#Rooftop Walkway

[chemeytechsolutions-blog]

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[patiossydney]

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[dlyarchitecture]

[venomvalley]

hii! can you write ambessa x reader. with angst/ hurt-comfort, like, ambessa was rude to reader and reader starts to get away from her? thanks :)

GRUDGE

sugar mama!ambessa x fem!reader | 1.6k words

TAGS: 18+! modern!au, angst, soft dom ambessa, fingering, a hint of manipulation, pet names

bestie im so sorry i made this horny i couldnt help it

Ambessa has hurt your feelings. Again. Possibly permanently this time.

The night started out wonderfully. A stroll through the glamorous casino, half a dozen winning bets, a rooftop dinner overlooking the city—all with you on her arm, dressed to the nines, your earrings and bracelets jingling together to the sound of wind chimes.

It's no secret that you came from nothing before you met her, that she's placed the world in the palm of your hand. Extravagant vacations, expensive perfumes, designer dresses. You hold no qualms about your arrangement: you warm her bed most nights, and she gives you everything you could want and more.

But sometimes…

“Do you insist on being angry with me the rest of the night?” she asks, face stern-set and frowning.

You twist the neck of your empty glass between your fingers, pointedly staring out the window of the limousine as the dazzling city lights pass you by. “You humiliated me in front of your rich friends.”

She rolls her eyes, swirling around the final drink of wine in her glass. “I did no such thing. It was little more than a joke.”

“That they laughed a little too hard at for my liking.”

“You’re behaving like a child.”

“Whatever.”

You have to disengage unless the tears blurring your vision start to fall. She hates seeing you cry—even if she does deserve it right now. Even if, by her own admission, she could never truly care about you past any depth but shallow affection.

(”I knew, from the moment I saw her, that all she needed was a bit of makeup and a fancy dress to look stunning,” she had said. “I believe I did a fine job, given the circumstances.”

The laughs that echoed around the table had you curling in on yourself, smile tight-lipped as she rested a hand on your shoulder.)

Your blood runs hot once again.

You know what your arrangement is, and still, it hurts. Years of being seen as lesser because of your family's financial status makes you want to be her equal. To be more than a passing fancy that she'll soon grow bored of. Moreso because you've actually started to care for her, to revel in the sex and the cuddles and the nights spent lounging in her large, comfortable bed as you watch some silly rom-com on the television.

It fucking sucks.

The limo pulls up to the sprawling mansion surrounded by an impeccable garden, and as soon as the door opens, you leave your glass sitting on the seat and climb out. She calls out to you as you stomp up the stone walkway, thin heels threatening to break, but you refuse to look back. The woman has everything she wants. There will always be another you, but better. Richer, prettier, an easier fuck. No sense in indulging her when you'll be sent back home on a plane by the end of next week. You can't change the inevitable.

You brush past the butler in the foyer with a quiet hello, and hurry up the steps to the nearest spare bedroom. You need to be alone, to collect your thoughts lest the anger eat away at you from the inside out.

You hate her. She's beautiful and charismatic and romantic and… and she's never lied to you about her view on your relationship. Never tricked you into believing this was anything more than transactional.

You just want to go home. Home to your family, to your poor neighborhood, to the streets that she dared to imply she saved you from. She hasn't saved you from anything but your own loneliness.

Over the next few hours, you lay face-down on the end of the bed and sulk, shoes left by the door, dress zipped down your back as far as you can manage without help. Her absence is a blessing. You can never think properly when she’s around.

Soon, even that is ripped away from you when a knock sounds at the door. You don't even bother lifting your face from the sheets, even when warm fingertips ghost up the line of your spine. But you do shiver.

She sighs, sitting beside you on the bed. “My dear, you cannot stay angry at me forever.”

You turn your head to look at her, gold-cuffed braids hanging loose over her shoulders, the moonlight from the window softening the shadows of her face. Gold eyeliner and blood-red lipstick, still perfect even after dinner. She’s beautiful, and you love her, and she humiliated you.

“Yes, I can.”

She clicks her tongue and rests a palm on your back, thumb rubbing circles into the bare skin between your shoulder blades. “Perhaps I was a bit… insensitive, but you should believe me when I say that I like you. More than others I've made this arrangement with.”

You scoff. “I'm sure that means so much.”

“You have quite the mouth on you today.” She shifts her weight then leans forward until you're looking down her half-unbuttoned blouse, heavy breasts wrapped in red lace. A soft kiss to your temple. “Have I not been giving you enough attention? Is that it?”

“Ambessa—”

“What does my sweet girl need?”

Her heart. But you can't tell her that, so you cry instead. It's a grief you can't quite place, a longing marrow-deep, an ache that will never be filled.

You sniff and pray that she ignores the line of tears smearing your makeup against the comforter. “You can't give me what I need. Not this.”

“Try me.”

“You can't.”

She hums when your chin dimples, palm soft as she rubs over the expanse of your back, your chest hiccuping underhand. “And I say once again: try me, sweet thing.”

Permission to bare your heart. That's what she means. Whatever dignity you have left shatters at her words, thoughts flooding the bowl of your brain.

“I want you. All of you. It’s stupid, I know, but I can’t help how I feel.”

With a sigh, she grabs you by the arm, softly coaxing you to rise then crawl into her lap.

“So you've touched the hot stove and been burned, hm?” A soft brush of knuckles over your cheek. “That's something I warned against, little lamb.”

You curl up against her chest, nose brushing an undone button on her blouse. “I know.”

“I cannot give you what you want, but I would still enjoy your company in my bed tonight. I'll even let you choose the movie.”

You should say no. Should pack your bags and book the next flight home. But you can't.

Instead, you take the hand she offers and follow her down the long hallway to her bedroom. A grand space, larger than the whole of your apartment back home. Gilded furniture with golden accents and blood-red silk sheets. The softest rug you've ever felt beneath your feet.

A pair of warm hands brush down the curve of your back before unzipping the last bit of your dress. Those hands rise to your shoulders, thumbing the sleeves off your arms. The fabric pools at your feet, leaving you bare before her.

She prefers you to not wear underwear, and you enjoy the thrill.

A press of soft lips to the curve of your neck. “You looked stunning today.”

You hum, tilting your head to the side as her kisses trail up to your jaw. “It's all thanks to you.”

“Perhaps, but you provide a good foundation.” She brushes her fingertips over your belly, settling large palms over the soft curve of your waist.

Heat pools into the well of your belly, but she goes no farther. Instead, she steers you toward the bathroom to get ready for bed.

This is how you adore her most: bare-faced, wearing her favorite two piece sleep set (that she would never admit is getting a bit worn), hair protected by the most expensive satin money can buy. Relaxed, casual—a word unfitting for the woman given the regal way in which she carries herself, a facet of her personhood woven into the very fabric of her DNA.

She gives you a tender kiss on her way out of the bathroom as you finish removing the last of your makeup. Tonight, she had chosen a silk slip for you to wear to bed, hems lined in lace. Luxurious against the sheets as you slide into bed.

That's as far as you get before she's rising onto an elbow beside you, teeth teasing at your throat. “As I said before, if you wanted my attention, all you had to do was ask.”

Her hand dips between your thighs as she captures your lips in a rough kiss, forcing your head back against the pillow. There's a routine to her lovemaking, an addictive strain of passion that you could bloat yourself on.

Your mouth opens with a gasp as she fills you with two thick fingers, thighs twitching against her forearm as she licks into your mouth, tongue curling against yours. Her fingers build up a steady rhythm inside your pussy, so noisy and slick that your ears burn from embarrassment. You feel much like Pavlov's dog, trained to drool at the simple sight of her. The lightest of touches.

“Touch yourself,” she whispers against your lips, wields orders with the sweetness of heated honey. No reason to be anything but—you'll obey regardless.

Your fingers reach down to circle your clit, stars dancing behind your eyes, and for a long moment you wonder if she's right. If your earlier bristling truly was the result of poorly-projected jealousy.

She kisses you again, tender and soft, and it isn't long before you reach your peak beneath her, clenching hard around her fingers, breath caught in your throat as she coos down at you. What a figure you must paint, writhing beneath her, bucking against her hand, gasping and mewling into her shoulder.

You sink into the afterglow with a deep, relieved sigh, weightless upon the mattress, before her slick fingers fit between your teeth, a heavy weight upon your tongue. You already know what to do, closing your lips around her knuckles to suck the taste of you off of her.

“Just what my sweet girl needed, hm?” she asks, voice thick in her chest, soft as velvet. “No need to be so angry with me.”

Her fingers slip out of your mouth with a wet pop, and she gives you one last kiss before turning back to the television. To her credit, you can’t even remember what you were angry about in the first place.

You fall asleep before the opening credits of the movie begin to play.

[misswynters]

Tag you’re it!

— short drabble

featuring. ekko x reader

Ekkos super lucky to have a cool and awesome partner like you in his life. He gives you his jacket <3 and i absolutely need him fr fr.

Zaun’s night was alive, a symphony of life and danger. Neon lights buzzed erratically, painting the streets in streaks of vibrant pinks and greens. The air was thick with humidity and the acrid stench of fumes rising from the ever-churning pipes of the undercity. You stood alone on one of the higher walkways, gazing down at the labyrinth of narrow streets below. It wasn’t safe to linger in one spot too long, especially not for someone with your reputation.

You adjusted the sleeves of the pink and black leather jacket you wore, Ekko’s jacket. It hung loose around your shoulders, the fabric worn and patched in places but still carrying the faintest scent of him. The shorts and cropped tank top you paired with it left your legs free to move. And an essential choice given your weapon of choice: rollerblades strapped snugly to your feet. It was fast, so fast that it left pink marks on its wake.

Below you, Zaun moved like clockwork. People shuffled between stalls, exchanging goods, whispers, and the occasional stolen glance over their shoulders. Somewhere in the distance, a fight broke out, the sound of shouts and the shattering of glass punctuating the night. You exhaled deeply, brushing a strand of hair from your face.

Your girls weren’t with you tonight. The Indigo club, a group you’d built from nothing, had made a name for itself in Zaun. You helped the downtrodden, fought back against the gangs and chem-barons in your own chaotic way, and had fun doing it. For tonight though, you’d sent them home. Sometimes, the quiet helped. But it wasn’t working. The memories pressed against the edges of your mind, unrelenting.

The Enforcers had come without warning. You were only seven, sitting at the dinner table with your parents and siblings, laughing over some silly story your brother had told. Then came the shouts, the crash of boots against the door, and the sharp, metallic ring of gunfire.

Your family’s blood had stained the floorboards, and you’d been left alive, frozen in shock, staring into the lifeless eyes of your mother. That was when Silco had found you, a trembling, hollow child, and taken you under his wing. He’d molded you into something sharp and unbreakable, but even he hadn’t been able to keep you tethered. You’d escaped his world, too, carving out your own existence in Zaun’s shadows.

A sharp sound brought you back to the present.

“Gotta say, you wear that jacket way better than I ever did.”

You turned, a smirk tugging at your lips. Ekko stood a few feet away, his Z-Drive glowing faintly at his side. He looked at you the way he always did, like you were a storm he was more than willing to stand in the path of.

“Yeah?” you teased, placing a hand on your hip. “Could’ve fooled me. It’s a little big.”

He grinned, his gaze sweeping over you. “It’s not the jacket, it’s you. You make anything look good.”

“Smooth,” you replied, rolling your eyes. But you felt the warmth creeping up your neck.

Ekko stepped closer, his expression softening. “You okay? You’ve been out here alone for a while.”

“I’m fine,” you said, your voice steady. “Just needed some air. It’s been quite a day.”

“More like a life,” he muttered, his tone bitter. He reached out, brushing his fingers against your arm.

You looked away, the weight of his words pressing down on you. “Atleast i’m not alone. I have my girls, and I have you.”

“And yet, here you are, by yourself,” he said pointedly.

“Maybe I wanted some company.” You shot him a sideways glance, a challenge in your eyes. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I heard someone was lurking on the rooftops in my jacket,” he replied, smirking. “Thought I’d check it out.”

“Well, now that you’re here,” you said, stepping back and adjusting your rollerblades, “how about a game?”

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What kind of game?”

“Tag,” you said simply, your smirk widening. “You and me. I’ve got my wheels, and you’ve got your fancy time-travel thing. Let’s see who’s faster.”

Ekko crossed his arms, a playful light in his eyes. “You’re seriously challenging me? You know I can rewind time and i have a hoverboard, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” you said, waving him off. “We’ll see how much that helps you when you’re eating my dust.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Alright, you’re on. But don’t cry when I win.”

“Keep dreaming, Z-man.”

The game was chaos, pure and simple. You darted through Zaun’s twisting streets, the wheels of your rollerblades clattering against the uneven ground. Ekko chased you with his hoverboard, his Z-Drive whirring faintly every time he rewound a moment to close the distance.

You weaved between stalls, leaping over crates and sliding under low-hanging pipes with practiced ease. Ekko wasn’t far behind, his agility and quick reflexes keeping him on your tail.

“You’re not bad for a guy who can rewind time!” you called over your shoulder, laughing breathlessly.

“Ha! You’re not bad for someone I’m about to catch!” he shot back, his voice filled with exhilaration.

Just as he was about to grab your arm, you executed a sharp turn, ducking into an alley and out of his reach. His frustrated groan echoed behind you, and you couldn’t help but grin. The chase continued until you reached an open courtyard, the neon lights reflecting off the slick pavement. You skidded to a stop, panting but grinning triumphantly.

“Give up yet?” you teased, leaning on your knees.

Ekko appeared seconds later, breathing just as hard but with a smug look on his face. “You wish.”

Before you could respond, he lunged, wrapping an arm around your waist and spinning you around. You laughed, the sound echoing through the courtyard, as he set you down and held you close.

“I fucking adore you” he said, his forehead resting against yours.

“I know you do,” you replied, your breath mingling with his. For a moment, the world seemed to slow. His eyes searched yours, and you felt the weight of his gaze, the unspoken connection between you.

“You’re it,” he whispered, tagging your side lightly.

“Cheater,” you murmured, but there was no heat in your words.

“That’s me,” he said with a grin, his hand slipping down to intertwine with yours. He knew he can never be on your bad side, i mean with the way he always looked at you. With those cute puppy brown eyes. Absolutely cute. Absolutely handsome indeed he was. You were lucky to have him in your life, treating you with the outmost respect and kindness you didn’t think you deserved.

taglist. @diffusebread @xxblairslairxx @thesevi0lentdelights

banner. @anitalenia

[nylqnder]

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 | 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐇𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐄𝐒

— cozytober masterlist !

summary: your first halloween spent in your new house together becomes unforgettable after a trick-or-treater brings unexpected joy for you and jack

warnings: literally so much fluff it's crazy, jack kind of having a revelation

word count: 1.36k

notes: tenth and final fic of cozytober! hope you enjoy i thought this was such a cute idea.

As October settled in, the air grew crisp, carrying with it the scent of fallen leaves. Your neighborhood began to glow with an eerie charm — orange and purple lights strung along rooftops, spider webs draped haphazardly over bushes, and grinning jack-o'-lanterns perched on porches, their flickering candles casting shadows on the pavement. It was your first Halloween in your new home, and excitement buzzed in the air. You and Jack had spent the last few weeks transforming your house into a Halloween wonderland, determined to embrace the spooky season in full.

“This is going to be such a good Halloween,” you said, standing in the kitchen surrounded by packages of candy. You poured another mountain of treats into the bowl, feeling like a kid yourself.

Jack, lounging against the counter, raised an eyebrow and smirked. “You know we’re probably gonna be that house, right? The one that gives out so much candy the kids talk about it all year?”

You grinned back, unbothered. “Good! We never got to do this in the apartment. We’re going all out.” You tossed another bag of chocolates into the mix, the bowl overflowing now.

Your previous apartment building didn’t have many kids, and handing out candy was never part of your Halloween traditions. But this year, nestled in a family-filled suburb, it felt like you were finally getting the Halloween you’d always wanted ��� the decorations, the costumes, the eager trick-or-treaters. You could hardly wait.

When the doorbell rang for the first time, you practically leapt off the couch. “They’re here!” you squealed, racing to the door like a child on Christmas morning. Swinging it open, you were greeted by a group of tiny witches, superheroes, and a very tiny dinosaur with a tail too long for his legs. Their eyes widened at the sight of your candy bowl, and you couldn’t resist giving them extra, their excitement contagious.

You watched them scamper off down the walkway, their candy bags bouncing, before collapsing onto the couch next to Jack, who had Ghostbusters queued up on the TV. “There was this little dinosaur, and his tail kept dragging behind him,” you laughed, snuggling under his arm. “It was adorable.”

“Is that what happens every time the door opens? You’re going to give me a recap of all the costumes you see?” Jack smirked, pulling you in closer.

“Absolutely,” you grinned, poking him playfully. “I don’t want you missing out on all the cuteness.”

And that’s exactly what you did. Each time the doorbell rang, you bounded up, eager to meet the next batch of trick-or-treaters. After every encounter, you’d return to Jack, excitedly recounting the different costumes — witches, zombies, fairies, and one memorable kid dressed as a very squishy marshmallow. Jack would laugh at your eagerness, but you could tell he enjoyed each one of your recaps.

Between the rounds of doorbell dashes, you and Jack sank into the movie, the Halloween vibe settling in like a comfortable blanket around you. The evening was perfect — the glow of the porch lights, the hum of neighborhood excitement, and Jack’s arm wrapped around you, making it all feel just right.

As the night began to slow and fewer knocks came, the doorbell rang one last time. You jumped up, still full of energy. “I’ve got it!” you called, already halfway to the door.

Opening it, you were greeted by a sight that made you freeze — a kid fully decked out in hockey gear, pads, helmet, gloves, and all. But what caught your attention was the jersey. The black, white, and red jersey stood out in the dark, the 86 on the sleeve glimmering under the porch light.

“Trick or treat!” the small voice squeaked from beneath the helmet.

Your jaw dropped as you let out a small gasp. “Oh my gosh, you look amazing!” you gushed. “Hold on—there’s someone who has to see this.”

You darted back into the living room, grabbing Jack by the arm. “Come on, you’ve gotta see this!”

Jack, confused but curious, paused the movie and followed you to the door. The second he saw the mini-hockey player in his own jersey, his eyes widened in surprise. The kid looked up, eyes shining as he recognized Jack.

“You’re Jack Hughes!” the little boy said, his voice filled with awe.

Jack crouched down to the kid’s level, smiling. “Looking good out there, bud,” he said, adjusting the boy’s helmet so it wasn’t covering his eyes.

The kid's dad, standing at the end of the walkway, waved his phone. “Would it be alright if we got a picture?” he asked, clearly as excited as his son.

“Of course,” Jack grinned. He knelt beside the kid, who raised his hockey stick proudly. You quickly snapped a few photos, capturing the pure joy on both their faces.

Before they headed off, you grabbed two fistfuls of candy and dropped them into the boy’s sack. “You get some extra candy for having the best costume we’ve seen all night,” you told him, smiling as he skated on his roller blades down the walkway.

Jack stood there for a moment, still processing what had just happened. You could see a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he watched the boy skate off.

“That was seriously cool,” Jack admitted, sliding his arm around your waist.

You nudged him playfully. “You’re a little stunned, huh?”

Jack chuckled, his eyes still lingering on the street where the kid had disappeared. “Yeah, I mean, it's one thing to see people wearing my jersey at games, but that little guy was really into it. He looked like he was having the best night of his life.”

There was a warmth in his voice, a mix of pride and disbelief. “It’s gotta feel pretty surreal seeing a kid look up to you like that,” you said, guiding him back into the house, his eyes still going back to the kid who was far down the street now.

Jack nodded, his smile widening as you took your places on the couch once more. “It just… it reminds me that this whole hockey thing is bigger than just me, you know? Seeing him so pumped, dressed as me for Halloween… it kind of makes it all feel worth it in a different way. A way that’s not just for me.”

You could tell that moment meant more to him than he let on. His eyes glinted with that same spark he had when he was passionate about something, and you loved seeing him like that.

As you both settled back onto the couch, you leaned your head on Jack’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of the moment settle in. “You made that kid’s night,” you said softly, glancing up at him.

Jack’s arm tightened around you, and he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “I think he made mine too,” he replied, his voice filled with a contentment that made your heart swell.

As the credits rolled on the movie, you sighed happily. “Best Halloween ever,” you murmured, smiling to yourself.

Jack chuckled, resting his chin on your head. “You always say that,” he teased.

You laughed, looking up at him. “Well, this time I mean it.”

He grinned down at you, his eyes twinkling with affection. “Good. Because I kind of want to make this our new tradition. Decorating, handing out candy, watching you light up with every costume… I could get used to this.”

You leaned up and kissed him softly, feeling that familiar, comforting warmth between you. “Me too,” you whispered. “Me too.”

As you both sat there, the last remnants of Halloween fading into the quiet night, you couldn’t help but think about how special this first Halloween in your new home had been. It wasn’t just the decorations or the candy or even the costumes — it was the moments, big and small, that made it unforgettable. Moments like Jack seeing a kid in his jersey, or the way you both had embraced the evening together, fully present and happy.

And you knew that no matter how many Halloweens came after this one, this would always be the one that set the bar.

[partoffantasy]

A Chance Too Late - Dain Aetos

⸻ image credits to booknuts & shauna_the_author & enchanted_chapters_art⸻

summary: Dain Aetos spent years convincing himself that pushing Y/N away was the right thing to do—until he saw her moving on with someone else and realized too late that he was losing the only person who had ever truly mattered.

pairing: dain aetos x fem!reader warnings: angst word count: 2.4k

⸻⸻⸻✦ ♡ ✦⸻⸻⸻

Dain wasn’t looking for her. Not tonight. Not here. And yet, the moment he stepped into the crowded hall, his eyes found her instantly, as if they had never stopped searching in the first place. Y/N stood at the far end of the room, a lazy smile playing on her lips as she leaned against the table, her fingers absently tracing the rim of her cup. The lantern light flickered across her face, making her look impossibly soft, impossibly untouchable—except she wasn’t untouchable, was she? Not anymore.

Because Bodhi Durran was standing too close. And Y/N wasn’t pulling away. Something inside Dain twisted violently, a sharp, unexpected pain that rooted itself deep in his chest. He had spent years convincing himself that his feelings for her were inconsequential, that what he wanted never mattered as much as what she needed. And what she needed—what he had always told himself she needed—was protection, structure, distance. A clear boundary between friends and lovers.

And he had been that boundary. He had been the voice of reason, the hand that kept her steady, the one who kept her from making choices that could put her at risk. Even if those choices meant she would have been closer to him. Even if they meant she could have been his. But now, watching the way she laughed at something Bodhi said, the way her body angled toward him—open, unguarded—Dain felt something foreign surge in his veins. Something that had nothing to do with reason.

Bodhi leaned in, murmuring something against her ear, and Dain felt his hands curl into fists at his sides. It wasn’t just how close they stood—it was how natural it looked. As if they had done this before. As if Y/N had already let Bodhi into a space Dain had never allowed himself to claim. He swallowed hard, his jaw tight, trying to tell himself it was nothing. That this was nothing. But it wasn’t nothing, was it? Because Y/N had always been the one to chase him—to fight for him when he refused to fight for her, to pull him out of his own stubbornness, to remind him that he was more than his duty. And Dain, like a fool, had spent every single moment convincing himself that pushing her away was the right thing to do.

And now, for the first time, she wasn’t chasing him anymore. Now, she was looking at Bodhi the way she used to look at him. Dain inhaled sharply, his breath unsteady, an unfamiliar panic rising beneath his ribs. He had always assumed she would wait—that she would always be there, just out of reach, but never truly gone. That no matter how many times he told her not now, she would still find a way to be his somehow.

But watching the way Bodhi placed a hand against the small of her back, guiding her through the crowd, watching the way she let him—Dain felt something crack deep inside him. He was losing her. And the worst part? It was entirely his fault. Because he had spent years telling himself he couldn’t have her. Now, someone else did.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Rain poured against the rooftops, relentlessly, drumming against the stone walkways. Dain barely registered it. He wasn’t thinking—he wasn’t even breathing properly. His feet had carried him here before his mind had caught up. Y/N’s door stood before him, the last barrier between him and the only thing that had ever truly mattered. His hand was clenched into a fist at his side, rain dripping from his soaked uniform, hair plastered to his forehead. He was a mess—drenched, exhausted, and for the first time in his life, completely reckless.

For years, he had been disciplined, measured, careful. Every step, every decision was calculated to ensure the best possible outcome. But this? This wasn’t calculated. This was impulse, need, desperation. He had no plan for what he would say. He just knew he couldn’t stand another second of pretending he was okay with losing her. Taking a breath that did absolutely nothing to steady him, he raised his fist and knocked. Silence. Dain clenched his jaw. His pulse hammered beneath his skin, it only grew worse when, after what felt like an eternity, he heard the quiet creak of footsteps on the other side.

The door opened just enough for him to see her—Y/N, standing there in nothing but a loose shirt and leggings, her hair slightly damp, as if she had just bathed. The scent of something warm and familiar lingered in the air between them, but all Dain could focus on was the flicker of shock that crossed her face when she saw him. Then, just as quickly, her expression hardened. "Dain?" Her voice was quiet but sharp. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He swallowed, his throat tight, the words refusing to form. She sighed, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossing over her chest. "It’s the middle of the night. And you’re—" She motioned at him, at the way he was soaked to the bone, his shirt clinging to him, droplets of water sliding down his temple. "Are you serious right now?" "I need to talk to you." His voice came out rougher than intended, raw with something he couldn’t shove down anymore.

Y/N let out a humorless laugh. "Now? Now you need to talk?" She moved to shut the door, but Dain reacted instantly, his palm pressing flat against the wood, stopping it from closing between them. "Please," he murmured. It wasn’t a command. It wasn’t an order. It was a plea. Y/N’s breath hitched just slightly, and for a second—just a second—he thought she might let him in. But then she stepped back, eyes cold, jaw tightening. "You don’t get to do this."

Dain felt the words like a blade to the chest. "You don’t get to show up here like this, after everything," she continued, shaking her head, the exhaustion in her voice hitting him harder than any training injury ever had. "Not after pushing me away for years, not after telling me over and over that I wasn’t—" She cut herself off, exhaling sharply. "What do you want, Dain?" His breathing was uneven, his heart hammering, but he forced the words out. "I want you."

Y/N flinched, her lips parting slightly, like she hadn’t expected him to say it. Maybe she hadn’t. Maybe she had given up on ever hearing it from him. "I have always wanted you," he admitted, voice hoarse, raw with regret. "But I was stupid. I thought—" He exhaled harshly, raking a hand through his wet hair, barely able to meet her eyes. "I thought keeping my distance was the right thing to do. That protecting you meant staying away. But I was wrong, Y/N. I was so fucking wrong."

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. She stared at him, her expression unreadable, and for the first time in years, he had no idea what she was thinking. Finally, she spoke. "And now that I’ve moved on?" Dain’s stomach twisted. "Have you?" Y/N’s lips pressed into a thin line, and the hesitation—the barest flicker of uncertainty—was all he needed. "Tell me you don’t still think about me," he pressed, stepping closer, his voice lower now, rougher. "Tell me you don’t still feel something when I’m near you."

Her breath stuttered, her fingers tightening slightly against the doorframe. But she didn’t say anything. Dain swallowed hard. He had already lost so much time. He couldn’t afford to lose more. He lifted a hand, fingers trembling slightly as they hovered just above her cheek. He wanted to touch her. Needed to. But he wouldn’t—not until she let him. "Tell me to leave," he murmured. "And I will." Y/N’s gaze flickered, something dangerous and fragile and devastating flashing across her face. Seconds stretched, impossibly long.

Dain’s heart pounded. He could hear the rain outside, the voices from the hall beyond them, but none of it mattered. Only this moment. Only her. Her lips parted, and for a second, he braced himself for rejection. For her to tell him that it was too late, that she was already gone, that he had missed his chance. But then—

She exhaled shakily, her fingers unclenching, her shoulders sinking just slightly. And though she didn’t say anything, she stepped aside, leaving the doorway open. Dain didn’t hesitate. He stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind him. And everything else faded away.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Rain continued to pound against the windows, distant thunder rumbling low in the sky, but inside the room, the silence was suffocating. Y/N stood a few feet away, arms crossed, posture rigid. Dain could still feel the damp weight of his clothes clinging to his skin, his pulse drumming against his ribs. He had done it—he had finally crossed the line he spent years convincing himself he couldn’t. And now, standing in front of her, looking at the woman who had once been everything to him—still was everything to him—he realized he had no idea what to do next.

All he knew was that he couldn't leave. Not again. Y/N exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Say something, Dain." His breath caught in his throat. He had a thousand things he wanted to say, a thousand regrets that clawed at his chest, but nothing felt big enough, nothing felt right. Then, finally—"I should’ve told you a long time ago."Her lips parted slightly, her eyes searching his face, but she didn’t respond.

Dain took a shaky breath, raking a hand through his damp hair. "I thought I was doing the right thing, keeping my distance. I told myself that protecting you meant staying away, that wanting you the way I did—do—would only put you in danger." His jaw clenched. "But I was wrong. I was so fucking wrong." Y/N let out a bitter laugh, her arms tightening around herself. "And you realized this when, exactly?" She tilted her head, eyes flashing. "The second you saw me with someone else? Is that what it took?"

Dain flinched. The truth of it felt like a slap in his face. "That's not—" He exhaled sharply, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "It’s not just that. It’s everything—everything I’ve spent years trying to bury, trying to ignore. I thought if I kept pushing you away, if I kept telling myself that you deserved better, that eventually—" His voice caught, raw with something too big to contain. "Eventually, I’d stop wanting you."

Y/N’s expression didn’t soften. If anything, it hardened. "And did it work?" Dain swallowed hard. His voice was barely a whisper. "No." She let out a slow, measured breath, but when she spoke again, there was no relief in her tone—only anger. "You don’t get to do this now." Dain’s stomach twisted. "Y/N—" "No." She took a step closer, jabbing a finger toward his chest. "You don’t get to push me away for years, don’t get to tell me over and over that I was just your friend, that I should stop hoping for something more, and then show up at my door the moment I finally—finally—start moving on." Her voice trembled. "That’s not fair, Dain."

He knew that. Gods, he knew that. But he had never been fair to her. He had been careful. He had been cautious. He had been cowardly. "You think I wanted to push you away?" His voice rose, sharp with self-loathing. "You think it didn’t kill me every time I did?" She scoffed, crossing her arms again. "It sure as hell didn’t seem to stop you." Dain felt something crack open inside him, something buried deep for too long. "I thought I was protecting you!" His voice was hoarse, desperate, his hands shaking now. "I thought keeping my distance was what you needed. That if I let myself have you, it would ruin you—would put you at risk in ways I couldn’t control. I was terrified, Y/N."

She blinked at him, stunned silent for just a moment. Dain forced himself to keep going, his voice unsteady. "I was a coward. I told myself I was doing the right thing, that if I was strong enough to stay away, it would be better for you. But the truth?" He exhaled sharply. "The truth is, I wasn’t protecting you. I was protecting myself." Y/N’s breath hitched.

Dain stepped closer now, his entire body shaking. "I was scared," he admitted, voice barely above a whisper. "Of what it would mean if I let myself love you the way I wanted to. Of how much it would hurt if I lost you. So I convinced myself that pushing you away was the only choice." His throat tightened. "But it wasn’t a choice at all, was it?" Y/N’s lips trembled, her arms loosening just slightly from where they were crossed over her chest. But her eyes—gods, her eyes—were still guarded.

"And now?" she murmured. "Now that I’m leaving?" Dain’s breath stuttered. "Why now, Dain?" Her voice wasn’t just angry anymore. It was broken. Hurt. "Why do you always wait until it’s too late?" His heart clenched. "Because I can’t lose you." Y/N inhaled sharply. Dain’s hands shook at his sides, his entire body tense with everything he had never said, everything he should have said. "I know I don’t deserve to ask you to stay. I know I’ve already lost too much time. But if there’s even the smallest part of you that still—" He cut himself off, exhaling raggedly. "I can’t lose you, Y/N."

She looked at him then—really looked at him. And for the first time, Dain saw the war waging behind her eyes. Part of her wanted to believe him. But the other part? The part he had spent years letting down? That part wasn’t ready to forgive him. Silence stretched thick between them. Then, finally, Y/N took a shaky breath, stepping back. "I don’t know if I can do this again," she admitted. Dain’s chest tightened. "Please."

She shook her head, and his stomach dropped. But then she whispered, "I don’t know." Not no. Not never. But I don’t know. And for now, that was enough. For now, he would fight for her the way she had always fought for him. For now, he would wait. Because this time, Dain Aetos wasn’t going to let her go.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

So, this home has been taken off the market, more than likely b/c it hasn't sold. Built in 1994 in Prescott, AZ, Falcon's Nest is on very rocky terrain and stands right beside Thumb Butte. It's 10 stories high, and a hydraulic elevator goes up 6 floors with stair access to the remaining 4. it has 3bds, 4ba $1,862,700.

This looks like the living room. It's so large and has a small corner fireplace with a seat on both sides. A little weird. There are also benches along the walls and a balcony.

Looking up, this is what you see.

And, this is that balcony. I really don't know what this is for.

The top of what we were looking at from the living room, is this. A walkway to other rooms.

Some of the flooring is missing in this room. There's also a corner fireplace in here.

The kitchen is disappointing. It has the same flooring that the living room has, plus a dining area.

The upper levels have glass walls and ceilings, like this bedroom. The bed is built in and there's a lot of seating.

The en-suite is angular and has a glass wall looking over the bed.

Behind the bed wall there's a sitting area with a fireplace. Those must be the stairs to the upper levels.

If anything, it looks like a restaurant up here.

There's a kitchenette on this upper floor.

Across the way it looks like there's a bar.

Besides a dining area, there's also a sitting area with a wood burning stove in the middle of the floor.

One of the other baths.

And, here's another kitchenette.

Plus a half bath.

On this level there's a large rooftop deck.

And, a terrace goes around this level.

That must be Thumb Butte.

The lot is 1.08 acre.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2365-Skyline-Dr-Prescott-AZ-86303/8744604_zpid/?

[spidermans-l-o-v-e-r]

Hitch, 2005

Pairing: Eddie Diaz x Reader

Word count: 8.2k

Notes: It’s…. Not going great right now😂😂 things are actually hilariously bad and they’re going to get so much more worse before they’re better. I apologize to my friends and people who read my work because I haven’t been talking to anyone or putting anything out and like it all around just kinda ✨sucks✨ so I’m sorry, anyway I hope you guys like this one!

Eddie fixes his tie in the mirror, a freaking tie. He isn’t sure why he agreed to this, actually when Buck legitimately got on his knees and begged him to do this double date with him and Tommy he didn’t really have a choice. 

It was Valentine’s Day and Tommy had gotten them a reservation at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city, he’d pulled some strings, called in a couple of favors, and got him and Buck a rooftop terrace gardeny type shit exclusive table! 

And then his little sister popped in for a visit. 

No matter how hard she begged to stay home, Tommy roped her into coming anyway because there was no way he was leaving her alone on Valentine’s Day. As much as Buck wanted a romantic dinner, he wanted to include her more. So Tommy called and asked for a table for four instead, and they agreed to it. 

Which is when Buck came to Eddie’s door, crying and pleading for him to come with them and that he’d pay for absolutely everything. 

And how could he pass up a free meal? 

“Make sure you grab the flowers” Buck comes up next to him, messily tying his tie, and Eddie smirks.

“I will” 

“And remember, she’s shy okay? So try not to be so…. I don’t know, really sexy Mexican guy! Try to be like…conventionally attractive but easy-going” 

Eddie yanks the end of Buck’s tie and he makes a weird hacking noise. 

“Would you just relax? I know you’re worried about being weird in front of Tommy. But he loves you, Buck, he already knows you’re weird” 

“Oh haha you’re so funny” He sticks his tongue out “Besides, It’s…it’s not him I’m worried about” 

“So what is it?” Eddie fixes his hair in the mirror and Buck grabs the comb right out of his hands and starts fixing the sides of his hair 

“That’s his sister. And not just any sister, his little sister! Her opinion means a lot to him. Her opinion is the law! What if she doesn’t like me? What if that’s why she didn’t want to come?? What if she already hates me?” 

He stares into the mirror, spiraling and thinking about all the things that could go wrong and Eddie shakes his head, leaning against the vanity and smiling. 

“You know none of that’s gonna happen right?” 

“Even the part where there’s an elephant stampede because I tripped over the gate and he gets trampled to death and she blames me and I go to jail for involuntary manslaughter???” 

Eddie has to take a slow, deep breath. He lets his head tilt back and he quietly counts to five before turning back to him and putting his hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Especially, that part Buck.” 

The doorbell rings a half hour later and Buck lets out a weird gurgling noise and jumps off the couch. 

“I’m not ready!! " he calls out while running back to the bedroom, and Eddie rolls his eyes and pushes off the couch.

“You are ready so get your shit together so we aren’t late!” 

He opens the door, expecting to see Tommy there but he’s a little surprised when he has to look down.

Well, fuck. 

Tommy is coming up the walkway with two stupid-sized bouquets and you’re standing at the door, your hands laced behind your back. But that’s not what gets his attention, no it’s you. 

He can tell those shoes are new from the way they shine, like gorgeous red rubies. They wrap around your ankles and have precious little bows on the backs of them. His eyes trail over your full figure and the way the little black dress hugs your body, he can feel a pull in the pit of his stomach at the way the square neck pushes your breasts together and he likes the way the bow in your hair matches the bow on your shoes. 

“Hi,” He says, and…he knows he’s been caught staring by the way a pretty blush appears on your cheeks you look away from him and he doesn’t even bother hiding the blush on his cheeks.

“Hi,” you mumble and he melts at how soft and sweet your voice is. He’s so busy trying to remember his own name that he doesn’t notice Tommy coming up behind you, or the way his jaw sets just a little. 

“Eddie? You gonna let us in??” 

“Oh uh- shit yeah sorry. I - sorry. Anyway, welcome to my home” He steps aside, ushering you both in and you come in, your shoes thudding softly against the hardwood and sending a thrill through his body.

“You have a nice place,” You say, looking at the photos of friends and family he has lining the cabinet in the entryway he smiles and runs a nervous hand through his hair.

“Thanks… I uh- tried to clean up a bit when I heard you two were coming to pick us up”

“Speaking of,” Tommy looks around “Where’s my Evan?” 

You gag a little and Eddie immediately decides he likes you… even if you know he’d already decided that the second he saw you.

“He’s in the spare - sorry he’s in “his” room. He’s kinda nervous” 

“Why would he be nervous?” Tommy’s tone is immediately worried and Eddie gives a little nod toward you. 

“Oh. I’ll be right back” he hands Eddie one of the bouquets and chuckles 

“From us, to you, our Valentine” He winks and kisses his cheek and Eddie gives him a side hug 

“Thanks, man, happy Valentine’s Day, and thank you for dragging me along” 

“It was our pleasure!” 

Tommy heads back to Buck’s room, leaving you two alone and that’s, fun. You stand in the middle of the room awkwardly for a minute, your hands clasped behind your back. 

“So uh-“ he clears his throat, toying with one of the roses “I didn’t know Tommy had a sister. Where are you from?” 

He gestures for you to follow him to the kitchen and you do, he hesitates for a second, deciding to just be forward, and grabs your hips, helping you get up onto the counter next to the sink. You squeak when he lifts you, his fireman’s strength is no joke and he smirks a little before kneeling to look under the cabinet for a vase. You bite your lip when he unbuttons the cuffs and folds them up, he winks and your cheeks light on fire. You clear your throat and look anywhere but him.

“I was born in Minnesota before I was shipped off to my grandmothers and moved here to California. After she died I was put into foster care where Tommy’s family adopted me. He was already 18 when they got me so we weren’t together for very long, but he was the sweetest big brother ever” 

Eddie listens to your story, staring into the glass while it fills with water. That explained the sun-kissed brown skin, the rich honey color he wanted to drag his tongue over and leave pretty bruises behind. 

“Eddie?? I think that’s enough water” 

He blinks a couple of times and comes back to the water overflowing from the vase and spilling over his hands. 

“Shit” He curses quietly and shuts off the tap, he shakes out his hand and pours out a little bit. You hand him the flower food with a little snicker and he sticks his tongue out before pouring it in and grabbing some shears from the drawer next to him. 

“Just keep a pair of clippers on hand huh?” You look at them and he rolls his eyes, pruning the bottoms 

“You wait until May” He nods his head toward the window and you turn to look out “That garden is gonna be sprouting”

“May huh? I’ll make sure to plan a visit down here” 

You help him arrange the roses in a comfortable silence, he gives your thigh little nudges and you poke him back with the toe of your heels. He’s smiling the entire time and every time he looks up so are you. Even your teeth are pretty to him, which, is weird okay it sounds weird but you have pretty teeth. You have naturally pouty lips and a cute button nose… you’re just too much for him and nothing even happened yet. 

“I wonder what’s taking them so long” You work off a thorn and drop the stem in the vase and he scoffs. 

“Trust me, you don’t want to know. I’m gonna have to like, burn those sheets” 

You giggle as he makes a face and gags then grabs a towel to dry his hands with

“What was Buck so nervous about anyway? Tommy said he was pretty outgoing” 

Eddie takes your hands, drying them for you and taking extra care to dry off your rings too 

“He’s actually nervous about meeting you, don’t tell him I told you.” Eddie sets the towel down and places his hands on the counter on either side of your thighs, you lean back a little against the cabinets as you think 

“Why in the world would he be nervous about meeting me?? Im- me!!” You hold your arms out and Eddie smiles, leaning in a little closer and you’ve got nowhere to run. Just the way he likes it. 

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know you’re “you” yet. He just wants to impress you… he’s really into Tommy. I’ve never seen him this serious before, not to mention he’s literally never mentioned you before, at least not to me. I for sure would have remembered you” 

You blush a little as you look into those deep brown eyes, you turn your head to look away and pretend to look at the ceiling. 

“You uh- would have remembered me? Why do you say that?” You mumble and look down quickly, playing with the hem of your dress. Eddie hooks his finger under your chin, tilting your head up to look at him.

“Oh, I’d remember everything he told me about a gorgeous little thing like you” You feel his hand on your thigh, he just lightly places it there and your heart skips a beat. His eyes trail shamelessly over the glittery body oil you’d accentuated your look with and he wonders slightly if you taste as good as you look. 

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” 

Is he laying it on thick? Oh yeah definitely. But it’s Valentine’s Day and he’s got a pretty girl on his counter, who’s shy and quiet and it’s making his confidence shoot through the roof. Every giggle, every blush, every word he pulls from you is a win in his book. 

“Hmm no I don’t think you have” you mutter coyly and it takes everything in him not to just kiss you. He can just feel Tommy throwing him into the nearest body of water already. 

“You are positively,” He kisses your hand 

“Wonderfully” He kisses your nose 

“Stunningly” He kisses your forehead 

“Beautiful” 

His eyes flit down to your lips and he’s sure you can hear his heart slamming in his chest. The rhythm matches yours when your eyes find his lips as well. He’s smirking when you look into his eyes again and you lean forward just the littlest bit, giving him all the permission he needs.

Your eyes flutter closed as his lips hover mere inches from yours, you can feel the warmth of his breath splashing over your cheeks and you’re ready, you’re seriously going to kiss this God of a man you’ve only known for about 45 minutes and absolutely nothing in your body is telling you to stop.

Beat that Disney.

“Hey guys we’re ready to-“

“Jeez- Evan what-“ 

Buck stops hard when walking into the kitchen and Tommy smacks into him. He whirls around fast and pushes against his chest. 

“Sorry I realized I wasn’t done” 

He wraps his arms around his neck and you and Eddie can hear the sound of Buck giving him the nastiest kiss. Eddie helps you down from the counter and you slap your hands over your ears. 

“MY BRAINNNN” you scream dramatically and melt into Eddie’s chest and he holds you against him, hoping you can’t feel the way he appreciates your tits pressed into his chest 

“THE HORROR” He wails with you and you both hear Tommy laugh. He comes around the corner with Buck in tow, who’s blushing like a madman while giving Eddie an extremely pointed look.

Because he wants his friend to get it but can he please not get it when he has to meet his boyfriend’s sister for the first time? 

Tommy leads him over to you and Eddie where apparently you’ve found yourself very comfortably sticking to, your arms are around his waist and he’s got his arms on your shoulders now.

“Am I interrupting something?” He blinks plainly, his face a completely blank slate and you pull away from Eddie, swallowing thickly and giving him a little smile

“We were just consoling each other over the loss of our sanity” 

“Uh-huh”

The playful smile doesn’t reach his eyes, and Eddie knows he’s semi fucked. But he looks at you and the way that dress clings to your hips… and he doesn’t care if he’s royally fucked as long as it’s a chance with you. 

“Anyway, there’s someone I want you to meet. Y/N, this is my boyfriend, Evan.” 

Buck comes around and holds out his hand and you let go of Eddie, reaching for it.

“It’s just Buck, but it’s really nice to meet you” he shakes your hand vigorously and Tommy wraps his arms around his waist, grabbing his wrist calmly. 

“She wants to keep her arm babe” 

You giggle as he releases your hand, with a light blush on his cheeks “Sorry I- I’m just kinda nervous I guess” 

“You don’t need to be” Your smile seems to calm him down a bit and Tommy feels him finally start to relax “I’ve been really excited about meeting you, my brothers told me so much about you!” 

“Hopefully all good things” Buck’s voice cracks a little and Eddie snorts, earning a glare from him 

“Of course! I think all the jobs you’ve had are really cool” You smile up at him and Eddie knows that’s the exact moment Buck falls in love with you, he smiles back at you, and kind of bends down to your height a little 

“Why thank you, I’ve learned a lot over the years. Shall we?” He holds his arm out and you take it, giggling as he leads you out the kitchen and Tommy looks over at Eddie 

“Did she just steal my date???” 

“I’m pretty sure she just stole your entire evening” 

Much to everyone’s dismay, it turns out that you and Buck get along really freaking well. He decides to sit in the backseat with you and you’re literally whispering in each other’s ear the entire way to the restaurant. You’re both snickering and trying to hold back full laughs, and every time Tommy catches Buck’s eye in the mirror he snorts and you both have to try and keep it in.

He’s immediately regretting introducing you two. 

Eddie watches you in the mirror occasionally and he knows that it’s stupid, and it doesn’t make sense and you literally almost kissed. But he’s jealous of the way you lean into Buck’s side when he tells you something stupid, he’s jealous of the way you fall all over him every time you can’t help but burst laughing and he’s jealous of the completely innocent way that Buck’s hand occasionally brushes your bare thighs. 

Tommy pulls up to the valet and gets out, he opens the door for Buck with a little glare and Buck just snorts, he puts his hand on his hip, pulls him a little closer, and kisses him and Tommy’s grumpy attitude vanishes. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day” He whispers. 

Eddie opens your door for you and you hop out, brushing the front of your dress out a little, you take a step to the side and he puts his arm around your waist and shuts the door.

“You two have a good laugh?” 

“Sure did! We started a secret club, we’re gonna make a handshake for it later” 

“Of course you did” 

Once inside, the four of you are led up to the roof and your mouth drops open as soon as the elevator doors open. This place is set up like it’s straight out of a movie, from the fairy lights strung up around the perimeter to the rose petals creating a walkway to a table set with candles, a bottle of champagne on ice, and probably the fanciest napkins you’ve ever seen in your life.

The live music is a punch to the gut, the violins really bring on the waterworks. This is beautiful, this is trying to deeply impress someone level, and as you look up at Buck, watching him pull Tommy in for a shy kiss with little tears pricking in the corner of his eyes… you turn to Eddie, who’s already whispering to the man who’d brought you upstairs and you know he’s thinking the exact same thing.

Tommy and Buck are in their own world for a minute and Eddie tugs on your elbow to pull you to the side. 

“So there’s a cancellation and a table open downstairs” 

“Oh thank god”

“I know right?! Do you see how romantic this is?!” 

“Yes!!” you gesture wildly “How could he think it was okay to bring us?!” 

“What was he thinking?!” 

“What’s going on you two?” Tommy turns to look at you and Eddie, who is currently slowly backing up toward the elevator and leaving you to break it to him 

“Eddie and I got a table downstairs” You glare back at Eddie and he winks 

“You guys what? No, it’s okay, Buck, and I want you here” 

Eddie now grabs your waist and slowly backs you up with him. You place your hands over his and shake your head 

“I love you so much Tommy and it was so sweet of you guys to invite us along… but this is for you okay? This needs to be about you two. You and Buck are gonna have an amazing time” 

“I-if you’re sure?” He runs a hand uneasily through his hair and behind him, Buck clasps his hands together pleading with the two of you to get lost

“Oh we’re so sure” Eddie laughs and pulls you into the elevator with him “You two have fun!” 

Buck wraps his arms around Tommy’s waist and pulls him into his chest 

“We will!! Hey uh, Eddie? You want me to send you money for an Uber?” 

“Yea, don’t worry Tommy I’ll take care of y/n tonight!” 

“Wait I’m not so su-“

The doors close and you slump against Eddie who slumps against the wall 

“…So that would have been so weird” 

“Kyle” hits the ground floor button and you throw your hands in the air 

“That’s what we’re saying!!!”

It turns out Eddie is wonderful company, he’s got you laughing and you’ve got him snorting into his champagne glass and trying not to laugh like an idiot and disturb everyone around you. 

The table you’d gotten is tucked into a corner next to the window, you can see the busy L. A street as they start to calm down, it’s a cozy little table, and incredibly romantic. Eddie moved your chair right next to his when he pulled it out for you and you blushed at the intimate proximity he’d created. As if going to a romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day could have been any more intimate than it already was. 

“Oh my god” Eddie is trying not to choke on champagne and you’re sinking into your chair with your hands over your face, trying to stifle the giggles. You’d told the most embarrassing Tommy story you knew. The time he’d gotten locked out of the locker room at work and had to run to find the chief in just a towel. His coworkers had sent you a ton of pictures that Eddie now owned as well. 

You’re both wiping tears from your eyes when you finally sit up and clear your throat, Eddie holds his sides, still giggling and you reach for the nearly empty bottle of champagne and refill your glasses. You put his up to his lip and he takes a small sip before taking it from you.

“Good girl” He winks and you feel your cheeks turn pink, you’re hoping he doesn’t notice it, maybe just thinks it’s the champagne. But you can see the twinkle in his eye when he notices you squeeze your thighs together just slightly and he slowly sets your drink down. 

“So, we’ve made fun of Tommy. We’ve made fun of Buck… I don’t know how I got mixed in, but I did. But you know what?” He runs the tip of his finger along the rim of his glass 

“We haven’t really talked much about you” 

“Me? What about me?” You feel a little uneasy and he reaches under the table, placing a hand over yours 

“Oh! I just wanted to get to know you, you know? It’s nice to make new friends. I’ve always made them easily, it’s just keeping them I sometimes have problems with”

“Oh?” You tilt your head and he laces your fingers together and puts his arm over the back of your chair 

“Sometimes I get in my own head you know? I don’t let people in… and that’s kind of left me alone more often than not” 

Your heart breaks for him and you smile softly 

“Whaddaya wanna know?” 

“How about we start easy?” He smiles back “You have any pets?” 

That gets your attention and you perk up, turning toward him 

“I’m so glad you asked that” 

You pull out your phone and excitedly show him pictures of your rabbit, Saturn. He fawns all over her immediately, the sweet little brown bunny seems to be the star of your life and he absolutely eats it up. 

You show him video after video and he makes you send him pictures of her and nearly convinces you to take him to Tommy’s house when he finds out that she’s there right now.

“Bro” you shake your head as he stares into her little black eyes “There’s no way in hell we’re going back to Tommy’s tonight” 

“But- bunny” He holds your phone up with a little pout and you coo at his sweet face and lean over to kiss his nose.

“Aww Pobrecito” You squish his face and he leans into your palms “Tomorrow! I promise”

You’re not sure when the conversation turned kind of naughty, but you can’t help but cackle at all his stupid dirty jokes. Maybe it was when you were telling him about the size of the cucumber you’d grown… or maybe it was when you said you would deep-throat a whole-ass mango if you could because they were your favorite.

Either way, Eddie is whispering dirty things into your ear and whilst they may be funny… they’re beginning to start a fire in your belly. 

“I’m so serious, I found out in the worst way possible that Buck is packin’ okay?” He gags a little and you nod along deliriously, trying not to snort 

“What about you huh?” You say playfully, nudging his shoulder and he stops a little, looking into your hazy eyes, and smirks 

“Wouldn’t you like to know” 

“We’re friends, right? Friends share dick sizes Eddie they just do” 

“You know… you’re not the first person to say that to me” 

You turn and laugh into his shoulder and he laughs with you, holding you closer and running his fingers down your arm 

“Hey! That tick-“

Your breath gets caught in your throat when he places your hand over his cock, you look up at him and he strokes your palm against it. You gasp as it hardens underneath your fingertips and you swallow thickly feeling just how large he is

“Any other questions baby girl?” 

You shake your head fast and he smirks, before leaning down and placing a kiss on your neck.

“Well, I have one or two. Can I ask ‘em?”

You nod and he lets go of your hand, grinning when you leave it on his cock, and slides his hand up your torso and over your chest. 

“Do you like wearing necklaces?” You feel his fingers splay across your throat before wrapping around it squeezing lightly. He likes the little cross-eyed expression on your face when you gasp out for air. 

“Well?” He squeezes a little to get your attention and you come back to him 

“Uh-huh” 

“Oh good, so do I! I have this very nice gold chain my tia gave me when I was maybe 15” 

You’re hardly listening to him, you’re really more focused on the hand around your throat and the way he squeezes lightly, just enough to make you dizzy and send the champagne buzzing happily down between your legs.

“You ready to get out of here?” He asks you quietly and all you can do is stare at him. He chuckles lightly and lets go of you, but keeps the hand on your neck.

“Hey, sugar? You in there?” 

You blush and nod at him, something that was apparently the only freaking thing you could do this entire night and he smiles. 

“Alright cool, I’ll order our Uber” 

A half-hour later, you and Eddie stumble your way out to the Uber, he keeps his arm around your waist tightly and you wrap your arm around his neck. 

He’d done what he’d seemed to be doing all night and did another 180, acting like the last half hour of your conversation hadn’t even happened, now he was back to telling his corny dad jokes. 

He had a stupid amount of fire jokes. 

He opens the door for you and you fall in, taking him with you. You both erupt in giggles and he helps you up and swings your legs into the car. He flops into the car and you pull him in awkwardly climb over him and shut the door. 

“Are you both in?” Your driver, Milo chuckles and you give him a little thumbs up over the back of the seat 

“We’re in!!” 

“Is it too much to ask you to buckle up?” 

You look at Eddie in a heap underneath you and at the seatbelts

“Uhhhh I think we can try. We can try right?” 

“We can try�� Eddie agrees and you get off of him and sit awkwardly in your seat. Eddie gets on his hands and knees and reaches for your belt, he pulls it way too far out and tries to click it in. He spends a good 30 seconds just trying to get it in the buckle and by then you’re losing it. 

“Shut up! Shut- up!! Im close” 

“That’s what she said” you cackle and he smacks your thigh. You hear Milo upfront snicker and you squeal. 

“See!! He thinks I’m funny!!!” 

“Oh yeah you’re just a barrel of laughs” Eddie pulls away and his face is so close to yours, that you can feel his breath fan across your face, and smell the peach champagne on his lips. His eyes flit down to yours and you’re right back in the same position from earlier. 

Only no annoying brother is going to interrupt you… 

You scoot forward and he easily clips himself into the middle seat

“We’re ready,” he says distractedly and the car starts moving. He moves your legs into his lap and you slowly wrap your arms around his neck 

“This is cozy,” You say quietly and he runs his hand over your thigh, squeezing lightly 

“Very cozy” 

“Can we…can we do something” You whisper and he smirks, running his hand under your dress and higher up your thighs 

“You into voyeurism sweet girl?… didn’t really peg you as the type” 

You punch him in the chest and he leans his head down and laughs into your shoulder 

“That’s not what I meant!!! I just…I wanted to make out” you mumble as your cheeks turn pink and Eddie pulls away to look at you again

“Sorry, honey I don’t think I quite heard that, you wanna run it by me again?”

Your cheeks burn right through to the freaking bone and you roll your eyes 

“I said… do you want to make out” You say it a little louder and he grins wickedly 

“Oh, I thought you’d never ask”

He closes the distance between you, finally capturing your lips in a searing kiss. It's not gentle or sweet like you’d been expecting- no, this kiss is hungry and demanding, full of all the pent-up desire he's been feeling since he first laid eyes on you since Tommy had interrupted what was gonna be your first kiss.

He kisses you like it’s the last time he’ll ever get to like you’re the air he needs to breathe. His tongue laps at your mouth, exploring every inch of you, wanting to claim you as his own. He nips at your bottom lip, soothing the sting with his tongue before kissing you again.

You try to keep up with him, with his roaming hands and absolutely sinful tongue but it’s almost too much, and soon you’re moaning as he wraps his hand around your neck, pinning you against the door, and takes what he wants from you. 

His fingers slide higher and higher and you just feel them brush teasingly against your panties when the car suddenly comes to a stop. 

“Here we are!” 

To his credit, Milo kept the music sort of loud and the windows down to drown out the noises you were making, that Eddie totally was eating up and egging you on more and more. He pulls away from you, admiring your kiss-swollen lips and the dazed look in your eyes. 

“Let’s get you inside Princess”

“Thank you for tonight… I wouldn’t have minded staying alone, but this was really nice” 

Eddie has his arm over the back of the couch, his hand is laid on your thigh and you smile up at him, leaning back against the couch. He takes a sip of his champagne and sets the glass down on the coffee table. You’d both sobered up a bit after your make-out session and decided to keep the party going back at his place, it was nice to just relax and let go.

Even if it drove Eddie crazy the way you shyly came into his home and said you needed to use the bathroom and managed to hide away from him for a good 15 minutes just to gather yourself. He’d taken the liberty of setting out more drinks and impatiently waited for you to come back to him. 

“I should be thanking you, you’re a lot of fun to be around… how long are you staying in town?” 

“As long as Tommy wants me around, I’m sure he’ll get sick of me at some point” You hand Eddie your glass and he puts it down next to his 

“If he kicks you out you’re welcome here, I’ve got a spare room” His fingers trail over your thigh and you blush, scooting a little closer to him. Strawberry champagne looks good on you, he thinks as he watches your cheeks turn pink.

“Wanna see it? You know, decide if you’d even like to hang out here?” 

“Sure!” 

Eddie gets up from the couch and reaches out for you, he takes your hands and squeezes them before pulling you up into his chest. You stumble a little and giggle and he cups your face. 

“You okay?” 

“Just a little tipsy” You hum, leaning against him and he smooths his thumbs over your cheeks, enjoying the way your pretty eyelashes fluttered closed for a second 

“Yeah… I know what you mean” he leans down and kisses your eyelids, your breath fans across his face lightly and he bites his lip, looking down at yours. 

“Come on…” he squeezes your hand and leads you back to the spare room. He flicks on the lights and you peek around his shoulder, it’s painted a very pale blue and the linens match the curtains. 

“My Tia helped with decorating” he answers your questioning look and you step into the room, doing a little spin and walking over to the large full-length mirror.

“I like it, it’s nice” 

Eddie stands behind you and you look at him in the mirror, you shudder and sigh softly when his warm hands cup your shoulders. His fingers dance over your skin, down your arms, and turn you around to face him. 

“Nice huh? You haven’t even tried the bed, what if you don’t like it?”

“Oh that’s true…”

He walks backward, taking you with him, and sits down on the bed. You stall for a second before climbing into his lap and straddling him. He holds your hips and you place your hands on his chest, slowly pushing him down.

Eddie grins, running his thumbs over your hips and you smirk 

“It kinda looks like you’re the one trying to bed right now” 

“Hmmm… yeah I guess you have a point. We should fix that” 

He rolls over with you and settles between your thighs, you wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer to you 

“You know? This isn’t actually that bad, like this bed is super comfy” 

“S’why I picked it” 

You let out a soft moan, feeling his lips connect with your neck. He swirls his tongue, tasting your buttery soft skin, and moans with you. You start to work at the buttons on his shirt and he smirks, sucking on your pulse point while your fingers shake. 

“Aren’t you an eager little thing?” He teases, and you feel his hands on your thighs, pushing your dress up around your hips 

“Uh-huh, you’re sure talkin’ a whole lotta shit for someone who got me into their bed” 

“Why don’t we both be whores?” 

You toss your head back and laugh and he snickers against your neck and rolls his hips against yours and you both groan. He reaches down and you hear the clink of his belt unbuckling. 

“What’re you doing?” You whisper and he kisses your cheek 

“I don’t want to ruin these pants, getting suits cleaned isn’t that easy”

You snicker and prop yourself up on your elbows, watching him pull away for a minute and shuck off his pants, he leaves them on the chair in the corner for a second and you giggle, watching him take off his shirt too. 

He comes back over, taking your ankle and kissing the inside of it. He trails kisses down your thigh and starts to bend down, settling your thighs over his shoulders. 

“I plan on taking my time with you pretty girl… wanna take you on dates, wanna see these pretty, thick thighs splayed across my front seat”

He buries his face between your legs, nudging his nose against your soaked panties, and inhales slowly, he drags his tongue over the pathetic patch of cotton and sucks on them.

“So fucking good” He grinds his hips into the bed and you arch your back and push his face closer. He looks up at you and hooks his finger in your panties like he’s giving you the option to tell him to stop.

But the blissed-out look on your face and the hazy shade to your eyes just spurs him on. He pulls them away, moaning at the sticky tendrils that come with them and before you can even react to the cool air he’s already on you. 

He eats you like a man starved and you cry out, putting your hand on his head and tugging on his hair. 

“Jesus you taste even better than I ever imagined” 

He moans into your pussy and brings a hand up to hold onto your thigh, keeping it over his shoulder and pressing soft kisses against your skin. He looks up at you, holding your gaze with smoldering eyes and you can practically feel the gush between your legs 

“You wanna ride my face baby? Wanna feel you grind that pretty little cunt on my lips until you cum” 

“O-oh my-“

Before you can even respond you’re shrieking as he rolls you both over. He purposely wraps his arms around your thighs and holds you in place so you can't run, even when you try. He slaps your ass and you jolt, making him moan underneath you. 

“Come on Sugar, use me”

It’s the way his voice breaks when he says that, the little hint of a desperate whine that drives you to move your hips. You grip his hair and let your head fall forward, you gasp out and he hums between your legs. 

“That’s it baby” He coaxes “Grab it like you mean it” 

You pull his hair harder and he groans appreciatively

Eddie leans in and places a soft kiss right on your clit, his tongue flicking out to tease the sensitive bundle of nerves.

His hands squeeze your ass, helping to guide your movements as he encourages you and you’re lost on him. You haphazardly reach for the headboard and brace yourself as you grind on his face. He moans beneath you and spreads your cheeks enough to drag his thumb over your puckered hole. 

“Whaaat the fuck are you doing??” You keep rolling your hips and brushing your clit against his nose, you can feel his finger on you but you’re too hot and flustered to pay too much attention to what he’s doing, besides whatever he’s doing feels good anyway 

He makes a muffled answer kind of noise because it's not like he can exactly answer you for real at the moment, but you get the gist of his “just let it happen” When his tongue swirls sinfully through your folds and your back is arching deeper against his mouth. 

“E-Eddie wait I’m gonna cum please let me down please pl-“

Eddie drags your hips away from his mouth just enough to glare at you

“I came here prepared to drown Y/N. I’m a firefighter, you think I can’t handle gushing water?” 

You bark out a laugh and he shoves you back over his mouth and you shriek, your hands reaching out for the headboard and he smacks your ass, squeezing your full cheeks in his hands. He moans underneath you and pushes his fingers inside you at the same time and you finish, your hips grinding down on his mouth while he drinks your juices.

Your head falls back with a soft opened mouth gasp, stars exploding behind your eyes. He works his fingers in and out of your ass while sucking hard on your clit and you reach down with one hand, trying to push him away. 

“S-stop!” You writhe on his mouth and he hooks his arm around your waist, pinning you down to him so you can’t get away from him. He works you through another earth-shattering orgasm and you slump forward against the headboard, crying into it as your thighs shake around his face. 

He pulls his fingers away and pushes you down off his mouth, gasping loudly while reaching for your waist to steady himself. 

“Jesus fucking Christ you taste good” He licks at the wetness on your torso and you whine and try to shuffle back down his body. He snickers and keeps you sat on his chest for a bit, rubbing his face against your breasts and you flick his forehead. 

“Quit being a perv and let me go!” 

He rolls his tongue over your nipple and you shudder when he bites down gently, sucking it between his lips.

“Cállate, corazón” 

Your mouth drops open and he chuckles, pulling away with a wet pop! And bringing you down his torso like you’d asked 

“Did you just tell me to shut up??” You narrow your eyes when he brings you face-to-face with him

“No? I don’t know what you’re talking about” 

He turns you both over and wraps his arms tightly around you then nuzzles his face into your neck, inhaling your lingering perfume and the distinct scent of sex that clings to your body. 

“I feel like you’re lying” You look at his closed eyes and the corner of his mouth twitches upward. 

“Shhhh, go to sleep” 

He blindly runs his hand down your face and you groan, batting at his hands and snuggling into his chest. 

“Asshole” You mumble and he places a soft kiss on your shoulder

“Mhmmm sure am” 

Eddie rolls over the next morning, reaching for you but he comes up with an empty bed. His eyes pop open and sure enough, you aren’t there, he sits up slowly, wiping at his eyes and sighing as he reaches for his phone. Buck has sent at least 25 texts… because that’s just him and Tommy has left a couple, asking about you how you’re doing, and when he should come get you.

He answers those ones first, telling him that he’ll bring you home later and that he and Buck should enjoy their day together, then he wades through the smut Buck sent him.

Wow! He’s so glad he could know Tommy’s EXACT size. 

A little knock at the door gets his attention and he looks up 

“Come in??” 

You push open the door with your shoulder and he holds back a groan. You’re wearing one of his t-shirts, it sticks to your curves and doesn’t quite fit over your hips. It stretches across your breasts and he can see your dark nipples through the white fabric. 

“H-hi” he awkwardly shifts a pillow into his lap, watching you bring a tray into the bedroom. 

“I made you breakfast, it was the least I could do after you let me stay the night…” 

You set the tray down, breakfast for two and he takes it so you can climb into bed with him. 

“Personally I feel like the eating I did last night was payment enough but whatever, not that any thanks were necessary” 

You whack his chest and he snickers and wraps his arms around you, kissing your cheek.

“Thank you, this was really nice of you” He nuzzles his nose into your neck and you blush, trying to push him away. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Eat your pancakes!” 

He pushes your hands down and holds them in place while he kisses your neck. 

“No really! This was sweet of you princess” He growls and you melt a little, your cheeks flushing. 

“Sooo sweet and domestic of you” He mumbles in your ear, nipping at your lobe “My good girl got her pussy eaten… so she made me breakfast” 

Your jaw drops and your mouth gapes open and shut while you try and process his freaking sentence. 

“I- no that’s- no I”

“That’s a little submissive of you don’t you think? You want me to tell you how proud I am of you?” He trails his fingers over your arm and your eyes nearly pop out of your head 

“You did such a good job baby girl, these look so good. I bet you just put your whole heart into it didn’t you?” 

You blink slowly, processing what just happened and definitely not processing why it stoked a very distinct fire in your belly. He finally pulls away and cuts out a piece from the stack, he falls back into the pillows as he chews and moans. 

“Dude what the fuck” He takes another bite and does a little happy wiggle “These are good” 

“It's a family recipe” You breathe out, coming back down from Neptune and into the adorable two-bedroom home, where you’re currently sharing a bed with a sort of stranger who took his time with you last night. 

“Buck is basically my brother, and Tommy is his boyfriend and they’re probably gonna get married so I really feel like that makes me family” 

“Or you could just marry me” You snort take the other fork and dig in 

“I was gonna say that, but I thought it would freak you out” He cheeses and it makes you roll your eyes 

“Right…right because whatever you just pulled on me wasn’t going to freak me out, but you know asking me to marry you after the first date? That’s crazy” 

“See! Now you’re getting it!” 

He holds a piece of bacon up to your mouth and you narrow your eyes and take a bite, you reach out for your juice and he grabs it for you, tilting it up to your lips.

“I can-“

“I know you can. I want to do it for you” 

There’s no room for argument and you sip it, watching him watch you. His eyes trail over your jaw and down your neck, he tips the cup a little higher making you tilt your head back more to keep from drinking it too fast. He pulls the cup away slowly and looks back at you, those pretty brown eyes sparkling. 

“You know I wasn’t lying… when I said I wanted to take you out, wanted to take my time with you… or when I said you were absolutely welcome here. It wasn’t just the champagne talking”

“I know” You smile a little and look down at your eggs “I just… don’t know if it’s realistic. Last night was…good but I don’t live here Eddie, I literally live hours away” 

“So move here” He says it like it’s the easiest thing, like it’s a complete no-brainer. 

“I’m- are you joking?? Eddie, I can’t just pick up my life and come live here? That’s not… that’s not plausible”

“What’s holding you back? You already told me you didn’t have much there for you, Tommy is here, and Buck is here! And you love him already… and I mean, even if things about work between us? If there even is an us… I want to be your friend Y/N first and foremost. Even if you wanted to stop exploring whatever this?” he gestures between the two of you “Is?? I’d be happy just being your friend, and right now I’ve got the means for you to be here so… why not just take a chance?” 

You flop back in the pillows, considering what he’s said and he flies a little piece of bacon over to you again and you giggle. 

“Besides, my garden remember? I wanted you to see it in May and it’ll be a heck of a lot easier if you’re living here. Maybe we can even plant things together? Make it ours?” 

Ohhhh boy did he know how to bargain. Plants??? A garden?? It’s like he knew your heart already. 

“I can even put a nice chair out there for you, so you can read in the sun” 

He’s got this soft way with words, this really soft, really convincing… really-

“I’m gonna move here aren’t I?” 

“You can decorate this room however you want” 

“Tommy is gonna kill me” 

“You’re definitely going to have to share it with Buck” 

“Yeah I can see that” 

“But you’ll do it? You’ll move in with me?” 

Eddie is so eager to have you and it’s hard not to get excited with him, you sit back up and turn to him, and he mimics your stance, looking into your eyes in that deep way he always seems to look at you with 

“You promise that… that if things don’t work out between us… you won’t kick me out?” 

“I promise Y/N on my word, I do. I want to be your friend too honey… our relationship doesn’t have to just be whatever this is you know?” 

“Okay…okay. It would take some time to get everything together… I’d have to sell my apartment and get everything in order to be shipped here. Can I bring Saturn?? I should have asked that first, cause this ain’t goin’ nowhere if that little bunny isn’t with me”

“I’m not a monster” Eddie slaps his hand on his chest offendedly and you giggle “Of course that precious baby can come too. Hey! Why don’t we go on a date today hm? I’ll buy that little bunny whatever she needs to be comfortable here and we can get lunch” 

“I-I can’t ask you to do that” you stutter and he moves closer while pushing the tray away from you two. 

“You’re not asking, and neither am I ” 

He places his hand on your neck, gently pushing you backward onto the bed and you gulp, looking up at him. He squeezes lightly and nuzzles his face against yours then places a soft kiss on your cheek. 

“You’re going to make me very very happy  Princess. I just know it” 

You let out a shaky breath and he settles between your legs again just like last night 

“Whaddaya say princess… you want an encore?” 

You’re about to answer when your phone rings, Eddie reaches over you and grabs it, handing it to you, and then kisses his way down your body.

“Hi T-Tommy!” You take in a sharp breath as Eddie kisses the front of your panties and hooks his fingers in them 

“I have something to tell you” 

[toulousewayne]

Catching Strays Pt:1 🐈‍⬛💎✨

Red Hood x male!reader who’s a cat burglar with a similar M.O. to Catwoman who’s on a crime spree.

Summary:Your a Cat Burglar who’s dressed similarly to Catwoman. You enjoy the thrill of the chase.

—————

“I don't know about you, Miss Kitty, but I feel so much yummier.”

Red Hood stood perched on a rooftop overlooking the Gotham Bay. He sighed and leaned against the wall.

“Someone seems bored.” Oracle’s smug voice filled his ear com. He lowered his head toward the bustling streets below.

“Yeah well the same week the Bat takes a trip out of town, the crime goes along with him.” He grapples several building down the street until he can see a row of prestigious jewelry stores and clothing stores.

“It’s not everyday Batman and Catwoman get to team up to take on a drug lord in Paris. I heard it’s nice this time of year.” She teased.

“Barf.” He jumped down several feet onto a nearby rooftop. “Well if that’s the case I may as well call it a night—“

“Too slow, silent alarm just went off at jewelers at your location. Ruby’s.” Red Hood looked at the store across from him and grappled down to it.

———

A few minutes before 🐈‍⬛✨

A figure leaps and jumps throughout the Gotham City rooftops. The leap to a larger building and quickly ascends it using claws and acrobatic movements to gracefully pull themselves up to the rooftop. Below is Ruby’s Jewelry Store.

“To easy.” His voice purrs. He free falls down fifty stories towards the roof before using a whip to break his descend.

He looks down at the skylight and sees a security guard walk down the hallway. The thief takes his hand cuts a medium sized hole in the glass. Using his whip he lowers himself halfway into the building before removing three small pellets from his belt. He throws them and they release a blue gas the unveils red lasers. He tucks on the whip and lands on his feet a few inches from the first row of lasers.

He flips, sprints,cartwheels through the laser. Until he is in a diamond exhibit. He begins with the small diamonds putting them in a velvet bag. Next, he finds a diamond and gold necklace.

He begins to cut the glass and removes it from its display. He turns down a hallway and sprints down it until he finds himself in front of a sapphire cat statue. He lifts the glass dome over it and picks it up, unknowingly tripping an alarm.

“Shit.” He secures the statue to his belt and takes off. He finds himself in lobby where several security guards are with weapons.

“Freeze thief!” They point their pistols at him. He takes his whip and disarms them.

“Morons, if it were that easy I wouldn’t have been so quick to get out of here. Now who wants to go first?” He cracks another whip and the guards scatter.

“Pussies.” The thief climb up a pillar and onto a walkway. He jumped up to the skyline he entered and climbs up.

“Going somewhere?” A deep voice questions. He turns to see Red Hood several feet away from him.

He smirks,”And looked what the Bat drag in. Was he too busy to get me himself?” Y/n stood up from the window and eyed the man before him.

Jason drew one of his pistols from its holster. “Give me the goods, I won’t break your hands.”

“That’s kinda hot Big Red.” The confused face Jason had under his helmet would have his brothers laughing for days. The thief used this moment of stun to leap off the roof and lasso a gargoyle and use it to make his escape.

Red Hood chased after him and the two leaped and rolled across the rooftops util Y/n landed on a moving train. Red Hood landed not so gracefully onto a car.

“Get back here!” Y/n smirked and jumped off the train. Red Hood mumbled under his breath before jumping and landed onto a rooftop.

“Gonna hand over the jewelry?”

“Gonna give me a kiss for em?” Jason began firing at him, Y/n swiftly and quickly dodged each bullet and back flipped off the roof. Red Hood walked to the ledge to on then be yanked off himself.

Y/n crouched before him as Red Hood used one hand to hold his full body weight up from falling 75 stories to Gotham’s streets.

“You little—“

“I’m Stray.”

Red Hood scoffed, “Well Stray, how about I send you to the pound for bad little thieves.” Stray eyed his hand before grinning down at the man.

“Y’know Big Red I’d love to watch you get flustered tonight but I’m late?”

Y/n stretched and felt his side before looking around till he looked at Red Hood how had the cat statue in his free hand.

“Looking for this?” Stray hissed at him before an alarm on his watch buzzed.

“You can keep it Red, I’ll be back for it.” He cartwheel down the ledge before leaping off it and using his whip to glide from rooftop to rooftop.

——-

“Sounds like you had a thrilling night.” Roy laughed to himself while feeding Lian apples. They were on video chat on Jason’s laptop. Jason tossed his jacket on a nearby bench and grabbed a beer from his fridge.

“It was anything but fun Harper,” he took another sip before sitting it down and watching the screen. Lian was stuffing her face with apples and yet still kept a tight grip on her chocolate milk.

“I think someone wants Uncle Jay’s grilled cheese.” Jason let a smile slip. “Now we both know it you that wants that.”

“I plead the fifth.” Roy replied. Jason stretched and glanced at his gear and cellphone on the table.

“Any idea who he is, or why he’s picking up where Catwoman would normally go?”

Jason took a few short steps and took his cellphone before dialing a number.

“Let’s find out,shall we?”

———

Stray slip throw the window. A choir of meows and soft purrs welcome him home. “Hello,nice of you to welcome me.” A black cat purrs and circles his legs.

“I’m going.” He opens a cabinet and pulls out several cans of tuna and opens them.

“Here you go.” The three cats run and begin to eat from the cans.

“Spoiled brats.” He sighs and places his bag down on a worn out soft. He checks his watch and again and huffs as he crosses the small studio to a dresser and peels off his suit stuffing it in a drawer under his bed. He opens a door and enter the small bathroom, he quickly gets into the shower.

Several moments later he emerges with a towel around his waist and grabs open a drawer from his dress and puts on his clothes.

He puts on eyeliner and tugs on a jacket, he stuffs his keys into his pocket and leaves the apartment through the front door.

———

He rushes inside the club and puts down his bag and jacks behind the bar. The club is packed and the other two girls at the bar are running around take orders, taking payments and cleaning up for the next few customers.

“You’re late again Y/n.” A girl with a dark pixie cut grins pour three shots of fire ball and passing it to a man who hands her a fifty.

He grins, and grabs a rag tossing it onto his shoulder. “Y’know the train is still back up on fifth and Seventh.”

She shrugs and grabs a trap and places a few drinks on it. The other girl with a blonde bun comes back with several empty and half drunk glasses sets it down before grabbing two bottles.

“You sure you weren’t going to see a guy?”

Y/n rolls his eyes and hands two beers to a young man. “Don’t kid yourself Stella, I’m laying low.”

The two women share a look before laughing and going back to work.

“Yeah well just try to let us know that you’re running late, Mr. Cobblepot was looking for you earlier. Something about a meeting up in his office.” Y/n cussed to himself taking a tray and several glasses with a bottle of Whiskey.

He rushed into the office as Black Mask and Penguin held a stare off.

“Sorry for late arrival Mr. Cobblepot, I got caught-“

“Nevermind that Lad, so this nice gentleman and his friends out. There just leaving wasn’t ya?”

Black Mask’s fist are in a tight grip as he gets to his feet. “Yeah, this place is started to smell like a fish market.” He throws a twenty on the tray Y/n’s holding. “Keep the tip kid.”

He leaves with his goons and it’s just Y/n and Penguin. Penguin poor himself a glass of Scotch and sighs.

“Kid, I don’t what took so bloody long, but I’ll let it slide this one time. Now get the fuck out of my office.” He barked while rubbing his temple. Y/n made himself scarce and finished the rest of his shift until early the next morning when the Lounge closed.

———-

“I can’t believe you got your ass handed to you.” Jason reloaded his pistols and walked away from the goons he just beat up from a robbery. He gets on his motorcycle and races down the street.

“Y’know come from the same person who got mind controlled from a plant, I don’t see how you’re in any position to talk.” He turned down a busy street earning several honks from oncoming drivers.

“Low blow little wing, low blow.”

Jason grumbles to himself as he races down the road turning onto a main intersection and flies further into the city.

“Hood, I think I found your cat burglar. Sending the location now.” Oracle’s voice filled his ear for the hundredth time tonight.

“He’s not getting away tonight.” He barreled down the street toward the location on his bike.

“Good luck little wing.” Nightwing sang in his ear before Red Hood switched his com offline. He looks up and stops in the alleyway. He grapples up the building until he finds a window with a cutout on the 54th floor.

He enters quickly and draws his gun. “Here kitty kitty kitty. Here boy?” He scans the room until he finds a door cracked open down the hallway of an office building.

He creeps down the corridor and pushes open the door. It’s an office and at the desk his Stray taking pictures of different files and paperwork.

“I don’t think the owner would take kindly to you snooping.”

Stray’s head shoots up and he grins.” I see you missed me.”

“Unlikely.” He strolls over to him and grabs his wrist prying the camera from his hand.

“What are you doing,give that back?”

“Not till you tell me why you’re here, then I’m dropping your ass off at jail.”

Stray smirked taking his free hand and lightly dragging his claw down Red Hood’s helmet. “You’ve been thinking about my ass?”

Red Hood stuttered,”That’s not—I’m not thinking—“

“Shush.” The two stand still as footsteps and men can be heard from the hallway.

“Find em, I know someone’s here!”

Stray and Red Hood looked at each other before Red Hood dragged him by the hand towards the door.

“If you think about escaping I’ll shoot your knee caps out.”

Stray playful grinned. “Whatever you say.” Red Hood looked around the corner and a group of goons with assault rifles searched the floor. One turned around and spotted him and began firing.

“Your dead rat!” And soon the rest began to fire. Red Hood pulled stray further into the room. There was only one way out and it was being fired out.

“You’re bleeding.” Red Hood glanced down at his arm and turned back toward the door. “Just a flesh wound, we’ve kinda got bigger fish to fry.”

Stray took off his backpack and took out a can of tear gas. “Get ready to run red. He tossed it out the room and the goons shouted before a small explosion rocked the building.

“What kinda tear gas?” Stray took Red Hood’s arm and pulled him out the room. They ran through the office filled with smoke. They pushed open a door and bolted up the stairs.

“Are you trying to get us killed?” Stray pushed open the door to the rooftop before sticking wood under the door.

He began to run with Red Hood not far behind. He looked at the door which was being kicked down.

“Jump.” Red Hood snapped his head toward him. “The fuck are you trying to accomplish?” Not waiting for a response he pulled Red Hood down with him and the two fall several stories until the landed on a moving train.

“And that’s how you get out of that.” Red Hood sat up from falling on his back.

“I’m going to kill you.”

Stray blew him a kiss getting to a crouching position. “You’re very welcome.”

The train came to a halt and Stray jumped off the train car on top of rooftop and Red Hood went after him.

“Hey,stop!” Stray turns to him with his arm crossed.

“What is it now?” Red Hood grabbed him.

“You nearly got us shot up, did you think I wasn’t serious about taking you in?”

Stray grinned,” I wanna see what’s underneath that helmet, I bet I really just get under your skin don’t I?”

“I will shoot you, I don’t care.” He warned.

Stray yawned. “So you want that looked at or you could get an infection?”

Jason was ready to snap him in half. For whatever reason Stray knew how you just irritate him like nothing he had experienced before.

“I have a guy.”

Stray looked hurt, “Damn, I thought I was special.” He began to walk toward the edge of the building. “Come in red I don’t bite. Much.” He whispered the last part.

He jumped and for whatever reason that was yet unknown to him Red Hood followed jumping onto a fire escape. He entered the apartment and turned to see three different cats.

“Are you so kinda Catwoman cultist?” Stray returned from wherever he was with a me medkit.

“Ha ha, funny. Take off the jacket and armor it’s not doing you much favors.”

“I’d have to remove my helmet, I don’t think I want to do that.”

Stray placed his hand on his hips.” Then continue to bleed but you’re not getting it all over my apartment.

Jason looked at his arm and while it did hurt the bleeding hadn’t stopped either.

“Fuck me.” Stray grinned as his removed his helmet and pulled it off. He pouted though when he saw the red mask covering Jason’s face.

“Who knew the big bad Red Hood was a looker.” He took out supplies as Red Hood began to removed his jacket and armor.

“Just hurry up.” He hissed at the pain in his arm. He could see that it was not a flesh wound and was shot in his arm.

Stray peeled off his cowl and goggles and began to clean the wound.

“Don’t get to excited, you’re still not off the hook.” Red Hood hissed when Stray began to clean the wound.

“You don’t trust easily.”

“I don’t trust anyone, what’s your point?”

“Nothing at all Red. Hold still this is gonna hurt.”

“Your enjoying this aren’t you?”

Stray grinned taking his arm and began to remove the bullet. “Red you sure know how to show a fella a good time.”

“Fuck my life.” Red Hood groaned.

[tazienimp]

Was looking over the Soleanna map vs the Sonadow Gens map, and i found something interesting.

For reference, the bottom of the Soleanna map is where the castle/church is, and the bottom of the Sonadow Gens map is where Maria and Gerald are. Those are the same areas, and i believe Maria and Gerald being where the castle is, and where Elise and the Duke lived, are significant due to the similarities between Shadow and Mephiles.

For context, Shadow = Mephiles, Maria = Elise, Gerald = The Duke, The Biolizard = Iblis, and if you wanna take it a step further, Black Doom = Dark Gaia. Also take into account the fact that Mephiles and Shadow were both created in labs. Everyone up to speed now? Can you see why Gerald and Maria's placement at the castle on the Soleanna map is important? Good.

Okay here's where the interesting part i mentioned before takes center stage. If you take Shadow, and have him stand at relatively the same points on the map as Sonic in 06, the landscape tends to line up almost perfectly every time, at least at the south side (I'm gonna be playing Sonic 06 today just to access the rest of the map to see if my theory is correct, but the south side is all i have for now.)

In 06, the left gate leading outside and the alcove leading to Wave Ocean. On the Sonadow Gens side, the underground gate leading to Mephiles, and the well also leading to Mephiles (the tiny lil black bar aaaaaaall the way on the right). The shape of the landscape in Sonadow Gens matches up pretty well with the building and cliffs in the same area in 06. The architecture of the ground also matches up pretty damn well in both. And the box on the side matches up with the fountain in Sonadow Gens.

The tower, the flame basin, and the castle/church (hidden by the walkway and the minimap) in 06 match up with the tower, the tall unknown building, and the castle/cathedral where Neo Overlord's boss gate is in Sonadow Gens.

The walkway, arched gates on the far end of the map, and the octagonal structure in 06, match the walkway going up to the cstle ruins, the ornate wall at the far edge, and the box shown in the first set of screenshots in Sonadow Gens.

The octagonal structure, the building with the red rooftop, and the tower in the back in 06, match up with the octagonal piller, the shape pf the wall at the far edge of the map, and the pieces of a tower in the background in Sonadow Gens.

This is all while standing in relatively the same places in both games. I highly encourage you guys to try this if you have both games at your disposal.

The structures and landmarks in Sonadow Gens seem to be broken up and separated into multiple places at the same time, and while not completely obvious that these are the same map, it becomes much more clear when you stand in roughly the same places in both maps. Almost as though the way the map is broken up in Sonadow Gens was intentional, not random, so as to match what you would see if you went to the same locations in 06. Which tbh i find very interesting and very suspect. Imo there's no way this could have been an accident.

I also think that the first castle we run into in Sonadow Gens, the one with the Biolizard, are broken up pieces of the castle where Maria and Gerald are standing, as well as the castle/cathedral that Neo is residing in. All three castles are the same castle, just split into multiple parts. Specifically to match the optical illusion that is the Sonadow Gens map, with the cipher being Soleanna City. That's my running threory. I'm gonna be unlocking more of the Sonic 06 Soleanna map today just to see if the locations continue to match up.

Also big big big thanks to @jadedazemations he was there keeping me sane when i was losing my mind over this and helping me figure out if i was genuinely cooking or just going crazy, so like, thank you dude so very much you are incredible

[reyaint]

the academy | looks

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date: march 16, 2025. i slept through the storm

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✧˖*°࿐ The Exterior

𓂃༊ Veltrius Lumos Academy’s campus is a harmonious blend of classical elegance, modern innovation, and natural beauty. the school’s design draws inspiration from historical universities, sleek contemporary architecture, and rich organic elements like wood, stone, and glass. every corner of the campus has a sense of purpose, aesthetic appeal, and prestige, creating an environment that encourages both learning and personal growth.

𓂃༊ the campus is vast but interconnected, with stone pathways lined with lanterns, ivy-covered buildings, and wide-open spaces for students to relax and socialize. natural lighting is a key feature across the campus, ensuring that classrooms, libraries, and social spaces feel bright, airy, and inspiring.

✧˖*°࿐ The Rooftop and Garden

*ೃ༄Rooftop

𓂃༊ the rooftop garden is a hidden gem of Veltrius Lumos Academy, providing a peaceful retreat above the city. designed to be both aesthetic and functional, this space is used for relaxation, quiet study sessions, and small social gatherings.

𓂃༊ the rooftop garden offers a quiet escape, with vines creeping along the railings, comfortable seating areas, and a view of the city skyline

*ೃ༄Garden

𓂃༊ the gardens are lush and immaculately maintained, featuring a grand stone fountain at the center, stone pathways, and benches for relaxation.

✧˖*°࿐ The Greenhouse

𓂃༊ the greenhouse complex is expansive and serene, consisting of multiple glass-paneled structures framed with wood and stone. hanging plants drape from the ceilings, and stone pathways wind through exotic flora, medicinal herbs, and student-grown botanical projects.

𓂃༊ a small water feature runs through one of the largest greenhouses, creating a peaceful ambiance. This space is used for biology classes, plant studies, and quiet study sessions.

✧˖*°࿐ The Entrance

𓂃༊ upon entering the academy, students are greeted by a breathtaking glass-ceiling walkway, allowing natural light to pour in. ivy drapes over elegant archways, and potted greenery lines the sides, enhancing the academic and tranquil atmosphere.

𓂃༊ marble and dark wood details give the entrance a classic academia feel, while sleek, modern lighting fixtures illuminate the space at night, casting a warm golden glow. the entrance immediately establishes the prestige of Veltrius while maintaining a welcoming, inspiring aura.

✧˖*°࿐ Hallways

✧˖*°࿐ Bathrooms

✧˖*°࿐ The Classrooms

𓂃༊ the classrooms vary between high school and college-style, with some featuring tiered seating, and others structured for roundtable discussions. most have large windows, allowing in ample natural light, with rich wood paneling, deep-colored walls, and elegant yet modern furniture.

𓂃༊ each classroom reflects its subject—literature classes have ornate bookcases, science classrooms have sleek lab stations, and philosophy or history classrooms are adorned with historical maps and framed classical artwork.

*ೃ༄Science Lab

*ೃ༄Classrooms

✧˖*°࿐ The Art and Music Studios

*ೃ༄The Art Studios

𓂃༊ art studios are expansive and filled with natural light, with paint-splattered wooden floors, massive canvases, and large windows that overlook the gardens. wooden easels, stone sculptures, and modern drafting tables fill the space, providing students with the ideal creative environment.

*ೃ༄The Music Studios

𓂃༊ music rooms are soundproofed, sleek, and modern, with grand pianos, violin stands, and digital composition equipment. there are practice booths for solo rehearsals as well as a large orchestral rehearsal space.

*ೃ༄The Dance Studios

𓂃༊ dance studios feature wall-length mirrors, wooden flooring, and high ceilings, with light pouring in from floor-to-ceiling windows. soft drapes give the space an ethereal touch, and seating areas are available for observation and critique sessions.

✧˖*°࿐ The Library

𓂃༊ a multi-floor, grand library that is a blend of dark and light academia aesthetics. the lower levels feel cozy and historic, with dark oak bookshelves, green reading lamps, and towering bookcases. the upper levels have floor-to-ceiling windows that bathe the space in natural light, complemented by cream-colored walls, soft wooden tables, and modern seating areas.

𓂃༊ individual study rooms with stained glass windows, fireplaces, and soundproof walls allow students to focus in solitude, while communal study tables are arranged for group projects.

✧˖*°࿐ Sports Facilities

*ೃ༄The Gym

𓂃༊ the gymnasium is massive, with a mix of wood and modern white paneling. it houses multiple courts for basketball, volleyball, and indoor sports.

*ೃ༄The Pool

𓂃༊ the swimming pool is equally grand, featuring a brown wooden ceiling with exposed beams and floor-to-ceiling windows that allow in natural light. the white tile flooring reflects the water, making the space feel bright and open.

*ೃ༄The Lockerooms

𓂃༊ the locker rooms are pristine and spacious, fitting the academy’s prestigious reputation. marble and dark wood details, heated floors, and private shower stalls make the space feel luxurious.

✧˖*°࿐ Culinary

𓂃༊ the culinary arts wing of Veltrius is designed to be both professional and welcoming, blending modern kitchen technology with warm, natural elements like wood and stone finishes. the space allows students to hone their cooking skills, experiment with flavors, and develop their craft in an environment that feels both functional and high-end.

✧˖*°࿐ Cafeteria

*ೃ༄Main Cafe

𓂃༊ the cafeteria is modern and sleek, featuring high ceilings, wooden beams, and walls of glass windows that allow in natural light. the white and brown color scheme, complemented by lush indoor plants, creates a warm, inviting atmosphere.

𓂃༊ buffet-style dining with international cuisine, fresh produce, and gourmet student favorites ensures that every student has options that suit their dietary needs.

𓂃༊ third-years are allowed to leave campus during meal breaks to explore the nearby restaurants.

*ೃ༄Campus Cafe

𓂃༊ a smaller, more intimate café located in a quiet corner of the academy, designed for studying and light conversation. Wooden bookshelves, soft lighting, and window-side seating make it the perfect space for students looking to read or work in peace.

𓂃༊ the café serves artisanal coffee, herbal teas, and fresh pastries, making it a favorite spot for late-night study sessions or morning reflections.

[lovelytsunoda]

love is a losing game | Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Part III - I Never Loved You In Vain

Chapter Summary: The noose gets tighter around Jake's neck as he and Bradley pursue attorney Penny Benjamin and former LAPD detective Pete Mitchell. It all comes to a head in a mountainside chase in which someone ends up in a ditch.

Chapter Warnings: Car accidents (Bob and Maverick get driven off a cliff) mentions of murder and violence, police corruption, horrible policing from Jake and Bradley both, they're practically stalking Pete and Penny at this point, we find out what's on Jessie's criminal record, mentions of grief (Javy's death), Bradley literally sho*ts someone and makes Jake an accomplice, Jake takes his baby to an active crime scene??

Author's Note: as always, flashbacks are in italics. it's getting harder to correlate this with bosch:legacy so i've decided im deviating from that plan a little bit (not like it matters because i don't expect you all to have seen that lmao) to try and fit in everything i want to do.

Series Masterlist

Pete Mitchell’s city car, an ancient Ford Crown Victoria, pulled to a stop in front of the beat-up apartment building. The sun eclipsed it, highlighting all the areas where it was otherwise worn down. Jessie was sitting in the back, with Pete and Tom Kazansky in the front. Tom opened the door for her, her thin ballet flats crunching against the pavement. The entire building was police-taped, cruisers (that were much newer than Mitchell’s city car) up and down the block to keep looky-loos away.

“Mickey Garcia!” Jessie shouted, heading over to the detective, who was waiting for forensics to give him the all-clear to enter the apartment. He was standing on the outdoor walkway, looking over the balcony into the courtyard as he watched Pete’s car pull up. “The suit looks good on you.”

Mickey laughed, pulling Jessie in for a hug. The two had grown close during their patrol days. Despite the five year age difference, Mickey had always stuck up for the younger cop and admired her drive, even when she was stuck behind a desk. “When are you going to hurry up and get out here with me, Jessie? You’re wasted behind a desk"

Jessie was about to say something when a figure coming out of the apartment caught her eye, a pit forming in her stomach. She felt her lungs get tight, hand flying to mess with the branch-shaped pendant on her necklace.

“Jessica Statham. What a surprise.” Detective Ron Kerner stared at her blankly.

“Kerner.” She said back flatly, trying to be diplomatic. She hadn’t seen his face since she was a teenager, a host of bad memories threatening to come up to the surface.

“She’s with us, Kerner.” Mitchell interrupted. “Now where’s my crime scene?”

“Your crime scene?” Kerner laughed. “Just because you knew the vic doesn’t mean the crime scene is yours.”

The two detectives slipped through the open front door, muscling past two uniformed officers. Tom shot her a concerned look as she tried to regulate her breathing.

“Jess? You coming?”

“Give me a second. Mickey and I will be in in a sec.”

Once the detectives were gone, Jessie let out a shaky breath, ignoring the pain in her chest as she bit back a curse. Mickey was staring at her pensively.

“What was that about?”

“Nothing. I have a past, Kerner is in it. It’s not even worth mentioning.”

Mickey didn’t believe her, but decided to let it slide. Between losing her mentor and getting shot, the last six months had been hard on Jessie in a way Mickey couldn’t even imagine. He missed Javy as well, but the bond that Javy Machado had with Jessica was special.

“How are you really doing, Jessica?”

Jessie shrugged. “The best I can. I still can’t believe Kelly Garrett walked away a free woman from all of this. You know it was his birthday last week.”

“I know.”

“And I actually went on a date. Jake took me to Madame Tussaud’s. Went through the Illusions of Horror exhibit and had dinner at the rooftop restaurant. You know that's where Javy took me? There’s a picture on my dresser of Javy and I with the Audrey Hepburn in the gift shop.”

After finding out that Jessica had never been on a date before, Javy took it upon himself to take her out for a night and show her what a date was supposed to be like. Teach her what it meant to have someone care about you that way. He had been a perfect gentleman the entire time, not even expecting a kiss at the end. They had gone out as friends, but somehow it felt like more than that. Not romantic, but special.

“It gets easier.” Mickey encouraged. “Day by day, it will hurt less.”

“You were his partner. I guess you should know better than anyone what losing him feels like. I keep expecting him to call and get everyone together for drinks again, like old times.”

“Don’t put the address in your Apple Maps! They can trace that!”

“I’m sorry we don’t all have TomTom GPS systems from 2005!”

“If you didn’t have so much kiddie crap in your car, I’d be able to find a map book! Who puts a child seat in a Dodge Charger anyways?”

If Jake had a choice he wouldn’t even be here, worming his car through the rough part of town with Bradley Bradshaw in the passenger seat barking directions at him. The previous day, they had spent most of their workday tailing Penny Benjamin and her new investigator. Both of their cars had been bugged and outfitted with trackers, and that was how Bradley found out about the alibi.

If you get rid of Rueben Fritz, there’s nobody who can confirm that the fall guy didn’t do it.

At least, that was the way Bradley saw it. The way Jake saw it? The whole thing was getting our of hand very fast.

Going to jail for police corruption was a far different charge than going to jail for double murder.

Bradley was making it very hard to walk away. Sure, Jessie’s record was an open secret with her class at the police academy, a vicious rumor sparked by Officer Julia Brasher after Jessie was taken off patrol and fast tracked to a desk. Javy Machado had done what he could to calm it down, and Pete Mitchell possessed the only unsealed copy of the file. Attempting to mitigate the damage, Jessie had locked that copy away and Deputy Chief Machado, Javy’s father, had done his best to erase all record of the charges.

But of course, if you were well connected in the department, there was still a way to find it.

If the contents of that file were to come to light, Jessie’s life as she knew it would be over, regardless of how much good she had done in her decade at the LAPD. A man in her position would have the luxury of screwing up before the hammer fell. For Jessica, the mere existence of that file was like the Sword of Damocles waiting to fall. She wouldn’t get nearly as much grace as Pete Mitchell was afforded.

It was a sad perk of his job that Jake Seresin knew the locations of every cheap motel that could be rented by the hour in the Hollywood area. He also knew that they had minimal security, and even less CCTV. They didn’t even ask for ID, and dealt mostly in cash. He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that Reuben Fritz would be here, based on the information gathered from Penny. He was either dealing drugs or dealing in himself, take your pick.

“Park as close as you can get.” Bradley barked. “I want headlights shining through his window. I want him to know we’re here.”

“I don’t.” Jake grumbled. “I don’t want them seeing my licence plate.”

“Please.” The older detective snorted. “You know as well as I do that people don’t ask questions here. Of course they don’t have cameras.”

He threw the Charger into park, having begrudgingly pulled up right outside of Fritz’s motel room. “You’re on your own, Bradshaw. I know what you’re about to do, and I want no part in it. The only reason I am here is to keep my family safe. I never agreed to murder.”

“Fine.” Bradley said, making sure his gun was loaded. “Just be ready to speed out of here when we’re done.”

When you’re done, he though silently, watching Bradley approach the room. Jake closed his eyes, locking the car and reaching for the stereo. As the Meat Loaf song played louder and louder, he tried to focus on something other than the blood he knew would soon be coating the hotel windows. Something other than the massive injustice he was allowing to happen.

Something other than how spineless he was for not reversing out of the parking lot and going home to his wife and daughter.

Bradley believed in mutually assured destruction. If Jake took him down, he’d be going down too. And, in a way, so would Jessie. There were no winners in this game.

As the gunshot went off, Jake cranked the stereo further, trying to gaslight himself into believing that this wasn't his fault.

“Jessica, wait.” Detective Ron Kerner insisted, hanging behind the group. “What’s going on with you? I heard you got into a screaming match with Maverick last night.”

Jessica sighed, watching the rest of the task force continue down the stairwell as she assured Mickey she was right behind them. “And you and Mickey almost got blown up by a Molotov cocktail, in case you forgot.”

“Jess, this isn’t like you. Garcia said you had to get a heart monitor put on.”

This case hadn’t been easy. The high-profile nature of the murder- of a prominent civil right lawyer, no less- coupled with a few major life changes and a boss who’s working three off-the-books cases at any given point (including the murder of his ex-wife, FBI Special Agent Charlie Blackwood) drove her to what she had initially thought was a heart attack. The doctor suspected that she might have broken heart syndrome and asked her to wear a heart monitor for a few days to keep an eye on things.

“What’s it to you, Kerner?”

“I’m worried about you.”

Jess tensed, leaning against the concrete wall. She glanced quickly up and down the stairs before turning back to Kerner. “I drove through Sherman Oaks yesterday.”

Kerner cursed. “Why would you do that to yourself?”

“I remember everything. It keeps me awake at night, Ron As soon as I saw that street sign, it was like I couldn’t breathe.”

“The body remembers trauma, Jessica. All of that is normal. It’s no wonder you’re having heart issues.”

Jess swallowed, feeling the lump in her throat. Her mouth suddenly felt as dry as cotton. “I was such a bad person, Ron. I pushed everybody away and I made so many mistakes. If it wasn’t for you, my life would have been over before it ever really started.”

“You can’t keep thinking about the past. There’s nothing you can do about it now. Look at how far you’ve come. The girl you were ten years ago wouldn’t even have gotten into the police academy. The girl from ten years ago was on her way to juvie.”

“I know. But Ron, I hit a man over the head with a glass bottle. I was so scared, I could have killed him!”

“But you didn’t. You weren’t a bad person, Jessica. You were just fifteen.”

Jake Seresin was insane. Absolutely utterly insane. Who brings their eleven-month-old on a goddamn stakeout? Yet here he was, walking up to Pete Mitchell’s sprawling cliffside house, pushing a stroller in front of him. Jessie had gone to her boxing class, and getting back into that routine was a struggle. He wasn’t going to stunt her recovery by having her stay home and watch Rosie, so he offered to babysit for the night.

Unfortunately, he had prior plans with Bradley that involved breaking some federal mail service laws. Unwilling to leave his daughter in the car with a literal monster, he had set up the stroller and hoped that the leisurely walk would lull the infant to sleep.

Pete Mitchell’s house looked more like the home of a movie star who peaked in the nineties than it did for a retired LAPD detective, all glass and sharp edges. There was only one way in and out, but Jake wasn’t worried. Pete was out that night, prior arrangements that likely had something to do with his daughter.

Everybody knew about Riley Mitchell’s kidnapping by the Screen Cutter. If something like that had happened to Jessie or Rosie, the perpetrator would be so dead that there wouldn’t be anything to bury.

Of course, at this stage in the investigation, Jake and Bradley had no idea just who they were dealing with. They didn’t even know the name of Penny Benjamin’s Cherokee-driving investigator. All they had was his address and license plate, neither of which they could run at work without attracting suspicion.

Using one boot-clad foot to rock the stroller back and forth, Jake started sifting through the black garbage bag that held the investigator’s recycling. He pulled a few envelopes right off the top, using the flashlight on his phone to illuminate the mailing information.

His heart leapt into his throat, and he swore he could feel his pulse in his neck. For a fleeting second, he wondered if Jessie had left any emergency Ativan in the Charger’s glove compartment.

“Bradley, we’ve gotta back off.” He said nervously, hoping his quiet panic was hidden over the

earpiece. “I know whose house this is, and why this guy has felt familiar the whole time. It’s Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. He was Jessie’s old boss in homicide, this guy is relentless. He’s the best of the best, Bradley”

Bradley just laughed. “He’s not onto us yet, kid. Let’s do our research, there has to be some way we can get to him. Someone we can press for information. Mitchell. Wasn’t there an Officer Mitchell in the news earlier this year? Something about a kidnapping. She was buried alive in the desert.”

When he got home that night, he didn’t realize how late it had gotten. Jessie’s car was in the driveway, and General Hospital was on the living room TV, Jessie’s sweat-soaked boxing gear lying next to the couch. He could hear the shower in the background. Rosie was asleep in her car seat, and he took his time taking off his outdoor gear.

The discovery of Pete Mitchell’s involvement left a bad taste in Jake’s mouth. He’d heard Jessie’s stories about Maverick Mitchell and knew that he didn’t always play by the rules. He had the highest rate of internal affairs investigations against him, but nobody had ever been able to make anything stick, because he found loopholes everywhere.

The shower shut off, and Jake couldn’t help but smile when he saw Jessie come into the living room, dressed in silk pajamas and a woolen cardigan.

“Hey, you.” She grinned. “What did you guys get up to while I was gone?”

“Not much.” Jake shrugged, taking Rosie out of her car seat carrier. “Rosie wouldn’t sleep wo we went for a drive. She was out like a light.”

God, he hated that his marriage was rife with lies.

“I only just got in myself. I ended up going for drinks with some of the girls I box with. You remember Michy and Alicia, right? They were at the wedding.”

“That’s awesome, Jessica. Really. This is a big step forward. We’re going to get through this.”

“I know.” Jessie laughed, reaching for Rosie. “Look at her, Jake. Our little miracle.” She held Rosie close to her chest, running a finger over her fine hair.

Jake grabbed the remote, turning off the TV before placing a hand at his wife’s lower back. He kissed the side of her head, smiling against her warm skin and inhaling the scent of her shampoo. “Let’s put this little rascal to bed. I’ve had a long day, and I can’t wait to fall asleep with you in my arms.”

Jessie giggled, heading towards the nursery. Cautious of the light sleeper in her arms, she lowered her voice as she turned back to her husband. “Or, if you aren’t too tired, maybe we could go to bed and do…something else.”

His eyes lit up, slightly taken aback by his wife’s forwardness. He hoped that the reappearance of her sex drive was something positive, a sign that her recovery was heading in the right direction. They’d only had sex once since Rosie was born, and that was only possible because the infant was staying with her grandparents that weekend.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I am, silly.” Jessie laughed again. God, Jake would never get sick of that sound. From the moment he first heard it he wished he could bottle it and listen to it whenever he wanted. “Hurry up and get to the bedroom before Rosie wakes up. And try to be quiet!”

Jessica was shaking as she pulled her VW into the parking space outside Jake’s apartment building. When she moved in with him, he had valiantly given up his parking space to park the Charger on the street so that Jessica wouldn’t have to parallel park. The apartment was a shoebox, but it was a great improvement from the bedroom she was renting in what was essentially a glorified sorority house.

Ron Kerner’s words rang through her head, a chorus of ‘you should tell him’ and ‘you need to try and push past this’. But he was right. Maybe finally telling Jake what she was hiding would set her free. Her guilt and shame were holding her back.

Inside the apartment, she paced to the small bedroom she shared with her boyfriend, and to the overflowing closet that she had failed to squeeze her wardrobe into. The top shelf was packed to the brim with boxes, mostly things that she hadn’t been able to unpack since she moved in. Her grocery bags of books still sat in the corner of the room. Jake wasn’t a reader and therefore there was a lack of space to unload her home library. They were supposed to go to IKEA together and buy a small shelf for the bedroom, but space in the apartment was tight.

At the bottom of one of the cardboard boxes was a shortbread tin, buried under a stack of sweaters from her college days, when she studied criminal justice at Ventura College. The two year program had burned her out, and instead of continuing on to law school like her parents would have liked, she enrolled in the LAPD.

The shortbread tin contained the remnants of her shattered past. On top of the stack was the t-shirt from her high school gym class. Underneath that, three CD’s in cracked cases, ranging from grunge to nu metal. She went back to the living room, turning on the stereo equipment before sliding one of the nu metal discs in. She turned the volume up, staring at one of the wrinkled photographs in the box.

“Jess?” She couldn’t hear Jake come in, or see the look of concern on his face. “Jessica? What’s going on, darling?” He asked, reaching to turn the music down.

“I have to tell you something.” Her voice cracked on the last word. “I’m not from Pasadena. Okay, well, I am, but it’s not where I was raised. I grew up in Sherman Oaks.”

Jake rested a hand on her shoulder, joining her on the vinyl floor “I don’t understand. What’s so bad about that?”

“We had to move when I was fifteen. It was my fault.” She passed him the photograph, a selfie of a younger Jessica, dark hair streaked through with pink. She wore dark, heavy makeup, and the edges of a metal band logo were visible on her shirt.

“You looked cute. The black lipstick’s a nice touch.”

“Jake, focus. I fell in with some bad people, got into a lot of trouble. My grandmother had just died. She practically raised me, so without her, I felt lost. At first it was just kid stuff. Trespassing, vandalism. Nothing where the charges really stuck.” She laughed, small and filled with self pity. “I was so desperate for friends that I didn’t realize I’d made the wrong kind. Detective Kerner, I’m working with him on the Tyrone Cole task force, he used to work in youth justice. He was the officer assigned to me after the first time I was arrested. I, uh, keyed my math teacher’s Volvo.”

Jake laughed. “You, Jessica Statham, keyed a Volvo?”

“Not my finest hour, I know. Anyways, it all came to a head when someone in the group suggested we break into this guy’s house. He was a football player, an all-American asshole, and I didn’t feel like I could say no. We weren’t going to take anything, just move stuff around. Make it obvious that we were there. Of course, once the spray paint came out, I wanted out of there. And then this kid came home, and he found me in their living room. There was a half-empty bottle of wine on the coffee table, and I panicked. I picked it up and hit him over the head with it. He was out cold.”

Jake reached for her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “What happened after that?”

“The cops were waiting for us at school the next morning. I saw the cars in the parking lot, but I hoped they were there for something else. When we all got called into the office, I took off. Kerner knew I would, he was waiting for me by the side door. He negotiated a deal, and we left Sherman Oaks. Left the county as a whole, actually. Without Kerner going to bat for me, I would have gone to juvie, no doubt about it. And the guilt has torn me up inside ever since. Jake, the things I’ve done keep me awake at night. I don’t know how to move on. I was awful.”

Her voice caught, tears beginning to gently fall down her rosy cheeks. Ashamed, she hid her face, brushing the tears away until Jake’s calloused fingers met her cheek, encouraging her to turn her head towards him.

“You were grieving, Jess. Look at me. That’s not who you are anymore. That’s just who you needed to be to survive. And I’m not going to hold that against you. Nothing you could say or do could make me love you any less.”

Robert Floyd’s Polestar wound its way through the Hollywood Hills, the road practically deserted. His hands gripped the steering wheel loosely, smooth jazz on the radio. Pete Mitchell sat next to him, staring straight ahead. After discovering the tracker on his Cherokee, and after Penny Benjamin had been pulled over and arrested on bogus charges, he had decided not to take any chances.

Especially now that hew knew they were dealing with dirty cops.

“That bug you found on my Jeep,” Pete started “Have you made any progress tracking it? It’s police issue, at least organized crime, maybe SIS.”

“Sorry, boss. Its too generic. I’m going to need more time.”

Bob was a white hat hacker, working as an investigator for Penny Benjamin. He was magnificent at his job, although his evidence was usually obtained less than legally and wouldn’t hold up in court. Benjamin and Mitchell had to get crafty. Maverick was no longer a part of the LAPD, which meant he couldn’t flash a badge or get a warrant any more. Usually, that was where Bob came in.

“I still don’t understand how you can drive electric. Where is the purr of the engine? The feeling of being one with the car? What if your battery dies out in the middle of nowhere?”

Bob laughed. “Get with the times, Pete. Electric is the future. This Polestar is engineering at its finest!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Mitchell caught movement in the rearview mirror. Headlights. He heard the roar of an engine and knew instantly that it wasn’t coming from Bob Floyd’s Polestar.

“Bob, speed up.”

Bob gunned the engine, surging past the speed limit. The car behind them got closer, the front bumper kissing the back of Mo’s car.

“What the hell?” Bob cursed.

Mentally, Pete tried to catalogue everything he could of the car. It was American muscle, either silver or grey. Was that a Dodge grille on the front? Maybe a Charger or a Challenger? That was about as far as he got before the car surged forward again, coupled with the sickening crunch of metal on metal as the Polestar lunged towards a cliff face.

The pair were powerless to stop the Polestar’s trajectory as the car was pushed along. The brakes seized as Bob slammed his foot down, causing the car to flip over and roll off the edge of the cliff. As the Polestar tumbled down the rocks, Pete caught one last glimpse of the car.

It was a silver Dodge Charger.

[reaper2187]

Caitlyn x female prisoner reader

Prisoner's help (part 3) pev next

Y/N and Caitlyn stood poised, their bodies tensed for action. The imposing figure before them was unlike any they had encountered so far. His presence exuded authority and danger, a combination that made it clear they were in over their heads.

“Who the hell are you?” Y/N asked, her voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

The man smirked, his eyes glinting with malicious amusement. “Names are unimportant. What matters is that you’re trespassing in my territory.”

Y/N and Caitlyn exchanged a quick glance. This had to be one of the Chem-Baron's key operatives, if not the Chem-Baron himself. Y/N’s mind raced, trying to come up with a plan. They couldn’t afford to get caught, not now.

Before she could say anything, Caitlyn moved, quick as lightning. She lunged at the man, aiming to disarm him. He was faster than he looked, dodging her strike and countering with a swift kick that sent her sprawling. Y/N didn’t hesitate. She followed up, launching herself at him with a series of rapid punches. He blocked most of them, but one caught him on the jaw, making him stagger.

Caitlyn was back on her feet in an instant, joining the fray. The two of them fought in perfect sync, their movements fluid and coordinated. But the man was strong, too strong. He fought back with a ferocity that left them both struggling to keep up.

As the fight raged on, Y/N spotted a group of the man’s henchmen entering the warehouse, drawn by the commotion. “Caitlyn, we need to get out of here!” she shouted.

Caitlyn nodded, ducking under a wild swing from their opponent. “Agreed. Follow me!”

They broke away from the fight, sprinting towards a stack of crates that led to an upper level. The henchmen gave chase, firing shots that ricocheted off the metal walls. Y/N and Caitlyn scrambled up the crates, reaching the upper level just as the henchmen closed in.

“Up here!” Y/N shouted, pointing to a narrow walkway that led to a skylight. They ran across the walkway, the sound of gunfire echoing around them. Reaching the skylight, Caitlyn smashed it open with the butt of her rifle, and they climbed through, emerging onto the roof of the warehouse.

“We need to lose them,” Caitlyn panted, scanning the rooftops for an escape route.

“There!” Y/N pointed to a series of interconnected rooftops that led deeper into the maze of Zaun’s buildings. “If we can get over there, we can lose them in the alleys.”

They sprinted across the rooftops, jumping from one to the next with practiced ease. The henchmen followed, but Y/N and Caitlyn had the advantage of knowing the terrain. They ducked into an alley, weaving through the narrow streets until they were sure they had lost their pursuers.

Finally, they stopped to catch their breath in a dark, secluded corner. Y/N leaned against a wall, trying to steady her racing heart. “That was too close.”

Caitlyn nodded, wiping sweat from her brow. “Agreed. We need to regroup and come up with a new plan.”

Y/N’s mind was already working. “We need more information. Orin mentioned the Chem-Baron had connections in Piltover. We need to find out who those connections are.”

Caitlyn frowned. “Easier said than done. We can’t just waltz back into Piltover and start asking questions. We’ll draw too much attention.”

Y/N considered this. “There’s someone I know in Zaun. An old contact. SHe might have information we can use.”

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. “Can we trust her?”

Y/N shrugged. “As much as you can trust anyone in Zaun. But she owes me a favor. It’s worth a shot.”

The contact in question was a woman named Jinx, a former associate of Y/N’s from her more reckless days. She was known for her erratic behavior and love of explosives, but she also had a network of informants that rivaled any in Zaun.

They found her in her makeshift workshop, a cluttered space filled with half-finished gadgets and weapons. Jinx was tinkering with a grenade when they arrived, her wild eyes lighting up at the sight of Y/N.

“Well, if it isn’t Y/N!” Jinx exclaimed, her voice a manic mix of excitement and amusement. “Didn’t think I’d see you again. What brings you to my humble abode?”

Y/N smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Need your help, Jinx. We’re looking for information on a Chem-Baron operating in this area. We think he has connections in Piltover.”

Jinx’s expression turned serious, a rare occurrence. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Y/N. This Chem-Baron… he’s bad news. But I might have something for you.” She rummaged through a pile of papers, pulling out a crumpled note. “There’s a meeting happening tonight. Some bigwigs from Piltover are supposed to be there. Could be your guy.”

Caitlyn stepped forward. “Where?”

Jinx handed her the note. “An old factory on the outskirts of Zaun. You’ll have to be careful. Security will be tight.”

Y/N nodded. “Thanks, Jinx. We owe you one.”

Jinx grinned, her usual manic energy returning. “Just don’t blow yourselves up. That’s my job.”

As night fell, Y/N and Caitlyn approached the old factory. It was a massive, dilapidated structure, its windows broken and walls covered in graffiti. They could see lights inside, and the shadows of people moving around.

“We need to get closer,” Caitlyn whispered. “Find a way in without being seen.”

Y/N nodded, pointing to a side entrance. “There. Looks like it’s not as heavily guarded.”

They crept towards the entrance, slipping inside unnoticed. The interior of the factory was a maze of rusted machinery and debris. Voices echoed through the halls, and they followed the sound to a large room where a group of men were gathered around a table.

Y/N recognized some of them as prominent figures in Zaun’s underworld, but her attention was drawn to a well-dressed man at the head of the table. His polished appearance and air of authority marked him as an outsider—likely one of the Chem-Baron’s Piltover contacts.

“We need to hear what they’re saying,” Caitlyn whispered, moving to find a better vantage point.

They positioned themselves behind a stack of crates, close enough to overhear the conversation. The well-dressed man was speaking, his tone commanding respect.

“The shipments will continue as planned,” he said. “Our operation in Piltover remains secure. The Enforcers are none the wiser.”

Y/N’s heart sank. This was bigger than she had anticipated. The Chem-Baron’s influence extended deep into Piltover, and they were only scratching the surface.

Caitlyn’s eyes narrowed. “We need to get closer. Get some proof of what’s going on here.”

They edged closer, careful to stay hidden. As they did, one of the men at the table glanced in their direction, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Y/N froze, her heart pounding.

“Did you hear that?” the man asked, standing up.

The room fell silent, and Y/N knew they were seconds away from being discovered. She glanced at Caitlyn, who nodded. They had to act fast.

Caitlyn sprang into action, launching herself over the crates and tackling the suspicious man to the ground. The room erupted into chaos, with the other men scrambling for their weapons. Y/N followed, her fists flying as she took down another thug.

The well-dressed man tried to make a run for it, but Y/N was faster. She caught up to him, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall.

“Who are you working for?” she demanded, her voice low and dangerous.

The man sneered, but there was fear in his eyes. “You have no idea what you’re getting into.”

“Try me,” Y/N hissed, tightening her grip.

Before he could answer, a deafening explosion rocked the factory, the shockwave sending Y/N and the man sprawling. Dust and debris filled the air, and Y/N struggled to her feet, coughing.

Caitlyn was beside her in an instant, helping her up. “We need to get out of here!”

Y/N nodded, grabbing the well-dressed man and dragging him along. They made their way through the chaos, dodging falling debris and disoriented thugs. Finally, they burst out of the factory, the cool night air a stark contrast to the heat and smoke inside.

They didn’t stop running until they were far from the factory, the sounds of sirens in the distance. Y/N released the man, who collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

“Now,” Caitlyn said, her voice cold. “You’re going to tell us everything. Who you’re working for, what the Chem-Baron’s plans are, and how deep this goes.”

The man looked up at them, his defiance fading in the face of their determination. “Alright,” he said finally. “I’ll tell you everything. But you have to protect me. If they find out I talked…”

“They won’t,” Y/N said, her voice firm. “But you need to start talking. Now.”

As the man began to spill his secrets, Y/N and Caitlyn exchanged a glance. They

were uncovering a conspiracy that reached into the highest levels of Piltover, and there was no turning back now.

[m4iya]

team player

Hinata Shoyo

“Wow.. that would’ve blown my arms off…”  Shuddering, you sit upright, eyes glued to the screen as a serve flies off the arms of the receiving team.

For as long as you can remember, you’ve been pretty active and sort of athletic. Not in a professional, local or school sports team kind of way, but more-so for keeping yourself fit and healthy. It definitely pays off, since you tend to claim first place in individual sporting activities during PE; and you feel better off watching group games from the sidelines.

Though sometimes you can’t help but crave the satisfaction you’d get from jumping into a team and scoring that crowd-roaring goal yourself.

As of recent, a lot of your attention has been poured into volleyball. With the boys’ volleyball team at your school advancing to the national level, you began to wonder what was stopping you from putting yourself out there on the sports scene a little more. But your nerves wouldn’t allow you to achieve your budding dreams, as instead of trying out for the girls’ volleyball team, you opted for your own mini practice sessions behind the gym instead.

With none other but.. the wall.

It wasn’t like you weren’t having any fun though. Each day you’d practice a new technique or skill, whether it was receiving, volleying, or serving. Doing what you could on your own, you developed small activities like keeping the ball up for a whole minute or switching between a receive and a set. You weren’t completely confident in your form, and you’d mess up a lot. But it was still fun.

Besides, it’d help once you eventually try out for the team, right?

With the weather cooling down quite a bit, snow began to graze the tips of the rooftops, softly sprinkling over the tall grass outside the school building. Putting on your scarf and coat, you head outside the classroom towards the school gym after the last bell to begin your ‘self-practice’ even though it was pretty cold. Though you came prepared – layering under your uniform just in case this happened.

Today was the girl’s team’s day to practice, causing you to worry that one of them might see you playing around near the gym. But you just had to make sure no one saw you.

Tossing your bag to the wall, followed by your coat and scarf, you took out the volleyball you had brought from home and began tossing it up, practicing your makeshift sets. You continued like this, switching up a little every few minutes.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay like this, playing on your own.

After a while, you began doing small serving exercises you had seen online, attempting to imitate the instructor’s movements as well as you remembered them from the night before.

While you were focused on making sure you didn’t receive with your face, a flurry of quick footsteps pacing across the concrete floor approached the gymnasium, suddenly stopping before reaching the open doors.

“Wait.. Theres no practice today!” A voice shrieked.

You had been so engrossed in your mini exercises that you hadn’t noticed that another person was standing immediately to your left on the platform-walkway that led to the gymnasium.

It seemed that he also didn’t notice you until he turned to leave, wearing a disappointed expression.

“Oh.. Sorry” He apologised, turning to face you.

Out of all people, it was him? Well, given who he was, you weren’t surprised. You recognised him as the #10 from some of the recordings of the boy’s team’s volleyball matches you had seen before. It was pretty hard to forget a person with orange hair.

“It’s fine!” You nervously assured him, worrying he might catch the attention of the girls inside the gym. Though, he seemed more interested in the fact that you were holding a volleyball despite the fact that a gym full of them was right in front of you.

“Are you practicing? Why aren’t you inside?” He curiously asked, walking towards you.

“Um.. Yeah.. It’s a little complicated” You chuckled, looking down at the ball in your hands in an attempt to avoid his somewhat intense gaze.

“Do you need someone to practice with?”  

Your eyes shot up, wide with surprise. He didn’t seem to wait for an answer as he was already removing his earmuffs and scarf, setting his backpack down near yours on the wall.

“Are you sure? Don’t you have to practice with your team?”

“Nope, we’re off for today. So, show me what you’ve got!”

Previously, you’d noticed a hyper-energy emitting from him whenever he made a play in the recordings you’d watched. But to see it this close up was completely different.

Looking up, clouds engulf your view, and the crisp Winter air stung your cheeks and nose. The season had just begun, so where was this warmth that you felt coming from?

After positioning yourself a few metres back, you tossed the ball up and with the swing of your arm, hit it to him. Bringing his hands together, he received it, hurling it back towards you. It seemed a little low, so you thought to go for another receive to send it to him again.

Leaning forward with your arms out and the fingers on your right hand clasped over your left hand (which was in a fist), you bumped the ball with your forearms. Though, instead of it flying towards him, it flew to the side, hitting the wall.

“Ah sorry!”

“I’ll get it!”  

He grabbed the ball and instead of standing where he was before, he walked towards you and placed it in front of him on the ground.

“Hey, show me how you receive”

“Oh.. sure” Nervous, you positioned your hands the way they were before.

“No no, it’s more like this” You watched as he positioned his own hands in the correct manner. “When the ball goes woosh! And flies at you, you gotta bring your hands together like this, and bump it up like bam!”

You felt genuine excitement radiating from him as he spoke. Following his interesting explanation, you gave it a go.

“Like this?” Somehow, you found the positioning to be harder than it looked.

“Hmm.. that’s not how you do it. It’s more like..” Reaching out, he grabbed your hands, gently sliding the fingers of your left hand in between the index finger and thumb of your right hand. Your breath hitched, eyes widening as their gaze peered through your lashes, landing on his face.

His features were so delicate. Skin speckled with the faintest freckles and a nose like a button that wore a red hue. The corners of his lips slightly upturned as he focused on this short, menial task. He then softly pressed your thumbs against each other before squeezing your hands together in place.

Despite having removed your coat and scarf, you remained wearing gloves since your hands weren’t too warm. Though as he guided them together, you felt the warmth of his own palms piercing through.

“There!”

The sudden burst of his voice brought you back to reality as you immediately looked back down at your hands, embarrassed from yourself.

“O-Oh..! So that’s how, huh.. hmm..” You stumbled on your words in an attempt to play it off, but the newfound warmth within your hands happened to have made its way to your face as well. You ‘examined’ your hand placement, leaning in closer to ‘see it properly’ in an attempt to hide your rosy cheeks.

“You’ll be able to do it super-fast after you practice it tons!” He chirped. “And also, one more thing” Your gaze shifted back towards him.

“I don’t know what your reason is for not playing in a team, but volleyball is a sport that’s played in teams. You can’t do everything on your own”.

He had a certain look on his face. One that made you think he’d been there before.

“Besides, I think our girls’ team wouldn’t hesitate to help you out!” He added with a wide smile. You couldn’t help but wryly smile in return.

“You think..? What if I don’t fit into their formations..?”

“Hey, teams change around a lot! One new member isn’t a big thing” He jokingly scolded.

His straightforward, yet simple way of breaking down a situation took you by surprise. He didn’t use any fancy words or tactics, and he wasn’t trying to soothe a wound; he seemed to say what came to him in a way that left no room for ulterior motives.

For someone who preferred to stay on the sidelines, always benching a skill once you’d learnt it; you never thought you’d see your motivation in a new light.

One that was bright-eyed, sparkly and bouncy.  

other works

[gaarasfiance]

Cardigan

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem Reader (version of jason isn’t mentioned but i wrote it with his original storyline death from Batman: A Death In The Family, not a later, retconned version)

Warnings: angst but also fluff, reader is a famous singer, use of Y/N, pet names (baby, sweetheart, princess, lmk if i missed any), swearing, makes references to other songs (Lover by Taylor Swift, Lucky People by Waterparks, and Favorite Record by Fall Out Boy), i reread this like 8 times but i couldve missed things so don't flame me if theres any fuck ups in there lmao

Word Count: 4,175

A/N: (yes i know cardigan is part of the teenage love triangle songs, yes i made it into somewhat fluff because i fucking wanted to, whats it to you? I was just listening to cardigan (by taylor swift if you were unaware) in the shower and had this beautiful idea of like what if rather than it being about getting cheated on, i make it about the reader experiencing Jason’s death (and resurrection)? also i color coded the dialogue which is something i normally don't do soooo fun little touch i guess.) (originally posted may 22, 2023 on an alternate account)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Italics mean it’s a flashback, bold and bigger means it's a song lyric, regular text means it's happening in real time. (with very obvious exceptions) Cool? Cool. also, real quick, THE FLASHBACKS ARE NOT IN PERFECT CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER!!!!

“HELLO GOTHAM CITY!” The crowd roared in excitement. Y/N was excited too, it was her first show in Gotham in a long time. This was her first tour in a long time. Of course, she let the public think that it was just because she was a teenager focusing on school, not because when she was 16 her first love the love of her life had been brutally murdered…

“It’s really nice to be playing a hometown show, and since this is my first one in forever, how about I play you something brand new?” Screams erupted in the audience, people pulling out their phones to get the first recording of a brand new song. 

“This one means a lot to me, it’s about someone very special to me, and how he came back to me when I needed him most. This is a quieter one so I'm gonna need you all to listen, and please don’t judge me if I cry during this. Alright, this one’s called ‘cardigan’ everybody!” 

Rows and rows of people buzzed with excitement as the music began to play.

~

Vintage tee, brand new phone

Y/N and Jason walked in, strutting about as if they were models in the new vintage tees Y/N had bought for them at the thrift store just days before. They strolled about the mall, eventually making the stop to get Jason a new phone, he had dropped his from a rooftop on patrol the night before. Oops. 

“Jay, baby, you can’t just use Bruce’s credit card without asking all the time” Y/N smiled, knowing Jason wasn’t going to listen to her 

“Says who? Besides, I told him I was taking it. If he didn’t want to pay for me to get a new phone, he should’ve given me a secure pocket in the suit for it like I asked.” Jason shrugged. He wasn’t atrociously rebellious at all times, but he knew Bruce had more than enough money for him to get a new phone, and to treat his girlfriend, and best friend, when he wanted to. “Plus, if I didn’t take his card, I wouldn’t be able to spoil you, would I?” He wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her temple as they walked out of the store.

High heels on cobblestone

Y/N’s heels clicked loudly against the cobblestone walkway as she made her way to the entrance of the Wayne gala, arm linked with Jason’s. 

“Are you sure I look alright? I’ve never worn a dress this fancy Jason. Should I even be at a Wayne gala I mean–” Jason cut her off.

“Sweetheart you look perfect. And if anyone tells you otherwise I will personally ask Bruce to kick them out.”

“Jay, you can’t do that.”

“According to who? I have adopted Wayne privilege and you’re the one who’s Bruce’s favorite”

“I am not Bruce’s favorite!”

“Yes you are, princess.”

He dragged her into the gala, excited to spend a night with her, and after that, her first Wayne gala was nothing but history, as she attended every single one at her lover’s side.

When you are young they assume you know nothing

“That boy is a delinquent Y/N! I doubt you even know anything about him, has he even told you how he came to meet Mr Wayne?” Y/N’s father shouted. He’d never liked Jason, despite him being Y/N’s best friend for years before things ever became romantic. She used to be able to avoid it, but when her mom moved out of state for work and Y/N wanted to stay in Gotham… well this was her only option.

“Yes dad, I know how he met Bruce! You realize I knew him long before he was adopted by Bruce Wayne right? That I didn’t just go for him because he was rich? You assume because I’m young that I know nothing!”

“Clearly you don’t know anything if you would choose to be with a boy who is a thief! He tried to steal Mr. Wayne’s tires!”

“He was trying to steal them because he was living on the streets and needed money to fucking eat, Dad! Clearly you’re the one who knows nothing here!”

She stormed out of the house, furiously texting Jason and trying to will away the angry tears. 

Sequined smile, black lipstick

Y/N grinned at Jason, her black lipstick fresh as they prepared to go to a party. Bruce had cleared Jason of Robin duty for the weekend and they’d decided to take time to enjoy being normal teenagers. 

“What do you think?” She asked, still smiling

“I think… I’m really tempted to kiss that lipstick right off of you”

“Come do it then.”

Sensual politics

“Do you ever think about sensual politics?” Y/N looked up at Jason, her head in his lap as he read a book.

“What the fuck do you mean ‘sensual politics’?”

“Like the politics of being flirtatious or like building a relationship with someone, but like also kind of a play on sexual politics and people’s perception of the difference’s between men and women and the politics of it, you know? Like they’re both very different things but you can name them the same thing”

“And you’re calling that sensual politics?”

“Yes, what about it?”

“I wish I could understand what’s going on in that brain of yours. You’re such a nerd, princess”

When you are young they assume you know nothing

“Jaybird, if you hurt her, I hope you know I’ll have to break your legs” Dick shrugged as if this was common knowledge.

“I won’t hurt her, Dickwad. She’s the best thing to happen to me.”

“Okay, but you’re young and stupid, anything could happen.”

“Just because you knew nothing when you were young doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

But I knew you

Years ago, Y/n was 11 and Jason was 10. Y/N was on her way home from the school when she saw someone she recognized. 

“Hey! You’re the boy from the library! You showed me my favorite book!”

Jason flushed, unaware that she’d remember him, or that she’d take the recommendation he’d once given her seriously

“Yeah uh, hi. My names Jason, Jason Todd.” He stuck his hand out to shake.

She placed her hand in his and shook. "Y/N."

Dancin' in your Levi's

Y/N and Jason slow danced in her room, her record player spinning some old collection she’d snagged from Wayne manor.

“I was unaware that Levi’s were ballroom attire, Monsieur.”

“And I was unaware your bedroom counted as a ballroom, Mademoiselle”

Drunk under a streetlight, I

“Jason you’re drunk.”

“No I’m notttt. Please Y/N pleeeeaaassseee be my girlfriend.”

“You’re drunk Jay, if you weren’t then you’d remember I already am.” She laughed, watching her lover shoot up in excitement

“Really? That’s so cool!”

I knew you

"Y/N what do you think? Do you think he'd like this for his birthday?"

"Why are you asking me? You're his brother!"

"Yeah but you know him better than anyone else"

Hand under my sweatshirt

"Jason Peter Todd get your cold ass hands out from under my sweatshirt!"

"What do you mean princess?" He dragged his freezing cold hands further up her back

"Eek!"

Baby, kiss it better, I

Y/N carefully finished wrapping the bandages around Jason's waist.

"I can't believe you got stabbed!"

"Kiss it better?"

"Dork." She pressed a kiss to his bandages, before making her way up to his lips.

And when I felt like I was an old cardigan

Under someone's bed

You put me on and said I was your favorite

“What’s got you down princess?” Jason quirked an eyebrow, the moment Y/N entered the manor there was an unhappy energy on her, like she was faking her smile. He knew her all too well. “Come here”. He opened his arms to her, gesturing that she should come lay with him on the excessively large couch (rich people bro) and she happily obliged, latching onto his side like a koala with her head on his chest.

“It’s just… I don’t know, sometimes I feel like an old cardigan, under someone’s bed. Just… forgotten.”

“I could never forget you. Sometimes people lose things that are important to them. If you’re an old cardigan then I’m finding you and putting you on because the whole time you were my favorite.” He pressed a kiss to her hair.

“How poetic” She could feel his chest shake as he laughed.

“What can I say? I’m a man of literature. Speaking of which! Do you want to watch Pride and Prejudice?”

“Again?”

“Yes, AgAiN”

Y/N looked up at her boyfriend, beaming. “Always.”

A friend to all is a friend to none

“You can’t keep acting like nothing is going on Jason. You love her, so why are you friends with someone like the asshole who ruined her reputation?”

“Dammit Dick, I didn’t even know that he was the one who did that until a like week ago!”

“And you’ve hung out with him twice since then! A friend to all is a friend to none, Jaybird.”

Chase two girls, lose the one

Surely all of Gotham had heard them arguing from their favorite spot on the roof of the library.

“Jason I understand that you want to go meet your birth mother, but why does that mean you have to not be in touch for an undetermined amount of time? I don’t understand why finding her means leaving me!” Y/N hadn’t meant to shout. She wasn’t actually mad at him. She understood why he wanted to go, but that didn’t make him leaving hurt any less. Why should she have to lose contact with him, let him run off to another continent without any knowledge of if he was okay?

“Sweetheart I’m not leaving you, I’m just trying to find my mom…”

“Yeah, at the expense of me! Jay I will never prevent you from doing something this important to you but that will not change the fact that this hurts me. That I’ll be lying awake at night not knowing if you’re okay or if you’re even going to want me when you come home! Not even being able to ask Bruce if you’re okay because you plan on doing this without his knowledge! For fucks sake Jason do you realize how that would feel?”

“God dammit Y/N why can’t you just be happy for me?”

“Because you’re LEAVING ME. You know what, go ahead and go Jason. You’re choosing to chase two girls and you’ve lost this one.” She made her way down, trying not to let her hands shake from all the emotional turmoil, at least not until she was on the ground again. There was no way she would know how much she’d regret saying that to him.

When you are young, they assume you know nothing

“It’s your first heartbreak Y/N, you’ll get over it. It was teenage puppy love, something was bound to happen.” Her father had no clue. It had been days and she hadn’t heard from Jason. Last she checked with Alfred, Bruce had followed him out to the middle east somewhere. 

“This was, this is so much more than that. You’re doing it again, assuming that because I’m young I must know nothing.”

“Clearly you don’t know anything.”

But I knew you

“When were you gonna tell me that you being a literature nerd was knowledge Dick wasn’t supposed to get his hands on?” Y/N gave him a look. The look that says ‘i didn't know this was a secret so you can't be upset i spilled’

“Shit, princess, please don’t tell me you told him… he’ll never let me live it down!”

“Oops?” She shrugged. He started to say something else but she kissed him before the words could escape. “It’s alright Jay, it makes you a romantic. And it means I know you better than him.”

Jason smiled. “I guess you’re right…”

Playing hide-and-seek and

“Do you wanna play hide and seek?”

“Sweetheart, aren’t we too old for that?”

“Who said that? Come onnn"

“Y/N.”

“Hm?”

“You know I can’t say no to you.”

Giving me your weekends, I

“You know we don’t have to spend every weekend together right? You can hang out with your friends or your family if you want.”

“Why would I do that when I could give you all my weekends?”

I knew you

"How did you know to tell Bruce I wanted adjustments on the Robin bike?"

"Because I'm just cool like that. And i know you. Now come on, let's take it for a spin!"

Your heartbeat on the High Line

Y/N pressed the side of her head to Jason's chest as a stranger took their photo on the High Line. The trip to New York had been spontaneous, something they'd decided to do for spring break.

After taking her phone back from the kind stranger and thanking them, Y/N turned to her dear boyfriend.

"I could hear your heartbeat you know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you'd think it was our first date or something." Y/n grinned.

"Because you make me feel... I don't know, like Pip if Estella was actually good for him?"

"Did you just reference Great Expectations at me as a way of expressing your feelings?"

"Maybe?"

"Kiss me."

Once in twenty lifetimes, I

Y/N often thought of how her mother had once told her that true teenage love like the one she had with Jason only came once in 20 lifetimes. Although, in retrospect maybe it's twice in two lifetimes, or once in one, for the partner who didn't die.

And when I felt like I was an old cardigan

Under someone's bed

You put me on and said I was your favorite

"Would I still be your favorite person if I was a worm?"

"Well no cause you wouldn't be a person anymore, but you'd be my favorite worm-"

"You know what? I'll take it."

"You'll always be my favorite."

To kiss in cars

"Jason Todd, you are a menace to society."

"What? How?"

"You brought me out to Bruce's Rolls-Royce to make out."

"So?"

and downtown bars

"Who would've thought the boy wonder had a fake ID?"

"Maybe his girlfriend who's cousin made it for him"

"What? Which one?"

Jason smirked at her, knowing it was going to eat her alive not knowing yes im projecting how nosy i am onto the y/n "Sorry princess, that stays a secret"

Was all we needed

You drew stars around my scars

"Jason, it's just an old scar from scraping my knee a little too deep, it's no big deal!"

He continued drawing small stars around any scars he found on her, gently dragging the red marker along her skin. "I didn't say it was!"

But now I'm bleedin'

When Jason hadn’t come back, Y/N had done one of the only things she promised him she would never do: taking up vigilantism. She told Bruce it was only temporary. She told herself it was only temporary. But the longer she was in the game the more attached to it she became.

"FUCK!" Y/N yelped as she sat on her bathroom counter, pressing a damp rag to her wound, carefully wiping it off. "God dammit, I used to be patching up Jason's stab wounds, not getting stabbed..." She picked up her phone, dialing the only number she cared to call anymore.

"Yeah, Dick? Can you come over real quick? Need you to make sure this stab wound doesn't kill me..."

The audible "WHAT" echoed throughout the bathroom, despite the phone not being on speaker.

'Cause I knew you

"How'd you know I'd be here?"

Y/N found Jason at their spot on the roof of the library after Dick informed her that he'd had a particularly rough argument with Bruce.

"Because I know you better than anyone else."

Steppin' on the last train

Jason dragged Y/N towards the last train of the night, what they never knew would be their final date before everything went astray.

"Come on! The last train is the best one!"

Marked me like a bloodstain, I

The image of Jason, dead, being carried away by Bruce was forever marked in Y/N's head. He was dead. There was nothing else to say.

I knew you

Speaking at Jason's small memorial was never something Y/N saw herself doing.

"I uh- I really don't know what to say. You all always said I knew him better than anyone else, and I just wish I could've known the way to prevent this."

Tried to change the ending

Y/N tried so hard to change the ending of her story. Make it so she wasn't just the girl who lost herself in grief. But until unless she saw Jason again, nothing was going to happen.

Peter losing Wendy, I

As she sat there writing 'Cardigan' it occurred to her that Peter losing Wendy was a choice, and her losing Jason never was, but it fit. Their love was a magic only to be found in Neverland.

I knew you

"Hey Red, do I know you from somewhere in civilian life? You seem familiar..."

"No way, too new in town, sorry."

She knew she knew him. She just couldn't place why...

Leavin' like a father

Even though she'd told him just to go, Jason still stopped by Y/N's house before he left to find his mother.

"Please don't leave me, Jay." She cupped his cheeks, pressing his forehead to hers as tears streamed down her face

"Don't cry, baby, I'll be back before you know it."

Running like water, I

Of course, Y/N hadn't known the identity of the Red Hood the first time she'd spotted him. All she had time to think was wondering why such a large man, with guns nonetheless, ran from her like she was out to get him.

And when you are young, they assume you know nothing

"Why do people love to assume that because I'm young I must know nothing about love or heartbreak?" Y/N had asked one day. No one answered. No one knew. They only knew that they were all too aware of just how much she truly knew about both of those things.

But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss

"I want a blue jay on my forearm. Full color. Can you do that?"

Y/N had walked into the tattoo parlor like she owned the place. She needed a way to let him permanently linger. The kiss of a needle in her skin the only way to physically represent him.

I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs

"What if I had made him stay?!"

"Y/N there's nothing you could've done that would change things."

"But what if—"

"There was nothing any of us could do."

The smell of smoke would hang around this long

"Thought you told me that you quit smoking years ago Red."

"Yeah, well, old habits die hard."

"Rough day huh?"

"Yeah. Girlfriend from before all this almost saw me in the library today. She doesn't know about me."

"About you being a vigilante?"

"She thinks I'm dead."

"You know, maybe I'll do this and be totally mistaken and realize i'm delusional, but I swear to whatever fucking god is listening if i tear off that domino mask and Jason Todd is under there I will be pushing you off this rooftop."

"If I've been hanging out with Y/N this whole time I'm throwing myself off."

'Cause I knew everything when I was young

Y/N was playing a show in Los Angeles, touring at age 15 was insane, but then again, she never thought anyone would listen to her music.

"Alright everyone, I may be young, but I also consider myself to be quite versed in romance, who knows, maybe it's my lovely boyfriend, or the fact that I'm a hopeless romantic, but either way, this one's called Favorite Record!"

Even at a young age, she'd known everything she needed to about love, because it encased her every moment she spent with her favorite person.

I knew I'd curse you for the longest time

She sat at Jason's grave in the Wayne family plot for more hours than she could count, swearing at his headstone

"God dammit! Why didn't you come home? Why didn't you come back to me?" Sobs wracked her body. "I was waiting for you to come home."

Chasin' shadows in the grocery line

Every once in a while Y/N would see someone and think someone was him. Maybe it was her brain's sick way of coping. She reached towards the stranger in front of her.

"Excuse me-"

But when he turned around Jason was gone. It was just another high school boy who had vaguely reminiscent hair.

I knew you'd miss me once the thrill expired

A knock came on Y/N's bedroom window. She opened it warily before the Red Hood came clinking in.

"Thrill of letting me think you were dead over?"

"Y/N please-"

"Did you sit and watch as I grieved? Stand by while I lost my mind because I thought I'd lost you?"

"Sweetheart, just let me explain–"

"Don't fucking 'sweetheart' me. Get out. Get out of my fucking room."

And you'd be standin' in my front porch light

"Get off my damn porch Jason." He was standing in civilian clothes, shuffling his feet nervously as if he was a little kid again.

"Not until you let me explain!"

"Fine. You get to come in for five minutes. See if you can explain to me how there is any way you can justify this."

And I knew you'd come back to me

Y/N sat with her jaw slack in shock after hearing Jason's story. How saying he died wasn't even a lie, how he'd been brought back, the madness he'd experienced, the resentment for nobody killing the Joker. (she flat out told him she would've if she thought she could do it without getting herself killed in the process)

"i'm such a fucking asshole."

"No you aren't"

"No you went through this whole traumatic experience and I've just been a dick to you!"

"And it's been totally justified! You should've been the first person to find out I was back. Honestly I'm surprised Dick or Bruce didn't tell you..."

"I'm going to ignore the urge to castrate both of them and just be happy you came back to me."

You'd come back to me

"I'll always come back to you."

And you'd come back to me

"Make sure you come back in one piece?" They were on the same mission, much to Jason's dismay, but they had to be split up.

"When have I ever not come back to you?"

"...."

"Don't answer that."

And you'd come back

They'd made it out of that atrocious mission. It all worked out in the end but it certainly had taken longer than they planned.

"hey, you came back in one piece, just like I asked."

"I always do, just for you."

And when I felt like I was an old cardigan

Under someone's bed

You put me on and said I was your favorite

Y/N heard Jason coming in. His duffel bag clunked loudly against their closet floor, and she assumed he changed out of his gear at a safehouse before returning to their apartment. She flipped over the edge of the blanket, making room for him to crawl in bed with her. Once sufficiently comfortable behind her, arms wrapped tightly around her waist, Jason spoke.

"Hey Y/N?"

She turned around in his arms so she could face him. "Uh oh, you didn't call me any kind of pet name, just my name, whats up?"

"Nothing I just... I just wanted to let you know you're still my favorite."

~

The tears were flowing freely by then. The audience screamed, cheering at the sweet song. “My favorite person didn’t get to be around for a while, but… he came back to me, and that’s all that matters. Now that's enough crying, I’ve got some much more fun songs, ARE YOU READY GOTHAM CITY!?” And with that, the show went on.

Hours later, Y/N made her way backstage, where she was immediately enveloped by the arms of a mystery man. She wasn’t scared though, she knew who it was. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he spun her around. 

He sat her down gently, beaming. “You wrote a song about me?” “Jay… baby a lot of my songs are about you.” 

“What?”

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you managed to not know that even though I’ve told you before.”

“I just assumed you weren’t serious!”

“... You really think that Lover or Lucky People or Favorite Record, could have possibly been about anyone else?”

“And if I just like hearing you say it?”

“Then I’ll tell you forever.” When their lips met, it was a promise, one that this, this feeling in this moment, was real, and that it wouldn’t ever go away, because they knew everything when they were young.