#-but realized i forgot my plushie. i ran back into the building and i ended up not escaping. i wasnt willing to go on without her

[askcometcare]

OOC: Can you explain what objectum means/is please? I’m genuinely curious and I’ve never heard of it outside of your blogs.

OOC: Objectum is being attracted to objects in the way you would be attracted to a human. It's just an orientation, can be romantic or sexual or both just like any other orientation. :] Your "partner" is called a beloved object, some people have several and some just have 1. I am objectum myself actually

[peppersteakss]

(hello i come with a little dsmp christmas oneshot, enjoy)

“tommy!! wake up!!”

the raspy whisper coming from ghostbur caused tommy to slowly open his eyes, only half awake from his slumber. the first thing he noticed other than the obvious ghostbur standing over him was how cold his room had gotten overnight, despite the fire from the torches.

“ghostbur,” he spoke in a groggy tone, “what are you doing here? what time is it?”

“it’s about dawn - and i wanted to spend the holiday with my brothers, of course!” ghostburs tone was cheery as usual as he stared down at tommy.

“the holiday?” tommy sat up, even more confused as he rubbed his eyes awake.

“tommy, have you forgotten? i’ve reminded you everyday for the past week, it’s christmas! i even got you a gift!” tommy sat with no reaction as ghostbur held out some blue for his brother.

“sorry i didn’t get you anything, ghostbur. i forgot,” tommy lied. he hadn’t forgotten - he wanted to, though. it was the first christmas he’d be spending without his whole family and his best friend (which is not a a reality any teenager would want). he figured there was no point in celebrating christmas, at least for this year.

“that’s alright - it’s not the gifts that matter most, what matters most is that we get to spend christmas together! techno, you, and i! just like the old days!!” ghostburs tone was always one that lifted spirits, and today would be no exception. and although tommy still felt uneasy about the day, he climbed his latter with a little more pep in his step.

tommy noticed the sun was still coming up when he reached ground level, but the lack of natural light didn’t stop his vision from seeing white flurries flying about. sure, it was always snowy, but he’d never actual seen it snowing out in the arctic. that explains why his room was so cold, and just at the thought of his room and the snowflakes falling outside - he started to shiver. arms shaking, teeth chattering, clutching tightly onto the blue that ghostbur had just given him.

ghostbur then gasped. “i’d almost forgotten!” he quickly pushed open the door and ran out of the house and was back in a few seconds, holding a small wrapped box. tommy stared at it with confusion as ghostbur extended it towards him. “go on, take it! it’s for you! i give you blue all the time, so i got you something else as well!”

tommy felt a tinge of guilt as he took yet another gift from ghostbur, he’d have to think of something to give to him by the end of the day. he held his breath as he opened the box, expecting more blue despite the specters words.

“it matches your hair, and the walls of your room!” ghostbur spoke, as tommy pulled out a yellow bandana. it was soft and clean, unlike the green one he wore around his neck. “i also added some yellow patches and thread if you wanted to fix up the green one!”

tommy looked up, wide eyed, not knowing what to say. he stammered a bit, his arms open - ghostbur took this as an opportunity to hug his brother. tommy flinched, hesitant at first - not only was ghostbur ice cold to the touch, he just wasn’t used to human touch anymore - but eventually, he hugged back. he closed his eyes and rested his head on ghostburs shoulder, it almost felt like when they were kids. he managed to mumble a simple ‘thank you.’

tommy flinched only slightly when he heard the latter behind him creek, turning only a little as not to let go of ghostbur. “techno! merry christmas!!”

ghostbur pulled away from tommy, going back outside to retrieve something - at least that was tommy’s guess. he turned and saw techno at one of his chests, pulling out a few wrapped boxes of his own.

‘please let those all be for ghostbur and phil,’ tommy thought, feeling guilt build up inside him yet again.

ghostbur came back and slammed the door shut behind him, another box in hand - much smaller than the one he gave to tommy. it was wrapped in blue, with a pink bow (not christmasy, but very much techno).

techno saw ghostbur and ended up only pulling one box from the chest, wrapped in yellow. the twins quickly exchanged their gifts, ghostbur waiting while techno opened his gift.

“it matches your new everything!” inside the small box was a dangly earring with a snowflake at the end. techno smiled in content as he put it on, now waiting for ghostbur to open his gift.

ghostburs smile widened as he made a squeak of joy, pulling out a small blue sheep plushie. “friend!” techno let out a chuckle as he walked back to the chest, grabbing two larger boxes - one wrapping in green and the other wrapped in red - and walking to tommy, who’s guilt had only built up as techno got closer.

“phil would’ve wanted to give this to you himself, but...” techno paused for only a moment, “he’s obviously not here. he’d want you to have it, anyways.” and with that, techno handed tommy the box wrapped in green.

tommy hesitantly grabbed the box, carefully unwrapping it as if he were on the lookout for some sort of prank or sick joke. he opened the box, revealing the contents inside to be a blue mantle and boots - similar to the ones both techno and phil donned.

“he had a hunch you’d be here at some point,” techno said, as tommy stared in awe at the contents. “you’re also have nothin’ to keep you warm out here, so that’s that. and if for some reason you don’t like the blue,” techno then handed tommy the red box, “there’s this - this ones from me.”

tommy was less hesitant now as he grabbed the red box, unwrapping and opening it to reveal technos red mantle.

tommy felt overwhelmed as he looked techno in the eyes. “techno, you didn’t-“

“i don’t need it anymore. and i’d rather give it to someone who might use it than to just let it collect dust or throw it away. besides that point, gettin’ frostbite or hypothermia isn’t ideal at the moment - look at you, you’re shiverin’ right now,” techno said, as he grabbed the blue mantle and quickly wrapped it around tommy.

now overwhelmed with the weight of the mantle on his shoulders, tommy looked at techno with guilt in his eyes. “i didn’t even get you anything.”

“so what? i don’t care,” techno said, quite nonchalantly. “just don’t take my gapples and we can call this even.”

the guilt left tommy’s eyes, and he began to chuckle. the chuckle turned into a giggle, and the giggle turned to a hardy laugh mixed with choked sobs - he grasped tightly onto all of his gifts, and mentally he held onto the feeling he felt right then and there, happiness. pure, unfiltered, and utter happiness.

“h-here i was, thinking that this year just wouldn’t be the same - and t-truth be told, it i-isn’t - but,” tommy let out another laughing sob, “i thought it’d be way worse.”

“why’s that?” techno asked.

“well, for s-starters - wilbur is a ghost. then i lost my best friend, something happened with d-dream, and now p-phil’s stuck in l’manberg. on an o-outside perspective, that sounds p-pretty shit t-to me.”

tommy let out a squeak as he received his second hug of the day - this time from techno. he didn’t move and inch, his eyes wide, his crying coming to a halt.

“none of that matters right now. we’re gonna get things back to how they were, we’ve discussed this. but it’s christmas - don’t worry so much. today is the only day i can say with full confidence that nothing bad will happen, nothing will go wrong.” techno said, his voice stern yet still comforting to his younger brother. and after a moment, tommy clung to him - sobbing and wailing. he hadn’t had a proper cry like this since... since... he can’t even remember.

for a while, tommy and techno just stayed like that, and tommy realized that this was the first time techno had ever really hugged him - despite being brothers. but it was nice, his embrace was similar to that of their fathers. and after another while, ghostbur joined in.

and so the brothers sat, hugging on christmas day.

[nightshade-minho]

-Blue Book- (3)

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: Chan being an ass.

Over the next two days, Chan found himself spending nearly all of his time with you. You had warmed up to him a lot, but was still a little cautious. He had to build up trust...somehow.

Spending time with you was excruciatingly boring. All you seemed to do was draw, and sitting next to you while you did was getting tiring.

However, whenever he would come close to giving up, something would happen to put him right back on track- whether it was Miyoung smiling at him from across the hallway, tucking her hair behind her ear like she always did...or Minho, shamelessly asking her out for a fucking date. Right in front of his salad.

No, literally.

He watched in horror as Minho chuckled, speaking to her on the phone in that raspy voice of his that was the fakest shit Chan had ever heard.

"Yeah, okay, babe. Bye~" Minho cooed, cutting the call and putting his phone down, resuming his meal as he dug into his chicken nonchalantly.

"Babe?" Changbin asked, smirking from the opposite end of the table.

"Hmm, yeah. Got a problem with that?" Minho asked, seemingly replying to Changbin but staring right at Chan as he said it.

"No." Chan lied, voice a little shaky.

"Oh, but don't embarrass him like this, Minho. He's only been wanting to ask her out for like, two years...yet you did it in five minutes." Hyunjin said, laughing.

Chan's grip on his fork tightened. He prided himself in being a patient person, more or less...yet these two definitely had the potential to turn him into a cold-blooded murderer.

"Where are you taking her?" Jisung asked, mouth full.

"To the carnival, tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to win her one of those giant plushies. I've always been good at those games."

"How romantic~" Jisung smiled. "You know we'll be there too though, right?"

"Uh huh." Minho grinned at Chan. "Don't worry! I won't leave my best friends for a girl. We'll be right there with you, the whole time."

"Sounds great. Don't know if Chan will like that idea, though..."

Minho tilted his head, tutting.

"Channiee~ you know I'll back off if you get the book, right?"

That was it. Chan stood up, spoon and fork clattering onto his plate as he left the table, fuming. His stomach growled with hunger as he pushed open the café door, walking out onto the street with his bag slung over his shoulder.

He'd just have his dinner at home.

***

"Wow. You really pissed him off." Jeongin noted.

Minho rolled his eyes, stabbing his chicken with the fork. "I swear, he has such bland taste in girls. Miyoung is the most brainless creature I've ever met."

"Why would you put up with that, then? And why do you seem so intent on irritating him lately?" Felix asked, frowning.

"I'm not really putting up with anything. She's hot, and she has a smoking body. Brains don't matter when you look like that."

"You know Chan likes Miyoung for more than her appearance. Although I can't, for the life of me, imagine what that might be..."

"Whatever."

"You didn't answer my question."

Minho sighed, raising an eyebrow at Felix.

"I just don't like the way he's been lording over us all lately. He acts like he's our 'leader' or something. I feel like I can barely breathe around him- at least this gets him out of the way."

"See? It's a battle of the alphas, after all." Jisung guffawed, high-fiving Hyunjin.

"So this is all just some power struggle?" Felix asked, disbelief lacing his tone. "Why the fuck did you drag an innocent girl into it, then? She has nothing to do with any of it-"

"Eh, she just gets on my nerves. Two birds with one stone." He shrugged.

Felix shook his head. "You're an asshole."

He smirked. "I know."

***

Chan knew exactly where to find you.

True to form, you were on the same park bench as always, legs crossed as you listened to music with your eyes closed.

"Hey..."

You opened one eye slightly as you realized who it was. Taking the earbuds out, you smiled.

"Oh hey...I didn't expect to see you again until tomorrow morning."

"Yeah well, I kinda knew you would be here."

You patted the spot next to you, and Chan hesitantly sat down.

"Where's your book? You're not drawing?"

"It's too dark for that." You pointed out, a lopsided smile gracing your face.

"Why are you here then?"

"My mom and her date went to this fancy restaurant." You explained. "And I didn't want to be all alone at home, so I just came out here."

"Ah. This place is just as pretty at night..."

"Mmhmm."

Chan sighed as he watched you play with your hair. It was kind of cute, how you tried to mask your nervousness by occupying your hands with meaningless actions.

"So what will you be having for dinner, then?"

"Probably ramen out of a packet. I hope we still have some left..."

Chan pressed his lips together. "Would you...um, would you like to come join me for dinner? At my house?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Oh..." You blushed, looking down. "I mean, yeah, sure-"

"Great!" You looked up, the smile on Chan's face so kind that you almost teared up.

God, Y/n, get yourself together...

You had no idea why he was being so nice to you at first, and had been wary initially...but the last few days had changed that. He seemed to enjoy spending time with you, and that was somewhat of a novelty- a person showing interest in you, that is.

Chan grinned at you, grabbing your wrist as he pulled you up. "Let's go!~"

***

"This is my room."

You gasped. "Wow, it's so big!"

"Yeah." He chuckled. "It used to be a gym, I think...but my parents let me change it up."

"That's so cool." You went over to the posterboard, smiling as your eyes ran over all the polaroids and memorabilia Chan had collected over the years.

"My room isn't as personalized as yours...but this makes me want to give it a makeover." You smiled, going over to the window and marvelling at the size of it.

"Wow...you must get a lot of sunlight in the mornings..." You said in awe, pressing your nose up against the glass as you looked down.

"I do." He said, mind blank as he watched you fangirl over his room. You were so overly enthusiastic about everything...he wished he could be the same.

You turned around, that wide smile ever-present on your face. As you opened your mouth to say something else, you were interrupted by the sound of your stomach growling.

"Ah, I almost forgot. I brought you here to feed you." He winked, opening his door as he stepped back out.

"Come on, we can visit my bedroom some other time~" Your cheeks heated up at his words as he went back downstairs.

"Wait for me!" You followed him quickly as he made his way to the dinner table.

"Where are your parents?" You asked as you sat at the table.

"They're on a business trip, princess, and my siblings are at their friends'. So...we have the house all to ourselves." He winked again, and you quickly looked back down at your empty plate.

You thanked the maid as she served the food. It was pasta, and your stomach growled again as soon as you laid eyes on it.

"Wow, you're hungry, huh? Sounds like there's a baby bear living in your stomach~" He teased. You giggled, shaking your head as you took a bite.

"Oh wow, it's delicious."

"It better be, my parents don't pay her for nothing." He said, starting to eat.

There was silence for a while as the two of you filled your empty stomachs...but somehow, it wasn't awkward. Chan looked up at you from time to time, chuckling at how fast you ate.

"Slow down, babygirl."

Your eyes widened as you looked up at him. That pet name, fuck.

Chan raised an eyebrow, picking up on how affected you were by it.

"Hmm, you like that name?"

You shook your head vehemently, going back to your meal- but your cheeks never stopped burning.

He hadn't expected to see you so flustered, when he'd literally just called you a name.

Wrapped around his finger, indeed.

***

"It feels weird hanging out without Chan." Jeongin sighed, adjusting the pillow under his chin as he lay on the mattress in Felix's basement, watching as Changbin and Jisung faced off in Call of Duty.

"Yeah? I feel like it's better. I don't feel like I have to walk on eggshells." Hyunjin shrugged, prompting Minho to smile widely.

"See? He gets it."

"I don't know, Chan being here sure keeps these guys in line." Seungmin flicked his thumb towards Changbin and Jisung (the two of them mock-wrestling as the latter suspected that the former had cheated), not looking up from his book.

Changbin looked up from the headlock Jisung had him in.

"Oh shut up. Guys, I don't really understand why we pick on some random girl in school when we have our very own nerd right here." He sneered.

"There's a difference between being a nerd and having brains...something which you clearly don't know much about. I'll cut you some slack." Seungmin smirked.

"For fuck's sake, stop fighting." Jisung said as he poked Changbin's side, squeezing harder.

"Oh, the irony." Jeongin groaned, rubbing his forehead as he watched the two roll around on the floor.

Felix sighed as he buried his head in his hands, too tired to follow the conversation anymore.

What had happened to them?

***

"You should come over again."

"Yeah...I will. Some other time. My mom's expecting me, unfortunately." You said apologetically.

"At least let me walk you home?"

You paused, smiling slowly. "Alright."

The two of you walked side by side, the cool night breeze ruffling your hair.

"What are your hobbies?" You asked after some minutes of silence, curiously.

"Well. I like swimming, and also football." He paused, wondering if he should tell you more or not.

"I...I also like making music."

"Woah. That's amazing. Next time, you should show me some of your songs."

"Uh, yeah, sure. Some of them are kinda private, though..."

"That's okay. You only need to show me what you're comfortable with letting me hear." You said.

Chan smiled softly, nodding. For a second, it crossed his mind how you were willing to respect his privacy...and yet here he was, trying to violate yours by attempting to steal something that was clearly precious to you.

Miyoung. Think of Miyoung, He reminded himself.

You suddenly stopped, turning to him with a grin.

"We're here. Thanks for walking me home!"

"No problem..."

"See you later~" You waved as you walked backwards, turning around to open the gate.

"Wait-"

"Hm?" You twisted your neck to look at him questioningly.

"Uh...I was wondering, would you want to come with me to the carnival tomorrow? It'll be fun-"

"Yes! Sure!" You said, a little too eagerly.

"Great. It's a date."

"D-date?"

"Yeah." He smirked. "See you then, babygirl."

With that, he walked away, the image of your flustered face in his mind.

Miyoung would be his in no time.

[anjuschiffer]

Amira Wayne - Chapter 4

I’m running out of pre-written chapters :’D

Day 4 of @biodad-bruce-month event!

Chapter 4: Habits

-

P.Tag: @theatreandcomicfreak @damianette-is-life @toodaloo-kangaroo @elijahcrevan

Tag: @vixen-uchiha @we-want-mini-mini @ramos123 @bluesimani

-

MASTERLIST | FIRST | PREV | AO3

-

School wasn’t the same without Jason around.

The ride to school was silent, the rain falling that morning didn’t help. If anything, it only made Amira feel colder. 

Walking the halls without him by his side was torture, Amira missing his banter over the latest book he was reading. Their banter of the pronunciation of a word they were learning in spanish class. How did she ever deal with the solitude and whispers behind her back when she used to be by herself?

Gym class was terrifying, Amira finding herself leaning against the wall as everyone else got into groups to play dodgeball. Some groups avoided her gaze while some looked at her and sneered. That’s right. Amira only played with Jason since he never held back simply because she was a girl. He was the only one who treated her as an equal. He was the only one who was willing to pair with her, no one else never daring to approach them.

All her other classes seemed to go the same way, finding herself alone and in a corner of the room or isolated from the groups formed during science.

Lunch was something she never knew she would dread. It felt like everyone watched her every move. That she was judged with each step she took. No longer being able to bear the torture, Amira ran to the school library, ignoring the looks she got as she ran there.

Slumping into a lone cubicle on the second floor of the library, Amira looked around. There was no one else there, only a librarian at the front desk. 

She took out her workbook, deciding to do something with her uneasy mind. And if anything, she could stay here until the school day ended. Father would understand.

She didn’t know how long she had been there, how engrossed she was with her work until she got a tap on the shoulder. Amira quickly grabbed the hand, bending a finger back. 

“A..mira, it’s me. Dick.” She quickly let go, averting her gaze from him.

“Dick? How did you find me?” Amira asked, dumping her things into her bag. “And sorry.”

“It’s alright. And the dismissal bell rang half an hour ago. As to how I found you, a classmate of yours saw you run out of the school lunchroom. Said I might find you here.” Dick explained, soothing his finger.

Richard watched as Amira averted her gaze, Richard noticing her digging her nails into her palm. “Amira, you alright?” When she didn’t respond, he sighed. “Sorry, that was stupid of me to ask.” 

He didn’t expect Amira to hold his hand, her grasp tight.

“He’s gone forever, isn’t he?” Richard heard her voice crack, watching a tear slip down her face. “He won’t ever come back, right?”

Dick quickly brought her closer to him, letting her cry into his uniform. He stood there quietly, patting her head as she continued to cry. “Don’t leave me alone either Richard! Don’t leave me! Don’t go!”

“I will try, Amira. I will try.”

-

When Amira asked Dick to never leave her, she didn’t mean this.

During the evening, Dick would help Amira with her homework or if he was in a patrol, he would talk to her through the comms.

During the short weekend, he would take her out to go shopping, of course, with Alfred accompanying them.

Then came the school week.

That Monday morning, Dick patted her head before the two headed to their respective classrooms, some of the girls in her class asking how she knew him. Turns out that despite the clear age gap (and being in different buildings), some of her classmates were captivated by his charm.

What did Jason call it? Charisma? She forgot.

During lunch, Dick barged into the lunchroom and found her, dragging her to his classroom where he would introduce her to his friends, as in, his entire class.

“This is Marinette! She’s a very close friend of mine! Practically my sister from other parents!” Dick said with a grin, ruffling Amira’s hair as he did so.

The girls in his class cooed, buttering Amira in hopes of gaining her brother’s favor.

“Guys, leave the poor girl alone. She needs her space.” A girl sitting away from the group said, Amira looking to see who it was. She didn’t realize she was staring until the girl beckoned her to come closer. “Hi, name’s Barbara Gordon. What’s yours?”

“Marinette.” Amira said. “Marinette Dupain. I’m part of the middle school wing, grade 7.” 

“Dupain? Like the bakery-”

“Yes!” Amira said, quickly rambling about the bakery, not noticing how Dick smiled as he watched her lighten up.

Maybe he should bring her over more often.

-

The next few days were definitely different for Amira.

Out of school, Amira would be joining Dick at the Cave, learning a few basic gymnast skills. Learning flips and other tricks were exhilarating, Amira absorbing the new skills easily. 

Sometimes, some of Dick’s friends would join in, Amira quickly taking a liking to Wally out of three of them, no offense to Garth and Vic. Perhaps because Wally was the one who made sure to make her feel included that caused Amira to grow a soft spot for him. Whenever he would come over, Amira always made sure to have cookies ready for him.

She enjoyed the smile that would radiate off him, Amira always looking forward towards his next visit.

At school, Amira would go over to Dick’s classroom to talk with Babs during lunch. 

(That was Amira’s name for her, although she didn’t dare to call Barbara by that nickname. They weren’t exactly close friends...yet.) 

She adored talking to Babs about the latest pastry or about Babs’ father’s latest case. (Amira found it hilarious that their dads respected each other both in and out of work.)

It’s been a solid month since she began merging into this new routine, Amira practically skipping as she made her way to see Babs. Just as she was about to make her way inside, she was quickly pulled back, Amira now face to face with a kid...her age? But one thing was for certain, she had seen him before...but where? Surely she would remember a kid that carried a portable camera-

Timothy Jackson Drake. The Drakes only son...only child.

The only reason she remembered him was due to the newspaper she found on the dining table her father left behind that morning. Something about his mother was the headline of the paper.

“You’re Marinette, right?” He asked her, Amira wondering what he wanted with her. This was the first time both children ever spoke to each other.

“I am. Do I-”

“Name’s Tim -Tim Drake- from the elementary wing, grade 5. Anyways, I’ve been wanting to ask you something. Where’s Jason?” He asked, Amira feeling her heart drop. “I’ve noticed that-”

Amira knew that the boy kept talking about something, but she didn’t know what exactly. 

Jason’s name just kept echoing within her head, Amira’s head replaying the past month in her mind.

How did she forget about Jason? Why did she forget about Jason? How dare she forget him?!

“-Mimi! Mimi, please, listen to me!” Amira registered a voice, a voice she always heard. “Amira, please, talk to me!” It was big brother.

Amira looked at Dick, his eyes wide with panic, Amira registering the tears that dared to slip from him.

Without another word, Amira hugged him, her grasp on his school jacket tightening as her mind slipped back to Jason.

“I didn’t mean to forget him! I didn’t mean to! I swear!” Amira sobbed, hating that she was breaking down at school, hating that everyone saw her at her most vulnerable point. Hating herself for forgetting Jason. “He probably hates me for forgetting about him. He hates me…”

“It’s alright Amira. It’s alright.” She heard Dick whisper to her, watching as the two left the school grounds. “He would never hate you Amira. He loved you too much to ever gate you.” Dick reassured. 

That was the last time Amira ever saw Gotham Academy.

-

Ever since Amira broke down at school, she remained cooped up in her room, not letting anyone enter it, not even Alfred.

Dick had tried to coax her to come out by telling her that Wally had come over to talk to her, but Amira didn’t budge from her room. 

Not until Bruce asked her to come to his study to talk.

“Did you want to speak to me, Father?” Amira asked, closing the door behind her. 

She knew why she was there. She knew why her father called her to his study. 

After all, it wasn’t that easy to create a cover story of why Dick and Amira came home while school was still in session. It was especially hard when the school called Bruce, asking about the whereabouts of the two of them.

“Amira. Take a seat.” Bruce said as he motioned to the open space in front of him. It’s been a while since she had been at her father's study, noticing the new window seats. They weren’t there the last time she stepped foot into his study. Then again, the last time she did was when…

Now that she thought about it, Amira couldn’t help but look at her father.

Despite the dim lightning of the study, Amira could easily see the worn out features on her father. His eyes were shrouded in darkness, circles deeper than ever, the bags under his eyes darker than before. 

The corners of his eyes were red and tired, her father’s lips now forever in a frown. 

How could she forget? How stupid was she to think that she was the only one suffering when clearly, her father was too? What about Dick then? Was he also-? And Alfred...

Amira shook the thought from her mind, deciding to pile up the cushions into a corner and taking a seat, letting her back lightly touch the pile. It was only then that she noticed her old Batman plushie.

“I thought...I thought this was thrown out.” Amira said, picking up the old thing, the colors faded, Amira running her fingers over the stitched up arm.

“It was, until I asked Alfred if I could keep it.” Bruce said, letting a sigh leave him. “Sometimes, it's hard to let go of the past.” Amira remained silent, letting her head hang. So this is why he called her to his study. 

Amira listened as her father drifted to his memories of when he ventured the world. Of how he met her mother. (That was the first time he actually talked about her to Amira. Sure, he would mention her mother’s small quirks, but Father never told her stories about her.) Of how he met Amira...as an infant. 

How Bruce kept making mistake after mistake, wanting to give up various times as he found himself lost. How he thought he wasn’t enough to help raise Amira, that he wasn’t fit for the job. 

How he found his efforts finally being rewarded in the shape of Amira growing into the girl she was now. For Dick finally being able to flourish despite his parents’ death. How Jason was able to have a better life once Bruce took him in.

“Where did I go wrong?” Bruce asked, looking out the window. “What did I do that caused-“

“You did nothing wrong.” Amira reassured. “You did nothing wrong Dad. If anything, you always did your best to make sure we were fed, clothed...safe. We couldn’t have asked for a better father.”

Amira sat there in silence for what seemed like minutes before Bruce looked at her. 

“But clearly, that wasn’t enough.” Bruce said, getting up from his seat. “I’m sending you to Paris.”

NEXT

[el-dibidibidorado1]

Baby's lollipops

Steve Rogers x Reader

AN: This fic started off because of a Gif from a show that I watched. Plus I've been missing the nomad Steve look for a while so, Ta-da! I hope you enjoy this and chapter 2 will be up in the next few days (maybe)

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

It happened all because I had a lunch date with a friend at a known coffee shop. The coffee there was amazingly delicious that I couldn't say no to her. We talked and talked while finishing our meal and iced coffee, when she told me that I was being stared at.

"Girl, he is totally checking you out." Ophelia said and I still didn't believe her. I was a closed book, with a huge lock in the front when it came to new people mostly men. I've had some jokes thrown at me that it made me feel like a relationship wasn't important.

I mimicked her until I felt a breeze behind me making me stop.

"Hi-i" looking up I'm found with a good looking fella who had longish hair and a nice beard. He looked kinda familiar, oh right he is Bucky best friend. The other soldier.

"Hey" Ophelia said and I just waved. He looked at Ophelia then back at me. It made the air uncomfortable until I looked at my phone and noticed the time realizing that my lunch break was over in a couple of minutes.

"Fuck" I mumbled and gathered my things.

"Your leaving" she asked.

"Yes, I got to get back at the shop. I'll see you later." I took my jacket and looked at the man still standing there.

"Um, uh, nice to meet you I guess, I'm y/n" I stuck my hand out for a handshake.

"I'm Steve" he shook my hand then I practically ran out.

"So what are you going to do?" I sat in y/n place and scratched my chin.

"I don't know? She is really beautiful " I mumbled while massaging my hand. Her hand was incredibly soft and warm just like her eyes.

"Well, here is the address to the shop she works in." She gave me a torn paper with the address printed on it. I gave her a nod and looked at the paper wondering if I should go and see her, visit her, I don't know. Ophelia began picking through her wallet and took out a couple of bills and payed.

"Look, Steve, if you go I don't want you to think that she is a....." she did some hand motion making me get confused.

"She works there because she had a hard time moving here and it was the only job she found, okay?" What does she mean? She left me with the piece of paper in my hands.

Ever since she brought y/n to one of Tony's parties I've had her stuck in my head. Her laugh, voice, warmth and well now her softness, had left me wanting to know more and more. Which is a first in quite some time, ever since Sharron I've haven't been in a relationship. So I asked Ophelia for help and she jumped all over the walls with this.

After a few hours of debate I decide to get some sweets and the coffee she liked. I'm not a stalker! I just texted Ophelia for it.

I asked for some directions and ended up with people who gave me weird stares and some flirty comments.

"Ye man just turn the corner and the store is there. Baby Lollipops. You'll find some neat shit there" I asked a few couple of teens and confusedly followed his instructions.

What the hell what is it with this store? I turned the right corner and my eyes went wide making me drop the coffee. The bright pink and purple of the sign and the half naked posters dawned on me that this was an adult store. I took out my phone and called Bucky who is also a friend of Y/n.

"Hello" I could tell he just woke up due to his groggy voice.

"I'm at Baby Lollipop" he stayed quiet making me get annoyed.

"She works at a sex shop! Why didn't you tell me!" His laughter made me facepalm myself. Now I understand why Ophelia said that.

"Steve, relax. Its just a job, she needed money so that's was the only job that was open for her. Just go-"

"Pickmeup" I quickly said.

"Hell no" he replied chuckling.

"Bucky please pick me up" now he was full blown laughing.

"Man up, Steve, you are Captain America!"

"Bye. Thanks for letting me go home early." I heard her as she came out of the store and quickly hid while having Bucky give me a speech.

I closed my eyes and waited until I felt that she was gone, then I just hug up my phone and ran back to the stark building.

"Bucky! Why didn't you tell me that sh-" I was in a mid of a rage when i found y/n having dinner with the team.

I noticed a couple of winks and smirks thrown at me while standing there.

"Come and eat Steve" Nat said.

Throughout the night I avoided her until Bucky brought her towards me. I mentally cursed this man.

"Hey Steve, you alright man?" Bucky asked hitting my shoulder with a smirk on his annoying face.

"Yep" I said chugging my drink and asked Nat for another.

"Hey Steve" she pointed at me while putting down her drink.

I just nodded and saw Bucky slowly walk away.

"Sorry that I had to leave like that, my lunch was over and I had to rush back" she smiled making my heart flutter.

"N-no it's ok." I awkwardly smiled back making her chuckle.

"You okay? You look like if you have a fever or something" she asked at the same time her small hand came up and gently touched my cheek making my face burn and heart skyrocketed. Her fugure was small and plushy perfect for cuddling.

"Y-eah I'm fine." She got her drink and motioned me to follow her and I did. I felt like a lost puppy and i didn't even noticed where she had taken me.

Soon as the cold breeze hit my face I sighed in relief, I never noticed how hot it had gotten in there.

"Better?" She chuckled and sat on one of the love seats that Tony has in the balcony.

"Yeah" I said while taking a seat next to her.

My nose picked up the light sent of cool cucumber that she used and it was incredibly intoxicating.

"I kinda wanted to get you out here alone..." she mumbled playing with the ice from her cup. My heart skipped again and I didn't know to be excited or terrified.

"What? Why?" She laughed and turned her body towards me.

"Its not everyday I see a 6'2 super soldier run away from the sex shop. Also have a mild heart attack when he found out that I work there. " My jaw dropped making her laugh loudly. I enjoyed her laughter but I was still in shock.

"Relax Steve" she said after laughing she put he hand against my knee.

"H-how?" I asked. And she understood what I tried to ask.

"Bucky told me that you called him." She picked up an ice cube and ate it. My eyes just locked on her colored lips.

"Steve" she quietly said snapping me out of my trance.

"Yes?" Her eyes saddened making my heart pang.

"Do you really like me?" How? How does she know?! Ho-Bucky!

"Yes."I whisper.

She looked at her feet making me do the same.

-----------

Soon as he said yes, the memory of old flames crossed my mind. The name calling, loss of touch because of my soft figure.

There is a way I could test this out? My old flames hated when I grabbed their hand or just sat close to them.

I turned and looked at his scarred hand on his lap.

I scooted closer until our knees nearly touched and shakenly placed my hand on top of his. His hand was huge compared to mine. After a few seconds he removed his hand, I sighed.

I felt my eyes water until I felt his hand on my waist bringing me closer to his side.

He proved my thoughts wrong.

I felt his stare making me stare up at him. His cool gray orbs made my body shiver.

He smiled and broke his stare and went back to admire the city view. My eyes swelled at his appearance, longish hair, sharp bearded jaw, pink lips and the best eyelashes that I have ever seen.

"Y/n?" He said snapping me out of my trance.

"Yes" I slowly said still getting hypnotized by him.

"Wanna go for some coffee or something.....we kinda have a audience inside." I quickly turn and see the whole bunch of avengers and Ophelia just sitting there staring at us.

I mumble and give them the finger earning a couple of shocked faces and laughter. He took his hand on mine and pulled me up leading me back inside.

"We are leaving!" Steve yelled while getting our coats and dragging me into the elevator.

We barely missed the teasing and childish comments as the doors closed leaving us with a smile in our face.

Soon as the doors opened we ran towards my car.

"That was something" I said closing my door. He chuckled then we stood there in silence again.

"So." I cut the silence making him look at me.

"What does this mean?" I motioned us in the car and the fact that he had his hand on mine!

"What do you want it to mean." That took me by surprise.

I just sighed and chuckled while starting the car and began driving.

"Strawberry swirl for the lady and rocky road for the lad"

We ate and talked about anything and almost everything.

"Its past my bed time" I say looking at the time on my phone. It was one in the morning and I completely forgot about me opening the shop tomorrow.

"Let me walk you to your car" I stopped making him stop. Well this is a first.

"Its late and I don't want you to be by yourself. Weirdos are out there." I nodded and turned around.

"I get to have a few more blocks with you" he said and smoothly took a hold of my hand. I stayed quiet and enjoyed his giant warm hand holding mine.

"Can I ask you somethin?" I asked.

"Sure" he brought me closer as a stranger passed by.

"As a child did you think that the moon was made out of cheese?"

"What?!" He laughed while grabbing his chest.

"Well?" I smiled and interrupted his laughter.

"In all of my years I've never heard that." He smiled.

"Well here's my ride."

"I had a good time y/n."

"Me too. It's been a while since I've felt like this." I tried to let go of his hand when he pulled me towards him, making me bump into his stone chest.

"Steve-" he had trapped me. My body was in between him and my car. With his index finger he made me look at those eyes. Those damn beautiful eyes making me melt.

"Can I kiss you?" His voice was quiet and full of honesty that made me melt even more.

"Yes" I felt small and excited.

He tilted his head as he painfully took his time to close the gap. When his nose lightly touched mine I felt myself taking deep breaths until his warm cotton lips touched mine. A slight shock made me take a small gasp and he pressed himself into me. I enjoyed having this man crush me a little.

When he pulled back he smiled and kissed me harder making me giggle due to his beard tickling my cheeks.

"What, am I tickling you?" He said and began pressing his full beard against my cheeks.

"Steve! Stop!" My full blown laughter betrayed me as I tried pushing him back.

"Okay, okay, you win, you win" I calmed down. He stopped and placed his forehead on mine.

"I will see you..."

"Just text me" I said and got into my car.

"Okay" I rolled my window down.

"Get home safely, doll"

"You too, Steve" it got quiet until a sudden wave of confidence took over me and I pulled his shirt clashing my lips into his. He proceeded to grab the back of my head and tilted his head for a deeper kiss. His tounge was begging to let him in but if he did I wouldn't be able to pull back.

"Okay, okay, I gotta go home" I pulled way.

"Yeah it's getting late" he chuckled.

"One last kiss" he said and jumped half of his body into my car giving me another passionate kiss.

"Goodnight, doll" he pulled away.

"Night Steve" I rolled my window up and drove home.

-----------

I waved at her until she left and ran back to the Stark building trying to contain my happiness.

I knew that it was going to be a hard time falling asleep with all of this energy in me.

----

Chapter 2

[drunk-onsunlight]

Day #12 of Promptmas

Chapter 12: Baby, It's cold outside

Summary:

The gang wish you all a Merry Christmas. Enjoy some presents unwrapping and some final battle with a few villains

Notes:

Merry Christmas!!!! Hope you all enjoyed this fic as much as I enjoyed writting it. All your love and comments are hugely appreciated. Finally, thanks @spiderman-homecomeme for being huge part of why I’m back at writting. Hope you know you inspire a lot of people! Keep shinning :D

Concept: Opening presents

Dialogue: “Merry Christmas” & “Do you like it?” “I love it” & “Why are you staring at me?” “Nothing… you just look really cute right now”

December 25th

Peter is awakened by a knock on the door. He can hear someone speaking but he is too sleep to comprehend what it’s happening. He snuggles further into the warm and goes back to sleep but a few moments later someone kept knocking on the door.

“Damn. Who’s not getting the idea that I want to sleep late?” MJ said and pulled Peter closer

“PETER! MJ! WE NEED TO OPEN THE GIFTS!!!! COME ON!! WAKE UP!!!” Now Peter got who was calling their door

“We should go, Em. She is going to throw that door if we don’t go out” Peter yawn and MJ stretched out on the bed

“Hey peanut” Peter opened the door and Morgan ran to the bed and started jumping on it

“WE CAN OPEN THE PRESENTS NOW! LET’S GO! MJ WAKE UP”

“I’m awake. We can go!” MJ did her best getting out of bed with Morgan jumping on the bed

Peter took a hoodie from his bag before joining Morgan and MJ to the living room. Everyone was already there but nobody looked fully awake, just Morgan.

“Morning everyone” Peter said hi and everyone mumbled a few things back at him

“Do we have coffee?” MJ was looking at everything on the coffee table

“Yes. We have some here” Happy offered them two mugs with warm coffee and they took it

“Can we open the presents now mom? We are all here!” Morgan was jumping next to the tree. Peter haven’t noticed but the tree was actually full of packages

“Yeap. You can distribute them and open yours” After Pepper gave her approval, Morgan grabbed the gift that was closer to her.

“This one is from Peter to my dad” Morgan handed the package to tony and he started opening it

“Aww. This is so cute! Thanks Pete. I’m putting them on the lab” Tony placed the Iron Man and Spider-Man plushies next to him on the couch. Morgan picked a second package

“This one is for Uncle Happy” He received the big present and opened it

“Morgan this is amazing! Thank you little one” Happy started to show May all the bakery supplies Morgan got him. Then she grabbed two presents and hand it them to May and Pepper. They opened broke the paper and opened the shoe boxes Morgan got for them. May gasped at the heels and Pepper kissed Morgan’s check to thank her

“This little one is from Peter to Betty” Betty took the little box and when she opened she found a blue bridal hair comb. The comb was silver with little silver and sapphire blue leaves

“Peter this is beautiful. Thank you so much!” When Ned tried to look at what was in the box Betty closed it “You can’t see it yet, Ned”

“Morgan helped me find it. I thought you would need something blue” Morgan lifted another package and announced that it was from Tony to Pepper. Pepper took the letter size package, everyone was expecting Pepper to open it and when she did, two plain tickets to India

“India?” Morgan read and asked her dad

“India like Uttaranchal because your mom haven’t stop talking about how much she would like to go to that amazing place where they have yoga and meditation classes and a beautiful spa. So yes, India”

“You were actually paying attention to my rambling about Uttaranchal”

“I’m always paying attention to you. No matter what you’re doing or what I’m doing” Pepper kissed Tony and thanked him for the trip. They do needed to relax a little bit

Morgan kept grabbing presents and giving them to their respective owners. Happy gave May a beautiful pearl necklace and May gave Happy a gastronomic tour for New York. Betty gave Peter a new lens for his camera and Ned gave Peter a new intercom for the suit. Morgan gave his dad her present and he totally loved it and even told Pepper he was going to wear those Iron Man shorts to their trip. Pepper gave Tony a free pass to get as many cheese burgers as he wanted over the year. Then Morgan found one of her presents

“This is for me!!” She started to tear the wrapping paper and found the Rescue helmet she used to wear a few years back as a toy

“We talked and decided it’s time for you to have it” Pepper explained to Morgan when she looked at them trying to find an explanation “You are always with your dad on the lab, you played with this a few years back. We think it’s time for you to have it. I can’t take that away from you”

“That doesn’t mean you can start using it now. You will need training and mentoring. It’s just an approval of what you can and eventually will do” After Tony and Pepper talked Morgan threw herself at them and kissed their checks

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! Peter can be my mentor, dad? And you of course!”

“I would love that peanut” Peter offered his help and Morgan blew him a kiss. Morgan went back to the gifts. MJ gave Betty a swimsuit and Ned gave her tickets to the Philippines to meet the rest of his family. MJ also gave May and Happy and Pepper and Tony some spa reservations. After a while, Morgan noticed there were missing presents

“Peter. Where is MJ’s present? Please tell me you didn’t forget to pick it up”

“No I didn’t forget it. It’s on my pocket” He pulled a small round box from his hoddie and gave it to MJ

“Merry Christmas, Em” MJ opened the box and found a necklace. A black glass Dahlia was between a soft fabrics. She took it out of the box and the Dahlia shinned in front of her. She didn’t say anything and Peter was starting to worry about it, maybe she didn’t like it

“Do you like it?” He had to ask or he was going to die of embarrassment right there in front of everyone. Peter was overthinking about the necklace until MJ finally spoke

“I love it” MJ moved her eyes from the necklace to Peter and without another word gave him a soft kiss on the lips. “My present for you is quite confidential so I have it in my bag” Everyone was looking at them with soft eyes and Morgan was too focused on the last gifts there were under the tree. All of them were for here. May gave her a dress Morgan saw on internet and wanted to get. Pepper gave her the same free pass she gave to Tony so they could go together without Tony sharing his pass. May and Happy gave her some science equipment she could use to not monopolize his dad’s lab and start her own.

After they finished open all the presents, Peter noticed MJ didn’t gave Morgan a present

“Morgan, can you come with me please? Peter, come with us?” MJ called Morgan and the two girls walked out of the living room with Peter close by. MJ lead them to their room and closed the door behind them

“Morgan, remember what I told you about trusting people with big secrets?” MJ asked Morgan while looking for something on her bag

“Yeap” Morgan nodded while looking at MJ

“Well, I have something to tell you. For me trust is a huge gift that I don’t give to everyone. And what I’m about to share with you, I hope will be part of your new journey with the nice suit your parents gave you” Right there, Peter understood what was on her bag

“Have you heard something about someone people is calling Black Cat?” MJ asked and Morgan turned to look at Peter

“She knows who I am Peanut” Morgan showed how surprised she was at the information and nodded to MJ

“I know she was stealing some money and things from other people but I saw her on the news a few days ago. She wasn’t hurting anyone and she left with you Peter” As much as she talked, Morgan started to realize what was happening “You are Black Cat, MJ”

“I am. And I know you have seen some things but I’m doing it to help” While MJ spoke, she pulled her leather suit out of her bag along with a folder full of papers “This is your present Peter” She handed him the folder and he found a way of ending Prowler along with his fellows.

“This folder has all the documents you need to put them in jail. I can’t do it or they will link all of this to Miles but you can do it. If you knock them like last time and enough time for the police to get them, they are going to jail and we will be fine, Miles will be save” Peter overlooked the papers and found bank statements, mails and chats with Dr. Ock’s plans.

“Who’s Miles?” Peter and MJ forgot that Morgan was still with them until she spoke. When they looked at her, she was wearing MJ’s Black Cat mask and wig

“A friend. The reason behind all I did. The equipment and money I stole, it was all to keep him save”

“Thank MJ. This will be really helpful. Maybe I can take it to the lab and tell Karen to scan this and send the docs to the cops once I get them” Morgan was going to say something more but Peter and MJ’s phones started ringing. They shared a look and took their phones out of their pockets

“Manhattan. Rhino’s back and not alone” Peter showed MJ someone’s photo from Manhattan that showed Rhino and Prowler together. They were trying to destroy a building

“You have to go Pete?” Morgan took of the wig and mask and handed them to MJ

“Yeah Peanut, I’m calling the helicopter for my venom formula and letting Karen scan this files”

“I’m going with you” MJ grabbed her leather suit and got to the bathroom to change

“You have your suit here, right Peter?” Morgan walked to the door and after Peter gave her a confirmation she closed the door behind her. Two minutes later MJ came out of the bathroom with her suit, mask, wig and belt on.

“Ready?” Peter looked at her and he froze. He always looked at Black Cat in the dark and the last fight let him so shock he didn’t take a close look at her. The suit embraced all her curves, her long legs were even longer with the high heels she was wearing and now the mask did nothing to hide her brown eyes. MJ noticed he hadn’t said anything in a while snapped her fingers in front of him “Peter? Spider-Man?”

“Sorry. I’m ready. I called the helicopter, we let the file on the scanner, take the web formula and we will be in Manhattan in five minutes by far”

“Then let’s go. No time to waste” Peter took his mask from the bed and took MJ’s hand before going out of their room. Their went down the stairs and found everyone on the living room looking at the TV

“Tony we are leaving. Ned I need you on the intercom with me. May, everything it’s going to be fine. I promise. We have a plan” When Peter and MJ looked at everyone Peter found lots of shocked faces

“MJ?” Betty was looking at MJ with big eyes, like she couldn’t believe what was in front of her. MJ froze and looked at everyone on the living room, the only normal faces were Tony, Ned and Morgan

“I can explain, but not now. We have to go. Betty I promise I will tell you everything when we come back”

“I knew about Peter, but you?” Peter looked at Ned with lots of questions between them “He didn’t tell me. I’m a journalist, I’m not blind and you guys don’t speak as soft as you think”

“Now I’m offended I didn’t find out being your roommate” When they left the house, the helicopter was already waiting for them.

Once in the helicopter the facilities were a few minutes away from them. MJ had the folder and as soon as they landed, they took it to lab and while Peter grabbed the formula and the special web shooters, the chemicals were strong enough to damage his normal web shooters, MJ put the files into the scanner and told Karen to send the files to the police when Peter told her to.

“Peter, doesn’t someone need to change the files or pages on the scanner? Karen can’t do that”

“Karen can’t, but Dum-E can” Peter ran to the lab next to his and brought some mechanical arm with him and gave the arm the order of changing the pages or flick the pages if needed “Don’t mess this up Dum-E. I trust you!” The arm did a few bip sounds and started working. Peter walked to the front door and MJ followed him close by.

“Should we arrive together?”

“No, you go first. I need to make sure they don’t see me coming. You will be fighting Rhino and Prowler but we still have to go after the others. If Dr. Ock shows up, I will tell you” Peter gave MJ a short kiss before putting his mask and swing away from her. She waited a few minutes and started moving between building too.

Peter asked Karen for Rhino’s location and as soon as he got it, he swayed faster to the point a little map in his mask showed him. There weren’t a lot of citizens on the streets, but cops and reporters were everywhere

“Rhino, seriously? I was having a good time. Let me guess, Santa didn’t bring you a present and now you are mad” All Peter got was some grunts from Rhino. He took the opportunity to shoot some of the venom webs at his mouth and face. The chemicals started to ruin Rhino’s armor just like Peter had expected

“Michelle is dealing with Prowler, Peter” Karen spoke in his mask and Peter tried to shoot some webs to weak points that Karen showed him

“Ned?”

“Right here Peter” Ned spoke clearly in his ear. The new intercom worked pretty well

“Can you see what MJ is doing?”

“My girl’s kicking some asses” This time Betty was the one to answer him

“Ned where are you?” Peter was swinging between some buildings to avoid Rhino’s punches.

“Living room. Everyone can listen to you” Perfect, he didn’t want May hearing one of his fights, she worried too much and probably Tony will have an opinion on the fight or something he would say, Tony always had an opinion. And Morgan will definitely make fun of him for something later. Pepper and Happy just supported him through everything

“Is Dr. Ock somewhere?” Peter asked Karen and Ned in case one can see it and not the other

“Nope. MJ is with Prowler and you take care of Rhino” Peter had Rhino’s armor almost fully covered in webs and he could barely move

“Karen, tell MJ I’m almost done with Rhino”

“Yes, Peter”

Rhino was covered in the webs and the chemical began to interfere with the mobility of his arms and legs. Rhino started to rip some armor off him. When he took his helmet off, the face of a redhead man appeared and Peter told some cops they had to be careful when they captured the man. He started looking for MJ and saw her and Prowler on the rooftop of a building. He moved fast climbing a wall and arrived when Prowler shoot compressed air blasts at MJ. She fell back and Peter shoot some webs at Prowler

“Let me handle him. This is between us” MJ told Peter over the intercom and he took a few steps back. He knew she needed to do it on her own terms but he wasn’t letting her get hurt either

“Look who’s here, Cat. Don’t you want to take part Spider?”

“Nop. I’m here for moral support or just make fun of you” Peter pretended to check his nails and he was just watching his gloved hand. MJ saw that Prowler was distracted and threw the loop at him. Linking his arms to his body, with the restriction, he couldn’t move or throw more things at her

“Sorry you missed the fight, you made it till the end” MJ moved to Prowler and tied more ropes on his body to make sure he wasn’t moving or escaping. Peter surrounded him with a web and moved him to where Rhino was on the ground.

“You ok, MJ?” Peter asked Michelle after he saw some scratches on her right arm

“Yeah, all good. He decided to use his new titanium claws on me but nothing to worry about. Tell Karen to send the files to every precinct in New York and we can go home” While he spoke to Karen, Peter grabbed MJ by her waist and took her to the rooftop they were minutes ago.

“Karen already send all the files. They are going to jail. I feel bad about Miles, he wanted to help his uncle to be a better person and now he is going to jail” Peter looked down at Aaron Davis, immobilized and covered in webs. His suit was damaged where the webs could touch the suit

“He understands. I hope he becomes a better man for all of those who have faith in him, like Miles and Jefferson” MJ grabbed Peter’s mask and moved it up above his mouth to give him a kiss

“Get a room!” Morgan shouted on their ears and Peter and MJ started laughing

“Ned is still in the living room” Peter explained MJ why Morgan was talking to them

“Yeah. We can see and hear everything. Also, there is a very nice shoot of you guys right now on TV with “Power Couple” as the headlight” Peter looked down again and saw a few cameras pointing at them. Thank God MJ didn’t remove his mask completely or his face will be all over the TV and Internet in a few seconds

“Let’s go back, Spider” MJ wrapped her arms around Peter’s neck and he shoot a web to another building to make them swing back to the facilities. Fifteen minutes later they were back on the cabin and everyone was waiting for them at the front door

“We are back and perfectly fine!” Peter assured them all

“MJ is hurt” Morgan pointed at MJ’s arm and May and Pepper moved back to the house quickly

“Let’s go inside” Happy lead them to the living room and turned off the TV that still had images of Rhino and Prowler being arrested. May and Pepper appeared with a first aid kit and MJ took of her wig and mask

“Can you take of that suit so we can clean the cuts?” Pepper spoke to her like a mother speaking to a little hurt kid

“I will need a little bit of help but maybe in the room” The three of them walked to the room on the second floor and Peter decided to go with them. He needed to be sure she was alright. May helped MJ with the zipper on the front of the suit and rolled down the suit from her arm. Pepper cleaned the cuts and then put some patches with a white cream MJ didn’t recognized on the area

“You should change those clothes. We will wait for you on the living room” May told them and she hugged Peter on her way out of the room with Pepper

“Better?” Peter closed the door behind him and walked to MJ

“Yeah. I think the adrenaline was holding back the actual pain but now I can definitely feel it”

“Want some painkillers? I saved a few from the other night” Peter walked to his night table and handed MJ some pills with a glass of water. MJ took them and drank the water

“I’m going to change on the bathroom” MJ grabbed some jeans and a shirt from her bag and walked to the bathroom but didn’t lock the door

Peter searched for his bag and took of his suit to change it for some jeans and a hoddie. When he was done he waited for MJ to go out of the bathroom

“I’m ready” MJ offered her hand to Peter and he took it. They walked together to the living room and Morgan threw herself at MJ with a big hug

“You are the best MJ!” Morgan said and everyone laughed a little. It was a big surprise for all of them to see her fighting someone on a leather suit “Can I show you something on my science lab that Uncle Happy and May gave me?” Peter saw MJ accepting Morgan’s offer and he decided not to go with them. Morgan had found a new role model in MJ and he wanted her to take the best out of it.

MJ sat on the floor next to the tree while everyone chatted and asked Peter about what was going to happen to Rhino and Prowler. Morgan sat on MJ’s legs and started showing her different things

“Why are you staring at me?” Peter didn’t notice but he was, in fact, staring at MJ with Morgan. They just fit together. He loved the image, his best friend and little sis bonding always amazed him, but this time it was different. MJ was now his girlfriend and the feeling of seeing them together was too much to handle

“Nothing… you just look really cute right now” Peter managed to say to MJ and she didn’t answer but blushed and a few second later, she kept talking to Morgan while the kid showed her some things from her little science lab

Now Peter could breathe more lightly. All his family and friends were together and save, no secrets between them and the future looked pretty good for all of them

“Hey Pete. Would you like to go out to watch the ocean with me for a little while?” MJ took him out of his mind

“Better if we see it from here, don’t you think? After all Baby, it’s cold outside”

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

Notes:

You know this all ended with many unfinished plots (Betty and Ned's wedding, Peter and Miles meeting for the first time, even Morgan and Miles interacting and more Black Cat/Spider-Man working together) and maybe I will do some second part telling how a few of this stories end up. Keep reading what makes you happy and have a lovely New Year :D

[kimhargreeves]

Number One Hero-All Might x Reader

Summary:Reader is Deku's sister and just like him a big All Might fan. Thing is she has a huge crush on him.

"Dear,can you please g-give Izuku his lunch?"

Glancing back I see my mother holding up a brown bag filled with my brother's lunch. "He forgot out it again?!" I loudly tell myself and my mother seems taken back yet frightened by my sudden outburst. I give her a small smile and assure her that I will, "Thanks for breakfast mom, love you!"

I run out our house quickly and tried to figure out where he went, the idiot didn't even wait up for me! I was so busy doing other thing's that he just left without a word, probably to take some notes on how to become a hero. Damn it! What if there's another fight and i'm here not watching it!

Izuku and I have always loved watching heroes fight and take notes on their movements and other things because we're quirkless, it means that we both don't have any super powers to become a hero. It's always been our dream to become a strong hero like All Might!...but deep down I know I won't become one...

Our mother had no idea on what to do after the doctor told us we weren't gonna become heroes or enroll in our dream school.

We've been through a lot to mention that Bakugou has always bullied my brother, I hate that idiot more than anything, we used to tease me a lot too till I confronted him and gave him a few bruises despite me knowing he already had a quirk. I kept on telling Izuku to also stand up for himself but he was too scared to make a move.

My mom has supported us both with all she could either way knowing we had to quirk,since I can remember she's been a single mother and no man has helped us get through, sure Izuku needed a father figure but I guess he already had one ever since we saw him in videos, saving people always with a smile on his face.

*****Flashback******

"Sis, sis!"

I glanced back to see my brother holding onto an All Might action figure as he ran into our room, "What is it,Izuku?" I quietly ask him and placed my crayons down onto my bed. "Come check this video out! All Might saved a ton of people this time!!" my brother's eyes lit up and mine did the same when he mentioned our favorite super hero.

I grabbed my All Might plushie and ran behind Izuku, we both stayed in front of the computer as we watched a video.

"Wow! He's so cool!! I wanna be a hero just like him!"

Izuku shouted as his eyes kept on looking at the screen, I blushed and nodded my head repeatedly. I do wish to meet his someday in person, maybe Izuku and I will be able to ask him a couple of questions.

******End Flashback******

My slight obsession with All Might started way back when I was just a little girl and trust me i've been over it, it's nothing like the fangirl I used to be on the other hand Izuku still remains as a huge fanboy. I continued running and found saw my brother up ahead a bridge, "Izuku!" i continued to run to where he was and to my surprise All Might was standing in front of him!!

"Oh my god!!!" i shouted as loud as I could and felt the blood rushing up to my cheeks as i stared at my idol!

"Are you seeing what i'm seeing." my brother said still staring up. I nodded my head up and down and stared up at the man who had a smile on his face. "I'm glad to have met a pair of young upcoming heroes, now I must be off!" before I could react Izuku took a hold of my hand and we were off flying along with All Might.

I screamed as I stared down at the city beneath us as I clinged onto All Might's leg like Izuku was. "Hey, let go of me!"

"If we do we'll fall!!" My brother told All Might and I smiled wide, "Y-Yeah besides it's nice up here." I said blushed ten times worse when I realized I was wearing my school uniform, which consists of a skirt that I forgot I was wearing! I opened back my eyes to realize that both men were staring at me.

"Ahh! Don't look!!" I shouted covering myself which was a mistake since I was falling down a building, I closed my eyes ready for the impact, but when I opened them I saw that he saved me! I blushed again realizing he was carrying me in his arms.

"Umm, (Y/N)? You alright?" Izuku asked when All Might gently placed me down.

"Yeah yeah i'm fine." I said waving my hand away at him.

"Now's not the for your fantasies (Y/N)."

I shot a glare at my brother and pointed at him, "Fantasies?! What about you, you were acting just like me a minute ago!" we both began to fight and later we stopped when we realized there was smoke and both our heads stared up and saw a very skinny man, who looked odd and his hair was messy.

I shivered, Izuku and I looked surprised yet scared, "What the hell is that?!" we both shouted when we saw the man staring straight at us and wiping some blood with his hand. The man was indeed All Might, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that this skinny fragile man is the hero we've looked up to.

Toshinori Yagi is his name. Let's say we stumbled upon him again when we thought we'd never see him again and he offered to train us both. I was still taken back by seeing his real form when we were training but still I had this feeling in my stomach whenever I talked to him. I don't only have a crush on All Might...but his real identity as well.

Izuku knows my crush on All Might but I don't think he'll think twice on asking me how I feel about him now. I always told myself to not judge people by the way they look and i'll continue to do so. "I see that your brother has improved." i glance over to him and shyly scratch my cheek.

"H-He has! I mean you've always been our number one hero so of course we want to impress you, we were lucky enough to have met you! I never thought i'd meet a hero who thinks that us quirkless could also save people...so what I really w-want to say is..thank you for believing in us!" i blushed deep red bowed my head respectfully.

I felt a hand patting the top of my head and I looked up to see Toshinori in his All Might form smiling down at me.

After a few painful months of training it was all worth it cause Izuku and I were finally enrolled in UA, to be as strong and have a quirk we had to drink a strand of All Might's hair which was disgusting but here we are! I'm glad we're here but I can't help but feel worried for Toshinori. Every time I would cook meals and bring some for him at the teacher lounge secretly so no one suspects anything weird.

We had our first exam and Izuku and I broke our bones, he healed faster due to Recovery Girl's help but mine we healing slower, I won't be able to fight anytime soon if my body won't heal up at all. Even though I had s broken arm I was still going to participate in the next classes. Today we wore our super hero outfits for the first time, I was assigned this exam to team up with my brother and Ochaku who's quirk is anti gravity.

She and I were forced to head over to where Iida Tenya was but I refused to leave my brother with that bastard. I hurried myself and stumbled upon both of them, my brother on the floor trying to escape.

"Bakugou!"

At the sound if his name he grinned back and stared at me, "Looks like your older sis has joined the party." Izuku stopped and his eyes widened at the sight of me. "(Y/N) I can handle him myself."

"No you won't,Izuku." i clenched my fists and glared at Bakugou "This little game of yours has to end now. I won't let your feelings hurt me or my brother's any longer, if you wanna fight my brother fine but you'll have to go through me." without anymore being said and Bakugou getting angrier than before time ended and we were all laying on the ground. By this time my arm won't be healing anytime soon.

***********************

"How's your arm?"

I shyly smiling up at All Might who entered the room. "His outfit looks so cool on him" i thought to myself as I felt a bit of blood rushing down my nose. He stared at me weirdly then looked back at the nurse.

"Recovery girl, have you already healed her entirely? she's bleeding from her nose." He whispered but I clesrly heard it which made me giggle a bit. The older woman just closed her eyes and smiled a little while shaking her head.

"You know for being a hero you don't really pay attention to the little thing's." All Might clearly didnt understand so Recovery Girl forced him to leave me to rest, I knew why she forced him to leave. I stared down at the sheets and clenched it under my fists.

"You do know what you might get into right dear?" Without looking at her I nodded my head, she is right but I can't control my feelings.

"I know it's illegal to like someone older especially if it's a teacher but I don't think I can see him as something else than just mentor, my brother sees him as a fatherly figure but i've never have. I can't tell my brother or my mother about this cause they'll freak out..what should I do?!" I ask this time looking over to her with tears in my eyes.

She stared down at her hands then back at me, "My dear..I can't tell what you should do but I will tell you to keep on fighting, there's nothing more important in this world but love after all, just keep your distance while on school grounds or students and teacher might find out. Toshinori's a fine man and i'm sure he'd like someone like you by his side in the future."

**************

And that advice I took, Toshinori was clueless at the couple of moves I made but that didn't stop me from trying to show him my affections. He already knows i'm a fan by my brother telling him and the small keychain I always have of him on my backpack, I just hope we can get closer in the future.

Today we were with Aizawa who brought us all to train at a special arena but once we arrived countless of villains arrived and none of us were ready for this. Tenya made it out as fast as he could to bring help when Aizawa sensei was deeply wounded, none of us have experience in fighting so if we do some of us might get killed.

I fought and dodged a couple of attacks some of these villains did, I cried tears of joy when I saw All Might appear before my eyes, he began to fight and made his way over to where Aizawa was laying and two very powerful looking villains stood. To be honest they creep me out, my eyes caught sight of Izuku with frog girl and that little perverted creep staring at All Might fighting with that large animal thing.

"You can do it!" I stopped jumping when I saw him bleeding, I can't let him lose or worse die. I the other guy trying to grab frog girl as Izuku tried to rescue her but no one was rescuing All Might since the large guy was deeply wounding him.

I ran forward and without thinking I clenched my fists and sent the large one flying up in the air. When I opened my eyes I was surprised to see that my arm wasn't broken, "What the hell just happened?!"

Out of nowhere Bakugou and Shouta appeared and tried to fight the other one till he got away, Izuku ran over to where I was and began to check if I had any wounds, "I'm fine little bro." I smile at him, seeing that I was fine Izuku ran over to Toshinori, "All Might are you okay?"

Soon more heroes arrived and kicked every villains ass, it was just Izuku,All Might and me. Toshinori was coughing a bit of blood as he held onto his side and changed into his normal form, "You i-idiot!" they both looked over to me surprised.

I ran over and jumped, gently wrapping my arms around Toshinori as I cried, "I thought y-you were going to d-die." I whisper as I continue to cry and he tried to calm me down.

"Sis..I think you should let go of him." Izuku's voice said from behind me.

"Don't you ever scare me like that ever again!" I said staring up at the skinny fragile man, he stared at me for a second not sure what to say but a second later he smiled and patted my head, "I swear I won't..you can count on your number one hero."

[rosekard]

It was an extremely hot day, the worker cant work and little Clara cant take the heat. What does Joey decide to do, go to a fair of course!

Tumblr version under the cut

It was the middle of July, and calling the day hot wouldn’t scratch the surface. The studio was unbearable, and with the studio included Joey’s house. No one was truly able to do their job, and the wooden instruments had to be removed from the building, less the wood warped. Joey let the studio members leave at around noon, as the lack of productivity and the likeliness of heat stroke was high.

Now, Josiah was very good at handling the heat and cold, after being homeless for as long as he was. A few of the people said goodbye to Joey before they left, all baffled at how the man was wearing his overcoat. About half an hour after everyone had left a small tug on his Coat got his attention. “Daddy, it’s really hot.” He looked over to see his little girl, Clara. Her face was flushed, and she looked near ready to pass out. She was sweaty and her curly brown hair was sticking down to her face.

He calmly got up and picked her up before walking outside. He sat the two of them down on a shaded patch of grass, which was mostly likely the coolest place around. The summers hadn’t been too hot before now, though he knew he probably should have invested in air conditioning. Once clara had cooled down she turned to her father “Daddy, could I have my hair braided?” He smiled softly “Of course, starshine! Turn around so I can braid it.” She turned around and Joey began to braid.

He finished the braid rather quickly, pulling out a spare ribbon he kept in his pocket to tie the end of the braid. “Well, I do believe that it is a bit too hot to go back inside the studio. How about we go see if Uncle Henry is home. He probably know what we can do for the day.” So the two walked to Henry’s house.

Just as he was about to knock on the door he paused. “Ugh, Joey, you’re an idiot. He and his family went to go visit Linda’s parents.” He began to turn around, when something in the mailbox caught his attention. A fair. He hadn’t even realized that they had those around there. “Starshine?” The little girl turned from the flower she had been looking at “Yes?” “I forgot that Uncle Henry and Aunty Linda had gone on a trip. How about instead we go to the fair? It's very close by.” The little girl smiled and nodded at the idea.

Within a half an hour the two were standing at the gates. “One adult and one child ticket please.” The two got their tickets and Joey pocketed them, he would let Clara have hers once they got home.

The first place the two went was to get some food, as it was around lunch time anyways. They ended up stopping at a stand where they ordered two ‘All American Cheeseburgers’ and two ‘Fantastic French Fries’. Joey listened to his daughter tell him about what she had read in the books they had picked up from the library a few days before. The little eight year old was extremely bright for her age.

They sat there for probably about an hour, as Joey had lost time, before they began to wander the fair. Clowns ran around, mimes lined the place. Of course, Joey took silent notes on facial expressions for the show.

They spent the day walking around and playing various games before Clara’s eyes grew wide. She grabbed her father’s hand carefully “Daddy Daddy Look!” She pointed off into the distance. A ferris wheel. “Could we?” Josiah chuckled, “If that is what you want to do, my little starshine!”

Finally, they made it onto the ride. Joey held his daughter in his arms as they watched the sunset from up high. He realized how much she had grown up in just the past few years, and how glad he was that he hadn’t become like his father. The abusive old man could rot in his jail cell for all eternity for all he could care.

By the time the ride had finished, Clara had fallen asleep. He walked back to the studio with his daugher in one arm, the plushie she had won earlier in the day in the other. He got her settled into bed, as she hadn’t woken up once on the way home. He then proceeded to get himself ready for bed. As he layed down and pulled the sheets over himself, he thought.

.

.

.

‘Yes, maybe we should do this again next year.’

The ink demon sat, leaning against the ink machine. He looked up to the ceiling, “Maybe one day, we could do that once again. My little Starshine.

[watchmist1412]

BTI Chapter 7

Co-written by @bloodredruby and @watchmist1412

BTI Fanart  // Nalu cover // Gruvia cover

Words ~ 5200

Rated K+

Summary: Figure Skating AU. After an accident Gray, a professional figure skater, has to take some time off to heal and he’s not enjoying it AT ALL. What he didn’t expect was meeting Juvia, a swimmer tired of her career, even less ending up as her coach. Lucy, an aspiring figure skater, came to realize it was a whole new experience with a pink haired weirdo and his equally weird cat by her side.

Fanfiction.net

<<Previous Chapter // First Chapter

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

Lucy winced as she landed the Axel jump barely being able to keep her balance for a split second before stumbling and almost falling to the cold hard ice. She could feel Aquarius glaring daggers at her back.

They had been practicing that move almost the whole training session now and she didn’t seem to be making much progress. Needless to say her coach had been beginning to feel a little irritated. Well it wasn’t like it needed much trying to get Aquarius angry. Lucy seemed to be achieving that just by being near her.

Lucy had always prided herself for being a relatively fast learner so she shouldn’t be taking that much to get a move right. She didn’t know what was wrong with her on that day but she just couldn’t do it! It frustrated her to no ends. And more importantly she did not want to manage with her equally frustrated coach.

“Just. What. Do you think. You’re doing.” Lucy winced once again. Aquarius made a point to emphasize each word but kept her tone low. That wasn’t good. She almost wished the woman was yelling at her.

“It’s not like you haven’t executed similar moves! I just don’t get it. All day it’s like you have your head in the clouds! ”

“I’m sorry…”

“No, that’s not the point! That’s a move you really have to know!” the older woman scoffed “You know what? Forget it. We’re done for today.”

“What? But I still haven’t-“

“Yeah, yeah I know. If it’s an off day for you it’s no use staying here. It’s a big waste of time for both of us. You can do some stamina training or something, I don’t care.” Aquarius moved to the edges of the rink and Lucy followed her after a brief moment of hesitation.

“Next time I expect you to execute that without having to touch the ice. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am.”

The two started undoing their skates in silence.

“You know, I’m really wondering which idiot was your previous teacher. You’re not terrible yourself but you really lack in some practical departments.”

Lucy felt her heart jump out of her chest. There it was. She couldn’t have avoided that topic forever. “Oh, umm. You see the thing is…” she stumbled with her words. “I didn’t really have a skating teacher.”

“WHAT?” Aquarius turned to look at her with wide eyes “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I mostly learned on my own. Mom helped me at first but then… Well I practiced on my own with a little help of the owner of the local rink. He didn’t give me full lessons but he helped me with whatever I needed.”

“Wait, are you saying Jude couldn’t afford to get you a skating teacher?”

“He… wasn’t really fond of the idea of me following my mother’s footsteps. He even forbade me from skating.” Lucy laughed awkwardly. She had gone to great lengths to sneak past him and train whenever she could.

“Oh my- Oh, he’s so dead! That absolute moron forbade Layla’s daughter from skating!! Just you wait I’ll-”

At that moment a ringtone sounded through the rink and Aquarius frantically searched her handbag to pull out her phone. Lucy tried not to look so relieved at the interruption.

“What?” She answered the phone angrily. “YOU DID WHAT?”

Lucy almost felt bad for the person calling. The woman wasn’t in her best mood at the moment. At least it wasn’t directed at her anymore.

“You unbelievable little- Okay, just stay where you are I’m coming.” She finished the call while spouting not so kind words at the black screen of the cellphone.

“I have to go.” She turned to Lucy “Something came up.”

The blonde sighed in relief. That phone call was her savior!

“This isn’t over yet, you know.” Aquarius said, reading Lucy’s mind, before she left the room in a hurry.

That was a very tiring day… But at least she was done with practice earlier than expected! Now she could go home, have a nice warm bath, take a long nap and-

“Hey Lucy!”

“WHAT THE-“ The girl in question screamed in surprise as bright pink head sprouted seemingly out of nowhere. “NATSU??”

“Well yeah, it’s me, are you having memory problems from that age?”

“I know it’s you idiot! Will you ever stop doing that?”

“Do what?” Natsu asked blinking innocently.

“Oh you know exactly what I mean.” Lucy squinted at him “Why can’t you go into a room like a normal person.”

“I did come in like a normal person! But the crazy lady was here and I think she still keeps a grudge on me.”

“That’s ridiculous, she doesn’t- wait no, you may have a point…”

“See!” Natsu grinned in triumph.

“Wait, how long were you hiding?”

“Hmm, not sure. I was done with practice early and I came to see how you were doing.”

Lucy felt her heart jump inside her chest.

Had he heard about Lucy’s dad? Did he know who she was? She didn’t want that! She didn’t want him to treat her differently…

“You didn’t hear anything… weird?” she asked cautiously.

“Weird? No, not really. I was too far away to hear what you were talking about if that’s what you meant.”

Lucy sighed in relief “It wasn’t anything serious anyway.”

“Though, I was here long enough to see you fail in the Axel jump” he smirked.

“I’m working on that!” Lucy exclaimed glaring at her companion “I’ll have it down in no time, you just caught me on a bad day.” She defended herself.

“Hey, don’t worry about it! Everyone has their bad days. I remember when I first started skating I had a huge problem with it! Gildarts was ready to give up on me!”

“Really? I found that pretty easy, it was one of the first moves I mastered.”

“I salute you for that. I still struggle with that stuff.”

“Oh, I know!” Natsu’s whole face brightened up “We could practice together tomorrow! I could help you with that!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not? I don’t have practice with Gildarts anyway.”

“Thanks.” Lucy smiled at him gratefully. “I really appreciate it.”

Lucy picked up her backpack and slid it on her left shoulder adjusting the strap so that it wouldn’t slide off “Well I should get going now. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay, bye!” Natsu waved at her excitedly.

Lucy moved to exit the rink but before she even took one step forward she felt a hand grabbing her by the shoulder and turning her around forcibly.

“NO WAIT!”

Lucy looked at her fellow skater quizzing. “Okay?”

“Ahh I can’t believe I almost forgot! It’s your fault you know!” he pointed at Lucy accusatory

“What? How is it my fault I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Lucy furrowed her eyebrows.

“The reason I came to see you!” Natsu exclaimed excitedly “Come on, I need to show you something.” He grabbed her by the arm and started pulling her towards the exit.

“Hey, hey, you can’t just drag me like that! You didn’t even ask if I had anything else to do!” Lucy pulled back at Natsu’s arm and pulled both of them to a halt.

The boy turned to her with a blank expression as if contemplating something before asking “Do you have anything else to do?”

“No…”

“Why are you making this complicated then?” Natsu looked at her judgingly “Weirdo.”

“Hey, we’ve been through this before!!”

“Yeah well you don’t seem to have stopped proving me right.”

“You know what, I think something just came up.”

“Nooo wait Lucy I didn’t mean it!”

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

In the end Lucy caved in to Natsu’s pleas and let her new friend drag her through the building before stopping in front of a wooden door somewhere in the second floor.

“Wait, wait!” Lucy stopped the boy before he could turn the door handle to let them in.

“What?”

She pointed at the sign that hanged in the center of the door that read ‘staff only’ “Are you sure we can go in there?”

“Lucy?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re part of Fairy Tail now, you’re basically the staff.”

“Oh…”

“Besides we put the sign there.” He stepped into the room while opening his arms widely. “Welcome to our hideout!!”

Lucy carefully stepped inside and was immediately greeted with an explosion of colors.

The small roomed was crumped with two brown and one blue single seat sofas with a huge TV screen on the center of the room. On a first notice the room was pretty messy. There were clothes lying around on the floor and small everyday things like some headphones and plushies. And was that a mini fridge on the corner? However it didn’t look bad. It had sort of a lived in feeling to it. It was comforting.

Lucy eyes were immediately drawn to the tall bright red bookshelf that took up one of the walls of the room. It was filled with books, CDs, figurines and trophies. Lucy smiled subconsciously as she came closer and browsed through the shelves recognizing a few titles.

“So what do you think?”

“That’s amazing!” she turned at her companion with a huge grin. “What is this room?”

“Oh it’s our little hideout. We come here to relax and hang out in between practice. You can come here anytime you want!”

“Really?”

“Yeah sure, I wouldn’t have brought you there otherwise!”

Lucy felt the corners of her mouth twitch up “Thanks, I’ll take you on that offer.”

Natsu flashed a bright smile in response. “Hey you wanna play some games?”

“Games?”

The boy gestured to the TV at the end of the room and Lucy noticed for the first time a small gaming device being plugged into it.

“It has mostly old games but I think those are the best. So what do you say?” Natsu looked at her with wide expectant eyes.

“Ah, I’m not sure…”

“Please!!!”

Lucy could only hold her rink mate’s puppy dog eyes for three seconds before caving in. Seriously it should be illegal for a grown up man to be this cute “Okay fine! I guess I can stay for a few games…”

“Yessss!!” Natsu ran to the game console fumbling with a few CDs lost in his own world while Lucy moved awkwardly to one of the couches trying not to regret her decision. A few games wouldn’t hurt would they?

“Ah, that’s right!” Natsu exclaimed as he turned sharply to the other occupant of the room “I should probably let you chose” he said as he held up several game cases that Lucy didn’t recognize. “So, what do you wanna play first?”

“No, it’s okay you choose. I… don’t really know any of them.”

Natsu looked puzzled before holding up one of the games again “Come on you don’t even know Tekken?”

“Sorry, no. I haven’t really played any video games.” She really couldn’t, not with her father thinking they were a massive waste of time.

Natsu looked at her scandalized with his mouth open wide and a hand clutching his heart. “You’ve seriously never played?? Oh man I can’t believe this we have to fix that immediately.” He quickly popped a cd into the console and flopped into the couch next to Lucy.

“Prepare to be amazed, that’s my favorite game of all time.” He said as he handed Lucy a controller. “I won’t be going easy on you just because you’re a newbie you know!”

“I wasn’t expecting anything less.” Lucy smiled before turning back to the screen.

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

“NO NO NO NO!!! AHH DAMN IT!”

A large K.O appeared at the TV screen and a video of the finishing blow replayed after it.

Natsu glared at Lucy through his eyelashes “You cheated!”

“Hey, I didn’t cheat! It’s not my fault I have natural talent!”

“You definitely lied! No way you were playing for the first time!”

“You’re just grumpy because I’m better than you!” Lucy smirked.

“What? Hah, I was just going easy on you cause you were new.”

“What happened to ‘I won’t be going easy on you just because you’re a newbie you know!’ ” Lucy did a poor imitation of her fellow skater only to have a pillow thrown at her general direction.

“Shut up, don’t get stuck in the past!”

“It was literally an hour ago.”

“Shh, the past. I demand a rematch!!”

“What again? This is our 10th round! Just admit I’m better than you.”

“Never…” whispered Natsu in a low tone that sent Lucy into a fit of giggles.

“Seriously though, let’s take a break I’m getting a bit tired”

“Fine! This isn’t over!”

Natsu went to turn off the TV and console while sending her fake glares and Lucy curled up in her couch. This was surprisingly very fun. She could really get used to this she thought and a faint smile found its way to her face.

Of course she should have known better to expect a moment of calmness in this rink… To say Lucy was surprised when she felt a sudden weight in her lap would be a huge understatement. It didn’t help that when her eyes immediately shot down she locked eyes with a small blue cat.

They stared at each other for less than a second before Lucy’s mind processed the situation and she let out a surprised shriek startling the cat. Lucy stood up from the couch and jumped behind it in a speed she didn’t know she was capable of as soon as the cat had left her lap. She didn’t know if that was made clear enough but the cat was blue!! Blue! She wasn’t a cat expert but she knew that wasn’t in the very least natural!

“What, what is it?” Natsu got up alarmed as he tried to locate the reason for Lucy’s screams.

In response she mutely pointed to the small animal which was now looking at her almost with confusion as she tried to calm her racing heart from the surprise. The boy’s eyes followed to where her finger was pointing and broke into a soft smile.

“Oh hey buddy! I didn’t know you were awake.”

Lucy stared in astonishment as the cat mewed at the pink haired boy and went to rub it’s head in his leg as Natsu petted it softly.

“You know the cat??”

“What? Of course I should know him, it’s my cat!”

Lucy continued to stare at the duo in bewilderment. “Your… cat.” She said slowly.

“Ah that’s right! I haven’t introduced you two yet.” He picked up the cat and turned to her direction. “Lucy this is Happy, Happy this is Lucy! She may seem a bit weird but you get used to her.” He said stage whispering the last part.

“Hey, you- wait are pets even allowed in the building?”

Natsu theatrically gasped and pulled Happy closer to his chest “Pet! Happy’s not a pet he’s my friend! And he’s technically allowed as long as he doesn’t bother anyone.”

“Technically? So he’s- you know what, I don’t care at this point…”

Natsu shot her a smile that slowly turned into a frown “Wait what got you scared before? Don’t tell me it was Happy?”

Lucy bit her lip and looked away from the other skater.

“It was!” he said in delight “Oh man this is golden, Happy’s harmless! Well unless you’re a pillow he really likes to destroy those.”

“Shut up I wasn’t scared, I was just startled! You don’t see a blue cat pop out of nowhere every day! Wait we’ve overlooked that for too long. Why the hell is your cat blue?”

“Ah yes…” Natsu rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly “You see he had a bit of an accident.”

“Yes?” Lucy prompted him

“So I was mixing some colors to paint my room when Happy was just a kitten. When I took my eyes of him for a few minutes he managed to fall right into a full bucket of blue paint.”

Lucy stared at him in disbelief “Are you kidding me, shouldn’t it have come off?”

“Yeah that’s the problem… you see I was kind of experimenting with some chemicals and the paint turned out to be permanent.”

“Experimenting- why would you be experimenting with paint? You really shouldn’t be trusted with another living being.”

“Hey Happy’s okay with it, right buddy?”

The cat mewed loudly as if agreeing and Lucy sighed in defeat flopping back into the couch. “Ah I give up…”

It wasn’t long before she felt something bump against her leg and looked down to see the cat once again by her side. She hesitated for a second before slowly petting his head. Lucy smiled unconsciously as Happy relaxed into her hand and purred softly.

“Wow, he really likes you.” Lucy turned to see Natsu looking to the scene in amusement. “It takes some time for him to warm up to strangers. It took him about a month to even sit within ten meters of Laxus. He still doesn’t like him that much.”

“Wait, Laxus? As in Laxus Dreyar, one of the worldwide top figure skaters??”

“Well I wouldn’t call him one of the top anymore, he’s retired.”

“That’s not the point! How do you know Laxus?”

“He’s the grandson of the owner of Fairy Tail.” Natsu said like it was an obvious thing.

Lucy’s eyes widened “Are you serious right now?”

“Ohhh right, most people don’t know that. He used to train here but then he left us to form his own little group. Said we would be holding him back. You’re lucky you didn’t meet him then, he was a bit of an asshole. The console is his by the way, he left it behind and we conveniently forgot to give it back.”

“Wow, it’s amazing!!!”

“Did you hear anything I said??

“Fairy Tail is so amazing!” Lucy continued unbothered “Wait do you know any of the other skaters!”

“Hmm, what do you mean?”

“I’ve heard about so many incredible figure skaters have their training rink in Fairy Tail! Ohhh do you know Titania? She’s so cool I wanna be able to skate like her one day!”

“You won’t be saying that once you meet her.” Mumbled Natsu

“What?”

“Nothing nothing, I said you’ll meet her soon.”

“Really?” a huge smile lighted up Lucy’s face. “Oh how about Fullbuster, is he still here after… you know.”

“Oh the ice princess? Yeah unfortunately you’ll be seeing him soon too.”

“And the Salamander?”

“What?” Natsu chocked out.

“I haven’t really been keeping up with men’s figure skating but I heard the Salamander is in this rink? I saw his performance once and he was so cool!”

“Really, you think he’s cool?”

“Of course, have you seen his skating? He’s on fire every time he enters the ice!”

“Well today’s your lucky day!” Natsu smirked at her.

“Hmm, what do you mean?”

“The Salamander is right here!” He spread his arms wide proudly.

Lucy’s smile fell from her face. “You?? You’re the-”

“Yep, Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander. That’s me!”

“Wait, you’re a pro skater?”

“Yeah of course I am! What did you think?”

“I don’t know, certainly not being a national famous skater!” Lucy exclaimed flustered “Sorry… I- uh, you weren’t what I was expecting.”

“Wow Lucy you really know how to talk to people. I’m not the cool guy you were expecting?” He said with a teasing smile.

“Oh my god, forget everything I said earlier.” Lucy hid her now blushing face behind her hands while Natsu exploded into fits of laughter.

They ended up talking for hours from Natsu’s experiences and encounters at competitions (“I swear Lucy he showed up with black eyeshadow and lipstick, he looked like a Tanuki, and danced as the evil witch putting a spell to his ex girlfriend! I think I saw him cry on the ice…”) to arguing whether vanilla or chocolate ice cream was better. Talking with Natsu was easy, it felt like they were best friends for ages and the conversation never flopped always having something to comment on.

“Hey Natsu can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, shoot.”

“Why pink hair? I mean it doesn’t look bad but it’s an interesting choice of color.”

“Ah yeah, that… You see Luce when you want to dye your hair you should always check the time limit for the dye to set in.”

“No!”

“Yes! It was supposed to be red to match with my skating outfit! Gray teased me for days after that.”

Lucy didn’t notice how much time had passed talking until Levy called to see where she had disappeared.

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

It had been a couple of days since Gray last saw the weird blue haired woman and stopped to help her. He still has no idea why he did that. He should have just minded his own business and gone his way but no! His stupid mouth has to open up and blurt out the first thing that came to his mind. After realizing what he’d done he had pressed his lips in a tight line panicking inwardly and wished Juvia hadn’t heard him. Of course luck was never on his side when it came to her.

To make things worse apparently Mira was passing by and saw the whole scene and now she wouldn’t stop teasing him. As if she didn’t have enough teasing material before. She never failed to inform him every time he finished his individual practice that Juvia was in the public rink and Gray always walked away silently cursing the white haired woman. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Juvia. Sure she was a bit weird and their first encounter wasn’t exactly normal but he didn’t hold anything against her. It was more that he had no idea how to act with her.

Gray was lost in his thoughts when he realized he was nearing the reception desk and quickened his pace. He wasn’t in the mood for Mira’s teasing remarks at the moment. However it wasn’t the receptionist he found waiting.

“Gildarts?”

The man looked up from his phone and smiled at him “Hey kiddo! Long time no see! I was waiting for you.”

“What do you want?” he asked suspicious.

“What I’m not allowed to miss my cute little student?”

“You literally took Natsu and I for dinner last week.”

“Ah you’re no fun anymore, I miss when you were all respectful to me when I first started coaching you. Tell me how are you, how the leg going?”

“Good? There’s still some time before I can start official training. But you knew that already.”

Gildarts hummed in agreement “Good, good… So how’s Juvia doing?”

“Good-wait! How do you know about this?” Gray squinted his eyes to the other man.

“Oh, a little bird told me you were voluntary helping a sweet woman with her skating.” He said grinning

“Mira…” Gray grumbled

“They grow up so fast… you already have your own student. And it’s a cute girl nonetheless.” He wiped a fake tear out of his eyes.

“She’s not- Look I don’t know what she told you but they were all lies.”

“Oh so you didn’t give a lesson to this Juvia girl?”

“No! Yes. That’s not- Okay I did but that was a one-time thing!” he fumbled with his words. The man’s grin grew out even more.

“Or go on an ice cream date with her?”

“It wasn’t a date!!” Gray spluttered embarrassed but the older wasn’t finished.

“And you didn’t go completely out of your way to give her tips?”

“What the hell, is she just giving you reports on my life now?”

“Ah so you don’t deny it!” he exclaimed in triumph.

“No, I- Fine believe whatever you want I don’t care! I won’t be helping her anymore that was it.”

“Gray I think you should be her teacher.” Gildarts said in a serious tone the teasing smile having been erased and his former student looked at him in bewilderment.

“Are you joking?”

“No, I’m being completely serious. Gray I know this past few months have been difficult for you and I understand but I feel like you’ve been distanced from us, from your friends.” Gray frowned but before he could talk back the man continued “Mira told me you’ve been livelier these past few days, I really think taking on that girl as a student would help you out.”

“But-“

“No buts, here me out first! It wouldn’t have to interfere with your own training. Just a few hours a week. You will have some social interaction and I believe teaching someone can benefit with your own skating skills.”

“I don’t know Gildarts I have so much going on and…”

His former coach placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder “I know kid, believe me. But I really think this can do you good, I wouldn’t suggest it otherwise. Promise me you’ll think about it?”

“I- yeah okay. I promise.” Gray agreed reluctantly.

“Great!” the smile reappeared on his face “Now excuse me I have to go pick up my cute daughter for dinner!”

“Does Cana know about it?”

“Nope!” he said excited as he walked to the exit door “Don’t forget your promise!”

Gray waved at him until the man disappeared and he dropped his hand down in defeat. What had he gotten himself into?

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

After his talk with Gildarts Gray went straight to his house the man’s words circling around his head. He tried to distract himself by binge watching series but after realizing he had no idea what happened in the last three episodes because he was zoning out he gave up. He somehow managed to fall asleep without many problems and had put the whole situation in the back of his head the next morning. Well that was until later that afternoon.

“Gray~” the man in question visibly stiffened as he heard his name being called out by a certain receptionist. This wouldn’t be good. Couldn’t he just go home one day without any interruptions? Please?

He slowly turned around and forced a smile at his friend “Hey Mira… I was just going home.” He tried dropping a hint to be left alone but obviously that wasn’t in the woman’s plans.

She smiled at him sweetly from behind the counter and rested her head on her clasped hands. “Can you do me a small favor?”

“Uh, sure what is it?”

“It’s time to close down the rink and I have to go lock the upper floor down. Would you mind going in the main rink and seeing if anyone’s still there?” she threw something at his direction that Gray caught instinctively realizing it was the rink’s keys when he opened his palm “Lock it too.”

“Close down?” Gray furrowed his eyebrows confused “I didn’t stay that late didn’t I, there’s still half an hour to go.”

“Ah, something came up and I have to leave, I can’t just keep the place open. Now go make sure no one’s getting locked inside.” She smiled again and lightly pushed him to down to the direction of the main rink.

Gray adjusted the straps on his backpack and started moving eager to get done with this as soon as possible. He had a bad feeling about this. Once he reached the metal doors separating the public rink with the corridor he poked his head inside.

He was ready to shout for everyone inside to start leaving before he noticed a single figure in the middle of the ice. Gray felt his words die inside his throat. Of course. Why else would Mira make him go all this way!

Unconsciously he tried to blend in with the background and felt his gaze being drawn to the blue haired woman. She seemed to still be practicing what he had taught her and he felt a strange feeling of pride washing over him as he noticed her improvement. Oh no he was already getting into a teacher mode!

After a few more seconds of staring at her Gray snapped out of his daze remembering the reason he was sent here. Though he was pretty damn sure the reason was different than what he first thought.

“Excuse me we will be closing down now if you could please-” Gray let his sentence fade out as Juvia locked gazes with him her lips forming an O shape.

She moved her arm up and waved shyly at him from the middle of the rink. “Hello!”

“Uh, hey Juvia I didn’t know you were here today… Sorry we’re closing down in a few minutes.”

“Oh sorry Juvia lost track of time!” she said as she skated towards the edge of the rink trying to take her skates out as soon as possible.

“Ah no you’re good don’t worry. We’re just closing a bit sooner today.”

Gray watched as the girl returned the skates to the stand and got her backpack. She stepped outside the door and Gray fumbled with the keys for a second trying to find the right one.

“So how’s your practice going?” he heard himself asking before he could realize it. Stupid mouth of his…

“Oh, umm it’s going good?”

“Are you asking me?” Gray said amused.

“No! It’s good! It’s just that Juvia can’t really judge for herself.”

“Yeah…Well if you practice enough you’re sure to get better at it. You could get in a group too if you want to improve faster.”

Juvia noticeably winced at his words “Juvia can’t. She doesn’t really have a lot of free time.” Gray wondered if the hint of sadness in her voice was his imagination but he couldn’t process it enough before she shot him a bright smile and continued “Juvia is really happy she got to have that one lesson with you! She’ll be going now, it was nice seeing you again.”

Suddenly all Gildarts had said passed through his mind as he looked at the blue haired woman in front of him. She seemed to genuinely enjoy skating.

“Hey are you still up for those lessons?” he asked before he could change his mind.”

“What?” Juvia looked at him with wide eyes.

“You said before you wanted me to teach you, have you changed your mind?”

“NO! Of course not! But you said before-”

“Yeah, I know what I said but I thought about it. So what do you say?”

“Yes of course!!” a huge smile appeared on her face “But how much should Juvia pay you?”

Gray chocked on air. He hadn’t thought about that “Pay?”

“Yeah isn’t that natural?”

“No nope we’re not doing that. I’d feel bad taking money from you I’ve never taught anyone before.”

“But-”

“Nope, I’m not changing my mind on this. Ah we should probably meet up and discuss this more seriously. Do you have time tomorrow?”

Juvia nodded frantically, seemingly still in shock by the whole situation.

“Okay, cool. I, uh… I’ll see you on the rink tomorrow then.” Gray turned on his heels and walked away as fast as he could before he could see her response. If he had stayed any longer he was sure to make a fool of himself.

He passed the reception throwing the keys into Mira’s desk and bolting out of the building. It wasn’t until he was lying on his couch at home when he fully realized what had happened. Surprisingly he didn’t find himself regretting it.

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

Hey guys it's been a long time! First of all we're sorry for the long wait the hiatus took way longer than I expected it but we're here now! As a disclaimer we may take long sometimes with the chapters but the story won't ever be abandoned don't worry! We hoped you enjoyed reading the new chapter we're looking forward to hearing your thoughts about it.

See you next chap!

[beatrixacs]

25 Words - TIVA

Hello there! Me and @dazzlingstarlight decided to try this writing challenge from @promptlywritingideas. We sent each other 25 words so the other could write 25 sentences. Well, in my case these aren’t sentences. I just couldn’t stop myself and developed it further, so most of it is pieces of unrelated conversations.

Enjoy my TIVA take on the wonderful writing challenge and don’t forget to read magnificent Harm/Mac version of dazzlingstarlight!

(1)  House

Ziva sighed in content, letting the sunrays to caress her skin as she watched her little daughter and her little son playing in their playground from her place at the porch. It was truly a brilliant idea to buy a house for their growing DiNozzo family.

(2)  Movie

“What movie are we going to watch?” Tony asked Ziva nervously, fidgeting in his armchair. As a huge movie fan and self-proclaimed movie expert, he didn't feel excessively comfortable with someone else choosing a movie.

“Stop being so mistrustful.” Ziva shoved him the bowl of popcorn into his lap, feeling slightly annoyed as she had heard the exact same question for umpteenth time this day.

She sat down next to him and pushed the play button. Tony just opened his mouth wide as the opening credits for The Little Prince movie began to play. Then his lips formed into a grateful smile as Ziva squeezed his hand.

(3) Heart

“With this ring I thee wed and I give you my heart under your guardianship. I cannot imagine any other person suitable for this job than you, my love. You may have not always treated it well, but it has belonged to you since the first moment we have met. And there is so little I can do it about it, that is why I am giving it to you to take care of it as I know that I can trust you with my life. I love you with all my heart, body and soul and I will spend the rest of my life by proving you that.”

There have been silent tears at Ziva's eyes at first, then sob escaped from her lips. She has never heard such a beautiful wedding vow. And being the bride, it had been twice emotional. Her soon-to-be husband slightly caressed her face, wiping away the tear in a way only Tony DiNozzo could.

(4)  Bug

“Bitten by a love bug, DiNozzo?” Gibbs looked at his agent inquiringly. He was unfocused, seemingly having his head in the clouds, daydreaming all the time instead of properly working. All proofed that he was head over heels in love. And judging by the ‘secret’ look between him and Ziva, he had no doubt who the lucky woman was.

(5) McGee

“Do you keep any record on how many nicknames you have already invented for McGee?” Ziva asked Tony out of sudden curiosity.

“I have no idea.” Was the answer as Tony tried to count on his fingers.

(6) Undercover

“Do you realize that we are undercover and also under the covers?” Tony said while throwing the sheets across his body and Ziva rolled her eyes. He would seriously never stop with assessing their situation of being on an undercover mission and sleeping in the same hotel room AND in the same bed as they had posed as a married couple.

“Shut up and watch the movie, DiNozzo.” She growled, trying to force the fantasy of them using this cover and these covers for entirely different kind of activity.

(7) Autopsy

“Stop laughing! I couldn't sleep because of this nightmare!” Tony exclaimed, regretting that he had ever decided to tell his co-worker about the dream he had had last night.

“Ok, so let me summarize it.” Ziva said between her occasional laughs as she tried to subdue her amusement. “Me and Jimmy had an affair and we decided to kill you by performing autopsy while you were still alive?”

“Yes, and whenever he cut me, you kissed him.” Tony flatly added while Ziva was overpowered by another wave of laughter.

(8) Gremlin

“It’s a 1984 comedy horror classic, Jimmy. I even found a plushie for you.” Tony waved the plush toy in front of the face of pale Jimmy Palmer, setting in it on the DVD cover of Gremlins movie.

“Thanks, Tony.” Jimmy said hesitantly, hoping that Tony would never come up with ‘personalized’ gifts as he called it. Ziva, who had gotten a box of paperclips, silently agreed with him.

(9) Dress

“Can I talk for a second with Ziva in private?” Tony asked Abby, the bridesmaid, anxiously. He needed to see Ziva before she would walk down the aisle and marry CIRay right in front of his eyes. She nodded in agreement and slipped out of the room, letting him to go inside.

The moment he saw the Israeli bride, all words left him. Her wedding dress was the definition of beauty. The rich fluffy skirt, the lacy bodice hugging her curves perfectly, the perfect cleavage showing just enough of her natural treasures, the sequins, pearls and other decent decorations, the long veil waiting for her to place it into her hair – she looked like a Disney princess.

And in that moment he forgot all of his prepared speech about his true feelings for her. He realized that all he wanted for her was to be happy. Even if he wasn’t the man with whom she would spend the rest of her life with.

(10) Smash

Sound of breaking glass as she smashed everything made out of transparent material against the wall. Hebrew curses. More sounds of things being thrown in many directions. Thuds. Anger of losing a loved one, the person she loved the most on this world, prevailing over any other rational thought. All that was left was remorse. Wrath. Sadness. The second stage of grief over the loss of her husband Tony has just begun.

(11) Abby

Abby persistently pushed the elevator button down in her floor, wondering why the hell the elevator just wouldn’t move. She had important results to show to Gibbs and considering his injuries from the previous case, she didn’t want him to trudge to her lab. When the elevator finally arrived to her floor and the door opened, she found herself face to face with Tony and Ziva whose reddened cheeks were telling enough. Abby slowly smiled, no longer annoyed. Her suspicions were confirmed. Those two were making out in the elevator!

(12) Language

“How many languages do you even speak?” Tony wiped his eyebrow that got wet under the drops of sweat on his forehead. He was getting too old for such quick running. He was no Usain Bolt. Yet, he was forced to start dashing when Ziva had uttered apparently pretty vulgar remark towards the man they had been speaking to. It was better to run than to involve in a fight with a bunch of the man’s friends who appeared out of nowhere.

“It doesn’t matter, as long as I speak with the language of love.” Ziva replied, pressing her lips on his, stealing his breath away.

(13) Boss

“Are you saying that I’m supposed to be boss now, boss?” Tony asked incredulously, watching the older man in front of him. Gibbs’ retirement was something he expected to happen one day, but still dreaded it in the same time.

“You’re competent enough for that job, DiNozzo.” Gibbs squeezed his shoulder, expressing confidence in his successor.

(14) Phone

“Tell me, what are you wearing?” Tony whispered sensually into the receiver, his legs propped up against his desk. He was alone in the darkened office, ruining his back over the pile of paperwork.

“I’m not having phone sex with you, Tony.” Ziva refused and ended the call, throwing her phone on the couch in her apartment. She stared at it for a moment, biting her thumb in contemplation.

Half a minute later, the phone in the NCIS bullpen on the desk of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo rang.

(15) Investigation 

Tony stared at the file in front of him. He refused to believe that the investigation was over. Well, over... It was seized. Suspended. Listed as unsolved. When you have no witnesses, no cameras, no traces of tires, simply nothing to hold on to, you can hardly investigate a crime. And yet, Tony felt that he hadn’t done enough. His father was killed. Ran over by a car in the middle of an unlit street. Nobody head heard or seen anything. No clues. No hints. No traces. No suspects. Only a victim.

A warm hand squeezed his shoulder and he was immediately grateful to have her here with him. “How could you deal with it?” He asked her as she knew the feeling of losing a father like no one else.

“The official investigation might over, Tony. But the one in your heart and your mind will never stop until you know who did it and bring him to justice.” She said in a knowing tone. “And I promise you we will find the bastard who killed him. I will personally take care of it.”

(16) Magic

Her eyes lowered and her cheeks flushed with dark crimson. The magic of Anthony DiNozzo’s smile was sometimes embarrassingly efficient and she found herself in a state when she couldn’t deny him a single thing. Maybe it had also something to do with the face she was a little bit in love with him.

(17) Explosion

The steady beeping sound of the life monitor seemed like a music to her as opposed to the terrifying sounds of the explosion she’d heard and witnessed a couple of hours ago. Tony lay in the hospital bed in barbiturate-induced coma with scratches all over his body as the shrapnel had cut into his flesh while the building he had been in had blown into pieces. She’d never felt to scared in her life. And it had awakened something in her, as well. It was different than with the members of her family who had been taken away from her too soon. They were hers, they were part of her. Tony had never belonged to her as she had been to coward to tell him how she felt about him. But she vowed, at this very moment, that if he would pull through this, she would change it as soon as she had the chance. Tony DiNozzo was about to find out the extension of her love for him.

(18) Agent

“I’m Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, nice to meet you.” Tony introduced himself to a witness they were supposed to question in their latest case. “And this is my wife, Special Agent Ziva DiNozzo.”

(19) Paris

Ziva stood in front the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France and watched its glow as the darkness settled in. She was getting nervous, feverishly wondering whether Orli hadn’t been joking and Tony had really found her secret message in Israel where she’d informed him about couple of things that needed to be said, including where he might find her. She had suggested a place and time for their ‘date’. She couldn’t imagine any better location for their reunion. Paris was the symbol of their friendship, their love. She could never forget what had happened here a couple of years ago. Suddenly, she had a feeling that someone was watching her. When she turned around, her eyes welled up with tears as she saw her daughter she’d missed so much over the last few weeks in the arms of the man she loved more than herself.

(20) Wedding

She walked down the aisle on her wedding day and observed the faces of the people she loved dearly and who came here to celebrate her and Tony’s happiness with them. For a moment, she had doubts about being able to go through this but in the end, it seemed as a piece of cake. When you marry a man who had crossed the world twice for you to find you, defying all orders and rules, you just know that he is the right one. And there’s nothing easier than seal the mutual love in front of those who had witness their hardships and supported them in their hard times.

(21) Father

“There’s something I want to talk to you about, Gibbs.” Ziva started, feeling more nervous than ever in her life. “You are probably the closest thing I’ve had to a father. Especially after my coming to the United States. You somehow filled the void in my heart that was left there after my parents divorced. And considering my own father is now dead and the wedding is just around the corner, I wanted to ask you... Will you give me away?”

Gibbs approached her and kissed her on her cheek. “It’ll be my honour, Ziver.”

(22) Family

“With this ring I thee wed and I fully accept you as part of me. You once told me that family is more than blood. That it’s something I build around myself. My friends. People I trust. And people I unconditionally love. I couldn’t ever imagine how right you were. You are the one I unconditionally love. You are the one I trust with my life, my heart and my soul. You are my dearest friend. You are my family. And I will do everything to preserve it until the end of time and beyond that.”

Ziva’s quivering voice as she recited her vow had almost caused a heart attack to Tony. This was really a wedding of their dreams. And he was marrying the woman he loved the most. He was the luckiest guy on this planet.

(23) Friend

“Well, that’s the problem, Ziva.” Tony countered to her words, “I can’t be friends with you anymore. My heart just can’t accept it. Not when it knows it has a chance.”

Ziva stood in front of him, running out of words. That was not how she’d imagined their conversation, how she would tell him that he needed to be patient as she was in a hard place and she had to be careful while making her decisions. She couldn’t mindlessly enter a relationship with him, but he couldn’t and didn’t want to understand it.

He turned away from her and started to walk away. That was end of their friendship and practically everything between them. He couldn’t continue in being friendly to her when all he was thinking about constantly was to show her how much he loved her.

He was more than surprised, then, when her hand reached for his arm, turned him back to her and her lips crashed on his in a passionate way that made him lose his mind. That certainly wasn’t a kiss between friends.

(24) Daughter

“How are you going to name her?” Abby asked as she held the newborn daughter of her friends in her hands, while McGee stood behind her back, gushing over the baby’s cuteness just as her.

Tony looked at exhausted, yet smiling and incredibly happy Ziva. “Tali.” They both answered in unison.

(25) Gibbs

“Hell, it’s about time.” Gibbs uttered, seeing his two agents breaking the Rule 12 right in front of his eyes. (This is sort of a honour of a character named Tychus from Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty video game. I just can’t get the sentence out of my head, always imagining Gibbs saying it.)

[peace-coast-island]

#ChoicesCreates: "That was fun, let's do it again sometime!"

Title: Sillage (The Royal Romance) Summary: Sillage - the scent that lingers in air, the trail left in water, the impression made in space after something or someone has been and gone. Enid Zuberi (MC) recalls some of the fun times she had with her friend Sera and wishes they had more time together. Companion to Quaintrelle and Mizpah.

@hollyashton @zigisbisexual

Earlier today I passed by the old playground across what used to be Angel’s Bakery. Remember how we’d hang out there after school on Fridays? You’d order cronuts, I’d get cream puffs, and Ollie would have waffles. On days when we didn’t have a lot of homework on the weekend we stayed until five and hung out on the playground. I wonder if I can find the tree we carved our names on. That is, if I can remember where it is.

Now the playground and bakery looks like something out of an old black and white movie. It’s sort of a strange way to put it, I know. When I stepped into the playground, it was like I was in another world. Not something to explore though, it felt kind of sad, as in that place was in its own bubble. never to be disturbed by the outside. What once felt so familiar and warm now feels foreign and almost hostile. The worst part is, when I tried to picture us running around in the playground, all I could see is the rusted playground equipment covered in dirt and leaves, making creaking noises when the wind blew.

Not to mention across the street there’s no longer a trace of Angel’s Bakery but instead a boarded up building that looks like it’s going to fall apart any minute. This part of the street is basically dead. There’s no one, nothing around here for blocks and blocks, only emptiness.

Why didn’t we ever come back? Maybe we did one last time, I probably forgot. Did we know that the bakery and other businesses over there were closing? What ever happened to “One more time, for old time’s sake?”. Looking back, maybe we could have done something special when we found out. But instead we let it be forgotten and carried on with our lives.

There’s no use in trying to retrieve memories that are lost to time, we know how hard and painful that is. But still, it hurts to forget something that once meant a lot. I’m afraid of waking up one day and not remembering things like the sound of your voice or how graceful you look in the wind when you’re sailing. Hell, I can’t even remember when was the last time we were there before it became abandoned. Was it after our sixth grade graduation? Earlier? Later?

When did we get so old, Sera?

I spent the weekend in Eden Villa visiting Ollie and helping Deedee move into her dorm. Hard to believe that it’s her last year at Eagle University. She’s been so busy lately that it seems like forever since we last saw each other. So it was a nice surprise when she called me and Ollie up.

After decorating her dorm, we had lunch at Villa Downtown Cafe. I thought the place looked familiar. The wall was decorated with all kinds of clocks, and then I saw one that caught my eye. It looked like a diorama except as a clock. Soft sandy yellows and browns mixed with beachy and ocean blues. In the shadows stood silhouettes of a sail and three small figures waving to the horizon. From the top hung small birds that swayed gently. The way the clock was integrated into the scenery was done only in a way that Sera Castiglioni could do it. Then I knew why that cafe seemed so familiar.

Five years ago, we visited that cafe, back when Ollie was starting Harvard. It was during Labor Day weekend and we wanted to surprise Ollie and celebrate his first week of college. At your suggestion we took a train to Eden to meet up with you. The first place we stopped by was Villa Downtown, a timeless cafe, kinda funny since the walls are full of clocks. I don’t remember much about the cafe but we had a great time around the villa. You always make a great tour guide, showing off all kinds of places and keeping us on our feet. Walking around Eden just doesn’t feel the same without you.

When I walked in the cafe for the first time, I was taken back by all the clocks decorating the walls. Who knew that clocks can be designed in so many ways? While we were waiting for our food I noticed a flyer for a clock designing contest. Ollie and I were surprised to find out that the cafe had did something like this every year and shocked that you didn’t think you were good enough to enter. It took a lot of poking and prodding but I finally convinced you to enter the contest. Told ya you’d win!

Ollie, Deedee, and I visited the beach, the film museum, and saw a show at the theater. Eden has changed so much since that visit five years ago. On our way to the beach we passed by the art museum, which was one of your favorite places in the world. I almost didn’t recognize it until Ollie pointed it out. From the outside, the museum has doubled in size. I can’t imagine how the inside looks but I bet it’s amazing. I think you mentioned that there was talk about renovating the place.

The beach was nice. It was a bit cloudy and cold so we didn’t go in the water. I took a walk and picked up some shells. I still have the ones from our last outing in my seashell box. It’s been a long time since I added to my collection. From what I can remember, not a lot has changed about the beach.

While going through my seashell box, I found a sand dollar necklace you made for me when Ollie and I visited. On our last night at Eden we spent the night at the beach where we built a fire and watched the stars. You bought your guitar and we sang a bunch of songs. After that you led us to your favorite diving spot, where earth meets sky, as you put it. We danced until dawn before heading back to the train station.

Before hopping on the train you said, “That was fun, let’s do it again sometime!”  Your words never left my mind since I got off the train. Then I saw the necklace and everything came flooding back to me. We never did a follow up to that adventure, did we?

Even after two years things like this still gets to me.

Guess who has two thumbs and nine bandaged fingers? For the past two days I made over fifty plushies for the Children’s Hospital Summer Fair. Not bad for someone who hasn’t sewn anything for a while. They’re nothing like your masterpieces but then what good would it be if I copied yours? I’m pretty happy with how mine turned out and they were a hit with the kids. By the end of the day, forty-nine of them were sold. I’m keeping the last one as a souvenir.

The fair was pretty fun, I had a great time helping out. I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to participate or not. I know I said that I’d keep the tradition going after you were gone but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And then the year after that a lot of things were going on that summer so I lost track of time. Now here I am two years later, back at the park hosting games and selling plushies.

While I was making plushies, all I could think about was you. Remember how much fun we had cutting up fuzzy socks, filling them up with stuffing, and sewing on details? Doing it alone was actually kind of fun, it’s been a while since I had a day to myself. Working double shifts is not my favorite thing but hey, you do what you gotta do. At least I’m getting paid, plus extra days off so it’s a win-lose thing. There’s something about art that’s so fascinating. Turning something like a sock into a cute kitten or puppy, it always amazes me. I guess that’s why I always look up to you a lot, Sera, because you are an artist. I never realized I forgot how much I enjoyed making these little plushies. Or how a child’s eyes lights up when they get to take one home.

While I was at the booth, I saw one little girl that reminded me of you. She was full of energy and a natural leader. For an eight year old she was beyond her years, walking around with her younger siblings and making sure that no one felt left you. She asked her mom for some money so she could buy five plushies, two for her brother and sister, one for a boy in a wheelchair who lost his leg from cancer, and one for a girl who’s going into isolation soon to prepare for a bone marrow transplant. Jenny was her name, a lymphoma patient and a true trooper. She spent a few weeks in the hospital for an infection and now she’s back home and in remission. The day of the fair was the first time she went out since she was admitted. You always said the sunshine sped up your recovery, I bet Jenny’s the same too.

I’ll never forget how the little boy and girl looked when Jenny surprised them with a plushie. With a simple gesture like that, Jenny brightened up their day. Remember how you’d do the same when we volunteered? You’d see a kid sitting alone watching everyone else run around, wishing that they could do the same, and you’d come with a plushie and play with them, bringing a smile on their weary faces. I guess part of the reason why I didn’t want to participate was because I knew I wouldn’t be able to cheer someone up like that. You always had a way with people, Sera, the way your optimism can make the best out of the bleak. I was afraid because I couldn’t fill in your shoes. Then I met Jenny and I realized that there was no point in trying to follow your footsteps because you always ran barefoot in all directions. You’re one of a kind, Sera, and there will never be anyone like you. So it’s about time I stop trying to fill in the gaps with what ifs and if onlys.

Sorry for taking so long to do this. I could go on thinking about that summer three years ago, wondering if we could have known that it was going to be our last time making plushies together. But there’s no point in regretting the things we didn’t have time to do, or else we’d be wasting even more time! At the end of the fair three years ago, a nurse asked us if we were coming back next year to do it again. We both excitedly said yes. But we never did.

Three years later, Jenny went up to me and asked if I was volunteering again next year. I smiled and told her I’ll be back next summer with more plushies, which made her and the other kids very happy.

And I’ll hold myself to that promise - it’s right here in writing!

[bluebookbadger-blog]

The Price of a Life - Chapter 13

Title: The Price of a Life Fandom (s): Fullmetal Alchemist/Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Summary: I always thought waking up in another world would be a lot more…interesting. At least slightly exciting and terrifying, but it really wasn’t. It was more of a sudden and underwhelming event, that landed me in the company of fiction and its ignorance of modern physics. I thought it was a dream. Boy was I wrong.  Characters: SI/OC, Maes Hughes, Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, etc.  Rating: PG-13

A/N: I, as someone who's beaten their trich, personally don't consider some of the elements in a later scene of this chapter triggering or self-harm oriented, but I know a few may find it that way, so I am giving the warning to anyone sensitive to such topics.

It took a little while for reality to set in, the farmhouse shrinking in the distance behind us as the car rumbled forward. I felt out of place, the dried mud that caked my shoes and legs flaking onto the carpeted floor of the otherwise pristine military vehicle. The forest that separated the farmlands from the city limits faded as we crossed back into the slums, the late morning sun beating down on the ramshackle camps.

"Stop!" I shouted, the realization of my agreement to leave this new home set in. The driver braked, Havoc, following me as I tripped over my own feet to exit the car.

"Where are you going?" He asked, following slowly with his hands on his pockets. I limped away as fast as I could.

"I almost forgot my stuff," I said, walking a few camps down the narrow side road before coming upon a familiar embankment.

I sat down on the edge and slid down, not caring for the new dirt added to my clothes. I was as filthy as I ever was on a workday, a little more dirt wasn't going to make a difference. I waddled to the first shack, peeking inside. An older child, Marcus, held a stone in his hand, arm raised and ready to launch the projectile at a hostile intruder.

"Just me buddy," I said, grabbing the handles of my bag and lifting it to my shoulder.

"What are you doing back here so early? Did something happen?" He asked, red eyes searching the light behind me for any sign of danger. I chuckled a little, I'm not really sure why.

"I've gotta go back to the city for a while, don't know when I'll be back,"

"Why are you leaving? Did you get in trouble?" I heard the shift of gravel behind me as presumably Havoc made his way down the embankment, more careful than I about sullying his uniform.

"Just some grown-up stuff, don't worry. Take good care of yourselves 'til I get back," I rushed, my hushed whisper forcing a smile as I turned to Havoc, who stood a little too close for comfort. "Come on pretty boy, we don't want the boy's back at Central to think you've run away with me,"

"There are kids in there?" Havoc asked quietly, staring down the makeshift tent with a furrowed brow and troubled eyes. I sighed and started climbing the hill to the pathway.

"Come on, it's getting late," I said, listening as he trudged behind me. Anxiety clawed at my throat. Would the Ishvalans here be reported? Killed? The thoughts made me sick to the stomach, the idea that I might be responsible for more carnage yet.

The car was still running, as we hadn't been gone for more than a few minutes. I crawled back into the back seat, my bag on my lap like an uncomfortable pillow. The driver, a younger soldier, kept his mouth shut, not asking a single question as Havoc got back into the car, eyes distant and a newly lit cigarette between his lips.

The car rumbled forward once more, and I rested my head on the window. I could hardly restrain the yawn that escaped my lips, the exhaustion of the past few days overcame me all at once. I closed my eyes, the hum of the car's engine a mechanical lullaby.

I awoke to find the sun still high in the sky, shining down on the quiet noontime streets of Central. I flinched as Jean knocked on the window, bright eyes ringed with anxiety peering down at me. Something felt off.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned, stretching before I limped slowly away from the vehicle. It was impossible to restrain the grimace that befell my features at the sight of the infamous and familiar building before me. I really hated Central Command.

It was such an ugly building. Sure, it was aesthetically pleasing as far as symmetry and sound architecture were concerned, but it lacked character. Plain grey facade, plain grey stairs, plain grey walls, and floors. It was kind of depressing.

Everything ached, and climbing the stairs to the front door wasn't an easy feat. Jean's impatience wasn't helping of course.

"We're in a bit of a hurry, Mac," He reminded me, nearly to the top of the stairs while I struggled past the fourth and fifth steps. I glared up at him, reminding myself he had at least carried my bag for me.

"Every time you call me Mac, the slower I walk. Learn some patience Pretty Boy," I mumbled the half-hearted threat, my legs shaking with effort as I began to catch up to him. Something was definitely bothering the guy.

As I reached the top of the stairs, out of breath, Jean abruptly grabbed my hand and began to lead me through the crowded building.

"Oi- Take it easy!" I squeaked, my bones felt as though they were being rattled about inside me like loose change in the bottom of a purse. For some reason, the cramped room felt more claustrophobic than on my prior visits to dear old Central. I, personally, loved to hide in small spaces as a child and preferred the comfort of the closet to the open yard, but the bustle of the room was overwhelming after days in near isolation from such confines.

Thankfully, the uncomfortable experience came to a swift end as we traveled down a side hall, only a few soldiers walking by quietly. I breathed a sigh of relief, but Jean's vice-like grip on my thin wrist was unrelenting. My skin, burnt from days unprotected from the sun, stung from his hold.

"Ow!" I exclaimed emphatically to grab his attention. He finally let go, eyes wide, as if first realizing he was holding my arm. I rubbed my wrist, searching his face for any indication of what could possibly be so anxiety enduring for someone as easy going as Jean Havoc.

Hands shaking, he fished a pack of cigarettes from his uniform pocket, shakily managing to light it before taking a deep inhalation of the nicotine-laced smoke. I looked down at my arm, a bruise already forming beneath the reddened skin.

I swallowed, my purpose for being here finally settling in its entirety on my shoulders. They must have Maria in custody. They only had loose circumstantial evidence as best planted by Envy. My testimony would likely decide if she walked free or was arrested for the "murder" of Maes Hughes.

Sighing, I released my own wrist and ran a hand through my matted hair, yanking out a few strands in frustration.

"Okay, that's better, lead the way soldier boy," I said with feigned enthusiasm. It probably seemed like I was taking this too well, I going to convict the person deemed responsible for the death of a friend that I was witness too. But, I was dehydrated and didn't really care, and neither did Jean apparently, as he led on without a word.

The room he led me to was small, and unlike the crime shows with blinking machines and recording devices, was almost entirely empty, with the exception of a few familiar soldiers.

"Hello, Miss. Irish, feeling better?"Douglas asked, his voice betraying no congeniality despite the small smile that played on his lips.

"Besides the crippling depression and midlife crisis? I'm fantastic!" I said with a smile, shooting finger guns his way. I chuckled awkwardly as no such amusement came from the soldiers. Guess millennial dark humor hasn't been invented yet here. I rubbed the back of my head, the faint memory of a bruise sobering my enthusiasm. "Nah, I'm okay. My leg's working decently at least. Yourself?"

"It depends on you, actually." He said curtly, Havoc closing the door to the small empty room. It was poorly lit, the red carpet plushy and pristine. The wall opposite of the door was a large pane of glass that faintly mirrored us. "We believe this woman is responsible for the disappearance, and murder, of Brigadier General Maes Hughes." Both he and Havoc turned to me, gauging my reaction as Douglas flipped a switch, turning off the already dim lamp overhead. The one-way mirror revealed the objective of this visit.

I drew a sharp breath, more out of my occasional forgetfulness to breathe than out of recognition of the woman on the other side of the glass. It was odd to see her wearing the simple grey blue jumpsuit of a prisoner instead of her uniform. Releasing the breath slowly, I took a step closer to the mirror, observing the occupants of the brightly lit room tentatively.

Maria, eyes tired but angry, glared back at the mirror, as though she could see us. Focker sat opposite of her, trying to refocus her attention on the pictures and bagged evidence laid out on the metal table. Another soldier sat at the end of the table, bespectacled eyes focused on the book before him. As they spoke, the man scribbled in his book, recording every word. Their voices didn't carry through the glass, but from the venom in Maria's expression and Fockers gentle but exasperated gaze, I could have guessed the topic of their conversation.

Behind me, Douglas picked up a strange device and fiddled with the buttons and lights for a moment before static was replaced by the voices of the interrogation room, with just a slight delay as I watched the two converse with one another.

"...We found this bullet, lodged in the telephone booth frame, at a trajectory that would have gone through Brigadere General Hughes' head. It's a .45 caliber. The killer used only this one bullet. I'd say it was a good shot but it was at point blank range. Close enough that even a poor shot could have done it. Now tell me, what is the caliber of the gun that you carry,"

Focker spoke with a seriousness and aloofness that was uncharacteristic of him. I looked to Douglas, his eyes seemingly focused on the scene.

Ross spoke softly, no malice or rage in her voice, only a slight shiver of fear sneaking into her sentence.

"It's a...a .45, sir." Focker nodded, picking up a piece of paper from the table.

"Here we have a copy of your requisition form for additional ammunition," I could feel myself grinding my teeth, but I couldn't say anything. I could only hope everything played out as it was supposed to. "Does this look correct?"

Maria's eyes hardened to nice more, and she didn't respond.

"It says here you fired one shot, what was that round used for?" She looked down at the piece of paper. My breath was creating a small fog on the glass, my nose grazing the cold mirror.

"It lists the reason right there on the form," She explained, her fingers grazing the chain on her wrist. I felt my hand graze my own wrist where such a bracelet once resided. "I fired my weapon in defense of Edward Elric while in the Fifth Laboratory."

Focker tapped the bullet on the table, the piece of metal and obscure dot from our distance behind the mirror.

"But the Fifth Laboratory is no longer operational. It remains unmanned," Maria's impatience and desperation were beginning to show, at least in her voice which was now saturated by anxiety.

"It was definitely not unmanned,"

"Sure," Focker responded, not at all convinced, "According to your account."

I looked at Douglas, my breath shaking. The interrogation was more intense than what I had been previously subject to.

"Stop," I murmured, looking away. Truth, what if Mustang really did kill her? What if I had changed enough to convince him? I knew I told Envy to be convincing, but this was going to be too much. Mustang wasn't going to be happy until someone died. Hopefully, it wouldn't be Ross.

"Shall I send someone to search for this bullet you say you fired?" Douglas wouldn't look at me. Havoc stared blankly at the mirror.

"There was an unexplained explosion at the site. The Fifth Laboratoryoratory is now a pile of rubble." My chest tightened as drew a sharp breath. She was telling the truth, but she was also driving herself into a corner.

"So the place where you claim to have used your gun was unmanned, and if we looked for the bullet, all that we would be able to find was a pile of rubble. Is that what you're saying?"

The radio crackled, the static silence unnerving. I felt my cheeks flush as Focker mocked the suspicious nature of Ross' explanation.

"But Lieutenant, by witness testimony, you were spotted leaving the scene on the day of the murder at the same time as the shooting," Maria's eyes were now brimming with panic and disbelief. I swallowed, the lump in my throat refusing to shrink. I had told them I had seen her that night.

"That's impossible!" She said, leaning forward in her seat.

"Calm down Lieutenant," Focker commanded sternly, his glasses glinting the cold light of the room. "Fine then, so what were you doing at that time?" Maria took a breath, steadying herself.

"I had the day off," My heart was pounding in my chest, my lungs feeling constricted as I watched the scene unfold. "I was at my parent's house visiting. Please, check with them. They'll tell you." It wasn't a good alibi. I felt hot tears roll down my cheeks, their origin a mystery even to me. I was just so upset and I couldn't put my finger on why. Focker sat stoically, staring down the Second Luitenant with his hands folded in front of himself.

"All you can offer us is your family's testimony?" He asked, Maria's panicked eyes darting to the glass once more. She knew we were listening. "That is not admissible as an alibi." I could feel Maria's fear, her disbelief, her panic. She knew she didn't kill Hughes, and Denny could corroborate her story about the Fifth Laboratoryoratory. But they wouldn't take it. There was nothing in the world more frustrating than telling the truth and being called a liar.

"Stop it! Please!" I cried, my voice working on its own. My lungs sucked in air and forced it back out, but I still felt lightheaded and my hands were shaking as they grabbed handfuls of my hair, tugging it tightly. My breathing grew shaky, and I noticed Maria, Focker, and the other soldier in the room staring at the glass. They had heard me.

Douglas turned off the radio, and the lights glowed a bit more brightly as I clenched my jaw. I looked at the ground, hands slowly falling away from my ears. Strands of bleached blonde hair, still entwined in my fingers, brushed my lips as I wiped away a few stray tears. Thankfully I had managed to work myself up enough for the tears in my eyes to seem convincing.

"As you can see, we only have circumstantial evidence and your eyewitness testimony," Douglas said, hands folded behind his back. "Could she have been the one who attacked you?"

I looked up slowly, thinking over the story I had told him when I first woke up in the hospital.

"No...but..." I murmured, screwing my eyes shut and rubbing my face with calloused hands. "She-she was definitely...there that night," I said between the hiccups as I calmed myself down.

"Leave us for a moment, Second Lieutenant," Douglas 'asked', the request a clear order from the Colonel. Havoc looked at me for a moment, and I could feel his eyes linger on my face for a second before he stiffly left the room.

"Miss. Irish," Douglas continued, his face set like stone and his eyes cold, despite the sympathy in his voice. "You know that this investigation needs...closure. For everyone involved. Blame must be placed, and punishment delivered without uncertainty. You were there, your testimony is the only truth about that night that we have. I need you, without any second thoughts or hesitation, to answer a simple question. Yes or no, was Maria Ross involved in the murder of Brigadier General Maes Hughes?"

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. Eye contact would be preferable. He wanted unshakable conviction and certainty. I had to sell this perfectly, whether or not everything would happen as it was supposed to.

"Yes," I said, my voice tight but sure, "Maria Ross was involved in the murder of Mars Hughes." I met his eyes, fighting the urge to look away, to stare blankly at his face to mask my doubt and fear. But I held his gaze, refraining from searching his eyes for his reaction.

Douglas was the first to look away, closing his eyes as he mulled over the result of this meeting. I released the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Thank you, Miss. Irish, you did the right thing." The Colonel said slowly, opening the door to the hallway where Havoc was waiting. "Go home, get some rest - I'm sure you'll sleep well tonight."

I nodded numbly, blindly following the vague outline of Havoc through the halls. Home.

The drive was almost silent. No playful banter, no jokes or gibes, just a quiet exhaustion. The sun was sinking in the late afternoon sky, bathing the buildings and streets along Main Street in a golden orange. The car stopped, and I looked up at a place I once called home.

Havoc followed me up the stairs of the familiar apartment complex, taking my bag from me on the second flight, noticing I was lagging behind.

"Jean?" I asked, my voice softened from my earlier crying. He stopped a few steps ahead of me. Havoc looked back slowly, his eyes tired and expression blank. I didn't know what to say, or ask, or why I even called out in the first place. Looking back, I think I just wanted someone to tell me I did the right thing. That I was doing great, and everything would work out in the end. "I...I don't," I choked on my words, feeling thousands of conflicting emotions and phrases surface in my mind.

"I don't have an answer for you," Havoc said with a sigh, responding to some unsaid question that I was searching for the words to. "I don't know what you told Douglas, and I don't know if what you told him was the truth." He looked down at the stairs, the worn carpet more of a pink than red. "But the investigation, Gracia, all of us - we need a truth to believe in. Maybe not the right truth, and maybe not the honest truth, but something believable, and something...familiar." He used his free hand to rub the back of his head. "I don't know," He murmured, turning back up the stairs, "I don't know what to believe any more than you do,"

I sighed, the answer neither satisfying nor disappointing, simply hard to hear. I followed Havoc up to the door of the apartment, where he set down my bag and began to head for the stairs.

"See you, Mac," I flinched, the old nickname Hughes gave me resurfacing, but this time, I couldn't bring myself to admonish the remark. I stood in front of the door for a few minutes longer, listening to the sounds of the apartment. Water was running in the next room over, and I could hear Jean descend the stairs below me. The Hughes apartment was quiet, the gentle hum of bustle in the kitchen the only indicator of life. I lifted my hand, and I knocked.

I couldn't tell if Gracia was happy to see me, or if she was happy that Elicia was happy to see me. There was hugging and a little laughing criticism of the dried mud I tracked through the apartment, but nothing overly enthusiastic. What unnerved me was that she didn't ask where I had been, not even Elicia asked. It was as though they had known where I was the entire time and they knew exactly what I had been doing.

Apparently (sisters name) had just left the day before yesterday. And earlier today, the Elrics and Winry had visited. At the mention of this, a glassy fog covered Gracia's eyes, but she smiled and said she wished I had been there, and although unspoken, I could see she had needed someone there. The topic was quickly diverted by Elicia's enthusiastic welcome, and we sat for a relatively silent supper.

I sat in the bathroom after supper, the warm soup sitting heavy in my stomach. My dirt-caked clothes sat in a pile by the door, a fresh set of pajamas from my old closet folded on top of the toilet seat. The bath water had long gone cold, but I didn't care. The familiarity of the enclosed and curtained tub was welcome compared to the open showers I had been getting used to at the bathhouse. My hair, finally rid of a sheen of dust it had been carrying, was now back to its near pure white, and my skin, though calloused and burnt, shed a protective layer of dirt.

Shivering, I got out of the tub, the water a disgusting milky slew of the filth that the showers couldn't wash away. I wrapped myself in a fluffy, soft towel, and watched the water drain. Even the gentleness of the towel set my skin alight with pain, the sensitive burns now exposed to the biting air. Quickly, I threw on the nightgown, the billowing, lacey, white dress one I had worn before.

I stared at myself in the mirror, the once foggy glass since cooled. I gingerly ran my hand over the sunburnt skin, the slightest nick of my fingernail causing excruciating pain. Putting on my glasses, I leaned closer to the mirror, observing my eyelashes and eyebrows. Once thin and well groomed, my eyebrows were now a bushy tangle of white, and my eyelashes, long and delicate, seemed to overcrowd my face.

I opened the medicine cabinet behind the mirror, my hand touching the cold metal of the tweezers as I took them out. Just a little trim wouldn't hurt, I thought to myself, the familiar urge and compulsion from years before overcoming me as I leaned closer still to the mirror. Thankfully, I didn't get very far before, Elicia knocked on the bathroom door, startling me from the trance.

"J-just a sec," I muttered, all but throwing the tweezers back in the cabinet. I turned on the faucet, watching the hairs float briefly on the water before being sucked down the drain. It had been years since I had an episode, but thankfully this one wasn't too bad. Yes, my brows had thinned considerably and had been trimmed a little too far back, but I had stopped in time. They would grow back. I swallowed, turning off the water and gathering my dirty clothes. Thank Truth for Elicia's late night bathroom trips. It felt like only a few minutes, but I had spent two hours in the bathroom. Time flies when you're caught up in a mirror.

I sighed, throwing my filthy clothes into a laundry hamper in my room. Flopping down on the bed, I stared at the ceiling, unable to calm my mind. I cracked my knuckles nervously, the heavy fear of a relapse hanging over me. I couldn't go back after so much progress, I couldn't just snap like that and undo so much work and therapy after so many years of being free from my compulsions. I got up, pacing the floor of my room. It was a familiar action, my arms folded tightly against my chest.

This continued for a few hours until my feet and legs were too tired to carry me back and forth across the room. I laid down on the bed, hands firmly tucked beneath my pillow as I thought over my options, not only considering this recent breakdown but also the story.

I hoped my testimony was enough to convict Maria, but it seemed I was losing even my closest military connections because of it. And if Mustang didn't suspect something else, if he didn't fake her death...he might kill her for real.

I bit my lip, the thought of burning to death an unpleasant one. I knew there were holes in my story to Douglas, and he had to have noticed them, but he seemed absolutely adamant that I confess she was responsible. No...I didn't say she was responsible, I said she was involved. A lie that anyone unacquainted with the case would buy as guilt. The public would eat it up. It would satisfy the masses and calm those seeking a scapegoat.

Except for Mustang. He was probably watching this case very closely, had probably gotten his hands on a copy of my testimony. He would see the plot hole, that I said there were at least two different characters involved in the attack and murder. He would not be satisfied with just Maria, if he even accepted her as guilty. Logically speaking, he would do as he did in the show, and fake her death for her safety. Then, he would come after me.

I buried my face in the pillow, trying to apply enough pressure to numb my burning skin. I drifted off at some point, thankfully with my hands securely away from my head and face. It was early when I woke up, the dreamless sleep a welcome phantom who too quickly left me.

It didn't seem like anyone else was awake, given the silence of the apartment, so I decided to find some bandages to keep myself from any other relapses. A first aid kit probably had some. I opened the mirror medicine cabinet slowly, ignoring the alluring glint of the tweezers. As soon as I saw the universal red cross stamped box, I grabbed it and closed the cabinet with a sigh of relief.

Opening it, I found it did not have the familiar Band-Aid brand bandages I was looking for, but the unmarked, white bandages would achieve the same result. With the help of some medical tape and a few foggy memories of the bandages I received when I burned my hands, I slowly worked on wrapping each finger with a thin layer of the bandages. Not enough to make my movements stiff or clumsy, but enough so that I would have no grip to pull out my hair or use the small pair of tweezers.

It is surprisingly relaxing work, the flickering low oil lamp of the bathroom and the cold tile of the floor soothing as I finished taping the last bandage. I tested my dexterity, gently putting away the first aid kit.

The whole hand bandaged was different than what I usually did, and it restricted my wrist movement a little bit but it was comfortable. And, if I'm being honest, it looked a little badass, like I punched people for a living.

Moving to the living room, I had forgotten the tranquility of the apartment at night. Sure, there were no stars, and the sounds of life throughout the building were amplified by the silence, but it was still oddly beautiful. It was familiar.

I sat on the couch, the gentle warmth of the early morning sunlight filtering through the blinds. Maybe I could go back to normal here. I could find a job nearby, make some money, get back into a routine with the remaining Hughes residence.

It was an unlikely fantasy, to live out the days until the Promised Day in peace with Gracia and Elicia, but it was a pleasant one.

Gracia woke up next, quietly shuffling into the kitchen to turn on the coffee machine. The apartment was soon filled with morning smells - hot bacon on the stove top, scrambled eggs sizzling nearby, and of course, coffee.

As expected, Elicia soon emerged from her bedroom, bed head curls turning gold in the bright morning light. We are once more in relative silence, a semblance of normalcy from the regular dining situation. Only this time Maes hadn't rushed out the door just before we settled down. I looked up from my meal, glancing at Gracia's tired eyes.

She didn't look upset, in fact, she looked rather contented, no wrinkle of worry marring her gentle features. Elicia seemed equally unperturbed.

Later, after I had gotten dressed, Gracia sled me to grab the newspaper from their mailbox in the lobby. It was strange, walking down to the bustling lobby after such a quiet morning in the apartment. It was peaceful, but the energy of the room seemed to flow, unlike the stagnant but comfortable slow morning of the apartment. A couple chatted with the receptionist, young men had gathered just outside the front door to smoke, and other lively characters made up the morning scene.

The cold metal of the lightweight key in my hand reminded me of my purpose in the animated room, and I quickly retrieved the mail from the Hughes' compartment. Mostly envelopes, likely bills and few straggling sympathy cards, and a rolled up newspaper weren't too much to carry upstairs by myself, though it was a bit of a cumbersome load at first.

Back in the apartment, I set the envelopes on the now cleared kitchen table, Gracia acknowledging my return with a satisfied hum. As she began to sort through the bills and cards, I unrolled the newspaper, a sour feeling settling in my chest at the sight of the front page news article.

"What is it dear?" Gracia asked, noticing my uncomfortable glance in her direction. My eyes replaced their disturbance with guilt as I let her take the article from me, regretting the action immediately. The woman read the headline and set the paper down with a shaking sigh before walking away. It was too early in the morning for her to be dealing with this. I glanced at Maria's picture, her eyes defiant in her pristine military uniform, taken months, maybe years earlier.

"Second Lieutenant Maria Ross charged with first-degree murder of Brigadier General Maes Hughes" it read. I should have been happy, everything was going according to plan, but that sinking pit in my chest made it impossible.