vertebrae was getting bored as she'd been watching him fuss between jars for the past five minutes. She sat at his work bench, both feet up on her seat as she swayed to a rhythm in her mind. The eagerness to get up and move was apparent as she sprang out of her chair and skipped toward him. 

"Come on, that one's perfect!" She was pleading now to get the experiment started. 

Sighing Reaper nodded as he collected the jar from the cabinet and attempted to follow Vertebrae though she had already sprinted deeper into the garden before he would even properly turn around. 

Surely if Reaper had eyes they'd be rolling. Walking out from the workstation it wasn't long before he spotted the small jester. Dangling in the air, in the grasp of a vine from a monstrous plant that held her over its blooming flower maw. 

"You didn't tell me it had teeth!" Vertebrae exclaimed excitedly, clearly without any concern as she was slowly lowered closer to the gaping maw of the plant monster. 

"Not real teeth." Reaper's voice cut through Vertebrae's excitement quickly. He was aware he needed to establish this fact lest she try to harvest from his nursery……..again. 

"Torns." He continued. He too was fairly unphased by the predicament his housemate found herself in. Truly in the short time they've lived alongside one another he'd seen her doing much more dangerous activities. 

The smile on Vertebrae's face soured for a moment before she shrugged. 

Before he could remind Vertebrae once more to not harm the plant, she was swallowed whole by the flower's head. The teeth like thorns weaving together to fully seal her in its maw, ready to begin its digestion process. 

"Don-" His words were cut off by a shriek as the plant flailed violently, the maw of its flower beginning to reopen but a slit from the bottom of its head chased it. As it gaped open to release the threat the lower petals burst open as well. Sliced cleanly open from the inside out. 

Thick gobs of translucent digestive fluids fell to the floor along with Vertebrae who landed cleanly on her feet, arms up in a triumphant display. As though she’d just completed her final circus trick flawlessly. 

"Got it!" She chirped happily as she skipped over to Reaper who simply held the jar toward her. 

The plant writhed in agony its leaves shielding it from further harm as it retreated into itself.

"I told you not to harm it." Reaper chastised but Vertebrae tsked back. Scooping up large blobs of the honey consistency fluids coating her arms and plopped it into the jar Reaper held. 

"It harmed me first." She remarked, "Besides, it cut my arm so it’ll heal in no time." 

Reaper couldn't help but sigh again but remained quiet, clearly aware there wasn't much sense in arguing as unfortunate as it was the jester did have a mild point. 

"Smells sweet," Vertebrae commented as she held her slimy hands to her face giving them a sniff before licking and consuming some of the goop. Reaper was much too late to stop her but he still grabbed her arm to stop her from continuing. 

"Don't eat that." 

Vertebrae smacked her lips a few times as she tasted the substance and made a small grimace, "ugh.....bitter" Releasing his grip Reaper waved an arm dismissively. 

"Our deal?" Vertebrae reminded with a wide smile 

"Bathe first." 

"Aw but you promised" 

"Bathe." At her pout Reaper sighed and gave a soft whistle to his familiar. The white and black raven flew to his outstretched arm. Reaper tilted his head to Vertebrae and the small bird nodded causing the jester squeal with delight. 

With a quick backflip she fell into a shadow portal provided by The Shade. A splash of water could be heard as she was clearly sent to the washrooms. Scythe followed quickly after and the portal sealed. 

Walking back to his station Reaper reflected on how willing Scythe was now allowing himself to follow Vertebrae. Not long ago the small bird feared the jester and would always flee or hide away when she was present. Clearly untrusting of her. But now the two were getting along better with each passing day. 

Setting the jar down on his bench he realized he himself was getting along better with her as well. Previously he’d rarely even pay attention to her even if she attempted to engage in even the most casual of conversations, and to think only a few months ago he wasn’t even allowing her access to his secluded garden and yet now? He was continually prompting her to assist him in his experiments. Even making small deals with her in exchange for her service. Deals which Scythe now eagerly agreed with. 

When did it change? Was it during one of the fleeting moments of a lonely creature he spotted darting along the hallways at night to whisper soft goodnights to her bone collection? Was it when he saw her cheerful display of whimsy as she giddily chatted and entertained a few lost souls drawn to his Scythe? Perhaps when he heard her soft sobs in the night as the gramophone played somberly alongside her after another failed experiment of hers? Maybe it’s all that and more. 

Perhaps he was the one changing as well. He’d never had thoughts or reflections like this previously. Was their shared blessing to account for this or was it simply the fact their shared proximity allowed him to be open to change? He’d spent centuries amongst humans and other life forms but realized he never truly lived with them. Merely around them.

He scratched at his palm idly. Was all this thinking causing him…distress? Wait no. 

A soft sizzling broke Reaper from his thoughts as he looked down at the glass jar on his workbench. The glass was melting and the digestive fluids from the plant monster were oozing onto his table. He looked down at his hand and realized the glove on the hand he’d grabbed Vertebrae’s arm with had melted away too. His exposed palm was intact thankfully although mildly itchy. 

Ah...perhaps this wasn't good. 

As if on cue a shadow portal appeared nearby. Revealing the washroom where Vertebrae was soaking in a bath. She smiled widely at him as she raised her arms up. Gold blood poured down them as she held up part of her intestines with much too much enthusiasm. 

"Look! It melted my stomach open!" She laughed as she stood up revealing the gorey mess the substance had left her and luckily her gilded blood was already working to reseal the wounds.

Reaper would only stare for a moment at the scene before sighing and getting up. Shedding his gloves, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and gathering his notepad he stepped through the portal. 

"Don't eat that." He snapped as Vertebrae held her organs up to her mouth. 

"Aww..." 

[zoxiee]

I was feeling spooky so have a bunch of compiled doodles from that Morty the Homicidal Maniac AU where Rick is an evil entity trapped in a Funko Pop figure.

[thepenguinqueen]

Sleepover Shenanigans

Hey I’m back! As you may or may not have seen from my 3am posts last night whoops. Things have been a bit hectic but I’m getting back into the swing of it. This fic was actually finished for a bit but I forgot to post it whoops. Anyway, please enjoy!

Summary: Lena’s first sleepover with Webby goes a bit differently than she expects. Not that she’s complaining

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

Lena chuckled a bit as Webby went on about how much fun they were going to have at their sleepover. It was obviously the smaller duck’s first sleepover, and, though Lena would never admit it, her first one as well. Webby backflipped onto her bed, catching the stuffed rabbit that flew off it. Webby went on about military interrogation techniques, as well as anything Scrooge McDuck. Lena didn’t understand how one person could be so enthused about Scrooge, but that’s what made Webby, well, Webby. 

Webby also gave her a friendship bracelet, which was nice. Then she showed Lena a spell book she snuck into the house, which put Lena on a bit of edge. Scrooge hated magic, and Lena didn’t want Webby to be involved with magic. For some reason, she couldn’t bear the thought of some dark forces hurting Webby.

“Have you ever wondered what dark forces loom in the shadows? Waiting for the right time to pounce!” Webby asked excitedly. Lena let out a nervous laugh.

“No, can’t say that I have.” Lena said, smiling nervously.

“Oh, we should try some spells.” Webby said, opening the book, only to have Lena close it.

“Nope!” Lena said “How about we play a game?”

That got Webby’s attention. She sat up on her bed “According to an article I read about slumber parties online, the perfect sleep over game is-” Before she could finish, they heard her door open.

“Pillow fight!” The triplets shouted as they ran into the room. Only, they didn’t see Lena or Webby, until they were suddenly pelted by pillows. The triplets screamed as they tried to avoid the pillows hitting them.

“I regret everything!” Dewey exclaimed as a pillow from Lena hit him.

“Ah! You win!” Huey said as Lena also hit him with a pillow. Louie tried to run for the door, but Webby flipped in front of him, kicking the door closed and tackling the youngest triplet. 

“Don’t let them escape!” Webby told Lena. Lena chuckled, easily grabbing the other two brothers.

“So, what should we do with them?” Lena asked, Huey and Dewey trying to get out of her grip, but she held onto the back of their shirts tightly.

“Well, I thought of another game we could play.” Webby said, smirking a bit “Interrogation!”

Lena raised an eyebrow, a bit concerned. Sure, she knew the triplets were Webby’s friends, but would she really use interrogation methods on them? Apparently, since it caused the triplets to panic.

“W-Wait Webby!” Louie pleaded “We’re sorry!”

“We promise we’ll leave and won’t come back for the rest of the night!” Dewey said, still trying to get out Lena’s grip.

“I told you guys not to bother us tonight, and you didn’t listen.” Webby said, before attacking the youngest triplet's ribs, causing him to snort "Now you suffer the consequences!"

Oh. She meant tickling them. Yeah that made sense, considering Webby. Lena looked between the two she held, both of them desperately trying to get out of her grip. On one hand, she could use magic to get them both. On the other hand, she couldn't let any of them find out about Aunt Magica. Huey seemed like he would be easier to get, whereas Dewey would probably run out of the room the second she let go of him.

Lena shrugged, before releasing Dewey's shirt, her now free hand scribbling at Huey's stomach, causing him to almost shriek.

"Man, I just started, and you're already losing it?" Lena teased

"N-NOHOHOHOH!" Huey tried to protest

"Wehehehehbby we're sohohohohor- NOHOHOHO!" Lena heard Louie squeal

"Oh, I know you're sorry." Webby said as she squeezed the green clad duck's sides "I'm just making sure you guys know not to bother us again. And tell me who's idea it was in the first place."

Meanwhile, Dewey had started retreating from the room as soon as Lena let him go. Louie desperately tried to grab his brother's ankle to stop him from leaving.

"DOHOHOHOHON'T LEEHEHEHEHAVE YOHOHOHOU JEHEHEHERK!"

"IHIHIHIHIT WAHAHAHAHAS YOUHHOOHOHOHUR IHIHIHIHIHIDEA!" Huey shouted, causing Dewey to freeze up a bit as Webby and Lena looked as him.

"Well uh... You know I think I hear uncle Donald-"

"DEHEHEHEHEHEHEWEHEHEHHEEY!" His brothers shouted as the blue triplet bolted from Webby's room, probably going to hide.

"We going after him?" Lena asked, now using both hands to attack the red triplet's stomach.

"Oh yeah, after we're done with these two." Webby told her.

Louie attempted to cover his face with the hood to his hoodie, whereas Huey attempted to cover his with his hat, both brothers attempting to block out the ticklish sensations. It didn't work, in fact, their attempts to hide only resulted in the two girls tickling faster. Louie’s legs kicked out in protest, while Huey desperately tried to squirm away from Lena’s hands.

“W-WEHEHEHEHEH’RE SOHOHOHOHOHOHORRY!” Louie squealed, his laughter starting to become hiccupy

“WEHEHEHEHEHEH WOHOHOHOHOHN’T DOHOHOHOHOHO IHIHIHIHIHIT AHAHAHAHAHAGAIN!” Huey pleaded, banging his fists against the ground.

“Whadaya say, Pink?” Lena asked “Ready to get the other loser?”

“Sounds good to me!”

With that, the red and green ducklings’ torment had ended, Louie curling up into a ball as some giggles still escaped him, while Huey tried to catch his breath. Webby was merciful, allowing them to rest in her room until they felt better, but she and her new best friend had other things to tend to. The pink duckling grabbed her night vision goggles, before grabbing Lena’s hand and heading into the vents. They were the fastest way to get around, and the easiest way to get the drop on Dewey. 

‘I can’t believe you’re wasting your time with any of these brats!’ Aunt Magica’s voice scolded from inside Lena’s head. The teen shook her head, attempting to ignore her. She had already done what the shadow had asked, so Lena figured she could have some fun. Considering this would probably be the only time she’d get to do this.

She almost bumped into Webby as the smaller duck had stopped, placing a finger to her own beak to ‘shush’ Lena, before pointing down at the vent cover. Through the little gaps, they could both see Dewey looking around nervously, like he was waiting for them to pop out and startle him. And unfortunately, he was right, as Webby kicked open the vent before landing right in front of the blue clad triplet. Dewey yelped in surprise, turning to run, only to be meet with Lena, who had jumped out of the vent after Webby.

“W-Wait, Wait guys we can talk about this!” Dewey pleaded.

“Oh sure, you can talk.” Lena told him, before squeezing his hips “And we’ll tickle.”

Dewey jumped, before laughing started pouring out of him like a broken water fountain. He tried to push Lena’s hands away, but was interrupted by Webby getting his ribs.

“NOHOHOHOHO WAHHAHAHAHAIT!”

“Why? You interrupted our sleepover.” Webby asked, chuckling a bit.

“IHIHIHIHIHI’M SOHOHOHOHOHOHORRY!”

“You’re gonna be, Bluey.” Lena teased. “Hey Pink, maybe you can test something for me?”

“What is it?” Webby asked casually, like they weren’t tickling Dewey to death.

“Do guys actually have less ribs than girls?”

“HUEUEUEUUEEHEEY SAHAHAHHAAID THAHAHAHAHT’S A MYIHIHIHIHIHTH!” Dewey exclaimed

“I wasn’t asking you.”

Slowly, almost torturously so, Webby began counting Dewey’s ribs, while Lena continued to squeeze his hips. Anytime he would ‘move too much’, Webby would lose count and have to start all over. It was driving him nuts!

“S-SHEHEHEHEHE KEEHEHEHEPS TIHIHIHIHICKLING MEHEHEHEHEH!” Dewey whined

“Oh sure, blame me cause ya can’t hold still.” Lena scolded jokingly, pinching his hips gently. “Honestly, I expected better from you.”

“I-IHIHIHIHIH WOHOHOHOHN’T MEHEHEHEHESS WIHIHHIIHIHTH YOUHHOOHOH GUHUHUHUYS AHAHAHAHAHGAIN!” Dewey begged, tears starting to form in his eyes “PLEHEHEHEHEHEHASE!”

“Hmm… Alright.” Webby said, ceasing her attack, as did Lena. “Besides, I’m done counting anyway, same number of ribs!”

Dewey caught his breath, hugging himself as he tried to get rid of any lingering ticklish sensations. Huey and Louie had made their way over to them, evidently recovered from their own torment. The oldest handed Dewey a water bottle, which he took gratefully, the youngest still sipping on his own. Lena couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at how much fun she had.

“Now, if you guys bother us again…” Webby said, the threat clear.

The triplets gulped and nodded their heads quickly, clearly understanding what she meant. With that, Webby smiled, bidding the boys a good night before leading Lena back to her room. 

“I would say we’d get you back after you left us.” Louie said as the triplets returned to their own bedroom “But I think Webby got you enough.”

“Yes, she did.” Dewey said, looking a bit better after the water.

“So…. are we still on for sneaking into the Money Bin?”

“Absolutely!”

And we all know how that ended, with Money Sharks and Friendships.

[dreamwritesimagines]

Burn The Witch 18 - Sleepless Night [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s the next chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: Midnight texts make things complicated.

Series Masterlist

Okay.

Everything considered, maybe you shouldn’t have barged in guns blazing to your fake boyfriend’s mission.

Especially because the said fake boyfriend thought you were a sweet civilian but as long as you kept your ski mask on, you figured you would be fine.

Even if it felt a lot like pushing your luck.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked and you looked around the hall to check whether there was anyone else, then shrugged your shoulders.

“I was in the area,” you said, “So, who else are we killing?”

“We’re not killing.”

“Speak for yourself, I just killed that guy over there.” You pointed over your shoulder “Killed him hard. HYDRA?”

“Aren’t you a sniper?”

“I can be whoever you want me to be,” you said with a grin and Bucky blinked a couple of times, shifting his weight.

“Why aren’t you on some rooftop if you’re a sniper?”

“Change of scenery. How do you know my alias?”

“Why would you help me?”

“I’m a nice person—“ you started but as soon as you saw someone lunging out of the shadows you pointed your gun and pulled the trigger, sending the guy to the ground.

“Most of the time,” you completed your sentence and Bucky raised his brows.

“Right.”

“You’re still taken?” you asked and he stared at you as if he was at loss for words, then pulled himself together and walked past you.

“Oh come on, I just saved your ass.”

“I had it under control.”

“No you didn’t,” you rushed to catch up with him, “And you didn’t answer my question. You still got a girl at home?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I’m just curious. Is she pretty?”

“Do you always flirt with people you don’t know?”

You opened your mouth to retort but before you could, you heard a voice behind you.

“Buck, what the hell man?”

You looked over your shoulder to see Sam gawking at you and Bucky cleared his throat.

“Um….Sam, Shrike.”

“Okay, what is she doing here?”

“Beats me.”

“I was around,” you answered helpfully, “So who are we killing?”

“We’re not killing!” Bucky and Sam said at the same time and you held up your hands.

“Jesus, fine. Who are we maiming?”

“Did you tell her—“

“I didn’t tell her anything.” Bucky cut him off, looking uncomfortable for some reason. You hummed, clicking your tongue.

“I’m just here to help.”

“Why?” Sam asked and you shrugged your shoulders.

“I’m a huge fan?”

“Try again.”

“I’m hoping he’ll get with me.” You pointed at Bucky with your thumb, making him shake his head. Sam raised his brows, a grin pulling at his lips.

“Oh is that right?”

“Don’t.” Bucky said while you heaved a sigh.

“Listen guys, not that I don’t enjoy this but this is basically a HYDRA building, so you might want to make it fast, whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Can you wait at the door while I get—the thing?” Sam asked Bucky and he nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Great!”

“I didn’t say you could come.” Bucky said and you scoffed.

“I gotta tell you, I was hoping you would say that to me in a completely different context.”

Sam let out a chuckle, “Oh she’s good.”

“Unbelievable.”

“I don’t even want to know what you’re trying to get, okay?” you asked, “I just want to make sure no one dies.”

“Because you’re a nice person?” Bucky asked, his voice full of doubt and you thought for a moment.

“Eh, I have my reasons.”

“But she has a point, we need to make it fast.” Sam said, “Let’s go.”

“Seriously?!” Bucky groaned but rushed after him with you following his lead. After you all reached the end of the hall, Sam kicked the door open and you quickly peeked inside to see a computer in the middle of the office.

Ah.

They were after some sort of a file.

“Don’t let anyone in,” Sam said and closed the door behind him. You leaned your back to the wall, flipping a knife in your hand and Bucky stole a look at you.

“Why Shrike?”

You turned your head, “Hm?”

“Why do they call you Shrike?”

You clicked your tongue, “Oh you wouldn’t get it,” you said and he tilted his head.

“Try me,” he said, “Looks like we’ll be here for a while.”

I kicked a target out of the window and he fell on top of a steel spike from a construction site.

“I like knives better than guns,” you lied and Bucky scoffed.

“You’re a sniper.”

“So were you, but look me in the eye and tell me you don’t have a favorite knife.”

“I can’t look you in the eye, your mask has goggles,” Bucky retorted, making you smile.

“My turn,” you said, “Is your girlfriend pretty?”

“The prettiest,” Bucky said without even hesitation and you had to hold back your aww.

“Does that mean I don’t have a shot?”

“That’s exactly what it means.”

“Maybe I’m prettier,” you taunted and he shook his head.

“Impossible.”

You couldn’t help the smile on your face under the mask, “Loyal type, aren’t you?”

“Not a cheater at least.”

You heaved a dramatic sigh, “Well that’s a shame,” you said, “Lucky girl.”

“Nah, I’m the lucky one.”

“Maybe I should—“ you started but stopped talking when you saw a shadow by the hall.

“I call dibs,” you said before Bucky could even object, then grabbed and pulled the figure around the corner. He almost punched you but you dodged it, sending him back with a kick on the chest.

“No killing,” Bucky called out calmly and you groaned, dodging another punch as you did a backflip, then grabbed your opponent by the hair and slammed his head in the wall, making him pass out.

“Don’t be so vanilla, Barnes.” You commented as you made your way back to him, and tilted your head when you saw the way he was looking at you, almost—

Impressed?

No it wasn’t it, it was something else.

“Huh?” he asked, then tried to pull himself together, “Wh— I’m not even going to ask.”

“I’m just saying, there’s nothing wrong with liking it a little rough,” you grinned, “On the missions, that is.”

He scoffed a laugh, shaking his head.

“You can kill someone and flirt with someone else within minutes?”

“What can I say, I’m the whole package,” you stated, “I mean, not that it works on you, Mr I’m-in-a-relationship. So are you in love then?”

“Forgive me if I don’t want to share any details of my relationship with a homicidal maniac who apparently has a thing for bad pick-up lines.”

“How rude,” you pouted, “I think they’re really good pick-up lines.”

You could see the way he was trying to suppress a smile and you flipped the knife in your hand again, his eyes automatically following your movements.

“You won’t take off that mask, will you?” he asked after a beat and you shook your head.

“Trust me, you wouldn’t like the consequences if you saw my face.”

“Will you tell me who you work for?”

“Nope,” you said, “I don’t want to end up dead. My superiors have a strange idea of discipline.”

“Why are you helping us?” he asked again but before you could come up with an excuse, the door opened.

“It’s done, let’s go.” Sam said and you pushed yourself off the wall.

“We should do this again sometime,” you said and nodded at Sam “Captain.”

Sam smiled slightly. “Thanks for the help.”

“No problem,” you said and turned to look at Bucky.

“Until next time, soldier,” you said and walked away from them, smirking to yourself.

                                               ***

So maybe that was a heat of the moment decision, and maybe Chloe was going to kill you if she ever found out about what had happened but good news was that your cover wasn’t blown.

And Bucky was fine.

You turned the vacuum cleaner off, wiping at your brow and put your hands on your hips, looking around the apartment.

“What the hell are you doing?”

You let out a squeal and turned around to see Keith standing by the doorframe.

“Keith, what the fuck?!”

“What are you doing?”

“How did you get in?”

“I’m a spy. I heard vacuum cleaner and I thought someone broke into your apartment, so I had to check.”

“You thought someone broke into my apartment to clean it?”

“Someone’s gotta,” he commented, making you glare at him before you unplugged the vacuum cleaner. “I’ve literally never seen you clean, what is happening?”

You flung yourself on the couch so that he could sit beside you. “No wonder I don’t do this shit, it’s boring.”

“But why are you doing it?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “I’ll invite Bucky over.”

“So what?”

“I can’t have the apartment look like this,” you motioned around, “The guy grew up in the…. Everyone’s apartment must be spotless era.”

“He’s been here before though—“ Keith started but then covered his mouth, “Oh shit, now I get it. You’re gonna jump on his bones.”

You rolled your eyes at him, “Not even a word, Keith.”

“I have lots of words,” he said, “Number one, you do realize guys don’t care about the apartment, right? I have never once gone to a girl’s apartment and walked out because she hadn’t vacuumed the place.”

“Jesus.”

“Also, if you’re trying to go all wife material—“

“Shut the fuck up, I’m not.”

“I’d like to remind you that it’s a fake relationship,” he grinned, “Are you going to dress up like a Stepford Wife too?”

“I hate the day I decided to become your friend.”

“You love me,” he shot back and you slipped a little on the couch, “But hey, do you actually want to?”

“Want to do what?”

“To sleep with him?” he asked, “Or is it just the mission?”

You tried to keep your expression stable, excitement filling you at the thought of sleeping with Bucky.

Tonight.

Oh God, you felt like a lovesick girl instead of a serious spy.

“It’ll help the mission,” you lied through your teeth, “That’s all I’m focused on right now.”

“Aren’t you a little curious about how the most ruthless assassin of the century is in bed though?”

You let a grin pull at your lips, “Maybe?”

“Ha! I knew it!” he said triumphantly, “So how detailed will your report be, exactly? Asking for a friend.”

You threw a pillow at him, “You’re terrible.”

“Mm hm,” he checked his watch, “Ugh, I gotta go to base. But if I don’t see you before tonight, just…”

“I don’t want any gross advice, Keith.”

“Remember,” he said, “You have a cover to maintain.”

You pulled your brows together, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means your cover probably likes missionary and soul gazing and stuff in bed. Complete opposite of you, so don’t be like yourself.”

“How do you even-?”

“I have it on good authority that you like knife play, Y/N,” he said, making your jaw drop, “And your cover is a sweet small town girl.”

“Did you talk to Julian?!” you exclaimed and he made a face.

“No,” he said, “You have a knife collection, you idiot. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

“Bullshit, who told you—“

“Ryan,” he said, “The agent you slept with and dumped, before Julian.”

“He was boring.”

“It’s beyond me why you thought it was a good idea to sleep with him,” he shook his head, “Anyways, I’m out.”

“Why do you have to go to the base, exactly?”

“I have to brief the General,” he said as he walked to the door, “I was supposed to do that yesterday but he was busy with Julian. I think those two are planning something.”

You frowned, deep in thought.

“Tell Chloe I said hi!” you called out and he saluted you, then left your apartment. You pursed your lips and stood up, looking around.

“I should probably dust the place,” you mumbled to yourself, “Where the fuck do I get one of those feather dusters?”

                                                ***

Unfortunately, Tara needed you to cover her shift that day so you had to change plans. Normally you were supposed to meet Bucky for your date, but when Tara told you there was an emergency, you couldn’t say no to her.

Keeping yourself busy at work, even if it was just a cover, helped you to get your mind off the nervousness you were feeling about tonight.

You had never been this nervous before, which came as a shock for you. Bucky was just a target, and you knew better than anyone how to manipulate targets but—

You really, really wanted this. Regardless of it being a part of the mission or not.

So you had just finished with the inventory and closed the cash register when the wind bell chimed by the door and you turned your head, a big smile lighting up your face.

“Hi!” you rushed to throw yourself into Bucky’s arms and he caught you, lifting you a little to kiss you on the lips.

“Hi darling.”

“I’m almost done.”

“No worries, I can wait,” he said and you went behind the counter to hurriedly place the jars on the shelves so that when Tara came back tomorrow morning they would be all ready.

“Sorry about falling asleep last night,” you said, an image of you killing that HYDRA agent in front of Bucky flashing in your mind, “Did you stay up late?”

“Just a little,” he said and you bit down on a smile, he really wasn’t a good liar.

“Oh? What did you do after I went to sleep?”

He waved a hand in the air, as if looking for words, “Um—I—I was with Sam.”

“Sounds fun.”

He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

“Actually I went on a mission,” he said after a beat and you turned to him, raising your brows.

“A dangerous one?”

“Not really,” he said, “But I wanted you to know, because…”

You stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

“I don’t really know about the relationship rules so I figured honesty is the best way to go,” he said, making your heart skip a beat, “I think I accidentally flirted with someone last night.”

The words “No you didn’t.” were at the tip of your tongue but you managed to control yourself and tilted your head.

“…Oh,” you ended up saying, “With who?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Remember how I told you there was this spy I kept running into?”

You really needed to control your expression.

“Yeah?”

“I mean she flirted with me, I don’t actually think I flirted back but I wanted you to know just in case.”

You smiled slightly, “Bucky, it happens.”

He let out a relieved breath, “Okay,” he said, “Okay, good.”

“I mean as long as you don’t have a crush on her or anything.”

His hesitation lasted only for a second, maybe even less than that but it was there. Your heart skipped a beat and you frowned before he spoke.

“Of course not,” he said quickly, “Not at all, I don’t even know her.”

Was that possible? Could he be attracted to your real self as well as your cover?

Or maybe even more than your cover?

“Alright then,” you said with a smile, “I just don’t like competition.”

“There’s no competition, I promise,” he assured you and you shifted your weight, then placed the last jar on the shelf and turned to him.

“So then,” you said as you both left the shop and he threw an arm over your shoulder, pulling you closer. “Did you know she would be there?”

“I had no idea,” he said while you approached the motorcycle, “She ended up helping us but I don’t know what she’s playing at.”

“I think I have an idea what she’s playing at, if she flirted with you.”

Bucky chuckled and pressed a kiss on top of your head, then tilted your chin up.

“Darling….”

“What? I’m pretty sure flirting existed back in the 40s, and you know what it means.”

“What happened to it happens again?” he asked you with a grin and you shot him a look, then grabbed the helmet from him.

The road to your place was pretty short, especially with the way Bucky was riding his motorcycle. Soon enough, he pulled over in front of the building and you tried to ignore how excited you were, it—

It was finally happening.

Who were you kidding? This had nothing to do with the mission, you really, really wanted him. Your heart felt like it would break your ribcage and you took a deep breath, then got off the motorcycle and placed the helmet in its place.

“So,” you said as he got off the motorcycle as well, then pulled you closer, “Any plans for tonight?”

“Nope.”

“Any accidental meetings with hot spies?”

“Mmm, I don’t know any,” he taunted you, making you smile.

“Yeah? You sure?”

“Oh totally. Besides, I’m happily going steady with the prettiest dame in the world, remember?”

You thought you would melt right then and there, and stepped closer to him before standing up on your tiptoes.

“Right answer,” you muttered after kissing him on the lips, and tugged him by the hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“Upstairs,” you said, leading him into the building and he followed you as if he was hypnotized. You grinned when you got to your door, adrenaline rushing through you and you opened the door, then pulled him inside by the shirt, locking lips with him. He easily lifted you up, making you wrap your legs around his waist as he kicked the door shut and you pulled back to giggle.

“Bedroom,” you pointed at the room at the end of the hall and he pulled you into a kiss, walking there, still carrying you. You let out a squeak when he dropped you to the bed but then sat up when the thought hit you.

“Oh God damn it—“ you pushed him slightly to get off the bed and he looked up at you as you stumbled to the drawer.

“Is everything okay?”

“More than okay,” you grabbed the lingerie set from the drawer, then turned to him, “Just— close your eyes and don’t go anywhere, alright?”

“…Okay but are you sure—“

“I’ll be back in a second,” you said, running to the bathroom with the lingerie set clutched in your arms and you let out a breath, looking yourself in the mirror.

Even your eyes were shiny with excitement.

You shook your head at yourself and quickly shed your clothes to get into the lingerie set. You tilted your head, checking the garter belts and the corset, then pressed a hand over your chest to calm yourself down and walked out of the bathroom.

“Are your eyes closed?” you asked with a smile as you got to the bedroom and he nodded, holding a hand over his eyes.

“Cross my heart.”

You let out a small laugh and pulled at your hand so that he could open his eyes. As soon as he did, he blinked up at you, his jaw slightly agape.

For a second, there was absolute silence in the room.

“Is this a good silence or a bad silence?” you asked, for the first time in your life you were insecure about how you looked half naked in front of a partner, “Because I’m—“

You didn’t get to finish your sentence when he grabbed you by the waist to get you under him, making you squeal.

“You’re perfect,” he breathed out and you pulled him into a kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck.

                                                   ***

You had no idea why you woke up. In fact, considering how peaceful you felt, it was a wonder how you woke up in the middle of the night.

You could almost feel the warmth surrounding you as you leaned in to press a small kiss on his bare chest, then grabbed his shirt in the dark and put it on to walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Surprisingly he didn’t wake up, instead he mumbled something under his breath, his dog tags shining under dim light coming from outside.

You felt like you could lie there and just lose yourself in the bliss, and the mission— no, everything else could wait.

You pushed your hair behind your ear after putting your phone on the counter, then you went to the sink to fill yourself a glass of water, and finished it in three big gulps, a smile which was impossible to stop pulling at your lips.

No one, target or a boyfriend, had ever made you feel this way.

Maybe you could just tell him. After tonight, after absolute happiness, you could just tell him and maybe he would understand, maybe you two could have a future, maybe—

Your phone vibrated on the counter, interrupting your thoughts and you frowned slightly, then touched the screen to open the text.

From: Julian

We may have found something. Good thing you didn’t get too attached.

The smile was wiped off of your lips in a second and your stomach dropped as you stared at the text message.

“Fuck.”

Chapter 19

[thetistaboveall]

Captain America: A Night Of Horror To Remember

Part 1

Master Lawrence owner of Anti superhero’s watches over the new Metropolitan Pop Up Gallery.

High above the gallery I stand on the roof of the pop up event running across the room and jump up.

I crash through the glass ceiling landing with shattering glass falling all over me causing the alarm to go off.

The alarm goes crazy wailing loud followed by police sirens roaring and the blue and red lights blare on.

I shrug my a bit not caring at all and I begin to stump my feet sending a shock wave in to the room.

It’s quite amazing to see all of the security guards who pop up surrounding me stop fold.

I laugh a bit letting it erupt out of control as it bounces wall to wall ripping through.

Snapping my fingers their hands falls to the side as they await my command in total submission.

The shadow of a figure high above in the roof casting over me I saw hints of red, blue and white.

“Oh boy! Show yourself Captain America!”

my voice booms out.

He leaps in to the air doing somersault in mid air he descends down in to a superhero landing.

I clap proudly he rolls his eyes in disgust then shakes his head staring straight through me .

“I am here to put a end to your little self destructive plan.”’he demands.

“Very good, very good, and get him.”‘I say ordering the guard’s.

The crowd of men under my control remove there guns unleashing a barrage of fire on to him.

“Sorry not about to happen.” He yells sliding his shield off his shoulders and sends it flying it out like a frisbee.

The shield ricochets over all four of the wall hitting each guards guns fall on to the ground.

“Oh Captain! You are not playing fair end him now.” I scream.

This is fantastic I think hopping from one staircase to another till I reach the top tier closed section.

I flip over boxes landing one one I brake a electrical box and flip the main electrical grid.

The light in the room blow up blinding him a she tries to adjust trying to find me once more.

Finally his eye adjust unable to see me back up in to the shadows back flipping on to the ground.

“Are you ready to fight Cap?” I walk in slowly to face me.

“Cease all of this action now or else.” Cap warns me.

“Or what punk?” I demand backflipping in to the air and lands on a crate.

“Face me coward!” He yells throwing his red, blue and white shield.

“Caught it easily didn’t I.” I question him hard head on and sending back at him.

“Damn you bastard.” He swears under his breath.

“You are going down you fiend.” He points at me.

“This shield means the world to me it will bring you down.” He swears.

The shield finally hits him straight in to the wall sticking the landing and he is unable to move.

I walk across the room facing him with a deep glee, cupping his chin kissing him and inject him with my serum.

He struggles a bit falling in to my arms slow in action, goes limp in to my control and pull him aside.

——-

Part 2

Bucky waits outside of the pop gallery as the thirty minutes flow on he checks him watch one more time.

Gripping his hands in to fist breaking in the main door find Cap laying on the floor.

He is unconscious his shield cracked falling on to the ground and he has a evil glare on the man.

“What did you do to Steve?”

“Your Captain is unavailable as he it were.”

“Asshole.”

Bucky’s eyes pop open with rage running at him and he throws punches and kicks my way.

I trip him a bit kicking him forward through the door, he slides over the floor reaching for the shield.

He stares at me in anger that ideas no dare to even touch his precious shield with my stuck.

“Poor pathetic, useless Bucky, can’t beat me neither did Cap.”

“I will stop you….aaaaaahhhhhhh”

“No! You won’t fool, I own your ass now and you will learn soon.”

“I won’t serve you, I will fight you and break you.”

“You think you have the mindset to defeat me.”

“Give me on shot to prove it.”

“I think not Buck”

“Only Steve gets to call me that”

“Too bad”

“The fall of the winter soldier is upon us”

“What in earth?”

“Welcome to my lab”

“Are you freak or what?”

“Join the fun Buck”

“One last chance “

“Surrender “

“You wish Buck”

“Get him”

“Aaaaahhhhh”

“Excellent! Too easy”

“Others will figure this out Master”

“Yes Sire, they won’t take it lightly.”

“They will come, they will fall but I will rise”

“One by one”

“A new empire shall ascend “

The end

[theroyaldarkcrow]

“Nico? What are you doing here?”

Will Solace was leaning against the door frame of the Apollo Cabin. He wore the standard Camp Half Blood tee shirt and jean shorts with sandals. As Nico looked at him, he found himself thinking that Will certainly didn’t look… unpleasant.

Which was exactly why Nico was here. Because he was constantly thinking about Will. He couldn’t make himself stop. And every time Will checked up on him to see if he was healthy, his heart would just-

If he could do it with Percy, how should the Son of Apollo be any different?

“Can I talk to you?” Nico blurted. He cursed himself for looking desperate. “For just a second. Out- out here.”

Will’s eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded and followed the son of Hades, who lead him to the Hades’s Cabin. “Is everything okay, Di Angelo? You didn’t shadow travel too much, did you?”

Nico scowled. “No,” he snapped. He stopped walking just outside of the cabin and stood to the right of the door. He clenched his fists tightly at his sides. “I just- I-“ Gods, the fact that this wasn’t easy frustrated and angered him.

The flowers around the boys died in a perfect circle.

Will’s eyes widened. “Nico, are you-“

“I’m fine, alright!” So angry. “Give me a second.” Nico closed his eyes. Inhale. Exhale. Open…

The son of Hades barely held back a gasp. The sun shone down on Will’s blonde locks, and his skin was the perfect shade of tan. He was just…

Nico thought about all the times Will had had the guts to talk to him. He never shied away from him in fear, he always looked him in the eyes. Will was a skilled doctor and had gotten Nico out of a bind more than once.

He imagined not seeing Will. Imagined a scenario where the blonde was away on a mission. He recollected the recent times when such a thing did occur. Nico would scan the camp, only to be disappointed. His gut would wrench, and suddenly, he was less… what? Excited? Happy?

It took him a while to figure it out, but finally, he realized that

“I like you.” Nico whispered. “As like… a crush. I guess.”

Will didn’t respond for a moment. In a way, his hesitation kind of stung. Was he disgusted? Angry? He should never have-

Will’s smile made Nico’s heart backflip. “Well, duh.” He put his hands on his hips. “Took you long enough to tell me.”

Nico’s eyes widened. “Wh-?”

“You’re not as subtle as you think, Di Angelo.”

“Wait, so you-“

“Knew?” Will ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. For a while. I figured I’d wait until you told me.”

Nico frowned. “And you’re not grossed out?”

Will looked appalled. “No? Why would I be?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well I’m not.”

Nico glanced away. “Well, okay then?”

“So.. are you gonna ask me?

“Ask you what?”

Will scoffed and almost laughed. “Ask me out, dummy. You know, ‘Will you be my boyfriend?’ That’s what you’re supposed to say. That’s how it works.”

Nico fidgeted. He could feel himself starting to come down with a fever. Or maybe he was blushing. “Well- I- Will you-“

“Use your words, Di Angelo.”

“Shut up!” Nico scowled. “Just- go out with me.”

Will rose his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

Nico shrugged and crossed his arms. “That’s as close as I’m getting.”

Will chuckled. “At least say please.”

The son of Hades rolled his eyes. “Please.”

“Please what?”

Nico let out a shout frustration. “Please go out with me!”

“Okay.”

Will didn’t even hesitate.

Nico was honestly taken aback. “Really?”

The son of Apollo nodded. “Really really.”

“Oh..”

The two boys were silent for a moment.

“So… what now?”

This time, Will burst out laughing. “Dinner should be ready soon,” he suggested. “Care to accompany me to the pavilion?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I guess I can.”

“Alright.”

[honeytae]

I’ll just be your hot new assistant for the day.

hi lovies! i have to apologize in advance because this is kinda sort of a mess lol. like, it started out as one thing and then i added a million more scenes than i needed to. but oh well, it’s super cute. enjoy the fluffiest of fluff with our dearest seokjinnie <3

tags: @ahgasearmyfan, @hoseokayy, @the1921-monsters genre: fluff

word count: 2.3k

Beep. Beep. Beep. Bee-

“Ugh.” 

Grunting as you withdrew your arm from where you’d had to stretch to silence your blaring alarm, you turned in Seokjin’s hold, the man’s slacked arms easy to manipulate from around your torso.

In your new position, you could see every resting feature in the soft glow of your bedroom; every effortlessly beautiful one.

You had the best view of everything from right here, mere inches from his face. The way his soft eyelashes rested on his cheeks, and oh his cheeks. In their resting position, the apples of his cheeks looked plump and ready for impending smooches, which you were more than willing to give. 

With a small sigh, you shifted your eyes to trace over the center of his face, admiring the natural beauty there as well. It was hard not to look, with the slope of his nose highlighted by a slight shadow from where your curtains were only slightly drawn, the glimpse of sunlight filtering in making his skin glow gold compared with the white pillow his plush cheek smushed up against in his slumber. 

His pretty pink lips were parted only the tiniest bit in a small pout, practically begging to be kissed as quiet puffs of air escaped past them. 

It should be illegal for someone to look so beautiful in the morning. Especially when you had to leave for work within the hour. 

Deciding to cave into your desires, you laid a hand down on the mattress, gently leaning toward his sleeping figure to peck his resting lips with your own. They were just as soft and tempting as they’d looked, not a chapped section of skin to be felt as his velvet lips rested against yours. 

Pulling back slightly, you examined his features, satisfied that he hadn’t stirred from the action and going in for another quick peck. This time, his lips twitched beneath your touch before pushing back in a pursed pucker, the man sleepily responding to your kiss with one of his own. 

You pulled back with a giggle at the change of events, your boyfriend’s eyes squinting back at you as you admired his freshly awoken swollen eyes. 

“Good morning.” He rasped, eyelids falling shut again before he comically pried them open with a swipe of his fingers on the soft skin underneath his eyes. 

“Morning. Sorry I woke you up.” You said, brushing some of his hair down to his scalp as he hummed in response. 

He’d been growing his hair out recently, which you were most definitely a fan of. And perhaps your favorite part of him growing his hair out so much was the wild bed head you were met with each morning. 

“I’m just that tempting, love, hm?” He smiled a bit, the smugness in his tone making you roll your eyes before setting your head on his chest, shaking in a bout of laughter.

“Tempting is maybe the wrong word.” You smirked, the man’s laughter increasing at your fight back on his attempt to tease you. 

Lifting your head from his chest at the sound, your heart seemed to do backflips at the vision of him giggling up on his pillow. The apples of his cheeks that were resting only minutes ago were now lifted into his eyes, tiny little crescents that glittered in the slivers still visible. 

Staring as he sighed, you watched as his features relaxed back into where they naturally sat.

“I can’t complain. I woke up with a beautiful woman on top of me.” He smiled, making you squint with your lips pursed as you tried to hide the effect his words had on you. 

“Charmer.” You shook your head, the motion halting as Seokjin’s hand suddenly cupped your jaw. 

“I’m so lucky to wake up with the most beautiful woman every single day.” He said, his tone more serious as he instilled that fact into you. 

There was no doubt you’d been feeling a bit inadequate lately, in every area more than just one in particular. Seokjin, the doting lover he is, didn’t have to announce that he’d noticed. The look in his eye told you he knew.

“What about when you’re away?” You teased, the man effortlessly brushing off your attempt at deflection from the topic at hand.

“Then I wake up with the most beautiful woman on my mind.” He hushed, laying your head down on his chest again with a gentle force of his palm, lacing his fingers through your hair and soothing your bedhead with a hummed exhale. 

At peace, your eyes began to start closing again, nearly falling back into much-needed sleep as you nuzzled your cheek back into the man’s warm chest. 

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

The second round of blaring was all to be registered as you blearily sat up off of him, both of you groaning at the disruption of the peace and quiet you’d built within the apartment. 

“I guess I need to get up.” You sighed, frowning when you felt Jin’s arms latch around your torso a bit tighter than their loose hold previously. 

“Jinnie, I need to get up.” You said more definitely, turning your face back toward him to emphasize your seriousness. 

At your words, Seokjin tightened his grip around you again, chuckling a bit into your shoulder when you scoffed at him. 

“I’m gonna be late, Jin. And it’s going to be your fault.” You informed him, glancing at the time displayed on your digital clock with a huff. You were cutting it way too close. 

“Blame it on me. Say that you have the most handsome man in the world in your bed right now and can’t afford to leave him for the day.” He mumbled, the narrative making you chuckle with a shake of your head. 

“Can’t do that. There has to be a legitimate reason.” You raised your eyebrows to emphasize your point, the man humming in mock thought as his eyes squinted slightly at you. 

“I thought that was a pretty legitimate reason. How about I just come with you then?” He proposed, a knowing smirk on his face as your eyes squinted back at him, an attempt at analyzing the sense out of what he just said. 

“Come with me? To work?” You cocked your head to the side, the man nodding with another confirming hum as you giggled atop him. 

“You can sneak me in, babe.”

“Don’t you think they’ll notice if you come with me?” You raised your eyebrows in amusement, Seokjin adamantly shaking his head to disagree.

“Nope. I’ll just be your hot new assistant for the day.” 

At that, a loud laugh escaped you in the bedroom, a smile lifting Seokjin’s lips at the sound before he leaned up to nuzzle his nose against your temple, pouting as he rested his chin on the top of your head. 

“Jinnie,” you called for his attention, listening to him hum again to let you know he’d heard you, “can you let me go get ready now?” 

Feeling his arms loosen slightly around your frame, you practically made a run for it, met with a whine as you wriggled out of his slackened hold and sat on the edge of the mattress to boost yourself up from it. 

You ignored his many mumblings as you left him alone in the bed, mumbling a curse of your own as your foot caught on your t-shirt from last night. 

Finally stumbling your way into the bathroom, you rubbed the remaining bleariness out of your eyes, lids still heavy as they were hit with the bright fluorescents in the spacious room. 

After swiping some of your hair back from your face, you made your way toward the shower, desire for warm water rushing down your back growing by the minute. With a haphazard grip on the faucet handle, you adjusted the temperature to just the right one in order to not burn your skin. 

You’d done it one singular time in middle school and, frankly, you’d never recovered.

The feeling of the hot water being splashed onto your face was beyond refreshing, actively waking you up and getting you more mentally prepared for the shift you needed to work during the next several hours.

With only one yawn under your belt, you managed to make it through a six am shower, making sure to get properly woken up before you ventured out of your bathroom to begin the long day ahead. 

Seokjin was sleeping again when you crept back into the bedroom in your towel, sprawled out on his back with his arms bent at the elbows to frame his head. The sight made you believe that he’d unintentionally fallen asleep while waiting up for you, something that was totally unnecessary but absolutely endearing. 

Smiling a bit at the sight, you took a moment to appreciate it before approaching your wardrobe, picking out some appropriate clothing before slipping into some undergarments from your drawer. 

Wrinkling your nose at the feeling of your wet hair soaking into your shirt, you made your way back into the bathroom, grabbing a hand towel to soak up the remaining water from your strands.

Would these early mornings ever get easier for you?

Exhaling as you grabbed your toothbrush, you rinsed the head before carefully squeezing a dollop of toothpaste onto the collection of bristles, letting it hover beneath the trickling faucet again before lifting it up to your mouth.

Closing your eyes as you began moving the stick in your mouth, the bristles gliding over each and every tooth as you nearly fell asleep standing up, you missed the way Seokjin rubbed at his eyes as he made his sleepy entrance into the bathroom. 

You missed the way he smiled a bit as he watched you through the reflection, raising his eyebrows in a bit of a teasing manner as you opened your eyes to spit in the sink. Mouth still foaming from the toothpaste, you raised your eyebrows back at him, mumbling a muffled “what?” as he continued staring at you.

“I’m just admiring.” He shrugged, chuckling as you rolled your eyes before dipping your face down close to the sink to spit out the spare toothpaste that had gathered in your mouth. 

Turning back to face the man, you smiled at him, the puffiness from sleep somehow making him cuter. 

“Come here.” You cooed, holding your arms out at your sides for him to step into. 

Shuffling along the tile, Seokjin eagerly followed your prompt, wrapping his limbs around your torso to hold you to him. Placing his forehead on your own, both of you let a content sigh escape your nostrils. 

Puckering his lips out to you, you giggled as you tilted your head to place a pert kiss to his pout. He eagerly chased your lips when you tried to pull away, sliding his fingers into your hair to hold you secure.

The action would have been sweet if your hair hadn’t still been tangled and wet from your shower, the sting of your scalp from the slight pulling of his fingers getting caught in your hair making you wince against his mouth.

“Oh sorry, sorry, I’m sorry.” Seokjin apologized, rushing to soothe your head with a rub of his fingers as he pouted in concern at what had happened. Dismissing his apology with a laugh, you shook your head at him, jokingly tutting your tongue at the clumsy action. 

“You okay?” He checked, making you chuckle as you nodded to assure him. 

“Okay. Now, let me help you with this.” He gestured to your mess of tangled hair, reaching over to grab the paddle brush beside the sink before leading you over to the toilet with both hands on your shoulders. 

Letting one hand leave your body, he lowered the toilet lid so that he could sit, pulling you down to sit between the spread ‘V’ of his legs with both palms on your hips.

“Tell me if I pull.” He mumbled, placing a careful hand on the crown of your head before slowly guiding the brush down through your knots. 

Your eyes shut on their own accord as Seokjin soothed the brush through your hair, eliminating the knots with each stroke as his fingers smoothed over each brushed plait. You could tell he was being extra cautious to not tug on another knot, making you thankful that your back was to him so he couldn’t see the adoring grin on your face. 

God, he was so lovable.

He was lovable as he hummed something under his breath behind you, he was lovable when he concentrated so hard on not pulling that he was no longer even speaking, he was lovable when he peppered kisses to the back of your head when he had finished. 

“All done?” You wondered, the man humming again as a confirmation, smiling as you turned your neck to see him. 

Seokjin was slightly more awake now, probably due to the dedication he’d put toward fixing your hair, and the corners of his lips pushed his cheeks up as he smiled at you. 

“Thank you.” You said, leaning back to cup his jaw and direct his lips to yours in an appreciative gesture. 

Going in for another before pulling away, your boyfriend guided you back to a standing position and turned you to face him with a pull of your hand, standing up himself with a squeeze of your appendages. 

“Alright, now you finish up in here, I’ll start breakfast.” He directed, dropping a kiss to your forehead as you began protesting him not going back to bed. 

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I allowed you to go to work hungry?” He smirked, knowing he’d won the argument when you remained silent. 

With a content ‘hmph,’ Jin began to exit the room, turning around to shoot you a wink before he disappeared behind the door frame.

The shuffling of his feet down the hall was soon followed by running water and clinks of pans, making you smile at the domesticity of the situation. 

[scorpiolight-madd]

Laid-Back Battle

Sonic Rebellion: Chapter 1 - Scene 1 (1st Draft)

I’ve been wanting to upload drafts, so I can show the progress I make on the series as I go. This’ll be queued, so it’s not going to upload exactly when I finish the draft, but I’ll be sure to upload them in order. Eventually, there’ll be updates and more drafts, until I finally upload the completed thing, but for now here’s the first draft!

 Sonic shoots through the forest like a rocket, zigzagging through its maze-like paths as if it were second nature, the dense foliage barely managing to slow him down. He can feel the familiar rush of adrenaline rush through him as he flips upwards, crashing into two badniks before landing on the third in what he hoped to be a really cool-looking pose."Quit showing off!" Amy calls from the forest floor below. Her stance is wide, feet planted firmly in the ground to steady herself as she swings her hammer, smashing another badnik to pieces."Wait, are we showing off?" Knuckles turns his head to blink at Amy, and an opportunistic badnik swoops down on him the moment he looks away. He snatches it out of the air, slamming it into his fist and crushing it with his bare hands without even glancing in its direction. "Hang on, I gotta think of something cool to do."

Sonic rolls his eyes, flipping over backward to send the floating badnik he had been posing on hurtling into a tree. He lands deftly on the grass below, backflipping to kick another badnik out of commission. It spins off into Tails' direction, who quickly crouches to catch it. He reaches inside the smouldering hole Sonic had made, yanking out a handful of wires and sparking cords.

"Hey, did you change the types of circuits you use in these?" He calls, making Eggman pause his lazer fire."Well, yes, you mentioned last week that you were having an easier time after switching to a new type, so I thought I might give it a try.""It looks really good! Though you may want to rewire a few things, I noticed you're probably overloading the-""Tails!" Sonic interrupted, giving his little brother a what-on-mobius-do-you-think-you're-doing type look."Oh, yeah, sorry." Tails tosses a bomb over to two advancing badniks, shorting them out with a blast of electricity. They collapse in the grass, their metal shells falling off and piling around them. Eggman heaves a sigh, staring down at the mechanical carnage."Do you guys have any idea how hard it is to clean this stuff up?"Sonic simply shrugs, his snickering destroying his attempt at feigned ignorance.

"Well, now I'm gonna..." Eggman glances around his Eggmobile for something, anything to attack them with. "... Go back to my lair and think of something to destroy you with. I'll be back.""Seeya, Egghead!" Sonic waves, shouting at Eggman's retreating form. The moment he's out of sight, Sonic turns back to his friends. "How much do you wanna bet he's gonna come back with a robot we've already beaten before?""It's likely." Tails shrugs. "Honestly, it seems like he's starting to run out of ideas.""Maybe it's a budget issue?" Amy suggests, resting her hammer over her shoulder as she turns to head back to the village. The others chuckle, close on her heels.

The forest grows silent as the team of heroes leave to return home, only the quiet sparking of broken machines and wind rustling the leaves above. Sunlight glints off their metal exteriors, the smoke slowly dissipating in the gentle breeze. A rustle finally breaks the silence, a cloaked figure stepping out of the shadows to survey the destruction. Heels sink into the soft dirt below as they circle the robots, kneeling beside one to run their hand against its shell. They frown, looking over to the opening between the trees. They could just barely make out the heroes' retreating forms.

[inkslingersworld]

Crowbar 2 (Power Couple)

Hey guys! This is my second work for Adrigami Week, following the “Power Couple” prompt. I was originally going to write this following its own self-contained storyline, but after finishing Crowbar for Adrigami Week’s “Alternate Meeting” prompt, I realized the story that I’d started there hadn’t really finished. So, with that, I bring you Crowbar 2! Happy reading! (Contains some profanity)

As they trekked into the evening, Kagami learned some things about her new companion, Adrien:

He was very talkative and sociable, providing information about himself without Kagami having to ask any questions.

He was respectful and attentive; even though he did virtually all of the talking, Adrien seemed genuinely interested in Kagami, and asked her questions about herself despite Kagami refusing to answer.

Adrien not only remembered how to read, write, and tell time thanks to his diary. While they were walking, he told Kagami that he remembered how to cook certain recipes, mimic the sounds of different songbirds, tie his shoes, and give himself a haircut. Kagami was envious - although she didn’t hate her long hair, it was excruciatingly uncomfortable during the summer months.

He relished bad jokes. The only reason that Kagami had laughed at his doctor joke was because it hadn’t made an ounce of sense. 

His backpack contained several helpful items: some food, cookware, extra clothes, a flashlight, batteries, matches, night vision goggles (Kagami nearly squealed in delight at the sight of those), binoculars, a hatchet (Adrien said he only used it for chopping wood), toiletries, sleeping bags, and a tent. 

Adrien would occasionally gaze at her for enlengthened periods of time, but always looks away upon realizing that Kagami noticed.

The duo had reached a lazy river by the time the stars appeared. Adrien gave an overdramatic yawn and smacked his lips.

“Well, no point in trying to cross it this late. I say I make us some dinner and we camp here for the night.”

“I think we should keep going,” Kagami disagreed.

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“We’re too exposed,” said Kagami. “This location’s too out in the open; settling here makes us an easy target.”

“For who?” Adrien asked.

“For anyone! Not everybody’s as accepting as you and I are, Adrien!”

“Kagami, come on. We’ve walked at least ten miles, and we haven’t seen a soul. I think we’ll be safe.”

“We’ve walked at least ten what?” asked Kagami.

“Miles. They’re units of distance. I can teach you about them after dinner.”

“We have to keep moving!” Kagami objected. “Even if we weren’t in imminent danger in this spot, my memory is! My memory resets whenever I fall asleep!”

A brief silence followed this information, during which Adrien looked confused and downtrodden. However, his face brightened up soon after.

“I know!” he said eagerly, removing his backpack and unzipping it. “You can start your own diary! That way, you can record everything that transpired during the day!”

He unearthed a journal similar to his own and tossed it to Kagami. She turned it over in her hands.

“This still doesn’t counteract outside threats,” she said seriously.

Adrien groaned. “Kagami, just trust me on this. Nothing bad is going to happen while we’re at this riverbank!”

Kagami’s eyes widened. “You jinxed it.”

“Kagami, please -”

“You jinxed it!” she cried exasperatedly. “Now something bad’s definitely going to happen!”

After a brief pause, Adrien said, “If that’s the case, don’t you at least want it to happen after you’ve eaten?”

“You know what?” said Kagami, giving up. “Fine. Let’s see how good you are at cooking, Adrien.”

Adrien beamed. “You won’t be disappointed.”

In no time, Adrien had gotten out his cooking equipment and started mixing ingredients. 

“What are you making?” Kagami asked, trying not to sound too interested.

“French onion soup,” responded Adrien. “I’m afraid we only get a serving each. Don’t be too disappointed when you crave seconds.”

He winked at her; Kagami felt her face warming up and pointedly looked away. 

She was later thankful she did, or else she might’ve never spotted the tips of someone’s fingers withdraw from around a solitary tree.

“Adrien!” she whisper-shouted.

“I’ve only just started, it won’t be ready for another half hour,” he complained.

“No - there’s someone here!” she hissed, eye-pointing at the tree.

Adrien turned to stare at the tree and shrugged. “Looks fine to me.”

Of course, that was the moment when the hooded figure jumped from the shadows and punched Adrien in the jaw.

Kagami reacted quickly, springing to her feet and waving her crowbar in the intruder’s direction, making them jump back. They sprinted headfirst at Kagami, grabbing her by the wrist and slamming her to the ground. Kagami rebounded by curling her foot around her opponent’s ankle and sending them crashing into the cooking equipment. Adrien let out a moan of despair.

“Guys, you’re making a mess!” he shouted. “Can’t we set our differences aside and just talk it out?”

“There is no talking it out!” yelled Kagami, who was trapped in a headlock. “I could really use your help right now, Adrien!”

Adrien grabbed the closest object within reach (a frying pan) and took a swing at the opponent. The hooded figure released Kagami and backflipped out of the way of the pan. 

Kagami retrieved her crowbar from the ground and tried to ram it into the intruder’s shoulder, but he swiped left and took a jab at her ribcage. Adrien flung himself on top of the intruder’s arm, effectively keeping Kagami’s ribcage intact, and kicked the intruder in the stomach, sending the hooded figure reeling back in agony. Kagami seized the moment of the intruder’s distraction to grip Adrien’s pan and slam it as hard as she could onto the intruder’s foot.

The intruder made no reaction to the impact of a frying pan on their foot.

“The hell?!” Kagami vented. “What type of boots is this guy wearing?!”

She soon found out; the intruder accomplished an acrobatic spin into the air and landed a kick across Kagami’s face. It felt like someone had thrown a brick at her. 

For a moment, all Kagami could focus on was the immense pain. Feeling her cheekbone, she deciphered that nothing was broken, but the blow had certainly drawn blood, as she examined her hand stained liquid red. Kagami was brought back to reality by the force of the intruder toppling into her.

“Sorry!” apologized Adrien, evidently having caused the intruder to collide with Kagami.

The intruder got up quickly, but instead of going for Adrien or Kagami, he dashed towards Adrien’s backpack. Realization dawned on Kagami - this person was here for their stuff.

“Hey! That’s mine!” exclaimed Adrien, rushing at the intruder as they grabbed his packpack and made a mad dash for the river.

Adrien was able to tackle the intruder before he got to the water’s edge. Kagami ran over to join the wrestling figures on the ground. She lifted the intruder to his feet by the crook of his neck, allowing Adrien to reclaim his backpack, and shoved the hooded figure as hard as she could into the river.

The river was deeper than Kagami had assumed, and neither she nor Adrien saw him for a few seconds, but then they spotted him further along the bank, being carried downstream by the powerful current. Within ten seconds, the attacker had disappeared from view.

“Who was that?” Adrien asked, sounding out of breath. 

“A bandit,” replied Kagami shortly. “Someone looking to get lucky from robbing anybody they find. There are tons of them.”

After a temporary silence, Adrien said, “That was scary.”

“Well, it’s over now,” said Kagami comfortingly, giving Adrien a pat on the back.

“I’ve never fought anyone before,” admitted Adrien, picking up some of the cooking equipment.

“You did decently well for your first time.”

Adrien gave Kagami a half-smile. “Thanks.”

It took a long time for Adrien to clean the cooking materials and fix dinner - since the French onion soup had been lost in the scuffle, they ate tamales instead. 

“You know,” Kagami munched, “these are actually incredible. You’ve got a gift, Adrien.”

Adrien smiled broadly for the rest of the meal.

\\\\\

@adrigamiweek

[hyrule-kingdom-updates]

Astor just sighed to himself as he walked down the castle’s long hallways.

The windows on this level of the castle spanned from the floor to ceiling, with natural sunlight dripping in through the gold trim. His eyes squinted at the light, and he let his hair fall closer to his face. I should get a hood one of these days.

His footsteps were mostly quiet and unnoticable, which unfortunately for him, led to a less than ideal collision with someone as he turned the corner.

“SON OF A—”

The man ran straight into Astor, his papers scattering across the floor. He shook a fist at the prophet, angrily—he was some old soul with blond hair with bits of grey, and a weathered round face with a set of furious blue eyes. 

“Watch where you’re going, you clod!” Ligero yelled. “I have half a mind to report you for interfering with sensitive documents!”

Astor leaned down, picking up the papers—seemingly just full of various recorded tax benefits—and rolled his eyes, mumbling. “Yes...and we wouldn’t want you to stress yourself working on only half a brain…”

“What was that?”

“Mm...nothing…”

“You youths...I hate mumbling…” 

Astor fitted the papers into a neat stack before handing them back to Ligero, which he snatched up, flipping through them carefully. The prophet gave a shallow, shallow bow. 

“My deepest apologies...Lord Ligero.”  

Ligero suddenly stopped reading, raising an eyebrow and looking him up and down for a moment. “Do I...know you?”

He narrowed his eyes. “If the stars had aligned correctly, this would be our first and last meeting.”

The Lord wagged a finger at him as his eyes lit up. “Ahhh...you’re that crazy star seer. The one aways snuggled up in the queen’s shadow…”

“Gh…...I’m not—”

“Yeah…” Ligero rubbed his chin. “You’re that sickly twig that’s been whining about our deaths and such...always making a fuss since Elane died.” He chuckled to himself, while Astor scowled.

“Her Majesty’s...passing, puts the future of Hyrule on a path of certain doom. I believe I’ve made my predictions of past clear, that the princess will not awaken her power in—”

 “Ayap-yap-yap-yap-yap-yap…” Ligero opened and closed his hand like a mouth in mockery. “Listen boy, you won’t win any favours by spewing your miserable thoughts at every meeting.”

“Maybe I don’t desire your favour.”

“Well then who are you looking to please? Cause I’m afraid it’s a little late to cuck His Majesty any further.”

“Excuse me?” Astor took a step forward, but the Lord stood his ground with a smile, cocking his head to the side. 

“I mean, that’s the only reason some nobody like you is here in the first place, isn’t it? Royal connections? Lovely pity on a scrawny useless orph—”

“I’m here to do my job.”

“Aw, don’t live in denial, boy. I have an eye for this sort of thing. And I’m always partial to helping a lad in need…”

Astor was already turning to move past Ligero, but suddenly stopped. He smirked to himself in amusement. “Is that so…?”

“Oh sure. My own son I’ve raised to be the peak of perfection. Striking young man, dashing blond—like me—and skilled. Rising up the knight’s ranks faster than an octo balloon! That’s all me, all my parenting right th—”

“And which son is that?”

“My oldest, my…...one, son.” He glared at him with a frown. 

“Hmm…” Astor could barely hold back from snickering. “And what do you think of this oldest son then?”

“Oh, too much of his mother’s child, if you ask me. But much better than I in some regards, though of course, not all of them. Ohoho…”

“Yes…” Astor smiled to himself. “You’re a funny man, Ligero Hartell…”

Ligero finally stopped laughing to himself. “But you see, perfection like that isn’t born. It’s made and nurtured, you have to coax it out of them.” He poked Astor’s chest, and he flinched away in disgust. “Quit your mumbling, your babbling, your little grief stricken dreams, it’s all useless. No one cares for it.”

The Lord went to pat his head, like a puppy, but Astor dodged out of the movement with a verbal “nope” as he whipped behind him. Ligero just shrugged. “If you can’t churn yourself to be a better man, then you’ll have to settle for the next best thing. You want to be something more? Something of actual merit? Taken more seriously than some child that was dragged up these polished steps out of a late woman’s mercy?” He flicked his wrist, adjusting the cuff of his pristine white sleeve. “Stop chasing the dead. Don’t be blinded by replaceable things like compassion and the sort. Find a wealthy friend or something, get rich, get power.” 

Ligero turned to continue walking down the hall. “Besides, even if it is like you say—then all the more to ride the sayings of, ‘You only live once.’”

Astor glowered, watching Ligero walk away. He scoffed, and started to turn back towards his own destination, before the Lord called out once more—  

“And cut your hair or something! You’re no Rito, quit with the braids. It’ll get all greasy and frizzy...Trust me, I knew someone with hair like that, once.”

Astor’s expression softened just a bit—nearly undetectable—before immediately being replaced with a darker scowl.

He kept walking, his deep purple robes dancing just a finger-widths above the stone polished steps. He opened and closed his hand to himself, miming Ligero’s speaking.

“Always partial to helping a lad in need...gods, seems childhood memory has still captured him to perfection.” Astor came up on the wooden door, and walked inside. 

The ceiling was a stone dome, littered with old parchment maps, and Sheikah charts, along with chalk that outlined ancient constellations and designs. There was an old chalkboard—stolen, from the Sheikah department—with further sketches and notes, torn out pages from old journals and texts pinned to the board and walls. Even the window was covered by hanging gyrospheres and astrolabes, twirling in infinite suspension. Since they blocked the window’s hinges, they were probably the reason why the room smelled so musty.

Astor closed the door, and flopped down on an old velvet bench, staring at the ceiling in silence.

“BOO!”

“GAAaaAAAh!” Astor shot up, whipping his head at the dangerous intruder, only to find a giggling, blonde girl.

She was doing her best to muffle her laughter by holding her hands to her mouth. “Gotchu again, Mr. Astor!” 

He sighed. “What are you doing here?”

The princess shuffled towards his desk, hands already bored and ready to play with the nearest pointy object. “You took so long to get heeeeree….why was that old guy even talking to you?”

He fixed his hair behind his ears, not really paying attention. “Oh? You heard all that, then?”

“Yeaaah, the halls are—” she cupped her hands over her mouth, “—ECHOEY, Echoey, echoey...echoey….” Her voice grew fainter at each repetition. 

“Stop shouting in my study. You’ll attract the rats…”

“I like rats!” She ran back up to Astor, sitting on the other end of the bench. “They’re like dogs! But small!”

“They’re rodents. Think more possums and mice.”

“Like that old guy, right?” She played with a loose thread on her dress. “Last week you called him a gross...virgin? Vermin… Velvet…? I forgot the word—”

Astor suddenly scooped the young Zelda up under her arms, holding her out in front of him like she was a disease. “Don’t tell anyone I said that, alright? That’s our secret.”

“Put me doooooooown!!”

“No. Get out. I’m working.”

The princess struggled in his grip so much that by the time he reached the door with her, she was nearly upside down. He opened the door and she craned her neck up, pleading at him with an upside down frown.

“Pleeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase let me stay??? Dad never bothers to look for me here….and your room is so cool! Even mom hung out here a lot…” Astor physically flinched, and Zelda took that as an opportunity to let loose some puppy eyes. “Pweaaaaaaase????”

Astor was so ready, so ready to shake her off his arm and let her possibly break a bone tumbling down the steps. “Oh! It was an accident, Your Majesty. She was so busy talking and talking and bouncing off the walls she forgot how stairs worked! I tried to stop her but she used her superglue prank again! Oh what a shame!” It would have been so easy…

Instead, the prophet just sighed, turned around, and let her topple onto the room’s floor. She yelled a “Yay!” before scuttling towards the windowsill, adorned with sparkly objects. Astor made his way to his desk, muttering.

“You can stay for five minutes. But don’t touch anything.”

Zelda immediately started touching and spinning the gyrospheres around in her hand.

The princess pranced and sat and played and pondered around the room—five minutes, ten, fifteen, and twenty. Finally she hobbled up to Astor, her arms full of shiny orbs and trinkets. She peered at his desk.

“So whatcha working on?” Zelda asked, looking at the weird sketches. “You seeing the future and stuff?”

“Something like that,” he replied stiffly. Silence resumed in the room.

Zelda set down her arm full of collectables, before standing on her toes to catch a better glimpse. “So what’s gonna happen? What’s gonna happen in the future?”

The prophet rolled his eyes, still trying to focus on his work. “Oh, you know. Death, doom, destruction. You’ll fail to awaken your powers, everyone perishes...the usual sort.”

Zelda crossed her arms and sat on the ground with a huff. “You don’t know that.”

“I do know that.”

“Oh yeah? Well if you can see the future, then WHAT am I gonna do next? Betcha can’t tell!”

“You’re going to attempt a backflip.”

“I’m going to do a b—” Zelda had jumped up, her arms already in the air, before she let them drop and sputtered angrily. “H-Hey! How’d you know that?!”

“Because that’s what you always do to try and disprove me.” He nodded towards the broken chair beside the door, along with a broken shelf, and a broken footstool.

“Hmph!”

“But that’s not how telling the future works anyways.”

“Oh yeah, well how am I supposed to know if you never TELL ME!” She suddenly scrambled into Astor’s lap, trying to steal his papers. 

“H-Hey! Get off you insolent—”

“Tell me what your jooooooob issssss you never doooooooooo anything despite having the coolest room…” Zelda palmed her face on his papers, refusing to move.” 

Astor was just about pulling his hair out, before taking a deep breath. “If I tell you, will you get off me?”

“Maaaybe.”

“Ugh. You’re insufferable…” Astor leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. 

“Well it’s like this. Every choice and possibility exists. Every universe and timeline with every outcome and conclusion you could imagine exists in the grand unknown. There’s a universe where you’re a boy, there’s a universe where you don’t exist, there’s a universe where you’re quiet and don’t bother me all the time—”

“Is there one where my mom’s alive?” Zelda leaned her head back and looked up at him.

He was silent for a moment, pondering his words. “...Yes. There is.” 

He finally raised an arm, gesturing to the decorated ceiling. “See now, predicting the future is all a matter of trying to identify exactly what kind of universe you’re in. You look to the stars—gifts from the spirits, who roam as a constant in all timelines. You look to dreams, and magic, and visions...your surroundings, the people...there’s a pattern and predictability that I can use to identify what universe we’re in, and how the future will play out.”

“So you think we’re in the one where the Calamity wins?” Zelda raised an eyebrow.

“From what I’ve seen, I’m almost certain. Yes.”

“That sucks.”

“It does...suck.”

Zelda jumped up and went back to playing with the gold and silver trinkets. “Why don’t we just go to a universe where we don’t lose?”

Astor turned back to his work. “Because that’s not possible.”

“Really? You sure?”

Astor stopped, pondering for just a moment, before shrugging and continuing to work. 

“Probably anyways. I imagine millions of people have tried before, millenia ago. And from the looks of things, nothing’s worked.”

Zelda fiddled with an Ancient Core. 

[dccomicsimagines]

What’s Lost is Found - Batfamily Imagine - Part Seven

Warning - Depressive Thoughts, Angst Content

Note from Anon - I absolutely love your writing! You're definitely one of my favorite fanfic writers. I love What's Lost Is Found, but I just thought I might suggest adding some sort of warning for depressive thoughts or something. I really love how your writings are realistic and that I can relate to them, but it was so similar to the depression I had a couple years ago, I felt myself become a little depressed for a couple days afterward. Either way, it's still amazing and I can't wait for the next part! ❤❤❤

Author’s Note - I am truly sorry for any harm that this story might have caused due to the lack of a warning of depressive thoughts. I will try to include these warnings on the other parts as well and I’m sorry they weren’t there in the first place.

Part One  Part Two  Part Three Part Four  Part Five  Part Six  Part Six.Five  Part Eight  Part Nine  Part Ten  Part Eleven

Requested by Anon -  I love your work! Can the next part of What’s lost is found be her first encounter with Jason tim and Damien! Love the series

Requested by multifandoms916 -  Can you write a part 7 for what’s lost is found where the reader gets closure from Bruce’s death All so where the adults and Lian actually apologizes like genuine

Requested by Anon -  part seven of what’s lost is found? where the reader and damian finally meet again? and the reader gets like injured and he freaks? i love ur stories!

Requested by many other Anons as well.

***

You flipped over the last mugger and wrapped your legs around his neck. He choked. You chuckled, using the momentum to flip him onto the ground. 

“I wish I could do that,” Jon laughed, flying over to scoop you up into his arms. He soared into the sky as the cops arrived on the scene. 

“You could if you worked on your flexibility.” Your arms wrapped around his neck as you kissed his cheek. His cologne tickled your nose. 

“Will you help me with that?” Jon smirked.

You nuzzled his cheek. “Maybe.” Your phone beeped from your pocket. Jon landed on the roof of a office building and set you down. Only then, did you take your phone out of your pocket. One phone dropped forty feet was enough. “Crap, I’m supposed to be home in ten minutes. Dick texted me a warning.” 

“Well, we will have to fly fast then.” Jon took off his coat. “It’s only like fifty miles.” He wrapped the coat around you. You smiled, putting your arms through once your phone was safely back in your pocket. 

“Remember we went to see the new Disney movie,” you warned as Jon scooped you up again. You snuggled into his chest, loving how warm he was.

“Yep, and it was okay. We went to pizza afterwards.” Jon floated off the roof and high into the sky. “At least that’s not a lie.” 

You snorted, but stayed quiet. Jon picked up speed, flying faster than what was comfortable for you. You hid your face into his shoulder so the wind wouldn’t bite your face.

A few months had passed since Christmas break. You went back to school, and the normal humdrum of life. However, this time you had a spark of excitement. A spark named Jon.

Jon and you had dates every weekend. They started out slow as Dick had a crisis with the idea of you dating. Those first few dates were at the house under Dick’s watchful and annoying eye. Eventually, with Kori’s support, the dates were allowed to be out of the house and without supervision. 

Thus, without supervision, the dates took a different turn. Jon and you would often go on patrol in different cities, stopping for dinner at some point during the night. You never went far from home, but far enough that your activities wouldn’t appear in local papers for Dick or Kori to see. 

You dared to say that these patrol nights with Jon were the first times you felt like yourself since your dad died. 

Jon slowed down. You looked out to see the big top of Dick’s circus in the distance. “Are you cold?” Jon whispered as he floated down to land in the woods a few blocks down from your house.

“Nah.” You kissed his lips before he set you down. Your lips tingled at the pressure. Jon pulled the mask off your eyes. “You’re keeping me warm.” 

He smirked, leaning down to kiss you again, but you took the opportunity to rip off his mask. The two of you had a debate about what to patrol in. Jon wanted to be Superboy and you Robin, but when you informed him about the price on Robin’s head, he changed his mind. Therefore, you settled with plain civvies and simple face masks.

“No fair.” Jon pouted. You kissed him on the lips to wipe the pout off his face. “That’s better.” He panted slightly. 

You took off Jon’s jacket and handed it back to him. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.” The mask went into the secret pocket you had sewn into your jeans. Luckily, you did your own laundry, so you didn’t have to worry about Dick or Kori finding out. 

“You’re so paranoid.” Jon put on his jacket before taking your hand to lead you out of the woods. 

“Better paranoid than dead,” you said automatically. Jon flinched, looking at you in surprise. You realized what you said, swallowing hard. “Sorry, it’s something Dad always said.”

Jon smiled at you sadly. He kissed your temple. “That’s okay.” He squeezed your hand. How could he be so warm all the time? You wondered if it was a Jon thing or a Kryptonian thing. “So are you worried what people will think if they catch us leaving the woods all the time?” 

“Yes, but I’d rather have people thinking we’re messing around in the woods than...doing what we’re doing.” The two of you walked down the street. You could see the front light was on at your house. Dick would be watching. “Have you asked your parents about spring break?” 

“I’ve mentioned it. Apparently, they’re talking it over with Dick and Kori.” Jon swung your arm playfully. “I let them know how much I would like to go, even if it’s mostly to see you.” 

You snorted. “I know you want to go to Disney World too. You’ve been talking about the new Star Wars ride all the time.” Jon kissed your cheek.

“True, but I think it’s funny you want me to go so bad.” Jon winked at you. The blood burned to your face.

“Well, I don’t want to get trapped there with just Dick and Kori.” You shivered. “Kori is planning everything, because she’s determined to get the most of her first time at ‘the Disney World’.” Jon chuckled. “She wants me to wear ears, Jon. Like mouse ears.” Horror chilled your heart. What would your dad think of such a thing? “Even Dick didn’t try to put those on me last time we went.” 

“I don’t know.” Jon shrugged, smiling at you teasingly. “I think you’d look cute.” 

You smacked his arm. He laughed. Your hand stung as the hit hurt you more than him. “Watch it, Superboy or no more kisses.” You narrowed your eyes into a batglare. 

Jon bit his lip, trying to stop laughing. The two of you finally reached the front steps of your house. You could see the shadow of Dick watching from the window. “I’ll text you when I get home,” Jon whispered, tensing as he sensed Dick’s eyes on him. 

“You better.” You pressed a quick kiss to his lips before going into the house. Once at the door, you blew him one last kiss. Jon caught it with his hand and pressed it to his heart. Then he jogged away until he was in a safe place to fly home.

Three, two, one. “How was the movie?” Dick asked, hovering behind you. You sighed.

“It was okay.” You took off your coat and shoes. “How was your date night?” 

“Good. Got home before you.” Dick crossed his arms. You could feel him studying you. 

“Wouldn’t be you if you didn’t,” you muttered, getting some water from the fridge. 

Dick frowned. “What was that?” He closed the front door and locked it securely. 

“Nothing.” You headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. 

“Remember we have that meeting with the guidance counselor tomorrow,” Dick said, following you up. You hummed. When you were almost to your room, Dick caught your arm. He kissed your forehead. “Good night, honey.” 

“Good night.” You pulled away. “Good night, Kori,” you said, raising your voice to be heard through the bathroom door. 

“Sleep well, baby,” Kori shouted back. You went into your room. The click of the door was soothing. You leaned against the door and sank to the floor. Your phone beeped. 

“I’m home,” Jon texted. You smiled.

“Good. I was getting worried.” You slowly got to your feet and dressed in your pajamas. Once you were settled into bed, you went back to your phone.

A smile pulled at your lips. “Dad says it’s a go.”

“Awesome. I won’t have to suffer alone.” You added a relieved emoji. “Good night, Jon.” 

Jon sent a picture of the night sky. You smiled when you could recognize the stars due to the star chart Jon had given you for Christmas.  “Good night, (Y/N). Pretty, beautiful you.”

You blushed. “Damn you,” you whispered. He could make you blush even though text. You heard Kori leave the bathroom and got up to brush your teeth.

***

“I don’t like this,” Dick said as he moped to the car. “(Y/N) should stay in high school at least another year.” 

“Dick, you remember what the guidance counselor said. The school can’t offer the academic challenge (Y/N) needs, besides, (Y/N) wants this.” Kori soothed, taking his hand. 

Meanwhile, you trailed behind them. You wanted to cheer, jump around, maybe do a backflip. It was the first time in a long time you felt so happy. You were going to graduate this spring, and then you could do whatever you wanted. Dick looked back at you and you did your best not to appear like you had won the lottery. 

“This doesn’t mean you’re an adult.” Dick narrowed his eyes, hurt. “And you’re still going to school nearby.”

“Aww, no Yale?” you teased, taking out your phone to text Jon the news. 

Dick opened his mouth, but Kori cut him off. “Not yet. Maybe after a year or two?” Kori rubbed Dick’s back. She gave you a look to tell you to take it easy. You pouted slightly. Why couldn’t you be happy about getting what you want?

You all got into the car. Dick shook his head as he drove out of the parking lot. He came to his own conclusion. “No, (Y/N) is not going to college. They’re too young.” 

“I’m not too young.” You scowled at him when he glanced at you through the rearview mirror. “I want to go, Dick. Why do you have to hold me back all the time?” 

“I do not hold you back.” Dick turned into the driveway quickly. “You don’t know what’s best for you.” 

Rage filled you. “I know what’s best for me.” Your voice took a dangerous tone. Kori peered back at you worriedly. Dick spun to face you. 

“No, you don’t. Damn it. You aren’t ready.” Dick’s mouth twitched, temper flaring. What right did he have to get mad over this? You were finally getting what you wanted. More freedom. 

“Shut up!” You exploded, barely stopping yourself from punching Dick in the nose. Dick’s eyes widened in slight surprise when you jumped out of the car. You needed to get away from him. 

“(Y/N).” Kori got out of the car and put a twenty in your hand. “Go get some ice cream and come back later. We’ll all talk once we have cooler heads.” She gave Dick a pointed look. Dick had gotten out of the car, ready for a battle of wills. His shoulders sank at her look. 

“Fine.” You spun on your heel and walked down the street, not actually going toward the ice cream place. Dick started to follow you, but Kori stopped him. You broke out into a run as your heart boiled with frustration. You had never wanted to go to school, and the only reason you didn’t throw more of a fuss is because you knew you could graduate this year. Now that it was decided for sure, Dick  threatened to take it away.

Tears stun your eyes as you ran faster. A car honked at you when you ran out into the middle of the street. However, you kept running until you reached the woods where Jon always took off from. Once inside, you took out your phone and dialed Jon’s number.

“Hello, beautiful.” Jon laughed. Your lips pulled into a smile at the sound of his voice. You sank down to sit against a tree. 

“Hi.” You sniffled, brushing away tears with your hands.

“Woah, hey. What’s wrong?” Jon’s voice instantly turned into that soothing soft tone he always took when you cried. Embarrassingly, Jon saw you cry a lot. 

You swallowed hard. “You got my text about how I’m graduating, right?” 

Jon chuckled. “Yeah, congratulations. I know you wanted to.” He paused. “Don’t tell me you’re going to miss high school?” 

“No.” You laughed a little. “Dick didn’t like that I’m graduating. He said I’m too young and that I don’t know what’s best for me.” You picked at a piece of grass. “I almost punch him, but I walked away before I did. Kori told me to go get ice cream.” 

“Ooo, what flavor did you get?” Jon asked, excited like a little puppy. “I’m trapped at school for another hour.” 

“Why?” You giggled. Your stomach buzzed happily.

“I got detention for skipping class.” Jon snorted. “It’s not my fault. There was a car who’s brakes gave out and was about to crash into a crowd of people.” He sighed like he was dying. “Life is so unfair. Mom already sent me a “we’re going to talk when you get home” text.” 

You relaxed. The anger slipped away. “As long as you can still come for spring break, you’ll survive.” 

Jon laughed. “Yeah, and we can ride the new Star Wars ride every day.” 

“Well, there’s is a catch with the new Star Wars ride, but we’ll try to ride it when we can.” You remembered Kori explaining how it worked. It seemed like a lot of work, but for Jon, it was worth it. 

“As long as I get to ride it once, I’ll be happy.” Someone snapped at him in the background. “Oops, got to go. It’s time for me to sit and think about what I did.” 

“You bad boy.” You blushed as you said it.

Jon choked slightly. “Yeah, says the naughty little bat.” He chuckled. “I lo...” You froze, eyes wide in surprise. Jon stopped, clearing his throat. “I look forward to see you later.” 

You sighed in somewhat relief. “Bye Jon.” Was he about to say he loved you? It kinda sounded like it. You shivered, putting your phone back in your pocket. Were you ready for him to say that? Would you be able to say it back to him?

Your mind went around and around for a while until you forced yourself up to go home. When you reached the front steps of your house, you realized that you could indeed say it back to him. However, you were too scared to be the one to say it first. You would wait for Jon to say it.

Kori was in the kitchen, frowning at the pot on the stove. “Oh good you’re home.” She took the pot off the heat. “I think I messed up.” You frowned, taking off your coat and shoes before going over. There was noodles in the pot that were black, burnt to a crisp. 

“Oh.” You pursed your lips. “Yeah, that’s not good.” Kori sighed, her eyes filled with tears. “How about you clean that out and I’ll make dinner?” 

“Thank you, baby.” Kori kissed your cheek happily. “Dick went in to work, but he’ll be back for dinner. We’ll talk during dinner about everything.” She went to try to scrape out the burnt noodles. 

You watched her, confused. Why would Kori cry over burnt noodles? A twang of guilt hit your heart. You must have stressed her out too much. “Are you okay?” you asked quietly, moving to check the fridge to see if you could throw something together. 

“What?” Kori looked back at you with a tear running down her cheek. “Oh, it’s nothing, baby. Don’t worry about me.” She came over to kiss your cheek again. “I’m going to lay down for a while.” You watched as she went to lay down on the couch with her hand over her eyes. 

She was emotional and tired. You eyed the pot with burnt noodles. She was also forgetful as she must have left the pot on the stove for quite some time for it to burn like that. If you didn’t know any better, you would say she was pregnant. Your eyes widened. Oh god, she was pregnant. You shook your head. No wonder Dick was stressed. You started to pull out ingredients to make stir fry. Dick should be happy you were graduating. You could move out then. They would need your room for the baby.

Your eyes burned with tears at the thought of leaving, but then you thought about how you could go to school near Jon. A smile pulled at your lips. Maybe the talk over dinner wouldn’t so bad. 

***

“I’m sorry,” Dick said softly. He wrapped his arms around you, pushing your face into his chest. “I just can’t stand seeing you grow up so fast.” 

You grunted. “Fine.” Dick let you go, studying you.

“What’s wrong?” He ran his hand through your hair. Kori smiled at the two of you as she took another serving of stir fry. That was her third plate. 

“I was thinking I should try to apply to Gotham U or Metropolis U. They are still accepting applications.” Gotham would be a long shot as you were sure Tim or Damian would do everything in their power to block your application. You eyed Kori. Kori noticed your look, swallowing wrong. She coughed hard. 

“Woah, Kori. Slow down.” Dick rubbed her back. Once she recovered, Dick moved his attention back to you. “Honey, we want you to stay here.” 

You frowned. It didn’t make sense. He should want you to leave with a baby on the way. You met Kori’s eye, and the realization chilled you like a bucket of cold water. Dick didn’t know yet. “Why don’t you think about it?” You said, looking Dick in the eye. “I’ll apply and then we’ll decide.” 

Dick raised an eyebrow, sitting down at his seat to finish eating. “As long as you apply to some schools nearby.” You stayed standing. “Sit down. You aren’t done already, are you?” Dick nodded to your chair. You looked at Kori for a long moment. She wouldn’t meet your eye. 

“I’m done.” You took your dish to the sink. “I want to start on applications.” 

“Okay, but like I said, apply to places close by too,” Dick reminded, making the ‘you’re so difficult when I’m being nice’ face. You admitted you would be happy to get away from his guilt-causing face. 

“Sure.” You quickly left the room and went upstairs. Dick talked to Kori, expressing his concerns about you. It only confirmed that Dick didn’t know. He would be more focused on the future if he knew he was about to have a baby. You fought the urge to text Jon about it, but you stopped yourself. It was possible you were mistaken.

***

Your applications were in by the end of the week. As you said, you did apply to Gotham and Metropolis as well as two local colleges only twenty to thirty miles away. Dick seemed satisfied. Kori kept her secret, but the signs were becoming more clear as the days went on. You couldn’t believe Dick didn’t notice yet, but then again, Dick was always blind to the obvious.

Meanwhile, you started to have nightmares again. One night, you woke from a nasty one involving your father and Bane. So deeply disturbed and needing to escape, you started packing up your room. You reasoned to yourself that you were going to be leaving soon, so you might as well be packed. 

“Honey, what are you doing up?” Dick asked, knocking on your door. You froze, just about to place a shirt into a box. The light was off, and you were moving as quietly as possible. How did he know?

You wiped the sweat from your brow with a shaky hand. The nightmare was only a few thoughts away. Your eyes widened when you realized you didn’t answer soon enough and Dick opened the door. He turned on the light, blinding you momentary. The tense silence that followed make your hands shake harder. Your carefully folded shirt fell to the floor in a heap. You couldn’t look at him.

Dick took several deep breaths before coming over to you. “What’s all this about?” he soothed, picking up your shirt from the floor. You eyed him, flinching when you saw how calm he was. 

You opened your mouth to speak, but only a whimper came out. A tear ran down your cheek. Your eyes stayed on the floor.

“You’re okay.” Suddenly, Dick’s warm arms wrapped around you. He rocked you back and forth. Sobs ripped out of you. The nightmare took over your thoughts again. “Hush, I’m here. You’re okay.” 

“No, I have to go.” Your voice broke. “I need to leave.” 

“Honey, you don’t have to go. We want you here.” Dick rested his cheek on your head. His arms tightened around you. “You said you’d stay, so you’re going to stay, okay?” 

Everything was so confusing. Why were you crying? The nightmare flashed in front of your eyes. You screamed, flinching at the sight of the light leaving Bane’s eyes. 

Dick jumped at the scream. His arms pulled you even closer to him. “No, it’s not here. Whatever you’re seeing isn’t here. You’re okay. I’m here. Nothing is going to get you.” 

Your body trembled. You closed your eyes, turning to hide your face into Dick’s shoulder. Dick kept soothing you. His hand ran through your hair in a gentle rhythm. Time passed before you finally stopped shaking. Dick’s shirt had a giant wet spot from your tears, but he didn’t care. You wondered how many of his shirts you had done that to. 

“Here you go, love.” Kori came into the room with a cup of tea. Dick took it and held it to your lips. You drank it. The smell of it warned you it was Alfred’s special tea. The one that could knock your father out for hours. 

The drowsiness hit you almost immediately. “I’m sorry,” you mumbled, slumping against Dick. Dick scooped you up and tucked you back into bed.

“No need to be sorry, sweetheart.” He kissed your forehead before the tea dragged you into a dreamless slumber. 

***

You woke to find your room back to it’s pre-packed state. The sun streamed through the window, meaning you must have missed school for the day. You sighed, rubbing your eyes that were slightly swollen. It was the last day before spring break anyway.

Slowly, you got yourself ready for the day and stumbled down the stairs. People were talking in the kitchen. You went in, rubbing your eyes again. 

“Well, look who’s awake?” Jon teased, getting up from the table. You froze, eyes wide.

“Jon?” You ran to him and jumped into his arms. He laughed, spinning you around. “What are you doing here?” 

“We’re here for spring break.” Jon kissed your cheek after he set you down. Your eyes widened at the “we”. 

You spun to see Lois and Clark sitting at the table with little smug smiles on their faces. “Hi.” Your cheeks burned in embarrassment. “Where are Dick and Kori?” 

“Dick had to go to work, and I believe Kori is running errands.” Lois got to her feet to get more coffee for herself. You wondered if Kori was at a doctor appointment. “Do you want something to eat? We have leftover pizza from lunch.”

You smiled, going to get a plate. “Wait, so you’re letting (Y/N) eat pizza for breakfast? Why is it when I want to eat pizza for breakfast, I get shamed and told to go eat oatmeal or something?” Jon whined. 

Clark sent him a warning look. “Because (Y/N) was raised by Alfred. We already know they know that pizza for breakfast everyday isn’t a good thing.” 

You took a slice from the box on the table and heated it up in the microwave. “So why are you all here so early? I thought you were supposed to meet us at Disney World?” 

The Kents all shared looks with each other. You shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. “We figured we’d come early before Clark had to stop a forest fire or something,” Lois teased, trying to lighten the mood. 

The microwave beeped. You took out your slice of pizza, no longer hungry. “Well, I still need to pack.” You headed upstairs with your pizza in hand. 

“I’ll help.” Jon followed like an excited puppy. 

“Remember I have super-hearing,” Clark called after Jon. 

“I swear they have dirtier minds than we do,” you mumbled, smiling to cheer Jon up. 

Jon chuckled. “They do.” You reached your room and set the pizza on your desk. Jon looked around your room with interest. “Is this new?” He pointed to a picture of the Gotham Skyline. 

“Yeah, I found it when I went shopping with Kori.” You pulled the suitcase from under your bed and started to pack. Memories of last night triggered a tiny headache in your temple. 

Jon wandered around your room, looking at things as you packed. You noticed things were in the wrong places, meaning Dick and Kori must have put all your things back after you packed them last night. Jon remarked on a book on your bed stand.

“Jon, you’ve seen everything in here. Stop acting like you haven’t been here before,” you said. Irritation sparked. Your headache throbbed. You hoped you weren’t getting sick again. Biting your lip, you were determined to not get sick again. 

“Sorry.” Jon sat on your bed next to your suitcase. “I’m nervous, I guess.” He studied you. You sighed, knowing what was coming. “Dick told us about last night.” 

“I don’t know why he thought it was okay to tell you my business,” You snapped harshly. Jon flinched. A wave of guilt crashed into you. “Sorry.” You looked back down at your suitcase. 

“It’s okay.” Jon pursed his lips. “I’m here if you want to talk about it though.” 

“Why does everyone always want to talk?” You ran a hand through your hair. “My dad never wanted to talk, and it was great. We would deal with things on our own.” 

Jon’s eyes followed you as you went to grab a sweatshirt out of your closet. “Yeah, but you don’t have to do that anymore.” The glare you sent him made him choke. “Sorry...I just want you to know I’m here for you.” 

You felt like you had been punched hard in the stomach. “No, I’m sorry.” Hugging the sweatshirt, you finally faced him. He gave you sad little puppy dog eyes. It was worse than Dick’s ‘you’re being so mean when I’m trying to be nice’ face. You swallowed hard. A traitorous tear slipped down your cheek. “I don’t want to put that burden on you. I’m a mess, Jon.” 

“(Y/N), beautiful. I already took that burden when I kissed you for the first time.” Jon came over to kiss you gently on the lips. Your entire body tingled like an electrical current zapped through you. His arms slipped around you, pulling you into his warm body. Warm as if you curled up in a patch of sunshine. 

“I love how warm you are.” You nuzzled into his chest. Contentment filled you, safe and secure in his arms.

***

“That was amazing,” Jon gasped, shaking his head in amazement. “My mind is blown.” 

“Of course it is.” You laughed, taking his hand as you both exited the new Star Wars ride Jon had been talking about. 

“Now he can stop talking about it,” Clark said from behind you. 

Lois laughed, leaning into Clark. “No, now he’ll talk about it nonstop.” 

“But it was so cool.” Jon turned back to face his parents.

“I do admit it was cool,” Lois said, kissing Jon’s cheek as they past. “We’re going to find Dick and Kori. Remember we’re meeting for lunch in about an hour.”

“Don’t eat everything,” Clark said with a wink. They disappeared in the crowd. Dick and Kori slept late. You happened to know that Kori was sick this morning from the vomiting sounds you heard coming from the bathroom. Part of you wondered if Dick knew yet or did he think she had the flu?

Jon looked around the Star Wars area eagerly. “So what now?” He squeezed your hand. 

You shrugged. “This is your thing. You go and I’ll follow.”

“I knew I loved you for some reason,” he said naturally. Your heart skipped a beat. Jon’s eyes widened a millisecond later. He looked at you. “You...I mean I like...I can’t fix that, can I?” 

“I love you too.” You laughed when Jon’s jaw dropped open. “I just didn’t expect you to say it now.” You kissed his cheek. “Come on, we only have an hour before we have to meet the adults.” 

Jon blushed before a big dopey smile grew upon his lips. “Yeah, only an hour.” He laughed and pulled you off into the direction of the other Star Wars ride. You squeezed his hand, floating on air.

***

“I want you back by midnight,” Dick insisted as he buttoned up his shirt in the hotel room mirror.

“We’ll leave when the park closes, but I can’t promise we’ll be on time. The buses are slow,” you said. You were sitting on the foldout couch that was your bed, putting on your shoes. 

Dick frowned. “(Y/N), midnight.” 

“Dick, I’ll try.” You narrowed your eyes at him. He glared back at you. Just when he was about to scold you, Kori came out of the bathroom. She was beautiful, wearing the fancy dress she had bought the day before. Dick lost his breath. You smiled, glad for the Kori distraction again.

They were going out to a special dinner alone. You suspected Kori was going to drop the baby bomb, and you didn’t want to be around for the aftermath. “Let (Y/N) stay out. They’ll be with the Kents,” Kori soothed, adjusting Dick’s collar. 

And Dick instantly changed his tone. “Okay. Just make sure you stay with the Kents.” He kept looking at Kori with compete adoration. You hoped you never looked at Jon like that. It was embarrassing enough seeing Dick do it. 

“Fine by me. Have fun you two.” You waved and rushed out of the room. A funny feeling settled in your stomach. Would that be the last time you would feel like a family with Dick and Kori? You quickly forced those thoughts away as you hurried to meet Jon by the bus station.

***

Jon and you headed out of the park toward the buses alone. Clark and Lois left earlier, trusting the two of you. You wondered if they informed Dick that they would be doing so. 

“Oh no,” Jon whispered, tilting his head like a dog trying to listen for something. 

You blinked. “What?” You pulled Jon out of the crowd that was heading to the buses. 

“I think my dad just flew off somewhere.” Jon smirked. 

“So?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Well, we can go patrol a little bit. I mean you have your mask.” His eyes went to your jeans. You smacked his arm. Your hand throbbed at the impact. “Come on. We’re at Disney World.” 

You snorted, looking around. The crowd was dying out. “Okay, fine.” Jon pulled you off to a private place and scooped you into his arms. “But only for a half an hour and if you hear your dad, you have to zoom us back here. We can’t get caught.” You stole a quick kiss. Jon chuckled into the kiss and flew up into the air. 

***

After three muggings and one car chase, you were two hours overdue. Jon kept convincing you to stay out longer. You knew you were risking it, but then you thought about how Dick and Kori were probably celebrating. The urge to go back disappeared. Eventually though, Jon and you landed in the woods a little ways from the hotel.

“That was fun,” Jon whispered, kissing you sweetly. “Love you.” 

“Love you too.” You ran your fingers through his soft hair. It took so much willpower to pull away from him. You took off the mask and hid it back in the secret pocket of your jeans. Jon did the same with his. 

“It’s so dark.” You stumbled over a stick. Jon caught your elbow. 

“Let me float us out of here.” Jon put his hand around your waist and floated you safely out of the woods. The hotel shined in the distance. He set you on the ground, but kept his arm around your waist. 

“Did your dad come back yet?” You leaned into him, his warmth seeping into you. 

Jon shook his head. “No. Mom’s asleep.” He closed his eyes. “Dick and Kori are asleep too, I think.” 

“I hope so. He’s going to kill me,” you muttered, shaking slightly. “Kori was going to tell him she’s pregnant tonight.” 

“What?!” Jon jumped away from you. 

You rolled your eyes. “Come on, Jon. You’re telling me you haven’t notice how Kori is sick every morning. She cried yesterday, because her ice cream started to melt.” 

The blush on Jon’s cheeks showed you he didn’t. “Well, no. I thought maybe it was that time of the month.” 

“Are you kidding me?!” You narrowed your eyes into your best impression of your father’s batglare. Jon paled. “I’m telling your mother you said that.” He stopped in his tracks. You kept walking, shaking your head in disgust.

“Wait, I’m sorry. Don’t tell my mom.” Jon ran to catch up to you as you reached the lobby. The desk attendant frowned at the two of you. You sensed they were judging you for coming in so late. “I’m not the detective you are.” 

You snorted. “I’m not really a detective. Dad and Tim are better at it.” You stopped at the elevator. The Kents’ room was on the second floor while yours was on the first. “Good night, Jon, and never assume that again.” 

“Yes, boss.” He saluted you, laughing in relief. You kissed the corner of his mouth before slipping away. “Good night, beautiful.” 

Your heart glowed, heading down the hall to your room. Slowly to a tiptoe, you unlocked the door and slipped inside. The room was dark, but enough light came through the window to reveal where you were going. 

You got undressed quickly and slipped on your pajamas. Just when you were about to crawl into your bed, Dick sat up and clicked on the light. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Dick hissed. He got to his feet and came over to you. You sighed, cursing how he was a light sleeper. At least Kori was still fast asleep. 

“Dick, come back to bed,” Kori moaned. You looked over to her only to see her naked breast. Your face burned, quickly looking away. 

“It’s three in the morning. I told you to be home by midnight.” Dick grabbed your shoulders, shaking you. “Lois told me they left you and Jon alone. What did you do?” 

You groaned. “No, no, no. We didn’t do anything. We were hungry, so we went to Denny’s.” Luckily, you and Jon settled on a story. “I would have called you, but I didn’t want to wake you up.” You pulled away from Dick. “I know tonight was a big deal for you and Kori, so I didn’t want to interfere.” 

Dick blinked, glancing at Kori. He blushed when he saw her bare breast. “So you knew this whole time?” His eyes shot back to you. 

“It was kinda obvious.” You climbed into bed, dismissing him. “Good night, Dick.” 

“This isn’t over,” Dick whispered with a sigh. He sat down on the edge of your bed. “You know that Kori being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to leave, right?” 

You hummed, keeping your back to him. Dick’s hand rubbed your side. 

“I love you. Nothing will ever change that.” Dick’s other hand ran through your hair. You closed your eyes, having a flash of your father doing the same thing. A hole pierced through your heart. “You’re still my kid, even if another kiddo is on the way.” 

“I know.” You suddenly felt better, even though your heart ached. 

“Good.” He kissed your temple. “But I still want you to call me if you’re going to be late like that.” 

“Okay.” You felt yourself drift off. Dick got to his feet and soon the light clicked off. Keeping the memory of Jon’s I love you in your head, you fell into a blissful sleep.

***

If you learned one lesson the next morning, it’s that you should have never listened to Jon. 

Dick, Kori, you, and the Kents were sitting down to breakfast in a restaurant somewhere in Disney World. Jon sat next to you, giving you looks that you could only describe as stressed. 

“You know what’s funny,” Lois began, a dangerous glint came to her eye. “I heard on the news this morning that two superheros stopped a car chase last night.” Your stomach dropped to your feet. That’s what Jon was trying to warn you about.

Dick and Kori shared a look. “That wasn’t you, was it?” Dick whispered rather loudly to Clark.

Clark cleared his throat. “No.” He eyed you carefully. “Do you know something about that, (Y/N)?” All the adults turned to look at you. You took a deep breath, playing it cool. Although, Jon was quickly losing his cool in the corner of your eye.

“No, we didn’t see anything when we went to Denny’s.” You took a sip of water. Dick’s face went blank, his month twitched in anger. Kori was close to tears, having to dry her eyes with a napkin. Oh dear. 

“Oh look at this.” Lois took out her phone. “I happen to have the clip the news showed.” She stuck it in your face. You could see a person with a body shape similar to Jon’s jumping in front of the car. Another figure quadruple somersaulted over the other and crashed through the windshield to kick out the driver. Damn, Dick would recognize that move. Anyone who knows anything would recognize that move. How could you be so dumb?

“It was me.” Jon had his honest face on. You kinda wanted to kill him. “I convinced (Y/N) to come out with me.” However, judging by the look Dick gave him, Dick might beat you to it. Jon pressed a hand to his chest. “Blame me, not them. (Y/N) was safe the whole time.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Jon, shut up.” 

Jon looked at you. The hurt little puppy dog look. “How about we talk about this after breakfast?” Clark suggested, ever the peacemaker. The waiter came over to take orders. You only ordered toast, your appetite gone. Jon tried to take your hand, but you pulled away from him. The only thing you felt was exhaustion.  

***

“What were you thinking?!” Dick screamed at you once you all got back to the hotel room. He shook your shoulders violently. “You have a price on your head! Someone is going to recognize that move and know you’re in the area!”  He stopped only because his phone rang. “It’s Tim. He’s probably already seen the footage.” Dick went out into the hallway to talk to him. 

You sat on your bed, staring blankly ahead. Jon was next to you, pale. He took your hand. Clark and Lois were talking among themselves while Kori sobbed away.

“So much for spring break fun, huh?” Jon teased halfheartedly. You didn’t react. Your body felt lifeless.

“Jon, we are disappointed in you,” Clark said. They came over to stand over Jon with frowns. “We told you that (Y/N) couldn’t be involved in hero life anymore. It could endanger their life.” 

“Who’s gonna notice that, Dad?” Jon squeezed your hand hard. “I mean a lot of people can flip like that.” 

You found yourself shaking your head. “No.” They looked to you. “That was a quadruple somersault. Only a few people in the world can do it. Dick can, so can I.”  You wish you could be proud like you were when you first mastered the quadruple somersault. No other Robin had besides Dick. Unfortunately, it felt like you weren’t allowed to be proud of anything. “Tim noticed. That’s why he’s calling Dick.” 

Lois laid a hand on your knee. You looked at her, surprised by the sympathy in her eyes. “I know it’s hard. You were trained to help the world in a way that most people don’t and now you aren’t allowed to do that anymore.” She paused, cut off by Kori’s sob. You saw Kori make a run to the bathroom which was followed by gagging sounds. Lois winced. “I know it hurts, but you need to know that everyone here wants to keep you safe, (Y/N). This isn’t punishment.” 

“Everyone says that, but it is punishment.” You looked back at her emotionless. The worried looks from Jon and Clark pounded into you, but you ignored them. Damian’s words fell out of your mouth. “I broke Father’s one rule. The one he held throughout his life and to make it worse, he died the night I broke that rule. I murdered Bane, and by default, what my father stood for.” 

Silence filled the room. You looked away from Lois to see Dick standing in the doorway. His jaw dropped open. “Did Damian tell you that?” he whispered. The blood drained from his face. All the anger from before was gone.

You blinked, dumbfounded by his reaction. Of course, you knew Dick didn’t agree with the others, but he knew what they thought. Why was he so shocked? “What do you think?” you said. A familiar headache blossomed in your temple. You were getting sick again, and you weren’t sure you could push it away this time.

The smell of smoke and rotting fish consumed your nose. Your hands shook. “No, no you don’t. Don’t go there.” Suddenly, Dick’s hands cupped your face, looking you in the eye. “Honey, stay with us. I know it seems bad right now, but it’s not your fault. Remember what your father’s letter said, it’s not your fault.” The sickening crack echoed in your ears along with a scream that sounded like your own. “(Y/N). Don’t make me do this.” 

Slap

Your cheek stun. The smell and the sound disappeared in an instant. “Ouch.” You touched your cheek, knowing there was an imprint of Dick’s hand.

Dick sighed in relief. “Did you just hit them?” Jon pushed Dick away from you, hovering protectively in front of you. Dick fell onto the other bed. “How dare you?!”

“Jon,” Clark warned, stepping in front of Dick. “Calm down.” 

“You don’t hit them. Everyone hurts them, but not anymore. I won’t let it.” Jon reached back to take your hand. You held his, trembling. 

Kori came back into the room. She saw the situation and you knew what was coming. Letting go of Jon’s hand, you grabbed Lois and pulled her and yourself over the bed. You both crashed onto the floor on the other side just to hear a star bolt hit Jon in the chest. 

“Thank you,” Lois said, getting to her feet. She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Everyone froze. “Calm down. Let’s focus on the main issue here.” She helped you up. Jon was rubbing his chest. The star bolt left a smoky hole in his shirt. Clark and Kori were standing off again. Dick sat with his face in his hands.

“Right.” Dick pushed himself to his feet, looking older than his years. “The issue is that (Y/N) exposed themselves to assassins that will come for the price on Robin’s head.” He took out his phone. “Luckily, the footage is from Jacksonville, so they won’t be looking for Robin here or at home.” 

“That’s a relief,” Kori said, breaking her stand off with Superman to come over to you. She hugged you tightly. “You scared me, baby.” You melted into her arms.

“However, you went against our rules, broke our trust,” Lois added, judging Jon seriously. Jon grimaced. 

Clark relaxed and went over to check Jon’s chest. “What were you thinking, Dick? We’ll follow your lead on this.”

Dick exhaled slowly. He regarded you with exhausted eyes. “No more unsupervised dates.” Jon started to protest, but a look from Clark shut him up. “No more leaving the house without someone with you. You go to school and you come home. That’s it. Nothing else.”

He stopped, waiting for you to speak. “Fine.” Your cheek throbbed from the slap. Jon’s eyes met yours, still hopeful. Somehow, that look made you love him even more.

***

A month later on a Saturday, Jon’s head was in your lap as you both lounged on the couch. Kori was banging things around in the kitchen, attempting to deep clean the fridge.

“I still can’t believe how many movies you haven’t seen.” Jon wrinkled his nose when you tapped it.

“Well, I didn’t have time to watch movies until now.” You glanced back at the TV and started to search through Netflix again. “What do you want to watch?” 

“Indiana Jones.” Jon smirked at you. You tapped his nose again. “I can’t believe I made you go see the stunt show before seeing any of the movies.” 

You rolled your eyes. “It’s fine. I don’t remember that much anyway.” Your relationship with Jon suffered for the first week, but soon you were back to the way you were before. Jon sat up to kiss your lips. You sighed, enjoying how soft his lips were on yours. 

The doorbell rang. “(Y/N), can you get that? I can’t get up,” Kori called. Both you and Jon sighed at the same time. He moved so you could stand up. 

“I got it.” You shuffled to the door and checked the new peephole Dick installed. The sight of a worn, brown leather jacket made your heart skip a beat. You opened the door to see Jason Todd on your doorstep with a duffel over his shoulder. 

“Hey, (Y/N). Long time no see.” 

***

Part Eight will be coming soon!