#The original sketch didn't have his eyes open so I guess he's got eyes now

[bonkquartz]

a hat in time au; what if the conductor fought dj grooves instead?

just a sketch for an animation meme i wanna make. gave grooves more stars on his jacket and also a little, idk what it's called but it's like, a stitch? on the open part of his jacket at the bottom (i don't know how to explain it but i thought it looked cool). his trousers have diamonds on the side.

conductor looks a bit more casual here, he is wearing a blazer tucked into his belt, loose tie, holding his hat in his hand. he's also wearing trousers that have two pockets like the ones in cargo pants. his trousers are tucked into his boots which have some belts on them. maybe he has the dead bird studio logo on the back of his blazer and on the chest pocket?

i hope these designs look cool, i think they look cool !!

extra sketch + my opinions on the intended boss in botb under the cut [long scroll]

extra:

little beady eyes poking out

ofc it's plausible that both characters could be the actual intended boss, and there's evidence for both, but i wanna explain my idea on things !!

at first i was conflicted because at the start it shows that the conductor has 3 time pieces while dj grooves has 2. this led me to think that the conductor has to be the winner because he has two to give for his levels and then one final one to give for his award ceremony, while dj grooves only has two to give for his levels. but i realised recently that the conductor actually gives away one of his time pieces before you even get to any of their levels, which would mean that both of them have 2 time pieces each for their levels, and my original theory is false !!! so now i am completely convinced that it is MR. GROOVES HIMSELF who is the intended villain (i know that there probably isn't an actual 'intended' boss, this is just headcanoning really and i'm completely fine with others thinking differently to my headcanon).

first off, it's a plot twist i personally love. he's such a kind and chill guy, how could he turn on us like this ?! i LOVE it. i think that all of those continuous losses really can take a toll on him, especially because he DID win once. it must've felt amazing, but it means the failure afterwords would be all that more upsetting. i believe all of this really affected him. i mean, how couldn't it? it seems obvious that it'd negatively impact anyone's mind. i feel like it festered inside of him, as a large mass of hatred and despair; he couldn't take it, what good is it being a filmmaker if you aren't even good at it? when he finally started considering the idea of quitting, the perfect solution fell into his lap - a girl approached him, speaking of mysterious hourglasses with time-shifting abilities, about how they're the optimal fix for problems such as theirs, speaking about the fame he could have - the power he could wield.

and then he had it. the annual bird movie award was right in his flippers. it was his, all his. but he didn't do it alone. he had produced a new star. was it because of her that he won? a familiar feeling of jealousy encapsulated him. she had to go.

but he failed, he failed to dispose of her, and there were so many witnesses to his failure.

his moon penguins, they were like a family to him, and they saw him like this. even the conductor was there, helping the girl. why? why did it turn out this way? all he wanted was to feel proud of himself, he wanted to feel like he deserved the admiration he got from his fellow moon penguins, he wanted to make them proud.

WHY did this turn into a fanfic??? but anyways, i wanted to give an insight into how i believe he felt during the whole thing, and i guess a fanfic was the best way to do that????????? but um, actual reasons that convince me:

- the hitbox is always dj grooves' - it's more interesting to me story-wise, personally - in hat kid's diary, she seems shocked by the betrayal and like someone else pointed out, i feel like she would have seen the conductor betraying her coming, so that wouldn't be shocking, but dj grooves being the boss would be shocking to her. after all, he's been so nice to her from the start!! - dj grooves is one of my favourite characters.... - he isn't majorly featured in any subsequent chapters - could show that he feels too guilty !! - in the concept game he was always going to be the villain - he gets his own storybook (i think it's in the dlcs?), the conductor doesn't. the main bosses all have their own storybooks i think.

probably more but i have to sleep away !!!

[sysig]

A haughty ♦ for all your D’ohoho needs

[ur-favorite-queer-queen]

New Start

For Maribat March day 15 theme new start

Master List

Marinette was lucky, she could admit that. Not because of the pocket-sized goddess of creation and luck she carried in her purse, but because of where she is. Sure, living with a magical emotional terrorist isn’t ideal, but it’s better than what her fate would have been had she never been found. 

Growing up on the streets of Gotham had been rough to put it lightly. Very lightly. In her time she had seen many good souls come and go, some to their deaths, some to better lives. She was grateful she was the latter, not many she knew had the opportunity she had to have a new start.

In other circumstances, Tom and Sabine would be horrible parents. After all 90 percent of the time they left her to her own devices. However in this case, it’s fine. For one, she was once a street kid, she knows how to take care of herself. And she is also Scarlet Luck, protector of Paris, wielder of the Ladybug miraculous, and newly appointed guardian of the miraculous. So them turning a blind eye to her sudden disappearances did wonders for her. 

All she needed in this life was a roof over her head and some decent food. Having her adoptive parents be bakers was a plus too. 

The only downside to this life was school. Not because she hated learning or the places school provided. No, she loved sitting in the silence of the library and doing her schoolwork or reading a book. And she especially loved the art room, where she found her love of designing and sewing. 

The problem was the people, the staff that mattered to her and her future, were all pushovers and she wasn’t allowed to transfer into Ms. Mendeleiev’s class. Ms. Bustier was the type to let the kids figure it out on their own, rather than step in when she was most needed. And Principal Damocles shouldn’t even be a principal with how much he caves in when it comes to the Mayor’s daughter or Rossi. 

She was thankful, however, that within her first month the students at Francoise Dupont learned not to mess with her. Or speak to her. Or be near her in general. And she was perfectly okay with that. She quite liked her spot in the back with Nathaniel, one of the only people she considered a friend. 

They had a silent agreement, which was to be silent and leave the other alone. Nathaniel would draw while Marinette would sketch and the 2 had each other's backs. Like when Marinette would whisper Nathaniel the answers during English and he would do the same with history. 

He along with Marc, Ondine, Aurore, Mireillie, and Kagami were the only ones she considered friends. Which means they were the only ones that knew why she was so on edge with the Wayne family being in Paris. Not only did none of them know how to control their emotions, but she was sure that Jason Todd-Wayne was bound to be akumatized. Why? Because every kid that was ever on the streets of Gotham knew his story. 

He was street smart, a dork, but most importantly aggressive. On the streets he picked fights with any who tried to cross him, and when he was adopted he fought the rich kids that went to Gotham Academy. That was another thing everyone knew, he hit it big when he got adopted by the billionaire that was Bruce Wayne. While she wasn’t on the street when he was she knew he was trouble. The whole Wayne family was, whether they knew it or not. 

She already had to deal with Chat every battle, she did not want to have to deal with one of the Waynes becoming an akuma. Not only would it cause an international affair considering how important they are to America, but it could get the attention of American reporters and then the Justice League might want to get involved. She didn't want to deal with the Justice League. 

Kagami was the only one brave enough to point out how she might be afraid that people from her hometown were coming to Paris. But she was wrong and Marinette made sure she never brought it up again. Through whatever means necessary.

Now one reason that Kagami was her best friend was because they agreed on something. Never hesitate. If you have an opportunity, take it. Something important that every street kid knows. 

Well here she was, standing in front of her classroom, hesitating. She could hear her classmates talking away, whichever Waynes were here trying to gain control of the situation. She guessed her teacher was either doing something out of the classroom or not bothering to get the class in check. 

With one final wish that today wouldn't be as shitty as she hoped she opened the door. According to Nathaniel she threw it open. 

And she was right, at the front of the classroom were 3 Wayne's trying to get her class to quiet down. Buster was nowhere in sight. 

Since Nino and Adrien were closest to the door they noticed her first, stopping their conversation and trying to 'subtly' stare at her. The others quickly following their lead. All eyes, including the Waynes, were staring at her. Wonderful.

Literally all she had to do was roll her eyes and everyone averted their eyes. It was always like something out of a movie. She made her way up the stairs up to Nathaniel and her seats. Grabbing a couple of macarons out of her bag she handed them over to him before setting her notebook and pencil on her desk. 

It looked like Lila was about to say something, but a glare had her swallowing her words back down her throat. Staring straight ahead she raised her eyebrow at the Waynes that were still staring, wondering if they were going to try and continue what they were originally trying to discuss. 

After a moment the oldest among them started talking again, the other two joined in, however she could tell when they would all cast her glances. She simply acted blissfully unaware, writing notes down for her and Nathaniel while he drew. She had no idea what his grades would be like if it weren't for her. 

-

This whole week had been full of surprises for Bruce. First the League finds out that there has been a magical terrorist in Paris for 3 years that they didn't know about, and these past 3 years children have been fighting him. 

So his family being detectives, they were sent to try and get information on the ‘akuma class’. He wanted it to just be him, Dick, Tim, and maybe Cass, but of course Dick wanted the whole family to come. Try to make a family vacation out of it despite the fact that there was a magical emotional terrorist that they were trying to track down and they needed to keep their emotions in check. He means no offense but that is something neither Jason nor Damian can do. 

But somehow Dick was able to get the whole family to come because only Dick can do that. And now he had Tim and Dick with him to try to talk to the akuma class about a presentation on starting a business a ploy to try and subtly get information out of them. 

They had already done background checks on them all and their families just to be safe and were thoroughly impressed by what they saw. Many of them were gifted in sports, arts, and academics, so perhaps they were just unlucky. 

The only one that concerned him was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Only Alfred was aware that the girl was from Gotham, she was specifically a street kid. Adopted 6 years ago by Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain the girl seemed quite bright. She had excellent grades and was in the art club. However he feared what his children might do with this information. And if another reason was because she had black hair, blue eyes, and a guaranteed tragic backstory being from Gotham that set his adoption instincts on fire NO ONE HAD TO KNOW! 

So here he was with Dick and Tim, trying to get this ‘akuma class’ to quiet down so they could start the presentation. The teacher has stepped out of the room to check something with the principal and ‘give them the floor’. She probably wanted to get a reason to escape this class, he might try to get an investigation done on this school and their faculty. 

From what he observed, Marinette seemed to be absent while most of the class had seemed to be paying attention to this one girl with brown hair in a sausage hairstyle, Lila Rossi, a pathological liar, although the class didn’t seem to know that. All except a redheaded boy in the back, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, a pink haired girl on the second row, Alixandra Kubdel, and a boy with a green shirt and glasses on the third row, Maxton Kante. There was also a blond boy, Adrien Agreste, who seemed to be listening to what the girl was saying with a fake smile he knew all too well. Poor boy. 

His sons weren’t having much more luck trying to gain the attention of the class. The redhead looked to be drawing, the green shirt and glasses boy was working on what appeared to be a robot, while the pink haired girl was on her phone. Every once in a while it seemed like she sent them a sympathetic glance, the other two boys too involved in what they were doing to give them any sympathy. 

Just as he was sure his kids were about to reach their breaking points in walked the one person he hoped not to see. She slammed the door open and suddenly the whole class quieted down immediately. Now his sons were looking at her as well. She couldn’t have been more than 5’3 and she was only 16, yet she managed to silence this whole class just by appearing. 

The class also seemed to be staring at her before she rolled her eyes and they all averted their gazes. It was one of the most movie-like things he had ever witnessed. 

She walked up the steps to the back, with each step she seemed to command attention before digging into her bag and handing Nathaniel who had once been doodling a bag of macarons. He seemed to appreciate them as he gave her a small smile before proceeding to munch on one. 

Lila who had once had the attention of the class seemed to be fuming now that the attention was off of her. It seemed like she was about to say something but stopped when she caught sight of the glare Marinette was giving her. 

Marinette then proceeded to turn her attention to him and his sons, raising an eyebrow as if to ask if they were going to start. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his sons exchange a look he knew all too well, before starting the presentation. And if he or his sons casted looks over to Marinette one too many times, no one noticed. 

Bonus - 

“WE FOUND A NEW WAYNE!” Dick shouted, far too happy with his discovery. 

“Tt, what are you on about Grayson?” Damian scoffed, curiosity and jealousy bubbling in his mind at the thought of a new Wayne. 

“There’s a girl in the akuma class, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She had black hair and blue eyes, both things needed to be adopted by Bruce.” Tim stated. 

“Does she have a tragic backstory?” Jason jokingly asked. 

“Do not look up anything on Ms. Dupain-Cheng. She has a family and I will not be adopting her. Am I clear?” Bruce demanded, waiting for everyone to agree before going to take a shower. 

“Babs?” Cass questioned, knowing the girl had to have found something. 

“Looking,” Babs replied, “Oh.” She stopped typing and just stared at the screen. 

“What’d you find?” Steph asked the question they were all wondering from Babs’ unusual reaction. 

“Guys,” Babs started, turning the screen to face them, “She’s from Gotham.” 

And from there all hell broke loose.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inspired by this post I saw a while back: 

Marinette being a street kid from Gotham but had no previous connection to any of the Waynes was intriguing so I did it. I’m probably going to do a backstory chapter later on, just unsure which day I’ll do it on. 

Of course yesterday I was early so today I was late. The universe needs its balance. So sorry for the late post guys, I blame the universe. 

@maribatmarch-2k21

[bumblesimagines]

The Oldest Pogue

Part 3

Request; Yes or No

(Y/N) cut vegetables, mind drifting back to the events that had occured. They almost got caught by his dad, got in a boat chase, and found evidence of John B's dad possibly being alive. Just a few days ago, everything was normal. They fished, partied, spent each day having fun. Things were start to take a more serious turn. Suddenly, pain shot (Y/N)'s finger.

"Shit!" (Y/N) hissed, putting his finger in his mouth and tasting blood. He sighed, putting the knife down and rinsing his finger as the door opened.

"Hey, bud." Shoupe greeted, watching him. (Y/N) licked his lips.

"Hey, dad. How was work? Any luck finding that wreck?" (Y/N) asked, turning the water off and searching for a bandaid.

"Goddamn it." (Y/N) muttered. Shoupe's brows raised.

"You okay?" He asked. (Y/N) nodded, opening a cabinet and finding the box of bandaids.

"Cut yourself? Let me see." Shoupe approached him but (Y/N) shrunk away from him.

"Absolutely not. You'll touch it and it'll hurt more." (Y/N) said, applying the bandage on. Shoupe rolled his eyes, calling him 'dramatic' under his breath.

"To answer your question, no. We didn't get any luck. Who knows how far the current took that body from the boat? The waves from that day were strong." Shoupe said. (Y/N) hummed.

"Have you searched the areas around the beaches? Maybe he got far." (Y/N) went back to chopping vegetables. Shoupe sighed.

"And anyway.. Why is everyone searching so much? He went out during a hurricane and drowned." (Y/N) shrugged. "Did his autopsy reveal something?"

"Nope. No drugs, no signs of assault, no signs of intoxication. He went out there clean and with a clear mind. We want to know why. Finding the wreck will be the only way in knowing." Shoupe told him. (Y/N) hummed.

"I guess that make sense." (Y/N) mumbled. Shoupe nodded.

"So.. Have you spoken with Rafe?" Shoupe asked.

"Dad." (Y/N) looked at him. "No, no, I haven't and don't blame on it."

"He's a douche."

"Damn, a douche, huh?" Shoupe chuckled.

"Yeah, he ghosts me when he goes off to college and then expects me to sucker up to him when he gets back? JJ warned me-"

"JJ, huh?"

"Not every guy I talk about is my boyfriend, dad. JJ is my friend. Plain and simple." (Y/N) sighed, finishing the soup.

"Now.. Can we change the subject? How's Peterkin and everyone else?"

"DCS! I know you're in there!" JJ shouted, pounding on John B's door. (Y/N) rolled his eyes, chuckling. JJ went to the window, jumping and scaring John B. JJ laughed loudly.

"Gotcha, slick." He chuckled. (Y/N) shook his head, opening the door.

"Have any breakfast yet?" (Y/N) asked. John B nodded, sighing and putting on his hat. The boys left, getting in the van.

"Why don't you get a car, (N/N)? You have the money for it." JJ said. (Y/N) shrugged.

"Want me to get one for you?"

"You can't steal a car, JJ." (Y/N) said. JJ raised his brows, grinning. (Y/N) rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you can but you shouldn't. Dad already thinks we're dating and you stealing a car will-"

"Woah, Woah.." JJ flushed, blinking as he stared at him. "You're dad thinks we're dating?" JJ asked.

"Yeah." (Y/N) nodded. John B held back a snort, knowing how JJ felt.

"Speaking of dating, Kiara is into you, JB." (Y/N) said.

"She totally likes you, dude." JJ nodded, looking at him. "She's like, 'Oh, John B.'"

"Is that what she does?" John B cocked a brow as (Y/N) laughed softly.

"She's sketching about you diving, then she kissed you." JJ listed.

"She kissed me on the cheek." John B corrected. "It's not like we were makin' out."

"Low-hanging fruit, bro." JJ shrugged.

"Never hurts to try." (Y/N) said.

"Right? I see it in your eyes too, bro. You're like, 'I kinda like that,' and you start blushing." JJ grinned.

"Wanna talk about blushing and seeing it?" John B asked. JJ puffed out his cheeks, gaze flickering to (Y/N), who was too busy staring out the window to notice. JJ leaned forward, grabbing the compass in an attempt to change the subject.

"Hey, don't-"

"I was just looking at it!" JJ pushed John B's hands away. "I gotta admit, your father's compass in Scooter's boat, that's freaky."

"Yeah. That's why we're going to talk to Ms. Lana, figure this whole thing out." John B said.

"We?" (Y/N) repeated, looking forward at them.

"Yes, we. You're the best at consoling people." John B said. (Y/N) groaned.

"I knew I should've stayed in bed." (Y/N) mumbled. JJ chuckled.

"As if I would've let you." He shot him a wink. (Y/N) rolled his eyes, reaching forward and pinching his cheek. They turned up the radio, listening to it. John B drove onto a dirt road.

"So, what are we gonna say? 'Hey, we know you're crying over your dead husband but we found the boat he was in and tried to take valuable stuff but instead found this compass. Ring any bells?'" (Y/N) cocked a brow. JJ and John B glanced at each other, nodding.

"Yeah, basically." They replied. (Y/N) rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Starting to feel glad I came. For Ms. Lana's sake." (Y/N) mumbled, looking back out the window. They arrived, parking. John B and JJ hopped out, JJ opening the door for (Y/N).

"Such a gentleman." (Y/N) teased, chuckling softly. JJ bowed, pretending to tip a hat. (Y/N) rolled his eyes, gently pushing him. JJ chuckled, walking towards the house.

"Know what this house looks like?" JJ asked. "Whoever lives here smokes too much weed."

"A widow lives here, JJ." (Y/N) reminded, smacking the back of his head. The boys started slowing down, hearing glass shattering and crashing.

"Maybe we should come back." JJ said. (Y/N) shot him a look.

"What if she's being attacked?" (Y/N) asked. JJ shrugged.

"None of our business." JJ replied.

"Shut up, JJ." John B glanced at him. They heard more crashing before Lana screamed, telling whoever was inside the house was hurting her. (Y/N) dragged JJ towards the house. They heard the voices and Lana sobbing more clearly. They got down, pressing against the house.

"Still think we should stay?" JJ asked them quietly.

"The compass wasn't in the boat. Where is it, Lana?" A man asked. (Y/N) furrowed his brows, glancing at John B. He wondered what the hell they got themselves into. The walls shook, dried paint getting on them. They got it out of their hair. John B peeked before moving forward.

"We should just go. He's got smuggler written all over him-"

"Shut up." John B huffed. They peeked over the side, watching to men walk out. (Y/N) squinted, noticing it seemed like the boat that had chased them.

"Those are the guys from yesterday." (Y/N) mumbled.

"The ones that shot at us." JJ shook his head. They hid, moving back a bit so they wouldn't be spotted. Once they were out of sight, (Y/N) moved.

"(Y/N)? (Y/N)! Goddamn it." JJ huffed, following him inside. (Y/N) followed the sound of Lana sobbing, glancing at the trashed up house.

"Ms. Lana?" John B called out. (Y/N) turned a corner, finding her on the bathroom floor. He quickly rushed toward her.

"Ms. Lana, are you okay?" (Y/N) asked. She flinched, looking at him.

"It's okay, it's me." (Y/N) soothed. "She's tweaking, man." (Y/N) hushed JJ.

"Do you need a doctor? Want me to get dad or Peterkin?"

"No." Lana gasped out, shaking her head. "They can't get involved."

"Why not?" (Y/N) frowned.

"You shouldn't be here." Lana sniffled.

"That's enough for me, come on." JJ tugged on (Y/N)'s shirt. (Y/N) swatted his hand away.

"Wait, wait." John B crouched down by her, glancing at them. "What do you know about these guys?"

"They were looking for something." Lana whimpered. (Y/N) frowned.

"Do you know anything about this?" John B asked. Lana's face dropped, rapidly shaking her head.

"This is my father's. Scooter had it. Do you know anything about it?" John B asked.

"Don't tell anyone that you have that!" Lana glanced between them. (Y/N) was suddenly pulled up by JJ.

"We need to go, now. What if they come back?" JJ asked, raising his brows. (Y/N) glanced at John B and Lana.

"She's hurt, JJ."

"You can't always be the hero." JJ said quietly. Lana yelled at them to go and get out, JJ dragging John B and (Y/N) away. They got into the van, quickly driving away.

"We should go back-"

"(N/N), for the love of god." JJ climbed back into the backseats, sitting infront of him. He gently grabbed his face.

"She'll be fine. She had cuts and bruises. There was no blood spilled so she didn't get stabbed or shot." JJ said. "Start worrying about yourself before you get hurt."

"But.." (Y/N) breathed out, staring into JJ's sky blue eyes. He swallowed, nodding and shifting his gaze elsewhere. JJ hummed, letting him go and sighing deeply. He caught John B's eye through the rearview mirror. John B cocked a brow. JJ looked away, focusing back on (Y/N) and getting dried paint out of his hair. They got to the house, Kiara and Pope already there and waiting. JJ had them sit down, telling them all about it. (Y/N) stared at the tree, thoughts locked on Lana and the guys. (Y/N) spaced out, their voices being muffled and faint.

"The office." (Y/N) blinked, looking at John B when he spoke. "Huh?"

"My dad. My dad's office." John B said, entering the house. They followed, (Y/N) taking JJ's cigarette and butting it out. They followed him to the office, watching him open it.

"I just.. Kind of left it like it is." John B mumbled.

"Yeah, for when he gets back." Kiara nodded. Pope and JJ looked at each other. (Y/N) pinched JJ, squinting his eyes and shaking his head. JJ pouted, rubbing his arm. John B opened the door, entering.

"I've slept over here like 600 times, and I've never seen this door open." Pope said, entering the office. They looked around at the scattered papers, books, maps. (Y/N) hummed.

"Looks straight out of Pinterest." (Y/N) mumbled. JJ chuckled softly. John B grabbed a crappily made family tree.

"Look, this is the original owner, right here." John B pointed at a picture as they gathered around.

"Robert Q. Routleoge." Kiara read. (Y/N) hummed, looking over the pictures.

"Have I ever told you how weird your last name is?" (Y/N) looked at him. John B scoffed.

"Yours is Shoupe, it's not any better." He replied. (Y/N) chuckled, looking back down at the family tree.

"There's the lucky compass." Kiara pointed at the compass in the picture, smiling.

"Actually, um.. He was shot after he bought it." John B told them, softly.

"Then it was shipped back to Henry. He was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass." John B moved onto the next guy. (Y/N)'s brows rose.

"After he died, it was sent to Stephen. He had it with him when he died in Vietnam." John B glanced up at them. (Y/N) hummed.

"He died in action?"

"He, uh.. Was killed by a banana truck. In- In country." John B corrected. "He passed the compass down to my dad."

"Seems more cursed than lucky." (Y/N) mumbled. JJ nodded.

"Yeah, reoccuring theme called death." JJ said, shrugging lightly. "You're probably next."

"Am not." John B huffed, sitting down. "My dad used to talk about this secret compartment soldiers used to hide secret notes." John B opened the back, shaking it.

"That wasn't there before.. This is my dad's handwriting." John B said.

"How can you know?" Pope asked.

"Cause he does these weird Rs." John B showed him. "See?"

"Can I see it?" JJ asked. John B handed it to him. JJ sucked his teeth, looking over it.

"Red.. Rout.. No, I think that's an A."

"It says Redfield." Kiara corrected.

"Right."

"So, what's Redfield?" Kiara asked, looking at the boys.

"I can name a list of people and places with that name." (Y/N) said, shrugging and stepping away from them. He looked over some papers, glancing at the pen when he heard the rooster cawing.

"How can you think with that thing constantly crowing at you?" Pope asked.

"Everyone loves the rooster." Kiara muttered, watching him try to figure out the clue and trying to help. (Y/N) looked up, tugging at John B's shirt.

"Guys, we have company." (Y/N) told them. The others went to the window, watching the guys from before get out of the truck. JJ started pacing until John B grabbed him and spun him around.

"Where's the gun?" John B asked. JJ tried to think. (Y/N) swallowed, looking for another potential escape route. JJ left to get the gun but ran back into the room. (Y/N) looked at the windows. He went to one, trying to get it open. JJ and Pope jumped in to help.

"Why isn't it opening?" Kiara asked, panicking. "Painted shut." (Y/N) replied, glancing around for a knife or scissors. They could hear the men shouting, knocking things over. Kiara found something sharp enough. She started cutting the paint as John B and Pope leaned against the door. They stayed as quiet as possible, locking the door. A gunshot rang out, causing them to work faster. They got it open, everyone getting out. (Y/N) closed the window before being dragged away by JJ to the chicken pen. They hid inside, watching as the guys took stuff in crates into their truck.

"Do something, Pope. Shut him up!" JJ hissed, glaring at the rooster.

"What do you want me to do?!"

"Pet it, or talk to it. I don't know!" Kiara whispered back. Before Pope could do anything, the rooster tried attacking him. John B quickly hid. JJ grabbed the rooster by its neck, hitting it against the ground. It went limp, silence taking over. (Y/N) had Kiara bury her face into his chest, letting her sob quietly. JJ frowned, watching her. Once they heard the truck driving away, they got out and into the van. John B started driving. (Y/N) swallowed, staring at the van floor.

"Look, sorry about the rooster." JJ said. (Y/N) looked st him, shaking his head.

"My, uh.. My ex killed a cat once infront of me." (Y/N) mumbled. JJ's eyes widened, brows raising. (Y/N) nodded, confirming his silent question. The topic changed to John B and concocting. (Y/N) sighed softly, watching the trees pass by until they got to the lighthouse. John B parked, getting out with everyone.

"Right, you're gonna post up and look out for bogeys." John B said, looking at JJ.

"What? Why me?"

"Because you're not coming." Pope answered.

"Why?"

"Look, there are dependent and independent variables. You're an independent variable. We don't know what you'll do." Pope explained in his own weird way. An argument broke up but John B shut it down.

"Pope and (Y/N), you stand look out with JJ." John B said. (Y/N) shrugged.

"Alright." He nodded. "We'll meet back up later." John B said before walking away with Kiara. (Y/N) opened the driver door and sat in the seat. JJ approached him, resting his arms on (Y/N)'s knees.

"Why didn't you tell me about him killing a cat?" JJ asked softly. (Y/N) shrugged.

"No reason, Sunset. I just.. It's nothing." (Y/N) shook his head.

"Does your dad know?" JJ asked. (Y/N) shook his head.

"No. I'm not telling him anytime soon." (Y/N) gently ran his hair through JJ's hair. Pope approached them. He was about to greet them before they heard police sirens.

"Fuck." (Y/N) whispered as JJ and Pope got in the back. (Y/N) started the van, quickly driving away. He glanced in the rearview mirror.

"Shit, that's my dad." (Y/N) mumbled, driving faster.

[bobsie]

Asahi Azumane x fem reader

Category: Fluff

Karasuno's Ace

"And so for this assignment you'll have to work on the collection you designed the last assignment but with a model there are girls who participated to model for us and I assigned a girl for each of you do the clothes make a photoshoot and show me the results, after I show you the model you work with the class is dissmessed"

Asahi massaged his temples knowing how hard this is going to be a hard time for him, he didn't have to add these crazy two sketches to the last assignment but he did and now he'll be stuck trying to perfect them.

Hearing his name he got up to meet the model he'll work with only to be met with a very familiar face "f/n l/n will be your model Azumane I am looking forward to seeing your results" Asahi was then sure of who she was when he heard her name it was her the second year girl he had a crush on from Karasuno

She has changed not alot but she sure grew up well it's been three years since he saw her, he wasn't her friend or anything they only said hi to each other whenever they met in the hallway she wasn't very social but she always had a nice aura around her, she was known for being kind and sweet and she liked to keep her friends circle small but that didn't stop her from saying hi or talking to more people

And because of this Nishinoya the only one who knew about his crush on y/n tried to make him talk to her or ask her out but don't get Asahi wrong he wasn't shy or anything he just thought it was a casual crush and you might be a little scared of him because of the rumors of course so he thought he'll just keep it to himself and focus on volleyball

So Asahi stretched his arm to her before he started talking "I don't know if you remember me but we went to Karasuno together I'm"

But before he could say more you interrupted him "Asahi Azumane Karasuno's Ace how can I forget you it's surprising that you still remember someone like me" you shook his hand and smiled at him and so he returned the smile and it was so sweet just like you remember it from highschool

"How can I forget you? you were very sweet with everyone"

"Well I am happy that you still remember me and looks like you're doing good here too so a designer huh? Never thought you would be into that"

"Well I guess you say that because of the rumors I get that alot" he scratched the back of his head from embarrassment and you noticed his cheeks took a pink shade

"No no not at all I just thought you'd continue with volleyball that's all"

"Oh well I wasn't the best at it, it was a hobby and I am glad to be a part of it but you know I had to move on eventually"

"Well I thought you were the best, your spikes were always amazing and that back attack oh my god I still remember it"

"Oh haha you still remember that" another pink shade took over his cheeks this time it was a little darker you noted in your brain that Asahi seems to be not able to take compliments and it made him so damn cute

"Yeah I still do and I am glad you found your passion in life"

"Enough about me, what about you? What are you doing now?"

"I am actually an artist I take art classes"

"Oh and what brought you here if you don't mind me asking?"

"I umm I actually wasn't planning to sign to be a model but my friend signed it for me and now I am glad she did" you felt your cheeks sting a little so after all these years you still have a crush on him

"Do you mind if we went to my place to get your measurements"

"Yeah it's fine"

"My apartment is close by so we'll walk there"

"Oh it must be nice having your apartment close to your college"

"Yeah it is even though it's not that big it's a little expensive but my small business makes it easy to pay for the rent"

"Oh my god you already have a business"

"It's not that big I do customed orders and sometimes sell original pieces you know I have to start somewhere so I decided why not now and it helps with the rent, food and the rest"

"That's amazing Asahi san, you're so hard working"

"Well I won't say that but thank you"

The rest of the walk was silent but it was a comforting one you enjoyed being with the still very tall man and you even liked how his hair looks like now and how he dressed up and what you didn't know is that Asahi was thinking the same thing how cute you still look how your hair looks perfect and how small you are next to him

You both were deep into thoughts that Asahi realized that you both arrived so he opened the door for you

"Do you want something to drink?" Asahi said walking to the kitchen but you stopped him

"How about you take my measurements then you can drink sometime?"

"Sounds good to me, come with me then" you stood up and followed him to what you assumed is his work room as it was filled with different fabrics, a sewing machine and too many sketches

"Sorry I wasn't expecting someone so I didn't clean up properly"

"It's ok it's a sign of hard work"

"Come stand here please I got the measurement tape" as Asahi was measuring your height and writing down in a note you decide to kill time by talking plus he will get too close to you so you needed a distraction because you have never thought that Karasuno's ace could get any better looking but there he is 

"So you don't make your hair into a bun anymore?" You slapped yourself mentally immediately you wanted a distraction from the way he looks but you ask him about his hair

"Well there are days I make it into a bun and days that I feel like letting it be you know"

"Yeah I get you" his hands moved around your body to measure your waist and his finger accidentally touched you which sent shivers down your spine and heat started to over take your face but he didn't seem to notice it because he himself was trying to hide the blush on his face from being so close to you

He sighed when he noticed that what's left is your chest side and he made sure to not accidentally touch you while doing so, so you won't get a wrong idea

He got closer to you to get his measurement while not making eye contact at all but you couldn't help but look at his now red face ignoring the heat that overcame your face as well

"Asahi san" you whispered enough for him to hear it and look at you

"Yes y/n" he stared at your eyes while you stared at his drowning in them almost losing track of time

"N..nothing it's nothing"

"Y/n do you have a boyfriend?" Asahi said not breaking eye contact with you

"W..what?"

"Because I really want to kiss you right now" his boldness made your face turn red in seconds you never in million years thought that Asahi could be this bold his eyes were drifting between your eyes and your lips he looked so calm while you thought that your heart might explode any minute now, he kept the distance between you two but his eyes seemed to be hungry for your lips and seeing that you nodded shyly because you too were hungry for his lips

Having your approval Asahi slowly closed the distance between you two kissing you softly and slowly you two finally having your highschool fantasy coming true

Asahi deepened the kiss he pulled you closer by your waist while your fingers ran through his hair out of breath you both pilled away with a wide smile

"How about instead of a drink I take you out tonight?"

"I'd love that Asahi"

[topherfoxtrot]

Resilience

Here's the third part of my thunderbolts au. Emil Blonsky scaped his long imprisonment but he didn't went after the Hulk. Where did he go? The answer is bellow the cut. There's an original character here too. I'm not kin of OCs but I didn't find any character who would fit the role I wanted. Said oc will only be a part of this episode so consider it a special guest appearance. I've realized I've been writing more and more with each installment. Sorry about that, I'm getting more comfortable with the whole precess and I like to challenge myself. Continuing the trend, this chapter has a widely different vibe from the previous ones. As usual if you enjoyed please like, share or comment something.

Episode one

Episode two

Emil woke up from a nightmare. It was a fight. From as long as he could remember all Emil did was fight. Now even when he's not awake he's still fighting. He sat on the bed breathing heavily. Wait, where am I? He thought.

"You must be confused." A female voice was heard nearby.

Emil looked around looking for it. The cabin was small. The bedroom, the living room and the kitchen were all occupying the same space. There were two doors, one of them was probably for the bathroom. The woman was sitting at the kitchen table. She dressed a knitted sweater and rabbit slippers.

"My name is Charlie Reznik." She pointed at the soup, "Are you hungry?"

"Where am I?"

"Alaska. Three hours driving from Barrow."

Emil sat on the bed. He was naked. He covered himself with the blankets not for modesty but because they were warm.

"You weren't using any clothes when I found you and you don't seem like the kind of person who would wear my clothes. I hope the blankets kept you warm."

"Found me?"

"Yeah. You were screaming a lot. And throwing trees around." Charlie chuckled, "Eventually you got tired and just fell asleep right where you were. I was thinking about calling the police or something but when you started to shrink I decided to bring you here."

Suddenly Emil looked at himself realizing he did indeed shrink. He didn't look like that anymore. Still, the bones in his hands and abdomen were more prominent than they should be. He took his hands to his back to feel his spine was also prominent. That made him think of the super soldier serum, of the Hulk and of the prison he just scaped.

"I need to contact someone." Emil got up only to fall on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Charlie approached him with caution.

"I think I'll have the soap first actually." Emil muttered realizing how weak his body was.

***

The soup made with vegetables reminded Emil of his childhood in Russia. He had almost no recollection of those few years before he moved to England. He mostly remembered the cold and his mother's soap.

"I need to ask you but.. it's gonna sound weird." Emil was at the table tangled with the blankets, "What year is this?"

Charlie looked him in the eyes to decide if he was being serious or not. Emil didn't flinch so nor did Charlie, "It's 2023."

Emil pressed his lips and started to breath heavily. He was sleeping this whole time. They kept him asleep without ever giving him a chance to explain himself. No consent and no agency.

"No one has heard anything about you since 2008 Mr Blonsky and now you show up in the middle of the forest not knowing the year?" Charlie seemed genuinely curious.

"You know me?"

"I didn't recognize you at first. There isn't much footage from big you. But the sketch from witnesses matched pretty well. They call you the Abomination."

"Abomination?" Emil suddenly smashed the wooden table with enough strength to crack it. Charlie quickly moved her left hard to somewhere under the table. They locked eyes. For the first time Charlie didn't seem warm and inviting but rather fierce and absolutely ready to react. Emil closed his eyes a bit before recomposing himself.

"I'm sorry."

"I also think the name is impolite." Charlie brought her hand back, "But no one knew anything about you except you were military assigned to find Bruce Banner. I had to make some phone calls and turns out my guess was right! You are indeed in the accords database. Quite high level threat.

"What accords?"

"Alright." Charlie put her hair behind her ears, "I need you to be honest with me Mr Blonsky. What's the last thing you remember?"

So he said. He fought the hulk on Harlem, fell unconscious and woke up in Alaska. Charlie brought a computer from a big bag under the bed and put it on the table in a way that both of them could see it.

"The world changed a lot since 2008 Mr Blonsky. Put on your seatbelts."

Charlie then gave him a contemporary history class the best way she could while showing videos and pictures whenever she felt necessary. She talked about the avengers assembling in 2012 to stop an alien invasion caused by a norse god. She talked about the genocidal robot destroying a whole country in 2015. She talked about Wanda Maximoff killing those people back in 2016. She talked about the Sokovia accords and how that made the avengers disassemble. She talked about Wakanda opening up to the rest of the world. She talked about the avengers coming together again to fight yet another alien invasion. She talked about the snap and the chaotic years that followed. She talked about the blip and the even more chaotic year that followed it. Emil listened to everything in silence. It was a lot but he was smart.

"They put me to sleep for fifteen years." He whispered.

"I'm so sorry about that. It's unfair."

Emil had finished his soup but he stayed exactly where he was. Thinking about everything.

"I became strong. I became as strong as I could and still... they defeated me with bed time."

"You're being unfair."

"How come?"

"I don't think strength is really what you think it is."

"How would you know?"

Emil looked at Charlie's small stature with unconscious disdain. She picked on that and wore her fierce eyes again.

"With all due the respect Mr Blonsky..." It was possibly to hear the rage under her words, "You have no idea how strong I am. Thanos snapped my whole family! I wasn't even at home when it happened. Do you have any idea how much strength I needed to gather to simply get up every morning? I may not have big muscles like you -in fact no one does Mr Blonsky - but guess what? You could not have went through what I did. I'm sure of it!"

Emil got up aggressively and so did Charlie.

"You're really pulling the trauma card?"

"Wanna compete?"

"I think I do." He showed his teeth.

Charlie walked across the cabin stepping heavely. She sat on the bed. "Enlighten me."

The challenge got Emil off guard. He hesitated.

"I don't need to tell you anything."

"Of course you don't. If you tell me how traumatized you are, I'll tell you how traumatized I am. Then you will have to admit that none of it gives you permission to do the shitty things you did!"

The cabin merged in silence. Outside there was nothing but the cold wind running through the trees.

"I know your type." Charlie continued, a little calmer now, "Though childhood huh? No perspective of a future so you joined the military. Felt good to explode some heads didn't it? It felt powerful."

Emil remained in silence. He still looked mad, but remained in silence. Charlie went to the kitchen and grabbed a photograph from one of the drawers. She gave it to Emil.

"You're military." Emil studied the photo of Charlie and other soldiers smiling inside a tent.

"Used to be. Came back in 2019. The welcoming party wasn't exactly a party as you can imagine. My house was empty. As I said both my parents and my little brother got snapped. That's when I found this cabin."

"It's not yours?"

"Nah. I don't know who it belongs to actually. It was a cold night and I was just driving aimless. I don't know why exactly. Everything just seemed so meaningless back then. I felt weak."

Emil put the photograph on the table and they both locked eyes again. Not with anger this time though.

"It's cold but it's isolated enough. I could cry and scream as much as I wanted without anyone knowing. And did I need to scream! Scream at Thanos, scream at my parents, scream at myself. A part of me wish it could've been me, y'know? Trust me I would give my life for theirs in the blink of an eye! Yet, here I was."

Charlie sat at the table again. The temperature of the cabin went from 20°C to 40°C and then to 20°C again. Emil felt sorry about the table but most importantly he felt sorry for making Charlie mad.

"There's no much to say." He started, "Though childhood. No perspective. Joined the military. After everything I've seen, being strong is honestly the only option. It's survival."

"I get it. I really do. But strength is not on your muscles."

"Don't come with this heartfelt bullshit."

"It's not." Charlie chuckled, "Trust me I won't fall for that bullshit either. It's something else."

She got up and grabbed an old book from the shelf near the bed.

"All those things were already here when I got here for the first time. There was water, gas, energy, the bed, the blankets. It's like whoever lived here had just left. I've known this place for couple more than three years now. No one is ever here except me, yet the feeling never goes away."

The old book was covered with leather.

"Self help book?" Emil asked.

"In a way." Charlie tilted her head, "This book is about the universe. But not like a scientific encyclopedia. This book is about the whole universe, about the energy that comes from different parts of the multiverse and how to harvest and manipulate them. Essencially, magic!"

"Alright it's a self help book. Magic is not real."

"I was honestly hoping you would say that." Charlie smiled, "Check this out!"

Charlie put her hands in front of her and took a deep breath in order to focus. She moved her hands vertically and a orange string appeared from thin air. Charlie's hands drew a circle in the air and the string curved itself in a circumference. Charlie closed her hands as if grabbing something and with another gesture polygonal forms started to draw themselves in the magic circle. Charlie snapped her fingers with both hands and the whole thing started to spin like a magical ferris wheel.

"You discovered magic!" Emil whispered.

"Of course I didn't! People have been studying that for a long time. I just happened to find a weird book." The magical strings disappeared as Charlie stopped focusing so much on them, "You know when you are depressed so you set a simple goal just to give yourself a little achievement?"

"No, actually. But that's seems like solid advice."

"It is!" Charlie chuckled, "Anyways I read this whole book in like two days and I didn't understand shit. But I was super interested and started to dig the internet and beyond for anything related to all the weird concepts I found. I read the book more two of three times after that. Each time I learned something different and gained a new perspective over myself and the universe around me."

"So it is a self help book!" Emil laughed.

"As I said, it is but in a weird way. I mean look around. There's aliens and gods and the multiverse. When you think of all of it don't your problems seem way smaller?"

"I'm not sure."

"Here's how it's gonna be. I go to Barrow buy you some clothes and you think about everything I just said." She grabbed a jacket and wore boots, "But you have to pay me back alright? Otherwise I'm gonna hunt you and I'll find you. Remember: I know magic!"

"Okay, that's fair!"

Charlie grabbed a ring with slot for two fingers in a kitchen drawer. "That was one of the things I found here. Magic becomes weirdly intuitive once you learn some basics."

She made that focused face again and started to draw circles in the air with her right hand. The air in the middle of the cabin heated up and started to sparkle. An orange circle (much like the one she conjured with the hand gestures) appeared but in the middle of it was possible to see an alley.

"What is this?" Emil was shocked.

"Fast travel!" Charlie winked before passing through. The portal was gone as soon as she was gone and Emil found himself alone in the cabin.

***

There was a small mirror in the bathroom. Alone, he could check his own body for the first time. His face looked pretty much the same, he hadn't aged one day in the past fifteen years. Besides his hands and shoulders and spine, his elbows were also abnormally prominent. Was he the Abomination after all?

The power felt good, he remembered. Felt god-like. But the cost was too high. Emil became too dangerous and lost control over his own life for more than a decade. He wanted to blame Ross and Banner but would it be even fair? Emil was the one who accepted to take the serum in the first place. He actually pointed a gun at that scientist. He begged to become as strong as the Hulk is.

Emil left the house still covered in blankets. The cold snow made his feet burn but no enough to bother him. He was strong after all. Or maybe he enjoyed the pain in a sick way of reinforcing his own superiority belief. An orange portal opened nearby after a while.

"Aren't you feeling cold?" Charlie asked coming with a bag of clothes.

"A little."

"Come. See if any of those fit you. They're from the local thrift shop by the way."

"I've wore worse."

Charlie bought a simple jeans, two shirts, a flannel and boots. Really simple stuff just to protect Emil from the cold. It fit well.

"Thank you." He said.

"You're in debt, Mr Blonsky. Don't you forget that."

"You know magic." He chuckled, "I can't allow myself to have you as an enemy Ms Reznik."

They both laughed. Charlie sat at the table and started to type something on the computer.

"The feds are all over town." Charlie commented, "They're looking for you."

"Listen," he said, "I need to ask you a favor but first can I go for a walk?

***

Emil took a deep breath before jumping as high as he could. He could not see above the tall trees so he jumped again but grabbed one of the trees this time. Even with his bare hards, the wood bowed to his will. He kept climbing until he got to the highest part of the tree. From up there he could see the whole forest, including the trees he threw around the day before.

He jumped to the ground again. The snow splattered around him. His hands and knees started to bleed but he didn't care because he would break soon enough. He felt powerful and smiled without realizing it. Not a happy smile, bur rather a challenging one. Hey jumped a little before running in the direction of the destruction he caused. He started slow (more like jogging actually) but quickly escalated to marathon running and super human running. The cold wind cut his face like knifes but he didn't care. He just kept going faster.

When he finally reached the glade he jumped again. Even higher this time. When he landed his feet felt bigger. Breathing heavily he looked at his own hands and realized they were indeed getting bigger and muscled. Without wasting any breath he took off all his clothes and started running again. The cold started to bother him less and less as his body grew in size.

He started to scream so he could liberate his anger. He jumped high and landed with his fists causing the ground to crack bellow him. Emil grabbed a fallen tree and threw it to the air. He picked big boulders and threw them around at will. In the middle of the chaos he also started laughing. He was strong. He could destroy anything he wanted. He was as strong as he could be.

When Emil finally felt satisfied with his own display of power, he grabbed the trees and rearranged them back into the ground as best as he could. He picked the boulders and put them back where they were. So when the glade resembled the glade it once was, Emil sat on the ground next to his new clothes.

He started to think about everything Charlie said. Yes, he was big and could destroy everything is his way. But there were gods and aliens and robots and uncontable planets and entities across the universe. He was big and strong but he was also small and weak.

His strength though wasn't on his muscles but on his ability to survive. He survived his childhood, he survived the military and he survived the Hulk. Just like Charlie survived the snap and the aftermath. Like Charlie found new meaning in magic so could Emil find new paths to follow.

"I'm big and I'm small. I'm strong and I'm weak. I'm still here." Emil whispered to himself.

His body started to shrink calmly. Once he achieved regular size he wore his clothes and walked towards the cabin. Charlie smiled when he entered.

"Had fun?" She heard the screams obviously.

"Yeah actually. Thanks for everything."

"No problem. Remember, you're still in debt! So what favor do you need?"

"I need a portal but I also need an address. I believe you can find the person I'm looking for in the Sokovia accords database."

"Hm alright. What's the name?"

"Ava Starr."

[rogue-barnes-16]

YOU'LL LEAVE TOO

Summary: The aftermath of Thanos and the snap left the Avengers destroyed, and one by one, they leave the compound in order to find themselves. Natasha realizes everyone would eventually leave her behind, so she does her best to make things easier for Y/n.

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x fem!Reader

Genre: angsty

Tags:

Natasha Romanoff: @5aftermidnight

Permanent taglist: @notexactlythatgirl l @thisismysecrethappyplace @sofreakinmanyfandoms s @pizzarollpatrol l @bubblycypress87 7 @1a-girl-has-no-name1 @loislp @lovenaturefirst @dyanna-corona @2ptonpt @goodnightmode @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @mannls @cutie1365 @catch22inareddress @mybooradley @sebastianisasnack k @butifulsoul125 5 @unlikelygalaxygiver

Warnings: language, angsty shit

A/N: ——————

"New Asgard?" I questioned, looking at Thor quite confused. "That sounds... Kinda difficult." I stated, resting against the wall as he picked up his things.

"It will be, but I have the help of my people." he stopped his motions and a blank stare emerged from the depths of hid mourning. "or what is left of them..."

In that moment, Natasha showed up, bringing with her five dishes for us to be able to serve whatever she had been cooking a few minutes ago. "Where are you going?"

"Norway." I replied with my arms crossed, observing how the redhead slowly put the dishes down on the table. "gonna fund New... Asgard."

"Oh..." a sad look made its way to the blond woman. "Uh... Would you need help? We could lend a hand."

"It will be alright." Thor replied, politely turning down Natasha's offer. "I have Brunnhilde there." he grabbed his things gave us both a hug. "I will come visit as soon as I can."

Natasha formed a small smile, which suppressed her melancholy, in order to give Thor a nice goodbye.

As he left, I peeked, concerned, at the woman besides me, who hugged her arms staring at the dishes with lost eyes. "I'll put one back."

"Make it two." I mumbled. "Rhodey's staying in California for another month."

Natasha nodded, retired the pair she had been told to, and walked away in complete silence.

I exited the stance right after her, and made my way to the open concept kitchen, just to find Natasha sitting in one of the stools with her chin laid on her intertwined knuckles, her elbows resting over the counter.

"Nat..." as soon as she heard my soft whisper, she wiped away the tears I didn't notice that had started to be spilled from her green eyes.

"Yeah?" she looked over her shoulder to face me.

My first intention was to ask her if she was okay, but that question had already been answered, so I walked over to her and placed both my hands over her shoulders, squeezing them softly. "I'll set the table, go to the couch and chill there for a while, alright?"

One of her hands went up to grasp one of mines, her head slightly tilted to that same side as she nodded. "Alright." She lifted her gaze to stare at me, to which I responded with the warm smile she needed. "Thank you, Y/n."

I dismissed her gratitude with a shake of my head, switching places with her, and due to the sadness I was so bad trying to hide, I almost missed the way her hand briefly brushed mine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was sketching Steve while he was working, when Natasha came into the room, chatting with Bruce.

"If you ever need anything," she started, handing him the bag he had left in the facility the day he had moved out.

"I won't hesitate on telling you, I promise." Bruce finished with a bittersweet smile on his face. "take care Nat."

Steve and I both waved him goodbye; Natasha just stood still, her arms crossed, for a couple of seconds before grabbing her ballerinas and leaving to train.

"She's doin' it again." Steve stated concerned in low voice, his gaze leaving the laptop for an instant to observe the door through which Natasha had walked away.

"Can you blame her, though?" I questioned rhetorically, my eyebrows raised at the blond man in front of me.

"You should check on her." Steve suggested. "she opens up with you more than with me." he explained before I could even formule a single question about why should it be me.

"Don't think she needs to open up." I replied, redirecting my attention back to the sketch. "She's gonna miss him, just like she misses Tony, just like she misses Rhodey and Thor." I placed the pencil over the sheet of paper and took a second before saying the following words. "just like we miss 'em all."

Steve let his face fall on his hands in defeat as that dreadful silence reigned in the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'll keep some things here, though." Steve informed us, picking up the car keys from the table. "If you don't mind, of course."

"don't be an idiot, will you?" Natasha spoke with a half smile on her face. Steve chuckled and pulled her into a side hug before she pecked his cheek. "Take care, Steve."

It took us a hot second to even move from our original positions after our blond friend had left our so-called home to move to an apartment in Brooklyn, when he wouldn't have to deal with the guilt and the regret echoing through the immense halls and countless stances.

Natasha was the first one to leave the room, numbly grabbing her ballet shoes to make her way down the hallway to reach the gym.

I was just not as fast, but soon i decided to follow that advice Steve had given me not so long ago and go check on her. Maybe she really didn't need to open up about anything, maybe she only needed a shoulder to cry on.

Assuming that Natasha would have already started a routine, I didn't rush to reach the gym at all. However, to my surprise, when I got to the entrance, I was greeted with the view of the woman sat on a bench,sniveling while hugging her sides, the ballet shoes on and her two-toned hair covering her face.

Whatever I had been holding inside was triggered by that sight, and flooded out in the form of painful tears that seemed to burn my skin. "Hey..." she only shook her head shortly, yet vigorously, as I approached her. "Hey." I repeated, kneeling in front of her, my hands holding both her cheeks. This time she did look at me trough bloodshot eyes that most likely mirrored mines. "It'll get better, I promise." She sniffed and I pulled her into a hug, which acted as a perfect substitute for the kiss I was dying to give her. "You still have me here, and I'm not leaving alright?"

She nodded, burying her face on my neck, where I felt a feather kiss. "Damnit, I was dying to get rid of you." Her voice was weak but playful as she pulled away. "You're a pain in the ass." I chuckled, brushing my thumb over her cheek to wipe her tears as she did the same with mines, lovingly. "But you're my pain in the ass, right?" Her hand rested over my cheek, her green eyes flickering to my lips before coming back to mines, desperately looking for the answer she needed to her question.

"Damn sure I am." I replied, getting up with my eyes fixed on her. "Were you gonna start a routine?" I questioned, running my fingers through her hair as she leaned in to rest her forehead against my stomach, nodding as a response to my inquiry. "I'll braid your hair." She mumbled a 'thank you' whilst letting her hands linger on my outer thighs just a little bit more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was late night when I noticed Natasha was no longer on the other side of the bed, her place to sleep for a couple of months by now.

I looked for her first in the gym, then outside, in the rooftop garden where she would sometimes go. After not finding her there, I decided to make my way had become her office. Maybe Rhodey or Okoye called, or maybe Carol and Rocket had updates on anything.

She was all alone, sat in her chair.

"What's wrong?"I asked, resting against the doorframe.

"You'll leave too." she stated, trying too hard for that beautiful smile of hers to stay in her face while she looked at me, which she wasn't being able to achieve. "and that's alright."

"Nat please, please don't cry." I begged, leaving the door frame in order to reach her sitting on the chair. "why- I'm not leaving, I promise, please don't cry."

"God I'm sorry." she took a deep breath in order to calm herself down. "I promise it's alright, you gotta get yourself a life, it's just late and" she scoffed, rapidly wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I think I'm having a mental breakdown" she tried to laugh it off but I was too concerned to fall into laugh with her, no matter how contagious that melodic sound was. "I promise it's alright, Y/n."

"I'm not leaving you." I replied, kneeling in front of the redhead when she slowly shook her head, averting her eyes from me. "Natasha, why on earth would you say that."

"I'm just trying to make it easier for you." She replied, shrugging. "I don't want you to feel bad, I'll get by just fine." tears were spilled again, jumping off her bottom eyelids. "I promise." her breath was ragged, and my eyes were getting watery. "I'm sorry for keeping you here all this time, I really am." She shook her head, her lower lip quivering and her eyes shut.

"Nat–"

"I'm so sorry..."

"Natasha, please, look at me." I lifted her chin, obliging her to stay eye to eye with me. "You're not making me stay." I brushed her hair off her face and said fuck it to second guessing my words about my feelings. "I'm staying because I love you, because you make this feel home even if it really isn't, I'm staying because everything feels less awful when I'm with you, because-"

I completely missed the hopeful glimpse in her eyes before she, as fast as a lightning, threw herself off the chair, her lips attaching to mines in a kiss that, despite the innocence it carried, took my breath away.

"I love you... I love you love you." She whispered, her eyes closed and her forehead resting against mine, now both of us kneeled on the floor.

"Yeah?" I questioned, intertwining my fingers with hers as she nodded slowly. "I love you love you too."

"I know, dumbass." She replied with a smirk on her face that I could see after I pulled away. "That's why I kissed you." I shook my head with a smile on my face, wiping my tears away. "Are you stayin?"

I raised my eyebrows. "You're such an oblivious idiot when it comes to me, Romanoff." I stated, getting up and pulling her with me. "Let's get some sleep alright?"

"Alright." She answered. Holding my hand and pecking my lips before following me back to our room.

[silentwhispofhope]

Paroxyism (Leon Kennedy X Reader) Report 6

Last Chapter <> Next Chapter

"No clue," he replied. "It'll be soon."

You frowned. "If only I-"

"Don't start with that talk," he cut you off and tapped his head with a bloody index finger. "That kind of thinking will lead you nowhere in life. You need to move on. Besides, last I checked, we can't time travel."

You let out a small chuckle at his attempt at a joke. The lieutenant did bring up a good point. Negativity was an enemy of success. The man let out a hiss in pain. Hearing footsteps, you turned to the source to find Leon jogging down the stair case.

"There you are... Come here, take a look," Branagh beckoned and zoomed in on the gate.

"Yes! I'd knew she'd make it," The blond rejoiced.

"You know her?" Branagh asked.

"Yeah, name's Claire. I came into town with her," Leon replied.

"You can get to that court yard through the second floor... east side," he muttered as painfully pointed to the staircase behind him. The cop let out a groan.

"I'm on it," the rookie paused. "Thanks, Lieutenant."

Leon turned away and took several steps. Noticing you weren't following him, he glanced back to you. "Are you coming?"

Your eyebrows lifted in surprise. You thought he would want to meet this girl by himself. Muttering an apology, you joined his side.

"Did you find out what was on the film?" He inquired as the two of you walked up the stairs.

"Yeah, it was a photo of a statue holding a scepter and a book. It didn't match the sketches in the notebook, so I feel like I got my hopes up for nothing."

"Well, someone had to take a picture of it for a reason," Leon answered. "How about we keep an eye out for it?"

You hummed in agreement as the two of you reached the only door on the east side. Both of you pulled out your guns.

"Ready?" You asked.

"As I'll ever be," he replied.

Pressing your back near the door frame, Leon paralleled your actions on the other side. With a nod from the blond, you slowly twisted the handle. You pushed the door open slightly, pointing your barrel through the gap. Only the sound of the creaking door broke the silence. Leon placed his hand against the wood and lightly pushed. Tension filled the air. Slowly, the door opened. Turning inwards, you walked through the door. The room you two entered appeared to be a waiting room of sorts. It may have been beautiful once, but the whole room was in disarray. Leon followed you as you both paused, searching for any signs of one of those creatures.

"Clear," Leon spoke. You let out a sigh of relief. "We should keep moving. The sooner we reach Claire, the better."

You nodded in agreement. The two of you approached the wooden door on the opposite side of the room. What caught your eye, however, was the marbled green spade carved into it. You watched as the blond pulled something from his back pocket. It was a key with a matching bow. God, it's like the both of you were stuck in some sick video game. As Leon unlocked the door, you readied your flashlight and gun once again. A click softly disturbed the air. Quickly, Leon put the key away. As the blond went to turn the door handle, your raised your gun and flashlight. You closed an eye, and focused on the space between Leon and the door. You stared at Leon before giving him the go ahead. Leon twisted the handle and flung the door open. A ray of light traveled down the hallway as the door creaked to a stop. The two of you were met with a fork in your path.

"We go right, right?" You asked. You had to hold back a chuckle. It wasn't the best time to laugh at a stupid joke despite how unintentional it was.

"Yeah," Leon responded. He pulled out his own handgun and promptly reloaded it.

Letting Leon walk through the doorway first, you followed after him. The floor creaked and groaned under your combined weights as you two began walking. A distance buzzing hit your ears. It was more of a hum compared to ringing. You stopped and looked around looking for the source of it. Leon noticed your lack of movement.

"Hey, is-" you cut him off with a shush.

Pointing a finger that was originally holding the flashlight to the ceiling, you whispered "Do you hear that?"

The sound was now alarmingly closer than before. The buzzing, now blaring, was identifiable. It was a helicopter. You quickly glanced out of nearby window to see the flying machine spinning out of control.

"Oh shit," you gasped once you realized where it was heading.

Before Leon could respond, you dropped your flashlight and grabbed his hand. Your shoulder screamed in pain. You didn't have much time to react. You pulled him as far away from the end of the building as you could before talking him to the ground. Leon reacted quickly. He flipped you under him. You quickly whipped your arm around his neck, protecting it from potential glass shards or other debris. Right in time too, as the helicopter sliced through part of the wall.  The raucous sound of the machine crashing into the side of the building echoed in your ears. Pieces of brick and glass bounced through out the hallway. Unclenching your eyes, your ears begin to slightly ring. Leon laid onto of you, waiting quietly for the chance of something else happening. Your heart pounded wildly in your chest. The both of you breathed heavily before you let out a sigh of relief.

"You okay?" Leon asked you, staring into your eyes.

"I should be the one asking you that," you replied. Leon let out a small laugh before rolling off of you. He swiftly stood to his feet and held out a hand for you. You stared at him for a moment before sliding your gun into your holster and grabbing his hand. "My hero."

Leon rolled his eyes in response as he pulled you up. The two of you walked back to the end of the hallway. As you neared the window from earlier, you leaned down and grabbed your flashlight. You positioned it back into your belt.  Leon opened the door and held it open for you.

You gave him a small thanks. Walking outdoors, you were hit with the sprinkling of water. Glancing up at the clouds above, you could tell they were ready to burst any second. You took a step forward towards the railing when your foot hit something. You glanced down to find a rifle. It was primarily black but the shoulder consisted of a dark walnut.  You continued to analyze it as you saw Leon go to look at the helicopter out of the corner of your eye. You promptly grabbed the the rifle and and wrapped the carry strap around your body. You turned towards him. A body slumped over the controls of the helicopter. You could tell the pilot wasn't alive anymore.

"He's dead, you know?" You told Leon. He glanced back towards you for a second before returning to look at the dead pilot. "The impact would've killed him on impact."

Before you could say anything else, a voice rang out into the air. "HEY! LEON!?"

Leon rushed to your side as you both looked over the railing. Behind the fence, a brunette in a red leather jacket stared expectedly at Leon. You watched as his eyes lit up.

"CLAIRE!" Leon shouted excitedly. "HOLD ON! I'll BE RIGHT THERE!"

"OK!" She yelled back.

Seeing how the two interact made you wonder if the two were best friends. Your mind lingered to the idea of Kyle and the rest of the police force. Did they know if anything was wrong? If they did, had they send anyone to come find you? You doubted that and Kyle was probably the only one to notice something was wrong. You liked to get things done as quickly and efficiently as possibly. Leon hastily hurried down the steps. He paused for moment, looking back up expectedly. His voice broke your trance.

"You coming?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry," you sheepishly apologized and quickly followed after him.

Leon almost skipped off the bottom to great Claire. She rushed to the fence. "Claire... It's so nice to see you." He grabbed the wire in his hands. Claire took a step closer to him as you awkwardly stood off to the side."How're you doing ? That helicopter came out of nowhere..."

"Yeah... I'm in one piece thanks to (Y/N)."

Leon stepped off to the side, dropping his hands to his sides. Claire's focus landed on you.  She looked surprised. You guess she wasn't expecting another survivor. You took this chance to step closer to the two of friends.

"Hi. It's nice to see someone who isn't part of the living dead," you joked tiredly.

"I haven't seen you around before."

"State police. Forensic technician, technically," you replied pulling out your badge. Claire glanced at before you put it away.

"Any chance that help is on the way?"

You let out a sigh, grabbing the carry strap hugging your chest. "I doubt it. They probably think I'm goofing off or taking my time. The only one who would probably notice my absence is my friend back on the force, but they don't really listen to him either."

Claire looked at the ground briefly before turning to Leon. "I'm guessing you don't have a key in one of those fancy pockets?"

"Unfortunately, no... But, how are you doing?" Leon replied. Claire wrapped her hands around the fence wire.

"You know, just surviving like the two of you." She smiled.

"That's good. Any luck with your brother?"

Claire's smile dropped slightly. "No, not yet."

"You have a brother here?" You asked.

"Yeah, he's a cop here," she replied.

"What's he look like? It'd probably help if we could look for him too."

Claire's smile brightened. "He's a brunette with short hair. Really tall and buff looking. Kinda looks like a mama's boy."

You let out a small chuckle at the last comment. Leon took a step closer to Claire.

"Claire, don't lose hope.  I'm sure we're going to find him-"

A loud explosion ripples through the air. You quickly cover your eyes as you turn towards the source. The helicopter now lay swallowed in flames. The fire escape you once walked down on began to look increasingly fragile from the explosion's impact. A quick ringing from a nearby fire alarm soon followed. You turned back towards the other survivors.

"Dammit. You know what that means..." Claire stated as she glanced behind her.

"Yeah..." Leon responded, scratching the back of his head from stress.

"Dinner time."

"Claire, I think you should go," you quickly replied, noticing a small horde of zombies getting closer.

"Don't worry about me, (Y/N)," Claire paused before taking a step back. "You two take care of yourself."

"Claire, you need to go- NOW!" Leon exclaimed.

Claire nodded in agreement, starting to walk away from the fence. The brunette stopped for a moment before turning back to the two of you.

"Hey... Let's get through this. All three of us." She stated.

You replied with a slight nod as she turned back around, heading into stream of oncoming zombies. Leon and you took a step back from the fence.

~~~

A/N: Oh, geez. I knew I said I was taking a break, but I didn't think it was going to be this long. Sorry about that. Haha, oops. 2019 has just been a really shitty year for me, but I'm going to make 2020 my bitch if I have to. In other news, I made it into my dream college! I'm going to Loyola up in Chicago to study forensics! While my first year will be mainly looking over the basics, I can't wait!

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