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an-atlas-or-other · 2 years

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So I’ve seen a bunch of people annotating movies and stuff so I thought it’d be fun to do myself. Here we go, Battle of the Supersons (2022). I’m… worried.

Why does Krypton look like a green hellscape?

And why are we going through Superman’s origin story? I thought this was a supersons film

Oh that’s why

Does that mean Starro was the reason Krypton was destroyed in this universe?

Ooo comic book art

Martha and Johnathan Kent are dead?

Speaking of, they really can’t pick who lives and dies between them. I’ve seen versions where they’re both dead, where they both live, and in that old as balls Superman film I’m pretty sure they only killed John. The only combination I haven’t yet seen is one where only Martha dies

Jesus Christ Jon’s hair is so messy, it puts mine to shame

Oh here comes the theme of the movie

Why are they always out for video games, leave them alone

Not just of the year, Lois has won the Pulitzer??? Why didn’t they mention that instead

Okay so Jon clearly doesn’t have his powers yet

They’re on the farm? I thought they lived in the city?

COSPLAY LMAO

Yess hide the evidence boy

CLARK WHAT THE FUCK

His voice is so wrong and he looks so weird, everyone else has normal proportions and there he is using cartoon logic to have a Dorito shaped chest and a tiny ass head and legs

Father-son bonding, adorable

Oh nice shoes

Yeah he even looks weird as Superman also why is the ISS falling out of orbit

Nevermind it’s the Watchtower

Yeah let’s just ignore that that’s nothing like a debris entry hole (on that note, something jarringly similar happened with the Soyuz capsule on the real ISS a while ago and now like three astronauts are stranded there for another six months waiting for the replacement to get there, which is a weird coincidence)

Why does every version of Arrow look so different like seriously

I like his design though, he looks cool

Do they really announce who’s batting at baseball games? That’s so lame, no wonder he’s getting bullied

SWING MY GUY JUST SWING THE DAMN BAT

Clark’s packing some mad man-tit game

Dude where are you running to it’s your dad’s property for miles out

The boots pft

Jon’s so cute omg

Yes just let random people see your son flying with you in public Im sure that’s fine /sar

I would be going insane rn I would not be as elated as he is

Sideburns

Superboy’s taken? Does that mean Kon exists in this universe? Why isn’t Jon asking about him?

GOTHAM STINKS LMAO

Batman looks cool also Penguin has a ponytail and it doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would

The Cave looks awesome wow

Damian why are you so immature?

Rah’zz? RAH’ZZ??? THE OL’ RAH’ZZ’L DAHZ’LL?? NO it’s pronounced RAY’SH like from the Hebrew word resh do you really think the (most likely white, let’s be honest here) creators of the Al Ghuls knew about Arabic anything? They probably just went with Hebrew and said “eh, it’s close enough.”

Damian you’re so cruel

NURSING MY BAT-WOUNDS

Oh Cassie she’s so cute

The eye twitch

BAT COW

Small-town hick

So he did let him milk her (also its a bat-bucket with bat-milk- WAIT NO-)

Well at least South America exists in this universe

Batman and Superman look like mini figurines omg I want one

Nerrrrrrds with good grrrraaaaaaades

Ooo great burn Kent he really felt that one (I’m lying)

That’s mildly horrific

Well its better then that one fight scene in Batman v Robin which isn’t saying much but at least it’s average

Ooo long knife

He ded

Melvin don’t deserve shit

I love how scandalized Jon looks

Damian should have punched him

Starro’d Lois is kind of creepy

Should have done that earlier Einstein

Why does he know about STAR Labs? Actually his mom is Lois Lane nevermind

How’d he turn it if he can’t fly

Krypto?????

Well he can float now

Yeah, why did you come here?

Good boy

How’d their noses change so much between two generations

Why does Damian only talk in whispers it’s kind of weird

Jimmy is so cute 100/10

MONOLOGUES LMFAO

Oh he’s got his complete costume now

WHY WOULD YOU SEND THEM OFF WITHOUT TELLING THEM THAT SOME GRANDPAPS YOU ARE

That spaceship is so adorable why is everything so cute omg

Hacked? It’s your computer, you just looked it up (I bet he just said that to look cool)

Oh yeah Luthor’s the president for some reason I got it in my head that it was her father

Also his voice is so wrong again

“Nah you ticked me off you can die instead”

Awe Dami that’s sweet

She said bitch on live television

OH SURE SAY YOUR SON’S FULL NAME ON A NATIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT I BET THATS NOT GONNA COME BACK TO BITE YOU IN THE ASS

Poor Wally, ran straight into a wall

MMH looks awesome

I love how you can see the small differences in their fighting straight away

Awe Dami watching his friend’s back

Tall bat ears

That’s not how Kryptonite works but whatever at this point

I’m debating whether or not the writers even knew much about the comics to begin with at this point if they got something to basic wrong

That was an interesting editing choice

Also what happened to Alfred they didn’t even show if he got Hive Minded or what

Why does Damian’s hair stick up like that can he even put on the hood or is it just for decoration?

There’s a subtle but rather jarring change in how Mama Starro is animated and I’m pretty sure I’m the only one irked about it but still

Thats not how things fall out of orbit

Also the perspective makes the station look about the size of Argentina and how did no one notice this during production

Yas stab the president with the flag

There’s symbolism in there somewhere but I’m not bothered enough to dissect it

I would have written this “resigning to death” scene differently but it’s a kids movie so I’ll let it pass

I love how Batman’s face doesn’t change at all when he spoke to his own child (who almost fucking died)

Awesome but also nooo don’t bat it randomly into space throw it into the sun or something

How do all the adult men look so weird and then Bruce looks so… normal

OMG HIS HAIR IS COMBED BACK AND HES IN A SUIT THATS FUCKING HILARIOUS

Oh and now that Damian’s actually in full lighting you can see he’s been whitewashed (again)

At least it’s not as bad as Ian

That’s not how physics works but whatever

HAHAHA poor Jon

At least Damian’s got the perfect sort-of indestructible friend for him to bully

Overall, good movie. I enjoyed it thoroughly even if the story seemed a little off at times. Sometimes I wondered if the writers even knew much about the DC universe to begin with save for surface level knowledge. 7/10

#dc #batman #bruce wayne #superman #clark kent #kal el #damian wayne #dc robin #robin #superboy #jon kent #jonathan kent #battle of the super sons

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verymuchimmortalcat · 3 years

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Darling I’m a Mess

For Marijon Week Day 2: Coffeeshop au

@marijon-week

ao3

Jon had started working in the coffeeshop near his college this semester, his parents had thought it would be a good experience for him so he had agreed. It wasn’t bad. He hadn’t been there long enough to make friends with the rest of the staff but they were all friendly enough. He came in both in the morning on the days he didn’t have early morning classes and after his classes every day in the afternoon.

His favourite shift however was the afternoon shift. Every afternoon, about fifteen minutes after Jon takes over manning the counter is when Marinette usually comes by. Apparently, she’s been coming here much longer than he’s been working here since no one else seemed shocked at the amount of caffeine she had ordered in her drink the first time he met her. They don’t really talk, the most interaction they have is when she orders her drink every day. And every time when he hands it to her, no matter how tired she seems, she offers him a brilliant smile before going to her usual seat. Contrary to popular belief he does not blush as brightly as a tomato after each encounter with her, it’s just a slight pink.

And if the others who work at the coffeeshop have a running bet about when they’d get together, which Jon hadn’t meant to overhear it’s just his super hearing kicked in when he heard someone mention his name, he pretends he doesn’t know about it.

.oOo.

Marinette was going to graduate college solely due to the availability of caffeine.

Lucky for her there was a coffeeshop right next to her college, that was about a five-minute walk. She headed there everyday once her classes had ended. They had some of the most heavenly coffee Marinette had had since moving to Metropolis.

She might have also developed a huge tiny crush on Jon, the cute boy who was always at the counter when Marinette went to the coffeeshop.

She’s sure the only reason she’s coherent around him is the sleep deprivation. (She still leaves every conversation with him blushing). She’s also sure if she was to talk to him after getting her coffee, she’d be a stuttering mess.

His smile makes her want to melt and she could probably spend forever looking into his pretty sky-blue eyes. The one time she’d voiced her thoughts to Tikki, Plagg had been around and had spent the next few minutes fake gagging (at least Marinette thought it was fake but it’s hard to be completely sure with Plagg). Tikki had ended up chasing him out of her room with a glare.

.oOo.

Jon had just handed Marinette her coffee when Damian walked into the coffeeshop. Jon had no clue why Damian had decided to come to the coffeeshop of all places. Not that Jon wasn’t happy to see him just that he obviously hadn’t come for the coffee and while it definitely wasn’t unlike Damian to show up out of the blue for hero work, both of them were focusing more on college than superheroing. He was also more likely to just send Jon a message and wait at their usual rendezvous spot for Jon to change into his costume uniform and come.

Asking one of the others to take care of the counter for a minute, he approaches Damian.

“Dami, hi! wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“Tt. I came here to check whether the Marinette you speak of is truly who you say she is.”

He splutters. “Wait! Dami, no.”

“Why not? How do you know she is who she presents herself to be? It could jeopardise your identity.”

“You freaking bats,” he mutters, then slightly louder, “It’s a really sweet sentiment, but I don’t need you to scare her away from here forever.”

“If she scares that easily-”

“I’ll catch up with you in an hour or so, my shift should be done by then. Either mom or dad should be home. They’d love to talk to you again,” he says gently pushing Damian out the door and calling out a bye once Damian begrudgingly leaves.

When Damian sends him a text later in the night saying she’s exactly who she seems to be along with a full file of information on her, Jon ignores it. Freaking Bats.

.oOo.

The next day when Marinette comes by she comes along with a friend who introduces herself as, “Alya Césaire. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He just awkwardly waves and says hi and prays he’s not blushing. Internally he’s screaming about Marinette talking about him to her friend.

Marinette’s staring at the floor as Alya continues to talk, “she’ll have the least caffeinated drink you make,” at which Marinette looks up and says, “Alya, please no.” Alya continues to recite their while steadily ignoring Marinette’s pleas.

Once the two of them walk off. He’s still blushing when he turns to help the next person and he’s met by Kon’s grinning face.

“What would you like?” he asks, even though he knows he’s not going get his answer.

“Don’t you think it’s funny that both you and me like coffee dependent people?”

“Did you actually come here for the food?”

“Can’t I come to see my little brother?”

Jon doesn’t take his offended tone seriously.

“That doesn’t seem to be why you came.”

“You should ask her out.”

“Shut up Kon.”

“No, seriously. You should, I’m pretty sure she likes you too. They’re literally talking about you.”

“Stop listening in on other people’s conversations Kon.”

“Ok. Your loss I’m sure you’ll be fine spending eternity not knowing what they were saying about you.”

And before Jon can respond to that, Marinette’s standing in front of him again and saying, “would you like to go on a date with me?”

Jon.exe is no longer functioning.

.oOo.

Alya comes to visit Marinette when she comes to Metropolis for a seminar about journalism. Marinette’s glad Alya’s here. It’s nice to talk to someone other than the kwamis again. Alya listens to Marinette talk about Jon and insists on accompanying her to the coffee shop the next time she goes.

Marinette regrets letting Alya come almost instantly.

As the two of them walk to Marinette’s usual table, Alya laughs at Marinette’s catastrophising.

“Calm down girl. It’ll be fine. Besides I’m sure he likes you too.”

“Alyaaa.”

“It’s not like I haven’t heard a lot about him. His pretty blue eyes and radiant smile-”

“What must I give to get you to shut up?”

“Ask him out.”

“What.”

“Ask. Him. Out. And I’ll shut up. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”

As if she doesn’t know. Alya’s not really wrong though. What’s the worst that could happen. Well, he could say no and then it would be way too awkward and then she’d have to find a different coffeeshop with such good coffee and-

Nope. Head clear. “What’s the worst that could happen?” she repeats and then mutters, “famous last words.”

Walking up to the counter, Marinette asks, “would you like to go on a date with me?”

She sees the millisecond where he freezes and Marinette begins to run extreme scenarios through her mind again.

“Sure! I get off my shift at five tomorrow, how about then?”

She sighs and beams at him, “that’d be great. Meet you here at five tomorrow?”

“Definitely.”

Marinette couldn’t care less about the “I told you so,” she gets from Alya when she giddily walks back, she was going on a date with Jon tomorrow.

#marijon week 2021 #marijon #maribat #coffeeshop au #my writing

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internalsealpanic · 4 years

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Dancing In and Above the Starlight

summary: There is nothing to do but dance the night away.

a/n: Since I am depresso expresso today here is some fluff!

warnings: Depression, heights, suicidal ideation

You curl your body into the sheets, limbs escaping the gnawing cold. Your eyes are wide open. You watch as glittering snow falls away. There’s a press of static in your mind. Maybe your brain is finally short-circuiting. You really should have been asleep an hour or two or five ago. Even if you check the clock now, it won’t make any sense. On some level, you are lucid. You recognize the characters on your taped together alarm clock. The red characters on its screen… you recognize them as numbers and letters. Your head feels like it’s full of cotton.

You shift again. You hit replay on the voice mail.

Kon’s voice comes over the speaker, a light warm sound cutting through the viscous atmosphere of the apartment. “Hey, babe! Could you grab like 20 cheeseburgers on your way home? It’s- Uuuuuuh… It’s for science. Yeah, totally-”

You replay it again.

“Hey, babe!”

And again.

“Hey, babe!”

And again.

Kon’s voice always managed to soothe you, smoothing out your fraying nerves even on the bad days. But today was one of the bad days you never tell him about. The kind that kept your limbs locked together.

You really should just call Kon at this point.

You don’t.

You don’t want him to see you like this. You don’t want to talk to him about these bad days. The days when you have to shuck off the quick wit and unbridled confidence. You don’t want to tell him about how you want to open your chest, peel it back bone by bone until the thing rolling and shifting in your chest escapes. You can’t bear to tell him about how on these days red is your favorite color or how good it would be to step out of your skin. You will never tell him about your feverish need to feel the wind as you fall from a great height.

Waking up like this feels like waking up in a coffin with your hands bound. There is a shriek caught in your throat between your lungs and throat. It sits there sharp and unreachable. You feel so small.

You shift, looking into the soft glow of your screen. You type Kon’s number. It’s easy. You don’t think too much about it. At least not until the dial tone.

You sniffle brushing away the tears as if he could see.

The dial tone keeps ringing.

He hates you.

You massage your throat. You test out your voice. It comes out a mockery of itself. It’s scraggly and unpleasant.

The dial tone keeps ringing.

He hates you.

You brush away the tears again. They won’t stop. They streak down like fat rivulets of syrup down your face.

The dial tone keeps ringing.

He hates you.

You hang up. You’re shaking and sniffling and you can’t stop crying. Your body is caught between existing and not. There isn’t enough of your mind there for you to feel substantial.

Once your nerves settle and your body reforms into something tangible, you pull on a sweater. Your feet touch the floor. It’s cold like you expect but the solidness of the feeling makes you jump back. You look at the clock. It still makes no sense.

You slink out to the balcony. You wrap your arms around yourself, phone burning in your pocket.

You lean you over the railing, head in your arms, eyes fluttering closed as you drink up the scenery. You can hear the honking of car horns and the flutter of wings. The city below you was alive. A living creature with flowing blood and a beating heart.

Living was what happened to other people. For you, there was no room for it. Not when you are filled with everything else. It was just a skill you never quite got a hold of. You think this as the wind whistles past your face.

You open your eyes a fraction then shut them again mimicking the shuttering of a camera. Behind your eyelids, you can see the glittering lights of the city.

Your phone rings. You flinch. Maybe it’s your boss. Or a coworker. Or…

You fish it out of your pajama pants. You debate on whether to answer it or just let the phone fall.

From this height, your phone would be obliterated. Completely. You balance it carefully between your fingers. If it falls, you’ll have an excuse to ignore your boss. But you’ll have to pay for a new one and more importantly, you won’t be able to listen to Kon’s voice mails. You make an exasperated noise and decide to answer.

“Hey sugar,” comes the smooth cream of Kon’s voice. It kind of reminds you of freshly made custard. You smother the catch of your breath by pressing your mouth into your sleeve. “Babe, you ok?”

Of course, he heard.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you breathe, voice sounding frighteningly robotic.

“Liar.”

“Prove it.”

You can hear the playful hum in Kon’s voice. “I can make you sing all kinds of tunes, hun,” Kon teases. You can just picture him winking. “I’ll make you talk, doll.”

“Hilarious, Kent, ” You bite out, fighting down a blush.

“Seriously, Sugar, what’s up?”

You hate the concern in his voice. No, no. You don’t. You love your boyfriend. You just- You just hate that you made him worry. “I- I’m just a bit down, Kon. I promise I’ll be better tomorrow.” You run your hand through your hair and you bury your face further into your arms. “I promise.”

“Babe, tilt your face up.” You sigh, shaking your head but thankful for the change in subject. You tilt your head, keeping your eyes closed. “Kon, wha-” You feel the press of warm lips against yours. They’re chapped ever so slightly and you can smell the scent of leather and popcorn on the wind. Kon smiles against your lips, mischief tugging at his them. Slowly, you open your eyes and you’re greeted by the column of his throat. It takes the span of a few seconds to realize that Kon is hanging upside down, limbs angled like he’s Spiderman hanging from his we b. Your eyes widen in surprise and Kon laughs, realigning himself to face you properly.

“Lemme guess, you guys watched the original Spiderman trilogy?”

“You know us so well.”

“I just know that there's only one of you that owns a flat screen the size of my wall and that bastard is a nerd.”

“Don’t call Tim a nerd. That’s extremely rude.”

“He deserves all the rudeness I have to give after last week’s… what’s the word?”

“Fun?”

“Fun?” you snort. “If you find being thrown by a supervillain fun, then yeah.”

“I just call that kinky.”

“I’m going to hang up.”

Click.

Ring.

Click.

“YOU ACTUALLY HUNG UP.”

“I stick to my word.”

“Lil’ shit.”

“I’m your little shit.”

Kon kisses your nose. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“Did you need anything, Kon?” He hums floating away from you drawing out the silence. You are going to smack him. Probably not but you like to think you can stay mad at him long enough to follow through with the threat.

“I want to show you something,” he says, extending a gloved hand towards you. “It’ll be good. Promise.”

You stand on the balcony railing, feet feather-light. You hold on, gripping the wall tightly. Your eyes do not wander down even as a rush of wind blows the hair out on your face. Your blood is thumping in your ears.

“Trust me?” The words weigh too heavy sending you into a dizzying vertigo. He can’t ask that of you. He just can’t. You almost slip. You don’t know whether you would fall forward or backward. You take a breath, long and deep.

“Kon, do I seem like the kind of person who would just stand on a balcony railing just for anyone?”

“Dunno, babe, you’re quite the Romantic.”

You blow out a breath, shaking hands steadfast on the wall. The drop is dizzyingly long from this angle. The length of it feels mind-boggling and uncertain.

“C’mon, gorgeous,” he coaxes, voice honeyed iced tea. The taste floods your mouth mixing with the bitter doubt clambering your throat.

He reaches his hand out, grey eyes alight with sincerity. You swallow even when your mouth is bone dry. You take his hand, feet peeling away from the metal as you let Kon’s powers take hold of you. Your skin tingles, gooseflesh prickling here and there. It tickles and it’s almost enough to distract you from the hundreds of feet of empty air beneath your feet.

You’re light, insubstantial. Your breath ceases. Your body braces for gravity to take hold. Your eyes screw shut, lips brushing against Kon’s neck as you breathe in his familiar scent. A scream is burning in your throat until you feel Kon’s hands firmly on your waist, his chin resting on your hair.

“Don’t let me fall,” you breathe, wrapping your arms around his broad shoulders.

Kon gently cups your face. “Wouldn’t dream of it, gorgeous,” he winks, “I have better ways to make you scream.”

You laugh, pressing your lips against his, your laughter passing as vibrations between your lips.

“Are you gonna open your eyes yet, gorgeous?”

“Nope!”

“Not even for lil’ ole me?”

“Why would you pull that on me you manipulative shit?”

“Because I love you?”

“You are the definition of ‘you’re lucky you’re cute’ ”

“No, I think I’m lucky cus you’re cute.” You open your mouth to protest but the syllable die on your tongue.

Above you is a tapestry of stars extending beyond eternity. Below your bare feet is a sea of lights, incandescent in its vividness. The wind in your chest rises. Wonder and awe and miracles swimming in your veins as you go through vertigo for the second time that day. It was like the first time you saw the racing roll of a jet. A marvel. Pure wonder plucked from the abstract and made solid.

Your breath catches as you take everything in. The world is so wonderful. Your grip on Kon loosens as you maneuver your body so you could see it all. Your mouth whispers something that is lost in the wind.

“What do you think, sugar?” Kon asks, grip on you firm. He won’t let you fall. You are slack jawed and speechless. Eyes wide as you stare back into his, all the lights above and below you making his glitter in a barrage of colors. He pulls you close, one arm wrapped around. A gloved hand brushes a tear away from your face. He kisses your forehead, all softness and warmth. He doesn’t beg you to stop crying or tell you that it’s all going to be ok. He just lets you be. Your head bows, forehead pressed against his shirt. You let the tears fall towards the bustling city.

Kon rests his chin on your head and you feel the rumble in his chest before you even hear the tune. “Fly me to the moon~” he sings into your hair as he holds you close, his hands sliding to your waist,“let me play among the stars~” You sniffle, resting your head on his. You smile against his shoulder. You feel a giggle tugging on your lips as you two sway in rhythm with his singing.

“”Let me see what spring is like on, A-Jupiter and Mars~”

“You are so fucking cheesy,” you laugh, sore and bright and genuine.

"Still your favorite cheese ball though," he chuckles. You do not argue. You simply press a kiss to his jaw and watch the twinkling lights around you.

"Fly me to the me to the moooon~" This time you sing along, careful not to step on Kon's toes. He presses his forehead against yours as you both sing off key and sway haphazardly in the wind.

You sing and dance in and above the starlight.

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Thanks fir reading!!! Happy New Years. I will edit more later.

Tag list: @batarella, @anothertimdrakestan, @lucy-roo, @multifandomgirl-us, @idkmanicantenglish,@birdy-bat-writes, @boosyboo9206, @americasmarauders , @l-horizon11, @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay, @wunderstell @hyp-oh-critical

#kon el x reader #conner kent x reader #conner kent imagine #superfam #superboy #dc x reader #dc fanfic

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awhitehead17 · 3 years

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100 ways to say I love you - TimKon edition:

Number 44: “I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

A/N: Small warning, there are mentions of a panic attack happening but nothing in great detail.

Enjoy! :D

One Saturday afternoon Tim was minding his own business as he walks through the fields of Kent farm with Krypto happily barking at his feet. The dog would excitedly bound ahead for a few seconds before coming back, barking and shooting off again. Tim would try and please the dog by launching a stick as far as he could, but he knows that his throwing skills don’t really satisfy the super canine.

Just as he launched the stick yet again, with Krypto chasing after it, his phone begins to ring inside his pocket. Tim digs it out of his jeans and looks at the screen to find Kon’s name there. Tim raises an eyebrow in question, he had only seen Kon not thirty minutes ago, what could Kon be calling him about?

Tim answers and even before he could say his greetings Kon is speaking over him in an erratic, panic voice.

“Tim! Oh my god, I need – Ma just called about Pa - Tim I don’t know what to do! What do I need, god I hope he’s okay, Tim this is awful. What if it’s like really bad, well of course it’s bad but how bad? Tim, I don’t know what to do…”

It takes Tim a few seconds to comprehend the rapid rambling happening through the phone’s speaker. Kon is freaking out about something but with how quick he’s talking and seeming to change topic Tim can’t make sense of it quite yet.

“Kon, Kon, Conner! Breathe and tell me what’s happened.” Tim demands gently but firmly. He moves the phone away from his face and whistles for Krypto before starting to jog back to the farmhouse.

“Okay, okay, so, um I got a call from Ma just now,” Kon starts explaining, his voice shaking as he does.

Tim hums in acknowledgement, not reacting until he's heard the whole story.

“So Ma and Pa were out in town, as you know, and apparently Pa took a bad fall while out and now they’re taking him to the hospital. The hospital Tim! How bad could the damage be if they have to take him away in an ambulance?”

Tim hums again and hurries his pace to get to the house quicker, he could hear how Kon’s voice is rising with panic as he tells Tim what happened. Tim needs to get there to try and calm Kon down before he ends up having a panic attack.

“I’m trying to go through the house to find out what they may need if he’s at the hospital. Like how long will he be staying there? What is the damage if there is any? Of course there would be some he’s going to the hospital why else he go there. Christ Tim I can’t think straight right now.”

The farmhouse is in distance now, Tim hums again saying, “It’s okay Kon I’m almost back now.” It’s a miracle that Kon hasn’t just shot off, heading for the hospital as soon as he got the news. The last thing anyone needs is Superboy turning up at the hospital asking for Mr Kent.

Kon starts rambling into the phone again and without meaning too Tim blanks out his words, his focus purely on getting back to the house. A couple minutes later he’s there and instantly rushes indoors in search for Kon.

He could hear his boyfriend still talking inside the house, following his voice he finds Kon in the living room speaking into the phone. Tim pockets his phone and goes to Kon, grabbing his hands to get his attention. Kon jumps at the touch and wide blue eyes meet his. The half Kryptonian is breathing rapidly and Tim could see him physically shaking.

Tim reaches up and cups his cheek with a hand. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Just breathe with me for a moment alright.” With his other hand he places one of Kon’s on his chest and starts breathing deeply for Kon to mimic. “Breathe in with me and breathe out. Copy my breathing.”

They breathe together for several moments until Kon’s calmed down enough to be breathing normally again. Tim cups his face again and strokes the skin there with his thumbs. “Right, tell me again what’s happened.”

Kon swallows and nods. He takes another breath and leans forward, resting his forehead against Tim’s in a silent action of seeking comfort. Tim allows him to, happy to give Kon whatever he needs.

“Right, so Ma and Pa were out in town and apparently Pa took a bad fall. There’s probably some sort of hip or knee damage. One of the medics called me from Ma’s phone from within the ambulance. They’re on their way to the nearest hospital. They didn’t say how he got hurt just that he is.”

This time Tim nods, now finally understanding the situation. He tries to not get too overwhelmed by worry for Pa Kent. If he’s already with medics and on the way to the hospital then at least he’s getting the help he needs swiftly which also means they’ll be able to catch the worst of it quickly. Of course Kon won’t be able to see it like that just yet which is completely understandable, Tim needs to make sure that his boyfriend doesn’t do anything rash in the meantime.

“Okay, so while nothing is definite yet, let’s be prepared just in case. We can pack a bag with some day and night clothes, Pa’s meds and maybe some toiletries. If we need to get more stuff we can always come back. Kon I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”

Conner doesn’t say anything but he does give Tim a squeeze from where his hands rest on against his waist. They wordlessly pull apart and head for the Pa’s bedroom. Together they make quick work of packing things they think Pa may need if he’s to stay overnight at the hospital.

Once that’s done, Kon shoulders the bag and makes his way to the door but before he could take off Tim grabs his bicep. “Kon, you can’t go flying there.”

Kon sends him a sharp look. “Tim we’re wasting time here. Flying is the quickest way.”

Tim doesn’t take any offense to the sharp look or tone of voice, he knows Kon is stressed at the situation and not at him. He also isn’t hurt by the action of Kon pushing him away so he could walk out onto the front porch of the farmhouse. For a second time Tim grabs his arm before he could take to the air.

“Kon think about it, Superboy can’t just go showing up at the hospital. Not when they’ll be expecting Conner Kent. I’ll drive you to the hospital. Come on.” Before Kon could protest Tim takes his hand and leads him to the truck parked in front of the farmhouse. They climb in and Tim wastes no time in starting up the engine and driving to the hospital.

The ride there is tense and silent, not that Tim expected it to be anything else. He kept quiet as he drove to let Kon have his space to think things through and to try to mentally prepare for what’s going to happen in the near future. Once they get there they rush inside and get directions to where Pa’s room is.

They find both Ma and Pa inside the room. Pa is on the bed with Ma sat by his bedside. At the sight of them Kon surges forward, rapidly asking questions and trying to get answers for what had happened. Tim hovers by the doorway, allowing his boyfriend to have time with his grandparents.

Ma soon spots him and makes her way towards him, letting Kon interrogate Pa about what happened, and smiles softly in greeting.

“Tim, dear, thank you for coming.”

“Of course I came. How could I not?” Tim says reassuringly. “Is everything okay, what’s going on? Kon wasn’t exactly eloquent after the phone call.”

“Pa was just being a silly old man and wasn’t watching where he was going. He fell off some decking and seems to have damaged that old hip of his again. They’ve taken him for an x-ray already and now we’re waiting on results. He’ll be okay.”

Tim nods, feeling relieved that it’s good news. The two of them watch as Kon and Pa Kent bicker back and forwards about something. They share a fond eye roll and smile at the antics of the Kent men. Kon may not be blood related to the Kent’s but he is one of them by every other definition possible.

#timkon #100 ways to say i love you #Tim Drake #Kon-El #Ma Kent #pa kent #mentions of a panic attack #but not in too much detail #hurt and comfort #tim being a good boyfriend #comfort #hospitals #family #kent family #fanfiction

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neakco · 3 years

Text

The Lost Temple

Ao3 ch.2 Masterlist

Marinette and Adrien just wanted to find the temple and go back to pretending they were normal young adults.

Tim just wanted to find out what was going on for Batman and go back home.

Konner and Bart were just along for the adventure.

Neither group expected the other, nor did they expect the complications that followed.

Ch.1: Meetings

Marinette stepped carefully along the jungle floor as Adrien bounced through the trees. Every once and a while she would stop to examine a plant just as he would stop to listen.

Eventually he dropped down beside her without a sound.

“Are you sure this is the right area M'lady?”

“The monks said there were signs of people stopping around.”

“And them being worried about people snooping means this should be where we find the temple.” He nodded sagely before hopping back into the trees. “Did they ever decide to tell you at least what this temple is guarding?”

She shook her head as she stepped over a drowsing snake, “I only know that we need to find it first.”

Adrien hummed quietly before opening his mouth to taste the air.

“Anything?”

“Nothing new. We still have moss, damp, plant, running water and the normal animal smells.”

She sighed to herself, “keep up the good work Kitty, I know we'll find something eventually.”

She glanced around briefly for a flash of red that would indicate Tikki and Plagg returning. She wasn’t worried about being without their power source., not since the final battle. They had been something more than human for years now, but there was still something reassuring about the tiny gods' presence.

She looked up to see Adrien staring down a tiger and shook her head with silent laughter. So maybe he was a lot more cat than human. She thought back on everything as the tiger bowed to let her partner by.

All his physical abilities had been enhanced to the point she was jealous. Her strength had increased a little but for her it was the non-physical that had increased. Everything constantly in balance.

She brushed her hand along a small plant but still received nothing new, the temple either didn’t give off enough residual magic or it was still too far off.

As they continued their search the surrounding animals watched peacefully. They all knew better than to interfere with destruction and creation. It is almost a shame this protection didn’t extend to the trio following them stealthily.

“Rob, they are kids like us. Are you sure they're the ones B sent us after?”

Red Robin sighed, “Batman said he had picked up unusual activity and these two are the only ones we have seen.”

Kon grabbed a snake that was about to drop on Tim and gently tossed it back into the trees.

A small wind picked up as Bart came to a stop and offered them some burgers. “What did I miss?”

Tim pinched the bridge of his nose, “This is supposed to be a reconnaissance mission. Stealth.”

Bart laughed and moved to avoid a brightly coloured plant, “But that is so boring.”

“This was also a solo mission, you two weren’t invited. So please either leave or be quiet.”

Bart held out a mug of coffee that Tim accepted instantly.

“Fine, just cause chaos quietly.” He pulled out his binoculars again before putting them down to rub at his eyes. He would have sworn he saw the teens talking to some large bugs.

“I still don’t think they're dangerous.” Kon whispered almost to himself.

Tim really wondered some days why these were his best friends.

Tikki and Plagg hid quietly as Adrien grinned chaotically, “Plan mouse trap?”

Marinette returned the grin, “You know me so well Chaton.”

Tim was so close, just a little farther and he would be able to hear the teens.

Kon suddenly stuck out an arm to stop him.

“What?”

“I can’t see the guy anymore.”

Bart glanced around, “Isn’t he just in the treetops again?”

Tim reached for a weapon when a collapsible baton lightly smacked his wrist.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

The blonde had somehow gotten behind them.

All three heroes turned but before any of them could react a rope dropped around Bart and pulled him to the ground.

“You heard my partner.”

The girl was fast. Tim couldn’t figure out how she had gotten to them so quickly, until he looked down. There were at least three more loops of rope. They had walked into a trap.

Kon looked to Tim for the signal to attack but Tim wanted more information.

The blonde dropped gracefully from the trees but skillfully kept the baton pointed at Tim. “Why are you following us?”

“Why have you been disturbing the jungle?” He countered.

The girl walked up to stand beside the blonde, “We haven’t disturbed anything.”

The blonde glared, “We’re only here because you have been digging around.”

“But we only just got here.” Bart spoke suddenly out of confusion.

Tim kind of wanted to hit him.

The girl and boy exchanged a look before speaking in a language Tim had never heard before finally the boy collapsed his staff and put it away.

He offered a hand to Kon while the girl untied Bart and gathered up the remaining rope traps.

“I think we have both suffered a misunderstanding.” The girl held out a hand to Tim, “Marinette.”

“Impulse.” Bart had moved to take her hand in a blink, “It is always a pleasure to meet a lovely lady.”

The blonde laughed as Kon finally accepted the handshake, “Adrien.”

“Superboy.”

Tim could see his friend putting more strength then necessary into his grip but the blonde, Adrien, didn’t even flinch. Interesting.

Since Bart hadn’t stopped shaking the girl’s hand yet he decided to cross his arms and smile as politely as he could. “Red Robin. May I ask what misunderstanding you think we've had?”

The girl, Marinette, pried her hand away from Bart before glancing back to spot the starring contest between Adrien and Konner.

“Kitty!” She scolded before turning back to him.

He watched Adrien smile innocently at Kon before sitting down at Marinette’s side.

“We were sent to investigate the activity in this area and put a halt to it if necessary. If you just arrived then you are likely not our target.”

“They're here for the same reason we are Red.” Bart grinned widely as he bounced up and down.

Tim wanted to growl in frustration but knew that was something only Batman could get away with, so he settled on pinching the bridge of his nose. “Impulse, we are only here to gather information. We are not supposed to interfere with anything without orders to do so.”

Marinette and Adrien exchanged another secretive glance before conversing in Mandarin.

“Do you think we could recruit them M'lady?”

“That’s up to them. It would be nice to have help searching though, this is a large jungle.”

“Do you think they can even help find the temple? Superboy is supposed to have x-ray vision but, well, magic.”

Impulse was pouting, “It’s not fair that I can’t understand you. In fact it’s rude. Isn’t it rude Red?”

“I'm sorry. We aren’t used to others around us being.. “ She paused for a moment.

“Friendly?” Adrien supplied.

“That's one word to describe them.” She grimaced.

“Helpful? Polite? Non-hostile? “ Adrien's grin kept getting wider but also slightly more malicious with each suggestion. “Smart? How about, not complete and utter assholes bent on dictating every breathe? I can keep going.”

She started laughing but she could feel the concern coming from the American heroes. “I think that's good Kitty, don’t want to scare them away.”

“Sorry Mari.”

She looked back to Red Robin and Impulse in front of her. “I am sorry, we were discussing working with you three if you wanted to. We would be able to cover more ground and hopefully locate our target in under a week.”

Superboy spoke upfront behind them, “Why mention my name and not the others?”

Adrien contorted to look at the floating boy, “I was wondering if you actually had x-ray vision and if it could be useful in the search.”

Marinette was proud of Adrien, neither of them were the best at lying, so it was nice to see Superboy accept his sincerity and not ask for more in depth details. Red Robin was a different matter entirely, she could see him analyzing them. So she held out her hand.

“What do you say Red, alliance?”

Tim stared a moment before reluctantly shaking, “Agreed. We can discuss the terms as we find a place to camp for the night.”

The two teens looked confused.

“Were you seriously planning to keep going? The sun is setting.”

“Don’t you have night vision goggle or something?” Adrien asked.

Tim was flabbergasted, did these two think that the dark was the only danger they faced. “I do, but this is a jungle. Most of the predators are nocturnal “ The two still looked confused so he elaborated, “I don’t want to be eaten.”

He watched their eyes slowly widened in understanding. Marinette hit a fist into her hand, “I had totally forgotten “

“Predators are a normal threat.” Adrien finished for her with a grin.

Tim eyed them suspiciously, he had been following them all day, and all day he had been avoid snakes and large sleeping felines. Were these two really that lucky to have not encountered anything or was there more going on?

Kon also eyed them suspiciously as moved to no longer be behind them. “How do you forget about predators? I am immune to their attacks and I still remember that they’re dangerous.”

Tim watched the duo have a silent conversation before Marinette sighed, “We forgot because there is nothing in nature that would attack us.”

He and his friends waited for one of them to say more but the duo just blinked at them.

He mentally pinched his nose, this was going to be a long mission. “You aren’t going to elaborate.”

“Nope.” The duo replied in perfect tandem.

Adrien grinned mischievous, “You need to earn the favour of our gods for that.”

Marinette planted her face into her hands, “Kitty, no.”

“Kitty yes.”

“How do we earn their favour? Do they take prayers, food offerings?” Bart asked excitedly.

Kon looked sharply towards Adrien as the boy laughed, “Depends on the food.”

“Camembert.” Kon supplied.

Tim blinked. What god would want that? Then he noticed that the duo had paled considerably. So Kon had either heard or saw something that led to that answer. Interesting.

Bart, of course, noticed nothing. “Ew, that cheese stinks. Cheese whiz is far superior.”

Tim and his friends all jumped as Marinette slapped Adrien hard enough in the chest to cause the boy a coughing fit. What the hell had he missed? It looked painful yet Adrien was smiling and thanking her. He filed this away to think about later.

“So are we making camp?” Marinette smiled sweetly at him.

It was official, Tim hated this mission.

I have the story finished it is just a matter of typing it all up and convincing myself not to scrap the epilogue. There should be 7 chapters in total.

Let me know your thoughts, I am happy to answer any questions that don't give away the plot.

#maribat #the lost temple #rin writes #adventure

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xaphrin · 4 years

Text

Horns

Break My Baby - KALEO

Part One - Horns

Damian ground his teeth together and watched Raven dancing on the stage.

She was bathed in shadow and neon lights, completely inverted (he suspected that she was using her powers for a little help), and looking like a promise of darkness. Every single eye in the place was turned to look at her, fascinated with the way she moved along the pole. Not like she was showing off, not like she was dancing, but more like she was offering far more than dirty sex. The low, sultry hum of the music seemed less overtly sexual, and more a subtle taste of sensuality and sin. Raven was the kind of dancer that made you think less of hot and quick sex, and more of slow, long fucking. Rough. Raw. Emotional.

Damian shivered and ducked into a booth in the back, pulling the cap low over his head and adjusting the dark glasses over his eyes. Next to him, Kon looked like he was struggling to pick his jaw up off the floor.

“Did you know she could move like that?” Pause. “Did you know she had tits?”

Damian rolled his eyes and looked over at Kon. “We’re patrons, Kon. Act like it.”

“I am but that’s… that’s Raven.” He ran a hand over his face, looking confused and frustrated. “I don’t… I want her and that’s weird, right? Like super fucking weird. That’s our friend and our teammate, and I… I don’t know? Wanna take her out? Buy her a drink? Put money in her underwear?”

No. Damian clenched his teeth together, trying to quash the possessive feeling surging through his veins. He shared one kiss with Raven. That didn’t mean she belonged to him, or that they were anything other than friends. Except he knew what her kisses tasted like, and how her skin felt under his fingertips, and how her touch burned him. He knew all of that, and yet he had to keep telling himself that he didn’t want her.

Raven caught his stare, her eyebrow lifting only slightly as they locked eyes. She folded herself into something complicated and sultry, and turned away from him, the curves of her body stark against the colorful lights sliding over her. He watched the sway of her hips, the subtle movement of her arms, the bounce of her breasts… it was too much. With a muffle curse, Damian dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, needing something to look at that wasn’t her. He scrolled through his email, hoping to find anything to keep him from thinking of her.

It felt like centuries until the song ended, and Damian finally felt someone hover next to the booth.

“Hey.”

He glanced up to see another dancer smiling sweetly at Kon and him. “Hello.”

“Rachel said you two requested a private dance from her?” She held out her hand for a credit card and Damian slipped it to her with an annoyed sigh. The dancer gave him another sickly-sweet smile and disappeared for a moment, leaving Damian feeling on edge. When the dancer returned, she motioned for the two of them to follow her.

Raven was tucked in a back room, far from the main floor, bent over and stretching out her legs when Kon and Damian walked in. Damian felt his feet stutter beneath him at the sight of Raven’s tight, round ass encased in too-short shorts, raised in the air. He stared at the long line of her legs, ending in high, shiny heels, and felt a fire burn in the pit of his stomach. It had been two weeks since he’d last seen her like this, and he didn’t realize how much she affected him. He wanted her, in a way so physical it burned him.

Kon muttered a curse and looked away, his face burning red. “Jeez, Rae. Put that away.”

She stood up and laughed, but didn’t respond to Kon’s comment. Instead, her eyes flicked to the dancer behind them. “Thanks, Christy. I owe you one.”

“Don’t mention it, hon. I’ve been there before.” She winked at Raven and made her way to the door. “I’ll keep the sleezebag away from the room until you’re done. You’re safe here.”

Raven waited until the other dancer was gone before she kicked off her shoes, sighing with exhaustion. She flopped onto the sofa in the corner and grinned at the two of them. “Christy thinks you two are my boyfriends, by the way. And we’re sneaking away for a dirty, lover’s tryst.”

Kon grimaced and stepped back, casting wary glances at Damian. “I mean. If I was going to do it with a guy, I could do worse than Dami, but still. I feel like I have better taste.”

Raven laughed, the sound soft and musical. “Ouch, Kon. You didn’t have to burn him like that.” A moment passed and her expression turned serious. “We’re still on for next week. One of the other dancers let me know that the owner has been frantically calling people, and it sounds like he must have picked up on my powers over the last few weeks. I’m going to be the next victim, just like we planned.”

Planned? Raven had planned this? Damian felt his back stiffen, and icy cold panic flooded his veins as he realized what Raven meant to do. What in the world was she doing? Putting herself in danger like this? His eyes narrowed and he turned to her, his voice a low warning. “Raven…”

“Don’t start, Damian. Kon and I already talked about it with Cy and Star, and we have a definitive plan.” She waved him off, looking nonchalant, but he could see the unease in her. She might have had the rest of their teammates fooled, but not him. He knew her too well. “I’m fine. I trust everyone to keep me safe, and as long as we follow the plan we set out, I’ll be fine.”

“You talked about it with Cy and Star? With Kon, and not… me?” Damian felt his anger surge through him, hot and painful. He wanted to reach out and shake her, remind her that what she was doing was reckless. She was going to get hurt, or worse. “You… Raven.”

Her eyes flicked to his before looking away, pretending to be more interested in healing a bruise on her thigh. Something she got from dancing on the pole. “If I had told you what I wanted to do and what our plans were, you would have talked me out of it. This isn’t something we could afford to ignore, Damian. I have to do this.”

“Of course I would have talked you out of it.” Damian stepped forward, his voice a low growl. “Because it’s rash, and stupid, and dangerous! You’re letting yourself get caught by this… madman, who wants to control you, and sell you. And you’re just letting him. You’re letting yourself be kidnapped and sold. Tell me, how am I supposed to react?”

“Not like this. You’re supposed to trust the decisions I make. I’ve been here for over a month now, and I know how vulnerable these girls are, and I know how much they need my protection. So, yeah, I am putting myself in danger to help them.” Raven stood up and set her hands on her hips, glaring at him. “Because since this place opened, there have been ten other girls who have been kidnapped and sold, and we need to find them. I owe it to them.”

“This shouldn’t be a one woman crusade. You should be smart about this.” Damian raked his fingers through his hair, feeling like he was losing control. What was she thinking? How could she have thought this was a good plan? How could she have just barged head-first into putting herself in danger, where he couldn’t protect her? “How could you think that this is okay?” He whipped around and stared at Kon, gritting his teeth. “And you. You just let her talk you into this?”

Kon threw his hands up in defense. “Raven was very convincing and she created a good plan. We all think it’s sound.”

Damian turned back to look at her, still growling. “Raven…”

“Don’t try me, Damian.”

Kon’s eyes darted between the two of them before he took a step back, inching towards the door. “You know, this sounds like maybe you need to talk this out together…”

Raven snapped her fingers, black sparks flying from her fingertips. “Kon. Stay.”

“Kon. Go.” Damian turned and looked at him, feeling like everyone within a mile radius could feel his fear and his rage. “Get out and go back to the tower. I need to talk to Raven alone.”

Kon’s looked as though he was going to protest, but something in Damian’s stare stopped him. He knew better than to fight with him when he was like this. Kon slowly slunk towards the door, looking apologetic. “Sorry, Rae. Leader out-commands you. Ah… good luck, you two?”

Damian waited until the door closed behind him, and he turned back to Raven, still glaring at her. “You can’t possibly think this is smart. You’re letting him see your powers, letting yourself get caught, and you don’t know what he does with these girls or where he takes them. You only think you know.”

Raven stepped up to him and growled, poking a finger into his chest as magic cracked between them. “I am aware. But what do you want me to do, Damian? Ignore what’s happening? Pretend I don’t see it? I’m equipped to handle danger, these other girls aren’t. They’re just girls trying to live their lives. At least I know how to fight, and at least I have a team on my side.”

Damian sunk down onto the sofa and glared at her. “Raven.”

“You’re not talking me out of this.”

He felt the words fall before he could stop them. “I can’t lose you.”

“That’s not your choice, Damian.” Her expression softened and she reached out to run her fingers through his hair. “We put ourselves in danger’s way every day.”

“That’s not what this is about.” He stood up and stalked over to her, crowding her space until her back hit a wall. He could smell something sticky and sweet on her, oil and glitter and magic. It felt like his head was going to explode, and all he wanted to do was pull her close and tell her everything about how he felt about her. With another growl, his hand slammed into the wall next to her head and he leaned over her. “I can’t lose you, Raven.”

She blinked, and slowly, with far too much caution, she lifted herself up on her tip-toes and kissed the line of his jaw. It was innocent and tender, and it broke down every one of his defenses. She pulled away and met his eyes with determination. “Now you know how I feel everytime you race off on a mission with your father.”

His stomach lurched, and Damian didn’t know what to say.

“But… I always trust you to come back.” She reached up and tangled her hand in the front of his shirt, pulling him closer to her. “Trust me on this… please.”

He sighed and pressed his forehead to hers, breathing her in. “Raven…”

Raven leaned up and pressed her lips to his, kissing him as though she needed him to breathe. It was desperate and needy, like she wasn’t quite sure how she had survived without him before, and he could taste her want with every pass of her lips and tongue. Her hand tightened in his shirt and her other hand handled in his hair as she bit at his lower lip and pushed herself into him. She pulled and tugged, trying to make the space between them disappear until there was nothing but them. Fire burned where they touched, and Damian let himself go up in flames with her.

She pulled away, gasping as her eyes met his. A moment passed, then two.

“Come back to the safehouse with me tonight. We need to talk.”

Talking was the last thing on his mind.

#damirae #demonbirds #raven undercover au #i forget what I should have tagged this as

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lo-55 · 4 years

Text

Shattered Chains of Fate Ch. 8

Not Yet Too Late

When they are tossed unceremoniously out the gate of the Dangai (and hell, Ichigo never thought he’d miss the vertigo of a Ray Shift before) Ichigo and Yoroichi are the only ones who land on their feet. Orihime breaks their fall with one of her barriers. Seeing it in action, three pronged and glowing, helps him file away what she can do for later.

He starts looking around.

They’re in a village, one that’s empty and devoid of life. Seemingly. Ichigo sees shadows move in the buildings. Okay. Not ideal. Nothing good comes from dropping right in the middle of civilization. It always leads to a fight. London had been a shit show and a half.

At least he can see now. And what he sees, down the road, is unmistakable.

“Is that Seireitei?” Ichigo asks aloud. A sprawling city with the harsh edges and an oppressive aura of order and structure. There was a thin line the separate the streets there, shining and well kept, from even the nice enough streets they stood upon. Ichigo knew it for what it was even if Kyo hadn’t told him about it before. He can recognize a military compound for what it is.

“Yes,” Yoruichi comes to stand at his feet. “Right now we’re in the Rukongai, the outskirts of the soul society. This is the part of the soul society where the most souls live, and also the poorest part.”

Ichigo doesn’t respond as Yoruichi explains it to his friends who don’t know.

He eyes the line in the ground.

“They’ll know we’re here,” he said abruptly. “We need to move away from here. Our entrance was too flashy, and the people in these houses probably won’t keep us a secret. Yoruichi, the Seireitei. Does is have some kind of bounded field?”

There was no way a military complex didn’t have defenses, no matter how it looked right there.

“...Yes. There’s a wall that will fall should anyone try to cross the threshold without a permit. On top of that, there’s a gate guardian who will not let anyone past him.”

“That’s fine. Okay,” Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair, gathering it all to the back of his head. He tied it into a tight, short pony tail. “We need a base of operations so we can figure out how to get in. We’re short on time but still… I’d like to avoid rushing in head first.”

If it was just him, he probably wouldn’t be so cautious. If it was him, Mash, Cu, and Medusa he would have no hesitation. Break in, make a fuss, and disappear into the veritable maze he knows stretches out. Kyo had told him once how easy it was to get lost if you didn’t know where he was going.

Joy.

Yoruichi is giving him the strangest look, but she doesn’t argue.

“You’re right. Come with me. I have a friend nearby who I believe will be willing to help us.”

“Sure.”

Ichigo casts one last look at the Seireitei and follows after the black cat leading their path.

Just wait for me a little longer Rukia. I swear. I will come save you.

Three days.

Kisuke has been training Ichigo Kurosaki for three days when Yoruichi finally comes back from where she’s taken his two young friends for their own training. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth, this whole plan.

Not their ages, though they are infants by shinigami time. Smaller people than them are made killers, as Kisuke himself well knows. He was barely taller than Jinta when he had met Yoruichi, and scarcely five years older than that when she first handed him envelope of thick, expensive paper. The parchment itself had been worth more money than he’d seen in his entire first century of after-life. The life inside of it, worth somehow more and less.

He knew, understood intimately, how far a person could go for their friends. As far as follow them into a dark, dangerous new world.

They don’t have a lot of options, other than to train these teenagers to the best of their abilities. He, Tessei, Yoruichi and the Visord are all banned completely from the Soul Society. Shy of destroying the defending, interdimensional barrier that binds them, there’s no way for them to go in.

While he could, if he did then they would be faced with Yamamoto and the terrible two, Ukitake and Kyoraku, the second they stepped foot in rukongai. Even Kisuke, with his clever plans and deadly edge, can’t stand against the overwhelming power of Yamamoto’s burning blade.

That’s not even to mention the other two captains, who are kind only when they can be.

Kisuke had been young still, just a tetchy little first year in the academy, who hadn’t yet learned to hide completely behind his smiles, under Shihoin sponsorship the last year of the Quincy war.

He can remember intimately, horribly, the dark look in Yoruichi’s eyes when she walked back into the Shihoin manor with the two trailing after her. It had been the first time Kisuke had ever seen the two, and the affable captain of the eighth and the gentle commander of the thirteenth were no where to be seen.

They were commanders in a war of extermination, with shadows in the their eyes, and a hand on a blade at all times. Everything about them had been dangerous, weary dogs barely leashed to their master. Ready for the next fight, ready for the next kill. They hadn’t had the luxury of mercy then.

If any of them are caught in Seireitei, there will be no luxury allowed from the Central 46.

But these teenagers are young. The old guard, Yamamoto, Unohana, and Yamamoto’s first two students like to pretend that they’re no longer wolves. Kisuke is forced to bank on the idea that they will go after these children with as much mercy as they will be allowed.

That was the plan.

It had started as a contingency plan when Masaki and Isshin had first come to him with news of her pregnancy. A dark scheme that he wanted to discard, but he wasn’t able to. A child with the blood of a great shinigami line and a long standing quincy one. Half blooded on both sides, with the potential of a natural born hollow inside his soul.

(Kisuke’s hands have itched for years to see this boy, to find out what he could do, where his tendencies lay.

Then Masaki had died, and Isshin had forbidden any of them from coming near the Kurosaki house. Even Kisuke has enough respect for that.)

The plan was a hail mary that banked on the better nature of war veterans and murderers, and Yoruichi’s ability to train and keep track of human teenagers. She’ll have more luck herding cats.

Was .

Now, things have changed.

Ichigo lies a hundred yards away in a crater, his arms stretched out and his breathing even. Even asleep, he’s not let go of his sword.

Yoruichi sits at his side, her tail curled around her front paws.

“He really just meditated and woke up his powers?” Kisuke has to ask again. It’s the second time. Rarely does he need something repeated but this… This is a bit different.

“Mmmm. He was in a house that wasn’t his families. It only smelled like him and the mod soul, Kon. I didn’t get to see everything, obviously. I’m not sure what he did. He said, and I quote, ‘Fucking everyone is so damn cryptic all the time’. And then, ‘a backwards ray shift’. After that he slipped into something like jinzen. His reitsu changed while he was meditating, and you know the rest.”

Kisuke frowned deeply. “Who was being cryptic?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” Yoruichi shakes her head. “He’s a strange kid, Kisuke.”

“That’s putting it mildly. Have you seen him fight? I’ve never seen anyone that refined and that coarse in the same time.”

“He doesn’t have a single particular style,” Yoruichi agreed. “But it’s clear he knows several different ones, and is at least proficient in each. Did you notice he’s ambidextrous?”

“Mhmm. I did. Did you notice his soul looks older than his body?”

Kisuke is reluctant to admit it, but he might have to talk to Isshin about this.

He should be more worried. He is, his mind spinning a hundred paranoid ideas. Everything from Aizen has already gotten to Ichigo, even though he knows that’s impossible right now, to Ichigo has been replaced by a clone that Kisuke didn’t make.

* *

They finally lure the people out of hiding so Yoruichi can ask the leader of the village for someone named Kukaku.

Shiba Kukaku. If Ichigo recalls, Kyo had once told him that Shiba were a strange type of royalty in the Seireitei. Not as stuck up as the rest of the noblemen, who Kyo quietly despised (he’d never been good enough at lying to hide all of his vitriol from Ichigo) they were a rowdy bunch that blew things up a lot.

Not exactly stealthy, but Ichigo was willing to go along with whatever Yoruichi’s plan was for now. Clearly she knew what she was doing. She and Urahara, and probably Tessai and the kids, were undoubtedly from here. What happened and why they were in the world of the living was none of his business.

They were in the middle of talking to the old man when the door burst open and a pig launched a man off of her(?) back.

Ichigo caught him effortlessly around the middle.

“Ah! She threw me again!” The stranger shouted, far to close to Ichigo’s ear. Ichigo set him on his feet.

“Careful,” he advised. The man dusts his pants off and finally looks to Ichigo.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. It happens all… the… time?” He stares. Ichigo can see the flip switched in his head, and suddenly he’d ducking a punch. “A punk ass shinigami!”

“Hey. Don’t be rude,” Ichigo says with no sense of irony at all. The man is broad, strong, with a bandana over his black hair and goggles over his eyes.

“What are you doing here?!”

Ichigo just stared at him. This guy was so rowdy. They really didn’t have time to be dealing with him…

Of course, he got right in Ichigo’s face. He even patted his cheek patronizingly.

“Didn’t you hear me? I asked what a punk ass shinigami like you is-”

When Ichigo punches him he goes flying right back through the wall.

“...huh,” Ichigo says idly. “I tried to hold back.”

That training with Urahara must have done him more good than he first thought.

He picks his way through the broken wall to find his attacker knocked out on the ground.

“Oh. Well that happened.”

He shrugs it off and goes back inside to sit beside Yoruichi in front of a bug eyed mayor while a bunch of punks riding literal hogs surround the guy Ichigo knocked out.

“Anyhow. You were saying your friend lives somewhere around here, weren’t you?”

“....yes. We will have to find Kukaku’s house, but I believe that she will help us.”

“How is she going to get us into Seireitei? If the walls come down and there’s guards at the gate that cuts off the direct route.”

“You’re not wrong.”

Yoruichi explains that the Seireitei is surrounded on all sides by a spirit barrier. No amount of spirit energy will serve them any good. Which is irritating. If it was spells or a bounded field they could maybe find a way to wind through them or hack past the barriers, like Flat does as easy as breathing. But if it’s that secure, above and bellow, Ichigo really has no choice but to trust Yoruichi to know what she’s doing.

He doesn’t have any better ideas, certainly. So they set off to find this Kukaku Shiba.

The only problem is that she is, apparently, the older sister of the guy Ichigo KO’d. And that’s how Ichigo finds himself running away from a woman with one arm and a hand full of bombs.

How is this his life?

Yoruichi manages to smooth things over by explaining that Ganju had started everything and Ichigo had only hit him once. Then the scolding goes from Kukaku on Ichigo to Kukaku on Ganju.

“And I thought I had weird family dynamics,” Ichigo muttered to Uryu, who’s been watching the whole ordeal like it’s a sitcom.

“Your family dynamics are weird,” Uryu replies without missing a beat.

Ichigo snorts, but shuts up when Kukaku turns to them.

“Alright. Since this is Yoruichi and Urahara asking me, I can’t say no to this job. But I don’t trust you kids. So once Ganju,” Who had been dragged home by the hog riders while Ichigo’s group was looking for the house, “Wakes up, he’ll be going with you.”

First Ichigo knocked him out, then his own sister. Ichigo is starting to pity the fool.

Which was just great.

“Fine,” Ichigo mentally starts changing his plans again around the new arrival. It’ll add friction. Ganju clearly hates shinigami, but if they’re going up against shinigami hopefully the common enemy will help smooth over the enmity.

“But first, how exactly are you planning on getting us in there?”

“Huh? I’ll show you.”

Kukaku leads them into the bowels of the house, until they’re standing in a dark room and looking up at a round chimney that Ichigo knows extends high outside.

“I’m going to get you in through the sky!”

“...fuck me,” Ichigo says. “It’s a canon.”

Please dear god let this be less terrifying than being shot into the sky on a bow.

“That’s right! You’re looking at the number one fireworks maker, Kukaku Shiba!”

Fuck.

“Okay.”

Kukaku tosses a ball his way. Ichigo turns it over in his hands, inspecting it curiously. There’s a design on it that reminds him vaguely of a phoenix and star wars. The door slides open while Ichigo is inspecting it, and Ganju steps inside. He’s got a nasty black eye.

“Focus your energy in there,” she orders.

Ichigo, who has spent five years pouring his mana and reiryoku into literally dozens of people, does just that. It’s as easy as breathing. A light flickers and he finds himself in a perfect sphere that glows so brightly with his energy it threatens to blind even him. Beyond the confines he can hear his friends shout. So he cuts off the pouring of power and drops the ball to the floor.

“Was that right?” he asks.

The dropped jaw on Kukaku’s face was enough of an answer.

Ichigo always has been good at making impressions.

“Yeah,” she says at last, recovering faster than Ichigo was expecting. “That’ll work. My men will take you to the training room for some more practice. If it’s not perfect by tomorrow, you’ll blow up on entry.”

Ichigo doesn’t even blink.

“I understand. Thanks.”

While they’re walking away, Ichigo takes a look back just in time to see Ganju’s face twisted in unmistakable pain.

* * *

Tea steams across the table, twirling in the light of the overhead. The kettle sits on the counter, unplugged but still hot and ready to use. The wonders of human convenience.

Isshin sits across from Kisuke on the low table, his eyes strangely dark, his customary smile missing. It’s frankly disturbing, and a good sign of the times.

“So,” Isshin starts. “Why did you call? I doubt it’s a social call.”

Indeed, his son has just left on a potential suicide mission to save a girl he barely knows on grounds of a favor that he owes. It’s such a Shiba thing to do.

Ichigo is a frightening boy, he is his parents son, but Kisuke thinks he will surpass them both rather soon.

“No, I'm afraid not,” Kisuke’s tone is still light, still somewhat playful. He misses Yoruichi at his side. He kind of misses the brash, unbending teenager that had been in his basement. Ichigo seems to have a talent for worming his way into people’s good graces, despite his manners.

Kisuke can’t imagine how often he gathers followers if his plan for invading seireitei was to make allies and convince them to commit treason. Ichigo doesn’t seem stupid . Perhaps just overly optimistic?

“When did you teach your son to fight with a sword?” he asks instead, starting with the easiest question. Easier than asking ‘Isshin why the fuck does a child move like he’s lived and breathed fighting but thinks the bonds of friendship will save him?’. Or, ‘How did Ichigo do in one hour what normally takes more than ten years?’.

“I never have. Why?” Isshin frowns. “He went to karate for years, and we spar at home, but he’s never held a weapon before.”

“Is that so?” Kisuke cocks his head, his grey eyes narrowing minutely. Never touched a sword? No, that’s impossible. Ichigo moves with grace and holds a weapon with ease that only comes from long years of practice.

“Why? Kisuke, what’s going on with my son?” Isshin’s voice raises. He slaps his hands on the table, only to retract them with Kisuke gives him a Look.

Kisuke can only shake his head. “I couldn’t tell you. Your best guess is to ask him, but I know you won't do that.”

Guilt and discomfort flickers across Isshin's face. He looks down, his fists clenching in his lap.

“The time isn't right yet.”

“The time's never going to be right,” It’s something Kisuke has wanted to say for years now. “You'll keep putting it off until eventually, it's too late. I know you.”

Isshin's jaw sets and he narrows those dark eyes at Kisuke. Anyone else might have at least squirmed. Kisuke doesn’t so much as blink. “That's why I asked you to look out for him.”

“Have you seen your son lately, Isshin?” He hardly needs anyone to look out for him anymore. Even Kisuke has nothing to teach. All he van do right now, without jeopardizing Ichigo’s trust in him, is keep pushing Ichigo to grow stronger and stronger.

It occurs to him, briefly, that Ichigo might learn who they are in Seireitei, but that is a bridge Kisuke will cross when they reach it.

“Don’t talk down to me!” Isshin’s temper finally frays. The fact that it took so little is telling. Isshin is worried about Ichigo. A father who told his son none of what his life may hold is worried now for what will happen to him that life.

Kisuke wants to laugh in his face.

Since he doesn’t want to be punched, even by Isshin in a gigai, he snaps his fan out over his smiling mouth.

“Then step up, Isshin. You’re children are growing. If you’re not careful, your children will leave you behind.”

He thinks, privately, that Ichigo already has.

Isshin is silent for a long, terrible minute. Isshin is never silent. He is loud and brash and makes an excellent ‘idiot distraction’. Too good, sometimes, if he really hasn’t noticed any of this.

Ichigo walks with purpose. With weariness. Kisuke is too familiar with the dark edges of existence not to see the way Ichigo faces windows and door, the way he watches shadows, the way his hand twitches to the right like there’s something or someone there when the air is empty. Kisuke can see the darkness in the back of brown eyes.

Something happened, and the only time it could have occurred was over the summer.

What happened, in this Chaldea?

“...he asked me about Masaki,” Isshin says at last. “He asked me if she was a quincy.”

“Did you tell him?” As if Kisuke doesn’t already know the answer.

“No.”

His voice is quiet.

“He asked me in front of her grave, and I couldn’t tell him the truth. It’s already too late, Kisuke.”

“Isshin… You really area fool.”

Ichigo is gone now. Maybe, for Isshin, forever.

* * * *

That night, Ichigo finds himself sitting outside in the grass, rolling stones through his fingers while lightning bugs flicker around him.

It’s picturesque out here. Almost enough to be the paradise so many people hope for.

It’s nothing like the long, dark corridors of Kur. It’s nothing like the dead soil and the flickering cages tended to so carefully by Ereshkigal. Ichigo aches with thoughts of what might have happened to her. Where is she, that she allowed her land to fall into such a state of poverty? When had grass started to grow? When had a King taken over the afterlife?

He has a million questions and not a single answer.

Ichigo rolls a rock around in his palm. In his other hand he brings up a small knife and cuts into the stone a familiar rune. One line with a single smaller one branching off downwards.

‘Torch’.

He knows mana won’t work here. There is no life for this land of life energy. That was how they’d defeated Tiamat, after all.

So he must come up with something else.

Ichigo knows, for Scathach has told him, that most mages have absolutely reiryoku to their name. Once they die they can no longer perform their precious magic, for there is no mana for them to use.

Ichigo is blessed (or something) with an over abundance of both and a talent only for mana transference.

It seems to him that the concept can’t be that different.

So he focuses on the stone in his hand and calls on the energy he can feel humming around him. In the air, the grass, the earth, it makes up everything the same way mana does. He draws it into himself and tries to press into the rock in his hand. The energy sinks in, slowly at first. It’s like trying to force syrup into a water balloon made of concrete.

It’s not really working.

Some instinct hisses in the back of his mind and Ichigo sits straight up, drawing Zangetsu from where he’s sat in the grass beside him. He’s not a second too late, barely blocking a blow that comes from the shadows.

Ichigo is on his feet in a second.

He hasn’t survived this long by being stupid, and he’s always trusted his instincts. They’ve never let him die yet.

They’re far enough away that if he shouts no one will reach him in time to help. Even if he was closer, when he sees the man step out of the trees he knows without a doubt; none of his friends can take this man.

He’s tall. Silver hair and a curved smile makes him think of a snake. He almost feels like Stheno, enough that it sets Ichigo’s teeth on edge. He remembers clearly her habit of toying with those she likes, embarrassing and driving them to ruin while watching them struggle.

“You know it’s rude to attack someone when their back is turned?” Ichigo says, tilting his blade and letting the bandages flow off and into the air.

The mans smile stretches.

“You have good reflexes for a kid,” he teases, his voice light. Ichigo narrows his eyes. This man is strong. Stronger than Ichigo for certain, but if he’s careful…

“I’m not a kid. Who are you?”

“Me? Oh, no one really. I just wanted to see who it was that came to visit today. You’re causing quite the stir, you know.”

“Oh yeah?” Ichigo narrows his eyes. “Are you here for a fight?”

The man considers him. He lifts a dagger up, twirling it elegantly. He drops into a hard stands, one leg behind the other, partially bent, his hand with the knife at the back.

Ichigo gets Zangetsu up without a second to spare, blocking the blade an inch from cutting into his shoulder. It extends and retracts in the time it takes to blink.

Joy.

Ichigo isn’t the fastest person, and his sword is big and powerful not small and swift. They’re a bad match up.

Oh well.

Ichigo lifts Zangetsu and brings him back down, slicing the air and cleaving the earth. The man, a shinigami with a white coat the flutters around him, dodges to the side with a single step. Ichigo catches a glimpse of his eyes. Quicksilver, it’s gone a second later and replaced by that same smile.

“If you’re looking for a fight, I won’t back down,” Ichigo warns. Zangetsu hums in his grasp, comforting and familiar. His blood pounds, excitement rushes under his skin.

“You're an interesting guy,” the stranger muses, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

It’s all Ichigo can do not to laugh.

Ichigo has fought gods and monsters. This is just a man.

“No way in hell.”

“What a strange person you are.” He puts his short sword back in it’s sheath and it disappears inside his sleeves. Ichigo doesn’t trust it for a minute. “I have what I need. Bye bye now.”

He waves and disappears in a blur of speed that makes Ichigo’s stomach twist. If that man wanted him dead, he would probably be dead.

Ichigo is left alone in the dark.

With nothing else to do, he picks up his rock and tries again.

He only gets a few more minutes of trying to fill the cement balloon before the door to the main house opens and Orihime comes walking out. She shivers at the chill in the air and looks around until her eyes find his. They’re full of concern and compassion.

It’s for the best. Ichigo needs to talk to her anyways.

He waves her over.

Orihime is someone that Ichigo has known for years, but barely knows at all in the end. He knows how her brother died.

(He was there when it happened, when they came broken bodied and hearted into the kurosaki clinic. Her hair was short and her eyes were wet and dull with grief. For Ichigo grief was already an old companion. He’d sat at her side while his dad tried to explain what was happening to a child that already knew. He wonders if she remembers. He almost hopes she does.)

Yet, they’ve never hung out outside of school. She is Tatsuki’s friend, and Tatsuki is Ichigo’s, and so she is in the same orbit as he is but they’ve never really gone off with each other, and rarely had true conversations.

(He keeps waiting for her to bring up Acidwire/Sora.)

(she doesn’t)

She kneels across from him, a bright smile in the dark of night and Ichigo is suddenly very, very glad that she’d not come a few minutes earlier. He’s not sure how well he could have protected her.

The thought tastes like bile.

“Kurosaki,” she smiles sweetly at him. “You’ve been out here so long. Aren’t you getting cold?”

Ichigo tilts his head before he shakes it.

“No, I’m fine.”

“O-oh.”

Orihime is unsure of herself. It seems like she always is, except when she protected them in the Dangai, and when she swore to follow him into battle.

How does he keep finding these people? These inexplicably loyal beings, with power beyond humans, who follow him into convoluted plots and dangerous schemes? How does he keep tricking people into thinking it’s a good idea?

Is everyone just stupid?

“Orihime, listen.”

She perks up, all of his attention on him. Ichigo doesn’t like saying this, but it’s something he has to. There’s no other option.

“When we get to the Seireitei, you’re going to be out top supporter. You’re our only healer, and while Uryu and I know basic first aid, it’s different from actually fixing someone. On top of that, you’re our shield. I know you’ve got an attack, but listen. Can you use it?”

Orihime’s brows furrow. “I can use it. I know how, I’ve been practicing with Tsubaki and Yoruichi for a long time now.”

“I don’t mean physically,” he corrects. He wants to be gentle, but it’s just not going to work. “I mean, can you actually hurt someone?”

She freezes.

“I-”

“If it comes down to you or them. If it comes down to them or me. Orihime, could you hurt someone? Could you attack with the intent of making sure they don’t get back up?”

She clasps her hands in her lap. “I-I can-”

“If you can’t,” he cuts in swiftly. “Say it now. When we fight we need to know you have our backs. Do you understand, Orihime? “

“Y-yes,” she bows her head. Her hair pins glow faintly in the darkness, distracting from the shadow cast over her eyes.

* * * * *

Ichigo eyes the dark waters of the Mississippi warily.

“This is insane,” he says aloud, “I’ve never seen anything this wide before.”

He spins and points at Cu. “Don’t say a thing.”

The caster lifts his hand, looking innocent. “I can’t say wha now?”

“Fuck you.”

“Stop being vulgar.”

Kyo prods Ichigo from the side, garnering his attention. Mash sits at the front of their boat, a flat barge that pushes along valiantly. They’re halfway to the whitehouse now. Halfway to the end of the war, and Ichigo can feel the stress thrum across his skin. He doesn’t know what to do now. The traveling. The waiting. The intermediate fighting is tiring everyone out, Ichigo included.

It’s hard to stay on guard 24/7, with anxiety pushing them forwards as much as anything else.

As much as supporting other people tires him out, staying on his toes constantly is a whole other type of exhausting.

He trusts his servants to keep him from harm, but they still rely on him to support them, to give them orders, to supply them with information that they need. He stays in the back, he watches and waits, and tells them where best to place their blows. He looks for opening they can’t see from so close up.

Kyo’s hand lands on his knee. Ichigo stops bouncing it. He hadn’t even realized hed started.

“Kyo…?” It still feels wrong to voice his true name out loud, even though Kyo has told him a more intimate secret than just his name.

Kyo turns his dark eyes on Ichigo. There’s a furrow in his brows. He’s just as tired as the rest of them. With the rest of the world collapsing, more and more hollow’s are being pushed into the only place left in the living world. Early on it was just weaklings, but now there are smaller, more humanoid monsters that stalk their steps, waiting to devour the dead they leave in their wake.

A war is an all you can eat buffet for creatures made of fear, rage, and hunger.

“Breath, Ichigo,” Kyo nudges him back against the crate they’re rested against, near the edge of t the flat barge.

“I am breathing,” he grumbles petulantly.

Kyo barely has enough dignity not to roll his eyes. That’s fine. Ichigo has been wearing him down for months. Kyo wears manners and politeness like armor, and Ichigo has a terrible habit of shattering things like that.

“You know what I mean. You should reserve yourself for the final fight.”

“I know. I’m trying.”

Kyo hums. The moon hangs heavy and full above their heads. Ichigo knows instinctively that neither of them will really sleep, but resting his eyes is better than nothing. With Medusa on watch, no one will sneak up on them.

It’s only a small comfort.

A bigger comfort is the shoulder pressed against his, invisible and intangible to everyone but him. Ichigo will not admit it, but it feels sometimes like Kyo is only his. The rest of these heroes are here to save the world, and Kyo is too, but while they all have each other the two of them are the only ones privy to the world of the dead and the skull masked monsters that creep in the shadows.

Something protective curls in his chest and Ichigo relaxes, leaning half into Kyo’s side. He watches the moon ripples across the water, unattainable and intangible.

* * * * * *

#bleach fanfiction #Ichigo Kurosaki #BAMF!Ichigo Kurosaki #Ichigo Kurosaki is Ritsuka Fujimaru #bleach/fate grand order #Merlin Fate/Grand Order #kyo (SCoF)#Urahra Kisuke #gin ichimaru #orihime inoue #yoruichi shihouin #isshin kurosaki

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zombiesbecrazy · 5 years

Text

down in the cornfield

Summary: “No,” said Clark quietly. “I’m going to retire from being Clark.”

AO3

It wasn’t the first time that Lois had found herself randomly standing in a cornfield in the middle of Kansas.

Well, she assumed that it was Kansas but that was just based on past experience; she could be in Iowa for all she knew. She took in a deep breathe and spun around to get a better look at the view and then smiled at the familiar farmhouse roof in the distance beyond the rows of stalks, confirming that it was absolutely Kansas. It made sense. She had been having her lunch in the park, listening to a podcast and generally just minding her own business on her mandated lunch break that Perry had kicked her out of the office for when Kon had appeared in front of her said something along the lines of “he won’t listen to me or Ma so you have to come and deal with him” , scooped her up and leapt into the sky.

Kryptonian air taxi services were all well and good, but she definitely wasn’t going to tip this one because he hadn’t even given her the chance to grab her coffee off the bench or bothered to tell her what was going on before he took off again.

Three star rating at best.

Abrupt as it was there would only be one reason that Kon would have brought her here. “Smallville?”

Several seconds passed and Lois was wondering if this wasn’t some sort of elaborate Kent joke that she wasn’t privy to and was trying to figure out if she should wander around in the corn or head to the house when she finally heard a tired voice say “yeah ” a little further into the field.

She found him sitting in the dirt, bending some of the corn around him, leaning back on his hands and looking up at the sky with the sun beaming down on his face, giving him an unnaturally human glow. He was in that odd in between of not quite Clark Kent and not quite Superman, with his jeans and flannel shirt but no glasses and hair curl in place. It was the version of him that she loved the best, a complete version of who he really was. This is the Clark who she lived with behind closed doors, the one that only the chosen few got to experience. She sank down onto the ground beside him and waited for something, anything, but Clark seemed to be determined to sit in silence forever. “Dime for your thoughts?” she finally asked. That got his attention because he had an adorably confused look on his face and Lois shrugged. “I don’t have any pennies and it looks like you might be having some rather big thoughts.”

It wasn’t something that he did often, but it happened enough to recognize it when it did; the inevitable weight of the world becoming overbearing and Clark just needed to stop and hide and just get away from it all.

“I’m retiring.”

“You’re a little young for that. You can’t collect social security until you are at least 62. You are barely halfway there. And who will proofread my brilliance if you retire?” Clark didn’t say anything, just staring off into the dirt now. “Fine. I assume you were referring to the cape, but we both know how that would turn out. You’d ‘retire’ but then about two weeks would pass and something would happen and you’d say ‘just this once, Lois, they need me’ and then you’d be back to wearing the blue spandex under your work clothes again, thinking that I wouldn’t notice.” He had tried it before and it had never stuck for one reason or another, not for long anyway. It was something that was annoyingly amazing about him. His heart was just too big.

“No,” said Clark quietly. “I’m going to retire from being Clark.”

A light breeze blew through the field, and Lois was glad that she was wearing long sleeves to avoid the corn cutting up her arms. “You are making negative amounts of sense. You can’t just not be Clark. You are Clark.”

Clark reached around her and pulled her tight into his arms and rested his chin on her head and they sat there together, rocking gently in tandem. “This morning. I was at the bank ordering new cheques.”

“Who orders cheques in person? Hell, who even uses cheques anymore?” She could feel Clark clench his jaw, unbreakable teeth grinding together. She turned her head to get a better look at him, and she could suddenly see how tired he was, fatigue pulling at all of his features, maybe not in a way that anyone else could see it, but it was clear to her. “Sorry. Not the point.”

“There was a robbery. A bunch of men with guns held up with place.” Clark swallowed deeply, and pulled her in a little tighter. “There were little kids there, Lo. Scared and crying. One of them was whispering that Superman would come and save them. But I was there so he couldn’t come. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t help because I was Clark, not Superman, and I couldn’t do anything to make them not scared.” He was rambling and cyclical in the way he did when it was just the two of them, hiding from the world after a bad day. “One of the tellers got shot because I was busy being Clark instead of him. They’re in critical condition and those kids are traumatized and all because of me insisting on playing pretend with a regular life.”

“Oh, honey.” As far as bad days went, this one wasn’t terrible for Superman. No one had died, the world hadn’t ended and there was no international disaster, but it seemed to be the tipping point of a large issue that he had been secretly struggling with. She twisted around so that she could be the one to wrap her arms around him and he sank into her touch. “I hate to break it to you but you wouldn’t be able to save everyone regardless.”

“I’d be able to do so much more though. I’m here so that I can help people. That’s the whole point”

“No it’s not. You are here so that you would be able to grow up safe and happy. Your parents sent you here so that you had a chance to be Clark, even if they didn’t know that name. Superman is just a side effect of random space science. In the bank. What did you do?”

“Nothing, I couldn’t do…”

“What did you do?” She thought about it a little more and then clarified her words to avoid any confusion about what she was asking. “What did Clark Kent do?”

“I sat on the floor with the other hostages.”

“How were you sitting?” She prodded. Lois knew the answer, but wanted to hear him say the words out loud. “Were you sitting against the wall, out of the way?”

“I was… I was between the gunmen and the rest of them. I made sure that the kids were behind me. Between me and their parents.”

“Was that because you are Superman?”

“I…”

“I’ll fill you in. It wasn’t. It was because you’re Clark and you are a good man regardless of the cape or being bulletproof.” Clark didn’t give any indication that he was going to say anything so Lois barrelled on in the way that she did when he needed her own personal brand of pep talk. “If you want to quit your job and be Superman full time, that’s fine. I can support that if that is what you really want to do. But under no circumstances will you ever be able to quit being Clark Kent. It’s who you are.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight between hers, as hard as she could, trying to force the idea through his impervious skin. “And even if it wasn’t, I won’t allow it because I think he’s pretty cool.”

“Liar. You have never thought that I was cool.” Clark chuckled softly and buried his head in her neck, giving her a light kiss on her collarbone. “ I need to think about it more,” he mumbled before stretching back up to look at her shyly. “Can we stay here for the weekend?” It was his way of saying that he needed to step away from it all, just for a little while, just to recharge in the quiet that was Smallville.

“Sure. Ma and I can whip your butt at gin.”

“I hate those lead cards Bruce made her.”

“Because you are a card cheat.”

“I’ll never admit to that.” Clark tilted his head towards the sky, and was listening to something that only he could hear. “Actually, if you’d like to join me, there is something that I’d like to do first if you don’t mind a quick trip back to the city.”

“Would love to. Kon didn’t give me a chance to pack before he kidnapped me here.”

***

Lois sat on a different bench in a different park and watched the children playing on the playground when a familiar figure in blue and red floated down nearby. A hush came over the park until a child let out a laugh and it broke the stillness and all the kids ran over to Superman, excitedly crowding around him, with the parents following suit with a more muted but obvious enthusiasm. She watched as Clark smiled and laughed with the children, answering all of their silly but earnest questions before he turned to a young boy, probably about 5 years old, on the edge of the crowd. Clark took a few steps towards him and knelt down so he was at eye level with him.

“Hi Ethan.”

A silence spread over the crowd, with a few excited whispers wondering how Superman knew Ethan. Ethan looked up at Superman with big surprised eyes, but said nothing. Superman gave him a shy smile. “I heard you had a scary trip to the bank earlier. A friend of mine was there and he told me how brave you were.” Ethan nodded his little head. “I’m very glad that you are safe but I wanted to tell you that I’m very sorry that I wasn’t there to help.”

Ethan stood in shock, staring at Superman, and then suddenly threw himself at the hero, wrapping his arms around his neck and sobbing into his chest. Clark looked startled for a second but then wrapped his arms around the little boy and rubbed his back gently until the hiccuping tears subsided. Lois saw the look of anguish on Clark’s face as he held the younger boy.

“It’s okay,” Ethan sniffed as he pulled back and rubbed his eyes. “Mommy said that you were probably busy helping someone else in trouble. That you can’t be in two places at once.” She watched as Clark hesitated, never very good at lying, especially to kids, but he nodded. “It was so scary, but there was a man there and he told me to hide behind him. He was very brave. And tall. Almost as tall as you.” He narrowed his eyes and looked Clark up and down with careful scrutiny. “Was that your friend?”

It sounded like a loaded question, like the child knew more than he was letting on, but that was crazy. He couldn’t have figured it out. “You know what? It might have been.”

“Can you thank him for me?”

Clark looked surprised at that. “I can do that.” Superman held out his arms again, and Ethan gave him another hug, this time giggling. Clark was laughing too when they broke apart and he stood. He waved to everyone around him, and took off into the sky, with everyone waving back.

Lois stood from her bench and walked two blocks to where she found Clark, leaning against a streetlamp, waiting for her patiently. He bent down and greeted her with a kiss.

“Hi.”

“Hi yourself.” Lois took his hand and squeezed it before they started walking down the street, Clark with a bounce in his step that had been missing since the cornfield. “Still think that you are going to retire?”

“I think I might keep at it a little while longer.” He grinned and tilted his chin upwards towards the sky. “Smallville?”

“Smallville.”

#whumptober2019 #no.5 #clark kent #lois lane #superman #Clois

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medea10 · 5 years

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Medea’s Top 20 Animes of the Decade

Hey all! Disappointed in some “best of” lists of this past decade? Well…prepared to be possibly disappointed some more because I’m doing one now! Here’s a top 20 list of my favorite animes that came out in the 2010’s. I seriously couldn’t do 10 this time due to how many awesome animes came out this decade. Unlike my anime superlative list, I’m going to be stricter here. Anything that aired in Japan before January 2010 is stricken from the list (which sucks because that means Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood & InuYasha: The Final Act are disqualified). And these are going to be MY favorites from this decade. Be aware that there will be popular animes I leave off the list due to my own personal opinions and the fact that some of them I have not watched yet. So I’m just going to tell you right now, don’t expect My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter, or Demon Slayer on this list because I have not watched any of that shit! Let’s get cracking!

20. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card (2018)

After nearly 20 years since the end of the first series, Cardcaptor Sakura returns with a sequel no one asked for and no one expected to come back. But it definitely brought back the nostalgia for those who grew up watching CCS. This story gives a continuation where Sakura is in middle school and ends up collecting a whole new set of mysterious cards. And the series is what you would expect with the cutesy feel whenever Sakura is with Li or it gets really intense when Sakura’s up against a really powerful card. While the ending leaves us on a bit of a cliffhanger with no continuation in sight, this series was one of the best reboots I’ve watched in recent years.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, & Hulu Coming soon to home video

19. The Rising of the Shield Hero (2019)

This is my first (modern) Isekai and I gotta say I really enjoyed the story. Unlike other anime characters that travel to another world, the main character Naofumi is not praised as a savior nor put on a golden pedestal. Quite the opposite, this guy has to fight for even a shred of respect from anybody. Because after watching past protagonists like Miaka Yuuki, Kagome, and Kirito, that trope gets boring. Despite many of these episodes making me physically ill as I watched Naofumi being shit on by the other heroes and everybody else, it was great to watch this struggle with Naofumi to become a great shield hero.

P.S. Myne is still a raging cunt!

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & FUNimation

18. My Love Story!! (2015)

One of the BEST rom-com animes out there! The story of a gentle giant boy named Takeo falling in love with a sweet, petite girl named Yamato and their story as a couple. Yeah, the big difference between this anime and a bunch of other anime rom-coms is that Takeo and Yamato reveal their love for each other in episode 4 in a 24 episode series! By anime standards, that’s unheard of because most love stories want to wait until the finale for something like that. This anime is just a cute story of watching Takeo and Yamato bloom with their budding relationship. Yeah, I admit some of the stories can be a little boring. Sometimes the beginnings of romances have a slow-start before we get to the good stuff. But even when they’re doing little things, they’re just so cute to watch.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, HI-DIVE & Hulu Available for home video

17. Durarara!! (2010, 2015-2016)

This story is a complete cluster-fuck, but I don’t care. The stories that come from this anime and the characters make this one of my favorites. Durarara follows the strange stories that happen around the town of Ikebukuro with a headless motorcycle rider, super-human strengthed men, an internet troll who loves to mess with humans, otakus, a mad scientist, a parasitic carrier, and gangs of different sorts. But if you would ask me what’s my favorite thing about Durarara (because there’s a lot of random things for anyone to choose), it would of course be any time Shizuo Heiwajima is on the screen. This guy is just pure rage in a bartender’s outfit. He’s able to casually pick up and throw a vending machine at a person, he can punch the clothes off a guy’s body, and even kick a mid-sized car down the street.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, Hulu & Netflix Available for home video

16. Daily Lives of High School Boys (2012)

If you’re looking for something random and hilarious to watch, look no further with this one. Each episode has random segments, mostly featuring three boys, Tadakuni, Hidenori, and Yoshitake in some of the most absurd moments ever showcased in an anime. Just to name a few fun moments; being caught experimenting with women’s underwear, finding a clever way to kill a hornet (indirect kiss), intellectual talk with a cute girl, using your jacket as a soccer ball replacement, and how to unzip your fly without using your hands! That last one still confounds me. But the show also expands to other characters around school and town. I know this series is severely random to have a coherent plot, but sometimes I prefer randomness. And that’ll continue with the next entry!

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll Available for home video

15. Nichijou (2011)

Yet another random segment anime (only this time with girls)! I know the official title is “My Ordinary Life”, but there is nothing ordinary about an anime where you have a six year old professor, a talking robot girl that was created by the six-year old professor, a talking black cat, high school girls capable of body-flipping police officers, a young boy who rides a goat to school, a high school girl capable of firing a bazooka, and a principal who fights a deer. That last one is just epic! If for no other reason to watch Nichijou, just watch the scene where the principal fights a deer! Much like Daily Lives of High School Boys, this series relies more on the random shenanigans of many of these characters (but mostly the main three girls, Mio, Yuuko, and Mai). It’s silly and fun! Check it out and give this anime a little love. Because there’s no way it’s getting a second season (Japan showed no love for this one)!

Available to watch on: FUNimation Available for home video

14. ERASED (2016)

I don’t care what manga readers say, this was a fine anime, you anal-rententive fuck-wipes (soooo not sorry for that statement)! This murder-mystery captured my attention when it first aired. The story is about a man named Satoru who has this ability to go backwards in time (usually a few seconds or minutes) to prevent a tragedy from occurring. But after an incident involving his mother, he ends up going all the way back to his ten-year old body in 1988 in order to prevent a tragedy from his childhood. This included saving his classmate, Kayo from her premature demise. It was a catchy time-leaping mystery that would enthrall me week after week…up to a certain point. Yeah, you can already guess who the culprit was early on. But all the suspense leading up to this was still a great tale.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & Hulu Available for home video

13. Panty & Stocking w/ Garterbelt (2010)

GAINAX, you wishy-washy, crazy-ass, can’t give a full conclusion to a story to save your life, leaving us on a decade-long cliffhanger bastards, YOU’VE DONE IT AGAIN!

So this bizarre-ass anime is about two bitch-angels kicked out of Heaven, named Panty and Stocking. One likes to fuck men and the other gorges herself on sweets! In order to get back into Heaven, they must exterminate ghosts with the help of a black priest named Garterbelt, a fanboy named Briefs, and an Invader Zim knock-off named Chuck. And did I mention Panty and Stocking use their own lingere as weapons to take down ghosts? This story is balls-to-the-wall insane! And it gets crazier when you pop in the English dub! Dick jokes, fart jokes, and a whole lot of fucks! As any superhero show will do, this anime does stay to the villain of the episode trope with a few leeways here and there. This included a segment dedicated to the late Satoshi Kon and a music video. All of this leading to an ending NO ONE expected to happen leaving us on a cliffhanger that is now going on 10 years. Regardless, this absurdity in a thong is a treasure to behold. I would also advise not doing a drinking game whenever one of them says “Fuck”. You’d be dead by the end of the first episode!

Available to watch on: FUNimation Available for home video

12. Attack on Titan (2013, 2017-2019)

*singing incoherent Japanese*

YEAGER!!!

Get ready to get hooked on two of the catchiest opening themes of all time! I thought it was just about a young boy taking revenge on a race of titans for the death of his mother. No one expected there to be a twisted, messed-up origin to the titan race where the main character is connected to everything! That’s all my messy thoughts coming out after witnessing the climax portion. As for the rest of you, Eren Yeager’s world is turned upside-down when the town he lived in is demolished by titans. As a result, the entire town is demolished and left for dead and Eren watched as his mother is eaten by a titan. Eren ends up joining the Survey Corps along with his friends Armin and Mikasa to take down titans and prevent another town to suffer the same fate as Eren’s home.

Going into this anime, I SERIOUSLY thought this was going to be a comedy. You would too if you were going off of all the memes that emerged in 2013. But this anime takes a sharp left turn when Eren discovers a horrifying secret involving his own body. After that, this lead to more unbelievable discoveries involving people we all initially thought was the supporting cast. And this is as cryptic as I can be without delving into severe spoilers. The only way to get my meaning is if you watch this series. It’s just…WOW!

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, Hulu, & Toonami Some seasons are available for home video

11. Kill la Kill (2013-2014)

A girl with a giant pair of scissors picking a fight with the main bitch at school, all the while wearing a sailor suit that talks to you! That is the balls-to-the-wall insanity Studio Trigger gives you in a show like this. Ryuko Matoi enrolls in Honnouji Academy in search of the person who murdered her father. There, she comes face-to-face with the potential murderer, Satsuki Kiryuin. Satsuki rules over Honnouji as she has a special uniform capable of giving her super-human strength. But what Satsuki doesn’t know is that Ryuko is about to get a special uniform to give her that as well. A talking sailor uniform named Senketsu helps Ryuko in her journey of finding her father’s murderer. Yeah, this series goes all-out with the special powers brought on by certain clothing. Then again, it’s Japan and fanservice is a must in at least 75% of animes! I mean, there are moments where Senketsu gets skimpier on Ryuko, not leaving much to the imagination. As absurdly off the wall this anime was, I enjoyed every frame of it and it’s easily one of Studio Trigger’s best works.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & Netflix

10. Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (2015-2019)

You’d think with my picky-ass, I would have never watched an anime about cooking (and if my family is reading this, close this page now and play a wholesome game of shutting your gobs). But Food Wars never fails to increase my appetite. Yukihira Soma ends up in Japan’s most elite cooking school (with a 10% graduation rate) where he finds himself up against Japan’s and even the world’s greatest up and coming chefs. And every now and then, he ends up having to go up against one of these chefs in a cook-off known as a Shokugeki. If it wasn’t for the food orgasms, I would easily tell my cooking-show obsessed family members to watch this. I know no normal person would ever strip off all their clothes and have a raging orgasm when eating delicious food. But hey, it’s Japan! Gotta stick in fanservice somewhere! With inventive ways to spice up a regular dish, I may one day broaden my taste-buds into more exotic food-stuffs. Just, keep the peanut-butter squid away from me.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, HI-DIVE, Hulu, & Toonami Some seasons are available for home video

09. Your Lie in April (2014-2015)

Grab your tissues, children. We follow Kousei Arima as he regains his ability and passion for playing the piano with the thanks of new-found friend Kaori. What can I say about an anime that’s so beautifully animated with likeable characters and music to die for? OHHH…I shouldn’t have said that last thing! Yeah, the main character Kousei goes through quite a bit in his life dealing with the aftermath of his mother’s death and having to relive seeing someone he cares about die the same way. There’s just so much you wish would happen with these characters and watch as it’s dashed away during a Chopin piece. OHHH…I did it again! Well folks, if you’re into tear-bait and classical music, definitely watch Your Lie in April!

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, & Netflix

08. The Promised Neverland (2019)

One of the newest entries with one of the most shocking first episodes in recent history! I know in the past decade we got a lot of first episode hookers like Attack on Titan, but if you came in this blind-folded, get ready for a trip. We follow orphan children Emma, Ray, and Norman as they plan to escape their home before they become food for hungry demons. In a weird way, this anime is almost like the 2000 film Chicken Run. I know I’m not the first person to think that up, but yeah, gotta say it here. This was one of my favorite animes of this year and I was hooked week by week with what was going to happen next. It got so intense that immediately after the series ended, I picked up the manga to find out what happens next. And let me tell you, it gets more insane after the events of episode 12. But one thing that always astounded me was watching all of these kids plot an escape so elaborate when all of them range from ages 6-12.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, & Hulu

07. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (2017)

What would you do if you opened the door one morning and found a dragon standing outside? Not just that but what would you do if you were living with more than one dragon and you now find yourself hanging around other dragons?! Kobayashi’s world changes for the better as she meets a dragon (named Tohru) that loves her so much that she would happily become her maid. And given the stigma for eons between humans and dragons, this series we see cute interactions with humans and dragons. Up to a point that it feels like all these characters are becoming family! There’s a dragon named Fafnir who finds humans horrible people, but ends up changing for the better when he finds himself hanging with a human that plays video games and creates manga. But I’m always so drawn to the relationship of Tohru and Kobayashi. Kobayashi was never really close to her family and when she moved away she mostly spends her nights drinking alone. But once Tohru and Kanna move in, it’s always a fun day with their cute shenanigans. It’s definitely brought Kobayashi out of her shell and gave her a family of dragons to live with.

And there’s this cute little dragon named Kanna! She’s so cute and adorable! Look at her nom at just everything she eats. She’s so adorable! Who’s a cute wittle dragon? Yes you are! Yes you are!

As a final note in this particular entry, I want to mention one particular member of the staff. Yasuhiro Takemoto! This man was the director for Miss Kobayashi, as well as many other animes from Kyoto Animation and I feel the need to thank this man for all the hard work he had done. I’m thankful for all of your work in the anime community and we miss you.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & Funimation Available for home video

06. Pokemon XY (2013-2016)

It might be cheating a bit to put a Pokemon series on this list since they’ve been around since 1997. But it’s not a continuous shot like Detective Conan and One Piece, so I’m counting the XY arc for this list. Even though this series didn’t show me my favorite character and it gave me a shipping that’s worse than Herpes (with a cult for that ship that’s on par with MAGA), this was one of the best arcs to the Pokemon series. And I was excited for this series when it first came out because with the introduction of Mega Evolution, I was hoping for Ash to delve into that. While Ash wasn’t the one using Mega Evolutions, we did see him grow more through a synchronization method with Greninja that brought about so much in terms of battling. Just to name a few awesome moments with these two, he took down an iceburg pokemon, went toe-to-toe with a champion, and even made it all the way to the finals of the Pokemon League. Now did he win that league? That’s not important! What is important is that these were some of the best moments this series had to offer.

But it wasn’t just Ash we followed, but an anime-only character introduced named Alain as we followed his journey to becoming stronger through Mega Evolution. It felt risky following a different person for 5 or more episodes (without mentioning Ash), but it was all worth it when we came to the climax of the series when Team Flare came from the shadows. Listen guys, I know Pokemon has given some disappointing seasons before (especially the arc prior to XY), but if there’s any season you should watch, it’s definitely this one.

Also, Rica Matsumoto sings this one song called XYZ. I don’t know if you all have heard this song, but I think you should. It’s so bad ass and always pops up in some of Ash’s best battles in this series…in the Japanese version! I love it so much that I always feel the need to bring up XYZ whenever I talk about this arc.

Available to watch on: Disney XD, Hulu, & Pokemon TV Available for home video

05. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)

I will always be a sucker for magical girl animes. Especially since Sailor Moon was the very first anime I watched fully! But Madoka Magica was…different and edgier. The premise is that a cute, white animal asks you to form a contract with it so you can become a magical girl. Magical girls defeat witches that cause havoc! Better read the fine-print on the contract ladies, because what the little rat doesn’t tell you is that you eventually become a witch yourself and will end up dying a horrible death, thus repeating the cycle. This anime would always leave me in a state of awe when watching it, whether it was the shocking deaths or the clever animation used when a witch emerges. But when you’ve got Shaft Studios animating this, expect some trippy moments. I think it’s because episode 3 was a big turning point that many of us were caught off guard by what happened and were scared of what happens next. Although thanks to Madoka, many other magical girl animes are following down the same path and trying to make it edgier. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I gotta say Madoka has definitely set the bar on edgy magical girl shows.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, & Hulu Available for home video

04. Violet Evergarden (2018)

Prior to this anime’s release, Kyoto Animation had a reputation for putting out anime that was geared to the “moe” genre. But with recent releases of A Silent Voice, Miss Kobayashi, and Violet Evergarden, their style has evolved into something I can’t describe in just one sentence. This anime is just beautiful to look at. The animation is just stunning, look at it. Now, I was a bit turned-off by the main character of this series, Violet. First of all, she literally looks like Saber from the Fate series and has arms that rival Ed Elric of FMA. Secondly, her almost robotic personality really turned me off. But it wasn’t until later in the series where we watch her interact with the people she was helping in each episode that made me truly appreciate what she’s doing.

Violet was once used as a tool for war and would always obey her commanding officer. But once the war was over, she found herself as an “Auto Memories Doll” where she’s writing letters people want to send to someone. Many of these episodes, we watch her see the world outside of the war and hell she was put through in her past. Her words were able to bring people together, heal two fighting nations, bring a family closer together, give closure to a grieving family member, and so much more. Add to that, this series gave out one of the most heart-breaking episodes I’ve ever watched in anime. It made me ugly-cry and that rarely happens! Not just me, but litereally everyone who ever watched this episode, but also Violet herself. This episode (that’s episode 10) was like the first time where she felt actual human emotions for anyone other than the person she once loved. This episode felt like a turning point in how I felt about Violet as well as the show in general.

I feel I have to say a little more on this entry. This anime is without a doubt, the most beautifully animated anime of this entire decade (despite what OTHERS have to say). And it couldn’t have gotten that way without the talented folks at Kyoto Animation. I can’t express enough how much I’m blown away by this series. Only now when I think about it, I get horribly depresssed due to the recent tragedy that struck KyoAni. Only now, do I appreciate all the hard work to put this masterpiece into action. And I wish it didn’t take me until a tragedy to watch this anime. But I’m glad I was able to watch Violet Evergarden. And I wish for you all to take the time to do the same!

Available to watch on: Netflix

03. Assassination Classroom (2015-2016)

Stand. Bow. Kill your sensei! Middle school students being trained by professional assassins to take down a yellow-tentacled monster (who is also their teacher)! These students must assassinate their teacher within one year, otherwise the world will blow up. Now I had my reservations watching a cast this big! I mean, we’re watching an entire 28-person class try to shoot their teacher. Thankfully, I didn’t grow to be annoyed by the concept like with Negima. I loved nearly all of the students and remembered many of them. One of the biggest drawing points with me is that, all of these students were seen as the ones to give up on. They were in the lowest-level class where school, family, and society have just given up on these children. Being in a much similar situation in middle school, I can relate. That’s why when I saw someone like Koro-sensei teach these kids so much more in the world of academics, it made me happy to see these kids have someone to look up to. Many of these episodes were fun to watch. Koro-sensei is a laugh-riot sometimes when the class has to do an activity together. Add to that, one of the hardest to watch goodbyes in recent history. For a good laugh and a good cry, Assassination Classroom is the way to go.

Available to watch on: FUNimation & Hulu Available for home video

02. Yuri on Ice!!! (2016)

AAAAAAHHHHHHH! *random screeching noises*

Why yes I love this series! It is so beautiful. I wish to see more of this in the future. I would like for Viktor to have Yuri’s babies. Don’t at me! I didn’t expect this series to give the female viewers an actual loving relationship between two of the main male characters. But halfway into the series, we get the kiss that cemented the deal. So besides the gay relationship, we’ve also got a beautiful soundtrack, animation that’s stunningly gorgeous, a story about an underdog working his way to receive a gold medal with the help of his hot, Russian coach…God, I just love this anime!

I’m a sucker for a root for the underdog story. And Yuri Katsuki definitely fits that description! Before Viktor came along, he was coming off of a humiliating defeat at a previous competition where he came in dead-last. But throughout the series, we watch Viktor mold Yuri into something audience members have overlooked in this boy. Viktor taught Yuri what love really is in more ways than one. But Yuri isn’t a total zero-to-hero in a span of 12 episodes, but at times he does come damn-near close. Every week, I’m amazed at how much Studio MAPPA put so much effort into this. While the quality did take a slight dip in some of the final episodes, so much has happened before that I’m willing to let that go. Watch Yuri attempt at making history with Yuri on Ice.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll & FUNimation Available for home video

Before I get to my anime of the decade, how about I quickly do my TOP 10 ANIME MOVIES OF THE DECADE? No commentary, just announcing them quickly.

10. The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014)

09. When Marnie Was There (2014)

08. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)

07. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013)

06. Kizumonogatari (2016-2017)

05. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)

04. Pokemon: I Choose You (2017)

03. Your Name (2016)

02. A Silent Voice (2016)

01. Wolf Children (2012)

CLOSE CALLS FOR THE LISTS: Black Lagoon – Roberta’s Blood Trail, Sailor Moon Crystal, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Fate/Zero & Fate/stay night: UBW, Angel Beats, The Wind Rises, Parasyte, One Punch Man, Aggretsuko, Steins;Gate, Inu x Boku SS, and Dragon Ball Super.

And now, #1…oh, you should already know what it is by now. One of my favorite animes came back with the vengeance in 2019 that no other anime can touch it. Rightfully so! You know it, I know it, let’s get it over with! So say it with me now, three, two, one…

01. Fruits Basket: 1st Season (2019)

Thank you! Just…thank you! In a time where I hate reboots, this one was handled with the utmost care. What can I say about this anime that everyone else hasn’t said already? This anime is like warm soup on a cold day. The nice pick-me-up when you had a shitty day on the job! That beautiful rainbow you see after a rain shower!

Coming upon a family with a terrible secret, there’s much hesitation on who (if any) can be let in without being hurt. Tohru Honda accidentally learned of the Sohma family secret, where if one of them is hugged by someone of the opposite sex, they’re turned into an animal from the Chimese Zodiac. These people have had to live with this stigma their entire lives. Because of this, relationships are put in turmoil, obtaining friends was damn-near impossible, and everyone has to be on a constant state of worry in case their secret comes out. But Tohru loves and accepts everyone, no matter what. In many of these episodes, we see Tohru reach out to the members of the Sohma family to tell them that she sees the good in them and that they are loved. To reach out to the hurt, silent tiger, Kisa! To reach out to the mentally-scarred rat, Yuki! To reach out to the heart-broken dragon, Hatori! And to give a hug to Momiji…when his momma won’t!

All of these individual stories always gets to me! Even re-told, these stories have improved 100%! And in some cases like Ritsu’s story, done better than the original! I watched the original story God-knows how many times! But with the remake, I found myself re-watching random episodes in my off-time when I should be watching something else. I always have to go back to watching everything from this series. From the good and the sad! From the ultra-laughable moments, to the jaw-dropping moments! In a time where many of us yearn to be accepted for who we are, an anime like this feels absolutely necessary. I know it might be biased of me to pick something from this year and cheating a bit considering at the beginning of the decade I was heavily into the original series. Regardless, this is still my pick for Best Anime of the 2010’s.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll, FUNimation, & Hulu

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elareine · 5 years

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These stars will guide us home (DamiTim)

Amsterdam is a beautiful city, Damian supposes, old buildings, canals, and so much smuggling. He’d think it prettier if it wasn’t for the group that brought him here.

They are the sort of people his grandfather would have approved of, bound to each other and their common goal and not much else. A life does not mean anything if it is spent for the cause. There is very little left to connect Damian to who he truly is.

Well. There is his phone.

Tim is his contact on this mission. Truthfully, Damian does not mind. He trusts the older man to have his back.

During the first few months, any contact is dangerous. Damian is closely monitored. Still, there is a secure chat app on his phone, and he makes occasional use of it to report. Tim always responds within minutes.

The mission is going well. I was introduced to one of the less important smugglers today. His name is Aart Jansen.

Files say low lever dealer. Not where we want to be but a start.

Damian nods. That’s about what he expected.

Unexpectedly, Tim follows that up with: & apart from work?

Maybe Dick is standing behind him.

I find it difficult to occupy myself. He is a diamond appraiser to these people. Damian has been trained well enough in the subject to pass, but his intellect remains unchallenged, and the slightly-downtrodden façade he’s meant to keep up the rest of the time does the rest.

How’s tv?

Damian snorts. No.

Hey it’s a good distraction!!

Too much Disney.

id have thought you’d go for the talking animals 🐕 🐴 🦁

Animals don’t talk. That’s the point.

Spoilsport is followed by: go read a book then

I am. Damian allows himself a tiny grin.

what are you reading then?

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. A classic.

Damian waits for an answer, a snide remark about being snobbish, perhaps, but there’s nothing until a terse gotta go arrives. With a sigh, he goes back to his book and tries not to worry.

so I read a few chapters

Damian blinks at the text. It takes him a moment to remember what Tim is talking about; even longer to decide on what to answer. Did you like it?

‘Your children are not your children, they are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.’ <<< Bruce should read that

He has. It has not helped him.

Tim ignores that. Is the idiom close to Arabic?

Yes. It’s one of the reasons Damian loves this work. The author was Lebanese and came to the US.

They keep talking about it, sharing their thoughts as they read over the days to follow. Eventually, Damian scrounges up the courage to text Tim: It’s nice to talk about it with someone while I read.

When the answer arrives, it’s not what Damian expects. You know we can get you out anytime, right? It wouldn’t be a failure.

Of course it would be. To have come so far and abandon the mission for something as negligible as homesickness… who does Tim think Damian is?

Damian does not reply, and Tim seems to drop it.

Six days later, there is something in the mail. Damian thinks it’s one of the countless government forms he’s had to fill out ever since he arrived; that’s how well the forgery’s been committed.

There is a form inside. There’s also a picture of his family, taken before Damian left. It was Dick’s birthday, Damian remembers; he made everyone go out for dinner and wear some stupid party hats. At the time Tim took the picture, Steph had decided to get into a chopstick war with Jason over the last dim sum, never mind that they were at an all-you-can-eat restaurant.

Damian stares at himself laughing and wills that feeling back.

“Is it safe to talk?”

Damian considers the question. It is made complicated because he wants the answer to be ‘Yes’ so badly.

“I think,” he says carefully, “they are lessening their surveillance. I am not followed home or during the day unless I leave the city. There have been no new bugs. And I have re-routed this conversation to make it appear like I’m talking to a French student I have been talking to at the art museum.”

“They will approve of that,” Tim says, and Damian tries not to feel gratified at the near-praise. “It will give them something to blackmail with.”

“Of course, she is actually from Poland, merely traveling through Paris.”

That gets him a laugh. “I would have expected nothing less.”

So they talk. Sometimes, late at night for Tim and too early for Damian, they watch movies together. Turns out, Damian likes Disney movies a lot better when Tim takes them apart the entire time.

There’s a video in his inbox. Judging by the timestamp, it was sent sometime at 8 a.m. in Gotham. That’s practically before bedtime for Tim, Damian thinks wryly.

He clicks play.

“Shh,” someone says. The room is dimly lit, but Damian can make out shapes on the couch. There’s a glint of red. Jason?

With near-silent footsteps, Tim (because who else) moves closer. That’s indeed Jason, obviously asleep on the couch, sitting up with his helmet still on and head tilted back. Duke is sitting next to him, head slumped onto Jason’s chest. That cannot be comfortable with all the plating, surely? On Jason’s other side, Steph and Cass are lying tightly intertwined, their heads resting on his thighs.

The camera draws back and moves on. Damian is impressed with how steady Tim managed to keep it. He must have some experienced in film-making, or perhaps photography.

The kitchen door is the next one to open. “Alfred, say hi to Damian!”

The butler looks up from where he’s forming scones. “Hello, Master Damian. I think you will be pleased to find that your newest… acquisition… is settling in quite well.” Tim zooms in on the black kitten hiding behind the bowl of dough. As he leaves the room, he whispers: “He loves her. I have it on good authority that she sleeps on his chest.”

There’s silence for a moment as Tim moves through the corridors, through the grandfather clock and down a path Damian could take in his sleep.

“And now, the grand finale,” Tim announces, “the Batman reveals himself!”

The camera turns to Bruce… who is very much scowling. Or, well, trying to, as one convincingly one can when one has Dick Grayson leaning on your shoulder, snoring and definitely leaving some slobber. Damian knows the feeling. Dick occasionally keeps going for so long that he’ll konk out on the nearest warm body, still clad in his uniform.

“Oh, no! Abort, abort, abort!” There’s some dramatic clatter, the camera falls down and then turns off. Damian guesses it’s some reference to a horror movie he hasn’t seen.

It’s silly, but Damian cannot stop himself from smiling for the rest of the night.

They text more and more often and talk on the phone almost every night, even if it’s just a quick check-in. Still, there is a longing in him. Tim has sent him pictures and videos, has talked to him for hours, but Damian has not seen his face in six months. That seems intolerable, now.

So Damian draws.

It’s a good one, he thinks. Tim, holding his camera, only half-visible but so glaringly alive. Damian didn’t realize how much he looks at Tim before he drew every strand of his hair from memory.

(Does it still look like that? Are there any new scars to join the faint one under Tim’s eye and the ones lacing through his scalp? Damian wants to know and does not know how to ask.)

He knows when Tim receives it because there are no texts for almost twenty hours. Then he gets a call.

Tim’s voice is carefully neutral. “You sent me a drawing.”

“Yes.”

Silence.

“It is a thank-you,” Damian offers, “and… an apology.”

“Oh,” Tim says as if he expected something else. He doesn’t ask what Damian is apologizing for. They both know all too well. But he does tell him: “It’s beautiful.”

It feels like crossing a river. Damian likes it.

Tim sends more photographs through their secure chat after that. Some are frame-worthy, some are the worst (best) kind of candid. When Damian tries to reciprocate, he does it the easiest way he can think of: He sends Tim a picture of his poffertjes.

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaant

Damian offers I could teach you how to make them without thinking.

Seriously? :D I’ll call you in fifteen

He meant ‘When I come back,’ but… this will have to do. Seeing Tim on the screen, trying desperately to heat the cooking fat to the right temperature as he plops the sticky dough in, is enough to make up for not being able to touch him.

It’s the first time they do a video call, but it’s not the last.

When Tim has to leave on a mission of his own for a week, he leaves Damian with the link to the surveillance cameras surrounding the place he’s staying at. Damian doesn’t worry about him, precisely—doing so would be foolish, since Tim has more than proven himself capable—but it makes him feel better to watch him walk past at least once a day, nonetheless.

Damian does not experience nightmares often. When he does, they’re short and very violent.

“Damian?” Tim’s voice is worried, as it should be. Damian texted him Good night. barely an hour ago.

“I’m fine,” Damian manages to grind out.

Tim gets it immediately. “I’ll switch on video, okay?”

Damian knows he looks a mess. He says, “Yes,” nonetheless.

“Hey,” Tim says softly when he comes into view. “You wanna tell me about it?”

Damian shakes his head, and Tim… talks. About everything and nothing. What he and Kon got up to on his last visit to Metropolis. Steph’s new fashion fad (it’s green, and it does not work with her skin at all.) How Bruce rounded up one criminal organization and accidentally crashed the mayor’s gambling den during the proceedings.

Eventually, Damian nods, and Tim trails off with a smile.

It’s late afternoon in Gotham, but Tim curls up on his bed and carefully places the phone against a pillow so he and Damian can still look at each other. There’s an intensity in his gaze that Damian doesn’t completely understand, not yet, but he likes it.

His eyes fall shut when Tim’s do. To his surprise, the sound of Tim’s gentle breaths actually lets him drift back to sleep.

Tim starts a list. Things like ‘check out that new Chinese place on 32nd street’ and ‘watch Into the Spiderverse’ go along with ‘beat you with my new staff.’ He encourages Damian to fill it out, too, and he adds ’take Ace Jr on a walk’ and ‘make Jason recite Shakespeare.’

One day, there’s a new item on a list. ‘Go on a date with you.’

Not once in his life did Damian think he would come to value a grocery list app this much.

Tim sends him a sweater that smells of him. Damian wears it as he wraps up the book he wants them to read next. There’s an illustration on the first page—two hands reaching out, linking their pinkies across the distance. He drew it hoping it will say everything he can’t tell Tim yet.

A few more weeks and Damian will take that plane home. He’ll say it in person, then.

#damitim #advent calendar 2019 #elareine writes #watch me dive right into the sappist/least sad interpretation of the song

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gooddadstan · 5 years

Photo

The first story in my Batman Bingo 2020 writing! For the card above, Red is completed, and blue is requested. Another huge thanks to @batmanbingo2020 for making it! Feel free to ask for a prompt!

1.Sleep Deprivation

Arkham breakouts were bad. Rogue level breakouts were really bad. Gotham knew it, the bats knew it, even the Justice League knew it, if just from the strict instructions to not call on any bat within three days of returning all escapees to their cells. With a necessary exception of world ending circumstances, no matter how much everyone hated it.

Unfortunately, these were world ending circumstances.

According to the clock on the Batcomputer, it hadn’t even been an hour since they started the Do Not Call countdown in the Watchtower’s systems. Far too early for the emergency transmission to send alarms blaring through every bat-associated device the house.

Clicking the button for the video call to patch through, they’re met with a disheveled looking Flash with a grim expression on his face, no other leaguers in sight.

“What.” The growl had been forming during the small loading period, but the Flash didn’t waver in his stance.

When he speaks just a second later, it’s sped up as much as he trusts the bats to understand. “Batman, the League needs your help. Send all available backup, you’ll meet Justice League Dark at the site..” He rattles off a set of coordinates and is gone again, the trail of his image heading off in the direction of the Zetas.

Batman scans over his children, the wounds both new and days old being nursed in the medbay and the bodies flopped onto any surface they deemed comfortable enough to sleep on. More than half of them were just lying down on the floor, which, okay, but they’re children of a billionaire, they’re supposed to have standards. Apparently these standards don’t involve not sleeping on the floor in full vigilante gear.

Tim, looking up from his designated spot on the next chair over, makes very pointed eye contact with Bruce. A simple nod is all that meets him. Already mourning the loss of a relaxing afternoon filled with cartoons, sleep, and lots of food, he pulls up the League’s initial reports on the issue. The burning behind his eyes was a later Tim problem. There’s not much there, but he sets to work as Bruce rises to call the others to action.

~^~^~

Maybe Dick going on this world-saving escapade was a bad idea. Yeah, he kicked some ass, and yeah, he was the one to actually get his hands on the device that let the world-enders of the week wreak their havoc, but he kinda feels like his legs are going to drop out from under him and it may or may not have been four days since he last slept. Sue him, it was a rogue-level Arkham breakout. Measures had to be taken. Caffeine pill measures.

And if those measures ended up with him more spaced out than present during the after-victory conversation with the Titans, well, it’s not like he hasn’t done worse to himself in the past.

And no, bad Dick, that’s neither a healthy nor productive way of thinking. He forces himself to focus back in on what Wally was saying, only to see that the entire circle he was in was looking at him with various concerned expressions. Wally had placed a hand on his shoulder. Huh. Dick didn’t remember that happening.

“Dude, are you okay? We’ve been calling your name for at least a minute and a half.” He doesn’t even bother hiding the concern in his voice, which, fine, it is Wally, but Dick’s torn between wanting to yell at him for putting himself in unnecessary danger during the fight, and just wanting to go eat enough carbs to kill an elephant. “How long have you even been awake?” Oh, he must have given up on reality for another second there, because Wally decided it was time to talk again. This time, Dick was pretty sure he was collected within himself enough to answer. Maybe.

Pulling one hand up to rub at his face and almost, almost hitting his own nose in the process, Dick finally opens his mouth. “Since the breakout started. So… a hundred n’ twenty-six hours? Somethin’ like that.”

Wally closes his eyes extremely pointedly, and opens them to make direct eye contact with both hands on Dick’s shoulders. “Dick. You are going to go home, and you are going to sleep. Do you need someone to be there for you?” The caring is familiar, but it still sends warmth through his chest after all these years.

“Yeah. To the manor?”

“To the manor.” In less than a second, Wally’s arms are around him in a familiar hold, and he’s being hoisted up into the air. By the time Wally sets him down on his bed in the manor, he’s asleep.

~^~^~

“Tim.” Kon takes one look at Tim after they finish the battle, and immediately goes from grinning manically as he punches villains into the ground to hovering in front of Tim and calling Cassie and Bart.

“Yes, Kon?” He ignores the fact that he can feel the concern and disappointment in Kon’s gaze, and focuses on the wrist computer projection of the rapidly lowering energy readings in the area.

“Tim.” And oh, this was going to be an Actual Conversation now. Tim looks up from his projection, unsurprised that Cassie and Bart are both already there. When Kon’s satisfied by the level of eye contact, he speaks again. “Tim, did you sleep at all during that breakout?”

Tim spends less than a second debating with himself before shrugging. “I got knocked out at one point. Killer Croc doesn’t exactly pull his punches.” Watching the looks going his way grow slightly darker wasn’t foreign, at this point, but the curl of uncomfortability in his gut could probably be blamed on exhaustion at this point.

“Tim. Buddy. That started four days ago. Were you checked for a concussion?” It’s Bart that speaks this time, having appeared behind Tim’s back to place one hand down and try to guide him towards some rubble that looks vaguely chair-height. Tim doesn’t move.

A small sigh escaping his lips, Tim shakes his head and stands his ground. “Yes, it did start four days ago, and no, I’m not concussed. World ending circumstances override our protocol. I’m fine.”

Tim’s pretty sure if any of Young Justice had a say in it, he’d be at home asleep already, because even he could admit (to himself) that maybe he’s not entirely fine. Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for Tim, he thinks, Tim is technically their leader so they can’t kick him out. Probably. He notes to check if they can kick him out for lack of self care and moves on.

The next thing he knows, he’s yelping and scrambling for handholds as the ground disappears beneath him. “What the shit, Kon?” From his awkward half-dangling place, he can see Cassie fly up to meet them, Bart in her arms.

He’s shifted to a slightly more secure hold, but it’s painfully clear that if he makes a move to leave Kon’s arms or if Kon drops him, he would be in for a decidedly Not Fun Time. So they’re trying to coerce him. Threaten him? Maybe both.

“Dude, you’re even glitching. Take a nap or something.” Bart shouts at him from maybe five feet away, which is unnecessary, but Tim appreciates the effort to account for possible wind. If only there was any more than none.

“Seriously, you’re spacey and clearly exhausted. You didn’t note anything from those readings until the third rotation, you’re not exactly keeping up with the field work. I could even take you over to the farm or your apartment or something if you don’t want to go back to the cave. But find somewhere to go pass out.” And okay, fine, Kon might be right about the readings. But he can’t just leave-

“Nobody’ll fault you for leaving dude.” Tim immediately curses Bart and his uncanny ability to understand Tim’s anxieties.

“And if anyone does, then we’ll make sure to have a little chat.” He can almost hear the sound of Cassie’s fist hitting her palm, and as much as he wants to accept…

“Thanks guys, really, but I need to keep up on my own responsibilities.” His tone his regretful, and he really can’t leave the rest of his family without warning.

“Tim, you’re our responsibility, so go home and take a nap.” And Kon is not allowed to make sense when Tim’s this tired anymore. But, ever the adamant one, Tim opens his mouth to speak again. “I-“

“Tim, go home.” It’s simultaneous, and manages to effectively shut Tim up.

Heaving one last exasperated sigh, Tim accepts. “Fine, just drop me off at the nearest Zeta.”

Kon gets that manic grin on his face again, and Tim’s internal monologue consists entirely of ‘oh no’. “I can do you one better.” Tim is going to get murdered. “Gotham, here we come!”

~^~^~

Bruce was still fighting as his GPS reported family leaving the area. He felt like his limbs were moving like slugs, his eyes were burning with every blink, and every little noise sent waves of rage through his very soul, but he was still fighting. The last of today’s havoc wreakers were still raring to go, and where evil stands, the Justice League rises to meet them.

As one final punch sends his last opponent to the containment area, Bruce lets his shoulders slump. The past few days have been unbearably long, and he just wants to sleep for a week wherever he can find a horizontal surface. His kids might have the right idea about the floor, at this point. His wounds are throbbing, he can feel his mind succumbing to exhaustion, and he just wants to rest. For once. He should extend the protocol before the next breakout.

Clark touches down next to him, and he immediately braces for a complaint about something, even though this is Clark, and he’s pretty sure Clark hasn’t complained about a thing in his life. Or maybe he just really needs to sleep. Despite all his training, it’s hard to tell.

“Batman. I think it’s time you took a rest. You’ve had some long days.” There’s a kind pressing in his voice.

Bruce suppresses a growl, though he’s sure Clark can hear what escapes from his throat. “I can continue.”

“But you don’t need to. Batman, the kids you brought are already gone, you’re the only one here. Hood and Robin are home with broken bones, you’re needed there more than here.” He smiles, and lowers his voice. “Go home, Bruce, rest up. We’ll see you for the meeting next week.” He takes off, nothing but a gust of wind that aggravates the burning sensation in his eyes.

An hour later, Bruce is pulling himself out of the Batmobile and shedding his suit. As he turns the corner to the main area of the cave, he’s met with his children, huddled together asleep and surrounded by blankets and pillows. A small smile creeps onto his face, the warmth of seeing each of his children here, safe, and soon to be better rested. He moves to go past them, move up to the master bedroom and get some rest himself.

A hand catches at his wrist, pulling down. He glances to the source, and can’t help but worry when he’s met with Jason, eyes still closed and broken leg elevated on a stack of floor pillows. “Br’ce.”

“Yeah, Jaylad?” The nickname wouldn’t fly most times, but his own exhaustion made it slip by.

“Stay, w’ll you?” He tugs again, harder this time, and Bruce lets himself be pulled down to sit on his heels. Dick almost immediately shimmies over to throw himself over Bruce’s legs, and he supposes that’s that. He lightly lifts Dick to lay his legs down flat. Cass’ arm to pull his shoulders down onto the blanket nest isn’t unexpected, and it’s not a surprise when the rest of his children stir enough to drape themselves over one body part of his or another.

As Alfred stands on the foot of the stairs, a dish towel drying his hands, he can’t help but smile. Maybe this way his wards would actually rest for once.

#batman #batfam #tim drake #dick grayson #bruce wayne #batman bingo 2020 #sleep deprivation #blanket nests #this is fluff #basically just fluff

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lopithecusfanfiction · 6 years

Text

A Life So Changed: Chapter Sixty-One

Author: Lopithecus Pairing: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne Rating: Explicit Word Count: 2775 Alternate: AO3, fanfiction.net Author's Note: So, I’m thinking one chapter a month is going to be the norm for now on. I hope that is okay. Once in a while I might be able to do more than that but adulting takes a lot of time, unfortunately. :/ Enjoy!!

Bruce lies awake in bed, Clark’s arms wrapped protectively around him. The Kryptonian is fast asleep, limbs heavy on Bruce’s body. He can feel Lara moving around inside him, the sensation weird and uncanny. Bruce shifts and Clark stirs, a sleepy mumble coming out of the man’s mouth. But Clark doesn’t wake and Bruce uses the opportunity to place his own hand on his stomach. Lara kicks and he feels it.

*~~~*

“You want to what?” Bruce asks Clark over breakfast. He’s feeling pretty good this morning which is a nice change. There’s a dull ache in his head but it is nowhere near the intensity the headaches have been recently and his appetite has come back full force. Alfred has made him oatmeal and toast with some scrambled eggs and a few berries in a bowl. He picks a raspberry out of it and chews, savoring the juicey flavor.

Clark swallows his own bite of eggs, the Gotham Gazette open in his hands. Bruce had asked him why he wasn’t reading the Daily Planet seeing as Bruce has a subscription to that as well, and Clark replied with that he wanted to see the differences between the two. Of course the Gotham Gazette focuses more on Gotham news while the Daily Planet focuses on Metropolis news, but even the world news the two writes about is different. Each puts priorities on different things and writes about them in different ways.

“I think it would do us both some good if we went,” Clark replies, flipping the page. “Ma and Pa have really started to come around now that they’ve realized I’m serious about us.” Clark looks up at him. “I’ll go see them alone if you really don’t want to come but I would love for you to join me.”

Bruce sighs and takes a sip of his green tea. “You’re talking about going to go see the two people that hate me. The two people that insulted me the last time I saw them.”

Clark nods, setting down his mug of coffee that he had just drank from. “Yes, I am. But it’s been a long time since then and I have only seen them once since that whole incident.” Clark shrugs. “I’ve talked to them on the phone a few times here and there but not as much as I used to. I think they’re getting the hint that if they don’t accept you, then I don’t want anything to do with them.”

“That’s a lie.” Clark raises his eyebrow at Bruce in question. “You could never say goodbye to your parent completely.”

Clark shrugs again, taking a bite of egg. “I suppose you’re right.”

Bruce sits there and watches Clark eat for a few seconds before he finally sighs heavily. “Fine, I’ll go. But you’re not flying me there. I’ll call the airport and have them get my jet ready.”

Bruce can tell Clark is trying to not smile. “Why don’t you want me flying you there?”

“Because I’m too pregnant for that now.”

Clark chuckles. “You’re in your sixth month and aren’t even that big. Wait until you’re eight months along.”

Bruce grimaces, stabbing a blueberry. “Please don’t remind me of the hardships I’m going to face. Lara is heavy enough as it is.”

“Lara is a nice name.” Bruce and Clark turn towards the voice, seeing Tim and Damian walk into the room. “Dick told me that’s what you are naming her.”

“And you didn’t believe him?” Clark asks the teen.

Tim shrugs and sits down at the table, stealing one of Bruce’s toast. “No, I believed him but I just wanted to make sure.”

“And you?” Bruce asks, turning to Damian who is grabbing at an apple from the bowl on the counter. “What do you think?”

“Tt, I don’t care.” Damian then stalks out of the room, giving Bruce’s stomach a quick glance. Bruce doesn’t miss the small smile the kid tries to hide.

“He’s coming around,” Tim informs and Bruce hums in agreement.

Clark stands up and walks to Bruce’s side of the table, leaning down and giving him a kiss on the temple. “There’s a few things I need to do at the Fortress but I’ll be back in a couple hours to go to Smallville with you.”

“Okay,” Bruce replies, giving Clark a smile in return. The Kryptonian leaves and Bruce is left sitting there with Tim stealing grapes from his fruit bowl. Bruce eyes him. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.” Tim pops a grape into his mouth.

Bruce narrows his eyes. “Tim.”

Tim lets out a long, deep sigh, hand falling to the table with a loud thud. “It’s really nothing. I’ve just been thinking about the baby and you and Kon.”

Bruce’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Why are me and the baby in the same thought process as Conner?” Then Bruce’s eyes grow wide. “You’re not pregnant are you? Tim, I swear to God, I can’t deal with another accidental pregnancy.”

Tim shakes his head in amusement, short chuckle coming from him. “No, trust me, Bruce, I’m very careful during my heats.” He huffs. “I think Kon is even more careful than I am.”

“Good,” Bruce says with a nod.

“It’s mostly just the future I’m thinking about.” Tim picks up Bruce’s fork and starts playing with the eggs on Bruce’s plate. Bruce watches in annoyance. “You and Clark are going to have a baby together that’s going to take up a lot of your time. It’s not like when you adopted Dick, Jason, me, and then took on Damian. We were already kids at the time, self sufficient. A baby is needy and helpless. Yeah, you have Alfred but I suspect you two are still going to be doing most of the work.”

“Tim, is there a point to this?” Bruce asks.

Tim rolls his eyes and flings some egg at Bruce which Bruce dodges. “Yes, asshole.” Bruce smiles at his son. “I’m wondering if I want that when I’m older. Does Kon want that? The normal omega and alpha response would be, yes, we do but then I think about being Red Robin and him being Superboy and how busy we are and are going to be.” Tim twirls the fork. “I don’t know if I’m cut out to be a father, Bruce.”

“You’re still a little young to be thinking about this. You’re only seventeen, Tim, you have plenty of time to decide,” Bruce points out.

“That’s the thing, Bruce,” Tim continues. “I have decided.” Tim looks him in the eyes. “I want to be a father someday, I want it with Kon if I can though I know that might not be a possibility for many different reasons, but the problem lies in which whether or not I’ll have the time or if I’ll screw it up somehow.”

“Tim,” Bruce places a hand on the teen’s shoulder. “I think all parents have those fears.” He smiles at Tim. “And you know, if I end up having time to take care of Lara and I somehow don’t screw her up,” Tim chuckles, “then you definitely can do it too.”

Tim shrugs. “I guess we’ll find out eventually, won’t we?”

“Hopefully not too soon,” Bruce points out and Tim chuckles again.

“Yeah, not too soon.” Tim sets Bruce’s fork back down. “I don’t want to be Dick’s age either. I’m thinking early thirties… if I make it to that age.” The mention of Dick’s situation and then the possibility of Tim not living long enough to see his thirties dampens the mood instantaneously. Bruce frowns down at his food and Tim is staring at the table, solem. “Sorry” the omega says quietly. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Bruce shakes his head. “It’s fine.” He stands and pushes his plates to Tim. “Finish this food. I don’t want it anymore.”

“Bruce,” Tim starts but doesn’t continue, looking regretful.

Bruce gives the omega a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, really.” He then walks out of the kitchen, heading towards his office to make the arrangements to go to Smallville.

*~~~*

Clark and him are in Smallville, knocking on Martha and Jonathan’s door within a few hours. The older beta opens the door immediately and gathers Clark into her arms, squeezing the alpha tight. “Oh, Clark! It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

Jonathan appears beside his mate. “It’s good to see you, Son.”

Clark ducks his head in embarrassment. “Ma, Pa, it’s good to see you too.”

Martha smiles at her son then turns her attention on Bruce. “Bruce…” She trails off, face looking sad and regretful. She waves them in. “Come in you two.” They both follow the two betas into the house and Martha ushers them into the dining room where there are plates set up with food. They all sit, say a prayer, and then begin to eat. “Bruce,” Martha starts. “Jonathan and I are glad you came. We’ve had a very long time to think about how we acted the last time we saw ya and…” she looks down at the table.

Jonathan jumps in. “We regret how we treated ya, Bruce. It was wrong of us to judge ya without even knowing ya.” His eyes flick to Clark. “We taught our son better than that and, well, quite frankly, we should know better than that too.” Jonathan extends a hand. “We’re sorry, Bruce, and we hope ya can one day forgive us.”

Bruce eyes the hand but doesn't take it. “How do I know you’re not just saying that to get Clark back into your lives and have a relationship with our baby?”

Jonathan’s hand descends and Martha answers him. “We know we haven’t given ya any reason as to why ya should trust us, but we hope that we can try and earn that trust back. The little conversations that Jonathan and I had with Clark after how we treated ya, showed us how terrible we were and how much ya mean to our boy. We ain’t usually mean people, Bruce, and I’m ashamed to admit that that’s exactly what we were.”

“We know we have to gain ya trust,” Jonathan pitches in. “We just hope ya’ll give us the chance.” He looks to Clark as well, most likely knowing they lost their son’s trust as well. “Sorry isn’t enough, we understand that, but we really want to try and make it work. To understand what it is that ya and our son have, and about the baby.”

“Like we said, Bruce,” Martha says. “We had a nice long thought about this whole thing after we left Gotham. I know it ain’t no excuse, but I think the shock of it all is what caused a lot of our animosity towards ya. We should have given ya a chance before jumping to our own conclusions though, and for that, we are truly sorry.”

Bruce is looking down at the table, one hand on his stomach, and the other placed on the table. He thinks about what Jonathan and Martha had just said to him, wonders what Clark had said to them in order for them to really think about how they treated him, and then made his decision. “Her name is going to be Lara, after Clark’s biological mother. But I was thinking of having her middle name be Martha.” He shrugs. “Everyone seems to be surprised that that isn’t going to be her first name so I should probably stick it in there somewhere.” He looks up at Martha, eyeing Jonathan before moving back to Clark’s mother. “After all, there’s two Marthas in the family.”

Martha has tears in her eyes, recognizing the peace offering. She takes Jonathan’s hand and squeezes it, giving Bruce a small smile. “Thank ya, Bruce.” Jonathan smiles as well, nodding in agreement with his mate.

*~~~*

All four of them sit in the living room, watching a movie in the dark. Bruce is always amazed by how different darkness is in Smallville than it is in Gotham. In Gotham, there isn’t really truly a complete darkness. Pollution and clouds make sure of that. But here in Smallville, there are no clouds, there is no pollution, and better yet, there is no light from the city illuminating the sky. Pure darkness at its best, with a million stars littering the sky. It’s the most peaceful Bruce will ever get.

“Martha huh?” Clark whispers to him. They are secluded on the couch, Clark lying on it and Bruce squeezed on it in front of him, Clark’s arm wrapped around him to make sure he doesn’t fall off. Martha and Jonathan are in their own chairs, Martha rocking rhythmically and Jonathan leaning back, sinking into the cushioned chair. The male on the tv screen opens the door leading him to the murderer.

“It’s fitting don’t you think?” Bruce whispers back. “Honor all three mothers.”

Clark chuckles. “I just don’t know if I like the sound of Lara Martha Wayne-Kent.” He pauses. “Or will it be Lara Martha Kent-Wayne?”

Bruce elbows him in the side and Clark squeaks, causing Martha to look over briefly. “It might not sound poetic but I don’t care. My mother and your biological mother aren’t here so they both deserve to be honored. And besides, Martha Lara excetra sounds even worse.”

Clark chuckles, his whole body shaking with the attempt to stay quiet. “Nice job avoiding the last name issue.”

Bruce rolls his eyes and sits up, stretching. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Clark sits up too. “Oh no, is it starting?”

Bruce raises an eyebrow at the alpha. “Is what starting?”

“The frequent bathroom trips.” Clark looks worried. Bruce picks up a throw pillow and smacks him across the face. Martha and Jonathan laugh and Clark grabs the pillow, tackles Bruce to pull him back down, and smothers him in kisses. He stops when Bruce starts to grumble and squirm too much, letting go. “I’m only teasing.”

Bruce sits back up and smooths down the front of his shirt. “I know. Now, the bathroom. I really have to go.”

Clark mocks an annoyed sigh. “Fine. Go. Scamper away little bat.” Bruce rolls his eyes again and stands, leaving the room with the feeling of everyone’s eyes on him and Clark’s laughs in his ears.

Martha and Jonathan have two bathrooms. One downstairs and one upstairs. The problem Bruce has always had, however, is the size of the downstairs one. It’s more of a half bath sized room but whoever built the house still decided to try and squeeze in a shower. The few times Bruce has been to this house, whenever the League was invited, he never once saw any of the members use the downstairs bathroom. No one but Clark, of course. Bruce does the same. Avoids the downstairs bathroom at all costs and now that his stomach is bigger, he really doesn’t want to try and squeeze his way around in there. So he heads for the stairs to go to the bathroom on the second floor.

The stairs to the second floor are steep but manageable. Wally once fell down them, clumsy as he is. He ended up breaking his calf and is lucky he heals so quickly. The bone was completely mended by the time the League left, the speedster running off to where he wanted to go after. Bruce now holds onto the railing, taking his time to make his way up. The last thing he wants to do is fall down the stairs.

The size of the bathroom up here is much more tolerable and Bruce feels a lot more comfortable doing his business in it. Once done, he washes his hands and then makes his way out. At the top of the stairs, he pauses. He stands there, not really seeing anything as he looks down them. Slowly, the feeling of leaving his body encompasses him and he sluggishly reaches out with a shaky hand to the railing. His fingers curl around it and grip tightly. His body doesn’t move. Blinks slow. Breathing shallow.

Suddenly, he’s snapped back into his body by an excruciating pain stabbing in his head, his ears ringing so loud that he can’t hear the tv downstairs anymore. He takes a sharp breath in, hands flying up to cup at his head, as he takes a step back away from the stairs. He stumbles and falls, hitting the floor hard, and curling into himself. His mouth is open, he doesn’t know if he’s screaming in pain, but his whole body convulses and then he blacks out.

A/N: You all are so, so close to finding out what is wrong with Bruce. So close!! I can’t wait until it’s revealed and see all your reactions. :D Thanks for reading!!

#DC Comics #SuperBat #Superman #Batman #Clark Kent #Kal El #Bruce Wayne #A Life So Changed #My Fanfiction #sfw

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verymuchimmortalcat · 3 years

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Maribat March Day 27: Contest and Day 28: Young Justice

ao3

@maribatmarch-2k21

Adrien was bored. The girls had all gone to Anita’s house for a sleepover. Snapper and Ray were doing whatever they do when they’re free. Kon was watching TV. Heaven knows where Slobo is. Tim was in Gotham and was supposed to return the next day. Bart was probably somewhere around.

Usually, he’d just go patrol in Paris but Marinette had the horse miraculous and Slobo had taken off with the supercycle.

The thing with leaving a sunshine childlike Adrien alone with the god of destruction is, it usually leads to chaos. And Plagg was always happy to cause some destruction.

“You could create an obstacle course of sorts, get all your friends to compete when they return.”

“How exactly am I supposed to build an obstacle course all on my own, Plagg?”

“That’s simple. Take the fast one’s help.”

Adrien frowned, “Bart has a name y’know.”

“Eh.”

“But that’s not a bad idea. C’mon Plagg let’s go find Bart and see if he wants to help.”

.oOo.

Bart was more than willing to help. Together, the two of them created an obstacle course spanning around the grounds of the mansion. They might’ve worked on it well into the night but it’s not like Bart had any plans on sleeping and Adrien didn’t mind sacrificing his sleep for a good cause. This was going to be. so. much. fun.

Bart probably did about 90% of the work with Adrien helping everywhere that he could. By the time they had finished Bart had been tired enough to take a short nap and Adrien had fallen asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

Adrien was awoken the next morning by Marinette yelling. He caught onto only the tail end of what had probably been a very long lecture.

“-GONE FOR ONE DAY, WHY IS THERE A WHOLE OBSTACLE COURSE OUTSIDE?”

Adrien ran down immediately. Marinette was standing in the centre and screaming with Tim next to her, who was probably waiting for her to finish so he could offer his own lecture. He must have returned around the same time as the girls. Cissie and Traya had tagged along with the others, and were standing to the side trying to hide their amusement. Cassie had probably finished her piece since she was standing of to the side. Anita looked like she wished she could vanish. Greta looked lost. Slobo had reappeared at some point and was laughing out loud. Adrien could see Kon flying around outside, checking the course out, from the windows. Bart was standing in the centre trying to explain to Marinette how it was a genius plan.

Adrien joined Bart instantly.

“Mariiii, it’ll be fun. We can have a contest.”

Marinette glares at him, “How much of this was Plagg’s idea?”

Adrien grinned sheepishly, “all of it?”

Snapper walked in at that moment, saw all of them and Bart and Adrien’s masterpiece, sighed and walked out.

“I don’t think a contest is a good idea,” Tim added.

“But Tiiim, it’ll be fun. All of us can compete and Traya can be the judge,” Bart whined.

“Fine. Whatever.”

Bart cheered and ran outside to tell Kon.

.oOo.

About ten minutes later, they were all outside. Dressed in their suits, with the exception of Cissie. It had taken Bart and Adrien ten minutes to convince all of them to participate. Bart and Adrien’s obstacle course was complicated enough that it could be used for military training. They had made it compulsory to complete everything properly because most of them had super powers. Just before Traya told them to start Adrien realised they had never set down any rules about cheating. This might not be as fun as he initially thought.

Two minutes in and he already regretted not forbidding cheating. Bart was constantly being thwarted by Kon who had decided Bart had an unfair advantage of both his speed and his knowledge of the course. Marinette had already used her yoyo twice to throw him behind her. Adrien was sure that this was beyond her wanting to. Anita and Cassie were only occasionally bothering the other. Greta and her whole incorporeal-ness made sure she was nowhere to be found but Adrien had seen her there when they had started. Cissie and Tim not being superpowered were neither bothered by the others nor bothering the others. If everyone else didn’t already have someone to bother they probably would have concentrated on the two non-super powered heroes but Kon was busy with Bart and Marinette was annoyed enough to be petty, and neither Cassie nor Anita were likely to do so. It might eventually happen, though. Adrein doesn’t know anymore. Slobo had ignored all rules and was using the supercycle to finish the course.

Adrien tried to look around once more for Greta when he felt Marinette’s yoyo wrap around him again. That’s it. He’s playing dirty too. Extending his staff, he knocks Marinette out mid-swing. The annoyance on her face makes it worth it, until she smirks at him. Adrien knows that expression has seen it on her face several times right before she takes down an akuma. He’s pretty sure the only thing she won’t resort to now is murder. He vaults away as fast as he can, hoping his head start lasts a while.

.oOo.

Greta wins in the end. No one’s necessarily surprised. While Slobo had reached first he didn’t do any of the tasks so Traya had decided it didn’t count and had ignored his grumbling. Greta had managed to do what required actually moving around physical objects and had pretty much phased her way through everything else. Traya had decided that counted since everyone else was too busy cheating. Predictably Tim and Cissie had come in as second and third.

After Traya picks the winners, Cassie tells Bart and Adrien to clean up their mess. She ignores all their protests and forces them to clean up.

They finish cleaning up a few hours later. The rest of the team is just hanging around when they come back. Ray had apparently come back in the few hours they had been gone. Bart bursts into the room a few seconds later with a blueprint for the next obstacle course.

His declaration is met with a chorus of groans and Adrien hears Plagg cackling from his pocket.

#maribatmarch2021 #maribat #my writing

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