#actually he is a softie inside | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sanguineterrain · 23 days ago

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knight in shining helmet | jason todd

Summary: You're a princess who's visiting Gotham City. You weren't loving it to begin with—then you of course had to get kidnapped. Needless to say, your expectations of the night are in hell. You're hoping, at least, that you'll be rescued by the famous Batman. Instead, it's the infamous Red Hood that finds you.

Pairing: Jason Todd x princess!fem!reader

Word count: 6.6k

Warnings/tags: kidnapping, rescue, reader and jason don't get along at first, violence, drugging, meet-ugly, 7-eleven food as a courting strategy, kissing, softie jason (he always makes an appearance somehow!), strangers to...not-so-strangers.

the divider

You suppose that, for a princess, you ought to have expected a kidnapping to pan out at least once in your life.

You just didn't think it would happen tonight. In Gotham City. A place you weren't loving to begin with.

“Unhand me!” you scream as soon as your taker's filthy, sweaty hand leaves your face. “You'll be executed for this!”

You're not actually sure of Gotham's death penalty policy, but you feel like it's something you should throw in. In any case, the three men who've dragged you away, tied you up, and bruised you in the process, should be a little more afraid of getting caught.

“Batman will find you,” you add. “He'll save me.” You've heard great tales of Gotham's hero. If anyone can help you, it's him.

That makes one of them pause. But the ringleader sneers at you. “If he finds us. He's got a lot on his plate every night, ya Majesty.”

“I am a priority guest in this city, of course he would—”

“Shut her up,” the leader snaps, and suddenly, you're being gagged. Disgusting. Completely unsanitary. You don’t want to imagine if the gag has ever been washed.

You keep screaming and fighting through the gag until a needle pricks your neck. Your terror spikes as you realize there's suddenly an ultimatum to fear: what if Batman doesn't reach you in time?

That's your last thought as the drug renders you unconscious.

When you awaken, it's still nighttime. Nearly pitch black, except for a dim lightbulb in the center of the room. It looks like you're in some kind of warehouse. You can't see much of anything and it makes you claustrophobic. Your head aches and your vision is blurry, and your cheek is pressed against a grimy floor. You just want to go home.

You try to sit up first, but that nearly makes you throw up, and you do not want to throw up through this ratty gag. So you swallow the feeling and close your eyes, waiting until the nausea passes. You open your eyes and they begin to adjust to the darkness. You’re alone, which confuses you.

Then you spot the explosives hooked up at the bottom of your dress.

The good news is that your kidnappers aren’t here. The bad news is that the reason they aren’t here is because they can remotely explode this place and you inside of it. If they don’t get the ransom they’re no doubt demanding, tonight will be your first and last night in Gotham.

Another thought chills you to your bone: what if the explosives are set to go off whether they get the ransom or not?

You squeeze your eyes shut as the tears come. You’re going to die.

But wait. Maybe not. Surely, Batman is looking for you. And his young, brightly-colored companion. You never understood that color palette choice.

They’ll save you. Your father has no doubt alerted authorities. You’re the most important person in the city tonight! Of course people are looking for you.

Yes, you’ll be saved, the criminals will be punished to the highest extent of the law, and you’ll be escorted back to your hotel where you can take a long, luxurious bath. That’ll be very nice.

You’ll also never visit Gotham again, that is for sure.

The door to the warehouse rolls open with a boom. You flinch and squint, trying to make out the figure. If it’s your kidnapper, you want to act like you’re still asleep. You think you saw that trick in a film at the cinema you snuck out to watch when you were young. You didn’t catch the whole film, though—you were found out by your guards before you could. Maybe you wouldn’t be in this situation if you’d watched the whole film!

As the figure gets closer, you realize firstly that he’s a lot bigger than your kidnappers. You sigh in relief. Batman.

“‘Lo?” asks a gruff voice. “Anybody here?”

You shout through your gag. You can’t make out a face, but it’s alright. Relief floods you. You’re saved.

Your savior jogs to you. You tilt your head as you make out a… red helmet? With glowing eyes?

Wait a minute.

“Holy shit,” Not-Batman says. He pulls out your gag first. “Y’okay?”

Realization strikes you; you recall a story one of the party guests shared earlier in the night about a crime lord and his terror on Gotham.

"You're that terrible gangster that left a duffle bag of heads!" you blurt.

"In the flesh," he says, tapping the barrel of his gun to his helmet in a salute. Red Hood. “You don’t look very happy to see me, all things considered.”

“I don’t want your help!” you say, wriggling away from him. “I’m in an alliance with The Batman!”

He tilts his head. “‘S that so? What alliance would that be? Beauty Pageant Runaways For Bats?”

“I am not a beauty pageant contestant,” you say hotly. “I am a princess, and I have a small militia looking for me.”

He kneels in front of you, holstering his gun. His one of many, many guns. Your skin itches with sweat and adrenaline as he approaches. Those glowing eyes in his helmet flip your stomach. This is all wrong. You're supposed to be saved by a hero, not an outlaw. A criminal.

“Princess, huh?” Hood nods. “Ah, yeah. I heard somethin’ about that. They took you from the Plaza. Just my luck that I’d run into ya.”

“You mean, you weren’t actively looking for me?” you ask in a small voice.

“Nope. You’ve got every vigilante and cop in the city looking for you, Your Highness. I came in here ‘cause I smelled motor oil.”

Now that he’s found you, what does he plan to do?

“Are… are you going to release me?” you ask.

“Depends. Is this place rigged to blow?”

“My dress,” you say, unsure whether you should let him know about the explosives. A man who leaves severed heads in a duffel bag doesn’t seem wrapped up too tightly.

“Hm?” Hood lifts your skirt slightly. He whistles. “Damn. This is some excellent work. Whoever did this is a pro demolitions expert.”

His praise doesn’t comfort you, oddly enough.

“Is it live?” you ask.

“Doesn’t look like it. And I’ve got a lot of experience with explosives. Just stay still for now.”

Hood squats and pulls out a knife. You shift. He's bigger than you even like this, crouched at your level. His shoulders nearly block your entire view.

“Who were they?” he asks.

“Who was who?”

“The people that took you.”

“I don't know. They were wearing masks. Three men,” you say, frozen as he takes the knife to your feet.

“Mm.”

Hood begins to cut the ropes around your ankles. You delicately point your feet, unsure if he'll slip and get you.

Your lip curls. "Where's Batman? Or that boy who works with him? Aren't they in charge of this city? I want to speak to one of them."

“I don’t work for the Bats,” he says, an edge to his words.

“Well, I don’t feel comfortable with you rescuing me,” you say. “You’re a criminal.”

Hood stops cutting and looks at you. "Y'want Batman? Fine. I don't mind letting you wait around for the Bat.”

He pockets the knife and rises, walking out of the warehouse and disappearing. Just like that. Your heart jumps.

"Wait!" you shout, squirming in your binds. "Wait, come back!"

But it's silent. Panic digs its claws into your chest.

"Red Hood! Red Hood, come back! Please!"

You begin to cry out of desperation, tears dripping onto your already soiled dress. You try to pull your feet apart, but the rope isn't cut enough and all you do is worsen the burns around your ankles.

You bow your head and cry onto the floor. You just want to go home. You want your goose feather pillows and Egyptian cotton ten-thousand thread count sheets. More than that, you never want to return to this stupid city.

"Are you cryin'?"

Your head shoots up. Hood stands over you, arms folded.

"You-you came back," you say, voice wobbly.

He shrugs. "I had an inkling that you had a change of heart, princess.”

You look away. "You left me.”

"I did,” he says. “But as much as you might deserve abandonment, I'm duty-bound to rescue everyone. No matter how obnoxious of a Batman fan they are."

"I'm not a fan. I just didn't want the morally corrupt, violent drug runner to save me."

He leans down and snaps away the ropes from your ankles—a feat of strength that doesn't go unnoticed. Then he saws the ones around your wrists. "Yeah, well, I don't do that anymore, and for such a pretty face, you suck at sweet talking."

He tosses the rope aside and pockets the knife. You rub your wrists and attempt to sit up. This time, you don’t want to throw up. Success!

“Anything hurt?” he asks.

“My legs,” you say miserably.

“Okay, let me rephrase: anything that'll make you bleed out in the next ten seconds?”

“Um… no.”

“Fantastic. I can probably getcha back to your hotel in an hour.”

You hold out your arms expectantly. He tuts.

“I don’t give hugs until the third kidnapping. Fourth one is free.”

You huff. “You expect me to walk like this? They took my shoes! Gotham is so uncouth.”

“And what am I s’posed to do about that?” Hood asks. “I look like a Payless to you?”

“I don’t know what that is,” you say. “Don’t you vigilantes have a protocol to follow? I cannot possibly walk through this filthy warehouse on my bare feet. I’ll catch a virus! You’ll have to carry me.”

Hood lets out a full-bellied laugh. It’s somewhat eerie through his modulator. You lift your chin, maintaining your composure.

“Oh my God! Highness, you’re a diamond-encrusted piece of work. I don’t carry anybody unless they’re unconscious and I like ‘em a lot. It’s a short list.”

Your brows furrow. “I’m a guest in your city, and I’ve been kidnapped! The least you can do—”

“The least I can do is leave you to rot here,” Hood says, tone cutting. “Or let your kidnappers come back and finish the job. You aren’t in whatever palace they carted you out of; you’re in fuckin’ Gotham, and if y’want my help, you’re gonna suck it up and walk.”

You look away, tears brimming once more. You sniffle.

“You don't have to be so mean,” you say, voice watery. “I’ve had a difficult night.”

It's quiet for a few moments. You've never cried as much as you have tonight, especially not in front of a stranger. A dangerous stranger.

“...Look, I think I got some spare boots,” Hood finally says. “Stay here.”

“Where would I go?” you mumble. Whether he hears you or not, he doesn’t reply, stalking out of the warehouse. He returns thirty seconds later with a pair of ugly, black, man boots.

“Used?!” you ask, voice high.

“Lightly, Your Majesty. They’re my spares. Here.”

Hood tosses the boots at you. You stare at them like he’s flung a pair of rats at you. He taps his wrist.

“Time’s a-ticking, princess. I’m on a schedule. I can always let you wait for Batman. He’ll find ya. Eventually.”

So you put on the boots.

You attempt to stand next, but the drugs and binds have made your limbs weak. You try and fail to get up twice before Hood hooks his arms under yours and hauls you up without a sweat. You squeal, fingers digging into his brown leather jacket.

He towers over you, doubly intimidating now that you're standing.

“Got it?” he asks, arms slipping away.

You definitely don’t have it, and you wobble backward. Hood grabs you again, hand on your back.

“Whoa. Easy.” Hood cups your face, a little rough. You squirm, mind flooded with all the germs that are probably on his gloves. “Look a'me. Look—stop fighting, Jesus Christ.”

“This is no way to treat a princess!”

“Yeah, I missed that day of training,” he says dryly. “Stay still, I'm tryna see if your pupils are dilated.”

“Your grip hurts!”

Hood loosens his grip and manages to keep you still long enough to examine your eyes. He hums and lets go.

“Seems like you’re still feeling the effects. Should wear off soon. Now…”

Hood steps back, but not so far that you can’t grab onto him should you fall again. He gives your dress a onceover.

“So that’s not gonna work.” He takes out his knife again. Your eyes widen.

“What on earth are you doing with that?” you ask, taking a small step backwards.

“Cutting your dress,” he says, like it’s a perfectly normal thing to do.

You gasp, backing away. “No you will not!”

“Princess—”

“This dress is one-of-a-kind, handmade for tonight’s gala. You’re not going near it! It cost seventeen thousand euros!”

“Is it worth more than your life?” Hood snaps. “I don’t have any spare clothes and I’m not dragging a ballgown with three pounds of C-4 attached to it around. You have to be able to move and you have to get on my bike. Now quit whining.”

You sulk as he cuts and tears the bottom layer of your gown. He isn’t as savage about it as you expect: the cut is neat and could even be salvaged in the hands of a good seamstress. The night air makes your legs prickle with goosebumps. Then his words register.

“Bike?” you ask as Hood sets your dress remains aside. You’ll grieve for your dress privately.

“Mmhm.”

“I thought you had a Batmobile.”

“That’s Batman’s car. Hence the name. I have a bike ‘cause I’m a morally corrupt, violent, drug runner.”

Your nose wrinkles. “Can’t we take a taxi? Or call a car service?”

Hood snorts. “No one’s driving to this part of Gotham at this hour. It’s my bike or nothing. Or, of course, you can wait for Batsy.”

He starts walking and you hurry to follow. Hood’s strides are long and you’re unsteady in his too-big boots.

“Can you please slow down? These boots are enormous!”

He doesn’t say anything, but he does slow down, waiting until you catch up before leading you to his bike. It’s a nice motorcycle, you suppose, if you were into that thing. You’ve always thought motorcycles were a stupid risk to take. Being on the road is dangerous enough—why remove the comfort and protection of a car?

Hood’s bike is shiny and cherry red, just like his helmet. He produces a proper motorcycle helmet from nowhere and hands it to you.

“Are you sure this is safe?” you ask, inspecting the helmet. It looks fairly clean and unused.

“Hasn’t killed me yet, and I’ve been dead once.”

Is that his idea of a joke?

“You’ll be fine,” Hood says at your silence. “I’ll go slow.”

“Alright,” you say, putting on the helmet. It smells oddly pleasant, like spicy cologne. “Very slow.”

“Yeah, yeah, very slow. C’mon.”

Hood kicks a leg over the bike and straddles it, all muscle memory. His muscles flex as he bends his legs. He pats the space behind him.

Cautiously, you attempt to do the same, but you soon realize that doing that exact move in a dress is probably not the smartest. You hold onto the seat with both hands instead and clumsily try to fold a leg over. It doesn’t work.

“Yo, Bambi. This century would be good.”

“I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle!” you say, glaring at the back of his helmet. “You could help me.”

“For fuck's—”

Hood turns around, grabs the back of your calf, and pulls. Your legs part and you shriek, certain you’re about to flash him. He holds your waist as you flail so that you don’t bang into him as you sit.

“What is wrong with you?” you hiss, smoothing down your dress.

“Re-lax, I didn’t see anything.”

“This is highly undignified—”

“Yeah, we don't really do dignified in Gotham, princess. Comfy?”

“No.”

“Mm. Hold my waist.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Beg all ya want.” Hood takes your arms and wraps them tightly around his waist. He’s warm and, oddly enough, soft despite his bulk. “You’re drugged and unsteady. If y’don’t hold on, you’re gonna fly off. Press up against me and hold tight.”

“Go slow,” you say again, obediently holding his waist.

“Yeah, I’ll go slow,” he says.

“Do you promise?”

“Promise.”

Hood turns the ignition. The bike roars to life, louder than you expected. You suck in a breath as he revs the engine and starts off.

True to his word (and what a flimsy word it is), Hood goes slow. He takes gentle, easy turns and breaks at all the stop signs, even though this part of the city is essentially abandoned at this hour. You’re able to study the streets, twinkling streetlights a little too bright to your recovering eyes. But you look anyway, shocked at the dilapidated buildings and uneven pavement. You’re definitely not in the Gotham you were earlier tonight. It hardly looks like the same city.

You turn your attention to your savior. It feels like an odd word to use for the Red Hood, whom you’ve heard enough about tonight. Your father had warned you excessively about what a dangerous area this was, and who exactly made it so dangerous.

But a savior is exactly what Hood has been to you. You decide that, despite his roughness, he still deserves a good reward. Perhaps a Hoodmobile. Or new boots.

Your rescue is going smoothly until you cross the bridge. That’s when another biker turns onto the road behind you.

“Shit,” Hood says, and you’re startled that you can hear him so clearly despite the noise. It’s like he’s in your head. “We’re being tailed.”

Well, that’s not good. You turn around briefly but you can’t make out your follower; you’re too scared to move on the bike.

But then you hear the bike behind you speed up.

“Motherfucker,” Hood says, and speeds up. Your arms tighten into a death grip.

“Hold on,” he says, like you'd do anything otherwise.

Hood speeds up and takes a sharp left turn. You tense and yelp, squeezing your eyes shut. He takes several winding turns and you keep your eyes shut through all of them. The nausea has returned and you’d prefer not to ruin the inside of his helmet with your stomach contents.

“We lose him?” he asks when the road levels off and it doesn’t feel so much like you’re on a rollercoaster.

“Um…” you begin, and chance turning around.

It’s clear for a few seconds until…

Well, to echo Hood’s sentiment: motherfucker.

“He’s there!” you yell, and Hood growls.

“The helmets are mic’d, you don’t have to shout,” he says, leaning into a left turn.

“I see him!” you say, and grab one of Hood’s holstered guns. He scrambles to grab it but misses, surprise slowing him down.

“What the fuck are you doin’?!”

You ignore him and take off the safety. Moving your free arm up to Hood’s neck, you fire. He curses up a storm, throwing in a few words you’ve never even heard.

The shots go wide; one dents a parked car, and one hits a stop sign.

“You’re fuckin’ nuts!” Hood yells and snatches the gun out of your hand.

But your tail falls back, evidently spooked enough by you and your poor aim. He turns on a side street and disappears.

“He’s gone! We’ve lost him!” you say happily.

“Are you insane?”

You wince at his volume. “The helmets are mic’d, you know.”

“You’re so—”

Hood cuts himself off and pulls sharply onto the sidewalk. He dismounts and pushes the kickstand down hard. Then he turns to you, chest heaving.

“Don’t ever fucking do that again. Are you crazy? You could’ve gotten us killed!”

“It worked, didn’t it?” you ask, putting out your arms. “We lost him!”

“No, we didn’t. All we did was throw him off our trail a little. We gotta walk the rest of the way now because he probably fell back to get more guys to follow us. But that’s not the point: what you did was insanely risky and stupid. You don’t know how to use a gun and you could’ve hurt yourself.”

You stay silent, chewing on his words. Hood isn’t wrong, he’s just… loud about it.

“Do you understand me?” he snaps.

You don't reply.

“I need a yes.”

“...I wanted to help.”

Hood sighs. “Yeah, well… just don’t. I’m good at what I do and I’ll get you back in one piece. But you gotta trust me.”

“Okay,” you say quietly. You feel small, but you don't want to cry in front of him again and confirm that you really are just a spoiled, whiny princess. “I'm sorry, Red Hood.”

You sit down on the curb, feeling exhausted. Tonight is awful.

It's quiet for a long moment. Then Hood says, “Don't cry.”

Your jaw works as you swallow hard. “I'm not.” You turn your head so he won't see.

“Christ on toast,” he mumbles above you. “This is exactly why I don't do rescue missions—”

You sniffle. “I'm not crying.”

“—’Cause I'm the world's biggest asshole,” he finishes, voice miles softer.

Hood sinks onto the curb next to you. He scoots in just enough so that your shoulders brush against each other.

“Look, ‘m a jerk. The Bats are better at handling civilians and being nice. You got the potty mouth with a bad attitude.”

You rub your eyes. “I don't like yelling.”

“Yeah,” Hood says quietly. “Okay. I'll try not to yell unless you're in immediate danger. But you can’t pull stunts like that. Deal?”

You nod. “I won't fire any more of your guns.”

He snorts. “Yeah, no kidding. Where’d you learn how to shoot, anyway? I mean, y’didn’t do it well, but you did it. Not half-bad for your first time in Gotham.”

“My father wanted me to learn gun sports,” you say. “I learned how to take the safety off and point and shoot, but I refused to do any more lessons after my instructor shot a duck for target practice. I think guns are uncivilized and destructive, and I don’t condone killing animals for sport.”

“Uncivilized unless you're getting tailed by kidnappers?” You think you detect a smile in his question.

“Everything has its exceptions,” you say primly.

“Ain't that the truth. C'mon, we should get moving. We're, ‘scuse the saying, sitting ducks out here.”

Hood stands first and offers you a hand. You take it, letting him pull you up. He does that so easily. It makes your spine tingle.

“How far are we from my hotel?” you ask.

“‘Bout two miles. If I had my gear I'd call for an assist,” he says apologetically. “Wasn’t planning to save lost princesses tonight.”

“I don't suppose there's any chance that you'll carry me, is there?”

“Pretty and funny,” Hood says. “You're the whole package, beauty queen.”

Your snarky reply is cut off by your stomach growling. Your eyes widen.

“Pardon me,” you say, mortified.

“What, ‘cause you're hungry?” Hood asks. “‘S a normal human condition.”

“You don't know anything about royal manners,” you say, but you're relieved. Your father would give you a tight, deadly look if you were hungry in public.

“No, I really don't. Born and bred Gotham, baby.”

“Showing any signs of hunger or thirst around company is highly undignified,” you say.

“Being a princess sounds exhausting.”

No arguments there.

Hood starts walking. You scramble to follow, and he seems to remember your shorter stride and slows down.

“There's a pretty decent 7-Eleven nearby,” he says. “I'd take ya to my favorite diner, but we're on a tight schedule. Those guys won’t be far behind.”

“A seven and eleven? Oh, I've heard of those!” you say.

“I’m… glad you're so excited about convenience stores?”

“I saw it in a film once. My father didn’t catch me watching this one. It looked so rugged, eating in a convenience store and fighting crime afterward. I've never been to one.”

“I know I shouldn't be surprised considering how much your dress cost but it does kinda blow my mind that you've never tasted anything but the finest cuisine,” Hood says. “Wait, did you say your dad didn’t catch you?”

You hum. “He doesn’t like me watching films that aren’t pre-approved.”

“Wow. Y’know, I could pirate you some movies if y’want. I know a great website for it.”

You laugh. “That’s alright. I manage to sneak out to the cinema more than I used to, now that he’s older.”

“Pretty sneaky, beauty queen.” He sounds impressed.

You shrug, trying to hide your pride. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

You turn on the corner and he leads you through a residential area. A few people outside of their apartments stare at you, but when they see Hood, they relax.

“Red!” a little boy shouts from a fire escape. He waves excitedly. Hood waves back.

“Hope you’re listening to your ma,” Hood calls to him, mock-stern. To anyone else—to you—it would be unnerving.

But the boy grins. “I am!”

“Then why aren't ya in bed, huh?”

The boy shrugs. “Not tired. Who's the lady?”

“The lady is a princess, so be nice,” Hood says.

“Whoa!” The boy gapes at you. You wave at him and he jumps up from the window.

“Mom!” he yells. “Red Hood found a princess!”

You giggle as Hood leads you away.

He shakes his head. “Kids.” He sounds terribly fond.

You stare at his back for a moment.

“They like you,” you say. “You keep them safe. But you're also a friend.”

“Helps to earn their trust,” he says gruffly.

You walk a little more in silence.

“I was wrong about you, Hood,” you say. He doesn't look at you.

“Lotta people are. Nothin’ new.”

No, it probably isn't.

“‘Kay, here we are. C’mon. We gotta be fast, alright?”

“Alright,” you say, following him into the 7-Eleven.

“Hey, Benny,” Hood says to the tired cashier behind the counter.

Benny nods. “Long night?”

“You got no idea.” He gestures to you. “She’s a princess.”

“Sweet,” Benny says. “What’s up?”

“How do you do?” you say politely.

Hood leads you to the rolling hot dogs and other cylindrical foods under the heat lamps. You frown.

“I have had a hot dog before,” you say. “I’m not that sheltered.”

“Yeah, but have ya had a buffalo ranch roller? My brother and I used to get these after patrol. That with a blue raspberry slushie? Heavenly after getting thrown into a dumpster.”

“Well, you’ve gotten me this far, so I suppose I’ll trust you,” you say.

“I’m flattered. Benny, my usual.”

Benny gives a thumbs-up and puts the ‘roller’ in a paper bag. Meanwhile, Hood takes you to the back where the slushie machine is. You watch as he fills a plastic cup with electric blue sludge. Your brows raise.

“Why is it that color?” you ask.

“Tasty chemicals,” Hood says cheerily. “It won’t kill ya, I promise.”

“That would be counterintuitive at this point,” you say.

“I appreciate your faith in me, princess.”

You return to Benny, who rings up the food. “Five twenty-seven.”

Hood looks at you expectantly. You look at him.

“What?” you ask.

“This is the part where you pay,” he says.

“A princess never carries money on her person,” you say, like it’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard.

“You–” Hood looks at Benny and sighs. “Why am I not surprised?”

He pays and you take your treats, trotting out the door.

“Thank you, kind sir!” you say as Hood waves.

“See ya, Ben.”

You hold out your slushie for Hood to take while you work on your fried goodie.

“I’m not a cupholder,” he says, but he takes the cup anyway.

“It’s warm!” you say, delighted. “Let me take a bite.”

Hood patiently waits as you bite and chew. You hum.

“Good?” he asks.

“I like it,” you say. “It’s unusual. Is this chicken?”

“So they say,” Hood says. “Try the slushie.”

You take the cup and first take a small sip. It’s cold and sweet and slightly sour and probably full of enough sugar to rot your teeth out of your head. You love it.

“This is wonderful,” you say.

He laughs. “Yup. Told ya, nothin’ like this combo. It’s a classic. C’mon, let’s get moving.”

You walk and eat, and it definitely improves your night, having something in your belly.

“This is just like Roman Holiday,” you say.

Hood snorts. “I don’t think we watched the same movie.”

“It has a likeness. You’re Gregory Peck.”

“Yeah, sure. If Gregory Peck was a street fighter, then yeah. I’m Greg fuckin’ Peck.”

“No, you’re right. You’re much younger than he was in that movie. How old are you?” you ask.

“Twenty-four.”

“Really? Why are you doing this?”

“Took a career test.”

You bump his shoulder. “Seriously, Hood. You’re young. You’ve so much potential. I can tell that you’re smart.”

“Maybe I like doing this,” he says.

You tut, shaking your head. “That’s ridiculous. You could do more. Be more.”

“You’re just fulla charm, aren’t ya?” Hood says.

Your next step is hesitant. Hood keeps walking.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way,” you say. “I guess I assumed…”

“Yeah, I know. You assume a lot, princess. And you’re wrong.”

“You made assumptions about me! You thought that I was stupid and naive and I’m not.”

Hood stops, turns. “Maybe I like doing what I do, huh? Ever think of that? I meant it when I said I’m not a criminal anymore. I help people.”

“I know that,” you say quietly. “I see how the citizens treat you. They like you. You care for them greatly. I just… I just meant that you could try new things too. If you wanted to.”

He’s quiet for a bit. You keep walking.

“I didn’t think you were stupid,” he eventually says.

You scoff. “Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn’t. Yeah, I thought you were a little… sheltered. But you’re smart. You’re certainly tougher than your dad gives you credit for.”

You roll your eyes. “He still thinks I’m six years old. It takes me getting kidnapped to see a city.”

“Pretty shitty tour.”

You smile behind his back. “Oh, I don’t know. The tour guide is alright.”

Hood stops. When he doesn’t speak, you approach.

“Hood?”

He suddenly puts a hand over your mouth and drags you backwards into an alleyway. Your yelp is muffled. Hood puts a finger to where his mouth would be under his helmet.

That’s when you hear voices.

“—single fuckin’ clue. She could be in the fuckin’ Atlantic by now. Halfway to China!”

“China’s on the other side, dumbass.”

You look up at Hood, eyes wide.

Those are your kidnappers' voices.

He seems to understand and nods. He squeezes your arm and removes his hand from your mouth. He points to himself and points outside, then points to you and points down.

You assume that means stay put and don’t try to shoot anyone with his gun. You can take a hint.

Hood slinks out of the alley. You peek your head out to look, curiosity overtaking fear. Besides, you trust Hood. You figure with a reputation like his, he can more than handle his own.

“Nice night, ain’t it?” he says.

The two men turn, looking close to pissing themselves. Good.

“Hood, we weren’t doing nothin’!” one says.

“Yeah, Ricky and I are clean!”

“Oh, really? So you had nothing to do with the kidnapping of a certain visiting princess.”

“We was nowhere near the Plaza!” Ricky cries.

The other elbows his friend. Before you can blink, Hood has them both down on the ground, pistols pointed at their necks.

“You were gonna hurt her,” Hood says, and now there’s no trace of humor in his voice. “That poor, sweet princess. Strapping C-4 to her like a fuckin’ bank vault. Drugging her, tying her up. You fuckin’ animals.”

“It wasn’t our idea, it was Bobby’s!” Ricky cries.

“Shut up, Ricky!”

A shot rings out and you flinch. Ricky starts sobbing. Red seeps from his leg.

“The only reason I’m not killing you two right now is because I want a word with your boss. But make no mistake.” Hood leans in. “You’ll pay for hurting the princess. I’ll make sure of it.”

With two final hits, Hood knocks them out cold. The sudden silence is loud.

He looks at you then, those eerie eyes glowing. He beckons you out. You go.

You look down at the unconscious bodies. “You don’t have to kill them.”

“What?”

“I mean, I’d rather you didn’t. You shouldn’t have that on your conscience.”

“They kidnapped you. They would’ve hurt you had their boss ordered it.”

You squeeze your eyes shut. “I don’t want you to bear that burden, Hood.”

“‘S not a burden,” he says, gently taking your wrist. Your eyes fly open. “If it’ll make you feel better, safer, anything. It’s no burden.”

“Okay,” you say quietly, frightened at how pleased a part of you is at his words.

“I’ll tie ‘em up and send for ‘em when we get back. One second.”

You watch as Hood drags their bodies into the alley like they’re sacks of feathers. He handcuffs them to a drainpipe and ties their feet and gags them.

“So they can see what it feels like,” Hood says, dusting his hands. You can’t help your small smile.

“Ready?” he asks.

You look up at the starless sky, suddenly exhausted. Your limbs feel like lead. “I guess so.”

Hood looks into the distance, then back at you. He sighs.

“Climb on my back.”

You blink. “Pardon me?”

“You’re pardoned.” Hood shrugs. “I can tell you’re tired. We don’t have far to go.”

“Won’t I be too heavy?” you ask. “All that way…”

“Princess, I’m honestly offended. I once carried Batman and my brother to Bludhaven. I’m more than capable.”

“But what about your rule?” you ask. “About carrying people.”

“Turns out you’re not so bad,” he says. “Get on ‘fore I change my mind.”

So you climb onto Hood’s back. He secures you easily, and you wrap your arms around his neck.

“Don’t choke me out,” he says. “Otherwise we’re both goin’ down.”

You smile and relax on his back. “Thank you.”

“Mm.”

At first, it feels like an eternity, waiting for the familiar Plaza sign. You can’t complain, though: Hood is warm and being carried by him is even better than riding on his bike.

You blink, startled at the thought. What are you even talking about? This is the Red Hood. You were terrified of him a few hours ago.

And yet, the rhythmic bumping and Hood’s solid figure lulls you to sleep. You don’t even realize until you’re being nudged and a voice pulls you back to consciousness.

“Hey.”

You’re gently jostled awake. You blink blearily, yawning into Hood’s shoulder.

Oh. Right. You’re on his back.

“Hm?”

“Ride ends here,” he says. “We’re at the Plaza.”

“Oh.” Sleepily, you try to climb off. Hood sets you on your feet. Embarrassment fills you as you become more awake.

“I’m so sorry,” you say. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you. You could’ve woken me! I—”

Hood holds up a hand. “Hey, chill out. ‘S fine. You had a long night, I get it.”

“Right. I, um…” You look up at the hotel. The top floor windows disappear in the layer of fog that’s settled over the city. You wonder what Hood’s windows look like.

“I’m gonna track down your main kidnapper and make sure they don’t hurt anyone else. I’ll kick his ass, at the very least.”

You look at Hood, blinking. “Oh. That’s very nice of you, thank you.”

He shrugs. “‘S my job.”

You nod clumsily. “Right, of course. I could give you something in return, though. Money or, um, firearms. A car, perhaps?”

He snorts. You smile shyly.

“Cute,” he says, but he’s not being mean. “No, that’s okay. I’m pretty set, actually. Doing what I do is surprisingly lucrative.”

“Surely there’s something—”

“Seriously, princess, no charge.”

You bite your lip. Is this too bold? Yes, definitely.

“What about a kiss?”

At first, you think Hood hasn’t heard you. Then he turns to face you in a way that tells you no, he definitely heard you.

“Ex-cuse me?”

“Um.” You scratch your neck. “Well, princesses kiss their knights goodbye, don’t they?” you ask, but it’s weak. It’s stupid. You’re so young.

You think he’s going to just walk away. That would be the kindest thing to do in response to your blunder.

“I’m sorry, forgive me. That was a terrible joke,” you blurt.

“No, it wasn’t.”

He steps forward, close enough to kiss you if he didn’t have the helmet. You look up at him, heart pounding.

“Wasn’t terrible or wasn’t a joke?” you ask, blood roaring in your ears.

Hood’s quiet.

“Haven’t done much kissing, to be honest with ya,” he finally says, not answering your question.

You shake your head. “Nor I.”

“Mm. And y’wanna kiss me? Don’t offer ‘cause you think you owe me.”

“I want to kiss you, Hood.”

He tilts his head. “Y’wouldn’t be kissing a knight. More like kissing a toad.”

You frown. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, I’m no Greg Peck. And I’m no hero either.”

“Do you give this speech to everyone who wants to kiss you?”

“You’re the first one who’s wanted to,” he says.

You inhale sharply. “Oh.”

“Uh-huh.”

You wait. He waits. You both wait for the other to back out. You don’t. Neither does he.

“Can’t believe a princess wants to kiss me,” he mumbles.

And then he covers your eyes with his hand.

You blink, lashes sweeping over his glove. You hear a click, then a hiss of air. His helmet hits the ground with a dull thud.

Hood gingerly holds your chin with his free hand. You keep your eyes closed even though he’s covering them, out of respect.

His mouth is warm and so, so gentle. You barely feel his lips at first, so you press a little harder. Hood doesn’t know what to do with his mouth, resting it on yours, so you take the lead, following what you’ve seen others do and what you’ve watched on television.

You reach up and hold his face. He makes a soft noise in the back of his throat. You stroke his stubbled jaw, feel strong cheekbones and the ends of curls above his ears.

“Your Highness? Your Highness!”

The hand leaves your face so quickly, your eyes stay closed for a second longer, slow to react. Then you open your eyes and see the empty street.

Your lips tingle with heat. It’s all noise around you, policemen and your guards flitting around you, asking questions, alarmed by your torn dress.

You exhale, disappointment overtaking you.

Your father is in front of you, taking your wrists. “Can you hear me? Doctor, I need a—”

“I’m fine,” you say, finally meeting his eyes. “I’m alright, Father.”

He exhales and pulls you into a hug. It startles you. He pulls away before you can hug him back.

“I am so glad you’re alright,” he says. “The police say they saw a figure with you. Who was that? Was he your kidnapper?”

“No, not at all,” you say, staring out into the street beyond. Your lips are buzzing. “He was my hero.”

#jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #red hood x reader #red hood x you #jason todd fanfiction #dc fanfiction #batman fanfiction #red hood fanfiction #jason todd imagine #princess reader

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st44rgirlxo · 3 months ago

Text

Even pro heros like Dynamight forget important dates.

"hey babe don't forget our reservation tonight!"

"yeah yeah ok got to go" on the phone, katsuki rushes out the door to get to work.

you were really looking forward to this date tonight. It feels like its been forever since you and katsuki have spent actual quality time together. he comes home from work really late so by the time he's home you end up falling asleep waiting for him.

7:00pm comes around and you're finished getting ready. You're wearing a long black bodycon dress with matching black heels.

The restaurant was a 5 star restaurant and had very good reviews. You were excited to post pictures of you and katsuki looking cute.

You grab your purse and car keys and get in your car. Before you leave you shoot katsuki a quick text letting him know your leaving.

"hii kats im abt to leave. are you there?"

Once you arrive you park your car keeping an eye out for katsukis car.

you check your phone for any texts from katsuki

none

you text him again to let him know you arrived

“hey im here are you?”

you go in anyway, making sure you were in time for your reservation.

you get seated and you pull out your phone to call katsuki

the call goes to voicemail.

“fuck”

30 minutes go by and it’s completely dark outside your annoyed, stressed and just want to go home.

“ma’am will you be ordering anything” the waitress pulls out her writing pad

“uh yeah i guess so, but can i get it to go”

the waitress takes your order and eventually it comes to your table.

you take the takeout box and leave the restaurant. as you get in your car, you sigh and lay your head back

how could katsuki forget? this was literally the only date you’ve planned in a while and he forgot!?

as your pull up in your driveway you don’t see katsukis car

“what the hell, where is he”

you get inside and take off your heels

your tired of katsuki always forgetting this always happens

why does he do this?

you sit down at the kitchen table opening your takeout as you start to eat you hear katsukis car pull up.

the front door opens as katsuki walks in.

you don’t even look at him.

“hey babe”

you say nothing

“hey you good”

“where were you katsuki”

“I went out with the guys from some drinks after work”

he sees your dress and the takeout

“wait was our date tonight??”

“yes katsuki i told you this morning, but clearly work and your friends are more important”

you didn’t even have the energy to be mad

“do you know how much I was looking forward to spending quality time with my boyfriend? You never have time for me but you don’t think twice when you get asked to do something else”

tears were pouring down you face as your spoke softy but firmly

katsuki hated seeing you cry but he hated himself most for making you cry

“y/n I’m sorry”

“no katsuki, im tired of being 2 or even 3rd in line. do you know how draining that is?”

you turn around leaving katsuki alone with his thoughts

he fucked up

request r openn🔥🔥

#bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugo x reader #mha bakugou #mha x reader #katsuki bakugo mha #bakugo x reader #bnha #angst #bakugo angst

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living-on-borrowed-time · 2 years ago

Text

Oh boy this got out of hand way faster than I anticipated. Also fair warning I’m posting this from mobile so I have no clue how the formatting is going to turn out. Plus, shout out to @hadrian-pendragons for being amazing and helping me organise my thoughts <3

—————

Watching Phantom Fade is one of the most agonising things Bruce thinks he’s ever forced himself to witness.

The stillness. The total lack of movement. The way that sound and light seem to warp around him ever so slightly. The discomforting way the ghost child’s vibrancy seems to leak from him and ooze into the world around him, eventually dissipating like soft clouds of smoke from a burning stick of incense.

The way there’s nothing for him to fight here.

Constantine’s subduedly awed comment marking the significance of Phantom’s presence still, despite it all, does not help ease his guilt and frustration with…

With everything.

His dwindling hope that things might get better cutting at him like fractured glass sinking deeper into him with each passing second.

He had checked the records in the Watchtower, digging through their archived call data, when they had finally sequestered Phantom into a crudely rigged up ghost containment cell from a cleared out conference room on the Watchtower. The results weren’t pretty; in fact, they were more than damning. Then when Phantom laughed them off with that broken, hollow laughter and reminded them that the Anti-Ecto Laws existed, Bruce was so angry with himself he could barely keep himself present for the rest of the… conversation. If one could really call it that.

Bruce had first caught wind of the hidden laws not too long after they were enacted, and dismissed them due to their irrelevance to the at-the-time near-apocalyptic crisis, and left the matter be- having only briefly skimmed a published paper or two on the matter, authored by doctors Madeline and Jack Fenton. It had seemed absurd, in the moment after reading a few paragraphs here and there, that any of the ‘scientific research’ referenced and expanded on was feasibly plausible without the resources and researchers that any other organisation like Star Labs could have. So for these two scientists to have “punctured a hole through dimensions to gain access to a place known as the Ghost Zone” was beyond anything he could allow himself to seriously believe. Therefore there was some kind of nut job in the government that he would have to keep an eye on, and that’d be that.

Clearly he had been beyond incorrect in his assumptions, and now 70,000 people had died, with one more on his way to never be able to meet them in whatever came after a second death, according to Constantine. One near twice dead child that he could not allow himself to walk away from to Fade alone.

A petty penance, his own self-flagellation in the wake of a protector spirit’s Haunt being blown off the map and entire family killed.

Just as Bruce is about to check the time, there’s a slight blur, and something appears in the room with them, on Phantom’s side of the glass. Something that shouldn’t be possible, seeing as that entire half of the room is completely sealed off and the larger wall at the back of it only greets space on the other side.

And yet, there’s a floating humanoid in there, with an appearance similar to Phantom in uniform, but in physique startlingly different. The being pays him no mind, crouching down and laying a hand on Phantom’s back—somehow—with a sigh. “Is this the way you wanna go out, kid?”

Something about Phantom’s entire form twitches- no, spasms, and Bruce is shocked into standing. Before he can get a word out edgewise, however, Phantom finally speaks for the first time in hours.

“Either End me or fuck off, Dan.”

There’s an echoing, ringing static accompanying his words which wasn’t there the last time he had spared words for anyone in the Watchtower.

‘Dan’ hums. “Kind of pathetic to End someone who’s already Fading.”

“Then fuck off.”

“Can’t do that squirt.”

“Why are you even here? Come to gloat?” The more Phantom talks, the more Bruce is coming to realise that perhaps listening to the boy like this, with his unnatural and degrading vocalisations, is going to melt his mind.

“As if I could gloat,” Dan sighs and shifts, leaning back against the same wall that Phantom is facing, still entirely unmoving. “I only had… them die. You lost everyone and had your entire haunt fucking nuked, yet you still didn’t do like me. I’m—unfortunately—sure that means you win, pipsqueak. So, I’m asking, is this how you want to Go?”

There is blessed silence for a long moment, and Bruce’s vision has gotten fuzzy. Apparently, both Phantom and this Dan character’s speech is actively detrimental to his health and potential continued existence.

He can’t gather the wits he needs to make himself leave.

Phantom’s voice, distorted as it is, has a distinctly wet aspect to it now, as if he were crying while swimming underwater. “Shit way to prove a point. And it’s not like a measurement of how pathetic a person in front of you is has stopped you before.”

There’s… something concerning about that, but Bruce’s mind is a bit too mushy to really grasp what and why those words are so worrisome.

Dan’s deep voice is lowered and gentled the next he speaks. “Apparently your influence has more of a lasting affect than we’d thought. I’ve had a bit of a change of heart.”

“What are you really here for, Dan.”

“Well, since you won’t answer my question, I guess I’ll rephrase for you. I’m here to make you an offer.”

That’s the last he hears before a pair of strong arms yank him out of the room and everything goes black.

————

Dan has mixed feeling about this whole… ordeal.

Being released from soup-themed prison by Clockwork a good while ago came with a lot of conditions. Conditions he had agreed to, because near constant isolation was definitely getting to him the longer it went on. Considering he was in the master of time’s domain didn’t help, it just meant that no matter what amount of time he was alone to ‘think over his actions’ according to Danny… well, any span of time alone could have been only two minutes or two years, and he had no way of knowing one way or the other.

Of course he took conditional escape over that psychological hell.

Now, years later to him, he watches with Clockwork as his alternate self’s life comes crashing down around him. It’s… much worse than Dan’s ever was, and he starts to wonder why the Ancient beside him hasn’t wiped this timeline from existence yet. Is he waiting to show Dan a different way to go insane? Did the old bastard free him as he did so that he could make Dan take down a Danny gone dark since the Timekeeper couldn’t bring himself to do it?

No matter the reasoning, Dan can’t help but be mildly impressed at the restraint this version of Danny has to losing everything and then barely a few days later hearing someone talk about it like that? He would have just squished the offender like an ant. Though, he can appreciate the chaos and irony of possessing and puppetting a person who doesn’t believe either of those things can be done. And a speedster at that. Comedic, considering where the guy thinks he’s getting his power from.

“So was there a point to calling me here to watch this, or are you just getting your old man kicks out of being a vague and cryptic asshole again?”

Clockwork hums in what might be a laugh but has equal chances of being some ponderous noise. “This is the main timeline.”

Dan pauses at that, and swallows roughly. Amity hasn’t been his haunt in a long time, but it was once, and witnessing it be destroyed even like this doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. “And you’re not doing anything about it?” He watches, now unable to look away from the viewing mirror, as the magician Constantine manages to pin Danny in a spirit trap, effectively letting the speedster run out and stopping Danny in place like running into a wall of glass.

“Perhaps I could. But many of those timelines have poorer endings than even this. I have explained before that your timeline occurred because the Observants wanted to End Danny before he could gain more power and consider overthrowing them. You served as a warning to them, as well as a lesson to Phantom that the stakes aren’t always what they first appear. Obviously, there’s more to it than that, but it is what’s relevant currently. Look.”

Dan ignores the repetitive lecture of the purpose of his failed timeline, you hear it once you’ve heard it about a million times, and watches in confusion when Danny doesn’t try to fight containment and transfer to the Watchtower. He can’t see what Clockwork wants him to notice here, and Danny’s longterm plan here seems like biding his time to get optimised revenge to him. He’s already given his usual fighting buddies free reign to cause havoc and get into shenanigans wherever they like, seems like a divide and conquer strategy which is subtler then he has gone with but it’s not a bad one to lead with.

Until his alternate self dives off the script that Dan thought he was following.

“What do you want.” Danny sounds unsettlingly… empty. “To harvest my core? End my existence? Pick me apart? Send me to the GIW so they can see what makes me tick? All of the above?”

If he hadn’t sounded like he had given up, Dan would have thought that his following lecture on the law outlawing his very existence in the United States was a very good psychological attack. Use the truth to it’s most brutal extent, and make your enemies squirm and break themselves over it.

Then, “sounds like a you problem.”

And, “I don’t care.”

It dawns on him that Danny is genuinely Fading when the boy willingly brings up his own death to total strangers. Truth or not, that is almost never a good sign. His core creaks as he absently listens to the magician lay out in simple terms what’s happening to Danny and what all he lost. Haunt, community, loved ones, kin.

Fuck.

“Clockwork, you have to be joking. What kind of timeline can have this as an acceptable event?” He gestures to the scene playing out in front of them. “Amity’s obliteration is Ending Danny and all of those deaths only strengthened the Fenton portal. Danny is the only one with the ability to manually close it at this point, and if he’s gone then not only does it create a permanent location for the Realms to be accessed from, but bigger and badder entities are going to catch word that it’s undefended and the bleed over is going to destabilise everything. How is this even remotely better than my timeline?”

Clockwork, as ever, continues to look entirely impassive. “There is too much to explain, and you have previously stated your loathing of having the knowledge of timelines placed directly into your mind, so I will refrain from doing so. However, if you really think this is so impossible of a maintainable future, then consider that your sulking does nothing for any of us.”

“What,” he says sarcastically even as he tries to curb his anger’s sharply rising, “you want me to break the rules so that you can punish me to take your irritation out on me?”

“Even if I did,” the bastard replies evenly, “I’m afraid I am much too busy trying to keep this timeline stable to act on it for a long while yet.”

Dan scoffs, anger building at the dismissive tone and even some on behalf of the steadily Fading Danny of this timeline. “Fuck you, you’re not even doing anything,” he snarls and storms out before he can attempt to do something he will regret being locked up in isolation again for.

He leaves, and therefore can’t see when Clockwork smiles ever so slightly, a sad but triumphant expression. “No, I’m not. I’ve done all that’s needed for you to take care of it.”

——

Dan doesn’t even bother being subtle about stealing an artefact from Long Now and getting through the ‘containment’ half of the set up the Justice Failures have Danny in. Now that he’s here in person he can feel how close the boy is to falling apart at the seams. The only thing making it take so long are his ties to humanity as a halfa, and once his core is far enough gone his human body will be the only thing left. Not quite dead, but never to be truly alive ever again.

Danny wouldn’t last long, were his consciousness to somehow remain intact after that kind of trauma.

With a soft sigh, Dan kneels down and rests a hand on Danny’s back. “Is this the way you wanna go out, kid?”

The reply is both flatter than he was hoping for, and more horrifying for the way he can hear the way it scrapes across Danny’s fracturing core to produce. “Either End me or fuck off, Dan.”

Not even a response to his being free from the soup container huh? Yikes, he’d been hoping that maybe his presence would get Danny’s attention as a threat to attempt to wrangle. He’s further to Fading then Dan had initially thought.

He hums, barely trying to mask his concern considering that Danny probably can’t even pick out subtle differences in conversation with where he’s at right now. “Kind of pathetic to End someone who’s already Fading.”

“Then fuck off.”

“Can’t do that, squirt.”

“Why are you even here? Come to gloat?”

Oh, kid. “As if I could gloat.” He sighs and shifts so he can sit with his back to the wall that Danny is facing. “I only had… them die. You lost everyone and had your entire haunt fucking nuked, yet you still didn’t do like me. I’m—somewhat unfortunately—sure that means you win, pipsqueak. So, I’m asking, is this how you want to Go?”

There’s a long, drawn out silence from Danny that Dan doesn’t even consider breaking, so he sits with him and tries to think what the hell he’s even doing here. He wants to help, but what help can he be to someone he tried very hard to kill in the past and has zero good report with? Telling the kid about the portal issue isn’t going to help any, and now that he thinks about it he might be able to close it, having been Danny once. That has nothing to do with what he’s doing here though, so mentioning the 70,000 deaths now super powering the Fenton portal is definitively out.

Dan is probably strong enough to force Danny’s core to stabilise for long enough to get him to Frostbite? But if Danny just wants it all to be over then… maybe it’d be kinder to End him before his core shatters and he’s trapped in a body that hates existing.

Ancients, that’s so fucked up. He used to want to kill Danny. Want to End him for having everything he no longer did and for reminding him of everything he was before shit hit the fan. And now the thought of doing so as a mercy? It’s- he’ll do it. If that’s what Danny wants then he’ll do it, but Dan can’t imagine doing anything but hating himself for the rest of his existence. Hells, what could possibly make any of that better? As a ghost, what would Danny possibly accept from Dan that could make his Fading or Ending any better?

He… he could get revenge. Claim penance from those who never listened long enough to heed pleas for help. That is something he knows he can do. Could probably do it before Clockwork notices. Well, eh. Maybe. Probably not. And even if the ass decides that his doing so isn’t for the “good of the timeline,” then Dan will at least have the memories of justly killing half the Justice League on Danny’s behalf.

Okay. Yeah that’s something he can offer.

Though… Danny as a halfa is pretty malleable, Fading or not. Maybe-

“Shit way to prove a point,” Danny’s voice cuts though the subdued quiet, even as it wobbles with a shrieking kind of agony and he speaks bitterly apathetic. “And it’s not like a measurement of how pathetic a person in front of you is has stopped you before.”

That’s not an unfair assumption on Danny’s part. He has no idea how humbling an experience it’s been, having a modicum of freedom in exchange for conditions that he cannot break or else risk being alone in his own mind again. Having so little to do that watching this kid’s life like a drama on tv was more interesting than getting up to anything in Long Now. That watching him go about life made Dan remember almost nostalgically what it had been like to be Danny and alive, and dealing with school and parents who barely gave a shit about him unless he was in trouble at school, and fighting ghosts because they kept fucking with his haunt and wouldn’t leave on their own.

Made him remember the time before Vlad had Dan back when he was still Danny malleable and willing to give up who he was and became part of who he is now.

So, it’s true. Dan used to be a person who did not give a shit who he killed when they were in his way, even just as a minor inconvenience. But he’s not that anymore. He’s not the same as he was before he became Dan, but he isn’t who that embodiment of grief fuelled rage and destruction that came after either. Not quite.

“Apparently,” his voice is softer than he had intended, since he hadn’t actually meant for his voice to soften with nostalgia or change at all, really, “your influence has more of a lasting affect than we’d thought. I’ve had a bit of a change of heart.”

“What are you really here for, Dan.”

Yeah, he wasn’t expecting Danny to believe him anyway. Maybe it’s time to change his approach.

“Well, since you won’t answer my question, I guess I’ll rephrase for you. I’m here to make you an offer.”

That gets the barest touch of real emotion he’s seen so far from Danny today. “You have an offer?” His dulled incredulity and active choice to turn on his back and look up at Dan nearly has him falling back through the wall behind him. “What are you now, some kind of crossroad demon?”

He chokes on a snort shocked out of him. “Nah, that’d be pretty funny though you have to admit. A crossroads demon.” He cackles. Shit, when did he stop being that funny without trying? Lost opportunities everywhere. He blames Vlad’s influence. “Man, imagine the downgrade from abomination incomplete-halfa to that. I’d never hear the end of it.” He huffs. “But that’s not the point. I’ve got four options off the top of my head here for you, pipsqueak. You listening?”

“Sure,” Danny closes his eyes, voice sounding worse than ever. “Whatever you want, crossroad demon.”

Dan rolls his eyes. “Alright, now I’ll repeat this as many times as you need, but I don’t know how much time you’ve got left like this so try not to tune me out.

“You can pick as many or as few of these ideas as you want. It’s your Fading, and I’m not going to step on your grave like that if you’re not asking me to. The catch is that you do have to choose what you want here. Following me so far?” Hopefully if he brushes over the point that Danny’s own deadline supersedes his incredibly flimsy threat, then he’ll forget about it or ideally not even notice it.

“Get to the point, Dan.”

Well, he’ll take that as a yes to his question. Who knows if noticed the motivational lie to choose at least something. Now for the hard part.

“The first is that I End you right here, right now. Mercy for you from me, after all that time you spent trying to get me to give it a try. A little ironic, I guess, but there you have it.

“The second is that I claim penance for you.”

“Penance.” One of Danny’s eyes squints open to look at him warily when he interrupts. “What’s that even supposed to mean?” A tiny flicker of liveliness. That’s a good sign.

“I was getting there, shortstack. I means I kill everyone who did you wrong and got you to Fade like this. I hunt the failure league, the GIW, hell I’ll fuck up the observants again for you. Give me a laundry list and I’ll get even for you on your behalf.”

Danny jerks his head back and opens his other eye to get a better look at him. “You mean that?”

“Absolutely, kid,” he growls out. “Honestly unless you ask me not to? I’ll be doing it anyway.”

“Oh,” Danny says quietly, voice steadier than it was a few moments ago, interestingly enough. Though still pretty painfully awful to listen to.

Dan gives him a few moments before continuing like they didn’t get emotional just then. “Third, I brute force your core back to stability long enough to get you to Frostbite. Allegedly. Honestly that one’s kind of fifty-fifty on whether or not I can pull it off.”

He pauses there, not really sure how to phrase his last idea. Danny catches his hesitance almost immediately.

“Changing your mind on option four? Or on patching me back together like some kind of zombie till you can threaten Frostbite.” He rasps.

“No, not anything like that. A zombie? Really? Patching up your core like a field medic does not make you suddenly a ghost zombie.” He sighs, not able to release the tension in his mind over the fourth option. He lets his head tilt back until it taps the wall quietly to stare at the ceiling. “I… don’t know that either of us will like it, but I guess…”

“Spit it out already, Dan. I’m living on borrowed time here remember?”

Right.

“The fourth option is I assimilate you.”

After being ignored by the Justice League for years and thought of as a scam Phantom finally faces an opponent he didn't win against and his city is destroyed, killing everyone. The monster is heavily wounded by Phantom however as it was a brutal fight for both of them

Danny is heartbroken and in shock while the Justice League face off against this threat and also lose. Eventually they get thier second wind and rematch it and kill the thing, but just barely.

Later a small memorial was held for Amity Park and Phantom was enraged at how small it was. 70,000 people died and this was it? Most of the people hear weren't even mourners. They were press and fake ghost enthusiasts trying to catch internet points for thier viewer count. He hears some redhead say that the people of Amity were scammers and this whole ghost thing was fake. With tears in his eyes he screams, not as Fenton but as Phantom, "I'm fake?!" He grabbed the man by his throat and flew a few feet into the air, "You think I'm fake?! Here! Let's see how fake I am!" His words were dripping venom as he possessed the man and laughed as he used him as a puppet, attacking the people around him with ectoblasts and sending them running away screaming.

Bruce Wayne watched on as some unknown Elderich entity possessed Wally West and began attacking people. So Amity Parks pleas for help as well as the pleas from thier supposedly fake superhero were not just part of an elaborate tourist trap.

Green lantern had some explaining to do. Hopefully it wasn't too late to salvage the situation and save this child.

It was.

#yes the living on borrowed time joke was on purpose. no I will not take it back #also considering making a poll for the options Dan gives #and for anyone who is wondering: Dan isn’t exactly redeemed here #he’s basically just evolved from chaotic evil to more true neutral/adjacently neutral evil #and grown a conscious after processing his grief in a slightly healthier way than before #the point being that he’s an asshole but also a softy inside about people and things he cares about #which tbf isn’t a high number either way but it IS progress lmao #anyway send help this got so much more complicated than I meant for it to be #Batman decided he was taking the lead?? and then Dan wanted a whole backstory??#idk what happened with Clockwork the guy just decided he was There and then said ‘actually peace I’m out I’ve had enough of a cameo’#ro writes #dc x dp #danny phantom #dan phantom #clockwork #justice league #batman #bruce wayne

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peachsukii · 4 months ago

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₊✩‧₊ ⎯ hearts in the sand

content // tooth-rotting marriage fluff. talks of children hinted at. inspired by this TikTok. ((the Olympian who lost his ring in the river in France)) and happy softie sunday! <3

wc // 0.8k

『 k.bakugo masterlist | caramel & champagne series 』

It’s a quiet night at home, a kitten in your lap with a cup of tea and your favorite reality TV show to wind down the evening. Your phone begins buzzing on the couch repeatedly with rapid fire notifications, startling your cat from his slumber and interrupting your show. Annoyed, you finally pick it up to silence the notifications until you see the multiple headlines that catch your attention.

“Dynamight Saves Dozens But Loses Precious Item”

“Dynamight Loses Treasure on the Beach during Villain Fight”

“…the hell?” You mutter aloud as the sound of heavy footsteps approach the front door before it swings open. Bakugo’s got his mask tucked up into his hair, beads of sweat running down his temples and dripping from his jaw. He’s still fully dressed in his hero attire, huffing frantically while accidentally slamming the door behind him.

“Is…everything okay?” You ask, confused and somewhat frightened. Phoenix jumps from your lap and moves to the opposite side of the couch.

“I…I fucked up,” Bakugo pants, hand on the wall to steady himself. “M’sorry, peach. It was an accident.”

“What was?” At this point, you assume he killed someone and is about to ask you to help him bury the body. “Spit it out, Katsuki. You’re scaring me.”

He sighs before wiping away the sweat from his nose, head hung low with a frown on his face. “I lost my wedding ring.”

Oh...That’s it?

“It’s alright, we can get another one.”

Bakugo’s taken aback by your nonchalant answer. He’s not one to lose things, especially extremely important ones that he’d crawl through hell to keep. He gives you the typical ‘hah?’ reaction, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"Sweets...I don't want another one, I want that one."

You shake your head while tossing your phone back onto the couch. “It’s not like you meant to lose it, you’re a hero. Shit happens, it’s out of your control.”

"I should'a been more careful. Dunno how the chain broke and fell out of my costume."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," you say as you get up from the couch. "It's not like you tossed it in the ocean on purpose."

Bakugo scoffs. "How stupid could I be?! Already can't wear it on duty cause of my quirk, and nothin' will replace your handwriting etched inside it." He starts rambling, getting too worked up to notice you getting closer. "What kind of husband can't even keep track of his wedding ring? A shitty one, that's who. God, if I didn't⎯"

You cut him off with a soft kiss, arms gently wrapped around his waist. He melts into you, hands instinctually settling at the small of your back to keep you close. All the anxiety evaporates at your touch as his shoulders deflate. When you part, he lays his forehead against yours, eyes softening when they meet your own.

"Katsuki, you are the furthest thing from a bad husband," you scold, playfully pinching his side while maintaining eye contact. "Never, ever, say that again. You're the epitome of my perfect husband and that's all that matters."

It never ceases to amaze Bakugo just how quickly you defuse his insecurities and replace them with sweet nothings that make his heart flutter.

"I've got an idea that you might hate," you say, bringing a hand to his cheek. "Why don't I toss mine in with yours? That way they're together. Then, we go ahead and renew our vows like we wanted to and buy new rings together."

Speechless.

Bakugo is actually speechless.

He goes to say something, but each time, comes up short on how to properly express how much it means to him that you'd do something so drastic to make him happy. Instead, he tugs you into a tight embrace, squeezing you tighter than usual.

"Peaches, ya don't have to do that," he whispers over your shoulder, hushed and emotional. "Don't want you to risk losing somethin' so special just cause I did."

"I know it's sentimental, but it's only a material thing. My love isn't tied to one piece of jewelry, Katsuki, it's tied to your heart. You can't replace that, no matter how many rings we rotate through."

How'd he get so lucky? Bakugo truly doesn't know what good karmic deeds he's done to deserve someone as angelic as you, but he never takes it for granted.

"Got another idea," he says, pulling back to look you in the eyes. "Keep that one here, save it for a rainy day for the future. We renew our vows, get new rings together, and I get my ring finger tattooed. Can't lose that."

"Only if I can, too." You laugh, giving him an exaggerated kiss in response. "Save it for the future, huh?"

Bakugo blushes, grunting shyly as he rolls his eyes. "Y-yeah, you know...could give it to our kid or somethin' in the future for themselves or to give away."

"Aww, love when you get all mushy about the future," you tease, pulling his face down to leave a peck to his cheek.

"Just love you, peach. S'all it comes down to."

He's right, that's all it comes down to at the end of the day; love.

((general idea for the ring tattoos <3))

⇢ subscribers; @sunflowers-4 @sweetloveandaffection @sugurei @jenn-majima @bkgpackets @notnightmarefuel

#bakugo x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugo fluff #soft bakugo #soft bakugou #my hero academia x reader #my hero academia fluff #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugo fluff #katsuki bakugou fluff #✩.rei writes #✩.caramel&champagne #reis softie sundays

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ohimsummer · 5 days ago

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AMENDS

— minors dni, bully! stsg x afab! reader, oral [ f. receiving ], edging, dubcon, dacryphylia, püssy slaps, hair pulling, pet names (good girl, pretty girl, princess)

"let us know when you're ready to apologize, pretty."

a thick cloud of fog smothers your thoughts. geto's words sound so quiet—miles away.

it seems like forever and a day has passed. his large hands trace the curved arch of your back before coming to rest on the globes of your raised ass, presented to him like a feast.

you jolt. a feeble whimper spills from your lips as geto gives a sudden, harsh slap to your pussy. "are you listening?"

he is satisfied with the weak nod of your head, giving a low hum before his tongue dives back into your folds. a tremble runs throughout your body, the ache in your legs getting worse with every clench and tense of muscle.

"you're so stubborn.", satoru huffs, thumbing away a fat tear from your lash line before continuing to toy with a strand of your hair. your head rests heavy in his lap, cheek smushed against his thigh. "all you had to do was wear the co–, uh, necklace."

the stutter doesn’t even take note in your mind. the mention of that damned necklace triggers the memory of how this all started: over the 'gift' gojo tried to bestow upon you, something in which you vehemently declined. especially at his request that you wear it beneath your turtleneck.

it wasn't even so much a necklace as much as it was an obvious collar—a thin piece of leather, pink in color and embedded with silver studs. it connected in the center by a piece of metal curled into the shape of a heart; a similar tag swayed loosely by a silver ring. engraved on either side were their names: suguru and satoru, though gojo was crystal clear in specifying that the side with his name on it was the front.

your eyes are attracted to movement in your peripherals. satoru twirls the collar around his index finger, still ranting on and on about how he spent so much on this special gift for ‘his girl’, and you wouldn't even show gratitude in a simple thank you, let alone the appreciation to wear it at least once.

he shifts slightly and the tent in his pants, inches from your face, rubs against your nose. you remember trying to suck him off at some point, as that’s how he usually preferred your apologies, but no. geto was insistent that gojo be more strict with you, easily swaying his best friend by calling him a softie for you. and now you're stuck, told to actually use your words for once ‘like a good girl’.

what little focus you had is gradually ripped away as geto pushes you closer and closer to another orgasm. he thumbs over your clit, pinching the nub between his fingers for some added suffering, thrusting his tongue inside you to lap up any juices and slick leaking from your hole. you’ve devolved into a sweaty, panting mess within minutes. geto moans against your cunt like a slut, like you’re the best thing he’s ever had. at least one of you is truly enjoying yourself.

it doesn’t take long before you get that familiar, tightening feeling in your stomach. it’s a rubber band being yanked on both ends, about to snap clean in two at any moment. your pussy flutters sporadically around his tongue as you’re forced to the brink. yet another orgasm right at the cliff, overdue to tip over the edge, when-

geto pulls away. he tugs lightly at your clit with his teeth when he does, relishing in your broken whimper. this is making you sick—so sick you’re truly about to break.

gojo’s conversation with himself is interrupted by your tug on his sleeve. casting you a mildly interested glance, his frown deepens, a display of clear disapproval. he sighs in an annoyed, dramatic fashion before tugging you up by the hair to look him in the eyes.

“what do you want?”, he says rather rudely. “told ya not to talk to me anymore unless it's to say you’re sorry.”

you blink, dazed, mouth falling slack but no words yet coming out. shaky hands paw helplessly at his chest as the words drag through your head, barely registering. satoru just stares at you. he thinks you look dumb, but you deserve to after hurting his poor feelings.

“ ‘’m…sorry…”, you barely whimper, quiet and pathetic.

satoru just rolls his eyes. “oh, come on. first, you break my heart and humiliate me and now this half-assed apology? do it properly, at least!”

your vision is hazy, but it doesn’t matter. the two sets of eyes digging into you leave a fiery trail of goosebumps on your skin. geto has finally stopped his insanity-inducing punishment; gojo’s tight fist in your hair tugs at the roots, burning your scalp.

“i sai–, i said—,” you stutter, seeing double, “—i’m sorry for not appreciating your gift, satoru.”

“mm.”, he hums, and you can see the whites of his teeth as two of him grins, proud of finally having gotten his way. “and?”

the thoughts rattle around in your mind. eyelids droop to darken your view before you add on, “and i–, i would be honored to wear it.”

gojo eases his grip to let your head flop back onto his lap. “see, atta girl! was that so hard?"

geto grabs you by the shoulders and hair, far more gently, holding your exhausted body upright as gojo unclasps the collar.

he tugs down the hem of your shirt, excitedly wrapping the leather around your neck. “see, i don’t know why you had to go making this difficult!”

and gojo snaps it on with a ‘click!’, leaning back to admire his handiwork. you feel yourself being tilted further back as geto angles your body to get a good luck at their new claim over you.

“what a pretty girl.”, he murmurs and kisses your cheek, reaching to toy with the tag dangling from your neck.

your head lolls as you’re manhandled into another position. geto’s blurry form is now in front of you, so it’s gojo’s warm chest that you’re sprawled back on, and his long legs that your knees are hooked over.

“since you’re bein’ so good for us now,” gojo whispers into your ear, “i’ll give you a treat, yeah? since we've made amends."

something thick and hot glides over your pussy, up and down, rubbing over your twitching clit. gojo grunts beneath you, shuffles a bit. he rubs his large hands over your inner thighs, grinding his cock between the slick lips of your cunt. he layers kisses up your neck, onto your cheek, ending the trail at your temple, and then reaches down to line himself up with your spasming hole.

geto looms over you to sandwich you between them. he digs two fingers into your cheeks, pulling you into a sloppy kiss where he nips at your lips and sucks on your tongue, spit drooling from the corners of your mouth.

“see how nice we are when you behave?”, he mumbles against your kiss-swollen lips. “tell satoru you’re sorry again.”

the wind is squeezed from your lungs as gojo sinks his full length into you. your words are cut off completely, and geto grins as you arch into him. gojo's tip pokes at your cervix, his balls kissing your ass.

“i’m sorry.”, you whine again.

both men chuckle. satoru kisses your wet cheek again. “it’s okay, princess, i forgive you.”

🎀: @sbgg @paradiseoflosers @deepenthevoid @bubblez-blop @luvvmae @risuola @bunnymacaron @hehehehesthings @starlightanyaaa @higurumapet @suguwuuu @lemonintrovert01 @c3nti-pede @krraayy @notdwenby @beomluvrr @mochacafee @sherb3t @hobarihope @suguwuu @v1xenluna @n3ptoonie @halparkebitch @getos-sugarbby @im-just-here-doing-nothing @gegeeeeeeeeeeex @squishies0102 @mochi-islive @kkncc @mxsocool @mrs-nicoleee @lovesickliyue @astrasworldsblog @euphoriagrae @foreshadowing-forsaken-fuck @euniciane @xocherishxo @sugojosgf @gyaruismind @marichat0n @ichikanu @mikeysflag @xinfvl @sugu-love @b-b-b-my-b-f-f @idkluvv @h-4-bib @starsharkz @sataraxia @apatauaia @savethegoddamturtles @wirelazeee @lcvelina @incognito-veritas @blindbabycadder

#bully! stsg #stsg x reader #satosugu x reader #x reader #bully! satosugu #bully! satosugu x reader #satosugu smut #satosugu x reader smut

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