#I need multiple miracles XD

[mossmx]

oh btw pray for me that I might actually FINISH something before fall

[accidentally-in-fictional-love]

Hi! I have a request, if you’d like to write something like it, no pressure! xD

Can I get a Jack Delroy x female reader where he kind of “saves” reader who is abused by her narcissistic mother, and they bond over their shared love of Halloween/spooky things/horror movies? Maybe with some smut?

I’m in love with him and your blog is a gift 😭

I Found Love Where It Wasn't Supposed To Be - Jack Delroy/Reader

Warnings: This one gets heavy. No use of Y/N, female reader, the reader lives a very lonely and miserable life, parental abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, reader saves herself, fingering, soft smut, multiple orgasms, happy ending.

Wordcount: 15294

Summary: You lived for her, and it was all you knew. So when you suddenly start living for him as well as yourself, she can't let you have that.

Notes: This is what happens when requests get specific lmao okay so, leading up to this one I had no idea where to go with it, but as soon as I started I just could not stop. This is my longest request so far, almost tripling my other longest, so I really hope you like how this turned out, because I really locked in this time 😊💗 I also hope you don't mind all the Leo cause I love that guy lol he's always gotta be on my readers' side no matter the fic.

All your life you’d felt like you’d been running from something, and it consumed you again when your mother came into your room to tell you to start packing, you were moving to New York within the month.

You had no choice but to do it, your few possessions all neatly placed in your single suitcase once more before fitting into the moving van, a sad addition to everything your mother owned. You were an adult, capable of living on your own and getting yourself a home to call your own, no more moving, but you knew if you were to bring it up you’d just get shot down again with no chance to try again until the next move. That was just how it’d always been, your future sealed ever since you were a child and your father had walked out, unable to deal with the woman sitting beside you any longer.

She clung to you like a lifeline, draining you of everything you were in order to keep your permanent attention, but still needing more as you grew and drifted away from her. All your life she’d been moving you around as she searched for something that would never be enough, no amount of lovers able to replace that emptiness inside of her just like you couldn’t as her only child, each new city bringing her a hope that you knew could only be more misplacement as you packed up and shipped out. That’s what was happening again as she headed East, just another mark on your map as you stared out the window and took nothing in.

You would be entering your 40s in just a few years, your entire life wasted on your mother in her quest to find what she wanted that would finally set you free, but the older you got the more you accepted that she never would, and you would never be able to leave. You’d tried once, back when you were young and more rebellious, hooked on young love and ready to run away and leave it all behind, but the moment she stood between you and the door, your suitcase in hand and a bunch of miscellaneous bills in your pocket, you knew that you’d never be able to go through with it.

You’d had your one chance, and your partner had left you behind, tired of waiting for you to grow up and live your own life.

20 years had passed since then, time leaving you a shell of a person as you just stared out the car window, the moving van in your sideview mirror as it trailed dutifully behind as it always did every few years when she’d get the urge to get up and go yet again. New York was yet another miracle town where she’d surely find what she wanted this time, a mental list of all the others scrolling in your mind as you counted them down, her desire to find love changing to desiring the stardom that so many others were getting with each new city. The latest spur of spontaneity had been brought on by one Jack Delroy, a radio man who’d gotten his own break into television not too long ago, the first half of his first season a sleeper hit as his fans transitioned from audio to video and brought a wave of others with him.

She was convinced she could do the same despite having no particular talents on her own, and that was you being kind in that regard.

When you finally reached your new temporary lodgings, as you liked to call them, because she never let you settle in long enough to call any place a home, you saw with no surprise that it was even smaller than the last. Money was getting thin again, you’d need to find a job even faster than last time, more of your remaining things probably already in her mind to be sold to pay the bills. The more you moved the less she worked it seemed, her goals raising higher and higher and forbidding her from taking anything less than what she wanted, so she relied on you to do the hard jobs, ones that kept you out until the late hours bussing tables or bagging groceries. It was hard work but it kept you away from her, so you didn’t mind as much as you already scanned the newspaper snatched from the lobby to search for any available jobs.

Your room was basically a closet this time in order for her to get the bedroom, just enough room for a bed and dresser, and you just stared at the available space before deciding that a single bed would be more beneficial to you after all, your double bed having supported you for many years and through more moves. You planned on just sleeping on the couch until you could find a cheap place to buy a new one, your resignation well practiced as her queen sized bed was carried to her room, her windows overlooking the city while your single one was blocked by the fire escape crossing it.

‘It looks almost like prison bars,’ you mumbled to yourself as you put away your few drawers of clothes, but there was no sadness in your voice, not for that kind of thing anymore.

One week and 13 applications later, you got yourself a job and a new mattress, it lying on the floor until you could save up for a new frame to go with it. It was another retail job, but with it you were able to switch out some older clothes for newer, thriftier things, so you saw that as a win. Your mother continued to apply for jobs out of her league, so while you tagged new items and folded the clothes you would search the paper beside you for more hirings, jobs with higher pay and late hours so you could fill out your day as much as possible.

It was through this method that you saw that UBC Studios was looking for interns and entry-level employees, people without much experience who wanted to get into television and were okay with being coffee runners and memo takers, and you circled that ad with your marker before getting back to the freshly washed batch of shirts you were currently pricing.

As soon as you were off work you walked the 47 minutes to the studio, cabs were a luxury you couldn’t afford with bills looming over your head, but you still kept yourself looking presentable as you approached the front desk and placed the paper in front of the receptionist. She smiled widely when she saw it, apparently not too many people wanted the job so they were behind on applicants, which was great news for you as you were led down a series of hallways until you reached the correct door. A man sat at his desk behind it, a cigarette filling the room with smoke and nearly obscuring him as he shuffled through a mountain of paperwork, even more files, and three different phones. 

‘Mr. Fiske? I’ve brought someone interested in the job,’ the receptionist told him, and he didn’t even glance up as one of the phones rang, to which he quickly hung it up the moment he saw which button was blinking.

‘What job?’ he asked around his cigarette, the phone ringing again and making him groan before he unplugged the phone entirely and went back to the open folder in front of him.

��The intern? For Night Owls?’

‘Oh, I’m sorry, I actually need to be paid, are any of those jobs still available?’ you cut in, Mr. Fiske glancing up over his sunglasses at you at the sound of your voice, like he hadn’t even realized you were already there. 

‘What's your name?’ he asked then, and when you told him he snuffed out his cigarette and motioned for the receptionist to go back to her desk. ‘We have one paying job still open for Night Owls, but I gotta tell ya kid, it'll be long, late hours and that pay ain't that good; you're young and pretty, you wouldn't want that eating into your beauty sleep, or prime party hours, would you?’

‘If not here I'll just be working somewhere else, I don't have much of a social life,’ you admitted only because you really needed the job and it was hard enough finding places that were open late and actively hiring.

‘Shame, the city's missing out,’ he mused as he searched for a file and pulled it free, sending the rest of them toppling to the floor without so much as a blink. ‘Here, fill this out and I'll take you up, the place is empty right now but I can walk you around, give you a schedule if you can be here for 11PM tomorrow night to start?’ You nodded, stunned that already you'd been hired as you took the stapled stack of papers from him right as another phone rang, and this time he picked it up. ‘Take a hint already, I'm working,’ he snapped into the receiver before slamming it down again, and while that might have scared anyone else off you were ready to deal with whatever instability he could throw at you if it not only got you more money but also out of the Lodgings for a few more hours a day. 

You finished filling out the application while he continued to go through his overwhelming amount of paperwork, a new cigarette already in his mouth and a glass of whiskey poured the next time you looked up at him. You cleared your throat to get his attention as delicately as possible, another glance over his sunglasses shot your way behind he was standing and taking the papers from you. He glanced over them just to be sure everything was in order, the file then tossed onto the only free corner of his desk before he was herding you towards the door.

‘Alright, your job'll be simple enough, just get here on time, fill whatever stupid request Jack wants to keep him as stress-free as possible, and be ready to do whatever inane bullshit I need in the meantime, you think you can do that?’ he asked as you walked, and again you could only nod as you pushed through a single set in a wall of double doors, a vibrant set coming into view before you. It was decorated in yellows, oranges, and browns, a wavy pattern painted onto the wall panels at the back, and you thought it was cozy and charming as you looked around. ‘You'll just be back here for the most part, it'll be stocked with everything you might need to grab so you won't have to learn the whole building, but sometimes I might need you to grab Jack's drycleaning, he's horrible with remembering that shit, can you drive?’

‘I can but- it's in the shop right now, so I mostly walk,’ you lied, not wanting to tell your new boss right out the gate that the reason you were walking was actually because your mother hoarded the car in case she needed it to answer any of her auditions.

‘You can use mine, I'll bring the Caddy from home and you can start driving the Brougham, you wreck it you're buying it though so keep that in mind,’ he told you before tossing the keys over his shoulder, your eyes widening at the thought of having an escape vehicle; you didn't have to sneak out the keys when your mother wasn't looking like this, a ride to freedom now in your hands as Mr. Fiske kept talking about the job, but you didn't hear a single word as your knees started shaking.

You'd wanted to run so many times when you were younger but that final failure had crushed any future attempts before you could even dream of them, your heart racing just like when you were a teenager as you gripped the keys and resisted the urge to run right then and there. She'd never have to know you'd left, it was a big city and people disappeared in it every single day, and by the time he caught on that you'd stolen his car and hit the road you'd be so far away that you could ditch it and start a new life on foot. A long-quelled hope filled you, one you thought would never return again, and when Mr. Fiske turned back to you to confirm that you were okay with every part of the job you planned on nodding your head, shaking his hand, and then never seeing your mother again.

‘Forgot my jacket, I'm doing an interview in 20 and you couldn't once pick up?’ A voice came from the side door, your hand stopping mid-reach for that handshake as you turned to see a dashingly handsome man with a scowl on his face approach you.

‘Told you I was working, here, I hired you an assistant so she would've been able to drop it off when I was done, now you don't gotta bust my ass over this nonsense anymore,’ Mr. Fiske told him as the man located and picked up his jacket from a nearby chair. He looked you over, his face softening when he noticed his arguing partner wasn't alone, and he took your outstretched hand and turned your goodbye into a greeting instead. Mr. Fiske told him your name when you couldn't speak, the man giving you the warmest smile you'd ever received in years before letting you go.

‘Jack Delroy, charmed to meet you,’ he said kindly, and in an instant your plan to leave disappeared again, not because you had to stay with your mother, but because you wanted to stay near him. ‘I suppose this can be your first task, you're technically off the clock but I'll pay you for the time if you'd accompany me to my interview downtown, I'm still getting used to all this and my thoughts are a little scattered,’ he admitted with a grin, your answer a quick yes as he led you outside and to his car, the Chrysler you were just gifted now forgotten in the lot as you stuffed the key into your pocket.

The interview was a success, the two of you going out to dinner afterwards to get to know each other better, and you understood why so many of his fans had followed his work as he relaxed you and made you laugh in what felt like forever. He wasn't just putting on an act as he talked with you, his genuine self on display for you even though no cameras were rolling, and by the time midnight rolled around and he had to sleep for the night you felt such a connection to him that you were almost sad to see him go.

‘Better sleep up tonight, we go live tomorrow night,’ he reminded you as you headed for the parking lot, but just as he was about to unlock the passenger door so he could drive you home you stopped him.

‘I don't live far, I can walk,’ you lied again, really not wanting to risk your mother seeing you get out of the car of a celebrity when she was trying so hard to be him. 

‘You sure?’ he asked just to be certain, but you didn't budge as you forced a smile and took a step back to seal the deal. ‘Alright, I'll see you tomorrow at 11, then,’ he said before waving goodnight and getting into his car, your arms coming up to hug yourself as you watched him drive away. You waited until you could no longer see him in the crowd of cars before shoving your hands in your pockets to keep them warm, Mr. Fiske's - Leo, as Jack had called him over dinner - keys hitting your fingers and reminding you that happiness was still there in that parking lot. You swallowed it down and started on the walk back home, only getting lost a few times as you navigated the streets for the first time. It took a while but you were getting a better grasp of the place with each new location you traversed, which streets were familiar and which led to Broadway, and how you'd be able to get from your first job to the studio without wasting too much time.

You updated your mental map as you climbed the stairs to get home, no dinner waiting for you since your mother had already eaten hours ago and it was on you to feed yourself as an adult, but thanks to Jack you weren't hungry for once, the apartment dark as you headed right for bed and dreamt about brown eyes and kind smiles.

For once you were finding yourself to be happier as you went between jobs, the retail surprisingly easy despite the influx of customers so you never got a second to think about your mother, and then when you were done you napped in the back of your car until it was time to help Jack. You were never in front of the camera, which was good because that meant you were safe from your mother's gaze as she surely stayed up to watch the success that she craved, but sometimes you almost wanted to go out there to stand with him, take place in something that wasn't just working to live and then living for your mother while she drained every last emotion from you in her journey for attention. 

You didn't indulge, just watching the monitors safely from the back as you munched on crew snacks, your job much easier than Leo had made it seem; Jack was so easy to work with he rarely asked you for a thing, and only once did you end up needing to leave as Leo grabbed your shoulder. He nodded towards the door, silently wanting you to follow, and you set down your little paper plate before getting up and letting him lead the way. He didn't stop until you reached the hallway, no threat of his voice carrying as he leaned in close and lowered his voice.

‘Alright, listen, it's Jack's birthday tonight, and he thinks I forgot cause he's gullible but I need you to run out and grab everything on this list before he's done so we can all celebrate at my place, you think you can do that in the next 45?’ he asked in a hushed whisper, absolutely no one around to hear and spoil the surprise as you looked at your watch and steeled yourself.

‘I can, I've done more in less time,’ you promised, and he gave you a pat before handing over a bunch of cash.

‘Good, leave it in the car and we'll keep it a surprise til we get to mine; I really need you to ham it on tonight, make it seem like this is all your idea until we get there cause otherwise he won't believe it for a second,’ he informed you, and while your acting was rough you still knew you didn't have to feign excitement when it came to him. He let you go then, the two of you separating as you hurried for your car, your heart racing at the thought of finally being able to drive it just for him. 

You made quick work of the list thanks to Leo telling you exactly which store held everything, his soft spot for Jack that he constantly denied having coming in handy as you perused the aisles with great speed and checked everything off one by one. You felt almost giddy for the first time in years as you checked out the cards, this one not on the list, but you wanted to give him something personal as you glanced over them until one caught your eye; it was a child's card, so the age on it was wrong of course, but as you picked it up and looked inside you couldn’t contain your giggle at how perfect it was. 

You added it to the cart and headed for the register, your watch telling you that you were making great time, but just as you got in line to check out you heard something that made your blood run cold: ‘Aren't you supposed to be at work?’ It was your mother, who was supposed to be at home watching Night Owls, her own small cart filled with things as she got in line behind you. ‘What are you doing buying alcohol? Since when do you drink?’

‘I, uh…’ you stuttered as everything was rung up, her eyebrow raising when she saw the card be scanned. ‘It's my boss’ birthday, so I was sent out to get a bunch of stuff for the party, I was going to call and say I'd be home late,’ you explained without going into too much detail, the cashier totaling it up and telling you what you owed. You pulled out Leo's money without a thought, your mother’s eyes widening when she saw it.

‘Where did you get all of that? I've been starving myself so you can afford to pay the bills,’ she gasped angrily, the cashier not saying a word as she removed herself from the conversation and started bagging everything the second your change met your hand. 

‘I got it from Le- Nora, my manager Lenora, so that she'd be sure I had enough,’ you lied for the first time in your life, your mother staring you down with a frown.

‘Well you can use some of that on me, she doesn't have to know,’ was all she said before she left to grab more, and you just sighed without arguing and started to place everything on the register for her in her absence. You didn't want to use Leo's money on her, no matter how much change you had considering he'd given you a blind but large lump sum to cover it all, so you pulled out your own wallet and had it charged to your card when she was done, your watch beeping sadly to tell you that it was 1AM, you were now late. You tried to leave before her so you could speed back, but the moment you reached the door you realized that she'd see you get into your car, something she was bound to take to make herself look more impressive, so you forced yourself to stay behind and wait for her, helping her load her bags into her own car before pretending to hail a cab.

She didn't even say goodbye as she pulled out of the lot, the ice cream starting to melt and making the bag moist, your arms thankfully saving it before it could tear and spill everything onto the pavement. You didn't get back until everyone was leaving, the party still happening but without you there to convince Jack to go out he was focusing solely on your backup, his co-host Gus soaking up all the glory as everyone praised him for his good idea. You didn't meet Leo's eye as he headed for you, your hand already held out with the change as you prepared to take whatever anger he was about to dish out at you, but he didn't yell, just checked your backseat to make sure everything was there.

‘You really cut it close, just follow the convoy, and don't drink too much, I bet you $100 he's going to drink too much and need a ride home,’ he whispered before heading for his own car, the money ignored as you put it back in your pocket and got ready to follow again.

‘There you are, are you coming with us?’ Jack surprised you right as you opened the door, your body jumping back into his raised hands as you let out a yelp and dropped the keys. ‘Sorry about that, I didn't know my footsteps were so quiet,’ he joked as he picked them up for you like a gentleman.

‘It's my fault, I'm a bit distracted tonight,’ you said without meaning to, everything shoved back into a neat little box once more as you forced a smile. 

‘Does that mean you won't go?’ He sounded almost disappointed, but that wasn't right, no one was ever disappointed when you couldn't join them, your lips parting slightly before you shook your head.

‘No, I'm going,’ you confirmed to him, his resulting smile so big that it could almost break your heart. He handed your keys back with a, ‘Good, I'm glad,’ before going to his car, the crowd thinning as car after car started up and created a parade. You were quick to hop in and follow before you were the last one there, your cheeks red the entire time to Leo's, who, you discovered, lived not only in his penthouse downtown but also had a large house all to himself as well. You learned that he used it for these private affairs and whenever he needed to get away, the address unlisted and why he was so relieved you'd made it back in time. 

Everyone was parked all the way down the street, and the only reason you got a space in the driveway itself was because Leo himself stood in the way and got them to keep right on driving until you arrived. He helped you carry everything inside via the back, Jack already inside and getting many handshakes and pats on the back as congratulations, so he was none the wiser as you both set out the spread in the kitchen. The cake was pre-ordered and already waiting, and you were glad the ice cream wasn't too melted as you placed it, along with countless other treats and a few different brands of alcohol, on the island around it before Leo called everyone in. 

The lights dimmed as the candles were lit, Jack too humble to accept it all as everyone got ready to sing, and you held your card tightly as he blew out the candles and filled the room with darkness and smoke and loud applause. When the lights came back on he and Leo were hugging, the latter once again denying his soft spot for him as he ordered for the cake to be cut before another year came and went.

You snuck out to find a pen before you could partake in the treats, a card already going around when Jack wasn't looking, and when you signed it you made sure to adjust your own before passing it on. You were just about to hand it over when he was snatched away, everyone wanting to talk to him tonight, and you let yourself fall into old habits as you grabbed some cake and melted ice cream and found a seat to yourself. Despite not getting to talk to him, it ended up being a fun night, everyone's hidden presents all grabbed from their cars and stacked in his lap as Leo took a picture, nothing from you in the pile as he unwrapped everything. 

When he saw that Leo had somehow managed to find his favourite film for his U-Matic, everyone gathered around in his spacious living room to watch, and you quickly found out that he was also a fan of horror as you recognized the opening credits. He was a fan, and he claimed to love it, but still he cowered in shock and awe and absolute joy along with everyone around him while you secretly hogged the popcorn to yourself.

The party went on late into the night, Leo not letting you leave until Jack was ready to either crash there or catch a ride with you seeing as he did in fact drink a lot, and it was only when you got your producer alone in the kitchen did you try again to give him his change. He just looked at it before going back to his whiskey with a shake of his head, your head cocking to the side in confusion. ‘I only bet you because I knew I'd win, I don't actually want your money,’ he muttered as he took a sip, and you dropped the cash onto the counter and slid it towards him.

‘That's all your change from the list,’ you finally explained, and he took another sip before pushing it back to you.

‘Keep it, gas isn't free,’ he insisted before walking away in order to stop you from declining, and you felt your throat tighten as you stared down at the remaining couple hundred plus a few random bills and coins; it was more than you'd made in your last paycheck at your first job, and it would make up for what you'd had to dish out on your mother without worry, and you quickly wiped away a tear before putting it all back into your pocket with a silent thank you.

Now that that was settled you could go back to watching over Jack, the man no longer in the living room to your horror as you started to look for him. If he'd gone off to bed then that was all fine and dandy, you could go home and rest for a few hours until you had to work again, but if he'd driven off drunk then you'd never be able to forgive yourself if something happened to him; you checked the driveway and found his car still there, your hunt taking you through every single room in Leo's house as your panic grew and thoughts of what happened to him plagued your mind. 

You thought you'd be used to this kind of feeling, after all, your mother put you through this kind of thing often, but this fear felt new as you threw open the master bedroom’s balcony doors and stepped out to breathe. You were used to the panic of losing her while she sought attention in all the wrong places, but that came with the twisted hope that maybe this time it'd be the last and you could go free; no, you were worried about him as you gulped down the cold, night air, your care for him more than it'd been for anyone you'd ever known. You tried not to cry as you asked the night where he'd gone only to hear a soft splash, your eyes following the yard lights to where a figure was sitting at the edge of the large pool down below.

It was Jack, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder and a glass still in his hand, the ice clinking together as he swirled the remaining contents and tossed them back in one big gulp. You laughed in pure relief before heading downstairs as fast as you could, the way out of this maze nearly getting you before you reached the patio doors in the kitchen and stepped back outside. You approached cautiously, you didn't know if he was out there because of a sudden drop in mood after all, but when he heard your steps on the stone he looked up and smiled just like he always did.

‘Been looking for you,’ he surprised you by saying, and he motioned for you to sit next to him before gazing back out onto the lit up water. ‘I thought you might've left so I came out here to catch my breath before bed, Leo would kill me if I drove home like this.’

‘I was looking for you too, he told me to drive you home if you got too drunk,’ you admitted quietly, afraid of letting Leo overhear you ratting him out even though it was just the two of you out there, but Jack just laughed and kicked his feet through the water again, the source of the small splash you'd heard from above.

‘I've been taking care of myself long before I met him, you can tell him that I don't need a babysitter,’ he laughed, but then his voice dropped to something calmer as his eyes met yours, ‘although, I can't say I haven't been enjoying your company because of it.’

You swallowed, your heart pounding before you told yourself that he was just friendly, like this with everyone, no one ever waited for you once you chose your mother over them.

‘I bet you say that to all the girls who work for you,’ you joked if only to get him to admit that you weren't special, just a tool for your mother to use to get her affirmations that she was still good enough, but when he spoke next the world went quiet around you as even she disappeared from your mind.

‘Just the pretty ones, and you're the prettiest damn thing that's ever worked with me,’ he whispered softly, and when you turned to look at him you saw that his eyes were only on you.

‘Jack, you're drunk,’ you insisted more to yourself than to him, and when he leaned in close you found yourself frozen to the spot.

‘Maybe you should take me home, then?’

Your breath hitched as he placed his hand over yours, clearly too drunk to keep everything in, but you believed him as you nodded and helped him stand. He left his glass beside the pool where his shoes had been waiting, the two of you sneaking around the house to get to the driveway, his body occasionally bumping into yours as you led him to his car. His keys were pressed into your hand the moment you both sat down on the worn leather, his card digging into your side from your coat pocket, calling to you to give it to him while you ignored it, this wasn't the time. You turned on the heat so he could stay warm before taking off down the empty street, his mumbled directions of where to go leading you in a circle as he fought to recognize the houses surrounding you.

Eventually he got it, his house surprisingly small and cozy and not at all what you’d imagined as you parked once more. He was starting to sleep on the way there, hence the trouble with directions, but now that you were opening the door and helping him stand he was waking up again, his cheeks flushing as he watched you unlock his front door. You couldn’t stay, you needed to get some sleep before your morning shift, but he didn’t let go of you even as he kicked off his shoes and dropped his jacket to the ground.

‘Walk me up?’ he asked almost shyly, the lively host you’d gotten to know stripped away to leave only Jack behind, and you couldn’t leave him as you helped him get to his bedroom. The place was completely empty, devoid of any roommates or partners as he crawled onto his bed, and the moment you went to say goodnight so you wouldn’t ask about it you found his hands on your arm. 

His touch was light, he wasn't holding you to keep you prisoner, and when he fell onto his side you joined him without a fight. His bed was big and soft, heat emanating off of him in a way you’d never known before, not even when you’d attempted to date when you had the small freedom of highschool to see other people, and when he touched your face in the dark you closed your eyes and tried to savour it because this couldn’t last, not while she was out there. 

‘Stay with me?’ he asked next, and you couldn’t stop yourself from grabbing onto his hand and choking back a sob.

‘No one wants me to stay,’ you whispered miserably, unable to hold your own truth in since he wouldn’t remember this in the morning, needing to say it just this once.

‘I do.’ 

You blinked and felt the tear run down your cheek, his other hand coming up to wipe it away before he was leaning in, giving you the freedom to turn away, get up and leave, but you couldn’t as you met him in the middle, your first kiss in 20 years only making you hold him tighter as he wrapped his arms around you.

You didn’t wake up the next morning to your alarm clock, but rather to the sound of birds outside your window, everything about that feeling wrong as you tried to roll over and found yourself trapped. You woke up a little more, not recognizing your surroundings as the heat around your stomach turned into arms, and when you looked down and saw Jack still holding you you felt such an ache run through you like you’d never known. You tried to lift his arm off of you without waking him, already looking around to see that your coat was on the floor while your dress was currently hanging off his nightstand from when you’d tossed it over your shoulder the night before, the sight bittersweet as he groaned in his sleep and held on tight.

‘Jack, please, I’ll be late for work,’ you moaned as you tried again, and he cracked an eye open and didn’t look like he regretted this but actually wanted you to stay.

‘Call in, you know the number, right?’ he mumbled into his pillow, trying again to keep you there, and you swallowed and adjusted your bra strap, still remembering the way he’d kissed your shoulder as he’d attempted to take it off, his fingers too clumsy and your heart too greedy to do anything other than climb on top of him and kiss him. 

‘I can’t afford to.’ You’d never talked about your financial status before, too embarrassed and not wanting to weigh him down by your problems, and both eyes opened this time as he shifted close enough to press a kiss to your arm.

‘Then quit, work for Leo full-time, he’s gotta have something good enough to replace whatever you’re doing now, and I know his hours will be more lenient so-’ He paused, rubbing circles into your stomach as his other hand held on tight. ‘So you can stay with me.’

You laid back down, lip already quivering, and when he saw it his touch he was just as gentle as the night before. ‘You can’t mean that, you don’t know what my life has been like,’ you insisted, no more pretending that you were okay now that you were in his arms.

‘Then tell me,’ he almost begged, but when you refused with a shake of your head he didn’t press further. ‘I still want you to stay, regardless of what you’re not ready to tell me.’

It was the next morning, he was sober, he meant this.

‘I’ll stay,’ you finally gave in as you let the sun rise without going home, your first morning away from her as he pulled you to his chest and didn’t let you go until you’d both fallen asleep again.

You weren’t used to sleeping in, the feeling more comfortable than you remembered when you woke up again in the afternoon, Jack still snoring away without a care in the world. You were able to successfully sneak away that time, but not to find your way home or to work, but to make him breakfast, wanting to do this rather than having to for the first time in your life. You cooked quietly so he could sleep, you didn’t get to bed until close to 5AM once you’d kissed him back, and he didn’t join you until the food was almost ready.

‘Smells delicious, I don’t think I’ve had anyone do this for me before,’ he told you before kissing your shoulder, once again sliding your bra strap down as he pressed himself up against your back. It was strange to feel this wanted, but he made it easy as he located the plates for you and helped set the table. You talked while you ate, your breakfasts usually so quick and quiet before you had to run, but now you never wanted to leave as you watched him try to get through his hangover. He swore that more kisses helped, and you couldn’t disagree with that medical diagnosis between bites of eggs and drinks of coffee.

‘Oh! I have something for you!’ you suddenly remembered when he’d gotten his fill, your bare feet slapping against the hardwood and carpet as you raced back upstairs to find your jacket; when you returned his card was behind your back again, Jack looking interested until you presented it to him. It’d gotten a bit bent over the night, and leaving it trapped under your coat all morning hadn’t helped, but he looked like he loved this gift the most as he stared at the large cartoon owl on the front.

‘Look hoo-s birthday it is,’ he read aloud, your hands wringing as he opened it up and chuckled, ‘hope the party is a real hoot just like you, happy 42nd, with love.’

‘It was the only card with an owl,’ you were quick to explain, and he placed it on display on his mantle in his living room before returning to you.

‘It’s the best card I’ve ever received,’ he insisted as he kissed the top of your head, his arms around you in a long hug, your food going cold as you refused to let go of each other before he could kiss you again.

He drove you to work wearing your dress from last night after that, his clothes not quite fitting you enough to go out in public with them, and after you apologized for the sudden quitting and walked out with your final pay you met him right back in his chair so he could drop you off at home. It was past noon, there was a good chance your mother was out asking around every place of show business in town by now, so you risked being dropped off at least out of sight from any windows. He gave you a quick kiss goodbye, a silent promise that this wasn't going to end now that you were going home, and you gave him a genuine smile as you hopped out of the car and let him drive away so he could talk to Leo about your new potential job.

Your smile lasted all the way to your apartment, your cheeks flushing again as you remembered how it felt to be held and desired and loved until the door opened and you saw your mother standing there, waiting for you.

‘Where have you been? You never came home or even called last night, you show up in the middle of the day wearing the same outfit, you stink of booze and cheap cologne, did you lie to me last night?’ she demanded all at once, and usually you’d be groveling just to get her to leave you alone for a little while longer, say anything that would make her focus back on herself, but you still felt his arms around you, heard him whisper that he wanted you to stay in your ear, and your back straightened as you pushed your hair behind your ear and stood your ground.

‘I told you I’d be out late, I had to drive a co-worker home and ended up crashing on his couch, it’s no big deal, I’m home now,’ you scoffed, your tone not appreciated in the least as she then walked over to inspect you.

She circled you only once, her eyes narrowed as she checked you out for any trace of a lie, and when she stopped in front of you her eyes were cold, unloving. ‘You’re not seeing anyone behind my back again, are you? I thought we talked about this, after that boy tried to convince you to run away from home when you were just a teenager we’d agreed that you wouldn’t see anyone again.’ You remembered it well, the promise only kept because the heartbreak had held you back at the time, while her constant search for enough attention to finally satiate her kept you from ever being able to see anyone else ever again.

Until now.

‘I’m not,’ you lied right to her face, and when she didn’t back down you just sighed and went to take a shower and change. She grabbed your arm, refusing to let you go until you told her the truth, but you wouldn’t let her into your new life, not when you knew what she’d do to everything she could get her hands on if you did. ‘I’m not, and please take your hand off of me.’

She let you go, storming off towards her bedroom now that you were back, and when you’d grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom she cut you off only once more. ‘I heard that Jack Delroy’s birthday is today, they announced it at the end of the show when I got back from the store, what a coincidence that your boss’ was on the day before,’ she wondered aloud, your face not giving anything away as you held your clothes a little closer to your chest.

‘It was a lot of people’s birthdays yesterday, same with today, none of them have anything to do with me,’ was all you said before walking into the room and shutting the door, and when you undressed in front of the mirror you noticed that Jack had left a hickey on the space where your neck met your shoulder.

Even though you’d both attempted to keep it a secret, word got around very fast that you and Jack were now dating by the time the week was out. Leo had come through for you, now paying you - albeit under the table for now, just to keep your bills paid - to be his personal assistant instead, since Jack was now insisting that he didn’t want to be the boss of his girlfriend. You blushed every single time you heard the title, congratulations coming your way when he officially announced it to the crew that Monday, since everyone was already talking about it and he didn’t want your relationship to just be a rumour. 

In front of everyone, he’d stood center stage and held you close, nearly making you cry again as he confessed his love to you, needing you to know that his desire for you to stay was that true, the thought of you not believing him such a worry to him that he’d rather tell everyone than have you go one more day without hearing him say that he loved you.

As such, you didn’t need to be backstage for him anymore, all your orders coming from Leo throughout the day to prepare, but still you were invited to watch each show, and still you went without fail, Jack stealing kisses during each commercial break like he hadn’t seen you in years instead of minutes. You didn’t know how to be this loved, it was almost suffocating, but it was in the best of ways, one that rivaled the way your mother suffocated you for your entire life. So you clung to him, let him drown you and wash you away until you knew how it felt to be cared for, the time when you were forced to leave him so as to not incur her wrath again the most painful moments of your life.

You couldn’t risk another sleepover, not after you’d just barely gotten away with the first and regrettably last, and you still couldn’t tell him why you had to part, but he was patient with you as he drove away and left you to walk home alone, your car once again left in the lot where she wouldn’t see it. Your life had been easy before, a numbness that you were used to, but living like this, where you now had this entirely secret life with small tastes of what you could always have if you finally just left, it was breaking you worse than anything you’d ever experienced before, and you didn’t know how much longer you could last before you ended up having to choose just one to save yourself.

You knew you needed to decide when you got back from work a few Fridays later for a proper nap after spending all day running around for Leo, your mind torn between trying to figure out how to stay the night after Jack’s upcoming halloween party, your shared favourite time of the year, and how to tell him that you were ready to either take your relationship to the next level or break up with him before your heart finally broke.

As such, you weren't paying attention as you walked into your apartment, your eyes on the ground as you mumbled nonsense to yourself, not noticing that something was wrong until you reached your room and saw the suitcase on your bed. You frowned at it, trying to remember when you’d put it there when your mother appeared behind you, gave you a hug from the back as she rested her chin on your shoulder, her grip so much colder than Jack’s to the point that it made you shiver. ‘New York isn’t working out for me,’ she sighed dejectedly, your mouth going dry as your eyes widened. ‘I thought I might catch my break here, but none of the places I’ve tried are ready for me, so we’ll just have to try again, maybe Chicago might be more successful to us this time.’

‘No,’ you murmured before you could stop yourself, your mother not hiding the way she didn’t like your reply.

‘What did you say?’

‘I can’t go, I’m happy here,’ you told her as you started to panic, the thought of being forced to say goodbye before you were ready hurting more than having to watch him drive away.

‘We’ve talked about this before, I need you to keep supporting me, I can’t do this without you.’ It was an old script, one you knew very well, the words only coming out when you became close to thinking for yourself. ‘Will you really keep me here if I’m not happy?’

‘But…’ You’d never been able to win this one against her before, and she didn’t let you win it again as she dug her nails into your shoulders, her hug over already.

‘I’ve already found us a place, the rent will be cheaper, and the theater I sent my headshots to liked what they saw, so I’m going to need you to keep paying the bills while I audition for plays down there, I think I’ve finally found my calling as a theater actress, don’t you want that for your mother?’ You couldn’t speak, Jack in your vision when you shut your eyes and tried to wake yourself up from this bad dream. ‘This will be the last time, I promise, no more men breaking my heart, no more dead end jobs, just the two of us while I become the star I was always meant to be, doesn’t that sound exciting?’

You shook your head, her nails hurting you as she spun you around, your eyes still shut tight until you felt her hit you; you looked at her as your cheek stung, her own eyes boring holes into you as she clung to you until you started to flinch to escape the pain.

‘You would leave your mother to fend for herself in a brand new city, all alone? Don’t you care about me? I’m the one who birthed you, raised you alone after your father left, let you see so many beautiful things across the country, and now you’re going to tell me no when I’ve finally found something I can be happy about? Don’t I deserve to have my dreams come true, you selfish brat?’ You didn’t know what had set her off before she was hitting you again, your arms coming up to protect yourself from her slapping hands. ‘I’ve sacrificed so much to do all this for you, the least you can do is pay me back!’

‘All I do is pay you back, I never asked for any of this!’ you yelled right back, your attitude now greatly unwanted as she pushed you onto your bed and slammed the door.

‘You can stand to miss a night of work, I keep worrying about you when you don’t get home until almost 2AM, maybe it’s high time you found another day job,’ she all but ordered as she shoved a kitchen chair under your doorknob, locking you in and stopping you from seeing Jack until Monday.

‘You can’t do this! I won’t go to Chicago!’ you screamed at her as you banged your hands on the wood, the chair then met with what sounded like the table as well for extra security, the window your only hope as you unlatched it and opened it up. You tried to fit yourself through but the stairs traveled directly across it, that hadn’t changed in the two months since your arrival, and you had to give up as you tore through your sleeve and cut your arm on the rusted metal. You slowly collapsed onto your bed, rain starting to fall outside and making your room chilly as you stared up at the slivers of cloudy sky up above. ‘Just like prison bars,’ you repeated softly to yourself as a raindrop bounced off the rail and hit you right in the cheek, your chest aching as you finally broke down into your pillow, your single bed so small and cold without him there.

You stopped crying by the time the sun had fully set, your mother watching TV just on the other side of your door, no pity for you no matter if you begged for it or not, and you were not about to do that ever again now that you knew what love felt like. You sat up, the rain still going strong and drenching your sill, your eyes tired as you stared at freedom just beyond the railing. You looked down at your arm when the wet chill made it sting, the rain making the blood run again as the droplets splashed onto the dried river running over your skin. You didn’t feel pain anymore as you watched it go, Jack’s hand appearing in your mind and leaving a trail of warmth as he rubbed it all away, a memory you were going to lose if you didn’t fight for it, and your eyes narrowed as you got onto your knees and took off your shirt.

You needed the space as you tossed it beside you, your skirt then joining it before you were gritting your teeth and attempting to push yourself through the gap again. This time nothing caught, your bare skin able to feel everything and help you angle over the rail, and when your torso was free you tried not to yell in relief as the rain washed over you. You used the stairs to pull yourself out, your leg also getting cut when you got too excited and lost your grip, but you didn’t care, your clothes quickly grabbed and tugged back on before you shut your window from the outside and hurried down the fire escape.

You didn’t stop running until you reached the studio, your entire body soaked and the blood at least washed away as you raced for the set, everyone wondering where you were until you appeared. You walked past them all, needing to get to Leo as he talked with someone about if they’d seen you around since that afternoon, and the moment you got his attention he quickly tried to escourt you somewhere you could talk openly.

‘I need to talk to Jack,’ you told him seriously as you stopped him not two feet into your walk, and he looked you over before nodding and motioning for someone to come over and help you. A coat from the wardrobe rack was placed around your shoulders as Leo openly stepped on stage to whisper something in Jack’s ear, no regard for the show at all in the face of your turmoil, and you watched on the monitor as Jack’s eyes grew wide in worry.

‘I’m sorry, we’re having a bit of technical difficulties backstage, so we’re going to take a quit break to hear from our sponsors while we sort this out,’ he told the audience with a forced smile, and the second the cameras were cut he was rushing back to find you; he was dead silent as he took you in, his hands hovering but not touching as you shivered under the coat, but the moment he saw the blood he froze, his gaze darkening to something dangerous, furious. ‘Who did this to you?’ he demanded, ready to hurt whoever had hurt you, but you just grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him towards the set door, knowing he couldn’t go far as the others gave you some space.

‘I need to tell you something,’ you began as he tried to rub the pain and chill away, your tears unnoticed as they blended in with the rain already wetting your cheeks. ‘I’m moving, tonight.’

‘What? To where? Why didn’t you tell me?’ he asked, the anger instantly melting away to heartbreak, his expression only making this harder in combination with his hands still warming your arms.

‘I can’t say, I’ll call you with the location of Leo’s car when I get far away enough, but I just need to-’

‘Are you in trouble? Is that why you haven’t been letting me visit you? I can protect you, so can Leo, just tell me,’ he tried, but you couldn’t let him, not after your mother had finally crossed that line tonight. So you shook your head, your hands coming up to move his away but he wouldn’t let you go, he couldn’t, not while he was pleading for you to stay. ‘Don’t go, please,’ he whispered as he leaned his forehead against your own, your crying now apparent to everyone as he cupped your cheeks and held you in place.

‘I don’t want to,’ you confessed, your hands moving to his chest so you could push him away and get as far away from your mother as you could, but before you did anything the set door suddenly opened, someone seeing only him and thinking him ready to go back out there. The audience gasped and murmured amongst themselves as they saw you together, Jack shielding you from them as Leo hurriedly shut the door again, the man then stomping off to give someone a very bad scolding. ‘I’m sorry, she might’ve seen me, I have to go-’

Your name drifted through the area as your blood ran cold, Jack feeling the change in you and holding you closer as your mother came into view. You had no time to wonder when she’d gotten there before she was calling your name again in relief, Gus escorting her to you since she’d known who you were and clearly trusting her for that. ‘My sweet girl, so this is where you’ve been getting,’ she cooed as she approached, Jack unsure of what was going on as she soaked up her own personal audience. ‘I’m so sorry for the mess my daughter has gotten into, you see, she’s very unwell, sneaking out in the middle of the night to come here it seems, and no matter how hard I try to keep her safe she just keeps finding a way out.’

It was a boldfaced lie, and you silently begged Jack not to believe her as she held out her hand for you to take. ‘No, no she’s lying, she’s the one who did this to me,’ you insisted as the people who’d become your friends slowly gathered around to figure out what was going on, the show almost forgotten on the other side of the set walls.

‘I placed her in her room for the night and she slipped out the window while I grabbed her dinner, I hope you haven’t been feeding into her delusions- sorry, her fantasies, rather, while she’s been here?’ You couldn’t believe your ears, Jack starting to let go of you as he thought about all your times together, all your secrets in order to keep him safe from her, all of them working against you as she reached for you again. ‘Come now, we’ll get you home and all cleaned up, let’s stop bothering these nice people so they can get back to work.’

‘I work here too,’ you insisted but the damage had been done, everyone looking at you differently as Jack took a step back, handed you over to the woman you’d so desperately tried to escape. ‘Jack, no, please- you said you wanted me to stay!’

‘I’m going to get you some help, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he promised as your mother began to lead you away, your friends all standing aside so she’d have an easier time, and when the stage door closed you saw Leo yelling at Jack as he just stood there and took it.

You were silent the entire way home, your head resting against the glass as the rain beat against it, your mother equally as silent until you were back in your apartment again. The TV was still on, just a ruse to make you believe she was still there as she waited for you in the only place she was certain you’d go, and she’d been right, you didn’t know how but she was. Now you were back home, forced to move the table and chairs back into place so you could sleep in your damp bed.

‘I’d fix that window for you, but we’ll be moving soon enough, so there’s no point,’ your mother told you as she made herself some tea to combat the chill, your door wide open as you curled back up on your bed. ‘Yes, no need, unless you wanted to stay?’ You flinched but didn’t rise, not wanting to take the bait after what she’d just done to you; she took her cup in hand and sat down at the end of your bed, stirring the sugar in with a spoon as she gazed down at the foamy patterns filming over the surface of the dark liquid. ‘Your little secret is out now, but I’ve known for weeks, a mother always knows when her child is messing around, the mark he left on your shoulder was all the proof I needed.’

‘I’m not a child,’ you muttered numbly, but she ignored it.

‘You really believed he’d fallen for you, but all men are fickle, my dear, which is why we can’t trust any of them in love,’ she continued, her spoon tapping against the rim before she set it on your bed, the remaining tea staining your sheet. ‘Of course, in business, they still have some worth to us.’ You glanced weakly up at her as she took a sip, not wanting her to say what you knew she was going to the moment she was done. ‘I don’t know how you managed it, but my guess is that you seduced Mr. Delroy that night in order to gain his favour, didn’t you?’

‘I didn’t-’

‘You think so, but I saw the dress you came home in, no man could’ve resisted that,’ she stated plainly before taking another sip, your brows furrowing as you fought not to believe her, that Jack had asked you to stay because he’d liked you, not your outfit no matter how many glasses he’d had. ‘So, you seduced him, got on his good side as well as the studio’s, and now you’re going to pay me back with all your hard work.’

You sat up then, her eyes not on you at all as you tried not to cry again. ‘You just ruined my life, took away everything I love, why would I ever want to help you?’ you demanded pitifully, your mother taking another sip before placing the empty cup on your dresser.

‘Because if I start working there then you’ll be able to see him again, even if you will have to act like what I said tonight is true, there’s simply no way they’ll allow you back after the scene you caused, after all.’ You grabbed her by the shirt and forced her to look at you, tears running down your cheeks as she just stared right through you. ‘It’s been a long time since you’ve been this rebellious, but don’t worry, once I become the star I was always meant to be, just as we planned earlier, then you’ll be able to find a dream of your own.’

‘I don’t need a dream, I was happy there,’ you cried as you just held onto her, supporting yourself more than grabbing her as the resignation started to sink in, ‘why couldn’t you just let me have this one thing? What did I ever do to you to make you hate me this much?’

‘Hate you? My dear, I’m your mother, I could never hate you,’ she consoled you with a comforting brush to your cheek, but it held no love or warmth to it at all, just like always. ‘Loathing you, though, that’s another story.’ Her hand fell away as she stood, her spoon and cup left behind as she stood in your doorway and looked coldly down on you. ‘Who gave you the right to steal my life, parade it around for weeks while I wasted away here? Losing him is the only kindness you deserve after all of that, and when he comes around tomorrow you’re going to play the part of my sweet, sickly daughter so I can get close to him to, earn myself my own segment on his show until I can get an hour all to myself, won’t that be divine?’

‘He’ll never want to work with you, he’s a good person,’ you swore, but all the venom was gone as she just smiled hopefully and walked off for her room, your body growing heavy as you fell back down onto your side and cried until you were numb again.

You were still in bed when he came, someone else letting him in since he didn’t know your apartment number, that same someone more than likely giving him directions up to your lodgings. You didn’t move, too exhausted to get up and have him believe her again, and you wished you had the energy to at least shut your door as you watched your mother hurry to let him in when he knocked. She looked good as she passed through your vision, dressed to impress just as always, and you knew you looked a pathetic mess as you just stared at the wall and tried to block out the sound of his voice when confusion met your ears instead.

‘I’m sorry, who are you?’

‘Leo Fiske, producer of Night Owls and your daughter’s ex-boss, I just need to ask some questions to see if the studio wants her to reimburse all the money she’s been receiving under false pretenses,’ he explained in a tone you hadn’t heard before, your brows furrowing as your mother let him in. He appeared in your doorway and shut the door behind him, and you were in the middle of getting ready to explain that you had no money to pay him back when he spoke first. ‘Thank you for your time, I’m sure we’ll be able to sort through this as painfully as possible! Get up.’ He hissed the last part through his teeth, his voice switching from loud and boasting to as quiet as possible as you just stared, and he motioned for you to stand as he started going through your drawers without making a sound. ‘It’s a substantial amount, but if we explain your case to the higher ups I’m certain they’ll knock some of it off! He’s coming, get up.’

You listened that time, helping him find you some clean clothes before stripping down in front of him when he seemed very unbothered by the sight of your undergarments in the top drawer. ‘Why are you doing this?’ you whispered as you tossed your dirty clothes aside, Leo holding up a blouse to you before shaking his head and going for something else instead.

‘Because Jack’s an idiot, I told you he was gullible, that man would sell his soul if the contract was worded just right,’ he muttered quietly, and you believed him as he picked out an outfit and turned away so you could pull on some clean underwear and a new bra.

‘So, you don’t believe her?’ It was almost too good to be true, Leo turning on his heel to help you do up the zipper on the back of your shirt the moment you had it on.

‘Fuck no, I called that horseshit the second she opened her mouth, that woman is a terrible actor,’ he told you as he zipped you up, a comb coming out of nowhere to fix up your hair a little. ‘Look, he meant well last night, but I kicked his ass for you after you left, so don’t give him too hard a time when he arrives; I left the moment he called me, and he has zero ability to handle downtown traffic so we’ve got about three minutes to talk.’

‘She’s trying to blackmail me into getting her a job.’

‘Yeah, I figured that, a good producer can always sniff out the narcissistic types.’

‘She’s always done this, but I’ve never had the courage to fight back until… I met all of you,’ you confessed, Leo spinning you around to fluff your hair and wipe some smudges from your cheeks.

‘That’s because you’re a Night Owl, knew you were the moment you wanted the job, so you get out there when he comes and you knock that bitch on her ass, you hear me?’ He clapped his hands over your arms in encouragement, and when another knock came to the door he quickly excused himself so Jack wouldn’t see him leaving your room. ‘There you are, already talked to her about the repayment, so you can do whatever business you’ve got with them now.’

‘Repayment?’ Jack’s voice was confused but still sounded like music to your ears as you willed your heart to not beat out of your chest, your feet moving on their own as you stepped out into the living room to face him. He looked tired, his usual joy at seeing you quickly quelled by the shame of how he’d let the night before end, and it took all your strength not to go to him and tell him it was okay, you understood. ‘I, uh, I still want to help in any way I can, are there any treatment centers I can help pay for, or perhaps drive her to?’ he asked your mother, that not the answer she wanted to hear as she swayed her way over to him.

‘It means so much to us that you’ve grown so fond of her, Mr. Delroy, ever since her father left things have been hard for us, money has been tight; if you truly wish to help then a more- stable income would be very advantageous to us both,’ she led, Leo putting his head in his hand behind her back as he just kept seeing right through her. 

‘I can ask around, see if anyone has any positions open?’ he suggested, and for a moment you were worried that he was still buying into it when he looked at you; you saw the switch between showman and himself, his true self that he’d shown you while he laid in bed across from you. He may have bought it the night before but he wasn't now that he was able to see you without the rush of the timeframe and the stares of his crew. ‘But in the meantime, I’d really like to get her in a more suitable place, somewhere she can be taken care of where she won’t hurt herself again, and I’d like to get that done today, if you don’t mind.’

‘Wha- today? But we haven’t discussed all of our business yet,’ she was quick to decline, and when she went to grab onto you to keep you still, Leo moved just as fast to put himself between the two of you.

‘We can discuss it another time, you just give us your contact info and we’ll call you back,’ he muttered flatly as he herded you towards Jack, your mother starting to catch on when he then left you to toss everything you owned into the suitcase still laying on your floor.

‘Wait a minute, you can’t take my daughter away from me,’ she frowned angrily, your hand reaching for Jack when she stepped in front of you to stop you. ‘You can’t leave me, you remember the last time you tried that, don’t you? What child leaves her poor mother all alone like this for someone who’ll only break her heart again?’

‘I’m not a child!’ you yelled in her face, Leo smirking to your right as he leaned against your doorframe, suitcase in hand. Jack just stared, not wanting to get between you but not about to leave you again, and you borrowed his strength as you stood up tall and sucked in a deep breath. ‘I’m a grown woman! I’m almost 40 fucking years old, and I will not let you hurt me anymore!’

‘Hurt you? I am your mother, I would never-’

‘Dragging me across the country, using me to pay your bills, never letting me have a life of my own, and now trying to make it seem like I’m broken just so you can step in front of the cameras? I’m not broken, no matter how hard you try you can never break me, and for once in my life I’m choosing to stay with people who actually give a damn about me!’ Your shoulders shook as you cried, but not in misery this time, you were crying because you were angry, Leo giving you a few slow claps before heading for the door, a cigarette already lit as he carried your suitcase to the car for you, so certain that you’d follow that he never looked back. You’d let her rule your life for too long, and she’d managed to talk you out of it before but not this time, not when he was right there, waiting for you even though he knew everything.

There was nothing left to keep from him, your abuse out in the open and explaining everything you’d kept from him, and he just smiled at you as he held out his hand for you to take.

‘What will you do when this ends? All men leave in the end, and this one’s in showbusiness, you think he won’t find someone younger and prettier than you the moment you hold onto him too hard?’ she demanded to know like he wasn't even there, Jack knowing better than to argue even though you knew he never would. Even if he fell out of love with you someday it would never be for those reasons, and as you took a step forward you knew that he might not even fall out of love with you as he mouthed the words to you again as his final plea for you to stay.

‘I’ll figure that out without you, then,’ was all you said, and then you were shoving past her to throw yourself into his arms. He held you close as he kissed the top of your head, your mother yelling insults and begging you not to go as you cried against his chest, and when he turned and led you out you didn’t stop until you reached his car and climbed into the passenger seat, Jack kissing you properly the moment his own door closed.

You had no idea if your mother stayed in New York after you finally left her, several calls to the studio to find you going ignored, her picture everywhere as she was banned from the premises. You moved into Leo’s house for the first few weeks, that final step between you and Jack making you both blushing messes at the thought of living together so soon and stopping it from happening. Leo was fine with that, his house was empty most of the time anyway so you were free to rest up there while the restraining order was put into motion, one of his many spare bedrooms becoming your own as they, along with your other new friends, took care of you for once.

The matter was cleared up around the studio, the news catching hold of the entire story after the camera had accidentally caught you along with the audience; suddenly you found yourself everywhere, your mother attempting to cash in on that only for Leo to step in and nip it all in the bud. You were constantly surprised by how much influence this random man had, but you were grateful for it all the same as he pushed you out the door and into Jack’s arms so he could take you shopping for some new clothes, your wallet full of his so-called petty cash again.

It was almost scary how accustomed to your new life you became, how fast you got used to stretching out in bed and waking whenever you wanted, Jack always a phone call or a drive away, no more bars or rails stretching across your windows as you threw them open and breathed in the fresh, October air. Halloween was coming up, and this time the party was going to be at Jack’s house after his special Spooktacular show, as he was now calling it. The guests were all booked, you’d bought decorations for the set with him already even though Leo told him to leave it to the set designers, and currently you were chatting about what he was going to wear before his costume change halfway through the show as you sat at the drive-in with him to see the latest horror flick.

He already ate away at your shared popcorn as the screen showed a bunch of cartoon characters grabbing snacks from the concession stand, the turnout not as busy since home viewing was on the rise, but you liked it that way as you leaned in closer to him. ‘I think it’d be cute if you gave away candy to the audience as they arrived,’ you thought aloud, once again attempting to stop him from eating all your treats before the movie even started, ‘or maybe you could do a draw and some lucky people could get candy apples, I hear those are tasty.’

‘You’ve never had one before?’ he asked around another mouthful of popcorn, the sun nearly set and signaling that the movie was going to start soon.

‘Never got a chance to trick ‘r treat thanks to her, I’ve only ever handed out candy if I could afford to buy a bag for the kids,’ you explained, no longer afraid to keep everything to yourself.

‘I’ll set something up at the studio, then we can go around to the different sets and offices and get you some candy,’ he promised seriously, and you laughed as you had some popcorn for yourself.

‘Thank you, but I think I’ll survive,’ you giggled, although the thought of visiting Leo’s office in costume only for him to give you a pack of smokes or a travel-sized bottle of alcohol and then shut the door in your face sure sounded tempting. ‘Jack, can I tell you something?’ you then asked, your hand finding his when he reached for more popcorn. ‘I never thought I’d get out of there, my whole life I thought that that was it, that I’d missed my chance to leave and that this was my punishment, but… meeting you, getting the job on Night Owls, knowing what it’s like to be actually wanted for the first time, I don’t know, sometimes I still think I might be dreaming.’

He looked at you for a long while, really taking you in before getting you to look at him. ‘One of our guests, the illusionist, you remember him? He taught me a little phrase to say when I think that all of this is just a dream,’ he confided in you in return, and you leaned in a little closer as he lowered his voice. ‘Say it with me: Dreamer. Here. Awake.’

‘Dreamer, here, awake,’ you repeated, and when the dream didn’t end he tapped you on the nose as proof before kissing your forehead.

‘See? Sometimes what’s too good to be true is just what we can’t let ourselves accept, so we tell ourselves otherwise until we lose it; now, I don’t want to lose you, so you’d better start accepting that this is reality, okay?’ he whispered gently to you, his buttery hand finding your cheek and making you giggle again because it was too silly to be just a dream.

‘This is reality,’ you agreed, and when he kissed you he tasted of the popcorn he’d all but devoured by himself. It was sweet at first, but the more you kept pulling each other back for more the more you knew you were ready, Jack panting lightly when you finally resisted the urge to kiss him again. ‘Can I tell you something else?’ you breathed against his lips, and when he nodded you shut your eyes. ‘I want you to be my first.’

He already knew about your inexperience by now, how you wanted to move slow with him while you got used to everything, so there was no rushing you as he bit at his lip and looked you seriously in the eye.

‘Are you sure?’ he needed to know, and when you nodded he set the popcorn onto the floor between your legs and started the car back up. ‘We can see this another time, it just came out,’ he decided as he drove away, both of your hearts pounding as he headed back home right as the opening credits started to roll.

You were thankful he lived near the drive-in, a choice on his part since he loved movies so much but never committed to a U-Matic like Leo, and the moment you walked through the door you were kissing each other again. ‘Hi,’ you mumbled nervously, Jack echoing your greeting as you both took off your outdoor clothes and made your way upstairs. You hadn’t slept over since that night, not even when you started stealing Leo’s spare, but his bed was just as warm and comfortable as you remembered as he lifted your dress over your head and laid you down on it. 

You thought he was beautiful as he stripped off his sweater, the weather getting colder and making him switch from suits to warm wool, the thick shape of it doing nothing to hide the way his body curved so wonderfully under your palms. You silently asked for him to join you as he stepped out of his pants, your mouths meeting again as he gently brushed his thumb over your cheek. ‘I’m glad you stayed,’ he finally told you as he lay next to you, his hand resting on your waist as the silent question of what to do next came over you. 

‘I’m glad I did too.’

He pulled you closer, his fingers much more dextrous this time as he undid the latch on your bra, your hands covering yourself before he whispered silent affirmations to you, never to make you do anything you didn’t want to, but just to tell you it was okay, you could stop whenever you wanted. You didn’t want to stop though, your hand finding his in the dark before guiding it down to your breast, and the resulting sound he brought out of you was one you’d never heard yourself make before. He was encouraged to keep going, keep making you feel good as he shifted down enough to take a nipple into his mouth, your fingers tangling in his hair as you shut your eyes and moaned.

You whispered his name as he then trailed his hand over the expanse of your stomach, fingers brushing against the lace of your underwear but never going further, and again you guided him to do more, your breath hitching as he touched you for the first time. Your hips started to move as he began kissing your neck, his index pressing just just hard enough to part you through your panties, a longing like you’d never known overtaking you as you weakly asked for more. He obliged your every whim, finally reaching in to touch you even more intimately, your brain torn between the way he sucked marks into your skin and how he was making your thighs shake with each circle of your clit.

‘Please, I want you…’ you murmured as your head fell back, the tears already starting to fall because you’d never known warmth like this before, and he kissed every one away as he reached down even further to enter you. It was strange at first, your back arching as your mind fought to understand how something could feel so good, Jack still whispering those affirmations to you about how good you were doing for him as he gently stretched you open for him. When he added a second finger you almost couldn’t take it, everything so good that you didn’t know how it could feel any better, a careful but constant brush of his palm against your clit pushing you over the edge as he swallowed down every noise.

‘You did so well for me,’ he praised you as he slowed to a halt, but you weren’t done, you could feel his hardness press needily against your leg, your eyes glazing over for just a moment as you reached down to not only stop him from removing his hand but to also start to push his boxers down his hips.

‘I said I wanted you.’ You swallowed heavily when he couldn’t help but groan, he’d been content with helping you and then taking care of himself at this step, but there’d be a time for you to return the favour later, for tonight you wanted to be one with him. He asked you if you were sure again, and you answered him by taking off your panties and tossing them to the floor with the rest of your clothes. He swore under his breath before doing the same, Jack then reaching into his nightstand to pull out a small bottle of something. He popped the cap and poured a little into his palm, and you couldn’t help but watch as he groaned again and began to coat his length with it, his hand next to your arm fisting the sheets as his breathing started to quicken.

He looked down at you like you were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen as he parted your legs, lifting them to your chest for just a moment as he lined himself up to you. He preferred to brace his hands under your thighs as he slowly pushed in, his choked off moan filling the room along with your own as he leaned down until you were almost chest to chest. He needed the closeness, wanted to be so near to you that it almost hurt, his hips still as he let you adjust to him. When you wrapped your arms around his neck and gave a small squeeze to his shoulder he knew he could move, his pace just right as he let his head fall to the pillows right beside yours.

He rocked into you, making love to you more than fucking you, and you didn’t let go of him as he kissed your neck and cheek whenever the angle allowed him to. He mumbled promises of forever into your skin, and when you wrapped your legs around him he was finally free to let go of your legs to hold you elsewhere instead, one hand braced on your hip while the other massaged and felt and clung to whatever he could reach.

‘I love you,’ he breathed into your ear, more tears falling as you felt your orgasm approach again, the preparations from before feeling nothing like this as you felt complete for the first time in your life. ‘I love you so much, stay with me, here, from now on.’

‘I will, I will,’ you promised him, Jack finding your mouth to kiss you and seal the deal as you came again, the way you clenched around him only making him come that much faster right after you. It felt like an eternity of bliss as he hips slowly stopped, Jack taking his sweet time rolling off of you and making you think that he would’ve spent all night with you underneath him if he didn’t think it would be uncomfortable for you, so you gave him the next best thing by draping yourself over him, leaving no space between your slightly shaking bodies.

‘I love you, too,’ you confessed against his chest, another kiss to the top of your head making one final tear fall as you felt nothing but pure, uncontained happiness.

‘I wasn't kidding, I want you to move in with me,’ he revealed as he stretched out, his arm wrapped around you and keeping you close when he feared you might get up at his words. ‘I’ve been talking to Leo about it all week, after the Halloween show I want to introduce you to all the Night Owls out there, and then we can move all your things over here before the party.’ He went quiet for a moment, unsure by your silence, and when he looked down at you you took a moment to kiss him again, never wanting it to end as he cupped your cheek. ‘I want you to make this place your home.’

‘I want nothing more than that,’ you just barely kept from sobbing, Jack’s smile wide as his relief made him sigh.

‘We’ll do that, then,’ he confirmed, your head back on his chest as he rubbed circles into your shoulder. ‘Don’t forget to dress up for the show, it is Halloween, after all.’

‘I’ve never dressed up before, what should I go as?’ you asked, Jack pretending to think about it for just a moment before biting his lip.

‘How about Dracula’s bride?’ he suggested, knowing fully well that he was already going on set dressed as a vampire, his costume picked out earlier that day.

‘That sounds perfect to me, we can pick it up tomorrow.’

Again, he held you until you both fell asleep, the previously neverending feeling of running finally at an end as he nuzzled against you in his sleep; you were happy there, the bed large around you as you both took up just the middle, the windows wide open and allowing in the night air as you were lulled into your own comfortable sleep.

You were free.

[tmntxthings]

∑一Heart to Heart Pt. 2。・゜・

author’s note: it was a close race in the polls but here we are ladies and gents! the sequel :D it has been awhile so i suggest rereading the first part if anyone’s confused, alsoooo i feel like this chapter is kinda all over the place but we posting it anywayssss here’s to hoping y’all enjoy xD

warnings: impending angst, multiple povs, fluff, female reader, cloaking brooch au, unedited, cursing

previous - next?

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Previously. . .

“Now give me back my cloaking brooch!! NOW!!” Missiles were firing as Leo finally undid the necklace. It was a miracle he could do so while in a full on sprint. His true form shifted back into view and Leo clenched the chain in his left fist as he pulled out an odachi with his right, slashing for a portal and shooting a wink at his enraged twin. “Buhbyeee~~” he cackled. Watching as everyone lunged for the portal. He wondered how the turtle pile felt without him as they all fell short to the pavement.

One week and a few days had passed by since then. You had almost forgotten about the encounter entirely. Though dark green eyes like those were hard to dismiss completely from your thoughts. It was your day off, Saturday, and you had plans. These plans had been months in the making. College was hectic, so getting a volleyball intramural team together was pretty tough. Everyone had different class schedules. Everyone worked whether it was internships or part-times. This was one of the first games of the season! It was imperative that all of your teammates showed up. Everyone had said they would. But they said the same thing for all the practices too. And let’s just say there was never a full attendance during any of those.

Your hopes were high despite what the past indicated. You were optimistic! It was two hours ‘til the game and you were out on a quick trip to a sports store. In your experience as captain for the past two years, one thing remained the same. Someone always, always forgot their knee pads. Literally the only thing they needed to remember. It was kind of ridiculous so you made sure to keep a spare. That was one of the reasons you were going, another was because your pair was getting a bit tattered. They had lasted through the practices but with the first game of the season coming up, you rather just get a new set while you were buying the spare anyways. Two birds, one stone.

Keeping your pace as a quickened step, you got off the bus and made your way down the street. It wasn’t that far of a walk, New York was jam-packed with stores. And rats. You thought as one scurried in front of you. Holding back a scream, you continued on your journey. The mental clock in your head ticking as you finally reached your destination. The sliding doors whisked open for you, the cool air from the a/c immediately making your shoulders relax. “Alright, knee pads, knee pads..” you muttered to yourself. Most all-inclusive sport stores had a very small section for volleyball. It just wasn’t as popular. Football/soccer? Rows upon rows. Basketball? Baseball? Same thing. Little space was left for the rest of the odds balls. Including in your humble opinion, volleyball, golf, swimming, rugby, and ping pong! You knew this store well enough so you went for the quickest route. Straight through the four basketball isles and then—

You sped-walked right into someone. With a resounding smack as your nose collided into a chest. “Ow, shitttt! I’m sorry!” You apologized, super embarrassed and already trying to escape the situation. Just get the damn knee pads and get the fuck out! “That’s alright, are you okay? Sounded like you took the brunt of it!” Now you had only sidestepped to move out of the way. So when you heard his voice it was one that you faintly recognized. Which led to you lifting your head, turning it to the side and meeting those deep green eyes. “It’s you!” You stated in shock, eyebrows lifting in surprise. “Ahhhh lookie here is this fate or what!”

Two rows deep in the basketball area, the bus stranger you had practically forgotten was here! “Something like that I guess,” you couldn’t help but agree. Out of all the stores in New York. Out of all the people and just the sheer luck of timing!? “Looking for more Hamato gear?” You questioned though you weren’t planning on sticking around for the answer. You didn’t have the time! Though the encounter was neat you had plans and the captain could not be late. “You remembered my favorite too? Have I been occupying your mind?” He sounded like he was following you with a smug expression. You kept your back to him, making your way out of the basketball section and into the small row for volleyball. “Hardly! I just have good memory,”

“Uh huh,” he hummed. Then he was walking right beside you. Stopping when you stopped as you gave him an inquisitive look. “Well I too seem to remember that night and some sort of a deal?? That pertained to..” he pointed a finger out to the sign that hung above them. ‘Volleyball’ That was right, you had said something along the lines of playing a match with him. “I don’t even know your name!” You started with your first excuse. “Easy, Leo’s the name, and you?” You shook your head. Walking ahead to the knee pads and looking at the sizes as you replied. “Pretty,” he said smoothly, continuing by your side and picking out a pair of knee pads. “Ah, look, todays not a good day I’ve-“

Your second excuse was interrupted by a vibration in your pocket. You grabbed for it, answering on the third ring. “Hello?” The phone call was one that you were hoping not to receive. One of your teammates canceling, and apologizing profusely. “It’s alright, thanks for letting me know,” you sighed. It seemed they weren’t feeling good, something about a headache or a stomach ache? You had tuned most of it out because you were watching as the bus stranger kicked off his shoes. He was trying to pull up the knee pads he selected but they were wayyy too small for him. The phone call ended and you couldn’t stop your laugh. “Too small dude,” and you handed him a larger size for him to try. The pair had hardly went up his calves.

“Thanks!” He smiled as he traded you. You put the small pair back on the shelf. Then it struck you. “So as you were saying? Todays..?” You cleared your throat as you kept staring at the pads. “Todays actually perfect, I’m down one player so if you’re free-“ he cut you off excitedly, “Heck yes!!! I’m totally free!! So this is like an official match?!?” He wanted all the details and he forgot all about pulling up the knee pads. You told him about intramurals, how it was a official game, one of the first this season. He was practically buzzing! You grabbed another pair for yourself and headed for the checkout. “But we gotta head there like now if we wanna be on time!” Leo had quickly shucked the pads off, put his shoes back on, and was bounding after you. “Can’t be late to my first game ever!!” He beamed and easily passed you, grabbing your free hand and tugging you along.

He let go once the two of you had reached the registers. He sure was forward, or maybe he was just easygoing? Both of you paid for your gear and then you were back out on the sweltering sidewalks. “Thank god this sport is inside,” Leo spoke up, swinging his bag that contained his purchase to and fro. “Yeah, the college gym has a pretty big facility. They have four courts altogether so we’ll have plenty of room!” The bus ride to said gym was filled with questions. He wanted to know the positions. Which position would he be playing? Who was the enemy team and were they any good? Among many other questions…

[🐢 Leo’s pov.💙 ]

Talk about coincidence! Now this was.. what his sixth time sneaking out with the cloaking chain? Yeah we’ll go with sixth, because honestly he lost count after the second time. Leo had convinced Donnie he had lost the cloaking device, and the purple brother had almost drilled him. Thankfully Raph didn’t condone murder so he was safe for now. Probably until Donnie finally figured out that the cloaking chain wasn’t lost and that it was in fact around Leo’s neck right now as he stretched out around a bunch of other college students. You had introduced him quite quickly before telling everyone to start warmups. Yeah. Donnie would probably choke him with said chain. Oh well, Leo planned on never being found out!

That lasted all but two days if you wanted to count the fact that Mikey knew… BUT he was swore to secrecy. Anddddd Leo was also sharing the chain with him when he wasn’t using it. So there! Anywayyys Leo was chatting it up with his fellow teammates, practicing bumping the ball among other volleyball techniques that he didn’t know the name of. All he knew was that he was good. Damn good. Because everyone caught oohing and ahhing which in turn inflated his ego so much that he could probably float all the way back to the lair later. But the compliments that mattered most came from her. From you. Because as he watched everyone else practice he could tell you were better than them all. Now it was Leo’s first day and all, but he liked to think he was right behind you skill wise.

That may just be his inflated ego talking though. Insert metaphorical shrug here. Now Leo would loveee to go into detail about the game. But let’s just say they won. He won. And sure he got a volleyball to the face more than once, but that didn’t matter! Nope a win is a win in his book. The rest of the team dispersed after celebrating, talks about the next game and when the next practice was. Leo had the dates in his mental calendar. He was totally on the team now. “Hey thanks for filling in!! You were great out there!” Ending your sentence with a smile. Leo beamed back, “No problemo, I’ll be your fill-in anytime!” Giving you a smirk and a quick wink.

Leo watched as you shook your head, completely unfazed by his antics by now. He had upped his game during the actual volleyball game. Once the team had a pretty big lead he had quite blatantly flirted with you. Who could blame him?! You looked absolutely divine with your hair up. Cheeks flushed from doing your best during the game. “I told you they didn’t quit! This was just a one time thing!” Rightttt, Leo wasn’t actually on the team. Though he felt like he fitted right in! Leo made a face, pouting, “So what happens when someone else bails hmmm?” You chose to ignore him, pulling down your knee pads to your ankles. Leo took this opportunity to creep forward silently, and when your frame moved to upright itself he watched as you jolted backwards. He closed the distance again, “C’monnn Captain, you know I’m the best player you got!! My skills slayed on the court, add me to the team! Please? Pretty please??”

Leo wasn’t above begging. And he kept up the charade until he watched your eye twitch, then you blew out a long winded breath before holding out your hand reluctantly. “Alright gimme your-“

Of course Leo wouldn’t let you finish! He grabbed your hand shaking it vigorously whilst saying you wouldn’t regret your decision. And thanking you in abundance. Then going a step further, pulling the hand he held to him, smiling brightly as you stumbled forward into him. Squeezing you into a hug and picking you up off the ground to swiftly twirl you with limitless excitement. “Woah, WOAH! Hold up- Wait- LEO!” He released you seconds later smiling sheepishly. “I was asking for your phone you dummy!!” Your face was a darker flush than before, hand still outstretched for his phone but you were no longer looking at him. Cute. Were you embarrassed? Leo thought so. Hehe. Cute. You were absolutely adorable.

“Ohhhh rightttt my number huh? Couldn’t wait?” He teased further. Enjoying himself throughly as you turned a shade darker. “I swear to god I’ll change my mind rig-“ Leo was quick to place his phone in your hand. Still smiling more to himself but decided he wouldn’t push his luck any further. The game has definitely brought the two of you closer. The whole team had to work together but with Leo’s skill level almost to yours, the two of you played really well with one another. It had bolstered his pride and confidence, making him a bit more insufferable than usual. “Here,” you handed him back his phone. He checked the screen, noting your contact was added with a volleyball emoji. He’d have to change that later. It was fitting but maybe something more blue?

“So what’s the plan now? Wanna go grab something to eat? I know this great pizza place!” You made a face and he almost did a double take. How could someone not like pizza?!? Until he remembered you worked at a pizza place. Rightttttt. “Or you know whatever you feel up to eat!” He amended. He wasn’t a picky eater. You were slipping off your knee pads finally, stuffing them in the bag that carried the spare. “Uhhh yeah I know a place, it’s pretty good do you like Mediterranean?” Leo blinked. That was a big word. A Donnie word. He just nodded along, he’d figure it out eventually! Turns out he did like Medtiranean-whatever-its-called!

From that point on Leo spent more time with you. He messaged you often, and saw you at least twice a week. The perks of looking human were immense. Leo found himself not wanting to share the cloaking chain with Mikey, but he was threatened on more than one occasion that said brother would snitch. Luckily Donnie was building another one, and the nerd definitely made sure it was known that Leo was not allowed to use it. Which was fine since he had his own. Leo felt like he was being conspicuous with how much time he was spending with you. Whether it be checking his phone at random or giving odd excuses to leave the lair. He thought he was being pretty smooth but Mikey had informed him that Raph and Donnie were getting suspicious.

He’d have to get them off his trail somehow. And no, he would not be spilling the beans or telling the truth. That was not an option. Lest he be choked to death remember?? Other than that things were going well for the blue turtle. He enjoyed the competitions and the practices. He enjoyed being able to go out topside and not worry about ninja-stealthing. Or wearing layers upon layers of clothes. Or acting like he was a cosplayer. But what he enjoyed most was you. And he was starting to think you liked him too.

.

[princess-of-the-corner]

So glad you liked this https://princess-of-the-corner.tumblr.com/post/751753011437682688/also-sorry-last-ask-xd-but-remember-that-alt-3 :D Thanks, plus some fun facts:

1: In the original idea I tinkered with Lila being present as Volpina/Chameleon fighting Fu. She's still being exploited by the villains like Chloe but is either less aware of it or the method is slightly different.

2: I ended up going with the Lila-Kyubi-Chimera mostly because I recalled a neat post arguing S3's climax wasn't excited and should have had Chloe try to use all the Miraculous, do so, be a huge threat, then go comatose for the drama. Basically it felt more dramatic and clear cut as an ending, even if part of me liked the idea of expanding the villain team.

3: The other reason I went for it is because I think Season 3 can be arguably called Gabriel's true 'fall from grace'.

Like, even ignoring the later seasons, before season 3, Gabriel could at least make some wiggle room for himself to be "Not that bad" or "redeemable."

Sure, he unleashed monsters on Paris, but that was to get a wish that would undo that/be worth it. & he can argue they didn't do too much damage, that if he won he could use Miracle Cure, that he didn't make them try to murder his son's childhood friend out of spite, ETC.

He even considered dropping the whole thing when Adrien was endangered,.

Even the Lila situation could be argued as just keeping an eye on her to see if she's still angry at Ladybug and nothing else. Invasive but not permanently harmful as actively grooming her for it.

But in season 3, even if we ignore the time travel episodes... oh boy.

He actively endangers Adrien's life to see if he is Chat Noir.

He uses Lila as basically a child soldier/sleeper agent & even dangers her in the process with Oni-Chan.

He has said sleeper agent actively harass, undermine and threaten another teen for the express purpose of Akumatizes her & her class.

He also uses said agent, himself, his adult partner, and multiple monsters to actively threaten, manipulate, gaslight and traumatize another teen to sufficiently break her that she'd join his cause.

These are very much intending to cause trauma and groom children as tools to act as his soldiers. This is very much crossed the moral event horizon where deniability of being a bastard was plausible.

Thus any remaining 'redeeming' features he has are squashed beneath that weight. & while redemption is always possible, it becomes a helluva lot harder her than it was even a single season ago.

mm

Honestly I say that disregarding Chat Blanc that Gabe is only in the start of being in the 'oh no he needs his ass kicked' level. Because his purposeful endangerment of Adrien is controlled, and not much worse than the rest. And even Lila and arguably Chloé still fall into the category of all the other Akumas of 'hey they have problems might as well use it to my advantage'. Like it's a step up because he's being more directly involved in the situations, but it's not full horrible and he's just building on things that are already there.

I think the NY Special where he threatens WWIII is the definite 'oh you're FAR gone' line.

[emcscared-whumps]

WiJ 2023 - 15: Buried (3/10)

WiJ 2023 Navigation Post

My eyes are legit falling shut rn ^-^' I have barely even edited this, I just want to sleep lol but I wanna get this segment up so...

Que sera sera lmao have fun XD (this is technically a first draft divided up, it's fine, it's fiiiiinneeeeee 8) )

Beginning | Previous | Next

CONTENT and WARNINGS: Broken bones, implied/discovering spinal injury causing partial paralysis, multiple whumpees, nonhuman whumpees, building collapse, the start of some tasty tasty trauma panic

wc: ~0.5k

When Cole woke, he wished he didn’t.

There was nothing in this world that could hold even a candle to the fresh, fiery agony that erupted in Cole’s body in the seconds before he roused his ability from its dormancy with every ounce of will he had. The effort Cole poured into maintaining the steady flood of power to wash away his pain but even the slightest slip made him yell out and dig deeper for more.

Confusion surfaced in the back of his mind; no matter how hard he reached he couldn’t pull more to the surface; the effort left him exhausted and breathless.

His lungs burnt. They ached. They quivered and begged for air that he couldn’t give them from under a crushing weight that cut his gasps short.

A thin, drawn out cry sounded at his side.

That sounded like Pete.

Cole opened his eyes and found darkness. Blinking away the tears and dust that blinded him, he tried to turn his head and find him, but the slight movement brought pain too great for his ability to suppress.

Another whine came, punctuated by deep, shaky breaths.

“C—C—Cole,” Pete wheezed, “C—whe—"

Beyond the faint wail of sirens and shouting, Cole could hear shuffling, rocks clicking against metal and stone, and streams of sand falling through crevices and onto his face and neck. It sounded like debris, and from the way the sounds fell around him, Cole could tell the space they were in was tiny and far from fresh air.

They were trapped, but by some miracle, bigger chunks of building had must have fallen around them and created a small pocket. They were alive.  And Pete was moving. That was good.

Cole tried to focus on that between the short, sharp gasps that sent stabbing pains through his chest.

We’re alive.

I can heal. I can always heal.

“C—Cole, -re ye—are y’alrigh—” a loud groan suddenly interrupted Pete, leaving him huffing and once again scraping across the ground, curling in on himself until whatever wave of pain he felt receded. He didn’t speak again, not until his ragged, panting breaths finally slowed. “Please—please b-be alr—alright,” he breathed.

Oh...

He wanted an answer...

He could barely get any sound from his lips. “P—”

The minute movement of his of his chest jabbed knives into his chest.

Not enough.

“Pete...” he rasped, voice slow and low. I’m here. I’m awake.

The need to ensure Pete was alright overtook Cole in a heavy rush, completely overtaking any other thoughts. Was something hurting him? Pinning him? He had to get them out of here, he needed to take Pete back home and keep him away from that wretch who called herself his mother.

His legs didn’t hurt; he could use them to relieve the pressure from his chest. He could get them out. He was more than strong enough to dig their way out and use his body as a shield for the young belunae, but when he experimentally twitched his toes and move his legs, there was no response.

He called on his legs again and again, channeling the strength his ability lent him the strength to even move, but there was no response. Nothing happened, he couldn’t even feel the pain of moving them—he couldn’t feel them!

Cole’s tight breaths grew quicker and adrenaline flooded his veins. “No, no, n—nn—!” he cried, “NO!”

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[hlmowrer]

Week 72: Fried Green Tomatoes

Okay quick one today folks!

I love Charlotte.  Like, a lot.  There are so many good things happening here!  

I've really come to have a big heart for the Charlotte Branch, and there's a wonderful bond of trust between us and our members.  This is such a blessing, not only because it yields more helpfulness and friendship but also because it energizes the whole branch for missionary work!  

And that's fitting, because there's been quite a lot of that going on too!  In the last week alone we found multiple 'lost sheep' members that would like to meet and possibly come to church, we've had a person that we were teaching several weeks ago come back out of the woodwork and want to meet again, and we've worked hard to find more people to teach, so despite the lack of that goal being fulfilled we know the Lord has blessed us for our efforts.  Heck, after church on Sunday we had so many different things going on in our schedule we had to sit down and spend an hour trying to untangle it all.  We keep getting busier and busier doing the Lord's work, and it feels great!

And then of course, there's Natalie.  I love Natalie, she's a delight!  She's fighting so hard to hit her baptismal date, and we had an impromptu (and crazy spiritual...I might have cried a little) lesson the other day where we explained that if she was going to hit her baptismal date she needed to be at church every week before her baptism.  This was key, because the last several weeks her attempts to come to church have been thwarted in spectacular ways.  Sick kids, awful working hours, illness, you name it.  Anything the Adversary can throw at her, he has.  We have been praying, fasting, calling, doing everything we could think of to make it happen...

...and yesterday she came!!!  She ended up coming straight from a 12 hour shift at work, and said she felt so much better as soon as she walked into the building!  It was so wonderful to experience that with her, and it's such a testament to how Heavenly Father always provides a way to follow Him.

So yeah.  Miracles, miracles, all around!  And the Adversary's just getting petty...at 11pm my washer broke after I had added my detergent and dyed all of my clothes BLUE.  So THAT'S been fun to try and deal with.

But that's okay.  The story of my life right now is that there's a ton of good and a ton of not-so-good, every day.  BUT....but...all of the bad is the kind of things that I will forget in a month.  All of the good is things that will matter for the rest of my life and into the eternities, and in the lives of those I love.

I've decided to take that deal.  It seems good to me.

<3 you ;P

-Elder Beren Mowrer

***My Current Location***Charlotte, Michigan

I said this would be a quick one...LOL...That did not happen xD

[emptymanuscript]

Aha!

I found at least part of my problem for my Bluecap Poker system for my Tripoke RPG.

My fundamental problem is that I am horrible at math. So, if I can look up an answer, I favor that under the assumption that they are right and I am wrong.

This generally means I end up with the correct answer because I tend to get the wrong answer on my own. While the internet lets you find math whizzes talking with ease.

But, I ran into someone who had done the calculations for a project that is actually much closer to Tripoke and they specifically mention that the odds change between a 4 suit deck and a 5 suit deck just because of the different inputs.

Because of the changes in odds between 4 and 5 suit decks, some of the scores switch. They even specifically mention flush vs. Straight switch order which has been killing me. Meaning that the reason that my answers kept conflicting with the reality that people who are good at math had already figured out (which has been plaguing me and my excel sheets for days) is that their reality is correct for a 4 suit deck while my different answers were also correct for a 5 suit deck, and we’re not actually in conflict at all, it’s just the different inputs necessarily lead to different conclusions.

So, I can just switch to the correct answer for a 5 suit deck and just specifically mention that it’s different. I have an explanation and I can advance. Hooray!

It doesn’t solve all the issues by a long shot but it does at least put me on the right path again (I hope).

I also think this may mean it might be better just to do things from scratch again and then just match names or something instead of scoring.

Another fun thing in the write up is that it specifically mentioned how often in movies people get the best possible hands and how that conflicts with the reality of probability. The chances of getting a Royal Flush are abysmally small. So small that it’s actually likely for no one to get it in the course of any particular game.

So the idea that it’s going to throw a wrench in my RPG scoring system and I have to figure out how to deal with it regularly is really not going to be an issue. It’s just, look, if you get a Royal Flush, treat it like a Wish Spell going off: a miracle occurs because it’s just that rare an event.

That actually seems to be a much bigger issue with using a Poker like game instead of dice rolls that I have to deal with.

Even in Cthulhu Calling (my prior RPG), the worst you got was about a 10% chance of critical success / 20% chance of success / 60% chance of failure / 10% chance of critical failure. And the odds moved in the player’s favor fairly quickly as scores went up.

With poker, getting the winning hand isn’t going to have that good a chance. The base odds just really aren’t that good. And upping the scores, leading to the ability to have more cards in your hand than you can lay down, really don’t improve your odds by that much. It’s only approximately about a ~1% ish increase per extra card. - Which by the way makes me suspect that Texas Hold ‘em is the most popular version of Poker just because it gives players better odds of a decent hand at all, and it’s still not that high.

It’s just not as powerful as adding an extra die, let alone a bonus to the roll.

So I suspect I may need to adjust to the idea of significantly more failure than I am used to, even with my attempt to make it easier to score hands.

:/

I will cheer myself with terminology. The people I was reading have Flushes and Flashes in their game. Which makes my writer brain shriek with DON’T DO THAT. XD! A Flush is about a hand full of the same suit vs a Flash that is about a hand full of all 5 suits. Which I love the idea of, if not the naming scheme. And so I thought, well, I’m making Tripoke so… what about Tries (cards of the same suit) and Pokes (cards of multiple suits). I think that might also be able to return me to some of the information mass in results that I lost when I switched from Dice to Cards. Because I could have things like Tries reflecting humanish “good” results (play toward your morality) while Pokes reflect animalistic “bad” results (play toward your worst instincts), which could play in a more fine grained way with the Devil Stat and the use of an oracle. More Tries than Pokes can be yes, while more Pokes than Tries could be no.

So… progress… and rambling. I would say like tumbleweeds but I saw somewhere that tumbleweeds being everywhere in the old west is a total myth :( of course that doesn’t stop me from filling the dinosaur infested weird west of the Long Wild with them. It just favors migratory plants… yeah… natural selection… that’s the ticket. ;)

[gabessquishytum]

Yan Anon reporting in~

These are all just *chef’s kiss X2* perfect.

“yeah so i'm also obsessed with unhinged dream so if i may just uhh throw my own kinks into the pile (nonny if this inspired you i will be thrilled if not i'm still also hoping you wind up writing this fic because. omg.) but uh. dream giving hob a pussy, wrecking it, and then immediately adding some nice chastity piercings?” -🐈‍⬛

🐈‍⬛Hello! It has indeed inspired me, my gosh, you have no idea. I was thinking how Dream could torment Hob with the piercings and this is just inspired. And Dream being absolutely mean, making Hob beg for his release- my nose is starting to gush blood. I imagine Dream on a comfy armchair, sitting there with an uncharacteristically manic grin and flushed face, while Hob has to slowly crawl his way over and plead with whines and whimpers, and in his head he’s thinking, “Master please, I’ve been good, so good. I need your cock inside my pussy please. pleaseletmecum” All the while spreading his legs and pussy, just presenting himself to tempt Dream. WHEW. I just can’t explain it, Yandere Dream is just so hot to me, and I want him to be as possessive and as fucked up as possible.

“oh my GOD yes please like. dream eventually lets hob go and he feels awful and guilty about the whole thing and it hurts to let hob go but he does, he tweaks enough people's memories to just think that hob was away on sabbatical and it's fine, he can drop back into his old life.”

I hope I’m right in thinking this is the same anon XD‍‍ I was kind of torn on which ending I would like to happen, one where Hob gets mindbroken to the point where he stays in the Dreaming permanently(which is a bit too dark and urgh than I’d like) or one where Dream comes to his senses and lets him go, but this is perfect. Hob willingly and consensually offers himself to Dream and he’s not so far gone where he’s just a broken mindless pet. I LOVE IT. It’s hilarious to think that Dream would be the speechless one for once XD

Oh btw, here's what I was thinking about how this all started. Hob POV, Dream and Hob had their meeting in the New Inn, and everything’s wonderful cause Hob finally knows what to call his stranger AND Dream agrees to more than one meeting a century, a miracle! So they start meeting once every few months, then once a month, and so on and so on, until Hob realizes that they’re meeting multiple times a week now. Not that he’s complaining, he’s ecstatic really, even if Dream is exhibiting some weird tendencies/behaviors/habits.

Staring/Stalking - Hob notices that Dream likes to stare, at him specifically now that he’s thinking about it, there’s a kind of darkness in his friend’s eyes that’s a bit unnerving, but he’s probably just imagining it. He’s just happy to have his friend around, but definitely not the big-ass raven that seems to be stalking his every move. There’s also the constant feeling of being watched whenever he’s alone or in public but maybe he’s just being paranoid.

Touching – They were fleeting touches at first like handshakes, and shoulders bumping, but now they’ve upgraded to handholding(context to follow XD) and actual hugs! Hugs that Hob swears linger just a tad too long to be considered normal, and did his hand kind of graze his ass? Ah who cares, Dream is finally being friendly and with honest-to-goodness smiles now.

People – People who have shown or expressed the tiniest bit of interest in Hob are now avoiding him like the plague. The regular customer that flirted with Hob yesterday at the inn is never seen again, the student that sent him a love letter has now dropped out of his class, and the friendly neighbor that usually gives him baked goods practically kissed the hallway trying to get to their apartment around him.

Dreams – Okay so I’m not so sure what to do here, Hob knows to an extent that Dream has dream-related powers, cause Dream gave him some vague bs answer like usual XD There’s gonna be mind-blowing wet dreams about Morpheus obviously, but maybe Hob doesn’t suspect Dream at first, perhaps he thinks it’s his desires manifesting into the hottest dream sex he has ever had, nearly every night, started almost the same time as when Dream reappeared in his life. Right Hob, right. Hob is gonna act more awkward cause of the dreams but I’m still thinking about whether there’s gonna be any physiological effects like increased horniness.

Then I was thinking of an incident that pushes Dream over the edge, perhaps someone flirting aggressively with Hob or Hob gets into an accident of some kind. Then boom, goodbye waking world.

A bit long I know hahahaha but all thoughts and criticisms are welcome here~

-Love, Yan Anon <3

Yan Anon, you are INCREDIBLE. I am so obsessed with this crazy yandere Dream who is totally obsessed and fixated on Hob!!! Somehow it's made even better by the fact that Hob is "just a human" so why is Dream so completely insane about him? Nobody understands!!! I love the idea of him using every spare moment to check in on Hob (either spend time with him or just... watch from afar), it's like his hobby at this point (there's a pun in there somewhere).

I also think Hob would be weirdly into it? Because he craves Dream’s attention, he wants to be Dream’s special pet... he even gets jealous if Dream happens to spend time with someone else because he’s come to expect that he’s Dream’s favourite. Just these two being weird and toxically attached to each other pleeease. Hob flirting with someone bc he knows Dream will go off the rails with jealousy and sweep him off to the dreaming to spank his pussy? Yeah. Yeeeeah <3

[lunar-hive]

EVEN MORE SCHLATT HEADCANONS: MULTIVERSE/REVIVE BOOK ORIGINS EDITION

Schlatt is just the second-to-latest (the latest being Tubbo) in a line of mystic beings spanning all the way back to the beginning of modern man. This line connects multiple SMPs, the Slimecicle Universe, etc., and explains the origins of certain characters. I will only be going over the Schlatts we know of, no made-up Schlatts as of yet unless you want more of this funky little AU that explains things.

The first in the line was Schlatt from Minecraft but every 5 minutes there’s a natural disaster, who I’ve decided to call Jarilo to not get confused by calling them all Schlatt. I imagine him as a god of weather, nature, the harvest, and general health in the same pantheon as Kristin or Dream XD. Unlike any other gods you may think of with those skills, he uses them maliciously for his own amusement. Drought, tornadoes, plagues, you name it, he causes it pretty regularly in localized areas all for shits and giggles. He started the line by basically being Zeus once and having a kid with a mortal. Knowing his kin would most likely have power in their veins for eons to come he created what we now know as the Revive Book to allow everyone else to know what they’re capable of, and we all know how well that went. He slowly faded out of public awareness, being worshiped by only a small few and not even Philza or Technoblade knowing he even exists. Slimecicle knows of him vaguely and has funny feelings whenever he looks at DSMP Schlatt’s photos and whatnot, but could never really place a name or why he remembers him. Despite this, Jarilo still lives on-as gods tend to do-watching over his kin and everyone else but lying dormant in his more destructive behaviour. But those who remember him know that he waits above for the moment to bring his wrath upon the world once more.

The second one I’m gonna mention is Fragrance Man, or Father Fragrance as I prefer to call him. For the sake of my keyboard though I’ve named him Jeriko. I imagine him being a sort of middle between Jarilo and Schlatt as we know him in terms of ancestry, the Origins SMP as a whole taking place sometime in the late 1500s. He followed a religion that still worshiped the entire pantheon (Prime, XD, Kristin, and Jarilo) but a driving factor in his dare I say character is the fact that those with Origin species were looked down upon and proclaimed to be sinful. Because of this, he was driven to the area in which everyone in the SMP calls spawn. He was enticed by a celebration occurring in the Pub(e) and when he checked it out he saw people like him just existing and having a good time. He made himself known by performing “miracles” in his church and creating a form of his religion that was fully accepting of other Origins. Little did he know that his “miracles” were simply inherited untapped potential from his unknowing kinship to the god he worshipped.

The last one I will briefly touch on is DSMP Schlatt. I imagine his first name would be Jonathan but I'm not gonna use it this time, I just wanted continuity. I'm not gonna go over much since we already know as much about him as we need for this but there are a few things. Schlatt gave Dream the Revive Book because enough time had gone by to where he has no knowledge of his power. All he knows is it was a family heirloom and he didn't know what it did so instead of just using it as a paperweight he gave it way. This doesn't mean he can't use it, he just doesn't know how because no one had since a few generations after Jeriko. Tubbo can also use it but it's not likely he ever would.

That's about it lol. Lmk if you want more. Sorry for the long post I'm hyperfixating again.

[megadoomingir]

I’m rereading stop me and just noticed a line that made me laugh “Don't you dare post that selfie on Instagram, Knockout'!” When did he have time to learn about Instagram and other social media’s.

Eee~! I love when someone points out the little details~! ^^

The Decepticons have been on Earth for a long time! As have the Autobots! Here, look, look!

I have, in my possession, the Transformers: Prime IDW comics from January 2011 (this is relevant, I swear!) and in the #3 issue, we have this LOVELY picture I just took of my copy:

(Sorry for the poor quality!)

If you haven’t had the chance to read these, it’s basically a comic version of TF:P season 2 episode 17 ‘Out of the Past’ where Arcee remembers back to when she first met Cliffjumper- yes! I swear, the relevancy- Anyway, the page! Starscream! What he says! He’s BACK, baby! On Earth! And his judgmental digit pointing at that ENORMOUS RABBIT (I said I owned a set of the comics, I never said they were well done XD)- What I’m basically trying to say, in so many useless tangents and words, is that Cybertronians are not unfamiliar with Earth. And not just from this moment, but before when stores of energon and priceless relics were cast to the planet. And what do you do when you’re in foreign lands? You learn about it. What can hurt you? What is something well enough to be avoided? Why did both the Autobots and Decepticons have this strange understanding that getting humans involved was against best insterest? I know! Another tanget! But I WILL get to the core of your question! I promise!

Human interference would have been problematic. Not just for the Decepticons but the Autobots as well. For the Cons, it meant that humans aren’t as frail as most of the faction sees them. They are capable of so much damage. This is well noticed. For the Bots, it was the guilt of dragging another species into their fight. The loss of life on their conscience. This, too, is well noticed. Humans, at least the ones who knew, also had a voice on the matter. They didn’t want to get the planet riled up in an alien war. The key here? Humans, and all that they are, are noticed. And they worth studying and watching and keeping tabs on, aren’t they? Which, by some miraculous miracle of my mumbled and jumbled mind, brings us back to the question you asked: When did [Knockout] have time to learn about Instagram and social media? Well, I’ll tell you~

It’s already canonly seen that KO and BD immersed themselves into human culture, albeit in disguise. Knockout would race with them. He would actively drive around cities and from town to town looking for his next thrill. He spent actual amounts of time with humans. Breakdown’s note on ‘time spent’ isn’t well catalogued, but it can easily be assumed that he stuck close by with Knockout. This would have begun their interests in ‘researching’ humans further.

Not everyone needs a doctor on the Nemesis. Most of his patients are actually without the need of his expertise as they are corpses on the battlefield. Harsh? Yes. But true. This would have given Knockout so much ‘research’ time. We also have to take note that some episodes span a couple of days, sometimes weeks- or months, as seen in the episodes ‘Orion Pax 1-3’ which had Optimus gone for over two months. Some days, Knockout would have nothing to do... but dedicate his time to the ‘gram.

I’ve seen other people interpret Cybertronians as ‘human illiterate’; unable to understand basic to complex metaphors or sayings, unable to understand basic human needs, unable to understand certain words pertaining specifically human attributes, unable to- I suppose continuing the explanation would be redundant. But why do people think this? Why do they believe Cybertronians don’t have a basic level of common sense and intelligence? Cybertronians have met other organic life. They’ve been to Earth before. They have the resources to more intricately monitor the inhabitants of the planet... and download a few apps for purely research purposes! And how could Megatron dare to tell Knockout not to share his beauty online?

In summary, Knockout would already have had a basic interest in humans as a whole. He’s a very intelligent mech; flirty, too. He would have been interested in knowing more about the world he races through. He would definitely have a small datapad modeled after a smartphone to handle those small human apps. He would expertly create an email address to achieve this. Most of the posts he likes are of cars.

But I ask you now, what else does this mean? My brain has come to this conclusion: with the Bots and Cons having been on Earth multiple times, taking note of the humans as something worth keeping an optic on, needing to be watched and observed and monitored closely, this would be best achieved by having access to the human’s archives, known as the ‘Internet’. And they have seen things. All the things. All. Of. Them. Cybertronians aren’t human illiterate. They don’t want to talk about those things. And Knockout deserves to be able to post his wonderful selfie. Megatron just lacks taste.

[historicfailure]

12! 18! 24! <3!

Hey there! :D Oh my, those are really good asks ^^

12. favorite character to write about this year

How could I possibly decide? All the characters I write for are characters I like >-<

But if I have to decide, it would be Kakashi, with a very close second being Yamato. Those two characters and figuring them out took me a while, but I think I "know" them now to a point that I don't have to think much how they would react in certain situations. So, yeah, not much of a surprise here xD

18. current number of wips

Oh my, is "way too many" also an acceptable answer? ^^''

I quickly counted in my Goggle Drive all my started fics and there are 16 so far. Not even counting my other ideas for fics in my Discord or multiple notebooks ^^''

There are requests which I started (and desperately need to finish, I'm sorry >-<), some of my own ideas and some inspired stuff. It splits pretty evenly into SFW and NSFW stuff ^^

24. favorite fic you read this year

A huge shocker to everyone: it's NOT a Naruto fic xD

But it's still from a writer who wrote some serious gems for the Naruto-fandom. @loekas is a wonderful person and an even better writer, and what she did for A Dragon's Choice is just another serious miracle. The fandom is Kumo desu ga Nani ka | So I'm a Spider So What? and the story in itself is great, but what Loekas does is expanding and splitting off her idea for the story in a way which makes me think that she is an extension of the author and now presents us now a story which was rejected by the publisher xD

I just love it. And i have lots of emotions about it, alright? T^T9

But also, I've read @lemony-snickers A Good Match (as a fan of historical romances and with one in the works myself, I totally loved the concept in itself, and then lemony putting her own unique spin of fantastic storytelling on it? sign me the fuck up) and @whatshernameis Christmas Collection of works, which consist of so many Obito/Reader fics I was in awe at the wonderful mix of SFW and NSFW fics. Those two were my go-to writers this year as their content is just top-notch.

Thank you so much for sending in your ask! It was lots of fun to answer ^^

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS LIMITED V EDITION Stellaworth Tokuten Situation CD “Nursing ~Shuu ver.~”

Original title: 看病 ~シュウ編~

Source: DIABOLIK LOVERS LIMITED V EDITION Stellaworth Tokuten Situation CD [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Toriumi Kousuke

Translator’s note: I actually quite like the concept of this CD, being divided into 3 tracks with one of them featuring one of the boys feeling a little under the weather, and the second having them nurse the MC back to health. I’m pretty sure it is mentioned multiple times throughout the games that Vampires don’t get regular colds/the flu though so not sure what happened to that. xD Guess Rejet changed their mind about the Vampires’ anatomy once again.

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

TRACK 1 (Taking care of a sick Shuu)

You step out on the balcony, the rain pouring down.

“Nn...What? Were you looking for me?”

You note he’s soaking wet.

“Yeahー I’m pretty much soaked. My uniform feels heavy too. Getting up is too much of a chore when I was sleeping so comfortably though, so I just kept on snoozing like this.”

You seem worried.

“I’ll catch a cold at this rate? Who cares. ...Achoo!”

You insist he gets changed.

“Don’t make me repeat myself over and over, it’s a drag. I won’t move from here. You’re gonna keep on standing there forever as well? Heh. Your shirt’s getting drenched, becoming more and more transluscent. You came all the way here to show that off?”

You shake your head, trying to cover up.

“No point in hiding now. I’ve gotten tired of seeing you naked anyway. Besides, doesn’t it feel disgusting when soaking wet like that? Might as well just take it off, don’t you think? ...Achoo!”

You warn him about getting sick.

“Geez...Shut up...If you want to prevent I catch a cold that badly, why don’t you try and do something about it? You can, can’t you? If you’re that worried about my health (1)...Scoot closer, come on...”

*Rustle*

Shuu pulls you on top of him.

“Heh...What a nice view, you hovering above me like that...This way, I don’t have to worry about getting hit by the rain.”

*Drip drip*

“...Oi, the water dripping from your hair and clothes is cold. Try and take your duty a little more seriously. Why are you making me even more wet? Ahー But I’ve got both of your hands restrained, so I guess there’s not much you can do. Guess it can’t be helped. I’ll lend you a hand.”

*Rustle rustle*

“I’m taking off your clothes. That’d be a little better at least, don’t you think?”

You protest.

*Rustle rustle*

“Hehe...Starting with the buttons...Ah, they’re totally clinging to your skin. I can’t strip you unless you move a little closer. Lean in some more. ...Yes, come closer...”

Shuu suddenly bites you.

*Gulp gulp gulp*

“...Haah...What are you so surprised about? You’re the one who leant closer, aren’t you?”

*Gulp gulp gulp*

“Hah...Ugh...These droplets are annoying. They get on my nerves, so you should just take everything off already.”

You shake your head. 

“Hehe...With this downpour, nobody will pass by. Even if they did, wouldn’t you be overjoyed to have multiple people gang up on you? Come on...Take it off. Drop a little lower...I’ll help you.”

*Rustle rustle*

“Hehe...I see. You want it from this side next, huh?”

He bites you again.

*Gulp gulp*

“Mmh...Hah...Mixed in with the rain water...I only get half the taste of your blood...However, tracing my fangs across your chilled skin isn’t half bad. Haahn...”

*Gulp*

“Mmh...Ah...Haah? A fever? No way I’d have that...Bullshit...Ugh...”

You press your palm against his forehead. 

*Rustle*

"Buzz off...How could you know wheter I have a fever or not just from touching my forehead? Understood? Now focus on this instead...Mmh...”

*Gulp gulp*

“How’s that? Satisfied now?”

You reply.

“I feel hotter than usual? Heh. I guess miracles do happen. Well, that works for me. If I actually did have a fever, all I need to do is drink your blood. By doing so, the fever would drop in no time, right? Haha...Your body has gotten heated as well. Even though the cold rain is pouring down on you...You really have such a lewd body. Haahn...Mmh...”

*Gulp gulp*

“Nn...Come on...Don’t stagger...You wouldn’t want me to get hit by the rain, do you? Hahn...Mmh...”

*Sluuuurp*

*Gulp*

“Haah...Heh...”

TRACK 2 (Shuu takes care of his sick S/O)

“...Oi, wake up. You’re taking supplementary classes in music or something?”

*Rustle rustle*

You wake up.

“...I didn’t think someone would have claimed this spot before me. (2) You were sleeping face first onto the desk...”

You explain.

"...Hah? You dozed off during class and have been asleep ever since? So you were left behind?”

You nod, telling him you don’t feel too well.

“You’ve been feeling under the weather since this morning, huh? Haha...Well, yesterday you were enjoying yourself quite a bit while getting rained on after all.”

You protest. 

“I didn’t tell any lies, did I? Shouldn’t you go back soon? It’s been a while since classes started. Well, they’ll end in another half an hour though.”

You get up from your chair.

“Yeah, hurry up and go back. I’ll use this spoーー”

You feel shaky on your legs, suddenly collapses.

*Thud*

“...!? Waiー You...!”

Shuu catches you.

*Rustle*

“...Why are so shaky in your steps? I don’t mind if you get hurt, but don’t cause any trouble. ...You’re hot. I guess if you go to class like this, you’ll be send to the infirmary anyway.”

You whimper softly.

“Your breathing’s ragged...You must feel limp as well? On top of that, you’re shaking...Are you cold?”

You weakly nod.

“Come on, this way...”

*Rustle*

“...You want to know what I’m doing? I’m embracing you because you’re shivering. Geez...Say, have you gained some weight? You put on some meat around these parts, didn’t you?”

Shuu squeezes your sides.

“Ah...Oi. Are you even listening?”

You look up at him with half-lidded eyes. 

“What’s with that expression? ...Hm? Which one? A lewd one. Like the one you make when I’m sucking your blood...Hahaha...Are you tempting me? Even though you have a fever...You really are a dirty girl, aren’t you?”

You defend yourself.

“Mm? Your cheeks are only flushed because of the fever? You don’t sound very convincing trying to make excuses with that look on your face. I see. In that case, I’ll test out this ‘Vampire-style’ treatment on you...”

You raise a brow.

“I’ll do this...”

Shuu bites you.

“Nn...Hah...Your blood’s scorching hot...”

You try and get away.

*Rustle rustle*

“...Don’t run! ...What? My hands are cold, it feels nice? I see. Haahn...”

*Gulp*

“Nn...”

*Smooch*

“Hah...How’s that? Quite the effective treatment, don’t you think? ...Ah, my earphone, huh? It gets in the way as I try to suck. You can have it instead.”

He puts the earphone in your ear.

“...The first song’s about to reach its climax. Hahaha...”

Shuu continues sucking your blood.

“Haahn...Your blood’s different from usual...Some people might call it disgusting...but I don’t dislike this taste either. Hah...This side’s up next. Give me more...Nn...”

*Gulp gulp*

“Haah...Where’s the song at right now?”

You explain.

“Ahー ...In that case, it’ll reach its climax at the next solo. Just like you...Nn...Is it good?”

You nod.

“...As to be expected, it’s by a famous composer after all...It can’t possible sound bad. Haha...That expression...Are you enjoying the music? Or perhaps it’s my fangs you like? Haha...You can no longer respond, huh?”

He leans in closer.

“Listen with your eyes closer...as the music enters your ears. Yeah, just like that...Now stay like this...And cry out from the ultimate melody combined with my fangs...”

TRACK 3 (Aftermath)

You enter the infirmary at school.

“Zzー...Nn...”

*Rustle rustle*

“...Nn...You...Are you still feeling unwell since you’ve come to the nurse office?”

You shake your head.

“You’re better already? I see. Huh? Me? I...Ahー Right. I’m under the weather right now. I’m at the infirmary, so of course I am? I have this splitting headache, it hurts. I’ve got a fever as well. I must have cold your cold. The fever from the other day as well, it’s obviously your fault no matter how you look at it.”

You check his temperature. 

*Rustle*

“Nn...Hehe. ...I don’t have a fever, you say? How can you tell? There’s no way you can tell whether I do or not just from lightly touching me.”

You frown.

“What you should do to check my condition? Well...This should do the trick...”

Shuu pulls you close, kissing you.

“Nn...”

*Smooch*

“...How’s that? Felt hot, didn’t it?”

Your cheeks blush bright red.

“Come on, it’s your turn next.”

*Rustle rustle*

“...Come here. Let me suck your blood. I’ll know everything about you by the taste of it.”

You seem skeptical of his behavior. 

“What has gotten into me, you ask? Nothing really. Didn’t you hear me earlier, I’m not feeling the best right now. Hahaha...Come on, hurry up and get over here.”

He bites you.

*Gulp gulp*

“Haah...It’s the usual taste of your blood...The scorching blood from the other day wasn’t bad either, but in the end, this is still...”

*Gulp gulp gulp*

“...the most delicious. It’s your taste...Nn...Hah...”

You whimper.

“Ah...Which do you prefer? I want to know which mark you want me to suck from.”

You hesitate.

“The one right here on your chest from when you were hit by the rain...or perhaps the one on your nape over here? Honestly, I wouldn’t mind giving you a new mark either. Like over here, perhaps?”

Shuu bites you again.

*Gulp*

“Ah...What’s wrong? Are you excited? Doing this kind of stuff in a bed meant for a sick person...You’ve stooped quite low, don’t you think?”

Somebody enters the infirmary.

“...Someone’s here. Oi, you...Pretend to be a sick student.”

You look at him in panic.

“Haha...You just have to writhe around in pain, right? That should be right up your alley.”

*Rustle rustle*

“Exactly...Cry out more...Nn...”

*Gulp* 

The other student leaves in a hurry.

“...They left, huh? Hm...? If we managed to trick them with said performance? Hahaha...I’m sure they expected all patients to be sleeping, no? Because you let out such noises, you were basically telling them to leave because the bed’s occupied by two people.”

You get embarrassed.

“Twisting your body, making the bed creak so loudly...Where would you find a sick person like that? Or was this your plan all along? Did you want someone to hear the sounds you make? ...Well, I don’t care either way. Come on, let me suck more...Hahn...”

You wince in pain and pleasure.

“Heh...You’re tearing up. Does it feel that good? I’m shocked considering you were sick just the other day. (3) Aren’t you the one who is forgetting where we currently are? I feel like even those at the other side of the door might hear you soon.”

*Gulp gulp*

“Nn...Tsk. Somebody’s coming again...Oi, you...”

You suddenly kiss Shuu. 

Nn...Mmh...Haah, haah...Forcing your lips on mine just to suppress your voice...Nn...”

*Smooch*

“You...Haah...Haha...You really are a fascinating woman. For acting like such a Saint, you’re quite bold with your actions. Well, I don’t hate that side of you. Makes me want to push you off the edge, dragging out your true nature completely. ...Come on, let me have more. I’ll do plenty more pleasurable things to you...”

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) 体 or ‘karada’ literally means ‘body’, but it is often used as a synonym for ‘health’ as well. 

(2) 先客 or ‘senkyaku’ refers to someone arriving before another person. In this case, Shuu usually claims the music classroom as his private napping spot during or after classes, so he was surprised to find the MC already there.

(3) 病み上がり or ‘yami-agari’ refers to someone who was recently sick and is still recovering from it. 

[intheseautumnhands]

An excuse to roll dice! Excellent! D100 asks: 2, 50, 86, 30, 56, 64

2. What kind of emotions do the stars evoke for you, if any? The ocean, the sky, the moon?

I have complicated feelings about the ocean, because I actively love actually being in water, but everything around it where you have to like... get used to the water, get out and get clean again, probably be on the beach with sand to get there, be in a bathing suit, all of that, I do not. So the ocean brings on strong feelings of want followed by feelings of ...but no. XD No, generally, though, the ocean is calming. Smelling it, seeing it, being near it. The one thing I do kind of miss about Florida is catching sight and scent of the water so often. And literally nothing else.

Stars/moon make me feel rooted, and kind of nostalgic. I worked with Artemis a lot when I was a pre-teen, and I miss that. The sky depends a lot on what the sky looks like. Stormy skies make me feel calm and tired. XD

50. What qualities do you find charming?

I feel like this one’s hard to answer? Charming is a weird word to define and I don’t know if I’d say charmed is a reaction I have often. XD The first thing to come to mind is -- people who are clearly super into what they’re doing and who wants to draw others in, but very respectful of boundaries? Like, someone at an outdoor music event or a drum circle who’s encouraging people to dance with them, but not pushing them if they get waved off. Or someone in full costume at an event playing off people in-character, but not dragging out the bit with people who don’t react.

Seeing people be really into a thing is always great, but when they don’t seem to have as much of a sense of when others don’t want to play along, it gets kind of nerve-wracking -- I just want to sit on the sidelines and watch you, I don’t want to risk being pulled in! But that enthusiasm and enjoyment paired with that display of social skills is a balance that really draws me in.

86. What could you talk about for hours?

So many things. Pretty much anything if I’m feeding off someone else’s interest in it. I can talk for so long about Tarot. Or about witchcraft, or Paganism/Wicca. Musical theater, hoo boy, for so long, or for most pieces of media I’ve been interested in. Fandom as a general topic. Queerness. Mental illness and mental health stuff, also physical illness and disability stuff. Tabletop RPGs, especially if you get me talking about weird indie stuff I know exists and want to try. Also just recommending stuff generally, really, get me reccing and I can just keep going. Personality taxonomy systems. Organizational systems. Like, I talk too much, up until I realize I’m talking too much and abruptly get quiet, so if you got me talking about something I was invested enough in to override the “oops I’m talking a lot”... there are many things. XD

30. If you don't have tattoos, and had to get one, what would you get tattooed on you? Is getting tattooed a big deal to you? If you are tattooed, do you regret any?

I have made multiple lists of things I would get tattooed on me! Mostly quotes/lyrics. I’m not so much a visual person as a words person, so the things that are that important to me are mostly quotes, though I would consider something media-derived for properties that were either majorly lifechanging for me or that I’ve loved for long enough. If I had to get one right this second... don’t be proud, be well is a strong contender. So is tomorrow is coming, & tomorrow needs sponges (as a short form of the full quote, which finishes with: & god, what a fucking miracle it is, the way that we go on). devour the monsters and you can call any place home.

I would probably have tattoos, but I am scared of needles and a baby about pain. XD Also, perpetually broke, but mostly the needles.

56. What (or who) do you daydream about?

Most of the time it’s either stories I want to be writing, or playing out things I’ve watched/listened to in my head. I tend to daydream less about things actually happening to me; if I zone out thinking about non-fiction, I’m probably composing an argument in my head to feel better about something I’m not going to respond to. XD

64. Do you feel like you know yourself very well?

Hahahaha no. Self-identity is a really muddled, confusing thing, and I find it really hard to say much about who I really am at the core. Without getting too deep or too serious, it’s just something I find to be a mess. This is part of why I like labels, personality taxonomy, and finding out how other people think of me. They feel like something to hold onto when the rest of it feels unsure.

( 100 questions game )

[bleachbleachbleach]

13, 46 and 73 for the asks game (hope it's okay I did more than one!)

Ask game here!

Yes! Thanks for submitting multiple! It might take me a little longer to answer, since apparently I have to listen to each song several times before I can make a decision about it. XD

13 -- Potion by Eric Nam

This song has a kind of party vibe to it, and I think it's about drinking?

(ope I just looked up the English translation to the lyrics)

Tonight's the last time I'll think of you Let’s get wild, one shot Just pour it up, pour it up Time won’t heal, we all know that's a lie So let’s get lit tonight So pour it up, pour it up That potion

Matsomoto for sure. Or honestly, even Kira's repressed soul. D:

46 -- Miracle (Manila Killa Remix) by CHRVCHES

I know this song is remix of a real song, but I don't think I've ever heard the real thing lol. Luckily the remix still has some of the lyrics.

And I need you to know, I'm not asking for a miracle But if love is enough, could you let it show? If you feel it could you let me know?

Ask me no questions, I will tell you no lies Careful what you wish for We're looking for angels in the darkest of skies Saying that we wanted more Could you, could you, could you let it show?

Apparently I'm in a Matsumoto mood tonight, because this is making me have big feels for Matsumoto and Ichimaru. DDDD:

73 -- さよならごっこ (Sayonara gokko) by amazarashi

Ooh, this is the ED to Dororo, which is a very good series, if you haven't seen it. I mostly just associate this song with that anime, but I'm gonna do my best to think of a good way to apply it to Bleach. This song always makes me feel very melancholy.

(Oh god, I just looked up the translated lyrics and they broke my heart. Tonight is full of big feels, I guess.)

The reason we joke and laugh is that the road we travel is so dark, and I guess it's our job to turn on the lights. I'm all too familiar with pretending to say goodbye, but I still broke into tears as I waved farewell. This deep red sadness of ours gets darker, and darker, and then becomes night. Even if it's inevitable that tomorrow will come around, I didn't ever say that I wanted to live for it. Even though I'm better off quitting, I still keep on having dreams of the future. Of the future. And it's all your fault.

...

If love was there from the very beginning, we never checked to be sure. Destiny takes us along to meet the most unexpected people, and they leave a lasting impression in the depths of our hearts. If there's hardship, we can bear it. If there's pain, we can share it. But I couldn't shoulder your burdens all the way up to your fated destination. Farewells are always hard, no matter how many times I've done them, so we're only pretending to part ways. This is just a goodbye game. It's a game where I trick myself by saying "I'm sure we'll meet again." ("I'm sure we'll meet again.")

This is giving me huge angsty Renji feels. When he is separated from Rukia once she is adopted by the Kuchiki family?? And then he spends the next 40yrs trying to reunite with her again?? BIG RENJI FEELS.

[dyde21]

Overnight Trip to Stark Industries 3

Link to the first part HERE (I mean it’s a field trip fic so the set up is the same, but the first two parts are only on AO3 right now xD)

I know I’m new to the fandom, and mostly post over on AO3 but I think I’ll start sharing some more One-shots over here because I freaking adore Spideychelle. Also, anyone who does REALLY needs to check out @premiere-pro They have one of the best writing styles I’ve seen in ages, and they have a series called “super cuts” that retells Iron Man 2, Avengers, and Iron Man 3 currently with Spidey in them and it’s amazing. I’m gonna reread them soon.

Anyway:

XxXxXxXxX

The air was practically vibrating in the elevator as everyone wondered what the first stop of the tour would be. Someone had even turned to their tour guide Ashe in the elevator their half was in. “What is the itinerary for today?”

Ashe looked at them, owlish for a moment. “Did… did your teachers not explain it? I believe it was on the paperwork as well.” Peter heard her voice drop to a whisper. “Did I not explain it?”

The student looked a little sheepish. “There was a lot of paperwork…”

Nodding, Ashe recovered smoothly. “I totally get that. Working here often comes with loads of paperwork. So many NDA’s, it’s easy to lose track of things. I’ll explain once we get to the first stop, just so I don’t have to repeat myself.” She offered with a crowd winning smile.

Peter saw her turn back to him and mouth “oops” and Peter snickered. Ashe was a very good PA, she could handle people better than pretty much anyone else Peter knew, aside from maybe Tony himself. But he also had heard she could be a bit distracted easily, which was why she always had a tablet to double check to keep her tasks organized and on track. Though it wasn’t like Peter could blame her, he forgot stuff constantly and Tony was even worse. It was honestly a miracle that Pepper had come into Stark Industries to help keep everything running smoothly.

Ned turned to Peter. “Do you know what’s happening first?”

Shaking his head, Peter sighed. “Like I said, Ned. I really know nothing about what’s going on this tour. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to go on it, and I kinda spend a lot of time here so I never took it myself. I just know that it’s supposed to be super memorable.”

Ned was still nodding, as if the plain explanation Peter was offering was super secret spoilers. MJ was just leaning against the wall, arms crossed as she watched them all with an amused expression. He was glad at least someone was amused. 

The elevator ended and they stepped out into… a plain hallway. 

Everyone seemed a bit confused. It was clear the expectations had been a bit more… grandeur. Ashe smiled as she made a broad motion, urging the group to gather around. 

“So I bet you all are wondering what we are doing on this trip. In case some of you did not properly read the itinerary, I thought it would be prudent to review our schedule!”

There was some excited murmur from the group of students. Peter just rolled his eyes. He met her eyes and mouthed “smooth” to her. Ashe turned to the group, but Peter saw her subtly raise a peace sign in his direction. 

“So! As you know, our trip is split into two days. The first day will explore the technology and R&D portion of Stark Industries, and the second day will cover the Avengers and affiliated programs.” Ashe quieted for a moment as a wave of cheers and very loud murmuring broke out. Ned was freaking out, grabbing Peter’s arm and shaking it. Peter barely noticed, because he felt his face pale. He was about to raise his arm, but someone else had gotten the idea first. 

“Yes, you!” Ashe said, pointing. 

“Will we be meeting any Avengers?” Cindy asked eagerly.

Pausing for dramatic effect, a massive grin crept on Ashe’s face. “Yes! You will be meeting multiple Avengers on this trip. While not all trips are afforded this opportunity, this trip has been lucky enough to be part of the September Foundations outreach program to help connect the future generation to both Stark Industries and the Avenger’s initiative, as at the core, the heroes serve the people and outreaches like this help close the gap and build bridges.” Ashe offered in a smooth, practiced flow. 

Another loud wave of cheers rang out from the group and Peter winced, covering his ears slightly. His enhanced senses were NOT as happy as they were at the moment. He felt MJ’s hand rub his back gently. 

“Dude! DUDE!” Ned practically shouted at him, wide eyes. Peter couldn’t help but grin at his friend despite the growing dread in his stomach. He was happy for Ned, even though Ned had met all the Avengers at least once by now. This was a rare chance for all of his friends and he was happy for them. 

But there was no way in hell this tour had been “randomly selected” for this. There was absolutely foul play here and it reeked of nepotism. 

“Lucky, my ass. I think this was Pepper’s idea of ‘helping me out’.” Peter muttered to Ned and MJ.

“GOOD.” Ned said unapologetically.

MJ shrugged. “Technically, they aren’t under any obligation to not choose this trip just because they know you. They have the right to choose whatever groups they want.”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were against Nepotism.”

MJ offered him a sly grin. “Technically the entire class benefits from this experience, so you aren’t stealing all the benefit from others. You’re more of… an asset in our appeal to the process. It’s prudent to make use of the advantages we are offered.”

“So I’m an asset.” Peter deadpanned to her. “That’s how you see me.”

MJ shrugged. “You’re my favorite asset.”

“You just like me for my assets.” Peter mocked.

“It is a nice asset.” MJ replied cooley. Peter stared at her for a moment, blinking before his cheeks started to tint red. Did… did she just hit on him?

MJ grinned triumphantly, having won the exchange as the group tuned back into Ashe.

“Our first stop will be a brief history of the company, followed by a tech demonstration. There will be a surprise challenge, followed by lunch and the end of the challenge, then a chance for outreach and interaction with SI representatives to end the day before dinner and some free time. We will leave tomorrow’s plan for tomorrow, so make the most of today while you can!”

Another break where the group was too busy talking to each other for Ashe to have a hope of controlling them, but she didn’t seem particularly surprised or bothered by it, instead answering some question that Mr. Harrington was asking that Peter couldn’t hear over the roar of overly excited teenagers.

“So at least one day before the Avengers ruin my life.” Peter muttered mostly to himself. He winced as he felt MJ gently pinch his back where she had been rubbing it. 

“Stop being so dramatic, nerd. Things will workout fine.” She reassured, glancing towards her other nerd with a small smile as Ned was still freaking out with Abe.

Ashe checked the time on her starkpad before waving her arms a bit to gather attention back on her. “As much as I’m sure you’re having fun talking about how ‘hella cool’ this tour is gonna be, how about we actually start it?”

MJ raised at the expression and Ashe seemed to notice it and smirked in response.

Ashe led her gaggle of students towards a wide set of double doors that really didn’t look like anything special. Peter couldn’t quite place where he had seen them before though. They seemed… different. 

“First stop on our tour will be a brief history of Stark Industries. This is actually a rather brand new installation and vastly upgraded from our older lecture version. I think you all will be pretty pleased by it. Without further ado, let’s begin!” She said, earning a few hoots and cheers from the class as she dramatically pushed open the doors.

Students practically rushed into… a blank room. All the walls were either glass or another blank surface. In the center of the massive room was a circular pedestal with a device on top of it. Everyone looked around confused, and Peter could practically hear their disappointment. 

Ashe, however, was having far too much fun watching their expressions. “Just be patient. Is everyone in? Good! Okay, now everyone I suggest you stand back to start, and do keep in mind the center dias please.” She said before stepping back. After a moment the rest of the class stepped back too as murmurs of concern started to grow a little louder.

Peter, however, remembered <em>exactly</em> what this was and a massive grin crept on his face. He had no idea they had actually fully finished this project, it had been ages since he had helped out other interns with this. He had been involved in the development and the construction of the technology, not as much the final touches and execution of it. 

He gestured for MJ and Ned to step back a little more. “Ned, do your best not to freak out too much.”

Ned nodded a bit too eagerly as he stared at the console, already amazed even though nothing had happened yet. 

MJ seemed a bit skeptical, but scooted a little closer to him and crossed her arms, waiting to see what was in store. 

Ashe knocked her fist on one of the glass panes twice. “Alright, Ty. Start it up!” She said eagerly.

The lights of the room instantly shut off and the murmurs died instantly. Peter could hear the sharp intake of breath as everyone was suddenly waiting very eagerly. 

A voice rang out through the room. 

“Everything is achievable through technology...”

Peter recognized the voice, he had heard it a few times. 

Howard Stark.

Gasps rang out through the room because standing in the center of the room was Howard Stark. Or more accurate, a hologram of him. It stood there, looking around generically, but you couldn't help but feel like he was actually looking at you when his eyes happened to meet yours. 

“Is that a hologram?”

“Isn’t that the founder?”

A bunch more hushed whispers echoed out, followed by an almost equal number of “shhhhh”.

Ned was gaping like a fish as he stared at the man in the old suit who walked forward, continuing to talk. 

“Better living, robust health, and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace.”

He stopped and gently shoved his hands into his suit pockets. “I’m Howard Stark, and everything you’ll need in the future can be found right here.” He said with a sweeping motion of his arm. 

As he did though the room <em>changed</em>.

One second they were standing in a dark room with a holographic dead founder talking to them, and the next there was a rush of light of colors from all around and suddenly they were standing in a fairground. Students gasped, talking in hush whispers as they looked around. Peter saw Betty even hesitantly reach out and touch the wall, which was still very much there, but it looked like she was touching an invisible wall in the park. Almost. There was just enough of a discrepancy that you could see the edge without stumbling face first into it accidentally. Peter guessed that had been a lesson learned the hard way, knowing the interns.

There were displays in every direction. There was a general ambiance of futurism, but it was anachronistic with the old visions of the future, incredibly outdated despite their best guesses of the time, being displayed by technology they couldn’t dream of. Displays of imaginary space suits, flying cars, toasters. Everything was in the distance as the world around them began to move across the ground, as if they were on a guided tour.

Everyone was still mostly rooted in place, and as if to lead them, Ashe walked across the room, mumbling a bit about watching out for the center kiosk, but went deliberately to look at a display from the far end of the wall. Peter followed her suit, just to encourage people as he walked across it too. It was a bit disorienting, with the world moving at it’s own pace while you walk. Kind of like those automated walkways at the airport, but not too jarring thankfully. Again, he figured it was probably a product of trial and error and an uncomfortable number of nauseous interns testing it.

Crowds bustled around them, phasing through people as the holograms were interrupted by the actual people in the room, even though Peter saw a student or two from their class hurriedly avoiding them muttering out apologies. Peter couldn’t blame them, it almost looked real.

He knew how disorienting it could be to be surrounded by illusions. Just like… him… whenever.. He fought…

Peter’s attention was snapped back to the present as Howard continued finally.

“From all of us at Stark Industries, I would like to personally thank you for visiting us. For your interest in helping shape the world into a better future.” For a few more moments they continued to float through the imagined space. Old music playing over a staticy sound system, girls in rather revealing outfits dancing and parading themselves around displays, all before it settled near the center of the area where Howard was once again standing there, smiling at them. 

The world faded to black around them once more, and there were some groans of disappointment from the group as their apparent trip through time was cut short. Howard gave one last tip of his hat, before he faded. 

There was a beat of silence.

Two.

Three. 

“I’ve learned a great deal from my father, and clearly humility wasn’t one of them.” Tony Stark’s voice cut in as he suddenly walked forward, emerging from nothing and standing where Howard stood a moment ago. 

Peter was almost tempted to reach out and touch him because it was strange seeing him so clearly there, but not at the same time. Peter knew it was a hologram, but he could have sworn it was real.

He raised his arms and a massive Arc Reactor, the old prototype emerged from the ground, large, and humming with energy. It dwarfed their size, and it felt surreal standing so close to it.

“The Arc Reactor was one of my first successes in his company, outside of our military contracts.” Tony said. He smiled at the group and it looked genuine.

It looked real.

Too real. Like he had seen before. Illusions. But they never stayed pleasant like this. Peter stepped back, bumping his back against the wall. This was dangerous. He couldn’t tell if it was his spider sense or anxiety that was now gripping the lower part of his neck. His heart began to beat much faster.

Too fast. Was he dying? Maybe. Was this real? He kept waiting for it to change like it always did. Tony would pull a gun on him. Or melt into spiders. Or get shot. Maybe the other avengers would show up to die painfully. Or attack him. Or each other. Peter’s fists were clenched tightly at his side and they started to shake. 

Why wouldn’t he hurry the fuck up and kill Tony already. Peter didn’t have time for this. He didn’t want to see his mentor die again. He didn’t want to have to punch it just to make it go away. He just wanted to scream. He could see Tony’s lips moving, probably continuing the talk but Peter’s ears were ringing and he couldn’t hear anything. Why hadn’t the death come, was Myst-

MJ’s eyes filled his vision as she stepped directly in front of him. His eyes snapped to hers, and he felt her hand cup his cheek. It was warm. He swallowed thickly. 

“R-real?” He asked shakily.

MJ’s eyes were focused, and God were they beautiful. 

“Real.” She confirmed. “I’m right here, Tiger.” She whispered gently. She leaned in briefly, kissing him. 

It was the strangest sensation, it was like he dropped from the sky back into his body. Everything snapped into place at the feeling of her lips briskly on his. 

He could feel the pressure of her knee on the inside of his, one of her feet pressed against the inside heel of one of his as she had leaned into him. Her other hand gently holding his clenched fist as he forced it to relax and thread his fingers through hers. The sounds of Tony’s voice again.

“Under our new CEO, Pepper Potts, Stark Industries have moved on from our wartorn past and once again begun the long process of bringing tomorrow just a little bit closer.” Then the familiar sounds of “Shoot to Thrill” by ACDC started to echo throughout the room.

Peter’s eyes glanced around and saw most of the students now looking around as a new wide arrange of displays showed around them. Cindy had noticed him and had seemed a bit concerned, but saw MJ was handling him and went back to looking at the sights after a small smile. Ned also seemed worried, but Peter offered him a reassuring smile and a moment later Ned was next to Betty as they pointed at some Iron Man suits flying high above them.

Ashe had closed half the distance towards them, concern painting her features but he gave her a shaky thumbs up and she slowly nodded, stepping off to the side but clearly keeping an eye on him. 

His eyes fell back on MJ’s, finding them still locked on his patiently, a warm, if not slightly concerned smile on her face. 

“You’re okay. I’m right here.” She said softly, reaching up to move his hand under her neck to her pulse point, as he felt the steady throb of it. Life. Peter took a deep breath and slowly the panicked sensation in the back of his neck faded. 

“T-thank you.” He said.

MJ still examined his face, no doubt reading past anything he could ever try to hide from her in the moment before she seemed satisfied and smiled. Giving him the briefest peck on the lips before stepping next to him again. 

She dropped his hand, but reached over and slid hers under the back of his shirt,resting it directly on the base of his spine, her thumb making gentle strokes over it. A steady, warm, grounding presence. She was right here, and very <em>very</em> real.

Peter wrapped his now free arm around her waist and held her close as he took in the sights around them.

Now that all traces of his illusionist villain had been banished to the dark recesses of his mind, he had to admit it was pretty fucking awesome.

ACDC was blaring through the speakers, and everywhere you looked seemed like a technological dream. 

High up in the sky various suits of Iron Man armor were flying everywhere, both in formations and freely, firing at targets as they were thrown up and blasting them into pieces that fell into glitter before vanishing. 

Off to the side near Ned and Betty Peter saw a person waving at them, their entire arm made of a prosthesis that seemed to respond almost perfectly to their mind as it picked up and played with a coin dexterously. 

On the other side there was a clean energy generator that powered a trail of lights before they erupted into a massive city streat, all being powered by the small glowing blue generator. Peter wasn’t sure if it was a bit of an exaggeration, but it accomplished its intended effect based on Abe's and Cindy’s reaction.

Tony was still standing in the center, looking impossibly smug as he looked around a bit randomly to catch eyes potentially.

Glancing over at MJ, he saw her attention had finally moved from him and he saw her mouth opened ever so slightly in awe as she looked at the scene closest to them. The sleek fairground around them that had been housing most of the other displays crumbled to dirt as they were suddenly staring out over a large patch of ground, surrounded by forests that seemed to stretch off for miles. 

In the center of the clearing were a few robots that were transplanting sapling trees and some further down that were planting seeds. 

There was some floating text giving statistics on successfully replanted trees and reforesting that had happened over the past ten years.

Peter looked back at MJ, her face being illuminated by the green as he saw the faintest traces of wonder in her eyes. An emotion he knew she felt as much as everyone else did, but hid from the world to keep herself safe. But seeing that look in her eyes, the smallest smile on her face, the way her eyes shifted to his and her smile grew even more, made his chest feel warm. He realized, there was nothing in this world he wouldn’t do for her. Nothing he wouldn’t do to see that smile every day for as long as he lived. He would move mountains for her if she asked.

He rested his forehead against hers for a moment, a serene oasis in the loud ACDC played. Eventually the music started to quiet down and everyone looked back to where Tony was still standing. Behind him an Iron Man suit landed in the hero pose, before it stood up and opened up, encasing Tony in it. 

“Stark Industries is leading the world to the future. Try to keep up.” He said with one last smirk, before the helmet closed and he blasted off into the sky. 

A second later and the regular lights slowly turned on as they were gradually reintroduced to the plain chamber as all the holograms powered down.

Everyone just sort of stood still, letting out a few deep breaths. 

“Dude…” Abe said.

“That was…” Betty started.

“SO FUCKING AWESOME.” Jason said excitedly.

“Lonello!” Harrington snapped at the language, but seemed just as starstruck. 

There was a loud eruption of conversations as people started gushing about the experience. 

Ashe clearly leaned back, an almost maternal smile as she saw the excitement through the class and gave them a moment to process things. 

Peter glanced over to MJ, and Ned and Betty who had joined them. 

“Dude, that was insane!” Ned started out, practically shaking with how excited he was. 

“I can’t even imagine how they did that.” Betty offered. 

MJ smiled. “Yeah… that was pretty cool.” Everyone seemed a bit shocked by her honest confession, but no one was going to call her out on it. They knew she was working on being more open with others and the last thing they wanted to do was discourage her from it.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen this before. I knew they were working on it, even helped a bit, but it was nowhere near that… immersive.” He offered, hearing his own slight amazement and thankfully not  much of the fear that crept in. 

He felt a slight increase of the pressure on his back. MJ’s face portrayed nothing, but it was a clear reminder. 

<em>Im right here.</em>

He just squeezed her a little closer from his arm around her side.

“You worked on that?” Betty said, a little too loud of surprise.

The class looked over at Peter both surprised and a little skeptical. 

He raised his free hand in a sort of peace gesture. “Not like… the actual holograms. They must have… God, I don’t even know the level of artists and programmers that took. I just meant more of the basic technology.”

MJ snorted. “Basic. Sure.”

Peter rolled his eyes, tickling her side ever so slightly making her squirm before she kicked his shin in retaliation. “You know what I mean. I worked with the other interns on the back end.” He offered. He didn’t want to go into detail about working directly with Tony on it, or how it worked because he <em>really</em> didn’t wanna spoil the magic of something so fantastical. 

“Sure you did, Parker.” Flash said in disbelief. Before he could chime in with any more eloquent comments, Ashe clapped her hands together once. 

“Well then! You seem to have remembered which way is up, so how about we move on to the rest of the tour? I promise you there’s still plenty to be amazed by.” She said as she ushered them to the opposite of where they entered where there were more flush doors in the wall. 

She seemed to do a head count, before checking her tablet to verify that she did indeed not forget the number of people she was responsible, before she smiled and moved open the doors. 

Once again, the students burst into an excited murmur. 

There was a rather tall young man, sleeves rolled up on a simple blue dress shirt and jeans as he leaned against a little kiosk. He had shaggy black hair, and a calm smile as he watched the students.

But none of them were watching him because behind him it looked like an arcade from the future. It was a series of rooms, all displaying various holograms above the tables. Other machines littered the walls and the room was darker to allow the lights emitting from the machines to draw your eyes in even more. People stumbled forward a bit more, but none of them were willing to go past the man without permission. 

Peter glanced over at Ashe as she was staring at the guy in surprise. 

“Ashelyn.” He said simply, an almost smug look on his face as he raised an eyebrow.

“Tyler.” She replied professionally, but Peter could see the barely constrained snickers that both of them were trying to keep hidden.

MJ glanced between the two young adults before looking at Peter.

Peter just rolled his eyes. “You’ll see.”

The two young adults had locked eyes long enough and seemed to be having a silent discussion long enough for the incredibly impatient teenagers who were desperate to see the technological wonderland just out of their reach to feel a little awkward.

Peter cleared his throat a bit loudly and both Ashe and Tyler seemed to snap back to reality, the faintest hint of a blush on both of their cheeks. 

“Welcome…”

“Midtown.” Ashe supplied helpfully.

Tyler shot her a grateful look. “Welcome, Midtown. I hope you enjoyed our little introduction. A bit of a step up from our old lecture, I would say?” He asked, waiting for a chorus of replies.

“Yes!”

“Incredible!”

“Fucking amazing!”

“Lonello...” Harrington’s voice sounded more tired this time.

Tyler just smiled at them. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. It has been the product of months of hard labor, and many technological breakthroughs from all across Stark Industries to achieve. My name is Tyler, and I am one of the floor managers of the R&D department, with a specialty in audio development, though my floor covers a bit broader range as well. I have volunteered to serve as your specialist to answer any tech related questions you may have, if any happen to be beyond Ashe’s understanding.”

Ashe snorted out a laugh at that. “I appreciate the confidence Fros- Tyler but you know I leave the technology to you labrats down here. I appreciate the new headphones you guys released last month, but the most I know about them is I’m pretty sure they have a speaker in them somewhere.”

There were a few laughs from the group at that and the lovestruck look Tyler gave her made Peter wonder if he was that obvious when he looked at MJ.

(He was.)

Cindy raised her hand. 

“Yes?” Tyler asked, pointing at her patiently. 

“Are the tours usually led by floor managers? You seem a bit… important. Not that we aren’t incredibly grateful!” She added quickly, embarrassment creeping in after her brain caught up to her curiosity.

Tyler shrugged, not bothered by the question. “Usually no, we have mid level interns give these tours to gain experience in presenting their work though we are always available to help them when needed. This is more of an… exception.” He offered, his eyes flickering over to Ashe  who was hiding her laugher behind her fist as she tried to suppress her giggles. 

Peter laughed at that, apparently loud enough for Tyler’s eyes to lock onto his. He tilted his head slightly and Peter blushed. Oops. Busted.

“Pet-”

“Okay! How about we get started!” Ashe cut him off, giving him a look that apparently he understood to mean just follow her lead. 

“Right! So, there are three rooms behind us, and you’re free to interact with any of the displays there. Unfortunately we do have to ask you to not use your phones in these areas. While you will be free to discuss anything you see here, some of the technology is new and patent pending, and we would prefer visuals of it not be released ahead of our schedule. I must insist that this rule is rather strictly enforced, and FRIDAY will be keeping a close eye out.” He said, his voice calm and even. “Right Fri?”

“That is correct, Tyler. Upon the exit of the third room in the back, you will be able to use your devices again. Feel free to silence any devices or respond before you pass the ropes up ahead, but we ask you not to attempt to film the area from here either.”

A couple of students pulled out their phone and silenced them just to prevent any temptation. Peter actually did that himself, because while he was pretty sure he was actually an exception to the rule, since he knew way more sensitive technology than this, he wasn’t exactly looking to prove a point and he had a habit of forgetting. 

MJ, Ned, and Betty seemed to trust him and followed his lead. 

“Now that the lame rules are out of the way, let me explain a bit more. Feel free to explore any of the machines up ahead. All of the holographic displays are interactable, and feel free to engage with them to your heart's content. Common sense rules apply here too. Don’t steal anything. Don’t break anything. Don’t run around.” He offered, raising an eyebrow. “Midtown is a reputable school, so behave but beyond that have fun and find me or Ashe if you have any questions.”

With that, he stepped aside and the students rushed in, spreading out to all corners of the first room as they started looking around and fiddling with things. 

Ned and Betty went to the nearest display table and as Peter was about to lead MJ in, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Turning, he saw Ashe looking at him with a concerned expression.

“Are you okay? I saw your reaction in the holodeck. I know it can be disorienting.”

Peter nodded, smiling as he felt MJ increase the pressure again. “Just… caught me off guard.”

Ashe nodded, fidgeting slightly. “I… wasn’t sure if I should have cut it off. I was about to head over and ask you…” 

Peter shook his head quickly. “No! I’m glad you didn’t. It was incredible. I was fine.” He offered, even though the last bit was clearly a lie.

“It’s okay, that’s what I’m here for.” MJ chimed in, making Ashe laugh. 

“Yeah, you did distract him pretty well. I must say.” A teasing lilt in Ashe’s tone. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people make out when surrounded by cutting edge hologram tech.”

Peter’s face flushed red and he buried his face into MJ’s shoulder. MJ just shrugged, hoping to hide her own embarrassment. 

“Really? Cause I distinctly remember something similar.” Tyler’s voice chimed in, making everyone look at him as he reached out and squeezed Ashe’s hand.

Ashe flushed red and slapped his chest. 

“Frosty! Shut up.” She muttered, glancing around. 

MJ glanced at Peter, then the two. 

Peter was just laughing at the sweet revenge. “They uh… know each other.” He offered, not sure how much to reveal about their personal life.

Ashe rolled her eyes, and held up her hand where there was an engagement ring on it.

“I see.” MJ said, smirking. “Explains why Peter’s boss is crashing our tour group.”

Tyler shrugged. ”Ashe normally works so far away.” He whined uncharacteristically for the calm man, earning an eye roll from Ashe. “Plus I’m not Peter’s boss. Kinda. Technically?”

Peter and Tyler both looked at each other, confused.

“I… don’t know.” Peter confessed as both boys seemed to ponder the problem. 

“A well run organization, I see. Very cutting edge.” MJ offered and Ashe snorted a laugh at that. 

Peter nudged her side. “I mean I work for Tony directly. But I also spend time helping out the other interns where I’m needed, or wherever Tony gets the impulse to send me that day. So some days he is? But like, Tony is his boss so I don’t know.”

Tyler just shrugged. “I listen to Tony, and you listen to me while you’re here, but I think that’s just because you’re nice. So as long as nothing gets messed up we can all just agree Pepper is the boss of all of us.”

Peter nodded. “Probably the safest bet.”

Ashe and MJ both shared a look. “Are all tech nerds this much of a mess?” MJ deadpanned.

Ashe just nodded. “Our sample size seems to suggest so. At least they’re cute.” She offered, kissing Tyler on the cheek. 

MJ snickered. “True.” And squeezed Peter’s hand. 

“You’re taking a field trip to your job?” Tyler asked Peter, an amused expression on his face.

Peter let out a sigh that made him feel years older. “Yeah. Cause my life is a joke. Don’t make it worse?” He asked hopefully.

Tyler nodded. “Trust me, I get it. I still tell people I just work in the labs in SI. Attention sucks.”

Ashe sighed but wrapped an arm around him. “Even if you deserve it.”

Tyler sighed with a small smile and stepped away. “I guess I should do my job and not keep flirting with you. That’s why they banned you from my Lab. They kept saying I get nothing done.” He said without a single regret in his tone. He turned and disappeared farther in. 

Ashe just let out a dreamy sigh after him before her attention snapped back to Peter and MJ who were both judging her and snickering. She ushered them in. “Go be nerds.” 

Peter let out a laugh and dragged MJ by the hand over to Ned and Betty as they fumbled with the controls to the holo display. Ned was waving his hands around it and made a display of the latest Stark Phone expand and shrink. 

“Okay, that’s pretty cool.” MJ confessed as she hesitantly reached a hand out. Both Ned and Betty stepped back to let her interact with it for a moment. 

Peter was surprised as MJ seemed to be a bit of a natural at interacting with it. Her intuition let her pick up the general motion controls as she was able to move it around naturally, and soon started to separate it into pieces. There weren’t specifics to protect trade secrets, but you could see the general parts. She paused to tie her hair up, because it kept getting in her face when she would move for a larger movement.

Eventually MJ noticed Peter staring at her with a strange smile and she paused, having disassembled and enlarged the camera part she was playing with. “What?” She asked, a hint of self consciousness leaking into her tone.

Peter just gave her a shy smile. “You’re in a lab, playing with tech like this. It’s uh… really hot.” He confessed in a quiet tone.

MJ felt her own face flush. “Oh my God, Peter. You’re such a nerd.” She mumbled out, but also filed that fact safely away for potential future use.

“Aww.” Ned said dramatically as he looked between them. 

“That’s cute, but we really don’t need to know about your feti-” Betty was cut off as MJ interrupted, loudly. 

“Okay! So what else is there?” She said, turning away from the table, the same time Peter, bright red spoke too. 

“It’s not like that!” Peter looked about 30 seconds from running out of the room. 

Ned and Betty shared a look, but let the subject drop. For now.

They wandered over to a nearby machine that wasn’t occupied by the classmates. “What is this?” MJ asked, walking up behind Peter and resting her chin on his shoulder. 

Peter leaned his head against hers for a moment. “Surprisingly one of the most tame things here. It’s just a 3D printer. Just a lot faster and has more materials it can work with.

“But what can it print here?” Ned asked, brow furrowed.

Peter’s smile grew wider. “Oh, anything. You’re gonna love this.” He said before leading them to a nearby table. Clicking to the right program, MJ raised an eyebrow. “Is that photoshop?”

Peter shrugged, already deep in work mode. “Kinda. It’s a 3D modelling software we developed. But it’s a bit more interactive.”

Peter reached out towards and area of the holographic display and a clump of a material digitally appeared in his hand. He began to squash and stretch it, occasionally adding more. 

“See, you can copy and paste if you make this motion…” he mumbled out to them as they stepped back and watched him work with a fascination. A few other of his classmates even wandered over, starting to watch Peter work. Peter however, was too deep in thought as he worked on bringing the thought he had to life and MJ and Ned knew better than to try and snap him out of his zone. 

“You can change the material here. The program is also smart, so if you’re trying to select a part of it it will generally help you get what you need.” He said as he enlarged the form and with two fingers held together started to select the top part of it, before cycling through a few different materials and dragging it onto it as the form changed into a clear plastic.

“Dude… is that?” Ned asked as Peter just grinned.

“You are <em>such</em> a nerd.” MJ repeated, overly fond as she watched Peter put on some minor details. 

Shrinking it down a bit, Peter swiped his hand as the whole form began rotating a few times, showing off the final result. 

“It’s just a quick mockup to show you what you can do here. I didn’t really dig into details but I could have taken off the glass and added the seats to it. I also could have made the form hollow if I wanted to include some kind of engine in this, but I really only have a few minutes. But I know the X-wing is your favorite Ned so I thought I’d just…”

Peter trailed off as he owlishly blinked at the group of students who were all staring at his floating model of the X-Wing from star wars that he had just sculpted out roughly. “Uh… hi guys.” He muttered out. “When did…”

“Dude, you’ve been in your own world for like 10 minutes.” Ned said, nudging him, but still staring at the X-Wing.

“Peter, how do you know how to do this so well?” Cindy asked, tilting her head as she watched the model rotate slowly still. 

Peter shrugged, a blush creeping up on his face. “I told you, I intern here. We uh… use this to help make mock-ups. It’s good for playing with visuals.”

“It’s true.” Tyler’s cool voice cut in, making the class turn to see him standing there, hands in pockets as he smiled. “Peter is correct. It’s often useful to have a visual model handy when either pitching an idea, or to help generate ideas because keeping things purely theoretical can get in the way of finding obvious solutions sometimes.”

The class nodded with murmurs of agreement. 

“Peter, the machine is fully stocked so feel free to print it off. Does anyone else want to try as well?” A bunch of hands shot up and Tyler nodded, glancing around. One of the displays of the Stark Tablet was pretty much empty so he walked over, typing in a password and switched the program to be another display of the modelling program to allow more people to mess around with it at once. 

“I’ll set it up over here as well. You will need to take turns with the printer, but feel free to print off a model if you want. Please be reasonable about the size though, due to time and costs.”

Peter quickly sent the print request to the machine as he stepped back, saving his project with a quick override for later use just in case, then brought up some blank models for people to try out. His cheeks were still flushed as he went over and collected the model, handing it to Ned as he watched Betty starting to sculpt a sort of old fashioned camera. 

“Dude! That’s incredible!” Ned marveled as he held up the mini ship, flying it through the air.

“That was pretty cool, Peter.” Cindy confirmed as Peter could only nod, flustering under the praise.

Tyler bounced between the people at the nearby tables, answering questions and helping them get comfortable with the program and soon most people had printed off little figurines. He saw MJ waiting on something, but she had told him to leave when he tried to see what she was working on, saying it was a surprise so he had settled for showing Ned and Betty some of the other nearby machines, various displays and robotics. It took all of his will power not to peak at whatever MJ had been working on.

Eventually though he saw Flash had taken her place and she was standing near the printer, waiting for the result. He wandered over while Ned and Betty were taking photos with a camera that hovered in place

“What did you make?” Peter asked, his tone a little more whinier than he had planned. He couldn’t help it though, the curiosity was killing him. 

She just rolled her eyes and patted his head patronizingly. “Soon.” 

Peter harrumphed and crossed his arms. 

“Hey, Penis!” Flash called out, and letting out a sigh, Peter turned slowly. 

“Really, Flash?” He asked, glancing over at Ashe who was frowning at Flash and whispering something to Tyler. Welp, that probably wasn’t good.

“Just wanted to show you what an actual good design looks like, unlike your stupid spaceship.” He said smugly as he enlarged his design and spun it around. It was… a suit of Iron Man armor. Kinda. Almost.

The proportions were way off, and it was almost aggressively lumpy despite the many smoothing tools available. Still, Peter figured it wasn’t the <em>worst</em> he’s seen.

“Real cool, Flash.” He offered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. 

Flash just sent him a smile as if he had been genuine. “You should pass it to Mr. Stark.” His voice said almost impressively condescending. “I made some cool changes I think he’d like.”

Peter glanced over it and grimaced slightly. He thought it would be cool to have a sort of back panel that looked kinda cool, but also dramatically limited the motion of the arms, which was not something Tony could do without. It also had enough solid panels wrapping around the body to prevent any easy access in and out of the suit. 

“Sure, I’ll do that.” Peter muttered as Flash highfived with his friends, as if he had put Peter in his place. 

His eyes flickered over to Ashe, who was not looking happy and even Tyler had a frown on his face now. 

“I gotta print this.” Flash said as he went to print it, only to see the queue. Frowning, he moved his to the top, cancelling the print in progress, which also deleted it. 

“Flash! What the fuck!” Cindy said, whirling around, fists clenched. 

“Oh shit.” Flash muttered, not realizing he had canceled it. 

“What happened?” Tyler asked as he approached, Harrington showing up as well.

“He canceled my print and now it’s gone!” Cindy said, a layer of hurt under her anger. 

Tyler’s brow furrowed. “Is this true?”

Flash looked a bit pale. “I was just trying to make sure mine got printed before we ran out of stuff.”

Cindy was trying to navigate the holotable. “I can’t find it… My spider.” She said, her voice dropping into a hint of heartbreak. 

“Flash, that is not okay.” Mr. Harrington started to scold Flash who only looked mildly bothered by it. 

MJ and Betty moved over to Cindy, consoling her as she pouted and glared at Flash.

Peter locked eyes with Tyler as they approached the table. “I think it got deleted as more people started working on their projects.” Tyler said as he searched all open files. 

Peter frowned, crossing his arms. He glanced over at Cindy as she looked at him with hopeful eyes, as if he could save her. MJ gave him a look expectantly. Like she had absolute faith in him to solve this problem. He felt a warmth in his chest and turned back. 

“Tyler, do these still have the same programs we use? Just in a display mode or something?”

Tyler nodded. “Yeah, these weren’t made specifically for this, we just locked out access to some of the features since the public would be using it. Why?” He asked, trying to figure out what Peter had realized.

Peter nodded. “Which means, they would have the same protocols, right?”

Tyler’s eyes widened, catching up. “It would.” He paused. “But this isn’t technically my department. I’m kinda crashing here to help out. I don’t know if I have access.”

Peter frowned, that was a good point. Depending on who set the restrictions, they could either out rank Tyler, or be at the same level. Still, there was someone above them all. 

“Hey, Fri?” Peter asked.

“Yes, Peter. How can I help?” The voice came from the table in front of them, making some of the nearby students jump. 

“This table still has all the normal protocols active, even if locked off, right?”

“That is correct.”

“Can you run one for us, please?”

“I’d need to override the access.”

“Ask Mr. Stark for permission, please.”

There was a moment of silence. 

“Do you seriously think you can just ask favors from Iron man, Peter? Just because you intern here?” Flash asked, as if he was embarrassed for Peter and looked apologetically to Tyler and Ashe. The audacity of him. 

“Please check your phone, Peter.” Fri chimed in after a moment. 

Peter looked to Tyler, and Tyler just shrugged. They both knew he actually had permission too, but he was trying to make it less of a show about wielding his privilege around here.

Pulling out his phone, he saw a text from Tony. 

<em>Fri requested an override. Pretty sure you can do that on your own. Everything OK?</em>

Peter responded quickly.

<em>Yeah. Just need to run a protocol to help a classmate. Trying not to be obvious about what I can do.

Lame, if you got it, flaunt it. 

So is that a yes?

Yeah, just try not to give away company secrets or something.</em>

Peter snorted out a laugh, earning an amused look from MJ. He passed her his phone while he turned back to the table. 

“What Protocol would you like to run, Peter?” Fri asked.

“Run ‘Shit, I should probably sleep’ please.”

Everyone except for Tyler looked at him confused. 

“Pulling up temporary back-ups now.” A few people understood and laughed. 

Tyler just grinned. “This isn’t the first time we’ve had to try and recover unsaved work. Thankfully we keep a temporary back-up of everything now.”

“That’s because your department is held together by caffeine, stubbornness, and concerned loved ones who are the only reason you guys ever eat and sleep.” Ashe chimed in happily.

Tyler rolled his eyes but didn’t offer any protest. Peter really couldn’t say anything either. Tony might be the worst of them all, but that didn’t mean the rest were particularly great at holding back when they felt inspired. Overtime wasn’t encouraged and actually discouraged because of that.

“Can you find a spider model from the past hour?”

“Right away.” Fri offered as the screen displayed various files being scanned through quickly.

Eventually a model popped up. “Is this it, Cindy?” Peter asked.

“Yes!” Cindy said, throwing her arms around Peter in a quick hug. Peter just grinned and returned the hug quickly, glancing at MJ who was giving him a proud smile. 

Flash was holding the model he printed out as if it was worth it’s weight in gold. Peter quickly moved Cindy’s order to the top of the list and it began printing. 

“Thank you Fri.” Peter offered as the program went back to its default state.

“My pleasure, Peter. Glad to be of help.”

There were some murmurs and people looking at Peter. He started to squirm a bit, not a huge fan of the attention he just drew to himself, but the look on Cindy’s face was worth it. He knew how devastating it was to lose something you worked on and were excited about, even if it was a smaller project.

MJ, sensing his distress, grabbed his hand and led him towards the second room of the area. “Come on, let’s explore more.” She offered and Peter just let her drag him along.

The next area was a bit similar to the last one. More tables with displays, but no printing machines around. Instead there were rough displays of a bunch of Avenger’s tech everywhere. No specifics were available, but there were a bunch of costumes you could look at different parts of, pull apart, mix and match.

Ned promptly freaked the fuck out and ran over to one of the tables with the shortest line. Betty, MJ, and him followed shortly behind. Peter watched him swipe through a bunch of different armors quickly, gasping with each one.

Peter turned to MJ, seeing her watching Cindy hold up the spider proudly. 

“You’re a nice guy.” MJ said, finally looking back at Peter. 

Peter shrugged. “I know how much it sucks to lose a project.”

MJ rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I mean. You wanted to avoid drawing any attention to yourself during this trip, but the second a classmate lost a project they worked on for a couple of minutes, you contacted Tony to ask for his help.” 

Peter was lost in her smile for a moment. “I mean… I could have used my override, but I was trying to act like just an intern.”

MJ nodded. “And if Tony ignored the request you would override it yourself. I know you would have.”

She was right. Peter just shrugged. “What did you make anyway?”

MJ pursed her lips, as if debating telling him. “I was gonna keep it a surprise till later but you deserve a treat for that.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small figure. It was a cartoonish looking spiderman, complete with him posing in his thwip motion. It was tiny, about the size of a keychain, but surprisingly well made and accurate to this usual suit.

MJ felt her heart fluttered as she saw his expression. His brown eyes had gone wide as she held up the dumb little figure she made. His eyes kept flicking between hers and the figure as he practically glowed with happiness. It was really unfair that such a little gesture could make her boyfriend look so adorable. 

MJ knew Spider-man meant the world to him, and that he was always afraid she’d hate it because of the drama it brought into their lives. But MJ was so proud of him, and while she wasn’t one to overly brag, heaven forbid he get Tony’s arrogance, she did think the world of him for doing it.

So if she could make his day by making a little trinket, she’d make them for the rest of her life.

Peter just leaned forward and kissed her quickly, knowing they had probably already shown more PDA than they usually would but he couldn’t help it. “You’re incredible.”

MJ scoffed. “It’s not that well done. It was quick.”

Shaking his head, Peter still met her eyes. “That’s not what I meant. I meant you. All of you. That too, but you.”

MJ blushed and turned her head, unable to handle the compliments. She just pocketed the figurine for safety before taking his hand and turned them back to where Betty was examining Black Widow’s outfit. 

“These Widow Bites are pretty sweet.”

Peter nodded. “They’re terrifying.”

MJ laughed. “Spider-man should get some then. Maybe she’d lend him one then, they have to spider pals or something.” She offered a teasing glance at Peter. 

Peter knew MJ knew he was friends with Natasha. She also knew Nat would never let him try them out, because that was a horrible idea that would end up with probably at least two different people hurt.

Betty stepped back and Peter thought for a moment. “What, like spider fangs?” Then he paused. “Actually…” He suddenly pulled up both the suits for Spider-man and Black Widow. The suits were old and out of date, but he just wanted to test an idea so it didn’t matter.

He quickly grabbed a widow bite and enlarged it, tossing away most of the arm mount, and flicking away different launchers from it till only a few remained. 

“Now pull up the web shooters.” Peter asked the holotable as they flicked up. He tossed away some of the other features on the suit. “Actually, bring up a repulsor too.” He muttered as he started stripping away parts from it to just have the glove.

MJ watched in admiration as she saw Peter in his natural habitat. Even more so than when he was sculpting, this was him at his best. She saw how tall he stood, his eyes focused but his face in a bright smile. She could practically hear the hum of the gears in his head as he gracefully navigated the menu, pulling apart holograms and attaching them with ease to form something new. He looked confident and in his element and she felt her face flush.

“I kinda get why he found it hot now.” MJ muttered to Betty quietly. 

Betty laughed and just patted her shoulder. “You two were made for each other.”

MJ rolled her eyes, but Peter was waving her over. He had the hologram in his hands, but made her stick her arm out. He moved it so now the hologram was floating around her arm. It was a simple gauntlet, with the web shooters underneath but two widowbites on top as he rambled about the possibility of webbing someone up then being to launch a taser at them without electrifying the whole web necessarily. 

“It’d look cooler if it was black with red highlights…” She offered and soon they were going back and forth as she posted with the holo weapon while Peter tweaked it to her suggestions. 

“Hey Fri, take some pictures please.” Ashe said as she leaned against the wall near Ned and Betty. 

MJ and Peter were too busy laughing with each other and playing around to notice.

“Are they always this adorable?” Ashe asked.

Ned nodded. “Yeah it’s kinda gross.” He said fondly. 

Betty sighed. “It’s better since they actually asked each other out. They danced around each other for ages, it was torture to watch. We were about to lock them in the broom closet until they got together. We had made plans for it too.”

Ashe laughed and watched them fondly. She had met Peter a few times through Pepper, and seen him in the lab with Tony whenever she had been sent over there with some work for him. Peter seemed like a good kid and reminded her of her fiance when he was younger. She was glad Peter had found someone that brought out a smile like that from him. He was always smiling, but that one was different. Warmer, somehow.

Eventually the two teens seemed to realize they were getting carried away and they stepped back from the holotable to let others have a chance.

“What?” Peter asked, tilting his head. 

Ashe just pulled out her phone and showed them a picture Friday had sent her.

MJ had her hand outstretched with a faint blue glow around it as the weapon hovered over her arm, Peter attaching another widow bite to it. They were looking at each other, Peter grinning while MJ had a deep warm smile.

Both of the teens blushed and didn’t say anything, but held each other’s hands. 

“Fri, send that to Peter. That deserves to be printed out.”

Peter blushed more, but nodded. It was an amazing photo. 

“Right away, Ashe.” Fri said. “I have cleared it of any sensitive information as well, so might I recommend adding it to your social media.”

“Thanks Fri.” Peter mumbled, blushing even more. 

MJ just laughed and squeezed his hand tighter. “I needed a new screensaver anyway.”

Eventually the group made their way to the third room and everyone’s jaw dropped except for Peter. “I was waiting for this.”

[prismarts]

Shadowmancy (Camelot Era)

Plot: A frustrated Douxie seeks to cast a Shadowmancy spell to prove to Merlin that he is more than just errand boy, Illy tries to stop him before he gets hurt...

Notes: Douxie x OC, got an idea for this after remembering Douxie’s line “I never had the gift for Shadowmancy”, I try to make up an advanced Shadowmancy spell, not even sure if it’s cool I’ll try to make it sound cool, small mention of blood, dark magic, some cute fluff after cause I can’t resist, also Merlin briefly but I’m not sure if I wrote him correctly forgive me xD, This happens before the birthday one shot by maybe a month or two...I dunno this just happens before it.

@tales-of-hisirdoux​

Frustration. 

That was the only feeling that was boiling in young Douxie’s head and gut as he stormed around his chambers, muttering and grumbling various curse words under his breath, fuzzbuckets being prominently muttered.

He had been in the castle for a couple of months now and he’s barely learned anything other than basic magic and spells. He wasn’t even training with his magic most of the time, he was often sent on chores if anything. 

It infuriated him to no end.

Archie, seeing this, was trying hard to get his wizard familiar to calm down, he’s never been this angry before. “Douxie, be reasonable, you’re still learning magic...it might just take a while for you to-”

“Right! Because I’ve been learning bloody beginner’s magic!!! For months! Most of those spells, I already know! I’ve been pushing a broom more than I’ve learned new spells, Arch! What kind of apprentice am I!?”

Douxie’s hazel gold eyes looked dark from the grave amount of frustration that he’s been feeling.

“Doux, calm down. I’m sure Merlin has his reasons... Illyria is still learning beginner’s magic too and she’s been here longer than you..”

The apprentice let out a scoff as he glared at Archie, “Illy’s been learning magic from Morgana! She doesn’t have to do half as many chores as I do.” 

It was true, Illy was often seen around Morgana and learns magic more from her, the rare occasion that she does do chores, it isn’t as long of a list as Douxie gets... But then a different thought crossed his mind....

Illy learned under Morgana, who was known for her skill in Shadowmancy, the art of dark magic, controlling the shadows. The one kind of magic that Merlin would never let him learn about, let alone look at books on it. But, if he could cast a spell from one of Morgana’s books on Shadow magic...

He can finally prove to his master that he is capable of learning stronger and more complex spells.

Without a second thought, Douxie stormed out of his chambers.

Determined to prove Merlin wrong, he walks in a rather focused still infuriated manner towards Morgana’s chambers. He ignored the sound of his familiar calling out to him and failed to notice the other apprentice that had just notice him storm off.

Illy went over to Archie and helped the familiar on her shoulders, ‘What’s going on with Douxie?....’  she wondered quietly as she and the cat dragon shared a concerned look.

Meanwhile, the annoyed apprentice walked along the castle and looked around to make sure his surroundings were empty, Master Merlin and Morgana were busy individuals but he had to be careful as to not get caught.

Douxie stayed quiet as he hid at a corner near Morgana’s chambers, there were a few castle staff and servants walking around, making him curse under his breath, “Fuzzbuckets..”

He tapped his gauntlet to activate its magic as he swiped through the runes to pick a spell as he thought to himself quickly.

A sky blue glow illuminated in his hand as he whispered the incantation, “Interminus nocti sluumberso”

He blasted the spell towards the servants, putting them to sleep as he grinned and quickly made his way into the empty chambers. Closing the doors behind him as he looked around.

A chill went down his spine as he started digging around for what he needed, this felt wrong....but his misguided determination was pushing him to keep looking.

Douxie soon found it, one of Morgana’s spell books. He grinned in a determined manner as he quickly flipped through the book to the more advanced spells, the need to prove himself to Merlin growing strong and causing his heart to race..

Or was it the fear of trying to use Shadow magic?...

He never got to linger on that thought as he had found the spell he was looking for and was about to cast it when he heard the door open.

“Douxie!”

A hushed yell could be heard as the door closed, the apprentice saw that it was Illy, he felt a bit relieved....

Oh, and Archie....great.

“What are you doing here!?” Illy asked worriedly as she ran up to the taller apprentice, she looked visibly worried about being in Morgana’s chambers without her mentor’s permission.

Then, Archie spoke up as he was jumped off the girl’s shoulder, “Douxie, whatever you have planned is not a good idea. We should leave while we st-”

The taller apprentice completely ignored his familiar as he gently grabbed Illy by her arms, making the poor girl flinch and blush quite a bit.

“Illy! Modrax’s miracles, you’re here! This is perfect!”

“I...i don’t think it is.....w..we need to go Douxie...we aren’t supposed to be in here...”

“Uh uh, yeah, alright, but I need your help.”

“M...my help?..” The girl stuttered quietly.

Douxie had that mischievous grin on his face as he looked at her, the grin that would make Illy’s heart melt at an instant...

If she wasn’t so panicked at the moment.

“I need you to help me cast this spell! You just need to guide me through it and I’ll be able to cast it!”

When the wizard showed Illy the book, it didn’t help with her panic, “D..Douxie, that’s Morgana’s a..and that...that spell is way too advanced for us! I..I can’t help you with it even if I want to!” 

That was a lot more true than what Douxie understood, Illy had no abilities in Shadowmancy whatsoever, despite being taken in by Morgana.

She’s tried, really really hard to learn that form of magic to make her mentor and mother figure proud....but she just wasn’t able to, she has no gift for Shadow magic..

But Douxie didn’t know that....

“Of course you can! You’re Morgana’s student! You must have casted lots of Shadowmancy spells before! You just need to help guide me through it....I’m sure I can cast it....”

He looked a little desperate for her help but Illy sees something else in those hazel gold eyes...

Determination..

She admired that about him....

Was he a bit too silly and relaxed at times? Yes..

But he’s always been determined to learn more and grow as a wizard, a person... All he wanted was to prove himself to everyone as a great spellcaster..

“Douxie....I can’t...a..and you don’t need to do this, you’re already an amazing wizard..”

“Illy....you don’t understand! I have to. It’s the only way Master Merlin is ever going to take me seriously! I need to prove it to him! To prove that I’m more than just....an errand boy!”

Illy put her hands on his arms that were still holding onto her sides, “And you are....but this is too dangerous, you could hurt yourself, Douxie.”

Douxie looked at his friend quietly, a shaky breath escaped him. He felt...genuinely, a little hurt. To him, it sounded like Illy doesn’t trust him to get the spell right....

And that only fueled his frustrations more...

The apprentice glared at Illy as he let go of her rather harshly, he almost stopped when he saw the shock and hurt in her turquoise eyes.... but he was too frustrated.

He grabbed the book and backed away, a dark glare in his eyes.

“Of course you would think that way, exactly like Master Merlin! I am capable of casting this spell and I’ll prove it!!!”

Douxie immediately powered his gauntlet, levitating the book as he flipped the pages to the spell. He was fueled with hurt, anger and frustration as he started to read the incantation out loud, ignoring Illy and Archie’s worried protests.

At first, it seemed like the spell was working. He was opening multiple shadow portals around the room as his eyes turned black.....a slight fading glow of his sky blue magic in them... black veins appeared on hi face from his eyes and on his arms.

Illy backed away with Archie worriedly, she had to get Merlin and Morgana but she doesn’t want to leave Douxie alone..

She tried to think fast about what to do but soon panicked as she felt the end of her dress and her legs being sucked into one of the portals. The portals were starting to shake and look unstable as she kept getting sucked into one of them.

The shorter apprentice took it upon herself to throw Archie towards the door and away from the portals to protect the familiar, the Shadow Realm was too dangerous for him. She hung onto dear life, as Archie ran out the door to get help.

The portals kept shaking and getting unstable..

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Douxie felt his mind go blank, a painful ringing started to be heard and echoed in his mind, it got louder and louder as he felt himself lose control. He couldn’t scream, despite the pain.

He started to pant heavily, his breathing getting erratic, quick as the portals around getting even more unstable and more shaky, unstable portals appeared as items flew around the room through said portals.

Illy was able to climb and levitate herself out of the portal but just as she was getting away, a dagger flew out of said portal and slashed her shoulders deeply. Blood dripping out of the cut as it soaked her dress.

She screamed in pain..

Which made Douxie felt even more unstable and lose control....his blank mind started to worry about Illy...

‘D...did he really hurt her.....No..no..he couldn’t have....he’d never hurt her...but...she sounded like she was in so much pain....’

Illy saw Douxie’s eyes flickering from black to his normal...scared hazel gold eyes..

He was losing control as she sees the veins on his arms and face, his body was shaking and pained tears falling down his face.

Then, she saw one of the shaky unstable portals appeared behind the shaking apprentice, ready to suck him into the Shadow Realm...

She ignored the pain and the fear as she ran over to Douxie quickly and tackled him and the book to the ground as she tried her hardest to pull him away from the portals. She had to get him back..

“Douxie! Douxie, you need to snap out of it! Please! You need to clear your mind! P...please....this isn’t you... Y...You’re so much stronger than this Hisirdoux!!”

Illy was sobbing out of fear and worry as she hugged Douxie tightly and shakily..

“Y..you’re amazing Douxie....y..you don’t have to prove that to anyone! A..Archie sees it....I...I see it, Doux....I see you....y..you’re strong and determined....and capable...y..you’re a great wizard...”

Those words...

It hit his heart...something deep inside him.....

Those words....gave Douxie the strength to fully snap out of it, his eyes flickered back to his hazel gold colour....the veins all over him slowly disappeared as did the portals around the room..

Illy let out shaky breaths, relieved that this was over... but Douxie collapsed in her arms, he passed out completely.

And if things couldn’t get worse, Merlin and Morgana burst into the room, Archie flying next to them...

To say that Merlin was upset, was an absolute understatement.

He was furious but there wasn’t much he could do as punishment while Douxie was still passed out.

Well, he did think of something...

But when a certain other apprentice heard of this, she immediately ran into Merlin’s study, where Douxie was resting in and Archie alongside him... as well as Merlin.

Despite getting hurt by his actions, Illy wasn’t backing down from this...she wasn’t going to let Merlin go through with his plan. Archie and Merlin were both a bit surprised when she slammed the door open.

“You can’t send Douxie away, Master!!! Please...he deserves another chance!”

Her voice was shaky, she sounded upset and quite angered as she was breathing heavily from running. Illy’s face both red in anger and from running..

“The boy messed with dark magicks after being specifically told not to!” Merlin started sternly as he looked at the shorter apprentice, she had a temper but never disobeyed quite like this before.... Douxie was rubbing off on her..

Before Illy could intervene, Merlin kept going.

“And worse! He put you and his own familiar in harm’s way! He could have easily put others safety at risk with his mucking about with Shadow magic!”

“It was just a mistake, Master! It was an accident! He wasn’t trying to harm me or Archie, he....he just wanted to prove himself to you...”

Merlin looked at Illy sternly as he walked up to her and was about to continue his ranting on Douxie but, Illy was getting more than emotional and wasn’t about to back down....she wasn’t about to lose him..

“Douxie may be reckless  a ..and relaxed...maybe he doesn’t think things through, but he’s determined!!! He’s determined to do better and learn, he...just needs a chance to prove that..... please, Master....i..if he deserves punishment then do as you see fit but...p..please don’t send him away....h..he’s amazing and powerful and capable of so many great things! Please, Master...”

Illy hadn’t realized it but she was crying quite a bit, her breath hitching as Archie had walked over to the short apprentice and jumped onto her shoulders to calm her down.

She...really didn’t want to lose her friend....the apprentice she’s admired....

And Merlin realizes that, his face doesn’t show it but he now realizes why Illy was vouching for the boy.

Apart from her truly believing in his ability to grow, the hope and determined that he would be able to learn from this and become a powerful wizard...

The girl had also fallen in love with his apprentice...

It took a bit of thought, but Merlin soon turned to the girl and gave her head, a small pat. “Very well, Hisirodux will stay....but only because you are insistent on it, I am choosing to trust your judgement.”

Illy was shaking and crying but smiled gratefully as she glanced at Archie, they were both relieved, “Thank you, Master! Thank you so much!”

It had been a week since the incident, Merlin had indeed given Douxie his punishment after giving him an earful about his recklessness which was hard for the apprentice to hear but he took it....it was his fault and he expected it..

What the apprentice wasn’t expecting was his master putting him through the worst imaginable chores available...including milking the Slorr......daily, for around a month.

Still, he didn’t complain. He did all his chores obediently and on time...

He even got to learn a few basic intermediate spells, new spells..

But this confused him..

As he finished milking the Slorr,  he groaned a little... the horrid smell was making him gag despite him doing this for a week now.

“Well.....at least it wasn’t worse...”

“It could have been..”, Douxie heard his familiar mutter, it made him turn to the cat. “What do you mean by that, Arch?”

“Oh, nothing..” The familiar seemed a bit nervous now..

“Arch.....what are you talking about?”

Douxie got a bit annoyed as he kept repeating and calling to his familiar for answers, “Arch. Arch. Archie.” He ended up walking close to the cat dragon and held his Slorr juice covered hands close to his face.

Archie gagged and backed up, “Alright!”, He sighed, “Illyria vouched for you to stay.....Merlin could have sent you away if she hadn’t convinced him to trust you again.”

“S...she did that....for me?.....”

His familiar nodded quietly, “She didn’t want me to tell you....she wanted you to stay determined and build back that trust on your own accord...”

The apprentice stayed quiet as he let everything sank in....Illy believed in him....even after he put her in danger and got her injured...

He then suddenly spoke up in a bit of a quiet manner, “Arch...could you help me send the Slorr juice to Master Merlin? I need to do something.”

Archie nodded as he turned into his dragon form and grabbed the Slorr juice that was collected and flew to Merlin’s tower.

Douxie practically ran into the castle after cleaning himself up, he ran through the castle hallways as he felt a lot of things after what he found out. He needed to find Illy...

He kept running and running until he found her chambers near Merlin’s tower, he stopped in front of the door as a wave of fear and anxiety washed over him... He took a shaky breath as he shakily lifted his fist up.

And soon knocked on the door to Illy’s chambers...

Douxie waited for a little while until the door opened to the girl, she looked like she had been studying this whole time as he saw books levitating behind her. Illy smiled at him as her turquoise eyes brighten as she tucked a little of her long brunette hair behind her ear.

“Oh! Douxie, did you need something?...”

The apprentice couldn’t speak... he just stared at the girl quietly as he processed what Archie said only moments earlier... and the words he remembered Illy saying to him while he was under dark magic...

His breath hitched as he didn’t realized he was crying...

“Douxie!? What’s wrong?..”

Illy didn’t get answer, instead he got pulled into a tight bear hug, she felt Douxie’s face quietly burying itself in her soft hair as he took a shaky breath..

The girl froze, feeling her face heat up and turn red....she felt her heart fluttering in her chest as she slowly felt flustered and loved the warmth he gave her from the hug..

But she overcame her flustered feelings and hugged the taller apprentice back quietly....

“T..thank you..” 

“F....for what, Douxie?....is everything okay?....”

“F....for believing in me...even after what I put you through....I..I’m really sorry for hurting you....I’m really sorry, Illy..”

Illy hugged him closer and shushed him softly, “You already apologized Douxie...hundreds of times...I’m alright, I’m just....really happy to have my friend back....”

Douxie couldn’t help but smile at her words as he hugged her close....

They stayed there in each other’s embrace, happy to have each other in their lives....