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#and i realized babs should probably be here too
wicked-gharial · 2 months
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looks at u with my big ol red eyes
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envysparkler · 5 months
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“Cass is the favorite.”
Bruce paused in the hallway, head tilted in the direction of the kitchen.  He wasn’t aware that anyone was still up.
“Definitely.”
Bruce was aware that Tim had coordinated tonight’s patrol as Damian was sick with the flu and Bruce was laid up with a couple of injuries—they must’ve just gotten back.
“She can read everything on his face and he never has to say a word—the old man must’ve been thrilled when he found her.”
Bruce frowned.  His plan to return to his bedroom was put on hold as he lurked in the shadow of the den, listening carefully.
“And…Dick is the next favorite.”
“Of course, he’s the Golden Boy.  Follows orders like the perfect soldier.”  There was a dark twist of bitterness to the words.
“Tim’s next.”
“No, it’s definitely Babs.  She’s actually good at her job.”
“Nah, I have to go with Steph.  Babs calls B out on his bullshit.  You, baby bird, melt into the shadows and don’t make a peep.”
“Tim, then Babs.”  When he heard the scratching of pencil on paper, Bruce realized they were actually writing this down.
“Then the demon brat.”
“Depending on what kind of scene he’s caused in the past week.”  A laugh, low and not very amused.
“Then me and Jason.  The outsiders.  Last on the list.”
A scoff.  “No, Blondie, then you.  I’m not on this fucking list.”
“Jason—”
“We’re ranking his kids remember?  Not the vaguely estranged undead mob boss that comes to bail your asses out of trouble.”
“You’re his son, Jason.”  Bruce was gripping the door frame so hard his dislocated shoulder twinged.
“All evidence says otherwise.”
“Well, I’m not his kid either.  So I guess both me and Jason are off this list.”
“You’re his kid, Blondie.  You have a room in this house.”
“I don’t use it.”
“Neither does little Red, and he’s the one running the company.”
“You have a room here too, Jason.”
“No, I have a fucking shrine to the fifteen-year-old kid who was murdered in Ethiopia.”
It landed flat and whatever camaraderie had been underneath the bitterness and snark dissipated instantly.  It left a heavy tension in the air.
“I don’t want it anyway.  Look what happens to the poor bastards at the top of the list.”
“What do you mean?”
“Cass—dear, darling, favorite Cass.  She disappears whenever anyone is talking to B.  Probably too painful to watch.”
“I hadn’t noticed that.”  Quiet.  Guilty.
“And the Golden Boy.  Trying to hold the family together while everybody in it tears it apart.  Timbo here, who’s hoping that if he slinks further into the shadows everyone might actually forget he exists.”
“Hey, I don’t—”
“Babs is stuck working for a boss who constantly undermines her, the demon brat doesn’t know if he should be listening to Dick or Bruce, and you, Blondie, for the great honor of being last on the list, are the only one of us that actually managed to slap B.”
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paradoxcase · 5 months
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Chapter 29 of Nona the Ninth
There's a First skull on this chapter, but there's no one in it who's associated with the First, I guess unless you want to count Pyrrha and/or Kiriona, but neither of them have big speaking parts here
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So Paul can do necromancy just fine, and doesn't seem to be affected by Varun the Eater at all. I guess this is because Camilla's body used to belong to a non-necromancer?
Honestly, why didn't John decide that the Lyctors should wind up in the cavalier's body instead of the necromancers? The pros are that their final body, that they'll have for all of eternity, is not made out wet noodles and can wield a sword that's not a rapier, and also they will be immune to the resurrection beasts' madness aura, and I don't think there are any cons, really. Ianthe could do necromancy from Babs' body just fine, so I don't think that would be an issue. It does mean that Ianthe would spend eternity looking like Babs, but that's ok, I don't have a lot of sympathy for Ianthe
I just realized that they totally abandoned Babs' body in the tunnels and it's probably going to get eaten by a Herald. Poor Babs, first Ianthe disrespected him by doing his hair wrong, and now he doesn't even get a funeral. He was kind of a dick, but I'm not sure he deserves all the desecration his body has been through
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I guess because it seems like We Suffer is staying behind to hold off the Heralds and let the truck escape? This wasn't made super clear
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So there is a messenger, and two parts of a message, and Aim is one of the parts. So is she three separate entities? She is sometimes saying "I" and sometimes saying "we" and the first "I" refers to the messenger, but Aim is the name of one of the messages. I don't know who "us" refers to in "when the message was passed to us" because previously the messenger was singular. And we have a new name Emma Sen, which doesn't seem to follow any of the naming conventions we've seen so far, though it does have some letters in common with "messenger". And I'm curious what it means for the message to be "too simple for human beings like us to understand". She hopes Nona will hear it, so maybe it is intended for planets? I guess this will probably get resolved in the next book, since there's not much time left in this one
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Pash made a joke! I think she is learning how to be funny from Pyrrha. I think someone should write an AU where Pyrrha is married to Wake and is Pash's cool aunt, I think that would be fun. Maybe G1deon can be in there somewhere too
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I wonder if she still thinks it would be super romantic for Harrow to eat her soul and is jealous of Paul now or something
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Ok, but I'm pretty sure you're going to the Ninth to kill John and as we all know that will explode the sun and etc., etc., so I'm not sure that's actually true
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I like how she talked to Juno Zeta for five minutes and she learned the names of all her family members and now is someone she has to say goodbye to
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Interesting and sad that Paul refers to Palamedes and Camilla as "they" and not like, "we"
Gideon is just pissed that there isn't anyone she can call "Sex Pal" any longer. I wonder if they picked that name specifically because it would be hard for Gideon to come up with a funny variation of it
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If We Suffer is staying behind, I wonder what Paul has planned here
Or do they just mean that she will die soon, and they will see her ghost in the River?
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Since the next chapter is the last John chapter, I guess this means that Nona passes out after they enter the River
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zorilleerrant · 7 months
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if the other Batkids did dump a partially made film on Tim, here's what I think they would be:
Dick: wanted to adapt one of his favorite childhood versions of Robin Hood, abandoned it when one of his favorite directors started adapting the same one
Babs: started off trying to make a documentary about libraries. realized it probably should be filmed in a public library instead of a private one. couldn't get funding
Helena: kept trying to adapt a novel she really liked, but it was an erotic novel, and eventually she realized it would be better if she started as porn and worked backwards instead
Luke: someone else asked him to help make a biopic about himself. the studio fired everyone and hired new people and recast him and left him with just a bunch of loose ends
Jason: wrote an original screenplay. had a typical Creative fit and lit it on fire. it's now a stage musical
Steph: didn't think she was going to get into college and wanted to make a film as either an application or resume, depending. but then she did get into college and didn't care anymore
Cass: wanted to make a film about ballet as a metaphor for growing up. too many people mentioned Black Swan to her so she gave up on it and wrote poetry instead
Duke: started putting together a shoestring budget PSA for how to survive supervillain attacks. got adopted by Bruce and immediately hired an actually docudrama crew to make it instead
Damian: was going to make a Milo and Otis style film. realized that there was more audience in short videos and forgot
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yeenybeanies · 2 years
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New Siblings?: Part 2
raleigh meets more of the batfam! part 1 | beginning dc | raleigh november/hahwkmoth & the batfamily 3,390 words strong language warning reblogs > likes!! thanks for reading!! patreon ✨ ko-fi
Three hours was not enough time to prepare. Not at all. How would one prepare to meet the Batfamily? By pacing? By having no less than two panic attacks? By just flying away and never looking back? 
If they did that, then Batman would probably just track them down again. 
Despite their less than ideal meeting, Dick was friendly. He was chatty. Raleigh found that they didn’t mind it so much, though. It helped to keep them grounded, for the most part. 
“I’ll keep saying it until it clicks: you’ll be fine. Take some more deep breaths. Easy now.” It was clear that he wanted to offer physical comfort as well. He kept reaching , then quickly stopping himself when he realized it wouldn’t quite work. Were Raleigh normal-sized, they were sure that he’d be clapping them on the shoulder or the arm. 
They sure could use a gesture like that right about now, if they were honest. 
Raleigh dragged their hands down their face and groaned. “How many of you are there?” They tried counting on their fingers the ones they remembered, but quickly ran out of fingers. This wasn’t helping. 
“Er—well, a lot,” Dick said sheepishly, “but you probably won’t meet everyone today. Just the immediate family that lives here. I think. I know that Babs and Steph are busy, and I doubt Kate and Harper will show.” 
Raleigh did not know who any of these people were. They stared up at Dick blankly. “So…?”
“So!” he continued, “that makes one, two, three… eight! And you’ve already met four of us.” He beamed, dimples set deep in his cheeks. 
Great. Raleigh’s shoulders slumped, their wings following the motion. They shot right back up, though, when Dick laid his hand down next to them. Warily they eyed it, then Dick, whose smile had softened, but remained firmly in place. 
“Only if you want. Not gonna make any more grabs for you.” 
Lips pressed tight together, Raleigh gave his hand another look, then fluttered back a few inches. 
“I’m okay. Thanks.” 
(It was still so strange to be given the choice.)
Dick pulled his hand back, unbothered, and stood up. “Anytime. Wanna head back inside? I can give you a quick rundown of everyone—everyone you’ll probably meet tonight, and those you’ll meet eventually.” He gestured toward the bedroom window they’d both used to access the roof. 
“Yeah,” Raleigh said with a sigh, “that’d probably be good.” 
Three hours and a crash course from Dick still wasn’t enough to prepare Raleigh for the terrifying, mortifying ordeal of meeting the (immediate) family. 
Bruce had everyone gathered downstairs in the den, and started off with a brief explanation of who Raleigh was, how he’d found them, and why they were here. Raleigh didn’t hear that part, as they were too busy buzzing around in circles in the dining room, contemplating for the millionth time whether or not they should just run away. 
Alfred, bless him, tried to calm them with his words, but it wasn’t working too much. 
Raleigh mentally berated themself. Why were they so nervous? Before everything happened, they were bold! Gregarious! They hadn’t been one to embarrass easily at all! No stagefright to be seen in normal Raleigh! Hell, they’d been called shameless more times than they could count! So why then did they now feel like they were going to throw up and pass out? 
Something something, being kidnapped and treated like a lab experiment, something, trauma. 
And being shrunken so dramatically really did some serious damage to their ego. Life was pretty easy back when they were six-four. 
After what felt like forever, Dick poked his head into the dining room and called to collect them. He offered his shoulder this time, instead of his hand, which they took too better. Wings aloft for stability (even though his gait was surprisingly smooth), Raleigh forced themself to stay in place. Get this over with. They could do this. Dick said they could, and so had Alfred. 
God, they were pathetic. 
And they were shaking. Dick could feel their tremors, and paused before entering the den. “Hey,” he said, giving their shoulder a light nudge with his knuckle. Without thinking, Raleigh latched onto it. “It’s gonna be—ow, okay, squeezing a little tight there. Breathe with me. Come on. In…” He drew in a deep breath, and Raleigh followed suit. “And out…” They did this two more times, then Raleigh let his finger go and nodded. 
They could do this. 
Fuck. There were so many people. 
As soon as Dick walked through the door, all eyes quickly fell to Raleigh. Bruce and Jason, of course, weren’t surprised, but the four—no, five! There was another woman on a video screen!—new people stared in varying degrees of shock and disbelief. (Or maybe it was horror. Bruce had mentioned they’d been experimented on, but hadn’t said exactly what had been done to them.) 
“Raleigh,” Bruce said after clearing his throat, “you’ve already met Dick, obviously, and Jason.” He gestured to the new faces. “This is Tim, Cassandra, Damian, and Duke. On the screen there is Barbara. Everyone, this is Raleigh November.”
Raleigh was frozen. Their wings were pinned low, flat against their back. This was almost as bad as being gawked at by fucked-up scientists. 
Damian was the first to speak up. “They’re tiny.” He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, now looking unimpressed. A tiny spark of indignation ignited in Raleigh’s chest. 
I’ll show you “tiny,” you little gremlin. 
“Damian,” Tim chided, elbowing the gremlin. He took a step forward and moved like he meant to offer a handshake, but thought better of it, and offered a smile instead. “Nice to meet you. Tim Drake. Sorry if we seem a little, er, caught off guard. We’ll adjust quickly, I promise.”
“Crazy,” Duke said. He looked the most shocked out of all of them. “Are you just—actually, never mind. That’d be rude to ask.” 
Oh thank god. 
The woman on the screen—Barbara? Babs?—leaned forward a little and adjusted her glasses. She clearly had a number of questions, as did everyone else, but she suppressed her curiosity and gave Raleigh a smile of her own. “Nice to meet you, Raleigh. I look forward to working with you in the future.” 
Cassandra stood in silence, staring. Everyone was staring, but the way Cassandra stared in particular sent chills up Raleigh’s spine. 
This was a lot. Raleigh swallowed thickly, eyes darting between all the faces in the room. Their mouth felt dry. “Er… uh… hi. Y-yeah, um… nice to meet you all.” Kinda. 
Pathetic. This stagefright nonsense was very unbecoming of them. Hopefully it would pass soon. 
Bruce cleared his throat, making Raleigh jump. “Right. As I said, Raleigh will be living here for the time being, at least until we can locate their parents. Everyone, please give them their space, and don’t overwhelm them with questions.” 
Raleigh’s face went sour. He was making them sound like a baby. (But they definitely didn’t want to be overwhelmed—not any more than they already were.)
“Uh. I’m gonna… go,” they said, more to Dick than anyone else. They lift off of his shoulder, much to the new peoples’ surprise. Apparently Bruce hadn’t mentioned that they could fly either. “I’ll, um, see you guys around. Later.” 
“Oh! Um—” Tim interjected, taking another step closer, “should I get the… door…?” 
Before he could finish his sentence, Raleigh was already pushing the door open. “I got it, thanks,” they said quickly, then disappeared into the hall. 
That… was miserable. 
(Okay, it wasn’t as bad as they’d thought it would be, but it was still pretty intimidating.) 
Raleigh spent the next few hours in their room. Well—they actually spent a good chunk of that time out on the roof, until the rain started, and pushed them back indoors. They entertained themself with the flatscreen TV mounted on the wall across from the normal-sized bed. From their perspective, an already massive TV was essentially a drive-in-sized screen, perfect for simulating a movie theater experience. 
And Raleigh could really use some entertainment to decompress. 
After struggling with the remote control for a minute, they navigated their way to one of the many streaming channels the Wayne Manor subscribed to and put on a cheesy sci-fi monster flick. Something about giant robots fighting even more giant aliens. A classic. They sat on the big bed with their little pillow hugged to their chest. 
(It wasn’t as comforting as one of their stuffed animals would have been, but it served its purpose.) 
About twenty minutes into the movie, though, a knock to their door startled them. They dropped the pillow and shot up, hovering about two feet off of the bed. 
“Pipsqueak.” Skunk hair. “Dinner’s ready. Best come down quick; food doesn’t last long on these tables.” He paused for a moment. “Are you watching Mecha Force?” 
Raleigh hesitated to answer. “…Maybe.”
“Which one?” 
“Second one.” The best one. Obviously. 
Jason chuckled. “Best one. Y’know, there is a theater in this mansion. Could make for a good movie night.” He tapped his knuckles on the door, then the shadow under the door vanished, and his footsteps faded down the hallway. 
Raleigh had to pick their jaw up. This mansion had a private movie theater? 
In the grand scheme of things, that sounded fairly normal, considering the dinosaur and other wild shit down in the Batcave—and the cave itself. 
Some people had too much money. 
The moth swooped down to the floor and dove under the door, out into the hall. Jason was just rounding the corner at the end. Wings buzzing double-time, Raleigh zipped after him, and easily overtake him, rushing right by his ear. He flinched and recoiled away from the sound, then scowled after them. 
“You little—“ 
“You said to be quick, right?” Raleigh flashed him a shit-eating grin, then dropped down over the railing, down into the great hall below. What they didn’t expect was for Jason to follow suit and follow them over, his bulky form landing with a smooth roll inches away from them. They clapped their hands over their mouth, but weren’t quick enough to stop their startled squeak. 
Now it was Jason’s turn to look smug. 
“Gonna break a hip, old man,” they jabbed. Jason’s face quickly turned indignant. 
“Wha—? ‘Old man’? I’m only twenty-five, you little shit.” 
Raleigh shrugged. “Basically in the grave.”
Jason scoffed. “You’re gonna feel like an asshole when you hear that I’ve been dead and buried before. C’mere pipsqueak—“ 
“Wait, really—ack!” Any guilt they felt quickly disappeared when Jason made a grab for them, his fist snapping closed in the air where they’d been just a heartbeat before. “Hey, woah! Easy on the grabby—“ Jason made another lunge for them, which missed them by a hair. Hell to this. They shot off through the hall, avoiding his lunges, even finding humor in this game of cat and mouse. 
“I already caught you once today!” Jason snarled. 
“Yeah—with a cup! When I didn’t see you!” Raleigh peeled around a corner, dodging his grabs, and burst through the dining room door—and then stopped short, frozen in mid-air. 
A half-full dinner table paused to stare at Raleigh. A pin drop could have shattered the sudden silence. 
Only a second behind them, Jason flung the door open and snatched them up in a tight (but not crushing) fist. “Gotcha!” he said with a grin, bringing them up to eye level. But they weren’t looking at him. Jason glanced up to the crowd, his triumph fading some. “Ah. So we made it in time.” 
Bruce, situated at the head of the table, cleared his throat in an attempt to break the awkwardness. “Raleigh. We’ve set your placement between Dick and Jason.” Dick, who sat to Bruce’s right, waved cheerfully. To his right, there was a saucer, a tiny napkin, and a set of miniscule utensils. 
“Pipsqueak’s with us? Damn.” Jason’s hand leveled out and opened up, leaving Raleigh to sit in his palm, still paralyzed. He strode over to his spot casually, and set his hand down so Raleigh could slide off, then took his seat. Dick offered an encouraging smile. 
The silence only persisted for a minute longer. As soon as Alfred entered with food in hand, conversation resumed. Conversation, and chaos. Despite stern looks and some scolding from the butler, dishes flew around as everyone scrambled to get a serving. Raleigh sat, rooted in place, watching the plates and bowls trade hands over their head, listening to the bickering as everyone fought for their portions. 
Is this what all families with multiple children were like? 
“You alright?” Dick’s voice snapped Raleigh from their daze. They blinked up at him, floundering for words. 
“I, uh… this is just… a lot.” They glanced at their plate, still very empty, and then to the almost empty serving dishes around the table. 
“You get used to it. Here, I got a little extra, so you can have some of mine.” 
“Mine too,” Jason chimed in. 
“Er—um. I’m vegetarian…!” they said, feeling extremely awkward, and a little guilty. They didn’t want to come off as ungrateful. 
“Oh! Sure, no problem,” Dick said. He and Jason both started to separate portions of their non-meat dishes, and deposited them onto Raleigh’s plate. “Damian’s vegetarian too, so there’s always plenty of veggie options in this house.” 
Damian, seated to Bruce’s left, stared Raleigh down with one brow raised. 
Well… at least they weren’t the only one with a restricted diet here. 
Much to their surprise, dinner felt pretty normal. Chaotic, but normal. No one made any uncomfortable comments about Raleigh’s situation, much to their surprise and relief. Everyone acted like it was perfectly natural to have a miniature person sitting with them at the dinner table. They rationalized in their head that they probably weren’t the weirdest thing anyone had seen—not in a city where a guy called Killer Croc occasionally made an appearance. 
“So, Raleigh—” the moth jumped, eyes going wide. Sitting to Jason’s right, Tim leaned forward to look at them. “You’re from Gotham, right?”
“Uh…” They hadn’t expected to be addressed. Why did their brain suddenly go blank? This was an easy question! “Er—yes. Yeah. Grew up in Gotham Village, for the most part.”
“Oh, neat. Nice neighborhood. You go to Gotham High?” 
Raleigh stared at their plate, their brows furrowing. It wasn’t Tim’s fault for bringing up bittersweet memories; he was just being friendly. “I did, yeah. Before all this. I was in my senior year.” 
Jason nudged Tim with his elbow and shot him a stern look. Tim held his hands up in apology. “Er—sorry. If I’m prying too much, let me know. Just trying to get to know our new team member.”
Raleigh’s jaw tightened. Team member? They weren’t a part of this team. Everyone at this table was a Bat. They were a Moth. And they weren’t here to clean up the streets like the local vigilantes; they were here to find their parents. 
Hawkmoth wasn’t a hero. They were a consequence. They were venge—
God, that sounded corny. Raleigh scrunched their nose. “It’s fine,” they said. “Ask whatever you want. Bruce could probably tell you, too, since he seems to know everything about me.” 
A few at the table shot disapproving looks in Bruce’s direction, but no one seemed surprised to hear this. He just shrugged in response. 
The questions continued. Raleigh answered only what they were comfortable with. How old are you? Seventeen. Eighteen in a month. Did you play any sports? Yeah. Soccer. What do your parents do? Pass. How strong are you? Strong. And on and on, until Raleigh’s patience wore thin. They pushed their uneaten food around on their plate, no longer feeling very hungry. 
“You doing okay?” Dick asked softly, giving them a light nudge with his knuckle. He watched them carefully, concern in his eyes. 
Raleigh shrugged off his touch, and set down their fork. “I’m fine. Just tired. I think I’m going to turn in—” 
“What? You’re bailing already?” Jason leaned in with a smug look. Raleigh didn’t care for it, nor for his tone. “You’ve at least gotta stick around for movie night.”
“Seriously?” They repeated. 
“Yeah, it’s movie night. Y’know, when we all get together and watch a movie. Like we do every Thursday.” Jason looked around the table to a bunch of confused faces, though some of them did nod in agreement. Raleigh narrowed their eyes. 
“I think you’re full of—”
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Bruce chimed in. “And since it’s Raleigh’s first movie night, I think they should get to pick the film.”
“Nah,” Jason said. “They can pick next time. Tonight’s my choice.” He gathered his and Raleigh’s dishes in one hand, and set his other on the table next to them. Raleigh sighed, resigned, and stepped into his palm. Jason excused the both of them from the table to deposit their dishes into the dishwasher, then carried Raleigh into what turned out to be an actual, literal movie theater. 
A part of them had thought that Jason was exaggerating when he’d mentioned it earlier. 
Raleigh cleared their throat, drawing Jason’s inquisitive look. “What horrors are you going to subject me to?” they asked. 
“Damn, you barely know me, and already you’re expecting the worst from me.” He feigned a look of hurt, free hand to his chest. Raleigh rolled their eyes. “We’re watching Mecha Force 2.” He brought Raleigh up to his shoulder for them to climb off, leaving his hands free to set up the projector. 
“Oh. You were serious.” 
“You thought I was joking when I said that the second one was the best?” 
Raleigh shook their head. “No, I—that’s objectively correct. No, I was, er, not expecting… y’know what? Never mind.” 
Jason raised a brow, but didn’t press further. He let the topic fall with a shrug of his shoulders, and resumed his search for the movie in question. Once he had the opening scene up on the big screen, he dimmed the lights, and then strolled down the aisle to take a seat in one of the middle rows. He adjusted the seat (of course the seats were adjustable; this was a rich man’s theater, after all) to make himself comfortable, and Raleigh hopped onto the adjacent seat’s head. 
A few minutes into the film, Raleigh felt an unsettling sensation hit them from behind, making the hair stand on the back of their neck. 
“Nice of you to help with the dishes.”
Raleigh flinched, nearly falling from their seat, but Jason, to whom the chide was directed, didn’t react at all. Bruce sat down in the seat directly behind Raleigh, his arms crossed, but his demeanor lacking any real anger. 
How the hell did he keep sneaking around like that? Raleigh hadn’t heard him come in at all. 
“I’m trying to help Raleigh get comfortable here,” Jason said with a nonchalant shrug. 
Raleigh, still surprised by Bruce’s sudden appearance, flinched once more when they felt the sensation again to their left. Dick flopped down in the seat next to them, also seemingly appearing out of thin air. “This the second Mecha Force? That’s the best one,” he said.
The moth stared at him in stunned silence for a long moment, then glanced back at Bruce, and then Jason.
“You’ll get used to it,” Jason said, as if reading their mind. 
An explosion on screen yanked their attention back to the movie—and to another head seated in the row in front of them. Was that Cassandra? When did she—?!
Never mind. Raleigh didn’t even want to know. Apparently it was a Batfamily thing. By the end of the movie, this whole theater was probably going to be filled with bats. 
(Maybe someone would teach them how to do the silent “Bat-sneak” while they were here.) 
Raleigh suppressed a sigh, and let themself be drawn back into the film. (It really was the best one of the series, after all.) They wouldn’t dare admit it to Jason, but they did appreciate his effort here. Not only was this movie a cinematic masterpiece, but it also gave Raleigh a sense of familiarity. A sense of normalcy. It was a small comfort at this crazy, bat-filled point in their life.
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Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #4
First of all. Why is Cyborg just standing there doing nothing? Does not pass the lamp test. Why? (We know why.)
But then Jon-el follows Lex over to the Batbunker, and, like, what, he can just do that? They have no security? Their number one concern on the planet is being caught by Superman and they didn’t so much as check a camera before letting a Kryptonian right in? Because Jon-el has way fewer powers than Kal, and he doesn’t even look like he’s trying to be subtle, honestly.
Also, why is Harley so weirdly out of character? She’s so flat, like someone was trying hard to write a boring-ass manic pixie dream girl and failed at that because he’s never talked to a woman in his life. Also. The fucking art. Why is she dressed like a porn parody? And why does her face look Like That?
Then! Jon-el is like. Ah-ha! Lex Luthor is evil! He’s trying to stop Superman! As if Jon-el didn’t have a whole “emotional” revelation last issue where he realized Superman was evil??? We literally already established that??? He’s been looking for a way to stop Superman! So why the hell is he trying to get mad at people who also want to stop Superman? Especially since! If Superman is Evil then Lex is probably Good, stands to reason!
(Ugh, Harley is being obnoxious again. Fuck, people, she’s not an idiot, she has a PhD and/or MD in literally how the fuck people work. She’s a genius. And they’ve literally been talking about another universe’s Superman. Fuck’s sake.)
Then he’s like “oh hoo hoo do you think you could stop me” um, yes. An entire team of superheroes against an idiot baby who refuses to train and can’t even punch good? With only half the powers of Good Superman, who’s a lot less powerful than Evil Superman? Yes. They could beat you easily you whiny little World’s Specialist Boy.
But also, even if they couldn’t? Why would he say this? This is so out of character for Jon-el, who is not generally just a smug douchebag? He wasn’t as a kid. Why would he be now that he’s had the trauma of being held completely powerless? Makes no sense. This is such an edgelord comment that some reddit bro who thinks he’s cool would say for no reason.
Another thing to note is that, while there are technically women here, they just stand there and do nothing. They could literally be removed from the story without replacing them with anything, and you probably wouldn’t even notice. Not even just to think, hmm, was there something here before?
Also. Why is Jon-el so mad at Batman? Literally not established, also a weird thing to say about him. Batman is not really known (in canon or in meta) as being a particularly judgemental hero? And the only person he’s really been particularly ‘shoot first ask questions later’ towards at any point in Rebirth is Jason, who Jon-el has no reason to care about? Or even have talked to at any point; it would actually be weird to find out they’d interacted at all. You could argue he’s standing up for Damian, which I think the story is trying to set up, except that Bruce doesn’t really do that to Damian? And insofar as he does, Damian would never complain about it to Jon, both because there’s become a distance between them too large for personal conversations, and because he wouldn’t air family business even to his best friend.
Also, giving Jon-el some kind of bizarre Mary Sue power is just stupid. He’s already Superman. Making him more powerful is only going to cut off avenues of narrative. He should be a character who feels like he can never live up to his dad simply because he’s less powerful, and it should be used as the metaphor it’s meant to be: alienation from both culture of origin and culture of habitation, as a second generation immigrant.
Now Babs is like ‘omg who is this guy who knows my secret name!!!’ as if a) Superman doesn’t already know her secret identity, and b) they weren’t just talking about alternate fucking universes. And then he describes her as if her only importance is her fucking heteronormative romantic potential! That’s why he trusts her! Because he’s relegated her to a love interest and nothing else! My god, dude, this is an alternate universe where you can’t even trust your own father, and you trust someone you’ve barely met in your own universe because she’s hot to some dude who taught you to punch real good???
(And, while I love Haly, this writer tooting his own horn is objectively annoying.)
And what is his specific problem with Batman? It doesn’t make sense!
Now Alfred is out of character as hell, too, all some personality-less English stereotype. He loves tea! He hates fighting and sass! What the hell. Why have you replaced Alfred with a robot.
Also, the whole, “haha whoops, I didn’t think of that” is just... not Lex’s character? I know I have a particular vision of Lex, but even in the strictest canon, the things that remain consistent: he’s a genius, and he apologizes to no one. Of course it’s thought through how it looks. And why doesn’t he talk in a charming way? That’s his whole personality!
And, again, he’s horrified they’d make him fight his father. Even though that’s what it established last issue that he has to do. And he’s been looking for a way to do it. That makes no sense! It’s introducing conflict for the sake of conflict, not to move the story along! What, did they tell him he didn’t have enough pages or something, he just made up a whole issue that says nothing? And he just trusts things he find out from people he’s already learned he can’t trust. Like, he still believes them, even though he’s already figured out those people are fascist dictators who kill people to keep the world “safe”.
And, like, Alfred, sure, I can buy that Jon-el trusts Alfred, he would’ve interacted with him for a while before he got trapped in a cave, but, again, why does he trust Babs? And definitely why does he trust either of them in an alternate universe that already demonstrated he can’t trust people just because he knows them on his own world.
Then Damian. Why is he. So weird. Why is he talking like that and why does he look like that and what the hell is he wearing. He’s somehow completely out of character while also replaceable by a fucking lamp. And if anyone should be the person that Jon-el trusts completely and would do whatever he said, it’s Damian, so why wouldn’t he just take Damian’s word for whatever’s going on? And since Damian clearly trusts Superman, and Superman clearly likes Jon-el... I don’t know, it all just feels, again, random for the sake of added conflict without actually telling a story.
Now Jay is the absolute worst part. And I say this as someone who reads only for Jay. Because in a world where Superman is evil and everyone is constantly terrified of him, even from just seeing the symbol... why would Jay just happily let one of those in? Why would he then spill his secrets or tell the actual truth about how he feels about the government? Do you think gay people think with their dicks at risk to their lives, livelihoods, and families, Tom???
Plus. It actually would’ve been an amazing character/relationship building moment, if we’d gotten to see Jon establishing that Jay could trust him. Little details he’s learned about how Jay likes his coffee, or his fondest childhood memory. Things that would establish an intimacy between them, the idea that they know and care for each other. Instead of just skipping over everything interesting to talk about Superman again, who we already know is evil. And then he’s flirting? Again. Terrifying godlike agent of a fascist government.
And why is Jay drawn like he’s twelve?
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r-a-b-talks · 2 years
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Why did I pick [this animal] for [this person]'s dæmon's final form ?
I made things quite obvious with Bruce and Hal's dæmons but I've been a bit more subtle with others. Here are some explanations. 
Steph's dæmon, representing Jason's inner self, is a wood frog because A) the black marking around their eyes looks like a mask and B) they stop breathing and their hearts stop during Winter. Don't tell me that getting your inner self represented by a frog when your name is Todd isn't funny. Auberon's color is a wink at Stephanie's last name.
Cass' dæmon represents X, her unknown soulmate. I like to think her soulmate is a girl from her dance classes (Southern tiger cats are agile) with a leopard dæmon named Kitty or Fluffy or something inoffensive like that.
Tim's dæmon is a black Labrador Retriever. Of course you can imagine what you want but I had in mind that his soulmate was Conner and that a Labrador could match. This is why Brunhild's coat is black. Maybe I should have picked one of those black and red poisonous frogs instead but they seem less friendly.
Babs got a gibbon dæmon because they're agile and are excellent acrobats. They also happen to be social animals but defend their territories fiercely. They bond by grooming each other, you may have noticed Silas was braiding Babs' hair when she was arguing with Dick. 
Dick's dæmon is a Congo African grey parrot. Those are among the smartest animals. Studies show they have a small human child's intelligence. They also show that they're selfless and will give a nut to another member of their species even if they don't get one for themselves. The second bird tends to reciprocate the gesture.
Oh, Alfred's turn now ! His dæmon is male and represents himself. Humans have used domestic geese as guardians (for poultry, notably) for a long time in history. They have a very good eyesight and can sound the alarm very loudly and are good at intimidating predators. I picked a Barnacle goose because they're not domesticated usually and have a dignified air about them. 
Duke's dæmon is a guinea pig. I could tell you it's because his intended soulmate was Claire Clover (Gotham girl) and that she and her brother experimented on themselves to get Superman-like powers. However, I thought about making Duke's dæmon a guinea pig first and then considered whether or not my current Duke's ship could work and realized that it fitted quite well.
Damian has a Great Dane.  His soulmate is probably friendly, energetic, maybe a bit sensitive and likes to spend time outdoors. Make your own pick.
I picked a honeybee for Martha because they do a lot of good and that their disappearance can trigger tragic things.
Thomas has a sable, an elegant animal with beautiful soft fur. My idea here is that Martha's a musician (see my dæmon's names post) and sables have excellent hearing. 
Barry has a glorious scarab, a bright green animal that can fly because his soulmate is a Lantern. It's a small insect because Jessica seems to me of a reserved, quiet nature.
Jessica Cruz has a Peregrine falcon because it's the fastest animal in the world and her soulmate is a speedster.
Dinah has a Golden Retriever and I think it's self-explanatory. Something about Oliver's hair.
Oliver has a domestic canary and it's probably even more self-explanatory.
Jessica Jordan has an eagle dæmon because F-15 Eagles are USAF aircrafts and her husband is a pilot. 
Martin gets an American shorthair cat because they've got muscle, are patient and sociable, just like his wife. 
Selina gets a magpie because she's a thief and magpies have an undeserved reputation of being thieves too. Poor Tiffany does her best to avoid all the strays Selina has brought home.
I'm not forgetting Clark's non-existent bug. It's an imaginary insect because it's easier to pretend you have a bug dæmon than an elephant one. 
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getsojaded · 2 years
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part iii: non-refundable || calum hood
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word count: 3.9k+
warnings: swearing, people are drunk, briiief mention of weed, tiny tiny underlying mention of sex lol
a/n: hello, me again :) this one is def a bit longer than the last two and nowww we finally have some slight action from cal and y/n (ik it was a slow start for this story i am soz). i hope u guys like this one! xo
playlist
“So, you’re just gonna go with him?” Gab questions through Y/N’s headphones, as she walks through the aisle containing all the little travel-sized necessities. Her (not-so) anticipated trip with her ex-boyfriend was now less than a week away, Y/N coming to the realization that she should probably get her shit sorted out before it’s too late.
“I mean, there’s nothing else we can do. We tried getting our way outta it Gab, trust me,” Y/N responds as she grabs the first toothpaste that catches her eye. “Are you not fucking terrified?!” Gab asks. “If I were you, I’d be straight up shitting myself and crying. Aren’t you like, still in love with this guy?”
Y/N sighs at Gab’s response. Gab knows everything about her, and most definitely saw her at her worst when she left Calum. Poor Y/N couldn’t even get out of bed for at least two weeks, only listening to her favorite songs of his, and scrolling back to the thousands of photos they had together – she hadn’t deleted any of them.
After all, how does one recover from a three year, intensely loving relationship? All crashing down because of a lack of communication?
“Yeah, but… he doesn’t need to know that. It’s only a two and a half week trip. I don’t need to mask my feelings for that long, no?” Y/N asks not only Gab, but herself as well. “You’re right ; it’s not that long of a time period, however it’s two and a half weeks of spending the majority of your time with your ex, staying in the same room, potentially in the same bed, pretending like you wouldn’t take him back in a heartbeat if he asked.” Gab states, and Y/N groans at her amazing logic. As much as she hated to admit, Gab was completely right, doubting herself at how long she can keep the act up of being moved on.
“I fucking hate you bro,” Y/N starts, frowning at her best friend on her phone. “Why do you have to be so - oh fuck!” her sentence gets cut off by her walking to a broad figure. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to run into… Calum?” 
“Lovely seeing you here, Y/N.” Calum responds, with a small smile on his face. Y/N’s heart jumps, flutters, and sinks all at the same time as she quickly tells Gab that she’ll call her back later, before ending it and putting her attention back towards him. “Sorry for crashing into you, I was totally looking at my phone.”
“Was that Gab Gab?” Calum asks Y/N, her slightly giggling at the old nickname he used to call her best friend. “The one and only,” she sighs, picking up some small, empty plastic bottles for her shampoo and conditioner. “I’ve missed that insanity of a human being,” Calum responds, remembering how rowdy Gabriella was at their gatherings. She had always had a strong, outgoing personality, and it didn’t help that she was the most lightweight person ever. Two shots in, and the girl was gone for the night. “Anyways, I’m assuming we’re both here for the same things?” 
Y/N takes a quick glance at Calum’s shopping basket, and then hers. It’s practically the same, tiny sized items, Y/N having just a bit more than Calum, but that was totally expected. Calum always told her on their trips that it was overpacking, but Y/N countered his statements by saying “it’s called being prepared!” 
“Why’d you get the shittiest mouthwash? You know Listerine is the best one.” Y/N jokingly shits on Calum, receiving an offended look from him in return. “Listerine is two dollars more! I’m trying to save some money here,” he scoffs, pointing to the two different price tags. “You say that as if you’re not a multi-millionaire, bab- Calum..” 
Y/N fucked up. Y/N let that stupid, basic slip out of her mouth and she immediately feels heat rush to her cheeks as she realizes her little slip up. But Calum’s not dumb, he hears that switch up of names all too well, his face almost falling once he hears his full name. To save her embarrassment, he pretends to not hear it and continues the conversation, ignoring the fire starting in his chest. 
“Money is money, I could totally be using those two dollars for something extremely important. What if we’re short two dollars for touring and I need to pitch in the extra?” 
Now Calum has fucked up. He knows he was trying to make a lighthearted joke out of everything, but the topic of touring was always a sensitive one, for the both of them. It’s practically the whole reason they were no longer together — constantly being away from each other. Calum and Y/N both take notice of the tension almost immediately, as she tries to blow the whole thing off.
“You’re such an idiot,” she quietly laughs, looking down. Calum’s about to reply, but he feels a vibration in his front pocket. “Hold on, Mike’s calling.” Y/N looks back up at the sound of Michael’s name, her eyes lighting up. Not only has she missed the boy standing right in front of her dearly, but his three brothers as well.
“Hey, what’s up? .. I’m at Walmart .. I ran into Y/N. … Tonight? Yeah sure .. You want me to? … Yeah, I’ll ask her. … Alright, I’ll see you later. Love you,” Calum’s conversation is short and sweet, ending the phone call less than a minute later. He looks back to Y/N, who’s currently inspecting the two small bottles of mouthwash. 
“I know this is a bit odd, but Mike’s headed to Australia for a little bit and today is his last day in LA. We’re gonna spend a little bit of time with him at his place tonight, and he asked if you wanted to come along.” 
Y/N doesn’t think twice before responding. She loved spending time with all of them, and she’d love to reunite with all of them. “Yes! I’ve missed them so much!” She excitedly responds, before her smile turns into a frown. “But I didn’t drive, I walked here.”
“I drove, I’ll t-take you.” Calum stutters, internally facepalming himself at the nerves that instantly filled his body. “O-okay, thank you,” Y/N responds, feeling the exact same things that Calum does. “I’m finished here now, can I grab a small snack to bring to Michael’s though?” She asks. Calum gives her a quick of course before he follows her to the bakery aisle. “Chocolate chip or oatmeal chocolate chip?” She asks for his opinion, holding up the two plastic boxes contained with cookies. 
“Well, safest option, regular. But for you and I, hundred percent oatmeal.” Calum responds, thinking back to the countless amount of times they’d devour a 12 pack of oatmeal chocolate cookies a joint or two in. Y/N flashes a grin at Calum, and he swears that he breaks a sweat. So fucking beautiful, he thinks to himself, before his thoughts get cut off by her voice. “You’re right. I’m the one paying for these anyways.” 
After quickly making their way to the checkout line and paying for their items, Calum and Y/N make their way back to his car. “I’m a bit nervous,” Y/N admits, as Calum opens his trunk. “You are? Why?” “I mean, I haven’t seen them in what — six months? What if they think I’m all weird and annoying now..” she trails off, and Calum’s hands find their way to her shoulders as he forces her to look her in the eyes. 
“Hey,” Calum begins, and he struggles to continue his sentence the moment she looks up at him, all doe-eyed with a scared little look on her face. “There’s no need to worry ‘bout that shit. They’ve always loved you and loved having you around, and they’ve missed you dearly.” Almost as much as I do, he thought. “Mike’s the one that asked me to bring you along as well, no? Don’t you worry, okay? They’ll be very happy to see you.” 
Y/N’s nervous face immediately turns into a soft smile once Calum’s reassuring words fill her body with warmth. That’s one thing she had always adored about him throughout the entirety of their relationship – his way with words. Calum can barely contain his smile once he sees her grin up at him, softly responding with an “okay” before he lets go of her shoulders and lets her walk to the passenger seat of his car, unaware of her tiny smile that has now turned into a big one as she buckles her seatbelt. Y/N’s also unaware of the cheeky grin he makes after letting go of her body, the stupidest smile planted on his face while he closes the trunk. 
As Calum starts the car, he passes Y/N his phone. “Take it away, Miss Aux Cord.” The both of them laugh at what he says, as they both remember that was the one sentence Calum had always said to Y/N as they were about to head off on a drive, no matter the distance. Y/N was always great with music, having the best playlists on her Spotify account and always being given the aux at functions. “Let’s hope I’m still good at this.” She giggles, going onto her account and clicking one of her random playlists, settling with The Sound by The 1975. “Straight banger!” Calum exclaims, as they sing the first few lines of the song.
“You’re so conceited, I said that I love you. What does it matter that I lie to you?” 
“I don’t regret it, but I’m glad that we’re through. So don’t you tell me that you just don’t get it ‘cause I know you do!”
The two of them get to Michael’s place not too long later, Y/N’s cookies in one hand as she knocks on the door with the other. In the car, Calum said that she “should knock on the door and be the first one that they see so it’s more meaningful”, in which she happily obliged. 
“Hey Cal what’s u- Y/N!!” Ashton greets at the door, immediately giving Y/N the biggest hug. She giggles into his chest, as he sways the two of them back and forth. “It’s good to see you, Ash!” She exclaims, Ashton pulling away to dap Calum up. 
“No fucking way Y/N is here,” the three of them hear a voice call out from the top of the stairs, seeing an extremely excited Sierra run down. Y/N runs towards her, engulfing her in another big hug once Sierra is an arms length from her. “I’ve missed you so much!” Y/N groans, and she feels another body to the side of her. “What’s good, little miss thing? I’ve missed you.” Luke happily says, patting the top of her head. 
“Aw, I wanna get in on this!” Michael exclaims once he walks out of the washroom, rushing towards the little group hug that was forming in the centre of his living room. Ashton had already gotten his but, but he didn’t want to miss out on it either. 
Calum watches the little group hug about three feet away from him, admiring the sight. All his friends loved Y/N so much, and it’s safe to say that that hasn’t changed. His heart feels full, and he’s glad to see all of them get along as if she’d never left. 
His thoughts are cut off by Luke’s voice saying “Cal, get the fuck over here!” and Calum happily partakes in the hug, groaning in contentment. “Happy reunion!” Y/N’s happy voice echoes throughout the room, the rest of the group cheering in union. 
After pulling away and getting settled, Y/N places the cookies on the little table that the couches are surrounding, taking a seat in the only available spot — in between Calum and Michael.
Sierra gets up from her seat, opening the bottle of champagne and pouring everybody a glass, passing the first one to Y/N. “Take it girl, I think you need it.” Y/N laughs at the underlying jokes within that statement, gladly taking the glass from her. “You have no fucking idea.”
“So Y/N, how have you been? Update us on everything!” Luke says, all eyes darting on Y/N. All her nerves have dissolved by now, immediately feeling comfort with the group she had once been in. “Everything’s been pretty well, for the most part! Came back from a business trip in Wisconsin about two weeks ago? Now I have a month and a half off, thank God,” she exclaims, leaning back into the couch, which happened to be where Calum’s arm was laying. Ashton and Luke take notice of what had happened, winking at each other and dapping each other up. 
Three bottles of champagne and two hours of conversation later, it’s safe to say that everyone was pretty drunk. Everyone except for Calum and Luke, that is, being designated drivers for the night. Y/N and Sierra had taken over the TV, running their fifth game of Mario-Kart, and Ashton and Michael rummaging through his kitchen, after eating the majority of the cookies and still being hungry. 
Luke takes a seat next to Calum on the couch, who’s currently playing with Petunia. “So, pulling up with Y/N? What’s up with that?” Luke asks in a low voice and smirking, resulting in Calum groaning and throwing his head back. “It’s not even like that, mate. Ran into her at Walmart buying some stuff for next week and Mike called while I was talking to her. Asked her if she wanted to come as well.” “You gonna make this girl yours again by the end of your trip? I know you want to.” 
“Of course I do, there’s nothing else I want more than to do that. But, we haven’t talked about anything in that sense and quite frankly, I’m not sure if I want to, I’m scared. We broke up for good reason, we couldn’t see each other as much as we wanted to. And from the looks of it, she seems happy. We’re both happy. Don’t wanna fuck that up.” Calum responds honestly, glancing at Luke who has a frown on his face. 
“You guys didn’t break up for good reason, because you guys couldn’t see each other. You broke up because you two didn’t bother acknowledging the problem. You broke up because you gave up the moment things got hard, without trying to fix it. Now’s the time to make things right! You’re gonna be with her for almost three weeks, just the two of you. You have all that time to show her you can be a better man for her. Why pretend like you don’t love her when you still do? And don’t give me that we’re happy now bullshit. You haven’t even bothered looking in a woman’s direction since Y/N had left. You still want that girl more than anything.” Luke responds, and Calum hates him for being right. Calum’s never one to cause problems, constantly walking on eggshells in certain situations. But he loves her with everything in him, he always did. He doesn’t want to start any issues on a trip that’s supposed to be carefree and laid-back, but Luke’s right ; it’s the perfect time and place to show her the love he failed to do so, before she left. 
“Yeah, just DO IT!” Michael yells, bent over where his head is in between Luke and Calum’s. The two boys sitting on the couch jump, snapping their heads towards him. “Mate, how long have you been there?” Luke asks, grabbing his heart that was currently beating irregularly. “Long enough to know that Cal’s gonna try and get his ex back. Wish you the best of luck mate, text me when it happens!” Michael drunkenly responds, a little too loud for Calum’s liking, causing him to shush at him. “Sorry sorry, forgot she was there for a sec.”
“YES!!” Sierra screams as a sulking Y/N sits back at her spot on the couch, arms crossed with a pout on her face. “What’s wrong?” Calum asks her, wrapping his arm around her. He locks his eyes with hers as she leans her head into his chest. “I keep losing! I’ve lost the last three times against Sierra. I need to stop using Pink Yoshi! He’s bad luck!” She complains, visibly upset. “Guess I gotta beat up Pink Yoshi now,” Calum whispers, running his fingers through Y/N’s hair. “It’s okay Y/N, don’t be sad, it’s just Mario-Kart.”
“I HATE PINK YOSHI!” she yells, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “No no no, don’t cry. I’ll make sure that Pink Yoshi never makes you lose another game again, okay?” Calum responds, him and Luke trying not to giggle at her drunken distress over her choice of Mario-Kart character. “You gotta use Red Yoshi, love. He’s the best.” Luke says to Y/N. She looks up at him from Calum’s shoulder, intrigued. “Red?”
“Yes. I use him every time, and I win everytime. Ask Michael, he can’t beat me.” He responds, and Y/N shifts her eyes to Michael, who’s eating a bag of chips. “Heeey,” he groans, “Red Yoshi just has a bunch of superpowers that Toad doesn’t have! You just cheat!” Y/N giggles at Michael’s statement, pointing at Luke. “Cheaaater.” Luke scoffs with a smile on his face, “It’s not my fault you suck, Mike.”
Calum just sits there and scopes out the situation, wondering how the hell he’s kept up with these people for so long. Luke and Michael continue their argument about if Red Yoshi or Toad is better, and Ashton has replaced Y/N’s spot in Mario-Kart, switching to Red Yoshi after eavesdropping on their conversation. Calum stays put with a soft smile on his face, stroking Y/N’s hair and softly rubbing her scalp. He almost doesn’t realize that she’s dozing off in his arms, lips slightly parted and breathing a bit heavier than usual. 
“You tired, sweet girl?” Calum asks the girl comfortably laying on him, not even caring that he let one of the pet names he called her slip out. She nods lightly, nuzzling her face into his chest. “I’m sleepy, Cal.”
Cal. He’s heard that nickname millions of times, but he hasn’t heard it from her in what feels like ages. He hasn’t heard her call him that in a while, and he fucking loves it. He smiles at her, slowly getting up from the couch and bringing her up with him.
“Let’s go home, Y/N.” 
Him and Y/N quickly say goodbye to their friends, wishing Michael a safe flight back to Australia tomorrow. 
“Thanks guys. You two have one as well, alright?” Michael jokes around, earning a snort from Ashton and Luke clapping his hands together. “Oh fuck off,” Calum laughs, giving Michael a hug before they take off. 
Y/N stumbles her way to the car, Calum rushing over towards her and grabbing her by the waist, trying to stabilize her. “I got you,” He whispers, opening the door for her and helping her get inside. He jogs to the driver’s seat, starting the car and passing her his phone. “Take it away, Miss Drunk Aux Cord.” 
She giggles at the change of sentence, clicking Softcore by The Neigbourhood.
“I’m always gone, out on the go. I’m on the run and you’re home alone. I’m too consumed with my own life, are we too young for this?” she sings softly, sighing. Calum only now realizes how much the song she played resonated with the both of them. He wonders if the reason she sighed is because she had also come to the realization of that, as well. 
Calum gets to Y/N’s place less than ten minutes later, parking in front of her house and assisting her with getting out of the car. She wraps her arm around his waist, hoisting her up. “Drank too much,” she groans, stumbling towards the door and clutching her stomach. 
“Just grabbing your keys,” Calum reaches into her jacket pocket, taking her keys and unlocking the door. They kick off their shoes, as Y/N frowns at the sight of the multiple stairs she has to go up. She is way too drunk and tired for this. To her benefit, Calum notices her frown at the stairs and decides to pick her up bridal style, making his way up the stairs. “I got you, don’t worry.” “Second door on the left,” she whispers once he reaches the top of the stairs. He kicks the slightly open door, placing her lightly on the bed. She smiles at the comfort, turning to her side as Calum removes her hoodie. “Hey, we’ve seen each other for a day since we broke up. Not yet,” She half jokes, Calum immediately letting go of the hoodie. “I’m joking, can you pass me that shirt over there?” She asks, pointing to the shirt laying on her desk chair. 
Passing the shirt to her, he realizes that it’s his Nine Inch Nails shirt, smiling at her once she puts it on. “So that’s where the shirt went.” “Never asked for it back.” She responds, getting under the covers. 
“I’ll head out now, it was good to see you Y/-“ “Wait,” Y/N cuts Calum off, extending her arm to reach for his hand. He walks back towards her, grabbing her hand and interlocking it with his. She doesn’t know what’s come over her, and she’s a little nervous to ask. But she’s drunk, and she has nothing to lose. “It’s late, Cal. Stay here tonight.“
“Are you sure?” He asks her cautiously. Everything in his body is telling him to stay, but she’s drunk and he doesn’t want her to regret it the next day. “It’s late,” she repeats, “And we’ll be sleeping in the same bed at the same time next week. Come here.” She pats the empty spot beside her, flashing him a tired smile.
He walks towards the empty side of her bed, taking off his shirt and crawling into bed with her. She shuffles closer to him, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck, wrapping her arm around him.
It’s quiet for a few moments, and Calum’s about to doze off, before her quiet voice speaks up again. “Missed this… missed you, Cal.” 
His eyes widen, and he whispers a “what?” in response but by the time he asks, she’s fallen fast asleep. He looks down at her, caressing her cheek before he hears the door open softly.
“You home - Cal?!” Gabriella whispers softly, walking over towards him and giving him a slight side hug. “It’s been a while, Gab Gab. How’ve you been?” He whispers in response. “Been good, just getting by, really. What about you? Is Y/N okay?” She asks. 
“I’ve been okay, as for Y/N… she had too much to drink tonight. Ran into her at Walmart and asked if she wanted to spend some time with everyone at Michael’s and next thing you know, she almost broke into tears over losing Mario-Kart while using Pink Yoshi.“ he explains, Gabriella facepalming at her sleeping friend. “I’m assuming she asked you to stay as well.” She states, him nodding in response. 
“Alright, I’ll head off to bed now too, goodnight Calum.” 
“Night, Gab Gab.”
Gabriella starts walking out of Y/N’s room, turning back around before closing the door. “Oh, and Cal?”
“Yeah?”
“Get your girl back already.”
taglist: @someinsanefangirl @lucyjafari @i-s-a-b-e-l-l-a-o @valesnicks @juhvette @perfctcalum @bohemianhargrove @fobodob @wldflwrbby @wiiildflowerrr @fangirl-candy @asmilinghopefullromantic @jazzymariexoxoc @caramelcalum @imightcry-blog @leomoonbaby @dreaded-awakening @mytlrh @noraskaar
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erodasfishtacos · 3 years
Text
Not So Easy
prompt: Harry and Y/N have both had a rough week. Ivy is in the prime of her terrible twos. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
word count: 6.2k
warnings: swearing, smut, a little angst
AN: Fulfilling this request ***. This is part of the CEO!Harry verse. If you enjoy please like, reblog, and come chat with me about it x 
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It was a gorgeous, cool Saturday evening and Y/N had been cooped up in the house all week due to nasty rainstorms that lasted the whole week. All of Y/N’s friends had canceled plans for one reason or another. Anne came down with flu and couldn’t visit like she was suppose to.
Harry had an extra awful week at work - which was saying something - and hadn’t been able to let it go. The frustration and irritation he usually was good at leaving at the office at the end of the workday hadn’t been happening.
Ivy was in the midst of her terrible twos and quite frankly it was disaster for all of them.
They decided on one of their favorite restaurants about an hour outside of London near the beautiful, green countryside. ***
It was a family-owned Italian establishment with outside seating on the patio. The tables were filled but Harry always managed to squeeze himself into a non-existent reservation with his charm (and wallet).
When they’re escorted onto the deck, Ivy had Harry hitched up on his hip and wriggles her into her wooden high-chair with little difficulty - she had just woken up from a nap and was in a seemingly okay mood.
Y/N notices a few pairs of eyes watching them from the table close to theirs but decided that she was just being paranoid. And if she brought it up to Harry she knows he’d immediately tell them to fuck off and mind their business. 
They get Ivy settled with her favorite little sensory book and her plush baby doll ***, as they look at the menu, “I’m so hungry,” Y/N grumbles, unable to decide what she wants to eat, Ivy literally running her around all day with no time for refueling.
“Me too, y’didn’t let me finish my meal earlier,” Harry murmurs cheekily, looking at his wife over his menu with a raised eyebrow, “Guess I’ll just have to wait for dessert.”
“Baba’s asleep, she was out as soon as her head hit the pillow,” Harry tells his wife, trotting in their bedroom. He’s already stripping the shirt off his head and wriggling his running shorts down his narrow hips.
Y/N’s laying on the bed, too distracted by her romance novel to notice Harry’s actions - well until he yanks at her ankles until her bum skids towards the end of the bed, she lets out a surprise yelp at her husband’s strength.
He plucks the book from her hands and tosses it to the floor with a thump. His hands are hurriedly reaching to pull down her shorts and panties with impatience at having his wife bare before him.
“Someone’s a bit horny,” Y/N teases, raising her hips to let him slide them down before they join the book on the floor. He ducks down to bite at the soft skin of her hip bone, suckling a dark mark there in ownership.
“Have y’seen yourself, pet?” Harry replies lowly, unable to help himself as he dips down and swipes a long, languid lip up her center with no warning. It has her moaning and pushing herself into his mouth.
“We don’t have long, H. Need you in me,” His wife whines, pulling him up by his hair until he’s slipping his tongue right into her mouth, wasting no time to hike her hips up around his waist and pushing in with one strong, directive thrust.
Y/N blushes and darts her eyes back down to the menu, “If you’re good, maybe I’ll let you.”
Harry laughs, eyes wrinkling around the corners, “Y’know even when I’m not good, y’let me.”
It was very very true.
“Oops!” Ivy squeals when her doll falls to the ground. It was one of the new words she’s finally understood in context and it’s unbelievably cute to hear her high, little squeaky voice.
“S’alright, here you go bab,” Harry titters, reaching down to toss it back onto the table for his daughter. She looked so fucking adorable tonight in what Y/N had dressed her in a little Gucci jean jacket with matching jeans. ***
Ivy manages to keep herself pretty occupied until she needs a diaper change. The meals had just arrived, steaming hot and smelling like heaven, but Y/N slings their diaper bag over her shoulder and totes the baby off to the bathroom.
Harry watches them, like the protector he is until they make it to the bathroom safely. He can sense eyes on him (the same group Y/N thought was watching) but unlike his wife, Harry makes eye contact with the table who were staring directly at his wife and then him.
“Can I fuckin’ help you?” Harry asks bluntly, not hesitating to stare down every single person at the table. He didn't want anyone staring at them, staring at Y/N, staring at Ivy. He wanted to enjoy his dinner in peace with his family. He assumed they probably worked for him.
They avert their gaze from the intense man, acting nonchalantly and sipping at their glasses filled with wine as if they weren’t just staring at them. It makes Harry scoff loudly enough so that they can hear it.
When Y/N appears back with Ivy and attempts to plop her back into her seat, her limbs go wiggly and her eyebrow knits with refusal, letting out little kicks, “No mummy, no!”
“Baby, we’ve got to eat now. How ‘bout after we’re done?” Y/N hums in her daughter’s ear, attempting to steady the toddler’s legs to slide into the slots of the chair. 
Y/N knew it was going to be a struggle since Y/N told Ivy she couldn’t have the big stuffed animal that was in the gift shop on the way to the bathroom.
“Mummy! Don’t wanna!” Ivy protests loudly, her face pinched with her terrible twos anger as she squirms and twists in her mother’s grip.
“S’okay, give her to me,” Harry tells his wife, taking Ivy in his lap. She smiles with deep dimples up at her father before going to reach her little fingers into his pasta. “No, Ivy. S’hot, it’s goin’ to burn you.”
Ivy pulls her brows together, decidedly not liking what her dad had to say, because she’s reaching out once again. “Ivy, daddy said ‘no’. Be a good girl and listen.”
“Mine.” Oh god, her favorite word at the moment.
“Ivy Elizabeth, s’not yours. S’daddy’s. Mummy ordered you chicken, which she very nicely cut up for you. You need to eat that, lovie,” Harry uses a bit of a firmer voice with the little girl, pulling her plate of cubed of food over.
“Here, bub,” Y/N takes a small piece, bringing it up to her daughter’s full lips. Only to be met with a hand batting it away until it’s being flung limply to the wood floor with a screech.
“No, want that,” Ivy huffs, once again reaching for her father’s steaming plate. She’s nearly close to getting her finger into the burning sauce so Harry has to scoot his chair out a bit so she can’t reach it anymore.
The parents give each other a knowing look because of what is surely about to come. The baby was struggling with being told ‘no’ as of late, as well as claiming nearly everything as ‘mine’. Tantrums were in their prime right now and they thought the pre-dinner nap would have helped.
Spoiler Alert: It doesn’t.
When Ivy realizes she’s no longer able to reach the food, she furrows her brow and pulls back her little fist, hitting at her father’s shoulder. It wasn’t often she tried to hit, likely because most times it landed her on the step for two minutes, but it’s like she knew they couldn’t do that here.
“Ivy,” Harry takes her small hands between his, “We do not hit, do you understand Daddy? S’not nice. If you can’t behave, you’re not getting ice cream before we go home.”
At that point, the little girl would normally calm down a bit and readjust because she really loved ice cream but it didn’t do anything to quell her anger tonight. She shakes her head, curly hair bouncing, before the tears start rolling.
“Should we just get this to go?” Y/N asks, knowing that the whole restaurant doesn’t want to hear the sobbing baby throwing a fit over not being able to dig her hands into her father’s dinner plate. 
“Probably best,” Harry grunts when Ivy wriggles and twists in her father’s grip with a frustrated whine, “She’s not goin’ to settle.”
“Down, let me down!” Ivy demands against her father’s grip, like she’s the one running the show. 
“Here, give her to me,” Y/N mutters, wrangling the toddler into a tight hold while Harry gets the waiter’s attention to get take away boxes and the check. He’s pulling out his wallet to slide out his black amex and put it on the table.
“Ivy, I’m going to put you down so I can get the diaper bag and your toys. Are you going to stay right next to mummy?” Y/N asks her daughter firmly, making sure her daughter’s little green eyes are meeting hers. 
Ivy nods but as soon as her feet hit the solid ground, she lets out a giggle and dashes from beside her mother. She doesn’t get very far because she’s running straight into the legs of another patron and tumbling on her bum.
She’s not at all hurt but takes it as an advantage to throw herself onto the floor, screaming and tears - the whole dramatic show because she’s not getting her way and well....she’s a two year old - that’s all the reason she needs, right?
Harry’s in full dad mode now, “I’ll get her to the car. Y’got this, love?”
Y/N nods, sighing at the loss of their nice dinner as her daughter has all eyes directed on their family - the last thing she wanted to happen. But she just focuses on shoveling the still hot foot into the plastic containers to take home.
“S’enough of that, Ivy. This isn’t how we act, hmm?” Harry hums, pulling his daughter off the floor and into his arms  - “What’s gotten into you, bug?”
Ivy sniffles, knuckling at her wet eyes,  “Home, daddy.”
“We’re taking you home, don’t you worry,” Harry chuckles, smiling softly when she tucks her head into the crook of his neck, thumb finding her lips. His large palm came to rub at her back and bounce her lightly.
When Y/N finally gets everything together, one of the waitresses - an older woman, stops by the table, “How old is your daughter?”
Y/N smiles, “Just turned two a month ago.”
The grey lady has a kind, knowing grin on her face, “What an age, huh? She looks like a little replica of your husband.”
The girl laughs, they can’t go anywhere without hearing that from someone, “Oh, believe me. They have the same attitude too,” She jokes, slinging the bag over her shoulder.
“I wish you two luck. Two is a very hard age, I have five kids of my own. Just appreciate it, even though the tantrums are a pain in the arse,” She says, patting Y/N on the shoulder before heading back to a table who was waiting on her.
---
Both the parents were frustrated, more so than they usually are with Ivy’s tantrums. They thought she’d simmer down once they’d gotten home but it had just revved up again when she realized she really wasn’t getting any ice cream.
“Shouldn’t have even promised her ice cream in the first place,” Y/N mutters with frustration as they stand near the staircase. Ivy sat on the step for two minutes in timeout, kicking her little feet against the marble.
“Right, because I knew she’d decide to have tantrums all night,” Harry shoots back, matching his wife’s tone. The screaming was echoing through the house, high-pitched and it just made you want to cover your ears from it.
Y/N rolls his eyes at him, motioning towards their daughter, “Well, this is your doing because you reminded her that she wasn’t getting it. You deal with it, I’m going to shower.”
“You’re not doing much to help anyways,” Harry hisses, their voices both low so that their daughter doesn’t hear - not like she would over the screaming match she’s having with herself. 
They rarely fought to be honest. This wasn’t even a fight - really. It was hard raising a two year old and they were learning as they went along. The couple was good at communication and working through their problems most of the time.
“I’m not doing much to help?” Y/N asks in disbelief, “Then if I’m no help at all, why don’t you put her down for bed? You don’t need me, obviously.”
Harry narrows his eyes at her, his hand gripping the railing with a hard grip, “Don’t go twistin’ my words, that’s not what I said. Now you’re just lookin’ for a fight.”
“Yeah, because on top of a fussy two year old - I want to deal with a childish husband. I’m surprised you're not on the stairs, cryin’ about ice cream too with how you’re acting,” Y/N laughs - the sound crawling under Harry’s skin with irritation at her fake carefree attitude when she’s just as annoyed as him.
“You’re being an even bigger brat than our daughter right now,” Harry tells her, trying to keep his voice at a low volume but it comes out louder than intended. He felt himself straighten up and kept direct eye contact with his wife.
Y/N’s lips form into a tight line before gritting out, “Do not raise your voice at me. We agreed that no matter how frustrated we got we wouldn’t do that in front of our daughter.”
“Then don’t act so immature, ever think of tha’?” Harry bites, hating the he hears his work voice being directed at his wife when he never wants that. 
“How am I being immature? You promised her something that she didn’t get, then reminded her that she’s not getting it. I’m allowed to be frustrated with you!” Y/N whisper-shouts, Ivy is now distracted by taking her little shoes off and watching them tumble down the stairs.
“I have so many better things I could be doing right now than stand here and fight with you over our daughter having a stupid tantrum. I’ll be in my office,” Harry replies, because when he doesn’t know what to do and refuses to admit he’s wrong - he falls back to his best excuse, work.
And he automatically regrets it when he sees a flash of hurt cross his wife’s face. Harry wants to swallow back those words and wrap his wife up into a hug. Never wanting to make her feel like his work is worth more of his time.
Deep down, they both know she knows that it’s not the truth but in the midst of the fight it doesn’t sting any less. He opens his mouth to apologize, to tell her that he’d rather put their daughter to bed together any night than be in his office.
But he can tell she’s already past the point of being pissed when she replies calmly, “I’ll put our baby to bed. Go work on whatever is more important than us, Mr. Styles.”
Harry wants to reach out and grab at her arm, tug her into his chest, and murmur in her hair how much he loves her more than anything. He said that because he knows it’s hurtful and it’s his only way to win an argument with her.
However, she’s moving up the stairs, scooping the somewhat calmed down baby into her arms and trudging up  without another look at her still brooding husband.
Harry hears Ivy shout back down the stairs, “Daddy, come on!” 
He hears his wife tell his daughter, “Daddy’s too busy with work, Ivy. S’just mummy.”
But that has Harry absolutely fuming, storming up the stairs after then, “Do not make it seem like I’m ever too busy for my daughter. That’s completely uncalled for, Y/N.”
Y/N doesn’t turn back to face him, instead keeps walking, and says with a monotone voice, “Oh, but you just said you had better things to be doing than dealing with your family. So go take care of your work, hot shot. I’ll take care of our daughter.”
“Why are you making it seem like I put my work before Ivy? I’ve literally never let that happen and you know that. You’re blowing this whole thing out of proportion because Ivy’s been having tantrums and you can’t put on your big girl pants and deal with them.”
That’s when Y/N spins around on her heel, letting Ivy down and encouraging her to go play in her room for a little before bedtime. Her face is turning red - which rarely happens unless they’re really about to get in an argument. 
“Big girl pants? Really, I’m at home dealing with her tantrums twenty-four seven. You get to come home from work and only deal with it half on the time. Do not act like you know how stressful it is to stay at home with a toddler in their terrible twos all day.”
“Do not act like it’s harder than running a multi-billion pound business,” Harry scoffs, his voice becoming lower with frustration with an argument that was going nowhere. He had a cocky lift to his voice that made her want to scream.
“Oh, because it’s so difficult half the time?  Last week, you got to go on your private jet to Paris for three days for business aka dinner and golfing while I sat at home alone!” Y/N raises her voice, angry tears forming over her lids.
“Sat in our 35 million pound house with a pool, playground, plenty of shops in town, unlimited money doesn’t sound like a hardship, love,” Harry replies, jaw clenching but his fingers itching to brush the tears away.
“You know what? It’s Sunday tomorrow. I’m going out. You watch her for the whole fucking day and see how easy it is. For now, enjoy the guest room,” Y/N spits out, storming down the hall to Ivy’s room to get her ready for bed.
“With pleasure,” He tells her, retreating back into his office and slamming the door. He wasn’t a fucking inadequate father. 
He never put work before his family. He knew it wasn’t easy being at home and as soon as he sat his arse in his leather chair - he realized what a douchebag he was being to his stressed out wife. 
Harry didn’t want to sleep in the guest room, he wanted to be spooned up next to his wife, whispering apologies for letting the stress of the week get to him. Remind her what an amazing partner and mum she is to him. How lucky he is.
The issue was - Harry had pride issues. He wasn’t one to admit defeat even when he should. He thrived on challenges so he was eager to show his wife that he’d have no problem taking on his terrible twos daughter.
He sneaks into his daughter’s room after she’s fast asleep in her crib, checking on her to make sure she’s okay before hesitantly entering their bedroom where his wife is fast asleep but a pile of clean clothes for him on the floor tells him she was serious about him sleeping in the guest room.
It was torture, not being able to be in the same bed as his wife. The love of his life. He thought about it multiple times - going in and groveling but his stubborn brain wouldn’t allow it. After such a long week, he was looking forward to sleeping in and his head hit the pillow in no time.
--
“Rise and shine,” His wife's voice wakes him up, it wasn’t with her normally cheery tone but with the same irritation as the night before. She definitely hadn’t magically forgiven him yet - dammit. Her voice is nearly drowned out by a fussy curly-haired baby.
“Wha’s wrong?” Harry grunts, sitting up to see Ivy still in her pajamas with sheet wrinkles across her face. Skin pink and warm from her nice, peaceful sleep. 
However, she decided to wake up today with a massive chip on her shoulder.
“Ivy’s upset because she can’t find her ballerina doll,” Y/N replies.
 Harry notices she is already fully dressed *** and made up for the day. “Might want to get up and help her find it. I’m heading out  like we agreed on.”
“Fine,” Harry replies with a tight lip, rubbing his eyes as he’s still half asleep. “Y’look pretty.”
“Thanks,” Y/N replies nonchalantly, leaning over to kiss Ivy on the forehead, “I’ll see you later bug, I love you.”
Ivy looks at her mother in betrayal as she leaves Harry to manage their little ball of fury. He tries to tug her in for a big, warm hug but she shrieks and screams at her father, “Ballerina!”
“Ssh, okay. We’ll go look for y’ballerina, dove. No need to yell, s’too early,” Harry grumbles, sitting up and automatically being pulled by the hand off the bed to search for this doll that could be anywhere in this thousands upon thousands of square foot home.
After extensive searches, Harry realizes that he’d left it on the roof of the car when he was tucking her into her carseat last night. The cute little plush doll is now mostly likely roadkill on the country stretch.
“Ivy, y’literally got a whole room dedicated to stuffed animals and dolls. Let’s go pick somethin’ from there, yes?” Harry tries, his daughter’s arms crossed and glaring at Harry like he had just killed her hopes and dreams.
“No! No!” The toddler absolutely wails, plopping her little diaper-clad bum on the ground before kicking her feet against the marble. She had herself worked up until her cheeks were cherry red and tears were staining her shirt.
Harry couldn’t lie - he’d only been watching her for about two hours and he was starting to feel anxiety creep up in his throat over what to do. It wasn’t that he couldn’t parent her, but it was a lot of crying and he hated seeing her upset.
“Why don’t we go eat some breakfast? Does that sound good, lovie?” Harry offers hopefully, having to contain a laugh at how much she looks like him when he’s angry. The little crease between her eyes, the green in her eyes sparkling a little darker than usual.
Her eyes peek up at her father, “Yes, Daddy.”
Harry sighs in relief, scrubbing at hand down his face, taking her into the kitchen, strapping her in the highchair before whipping up some cheesy eggs for her.
When he puts down the plate in front of her, he has to say she’s surprised when she slaps it off the tray and onto the floor, spilling everywhere. “No, want mummy’s breakfast.”
Her father looks at her with a comically bewildered expression before turning on his dad voice, “We do not throw things on the ground. Do you understand me, Ivy Elizabeth?”
Her full little lips are drawn into a tight pout as she tosses her baby fork on the ground to join the still warm eggs in a heap.  
“Mummy’s breakfast.”
The scolding goes in one ear and out the other, she doesn’t acknowledge her father but continues on her demands.
He caves after trying to no avail to decipher what ‘mummy’s breakfast’ means.
Ivy threw her eggs on the ground. She’s demanding mummy’s breakfast.
She’s hated eggs for the past two weeks now. Vanilla yogurt with diced strawberries and blueberries in her red baby bowl.
He does as she says, arranges a nice little bowl of yogurt with the fruit. He couldn’t find the red bowl so he substituted for a blue one. 
It results in the yogurt also being smacked to the ground. 
She threw that on the ground too.
Did you put it in a red bowl?
I couldn’t find it, just put it in a blue bowl
She only wants to eat breakfast out of red bowls right now
Harry groans, he didn’t know his daughter was this difficult about breakfast time. He was usually gone by the time she’d woken up for the day. Y/N usually let him sleep in a bit on the weekends until ten or so.
After digging for the specific red bowl, doing up her breakfast again - Ivy happily begins eating until it drips down her sleep clothes, rubbed all over her cheeks, and it even manages up in her tangled locks.
“S’that just so yummy, Vee?” Harry hums after she’s finished. “Looks like it’s bath time.”
He really should have guessed at this point when she shakes her head and squeaks, “No!”
“Yes, s’bathtime,” Harry says sternly, traipsing upstairs with the wriggling toddler who is doing everything in her power to fight against her father’s hold. 
“No, no, no. Ballerina,” Ivy brings it up again, making it a near impossible task for Harry to wrangle her out of her clothes and diaper. 
While he’s running the bath, she darts from the bathroom and through the hallways, right towards the grand staircase where the baby gate isn’t closed. Harry really really didn’t want to yell at his daughter but she could seriously get hurt.
“Ivy Elizabeth Styles, if you don’t get your little bum over to Daddy right now, you’re going on the step and y’not having playtime at all,” Harry orders loudly, but breathing a sigh of relief when his daughter skids in her tracks to a halt.
The little girl turns on her heels, eyes wide in fright at her dad’s raised voice - which rarely ever happened unless she really wasn’t listening. She begins to cry but not in her now typical anger-induced haze but in a legitimate sad wail.
His heart aches as his daughter toddles obediently back over to him with her little head hung low in regret, “Daddy, hold me?”
Harry can’t deny her so he scoops her up into the crook of his arm, “M’sorry for yellin’, bug. But y’need to be good for Daddy? You could have gotten really hurt and that would have made Daddy sad, okay?”
Her eyes are watery as she looks up at him, her hand curling around his neck before burying her still yogurt-sticky face into his skin, hiccuping with sad whines, “Sad Daddy.”
“Mhm, now are you going to be nice and get a bath f’me? Y’dirty, bubby,” Harry smiles down at her to brighten back up her mood and it works because her dimples pop out of her cheeks and she flashes her small blocky baby teeth.
Ivy surprisingly does well in the bathtub, allowing her father to get her all cleaned up until she accidentally opens her eyes and gets baby soap in them, it’s another round of tears that cannot be controlled.
Harry totes the sobbing toddler into a cute little Moschino onesie and brings her into their bedroom. He’s so fucking exhausted and it was barely noon. His stress level was near a hundred as he couldn’t keep her from being pissed off for more than twenty minutes at a time.
Luckily, it seems like the screaming and crying for the last how many hours had taken a toll on her because as soon as she sprawled on her stomach on Harry’s chest, she’s out like a light. The cutest small snores coming from her as she smacks her lips together while she dreams.
He gives her a few minutes to fall into a deeper sleep before tiptoeing her into her nursery and laying her very carefully into her crib. She doesn’t wake, just whimpers softly and turns on her side, away from her father.
When he’s sure she’ll be okay, he goes back into their bedroom, and well...he just breathes. He didn’t realize how high his anxiety had been up to this point and his whole morning had been nothing but trying to get his daughter calm. He didn’t even have one moment to think about himself.
It really wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate Y/N being a stay at home mum - of course, he did. He already knew how bloody amazing and strong she was as a person, he didn’t need this to prove what he already knew. It was his stubbornness to not decline a challenge and they both knew that was the case.
Y/N really didn’t think that Harry doubted her abilities. He nearly spent most of his days telling her how proud he was of her and her abilities as a partner and mum. It doesn’t mean it didn’t sting when he brought up his job compared to hers.
Harry’s in his own world of thoughts that he doesn’t notice a figure leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom, “You got everything under control, H?”
His eyes darted up to meet his wife’s, “Not really. She’s a little terror,” He jokes (kind of).
“It’s easy compared to your job, right?” Y/N asks but it’s obviously rhetorical. She drops a few shopping bags on the floor before leaning down to unstrap her high heels, kicking them off along with throwing off the blazer to the floor.
“I never said your job was easy. Y’puttin’ words in my mouth,” Harry argues, sitting up straight and moving to sit on the edge of the bed.
“No, you’re right. It’s just not as hard as your job,” Y/N huffs, unbuttoning the tight jeans and shucking them off her thighs. She didn’t have any idea what she was doing to him right now, his mouth nearly watering when her thighs jiggle a bit.
“You’re right, it’s not as hard as my job,” Harry replies, studying his wife’s face when she looks up in surprise - that he was really going to take the fight that far.
“Wow, you re-”
“It’s not as hard as my job, it’s harder,” Harry murmurs, reaching out to pull his wife to stand between his legs, her looking down at him with her hands on his shoulders. “
What I’m doin’ is nothin’ compared to your job. Y’raising our little baby, shaping her into a good person, spending every moment of y’day with her, giving up a lot of who you are for her. That’s more difficult than what I do any day.”
“Har-”
“M’sorry, lovie. Y’know I think you’re the most amazing mum and wife. You do everything for the baba and I. I shouldn’t have taken my anger from my week out on you yesterday and then said the things that I did,” Harry apologizes, his face sincere and open as he leans forward to nuzzle at his wife’s stomach.
When her hands come to run through his unruly locks, he knows he’s forgiven, “I appreciate how hard you work too. I really do, H. You’re the best husband and daddy to Ivy we could ask for. I’m sorry I took my frustration out on you as well.”
“Do you ever feel like I put work before you or Ivy?” Harry asks softly against her thin tank top, his hands come to massage at her full hips. There was a hint of insecurity in his tone that made Y/N’s heart sink a bit.
“No, I really don’t. I was just...I was just upset and I knew that would upset you. I’m sorry, baby,” Y/N murmurs softly, leaning down to kiss at the top of his head.
“Y’going to let me show you how sorry I am, how good of a wife and mum you are?” Harry drawls, his hands going to tug up the fabric of her top and humming appreciatively when she lifts her arms to let him do so.
“Yeah, remind why I married your crabby ass,” Y/N teases playfully, reaching behind herself to let her bra fall down to the crooks of her elbows before tossing it to the floor with everything else. As she’s doing that, Harry takes it upon himself to shimmy off her panties.
“Y’sayin’ you just married me ‘cause I fuck you good?” Harry grunts, standing up suddenly and pulling her up into his arms until her legs are wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck.
“Mmm, mostly. Also for your bank account was pretty good-looking too,” She lies blatantly but he still rewards her with a bruising kiss to her lips as he backs her against the wall so he can use one hand to tug down his running shorts.
“I’d still have married you, best decision I’ve ever made,” Harry says, sobering up from their playfulness. He slows down to be careful as he slides up into her warm heat, her head falling back with a thud against the wall.
“Harry,” She moans approvingly, heels of her feet digging into his backside to goad him into moving faster, “Right there.”
“So bloody in love with you. Please tell me y’know that baby, c’mon, tell me,” Harry begs, leaning down to smear kisses against her collarbone.
“I know, H. You’re so good to me, I love you,” Y/N whines and Harry knows that whine like the back of his hand, she needs more. He reaches down to rub tight, rough circles against her swollen bud until she’s tensing and coming.
“You feel so good, every single time. Don’t know how you do it, s’like you were made just for me,” Harry chokes out, stuttering and coming with his lips suckling a deep spot onto her breast as he rides it out.
After they redress and are cuddled on the bed, murmuring sweet little apologizes and affirmations of love, they interrupted by an angry squeak from the baby monitor - signaling their daughter’s woken up.
“Ballerina!”
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srirachvbi · 4 years
Text
Sakusa and Ushijima bringing their kids to practice Headcanons !
requested by anon: Um hi idk if you write for them so you can totally ignore this . Um can I ask for sakusa and ushijima (or one of them it's up to you) bringing their kids to practice bc the reader was called into work ??? Like Sakusa with his little boy and ushijima with his son and daughter. Sorry you can ignore this 
a/n: ignore this?? absolutely not LMAO i love this idea. tsym for requesting anon! hopefully, headcanons are okay for this! also sorry that ushijima’s is a little shorter-- i wasn’t quite sure what else to write <3
warnings: manga spoilers 
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SAKUSA KIYOOMI
This dude was like 👁👄👁 when you called him only half an hour into practice to ask
They were on a water break after doing a bunch of drills and his phone lit up with your contact picture
Atsumu: Aw Omi Omi, that’s a cute picture of you two~
Kiyoomi: I will literally end you ❤️
Anyways he grabs his phone and stalks off to get away from the team since he knew they would eavesdrop if he stayed that close
The second he answered the phone, you started rambling and like begging for forgiveness so he was just “???”
Y/N: Yoomi! I swear I’ll make dinner for the next week and-- and I’ll uhhh... buy all of the groceries and cleaning supplies for a while and-- and
Kiyoomi: tf are you going on about?
Y/N: Is it okay if I drop Hi-chan off with you? ... I got called into work and the nanny’s busy...
He goes silent for a second, which makes you start to freak out because you were out of options for who to call
Your parents were on a cruise which both you and Kiyoomi got them for their 30th anniversary so they won’t home and your siblings lived on the other side of the country
Kiyoomi’s parents were too busy and so was his older siblings
So
He was your final resort
After a few seconds he just kind of laughs quietly and sighs
Kiyoomi: yeah, you can bring Hito-kun here
Y/N: your hand in marriage pls ❤️
Kiyoomi: ...
He justs SIGHS and hangs up cause he’s tired of your bullshit ❤️
He’ll pocket his phone and go up to the coach and Meian to ask if it’s okay if his kid sits in during practice and they’re perfectly fine with that
LMAO Atsumu, Bo, and Hinata eavesdropping and being like “tiny Sakusa??????”  
Fifteen minutes later, you pop into the gym with Hitoshi (not the bnha character LMAO) and Hinata and Bokuto both go “TINY OMI-KUN!!!!”
Oh my god when I tell you Sakusa almost had an aneurysm when they started to run towards you and his son, i mean it
he literally went from one side of the gym to in front of you two with the most disgusted look on his face
Hito’s pretty similar to Sakusa as in like... he hates germs so when he saw those two sweaty adults running towards him he just
Hito: due to personal reasons, i will be passing away now ❤️
Bo and Hinata are trying to get near Hito, but Sakusa just completely blocks them 
Y/N: thank you for taking care of Hi-chan, Yoomi :(
Kiyoomi: I had nothing against taking care of him in the first place, idiot
Anyways, you realize the time and literally sprint out of there to get to work
Bokuto: Mini Omi-kun! HI!!!
Hito:  👁👄👁 you’re so sweaty pls don’t touch me sir ❤️
Bo goes :(( but recovers when Hito apologizes after seeing how sad he got
Cause even tho Sakusa wouldn’t apologize, Hito was also raised by you and he’s a kid so he just kind of gets all flustered
Hito pats his shoulder to try and comfort him and Bo goes “!!” and like picks up the poor boy
At first, Hito is TERRIFIED but after a few seconds, he starts giggling and enjoying himself
Sakusa was about to kill him but then he saw his little son all happy and his heart clenched
After a few minutes of fooling around with Hito, they start practice again since they can’t spend the whole day just fooling around with the little Sakusa lol
The whole time while they’re doing drills (or smth idk how professional volleyball practice is LMAO), Hito’s standing next to Coach Foster and his eyes are so bright and big
He’s super excited to see his dad play because he hadn’t gone to that many games (Sakusa said that there were too many germs and that he’d get sick)
So to see his dad going like “BLAM” with the ball was like “!!” 
They do a game of 2v2 and he’s cheering so loud for his dad it’s so cute
Hinata and Atsumu are on a team together and they’re sitting on the sidelines with Hito until they get to play
Hito getting super excited and energetic when he sees his dad playing volleyball so he asks them about the players :((( 
Stop I can just imagine a tiny sakusa with more energy just being so cute
Practice finally ends for the day and Sakusa walks out of the locker room and Hito’s like “DAD!!!!!!!” and runs towards him
Sakusa’s soft for his son so he chuckles and picks him up
Hito: you were so cool!!!! You went like BLAM and BOOM!!
Sakusa, internally: oh god, i gave birth to another Hinata...
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USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI
SO in this one you’re on a business trip for work and like.. the nanny cancelled on him the morning of so he was like “well, shit” 
But like not really cause he’d probably be nonchalant about it
His daughter, Riko is 3 and his son, Eiji is only a few months old so he comes into practice with a baby carrier and Hoshiumi’s like
>:0 !!!!!!!!
Hoshiumi: BABY USHIJIMA >:0 !!!!!
Riko’s super energetic unlike her father or her brother so she’s running around the second she walks into the gym and Ushijimas like  👁👄👁 cause he’s not quite sure if he should scold her or not 
Honestly, Ushijima would be so confused with kids cause he’s just... 
head full only volleyball
Normally you’re around and or the nanny so he’s not sure what to do LMAO
Riko’s unusually energetic and he’s pretty sure she got it from you lol
Romero sees Ushijima’s look of pure conflict and almost loses a lung from how hard he laughed
Ushijima may be super smart when it came to volleyball but it seems children is the next obstacle 
Riko and Hoshiumi somehow bond in hardly any time and suddenly Riko’s on his shoulders and they’re running around
chaotic duo, we stan 
Kageyama’s looking at the children with utter confusion
Omg Kageyama and Ushijima would both definitely be so confused with children
smh these volleyball idiots
Eventually, they actually have to start practice so Riko and baby Eiji were by the benches
Lmao Riko running onto court because she wants to play volleyball with her dad and Ushijima having a stroke
He’s bowing so low to the coaches because he just... doesn’t know what to do
it was hard enough to get them out of bed today 
It’s okay with everyone and Hoshiumi literally tries to pass the ball to Riko and Romero SCREAMS in fear
Romero’s definitely the savior of the day when it comes to the kids
Ushijima carries Riko off the court and the tiny bab was like >:0 !! When he sat her back down with Eiji
Riko: DAD >:0 !!!
Ushijima just asks her to stay on the bench but he doesn’t want to scold her 
She listens to him because she sees how conflicted he looks finally 
Lmao she tries to pass a ball to Eiji and Ushijima’s like “oh, oh god.”
Talking about Eiji, he starts crying and the coach just SIGHS and gives them a ten minute break
Ushijima losing ten years of his life as he tries to calm Eiji down
Hoshiumi: !! he wants to play volleyball too !!
Romero: Hoshiumi, no... please... 
Ushijima eventually calms the crying baby down and feeds him a bottle
Eiji ends up falling asleep after that tho so there’s no more issues with him for the rest of practice ❤️
It would be interesting to see Ushijima with his kids lolol
ANYWAYS
practice ends and Riko’s like “DAD!!! Teach me how to play volleyball now!!!” even though he’s already began
She’s a bit forgetful ❤️
Romero literally starts giving Ushijima tips and everything because he sees how confused he is
All of the other players listening as well because they’re interested
Professor Romero! 
Ushijima heads home with his two kids and he’s just listening to Riko ramble a lot and he’s happy
He was scared she wouldn’t like to be there and would throw a fit but similar to her father, she’s super excited about volleyball 
You call them on the way home and Riko’s like “MOM !! I WANNA PLAY VOLLEYBALL !!” 
You start giggling and you listen to her ramble for a while before asking her to give the phone to her dad
Ushijima: please never go on a business trip again ❤️
Y/N: aww, you miss me Waka-kun~
He hangs up
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jungshookz · 3 years
Note
Imagine jimin dancing without shirt because it's to hot and the whole class sees him😳
no need to imagine baby i gotchu 
this was supposed to be super short but i said that to myself like two hours ago and it turned into,.,.., thIS..,,. so if balletteacher!jimin doesn’t win the poll at least the ballet!couple stans have,.,.,. WHATEVER THIS IS 
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➺ pairing; balletteacher!jimin x ballerina!y/n
➺ genre; i literally cannot focus because i keep staring at this gif so just assume this drabble is as hot as jimin i,.,.,. i am about to go into my jimin phase again,.,. 
➺ wordcount; i don’t know i am so out of it right now (1.7k) 
(unfortunately i wasn’t able to track down the original maker of this gif but this is where i sourced it from! all credits go to the original creator of course :-))
                                       »»————- 🔥 ————-««
“sorry i couldn’t make it to brunch last week and... the week before that… but i can definitely join you guys this week!” you chirp, pausing for a second so you can quickly pull your hair into a flimsy low bun, “there’s this place that has these massive waffles and you can pour as much syrup on it as you want on them-” you take your duffle bag out before slamming your locker shut and turning around, “plus-”
you immediately stop talking when you realize that you’re all alone in the changing room
you blink twice before reaching up to scratch your head
what the heck
…how long have you been talking to yourself for??
there are still bags and shoes and loose articles of clothing sitting on benches and hanging out of lockers but it’s just that their owners have completely disappeared
“guys?” you frown, zipping your hoodie up as you step over items littering the ground to make your way to the door, “i know i’ve been really flaky with our dates and stuff but you don’t have to abandon me mid-conversation to prove a point-” you poke your head out of the changing room, holding your breath for a second to see if you can hear anything
“-is someone filming this or what??”
“shh!!”
“move over, let me look too-”
that’s odd
“guys…?” you lower your voice as you approach the girls cautiously, raising a brow at the sight of them crowding around the door of the classroom, “is there, like- some kind of hip-hop class or something-”
you can practically feel the vibrations of the bass pumping through the floorboards as you get closer and closer, the sound of muffled thumping leaking out through the crack in the door
“y/n!” lisa turns her head when she hears you, slipping out of the group with a giggle and gesturing for you to hurry and come over, “there you are, silly- i thought you followed us-”
“follow- well, class is over and we’re all changing out of our unitards so i didn’t know i had to follow you guys anywhere-” you snort, leaning over a little to look at the group of giddy girls again, “let me guess - those boys from that other dance academy came to use our rooms again-”
“guys, move out of the way so y/n can take a look-” lisa swats at jisoo’s back gently, the girls whispering to each other excitedly as they step aside to let you through
“no way!” seulgi chirps, popping her head up at the front of the group, “you snooze, you lose, y/l/n-”
“c’mon, seulgi, don’t be like that-” lisa tuts, shoving at your back to force you through the tightly packed group, “everyone should get a chance to see this-”
“see what?! what is going on-”
“fine, but i’m only giving you one minute-” seulgi wags a finger at you before stepping down from the ledge, wrapping her hand around your elbow and yanking you up, “sixty seconds.”
“can i just say that you guys get so weird whenever those boys come to-” your mouth immediately goes dry the second you turn your head and peer through the crack, all the blood in your body rushing up to congregate in your face, “oh, dear god-”
you were certainly right about all this commotion being caused because of men
except, in this case, it’s just because of one man
you watch in shock as a very shirtless jimin slams his arms down mid-air against the beat, twirling around in the spot with his head tilted back
he slides a hand down his chest until he reaches the waistband of his sweatpants, lifting a leg and thrusting his hips forward with a grunt
his tongue pokes out in between his lips before it curls upwards and you swallow dryly when you feel your stomach flutter
out of all the things you were expecting to see when you looked into the classroom, it definitely wasn’t this
you’ve never seen jimin dance outside of a classical setting so this is very… very…
wow
this is very wow
“god, i wanna fuck him.” seulgi sighs dreamily, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, “i love men. don’t you love men?”  
“men- i-” you force yourself to snap out of your daze, letting out a nervous chuckle as you turn to look at seulgi, “this- to be honest, this feels like a private moment, you know? i-i feel like we should probably leave now before he catches us-”
“oh my god, you always get so weird around mr. park!” seulgi scoffs, rolling her eyes before pursing her lips, “you can appreciate his beauty without feeling bad, y/n. relax a little!”
you press your lips together as you take a second to think through her response
what are you even thinking about?
of course you know you can appreciate his beauty!
you have personally appreciated his beauty in private many, many times but of course no one knows that
but maybe if you quit acting so weird and twitchy, seulgi will finally give you a break and will stop giving you crap about how nervous you get around mr. park
for the record, the only reason why you get so sweaty and weird whenever the conversation shifts to how attractive mr. park is is because you’re scared you’ll accidentally let something slip one day and screw everything up
the other day lisa was wondering out loud if mr. park had a six-pack or an eight-pack and you were about to respond with a ‘it’s a six-pack but he’s getting to an eight-pack if i’m being honest-‘ but LUCKILY you stopped yourself before all of that word vomit spewed out of your mouth
obviously she got her answer today after spying on him dancing half-naked
“in fact, i think it’d be good for you to appreciate his beauty up close so you can finally join in on our conversations…” seulgi clears her throat, pushing herself up from the wall as she zeroes in on you 
“yeah, well, i think my sixty seconds is up, so maybe- oh!” you gasp when you feel two hands shove at your back and you don’t get a chance to even process the fact that you’re being pushed before-
the door ricochets against the wall with a smack! after you get pushed into the room, your palms slapping against the wooden floor immediately to keep yourself from knocking a tooth out
“y/n!” jimin snaps out of his intense concentration when he sees you stumble into the room behind him in the mirror, turning to look at you with wide eyes before hurrying over to the stereo to turn the music off, “are you alright??”
“fine! i-i’m fine- i’m good-” you sneakers squeak against the ground as you scramble to your feet, glancing back to glare at a very smug-looking seulgi  
why is she always getting you into these situations?!
…how do you always let her get you into these situations?!
“i’m so sorry for… i… um…” 
you know this isn’t the first time you’ve seen his skin glisten with sweat but something about the way the light is hitting jimin is making you feel a little lightheaded
the corner of jimin’s mouth curls into a knowing smirk when he notices the way your eyes lower from his face to his body, “i was… you see, i-”
“you were…” he coos mockingly, tilting his head as he makes his way back over to you, “you were what, bab-”
“the girls!” you interrupt frantically, stepping aside to gesture towards the large group of girls still crowded by the door, “the- the girls wanted me to- uh, they wanted me to ask you a question so i- that’s why i’m in here.”
jimin’s face pales slightly when he notices the girls standing by the door
oh
whoops
“oh, of course!” he clears his throat loudly before taking a step back from you, the two of you exchanging panicked glances before he bends down to pick his shirt up, “what was the question?” he slides his shirt back on
“there’s no question, sir-” seulgi chimes in before pausing for a second, “however, as the obvious group leader here, i’d like to say on behalf of everyone that you are very welcome to demonstrate this dance in class if you’d like-”
the girls immediately burst into laughter and jimin snorts before reaching up to scratch the back of his neck bashfully
“very funny, ladies-” jimin shakes his head before gesturing for everyone to go, “go and get out of here! i’ll see all of you next week-”
“have a good weekend, mr. park!”
“goodbye, mr. park!”
“bye, mr. park!!”
you wait until you hear everyone’s voices drift further and further away before scurrying over to the door and peering around it to make sure no one’s around
“coast is clear.” you let out a breath of relief to see that the hallway is empty before turning around to- “oh!” you jump when you end up bumping right into jimin, stumbling back a little before reaching out to press your hand flat against his chest so you can shove him back into the room, “what is the matter with you?? you already know all the people here drool over you on a daily basis and you still go around half-naked and- and thrust your hips like that-”
“what, you didn’t like it?” jimin teases, wrapping his fingers around your wrist so he can pull your hand down and slide it underneath his shirt
“hey-” you feel your entire face flush the moment your hand comes into contact with the ridges of his firm abdomen and you slip your hand out quickly, jimin laughing at your reaction before reaching up to pinch your cheek
“all i’m saying is that you weren’t exactly against my thrusting last night, miss y/l/n-”
“jimin!”
🎙️help me help you make your wishes come true (send me a request!)
✨why don’t you explore the rest of the library while you’re here? (full fics!)
💫or perhaps you want something shorter to read? (drabbles!)
🌟or something even shorter? (teeny tidbits just like this one!)
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vannybarber · 4 years
Text
The Prenup: Final Chapter
Summary: After four years of being together and finally being engaged, Chris wants you to sign a prenup.
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Chris Evans x Reader
Warnings: angst, swearing, chris getting his ass handed to him, a lot of pain.
Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four
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You lied.
You didn't come back the day after. Or the next day. In fact, you stayed at the hotel for almost a week. You didn't stay in the same clothes of course. You went out to buy everything you needed. Clothes, hygiene products, prenatal vitamins. You were the saddest and most ridiculous thing to walk this earth.
Lisa and Scott eventually came over with your permission of course. You couldn't say no to them. You weren't upset with them.
"How've you been, sweetie?" They both look for your answer, trying to read your face.
"To tell you the truth, I actually feel like an asshole. I honestly realize how immature I was. Chris definitely was, but I was stooping to that level myself. But I won't admit to him just yet. I want him to recognize how immature he was too."
It was crazy to even hear it from your own mouth. But you had time to think it over. You recognized how stupid you looked living in a hotel because you couldn't put your immaturity aside.
"Well this might be a shock to you, but I had a talk with him also and it might've did something." You make eye contact with her and your eyebrows jump. Indeed, you were surprised. She continues.
"I know you guys will be able to resolve this. But you need to try. You've have been together too long to let this get in between you two. I think he finally understands." She sets her hand on yours, which was placed in your lap.
He finally understood? You had to see this for yourself. You hoped to everything that she was right. You actually wanted to fix this and he needed to be on board and feel the same way.
It occurred to you after some time that his points were actually valid. It was just the way he came across is all. You were in your own feelings and took it really personal, which was understandable, but you got stubborn. Even though he got a prenup for his own reasons, you felt as if he didn't love you as much as you love him.
This could all be fixed, but he needed to set some boundaries with Megan. He had no choice. Wait till she finds out about the baby. Evidently none of the other Evans' knew about the baby because it was never brought up. You secretly thank Chris for keeping that between you guys, even though he was most likely still upset that you weren't gonna tell him about the baby right away.
You both are grown ass adults and you're having a child together. This bullshit needed to end.
"Oh my gosh this is great !! All my shit talking did some good." Lisa clears her throat at him. "Along with Ma's great advice of course." You just laugh. You loved your family.
"I think I'm ready to see him. Scratch that. I am ready to see him. I want my fianceé back." You smile and grasp your hands together. You don't think you've ever seen them smile so hard.
"Oh yeah we know you're pregnant." You stop smiling and stare at Scott like you've been caught in the cookie jar. "You know Chris can't keep his big mouth shut." Well that's a Gemini for you.
"Now its really important that you solve this. You're bringing another life into the world!" Lisa exclaims. "Plus I'm gonna have another grandbaby!!"
You giggle and shake your head. "Well we need to head over there right now then!"
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Little did you know Chris was on the exact same page as you. Down to every line and every word.
He has always been indecisive and this situation really forced him to take some responsibility and rethink his behavior. You had all the reason to feel the way you did, his intentions clearly being missed by you. Whatever they even were.
He also decided that he was going to set Megan straight about his personal life and respecting you. You were his future wife. And now that you're bringing a baby into the world, she definitely needed to be put in check. He can't even believe how he allowed her to disrespect you like this.
Now he only hoped that you'd want to sort this out and forgive him. He needed you no matter what he said. He did make up excuses because your relationship was too good to be true. He's never had a connection like this before. He never allowed it, but clearly it was for a reason because it give you a chance to come in his life and completely change it for the better.
When he had gotten home from visiting you, his feelings were all over the place. Upset that you didn't come back with him and guilty for making you feel the way you did. He just felt like he was doing the right thing because Megan told him to. Deep down inside, he really didn't even want to get the stupid prenup anyway.
"So where's Y/N? Is she okay?" Shanna asked for everyone. They all expected you to come back too. They didn't know you were this stubborn.
"She's alright. She said she wasn't ready to come back just yet. Which I completely understand. But I feel like a failed once again." He slumps on the couch and lies back. "I don't deserve her at all."
"Now Chris, you know what you have. And what you have is good. Better than anything you had before. You two were made for each other. You're a hard head and I know you're not giving up this easily" Lisa says to him, taking a seat to his right.
"You know she's pregnant." He really shouldn't have said that and he knows it, but he can't keep a secret to save his own life. Everyone in the room gasps. "I found the tests in the bathroom. If I didn't go in there and discover them myself, she wasn't planning on telling me yet."
"Well she probably wanted to fix this before adding more on top of it." Scott adds. And he was absolutely correct.
"Well I'm happy for you! But I you still have this going on." Lisa's voice goes from excited to monotone. She's super happy, but she wished this could have been evented at a much better time.
"Well this could've made things better...or worse." Chris throws his NASA cap on the couch angrily.
Carly speaks up.
"You and Scott should go visit her. I doubt she'll turn it down."
"Yeah Ma. We should see where her heads at. Maybe her mind will change with our advice" Scott agrees. He loves you as a sister. Anything threatening that would have to be put to death immediately.
"Guys, I don't know about that. She seemed pretty definite on how she felt." Chris didn't want to make it worse than what it was, but he always found a way to do that anyway.
"Chris come on" Scott drags out. "We have to try."
"Y/N is a smart girl. She knows what she needs to do and it will come to her. I know it'll work out. And when it does, you'll realize your love is inevitable." Lisa smiles knowing she is absolutely right.
Now she just waits for it all to fall in place.
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You were currently outside in the driveway of your house. You drove back there in your car with Lisa and Scott behind you. When you arrived, you hopped in her car to discuss how this was going to go.
Looking at the property, you admit missed your place, but you allowed your infantilism to get in the way.
"Okay he's in there, but he doesn't know you're coming back." Scott speaks lowly from the back seat.
"Wait you didn't tell him?" You snap around mystified. Why did they not tell him?
"Because we wanted it to be a surprise. Well I wanted it to be a surprise." He corrects himself when Lisa throws him a look through the rear view mirror.
"Well um okay. Then this just has to play out itself. Hopefully he's happy to see me..?" You were unsure yourself. The little intimate moment you had before he left couldn't dictate how he'd feel now.
"I'm positive he is, but you won't know unless you get up in there. Go ahead! We'll get your stuff," Lisa encourages. You think she's more excited than anyone. You thank her with a kiss on the cheek and high five Scott then head out of the car. You walk up the driveway to the front door. You didn't get the key out your bag so you rang the doorbell.
A few moments, the door is jerked open. You automatically know he didn't even look through the peephole before he opened the door. He needs to stop doing that.
You appear in his vision and he pauses.
"Y/N? Baby?" Incredulity is all in his voice.
"Yes, that is my name." You giggle. "Can I come in?"
"Uh of course! You live here, ya know." He steps back so you can walk inside. Walking through the threshold, you look around the house as if it was foreign to you. For whatever reason, you expected some dramatic changes. One thing that didn't change is his shoes in the middle of the floor. His bad habit.
"Chris what did I say about your shoes in the walkway?" You scold him and move them to the corner with his others. You can't count how many times you've almost fell face first because of his shoes in the way and truthfully, you not watching where you're going.
"Sorry I forget a lot" he says sheepishly with a tiny smile on his face stopping behind you. This makes your corners turn up as well.
You stand facing him and him facing you. Neither of you say anything. You can't tell if it is because you don't know what to say or that you just really missed each other's faces. Before you do speak, Lisa and Scott are inside with your things.
"Oh guys just put that stuff on the couch. Thank you again!" You point to the sofa, absentmindedly moving closer to Chris.
"We need to talk." Turning back to him, you nod. You remember why you're here in the first place. You needed to put an end to this.
"Right. Patio?" You always go out there to have conversations or just to chill with each other. He nods his head and turns to his family.
"We're gonna go outside and talk for a bit. Okay?"
"Oh yes take all the time you need," Lisa exclaims, shooing you both off. Scott is grinning himself. You just smile and walk to the back door onto the patio. Chris follows quickly behind.
Once you both get outside, you sit down. You wouldn't say it was awkward, but there was definitely some tension. You decide to break it.
"I'm really sorry, Chris."
"Baby I'm so sorry."
Guess he wanted to as well. You were about to talk, but he spoke up first.
"I want to apologize first. I was completely wrong here. I was being an asshole and I deserved everything you said to me. And everything Scott said to me as well." He rolls his eyes at that part. You could only imagine the dragging Scott was giving him. "I allowed Megan to disrespect you and that was a dick move. No one should allow their partner to be treated like that. You're were going to my wife and I stooped that low. I'm truly sorry." He searches in your eyes for something to let him know that you forgave him, knew that he was really sorry at least.
You look away about to let the flood come like Noah and the Arc. You've been waiting to hear that for a while and you knew he meant every word. But now it was your turn. Clearing your throat and wiping your eyes, you speak up.
"This isn't completely your fault, baby." You take his hands in yours. "I am also guilty as well. I acted so immature and didn't even truly try to resolve this because I wanted to victimize myself the whole time. Although you were acting like a huge dick, I still played a part. I am so sorry for not planning on telling you about the baby. That was unfair of me. I know that you love me and that I am important to you, so if you still want me to sign the prenup, I'll do it."
Hearing the words come from your mouth surprised you both. He didn't think you'd ever give in and you sure as hell were making sure you wouldn't. But here you are agreeing to it because you love him that much and wanted to make him happy. Your relationship would work so it would never come to be used. You had strong faith in that.
"That's another thing." He shakes his head and you're now confused. "I don't want you to sign a prenup. We're not doing that. I already plan on talking to Megan about it. And I'm going to address her on knowing her place working for me. Since you know that I love you, so fucking much, I don't need to worry about money. Nor a divorce. Like Ma said, we were made for each other and I'll be damned if I let you get away from me."
"So no prenup?" You needed to hear it again.
"No prenup, love." He grins at you, squeezing your hands. You pull from his grip and jump up busting out random dance moves. His mouth is ajar.
"No prenup! Ain't signing no prenup! Lalalalalaaaaa! No prenup!" After your little dance number, you sit back down with no shame. You needed that.
"I'm glad that you finally came to your senses, Christopher. Your mother taught you well" you say in a pompous manner. He just can't help but laugh. You truly were something else.
"We have a little one coming soon and we have to be out best selves for them. Pinky promise each other that we never ever argue and not fix it in a matter of 25 minutes ever again?" He holds out his pinky finger waiting for yours.
"I promise." You wrap yours around his and grin. "So we're good?"
"Well there is one more thing." He stands up and reaches in his pocket. He pulls out your engagement ring and gets on one knee. Just when you had no tears left to cry.
"Y/N, baby, will you be my fianceé again?" You laugh breathlessly and nod your head.
"Yes, you meatball!" He slips the ring back on your finger and you jump in his arms. Almost knocking him over, he grabs your face and kisses you. You wasted zero time kissing him back because you needed it. It had been so long.
Finally pulling away and balancing your breaths like you just ran a 5k, you both make eye contact and burst out into laughter.
"Come on. Let's go tell them." He grabs your hands and you rush inside the house. Heading into the living room you see them both watching with anticipation.
"So?" Scott speaks and they both stand up.
"Guess who's getting married ?!"
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HELP-😌 im so proud of myself. i decided to end this with a nice fluff. it was well deserved. i read you guy's comments and it influenced how i wrote it. some of you mentioned immaturity in y/n and that was really valid. and the point about the prenup making sense.
thank you so much for reading. i am honestly so grateful that you guys liked it. i didn't expect it to blow up like it did. im crying now so bye ✌🏽🤧❤
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tags:
@mayafatimakhan @attitude-times @shawn-youth @traceyaudette @kyraroseficreblogs33 @radi0active-thoughts @youthought-iwasa-nicegirl @ohbarracuda @katelyneannxo @jennamarieee623 @craycraycraic @ilikeurdad @captainson-of-coul @joanne-stan @ilovetheeagles @cristinagronk16 @kelbabyblue @onyourgoddamnleft @jessycatth @misz-adrii @geminievans1 @saltyflowermakertaco @a-moment-captured @harrysthiccthighss @dauntless2022 @allboutdatmarvel @ineedpineapple @illyrianprincess @ladycumberbatchofcamelot @thesecretlifeofdaydreamss @marianas-studyblr @obliviatevamps @thevelvetseries @coffeebooksandfandom @shamelessfangirl-3 @quietmyfearswith @kissme-hs @lvgllre @arabescapr @careless-intuition @lady-x-red @donutloverxo @princess-evans-addict
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scorpionyx9621 · 3 years
Note
Do you think Jason Todd fandom is kinda toxic? Because it seems like NO MATTER what DC do, there'll always be complains. Forget the bad adaptation like Titans. Even Judd Winick cannot escape the criticism with how he potrayed Robin!Jason. They just never satisfied.
SORRY, IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO RESPOND TO THIS. I just moved from Washington D.C. to Seattle, which, for my non-American friends, that's 4442km away. And I DROVE THERE ALL BY MYSELF. And now I'm trying to find new work in a new city and trying to stay mentally healthy and positive. Life is exciting but hard and scary.
*sighs*
As someone who was a fandom elder with V*ltr*n. I've seen some of the worst when it comes to fandom behavior. I'm talking people baking food with shaving razors and trying to give them to the showrunners. I'm talking leaking major plot details and refusing to take it down unless they make their ship canon (I am looking at you, Kl*nce stans) For the most part, DC Comics has had a decades-long reputation of treating their fans like trash and not caring what they think so from what I've seen, we all just grumble and complain in our corners of the internet about how we don't like how X comic portrays Jason Todd.
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The challenge with Jason Todd is that he's your clinical anti-hero, the batfamily's Draco in Leather Pants, he's a jerkass woobie, and on top of all of that, he's a Tumblr sexyman. It's a perfect storm for a very fun but frustrating character to be a fan of. It doesn't help that every writer decides to re-invent the wheel every time Jason comes up so his canon lore is confusing at best and inconsistent as a standard.
I guess starting with a general brief on who Jason is and what is uniform about him with every instance he's appeared in comics/media.
Grew up in a poor family in Gotham with a dad who was a petty-mid-level criminal, and a mother who dies of a drug overdose.
Survives on the street on his own by committing petty crimes and potentially even engaging in sexual acts to keep himself alive.
Is cornered by Batman and taken in after Dick Grayson quits/is fired
Becomes the second Robin, but is known for being the harsher, more brutal Robin.
Is killed by Joker after being tortured, but somehow comes back to life and regains senses through the Lazarus Pit
Resolves himself to be better than Batman by basically being Batman but kills people.
Where there has been a lot of conflict in the fandom is the fact that Jason Todd is not a character that is written consistently. DC Comics loves to go with the narrative that Jason was "bad from the start" and was the "bad robin" when, yes, he has trouble controlling his anger, but he also still is just as invested in seeing the best of Gotham City and trying to be a positive change for the world as any other DC Comics hero.
Where I get frustrated with the fandom is its ability to knit-pick every detail of a comic they don't like while completely disregarding everything that makes the comics great and worth it to read. My example being Urban Legends. To which most people had pretty mixed reactions to. I was critical of the comic at first but as it went along I ended up really liking it. I have a feeling DC Comics went to Chip Zdarsky and told him he had 6 issues to bring Jason back into the Bat Family, and honestly he didn't do a bad job. Did it feel rushed? Absolutely. I wish there was more development of Jason and Bruce's characters and their dynamic as a whole. However, where I see a lot of people being angry and upset with Urban Legends is that they feel Zdarsky needlessly wrote Jason as an incompetent fool who needs Bruce to save him.
Whether or not that was the intention of Zdarsky is up to debate. However, and this may be controversial, but I don't think he wrote Jason Todd out of character at all. For as fearsome, intimidating, and awesome as Red Hood is. Jason is a character who is absolutely driven by his emotions. Why do you think he donned the role of Red Hood? As a response to his anger towards The Joker for killing him, and towards Bruce for not taking action against The Joker and for seemingly replacing him so quickly after he died. Jason didn't care about being the murderous Robin Hood or for being the bloody hammer of justice against N*zi's and P*d*ph*les. He only cared originally about making The Joker and Bruce pay. It wasn't until he trained under the best assassins in the world and realized most of them were horrific criminals who trafficked children and were p*dos that Talia began to realize that the teachers that she sent Jason to train under started dying horrific and painful deaths.
The entire story of the Cheer story in Batman Urban Legends was started because it finally forced some consequences upon Jason. Tyler, aka Blue Hood's father was a drug dealer who gave his supply to his wife and kids. And when Tyler's father admitted he gave the drugs to Tyler, it immediately made him fall within the self-imposed philosophical kill-list of Jason Todd. And Jason, well, he proceeds to kill Tyler's father. When this happens, Jason is in shock. Tyler's dad fit the bill to easily and justifiably be killed by Jason. We've never seen Jason having to deal with the consequences of being a murderous vigilante on a micro-level. When Jason realizes what he's done in that he's murdered Tyler's dad, he's shocked. He tells Babs the truth. He does a rational thing because he's in shock. He doesn't know what to do, he never has had to face the consequences of his actions as Red Hood and now the gravity of befriending a child as a vigilante hero who kills people just set in when he killed the father of the same child he was just introduced to.
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(Oh here's a little aside because it had to be said, Jason would not have been a good father or a good mentor to Tyler and absolutely should not have been his new Robin. Jason is a man who is in his early 20's (not saying men in their early 20's can't be good fathers at all) who is a brutal serial killer using the guise of a vigilante anti-hero to let him escape most of the law. the complications of having the man who murdered your father adopt you and make you his sidekick are way too numerous for me to explain in a long-winded already heavy Tumblr essay post. There's a reason why we don't advocate for a story where Joe Chill adopted Bruce Wayne or one where Tony Zucco took in Dick Grayson.)
The next biggest argument is that they feel that Jason is giving up his guns as a means to just be invited back into the Bat-Family. To which I will tell anyone who has that argument to go actually read Urban Legends. Already have and still have that argument? Please re-read it. Don't want to? That's okay, I will paste the images from the comic where Jason specifically says that he doesn't want to give up his weapons for Bruce and his real reasoning down below since the comic isn't exactly readily accessible.
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Jason gave up the guns because he felt the gravity of what he had done and knows how it'll effect Tyler. Thankfully his mom is alive and in recovery. But Tyler doesn't have a father anymore. And Jason killed Tyler's father. It may have been in accordance to Jason's philosophy, but it was a case where it blurred the lines. Jason Todd isn't a black and white character, just very dark gray. He doesn't kill aimlessly like the Joker. If you are on Jason's list you probably have done something pretty horrific, and also just in general, being in his way or being a threat to him. Mind you, in early days of Red Hood and the Outlaws (Image below) Jason almost killed 10 innocent civilians in a town in Colorado all because they saw him kill a monster. That being said, Jason isn't aimless in his kills.
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(Also can we just take a moment to appreciate Kenneth Rocafort's art? DC Comics said we need to rehabilitate Jason Todd's image and Kenneth Rocafort said hold my beer: It's so SO GOOD)
That being said, the key emphasis in the story of Cheer asides from trying to introduce Jason Todd back into the Bat Family and give an actual purpose for him being there, other than him just kind of being there ala Bowser every time he shows up for Go Kart racing, Tennis, Golf, Soccer, and the Olympic games when Mario invites him, is that Jason and Bruce ultimately both want the same thing. Jason wants to be welcomed back into the family and to be loved and appreciated. Bruce want's Jason back as his son and wants to love and protect Jason. Both of these visions are shown in the last chapter of Cheer while under the effect of the Cheer Gas. It's ultimately this love and appreciation they both have for each other that helps them overcome their challenge and win.
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Jason Todd is a character who, just like Bruce, has been through so much pain and so much hate in his life. The two are meant to parallel each other. While Bruce chose to see the best in everyone, giving every rogue in his gallery the option to be helped and give them a second chance, hence why he never kills, Jason has a similar view on wanting to protect the public, but he understands that some crimes are so heinous they cannot be forgiven, or that some habitual criminals are due to stay habitual criminals, and need to be put down. But at the end of the day, the two of them both try to protect people in their own ways.
I am aware that through the writings of various DC Comics authors such as Scott Lobdell and Judd Winick, the two have had a very tumultuous relationship. And rightfully so, I am by no means saying that Scott Lobdell writing an arc where Bruce literally beats Jason to within an inch of his life in Red Hood and the Outlaws, nor Judd Winick's interpretation of Under the Red Hood where Bruce throws the Batarang at Jason's neck, slicing his throat and leaving him ambiguously for dead at the end of the comic is appropriate considering DC Comics seems to be trying everything they can to integrate Jason back into the family. That being said, a lot of these writings have shaped the narrative of Jason and Bruce's relationship and have an integral effect on the way the fandom views the two. It doesn't help that Zdarsky acknowledged Lobdell's life-beating of Jason by Bruce at the very end of Cheer by having Bruce give Jason his old outfit back as a means of mending the fence between the two of them. That does complicate a lot of things in terms of how they are viewed by the fandom and helps to cause an even greater divide between the two.
Regardless, I want to emphasize the fact that Jason Todd is a part of the family of his own accord. Yes, he's quite snarky and deadpan in almost every encounter. However, Jason is absolutely a part of the family and has been for a while of his own will. There's a great moment in Detective Comics that emphasizes this. Jason cares about his family because it is his found family. Yes, they may be warry about him and use him as a punching back and/or heckle him. At the end of the day, we're debating the family dynamics of a fictional playboy billionaire vigilante whose kleptomania took the form of adopting troubled children and turning them into vigilante heroes. Jason Todd wants a family that will love and support him. This is a key definition of his character at its most basic. This was proven during the events of Cheer and is being reenforced by DC Comics every time they get the opportunity to do so.
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Now, none of this is to say that I hate Judd Winick. I do not, I don't like the fact that in all of his writings of Jason, he just writes him as a dangerous psychopath, and Winick himself admits to seeing Jason as nothing much more than a psychopath. Yet Winick is the one who the majority of the fandom clings to as the one true good writer of Jason Todd because 'Jason was competent, dangerous, smart' Listen, friends, Jason is all of that and I will never deny it. However, what I love about Jason isn't that he's dangerously smart of that writers either write him as angsty angry Tumblr sexyman bait or that they write him as an infantile man child with a gun. There's a large contention of this fandom that has an obsession with Jason Todd being this vigilante gunman who is hot and sexy and while I definitely get the appeal. It is very creepy and downright disturbing that all of you hyperfixate on his use of guns and ability to be a murderer. It is creepy and I'm not necessarily here for it.
What I love about Jason Todd is that despite all of the pain, all of the heartache, all of the betrayal, and bullying, and death, and anguish. Jason Todd is one of the most loving and supportive characters in all of DC Comics. Jason has been through so much in his life, but he still chooses to love. He still chooses to see the bright side in people. Yes, he takes a utilitarian approach and chooses to kill certain villains, but at the end of the day he wants to see a better world, and he wants to be loved. It takes so much courage and so much heart to learn to love again after one has been abused or traumatized. I would not blame Jason at all if he said fuck it and just went full solo and vigilante evil. He has every right to, but he still chooses to be with the Bat Family of his own accord. That's something that I see a lot of in myself. I have been through a lot of trauma and yet I try to be a better person myself in any way that I can. It is extremely admirable of Jason to allow love back into his heart when he really doesn't need to. He kills and he protects because he has this love of society. It may have been shaped by anger and hatred, but Jason has found his place amongst people who love him and value him. I think Ducra, from Red Hood and the Outlaws put it best in the image given below.
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To end this tangent, I love Jason Todd and all of his sexy dangerousness, but it's far more than that. As much as Jason may be dangerous and snarky, he loves his family without a shadow of a doubt. I look up to Jason Todd because despite all of his pain and all of his trauma, he still choses to love. Jason Todd is a character who is someone I love because despite all of his flaws and having a very toxic fandom, he still serves as a character filled with so much heart and so much passion. I wish more writers would understand that. But for now I will live with what I have. Even though the fandom may be vocal about it's hatred for his characterization, I choose to love Jason regardless because he is a character who chooses love and acceptance regardless of his pain. Jason Todd is by no means a good person in any sense of the word. He has easily killed upwards of 100 people by now. He is a character who is flawed and complex but ultimately is one who powers forwards and finds love and heart in a place from so much pain and anguish. That is what I love about Jason Todd. After all, to quote a famous undead robot superhero, "What is grief, if not love persevering?" Jason Todd chooses to love despite all of the trauma and pain and grief. Yes, he is hardened in his exterior, but inside there is a man with a lot of love to give and someone who deserves the world in my eyes.
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stabbysideblog · 4 years
Text
BBH’s Prison visit (scene-by-scene)
(To make things easier I’m going to put the timestamp for the END of each scene I talk about)
Link to the vod 
Very long post warning! This is going to center on Dream so if you aren’t into that don’t click the read more. 
28:46 - Bbh comes up to Dream and even walks past him a bit before Dream turns and starts moving again. This is our first sign of him being spacey. After he says hello he takes a deep breath. This sounds like the type of breath you take to calm down. 
29:14 - We can hear how Dream’s voice is different even from the last time we heard him. To make sure I checked Tommy’s vod and it is completely different. He speaks slower, with more spaces, less enunciation, sometimes there’s a slight slurr to his voice. Bbh asks how he’s doing and he replies and goes to spin his clock. I don’t know how intentional this is but BBH asks what he’s doing and Dream stops and looks at the floor instead of at BBH. 
29:33 - Bbh asks if spinning his clock is what Dream does in his free time and Dream says yes. He used to write but he burned a lot of his books. He doesn’t say why. We can assume based off what he said he doesn’t write anymore. That means all he has to do is spin his clock round and round. After BBH opens the chest 6 spaces are empty. One book is on the lectern. He assumedly burnt all the books Tommy made him write. Why? He never elabirates on this so we don’t know
29:52 - Bbh asks if Dream likes it in here and Dream takes almost 3 seconds to respond. He describes it as “really good”. Before while bbh is talking about the cell he doesn’t say anything. He looks at the lava but doesn’t move towards it.
30:11 - Dream talks about how he gets potatoes :] But they’re raw :[. He goes close to the lava but comes back to talk to bad. Also whenever he walks he runs. Dream is notoriously very active, he bounces around he can’t do that in the cell so instead he runs from place to place. “he said he- I tried to get out and so he made it so I couldn’t have visitors for a few days but” He completely drops the potatoes conversation to say that then drops this conversation. 
30:47 - Bbh tells Dream that he’s done bad things that got him in there. Dream doesn’t argue he simply repeats “that’s true”. He also says he gets to “think and think and think... and play with my clock”. In that sentence he looks at the damage pot dispenser then plays with his clock. 
31:36 -  When Bbh asks if Dream wants to hear what’s going on outside he perks up somewhat and asks how George and Sapnap are doing. He remarks after bbh says they probably miss that they haven’t visited him. He then makes a reason for it because there were a few days he couldn’t get visitors. Bbh accidentally rubs in that they haven’t come by at all and Dream goes and spins his clock for 31:24 - 31:33. He says nothing in this time, then he asks what’s happening outside. 
32:41 - While bbh talks about that’s going on outside Dream spins his clock, he stops to chuckle at what Tommy’s up to. Bad says he’s sure a lot of people miss Dream while Dream is turned around and Dream snaps to attention looking at bad. He laughs at Techno “still doing the whole anarchy thing” then asks for a 3rd time what is happening outside. He goes back to spinning his clock while Bbh talks. At this point it’s very obvious how much Dream uses the clock. It’s like he relies on it. 
33:28 - Bbh talks to Dream about  the egg. He simply says “I remember the egg” and “that’s intresting” before going back and spinning his clock. “I don’t really have anything else other than the clock”. That’s sadly true. As far as he knows everyone hates him, he’s lost everything. The only thing he has left is his clock. Bbh asks if he’s named it and he has but he doesn't want too say the name. Instead of that he just keeps spinning it.
34:29 - Dream takes out at book and starts writing in it. Bbh asks what he’s writing but Dream doesn't reply simply giving bad the completed book. It’s titled “thank you!” and the inside says “thank you for visiting me badboyhalo!” Dream tells bad he won’t be able to take it out. Bbh says that once Dream gets out he can take it with him. Dream doesn't reply and spins his clock. If you haven’t noticed how much he uses this clock you’re blind. He says that his sentence is forever when bad asks. “Forevers not that long” Way to rub it in bad. At least Dream chuckles a little.
35:40 - Bad tells him he likes what he’s done with the place before realizing how that sounds. Dream moves his clock to the other side of the room. “I like to watch it and then when it hits halfway *pause* then *pause* then I’m happy”. Note that in this chunk Dream is particularly bad at replying to bbh. They watch the clock move together. Dream says that it was “awesome” he seems to not have been the biggest fan of redecotaring because he moves his clock back to it’s original location. 
36:43 - Dream makes a sound like when you are sad and have to take a breath before you start crying. He says that he doesn’t know what else he’s supposed to do. Bad mentions that Dream has a heat source. From that we can assume that Dream’s tiny prison is pretty darn hot. He also asks how long he’e been in there suggesting that he has lost track of time. That’s pretty common in people who are in solitary confinement. Bad gives a timeline of a few weeks to 2 weeks. For reference the United Nations says solitary confinement for more than 15 days is torture. 
37:20 - Bad asks who’s come and visit Dream, Dream says only Tommy and bbh is surprised. Dream remarks that “he’s the only one actually, until you” and goes to stand close to the lava. He goes close to it a second time while he justifies no one visiting by saying there’s limited visiting hours and overtime more people will (come visit). 
38:18 - Dream tells bbh about the #epic prank he does on Sam where he burns his clock so he can see Sam and say hi. The clock that he’s spent most of his visit spinning. So he can see someone else. I wonder if Sam decided not to give Dream another clock what else he would do to get Sam to visit. Bbh asks if he gets in trouble for burning his clock and Dream says sometimes he gets less potatoes. 
"oh so he starves you"
 "no I'm not s- I dunno- I wouldn't say I'm starving but-" 
"you have 3 square meals a day?" 
"........... i have potatoes"
The concerning parts are how much he stumbles over his words and the I wouldn’t say I’m starving. What would you say you are then? 
39:38 - Dream chuckles and throws his clock into lava. It’s gone now. Let’s see if he acts any different. Dream moves around a bunch while talking about what will happen later, you can hear his chuckle and smile at his ‘prank’. Dream tells bad that Sam is going to make a system so that the potatoes are dropped in so he doesn't have to see him to give him potatoes. Bbh says that he should keep sam from doing it because doesn’t it brighten his day? Dream admits it does but everything here is automated so it’ll make it better. Bbh asks if awesamdude treats Dream well and Dream says he does while he keeps glancing at the lava.
40:28 - Dream sniffles and tells bbh that it’s fine in here. He has his clock and his book and,,, he’s happy in here...right? He finishes off that sentence by sniffling and clearing his throat. All signs point to him not being happy in here. Where before he would spin his clock now he,,,, tries not to cry. Bbh asks if he’s allowed to have anything else, Dream tells him he can ask. While bbh talks about how maybe he could get a potted plant he sniffles again. Dream is obviously upset but he does as Dream does and says he’s okay and things are fine. 
42:00 - Bbh asks who Dream wants to come visit him, he says that he wants george and sapnap to come visit him. Bbh accidentally makes it sound like they don’t want to visit Dream, he says that they probably just need to be reminded that Dream is available for visitors. Dream takes 4 seconds to reply and it’s just a sad “yea”. Bbh tells him to look on the bright side and Dream just looks at the floor. I think that he knows that George and Sapnap don’t like/hate him. He also takes awhile to reply to Bbh saying that he’s been on good behavior right? If that’s because he hasn’t or because Sam’s idea of good behavior is hard for Dream we don’t know. 
42:51 - Dream throws himself into lava and Bbh reacts with horror yelling at him what is he doing? He says that sometimes he swims in there. What exactly made him decide to swim in the lava? Maybe him remembering how he he lost his friends, maybe him realizing he’ll never be free, maybe he was bored? We don’t know. What we do know is in this cell healthy coping mechanisms do not exist. They aren’t allowed to exist by nature of it. He tells bab that going into the lava keeps him entertained and sometimes he likes to set himself on fire with it. He demonstrates this and while bad asks if it’s a prank he just chuckles. This demonstrates how in the cell he’s willing to put himself physically into harms way for any more stimulation. It’s sad honestly. 
44:12 - Dream says that bbh’s time is probably almost up and thanks him for visiting him. Bbh says he wants to get Dream a pet and improve his living conditions. Dream talks about how long it takes to break a block, he once sat there for over 20 minutes with basically no progress. He helped design the prison and knows that if he broke a block the guard would be teleported in (and kill him). He realizes if bbh becomes a guard it could be a way to get him to come visit him :D he’ll simply punch a block for hours until it breaks so the people tasked to kill him can be there. Dream is desperate for human contact. He realizes that would make awesam really mad and he doesn’t want to do that. 
44:35 - Bbh says maybe he can get his sentence commuted from forever to 10 or 20 years. Dream says he’d like that if he has good behavior. I can’t help but feel noones idea of good behavior is lining up. Sam wants to think and see Dream as little as possible. Dream, I don’t know what Dream considers good behavior. Bbh sees good behavior as not trying to escape or messing with anything. Bbh says he doesn't wanna get Dream’s hopes but but Dream should look in the bright side. Dream sniffles and clears his throat. As this goes on it gets harder for him to not cry it seems. Bad tells Dream to look on the bright side and Dream says alright in a way that obviously suggests he wont. 
45:43 - Bad says that he’ll come visit Dream again really soon. He says he’ll bring George and Sapnap, Dream reminds him only 1 person can visit at a time. Bad says then he’ll schedule for them to visit. Bbh alost saays that they need to visit their friend but instead says they need to visit you (Dream) instead. From Dream’s POV this celents that they don’t care for him anymore. Bbh ends his visit and Dream somehow sounds more dejected than ever. 
50:42 - Sam while HOLDING a clock says that he might not give Dream a new clock. It also doesn’t matter whether Dream knows if it’s daytime or not. Bbh seems to have picked up how important the clock is to Dream. Sam also asks if Dream “said anything(????)” while he was in there. He also says that Dream swims in a lot a lot and usually he just wants attention. Sam also says with the way Dream has been acting that he probably won’t get his sentence commuted.
 Overall very concerning! From the way Dream relied on an inanimate object and the moment it was he started sniffling, to how he talked and sounded different, to how he swims in lava and sets himself on fire for fun, to how he’s starved if he misbehaves, to how he was spaced out and slow to respond. This all paints a picture of someone not doing well but pretending he isn’t. If he were to not get a new clock, and sam installs the automated potatoes machine I feel like he would get worse much faster. Unless bbh gets on that prison reform fast it’s not looking good for him. Not even getting on how the warden of the prison hates his guts. 
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boldlyanxious · 3 years
Text
Meeting again
Jasonette July SC 5: continuation from design
I stole the idea from a comment
Sorry. I meant it was inspired by a comment
Teen rated for kissing. Some suggestive comments
Jasonette July
All fic masterlist
Jason entered the ballroom and looked around. It felt as if nothing had changed in the years since he had last been to one of these events, but he sure had. He used to try to make everyone happy because it made Bruce happy but now he didn’t even know. He knew Dick used to have women all over him whether they were actually interested in him or just interested in the money he never knew, but with this being his engagement party he would likely have far fewer women making the attempt.
Jason didn’t think he would end up with the overflow even with only the most desperate women falling all over Dick. He didn't care anyway. He knew he had too many rough edges and he wasn't willing to change for someone. His break with Bruce had been too well known for him to get gold diggers. They may not have known all the reasons but it was pretty obvious when they never were seen together and Jason’s life was completely separate. This would be the first public family event Jason had been to in a couple years. He planned on behaving himself though. Babs had come by to deliver the invitation herself. He had always been friendly with her and she said that Dick really wanted to leave the past in the past. He wanted his brother back and with him when he celebrated the engagement.
There was a crowd around Dick when Jason arrived and he wasn’t quite ready to face that. He would wait until the crowd thinned or just nod from across the room. He headed for the drinks first. He wasn’t sure if he needed to take the edge off or if he just liked having something in his hand as a buffer. He smiled and offered polite greetings to those he saw. He remembered a few of the names but not all. By the looks of confusion he got, he didn’t think many of them connected him to the grinning child he once was.
He saw his opening and made his way over to Dick and Babs. Babs saw him first and turned to Dick to get his attention but just as their eyes met Jason saw something that took all of his attention in an instant. Marinette was across the room. He assumed that she was wearing the dress she mentioned with his handiwork down her side and disappearing into the lace. It's was pink and lacy with the side open showing his marks across her ribs. It was mesmerizing. He didn't even plan to alter course until he was walking towards her. Even realizing that she was dancing with Bruce didn't stall him.
This must have been the event that she had mentioned and the client she had been working with. He respected that she hadn’t mentioned the name. Name dropping was probably common in her business but she had chosen to respect the client over possible name recognition. He walked right over to the couple as they danced and spoke to Bruce when he looked up at him.
“That definitely looks like too much for you to handle. I would love to help you out.”
He winked down at Marinette when she looked at him. Bruce scowled.
“Jason, that really isn’t appropriate. Do try to maintain some decorum, for Dick and Babs’ sake.” Bruce said.
“Jason. I didn’t know you would be here.” Marinette was smiling at him.
They had stopped at the edge of the dance floor.
“I didn’t realize you had met my other son, Ms Dupain Cheng.” Bruce said.
“I’ve had my hands all over her.”
“Really Jason.” Marinette scolded before turning back to Bruce “I didn't know he was your son. Jason was my tattoo artist. I think it turned out great.”
She turned to show off her side but Jason couldn’t pull his eyes away from the color that filled her cheeks when he talked about having his hands on her. Bruce still looked skeptical.
“So you should definitely be out there dancing to show off your work, and mine. Should we show him how it is done?”
Marinette responded by taking his hand and pulling him to the dance floor. This was so much better than having her in the shop. He may have dropped a couple flirty lines there but he still had to make sure she was comfortable with him as an artist.
“So I called the number you left with me and you never returned my call.”
“I know. I’ve been so busy and I didn’t want it to come off like I was blowing you off when I called back. I was waiting until I didn’t feel so tired.”
“That ended up coming off like you were blowing me off.”
“I know. I hope you didn’t lose all interest.”
“I think I could be persuaded to be interested again.”
He pulled her tight against him and dipped her low. Then slowly brought her back up to him. He could feel her shiver as he trailed his fingers down her back until her reached her exposed side. It was his turn to shiver when she responded by digging her fingers into his back. They didn’t scratch through his suit jacket but he could feel her meaning behind the action. It suddenly looked like it would be a long night if he had to stick around here. He leaned down and talked against her hair.
“You make me want to drag you out of here and find some place quiet. But I have to go wish the happy couple well.”
Dick eyed them as they approached. He smirked at Jason and winked. He definitely looked like he didn’t mind being passed over for a pretty girl. He was surprised at how well Dick and Babs actually seemed to know Marinette. He quickly found out that she had designed their outfits for the engagement party but was also already making the wedding dress. Babs had met her at the library. She was lost in her research in the back room studying old fashion volumes while Babs was doing some IT work there. Marinette had heard Babs complain about needing a coffee and brought her one when she stopped for a research break. They had become friends after that.
He stayed and caught up with Dick for a while but his eyes followed Marinette when she stopped talking to Babs and the other ladies who were desperate for details about the wedding dress. She ended up passing out a lot of business cards. He wasn’t sure if she really had limited availability to make something before the wedding or if she said that to make herself seem more exclusive. The wedding was almost a year away, but he also didn’t know how long it took to do any of that. He knew well enough that people often didn’t expect as much time and money to go into art as it would actually take.
Eventually he wandered away from Dick. He even stopped and talked to Bruce for a few tense minutes. Maybe things would get better with time, but for now they just continually butted heads so they tried to stick to neutral topics. He did not stick around when Tim showed up. He started to say something but nothing he could say here and now would be enough for the history between them. He excused himself and wandered off. He wanted to dance with Marinette again. There was no one else he wanted to dance with but she was dancing with someone else so he stepped out of the ballroom for a bit.
It was a few minutes later when he heard a click of heels in the hallway behind him. He turned and there she was walking toward him. He prepared himself to say something clever and smooth when she reached him but she didn’t give him the chance. He took a step toward her but she grabbed him by his lapels and shoved him against the wall. The back of his legs hit a bench and he sat, unsure of what she was doing until she pressed herself against him. She moved her hands up to his face and slid them into his hair as she put her lips against his. He settled back against the bench and pulled her close as he returned the kiss. It was fierce and pressing. He could barely keep up with her.
He pushed his hands against her back to get her to move closer. She complied by adjusting her dress and climbing onto his lap without pulling their lips apart. He slid his hands up her sides and she moaned into his mouth. Her hands came out of his hair and scratched down his back again. He had never hated a suit jacket as much as he did right now, he may burn it later if he didn’t have other things to do after. He pulled away from her slightly and kissed along her jaw until he could whisper into her ear.
“I wish I could just take you out of here now.”
“I need to go back in there or I probably would,” she responded.
“I do too. I can’t leave without saying something. I hadn’t planned on this little interlude.”
“You shouldn’t have come dressed like that.” she said. “Especially after all your flirting last time.”
"If it is having this effect on you I will never take it off."
"Can I?" she asked.
She had far too innocent a look on her face and he was struggling to respond. He was tempted to forget everything and drag her away to continue what they started. But she just smirked at him and walked away. He found a mirror and fixed his hair and tie. It was clear when he saw her that she had stopped to fix herself before returning to the ballroom. Pity, he loved how her lips had looked after kissing him.
It was the best of expectations for him. Most of the people didn’t really remember him well and those who did expected a scene and he spent most of the night keeping his eyes out for his greatest reason not to cause a scene. He also had a chance to catch up with Alfred. He had missed the man who had always been like a grandfather. Alfred seemed like he had much more understanding and empathy for the choices Jason had made even if he didn’t like all the things he had done. Alfred would always be loyal to the family and he took the opportunity to make sure Jason knew that family included him.
He pulled the man into a hug, overcome with emotion at the acceptance. He hadn’t much felt like he was accepted recently. Now with Dick reaching out and Alfred telling him how much he still cared, he felt that he was getting his family back. All his life it felt like his family was constantly falling apart. It was one thing after another until the brief time he was living with Bruce. Marinette approached the two of them and he wondered now if he could find that feeling again, with her. He introduced Alfred to her as his grandfather and the man had a twinkle in his eye.
“Lovely to meet you Ms. Dupain Cheng. I do hope Jason is asking you to dance. With him he may just like to sneak off to a deserted hallway.”
Jason eyed the man certain that he had spied them earlier. He chose to ignore what he said and follow his recommendation. He held out his hand to her and she went with him to the dance floor. It was a nice slow song and he pulled her close and swayed with her and she laid her head on his shoulder. It was the most perfect feeling in the world. The song ended and he started to pull back but she pulled him closer and they stayed that way through the next song. It was also slow so they just stayed together and kept the same pace. The music stopped as the song ended and he could tell the celebrated couple were getting ready to make a speech.
Marinette pulled him down for a quick kiss before turning to hear the couple talk about their lives and thank everyone for coming out to celebrate with them. Jason stood right behind Marinette and slid his arms around her. She looked up at him and smiled as she leaned back against him. He rubbed his thumbs against her ribs and leaned down and kissed her head. A waiter offered champagne for them to toast with the couple. Everyone clinked glasses and cheered. Marinette took his hand from her and turned to him.
“So did I manage to persuade you into having interest in me again,” she asked.
“You might have.”
“I wish you knew because it is time for me to leave.”
“How about I go with you and we can find out together?"
He pulled her in for a kiss. When they pulled away she took his hand and they walked out together.
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I’ve been thinking about this for a while, do you think Charles,Barbara, Eugenia and Anna were close? Anna maybe less because she’s closer in age to the merry thieves set and she probably ghosted Charles after the Ariadne engagement. Would you consider a fic of them all growing up, starting with them 4 as little kids and then slowly becoming teens and adults and then dealing with Barbara’s death. I think it would be a fun idea since nobody ever considers them to be a older merry thieves.
You can thank my social anxiety for this one bc I stress wrote it in school 🙃
TW: panic attacks, death
Title: When we were young
Characters: Barbara Lightwood, Anna Lightwood, Eugenia Lightwood, Cecily Lightwood, Gabriel Lightwood, Alexander Lightwood, Sophie Lightwood, Gideon Lightwood
Anna was sitting by the fire when Charles came into the room. She hated him. She truly did. But, somehow, at that moment, she felt strange. He looked at her and it took her many years back, to when they weren’t exactly friends, but  they were far from what they are now to each other.
“And that was how Consul Wentworth fixed the crisis of 1687.” Charles said with a satisfied smile to himself.
The Lightwood girls were his audience. Well, sort of. Eugenia’s cheek was resting on her fist, squishing the right side of her face as her lidded eyes approached shutting completely. Anna was slumped against Eugenia, her lips pressed together tightly and her eyes opened wide, staring at a fixed spot on the floor. Their luminous dark blue glittered in the witchlight, looking exquisitely uncanny. Barbara was mid-yawn, leaning on the leg of a sofa.
“Wow, Charles. Thanks for the history lesson.” Eugenia said, monotonously. It was evident that she’d inherited her mother’s sass from the day she was born, when Barbara had woken her up by exclaiming at the sight of her newborn sister, and Genie responded by pulling her sister’s hair.
“Oh, and in 1690-“
“NO!” All three Lightwood daughters shrieked.
“I’m still not done, though.” Said Charles.
“Yes, you are.” Eugenia said, standing up and settling the matter. “We are positively bored. There is absolutely nothing to do except listen to Charles talk about politics, and if those are the only two options, frankly, I’d rather be bored.” 
Charles crossed his arms. “Being an intellect is not boring.”
Little two year old Anna looked at him with one eyebrow raised. 
“I swear, Thomas is having a better time than we are,” Eugenia said glaring at to where their parents were, with the tiny, almost invisible baby nestled in Gideon’s arms, his fingers wrapped around Sophie's thumb. The parents were all laughing about something, which made Eugenia scowl even more. 
“To be an adult.” Barbara said, with a martyred sigh. 
“We needn’t be adults to have fun.” Charles said.
“I suppose you’re going to torture us with more political trivia.” 
“No,” Charles said. “I was going to suggest we go through the attic.” 
The girls looked up at this and Charles smirked, clearly proud of himself at having come up with a good idea. For once. 
“What is in the attic?” 
Charles shrugged. “I don’t know, but there’s probably strange and obscure things. There’s a lot of that kind of stuff in our house.” 
Barbara and Eugenia exchanged a look before the eldest Lightwood sister turned to him. 
“We shall go and discover this mysterious attic you speak of.”
“What could this even be?” Barbara said, holding up a loose gear-like contraption. 
“Papa sometimes builds things out of clockwork.” Charles said, sitting cross legged. “Or, he used to at least.” 
 “That’s…” 
Genie and Charles looked at Barbara as she trailed off.
“Nevermind, I have no comment.”
Charles nodded as though that was a common reaction people had in terms of his father’s experiments. 
They rummaged through boxes upon boxes, finding momentos they didn’t understand such as papers upon papers of things that said many difficult words. They could distinguish a couple of words such as “infernal” and “devices”, however there were many that made no sense to them.
“What is a Mortmain?” Asked Genie.
“I think it’s an undead horse or something along those lines,” said Charles.
“Oh,” said Eugenia. “That’s disgusting.”
“Quite,” agreed Barbara.
Anna was toddling around the room, giggling. She almost tripped over a loose floorboard, and would have, had Charles not reached out and grabbed a hold of the back of her dress. 
“This is too dangerous for a small child like Anna,” Barbara said, ever the mother-goose. “I shall take her downstairs before she hurts herself.” 
Anna protested at first, but acquiesced once Barbara bribed her with the promise of dessert.
“What are you doing here?” Anna asked.
He looked up, his green eyes meeting her blue ones. 
Charles remembered that day like it was just yesterday. 
He and Eugenia had stayed behind rifling through boxes, which wasn’t unwelcome, as Eugenia and Charles had an easy, lighthearted and, at times, profound, friendship. Despite their age gap, they enjoyed each other’s company, though neither could say why. Perhaps, it was simply because they mocked each other. Or perhaps, it was sometimes they would occasionally talk about things such as philosophy, and whether what they were seeing was true, or the world was just a figment of their imaginations. Or a mixture of the two; they’d never really discussed it. 
Eugenia surprised him when she said, “do you ever feel… different from your parents?” 
Charles furrowed his brows, “in what aspect?”
“Love.” 
“Have you a suitor?” Charles inquired, intrigued.
“No. Actually, that was my question. I find that, sometimes, I don’t only enjoy the idea of a male suitor, but perhaps, I also enjoy the company of a woman. Perhaps.” She pressed her lips together tightly, as if forcing herself to stop speaking.
Charles looked at her, his bright green eyes wide. “I-um-…”
“But I’m not sure, of course.” Eugenia blurted out. “It’s not as if shadowhunters are precisely fond of that particular preference or-“
“Do you really think they wouldn’t like it?” Charles asked, softly. “Do you believe they will reject those who are like that?” 
Eugenia looked down. “I’m afraid I’m most sure of it.”
Charles had then realized that he couldn’t have both. There was no way around it. 
He knew his parents were happy and that love made them complete. However, they didn’t have to choose. They could be married and the idea wouldn’t affect their respective occupations. Charles, on the other hand, couldn’t be Consul and have the kind of love he wanted. He almost resented them because of it. They were able to do what they loved and nobody forced them to pick between one or the other. 
It was unfair. So incredibly unfair.
“I guess you better get rid of your feelings towards women than.” He said simply, “unless you’re willing to let something as simple as love get in the way of your dreams.”
“Dreams?” Eugenia asked, looking confused and a tiny bit hurt. 
 But Charles got up to go back downstairs to his parents, aunts and uncles.
… 
Charles slumped down in a chair and dug his fingers into his hair.
“She was just here.” He said quietly. “Babs, was just here.”
Anna felt sudden rage. “You are not allowed to mourn her.” 
Charles looked up. “Just because you don’t like me doesn’t mean I can’t be sad. She was my cousin too. Perhaps not by blood, but she was still a cousin.” He pressed his lips together angrily and stared fixedly at the witchlight stone that was illuminating the room. 
Anna, however, couldn’t find it in her to be diplomatic; she got up and left the room. 
Anna had never seen Eugenia look this way. She was always put together, posh. But now, she looked hollow. Like a shell of who she used to be. Anna wanted to go up to her, to say something, but she felt lost for words. What did you tell someone who lost a dear sister? If Anna felt sorrow, she couldn’t imagine what Eugenia was feeling. 
Her head was tilted upwards, looking up at the pyre where the corpse of her sister lay. Tears were streaming down her face, rolling down her cheeks, throat and chest, leaving streaks on her face that looked like the roots of a tree.
Sophie had her arm around her daughter. The sight of the four of them was very strange. There was a gap missing where Barbara should have been. She suddenly felt a hand take hold of her own. She looked to her right and saw her mother looking straight ahead, squeezing her daughter’s hand. Her father was looking down, holding Alex. Her baby brother was one of the few who looked up at the cousin who’d taught him to play simple songs on the piano, and had always let him sleep in her arms on New Year's eve.  
She didn’t know what he must have been thinking now, staring up at the pyre. 
Though, to be fair, she didn’t quite know what to think herself, as she looked up at the cousin who’s life was cut far too short.
Eugenia’s body didn’t feel like her own. She hadn’t felt this body was her own for a while. Even since Augustus and the secret she’d kept to herself.
This was somehow worse. To be torn away from your best friend, whom you’d shared a room with almost your entire life. Eugenia didn’t know how to live in a world without Barbara. Sometimes, in the rare moments when she forgot about her sadness, she’d call her sister’s name, ready to tell her about what had happened in her novel. Or find herself walking to Barbara’s room without thinking and then staring blankly at the door that has remained shut ever since the day she passed away.
A couple of weeks ago, she’d found a letter Barbara had sent her when she’d been in Idris. It was in between her copy of Jane Eyre. She couldn’t bring herself to read it in its entirety, but she stared at the signature blankly. 
Suddenly, she got the urge to run. So she ran. That’s how, an hour later, she’d gotten a small tattoo under her ankle that said “Sincerely, your favorite sister Babs.” 
It felt right to have Bab’s signature there, we’re only she could see. It made her feel accompanied everywhere she went, even though nobody else could see. 
Now, looking up at the pyre, her face tight from tears she’d left to dry, her mother weeping silently, she could almost imagine that her sister was there, simply caught in a slumber and that she’d wake up at any moment and come tumbling down, throwing herself in Eugenia’s arms.
Any moment now, she thought when the pyre burst into flames. 
“Ave atque vale, Barbara Lightwood.” The crowd said at once.
Eugenia shook her head and swayed on her feet. Her breathing became heavy and her fingers began prickling. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. No nononono. 
She felt a hand on her shoulder, vaguely that it was her father’s. 
Not Barbara.
Not Babs.
“Calm down, Genie.”
Not her sister. Her sister couldn’t possibly be up there.
“Breathe Eugenia.”
She wanted to scream that she couldn’t, that she’d never breathe again, as long as her sister wasn’t breathing with her. Why did she have to live? She would have much preferred that Barbara live in her stead. 
The world was numb and fractured, never to be fixed again. 
(Don’t worry, Gideon was able to help Genie after the fic ends bc he’s the best dad)
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