#I'm pretending like I know what I'm doing

[piracytheorist]

Idk I just really like that Twilight's reaction to being told "Your wife used to be a prostitute!" is to go like

and proceed to say how honourable and worthy of respect her dedication, self-sacrifice and mental fortitude are, and how we're shown he actually means that.

And then my girl Yor sees his reaction and hears his words and for the first time in her life she goes like "This is a man who literally just met me and has no connection to me yet he not only understands my position, he's also willing to bring himself out there and have my back when other people have free bait to judge me" and like damn how important that was to her, to have someone (who doesn't owe his survival to her like Yuri does) actually see her and respect her choices and have the absolute BEST of faiths in her. Like, what Camilla says there has the societal power to make her look like a pariah. Yet this dude comes over and without knowing anything about her, he vouches for her and immediately assumes her reasons were noble and altruistic. And though he doesn't know what profession he's actually vouching for, he's completely right in his assumption about her intentions, and considering how easily the general public judges sex workers, it's no surprise this support gives Yor the courage to believe Loid will understand her and won't think bad of her if she ever disappears on them due to her work, because he's open-minded enough for his first and immediate assumption about her is that she has good intentions.

And I just wanna SCREAM because she has absolutely no idea how little he will judge her about her assassin gig. She already considers herself lucky she's come across someone who is compassionate enough to think the best out of someone who works in a profession that is not considered "morally acceptable" by the public. But she has no idea the actual jackpot she's hit, because his own profession is far more dark and sinister yet he still has the kindness and empathy in his heart to understand people who do the same as he does.

Like, that's it with her character, isn't it? She sacrificed her own youth and morality to help Yuri grow up and be educated, and that caused him to idolize her, and because he was the only family she had left, she has been desperate to not cause any of her ties with him to break. But it also caused her impostor syndrome, and she had no confidence in any of her abilities aside from killing and cleaning up after her work, because she lives in a misogynistic society that is suspicious of unmarried women (like, that judgment alone, considering unmarried men don't experience such scrutiny, can be enough to damage a woman's psyche) and because she has been working under a man cruel enough to hire orphaned teenagers as assassins and nearly kill them in tests of their abilities ever since she was a teenager. For her it was either "I'm either perfect in something or I'm completely useless and I deserve people's judgment". Because if Yuri sees she doesn't have the perfect record, she thinks he will be horrified and she'll lose the ties to her last remaining family. And she will think she deserved that. If her killing skills waver in the slightest, she will be killed, either by enemies or by the Shopkeeper doing his little "tests". And she will think she deserved that. And if she doesn't abide by the society's expectations, she will at best be judged and mocked (for not cooking at home) and at worst get arrested (for being suspected as a spy). And she will think she deserved that.

Yet again, this stranger comes along, is told she's worked a socially shameful profession, knows she's shy and with so few connections that she can't even find someone to act as her pretend boyfriend for a party, and he supports her. And then he finds out how socially unskilled she is, how terrible she is at cooking, how she can't even pretend to kiss him for their mutual benefit, how she has the tendency to get so drunk she accidentally kicks him unconscious... And those things that she considers fatal flaws of her, he says are parts of her that she doesn't need to pretend don't exist. That's who she is, and there's nothing to fix, and she can just accept them without feeling bad or ashamed of it, that pretending she's someone else, someone perfect, will only make her miserable and exhausted.

And like... fuck. How can she not feel glad she got to marry that guy?

And how much will her heart break when she finds out he's a spy and will immediately doubt all the supportive words he's told her? And how astonishing will it be when she finds out that he actually meant pretty much everything he's told her, and that he really resonates with her and believes in her?

(anime only here, don't spoil me for the manga)

[vitalverstappen]

Homecoming SMAU - C. Leclerc

summary: have you ever had a massive crush on your team rival? (smau edition)

pairing: Charles Leclerc x Red Bull driver!reader

fc: various, just pretend they're all the same person

a/n: i kinda love this fic wayyy too much to let it go so soon, so I decided to make a smau version for your enjoyment!

written

masterlist

liked by redbullracing, charles_leclerc, and 737,602 others

tagged: charles_leclerc

yourusername: Didn't go how we planned, but grateful to snatch a point. Congrats to Charles for the home race win!

view all comments

charles_leclerc: thank you!! can't wait to celebrate later!

yourusername: lmk when and where and i'll be there!!

user1: wdym my two fav drivers are definitely about to get plastered together??

user2: they've been friends since she broke into f1, only makes sense they would user3: yeah "friends" he's been in love with her since he saw her for the first time

user2: no.

maxverstappen1: over/under on how long it takes for her to get ready? line is at 2.5 hours

logansargeant: over

landonorris: over

oscarpiastri: over

redbullracing: over

user4: there's no way she really takes THAT long

logansargeant: you'd be surprised

twitter & max's texts

liked by user1, user2, and 36,583 others

f1gossip: some of the drivers out and about in Monaco celebrating Charles' home win!

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user5: whoever let lando dj needs a RAISE

user6: i heard logan and oscar were also there!

user7: is it just me or do charles and y/n look weirdly close together??

user3: im telling you guys there's got to be SOMETHING going on between them

user2: again, guys and girls can be just friends.

user6: it's also a club. they're gonna be packed together

user8: i don't even want to know how much money they spent

monza media day

liked by: logansargeant, francolapinto and 673,842 others

tagged: logansargeant, francolapinto

yourusername: wdym i'm now the only one here repping the red, white n blue?? but in all reality, it's been an honor getting to know you Logan, you'll always be my best friend & I can't wait to see what you do in the future!!

but welcome to the grid Franco! you've got some tough shoes to fill

view all comments

logansargeant: thank you y/n. gonna miss you <3

yourusername: at least now you wont have to spend the 4th in the UK... again...

francolapinto: gracias y/n! No puedo esperar a ver qué trae el resto de la temporada!

yourusername: i have no idea what you just said but yes!!

user9: oh she's just like us

user10: girl is down bad

user2: @/user3 no like from Charles... how are you feeling after this?

user3: by the end of this season i'll be yelling i told you so from the rooftops

liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc and 987,325 others

tagged: yourusername

redbullracing: The queen of COTA has arrived! 🇺🇸

view all comments

user11: ugh she's glowing

user12: her austin looks always slay

user3: CHARLES IS BACK IN THE LIKES! I REPEAT CHARLES IS BACK!!

user2: you weren't kidding when you said you didn't give up hope

maxverstappen1: you guys better not be plotting to get me in a cowboy hat

yourusername: pffffft why would we do that??

redbullracing: fine, we'll go put it away...again...

charles_leclerc: if you need someone to dress up, i know a guy

user13: omg stand up king, this isn't even y/n's insta

yourusername: @/charles_leclerc wdym "you know a guy" you couldn't even wear your hat properly

liked by charles_leclerc, kimi.antonelli and 985,432 others

tagged: charles_leclerc, kimi.antonelli, jackdoohan, texasfootball

yourusername: hook 'em 🤘

view all comments

texaslonghorns: it was a pleasure to have you! same time next year?

yourusername: you know it! 🫡

texasfootball: thanks for the support! we'll have to get you suited up next year

yourusername: as long as i don't get tackled im yours

user14: awh y/n and charles are already starting to adopt the 2025 rookies

oscarpiastri: i do not need any more siblings

charles_leclerc: thx for showing me the joys of college football 🧡

yourusername: anytime charlie!!!

user15: CHARLIE?? girl WHAT?

user3: GUYS ITS HAPPENING!!

liked by maxverstappen1, charles_leclerc, and 985,920 others

yourusername: P1 baby!! It's always special to race at home and being able to win it means even more! A weekend I'll forever remember ❤️🤍💙

view all comments

redbullracing: congrats y/n!! a win well deserved!

liked by yourusername

maxverstappen1: honor to be on that podium with you! let's run it back in vegas

yourusername: only in vegas??

maxverstappen: your ego is gonna get too big if you win everything else

user16: RAH RAHHHH AMERICA 🦅💥🦅💥🇺🇸

user17: U! S! A! 🇺🇸 U! S! A! 🇺🇸

charles_leclerc: congrats on the win!! now, drinks on me tonight?

user18: oh charles grew a pair

yourusername: @/charles_leclerc actually, i think i still owe you for monaco 😊

user3: 👀👀👀

liked by user3, user2, and 45,832 others

tagged: charles_leclerc, yourusername

f1gossip: newest wag(s)?? charles and y/n were caught making out in a club in Austin. The two, along with the rest of the grid were there celebrating y/n's homecoming win. Cheers were heard from the other drivers as the two shared their moment.

view all comments

user19: oh. my. god.

user20: what in the romeo and juliet with a happy ending??

user2: @/user3 go ahead. say it.

user3: @/user2 I TOLD YOU SO. I TOLD YOU ALLLLL SO

user3: I DON'T LOOK CRAZY NOW. I KNEW IT

user21: what does @/redbullracing have to say about this

redbullracing: i'm just glad it isn't one of the mclaren boys mclaren: we wouldn't date you either its fine

want more? @coco-loco-nut wrote a sister story. Check it out!

[the-prophesied-disco-gay]

Some things are not easy to say but it's important they are said. When this post says "fuck child abusers" it means me. That includes me. I spanked my kids when they were young. That's a real thing that I am guilty of and pretending otherwise might feel better for me but it doesn't help anyone.

I'm hoping that talking about it will.

I was raised in a very conservative household. My friends and partners have described my upbringing as "being raised in a non-religious cult." My Dine heritage was hidden from me. My Jewish heritage was hidden from me, and then later I was told we are "white Jews" (which is a perfectly acceptable thing to be! But I am...not..one). I was raised steeped in white supremacy and racism and homophobia (my dad referred to both Black people and LGB people as "those people" and expected it to be clear from context which he meant)(shockingly, there was virtually zero transphobia in my house growing up. The neighbor's eldest transitioned when I was a kid and my parents liked and respected her parents so they decided that must be alright. That tiny twist of fate saved me much).

Now I don't list off these things to excuse child abuse. I do so to show just how interconnected these things are. Conservative beliefs, whether they are religious or just social/cultural, are inherently violent. I was 18 when I had my first child, my spouse was 20. Both of us had been spanked growing up, and so had all our friends. At that point in our lives it was unthinkable that there was another proper way to raise children. All the examples we had been shown of children that lacked "discipline" were either living violent, out of control, addiction ridden lives (you are not immune to propaganda), or insufferable brats who called their parents by their first names ("There once was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it").

Here's the thing tho. It didn't feel good.

Sure it did in all the ways that have perpetuated such actions for millenia. The chemical changes that happen in the brain, the feeling of regained control and reasserted authority, the relief that the world is right on it's axis and everything is back in its box. Corporal punishment doesn't teach a child anything useful or worthwhile, only fear and uncertainty and lack of trust. That's not truly why people do it. It provides a sense of relief for the adult. An outlet for the emotion they haven't learned to manage.

But it didn't make us feel like good parents. It didn't make us feel like we were doing right by our kids. And the more we moved in the world away from our own parents, the more we met and spoke with different kinds of people, the more we learned. The very first time I found a science article about the effects of spanking, I felt both relieved and vindicated. I showed it to my partner and we never spanked our kids again.

It wasn't difficult. We never wanted to be doing it in the first place. We had legitimately believed we would be failing our children if we chose otherwise. We were wrong.

Sometimes you're going to be wrong. On big things. On important things.

It is never too late. Once you know better, do better. It's not too late to stop. To apologize. To begin doing better. My children were still young when we learned better, and I am grateful for that. But even if your children are grown, it's not too late to apologize and admit you were wrong. You will be shocked what it can heal.

[lev1hei1chou]

Gossip Girl

Gojo x reader Genre: Fluff Synopsis: Gojo judges people at a party Masterlist

"Do you think he actually believes that comb-over is fooling anyone?" Gojo whispered, leaning down to your ear, his breath tickling your neck.

You giggled, trying to stifle the sound with your hand. "I know, right? It's like the hair is trying to escape his head."

Gojo snorted, straightening up and taking a sip of his drink. "And look at her over there," he continued, nodding towards a woman in a neon pink dress that hugged her in all the wrong places. "I swear, Barbie called and she wants her dress back."

You nearly choked on your drink, doubling over in laughter. "Stop it! You're going to get us caught," you managed between breaths, wiping away tears of mirth.

Gojo grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Hey, we're just here to observe the high society in its natural habitat. Think of it as research."

"Research, huh?" you replied, raising an eyebrow. "And what exactly are we researching?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then flashed you a brilliant smile. "The limits of human taste and the fascinating ways people choose to ignore them."

You nudged him playfully. "You're terrible, you know that?"

"I try," he said with a wink. "But seriously, look at that guy over there. Is he wearing socks with sandals?"

You turned to see a middle-aged man obliviously chatting away, indeed sporting the offensive footwear combination. "Oh my god," you whispered. "I thought that was just a myth."

"Nope, living proof right there," Gojo said, shaking his head in mock despair. "It's like witnessing a rare bird."

"A rare, fashion-challenged bird," you agreed, trying to keep a straight face.

As the evening wore on, the two of you continued your undercover mission, providing commentary on everything from questionable dance moves to over-the-top makeup choices. Gojo was in his element, his quick wit and sharp observations making you laugh harder than you had in weeks.

"Okay, new game," he announced suddenly. "Who do you think has the most scandalous secret here?"

You scanned the room thoughtfully. "Hmm, I'd say Mrs. Hikaru over there," you said, pointing discreetly to an older woman with a suspiciously young man hanging on her arm. "She looks like she's hiding something."

Gojo followed your gaze and nodded sagely. "Good choice. I'm going with Mr. Moustache over there," he said, indicating a man with a magnificent handlebar moustache. "No one grows a moustache like that without hiding some deep, dark secrets."

"Or a penchant for 19th-century fashion," you added, smirking.

Gojo laughed, then turned serious for a moment, looking at you with an intensity that made your heart skip a beat. "You know, I'm really glad we're here together. Makes this whole thing bearable."

You felt a warmth spread through you at his words. "Me too," you admitted, smiling up at him. "It's way more fun with you."

He grinned, slipping an arm around your shoulders. "Of course it is. Who else could provide such witty banter?"

You leaned into him, feeling content and happy. "Well, you do have a gift," you teased.

"I know, right?" he said, pretending to be smug. "But don't sell yourself short. You're a pretty amazing partner in crime."

"Partner in crime, huh?" you repeated, liking the sound of it. "I think I can live with that."

"Good," Gojo said, giving you a quick squeeze. "Because I don't plan on letting you go anytime soon."

You looked up at him, your eyes meeting his, and for a moment, the noisy party faded away. It was just the two of you, in your own little world.

Then the moment was broken by a loud crash from across the room, where someone had knocked over a table full of drinks.

Gojo sighed dramatically. "And the award for the most graceful exit goes to..."

"That guy," you finished, both of you dissolving into laughter again.

[hellothisisangle]

RAAAH YOUR LAST ART/COMIC 🔥🔥❤️💕👁👄👁✨️💖‼️‼️ i'm sorry but i immediately need context for it, it's too delicious and i cannot rest without knowing the full scene they were doing

So 90% of the comic panels I’ve been putting out recently have been one-offs based on a tiny idea or illustration that evolved into a scene. The last one in particular was a modern AU in which he hired someone for role play, but I don’t have much more than that

Actual lore:

Cae’s used self inflicted pain as an escape ever since the urges started manifesting more frequently/more strongly, which was around late teens. It was a decent distraction until he couldn’t push away the want to hurt others any longer and eventually gave in to Scelaritas’s callings

After embracing Bhaal’s inheritance he finally had an outlet, but would find that self harm was still comforting and even enjoyable. However, I think that Bhaalist Cae’s pride wouldn’t allow him to let others know how into it he was. He didn’t want to be seen as weak and he knew he wasn’t supposed to be spilling his own blood in father’s name, so he’d play up being confidentially dominant while holding onto that secret

Gortash and Orin were the only ones wise to it- Gortie dancing around giving Cae what he wanted, pretending and keeping up the ruse. Orin thinking that her brother was indeed less suited to the title than she was, but also having pity for him

On the other side, tadpoled-resist-durge Cae was only ashamed of his tendencies in the beginning. He’s pretty comfortable with being open about his likes/dislikes and gets a little made fun of because of them by the party (he doesn’t mind, it’s all in good fun)

[backinmyphase]

It was a really shitty evening when you first met College! Satoru.

You were sitting at the bar, alone, because your date just left after he realized that after three shots you still didn't want to sleep with him tonight.

Said he was going to the bathroom, but told the bartender that you would pay for his drinks.

But you had your problems with money and hadn't packed that much money. Dumb decision.

You sat there and just wanted to pray the costs away. You had already drank a bit and even though you weren't a lighcouldn't blame the bartender for getting impatient.

"Look, you have to pay slowly or order something else-"

"Don't worry, I'll pay."

And there he was, as if he answered your prayers, Gojo Satoru just suddenly stood next to you. He winked at you while talking to the bartender.

And even though he just saved you, you weren't too optimistic.

He was tall, good-looking, confident and apparently had money. Guys like that often just wanted to get you into bed, like the one you met here today.

But maybe it was just your horrible type.

You didn't know him back then, as he turned around with a charming smile. His white hair was messy from the club, but not too much so that it just looked good.

And maybe it was the alcohol, but you just wanted to kiss him at that moment.

"I took care of that, if you want, I can get you a drink or two too." he tilted his head as he sat down next to you. "I'm Satoru by the way."

You smiled at him, hoping, no praying that he wouldn't ask you to suck hi- "And what will that cost me?"

He pretended to think a bit and then leaned a bit forward.

"Your name. Would like to know what this pretty woman sitting here alone is called?"

You laughed and gave him your name.

If only you knew how obsessed College! Satoru was with you. He had a couple of classes with you and has seen you on a couple of partys in some clubs too. And you were just so pretty and that smile of yours made him swoon.

And at this moment you looked up at him, you seemed like an angel. An angel who he wanted to help, since he saw how this jerk just left you alone here.

An angel who Satoru wanted to shower in money. Telling you you could really get what you wanted and so on. Like he was millionaire or something. And as he offered you the list of shots you couldn't help but chuckle.

"Do you want to get me in your bed with the money or do you really want to get to know me?"

He smiled that boyish smile you would see a couple of times in the future.

"Why not both? Is that such a crime?"

Well, the next day you woke up in your own bed, with a headache and a new number which wrote you, asking if you slept well.

[wemlygust]

The worst is when this happens with some fucking obscure piece of media that hits you like a train and changes your mind about something or affects the way you think in real life, and because it's super obscure absolutely none of your irl buddies have read it, and you know you won't be able to get any of them to read it either because it was marketed terribly, and even if they read it they might not even get it, or maybe they just won't be able to get past the flaws that it does admittedly have, and. Just. When you really really want to talk to someone else who has also read it and you can't, at least not in person, or maybe not even without hunting down some hyperspecific goodreads chat and messaging random strangers. Is this better or worse than being deeply moved by a thing, and knowing your irl friend/family/whatever would also be deeply moved by the thing, but being unable to persuade them to ever try the thing? /despair, distress, diatribe

Before someone asks, this book specifically comes to mind: The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer. This is a god-tier emotional rollercoaster of a scifi space epic. This book tore me the fuck up and put me back together again a little different. It demanded all my attention and time until I had finished it, and then I found myself thinking about it at random moments for at least a month afterwards. This book is terrifying and heartrending and wrings you out like a dishrag, and I will never regret reading it. It goes on the shelf with 2001: a Space Odyssey, and the like. I actually think it also has a lot of flaws, admittedly, but I just don't care a whit about all the flaws because god *damn* what an experience this one is.

But everything about the cover and the blurb makes this look straightforwardly like a YA gay romance novel. It's FUCKING NOT. For one, it could have very easily been written as an adult SFF instead of teen, with a simple character age change and nothing else changed. There are no love triangles or similar YA tropes here. Which is often enough the case with YA, but I'm mentioning it for the people who normally avoid YA because YA tropes. For two: although the characters are gay, and it's written by a gay man, and there's technically gay romance in it: that is so, so extremely not the point, at least not in the way the marketing implies. Absolutely do not pick this up because you want a cozy YA gay romance genre read. Or if you insist on doing so anyway, at least pretend it's instead a highly rated ao3 fic that also has a long list of concerning tags and an "author chose not to use archive warnings" notice on it, alright? This book WILL upset you. Like a lot. Repeatedly. Although it is also very worth it. It's really fucking maddening, the way they marketed this. The author was apparently happy with the cover, at least, per an author's note, but even so. Anyway. Yep. Great book. Can't get anyone to read it, can't find anyone who's already read it. :P alas

sometimes a piece of media just! grabs you by the thoat and says, "hey buddy! I'm gonna irrevocably alter your brain chemistry now! have fun with that!!"

and then you just ! gotta deal with that ! you guess !!

[yanderefarm]

I need us pretending/threatening Emil with a divorce even after saying we wouldn’t 🙏🙏

this is a part 2 to this story

in your villain arc fr. i know if emil knew how you were manipulating him and playing him like a puppet he wouldn't even be mad he'd be like "thats hot wtf"

cw;; drugging, cheating, non-con (implied), abuse, manipulation

oh your poor husband, he's so pathetic and easy to break.

after your brutal breaking of his body with the cheating scandal you had been oh so generous to help him rebuild his all his lost favour. his ever loving husband who loved him past his worst flaws gave him a better reputation just by staying by his side. all he had to do was give into you, take you places, stop holding you at arms length like he was afraid of you running away and getting close to him at the same time. really all you wanted was more of his love and if that meant you had to break him down to nothing then you guess that's what you would do.

you walked into his office to find him surrounded by people, a familiar sight since his last scandal. you pushed past them to his desk, watching emil flinch away from your presence. you didn't need to yell and get angry this time, you knew exactly how to break him.

"i want a divorce."

you placed the newspaper on the desk to punctuate your sentence, the headline was a young noble woman's testimony of how the king had cornered her at the last royal banquet. another lie you had paid a pretty penny to get out there. you knew emil's head had been fuzzy since the last scandal, all it took was hiring a woman from a family desperate for money to force herself on him and then lie about it. he didn't even remember the night, he couldn't argue with you about it.

you heard his pathetic sob. that sound he would never usually make in front of anyone else. you turned back to see him still surrounded by his advisors and other noblemen but among their shocked faces you could see your husband had tears in his eyes.

"out." you ordered and they very quickly filed out leaving you two in a familiar position.

you walked back to the desk and stared down at him. your husband, already a broken and confused mess, hung his head like a kicked puppy dog so you couldn't see his eyes you could only hear him crying. you let out a heavy sigh.

"what am I supposed to do, emil? you clearly don't love me."

"that's not-"

"how many more women do i have to find out about before you admit it?"

"i don't remember that night... i don't think- i-"

a silence formed between you both only interrupted by his crying.

"i remember that night. i remember you left the party early to get some fresh air and you didn't come back."

he was shaking.

"..... if you had just talked to me we could have come to an agreement about concubines. if you didn't want to be with a man all you had to do was tell me. you don't have to keep humiliating me publicly and then lying about it."

"im not ly-"

you slammed your hands on the table making him flinch.

"you are. you're lying to me. you slept with the maid and then you lied about it and i forgave you. i forgave you because i thought you would learn your lesson."

"please... please punish me again please anything else... kill me, torture me, hate me, anything but leaving me..." he finally looked at you and you could see his pink eyes were cloudy and confused as tears dripped down his face.

".... that's pathetic emil. you want me to beat you but..." you forced your own tears along with your voice cracking. "you can't even say you love me."

emil tried to stand up, stumbling against the desk as his legs wobbled underneath him.

"don't leave me. please." his hand weakly grabbed your wrist

"do you love me?"

"yes."

"how am i supposed to trust that? how am i supposed to trust you? can you even say it? can you tell me you love me?"

"i...i...."

you ripped your hand away from him making him stumble again.

"I'm going to get the divorce papers ready. you're going to sign them."

you turned on your heel and left your husband sobbing in his office.

your plan to make the great emil landorr your mindbroken bitch was going along perfectly. it was going to be harder to drug him when you moved into the queen's palace but you were confident that the separation would drive him just as crazy.

[utterlyunawarewriter]

Overcrowded

Summary: You lose Percy in a crowd, and have trouble finding him again. However, he has the perfect way to solve this problem

A/N: sorry about the shortness of this, also let's pretend that demigods can use phones for this one. I think I've used all possible synonyms for "crowd" in this. Feedback is welcome <33

You cursed silently when you found out the mall bathroom had no paper towels. You settled for shaking your hands up and down in the air infront of you, before pulling out your lip gloss from your purse. After reapplying a layer over your lips, you used your elbows to open the door to the restroom.

You stepped out, and were amazed to see a giant mob of teenaged girls excitedly whispering to their friends. They were dressed in various shades of pink, ranging from the pale lilacs to deep magentas. You were stunned into silence, and for a moment, just stared at them.

They weren't here when you entered the bathroom, and they couldn't have just appeared out of thin air.

You snapped out of your daze, and scanned the crowd for a familiar head of permanently messy black hair, but to no avail. You frowned. Where could Percy have gone?

Deciding to satiate your curiosity about the origin of the sudden horde, you approach a middle-aged woman, who you assumed to be one of the girls mother. "Excuse me, but do you know what's happening here?", you gestured at the crowd.

"Oh, they're doing a sort of Meet-n-Greet with the cast of a movie."

"Alright, thank you."

You pulled out your phone and searched through the contacts. You found Percy's and tapped it, then pressed the phone to your ear. A cheery dial tone sounded, which brought a smile to your face.

The phone ringed long enough to make you nervous. Thoughts raced through you head. What if he lost his phone? What if he encountered a monster? What if he got hurt?

Of course you knew he could handle himself, but it couldn't stop your mind form thinking the worst.

After what seem like an eternity, he picked up, and your heart skipped a beat.

"Hello, love!" His voice came form the speaker and soothed your worries instantly. You let out a sigh of relief. "Hey, where did you go?"

"I didn't want to go anywhere, but then a huge-i mean huge-group of girls came outta nowhere, and i got swept up!"

"You're good?"

"Oh yeah, I'm good. Would be better if you were here though." You smiled again. Sweet little idiot with his sweet little words.

"Well, where are you right now?"

"Near a.........um, well, I'll be honest, I don't really know." He paused. You could picture him squinting at a store sign, struggling to read it. "I'm near a Ebino store?"

Okay. Reading store names wasn't going to help.

"Alright, umm, name something near you."

"A potted plant? Does that help?"

"I-no, that really doesn't. Okay, name something-"

"Wait I've got the best idea!" With that, he hung up.

You frowned. What was that supposed to mean? You looked through to crowds again, waiting to see his 'idea' was.

Huffing and tapping your feet impatiently, you debating calling him again, when you saw it.

A ridiculously large, blue helium balloon floated in the air a few stores away. It could have been a coincidence, but you took your chances.

Upon reaching it, you saw your boyfriend holding the balloon with an equally as large grin on his face.

All your annoyance melted away and he enveloped you into a hug. He buried his face in your neck, leaving feather-light kisses on it.

"I'm never losing you again."

____________________________________

My Masterlist

[deerspherestudios]

I'm kinda confused... In the main route, Mychael doesn't know yet if what he's feeling is love (that's what I think based on the last posts). But in 2 of the bad endings (the one that MC kills Mychael and the other where you are hypnotized by Mychael to stay with him forever), he says things that make us think he already knows he loves us. For example: "At least I'm dying by the side of someone, I'd like to hear your voice" or "I'm sorry, I wish I could know the way you are or that you'd love me the way I am" (I don't quite remember the quotes but they are something like this), and it ends saying "You love Mychael. Mychael loves you. You two live happy".

It makes me think... Mychael being placed in a dangerous situation where MC does not accept him the way he is, makes he know he loves her? What does it change? Actually, have I understand everything wrong? He does not love her in those endings, he's just desperate for companionship?

The last line of your question already answers it!

In Ending 2: You Monster, when he says that, he's comforting himself in his last moments knowing he's not dying alone. In Ending 3: Playing Pretend, when the narration says those lines ("You love Mychael. And he loves you.") he only thinks he knows what love is in his desperate attempt to convince you that everything is fine. In reality those words are empty, only serving as fodder to fill your head. In his eyes what he's doing with you (living together, spending time together and doing things together) equals 'love' when it's far from the truth. Especially considering he's puppeting your actions the whole time. He was just,,, a little,,, desperate,,,

[sturniololuv08]

Bat Matt (Dorky Batman Short)

@sunrisemill Post led to

@sturniolosfan1902 comment about a dorky matt fic which led to

@m4vestu encouraging me to write it

SO HERE WE ARE:

"I'm not doing it." You shook your head from side to side.

"Babe, please. I need to save you." Matt begged desperately for you to fulfill his fantasy. You looked into his bright blue eyes. You knew you failed the minute you sighed. "Yes!" He triumphed as he ran to put on his dark clothes. You smiled a little to yourself because you loved seeing him excited. He was always quiet so when he showed enthusiasm about something it tugged on your heartstrings. "Where is your eyeliner?" He called from the bathroom.

"Why do you need -"

"Don't question me!" He interrupted you.

"It's in the left drawer." You shook your head. You continued scrolling your phone while you heard him shuffling around.

"Honey, where's my super suit?" He quoted The Incredibles movie.

"Matt, really?" You regretted caving in.

"You're right, wrong movie." He agreed.

Within minutes, Matt was standing in the doorway with his head held low. His clothes were all black and baggy. His hair was flopped over his eyes. You saw why he needed your eyeliner, to black out his eye sockets. His jaw looked even thinner as he leaned up against the doorway.

"That didn't take long." You giggled. You weren't entirely sure what you were signing up for tonight but you were here to make your boyfriend happy.

"To the bat mobile." He huffed in a deep voice. You stood up off of his bed and walked past him. He let you through only so that he could squeeze your butt when you did.

"Matt, that's not very Batman of you." You jumped a little surprised.

"Do you wanna fight some bad guys with me?" He whispered in your ear. You sighed and walked to the garage with Matt sulking behind you. You got in the car and waited for him to join you.

"Babe can you film me driving real quick for a video." He asked in his normal voice.

"Sure." You took his phone and unlocked it. You opened up his Snapchat and started filming. "Okay. Go." He immediately was in character and started rizzing up the camera. He looked at you but not directly at the camera. He ran this thumb over his jawline while holding a serious look on his face. You hated to admit it but he looked really good.

"Got it all?" He was back to being Matt.

"Yeah. It's good." You didn't want to tell him how good because you didn't want it going to his head. He parked the car near a park and you both got out. "What do you need me to do?" Even though it was the middle of the night you were embarrassed to be doing this.

"They think I'm hiding in the shadows, I am the shadows." He huffed not answering you. You walked away to go over to the play set. He followed you for a few steps and then randomly started sprinting.

"Matt!" You eeked scared.

"I am Vengeance." He didn't turn to look back at you. The park wasn't lit up very well so with him in the all-black costume he became harder to make out in the distance.

"Matt?" Your voice was a little shaky from real nerves. He was gone. "Matt, where are you?" You knew what you had to say to get him to come back but you didn't want to. After looking around and trying to find him you gave in. "Help, Help. Please someone help me." You playfully begged. Matt dropped down from one of the play sets right in front of you. You lurched backward unprepared for his body falling from the sky.

"The city needs me." He gruffed. He then proceeded to punch the air around you.

"Thank you for saving me." You would like to be able to say you haven't done this before but unfortunately, Matt had talked you into this before so you knew what he wanted. "How can I ever thank you without knowing your name?" You asked to play the part.

"I'm... Batman." He growled slowly.

"Thank you so much." You pretend to swoon over your dark savior. "How do you do this every night?" You put your hand over your forehead.

"All men have limits. I ignore mine." He scoffed and kissed your cheek before walking off. You knew he was living his best life when he was living his "double life." You sat on a swing and started scrolling your phone while you watched him lurk in the darkness. Every once in a while you saw a black figure move and you heard his breathy mumble say some catchphrase.

"Bat Matt, I'm getting cold." You hollered out.

"The city needs me." He said right behind you.

"Fuck!" You jumped and fell out of the swing unprepared to have his dark voice in your ear.

"Babe -" He shook his head to reset his voice. "Babe, are you okay?" Matt was back.

"I'm fine can we just go home now? It got way too cold to be out here."

"Batman doesn't -"

"I know but this damsel in distress does." You rubbed your arms. He took off his puffy black jacket and wrapped it around you.

"Don't ruin my cape." He said seriously.

"Matt, it's a jacket." You looked at his stern face to see how serious he was. You made it to the car and slid inside. He turned on the heat he didn't drive right away to let the heat blast on you for a few minutes.

"Better?" He looked at you with puppy dog eyes hidden behind the dark black that was now smeared.

"Uh-huh." You nodded. He started driving and this time even though he wasn't doing the angsty look he still was extremely hot to you. When you walked in the front door Chris and Nick were hanging out in the living room together.

"Nice costume," Nick said slowly with a wide smile.

"What costume?" He was back in character flawlessly.

"Woah." Chris and Nick both got up and came over to check him out.

"This is insane." Chris chuckled. Matt started shadowboxing him.

"Where's the Joker?" Matt grabbed Chris' collar.

"Calm down killer." Chris shoved his hands off of him. I smiled at him having a second go at Bruce Wayne's Character.

"If you kill a killer, the number of killers in the world will remain the same."

"Oh. My. God. You are actually kind of good at that." Nick pulled out his phone to record him. I rolled my eyes knowing this was going to go to his head so much faster with his brothers encouraging him.

"My parent's death shaped me into who I am today." Nick moved around him getting all the angles for the video. I stayed in the background letting them have their moment. I also knew not to be in the video because then he couldn't post it.

"I can't believe you let him role-play as Batman still. Halloween was like three weeks ago." Chris nudged my shoulder. I just shook my head as we watched him jump off the back of the couch.

"I just want to see him happy." You sighed out with a big smile.

"The city needs me." He looked directly at you.

"Bat Matt, I didn't say anything." You were confused.

"Even with my mask on, you’re the one who sees the real me underneath." He trudged over to you and picked you up. You suddenly knew what he wanted.

"To the cave?" You asked lifting one eyebrow.

"To the bat cave." He turned off the living room lights on Nick and Chris as he took you back to his room.

[handageddon]

I think the big issue with the way that schemas/attachment disorders/idk probably other psychiatry things is that it's like.

Worded as

Well the patient will be "afraid" to form connections, they will "avoid" emotions, do all those EVIL BAD PERSON behaviors because they are afraid of abandonment or being hurt. So these "professionals" will try to trigger that response only like. My whole thing is that I'm not afraid of these relationships or actively avoiding them I just literally do not know how to do that. But it's like... well we need to work on your avoidance. You say you would go on walks but would never talk to any classmates... like bro they were avoiding ME. I was very unpleasant to be around, because children are self centered and think they are the ones being victimized when someone else is being abused. I was just minding my own business.

I don't have a bad evil BPD meltdown when it's brought up that I will never see my mom again because my life is functionally the same, and emotionally better off without her. Even recently as up to this year I would come across something and want to share it with her because she is my mom and I love her. But as a source of support or comfort I lost nothing. As a source of stress I felt a positive sense of loss. And so I don't get triggered when these people try to play games with me like... oh Val we will never have another therapy session again! And I'm just like, 👍. Started from nothing, gone back to nothing, lost nothing. And then they try to schedule another appointment.

I just need simple advice on how. How, how, how. I can't do literally any of the shit they say that's ripped off the front page of Google because I just don't know how. I'm not being defiant or disobedient when I question what they mean, I'm just insecure. I simply know from experience, lots and lots of experience, that I'm doing everything wrong somehow.

I'm just a circuit that's stuck open, and every experience in my life has been a terminal short, a burnt trace, or a vengeful break in the line. And I can't get started because I don't have the resources to close at any point. "OH but that's just learned helplessness, not actual trauma." Yes, but the dogs in those experiences still needed external help to undo their "not actual trauma"

I don't respect mallows hierarchy of needs because how am I supposed to have a safe and meaningful sex life if I don't have self actualization. I don't respect that comic of the guy pretending he's stuck in a jail cell because I'm not in a prison, I'm in an oubliette, and when I try to walk out I get thrown back in. And then the guards get mad at me because they have to spend all their time keeping me in here? SMH my head.

[illuminiscentboba]

studying with a sleepy akaashi and him pulling moves on you (they're working)

it was another simple cold day, november settling in and bringing with it a chill that was quick to freeze your fingertips and tickle your nostrils. deadlines never seemed to stop piling but at least you had someone to motivate you, also a victim of the same craft.

there he was already settled into the booth, his muscular arms folded, his shoulder sagging as his head bobbed, his glasses settled low on his nose.

you were a little too quick to snap a photo, hurrying in to surprise him.

"keiji? hey wake up." you lightly shook his shoulders. he squinted at you, quick to shift upright and readjust himself, a long yawn erupting his mouth, his stretching flexing the shirt around his chest.

"did you get any sleep last night?" he paused, another yawn escaping before he could get out a word. "No, my roomates were up late playing this new game that came out. I couldn't sleep with all the yelling."

You hovered around in concern. "Should we study later so you can take a nap or next time?"

"Nono, this is the best time for us because we're both free today. We should try to power through" he mustered a sleepy smile and you settled in across from him. It was true, with how much classes, random labs and tutorials this was unfortunately the best day for you guys to coordinate.

Sleepy akaashi was charming to say the least. The errors he made where he normally would be perfect followed by a perplexed "hmm...that isn't quite right?" or disappointed, "hm? this one is wrong too? i'm sorry (name)."

seeing him fight the fatigue, taking small sips of his coffee, a distressed palm raking through his hair. "Let me sit beside you so I can show you the right way." "would you please?" the apologetic pull of his lips downward. what a cutie.

and so you worked through the problems, filling in each others blanks, hearing your voice beside him helped him reorient himself.

with his chin settled into his palm he watched as you explained the concept, gaining more confidence in how much you thought you knew about it. before he knew it he was reachign out, catching wisps that were going to get into your eye behind your ear. you pause, staring incredulously. "you were saying?" his tone, a little too smug for your liking.

"nothing." you say indignantly, your eyes following the hands still perched around the area of your face, leafing through the hair by your ears. "what are you doing."

he brings his face closer, pretending to inspect the side of your face, his face dangerously your own. "making sure I do a good job." he whispers into your ear.

something isn't right about him. the huskiness of his voice. the teasing grin, how'd he go from adorable to something that would eat you up. was it because he was tired that he was less careful and nervous than usual?

in fact... something hasn't been quite right for a while now. the prolonged staring he'd do when you guys were studying, the reaching across from you, and sitting very close to you. all the details he remembered. he always responds why wouldn't he but never brings up that he does it to anyone else. you thought back to the previous conversations and how akaashi tried to seem not as interested as he actually was when you guys would have group discussions about love.

your more than familiar now with his shy smile, the fidgeting with his fingers, and unyielding stare whenever he wanted to know or talk about something dear to his heart in a way everyone would not misunderstand.

maybe the teasing from your friends weren't for nothing. maybe he was trying to tell you this whole time.

"oh right, I have something to show you." he turns away, reaching into his bag and your filled with anticipation he slips something into his hands.

"your hand please." he extends his palm to which you nervously press against his. he intertines his fingers through yours, the glow of his smile and face radiating warmth as he pulls something from his wrist onto yours.

you gasp. you had lost your staple bracelet that matched your rings and earrings a week ago and you didn't realize how atattched you were to it until you trashed your room searching for it.

"oh my god, keiji!!! you remembered!! oh my god stop, this is so sweet thank you!" he seems quite proud of himself as you continued to pour with thank yous, and your the best. he assures you as always that he'll always remember the words of those dear to him.

he squeezes your hand in his and you squeeze back so excited to have it back in your collection. "that was super neat, the way you got it from your wrist to mine. that was a little too smooth to not be practiced." did he have another girl or guy you didn't know about?

"you think so?" he raises a brow. "my roomate was bragging about it the other day so i thought I'd give it a go?" the confidence and teasing tone to his voice was so attractive.

"and you thought of me?" "I don't know anyone better." his other hand grazes your face again, sweeping away what you know is no more than a singular strand of hair. "you couldv'e just handed me it."

"well if I'm being fully honest..." he tilts his head, in the silly way he's seen his teamates do when begging him to do something for them. "I also really wanted to hold your hand." he smiled shyly and then he did that thing he always did, where he stared at you really hard and it finally clicked in your mind. he was checking your reaction to see if you were okay with the touch.

for permission.

oh my god, he was enforcing the boundaries you didn't set because he wanted to make sure you were okay with his approaches. all the moments between you guys that made your heart race were intentional.

you place the hand lingering by your face to cup your cheek as you lean in. theres no faster way for you to get out all of your emotions and thoughts then a kiss. his chair tilts back and his hands wrap around your waist to steady you guys. its a quick smooch, given you guys are in a public setting but more than enough.

"I think we're due another discussion about our feelings...somewhere quiet?" "yeah." you mumble, twin grins on your faces as you pack up your stuff, almost rushing out of the cafe having paid your bill earlier.

if there was anyone safe enough for you to entrust your heart to it would always be him.

(this is part of a longer fic, also posted today)

[sylvietg]

Also, if you look, a couple of pollsters have talked about declining responses.

So, pretend that they have 1000 male voters and 500 female voters in their survey - but they know those two numbers should be the same. What they're doing, instead of trying to continue to contact people until they get the 1000 voters they need is - instead - multiplying the results.

Then, they're multipling the results again from numbers effectively pulled from their ass - and again, Washington Post covered this in detail (I can go pull the article, I'd have to get it outside the pay wall for folks to click and read it - I'm among the hundreds of thousands who cancelled subscriptions to them, but still have access for a few days).

So - they're looking and depending on whose numbers they use, they get a 8% difference in some of their factors - again, using their own numbers - that they're using to multiply their published results. Then, with all this, they're saying they have a 2.5% margin of error.

Then - they're microreporting on shifts within the margin of error that are more likely to be noise in the signal than actual shifts - that is, if the value can be 2.5% higher or 2.5% lower, then if my polls are bouncing back and forth by a percent, that's not actually any movement - that's just noise in the survey. They need it to be movement, so that they can cover it.

But it also means that the margin of error on groups such as Young Black Men is astronomically high, because the survey size is not supportive of the analysis being performed.

Now, I personally think it's very likely that all the coverage is under-estimating votes from actual conservatives. My father has never voted Democrat, ever. EVER. And he voted for Kamala because "Trump and anything connected to him is poison." Watching Moreno's ads, he said, "wow, that guy is a real jackass."

So here's the thing - he voted early, and it's a tally on the Republican side on the early voting because of that - he's registered as a Republican. But, I do not think you're going to see a lot of Democrats choose to vote for Trump.

And so I think that noise is, perhaps, being undercounted substantially even by the more traditionally neutral polling agencies. It is an unusual circumstance where you have a jackass running on shreading the government and pissing on the people, who called the country a garbage can - implying everyone in it is garbage - that is unpopular enough in his own party to drive significant defection.

If you're talking a margin of a few thousand votes, and it's even a handful of Republicans from each precinct who align more with Cheney than Trump - it's eating into his votes. And I don't think any of the pollsters even know how to capture that.

I think also it's a huge mistake not to include third parties in the polls. That's not because I expect the third party votes to be high, but in this specific election - where you could have protest votes on both sides - that data is important to any true analysis of the data.

Because if it's 2% saying Trump or Harris in the binary poll, but who are actually throwing that behind, say, Stein or Kennedy, then that noise is significant to the outcome and can't just be ignored.

Basically, once the names on the ballot are known and finalized, you need to ask the question with all of them - because they'll be up at 1.7%, 2% in some of the tallies - and that's significant enough to matter from an analysis standpoint.

You don't have to cover those individually - you can lump them together into "Other" when discussing the results, but the offers presented need to match the ballot.

And you can see why that's important to polling by Kennedy's lawsuits to be on the ballot in some states, and be removed from the ballot in others. The polls aren't capturing that - and it's significant enough that Trump and/or Kennedy thinks it'll matter. And honestly, it's significant enough to matter.

I don't know who needs to hear this, but it has been a central Republican strategy in the final week before an election to claim that the polls are breaking their way, that a red wave is coming, that Republicans are engaging in victory tours at least since the presidential election of 2000. (That's when I stopped watching CNN regularly, as the network promoted this line despite the fact that Gore would go on to win the popular vote.)

Given that Republicans have, in fact, only won the popular vote once in this period (2004), this is a strategy, not a statement of fact.

Don't sweat the narrative. Vote. Turnout wins, not news stories.

[stormz369]

☕💖 Can I Get Your Number? ☕💖 Ch 22

Jason Todd x (f)Chubby!Reader

written with a female reader in mind, first person pov, no use of Y/N, will probably get NSFW later, let me know if there's anything else I should tag this with!

warnings/labels: addressing what happened, here comes the comfort, then fluff wc: 2k

Chapter Selection

Jason led me up the stairs and down a long hall to his bedroom, shutting the door behind us with a soft click. The room was clearly not used often; he was a tidy person, but this was a whole other level of tidy, and there were no personal touches around the room that immediately jumped at me as being his. He gestured to a pair of armchairs by a bookshelf, and I collapsed into one, shaking.

He scooted his chair closer to mine, sitting so our knees were almost touching. “Doll? Why are you so upset?”

“... Do you remember last night?” He nodded. “... Then why aren’t you? I broke your trust, in several ways last night. You should be furious with me…”

He held a hand out for me, and I slowly let my hand slide into place in his. “No, you didn't. You proved exactly why I trust you. And I’m not angry. … I … I knew the longer I waited to tell you, the more likely it became that something like that would happen. … I didn’t mean to let it go so long, honestly, it just … never felt like the right time. I’m so sorry you found out that way, I know that was … incredibly uncomfortable…”

“Wha- … Jason, you have nothing to apologize for; I am not entitled to this information,”

“No, you are. You have been dating me without knowing who you were dating for months. From the day we met you have been in so much more danger than you knew, and I did nothing to change that because I wanted to pretend to be normal… You said you took my choices away last night, but I’ve been taking your choices from you for eight months. At least when I put my life in your hands last night, I knew who I was trusting. You have not had that once in this relationship, and I’m so, so sorry for that…” He sighed, squeezing my hand firmly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself, I just … didn’t know how. … I didn’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose you now … I have never felt safer than when I look in your eyes, and if you can forgive me I swear I will never keep anything from you again.”

“… Me forgive you? Jason, there's nothing for me to forgive, I'm the one who should be begging your forgiveness…”

“There’s nothing for me to forgive either. When I saw you in that alley I knew everything was going to be ok, in a way I never have before. Anything that happened to me from that moment on was only going to happen after you okayed it; I knew you wouldn’t let them hurt me, and … I needed that. Because, as much as they love me, their love can be a bit … aggressive at times. They know they’re right, so they don’t care if I’m resistant. I’m just … broken, so it doesn’t matter how much I say I don’t want something, they’re certain I’ll feel better once I submit. … But you don’t do that; you care what I want, and that makes it easier to do the hard things I have no choice in. … When you came, I could just relax. I could obey you, and everything would be fine…”

“... That was the pheromones, Jay …”

“No, the pheromones made it easier to slip into that headspace, but how safe I felt was all you. If you hadn't come, they would have held me down, kicking and screaming, to get the blood sample. They’d be right - the blood sample was necessary, but I’d have nightmares about it for weeks. But you… I knew you would be gentle, and you were. I didn’t have any nightmares last night... I have never been able to relax while getting blood drawn, but I felt perfectly at ease having you do it. I know you think you were taking advantage of me being in a compromised position, but you weren’t. The pheromones were whispering to obey, but that’s all it was. A whisper, a suggestion. I chose to submit, because it was you. I … said some truly humiliating things, the pheromones definitely overrode my filter, and I’m so sorry for how uncomfortable that was, and for how grabby I was, but trusting you is a choice I would make every time, pheromones or not. You are a safe person for me, my love. I trust you, and I love you, and I am so, so grateful that you were there last night. You … you see my broken edges, and you tell me I don’t have to sand myself down to make myself into something that can be loved. You are everything to me… You asked how I could trust you after last night; but how could I not? Everyone else thinks nothing of crashing straight through my walls, and calling it love, but you cry over stepping through a door I left unlocked for you. You are so kind, and gentle, and considerate, and I am so lucky to be yours.”

He lifted my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles one by one. I blushed bright red, squirming a bit. “... you chose to obey me like that? … That wasn’t the pheromones?”

“In the alley, I was resisting them. I had a handle on myself, I knew if I just focused on my breathing I'd get back under control soon enough. And then you were there, and I was still resisting, I wanted to convince you I was ok so you’d go home where you were safe. … But I realized that if they had brought you out, that meant they intended to use you to control me. I could either continue to resist, and they’d continue to push and shove, and it would take days to feel like myself again. And what's more, I’d probably hate every minute of it. Or I could lean in to it, just trust you to take care of me. Even though you didn’t know it was me, I knew that if I trusted you I would be safe, and it would be a lot easier to come back to myself. And I was right.” He squeezed my hands, stroking my knuckles with his thumbs.

“...You begged … you said ‘no needles’ …”

“I don't trust them with needles. They’re … efficient, but not particularly gentle. ... But you aren’t them. And you didn’t do anything wrong, doll. Promise. If I wanted to resist, I would have.”

“... You were so upset when I said we had to make you better…”

“Ah … yeah, that was … weird. … I guess my mind interpreted ‘make you better' as ‘you did something wrong', so … with the pheromones telling me I had to be good, I sorta freaked out…” he blushed brightly, looking away shyly.

“... You weren't freaking out because of the needle?”

“No, the needle was fine. You really did very well, actually…”

I sniffled softly, clinging to his hands. “I just did what Tim said…”

“You made me feel safe. Tim doesn't know how to do that.” He smiled gently, squeezing my hands. “... I just wish you had been there when I woke up. I thought … I thought you were gone.”

“Huh? No! No, baby, never. I just … I knew they'd stripped you, and you don't want me to see your chest yet, so …”

He nodded. “Damian explained. If it ever happens again though, I want to wake up with you beside me, ok? No matter what.”

I nodded, kissing his knuckles. “... Ok. … What next?”

“... Well, … are you … ok?”

I sighed softly. “What do you mean?”

“... It's been eight months, and I didn't tell you, … I'm Red Hood.”

“... Yeah…”

“... Are you mad?”

I slowly looked up into his eyes, gently squeezing his hands. “No, I'm not mad at you. … I'm very afraid that you won't come home one day, but I'm not mad at you. I love you…”

“I love you too. More than anything …” he gently squeezed my hands. “So … we're ok?”

I nodded. “We're ok.”

He sighed softly, kissing my knuckles again. “You're incredible…”

“Not really…”

He chuckled, cupping my cheeks. “Yes, really.”

Lois smiled brightly, shaking my hand. “Thanks for letting Jon spend the night; I know the boys have been looking forward to it all week!”

I grinned, shaking hers as well. “Of course! Damian gave you my phone number, right?”

She nodded; “yep! And you’ve got mine. Of course, if anything goes wrong you won’t need to use it. Clark’s planning to keep an ear out, just in case.”

I chuckled a bit weakly; Damian had received permission to tell me about the Kents. The idea of taking care of Superman’s kid was freaking me out a bit, but I had promised Damian, so we were proceeding as if this was perfectly normal. Besides, if Damian needed some normal childhood experiences, it seemed reasonable to assume Jon did too.

Lois gave Jon a hug goodbye before driving away, and the three of us headed upstairs. “Alright boys, how are we feeling about homemade pizzas for dinner?”

Jon grinned, following us through the door. “You make your own pizza?”

“Sometimes, it’s fun!”

They tossed their bags in the living room and followed me into the kitchen where we set up to make our pizzas. Jason and I had prepped several dough balls so everyone could make their own. We had three types of sauce, and every cheese and topping I could think of. The boys immediately got started rolling out their dough onto pans, adding what they wanted. I preheated the oven while they worked and decided what movie they wanted to watch tonight. Once their pizzas were in the oven, I prepared two more; one for me, and one for Jason. He was coming over after an early patrol to help me keep an eye on the boys, and I wanted his dinner ready when he got in.

The boys made a pillow fort while they waited for their pizzas, and for a minute it was easy to forget they weren’t normal kids. Damian’s guards, which already tended to drop quite a bit when it was just the two of us, seemed to be all the way down; he was smiling and laughing with his friend, and everything was perfect. I brought their pizzas over, taking a seat on what was left of the couch, and we watched the movie they had picked.

When Jason finally knocked on the door, I ran over to let him in. He smiled softly, kissing my forehead, and purred; “honey, I'm home~”

I giggled softly, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “Welcome home~ any injuries to take care of?”

He shook his head. “Nope, it was a quiet patrol. Most of the action doesn't pick up until after midnight.”

I grinned, kissing his cheek. “Good~ hungry?”

“Starving~” I grinned, pulling him to the living room.

“You sit, I'll get your pizza!” He grinned, taking his seat, and I came back with his plate, and a glass. The boys had already made their way through most of a 2 liter, but we still had 2 more for the weekend. Jason pulled me in close, positioning me so my legs were over his lap, and kissed my forehead.

“Sister, Todd won't be joining us at the arcade tomorrow, will he?” Damian frowned a bit.

I chuckled softly, leaning against Jason's chest. “I don't know, he might.”

Damian frowned more. “You will not need him; we're very well behaved.”

“I’m not coming for you, demon brat. I’m coming to keep lil’ mama entertained.” Jason wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my shoulder.

Damian frowned deeply. “... You can only come if you stop making those jokes.”

“What jokes?” Jason frowned.

“Damian has decided I’m sister, not mama.”

The boy nodded; “Mother would be furious if she heard anyone else being referred to as a maternal figure for me.”

Jason smiled a little and nodded. “Alright, alright. No more mommy jokes. …” He kissed my jaw, whispering; “but that’s not gonna stop me when we’re alone. You ok with that, mama?~”

I blushed brightly and nodded once, running my fingers through his hair. “... Eat your pizza.”

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[revelboo]

ugh the bluestreak one really makes me feel things. I want to protect him and reassure him and be there for him and hold him and just let him be happy and loved 😭

Thank you for writing these fics the always make my day. I'm curious, do you have plans for the stories or do you come up with stuff as you write?

I have a rough idea where I’m going with these, but I’m not sitting down and outlining these by any means 😅

Where I Belong Pt 5

IDW Bluestreak x Reader

• “You can tell me to shut up, I won’t get mad,” he says watching your little legs swing where you’re stretched out on his desk on your belly, a blanket under you. He’s not allowed back on patrol just yet, but he can still work on the never ending supply of reports to be filed away. A boring enough job, but it’s nice to have you there with him. Someone to talk to as he works the datapad with one hand and drapes the other against your shoulders and back so you’re not shivering. You’re always worryingly cold and he likes the contact, the reminder that you’re there. That he’s not alone.

• Eyes closing as a servo presses between your shoulders, rubbing almost absentmindedly, you soak in the warmth of his touch. “You’re not bothering me,” you reassure him again. Because it’s apparent that he’s used to being told to stop talking and that makes you dearly want to slap someone. For being so big, being able to hurt you so easily, he’s shockingly careful with you like he’s afraid of accidentally breaking you. “I like your stories.” And you do, because it’s like he has years worth of anecdotes and stories he’s just been waiting to share. And he gets so excited about them, like a big kid. It’s adorable.

• “I’m sorry again that you can’t leave the Ark,” he mutters, watching from the corner of his optic as you glance at him. “You’re trapped here because of me. I shouldn’t have asked you to stay.” It’s not fair to you that he took your freedom away without even asking because he’d been terrified. Clinging to you, pleading to not be left alone. And you’d stayed, reached out to him in return. He doesn’t know if it was only pity, but it means everything to him.

• Every worried word just melts your heart a bit more. “I chose to stay and I don’t regret it.” Pushing against his palm until he moves his big hand so you can climb to your feet and walk closer to him, head tipping back to meet those blue optics. Seeing the uncertainty there, the guilt. “I like it here.” With you. And you do. You like his company even if you’re essentially on alien house arrest. Makes you wonder what your boss thought when you just blipped off the face of the earth, house abandoned and destroyed. Maybe no one has even noticed you’re missing yet. Or cared. You’d been alone and okay with that, but Bluestreak needs you and it feels good to be needed.

• He’s reaching before he can think better of it, servos curling around you, but stopping short of actually touching you. Silently asking permission, if it’s okay. And your smile is amused as you take a little sideways step to press against his palm, allowing him to pick you up. So small and warm as he lifts you against him under his chin, against his neck where the mesh is most sensitive so he can feel you there. Reassuring himself. “Thank you,” he says, trying to not cling too tightly, but never wanting to let go. Knowing that like everyone else, no matter what you say now, you’ll get tired of him. You’ll leave him too. Everyone does in the end, but for now he can pretend.

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