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quillandink333 · 5 months

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The Dove and the Swan Take Flight • pt. 2

Credit to @winterxisxcomingx for the beautiful banner ♡︎

SPOILERS FOR HAZBIN HOTEL ~ Read ahead at your own risk!

After centuries spent distancing himself from his people and letting affairs of state fall into neglect, Lucifer decides it’s high time to get reacquainted with his would-be fair kingdom and brings Emily along for a grand tour of the Pride Ring.

WARNINGS: Abrahamic imagery (obviously), corporatism, body dysphoria, I wouldn’t exactly condone telling shady strangers where you’ll be going in the near future

Part I • Part II • Part III

“I’ve been thinking…” Emily broke the silence. She and her host had been enjoying their breakfast so thoroughly that they hadn’t noticed when the conversation had dwindled to a halt.

Lucifer had a mouth full of sugary carbs and fresh fruit as he answered, “Hm?”

“We’re going to Sinsoplex today, right?”

“We are indeed!” he proclaimed. “I wanted to give you a taste of what mainstream city life is like down here. That, plus our excursion to Cannibal Town made me realise we stick out like a sore thumb in public.” He tilted his head with an awkward glance toward his hat and coat, which were draped over the unoccupied chair beside him, and she giggled. “That’s why we’re hitting the boutiques first and foremost, as clearly I don’t have the first clue about today’s trends and the like.”

“That’s perfect!” Her eyes lit up with excitement, making his heart flutter. “Because I’ve been thinking, I know I just got my hair cut at the barber’s, and I love it! But the thing is, now that’s made me wanna change it even more,” she confessed, as if simply wishing to alter her appearance was a sin.

“I see no reason why we couldn’t do that on the same trip,” he offered right off the bat without question. “There’s bound to be a few sinners in the beauty industry who could help us on both fronts.”

“Well, yeah, but do you really think we’ll find someone willing to do all that for us on such short notice?”

“Naturally. I’m Lucifer Goddamn Morningstar; who could possibly refuse?” he chuckled. Being the supreme ruler of Hell had all the perks one would expect, which he could surely stand to take advantage of more often, he pondered. Emily, however, was of the mind to disagree, but she didn’t dare correct him when he’d been showing her such endless generosity ever since her fall. As long as he paid their stylist what they demanded in return for their services—which he obviously had the means to—she supposed it didn’t matter.

Word Count: 2.7k

“Right, let me just get this straight.” The youngest of the so-called Vees was hardly giving them half of her attention as she played around giving herself different flashy manicures with a flick of her wrist. “So the pair of you just poof into my studio out of nowhere, then order me personally to give you each the full Transformakeover service right this fucking second with no appointment?”

Emily felt a stab of shame at the sarcastic accusation, causing her to shrink back into Lucifer’s side. Before she could say anything, though, he waved his cane and conjured a pile of cash taller than a fridge between them and the overlord. “I take it that should work for you.”

Velvette’s eyebrows shot up toward the top of the stack. “Yeah, no, tha-that’ll do.”

“That’s what I thought,” he smirked.

The first order of business, as apparently per their stylist’s standard practice, was hair. She took Emily aside and sat her down in front of an oversized mirror in a frame of uncomfortably bright LEDs, then had a stylist on standby sit the king in the chair next to hers. “I’ve gotta say, darling, you’re in desperate need of some layers,” she noted, running a comb through the lilac tresses. “A new colour wouldn’t hurt neither. Any requests?”

“Uhh…” Out of habit, she cast a lost glance over at Lucifer. It took him a couple of seconds to notice, but when he did, she whisper-yelled to him, “What colour should I get my hair dyed?”

He raised an eyebrow. “What are you asking me for? It’s your hair, sunshine,” he smiled tightly. “I shouldn’t need to tell you by now that I think any colour would look great on you.”

“Oh. Okay…” Her gaze meandered back to her reflection. She’d never had her hair dyed before, and she’d never had much of a say when it came to styles either. Velvette was getting restless as she waited for an answer, which had Emily chewing on the inside of her cheek.

“Here, how ’bout something like this?” Lucifer stood up to show her a picture on his phone. “That Angel Dust fellow sent it to me the other day saying he thought it would suit you. Now, why he didn’t just send it to you directly, I have no clue.” The image showed a sinner from behind. They had shoulder-length hair with feathery layers and a balayage going from dark roots to a warm vanilla blonde at the crown, then into a blinding platinum for the better part of the length. Emily’s brows rose and her lips formed a lowercase ‘o,’ telling him she at least wasn’t averse to the sight of it.

Velvette scoffed. “Are you joking? That’s, like—” Her words caught in her throat when she spotted Morningstar shooting a glowing red glare her way through the mirror. “I mean—y-yeah, if that’s what you want. Seems easy enough.”

She promptly got up, wasting no time walking Emily over to one of the sinks for a wash. The little angel floated along without a care in the world while the other two trailed behind. Having heard that it would be ‘easy enough,’ she was surprised to find out the dyeing process was a lot more complicated than she was imagining. Lucifer was already in the middle of getting his blow-dried by the time she got back from her rinse.

“Good god, where’d you get this cut, Cannibal Town?” cringed Velvette as she got started on the trimming process.

“Yeah, actually!” Emily was anything but oblivious to the disgust in her tone, but she’d already decided to ignore it. “Lucifer’s taking me on a tour around Pentagram City, and that was the first place we visited. Today it’s the commercial district!”

“You don’t say?”

“Mhm! I went to get my hair done at the barber shop, and they had a singing quartet in the shop! It was so cool!”

“So where you off to next, then?”

“Uhm…” The abrupt change of subject caught her a little off guard. “Well, I forget what her name was, but she’s an overlord like you, and I feel like her first and last initials were the same. We’re going to visit her. Either that or we’re visiting someone named…oh, fudge. Did it start with a ‘Z?’ I think it started with a ‘Z…’ Sorry, I can’t remember. It was one of the two—or both, maybe. I dunno.”

“Was it Zestial Morde and Carmilla Carmine, perhaps?”

“Yes, that’s it! Oh my gosh, thank you. That was driving me crazy!” she giggled at herself. “So does that mean you know them?”

Not much time had passed before they were interrupted by Lucifer’s hairdresser, spinning him around in his chair to show her work to her boss.

Lucifer himself was looking none too pleased. His forelocks messy and unkempt, the devil was now sporting something called an undercut. The roguish diva had tried to have it dyed—he’d vehemently put his foot down at the very first mention of the idea. But even though he didn’t care much for the end result himself, when he saw Emily clapping for him and flashing him a double thumbs-up with an open-mouthed smile, he couldn’t help but smile back.

“She’ll be done in a minute,” Velvette dismissed him after reluctantly approving the work of her tired-looking employee.

Once the trimming and styling steps had been wrapped up, she sprung up from her seat and made a beeline toward the waiting area where he was sat. “So? How do I look?”

“Lovely!” he grinned from ear to ear. “Wow, uh… This might sound a bit strange, but you look just like Charlie. It’s like you two could be sisters,” he chortled.

“Really?! Haha! I wonder if she’ll think the same when she sees it.”

With their hair done, it was onto the retail stage of the trademarked Transformakovers.

“So what kind of look are you thinking for me?” asked Emily as they were led into the overlord’s walk-in closet, which was really more of a gallery. “Woah…!”

Her eyes popped and her mouth hung open as she ogled her surroundings. There were garments of all different colours and materials and personalities she couldn’t even label, the racks on every wall going all the way up to the vaulted ceiling. She’d had no idea how vast the world of fashion really was until she’d stepped inside.

“Velvette, this is amazing!” she squealed, forgetting that she was supposed to be hiding her wings as she darted from rack to rack. Lucifer smiled quietly at her unabashed excitement. “Did you design all of these? Ahh, look at those shoes! And that top! Oh my gosh, how do you ever decide what to wear?!”

Velvette’s curt body language contradicted how flattered she actually was. “It’s not hard, really. I mean, I wouldn’t touch half the shit in here, but that’s just me.”

“What?! Really?” She fluttered back down to the floor, shocked and a little crestfallen. “You mean you don’t like this stuff?”

“No, it-it’s—well, yeah, most of it’s…fine, I guess.” This reaction had Emily crossing her arms at the emotions she was detecting now: mainly flattery, but also a hint of vulnerability and… Was that guilt? Before she could figure it out, it vanished, both from her senses and her memory. With a snap of her fingers, Velvette summoned a rack on wheels full of clothes and accessories ranging from ostentatious to understated beside her. “Here’s what I’m thinking for you two.”

Emily wasted no time getting a closer look, the hooks of the hangers screeching against the metal rod as she flipped through them. Upon observation, the rack seemed to be divided in half, each side containing the makings of a whole outfit plus a few alternate options for certain parts.

“I’m guessing that’s her side and this is mine?” Lucifer inferred as he side-eyed the white tennies on his end with reflective toes and ludicrously chunky tread.

“Ooh…” Emily grimaced as she took a strikingly short mini skirt off the rack and held it up to her hips. It was covered in a loud print of candies and desserts atop a sweet pastel pink. “Oh gosh, it’s even shorter than I thought,” she laughed crookedly.

“Absolutely not!” Her chaperone, livid, snatched it out of her hands practically in the middle of her sentence. He shot daggers at the diva, which seemed to bounce right off of her.

“Oy, calm your tits, Your Holiness,” she jeered, “I’ve got it covered.” Then she reached between them for Emily’s half of the rack and removed from it a pair of fuzzy, black, thigh-high leg warmers. To Lucifer’s dismay, the model looked pleased as punch when she saw them, leaving him no choice but to give her his begrudging approval.

Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Velvette positioning her fingers for a snap. He raised his cane and froze them with his own magic just in time.

“Nope! No, nuh-uh,” he chuckled despite the severe crease festering between his brows. “We can get changed by ourselves, thank you. If you’ll just point us in the direction of your changing stalls.”

Though she just had to give him attitude in the form of a bratty shrug, she complied. Lucifer was the first to emerge from his stall, and Emily appeared a short while later, the two of them decked from head to toe in their shiny new drip.

“Tada~!” She gave a dainty little twirl. “What do you think?”

He and Velvette looked her up and down as she greedily soaked up their attention. She had on the skirt and leg warmers from before, and under the latter were a pair of black platforms with reflective toes that matched those on Lucifer’s shoes. For the upper half, she wore a sunny yellow crop top under a white zip-up hoodie. Her hair was tied back in a mid-low ponytail, and her collarbone was adorned with a colourful pastel necklace with beads of all different shapes and sizes, which looked almost edible.

When she asked for his thoughts, Lucifer had all sorts of adjectives going through his head, but none which he dared say out loud while they weren’t alone. He cleared his throat. “Well…” Maybe her special empathicism would be enough to let her know he didn’t entirely dislike it.

Meanwhile there he was, his own outfit perfectly on theme with hers, and yet he felt like an absolute buffoon wearing it. From the top down, he had on a plain white tee with an alarmingly deep V-neck, which was tucked into a pair of bulky, high-waisted, greyish magenta cargo pants. Overtop of that was a black baseball jacket with glaring yellow trim and a meaningless monogram.

“You’ll want a mask, too,” Velvette added, making the accessory appear directly over his nose and mouth with a snap. “To cover up those little red spots on your cheeks.”

He caught Emily cracking an amused grin, causing his ears to fume with the heat of rushing blood. Pulling the mask down to his chin, he huffed, “Not sure I’d be super comfortable going out in public dressed like this.” He didn’t bother trying to hide his scowl, peering down his neckline at his pale self. “Don’t you have anything a bit more, erm…normal?”

“Nah.” Velvette stood firm in her selection. “You told me disguises—what’s the point of a disguise if it doesn’t make you look like someone you’re not?”

He grumbled, “Right you are.”

“Hey, at least we match!” Emily chirped and grabbed both his hands with a bounce in her posture. “That’s a pro, isn’t it?”

He couldn’t help letting out a nasal chuckle at her enthusiastic attempt to find a silver lining for him. “That’s true, I suppose.”

She checked her phone and noticed it was only a few minutes past midday. They still had a whole afternoon of fun ahead of them! “Oh, we should probably get going,” she said, to which Lucifer nodded in stoic agreement. “Thanks so much for everything, Velvette, this has been so much fun!” she beamed. “I’m so glad I got to meet you!” Velvette replied with a charismatic grin and nothing more. As she showed them the exit, one turned and waved goodbye while the other offered half a smile over his shoulder before the door closed behind them.

Velvette waited until both their backs were turned, then dropped her hand and pulled out her phone. The screen buzzed with static and the speaker crackled before the face of the one receiving her call appeared. “Yeah? What?”

She grinned. “Vox, you are never gonna believe who just showed up at the studio.”

The two fallen seraphim were making their way on foot to their next destination of the day: some sort of music festival supposedly happening on the roof of the massive skyscraper nextdoor. The younger of the two was bursting at the seams with excitement, but the older had only agreed to it because Charlie had vouched for its security.

“You know, it honestly does suit you,” blurted Emily.

Lucifer scoffed and gave her a raise of his brow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously! Believe me, I may be the angel of joy, but I’d never say something I didn’t mean just to make someone feel better.”

This earned her a hearty laugh as they strolled across the skybridge connecting the two halves of the sprawling complex. “Well, thanks, but even if you think it looks okay, I still can’t say I see the appeal.”

“Ah, well… That’s okay.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “It’s just for today. When we get home, I can start sketching out some ideas for a new outfit you’ll definitely like.”

He almost stopped in his tracks when he heard that. “Wait, you’re gonna make me a brand new, Emily-original outfit?” he gawked. “From scratch?”

“Absolutely! Seeing that walk-in closet gave me an inspiration overload. I can’t wait to get started! In fact—I don’t think I will.” Concentrating all her attention, she held out her free hand and expertly manifested a fresh drawing pad along with a pencil wrapped in hot pink.

“Oh, nicely done!” applauded her doting guardian. “Looks like my lessons have been paying off, huh?” But when he looked over again, she was already deeply engrossed in her sketching, the pad of paper fixed in mid air a foot or so away from her while they walked. He tightened his hold on her hand and turned his gaze straight ahead, his fond smile hidden beneath the black face mask.

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bronx-bomber87 · 1 year

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Happy Weekend everyone :) Whew we are almost halfway through s3 already it's crazy. I love how when we get little content the previous ep the next one has loads. This is Lucy’s first real foray into UC. Seeing that deeper Harper/Lucy bond. Tim’s freak out and protectiveness. Such a good one for so many reasons. So many more gifs I wanted to use but sadly Tumblr keeps me to 30. They need to up that ha Oh well let’s get this started.

3x06 Revelations

Our ep starts out with Tamara and Lucy. Lucy making sure she gets at least one good dinner for the week. I just love their relationship so much. Tamara was such a good addition to the show. Adding some extra depth for Lucy. She is an excellent pseudo mom to her. Tamara asks if she can interview Lucy for a paper for school. Has to do with women in male dominated fields.

Lucy is adorable in her reply saying she's honored she’s asking her. How far these two have come. Lucy says she should be off early tomorrow. Let's Tamara know she’s just doing site security with Tim. It’s for the CCOA. Basically a convention for UC cops. I did love her saying ‘My Sergeant’ when explaining her work plans tomorrow. Made me happy. Yes he is. In more ways than one. Heh

We first join our lovely duo running security checks at the entrance. Lucy asking if Tim does this every year? Tim tells her no but he went with Isabel once to this. Look our boy bringing up Isabel casually. Being the one to and not have it bring him down. I'm so proud of him. Doesn’t phase him like it used to. Not only that but he’s cracking jokes over here.

Saying he just worked on his tan while Isabel attended seminars haha Replying to her question about what they teach here with sass. Tim tells her he has no idea but he's clearly having fun with his reply. Lucy still isn’t used to his sassy side. Her reaction above says it all. You did this lady hehe Enjoy the fruits of your labor madam.

Their lighthearted moment is interrupted by an old friend of Tim’s. He drives up like a bat out of hell. Tim is excited to see him (at first...) Tim is in such a good mood when he rolls up. Just outside cracking jokes with his girl having a good time. Even introduces Lucy (by her first name BTW) to his friend proudly. Shortly after their reunion Tim realizes the girl in the car is not his wife….

She blatantly hits on him calling him pretty. I mean he is. Look at the man. I’ve said before he is sex on stick. Mack notes he only gets prettier with age. He's not wrong...it’s true. Loved Eric since his DOOL days. Was in love with him then as a teenager and even more so now ha So that is accurate. Aged like a fine ass wine. *chef kiss*

Tim pulls Mack aside and wants to talk. Lets him know if he wants to run around on his wife that's his business. But he looks high as a kite. I love the way Lucy watches the interaction. Already in protect Tim emotionally mode. Mack tells him it's just oxy. He got hurt on the job month ago and the pain is a bear.

He takes off before Tim can say more and the look of worry on Lucy's face only increases. She can tell Tim is shook up about seeing his old friend this way. It’s affecting him more than he would like. I think he must’ve been in the academy with Tim. To watch someone you used to be close fall from grace is never easy to watch. Especially when it's so closely related to what Isabel was like.

Lucy spies on Harper giving a lecture to potential female UC’s in the making. You can see her interest is piqued. Harper even spots her before she shuts the door. Cracks me up the way she jumps when Tim catches her. I always love me some arm crossed disapproving Tim. Mmm. gimme. His emotions are written all over his face. They honestly color his attitude for almost the entirety of this episode. He’s not upset she snuck a peak. He’s upset she’s interested in UC. The way he looks back that that sign says it all. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach has settled and its not going anywhere.

This next scene we start to see Tim’s demons about UC surface a little. That good mood of his is long gone. He immediately confronts her about it. Asking her if she was spying in on seminars? She can’t lie to save her life when he looks at her. She adorably replies maybe…She's so excited by the prospect of UC she isn’t picking up on the stress Tim is throwing down in this scene.

He chews her out a little for spying and why it was wrong. I think we all know this has zero to do with the spying. That it 100 percent has to do with the subject matter that’s peaked her interest. He is trying to cut this off at the pass. He is not remotely excited about her being interested in UC at all..

We return to our couple reporting to Mack’s room. His wife Beth is banging on the door. His mistress won’t let her in. Tim doesn't have time for this and kicks the door down. Oh my. He runs inside and sees Mack has OD’d. Lucy goes and gets the Narcan to revive him. Mack comes to and is begging his wife to stay. He is so very out of it. His wife storms off saying she can’t do this anymore. Ugh poor Tim. The look he shares with Lucy kills me. The pre-tears and all. The fact that he's upset and looks back at her for support. My heart. This was not how he envisioned spending this day. It was supposed to be an easy security site job that turned into so much more.

Tim rejoins Mack at the hospital. He is so very angry with him. His pre-tears are killing me in these scenes with Mack. Poor Tim this ep is bringing up a lot of demons for him. Ones he truly thought he was putting behind him. Not just UC ones either. Telling Mack he’s not making the same mistakes he did with Isabel. Tim has made major strides when it comes to her but those scars still linger. They’re not gone and probably never will be fully. I’m sure he still tortures himself about his inaction with her. He won't do that again. To Tim this is a way to make up for that. Atone for that sin.

Lucy is leaving for the day when she spots Harper waiting at her car. Now I said when Harper joined the show how excited I was. That her and Lucy’s relationship was one of those reasons. These are the moments that I love so much. Harper is straight with her and says 'You know we’re gonna have to talk about it right?' Clearly referring to her sneaking a peak.

Lucy thinks Harper is there to scold here just like Tim did. The beautiful thing about this scene is she doesn’t. Nyla encourages and supports her UC aspirations. This is where she becomes her UC mentee really. After Lucy explains why she peaked in Harper can’t help but want to help Lucy with this.

Can sense her genuine excitement about it. Even agrees to drinks to talk about it. Hell it’s her idea how far we’ve come ❤️ Lucy postpones her interview with Tamara to go out with Nyla. Harper then gets a distress call from one of her old UC contacts. Asks if Lucy wants to come instead of a rain check on drinks? She jumps on this offer immediately. Wanting to see first hand what an operation is like.

Harper sends Lucy into the bar solo while she spots the tail on her friend. Lucy looks so amped to prove herself. She finds June or ‘Coco’ as she’s known right now at the bar. Sato joins the table immediately after Lucy does. Obviously he is the tail June has been worried about. The balls on Lucy in this moment. If Tim could see her right now he would have a friggin heart attack. Lucy throws a damn drink in his face.

She covers her ass so well and pretends she’s the chemist. Really smart move on her end. Even though he buys Lucy’s story Sato and his guard make them both move outdoors. Harper is waiting in the wings like the BAMF she is. Takes out Sato’s guard easily. Harper tells Coco there’s a tracker on her car. They must be cops. Sato is now the one in trouble saying they’re not. Salonga his boss just wanted them surveilled.

Coco up's the price for pissing them off. He tells them if they do the price hike Lucy better be at the buy. Harper tries to shield Lucy. Telling them she doesn’t go on buys. Lucy jumps in and says she’ll go. That she's already spent her share in her head. Shocking both Harper and June. If Tim could see this he would be losing his damn mind. Well he will later on….

Crazy how good she is at this right away. Harper notices the immediate potential in her. They tell her she better bone up on chemistry. She beams like the nerd we all know and love. Says she got straight A’s in chemistry in high school. Of course you did haha Lucy gets so caught up in the moment she forgets she was supposed to do the report with Tamara. Oops.

Tim comes to Grey’s office about his report on Mack. Wade is asking him if he’s sure he wants to do it this way? Tim so desperate to right the wrong he did with Isabel he doesn’t hesitate. Says it’s the right thing to do. That it’s what he should’ve done with Isabel in first place. He warns him he'll lose his pension. Tim continues on says its right thing to do. Grey doesn’t disagree. Wade then tells him Lucy will be occupied with a UC op today. He is none too pleased about this and quickly heads to roll call room.

Tim acting like a mad worried husband from here on out. He is SEETHING above. That determined strut and crossing of his arms. His whole demeanor screaming his discontent. Anger ready to spill over onto Harper. So very worried because Lucy has volunteered for a UC op and a very dangerous one at that. He doesn’t hide his stress in the least. Lucy has become such a fixture in his life at this point. To potentially risk losing her to a UC op like he did Isabel…He can't handle the idea of it. The rest of this scene reflects that.

His demons coming out to play extra hard in this one for him. Lucy looks so excited when she's asked to stand up. She's so ready to prove herself. She is just excited in general. Then she turns around and sees Tim’s disapproving stance and stare. She freezes immediately and instantly feels reprimanded. Looks back at him one more time and sees his body language hasn't changed. Tim is emanating anger and Lucy knows it. Whew lord. He’s ready to eat Harper.

Before we move on let's take a moment to enjoy the forearm porn we’re getting here in the gif above. Hot damn. Arms are crossed, biceps bulging and his forearms look toned as hell. Sweet baby James should be a crime to be this attractive. But let’s get back to the episode before I gawk at him any further LMAO

The very SECOND the meeting is over Tim is all over Harper. Pushes off the wall and storms toward her. He is ready to tear her a new one about allowing this. Let’s remember this episode has been VERY rough on Tim to this point. It’s like he’s being forced down memory lane in the worst way possible. With maximum PTSD. He started the ep casual, having fun with Lucy. Even bringing up Isabel at a UC convention without it bothering him. Then Mack showed up and dominoes started to fall and haven't stopped. This scene is his boiling point with good reason.

From Mack who’s his friend forcing him to relieve his trauma with Isabel. Having to make an ethical call about his career due to him becoming an addict. To Lucy going undercover which he feels she was roped into. She wasn’t but he’s not exactly thinking straight right now. It's what happens when our emotions drown us. The logical part of our brain disconnects and all that’s left is intense suffocating emotion. Lashing out trying to get some semblance of control.

We also need to remember the last time he was involved in a UC op Isabel was shot in the head. Almost died. His PTSD is crying out in his scene. Harper tries to calm Tim down by saying she volunteered, Grey approved it and she has the best backup she could possibly have. The thing is though no matter of logic is going to penetrate his panic right now. Tim telling Harper she’s using Lucy and he’s losing his mind over it. He felt Isabel was used in her OP and now those feelings are bleeding over into Lucy’s. He is showing all his cards emotionally in this scene. The sheer terror he feels over Lucy going under cover. He doesn't want to lose her to same thing.

I love the writers for tapping back into these issues of his. They don’t just go away. They tend to linger on for a long time. They’ve left deep scars on him. This shows how raw this nerve still is for Tim. Now to top his day off they’re throwing his person into the one thing he fears the most. Lucy has become the one constant in his life. This incredibly resilient sunshine person that has become so important to him. He can’t stand the thought of being hurt or worse. His fears from 2x19 echoing in this scene. About not being about to protect her. To losing her and him having no say in the result.

I don’t think Tim even understands why he’s reacting this way. Most of their relationship he is like this. Acts without understanding the why behind it. Only that it is a driving force for him. It's not until 4x22 he starts to understand why he acts the way he does with her. He only knows right now it’s instinctual and he can’t stop himself from letting it out.

Lucy looks absolutely crushed by the time he says his line about her being used. The look they share before before he walks away. It's crushing to say the least. We all know how badly she wants to impress him. For him to be proud of her and what she’s accomplished to even be in this OP. Tim has always had her back. Supported her and truly seen her as a person. Had unrelenting faith in her this entire time. To not have that in this moment is rocking her entire world.

I adore Nyla for how she helps Lucy after Tim hastily departs. She’s the best mentor Lucy could have. I love these moments between them. The way she tells her it’s Tim’s issues not her. (It’s true but also it being Lucy adds tons of fuel to the fire for him) Lucy feeling stupid for wanting him to be proud. Harper is so wonderful in validating how she is feeling.

Doesn’t shame her for wanting Tim’s approval. That he got her this far. It makes sense she would want that. Tells her there is NOTHING wrong with it. Such a good scene for them. Why I love their dynamic so much. Harper is so good for Lucy and her confidence building. She covers what Tim can't. What I love about it. These were the scenes I was so excited to get to once she was on the show for these reviews.

Tim and Nolan have joined the op to surveil overhead. No way in hell he wasn’t going to be apart of this. I'm sure after that scene with Harper no one was going to stand in his way. Also how else could obsessively keep his eye on her if he’s at the station? Hehe Nolan thinks he’s helping by comforting Tim in this scene. Sorry John you don’t know him like that and his replies show it.

He is gruff, deflects and is cocky in his replies. All things he does with those he’s not comfortable around. Only Lucy gets soft Tim. I will commend Nolan for having the balls to say anything though. The gall of Tim to say 'Who said I was worried?’ Uh only anyone who’s interacted with you since this whole thing started. LOL The way you bit off Harpers head in front of a room full of people. But sure love you’re not worried…

Eric is so amazing in this scene. His face says the opposite of 'not worried' His stiff body language encompassing all his immense worry. Side note let’s not ignore the amazing shots of his jawline in this scene. Could cut glass on that thing. All scruffy too mmm love it lick it like a lollipop. Ahem anyways...His continued annoyance with Nolan shows as the scene goes on.

Especially when he tells Tim about how Lucy can handle herself. Tim is VERY aware of how capable she is. It’s why he’s a little offended in his reply. He seems annoyed Nolan even mentions she can handle it. As if he's telling Tim this for the first time. Like he hasn't ridden with her pretty much every day for a year plus. He's watched her develop into who she is now. He knows dude. Nobody knows it better than Tim Bradford how damn capable she is ya schmuck...(Oops my Nolan annoyance is showing) It’s what shakes him the most with her interest in UC. That she’s going to excel at it and that scares the hell out of him.

He is playing the worried husband to the letter. Easy Tim your feelings are showing. Showing enough that John Nolan who is usually scared of you is commenting on it. John is doing it to comfort Tim which I respect. But for Tim when it's not Lucy he isn't as receptive. As I stated about earlier he is only going to deflect, be cocky and gruff in his replies. Hence his line above. Tim isn’t going to be able to relax or breathe till she’s on the other side of this. So until then he is going to ward off Nolan and his compassion by being self assured. That he trained her so he’s not “worried". Whatever gets you through love.

Lucy acts like a complete bad ass during the whole thing. No surprise. Gets pulled into the limo with the boss and holds her own. Even speaks Tagalog impressing Salonga even further. Writes out the formula and preserves the OP. Doesn’t take long before she’s released and they’re given the money. That’s when everyone swoops in and arrests everyone. I read in theflyingdutchwoman’s amazing analysis in their anatomy Of a scene series (if you haven't read her stuff I highly recommend it) about Tim bailing on his post during this section. I couldn’t agree more I have no doubt the minute she stepped into that limo his ass was off that rooftop immediately. Ready to go when she needed him.

Tim is in fierce protector mode until he reaches Lucy. Then breathes a sigh of relief. Morphing into soft Tim instantly. Only for her. He quietly asks her if she’s ok? That small set of words exposing EVERYTHING about how he’s feeling. The anxiety and how stressed he was till this moment. She nods fervently and his body continues to relax. What follows this is so sweet. Let’s admire the way he holds her cuffed hands.

How gentle he is with her as he escorts her to the shop. He could have put his hands on her arms or elbow like Nyla got with Nolan. But then Nolan isn’t in in love with Nyla…He legit held her hands all the way to the patrol car. I love it sfm. Like he needed to do this to ground himself after the adrenaline rush he just experienced. Proving to himself that she’s there. She’s safe and he can relax.

Then comes the more beautiful part of the scene and really the episode if you ask me. Lucy isn’t expecting anything from Tim in this moment. Last time she saw him was his outburst about her even doing this. Then in the most Tim Bradford-esc way he voices how very proud he is of her. By telling her ‘You did good.’ To anyone else might not mean much. Or seem like much. To Lucy Chen it means the entire world. She knows Tim’s hang ups with UC. The demons he had arise with this. She also knows he’s putting aside those feelings to let her know he’s proud of her. Which is HUGE.

Because at the end of the day this OP was about Lucy and building her confidence in this area. He wants her to know that and does so. She craves his approval and support so much. Let’s not forget she grew up in an emotionally abusive household as well. Parents who withheld praise and support for anything she did. Never proud her. (I know that life) It’s why Tim’s approval means so damn much to her.

Why she lives and strives for it. Tim has had nothing but unconditional faith and support in her since day one. When he blew up about her doing this she thought she had lost that. These three words restore that for her. I don’t think Tim even knew the depth of how much him being proud of her meant. Ugh these idiots. I love them and their slow burn sfm. To round out the scene I adore Nyla’s wink at the end. She is also so very proud of Lucy. Handled herself like a damn pro. I love her so much for the impact she has on Lucy it’s unreal.

Poor Tim (said this a lot but seriously this ep is hard on him) has the episode end pretty roughly for him. Beth comes to find him and rip him a new one. Tim tells her he can’t excuse the past. But this is now and he stands by what he did. It calls back to 3x04 when he was telling Lucy the same thing. That he can’t fix what he did then but would make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

This situation is proof of that. Doing for Mack what he should’ve done for Isabel. It’s awful to watch her tear him apart. But the right thing and the easy thing are rarely the same. Unfortunately this is very true for Tim in this instance. He ends this ep on a low note and I just wanna hug him.

For Lucy it ends better. She makes up the report for Tamara by providing not just herself but Nyla and June for her repot as well. It’s cute to watch Tamara absorb all their banter. I love Lucy’s speech here it’s so good. Praising the women next to her in a way Tamara is revering them all. It's perfect way to the ep for them both. Such a good one.

~~~~

Side notes-non chenford

I love the introduction of Silas. I think that’s it’s didn’t really care about Nolan’s classes SL tbh. But cool castle reunion.

Thank you always to those who like, reblog and comment. Make creating these reviews so worth it shall see you all in 3x07 :)

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snirtsnirkarts · 4 months

Text

The Adventure continues!

That is, until they’s stumped in the small town of Ponyville on their way to update the princess and see the wonderbolts! Many mysteries about that place. But given their trio would be stuck for a while, they get comfortable for the time being. Twilight investigating their history, the ever free forest, and many more. Pinkie trying very food in town, and making parties for every new friend in town. And Rainbow would tag along, although of course is rather distracted by an earth pony giving her rather nasty looks…

There was allegedly an on going Freud between some farmers and a veterinarian, of sorts. Something about getting rid of bats and missing apples.

We eventually meet Apple Jack, who doesn’t like these strange creatures coming into her town. The only normal seeming on being Twilight, who had no interest in talking with others, but seemed to have the two creatures following her around everywhere. Apple Jack was worried for that unicorn for a while. Until it turned out she was strange too. Strangely powerful, raising a baby dragon, lack any social skills. She doesn’t trust not a one of them, until of course, Rainbow, determined to be liked by ponies, and prove a point to AJ for judging them by how they look, offers to help solve her Vampire Fruit Bat problem. AJ is rather suspect and stubborn about not needing their help, but she did desperately need this to stop.

That is where we meet Fluttershy! She would avoid the trio and successfully evade them for a while. But Pinkie would find out she hadn’t made friends with one pony. They actually found them arguing one day(Well, as much as you could call AJ yelling at Fluttershy while she just stood there and gave soft answers arguing). What makes her come out of her shell of course, is the baby dragon. She’d never seen one before and was absolutely obsessed, asking Twilight for all the information she had. Which, lucky for Fluttershy and Twilight alike, Twilight loved talking about her research, and she had researched a lot on dragons, and was raising one. Of course Twilight knew a lot.

Finally, it is revealed that the culprit of the missing apples was Fluttershy all along! (Same reasons in season 4 ep 7 Bats!, although this time not much of a cure for her looks. That’s why she’d hidden her wings and ears) probably through Twilight’s magic they’d fine a way for her to manage herself better. Effectively solving AJ’s problem.

Eventually they go to leave town, but not before Fluttershy and AJ would join them, Fluttershy seeing they’re traveling and wanting to learn more about other animals and creatures, and them being the only friends she really made. Plus she promised Twilight to help babysit Spike, so of course Twilight was delighted to have someone who wouldn’t be burdensome on her trip. AJ using the excuse that she’d think selling around would bring more business to her Apple farm, the truth being these were very strange ponies, and she wants to keep a close eyes on them. One of the reasons they were in Ponyville was to get a cart, as they were collecting quite a few things along the way, and it’d be much easier for them. AJ agrees to pull it, as long as her Apple business could fit inside. And it did. AJ would also adjust their stops to pick up more apples at other family’s farms. And we effectively have AJ and Fluttershy join the fray!

On, but I forgot to mention one person, who’d actually appeared through out their trip, selling her fashion line to gain traction, and traveling herself to better learn all of the fashion trends from around all of Equestia! Rarity they would meet at a market around the wonderbolts performance. Pinkie would be the one to recognize her, even if she did stand out as a Zebra. Zebras didn’t normally live in these areas. Rarity finally really approaches them when she sees Fluttershy, and her outfit. (Fluttershy hides that she was from the city, and a rich family. She knew a thing or two about fashion, and even more so about sewing) Rarity compliments it although complains about being unable to see Fluttershy’s cutie mark, and furthermore her wings! They were incredibly stunning, one of a kind. Rarity would be the one to encourage her to change her outfit to show her further, to give Fluttershy a makeover because she should feel proud of who she is.

Now Rarity would ask why they were traveling, having herself seen them about. And by hearing it, now Rarity wanted to tag along. She wanted to go those places in any case, and now with Fluttershy she could help Rarity with her work, and be her model! And Rarity would tell them of her own childhood legend, as her home was not somewhere on the list, but Twilight would now add it to find out about this one as well. Sounding like another of The Six Pillars. Lucky they had Rarity too, because it was hard and dangerous to get there if you don’t have someone who knows the way.

With Rarity eventually warming up to AJ, she too will get a knew haircut, as Rarity promises it will look nice, and stay out of the way of AJ’s hard work. That’s something that happens a little later and probably plays out similarly to Look Before You Sleep(season 1 ep 8) I hadn’t really decided on when Rainbow will be revealed, just know it’ll be dramatic. Since Changlings are still evil in this story. It think it’ll have to be when they eventually visit the crystal kingdom or a magic free area where changling magic just isn’t affective.

But that concludes how I imaged each of the Main Six would join the party! And of course how I think they’d look. I hope you all enjoyed and thank you for taking the time to look!

#snirtsnirkarts #mlp #mlp au #mlp fim #mlp redesign #mlp friendship is magic #my little pony adventures: the lost pillars #my little pony redesign #my little pony au #my little pony friendship is magic #my little pony adventures au #my little pony adventures #my little pony #my litte pony friendship is magic

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fordp1nes · 13 days

Note

Forrr Gravity Falls! :]

📌 how did you find your hyperfixation?

💕 tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!

💔 tell us about one of your LEAST favorite characters and why you dislike them.

💎 are there any fun facts or trivia that you would like to share?

HIIIIIII (link to game)

📌 how did you find your hyperfixation?

we'd have been very young at the time! the first time we watched gravity falls was around when it first aired on disney channel. i think i've mentioned this once or twice before but we grew up watching it (which is why it's currently subsuming my online persona as hard as it is)

💕 tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!

10 points if you can guess who this is going to be about. FORD my darling my angel my sweetheart <- terrible man. ford is sooooo fucked up. he's got Sibling Problems and Accidental Plurality Problems (closely tied to his I Summoned A Demon And Now We're Exes Problems). i happen to also have many of these problems.

ok now for actual reasons. ford is my favorite character because if you aren't paying enough attention he can pass as Kind Of Normal. and then you finish season 2, or you get yourself a copy of journal 3, or you read book of bill, and he gets SO MUCH WORSE. he literally summoned a guy when literally everything around him was practically screaming DO NOT SUMMON THIS GUY. he is immensely petty and pedantic. his superiority complex is literally more fragile than tissue paper but also he is the most stubborn man on god's green earth. and they made him aromantic. God bless

💔 tell us about one of your LEAST favorite characters and why you dislike them.

ooh this is interesting! i'm not really sure if i have any least favorite characters. gideon is too charming and funny for me to dislike him, and pacifica has a similar charm to her. i honestly can't think of any charNEVERMIND I JUST REMEMBERED FUCK FILBRICK PINES. FUCK that guy. filbrick pines i do not like him. but that's mostly a grudge thing for tearing apart the stan twins but EVEN THEN he's still like integral to that whole story. i dislike filbrick on a personal level but on a story level i respect him

💎 are there any fun facts or trivia that you would like to share?

here are some more Fun Ford Facts ripped from journal 3

was bit by an oversized bat, began sampling both human and animal blood. it was not a vampire bat. it was a fruit bat.

owns at least 4 pairs of six-fingered gloves; the ones knitted for him by fiddleford in book of bill, the electric ones he uses to zap the octopus . thing. in DD&MD, the yellow pair used to prevent radiation exposure (borrowed by stan), and the black pair he wears that's used to fool bill in weirdmageddon part 3

used to scramble fiddleford's rubik's cube on purpose just to fuck with him. considered making it unsolvable to fuck with him even more. In Journal Three The Rubik's Cube Is A Metaphor For Fiddleford's Mental State. fascinating behavior

regularly writes out paragraphs just to intentionally scratch them out and replace them with something else for dramatic effect

got depression when visiting the "do-over dimension"

invented a symbol cipher he calls "fordese" that bill later hijacks and uses for himself in book of bill

created his own constellation shaped like bill. named it "william"

#bluposting #team answers #r1ngfinger #ask game

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clockworksteel · 28 days

Text

The Void Rains Upon Her Heart: Guardians

Another monster type: this time the Guardians. As usual, this is the surface level lore aimed at allowing non-players to understand the universe a little in case of multifandom RP or something, not a deep dive, and I'll use [] when I'm citing an in-game source.

Guardians are associated with Red Tetrids, the tetrids of Frustration. From our Tetrid-Memory-based overview, we learn that Guardians are mutated versions of the planet's wildlife. They're always much larger, and every species has at least one. They guard specific areas for unknown reasons, thus the name [Two Red Bonus Gift]. The areas they guard are referred to as Guardian Zones, and they head straight for the nearest zone as soon as they start mutating, overriding their species' "usual habits and instincts" [Three Red Bonus Gift].

They're one of the three monster types that lacks a "Zaranoid" form, and will look the same when conversing with the player as they do in battle, besides that Roundsaw takes her sawblade off [Wrath of Roundsaw Event: My Notes].

This might be approaching deep lore, but just to have one other thing to say in general besides "they are big creatures" I want to bring up the "newborn" Guardian monster, Guardian Soul. Newborn monsters are always some hazy shape in the color of the monster's symbol, which is also their Tetrid-association. The "My Notes" on Guardian Soul indicate she's incorporeal, and is looking for a place to fit in, after having "been born lost and angry". Her Burden says "Where should I go? Why am I asking that? I need to go somewhere? But where do I need to go? And why?" while her Blessing says "This feeling… I need to go protect something. Why does it need to be protected? And why do I have to do it? Because, I am the only one who can." It seems to me like the mutations Guardians undergo may not be random genetics in action, but perhaps a result of fusing together with a spirit that feels a duty to guard somewhere, although I cannot cite anything in game that says this is definitely the case.

I guess while I'm on the subject of unusual Guardian monsters, Ruby, who is actually made of Tetrid motes and is only an honorary Guardian [Ruby: My Notes], has this to say about Frustration and its opposite: Burden: So this is the feeling of frustration? It feels very painful, but it can also be used as a fuel to take action and change the situation. So long as it's kept under control Be very careful with this one. Blessing: So this is the feeling of content? This is a wonderful feeling. It is the feeling of having everything you could ever hope for. At least for a moment. Many others have so much more than you, and yet they still can't feel this. You are very lucky.

For regular representatives of Guardians, I've selected Lila and Roundsaw.

Lila is an "avioc", a species that can be described as eyeballs with bat wings. She's very shy and easily spooked, but likes sweet fruit and can be befriended with some [Lila: My Notes]. She also has bad days where she's even more shy [Shy Lila: My Notes]. If I recall her event properly, Orange Tetrids taste like sweet fruit to her, so they're her favorite.

Roundsaw is a "meerstalk", which is a segmented reptile that lives all throughout The Pit [Saw Bloom Power Gift]. "She uses this rare and dangerous flower as a weapon and has quite the temper", which is why they call her Roundsaw [still the Saw Bloom Power Gift] "A severe lack of affection has caused her to explode into fits of rage" [Roundsaw: My Notes]. Fortunately, as mentioned earlier since she's the only Guardian I'm aware of to change appearance during events, she will put the saw bloom away and can be hugged once loved in the dreamscape.

Other guardians include a couple 4-legged mites, a spiky sandworm, a spiky lavaworm, and a tall plant. Maybe I should've discussed one of the mites considering the green one, Rendy, is basically a mascot for the game. Oh well, let's get some screenshots in here and call it a post.

Lila (What a cutie! So small it's easy to drop your combo if you move too much.)

Roundsaw (So fierce! That saw does extreme damage!)

Guardian Soul (Can't be touched! Still deals contact damage in dreams!)

#the void rains upon her heart

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gale-gentlepenguin · 2 years

Text

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5 episode 16 Protection

(This review is conducted without all episodes being released. So be warned that if you want to view the episodes in order. Avoid reading until caught up.)

-Still wish I understood how Lila tricked Kagami into friendship. It feels wrong

-I will give Lila credit on her manipulative words. She still horrible tho

-How dare she trick Kagami like this

-So the whole class just decided to dedicate themselves completely to hooking these two up?

-I love how everyone is like "Since you two are Awkward af, we are here to assist"

-I love the manga they drew for it. Its very shojo

-These plans are amazing. They basically recruiting Paris to handle this

-I love how Adrien and Marinette are reading this like a script and asking questions

-Did they seriously draw the wedding and them having kids? My gravy these kids ship these two almost as much as I do... ALMOST

-I love the Adrien with mustache bits

-As someone who has been in middle school and helps teach Middle schoolers in his volunteer hours. I can attest that this is basically how cringe middle schoolers are

-I like how this is based off Manga, fairy tales and hollywood. And they are cutting to asking questions that the other is asking

-I want this framed so when ever I see a bad and stupid take about adrien being awful I cant simply link this image.

-"If you expect him to do something, you are mistaken" Kagami out here calling adrien out. Damn

-I love that it turned out to be as cringey as it sounded.

-What do they mean replace luka @is-nino-actually-luka how can Nino not play guitar? I need to know the truth

-Also Adrien and Marinette are just sitting and listening to all of this fall apart, even both in sync about wanting to leave.

-Marinette sweetie, it isnt your fault. The situation was just REALLY CRINGE

_____________________________________________________

-Gabriel and Tomoe talking about the Diamond ball

-Gabriel admitting that he is dying

-Kagami and Adrien talking

-Adrien feels bad about not noticing Marinette's feelings and doesnt know how to make her feel less self conscious about it

-Seriously how can people hate adrien, boy is like cinnamon butter

-The parents walking in thinking Adrien is being passionate about him and Kagami. But thats not the case at all

-"Perfection for perfection" Me talking about my ships

-Oh no, they heard the Marinette part, so much for the happiness of an arranged dynamic

-Kagami looking at adrien acting all determined and forward and is like "Man, now this is the type of adrien I wanted"

-Marinette expecting the worst and tikki is like "Girl, Calm yo tits its fine"

-Marinette is like "Your right Tikki, no more complicated plans. I am not even gonna change."

-"You dumb ho You are in pjs"

-You know what, I respect Marinette. Girl didnt even freak out. She is like "You know what. I am going in Pjs"

-Ah yes, Gabriel and Tomoe arguing that their Children creation arent obeying them

-Tomoe basically saying "Solve this before you die bitch"

______________________________________________

-Gorrilla just eating a bowl of fruit

-"You and Kagami are... of the same design." Either this is some sort of elitist Bulls*** or implication of Sentimonsters

-Okay I am ready to throw hands at Gabriel

-Adrien dropping in a Mom reference to dismiss his father's claims. Good on him

-He did the ring thing! How DARE!!! Gabriel you have SUCH a punchable face

-Adrien NO! DONT DO IT

-Wow... I did not see that coming. Marinette reasoned that it was Gabriel and didnt even bat an eye. I am impressed

-Nathalie listening to Adrien vent about not having a relationship with Marinette and is like "Bitch WHAT?!"

-Nathalie using the OTHER control ring to tell adrien "F*** what your dad thinks, Go kiss that girl"

-I love how Marinette is just being ridiculously adamant about wearing PJs today. She is an inspiration

-Adrien helped her sneak in? Adrien sneaking in girls? My how the angel has become a badboy.

-AND G packed them a picnic. I love it

-Adrien realized she is wearing PJs.

-HE WENT TO CHANGE INTO PJS TOO! That is love right there

-Adrien really be bringing the romance

-I love it

___________________________________________________________

-Gabriel knows he cant take Nathalie in a fight and thats the reason he just accepts it and walks away. But yea the wording of this does not help but say "Sentimonster"

-Kagami, baby girl... of all the people you could vent to... You picked the WORST PERSON

-Lila f***ing knows Gabriel is Monarch, because thats the only explaination as to why she is telling Gabriel all this crap

-Thats RIGHT Kagami. Marinette is a good girl. Dont believe her lies

-Lila really out here acting like a Marinette salter.

-You know what? This is the type of Manipulation I want to see from Lila. Little twists of things to make it seem true. This is what Lila should have been in season 3

-Irony

-Lila twisted the knife enough for Monarch to act

-Wait why did the red face thing appear BEFORE the akuma showed up?

-And Lila does nothing to stop the akumatization because thats what she wanted

-Oh so thats why its called protection. She gets a sword AND Shield... Pokemon is now available near you

_____________________

-Back to the Adrinette. Daww they cloud watching now. This is cute

-Oh my, that cloud was kissing which means...

-We are about to get an ALMOST KISS!

-Omg its so f***ing cute you guys.

-WAIT! Are they holding hands... before marriage? and no protection? Scandalous

-Gabriel can see this you know...

-Yo this music is pretty choice. Hopefully nothing ruins this moment

-Kagami. COULD YOU NOT

-Adrien put in so much effort for this. and Marinette was trying really hard. Kagami doesnt understand

-G COMING IN CLUTCH

-Oh thank goodness, I thought she was gonna skewer him

-Marinette trying to reach out and help but is denied because Lila and akuma twisting the emotional knife

-Adrien really being on the ball today. PROTECT YO GIRL!

-Oh so its one per person.

-Chat noir. I too would be happy to see him

-Adrien trying to talk no jutsu out of this

-She is hoping he uses cataclysm before he thinks

-Thank goodness it isnt awkward between them after Elation... I kind of wish it was. Because it would have been funny

-The charm is Olive oil

-Gonna be honest, that seemed a bit too easy to break

-But it was funny

-So Ladybug tried to give her the charm, but Kagami wont take it, so she left to become Marinette. Then chat noir did the same

-Adrien complimenting another girl, great for my ship but not good for Kagami's heart right now

-NO BABY GIRL DONT CRY

-Oh kagami dear. She needs 100 hugs.

-She loves them both! I also would settle on Adrigaminette

-Adrien complimenting another girl, great for

-Now their picnic is sad now

-But yea the mood kind of got ruined after that. Dont blame them

-Lila once again slid past Kagami. I really do want Kagami to find out the truth

____________________________________________________________

Overall I liked the fluff.

But the more episodes I see the more I am convinced the sentimonster bulls*** is real

I REALLY want to be wrong. And I know we probably arent going to get a full on 100% confirmation on if they are or arent sentimonsters because if in season 6 they want to back pedal they can

The music in this episode was really good (the ost not the band playing)

I also really like Kagami's development and my heart breaks for her

8/10

I still have some problems with this but the Adrinette is on point and the character development was on point.

Though I swear if Gabriel gets a redemption I will manifest into the show an kill him with my bare hands

#protection spoilers #ml protection #ml spoilers #miraculous ladybug season 5 #gale reviews

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w0lp3rtinger · 2 years

Text

Making Mischief Ch 2

WOOOOO HERE WE GO!

@shadowsfascination and @shadamyheadcanons were a huge help when it came to editing this. I greatly appreciate their patience in dealing with my scattered little brain <3 (You can also read the whole thing, as well as my other works, on Deviantart!) I'm going to try to get this all done by the 31st of October though, for obvious reasons. No more than 2,000 words-ish a chapter. I'm trying ;_;

Anyway, ye, Happy All Hallow's Eve!

---

They could smell the bonfire before they even made it through the treeline.

"Remember, you're not going to say anything," Amy pointed a finger at Cream as she handed over the bag Vanilla sent them with. "That was the deal."

Cream took the handles, Cheese adjusting themself on her shoulder as she huffed. "I know."

"And you're not going to try and be cute and oh-so-accidentally get me found out, right?"

Cream looked away at that.

"Cream-"

"Okay, okay, I promise!"

Amy sighed, letting her posture relax even as she took two large duffel bags of decorations in hand. The golden poplars and thick pines swayed overhead in a breeze that carried with it the laughter down the way. Amy could see the little dirt path, now lined with jack-o-lanterns, connecting the parking lot to their ultimate destination.

She paused, shifting where she stood.

“Hey, Cream.”

Cream gave Amy a tired look from under her brows. Amy couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Listen, I love you, okay?”

Cream pursed her lips at that, looking down at her shoes as she kicked the gravel. “Yeah, I know.”

“And we are still going to have a bunch of fun today. That is my promise to you, alright? I may want to do some other stuff, but you,” Amy bent low, nuzzling her brow into the spot between Cream’s ears, “you are still stuck with me.”

“Okay, okay!” Cream laughed as Cheese began to bat at Amy’s bangs, “I get it!”

“Good! You better! Or I’m gonna have to keep reminding you!”

“Nooo!”

“With baked goods and snuggles and so! Many! Noggin noogies!”

“Nooooo!”

They laughed then, taking the path road together. Through the trees they walked, the sounds of soft soil underfoot mixed with the crunch of leaves. The distant sounds of the festival got louder.

Finally, their feet hit sand.

Before them, the scene opened up to the beach crowded with people. All of the trees lining the beach dripped with homemade decorations: cutouts of bats and pumpkins, garlands of pinecones and dried fruits. The air was thick with the smell of ocean salt and spices and carried with it the laughter of small children as they ran, costumed head to toe, across the sand. Further away at the grey water’s edge, a small band played a jaunty tune that a circle of dancers fell into step with.

Amy breathed it in, grinning, scanning the scene. With a jolt of excitement, she saw their spot to the left just before the end of the little cove, and there, a splash of blue.

“Hey,” she nudged Cream, “help me drop this stuff off, and then you can go play.”

Cream, vibrating with excitement, nodded and bolted away with Amy hot on her heels. They ducked and weaved through the crowd, laughing as they went.

“Hello!” Cream cheered, throwing herself and Cheese at the picnic blanket spread out atop the sand as little paper bats swayed above her in the branches.

Amy dropped her bags next to Cream’s, swallowing her heartbeat as she swept her bangs out of her eyes to get a better view. “Hey Sonic! We brought goodies!”

“Hey, you two!” Sonic grinned as he climbed down from the tree, one hand still full of little ornaments. “Glad you could make it!”

“Yeah?” Amy could feel the excitement building already. She let her foot pull back, the toe bouncing atop the sand as she clasped her hands behind her back to hide the shaking. “Well, glad you could make it too!”

“Oh, well, there was no way I was gonna miss.” Sonic said with a wave of his free hand, turning towards the woods as he called out, “Hey, Knuckles! Amy and Cream are here!”

There was a rustle between the trees, and with that, Knuckles stood up with a pile of branches in his arms, an oni mask sliding awkwardly down his face.

“About time you two showed up!”

Amy smirked as she watched Knuckles shuffle towards them, rolling her eyes. “Knuckles, we’re early.”

“Coulda fooled me.”

“You mad you got tricked into getting firewood by yourself?”

“What?” he cocked his head, “No, I wasn’t tricked into anything, we…”

Knuckles paused, then whirled around and threw a branch at Sonic, who laughed as he climbed higher up the tree.

“You did trick me into doing this by myself!”

“No! I did not! I said you were better at finding things than I was, which is why you should get the firewood! What are treasure hunters for, right?”

“Yeah, so you could get the easy job of just hanging out in a tree and decorating!”

“Hey, it’s not as easy as you think!” Sonic put his nose in the air, “Gotta get the look just right.”

Knuckles huffed, ducking his head, but Amy could still see his smile.

“I can help you once I get all this stuff laid out,” she said, plucking a blade of grass from his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it,” he muttered. “I’m not mad. I just wanted to throw a stick at him.”

“Of course you did.”

“Hey!” Cream bounced as she scooched closer, Cheese clutching her shoulder as she did so, “ Hey, hey Mr. Knuckles! Mr. Sonic! Look at my costume!”

Knuckles set the sticks down with a thud, dusting his hands. “Very well done. Did you sew that yourself!”

“Yes!”

“Ah, look at you!” Sonic called down, laughing. “Scarier than last year!”

Cream sat up straight, hands on her hips as she jutted out her chin. However, just as she opened her mouth to answer, a cannonball of yellow and white flew out of the tree and slammed into the sand. In a flash, Tails unfurled himself, hands high over his head, his twin tails bushy and large.

“Boo!”

Cream screamed, kicking out with one leg as she did so. The sole of her shoe collided with Tails’ shin, and he fell in an instant.

“Oh! Oh no! I’m sorry!” Cream’s hands went to her mouth, and Cheese circled Tails as he inspected the damage.

The boy’s mummy costume had taken about as big of a hit as he had. It slipped over his eyes, tangling his upper arms as he tried to right himself. Both Knuckles and Sonic laughed, Sonic so much so he dropped the ornaments he had been holding. They fluttered down and onto the scene as Amy, with her hands on her hips, fought against her own laughter.

“Tails, you could have hurt her if you weren’t careful!”

“Hurt her? She just kicked me!”

Cream crossed her arms. “Self-defense.”

Amy cracked at that, even as she rolled her eyes, “Both of you, apologize.”

They groaned, their mumbled apologies quickly overtaken by giggles as they went careening through the throngs of people to go play with a group of kids engaged in a heated battle of tag. Amy smiled as she watched them, crossing her arms as she took in the view. The gulls squawked overhead, and everywhere her eyes drifted, a slate-gray autumn sea framed the moment like a weathered picture frame.

“You couldn’t have asked for a better day,” she said, turning to Sonic.

“No kidding. It’s not even that windy, so nobody has to worry about sleeves on their costumes.” He flipped the collar of his black and red cape as he struck a pose. “I don’t think I look as cool in this when I have to wear a shirt.”

A giggle slipped from Amy before she could stop it. Knuckles threw her a side eye, and she felt herself break into a blush.

“Ah-actually! Glad you mentioned that!” Amy threw her hands out, twirling as she did so, “Notice anything different this year?”

Sonic snapped his fingers, “Easy, witch hat! You’re matching Cream this year!”

“Well… well yes, but- anything else?”

Knuckles looked between the two of them. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but Sonic cut him off.

“Uuuuh, oh!” He pointed, “I like the jagged edge you put on it! Normally, you do lace! This is a lot scarier!”

“Yeaaaah,” Amy swayed side to side. “What else?”

“Oh jeez, I don’t know, why?”

Amy smiled, gritting her teeth. “We match, Sonic.”

“What?”

“We match.”

“No we don’t. I’m a vampire, see?” He hooked the side of his mouth with a finger and pulled his lips back, revealing a fake fang.

Knuckles ran a hand down his face.

“No, Sonic.” Amy huffed, “Not theme, colors. Look.”

With one hand on her hip, she gestured between the two of them. Sonic blinked, face blank, and if it wasn’t for that stern look Knuckles was giving her, she would have grabbed the stupid cape he was wearing and held it up to her dress to make it easier for him to notice. Just as she was feeling the last of her patience start to fray, the light came on in Sonic’s eyes. He gasped, grinning, feet bouncing in excitement as he began to jog lightly in place.

“We match!” Sonic said, eyes bright.

“Yeah, we do!” Amy laughed, a wave of adoration washing over her as she took his excitement in, “I was hoping you’d like it.”

“Like it? I love it!”

Knuckles looked at him, startled, “Really?”

“R-Really?” Amy’s heart leapt into her throat.

“Yeah! Oh man, this is perfect!”

“Well-”

“Who told you the plan?”

Amy felt her breath catch, “What?”

“Probably Silver,” Sonic said with a wave of his hand, digging through one of the bags as he continued, “He was all excited. Maybe a little too excited. Can’t fault the guy, though. Hey, speaking of, have you seen any of the others?”

She couldn’t speak. The words felt as though they had grown roots in her throat. Knuckles sighed.

“Sonic, Silver, and Shadow decided at the last second to all match this year,” he said. “That’s what he’s talking about.”

“Oh…” Amy’s voice was quiet. She wrapped her arms around herself as she rubbed them for warmth.

Sonic laughed, “Well I think you just made his whole day! He’s gonna be really happy once he sees this, right! Ah man, you gotta hide once Silver shows up. Don’t let him see you until I’m there, okay?”

Amy nodded.

“Thanks, Amy! Oo! Chocolate!” And with that, he snatched a plastic container from the bag and zoomed back up the tree.

Amy could feel Knuckles shift beside her.

“I am… so sorry.”

“You told me he’d be wearing his cape!” She threw her arms in the air as she hissed, her whisper harsh even as she tried to keep Sonic from hearing, “You didn’t say everyone would be wearing the same cape!”

“That only happened because Silver heard about when Shadow and Sonic wore the same cape by accident a few years ago and he got the idea in his head.”

Amy groaned, letting her head fall against the nearest tree with a heavy thud.

“To be fair, you two do still match.”

“Shut up,” she grumbled, “Just shut up.”

She could hear Knuckles sigh as he patted her back.

#shadow the hedgehog #amy rose #amy the hedgehog #halloween #library #sonic #sega #sth #shadamy #shadowxamy #knuckles the enchilada #sonic the hedgehog #tails the fox #miles tails prower #cream the rabbit #cheese the chao

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theoracleofgiana · 1 year

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Home of the Lost; Chapter Three; Tense Situations

(Chapter 3 has been finished. I wrote it then lost all of it, so here is the rewrite. Word count is 2,899. Tw: Zombies, cussing, talk about killing, spiraling. I hope you enjoy!)

Six years. The apocalypse started on January 15th. Did Emil have Elizabeth before it started? Did he have a partner and that's why they're going to Yellowstone? Did someone abandon a not even one-year-old baby? How did he take care of a baby in the apocalypse? A thousand thoughts go through Julian's head. It must be obvious on his face how Emil barks a laugh.

“Before you ask a million questions,” Emil says with a playful look daring Julian to disagree. “I found Liz the day before the apocalypse.” Julian lets out a small gasp and Emil ignores it. “I had friends to help me take care of her until she was old enough to travel. Then, we took off,” Emil lets out a self-deprecating laugh. “I wonder if she'll grow up to hate me for it.” Julian's heart clenches at the sad look on the man's face. He gently grabs Emil's face and looks him right in the eyes. “Emil, you're a wonderful father,” Julian is practically pleading but, he wants Emil to understand how much he means to Elizabeth. To him.

Emil seems to understand for now and gently bats Julian's hands away. “Yeah, sure,” He says with a slight blush. “You too.” Julian smiles at that. Deciding that was enough heavy topics for the night, Julian asks about Emil's favorite color. Emil lightly smacks him for the cliche question but, if Emil is always smiling and laughing brightly, Julian can't bring himself to care. He wants to make the brown-haired man happy all the time.

They talk about little things and life that no longer exists. Julian's eyes begin to droop and they call it a night. They head back to find the defenses undisturbed. It makes both of them relieved. They enter the room and barricade the door once inside. For extra protection, Emil had reasoned. Julian was too tired to argue or agree. He simply did as told so he could go to bed. Once everything's set up, he lays down next to Soul and smiles fondly at the teen's peaceful sleeping face. Julian drifts to sleep soon after.

The next morning he is woken up by a hyper kid and a semi-hyper teen chasing him. Emil stands off to the side packing things up. Julian sits up slowly trying to remember all that has happened. He rubs his eyes as the memories come back. His stomach growls and he tries to recall if he ate dinner. He comes up empty. When he finally coaxes his eyes open, he notices some jerky, fruit, and a protein bar next to him. Emil's airy chuckle startles him and he finds the man closer to him. Julian swears his heart skips a beat.

“Figured you needed some extra,” Emil explains as Julian stares at the food. He takes the jerky and starts eating it. Once his thoughts are more aware he decides to chat with Emil. “How long was I asleep?” Emil hums before responding. “Not too long. Besides we did stay up late,” That gives Julian pause. “How come you're awake then?”

“The kids, and I'm just used to staying up.”

”What do you mean?“

”Oh, you know, different experiences.“

”Now, what's that supposed to mean?!“

Emil gives Julian a look that makes the auburn man shut up. As much as Julian wanted to disagree, Emil was correct in the fact Julian wasn't used to staying up late. Luckily for both of them, the kids interrupt. Elizabeth barrels into Emil's arms and the older man doesn't so much as flinch. He takes it in stride and adjusts with no problem. It hits Julian at once.

Why wasn't he as close to Soul like them? Soul had only been 'his kid' for two years. Of course, they wouldn't know everything about each other. Julian will never know the person Soul was before the accident. Never know who Soul was when he was as young as Elizabeth. Never know what he liked when he was younger than he is now. He would never have the same relationship that Emil and Elizabeth have with Soul. Hell, it took Soul forever to even call him Jules. Julian's heart clenches at the idea of Soul hating or finding him overbearing. Was he overbearing? Was he pushing too hard?

As if he can tell Julian is spiraling, Soul places a hand on the older man's shoulder. “So,” The teen starts bringing Julian back to the present. “Are we sticking together?” Julian is torn between being annoyed or proud about how smart Soul is. “Yes, we're all traveling together,” He says instead with a small sigh. Emil gives him a pitying look. Elizabeth looks ecstatic. “Yay, Robin and I get to hang out more!” The little girl practically bounces up and down as she speaks. Julian finds it adorable but her sentence gives him pause.

”Robin?” Emil asks before he can. Elizabeth nods rapidly. She points at Soul who is staring intently at the ground now. “Robin.” Julian and Emil look at each as they try to process why Elizabeth would call Soul that. Emil seems to understand first, Julian following shortly after. They both dissolve into laughter. The was no way, right?

”Honeybee, do you call him Robin because he can lift you up?” Emil says when they finally catch their breaths. “And that his hair is red?” Julian adds, throwing a pitying glance at the clearly embarrassed teen. Elizabeth nods, clearly confused by the adult's reactions. “Robin can make me fly and he has red feathers,” She as if it's common knowledge. Julian has to take a few deep breaths to keep himself from laughing again. Emil looks away and stares at a wall, probably trying to laugh either. Soul pouts at the two of them and moves in front of Elizabeth. ”So what if I'm Robin,” The redhead says with confidence. “Elizabeth is a buzzing little bee.” He tickles the girl as he says the words. The little girl squeals and fails making Emil try and doge his daughter's punches. Laughter bubbles out of Julian and he looks at the scene fondly. They look happy and relaxed. Like nothing could ever break up such a wonderful family. Oh, they felt like a family. So soon? Julian is almost amazed by his ability to fall for someone so quickly. As he gets lost in his thoughts, Soul attacks him and the whole moment becomes a tickle fight.

When they finally catch their breaths, they start on their journey. They all fall into a routine of sticking to hidden paths and looting places they can. Emil loots with such ease, it makes Julian's head spin. Julian tries to help where he can. The kids stay close and play games together quietly. Among their looting, they find some tents and start camping in heavily wooded when they can. “For safety,” Emil had explained when Soul asked why. Emil talks with Julian more and looks at ease around the other man. It makes Julian's crush worsen and it gets harder not to just blurt it out. However, Julian doesn't think he could handle Emil hating him. For now, he keeps quiet. Especially, since they're only halfway through their journey.

”Earth to Julian? You with me?” Emil's voice brings Julian out of his thoughts. “I'm here, Chestnut,” Julian says with a wave of his hand. Emil doesn't catch fall for his bluff. “Uh, huh,” Emil crosses his arms as he speaks. “What were we talking about?” Julian tries to rack his brain for answers but comes up empty. “Uh, We were,” Julian is saved by Soul calling his name. “Oh, well, the kids are calling.” He sends an apologetic look to Emil before fast walking to the kids. He hears Emil scoff behind him but, it almost sounds fond. Sure he imagined it, Julian makes it to the kids. “What's up, kid?” He says as he notices the uncertainty on Soul's face.

Soul doesn't say anything. Instead, he points to something on the open road. Julian grabs Soul's shoulder and squeezes it gently. Emil comes up by that point. He sucks in a breath when he sees what they're looking at. Two black horses carry a trailer with a brown horse leading them. Julian counts four people visible. A large rifle sits on the back of the brown horse's rider. “Hunters,” Emil practically whispers, confirming Julian's worst fear.

When the apocalypse started a lot of people were under three categories. Alone, Neighbors, or Hunters. Alone are groups who don't take orders from others. People who stay close to only a few people. Their little group was counted under Alone at the moment. Neighbors are communities that blocked off streets and lived in false normality. These people are very cautious about who they let in. Hunters are people who have no qualms about killing others for supplies. They only care for the people within their group and no one else. Julian had heard rumors of a Hunter gang that didn't kill unless they had to. He doesn't believe it. All Hunter groups are cruel and it's rare for anyone to escape their grasp. Julian and Soul are some of the lucky ones.

Julian holds onto Soul while Elizabeth hides halfway behind the teen. Emil stands to the side of them, a bit more forward. Julian prays that they go by without noticing them. Unfortunately, they don't have such luck and the brown horse's rider notices them. The man grins and suddenly the group is stopping in front of them. Julian feels himself tense as the black-haired man dismounts his horse. “My, my, my, what do we have here?” He says as he approaches where they stand. Emil blocks him from getting too close to them. “Just passing through,” Julian says through clenched teeth. The man looks him up and down before scoffing. He turns his attention back on Emil, making Julian's blood boil. Emil takes it with grace. “We're heading to a town near the park. Want to show the kids the geyser,” He lies and Julian's anxiety eases just a little. The man looks unimpressed and makes a show of checking out Emil. The other group members look annoyed at the man and one tries to speak before closing her mouth without a sound.

”Come on, angel,” The man gets closer to Emil as he speaks and it takes everything in Julian not to get between them. “I thought we were close enough to each other things?” Emil huffs at the statement and glares at the man. “I wish to remind you that you're my ex then, Troy,” Julian mind swirls with what Emil says. They were dating? Emil dated a Hunter? Why? Did he not know Troy was a Hunter? Troy's unnerving smirk drops. “You're still on about that, angel?” Troy's voice is devoid of emotion yet Emil doesn't flinch. “Of course, I am,” Emil says keeping eye contact. Troy doesn't say anything and mounts his horse. He leaves without checking if the rest of the group follows him. The girl who almost spoke earlier, speaks now.

”Em, you know the rest of us wish you nothing but happiness,” Her voice is soft yet loud and Emil seems to relax at the sound of it. “Yeah, I know,” The man says with a small smile. “Thanks, Arely. Tell Topher I miss him for me.” Arely nods and says goodbye. Elizabeth comes out from behind Soul and gives a shy wave to the brunette. Arely returns it with a grin and the rest of the group leaves. Julian feels the adrenaline rushes out of him as soon as they're out of sight. “Let's set up camp soon,” Emil suggests and Julian doesn't have the energy to do anything but nod. The walk to a suitable campsite is silent and Julian is grateful for it.

Soul and Elizabeth head off to bed right after dinner. Julian wonders if it was planned or simply due to all the tense emotions. Emil helps clean up and Julian notices he's not as tense as before. He's even humming as he packs things away. Julian can feel his thoughts start to spiral again. How could anyone be so calm? Why does he look so relaxed? I thought I knew him. That thought makes the world freeze around him. How well could he possibly know Emil? They've only known each for about a month. He fell too quickly again. He made the same mistake again. This was a mistake. He should have told Emil no when he suggested traveling together. This is all his own fault. He has to keep Soul safe this time.

”Julian?” Emil's voice breaks his thoughts. He looks at the man and swallows thickly. “You and Troy?” The question sounds more like a statement even to Julian's ears. Emil doesn't pay it any mind. “I'm so sorry you had to witness that,” Emil covers his face and groans. “We had a rough break up.” Julian nods and part of him wants to ask more. “Arely and Topher?” He says instead and Emil looks at him with confusion. “I don't follow? Their my friends. My best friends even,” Emil says and a fond smile crosses his face. Julian feels bile rise in his throat at the sight of it. “Even though they're hunters?” He's stopped looking at Emil at this point. He can't stand the way his heart feels like it's breaking. Emil scoffs at the question. “Them being Hunters doesn't mean anything,” He sounds defensive and Julian feels numb. “Plus, it would be hypocritical of me.” That one sentence shatters Julian's heart. No. Never again. He won't let him near again. He won't her ever get hurt again.

Emil notices Julian's change in attitude, giving him a questioning look. Julian doesn't say anything and Emil seemingly lets it go. They finish the clean-up and head to bed. The rest of the trip is tense, to say the least. Emil tries to talk with Julian only to be greeted with nothing. Soul and Elizabeth seem to not notice anything. They all stay close to each but feel so far away. As they reach the town of Cody, Elizabeth grabs Julian's arm and drags him away from the other two. It sends Julian's mind into a panic but, he tries to play it cool. He follows Elizabeth into one of the Western-themed buildings.

“Why are you mad at Papa?” The question surprises Julian. He didn't think Elizabeth would have noticed. “I'm not mad at your Papa,” Julian says as he glances over shelves for anything useful. “Papa says it's not good to lie,” The little girl responds back. Julian sighs and when he looks at the girl, he knows he's not getting out of this. Elizabeth stands with her arms crossed and an unhappy frown on her face. She's a mirror of her father despite not sharing any blood. The thought wants to thaw Julian's hardend heart but, he shakes it away.

“Your Papa made me upset, that's all,” He hopes that the statement appeals to the little girl. Unfortunately for him, Elizabeth doesn't give up easily. “Why? What did he do?” She asks, making Julian sigh. “He hangs out with bad people, Elizabeth, that's what he did,” Julian wants to take his words back, fearful the girl might cry. Instead, she scoffs. “So,” She taps her foot clearly annoyed. “He did what he had to.” Julian blinks at that. “But, he's friends with them?” He says feeling awkward for some reason. “They've been friends forever. Papa tries to pretend he doesn't miss them but, I know he does,” Elizabeth looks at the ground while she speaks. Julian moves closer and reaches a hand out to comfort the girl. “I just want my papa happy,” Her voice is barely a whisper. Julian wraps his arms around her in a tight hug. Even if he doesn't understand Emil, it's better for the kids that they are at the very least good acquaintances.

He releases the girl after a few moments. Elizabeth smiles at him, hope clear in her eyes. Despite the girl's puffy eyes that Emil was sure to kill him for later, she looks happy. Julian feels a smile worm its way onto his own face. “Let's finish looking around,” He says, patting her head. Elizabeth giggles at the touch. “Are we going to get more stuff than them?” She asks, perking up at the idea of a competition. Julian grins in response. “For sure,” He says and Elizabeth takes off. He chuckles as the girl moves from shelf to shelf without really looking at them. He wonders for a brief moment if this was how Soul was when he was young. Shaking off the thoughts quickly, Julian follows the whirlwind of a kid around the shop.

As they gather supplies (Elizabeth pretending to look for a minute before giving up and Julian actually collecting things they need), Elizabeth talks about the adventures she's been on. Julian finds it adorable how she exaggerates everything. It takes him calling her Elizabeth a few times before she pouts at him. “What?” He asks as the little girl glares at him. “Call me Lizzy,” She says, before resuming her walk ahead of him. He sighs and shakes his head fondly. He hopes Emil and Soul are having a good time as well.

(A/n: Finally done. Time to go start chapter 4 and not lose it. The next chapter will be very heavy with understanding Emil and Julian better. I hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day!)

#my writing #my ocs #ocs #original character #creative writing #zombie apocolypse au #single parents #lgbtqplus #angst #anxiety and ptsd #writeblr

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oh-no-a-whovian · 3 years

Text

Two more lonely people Part 2

NSFW 18+

Summary: “should we fight this?” “Si.” “I don’t know if I can” “neither do I”

Pairing: Bruno Madrigal x fem werewolf! reader

Warnings: age gap (Y/N is 24 and Bruno is 50) thinking nsfw later on idk yet but imma tag it as such. Any others let me know please.

Word count: 2665

Masterlist PT1 next

The air is cool as the sun makes its descent into the western horizon. The birds sing and call to each other as they prepare for the night and the colony of fruit bats nearby are probably preparing for their nightly flight, waking from their day of restful sleep. What a wonderful idea to watch the sun set and admire the colours painting the clouds.

You breathe in with a smile as you listen to your friends chat about whatever comes to their minds, Dolores mentioning nearly every little secret she hears across the town. You noticed though as the day went on that her mood wasn’t as bright as usual, slowly turning blue but pretending everything is fine.

When Isabela got up at one point, heading inside to get a drink, you asked Dolores what was wrong. She’d sighed and pulled her legs close to her body, looking away from you. You didn’t push her, just smiled gently and offered your thigh up as a pillow, softly stroking her curly locks when she laid her head down. For once she didn’t want to say just yet but you knew she would when she was ready.

“I should go home soon” you sigh as you lean back against the plush grass, taking in the scents of the evening air. Some days at this time you’d go for a swim at the river, enjoying the cool water as it washes away the dirt from the day, making you feel at peace. Or you’d run through the jungle listening as small animals scattered in your presence.

“You’re not gonna stay for Antonio’s gift ceremony?” Dolores asks, sitting up to look at you. “Abuela has planned it for sunset.”

“I suppose I can stick around a little bit longer then.” You tell her as you get up, offering your hands to the girls to help them to their feet. To be honest you thought it was tomorrow.

Others are already gathering within the courtyard of casita as you enter, the long carpet laid out along the centre of the room, leading to the curved staircase and candles placed in even intervals across the space. Flowers adorn the railing above and spotlights aim down to where Antonio will start his special event. All eyes will be on him as he receives his gift.

Everything looks perfect as you take your place among the crowd. Right at the bottom of the stairs, able to see everything. The people chatter amicably as the last few file in, nearly the whole town squishing into the walls of casita, your mother taking a place near the back. Isabela and Dolores quickly hug you and race up the stairs to join the rest of the family as they gather beside what will hopefully be Antonio’s new door.

A hush falls over the crowd as the red curtains are pulled back revealing Antonio, his hands clasping Mirabel’s arm tight. Her eyes are wide as she walks her cousin down the aisle, looking around at the people surrounding them. You wonder if she’s secretly hoping for him to be like her, to not receive a gift so she isn’t alone anymore. You know she wouldn’t want that though, she was devastated when the door faded before her hand, she wouldn’t wish that heart ache on anyone let alone her family.

She smiles at you as she approaches the stairs but you can almost see the memories behind her eyes, flashing through her mind like splinters into her heart. When she was younger she cried about it at times, ‘why didn’t I receive a gift?’ what did I do wrong?’, you told her that sometimes things happen for a reason and that even though we don’t know it yet, it’s waiting to reveal itself. It was what your mum always told you when you cried about the scars in your arm and the pain of your first few transformations. It’s what she told you when she carried you for miles trying to find the town with magic that she’d heard about. It’s what she told you when the seer said that there was no cure but that in time you’d be accepted in Encanto, treated like family by all. So far no reason has appeared to you but you hold onto that belief. After all what’s stopping you from just being the wolf if that isn’t true?

As they reach the stairs Antonio looks up at you and to your surprise, takes your hand too, dragging you up the stairs to be with his family, whispering that you should be up there too. You can tell by the look on Alma’s face that she didn’t entirely approve, her high standards well known, but the rest of the family smile widely as you walk up the steps behind Antonio and Mirabel, greeting you with open arms as you take a place beside them.

The magic in the door shines bright, waving in patterns like electricity through wire, just waiting for the boy to touch the door knob so it can give him his gift. This is the closest you’ve been to one without its gift already given and the portrait already on it. Peppa and Felix wait with bated breath, their arms locked together as their son places his hands on the candle, abuela Alma saying a few words before moving aside and allowing the boy to receive his gift.

Antonio reaches his small hand out, the glow of the door reflecting golden in his eyes and making his skin shine a beautiful bronze. Sparks cement themselves into the door and an image forms on the enchanted wood and something in your mind tugs as he receives his gift. You tilt your head curiously as a toucan lands on the boy’s arm chattering away.

“Yes I can understand you!” he grins as he looks upon the beautiful bird perched on his arm, chattering away to him. “Yeah they can come!” he tells it. The toucan calls out loudly toward the forest at Antonio’s answer like signalling to all that they are welcome. That something new and amazing is happening.

Dozens of animals run into the courtyard and up the stairs as Antonio opens his door, revealing a beautiful jungle with swings and waterfalls and everything a little boy and a bunch of animals could ever dream of. His bed dangling down from vines.

You stand still casting your eyes to the ground as his family follows him into the room, not wanting to intrude on the amazing moment. Camillo doesn’t let you stand alone long though, coming back out, grabbing your wrist and dragging you into the room too with a smile.

“Antonio was the one who decided you should be up here, Princesa” he smirks. You shake your head at him and turn to the wide open space.

Antonio takes in his room in style, speeding through the space on the back of a jaguar as other animals explore as well. Swinging on vines and ducking under logs as he laughs the whole way. You fidget with your skirt as you look around at the wide open space, instinct pulling you to play as well but training keeping you locked in place.

The family smiles and rejoices as the boy giggles in excitement, finally returning and practically leaping into the arms of his family.

The moon shines bright through your window as you collapse at the end of your bed, watching the small clouds pass through its light. On your way home you finally figured out why Dolores was getting more and more upset as the day went on. Just a little bit behind you along the long cobblestone path to your home, Mariano and his mother were speaking about the dinner at casita tomorrow. The dinner is for him to propose to Isabela, he has a ring and was trying to think of what to say as he walked home. Apparently his mother and Alma had it all planned out.

Dolores could hear every minute of them planning to wed the man she likes to her cousin. She’d told you one night when it was just you and her that she believed him to be the man of her dreams. That he was handsome and kind and perfect. She also told you of the vision her uncle had told her. The man of her dreams would be just out of reach, betrothed to another. Her being able to hear for a mile in every direction means she gets to experience his prophecy come true, every single second of it.

“Dolores.” You say quietly into the night as you watch the tiny bats fly outside. “I figured out why you were so upset earlier and I’m sorry. I’ll be there for you, ok. No matter what.”

~~~

You sniff at the ground as you wander around the town, your massive paws leaving marks in the dirt as you follow each interesting smell. For some reason you couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning and uncomfortable no matter what position you tried. Too hot or too cold and no in-between. Eventually you just gave up, wishing to feel the wind in your soft white fur instead.

As you walk alongside the casita you look down the hill into the trees toward the river, seeking any little movement or smell to stimulate your mind. Any reason to go for a run through the trees. Tiny squeaks draw your mind back to the path before you as you pause in your step, your front paw hovering just above the ground.

Four little rats stand before you, squeaking and sniffing curiously, staring up at you like they’re not even worried. You tilt your head, your ears flopping to one side as you watch the tiny animals with interest. Normally animals smaller than you give you a wide berth, not wishing to become your prey. Maybe they realised you’d literally never eat one cause eww.

“Where did you go? It was a quick trip out to the kitchen, nothing more!” you hear a male voice mumble, approaching the corner the rodents had just come around. You rise to your full height with your ears back, ready to figure out who this intruder with rats is and deal with them appropriately. “Dios mio!” he practically screams, launching backwards onto his ass, his green eyes wide as they meet your cyan ones. You relax though, tilting your head and sniffing as you recognise the man, approaching tentatively. Bruno?

One of the small rats runs up to you, climbing your fur and placing itself upon your head squeaking at the man while the others run up to Bruno, pointing you out with great excitment.

His long dark curly hair is peppered with white streaks and his jaw is covered in a thin layer of stubble. You pause near the end of his legs reaching your muzzle out as close as usually acceptable, recognising the scent that had drawn your attention twice already.

“H-hi [Y/N].” he says quietly, rising from the ground slowly, glancing between you and the rat on your head. You’re not sure why but your tail starts to swing and you see the moment he notices, a small smile curving his lips before he shakes his head. “I need you to do me a favour.” He whispers, reaching to lift the rat from your head, fixing your fluff where it sat. “I need you to not tell anyone you saw me, ok?” he says, tapping you twice on the head before spinning on his heel and racing back inside.

You stand there stunned, your tail falling still, not even thinking of turning back into a human to follow him inside.

Didn’t he leave like ten years ago? You faintly remember the disappointment in abuela and his sister’s faces when he just disappeared. They’ve pretty much refused to even speak his name this whole time and if someone asks about him they pretend they didn’t even hear it.

Has he been here this whole time? Hiding in the walls where you’d first caught his scent? Why did it smell so… good?

For ages you stand there, contemplating going inside to search for him. But what if one of the others find you inside when you’re not meant to be there? He asked you not to tell them… why did he leave? Why did he stay?

Eventually you huff deciding to just go home, staring at the ground as your paws kick up dust as you think and collapsing into your bed still covered in white fur when you finally get home.

~~~~

Your nose tickles as you slowly wake up, the smell of a feather strong as you sneeze and paw at your snout and the sound of a familiar giggle making you peek an eye open. Dolores leans over you, a massive colourful feather in her hand hovering just over your snout. You grin at her with massive teeth before shifting back, laughing at her widened eyes as she takes in your form. You don’t exactly wear clothes when you go to bed.

“Why aren’t you wearing clothes?!” Dolores gasps, covering her eyes and laughing while she smacks you with a pillow.

“Why are you in my bedroom? Keep your eyes covered and I’ll put some clothes on.” You laugh, snatching the pillow from her and throwing it at her head as you get up. “What are you waking me up for?” you ask her as you pull on your dress and fasten the skirt around your waist.

“What were you doing at the casita so late last night?” you freeze at her words, glancing at her. You’d thought she’d have been asleep, it was well past midnight.

“I couldn’t sleep and went for a walk… went where the interesting smells took me” you told her as you put your hair up in different styles, trying to decide the best one. “What were you doing awake so late?” you smile, tugging at the ribbon in your hair. “All clear”

“I was having a hard time sleeping too” she sighs as she peeks up at you with tired eyes, making sure you’re dressed before relaxing. “You won’t tell anyone will you? About mi tio Bruno?”

“I haven’t decided yet…” you sigh, sitting down next to her. “Has he been there the whole time?” you decide as you speak that you’re gonna take him some things. Food, maybe a blanket or something and if he decides to tell you then that’s a bonus.

“Si… I’ve been able to hear him this whole time…” she tells you, spinning the feather she was tickling you with between her fingers.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“He asked me not to.”

“You saying just because he asked me not to tell anyone I should also listen? It’s not exactly healthy…”

“no and I know” she sighs sadly. You realise she probably wanted to help, to tell someone but feels powerless, like she has no choice but to just not say anything. Which is rare for her, usually she’ll say just about anything that comes to mind, except how she’s feeling.

“Was this really the reason you came all the way down here from your casita?”

“Everyone is getting the casita ready for the dinner tonight” she frowns as she stares at the ground. You reach for her rubbing your hand up and down her back and squeezing her to your side, hugging her tight with one arm. You see no reason to try say something comforting though. What would you even say? Maybe it won’t happen like that? Maybe he’s not the one? Bruno’s visions have never been wrong. There’s been misunderstandings and blame being placed on him but he’s never wrong.

“How about you help me get some things from the market? Then we can head back to casita together?” you grin, jumping up and offering her your hand.

A/N: I was so amazed by the amount of people who liked chapter one. Thank you all so much!!! This probably won’t be a slow burn because I can’t stand waiting! Characters in disney have gotten together way faster though so I don’t have an issue speeding through to smut 😉 Like and reblog the share the love!!!

two more lonely people tags:

@pink-hufflepuff @kyriekurokami @goblinenby @fraujar

#we don’t talk about bruno #bruno madrigal #encanto bruno #bruno madrigal x reader #encanto x reader #isabel madrigal #isabela madrigal x reader #dolores madrigal #dolores madrigal x reader

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lunar-wandering · 3 years

Text

greetings everyone, welcome to a list i like to call:

Ways Wukong Could Break Things On The Ship, And A Few Other Ideas I Find Funny

lets go

Wukong burns breakfast. Pigsy, understandably, gets mad. Wukong holds up the burnt frying pan to defend himself. The pan falls off the handle. Wukong gets hit in the face with a spoon.

MK walks in on Wukong holding a hair brush, which the Monkey King stole from him. upon realizing MK is staring at him Wukong throws the hair brush over his shoulder with the intent of pretending he never had it, but the hair brush slams into the wall and gets stuck in there, and Wukong is left frozen, still with his arm held up from the throw, trying to figure out how to explain himself while MK stares at him unimpressed. “if you needed a hair brush ya coulda just asked”

Wukong leans against a table. the table cracks down the middle and collapses, Wukong falling down to the floor with it

Mei: hey Monkey King pass the salt Wukong: *(throws the salt shaker, but throws it too high as it sails over Mei, sending the salt shaker out the window that was open behind her)* Mei: Wukong: we never speak of this

completely forgetting that he can’t use his cloud anymore, Wukong tries to step off of the airship and falls to the ground. he hides from the others when they come to try and find him, and gets some fruits to try and pretend he did that on purpose

bites down on his toothbrush unthinkingly and snaps it in half

tries to climb the kitchen cabinets (for no reason other than instinct), rips off a cabinet’s door, and falls back onto the floor, cracking the floor tiles

Mei asks him to open a jar for her. the jar shatters in his hands.

Wukong walking into walls. majority of the time its just when he’s tired, but MK is downright certain he saw Wukong do it while fully conscious once. Wukong denies this ever happened.

Wukong flops onto couch. the couch breaks. i don’t think i need to explain this one but they have to go into Ikea to get a new couch. they lose MK.

Sandy: Monkey King Wukong: yeah? Sandy: mind explaining why this poster was covering a hole in the wall? Wukong: .......*(slowly gets up and tries to run away)* Wukong: *(slams into a wall, just inches from the door)* Sandy: we seriously need to get you some glasses Wukong: IM FINE

“this is the room where we keep the objects Monkey King isn’t allowed to touch. we don’t let him know this room exists cause if does he’d go in there despite his own better judgement telling him not to”

Wukong getting his scarf caught in a door. completely forgets that he could just open the door again to free it and tries pulling it loose. the result is another door getting ripped off its hinges and a slightly torn scarf

Pigsy: Monkey King, get back here right now Wukong: what do you mean, im right here in front of you? Pigsy: no, you’re a hair clone. Monkey King i literally saw you create this guy right in front of me, and i can still see you slowly sneak-walking away Wukong: *(sneak-walks faster)*

Wukong breaks the microwave. he was impulsively messing with the buttons and accidentally put it on for 30 minutes with nothing inside it. the inside melted completely and he had to rush to get a new one before Pigsy could notice

just....the idea of Wukong talking to himself in monkey-noises and the others debating whether or not they should tell him he’s Doing That

Wukong tries baking. he forgets the flour

he keeps hanging upside down from things and MK is starting to suggest the idea Wukong could be part vampire/bat

Wukong: i haven’t slept in 5 days because i broke my bed when i fell out of it and the floor is too uncomfortable MK: Monkey King you need to tell us about these kinds of things-

#Monkie Kid #long post

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scuttling · 3 years

Text

Stay at Home DILF

Fandom: Criminal Minds Pairings: Aaron Hotchner/Female Reader Word Count: 5,863 Tags: 18+, NSFW, Dad Bod Hotch, Insecure Hotch, Oral sex, Fingering, Unprotected sex, A little angsty by accident Summary: Aaron retires from the BAU when the new baby is born, but a year later the lack of structure, sleep, and time for himself means changes to his body he's not very proud of. When the thought of having another child is brought up, how will he and his wife work through his insecurities to make the perfectly imperfect, happy family? *Requested by anon Link to A03 or read below! “Honey, I have to get going—do you need me to drop Jack off at school, or are you good?” Professor Hotchner slides her foot into a flesh-toned pump, leaning against the kitchen table for support and stealing a grape from Jack’s fruit salad. He narrows his eyes, then sticks out his tongue, and she does the same. “Do you want me to starve, Jackrabbit?”

“You won’t starve. Get your own grapes.” So full of sass, that one. Seven is such a fun age. She decides to blame the mixture of Aaron’s genes and Haley’s, and she pulls out her phone to send Haley a quick text.

Your son is a menace in the morning.

Haley: Gets that from his dad.

Aaron enters the kitchen, holding their one year old daughter Mia, and he sticks her in her highchair, puts her breakfast in front of her, and leans toward his wife.

“I’m good, I’ll take him,” he says, and kisses her lips. “Mia and I will take big brother Jack to school, won’t we?” Mia is obsessed with Jack—her first word was Jack, or rather, Ack, which was super cute—so she giggles happily, and her mother can’t help but smile. Their little family is absolutely perfect.

She leans in for another kiss from Aaron, and then another, and then maybe one more...

“You’re getting distracted,” Jack says, and she looks over at him with a raised eyebrow, then back to Aaron. He shrugs.

“It was on one of his vocabulary sheets.” Figures.

“Well, maybe I find my boys distracting. Let me give you kisses and we’ll find out!” She launches herself at him, kissing his head and his cheeks, and he laughs, and she knows she’s going to be late for work, but she can’t pass up moments like these, she just can’t.

She gives him a hug and tells him to have a good day, then she kisses Mia, and then she puts her arms around Aaron’s neck and kisses him goodbye. Before she pulls away, something comes over her—the warmth of this perfect morning, the overwhelming love for both of their sassy, silly kids, or maybe the fact that they’ve been too busy for sex lately and she’s constantly horny for him—and she looks up at him and whispers, “we should have another baby.”

Aaron grins immediately.

“Yeah we should.” They kiss a few more times, quickly, smiling against each other's lips, and he pats her hip because he knows she has to go. “We’ll talk more later, but yes. I want to. I love you.” He takes her face in his hands and kisses her deeply, and she sighs, grabs her bags, and heads out the door. Work is work; as the youngest professor in the English department, her schedule is jam packed with classes, lectures, morning office hours, but despite all that, it seems that Aaron is having the more difficult day.

They both love that he was able to retire from the BAU early to be a stay at home dad when Mia was born—he does consult for them occasionally, but has no official title, doesn’t have to travel—and he’s amazing at it, but she knows her baby can be a handful even on a good day. The texts she’s been getting all morning only solidify that knowledge.

Aaron: FYI - Mia hates bananas this week.

Aaron: What do they put in this applesauce, crack? She’s tearing around here like a bat out of hell.

Aaron: Okay, she’s your child, I officially renounce her. I put on The White Album and she started crying.

Maybe she prefers Abbey Road?

Aaron: No. Unlike her mother, she has taste.

You wound me, Hotchner.

She works through lunch, grading papers on The Call of the Wild, but when Aaron’s name lights up the display on her phone, she puts her pen down and smiles, puts it on speaker.

She’s sorry she did, because Mia is wailing in the background, and it’s very clearly her, I’m exhausted, asshole, leave me alone, cry, which makes her wonder why she’s not taking a nap. She knows she resists Aaron sometimes, doesn’t want him to leave her alone in her room, which is so sweet and also so, so annoying.

“Hi, sweetheart. Are you having a little trouble over there?” He takes a deep breath and sighs.

“She won’t go down, baby, even if I sit in the rocking chair beside her. It’s been twenty minutes.” Wow. He put up with it longer than she would have.

“Put her in her crib with Stuffy Bear and just let her cry; I know you hate that, but she’ll give up eventually.” He groans softly.

“I can’t; I feel so bad.”

She smiles. Her warm-hearted man.

“She does this because she knows you’ll give in and do whatever she wants. I promise you, she’ll be happier for it; she sounds miserable.”

“I don’t know…” he says, and she can tell he’s not going to do it. She picks up her pen and skims the paper she abandoned.

“Are you tired?” She doesn't wait for an answer, because she knows he is: Jack had a bad dream last night and woke them both up, and Aaron went to lay with him until he fell asleep because he knew she had an early morning. It was almost time for her alarm when he made it back to bed. “If you want to try to nap, she’s going to have to nap. Do it for her, yourself, me, a combination of the three of us. She won’t be mad at you; she won’t even remember.”

“What if I give her abandonment issues?” he presses, and she closes her eyes for a moment.

“Aaron, I love you so much. You’re such a great dad, and our kids are lucky to have you. But you have to loosen the reins just a little, especially if… if we are going to have another baby.” The thought makes her smile, and she can tell he’s smiling down the line, too.

“Right. Loosen the reins. Just put her in her crib,” she can hear that he does that, “and give her Stuffy Bear, and let her cry.” He blows out a breath, and she can hear the door click shut behind him as he leaves her room. She’s proud of him, but she also knows he’s going to sit in front of the video monitor and watch to make sure she falls asleep, and that he’ll probably work on laundry after that and not actually take a nap of his own.

He insists he’s doing fine when she brings it up, but the way he sacks out like a corpse when they get into bed doesn’t exactly have her convinced.

“I love you, and miss you,” he says when it’s slightly quieter, though she can faintly hear the cries through the monitor. “It made me really happy this morning when you said we should have another baby. We make perfect babies, have you noticed?” She hides her grin behind her hand, because if anyone walked by her office they’d think she’s insane with how widely she’s smiling.

“I have noticed, but since we only have the one and I can’t take any credit for Jack, I figured we should probably make another. Maybe the same way we made Mia…” They’re both convinced it was a weekend when Jack was at Haley’s and the two of them went to town on each other, true marathon sex where they only stopped for food and water and she coaxed him to hardness so many times she felt like a damn sex goddess.

“Hmm. I remember that with fondness, and would love to do that again. You know Haley said she’d take Mia on one of Jack’s weekends if we ever needed her to.”

Her life is pretty damn perfect, with her gorgeous, caring husband, and her two awesome kiddos, and a job she loves, but the most unexpectedly sweet part is that Haley is so comfortable with her, and that she and Aaron were able to get past the ugliness of their divorce to eventually become friends again. It’s not something they take for granted.

“Maybe we should take her up on it this weekend,” she says, trying to sound a little sultry. “We’ve both been so busy; it’s been a while since you pet my kitty.” For some reason, this particular phrase makes Aaron blush and get insanely horny, and she’s hoping to tease him so much the rest of the week that their weekend is one neither of them ever forget, so she’s pulling out the big guns.

“It’s been far too long, and I’m sorry. I can’t wait, baby. I’ll call her here in a few; I know you have to get to your next lecture.” She looks down at her watch, and it is about time to clean up and head over. She sighs happily down the line.

“Okay, I love and miss you; try to take a power nap. I promise, she’ll be fine.”

“I will.” He won’t. “Talk to you soon.” When she gets home, Aaron has dinner ready; she told him to hold off, that she’d help when she got there, but he has always been an overachiever.

Mia is already in her high-chair, waiting patiently for once in her little life; she kisses her forehead, breathes in her sweet baby smell, and then makes her way to her husband.

“Looks good, honey,” she says as he sets the table, and she leans up for a kiss, but when she presses her hand to his stomach like she always does, he pulls back a little. “Is everything okay? Did you have a bad afternoon?”

“No, it wasn’t bad after the nap fiasco,” he responds, but he sounds distracted. Maybe he was asked to look at a case, or something, and that’s still on his mind? She leans against his shoulder, puts a hand on his back and attempts to push up his t-shirt, to skim her hand up along his spine, which always comforts him, but again, he shifts away from her touch. She sighs and steps back.

“You're going to give me a complex, Aaron. If I did something to upset you, please tell me so I can apologize and try to make it better.” He turns to look at her face, and his formerly tense jaw softens a little; he presses his lips to hers, just a peck.

“No, you didn’t do anything. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.” He smiles softly, and she’s sure he is tired, but this seems like something more.

“You’d tell me if something else was bothering you, right? You know I’m here for you.”

“Of course I would, and of course I do. I love you,” he breathes against her mouth, and then he goes in for a longer kiss and she gets, as Jack said earlier, a little distracted. When the kiss breaks, she sighs happily.

“I love you. Missed those lips,” she murmurs, and then she runs a hand over his hair. “If the kids wake up again tonight, I’ll get them. You need to rest.” He shakes his head.

“You have another full day tomorrow,” he counters, and it’s so sweet that he keeps up with the schedule she has posted on the fridge, but still. She puts her hand on her hip.

“And you don’t? It’s my turn. Let me help.” He looks like he wants to argue, but she gives him the glare he knows means she will talk about this all night if he doesn’t agree; she’s not the sponsor of the university’s debate team for nothing, and even his prosecutorial ways have nothing on her.

“Okay,” he sighs, and she smiles and kisses him and then goes to get Jack and make sure he’s cleaned up for dinner.

That night when the two of them are getting ready for bed, she’s surprised as hell when he stops her from pulling one of his t-shirts—her typical sleepwear—over her head. She sets it down, arches her brow, and he guides her back onto the bed with a grin and puts his hands on her hips.

“What’s happening right now?” she asks, because before Mia, sure, Aaron would treat her to all manner of orgasm-inducing behavior at random, and she would do the same, but since Mia—especially in the last six months or so—their sexual encounters have been few and far between. It’s no one’s fault, and they’re both very clearly still attracted to each other; it’s just one of those things that falls by the wayside when you have a new baby and a hectic life and you don’t get enough sleep.

Needless to say, she is a little confused by this turn of events.

“I’m attempting to worship my gorgeous fucking wife,” he murmurs, and he leans up and kisses her stomach, licks a long line up from her belly button. Her breath hitches. “Gonna put another little baby in here—but it’s always beautiful.” He slowly moves his lips higher, over her ribcage, and holds her there. “You’re perfect, you know?”

“Aaron.” Her fingers come up to sweep through his hair; her heart aches with love and tenderness. He moves up, presses open-mouthed kisses to each of her breasts, then covers them with his hands and squeezes. She’s a panting, dripping mess, and more than anything she wants to strip him naked, pull him closer, get him inside her.

“I love you just as you are; I want you just as you are. Always have, always will.” He smooths his hands up over her throat, and brings her mouth to his for a deep, soulful kiss. She hadn’t even realized she’s been feeling repressed, but his touch tonight makes her feel so beautiful and special… It's incredible how close she is from only that.

“Make love to me,” she whispers, and he kisses her again, but then he slides back down her body.

“Want to taste you,” he says instead, and he gets his hands on her hips again and his mouth on her pussy, looks up at her while he licks and sucks like he’s gone without for ages—which he has, she figures, but it’s blowing her mind, her fingers scratching at the sheets, her neck arched. He massages her hips as his tongue works, as he grinds against the bed, and she comes with a whimper, because her body is so overwhelmed by how good she feels that she can’t even properly vocalize it.

Aaron comes up, just a little, rests his head on her stomach, and she smooths her hands over his hair and his shoulders, since that’s all she can reach.

“Come up and let me touch you—or you can come inside me.” She will happily take either option, but he just kisses her belly and shakes his head.

“No, I’m good. Just really tired.” She frowns, can’t recall a time in her life when they didn’t both get off during sex; he catches her expression and runs his hands up her body. “Really, I’m okay. I just wanted to do that before I passed out.” He smiles, and she doesn’t like it, but he climbs off of her and goes to the bathroom, and she pulls on the t-shirt and crawls into bed. Two days later, she’s sitting in her office grading tests when she hears a knock at the door. She looks up, and it’s Aaron, of course, looking so gorgeous in a black polo and jeans.

“Hey, what are you doing here? Where’s Mia?” she asks with a smile. He leans against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

“She’s with her Aunt Penelope for a few hours.”

“Why? Is everything okay?” Penelope is at work, she knows, because she texted her earlier about something unrelated and she’d mentioned that she and Spencer were having coffee and that he said hello.

“Everything‘s fine,” he assures her, and he enters the room fully, closes the door behind him… and locks it. “Can’t your husband come visit you during your super secret not-really-office-hours?” She raises an eyebrow, both at his question and the fact that he locked the door. What exactly is he planning to do, she wonders?

“You can, but you don’t. I guess I’m just surprised.”

“Well today I decided to. I missed you so much.” He walks around her desk and leans over her for a couple of kisses. “Have you missed me?” She rolls her eyes, smiles.

“Of course I missed you. I miss you every second I’m away from you.” She reaches out, wants to hug him, pull him closer, but he takes a step back and crooks his finger, encouraging her to follow him.

He’s being really weird, but he’s also being really hot. She decides to play along.

She stands, walks over to him, and he carefully clears a spot on her desk, knows she has a system and doesn’t like a mess; when she’s within reach, he puts his hands on her waist and lifts her up onto it, her ass where a stack of tests had just been. Fuck.

“I want to get this dress off of you,” he says, voice low, and he takes her face in his hands and kisses her, rough and deep. “Can I take it off, baby? Can I make you come?”

Everything is happening so fast her head is spinning—it’s not like him to just show up at her office, to try to have sex with her there, especially when their dry spell has been, up until recently, like the damn Sahara.

He must sense her confusion, her apprehension, because he kisses slowly along the side of her throat, down the v-neck of her dress, making her eyelids flutter.

“The door’s locked, and no one even knows we’re in here. Can I take it off?” She pants, thinks about this for a second, but then he slides a hand over her thigh, pushing her skirt up, and she gets a little distracted. She nods, and he kisses her hard and unties the sash of her wrap dress, pushes it off her shoulders. She’s glad she wore a matching set of bra and panties, because this is like prime fantasy material and she wants to try to remember every detail.

He kisses her mouth, soft and sweet, then tugs the straps of her bra down her shoulders, pulls the cups down so her breasts fall out of them. She moans, a little startled, and he dips his head to mouth at her nipples, rests one hand on her lower back and one on her stomach—probably because she looks like she’s about to slide off the desk and onto the floor like a blob of jelly. She knows that’s how she feels.

When he’s gotten her thoroughly worked up, almost trembling with the need for more, he pushes her panties aside and presses a finger into her, and she whimpers, wraps her hand around his neck for support when he starts to pump it deeply inside.

“What has gotten into you?” she breathes, and her hips chase the pleasure he brings; the hand on her back moves to her ass, squeezes it.

“I love you and I want you. I want to make you happy, I want you to feel good.”

“Me—me too,” she gasps as he moves faster, staring right into his eyes. “I love you, want you. Want to make you happy, feel good.” She cards her fingers through his hair and stretches for a desperate, eager kiss. “I want you so badly, baby, please.”

“I’m right here. You have me,” he murmurs, but that’s not what she means and he has to know it. Just in case he doesn’t, though, she makes herself loud and clear; relationships are all about communication, after all.

“I want you to put your cock in my pussy, I want you to come in me. I want you to fucking ruin me, Aaron, I want you to shove your dick in me and keep shoving.” She sounds unhinged, but she can’t stop.

He adds a second finger—not what she wants—and roughly gropes her breast—it feels so good, but it’s not what she wants. Why won’t he give her what she wants?

“Shh, just come on my hand, it’s okay. I’ll fuck you later, in our bed, baby,” he promises. “Just come now, okay? Right here, right now for me.”

She does, because even if he’s being unnecessarily aggravating, it’s still Aaron. She’s desperate for him, always has been, always will be. She comes loud and high and she clutches him tightly and he kisses her and coos words of love and affection into her ear. She gets cleaned up, and they go for lunch, and they can’t take their eyes off each other.

Something’s very wrong, and she can’t quite put her finger on it.

That evening when she gets home, Aaron is feeling guilty. She’s not sure why, but he’s executing all of his patented guilty trademark behaviors: he offers her a glass of wine, runs her a bath, rubs her feet, even though he’s been the one home with the baby all day. She’s tempted to ask if he’s cheating on her, as a joke, but that’s never funny, especially when she knows he’s being shifty and weird about something.

When they’re laying in bed, he sets down his book and looks over at her.

“I meant to tell you, Haley isn’t able to take Mia tomorrow. Maybe the weekend after, we can have our special alone time.” She won’t say she’s not disappointed, but she doesn’t want to inconvenience Haley, when she’s already being so great. She smiles softly, covers his hand with hers.

“That’s okay. It was short notice, anyway. I’ll still enjoy my weekend, with you and Mia.” He smiles too, but it doesn’t quite touch his eyes.

The kids sleep through the night, but she doesn’t. On Friday, she picks Jack up from school and takes him to Haley’s, who sends him to wash up so she can make him a snack. When he’s gone, she smiles warmly and invites her into the kitchen for coffee; she takes a cup, and they make pleasant small talk like they always do.

“Are you sure you don’t want to bring Mia over?” Haley asks after a few minutes. It sounds like she’s double checking. “It’s really no trouble.” She frowns, sets her cup down.

“I thought you weren’t able to watch Mia this weekend. I thought… I thought that’s what Aaron said. I must have misunderstood him.” That’s the only logical conclusion, because Aaron wouldn’t lie to her. He wouldn’t.

“He was being a little weird on the phone the other day. He asked me if I would watch her, and I said yes. He told me about your plans,” she says with raised eyebrows, “and then I told him, you know. That he better treat you right, because you just had a baby not that long ago and you might be a little self-conscious about jumping back into the sack like that; not that you should be, because you look amazing.” She racks her brain for the first time he started acting strangely, pulling away from her, and it would have been after his conversation with Haley. She asks, just to confirm.

“Is that when he got weird?”

“Actually yeah. He changed his mind, said you might not need me to watch her after all, but I told him the offer stood. He was pretty quick to get off the phone after that.” She would sip her coffee, but she’s pretty sure her hands are shaking. Why would he lie about that?

“You know, I should go. I’m sure Aaron’s pulling his hair out with her, she’s been a devil today. Tell Jack I love him and I’ll talk to him tonight, will you?”

“Of course. If you change your mind about Mia, just let me know,” Haley says, and she gets into her car with tears stinging her eyes.

When she gets home, Aaron is playing with Mia on the living room floor. He looks up at her with a smile that abruptly falls when he takes in her facial expression.

“What’s wrong?” She composes herself, takes a deep breath. They vowed a long time ago not to argue in front of Jack or Mia. She tries to sound conversational.

“You lied to me. You said Haley couldn’t take Mia this weekend.�� He swallows and looks properly guilty. She’s not sure how he was able to lie to her in the first place; he’s never been any good at it.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. I just didn’t know how to say it.” She looks up, shakes her head, wills her eyes not to water while she’s trying to have this conversation.

“You didn’t know how to say what? What is it that’s made you distance yourself from me?” She recalls him physically pulling away, then doing a complete 180 and initiating sex, but never penetrative sex, never letting her touch him or return the favor in any way. “Haley told me about your conversation. So do you think I’m unhappy with my body, or are you unhappy with my body?” He has the nerve to look confused, gets Mia set up with some toys she can play with safely on her own and stands up, comes close to her. She’s not sure she even wants his touch right now, which is saying something; when she’s unhappy, that’s usually all she wants.

“Neither of those things. I swear to god. I love you and I love your body; you’re so beautiful. Too beautiful for me, you always have been.” He’s looking down at her so seriously, and she wants so badly to believe him, but how could she, when faced with the evidence?

“Okay. If it’s neither of those things…” Her voice is small when she says the one option that hurts her most. “Did you change your mind? Do you not want to have another baby with me?” He sighs, deflates, and she takes a deep, shuddering breath.

“No, listen to me. It’s not that I don’t want that; I want that more than anything, but it will… further complicate, things...” He trails off, and she tries to follow what he’s saying. “The problem isn’t you in any way. It’s me.” She huffs, squeezes her eyes briefly shut.

“You? How can it be you, when you’ve been the only man to catch my eye for years? From the moment you set foot on my campus looking for your bad guy, I’ve been attracted to you, aroused by you, wrapped around your finger. You’re so perfect for me: perfect husband, perfect dad, perfect lover. My best friend. Never a day has gone by where I haven’t wanted you.” He wets his lips, sighs.

“Surely you’ve noticed that since I quit my job and started staying home with Mia, I… I don’t look the same. I’ve… let myself go.” His brows are deeply furrowed, and he’s clearly struggling with this; she reaches for him, no longer angry—at least for the time being—puts a hand on his arm.

“I’ve noticed that you don’t quite look the same. Doesn’t mean you’ve ‘let yourself go,’ or that I’m not still attracted to you; you just have a dad bod now instead of an ‘FBI guy who punches people for a living’ bod.” Her other hand hovers, then comes to rest on his stomach, and she smiles. “I’m actually really into the way you look now. I’ve been fantasizing about it for ages. I wish I’d known you were feeling self-conscious.”

“I’m not used to feeling… self-conscious, vulnerable,” he breathes, but he presses into her touch, so she considers that a good thing. “I didn’t know how to handle it.”

“I get that baby, I do, but this is me. I would have done anything I could to make you feel better. You didn’t have to hide it from me. You didn’t have to lie. We could have talked about it.” She moves the hand on his arm to his face, guides him down for a loving kiss. “We’re equally to blame, because I know you haven’t been getting good sleep, and I know you barely have time for yourself, and I didn’t step in; but you never let me help. If roles were reversed, and it was me staying home with Mia, you would never expect me to do all the cooking and cleaning and homework and bath time without your help. So you need to let me help, Aaron, please.” She looks up at him, eyes warm and sincere, and he nods, bends to press a kiss to her lips.

“I’m sorry. I still don’t feel great about… myself, but maybe I could. If I let you help. If I took some time for me.” She nods and wraps her arms around him—finally—for a hug.

“I love you so much. Just like this. Big, cuddly papa bear, taking care of our babies, making our home a safe and happy place for them. How could I not love the body that brings me so much happiness? That makes me excited to get in my car and come home at the end of every day?”

They kiss some more, deep, healing kisses and soft, sweet kisses, but she doesn’t get distracted by them. She’s very focused, caresses him and brushes loving fingertips over his chest and arms and sides. But speaking of distractions…

“Were you doing all those sexy things to try to distract me from wanting you to get all up on me?” she asks, pulling back, and at least he has the decency to flush.

“Kind of? I figured if it was sex you wanted, you’d be happy to get off however it happened; it was great for me too, don’t get me wrong, I just didn’t really want to be touched, feeling the way I felt.” She frowns, rests her head against his chest and holds him tighter.

“That makes me sad. What I wanted was an intimate moment with my husband, and while yes, what you did for me was great, because you’re super hot and very capable,” she says, leaning back in his embrace with a soft smile, “it’s not what I’ve been wanting. I want you all naked and sweaty and heavy on top of me, going to pound town.” He presses his lips together and raises his eyebrows.

“Pound town? What are you, twelve?” She grins, shoves his chest, and he laughs.

“I’m surrounded by college kids all day, please forgive me. I think it got my message across though.” She touches his cheek, looks up into his eyes, and sighs. “Can we take Mia over to Haley’s and give it a shot? I’ll do anything to make you feel happy and comfortable, any position that makes you feel better—though what I’d really like most, if you’ll trust me, is to suck your dick, and then hop on your dick, and then later when we’re ready to go again, we do the pound town thing and make another goddamn baby.”

She’s so serious, and he looks so serious, and then he kisses her and says yes and they pack up their kid and take her to his ex-wife’s so they can get it on, which sounds so much crazier than it actually is. She gets him out of his clothes, doesn’t move slow or spend lots of time focusing on what he thinks are flaws; instead, she proves how desirable he is by practically tearing his pants off and pushing him against the bed and swallowing around his dick just so she can hear all those delicious moans she’s been missing.

After that, she rides him hard, kisses him harder, plants her hands on his chest and stomach and moans and groans against his mouth. “So fucking hot, seriously so fucking hot, Aaron—if I saw you across the room today I wouldn’t change a goddamn thing, I would still pursue you, I’d make you blush like I did back then. I’d be so forward because I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about how good this would feel.”

She’s rocking his world, no doubt about that; it’s written all over his face, in the hardness of his hands on her hips as she grinds down on his cock, in the way his chest is heaving despite not actually doing any of the work at all. He comes first, and then rubs her clit while she continues to fuck him until she finds her own orgasm; she scratches her nails down his stomach, and he leans up and grabs her face for a rough, perfect kiss.

They take a break, cuddling and kissing and enjoying the feel of bare skin, comfy bed, soft lips. Aaron touches her cheek, tells her how much he loves and appreciates her.

“I’m so sorry I’ve been keeping this inside, and not being truthful. It’s hard, when you’re as perfect as the day I met you, and I’m…” She presses a finger to his lips, shushes him, kisses him.

“You’re as perfect as the day I met you, too. More perfect, even, because every day since then you’ve chosen me, and our family. I could not ask for a better man. Simply could not, Aaron. And if you want me to come home early so you can go to the park to run, or to the gym, then that’s what I'll do, but if you look like you do right now, forever, I’ll be happy with that too. Whatever makes you happy.”

They snuggle and kiss and talk and laugh, and then laughing becomes sex in that way everything becomes sex when you’re genuinely obsessed with the person in your bed.

He gets her on her back, kisses all over, teases her—“mmm, rubbing your kitty, baby, how does it feel?”—and then puts her legs over his shoulders, plants his hands, and fucks, taking every ounce of his pent-up frustration out on her, and it’s incredible.

“Yes, Aaron, yes, baby, oh, god.” Her head is thrown back, and she’s torn between laughing, because she’s been wanting this for months and it’s exactly as awesome as she’d dreamed it would be, and crying, because she fucking loves him, so much it puts a lump in her throat.

“Fuck, baby,” he groans, speeds up, sweaty and gorgeous and smiling. “You’re going to come with me—not just for me, but with me, so my come gets deep inside, so it works and we get another perfect baby who never lets us fucking sleep.” She nods frantically, presses her hips against his, and it’s not simultaneous, but it’s a near damn thing, when they both come groaning each other’s names. A little less than a year later, they have Mason. Aaron is at home in his dad bod, Mia doesn’t cry at naptime, Jack is still a menace in the mornings, and their perfect little family got a little more perfect. Taglist ❤️: @arsonhotchner @mrsh0tchner @ssahotchie @sleepyreaderreads @mintphoenix @meghannnnnn @disgruntledchowchow @azenpal @g-l-pierce @my-rosegold-soul

#aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner fanfic #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfic #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x female reader #hotch x female reader #hotch x reader #dad bod hotch

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ragingbookdragon · 3 years

Text

I Won't Give Up On Us

Jason Todd x Reader Story!

Word Count: 12.5K Warnings: Explicit Language, Violence, Canonical Character Death, Angst

Author's Note: I wrote this a few years ago I believe, but hadn't posted it back. So I edited (mostly) and fixed it for y'all! Enjoy! -Thorne

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She sat on the water-tower and watched as they moved across the rooftops; they stopped in the middle and began discussing something. The tall one looked down at the smaller one and nodded to the street. “Stay along the rooftops and check the streets while I look for Selina.”

“Selina’s not around here Batman,” she called coyly.

The two of them whirled around, their eyes moving up until they found her. “Kit.”

She stood up from the water-tower and spread her arms. “In the flesh, Batman.”

The young boy beside him took a step forward. “Where’s Catwoman, Kit?”

Her eyes flitted to the bright colored boy, and she grinned. “Careful Robin…foxes eat birds.”

Scoffing, he crossed his arms over his suited chest. “You wouldn’t do a damn thing to me.”

She raised an eyebrow and hopped down, landing in front of them. “You aren’t the only one with skills, Robin. And we both know who’s the better fighter.” She walked by them, stopping at the ledge before turning to Batman. “Selina had business elsewhere.”

“Where is she?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Dunno. She might be my mentor, but she doesn’t tell me everything.” Gesturing to him, she quipped, “You’d have better luck using those detective skills of yours to find her.”

As she started to walk away, she paused and turned as if remembering something and looked at Robin. “Do you always keep your wallet on you? Or is it just right now?”

“What are you talking about, Kit?” he questioned, brows furrowing in confusion.

She flashed a grin and waved a black leather wallet, enjoying the way his eyes widened at the sight, then patted at his pants; her tone was heavy with challenge as she provoked, “Catch me if you can, little bird.” That was all she said before taking off down the wall, running along the streets.

Robin jerked forward, seemingly forgetting that Batman was beside him as he hauled after her. “GET BACK HERE, KIT!”

Batman sighed as he watched the two teens chase each other, one continually shouting the other giggling, then a voice called from behind him. “They’re almost like a miniature version of us, aren’t they, Bat?”

He tipped his head to the woman standing on the other rooftop. “Selina.”

She smirked and turned, walking away. “Let’s play a game of tag, shall we?” He grunted as he began running after her.

***

She could hear Robin’s feet slam against the pavement with each step he took, and she huffed a laugh. “You’re not supposed to let people hear you, Robin! I thought Batman taught you how to be quiet!”

“I’m gonna be quiet when I get my wallet back from you!”

“Is that before or after I take the money inside?”

“DON’T TOUCH MY MONEY, KIT!”

“So touchy, Robin.” Her hands gripped the ledge as she pulled herself up and onto the rooftop; her feet carried her to the edge of the building, and she peered over it, mumbling to herself, “That’s a little too big of a jump for me to make.”

She turned around and was met by his chest as he slammed into her; her eyes widened as everything moved in slow-motion as they fell over the edge. The wind whipped by them as they fell, and she couldn’t stop the blood-curdling scream that tore through her throat.

An arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close, then the click of the grapple-gun sounded in her ears, followed by his low and confident voice. “I’ve got us Kit, don’t worry.”

Her hands clenched in his suit as the grapple hooked into a building, and they swung down to the roof below. When their feet touched the ground, she pulled away and slung her fist into his stomach. He bent over, holding his stomach and she exploded. “Are you insane, Robin! We could’ve died! How about next time, you watch where the fuck you’re running!”

She turned away and stalked off when a hand curled in hers. “Wait a second, Kit.” She paused, glancing down at him, then he rose and rubbed the spot she’d punched. “Damn, you’ve got one hell of an arm.” She felt the corner of her mouth raise and he matched her grin. “See…you’re not that mad at me.”

Scoffing, she retorted, “Considering the fact that we almost became a giant splatter on the pavement? I’m a little mad.”

“I had us.”

She leaned forward and poked his chest. “And what would’ve happened if you hadn’t?”

He paused for a minute, then laced his fingers with hers. “Then we wouldn’t have been able to go to prom in a few weeks.” He went quiet, then looked at her. “You are still gonna go to prom with me, right, (Y/N)?”

“Yeah, Jason…I am.”

Grinning, he nodded to the diner just across the street. “Wanna get some food?”

“Sure.”

They began walking towards the diner, sliding down the fire-escape and to the street; they crossed the street and stepped into the joint. When the food was ready, they took it back to the roof, sitting down on the ledge, eating, while cracking jokes back and forth.

(Y/N) was sipping on her milkshake when Jason went quiet, and she eyed him. “What’s wrong, Jay?”

He glanced at her then shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s obviously something. You aren’t usually this quiet.”

Jason stayed silent for a moment. “…I’m going to Ethiopia soon.”

Her eyes widened, and she leaned close. “For what?”

His gaze seemed heavy when he looked at her. “I’m finding my mother.”

“I thought Catherine was your mom?”

Jason nodded. “She was…but she wasn’t my biological mother.”

“When are you leaving?”

“In a couple days.”

“You’re going to be back in time for prom, right?”

Jason snorted. “Yes, (Y/N). I won’t stand you up at prom.”

She grinned. “Good.” It was silent for a second, then she spoke softly. “Does Bruce know?” When he didn’t answer, she found her own, sighing, “Jason, it’s not a good idea to leave without letting Bruce know.”

He nodded. “I know…but Bruce isn’t who I need to tell right now.” He took her hand. “It’s you.” His other hand fumbled in his utility belt, and he pulled out a silver band that held a peridot in the middle; he held it out to her, and she took it, then stared at him.

“Jason…what’s this?”

“A ring.”

(Y/N) sighed and rolled her eyes. “No shit, Sherlock. Couldn’t figure that out myself.” She paused. “Why though?”

“It’s a promise ring.”

She felt the breath leave her lungs and her eyes went wide. “A promise ring?”

He nodded and squeezed her hand. “I know we’re too young to get married right now, (Y/N). But I love you, and at some point, in my life, I that to become ‘our life’.”

(Y/N) was speechless at his confession, and she pulled off her mask, questioning, “Are you being serious right now? Because if this is a joke, after I beat the shit out of you, I will break up with you, and never speak to you again.”

Jason snorted. “I’m being one-hundred percent serious, (Y/N). I want to marry you someday, and this ring serves as a testament to that.” He squeezed her hand again. “So, what do you say? Wanna make a promise?”

(Y/N) felt tears gather in her eyes, and she shifted, wrapping her arms around his neck; she nodded, and choked out, “Yes!” She pulled back, pressing her lips to his; she murmured against his mouth. “Yes, I do.”

Jason grinned, and pulled her close, and rested his forehead against hers. “I love you, (Y/N).”

“I love you too, Jason.”

***A Few Weeks Later***

She walked into the apartment, closing the door behind her; she kicked off the black heels and began fumbling with the dress zipper. Selina tipped her head around the wall. “What are you doing home so early, hon?” She glanced down at her wristwatch. “Prom wasn’t supposed to be over until eleven. It’s nine.”

(Y/N) glanced at her as she pulled the zipper down. “Jason wasn’t there.”

“He stood you up?”

She shrugged. “If he did, he’d better have a damn good reason for it.”

Selina observed her for a few seconds. “Are you okay, hon?”

“I’m beginning to worry about Jason.” She sighed.

“Why’s that?”

“Because ever since Jason left for Ethiopia, he hasn’t sent me a single message.” (Y/N) paused and looked at her. “Jason isn’t one to keep me in the dark. He would’ve called by now.”

Selina moved forward and placed her hands on (Y/N)’s shoulders. “He’s probably spending time with his mom.”

(Y/N) stared at her before sighing, nodding, “You’re probably right.” She pulled away from Selina’s grip and moved to her bedroom, stopping as she closed the door. “I’ll go see Bruce tomorrow and ask.”

“You might not be able to find Bruce.”

She cocked an eyebrow at her comment. “And why not?”

Selina’s gaze turned solemn. “Something’s wrong with Bruce he’s becoming…ruthless and careless.”

(Y/N) took in her words and nodded. “I’ll see if I can find him. That or I’ll just ask Alfred. He’ll know.”

Selina nodded. “Goodnight hon.”

“Night Selina.”

***The Next Day***

She stood in apprehension at the view of the manor; no matter how many times she’d been there, she was still shocked at the sheer size of it. She stepped up to the door and rang the doorbell, then turned and stared out at the long driveway, listening as the doorbell chimed.

The door opened and (Y/N) spun back around, expecting Alfred to be there. “Hey Alfred, is—Dick?” She stopped and stared at him. “Holy crap! Dick! I haven’t seen you in forever!” Dick smiled at her and opened his arms. (Y/N) leaned in and gave him a hug before pulling away. “What are you doing back in Gotham?”

Dick’s face dropped, and he stared at her. “Bruce needed my help.”

“Selina told me he’s been on edge for a while. It’s good that you’re here to keep him grounded.”

Dick nodded and motioned inside. “Want to come in?”

(Y/N) nodded and stepped by him. “This place gets even cooler every time I come over.”

He chuckled. “It does, doesn’t it?” They stepped into the kitchen and Dick went to the refrigerator. “Want something to drink?”

“Did Alfred make any fruit tea?”

“I think he made mango and peach tea.”

“I’ll take some of that.” He pulled out a pitcher and poured each of them a glass; he handed hers to her and she sipped it. “Alfred makes the best tea, I swear.”

Dick smiled and sat beside her, giving her a once over. “You look good, (Y/N).”

She was surprised at his comment and pointed to herself. “Me?”

“Yes (Y/N). You.” He snorted.

“Thank you, Dick.” She smiled. “Don’t ask me for a loan though, cause I ain’t givin’ you money.”

Dick laughed at her and shook his head. “I’m not going to ask you for a loan, (Y/N).”

“Good…‘cause I don’t have a lot of money.”

The two of them let out laughs, and Dick’s eyes caught the ring on her finger; he nodded at it. “Are you wearing a ring?”

(Y/N) glanced down at it, then back to him and nodded. “Jason gave it to me a few weeks ago.” She twirled it between her fingers, and she felt a smile form. “It’s a promise ring.” (Y/N) paused, then looked up at Dick. “Which brings me to the reason why I’m here…is Jason still in Ethiopia with his mom? He hasn’t messaged me yet, and I’m beginning to worry about him.”

Dick’s expression gave way from surprise to pure shock, and he leaned forward, his tone laced with disbelief. “…Have—have you not been told, (Y/N)?”

She blinked at him. “Told what?” Dick went silent, and (Y/N) cocked her head at him. “What haven’t I been told, Dick?”

He stared at her with a face that made her heart thump ominously and his voice held a tone of solemnity. “…Jason was killed in Ethiopia a few weeks ago.”

(Y/N) thought her heart stopped as she breathed out the only word she could manage. “…What?”

***Part Two***

Noise. Everything that came out of his mouth was pure noise. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think as she rose from the bar seat. Dick looked at her concerned and rose to follow her. “(Y/N)? Where are you going?” She didn’t respond, her feet carrying her towards the study; she entered the room and slid to the wall, moving the clock from its position. (Y/N) skipped the steps, moving as fast as she could into the cave.

She came upon him, standing in front of the Batcomputer talking to Alfred; he turned to her, and she let out a withering whisper. “Is it true?” His eyebrows furrowed and he opened his, but she cut him off, this time, her voice a screech. “IS IT TRUE?!”

He shut his mouth for a few seconds, then murmured, “…Yes he’s…gone.”

(Y/N) saw red and she flew forward, her fists pounding into his chest. “HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME! HOW COULD YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME!” Bruce didn’t respond, didn’t even react to her punches; he just took each blow. After a few seconds of continual punches, he reached out and grabbed her arms; (Y/N) struggled, thrashing against him. “Let go of me!”

He didn’t, instead he brought her forward and circled his arms around her; she struggled for a few moments, but then the realization set in, and she felt her knees weaken. They caved and she let him lower her down as she cried.

Her hands clenched in his suit, and she stared up at him, wailing, “What happened?”

Bruce’s eyes shut and he whispered, “Joker killed him in Ethiopia.” (Y/N)’s eyes momentarily widened, before shutting and she buried her face in his shoulder as she sobbed.

***

She cried for hours, and he sat with her on the floor of the cave the entire time; Alfred and Dick had gone upstairs earlier to give them privacy. (Y/N) didn’t feel like moving, didn’t feel like talking, but she forced herself to; she shifted her eyes to Bruce’s and whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me he di—why didn’t you tell me?”

He sighed and shook his head. “I didn’t know how to. I’ve been so occupied with Gotham that I didn’t have time.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit.” He looked down at her and she felt tears gather in her eyes again. “I deserved to know. I should’ve been the first person you told.”

Bruce looked away but nodded. “I know…I’m sorry, (Y/N).”

“How’d…how’d he die?”

There was a pause, then Bruce’s voice came out no higher than a broken whisper. “It was my fault…I wasn’t fast enough.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Bruce.”

“Yes, it was. I told him to wait but I should’ve known he would’ve gone to save her.”

(Y/N) glanced up at him at the mention of ‘her’. “Her? Who’s her?”

“Sheila Haywood. Jason’s mother.”

“So, he found her? Did he save her?”

Bruce let out a cold laugh that unsettled her. “He tried to…only to be betrayed by her and given to the Joker.” (Y/N)’s eyes widened, and he continued. “He beat Jason to a bloody pulp…then blew up the warehouse they were in.”

“He…killed them both?”

“Yes.”

She sucked in a breath, closing her eyes as the tears ran down her cheeks. “I thought he was still there…still spending time with her…I never imagined this would’ve happened.”

A comforting hand caressed the side of her head and Bruce apologized again. “I’m sorry, (Y/N)…I’m so sorry.” She said nothing and leaned her head onto his shoulder again and let the tears come.

***

The weeks after that were unimaginable, and (Y/N) couldn’t bear to bring herself to his grave. Too afraid that seeing it, would make it real. Make it true. But after wrestling with herself and telling herself that she owed it to him to go, she finally made her way over. Each step was heavy, and she found it increasingly hard to breathe as she walked; she stopped, a hand holding the cold iron. I can’t do this…I can’t…I’m not ready.

(Y/N) moved to turn when a hand rested on her shoulder; she looked up to see Dick smiling sadly down at her. “What are you doing here?”

“I knew at some point you’d go see him…I’ve been waiting to go with you.”

She reared back and glared. “How do you know I need someone to go with me?”

“Because you can’t even open the gate, (Y/N).”

She looked back to her hand, seeing it begin to turn a shade lighter from clenching so tightly; (Y/N) let out a shaky breath. “I need help, Dick. I’m…scared to go alone.”

“I’ll go with you.” He said, his hand shifting from her shoulder to her hand, and his fingers curled around it.

She glanced at him through the tears in her eyes. “You will?” He nodded and she stepped back, letting him open the gate.

Their steps were quiet as the moved through the cemetery, and eventually, her eyes landed on his headstone. (Y/N) pulled away from Dick and stumbled to the stone, dropping to her knees in front of it; her fingers rose shakily, and she placed a hand to it.

It was freezing, and it made her throat close as she traced the letters of his name. “I didn’t…I didn’t even get to say goodbye. The plane was boarding, and he could only wave as he ran to catch it.”

Dick knelt beside her and rested a hand on her back. “None of us did (Y/N).”

“I thought he was still in Ethiopia with his mom…” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him; (Y/N) wrapped an arm under his and around his back, resting her head against his chest. “I don’t know what to do, Dick.” (Y/N) gazed at her hand to the silver band resting on her finger and choked out a sob. “What do I do now?” She stared up at him, hoping he had the answers, but all he did was close his eyes and shake his head.

“I…I don’t know, (Y/N).” he whispered.

Her eyes moved back to the stone, and she felt the tears run down her face. “This can’t be real…he can’t be gone.” (Y/N) sobbed, and the words poured from her mouth. “We were supposed to go to prom. We were supposed to graduate and go to college. Move in together and get…and get…” She couldn’t bring herself to say ‘married’, and she felt Dick’s arms tighten around her and his head dropped to her shoulder.

Soon, she felt the material of her jacket go damp and he whispered, “I wasn’t the brother I should’ve been for him. God, I was so angry at Bruce that I stayed away from Gotham, and I never got to know him well enough as I should’ve.”

(Y/N) pulled back to look at Dick, and she took one of his hands; he met her eyes and she murmured, “You were enough, Dick. He knew you cared for him.” He nodded, and (Y/N) rested her head back against his chest. After a few moments, she whispered, “I don’t know what to do anymore, Dick. I can’t even bring myself to leave my room most days let alone putting on my suit on anymore.”

“Why not?”

(Y/N) let her eyes trace his name and she confessed brokenly, “Because I can’t be Kit without my Robin.” She shut her eyes and brought a hand to her face and cried into it. Dick said nothing, he just held her as she broke down, and he let himself break down too.

***Five Years Later***

She gripped the handle of her whip and followed after Selina as she stepped into the jewelry store. Her eyes moved around the room, then went back to Selina who was busy cutting a hole in the glass case. “Selina…what are we doing?”

Selina snorted. “I believe we’re stealing this six-million-dollar diamond and ruby necklace, (Y/N).”

“No. I mean what are we doing, Selina.”

She stopped cutting and rose, arching an elegant brow at (Y/N). “Alright. You’ve been acting like this for a few weeks now. In fact, it’s been like this since you’ve put the suit back on.” She motioned to (Y/N). “What’s up with you?”

Taking a few breaths of courage, she removed her mask and stared at her mentor. “I’m not doing this anymore.”

“And what does that mean?”

(Y/N) loosened the whip at her side. “It means that you’re breaking the law, Selina. And it’s wrong.”

Selina huffed a laugh and turned back to the case, beginning to cut again. “You’re a little old to be playing Cops and Robbers, Kit.” The crack of her whip sounded, and she watched it curl around Selina’s wrist; her eyes turned back to (Y/N), gaping at her. “(Y/N)?”

(Y/N) narrowed her eyes. “I’m not letting you take this Selina. It’s wrong.” Selina huffed a cold laugh and gripped the whip in her hand, tugging it roughly; (Y/N) flew forward and she landed at her feet. She looked up and saw Selina picking up the necklace, then glance down at her.

“All these years I’ve taken care of you. All these years that I’ve trained you and this is how you give it back to me? By turning sides?” Selina scoffed. “You can get the hell out of my place and find your own.” (Y/N) scrambled to her feet beginning to give chase; she ran past the alarm and threw an arm out, slamming her hand down on the switch. Selina glanced over her shoulder. “You little bitch!”

“I’m going to be a bigger bitch when I take that necklace back from you Selina!” The two of them slammed through the doors on the roof, hands and feet flying.

They both fought and (Y/N) felt Selina’s claws dig into her shoulder. She let out a cry and slammed her palm up into Selina’s chin. The older woman fell backwards, and (Y/N) watched the necklace fly from her pouch. Their eyes met and each of them scrambled, trying to reach it first. (Y/N) gripped the bolas at her side and slung them as hard as she could. They caught Selina’s ankles, and she dropped; she slid to her feet and scooped up the necklace, and she didn’t look back as she ran, hopping ledges and rooftops, listening to Selina cuss at her the entire way.

(Y/N) ran for what seemed like hours, and once she made sure she was safe, she sat down on a rooftop and caught her breath. Her hand shifted to her pocket, and she looked at the necklace. I could sell this if I wanted to. (Y/N) shook her head and shoved the necklace back in her pocket. No. I made my choice. No more stealing. She sighed and turned back to go to Selina’s apartment when she remembered that she couldn’t go back there. So where to now? (Y/N) looked around when a building caught her eye. I can go to him…he’ll help me. She began running again, moving in the direction of the manor.

***

Bruce stood in front of the Batcomputer, moving through the cases when Tim walked up. “Bruce? Can I help you with anything?”

“No. Go see if Dick or Alfred need anything though.”

Tim nodded and began moving when a figure came into view. “Holy crap! Kit?!”

Immediately, everyone was facing the entrance of the cave and they watched as (Y/N) stepped closer; Bruce rose from his seat and moved in front of her, noticing she was out of her suit. “What are you doing here, (Y/N)?”

Her eyes moved from his to the Batcomputer and she nodded at it. “Selina got arrested then.”

“You knew?”

(Y/N) looked at him and stepped forward, moving her hand towards him to reveal the necklace. “I came to give this to you…to return it.”

Bruce took it, looking at her curiously and the others stepped towards her. “Why’d you turn on Selina?”

She took a deep breath and held out her suit, declaring, “I don’t want to be a criminal anymore. I’m tired of breaking the law and seeing other people get away with it.”

To say that they were surprised at her confession was an understatement; Dick tipped his head. “But…stealing is kind of your thing? Why don’t you want to do it anymore, (Y/N)?”

“Because it’s not what Jason would want me to keep doing.” (Y/N) looked at Bruce. “I’ll do whatever it takes to prove I’m ready to change but I don’t want to be a criminal. I want to be like you guys…” She swallowed thickly. “I want to be someone that would make Jason proud.”

They were silent for a moment, then Bruce took her suit from her and passed it to Alfred. “If you’re going to join us, you’ll need a new training regimen. We start at dawn.”

That was all he said before turning around, and (Y/N) called out to him. “By the way…Selina kicked me out. So…can I maybe stay here?” He waved a hand and (Y/N) let a smile grace her face.

“Welcome to the Batfamily (Y/N).”

(Y/N) glanced at Dick’s hand held outwards and she smiled, taking it firmly; he shifted and pulled her into a hug, listening as she giggled. “Thanks Dick.”

They pulled away and Bruce walked back over. “You need a new suit Kit. Yours is ripped.”

“Vixen.”

“Beg pardon?”

“Everyone has to grow up sometime. I’m not Kit anymore…I’m Vixen.”

Bruce eyed her before walking past her. “You prove to me that you can be like us, and you can be Vixen…until then you’re Kit.”

“Looks like you have a long road ahead of you (Y/N).” Dick remarked.

She nodded at him. “Right on.” She glanced over at Tim who was still wearing his suit. “Hey…Robin.” He turned to her, and his eyes flashed with fear as she stepped in front of him; (Y/N) pointed to the symbol. “Make sure you honor that uniform. Are we clear?” Tim nodded fervently and she reached up, ruffling his hair. “Good.” (Y/N) walked away and stopped at the stairs, glancing over her shoulder at him. “He’d be proud someone like you filled his shoes.”

“Are you okay with this, (Y/N)?”

Her eyes moved to Dick’s, and she nodded, her voice solemn. “Jason’s gone, Dick. I can’t change that.” (Y/N)’s hand rose to close around the ring on the chain at her neck. “But I can honor him by knowing that Tim’s doing a damn good job as Robin.” She began moving up the stairs and murmured, “And I know he’d be proud that I’m fighting crime instead of making it.”

***Part Three***

She hit the floor, listening as the sound echoed through the cave, and grunted, grabbing her side, the throbbing telling her she was going to see a black bruise soon. He shifted over and knelt beside her. “Are you alright?”

She nodded and clamored to her feet, assuming another defensive position. “Let’s go again.”

“This is the fifth time we’ve done this, (Y/N). Aren’t you tired yet?”

“Again.” She reiterated.

Bruce complied and entered an offensive stance. “Remember (Y/N), it’s not just about blocking each hit, it’s knowing what’s coming next.”

“Got it. Go.”

They circled each other for a few seconds, each of them wondering who was going to move first; Bruce shifted fast, and she readied herself for the coming blows. They came swiftly, and she reminded herself to focus on what he was going to do next. Who am I kidding? The man is unpredictable. (Y/N) kept up, and she saw him grin ever-so-slightly.

“Good. You’re keeping up well.” She blocked the palm he threw at her, returning it with a kick to his side, then backing up; he followed her. “Let’s see if you can go faster.”

“Wait don’t go faster! I’m barely keeping myself on track right now!” Bruce chuckled, but went faster anyway and (Y/N) found herself panicking as each fist came.

“Don’t panic, (Y/N). Focus.” She took a deep breath as she blocked his foot and he said, “When it comes down to a life-or-death fight, you need to be able to keep calm. If you let your enemy get the better of your fear and panic, it’s all over.”

“Is that how you felt when you fought Bane?”

He nodded. “I will admit, that was one of the most fearful moments of my entire life.”

“I imagine having your back broken is.” Bruce shifted again, and (Y/N) saw his foot fly. “Fuck.”

She saw it too late, and it hit her square in the chest; she dropped to the ground, the wind knocked from her lungs. (Y/N) put her hands to her chest and tried to breathe, but the air wouldn’t come in; her eyes widened in panic, and she looked up at Bruce who immediately moved to her side.

“(Y/N).” She motioned to her chest, and he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Just relax. The more you panic, the harder it will be for you to breathe.” She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down, then she inhaled deeply, feeling the breath expand in her deprived lungs. She let out a shaky breath and he asked, “Are you alright now?”

(Y/N) opened her eyes, and she jerked, elbow meeting his chest; Bruce’s eyes widened, and she shifted again, taking advantage of the opening he’d given her. The arm she’d hit him with came back and gripped one of his arms and she swung herself around it, placing her legs over his chest, as she pulled it back. Bruce’s back bent on the mat as he tried to move, but she tightened her grip on his arm and her legs, keeping him locked in place.

“Tap out.” He grunted and tried to move but couldn’t and she said again, this time firmer, “Tap. Out.” After a few seconds, she heard his free hand tapping the mat and she let go, rolling off. (Y/N) rose to her feet and crossed her arms, smiling triumphantly. “I win.”

Bruce climbed to his feet and stood in front of her, a hard look in his eyes. At first, (Y/N) began to panic at the look, then the corner of his mouth turned up and he passed her murmuring, “Good job.”

She turned around and watched his back in disbelief as he walked to the shower room and then turned to Dick who was walking over, a towel in his hand. “Did…did that just happen? Did he just give me approval?”

Dick snorted as he passed her the towel. “Don’t get used to it, ‘cause it probably won’t happen again for a long time.”

Tim walked up beside her as she laughed. “Here (Y/N). I got your water.”

She smiled as she took it from him. “Thanks kiddo.” (Y/N) drank from the bottle then glanced at Dick. “I thought you were supposed to be in Blüdhaven. Why are you here?”

“Bruce said there’s some new player in Gotham and I figured he could use a hand.”

“Yeah, that Red Hood guy.” She replied.

Dick raised an eyebrow. “You know him?”

“Hardly,” she scoffed. “Bruce hasn’t let Tim or me patrol since he’s come into town.”

“Is he that dangerous?” (Y/N) passed him and walked over to the Batcomputer, typing on it; a few seconds later, the image of eight decapitated heads appeared on the screen. “Holy shit.”

She nodded at his shock. “He’s effectively taken over the drug trade in Gotham City, and is waging a one-man-war on Black Mask.”

“Is he winning?”

“So far? It appears so.” She paused and clicked the mouse. “I can’t exactly condone his actions because he’s killing people, but he’s keeping the drugs away from children and schools, so I’m not overly angry with him.”

Dick hummed, glancing at Tim. “You doing good, Timmy?”

The young boy nodded with a smile. “(Y/N)’s been helping me a lot.”

“Shove off, Dick.” She muttered when she saw the look on his face.

He spluttered. “I didn’t say anything!”

“You were thinking it.” She moved towards the steps, climbing them towards the door.

Dick followed her. “Going to see Jason?”

(Y/N) nodded as they stepped into the study. “Didn’t get to see him last week because of exams.”

“How’d those go?”

She flashed a grin over her shoulder. “Passed with flying colors.”

Dick reached over and patted her head. “Good job, (Y/N).”

She swatted his hand but smiled nevertheless at his congratulations. “Thanks Dick.” He smiled as he watched her climb the stairs and move towards her room.

(Y/N) walked inside her room and closed the door, immediately stripping from the sweaty work-out clothes; she dropped them into her hamper and moved into the bathroom, stepping into the shower. Once she was finished, she pulled on her underclothes, then put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Her eyes drifted to the zip-up hoodie in her closet; she pulled it off the hanger and slipped it on. Even after so long, it still fit her; she could faintly smell the scent of his cologne in it and she sighed, closing the closet, and moving to the door. (Y/N) walked down the steps and to the garage, grabbing her keys as she walked by.

***

The drive to the cemetery didn’t take long, and she stepped across the grass, still covered with dew. She pulled out the bottle of water from her bag, along with the old rag she’d grabbed; she poured the water on the rag then ran it over the surface of the stone, cleaning away the dirt.

“Sorry I wasn’t here last week, Jay. I had exams that week and I was too busy cramming. Honestly, it feels like a shit excuse on my part, but I know you’d understand.” (Y/N) grinned. “I remember how well you did in school. Right next to me, you were the best there was.” She pulled the rag away and wrung it out, putting it away, then she placed the vase of flowers at it, shifting it into place.

“I should mention that I passed my exams with A’s. (Y/N) (L/N) is one step closer to graduating. To be honest, school sucks. My nights are much more fun.” She snorted and pulled a photo album from her bag. “Tim helped me put this together a few days ago. He likes photography a lot.” (Y/N) opened it and reclined against the headstone. “You’d like Tim, Jason. He’s a good kid…smart, God he’s smart. Probably smarter than all of us…even Bruce.” She flipped the pages. “This is an old picture…the first gala you ever dragged me to.”

(Y/N) snorted. “I kept stepping on your shoes when we danced, but you just smiled at me…here’s you and I at the fairgrounds. I remember you threw up on the teacups because you ate too much. Ugh, that was so gross. Hilarious, but gross. Here’s that photo of you, Dick, Roy, and I at the pool. The chicken fight was fun and watching you and Dick pout because Roy and I beat you both was even more so.” Her fingers moved the pages, and she came across one of them; they froze on it. “…This was the last photo you and I took together. The Christmas party Bruce threw the year before you died.” A sad smile crossed her face, and she flipped the page again. “For now, that’s all we have.”

She closed the book and turned to the stone. “But I’ll make sure to take more photos so I can show you. Something tells me that the family is going to get a lot bigger in the future.” (Y/N) rose from the ground and collected her things, then stood in front of the stone. All at once, she felt someone’s eyes on her and immediately, she turned and eyes darting around, but saw nothing. Confused and unnerved, she faced the stone again. “I’ll see you later, Jason. I love you.”

(Y/N) quickly walked to her car and climbed in, pulling away from the sidewalk; she picked up her phone and pushed a button, listening to it ring.

Hello?

“Hey Bruce.”

What’s wrong?

“I think someone was around Jason’s grave.”

There was silence on the line, then his voice came over low and quiet. Why do you say that?

“Because it felt like someone was watching me.”

You sure it wasn’t someone else visiting?

(Y/N) huffed a mirthless laugh. “Bruce, I was the only person in the cemetery.”

I’ll see about putting up a camera in the quadrant that Jason’s grave is in.

“Alright. Hey…about patrol tonight. Can—”

We’ll talk about it tonight.

“Okay.” (Y/N) hung up and continued her drive towards Gotham University.

***

She stood in front of the Batcomputer, watching Bruce type away. “Have you found anything else about him?”

“Not yet. Dick’s going with me tonight, so we’ll see what it brings.”

“About tonight…Bruce, I think you should let me patrol again.”

“No.”

She sighed and leaned against the panel. “C’mon, Bruce. You can’t beat this guy on your own, not even with Dick’s help.” (Y/N) reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let me help you, Bruce. It’s what you’ve been training me to do.”

“She’s got a point Bruce.” They turned to see Dick walking towards them, already suited up. “(Y/N)’s been working her ass off to get back into the field. And after what we saw this morning, she’s damn sure earned it.”

(Y/N) turned back to Bruce who took in Dick’s words, then he rose from the chair and began walking off; she sighed and scratched the back of her head. “I swear it’s one step forwards and two steps back.”

“Don’t take it too personal (Y/N). He’s just worried about the new guy.”

Her response was cut off by Bruce who stepped up to her. He held out a black suit with silver streaks on it; she eyed it. “What’s this?”

“That’s your new suit…Vixen.”

(Y/N)’s eyes went wide, and she gaped at him. “Are you…are you serious right now?”

Bruce nodded. “Dick’s right. You’ve earned the name and right to start patrolling again.” He took in the joy on her face and thumped her forehead. “Go suit up. We leave in ten.”

She scrambled to the changing room and stripped her clothes, pulling on the new suit. It fit like a glove, and she admired the suit in the mirror. She pulled on the domino mask and walked back out to them.

Bruce handed her a grapple gun and motioned to a sleek-black bike. “New bike’s yours too.”

“Holy crap this is awesome!” she yelled, pulling him in for a hug.

“Are you done yet?” Bruce sighed, patting her head.

“Don’t be an ass, Bruce. Enjoy the moment.”

He let out a chuckle as she pulled away, then his tone dropped into a serious one. “Listen to me very carefully, I don’t want you engaging the Red Hood, understood?”

She tipped her head. “I get it, but why not?”

“He’s too dangerous and unpredictable. Leave him to Dick and me. You stick to South Gotham.”

(Y/N) nodded and made her way to her bike. “I’ll stay in contact. Good hunting boys.” She pulled off and drove down the ramps.

***

She stood along the ledge of the building, watching the city below her; the night hadn’t been busy, but it certainly stretched along. Her eyes followed the cars and pedestrians when a flash of red caught them. Holy shit! It’s him! He paused on a roof top, then kept moving; (Y/N) grabbed her gun and aimed it for the building he’d just left when she paused. Maybe I should call Bruce…I’ll just tail him for now and get Bruce information.

She nodded her head and fired, slinging to the other building. Her feet hit the top and she was thankful that her shoes muffled noise as she began running after him. Tailing him wasn’t so hard as he didn’t turn around; he obviously wasn’t expecting someone to follow him. (Y/N) followed him, then, she lost sight of him.

Dropping down into the alley she’d seen him drop into, she let out a ‘huh’ and looked around, whispering, “I don’t understand…he was just here?”

“You’re good, but you aren’t the best.” She spun around to see him standing in front of her; (Y/N) reacted, throwing a fist. He caught it, and she brought her knee up to his stomach; he must’ve been expecting it too because he blocked it with his palm. “Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Too bad pal. I’m on the job right now.” (Y/N) jerked her fist from his grasp and threw her other one.

He dodged each punch and kick she sent, and he sighed. “I’m not going to fight you.”

That made her pause and she stopped with her hands raised defensively. “And why not?”

“Because I don’t want to hurt you, Kit.”

Her eyes widened, then narrowed. “Look you’re obviously new in town, so I’ll give you this one for free. My name isn’t Kit anymore. It’s Vixen.”

He leaned against the wall, his arms crossing over his chest; he tipped his head back and flirted, “Vixen, huh? That referring to you growing out of Kit…or becoming a rather alluring seductress?”

(Y/N) uncurled the whip from her side. “Depends on who’s asking.” Whatever response he had was cut off as she cracked it towards him.

Quick as flash, and obviously well trained, Red Hood grabbed the whip and curled his arm around it, jerking it roughly. (Y/N) flew forward and he shifted, grabbing her wrists; he turned them around and her back hit the wall as he shoved her arms above her head. She thrashed until he murmured, “Stop moving.”

She yanked at his grip, then looked at his helmet; she spit at it. “Let me go you fucker.”

He chuckled at her. “Man, you’ve certainly grown a mouth.” He observed her. “Those were nice flowers you left.”

(Y/N) stilled at that and she stared wide-eyed at him. “…What?”

“A nice mix you had going. Forget-Me-Nots, that’s self-explanatory. Primroses for eternal love, Red Tulips for undying love, Rainflowers for atonement, and Sword Lilies for an August birthday.” (Y/N) felt the breath leave her lungs, and all she could do was stare, too stunned to speak. “You’re still holding onto him, aren’t you?”

Her eyes narrowed and she felt tears swim in her vision as she tugged at her arms. “You sonovabitch. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’ve visited his grave every week for the past five years, always bringing the same blend of flowers, and the same rag to clean with.”

“So, you’ve been watching me?”

“For a while…I wanted to know if you cared.”

“…Why?” His hands shifted, taking both her wrists in one, and the other went behind his head and pushed the button. She watched the helmet unlock and he pulled it off, dropping it do their feet, then he pulled the domino mask from his eyes and gazed at her. (Y/N)’s jaw went slack, and she could barely breathe.

“Because I still care.”

She could barely get his name out. “…J-Jason?”

His free hand came up and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing against her skin. “Hey (Y/N)…been a long time.”

Her heart slammed against her ribcage, and everything began to spin; the last thing she remembered was Jason calling out to her as she fell into darkness.

***Part Four***

Her eyelids peeled open, and she looked up at the ceiling blearily. Upon seeing that it wasn’t the ceiling in her room at Wayne Manor, shock registered in her brain, and she shifted to sit up.

A hand rested on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down as a low voice followed. “Don’t sit up too fast. You’ll make yourself sick.” She looked over to see him sitting there on the edge of the bed; his hand moved from her shoulder to the nightstand beside her. He passed her a warm cup, which she took lightly. “Here. You’re recovering from shock, something warm will help.”

She brought the cup to her lips, and the scent of freshly crushed peppermint leaves wafted up her nose. “Peppermint?”

“Peppermint reduces anxiety and makes you calm.” He nodded to it. “Drink.”

“Don’t be bossy…I’m doing it.” She took a few sips then handed it back to him; he took it from her and set it on the nightstand, then looked at his hands. There was silence around them, then she sat up, scooting closer to him. “It’s really you, isn’t it?” The silence he gave her made her heart wrench, and she reached out, curling her hand in his. “Jason?”

He finally looked at her, and she took in the sight of how clouded his teal eyes were. She rested a hand on his cheek, her thumb caressing under his eye. She stared at him, then whispered, “I don’t understand…how are you alive?”

Jason closed his eyes and shook his head murmuring, “I don’t know (Y/N). I remember everything coming back in the Lazarus Pit…but that’s about it.” She tightened her grip on his hand, feeling his thumb run across the back of hers. “I’ve been waiting for the chance to talk to you…but I didn’t know when to.”

“You could’ve talked to me at the cemetery.”

Jason snorted and glanced at her. “And send you into cardiac arrest where I was buried? No thanks.” (Y/N) felt the corners of her mouth rise and she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his; they stared at each other for a few moments, then Jason reached forward and pulled her into his lap, burying his face in her shoulder. Her arms came up and wound around him, threading a hand in his hair.

“I’ve missed you, (Y/N).” he whispered, tightening his grip on her waist.

She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’ve missed you too, Jason. Everyday you’ve been gone.”

They stayed that way for a while, simply holding each other, remembering what they had. (Y/N) pulled away after some time and took his face in her hands, observing him. She could tell how much he’d changed since they last saw each other those five years ago; he’d grown, and not just in his body and facial features. (Y/N) had seen the videos of him fighting; he’d become more skillful at fighting, deadlier too. Whoever trained him after Bruce had honed his senses to a razor-sharp edge. But what stunned her the most were his eyes. When they were younger, his eyes were always bright and full of mirth, always willing to spark some type of trouble…but now? His eyes were dark and cloudy, haunted by his past, a stark contrast from what she remembered.

(Y/N) reached up and twirled a finger in the tuft of white hair at his head. “That’s new.”

He smiled and nodded. “Was like that when I woke up.”

“Jason…what are you doing?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

(Y/N) shifted, pulling herself from his grip and rising to stand in front of him. “You know exactly what I mean.” She gestured to his suit. “This Red Hood business? Fighting Bruce? The war on drugs against Black Mask?” she shook her head like she couldn’t understand any of it—and for the most part, she didn’t. “What are you doing?”

Jason stood from the bed and wandered over to a table, his back to her. “I’m doing what Bruce won’t.”

“And that is?”

His hands shifted to the guns on the table, and he picked up a rag, beginning to clean one. “Controlling crime.”

“You’re not controlling crime, Jason. You’re acting like a mob boss.”

He snorted and glanced over his shoulder. “Maybe, but it’s getting the job done.”

(Y/N) thought her head was going to explode, and she crossed the room to him, grabbing his arm and spinning him around to face her; she glowered at him. “You’re not ‘doing the job’, Jason! You’re killing people!”

He jerked his arm from her grip and leaned in, his voice harsh. “Bad people! I’m putting down dogs that deserve it!”

“It doesn’t matter what they deserve, Jason! It’s murder! We aren’t executioners!”

Jason stood back up to his full height, and she watched his eyes turn to slits as he murmured, “I thought you of all people would understand why I’m doing this.”

(Y/N) thought he’d slapped her with how disappointed he sounded, and her voice turned incredulous. “Are you shitting me right now?” She reached out, her pointer finger jamming into his chest. “Don’t you dare turn this on me.” (Y/N) shook her head. “I left Selina and joined Bruce because I didn’t want to be a criminal anymore. I wanted to be a better person in your memory.” She stared into his eyes and spit, “You know damn well I’d never condone this…not even for you.”

“So, you’re choosing him over me?”

“Oh, don’t even go there, Jason. It’s not like that and you know it. Bruce helped me turn over a new leaf. He’s helped me become who I am.” (Y/N) reached out and took his arm. “Come home, Jason. Bruce and I can help you.”

This time, he gripped the hand that held his arm and he yanked her off. “I don’t need his help. Not when he did this to me.”

“Are you…are you blaming Bruce for this?”

“Of course I am! He left me to die!” The sound of a palm against skin echoed in the room and Jason reached up, holding his throbbing cheek.

(Y/N) glared as she whispered frostily, “He didn’t leave you to die, Jason! He told you to wait until he got back! I will admit that he wasn’t fast enough to save you, but he didn’t do this!” She tugged her hand away from his grip. “You’ve done this all on your own.”

His Adam’s apple bobbe4d as he swallowed, and he huffed a mirthless laugh. “You’ve changed, (Y/N).” He passed by her, muttering as he did. “You act so high and mighty, but you forget that you used to be a criminal too.”

She looked at him through the mirror beside her and she murmured, “I think it’s you who’s changed.” He turned and met her eyes and she added, “My Jason knew the difference between right and wrong.”

Jason flashed her a smile that made her stomach curl and he declared, “I don’t know if you know this, (Y/N)? But your Jason died.”

(Y/N) swallowed thickly and turned around, meeting his gaze. They stared at each other, and she affirmed, “Yes…he has.” Her hand reached up tugged at the silver chain around her neck; she walked past him to the door but stopped beside him. (Y/N) took his hand and placed the necklace in his palm; he looked down at it, then back at her, his eyes widening, and she hissed, “You can take this back. I’d rather die than marry what you’ve become.”

Jason’s hand curled around the ring, and he narrowed his eyes in amusement. “Don’t know if you know this, doll…but dying isn’t all that hard to do.”

(Y/N) glared as she passed him to the door, slamming it on her way out.

***

She wondered aimlessly through the streets, not caring where she was headed. After a few hours, a beeping sounded from her wrist; she raised her wrist and pushed a button on it. “Hello?”

Bruce’s worried voice came over the comm. (Y/N)? Where are you?

She looked around, taking in the view of the bay. “At the docks.”

Stay there. I’m coming to get you.

The call ended and she collapsed onto the bench, staring out at the water. Her hand reached up to hold the ring that hung at her neck but clenched around nothing. (Y/N) glanced down, then remembered where it went; tears filled her eyes and she reached up, covering her eyes as she sobbed.

A few moments later, the sound of the Batmobile pulling up came behind her, and then, a hand rested on her shoulder. She looked up, blinking through the tears to see Bruce frowning at her. “Let’s get back to the cave (Y/N).” She nodded and he helped her stand, walking her to the passenger side; she slid in and buckled the seat belt, staring out the windshield as he climbed in the driver’s seat.

The city passed them in a blur, and soon, they were back in the cave; Bruce turned off the Batmobile and they sat in silence until she whispered, “I know who he is.”

Bruce was quiet a few moments, then he murmured, “…I know as well.”

(Y/N) turned to him. “Ra’s brought him back.”

“It was actually Talia. Ra’s apparently called him a curse set upon the world.”

She huffed a laugh, but it was anything but humorous. “Right about now, I’m not sure whether I should agree with Ra’s or not…I’m inclined to agree with him.”

“How did you find out?”

“I saw him from the ledge I was on. I tailed him to an alley, and when he showed his face, I passed out from the shock.” (Y/N) looked at him. “Woke up and we got into it about what he’s doing…I left.” She paused. “How’d you find out?”

He sighed and reclined against the headrest. “We fought after I found Onyx, he revealed himself and...”

“And?”

“And after testing the coffin and the blood samples he left…it’s him.”

(Y/N) snorted and shook her head. “I could’ve told you that.”

They lapsed into silence, then Bruce murmured, “You aren’t wearing the necklace.” (Y/N) rested a hand along the base of her throat then shifted, climbing out of the Batmobile; Bruce followed her.

They walked a few feet, stopping in front of Jason’s old suit; (Y/N) stared at it, then turned to Bruce. “We made that promise when we were young and naïve…but now?” She turned around and began walking away. “I don’t think there’s a place for him and I in this world anymore. Not like this there isn’t.”

***Part Five***

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

His hands halted at her question but continued a second later. “You being there will only make a distraction.”

“Maybe, but it might also make him give in easier.”

He clicked the utility belt around his waist and looked up at her. “He had his chance to surrender when you two were together, (Y/N). Now I’m putting my foot down.”

She watched him move past her towards the Batmobile, and she reached out, griping his bicep; his eyes met hers and she said, “Call me if it gets bad.”

“It won’t.”

“It will.” (Y/N) squeezed his arm firmly. “And when it happens, you’ll need me to talk to him. We both know I’m the only one who can even begin to reason with him.” He said nothing, and she let go, watching him climb into the Batmobile and speed off.

After a few moments, she walked over to the Batcomputer and sat down, hitting a few keys until the monitor displayed Bruce’s cowl camera; she watched the scenes play in front of her, the mess with Black Mask, up until Bruce leaving to go find Jason.

Footsteps sounded beside her, and she glanced up to see Alfred looking at the screen. “So Master Bruce is going after Master Jason?”

(Y/N) looked back at the screen and nodded. “Yes.”

“Hmm. And you stayed behind?”

She bit her lip, eying the screen. “…It’s not my place to get between them.”

“It’s not?” he almost sounded shocked at her admission.

“No. This is Bruce and Jason’s fight now. It’s dragged on long enough.”

Alfred watched her for a few moments before humming again. “Hmm. And here I thought Master Jason still held privilege in your heart Miss (Y/N). I must admit it is hard to see that you have moved on so soon.” It was all he said as he turned on his heel and crossed the cave floor, leaving (Y/N) with her thoughts.

She stared at the screen for a few seconds, taking in Alfred’s words before mumbling, “Ah fuck it.” She rose from the chair and made her way to the case where her suit was, reaching out and pulling it from its holds; she slipped it on and tightened the straps and belts, moving to her bike.

Alfred stood beside her, holding out her whip. “I do believe this is yours, Miss (Y/N).”

“Make sure to keep in radio contact with us…we might need you Alfie.” He nodded and saw her off.

***

(Y/N) arrived in the nick of time, seeing Jason and Bruce moving into fighting stances. She pulled out her grapple and swung up to the fire-escape, standing between them; they were shocked to see her there. “(Y/N)?”

She eyed Jason and squared her shoulders, her back to Bruce. “Enough Jason.”

He stood up straight and glowered at her. “Move (Y/N).”

“No.” she retorted; she wasn’t afraid of him. This was still her Jason. A little worn and little darker, and a lot more damaged, but still him. Still good.

“This doesn’t concern you. This is between me and him.”

(Y/N) shook her head and pointed between them. “This concerns me just as much as it concerns you, Jason.”

His response was cut off by Bruce who gripped her arm firmly. “You need to leave (Y/N).”

“I’m not going anywhere Bruce.” She looked between them. “I’m stopping this before it goes too far. Let this end so we can talk.”

Bruce squeezed her arm, his voice hardening. “Your place isn’t here right now, (Y/N).”

She gazed at him for a few moments, before jerking her arm back, this time turning her back to Jason, as if protecting him. “This is my place, Bruce. Right here. Between you,” She paused and glanced over her shoulder, catching Jason’s eyes. “And Jason.” His eyes widened ever-so-slightly, and she turned back to Bruce. “Fighting isn’t going to solve our problems. We’re all suffering from what happened in the past and what’s happening now. Stop this so we can help each other.”

Bruce went silent at her mini-speech, and she thought he was going to agree until he shook his head. “Jason plans on killing Joker…I’m stopping him tonight.”

Jason barked a laugh. “You can try and stop me.” The two of them shifted but stopped when the sound of a devastating explosion rocked the city, and an angry green light covered them; they all turned to the sight and Jason murmured, “That’s Blüdhaven.”

(Y/N) and Bruce’s eyes widened, and they both breathed in disbelief. “Dick?”

Jason chuckled at them. “My God…is Nightwing there? Imagine that. One son returns from the grave as another one enters it…what a fitting ending this has become.” Neither Bruce nor (Y/N) could form words as they watched in horror as the sister-city disintegrated before their eyes. “Good God, the ironies around. Here we are and you have to run to the site of an explosion to dig through the wreckage and find the body of your ‘Boy Sidekick.’ If he’s there, Bruce…you’re too late. Again.” Bruce shifted, starting towards Blüdhaven when a blast knocked him sideways. “No! You’re not leaving! Not now! Not this time!”

Bruce looked back at Jason, his voice and gaze pleading. “Jason. Please. I—”

Jason cut him off, his voice angry. “What! You ‘have to be sure?!’ Getting out of that alive would be one neat trick. It’d take a hell of a lot more than batarangs and a few escrima sticks to survive.” He paused, a smile playing at his lips. “If Ol’ Dickie is there. He’s dead. And if you leave…someone else dies tonight.”

(Y/N) shook herself out of her stupor and put a finger to her ear. “Alfred! Can you read me?”

“Yes Miss (Y/N). What’s wrong?”

“A nuclear bomb was just set off in Blüdhaven.”

“My God…Master Dick—”

“Send the Batplane to my location.”

She felt an arm curl around her bicep, and she glanced up at Bruce. “(Y/N) the Batplane wasn’t made to withstand such high levels of radiation. You’ll die if you’re exposed too much.”

Pulling her arm from his grasp, she began walking towards the ledge. “Alfred send the Batplane. Now.” She heard Alfred give her confirmation that it was on its way, and she turned to Bruce. “I’ll go find Dick…you end this here. Tonight.” Her eyes passed over Jason who wore a dark expression and the sound of the Batplane echoed in the sky.

She climbed in and spared them one last look before turning the Batplane away and flying towards Blüdhaven. She pushed buttons on the screen and talked to Alfred. “Alfred, scan for the tracker in Dick’s suit.”

“At once Miss (Y/N).” There was silence for a few moments then he came back over the comm. “I’ve got a location Miss (Y/N). But it isn’t the exact. Too much radiation interfering with the radar.”

“I’ll find him Alfred. Just upload his suit vitals into the system.” The sound of tapping came over and then a blinking line shot across the screen. “Alfred, how insulated is my suit to radiation?”

“As best as it can, be Miss (Y/N). Though with the lower half of your face exposed, you’re risking high exposure to the radiation, you’d be overcome with radiation sickness within the hour.”

“Does Bruce have any type of mask I can wear?”

“Check the bin beside you. There might be one.”

(Y/N) pressed a button, halting the Batplane and reached over, searching the bin; she pulled out a mask and fit it around her face, pushing the button on the side that sealed it. “Alright. I’m good.”

“Master Dick is in the outskirts of the city. Hurry Miss (Y/N)…too much exposure will kill him.”

(Y/N) disengaged the lock and began scanning the perimeter of the city for him. It took her about thirty minutes to find him, and when she did, she saw the radiation already beginning to affect him; she lowered the Batplane to the ground and ran out, crossing the street laden with debris until she got to him.

“Dick!” He turned in the direction of her voice, but she could tell he was disoriented; he staggered towards her, falling to his knees just as she reached him. (Y/N) caught his upper body before he fell over and she wrapped an arm under his and across his back, heaving him to his feet. “It’s alright, Dick. I’ve got you.”

He moaned trying to find his feet, and she began pulling him towards the Batplane. “Need…to check…for survivors.”

(Y/N) shook her head at him, heaving him closer. “We can’t do anything right now, Dick. We need to get out of here.”

“But…the survivors—”

“Dick. We can’t save them. I have to get you out of here before the radiation makes you sicker.” He relented his fight and allowed her to carry him to the plane; (Y/N) got him into a seat and strapped in, handing him a bag. “You’ll probably be sick for a while, so try to throw up in the bag.” He nodded weakly and she sat in the seat, then the Batplane rose and made its way back to Gotham. “Alfred, I’ve got Dick. Get some KI ready for him to take when we get back to the cave.”

“Shall I update Master Bruce?”

“Just tell him I got Dick and that he’s okay.”

“I will. Hurry back.”

“Will do.” The comm went silent and she glanced over her shoulder at Dick. “Dickie? You good?”

He was moaning lowly, but moved a few fingers, telling her he was. “…Where’s…Bruce?”

She felt her heart tighten, but she pushed it aside. “Fighting Red Hood.”

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

“You…should’ve….stayed.”

“Stop talking Dick.”

“…M’kay.”

***

The rest of the ride was silent, and when she returned to the cave, Alfred was waiting for her with a gurney. They got Dick on it and wheeled him to the med-room in the cave; they rolled him onto the bed and (Y/N) gripped the zipper at his neck, pulling it down. Alfred helped her pull his suit off, and soon, Dick was asleep in the bed, the two of them resting in the chairs beside him.

“How did you find Master Dick?”

(Y/N) watched Dick’s chest rise and fall with each breath and she murmured, “Dick’s always put the safety of others above himself.” She glanced at Alfred. “I knew he’d try to help survivors in the area.” She rose from the seat and rested a hand on Alfred’s shoulder. “I need to go find Bruce. You look after Dick.”

He nodded and she left the cave, climbing back into the Batplane and taking off.

***

She scoured the city until she caught Bruce’s signal; she tapped a few buttons, connecting into the comm. “Bruce?”

(Y/N). Is Dick—

“He’s fine, Bruce. I got him back to the cave.”

There was a pause, then Bruce’s voice came over relived. Good.

“Where are you?”

Delivering Joker to the Asylum.

“And Jason?”

Gone.

She paused, inhaling shakily before murmuring, “I’ll find him…you go back to the cave and see Dick.”

Are you sure?

“I need to do this Bruce. Let me.”

Be careful, (Y/N).

“Jason would never hurt me, Bruce. You don’t have to worry about me.”

…I always worry about you all.

The corners of her mouth rose, and she quipped, “Yeah, we know.” The comm went dead and she turned the Batplane in the direction of Jason’s apartment. She landed on the opposite roof and swung over, lifting a window, and slipping in.

(Y/N) crept across the floor, taking in the view of the small blood puddles on the ground. She followed them into the bedroom and saw him resting on the bed, a blood-soaked towel held to his neck; he was sweating and letting out low groans. (Y/N) walked towards him and reached out, her hand covering the one that held the towel.

His eyes snapped open at the touch and his other hand came up defensively; she caught it and his eyes widened at the sight of her. “…(Y/N)?”

She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over, pressing the towel harder to him. “Where’s your first-aid kit?”

He nodded towards the bathroom. “Under…the sink.”

(Y/N) nodded and rose, moving into the bathroom; she returned a few minutes later holding the kit and a bottle of alcohol. She took her seat back on the bed and moved his hand, pulling the towel from its position; she worked quickly, running the alcohol over it, and murmuring a soft “sorry” as he hissed in pain. (Y/N) dabbed the wound before pulling a needle and thread, suturing his wound.

After a few minutes, she pulled the knot and clipped the leftover string, running a pad of alcohol over it once more. She put everything away and found some washcloths, dampening one; then, she moved back to him and wiped away the sweat from his upper body before running the dry one over him, collecting the moisture.

(Y/N) could feel his gaze on her the entire time, but she refused to make eye-contact, instead murmuring, “Feel any better?”

He was silent a few moments, then he mumbled, “…Yeah.”

(Y/N) wiped her hands on the towel and rested them on the nightstand; she cleared her throat and moved to stand. “Then since you’re fine, I’ll leave.” She got to her feet when a hand curled around her fingers, and she looked down at him.

His eyes no longer held the fury they’d held earlier, instead, they begged for help. “Stay with me, (Y/N).”

She swallowed and shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay here, Jason.” She started to pull away, but the hand tightened.

“Please don’t leave me, (Y/N).” he plead, and she met his eyes, shocked to see tears forming in them. “Please don’t leave me alone again.”

“Jason, I—”

“I need you…please.”

She stared at him for a few moments before nodding. “…Okay…I’ll stay.” (Y/N) moved, climbing onto the bed beside him; she rested her head on his chest, feeling his arm curl around her waist. “…You know he loves you…don’t you?” Jason didn’t say anything, she knew he wasn’t going to immediately, so she did. “There isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t think about you…that he doesn’t think about how he failed you…that he was responsible for you.” She paused. “You claim he loved you like a son and left you…”

(Y/N) inhaled and lifted her head, locking eyes with him and she declared, “But you were—you are his son, Jason. And he loves you more than life itself.”

He swallowed thickly, and she watched him raise his hand to his eyes; his face morphed in agony and (Y/N) listened as he sobbed. She shifted, crawling up the bed and pulling him to her; his face buried in her chest and his arms wound around her waist, holding her. She raised a hand and gently ran her fingers through his hair, comforting him.

***

After an hour or so, they were still lying in the bed, Jason resting his weight on (Y/N) as she sat against the headboard. Her fingers still ran through his hair, sometimes lightly scratching his scalp, like she remembered he loved, and her other hand rested on his shoulder, gently massaging. They said nothing, just entranced in each other, until Jason broke it, whispering, “…I’m sorry, (Y/N).”

She took a deep breath and nodded. “I am too, Jason.”

He tilted his head up, giving her a stunned look. “For what?”

“I turned my back on you…when I should’ve been there to help you.” She paused, looking at him. “I was wrong to damn you without trying to understand what you were doing, and why.”

He swallowed, nodding his head to her words; his gaze drifted to her eyes, and he mumbled, “I never meant to disappoint you.”

(Y/N) stared into his teal eyes, and raised a hand, gently brushing the hair away from the tips of his cheekbones, setting it behind his ear. “Neither did I.”

Jason swallowed and raised his weight on his forearms, crawling up her body. “I never wanted to be at odds with you...I wanted to explain everything to you…but I was scared of your reaction.” His face was in front of hers now.

She sighed, nodding, “I know.”

He went quiet for a moment, then reached out and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing along it. “I still love you…and I want you beside me.” (Y/N) met his eyes, watching as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. “Will you come with me?”

“Where?”

“Anywhere. Everywhere. Somewhere far away from Gotham.” He paused, a hopeful look in his eyes. “Come with me, (Y/N)…we can go anywhere we want.” Her hands came up and rested along his shoulders, gently pushing him away. His face twisted and he sat back, watching her rise too.

(Y/N) took his hands, brushing her thumbs along the backs of them; she met his gaze and she spoke firmly. “I’ll go with you.” His eyes widened and his face began to turn joyful until she said, “But you have to do something for me.”

“What?”

“A lot of the unnecessary killing has to stop.” His eyebrows furrowed and she squeezed his hands. “If you want me to come with you? To stay with you and to be with you? You’ve got to try.” (Y/N) pulled her hands back and sat up straight. “Jason, I know you do what you do because you think it’s right. And while I understand that there are some people who don’t deserve to breathe? They’re still human beings. Rapists and murderers, I can get behind your guns. But the petty drug dealers and small-time criminals? Jason, they aren’t worth the bullets you’d spend.”

He observed her for a few moments before reaching past her, opening the nightstand, and pulling something out; his hand was clenched and he spoke quietly, “When I first gave this to you, we were fifteen…we had our whole lives ahead of us. And when I was gone, you never stopped holding on.” He looked at her and said, “That kind of love isn’t something that just dies, (Y/N).”

His hand uncurled and the saw the familiar ring in his open palm. “When you gave this back to me…I was devastated. But…I think it started to open my eyes about us. And I think as long as you’re with me, I can get through anything.” He held out his palm again. “If I ask you again, will you accept?”

“Will try to honor my side of the arrangement?”

“I’ll…try to...I can’t make a promise to it though.”

(Y/N) nodded. “The fact that you’ll try is good enough for me.”

He took her hand and held the ring. “(Y/N) (L/N)…will you marry me?” Tears welled up in her eyes and she nodded silently, too choked up to make words; Jason slid the ring on her finger and held her hand, his thumb rubbing the back of it. (Y/N) leaned forward and Jason pulled her into his lap, holding her to him. “I love you, (Y/N).”

“I love you too, Jason.” she whispered against his shoulder.

After a few minutes, she mumbled against his shoulder; Jason chuckled. “(Y/N), I can’t hear you clearly.”

She pulled back, giving him a smile. “I want to get married in Switzerland.”

“Why Switzerland?”

“So, I can shove you into the snow after you kiss me.” The two of them laughed and Jason shifted, wrapping an arm around her waist; her arms wound around his neck, and he gently lowered her back against the bed. They stared at each other until (Y/N)’s eyes darted to the side. “So…are you going to kiss me? Or are you gonna keep staring at me like a weirdo?”

He snorted at her question and shifted a hand, tracing her cheek. “Just thinking about how pretty you are, doll.”

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow. “When did you start calling people doll?”

“Kinda just caught on.” He shrugged.

“Mhm.”

The two of them laughed again, then Jason admitted, “I don’t know if I can be the man you deserve, (Y/N).”

She shook her head, threading her fingers in his hair as she said, “You are already more than enough for me, Jason…if anything, I’m not sure if I’m the one who’s deserving of you.”

“Will you stay with me?”

(Y/N) leaned up, pressing a kiss to his lips, and whispered, “Now and forever.”

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