#Black Knight Show

[thedreamingfish99]

Bright Sun Chapter Two

5-8 x Reader

Summary

Sawol is tired of seeing the two of you fight over everything and hate each other, but for better or for worst, a traumatic event might be what was needed to bring 5-8 and you closer to each other.

Warnings : Slow burn, Ansgt, Hurt, Possible death

Words : 3K

A/N: Heya sorry for the long wait, I've been pretty busy in December, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

- - - - -

CHAPTER TWO

You pressed your hands against your eyes, trying to take away the sleepiness from them. You had been sleeping so deeply it took you some time to truly come back to reality and take in the situation. You watched as Sawol slammed the door shut, quickly running to the front of the truck. You could barely see him through the violence of the storm, but the low beam helped cut his silhouette from the dark. You squinted your eyes, trying to see what had made him come to a stop, that’s when you spotted the supposed dead body laying on the ground.

You felt your chest tighten with fear. 

‘’It’s a trap!’’ you screamed at Sawol even though he couldn’t hear you.

The fear took your sleepiness away in an instant. You opened your glove box, grabbed your handgun as fast as you could and quickly threw yourself out of the truck without even taking the time to put on your mask. The panic rushing through your veins barely made you feel the heavy landing your ankles endured. The visibility was horrible, and you cursed yourself for forgetting to at least grab your goggles. The sand was violently slashing at your face, your eyes were burning, uncontrollable tears flying down your cheeks, but you kept running until you could reach Sawol. He had disappeared into the thickness of the storm.

A scream resonated not too far away, your grip on your gun tightened as you raised it in the direction of the noise. Worry was crushing your chest, you felt so close to throwing up. That scream sounded too much like Sawol. Taking a few careful steps towards the scream, you suddenly saw a few shadows appearing through the thickness of the storm.  They seemed to be fighting and it seemed to be five against one, five hunters against your friend. Your running came to a sudden stop when you saw the lone shadow get hit and fall to the ground. 

‘’SAWOL!’’ you screamed, afraid of the worse.

The hunters’s shadow turned in your direction at your shout, but you were already raising your weapon and firing away at them, rage disrupting your usually soft traits. It didn’t take you long to take care of the five shadows, watching them fall rapidly one after the other each time you shot. You had always been an incredible shot, that was your strength. Being a delivery woman, you knew you needed more than to know how to fight with your fist to survive. You were strong, yes, but there would always be a bigger enemy and that’s why you trained more than anyone with every weapon available to you, and guns were your choice of preference, always. 

After observing the lack of movements from the downed hunters, you rushed to Sawol’s immobile body.

You fell to your knees next to him and held his head, calling his name repeatedly. His lack of response was worrying, but after looking for a pulse, you felt your entire body relax with relief. He wasn’t dead, only unconscious. You searched for his wounds, only to find the back of his head bleeding. If he hadn't been a mutant, you would’ve been extremely scared, but having already survived being shot in the head, you felt safe to assume he would be more than fine. 

Taking a deep breath, you grabbed a hold of him and tried to lift him. He was truly heavy and it took you a lot of effort to get yourself as straight as possible. You slowly carried him back to the truck, taking a painful amount of time, as you breathed heavily from the effort it was taking you. Inhaling an insane amount of dust by doing so. 

Getting Sawol’s unconscious body back in the truck took you an awful amount of time. By the time you were done, you could barely breathe. You hadn’t had any clean oxygen in too long, mixed in with the dust, you felt like your lungs were on fire. You weren’t really aware of how you made it back to the hangar, feeling on the verge of passing out any seconds, you uncontrollable fits of cough probably being the only thing keeping you awake. 

As soon as you stopped the truck, you kicked your door open, but couldn’t control your loss of balance due to your weakness and crashed hard on the concrete floor. Your vision was blurry, you felt your name being screamed and strong arms wrapping themself around you. You grabbed onto their shirt, coughing loudly, managing to breath out Sawol’s name before passing out.

- - - - -

5-8’s eyes widened as he caught your truck rushing through the hangar dangerously fast. You brusquely came to halt a few meters from where he had been supposedly cleaning his truck for the last hour, looking for an excuse to wait for your arrival with Sawol. 

Curious of your panicked entrance, 5-8 felt his worry raise. He started walking in your truck’s direction, only to see you falling from your seat and hitting the floor heavily. Panicked, 5-8 ran to your side, yelling your name. He grabbed onto you, lifting your head to face his. The man felt his heart drop at the sight of your wounded face. Your eyes were bloodshot and quite literally crying tears of blood. Your whole face was full of open wounds from the sand slashing at your face, blood bleeding out of your nose as well as surrounding your mouth from all the heavy coughing you had gone through. 

‘’Y/N… Y/N can you hear me?’’

You didn’t answer him immediately and tried, unsuccessfully, to focus your eyes on him. 

‘’Sawol..’’

5-8 had barely heard you by how hoarse your voice sounded, but still understood. He blinked in confusion, suddenly realizing he had forgotten about his young protege at your pitiful sight, he gave a quick glance around him, seeing a few delivery men rushing over.

‘’Kid’s still in the truck, take him to the infirmary.’’ he instructed them. 

They nodded and rushed to Sawol’s side. 5-8 turned his attention back to you, feeling his heart drop when he realized you had fully closed your eyes and looked unconscious. 

“Y/N..? Y/N wake up!”

Tightening his hold around your shoulders, he placed his free arm under your legs and picked you up. 5-8 carefully made his way to the infirmary, keeping a strong hold on you. Your head was pressed against his chest, directly above his heart, making it resonate even louder inside of him. 

A painful moan escaped your lips, you seemed to have gained consciousness again but hadn’t opened your eyes yet. 5-8 was honestly wondering if the loud beating of his heart woke you up. He looked down at you, your face distorted by pain. 5-8 bit his lips and started walking a little faster than before.

‘’Lay her there.’’  4-1 ordered him as he entered the small infirmary. 

He slowly laid you down on a cold metallic table, making sure to carefully put your head down on it. 5-8 barely realized his hands lingering on you, until 4-1 pushed him aside, resulting in a strange coldness on his fingers, already missing the warmth of your touch. He stumbled backwards, anxious by his own inability to be of any help in your recovery. He stared silently at you while 4-1 slid an oxygen mask on your face. A sudden coughing fit took you, making you sit up. 5-8 took a few shy steps towards you, wanting to help, but 4-1 just pushed him out of the room. 

‘’Your staring is annoying and you're in the way, make yourself busy elsewhere. ’’ she said harshly but with a glint of warmth in your eyes. ‘’She’ll be fine.’’

She slammed the door right in front of him, leaving 5-8 feeling extremely confused. He blinked a few times, trying to get his thoughts back in order, and slowly walked back to your truck. The only thing he seemed to be able to do to help in the moment was taking care of your truck. He climbed in and moved it into your designated parking lot. 

Even after being done, 5-8 couldn't seem to be able to remove his hands from the steering wheel. He was gripping it tightly, looking straight into the void in front of him, completely lost in his thoughts. 

What had just happened? 

He gripped his shirt, feeling his blood pumping strongly. 

What were those feelings? 5-8 had always been so calm, had always managed to keep a stable grip on his emotions, keeping him in constant control of his actions. But when he saw you falling off your truck, your face crimson red from all the blood, he just lost it. He didn’t even think of Sawol until you called his name and felt ashamed at the realization. 

There was one thing 5-8 truly hated, and it was to lose his ability to control himself, unconsciously, he had always been aware of your ability to make him lose his calm, and he hated it. This was the main reason why he found you so annoying, why he never wanted to talk or even think about you. This was the foundation of his hatred for you. But he would never admit it, nor what those kinds of feelings might actually mean. 5-8 closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He chased away his thoughts, not enjoying the rush of uncontrollable feelings it brought him and, and regained his usual emotionless state of mind. 

As he opened the door, ready to jump down the truck, his eyes caught on your notes, safely tucked in the door’s net holder. 

Without thinking, 5-8 reached for it, not able to resist the temptation. He opened it carefully, as if it was a precious relic and observed every page, one after the other, without being able to stop himself even though guilt logged itself in his stomach. His curiosity was way stronger. He had dreamed of laying eyes on those notes ever since Sawol had told him about your research. 

5-8 couldn’t believe it, he honestly didn’t know what to think of it. Not really knowing what to do, he closed your notes, putting them back to where they belong. Still in shock, he mindlessly walked back to the infirmary.

His fingers slid across the pages full of charcoal. He liked the feeling, it was rougher than the pages of the books he had scavenged over the years, the paper of your notes were thicker, they felt nice under his touch. He truly understood why you cared so much about this book, yes it was your notes, it was months of your for you, but the book in itself was an antiquity, a precious treasure of forgotten times. Everything was screens now, they didn’t produce paper anymore, and when your pages would be filled, you’d have to look for a new one yourself.

5-8 didn’t know how long he stared at it, flipping through each page one by one. He read every note you wrote, admiring how detailed you were, calculating the percentage of pollution and warmth produced by the sun. He found himself enjoying the small doodles you had made all around. At first they were mostly your equipment and probably the landscape around the rooftop you went to. But then he saw some portraits here and there, mostly you Sawol, which made him smile. Sawol smiling brightly or sleeping on the ground. There were some other delivery men as well as sketches of trucks and some decent looking places in the hangar. When he reached an empty page, 5-8 unconsciously flipped through the rest of the book, making sure he didn’t miss anything else. He stopped himself near the end of your notes seeing a few pages darkened by the brush of your pencil.

He felt his heart skip a beat as he opened the first page filled with drawings hiding at the end of your book. They were all drawings of him, pages filled with frozen moments of his life. He admired himself, painted with a smile on his face, saw himself boxing with a punching bag, cleaning his truck, giving instructions during some of their secret meetings. Many of the drawings were just of his face in many expressions. 5-8 felt warm, incredibly warm. He had difficulty breathing and tried unzipping the top of his vest, barely succeeding from how much his hands were shaking. He had completely forgotten about any precious thoughts of changing the weird feelings he felt towards you into hatred and annoyance. All he could think about right now was his heart beating so loudly he thought it might explode, and the fact that you had been watching him, drawing him. 

- - - - -

Painkillers numbed every part in your body, you didn’t feel much of anything anymore, except for the burning of your eyes and your throat. 4-1 had left some time ago, saying you were fine, but that the sand had irritated your mouth, nose and eyes until they bled, and that your lack of clean oxygen was probably what had made you pass out in the end. There wasn’t much else she could do to help you, only time could heal your wounds now. You had been relieved when she told you Sawol was fine, that he had only passed out from the hit he had received behind the head, but that he’d probably wake up soon. She then had left you alone in the room with his sleeping body. 

You climbed down the table slowly, your head throbbing from pain, and made your way next to Sawol, grabbing a chair and placing it next to his bed. You sat there a while, holding his hand and waiting. 

The infirmary door suddenly opened behind you, making you jump in surprise. Hand pressed against your chest, you took a deep breath when you saw 5-8 standing in the doorway. He had scared the hell out of you. He raised an eyebrow at you, in a quiet request to come in. You nodded in response, not really surprised that 5-8 had come back, he was probably worried about Sawol. 

But you didn’t feel ready to face the man, not when the memory of his strong arms holding and carefully bringing you to the infirmary filled your mind. After seeing him again, your thoughts were uncontrollably filled with him, you remembered his warmth and the feeling of his heart beating against your head.

The more you thought about it, and the more what 4-1 had told you sounded wrong. You hadn’t passed out from the lack of clean oxygen, you had passed from being in 5-8’s arms. Feeling the blood rushing to your cheeks, you turned your attention back to the sleeping beauty next to you, hiding your flustered expression to the man entering the room.

You watched from the corner of your sight as 5-8 walked around Sawol’s table until he stopped near his head. You watched silently as he delicately placed his hand at the top of Sawol’s head and gently caressed his hair. 

“How is he?” 

Your heart skipped a beat upon hearing his deep voice. You lifted your eyes to meet him, but when you opened your mouth to answer him, no sound came out of it, only a hoarse attempt to work ‘’Fine’’. You coughed loudly, and 5-8 quickly interrupted you before you could try again.

“Rest your voice, it’s fine.’’ he reassured you. ‘’It’s probably gonna take a lot more than whatever happened to kill this kid.’’

You felt a chuckle attempting to escape your lips, only to come out as another set of coughs. You groaned, face twisted with pain. 

 5-8 brows furrowed as he looked at you, an unusual warmth in his eyes. 

‘’Sorry…’’ he smiled softly. 

Your eyes widened at the sight, was he smiling… at you?

Feeling your heart beating furiously, you didn’t know what to do nor where to look to try and hide your reddening face. You didn’t know how to deal with this, was he kind to you only because of your state at the moment? This was unusual. You know how to deal with his annoying remarks, you were good at feeling annoyed at him as soon as he addressed you. You were also extremely good at observing him from afar, since the man was annoyingly handsome and quite satisfying to draw. But the moments of calm and joy you observed from him were usually not directed towards you and you didn’t have to deal with that heartstopper of a smile, not like you did at the moment. And you couldn’t help but love the way he softly smiled at you, eyes sparkling with something you couldn’t identify. And you couldn’t help yourself but hope he’d smile at you again and again and again…

You shook your head, trying desperately to chase away  the flush of your cheeks and come back to reality. 5-8 was looking at Sawol, he seemed lost in thoughts as well. You cleared your throat, trying to ignore the pain of doing so. 

‘’I… I’m sorry.’’

You knew those words were yours, but they were said in a voice far from yours, it was strange hearing yourself talk like this, and it definitely did not feel good. 5-8 looked at you confused, the expression on his face clearly asking you for more details.

‘’I-it’s my fau-fault he got hurt. I sh-should’ve be-’’

‘’Stop it…’’ he interrupted you more harshly than he would’ve wanted. ‘’You need to rest your throat.’’

You frowned, wanting to explain yourself, but he continued, surprising you with the softness of his words.

‘’Plus, Sawol is a grown man and a certified Delivery man, he’s more than able to defend himself. It could’ve happen to anyone.’’

5-8 stood up before you could even try to add anything else.  He silently walked to the door, your eyes following him with every step. He opened the door, ready to leave, but stopped himself in his tracks and locked back at you from above his shoulder.

‘’Take some few days off, you need some rest.’’ 

You felt your heart burst into your chest as you watched him rapidly exit the room. you could swear you had seen some colors on his face.

A/N : I really enjoyed writing this chapter, some feelings are starting to show up! Hoping to see you for the next one. Much love!

[shinysamurott9]

Finally. Actual in game Overdrive instructions

I already know how this stuff works, but stuff like this is a big improvement for new players. X is fucking rough on your first playthrough if you don't know what you're doing, which you probably wouldn't because the game didn't teach you anything.

Them rectifying that even just for Overdrive already makes this miles better than the original and probably will be a much better experience for new players.

Oh yeah all the new story stuff is neat too.

Ok in all seriousness though, they are pulling out a lot of unused stuff and hanging plot threads from the original, with seemingly entirely new stuff as well????

We have the Ghosts, The Ares, Elma's partner, the Neilnails and seemingly their pilot? It feels like they're pulling out everything for this

Who are you people??

I need it to be March, now

[francy-sketches]

I bet aerion's carrd would go crazy

[luuxxart]

wanted to do one of those deviantart sonic form memes for old times sakes 🦔

(form explanations in the tags)

[marsuro]

Illustration I did for a DnD zine last year done by friends!

[stardestroyer81]

After many a shovel-swinging adventure throughout the Valley of Landurr, it's always nice to kick back and relax at a billowing campfire with the friends you've made along the way.

💙 Happy 10th Anniversary, Shovel Knight!!! 💙

[sinvulkt]

List of some of webtoon and manhwa recs.

First of all I should probably say that my favorite type of stories (so the type you might find in the list bellow) is ’tragedy comedy adventure’ without any romance, but possibly a lot of bromance | tension (ok some BL slipped by me into this list). And rather self destructive mc for the sake of their goal (often to the utter despair of the people who care about them xd). Bring forth conflicts and battles of will and rising against destiny !

@blackhazefanblog I did this for you! It took a while. Even if I think you’ll find the ones in [The Fantasy Kind] are the most likely to have similar vibes to black haze. : D

All summaries are from Baka-Updates or WebtoonLine. The links are either towards WebtoonLine, or towards the original official site (or official english translation if i found it).

The Fantasy Kind

Black Haze (Ongoing)

A long time ago, a portal to another world was opened, and those who acquired special abilities along with marks began to be called mages. After the incident known as "that day", the first-class mage from Ophion, known as "Blow", has become very famous. One day, he receives a very special mission: to protect the second son of the Artian family, who suffers from being called a "monster" at the magic school "Helios"! Thus, Blow enrolls in Helios under the name "Rood Krisch" to hide his true identity...

My all time favorite. I learned english thanks to it < 3. And it just group so many of my favorite tropes in one story ☆.☆

I’m not that kind of talent (Ongoing)

A talented individual who is respected by many and welcomed anywhere? Not at all! A bloodthirsty battle fanatic who knows no defeat? Couldn’t be further from the truth! In reality, Deon Hardt is a sickly human who coughs up blood from receiving the tiniest bit of stress and gets sunburns from standing in the sun for ten minutes. But due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, he becomes “Demon Arut,” the notorious 0th corps commander of the demon army and the demon king’s joker. Caught in a war between humans and demonkind, Deon must find a way to survive!

I discovered that one this year! I love comediy and tragedy mixed together, and that one fully achieved that, from making me laugh to absolutely destroying my heart seriously i am still hurting. Well this is a tragedy. Be warned. But a delicious one. (My heart TT.TT).

The Ember Knight (Ongoing)

When Nagyunn’s twin brother, Najin, is murdered before his very eyes, he vows to avenge his brother’s death by assuming Najin’s identity. But although the two may look alike, when it comes to fighting, Nagyunn lacks the talent and skill his brother possessed. In order to successfully execute his plot for revenge, Nagyunn resolves to train himself to become the prodigious knight-in-training his brother once was. Will Nagyunn be able to keep his identity a secret before others begin to catch on to his act?

Another one I discovered ’recently’ = last year. I absolutely adore the fact that the mc rely fully on wits and bluff. He will never get a cheat skill to get as strong as others- he just has to play his card rights (which happen to be a bunch of overprotective knights wishing he stopped going in front of the blade path). So he gotta bluff. A lot. Including playing betrayal at every corner, and i sure love betrayal :3. That and it’s a revenge story ~

TAL (Complete)

They walk like ordinary people, they talk like ordinary people but in fact there is nothing ordinary about them since they can materialize an image they have on their mind... They call themselves Chachaoong which also means Shaman and they do not know how or when they came to this world. It is now a time for their current king to choose the future one and so he did by choosing Yu Jin an ordinary human...? Many of the Chachaoong can not tolerate a human ruling them and now the poor Yu Jin not knowing what suddenly hit him, is trying to avoid the Chachaoongs who are trying to kill him!

This has been my second favorite after Black Haze for a long time, because I got a soft spot for escapists xd. All the more escapists with consequences catching them back faster than they can run until they’re cornered ☆.☆ Fight until the end against a fate you are doom to surrender to ~ I love it.

Catharsis (Complete)

Fear is a powerful emotion that can end up overtaking one's life. Leon thought he knew that. But when he's thrown into the demonic realm that Catharsis governs over, he'll learn that there is more to “true” fear than he could ever have imagined... But will he learn how to face it?

That one also stayed in my mind for a long time. The ending is more ’open’ than I would have wished, but well, there is no sequel yet so let’s call that an ending. Appart from that i loved the mc, and he has synesthesis which give really cool result in webtoon format (yay colors). In a world where nightmares take physical shape, the mc get attacked by nightmares and end up being recruited by the agency fighting nightmares bcs they feel smthg off about him.

Crepuscule (Complete)

Lark is different from the rest of the kids. He has red eyes, just like Vampires do, and he is bullied by the other kids for it. One day he meets Setz, a genuine Vampire of a Noble clan who is the only one that doesn't call him a monster or bully him. Eventually they become friends, but when Lark finds out he may have to return to the orphanage, Setz decides he does not want to lose his friend, so he invites him to his home... The world of the Vampires.

Another webtoon i grew up with as a teen. It isn’t my all time fav, but i still quite enjoyed it enough to reread it a few times. Must be the blond mc that reminded me of Rood xd. Or the fact that he is super weak in a world of monsters. Or the reason he has those red eyes. (Such delicious angst amidst the comedy). Are those just a trope I enjoy? XD

Godly Bells (Complete)

Divine Bells - they choose their own masters and they determine the status, prestige, and influence of the countries their masters rule. The presence or lack of these Bells also has great consequence in the lives of each country's royalty. In particular, the personal and political futures of King Hong-Ryeong seem doomed without a Bell, but at equally great peril if he obtains one. But are the Divine Bells simple magical charms, deities of great powers, or something else altogether? And when the owner of three of the eight existing Divine Bells dies, leaving them to choose new owners, where will the resulting turmoil lead?

Another blond mc i grew up with as a teen and reread a few time. And another ’king’ who is ’weak’. It’s in a fantasy world, where divine ’bells’ give each king (and thus each country) power. The mc country hasn’t been chosen by any bells for years, so quite look down upon. Until three bells at least or smthg choose the mc. And then they become people, with their own agenda. The mc didn’t want the attention but well can’t convince the bells to drop him xd. Which is why i loved this story. Once again, can’t escape fate even when you didn’t want it ~

Aegis Orta (Complete)

Val is an ordinary high school student who dedicates his life to God. His peaceful days however have to end when he learns about who he really is..

Very much in the same vibe of Godly Bells and Crepuscule, only I discovered it later and thus have less memories of it (bcs reread it less). It’s another blond character with red eyes that get ’fate’ thrown at its face ~ well. Demon powers. Same.

---

I’m not gonna put Mxtx’s works here (Heaven Official Blessing, Mo Dao Zu Shi, Scum Villain Self Saving System), but they’re great too. If you love comedy and tragedy and don’t mind BL too much. Go for it. I usually don’t enjoy romance that much but it didn’t bother me with those works, bcs it’s presented so naturally into the story rather than harassing us every second. Phantom Paradise is also a BL, although entirely different vibe. It’s what would happen with matriarchat instead of patriarchat but all the toxicity remain - only gender roles are reversed. As for why I enjoyed it so much... I guess I am still somewhat sensitive to fan service ? XD

I also feel like I should mention UnderPrin, even if it didn’t make it all the way to my favs, kind of similar vibe to Catharsis and Aegis Orta. I’ll also mention Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist which is a manga but another blond character in the same vibe of the earlier ones, who refuse his own power XD. And Pandora Hearts because its my favorite manga ever. I even prefer it to Black Haze (but I think someone who liked one would also like the other?).

[chelsiegeorgia]

After 15 years I finally got the chance to finish this game!! 😭 I had black knight in the Wii as a kid but never finished it coz I sucked at games back then haha I got to play it with a ps4 controller if you catch my drift ;) and it's easily become one of my absolute favourite Sonic games!

[fabled-art]

“Dance with me, my friend~”

“Show me you’re worthy of a starring role~!”

[scoobydoobaday]

The Scooby Doo Show S01E06 - Scared a Lot in Camelot (1976) Hanna Barbera Productions

[thedreamingfish99]

Bright Sun Chapter One

5-8 x Reader

Summary Sawol is tired of seeing the two of you fight over everything and hate each other, but for better or for worst, a traumatic event might be what was needed to bring 5-8 and you closer to each other. Warnings : Slow burn, Ansgt, Hurt, Possible death Words : 4K Notes :

A/N: Haven't wrote anything in a while, but after watching Black Knight (Because Woo Bin is my god ever since School 2013) and absolutely falling with his character, I looked for fanfics and was disappointed by the small amount. So here I am trying to help some other lost souls like me. I really hope you enjoy! - - - - - CHAPTER ONE

The sky was getting clearer by the day, the sun beaming through fewer and fewer clouds as time passed. Sawol opened his window, pulling his arms on the edge to press his face against the grid and take his head out in the wind. He had started doing this every time 5-8 would light himself a cigarette, not really enjoying the smell of it, but truly loving the feeling of the caress of the wind on his face.

Even after they had stopped Cheonmyeong trucks from polluting the air, you still couldn't survive outside for more than twenty minutes without a mask. It was no surprise, it would probably take decades for them to be able to roam the earth free of a mask, if ever. But twenty minutes was no small feat compared to the eight minutes it used to be.

Sawol took a deep breath, even polluted, the fresh air tasted much better than the filtered one he was used to.

“It smells so good.” He whispered, taking in another full breath.

“Smells the same as always, polluted.”

Sawol turned to face the stoic man beside him, no expression showing on his face as he took one last inhale of his cigarette before exhaling and throwing it out of the truck's window. He then pressed on the switch, closing the windows with no pity for Sawol's arms that got pulled up with them.

He quickly regained his posture in his seat and faced his driver.

“Have you no joy in life except cigarettes?’’ Sawol asked, honestly curious.

5-8 gave him an empty glance before turning his attention back on the road. Knowing he wouldn't get any response, Sawol continued.

‘’Why can't you even enjoy the freshness of the air? You gave that to us!’’

5-8's mouth twitched with annoyance.

“I didn't give anything to anyone, I only took down the worm that was eating us alive.” He grunted in reference to Cheonmyeong.

“Fine.” Sawol pouted.

He folded his arms on his chest, his attention turned back to the road. It was quiet today like it had been for the past couple of days that he had gone on deliveries with 5-8. It had barely been a week since the event of Cheonmyeong's takedown and Sawol was still healing from the wounds he had gotten in the tournaments finals and the drugs that were administered to him. Well, that's the excuse he gave to everyone at the moment, not that it was a lie, his head was still killing him and he would feel some dizziness take over him from time to time, but in all honesty, he didn't feel quite ready to be on the road alone. He was scared to mess up and disappoint 5-8 on his first day.

Sawol shook his head to chase those thoughts away, he already had a solution, no time to dwell on that now.

“The sun..”

Sawol turned a confused look toward his friend, and raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain. 5-8 gave him a side eye and let out a long sigh.

“What brings me joy.’’ He continued in a low tone. ‘’ I like seeing the sun more and more every day.”

“Oh,” Sawol breathed out, remembering the question he had asked a few moments ago. A large grin grew across his face.

“What? You think it's more stupid than smelling the air like an idiot?” 5-8 teased him. ‘’At least I'm looking at something visible.”

Sawol took offense but didn't let his grin die. He turned in his seat to face the older man, who watched him from the corner of his vision, eyebrows raised in a quiet question as to why the younger one was smiling.

‘’Y/N and you are so much more alike than you think.’’

5-8 rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed upon hearing this, he let out an incomprehensible mumble, the grip on his steering wheel tightening. Sawol laughed at the sight of such visible emotion from the usual oh-so-unnothered legend.

‘’I can’t be as annoying as 6-2, that's for sure.’’

‘’I don’t care what you think or whatever quarrel there is between you too, it’s still true. You two are the same.’’

5-8 gave him a tired look and went back to concentrate on the road. Sawol was annoyed, his grin long gone. He lifted his legs, and feet on the seat and hugged his knees, resting his chin on them as he quietly watched the view from his window. Turned his back on 5-8, giving him the silent treatment. He hated the constant bickering going on between those two. Right after 5-8, Y/N was his closest friend. She was always there the whole time of his training when he was preparing to compete in the delivery man recruitment tournaments. She gave him amazing advice, trained him to fight, to drive better, and even helped him learn a few manners, not that he really listened during those sessions but still! She took care of him, brought him food when he forgot to eat by training for too long, she even took him to her place a few times so they could hang out, but mostly so she could be sure he rested well enough for him to heal and be ready for the next day. She took care of him like a big sister while his wasn’t available, and he loved her like family. Sawol let out a sad sigh, what in the world did he do to deserve that his two favorite people have a pure hatred towards each other? He never knew where those mutual feelings came from, not that he didn’t ask, that he did and many times. But he had never gotten a different answer then;

‘’She’s annoying’’ ‘’He’s annoying.’’

Their similarity used to make Sawol laugh about the situation, he remembered telling them that hating the other was pretty much like hating themself, but he only had reserved cold glances in return. Now, Sawol was just annoyed by it, desperate that their relationship would change for them to at least bear each other, enough that he could talk about the other without being ignored or interrupted by an insult.

The mutant closed his eyes, his head was starting to hurt.

- - - -

5-8 sent him a few glances, feeling slightly bad to make the younger one upset. He knew 6-2 was a sensitive subject with Sawol, he adored her so much. 5-8 used to wonder why, being such an annoying person as she was, but after hearing so many things she did for the youngster, he did at least understand and respect that fact. But it wouldn’t change the pure annoyance he felt towards her. 5-8 wasn’t used to feelings much, to him, his feelings were more of an observation than an experience. He did feel happiness, but he wouldn’t really laugh. He did feel sadness, but he wouldn’t cry. He never really felt deeply, with the exception of his hatred for Cheonmyeong… and his annoyance for 6-2. This woman could make him boil with anger sometimes, everything related to her, he would feel it times 10, and he hated it.

5-8 let out a sigh, he untightened his grip on the steering wheel and looked at Sawol. Sawol made him feel too, like the younger brother 5-8 never had. He cared deeply for him, more than he would admit, and he hated to see him upset, especially when it was against him.

‘’Why?’’ 5-8 resigned and asked. The youngest didn’t even open his eyes as he asked;

‘’Why what?’’

‘’Why do you think we’re so alike?’’ 5-8 gritted his teeth. ‘’Me and the annoying one.’’

Sawol jumped on his seat, eyes widened in surprise. He couldn’t believe what he had just been asked.

‘’W-what did you?’’

5-8 was starting to get annoyed, he didn’t even want to talk about it. He just felt bad for the kid and he was tired of the silence, he was used to no silence at all when Sawol was around, and he liked it this way. The man let out a grunt, looking back at the road.

Probably scared that this chance would never come again, Sawol decided to answer without forcing the grumpy man to repeat himself. He sat back comfortably in his seat, a soft smile stretching his lips.

‘’It’s what you said about the sun.’’

5-8 blinked in confusion, he glanced at Sawol as if pressing him to continue. He couldn’t help but be curious, no one really seemed to care about the sun except for him.

‘’Y/N, I mean 6-2 to you,’’ He let out a small chuckle before continuing. ‘’She showed me her tools and her notes, you’d love it, you know? She goes to one of the tall buildings in the old city. The same roof at the same time every day. When the sun is at its zenith, she said that’s when you can enjoy its warmth the most. She takes notes about it, some kind of research she told me. She notes the warmth and the brightness of the sun, and its color too. She notes the amount of clouds in the sky and the purity of the air. She showed me some of her tools, but it was honestly too complicated for me. I saw some drawings in her notes too, she’s really good… Anyways, you guys both love the sun. That’s what I meant.’’

5-8 didn’t really know what to think, he would love to see your notes and the tools you used, but he would never admit it to anyone, especially not to you or that traitor Sawol, who he knew would rat him out.

He was honestly surprised to learn you had such an interest in the evolution of the clarity of the sky as he did. He always thought he was the only one obsessed with seeing how bright the star could be without being filtered by the clouds and the heaviness of the air. He wished he could come to feel the warmth of the sun with you... 5-8 ignored the excitement that took his heart, curious about something else.

‘’How does she manage to make her delivery on time?’’

“Ah..’’ Sawol let out, itching the back of his head from embarrassment. ‘’She doesn’t really take any break.. and often works overtime.’’

5-8 raised an eyebrow at the confession, no breaks meant no lunch, and overtime meant less rest. Both of which meant a dangerous accumulation of fatigue that could prove mortal if she was ever attacked. Hunters were still pretty active in the area, and even though things were getting better, some of them just loved the thrill of the hunt and the killings... If you kept going like this, something bad was bound to happen.

‘’Don’t encourage her.’’ He heard himself say. ‘’Late deliveries give us a bad reputation.’’

That was half true and 5-8 knew it, yes he didn’t approve of late deliveries, but in all honesty, he felt a little worried. He might find you incredibly annoying, but you were still a fellow delivery man, and Sawol truly cared about you. 5-8 did not want anything bad to happen. Sawol snorted at the comment.’’

‘’Pfff, Mr.Perfect. You’re the only one that's never late. ‘’

- - - - -

You let out a grunt, lifting your head slowly. You felt your forehead with the tip of your fingers, feeling the crease the steering wheel had left on your skin. You dozed off again… It wasn’t the first time, and you were quite unhappy with your sleeping self to find the hard steering wheel so comfortable since it left you with a quite visible mark that took hours to disappear completely.

A throbbing headache attacked you as you opened your eyes, the light of the hangar too powerful for your exhausted self. After a tired sigh, you grabbed your cap and pushed it as low as possible. Today had been pretty rushing and you felt on the brink of collapsing. You unlocked your door and kicked it open, grabbing your notes at the same time. You climbed down off your truck carefully, contrary to your usual jumping to the ground. You barely had time to slam the door shut when you heard your name being screamed from behind. You quickly turned, just in time for Sawol to jump in your arms. Thankfully, your truck was there to catch you when you fell backward, having received a running mutant straight to the chest.

A painful complaint escaped your lips, the hard metal hadn’t been gentle with your back. Sawol quickly took a step back, grabbing your shoulders and giving you a worried look.

‘’Are you alright?’’ he asked, his face twisted with guilt. ‘’I’m so sorry I shouldn't have jumped on you like that.

You gave him a comforting smile as you gained back your balance.

‘’Don’t worry about it kid,’’ you said, shuffling his hair to tease him. ‘’You’re just heavier than it looks!’’

Sawol laughed, taking a few steps back to let you breathe a little. You watched him as he tried fixing his hair, he was smiling, but his eyes still seemed worried. You knew it was probably more about how tired you looked than from the hit you took. You felt a tightness in your chest, not liking that look on his face. You took all the energy you had left to jump back on him, locking your arm around his neck and messing his hair even more with your free hand.

‘’Revenge!’’

‘’Yah! Let me go!’’

Sawol fought you back but weakened by your laughter and your exhaustion, it didn’t take him long to free himself. With a fake angry look on his face, Sawol tried fixing his hair once again. You let your arm rest on his shoulder, heavier than you would’ve wanted, but the young man didn’t complain, and gladly let you subtly use him as support without having to ask. When he gave up on his messy hair, he smiled at you fondly.

‘’Don’t work tomorrow.’’ he whispered to you.

You hummed, not sure if you agreed or not.

‘’I’ll be fine.’’

Sawol let out an exasperated sigh, it made you feel more guilty than you thought.

‘’If you come with me..’’ you quickly added.

Sawol’s eye widened and he gave you the brightest of smiles.

‘’Of course!’’ he shouted happily.

A soft chuckle escaped your lips as you looked at the young man. You tried your best to observe his beautiful features glowing with happiness, it would make a nice drawing for later.

At the thought of it, your smile dropped. Anxious, you patted your pockets and looked around on the grounds, searching for your notes. When you finally spotted them a few feet away, you felt your heart stop as a hand was already reaching for them. you took a step in their direction but quickly stopped when you lifted your eyes only to be met by the dead look on 5-8’s face.

‘’You dropped this.’’ he simply said, handing you back your notes.

Your hand reached out to it, and you took hold of your notes, brushing your fingers with his by accident. You quickly retracted your hand, pressing the notes against your racing heart. You never liked it when someone touched your notes, except for Sawol which you cared for like a little brother. But the discovery of the notes and research you were doing would’ve been enough of a reason to get you killed when Cheonmyeong was still in power, making you used to keep them hidden. The bastards might not be in power anymore but you had kept the habit of keeping your research to yourself. The fact that you had some random sketches mixed with them also played into this, some of them private enough that you tried to keep them hidden even from Sawol… And even more to one of the most annoying men on earth, you wanted to keep them away, especially from him.

Still feeling the warmth of his skin on the tip of your fingers, you quietly thanked him. you tried not to think of the abnormal beating of your heart, concentrating on the fact that you now needed to wash your hands from having touched his annoying self.

5-8 eyes lingered on your small figure, his face void of expression. You suddenly felt quite self-conscious, you cared more than you’d like to admit what the man might think of you, and you knew right now you were barely holding it together.

‘’You look like shit.’’

His deep voice surprised you, and your eyes widened feeling pretty hurt by his comment. You wish you had something clever to bask at him in return, but your usual witty self seemed absent, asleep deeply inside out. Thankfully, Sawol ran to your rescue.

‘’Even on her worst day Y/N will always look better than you!’’

5-8 snorted at his comment, an amused look in his eyes as they never left your sight. You couldn't help but blush under his intense look. You were happy your cap was helping you hide a little bit of your flustered face. ‘’No one as handsome as you though,’’ you said breaking the awkward moment you felt stuck in. You pinched Sawol’s cheek, the smile you made appear on his face quickly leaving replaced by annoying and pain.

‘’Yah! I’m not a kid!’’ he screamed, hitting your hand so you let him be.

You let out a laugh and tapped his cheek playfully. Sawol pouted and caressed his reddened cheek with his hands.

‘’I’ll see you tomorrow, handsome,’’ you said before starting to leave, making sure to ignore 5-8 still standing close by.

- - - - -

The warmth of the sun on his face felt amazing, he had taken off his mask to appreciate it to the fullest. He felt at ease, thinking that this must be what paradise feels like. Sawol took in a deep breath, but before he had the chance to exhale naturally, he received a strong punch in the stomach, making him lose all his oxygen. He sat up in a jolt, caught by an uncontrollable coughing fit.

‘’Yah!’’ he spat between two cough.’’You wanna kill me or what?’’

Sawol barely had time to catch the mask you threw him before it would hit him in the face.

‘’Come on,’’ you laughed. ‘’Time’s up.’’

The two of you slowly packed your things back in the backpack you used to carry your tools and made your way back to the ground level, 30 flights of stairs below. No wonder you were so in shape, Sawol thought.

Reaching the floor level, Sawol took care of moving the big wooden wall you always put up to hide the entrance of the building you used to hide your truck. It was mostly a bunch of tall broken windows, but they were fortunately big enough for the delivery truck to enter the building's lobby so it wouldn’t stay outside, exposed, and left alone for hunters to take advantage of.

After finishing to slide the barricade away from the door, Sawol was surprised to find you sitting on the passenger side of the truck. He quickly jogged up to your window, his heart racing with anticipation.

‘’Is this what I think it is?’’

You watched him jumping from one foot to the other, not being able to contain his excitement. ‘’Mm,’’ you hummed positively. ‘’Hop in Mr. Delivery Man.’’

A small joyful squeak escaped his lips before he ran up to the driver’s side and took his seat. Sawol felt his breath being taken away as he caressed the steering wheel with profound admiration. He couldn’t believe he was actually sitting on this side of the truck for the first time. He let his eyes wander, taking in as much as he could, but the multitude of buttons and switches changed his dreaming expression into a frown. He had no idea how to use any of these. Your laugh took him back to reality, and he sent you a sheepish look.

‘’Help…’’ he whispered shamefully.

You burst out laughing even harder at the pitiful sight he offered you, looking like a child in front of a new toy that he didn’t know how to use. When your laugh came close to an end, you pointed at a few of the commands. Sawol followed your finger, looking closely and listening to everything you said with more attention than he had ever given to anything before.

‘’That’s the radio to contact other delivery man, we have a common channel, but if you want to call someone privately, you have to enter their number here,’’ you explained, pointing at a num pad before turning to something else. ‘’Here’s the lights control, there’s the camera around the truck, and here’s the defense settings you can use.’’

Sawol kept listening intently until she was done showing him everything, he exhaled deeply, impressed.

‘’I would’ve never known any of this on my own! Thank you.’’ he smiled at her, eyes sparkling with joy.

‘’I remembered when you told me you didn’t feel ready to be left alone,’’ you said softly. ‘’Well you’re not alone, I’ll show you everything so you’re ready when the time comes.’’

Sawol felt his heart melt. He couldn’t help but wonder why 5-8 hated you so much when you were probably the most caring and gentle person he knew.

The day was still young and you had quite a few deliveries left to do. Sawol let you show him the rope for the first few, but he then forced you to wait in the truck so you could rest. It was clear to him that you were exhausted and you needed the rest. He couldn’t help but smile when he came back from a home delivery just to find you in a profound sleep, head resting against the window. Sawol took on him to continue the rest of your deliveries as quietly as possible so you could sleep as much as you needed. A few hours later, Sawol had just made the last delivery and he was driving back towards the hangar, feeling quite proud of himself for the successful day that had gone by. He felt immensely grateful that you had taken time to show him the ropes, and after today, he felt confident that he would be fine on his own, that he shouldn't have to be scared to disappoint 5-8 when he’d be given his own truck. Plus, he couldn’t help but feel reassured that you had slept for a few hours, you deeply needed the rest and he was sure today had been quite helpful in putting you back on your feet.

Sawol's glance wandered from the road to its surroundings, he was surprised when he spotted a sand storm racing straight towards them. It hit them a few seconds after he had seen it, making the visibility outside incredibly poor. Sawol couldn’t help a rush or anxiety take over him, but he didn’t panic, he knew the way to the hangar by heart, he didn’t need to see far in front or the GPS. They were gonna be fine, he thought, no need to wake you over this.

Sawol took his foot slightly off the gas pedal and opened his lower beam. He continued driving carefully, not wanting to hit anything. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until he saw a dark figure lying in the middle of the road. Sawol rapidly hit the brakes, waking you up from the sudden stop. He gave you a quick reassuring glance before putting his mask on.

‘’Stay inside,’’ he commanded. ‘’It’s probably nothing.’’

- - - -

A/N: I don't know when the next chapter is gonna be posted, hopefully soon enough, but I might take a while with the Christmas vacation coming up, I hope you understand! Be sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought! Much love!!

[pilotduty]

ouppy

[j0kers-light]

Hello ! I have a ledger joker request It’s probably very stupid and not really your style but ah,,,it’s a scenario where the reader has enough of his bs like he probably pissed her off in some way (either from what he said, what he did or maybe she got tired of his dangerous lifestyle??)and the reader wants to break up,,,,how would he react and how would the story escalate lol,,, it could be angsty leading to fluff or even smut 🫣 or everything and anything I mean I really don’t mind haha,,,I hope it’s not too much

His Lighthouse: Goodbye (LedgerJoker x f!reader)

Goodbye - Oneshot

KEEP IN MIND THIS IS NOT A STORY UPDATE!

Hey hi anon! 🖤✨

This ask is soooooo old forgive me senpai! I found it buried deep in the August section! I held onto it because I loved the synopsis. I will say that your ask is NOT STUPID! It was out of my style (its rare I'll let Joker and Y/n break up) but I filled it anyway!

I still don't like the ending but practice makes perfect! Expect another break up fic in the future!

YALL NEED SOME MUTEMATH IN YA LIVES!

tag list:

@blackreaderatrisk @clemdango04 @l3ejm @what-an-angel @darthjokerisyourfather @thatsnoteii @dollster @cheetahspy @kaidennnnn @urdariingdoll @motivation-idontknowher @ins0mniac-whack @spaghettificationandpretzels @reneisance @alittlesmartcookie @ninacutebee16 @carydorse

Shoot me a request if you wanna be added to the HL taglist!

Joker really thought you were different. He assumed that you could stomach through the highs and lows of his fast paced lifestyle and remain by his side. You made it this far, why couldn't you last until forever?

Joker should have known his Light would crack under pressure.

If he wasn't so blinded by work, he would've noticed the signs. Your brilliant smile failed to reach your eyes, you stopped waiting up for him after his long nights out, and the unquestionable love that you held for him was no longer there. He was too busy destroying a city to notice; he didn't have time to worry about you or anything else.

And that proved to be his downfall.

It was the fourth night this week that Joker came home late and exhausted.

He would come in as loud as can be, shower off, raid your fridge, all before crashing in bed. Not one hello or a welcome home kiss was sent your way. You used to be his main focus, now you were grateful for any semblance of acknowledgement.

You eventually trained yourself not to be bothered by it, no matter how depressing it was to be cast aside.

A news broadcast explained that Joker was having a stressful few months evading police while still managing to wreak havoc on the city. The fact that you learned this information from a GCN segment and not from Joker himself, was a slap in the face.

The old Joker used to talk to you about these things. Sure he omitted majority of the details to keep you safe, but still, he used to keep you informed! You knew next to nothing now. You were completely in the dark.

You couldn't remember the last time you talked to Joker let alone touched him. You missed the long late night conversations and the passion that would eventually follow. You missed your partner in so many ways. How many nights have you gone without his love, desperate and lonely?

Things between you and J were more than strained and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. You could understand a few days of this distance, it was going on three months.

You doubted if you could stomach any longer.

In the beginning it was like a dream being with Joker. You were his Light, his Goddess, his reason for existing. He would do anything for you and he showered you with love and affection to prove his devotion. You were happy and totally blinded by his affection.

But by the time you noticed it was gone, reality settled in and stung like a bee. You were addicted to Joker and he was cruel to take away your fix.

He knew you had separation anxiety and it only worsened by the day. Your thoughts were plenty. Did he not love you anymore? Was there someone else? Was there anything you could do to repair this strained relationship?

You had so many questions and Joker was never around to answer them. So you spiraled into self doubt.

Joker didn't notice your change in demeanor since he was hardly at the apartment anymore. He only came home to eat, sleep, shower, and go back to work. He was so busy he couldn't spare you a second.

You tried to get his attention multiple times but he was always in a rush.

You tried cornering him while he was in the bathroom but still no dice. He would lock the door and you couldn't talk to him before bed due to the clash in sleep schedules. You slept while he was up and vice versa. 

At times you thought Joker was creating distance on purpose. No man could be that busy! He wasn't in the past. Joker always made time for you. You wondered why he stopped.

Regardless, you vowed that things would be different. You were going to earn Joker's attention whether he liked it or not.

This was his last chance to acknowledge you. You knew your worth; you didn't deserve this cold treatment without just cause. And if Joker wouldn't cherish what he had, then you would move on and find someone who would.

You didn't need Joker and his toxic energy weighing you down. If he didn't fix his attitude then you were done.

You decided to confront J and give him a chance to correct his behavior as a common courtesy.

Joker usually got ready around seven pm so if you caught him before eight, you could talk to him before he left for the night.

You felt neglected and unloved by a man who swore to treat you like a goddess down to his dying breath. It was high time you put your foot down and held him accountable.

Everything was going according to plan until Joker deviated from his normal schedule.

He was already dressed and heading towards the door around six in the afternoon. The time threw you off and you almost missed him as he passed by.

You were cleaning the dishes in the kitchen but grabbed a towel to wipe your hands and run after J.

"Wait J! I need to talk to you!"

Much to your surprise he kept walking. Okay....? Was he flat out ignoring you now? You wouldn't be surprised.

You were still clinging onto the hope that this funk of his was a result of a stressful work situation. He wouldn't be busy forever and soon enough, he'd have all the time in the world for you but in the meantime, he didn't have to take his frustrations from work out on you.

You caught up to him in the living room and halted his movements with a smile. "Didn't you hear me? I wanna talk—"

"I don'T have time for this." Joker said under his breath. You heard it loud and clear. He arched an eyebrow at your stunned face. "What. Whaddya want?"

He never spoke to you like that before. You were at loss for words. He clicked his tongue in anger for wasting his time.

"Exactly. Nothing. Now... move." He shoved you away and you barely caught your balance from falling over.

Did he just?

You laughed to yourself and blinked in disbelief. "I know this white man didn't just push me." You mumbled to yourself.

You looked straight into an imaginary camera and laughed again. That didn't happen. If you acted a fool and went off on Joker, then somehow you'd be in the wrong.

For months you felt lesser than and suffered through his silent treatment but not any more. You were sick and tired of being neglected and in that moment, you reached your breaking point.

Only seconds had passed since Joker pushed you but it seemed like time slowed as he neared the door. You couldn't let him leave.

Joker was about to turn the doorknob when he heard you.

"I just wanted a few minutes of your time but then you had the audacity to push me?! Boy... have you done lost your mind cuz I'll help you find it!" You stomped to stand in front of Joker. He just arched an eyebrow at you.

Was he supposed to be frightened by you or something? You barely came up to his chest.

"I've had it with you! You don't talk to me anymore, you're never here! It's clear you're done with this relationship! It's like I'm dating a ghost and I do not have it to do! So! Here's an ultimatum. Either stay and we work this out or walk out that door and see what happens! The choice is yours."

You meant business this time. You were fed up with Joker not meeting you halfway in this relationship. You wanted things to go back to normal... back to when he proved he cared about you and meant it. Was that too much to ask for?

Apparently so. Joker simply rolled his eyes at your little performance, "Are ya done?"

Angry hot tears welled up in your eyes and you felt as if you were going to explode. You smiled through the pain and poked Joker's chest. He made his choice, now it was your turn.

"Am I done? Nah, I haven't even started." You waved him off. "Just go."

Your heart pleaded with him to do the exact opposite yet it broke into two when Joker scoffed and left your apartment without a word.

It would be the last time he did.

The next twenty four hours was the worst in Joker's life. He was leaving your apartment building when Frost called and explained that the planned mission for the night had already gone south.

Joker wasn't having the best of luck these days. Nothing was going right. It would take the rest of night and probably tomorrow to square things away so they could reattempt the mission at a later date.

The last thing he needed was something else to screw up after a day full of dumb mistakes.

Joker was bone tired by the time he boarded the elevator up to your apartment. He mashed the top floor button and sagged his weight on the walls with a sigh.

Joker didn't forget that he left on a bitter note and he hoped you were in a better mood now. You did have an entire day to calm down without him around.

He knew how stressful these past few months were and not just for him, but for you as well.

He foolishly put his work over you and the consequences were coming back to bite. His Bunny was rowdy and at her breaking point.

All he needed was another week or so and then he'd have ample amount of time to spoil you with the attention you deserved.

He walked off the elevator and down the short hallway to your front door. Nothing seemed amiss until he tried opening the door with his key.

It didn't fit.

He tried again and then he noticed it wasn't his key that was messed up, it was the door itself. You changed the f__king locks.

Joker tipped his head back and laughed.

How naïve you must be to think this would stop him. It only took two hard shoves with his shoulder and the door broke open. He barged in with inertia but stopped in his tracks at the sight of your apartment.

What was once a bright and eclectic space was now devoid of life. White dust sheets covered every available surface like an abandoned house and the whimsical air that usually flowed throughout the place was gone.

He tried turning the lights on but they didn't work. He ventured over to the fridge and jerked it open, only to find it completely empty. Even the faucet in the kitchen ran dry. It was as if you vanished and preserved the apartment for safekeeping.

All the doors in the apartment were locked and your precious houseplants in the sunroom were gone.

You were gone.

Joker didn't panic at first. Shock was clouding his judgment. There was no way you just up and left in a day.

His eyes darted around looking for any kind of clue but nothing remained. However, Joker was smart. He nodded to himself as he took the stairs back down to the front lobby, three at a time.

He rarely came down here and he hardly paid the workers any attention but today they would be his saving grace.

It was the crack of dawn yet an employee was already stationed at the front desk, typing on the computer.

Joker hit the counter before fixing the employee with a glare.

"O-Oh h-hello sir, you startled me! Good morning. May I help you with something?" She took in Joker's tight green eyes and his frantic demeanor but kept quiet.

She also wondered why he wore a face mask but she kept those thoughts to herself too.

"Y/n L/n. Top floor. Where did she go?" He demanded.

She wasn't at liberty to disclose any information about tenants but if she didn't say anything to his man, she knew he wouldn't be too thrilled. It went against protocol but just this once, she'd share what she knew.

Joker was glad she made the right choice. A few taps to her keyboard brought up your profile.

"Miss. L/n, let's see. She left.. yesterday afternoon! I don't know when she's returning since she didn't include a return date on the Tenant Leave paperwork. Would you like to.. um sir? Sir?"

Joker left the front desk as soon as he heard the word left. He glanced at his pocket watch and grimaced.

It was seven in the morning. Joker left a little before seven pm the day before which meant you had a full day to disappear anywhere in the world. His panic finally kicked in. You actually picked up and left him.

He couldn't believe it until your words from the night before echoed in his head and stopped him in his tracks.

"Either stay and we work this out or walk out that door and see what happens! The choice is yours!"

You asked Joker to stay and talk and he would wager it was about his attitude over the past months and about not giving you any attention. He put work above his Light and this was the consequence.

He never expected you to leave and change the locks. This was bad. Real bad. 

You had a full day to travel anywhere and your royalties did not limit you on how far you could go. It was concerning that your security detail didn't report anything awry this entire time. They should've been the first to know if you decided to pick up and leave and Joker's immediate thought was the worst outcome.

Perhaps you didn't leave willingly. Joker had to see this with his own eyes. Good thing he installed security cameras all over your apartment, they came in handy at a time like this.

Joker arrived at this main hideout like a man on a mission.

The first thing he did was check with your security detail and drill them on your whereabouts for the past twenty four hours.

Much to his shock, they had absolutely no clue you were gone. That was just unacceptable so he got rid of them, permanently.

Joker's theory of you being kidnapped was proving to be a possibility until he locked himself in the control room and reviewed the camera feed.

He re-winded it back to ten minutes after he left your apartment and sighed once he saw you break down into tears. His heart ached seeing you in so much pain but after a while, you picked yourself up and disappeared into your private room. All was quiet until bright and early that morning, multiple movers and the apartment building's preservation committee stormed into your penthouse.

There were a dozen people moving in and out of your apartment from seven in the morning to late in the day.

They worked to remove the essentials you wanted out and set about spreading dust sheets over everything else that remained.

Two workers cleaned out your fridge and pantry while another team moved your plants from the sunroom with the utmost care. You stood watch through it all, pointing at what could stay or go, sporting a frown on your face and puffy eyes.

It was evident that you were crying all night and they worked twice as fast to remove you from this situation.

The apartment building manager came around noon with some paperwork and Joker turned up the audio so he could hear the conversation better.

"Alright Miss. L/n you're already aware of your ten year contract with us but I have to reiterate. You are obligated to pay rent during your extended leave of absence and you must return to full residency status before your contract expires. Do you have any questions?"

He set down the legal work on your kitchen counter and waited for you to respond. You didn't spare him or the agreement a glance.

The bookshelf team gave you a thumbs up when all your books were accounted for. They were the last to leave the apartment since no one was allowed in your room. You watched them haul out the boxes you pre-packed last night out the door.

"Will the water and power be turned off or will that be included in LOA rent?" You asked.

"Oh, that's excluded! Your normal rent is what? A high six here or there, so rent will be reduced to three thousand in your absence per month."

Joker always wondered how much your rent was. He was shocked to say the least. By no means was he a cheapskate but he wasn't so flippant with money either. 

You nodded offhandedly at the property manager.

"Fax the agreement to my manager's office and they'll review it before I sign. Thank you all so much!" You shouted to the workers doing their final sweep of the place.

They nodded and waved back in thanks before leaving.

The preservation team was placing the final sheet on your custom dining table before they also waved goodbye. You returned your focus back to the apartment employee.

Now it was just you and him in the entire penthouse.

"I'm sorry. You were saying?"

He shook his head but returned to his previous thought. "Uh yes.. Might I ask your expected return date? Will it be longer than six months?"

You sighed. This was a spontaneous decision.

You honestly did not know how long you were going to be mad at Joker. He abandoned you for months and your heart just couldn't take the neglect anymore. How long was long enough to forgive such a betrayal?

This decision might be extreme from an outsider's perspective, but you saw no other alternative. Joker was not a man one could reason with. If his dreams of mass destruction were more important than your love, then you'd leave and let him have at it.

Things were not supposed to be permanent between the two of you anyway. Joker had long since overstayed his welcome and you were a fool to let him stay pro bono.

It could take the rest of your life for Joker to see what he lost. You had the patience; didn't mean it wouldn't hurt.

You heaved a sigh. "Undecided. I have another residence I'll be staying at until my return."

The locksmith gave you the thumbs up and stood outside the door. Everything was ready for your departure. All that was left to do was perform a last sweep of the place before the power and water were cut.

Your manager spoke up. "Of course. I'll leave it blank." He gathered the paperwork and sent a nod your way before boarding the elevator with the locksmith. Then you were left alone.

Joker couldn't believe his eyes as you walked around, running your hands over the covered furniture with a bittersweet smile. Your penthouse held so many memories and you were leaving it all behind.

"I know you'll watch this later. Whenever you're not busy enough to notice me gone." You said out loud.

Joker bristled in his seat. Much to his surprise, you locked eyes with one of his hidden cameras and spoke candidly.

"Is killing the bat more important than me, your precious Light? If it is.. then don't bother trying to find me. I'll be far away from your reign of terror soon enough. G-Goodbye Joker."

He watched you turn off the lights for the final time and close the door on your way out. Joker was speechless as you rode the elevator down to the main lobby and hopped into a SUV before it turned the corner out of camera range. He couldn't read the license plate it moved to fast.

Silence fell over the apartment's remaining camera feed before it went dark as the building manager cut the power. You were gone and you took the light with you.

He felt numb.

Joker sat for the longest trying to get his bearings straight. Was his work more important than you? Joker wasn't so sure anymore. His hands were shaking and there was a buzzing in his ear that wouldn't go away.

Shock. He was going through shock.

Remembering your tears were what brought him back. Leaving was hard on you too. You didn't want to go and that gave him the strength to take action.

Joker had to win you back at any cost. He jumped out of his seat so fast it spun and fell over. He brought his phone up to his ear to start issuing out orders.

"Check flights out of Gotham to errr.. Martha's Vineyard. She went to the beach house n' I want the.. jet ready when I get to the airporT."

Joker was calculating how long it would take him to fly full speed when, twenty minutes later, his phone buzzed with a text.

Beach house empty boss.

An attachment was sent over with a message thread from the gang's Boston division leader. J read it over while raking a hand through his greasy hair. There was no movement detected at the beachfront property and no flights out suggested that you headed there.

If you weren't in Massachusetts then where on Earth were you? Joker didn't have much time to mull it over.

The more time he wasted was another minute separated from you. You didn't have any other pins on the map to flee to except....

J made another call. "Blüdhaven. She went home." He growled into the receiver. Why didn't he think of it sooner?

Frost copied loud and clear and quickly called in an old favor to validate the claim but much to his surprise, his informant came up short.

It was a tough message to deliver but Frost was the right man for the job. He had to deliver this news in person. Joker was still at the main hideout packing an overnight bag when he felt a presence behind him.

There was only one person brave enough to walk up on Joker.

Frost shifted his weight standing in the doorway. There wasn't a nice way to put this so he just came out with it. "She's not in Blüdhaven."

He watched Joker stop packing and drag out a deep sigh. It came straight from the soul and carried the frustration of the situation.

Frost knew his boss better than anyone and knew this was hurting the clown in more ways than one. "We got face recognition software running through all the states, boss. We'll find her."

"She uh.. dared me to walk out and I did like a fool. Now she's gone. I... I lost my light." Joker tipped his head back laughing. It was bitter on the wind. "'t's not so funny now."

Frost had never seen his boss look so defeated before. It was truly a dark day indeed.

Everyone noticed the sudden change in Joker. He was far more irritable and bitter. One mistake and it would cost someone their life— no questions asked.

The original stress that was weighing on the entire gang was gone and replaced with the unknown variable that vexed Joker. It was literally like walking on eggshells around him.

Joker's patience was non-existent and only Frost could speak to him for longer than two minutes and survive afterwards.

Joker was back to his old, more unhinged self. He couldn't sleep a full eight hours anymore and used copious amounts of sweets to stay awake. As a result, his alertness wasn't the same and regrettably, Joker let the voices you silenced long ago return to haunt his every thought.

Mac, Neo, and Frost took it amongst themselves to help the gang stay afloat.

They could not afford to appear weak to the rival gangs or to the GCPD during this moment of uncertainty. The top three could run the illegal business, no sweat.

Joker was too busy trying to find his Light to care.

The face recognition software was a dead end. It was as if you fell off the face of the Earth which was impossible for someone as high profile as you.

You still posted online to your fans (bouncing your IP address off of servers from overseas; Joker always said you were a smart bunny) and kept an active social media profile. But off the screen? You were a ghost.

Joker had no clue where you were and neither did the countless goons scattered across the country who were secretly looking for you.

You were somehow doing the impossible— alluding Joker and his wide stretch of power. He used his assets across the US to try and track you down with no success.

At one point he feared the worst and assumed you were dead and that some imposter kept your socials active until he got the best lead he had in months.

These days Joker kept to himself in the underground hideout, the same one that he kissed you in for the first time. When he closed his eyes, he could picture it as if it were happening all over again.

He couldn't bring himself to step foot in your apartment when you weren't there to brighten its cold interior.

That place was dead to him if you weren't there.

A pile of return to residency letters from the apartment office were scattered in the corner of his room along with the other assorted mail he intercepted. He told himself that you would want to see them when— not if, but when you returned. That was the thin thread of hope that Joker clung to.

You had to come back and he'd wait for you.

He was mindlessly staring at the walls when Frost and Mac burst into the room. They shared a look at Joker's obvious depression but decided to deliver the good news anyhow.

"We found her! She's hosting an art event!" They both saw the glimmer of hope enter Joker's sad eyes.

"It'll be held in Dallas, TX two days from now. We already contacted the Dallas division and they'll be expecting our arrival." Mac's joy was evident in his tone. "We found her boss!"

Joker tried to be optimistic but he needed solid proof.

Over the span of five months, you hinted and failed to make due on any in-person meet and greets. He knew you were keeping a low profile to elude him but your fans weren't happy by the fact. They wanted to see you and so did Joker.

J was still a big fan of yours.. And if it was one thing you loved in this world, it was your fans. You could never let them down.

You were coming out of hiding for them. Frost handed Joker a printed copy of the announcement.

It was an aesthetically pleasing invitation depicting the time, date, and location of a local artist's exhibit. Joker knew what was going on. One of your fans was having an exhibit and you agreed to bring in publicity while earning some money on the side. You were listed as a special guest who would sign books to match every purchase made at the show.

It was an incentive for people to buy and it gave you good PR.

It was a good business deal and Joker smirked knowing that you were the brains behind the idea. You loved giving back whenever you could.

Joker nodded at his men for a job well done. They would be on the move to touch down in Texas and get a feel of the area before the event.

After five long months, Joker would finally see the light.

Everything was going to plan as Joker and his team held up in a hotel a couple blocks from the event.

The chips were all set and the only thing standing in the way was the rain.

"What if it's cancelled?" Mac whispered to his comrade.

He wasn't the only one thinking the same thought. The day started out clear with some stray clouds in the sky but nothing concerning. But as the event start time drew closer, the sky split open and a downpour fell with no end in sight. There were sporadic times where it let up, bringing hope of a dry afternoon, only to darken and rain again.

Neo fixed the blond with a deadpan stare. They did not travel all this way for some rain to stop them.

"Then we follow her back to where she's staying and corner her there. Simple. We ain't leaving til the Boss sees B. Look at him man.." Neo nodded in Joker's direction and they both turned to look at their boss.

Joker was pacing the hotel suite already dressed in disguise for the event.

He was mumbling to himself (louder than normal) and they could hear your name and jumbled up apologizes mixed in between lighthearted threats to never leave him again. He would pause, nodding sagely, before breaking out into a laugh at something you said.

Joker was having a conversation with you to himself.

Mac nodded at Neo, still watching the horrific sight. "Yeah... he's lost it."

Frost came into the suite and spared Joker a fleeting, concerning, glance. "It's a go. Let's head out."

They walked down to the back entrance and into cars to make it to the popup building in the heart of the art district.

It wasn't an overly formal event but they each blended in with their dress attire. It was to be expected once they stepped into the glass enclosed building.

Despite the rain, the place was crowded. The sun was setting over the horizon and live music was playing off in the corner as people mingled and socialized amongst themselves.

Tasteful art ranging from contemporary artwork to mixed media sculptures decorated the all white area. It was dimly lit and still, the place shined, all thanks to the event's special guest.

You were walking arm in arm with a fan of yours, who was also an up-and coming artist on the Dallas stage. She was responsible for the framed art hanging over your fireplace in Joker's bedroom.

She was dressed in all black whereas you were the pop of color. There was an aura surrounding you and Joker truly believed the sky cleared because you smiled and told it to.

Someone handed you a mic as the last raindrops hit against the glass ceiling overhead.

"Well would you look at that?!" The crowd chuckled in unison and gave you their undivided attention.

"Good afternoon day! Thank you all for braving the rain to attend this special event! I am honored to announce a good friend of mine's first art exhibit! She has worked tirelessly to make today possible so please, I will literally hold each person who leaves empty handed accountable. And may Hunter use you for archery practice."

The crowd laughed at the inside joke to your book and you continued with a smile, "But seriously! I present.. (insert favorite artist)."

You began the round of applause as your dearest reader and online friend hugged and took the mic (and attention) from you.

She went on about the inspiration for her debut collection and reminded everyone that with each purchase they would receive a signed copy of your latest trilogy.

Joker cancelled out the rest of her chatter; he couldn't take his eyes off of you. He was hypnotized.

He thought you would be depressed and miserable these past five months but you looked perfectly fine, thriving even. You had a glow about yourself and your smile was as bright as ever yet he couldn't ignore the obvious.

It didn't reach your eyes.

It took a person who knew you well to notice. Your smiles were wide and expressive but there was a ghost of sadness haunting your eyes. It broke Joker's heart to bear witness to it.

If Frost didn't grab his arm, Joker would've knocked down the throng of people to get to you. Joker growled at Frost for touching him but the henchman knew it was an empty threat.

"Patience. Wait until she's alone." Frost whispered. 

It would've been nice to know that would be next to impossible!

For the next hour and a half, you mingled with people and thanked others for their purchases. Joker knew you weren't a people person, and definitely not an extrovert to handle all this attention. You were gonna drop like a drained bunny tonight. He hoped you'd be back in his arms by then; however, there was no open window for him to swoop in to make that happen.

Joker had Frost and the others fan out as he circled the showroom floor, pretending to take in the art pieces. J was admiring a picture that he thought you would like when his eyes caught movement.

A man dressed in black came and whispered in your ear once you finished talking with a customer.

Joker was instantly jealous and wanted to brutally murder the man until he noticed his role. You hired security. How cute.

He'd deal with that later. He was more focused on what was being reported.

Whatever was spoken wasn't good. You failed at hiding your frown as your e/c eyes darted around the room. Your eyes missed Joker by a hair.

"S__t, I think we've been spotted." Mac sighed into the group's earpieces.

Neo seconded that statement when you tapped your artist friend on the shoulder. You excused yourself for a few minutes and she bid you well before focusing back on making a big dollar sale.

You waved and smiled sweetly at others as you made your way through the crowd. "She's moving, now's your chance, Boss."

It didn't matter who said it, Joker heard it loud and clear.

He nodded and walked away from the painting to where you disappeared to. You were standing in a back hallway arguing with your head of security.

"What do you mean he's here?! You promised me it was safe and now you're telling me the complete opposite?!"

He grabbed your hands to calm you down, "Y/n, I know what I said, but things can change. This is The Joker we're talking about. What matters is getting you to safety okay? Lemme do my job." He was leaning in to caress your face when he gasped in pain.

"Miles? What's wrong?" You looked on wide eyed as Joker pulled a knife out the poor man's back and stepped into view.

Miles took his last breath and fell to the floor in front of you. You took one look at Joker and froze.

"J... Y-You just.."

Joker scratched his head with the bloody knife, "What? He was about to... touch.. you. I can'T have that. Can't. Have. That.. Now! Hi." He saw you were about to scream and he rushed over to cover your mouth.

Your back hit the wall and Joker shushed you sweetly when you struggled. He hated how you were looking at him in fear.

"Don't do that Bunny. No.. no no no this is not how I planned our lit-le uh, reunion. Mkay? Shhh. Let's... let's start over... I missed ya Bunny, where ya been?" Joker asked.

He leaned in closer and rubbed his scarred cheek against yours. You flinched and tried to avoid his touch altogether. He hardly noticed and enjoyed his first dose of contact with you in months.

You knew that time could change a person but the Joker holding you was vastly different from the one you loved. He terrified you and not in a good way.

He let his hand slip from your mouth so you could talk. "Away f-from you!" You hissed.

"Don't be like that Bunny. I just.. I just wanted to see ya." He mumbled way too close to your lips. His breath fanned over them and you shoved him back in a panic.

"G-Great! You saw me, now leave me alone!" You glanced at the dead body near your feet and whimpered. You knew what kind of man Joker was but physical reminders were a bitter pill to swallow.

"Why are you here?"

He didn't respond. Since you pushed him away, he turned his attention to your beautiful hair. You had it down for the event and he buried his nose into the luscious curls before breathing in deeply. His eyes rolled back at the familiar scent reentering his nostrils. He missed you so much. 

You on the other hand were freaked out. "Joker!"

He sighed at your tone but leaned back to stare straight into your eyes. "Come home."

"Excuse me?"

He curled a strand of your hair around his finger. "It's not the same. I'm not the same." He stressed.

"Sounds like a personal problem." You gritted out.

You tried to slip away from Joker's imposing figure but he had you blocked in. You did well to erase Joker from your life these past few months and you weren't about to let him sweet talk his way back into your good graces. And especially not since he just killed another man for simply trying to do his job.

You didn't know what had changed Joker but you weren't going to stick around and find out. You didn't care if he wasn't the same; you weren't either, but day by day the pain he caused was healing. His appearance today was just lemon juice on a fresh cut.

Joker pouted and pretended that your words didn't affect him. On the inside, he was tearing at the seams. All this time and you were still upset with him?

What on Earth did he do?!

"You neglected me, that's what! For three months I tried to get your attention and you iced me out! Work was more important! You didn't have time for me! You stopped making time for us! I ached for you and you weren't there Joker! And you don't even care!"

He didn't know he asked you aloud but he was finally getting the answers he sought after all these months in the dark.

Joker knew exactly what you were referring to. There was a gang turf war going on and he couldn't afford to be distracted. He was extremely busy at work but he didn't mean to push you away.

You began to cry as you confessed to J.

"I was alone and miserable! I-I thought you hated me or didn't l-love me anymo–"

Joker snarled and quickly wiped your tears away. He then grabbed your face and forced you to stare into his pleading green eyes.

"Listen to me, I could never hate ya Bunny. I thoughT I told you to never think that. I cannot... function.. without you. These.. uh, months apart have been hell. You think I could hate you? No. No, another moment away from you is enough penance but I know you, Bunny. My Light, my sweet girl.."

He rested his forehead against yours and you hiccupped as tears ran down your face. Joker and his way with words were getting to you.

"My Light would not let me suffer in vain. I made a promise, Y/n. I'd never hurt you– I didn't mean to, I was working to protect you. Everything I do is to keep you safe. Never doubt that. I don't hate you, I need you. I can't stannnnd the dark, doll."

You were listening but it wasn't enough to sway your heart. "You pushed me away.. I felt so alone." You cried.

Joker shushed you again and wrapped you up in his arms. His exhale shook your frame and made you crumble. You couldn't run away from Joker.

He was forever bound to your heart and soul, that no distance or margin of time could unravel him. You felt so stupid for running away and you broke down into helpless tears.

Joker hummed and began rocking you in his arms. His warm hands rubbed crazy figure eights on your back as he reacquainted himself with holding your body.

You still fit like a puzzle piece in his arms with your head resting perfectly against his chest. He had to lean down a bit to rest his head atop yours but in this position, he could protect you in all aspects.

He missed being a savior. He missed having a purpose. He hoped you gave him a second chance.

"I need my Light. P-Please come back to me. I'll do the any-thing to have the uhh, honor, of callin' you mine again. Please Y/n."

He squeezed you tighter after saying please. Such a rare word in Joker's vocabulary, you knew he was serious. Your head shot up to stare at him. The sight that greeted you almost made you faint.

He couldn't be... You cupped Joker's face and nodded.

"I need you too. I'm so sorry for running away, please forgive me, Joker." You kissed him and he followed your lips when you pulled back. "I'll come back, heck I'll come home tonight! London is way too dreary for my tastes."

Joker stiffened up hearing the locale. "What?"

You didn't hear him since your eyes connected with your dead head of security. "Joker, you killed someone!!"

"So?" He grabbed your chin to face him again. "I got my Light back. That's.. that's all I care 'bout." He kissed you again and he rejoiced when you wrapped your arms around his neck to deepen it.

He ignored Neo and Mac in his ear arguing back and forth on who was cleaning up the dead body or Frost interrupting them both with a, 'Would the two of you please shut up? The boss is having a moment!'

Everything was back to normal.

[xothemedia]

Rap Sh!t 1x7 | “Something For The DJ”

[leblogreblog]

Being a Cahir fan from the time before the show came out is so weird cause-

That's. That's litteraly a completely different character.

[soft-persephone]

The Distance Between Our Galaxies

Jake Lockley (Moon Knight system) x Ballerina!Fem!Reader x Luke (Jake Johnson)

T // WC: 1.45k // warnings: descriptions of flesh being ripped // series masterlist //main masterlist

Jake woke up and immediately stilled his body.

A woman, soft and sweet was pressed up against him.

Fuck, Marc.

Jake woke up to the smell of your hair. It washed over his senses, filling him with a distant memory, transporting him to a hazy dream when he was younger. A boy, barely a teenager in the back of Marc’s mind.

You reminded him of that girl he fell in love with when he was younger, much younger.. He never got the chance to touch her. To talk to her or be with her in any capacity, not sure how to reach out and make his presence known.

Taking his chance, he indulged in a deep sniff. Letting his head rest on yours. For just a moment, lingering.

Your hand was strewn across his waist. Your legs were tangled in his. A distinct taste lingered on his tongue.

You.

He was a kid again. He couldn't quite remember what age, but it was young. However, old enough for his first kiss. Their first kiss.

Marc always seems to get them first.

Mirabel’s rich skin, the specific hues of her undertone was something magical, her full lips, and pretty white smile. Jake remembered the hazy moments he was present in the body, quiet as whispers.

Little Bel was a ray of sunshine in their youth. A getaway from the wretched plight that was home, but when they– mainly Marc was with her. It was the first time he didn't have to worry.

He didn't have to take over.

It was a blessing, but also his curse.

The entire experience reminded him of his own personal mortality. His living purgatory of being alive, but being unknown. A deep aching curse to want the things he could never have. He was a fleeting memory in the lives of a few, real for only one moment in time.

He was real once. Scattered in accros time in a world he used to know, but he’s been away so long. His friends might not even remember him. He had no one in London. He didn’t know anything or give a fuck about Europe.

There was no one to recognize him or remember he was ever there.

So all he had were the memories.

In his own universal plane of existence. A fleeting whisper in the wind. He knew he was real, but it would be nice to have his own life back. To make his own world known.

Every moment he was present in the body was a tribute to his own existence, his mustache, his own personal style, his walk, the way he talked. It was the time when body was his and only his. So he interacted with the world around him, outside of Marc’s reserved abrasiveness, and despite Steven’s best efforts to be sociable, it rubbed people the wrong way. He was nice, but they had a habit of not sticking around.

Most likely Marc’s fault.

So he had to hold on and cherish every moment. Every experience, thought, word, touch, feeling, every-everything. Because they were his.

So he cherished his time with you because when else was he going to get another chance.

He gingerly placed a finger on your full lips, slowly tracing them, relishing in the warmth of your breath, tickling the pad of his fingertips.

They were so soft.

His chest ached. His palms suddenly felt sweaty.

He suddenly rmemebrs how Mirabel’s eager plush lips and equally as eager tongue, swiped over theirs with a heated fervor they didn’t quite know was possible. Neither of them good at it, but it was one of Jake’s most precious memories. Her lips crashing awkwardly but passionately along Marc’s, unaware that you were kissing him too.Marc unaware of the boy inside that took his most brutal beatings.

There was no explanation for how Marc’s hand tightened on her side. There was no explanation for how he desperately needed to touch her hair. How he had to kiss her more firmly. How his tongue becomes less aggressive, just cherishing the moment. It must just be how much he liked her was all he thought. The conclusion he came to.

But no, it was him, Jake.

He somehow got control, for just a brief moment, to make his first kiss his, just as much as it was Marc’s.

Marc didn’t deserve most of the women that came into their lives.

He always managed to push them away, but the good one’s stuck around.

As much as Jake wanted to take over and show you a true man. A gentleman even, he couldn’t intervene.

Not like this.

You needed someone to meet you where you were at. To help you process your grief healthily.

The memory rushed over him. Blending with the present.

With one final brush of his thumb on your cheek. He sighed before returning to the unknown.

He didn’t have to think.

He was out of your bed without waking you up. He whisked the battered bloody clothes out of your hamper into a trash bag that took him more than a long time to find.

Jake hated large houses that needed maids. Everything was too far and hard to find.

Any evidence of Marc’s presence he scrubbed away.

“Spector had the body too long. There is buis—“

Yeah yeah, Jake replied back in his mind, shoving Khonshu away. You don’t have to tell me twice.

And he didn’t.

Khonshu was annoying.

Being Moon Knight just passed the time. When it was worth it and the work was honest, it could be a purpose.

He missed New York. He missed his cab, Crawley and Gina, her boys. God, those two knuckleheads.

It didn’t take long until he was out the front door of the house

Depsite his best efforts, he couldn’t shake it.

He couldn’t shake you.

But the thoughts started flowing, his mind racing, landing back onto you.

He was thinking about what your life might have been before you met your husband, who you were when he was alive and you both were happy. Leading him to think about his own life, the massive overbearing weight of his own life.

Hard, dark, and heavy, but it was carryable.

A little hard to carry, but he could carry it.

He made a call to steven’s job, doing his best british accent. He updated them on the phony family emergency, so he wouldn’t get fired, but they were running out of time. There was only so much FMLA Steven had left.

You were on his mind. Despite his best efforts to focus on the task at hand.

You felt far away.

The pain was heavy inside his chest, making his heart beat feel wrong. It gnawed at him like a wild dog. A ferocious desire eating him from the inside. The fear of not being fed makes it fight harder and harder. It’s teeth gnashed and bit down on his soul. Ripping him apart and leaving his strown flesh and guts in the cold, what’s left of his heart beating out of his chest.

Jake ignored it, donning the mask and suit of threads. Perhaps the suit's healing factor could stave away at the wild untamed longing.

It must be from Marc’s.

The foreign wild emotion was unlike anything he’d ever felt. He ignored it as he jumped in the air, running across rooftops. He ignored it as he glided through the air. He ignored it as he landed on the fire escape of the little run down hotel room he’d got temporarily for them as Marc did fuck all with the body.

Opening the closet door he looked at the little evidence board he’d been making.

“If you had listened to me, you’d know by now that you need to go back to the large house. With the. . .girl.”

“She’s a grown woman.” Jake blinked. “Why do I need to go back?”

“The spiritual disturbance is in the house.”

“But that’s just—“

“Not. The husband.” Khonshu bellowed. “It’s following him.”

This wasn’t good. Not one bit.

Whatever magical disturbance Khonshu had Jake chasing the past couple of months was getting worse. The nights spent keeping the magical monsters and powers at be from hurting ordinary people were getting longer and longer.

They were running out of time and Marc hogging the body only made things worse.

You don’t need me to tell you what you must do…” Khonshu started, his looming form’s glow faded into the shadows out of his vision and back into the apparatus of his mind. His voice became the memory of a distant echo in his mind. “The gnawing,” his voice faded even farther away, “is of your own creation.”