#and feel more secure that they need him just as much as he needs them

[clockwayswrites]

Birb.... back?! Part 36

masterpost am sick, be kind

finally unstuck this!

By later afternoon, Bruce was officially worried. Even with Lian put down for a nap, Danny was no where to be found. Bruce had been telling himself that Danny was making himself scarce because of the active toddler, but even that felt flimsy with how fondly Danny spoke of his own niece. Though of course, that was without wings in play.

Maybe Danny was trying to avoid having his feathers pulled on.

Maybe Danny was afraid of himself.

“Alfred, have you seen Danny?”

“No sir,” Alfred said as he looked up from the dinner he was preparing. “Perhaps he went with Master Damian to help at the animal shelter?”

Bruce shook his head. “I���ve already checked. Tim, Cass, and Steph are still out. Duke just got home. Dick went with Jason, much to Jason’s annoyance.”

“He did remind to text me as much, as they may not make it back for dinner,” Alfred said. “But it remains that I have not seen Danny. He never came round for lunch, either.”

Bruce gave a little hum to show he heard the concerning news. That was far more than simply avoiding a toddler. He went over to the phone in the kitchen that Alfred still insisted on having and pulled down the false panel next to it. On the revealed screen, Bruce went through the biometric log in process: meant to be as quick as it was secure. As soon as he was in the system, Bruce activated the infared camera for the Manor and surrounding land.

Him and Alfred in the kitchen, Lian in her room, various pets, Duke in the study having just come up from the Cave…

There.

Bruce closed out of the system, made sure it was all the way out, and closed the panel up before he headed off. The only other human sized signature (and at least it was human sized), was in the guest wing. It was tucked away in some shuttered an unused lounge. It had to be Danny.

Not wanting to startle Danny, Bruce gave a soft knock on the door before he opened it and slipped inside. The room was still in that way only a room that hadn’t been used for decades could get. The furniture was cloth covered, the valuable and useful items all moved to other rooms where they would be looked after. The rest was just there like ghosts of Wayne Manor past. The only disturbance to the room was the drape of the window seat, just barely pulled back where it was pushed open by Danny’s knees.

“Danny?” Bruce asked. He worked to cross the room as carefully as Danny had. Not a cloth was disturbed.

“Do you think Alfred would have the time to drive me back to my apartment before dinner?” Danny asked. His voice calm in a way that felt detached. He didn’t look towards Bruce. “I should… get back. I should check on my plants. I should do some work. I’m sure that in this case Lucius would understand me keeping some awkward hours, but I should get back to it.”

Bruce continued to slowly cross the room. He sat against the arm of a cloth covered chair across from the window. Danny was back lit by the light, making him hard for Bruce to see. “I’m sure Lucius would understand you taking more time if you need it.”

Danny just gave a soft hum.

“If you really want to go back home, I can drive you back,” Bruce said. “Though I assure you that there’s no rush to leave from our side.”

“You’re supposed to be spending time with your granddaughter,” Danny said. There was an off warble to his words.

“She’s napping and will be out for another hour at least. Structured rest time is apparently very important for toddlers,” Bruce said, still amused at the lecture that he had gotten from Jason on it all.

“Structure helps them know what to expect so that they can better cope with the day at an age where they are constantly experiencing new events and sensations,” Danny parroted back. Apparently he had some lectures of his own.

“Your sister and niece,” Bruce said with a little nod. “You can of course do whatever you feel most comfortable doing, but I did a bit expect to see you around with Lian some today.”

That was the wrong thing to say, by Danny’s slight flinch, or maybe the right thing to say for getting to the bottom of what was wrong.

Danny wrung his hands. “I didn’t… Jason didn’t…”

When Danny seemed unable (or at least unwilling) to continue, Bruce reached out his hand. It felt like reaching across a divide. It was a relief when Danny reached back.

Gently, Bruce curled his hand around Danny’s, mindful of the overly sharp fingernails. He brushed his thumb over the dusting of fine feathers there. A thousand variables spun through his mind about why Danny was continuing to change now and what could be done about it.

“Jason is worried I could hurt Lian,” Danny explained in that same detached voice. “And when this happens… it’s easy to see why he fears that.”

“That’s less about you, I think, and more about things that Jason fears most,” Bruce said. “When Jason… when he was dead to us, it was because I failed him.”

“Bruce—”

“No, it’s true,” Bruce said with a shake of his head. “I was trying to protect him. Protect him from the world and the ugliness of things and his own anger… but I did it poorly. I didn’t know I needed to explain myself or where to even start. And that led into him trying to find his birth mother and—well, everything else. Lian may not be his, not yet, but it’s really just time. And I think that Jason’s biggest fear is to fail to protect her. It makes him overly cautious.”

“But is he wrong?” Danny asked.

“Yes,” Bruce answered without hesitation.

Danny snorted. “Such easy belief.”

“When did this happen?” Bruce asked. He ran his fingers over Danny’s taloned fingers to make it clear what he was asking.

“…when I got how afraid of me Jason was.”

Bruce “When you saw yourself as a monster because of it. Perhaps a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy then?”

Danny gave a tired little snort. “You and my doctor would have a grand time talking about the psychology of this whole change.”

“Well, I’m a fan of psychology. It helped save my relationships with my family,” Bruce said. “But for what it’s worth? This? Your hands? That doesn’t make you a monster.”

“Doesn’t it?” Danny asked.

“No,” Bruce said before he brought the hand up to press a kiss to it. “Now, if you really want to go home, I’ll take you, but don’t go because you’re running.”

Danny gave an over the top sigh. “No?”

“No,” Bruce said with a little smile.

“Okay. I’ll stay at least through the night,” Danny agreed, “but I do think that I should go back tomorrow. I should check on my plants, check on work, take some time to just… think.”

“That sounds like a much better plan. As does getting out of this room.” Bruce stood, Danny’s hand still in his. “Alfred would hate to know that you were in a room that wasn’t properly set up.”

“Oh, well, for Alfred then,” Danny said as he stood and let Bruce lead him from the gloomy room.

“Of course, for Alfred.”

[lsunstreakerl]

Rico/Max first heat? Any verse is fine, but I would love FMF or canon

whoops! called you anon in the last post, sorry- goes to show my incredible ability to keep my ask box straight! anyways, this has somehow ended up longer than the first one. part two of omegaverse fmf, (part one) first with rico's POV, and ending with max's. 3.4k, explicit.

parings: rico verhoeven/max verstappen

relevant heads up: omegaverse, continuation of the dubious consent, max's incredible ability to misunderstand his relationship with rico, and criminal levels of down bad from rico.

Rico is frozen as his omega bites down. The snap of his scent gland between his teeth, and the rush of endorphins inside of him— Max is still snarling at him even with his teeth sunk into his neck, like a hound dog who'd snuck into the kitchens and stolen a chunk of meat.

His rut bears down around him, but it's controlled, a byproduct of Rico spending his entire life learning to weaponize it. It doesn't make him mindless, just sharpens his senses in a more animalistic way. He slowly lowers himself down onto Max, so that his psychotic little omega doesn't have to strain his neck as he gets Rico's blood smeared across his mouth.

He's rumbling again, because it's the only thing that's seemed to get through Max's heat brain. He hadn't wanted to tie him up, but he'd realized that Max had woven rope— and when he'd had the time to do that Rico has no idea— and the opportunity was too good to pass up.

He's not particularly interested in getting kneed in the balls again, even if Max is pretty enough to get away with it. His omega had fought viciously, really forced Rico to work for it. He's never participated in a mating run until now, and although he's watched friends go through the motions, he can't remember anyone mentioning their mates seemingly wanting them genuinely dead.

Max had been difficult to track. Once Rico had figured out he was using the river it hadn't been so bad, but finding the entrance and exit points had been a struggle, and then the cliff face—

Max's slick scent had slammed him in the face like brick. He'd momentarily lost control over his rut, and that had been just enough time for Max to slip away.

He noses at Max's scent gland as he feels the teeth in his neck loosen. His omega is whip smart and fast, and a much better grappler, even in heat, than Rico had been prepared for.

They'll have strong pups, eventually.

He scrapes his teeth gently, more a warning than anything as he gets a hand down between Max's thighs, fingers dragging through slick. There's so much of it, a sweet scent that Rico would happily down himself in.

He gets one finger into Max, who's so loose and wet that he wonders for a moment if he's even noticed. The second one goes easily, and Max twitches underneath him, pupils blown wide, blood across his mouth.

Rico pushes his scent further, almost oppressively thick in the air around them as he gets a third finger inside, licking over Max's neck. His omega seems to appreciate that, if the way he falls into submission is any indication. His head tips back, jaw exposed as Rico feels him clench around his fingers, a soft whine escaping him.

He rumbles again, slowly working his fingers as he gets Max used to his mouth on his neck. Mating bites can be pleasurable— although Rico's is giving him a dull throb, either from the force of the bite or the unmatched bond.

It's fine. He doesn't mind being patient, if it means that Max feels secure. If biting Rico first is what he needed, Rico doesn't mind. He's only knotting Max here on the ground once.

He hadn't wanted to do it in the forest at all, but Karim had made a big fuss about tradition, and Rico doesn't particularly want to get into an argument with the head of House Verstappen. The man makes him uneasy.

He spreads his fingers wide, crooning lowly as Max twitches, blinking up at him. There's barely a sliver of blue ringing around his pupils, and he seems confused, like he'd expected more of a reaction for biting.

Rico really doesn't mind— he's had worse bites from the strays around the castle. His omega is far gone, tied up in the woods in heat, and Rico doesn't want this to take any longer then it has to, but he doesn't want to go too fast and hurt Max either.

There's the bare bones of a nest waiting for them back home, and all the materials Max could want. Martijn is supposed to be gathering scented materials from his own delegate to take back with them.

He mouths at Max's neck again, privately smug when his omega simply shivers, head tilting back to exposure his neck further. It's much better than the angry snarls or the terrified whining of before, and Rico's careful as he fucks him slowly with his fingers, slipping in his pinky as well.

He's not small by any means, and he doesn't want Max to be uncomfortable on his knot, which means he's checking that he's ready, even in heat.

Max whimpers softly, hips twitching. He's got his jaw clamped shut tight, a small act of defiance, but Rico doesn't mind. If he does his job right, Max will crack open underneath him anyways, cresting with pleasure through his heat. It's just another test.

Despite his self control, there's a tightness at the base of his skull, his rut hot in his veins. The thrill of the hunt had been deeply satisfying, but now he wants to take.

He shoves it back down.

Max's breathing is getting ragged, scent sweetening and spiraling as Rico finally gets his cock out, heavy and hot in his hand. He keeps his mouth on Max's neck, over his scent gland— he's going to bite when he knots him, to blur the line between the pain and the pleasure, make it as easy for his omega as possible.

He lets his teeth scrape over his neck, pushing his scent and rumbling at the same time, enough that Max instinctively relaxes as Rico slides inside of him. He'd debated going slowly or not, but with an omega in heat, he didn't want to take too long and risk Max hurting himself trying to get more.

Max yelps as Rico pushes halfway in one smooth motion, wiggling underneath him. He croons softly, sucking at Max's neck to distract him, deeply satisfied at the moan he gets for his efforts. Omegas are built for this kind of thing— they want to be submissive, even a volatile, slightly psychotic omega like Max. He's been lashing out because he's scared, and he thinks Rico is going to hurt him.

Rico just has to prove him wrong. All he has to do is bite him and knot him, and then they can head home, but Max is too far gone to explain that properly, which means all Rico can do is show him.

He rolls his hips, lips pressing against Max's neck. There's a soft gasp near his ear, his omega's scent curling around him. There's more pleasure to it now than fear, even if he's still bound underneath him.

Max's scent is all he can smell, all he can taste on his tongue, face buried into his neck like a man starved as he nips gently, pushing a few more inches in. His omega is taking him well, small little moans escaping him. He's forgetting to keep his mouth shut, slowly falling further as Rico fucks into him, and Rico can't smother the pleased notes in his own scent.

Max responds to it well, moaning loudly when Rico gets flush to his hips, whispering soft praise into his throat, pressing kisses to the thin skin below his ear.

"Alpha—"

Rico rumbles loudly, free hand mapping out Max's body underneath him, skimming his waist, his hip and his thigh. His other hand is still braced behind Max's head, and it hadn't budged even when Max had reared up and bit him.

His King's Guard likes to call him paranoid, but he has no interest in going to all this effort just for his lovely, batshit insane omega to accidentally smash his head into a rock.

Max is perfect underneath him, relaxed under his hands and on his cock, scent mellowing out slightly. It'll even out more when he's on a knot, and Rico can check him for injuries then. He wouldn't put it past him to have somehow collected an assortment in the process of the hunt.

He can feel his knot starting to form, catching at Max with each thrust. He's starting to squirm underneath him, eyes desperate as his scent goes rich with need, mouth dropping open in a low moan.

Rico rumbles, fitting his teeth lightly over his omega's scent gland as he keeps the same pace. It's doing it for Max, so he's not going to adjust it any, not when Max is finally pliant underneath him, pleased noises being worked out of him.

His knot swells, and he croons lowly at Max as he thrusts in one more time, and Max cries out, tipping his chin back, exposing the pale lines of his throat, the smattering of freckles.

"Alpha, alpha need it—"

Rico knows.

His teeth sink in as Max is flush to his hips, scent gland snapping under his mouth, and he can feel his omega convulse underneath him, moaning high and long. The bond is a physical feeling tugging him closer to Max's chest, kissing softly at his neck as they both come down from the high.

The rut is less oppressive in his head, enough for him to feel bad that Max is still bound. He works one hand around to deftly untie the knots, carefully sitting them upright. He's cautious to make sure he doesn't tug at Max at all, arranging him in his lap.

Max makes a soft noise, nose tucking into Rico's neck. His bite mark is still throbbing, but he knows now that's just from his omega's teeth— the mating bond feels solid between them.

There's exhaustion, the tiniest threads of anxiety, but they're fading by the minute, overshadowed by a deep contentment that must be from himself, and a fuzzy haze that must belong to Max.

He runs his hands slowly across his omega— his mate— searing for any nicks or cuts. There's not many besides the few scrapes across his face, and he relaxes.

By the time his knot starts to go down, in what could have been minutes or hours later, Rico has decided he would die for him.

Max had, at some point, started softly purring against his chest, and it had made him feel a starburst of emotions, too much for him to handle at once. It was the kind of feeling he would go to war over, if it meant getting to experience it again, and he'd contented himself with pressing soft kisses across his omega's hairline, down the bridge of his nose and across his cheeks.

Max had hazily blinked at him before dozing back off.

Now, he gingerly pulls out, fingers reaching for the scattered components of Max's leather armor as he begins to strap it back on. He's hoping he's remembering it all correctly. The mating bond has done wonders for his rut— it feels less wild inside of him, now that he has a focus on getting Max back home to their den. It's sharper, more targeted.

Max is still foggy with it, although Rico can feel the soft snares of awareness threading lightly through the bond. Max could snap to alertness if he needed to, but his instincts are soothed by the presence of Rico carrying him.

Rico presses another light kiss to his forehead as he checks that they're both as put back together as they can be, keeping Max close to his chest as he stands. He can smell the fires not too far away— it had been difficult to tell before, but now with his rut sharpened to a fine point, focused on taking care of his mate, they're clear as day.

Max is purring in his arms as they walk. He'd squirmed tiredly in Rico's arms before pressing his nose into his neck, hair brushing against his jaw.

The campfires finally come into view. Rico hadn't realized he was still tense until he relaxes, smelling his pack waiting for them. Max's people are nearby, and the smaller alpha— the one who'd given him a murderous glare when he'd initially sniffed Max to catch his scent— curls his lip in a snarl.

Rico bristles, his own lip lifting, showcasing a flash of fang, and something must alert Max through the bond— he rapidly blinks his eyes, struggling to fight back to awareness. Rico immediately forgets the smaller alpha, crooning lowly at his omega.

"Sorry, that was— it's dumb. We're fine, sweetheart. It's okay."

He can smell his pack on one side, cautiously approaching. They're wary of his protective instincts, even if they don't need to be. Rico trusts them with his life, and Max eventually will as well. The older alpha approaching, however...

He widens his stance, trying not to let any negative feelings push through the bond, even though he doesn't like the other man.

"I'm not coming any closer, Your Highness. He's yours now. I just wanted to ensure he didn't cause you too much trouble?"

Rico's jaw tightens. Max caused him plenty of trouble— that was what had made it wonderful. He's clearly not doing a good job of keeping his temper in check, because Martijn sidles up beside him, smiling pleasantly.

"Rico's got a tough gourd. No issues, really— or we would've heard him complaining the whole way back."

Normally Rico's willing to laugh at himself a bit, but he can't even bring himself to break eye contract with Jos, staring down the smaller alpha.

He lifts his hands, stepping back as he dips his head.

"Pleasure doing business, Your Highness."

Max catches a hint of Jos' scent in the wind, and Rico can feel a thread of anxiety ratchet up in his chest through the bond. It's more than enough to snap his already thin patience.

"You're dismissed."

He realizes a moment later that Martijn is projecting his neutral scent, keeping him less agitated. He waits until the northern delegate has set off before leaning into the beta gratefully.

"Thank you."

Martijn hums, tilting his head to get a better look at Max, curious.

"He gave you a good fight, huh? You look beat up."

Rico makes a face.

"Those thighs are not decoration— he's got a mean kick."

Karim snorts off to his left, and Rico tosses him a halfhearted glare as they pack their things.

"Did you get items for his nest?"

Martijn grins, patting a pack on the back of his horse.

"Yup! Nothing from his dad— the little alpha, Mick, said that wasn't a good idea— but some stuff from the rest of his pack."

He pauses, lips turning downwards as he looks at Max again.

"It's not much."

Rico can feel the pack bond in his chest trying to curl into the mating bond, the curiosity of his most trusted people. They love Rico, it only makes sense they'll love his mate, but they understand it might be slow going.

He nods, keeping Max close as Karim drapes a cloak over him in Rico's arms. Dennis is waiting next to Rico's horse, peering quietly at his omega, and then at the bite mark on his neck, snorting softly.

"He took a chunk out of you, kid."

Rico grins, preening.

"He really did— I wasn't expecting it either, I'd thought he was submitting."

Dennis grins, rumbling lowly.

"Good. About time you met your match."

The older alpha claps him on the shoulder gently, and he helps Rico saddle up, careful not to jostle Max too much. The sharp thread of anxiety from Jos' presence has faded, and Max is back to breathing into Rico's neck, soft puffs of air tickling his skin.

Rico feels settled with his mate in his arms, surrounded by his pack. They'd had to leave a few people to watch the castle, but his heart of hearts— they're all here. It's not entirely safe, not yet, not until Rico can get Max settled into his nest, coax him apart between the stalwart stone walls of his den.

Soon.

------

Max remembers bits and pieces. He remembers a mad dash through the woods, the icy cold of a river, remembers the spiced scent of rut— but he doesn't remember any pain.

He remembers being laid out in the dirt, and there's an embarrassing flash of memory he hopes isn't real of him begging.

None of that matters at the moment, because his heat breaks inside unfamiliar walls, panting as he comes down from an orgasm he barely remembers. His thighs are shaking, ankles hooked together behind a large neck, and he's sore, but there's large hands running soothingly across his legs, and despite everything that should be scaring him right now—

The fear just isn't there.

He swallows, legs twitching as he tries to close them. He expects the alpha between his legs to refuse, but he's surprised to find easy acceptance.

There's a solid weight in his chest that he doesn't recognize. It feels... nice. There's a certain warmth to it, and he realizes as the alpha shifts back up the bed that it seems connected, somehow.

His jaw cracks as he yawns, trying to put things together. He feels more settled in his own skin than he's felt in years, and he's—

He's in a nest.

The alpha watching him patiently is the King.

The realizations hit him at once, anxiety flooding his body, and before he can work himself into a proper panic, the weight in his chest settles. There's a pleasant scent in a room, a low noise by Max's ear, and he's having a hard time remembering why he would want to freak out about anything.

"Easy, Max. You wake up fast."

Max looks over at King Verhoeven, face flushing a vibrant red as he spots the bite mark deep into his neck. It's absolutely going to scar, and he's mildly afraid that he's about to be killed for it—

"Max."

It's not quite a command, but there's a low note of heavy suggestion, yanking Max from him thoughts as he instinctively bares his neck for his mate.

His eyebrows furrow, everything screeching to a halt. The woods, the river grass ropes, the bite, the knot.

He touches his fingers gingerly to his own neck, tracing the scabbed edges over his own scent gland.

"I thought— you mated me."

His voice comes out more incredulous than he'd like, and King Verhoeven tilts his head curiously, eyes sparkling.

"I did, yes. You gave a thrilling hunt, Max. And you've got some sharp teeth."

Max doesn't understand.

"But I'm a concubine."

The shock that rips through his chest isn't his own, and he struggles with it for a moment, grappling to get it under control before he realizes it belongs to Rico.

When did he think of him as Rico? Max can feel it through what must be the bond, the same way Rico must be able to have felt Max's heat break.

He scoots closer to Max, wrist pressing against his neck as he's scented thoroughly. The shock has turned to confusion, which has turned to a quiet anger.

"Who told you that?"

Max bristles.

"I didn't need to be told, that's just— that's how it works."

Rico leans forward slowly, pressing their foreheads together in a gesture that leaves Max feeling cracked open and raw.

"No, Max. You're not a concubine. I don't have any other omegas, I only— I only wanted one. A mate."

Max can feel that he means it. He makes a soft noise in the back of his throat, tipping his head down to nose at the mating bite.

"I, ah,"

He feels a bit embarrassed about it now, knowing there were no other omegas.

"Sorry for biting you so hard."

Rico rumbles lowly, and Max is surprised to find that the bond simply seems pleased.

"I wasn't expecting it, but... it's fitting. I like it for us, although I have to wonder, if you thought you were a concubine— why'd you bite me?"

Max flushes, deliberately looking away.

"I wanted to have something none of the others could get."

He keeps his voice soft, but his words ring true. Rico croons at him, affection dripping from his scent.

"There are no others, sweetheart. Just you, and you made your mark so thoroughly it would be impossible to miss."

Max still feels embarrassed about it. He startles slightly when Rico's palm rests between his shoulders, but he finds a pleased purr rising in his chest.

There's too much information he needs to digest, next steps to take, people to meet— but for now, he's content to curl in the nest with his alpha.

His mate.

[suugarbabe]

[6 DRINK MATTHEO]

summary: it's always a good time when you're drinking with mattheo; you never know what or who you're gonna get ; mattheo x theo, enzo x reader, poly!slytherin boys if you squint

warnings: mentions of drinking, parties, the likes

an: reader is mostly a side character but is involved with most of the story; you get a lot of theo and matty for this; thank you to my love my life my baby @musingsofahufflepuff for the drink dividers (hubby so talented)

There was a buzz all around the great hall, and for good reason, too. This mornings matchup on the quidditch pitch between Slytherin and Gryffindor was a big one…and Slytherin came out on top. 

Much of this win was thanks to Mattheo and his friends (who all very much dominate in every game they participate in). With Theo as chaser, the game was barely going for two minutes before he scored their first goal. 

Berkshire as keeper made it nearly impossible for anyone on the Gryffindor team to catch up. But the real kicker was how Mattheo performed today. 

As a beater, typically his job is just to keep the bludgers away from his chasers (Theo in particular). But Mattheo had a bit of a different objective today.

While he did his usual duty, using all his ab and lower body strength to steady himself on his broom he was swinging his bat with all his strength; any chance he got he aimed the large, charmed iron balls towards another target. 

It was perfect timing, too. Potter was hot on the snitches tail (and Draco hot on Potters). Mattheo eyed the bludger heading toward Theo and accelerated in that direction. With near perfect precision, Mattheo swung with professional connection, sending the bludger zipping towards the raven haired boy. 

The bludger connected with the tail end of Potter's broom. The sheer force sending Harry down toward the ground and giving Draco ample time to grab the snitch and assist in securing the win and ending the game officially. 

Which leads to now. Mattheo, Theo and the rest of the team itching to get to the common room and start partying in celebration. Enzo was all but shoveling food into his gob to ‘line his stomach so he could drink more’.

“That’s kinda disgusting, Berk. Very sloppy. You look like a elefante.”

“Elephant,” Mattheo translated the Italian for Enzo; something he’s grown habit to do for Theo but he couldn’t tell you when it started or when he picked up on so much of the language. 

As expected, Enzo ignored them both. Once dinner was officially over, the majority of fifth, sixth and seventh year students (with the exception of most Gryffindors) made their way down to the dungeons for what was sure to be “an incredibly epic party” to quote Enzo. 

To “ensure it’s epicness” (Enzo again), he insisted on the three of them waiting back before going down to the party. However, it was only five minutes in before Mattheo was getting antsy, “Screw this, I need a drink.” 

The cup’s cold in his hand and the alcohol is smooth down his throat and instantly Mattheo feels ten times more relaxed than he did at dinner. It typically happens that way. 

He always gets a bit jittery before a party, but as soon as he gets there he knows he just needs a drink and everything will calm down in his mind again. Matty has contributed this correlation to the fact that most parties happen after a quidditch match. And even if he’s not the one playing, just the intensity of the game gets his adrenaline going. 

After another sip, Matty lets out a long sigh of relief. “Relaxed?” Theo gives him a knowing smile and a nudge with his elbow. Mattheo nods in content, “Yup. Finally.” 

“Ever think maybe you have a problem if you need a drink to relax, mate,” Enzo playfully jabs at his friend. Mattheo then watched as Enzo swirled his tongue along the inside of the small plastic container to loosen his third jello-shot in twenty minutes. 

Mattheo flicked the bottom of the shot, causing the contents to slip through Enzo’s finger and land instead on the common room rug. “No, my shot!” Enzo whined, Mattheo and Theo rolled their eyes. 

The pair left Enzo searching for a replacement while they found solace on a sofa. Theo leaned back against the couch, digging in his pocket to for his usual party favor, “Enzo ruin your relaxation?” Mattheo shook his head, taking another long sip of his drink, “I’m good. Think I’m gonna go grab another though. Be right back.” 

When Mattheo didn’t return after ten minutes, Theo stubbed out his spliff and willed himself off the couch to go and find him. Before his eyes could locate a dark mop of curls he heard it. The slightly high pitched, almost hidden giggle made Theo’s ears perk up. 

Turning towards the sound, he made his way towards the drink table where he saw Mattheo standing with you and Enzo. His bottom lip was tucked into his teeth as he held his cup in front of his mouth; obviously trying to suppress another giggle. 

You, on the other hand, were eating it up. Theo was sure whatever story you were telling wasn’t even that funny; but Mattheo had a second drink in him so therefore everything was more humorous. 

As Theo approached the three of you, you turned to him with a beaming smile, “Hi, Teddy. Did you know I’m hilarious?” 

Theo raised his eyebrows and gave you an unimpressed look, “Sure, tesoro.” You gave a slight pout, only for Enzo to sling an arm over your shoulders, “S’alright, lovie. You’re proper funny.” Your smile returned and Theo turned to Matty instead. 

“Gonna tell me what’s so funny?” Theo couldn’t suppress his own smile any longer. Not when Mattheo was grinning so big that the corners of his eyes were crinkling. Theo decided that Matty had a really nice smile. 

“Enzo brought up the prank we played on Draco a couple months ago, when we..” Matty’s shoulders shook slightly as he couldn’t contain his laughter, “when we charmed his hair Gryffindor red and convinced everyone not to say anything until lunch.” 

Theo nodded, not being able to hold his own laughter in as he recalled the memory, “He was ready to avada you, Matt.” 

Mattheo was wiping tears from his eyes, chugging what was left in his cup before turning around to fill it once more. 

Theo had made a mistake. If you asked him, though, he’d say he was ‘lured away by a hufflepuff making him an offer he couldn’t refuse’. 

Normally free weed from a badger trying to get on his good side wasn’t a problem. It’s what he came back to that make him realize his timing was rather poor. 

Just as he breached the small crowd of people forming near the back corner of the common room, he saw Mattheo take a long chug of merlin knows what before handing you his cup to hold. 

Theo watched as Mattheo got into a slightly crouched position, hands at the ready in front of him like he was about to wrestle. Across from Matty was a Ravenclaw that had a tendency to run his mouth. 

Theo grabbed Mattheo’s cup from your grasp, catching your attention. “You’re just in time,” your eyes were looking a little hazy, but they sparkled with a bit of mischief. 

“Perfetto, what’s happening then, hmm?” Theo took a sniff of Mattheo’s cup, giving a shrug and a head tilt before downing its contents. 

“Abraxas said Matty’s lost his touch. That now-a-day’s he’s more bark than bite. Matty didn’t like that, said he’d be able to wrestle Brax to the ground in two minutes flat,” you were clearly enjoying the situation. 

Theo started counting how many drinks he’d seen Mattheo have so far. Four. He nodded his head, confirming that Matty’s current behavior now made total sense.Theo decided to not intervene. Yet. 

It had been a while since Matty had gotten into a proper fight. Not necessarily due to him not getting angry; but the rest of the group had figured out ways to distract or deter him from seeing red. Theo figured he’d let him have a little fun. 

Mattheo did manage to wrestle Brax to the ground pretty quickly; however, drunk Mattheo tends to be extremely poor at realizing how drunk he is. Hence why Brax was then able to flip them both over, seemingly taking charge. 

Drunk Matty was having none of it, pushing and flinging limbs until he was nearly free from Brax’s hold. Very easily did Mattheo ignore the ‘bloody fuck’ that left Enzo’s lips when he got kicked in the shin. You did warn him not to get too close. 

After a bit of a stalemate, the crowd started to chant for their respective prospect. “Mattheo, Mattheo!” and “Brax Brax Brax!” started to get louder, and truly it was ruining Theo’s buzz. 

So if he happened to send a slipping jinx Brax’s way, just so Mattheo could get him in a chokehold and Brax to tap out; if no one witnessed it then no harm was done. Right?

Mattheo stood, pumping his arms in the air victorious. Enzo let his earlier injury be forgotten as he slapped Matty on the back, “Atta boy, now let’s get you a celebratory drink, shall we?” 

You did your best to hold your drink steady in one hand while patting Mattheo’s back with the other. “Really, Mattheo, it’s okay. I’m sure he’s not mad at all…right, Enzie?” You gave Enzo the sterndess look you could muster in your tipsy state without giggling. 

Mattheo sipped his drink after lifting his head from your shoulder, wiping fallen tears from his cheeks as he looked over to Enzo on the other side of the couch. 

Enzo stuttered over his words, “Y-yeah, mate. S’alright, I, erm, I don’t even remember you kicking me hard as shit twenty minutes ago. S’fine!” Enzo scratched the back of his neck, giving an awkward smile. 

Thankfully, Matty bought it, “R-really? ‘Cause,” he sniffled, bottom lip wobbling, “I-I’m so sorry, Enzo. Y-you mean so much to me, I-I’d never hurt you on p-purpose.” 

You could see the tears brimming again as you moved your hands in soothing circles on his back, “And you mean so much to Enz, too. Isn’t that right?” You glared at Enzo for a response. 

“Oh, erm, yeah..yeah mate, you mean loads to me,” Enzo gave a quick tap to Matty’s knee. 

Theo walked up to this scene, four shots held between his fingers, “Here.” He handed the small glass of clear liquor to each of you. You rolled your eyes, “Theo. Not really the time,” you motioned your eyes and tilted your head slightly towards Mattheo, “someone is having a moment.” 

It was Theo’s turn to roll his eyes, “Yes, yes. I know. Here Matty, take it.” Ever the obedient one when it came to Theo, he took the shot glass. 

“Drink,” Theo nodded, “I cannot take your wet eyes any longer, Matty mio caro.” 

You huffed, but raised your glass nonetheless to clink against the others before tapping it on the table and shooting it back, everyone else following the same routine. As the alcohol made its way down your throat you shuddered. 

Matty, though, gave a final wipe of his eyes before a smile then plastered on his face, “Mmm, tequila. How did you know, Teddy?” 

You and Enzo exchanged a look, waiting for Theo to complain about the use of the pet name, only to be disappointed when he actually smiled. 

“Because I know my Mattheo. Now let’s get off this couch,” Theo grabbed hold of Matty by both wrists and pulled him to stand before slinging an arm over his shoulder. Enzo was quick to follow, “Wait for me!” 

With the tequila now in his system, Mattheo seemingly forgot whatever it was that he was upset with some fifteen minutes earlier. You watched as he and Enzo seemed to be conspiring together across the room. 

You leaned closer to Theo, “What do you think they’re up to?” Theo’s eyes met yours briefly, “I do not know, but it seems supiscious.” Your brows furrowed momentarily, “Do you mean suspicious?” 

Theo waved off your correction, turning back to the last spot he saw the two trouble makers only to not find them at all. His head was on a swivel, eyes scanning the room for a mop of curls or messy brown hair but continuously coming up short. 

“Do you see?” Theo asked a half sentence, but it didn’t matter as you fully understood. “I can’t find them either.” 

In that moment, you heard a row of people grunt, gasp or seem startled and shocked. Then you saw it; a very excited but stumbly German Shepherd being chased by a continuously tripping and falling Aussie. 

“Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” you turned to Theo eyes wide and slightly panicking. Theo seemed to only be able to stare in the direction they went before shaking his head and wiping his hands over his face. 

“Okay, you go for Enzo, I go for Matty.” And with that, the two of you split off. 

Mattheo proved slightly ornery while drunkenly in his animagus form. But Theo thanks the many drinks Matty had for making it much easier to sneak up on the German Shepherd and wrap his long arms around its middle. 

He walked a whining puppy Mattheo towards the dorm room path, setting him down only once past the dorm door just as you entered with Aussie Enzo who’s back paws were definitely dragging along the floor, causing you to stumble slightly with every other step. 

Once both were released, you looked positively peeved, hands firm on your hips and mouth open, ready to scold only to be cut off by a slew of Italian shouting. 

“Cosa pensi di fare? Hai perso la testa? Torna indietro subito. Subito! Sei fortunato che siano tutti ubriachi fradici!”

Both Enzo and Matty’s puppy ears folded back; the two of them slowly starting to lay down submissively and whine slightly. You weren’t sure what Theo was saying exactly, but you knew they were not going to try this again the rest of the night. 

After their Italian reprimand, both Enzo and Mattheo found themselves one last drink. Mattheo would be lying if said he wasn’t feeling it; the range of emotions and amount of liquor was starting to weigh on him. 

He looked from Theo to you to Enzo, then to Theo again and his heart just felt so…full. All he could think about was needing to show his affections. 

Mattheo turned to Enzo, tugging the sleeve of his shirt, “Enz…Enzo look at me.” Heavy lidded eyes met Matty’s with a lazy smile, “Hmm?”

“I love you, mate,” Matty grabbed Enzo’s face and gave him a loud, smacking smooch on the cheek. 

Mattheo ignored the confused speechlessness on Enzo’s face and instead turned to you. “And I love you, babe,” He leaned down, lips pressing heavily against your forehead. You hummed in acknowledgement, “I love you too, Matty.”

When Mattheo turned to Theo, the latter willed his cheeks not to flush to dark a shade of pink. He braced himself for the Matty love fest about to happen, only to feel his pulse quicken when Mattheo laced his fingers behind Theo’s neck, thumbs tracing lazily along his jawline. 

“And you..” Mattheo leaned in a little closer to whisper in Theo’s ear, “You’re my favorite, Teddy. But promise not to tell the other’s okay?” 

Theo nodded with a nervous smile just before Mattheo’s lips landed on his own. His breath hitched before pulling away, “Alriiight, bedtime for Matty, yes?” 

Mattheo nodded, allowing Theo to guide him towards the dorms. Theo heavily ignoring the taunts and cheers from you and Enzo on the way.

[billloveshushu]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 02━ 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

✦∘˚━ ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔 𝔹𝕒𝕥𝕗𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪 𝕩 𝔹𝕒𝕓𝕪𝕆ℂ.

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∘˚✧˙𝓜𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽✦•˚∘

✦( "" ) Thoughts (━) Dialogue✦∘•

English is not my original language, the translation was fone by Google Translate, so sorry for spelling mistakes.

Warning🚨: There will Be another OC in the story.

"I finally have a name!!"

Suyana Martha Wayne.

When she saw Bruce signing his name completing his civil registration with his mother's name, Suyana was very surprised and felt a strange feeling, she felt happy realizing that Bruce, now officially her adoptive father, liked her to the point of putting her deceased mother's name as his surname.

But she realized, it was really happening, she was now the adopted daughter of Bruce Wayne, from Batman the Dark Knight, now she was feeling such a big existential crisis, and she wasn't even a year old!

Also, when she heard Alfred or Bruce say the name Suyana, she felt a good feeling, it was as if it already belonged to her, it was nostalgic. Could this have also been her name in her past life? That would explain this feeling.

Anyway, Suyana gave up on remembering her past life. That night traumatized her in a way she would never forget. The space filled with blood and those overwhelming emotions were like a threatening warning from her own subconscious showing that if she remembered, there would be no turning back. It seems that her past life was not happy at all. Of course, curiosity arose, but she put all that aside.

“As the saying goes, Happy is he who does not know what he is, and unhappy is he who knows what he is … why do I know that? Well, it doesn’t matter.”

Sometimes she forgot that she was just a baby, many times she would find herself playing with her teddy bears or even biting her own foot and would wonder "What the hell am I doing?!"

It was possible to see that he was very tired, even when Alfred appeared to wake him up, he got up without complaining and just adjusted his neck, Suyana knew that Bruce used meditation to control fatigue, muscle pain and even a broken rib just to keep up appearances, but seeing it in person is scary and impressive at the same time.

Bruce asked Alfred to prepare the milk while he got the baby ready. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with Suyana today because last night, at the exact moment Batman arrived at the cave, the Justice League called him to say they had a mission and that they needed him. It was unknown how long this mission would last. Bruce read in an article that young babies, if they don't see their father figure much, end up forgetting about them.

He doesn't want that to happen so he will do everything he can to make this mission go faster, for now he will enjoy this moment with his daughter. Bruce came down the stairs with Suyane in his arms already dressed in a fuzzy jumpsuit, Alfred handed her the bottle and Bruce fed the baby, he watched her cheeks sway as she drank from the bottle like a squirrel.

He couldn't help but kiss her forehead, this was such a normal morning, it wasn't boring, it was more like a calming agent, she was like a calming agent after a chaotic day, no, a chaotic night, his muscles relaxed, leaning his back on the counter and he just looked at her, enjoying the silence of the morning.

Until Alfred enters the kitchen━ Sir, little miss's room is ready.

"What!? Seriously?"

Suyana swung her little feet excitedly, she saw Bruce ask a few more things about the room but decided to ignore it, taking so long to just renovate a baby's room was probably because of this security system, to save her mental health she decided not to know any more about it and just ignore it.

"Ridiculous paranoia, seriously"

Bruce had already noticed that Suyana had already finished her milk and placed the bottle on the counter right after he helped her burp.━They finished faster than I expected, sir. ━Alfred said.

Bruce wiped Suzana's mouth━ But of course, they are competent Alfred, I guarantee that in addition to being safe, the room is beautiful.

"I wonder how it turned out" Suyana wondered, she didn't know what the room looked like even though it was close to Bruce's room, Alfred always stayed away because of the dust, after the dust was gone it was time to decorate the room, Bruce wasn't a man of style and used what was necessary, so he didn't even know where to start.

Normally it was Alfred who did this, but he is already an elderly gentleman, so he can only take care of Suyana because she is quiet and well-behaved, which is worrying, but Dr. Leslie said that it was normal for some babies to behave like this, especially like Suyana.

So Bruce hired an interior designer, a woman who was quite nice, and when she arrived she just told him that she was going to transform the room to be worthy of a princess.

And she actually did it.

Suyana looked at the newly renovated room with wide eyes, the walls were a pastel pink color with flower designs, the floor was padded with a large rug and the furniture around was hand-customized with a beige color and an antique style, and the crib now sat near the window with a large veil made of satin around it.

It really looked like a little princess lived there, Bruce smiled with satisfaction, it was perfect for his little princess.

The princess in question was still perplexed but could not deny that the room was beautiful ━ Isn't it wonderful?━ said the girl smiling at Bruce who immediately activated his Wayne Playboy personality ━ Wonderful, just like you ━ then he kissed her hand leaving the girl blushing while she let out a few laughs, she tried to start more conversation with Bruce Wayne but he interrupted her.

— I would like to enjoy this moment with my daughter, so thank you very much for your service ━ Bruce said, shaking her hand and asked Alfred to take her to the front door.

━ Oh, of course, but if you want, you can call me later ━ She said as she was almost pushed by Alfred to the exit of the room.

Suyana looked at Bruce in amazement. He seemed like a completely different person, outgoing, lively and even seductive. But the moment the girl walked out the door, Bruce returned to normal, the normal that Suyana at least knew. “He could win an Oscar with that.”

Bruce turned his attention to Suyana calmly as if he hadn't changed personality a minute ago ━So Susu, did you like your new room?━ And he kissed her cheek making her let out a sweet baby laugh.

Suyana sometimes felt embarrassed by Bruce's display of affection, it's not every day that she is kissed by Batman himself, and that affectionate nickname 'Susu' came about after a fateful day when Suyana tried to say her name, it was the same day that Bruce signed his name on the documents, but she could only say ━ Su..su. Ha..su ah Susu!.

Bruce found this demonstration so cute that he started calling her Susu, even Alfred called her that sometimes, it's a cute nickname but she felt a little embarrassed remembering it, Suyana remembers that Batman was portrayed as a very cold person and that he didn't show much affection, in fact the bat family in general weren't used to showing affection, Suyana never really understood these dynamics, but seeing him show this affection for her even if sometimes silently still leaves her shocked.

Soon Alfred returned ━ Mr. Bruce, the league called again asking for your presence━ Bruce sighed and nodded indicating that he understood, he handed Suyana to Alfred and stroked her small forehead looking lovingly at her but became serious again and said ━ If I take too long Alfred, show her my photo once a day and make sure she won't forget me.

Alfred raised his eyebrow.━Mr. Bruce, I think you are worried too much.

— Preparation is never enough, you should know that by now Alfred ━ then he looked at Suyana — I'll be back soon.

Then he turned and left the room while Alfred and Suyana looked at him, it didn't even seem like he was going to leave for a Justice League mission, leaving the room normally as if he was going to work, well in some way it was work, Susu could only hope that he would be okay.

"Batman is acting strange" was what Nightwing thought as he looked at Gotham City from atop a building, still dark and melancholic exactly as he remembered, he came here personally to ask Bruce what was going on.

He tried first with Barbara, but even though he insisted, she didn't say anything, the other members also didn't care much when Dick talked about it, he didn't blame them, saying that Batman was acting strange was just another ordinary day, but Nightwing lived long enough with Batman to know a lot about his obsession with Gotham, if he could he would spend the whole night protecting the city, risking himself in every way almost like suicide.

But suddenly he changed, Batman started to be more careful and even avoided getting hurt, and that's not the most shocking part, he started to finish his patrols earlier, his methods of dealing with thieves started to be more brusque, and with villains he started to be more violent, as if he was angry with them for making him late.

At first Nightwing was even happy with this change, a lot of the time he worried about Bruce and his health, and he was irritated by the way Bruce didn't care about it, so he was relieved.

But that was until the Riddler's attack on Gotham.

This made Nightwing finally come here, it wasn't disclosed in the media but Batman literally beat the Riddler, in a way that hit all the fatal points and that would take a while for him to fully recover, so it was obvious, Batman wanted the Riddler to stay out of the plan so as not to get in his way.

Nightwing quickly thought of some plausible reason for Batman to act that way. Could it be that he wanted to focus on a more important mission? That he couldn't be distracted for even a second? A mission that required all of his attention. Would it be the Court of Owls? Or the Joker? It wouldn't be possible, since he's in Arkham Asylum. Would it be to save the world again with the Justice League?

Nightwing didn't know but he wouldn't stay out of it.

He prepared to jump but his body stopped, Nightwing looked down and realized how tall the building was, his vision began to distort and his breathing began to become labored, he only managed to calm down after moving away from the edge of the building.

Nightwing looked down at his trembling feathers, cursed loudly, and pushed his hair back with a sigh. It looked like he was going to have to use the stairs. After several steps down, someone opened the back door of the building, already dressed in his civilian clothes and adjusting his coat. Now without his mask, it was Dick Grayson.

Dick first thought about paying a visit to the mansion instead of going straight to the cave, it had been a while since he had been there, very busy with his duties with the Titans, protecting Bludhaven and he still had his job as a police officer who took a few days off to go to Gotham, and he still has his girlfriend... Dick came out of his thoughts then started his motorcycle and headed towards the mansion.

Driving at high speed, Dick saw the Leon lights of the city center slowly disappearing and giving way to the darkness where he was going. From afar he saw the mansion's gate already opening with automatic technology. Alfred certainly already knew he was coming.

He saw the old butler already standing in front of the mansion's door, Dick got off the motorcycle and went to greet Alfred with a handshake and one of his classic bear hugs ━ Alfred! It's been a while! Is everything okay?

━ Master Dick, I am surprised by your visit━ said Alfred, pulling out of the hug and looking at Dick with a raised eyebrow, blocking the main entrance to the mansion ━ I dare ask, what is your objective, Master Dick.

He sighs with a tired smile.━ Nothing escapes you, does it, Alfred? Well, I came after Bruce.”

Alfred immediately understood what he was saying, knowing that the first Robin must have already noticed Batman's strange changes, so Alfred left the entrance asking Dick to follow him into the mansion.

Right at the entrance, Dick noticed something different, the rooms in the mansion were more reinforced and protected than normal, seeing some sockets using protection, and corners of cabinets or tables with rubberized edges, before he went any deeper, Alfred spoke.

━ I'm sorry to tell you, Master Dick, but Mr. Bruce is not in the mansion at the moment.━ Dick looked at him confused and then asked ━ Where is he then?

━ With the Justice League, they called him for a mission, I can't say when he'll be back.━ Dick regretted Bruce's absence, looked around the room and noticed toys and stuffed animals scattered across the carpet, then a pop sounded in his head.

He pointed to a rattle toy with a trembling hand. ━ Alfred, what is that? ━ The butler sighed when he realized he could no longer distract Dick. ━ I thought the ideal moment would be with Mr. Bruce present, but it seems that is no longer possible.

━ Please Master Dick, come with me and I will explain everything ━ Alfred walked down the hall with Dick following behind him, while he tried not to believe his hypothesis, it was not possible that Bruce had adopted another child, right? He knows that Bruce has a serious problem in leaving his "nest" empty.

But it hasn't even been a month since Damián fought with Bruce and left home and he's already adopted someone else?! Dick thought he had already taken care of this but apparently not. Not that he didn't like being the older brother, but for everyone the family was already complete, everyone was already used to each other and suddenly adding a new member!?

He rubbed his eyebrow and whispered uneasily━ I just hope it's not that much of a problem━ Alfred, who could hear, just sighed, knowing that it would be complicated to deal with Dick like that.

Alfred stopped at a door and opened it, signaling for Dick to enter first. He looked at the room in shock, seeing that there was no child but a crib wrapped in a thin fabric. He pushed the fabric aside with his hand and stared in a daze at the little baby who was sleeping peacefully.

He turned sharply to Alfred ━ A baby!?

Alfred quickly told him to speak more quietly,━Master Dick! I understand your fear, but there's no point in shouting and waking the child.

Dick sighed even more with his hands on his face━ I know, I'm sorry... ━ and looked at the baby again, she was a cute baby, with plump, rosy cheeks and reddish hair, he realized now that her appearance is quite peculiar.

But now he couldn't focus on her cuteness, all he could think about was the reaction of the other family members. Would it be a problem if she was a new child, but a baby!? ━ How many people know about her? ━ Dick asked Alfred━ Only four people, Mr. Bruce, Barbara, me and you.

Dick took a deep breath and looked around the room━ We were hoping to announce it at family dinner but something unexpected happened━ Alfred said looking at Dick.

━ OK ok, I'm sorry for showing up by surprise... ━ He put his hands on his face and sighed, Dick calmer looked carefully at the room, it was beautiful and cute, with the flower details and pastel colors, it was even out of place from the rest of the mansion that had a colder and more rustic appearance, looking like a castle from ancient times.

They were silent for a minute until Dick spoke━ Damián won't be happy about this... And Jason? I don't even want to think about his reaction━ Dick could only think about that now, he didn't want to admit it but he came here thinking about finding an adventure or a mission to distract himself from his own problems but now he found even more problems.

His sudden fear of heights gets in the way of his daily patrols and missions, and many times the bandits take advantage of this to escape, and this happened more than once, Dick has never felt so incompetent in his life.

He still had his girlfriend Shawn Tsang, a beautiful, cool and intelligent girl and Dick is an idiot who doesn't know how to value her, because of his busy schedule he can't give her the attention she deserves and she gets very uncomfortable with it, sometimes she even thinks that Dick was cheating on her. Now "running away" like this, it really seems like he cheated on her.

Alfred, seeing Dick sink even deeper into his thoughts, decided to intervene by placing his hand on his shoulder, attracting his attention━ Master Dick, calm down, I know it seems like an irresponsible decision but it's not.

━Master Bruce thought a lot about it, so much so that only after a month he decided to adopt her━ Alfred said calming the situation, Dick turned and nodded that he understood, even with his problems he shouldn't blame an innocent baby for this━ You're right Alfred, I'm sorry for... acting like this.

The butler smiled satisfied with the answer, he suggested leaving the room so as not to wake the baby and talk better, before leaving Dick decided to look again at his new "little sister" but was surprised ━ Hmm, Alfred... I think she's already awake ━ He said pointing to the crib where the baby was staring at him, as if he had found a treasure, Her little eyes shone as she looked at him, it kind of scared him, it seemed like she knew who he was, but she kind of really knew.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!! Is that Dick Grayson!!?? Nightwing!!??"

The little baby was waving her arms towards Dick, who didn't know what to do with her excitement, and he is considered the most lively and sociable of the family. Alfred came to the rescue, taking the little one in his arms.━It seems she's already woken up...━ He said, caressing her little forehead. Even though he wasn't smiling, you could see the affection in his eyes.

Dick just looked surprised, because it was one of the few times he saw Alfred being affectionate and delicate with someone, and also with the butler in front of her, the baby tried to look at him again. Seeing how the baby was distressed trying to look at the stranger, Alfred turned to introduce them formally.

━Master Dick, I present to you little Miss Suyana━ He showed the baby, pulling away the cloth and making the light illuminate her little face, looking now with the light reflecting her red hair looking like fire and her light brown eyes, Dick thought━ She's so cute...━ Right, he was weak with children.

Alfred offered to hold Suzanne but because of his nervousness Dick was afraid of dropping her so he refused, he just got closer to her face and watched as the baby looked at him without even blinking, which was a little strange. But who could blame her? One of DC's most beloved characters was in front of her, Suzanne had to act like a strange fan, maybe that's one of the reasons why Bruce was so distant in the beginning, every time he passed by Suzanne would stare at him, like she's doing now.

"Wow! He's so handsome, Bruce is also that handsome! Is Dick really adopted? It seems like beauty is genetic!"

━Is she that quiet?━ Dick asked, worried about her silence. Alfred nodded. ━It seems that Susu is like that with new people.

━Susu? Is that her nickname? How cute! ━ Alfred apologized, embarrassed by his carelessness, Dick smiled impressed, usually Alfred ensured his education to the extreme, always calling them master, sir, boss and miss, for him to hesitate and call them by their nickname he must be quite used to her.

━And I thought I was the only one who created nicknames in this family━Dick tried to lift his face but Suyana stopped him by placing her little hand on his nose, wanting to look even more at his face, his eyes widened but then he laughed and held the little hand and was impressed by how soft it was, so he decided━I'll stay here for a few days, to get to know Susu better and also help with the patrols while B is away, who stayed to take care of Gotham?

━ Miss Kate, but any help is welcome ━ Alfred said, noticing that Dick was relieved to know he had some to do here. The butler sighed seeing the resemblance between father and son.

If she spent a week with Dick at the mansion, he is exactly as Suyana imagined, a ball of joy, always smiling and making lame jokes, helping Alfred whenever he could and taking part in the patrols at night, and with her he played the role of older brother.

But to Suyana, it seemed so superficial.

Maybe it wasn't with others, but with her it was. Every time they were in the same room, you could see that he felt uncomfortable around her, and he hid it with laughter and jokes and soon found a reason to leave.

━ Sorry Alfred, I have to go━ Dick said, adjusting his coat━ But already sir? You won't be staying for lunch?━ Dick made a sad face━ Sorry, it's urgent.

Alfred sighed but agreed that he understood ━ But wasn't it saying goodbye to the little one too? ━ Dick looked apprehensively at Suyana who was lying on the couch looking at him.

━ Sorry, it's urgent━ He looked away and closed the door, Suyana lowered her head a little sadly, now he was avoiding her, at least in the beginning Dick talked to her, maybe it was also her fault. Dick tried to join in with common baby games, but Suyana simply didn't react and just looked at him, it was even comical to see Dick making a thousand faces and trying to make the baby laugh, in the end he was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to interact with Suyana.

Suyana scolded herself for not acting like a normal baby at that moment, but it can't be just that, Dick must be dealing with a lot of things and she is a problem he doesn't want to deal with right now.

In some way this could be a preview of what the other members of the family will be like, the baby was reassured thinking that Bruce and Alfred's affection was enough, but a part of her was still saddened thinking about the possibility that Dick and the others wouldn't like her.

"In the life they lead, perhaps I am a misfortune"

For the first time Susu wanted Bruce to be there.

At the North Pole at that exact moment, in a cave camouflaged by the blizzard, a hand covered in a black glove pressed a remote control signaling that he was at the vigil point, Batman sighed tiredly and felt the cold even with his suit having heating technology.

He looked at the mountain with some indignation. The Justice League had been investigating Lex Luthor because he had been acting suspicious lately, until we found out that he had made an alliance with one of Wonder Woman's villains, so it was obvious what they planned to do, combine magic with LexCorp's technology.

That's why Batman is now investigating a "mountain", which is actually a secret laboratory, and the current job is to find out what they are planning, silently and without attracting attention, it would be very easy for Batman if it weren't for... ━ That's it, mate!

By Green Arrow, Batman sighed tiredly and turned to greet his companion on this mission━ Have you done your part?

━ Straight to the point, isn't it? But yes, I managed to shoot the target, now we just need to wait for the signal━ Oliver sat on the cold floor tiredly while Batman checked his batcave communicator once again and saw that there were no messages because of the bad signal, he hit the wall angrily.

It had been a week since Batman had been on this mission trying to find out what Luthor was planning and putting up with Green Arrow's irritating presence. During these days, he was always worrying or thinking about Suyana, which was new to him. This feeling of worry never occurred with his other children, as he calmed down thinking that they could manage on their own.

But Suyana is different.

At first her concern was calmed by Alfred's daily updates, reporting how she was, but when she arrived at the North Pole, to be more exact near this "mountain", the signal suddenly dropped, there are few things that make the signal of your technologies drop, something was happening and it is strong enough to block all local communications

Batman looked at the last message sent by Alfred which had a picture of Suyana sleeping with a stuffed animal and this gave him a small, unnoticed smile. Deep in the cave, Green Arrow looked curiously at Batman's actions. Somehow he felt a similarity in these behaviors, because he had also gone through this phase with his son.

━ What are you looking at there?━ Batman quickly hid the communicator and returned to his cold countenance━ Nothing of interest to you━ Green Arrow raised his arms in surrender━ Hey, calm down! I was just curious.

Batman raised his eyebrow in question━ What do you want to know?━ Oliver rolled his eyes at his old friend's distrust━ I just noticed that you've been acting strange on this whole mission, more rushed and irritated.

━ Are you saying I'm getting in the way of the mission? Green Arrow.

━ What!? No B! I'm just expressing my concern... as an old friend ━ After he said that, Bruce realized that Oliver wanted to talk as old friends rather than coworkers, he sighed knowing that he would probably regret it in the future ━ It's okay, I'm just in my head somewhere else.

━I know, look how you're not easy to open up to, let's do it like this, I'll tell you my concern at the moment and then you tell me yours, huh? ━ He smiled sideways, as if he had been very intelligent ━So it would be more of an exchange of information than a conversation, don't you think? ━ Before Batman could refuse this idiocy, Green Arrow spoke.

━ I'm worried about my wife taking care of our son alone. ━ Batman stopped immediately and looked at Oliver in surprise, who was smiling, knowing what he was thinking. Bruce knew that Oliver and Dinah had been married for a long time, he even attended the wedding, but he didn't know they had a son. ━ How did you two have a son? If I don't even find out... That year Black Canary spent recovering.

Years ago, Black Canary was seriously injured in a Justice League battle, so she spent a year away recovering with Oliver, who refused to leave her side. It was probably around this time that Dinah got pregnant. ━Yes, it was that year that she found out she was pregnant. At that time, the Justice League wasn't as united as it is today, so we planned to pretend she was injured, and that helped the pregnancy go unnoticed.

Green Arrow took a small photo that Batman couldn't see━ After that, everything changed... that child became our lives Batman━ He caressed the photo with a smile, then Batman asked━ Why did you tell me now? If you hid this until today, then you want this child to grow up away from the life of heroes, away from danger.

━ Because I noticed that you're like that too ━ Green Arrow pointed his finger at him mockingly ━ Anxious, irritated, worried and even checking your communicator all the time or just... simply upset that you're not there ━ Batman remained silent until he simply sat down next to him with a frown on his face.

The two remained silent until the bat spoke ━ She's still just a baby, small and fragile, how can I not worry?━ Oliver laughed again but without mockery━ You won't, you'll always be worried.

Oliver turned his head and asked ━ So you adopted another child?━ Bruce nodded ━ But I met her not in a good way.━ He still remembers, the intense fire and the blood on the floor, but he mainly regrets how he acted around Suyana in the beginning━ And are you going to tell how it was?━ Oliver asked but Batman remained silent ━ OK ok, I understand.

━ You know, I want my boy to grow up as a normal child, happy and without any worries, look how happy he was to get a dog ━ Green Arrow finally showed the photo he was carrying, revealing a boy of approximately four years old, smiling with the Siberian husky puppy in his arms, he had blond hair and green eyes just like Oliver's ━ Isn't he very cute? ━ Oliver asked proudly.

He doesn't know if it was out of pride or mere competition, Bruce secretly showed Suyana's photo in the statement and simply said: ━ She's cuter ━ Oliver was so shocked by Batman's childish demonstration that he started laughing a lot ━ Hahahahaha! Ha... but I disagree, mine is cuter, although yours is too.

Batman growled in anger and threw a Batarang at Green Arrow who dodged it, soon preparing himself with the fighting stance and catching one of his arrows ━ Wow!, are you seriously going to fight me just because you don't admit that your daughter is cuter?!━ Batman responded by catching another Batarang with a more irritated face than usual━ If you want to see this situation that way, then yes.

Green Arrow became even more irritated by Batman's shameless attitude and launched an arrow in his direction which he managed to dodge━ The loser will admit that the winner's son is cuter, closed? ━ Batman didn't respond but he moved forward and at the same time Oliver did too.

Just as the two idiots were about to fight over their disagreement over their children's cuteness, suddenly the ground shook and a blinding light appeared behind the two, the mountain had exploded ━ What!!??━ the two looked in shock at the mountain that was previously covered in snow, was now full of flames, the League's communicator started working again and Wonder Woman's urgent voice came out ━ Batman! Green arrow! An accident occurred and the machine exploded! Luthor is missing and the other is dead.

━ How did this happen!?━ Green Arrow shouted, and Wonder Woman replied ━ We don't know!! The explosion happened out of nowhere!

Batman analyzed the mountain and said ━ Hun, Wonder Woman, focus on saving as many people as possible from the facility. I'll summon Superman immediately to help, in the meantime, let's capture Luthor. ━ Batman hung up the call with Diana's statement, then with just a nod the two immediately started running towards the smoke.

Continued...

OH PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!😫 I know it took me a long time to release the new chapter, and I apologize for that, most of the time was spent on this ending, if you didn't notice the new OC is Green Arrow's son with Black Canary. I don't know if they have children in the current comics but I haven't found any so far so if they do... apologies, but I did this because I wanted to highlight Bruce and Olive's friendship and them sharing something in common as old friends, I don't see that much lately in the comics. And I'll try to do the next chapter faster, I even bought a notebook just to write in at school!! The next one will be Suyana conquering her brother! I swear.（；´д｀）ゞ

Taglist: @proper-fox @kore-of-the-underworld @type-ink @mallowryblog @cruzerforce4256 @cxcilla @fantasyhopperhea @psysgr @hotdinoankles @bearlittlesworld @thatpersonnamedrook @bookwarm0-0 @nervousalpacalady @mircall4a @thegothamsiren @vxsire @butratherbutrather @1abi @alishii @umzugih @fadingenthusiastnightmare @yua-who @antov828 @seemeee3 @littlesweetbunnysworld @moon0goddess @ryudeiparine

[antlerqueensab]

nsfw travis headcanons?

oughhh i was planning on doing one of these

so first off, i think it takes a while for him to hype himself up for anything other than kissing. like, the first time he groped you, he immediately pulled back and apologized. which, obviously, you encouraged him to do whatever he felt like was right, so he tried it again after a few seconds, and he could not stop doing it for weeks after that

definitely looks to you for reassurance and - though he'd never admit this - he listens to whatever you say and just needs you to guide him through whatever you're doing. so, he'll try and act all confident and sure of what he's doing, but the second you say to do it a different way, he's mumbling an apology and fixing it immediately

pre-crash, travis is definitely all for praise and encouragement. since he's sort of still in that loser/insecure about his experience phase, when you tell him he's doing the right thing and making you feel good, he's instantly red in the face and nodding along to your words. (also, definitely cried after the first time you two had sex)

i also think he'd be really into giving/getting hickeys. he thinks it's an easier way of showing affection than telling you outright - he also doesn't want to fuck up what you have by sounding too possessive. so, he chooses to focus on how you started giving him hickeys and copied what you did. and once he learned the right way to do it, he cannot fucking stop. travis genuinely can't help himself and will leave them anywhere and everywhere.

in the wilderness, he starts learning more of what he likes and gets more confident and secure with your relationship. he'll start convincing you to go on hikes with him just so he can fuck you against a random tree. there'd been a few times he woke you up and you both snuck out of the cabin to go down to the lake just to get a quiet moment away from everyone.

around a year into the wilderness, he's confident and knows exactly what you like. he makes it a point to tease you so much, grabbing onto your hips when you both are with the other girls, walking past you and purposefully touching some part of you, making sure to fix things where you can see him (he's not fucking blind, he can tell how much you love his arms and how strong he'd gotten), whispering things to you. then, when you get alone, he's teasing you even more while laying you down on the makeshift bed, making sure you keep quiet for him so the other girls don't hear.

he prefers giving instead of receiving when it comes to head. really, it started out with him trying to rush through his turn when it happened because it seemed too complicated and hard to figure out the right way to do it. but once he did it a few more times and kept his eyes on you the entire time, he got perfect somehow.

now, he'll get you alone, make sure you're steady before tugging down whatever pants you're wearing and pushing his head as far between your thighs as he can. he's messy with it too, kissing and licking so sloppy and just doing everything he knows will get you to finish. when he doesn't use his fingers, which he doesn't like to unless you ask, his hands are either holding your legs apart or keeping your hips pinned down while he makes sure his nose bumps against your clit. occasionally, he'd throw an arm over your lower stomach to keep you down while his hand either held yours or pawed at your chest.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 lowk might make another one thats more brief and scattered but idk 😭

[magicaloneandmystery]

random rockstar!Bucky headcanons I have

pairing: rockstar!Bucky Barnes x female!reader

warnings: mdni. smut, fingering, unprotected piv [be safe out there, folks], d/s relationship, pet names (baby, slut, whore, princess), oral (f and m receiving), choking, dacryphilia, public sex, aftercare

a/n: the PG-13 part can be found here. this is pure filth. seriously. with a little bit of softness mixed in it. enjoy!

my rockstar!Bucky obsession continues. I was so disappointed to find there are not enough fics for this ship but if you have ANY recommendations, thoughts, or ideas, do send them my way!

Bucky was on top of the world. sold out tour, booked for interviews and red carpet appearances for months in advance, trending on the internet every time he so much so as breathes in public. needless to say, he was an arrogant man.

it didn't help that he was a god in bed. fucking almost any one he found attractive - because who would say no to Bucky Barnes? - he had a ton of experience in all kinds of things. fucking? fingering? giving head? all of it.

basically, he was a mean dom. he knew what he was doing, and that fuelled his escapades to get a little... arrogant. and rough.

the ladies loved it, he realised after some time.

you absolutely worshipped it.

the first time you hooked up was in his dressing room post concert, when he had saved you from his security. how could he let his guards throw out such a pretty little thing?

you were star struck and when he started flirting with you, roaming his hands all over your waist, back, and thighs, you were ready to jump his bones.

"you want me to fuck you, baby?" he cooed.

you whined, nodding and tugging him closer by his tank top. you looked up at his eyes, darker than you thought they'd be, intensely staring down at your body.

"yeah? is that why you had to break in? to get a good rail, like the little slut you are?" his filthy words sent heat down your core, your thighs clenching. he noticed. "get on the couch, let's see how wet you are for me."

Bucky loves to make you cum. he would use his tongue to taste you, groaning against your pussy about how tasty you are. the vibrations would send you closer to the edge every time.

then, he would use his fingers. he would be on you, one of his hands fucking you while the other wrapped around your throat. he would mutter filthy words in your ear, his fingers tightening around your throat.

"yeah, you like that? sluts like you just need to be filled up, don't you? your pussy is so tight around me, you think my cock will fit?"

he has a sixth sense about your impending orgasm. right before the coil in your stomach would snap, he would really tighten his hold, cutting off the airflow from your lungs. it only served to make you scream in pleasure louder.

he wouldn't go easy on you even when you had cum more than a couple of times. he loved to see you cry, especially around his cock.

the tears were streaming down your face, the hard thrusts of Bucky's cock in and out of your mouth making you gag and choke on his cock.

"take it, whore. you know you love it," he groaned from above you, hands in your hair, using them to move your face however he wanted. "you want my cum? beg for it." he released you.

you gasped, wiping some of the tears from your cheeks. "please, James, give me your cum. I want it, I need it. I'll not let a single drop go to waste."

he let out a grunt, slapping your face with his cock. "since you asked so nicely, slut..." and he would resume his thrusts, fucking your face and getting off on your gags.

and when he was inside you?

that feeling never got old.

Bucky wasn't a man of patience, so he would rarely let you accommodate his length and girth. apart from the first time, when he slowly inched inside you, letting you feel all of him, he has rarely ever been slow with you.

he loved those positions where he could see your face, look into your eyes, and see the pleasure he was giving to you contort your face.

occasionally, he also loved doggystyle, slapping your ass constantly and scratching your back whenever he wanted.

over the course of your relationship though, going from fuck buddies to something more, something deeper, he has also developed a liking for holding your hands while he's fucking into you.

he would grip your wrists, pulling your hands above your bodies so you couldn't touch him, at first.

now, he would take your hand, lace your fingers together while his cock thrusted deep in you, rubbing your g spot every time.

he realised after a few months that he loved the feel of your hands roaming all over him. so, he broke one of his rules, and let you scratch and bite him wherever you wanted.

usually, he would tie or hold back the hands of the girls he would fuck, not letting them touch his skin. not with you.

(that should probably have been the first clue that you were not just any girl, but he was an idiot and needed another year to come to that conclusion.)

his band mates, PR team, and even tour crew are tired of catching the two of you fucking anywhere and everywhere.

dressing rooms, vanity vans, car backseats, bar alleys, even alleys near red carpets, the two of you just can't seem to keep your hands off each other. or mouths and pussy and dick.

even the paparazzi has gotten a few shots of his hands up your shirt and yours down his hands in a public pool.

yeah, his PR team is very much done with him.

it's a good thing he pays them well.

finally, he's the king of aftercare.

as rough and mean he is during sex, he's just as soft afterwards.

both of you let out soft moans as he pulled out of you. he kissed your forehead, brushing away some of the hair sticking to your face.

"you okay, princess?" he asked, slowly getting up to clean himself with a washcloth. "it was to too much, was it?"

"no, Bucky, it was perfect," you snuggled deeper into his blankets, the hotel sheets smelling like liquid detergent and Bucky's cologne. you wondered if tonight was one of the nights he would let you stay with him. those were increasing in frequency lately.

he came back from the washroom with another damp cloth, gently cleaning you up.

"what do you wanna do, baby?" he massaged your thighs once he was done,‌ pulling a content sigh out of you.

"first, I wanna pee," you said, missing the warmth of his body. "how about a movie? you choose."

"you finally letting me choose something to watch?" he smirked.

"I better not regret it, Barnes."

"I wouldn't dare to disappoint my princess."

well. that was that. what did you think? I would love to hear from all of you! likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated <3

[ankababy]

A Home (part 31)

Part 1 Part 30

Chishiya x reader x Niragi

Short chapter bc it needed the tragic end.

AN: Sorry guys that this is later than usual. In Another Universe took up my time and I even wrote more of it, so I’ll post another part of that after this is done. Love y’all <3

The Beach’s leftovers jumped at Aguni. One by one, they surged at him. And Aguni—Aguni tore through them.

Chishiya watched it all from above. Motionless. God, how understandable it was. The violence. The grief.

Because now he saw it.

Why you’d always talked about Aguni with a strange kind of reverence. Not loyalty, no. But there was that edge in your voice when you spoke about him. As if he wasn’t a person, but a monument. A constant. Something worthy of surviving. Something bigger.

And watching Aguni now? Yeah. Chishiya finally got it. The man wasn’t just strong. He wasn’t just terrifying. He moved like someone who had already died a hundred times inside. He fought like a man with nothing left to lose—which made him invincible. Unkillable.

Someone lunged at him with a broken bottle. Aguni slammed him down with one arm like he weighed nothing. Another came at his side and got a boot to the chest so hard it sounded like ribs cracking.

Blood smeared the floor like spilled ink. Bodies piled in twisted heaps.

And of course you didn’t fight. Of course you stood there, above it in your own way. Breathing heavy, trembling, lip bitten, hands slick with someone else’s blood—but not striking. Not clawing. Not losing yourself.

You were above it. Like always.

Even in the middle of all this fuck, you looked like something out of a fever dream. Bloody knees, dried streaks of tears on your face.

Chishiya saw it and hated it. Hated how you were still the most beautiful thing in the room. Hated how Aguni, a man currently crushing someone’s collarbone with his foot, got to be someone you once trusted. Looked up to. Loved, even—maybe not in the way you loved others, but deeply.

He watched you flinch when Aguni elbowed someone hard enough to knock a tooth out. He saw how your lips parted when the blood sprayed. And he saw how you didn’t move. No running. No screaming. Just watching. Feeling it. Carrying it. All of it.

God, you were so human.

And Chishiya? He felt like a ghost. Cold and unwanted. Haunting the place where he lost you.

There was too much happening. Arisu trying to stand, all bloody. Tatta’s useless hands shaking at his sides. You—at the center of the world again, torn and tired, and out of reach.

Wrong.

Everything was wrong.

And worse, it was too late to fix it.

Chishiya didn’t move. Couldn’t. Not when he saw you run—stumble—to where Tatta had collapsed. Tatta had been pushed, thrown, maybe grazed by someone else’s fall. It didn’t matter. You were already there. On your knees again, bruised and bloodied. Not caring about the slick floor beneath you or the danger still in the air. All you saw was your friend, and that soft thing in your chest refused to go numb even when everything else told it to shut off.

“Are you okay?” you said, hands fluttering over Tatta like you didn’t know where to touch. His arm, his face, the shoulder he fell on. “Are you—are you hurt? Tatta, look at me—”

Chishiya watched it all from above, and it hit him. You were unreal. Still choosing kindness. Still choosing people. Still bleeding, but more worried about someone else’s cuts than your own.

God, how much Chishiya felt.

It was disgusting.

Because what was he supposed to do with that kind of emotion? Bottle it? He’d already tried that, and it shattered like glass the moment you kissed him in the security room. Or maybe it was before that. Maybe it was when you picked him. Maybe it was when you left.

Whatever the timeline, one thing was very clear now: you were no longer his.

And yet, he wanted to crawl down there and take your hands in his. Check your knees.

But he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

Because when he saw your face—wide-eyed, scared, gentle—he also saw the wall you’d built between you and him. It was invisible, but it might as well have been made of reinforced steel. You’d placed it there with purpose. Rage. A sense of betrayal.

Chishiya had no one to blame but himself.

He thought he was playing the long game. Keeping his distance, staying clever, never caring too much—until he did. Until you.

You, with your too-big heart and too-soft voice. You, crying as you helped Tatta sit up. You, shaking as you said, “You’re okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you, you’re safe now.”

You were traumatized and exhausted and perfect.

God, he hated how much he wanted to be the one you clung to. He hated that it wasn’t him. That he’d built the steps to lead you closer only to watch you jump off the edge. It was funny, in a sick way.

Then suddenly, that crackling, high-pitched sizzle of a laser slicing through air and then through skull. Of the girl who came with you. That sickening, too-fast drop of a body before it even finishes the sentence. The wet thud on the ground. The way her body didn’t even jerk.

Chishiya blinked.

Fascinating.

It always was. The game master, the higher power, whoever was up there pressing the button—they didn’t hesitate. Not for a second. Not for youth, or fear, or humanity. Not even when someone volunteered to die.

She told the truth.

And it killed her.

Hilarious. Beautiful, even. If you were a sociopath. Which Chishiya maybe was.

But he barely got to savor the morbid splendor of it all, because there you were again.

You’d flinched. Hard. Like the sound of her dying had split something in you open again, and now you were holding your breath, hand clutched over your mouth, eyes wide with a horror that Chishiya couldn’t name anymore. You weren’t shocked because someone died. No, no. You’d seen too much for that.

You were shocked because someone chose it.

And for what? A truth? A confession? Fuck off.

God, it broke him. In the softest, quietest way.

You had blood on your face. Someone else’s, maybe. It didn’t matter. It only made you more human. More you. And still, you hadn’t lost your heart. Still, you gave a fuck. And that was the cruelest part of it all.

Because Chishiya never did.

And now, in the middle of all this, watching a girl’s body slump forward with a burnt-out hole in her skull, the only thing he could think about was you.

How warm you were.

How you spun in that chair in the security room.

How you kissed him.

How your knees were bleeding and you still went to help someone else.

How you left him, and he deserved it.

This was the punishment.

Not the games.

You.

Chishiya never believed in karma. But watching you right now, he wondered if this was what it felt like to finally be on the losing end. To feel everything.

To fall in love too late.

And now, of course, he couldn’t even say it. What good would it do? You wouldn’t believe him. You’d look at him with those eyes, angry and red and disappointed, and maybe you’d laugh. Or cry. Or leave again.

So he just stayed where he was. Silent. Watching.

The girl’s body still warm on the floor, blood creeping in every direction. And you—his heartbreak personified—clutching someone else’s hand. God, was he so unbelievably fucked.

One moment, just movement in the smoke. Then—there Kuina was. Arm slung tight around Ann, who looked half-conscious, dragging her toward the center of whatever was happening.

Ann just told all the people down there that the witch killed herself.

And that was that.

The witch. The answer.

The crowd didn’t cheer. Not really. Some sighed. Some collapsed. One or two cried.

Chishiya didn’t care. Not about that.

Because Kuina was looking at you.

Dried blood streaked your skin, your knees were raw, your mouth parted like you were about to say something but forgot how.

Kuina had no clue.

No clue you’d stood in the crossfire between two men who’d cracked your mind open and ruined you. No clue you’d begged, screamed, snapped, bled. No clue you’d saved people and been betrayed and kissed someone you shouldn’t have and watched another girl burn from the inside out. She didn’t know that you weren’t even standing there anymore. Not really. You were shattered into a thousand invisible pieces.

And Chishiya—

God, Chishiya.

He’d never felt more in his life.

It was unbearable. Almost stupid. He was angry at himself for it. For feeling this much. For letting you crawl under his skin so deep that now even your exhaustion cracked him apart.

Because you were done. Anyone could see it. Even in that crowd, even from this distance, you looked like someone who’d survived something that would never leave. Someone who wouldn’t ever fully go back to the version of herself that walked into the Beach weeks ago. Someone who was changed.

And it wasn’t romantic.

It wasn’t poetic.

It was cruel.

He was part of that change.

It made him sick. And it made him want.

Kuina glanced upward, then. Saw him. Their eyes locked.

She frowned. It wasn’t judgmental. It wasn’t scolding. But it was like a silent, stabbing question. What did you do?

And Chishiya had no answer.

Because he didn’t know.

Because he did.

Because it didn’t matter now.

You had looked up too, just for a second. Not at him. Just at the hallway he was on. And he swore his heart stopped—not because you saw him, but because you didn’t.

You didn’t look for him.

Like he’d already been filed away in your head, locked behind a door labeled “never again.”

That was a death sentence, too.

But no laser came for him.

Only silence.

And the echo of your eyes looking somewhere else.

The crowd had started moving. The girl’s body was about to get lifted. The flames were still burning, everything orange. The fire had spread. No one was watching it. No one was thinking. They were just going.

Gunshots.

Everyone froze.

And from the fire—Niragi. Burned. Shirtless, skin blackened in patches and slathered in a sheen of blood and soot, mouth twisted into something that wasn’t human.

He was holding a gun.

He was shouting. Something incoherent at first. Then words. And then—BANG BANG BANG BANG—shots. Real ones. Screams erupted. Some people got shot. Others fled. The crowd fractured instantly, like glass.

And from above, Chishiya watched.

He wasn’t watching Niragi, he was watching you.

You looked like your soul had been pulled out of your chest by the sheer sight of him. Because even like that—burned and fucked and dangerous—he was still Niragi.

Your Niragi.

And you were still you.

Chishiya’s stomach dropped.

You didn’t scream. You didn’t run. You looked—and for a split second, your entire face collapsed into a portrait of heartbreak so pure, it made Chishiya dizzy. Your mouth opened, closed. You reached out and took Tatta’s hand again.

Chishiya could feel it. Your panic. Your guilt. Your love. Still there. Still rooted, no matter how wrong it all was. And for the first time in his life—first time—Shuntaro Chishiya felt sympathy. Real, ugly, gut-wrenching sympathy.

For you.

For Niragi.

For the complete fucking disaster of everything.

Because look at you.

Look what they’d done to you.

Look what he’d done to you.

It wasn’t fair. It was never fair. You, with your therapist heart and smart mouth and kindness that wasn’t ever performative. You didn’t belong in this.

You were good.

And now you were standing in the middle of a burning building, watching a man who once loved you—still did—melt from the inside out and shoot at anything that moved.

Chishiya wanted to puke.

And still, still, a little voice inside him whispered—You did this too.

He did.

He fucking did.

Chishiya would’ve enjoyed the show. Truly. The chaos, the poetry of the witch hunt eating itself alive. But not like this. Not while you were down there. Not with your heart in your throat.

God, you were his favorite person.

And you were ruined.

Niragi was shouting at everyone and no one. Foam practically at his mouth, fire reflecting in his eyes like hell had made him its messenger. His gun barked with each spasm of his rage. People ran. Some dropped. A few screamed. Most didn’t even get the chance.

His eyes landed in your direction.

His girl.

The one who slipped through his fingers like smoke. The one who left him standing in his own madness. The one who loved him—he knew you did, even if you were too soft to say it now.

Even Chishiya, watching from above, stopped breathing.

Niragi raised the gun and fired in your direction.

Tatta had already launched himself forward, dragging you behind a bar or part of a collapsed wall—he couldn’t quite see. Smoke had swallowed the lower floors. And you—you were gone in the gray.

No flash of your hair. No sound of your voice.

Nothing.

Chishiya stared.

Hard.

Unmoving.

He scanned the crowd again.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Still—nothing.

And that was when it hit him. That was when the stupid, awful, dumbass realization kicked in:

You were out of sight.

No. No no no no no.

BANG.

Another shot.

Then another.

Chishiya didn’t see if it hit.

And he didn’t move.

Because that’s who he was, right? A fucking coward. A too-smart-to-die observer. The chess player on the sidelines. The man who never got dirty. The man who never made real moves.

Lazy fuck. That’s what he was.

Not emotionally lazy, no. That would have implied he had emotion to begin with. But now? Now, there was something in his chest clawing to get out. Like a rat locked in a glass box. Panic? Dread? Something so feral it didn’t even have a name. Something that screamed at him for just standing there as someone he lo— someone he needed disappeared in smoke and gunfire.

And still. Still. He didn’t move. Because Chishiya didn’t do desperation. He didn’t do love. Except, he did now, didn’t he?

God, he hated himself.

He actually hated himself.

You were gone. That was all he could register now. The weight of it settled on his spine like lead.

You were out of sight.

And he let it happen.

~

The witch hunt ended.

The building was still on fire.

It wasn’t urgent about it anymore—more like a slow, rolling burn, like even the flames had grown tired of it all and were just finishing their shift.

Chishiya stood in the middle of the lobby, hands in his pockets, looking like someone had asked him to pick a wine for dinner. Kuina stood at his side, arms crossed. She watched him casually pick up the card from the little table.

“…Have you seen her?” she asked.

No answer.

Oh, okay. So we’re doing the selective hearing thing now. Fine.

Kuina scoffed quietly, shaking her head and stepping back a little. It was always like this with him. “Where is she?” she asked again. She really would’ve let it go, but this was about you. Kuina didn’t play about Y/N.

“I don’t know.”

And that was the truth. (Which is why it felt like a fucking lie.)

Kuina narrowed her eyes at him. “She was with you a hour ago.”

“And then she wasn’t.” he replied. “It’s what people do.” Silence between them, the sound of the flames. “You liked her.” Chishiya said casually, folding the card into his palm like he was tucking a receipt into his pocket.

Kuina blinked. “What?”

He tilted his head. “You liked her. I knew.”

“Oh, go to hell.”

He hummed, looking at the flames licking what used to be the bar. “Probably will.”

Kuina scoffed, crossing her arms.

“You gonna tell me I’m delusional now?” she muttered, still breathless from running and fighting and the unbearable weight of maybe losing you.

But Chishiya only shrugged. “We broke up.”

Kuina blinked. “You—what?”

“She and I.” he said, shifting his weight to one foot, flicking a glance over at her. “We broke up. Tragic, really.”

“You were never together.”

“Hm.”

She stared at him. Hard. “You’re such a dick.”

“Absolutely.”

But Kuina wasn’t stupid. She saw the way he hadn’t stopped fiddling with the card in his pocket. The way his hand shook just once before he locked his joints again. The way he still hadn’t asked anyone else if you were okay—because that would make it real, wouldn’t it? If he said your name out loud and no one answered?

So instead, he deflected. Mocked. Threw little knives at the air to distract himself from the gaping hole in his chest.

He didn’t say that his heart had dropped out of his ribcage when you disappeared. He didn’t say he’d imagined every single worst-case scenario in the span of five seconds, each more vicious than the last. He didn’t say that the sight of you running to someone else—that idiot Tatta, of all people—was enough to make him feel like he was made of glass being stepped on.

No.

Instead, he made breakup jokes about a relationship that had never technically existed. Just to keep his ribs from caving in. Because feelings are optional, apparently. Because watching the girl he might—might—have loved almost die in a hail of bullets wasn’t enough to crack that wax doll exterior.

Kuina didn’t laugh. She just shook her head, the way you do when someone’s too far gone to slap back into shape.

“Idiot.” she murmured.

“Genius.” he corrected.

~

You walked.

The Beach was behind you.

Burning.

And fuck, did you wish it would burn faster.

Niragi shot you in the upper arm. You were wet and warm and sticky with blood that soaked you right down to the ribs. Your knees were a wreck. Torn open, raw, pulsing. Your feet dragged through the dirt and grass like they didn’t belong to you. Because nothing belonged to you anymore. Not your body. Not your mind. Not your fucking heart.

They’d taken that.

He. They. Them.

Chishiya and Niragi, Niragi and Chishiya, two sides of a sick, fucked-up coin, tossed in the air and caught between your palms. You loved them—idiot. Idiot.

You had loved them. Had trusted them. Had been toyed with like some little rubber-band plaything that bounced back no matter how many times they pulled it to the brink.

And the worst part? You’d liked it. You’d liked it. The attention, the heat, the danger, the fucking games. The way Chishiya looked at you. The way Niragi wrapped his existence around you. You’d swallowed it all down, like a masochist.

And it cost you everything.

Hatter was dead. The Beach was gone. You were bleeding, alone, and broken in more places than just your skin.

Your mouth hadn’t opened in minutes. Maybe hours. What the fuck was time, anymore?

But inside your skull?

Inside your chest?

You were screaming.

They fucking used you. Played you like a violin. Pulled the strings, sweet little therapist girl, smart little observer, let’s see how far we can push her before she breaks.

And you broke.

Oh, you broke. Snapped like dry bone. Caved in under the weight of all the things they didn’t say out loud. All the little manipulations. All the conversations you were meant to overhear. All the times you were asked to choose—between them, between yourself, between safety and destruction. And you’d chosen them. Time and time again.

God, what a loser.

Your breath hitched. The pain in your arm spiked and you hissed between your teeth, slapping a blood-covered hand to it. It wasn’t a deep wound, probably missed anything that would kill you. Niragi wasn’t trying to kill you. He never would.

Not his girl.

No. Just shoot near you. Shake you. Rattle you.

See if you’d crawl back like a dog.

And Chishiya? Oh, he didn’t need a gun. He just needed a whisper. A kiss. A little truth dropped like acid in your ear, right when it would hurt the most.

He knew what he was doing.

Fucker.

You stumbled now—legs giving out under you for just a second—and caught yourself on a dead tree, gasping. Breathing so hard your chest trembled. You looked like a corpse with a pulse. Hair matted to your face, sweat and blood and soot all over your hands, arms, collarbone.

Was there anyone left to care?

Tatta. Arisu and Usagi. Kuina, Ann… gone. Everyone was gone.

Even them.

Especially them.

You weren’t their girl.

You weren’t anyone’s fucking girl.

You didn’t even know who you were. Not anymore. Not after what they did to you.

But you would figure it out.

Step by step. Foot in front of the other. Through the wreckage. Through the pain.

You didn’t care where you were going. As long as it was away. Far away from what they turned you into. Far away from the monsters you once loved.

You kept walking.

Didn’t matter that the shoulder was bleeding. Didn’t matter that the joint throbbed, or that the bikini was disgusting with all the blood. Didn’t matter that the knees were both scraped open, rocks digging in, skin shredded. Your palms were wrecked, too. Burned. Cut. One was still shaking from the impact of the door you’d broken down.

But that wasn’t the part that hurt.

No, it was your chest.

Your chest was fucking hollow.

Like someone had carved your ribs open and scooped out your lungs and heart and left behind this—this—this buzzing, empty, furious static that filled your ears and blurred your eyes and made it so hard to even breathe.

You had to throw up.

Your heart was broken in a way that felt unforgivable.

Not “he didn’t like you back” broken. Not “we drifted apart” broken. But betrayed, stomped-on, you were never real to them broken.

You should have known. You did know. Somewhere, deep down, you’d known something was wrong, something was off. The way Chishiya never gave you the full truth. The way Niragi pulled and pulled and pulled on your leash like he thought he owned your fucking spine. And you’d let them. Because you were stupid. Because you thought they cared. Because you thought you were special. Because you thought—fuck—because you loved them.

You should have watched it burn.

You wanted it to burn.

The Beach. The memories. Their hands on you. Their mouths. Their flawless faces. Their whispered, fucked-up, manipulative little games. All of it. You wanted it gone. You wanted every piece of it reduced to ash. Let the smoke take it. Let the fire cleanse it. Let it all go up in flames so you never had to feel their names in your chest again.

You wanted Chishiya to burn with it.

You wanted Niragi to rot in it.

You wanted to be the one to light the match.

You kicked a rock as hard as you could, teeth clenched so tight your jaw ached. The rock skipped once and then vanished into the trees ahead. Your ankle protested the motion. You didn’t stop.

You wanted the earth to split open beneath your feet.

You wanted the whole world to pay.

But most of all…you wanted them to hurt.

You wanted Niragi to feel even one percent of the ache he carved into your chest. You wanted him to wake up in a cold sweat every fucking night with your name in his mouth and his own guilt crushing his ribs. You wanted Chishiya to sit with that little face of his, controlled, until it cracked under the weight of realizing that he lost you. That he chose to lose you.

He had you.

And he let you go.

You clawed at your own shoulder, dragging bloody fingers through the sweat on your neck, trying to pull it together. You didn’t want to cry anymore. Crying was over. Crying was done. There was no room for softness in this body anymore.

You were everything they made you.

Everything they deserved.

They were nothing.

Not compared to you.

You were still alive.

Still breathing.

Still moving.

They could burn.

You wouldn’t.

The world didn’t deserve your footprints, but you gave them anyway. You pressed your rage into the dirt with every step. You carved your hate into the earth.

There was no forgiveness in you.

None.

If there was a god, you’d spit in its face.

You would take everything you were, everything they took from you, and twist it into something worse, something louder.

Now you saw it all.

And you hated.

Oh, you hated.

With every atom in your body. With the marrow in your bones. With the air in your lungs that you didn’t even want to breathe because they had breathed it too.

You wanted them dead.

Not out of revenge.

Not out of heartbreak.

But because they deserved it.

Because they earned it.

And the worst part? The most monstrous, terrifying part of it all? Is that if either one of them reached out for you again…if either of them said your name like it still meant something…you don’t know if you’d slap their hand away or fall into it.

Because they didn’t just break your heart.

They rewrote it.

And now it beat in a language you couldn’t unlearn. Their language. Their lies. Their fingerprints smudged into every syllable of your soul.

You stumbled sideways, half-blind, and crashed against a tree. Your shoulder smashed into the bark first—bad move. Hurt. You cried out, breathless, and your knees followed, they buckled. The dirt met you.

Your body was shaking.

Every breath was a fight, pulled through gritted teeth and a throat raw from screaming and smoke. You were trembling.

Nausea.

Your stomach heaved up into your throat. But you had nothing to give—hadn’t eaten, hadn’t drunk anything that wasn’t tears or adrenaline in what felt like days—so all you had was the gag. The horrible, choking, wrenching sound of your body trying to spill grief that had nowhere to go.

You doubled over.

Gagged.

Dry-heaved.

Sweat mixed with tears. Your mouth tasted like bile and blood and fire. You pressed your forehead to the bark, hands gripping the trunk. Your body seized up again and again, you clawed at the bark, heaving, shaking, gagging so hard your vision blurred.

Nothing came up.

Still, your body kept trying. Over and over. Your throat burned. You choked on your own spit. You tasted metal and dirt and that awful, sharp nothing of being completely emptied out.

And you cried.

Not soft. Not delicate.

You sobbed.

Ugly, gut-deep sobs that racked your whole body. There were no words anymore. No thoughts. Just the sound of your lungs being wrung out and the sharp stabs of betrayal pulsing in your chest with every beat.

You stayed like that for minutes. Maybe hours. No idea.

But something… strange happened, then.

Somewhere in the choking and the gasping and the heart torn wide open—

—you felt beautiful.

Not cute. Not hot. Not the kind of beautiful that came with lip gloss and a smile.

No.

Real beautiful.

You were bleeding and broken and not even sure if you were alive, but god, you’d never felt more yourself.

You wiped your mouth on your sleeve, smearing blood and dirt across your lips like lipstick. The shoulder still pulsed. The knees still bled. But you sat with your back to the tree. Slowly. Surely. Your hands were trembling so hard they barely even registered against the bark. Blood from your palms smeared onto the trunk like paint. Your head thunked against it next, breath coming in ragged, pitiful gasps.

You felt like dying. You wanted to live.

@lizntstoptalking @cherryheairt @fiction-fantasy-folks @monkey4lifer @psychicyouthfox @so-dramatic1 @mypsychoticlove @unhinged-sorcerer @rattymess @mocchii-writes @adanfore @scarlet703 @fluentgoddess @maxinehufflepuffprincess @onyxmango @bluerthanvelvet444 @risingofjupiter @enhasrii @potato-vagina @cherryyserenade @l5byrinth @soaplickerrr @sillyenemyarcade @miellette @sk1ndx0 @stopcallingmeimovedon @4ngeltrumpettt

[seraphine-ann]

To Be Loved ↳ ❝ [CH.01 - New routine] ¡! ❞

ᯓ★synopsis here.

pairing: Congressman Bucky Barnes x Fem!OC

summary: Bucky has a hard time accepting that his daughter has to go to her first day of preschool.

warnings: slight mention of Bucky's past and the effect it still has on him i guess (?).

words: 3.3k

author's note: I know tumblr is more about character x reader but i enjoy more using my OCs, so i hope you enjoy Kiara as much as i do :') i was so excited writing this chapter, i reviewed it like crazy and also have my lovely bestfriend beta read for me. this fic is also going to be uploaded on AO3, i'm going to link it below! i hope you guys enjoy it.

It was still odd to him.

Being woken up in the early morning by rays of sunshine coming through the windows and in between the curtains, instead of abruptly opening his eyes in the middle of the night, cold drops of sweat running down his face as an ongoing loop of a memory of him from decades ago leaving “no witnesses” was heavily vivid on his mind.

To wake up and realize he’s being held in the arms of the person he loves the most, to feel the warmth of her body against his each morning, to hear her slow and calm breathing—It felt so distant, so strange, yet it always felt right.

Bucky wanted to be somebody’s safe place, and he’s been exactly that for the past eight years. To his wife, and to his daughter. Yet he could never shake the feeling of not being good enough for them, it was the only thing that kept him up at night most of the time.

Last night was no exception, which was a big problem that day, given the fact that he had an important meeting at Congress, and he barely had three hours of sleep.

He sighed through his nose, accommodating himself on his back, trying not to move much so that could wake up the woman that was comfortably cuddling up to his bare chest. Blue eyes focused on the digital clock over the nightstand to his right, 6AM turning on and off.

He didn’t need an alarm, the routine given to him in the military was still very much engraved in his head despite how many decades have past, so no matter how much he did or didn’t sleep, the bed would always spit him out before sunrise.

“A few minutes more…” Her raspy voice startled him, immediately making him look down to her lazily rubbing her face against his chest.

“You’re awake.” The man stated the obvious, and she granted him a little snore preceded by a soft chuckle.

“I am, though I wish I could just stay like this for a little longer.” Her arms wrapped tighter around him, plump lips kissed his chest before she could break the warm contact of their bodies. 

He plopped his head on the pillow, sighing again as his eyes followed her naked figure moving around the spacious bedroom looking for her silk robe to cover herself, aware that their little one could barge into the room at any moment.

“But I’m aware my dear husband has important places to be, and I,” She pointed to her chest, a big smile gracing her lips. “Have a little girl to get ready for preschool.”

Bucky closed his eyes and frowned as he held his fingers up to his temples, making a headachy expression once the word preschool came out of her mouth.

“Kiara, baby, can we please talk about that again?” He was pleading, and by the way she turned to look at him, drowsy green eyes and arms crossed over her chest, he knew she was not up to discuss anything.

She sat on the bed again, brushing the ruby red strands of hair that messed up her head before securing it with a big hair clip. The woman felt a pair of arms–one colder than the other, gently wrapped her waist, messy strands of his hair peek through the fine silk of her robe as he rubbed his face against her stomach.

“Please?”

He kissed her over the fabric, a smirk on his lips when he heard a soft sigh leaving her mouth and her hands made her way to his hair, stroking it with care.

“We won’t discuss it again, Buck,” She whispered before kissing his temples. “She should’ve started preschool last year, honey. We delayed it because you insisted the schools were not safe enough.”

“Well, I-”

“Every school in Brooklyn we looked into.”

She raised an eyebrow expecting a comeback, yet he said nothing, making a thin line with his lips and hiding his face on her thighs, hands caressing the soft melanated skin below his fingers.

Kiara knew it was difficult for Bucky, after all he’s been through, and after all that has happened in the world—in their country, what would he do if he couldn’t protect them? It was a fear he had really close to his chest, a fear that would often drift him to hours of dissociative and anxious thinking. 

The fact that their daughter has to be in a place that couldn’t guarantee her safety against any kind of threat made his mind go into a spiral.

If something ever happened to their daughter, or his wife, he would not have the guts to live with that.

“This is one of the best and safest schools in the state. It’s closer to your office than it is from mine, and we chose it that way to make you feel more at ease with the idea.” The woman held his face between her soft hands, thumbs caressing his growing beard. “She needs to socialize with kids her age, honey…”

“I know, I know.” Bucky let out a deep sigh, rubbing his nose bridge before clearing his throat. “It’s just that,” He clenched his jaw in an attempt to avoid his voice breaking. “I’m worried.”

Kiara tilted her head, clearly confused. What more was there to worry about? They had already discussed everything. Bucky knew that look on her face, and proceeded to break contact with her, sitting straight next on the bed, hands fidgeting with each other over his lap as he searched for the right words.

Now she was the one getting worried.

“The school is being notified that she is my daughter. That I am her dad.” He took a deep breath. She still wasn’t getting it. “I’m already aware that there have been… complaints, from some of the other parents.”

The way her face dropped was enough to make him think it was a bad idea to tell her. There was no one else on the planet more overprotective of him than her, so whenever she finds out about this kind of stuff being said, it truly makes her blood boil.

With the amount of backlash they have received over the years, someone would think that they had already gotten used to it. But no, and somehow it managed to get worse after their daughter was born. People warning Kiara, questioning if she made the right decision to be with “a man like that”, asking her if she wasn’t scared that some old habits of his might come back; talking nonsense as if they knew him. Even after he was pardoned, after the insane amount of assistance he has given to the government, and even after the incredible job he has been doing at Congress… People still saw the lethal man of his past.

A past that he had no control over.

A past she had no right to judge, considering hers was on the same path as his.

Bucky could see it in her eyes as they gradually began to turn to really dark green compared to how clear they normally were. She was pissed, and he knew that whatever was going through her mind at that moment was not a good idea in any way possible. Luckily, just before she opened her mouth, the creek sound of the bedroom door getting slowly opened was enough to shut her down before she even got a chance to consider setting the entire PTA on fire.

Tiny, lazy steps filled the sudden silence in the room as the sleepy five year old made her way to the king sized bed, standing on the right side of it as she tried to crawl up to the mattress. The man gave a quick glance to his wife, who in that moment had to take a deep breath and get up, walking towards the bathroom and closing the door half way.

She needed time to calm herself down, and Bucky felt bad that he even brought the topic to the point of causing this small disturbance within her.

“Daddy, up.”

Bucky met with a pair of drowsy, light blue eyes, just like his, and a smile was quickly drawn into his face. His metal arm reached her, effortlessly bringing her up and placing her on his lap with all the gentleness in the world as he left a kiss at the top of the messy brown hair.

“Morning, puddin’.” He rubbed her back as she found her way to his chest, resting her tiny being against him.

It was not a surprise to him that she was up so early in the morning. His daughter was just like him, an early bird since birth, her big and shiny ocean blue eyes with a hint of green wide open at five in the morning. He chuckled to himself, suddenly remembering all those sleepless nights they both had to stay awake for because their precious little one was doing everything except sleeping.

Bucky used to hold her just like that, her entire body curled up over his chest, one of his hands being capable of covering her entire body because of how small she was. Now, her hands and legs wrapped around his torso like an adorable koala, and her face often hiding in the crook of his neck.

For somebody who’s a hundred and nine years old, this time felt like life was going just a little bit too fast.

After a few minutes that felt like long hours of warm snuggles for the tired man, just when he believed he was going to get a bit more sleep, he sensed Kiara finally getting out of the bathroom, now wearing black leggings and a sleeveless top underneath a soft cardigan. Bucky was wide awake again once he sniffed the scent of her body wash, making him open his eyes just to find her trying to take their daughter from his arms.

“Wake up, Livie…” The woman whispered to the little girl as she snuggled up against her. Kiara was enamoured, leaving kisses all over her puffy face, listening to her low giggles. “Let’s get you ready, c’mon.”

Bucky watched them from the bed, the right corner of his mouth raising a bit as his gaze softened. Before his wife walked out of the room, she gave him a look that was more than loud and clear, which made him deeply exhale, leaving him with no choice other than to get up himself.

───── ⋆✩⋆

She took a glance at the moon-shaped clock on top of the white cabinet in front of her daughter’s bed, marking just a few minutes past seven. She sighed to herself, there was still no need to rush, the school opened at 8:30AM, so Kiara would be grateful if she actually managed to give everyone breakfast before they left.

Her hands finished adjusting the small uniform, a dark red overall dress over a white turtleneck with long sleeves. The weather channel that day said temperatures would keep dropping throughout the day, and the last thing she wanted was for her daughter to come home with a runny nose and a worrying fever.

“Have you decided which jacket to wear, honey?” The woman pointed to a deep blue and a hot pink puffer jacket spread over the carpeted floor.

Olivia brought her finger to her chin, pondering the options for at least three seconds before pointing at the deep blue one. Kiara smiled gently at her, giving a small nod as she stood up with both clothing pieces in her arms, leaving one for her daughter to hold and keeping the other in the closet.

Kiara was leaving everything organized in the bedroom, too immersed in her own thoughts while trying to figure out which way to style her daughter’s hair would be quicker—and which hairstyle wouldn't lead to a meltdown. She took the small bag where she kept all the hairstyling essentials, such as hair ties, a hairbrush and a few accessories her daughter loved to wear on a daily basis—mostly to fish for compliments from her daddy.

Once she turned around, expecting to find her exactly where she left her, there was no one. A soft sigh escaped her lips and a small smile surfaced on her face when she walked out of the room and went downstairs, knowing exactly where her daughter would  be.

While navigating the first floor of the house, her eyes immediately drifted to their family pictures scattered all over the place. On the walls, in shelves—everywhere you looked, there were photos of them. Their wedding on the beach, Olivia's newborn photos, old pictures of Bucky with Steve in the 40s, pictures where he was hanging out with Sam, them with the Wilsons, photos of their trip to Wakanda… a lot of pictures, memories that they often cherished and wished they could go back to.

Kiara couldn't help it, she always felt a bit of pity towards herself. Before Bucky, she had no family, no friends—she didn't even know her parents. At least he had Steve, and then he found Sam… And then, her. But she had no one, and going from having nothing to having everything was never not going to be overwhelming to think about.

“Where are your shoes, baby girl?” The clear concern on Bucky's voice came to her ears all over from the kitchen, snapping her out of her mind almost immediately. “You're gonna get your pretty socks all dirty.”

“But daddy, I wanted to show you the jacket I chose.” She whined, surrounding the kitchen island to where Bucky was—right in front of the stove, and she lifted the puffer jacket towards him, insisting. “Dad!”

“Livie, you can't be near the stove while it's on.” He reprimanded her with sweetness, looking down to where she was and holding her up to quickly leave her sitting down on the kitchen counter behind him. “Let me finish here and then I'm all yours, alright?”

She inflated her cheeks and frowned while hugging the jacket against her chest, her tiny feet hanging out and moving impatiently after Bucky kissed the top of her hair and went back to tend the stove before the pancakes could burn.

The woman finally entered the spacious kitchen, chuckling when she noticed the expression painted on her daughter's face, but all her attention quickly went to her husband. Bucky was half-way ready, he had his formal navy blue pants and belt on, yet she could see the exposed undershirt due to his white shirt being entirely open, letting her know he had just put it on before coming down.

She sighed, placing her hands on her hips while approaching him, tapping his arm.

“You should be getting yourself ready, mister.” She raised an eyebrow, now closing her arms. “I told you I would take care of breakfast. You're gonna be late.”

“I'm almost done here, I promise.” He whispered, almost sounding like he was begging. Kiara frowned slightly, and he exhaled when he noticed.

The look he gave to her was definitely a pleading one, but a form of pleading that let her know he really needed to continue with whatever he was doing at the moment, and finish it. She said nothing, just nodded with a soft smile, and left a gentle caress on his shoulder before walking away, focusing on her daughter again, trying to convince her to go with her to put her shoes on and to do her hair.

Bucky was grateful that Kiara knew him so well to know what he needed with just a simple glance. 

There was a lot going on that morning for him. Having to prepare himself mentally to deal with the people at the Congress, to endure the concerned and unsure approach of other members towards him, the gossiping, the looks of disapproval of his presence within people like them. He had to do that almost every week, and he was never getting used to it, of the reports and papers he had to read and sign, the speeches, the meetings, everything. The weight of this job never goes away, no matter how many years pass, yet it was bearable enough. 

But having to prepare for his daughter's first day at preschool, was something he still couldn't excel.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit scared. He had his reasons. The fear of how other kids may treat her just because she's the daughter of a man with such a dark past. Only the Gods know what kind of things those kids are aware of, what their parents might have told them about him, about who he used to be, what he used to do. He was afraid his little girl might have a hard time because of him, because of his past and the unimaginable things he's done that she still doesn't know about.

What if they pick on her.

What if they leave her behind.

What if they tell her.

“Honey…” He was quickly brought back to his senses, feeling a gentle hand over his right arm.

The man blinked a couple of times, a long exhale leaving his mouth as he slowly realized he had entirely broken the handle of the pan with his left hand. He was about to start apologizing in small whispers, yet Kiara didn't let him, holding his face between her hands and feeling her heart aching once those blue eyes started to be filled with heavy tears.

“I'm sorry.” 

“No. You are not saying sorry for anything.” She quickly stated, more like an order, a warning. But he was too in his head.

He melted into her arms, his face hiding in the crook of her neck while his arms wrapped her entire body, holding her as close as he could. She had closed her eyes the moment he leaned down, her hands caressing his hair and down to his back, where she patted him and soothe him while rocking him side to side really slowly.

“She's going to have a great day.” Those words only made him tighten his grip around her, and she didn't complain. “She's excited. She picked her jacket the same color as your suit, because she wants to wear something to match with her daddy.”

Bucky lifted his head, and the clear look of disbelief on his face was enough to get a soft giggle out of her while she wiped the tears off his face.

“You are everything to her, Bucky. Nothing will change that.”

He took a deep breath, a really deep and shaky one.

Normally, he could barely show any sign of emotion other than his usual “grumpy” expression towards others, his piercing blue eyes letting you know how done he was with your sole presence. But with his family, it was a whole different story. Bucky felt he was allowed to show himself entirely, to let go of his deepest emotions however he needed to.

He felt seen—By his wife and even his daughter. And that's all he needed to feel grounded.

Kiara smiled fondly at him, tilting her head as a way of telling him to look behind him. Bucky sniffed and did as he was told, and the view of their daughter coming into the kitchen while poorly trying to adjust her new backpack over her shoulders came before his eyes.

“Daddy, please help…” She let out a soft grunt followed by a whine as she pulled from his pants, wanting to get his attention.

The man gave one last look to his wife, one that let her know he was going to try, that he was willing to accept this new routine, and be as supportive as he needed to be for his daughter. 

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A03 here

[bmgmw]

What do you think the chances are of Buddie going canon?

Honestly? Still pretty good! 8x18 was more of a letdown because expectations were so high (partially because of the press tour timing I think), but not a shut down. I felt more defeated during S6 finale tbh and we got bi Buck not too long after that. I definitely think Tim has a lot of pacing problems and he really needs to stick to an outline or something because the disorganization is really starting to show. He said in an interview that his decision to do a main character death only occurred to him while writing 8x15 (and initially he wasn't even sure who, toying between Ravi and Bobby). Like?? That kind of stuff should be well planned out as it has a lot of consequences and effect to the other characters and storylines. I think once Tim last minute foolishly decided to kill off Bobby, he had to put other storylines on hold in order to deal with post-Bobby death consequences. So I really feel that initially Buddie was meant to happen at end of s8, especially given how intentional 806/809/811 etc were. But it got pushed back because Tim can't plan for shit. I think 8x18 had some good concepts but the script was poorly written/executed, but ultimately it still leans towards Buddie. The way Eddie came to Buck's rescue and the whole staring at each other like that™ afterwards I think was definitely supposed to be a hint but since Ryan and Oliver have been perfecting the Buddie gaze for so long, it didn't really stick. The writers needed to up the intensity imo. Or another example: Eddie still trying to look up a red eye afterwards was definitely connected to how at this point he still thinks Buck is transferring out of the 118. But the script was lacking so it's not clear and they have Chimney intervene. Lastly, the Buck looking at apartments scene. First, the montage is just thrown in at the end with no reference to how much time has passed since the emergency. Secondly, they absolutely could've shown Buck signing a lease or moving stuff into a new place but the fact that he can't feel comfortable at any of the ones he's looked at is super intentional and keeps the door open for S9 Buddie. Outside of 8x18, I also think the press tour was a good sign for S9 Buddie although the timing of it right before the finale was unfortunate. Upfront and press tours around that are more about the networks showing off for next season and trying to secure those advertisers etc. So the fact that there was soooooo much Buddie during this, in my opinion, means ABC is showing advertisers and other stakeholders that Buddie can do well. Lastly, I still firmly believe there's no reason for them to have Aisha, Tracey, Oliver, Bryan (actors all playing canon queer characters) + Ryan as the contestants for their 911 Family Feud episode if they weren't planning for gay Eddie/Buddie. Like they very well could've included LFJr since his character was canonically queer and dating Buck. I truly believe the plan was Buddie by end of S8 and Tim's dumb ass got it delayed to S9 because he doesn't believe in sticking to season outlines lol

[multiheadcanons]

IM GONNA BLAME THEAMAUS FOR REMINDING ME IM A JUGGALO. MERCS AS ICP SONGS

scout: the goofier songs icp put out are peak and the chop chop slide is one of those absolute peak songs that you would think is so stupid, but then it gets put on and you go damn… that’s actually peak. i also think that the purposeful parodying of the cha cha slide is very characteristic of scout, which is when i think of “if you think you’ve heard something similar, fuck that cause we the shit”, which is a way that scout could potentially see the cloning process. i don’t think scout really cares about having a doppelgänger out there. also, the lyric “uh oh, here come the popo, too much murder” is very scout. he said that.

soldier: the neden game is another one of the stupid songs the icp made that actually slaps so hard for no reason. it’s so nasty and vulgar and so… so funny. and honestly, if only a little less vulgar, probably exactly how he would be on a dating show. i can see both soldiers taking both contestants and it playing out exactly like this song. they just rip into each other and degrade not only themselves but the lady they’re trying to date. they won’t hold it against each other when it’s over.

pyro: i love my buddies… my engineer, but i love my axe. yes pyro gets my axe i don’t care if it seems like a copout yall see the way pyro holds their axe right, that’s their security blanket and their best inanimate friend past their flamethrower. they’re also the only one who has an actual axe, or i would’ve given this one to heavy. pyro could frankly get any song icp has ever put out and it would work just fine, but when you have to pare it down to one, it’s definitely my axe for pyro.

demo: demo is a man with a penchant for crimes of passion. that’s why he gets my room. demo is the one who would be most likely to kill in the name of love, and he’s okay with that. he’s okay with the fact that he gets obsessive. well he wouldn’t call himself obsessive, he’d call himself a dedicated man. even if that dedication is to someone who isn’t what he thinks they are. he doesn’t care. the feelings are real. and he’ll do anything for them.

heavy: lets take a walk down the hallwaaaaay, it’s a long waaaay, it takes all daaaaay… oh yeah hall of illusions is heavy’s song. i can see it so clearly. he asks if you want music played, he initially turns on classical, and as you scream he groans and says you’re ruining it. you need more fitting music. and turns this shit on. this is his torture song. this is what he’s flaying people to. and i think the psychological warfare is where heavy is a sleeper agent. nobody realizes how much heavy knows until he opens his mouth. and he’s telling exactly where you fucked up to lead you here, in his chair, as he precariously places metal nails under your keratin ones, and starts hammering them into the tips of your fingers. and he tells you. it’s your fault. you did this to yourself.

engineer: there’s something about the fucked up father/son relationship being talked about in prom queen that makes me want to give it to engineer. i don’t think engineer was the most loved guy in schools. most people found him a hardass, and weird. the conagher surname didn’t help. just meant he had a little more social pull, but that didn’t matter if nobody really liked him. and i don’t think that engie’s dad really cares about him either. he grew up to be the man he raised him to be.

medic: i can’t stop seeing the AMV for piggy pie and medic. and every edit i see with medic and this song just confirms that this is his song. i see it in my mind so clearly. of just him, and maybe it’s stylized, walking through town as he just slaughters people and collects whatever pieces he wants. and my favorite thing about insane clown posse is that despite their violence, most of their morals i agree with! so i don’t feel bad about the violent subject matter. but i also think that it’s the “this person is dying toDAY. and this is why” is a thing medic would do. yeah, he probably would tell you exactly why he picked you as his victim, even if the reason is sheer convenience. and if you asked nicely, he might even tell you how he’s going to do it and what he’s taking with him.

sniper: sniper is gonna get how many times. this is actually just sniper’s stream of consciousness. i love the distinct lack of rhymes in how many times. there’s a few, but it’s notably different from a lot of icp’s discography! but this is what sniper is thinking essentially thinking every day. particularly when he’s in his worse moods. very specifically “how many times will you steal my car stereo? it don’t even work” that is such a funny line for no reason this song is not one i would call funny but that line very specifically is so funny.

spy: spy is getting cherry pie. i almost don’t even want to spoil this one i just want you all to go listen to it. of course; there’s not many songs that insane clown posse has created that would be considered classy or even remotely reminiscent of spy, but if i had to pick one, it would be this one. i think if you got him on a roll of what his “type of woman” is, it would be this song. i would only switch this out with cemetery girl, which would be a more subdued version of what can only be described as the same song.

[erwinsvow]

Can’t stop thinking about dark!pope kidnapping the pretty girl he was supposed to kill. She saw too much, she’s a loose end, her living is a threat to his family and they told him to get rid of her. He told them he dealt with it, but he couldn’t bear to kill her, not after everything with Cath. He doesn’t want to kill another innocent woman just because Smurf told him to, what if she’s wrong again? His conscience can’t take it.

He decides that in order to protect her, he needs to hide her from the world. Somewhere no one will find her, not even Smurf, J, or his brothers. He takes her to a cabin in the woods, it’s small but nice and more importantly, it’s off the grid and secure. No one besides Pope can get in or out.

He makes sure that she has everything she wants, that all her needs are met, that he visits often, and he tries to be friendly, he really does. He knows it must be hard for her to be alone out there. But it’s necessary if she wants to live, and he wants her to live so badly.

He quickly becomes obsessed with her, she’s so pretty and nice to him, and eventually he stupidly lets his guard down. They get along so well, he doesn’t think he needs to be so strict, he thinks she finally understands that he’s doing this for her. But when he nods off, she takes the keys and runs.

He’s so angry, why doesn’t she get that this is for her own good? That he is protecting her? That he loves her? She doesn’t know where she is, and he’s scared she’s going to get lost in the woods, or injured. He chases her and honestly, it doesn’t take him long to find and catch her. He tackles her to the ground and keeps her pinned underneath him while he tries to explain for the millionth time that he’s doing this for her, that she can’t leave.

The eye contact is crazy and there’s a funny look in her eye, and Pope can’t quite place it. It’s a little bit of fear (which he hates), but it’s also a lot of something else.

Maybe he takes her back to the cabin and punishes her, or maybe he realises that not all of her needs are being met, and he has to help her out... idk

She doesn’t try to leave again after that, and she hates when he has to leave, she wishes he could stay with her 24/7. But he tries to make it up to her by buying her pretty dresses and flowers and jewellery and always being nice and making her feel good.

Eventually she’s more like his lil wife that he is excited to go home to. He would do anything to protect her and protect what they have from his family and the world.

And then one day she gets knocked up with his babies…[gunshot]

Something is so terribly wrong with me, I’m sorry! The brain worms were too much for me and I had to get this out. You totally don’t have to respond or post if it’s too icky lol I just love dark! Pope Cody with all of my heart ♥️

how could you possibly think this is icky. this is a masterpiece. i don't have anything to add because you wrote everything i would have added. sister wife this is perfect and trust that i WILL be writing 10k of this sometime after my exam. this is 1000% the new going to bed daydream because woowoowoowoowowoowoowowowoowowo. <33 you just get me

[tiny-minecraft-rabbit]

If I had a nickel for every time I've made a fic based on a Jimmy imposter win,,,

cw: ship content, slight blood and gore, third imposter-ing lmao

Tango practically squeezed himself through the door the moment the pressure was released, the panels moving at a snails pace compared to the racing of his heart. He was quickly checking down each hall of the intersection as Skizz and Jimmy followed him through. It was just five of them left and one more imposter– one more flesh-eating, shapeshifting, lie-ificating imposter on this god-forsaken Skeld.

He trusted Skizz about as much as he could trust any of the crew left in this situation; and that was about zero. If at any point they split this group and he was alone with him, well, he’d be screaming his head off.

Jimmy, however, he trusted with his life. His Rancher Buddy was a friend and much more after these long nights in space. Tango would sleep easy if, at the end of the day, it was him and Jimmy that survived this whole mess.

“Okay,” He backed away from the hall, “Looks clear, are you two–”

He turned and Jimmy had a knife in Skizz’s heart.

Metal tore flesh and Skizz slumped, Jimmy had his hands around him as he lowered him to the floor, gentle like. His space suit shifted and scrunched, unlike the ortho-fabric it was supposed to be. There was just a giant maw that was opening wider and wider–

Tango blinked and Jimmy was taking slow breaths as he stepped away from the body—the body that was now missing an entire upper half, blood pouring and dripping and organs slipping out of its abdomen. It was just how the other bodies were found, half-devoured. He- He had to report this– He had–

“Tango, don’t,” Jimmy said, standing in front of Tango, stopping him from taking any more steps, “Tango, you don’t need to report it.”

His eyes flicked away from the body and up to Jimmy. He shouldn’t fall for it. This was a shapeshifter, the human expression was fake. The reassuring tilt of his head was a sham– a farce! Jimmy didn’t even naturally have a human face and had probably stolen this one long before he stepped on the ship. He had pretended to be their friend, getting on this ship, and betrayed them.

“Don’t?”

Jimmy smiled, soft, hands grabbing Tango’s and holding them tightly, “You’re my Rancher. We’re getting out of here together.”

“Together? Really?” Tango asked, “You won’t murder-ficate my face the moment your stomach is empty again?”

“Nope. We’re buddies, Tango, honest. Don’t report it. Just follow me and we’ll get home together, okay?” Jimmy reassured, slowly pulling Tango away from Skizz.

“Okay,” Tango followed, one step at a time, “Okay. We’re doing this. Together.”

Jimmy leaned forward, pecking a kiss to Tango’s cheek, “Love you, Rancher.”

Tango sighed, “Love you, Rancher Buddy.”

The meeting came and went. He had watched Etho float away in space, feeling much less conflicted then he thought he would. Throwing him out had been easy, it only took his and Jimmy’s vote to secure it. He couldn’t even remember what Pearl had voted for, but it didn’t matter in the end, there was still anxiety coming off her in waves. She wasn’t sure they had made the right decision.

Maybe they hadn’t for her, but Tango was pretty happy with his choice.

They kept her around for a day, and then Jimmy had his first full meal on the ship, not having to settle for a quick bite and dash.

The two of them found themselves in a single bed in the quarters, folded into each other. It was familiar, even if the ship was silent around them instead of the usual bustle of crew.

“Still not going to eat me?” Tango asked, and he was almost surprised by how light his tone was. He wasn’t scared.

Jimmy giggled, and the sound was a never-ending comfort, “Nah. I like you too much, Rancher.”

[writeonwhiskey]

Summer in Seoul: Ch 1

a/n: this is the first skz fanfic i ever started writing and it's gone unfinished for far too long (skz house hijacked my brain). i'm posting the first four chapters back to back today since they're so short, but will space them out a bit more as i revamp and complete it. also, it was originally first person POV, but i'm switching it to 2nd on tumblr, doing my best to catch all the tense changes 😅.

Summary: You're an ambitious literary agent sent on assignment to Seoul, South Korea. While there, you quite literally stumble into a man named Chris. The more time you spend with him, the more you find yourself liking him. But what happens when you find out he's the leader of a record shattering K-Pop group?

***This takes place in June 2023, between 5-STAR and ROCK STAR releases***

Word Count: 1256

[ master list ]

1 - The Meet Cute

It's 1:22am local time when the plane finally lands in Seoul. Although you’re grateful to your company for Business Class tickets, your legs and feet are yearning for a good stretch after the 16-hour flight. The only benefit of being stuck in one place for so long with minimal distractions is that you were able to comb through meeting details and update your presentation. 

After interning and learning the ropes in several departments, you’re starting to settle in as a literary agent for Tomorrow Reeds publishing house. Prior to this trip, you’ve always worked under someone else—this is the first time they’re trusting you to land a client on your own. You’re determined not to return home without signing this author. 

As everyone stands to gather their belongings you get a sudden burst of energy. You make sure your laptop and charger are tucked safely into your backpack, grab your carry-on from the overhead bin when it’s your turn, and promptly exit the plane.

The airport is beautifully quiet at this hour. Less commotion allows you to figure out where you’re going with no hassle. You follow the signs (thankfully they're in both Korean and English) straight to the bathroom, as your bladder has been begging for release. There's only so many hours on a long-haul flight that you consider the bathrooms usable. Typically, after the second meal is served it's a hard no. 

You quickly use the facility and after washing your hands and splashing water on your face to wake up, you feel a little refreshed. You pat your face dry, looking over your reflection in the mirror. Raccoon eyes. As expected. You cannot sleep on a flight to save your life, and right now you’re in dire need of a bed and some rest. 

Exiting the bathroom, you take your phone out and scroll through your itinerary to find your driver’s name. Just as you lift your head to find the signs for the pickup area, you see broad, masculine shoulders in a black shirt directly in front of you.

They're so close, you don't have time to move out of the way.

You collide with them. Though you’ve had a split second to brace myself, you are no match for the force of his body against yours and start flailing backwards. Your phone flies out of your hand and hits the ground a few feet away.

His reflexes are quick. He grabs you around the waist and pulls you to him. You’re instantly hit with the smell of lavender, spearmint and amber as you breathe in. You’re eye level with his neck, so you have to tilt your head back to see his face. Well, his eyes, really. He’s wearing a black face mask and a black baseball cap pulled down so low you can’t see much else. 

His eyes, almond shaped and brown in color, are looking at you somewhat frantically. From surprise? Concern? You’re not sure. What you are sure of, though, and taken aback by, is the way that you feel safe and secure in his arms, pressed up against him. He’s holding you so gently around the waist and you’re intensely aware of the warm, tingling feeling where his hand is touching you. You place a hand on his chest to steady yourself.

You rack your brain for the few Korean phrases you’ve committed to memory. 

“Joesonghamnida,” you say awkwardly. He removes the headphone from his right ear.

“You alright?” he responds in clear (albeit with an Australian accent) English. 

He quickly removes his arm from your waist.  You drop your hand to your side as he looks around, as if checking if anyone is watching. There's hardly a soul in sight, though. 

“Yes, I'm fine. You good?” you reply, but instead of waiting for an answer you begin looking for where your phone landed. You find it near the water fountains and pick it up. The screen is completely cracked. You tap it and it light’s up, but it's impossible to input your passcode or use the facial unlock feature. You let out a groan. 

“Is it bad?” he asks.  

“I'd say so.” You turn the phone around to show him the screen. It's not the end of the world, but definitely an inconvenience after having just landed in a foreign country. 

“I'm sorry, that's my fault. I wasn't lookin' where I was goin',” he apologizes. “I'll pay for the repair.”

“No, no, it's okay. I wasn't paying attention either,” you admit. 

“Maybe we're both at fault, then,” he counters, “so you shouldn't have to pay for it all.”

“It's fine, really. The insurance should cover it.” 

He contemplates something for a moment, then looks around the vacant airport again. He presses something on his phone and quickly hands it to you. It's open to the WhatsApp contact screen. 

“Add your number,” his tone makes it sound like a simple request, but there is some demand to it. “I'll text you tomorrow so you can let me know what it costs.”

You stare at him for a moment and just blink before busting out into a fit of laughter. He seems confused at your response, and you cannot blame him. You’re nearing a state of delusion from your lack of sleep and the giddiness is just another side effect.

“I'm sorry,” you say, trying to regain your composure. “It's nearly two in the morning...I've just landed in Korea, broke my phone, and—” you gesture to his black cargo pants, black t-shirt, black face mask, all black everything, “a ninja is asking me to put my number in his phone. It's a lot.” 

He lets out a small chuckle and looks down at his outfit. You take the phone from his hand as he replies, “Hwarang.”

“Huh?” you ask, typing your name and number in.

“Hwarang...the Korean equivalent to the Japanese ninja,” he informs you.

“My apologies. Hwarang.” You say, butchering the pronunciation as you start to hand the phone back. You suddenly stop, bringing the phone to your chest. “Hang on…how do I know you aren’t some creep?”

“Sometimes you gotta take risks,” he says with a shrug, but his eyes are wrinkled up at the sides so you can tell he’s smiling. He holds his hand out expectantly and you give his phone back. He looks down at the phone to make sure you’ve entered your information. “This better be a real number.”

“I guess we’ll both be living in suspense,” you mimic his nonchalant shrug.

He lets out an airy chuckle. You hear a faint whistle in the distance, and he turns his head in that direction for a moment before looking back to you.

“I've gotta run, but I'll text ya.” He says quickly.

You don't get a chance to reply as he pulls his cap even lower and quickly walks away. You remain rooted in the same spot for a moment, contemplating the brief exchange. You can say with certainty that had this happened back home, there would have been a slim chance of an offer to cover the repair cost. You should at least be appreciative of that.

You shove your now useless phone into your back pocket and head towards customs. Within an hour you make it to the pickup area. Thankfully, your driver is holding a sign with your name on it. Once in the car, the only thing on your mind is making it to the hotel, taking a steamy, hot shower and bellyflopping on the bed.

a/n: i've missed these two!

[ read chapter two here ]

[ master list ]

[rivereverie]

Astarion x Autistic Tav headcanons

Despite being a former magistrate and seeming to judge people all the time, Astarion is arguably the least judgmental character among the companions when it comes down to it, and I think he would relate a lot to an autistic Tav. These are just for fun.

They implicitly understand each other's touch aversion

Silence sometimes makes Astarion anxious, so he enjoys listening to Tav infodump while he does his own thing

Conversely, if they go non-verbal, he can be chatty enough for both of them, and keeps them company

They have separate beds/tents for nights when sharing a bed is too much for one or both of them

When Astarion is feeling frustrated with himself for getting triggered by something, Tav tries to cheer him up by joking about the "silliest" thing they ever had a meltdown over

Biting/being bitten as a stim

Astarion knows that Tav can defend themself, but he will threaten anyone who mocks or demeans them with a very bloody murder

Astarion has a lot of little self-soothing habits, so he understands that stimming is similar for Tav

Astarion is sometimes put on-edge or frustrated by Tav's unusual affect, way of speaking, and body language, because he can't read them like he can other people, and that sometimes makes him anxious

He eventually takes comfort in the fact that his own body language and tone aren't as important to Tav, so he feels more free to let down the performance with them

Or they relate to each other over the fact that they both are hyper-aware of social cues

They joke about both eating the same thing every day

Astarion relates to Tav's experience with masking, struggling with identity, and personal expression (and vice versa)

Astarion occasionally makes clothes for Tav that suit their taste and sensory needs

Astarion is good at handling social interactions when Tav isn't feeling up to it

They both like to have their own spaces set up just so, and respect that the other does not want anything messed with. They understand the feeling of security that comes from having your own space arranged in your own way.

Similarly, they understand how important certain objects are for comfort and security

Astarion will ""acquire"" little trinkets and items he thinks Tav would like to use as stim toys

Tav doesn't mind living in the dark with him because they have light sensitivity

Or they use light for stimming and so understand why Astarion likes it

I'll probably add more to this as I get ideas + please contribute your own!

(Obviously not all of these things are exclusive to autistic people. Furthermore, autism is a spectrum, and every individual will have unique behaviors and experiences. This list is largely based off my own experiences as an autistic person, so this is by no means a representation of all autistic people. It's just for fun)

[inactivewattpadauthor]

Raiden x Reader: Size Difference(Lemon Slice)

Warning/Context: This is a partial written sex story. Just a realistic scenario of what could happen if a petite woman fucks a 7 foot, buffed man 😛 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dusk is peaking at this time. Lucky you, you've done all your chores on your off day. Now, you get to make a drink and decompress for the rest of your day. The rocking chair on your front porch is an ideal sitting place as you get to watch the sun set in the sky of warm colors. 

What startles you is a sudden bright flash in your eyes. You flinched, but you got a good grip on your drink, thankfully. This isn't really the first time this man has made an unexpected visit like this. What does he want now?

"Gods forbid you ever coming across an epileptic person." You stand to greet the familiar Thunder God. "How are you, Raiden?"

"Earthrealm has been safely secured. I deem no uprising threats today while I patrolled, so it seemed not of risk to make a visit to you."

 Well, that's not exactly what you asked. His head dipped, hiding his eyes but not his frown. What got him all down today? Did he get into a bad argument with Fujin again? Was he feeling guilty about past mistakes again? 

"Okay, but how are you?"

Raiden doesn't answer. 

Not so good then.

You press up against him, hugging his arm. "Did you get into it with Fujin again?" You weren't there when it happened but you heard the Temple was storming badly.

"He's not at the Sky Temple anymore. He... left me to go live with humans." 

"Sorry to hear that for you. How's Liu?"

"Him and Kung Lao are busy with their own matters. It's best I don't interfere with their lives."

"Did you consult with the Elder Gods recently?"

"Many times. Once before I showed up here." That's unsurprising. "Yet, it would seem I've not figure out my problem. Everything is well. The ones I'm fond of are happy yet..."

"...You're lonely." You finish for him in an empathetic tone. 

No matter how much Raiden would deny his human emotions, he'd still have them. It was one of his flaws. One of many you accepted. Subconsciously, he has come here for comfort. And he'd never admit to that. At the end of the day, he is a hypocrite, ashamed or not.

---Timeskip brought to you by Fujin at a party with lots of confetti in his hair, Jax is there making sure he doesn't get roofied--- 

When night hits, the two of you were kissing passionately on your bed. You allow Raiden to strip you down, before undressing himself. This isn't the first time you two hooked up in secret. However, you've definitely been more in the mood than right now. 

As he lays on top of you and attacks your neck before he inserts himself, you glare at the ceiling and think. 

By all means, it wasn't Raiden. The stoic, always focused man is great in bed. Perhaps it's because you went most of the day not expecting to be intimate. For it is a sudden appearance on Raiden's part. You didn't speak up since you believed he really needed this and that it shouldn't take long. You figured you'd get more aroused on the way.

Raiden plants two more kisses on your neck before gently biting down and pushing his girthy piece inside slowly. Your mouth opens but let's no sound out. His size will always catch you off guard.

The god lets out deep moans already. You felt so perfect like usual around him. His larger hand grabs yours to intertwine fingers. He's always so sweet with you considering how large and more powerful he is. It takes you away from the immense pressure going on in your insides. Until he speeds up.

A few moans from you slipped out, but you were mostly gasping every time he thrusts back in you deep. You're too sensitive tonight. It kinda hurt. Each gasp shortens your breath too which adds on. 

"Raiden," You tap him and say with a hoarse whisper. "Let's switch up the position. Please." 

"Are you well?" He asked concerned, placing a hand on your cheek and checking in.

"Yes, I just want to be on top." You lied in a sultry tone.

You thought riding him would be better that way you had control. He helped you get on top of him. His hand resting on your hip as you slowly lowered yourself onto him. Lord Raiden's head rolls back in pleasure, although you didn't sit all the way down on his dick. You just couldn't. 

His tip reaches your cervix so easily. You're living the dream of some freaky woman's fantasy. One that would be eager to be pounded with a cock this big. But really, this was very difficult. His dick is stretching you in a way that stings. 

But what broke you is when he humps upward into you, bucking his hardened length and hitting your cervix harder, earning a harsh whimper from you. 

"Ah- Okay, I'm sorry- I... I can't. Not tonight." You just got off him and took a deep breath. You felt like curling up. 

Raiden immediately sits up and touches you to console you. "I'm very sorry! Did I hurt you?" He stops rubbing your arm and instead pulls you to his frame to hold you.

"I'm fine... You're just big. That's all." You softly chuckled and nuzzled up to him. "Would cuddling just be okay with you for the night?"

"Anything you are comfortable with, Y/n. You don't need to force yourself ever. Just being in your presence is enough." ~~~~~~~~~~~~ My first lemon in 2025 😅(last time was in September). I had this lil idea in mind for a little bit. Please enjoy!

[fourgods-nobrakes]

Summer Fest is here! I'm nominating a bunch of things from relatively rare bits of canon, but perhaps one of you would like to read one of these things and get to know some of these characters. I'm not discussing the Black Legion or Fabius Bile books, because you already know about those (read them read them read them they have great ensemble casts, please ship some of the less common pairs with me), but here are some of the less-discussed ones:

Harrowmaster, by Mike Brooks: Solomon Akurra is an Alpha Legionnaire who wants to see his Legion become a force to be reckoned with again. He has some plans to give them a reason to rally around him, and he has a very cool ex-imperial psyker on his side, which is good because he also has a number of enemies both within the Legion and otherwise. Fun twisty plot and an excellent read for people who enjoy when an Astartes has a solid working partnership with a mortal ally; she's capable, dangerous, and very willing to give him shit when he needs it. There's also a secret bonus ship option that I don't want to talk about too much because of important plot turning points, but it hit me hard in the brotherhood and trust places.

Shroud of Night, by Andy Clark: the Unsung are a small Alpha Legion warband who've been in a warzone for long enough to develop a wide variety of I Can't Believe It's Not PTSD. Now they have a mission to perform a high-stakes reverse heist, delivering a mortal to a key location on an embattled planet while trying not to get killed by either the imperial defenders or the Khornate berserkers besieging the place—and, of course, trying not to fall apart from the growing tensions among the team. I'm here for the poor mortal, who has clearly never gotten the hugs he needs, but there are a variety of cool dynamics among the group. ...Followers of either Celestine's or Khârn's careers should know they both turn up here, though they're both mostly here to be terrifying forces of nature that our lads try not to get killed by.

"Sacred Hate," short story by David Annandale: Mr. Annandale wrote this story for me specifically, I'm pretty sure. It centers on Cerastes, a teenager who's in training to be a missionary for the Ecclesiarchy, but who's been privately having a crisis of faith. Then the ship he's traveling on gets attacked by Word Bearers, and he discovers what he was looking for. (Spoilers: it's not the God-Emperor's light.)

The Red Tithe, by Robbie MacNiven: A Carcharodons company and a Night Lords warband walk into a bar prison planet... They're both looking to replenish their numbers from the teenage boys in the prison. And a psyker on each side has divined that one of the boys is an unsanctioned psyker whose power could be very useful if they can secure him. The boy in question just hopes he can get out alive. This one's definitely dark; the Carcharodons might be on the imperial side but they're brutal in ways that are usually glossed over for their compatriots. Most of the story takes place in the prison complex and the attached mines, so the whole thing feels claustrophobic at times. MacNiven also cares more about tactics than a lot of BL authors, so the battles are more interesting than "we charge into a hail of gunfire, fearless and unstoppable." Grim but very cool.

Day of Ascension, by Adrian Tchaikovsky: If you've read his other work you know he's interested in, and sympathetic toward, non-human POVs, and thus you know why I'm so fond of this book. It takes place on a forge world where the miserable living conditions of the non-Mechanicus work force have provided fertile ground for the growth of a genestealer cult. The cover blurb suggests that the power plays among the tech priests are the central plot, but actually the emotional core of the book is Davien, a young woman in the cult who is coming into her strength as the arrival of the cult's "angels" draws near, and whose passion for her people will wind up being key to their future. My big ship for this one doesn't sail until late in the book, but man, when it happens, it's so good.