#I know it's usually someone we encounter early on but the appearance of Crane had me considering other Arkham Asylum villains

[frankentyner]

Just saw Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo for the first time.  I liked it.  Quite a bit.

[yuthoe]

may i request a full fic of idol!reader where they accidentally reveal they’re dating yuto? 🥺

Hello!!! Super sorry for taking so long to get this out. This is actually the first request I’ve gotten on this blog, especially with a small following like mine.

I’ve been wondering for a while how I’m going to approach this, because I want to be as realistic in my writing as possible. I did a little research on dating bans in the K-pop industry, and based on the stuff I found, Cube doesn’t really have a dating ban. But with what happened with Hyuna and Dawn, I wanted to be careful (even if it is fiction, and creative liberties are a thing). There’s conflicting narratives that come into play here, and since I’m still not sure if Cube has a dating ban or not, I couldn’t follow the request to a T. Sorry about that :((. 

But here is my attempt at fulfilling your request, as much as I’m comfortable with

WARNINGS: n/a. WORD COUNT: 1,879.

—

Hide and Seek

You should be used to being in the spotlight like this, given your three years in the K-pop industry. Everytime you make a comeback, it’s expected that you’re thrust into interviews, guest appearances on TV, and music show recordings for a month following the release. Sometimes guestings take the whole day and recordings take the whole night, with very little breaks between. Most days you eat twice a day, light meals that are eight to ten hours apart. You sleep in the car on the way to appointments and barely have the energy to shower once you get back to your apartment before collapsing bone-tired on your bed, only to be woken up by your alarm four hours later for an early schedule.

It’s safe to say that, with your promotion schedule almost over, you are tired, hopped up on caffeine from coffee and energy drinks, and will most definitely sleep for 14 hours after all this done.

That’s all that’s running through your brain as you sit on a tall swivel chair between the hosts of another show (you’re not certain which one, at this point) on your right, and the whole of Pentagon on your left. Normally, you would be intimidated, sitting next to such a big group, that’s had so much success in their career so far. Having debuted almost at the same time (yours only a week earlier than theirs), you’re fairly close with the members. You may not be from the same agency, but you often go out on hang-outs with them, made easy by being Wooseok’s friend from high school. You know you’ve encountered all the members once or twice before, so you’re a lot less nervous about this interview.

“So Pentagon has returned for another comeback, along with your first ever full album called Universe: The Black Hall,” Dara, one of the hosts, says. “The title track is ‘Dr. Bebe’ and the concept this time is very dark. What made you guys decide to go for this type of concept for this comeback?”

“Yeah,” the other host Doyun concurs, “because Pentagon is known for your cute concepts like ‘Shine’, ‘Naughty Boy’ and ‘Humph’, right? Why the sudden change?”

“It’s exactly as you said,” Hui replied easily. “We have done a lot of cute and light concepts before, so this time we wanted to showcase a completely different side of us. I think a lot of people were surprised this time that we came out with a much heavier track that usual,” he finishes with a laugh.

“It’s also a chance to showcase more profound emotions for us,” Jinho adds. “It’s very… refreshing to have something new to play with in terms of conveying emotions and situations.”

The hosts hum in understanding, and you nod along. Doyun turns to you and you fell yourself sit up straighter. “And what about you, Y/N? You came out with a new mini-album along with the release of your new music video for the song ‘Blue and White’. What type of concept are you going for this time?”

“Well, the title of my mini-album is For Me and what I was going for this time is like a personal letter for me in different situations,” you begin. “’Blue and White’ is the opening track, and it’s sort of a mirror to a beautiful morning sky. It’s supposed to give you an energetic feeling, abut also a sense of contentment and peace, sort of like that.” You fiddle with the polka-dotted blanket on your lap. “I can’t really give a concrete concept for the whole album, but ‘Blue and White’ is a very light song, very happy, very bubbly.”

“Oh, yeah, I listened to it yesterday, and it did make me want to get up and go on a jog,” Dara says, and everyone laughs.

“That’s great, it worked!” Doyun says, clapping his hands before extending one to Pentagon. “Have any of you listened to her album?”

You look over and see a few hands raise—Hui, Yeo One, Hongseok, and Yuto. More of them listened to your album than you thought, and it makes you blush. Hui is an idol of yours when it comes to making songs, and you feel honored that he’s listening to your work.

“Ooh, quite a number of you,” he says. “Do you have a favorite track?”

Hongseok raises his hand. Dara invites him to answer and  Hongseok says, “I really like ‘Indigo’. I’m a big fan of ballads, and ‘Indigo’ such a good track to sing to. It’s very melancholic, and I think the feeling is supposed to convey frustration and loneliness, right?” He turns to you, as if for confirmation, and you nod excitedly. “Yeah, it’s a feeling that I’ve experienced before and the way it was treated as a subject matter in the song makes the emotions just… flow out of you, so it’s very easy to sing to.”

You bow to him in thanks, clasping your fingers together. Dara calls for another round, for anyone who wants to say their favorite track.

Yuto holds up a shy hand and timidly says, “’Blossoms’ is my favorite.”

“That’s a ballad, right?” Doyun says. “Do you sing along to it, like Hongseok?” he teases, and makes Yuto smile a bit.

“A little,” he replies, smile still on his face. “But singing isn’t really my strong suit. I like the song because it’s… it’s about love, but the repeating kind of love, in a sense that it persists and survives in good times and bad times, sort of like that.”

You had craned your neck to get a look at Yuto while he was speaking, but Wooseok is too tall and obstructing your view. Nonetheless, hearing him compliment ‘Blossoms’ on an interview so openly—and accurately, because you had him listen to the demo version of it and explained it to him—makes a tiny, pleased smile appear on your face.

“And you, Y/N? Do you have a favorite track from their album?” Dara asks, swivels her chair to face you.

You think, really think about it. “Aaahh, this is hard, all the songs in the album are amazing, and I’ve had them on repeat in my phone for the past week.” Everyone laughs at this. “But I think ‘Camellia’ is my favorite one out of all of them. I have a love-hate relationship with poems, even though I write poems set to music for a living, but the imagery in ‘Camellia’ is so strong and vivid that I just, see movie snapshots in my brain whenever I listen to it. It’s also very nice to sing to, and I love ballads as well.”

“What’s the song about again, can someone explain?” Dara gestures to Pentagon or to you, fine with anyone speaking up.”

“It’s actually Yuto’s song,” Kino suddenly says. “He wrote it.” He looks behind him, softly asking if he Yuto wants to explain it. When Yuto shakes his hand to decline, Kino turns back around and says, “Okay, it’s actually also about an everlasting love, and follows the image of a flower that blooms and withers constantly with the seasons.”

“Oh, so it’s a lot like ‘Blossoms’, then,” Doyun says, at awe in the connection of the songs. He points to you and Yuto. “You two have the same taste in music, huh?”

“Ah, I’m quite close to the maknae in Pentagon, and we frequently hang out when we have free days,” you say, and immediately think that maybe that wasn’t the best explanation. “We frequently give each other song recommendations, so maybe our tastes converge at some point.” It’s a lousy save, but it’s still a save.

Sure, let’s go with that, you think, as if the reason you like Camellia so much isn’t because it was the only thing you listened to for two weeks after the release of the album. And it’s not because when he was writing it, Yuto sent you short clips of the instrumental, as well as snippets of the demo track that had him singing softly across the melodies. Yeah, that’s totally not the reason why you love it so much.

“Oh, so you all hang out a lot, outside of recording schedules?” Dara says, looking at Kino at the front row, and then at Wooseok and Yuto sitting tall at the back row.

“I know her from high school,” Wooseok supplies. “So even before we debuted, we hung out a lot. Lately she just goes out with Yuto, though, since I’ve turned into a homebody.”

Your heart is beating a mile a minute. If you could, you’d jump from your chair and strangle your best friend this instant. Why didn’t he just say that you just dragged Yuto along during your get-togethers? Or maybe not mention Yuto at all? Maybe the lack of sleep is getting to him, too.

Dara and Doyun in the meantime, have sniffed out a possible scoop. “Ooohh, are these like dates?” Dara asks.

You put up your hands and vehemently (but not too much) shake your head. “No, it’s mainly just. Uh. Going out for coffee, since our dorms are near each other. Sometimes we watch movies and stuff because we’re both have free schedules, and the other members are busy.” You laugh smile, nerves alight, blood pumping adrenaline. “It’s mostly coincidental that we end up going out.”

You vaguely see Yuto nod his head before saying, “I think I pester Kino and Wooseok to go out a lot, too, and they’re busy anyway, so it ends up as just Y/N and I going out, even if we do want the members there, too.” Yuto cranes is neck to look at you, nodding slightly. Whether it’s to comfort you, or to make sure his story aligns with yours, you’re not sure. You nod back anyway, to ease the burden on his shoulders as well.

“Aah,” Doyun says, “so they aren’t dating; just good friends! And it’s very common these days to be friends with someone of the opposite gender, no?”

Well, you are dating. You just haven’t told your companies yet because you haven’t been together for long—give or take five months? Too early to tell anyone except for Kino, Wooseok, Hui, and both your managers. You’re not ready to come out to a lot of people, considering you both want to be more secure in the industry before letting it slip.

You both understand the need to keep it a secret, although it’s quite difficult whenever you get asked about relationships as they usually come in three to four questions. It’s also difficult when Wooseok decides that now is the time to tease that you and Yuto go on dates a lot. You make a mental note to ask your manager if it’s possible to not be scheduled at the same time as Pentagon, so you don’t have to drag the whole group down with you in case—knock on wood—a scandal happens.

The hosts have changed the topic—something about a game segment—and you take a calming breath; the danger has passed.

You have to admit, though: as stressful as keeping your dating life a secret can be, it’s also pretty thrilling. It’s like a long-running game of hide and seek.

[ladyfogg]

May I? - 12/?

May I? - 12/?

Fic Summary: Ensign Faith Diaz struggles to hide her mental illness from her fellow shipmates aboard the Enterprise until an intrigued Data goes out of his way to try to understand her behavior. At his insistence, Faith tries to figure out what she’s truly passionate about and eventually seeks the professional help she needs. Fic Masterpost.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Data/Female OC

Warnings: tw: depression, tw: anxiety, fluff, friends to lovers, eventual smut

Screenshot by @ lyrslair

Faith stirred awake. When she opened her eyes, she rolled over hoping to see Data. At once she knew he wasn't there. His easel stood abandoned where he had been painting when she fell asleep. She craned her neck around the door frame to see if he was sitting at his console. He wasn't.

She sighed and lay back down. It was then that she saw the rose on the nightstand. It definitely hadn't been there before. 

Smiling, she reached out to touch the petals before rolling onto her back. Faith stretched and her foot nudged something that moved. She glanced down to see Spot give her a sleepy glare before yawning. 

"Morning, Spot," she said. "Did he leave a while ago?"

Spot stretched as she stood, before hopping off the bed in search of water. 

Faith chuckled at the cat's indifference before getting up. "Computer, what's the time?"

" The time is oh-six hundred and ten hours."

She needed to get ready and find out what was going on. She assumed his sensors found something and she was eager to see what it was.

Faith headed back to her room to shower and dress. Once she was under the spray of the hot water, her muscles relaxed and she began to wake up fully. She had now slept in Data's room twice and twice she woke up more rested than she had in years.

She might even have dreamt, but she couldn't remember.

As she pondered her new relationship, she couldn't fathom how much Data had become a part of her life. Why had she been so afraid? She knew she was only a few days in, but it felt...different from her past romantic encounters. In a good way.

She had always known Data was special, but it wasn't until she spent more time with him that she realized just how special he was. She hoped she would be worthy of his kindness and consideration. She definitely would strive to be.

As for the potential sexual aspect of their coupling, his bold and honest approach to talking about it was something she was not used to.

Faith never really liked talking about sex. Mostly because her previous encounters had been anything but stellar. Anxiety made it difficult to live in the moment and when her mind wandered during sex, it hadn't exactly made for the best time.

She didn't want that to happen with Data. She cared about him too much. He deserved to have someone give him their full attention. 

While she knew his brain functioned at a faster rate and he often thought of many things at once, she never faulted him for it. For one reason, he couldn't help it. That was the way he was built. And for another reason, she struggled with a very similar situation so she understood what it was like. Not in the same sense of course, but still.

Faith finished her shower and dressed. She almost headed out after taking her medication, but then she remembered that she hadn't eaten. 

Just have something small. It'll make Data happy. Well, his version of happiness.

She went to the replicator and got a blueberry muffin with her usual coffee. She was two bites in when she thought she could use something savory to go with it, so she got a side of bacon.

While she ate, she scrolled through her terminal, looking up the reports from the evening. They'd be reaching the starbase within the next two hours which would mean the repairs could begin. Of course, they were stuck there until they were complete but that would give them time to figure out a plan moving forward.

Though, now that Geordi was head of the investigation, Faith was free to focus on her new status in Engineering. She had worried the others would have a problem taking orders from her, but the transition had been a surprisingly smooth one.

The door chimed and Faith was dragged out of her musings, "Come in."

Deanna entered with a smile. "Good morning. I thought I'd stop by early since we haven't had a chance to meet with everything going on."

"Good morning, Counselor. Can I get you some tea or coffee?" Faith asked, turning off her terminal. 

"Tea would be great."

Faith carried her breakfast over to the table before getting Deanna a fresh mug of tea. The two women sat together.

"Your appetite seems to be returning," Deanna noted as Faith took a bite of bacon.

Faith nodded. "A little bit. Mostly I'm eating because I know Data worries when I don't."

"Things seem to be going rather well with you two," Deanna commented. 

"It's only been like two days."

"What's been two days?"

Faith busied herself with her coffee so she wouldn't have to answer. Deanna, of course, could read between the lines.

"Was he your mystery date from the other night?" she asked teasingly.

"Don't think it was much of a mystery," Faith said. "You knew we both liked each other."

"I did. Also, you held hands on the Bridge." Deanna pointed out. "However, I did not expect you to act on your feelings so soon."

Faith froze. "Do you think I'm jumping into something too fast? I knew it. I should have waited! I mean, it felt right but maybe I—"

Deanna reached across the table to place a hand on hers. "Hey, hey, slow down. That's not at all what I was saying. I only meant that I thought it might take you a while to sort out your feelings."

"So you don't think this was a bad idea?"

"I think you and Data have a deep connection. I am proud of you for taking the chance."

Faith relaxed in her seat with a deep sigh. "I'm proud of me too. Data is…" She trailed off with a smile. "Unique."

Deanna smiled as well, patting Faith's hand before picking up her tea. "He truly is. And he obviously thinks the world about you."

"Did everyone know about our feelings before we did?"

"Yes."

Faith laughed before taking a sip of coffee. She could see Deanna studying her oddly. "You look like you have something else you want to say."

"I do," Deanna admitted, putting down her teacup. "I assume you've thought about the unique circumstances that come with dating an android."

"Yeah. Well, I mean I know it's going to be different than dating a human," Faith said. "There's a learning curve of course, but it's not like I'm a huge dating expert either. Be decided to take it slow, together."

"It sounds like there's a lot of communication," Deanna smiled. "That's a great start."

"You know Data. Sometimes there's too much communication," Faith admitted, going back to her breakfast as Deanna chuckled. "But he's cute and he means well. I'd rather talk a lot than not at all."

"Commander La Forge to Lieutenant Diaz."

Faith put her coffee down and tapped her communicator. "Diaz here."

"If you're up, you might want to meet us in the Brig. There's something you're going to want to see."

Faith and Deanna shared worried looks. "On my way." She stood. "Counselor, maybe you should come with."

"I think so too. Let's go."

The two women headed to one of the few areas of the ship Faith hadn't visited. Her brain immediately went to a dark place. Was Data alright? Did something attack him? What's in the Brig? Oh god, is he in the Brig? No that's dumb. You're overreacting.

When the doors to the Brig opened, she heaved a sigh of relief as she saw Data standing next to Geordi and Captain Picard. All three stared into one of the cells and when Faith approached, she was met by a strange sight.

At first, the cell looked empty. She couldn't see anyone until something on all fours threw itself against the forcefield, appearing in mid-air as it flew backward from the force. 

The creature was small, barely four-feet tall with a long dirty tunic and goggles that made its eyes look huge. It looked like it had welded bits of metal to itself, creating a makeshift armor. Its teeth were sharp when it bared them to her, crooked and yellow as it got back up and attacked again. The forcefield held. It snarled and jabbered in an unknown language, suddenly walking upright as it paced. It waved its hands, its four-fingered hands.

There was a shimmer of light and then it was gone, cloaked by either technology or its own abilities. Faith guessed the latter.

"What the hell is that?" she asked.

"We do not know," Data answered as she moved to stand by his side. "We tracked its signature around the ship for an hour before Lieutenant Worf was able to subdue it."

"How did it get on the ship?" Picard asked.

Geordi held up a device that looked like a wristwatch. "This transporter. At first Data and I thought it traveled inter-dimensionally, but it used regular transport technology. It must have tapped into our computers in order to use the transporter frequency."

"Luckily I included transporter readouts into the device I created. It boosted our sensors which caught the creature moving around the Enterprise," Data explained.

"Is it at all connected to the ship that attacked us?" Faith asked.

"It would seem so," Data answered. "I detect similar technological signatures between this creature and that ship."

"But why?" Deanna asked. "Why is it here and why did its ship attack us?"

"Maybe it bummed a ride and its comrades thought we kidnapped it," Geordi suggested. 

"Regardless of the reason, we must assume it will return," Picard said. "And we need to find out how it got on in the first place."

"I did not think it was possible it transported with the away team," Data said. "However, based on its technological know-how and natural cloaking features, one can conclude that that is the most logical way."

"Counselor, can you sense anything?" Picard asked.

Deanna took a tentative step towards the cell, focusing on the alien. "Anger and fear mostly," she said. "Both are very strong. It is a sentient being, it knows where it is. But beyond that, I can't tell."

"Now we need to find out which planet it came from," Faith said. 

"Well, we can't get very far until our repairs are done," Picard said. "Let's figure out where it came from so we can return it."

"Is it secure in there?" Faith asked, unable to keep from worrying.

"We have removed anything that can be used as a weapon and reinforced the forcefield. It will not be escaping," Data assured her. 

"Good to know," Picard said. "La Forge, Diaz, report back to Engineering to prepare for the repair crews. Mr. Data, report to the Bridge and have Security increased in this area. Let's not take any chances."

"Aye, sir," they said, recognizing a dismissal. 

The three of them left the Brig, although Geordi seemed to walk ahead of Faith and Data, giving them their space.

Faith fell into step with Data. "Missed you this morning," she said under her breath. 

"I did not wish to wake you," Data said. "I understand sleep is difficult."

"Thank you for the flower. It was very sweet."

They reached the turbo-lift and stepped in with Geordi. When it stopped at Engineering, Faith told him, "You go ahead. I'll be there soon."

He gave them a smirk. "Take your time," he said, stepping off the lift.

When the door closed and the lift began to move, Faith said, "Computer, pause lift."

It stopped and she turned to Data, who gave her a quizzical look. "Why did you do that?" he asked. "The captain told you to report to Engineering."

Faith smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I will. I just wanted a minute alone with you." Looking into his eyes, she allowed herself to enjoy the moment, letting fear and uncertainty wash away.

He was so much more handsome than she ever realized. The flawlessness of his features never ceased to amaze her.

"I see," Data said, placing his hands on her waist. "Would you like to make out?"

Faith laughed at the blunt question, feeling her face grow flush. She thought about declining but really, she'd only be hurting herself. "Yeah, okay."

Data cupped her cheek and drew her into a kiss, harder than she anticipated. She nearly stumbled backward, letting out a muffled noise of surprise, but his free hand caught her, palm pressed firmly against her lower back. 

Data drew his mouth away at the sound, looking at her questioningly. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

"No, no. Not at all. You just took me by surprise," Faith said, already breathless. 

"It was my understanding you enjoyed when I took charge. Has that changed?"

"Nope, not at all. Come here."

She kissed him this time, moving her lips against his. Her desire was overwhelming, muddling her mind yet heightening her senses. Her body erupted with goosebumps, heat coursing through her veins. Data's hand slid into her hair, cradling the back of her head as he increased the pressure of his kiss.

Faith lost herself in the feeling, giving over complete control. He accepted it, massaging her lips with near-perfect precision while holding her flush against his chest. She felt like putty in his clearly very capable hands. It was suddenly way too hot in the turbo-lift, every inch of her body craving to be free of her uniform so she could feel Data's skin along hers. 

Her head spun and she suddenly remembered she needed to breathe. She broke the kiss, gasping. 

"Hooboy," she panted. 

Her chest heaved, lips slightly damp with spit. Data stared into her eyes, seemingly unfazed by what just happened. But she knew better. She had already begun to learn to read his expressions. It was his eyes. They looked at her differently each time they kissed. She couldn't explain it, but she felt it deep in her bones.

"Your temperature has increased dramatically," he commented.

"That's because I am extremely turned on right now," she blurted out. 

His eyes widened, head cocking to the side. "Interesting. So you do not require manual stimuli to become significantly aroused?"

"Maybe you're just a damn good kisser, Data," she smirked. 

"Perhaps we should test that theory."

"Stars, yes!"

She went in for another kiss, grabbing his wrist to bring his hand to touch her somewhere anywhere. But before anything else happened, the lift beeped, signaling it was being called. 

"Damn it!" Faith growled, resting her forehead against his.

"Perhaps now is not the best place and time," he said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Data allowed her to stand up straight and step back. She fixed her disheveled hair as his arms slipped from her waist.

"We'll finish this later," she promised.

"I would like that very much," Data said with a soft smile. "Computer, resume."

The lift continued to move and as soon as the doors opened, she slipped past Ensign Ro who stepped on. Faith shot Data a smile and small wave, which he returned. 

She took the long route to Engineering so she could cool off a bit. Kissing had never produced such instant lust before. She needed to be careful or she was going to throw her whole "going slow" plan out the airlock.

Geordi was in his office when she arrived. He waved her in. "Diaz, we'll be reaching starbase soon. I want you to coordinate the repairs to the shields. Barclay and I will handle the warp repairs."

"Will do, Commander," she said with a nod. "Did they give us a timeframe on when this will all be done?"

"A few days at least," he said, getting to his feet so they could walk. "We won't know for sure until they come aboard. All non-essential personnel are being evacuated to the base. Some of the power systems are going to need major repairs so it'll be safer if fewer people are on board."

"Understood."

As she made a move towards the shield console, Geordi stopped her. "Hey, one more thing."

"Yeah?"

He smiled and leaned in close. "I'm really happy for you two."

She couldn't help but smile. "I'm happy too."

After that, the focus turned to ship repairs. 

In fact, Faith wasn't able to think about anything else for the next two days. It turned out that the damage was a lot more extensive than they originally thought. Faith and Geordi spent hours working with the repair crews trying to get things done as quickly as possible. 

Data was required on the Bridge as he tried to solve the mystery of where their alien prisoner came from. She only saw him at night when she went to visit him in his quarters after her shift.

They'd have dinner while he filled her in on the search, then she'd pass out while he worked.

On the third day, Faith joined the senior officers in a briefing meeting to share the results of his search. 

"In scanning the Modrore system, where it is highly likely this entity came from, I narrowed down the possible planets to one," Data said, showing them the planet in question. "While most of the planets in the system had abandoned ruins, the second planet had considerably newer ruins than the others. I compared the organic DNA and fingerprints Faith and I found to our prisoner. They are a match. There are traces of that same organic matter in high levels on that planet."

"As I recall, the atmosphere there was a little choppy," Riker said. "If a storm rolls in, transporting may be difficult."

"We are also not moving anytime soon," Picard said. "Data, what would you suggest as a course of action?"

"The planet is not far from here," Data said. "I suggest I take a shuttle to the planet to gather more evidence. Anything larger may attract unwanted attention. It will take fifty-two hours with a shuttlecraft. By the time I get there and survey the planet, the Enterprise's repairs should be complete."

"And then we can meet you," Picard finished.

Data nodded as he took his seat next to Faith. "Exactly."

"I don't like the thought of you going there alone," Riker said. "Someone should go with you to help."

"I can go with him," Geordi suggested. "Data and I know exactly what we're looking for."

"No," Picard said, shaking his head. "I need you here to help finish repairs. Lieutenant Diaz will go."

Up until then, Faith had been silent. The idea of Data going out alone had not sat well with her either. But never in a million years did she expect she would be the one to go with him.

"Sir?" she asked. "Me?"

"I agree," Riker said. "Diaz is great, don't get me wrong, but the Away Team should be led by me."

"I need you here, Number One," Picard said. "Unfortunately this isn't the only important mission on our hands. We are receiving a special visit from Starfleet and I need my First Officer with me to attend. Lieutenant Diaz is well-versed in the alien technology and has shown she can handle herself in a crisis. I think she'll do just fine."

Faith's head was spinning. She could feel the other officers looking at her and tried not to let her anxiety show. "I can handle it, sir."

"Excellent. Well, that's settled then. Mr. Data, Ms. Diaz, prepare for your mission and let me know when you're ready to go. Dismissed."

Faith felt lost and numb as she got up from the table. She had never been on a mission or an Away Team before. Not to mention, the idea of being in an enclosed shuttle for a long stretch of time did not appeal to her.

She didn't say anything in the turbo-lift, too lost in her own thoughts. In fact, she didn't even realize Data had followed her to her quarters until they stepped inside and he took her hand.

"You are nervous," he stated. "I will say there is a twenty-percent chance of encountering danger on this mission."

"I've never been on an Away Team," she said. "I'm just surprised the captain picked me."

"I am not," Data said. "It made the most logical sense. Geordi and Commander Riker could not attend, Lieutenant Worf must stay behind to guard the prisoner. Counselor Troi and Doctor Crusher do not possess the necessary knowledge and skills. That left you and me."

She followed his logic. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She took a deep breath. "Well, at least give me a little warning next time. I got really worried when you said you'd be going alone."

"I have gone on missions alone in the past."

"Yeah, but I wasn't your girlfriend then."

Data studied her. "Are we officially using those terms? I was unsure."

Faith hadn't realized what she said until he pointed it out. "I mean...I'd like to if you're comfortable with that."

"It does seem to describe our relationship accurately."

"Great. Good. Great." She cleared her throat. "I guess we better get ready."

"Yes. I must ask Lieutenant Barclay to care for Spot while we are gone. I shall meet you back here in an hour." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, before taking his leave.

Faith took a few deep breaths before she began to pack. She had just finished closing her bag when the door chimed. "It's open!"

Dr. Crusher entered and greeted Faith with a smile. "I thought you might need this for the trip," she said holding up a hypospray. "Since you haven't had any side effects from the medication, I put together a long-lasting dose so you don't have to worry about taking it every day."

Faith breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried about that," she said. "How long will this last?"

"Two weeks. Much longer than I hope you'll need," she said, pressing the hypo into Faith's shoulder. "Figured longer would ease your anxiety. One less thing to worry about."

"Thanks, Doc."

"So? You excited?" Beverly asked, sinking onto the end of Faith's bed.

"Anyone would be about their first mission," Faith said. "I'm a little nervous but…"

"No! Not about that," Beverly said, waving her hand. "About being alone. For hours on end. With Data…"

Faith caught the insinuation in her tone and her eyebrows shot up. "Beverly!" she said in a scandalized voice. "You minx."

Beverly laughed, getting to her feet. "All I'm saying, you two are going to have a lot of time on your hands."

"Which I didn't think about until just this moment so thanks for that."

The doctor laughed again and gave Faith a hug. "You'll be fine. And when you get back, you, me, and Deanna will have wine so you can tell us all about it."

"This isn't a romantic weekend, Beverly. It's an away mission."

Beverly gave her a sly smile and patted her cheek. "Could be both," she said, wagging her eyebrows.

"Don't you have patients to heal or something?" Faith asked, shooing the doctor out of her room. "Go do your job. Stop being a perv."

"I'm going, I'm going," she said, hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying...think about it."

Faith watched her leave before sinking onto the couch with a whole new set of anxieties.

Trust me, that's all I'm going to be thinking about now.

[lfthinkerwrites]

A Riddle for a Bat

Remember that Riddlebat AU I mentioned I was working on? Well, here it is. It’s a mash-up of the comics and the Animated series mostly. Enjoy!

Title: A Riddle for a Bat

Fandom: Batman

Pairing: Riddlebat

Rating: T

Summary: It's been ten years since Bruce put on the cape and cowl. He thought he had brought some sense of order to Gotham City and he had. He had, until Edward Nigma, Private Investigator arrived and changed the game completely.

Chapter 1/?

AO3 Link

The entrance to the Batcave opened wide to accommodate the return of the Batmobile from, by Bruce's standards at least, an uneventful night on patrol with Dick. Bruce drove the Batmobile along the narrow stone track down into the Batcave. Alfred was waiting for them as Bruce parked the car. Dick had unbuckled himself and hopped out of the car as soon as the engine had cooled.

"I must say, Sir, I'm a bit surprised to see you two back so early," Alfred said.

"You and me both Alfred," Dick answered, removing his mask. "Three hours on patrol and all we encountered were two muggings, a guy breaking into a Deli and some drunks in Gotham Central Park." He leaned down to remove his boots. "If I knew it was gonna be this slow, I would have brought over my Civics homework from the dorm!" Dick turned to look at Bruce as he exited the Batmobile. "It's been slow the last few nights too. Maybe crime's finally starting to go down."

Bruce said nothing as he removed his cape and cowl. He'd been at this long enough to know that when he ran into slow periods like this, that what was really happening was a calm before the storm. A pull back on street crime meant that something major was in the works. Bruce narrowed his eyes as he mentally reviewed the list of the players in the Gotham Underworld. Joker, Ivy, Harvey, and Crane were still locked up in Arkham. Cobblepot was still on trial. That left the heads of Organized crime in Gotham. Stromwell was out of the game as of last year and Falcone and Maroni had been engaged in an on and off turf war that had seen both sides lose significant amounts of territory and influence. A leadership void was beginning to form. A void that Rupert Thorne would no doubt take advantage of.  

"Bruce?"

Bruce folded his cape and looked at Dick. "It might be a lull, but it might not be. For now, we should keep an eye on any street chatter. If something's going to happen, we need to be in front of it."

Alfred stepped forward and dutifully took Bruce's folded cape. "In the meantime, it appears you'll actually be able to put in an appearance at Ms. Vreeland's party tonight. She was quite insistent."

Given the choice, Bruce would rather face off against the mob. He needed to keep up appearances though. "I can hardly wait."

Half an hour later, Bruce had showered and changed into a tuxedo. He walked into the expansive living room of Wayne Manor, adjusting his cufflinks. Dick had changed into his casual clothes and was sprawled on the plush leather sofa, flipping through channels on the TV. He finally settled on the news when he saw an image of Oswald Cobblepot's mugshot. "Wonder if the verdict's in yet."

"...The Jury is still out on the trial of Oswald Cobblepot on charges of racketeering and bribery. Despite the amount of evidence presented by the prosecutor at trial, Cobblepot's lawyer claimed that since much of the evidence was obtained by Batman and not through the GCPD, it's veracity was in doubt.  It seems likely that Cobblepot's case will end in a mistrial. In other news tonight, yet another high profile case involving the Gotham elite has been cracked by Gotham's newest private detective, Edward Nigma-"

Bruce looked up from his sleeves and began to watch the newscast with a new interest. "Dick, turn up the volume."

Dick picked up the remote from the coffee table and raised the volume. Summer Gleeson's broadcast continued, "Since he set up shop in Gotham six months ago, Nigma's made a name for himself solving peculiar cases that as he puts it, baffle the GCPD." A previous clip of Nigma was shown on the TV, taken from his last television appearance. He was a young man, younger than Bruce at least, with auburn hair and bright green eyes. His business suit was green too, with a purple tie. He wore a green bowler hat as well, probably to set himself apart from others in Gotham. The most striking thing about the man was the smug smirk on his face. It was ever present in the various appearances the man had made on Gotham TV in the past six months. Bruce had yet to meet the man but just seeing that smirk grated. "In this case, Nigma successfully recovered jewels stolen from the penthouse of noted socialite Veronica Vreeland. When asked about just how he cracked the case, Nigma was quoted as saying that 'a genius such as himself never gives away his secrets.'"

"Oh brother," Dick scoffed. "He's never going to win an award for modesty. Still," Dick leaned back, stretching his arms out. "It might not be so bad having another crime fighter out there. Maybe he's part of the reason why it's been so quiet."

"From everything I've seen, Nigma's more interested in getting his face on TV than actually stopping crime," Bruce said shortly. "That's not someone we can rely on as an ally."

Dick shrugged and went back to watching the TV. "If you say so."

Behind Bruce, Alfred cleared his throat. "Begging your pardon sir, but we really should be going."

Bruce tore his eyes away from the screen and walked towards the foyer. "I'll be back in a few hours. Call me if anything comes up."

Dick gave him a little wave as he settled back against the sofa. "Have fun. Or at least try."

"Bruce! Darling!"

Bruce stood patiently and plastered a smile to his face as Veronica stepped forward, kissing him on the cheek. "Hi, Ronnie." She took his arm and guided him into her opulent penthouse. The living room was filled to the brim with the creme de la creme of Gotham's high society, most of whom Bruce knew from his large social circle. None of them were dressed quite as ostentatiously as Veronica though. Bruce took note of her large diamond necklace and bracelet, as well as the sapphire ring on her right ring finger. "I take it you're happy to have your jewels back."

Veronica flaunted her hand. "I feel complete again! Actually, that's why I'm glad you could make it tonight. There's someone you just have to meet."

Bruce smiled indulgently at his red-haired friend. "You're not going to try to set me up with another one of your friends, are you Ronnie?"

Veronica threw her head back and laughed. "Bruce, you've gone through just about everyone I know. No, he's more someone I have my eye on." He? She gestured toward a large gathering of people in the center of the room. They seemed to Bruce to be gathered around something. Or someone. He raised an eyebrow. Veronica made her way through the crowd, almost dragging Bruce along. In the center, regaling Wallace Thornberg with some story, was a man dressed in a green suit. "Eddie dear, this is the friend I told you about, Bruce Wayne. Bruce this is-"

"Edward Nigma," Bruce said. Perhaps tonight would be more interesting than he thought. Nigma turned at the sound of his name and Bruce's eyes widened slightly. The green color of his suit was more vibrant in person than his television screen could ever quite convey and it accentuated the bright green of his eyes. It was striking, Bruce had to admit. He was striking. The corners of Nigma's mouth widened into that smug grin Bruce had come to loathe the sight of over the past six months and the spell was broken.

He gave Thornberg a pat on the shoulder and made his way past him towards Bruce and Veronica. He held out a purple-gloved hand. "Indeed I am. And you are?"

Bruce slowly took Nigma's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Bruce Wayne. A pleasure, I'm sure." Nigma seemed a bit surprised by the force of Bruce's grip, but he didn't make any attempt to pull away. Bruce took the opportunity to size him up. He was taller than one might expect, being about six feet tall. He was lanky as well, compared to Bruce's broader frame. He seemed to show no signs of being intimidated by either Bruce himself or the crowd he was in. On the contrary, he seemed to take being introduced to one of the wealthiest men in Gotham as being his proper due. Bruce pulled his hand away. "So," he said finally. "What brings a private detective to a Veronica Vreeland party?"

Before Nigma could answer, Veronica inserted herself back into the conversation. "I invited him of course," she said. "What better way to thank him for recovering my family jewels?"

Edward nodded. "It's true, I don't normally frequent social events like this, but when Ronnie begged me to come, I couldn't resist."

Veronica laughed, then snaked her arm around his elbow. "Come on Eddie, I have a few other people I'd like you to meet. See you in a bit, Bruce." She dragged Nigma off with her, the man's slightly stiff posture the only clue to how uncomfortable he was about the situation. As soon as Veronica stopped in front of some old socialite friends of hers he quickly recovered, delivering his pitch in an almost theatrical tone. He used his hands to gesture for emphasis. Even from across the room, Bruce could make out his words. He spoke with a loud cadence, similar to that of the hosts on those old time game shows he remembered watching when he was a child. Given his outfit, he honestly wouldn't be too out of place on those, Bruce thought. He also thought he could pick up a touch of a New England accent when Nigma spoke. So he wasn't from Gotham originally. Bruce walked towards the refreshment table and picked up a flute of champagne. He continued to watch as Veronica took Nigma on a tour of the room. He tried not to cringe as Veronica lay her head on Nigma's shoulder. This was a change from the usual European boy toy that usually caught her eye and hopefully, this infatuation would be just as brief. Nigma happened to look back towards him and caught his gaze. He smirked and gave him a wink before diving back into conversation with Veronica and her friends from college. Bruce narrowed his eyes. There was something he found unsettling about Nigma.

Bruce watched as Nigma extricated himself from Veronica's grasp and make his way towards the refreshment table. He grabbed a flute of champagne himself before he looked up at Bruce. He scooted over so that he was standing right next to him. "Is this spot taken?"

There were three feet of empty space between Bruce's spot and where Nigma had picked up the glass. Clearly, he wanted to speak to him. "It is now," Bruce joked.

Nigma smirked again and Bruce tried to ignore how smarmy it made the other man look. "I can't help but notice," he said, "That you've had your eye on me."

Bruce shrugged and took a sip from his glass. "No offense, but you're not exactly the kind of guy Ronnie usually brings to these parties."

"So I've heard," Nigma said before taking a sip. "To tell you the truth, I usually wouldn't be caught dead at one of these things, but Ms. Vreeland did pay my fee. And hor 'd oeuvres here beat take out any day of the week."

"Not to mention the networking opportunity I imagine."

Nigma raised his glass in Bruce's direction. "That too. I'll have to print off a new set of business cards." He took a sip and looked back at Bruce. "I imagine that you must have a number of questions for me."

Bruce did, actually. Who was he? Where had he come from? What was his game? "As a matter of fact, yes."

Nigma chuckled. "Ask away. Mind you, I may not answer them all."

"Well for starters, what's your real name?"

Nigma paused while he was lifting his glass up to his lips. "Come again?"

Bruce had scored a direct hit. "I mean, Edward Nigma? E. Nigma? That can't be your real name."

Nigma slowly lowered his glass and looked at Bruce with something that was almost respect. "Well done Mr. Wayne," he said. "You're the first person at this little soiree who's called me out on that." He gave a small bow. "Yes, I admit it. Nigma is something of a stage name if you will. My first name really is Edward though."

"Why?" Bruce asked.

Nigma shrugged. "Everyone in this town needs a gimmick. Besides, I've always been fascinated by puzzles, conundrums and the like. In fact, I like to think of life as one great big riddle. One that I know all the answers to, of course."

"Of course," Bruce said, trying not to roll his eyes. "Is that why you wear green too? To stand out from the crowd?"

Nigma held a hand up to his chest in mock offense. "Green happens to be my favorite color. It stimulates inventiveness, don't you know." He lowered his voice and leaned in closer to Bruce. "I've also been told it brings out my eyes."

Was Nigma trying to get in his head or was he trying to flirt with him? Bruce pulled away, unsure what to think. "Anyway," he said after clearing his throat. 'What got you into being a private detective?"

Nigma frowned a bit, then settled back against the table. "Well, like I said, I enjoy solving puzzles. Investigative work is the natural career path for me."

"Why a private detective though? Wouldn't you get more interesting 'puzzles' if you worked for the GCPD?"

Nigma's face darkened and Bruce knew what he said had struck a nerve with the other man. "Let's just say I don't work well with authority," he muttered. Then his face resumed its almost jovial expression. "At any rate, I don't have trouble finding interesting cases. And to tell the truth," his face took on an almost dreamy expression. "Solving the puzzles is only half the reason I do what I do. What I really want, more than anything, is to meet him."

Bruce had a sinking feeling he knew who Nigma was talking about. "Who?"

"Who? Batman of course!" Nigma rubbed his chin. "I know for a fact that I'm one of, if not the cleverest men in Gotham. But this Batman, he's done more to clean up this city in a decade than the GCPD or the politicians have managed in over thirty years!" Nigma sighed. "How could I not want to test my intellectual mettle against a man like that?"

"Most people would be afraid to meet Batman."

Nigma scoffed. "Clearly Mr. Wayne, I'm not most people." A ringing sound came from the pocket of Nigma's suit coat. He pulled out a cellular phone and took a quick look at the number on the screen. "Ah. If you'll excuse me, I need to take this." Nigma walked off, disappearing into the hallway that led to the interior of the penthouse. Bruce waited a minute, then followed Nigma. He heard his voice coming out of the locked bathroom. "I told you I'm at...what? When? Where?" There was a pause before Bruce heard him say "Alright. I'll be there in about half an hour." Bruce heard the lock of the bathroom door click open and quickly hid in the doorway of the adjacent guest room. Nigma walked right by him on his way back out into the living room. Bruce followed him out in time to see him apologetically bowing to Veronica. "My apologies my dear, but something's come up. Thank you again for inviting him." Nigma straightened up and turned to see Bruce. He tipped his hat. "Mr. Wayne. A pleasure." Nigma left a disappointed Veronica behind. She huffed as Bruce approached her.

"Why do all the men in my life always have to say 'sorry, but something more important's come up?"

"I'm sure you'll see him again Veronica," Bruce said. He knew he himself would see Nigma again. "I'm sorry, but I still don't quite get the attraction."

Veronica twirled a lock of her red hair. "I know he seems like a bit much, but he does have a certain, cerebral charm about him. It's a nice change from the swine I've dated in the past. And he does have such pretty green eyes." She elbowed him a bit. "You seemed to be getting along with him pretty well at the refreshment table earlier."

Bruce wasn't sure he could call it that. What he'd determined was that Edward Nigma was hiding something. He wanted to know just what that something was.

"Master Bruce?"

Bruce and Veronica looked up to see Alfred standing at the door. "Pardon the interruption, but you have an urgent call from Wayne Manor."

Bruce looked apologetically at Veronica. "Sorry, Ronnie-"

Veronica waved him off. "Don't. Frankly, I'm amazed you stayed as long as you did. See you later, Bruce." She walked off to rejoin the party and Bruce walked out the door with Alfred.

"I saw that private investigator that the news shows were talking about was here. Did you meet him, Sir?"

"I did," Bruce answered.

"And?"

When the two got to the parked limousine, Bruce opened the rear passenger door and clambered in. "He's even more aggravating in person than he is on TV, but that's not important right now." He pressed the button on the car phone. "What's happening Dick?"

"I just heard something on the police scanner a few minutes ago. There was an explosion at Maroni's old Italian restaurant in the Bowery. According to the scanner, most of Maroni's remaining lieutenants are dead."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. "I'm on my way. Stay on the scanner and keep me updated." Bruce pulled out a bag from under his seat and removed an extra costume of his. As he pulled off his shirt, he paused. Nigma had received a call at the party and then left. Did he know about this? And if he did, how? Was he connected, somehow? He pulled off his shirt and put on his costume with heightened urgency. He knew there was something unsettling about Nigma. Time to find out what.

[dezembergirl]

Seventeen

Part 7 of a Series (read 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; as always inspired by @nonibanoni )

fandom: Skam

pairing: Noorhelm

originally published to ao3

Thanks to a loud banging noise and string of curses Noora jolted awake ten minutes before her alarm was due to go off. Her momentary confusion gave way to a mumbled «fuck» when the clock on her nightstand read 06:30. She groaned and let her head drop back into the pillow. It was just her kind of luck, the one time she actually had a halfway pleasant dream Eskild had the glorious idea of rummaging through the kitchen at half past six in the morning. She huddled the blanket over her head and pressed her arms up to cover her ears. When the noises didn’t relent after a minute and the sheet threatened to block out her oxygen supply Noora gave up and tossed the blanket from her body.

There was no use in going back to sleep now and she mentally noted down a speech to properly reprimand Eskild. Half past six, how the hell was he even up right now? At least Linn - the most noise sensitive person Noora had ever encountered - would take her side in this. It was already light outside so she didn’t have to bother with finding the light switch to collect her socks and a sweater. Their shared apartment was never properly heated, partly because the rent was already high enough without any additional heating expenses and the bigger reason being that besides her neither Eskild nor Linn cared about turning on the radiators. She made a mental reminder to scold Eskild about that later, she would not spend another winter sleeping with 3 layered blankets.

Dropping back down on the mattress, she pulled on the socks and reached for her buzzing phone. The list of notifications seemed to stretch endlessly when she scrolled down. It took another loud bang from the kitchen for her brain to kick into gear and make sense of spew of unread texts.

The only thing worse than waking up this early was waking up to find it was her birthday.

If she had to pick, April 6th was easily in the top three worse days of the year; right up their with her annual dentist visit and final exam’s day. Eying her tousled sheets she considered getting back under her blanket and hiding for the next 24 hours. She was an exemplary student when it came to never skipping a single lesson, so one day wouldn’t really hurt anybody, right?

But the thought of her friends disappointed faces if she should really stay home was enough guilt to get her up from the mattress. She rubbed at her eyes and heard the satisfying pop from her vertebras when she turned her head side to side, cracking her neck. She would get through today - for her friends - and who knew, it might not turn out to be as bad as her last few birthdays.

She immediately scratched that flash of optimism when the girls’ group text wasn’t only filled with a wave of congratulatory messages and hearts but also an already half-formed plan on where they would go out celebrating tonight. She thought about shutting them down right now but besides Sana’s text from 10 minutes ago, the rest of the messages had been sent somewhere between midnight and 2 am. It was useless to protest now and it would be more effective in person anyways.

Noora scrolled through the rest of the messages, a few from other people at school and her friends in Spain. Her heart sank when she found her parents’ annual message, wishing her well and good luck for the year ahead. She wrote back a curt thank you and did her best to suppress the squirming in her stomach.

The kitchen had quieted down and opening her bedroom door, Noora almost ran face first into Eskild, holding a plate and her favourite mug.

«Oh, what the fuck Eskild?» Noora squeaked and scolded herself for not managing to sound pissed at him whatsoever.

But before she could go off on an angry tirade on how fucking inconsiderate it was to make that much noise in the morning, her eyes caught the plate in his hands, complete with a burning candle sticking slightly off center out of a - no doubt freshly bought - chocolate muffin.

«What …» she started.

«Happy birthday old lady!» he forced the plate into her hand. «I know I know, it’s not an actual cake but I promise it tastes good. And we got you your favorite tea and I promise I’ll do the groceries and toilet paper today, so you don’t have to worry about any of that.»

Noora must have stared at him with a shocked expression because his wide eyes faltered and his brows furrowed in worry. He opened and closed his mouth, apparently trying to figure out where he had gone wrong but before he could say anything she threw her arms around his neck.

The tea that was still in his hand half spilled on her well worn ‘I heart Madrid’ sweater but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Eskild smelled like a mixture of beer and weed and when she pulled back to look at his beaming face his eyes were smaller than usual; she faintly recalled him announcing he would go out last night.

«It’s perfect, thank you!» Noora said.

«You like it?» he leaned against the door frame and Linn poked her head out beside him.

«Yes, of course.»

«Okay, okay, you have to blow out the candle and wish for something.» Eskild nodded towards the plate.

She did, even though wishing for everything to stay like it was right now felt incredibly cheesy.

After a few bites of the incredibly sugary muffin and listening to Eskild gush about a tall and dark boy he met at a bar around 4 am she checked her phone again. There were a few new messages in the girl chat but she wasn’t entirely sure whether to be disappointed or relieved that William hadn’t texted her. If she was lucky he might not even realize her birthday was today; it probably wouldn’t end well anyway.

As expected her friends’ excitement outdid her own by a mile. Eva and Vilde revealed a box containing a cake drowned in sugary frosting; the slightly squished appearance made her think back to their Harry Potter marathon from three weeks ago at Eva’s sleepover. Several people came over between lessons to congratulate her. Sarah and Ingrid gave her a quick hug while Jonas and Isak found her on her way to the bathroom while the rest of the girls had stayed behind in their English classroom; the Penetrator party had been a week ago and Eva and Jonas were still hard set on ignoring each other.

It wasn’t unusual for her to not see William or any of his closer friends during her school day as the 3rd years spent most of their breaks smoking and doing god knows what down the street from the B building. She supposed it was a good thing, seeing as the girls refused to leave her side except for separate lessons. This meant, Vilde was a constant shadow and she caught her peeking at her phone multiple times as Noora texted back thank you messages. It would have been easier to ignore her stares if she had indeed had nothing to hide; but she did.

She tried to protest, when Eva puller her into the third floor bathroom minutes before their last lesson for the day but retaliated when her friend gave her a stern look.

«Did Vilde see us?» Eva closed the door and squatted down to check the stalls.

«No, I don’t … What’s going on?» Noora asked

«You» Eva bore her pointed finger into Noora’s shoulder «better pray Vilde doesn’t check Instagram in the next 40 minutes.»

«What?» she stared at Eva, who had pursed her lips into a smirk.

«He isn’t exactly being subtle.»

Noora tried to retaliate but stopped when Eva’s knowing look finally clicked into place. Her stomach dropped. «What did he do?»

Eva was only too eager to puller out her phone and after a few quick swipes presented Noora with William’s newest Instagram post - dated 10 minutes ago.

@magnussonwilliam Someone deserves flowers today

«Oh fuck» her brows furrowed.

«I was thinking more along the lines of, damn that’s the most romantic thing since Leo froze to death for Kate in Titanic.»

«Oh my god, Eva this is not funny.» Noora snatched the phone from her friend’s hand and scrolled through the - already 203 - likes. «This is really bad.»

Eva laughed and pulled them both out of the bathroom. «As I said, better hope Vilde doesn’t see it.»

Trailing behind Eva to their Spanish class room, her cheeks turned flaming red when a comment from one of the third year girls popped up under the post ‘Told you all, he has a girlfriend’.

Eva kept throwing her knowing glances throughout their reading assignment and as if things couldn’t get any more awkward the next time her phone buzzed, it was a text from William himself. Seeing Noora’s entire head turn into a very unflattering shade of pink Eva almost choked on her own laughter and ignored her unnerved glares.

She turned towards the wall away from Eva and unlocked her phone.

William: pick you up after school?

Noora bit her lip. This was indeed getting worse by the second.

Noora: NO!!

Noora: are you insane?

Eva squirmed in the chair beside her, craning her neck to get a look at Noora’s phone.

William: ??

Noora: the instagram post, really?

William: Chris agreed it was sweet

She bit her lip to keep from hissing at the display. She’d literally kill him if he told Chris. Not that Eva didn’t know more than she deemed appropriate already, but he’d promised to keep it to himself. Her heart was thumping against her throat and her fingers needed several tries to type the find the keys on the screen.

Noora: You told Chris?

William: No … well yes, but he doesn’t know it’s u

Noora: that’s not reassuring whatsoever …

William: I’m sorry, I’ll pick you up after school and make it up to you

Noora: No! I’m going to lunch with the girls. I’ll text you later!

She didn’t bother waiting for his reply before shoving the phone into her backpack. She ignored Eva’s raised eyebrows for the rest of the lesson.

Eva’s smirk and William’s audacity to presume she wouldn’t have anything better to do on her birthday than to make out at his apartment made her head boil and the last bell couldn’t come soon enough. As if a few lousy flowers would make her forget all the very valid reasons, dating - the word itself seemed absurd in connection with William Magnussen - him was a very unwise choice. Before Eva could even put away her Spanish folder, Noora pushed past the rest of the students into the hallway and down the stairs. To her annoyance she didn’t get very far when Vilde blocker her way two corridors down.

Vilde - who was seemingly ignorant of the Instagram post - pulled her out into the yard to wait for the other three. It was just past three o’clock and the yard was filled with students saying goodbye to their friends. Still, she turned her head every few seconds to check if William was anywhere close. Vilde must have noticed her nerves because she found her staring every time she turned to look at her. Sana and Chris caught up with them five minutes later and Eva shook her head at Noora in feigned annoyance.

«Where to for lunch?» Sana prompted before either Eva or Vilde could make another precarious comment.

«It’s not Friday, but I was thinking tacos?»

The rest nodded in agreement.

They’d made it past the gate and around the corner when Noora froze mid step and caused Eva to shriek in surprise. William and Chris, both their noses in their phones, leaned against the black Porsche, parked not ten meters from the school corner. At the sudden noise both looked up and Noora collected every last ounce of her self control to ignore the forming smirk on William’s lips; knowing just how good it felt kissing them made it all that much harder.

Chris and Sana stayed back and watched the scene unfold while Eva padded Noora’s shoulder and didn’t quite manage to stifle her giggles. Vilde was beaming and Noora hoped she was too distracted to catch William winking at her. Eva didn’t miss it but instead of embarrassing her any further she sauntered up to Chris who licked his lips.

«The party was amazing.» Vilde had positioned herself in front of William. «I hope you got enough donations. The whole auction thing was such a brilliant idea.»

Noora cringed and met William’s gaze over Vilde’s shoulder. She did her best to narrow her eyes and give him a stern look but the execution didn’t succeed when her lips tucked into a traitorous smile. Vilde kept rambling until Sana had the good grace to nudge her along. In one moment that seemed like the perfect movie coincidence, Chris and Eva where distracted with each other and the other three girls already heading down the street. To quick for her to protest William snatched her arm to pull her towards him.

«Happy birthday, text me after lunch!» he was so close to her ear, he barely had to raise his voice.

Noora bit her lip and gave him a nod. His hand squeezed hers before he let her go and turned back to Chris, who had trapped Eva against the car.

Noora had never been the biggest fan of birthdays, so the small mountain of presents her friends pulled out on the table made her heart comfortably warm and her head dizzy. Two books, one lavender scented candle and a box of handpicked sweets laid between the emptied taco baskets. She gave them all a tight hug and for the first time since Noora could remember she was sad when the birthday dinner - technically lunch - was over and they all parted ways. Of course Vilde, Eva and Chris had done their best to persuade her to a party later but she declined and promised to come to the next buss party without any protests.

To avoid any further run-ins she had made William promise to park at least two blocks away. He was again leaning against his car - it was a cool, expensive, but cool car nevertheless.

«Don’t ever do that again!» she whispered when he pulled his arms around her and only huffed in reply. His hands rubbed the tension from her back and she relaxed into his tall frame.

«Happy birthday» he pulled back to meet her eyes and she couldn’t hold the smile back any longer when his thumb brushed along her cheekbone and he finally placed a quick kiss on her lips. He let go to reach down to lift the modest bouquet of tulips from the hood of his car and offer them to her.

«Thank you.» she intertwined their fingers and he returned her smile.

«I’m sorry about the Instagram post. I can delete it if it bothers you?»

«No, no it’s okay.» she cocked her head to peer at him. «I was just a little overwhelmed earlier.» She pulled him down for a longer kiss. They took their time before he opened the passenger side door for her and jumped in beside her.

«Are you up for a proper date?» William flipped his hair back; without the hoodie, it constantly fell back into his eyes and she mustered a smirk when she helped him pull a few strands behind his ear.

«Where the other ones not proper dates?»

«Well, you refused to call them dates.»

«And what makes you think I’ll change my mind today?» Noora raised her chin and straightened her spine against the ridiculously soft leather seat.

«Oh good god.» he groaned and she giggled when he reached over to tickle her. «We’ll go and then you can decide what you wanna call it afterward, deal?»

«Deal» she grinned and let him pull her over the center console for a kiss.

Granted she was painfully aware of William’s disposition to do things that were more than just cliché and bordered on cheesy but he did it in such an endearing way, she couldn’t bring herself to dislike him for it - despite what she might tell herself and Eva. Still she had expected him to take her back to his apartment or even the cinema; after all fresh tulips and a surprise ‘date’ on her birthday seemed romantic enough.

Apparently, she had underestimated him. When he stopped the car after a ten-minute drive through downtown Oslo, the 80% glass building that was the Opera house loomed over them.

«Seriously?» she raised her eyebrows at him. This was maybe the most touristy spot in the whole country, gracing the back of basically all postcards titled ‘Oslo’. Though despite the cheesy undertone she couldn’t deny that it was breathtakingly beautiful.

William chuckled beside her and when they exited the car, there were only a handful people littered across the building with one or two dragging around big touristy cameras. Sunset was maybe half an hour away and pink and orange tones already reflected in the smooth water.

On instinct she meant to reach for his hand but found him occupied with carrying two blankets and a closed basket; so he offered her his arm instead and she threaded hers through his elbow.

The flats she had chosen this morning definitely weren’t the perfect gear for hiking up the opera house but the view from the top was worth her panting lungs and flushed cheeks. William put one blanket on the stone panels and motioned for her to sit while he busied himself with fiddling open the basket. He retrieved two thermos jugs and one small paper container for them each.

«This might really be the most cliché thing you could have done, and that’s saying something,» she said while William sat down next to her, close enough for their sides to bump together, and pulled the second blanket over their feet.

«I considered buying you 17 red roses.» his hand traced down her back again. «And a giant teddy bear.»

«I guess, you have a point.» she let her head fall against his chest. «Thank you!»

«Mhm,» he murmured and pulled her closer. His fingers were tracing her shoulder as he massaged the muscles beneath her skin. He brushed against the tops of her collarbones that peaked out under her shirt and then wandered up her throat placing kisses along the sensitive skin next to her pulse. Noora sighed and closed her eyes when he reached her chin. Despite the public location, his touch felt more intimate than the days before. Her skin flared at his touch and her lips craved his. Instead, his fingers teased the corners of her mouth before he placed a peck on the tip of her nose, which made her giggle and pinch his side in revenge.

He gave in and kissed her properly, shallowing the sighs that escaped her mouth. Heat blossomed in her belly and she felt her cheeks flush despite the mild spring breeze. Her finger found his scarp and pushed into his hair while pulled her closer and closer towards him until she practically sat in his lap. When she pulled away after feeling her lungs ache at the loss of oxygen, his eyes were glossed over and he meant to continue their kiss when she gently put her hand on his chest.

«First, hot cacao» Noora smirked and disentangled herself from his lap to reach for the two thermos jugs.

William groaned, flipped back his now tangled hair but took one of the bottles from her. He must have upped the cacao contents in his recipe because when she uncapped hers, the rich chocolate smell took her breath away for a moment. Under different circumstances, she might have waited for it to cool down but the setting sun was dragging the temperatures down with it and she was thankful for the heat spreading through her torso. When she looked up he was watching her intently and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. «It’s delicious!»

William, clearly pleased with her reaction, offered her a piece of dark chocolate cake from the paper box and took the other for himself. «I meant to buy you candles as well.»

«It’s okay. I think I’ve blown out enough candles for my next ten birthdays today.»

They ate and drank in silence after that and Noora found herself pressing closer to his chest as they watched a family with three little kids play on the incline. He rubbed her arms and made sure the blanket was tucked around them as the sun disappeared into the golden water. She hummed in content while he played with the ends of her hair. They watched the last flickers of light disappear and neither wanted to move from their position that currently was half a hug and half Noora sitting in his lap. When her fingers grew red and numb from the cold they reluctantly made their way back to his car.

During the drive to her apartment she had to repress the impulse to reach for his face again and instead she traced her finger up and down his free arm. He put the Porsche into park in front of the blue door and they eyed each other for a moment until he reached over to pull her close again. Noora hummed against his lips and decided that there was no superior feeling than kissing William after a cup of hot cocoa. His mouth tasted like the faint reminders of his mint gum and overwhelmingly like the baking chocolate powder he used for her hot cacaos.

It took several angry honks from the car behind his for them to pull apart and she left the car with the promise of calling him tomorrow. When she turned the key to their apartment Eskild was already holding a glass of sparkling wine, clearly more than ready for the next episode of Paradise Hotel. The tulips were put in a vase in her room under Eskild's scrutinizing eyes.

«Your lips are .. ehh a little smeared.» He laughed as Noora scrambled for a mirror to examine her swollen lips and properly tousled hair. William seemingly had a very adverse effect on her usually perfectly put together appearance.

Noora: Thank you for today, you were right it was a proper date!

William: I’m glad, talk tomorrow, good night birthday girl x

[daringdragons]

[Pictured: Arys, Evie]

@toothlessrising @crazyfangarlady @serpens-fr @dragonhomeclan @viafr If anyone else wants to be pinged for future lore from me, let me know~!

Related stories: Roava Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, Kepi Comes To Stay, Sibling Bonding Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, The Knight and The Healer, general story tag~

(btw, if anyone wants descriptions on how these two look in their human forms, just ask~!)

The Knight and His Shadow, Part 1

-

Arys had always liked Edain, had considered her a friend; he admired her fierce devotion to the deity that they shared, the Lightweaver, and had never minded her occasional over-zealousness the way the others in the Clan Guard seemed to...he often wondered if he was her only true friend outside of her mate.

So, when Edain’s mate, Eucario, first brought around their child, scarcely more than a toddler, to visit her and the rest of the Guard, he offered the small girl a “Hello” and a small wave, despite his general aversion and confusion when it came to younglings.

The child, a Ridgeback like her father, had been taught early how to shift into the smaller, fleshy forms that most of the residents of Roava took, and so she stood much smaller than Arys than she might've in their dragon forms. Craning her neck to look up, up, up at the Wildclaw, her bright yellow eyes widened at the sight of him in his golden plate armor.

“Hi,” She responded, barely more than a whisper, her hand raising in an attempt at a wave. The two stared at each other for a long moment, Arys not entirely unused to small children being awed by his appearance, before Eucario broke the silence with an “awww” at his daughter’s greeting; Arys would notice in the coming weeks that the Ridgeback tended to “aw” at most everything his daughter did, the already normally enthusiastic dragon now almost unbearably so in fatherhood.

When her father led her away a short while later, encouraging her to wave goodbye to her mother, the child only had eyes for Arys.

This would prove to be a bit of a problem.

The day had been long, and would be longer still, and Arys wanted nothing more than to spend a few moments with his mate. They had agreed earlier in the day to meet on the beach, so after finding someone to take over his guard duty for a short while, the Wildclaw made his way down there.

As he approached the shore, he could clearly make out Ravi, standing with his back to the ocean, waiting. Coming closer, he could clearly see the amused look on his mate's face.

“What's so funny?”

Ravi's grin only widened, pointing his finger over Arys’ shoulder.

“You seem to have a follower.”

The Wildclaw instantly knew what his mate meant, though he didn't quite believe, until he quickly turned around to find wide yellow eyes staring up at him.

This was not the first time this had happened. In the weeks since the child, Evie, as her parents had named her, had first met Arys, he had found her following more times than he could count. She had grown a bit taller, but she was quiet as ever, and this included her footsteps - Arys liked to think that he was alert, with a keen sense of hearing, but very rarely had he actually heard the small Ridgeback following him.

Much to Arys’ confusion, Edain and Eucario merely found their daughter's stalking of him cute. The first few times they had, of course, been quite worried about wherever their child had slipped away to, but once they realized that Evie was only ever with Arys, who they knew she would be safe with, their worry turned into amusement.

Thus, situations like this had become a regular occurrence.

Arys sighed, begrudgingly reaching out his hand for Evie to take. “Let's get you back to your father, you really-” Some sort of scolding died on his lips, it would do no good to dissuade her anyhow, and the pout she normally gave the few times he had asked her not to follow him was positively unfair.

Ravi raised his closed fist to his mouth, stifling an “Aw~” at the sight of the child taking his mate's hand - he found Arys’ little “problem” absolutely adorable.

“Not a word,” Arys warned when he glanced at his mate, wagging a finger at him for effect.

Ravi only laughed, “Of course not, dear. Hurry back now, at this rate I'll barely have any time to kiss that pretty face of yours before you have to get back to work.”

The Wildclaw promptly scooped up Evie in his arms, much to Ravi's amusement and the child's delight, practically dashing back to the castle.

“Teachmehowtobelikeyouplease.”

Arys had been standing at his usual post - just outside of the king's throneroom, directly to the left of the double doors -, when the small voice broke the silence in the hall.

Looking down and to his left, he was met with his former shadow. As Evie had grown, while she still plainly stared at Arys when they were in the same room, she had stopped following him, seemingly embarrassed by her younger self’s starry eyed stalking. Now, gangly and fully in the throes of adolescence, she was shy as ever, her eyes averting to somewhere else down the hall when Arys turned to look at her.

“...What?” He questioned, unsure if he had correctly heard her, and even if he had, he was a little confused.

“I...I want you to train me to be a...a knight.”

He simply stared at her for a few long moments, blinking, in surprise or something else he wasn't sure, and the prolonged silence was enough to trigger the young Ridgeback into saying more.

“Ev-ever since I could remember, I was...I wanted to be just like you. With your...gallantry and your...your calmness, an-and your devotion towards the king, and everything else,” She finished her stammer, her cheeks reddening as she went on.

Another long beat of silence and she began to backtrack.

“Nev-nevermind, this was stupid, I shouldn't of-” There were tears in her eyes, as quickly as that, and Arys was finally jostled out of his surprised silence.

“No! I mean...that's not stupid. I've never...trained anybody before, but I would be honored, Evie.” He swallowed, offering the barest of smiles, and a much larger grin broke out on the younger dragon's face before she reigned it in a bit.

“Really?” She breathed out, nearly seeming to be vibrating with excitement, an odd sight on the normally quiet, reserved dragon. “I didn't...thank you so much...when can we start?”

“Let's say 6AM, tomorrow morning,” He responded, and the smile faded even more from her face as she stopped herself from protesting, instead offering a nod much too serious for someone her age.

“That's adorable,” Ravi gushed, Arys having just finished telling him about his latest encounter with Evie.

“I don't know the first thing about training anyone, Ravi,” Arys nearly whined, if the Wildclaw was in fact capable of whining. They were relaxing in Ravi's room, Arys reclined on the bed, most of his armor neatly placed on the floor due to lack of anywhere else to put it; a large wooden table took up one wall of the small room, but it was absolutely covered with books on magic and healing, pieces of parchment with spells and recipes messily scrawled on them, and entirely too many healing supplies to properly fit on the table.

This was where Ravi sat, finishing writing something on a piece of parchment, a bottle of something glowing an odd shade of yellow next to him. The fading sun shone through a window facing the table, and Arys’ train of thought halted for a moment as he simply had to stop and stare at his mate, nearly glowing in the light.

“You’ll do fine,” Ravi assured, rolling up the piece of parchment and tucking it into a cubby hole on the table, turning in his chair to give the Wildclaw a soft smile. “You learned just fine...you learned exceptionally well, in fact, that much is made clear by what an excellent knight you are...just take all of that and give it to her, as best you can.”

The Skydancer stood, crossing the room to his bed in two steps, practically collapsing on the mattress next to his smaller mate, rolling onto his side and propping his head up with his hand.

“You thrive on structure, Arys, stop trying to pretend like you haven’t already begun to plan her first lesson in excruciating detail,” He grinned, and if the way Arys pursed his lips and averted his eyes were any indication, he was spot on.

“Stop being grumpy for the sake of being grumpy,” Ravi teased as he leaned forward, kissing his blushing mate on the nose, before rolling on top of the Wildclaw and proceeding to cover the other dragon’s face with kisses until a smile broke out on Arys’ face, letting out a teasing sigh.

“Alright, alright, come here,” He simply murmured, wrapping his arms around Ravi as he pulled him in for a proper kiss, putting thoughts of do I start her with a blunted sword or a real one and should I get the blacksmith to make her some armor or is it too early on the backburner for the time being.

-

that’s gay

stay tuned for the next part where I proceed to cry along with Ravi over how adorable Arys and Evie are!