#I have only to. actually boot it up and see if it turns my computer into a brick

[taurasiluv]

OFF THE RECORD. 01 — bad news. — masterlist -> next chapter

summary: nicole allen, senior uconn journalist major, gets assigned to the biggest douchebag that storrs conneticut has ever seen—breanna stewart—for her senior project.

cw: ooc stewie... stewie being an asshole !

word count: 2.5k

msg from sen: new series that has been long awaited<3 i hope evb enjoys this as much as i enjoyed writing it. i loveeee this oc soooo much shes so

“are you being serious right now?” she asked, her tone serious and unwavering.

“i’m sorry nicole, i wasn’t the one who chose it.” ryan shrugged, handing her a stack of papers.

nicole took her hatred for breanna stewart very seriously. not only was she the star player of the uconn women’s basketball team, 3 national championships and counting under her sleeve, she was the biggest douchebag ever.

she had known at least 3 girls just this year that were played by her. promised a nice dinner date just to be hooked up with then left for dead. she looked at women like they were pieces of meat and got her fill then left.

she also just happened to have a hatred for hot jocks. which of course breanna fit.

so of course, she had to get breanna to shadow for her senior project. she had to follow around breanna every day for an entire year.

this was going to be hell.

“can’t i switch with literally anyone else?” she asked again, following ryan down the hallway.

“you’ll have to ask, but i doubt it.”

“fuck you ryan!” she yelled as she stopped in her tracks.

“love you too nikki!” he yelled back, still making his way down the corridor.

nicole spun on her heels, turning back to the main journalism room to go negotiate with her colleagues. she walked into the room, a scowl on her face without her realizing because her friend, bianca, pointed it out. “woah someone’s not happy about their assignment!” she laughed, kicking the chair next to her out so nicole could sit. “so, who is it?”

“breanna stewart,” she frowned, slouching in her seat.

the reaction from bianca wasn’t positive, a groan coming from her. “good luck, don’t hookup with her. i got tyler davis, he’s on the football team.”

“lucky! we should switch,” nicole pouted, looking at her with puppy dog eyes.

“good try nikki. i gotta go get ready to see him tomorrow so… gotta go.” she grinned, getting up.

nicole groaned, flopping forward and letting her head rest against the table. she heard bianca laugh as she left the room. now, nicole was all alone in the journalism room, debating on emailing breanna about the assignment or leaving it to be a later issue.

she begrudgingly dug her laptop out of her backpack, opening it and logging in. as she waited for her computer to boot up, she flipped through the packet of background information in search of breanna’s email. she found it, opening up gmail and typing in the email address on the paper.

Hello Breanna!

I’m Nicole Allen, a journalism student and I was assigned to shadow you for your senior year. I believe your advisor should’ve also sent you an email about this. We can set up a meeting soon to go over my assignment and what it entails! Please reply as soon as you can.

Thank you, have a good day.

Nicole Allen

she attempted to make her email sound as professional as possible, a weak attempt to hide the dislike for her. she hit send and shut her computer, packing it up and leaving the room.

she walked from campus to her dorm room, throwing her backpack down on the bed and moving to go change into something more comfortable before continuing her study on her assignment. she grabbed a pop tart and hopped up onto her bed, opening her computer and refreshing her email.

to her surprise, breanna actually responded within a reasonable amount of time. she clicked the email open, no subject attached and read the following,

k lit tmr at 1 at the cafe by gampel? i got practice b4 then

nicole’s eyes went wide, surprised at the level of unprofessionalism coming from her. she couldn’t be that surprised though, she clearly didn’t care about the girls she was with, why would she care about the way she wrote emails. she rolled her eyes, replying back with a simple,

Sounds good! See you tomorrow.

she shut her laptop once more, tossing it to the side and looking at the packet of information once more. simple stuff in it, contact information, background, accomplishments, etc. she was well decorated by all accounts, explains her cocky attitude.

—

“did anybody else get assigned some journalism chick for the year?” breanna yelled out, walking out into the living room of her dorm.

tuck came out of her room, raising her eyebrow and opening her email on her phone. she scrolled through the unopened emails, finding a similar ones. “yeah, ryan from english. who’d you get?” she asked, walking over to breanna.

“uh some chick named nicole,” she shrugged.

“what’s her last name?” tuck asked, looking over her shoulder to see the email.

“allen, why?”

“isn’t that the friend of that one girl you were seeing during the summer?” she asked.

breanna’s eyebrows furrowed while she attempted to think. “which one?”

“oh my god you dog!” tuck punched her shoulder with a smile. breanna feigned pain, groaning dramatically. “the blonde one, remember?”

“ohh yeah her,” breanna nodded with a grin. “she was kinda annoying, not gonna lie.” she shrugged.

“well, better get your shit together quick, you’re gonna be working with her friend for a whole year!” tuck laughed at her, walking back to her room.

breanna plopped down onto the couch, exiting the email app on her phone and moving over to the instagram app. she typed in nicole’s name, finding her profile and scrolling through. she scrolled for a while, taking a mental note of how gorgeous she was.

—

the next day, nicole found herself scrambling out of bed and getting all of her stuff together. she spent most of her night preparing her first interview. she took her major very seriously. ever since she was little she wanted to do sports journalism, and now she was actually doing it. in the best basketball city she could be in, interviewing the biggest college basketball star in the country.

too bad breanna stewart was an asshole.

finally, she got her bag together and put into her car and drove down to gampel pavilion, parking outside of the nearby cafe and ordering herself a coffee before sitting down. she set all her papers out neatly and got her computer open and ready to the assignment details so she could share them with breanna.

she checked the time, 1:10, and still no breanna.

maybe practice ran late, that’s fine.

1:30.

she knew little about the women’s basketball coach, but she knew that he was hard and strict. so maybe he’s keeping her after practice, whatever.

1:45.

nicole found herself begin to get annoyed, she knew working with breanna for a whole year was going to be a pain in the ass, but not like this.

2:00.

finally, breanna came through the door. hair sticking to her forehead from sweat and friends following closely behind her. they were laughing and talking, but breanna quickly locked her eyes onto nicole. she said her goodbyes and sat down. nicole could already feel her checking her out.

“you’re nikki, right? my journalist chick or whatever?”

“nicole. and, yes. i assume your advisor emailed you about it as well?” she said, handing a piece of paper over to breanna that explained the details.

“yeah but i didn’t check, thought id come in blind. so… what are you writing anyways?”

nicole sighed, “a newspaper about you. it’ll be released at the end of your season.”

breanna stuck her bottom lip out and nodded, “cool. when do we start?”

“sometime this week, tomorrow preferably. but i know you have a tight schedule with basketball, so whatever works for you.”

“why don’t you come to some of my practices?” she asked with a sly grin, leaning in.

nicole pushed herself back in the chair, attempting to gain space between the two of them. “uhm. yeah i probably will. what day works for you for our next interview?”

“let’s do tomorrow… 5 pm over dinner?” breanna raised her eyebrows.

nicole knew what she was getting at, a date. but she didn’t want to be another one of breanna’s fuck buddies, not when she was actively trying to write an article about her.

“i’m not going on a date with you, stewie. but, tomorrow at 5 works for me. we can go to the library.” she offered.

breanna fell back in her chair, frowning at her failed attempt. “sounds good.”

“let me get your number so we can keep in contact that’s not over email.” nicole said, handing her phone over.

“no dinner date but you want my number? whatever you want, pretty girl.” she smirked, typing in the digits to her phone number and putting in a contact name before handing it back to her.

nicole felt herself recoil at the other girls sentence, especially the pet name. she scowled and took her phone back. “i guess ill see you tomorrow at 5.” nicole said, beginning to put her things away.

—

that night, breanna made her way back to her dorm and opened the door to moriah, tuck, and saniya all gathered together on the couch talking.

saniya was the first one to turn back and see breanna, a mischievous grin on her face. “sooo, you kissin’ on the news girl yet?” she grinned.

“not yet, i’m gonna be seeing her the whole year though so, just you wait.” she grinned cockily, throwing her gym bag down and throwing herself onto the couch next to moriah.

“so, tell us what happened?” tuck raised her eyebrow, sliding a wine cooler across the table towards where breanna was laying.

“genos gonna fucking kill us if anybody figures out we’re storing alcohol in the room,” she said. her complaint not stopping her from picking up the bottle and popping it open. “she just told me about her assignment thing. she’s writing a news paper about me, i guess.” she shrugged her shoulders as she lifted the bottle to her lips, letting the liquid pour into her mouth and down her throat.

they talked about it for a bit more, going around the table and talking about who they each got for the project and how they were. finally, it got back to breanna, she was busy on her phone (definitely not stalking nicole’s instagram, no. not at all.). “stew, let’s make a bet,” moriah said, pulling her wallet out of her pocket. everybody else followed suit, pulling their wallets or loose cash out and waiting to hear the details.

“let’s hear it,” breanna said, spinning herself around to sit right side up and also search for her wallet out of her gym shorts.

“everybody put a 5 in,” she said, throwing the bill down onto the coffee table. everybody set down the bills on the table, now, there was a small pile of $5 bills sat in the middle of the table. “if stew doesn’t bone the girl by the of the year, everybody except her has to split the pot. if she does bone her by the end of the year, she wins it all. deal?”

breanna grinned. she has always been competitive and always got the woman she wanted so, this would be easy in theory. “deal.”

—

the next day, nicole found herself thinking about breanna even when she didn’t need to be. instead of paying attention to whatever her professor was saying in the lecture, her mind was wandering about breanna. she was disgusted with herself, she had caught herself thinking about her several times that day and every time she couldn’t get the feeling of disgust to go away.

maybe it was just cause they were seeing each other later for the interview, that’s why she couldn’t get her out of her head.

that’s what she was choosing to believe anyways.

soon enough, the lecture ended and she was walking back to her dorm to get ready for the interview. she had complied a list of easy questions to start her off and to gather some more background information about breanna. she threw in a hoodie, knowing storrs was bound to be cold at night, and got her bag ready. on her way to the library she picked up a snack and waters for the both of them.

now, it was just a matter of time til breanna joined her at the library.

unlike their first meeting, breanna actually made an effort to arrive on time and arrive looking mildly more presentable than her sweat covered after practice look. nicole was pleased with this, it already being late, she didn’t want to wait more than she absolutely needed to.

after breanna sat down, they sat in uncomfortable silence for a bit. nicole got out her notebook and papers while breanna sat awkwardly on the other end of the table.

“so… how was your day?” breanna asked.

“uhm, fine. just had a couple classes. you?”

“pretty much the same. had early practice though.”

and then it was awkward silence again.

finally, nicole cleared her throat.

“i’m gonna start off with just some simple questions, is that good?”

“yeah! that’s fine. you make it sound like i’m act the doctors office.” breanna laughed a little, sitting more comfortably in her chair while she awaited her question.

“what got you into basketball in the first place?”

“i dunno. just started playing and i liked it a lot more than softball.” she shrugged.

nicole sighed. the realization that breanna was not a very good interviewee and she would have to fill in a lot of the gaps began settling in. she jotted down a few things into her notebook, breanna began to lean over the table, curious to see what she was writing.

nicole tugged the notebook away, propping it up against the edge of the desk and her body so breanna couldn’t see it. “you will be able to read everything once it’s fully finished.”

“so i just have to answer your questions and not even know what the fuck you’re writing about for a whole year?” she sighed, slouching back in her defeated.

“exactly! glad you understand.” nicole gave a snarky smile, putting her notebook back on the table and continuing to write.

they chatted for a bit more, nicole asked more simple questions. stuff about her family and what inspires her. she could feel breanna’s eyes practically burning a hole in her the entire time, so she decided to say something at the end of the session.

breanna had gotten up and picked up her bag before nicole stopped her. “wait, before you leave stewie.”

breanna stopped, turning around and cocking her head.

“under absolutely no circumstances is this,” she gestured wildly between them, “ever going to happen. you will never get me to go on a date with you or hookup with you, this is purely professional. nothing more, nothing less.”

“fine.” she shrugged, “but can i at least walk you home, it’s dark.”

nicole sighed and sat in silence for a little bit, mulling over her options. she stood up next to door, suddenly realizing how small she was near breanna and began walking.

“if you’re walking me, hurry up!”

[badolmen]

*stumbling away from my first successful video game torrent like a newborn deer on wobbly legs*

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Danny slowly lowered himself down onto Luther's newest death machine thanks to his bat themed grappling hook. Making special care not to let his heart beat or his lungs take in breath lest Superman hear him and intervene, he used his intangibility to sink into the machine itself to steal its parts.

Yeah, so a full white outfit wasn't the best choice for stealth, but it was better than dressing like a traffic light. Plus the black gloves and boots made him feel nostalgic. It had been only seven months since the accident that took his life, so much has happened since then.

Biting his lip as he smiled as he began gathering up parts and wires with his intangibility and placing them into his bag. Lastly he grabbed the power source, which-surprise, surprise, is kryptonite.

After he grabbed what he wanted he quickly stuck a note on the maintenance panel of the machine for when someone opened it and discovered it now had a large hollow space, then simply sank down through the floor and flew to freedom.

Danny sighed once he was clear. Or, at least he thought he was.

"Young man." Crud. Danny turned around to see big blue floating behind him in all his red underwear glory. Great. "I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you." The Kryptonian said, looking pointedly at the large chunk of kryptonite Danny held under his arm.

Instead of an excuse, Danny got an idea. "Uh, hello? Recognize the mask?" He said, gesturing to his face.

Superman narrowed his eyes, staring at his face for a few very long seconds and just as Danny was about to cut his losses and book it out of there, a look of recognition graced the heros face. Sweet. "Thats Nightwings mask."

"Yeah. Just smaller."

Superman nodded, then asked, "Why aren't you wearing a bat symbol? I wouldn't have thought you were a thief if I knew you were working with Batman." Danny had to fight to keep his face neutral.

"I haven't decided what symbol I want on my suit yet." And that was true. Danny wasn't sure he wanted any symbol at all. The mark of the bat would mean that he belonged in the batclan, and Danny was a lone ghost. A wandering spirit if you will. He didn't belong anywhere.

Some small part of his mind that sounded suspiciously like Jazz said that might be one of the reasons he's been behaving so poorly lately, but he brushed it off. Superman just nodded sagely. Danny doubted he actually knew how Danny felt and was just nodding along to appear sympathetic. Adults lie, and they lie often. Danny kinda hated them for it.

"Well, I'm kinda on a deadline, so I should get going. Crime to fight, goth furry to annoy, you know how it is." Danny said, waving the arm that wasn't carrying the kryptonite around in the air before using it to readjust the bags strap on his shoulder.

"Alright," superdude smiled warmly, "Tell Batman I said hi." Danny grinned back at him as he jogged away, "Will do!"

That went better than expected. Thank you, Nightwing~! The boy thought to himself as he ran off into a secluded area and turned invisible and flying away.

Just imagining Supermans face if- no- when Batman finally breaks and tells the Justice League about the little menace thats been stealing all his and his sidekicks stuff for the last few weeks nearly sends Danny into hysterics.

Danny still has Robins sword mounted above the fireplace in his favorite safe house in Costa del Sol. Red Hoods "favorite" motorcycle was in its garage and Red Robins wrist computer and chest harness thing were mounded in a glass case next to the first thing he stole from them:

Batmans utility belt.

Sure, its a pain to remove all the tracking stuff from them, but man is he proud of those accomplishments.

Still. Its better to leave Metropolis after he got caught by Superman. Its only a mater of time before someone finds out about the old switcheroo he pulled at the last museum robbery and that combined with the bodies of those creepy rich guys he had killed (human trafficer buyers) well, surely Batman has noticed he had been gone for a while and would pick up on the matching M.O. in Metropolis.

Time to bounce.

[illubean]

Nerd!Gojo x Goth!Reader

Characters: Satoru Gojo Type: College!AU, Oneshot, Gn!Reader

part of a mini series of oneshots :3 lmk if you want a p2

Warnings: none? reader wears makeup/dresses but is still gn

For someone with the hobbies and interests of the likes of Satoru Gojo, he was pretty popular around campus. Men and women alike often talked about his looks, or the fact his family owned a large corporation, but what they didn't care to talk about was that Satoru Gojo was a complete loser.

Despite how popular or known he is, he only has about four friends and is the captain of the varsity E sports team for crying out loud. Not only that, but he was a computer science major..

Let's just say they're not really...known for good things.

Despite how nerdy and awkward he is, he still managed to draw attention to himself, whereas you preferred to separate from the masses. There was no doubt your dark, elaborate outfits and heavy makeup turned some heads while you roamed the corridors and quads, but other than that you've kept a relatively low profile. Though most people never really paid much mind to you aside from an initial glance, you managed to catch the eye of the aforementioned varsity E sports player.

He thought you were stunning.

From your flowing black dress and large boots to your eyeliner sharp enough to cut a bitch, the white haired boy was completely and utterly enamored with you. And when a dopey smile forms on Gojo's face and his head gets all spacey, that's when Geto and Shoko realize he's spotted you somewhere across the field. Despite almost everyone preferring the weekend, Gojo's favourite days were Mondays and Wednesdays.

The days you sat in front of him in creative writing.

He spent most of the class periods staring at the back of your head, leaning against his palm with hearts in his eyes as he fantasized about what it would be like to be yours. He would watch as you scribbled away in your notebook, perfecting your story for next week, which he always looked foreword to reading during critique. Gojo has never once had the courage to approach you directly, though. Your ethereal beauty scared him; there was no way someone as perfect as you would even spare him a passing glance.

So, his friends got to listen to him sigh and daydream about you with no end.

"Did you see their outfit today? That lacey corset compliments them so well. And that dark lipstick. I wonder if it's flavored-"

"Holy shit can you shut up? We get it, you like the goth kid," Shoko complained, taking a drag from her cigarette.

Geto chuckled at her annoyance before making a remark of his own.

"Instead of spending all this time wondering, why don't you actually go talk to them."

'You know I can't do that! They're just...they're just so cool," Gojo whined, shrinking into himself and resting his head against the table they were sat at.

"Tough luck then," Shoko said, putting her cigarette out before gathering her belongings and standing from her spot.

"I have to get to my bio lab."

"I should head off too. I have civics in 10 minutes. See ya, Satoru."

And with that, Gojo was left alone having already finished the last of his classes for the day.

Damn it. What do I do now?

Gojo pouted while he continued to sulk for a moment, pondering what he could do with the rest of his day. After a while of sifting through his options, the snowy haired male picked up his bag and made his way to the library.

Maybe I can check out the new VR center.

Gojo's mind began to wander as he thought about all the things he could try on VR. He was lost in thought, feet taking him down the halls of the library before stumbling into someone, the sound of books thudding against the floor snapping him from his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry about that," a soft voice spoke.

Upon raising his head, his eyes came in contact with a pair of (color) ones, his cheeks heating up slightly upon realizing who he just bumped into.

After a beat of silence, his eyes widened as he scrambled to help pick up all of the books you dropped, noticing one in particular that he recognized.

“...'Mythology of Ancient Civilizations’?” Gojo asked before realizing how silly he must have sounded.

You raised an eyebrow. “You familiar?”

Gojo nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I’ve read it like… five times. I mean, the whole concept of storytelling through myths is incredible. The gods and monsters… They’re like the first fantasy novels, you know?”

Your mouth twitched into a small smile, intrigued at his words.

“Huh. I didn’t take you for someone who’d read stuff like this.”

“Yeah, I guess I don’t look it,” Gojo chuckled, scratching the back of his head nervously. “I’m usually more into… y’know, video games and stuff.”

“I could tell,” You comment, motioning towards his street fighter T-shirt. He looked down towards what he was wearing before his face flushed with embarrassment, sinking into himself as you chuckled at him.

"Gojo, right? You're in my creative writing class. I assume you like story telling, huh?"

The male's face lit up at this, before going on a tirade about the topic.

"I love story telling! I'm a computer science major and I'm trying to be a game dev which is why I'm taking creative writing. My favorite types of games are RPGs, like the LOZ franchise or Final Fantasy. They're not just about shooting stuff or solving puzzles, but they're interactive worlds that should matter just as much as books or movies! I'm actually working on a game right now about-" he cut himself off, seeing you now had a sly smirk stretched across your face.

Feeling shy once again, he cast his gaze down before saying "Sorry. I kind of went on a rant there..."

You let out a small, melodic laugh at this.

"It's okay, you're passionate about something. I think that's cute."

His heart fluttered at your words while his blue eyes wandered everywhere but to meet yours. He realized he was still holding on to your books, and he rushed to hold them out to you.

"Uh- sorry again. Here."

You gently took the books from him, fingers slightly brushing past his, setting off the butterflies in his stomach.

Their skin is so soft...

"Well, I'd love to hear about your game sometime, but I gotta get going. You free friday?"

Gojo couldn't believe his ears. You were asking him to hang out!?

"Um- yeah! I have practice from 1-3 though..."

"And by practice, you mean playing League of Legends for 2 hours?" you teased.

He nodded, slightly embarrassed by this.

"Meet me at 4 then. See ya!"

You sauntered past him, waving as you made your way towards the exit.

No way.

I have a date!

[roosterforme]

Always Ever Only You Part 3 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley just wants to make you as happy as you make him, and he hates it when you won't even let him try. But when your frustration boils over, you snap at the person you believe deserves it the most.

Warnings: Fluff, smut, angst, swearing

Length: 4200 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order. Gorgeous banner by @mak-32

You had been foolishly holding out hope. Until your period actually began, you'd been telling yourself that maybe there was still a chance. Maybe you had just taken the pregnancy test too early. Maybe you got a false negative.

So when you woke up for work on Monday and needed a tampon, you scolded yourself for your optimism. There was no point in it, because it only made you feel worse in the long-run. 

Bradley rubbed your shoulders and kissed your neck as you put your contacts in at the bathroom vanity. You looked gross. You were bloated, and your face was broken out. You vowed to stick to a better diet until you lost some weight. 

"Morning, Baby Girl," he murmured against your ear. It wasn't even fair. You wanted him all the time. He was perfect all the time. His voice gave you chills. 

"Morning," you whispered. "My period started." Your voice shook pathetically. 

"It's okay," he promised. "It's going to be okay." 

But you really felt like it wasn't. And work was pissing you off. When you got to your lab, you remembered that you and Cat were going to be spending the day working on proposals together. Great. 

"Did you have fun at the Hard Deck?" you asked her, practically throwing your computer onto the counter next to hers. 

She looked up at you, and you could tell she wanted to roll her eyes. "It was fun," she replied. "Not really my scene, but I can see where it would be yours."

You wanted to ask her what that was supposed to mean, but you bit your tongue. You wouldn't give her the satisfaction of thinking you cared about her opinion of you. And you were definitely going to have to tell Jake to get a crush on a hot looking woman who was actually nice, because you'd had just about enough of this. He had bugged you all night at the bar to introduce him to Cat again. He asked you about her all the time, but there was nothing to tell.

You took a seat and pounded away at your keyboard, working all morning while trying to ignore your cramps and your irritation with the woman next to you. Neither of you spoke a word about anything personal. It was all professional. When you noticed that it was noon, you said, "Let's take a break," in as bright a voice as you could.

Jake was waiting in the doorway for you. Or maybe he was just trying to catch a glimpse of Cat. But regardless, when you approached him, he smiled and handed you a container of soup from the cafeteria. "Angel. Let's eat in your office," he drawled. And when Cat breezed past him, he murmured, "Hi, Lieutenant Coleman."

She smirked in response, and Jake turned to watch her walk the entire way down the hall. "You're such a dog," you told him, inspecting the soup and finding it was chicken noodle. "You just need to get laid. Go to the bar tonight. There'll be a line of girls waiting for you."

He met your eyes and shook his head. "I'm not really doing that anymore."

You snorted as he followed you to your office. "Could you imagine if I agreed to go out with you? Bradley and I would have never happened after that."

Jake kicked his booted foot along your office floor before he plopped down into your extra chair. "Yeah, well... he'd have likely killed me if we went out. But, hey, you're not listening to me, Angel. Tell me more about Cat Coleman."

You sighed and ate some soup. "She's mean to me, okay? She doesn't like me."

"I don't believe you."

"It's true. She's so bitchy to me but nice to everyone else. She makes fun of the way I work. She won't eat lunch with me. She avoids me all the time. She hates me."

You swallowed another spoonful of soup, and tears immediately sprung to your eyes. You looked up at Jake, and you knew he could tell something was wrong immediately. When he jumped to his feet, you tried to wave him off, but he was kneeling next to your chair and rubbing your hand before you knew it. 

"What happened?" he asked softly. When you didn't respond, he gave you a few seconds before asking, "Do you want me to go get Rooster?"

"No," you croaked, your throat burning with the effort to talk. "I'm fine."

"You do not sound fine. You can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Right."

"Well, I'm all ears."

And he just knelt there next to you while you told him how much you hated going to your lab now. And you told him that you had your period. And then you said, "Bradley and I are trying to start a family, but it's just not happening."

"Hey," he said, letting you cry it out. "You and Bradley are already a family. Plus, you've got Tramp. And Nat and I are like siblings you guys never even wanted."

You kind of shrugged at him. "It's not the same thing."

"I know that, but sometimes it takes time," he told you.

"It's been four months," you whispered. 

Jake stood up and pulled you to your feet, and then he wrapped you in a hug so tight, his name tag was digging into your collarbone. "Just give it some time. You want me to talk to Rooster?"

"No. Let's just finish eating lunch."

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

Bradley had been trying all week. Kissing along your neck and rubbing your hips through your khakis while you made dinner. But you finally snapped at him on Wednesday night when you were trying to cut up some sun dried tomatoes for the Marry Me Rooster he had requested. 

"I'm trying to cook dinner, Bradley. Yes, I realize you're trying to get me in the mood. Yes, I can feel your erection. No, I don't want to have sex. I look gross, and I feel gross." You set down your knife and turned to face him. He had taken one huge step away from you, and now he was looking at you with the saddest brown eyes. 

"I'm sorry," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair as he walked down the hallway toward your bedroom. 

"Shit," you whispered as you rushed after him. "I'm sorry."

He was standing next to the bed unbuttoning his uniform shirt when you walked in and headed right for him. But he didn't say anything, just yanked his shirt off and tossed it onto the bed. The sight of him in his khaki pants and black undershirt had you sucking in a deep breath. It wasn't that you didn't want him. You just didn't even want yourself right now.

"Bradley," you whispered. 

"Nah. I'm going to go workout in the garage," he told you, stripping out of his pants and digging in a drawer for some gym shorts. "I'll eat later. Don't wait for me."

You watched him walk back out of the room. Then he called for Tramp, and you heard the sliding glass door open and then close. You went back to the kitchen and finished making dinner. You had to fight the urge to go out to the garage and get Bradley, because somehow you knew you'd just end up making things worse. You made him a beautiful plate of dinner and left it on the island. And then you got yourself ready for bed. You were no longer hungry. 

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

Bradley was stressing out. He could feel his composure crumbling as every maneuver he performed in the air was wrong. Everything felt wrong. It was like he and his Super Hornet were out of sync. Like he couldn't trust himself. 

"What are you doing, Rooster?" Phoenix asked him through the comms. But Bradley didn't even know how to respond, because he hadn't been paying attention. He was distracted. He was never like this in the air. 

And then he heard Maverick call his team back to the ground, and he knew it was his fault. He wished he could take all of the pushups for Phoenix and Bob as well, but it was a team effort after all. So Bradley had to try to keep calm while he could feel them glaring at him through all two hundred pushups.

He had been like this all week. Nothing made as much sense to him as flying did. Well, other than you. But things had been a little rough and unpredictable at home. He wasn't really trying to do it, but he had begun to memorize when you were ovulating and when your period was due. Fucking you was no chore, but he was absolutely ready for you to miss a period. He was obsessed with the idea of you showing him a positive pregnancy test. But it just... wasn't happening yet.

And now he was putting pressure on himself. Because he knew he was a ticking time bomb. He felt it in his bones. Any day now, he would be getting deployment papers. And then you would be alone for who knows how long. Weeks or months. Bradley would be on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean, and you would be at home, worrying about him. And the mission to make a baby would be put on hold, replaced by a different kind of mission.

The thing was, all of this was bothering him a hell of a lot more now, because it was bothering you so much. 

Bradley slammed his locker closed only to find Jake standing there. "You better pull it together, Bradshaw," he said so calmly that it pissed Bradley off even more. "Or you're going to get grounded."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Bradley asked, getting in his face. "Do you think I don't know I'm flying like shit right now?"

But Jake didn't move an inch, and his expression didn't change. "I think whatever is bothering you... well, you should take it home to your wife. Angel will help you feel better."

Bradley took a deep breath and let it out slowly, leaning against his locker with his fist clenched. "She's part of the fucking problem," Bradley growled, and he watched Jake's eyes grow wide. 

Jake gaped at him before he said, "I can't think of a single time you've ever said something like that about her." His feelings seemed to be hurt on your behalf, but Bradley didn't know how to explain how he felt. 

"When she puts pressure on herself, all I want is to relieve it for her," he told Jake softly, trying to unclench his fist. "But I can't. She won't let me."

Jake sighed. "I think I know what it's about. She's been pretty upset. Tried to tell her it's not her fault, but I can tell she's blaming herself."

Bradley could feel his cheeks flushing. You and Jake were close. The other man probably did know some details about your intimate moments with Bradley which was kind of mortifying. However, Bradley would never want you to feel like you couldn't confide in someone you trusted. It was just hard to gasp that Jake was oftentimes that person for you. 

"We just want to have a baby," Bradley growled. 

"It's only been a few months," Jake reminded him. "Deep down, Angel knows it takes time."

Bradley looked up at the flickering fluorescent bulb. "Sometimes I feel like I'm never doing enough for her," he whispered, grabbing his bag and brushing past Jake. 

But he almost ran into Payback on his way out. "What are you still doing here, man?" he asked with a grin. "If I had a girl as hot as your wife, I'd be home by now, pumping her full of babies."

The urge to punch his friend directly in the face was so strong, Bradley had to bite his lip and keep moving. He needed to get home to you but not take this out on you. That would be unacceptable. Because while you were adding to his stress, he would never tell you that. 

You were already home when he walked inside, and Bradley had to try to fight for composure. "Hi," he managed to say. Of course you looked impossibly cute, laying with Tramp on the couch in Bradley's oversized UVA tee and a pair of his boxer briefs. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to keep his hands off you right now, but you'd been distant with him for more than a week. 

"How was your day?" you asked him softly.

Somehow your sweet voice just made him angry. Your voice and your gorgeous face and the way he could see your nipples through the shirt. And Bradley couldn't help himself. His voice was rough to his own ears, and he sounded mad. "My day fucking sucked. It was terrible," he growled. "I flew like an asshole. I got everyone assigned to pushups. I was so distracted from work, thinking about you."

Your eyes were wide as you sat up. "Thinking about me?" Tramp jumped to the floor and ran over to sniff at Bradley's boots as he untied them. 

"Yeah," he grunted, wrestling out of his flight suit and tossing it to a heap on the floor. His skin felt too hot. He needed to go for a run or lift weights. "I told you I think about you all the damn time. And today, trust me, I wish I hadn't been."

"What does that mean?" you asked him, standing up between the couch and the coffee table, your lips forming a little pout. 

Bradley yanked his undershirt off as well, standing just inside the front door in only his compression shorts and his socks. "It means I'm mad because you won't let me try to make you feel better! You don't even want to talk to me, but you'll talk to Jake! I'm fucking pissed that you're skipping meals and ditching me for lunch every day!"

Bradley took off toward the bedroom, leaving you behind. He was afraid of what else he was going to say if he didn't get some space to himself right now. And the last thing he wanted to do was make you cry. But when he got into the bedroom to get some workout clothes, you followed him. 

"I'm sorry," you whispered, biting your lip and looking at him with wide eyes.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked loudly, slamming his drawer shut instead of actually pulling anything out of it. "Tell me."

"I'm sorry I've been shutting you out, Roo." You took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry I haven't been eating lunch with you. I know we can keep trying, but when I get my period now, I panic."

"You panic and talk to Jake," Bradley growled. When you simply nodded, his blood boiled. He knew he was red in the face as he closed the distance to you. The words were there before he could take them back. "If you want to talk to Jake all the time, maybe you should have married him."

Your lips parted soundlessly, and then you moaned. A needy sound, from the back of your throat. One that had Bradley's cock stirring immediately. 

"I don't want him. I've never wanted him. I just want you."

"Do you want me right now, Baby Girl? Because I wanna fuck you right here," he said as calmly as he could, but his voice was still gruff and unsteady. "You're going to have to tell me to go out back to the garage if you want me to keep my hands to myself. Okay? Because I want my wife. But I will settle for my hand and then the bench press if you don't want me back."

You whimpered, reaching for the hem of the tee shirt and guiding it up over your hips. "I am so turned on," you whispered. "Please."

"Please what?" Bradley demanded, running his hand along his cock through his shorts. 

"Daddy," you gasped in shock. Like you couldn't even believe you said it to him. Like you needed him as badly as he needed you. "Fuck me."

"Baby Girl," he whispered harshly as he pressed himself against you.

You yanked the shirt over your head and pulled his boxer briefs down over your delicious hips as you moaned, "I want my husband."

His cock was fully at attention now as he stroked your dainty Rooster tattoo with his fingertips. "I'm right here," he growled, watching you step out of his underwear and kick them aside. Your eyes were wide and fixed on his as you stood naked before him. "You gonna let me take care of you?"

"Yes," you gasped when he moved his hand to your pussy. "Are you still angry, Daddy? From your bad day?"

Bradley raised one eyebrow. He knew how he sounded. He knew he was breathing heavily. He also felt how fucking wet you were as he slid his middle finger along your slit. 

"Do you want me to be?" he asked before placing a rough kiss to your lips. 

"Yes," you moaned, and in one swift movement, Bradley had the front of your body pressed up against the wall next to the bedroom door. You squealed and braced yourself with both hands as he gently kicked your legs a little further apart. 

"You like making me this way?" he growled next to your ear before sucking hard on your neck. "I think you do."

Bradley reached his hands up to squeeze your tits as you whined his name. He stroked your nipples softly with his thumbs while he sucked on your neck some more. 

Then he took his cock in his right hand and guided himself to your opening. He filled you in one swift motion, and started fucking you so hard, your face almost hit the wall. He caught you with his hand on your jaw as you whimpered for him. 

"You think it's fun to get me all pissed off at work?" he asked, low and soft. "You love having so much control over me, don't you?"

"I do," you whispered as he turned your face so you were looking at him over your shoulder. 

"You love knowing I think about your voice during lectures. Think about your body when I'm flying. I can't stop thinking about how much I love fucking you," he said, his voice getting louder as he pressed his forehead against your perfect cheek and brushed his fingers over your tattoo before stroking your clit.

You cried out for him. "I do, Daddy! I love it!"

Bradley was determined to get you off. He wouldn't have a repeat of the dining room floor. Not today. He went a little harder, a little deeper. He listened to the incoherent words tumbling out of your mouth. And then he said, "Try and find someone better than me. Someone else who can fuck you this good. You can't."

"No!" you grunted, your fingers bending, nails digging into the wall. You were struggling to look at him as your eyes fluttered closed. 

He kissed along your jaw before ending at your ear and whispering, "I love you." And then he felt it. That beautiful clench of your pussy as you came for him. He knew the feel of you so well. He wanted to take care of everything for you. He needed to give you everything you wanted. Be everything you needed. 

He came for you too, hands drifting to your hips as his movements slowed. You were unsteady on your feet as you turned to face him. Bradley's cum was dripping down your legs and onto the floor as you reached for him. Then you were in his arms, kissing him just right with your fingers in his hair. And he couldn't remember why he'd been upset in the first place. 

"I love you," you whispered against his lips. Bradley stumbled back onto the bed with you wrapped up with him. When he fell back with you on top of him, you laughed. 

"Come here," he coaxed, and you straddled his waist and kissed him until your lips were puffy. When he tried to move, you held him down and kissed him some more. He felt himself relax completely with every little sound you made and every swipe of your tongue against his. 

"Roo," you crooned, your lips moving to his neck and kissing him softly there.

He groaned and started to sit up. "What's it called when the foreplay comes after sex?"

You giggled. "Post play?"

"Shit, Sweetheart," he said, letting you keep going with your lips. "You want more?"

"Mmhmm," you hummed against his skin, setting his nerve endings ablaze. 

"Give me a minute, and I'll take care of you again."

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

You were sore on Monday morning. In the best kind of way. You and Bradley had spent the weekend talking and having sex. And then having more sex. Only taking a break to go grocery shopping and swing by the Hard Deck. Jake knew right away that you were both feeling much better. He was always so patient with you that you found it hard not to smile when he bought you and Bradley beers. 

You needed to be more open with Bradley. And you would be. And starting today, you'd meet him and Nat in the cafeteria unless you really were honestly working through lunch instead of hiding in your office. You just needed to get through your morning with Cat. Which was easier said than done.

She gave you short answers to every question. When you asked her to type up some of the notes you wrote, she looked at you with a raised eyebrow. "Shouldn't you have typed this up yourself?"

You sighed. "I worked it up over the weekend. In my free time. I read it to my husband as I wrote it, and it seemed to flow easier when I wrote it."

She scrutinized your notebook. "Well I can barely read it. I'll work in the code while you type it up. I'm better at the code anyway."

Was she implying she was better at coding than typing? Or that she was better at coding than you were? She made you so mad. The next time Jake mentioned how beautiful her eyes were, you were going to pummel him. 

Everyone else had already deserted the lab when you realized what time it was. "Should we take a lunch break?" you asked, scrambling to lock up your computer. Bradley and the others were probably waiting for you already. You did not want to disappoint him today. Not after such a perfect weekend. 

"Fine," Cat agreed. Her tone was short, like you were throwing off her entire day by deciding to take lunch at lunchtime. 

You squared your shoulders and turned to face her as she stood up. Then you blurted out, "I don't understand what I did to make you dislike me."

Cat froze in place, her eyes appraising your face. You felt the prickle of embarrassment along your skin, and you were afraid she was going to laugh in your face. But she just shook her head slowly. "I don't dislike you."

"Yes, you do," you scoffed, your embarrassment swiftly replaced with annoyance. 

"No, Lieutenant Commander. I do not," she said, firmly closing her computer. Then she went off, and you didn't stop her. "But your life is so perfect, it's honestly hard for me to relate to you. Even at work. Your husband dotes on you. He's always in the lab, bringing you snacks and asking you about your day. You've got Seresin in here all the time, too. And you're the golden child. Bickel sings your praises at the meetings every week."

Your eyes were bugging out. "But, that's not-"

She cut you off and kept going. "You and I both have the same master's degree, but I'm a year older than you, and you outrank me." Her voice sounded bitter as she said, "I'm a single mom. My life is a mess. I'm broke. We live with my uncle. I feel like a joke all the time. But your life is perfect. And trust me, I wish more than anyone else that I wasn't jealous of you." 

You stood completely still and watched her walk out of the lab and disappear down the hallway. Your life was not perfect. The fact that it maybe looked that way to someone else shocked you. Cat thought she was a mess. Well, you were a mess, too. But she was a mom. 

A moment later, you followed her down the hallway toward the cafeteria where Bradley was waiting for you with a smile on his face and a bottle of your favorite hot sauce on his tray.

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

Oh. Cat's a little jelly of BG. Well, Cat... BG just might be a little jelly of you. Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 4

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[moonlight0934]

You're No Better

Damian flings a notebook at Tim, who just dodges with a laugh.

“What was that? Your aim is terrible.”

Damian huffs, and turns away.

“I’m just kidding anyway. Your people skills are fine. The cops are absolutely the problem as they have been for every single Robin.”

Damian hums, somewhat satisfied with the conversation. He had been telling Tim about how rude the cops were when he was on patrol, and Tim had jabbed at him that it was probably his lack of people skills.

“Anyway, you shouldn’t take anything the cops say to heart. Most of them are either stupid or high all the time.”

“What if they’re not the only ones saying it?” Damian asks quietly.

“What do you-” Tim is cut off by their phones buzzing in unison. “Barbara set off the alarm, but there are no details.”

Damian opens the notification, but there’s seriously nothing attached.

“I guess we should head down to the cave to see if we can reach her over comms. Maybe she butt dialed us again,” Damian suggests, and Tim shrugs.

“On my day off too. Though I guess it’s better than being at work and getting an alert.”

Damian smirks as they walk down the stairs together. Bruce is already on the line when they get down there.

“Can you ask Gordon what the problem is?” he asks, sounding annoyed.

“I tried, but he’s not answering. I can tell you that nothing obvious is happening, because no one is freaking out. There’s no sign of any major psychopaths, but Dad just stopped answering. I’m worried about him.”

“We can go check it out. I’m with Robin,” Tim replies, leaning against the desk that the computer sits on.

“That would be great. I’ll send you the address of the distress signal now,” Barbara says, sounding relieved.

“Be careful. I can’t get out of work right now unless it’s an emergency,” Bruce says, his voice tight.

“We will be as careful as humanly possible,” Tim says, rolling his eyes.

Damian bites his lip to stop himself from smiling at his family’s drama. He goes to change while Tim waits for the location. He’s fully ready by the time Tim goes to change. The location is right on the outskirts of town in a mostly abandoned area. In fact, WE is planning on doing something with that part of town though Damian can’t remember what it is that they’re going to do. It’s a quick trip since they’re on Tim’s bike.

“Put your mask on. The air quality in this area is atrocious right now,” Tim says, putting a hand on top of Damian’s head.

Damian makes a face, but puts his mask on. Tim does the same, and they head to the building that Gordon sent the distress signal from. The fog is really thick through that area, making it hard to see. Damian stays on his toes, straining his eyes to see through the smog. Tim is right beside him until they actually reach the building.

Then he says, “We should split up. I’ll take the door on the opposite side of the house, and you take this one. I don’t know why the Commissioner would be in a condemned house, so we should be careful.”

Damian nods, then waits for Tim to walk around the house. He gives him plenty of time to reach the other door before he opens the one in front of him. As soon as the door opens, something hurdles straight at Damian’s face. He ducks, but it still manages to catch his jaw. As soon as he straightens back up, he realizes that something is very wrong. The world is spinning, and he can’t seem to see more than a couple of feet in front of him. He blinks hard, and shakes his head.

The darkness only gets worse, and eventually it completely takes over his vision. When he wakes up again, he’s in the cave again. He’s on one of the cots, but he’s not only still in uniform, but his hands are covered in blood. There’s dried blood on his boots, and flecks up his arms.

“What?” he whispers, looking down.

Jason walks in, leaning against the doorway.

“Well, you finally woke up.”

“What happened? I only remember going into the house.”

“Don’t play stupid with me, Damian. It’s too late for that.”

“I don’t know what you’re referring to. Can you just be straight with me, Todd?”

“You’re just like your family, aren’t you?”

Damian is confused for a second, wondering which one of their siblings he’s comparing Damian too. When Damian realizes what family Jason is talking about, it’s like ice was poured down his back. He bristles, immediately trying to shut himself off from the situation.

“There you go again. You’re no better than they are, and you’re no better than you were when you first got here. You’re just better at masking now, aren’t you? You’re a murderer, Damian, and you did it again.”

Damian looks around.

“What is going on? What happened, and where is Timothy?” Damian asks, his voice tight and scared.

“Tim’s in surgery right now. You weren’t fast enough, and you left him without backup. Then you killed everyone else there. Why is that always your first response to your own inadequacy?”

Damian sniffles, trying to take in a breath. Jason rolls his eyes.

“Again with the drama. You are so predictable. I’m going to get Dad, because I do not want to deal with you.”

Damian pulls his knees up to his chest. He’s shaking, and it’s actively getting more difficult to stay still by the second.

Timothy isn’t ok. I killed someone? I don’t remember killing someone. Could I still kill someone and not even remember it? What is Father going to say?

Bruce walks in, his eyes scanning Damian with a disappointed look on his face. Damian doesn’t say anything to defend himself, or even explain. He doesn’t cry, or beg.

He just stares straight at Bruce and asks, “Are you sending me back?”

Bruce sighs as he sits down on the edge of the bed.

“Yes. I’m sorry, but we’ve tried everything. I can’t allow you to do those kinds of things in my city.”

“But you allow Todd to stay. I don’t even know why he’s mad at me.”

“Don’t talk back to me. You’re going home to your mother. The difference with Jason is that I’m not responsible for what Jason does anymore. You live in my house, so you have to follow my rules. You’ve proven that you can’t, and I can’t trust you. I am sorry Damian, but I can’t work with you if you don’t work with me first.”

Damian nods, still shaking like a leaf. He’s not sure why though since he can already feel himself shut down. Normally he’d be running on autopilot by then without any physical signs that he’s not ok. He doesn’t let it bother him too much since his mind can’t move past going back to his old life. 

Dick sighs as he steps away from his desk to answer a call from Barbara.

“Hey, Barbara, what’s going on?”

“I can’t get a hold of your dad right now, and I think Tim and Damian are in trouble.”

“What’s going on?”

“There was a distress signal from my dad, but he just showed up at my apartment. He said he never sent it out, and I don’t know who did. Your brothers aren’t responding, and apparently your dad isn’t at work anymore. No one knows where he is either.”

“Send me Tim and Damian’s location. I’ll head there now. Dad can take care of himself, so he can wait. Can you call Jason too? He can probably get there faster.”

“Yeah, ok. I’ll do that now, and I just sent the location.”

Barbara hangs up before it even comes through. Dick races to the location, but it still takes him half an hour to drive there. Tim’s and Jason’s bikes are outside the building already though there’s zero motion from inside. Dick slips a comm in his ear.

“What’s the situation, Hood?”

“We’re a few buildings down in the really big community center. Batman is already here, but Red and Robin are both out of the game,” Jason says, the sound of gunfire in the background.

Dick runs to the community center. Tim is in the lobby, his head bleeding, but he looks otherwise ok. Dick keeps going to find Jason and Bruce fighting an ungodly amount of goons in the other room. He helps as Bruce slips out of the room.

“Scarecrow went that way,” Jason explains as he shoots the last guy.

“Should we go after him? Also, where’s Robin?” Dick asks, trying to catch his breath.

Jason flips his comm on.

“Batman, you need help?”

“No, take care of the boys.”

“Hood.”

Jason points to the corner where Damian is curled up. His head is tucked into his knees, and he’s shaking. His cape covers most of his form, but it’s still not hard to tell how hard he’s shaking.

“Did he get-?”

“Gassed? Yeah, we think so. Red got hit in the head, but we think Robin got hit with the actual toxin. He hasn’t let anyone touch him yet, and we got jumped before Batman could really try anything.”

Dick walks over, kneeling down a few inches away from Damian.

“Hey, Robin, can you hear me?” Dick motions Jason over. “Get some of the anti-toxin out.”

Jason pulls some out while Dick reaches out to Damian. Damian flinches, but doesn’t pull away when Dick touches his arm.

“Come here, Baby Bat,” Dick whispers, pulling Damian closer to him.

Damian doesn’t resist, or fight him. He just goes limp in Dick’s arms. Dick holds his hand out, and Jason offers him the syringe. Dick is careful when putting it into Damian’s arm in case he freaks out. He doesn’t, and stays still against Dick aside from the occasional shudder. Dick scoops Damian up as soon as he’s sure that the serum has had time to work.

“We need to get them back to the cave,” Dick says quietly.

Jason nods.

“I’ll get Red, and we can take your car.”

They barely get back to the lobby before Damian starts to quietly whimper.

“Shh, it’s ok. I know, buddy.” Dick turns to Jason. “I can’t imagine what he was seeing with all of the horrors he’s had to endure.”

Jason shrugs, kneeling beside Tim.

“Hey, Red, you’re not going to freak out and punch me in the jaw, are you?”

Tim scrunches up his nose, but doesn’t open his eyes. Dick frowns, realizing that Damian’s shuddering is getting more and more pronounced. He looks down, brushing a few locks of Damian’s hair off of his forehead.

“Jason.”

Jason stands up, walking over quickly. Damian’s face is red, and he’s panting now. He’s shaking really hard, and Dick gently sets him down.

“I think he might be having a seizure,” Jason says, pressing two fingers to the underside of Damian’s jaw.

“Why?”

“I guess it’s a new strain. The serum must not have fixed it. What should we do?”

“I guess give him another one, and hope that it overpowers it. Can you call Leslie or Alfred so they can meet us there?” Dick asks as Damian finally starts to go still.

Jason nods. He calls Alfred, putting it on speaker phone. He grabs Tim, and heads outside. Dick gives Damian another dose of anti-toxin before picking him up. He unlocks his car as he walks out. Jason is holding Tim in a bridal carry as he talks to Alfred. Dick opens the car door, and motions for Jason to put Tim in the passenger seat. Jason does, and Dick climbs into the back, still holding Damian. He puts Damian on his side with his head in Dick’s lap.

He’s stayed oddly quiet and calm for him to still be hallucinating. Dick presses his fingers to Damian’s pulse point as Jason climbs into the driver seat. His heart is beating far too fast, and now that it’s quiet, Dick can tell how strained Damian’s breathing is.

“Hurry up, Jason. He’s really struggling.”

“I know, I’m trying.”

He speeds up, but Damian starts to shake again as they’re pulling into the cave.

“He’s having another seizure. Go get Leslie, or Alfred.”

Jason climbs out, running as soon as his feet hit the ground. Dick just gently brushes his fingers through Damian’s hair, making sure that he stays on his side. The car door opens, and Leslie appears on the other side. Jason is behind her, and he looks just as scattered as Dick feels. His hair is stuck up from all of the running and pulling his hands through it. His eyes are darting between Tim and Damian quickly.

“Jay, he’ll be ok. You just need to calm down,” Leslie says, holding a syringe out to Dick. “Give this to him if he’s still having an active seizure.”

Dick nods, then gently presses the needle through the costume. Damian’s seizure abates almost immediately, but he also lashes out at Dick less than thirty seconds later. The heel of his hand smashes into Dick’s jaw, almost taking part of his tongue off. Dick grabs his wrists.

“Calm down, Dami. You’re ok, but you need to let us help.”

Damian whimpers, dropping back into Dick’s lap. Dick picks him up, and slips out of the car. Leslie takes some blood to analyze what’s in his bloodstream already.

“Get him set up in the infirmary. I’ll give him a few things to help with his blood pressure and possibly bring down his heart rate.”

Dick sets him in one of the beds, then unclips his cape. He gently unlaces Damian’s boots and takes them off too. Bruce comes in a few minutes later to Dick holding Damian gently. His heart rate is still high, but Dick is trying to soothe him the best he can.

“Is he ok?” Bruce asks, his voice soft as he walks over to them.

Dick shrugs.

“I don’t know. We can’t tell what he’s seeing. He’s been quiet and still most of the time, but he did manage to hit me in the jaw earlier.”

Bruce nods, putting a reassuring hand on Dick’s shoulder. He lets his other hand rest on Damian’s leg. It’s still another hour before they’re able to put together something that will work, so Dick and Bruce stay with Damian for that time. Damian starts crying as soon as he wakes up, pulling away from Dick and Bruce. Dick and Bruce exchange a quick look.

“Damian, it’s ok. It was just fear gas,” Bruce says softly, reaching back out to Damian.

Damian doesn’t move, but he keeps crying.

“I don’t want to,” he sobs, pulling his knees into his chest.

“Dami, it’s ok. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Whatever you saw wasn’t real.”

That seems to click because Damian peeks over his knees at them.

“I don’t have to leave?” Damian asks, breathless and sad.

Bruce pulls Damian into his arms.

“Of course not. We’re nevering going to send you away. You’re my son, and I love you.”

“Timothy?”

“Tim’s fine,” Dick reassures him.

Damian tucks his face into Bruce’s chest, sniffling.

“It’s ok. Everything’s going to be ok, Damian.”

[naomikozura]

That Girl is Mine

Spy!Satoru Gojo x Thief!Fem!Reader

WC: 2.8K

A/N: Literally was just listening to That Boy is Mine by Ariana Grande and this popped into my head. Just short and sweet Gojo being an absolute simp for Reader. I have a bunch of oneshots in mind so I may post them randomly for your enjoyment.

The dark hollows of the night covered every inch of the massive building. It was ominous, dangerous, highly secured and only the most suicidal of people would ever dare enter the building for the hidden gem within its walls. The security system was state of the art, never having let a single soul slip by without being caught as every inch of the building had eyes at all times. 

A tall dark figure moved through the night, his body silently slipping past the first round of security measures as he hacked into the camera system and set the footage to a loop in order to evade getting spotted by those working from the inside. He quickly took out each of the security guards from the outside, the gallery carefully protected and meticulously secured. He drugged two guards with chloroform, letting their bodies fall to the ground as he scoped through the other side of the building. 

He strategically jumped over the wall, the flexibility in his body impressive even for others with the same position as him. Through the halls, he managed to keep low as the guards walked through the corridors with flashlights, illuminating every inch of the building and only leaving him with mere seconds to move to his next location before reaching the vault. 

His eyes observed every inch of the hall before moving into the next room, turning and bumping into a guard. He quickly pulled his arm back, using his elbow to hit the side of his head and knock him out before the guard could react or send any sort of alert, turning off his flashlight as he toppled to the ground. He let out a deep breath as he hurried down the hall, passing carefully through the next floor of the building. 

His prize resided on the top floor, carefully guarded, securely vaulted that you would need a passcode to open the room, not to mention a handprint to bypass the actual vault to retrieve the precious prize within. 

Just as he reached the top floor, he saw there were no guards, skimming around as he quickly connected the small computer to the keypad and unlocked the room moving in as the door opened for him. One door down. Two to go. 

It was almost too easy getting inside the room, his eyes skimming around as the hood of his stealth uniform covered his head and provided a sort of cover from being spotted. He was easy to spot thanks to the white color of his hair, it was a snowy white, bright against the dark cover of the night. His eyes could give away his position if someone were close enough to see their bright blue hue. He often opted for sunglasses dark enough to cover his eyes but tonight he needed every possible vision point in order to get exactly what he was here for. 

A soft rustle of noise made his head snap up from where he was looking, his shoulders tense as he tried to locate the noise and where it came from. The room fell into a suspicious kind of quiet, his intuition telling him he was not alone, that there was someone watching him from the shadows. 

Just as he was thinking that exact thought, he turned, grabbing the arm of the figure lunging at him from the roof. Twisting his body he tried to land a hit to the back of their head, knocking them out the only solution if he was going to get out of this with the item he was here for. The figure brought their leg up, using it to push him to the ground as he fell with a thud, quickly rolling out of the way as a combat boot came swiftly down and stomped where he was. His eyes widened, thanking his training for such quick reflexes. The darkness was his friend but right now he needed to find an opening to bring them down. He quickly lunged forward, the figure jumping over him as it kicked him in the shoulder, knocking him down again with brute force. He tried to push himself up, but a weight held him down. 

His eyes widened, his mouth would’ve been slack but his mask hid any facial expression and left the upper half of his face to do the job for him. (E/c) eyes stared at him with an intensity, a whirl of emotion flooding his gut as his eyes met hers.

“Y/n…”, he muttered, his eyes brightening at the sight of her.

“Satoru.”, she smirked under her own mask, her eyes narrowing in playful flirtation. “Nice to see you again.”

Satoru tried to push her off, but the weight of her on top of him made him stay in place. He knew he was strong enough to move her, but he'd let himself bask under her body for just a moment longer.

Y/n L/n, none other than the one person he did not want to see here tonight. She always managed to get in on his own little heists, stealing his prize right from under him and always leaving him frustrated with her little games. She loved a good cat and mouse chase, it drove him crazy every time they had a run in with one another. She was smart, quick, strong, and talented in the art of thievery. She was definitely one of the only people within the crime ring that could outsmart him, it left him with an irritation in his bones but also a fascination. 

“What are you doing here?”, he asked as her face got closer to him, her eyes boring into his light blue ones. He felt the heat rise in his skin, the proximity beginning to make him struggle to be in this position any longer before it became inappropriate. 

“I’m here for that case inside the vault.”, she replied in a deep, seductive voice. “I figure you’re here for the same thing, Satoru?”. The way she said his name drove him absolutely crazy. This wasn’t the first time they had run into one another. In fact, she always seemed to be where he didn’t want her and it left him on edge every single time. 

“Oh, definitely.”, he smirked under his mask, her body pushing back as she stood. He stayed on the ground a moment longer, taking in the dark uniform she wore and how it clinged to her every curve. She was seductive, had a captivating presence, and was his biggest temptation on every one of his missions. The entire underground ring knew who she was, it was easy for someone as beautiful and intelligent as her to be known in a world where mainly men existed.

She had made a name for herself and many had tried to come close to her, many tried to claim her as theirs, many tried to reel her in and none of them had succeeded. She was too unattainable, and it drove the men in the underground mad. It was all a game to her, she toyed with their lust for her and she would get everything she wanted. In her mind, she knew how to get whatever she wanted and the brainless men of the underground would give it to her. Even if they knew they were being played, they didn’t care because it meant the infamous Y/n would be sparing a moment of her time for them. 

Satoru had also been one of those men. She played with him, toyed with his undeniable intrigue towards her, leading him to believe that he might be the one to finally catch her, but she always disappeared at the end of every encounter. He didn’t care though. He might’ve been one of the top paid spies within the underground, he might’ve been one of the best informants and hackers in the entire ring, and might’ve had hundreds of women after him every night but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not when Y/n existed in the same world as him. 

He couldn’t count how many times he’d run into her, or how many times he just let her get away with whatever it was he was after. He’d let her steal anything of his if she wanted, even if it was his heart.

Hell, he’d give it to her with no questions asked. 

He watched after her as she moved through the room, quickly hacking into the system of the second door before it opened in record time, her system likely a lot better than his was. As she walked through she paused, his feet taking him towards her as he saw the reason for her sudden delay. 

There were red lasers covering the entirety of the room while the secure case was displayed perfectly in the middle. Her e/c eyes met his blue ones, a hint of playfulness behind them as he moved forward, trying to gauge the best route of action. She turned towards him, a smirk playing on her lips. 

“I’ll make you a deal,”, she said with a different tone in her voice. It piqued his interest. “If you get to the case before I do.. I’ll let you take me out to get that drink you’ve been wanting to buy me.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her, his silent laugh filling the space as he recounted every time he’d tried to convince her to have a drink with him. A little too many to keep track of but he was a persistent man. When he wanted something, he was going to try his damnedest until he got it.

In this case, he wanted her.

She could see the excitement brighten his eyes even in the dark, knowing he would likely indulge in her game. She loved seeing Satoru play with her, especially since he’d been the only one to ever come close to matching her caliber of work and expertise. He had a defining aura to him that drew her in, making her look forward to every job she had in hopes that she would run into the handsome, white haired bachelor.

She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she liked him more than any other man in this ring. He had an edge, a playfulness paired perfectly with his laid back demeanor, not to mention insanely attractive. She knew he was one of the most sought after bachelors in this line of work by every woman, but she loved that all his attention focused on her. Only her. 

“Deal. But we go somewhere I pick, and it’s dinner. Not drinks.”, he said confidently as her body heated at his words. He was getting dominant with her game. 

“Wanting to take me out on a date, Satoru?”, she teased. 

“Hell yeah.”, he breathed, having absolutely no shame in his response. He wanted her pathetically and he was going to make sure he was going to take her out if it was the last thing he did. He fixed the straps that tightened around his body, ensuring everything was secure as the both of them walked to opposite ends of the entrance, looking at each other before she nodded slightly to show the game had begun. 

He watched as she quickly moved through the room, her body maneuvering around the red lasers, careful to not to nick the sensors and set off an alarm. He tried to keep his cool as he continued to move through the room, his body flexing with anticipation as he moved through the first of the sensors. The lights came from the top of the room, if he could just figure out a way to navigate through the room and make the sensor redirect itself to the other side he could get to the case a lot faster than Y/n. Then he would get what he always wanted. 

He watched her carefully, his blue eyes focused on the most strategic way to get through before she did, reaching into his belt and pulling out a small reflective glass, sliding it to the bottom of the floor and watching as the beam redirected to the other side of the room. He watched as Y/n cursed at herself, jumping and laying flat on her stomach, her eyes snapping to meet him in disbelief. He smirked at her, watching as she cursed under her breath before her army crawled under all of the lights. 

Satoru was not going to lose this opportunity to take her out on a date, not if he could help it.  He quickly continued towards the middle of the room, his lean body helping navigate carefully through everything. The mirror had offered him an opening, but he knew she was almost there before he could make it. 

“You seem eager, Y/n”, he called out as he laid flat on the ground, using her same method of army crawling to the center. His eyes focused ahead, keeping his head low to ensure he wouldn’t nick one of the sensors. 

“Awe scared you’ll lose this game?”, she mocked, humor lacing her voice as she rose to her feet, using the flexibility in her body to step in between the sensors and move under another. Satoru couldn’t help but admire her ease, wondering what she would feel like under his touch. 

“Scared? Nah, just ready to see you in something other than that black outfit.”, he called out as he smirked at himself, letting himself bask in her glory before continuing forward. 

“Is that all you’re looking forward to?”, she replied as she saw her opening to grab the case before the white haired man. Gotcha. 

Just as she went to grab the handle, his hand enveloped hers, his light blue eyes boring into her e/c ones. God, even her eyes drove him absolutely insane. 

“No, I’m looking forward to a lot more than that but for now, a dress will suffice.”, he leaned into her space, making her body heat up at his proximity. 

“Seems like you lost.” she smiled. Her eyes held his gaze as her body got closer to his, letting him bask in her heat. 

“Actually, you did sweetheart.”, her hold on him made him persistent to win this round. He’d fight for it if it was the last thing he did. “So when should I pick you up?”

She smiled at him, humor and intrigue filling her eyes as she leaned in close to him. Although they both wore black face masks that covered the bottom of their faces, her mouth grew close to his. The obvious height difference made him bend down closer to her, a smirk playing on his lips before he felt the sweep of his legs under him, making him slam to the ground, his body barely missing the sensors as he looked up at her. 

She knelt down next to him, her face unbearably close. All he had to do was get just a little bit closer and he’d be able to taste her. He always wondered what she tasted like, but it didn’t matter, he knew it would get him addicted. Even more than he already was. 

“Maybe next time, Satoru.”, she said in a dark, seductive tone. “It was fun playing with you tonight”

“Oh baby, we can play more if you want to give me some time”, he smirked as his hands slightly traced the sides of her body, her curves feeling like they were made for him. 

“Sounds enticing but I have a job to finish.”, she leaned down, pulling her mask off and pulling his down in the process, pressing her lips on his as he sucked in her scent. She smelt like vanilla mixed with roses, a natural aroma to her dark aura, it would make any man feel weak at his knees. He lifted a hand and grasped the back of her neck, deepening the kiss as she smirked into it. She was playing with fire but boy did she love it. 

Satoru felt himself go physically weak against her touch, the kiss only lasting mere seconds but felt like a lifetime. He memorized every move against his, pulling her bottom lip in between his teeth before she pulled away leaving him absolutely disheveled. 

“See you later… Satoru”, his name left her lips in a seductive tone, leaving him defenseless on the ground as he let her get away with the case. 

God, the woman she was. 

Epilogue

Later that night, while undressing and getting ready to shower, Satoru stood shirtless in front of the mirror as he threw his clothes into the laundry bin. Hearing a small crumple come from the basket, he turned, his eyes narrowing as he lifted his pants and noticed a small dark blue note. Pulling it out, he uncrumpled it, a smirk playing at his lips at the intricate writing. 

It was fun playing with you tonight, I look forward to our next game. xx. 

Satoru smirked at himself, the note causing a new sense of desire in him. She loved to play her games with him, but he would indulge every time. Anything for a moment of her time, a fraction of her attention. 

She would be his. 

Whether she knew it or not, she already was. 

[flowerprincesscherryblossom]

bully me - chapter three

pairing: Jeon Jungkook x Female Reader word count: 3762 warnings: angst, smut, explicit language, bully kook, daddy dom kook, dub-con, degradation kink, choking, breathplay, spanking, vaginal fingering, vaginal sex, creampie, dirty talk, dacryphilia, car sex, reverse cowgirl series masterlist A/N: Hope you like it and that you have a wonderful day wherever you are💜

On the way to your next class you kept glancing around, trying to see if you could find Jungkook since he had left you in the boys' bathroom with only your phone and water bottle, taking your bag, and thus pretty much your everything, to God knows wherever the hell he had went.

You caught other students staring at you, no doubt seeing the mark on your neck, but you did your best to ignore the pity they sent your way. You did, however, wonder if they thought that your bully had choked you, just not the way it had actually happened.

Unfortunately, by the time you reached the door to the classroom, he was still nowhere in sight. You started to panic a little, Jungkook had pretty much stolen your belongings, was God knows where with them, and you still had two hours left before school was over, how were you going to manage?

But then you remembered, he had used your phone to get your number, so technically you had his as well. You unlocked your phone and tapped the call history, only to find that the last call had been made six days ago, to one of your parents. He had deleted his number from the call history.

"Of course he did," you groaned, your voice still hoarse.

When you heard the bell ring you entered the class, your head hanging low and with a need to start crying.

Despite how miserable Jungkook made your school life be, he never interfered a lot with your studies, other than ripping to shreds your papers, something that was still very appreciated on your part, because it still gave you a chance to strive under all the hardship with passable grades, for you wanted more than to graduate and leave this place behind without ever looking back.

You, and all the other students, took your respectful seats, of which you winced due to the many spanks you had received, but you couldn't exactly be standing without causing suspension so you had to suck it up, and patiently waited, for the moment there were the only two people missing - Jungkook and the teacher - would show up.

Five minutes passed, in which you had spent on google trying to find a to heal your bruised neck, when the students heard the door being opened, Jungkook walked in first, talking cheerfully to the figure behind him, who you assumed to be new since you've never seen him before.

He looked awfully young for a teacher, making you believe that there wasn't a big age difference between you and him.

"Good day class, my name is Mr. Kim and I'll be substituting for Mrs. Lang since she had to leave due to a family emergency," he said while arranging his things on the teacher's desk, not really paying attention to the students, meanwhile your bully was standing by the desk, not really doing much of anything. "Due to being so last minute I haven't had a chance to memorize myself with the class subject, so because of that Mr. Jeon here," he gave Jungkook a shoulder tap. "Suggested we could watch a movie," the words caused the entire class, except for you, to start excitedly whispering to each other, because, let's be real, it doesn't matter what you are watching, it's better than sitting in class, even if more than half of the students would ignore the movie and focus on their phones.

As the substitute teacher booted up the computer Jungkook started walking towards his desk, pausing when he reached yours. He stared at you for a couple of seconds before turning to give a quick glance at the professor from over his shoulder, who was now inserting the DVD, and then grabbing your arm, pulling you up and dragging you to sit next to him at the back of the classroom, barely giving you any time to grab your phone and water bottle.

None of the rest of the students said anything about it, you had even caught some adverting their eyes from you. However, you did feel a pair of eyes on you, making you wonder if Mr. Kim had seen everything, and if he had, why he hadn't said anything.

As you took your seat you felt incredibly awkward and anxious about your current situation. This was the first time you were seated next to Jungkook since middle school, back when boys and girls making fun of each other was so common that the school staff only intervened when actual fights broke down, and even then, it hadn't been by your choice but by the teacher's.

Just from today's interactions with him, you knew that being seated next to him was due to him having an ulterior motive, but as the teacher turned on the projector and the image of a black screen started to show on the blackboard, you decided to push your thoughts to the back of your mind, wanting to believe that since he had been the one to pick, that he would actually pay attention to it instead of you.

You were also curious about what movie he had picked, but unlike his intentions, that one didn't leave you on the brink of a panic attack.

Mr. Kim pressed play, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back against the chair. You, on the other hand, stood up straighter in your seat, and as the old DreamWorks logo started showing and the old familiar tune started playing, your eyes widen, feeling a little bewildered that Jungkook had picked this one out of so many.

You leaned closer to him, still keeping your eyes on the screen. "You picked Shrek?" you whispered in order to not disturb anyone, even if they were all on their phones.

The reason why you were so confused by his choice was because Shrek was your go-to movie whenever you needed a pick-me-up, something that only the close group of friends you had in middle school knew, and as far as you remembered, none of them talked with him. Had one of your then friends told him about it? Had he overheard the conversation? Was it just a massive coincidence?

You couldn't stop these thoughts from circling around your brain. You wanted to know the reason but you couldn't be too obvious, since you knew that, if you were, he won't tell you just so he could see you squirm.

Jungkook hummed at your question, leaning against his chair and keeping his eyes on the movie. "He wanted to pick Romeo and Juliet because," he cleared his throat. "It makes sense considering the class," he did his best impression of Mr. Kim which manages to get a quiet giggle out of you. At the sound of your laugh, Jungkook turned to glance at you, his eyes wide with a bit of shock, before turning back to the movie and letting out a laugh of his own, letting you catch a glimpse of his bunny smile.

"How did you do it?"

"Honestly?" he scratched the back of his head. "I just said a bunch of bullshit," both of you chuckle again. "I don't know if I did convince him, or if he just got tired and gave up."

While it was nice to have a decent conversation with Jungkook, after everything the two of you had been through just today, it still didn't answer your question. "Okay, but why Shrek though? You could've picked any movie,"

He looked at you again, this time there was something soft in his eyes, something you couldn't pinpoint, before he shrugged. "I don't know, just wanted a fun movie I guess,"

The conversation stopped after that, but while you were willing to drop the Shrek talk, there was still something you wanted an answer to. "Where's my bag?"

He smirked. "It's in my car, don't worry about it,"

"But we still have an hour to go after this one," there was an urgency in your voice. "Jungkook, I need my stuff."

"Calm down," he gave your knee a squeeze, keeping his eyes on the screen. "I'll give it back after class."

You decided to not press the issue further, knowing it would be useless to continue, so instead, you decided to focus on the movie. Jungkook's hand remained on your knee, something you didn't give much thought to because nothing happen.

It isn't until the scene where Shrek and Donkey enter the dragon's keep that his hand starts to move, going as slowly as possible up your thigh, stopping once the tips of his fingers could graze your panties.

Your breathing changed, your heart beating rapidly against your ribcage, making you feel the familiar pang between your legs, wanting to rub your thighs together but he wasn't letting you, and by extension, making an even bigger mess of your underwear, your wetness combining with the cum that had been escaping from you since walking out of the boys' bathroom.

But it wasn't until Shrek and Donkey's talk after rescuing Fiona that Jungkook actually started doing something.

His index and middle finger started rubbing you through your panties, making you clench your fists and bit your bruised lip, in order to contain the noise. "J-jungkook,"

"Be quiet," he said in an authoritative tone, keeping his eyes on the movie while his fingers rubbed your clothed slit before pushing your underwear to the side and inserting two fingers into you, making you bite down harder on your bottom lip and reopening the wound, pumping them slowly. Jungkook leaned closer and whispered in your ear. "You wouldn't want everyone to know of much of a slut you are, right?"

You shook your head, knowing that if you opened your mouth, it would be words coming out.

He smirked as his thrusts became faster and rougher, alternating between thrusting and curling them with precision against your sweet spot.

The feeling was so overwhelming that you laid your head on the table, hoping that, at least, on the off-chance that you let out a noise, people would just assume that you were feeling unwell.

Your walls clenched around his fingers as he kept scissoring you at a fast pace, you felt so close that you could almost taste your high. Jungkook inserted a third finger into your cunt, his thrusts becoming even faster.

You saw drops of blood falling into the table due to how much you were biting your bottom lip, the closer you got to breaking apart the more you felt like you couldn't breathe. "D-Daddy, p-please," you begged, not being able to hold off for much longer.

Your bully's thumb started rubbing circles on your clit, in turn, you started moving your hips in tune with his hand. Every once in a while you'd look at him from the corner of your eye, noticing that he kept his eyes on the screen but that he had the biggest cheshire grin on his lips.

Jungkook leaned to whisper in your ear. "Cum for me, cum all over daddy's fingers," with a couple more thrusts your knot finally broke and you reached your high, releasing all over his hand.

You let out a loud gasp, finally feeling like the air was filling your lungs, no doubt turning a couple of people to stare in your direction, in retaliation Jungkook pinched your clit, making you whimper in turn.

"I told you to be quiet," he growled with clenched teeth as the pace of his fingers started to slow down. He, however, didn't pull out, prolonging your high until it turned into overstimulation, making you let out another whimper. "Stupid bitch."

"P-please," you begged, not being able to handle anymore. "J-jungkook p-please, s-stop."

At your words he stopped and pulled his fingers out, licking the wetness of his fingers as quickly as he could, wiping the saliva off on his pants, and then running those same fingers through your hair.

Although surprised by his actions, you still welcome them, feeling yourself relax little by little as your breathing started to slow down.

Once he felt that you were relaxed enough, Jungkook grabbed your water bottle and stood up from his seat, loudly claiming that he would be right back and then walking out of the classroom.

The whispers started immediately after, everybody wanting to know about what had happened and why Jungkook was acting the way that he was, some of them even suggesting that he had hurt you and was only playing nice to trick the teacher.

You turned to look at the professor and found him absorbed in the movie and turning out the gossip, and you decided to follow Mr. Kim's example. Only you and your bully knew the truth, and you wanted it to remain that way.

It wasn't long before he returned, taking his seat and handing you back the now full water bottle, giving you also a sugar packet. "Put the sugar under your tongue and then drink," he said in a tone you haven't heard from him before.

There was something sweet, and a hint of concern for you, in it.

You did as told, drinking until the bottle was half empty, feeling slightly better afterward.

You crossed your arms over the table, lying your head on top of them and paying attention to the movie, choosing to keep quiet. On his part, Jungkook also remained in silence, keeping his arms to himself by crossing them over his chest, but every once in a while you could feel his eyes on you.

When the screen shows the protagonists arriving near Duloc, the substitute teacher pauses the movie, saying that since there are only five minutes before the bell rings that he's letting the students leave class earlier, almost everyone immediately standing up and going out the door before the phrase was finished.

"Mr. Jeon, would you mind behind for a couple more minutes?" Mr. Kim said as he packed his belongings, pulling the DVD out of the computer and turning it off.

Instead of answering the adult in the room, Jungkook turned to look at you. "Do you know what my car looks like?" you nodded. "Wait for me there okay?"

You nodded again as you headed towards the door as your bully went to stand by the teacher's desk. As you were walking out you could've sworn that you had heard Jungkook say 'hyung' but you decided to shrug it off, since it wasn't any of your business, and walked to the carpark, phone and bottle in hand while ignoring all of your classmates' eyes on you.

Arriving outside you let out a deep breath, taking a moment to let the slight breeze cover you like a blanket.

As you walked toward Jungkook's mercedes benz gt63s, your thoughts went back to what had happened in the classroom.

You didn't understand why you had reacted to the overstimulation the way you did, considering that, Jungkook did a lot worse to your body during the previous recesses. The difference between the two was the free period between sessions, the first time there was an hour for your body to rest, the second time was less.

But when comparing what he had done to you in the bathrooms to what he did in the classroom, fingering you seemed like nothing. You couldn't fathom why you had reacted the way you did, other than chalking it up to just a bad reaction.

When you got close to the car you could see your bag in the backseat, but since Jungkook hadn't given you the key, you didn't have much of a choice other than to lean against the mercedes and wait for him.

You don't know for how long you wait, having decided to ignore the phone in your hand and opting instead for watching people interact with one another, finding it to be a good distraction.

It wasn't long before Jungkook came out of the building, disregarding your presence for the sake of opening the backdoor on the left side of the car.

"Get in," he said opening the door on the backseat, closing it once you had gotten in. He went around the car and got inside from the right, taking a seat next to you but still creating a small space between the both of you.

He tossed your bag to the passenger seat and leaned against the cushion, throwing his head back and releasing a deep sigh. "You okay?"

You nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine,"

Jungkook rubbed his hands on his thighs, avoiding looking at you. "What happened?"

"I don't know," you shrugged. "It never happen before."

Your bully nodded at your words, keeping his eyes on the car's ceiling, you leaned your head against the cushion keeping your eyes on him, letting silence fill the air around you.

After a couple of minutes, he turned to look at you, his eyes going darker the more they stayed on you, before taking a hold of your arm, pulling you up and making you sit on his lap, settling both of his hands on your hips and hiding his face on your neck.

His left hand slid up to your neck while his right one slid down until it reached your clothed center, pulling your panties to the side and rubbing your slit.

You threw your head backward when he inserted two fingers inside you, freely letting out soft moans with each thrust of his digits into you, your hips moving in tune with his hand, making you grind against his now half-mast length.

Your walls clenched around his fingers as he curled them with precision against your sweet spot. "D-Daddy," your right hand moved towards his thigh, nails digging into the flesh. "D-Daddy p-please."

Jungkook chuckled darkly, pulling the hand away from your neck and moving it between your bodies, pulling his cock out of its confinements and stroking it to full mast. "Get up,"

You replaced his hand in pulling your underwear to the side, his right hand lifting your skirt as his left pulled you back towards him. You slowly sank down on his length, before you heard Jungkook let out a tsk and forced you down, making you bite your bruised lip at the burn of the stretch as took all of him in one go.

"You should be used to daddy's cock by now," the hand that had previously been on your skirt crawled up your body, fondling both of your tits before settling on your neck. You rolled your hips, the feeling of his throbbing cock against your walls begging you to move. "You should also be used to following orders," the hand on your waist moving to slap your clit before returning to its place, making you let out a gasp, his breath fanning in your ear. "You really are stupid aren't you?" the hand on your neck gave it a squeeze as your bully chuckled darkly.

Both of you stayed like that for a while, each passing second leaving you on the verge of tears of frustration, not being helped by his occasionally twitching length.

"Such a good little slut," you whined at the words. "Do you want daddy to move?" you could hear the smirk in his words but still nodded rapidly, not knowing of much longer you could take. Jungkook pulled his hands away from you, settling his arms on the back of the seat. "Do it then," you look at him over your shoulder, his eyes dark with lust and his cheshire grin growing wider.

"Jump," he growled, and immediately you started to move, bouncing up and down on his cock.

Your hands were on his knees, helping you with the movements, his length rubbing against your walls and hitting your cervix with each thrust.

Jungkook threw his head back, letting out a groan at the feeling of your walls clenching around him. "You take daddy's cock so well, such a good little slut,"

"D-Daddy," you moaned out, your legs growing weaker.

"What's wrong cunt?" his hands move to settle on your hips. "Can't fuck yourself on daddy's cock?" you whined, the pain on your legs slowing down your movements. "So fucking useless."

He gripped tightly onto your waist and started trusting upwards, his animalistic pace causing you to throw your head back, settling it on his shoulder as you let out moan after moan of his title.

His pace didn't falter even as one of his hands left your hip and went to your neck, squeezing it tightly while the one on your waist dug his nails into the flesh. "So good to me,"

"D-Daddy, I-I'm gonna," you felt a sudden sting on your ass, making you let out a yell.

"Not yet bitch," he jackhammered into you, his rough and fast pace faltering as he felt himself close to the edge. "Ah f-fuck, such a good pussy, made just for me."

With a couple more thrusts Jungkook reached his high and painted your walls with his hot release, triggering your own.

Both of you stood still as you worked on catching your breaths, but it wasn't long before you felt his hand grip your hair and pull you closer to him, his breath fanning in your ear. "Did I say you could cum?" he pulled at your hair again, making you let out a yelp at the pain. "Answer me bitch!"

"N-no," tears started streaming your face.

"Then why did you do it? Are you really that stupid that you can't follow simple orders?" he bit your ear. "Are you that much of a slut?"

You answered the only thing your blissful mind could think of. "I-I'm d-daddy's little cumslut,"

Jungkook tsked at your words, telling you that that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Clearly I've been spoiling you," his face moved towards your neck, grazing it with his nose before biting into it, followed by him forcing you to face, making you wonder if you had cried due to the bite or due to the hair pulling. "I'll have to teach you some matters later."

Both of you stood facing each other for a couple more seconds before something overtook Jungkook's eyes, almost like he had had a sudden realization, and he let go of you, throwing you off of him and almost into the gear shift. "Leave,"

You pick up your bag and left the mercedes, you turn to look back at him before shaking your head and walking towards the school.

[natashaslittlegirl]

The contract - Romanoff's Assistant

DO NOT COPY ANY OF MY WORKS. MINORS DNI +18 ONLY.

Summary: It's your first day working in Romanoff's Company

Boss ! Natasha Romanoff x Assistant ! Reader

Warnings: none

Natasha Romanoff's Masterlist RA Masterlist RA Account Chapter II aesthetic

This morning hits different, you got up earlier than usual. You start dressing yourself up with your choosen outfit from the night before, well, from friday when you got back from the interview actually. Dress pants and black shirt, leather boots and as always your beige coat, it's your lucky charm, but don't say anything because otherwise it won't work.

You leave your apartment but not before feeding and giving Lena lots of kisses, this cat is going to be the death of you because of so much cuteness. So little and cuddly. You love when she comes and sits on your lap purring for you to caress her, so delicate, you love her.

You're walking along the avenues, luckily you're not that far from the coffee shop or work now. You make a quick stop, look at your applewatch, 7:45am, you still have time. Kate smiles at you when she sees you arrive. "Morning, girl! The usual?"

"Yes, please, and a coffee with almond milk, extra hot without sugar and the cup 70% full, please."

"So you remembered Romanoff's request, huh?" she looks at you with mischief in her eyes, oh, you certainly forgot to mention, that she already knows you have a little, not so little, crush on Miss Romanoff, that's why the look. You remember your call from friday evening.

While you waited for your lasagna to heat up, you grabbed your phone and dial Kate. "I got the job!" she screamead and you had to move the device away, otherwise it would make you deaf.

"No way, you little lucky ass!"

"Yes, I don't even know how, what if it goes wrong?" you start to doubt, "Miss Romanoff said one mistake and I'm screwed, help."

"Don't be stupid, Y/N, you'll do fine, relax." Well yeah, you don't even started yet. "I imagine you've had your eye on her." 

"I mean, could you blame me? She's beautiful." Miss Romanoff is beautiful indeed.

"She's hot," so hot "you already have a crush on her, don't you?"

"I can't lie to you."

You two talked a little more until a line of customers formed and Kate can't make six coffees at the same time, you doubt it.

"Kate," you let out a sigh, "I'm her assistant, the first thing I have to do in the morning is get her coffee, also, so do you."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say." she says as she prepares the coffees. You hand her the money and look at you watch again before she pass them to you, 7:53 am, shit, you need to hurry.

"Thank you Kate!" she waves back and you walk out as fast as possible, god these boots are not for rushing. But you got into the building and reached the elevator on time, 7:58am.

Fuck, hurry up, please. You mentally said to yourself, cursing the machine. You got to the twenty-seventh floor at 8 o'clock, ugh on time. You leave the coffees on your desk and wait for Miss Romanoff to show up.

You turn on the computer and go through the agenda, it's already organized so you don't have to do much. Not even five minutes pass and Miss Romanoff makes her entrance, how can this woman look like this at eight in the morning?

"Good morning, Miss Romanoff," You get up from your chair and grab her coffee, "I brought you coffee." she looks at you up and down as she takes the cup, taking a sip of coffee with a smirk on her face.

"So, coffee the way I like, you're on time and you're presentable."

"Yes, Miss Romanoff."

She goes on her way to her office and you go yours to the desk. You continue making appointments in the agenda and suddenly it's already 10am, how fast. You see that Miss Romanoff has a charity event offered by the Stark family and needs confirmation, you write the event in the agenda, the computer and on a post it in front of her, to much, huh? Interrupting your thoughts, you get a call saying Miss Romanoff is needed on the 5th floor.

You head to her door office, you can't see inside but you know she can sees you. knock twice waiting for her to let you in. "Come in" you hear her say and you walk into her office closing the door behind you.

"Miss Romanoff?" she looks up from her and scans you.

"Yes, Y/N, what's up?"

"I wanted to inform you that this Friday you've a charity event offered by the Stark family, it requires confirmation and they need you now on the 5th floor" You say and wait for her response.

"Thank you, confirm my invitation and yours too and call the 5th floor, tell them I'm coming, look for me in fifteen minutes, I'm busy and I don't want to waste time." She stops and takes some papers with her, you step aside and open the door for her to leave, you see her go to the elevator and disappear once it closes the doors. You send the confirmations to the event, but you didn't know that you'll have to go. 

When trirteen minutes pass you call the elevator and play the 5th floor to get Miss Romanoff back, you arrived and started to looking for her in the hallways. She didn't said where you were suposed to look for her. Passing the cubicles separated by glass panels, a woman comes out and you take the opportunity to ask her about Miss Romanoff.

"Hi, I'm Y/N, Miss Romanoff's new assistant, can you tell me where she is? She needs to attend to an important call."

"Hi, I'm Debbie, nice to meet you. Yes, she's down the hall with Lou, the accountant."

"Thank you very much, it's a pleasure for me too" you walk to the end until you find the accountant's office, knock twice and wait for the order to enter. You hear gasps and don't want to imagine what they are doing inside. You hear a 'come in' and take a deep breath before going inside, for your surprise, Miss Romanoff is sitting in front of the accountant's desk and the other woman is standing serving two glasses of water.

"Y/N, what's up?" She turns her head around to look at you.

"Miss Romanoff, you have an important call, they said it can't wait." She rolls her eyes, is she kidding?

"Y/N, this is Lou, our accountant" She points the other woman and then you, "Lou, she's Y/N, my new assistant." 

"Nice to meet you, Miss" 

"The pleasure is mine, darling." She smiles at you, making you gulp, Miss Romanoff therefore, looks at the other woman and rolls her eyes again. She gets up from her chair and walks out with you. You both reach the elevator and go to your respectives offices.

You spent the rest of the day reviewing plans, events, and trips. Schedule and rearrange appointments for tomorrow and when you look at the clock it's already 5pm, you hear Miss Romanoff calling you into her office.

"You called me, Miss Romanoff?" You stand halfway at the door.

"Yes, come in and close the door." You do what she says and stay standing in front of her desk, you just hope you didn't do anything wrong. You feel nervous remembering that everyone must be leaving by now. Well you don't think you'd done anything wrong.

"I want to talk to you about something, Y/N," you gulp "sit down."

"Yes, Miss Romanoff." You do what she says and sit with your legs crossed.

"Don't be afraid, you didn't do anything wrong. I called you so we can talk about the contract, payment, schedules, and I need some confirmations from you." She grabs one of the two folders in front of her and hands it to you.

You open it and the first thing you see is my salary, you don't know if you're dreaming or if you're seeing things wrong but here it says 120k, you didn't even think that the assistants earned that much, you expected 60k at the most.

"Miss Romanoff?"

"Yes, Y/N." you look at her

"Is this amount serious?"

"Yes, do you prefer monthly or fortnightly?" oh god I can't believe it.

"Monthly? I thought it was yearly," you whispered under your breath, "Monthly is fine, Miss Romanoff." She noted something in her folder, which you guess must have the same documents as your.

"Okay then, go to page three," You turn to the page and read, your schedules Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm, lunch break one hour, any time you choose. "Are your schedules okay with you?"

"Yes, Miss Romanoff."

"Perfect, we already have the basics confirmed. I need you to tell me if you are willing to go on business trips, go to events, meetings and all this kind of thing. Everything is detailed on page 5 onwards, you don't have to answer me now, tomorrow you can bring me the signed folder with what you can do and what not. You will also have a card in your name for expenses that we make on trips and for the clothes that I ask you to wear, is that clear?"

"Yes, Miss Romanoff, all clear"

"You can go, Y/N." You got up from the chair, grab the folder and go to your office, find your handbag, put on your beige coat and walk to your apartment.

You arrived and left everything on the table in front of the couch, You went to your room to take off your clothes, take a shower and put on your pyjamas, the black short silk with lace edges, you love it, it is very confy.

There is nothing you like more than a relaxing shower, leaving there smelling like vanilla, how nice. You go back to the kitchen. It's 8:45 p.m. dinner time. You open the fridge but you find it empty, you must've forgot to do the groceries again, well, pizza will be. You order and while you wait for the delivery you go to pour yourself a glass of white wine. You receive the pizza, pay and go to the couch and find Lena in a super adorable position, picture worthy, she's very cute.

While you eat, you read the contract, it seems like a very good offer, obviously you're going to take it.

Passport. Yes

Travel in the country. Yes

Travel abroad. Yes

You keep reading and you find everything reasonable, you ended up marking everything 'yes' and you send Kate if you have a work trip if she can take care of Lena.

Kate ☕

Of course I'm going to take care of that adorable little kitten

Great, one less thing to worry about.

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, clashing personalities, exclusion, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Characters: moody boy Curtis Everett x bubbly, plus-size reader

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

Your second day isn’t as intimidating. You find your desk by yourself and even remembered your honey bear mug! You tuck your bag underneath as your computer boots and check your phone for any updates from your blog. Nothing special, just a hobby.

You yawn and sign in, taking two tries to remember your credentials correctly. You check the shared calendar and see that you have a meeting after lunch with IT. Daniella mentioned you had to get your security passes before the end of the week, that’s probably what that’s for.

You swivel back and forth as you open up your training list. You’re making good progress. You think. You don’t really know. It seems like a lot and despite feeling as if you’ve run a marathon, there are only a few ticks marked off.

Before you dive in, you need a pick-me-up. You really liked that butterscotch coffee but you might try something new. You enter the kitchen and wait behind a woman you don’t know as she brews her coffee. When she’s done, she returns your ‘good morning’ but doesn’t stop to chat. Must be a busy day.

You place your cup on the tray and pick out a French Vanilla pod. You don’t really know what the difference between regular vanilla and French vanilla is. Maybe the French stuff is fancy. Ooh la la.

You hum as the coffee grinds. It sounds angry. Well, it is probably the most overworked fellow in this place. Every day, seeing the heart caffeine hounds, having them poke his face, and glare until he does his jobs.

It’s a machine. Your mother always said you put a bit too much empathy into objects without sentience. Well, your English teacher shouldn’t have made you read that book about Electric Sheep or whatever.

Your cup is full and you grab it, focused on putting the lid on it to keep it nice and warm. As you turn, you fail to stop in time. Your hand knocks against the man’s chest and you gasp as coffee splashes onto his dark shirt. Not much as you manage to block most of it but enough to make him grunt and step back.

It’s him! Oh no. You’ve upset him again.

“I’m sorry, mister,” you say as you hold out your dripping cup, “I didn’t hear you. You sure are quiet.”

He grumbles and stomps to the sink, slamming his mug down as he snatches paper towels from the dispenser. You bite your lip nervously and near. You keep your cup from dripping onto your light blue cardigan with the little white clouds.

“Can I have some–”

He wipes his hands and shirt with a growl. He swipes up his cup without and answer and moves around you to the coffee machine. His cup hits the tray hard and he jabs the screen as it beeps at him in demand of a pod. He takes one and peels open the package before shoving it inside.

“I’m really sorry,” you say as you dry off your cup and fix the lid firmly, “you snuck up on me… like a wolf.”

He shakes his head and looks at the ceiling. He’s tall, his posture is straight and unbending, making you more conscious of your slouching. He wears all black that day, it makes him look lean, and the silver rings shine around his fingers. You only then notice the stud in his ear.

“Oh! I like your earring–”

“Why are you talking to me?” He snarls without looking at you.

You recoil and sputter. You’re not being rude. You’re just trying to be nice. He reminds you of that guy in university who used to call you airhead.

“Because… I wanna?” You say with a shrug, “I still didn’t get your name.”

“Look, I’m not interested in making friends. I come in,” he takes his cup from the tray, “do my work,” he points at you past the porcelain, “and I mind my goddamn business.”

He turns and strides out, another beastly sneer rolling out of him. You furrow your brow and pout at the door. Tammy enters with her own mug, a bright pink thing with a picture of Dolly Parton on it. Ah, you get it, 9-5.

“Ugh, that man is always in a mood,” she says.

“Yeah…” you agree thinly.

“Try not to get in his way. Five years and he’s never said a word to me. It’s too bad, he’s not bad on the eyes.”

You don’t acknowledge her last sentence. It’s not very appropriate for the workplace and she’s married. Quite happily as she only ever talks about her husband. You tell her to enjoy her coffee and go back to your desk.

Maybe you should just steer clear. Eat at your desk or somewhere else.

[edgyedgelord]

hey im planning to switch over to linux and need advice from the smart people of tumblr, please and thank you. my messages are open so if you need any info to help me out hmu.

General Questions:

im seeing everyone saying ubuntu, mint, and ziron are "the #1 go to versions for beginners" but like... which is it?

i also hear about security being the best with linux but nothing about it coming with antiviruses. does it come with one like how windows comes with defender or do you install that yourself, or is it something different entirely?

all the sources i look at talk about downloading and installing linux but i want to know what to expect when first getting a prebuilt pc with the OS, like the system 76 pcs. do you have to set it up like when you install it or is it as easy as getting any new computer?

i know nothing about coding and im planning to get a computer from system 76 since it seems like the best, and its by far the only source that only comes with linux, and since my current one was pretty much ruined by someone i thought could fix it after a faulty outlet fried its insides, he didnt and made it worse.

so yeah, which linux version do you suggest for a computer moron, any suggestions for computers would be nice (max price is $1,300), i'll put the specs and my uses under the read more.

Preferences:

It ONLY comes with Linux. I despise what Windows has become and don't want to even bother dual booting cause I feel with the switchovers happening they're gonna get salty and make something that'll turn your computer into a bomb if you use Linux with it.

Kinda beefy but not a supercomputer. I don't use AI stuff, I'm not a programmer, but I do frequently play modded Minecraft with my friends and run smps for my Discord servers. I recently switched to Modrinth cause ATLauncher had been giving me trouble. Curseforge is out of the question.

At the most, I'll be playing VRChat with friends while having Spotify or Youtube in the background for music and Discord open in case someone needs my help in one of my servers, similar goes for running one of my SMPs just minus the VR.

Gaming Questions:

I also play VR games often, especially BeatSaber (modded ofc im not insane), and I have Half Life Alyx that I haven't been able to finish cause my already dead and gutted PC struggles to run it anymore even with the lowest settings. My current headset is a two feet in the grave, barely hanging in there, held by tape Oculus Rift S thats as old as my current PC whos also dead. I plan to get a new headset soon and had the Quest 2 recommended to me by friends. If theres better alternatives that isn't Meta please let me know.

I'm a DBD addict. Does it really run DBD or was that just the one guy from the one video I saw.

My friends also often drag me onto Roblox so I need to know if that'll be an option for Linux too.

I know I could probably look up all this myself but every source is outdated from years ago or they all say different things and it just confuses me.

Art Questions:

My current tablet is a Wacom, I got it before knowing how greedy the company actually is, and I plan to switch to a Huion after this tablet dies on me. If compatibility is an issue with it please let me know what to do about that.

I usually use Medibang but I don't think it runs on Linux from what I've seen, if I'm wrong lemme know. Am I going to have to switch all the files over to something else before getting a Linux or are there programs I can use that'll load them?

I also write and need to know if I need to switch all my files to something else before porting it all over to the Linux PC. I just used the default notepad and document programs on Windows.

But yeah, that's all my questions for now. If I think of any more I'll just edit this post. Sorry if I sound super dumb for all this, I tried finding information sources myself but like I said all of them weren't too moron friendly or had relevant information. Most sources I found were articles or reddit forums from years ago so I thought "Hey, why don't I just go ask the computer nerds directly?" so here I am.

[crimsonwolf715]

Isolated

(Part 3 of Adventures of the Batfamily)

(POV Dick) 

“It’s been three weeks, I think it’s fair to give him a shot. He’s kept his promise. He’s given you guys the space you wanted and he hasn’t gone out and done anything illegal,” Tim says. 

“That we know about,” Dick replies. 

“While I don’t agree with trusting people readily, he hasn’t left the house in three weeks, Grayson. He literally can’t have done anything.” 

Dick sighs. “That’s a fair point, but how are you dealing with this so well, Tim? He’s tried to kill you like a dozen times.” 

“Considering how I came into this family and the things I dealt with when first coming here, I don’t know why you’re surprised. Lots of people have tried killing me for stupider reasons,” Tim answers. “He’s really trying, and that has to mean something.” 

Dick slings an arm around Tim’s shoulder. “I’m glad you two came.” 

“Well, how else are we supposed to talk sense into you?” Tim asks. 

“I just wanted to see you. I don’t actually care about this argument, I just want it to be over,” Damian says. 

“Aww, thanks,” Dick says, ruffling Damian’s hair. 

The three have dinner, then head back to Dick’s apartment. They go out on patrol a little later, but they don’t find any crime happening at all. 

“This is so odd. There’s always something,” Dick says. 

“Maybe they knew that the Murder Baby was coming and decided to stay home,” Tim replies. 

Damian kneecaps Tim and he falls. 

“Behave, you two. Batman will hear about it if you don’t.” 

Deathstroke drops down and before Dick has time to react, Deathstroke kicks Dick into the side of a building. Dick gets up and realizes that there have to be at least two dozen goons with him. Dick grabs a knife out of his boot and Deathstroke laughs. 

“Go to sleep, Nightwing.” 

Dick and Deathstroke get into a fight and Deathstroke stabs Dick in the arm with a dart. Dick takes a slash at him as his vision blurs. His vision blacks out and he falls unconscious. 

(Villain's POV) 

“What are we doing here?” Riddler asks. “We shouldn’t be meeting like this.” 

“Batman’s out dealing with Croc’s brilliant idea to eat people in a bank,” Scarecrow says. “While I also want to know, we shouldn’t be stressing about Batman right now.” 

“I hired some help, but I got them,” Two-Face says. 

“Got whom?” Riddler asks. 

Two-Face opens the door he’s standing next to, so the others walk in. Red Robin and Robin are tied to chairs. 

“Would you look at that,” Scarecrow says. “You really did it.” 

“Was there ever any doubt?” Two-Face replies. “It’s not like we’re talking about Batman here. We’re talking about his stupid little Bat-Brats.” 

“Yes, there was doubt,” Scarecrow answers. 

“There’s only two here. The two younger ones. Where’s the older one?” Riddler asks. 

“I’m so glad you asked. The third one is already in the isolation chamber,” Two-Face answers, walking over to the computer in the corner of the room and turning cameras on. “Nightwing is my favorite to put in there because it’s almost like he needs company to function.” 

Deathstroke walks into the room. 

“What took you so long?” Two-Face asks. 

“Nightwing nearly killed me, so I had to get patched up,” Deathstroke answers. 

“Almost killed you?” Riddler asks. “The nice one did?” 

“I don’t think you know Nightwing well enough. And anyway, he probably couldn’t see clearly. He took a wild slash at me and got my neck. If I wasn’t wearing the armor, I would have bled out.” 

“Huh, little guy’s all grown up,” Scarecrow says. 

(POV Dick) 

Dick doesn’t know how long he’s been awake. He lost track a while ago. 

Scarecrow walks in. “Look at you, the mighty son of Batman.” 

Dick glares at Scarecrow even though Scarecrow can’t tell. The rest of his facial expressions must have given it away because Scarecrow walks over and crouches in front of him. 

“What? Pissed with me? Whatcha gonna do about it?” 

Dick doesn’t even think about it before his aggression kicks in and he headbutts Scarecrow as hard as he can. Scarecrow backs up, holding his bleeding nose. 

“Get the hell outta my face, Crane,” Dick growls. 

Scarecrow quickly leaves the room. 

This feeling is suffocating. The white noise constantly playing, the chair constantly shaking, the fact that Two-Face keeps coming in and flipping his damn coin. Damning his siblings to various types of torture. Dick’s anxiety’s been high since coming up, but this last period of time has cranked it up to an eleven. Subconsciously, Dick knows that it’s a symptom of him not sleeping, but he can’t consciously come to that conclusion. Thus, he’s been on constant high alert. 

Two-Face walks in. “Hello, Nightwing.” 

Dick waits for Two-Face to mention that he headbutted Scarecrow, but he doesn’t. 

“Ready for the coin toss?” 

“Please, just torture me instead.” 

“I am torturing you, and you’re much easier to break than the other two. Heads, they face the torture of my choice. Tails, they get a break.” Two-Face flips the coin and it lands on heads. “Alright, the coin has decided.” 

Two-Face walks out as Dick starts yelling at him to stop. 

Dick is forced to watch his siblings being repeatedly electrocuted. Once Two-Face has had his fill of Dick pleading for him to stop and the other two barely responding, he leaves the room and the glass darkens again. He looks away and he sees Jason. A bloody and battered Jason, lying there in a torn Robin costume. 

He can’t be here too. Why would he be put in here with me?  

Dick looks away. He can’t look at his dead brother, not again. When he turns back, Jason’s gone. 

Where did he go?  

(POV Jason) 

Jason has a quiet dinner with Alfred since everyone else is in Blüdhaven or Bruce has been on a mission for the Justice League since the others left. Alfred heads upstairs after dinner, so Jason heads down to the Batcave. It’s the first time Jason’s been down here since coming home a month ago. He glances at the case where Bruce had thrown his Red Hood uniform, then sits down at the computer. The last time he sat here, he was so much smaller. He looks at everything and realizes it doesn’t look larger than life like it used to. He sighs and leans his head back. 

It’s been so long.  

Something starts beeping so Jason looks up. The computer’s flashing with a blue symbol. 

Grayson’s distress signal.  

The computer lights up and Barbara’s picture pops up. “Bruce… You are not Bruce.” 

“Very perceptive of you,” Jason replies sarcastically, then bites his tongue. “Where’s Grayson’s distress signal coming from? I’m gonna get in contact with Bruce.” 

“It’s coming from a warehouse downtown. I think it’s Riddler.” 

“Riddler?” Jason asks as he tries to remember the sequence to contact the Watchtower. “Has he gotten better since I left? I only ran into him one time and he said something that made me very uncomfortable, but not threatened.” 

“What did he say?” 

“Not repeating it.” The signal says no connection. “The damn Watchtower isn’t responding.” 

“I’ll try getting in touch with him.” 

Jason turns towards the display case. “No need. I’m going.” 

“Is that wise?” Barbara asks. 

“Who the hell knows?” Jason answers. “I’m gonna do it anyway.” 

He goes over and grabs his suit and helmet. “Maybe leave this one for now. That will surely scare them if they’ve been drugged.” 

He puts the helmet down and grabs a domino mask. “Barbara, I’m gonna get a comm, so I’m gonna need you to direct me.” 

“I can do that.” 

Jason goes to change. 

(POV Dick) 

Two-Face has done everything in his power to keep Dick awake and thus far has been successful. Dick almost passed out earlier, but Two-Face managed to give him enough adrenaline to keep him awake. 

Two-Face walks back in. “You ready?” 

“Ready for what?” 

“Ready to try your luck again?” Two-Face asks. “You know the rules. Heads, they’re subjected to torture. Tails, they get their first break of the week.” 

He flips the coin and everything within Dick begs for it to land on tails. It lands on tails. Dick sighs, so relieved. 

“Aww, that’s no fun. Well, I’ll be back in two hours to try this again.” 

“What?” Dick asks. 

“In. Two. Hours. We’ll. Try. This. Again.” 

“You sick son of a bitch.” 

Two-Face backhands Dick hard enough for Dick’s teeth to cut the inside of his cheek. “Don’t talk about my mother like that, you Batman wannabe.” 

Dick spits blood on Two-Face’s suit, to which he promptly freaks. He rushes out of the room to change his suit. The sounds start back up and the chair starts shaking again. 

“Damn,” Dick mutters. 

Dick loses track of time again as he starts crashing from the adrenaline. The door bursts open and he sees… 

Red Hood?  

“Hey, you dead yet?” That voice definitely belongs to Jason. 

“No.” 

It takes almost two minutes, but Jason gets the handcuffs off of Dick’s hands. Dick types in the password on the second handcuffs and pulls them off his feet. 

“You need help walking?” Jason asks. 

“No. We need to get the other two.” 

“Do you know where they are?” 

“They’re behind the glass,” Dick answers, pointing. 

Jason smashes the glass and luckily Tim and Damian aren’t close enough to get any glass on them. Jason through and cuts the ropes that are tying both of them to their respective chairs. Dick pulls himself together and forces himself over to his brothers. 

“Can you take Da… Robin?” 

Dick nods, so Jason grabs Tim. Dick gently picks up his baby brother, then the two head out of the warehouse. Jason clicks a button as they’re walking out. 

“What was that?” Dick asks. 

“You’ll see.” 

They make it a safe distance from the warehouse before it bursts into flames. Jason’s smiling and Dick turns so less of the heat will affect Damian. 

(POV Bruce) 

Bruce comes back into the Watchtower and his comm starts beeping immediately. 

He answers. “What’s up, Oracle?” 

“Where have you been?” Barbara shouts. 

Bruce forces his expression to stay neutral because more of the League members are coming through the Zeta Tube. 

“I’ve been on a mission. We didn’t have a proper signal. Is something happening?” 

“Yeah, Nightwing sent a distress signal last night and I lost contact with Jason after he went after them.” 

Bruce feels his blood run cold. He turns and heads back toward the Zeta Tube. 

“Where are you going, Batman?” Superman asks. “We have a meeting and debrief.” 

“Something’s come up and I need to return home. I’ll write a report when I have time.” 

Batman heads back to the Batcave. 

“Where did the signal come from?” 

“One of Riddler’s old warehouses. I sent the coordinates to the Batmobile.” 

“Thanks, Oracle. I’ll keep you updated. Let me know if something changes.” 

“I will. Be safe.” 

Bruce drives to the warehouse, his anxiety keeping his muscles tight the entire way. When he gets there, the warehouse bursts into flames. 

“No!” Bruce jumps out and runs towards the warehouse. 

“Hey, old man! Cut that out!” 

Bruce turns and sees all of his kids, safe. Relief floods through him and he runs over. Dick’s holding Damian like a baby, who’s unconscious but breathing. Jason’s holding Tim bridal style, and Tim seems to be somewhat awake. He keeps occasionally lightly hitting Jason’s face and mumbling something that’s probably demanding to be put down. It doesn’t seem to phase Jason at all. Dick’s clearly tense and he seems to be slightly leaning on Jason. 

“What happened? Are you all alright?” Bruce asks. 

“There was some kind of jammer in the building,” Jason says. “The only reason the distress signal got through was because someone was taking Gray…Nightwing’s gear outside to dump it in the water.” 

“How long have you guys not been in Blüdhaven?” 

Dick shrugs one shoulder. “God only knows. I don’t even know what day it is.” 

Bruce helps his kids into the Batmobile and heads back to the Batcave. 

“Oracle?”

“Yes?” 

“I found them. They’re mostly alright,” Bruce says. 

“Oh thank God,” Barbara replies. “All of them? You’re sure?” 

“Mmhmm.” 

“Okay, keep me updated.” 

“I will.” 

Bruce calls Leslie and she promises to meet them there as soon as she can. When they get home, Bruce takes Damian and Jason grabs Tim. They set them up, then hear something thud on the ground. 

Jason runs over. “Grayson, are you okay?” 

Bruce walks over as Jason helps Dick to his feet. 

“I’m fine,” Dick says. “I just tripped.” 

“Getting out of a car. You’re not fine,” Jason says. 

Jason helps Dick onto one of the beds and Bruce walks over. 

“When was the last time you slept?” 

“I don’t know, that depends on how long we were there. I haven’t slept since getting there.” 

“Can you remember, even a rough estimate, of how long you were there?” Bruce asks. 

“I lost track after about thirty-eight hours,” Dick answers. “They kept me awake and then… I had to watch him torture them.” 

Dick starts crying, so Bruce hugs him. Dick puts his head on Bruce’s shoulder. 

“Hey, Tim. Probably not wise to roll off the bed, buddy,” Jason says. 

Bruce turns his attention to his other children and Tim looks asleep. Jason’s probably not actually talking to Tim. 

“Thanks, Jay,” Dick says. 

“You’re welcome,” Jason replies, awkwardly avoiding looking in Dick and Bruce’s direction. 

Leslie shows up with Alfred and the two care for Tim and Damian, who have minimal serious injuries. Leslie says that Dick’s just suffering from lack of sleep. Jason reads quietly to Dick until he falls asleep, which makes Bruce smile. Leslie gave medication to the other two before she left, so all of his kids besides Jason are sleeping soundly. 

Bruce turns to Jason. “Thank you.” 

Jason looks down at the uniform, then makes eye contact with Bruce. “I want to help. It doesn’t mean that I agree with everything that you’re saying, but I can’t just sit by while things are still so bad. While you guys risk your lives.” 

Bruce thinks about it. “You’ll have a trial period and we’ll go from there.” 

“That’s fine. I’ll make some changes to the uniform, it needs it.” 

Bruce nods. “You should go get some rest.” 

“Yeah, I will. ‘Night, Dad.” 

“Goodnight, Jason,” Bruce says, smiling. 

Jason heads upstairs and Bruce settles down to watch over his kids for the night.

[heyidkyay]

And I'm petrified of being alone, now |

Part Five

Matty Healy x reader

Summary: She’s just trying to get by, really. What with being a single parent to her four year old son whilst simultaneously trying to kick start a successful career as a radio presenter. She’s got everything she’s ever wanted though, friends close by, a mum who’s merely a phone call away, and of course her baby boy. What else is there to wish for? But then, it’s not long before her relatively normal life gets upended and turned on its head, and she’s suddenly forced to deal with situations she’s never even thought to imagine.

What happens when one mention of a certain controversial singer on her show sends a flood of unexpected challenges her way? 

Authors Note: IT'S FINALLY HERE. THEY MEET. AH IDK WHAT ELSE TO SAY. But I have just finished writing part 6! So I figured why not post 5? SO here it is, hope you enjoy? X

>Just a note! So there's no confusion, this first section of 5 coincides at the same time as the last part of 4, as in where heading into the studio it was seen from Matty's POV, this starts with Mouse's and then goes onto them actually meeting one another! Okay? ta:)

Warnings: um, moody matty, lil bit of self-consciousness, mentions of scarring

Masterlist

I was running a bit behind schedule. Which wasn't too unusual for me, what with being the single parent to a rambunctious four year old, but this time around I’d somehow managed to allow myself to be waylaid by Adi's antics.

Apparently upon entering the studio this morning, everything had just felt a little 'off'.

And after having announced that, I’d had to sit back and watch on whilst Adi had trudged out of the room in her heavy black boots, only to come back a few moments later with a stub of sage in one hand and a lighter in the other.

Honestly, I was pretty sure that I could still taste the thick plume of smoke that I’d been forced to inhale each time I breathed in, even after having quickly made my escape. But yet it clung to the back of my throat uncomfortably and I couldn't avoid the grimace that wrinkled my face as I tried to rid myself of the sooty tang which coated my tongue.

But that was just Adi, I supposed. And it was one of the many things I loved most about her, how she was so unapologetically herself- even if it meant that I was forced to cough up a lung-full of herbs every once in a while.

See, it was actually Adi’s grandmother that had gotten her into performing all of the rites and cleanses she did so often. The woman was a real spiritualist and had taken Ads in at a very young age, so Adi had practically grown up around it all. She often spoke about how her grandmother had wanted her to follow down the same path and show a deeper interest, but Adi had always been much more fascinated by music, fashion and all things that revolved around tech. 

She was a proper whiz with a computer, but that didn't mean she didn't have an appreciation for her grandmother’s beliefs, nor a knack.

"Are you still coughing up a storm, you drama queen?"

Speak of the devil, and he doth appear, I thought dryly, as Adi reemerged from out of the hazy recording booth. The sage now nowhere to be seen.

I rolled my eyes at her and continued to fiddle with the wires I had wound in my hand.

"I can't fucking stand the stuff, Ads."

Adi merely smirked at me as she bypassed, practically skipping.

"I know, but it's always good to be prepared! Who knows what we'll have to deal with when the infamous diva finally arrives!"

I snorted at Adi's mocking tone and couldn't quite hide the quirk of my lip.

"Fair enough. Just leave that door wide open, will you? And grab the fan while you're at it, as well. Don't need him, and whoever's tagging along, catching on."

I watched Adi laugh in amusement as she wandered over towards the sofa, the sweet sound echoing around the open space.

"On it, Captain!"

The two of us worked quickly after that, whirling around the loft, and one another, in an attempt to get things sorted before our guest's imminent arrival.

It wasn't long before we both recognised the telltale sign of a car pulling up outside though, and upon hearing the engines rumble die out I immediately caught Adi's eye from across the room.

It was a silent challenge and with it there was a frenzied rush to see who could get to the nearest window first. Adi had promptly tossed her notes towards my desk and taken to skidding across the hardwood floors, whilst I had all but thrown myself over the back of the settee.

Adi made it there first, even in her heavy docs, and claimed the windowsill with an unnecessary amount of arrogance. She grinned primly at me as I reluctantly slowed my approach, leaving me to lean in close so that we could both try and get a good look in. 

But from this angle, there was practically no use. I craned my neck as far as my torso would willingly allow me and could only just make out the tail-end of a sleek car parked up on the curb. I assumed that meant Healy had arrived. 

"Can you see anything?" Came Adi's impatient voice, a hushed whisper even though we were three flights up.

"No." I grunted back, "Your fat head's in the way."

Ads scoffed at me and I didn't have to look at her to know that she was now glaring up at me. I grinned.

"My head is perfectly sized, thank you! But seeing as we’re on the topic of abnormalities, you're practically half giraf-”

Adi immediately cut her snide comment short when a loud voice suddenly trumped the usual roaring noise that went hand in hand with the large city that was London.

"Right my!" We heard.

The voice was sharp and irritated, fuelled by an obvious anger, and soon trailed off into a muffled grit. 

Adi's head snapped back to the window at the very sound of it, whilst I couldn't help but question just how exactly she’d managed to contort her body in the way she had, long legs tucked up beside her as she pressed her torso against the glass to listen closer.

The voice rang out again, sharper this time, and my eyes shot down to meet Adi’s own. 

In return, she gifted me a catty side eye- obviously enraptured by the sudden drama that had seemingly been handed to us- and I could do nothing but shrug at her in response, somewhat baffled.

I pulled away slowly when the voices didn't seem ready to rise again, and silently wished that I could've been a fly on the wall during a conversation like that.

Clasping Adi's wrist, I gently tugged her away. "Come on, you best get down there before things go sideways and we end up on the backend of it all."

"Me?!" Adi crowed back, her eyes wide in alarm as she let me drag her back from the windowsill. "Why not you?"

My face scrunched up at the very thought. 

"Ah go on, Ads. Please! You're so good with shit like this, can charm your way out of practically anything."

She narrowed her eyes in response. "I know what you're doing."

I pursed my lips together in an attempt to keep up the innocent act, already feeling a grin cropping up. “Is it working? ‘Cause we both know you’re the sweetest talker around, Wells. Could talk your way out of police custody, you like.”

Adi clucked her tongue but moved to cross the loft. “Yeah, yeah. But we both know you’re just being a coward! What, you really aren't ready to face him yet?”

I was swift to spin around on my heel to hide the truth my expression conveyed, and ignored the question altogether as I headed back towards the booth. I also pretended not to hear the cow’s delighted cackles as she began to descend the staircase.

"Just make sure the camera's are rolling before I get back! And wish me luck!"

"Luck!" I called out loudly over my shoulder before unplugging the fan and then storing it away. She was definitely going to need it. 

I busied myself with the last of my tasks afterwards, an odd feeling of anxiety welling in my chest as I went through the usual motions.

It was strange for me to linger too long on thoughts of nervousness, because I usually had too much going on in other aspects of my life. Making things a little too difficult to concentrate on the many things that could possibly go wrong.

This time around though, we weren’t dealing with the usual up and coming artist, new to the industry and overwhelmingly pleased to be invited on. No, this time we’d practically been fed to the sharks.

Because, of all the possible people, we’d just had to have landed Matty Healy.

I started to question it all again. How exactly I'd gotten myself wrapped up in a mess this big in the first place and only hoped that Adi fared alright with dealing with Healy on her own for a while.

Maybe it had been cowardly of me to send her in first but I really didn’t think I could face him just yet, seeing as it had been me that had set off the pyramid of fireworks that had seemingly burned a hole in his life.

A dull vibration pulsed in my back pocket, breaking me from my train of thought, and I found that I was very much thankful for the sudden distraction it offered.

Messages now Finnleyyy Just got back to the gallery, Teds was fine when I dropped him off! If the show goes on any later feel free to message me and I'll pick him up x

I smiled down at the message. 

At least that was one less thing I had to worry about, Teddy was safe and well, already settled in at the local nursery and in all honesty, I truly didn't know where I'd be without Finn, especially on days like these. 

I was quick to fire back a text full of appreciation before I slipped the phone back into my pocket.

It was just as I had finished clearing up the rest of the studio that I heard a sudden rush of voices trail up the stairwell, and stilled at the very sound.

It was Adi’s voice which carried the furthest and so I ran my teeth along my bottom lip before ultimately deciding that running and hiding was my best bet. So I shot across the loft floor and into the recording booth to stow myself away.

Adi didn’t give me the chance to worry excessively over every little detail that could go wrong as the group of visitors grew marginally closer. So to keep myself busy for a minute or two, or to rather calm my erratic heart, I chose to fiddle with the last of the cameras that had been set up.

I felt, more than heard, the moment they passed the top of the stairwell as the wooden floorboards of the studio tended to creak beneath added weight.

It was pretty much impossible to hear what was being said on the other side of the recording booth though, due to its soundproof walls, but that tiny fact didn’t stop me from practically sealing myself against the door in an attempt to decipher the perfect moment for me to intervene on the situation outside.

For days I’d been practically driving myself stir crazy over all of this, I knew that I just needed to get it over and done with, save myself the stress before I brought another headache on. Because I could do this, he was just some guy. Famous or not.

So with a final albeit shaky breath, I braced myself and opened up the door.

Thankfully, I was almost instantly met by the comforting sound of Adi's voice.

“Ah, there she is! Was wondering when you’d show your mug. Fancy a cuppa, babe? Fixing up a few.”

“Please.” I breathed out a sigh and dragged a hand through my hair as I wandered towards the kitchenette, catching sight of the two bodies currently commandeering our tiny seating area. 

I focused on the man sitting closest and the first thing I noticed about him was the sleek haircut he’d styled, it was clipped closely at the sides but left long on top to keep the thinning hairs going in one direction. He was different from what I’d expected, but not just because he was older, he also wore this brilliant smile when he moved to peer up at me, sincere enough that I felt my doubts ebb as I smiled back, taking in the rest of him and his fine fitting clothes which seemed to suit him well.

I dipped my head in a silent hello before my gaze flickered over towards our remaining guest.

It shouldn’t have felt as shocking as it did to finally set eyes on Matty Healy in person, not after all of the thorough planning I’d put into his very visit. But it was strangely surprising to bare witness to the way his lithe body was currently perched on the edge of our shabby armchair, the very same Adi, Finn and I had dragged back from the secondhand shop further up the main road. It felt wrong almost, having someone so obviously used to a certain luxury sat in the tatty thing.

I pulled my mind away from that last thought and focused on how I couldn't quite seem to tear my eyes away from the way Healy’s frame folded in on itself slightly, legs jutted out wide, elbows pressed against knees, and his chin cocked high. The guy’s overall stance was oddly domineering for someone so wraithlike, with hollowed cheeks and an aristocratic smile. It made him that much harder to read.

Healy’s own eyes were also hidden, so I couldn't make out the line of his gaze. Disguised behind a dark pair of glasses that I could only supposed cost more than what I’d make in two, maybe three months.

The question of what Healy might've first thought upon seeing me and the way I’d drowned myself in the oversized band tee I’d chosen that morning crossed my mind. But I was simply just thankful for the fact that I’d forgotten my knitted cardi somewhere behind me in the recording booth. Silently wishing that I had the balls, as well as the body, to pull off the outfits Adi liked to wear.

"Hiya." I finally greeted them, forcing myself to smile as I extended a polite hand outwards. "It's great to meet you both."

Even with the dark shades on, I easily spotted the way Healy's brows lifted in reply before he- rather reluctantly- clasped his own hand in mine.

I swallowed back the strained smile I wanted to give him in return and focused instead on the shake. Healy’s hands were apt, fingers long and slender, skin much softer than it should’ve been for any musician, and his knuckles prominent but wrist almost dainty. He was a juxtaposition if I’d ever seen one.

He was the first to pull away.

“Likewise.”

My jaw ticked at Healy’s sarky tone but I didn’t let it deter me. Staying professional, I turned to offer the same sentiment to his accomplice. 

“I’m Mouse, by the way. It’s lovely to have you both. Hope you got here okay.”

The other man was much merrier than Healy, practically a total contrast actually, and he showed it in the joyful way he shook my hand, still smiling away.

“You know London traffic.” He replied around a low chuckle and let our hands fall, “Lovely to be here though. I’m Matty’s manager, Jamie.”

I smiled as I nodded in remembrance.

“Got to say, I really love what you two have done with this place. Skylight’s incredible.” Jamie added and I grinned before settling into the adjacent sofa, leaving plenty of space for Adi to take.

“You saw that? But yeah, I honestly think it’s the only reason we were so sold on this particular building- ‘cause the stairs are killer.”

“I can see why! I’m dying to have something like that back at mine, but the conservatory will have to do for now.” Jamie enthused and stood up when Adi strode on over.

Skillfully, the man helped guide the wooden tray Ads had been carrying towards the coffee table and smiled when she thanked him for his efforts, the image of a perfect gentleman.

“Thanks, Ads.” I breathed out in appreciation when the girl handed me my usual milky brew, then took a quick sip.

Someone snorted as I did and my eyes instantly flew over to discover that the sound had been made by Healy, because of course.

He seemed all too amused by something and, from the way his body was still angled towards me, I could only assume that it was down to something I'd done.

I blinked in confusion before I moved to raise my mug high above my head, reading the large, industrialised font that covered the bottom of the cup. Cunt.

The studio was probably the furthest thing from a professional setting, we’d always wanted the entire space to feel comfortable, safe even. But this was supposed to be our big break and so we had been trying to convey it as though it was. But here Adi was dishing out the gag gifts Finn had bestowed upon the loft last Christmas like it was a regular Tuesday.

Still, with a shake of my head, I couldn’t quite bring myself to dim my grudging grin as I shot a narrow eyed glare Adi’s way.

"Ta for that." I voiced with a light chortle and tipped the mug at her in false cheers, before my eyes then flittered over towards Jamie, who had since stifled his own amusement in favour of taking a slow sip of his own brew. And ah, yeah, there was the matching mug.

Healy laughed to himself in the little corner he’d created and I caught the way he subtly surveyed his own cup, out of the corner of my eye, just in case Adi had got him too.

Somehow he’d managed to avoid that particular jest and I knew that the only thing Healy really had to worry about now was if there was a secret dirty message waiting for him once he’d finally polished off his drink.

"What can I say? The mugs, they do not lie." Adi jeered, a mischievous glint in her eye before she turned her head back towards the two visitors. "See you've met our wonderful Mouse then! Ain't she a looker?"

I grimaced away from the hand that reached out to grab at my chin and silently questioned what I'd done to suddenly be on the deserving end of all her taunts.

Jamie laughed at the pair of us, but even with it, I didn't miss Healy's quiet hum or the way he was now seemingly more interested in the contents of his cup than the current conversation.

"Quite. We were actually just talking about you on the way up here, mate." Jamie divulged and I dragged my attention back towards the man, eyebrows lifting.

"Only good things, I hope." I replied, somewhat uncomfortably, but smiling lightly at Jamie before I managed to catch Adi's eye.

Ads simply waved me off. "Of course! They were interested in the show- how it started and what not." She told me and I nodded, mostly to myself as I relaxed further into the settee.

"Oh, well yeah, we've been around a while now."

"Adi mentioned that you were just a kid when you started out, sounds mad putting it like that." Jamie pondered, appearing quite intrigued by the topic. "How did this all come about then?"

Usually, I liked to skirt around this particular subject, wanting to dive straight into the work and forgo most of the small talk, but I caught the way Jamie’s eyes darted around our quaint little studio. He wasn’t just asking for the sake of it.

"If I'm being truly honest, a lot of stuff happened all at once." I revealed with a soft chuckle, but it lacked any of the mirth I was aiming for as I thought back to my second year of university, the year everything had quite literally turned on its head.

"I was in between jobs and my best mate suggested that I take the Twitter account I already had and turn it into something with a bigger presence. At the time, I had nothing left to lose so I just went for it."

At least, that was the shortened version of it. I’d skipped the mental breakdown, the almost losing my flat, and the birth of my child for the sake of not looking like a total psycho.

Jamie looked impressed or, at the very least, understanding as he nodded along to my words.

"Can't say I regret it now though." I had to tack on and smiled before attempting to trail my way onto a more formal topic. "I got your list by the way- what not to ask and all that. Think one of your lot emailed it to me earlier in the week. But I just wanted to let you both know-”

I let my eyes flit over towards Healy for a brief moment before they settled back on Jamie. 

"That you don't have to worry about any of that whilst you're here. We want things to be relaxed, comfortable. I know your team was adamant on everything being a bit more structured, following the lines of an actual interview, but we don't do much of that around here. So I hope you're happy with just having a simple sit down."

"Like this?" Came a reply and I had to pause for a second before realising where the question had come from. Or who, rather.

I settled my mug down on my thigh, loosely supporting it with my hand, and looked over in the direction of Healy.

"A bit, yeah." I confirmed with an incline of my head, "That alright with you?"

The singer was silent for a long second and I couldn't help but take the opportune moment he gave to simply admire the way his fingers had wrapped themselves around his mug, mindlessly tapping away to a hollow tune.

Just when it appeared as though the silence had stretched on a beat too long, and Jamie had begun to shuffle forward ever so slightly in his seat, did Healy finally reply.

"If it's just you, then yes."

I tried not to let the reaction of how I really felt flash across my face then as I stared back at the man opposite. 

From the corner of my eye, I could see the way Adi's lips had pursed unhappily in retort and how Jamie’s expression had hardened into a somewhat steely glare, desperate for Matty to spare a glance his way. Probably to scold him for being so painfully rude. But Healy, to my utter disbelief, kept his head firmly fixed towards me, even as he pushed the dark sunglasses he wore up into his curly hair. 

It almost felt like we were in a stare off with the way I watched him for any tell that would surely give him away, slowly considering the proposition and not caring to cover up the way I could now stare into the other man’s dark brown eyes unabashedly.

From where I was sat, I could only just make out the darkened circles that rested beneath Healy’s pupils, as well as the red line that rimmed them. Their colour was far from unusual, brown, but his were not something you saw very often, they drew you in, kept you trapped. They harboured a multitude of other colours that blended ruthlessly into an array of raw umber.

As magnetising as they may have felt though, I found that I was mostly grateful to see that Healy’s pupils were of a normal size. The only thing I wanted to question were the walls that were so obviously barricaded behind them, giving me absolutely nothing in return.

"Just me?"

Healy simply stared back. 

I couldn’t look Adi’s way when I finally answered the request, simply hoping that she would somehow understand. This felt too much like a test to say anything other than, “Alright. If that’s what you’d prefer.”

I moved to push my mug onto the corner of the coffee table, allowing myself a seconds release from his stare.

“But Adi often controls what goes on behind the scenes when we record, so it’ll be harder without her there, especially with all the cameras.” I explained carefully.

"Look, just hang on a second-" Jamie tried, obviously wanting to defuse the situation, but was ultimately cut off by Healy. It honestly felt as though the man believed neither Jamie nor Adi were a part of the conversation any longer.

"Can you do it?"

His tone was almost challenging, the four words fell from his wicked tongue like a dare.

"Not the type to back down." Was all I could think to retort, my hardened gaze once again zeroed in on Healy's own.

***

The recording booth was smaller than he’d expected. A table sat in the very centre, surrounded by a swarm of cameras and microphones, all of which seemed to be connected to a variety of wires Matty could hardly even bring himself to be cautious of as he stepped past.

The table hosted an array of tech though, from computers and mixing boards to monitors and speakers. None of which Matty was the least bit interested in either.

Three of the four walls were lined with acoustic foam panels, one’s you’d typically find in booths, while the last had been turned into a mural of sorts. 

The mural was dark and edgy, a string of trees sprouted up from the ground and swept across the expanse of it, its branches winding upwards only to entangle in one another. A common field mouse sat crouched in between the trunks of the trees, its big eyes shining as it met Matty’s stare head-on. The walls centre held the name of the radio show and at first glance it looked as though it had been printed on one of those acrylic neon signs, but it was actually just extremely detailed.

Matty had to blink once or twice before he was finally able to look away.

"Who's work?" He found himself asking, filling the silence that had settled upon the closing of the booth's door. He jutted his chin out towards the far wall, sparing the art one last glance before he gave the girl his full focus.

Her eyes flitted up to meet his own before they sailed across to the mural.

"A friend." Was all she replied, but her voice had softened a touch now that it was just the two of them, Matty noted.

She offered nothing more than that and so Matty took it for what it was, nodding his quiet assent.

"Do you have anything in particular you'd like to talk about whilst you're here?" Mouse asked him as she clicked away at the computer, he felt strange using the name, even if it was just in his own head. "We've got a good hour or so before Adi comes snooping."

"I've got a million things I'd like to say," Matty let slip as he trailed on closer to the table, then forced a sardonic smile. "But I'm not particularly in the mood for a good tongue lashing today."

She looked slightly startled by his dry joke and Matty found himself having to hold back a smirk as he rounded the desk, fingertips gliding across the table's smooth surface.

"What about you, then?" He posed, not wanting to stunt their talk just as it had begun. Somewhat intrigued now. "Got anything you'd like to get off your chest for millions of people to hear?"

It was sarky, but when was he not? Though if he was being honest, Matty just found that he wanted to hear the girl talk, because for some reason he enjoyed listening to her. Her gentle accent had obviously been weakened during the time she'd spent in London but Matty enjoyed its easy lilt. It was almost soothing. He wondered where she was from, but didn't ask.

Mouse snorted, shaking her head. "Wouldn't quite say millions, a couple thousand at best."

Matty felt his eyebrows raise as he spared another glance over at her, thinking back to those eyes that had held his so solemnly. "What, even with me here?"

He was teasing, but her eyes widened briefly as though she feared she had offended him, but as mentioned, it was only a brief flicker before a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see how loyal your fans truly are, Healy."

"Guess so." Matty mocked.

***

The show had gotten off to a rocky start. I had been all too aware of the surrounding cameras and the way the menacing rockstar, sat centimetres away from me, liked to keep his stare fixed firmly on me at all times, following my each and every movement.

I couldn't quite help the way I shifted uncomfortably every time I looked up and caught Healy's eye either, or the way I’d chosen to angle my face away from the cameras to avoid looking directly into any lenses.

I was dead crap when it came down to things like this. It all became too much, the pressure to entertain, to pretend that I was fine, that I was comfortable in my own skin, to chat away like there weren't already a thousand eyes studying my every flaw.

Look, give me a microphone and any sodding topic that either pissed me off or positively enthralled me and I'd be happy to rant the ears off of any nutter willing to listen. But in scenarios such as these, I always felt slightly on edge. Teetering on the verge of falling right on over it.

‘Cause I knew what people saw when they looked at me. I was all too familiar with the pitying glance I often got spared, as well as the grimaces people couldn’t seem to hide when they walked by. 

I’d had to deal with it for years. Ever since I was a kid.

And upon hearing that, anyone would probably figure that I might’ve gotten used to all the gawking by now, especially with a toddler constantly keeping me on my toes. But ultimately my son’s presence often appeared to exaggerate the mixed reactions I received.

In truth, I’d never really been given the time to come to terms with the scars that marred my body, my face. The white lines that spoiled the features underneath.

So claiming it to be a rocky start, would only put a dent about the size of a pea into the way I was currently feeling! 

Healy was rather unhelpful too, just as I’d predicted. He seemed to almost get off on watching me writhe under his leer and his answers to the questions or topics brought up were half-hearted at best.

Really, I was beginning to doubt the way in which I’d figured this entire mess would end.

It was only supposed to be a quick and easy chat, the two of us sat there gossiping like old mates, proving to the rest of the world that there really was no animosity or underlying conspiracies to this whole setup. When in actuality, that really wasn't the case.

Time and time again I found myself questioning why exactly Healy had even bothered to come, why he had even agreed to the whole ordeal in the first place. Especially when he was so apathetic with his replies.

"So," I trailed off, somewhat desperate to save what was left of the segment- for my sake at the very least. I didn't even want to think of what sort of issues this would cause for the show. "Music! I mean, from an outsider's point of view, we never really got the whole backstory on how you and the rest of the band really met. I mean, you’ve said you started it in secondary school, but you yourself were kind of pushed into the limelight at a really young age, so how did you and the guys connect?”

Healy tensed at that particular question, his shoulders forming a more rigid line as his gaze flickered away from me for only the briefest of seconds before it returned, but it was enough to alert me to the fact that I was treading into murky waters. I tried to backtrack.

"But in all honesty, what I really want to know about are all the sordid details, life after all that crap, the answers to the things people never think to ask. Like, I've seen pictures of your clearly extensive guitar collection all over your Instagram feed, you must have a favourite!"

Matty's lips curled into something which almost resembled a smile then and it honest to God threw me through a loop. A metaphorical loop, of course, I wasn't quite sure if we could fit any sort of loop-like shape into a space this small.

But I was letting myself get sidetracked and couldn't help but question whether that was the sort of thing Healy typically thrived off of. He’d smiled, and nothing wicked or sarky had tinged it, it’d been a genuine smile. And I had to blink just to make sure my eyes hadn't been playing tricks on me as Healy edged forward in his seat, a coy grin now dancing at the corners of his muted pink lips.

"A favourite? Now that's the question to ask! Honestly? It'll have to be the '63 Jazzmaster I've got. It’s wicked, used by the Ramones on their debut album and then by David Byrne on early Syre demos. So it’s seen quite a bit."

After that, I just sat there. Stunned as Healy continued to rant about this poxy guitar he was so obviously smitten with and couldn't help but be utterly captivated by each and every word that slipped from his mouth.

Apparently all I had ever needed to get past the games and ginormous walls Healy had defensively built around himself was to simply be myself. Ask the questions that maybe only I wanted to know the answers to. 

See, I wasn't the biggest people person but I figured myself to be somewhat of a skilful conversationalist. What with my past, I’d kind of had to force myself to be. But I was glad to have finally been given an in with Healy, no matter how small. It helped the interview pass by a lot easier. 

Although the new spirit Healy adopted after that only seemed to last until nearing the very end of the show. 

In truth, I had all but forgotten about the cameras and microphones set up, the fact that people were still listening in, were watching us converse, whilst I simply lost myself in listening to Healy prattle away. Positively enraptured by the way the musician's mind worked as he explained the complexity of a certain riff he adored, or the time he'd pretended to get off in Madison Square Garden- much to the dismay of his PR Team.

"They went absolutely mental when I first proposed it. I'm telling you! Yapping about time and effort, and it being too much for the younger viewers, then the plans that would have to be put into place- all that merry shite. And I’d just been sitting there in these, these skimpy leather trousers, quietly debating over when, or if I'd ever, get the feeling back in my legs. And don't even get me started on my knob. I mean, it must've shrivelled up and die- hang on, I can say knob, right? On air?"

Looking at him in that moment, forgetting everything I already knew, it was like I was seeing this whole other person. Someone who wasn't so confrontational, so quick to defend, or easy to recoil. 

It was clear, to me at least, that Healy wasn't the image the media painted of him, he was simply human. A troubled man who truly loved music, in every sort of variety, and wanted to vocalise and share that love with everyone else. He was eccentric for sure, but sincere.

I could see that, even if it only felt like I'd only been given the tiniest bit of insight into the person Healy so obviously tried to keep concealed.

It wasn't long later when I startled somewhat upon seeing the flashing red light of one of our cameras go off to my left and immediately, I jolted upright in my seat.

"God- crap!" I blurted out stupidly as I grabbed at the headset that had threatened to fall off my head in my sudden haste. "Hold on. Sorry, got really sidetracked there- one of the camera's is telling me it's on its last legs, so we'd best start wrapping this up."

Healy deflated ever so visibly, shrinking back in his seat as he huffed a soundless chuckle.

"Can't seem to stop me once I get going." Healy widened his eyes to emphasise his point and I observed how he had hastily retreated back into himself to haul his guard up again.

I was quick to shake my head. "No, truthfully I can't remember the last time I just got to sit here and listen. It was nice not having to do all the work for once."

Matty licked at his top lip upon hearing that and rewarded me with another mirthful smirk. I realised I'd properly put my foot in it there, stressing over why I’d even worded it like that. 

Whilst he chuckled to himself at the picture I must’ve made, I decided my best bet was to hurry on and end the show, reciting what needed to be said before I finally signed off, clicking a button.

It was just as the 'ON AIR' sign above the door went off that Adi barged straight through the entrance, gracing us with her wonderful presence. Jamie was just behind her, peeking his head around the doorframe.

"Well I think I can say that that went as well as it could’ve!" He announced, coming to a standstill by Matty as he clapped his client heartily on the back. "Well done, Matt. You as well, Mouse."

"Appreciate it." I smiled up at him before tugging off my headphones and pushing away the mic.

With all four of us now crowded into the makeshift room, the booth suddenly felt a lot smaller than it usually did, and so I tried my best to disguise the way my body immediately reacted to the realisation.

"I'm in dire need of a fag though. Will you be alright tidying up in here, Ads?" I announced as I pulled myself up onto my feet, already beginning to shuffle towards the exit. I picked up the cardigan I'd left on the back of one of the chairs as I went, using it as a shield almost. 

"Yeah, of course. Glasses here wanted to discuss one more thing before they made a move anyway."

I shot an arched brow at the man in question but Jamie waved my curiosity off. "Nothing too detailed. Just some forms that need signing."

I didn't much like the part of the arrangement that came after recording, but with an understanding ‘Ah’, I forced myself to ask, "Erm, don't suppose you need me to stick around for any of that do you?"

"Nah," Jamie laughed lightly, "Go on, you're all good."

I smiled, silently praising the stars above as I nodded once and resumed my exit, tugging the cardi on as I hastily made my way over to the fire escape.

Praying that our luck hadn’t run out just yet, I hoped that no one else was up on the roof waiting for me when I pulled my feet up the rickety metal staircase. It was just about the last thing I needed at that moment.

I already had my lighter in hand by the time I'd made it over to our little makeshift patio we’d created, which consisted of a few wooden pallets and a couple of large cushions that overlooked the neighbouring buildings.

It wasn't much, Islington. It was inner London sure, and had its fair few classier joints to show off, but I much preferred what else it had to offer. Like how the hustle and bustle of the city quietened just as you lost yourself down the backroads. And all the parks that had been scattered in and around the main developments and the dozens and dozens of buildings that were constantly cropping up. How there was a pub on almost every street corner and a Sainsbury's never too far away. I even enjoyed the gentle rattle of the overground, it was all too familiar now. Felt more like home than the Isles ever had.

Looking out across the surrounding rooftops, I wondered again just why my mum had yet to leave our tiny town as I lit a cigarette and lifted the filter to my lips.

The first chance my father ever got he’d gone running for the hills and then me, myself, had upped and left the confines of our small cottage as soon as the offer had presented itself.

It wasn't that the harbour town I'd grown up in had nothing to offer. It had a sense of community, a beautiful shoreline (even in the colder months), and of course, the local rugby team.

But speaking in a manner of careers, well, unless you were breaking out on your own and had the cash to open up a shop on the high-street, then you were probably destined to either work in the local greengrocers, serve behind the village bar, or get a shift down by the docks.

You were lucky if you had a bit more meat on your bones though, because then you also had the added opportunity of getting an offer to start laying bricks for one of the few building companies. Most of which were family based.

We had the main school too which housed both primary and secondary  kids, and the local college was available if you wanted to further your education. But the closest University campus was a good hundred miles away. 

I had applied, but only to lessen the guilt I'd felt towards my mother when I'd started looking for courses available in just about any place apart from home whilst filling out uni apps.

I could still recall the day I’d finally told her I'd be leaving for London. Felt like a lifetime ago now really.

I'd definitely have to call her up again soon, to make sure that she was doing okay, even if it meant that I'd be forced to listen to her rattle on about coming home for Christmas. Again.

I sighed contently to myself and it was just as I flicked away a stump of ash that I heard someone approach.

[blackkat15]

James May on stupid sheep

He talks about Fusker 😭

"This month, I have acquired a cat. He’s a black and white tom, eight weeks old, and I have named him Fusker in memory of the late Bob Cook, father of my childhood friend Robert Cook. He was a man who hated cats.

In fact he would refer to any cat as ‘a little fusker’ and it’s only now I realise that he was probably just sparing Mrs Cook’s blushes. But it’s too late. He answers to Fusker, I love him, and he loves me.

But don’t worry. I’m not going to turn into one of those pathetic pussy-whipped blokes who says, “Ha, ha, it was ever so funny the other day with Fusker he climbed onto my desk and jumped onto the computer keybolrddgdfgk lsdkfj l sdf k sdfsldfkjjjjjjj and I said look Fusker there’s a mouse and he chased it, ha, ha, ha, and I lost everything!”

but the other day – it was ever so funny – I opened the fridge to get another beer and found I’d shut him in it! And he was purring!

In the end, even the most ardent cat fancier has to admit that they just aren’t very bright. They have become the stuff of superstition, various cultures have attributed mystical powers to them, and the ancient Egyptians went as far as to turn a cat into a deity. My own experience, however, suggests that the cat understands only two things – the peerless pleasure of a fresh dollop of Whiskas, and the pain of being trodden on following a mistimed lunge at an approaching booted foot.

Mind you, compared with some of the sheep I have met recently, Fusker is Magnus ruddy Magnusson.

I’ve been meeting a lot of sheep, because I’ve been driving in Scotland and Wales. I thought I liked them. They’re decorative and scenic; they wander, lonely, around the hills and vales like the clouds of the earth. At the risk of being misunderstood, the pedigree sheep of Scotland and Wales are quite handsome brutes.

There are obvious downsides to being a sheep: it must be pretty boring and people keep nicking your coat. But, in many ways, life must be utterly idyllic. There’s no work to do, you fear no natural predators, and when you eat grass and live in the Brecon Beacons the whole world is your lunch. The equivalent for me would be if every street in London was carpeted with plates of egg and chips.

So I have to ask why so many of them, even now, are standing in the middle of the A4067 between Defynnog and Abercraf. I’ve tried to work out, using my knowledge of geometry, what percentage of this region of Wales, by area, is road rather than grass. But it’s so small I’ve given up. Proportionally, it’s smaller than that irritating bit of lemon grass in a Thai curry.

Standing in the middle of the road really is idiotic behaviour even by the standards of the beasts of the fields, and especially when I’m enjoying the new Vauxhall Monaro VXR. As a sheep, standing in front of one-and-a-half tons of V8 muscle car is a bit like turning up to a jousting tournament in a cardigan.

The Monaro is actually an Australian car, which is strangely relevant as the Aussies have a similar problem with kangaroos. But at least a road-kill kangaroo can be made into what the manager of a Nullabor roadhouse once described to me as a ‘pie-flavoured pie’.

Sheep are unbelievably thick, and when you examine one closely you can see why. They appear to be quite big but, as with Richard Hammond’s poodle, there isn’t actually very much animal inside that big ball of fluff. And even then, this surprisingly small creature has a disproportionately small head, and hence brain (I once ate a sheep’s brain in the Middle East, and I have to say I came away still hungry). Hammond’s poodle is merely difficult to shoot at, but a sheep is dangerously witless.

It’s not as if they skip about in the road or scamper away in terror. They just sit there looking sheepish as you bear down on them. But if you stop and get out of the car, they run like hell. What does this tell us?

Clearly, we need to deal with the sheep menace, because it’s spoiling some of the best driving roads in Britain. So I rang the RSPCA, probably the most powerful organisation in the country, to see what they were going to do about it. The phone was answered by a computer which said ‘Press one to report a stray animal’, but as I was still in Wales I could see that becoming boring.

Eventually, I got through to a preventionist, and her first recommendation was the erection of more fencing. Brilliant. We’ve never even devised a means of keeping the Scots and the Welsh in, so I can’t see us getting very far with their livestock. And here’s something else that might surprise animal lovers – according to the RSPCA, there is ‘no scientific evidence’ that those ultra-sonic animal alarm things work. All they mean is that the last thought to pass through the mind of a hedgehog is ‘what’s that irritating whining noise?’

Apparently, your typical Welsh or Scottish sheep is ‘hefted’, that is, free to roam. “They know where they’re supposed to be,” said my contact. “They know where the good grazing is and tend to stay there.”

Well, this is patently untrue. They hide behind rocks in groups and say, “Get ready lads – here comes one now”, before leaping out in front of the big Vozza just as I’ve snicked it into fourth. I can’t stand it. The sheer gormlessness of their faces is putting me off my driving.

The solution is simple. I stopped and spoke to a shepherd in Scotland and he told me that sheep farming is now a completely pointless exercise, with whole fleeces fetching prices that he expressed in pence. So why bother? Get rid of the woolly wastes of space. This is confirmation of something I have suspected for a very long time – that the countryside is not for living  in, it’s just for driving through and admiring.

We can get lamb chops from New Zealand."

[etraytin]

Postcards From the Dusty Mountains

Took the kiddo out yesterday with me when I went a-volunteering because he is getting very tired of not having anything to do. You know it's getting bad when a guy misses school and is tired of being on his computer all day. I'm not being sarcastic either, I'm deeply sympathetic to his plight and I wish he could get back to school and the friends he was making and the brand-new boyfriend he's been taking those first cautious romantic steps with. He already had to live through COVID homeschooling for two years, and now this. Ugh. I have heard rumors that they are hoping to open the schools back up on October 21, which means two more weeks closed, but it could be worse. So many places still don't even have power, much less water.

Anyway, I took him with me and we went down to a food distribution in Swannanoa. They got hit very very hard, and we spent a couple hours helping a Chick-Fil-A volunteer team from Atlanta hand out hot chicken sandwiches and bottled water. In normal days I don't have much to do with Chick-Fil-A because I don't like their politics, but when the matter at hand is giving hot food to people who've lost their homes, you put the politics aside. I just wish the rest of the country was able to do the same, because I am extraordinarily tired of people thinking of North Carolina as a "battleground state" when the battle we are fighting right now is to keep people alive as the weather starts to turn cold and the water lines stay broken.

Today was busy because I actually managed to keep a doctor's appointment I have been waiting a month for, which was quite a pleasant surprise! The doctor's office is in Hendersonville, so the fact that they were open for business and that I was able to get there are both things that I might have doubted a week ago. I also had an appointment with a local HVAC outfit about getting a whole-house standby generator installed so that next time we have a power outage, we can at least power the fridges, the well pump, the dehumidifiers and my CPAP, with maybe some left over for laptop charging. The price he quoted me for everything except the propane tank and line was $11,000, which was not exactly unexpected but still a big ol' yikes. The good news is, his company bought several of the right size generators before the storm so they would have an inventory, so I could theoretically have a generator before winter really sets in. Highly tempting.

In the afternoon, kiddo and I went out to do more helping. If nothing else has become more apparent over this week, it's that we were and continue to be so, so lucky. Of all the teachers at my husband's school, we are the _only_ family who are still in our own home with all our utilities back up. We are the only members of our extended family in the area who have power. We are part of a tiny fraction of households in the region who have potable water coming from our taps. Given all of that, we decided that we were going to take my final paycheck from canvassing and put it into a community that was not lucky at all. Our Lowes got restocked big time this week, so I was able to go in and get a propane tank, a gas can, a huge box of contractor bags, a straight rake, a shovel, and a gas-powered chainsaw with two cans of fuel for it. We also raided our own house and took our own three shovels and straight rake, our garden cart, some very cute hiking boots I bought but hadn't worn yet, eight packs of bath wipes and two of our cell phone power banks and drove the whole thing down to Black Mountain.

Black Mountain is very close to Swannanoa and was also hit extremely hard by the storm. We didn't go around touristing, but even on the main roads we took we could see devastation everywhere. Everywhere the water touched was drenched in toxic mud, which has dried over the past two weeks into an awful choking dust that covers everything. It blows on the wind and rises with every passing car. As we drove I took the opportunity to explain how the search and rescue paint marking system works to Kiddo, because their bright green graffiti was on all the half-destroyed houses we were passing.

There's an outdoor music venue in Black Mountain called Silverados that has been turned into a massive distribution center. Hot meals were being passed out in the front, while the rear was a busy hive of organizing and distributing supplies. We went there and dropped off all our items, where they were carted away into an absolutely teeming hub of supplies and volunteers. We asked if they needed any more help today, but they definitely had enough willing hands. I think my dad will laugh because I finally did get the chainsaw he talked me out of, but then gave it away before it even left the box.

With a little time on our hands, we went back up north and visited our favorite grocery store, the one that sells lightly-expired canned and boxed food at greatly reduced prices. We were very happy to see that they'd come through the storm unscathed except for a lack of internet, and stocked up on more of the seemingly endless supply of Old El Paso meal kits that they sell two for a dollar. Cheaper than buying tortillas and taco seasoning, lol! We also visited the local record store, which opened for regular business hours despite the circumstances as well, and bought a couple of records because we want them to stay in business even though times are tough. It was, overall, an extremely successful outing.

Sometimes the world here in our house feels tantalizingly close to normal, an endless weekend where we are just waiting to go back to school and work. But just driving into town and seeing all the places closed for lack of water is enough to destroy that bubble, and driving thirty minutes in any direction is like stepping into a different world. Marshall, Spruce Pine, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, the River Arts District. Dozens more places that I have not seen and probably couldn't even get to if I tried. I'm very afraid for what is about to happen in Florida, for their sake and for ours. Appalachia has a long history of being forgotten about when bad things are happening. I really hope it doesn't go that way again.

[saltyyuuri]

Fade x GN! Reader

🐈‍⬛slow night🐈‍⬛

words : 2300 ish

Song; Good kid, from the start

Warnings; none

Note: I actually just got this idea spontaneously; short cozy, and I kind of thought that Fade would fit. In this fic, Reader works as a roadside (tow truck) dispatcher (which is my job 🫡), Work from home.

Do know that the scenario written actually happened.

🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

You were sitting pretty comfortably in your office chair, sitting cross-legged as you were scrolling on your phone casually. You had your work laptop open and plugged onto two different screens, a few programs open at the same time and a pair of headphones hanging around your neck that was plugged into the laptop.

You would glance up ever so occasionally to the screens, just keeping an eye on a few of the programs, keeping watch for anything coming in. But honestly the day had been pretty slow, so enough to be more than acceptable to take over time. You only had a few calls today, and nothing too complicated to deal with. You have been up since 7:00 in the morning, and your shift was supposed to end at 7:00 p.m.

Sure, a 12-hour shift seemed radical, but honestly you had spent most of the day either on your phone, on your personal computer set up on a different desk right beside you, cleaning a little bit and cooking. One of your co-workers needed to sign off earlier due to a medical emergency- so you chose to cover your base until midnight, anyways you would only start at 12:00 the next day.

You had music playing on the speaker nearby, your pet cat on your lap, curled up in a ball and purring from her cozy spot. You were currently reading an ebook, you found a new series to read up on and you got hooked pretty quickly. And with a slow day like this, you had more than enough time to read to your heart's content.

That was until you heard your apartment door open, lifting your head and turning a bit to look at who came in. You already knew who it was but you still looked out of curiosity. You saw the back of familiar black and white hair, black leather outfit and thin silhouette, currently bent over and taking off her boots.

You decided to tease her a bit, "Damn- you just gave me the best view today-" you said teasingly- chuckling Softly As you watched her stand up straight again, turning around to look at you with a smirk. "You know, if you would open your curtains for once, you'd have a nice view on the city." Fade retorted, walking quietly towards you. She rested her hands on your shoulders as you turned back towards your computer, glancing at the programs once again.

You took a short moment to reply to a message that was sent by one of the units, double checking what he was asking for before sending the reply, your attention turning back to Fade afterwards. "Yeah, but then I'd have to literally see my units work. No thanks. They're idiotic enough to hear -" you giggled out Softly, you mostly meant that in a teasing way... Mostly.

"Are you working late tonight?" Fade asked you, one of her hands reaching down to go pet your cat, scratching behind its ears. It lifted its head slightly with a very low meow, enjoying the extra attention it was getting. "Well, I'm covering for one of my colleagues until midnight. But it looks like it's pretty dead." You hummed out softly.

Your playlist shifted a bit to some indie rock music, setting a nice little mood. You currently had a candle burning on a coffee table nearby, adding a nice little aroma in the air. You also had a half drank can of Red bull nearby, and a graveyard of a few cans you had today a bit further off on the desk. Fade I saw the amount of energy drinks you had, letting out a small sigh and shaking her head.

"You really need to cut it on the energy drinks- are you even going to sleep tonight?" She scolded you slightly as she started picking up some of the empty cans to toss out in the recycling bin. You had a small apartment, more than enough for your own needs and your cat to live comfortably. You had your two desks set up in the living room since you lived alone- or at least, for the most part, alone.

Fade was starting to develop a habit of staying over a lot more, whenever she was off duty or had vacation time, she would spend her time here. What started off on a day or two a week slowly turned into half the week if not an entire week at a time. You weren't complaining though, the company was definitely appreciated, especially hers.

"I'm fine, that's all I had since 7:00 in the morning. It's not that bad-" You pleaded your case with a sheepish smile. Fade rolled her eyes at you, getting herself a chair so she could sit nearby. "Of course you would say that." She sighed, shaking her head slightly. She pulled up her backpack, which she usually carried various little items in whenever she visited- usually stuff like snacks, drinks, an extra cat toy she picked up for your kitty, books she thought you'd like or even a candle-

And this time she pulled out Henna- a little something she did as a pastime. She enjoyed doing little Henna designs on herself, doing some on her fingers and often doing very intricate designs on her own arms and even legs. Except this time she patted your arm- taking it hostage.

"you know I might need that-like I still need to type every now and then-" you told her with a small chuckle, but not resisting. "So? I can type for you if that's the problem." She said, taking out her phone to look at some inspiration ideas. She had a general idea of what she wanted to do on your arm, but still enjoyed looking up pictures every now and then to get something fresh.

"So you would willingly do my job for me?" You teased her again. "Oh I'm not going to talk to your idiotic units, but I can type whatever you need." She laughed softly, finding a good inspiration picture and setting the phone up, using the corner of one of your screens to prop it up.

And so for the next hour or so, she focused on creating a beautiful design on your hand and arm, you kept an eye on your work computer and checking up at the programs every now and then. There wasn't anything Grand going on, the worst you had to do was either reassign some calls two different units or do minor modifications for some other calls. You were able to type with just one hand for those things, only needing to type a few letters or numbers.

The atmosphere was pretty relaxed, Fade was enjoying getting to use her artistic creativity on your arm while you are stuck having to sit in front of your work computer to monitor everything. It was only around 10:00 p.m. that Fade finished her design, she had taken her time as she paused a few times to get snacks, feed you some snacks and also pet the cat.

"ooo it looks pretty!" You said, looking over at your arm to see the final design, a smile on your face. "Glad you like it." Fade said, cleaning up any mess she could have made on the side from putting down the tube every now and then. When she got up she put a quick kiss on your temple, putting away some stuff afterwards for a few minutes.

While she was gone for those few minutes, you glanced back at your monitors once again. And this time you saw a little red indicator on one of the calls, making you sigh. You started looking into it trying to figure out what was going wrong with it, looking over the call and looking at any messages that the unit could have sent.

You tried to smooth it out and found a small solution to the problem, hoping that all would be fine. Fade came back, taking a seat beside you once more, this time holding a plate with some vegetables and dip. You happily took a few to snack on as you kept an eye on your screen. "Something happen?" Fade asked seeing that you were a little more concentrated on your work computer.

"hm... I feel like I'm about to get a problem case." You hummed, looking at the specific call you had highlighted on the call list. There was only six calls active currently, which was a very good considering that you had a very broad territory to cover. And just as you thought, maybe 5 minutes later, you had a call coming in from your laptop.

You slid on your headphones, answering the call quickly. "Dispatch, this is (Y-N), what's going on?" You asked in a mostly monotone voice, you already knew what call it was for, but you still waited for confirmation. "Uh yeah, this is truck f24, slight problem." The gruff voice of the tow truck guy came through. "I figured you weren't really calling me to ask how my day is going. What's the problem?"

At this point the units that you typically would deal with were all pretty familiar with your sarcasm, same for any of your coworkers. There was a pause on the line before the trucker finally spoke up again. He explained the general problem that was going on- and the more he spoke the worst it seemed to get.

"wait wait, pause. Just to make sure I followed everything here, and make sure I did not misunderstand you-"

You sat up on your office chair, grabbing a notebook and a pen because you needed to note this down. Fade looked a little curious, now wondering what was going on on your side. The tow truck guy repeated once again what he had just said, and you noted down everything before reading it back, once again very unsure if you understood the damn situation.

"So you're telling me, this minivan you're supposed to tow... The guy is not only weird as hell, but also has two body bags in the back?" You repeated a little bit in disbelief. "And your first instinct is to call me and not the goddamn cops?!" You said, your voice raising a bit in concern.

The tow trucker finally hung up the call pretty quickly after that, to which you pinch the bridge of your nose and let out a sigh, taking your phone to open up the teams app, passing a quick message to whoever else was online about the situation. Fade looked like she was about to burst out laughing.

"That sounds... Interesting." Fade said, a chuckle escaping her. "I really don't know if I should be laughing or call the cops myself- I swear..." You said, sitting up in your seat as you kept a good eye on your monitors, specifically the message screen for any updates. You got a little antsy after a few minutes, of course no updates was a little worrisome, but you also knew that the message screen was quite slow to send notifications.

After about 15 minutes, you got another call from the same trucker, letting out a sigh of relief and quickly answering "Update?" You asked before anything else. There was a bit of a laugh on the other end of the line and that left you a bit confused.

"uh... The guy works for the morgue. He was transporting the bodies to the morgue. He just picked them up from the general hospital." The tow truck guy said a bit sheepishly, laughing Softly. "The cops are going to finish the transport before stuff gets messy, so everything's fine here now."

You looked and disbelief at the screen of your laptop before facepalming, starting to laugh. "That's... God dammit. Okay, at least it's like the only good reason to have a body bag in your car-" you said through your laughter, shaking your head in disbelief. The call got disconnected a bit after- and you relaxed once more in your seat.

Fade was still laughing in the background, she had heard everything and thought it was absolutely hilarious. You can help but start laughing again, that type of situation was definitely a first- and how that it was over and nothing bad, it was kind of funny. "Jeez... The shit you can hear about here..." You said through giggles, shaking your head once more.

The rest of your shift went by smoothly without any more incidents, and by midnight you were logged off. As soon as you're locked off you were already cuddled up with Fade head resting in the crook of her neck, her hand tangled in your hair, scratching your scalp. Your black cat had jumped up and joined in on the cuddles, curling up on the other side of Fade, purring loudly once more.

"I'm the community pillow now." Fade Chuckled out, placing a small kiss on your temple once more as she kept gently scratching your scalp. "Yes. Me and the kitty's pillow." You mumbled out into her neck, to which she chuckled.

"Ah yes, my favorite job title to have. The best one." She said, placing another small kiss of your temple. There was another small giggle coming from your end before you spoke up. "I only work from 12pm to 6pm tomorrow. Wanna go out for dinner after?" You asked in a tired mumble, you were getting sleepy from the cuddles and scalp scratches. "Of course, I'd love that."

There it was a short moment of silence, Fade shifted just slightly to be comfortable enough to sleep. You are already pretty much passed out on top of her, the cat was lightly snoring on her side. "Goodnight, love." Fade said softly before she also started dozing off for the night, a small smile on her lips.