#I wouldn’t even have known it was raining unless I hadn’t forgot to take my dog out to pee

[of-the-faerie-folk]

If you also are having a shitty time, may I recommend singing and dancing in the midnight rain

[fridayfirefly]

A Guardian in Gotham

Read A Guardian in Gotham on AO3

Masterlist

Written for Maribat March Day 19 - Guardian

Note: In this AU Master Fu gave out the Ladybug Miraculous to Marinette and the Black Cat Miraculous to Adrien before consulting the Kwami. Marinette turned out to be a true holder, but for the Black Cat Miraculous, not the Ladybug Miraculous. However, she and Adrien made it work and were able to defeat Hawkmoth anyway. After Hawkmoth's defeat she becomes Lady Noire full-time.

----------

Being the Guardian of the Miraculous was hard work. There were no family vacations, no sleeping in or going to bed early, no breaks. Marinette could not relax until Hawkmoth was defeated. Which explained why it was such a jarring change once the Miraculous Team defeated Hawkmoth.

Gabriel Agreste was behind bars. The citizens of Paris were free from the threat of akumatization. Tikki, Plagg, and the rest of the Kwamis went dormant in order to restore the damage done to Duusu's Miraculous. Marinette didn't exactly know what to do with herself. Suddenly it hit her that she was no longer the middle schooler who accepted the burden of Guardianship. She was in her final year of high school, nearly an adult. All around her, her friends were making future plans. Adrien was taking a gap year to help Emilie recover from her coma. Alya was accepted to a prestigious journalism program. Nino was DJing at one of the best clubs in Paris. Luka was releasing his EP. Kagami was training for the Olympics. Chloé took up an internship with her mother.

Marinette couldn't move on, the way all of her friends were able to. Marinette couldn't be a normal girl anymore. She couldn't go to university, start a family, live a normal life. She needed the rush of adrenaline that came from two little words - Spots on! or more recently, Claws out!

It was around this time that the Temple of Guardian got in touch with Marinette, offering her an opportunity to continue her work as a Guardian of the Miraculous. They send Marinette a box of old journals, dating back to the 18th century. The journals detailed the discovery of twin "wells of evil" located in the American cities of Gotham and Metropolis, then named Mortham City. The Masters of the Miraculous who made this discovery studied the evil and expressed the desire to find a way to remove it, but didn't have the chance to complete the task before the Temple of Guardians fell. When the Temple reappeared they believed that the Masters had managed to destroy the evil in Mortham, due to the reports of the city's recovery and renaming to Metropolis soon after, but were unable to destroy the evil in Gotham. The city festered, growing more and more troubled while Metropolis flourished. Marinette's task was to do her best to study and remove the evil in Gotham.

Marinette applied to Gotham University, feeling relieved that she might finally find her purpose.

----------

Marinette's dorm room at Gotham University was rather lackluster; it was the typical tiny, cramped American university dorm, complete with a stained carpet and a bathroom shared between six girls. Her roommate was a computer science major named Barbara Gordon. Barbara was older than Marinette, a senior while Marinette was only a freshman. It was a fluke accident that the freshman dorms had filled up before she was admitted. Secretly Marinette wished that she had been able to room with another freshman. Barbara was rarely in the dorm room, too busy with her coursework and her real friends to make small talk with her nervous roommate.

Marinette barely spent any time in her dorm room, either. She spent most of her time in class or at the library studying. Marinette had the ambitious plan of double majoring in both fashion and business, in order to start her own fashion company someday. Her classes overwhelmed her, and Marinette began to regret overloading her first-semester schedule. It gave her barely any time to work on her Guardian work, let alone join an extracurricular.

Marinette wanted to decorate the dorm and make it more of a home, but because of a plane delay, she ended up arriving at the university the day before classes started, giving her no time at all to go to the store and buy anything. Another unfortunate casualty of Marinette's late arrival was that she still hadn't figured out how Gotham's bus schedule worked, so she walked everywhere, even in the pouring rain.

Overall, Marinette's first week of classes was miserable. That was why Marinette was crying in her dorm room, alone, at six in the evening on a Friday night. It all started when Marinette saw a picture of her old class on social media. Alya and Nino were making faces at the camera; Marinette and Adrien were both grinning, Marinette's blue scarf wrapped around his neck; Ivan and Mylène were holding hands, staring into each other's eyes; Rose was posing, kissing Juleka's cheek; Alix was perched on Kim's shoulders; Nathaniel had his arm wrapped around Marc's shoulders; Max was holding up Markov so he could wave to the camera, Sabrina and Chloé were smiling, holding hands.

The photo had been taken years ago, on their first day of lycée. Marinette remembered it well. They had all been nervous about starting at a new school. There was no guarantee that they would all be in the same class. Max had calculated the odds for even half of their class staying together and it wasn't good. But that morning, when Marinette walked into her homeroom and saw all of her friends sitting there, she knew that it would be okay. Chloé revealed that she had gotten her father to provide a generous donation to the school to keep them all in the same class for the rest of their education. Marinette had been so happy to get to stay with her friends. Now she was on a different continent from them.

The tears started to fall, slowly at first, then more and more until Marinette was sobbing, face pressed into a pillow. How could she have made such a stupid decision? All of her friends were in France and she left them, all because she couldn't move on.

Two knocks on the door halted Marinette's sobs. "Babs? Are you in here?"

Marinette got up and opened the door, revealing a young man. He looked to be her age, tall, with black hair and blue eyes. "Barbara isn't here right now," she told the man.

The man blinked, looking at Marinette like she wasn't what he expected at all. "I guess I should have called her before I showed up. I'm Tim, by the way. I was just here to drop this off." Tim held up a container filled with chocolate chip cookies.

"I'm Marinette. If you want, you can drop the cookies off on her desk. I'll tell Barbara that they're from you, once she comes back to the dorm." Marinette wiped her eyes with her shirt sleeve, trying to get rid of the evidence of her crying.

"Are you okay?" asked Tim.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just a little homesick. Nothing to worry about."

"You should come with me to get dinner," offered Tim. "I was just about to stop in at the dining hall."

Marinette shook her head. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"It wouldn't be an imposition at all. I hate eating alone."

Marinette gave him a wary look. "I don't know you. Why would you invite me to eat with you?"

Tim shrugged. "You look like you could use some company, to take your mind off of your homesickness. Unless you want to spend the rest of your night crying in your dorm."

Marinette bit her lip as she thought it over. It would be nice to get out of the dorm and get something to eat. On the other hand, Tim was a complete stranger whose intentions Marinette still didn't trust. Then Marinette remembered the photo of her friends and made up her mind. If she couldn't have her old friends here in Gotham she would have to make new ones. "Alright. Just give me a few minutes to get ready."

Marinette threw on a pair of jeans, a Gotham University hoodie, and her sturdiest pair of sneakers.

"So what's on the menu tonight?" asked Marinette as they walked out of the dorm building to Tim's car.

"Uncertain. I can't remember the last time the dining hall actually updating its online menu. I was planning on crossing my fingers and hoping that they would be serving something edible tonight."

Marinette wrinkled her nose. "Is the food usually edible?"

"It's hit or miss. If you want, we could go to a diner instead?"

Marinette nodded. "I don't want to spend my weekend with food poisoning."

"Good choice." Tim turned the car around and started driving into the center of Gotham.

"Are you a senior like Barbara?" asked Marinette.

Tim shook his head. "I'm a sophomore. How about you?"

"Freshman. This is actually my first Friday in Gotham."

"Where are you from?" asked Tim.

"Paris, 21st arrondissement."

"That must be a pretty big change. What made you choose Gotham?"

Marinette shrugged, not wanting to give away her real reason. "I figured all the supervillains and Rogues might remind me of home."

Tim looked confused for a second before a realization passed over him. "I forgot about Hawkmoth. It was a big deal here in Gotham when he first emerged because the Mayor of Paris refused to allow the Justice League to intervene. All because he was worried about 'damaging the historic buildings of Paris'."

Marinette let out a bitter laugh. "That wasn't the real reason, you know. I was friends with Andre Bourgeois's daughter, Chloé. She says that he didn't want the Justice League to get involved in the fight against Hawkmoth because he couldn't merchandise any of the Justice League members. Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the rest of the Miraculous Team, on the other hand, never copyrighted their images. Paris used the Miraculous Team to bring in billions in tourism and Bourgeois never paid them a cent."

Tim looked surprised. "You sound like you know a lot about the Miraculous Team."

"I got to know them all pretty well. My classmates were known throughout Paris as the 'Children of Hawkmoth' - as if it was our fault that Hawkmoth targeted my school at a rate astronomically higher than the rest of the city. Of course, when it turned out that Gabriel Agreste's son was one of my classmates the nickname got a bit more personal."

Tim let out a break. "I suppose moving to Gotham makes sense when you've spent that much time in proximity to superheroes and supervillains."

"Gotham is an improvement to Paris under Hawkmoth. At least none one your Rogues can mind control." Marinette shuddered at the memory of her friends and loved ones turning against her due to Hawkmoth's influence.

Tim pulled into the diner parking lot. The pair got a booth in the back and put in their orders. Tim and Marinette spent the night trading stories of the most interesting Parisian akumas and Gotham Rogues.

Tim was enraptured. He told Marinette that for years it had been difficult for outsiders to get any reliable information about the Miraculous Team, outside of what Andre Bourgeois used for his tourism campaign. So Marinette did her best to share all the little details that every Parisian knew like the back of their hand: That Valentines Day was the worst holiday because all of the akumas were love-based. That they were trained in school to either lock their emotions down or let them all out, if they saw an akuma, to try and diminish the akuma's power. That Ladybug and Chat Noir, once they realized that their fanbase was primarily children, made it a point to never swear during their battles.

By the end of the night, Tim and Marinette made plans to meet up the following day. Tim promised to take Marinette out into the city for the shopping trip that her delayed flight caused her to miss. Marinette went to bed that night hopeful for her future in Gotham, a feeling she never thought she would have again.

----------

Over the next few weeks, things got better at Gotham University. Marinette started spending more time out of her dorm room with Tim, and eventually, with her roommate Babs and Tim's brother (and Bab's boyfriend) Dick. Tim became Marinette's lifesaver after he taught Marinette how Gotham's bus system worked. Marinette finally got around to decorating her side of the room. Her new style and color scheme (navy blue and sunflower yellow, Gotham University school colors) suited her much better than the pinks and whites of her high school days. Her productivity increased as she settled into the school, and Marinette found that she actually enjoyed her classes. It wasn't perfect, but Gotham University began to feel a bit more like home.

Most importantly, Marinette had begun to make progress on her work as a guardian. It had taken a whole weekend, but she eventually located the epicenter of Gotham's evil, a rundown tenement building in the heart of Crime Alley. The basement of the building housed storage units, one of which Marinette promptly rented. She set up her workshop there, bringing out the Miraculous Box so that she could consult the Kwami. Tikki and Plagg both woke up from their hibernation and Marinette got to work.

"I can sense the evil," spoke Tikki. "It's overpowering."

"It's like going from the Sahara Desert straight to the middle of the ocean," added Plagg.

"It does feel similar to drowning," Tikki agreed.

"Do either of you have any idea how to get rid of it?" asked Marinette.

Tikki shrugged. "I wish I could tell you how to defeat it, but it's unlike any enemy the Kwami of your Miracle Box have ever gone up against before. But look on the bright side, we know that it can be eliminating. I can only assume that the Kwami were involved when the evil was eliminated in Metropolis."

"The solution is easy. We cataclysm the evil," said Plagg.

"We don't know what would happen if we use cataclysm against something that isn't fully corporeal."

"Then we use Sass's second chance until we get it right."

Tikki brightened up. "Oh, that is a good idea - using second chance, not using cataclysm irresponsibly."

"See! I do have good ideas sometimes. We could also use Pollen's venom to freeze the evil in place and stop it from fighting back."

Marinette could listen to her two favorite Kwami argue forever. She had missed them terribly. But she had a job to do, so she interrupted their banter. "Do you think I should use Mullo to wield multiple Miraculous?"

Tikki shook her head. "You'll need at least one other person with you. If you get hurt, someone else will have to use second chance."

Marinette pondered that fact. "Luka's going on tour next month. He's stopping in Gotham for a weekend. Chloé is only an hour drive from Gotham, up in New York City, so she could be here any time. If we plan everything right, we could have the evil destroyed before the semester is over."

Once again, Tikki shot down Marinette's plan. "This is too strong for Luka's second chance or Chloé's venom. If you want to do this right you'll need to use true holders."

Marinette winced. Finding the true holder of a Miraculous was a near-impossible task. Of her entire Miraculous Team, only Marinette and Adrien were true holders. While the Kwami could sense a person's aptitude, they needed to be within fifty feet to get an accurate read. There was no way Marinette would be able to find the true holder of both Sass and Pollen. "Okay, new plan. What if I get Mullo to multiply myself and then have each copy of me take a different Miraculous?"

Marinette brainstormed with the two Kwami for hours, desperate to find a solution to the problem that had plagued Gotham for centuries. However, they still couldn't come up with a plan in which Marinette would be able to rid Gotham of the evil without enlisting the help of at least one other true holder. In the end, Marinette decided to take Tikki, Plagg, Sass, and Pollen back to the dorm with her, hoping that they might stumble upon another true holder.

"I wish we had a better plan," sighed Marinette.

"Keep your head up, Marinette. The only thing we can do now is stay positive and hope for the best," advised Tikki.

It wasn't a good plan, passively waiting for someone to solve her problem for her, but it was the only plan they had. Marinette had no other choice. If she tried to take on the evil alone, it would overpower her. It was disheartening. Marinette rode the bus back to her dorm. The streets of Gotham felt colder on the return trip.

Getting dinner with Tim was the only thing that could cheer Marinette up, so she pulled out her phone and sent him an invitation to meet up.

Marinette: Do you want to go get dinner? I heard the dining hall has vegetarian lasagne

Tim: Sure! Be there in twenty

Marinette put her phone away as she got off the bus and started walking towards the dining hall, dodging the sidewalk puddles that never seemed to dry. Even when it wasn't raining, Gotham was a dreary city.

Tim and Marinette chatted about their classes as they ate their food. By the end of dinner, Marinette felt a little better about her disappointing day. Tim could always lift her out of a bad mood. Marinette considered it his superpower.

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Marinette as she got out of Tim's car in front of her dorm hall. She expected to get to her room without incident, but as soon as she got into the relative privacy of the stairwell, all four of her Kwami were circling around her head, speaking in rapid succession, too quick for Marinette to keep up.

"I can't believe it!"

"You've got some luck, Pigtails!"

"This is great news!"

"I can't wait to meet him!"

Marinette blinked as she tried to make sense of the Kwamis' words. "What's going on?"

Pollen's eyes were bright. "Tim is my true holder!" the Kwami squeaked excitedly.

Marinette gasped. "Really?"

"He'll make a perfect Bee. He seems so smart and funny and considerate. I bet he'll feed me loads of honey and get fresh flowers for all of his rooms and be my best friend." Pollen sighed dreamily, pure joy in her voice.

"Pollen, have you ever had a true holder before?" asked Marinette.

"Of course. It's been a long time, though - at least a thousand years since my last true holder died. I missed it a lot. But now I have Tim!"

Marinette smiled, overjoyed that she finally had the means to complete her mission, that Pollen finally got to meet one of her true holders again, that Gotham might be freed from the evil that had loomed over it for centuries. Mostly, she was overjoyed that she met Tim all those weeks ago, that he took the time to get to know her, that he was there for her when no one else was.

----------

"So the Kwami are little gods?" Tim stared at Pollen with an almost scary intensity, as if he thought looking away might make the Kwami disappear.

Pollen flew up closer to Tim to explain. "The Kwami are linked to certain aspects of humanity: creation, destruction, intuition, protection, et cetera. We have a certain amount of control over these qualities. I am the Kwami of Subjection, of control and mastery. I can give you the power to incapacitate your enemies."

"Incapacitate them how?"

"Using the power of venom, you will be able to freeze your enemies in place."

Tim wrinkled his nose. "That sounds a little morality dubious. How do you know I wouldn't use it for evil. This is Gotham."

Pollen rolled her eyes. "You're my true holder, Tim Drake. I trust you with my entire being."

"What does that mean, for me to be your true holder?"

Pollen's cheerful expression turned sad. "Of all the Kwami, my powers are the most often exploited. The power of subjection, of complete and total control over your enemies, is corrupting. However, you, Tim, are my true holder. Your self-control is strong, I can sense it. You will not be corrupted by the power I give you. You will wield it fairly."

Tim glanced over at Marinette, and she gave him her most encouraging smile. "I need you, Tim. I've needed you for a while. First, as a friend, when I was at my lowest, and now as my partner. There's an evil that resides in this city, that I have been tasked with destroying. I can't get rid of it alone. I need you to help me."

Tim's eyes widened. "You mean there's a supernatural reason for Gotham's condition?"

Marinette nodded. "There's a well of evil underneath the city. Using the Miraculous, I can remove it. But it's too powerful for me to do it alone. I know this is a lot to ask, but-"

Tim interrupted Marinette before she could finish her sentence. "You know, Gotham is well known for its distaste for magic-users and meta-humans." Marinette opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted once more by Tim. "However, I trust that you want to do what's best for this city. I'll help you."

Marinette's face brightened. "Thank you! I have a plan but I still need to fine-tune the details. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. For now, you should take the Bee Comb with you. You'll need to form an emotional bond with Pollen before you can achieve peak performance."

"You seem to know a lot about the Miraculous and the Kwami."

"It's my job to be knowledgable. I'm a Guardian of the Miraculous."

----------

"So how does a girl like you become a Guardian of the Miraculous?" asked Tim as they ate their lunch in the storage unit after a long morning of pouring over plans.

"I was chosen by the previous master. It's a long-standing tradition that the Guardian can only be a true holder, because true holders notoriously incorruptible except in the most extreme situations. I was the only true holder that Master Fu knew of, other than himself, so despite my age and despite the fact that I wielded the Ladybug Miraculous rather than the Black Cat Miraculous, the Miraculous I was the true holder for, he passed the responsibility onto me."

"How old were you when you became the Guardian full-time?"

Marinette tensed her shoulders. "I was fourteen. Master Fu wanted to wait longer, but there was a situation. I lost my only mentor, with only a fraction of my training completed."

"That sounds rough," Tim's tone was sympathetic. He placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"It was difficult," Marinette admitted. "For the longest time, I was mad at Master Fu for waiting so long to start training me. It wasn't until I got older that I realized why he was so reluctant to start my training. He felt guilty for stealing my childhood away from me. The situation in Paris was bad and tough choices had to be made. I don't blame him, but there are a lot of things I wish had been done differently."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost my mentor-" Tim's thoughtful tone turned frantic. "Not that my experience with mentorship would compare to yours, because I wouldn't know anything about being a teenage superhero."

Tim's words were suspicious, but Marinette didn't have time to figure out what he was hiding. They had a job to do. "Well, it's time to get back to work. You need to practice using venom on non-corporeal objects. I want to see if you're able to freeze the wind."

"Sounds good, Bugs."

"Bugs?"

Tim nodded. "I figured you could use a nickname. Do you not like it?"

"No, it's fine." Marinette paused. "Actually, it's better than fine. I really appreciate it. Thank you, Tim."

"No problem, Buggsy," Tim teased.

"Okay, now you're pushing your luck," Marinette teased right back.

----------

Lady Noire and her partner Yellowjacket stood in the basement of a rundown tenement building in the heart of Crime Alley.

Lady Noire spoke the plan aloud, the rhythm of her words revealing that she had spoken them many times before in preparation for the event. "I'll start by drawing out the evil. As soon as it senses the power of destruction that I hold it will try and consume me. I need you to be ready to use your venom the moment it emerges. Once it is frozen, I will use cataclysm. Are you ready?"

Yellowjacket responded. "I'm ready."

Lady Noire closed her eyes and let out her breath in a drawn-out hiss. The shadows around her darkened and she let out a pained gasp as she fell to her knees.

Yellowjacket sprung into action. "Venom!" he shouted, thrusting his palms out to let his power fill the room. The whole room lit up with yellow light, bright enough to rid the room of all but the supernatural shadows.

The shadows, which had been growing exponentially, suddenly stopped dead in their tracks. Lady Noire got back up onto her feet, a vicious snarl on her face. "You have been terrorizing this city for centuries. No longer will I will allow this evil to haunt Gotham. Cataclysm!"

The shadows crumbled, leaving behind only natural darkness. The transformation disappeared from Lady Noire, leaving behind a girl, who gasped for breath. "Tim, we did it!"

"Pollen, buzz off," commanded Yellowjacket. He was so impatient to hug the girl that he had his arms wrapped around her before his transformation was finished. "It's over, Marinette."

The girl shook her head gently. "It's not completely over. The effects will surely linger - Metropolis still sees its fair share of villains - but it will be nothing like what it was before. I imagine the vigilantes that roam Gotham will have a much easier job, though."

The boy tensed up. "Speaking of the vigilantes that roam Gotham, I suppose there's something that I should probably tell you. I'm Red Robin."

The girl blinked once, a dumbstruck expression on her face then burst out into peals of laughter. "Just my silly luck that I ask a vigilante to be my superhero partner."

The boy grinned. "I am rather fond of your silly luck. It's what brought us together."

@maribatmarch-2k21

[catxsnow]

MID-JULY J.T.

Summary: based off the song Mid-July by Craig Wilson. Jason visits a small town just to get away from his life in Gotham, he never expected to meet his summer love. 

Warning: fluff

A/N: This was my secret santa fic for @woahjaybird​ (I went a little overboard) I hope you all enjoy, I most certainly had a lot of fun writing it!

Word count: 7.9k

I’ve been looking for a summer love

A pretty, single girl who wants to have a little fun But only be engaged for about three months Then we'll go our separate ways, ways, ways, ways

Jason Todd was drained to the point that he couldn't get up in the morning without dreading the day. Day in and day out he continued to lose himself in ways that he swore he wouldn’t. He hadn’t felt like himself in months and it seemed that all hope was lost to every get back to his normal self – not that was a good version either.

It was Artemis that told him to take some time off from being the Red Hood. Visit some beach in the middle of nowhere and enjoy himself without the stress of saving the world. Take the time to mourn those he had lost. It took him months to be convinced to take a break. Truth was, he needed it.

Years of beating himself down, burning the match at both ends until there was nothing left. He couldn't keep running on fumes, everyone saw it. Tired eyes, sluggish movements, adrenaline being the only thing that kept him going in tough situations. It was dangerous for everyone - and it was when a civilian died did he finally realize that.

So, after breaking down in front of his friends, Jason agreed to take a break. Just a couple of weeks, just to get himself back to where he once was. He found himself planted on the beach where not a damn soul knew his name. He didn't want to admit that they were right, Jason was tough - he didn't need a mental break. At least, that's what he told himself. 

Even if he was on 'vacation' he couldn't stop thinking about the suit that was hidden in his closet. The presence of it didn't help him destress in the slightest. Every creak of the floorboards, the sound of voices outside his temporary home, everything had him on edge. It was the way that he was raised - letting go didn't come easily to him.

The place that he was staying in was nice. Some Airbnb that was way too cheap for the quality it was. A big bed, small kitchen, huge bathroom that seemed way nicer than the one in his own home. The beach was a walk away and parking was free. He couldn't complain, as badly as he wanted to find some excuse to go back home. 

The first day that Jason was in that small town on the coast, he spent it walking around, casing everything and everyone. A habit that Bruce instilled in him. The people gave him a few looks, but kind smiles nonetheless. Some people waved; others just ignored him. He didn't mind. 

The smell of a bakery enticed him. Fresh bread that reminded him of those cold winter mornings where Alfred would make him loaves upon loaves of bread. Jason watching him at the kitchen counter, working on whatever homework he had to do for school that he was behind in. He couldn't help but go buy a loaf from the sweet old lady. 

On the second and third day, Jason spent mostly in his room. He couldn't be bothered to try and relax when clouds covered the sky and it threatened to rain. Instead, he took the time to unpack the few clothes that he had brought with him. If Artemis was going to make him stay there for at least a few weeks then he may as well make it comfortable.

It was the fourth day that he admitted defeat and strolled out the beach right by his temporary home. White sand, blue seas that went on for miles - it was a gorgeous place - just not his scene. The warmth of the sand felt heavenly against his skin. It had been years since Jason truly felt warm like this - not since before the pit.

It was that day that he realized that maybe this idea wasn't so bad, maybe he really could find comfort in this nameless town where everyone seemed to know everyone. The warmth alone... he forgot what it was like. Jason was always cool to the touch, his fingers like ice against the skin of his friends and family.

His hands dug into the sand, absorbing every ounce of heat that he could get. 

As the sun went down that evening, and the heat of the sand dissipated, Jason packed up his items. The now-familiar smell of that oh-so-fresh bread filled him again. He hesitated - the first loaf had gone by so fast that a second sounded a little too perfect of a way to end his day.

Unlike before, the tiny shop wasn't empty. The older lady that smiled so kindly with him the last time was helping a girl who was no older than he was. Her voice wounded like silk to him and a bright smile that lit up the entire building. She held a box of pastries in her arm and chatted with the owner as if they knew each other forever.

The sound of Jason entering - or more so the bell above the door caught both their attention. The girl faltered for a moment, not recognizing him from their small town. Nonetheless, she gave him a wave before bidding the older lady goodbye. Jason opened the door for the girl, still taking in her beauty.

"I'm gonna guess you're not from around here," she paused in front of him. Jason nodded, confirming her prediction. She looked him up and down once before latching onto the vibrant color of his eyes. Her lips flipped into a smile only for a moment. "Try the apple turnovers, you'll never want to leave here afterward."

Before Jason could speak again, she was gone. For the first time since showing up in that small town, he wore a small smile on his face. A smile that he would have for the rest of his trip there, the one just for her. A smile that he didn't know could bring so much joy in his life in such a short period of time.

"I'll have the apple turnovers, please."

I could be asking for too much But wouldn't it be nice to soak up a little sun But only be engaged for a couple of months And then we'll go our separate ways, ways, ways, ways

Jason enjoyed the beach far more than he imagined he would. The sounds of the waves were louder than the ringing of gunshots in his head. The warmth that he craved lingering on him even in the late hours of the night. He didn't realize how one tiny place could bring him so much peace.

No one stared at the scars that laced him, no one questioned why he was there or where he came from. Everyone minded their own business - something he never got when he was in Gotham. Someone was always up his ass on what he was doing or chastising him for his choices. 

Jason frowned as a shadow covered him, completely blocking the rays of the sun from hitting his body. He already had evidence of tan lines along the hem of his shorts and around his sunglasses. The pale scars against his skin protruded even more. He sat up on his elbows and removed his sunglasses to see who was interrupting him.

To his surprise, it was the same girl that he had met at the bakery. Her hair was pinned back in a braid, showing off her beauty even more. Jason's breath caught in his throat upon seeing her again. Her whole being screamed welcoming - and he didn't get that feeling easily.

"I see you've stuck around a little longer yet," She spoke. Jason bobbed his head, unable to produce any words. There was something about this girl that had him flustered without even trying. Maybe it was the innocence in her eyes - the incorruptible smile she had. Jason didn't want her to step foot near Gotham and taint that heart of hers - and he didn't even know anything about her.

"Was it the baking or the beach?" She continued on, hoping to get a word out of him. He hadn't spoken their last encounter either. Jason had piqued her interest - not many people came to their little town and certainly none as attractive as him. There's was a mystery around him and she was dying to know what.

Jason grew up with the intention of not to trust anyone. Even before he met Bruce, Jason knew that he could only ever rely on himself. After being Robin, he really knew that to be true. Trust didn't come easily to him anymore, but this girl... he wanted to be able to trust her the moment he laid eyes on her. 

"The warmth," Jason finally coughed out. It was the first thing that came to mind. The pit had traumatized him - in all the expected ways of course - but never feeling warm or cold was something he never realized he could miss. The hot sand, the sun beating down on him, he really did make him want to stay.

"It's only June," she cocked an eyebrow. "Mid-July is when it gets really hot." Jason shrugged - how was he supposed to know? Either way, he wouldn't be sticking around long enough to see if she was right. His trip was already nearing its end. The short time did good on him - not that he would want to admit that to Artemis.

"I won't be around that long," Jason's voice cracked. His cough, once again, failed to cover it up; why was he acting this way? Smarten up, you can't even keep yourself composed to a girl? What's wrong with you, man? "Just taking some time off... work."

Work, if that's what you wanted to call dodging bullets and breaking bones. Jason shuddered at the idea of even thinking these thoughts around this girl. The nameless girl that he knew nothing about but felt entitled to trust. The girl that grinned down at him without knowing his story.

"Strange place to come vacation." Though the beaches were nice, not many people knew of her small town. It was the exact reason that Jason choose it. No one to know his name or his face. "Not much to do unless you've lived here your whole life."

"That's the point." His mind was always so busy that having nothing to do, nothing to keep him going... it was a hard adjustment but he already found himself sleeping more hours of the night. Jason hadn't known this girl in the slightest, so how come he felt like it was easier to talk to her than half the justice league?

"Well, if you're looking for something fun, there's mini-golf down the road," she pointed towards the general direction. "Though, you don't really look like the kind of guy that decides to mini-golf."

"Oh?" Jason chuckled. The sound surprised both of them - he never expected to spontaneously laugh at some little comment about his appearance. More so, she didn't expect someone as broad as him to have such a beautiful laugh. It caught her off guard.

This time, she fumbled over her words, "I mean maybe you are. Are you? Do you wanna go? Like right now? We can." Her eyes darted away from him, hands shoved in her pockets to keep them from fidgeting. Truth was, they never got men that looked as gorgeous as him coming by.

It was the 'we', that caught his attention. His heart skipped a beat, that same stupid smile making it's way onto his face again. Jason tipped his sunglasses back down on the bridge of his nose. The towel he was laying on was wrapped around his shoulders as he stood up. She looked taken aback by his height - forgetting from the last time that they met.

He stuck his hand out of her to shake, "If we're going to go play mini-golf together I think we're due for a proper introduction. I'm Jason."

The girl accepted his handshake after a moment of surprise. She wasn't sure if it was from the fact that he agreed to her pathetic attempt to ask him out or that she realized that they didn't even know each other's names. He was so approachable that she had had completely forgotten that they didn't know each other previously.

"(Y/N), (Y/N) (L/N)."

It's the middle of July, and my phone's been dry I'm in my feels, it's cloudy outside Small town A bunch of hills around with all the girls in my location Nowadays its hard to find new ones to talk to I need a chick who wants to get away with me Spend the weekends on the beach and get lost in the city

Jason always liked driving through the countryside. When he was young, Bruce or Alfred would offer to take him for a relaxing drive when he was stressed about his school or even his life as Robin. It reminded him of the times he got lost in his own head when he was young, wishing for better places.

To finally get to see these so-called better places in real life was always a little too surreal for him. He spent his childhood thinking about the beauty of the oceans, the rolling of mountains, and the vast forestry that lurked outside the city limits. It always seemed a treat when he would get to go with Bruce.

He hadn't gone much after coming back from the Lazurus Pit. Driving with no purpose now only let him get lost in his thoughts - often scary places within. Jason didn't like to get pulled back to the horrid memories of what happened to him. Driving alone always led to some sort of panic and he couldn't bare it anymore.

Driving with her was different.

In Jason's next week in that small town, he got to know (Y/N). Her life, her story, everything that a complete stranger didn't need to know. He learned about the school that she went to and her life growing up there, and how desperate she was to get away to the big city. He grew to learn her likes and dislikes, the faces she made when she laughed or was upset.

He picked up on the way her nose scrunched when she didn't like something and her nervous finger cracking. The differences in her smile - when she forced one out and when she felt genuine. He couldn't get her out of his mind. Not when they parted ways for the day, not when he was trying to sleep at night, not until they met up again the next morning.

They had spent nearly every breathing moment together during his trip. Their mini-golf spontaneous adventure led to a dinner of greasy burgers and late-night milkshakes. She was surprised that he was so willing to stick around that night, even to the point that he was asking to see her again tomorrow.

So, they met again, just outside the bakery they first met. And the next day. And the day after that. On the morning of the second last day that he was supposed to leave, she showed up with a woven basket and a smile on her face. A picnic. Of all things that Jason thought he would be doing that day, a picnic wasn't one of them.

Driving along the countryside, windows down, Jason was happy. Their picnic basket sat in the backseat of his car, (Y/N)'s summer playlist blaring through the speakers. The wind blew through her hair, exposing every perfection in her face. Jason could barely keep his eyes on the road.

While Jason didn't like driving these empty roads alone anymore, he found joy with her. He didn't get flashbacks of the time he was beaten to death or his past as a kid. He remembered the good times with Bruce and Alfred, he had created of new memories with her. Those were the kinds of drives he could get used to.

"What?"

Jason didn't realize he had been staring at her. He laid on a blanket that she had brought, tall grass all around them. She leaned back on her hands, watching the waves below on the cliff that they were perched upon. (Y/N) looked down at him upon feeling his gaze. His admiration ran deep.

"What?" He repeated her question.

"You're staring," she grinned. In the past few days, (Y/N) had noticed him zone out a lot. Sometimes lost in his own mind, sometimes a deep concentration on her. She knew bits and pieces of the reason he was there, about his family and friends. He was still just as big of a mystery as when they first met.

"Hard not to," Jason flirted. He laid down on his back, arms tucked behind his head and staring up at the cloudy sky. She mocked his actions, laying exactly like him. Their elbows bumped into one another, legs brushing just enough to know that she was still right there. He didn't mean to flirt with her, it just came out of his mouth so naturally that he couldn't stop himself.

(Y/N) got quiet suddenly. Her laugh quickly diminished, the smile on her face turned to a frown. As much as fun as she had getting to know Jason these past few weeks - he was leaving. Leaving to what seemed halfway across the world and too far away to keep in contact. She had made a good friend in him - only to have it torn away.

It was her own doing, she knew that he was there for only a matter of days. Maybe it was the big heart inside her that wanted his vacation to be fun, or the reality of it was maybe she just liked him a little too much to let go after one confrontation.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked, concern filling him. They had such a great afternoon - long drives, good food, laughs that filled the vast void that they had found themselves in. He couldn't have asked for anything more perfect - and he assumed that she felt the same.

"Nothing," she tried to brush off. Jason leaned on his side to face her. His head rested in his hand as he gazed at the pout on her lips. (Y/N) turned to face him. He matched her pout - being a little overdramatic about it and successfully getting her to smile. "It's just... you're leaving, and I had such a great time with you these past few weeks. I always dread come home from school, but you've made it fun.

"I know you were only come here for a short trip - and that you were trying to relax and I hijacked that from you - but I just wanted to say thanks for making these past few weeks great. I'm gonna miss you, Jay," (Y/N) confessed. Part of her felt bad for completely overtaking his vacation. He was there to be by himself, and she ruined that.

The truth was - she made it far better than he could ever imagine. For the first time in a long time, Jason wasn't weighed down by the heavy helmet that sat in his closet. Sure - he didn't get to sit on his ass and soak up the sun like his original intentions were - but his time was far better spent.

He was happy during his time there.

Maybe, maybe he was a little too happy. Seeing her frown, the way her voice cracked when she spoke of him leaving, it made broke his heart. He didn't want to see her upset, not because of him. Jason's mind ran with thoughts and before he could stop himself, he spoke.

"What if I stayed?"

"What?"

"What if I stayed? For the summer?" When Jason asked again, he was sure that he wanted to make that commitment. If his friends and family wanted him to take a break, then why not go all out? Why not take this chance for him to be happy, especially when it was handed to him on a silver platter like this.

"You're crazy," She rolled her eyes. Jason's face was set in stone - he was being serious about this. (Y/N) faced him properly, she was already upset about him leaving, having this joking around would only make it worse. "You... you wanna stay? But what about Gotham? Don't you have your work-"

"Gotham can live a while longer without me," Jason assured, cutting her off. "I haven't been this happy in a long time. Why not stay a little longer? Unless you don't want me to-"

"No!" She exclaimed. "No, no - I really, I really like the idea of you sticking around." Jason didn't realize that she could look cuter than she already was. He was wrong. Her flustered-unable-to-properly-function look had been far more adorable than he would have ever imagined.

"Do you now?" He teased, trying to get even more of a reaction out of her. (Y/N) buried her face in her hands to try and hide her embarrassment. Jason gently grabbed her wrists to pull her hands away from her face. Her eyes were still sealed shut, scared to see that he was just kidding about staying.

To her surprise, instead of some absurd excuse as to why he actually needed to go back home, that he couldn't stay with her, she felt the softness of lips on hers. He had been thinking about it all afternoon; how good she would feel against him, what the taste of her lips was like.

As quick as his kiss was, he was gone. Jason already felt like he was overstepping his boundaries, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable from his sudden choice. (Y/N) looked at him with shock across her face, she didn't know that he thought of her that way. Hell, she still didn't.

All she knew, was that the second his lips were gone, she craved them again. Jason was pushed back against the blanket by the force she had. His hands grabbed her hips, holding her steady as she kissed him again. Her lips were needy against his like she had been waiting for this moment since they had first met.

He could feel the heat radiating off of her. The same kind of warmth that he felt for the first time when he was surrounded by sand. The same warmth that reminded him of what his life was like when he was happy. Her warmth, everything about her reminded him of those times.

Jason felt droplets of water against his skin. The coolness of the rain felt like it would sizzle against the warmth of his skin. It didn't seem to bother her - not until the sparse drops turned heavy. The clouds above them had quickly turned dark, and rain poured from the sky. It soaked their clothes, the blanket they laid on.

(Y/N) pulled away from him, droplets falling down her face and onto him. A grin was plastered on her face. "We should go," she giggled. Jason nodded; the rain was making all his clothes stick to him in the worst kinds of way. He grabbed the basket while she bunched the blanket up into her arms. They were thrown into the trunk of his car but before she could run off into the passenger's seat and safe from the rain - Jason pulled her against him.

He leaned down to kiss her once more, not caring about the rain just the everlasting heat that she gave. Her hand latched against the back of his neck, kissing him until her lungs screamed for air. She pushed against his chest, edging him to the driver's side of the car.

"You're something else, Todd."

I've been looking for a summer love A pretty, single girl who wants to have a little fun But only be engaged for about three months Then we'll go our separate ways, ways, ways, ways

"You know you've played this song four times within the last hour, right?"

"Are you dissing my music choices? Because if you are, the door is right there, you're free to leave."

Jason was leaning against the headboard on his bed. A book was in his hands, reading lines that made his heart skip beats because they reminded him of the girl rest against his stomach. (Y/N) looked up at him, peeking below the book he was reading. Her music played in the speaker she had brought for him.

"I'm free to leave? This is my room!" Jason exclaimed. He set the book down beside him to give his proper attention to (Y/N). She intertwined his now free hand, resting them both against her stomach. Her head tilted up, lips pouted, and awaiting a kiss from him. Jason happily complied with her wishes. "May as well be your room with the amount of time you spend here."

"Fine, I'll take my playlist and find someone new that appreciates it," She threatened. Jason tightened his grip on her hand, keeping her on his bed. Of course, he knew that she was only joking, but even the thought of her leaving upset him. "Hmm, that's what I thought. Not so tough after all."

As big and intimidating that Jason looked, (Y/N) quickly learned that he was by far the biggest softie that she had ever met. His love for literature, cooking, and an appreciation towards art and creativity. He was nothing that he looked like on the outside. Every time she learned something about him it was shocking.

"Yeah, yeah," Jason rolled his eyes. His arms slipped around her waist and he pulled her completely flush against his chest, his leg was thrown across her and no chance of getting out. He peppered her neck and face with kisses, squeezing her tighter as she let out a laugh at him.  "Didn't picture you to be such a sap," (Y/N) squirmed around in his arms until she was able to face him. Jason swooped down for another kiss before she could continue - which only proved her point even more. She pushed away the hairs from his face, lingering on the white streak that protruded through the black. "Leather jackets, big and burly, deep voice," she tried to mimic his own voice. 

"Let's keep that between us, I have an image to uphold." (Y/N) rolled her eyes at him - whatever image he once had was long gone the moment he met her. "Hey, don't roll your eyes at me." 

"Oh? What if I do it again?" She grinned. Jason narrowed his eyes. Over the time that he had been with her that summer, he quickly learned that she loved to test him. Pressing his buttons to get a reaction, doing the exact opposite that he asked off, she loved seeing him get all pouty and frustrated. "Gimme another kiss and I won't." 

Jason wasn't going to complain about that kind of deal. 

I could be asking for too much But wouldn't it be nice to soak up a little sun But only be engaged for a couple of months And then we'll go our separate ways, ways, ways, ways

"You were right." 

"Geez, I don't hear you say that very often," (Y/N) chided. She laid on her back, the sun beating down on her skin with Jason doing the same beside her. The sound of children laughing and screaming overpowered the waves that beat against the shore. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, the perfect weather to be on the beach. 

Jason hadn't spent much time on the beach after meeting her. In fact, he barely spent any time apart from her. Consumed with each other in less than two months - he could never get enough of her. She quickly became his everything while being on his trip. 

The stress of being The Red Hood dwindled, Artemis' advice might have worked a little too well. Jason was so happy being away from his old life that the thought of having to go back, to leave her, kept him up at night. He didn't want to leave this somehow perfect 'white picket fence' life that he had made for himself in such a short time. 

The reality of his life remaining this way was slim. Something would come up or the truth would come out. He couldn't keep living like this, not forever. For now, he would appreciate the summer fling that truly was changing his life for the better. 

"It's far hotter mid-July," Jason revealed. He thought he felt warmth that first week of being there, now, he could get the residual sun rays to leave his skin even if he wanted to. Whether he felt them directly or radiating off (Y/N)'s body at night, he was always consumed with warmth. 

He'd miss it when he had to leave. 

"Hmm, that's not what I was hoping you'd admit, but I'll take it," she looked over at him. Jason leaned over to peck her lips. (Y/N) knew that was going to be the only confession that she got out of him that afternoon. Jason didn't like to admit that someone else was right - she learned that early on. 

"What were you hoping I'd admit?" Jason raised his eyebrows. There could have been a ton of answers coming out of her mouth. Why he was so secretive, why he tensed every time she went near his closet, why he was always so hesitant to talk about his job or his family. He was a mystery - and he hated that he had to keep it that way. 

They were both better off if he kept it that way. Two months of being together, and one until she had to go back to school, and he had to go back to Gotham. Whatever life-threatening secrets he had; he was going to keep them hidden from her. This trip was about finding an escape - and he had found it in her. 

(Y/N) shrugged before laying back down, sunglasses covering her eyes. Jason shuffled closer towards her; he grabbed her hand so he could intertwine their fingers. The roughness of his skin caught her attention once more. She didn't move until Jason kissed her again, this time properly and more than just a single peck. 

"Maybe it was that I wanted to admit that I love you?" Jason spoke. He had been thinking about it for days. A love that he had never experienced before. This wasn't a love that would last a lifetime - till death do him part. This was an innocent summer love that he wanted to take full advantage of. 

Jason couldn't see the look in her eyes, not with the sunglasses covering half her face. (Y/N) wasn't shocked - not in a cocky way. They had been spending all their time together, she had been just as invested in this summer love as he had. To be honest, she didn't expect him to say it first. 

(Y/N) stayed imperturbable for just a moment too long. Jason became nervous that his announcement had been far too soon - or if their relationship even called for it at all. It wasn't until the ear-to-ear smile that spread on her face that he knew that she felt the same. (Y/N) nearly leaped onto Jason, not caring about the families and couples that were around them. 

Her lips were on his, the smile never failing to leave her face.  Rushed lips, bumping noses, Jason grabbing at her hips like his lifeline. His cheeks were flushed pink when she pulled away from him, chest heaving at the lack of air. 

"I love you too, Jay," she confessed. "Sometimes. You're really a pain in the ass when you wanna be." 

Jason feigned a look of hurt. Without missing a beat, he stood up and hoisted her over her shoulder in one swift movement. (Y/N) squealed as he headed towards the water. She reeled her hand back and slapped it against his ass, hoping that he would drop her from the action. It didn't work - at all. 

As soon as he was deep enough in the frigid cold water, Jason dropped (Y/N). She was soaked from head to toe, teeth chattering from the cold. No matter how hot it was outside, the water was yet to warm up for the day. Jason barely felt the cold against his legs - or his whole body when she dragged him down with her. 

"I take it back!" She yelled. (Y/N) climbed against Jason's back, clinging to him in hopes to get most of her body out of the water. Her arms wrapped around his broad chest, legs squeezing around him. "You bitch." 

"Can't take it back babe, you already said it," Jason teased. He turned his cheek to the side, awaiting a kiss from her. Begrudgingly, she did. "I love you." 

Don't recommend me a phone application I'm to old school for online dating A friend's pressing me to download the app 'Cause there's some woman in my zone that down to get (aye)

Lost touch with all the girls in my city I'll probably never find someone I'm way too picky Back in June I had this fling I wasn't feeling Ever since I cut ties my iPhone's been dry

It seemed as Jason's trip felt more and more permeant, their deadline also became too surreal. It was weeks until (Y/N) would have to leave her hometown once more to go back to school. In return, Jason would have to return back to Gotham as the Red Hood. Time was ticking, but that wasn't going to stop them from making the best of their last few weeks together. 

There was something about the time that they spent together that made him forget about his life in Gotham. He forgot the pain that he had to endure. Forgot about the nightmares that woke him up. Forgot about the scars that were scattered across his body. Jason couldn't be more grateful. 

(Y/N) had helped him immensely, and she didn't even know it. She didn't know the real reason that he came to this town, or why he had chosen to stay for longer. It was because of her lack of knowledge that he was reminded of the good in the world. There was no motivator, no dire need to help a poor soul like him. 

She did it because she wanted to. (Y/N) dedicated her summer to him because she genuinely enjoyed his presence and wanted to get to know him - not because he was the son of Bruce Wayne or because he was The Red Hood. She knew Jason Todd, the real Jason Todd that very few people got to see. 

"Whatcha thinking about, hotshot?" 

Jason stood in his tiny kitchen. It wasn't much, but it sufficed for the time that he was staying there. His home - the house he was staying in - was only meant to be for a couple of weeks. With his time being extended, it proved to be problematic in mundane ways. His issues now were trying to get an open washer and the laundromat instead of dodging bullets. 

Was this what his life would have been like if Bruce never took him in? Unlikely. Jason was just a kid off the streets, he never would have made it there if Bruce hadn't taken him in. He wasn't sure if that kid on the streets would be proud of the person he was today. It didn't matter, there was nothing that could be done to change it. 

Jason was always going to be stuck in the life of the Red Hood. Nothing was going to change that. Nothing could change that. Not a person, not a wound, not even dying stopped him from being in this life. 

(Y/N) wrapped her arms around him from behind. Her cheek rested against his tone back, fingers trailing on the curves of his muscles. Jason rested his hand over hers, a smile making its way to his face once more. 

"Well I was trying to make you breakfast in bed, but I guess now it's just breakfast," Jason sarcastically told her. He spun around to grab her hips and lift her onto the last empty counter space. As per usual, one of his shirts hung off her body. "Sleep well?" 

"With you? Always," she nodded. Jason didn't want to think about how bad his sleep was going to get upon his return home. He had been sleeping solidly through the night and going back to his usual nightmares and lack of hours pained him. For the first time in a long time, he felt filled with life again. "You didn't have to make me breakfast, you know?" 

"Of course I did," Jason scoffed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. How could he not make breakfast for a beautiful girl sleeping in his bed, in his clothes? "What kind of Gentleman would I be if I didn't?" 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes. Gentleman. Jason laughed at her reaction, the sound echoing through the small room. She trailed her fingers along the curve of his biceps before planting her palm against his cheek. He quickly pecked her lips before returning to the stove. 

Jason intently focused on the pancakes in front of them, hoping to make a perfect flip. After his success, a small box was placed in front of him. (Y/N) had a grin on her face as she watched his confusion grow from the box in her hand. He raised his eyebrows in confusion. 

"Come on did you really think you could hide your birthday from me?" She explained. Jason nearly forgot his birthday every year. Age didn't seem to matter after everything he's been through. If it wasn't for Dick being so persistent on getting him a gift every year, he'd ignore it completely. 

(Y/N) gestured for him to grab the box from her. "You didn't have to get me anything," Jason gave her a look. He didn't want a gift; he didn't want to celebrate or anything of the sort. Reluctantly, he grabbed the small box from her hands and pulled the string to open it. Inside, a silver chain laid. 

It was simple and somewhat reminded him of the one his brother wore day-to-day. However, looking at it closer, he noticed a small chain was replaced with a solid link. The small initial of (Y/N)'s name was engraved on it. "I know what you're thinking, kind of narcissistic to get my letters engraved on it but... with us leaving in a couple of weeks I just wanted you to have something to remember this summer by." 

Jason felt his jaw tremble for a moment. He could hear the pain in her voice at the idea of them splitting ways. The meaning behind the gift that meant more than she would ever know. He set the gift on the counter and brought her into a bone-crushing hug. Jason didn't like celebrating his birthdays, but this was the best gift he could have received. 

His head was nuzzled into the crook of her neck, trying to hold back the emotions that ran through him. "I take it you like it?" She tried to joke. Jason nodded against her. He took a deep breath to calm himself before pulling away. His hands rested on her cheeks, admiring every bit of beauty. 

"I love you," Jason kissed her. His heart swelled with love. "This summer... I'll never forget it. I just, I just want you to know that this summer meant everything to me. I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done." 

"You don't need to thank me, Jay. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect summer. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect summer love. You changed my life... You made me happy and that's all I wanted. I should be thanking you for deciding to come to this shitty little town. Maybe it was fate, maybe I just have ridiculously good luck. Either way, I'm glad I got to get to know you, Jason Todd." 

I'm still looking for a summer love A pretty, single girl who wants to have a little fun But only be engaged for about three months Then we'll go our separate ways, ways, ways, ways

Jason couldn't stop the memories of last summer from flooding him. Every building he passed, every street he went through, all he could think about was her. Her smile, her laugh, the annoying way that she too adorable for her own good. He was consumed with the thought of her again. 

Although parting ways nearly ten months ago was hard, they both knew that by the end of the summer they would have to say goodbye. The love that they had was nothing but a summer love, and as much as neither of them were really ready to let go - it was for the best. Hearts weren't broken that day, they were filled with a reminder that even a summer love can prove that there's always someone out there. 

It hurt less that day than it did for Jason driving through. He had no intentions of coming back - not when he was sure that if they saw each other again, he wouldn't be able to leave again. It was a spontaneous choice that led him back there, one that he hoped he wouldn't regret. 

His friends and family asked him a countless amount of questions on why he was gone so long and what he had been doing. Jason held out, he couldn't care to tell his family of what he had done with his time. That was his privacy, and he intended to keep it that way. The last thing he needed was his brothers knowing that he stayed for a girl. 

A girl that changed him, made him happy. A girl that encouraged him to be his best self. Sure, they had noticed his change in attitude, his willingness to smile more often, to laugh louder. It was Dick that pestered him to no end to figure out what had happened to him. Hell, he didn't even know where his little brother was. 

Artemis was glad to see him happy again. She was the only one who didn't interfere with his personal life. The only one that was just happy to see him happy, without needing to know the why. He appreciated that. 

Jason stopped at the place that they had first met - the bakery. It was a different woman in there than usual, much younger but far crankier than the kind lady that made Jason feel welcome. He ordered two apple turnovers - just as (Y/N) had recommended him. 

He sat out on the bench just outside the bakery. A reminder of the hours that they could spend there, stuffing their faces with donuts and laughing at everything imaginable. The heat of the mid-July sun beat down on him, filling him with the warmth he hadn't felt since he left there. 

Why was he so nervous to go see her? (Y/N)'s home was less than a mile's walk away and yet Jason couldn't bring himself to move his legs towards her. It was as if he was meeting her for the first time again and fuck was he nervous. 

Subconsciously, Jason grabbed the chain she had bought him. He spun it back and forth against his neck, remembering back to the day that she had given it to him... and the day that they had said goodbye. He never took it off after that day - not for anything. It always remained tucked under his shirt as a constant reminder. 

Jason sighed. His elbows rested on his legs and he looked down to the ground. God did he miss her. He knew that he shouldn't, that they had a love with a deadline. He knew that from the start, he told himself that he wouldn't get hurt by it - and he wasn't. Leaving the town wasn't the issue, being back in Gotham wasn't either. 

It was coming back. A mistake that he chose to make. 

"I know that white streak anywhere," a familiar voice spoke. They blocked the sun from shining down on him. Jason looked up, a smile on his face at the woman in front of him. "Jason, it's so good to see you." 

Jason couldn't tell whether he was happy or disappointed that the woman in front of him wasn't (Y/N). The kind lady from the bakery stood in front of him. She looked weaker than the last he has seen her - which may have explained the reasoning for her lack of work. He slid over on the bench and offered her a spot next to him. 

She waved her hand, "I can't be staying, but thank you," she told him. "I assume you're back here to see (Y/N)?" 

Jason let out a breath - it didn't seem real being back there until he heard her name again. "Yes, Ma'am." 

"I'm sorry, dear," She spoke. "(Y/N) didn't come back this summer. She stayed at school." Jason felt his breath catch in his throat. School, further away from Gotham than her hometown was. He should have known that she would - she talked about it all summer. Wanting to stay in the city, find work, make a life for herself. 

Jason knew that. He knew that she wouldn't be back there. Yet, he had come anyway hoping to see her again. His heart cracked. This was for the best. (Y/N) (L/N) was a summer love. No communication, no texts or calls since he left. That was the deal. It was easier for both of them that way. 

"It's good to see you again, Jason. You've grown up even more since last year," The lady from the bakery gave him one last smile before entering the shop. She paused at the door, looking back at him. "Summer loves don't always have to end in the fall, not if you don't want it to end." 

No, they didn't have to end. They could go on for years and years - no longer a summer love but a true love. But at what cost? Jason's life was disastrous. He had told himself from the start that he didn't want her brought into it, even if it meant giving up his slice of happiness. He couldn't break that promise. 

Summer loves didn't have to end, but in his life, he had no other choice. 

I could be asking for too much But wouldn't it be nice to soak up a little sun But only be engaged for a couple of months And then we'll go our separate ways, ways, ways, ways

[somethinginthethunder]

walks in the rain [tsukishima kei x reader]

Author’s Note: Yes, it is me. I was formerly known as lookuptotheskiesandsee, but decided to have a do-over since I wasn’t really that into the classic rock fandom anymore. Anyway, here’s my very first Haikyuu fic. If I have anything wrong in here, whether it be with grammar or anything else, please tell me! I’m super new to this :’)

Also, this is totally going to flop anyway, but shares and feedback are appreciated! I know this isn’t a totally amazing fic or something that really gets the heart beating. It’s more lowkey and has a more slice-of-life feeling, but I promise this isn’t the best I have hfhihiwqhdowejd.

Word Count: 1,818

Summary: you’ve forgotten your umbrella, so tsukishima offers to walk with you with his own. along the way home, you reminisce about before. 

Warnings?: my trash writing, but none other than that!

---------

The squeaking of shoes and hitting of volleyballs filled the court. You waited patiently beside Yachi and Kiyoko, with the former watching starry-eyed at the group of boys. Smiling fondly, you looked back into the court. 

The team had just finished the last practice set, all of them who participated panting heavily as they celebrated their win (well, half of them, at least). 

Ukai clapped his hands together, getting the attention of the players. 

“Right! Next practice, same thing. Now,” he continued, “I’ll be taking my leave. I’ve got a shift to cover. Besides, it’s getting late. Clean up quick, yeah?”

“Yes, Coach!” some shouted in response, adrenaline still pumping through their veins.

With some last goodbyes, Ukai left the gym. And with that, the cleanup started. 

It had started out normally, all as usual. That was, until the rainclouds pulled in. This wasn’t unusual or anything, but it was inconvenient, of course, since most students walked home from school, including the Kasasuno team. Two volleyballs were in your arms when you stopped to look outside. Turning your head to the rest of the gym, you looked to see just about everything finished up.

“Ah, I can finish up around here this time, guys. You can all get home before the rain starts pouring too hard,” you offered kindly. Sure, you don’t do this everytime, but every once in a while it would be nice to do something for them, since they already work so hard on playing.

Daichi stopped in his tracks for a moment, seemingly surprised at your offer. 

“There’s not much more to do, you really don’t have to,” he said, offering a smile in response.

“I know, but it’ll start raining real soon, and it’s best if you guys get a head start, right?” you explained. “Besides, I know where everything goes, I’ll be fine.”

“Y/n-” 

“It’s fine, Daichi-san. Really, all of you,” you reassured him.

You could see the hesitation in his eyes, but your sure look made him give in. Sighing, with a smile on his face. “Alright. Everyone finish what you���re doing and we’ll go.”

A few minutes later, it seemed everyone had gone home. 

That was until you finished closing. 

Once you locked the doors you turned your head only to see Tsukishima standing there, his headphones on and leaning against the wall.

“Tsukki, what are you doing? The rain’s already started,” you murmured, slinging your bag across your shoulder.

He took off his headphonse and tilted his head toward you. “You think I haven’t noticed? Knowing you, you probably forgot your umbrella today.”

“I-” your cheeks flushed at the statement. He was right, actually. 

Of course he was.

At this he began to chuckle, with that goddamn smirk on his face. It was embarrassing, really, and Tsukishima knew that. Turning his gaze away from you, he opened his umbrella and started to walk off. For a moment, you stared after him, your cheeks hot and chest tightening.

When he realized you weren’t following, he looked back at you with an expectant look on his face.

“Well? Are you coming? Or would you rather walk in the rain to get home? ‘Cause I’ll leave you here,” he questioned teasingly.

You perked at his statement. “H-Hey! That wouldn’t be very nice, now would it?” you objected, running after him.

“And you take me as the nice guy?”

“Not the point!” you pouted, standing by his side as the rain hit the umbrella. The height difference was nice, especially since it was an excuse to have someone else hold the umbrella instead of you. Especially if it was Tsukki. 

Besides Yamaguchi, you were probably the only one who he’d consider a close friend (though he’d never admit it). You were neighbors, but only became friends in middleschool. At first, you had thought of the blonde as just a mean kid, but as you got to know him, you realized that he was actually… really cool. 

In fact, you even began to develop feelings for him.

Though, you had never said it out loud. That would’ve made it too real. You didn’t want that. He was your friend, nothing else. There was no way he could feel the same, right? He treated you just like everyone else.

Except he didn’t. And everyone but you seemed to see that. By this time, the whole team saw how you pined for each other (though it took Hinata and Kageyama a little longer to notice). And it was frustrating to the whole team. 

“Oi, why’re you so quiet all of a sudden?” 

His voice snapped you out of your trance. You blinked up at him.

“No reason. Why?” you questioned, stopping at the crosswalk to wait for the cars to finish passing.

“You usually talk too much for your own good. What, are you finally using that brain of yours to think?” he said, his gaze flickering to you for just a fraction of a second before he started walking across the street.

Considering he took long strides because of his taller stature, you had to jog to get back next to him while answering.

“Hey, maybe I’m not as smart as you, but at least I’m smarter than Hinata and Kageyama!” you whined.

He scoffed at your reasoning. “That’s not saying much. Even if they were combined.”

You paused for a moment before bursting into a laugh, patting his back. “You’re so mean, Tsukki! They’re just too enticed with volleyball, is all.”

Your words seemed to make him grimace a little. As your laughs died down you finally answered him properly.

“Just thinking about us when we were in middleschool,” you murmured, watching your breath show up in the air.

“Middleschool?” he questioned, shoving his other hand in his pocket at the mention of it.

“Mm!” you confirmed. “I used to think you were just this salty, mean guy. I mean, you still are,” you laughed. “But there’s way more to you now, I know.”

“Oh?” Tsukki said, trying to hide the real curiosity in his voice.

“Yeah,” you nodded. Looking up at what parts you could see of the sky, you continued. “When we were just neighbors and classmates, I found you really intimidating. Not just because of your height, but how you handled things. You were smart, yeah, a little snarky, but also a bit rude. I never thought I’d be friends with you, or that you’d want to… be friends with me.’

This didn’t change his pace or his face. The both of you kept walking.

“But when I saw you making fun of Yamaguchi’s bullies, it completely crushed the idea of you that I thought was right. And when we started hanging out, I finally saw you.”

You had missed it, but his face began to change. 

“You’re real. You’re really intelligent, really nice, though I know you won’t believe, and really talented, too. I know you’re afraid to show passion for something that might crush you in the end, but I think you’ve got great potential. You’ve just changed so much from the first time I’ve seen you, but I know that’s only on the outside. I know, though, that the boy from before is still in there.” A pause. “But if I were to describe you with one word, it would be…”

You turned to face him, finally making eye contact with the tall blonde.

“Cool.”

His eyes widened at your words. You hadn’t expected him to react in any way, so his surprise made you think back on your words.

“Ah, sorry, sorry!” you apologized, bringing your hands up. “I know you don’t like that kind of thing, but… I just thought you should know.” 

Again, the heat began to rise in your cheeks. Way to go, Y/n. 

He didn’t respond, just staring you down with his cold eyes. Yet, they didn’t seem to hold the same emotion as they usually did. Perhaps you were just imagining it.

“Tch,” was all he said before he continued walking, facing forward once more. 

There wasn’t any conversation after that. When you both arrived at your home, you turned and thanked him.

“Thanks for walking me, Tsukki. You didn’t have to,” you acknowledged gratefully. 

“I know,” he nodded back.

There was a tense moment of silence before you turned, coughing awkwardly as you walked up the steps to your door.

“Oi, Y/n.”

Surprised, you turned your head to look at your friend.

His mouth was parted, as if he were hesitating.

“...yes?” you asked curiously, hand resting on the doorframe.

“Let’s go somewhere after school tomorrow,” he managed nonchalantly.

“Like- Like a hangout?” you murmured, wondering if this was what you hoped it would be.

“No,” he answered. “Like a date.”

It felt like your heart leaped out of your chest. All you could feel in that moment was shock. Him? Tsukishima Kei? Wanted to go on a date with you? Even after that whole awkward walk? And the past, like, five or four years you’ve known him?

“Are you sure?” you asked, dumbstruck.

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” he said, supposedly annoyed. “I happen to like you, and you happen to like me. That is, unless I’ve been wrong this whole time?”

Oh.

OH.

OH?

He knew this entire time?!

Confusion passed through your mind momentarily before you hastily answered, “No, no! You’re right! I just-- I wasn’t expecting this, so,” you stopped yourself from saying anything that could ruin this moment. “Yeah. Let’s go somewhere.”

“Good. Wait for me when school ends. I already have a place picked out,” he stated. If you listened closely, you could hear how nervous he actually was and how fast his heart was beating. He hadn’t been this nervous before in a long time.

“O-Okay,” you stuttered, unsure of what to say.

It seemed as though he didn’t either, because he left soon after with just a nod as a goodbye. In reality, he probably would’ve talked to you more if he weren’t so nervous. Could you imagine that? Tsukishima nervous because of you?

Staring at his form walking away from your house, you stood there, stunned. A date. With him. Tomorrow. It seemed almost impossible that this was real.

Once he turned the corner and left your neighborhood, you rushed inside, suddenly remembering how cold it was out there.

“Oh, Y/n,” your mother called from the kitchen. “Can you pick up some groceries on your way back from school for me since it’s already on your way back?”

You were about to accept when you remembered what you had just agreed on.

“I can’t,” you answered.

“Huh?” she called. “And why is that?”

A grin broke out on your face, your fists clenching as the reality of the situation took hold. Honestly, you felt like screaming your excitement into a pillow.

“I have a date!”

[fuchsiagrasshopper]

Contending the Flame II

Author’s Note: Next part as things start to pick up and Ivar making his first appearance (as if I’d keep him away long) Thanks as always for being the best fans, and if you want to be tagged or I forgot you, please remind me!

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Word Count: 1667

Warnings: Ivar being a little sh*t

Under the cover of the stars, Ubbe had moved you through the night. Hvitserk had gone on ahead to make sure their trail was clear. They decided on an abandoned house, far from the church where Ivar and the majority of their army were making camp. Besides a few stray drunken warriors that Hvitserk was able to distract, they were able to settle in unnoticed. 

In their little corner of the town, it was quiet, making it easier to forget the conquering of the day. As Ubbe studied the nun, he wondered what you were thinking. You wouldn't look at him now. Perhaps it made ignoring your situation simpler if you could pretend he wasn't there. He wanted to tell you to rest, that no harm would come to you tonight, but the words wouldn't come. Doubtful you would take to their meaning if they did.

Sleep was something his own body was craving. Often he could stay awake through the night with little to no rest, but after fighting a battle his body was sapped of most of its strength. Ubbe didn't trust you not to run the moment his eyes shut, but he didn't want to put you in fetters either.

He let out a sigh as he dropped himself in front of the door. The nun noticed this and you cast your head down in despair. He ignored you as a sudden longing for home hit him, to be back with Margrethe. Things were simple in Kattegat, even if it was no longer their mother on the throne. These Christians complicated everything, guided by their holy book and God. Would they ever be able to live alongside in peace, or was their father's hope of new farmland a farfetched dream? No matter how dismal things seemed, he knew he couldn't give up. He might have failed once when Ragnar approached him to go to England, but so long as he drew breath, Ubbe would see his vision through. 

ooOOoo

When he fell asleep, it was with thoughts of his people prospering in green fields. Margrethe was at his side, and two fair-haired children played at her skirts. The wind was warm on his face, free of frost and rain, and the birds sang sweet songs that were free of the harsh raven's call. It was blissful. 

Imagine his disappointment when he awoke at dawn to the stale air of the English abode. A stream of sunlight came in through a crack in the wood. Ubbe squinted from the brightness as he gathered a look around the home. The nun wasn't where he left you, and he bolted up to his feet. There were only so many places where you could have hidden, and after he'd checked every spot, it occurred to him that you had squeezed through the small frame of the window. A piece of your white cloth had caught on the uneven wood, stained red from blood.

Ubbe had seen enough dying men to know you hadn't gravely injured yourself, but he worried just the same. You had abandoned your own well being to escape him. Some of the Christians deserved to feel this fear of his people, but not you. When he had spotted you in that alcove, he knew you were innocent. 

He made his way out of the home, and towards the church, not knowing if he was searching for you or returning to his duties. If he found you again he would keep you safe as his thrall, but he had no way of knowing if someone else had gotten to you first.

It was with dread and relief that he came upon the church. Some had already started fires to cook, and there was much talk about nothing in particular. Ubbe was greeted by many of the faces he passed, and one shieldmaiden informed him that Ivar was looking for him. He was in no hurry to find his youngest sibling, but getting the inevitable over with seemed better than avoidance. Taking the steps two at a time, he climbed up to the double doors.

Their most important and battle-hardened warriors lined the tables, and at the head of the room was Ivar, an ill-favored look in his eyes.

"Brother," He greeted with his arms spread wide. "Where have you been hiding? We thought you'd swam home."

Ubbe sighed under his breath as he began to approach. Ivar was smiling, as he always did these days. He remembered how miserable his little brother used to look dragging himself around Kattegat unless he was with their mother. But even with this new grin, Ubbe thought he looked devoid of joy. There was something else about the look that spoke of unpleasant thoughts, not true happiness.

"Not without my share of the raid," said Ubbe. He spotted Hvitserk down the right from Ivar, who appeared fixated on his drinking horn.

"Right, I hear talk that wives are expensive," Ivar said, and Ubbe was sure there was a jab meant for Margrethe in there. "I myself have already found my share."

Ivar waved for the attention of one of the warriors. This worried Ubbe. Some of them appeared to be acting as his personal guard now, and this appeared to be the start of a greater divide amongst the men. The warrior pulled on a length of rope and Ubbe felt a chill in his spine, like a deep breath before a storm of Thor's. Tied to the bound wrists at the end of the rope was the nun. You cut a sad figure, no better than a flower that had been trampled in a field.

"She might not be worth her weight in gold and silver, but she'll have her uses," said Ivar, taking a measured look at the nun who refused to return his stare.

"To what purpose, brother?" Ubbe tried to speak evenly, not letting on that he held any stock in your treatment.

"I'm a helpless cripple," Ivar smirked, a far cry from helpless. "I need someone at my beck and call to aid in more...menial tasks. Like Margrethe does for you."

Ubbe gritted his teeth. "Margrethe is no longer a thrall, she is my wife."

"Of course. I myself am not looking for a wife, but I do need a thrall." Ivar paused, once again his eyes flitting over you. "She must be clever to have hidden away this long. They found her trying to escape the city in the night."

"Really," Ubbe said, playing along. 

Ivar heaved himself up to a stand on his crutches, and his approach was enough to get you to look up. He stopped just before you, looking down at your white-clothed figure.

"What's your name, Christian?" 

You seemed surprised to hear your own language come from one such as Ivar, but you did not falter. "I am Sister Mary Catharine."

Ivar sounded a malicious little laugh as he turned to Ubbe. "She'll need a new name."

"I'm happy for you, brother. She should be of aid to you."

"I know. What could she have done for you when you shout foreign words in her face?"

So he had known. Ubbe didn't let himself feel surprised by that revelation. Ivar was always steps ahead even if he had to limp to get there. When he refused to say anything more, Ivar continued his gloating. 

"She might not be a great beauty like Margrethe, but she will obey. I like a thrall who stays put." He shifted with an unsteady step and started his way back to the table. No one dared to offer help as he staggered. "Take her to my room, and get her a change of clothes. I don't want her wearing that Christian frock."

Ubbe watched as they dragged the helpless woman away, but you never sought him out in the crowd. All of his reassuring the previous night had been for naught. You did not think of him as an ally, but he would try to help if Ivar got carried away with his cruelty. 

It seemed his little brother already had the ears of the warriors around him, so Ubbe turned and began to leave the church in search of food. He didn't get far when Hvitserk followed after him. 

"Wait a moment," He huffed, catching his breath. "I'm sure she'll be fine, Ubbe. I don't think Ivar will break her so easily."

Ubbe's brows furrowed in thought. "But how did they find her so quickly? Even though she snuck out of the home we hid in, it was a good deal away from the church. No one was looking for her."

Hvitserk hesitated. "I told Ivar about her."

"You told him?" Ubbe's gaze steeled with anger, and he took a threatening step towards Hvitserk. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I need you to be on my side against Ivar. You've seen how he is now, practically leading the army. He doesn't think we're needed here. If you were off protecting that nun, I'd have no chance. I'm not smart like Ivar, and I'm not as strong as you."

Ubbe took in the guilt that Hvitserk was displaying, and clasped him on the shoulder with a firm grasp. "I wouldn't leave you alone, brother."

"Promise?" Hvitserk asked, meeting his eyes. 

Ubbe was suddenly reminded of the two kids they had been, lost on the frozen lake. He nodded.

"Then I'll make sure to keep an eye on the Christian as well. It's the least I can do for putting her with Ivar," said Hvitserk. "But I think she'll be alright. Ivar has always wanted what we've had. This time he'll have something first."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," said Ubbe, smirking when he saw Hvitserk's confusion. "You say you aren't the smartest, but what you've just done is as devious a scheme as Ivar could come up with."

Hvitserk breathed a laugh. "Let's hope the good Sister can survive our boneless brother."

@pomegranates-and-blood

@siren-queen03

@peachyboneless

@didiintheblog

@soleil-dor

@zuxiezendler

@pieces-by-me

@xbellaxcarolinax

@heavenly1927

@everyartistwas-firstanamateur

@youbloodymadgenius

@xceafh

@shannygoatgruff

@tgrrose

@1950schick

@castielsangelsx

@rose1729

@mlchael-guerin

@strangunddurm

[flowercrown-bard]

Jaskier loved Oxenfurt. He really did. The colourful houses, the pubs, the carefree people. It was a wonderful place to come back to. If only the winters weren’t so shit here. The colours were dulled by the perpetual rainclouds and so were the smiles of the people hurrying through the city with their hoods deep in their faces, desperate to get somewhere warm and dry.

Most days the morning sun didn’t manage to break through the clouds either, so what was even the point in opening the curtains?

“Jaskier.” The rough voice was the only thing worth waking up for these days. Inviting Geralt to stay with him for the winter this year might have been the best decision Jaskier has ever made. Right after following the witcher all across the continent. “Time to get up.”

Geralt softly threated his fingers through Jaskier’s hair and Jaskier nuzzled into the touch like a cat dozing in a sunbeam. The promise of spending time with Geralt was almost enough to get Jaskier out of bed. If it weren’t for the fact that it was still cold and dark and miserable outside.

“I don’t want to,” he mumbled, burying his face into his pillow.

Geralt snorted and Jaskier threw a mock-glare in his direction, when Geralt left his side to pull open the curtains.

“Sorry to disappoint,” he said, sounding nowhere close to sorry. “But you are the one who decided to teach here in the winter.”

Jaskier groaned. “It’s not my fault that they decided to make me do morning lectures.” He drew the blanked up to his chin.

Jaskier thought the bemused hum was all the answer he would get, but after a brief pause Geralt said “I thought you said it doesn’t snow in Oxenfurt.”

“It doesn’t,” he said. “It’s just rainy and cold and gross.”

“Then why is it snowing?”

In the blink of an eye, Jaskier was wide awake.

“You’re messing with me.” There was no way it was snowing. In all the years he has come here, it had never once snowed. “I swear, if you are just saying that to get me out of bed, I will write a song about you so scandalous that your brothers will never let you hear the end of it.”

Despite his grumbling he threw the blanket off. He cringed when his feet hit the cold floor, but he ignored it and made his way to the window where Geralt was standing, still looking at him with a slightly amused expression.

Jaskier gasped. It was true. Geralt hadn’t just said it to fuck with him. Granted, there were only a few snowflakes, barely worth mentioning, but it was snow. For a moment, Jaskier’s face was completely blank. Then he broke into a grin, unable to supress the tiny squeal that left him.

“Jaskier, what –“

He ignored Geralt, running to his wardrobe and getting dressed quicker than he had even when some townsfolk decided to chase them out in the early morning hours on their travels.

Geralt blinked at him, when Jaskier threw a scarf at him and grabbed his hand.

“Come on, we don’t have any time to lose!” He beamed, dragging Geralt with him. “I still have an hour left before my lecture starts and I am not wasting it sitting inside.”

--

Jaskier’s hand slipped out of Geralt’s as he ran a few steps ahead. Geralt’s lips twitched, when he saw Jaskier almost shaking with the effort it probably took him not to twirl through the snow. Instead the bard’s hands were fidgeting and he was brimming with unknown energy. The snowfall had picked up since they had come into the park adjoining the academy and Jaskier’s hair was covered in white.

Jaskier turned around and Geralt’s heart skipped a beat. He had seen Jaskier excited over flowers, he had seen him skip barefoot through a meadow. But rarely had he seen Jaskier beam at him, like he was planning on making the sun jealous.

“It’s snowing, Geralt,” he whispered as if he still couldn’t quite grasp it, his voice shaking with thinly veiled excitement that would bubble over at any moment.

“Hm.”

Geralt smiled. The frostwind biting into his skin was no match against the warm that blossomed in his chest, when Jaskier couldn’t contain the laugh any longer. It was a short sound, over far too quickly, but it sounded like sunshine and home. A smile that big shouldn’t be able to fit on anyone’s face, but on Jaskier it looked like it was not big enough for him, like he felt too much to put it into a single smile.

Calm settled over Geralt, as he watched Jaskier close his eyes, just taking in the feeling of the snowflakes coming to rest on his face and melting there. He looked beautiful, with tiny crystals getting caught in his eyelashes and his cheeks red from the cold. A soft melody left Jaskier’s lips. Not a fully written song. Geralt would have known if Jaskier had been composing anything. He had listened to him strumming his lute idly for weeks, but no new tune had come of it. Now though, Jaskier sang again, no full-fledged song, but the result of the happiness he couldn’t express with his words or his smile. It was nowhere close to being as crafty and masterly composed as his other songs. It was perfect.

For what felt like an eternity and not enough time, Geralt watched Jaskier enjoy the snow, listened to his heart pick up speed every once in a while, whenever the realisation that it was actually snowing hit him anew.

Despite how much Jaskier always complains during late autumn nights about freezing unless Geralt held him close, he didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold now, ignoring his bare hands turning red in order to catch snowflakes with them.

Carefully, Geralt slipped one of his hands into Jaskier’s.

When Jaskier’s shining eyes turned to him, he shrugged.

“Wouldn’t want your hands to freeze. If you get too cold, you won’t be able to play the lute.”

Jaskier’s smile brightened impossibly. “You would miss my playing?”

Geralt’s huffed, his lips twitching mischievously. “I don’t want to listen to you complaining all day.” He tilted his head to the side, looking at Jaskier shaking his head in mock indignation. “But yes. I would miss your playing.”

For a moment, Jaskier hesitated, holding Geralt’s gaze with a soft expression. Then he stood on his tiptoes and brushed his cold lips against Geralt’s cheek.

“Thank you, dear.”

Geralt’s heart hammered in his chest. Instead of answering, he squeezed Jaskier’s hand gently.

A shiver shook Jaskier and he hunched his shoulders up.

“Maybe next time you should try to contain your excitement for long enough to remember to bring gloves.”

Jaskier’s lips curled up. “Why would I need gloves when I have you? I do so love holding your hand.” If Geralt hadn’t been looking at Jaskier closely enough to memorize every bit of his happiness, he would have missed the slight dimming of his smile. “And I don’t regret not bringing gloves. The time I would have wasted searching for them is better spent enjoying the snow with you. I could stay out here with you the whole day and it wouldn’t be long enough.”

“Tell that to your students when you are late for your own lecture.”

Jaskier cursed. “Damn it. I forgot about that.” He furrowed his brows, staring off in the direction of the academy. “Do you think I can just skip the class with the excuse that it is snowing?”

Geralt huffed. “It is your class, Jaskier. I don’t think the lecturer gets to skip.” When Jaskier’s nose scrunched up adorably, he added “Don’t worry. It will be winter for quite a while. I’m sure you’ll get many more chances to enjoy the snow. Just you wait, three more weeks of this and you will get sick of all the snow and cold.”

Jaskier gasped. “I would never!” He looked away. “And it’s not like I would get the chance to anyway. Need I remind you that this is Oxenfurt? The place of grey winterskies and muddy rain? It’s a wonder it is snowing today at all.”

“In Kaer Morhen it snows the whole winter through.” Geralt hesitated, risking a quick glance at Jaskier, begging that he wasn’t being too forward. Jaskier’s face betrayed no emotion, but his breath hitched and his grip on Geralt’s hands tightened the tiniest bit. Geralt closed his eyes, praying he didn’t misread this. “You…there are no parks to stroll around in. And it would probably be too cold for you to be outside very long, but…” He swallowed, when Jaskier turned his head back to him, a hesitant smile on his face and Geralt’s heart dared to hope. “But we have a library and you could sit on a windowsill watching the snow fall…” He trailed off, unsure of what else to say without sounding foolish.

Jaskier picked up his thoughts. “And in the evening I could curl up next to the fireplace with a warm blanket around my shoulders and my dearest friend by my side?”

The sudden lump that formed in Geralt’s throat at the thought of holding Jaskier close in the Kaer Morhen library, maybe pressing a kiss into his hair while his friend rested his head on Geralt’s shoulder, made it impossible to speak, so instead he just nodded.

Jaskier smiled again, not with the excitement of being in the snow, but with a softness and something else Geralt couldn’t quite name shining in his eyes. He lifted Geralt’s hand and pressed a quick kiss on the back of it.

“I would love to come with you next year.”

“I would love to have you there.”

--

The snow didn’t last that day. Far too quickly, it turned back into rain and muddied the streets. Jaskier went back to his rooms, where Geralt had already made a fire in the hearth. When he saw Jaskier enter, Geralt looked up from where he sat on the floor and lifted the blanket that laid over his shoulders invitingly. Without hesitation, Jaskier snuggled against him, resting his head on his shoulder and smiling as the warmth of the flames danced across his face. Winter in Oxenfurt was miserable. But he had a feeling, this time around, it would be the most wonderful time he could have.

[sparklyaxolotlstudent]

Inspired by @imthepunchlord​  post about Julegami 

I made this ficlet. The main difference is that this will be about their relationship as friends, nothing romantic between them.

So... uh...

FRIENDship?

Tiger and Dragon?

As usual, I’ll think on a title later.

-

“They’re made for each other. Tatsu, let’s go”

The A.I. that they used as a butler started the car and they went.

Kagami felt a bit weird she loved Adrien, so why wasn’t she jealous of Marinette? She actually felt happy for her… for them. Well, of course with Adrien indecisiveness and Marinette being pretty much in denial they had a lot of work to do… maybe she could… no, no, no, she will not interfere in her best friend romantic stuff… unless she asked… or she dragged her again in one of her crazy shenanigans…

And she was still a bit mad at Adrien… and not really ready to hang out with him as friends, so Marinette was on her own.

…

And so was she.

She looked outside, and saw the rain fall in the Parisian streets. Hope her mother was at their home by now and she would…

Wait…

Her mother had given her permission to hang out with Marinette, she could take advantage of that and enjoy a bit of…

But Marinette was with Adrien now, so she should return home and…

Or should she…

Since Adrien was with Marinette (hopefully) and her mother thought she was with Marinette (Only her could perform the miracle of her mom allowing her free time) she could do wathever she wanted!

And she wanted to hang out with Marinette. Phooey!

But with Marinette unavailable, what else she could do?

“Tatsu, let’s go to the Liberty”

She ordered, without thinking. The Liberty was the place Marinette hanged out the most with the rest of her friends, be it rehearsals for Kitty Section, hanging out with the girl squad, or plan shenanigans (she remembered most of them were there when they recorded their videos for Adrien)

She quickly texted Juleka Couffaine to see if they were free and wanted to spend time with her.

Part of her feared that Juleka would say “No” since they hadn’t had one on one time before, but if Marinette had taught her anything, it was that her friends were open to friendship. She had even hanged out without Adrien in their “girl squad” reunions, and to be honest, Juleka seemed te most interesting of the bunch. Alya was a little too obsessed with making “Adrienette” happen (The reason she had stopped hanging out with them when she and Adrien became an official couple). Alix was too blunt, and hit a little too close to home to be completely honest. Rose was too bubbly and Mylene spend the whole time talking about Ivan or her environmental work, which she admired, but she wanted to relax in these hang outs.

Juleka was shy and unassuming, but Kagami had heard of her wanting to be a model, and about how she became Reflekta the first time. Being the daughter of someone like Anarka (Which Kagami still doubted was a real, legal name) it seemed odd that she wouldn’t be a Chaotic “does-what-she-wants” kind of girl. -Either way, Kagami found her interesting.

She gave a start when the sound and vibration on her phone alerted her for a new message.

“Sure” it was all of Juleka’s reply.

She arrived at the Liberty, not sure what would happen without Marinette there.

-

“It’s okay for me to be here?” Asked Kagami once she was inside the ship. Juleka nodded.

“Yeah, I was just going to watch a movie with my brother”

A movie! Perfect! They wouldn’t have to talk, and Kagami would be able to just turn her brain off and enjoy the mayhem.

“Oh, what movie?”

“There’s a new movie named ‘Luca’, and my brother’s name is ‘Luka’ so we thought it would be appropriate to watch it together”

“Your mom is going to watch it too?” Kagami was honestly a bit afraid of Anarka Couffaine. Nothing in particular, just the way the others talked about her, she seemed to be the polar opposite of her own mother, and that was a bit intimidating, as she wouldn’t know how to act in front of her. With her mother it was easy, she had known her her whole life. With Mrs. Cheng it was also easy, as she was just a grown-up Marinette and she could relax. With someone with an opposite alignment as her own mom? It was unexplored terrain.

“Nah, Mom is out, probably committing a crime or two.” Kagami just stared at Juleka, who chuckled. “I’m only joking, she’s running some errands”

“Oh… so… do you have Disney plus?”

“…”

“Oh right, forgot where I was”

Juleka lead Kagami to the room where they would watch the movie, where Luka was connecting a lap top to the TV.

“Hey, we have a guest.”

“Really? Oh, hey Kagome, right?”

“That’s the girl from Inuyasha. She’s Kagami”

“To be fair, it’s not the first time I’m called that. Few repeat that mistake” tried to joke Kagami. Luka stared at her a bit afraid, while Juleka chuckled.

“He’s a bit slow, but I’m sure he’ll get it. So, what do you want to drink?”

“Orange juice if you have, if not, water is fine”

“We have orange soda, if you wanna try it”

“I don’t know…”

“It’s okay if you don’t like it, it’s not like we will force you to finish it. Same with the popcorn, we have regular butter and salt ones, cheddar ones (Plagg somehow felt as if someone was calling him) and butter and toffee ones. I like the cheddar ones, Juleka likes the sweet ones.”

Kagami couldn’t help but smile. Sure, the soda and the popcorn were WAY outside of her regular diet, but a single day of not following wouldn’t hurt. Plus, if her mom somehow figured out, she could always say it was Marinette’s idea and she would accept it.”

Kagami accepted the orange soda (which she ended up liking) and the regular popcorn (She didn’t want to overwhelm her senses)

And so, her new adventure started, and the Couffaine sibling and their plus one got comfy to watch the movie. Kagami felt a bit odd, but was comfortable enough to enjoy the experience.

“Sorry I tried to kidnap you” Blurted out Juleka out of nowhere.

“Ah, don’t worry about … wait what”

Luka chuckled at her sister’s revelation and had to pause the movie while his sister explained what had happened (Another of Alya’s plans to make Adrinette happen)… Kagami couldn’t say she was surprised.

“Aw, you should have kidnapped me. That trip was boring, my mom didn’t let me alone for a second, and I tried to explore London with Adrien, but he was busy the whole weekend with his dad too.

“Yeah, he was searching for constipation medicine for Marinette”

 “what”

Yeah hanging out with Juleka (and her brother that dresses like a hobo) was definitively helping Kagami to take her mind off of things

-

No idea were to go from here. The “reserved girl with a rebel streak” making friends with the “Wild girl who is actually shy”  is a goldmine for interactions, but I’ll see if this is a one shot or if I can continue it with more shenanigans. 

Specially if Kagami also befriends Luka and they shit-talk their exes. 

I also might wait until Juleka gets her Miraculous and see if I can do a reveal or something. 

[inkjackets]

The Pull of the Past

this was written for the @adrienagrestezine​: Silver Lining. (leftover sales are currently ongoing, so if you haven’t got a copy already, head over and grab one while you still can!!)

AO3

“Hey, mum.” Adrien’s voice rang out softly in the small courtyard. The ground was warm beneath him and the late afternoon sun lit the world a fierce gold. He ran his fingers over the rough paving stones before raising his head to meet the stony eyes of his mother’s statue, sitting serene and tranquil in the alcove surrounded by rose bushes.

“I found out who Hawkmoth is today,” he said, deathly quiet. Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat and ignored the burning in his eyes. “He told me what he’s doing, why he wants the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous.”

Adrien dug his nails into his palm; he clenched his stomach; he grimaced as the tears he was forcing back disobeyed him and spilt down his cheeks, dripping pat-pat onto the pavement beneath him.

“He just sat down and told me,” he whispered with disbelief, “as if he were telling me of an upcoming trip to Milan.” He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I love you so much.” His voice cracked. “But I can’t betray Ladybug. I love her too.” Tears leaked past his palms and his breathing shuddered and he started to tremble.

“But I miss you.” Sobs wracked his body as he broke down crying, the sun warming his shoulders but unable to touch the cold deep inside him. 

Memories came to him then, lighting up his mind. Her sweeping him up in her arms and pecking him on the nose. Her laughter dancing among the notes of the piano she played. Her embrace, so warm, as she held him, that soft smile on her lips which told him everything would be okay. And Adrien wept for that smile. He needed to see it again. He needed her back.

A gentle breeze blew through the small garden. The leaves and flowers rustled in the wind and swept through Adrien’s hair. He lifted his head and inhaled the sweet-smelling earth. Ever so slowly his shuddering breath evened; the tears on his cheeks dried; the pain twisting inside him gave way to numbness, and he gazed at the stone carrying the likeness of his mother.

“What do I do?” His words drifted around the courtyard, catching the light. But the statue remained silent and didn’t reply.

Time lost all meaning as Adrien sat there. The sun dipped below the walls and took the warmth from the air, lights appeared in the windows beyond, and his mother gazed down with cold eyes of stone, unseeing and unable to comfort him. He shivered.

A gentle sound from behind him broke the silence.

“Adrien?”

Adrien turned and was faced with the stunning blue of Ladybug’s eyes. The world around him fell away. He forgot how to breathe; she was beautiful. Her dark hair fluttered in front of her captivating eyes, flecked with gold from the setting sun, and her pale cheeks were flushed from the cool evening air. They both gazed at each other, their only audience, his mother.  

“I’m sorry, is this a bad time?” Ladybug asked quietly.

Adrien breathed and the world came back. He glanced at the statue of his mother and wiped the dried tears from his cheeks, but when he tried to speak a lump rose in his throat and blocked the words from coming out.

Ladybug shifted. “I’ll come back later,” she said, drawing out her yoyo.

“No!” Adrien grabbed her wrist. She looked at him, wide-eyed. “Don’t go,” he whispered. Ladybug’s cheeks flushed and he could feel heat creep into his own. 

Ladybug bit her lip and glanced back at the house. “Your father…” she began. 

Adrien shook his head. “He’s abroad. And took Nathalie with him.”

“Your chauffeur?”

Adrien fell silent a moment. “We can trust him,” he said and knew it to be true.

Ladybug smiled. “Okay,” she said simply and sat down beside him.

Adrien relaxed. He began to let her wrist slide from his grasp, but then she grabbed his hand. He looked at her. Ladybug gave a small smile and weaved her fingers through his, holding him tight. Adrien felt his tension flow out into her as warmth spread up his arm and it was such a relief he felt light-headed. He took a shaky breath in, inhaling her scent of fresh bread and sunshine, and gazed back at the statue of his mother. 

They both sat there in silence as dusk turned to darkness and the cool bite of night rose in the air. The deep cold within Adrien failed to shift but sitting here with her took the edge off his pain.

“About a week after she disappeared I found myself here,” Adrien said quietly, breaking the silence. “It was pouring with rain, I was soaked instantly, but I had to see her.” Pain tugged at his gut. “I sat in her lap and begged her to speak, to hug me back, anything.” He fell silent. “The next thing I knew my father was there. Water ran down his face and I couldn’t tell if it was tears or the rain, but…” The barest of smiles rose on his lips. “He held me. The three of us held each other. And that’s the first time since she disappeared that I remember feeling warm.” The smile faded from his lips. “But then he said… he said something which made me turn cold.” Adrien swallowed as that horrible feeling took over him again. “He said he’d bring her back.” His voice was low and edged with pain. “No matter the cost.”

Adrien looked at the ground. At the time he hadn’t known what his father had meant, but now he understood, no matter how much he wished he didn’t. He dug his nails into his palms. 

He knew he had to tell Ladybug that his father was Hawkmoth, but he needed a moment. A moment to grieve for the loss of his mother, and for the loss of the father he realized he’d never had. 

“I truly hope she comes back to you one day,” Ladybug said.

Adrien’s jaw clenched. Darkness curled in his gut. 

“She won’t,” he said, and terror clawed its way through him because he knew it to be true. “She won’t ever come back, not unless… unless…” he slammed his hands to his mouth and tears spilt down his cheeks.

The next thing he knew he was engulfed in Ladybug’s warmth as she pulled him close. He gripped her tight and gritted his teeth and buried his head in her shoulder and his chest spasmed with sobs. She whispered soothing noises in his hair, holding him despite his shaking.

“I miss her, Ladybug!” he cried into her shoulder, “But I can’t… I can’t… I…I—” He grimaced and held down a wail and dug his nails into her shoulders as turmoil surged within him. And he cried, he sobbed, for the choice he had to make. Knowing he was doing the right thing didn’t make it any easier to say.

He choked down his tears and sucked in a deep breath. “I-I know who he is,” he said, voice strained, “Hawkmoth.”

He felt Ladybug tense. She slowly pulled back and cool air rushed between them. “What?” Adrien stared at the ground unable to meet her eyes. “Adrien.” She tilted his chin up, forcing him to meet her gaze. Tears swam in his eyes, blurring his vision, but the blueness of her eyes shone through. “Who, Adrien?”

Adrien pulled his head out of her grip and looked away. For a moment the only sound was the soft pat-pat of his tears hitting the ground.

“Who else,” he said numbly, “would cause me this much grief?”

And Adrien could feel Ladybug’s horror. “Your father,” she said, barely above a whisper.

Adrien didn’t say anything. Silence swirled around them.

“He’s going to bring her back,” he whispered.

Ladybug looked at him with dismay. She raised a hand and straightened his collar that had bent out of place. “Oh, Adrien,” she said. Adrien felt her fingers shake as they trailed his shoulder. “We have to stop him,” she said quietly.

“Do we?” he said. The words left a bitter taste in his mouth and he regretted them instantly. 

Ladybug eyed him. “You should go to your room,” she said, and pulled out her yoyo, “I’m going to get Chat Noir.”

Adrien placed his hand on her yoyo and made her lower it.

“I’m Chat Noir,” he said quietly. Ladybug blinked. An uncertain laugh escaped her lips, but it faded quickly when his expression didn’t change.

“You’re being serious,” she said.

He simply held her gaze. Her eyes widened. Ladybug sat back with a thump and brushed her fringe back.

Adrien’s heart thumped in his chest and mouth grew dry as she continued to stare at him. But then her mouth widened into a grin. Tears glistened in her eyes and goosebumps rose on Adrien’s skin when her soft laugh rang out.

“Mon Chaton,” she said. She placed her hand on his cheek. Adrien felt his soul calm as he gazed into her eyes, so bright and full of love and life.

“Adrien…” Ladybug took a deep breath. “I’m Marinette.” Adrien’s heart stopped. “Dupain-Cheng,” she added, as if he wouldn’t know.

His eyes traced her hair, her nose, her lips, before meeting once more the blue of her eyes. 

A bubble of warmth rose within him and a smile grew wide on his face. 

“How didn’t I guess?” he gave a soft laugh and Ladybug blushed.

The moon appeared from behind a cloud and distracted them both as it bathed the world in silver.

“So,” Ladybug began, her voice soft in the moonlight, “what’s the plan now?”

Adrien turned his gaze to the stars, now shining in their hundreds, and took a deep breath of the fresh night air. He had a choice to make. He could drown in the past, or in Ladybug’s blue eyes. And he knew which he’d rather. 

“My father gets back in the morning,” he said quietly, “We’ll take him by surprise.”

Ladybug looked at him. There was a sadness in her gaze, but a determination as well. She took his hand once more, weaved her fingers through his, and nodded. 

They both looked back to the statue of his mother. It must have been the way the moonlight shone on her, but Adrien swore he saw her smile. He felt a warmth rise in him then. It wasn't enough to drown out the cold, but it was a start.

And though he wished time would stand still so he could sit here forever, he knew that, as long as his mother watched over him and his lady was by his side, he could resist the pull of the past.

He gave Ladybug’s hand a gentle squeeze. She squeezed back.

He had a future and he wanted to live it.

[girls-scenarios]

With The Rain

Idol: Yoohyeon (Dreamcatcher)

Prompt: Hi! I'm so excited to see Dreamcatcher getting so many reactions and oneshots! They deserve so much love! No pressure, but if possible could I request a Yoohyeon scenario where: Yoohyeon and the fem Reader are both superheroes guarding different towns, and they send penpal notes to each other because they have a crush on each other. And one day Reader doesn't respond and Yoohyeon goes to her town to make sure she's okay and finds that her nemesis has finally captured her! Cue an angry rescue!

Writer: Admin Kiwi

A/N: Ugh I suck at titles. Also, this took me forever to write because I kind of forgot how to write an action sequence. And it’s LONG. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this scenario!

Warnings: Weapons (guns), fighting, violence but nothing too graphic, cursing.

♡ Tip Jar♡

Now, under normal circumstances, Yoohyeon wouldn’t have been worried over your silence. She would have just figured that you out saving your city again and that you’d write her back when you could. After all, being a super hero was a busy job that didn’t save a ton of time for writing letters, and you could take care of yourself if anything came up. There had been plenty of times when the two of you had taken short breaks from letter writing to fight some crime. But this time, it was different. This time you weren’t answering her texts either.

Yoohyeon bit her lip as she stared down at her phone, stalling in the long hallway leading to the kitchen. You hadn’t even read the messages she’d sent to you over the course of the past four days and that wasn’t like you. The nagging feeling of unease at the back of her brain was now turning into worry as she sent another text and sighed, running her hand through her hair. What could be happening to keep you away for this long?

“They’re probably fine,” Siyeon said from behind her, making her jump and spin around, letting out a groan.

“Tell me when you’re going to teleport behind me, please,” Yoohyeon grumbled at the older woman, shoving her phone down into her back pocket despite the growing anxiety in her chest. The familiar hallway walls, covered in photos of the team, suddenly felt closer together.

“That would ruin the surprise.” Siyeon shrugged, then raised her eyebrows. “Why are you so worried about (Y/N) anyway? They can handle themselves just fine.”

“I know that.” Yoohyeon sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. “But it’s not like them to just disappear on me, you know? I have this weird feeling....”

“Weirder than sending letters to each other like my grandparents?”

“We’re pen pals and it’s cute, Siyeon. And I’m being serious, I just feel uneasy. I can’t stop worrying about them. About us.”

The older woman seemed to consider this for a moment. “Well, we don’t have anything going on over here. Why don’t you go to their town and see what’s up? Maybe they need some help.”

“That wouldn’t be weird?”

“I mean, if you’re really worried and this isn’t like them, then it would probably make you feel better to go check on them, right? I bet they’re just sick. And if they are okay and they’re just ignoring you on purpose, then tell them off because that’s a dick thing to do.”

She was right. Yoohyeon couldn’t help being a bit nervous that maybe you were ghosting her and didn’t want to see her, but she knew that wasn’t something you would do. Maybe you were sick. So she took out her phone again and checked the time. “Alright. I’ll go over there. Make sure Jiu knows that I’m heading out. I should be home in an hour if nothing goes wrong.”

“And if you aren’t?”

“I’ll send you some sort of signal if I get into trouble.” She slipped past Siyeon and gave her a smile as she walked back to her room. “Thanks for the advice.”

Waving her hand, Siyeon smiled and shrugged again. “No problem,” she said, giving the younger woman a mock salute before disappearing into a cloud of smoke, probably on her way back to the kitchen.

In her room, Yoohyeon quickly grabbed her suit and stuffed it into her bag, along with the long distance Bluetooth earpiece that doubled as a tracker that Handong, the technical brain of the team, had given all of them for emergencies. Then, with a stop in the bathroom to make sure she looked acceptable, she was out the door on her way to your town, her heart beating heavy in her chest. Above her head, clouds began to gather, slowly blocking out the sun.

-

As soon as she arrived in your town, she knew something was wrong. The smell of smoke hung in the air and the streets were deserted. Even the usually busy town hall outside the union station was empty except for the workers, and she frowned, furrowing her brow as she slipped into the bathroom and pulled out her phone. With her heart beginning to pound in her chest, she checked the news for your town, cursing herself for not doing so earlier. The first thing that popped up was a warning for citizens to stay home, and her stomach fell.

The terrorist group known as the Earth Order has returned from hiding after breaking their leader Hornet from prison. This weekend, they stormed the city bank and took everyone inside hostage. Superhero (Y/N) arrived on the scene but has not been seen again since the incident. Law enforcement have warned citizens to stay inside as they are trying to negotiate and have been working with other local heroes, but the public has started to fear the worst.

Yoohyeon swore at herself under her breath and grabbed her suit, internally kicking herself. Of course it was Hornet! You’d told her that he’d been broken out of prison only days before you stopped responding. Why hadn’t she checked the news earlier? Because she was scared that you’d lost interest in her? Because she’d been distracted by her feelings for you? If only she’d known, she could have come earlier. She could have helped you. She could have stopped you from being hurt.

Fear mixed with rage as she slid her mask over her face, concealing her true identity. She wasn’t sure what was going on with the other heroes and law enforcement, but she had to get in there and help you, no matter what she did. As she stuffed her civilian clothes back into her bag, her phone rang and she glanced at the caller. Jiu.

“Something happened,” the older woman said as soon as Yoohyeon answered the phone. “What’s wrong.”

“How did you know?” Yoohyeon asked, slipping her bag over her shoulder as she prepared to leave.

“The weather doesn’t usually go from sunny to a downpour unless you have something to do with it.”

“Oh.” Sure enough, when she stepped out of the bathroom, rain was pouring from the now grey skies, pounding against the ground. Sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her neck. “Yep, that’s me. Sorry, I thought I had more control over my powers now.”

“It’s only when you get really upset. So I know something happened.”

“(Y/N) was captured by Hornet, their nemesis. They went into the bank building after them a few days ago and they haven’t been seen since.”

“That is bad,” Jiu said, and Yoohyeon could hear her leader typing on the other side of the line. “Do you want us to come as backup? I can get the rest of the girls suited up in no time.”

“No, not right now.” Yoohyeon narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw. This was something she had to do. “I’ll send a panic alert through the tracker if I run into trouble. There are heroes here on the ground. I’ll think something up.”

“Well, if you’re sure. Good luck.”

“Thanks, Jiu.” Yoohyeon ended the call and slipped her phone into her bag, attached the Bluetooth to her ear, and turned on the tracker. With that, she stowed her bag in one of the lockers at the nearby bus station and took off through the rain, headed straight for the bank.

-

It didn’t take long for her to find it. She didn’t know the layout of your town all that well, but all she had to do was follow the smoke and, soon, the sound of sirens. Squad cars, firetrucks, and ambulances crowded and blocked the road as she reached the scene, and she immediately spotted the team of heroes you worked with gathered behind one of the trucks, speaking to local law enforcement. The bank doors were closed, but the windows were broken and smoking, and blackened, burnt-out cars cluttered the surrounding streets. Frowning, she stayed out of sight from the bank’s many windows, looking the tall building up and down from behind one of the cars. For the first time, she wished she had Siyeon’s power of teleportation. The place looked impenetrable.

After surveying the scene, she stayed low and approached the large truck, trying her best to stay out of sight. At the sound of her footsteps, one of your teammates turned around and gasped.

“Rain? What are you doing here?” At the sound of his voice the rest of the team turned around and she pressed a finger to her lips, joining them in their hiding spot.

“I’m here because I heard what happened to (Y/N).”

“Oh.” Another one of your teammates, Dazzler, twisted her hands, throwing a worried glance up at the building. “Were you worried too?”

“Of course, we’re close.” That was all they needed to know for now. “What’s the situation?”

“It’s not good.” Your team leader Miniaturist stepped up, shaking her head. “We arrived as backup as soon as communication from (Y/N) cut out inside the bank, but Hornet called in reinforcements and he knows we’re here. We can’t just run inside because we don’t know where his hostages are and we don’t need any more civilians getting hurt. Any time we get close, members of the terrorist group come pouring out. We’ve gone through so many, but they just keep coming. We have no idea how many people are inside.”

“That is a rough situation.” Yoohyeon crossed her arms, trying to think. “Does he know all of your powers?”

“Sort of. I was able to shrink myself down and slip in one of the first floor windows without anyone noticing, but they’ve locked and sealed the doors to the stairs so that I couldn’t climb in and unlock it, and I can’t just use the elevator. They’re using the bank cameras to track our every move.”

“I could short circuit the cameras,” added your other teammate Shocker, “but I can’t get close enough without getting shot at or attacked. They always see us coming.”

Hornet had really covered every one of his bases this time. Yoohyeon glanced around the team, then back at the building. Any rescue attempt would be risky at this point, but she had to get in there. They couldn’t let this go on any longer. Using Shocker was their best bet, but how could they get him close enough?

An idea hit her and she brought her hand up to her Bluetooth. “Shocker, do you think you’d have enough time to short circuit the cameras if we teleported you in close enough?”

“I can do it in seconds, but we don’t have anyone like that on our team.”

“I do.” She pressed the button and waited until Jiu’s voice cut through the static.

“Yoohyeon, what’s up?”

“Can you have Vanisher teleport to my location?”

“In her suit?”

“Yes please.”

“I’m on it.”

The Bluetooth cut out and Yoohyeon brought her hand down. “She should be here any minute.”

“Teleportation is exactly what we need,” Miniaturist said, perking up for the first time. “Once the cameras are down, they can only see us from the windows. There are plenty of blind spots in the back of the building. I’ll go through the back door and see if I can scope out the place. Once we have an idea of what we’re dealing with, we can send a team to the front of the building to distract Hornet. He doesn’t know you or Vanisher are here, and that gives us an advantage. You guys can go around the back and take him by surprise while we draw his backup away from you.”

“That sounds like a great idea.” A little poof of smoke revealed a grinning Siyeon and everyone jumped upon her arrival, spinning around to look at her.

“Woah, you really can teleport,” commented Shocker, holding his hand to his chest in shock, and she laughed.

“Of course I can! Now, who am I taking to stop the cameras?” She was as nonchalant as ever when faced with danger and Yoohyeon felt a bit better now that she was there. The situation felt a bit more familiar.

“It’s me,” Shocker said, raising his hand, and Siyeon grabbed him by his shoulders, still grinning.

“I’ll try to hold you still so that you don’t get sick. Just ready yourself, okay?” She didn’t give him enough time to resist, disappearing with him in her arms. After a moment, Yoohyeon heard electricity popping and then the fire of automatic guns. Dazzler’s face with white, but with a poof of smoke, Siyeon and Shocker appeared again behind the truck, unharmed.

“Oh thank goodness,” Dazzler said, putting a hand to her chest and letting out a sigh of relief, and Shocker gave her a thumbs up despite looking a bit sick.

“Cameras are all down. I accidentally turned out all their electricity for a minute too but it’s hard to control your power after your entire body is transported through space and time somehow.”

“That’s being dramatic,” Siyeon said, dusting off her suit and looking around. “What’s the plan now?”

“It’s my turn.” Miniaturist disappeared from her spot and Siyeon blinked.

“Wait, I thought they didn’t have a teleporter.”

“We don’t.” A faint voice came from the ground and both Siyeon and Yoohyeon looked down to see a tiny woman waving at them. “I’m going to run around the back and scope out the area. I’ll communicate with my team and have them rely information to you.” With that, Miniaturist jumped up to the top of the truck, leaving Siyeon and Yoohyeon to stare in surprise.

“Man, that’s one weird power. How did she do that?” Siyeon asked, and Dazzler grinned.

“Something about keeping the power she has at normal size when she’s miniature. Isn’t it cool?”

“It really is. It’s useful during times like this too.”

“Yep.” Shocker sat down, rubbing his hands together to recharge his powers. “Now we just sit here and wait.”

-

“She was able to get into the back stairwell.” Dazzler reported, “They’re holding the civilian hostages on the second floor with ten guards. There are terrorist goons on every floor and there’s someone with a gun at every window. The third floor is full of them, it seems like that’s where the reinforcements are. They’re using the back stairwell. She was able to get to each floor other than the sixth, because there’s a blockade there. She thinks that’s where Hornet and (Y/N) are.” Pulling her hand away from her ear, Dazzler peeked out to look at the building and sighed. “We’re way outnumbered. Even if these guys don’t have powers, they have weapons and there’s a lot of them.”

“We have a member who can control metal.” At Yoohyeon’s words, everyone turned to look at her and Dazzler raised her eyebrows.

“That would help. Could you get her here?”

“I can.” The words barely left Siyeon’s mouth before she disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

When she reappeared, it was with two women instead of one. “I brought our leader too. She controls fire and can make explosions.”

“Hi,” Jiu said, waving a hand as she stepped forward. “I’m Firefly, but you guys can call me Jiu.”

“And I’m Handong. You might also know me as Silver.” Handong waved her gloved hand as well, glancing around the team. “We got the rundown from Siyeon. When are we going in?”

Shocker smiled and waved back at them, even though he looked a bit queasy when he saw them teleport. “Whenever our leader gets back from scoping the place out.”

“I’m back.” The voice made them all jump, then Miniaturist’s sudden appearance made them jump again. She was slightly dusty and she frowned as she brushed off her suit.

“I thought they didn’t have a teleporter?” Jiu asked, and Miniaturist laughed.

“I don’t teleport, I get really tiny. Hence my name, Miniaturist.”

“That makes a lot of sense. I’m Firefly, nice to meet you. This beside me is Silver. We’re here to help. I control fire and she controls metal.”

“This is good.” Miniaturist crossed her arms. “Here’s what we’ll do. Silver, we need you here. Shocker, Dazzler, and I will charge in from the front as a distraction, but there are snipers in every window. We need your cover long enough for the others to wipe out the snipers. Vanisher, Rain, and Firefly will go around the back to wipe out the snipers and rescue the hostages, including (Y/N). Does that all sound good?” The team looked at each other and nodded, and Miniaturist put her hand into the middle of the circle. “Then let’s do this. For the hostages, and for (Y/N).”

Yoohyeon’s heart began to beat a bit faster as she put her hand into the circle and cheered with the rest of them. Miniaturist hadn’t been able to find you, were you really inside? Were you okay? Where could Hornet be hiding you? Were you...? She didn’t let herself finish the question, instead clenching her teeth together and holding onto Siyeon. She couldn’t let herself get upset before the mission even started.

“Now!” Miniaturist yelled, and a blast of blinding light from Dazzler signaled the charge. With that, Yoohyeon’s world went momentarily black.

When she came back, she was dizzy and standing in front of the back door. No matter how many times she teleported, she always ended up feeling strange. As she got her balance back, she watched Jiu try the doorknob.

“She must have unlocked it,” the oldest girl said as she swung the door open. “Let’s go.”

“Do we have a plan?” Siyeon asked as the three of them slipped inside, and Jiu scanned the ceiling.

“I do. I’m going to set of the smoke alarms and the sprinklers. That way Yoohyeon will never run out of water to manipulate and the terrorists will be confused. We need to hit the second floor with the hostages first after we shock them so we catch them by surprise and there’s less chance for people to get hurt.”

“That’s a good idea.” Yoohyeon stopped, tried another door, and nodded for the other girls to come over. “Here are the stairs. We should be able to find a smoke detector in here somewhere.” Outside, the sounds of fighting were loud, and she shuddered at the constant firing of the guns. She knew Handong was good, but they had never faced off against this many enemies before. She could only hope that the other woman could handle it.

“Here’s one! And on the third floor, great.” Jiu stopped and opened her palm. After a second, a fire popped to life above her skin and she held it up to the detector, stretching her arms to reach. At first, nothing happened. Then a piercing siren echoed throughout the building and sprinklers sputtered to life, drenching the floor in seconds.

“Shit, what the fuck was that?”

“I don’t know, but now the elevators won’t work!”

Inside the door that Yoohyeon guessed led to the room where the hostages were being held, she could hear confused yelling. Quickly, the three women moved behind the door and listened to the thud of booted feet rumbling towards the stairwell door.

As soon as the door opened and two men stepped out, Siyeon slammed the door behind them and Yoohyeon manipulated the water, turning the downpour into a whip and sending the two flying down the stairs. There was a crack when their heads landed, and the didn’t move again. Satisfied, the girls turned again to the door.

“Why did you slam the door?” Three more men walked through and Yoohyeon gave them the same treatment, using her water to ram them against the wall. They would be fine, but they wouldn’t wake up for a while.

“That’s five,” Jiu whispered, “five left.”

“Hey, what’s going on out there?” Another voice sounded from behind the door, and they looked at each other. Was this really going to be this easy?

“You goddamn fool! Don’t go through that door, there has to be someone out there!” The next fool foiled their hope for an easy take down. Hearing this, Yoohyeon turned her body to water and slipped underneath the door to look. Five more armed men stood inside, and the biggest one was blocking the rest of the men from the door, glaring at them with his weapon in his hands.

“But who? The whole team is-.”

“They must have called reinforcements. We have to warn Hornet.”

“Oh no you don’t!” Just as quick as she’d turned to water, she returned to her solid form, landing a solid kick against the man’s throat. He choked and went down, and the rest of the men raised their guns, only for them to melt in their hands, making them gasp and scream as it burnt their skin.

“Awe, is it too hot in here for you boys?” Jiu stood in the doorway, her hands and eyes aflame. “Why don’t I make it a bit hotter?” She aimed her arm at one of the big guns at the broken-out window and the goon in her way screamed and dove out of the way just in time to avoid the wave of fire that melted the gun and exploded some of the glass. “Oh, I see you have a survival instinct.”

A few of the men had made a run for the door, but Siyeon was quick and well trained. She kicked one of them, sending him tumbling back against the man running behind him, then jumped onto the back of another, wrapping her legs around his neck and sending him down. With a poof of smoke, she was gone and back again with rope, and soon, all the goons were sat in the corner, their hands and legs tied and their weapons melted or disintegrated.

The scared hostages, mostly bank workers, stared at them with wide eyes as they approached, as if they couldn’t believe they were really there.

“You came to save us?” One woman asked, and Jiu nodded, bending down with a soft smile to burn through the ropes binding them, setting them free.

“We came to save you. Come on, we’ll take you down the back stairs, but we have to be fast. Since the elevators are off, reinforcements might come down the stairs.

The hostages were weak after sitting bound on the floor for so long and most of them stumbled and fell, but with Siyeon’s help for the weakest ones, they were able to get every one of them to the ambulances waiting outside. Still, Yoohyeon couldn’t rest. She was anxious to get back inside.

As the three of them once again entered the stairwell, Jiu turned to Yoohyeon. “I know you want to go find (Y/N), so you should. Siyeon and I can handle the rest of them.”

“Are you sure?”

“We’re sure.” Siyeon patted her shoulder. “If you can’t get around the blockage, call me. And good luck.”

Setting her jaw, Yoohyeon nodded at her teammates, thankful that they understood. “Good luck.” With that, she turned and headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time in her rush. She could still hear gunfire, but she focused on her mission: she had to get to you and trust in the others to be able to handle the rest of the situation. So up she went, running as fast as she could to get to the top.

Just as she was about to round the last set of stairs to get to the blockade, an explosion from above rocked the building and she threw herself onto the floor, covering her head as rubble showered down around her. When the dust settled around her, she slowly stood up and crept up the rest of the stairs to the next landing, every sense on high alert. The air was still cloudy and she had to resist the urge to cough just in case someone was close by. Thankfully, the landing was still intact, but as she looked up at the next set of stairs, she realized what the explosion had been.

The bottom half of the stairs where the blockade had been had been reduced to rubble that cluttered the stairs below, leaving a gaping hole impossible to jump over. At least, for a regular person. Yoohyeon furrowed her eyebrow and looked up. The next landing was still intact was well, although obviously shaken and unsafe. Did this mean Hornet knew they were in the building? He had destroyed his one escape route outside the elevator. He was desperate.

Yoohyeon stepped back until she hit the wall and studied the gap. Going back now was no option. She’d have to jump it.

She closed her eyes and breathed slow and deep, feeling the water all around her and connecting it with her body. Then she readied herself to run in the small space, placing one foot in front of the other and outstretching her hands behind her. It was a technique she’d seen Jiu use, and even though she’d never tried with water before, it had to work.

When she opened her eyes, she started to run, going as fast as she possibly could. Then, at the very last moment as her foot hit the edge of the gap, she jumped and released a jet of water from her hands, propelling her up and forwards at high speed. Her feet landed on the remaining steps and she almost felt relief until the unstable concrete gave out beneath her and she threw herself forward, grabbing onto the corner of the landing to catch herself. The sharp end cut into her hand but she held on, getting her knees onto another more stable step before again throwing her body forward, landing mostly on the ledge. The rest of the stairs crumbled behind her and she gasped for air and carefully crawled forward, not looking back.

The ledge was full of growing cracks, but she spread out her body weight and moved slow and purposeful until she was on the last set of ten stairs, leading to the final floor. Somehow, they were still standing, but not for long. Still careful, Yoohyeon stood to her feet and took them two at a time once again, desperate to get onto solid flooring again. They held her weight and, as she reached the landing and, subsequently, the last doorway, she took a deep breath.

If you weren’t beyond this door....

No, she couldn’t think of that now. Instead of opening the door, she turned her body to water again and slipped silently underneath the door before slithering further into the room. The sprinklers were still going and the water on the floor helped disguise her form, as even in the water she still had a face. The last floor was severely damaged, desks and chairs mangled and holes through the walls. Sparks from broken lights fell into the water and the further through the labyrinth of hallways and offices on the last floor she went, the destruction got worse, until she reached a large meeting room with the door ripped to shreds.

Inside, she heard a voice and her heart stopped. It was you. You were alive.

“Just admit that you’re beaten. They’ve taken out most of your snipers, they took your hostages, and they’re beating the shit out of your guys on the ground. There’s no way you can win this.” Your voice was rough and raspy as you spat at the words, and she could hear chains clanking together and scraping against the floor.

“I think you’re forgetting something,” a man’s voice hissed in return, and anger boiled in Yoohyeon’s chest. Hornet. “I still have you. What do you think your teammates will do if I threaten to kill you?”

“You won’t get away with it. You won’t get away with any of this.”

Yoohyeon followed the sound of your voice, slowly pulling herself from the water so that she could see. In one corner of the meeting room, you were chained to a chair, your legs strapped to the legs and your arms chained so tight behind your back that your arms were streaked with red cuts. You were holding your head high despite the cuts and bruises on your face and the dark circles under your eyes, staring Hornet right in the eyes as he walked over to glare down at you. He was a lean man, not traditionally intimidating, but he towered over you and his eyes were wide, yellow, and crazy. The long fingernails he used to sting and paralyze dug into your skin as he grabbed your face, and Yoohyeon belated realized, to her horror, that you were hooked up to an IV at the back of your neck.

That was how he had captured you. He was continuously paralyzing you through the IV, using the same poison from his nails.

“You sure are brave today. How about I give you another round of electricity and see how brave you are then? With all this water around I can’t guarantee it won’t kill you.”

“But I can.” Yoohyeon stood to her full height, revealing herself as she slashed her hand through the air, sending blades of water to cut through the IV. At the sound of her voice you jerked your head back and Hornet dropped you to spin around, his wild eyes darting around the room until they landed on her.

“Y-Yoohyeon?”

“Who are you?” He demanded, and Yoohyeon glared, the water around her beginning to boil with the intensity of her anger.

“Your worst nightmare.” She pulled her arms back, then pushed them forward, sending a wave of boiling water straight into his core. He let out a cry of pain as he was thrown back into the wall, and she turned her attention to you, slashing at your restraints. The metal of your chain didn’t break as easily as the IV, and he was back on his feet before she could break through, his eyes flashing yellow.

“I won’t let you ruin this! Not after I came so far!” He was faster than she’d thought he would be, and she narrowly missed his charge, jumping to the side just in time to avoid his nails. As he slid to a stop and turned around, she turned her palms upward and pulled up before making a fist, turning the water around her into sharp frozen knives that she then threw towards him with all the force in her body.

They missed his skin but caught on his clothing and dragged him back up against the wall, digging deep into the cheap dry wood. Once again, she had bought herself time and she turned her attention back to you, sharpening her water blade this time through pure anger as she slashed and hacked against your chains.

Just as they fell away and you slumped forward, barely able to catch yourself after the affects of the poison, Hornet roared and broke free, once again charging at Yoohyeon. This time, she was ready, turning her entire body to water and letting him charge right through her before she spun around and grabbed him by the shoulders. Water flowed through her body and up from the ground in a boiling fountain, enveloping him as he screamed. He dragged his body forward and twisted back, trying to escape, but she stared him in the eye, twisted and flexed her fingers, and drew in a purposeful breath, watching with pleasure as the boiling water turned to ice, trapping him inside. Satisfied, she breathed out, freed her hands and pulled away, then immediately refroze the space her hands had made at his shoulders. From inside, he stared at her with his crazy eyes, mid-scream, unable to move but obviously furious.

With Hornet defeated, she turned and ran to your side, helping you sit back up and sucking in a breath when she saw your wounds up close. “Oh my god, (Y/N), are you okay? What did he do to you? I’ll get you down to the ambulance right away.”

Tears were running down your face as you looked up at her, your body shaking as you did your best to move. “You came for me,” you whispered, and she nodded, trying not to cry herself as she dropped to her knees and pulled you gently into her arms.

“I did. I couldn’t let anything happen to you.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, squeezing her eyes shut. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get here earlier.”

“It’s not your fault.” You let your forehead fall against her shoulder, your body exhausted. “I should have been stronger. I shouldn’t have let him draw me into this small room. He had the advantage.” A sob shuddered through your body. “I let everyone down. I let you down.”

“You didn’t let anyone down,” she assured you, “especially not me. We all came together to get you out of this. I’m just glad you’re alive. I-I don’t know what I would have done if I couldn’t save you.”

“I feel cold.” Your voice was brittle and she quickly scooped you into her arms and stood up, terror rushing through her veins. Your body was cold and your breathing uneven and labored, and your eyes slowly began to close.

“No,” she said, letting the tears flow from her eyes as she ran towards the elevators, using the water to raise her own temperature. She had come this far. She couldn’t lose you like this. “Hand in there, (Y/N). I’ll get you help. Please.” Her voice broke as she stopped in front of the elevator, desperately trying to force it open. Nothing would work and she stomped her foot in frustration, turning the water settled on the floor to steam. “I can’t lose you. I love you! Please don’t leave me.”

Slumping to the floor, she cradled you, sobbing as she pressed her forehead to yours. “Please, (Y/N), wake up.”

At that moment, her Bluetooth crackled to life and Jiu’s voice came through, loud and clear. “Yoohyeon, is everything okay on your side?”

Reluctantly, she pulled an arm away from you to touch her ear, unable to stop sobbing. “No, it’s (Y/N). I got here, but I might be too late. The stairs and destroyed and the elevator isn’t working, I can’t do anything-.”

“I’m sending Siyeon to your location now!” Jiu’s voice was stern. “Stay by their side and do everything you can. She’s coming to help you.”

“Help is coming, (Y/N),” she whispered, cradling you once again. “So please. Just hang in there a little longer.”

-

The world was a blur. Yoohyeon couldn’t control her powers, her body wavering and turning to and from water as the skies poured rain like the city had never seen. The ambulance and police lights all blended together and the sounds around her sounded far away and jumbled. The ambulance with you in it sped away and Miniaturist said something, but Yoohyeon couldn’t hear. She could just watch the lights get smaller and smaller as her body phased in and out, becoming one with the rain.

-

The dry white halls of the hospital were suffocating, yet Yoohyeon found herself walking through them with flowers in her hand, just like she had every day since she rescued you. How long had it been? Four days? Five? They all seemed to blend together now, even if Yoohyeon was doing better. She no longer turned into water without realizing it, but the rain hadn’t stopped.

Her feet stalled in front of your door and she glanced around before stepping inside and quietly closing the door behind her. Flowers, cards, and gifts cluttered the room now, and she added the new ones she’d brought to an old bouquet before approaching your bed.

Your color was better now, and you were no longer cold to the touch. Your limbs twitched and even moved, once. But you were still asleep.

“Hey (Y/N). I’m here again today. Are you feeling better?” She wasn’t expecting an answer. Still, she sighed at the silence and sat down in the chair beside your bed, reaching out to gently touch your arm. “You know, this room is full of gifts for you. Flowers, cards, teddy bears, chocolates.... Everyone is worried about you, and thankful that you risked so much to try and protect them. We all want you to wake up.” After a moment of silence, she took a breath and shook her head. “I need you to wake up. I really don’t know what I’ll do without you, (Y/N). I can hardly breathe without you here.”

The room stayed silent aside from the beeping of machines, and after sitting a while, she stood up with another sigh, her heart heavy. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. You were usually so vibrant and strong. It was unsettling to see you like this.

“Well,” she said, “I’ll come and see you again tomorrow.” She lingered for another moment, just in case, before turning and walking towards the door. Just as her hand was about to turn the knob, the sheets on your bed shifted and she froze.

“Yoohyeon?” Your voice was hoarse and almost unfamiliar, but relief surged through her body anyway as she spun around to look. You were still laying down, but your head was turned towards her, and your eyes were open.

“(Y/N)?” She let out a half laugh, half sob as she ran over to your bed. “(Y/N), you’re awake!”

Your eyes were wide and confused as you looked up at her, then around the room, blinking slowly. “W-where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital. You collapsed at the bank and we rushed you here.” She took your hand, holding in her tears as she smiled and brushed your hair away from your face. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”

You opened your mouth as if you were about to say something, but the door opened and nurses ran in, followed by the doctor. “They’re awake, just like we heard! We need to check vital signs.”

They milled in and out and the silent room suddenly became alive with activity. Yoohyeon watched in awe until you squeezed her hand, pulling her attention back to you. “I’m scared,” you whispered, “can you stay with me?”

Squeezing your hand back, she nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

-

The next day, the halls didn’t seem nearly as suffocating as they had before, and Yoohyeon walked through with a smile, another bunch of flowers in hand. When she opened the door, you were awake to greet her, and once again relief and happiness surged through her as she closed the door behind her.

“Good morning. How are you feeling today?”

“A lot better. Still a bit queasy, but the doctors said I’d feel like that for a while. At least I can move all my limbs again. And I can eat. I was starving, quite literally.”

“That is good.” She walked over to fill the vase next to your bed with the new flowers, her smile never leaving her lips. “I brought you tulips today. Aren’t they pretty?”

“They are,” you agreed. “Thank you for coming. The nurses said you came by every day.”

“I did. I couldn’t just leave you alone here. Especially not when you being sick is my fault.”

You raised your eyebrows, your face falling a bit. “Your fault?”

Now her smile disappeared and she twisted her hands together, sitting in the chair beside your bed. “Yes, my fault. Your team needed backup. Had I checked on you sooner, you might not be in the hospital. Had I just checked the news, I would have known. But instead I was scared that you were ghosting me, or that you had gotten annoyed with me. Because of that, I let you suffer for longer.”

“Yoohyeon, you saved me,” you said, sounding confused. “I don’t blame you for any of this. There was no way you could have known that I was in trouble. And it was my own fault for going in without waiting for backup. I let my pride and determination get ahead of me and I ended up causing a lot of trouble for everyone else. I don’t blame you at all. Instead, I’m really thankful that you came to help me.”

“But I could have done it sooner.”

“Hey, listen to me.” You reached over to touch her arm, just like she’d done with you the day before, and she looked up at you. “The past is the past. All of us made mistakes. But everything turned out okay. I don’t blame you. And even if it was somehow your fault, I think you literally saving my life makes up for it. You were incredible in there.”

Your words made her feel a bit better and she nodded a bit, giving you a weak smile. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Honestly, the memories are a bit fuzzy,” you admitted. “But I remember when you burst in. I was trying to be tough, but I was terrified. Then you burst in and I finally felt some hope that I would get out of there. I remember that you froze Hornet. And I remember feeling really, really cold and not being able to move.”

“That was terrifying. I was just holding you and I couldn’t do anything.”

“It’s really foggy after that, but.... I remember you begging me to wake up and stay with you, and saying... that you, um, loved me.” As you spoke, your cheeks grew red and Yoohyeon felt herself flush, clearing her throat and glancing away. Of all things for you to remember!

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” After a moment of awkward silence, you spoke again, your voice tentative. “Did you mean it?”

“What?” She jerked up, looking back at you. You looked... hopeful, almost.

“Did you mean it when you said that you loved me, or were you just saying it in the heat of the moment?”

Well, she couldn’t lie to you now. Not after everything the two of you had gone through. Almost losing you was the scariest thing that had ever happened to her and when you were laying there in her arms, she’d regretted never telling you her feelings. So she took a deep breath and nodded, giving you a small smile. “I meant it. And I regretted not telling you sooner.”

“Sooner?”

“I’ve been in love with you for a long time, (Y/N).”

Your smile widened and you laughed, immediately brightening up as you reached for her hand instead. “Good. Because I’m in love with you too.”

“Really? This isn’t just because I saved you, right?”

“I mean, that’s part of it.” You squeezed her hand. “But I was drawn to you from the moment we met, and I only started to like you more after we got closer and became pen pals and met up all the time. Long story short, I’ve loved you for a long time too, Yoohyeon.”

“Wow.” This was real. She almost felt like fainting from relief and happiness, but she didn’t, grinning and scooting closer to you instead. Her heart felt like it was too big for her chest as it pounded and, for the first time, she felt butterflies in her stomach. You loved her too. You didn’t blame her. You were okay and you loved her too. The emotions were almost overwhelming, and she had to make a joke to keep herself from crying. Had she ever cried this much before? “I can’t believe it took you being taken hostage for us to confess.”

You laughed, once again looking like your usual self. Like the you she loved so much. “At least something good came out of it, I guess. You know, since you saved me, I should do something to pay you back.”

She flushed and quickly shook her head. “You don’t have to do that, I-.”

“No, I insist.” You smiled affectionately. “What about a kiss for my hero?”

She hadn’t been expecting that. Well, it was certainly a good offer. As embarrassed as she felt, Yoohyeon couldn’t stop herself from smiling like a fool as she leaned in closer to you, all the worry and anger she’d felt over the week washing away. Outside, the sun finally peeked out from behind the clouds.

“You know, I think I could get behind that.”

[tiny-smallest]

a test of heart c1: deal

Rating: G Characters: The Prince, The Princess, The Witch Warnings: none Description: After the Witch strips his princess of everything as he looks on and weeps, the prince's grief as he sobs over his love's unconscious body gives way to rage. In his fury he makes a deal with the Witch on behalf of his beloved.

Can he overcome the hurdles of her challenge, or will he fail?

Also on AO3!

—

aka: The Witch is kind of a giant asshole and while the story never vindicates her she gets no kind of comeuppance at all, and whether or not the prince's parents do is also up in the air, so I will take a hammer and lightly fix the canon

—

He must been sobbing for at least four hours. The grass might have been properly watered with his tears as a substitute for rain if not for the salt in them.

She, of course, had left soon after the wolf's body had slumped softly to the forest floor in unconsciousness. What happened now was of no consequence to her; she had done her half of the deal, and now it was time to set out to use the influx of magic from that deal to fix what these two cretins had done to her forest.

It was somewhat on the grueling side, even for her. The blaze had thankfully not leveled the whole thing, but it had touched a not-insignificant portion of it, including literally all of her most frequented areas. It was with much grumbling that she set about fixing it. How could two young idiots cause so much damage?

She coaxed the grass to grow again, freshening the soil first before bringing forth the undergrowth, then bringing the trees back to life. Area by area, she repaired the forest, satisfied as the woodland monsters tentatively began to return to their haunts. The Witch liked them no more than any other person who lived in the forest, but their absence meant the local ecosystem was out of sync. Rather bad for someone who lived there.

Lived here. Right. She would have to reconstruct her home, too. And without everything inside-

She grit her teeth. Well. That project had to start sooner or later.

She hadn't expected company when she returned to the site of her home, though. That was a surprise. Of course, she expected the wolf to still be out cold--she would have to toss her somewhere later--but the huddled form of the human was nearly a full-blown shock.

His wails and sobs had weakened to soft weeping, but his arms remained around the unconscious wolf's neck, his tears sliding down his pale, wan, tearstained face onto the grass below.

"Could you stop that?" she asked idly as she turned her back on him to survey the ruins of her cabin. "I just brought that grass back to life, thank you."

He made a choking noise and then dead silence.

She fixed some of the rocks meant to be outside the cabin as she spoke. "You know, I'd run if I were you. She's not going to remember you when she eventually wakes up and you're a tasty snack to her. There's no point in staying."

Silence for a moment and then, hm. He actually spoke. A hoarse, numb whisper; she halted in her construction to listen to it, surprised he spoke at all. "And go back to what? She is the only love I have ever known."

"That sounds very much like not my problem, but it's equally not my problem if you wait around until she eats you." She materialized a wooden sign for the front of her house. "... Unless it happens on my front lawn, I suppose. I'm sure your guts and bones would be of decent quality to use in my potions, but I don't care to extract them from the ground or from her maw, and I hardly have time to bother with that sort of thing when I have an entire cottage to reconstruct. So if you could leave, I would appreciate it."

Another choking noise.

She paused for a moment before shrugging and was just about to disintegrate one of the blackened beams of rubble when she heard it.

"You."

The fire in that voice, like the hissing of an impending inferno, could not possibly have come from the small, weak thing bent over the wolf's body, but when she turned to see what new annoyance had manifested in her forest, she found herself staring into the burning eyes of the prince whose sight she had just restored, smoldering beneath his bangs.

It was such a shock she forgot how to breathe for a moment. The wind ruffled their hair and clothing, time standing still.

"What." She didn't know what this was the start of but it was best to shut it down as quickly as possible.

Even her iciest voice didn't extinguish those eyes. He sat back from his hunched position and would have looked quite ridiculous as he stood, with his dirty, battered feet, filthy, ragged nightclothes, short stature and soft face... if not for those eyes.

"You took our happiness. Why?" His fists clenched. Adorable.

"Well, the inferno, for starters." Idiot. "But it wasn't like she deserved to keep all of those things anyway."

His teeth bared. "You're wrong."

Her head jerked back. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, she lied to me. It hurt. But she was right; I wouldn't have accepted her aid if I'd known her true identity; I would've been too scared. I stand here today with healed eyes because she lied. It was wrong, but there wasn't a right choice to make. The forest fire was entirely my fault because I was the one who refused her help even when it made sense to, putting my feelings above the safety of the whole woods, and so I dropped the lantern when I fell! But despite fire being her greatest fear she came for me! Me, who had yelled at her! And yet you call her selfish!"

The witch beheld the small human and his trembling fists, his burning eyes, and a laugh erupted from her throat. There was a rush of wingflaps from above. "Oh you are rich, human! You think any of that was selflessness? She did it because she wanted to keep you! Her happiness mattered to her more than anything else!"

"Then why did she not keep me blind."

A pit lodged itself in her gut, freezing her from the inside out. She looked at him.

"She could have. She could have kept her memories and her human form, and turned down the deal, and walked away with me. I wanted her to, even. I begged her to! You were there! But she refused to even try to take it back. Righting her wrong, even if it was accidental, was what mattered most to her- because- because I mattered most to her."

The Witch snorted, shaking the ice from her heart and smacking the black beam to disintegrate it into dust. "Fairytale nonsense. Go home and cry to your mother about it."

"Did you ever tell the truth."

The ice returned.

Slowly, she turned back around. The prince's eyes were green, she realized somewhere in her mind. Summer green. Summer forest green.

She hated them.

"What."

"You mocked her earlier, asking if she became more honest when she apologized. Then you taunted her with her mistakes. She would've agreed to the deal without all that nonsense manipulation you did; you did it to be cruel. Or maybe, since you think so little of her, you thought she really wouldn't do it without you pushing her. But did you ever become more honest?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The girl. Witch..."

He was not going there.

"Did she ever learn who murdered her brother?"

"THAT. IS ENOUGH." The space between her hands gathered dark magic to throw at him, to shut him up, shut him up forever-

"I'm going to take that as a no, because if you had told her the truth, you'd have delighted in throwing that in my face." His look was near placid now, watching her. Truly, the moron must not care if he died. "And on top of that, you were even more selfish still. It was your deeds that got her killed. You let her believe you weren't as terrible as the stories made you out to be, didn't you? Surely you didn't actually rip families apart as payment for the wishes they asked out of desperation and necessity rather than greed. Surely it wasn't you who separated lovers, parents from children, siblings, the elderly from their families."

"THEY ASKED FOR IT!" She threw. Her aim was off, still shaky because she was tired, of course, from all that bullshit earlier. He watched the tree explode several feet away from him, and she cursed.

"Allow me to recap." He began to tick points off on his fingers. "You demanded lives for the price of your help for the wounded, sick, dying, the poor. You killed her brother. You divulged none of this to her so she could make informed choices, and so she stayed, and you grew to love her. Your behavior changed to accommodate for the feelings you felt for her and what she taught you, but still, you never told her the truth. She died for that truth from people rightfully angry at your cruelty, and wrongfully too quick to action where it concerned her. And then- then-"

His face scrunched with disgust.

"Then, instead of allowing her rest, and allowing her to be with her brother, whose soul I assume was released accidentally in the rampage, you kept her. You bottled her in a jar, because you, Witch, were the one who was too selfish to let go.

Not my princess."

She pointed a finger wrapped in dark magic at him. "Give me a reason," she breathed, "why I shouldn't blow your pretty little head from your shoulders."

"Because I'm right. And you know that. And you hate it. And killing me won't prove me wrong; it'll just make me dead."

The steel in his eyes didn't waver. Didn't look away. Didn't blink.

"And then you'll have to live with the echoes of my words for the rest of your probably-immortality."

Her hand trembled. If she'd had the magic to spare, she would have transformed into the beast again, stomped him into the earth, left a red smear all over the grass near his precious little princess-

His princess. His wolf, rather.

Her face split into a truly terrible smile that peeked through the mask a little with its intensity. The laugh that tore from her throat was much louder this time, cracked and high-pitched, manic. She wrapped her arms around herself and shook with the force of it while he stood and watched.

"All- all right," she wheezed, wiping one of her many eyes as it subsided. "All right, little prince- If you are so sure in your righteousness, then how about a little wager?"

"What sort."

She picked up her staff, clearing her throat to steady herself. "I'll alter my conditions," she said sweetly with a wave of her stick. "She is still a wolf beast, but! This can change."

"Go on." Still his expression remained the same. Her fingers tightened on her staff, the previous mirth from earlier starting to vanish. "It will take you some time to leave the forest," she said flatly. "I estimate about a week, and perhaps a week more to deal with whatever is waiting for you back where you came from, given your earlier comments. Given that, I allow you one month from tonight. I will return her memories to her, locked deep inside her head. You have one month to coax them to the surface. Should she recover her memories and accept your feelings, my price for healing your eyes will be forfeit. She will regain her shapeshifting abilities, she will keep her recovered memories, but she will not get back her singing voice."

"That is fair. It was part of an earlier deal." Show some damned emotion, brat! Wasn't her voice what you loved to begin with!? "What if I fail."

Her grin returned. "I claim your soul. She will be given her memories back, if only to languish about how her sacrifice failed."

She saw the shift in his eyes. A spike of pain- was that fear? Ah, that felt good.

His mouth pressed into a grim line. "I'll do it."

Well, well. "So be it."

She waved her staff over the body of the sleeping wolf, watching the light gather around her, swirling upwards like light met smoke.

"It is done."

The prince nodded and reached down to smooth some of the fur from his beloved's face before straightening and turning to leave.

"Remember. One month."

"One month," he echoed back at her before turning around again.

She watched his form disappear into the darkness of night, letting out a low cackle when he was out of sight, looking back down at the sleeping wolf.

"Silly girl. He might think he wants this right now, but that will fade in time once he is back where he came from. Humans and monsters were never meant to be friends. Whether he attempts to see this through to save his own skin or dismisses it as empty threats, your sacrifice will be for nothing."

She couldn't wait.

[peachyparkerr]

for the both of us (p.p.) | 3

 summary: a look into peter and y/n’s past makes peter rethink everything. 

note: hi! I didn’t post last week but here’s part three, I think there’ll be two more parts! let me know if you want to be tagged in it!

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

When I woke up she wasn’t next to me. My heart sank a little before I noticed the note she left for me. 

“Peter - I woke up early and went home to have breakfast with my parents. Didn’t want to wake you, but I left breakfast in the fridge for you. Happy will pick you up later to take you to Stark Industries for your suit fitting . — Y/N”

I waited for the sinking feeling to go away but it didn’t. I just knew that there was something else I was missing, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it yet. I didn’t want to think about it, so I tried to focus on the fact that yesterday was good. She actually talked to me, it was my bed and my arms that she was in. 

She missed me, and until she said it I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear it. 

So I told myself that I was paranoid, that I didn’t have to worry about a thing, that last night meant something and we’d finally be together. 

And that’s what I told myself all day until Happy picked me up to go to Stark Industries. 

“Hey Happy, when is Y/N getting to the suit fitting?” I asked

“Oh—she’s not coming. I think she said it was Harry’s little sister’s birthday? Did she not tell you?” 

There was that sinking feeling again. 

“Oh...right..right. I must’ve just forgot or something.” I lied. 

Happy was quiet for a moment before looking at me through the rear view mirror. 

“Look Peter, I don’t know what exactly is going on with you and Y/N, but I know you guys will figure it out. “

“You think so?” 

“You guys have always found a way to work it out, and you always do it best together, so it shouldn’t be any different. “ 

The rest of the car ride was quiet. I tried to keep Happy’s words in mind as I let my thoughts flash back to before I left—a time before there ever was a Harry to worry about—and how perfect things were with Y/N then. 

*flashback*

I had known Y/N for about a year at the time. I was starting to see her as more than a friend and feel things for her that were definitely more than brotherly love. But out of fear that I’d find a way to mess it up I refused to say anything until I knew for sure how I felt about her. 

I was swinging through the city in the morning when I noticed the time.  Y/N would be leaving for school soon and I thought I’d stop by her apartment for a quick visit. I also noticed the flower stand outside her building already opened, so I bought some daffodils for her—her favorite spring flower—and swong myself up onto her balcony. 

I tapped on her window lightly three times before she noticed me and I went into her room. 

“Peter!!” She excitedly yelled as I took off my mask and she ran towards me to give me a hug.  “What are you doing here?” 

“Thought I could swing by—literally swing by now that I think about it—bring you some flowers before you went to school.” I said hugging her tightly before letting go and handing her the flowers. 

“They’re so pretty! Daffodils?” She asked, admiring the bunch of flowers and then looking back at me

“Yeah!” I then realized that I sounded a little too excited. “ I mean - yea...yea I remembered that you said they’re your favorite spring flower. A-and I wanted to..I don’t know..bring you something nice to start off your day.” I scratched the back of my neck nervously. 

“That is so cute and sweet! Thanks Parker.” She then kissed my cheek, making me flush a deep red. I paused for a second to process and to try to stop my breath from hitching in my throat after the fact that she not only just did that—but that she thought it was cute. Did she think I was cute? I mean probably not...but she kissed my cheek...”you’re cute” I imagined saying to her...but I was getting ahead of myself. 

“So...want a lift to school?” I asked as I felt my throat hitch by just looking at her 

“I would BUT my dad will kill me- and probably kill you- if he sees “Stark Daughter Swings through Manhattan with Spider-Man” in the papers again...but how about after school? We can go to that old fashioned frozen yogurt place you’ve been talking about. Only if we walk though-“ She laughed making my heart flutter. 

“Okay, it’s a date! Wait not a date-Unless you wanted it to be a date-it doesn’t have to be a date—“ I rambled on and on until she cut me off by quickly kissing me. I froze. 

“It’s a date. “ she said smiling at me. “Now, I’m going to be late for school so I have to go. But I’ll see you downstairs at 3!” And then she rushed out the door. 

I was still processing that she had just kissed me for the first time when I felt the heat in my cheeks rise even more. I put my mask back on and was on my own way to school. Yet, I couldn’t help the happy expression on my face that was hiding under my mask. 

The whole day I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear just at the thought of her. I must’ve annoyed the shit out of Ned by how much I was talking about her. 

As soon as school ended for me I rushed over to her building and waited in the lobby for her. Soon enough I was met with her angelic light coming towards me. 

“Ready to go, Parker?” She asked 

“After you, m’lady.” I said making her laugh. Her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink and I mentally patted myself on the back for making her blush instead of it being the other way around. 

We made our way to the yogurt place, arms linked together. It started raining on our way there but I had brought my umbrella and we huddled close together to fit under it. When we got there, I payed for our yogurts and we sat at a table by the window to watch the rain.

“Do you ever think about how pretty the rain is, Parker?” She asked me admiring the raindrops falling on the window 

“I think you’re pretty, does that count?” 

“God Peter, when did you get so cheesy?” She  turned her gaze towards me and then looked down at her yogurt to hide how much she was glowing.

We were quiet for a second before I spoke up again.

“So, Y/N about this morning...I...I-“ I was so nervous. I wanted to tell her how I felt but I couldn’t quite understand it yet and couldn’t find the words to explain it. 

“Peter, how about we make a promise?” She said 

“Okay what are we promising?”

“To be honest when we can, to be there for each other always, to never hurt each other, and to always figure things out together? I don’t want to force you to explain things to me when you can’t explain it to yourself, so I think this just might be easier, for now.” 

I smiled at her and raised my pinky.

“Okay, pinky promise?” 

“Pinky promise.” We linked our pinkies and it was me leaning in to kiss her this time.

||.

Things were so uncomplicated then. If I hadn’t left nine months ago, we would be together. We would’ve figured out what we were together, I wouldn’t have taken so long to realize that I loved her. But now that she was with Harry, could we really figure it out together? Is there an us to figure out? 

Was there ever an us to figure out? 

[fangirlinglikeabus]

blue sky (doctor who)

summary: something’s been worrying victoria. the doctor wants to talk about it. jamie is very bad at pretending he has a reason to leave them alone together. (gen, general audiences; warning for internalised homophobia but it’s hopefully not too heavy and it works itself out in the end)

you’ll just have to take my word for this that this is also on other sites because last time i posted with links it didn’t show up in the tags. i’ll reblog with them later

It was a beautiful day; hot but not too hot, with a clear blue sky framing the tops of the buildings. No threat of rain whatsoever, which had pleased the Doctor when he'd first peered, cautiously, out of the TARDIS, umbrella at the ready. 'England' and 'August' were two words that placed together didn't inspire him with much confidence as to the state of the weather, but today had thankfully proved him wrong. So far, the dry spell had held.

They'd parked the TARDIS a few streets away and wandered through the town, the three of them together - Jamie, Victoria, and the Doctor - until they'd arrived at the café. The Doctor had suggested they stop for some food - lunch, he'd said, although it was probably only about eleven o'clock, local time. Something was on his mind, some reason he had for wanting to sit there rather than continue walking, only it wasn't clear what it was.  That concerned Victoria, but she tried to console herself; if it was really serious the Doctor would surely have told them already. Anyway, there were no monsters around that she could see, no aliens climbing out of the cracks in the pavement to attack them, to make this beautiful day miserable and fraught with danger, so for once maybe it wasn't anything to do with that, and they were safe.

Victoria tore her eyes away from the sights of the street - the girl about her age that she'd made eye contact with suddenly and alarmingly - to look at the Doctor. He was playing a game of patience, the cards placed haphazardly on the table in front of him. Every so often he looked up and cleared his throat loudly at Jamie, who kept leaning too far forwards, casting a shadow over the game. Each time Jamie would say 'eh?', realise what he was doing, and sit back in his seat with an embarrassed cough and a look which seemed to say, 'I'm only doing this because I want to, not because you told me to'.

It had a comforting familiarity to it, as did much of what the two of them got up to, like the friendly arguments about the Doctor's ability to fly the TARDIS, or the attempts to explain some technological development to Jamie which usually ended up with him saying 'oh, aye', his code for 'I still don't understand this, but I don't care enough to try'. The Doctor apparently hadn't managed to decipher it yet, since he still made the effort each time, and Victoria hadn't the heart to tell him.

Then again, maybe he knew, and it was just a game the two of them played, another steady part of their friendship. They'd known each other much longer than either of them had known Victoria, had rhythms and rules to their relationship, some of which she might not know about even now, and as a result of it seemed inseparable. She could barely imagine Jamie without the Doctor, or the Doctor without Jamie; they'd probably travel together for the rest of their lives, if they could.

Which just left her. Victoria.

It was easy to think she'd stay with them, with that funny little man and his Jacobite friend, in the light of the sun. They had taken her in when she was lost, and shown her kindness, and she loved them for that. But the trouble was that they weren't always in the light of the sun. They were in the London Underground, fleeing yeti - or in a future Britain in the grips of an ice age, escaping towering Martians.

Occasionally the Doctor would look up and meet her eyes, and she would glance away. There was something contemplative about his expression today, something in the way he regarded her that worried Victoria. Worried her because he seemed worried, on her behalf, and she hated the idea of concerning him unduly. Of course, it was nice to have someone care about you in that way, and she was grateful that it was the Doctor who cared for her, but it did make her feel self-conscious, especially because in this case there was really nothing to worry about. She'd talk to him about it if there was something, except for the ongoing problem of what she would do in the future, which for now she wouldn't bring up with him, because anyway she hadn't really decided what she intended to do with it or what her own feelings were yet. As he finished the card game (cheating, she was sure, backtracking on his own moves when he decided he didn't like them or when he realised he'd reached a dead end, but she didn't point it out) Victoria wracked her brains on what could possibly be bothering him about her. Her mind came up blank. Unless -

No, he couldn't possibly have noticed that. She'd hidden it from him very carefully. And if he had he would have brought it up already. Victoria was struck with a terrible vision of the Doctor looking horribly severe, all appearances of the fool or the father wiped from his face, ordering her out of the TARDIS.

She hadn't initiated it! That had been the girl - the girl they'd met a few stops ago, Liss. She'd been the one to take action, leaning in to kiss Victoria, who had fled before anything else could happen, hoping that no evidence of it appeared on her face. Maybe it had. Maybe it was a bit like that story the Doctor had referenced offhand once, about the man whose sins appeared on his face, in a portrait.

In the meantime, as her thoughts wandered down that path, the Doctor had begun to look panicked, patting down his pockets with increasing desperation.

"Oh my word!" he exclaimed finally. "I forgot to bring any money with me!" Casting around, his eyes fell on Jamie. He took on a placating tone. "Jamie, would you mind terribly if I asked you to go back to the TARDIS and fetch me something to pay the bill with?" He delivered the line very naturally, and Victoria wouldn't have suspected anything at all if Jamie hadn't then looked very deliberately between the two of them, said stiltedly, as though he was reading from a script,

"Oh, aye, I can do that,"

and moved off with the gait of someone who fully intended to take as long as humanly possible in carrying out the task he'd been set.

"Victoria," the Doctor began - almost as soon as Jamie was out of earshot, in case there was any doubt that it had been a deliberate plan between the two of them. She braced herself for the conversation to come. But then he stopped, apparently unsure of where to go from there. Victoria waited, her heart hammering away in her chest.

"Is there something on your mind?" the Doctor eventually settled on.

Victoria ran briefly through all the things that were on her mind. If she wanted to stay with Jamie and the Doctor; where she would go if she didn’t want to stay with Jamie and the Doctor; whether or not they'd be suddenly thrust into mortal peril in this nice English town; the kiss that she didn't want to think about and everything wrapped up in that; consequently, her father, who she had an uneasy feeling would have been disappointed in her, although she had no specific evidence for that because of course it would never have been something they'd have talked about together, not in a million years, not in 1866 or any date that followed in what should have been the ordinary course of her life.

"No, there's nothing," Victoria said. Nothing she could tell him, she meant. Although the Doctor was very old, and very strange, and seemed to know a lot of things that other people didn't, she couldn't imagine ever sitting down with him and explaining that a girl had kissed her, and because a girl had kissed her she was now unable to stop thinking about anything apart from whether she'd liked it, and whether she wanted to do it again, and whether she'd been like that all along or if it was some sort of disease, some sort of situation where once you'd fallen, you stayed fallen, like Adam and Eve taking a bite of the apple in the garden of Eden and being cast out forever.

She looked away from him. She didn't like to tell lies to the Doctor. In an ideal world she could have told him everything; they could always talk like they had near the very beginning, in the cybermen's tomb. But they couldn't, not with this.

Casting about for something to distract her attention, some excuse not to look at the Doctor, Victoria's eye fell on two girls walking on the other side of the street. They were making slow progress, ambling along as though they had nowhere better to be in the world and were taking joy from that. They were holding hands, swinging each other's arms back and forth while they walked.

As Victoria watched, one of them said something and the other laughed, leaning forwards for a kiss.

"Victoria?"

"Hm?" Her head jerked back towards the Doctor, as suddenly as if she'd been caught doing something criminal, not just letting her eye wander.

The Doctor didn't immediately pose the question he'd been meaning to put to her, but instead gazed after Victoria, at the two girls.

"A charming couple, aren't they?" he said, sounding pleased.

"Couple?"

"Oh yes, that sort of thing is quite normal by this period," the Doctor replied, cheerfully and entirely without artifice, as though he had no idea whatsoever how this was affecting her. "Not without some struggle, I might add, but your country sees the light in the end."

Victoria felt, suddenly, like she was about to cry. Which was silly - she hadn't even cried when her father had died, except a few times in her room, when the only people who might notice were the Doctor and Jamie if they happened to be in the vicinity, and definitely not in such a public place as this, where anyone might walk past and see her. And it was over such a small thing as well. She'd faced down monsters before, big scary hulking things, so why -

"Oh, Victoria," the Doctor said gently, fumbling in his pocket and pulling out, in turn, a pack of top trumps, tickets for Casablanca, a bag of sweets, and at last a clean white handkerchief, which he handed over to her.

That was the last straw - that small gesture, the ridiculousness of the contents of the Doctor's pockets, which now lay strewn across the table. Victoria began to sob. She buried her face in the handkerchief, hoping that no-one would hear, hoping that she would run out of tears and then she could stop feeling so miserable.

At last she recovered enough to speak. "I'm sorry," she said wretchedly. "I've ruined the nice day out you wanted for us all." But when she looked up at the Doctor he didn't seem annoyed. He smiled and reached across to pat her hand.

"That's quite alright, Victoria," he said. "It's more important to me to know that you're happy than anything else."

This threatened to make her well up again, but she composed herself. "You said - it was normal now."

"Hm?"

Victoria forced herself to go on. "Those two girls, I mean."

"Oh, yes." The Doctor was about to launch into an explanation of the history that had led up to the time period they were visiting, but he caught the expression on Victoria's face and thought better of it. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know."

She looked down at his hands; at the table; at the top trumps, a battered old set with a picture of a t-rex emblazoned on the first card and the whole thing clumsily kept together by a rubber band, which almost made her smile, it was such a Doctor-ish thing for him to carry around. "I know."

"Good." The Doctor paused, although whether to gather his own thoughts or wait for her to say something was unclear.

"There was a girl -" Victoria began, but fell silent.

The Doctor smiled encouragingly. "Go on."

"Never mind." She couldn't talk about it just yet. The Doctor had said it was fine, and she trusted him, but she was still walking on untested ground, unable to quite shake the sensation that she'd done something horrible.

The Doctor, after waiting for a few moments, said, "Naturally it will take some time for you to get used to."

"Yes," Victoria said. Her voice shook more than she wanted it to, and it came out much too quietly. She wished she could sound stronger - but then, she reminded herself, this wasn't some terrifying creature that she had to stand up to, but the Doctor, who was looking at her as a compassionate father might look at a daughter.

That brought with it another pang, and Victoria came very close to crying again.

The Doctor smiled at her, and pulled his chair closer. "Listen to me, Victoria. It will get easier. I know it might not seem like it now, but I promise you it will. Falling in love with another woman, and acting on that feeling, is no more inherently good or bad than if we were talking about the same situation with a man. It has just the same potential to bring you great happiness, if you'll let it. Do you understand me?"

Victoria nodded. She didn't yet trust herself to speak.

The Doctor smiled and patted her hand again. "Brave girl. Ah, and here's Jamie back with the money."

Victoria turned around. Sure enough, there he was, approaching the table cautiously.

"Is everything alright?" he asked once he was close enough, glancing uncertainly between the two of them.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor said, beaming, "I think everything's quite alright now, isn't it, Victoria?"

"Yes," she said, and even managed a smile of her own up at Jamie. She was surprised to realise that it was true, at least temporarily. For a moment even the worst of her worries seemed perfectly manageable in the face of the beautiful summer day. Everything was absolutely calm and normal. But then -

"Oh, Jamie, you picked up the wrong purse!"

"Well you didn't tell me what I was looking for! You just said fetch something you could pay the bill with, an' that had money in it, so -"

"But Jamie, these aren't even from the right planet!"

"An' just how was I supposed to know that? Next time you get it, an' don't go bothering me if you're going to complain -"

Well, she supposed that was normal too. Victoria started to laugh - laugh uncontrollably at the two of them, being so ridiculous over something that barely mattered. They stopped arguing with each other, shocked into indignation by her laughter.

"Now, really, Victoria, I do think that's quite unfair -" the Doctor began.

It was a beautiful day; hot but not too hot, with a clear blue sky framing the tops of the buildings.

Maybe things would work themselves out after all.

[wrathofthewind]

ii. Mercy

The first he’d ever laid eyes on Marius, it was during a mission near the Jungles of Tar. Everyone knew not to enter beyond the bounds of the black palms and acid rain. The poisons alone made it impossible to traverse. But occasionally, a poor soul would wander in the dead of night, usually an ignorant one or worse, a desperate one. There had been many stories of sordid bandits and criminals attempting to flee for their life or evade capture by risking entry into the Jungle. If they managed to emerge, they would usually beg to be captured or end their life.

Some of the curses were putrified skin from the sap of plans that dripped on them, or becoming instantly blinded as they attempted to wash their face by a creek. If they dared eat, in the madness of starvation, their lips would be burned or teeth melted, never mind swallowing. Sometimes they found edible meats or fruits… and there were even prized medicines to be obtained, with the right equipment.

Anything that survived the Jungles of Tar was built from a material far beyond what was normal, it could endure and flourish? It was clearly the strongest of its kind. Arnalt never expected to find one such creature to be a child. This also happened often, parents without the means to raise a child would abandon them in one of the hollowed trees or on a pile of random leaves. The child would be like an offering to the gods at that point, or straight up fertilizer. But on a rare occasion, some children survived and were eventually found.

Perhaps a happy occasion for some, but to survive in the jungle, it was more likely the child was cursed by the Kur. The very source of the jungle’s terrifying symptoms… an ominous land that was buried underneath the jungle. The roots had clung to that land’s evil and to this day the Azurians would occasionally come to deliver cleansing spells and help the jungle heal. One patch per generation, perhaps.

Marius had been near the very edge of the forest. Arnalt and his guardians hadn’t even fully entered, on a mission to locate the rare Vegnas Spyralia. An extremely important herb for Arnalt’s crowning ceremony. He’d been 17 at the time, dressed head to toe in protective gear. Enchanted cloths tied all the way up to his mouth, with thick black robes concealing a lithe body underneath. His hair tied up and wrapped in the magical cloths as well, and his eyes shielded by a thin blue veil.

The boy, if it hadn’t been exposed to others before, would’ve thought him and his whole party a pack of monsters. Maybe assassins from the Fallaix—shadow dwellers. But the boy just started crying and plopped on the ground, squeezing a fruit until its juices stained his arm. He looked dust-covered and windswept. His clothes weren’t ragged, but his knees were scrapped and his knuckles were bruised. He might’ve accidentally wandered on his own and gotten lost, ended up in the borderlands. Hungry and scared, maybe climbed a few trees to locate someone.

The child now looked pitiful.

“Sire… should we…?” One of his guardians pointed at an arrow and his bow.

Arnalt lifted a hand. “It’s alright Pallax, he looks healthy enough, he might even survive.”

“But he’ll be cursed even if he does… who knows what poisons are now in his system.”

“I will not have a child killed by my men, under my watch. We save him. Quite frankly fuck the curse.”

“But… but it’s a Kur now!”

Tyssen also attempted to stop him but Arnalt wouldn’t have it and side-stepped him, immediately finding his way to the boy’s side and lifting his veil, revealing pale icy grey eyes and light lashes. “Child, do you know where you are?”

The boy looked up and his eyes were uncharacteristically bright and honeyed. Arnalt pat the dust from his head away and revealed a disheveled mass of mahogany curls. A good wash and that hair would gleam. He was clearly in great health, just dirty, scrapped up and scared. He sniffed softly and stared at Arnalt with a pout.

“Where are your parents?

The child shook his head.

“They’re deeper in the jungle?”

Another shake. His eyes watered and he gripped Arnalt’s sleeve.

Pallax gave an audible gasp behind them. The energy was restless even among these hardened men.

“Are they alive?”

It was a blunt but necessary question.

The boy shook his head and Arnalt sighed. A thousand different stories popped in his head, this childs robes had accessories, he was possibly from a wealthy merchant family, overtaken on the road by bandits or some such, or perhaps one of the monsters that occasionally emerge from the Craigh. He was obviously all alone now and worse, had ended up a Kur.

“Alright, come with me.” He unceremoniously picked him up and arranged him piggyback style. The child was 5 or 6, not exactly small but not too big and either way he’d slow them down if he walked.

“Highness! We beg you to reconsider!” Pallax was practically foaming at the mouth now.

“It’s not recommendable to take this child. You should leave him where you found him. It’ll be better for the world, and for… him.” Tyssen urged.

“Says who? Some crap folktale? When was the last time anyone was affected by the curse of the Kur, at most from the few accounts I know the children don’t even live past a few days, if he’s going to perish then the least we can do is offer him a warm bed and some food for his remaining days.”

“Sire! What’s in his hand!” All the guardians went for the hilt of their swords or drew their bow and arrow. The young boy had simply opened his palm near Arnalt’s face.

Arnalt glanced. It was a curled, purplish-red vine with tiny bell-like flowers sprouting around it. Arnalt snorted. “Well, well. How can this child be so lucky if it’s as cursed as you say? Look, Vegnas Spyralia.”

The guardians were indeed shocked by this, but still weary.

“This child might’ve just been my trial. Let this be a lesson for all of us, that compassion is still a noble trait of Azurian, and when I’m made formal prince, this shall be one of my virtues. Have it engraved on my sword’s hilt.” Now Arnalt was in great spirits. This indeed felt like a lucky day! They’d barely braved the dangerous jungle and instead rescued a child with the boon in hand. The child’s hand went limp, but the Vegnas Spyralia was still tightly gripped in his fingers. A grip like that meant this child had learned to hold on to something and desperately strive to never let it go.

A mother’s robe perhaps? He heard the soft snoring behind him and thought it amusing.

A Kurian. When he regained consciousness Arnalt made a note to ask what village he was originally from. Maybe after a bowl of hot soup the child would even tell them how he ended up in such a predicament.

Now, as he entered Marius’s humble quarters near the kitchens, he was still a little mystified that the fragile young child had grown much more past the date of his imminent “death”. If anything, he was like the very medicine they extracted from the jungle, the sturdiest of its kind. Even now, at still such a young age, his potential was palpable. His spiritual force even slightly frightening.

Arnalt observed him silently as Marius ran a few solo drills, unaware his Master had entered.

He unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword, still engraved with the word “Merced”—Mercy—and cleared his throat.

Marius immediately stopped mid-kick in the air and fell gracelessly on the floor. He clambered up to a formal salute position, but it looked rather amusing with his clothes half off.

“My… My… My Lord if I had known you would grace me with—“ he stammered some more unsure of how to finish and quickly kneeled down again. As if awaiting command.

Arnalt felt his lips quirk slightly. He really could be too amusing. “At ease Marius. I just came to check your vitals.”

“You— you don’t have to…” the boy stood up again but looked down shyly. “A medic can surely—“

“They will send you no medics Marius and you know why.”

“It was an accident.” His voice had gotten smaller and smaller.

“Let me see.” Arnalt extended his hand, expecting Marius to hold out his wrist and allow him to examine.

For the most part his spiritual current seemed fine, but there was a light tremor somewhere near his thumb. Arnalt brought out a small knife from his belt and pricked the pad of that thumb. Immediately, a small stream of tar-like black blood spilled, viscously sliding out until it was replaced by the sight of normal fresh blood again.

“T-thank you, I’m sorry.”

“I thought we went through this, you are to never use Aerial magic, or any magic unless you’ve verified your blood is fully cleansed and your spiritual current is purified.”

“It was fine this morning.”

Arnalt sighed. It had been accumulating like this more frequently. He wondered if this was the real curse of being a Kurian, that they would eventually need to be exsanguinate to keep up with the rate of blood pollution. A very poor way to go indeed.

“We’ll need to drain you more often then. Here.” He passed Marius a strip of jerky. “You’ll need meat to keep up with all this bloodletting. You really should reconsider this martial knight business.”

“This is nothing!” Marius declared.

When he looked so determined Arnalt felt like once again patting his head, ruffling that thick head of hair. Arnalt’s face usually looked stoic and cold, a picture as calm as water without a single ripple. Befitting of the Azurian name. But even though his face remained unchanged, he must’ve let something slip in his expression because the young boy in front of him suddenly stared at him with eyes that practically glittered.

Arnalt frowned. “How dare you!”

Again Marius kneeled. “Forgive me my Lord, I momentarily forgot my place.”

Arnalt felt heavy all of a sudden. “They’re going to bring this case to the council. I don’t know if I can help you.”

“My Lord has already done too much for me. I will gladly accept whatever punishment befits me.”

What would it be this time Arnalt wondered… the water dungeon was grueling but at least it was nearby. Lashes were barbaric, but Marius was so sturdy he healed immediately. Either way Arnalt hated those old methods. He was known to never use them himself. The word on the hilt of his sword wasn’t just for display.

“I’ll try to speak for you, it really seems to just be this blood issue, but I make no guarantees.”

“My Lord is merciful.”

Arnalt thought the words sounded rather odd and… fond. He cleared his throat once more.

“Stand. Go eat. I’ll have them send over rice.”

“I should starve in penance.”

“Knowing the council. You just might.”

Just then a young girl entered, wearing a grey simple tunic. She bowed lightly. “My Lord Arnalt, your presence is requested in the council room.”

“Thank you Pagytha. Be sure to have rice sent here while I’m gone.”

“I... I can’t do that My Lord.”

Arnalt froze mid-step. He turned towards her, his eyes bloodless and cold. But this gaze wasn’t really directed towards her, but to the dark thought that overcame him.

“That was a direct order from your Prince. What is the meaning of this?”

“The King has ordered his... the creature’s exile. By royal decree it cannot be undone. Forgive me my Lord, I am only authorized to speak until this point.”

Arnalt’s shock was the first ripple on his face, quickly replaced by anger. ‘Can you at least tell me to where the hell exactly he’s been exiled?’ He instantly felt bad for his tone, gripping the hilt of his sword once more to calm down and when he was sufficiently less altered, he at last spoke up.

“How long?”

“A year, sire.”

“Where?”

“The Winterlands.” 

It was just as he’d feared. 

[rosecorcoranwrites]

Editing Advice Part 1: Continuity

Although I said I wouldn't be giving writing advice on this blog, I never said anything about editing advice. Plenty of people give (unhelpful, short-sighted, or far too niche) writing advice, but few focus on the crucial final part of the writing process, and yet, editing is what gives a lot of writers the most trouble. I personally love editing far more than the initial writing stage and so am here to offer my advice in not one, not two, not even three, but four—yes four!—blog posts!

First, let's look at continuity, in three categories: Time, Place, and People. Technically, you ought to keep continuity in mind throughout the writing process, but it's still easy to forget one or two things. Thus, when you finally decide "I'm going to edit this WIP!", you need to double check that everything is consistent, not just from a plot standpoint, but from a spacial, chronological, and personal standpoint as well.

Time

This includes character ages (especially in flashbacks and exposition), the beginning and endings of school years, the seasons and their weather patterns, moon phases (especially when writing about werewolves), times of day, how long it takes for events to happen (a wound to heal, DNA to come back from the lab, traveling from point A to point B), historical matters (phraseology, having characters use things that hadn't been invented yet, people in the middle ages eating potatoes, etc.) and so on.

One time, I was reading a WIP where their main character's (or MC's) sister, who was twelve, was being discussed. The MC said that her sister had been dating someone at the same time the MC was first learning to use her magic powers. Fine, except that later it was stated that she first learned to use those powers five years ago. Which would make the sister seven at the time. Ain't no seven-year-old datin' nobody. The author of the WIP had just forgotten that all the characters ages would change, not just the main character's.

In my own writing, I had to be very careful in Outcast Shadows, because two groups of characters were in two locations doing two things: Group A was traveling across a continent, while Group B were hanging out in a single building in a single city. But they had to meet up at the end of the book, under specific circumstances, so I had to make sure that both storylines took the same amount of time. In the first draft, Group A took far longer than Group B, which was disastrous! I had to go back and, first, measure exactly how long it would take Group A to do all their traveling and find things for Group B to do that made sense for the story to fill up that specific amount of time.

As careful as I was in Outcast Shadows, though, I completely forgot that Misha left a certain location a day earlier than everyone else in Recast Light—and this was after four rewrites. I had to account for what he was doing for an entire day, which meant rewriting several scenes. It ended up working out in the end, but is a cautionary tale I won't soon forget.

Place

This includes anything spacial, such as the layouts of rooms, buildings, cities, and continents; the blocking of character movements; light sources; the configuration of the the solar system; and so on.

For example, if your character was flat on his back a few sentences ago, but now he's standing, were we ever told that he got up? Did your characters, while touring the lower rooms of a castle, ever climb something in order to get to that second story room where they end up (mine didn't, in the first draft of Miscast Spells!). If your scene takes place in a dark and dingy torch-lit tavern, how can your characters notice tiny details, or are you picturing the scene as brightly lit as it would be with electric lighting?

Obviously, some of this can be fudged a bit—I don't think anyone but me cares about how scenes are lit—but some of it can't. And readers will notice. There was the famous case of Larry Niven's Ringworld, in which a character is teleporting east in order to extend his birthday, but of course the earth rotates east, meaning he would actually be moving later into the day, or even into the next, rather than earlier. So many readers noticed that Niven actually corrected it in later editions. Then there is Stephanie Meyer's Breaking Dawn, in which the Cullens have a house on an island off the west coast of Rio de Janeiro which, you know, doesn't have a west coast. These authors had professional editors who didn't catch these mistakes, so you can't rely on other people to notice continuity errors for you. Do your own research and know the layout of your own setting, especially if it's the setting we all live in.

People

This category includes what your characters have, what they know, and who they are.

For what they have, consider clothing and accessories, weapons, and useful items. If they don't have an umbrella, but it's raining in your scene, do they just stand there in the rain? Do they like it? Aren't they cold? If your character has some huge rucksack full of gear, they should always have that rucksack full of gear unless we can assume they left it in a safe place; if they're traveling from one end of the continent to the other, mention how heavy that rucksack is from time to time, and consider where it is during a fight or action scene (Are they still carrying it? Do they drop it? Do they pick it back up when they flee?).

Another thing that characters can have is injuries, which, unless magically healed, have lasting effects. If your character got punched in the face yesterday, they should have a bruise show up in a day or two, and last for about a week (she writes, realizing that she has had a character bruise far too fast in her own published book!). If your character has lost a lot of blood, or broken a bone, or received a concussion, all of that needs to be taken into account in the coming chapters. Again, this can usually be solved by a quick mention that such and such still hurt, but injuries will also impact how much traveling and fighting your character can do, so keep that in mind, too.

Be mindful, also, of what people in your story know, including POV and non-POV characters. A pet peeve of mine is when authors in multi-viewpoint narratives slip up and have the viewpoint character be privy to what other characters are thinking when there is no reason for them to know that. Then there is the opposite problem, typically in first person present tense stories, where, in order to have exposition, the MC will randomly be thinking about information that everyone in the setting already knows. It would be like reading a novel set in our world and having the first person narrator think "243 years ago, America declared independence from Britain, which it had formerly been a colony of. This was followed by what is known as the Revolutionary War, where the Patriots, on the American side, fought the Red Coats, the British soldiers". No one thinks that way, because they personally already know it; who are they explaining it to, themselves? Find a more natural way for this information across to the audience. Maybe the character is arguing about it with an friend or is helping a younger sibling with their homework.  For this sort of thing, dialogue is definitely your friend, but still, double check to make sure this seems natural.

Finally, think about who your characters are, as opposed to who you wanted them to be. Characters change and grow over the course of writing, and what you might have considered in-character when you were outlining the novel might be out-of-character now. Consider your character's emotional reactions, moral choices, word choice, and so on. Never let an intended message be a reason to railroad a character into some preconceived destiny. Take the time to look at your character, not as a writer, but as a reader.

This last bit of advice holds true for all parts of editing. Think about how you would view your story as a reader. While beta readers and editors are helpful, you can't put everything on them (especially considering that there are published stories with continuity errors). Think about what a reader might nitpick, and what they might not care about. I suggest caring about it anyway, because it's your story, and it should be the best you can make it. Polishing your story into its bright and shiny best self is what editing is all about, and we've only just begun!

[crazedlunatic]

When You Knew

Anon: Eric realizes that he wants to marry Alec? I think I remember reading he didn’t want to get married but I know that they do so I am interested in the evolution of that

“So we’ve been married for three years now and it is time for you to tell me.” Alec said, going to up the admissions desk at the ER.

Eric, who was about to get off and trying to finish his paperwork, glanced up to see Alec smiling. “Tell you… what exactly?” Eric asked suspiciously, looking up from the paperwork he was filling out.

“You know. When you knew you were going to marry me.”

Kurt’s Blaine’s friend David, who was there as well but talking to the registrar, pulled a face.

“Oh, don’t you even dare, David. Digimon marathons?” Alec snapped.

“Okay, that’s rude.” David scoffed.

“Plus… are you ever going to marry the mother of your toddler and unborn child? Eric wants to know.”

“Alec!” Eric hissed and then added, “Well… I am curious.”

“Talk to her about that one.” David shrugged and walked off.

“I’m serious. You’re being all secretive about it and it’s getting annoying now. You didn’t just propose to shut me up, did you?” Alec asked as David’s ‘girlfriend?’ walked up to Eric. “Please tell me we’re not married so I would quit asking if we were going to get married.”

“Friendly advice.” She chirped. “Answer the question and if it’s a stupid answer, make one up. Can I go home, Eric?”

“I guess so but if you see the Chief in the breakroom, you may want to ask her.” Eric shrugged. “Have a good night.”

“Can David leave too?”

Eric rolled his eyes.

“Hey, I don’t like walking to the apartment by myself.”

“It’s… not even a whole block down, Marcy.”

“Don’t make a pregnant woman cry.” Marcy stuck out her lower lip.

“Fine.” Eric sighed. “Please tell me you don’t use that pout with David. You’re not even going to wait for him to hand his patients off before you leave, are you?”

“I’m a big girl. I can walk home by myself.” Marcy gave him a look. “I just know how to work you to get what I want.”

“You literally just said… whatever. See you tomorrow.”

“Oh? Do you know why he proposed to me?” Alec asked, looking at Marcy.

“Probably your money.” Marcy shrugged.

“Uhm… he has a lot more than I do?”

“Something else superficial? Your looks?”

“Bye, Marcy.” Eric gave her an annoyed look.

“It’s so much quicker when he makes you leave.” Marcy whispered to Alec before walking out with one of the other nurses.

“I married you so I wouldn’t have to marry one of those.” Eric sighed.

“Uh, no. Finish your hand offs and we are going to enjoy our third anniversary and you are going to tell me why you wanted to marry me.” Alec gave him a look.

“Fine. Go sit in the break room. Someone had a gnarly stomach bug yesterday and three people have already left sick.” Eric sighed again.

Alec kissed his cheek and walked towards the breakroom.

…

“Telllll me.”

“Oh my God.”

“No. No more being shy, Eric. Tell me now and if you don’t have a good reason, make a better one up.” Alec literally sat down on his lap so he could not move.

“How much caffeine have you had today, Alec?”

“The same amount Kurt and I always have when we’re hiding away from our studios… so, a lot. It’s just so annoying to listen to them all the time. You can’t turn in sketches with mustard on them. Do they not know they’re giving that to the main designer? Their boss?”

Eric rolled his eyes. “Your butt is bony.”

“Well then you better talk fast so I’ll get up, I guess.”

“Get what up?” Eric asked mischievously.

“Yeah, no sex unless you tell me a satisfactory answer. Sorry.”

“I don’t know. I mean… it was kind of little, stupid stuff and when you put it all together… I just knew I was being dumb trying to not marry you.” Eric said somewhat lamely, shrugging.

“Like what?”

“Mainly when we were up at the alter with the officiant. I was going to run off, but you were actually on time for once.” Eric grinned.

“Eric.” Alec shot him a look.

“I mean it really is a bunch of stupid, little stuff that just accumulated into a big boom moment, you know?”

“If it was that important, it wasn’t really stupid or little.”

“I don’t know. You’ve, like, known since we first got together and it took me a lot longer to jump on the marriage train.” Eric bit his lip.

“That’s okay. I just want to know. So, tell me some of the little stuff.”

“Well… remember our first date in Ohio? We had the dinner reservations at the place you heard about… and my car window on the passenger side was leaking because it was raining, we missed the ferry by five minutes so we had to wait another hour. Meanwhile, it’s still raining and you’re getting all wet and cold. Then on the ferry you got super seasick. It was supposed to be a half our ferry ride but end up, like, an hour and fifteen minutes… and you were so nauseous you couldn’t even eat your food. I felt so bad because it was our first time seeing each other in three weeks and you had been so excited to go and I completely ruined it.”

“I forgot about that.” Alec smiled. “It’s okay. When I ate the food the next morning, it was mazing.”

“Oh, I’m not even done!” Eric said as Alec moved off his lap to sit next to him on the couch.

“What else?”

“We were five minutes late to the ferry ride back and had to wait an extra hour again but it was even longer than that. Still raining so you’re still getting wet. So, then I was freaking out because we got lost and Siri kept taking us the wrong way so you had to use the Maps on your phone. You’re horrible about that still, by the way… And when we got back to your place you were just acting like you hadn’t had the worst night of your life and you told me that I could pick the next place for our Ohio adventures… and I think I kind of knew I wanted all of the adventures to be with you.”

“You’re so sweet.” Alec pouted a bit.

“Also, the first time we actually slept through the night in a bed together… When I went on vacation with you and your family the summer after I graduated. I remember thinking that I wanted to wake up next to you every day and how happy that would make me. And then one time when you were staying with me, I was studying and you were asleep. So I’m halfway into this study guide about burn treatment and you just randomly rolled over, draped your arm around my lower stomach, and sleepily told me that you wished you could fly... and then you started snoring and it was the most hilarious thing. I think I kind of knew then too.”

“… I had drank that night, hadn’t I? I was really hoping that had been a dream but I only snore when I’m drunk or sick.” Alec groaned.

“I never let you drink too much. You’re a lightweight anyway. A drink and a half in I’ll hear the hiccup giggle and take it away.” Eric laughed. “Oh God. And then how you anthropomorphize things. I think it was when we had first moved in together here in New York City and I was putting the new tea packets in the little drawer since we’d been running low... You came in like a lunatic and hysterically told me I had to move the old ones to the front because you didn’t want to ruin the their hopes and dreams of being our cups of tea.” Eric laughed. “You still do that. Give things human characteristics and empathize for people much more than they deserve… except my mother, that is.”

“I’ve done it since I was little.” Alec said and then frowned. “Well, not the thing with your mom… but pretty much ever since I met her and she said I was jail bait. Is that it?”

“There is a bigger one but it’s kind of depressing.” Eric said.

“What?”

“When your dad was at war and those bombs went off and they couldn’t find him and you were just broken. Like… the only other time I’d seen you like that was when in freshman year I got drunk and… you know. And you didn’t call me. When I asked why you said you hadn’t even thought to and I… just knew that I had to make sure you knew you could call me. I knew that I always had to be there to protect you and take care of you to make sure you never feel like you can’t call me again… and so you know you always have one person that will answer no matter what… That was the big one.”

Tears filled Alec’s eyes and he let out a deep breath.

“You’ve always meant so much to me and it was stupid to not want to be married because I feel like by the time you started at CCAD, we pretty much already were married since you followed me there… and the more time we passed and the longer I would go without seeing you… I just knew my quality of life was so much better with you in it and suddenly getting legally married didn’t seem so scary anymore. The possibility of losing you was what was scary because I knew you wanted it so bad… almost as scary as the way I had felt before your dad was able to contact you and your mom. It just seemed silly…”

Alec sniffled, wiping his eyes.

“When did you know you wanted to marry me?”

“Two things, same day.” Alec sniffed. “On our first date you didn’t take me to a place that served burgers.”

“Your mom actually gave me that hint.” Eric said— suddenly feeling very thankful he’d took the advice.

“I figured because she was so smug when I told her about the date.” Alec laughed.

“The other thing?”

“When you kissed me… you had been so flustered when you finally got up the courage to ask me out but it was like once we got away from my house on the way to the restaurant everything was super calm and you were just you…The way you’d been before you started to like me when were just friends…”

“No, seriously. I don’t know why but all the nerves just went away. Honestly, I’d been a nervous wreck until then.” Eric gasped. “It was so weird.”

“But,” Alec said. “You kissed me and I just knew that nobody would ever make me feel like that again. Nobody could make me feel that way again…. And then you pulled away and said it had never felt like that before even though you’d been head over heels with Adam… I just knew it was bigger than a crush or a first date… I knew we were meant to be.”

“Seriously? No other ah-ha moment?” Eric looked doubtful.

“No. I just knew and always have.” Alec said. “Obviously I tried to play that down because I didn’t want to seem clingy… and honestly, if I hadn’t already felt that way before you got drunk and slept with Adam I probably would have ended it but I knew I could never feel this way for anybody else. Almost like it was fate that we moved back here when we did. That sounds lame but… it’s true.”

“I’m so glad we stayed together… I know you don’t bake or cook much but your peanut butter cookies are so good and I still want to make how you make them so round?”

“Not telling.” Alec singsonged. “I did tell your brother, though… so he could make some and impress his now wife. See? When I bake and cook, it’s life changing. Too risky to do it too often.”

[inkdrinkershadowsinger]

Regulus the Maledictus

It would always be the two of them? Yeah right?

He should've known his brother only knew how to think about himself. He’s locked in his room, his parents are having a screaming match downstairs but he can't utter a sound or he will simply stop functioning altogether, and then it happens. His mind quiets. He is, for a moment, no longer the heir to the Black estate, or the boy who just lost a brother. He is nothing. He is free. A blank space. A void.

When he snaps out of that feeling, he lays in his bed and tries and tries to bring it back before the darkness takes him.

He knows that his brother is an animagus.

It was a part of his initiation. The Dark

Lord just didn't take anyone, Nott had been very clear about that. “It's time to show what you've got”, the older boy had told him. He would meet them on a raid of some local muggle village. He couldn't remember the name. He was half way to the school gates when a big black dog jumped out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground. He barely managed to get the dog off him before he heard the distinctive sound of apparation. His escort was waiting for him. He had to go.

But still the dog fought him, tugged on his robes, growled in his face, snapped at his ankles. He nearly had him before he shot a stunning spell at it.

He was almost near the gates when the dog started to bark, and a light from Hagrid’s hut flared to life. He looked at his watch debating.

Then his escort was gone. He had missed them.

As he turned back to the castle, the newly recovered dog was nowhere to be found.

So when it happened months later, he assumed that he, like his brother, had some affinity for transformations. He felt ecstatic. This would make up for missing the raid. And unregistered animagus would be a great asset to the Dark Lord, of that he was sure.

Maybe he could have asked for something more interesting or more elegant, but still this was good news. It was only when he went to the library and found all the information about animagi did he falter. But if he wasn’t an animagus, if it wasn't that then just what had happened to him?

Then, it happened again. And where before he could easily and quickly change back, he was stuck in this form for longer and longer amounts of time.

He didn't tell the Dark Lord. He didn't tell Snape or Nott. He didn't tell his mother and he certainly couldn't tell Sirius. Instead, he read. He read and stressed and with every transformation lost more sleep and more weight.

It was during one of his transformations that he started picking up information from the inner circle members. The Dark Lord has done something to himself, something unspeakable, and as sure as he knew that his time was running out he knew we had to stop him. Voldemort took Kreacher to the cave, and Regulus knew it was time. The one transformation he didn't mind was the one that led him to his brother’s doorstep. Sirius opened the door and looked down at him. His brother had a blackeye and a cut above his lip.

Sirius opened the door and looked up and looked out. He watched as a confused look broke out on his brothers broken face. Then Sirius looked down at him, and his brother who hadn’t touched him in years bent down and took him into his arms.

“Hey there little guy,” Sirius said. “Where did you come from? Looking a little scrawny aren’t ya? Sirius shut the door.

The apartment Sirius had bought with Alphard’s money was a mess. Clothes were strewn across the floor, there were more records then he could count, and there were takeout containers all over the place. It looked like the inside of his brothers mind.

His mother would've been so pissed. Maybe that's why Sirius liked it. Sirius looked down at him.

“It's been a crap night. You’re lucky I was home.”

He watched as Sirius rummaged through the cabinets. Simultaneously he pulled from one of the cabinets some bandages, peroxide, a small bowl, and a can of tuna fish. He open the tuna and dumped it into the bowl before placing it on the floor.

“Of course,” Sirius said with a scoff. “You're one of those.”

“Sorry, but that's all I've got,” Sirius noted as he saw the look on the animal’s face. He then sat down with the bandages and peroxide in front of him at the kitchen table.

Why aren't you using your wand bloody idiot? He thought.

But then he saw a slight quiver in his brothers arm and assumed that whatever or whoever had caused that damage to his brother’s face had worn him out magically as well.

While Sirius was occupied he started to nose around his brother’s fat. He sniffed the air. It didn't smell like his brother had been entertaining the wolf as of late. He may have been faltering slightly in some of the dark Lord's teachings but that didn't mean he had to like Sirius’ friends especially not this one. This one like Potter like Pettigrew had stolen his brother right from underneath his nose, or at least, that's what it felt like. He knew he was to blame as well. He was learning a lot about just how much he was to blame.

He heard a noise to his right and looked towards his brother. Sirius’ face was in his hands, his shoulders were shaking slightly. His brother was crying.

“How did it get so messed up?” his brother asked no one in particular. “How did I lose control of everything? When did they start to beat us?”

And out of nowhere he swept his arm across the table sending the bandages and peroxide to the floor.

“Sorry”, he said when he noticed that he had underneath the table.

“I’m nor going to hurt you,” Sirius said coaxing him out. He went. His brother took them into his arms and led him to the couch.

“It's getting rough out there,” Sirius said looking outside at the rain. Perhaps you should stay with me tonight? Maybe we could be friends. I can't possibly hurt you right? Like I've hurt so many others. Sirius Black, the stain on the most Noble and Ancient House of Black. Traitor to friend and foe alike. Ask anyone, they’ll tell you. Regulus. Remus. Myself.

I don't even know where they are. We're spread so thin. Remus has been on a mission for months. James is doing all he can do through official channels and threw not so official channels. They are winning. At least I know one person is safe. For now, he is on the winning side. He just doesn't understand that no side is the winning side unless you are Voldemort himself.

He did know that. He didn't need his brother to tell him that,not anymore. Sirius stiffened.

“Serves him right then. It serves him right. Let him figure it out for himself. I did. If he gets killed it won't be my fault. It won't be from my lack of trying. It'll be his choice.”

Sirius’ voice grew manic.

“I told him. I told him. I told him a thousand times what would happen. I told him what kind of people our parents are. I told him what kind of people he associated with were. I told him everything that he needed to know and he turned his back. Is it really my fault that I turned my back on him too? What can I done? What could I have done? What can I have done What can I have done?”

You couldn't have done anything, he wanted to tell him. You couldn't have stopped me. But just as that night that Sirius left home Regulus had no more capability of telling him these words then he had of saying anything then. He may be older, but he was still useless. He still had no control over his environment, over his world, over his family or his brother or anything at all. He wanted it though he wanted it so bad that he joined an organization of people that promised him control that promised him order that promised him family but the only family that he cared about now was sitting in front of him And he literally couldn't say a word.

Sirius had made a bed for him that night set it up in the corner of the living room. He set out food and water, “even if you're a dang snob”, Sirius had said. “I'll get you something fancier in the morning,” he promised.

He didn't know that there wouldn't be a morning. He couldn't stay.

But when he left he did so with the realization that he had gotten what he came for. He got proof that someone in this world would miss him when he was gone.

After that he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave. He forced his friend to keep feeding him the liquid that beneath it held the secret to the Dark Lord’s power. He was going to die. Kreacher had his instructions. And he followed them because there was no way that he couldn’t. Despite his screams and pleads as the liquid was forced down his throat burning and choking him. Awareness slipped from him like it did when he was transforming. He forgot quickly why he was doing such a thing as the liquid made him wish for death. Even as all rationale thought quit him as the will to survive bucked inside of him still Kreacher forced him to drink. Unwilling and unable to defy an order I'm his master until his master wasn’t his master anymore.

The inferi came out of the water and attacked. Kreacher have one last look, years streaking his face as the creatures dragged his master into the water. He grabbed the locket that his master had died for and disapparated.

Regulus knew this was it. Kreacher was gone and he wasn’t getting out of there. He couldn’t fight as the inferi claimed him, but yet, a familiar feeling starting to overcome him. He doesn’t try to snap himself out of this time, but embraces it before everything goes black.

Years later, in a shop, a cat was bought by a girl with frizzy hair. And soon, it met a familiar big black dog who was actually a lost man. And Regulus Black who was thought lost to the world found his brother again. Just the two of them once again.

A/N This is not JK’s canon about only being passed from mother to daughter, but I thought it was still good. And a nice thought for the poor boys who died too soon. Reg and Sirius