#bugs: ch10

[letsreadonepiece]

i love the idea that zoro's gotten famous enough for the pirates in the east blue to be like, is someone hunting for me? is it pirate hunter zoro??? 😳

[jaythes1mp]

4826 words, 27475 characters, 269 sentences, 122 paragraphs, 19.3 pages

All done in one night🙏 it’s 7:50 am and I haven’t slept, so if you don’t like this I might cry bro

Your secrets are ours, kid

Yandere BatFam x Reader — CH10 -> CH9 -> CH8 -> CH7 -> CH6 -> CH5 -> CH4 -> CH3 -> CH2 -> CH1

You quietly opened the classroom door, trying to draw as little attention to yourself as possible as you creep inside. You scanned the room, holding your laptop close to your side as your eyes darting around the space with slight panic. Your heart racing from the exertion of running from across campus to get here. Thankfully the professor hadn't started yet and your friend, who already sat near the back of the room, gives you a knowing glance. You give him a sheepish smile as you make your way through the rows of desks to him.

"You cut it a bit close this time." He gives you a cheeky grin. "I made it here though, didn't I?" You retort.

He opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by the professor clearing her throat at the front of the room, signalling class is about to begin. “Mister Wayne.” She warns, her calculating eyes boring into Tim’s frame. He sits up straight and gives her a sheepish smile.

You have to bring a hand up to muffle your laughter. “Mister Wayne.” You mock quietly, whispering so no one other than the boy next to you could hear.

He felt the eyes of the other students on him like burning hot plates, the majority of them were either envious of him or thought he was an entitled prick.

Of course the professor would call him out for talking when you were the one who ran in late.

Tim couldn't help but smile sheepishly as he was chastised, he had heard your quiet snickering behind. There was this fuzzy feeling in the back of his head at the thought that you were laughing because of him. He had made you happy. He could rub this in Damian’s face later.

The longer class went on the further and further consumed into your little project you got. You had finished the assignment for your criminology course a few days ago, not that Jason was aware. Instead occupying your time with your side hobby. You had over four thousand people following your reporters blog online and it earned you some decent cash. Now far too invested in the lives of the vigilantes of Gotham to really think about anything else. It didn’t help that the people you surrounded yourself with were all geniuses, so you couldn’t rely on them for help even with vague questions as they’d figure out that you’re the author for Blüdhaven’s top trending reporting blog. Maybe Dick could help you, he doesn’t portray himself as the smartest tool in the box when it comes to these things and he won’t ask too many questions.

Your train of thought is cut off as you feel the end of a pen dig into your side, glaring over at Tim.

He kept the pen pressed to your side, not at all being gentle about the small jabs as he tried to get your attention, silently gesturing to you to pay attention to the damn class, not whatever you were doing on your laptop. He’ll have to bug it, seeing as you’re not using your phone as much anymore.

You grimaced when you felt the pen being jabbed into your side again, a silent command to pay attention to the class and stop messing around on your laptop. You rolled your eyes and shot a glare at your friend, who was giving you a pointed look.

You begrudgingly closed the device, knowing that Tim would find other ways to get your attention if you didn’t stop being distracted. You sigh and silently resign yourself to actually paying attention to the class, although you made sure to shoot another glare at Tim for good measure.

Drake follows along quietly as you rush to pack up your belongings. The class seems to end faster than usual, and the moment the teacher releases you from the period, you grab Tim's sleeve and pull him along behind you, quickly making your way out the door with him in tow.

The hallway outside is filled with a mix of noise and chaos. Laughing groups of students chatter away amongst themselves, while others race through, late for their next class. The sound of sneakers scraping against the college’s floors loud and prominent. You push your way through the crowd, guiding him along as you make a beeline for the on-campus cafe.

As you enter the cafe, the atmosphere shifts to a more relaxed vibe. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods waft through the air, filling the space with a comforting scent. The cafe is moderately crowded, with students occupying the various tables and booths scattered throughout. Some chat amongst themselves while sipping on their drinks, while others are engrossed in their studies, textbooks spread out before them. There's a gentle hum of conversation that fills the cafe, blending with the soft music playing in the background.

As you scan the cafe for an available booth, your eyes roam over the cozy ambiance, taking in the various students enjoying their time. However, your search comes to an abrupt halt when your gaze falls on Dick Grayson, the young professor, sitting alone in the corner. You discreetly tug on Tim's sleeve and subtly gesture in Grayson's direction with a nudge of your shoulder.

You notice a subtle change in Tim's expression as his lips curve into a knowing grin. He doesn't seem all that fazed by Dick’s presence, almost as if he was expecting it. As if he was already aware that he’d be here. However, what you been blissfully unaware of was Dick’s impatiently bouncing leg, and the checking of his phone every few seconds.

You pull Tim along to the man’s booth, standing opposite him with a grin. Grayson’s face lights up at the sight of you, and he quickly places his phone face down on the table before standing up to greet you. Without hesitation, he spreads his arms wide, opening them in invitation for a welcoming embrace.

You eagerly accept Dick’s open arms, wrapping your own around his sides without a second thought. Seeking out the familiar comfort of his embrace. Your head fits perfectly against his chest, and you relish the feel of his warmth and the comforting familiarity of this act. Settling snugly against him like a younger sibling would to an older brother.

With your head snuggled against his chest, you're not able to spot the dark grins that spread across the brothers' faces as they exchange knowing looks, their gazes fixed on you.

You gradually untangle yourself from Dick’s embrace and slide into the booth, settling comfortably between the two brothers. Chuckling softly when the oldest Wayne seemed reluctant to let go of you.

“Fancy seeing you here.” He chirps, resting his head in his palm and idly tracing around the carved lines of the table.

You nod, settling back into the booth and intending to let the two brothers continue their discussion without interruption. However, you quickly realize that their intense stares are focused solely on you, their gazes unwavering and intense. The intensity in their gazes prompt you to discreetly clear your throat in an attempt to break the silence.

"You both are staring at me like you have something to say," you comment. Fiddling with a loose strand at the end of your sweater.

The brothers exchange a glance, seemingly communicating silently between them with subtle nods and raised eyebrows. Eventually, Dick clears his throat and turns his gaze back to you, an amused smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

"Ah, sorry about that. Got a bit lost in thought." Dick says, his voice tinged with a hint of humor.

Tim, on the other hand, remains silent, his steady gaze not leaving you. His expression is unreadable, though a small quirk of his lips suggests a hint of amusement.

“Right...” You look down towards the table, noticing it empty of any beverages nor sweets. Had Dick not ordered before we got here?

You blink, realising your mistake and sitting up. “Oh, sorry. You guys know each other right? I’m sure Timmy-boy has at least one of your classes?”

Dick snorts, but quickly quietens down by a sharp look thrown from Tim. “Yeah, we’re... aquatinted.”

Tim subtly kicks Dick’s leg under the table before turning back to you. “Are you hungry?” His blue eyes analysing you.

You shrug, leaning back and drumming your fingers against the table. “I could eat.”

Dick taps the table, leaning forward to get a better look at you. His eyes flicker with curiosity as his gaze roams over your form, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "What do you feel like eating?" he asks, watching you drumming your fingers against the surface of the table. Tim's expression changes to one of interest as he observes you as well.

The waiter, ever observant, takes this as a cue to approach the table. "What can I get you guys?" he asks, his voice cheerful.

Dick cocks his head, still watching you closely. "We'll have some coffee and some pastries to start," he replies, his gaze flickering back to your fingers tapping against the table.

Tim adds, "Make that two coffees and a basket of assorted pastries."

You nod in agreement with their exchange, letting your hands fall to your lap as you continue to follow the conversation. "Ah, I think I'll go for the milkshake of the day," you add, addressing the waiter who's been patiently waiting for your order. "And I'll take the café's specialty coffee as well, please." Dick almost coos at your manors.

The waiter smiles politely and nods, taking note of your order before hurriedly walking away to place the order. Meanwhile, Dick props his chin on his hand, a sly grin on his face. "Aren't you a polite one?" he teases you, eyes glinting with playful challenge.

Tim watches the interaction, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “Have you had breakfast?” The question is thrown with an air of casualness, but you know he’ll give you that sad puppy face if you say no.

You sigh, nodding. “Yeah, my roommates big on the whole taking care of myself or whatever. He’s a hypocrite I tell you.” You cross your arms, leaning back.

Dick snickers at your comment about your roommate. "Sounds like a character," he remarks, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. A fond smile at the thought of Jason.

Tim, on the other hand, looks sympathetic. "I can relate," he says, shaking his head. "I've got a brother who's always nagging me about eating healthy and getting enough sleep."

A small huff escapes Dick's lips in response to Tim's words, though it's not loud enough for you to hear. His expression momentarily shifts, a pout crossing his features.

After a few minutes of quiet banter The waiter returns promptly with a serving plate stacked with various pastries. He places it on the table and then sets the drinks down in front of each of you. As the waiter walks away, Tim quickly grabs two of the pastries and places them on a plate in front of you. Pushing the white porcelain closer to you with his pointer and middle fingers.

Dick, meanwhile, takes a sip of his coffee, a pleasant hum leaving his lips. Watching the interaction fondly.

"Go on," Tim encourages, nudging the plate slightly towards you. "Make sure to eat." His gaze is firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

You glance down at the pastry, a feeling of warmth spreading through you at Tim's thoughtfulness. Before you can thank him, Dick interjects, a playful smirk on his face.

"Aww, look at that. Timbo's acting all chivalrous, ain't he?" he teases, elbowing Tim lightly in the side. Tim rolls his eyes, but there's a hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Can it, Dickhead," Tim mutters with no real heat behind his words, shoving Dick's hand off his shoulder. But it's hard to stay mad at Dick, especially when he has that charming smirk plastered on his face. He playfully ruffles Tim's hair, earning him a glare in return.

Dick just laughs, unfazed by Tim's retort. "Oh, don't be like that," he replies, a teasing grin plastered across his face.

Sensing the brewing banter, you take a sip of your milkshake, your attention flickering between the two.

Tim attempts to smooth his hair back into place, his gaze shifting to you. "Don't mind him," he says with another eye roll. "Dick's sense of humor never matured past the age of twelve."

Dick feigns offense, placing a hand over his heart. "Hey, I'll have you know my sense of humor is top-notch," he retorts, a playful glint in his eyes.

Tim snorts, taking another sip of his coffee to suppress a laugh. "Sure it is," he says dryly. "If by top-notch you mean 'borderline obnoxious.'"

You can't help but chuckle at their banter, hiding your smile behind your milkshake.

The sound drawing the attention of the Wayne brothers as they turn their gazes to you. They watch you for a moment, their expressions softening at the sound of your laughter.

Dick's smirk widens as he observes your reaction, his gaze fixated on you. "Ah, there it is," he murmurs, his voice low and soft.

Tim, too, can't help but smile quietly as he watches you, his expression warm. There's an almost admiring look in his eyes as he tilts his head to the side, studying you closely.

You pick up the chocolate croissant, bringing it to your lips the pausing mid-bite as they’ve turned their attention to you.

Dick's eyes remain locked on you, watching as you pause in mid-bite. He leans forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand once more, a playful glint in his eyes. Something dark hidden beneath the ocean swirls of his irises.

Tim, too, observes you closely, his gaze lingering on your face. There's an intensity in his gaze that was absent earlier; it's calculating, almost. A subtle hint of possessiveness in the depth of his eyes. He seems to be analyzing your every expression with a keen interest, as if trying to uncover some hidden secret. He lifts the coffee to his lips, taking a long sip and averting his attention elsewhere.

"You gonna eat that or just stare at it?" Dick teases, gesturing towards the croissant you hold in your hand. His tone is light, but the intensity in his gaze belies the lightheartedness of his words. It’s a subtle warning to eat.

You roll your eyes at the gesture, taking a bite into the pastry. It’s warm, freshly baked. The chocolate drizzled over the top as well as placed inside. It practically melts into your mouth. You bring a hand up to cover your mouth as you eat, hiding the grin. “It’s alright.” You lie through your teeth. It’s amazing. But you wouldn’t give the overprotective guys the satisfaction.

Dick snickers, seeing right through your lie. "Just alright, huh?" he says, feigning disbelief. He leans back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tim, a knowing glint in his eyes, takes another sip of his coffee. He can tell you're enjoying the croissant, as evidenced by the gleam of chocolate around your lips. But he decides to play along, a subtle smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe you're just too picky," he comments. They’ll get you a life time supply of these once the plan succeeds.

You hiss, putting the half eaten pastry down onto the plate and elbowing his side. Unaware of the chocolate on your face which makes it hard for them to take you seriously. “I am not picky.” You huff, crossing your arms.

Dick suppresses a laugh as he watches you pout, unable to resist teasing you further. He reaches forward, swiping a finger across your cheek to collect a bit of chocolate that's been left behind.

"Oh really?" he says, a smirk on his face. He uses a napkin to wipe off his finger. His eyes never leave your face as he does so.

Tim, sitting to your side, watches the exchange. There's a hint of amusement in his eyes, but he keeps his composure.

You pause, an embarrassed flush coming over your face. How long had that been there?

"You've got a little something right here," Dick says, tapping the corner of his own mouth, indicating where the chocolate is located.

Tim can't help but smirk at Dick's comment, his eyes flickering to your mouth and then back up to your eyes again. He takes another sip of his coffee, leaning back in his seat.

You brush a hand over your face, wiping away the excess chocolate. Though the movement only seems to smear it further.

Dick chuckles, unable to contain his amusement. His eyes roam over your face, taking immense pleasure in the flustered state you're in.

"Here, let me help," he offers, grabbing a napkin from the table. He reaches out, gently taking your chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting your head towards him. With a gentle touch, he slowly wipes away the residual chocolate with the napkin.

You felt more embarrassed than anything, resting your head against the table afterwards. Feeling like you just wanted to evaporate into the air.

Dick laughs, his amusement clearly evident as you hide your face against the table. He pats your head affectionately, his touch gentle.

Tim watches you, his expression more subdued than Dick's. However, there's a hint of a smile on his lips, a gleam in his eyes that betrays his amusement.

Dick relaxes in the cafe’s empty booth, leaning back slightly as he glances around the room with a touch of impatience. His foot taps rhythmically against the floor, a subtle sign of his restless energy. His grip on his phone tightens as his eyes remain fixed on the screen, watching the blinking red dot on the small map come closer and closer. His fingers tense around the phone's edges, his impatience growing with every passing moment.

As the blinking red dot reaches its destination within the bakery, Dick places his phone face down on the table and casually pretends to check over the menu’s items, feigning indifference despite his growing restlessness. He tries to act nonchalant, as if his mind isn’t anxiously anticipating your arrival.

Dick senses the familiar presence approaching, the shadows in the cafe becoming longer and stretching over his table. He manages to hide his growing excitement, attempting to feign nonchalance, but his giddiness is almost palpable. He looks up from the menu he was pretending to study, his smile betraying him.

He quickly rises from his seat, his body brimming with anticipation. Without hesitation, he opens his arms wide, the eagerness evident on his face as he waits for their baby birds embrace. Practically preening when you bury your face in his chest. He’s sure you can hear his heart going a mile a minute. You fit so snugly in his arms, like you were made to be there. His baby sibling.

He meets Tim’s crazed eyes, a dark grin crossing both of their features. He mouths slowly. ‘All good?’

His younger brother nods, fishing out his phone from his pocket to display the vitals silently. You were good, healthy. He hastily hides his phone once you pull away.

Dick almost lets out a whine. Why don’t you want to stay in his arms, baby bird? Can’t you tell you’re made to be there? Dick struggles to release you from his embrace, his arms reluctantly letting go as he allows you to squeeze yourself into the booth beside him. He manages to put some distance between you and himself begrudgingly, his eyes flickering to your face for a brief moment before shifting his attention to Tim.

“Fancy seeing you here.” He gazes at you with a soft smile on his face, resting his head on his palm as his thumb absently runs over the carved lines on the tabletop. Although he tries to hide it, there's a hint of a pout forming on his lips, clearly displeased by the fact that you've moved away from him. However, he brightens when you don't pull away and instead lean into him when his knee pushes gently against yours in a silent display of affection. Enjoying the proximity.

A comfortable silence runs over the table, a possessive smile on the brother’s faces as they watch you intently. Sitting there so perfectly, your nails picking at a screw on the bottom of your laptop. He shifts closer once you clear your throat, his baby blue eyes honing in on your form. His pupils dilated.

He lets out a content sigh at the sound of your voice. So melodic, it reels him in.

"You both are staring at me like you have something to say," Dick observes you intently, noticing the way you begin to pick at your sweater instead. He can see the anxious habit forming, and silently wishes he could reach out and gently grab your hands to stop you. However, he resists the impulse and simply watches you, his gaze filled with a mixture of concern and affection. He’ll help you with that destructive habit once you’re home, he promises, little bird.

Dick's gaze turns to Tim, a silent silent exchange taking place between the brothers. Dick raises a questioning eyebrow, his grin widening when Tim responds with a subtle nod. Their expressions betraying their shared excitement.

"Ah, sorry about that. Got a bit lost in thoughts." Dick speaks, his voice tinged with a hint of humor. Fondness evident.

“Right...”

Dick's eyes narrow as you sit up, shifting your position and inadvertently pulling your knee away from him. A wave of disappointment washes over him, and he has to bite back the urge to command you to put your knee back where it was. He tries to mask his frustration, his expression remaining neutral, but a subtle tension is evident in his body language. “Oh, sorry. You guys know each other right? I’m sure Timmy-boy has at least one of your classes?”

Dick relaxes a little at the sound of your voice, he grins at Tim's nickname, clearly amused by it. However, his laughter is abruptly cut off as he catches the disapproving look his brother gives him. Immediately sensing the tension, he composes himself, his grin quickly turning into a more subdued smirk. “Yeah,” Dick looks you over calculatingly for a moment, his eyes studying you intently as he tries to choose his words carefully. He pauses for a moment before speaking up, his voice measured and deliberate. “We’re acquainted.”

Dick's attempts to maintain a serious expression falter as Tim shoots him another pointed look and kicks his shin. He can't help but grin, finding his brother's disapproving glances more amusing than anything. He rubs his leg, the younger vigilante having not held back.

“Are you hungry?” His brother questioned, his gaze shifting back to you. You have to be hungry, Dick thought. Jason said you had eaten nearly five hours ago. They can’t let their little bird starve!

When you shrug their eyes narrow, the drumming of your fingers catching their attention. “I could eat.” Your voice broke the silence.

Dick coos. It’s okay, you don’t have to downplay how much you need food. We’ll look after you.

"What do you feel like eating?" Dick's voice comes out slightly breathless as he speaks, his words spoken with conviction. He knows your power over them, and he would do just about anything for you within reason. The cafe is no exception, and he knows that they would probably buy the place in a heartbeat if you so much as hinted at wanting it.

Dick glances at you as you silently scan the menu, his eyes locking onto Tim's right after. A silent conversation takes place between the brothers, their expressions communicating silently what their words can't. Tim then shifts his attention towards the waiter, gesturing for them to come over, while you remain focused on the menu options in front of you.

The waiter, ever observant, takes this as a cue to approach the table. "What can I get you guys?" he asks, his voice cheerful.

They wanted to cut the waiters throat out for the way you flinch at his unexpected presence. Too engrossed in the pictures on the menu to notice the world around you. Snapped out of it by his feigned cheerfulness. You probably hadn’t even noticed your own reaction, seeing how you instantly smiled up at him after.

You needed their protection, that was abundantly clear.

He clocks his head, not sparing the waiter a second glance. "We'll have some coffee and pastries to start," his gaze flickers back to your fingers tapping against the table.

"Make that two coffees and a basket of assorted pastries." Tim adds.

"Ah, I think I'll go for the milkshake of the day," you add, addressing the waiter. "And I'll take the café's specialty coffee as well, please." Dick has to hold back his coos at your manors. So polite.

He faintly hears the waiter’s descending steps. Dick props his chin back on his hand, a sly grin on his face. "Aren't you a polite one?" he teases you, eyes glinting. He’ll reward you for that later.

Tim watches the interaction, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “Have you had breakfast?” The question is thrown with an air of casualness. As if the brothers weren’t already informed.

“Yeah, my roommates big on the whole taking care of myself or whatever. He’s a hypocrite I tell you.” You cross your arms, the childish action making Grayson want to squish your cheeks and hold you close. His baby bird is so cute, complaining about big brother. Not that you were aware that they were yet.

"Sounds like a character," He grins sharply, his eyes softened at the thought of Jason.

"I can relate," Dick’s attention is drawn to Tim as he speaks, the other boy shaking his head. "I've got a brother who's always nagging me about eating healthy and getting enough sleep."

He nearly squabbles. He does not nag. He huffs, crossing his arms at Tim’s words. A pout tugging at his bottom lip.

The rest of the conversation goes like a blur to Dick, coming so naturally to him, as if he was simply bantering with his family. Which he was. No one could tell him otherwise.

His attention is suddenly pulled back to reality as he notices the chocolate smeared across your face childishly, like a fussy child. You feel Dick's thumb gently wipe at your face, clearing away the smeared chocolate. There's something almost instinctual about his gesture, as if it comes naturally to him, like he's done it countless times before.

Dick chuckles as he responds to your surprise, a smirk dancing on his lips. He dabs at his finger with a napkin, his eyes fixed intently on your face as he cleans off the chocolate smudges. There's a hint of playfulness in his gaze.

Dick leans forward slightly, his gaze still fixated intently on your face. He notices the way your cheeks heat up in embarrassment, and his eyes gleam with amusement. A delighted smirk spreads across his face, his eyes never leaving yours as he observes your flustered state. There's no denying it - you were the epitome of cuteness as a younger sibling. Your chaotic charm and antics had Dick and Tim wrapped around your little finger, and the two brothers couldn't help but adore every single moment.

"You've got a little something right here," Dick says, tapping the corner of his own mouth.

Tim couldn’t help but smirk at Dick's comment, his eyes flickering to your mouth and then back up to your eyes again. He takes another sip of his coffee, leaning back in his seat.

Their gazes softening further as you attempt to rid your face of the chocolate only to smudge it further.

"Here, let me help," he offers, grabbing a napkin from the table. He reaches out, gently taking your chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting your up head towards him. It’s hard to think straight with you looking up at him with that pout and flushed cheeks. Like a little kid clinging to their old brother after having a nightmare. How he wishes he had met you as a kid. He slowly wipes away the residual chocolate with the napkin. Hesitantly to let go.

The brothers let out hearty laughter at the sight of you burrowing your head into the table. They could practically see you trying to will yourself to disappear. Tim grins fondly, shuffling closer. Dicks own hand moving out to pay your head softly. Their touch affectionate and gentle. They wanted to see you like this all the time.

No use of y/n, no use of any descriptive features for the reader, no gender mentioned.

I tried to make the POV’s show the difference in how they interpret things. For example, where you may perceive Tim’s expression as a smile, Dick sees it as something dark. You pay more attention to Tim so he’s mentioned more, Dick pays more attention to you so you’re mentioned more.

Tim Drake is mentioned as ‘Mr Wayne’ because I’d assume that he’d be judged based on his family rather than his actual name.

Should I make a tag list? Would anyone even want to be put on a tag list for this?

Comments and questions are really appreciated!

[pokeexehasstoppedworking]

Diamond In The Rough Ch10 A New Life- College Life That Is P3

Gordie looked about ready to give his siblings an Earful but everyone froze when the lights were switched back on and everyone froze as Melony stood there with Gordie third little brother next to her. And she stood there staring completely bewildered at the scene before her. Staring at all of you and the strange setting you all were in.

"....Can someone tell me what's going on here?"

Gordie just sunk down defeated in his seat and covering his face. "P-Please just get me out of this situation, Ma."

From there things seemed to be going alright. Dinner was less awkward, and when Melony found out what the siblings had pulled, she scolded them and made the four of them apologize to the both of you before continuing on with Dinner. Gordie seemed less tense only when the two of you were able to get out of there and finish walking you all the way back to the hotel where he kept apologizing for everything that had happened today but you reassured him it wasn't his fault and you had a fun time. Poor guy seemed so stressed over it. From there things went back to normal. He did swing by about two days later on Sunday when he knocked at your door but when it opened he was met with a BIG surprise. A thrum sound of question answered the door and he came face to face when your new scolipede poked her head out of the door and spooked him enough to fall backwards as the thing looked down at him. You arrived pushing her out of the way, upon hearing his yelp.

From the ground he pointed up at her. "W-W-What the heck is that thing doing in here?!"

"You mean, Venom? She likes to sleep on the floor. Isn't she just the sweetest bug type?"

He could only stare as you cooed and patted her happily thrumming head. "...*sigh* I think we need ta have a talk."

Despite his warnings you still let the large pokemon along with your knew Glaceon, which you affectionately named Rena, out along with all your other pokemon. With it came new challenges. You can to go out more in order to make sure they all got exercise, you got more strange looks from people walking so many strange pokemon around, and you had to buy more expensive pokemon food. Considering Scolipede's only existed on other regions and on the Isle of Armor, you had to make sure Venom had special food and it had to be specialized food. You had to buy separate bags of poison and bug type food and mix them together for her as well as buy them more frequently considering she was much more larger than your other pokemon. Sigh. Hard but nothing you couldn't manage. Gordie did let Officer Jenny know the scolipede was caught and in good custody but other than that it didn't seem much of the investigation was known to you...until much, MUCH later. It was months later actually. You had gone back to work on Monday morning and it seemed the shouting Gordie did at your bosses shook them up enough to be super apologetic and more accommodating to both you and Sapphire, which was a better change of pace. You weren't planning on staying anyways. Only until the school year started back up again then you'd quite to move back into the dorms and take your second year of the standard course. Gordie continued to come in and like usually would greet you and Sapphire before ordering and chatting with you, once and a while apologize again for the date you two had, but other than that things were mostly back to normal. Until one day Gordie came in seeming somewhere between really happy and really miffed. About two months later in Early March. As usual the doorbell rang, you looked up smiling expectantly, and Gordie walked on up to you silently. You noticed his look and blinked.

"Hey. Are you ok?"

"Yeah...I got some news but not all of it's good," he said sighing.

"What happened?" Did something happened between himself and his mum again? Did his siblings do something?

"Remember when I told ya about those pokemon poachers sneaking other regional pokemon into Galar?" You were surprised he suddenly brought that up, but you slowly nodded and he groaned, a hand rubbing his temples. "Well, it turns out the investigation finally turned them all up."

Your eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"Nope! They found the main ring leaders through some informants and undercover cops. The reason it took so long was cause o' all the problems the new Chairwoman's been havin' ta fix. Turns out there was a decent sized poaching team smuggling in other regional pokemon and shinies of all kinds and then sellin' them ta the highest bidder. They were able to put a stop to it and recovered most of the pokemon to be relocated, but they're still crackin' down on the buyers and any other pokemon that was lost in the shuffle."

"What do you mean 'lost in the shuffle'?"

"Well, turns out in order to smuggle 'em in, some of them would pay some other guys of theirs to catch pokemon from other region and return to Galar pretendin' ta be breeders, the problem was sometimes the pokemon would actually be accidentally shipped to different pokemon daycares and nurseries for other breeders to study. That's why the guy Officer Jenny apprehended a few months back broke into Circhester's Pokemon Nursery. He was after the scolipede that escaped from there." He tilted his head with a hum towards you. "...In fact I think that might've been how your Zangoose ended up in that claw game somehow too."

That...Actually explained so much. It wasn't really a surprise or shock to you really that this would be the case, but that still begged the question. "So what happens now?"

He shrugged. "Most of the problem has been taken cared o' and the ring's shut down, although they're still after some of the buyers and confiscating any pokemon who were given to bad owners. Some people's come forward and given the pokemon over but other than that, Officer Jenny n' her best team's gonna handle it from here. As far as I know, any involvement of mine's no longer needed unless something happens here again."

"And....what about my pokemon?" You frowned. "Will I have to give them up too?''

"Absolutely not," he assured you softly, "The pokemon in your care care about ya a lot, and you take really good care of them. There's no reason for me to think otherwise so you don't have ta worry 'bout anything."

You let out a sigh of relief smile back on your face. "Thank goodness. ....*ahem* S-So anyways, did you want your regular?"

He nodded. "Sure! Although I-...U-Um..W-W-Wanted to ask y-y-you somethin' in return."

"What?"

"D-Do ya wanna watch another movie with me t-t-this Sunday?"

And life continued on as normal. You worked. Gordie kept coming around. You worked and even got all your major assignments done! ...well Most of them. There was still two others you needed to do. One required you to have a partner so you had to wait until you got to college, and your quest to capture a third pokemon. You did try, but you barely had time between your job, taking care of your pokemon, and your other assignments you did. Along with going on a few more dates with Gordie. Until the fated month was almost there. August. When you'd have to go back. So the month before in May you decided to resend in your application remembering what Sonia did so you could do it again. It was finally time to fill out the form including your Birth Region, current address, name, which course you were applying for (Standard Course, 2nd Year), etc. You still remembered the 'hometown' you said you were from. Vaniville Town. To this day you still had no idea what compelled you to say it, but you chalked it up to your brain just blurting out a random town to not raise suspicion. Now was the easy part. You had to select five or six of the ten classes you took last year, and you knew EXACTLY what classes you'd be picking. You wouldn't pick all ten again like last year. With the new responsibilities of your pokemon and focusing on other things, it'd be too big of a burden to take on. They had all the same classes as last year as well- Science and Culture, History, Languages and Writing, Arts, Home Ec, Math, P.E., Battle Studies, Health and Medical, and Pokemon Care.

You chose science and culture, Pokemon Care, Battle Studies, Home Ec, health and medical, and languages and writing.

Six classes sounded like a decent amount and since you had most of the tough assignments concerning those classes out of the way, it should help a little bit. So you sent it all in and waited for a reply back, which you received the first day of August. An email, stating that they had accepted your application along with a date for the first day of the new school year. You were expecting you'd be accepted and you made sure to give a call to Leon to make sure the scholarship the Chairwoman gave you also covered your second year and thank ARCEUS it did! You should be able to pick up your new books and be able to just focus on your studies which as a relief. You gave your bosses your two weeks notice and informed the hotel of your eventual departure and packed up most of your essentials to be ready to go at the beginning of the new year. You were expecting everything, but what you weren't expecting was the sudden visit of Gordie's. The Sunday before the school year started, there was a knock at your door and when you answered it, Gordie was there which wouldn't be surprising as he sometimes visited you but there was something...different about his stance that made you pause in your smile to greet him. There was something more...serious. Stoney about the way he stood there, hands in his pockets and mouth pressed in a thin line when you opened the door to greet him.

"Gordie?"

"Hey, Y/n," he greeted in a monotone, almost tired voice, "Can I come in? There's somethin' real important I need to talk to ya about." You stood blinking for a moment before you nodded and stood aside to let him in. "Thank you."

"So what brings you here?" You slowly closed the door behind him as he calmly stood there and turned to you. "Did something bad happen?"

To your relief he shook his head no, but still had that serious face. "Sorry if I came in the middle of anything. I actually just wanted to talk to you, but it's about something serious so I figured I'd do it in person when you had time. I know the new college year's comin' up and with all the new people comin' in I-..." You blinked when you noticed the shaky breath he took. "I-It made me realize I had ta ask somethin'."

Well he wasn't wrong. The hotel was overcrowding with the sudden arrival of so many new people coming in the bundles and more and more were arriving every day for the new upcoming school year. Which meant you were going to be going back there too soon. But what about that could've prompted Gordie to come here to you?

Slowly you nodded your head yes. "Ok. What is it?"

He shakily again took a breath and his hand reached up to rub his head, the serious melting away instantly and replaced with a sheepish. "I-...I-I know these last few months we've been..." he gestured at nothing. "Seein' each other, but w-w-we never directly defined what we were. I-I know it's somethin' more than just friends but I mean-..D-Do you want it to be more? I-I mean more than friends! Do you wanna remain friends? Which I'm totally fine with staying! B-But what I-I'm tryin' to ask is that-..W-Well that being-...D-Do you wanna-..." He sucked in a breath. "Y-Y/n, d-do you wanna be m-my...girlfriend? I -I mean...Is that what we are to each other?"

And you went silent. Surprised at what he was asking. He came all the way here to ask you if you wanted to be...his girlfriend?

"Y-Ya don't have ta give me an answer now!," he assured you holding up his hands, "I-I get i-if m-m-me bein' in the limelight so much sounds off puttin' o-o-or if you wanna keep things casually n' not serious! O-Or you don't think of me that way at all! Or- I-....UUuuhh-"

His voice trailed off as one of your hands grabbed his and he looked wide eyed from your hand to your smiling face. "Aw, Gordie. You were worried about something like this? It's sweet." His face boomed a red as you just laughed at his reaction. "But to answer your question, yes. I wouldn't mind being considered your girlfriend despite everything."

He stared at you silently. "....my girlfriend?..."

You chuckled. "That's right. If you really want me to be." He didn't answer and you blinked. "Gordie?"

Gordie's face was somewhere between pale 'I saw a ghost' like and flustered 'I just got my first kiss' pink. He stood there for a few more seconds as you tried to figure out what to do, before leaning sideways and falling to the floor with a thud.

"Gordie!?" You shouted as the rock type gym leader tilted sideways to the right and with a loud thud sound collided with the floor. You immediately dropped to your knees next to the dazed man sprawled on the ground blankly staring at the ceiling. Your hands immediately went under his head and chest pulling his shocked form up towards your concerned face. "Are you ok!? Speak to me!"

He continued staring up at the ceiling in a daze, sunglasses crooked on his nose. "...You're...g-gonna be my...g-g-girlfriend?"

"I-..Y-Yeah." You blinked. "But are you ok? GAH!?"

You were sat up really quickly by a blur and Gordie was all of a sudden sat up clutching your arms looking serious and lost at the same time, sunglasses falling off in the process. "Did ya mean it!?" He looked at you wide eyed. "You wanna be with me? A-And ya don't mind? Y-You.." His hands slowly let go of your arms staring like he didn't believe you. "You said you w-wouldn't mind goin' with me?..Really?" You slowly nodded. "....Why?"

"Because I like you-like you back?", you tried raising a brow at him before you reached your hands up to gently patted his shocked shoulder with a smile. "And because I think your dorky attitude's really cute and you treat me with respect. And I really, really like you."

Gordie could only stare at you before a dopey smile crossed his face and he sighed. "Oh thank bloody Arceus. I thought for a moment you'd say no. ..I put way too much pressure on myself don't I?"

"Oh yeah. You do."

And thus..you had gained a new relationship. And it felt so casual. So normal. So....natural. Is this what a real relationship was like? You were sure you had feelings for Gordie now. It was hard not to when your heart fluttered in your chest and he made you smile so much. So it was official now. You had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who happened to be a very famous, popular gym leader. ...The thought made your head spin. Being friends with someone like Leon felt like a dream enough, but dating someone like that? That was a whole new level. But...You were ok with this. Gordie made it feel so smoothly, and he was probably the best guy you could've ended up in a relationship with. Kind, caring, attentive, understanding on a another that you two could understand each other with your similar pasts- The list goes on. But soon enough you did have something else more important to worry about when the day came. The first day of school. You woke up bright and early, and with all your pokemon and things packed up, you began walking back towards to the school. And you weren't the only one.

Lots of young people around your age or slightly older walked around you. They went back past you back towards the town and back up the pathway in the same direction you were headed, LOTS of them carried various forms of backpacks, boxes, books, papers, and a slew of other things. Sometimes even having a pokemon with them helping to carry more boxes, books, etc for them. You all started coming around the GIANT snow covered hill behind the rock type gym, down the cobblestone road, and was met with familiar sight. A GIANT building almost thrice the size of the Rose of Rhondelands Hotel was standing there proud and tall, and you did mean tall, it was taller than Rose Tower even as you still stood there staring up at it. And it..was in the odd shape of a castle-ish like design a lot like Hammerlocke's gym. The cobble stone pathway lead up to the giant building's giant double doors and split off between two other large (but not AS large as the school) buildings that was in front of it on either side of the pathway. What must've been HUNDREDS of people and their pokemon walking around all three big buildings and the pathways.

"Ah. Well it's good to see this again. *sigh* C'mon guys. Let's go get this over with."

It all took a while. You had to have Venom and most of your other pokemon wait in front of the main school building as you went in with Zen and just like last year, you went through the entire process of standing in the line in the front hall/library and waited until you got up to the front where the same two people were handing out papers. And you went through the same thing you did last year-

"Here's a map of the university," he spoke handing you a folded piece of paper he pulled from the desk. "And here's your room key." He then held out a small metal key which you also took. "Hold onto it. You only get one and you'll be paying for a replacement if you lose it. You're room's in Dorm B Room 35 on the second floor and you'll be sharing the space with two room mates." He then held out stapled papers. "This is a list of all your class schedules with the times marked as well as your teachers' names and the calander of what days classes are out, holidays, and when the college year ends next year. As well as all the rules of C.U.." He then squinted his eyes. "Read. Them. Thoroughly. Any rulebreakers will be expelled as consequence." He then pointed towards the double doors. "Before you get your package you need to report to the cafeteria for your Student ID card. According to your file with us, you also have a pre-ordered book package. Be sure to pick it up from the Dean's office."

Well it was easy enough getting your new student ID card, and then going back to Mr. Snow Flake's office to retrieve your new books for the year. It was still heavy which was why you brought along Zen to help carry it. The Director seemed 'happy' to see you again though he did express 'how sad' he was for you not choosing all the classes again. Ugh! After that it was only one last other stop before meeting back up with your team, and that was the school's supply store! You still had some leftover school supplies from last year but it wouldn't be enough to last the whole year, so it was off to the store to get all stocked up and then back to meet up with your team who seemed happier seeing you there and were even MORE happy when you said you all would be going back inside now. You knew exactly where this dorm room was because this was the same room you had last year, you just wondered who your new roommates were. It couldn't be Stacy or Emerald (Thank Arceus-) again. Both graduated last year. You just hoped it wasn't another room mate from heck situation. Never the less, you all headed over to the same dorm room, people of all kinds giving you strange looks especially since a GIANT scolipede was being walked through the halls. You ended up going over to Dorm B Room 35 on the second floor and stopped in front of the wooden door with all your things as people continued to walk around you and go in and out of other rooms around you. Hello again old home. You didn't even bother knocking this time. You just went ahead and used your key to go instead, and the inside was completely the same. A small common area/kitchen area was there just stuck in one space with a sink and such and across from that was a small carpeted area with a sofa and small coffee table. Across from that was three random doors and inside the room was another girl around your age. Not Emerald or Stacy. This girl looked to have been in the middle of moving in stopping in the doorway that was once Emerald's room, box in her hands. She had the lightest blue hair you'd ever seen, in fact it was such a pale blue it looked almost white, with dark purple eyes that almost looked black in coloring in a short ponytail. And a pair of glasses were sat right on her face. And she stared at you like you'd suddenly walked in with a whole circus behind you horns blaring..Well you guessed she must've been surprised when a slew of pokemon came shuffling in behind you.

"Uh...H-Hi!," you greeted with an awkward smile and wave. "Um...I'm Y/n! You must be the new room mate huh? Miss-..."

She ever so slowly...blinked..before shaking her head. "Uh. Y-Yeah." And she rose a brow. "Uh...Why are you parading so many pokemon out?"

"Well the school's rules said we can have our pokemon out as long as they're not huge like an onix or damage the walls. And my pokemon are all well behaved, so as long as they don't so anything it's fine right."

To your surprise she seemed to think for a moment before slowly nodding. "Hm...Well that's fair enough." She again shook her head before looking at you. "My name's Topaz. I assume you're one of my roommates for the year?"

"Yeah! That's me!" You smiled. "It's so nice to meet you! Are you in the standard course too?"

She shook her head. "Third Year Historian Major on the Ultra Course. I'm here to gain more knowledge on the history of the Galar Region and preserve it for future generations." Oh! Kinda like Sonia's science research. That sounded really interesting. "Are you a first or second year Standard Course student?"

"Second! It's gonna be my last year here." You then gestured to what used to be Stacy's room last year. "Is our other room mate in there?"

At this Topaz rolled her eyes and scoffed making you blink. "You mean my cousin? Yes and no. She made me move all her things in here for her, but she's insisting on spending the first two months living in the hotel back in town."

You...blinked. "..She's what?"

"Yes. Something about 'needing to be alone for her sanity' or something ridiculous like that," Topaz scoffed before rolling her eyes again, "Honestly I think my aunt spoilers her too much, but you should see her here soon enough." She then looked at you. "But if I were you, I'd avoid her as much as possible. She can be super annoying."

So..Another Emerald. ..Great.

You groaned. "Well..thanks for the warning. Are you sure my pokemon being out won't bother you?"

"As long as they don't disturb my sleeping or studying time, go into my room, or tear up they place, then you can have an snorlax in here for all I care. I don't really stick my nose in other people's lives anyways."

Ok. So Topaz was blunt, and doesn't seem like the socializing type, but you'd still take her compared to Emerald any day. She seemed respectful enough at least, and didn't seem to care about you having all your pokemon out in the room. Which was good enough for you! You got to move in and make yourself at home, setting up your room again and letting your team make themselves at home. And that was it. Your whole set up was..well set up! And you were ready for the next year to begin. Most of the hardest assignments were already done awaiting you to turn them in, and all you had to do was take the classes between that time! The first month seemed to go by completely normally. You went to classes with Zen, took notes, did any work assigned- The works. Nothing really happened. It was all mundane to be honest. The only thing different was that different was it was less stressful now that you weren't taking so many classes. Topaz was really chill as well. As you thought, she didn't REALLY interact with you a lot. Most of the time she didn't even talk to you when she was around. Not out of rudeness, but because she seemed always swamped with studying and constantly surrounded by books and papers despite the year just beginning. But sometimes she'd say hi or ask how your day was if she had some time to spare, which was nice. And most importantly-

SHE WAS QUIET!! YOU GOT TO SLEEP IN PEACE!!!

There wasn't any constant jabbering on the phone from the other side of the walls, or loud complaining at two in the morning, or music blaring when you were trying to sleep. IT WAS FREAKING FANTASTIC!! The most noise Topaz would make was every once and a while listen quietly to recorded lectures or some notes she recorded on her phone speaker. It was like a roommate from heaven! THANK YOU ARCEUS!! August passed by peacefully and then September was starting. And again nothing really, really out of the ordinary happened. Classes got a little harder now but still nothing you couldn't handle. Although you still saw no sign of this mysterious third roommate that was still M.I.A. You did try asking Topaz about it once to which she only groaned and said-

"She's still coming to classes surprisingly, but she's still refusing to come liver here."

"Isn't it expensive to pay for both the dorm room AND a hotel room? Why doesn't she just stay in one?"

She shrugged. "My aunt can spare the money, so really she doesn't have to worry about it. But I think she's just using it as an excuse to try and meet the gym leader."

"...Melony?"

"Gordie. But unfortunately she's forced to attend classes because of the school's strict policies which doesn't give her a lot of time to look for him. If she skips classes she'll be expelled. My aunt only agreed to pay as long as she attends college. She's also the one who's paying for everything. So no classes equals no money and that equals to her being unable to stay and look for 'Prince Charming."

And that made you pause. "....She's a giant fangirl of Gordie's?"

"That's one way of putting it. *sigh* I feel so bad for the guy. I just hope she grows out of these ridiculous fantasies."

That stirred a little bit of annoyance in you, hearing the fact someone was fangirling and had a crush on YOUR boyfriend. Maybe a bit of jealousy there, but you had to remember. Gordie was a popular gym leader with a large following almost as big as Raihan's. Of course he'd have fangirls/boys like any other celebrity, so you couldn't really get mad at anything. But other than that you still didn't hear much about this 'fangirl roommate' from Topaz other than one or two phone calls you accidentally overheard. The first time it was Topaz talking on her phone to someone with an irritated tone in the kitchen-

"Are you even going to come unpack all the stuff you made me drag here for you?....WHAT!? No I'm not going to unpack everything for you! Are you nuts!?....BECAUSE I'M NOT YOUR BUTLER!! THAT'S WHY!! I'm not going to unpack everything just for you to not ever use the room and then just leave me to repack everything at the end of the year! I'm already stuck holding onto your room key! Wha-....UGH!! Fine! Just make sure you at least remember to get your things because I won't be carrying them back for you!"

She had cut the call short when she noticed you standing there and just acted like none of that ever happened, and frankly you just minded your own business. It didn't really concern you or bothered your life so you decided to stay out of this one. More days passed and that was when the second phone call happened just a few days before October started. You were just writing down a small essay for your writing class when a loud angry voice could be heard from the living room area-

"NO!! I don't care if you're 'busy'! What do you think I'm doing with my time!?" The loud voice of Topaz made you jump and blink at your door. "I can't just drop everything and do stuff for you whenever you want! Let alone THIS!! Why would you think it was ok to ask me to do your homework!?.....WHAT!? NO!! Why would I?!... Don't use 'but we're family' as an excuse!! I've already gone out of my way to help you by watching over your room but I absolutely REFUSE to help you CHEAT!! No wonder you have to retake your final year! Don't call me again unless it's for your room key or to apologize! I don't want to hear from you until then!!"

And then you heard her stomp off to her own room, slamming the door behind her and leaving you in silence once again. ....YIKES!! It sounded like Topaz was having a hard time dealing with her cousin, and you didn't blame her. She sounded like a pain to deal with, and you hadn't even MET her yet! Hopefully when (or even if she ever did-) show up, you could just avoid her and she'd leave you alone. The last thing you wanted was ANOTHER Emerald around here. But for now you'd just keep your nose to your own business and focus on school. You couldn't afford to get into any drama right now nor did you want to after that year. Well September ended without a hitch and then October started up. The spooky month. One week passed and then came the middle of the second week. You had just turned in one of the major assignments of one of the classes you prepared for! For your writing and language class you had to interview someone of your choice and then actually take notes of what they said similar to what a journalist would do, and you chose a unique subject to interview. Why your own pokemon of course! Using Sparky to translate what he said to answer your questions. Certainly was the most convenient one to do. Hopefully the Language teacher will like it enough to give it a passing grade. Now you only had to worry about your regular classes. But you'd soon get an unexpected visitor. And that visitor turned out to be someone who you wanted to really see! It all started one Saturday when there was a knock at your dorm door, and you went to go answer it, but when you pulled open the door you were met with a surprise. A surprise that came with white-blonde hair and sunglasses. You recognized the man in an instant.

"Gordie!" You practically threw the door open startling Topaz who was studying on the sofa.

"Hey, sweetie- OOF!"

He barely had time to react before you hugged him, arms thrown around his neck almost knocking him over but he managed to remain upright due to his sturdier build. ''I missed you so much! Where have you been!?"

He chuckled before reaching up to pat your back. "Helping my lil sibs with school, tryin' ta help Circhester with the backed up crowds o' people here- Y'know. The usual. M' so sorry I couldn't contact ya sooner-"

"Don't apologize." You finally let go of him smiling. "I've been pretty busy too lately, so it's ok." You took a moment to look back at Topaz staring back at the two of you surprised still. "Oh. Uh right. Gordie, this is my roommate." You gestured at Topaz. "Topaz, this is my boyfriend."

He nodded. "'Ey! How ya doin'?"

She still stared wide eyed at him, then at you, then back at Gordie. Before pointing. "Gordie? As in like...the Rock Type Gym Leader of Circhester Gordie? THAT Gordie???"

"Same one!"

She pointed at you. "And SHE'S your girlfriend?"

"Yep!"

"....Do you mean girlfriend as in you're romantically involved with each other, or 'girl friend' as in she's just a friend who happens to be a girl?"

At this Gordie gave her a look. "Um...The first one? Tho I don't see why that'd be any of your business."

Topaz stared at you for a long moment before groaning and flopping her head into her hands. "Great....She's going to flip out once she figures out her crush's girlfriend is her dorm mate. I'm too old to be dealing with these things."

"What is she talking about?"

"Nevermind. I'll tell you later." And you'd deal with that later too. You looked back to him. "Anyways what are you doing here?"

"Tch. Other than the fact that I missed ya?" he smiled wider. "I finally got a day off an' I wanted ta ask if you wanted to spend it with me?"

"Uh, yes! absolutely! I need to take my team out and buy some more food anyways. I'm starting to run low."

He smiled. "Great! Then we can watch a movie at my place?"

"Sounds good! Let's do that."

With that you and your team left with Gordie, grabbing your coat and bidding the now tired looking Topaz good bye before you all took off. You knew you were in yet another soon to be mess probably, but you didn't want to get into all of that right now. UGH! Like every other day, it was cold and chilly outside with only your coat and scared being the protection between you and said cold. Your first step outside and hearing the snow crunching under your feet was a strange peaceful sound as was the atmosphere which smelt clean and of pine trees and whatever food stands were out this time of day. Peaceful. Serene. A few other people were out today too, not as many as there was on the weekdays when classes were going on, but still a lot. Circhestor was right around the giant hill you walked back around past the rock type gym. The small town was hustling and bustling full of college students and possible buyers to be wooed into spending money from all the stands and open stores advertising their wares to the masses. However you were busy talking away with Gordie, arm wrapped around his, and smiling a lot more than you remembered for a long time. He asked you some questions about your classes, how they were going, what you were doing and you both caught up with what each other was doing. The first thing you both did was stop by a small open place where you could just let your pokemon run around for the next two hours freely while just sitting and talking to Gordie. It was all peaceful.

....Maybe too peaceful as you'd soon find out.

After two hours Gordie suggested watching some movies together and you agreed but first you really did need to stop by the general store and buy some more pokemon food. With the rate these guys were eating (especially Venom-) you'd be needing it. So it was agreed. You'd stop by the store and buy the food before hanging out at his house. Shouldn't be a problem since you coaxed Venom into letting you use her back to help carry the heavy bags. So the both of you stopped by the store but you didn't think the store owner would allow you to bring all your pokemon inside, so Gordie being the sweetheart he was offered to stay outside to watch the rest of your team while you got the pokemon food you needed with Zen. Sounded good to you so with Zen you entered the store and went straight towards the pet supplies-...Uh..Poke Supplies aisle. And there Zen helped you out as you loaded his arms with food bags for different pokemon-types. Dark and fire for Cerberus, Normal for Zen, Bug and Poison for Venom, Ice for Rena, Water for Silver, and of course a twenty four pack of batteries for Sparky. You couldn't forget about the little Rotom in your phone. It took a moment to get all the heavy bags to the counter to be paid for and checked out and....YIKES!! You knew the high quality stuff was better for them but if they kept being this expensive, you'd run out of funds. Soon it was paid for and with both yours and Zen's arms full, you both made your way to the front of the store and through the automatic doors. But-....Something made you stop instantly in your tracks. Smile instantly wiped off your face. Because as soon as you stepped out you noticed it-

...Noticed HER.

She had her back to you at first but it looked to be a girl around your height and age talking to Gordie, hands behind her back and rocking on her heels. By the way she was acting, you'd think she was talking to her crush. Gordie seemed to be very, very, VERY offputted because he just looked at her with a deadpanned look behind him Cerberus seemed to be growling for no reason and hiding behind a confused Venom's legs. You probably would've stopped either way but that wasn't what really made you stop...It was the green colored hair that was attached to the back of the head of the girl who spoke to Gordie. She spoke too softly for you to hear other than mumbles where you stood but you caught a few words-

"...sometime-....know....handsome.~"

Well whatever she said it seemed Gordie was very displeased because he held up a hand. "M' sorry. I'm very...flattered that a fan of mine would think highly enough o' me to ask for a date, but I already have a girlfriend."

The reaction was instant-

"WHAT!?," the woman shrieked loud enough to finally be heard by you...hey...Did that voice sound familiar to you? "WHO!? Honestly who could be better than me!?"

This time he scowled and looked about to say something but stopped, and looked up towards you.......And then smiled. Naturally upon seeing him smile away from her, the woman whipped around to look at what he was looking at. You looked at her. She looked at you. Both of your eyes made contact....And INSTANTLY your stomach dropped as you recognized who it was.

"Emerald!?"

[imagineitdearies-old]

So,

What is next in the playbook. I’m excited to know where such talent of writing will be going.

you're so sweet 💙

i have two in the line-up, though not sure which one will be first. my rhaenicent scene (from ch10 of D&S) is at about 3k, and i definitely feel inspired towards some sapphic writing with all the cute dates i've been on of late irl.

that being said, given we saw a sad loss of lucemond fics in the past week bc of nasty antis* and anons, i do also feel inspired to finish up a longer one-shot that's sitting at 4k rn for our boys (featuring a remix of the rhaenyra/criston camp out in hotd 1x03: here's the first line).

i just need more time and energy in a given day 😂 also the bulk of my writing usually happens on the weekends, and this past one was filled with pride celebrations so i got zero done. ah well! maybe the writing bug will bite this week/weekend.

thanks for checking in anon!! excited to write for you all again soon.

*corrected, I’m not very informed guys lol

[doriians]

10, 19 and 27 for the 'a writer's Ask game' ? :)

10. Do you set yourself deadlines?

I do!! It’s the best way to get myself to write :’) They’re flexible and often get moved esp if I’m hit with writer’s block, but my current deadlines are for my birthday. I want to have finished drafts of Fate’s Protégés, The Hero’s Protégé, and The Hero’s Traitor by then, so I can spend the summer working on my OTHER series, Coded :))

19. How do you keep yourself motivated?

It’s HARD haha. But honestly a lot of it just comes down to keeping in a routine of writing a tiny bit every day !! When I AM motivated, it’s because I’ve re-fallen in love with my original idea and will write thousands of words at a time for it, so the main thing for me is staying in touch with that passion and reminding myself how close I am to something I’ll be proud of :)

27. Favorite line or scene?

THIS IS A HARD ONE!!! There’s loads that I’ve written that I’m so so happy with, so I’ll list my top five LMAO:

The sky spilled inky grey and troubled towards him as Llevan sat atop the hill, lips pursed, arms hunched crookedly around legs that grew restless in anticipation of the approaching storm. (Fate’s Protégés, ch1)

“You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want you here.” It was an admission of defeat, and Rilan felt shame crawl over him like worming bugs inside him. The bright smile Zira shot him did nothing to ease the feeling; when warmth blossomed in his chest, tears stung his eyes. (The Hero’s Traitor, ch5)

They almost looked like they were praying, with their hands clasped in a white-knuckled grip and their head bowed. Ghild - Death to her enemies - took one step closer, and amused herself by imagining they were praying to her. Licking her lips brought the taste of sea-salt to her tongue, and finally, she joined the Rabbit at the edge, the rocks hard and unforgiving on her feet. (Recoded, Prologue)

“Hello, Brei.” The girl crouched down beside them, sitting cross-legged in the void, and Brei took a distrustful step back. “Do you know who I am?” / Brei frowned. “Are you God?” / “Not quite,” the girl said, amused, “if there’s a God, I’ve yet to meet it.” (Hacked, Prologue)

“I thought you were gay,” she shrugged. “I just assumed… the way you looked at Zira…” / Rilan spluttered, incredulous. “He’s your husband.” / “Yes. And I know I have wonderful taste.” (The Hero’s Protege, ch10, draft 1)

SORRY FOR HOW LONG THIS IS!!! but it did inspire me to look back through my old drafts which was nice :]

Writer’s Ask Game Questions

[echantedtoon]

Diamond In The Rough Ch10 A New Life- College Life That Is P3

Gordie looked about ready to give his siblings an Earful but everyone froze when the lights were switched back on and everyone froze as Melony stood there with Gordie third little brother next to her. And she stood there staring completely bewildered at the scene before her. Staring at all of you and the strange setting you all were in.

"....Can someone tell me what's going on here?"

Gordie just sunk down defeated in his seat and covering his face. "P-Please just get me out of this situation, Ma."

From there things seemed to be going alright. Dinner was less awkward, and when Melony found out what the siblings had pulled, she scolded them and made the four of them apologize to the both of you before continuing on with Dinner. Gordie seemed less tense only when the two of you were able to get out of there and finish walking you all the way back to the hotel where he kept apologizing for everything that had happened today but you reassured him it wasn't his fault and you had a fun time. Poor guy seemed so stressed over it. From there things went back to normal. He did swing by about two days later on Sunday when he knocked at your door but when it opened he was met with a BIG surprise. A thrum sound of question answered the door and he came face to face when your new scolipede poked her head out of the door and spooked him enough to fall backwards as the thing looked down at him. You arrived pushing her out of the way, upon hearing his yelp.

From the ground he pointed up at her. "W-W-What the heck is that thing doing in here?!"

"You mean, Venom? She likes to sleep on the floor. Isn't she just the sweetest bug type?"

He could only stare as you cooed and patted her happily thrumming head. "...*sigh* I think we need ta have a talk."

Despite his warnings you still let the large pokemon along with your knew Glaceon, which you affectionately named Rena, out along with all your other pokemon. With it came new challenges. You can to go out more in order to make sure they all got exercise, you got more strange looks from people walking so many strange pokemon around, and you had to buy more expensive pokemon food. Considering Scolipede's only existed on other regions and on the Isle of Armor, you had to make sure Venom had special food and it had to be specialized food. You had to buy separate bags of poison and bug type food and mix them together for her as well as buy them more frequently considering she was much more larger than your other pokemon. Sigh. Hard but nothing you couldn't manage. Gordie did let Officer Jenny know the scolipede was caught and in good custody but other than that it didn't seem much of the investigation was known to you...until much, MUCH later. It was months later actually. You had gone back to work on Monday morning and it seemed the shouting Gordie did at your bosses shook them up enough to be super apologetic and more accommodating to both you and Sapphire, which was a better change of pace. You weren't planning on staying anyways. Only until the school year started back up again then you'd quite to move back into the dorms and take your second year of the standard course. Gordie continued to come in and like usually would greet you and Sapphire before ordering and chatting with you, once and a while apologize again for the date you two had, but other than that things were mostly back to normal. Until one day Gordie came in seeming somewhere between really happy and really miffed. About two months later in Early March. As usual the doorbell rang, you looked up smiling expectantly, and Gordie walked on up to you silently. You noticed his look and blinked.

"Hey. Are you ok?"

"Yeah...I got some news but not all of it's good," he said sighing.

"What happened?" Did something happened between himself and his mum again? Did his siblings do something?

"Remember when I told ya about those pokemon poachers sneaking other regional pokemon into Galar?" You were surprised he suddenly brought that up, but you slowly nodded and he groaned, a hand rubbing his temples. "Well, it turns out the investigation finally turned them all up."

Your eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"Nope! They found the main ring leaders through some informants and undercover cops. The reason it took so long was cause o' all the problems the new Chairwoman's been havin' ta fix. Turns out there was a decent sized poaching team smuggling in other regional pokemon and shinies of all kinds and then sellin' them ta the highest bidder. They were able to put a stop to it and recovered most of the pokemon to be relocated, but they're still crackin' down on the buyers and any other pokemon that was lost in the shuffle."

"What do you mean 'lost in the shuffle'?"

"Well, turns out in order to smuggle 'em in, some of them would pay some other guys of theirs to catch pokemon from other region and return to Galar pretendin' ta be breeders, the problem was sometimes the pokemon would actually be accidentally shipped to different pokemon daycares and nurseries for other breeders to study. That's why the guy Officer Jenny apprehended a few months back broke into Circhester's Pokemon Nursery. He was after the scolipede that escaped from there." He tilted his head with a hum towards you. "...In fact I think that might've been how your Zangoose ended up in that claw game somehow too."

That...Actually explained so much. It wasn't really a surprise or shock to you really that this would be the case, but that still begged the question. "So what happens now?"

He shrugged. "Most of the problem has been taken cared o' and the ring's shut down, although they're still after some of the buyers and confiscating any pokemon who were given to bad owners. Some people's come forward and given the pokemon over but other than that, Officer Jenny n' her best team's gonna handle it from here. As far as I know, any involvement of mine's no longer needed unless something happens here again."

"And....what about my pokemon?" You frowned. "Will I have to give them up too?''

"Absolutely not," he assured you softly, "The pokemon in your care care about ya a lot, and you take really good care of them. There's no reason for me to think otherwise so you don't have ta worry 'bout anything."

You let out a sigh of relief smile back on your face. "Thank goodness. ....*ahem* S-So anyways, did you want your regular?"

He nodded. "Sure! Although I-...U-Um..W-W-Wanted to ask y-y-you somethin' in return."

"What?"

"D-Do ya wanna watch another movie with me t-t-this Sunday?"

And life continued on as normal. You worked. Gordie kept coming around. You worked and even got all your major assignments done! ...well Most of them. There was still two others you needed to do. One required you to have a partner so you had to wait until you got to college, and your quest to capture a third pokemon. You did try, but you barely had time between your job, taking care of your pokemon, and your other assignments you did. Along with going on a few more dates with Gordie. Until the fated month was almost there. August. When you'd have to go back. So the month before in May you decided to resend in your application remembering what Sonia did so you could do it again.  It was finally time to fill out the form including your Birth Region, current address, name, which course you were applying for (Standard Course, 2nd Year), etc. You still remembered the 'hometown' you said you were from. Vaniville Town. To this day you still had no idea what compelled you to say it, but you chalked it up to your brain just blurting out a random town to not raise suspicion. Now was the easy part. You had to select five or six of the ten classes you took last year, and you knew EXACTLY what classes you'd be picking. You wouldn't pick all ten again like last year. With the new responsibilities of your pokemon and focusing on other things, it'd be too big of a burden to take on. They had all the same classes as last year as well- Science and Culture, History, Languages and Writing, Arts, Home Ec, Math, P.E., Battle Studies, Health and Medical, and Pokemon Care.

You chose science and culture, Pokemon Care, Battle Studies, Home Ec, health and medical, and languages and writing. 

Six classes sounded like a decent amount and since you had most of the tough assignments concerning those classes out of the way, it should help a little bit. So you sent it all in and waited for a reply back, which you received the first day of August. An email, stating that they had accepted your application along with a date for the first day of the new school year. You were expecting you'd be accepted and you made sure to give a call to Leon to make sure the scholarship the Chairwoman gave you also covered your second year and thank ARCEUS it did! You should be able to pick up your new books and be able to just focus on your studies which as a relief. You gave your bosses your two weeks notice and informed the hotel of your eventual departure and packed up most of your essentials to be ready to go at the beginning of the new year. You were expecting everything, but what you weren't expecting was the sudden visit of Gordie's. The Sunday before the school year started, there was a knock at your door and when you answered it, Gordie was there which wouldn't be surprising as he sometimes visited you but there was something...different about his stance that made you pause in your smile to greet him. There was something more...serious. Stoney about the way he stood there, hands in his pockets and mouth pressed in a thin line when you opened the door to greet him.

"Gordie?"

"Hey, Y/n," he greeted in a monotone, almost tired voice, "Can I come in? There's somethin' real important I need to talk to ya about." You stood blinking for a moment before you nodded and stood aside to let him in. "Thank you."

"So what brings you here?" You slowly closed the door behind him as he calmly stood there and turned to you. "Did something bad happen?"

To your relief he shook his head no, but still had that serious face. "Sorry if I came in the middle of anything. I actually just wanted to talk to you, but it's about something serious so I figured I'd do it in person when you had time. I know the new college year's comin' up and with all the new people comin' in I-..." You blinked when you noticed the shaky breath he took. "I-It made me realize I had ta ask somethin'."

Well he wasn't wrong. The hotel was overcrowding with the sudden arrival of so many new people coming in the bundles and more and more were arriving every day for the new upcoming school year. Which meant you were going to be going back there too soon. But what about that could've prompted Gordie to come here to you?

Slowly you nodded your head yes. "Ok. What is it?"

He shakily again took a breath and his hand reached up to rub his head, the serious melting away instantly and replaced with a sheepish. "I-...I-I know these last few months we've been..." he gestured at nothing. "Seein' each other, but w-w-we never directly defined what we were. I-I know it's somethin' more than just friends but I mean-..D-Do you want it to be more? I-I mean more than friends! Do you wanna remain friends? Which I'm totally fine with staying! B-But what I-I'm tryin' to ask is that-..W-Well that being-...D-Do you wanna-..." He sucked in a breath. "Y-Y/n, d-do you wanna be m-my...girlfriend? I -I mean...Is that what we are to each other?"

And you went silent. Surprised at what he was asking. He came all the way here to ask you if you wanted to be...his girlfriend?

"Y-Ya don't have ta give me an answer now!," he assured you holding up his hands, "I-I get i-if m-m-me bein' in the limelight so much sounds off puttin' o-o-or if you wanna keep things casually n' not serious! O-Or you don't think of me that way at all! Or- I-....UUuuhh-"

His voice trailed off as one of your hands grabbed his and he looked wide eyed from your hand to your smiling face. "Aw, Gordie. You were worried about something like this? It's sweet." His face boomed a red as you just laughed at his reaction. "But to answer your question, yes. I wouldn't mind being considered your girlfriend despite everything."

He stared at you silently. "....my girlfriend?..."

You chuckled. "That's right. If you really want me to be." He didn't answer and you blinked. "Gordie?"

Gordie's face was somewhere between pale 'I saw a ghost' like and flustered 'I just got my first kiss' pink. He stood there for a few more seconds as you tried to figure out what to do, before leaning sideways and falling to the floor with a thud.

"Gordie!?" You shouted as the rock type gym leader tilted sideways to the right and with a loud thud sound collided with the floor. You immediately dropped to your knees next to the dazed man sprawled on the ground blankly staring at the ceiling. Your hands immediately went under his head and chest pulling his shocked form up towards your concerned face. "Are you ok!? Speak to me!"

He continued staring up at the ceiling in a daze, sunglasses crooked on his nose. "...You're...g-gonna be my...g-g-girlfriend?"

"I-..Y-Yeah." You blinked. "But are you ok? GAH!?"

You were sat up really quickly by a blur and Gordie was all of a sudden sat up clutching your arms looking serious and lost at the same time, sunglasses falling off in the process. "Did ya mean it!?" He looked at you wide eyed. "You wanna be with me? A-And ya don't mind? Y-You.." His hands slowly let go of your arms staring like he didn't believe you. "You said you w-wouldn't mind goin' with me?..Really?" You slowly nodded. "....Why?"

"Because I like you-like you back?", you tried raising a brow at him before you reached your hands up to gently patted his shocked shoulder with a smile. "And because I think your dorky attitude's really cute and you treat me with respect. And I really, really like you."

Gordie could only stare at you before a dopey smile crossed his face and he sighed. "Oh thank bloody Arceus. I thought for a moment you'd say no. ..I put way too much pressure on myself don't I?"

"Oh yeah. You do."

And thus..you had gained a new relationship. And it felt so casual. So normal. So....natural. Is this what a real relationship was like? You were sure you had feelings for Gordie now. It was hard not to when your heart fluttered in your chest and he made you smile so much. So it was official now. You had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who happened to be a very famous, popular gym leader. ...The thought made your head spin. Being friends with someone like Leon felt like a dream enough, but dating someone like that? That was a whole new level. But...You were ok with this. Gordie made it feel so smoothly, and he was probably the best guy you could've ended up in a relationship with. Kind, caring, attentive, understanding on a another that you two could understand each other with your similar pasts- The list goes on. But soon enough you did have something else more important to worry about when the day came. The first day of school. You woke up bright and early, and with all your pokemon and things packed up, you began walking back towards to the school. And you weren't the only one.

Lots of young people around your age or slightly older walked around you. They went back past you back towards the town and back up the pathway in the same direction you were headed, LOTS of them carried various forms of backpacks, boxes, books, papers, and a slew of other things. Sometimes even having a pokemon with them helping to carry more boxes, books, etc for them. You all started coming around the GIANT snow covered hill behind the rock type gym, down the cobblestone road, and was met with familiar sight. A GIANT building almost thrice the size of the Rose of Rhondelands Hotel was standing there proud and tall, and you did mean tall, it was taller than Rose Tower even as you still stood there staring up at it. And it..was in the odd shape of a castle-ish like design a lot like Hammerlocke's gym. The cobble stone pathway lead up to the giant building's giant double doors and split off between two other large (but not AS large as the school) buildings that was in front of it on either side of the pathway. What must've been HUNDREDS of people and their pokemon walking around all three big buildings and the pathways. 

"Ah. Well it's good to see this again. *sigh* C'mon guys. Let's go get this over with."

It all took a while. You had to have Venom and most of your other pokemon wait in front of the main school building as you went in with Zen and just like last year, you went through the entire process of standing in the line in the front hall/library and waited until you got up to the front where the same two people were handing out papers. And you went through the same thing you did last year-

"Here's a map of the university," he spoke handing you a folded piece of paper he pulled from the desk. "And here's your room key." He then held out a small metal key which you also took. "Hold onto it. You only get one and you'll be paying for a replacement if you lose it. You're room's in Dorm B Room 35 on the second floor and you'll be sharing the space with two room mates." He then held out stapled papers. "This is a list of all your class schedules with the times marked as well as your teachers' names and the calander of what days classes are out, holidays, and when the college year ends next year. As well as all the rules of C.U.." He then squinted his eyes. "Read. Them. Thoroughly. Any rulebreakers will be expelled as consequence." He then pointed towards the double doors. "Before you get your package you need to report to the cafeteria for your Student ID card. According to your file with us, you also have a pre-ordered book package. Be sure to pick it up from the Dean's office."

Well it was easy enough getting your new student ID card, and then going back to Mr. Snow Flake's office to retrieve your new books for the year. It was still heavy which was why you brought along Zen to help carry it. The Director seemed 'happy' to see you again though he did express 'how sad' he was for you not choosing all the classes again. Ugh! After that it was only one last other stop before meeting back up with your team, and that was the school's supply store! You still had some leftover school supplies from last year but it wouldn't be enough to last the whole year, so it was off to the store to get all stocked up and then back to meet up with your team who seemed happier seeing you there and were even MORE happy when you said you all would be going back inside now. You knew exactly where this dorm room was because this was the same room you had last year, you just wondered who your new roommates were. It couldn't be Stacy or Emerald (Thank Arceus-) again. Both graduated last year. You just hoped it wasn't another room mate from heck situation. Never the less, you all headed over to the same dorm room, people of all kinds giving you strange looks especially since a GIANT scolipede was being walked through the halls. You ended up going over to Dorm B Room 35 on the second floor and stopped in front of the wooden door with all your things as people continued to walk around you and go in and out of other rooms around you. Hello again old home. You didn't even bother knocking this time. You just went ahead and used your key to go instead, and the inside was completely the same. A small common area/kitchen area was there just stuck in one space with a sink and such and across from that was a small carpeted area with a sofa and small coffee table. Across from that was three random doors and inside the room was another girl around your age. Not Emerald or Stacy. This girl looked to have been in the middle of moving in stopping in the doorway that was once Emerald's room, box in her hands. She had the lightest blue hair you'd ever seen, in fact it was such a pale blue it looked almost white, with dark purple eyes that almost looked black in coloring in a short ponytail. And a pair of glasses were sat right on her face. And she stared at you like you'd suddenly walked in with a whole circus behind you horns blaring..Well you guessed she must've been surprised when a slew of pokemon came shuffling in behind you.

"Uh...H-Hi!," you greeted with an awkward smile and wave. "Um...I'm Y/n! You must be the new room mate huh? Miss-..."

She ever so slowly...blinked..before shaking her head. "Uh. Y-Yeah." And she rose a brow. "Uh...Why are you parading so many pokemon out?"

"Well the school's rules said we can have our pokemon out as long as they're not huge like an onix or damage the walls. And my pokemon are all well behaved, so as long as they don't so anything it's fine right."

To your surprise she seemed to think for a moment before slowly nodding. "Hm...Well that's fair enough." She again shook her head before looking at you. "My name's Topaz. I assume you're one of my roommates for the year?"

"Yeah! That's me!" You smiled. "It's so nice to meet you! Are you in the standard course too?"

She shook her head. "Third Year Historian Major on the Ultra Course. I'm here to gain more knowledge on the history of the Galar Region and preserve it for future generations." Oh! Kinda like Sonia's science research. That sounded really interesting. "Are you a first or second year Standard Course student?"

"Second! It's gonna be my last year here." You then gestured to what used to be Stacy's room last year. "Is our other room mate in there?"

At this Topaz rolled her eyes and scoffed making you blink. "You mean my cousin? Yes and no. She made me move all her things in here for her, but she's insisting on spending the first two months living in the hotel back in town." 

You...blinked. "..She's what?"

"Yes. Something about 'needing to be alone for her sanity' or something ridiculous like that," Topaz scoffed before rolling her eyes again, "Honestly I think my aunt spoilers her too much, but you should see her here soon enough." She then looked at you. "But if I were you, I'd avoid her as much as possible. She can be super annoying."

So..Another Emerald. ..Great.

You groaned. "Well..thanks for the warning. Are you sure my pokemon being out won't bother you?"

"As long as they don't disturb my sleeping or studying time, go into my room, or tear up they place, then you can have an snorlax in here for all I care. I don't really stick my nose in other people's lives anyways."

Ok. So Topaz was blunt, and doesn't seem like the socializing type, but you'd still take her compared to Emerald any day. She seemed respectful enough at least, and didn't seem to care about you having all your pokemon out in the room. Which was good enough for you! You got to move in and make yourself at home, setting up your room again and letting your team make themselves at home. And that was it. Your whole set up was..well set up! And you were ready for the next year to begin. Most of the hardest assignments were already done awaiting you to turn them in, and all you had to do was take the classes between that time! The first month seemed to go by completely normally. You went to classes with Zen, took notes, did any work assigned- The works. Nothing really happened. It was all mundane to be honest. The only thing different was that different was it was less stressful now that you weren't taking so many classes. Topaz was really chill as well. As you thought, she didn't REALLY interact with you a lot. Most of the time she didn't even talk to you when she was around. Not out of rudeness, but because she seemed always swamped with studying and constantly surrounded by books and papers despite the year just beginning. But sometimes she'd say hi or ask how your day was if she had some time to spare, which was nice. And most importantly-

SHE WAS QUIET!! YOU GOT TO SLEEP IN PEACE!!!

There wasn't any constant jabbering on the phone from the other side of the walls, or loud complaining at two in the morning, or music blaring when you were trying to sleep. IT WAS FREAKING FANTASTIC!! The most noise Topaz would make was every once and a while listen quietly to recorded lectures or some notes she recorded on her phone speaker. It was like a roommate from heaven! THANK YOU ARCEUS!! August passed by peacefully and then September was starting. And again nothing really, really out of the ordinary happened. Classes got a little harder now but still nothing you couldn't handle. Although you still saw no sign of this mysterious third roommate that was still M.I.A. You did try asking Topaz about it once to which she only groaned and said-

"She's still coming to classes surprisingly, but she's still refusing to come liver here."

"Isn't it expensive to pay for both the dorm room AND a hotel room? Why doesn't she just stay in one?"

She shrugged. "My aunt can spare the money, so really she doesn't have to worry about it. But I think she's just using it as an excuse to try and meet the gym leader."

"...Melony?"

"Gordie. But unfortunately she's forced to attend classes because of the school's strict policies which doesn't give her a lot of time to look for him. If she skips classes she'll be expelled. My aunt only agreed to pay as long as she attends college. She's also the one who's paying for everything. So no classes equals no money and that equals to her being unable to stay and look for 'Prince Charming."

And that made you pause. "....She's a giant fangirl of Gordie's?"

"That's one way of putting it. *sigh* I feel so bad for the guy. I just hope she grows out of these ridiculous fantasies."

That stirred a little bit of annoyance in you, hearing the fact someone was fangirling and had a crush on YOUR boyfriend. Maybe a bit of jealousy there, but you had to remember. Gordie was a popular gym leader with a large following almost as big as Raihan's. Of course he'd have fangirls/boys like any other celebrity, so you couldn't really get mad at anything. But other than that you still didn't hear much about this 'fangirl roommate' from Topaz other than one or two phone calls you accidentally overheard. The first time it was Topaz talking on her phone to someone with an irritated tone in the kitchen-

"Are you even going to come unpack all the stuff you made me drag here for you?....WHAT!? No I'm not going to unpack everything for you! Are you nuts!?....BECAUSE I'M NOT YOUR BUTLER!! THAT'S WHY!! I'm not going to unpack everything just for you to not ever use the room and then just leave me to repack everything at the end of the year! I'm already stuck holding onto your room key! Wha-....UGH!! Fine! Just make sure you at least remember to get your things because I won't be carrying them back for you!"

She had cut the call short when she noticed you standing there and just acted like none of that ever happened, and frankly you just minded your own business. It didn't really concern you or bothered your life so you decided to stay out of this one. More days passed and that was when the second phone call happened just a few days before October started. You were just writing down a small essay for your writing class when a loud angry voice could be heard from the living room area-

"NO!! I don't care if you're 'busy'! What do you think I'm doing with my time!?" The loud voice of Topaz made you jump and blink at your door. "I can't just drop everything and do stuff for you whenever you want! Let alone THIS!! Why would you think it was ok to ask me to do your homework!?.....WHAT!? NO!! Why would I?!... Don't use 'but we're family' as an excuse!! I've already gone out of my way to help you by watching over your room but I absolutely REFUSE to help you CHEAT!! No wonder you have to retake your final year! Don't call me again unless it's for your room key or to apologize! I don't want to hear from you until then!!"

And then you heard her stomp off to her own room, slamming the door behind her and leaving you in silence once again. ....YIKES!! It sounded like Topaz was having a hard time dealing with her cousin, and you didn't blame her. She sounded like a pain to deal with, and you hadn't even MET her yet! Hopefully when (or even if she ever did-) show up, you could just avoid her and she'd leave you alone. The last thing you wanted was ANOTHER Emerald around here. But for now you'd just keep your nose to your own business and focus on school. You couldn't afford to get into any drama right now nor did you want to after that year. Well September ended without a hitch and then October started up. The spooky month. One week passed and then came the middle of the second week. You had just turned in one of the major assignments of one of the classes you prepared for! For your writing and language class you had to interview someone of your choice and then actually take notes of what they said similar to what a journalist would do, and you chose a unique subject to interview. Why your own pokemon of course! Using Sparky to translate what he said to answer your questions. Certainly was the most convenient one to do. Hopefully the Language teacher will like it enough to give it a passing grade. Now you only had to worry about your regular classes. But you'd soon get an unexpected visitor. And that visitor turned out to be someone who you wanted to really see! It all started one Saturday when there was a knock at your dorm door, and you went to go answer it, but when you pulled open the door you were met with a surprise. A surprise that came with white-blonde hair and sunglasses. You recognized the man in an instant.

"Gordie!" You practically threw the door open startling Topaz who was studying on the sofa. 

"Hey, sweetie- OOF!"

He barely had time to react before you hugged him, arms thrown around his neck almost knocking him over but he managed to remain upright due to his sturdier build. ''I missed you so much! Where have you been!?"

He chuckled before reaching up to pat your back. "Helping my lil sibs with school, tryin' ta help Circhester with the backed up crowds o' people here- Y'know. The usual. M' so sorry I couldn't contact ya sooner-"

"Don't apologize." You finally let go of him smiling. "I've been pretty busy too lately, so it's ok." You took a moment to look back at Topaz staring back at the two of you surprised still. "Oh. Uh right. Gordie, this is my roommate." You gestured at Topaz. "Topaz, this is my boyfriend."

He nodded. "'Ey! How ya doin'?"

She still stared wide eyed at him, then at you, then back at Gordie. Before pointing. "Gordie? As in like...the Rock Type Gym Leader of Circhester Gordie? THAT Gordie???"

"Same one!"

She pointed at you. "And SHE'S your girlfriend?"

"Yep!"

"....Do you mean girlfriend as in you're romantically involved with each other, or 'girl friend' as in she's just a friend who happens to be a girl?"

At this Gordie gave her a look. "Um...The first one? Tho I don't see why that'd be any of your business."

Topaz stared at you for a long moment before groaning and flopping her head into her hands. "Great....She's going to flip out once she figures out her crush's girlfriend is her dorm mate. I'm too old to be dealing with these things."

"What is she talking about?"

"Nevermind. I'll tell you later." And you'd deal with that later too. You looked back to him. "Anyways what are you doing here?"

"Tch. Other than the fact that I missed ya?" he smiled wider. "I finally got a day off an' I wanted ta ask if you wanted to spend it with me?"

"Uh, yes! absolutely! I need to take my team out and buy some more food anyways. I'm starting to run low."

He smiled. "Great! Then we can watch a movie at my place?"

"Sounds good! Let's do that."

 With that you and your team left with Gordie, grabbing your coat and bidding the now tired looking Topaz good bye before you all took off. You knew you were in yet another soon to be mess probably, but you didn't want to get into all of that right now. UGH! Like every other day, it was cold and chilly outside with only your coat and scared being the protection between you and said cold. Your first step outside and hearing the snow crunching under your feet was a strange peaceful sound as was the atmosphere which smelt clean and of pine trees and whatever food stands were out this time of day. Peaceful. Serene. A few other people were out today too, not as many as there was on the weekdays when classes were going on, but still a lot. Circhestor was right around the giant hill you walked back around past the rock type gym. The small town was hustling and bustling full of college students and possible buyers to be wooed into spending money from all the stands and open stores advertising their wares to the masses. However you were busy talking away with Gordie, arm wrapped around his, and smiling a lot more than you remembered for a long time. He asked you some questions about your classes, how they were going, what you were doing and you both caught up with what each other was doing. The first thing you both did was stop by a small open place where you could just let your pokemon run around for the next two hours freely while just sitting and talking to Gordie. It was all peaceful.

....Maybe too peaceful as you'd soon find out.

After two hours Gordie suggested watching some movies together and you agreed but first you really did need to stop by the general store and buy some more pokemon food. With the rate these guys were eating (especially Venom-) you'd be needing it. So it was agreed. You'd stop by the store and buy the food before hanging out at his house. Shouldn't be a problem since you coaxed Venom into letting you use her back to help carry the heavy bags. So the both of you stopped by the store but you didn't think the store owner would allow you to bring all your pokemon inside, so Gordie being the sweetheart he was offered to stay outside to watch the rest of your team while you got the pokemon food you needed with Zen. Sounded good to you so with Zen you entered the store and went straight towards the pet supplies-...Uh..Poke Supplies aisle. And there Zen helped you out as you loaded his arms with food bags for different pokemon-types. Dark and fire for Cerberus, Normal for Zen, Bug and Poison for Venom, Ice for Rena, Water for Silver, and of course a twenty four pack of batteries for Sparky. You couldn't forget about the little Rotom in your phone. It took a moment to get all the heavy bags to the counter to be paid for and checked out and....YIKES!! You knew the high quality stuff was better for them but if they kept being this expensive, you'd run out of funds. Soon it was paid for and with both yours and Zen's arms full, you both made your way to the front of the store and through the automatic doors. But-....Something made you stop instantly in your tracks. Smile instantly wiped off your face. Because as soon as you stepped out you noticed it-

...Noticed HER.

She had her back to you at first but it looked to be a girl around your height and age talking to Gordie, hands behind her back and rocking on her heels. By the way she was acting, you'd think she was talking to her crush. Gordie seemed to be very, very, VERY offputted because he just looked at her with a deadpanned look behind him Cerberus seemed to be growling for no reason and hiding behind a confused Venom's legs. You probably would've stopped either way but that wasn't what really made you stop...It was the green colored hair that was attached to the back of the head of the girl who spoke to Gordie. She spoke too softly for you to hear other than mumbles where you stood but you caught a few words-

"...sometime-....know....handsome.~"

Well whatever she said it seemed Gordie was very displeased because he held up a hand. "M' sorry. I'm very...flattered that a fan of mine would think highly enough o' me to ask for a date, but I already have a girlfriend."

The reaction was instant-

"WHAT!?," the woman shrieked loud enough to finally be heard by you...hey...Did that voice sound familiar to you? "WHO!? Honestly who could be better than me!?"

This time he scowled and looked about to say something but stopped, and looked up towards you.......And then smiled. Naturally upon seeing him smile away from her, the woman whipped around to look at what he was looking at. You looked at her. She looked at you. Both of your eyes made contact....And INSTANTLY your stomach dropped as you recognized who it was.

"Emerald!?"

[lirilan]

Updates once again (I am very much giving this a chance, I assure you, if my commentary sounds snarky it's more for stylistic reasons, if I genuinely disliked this I would not be continuing)

Ch8.

I kinda love the whole 'golems as walking farms' thing? Wandering violent vegetable plots!

Ch9.

Ah, now we get our 'you humans and elves are the REAL villains' 'no u' stuff. I appreciate that it's happening in the background of bread being made, that alters the dynamic interestingly.

Ch10.

Treasure bugs! Sneaky little tricks to ruin someone's day. (except when cooked)

Ch11.

Oh I'm really seeing the vibes with 'Falin was the one smoothing over things when Laios said things that didn't come out right'

Ch12.

The story inside the pictures? Interesting

Ch13.

intense mimic crab action

Ch14.

oh it opens with Marcille doing up her hair all pretty

THE DWARF IS FLUFFY THIS IS NOT A DRILL

Ch15.

the ethics of eating mer-critters

Ch16.

it's the ciiiiircle of liiiiife (and parasites)

Ch17.

Marcille Falin backstory let's goooo

Ch18.

Marcille sure had a fight on her hands there

Ch19.

oh so the dungeon is proper fucked up with the whole 'spirits bound to the bodies' thing and some people exploit that

Ch20.

yay Namari helped out and Marcille's up and good to go again, and everyone's had their bonding moment

-shakes fist-

fine, dashboard, I will try your silly eating monsters manga

just this once

[creativenicocorner]

When you dream about watching your drowned self turn your boyfriend some 1700′s Navy Officer to stone.

Guess Barbara really liked that gorgon pendant, Walt

(I am physically terrified of putting a pen to this haha, maybe someday)

[lastbluetardis]

Sacred New Beginnings (13/?)

Summary: James Noble thought he traded away his chance at love and a happy-ever-after when he signed a contract with a record label that turned him into an international celebrity. But a chance meeting in a dive bar may prove him wrong.

Ten x Rose AU

This Chapter: Teen, ~5100 words

AO3 || Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4 | Ch5 | Ch6 | Ch7 | Ch8 | Ch9 | Ch10 | Ch11 | Ch12 |

Note: Sorry for the long delay. Life changes were happening and I’ve been decompressing from the stress of finishing grad school. Hopefully updates will happen more regularly, but no promises. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

His breath catches in his lungs when the door swings open and reveals the only person in the world he wants to see.

Rose.

It’s her—it’s really her. She’s standing in her doorway, in soft flannel pajama bottoms and fuzzy pink socks and a jumper that looks like it was made from a cloud, and she’s holding… a wallet?

She meets his gaze and gives a little jolt, taking half a step back as her mouth falls open and her eyes widen.

“You’re not the pizza guy,” she says, a shade breathless.

Her words don’t entirely register at first, but when they do, his stomach sinks. She hadn’t checked who was outside her door before opening it, because she was expecting someone else. Would she have opened the door if she had known it was him?

He scratches the nape of his neck—his skin is itching and burning, and he wants to sink far beneath the Earth’s surface and never appear ever again.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “This was silly. I should have called. I reread your letter and had some questions so I thought I would stop by, but I realized right after I knocked that it’s a bit pretentious of me to show up outside your flat like this, and I was about to leave but then you opened the door and now here we are, and I can’t seem to stop talking.”

A ghost of a smile crosses Rose’s lips as she cocks her hip to the side to lean against the door jamb.

“Make sure to take a breath,” she drawls, and his knees nearly weaken at the warmth in her voice. Surely all isn’t lost if she’s teasing him, if she hasn’t slammed the door in his face and told him to go fuck himself.

He does as she says and breathes in deeply, trying to dislodge the ache between his ribs.

“D’you think… could we… can we talk?” he asks, curling his toes inside his shoes as though the action can ground him.

“Depends what you want to talk about,” she says carefully, and the prior warmth she’d had is gone now. “I thought I’d made myself clear in my letter.”

“I just… I don’t understand,” he admits. “I thought I understood what you meant. But then my mum started putting all these thoughts in my head, and I got even more confused, so now here I am. And I understand if you want me to go. We don’t have to talk. But at least I can say I tried, and I can put us to rest. Actually, yeah, we don’t have to talk. This was silly. I’m sorry.”

Before he can flee, the lift doors ping behind him, followed by shuffling footsteps.

“Dinner order for Rose?”

James looks over his shoulder and sees a man carrying a pizza box. The man’s eyes bug as he catches sight of James. James cringes and hunches his shoulders, and all of a sudden, he’s being pulled into Rose’s arms, being kissed swiftly and ushered inside the flat with a cheery, “Oh, you’re right on time, John. Go set the table.”

The interior of Rose’s flat is the same as he remembers, all warm tones and homey ambience that makes him want to stay forever. He has no idea what to do, because he’s pretty sure Rose only brought him inside to save him from the recognition of the pizza guy.

That alone squeezes his heart. Why would she do that if she didn’t care about him? Why wouldn’t she feed him to the wolves?

Because she doesn’t want to become a circus exhibit, unable to escape the unrelenting eye of the paparazzi when they realize she has been spending time with him.

As quickly as his spirits had lifted, they sink again.

“Blimey, I must be seein’ things,” the delivery man says from the corridor. “For a minute I could’ve sworn that was James Noble.”

Rose laughs indulgently. “Oh, he gets that a lot. I keep telling him to enter a James Noble lookalike contest.”

“Pretty sure he could take first prize. Right, this ‘ere’s for you.”

“And this here’s for you,” Rose echoes, pressing bank notes into the man’s hand. “Cheers, mate.”

James shifts from foot to foot, gnawing at the corner of his mouth as Rose shuts the door and turns to face him. “Hungry?”

She lifts the pizza box towards him, wafting the scent of cheese, bread, and sauce towards him. His stomach cramps with hunger, but he says, “I shouldn’t interrupt your dinner.”

Rose rolls her eyes. “Come on. Let’s eat. Then we can talk.”

His stomach audibly squeals, and Rose smirks in triumph. With a sigh, he follows her to her kitchen and stands awkwardly by the kitchen island, feeling like an intruder in her home, so unlike a few weeks ago when they had cooked together.

They don’t speak as Rose puts a slice of plain cheese pizza on two plates and directs him to her sofa. He takes the loveseat while she takes the recliner, sitting cross-legged with her plate in her lap.

“Why are you here?” Rose asks quietly, picking off a layer of cheese and nibbling on it.

Because my mum thinks you might be a little bit smitten with me. Is that true?

I thought you wanted casual, and so did I, but then I didn’t, but you still did, so here we are.

Can you break down the contents of your letter for me? I’m too besotted with you to have an unbiased understanding of it.

Everything sounds so incredibly stupid, but then again, he’s sure he looks so incredibly stupid just staring at Rose in complete silence. He shovels far too much pizza into his mouth to buy himself time, yet he doesn’t have an answer for her even after he’s chewed and swallowed. The silence is awkward and stifling—it has never felt like this with Rose before, and he hates that they somehow lost the ease and comfort they’d once had.

“I missed you,” he admits, not entirely answering her question, but it’s all he’s got right now. “And I wanted to see you.”

She sighs, visibility deflating, so he rushes to continue speaking, “And I wanted to talk to you. It’s just… I thought everything between us was fine. But then I got home, and things weren’t fine.”

“Were things between us ever really fine?” she asks, a trace of bitterness in her tone as she continues mutilating her pizza instead of eating it. “Was there ever even a thing?”

His stomach coils in on itself and his mouth goes dry. “I… yeah… there was. What about all the amazing things we did together? I know it was only a few weeks, but those few weeks were incredible, Rose. Incredible. Dancing at that pub… burritos and margaritas… the bloody magical Renaissance Faire… you have made me feel more alive than I’ve felt in months.”

She finally looks at him, brows furrowed and mouth slightly gaping. Her stare is heavy, and something about it makes him squirm with discomfort, like she’s trying to pry her way into his very soul. He hastily shoves another bite of pizza into his mouth, and is pleased when she does the same; it wouldn’t do for his presence to ruin her meal.

She chews deliberately, slowly, and still she keeps her eyes locked on him. He watches the undulation of her throat as she swallows, then his gaze snaps to hers when she says, “I didn’t think that stuff mattered to you.”

The weight of her words, the implications of them, hit him like a lorry, leaving him dazed.

“But… how could they not?” he croaks. “Rose, you… you…” You have meant everything to me these last few weeks. “How could you say that? What did you think we were doing?”

She scoffs and lifts her gaze to the ceiling, and he’s horrified to see her eyes are shining with moisture that she impatiently blinks away. The tip of her nose is turning red too, the color deepening when she swipes at it with her hand.

“We were fucking,” she spits, her voice cracking around the vulgar word. “Just fucking.”

Whatever he expects her to say, it’s not that. Not with that level of vitriol. Like she’s cursing his name for all eternity.

There is nothing intelligent being fired between his synapses, so all he manages is a weak, “What?”

“You’re just havin’ a bit of fun, aren’t you?” She throws her words like knives, and they hit their mark straight and true, burying in his chest until he can’t remember how to breathe.

“Well, I mean, yeah,” he says, and the moments the words leave his lips, he knows they were the absolute worst thing to say.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, pressing her palms to her eyes as she mutters, “I’m so fucking stupid.”

He needs to fix this, and fast, because this is all going so, so badly.

“I mean, I thought that’s what you wanted,” he blurts, scratching at the back of his neck, which feels like it’s crawling with ants. “That’s what you said. The first time we… You said it was just sex. Just fun. So that’s what I swore I would keep it. Maybe I should have told you… scratch that, I definitely probably should have told you that casual wasn’t enough for me, but I’m not exactly what you signed up for, am I? And I was too selfish, wanting to continue to be with you, to spend time with you, so I shut up about it and took what you were willing to give me.”

His words don’t seem to be helping matters, though, since she’s staring at him like he has spoken a completely different language. Maybe he mumbled. Or spoke too quickly. All the time while he was growing up, his mum and teachers constantly told him to slow down and enunciate.

Wracking his brain to remember exactly what he had just said, he braces himself for the ultimate rejection, for Rose to tell him he needs to get the hell out of her flat then get the hell out of her life.

Before he can try again, she says, “But… but you said you wanted casual. You said you wanted us to continue bein’ whatever-the-hell friends-with-benefits unlabeled thing we were.”

Now it’s his turn to gape, because when on Earth had he ever said that?

“What are you talking about? I never said anything like that!” he protests.

Her confusion morphs into irritation, and she points a threatening finger at him. “Don’t you dare do that to me. I know what you said. We were in your music room, makin’ out and feelin’ each other up, when you got all… all weird on me and said you didn’t want anything to change, that you didn’t want things to get complicated. You practically told me all you were looking for was a shag, no strings attached.”

Did they experience two different moments? Is he having an out-of-body sci-fi experience where he is somehow talking to a Rose from a different universe?

“What are you talking about?” he repeats, but he doesn’t give her time to reply, because the penny finally falls, and he recalls exactly what she’s saying. “Hang on. Shh. Shush for a moment. Just. Wait. Please.”

 Fuck, were those the words he used? Surely not. They can’t have been.

He has never worked so hard to force his brain to step back in time, to replay a specific moment over and over again. Usually, it takes no effort. Usually, his brain cheerfully shows him all the memories he wishes he could forget. But finally, he’s there with Rose on his piano bench, achingly hard with her taste on his lips and her wetness on his fingers. He’s there, trying to understand how he can feel so much for a woman he just met. He’s there, wondering how he can keep her, when the world seems to enjoy tearing him apart. He’s there, wanting to tell her he can’t bear it if he loses her, but what comes out of his mouth is instead vague and unhelpful rubbish.

“Did you just shush me?” she squawks presently.

“Yeah, I did,” he murmurs absently. “And I think I’ve realized what happened.”

“Realized you’re a twat?” she grumbles, glaring murderously at her surely cold pizza. Nevertheless, she takes a bite.

“Sort of, yeah,” he admits, offering her a sheepish smile. Her cool expression doesn’t falter. “Rose, you misunderstood me that night.”

“Right,” she scoffs. “Definitely misunderstood the “don’t get complicated on me, Rose” line.”

“I meant that I didn’t want things between us to change by us having sex,” he said.

She laughs mirthlessly. “Yeah, thanks for that. Really clears things up, repeatin’ what you said that night.”

Frustration bubbles deep within him. For all his finesse with words when it comes to songwriting, he sure is shit when it comes to actually talking, isn’t he?

“I meant I wanted to keep seeing you!” he presses, and she snaps her mouth shut with a near-audible click. “I’d just been on one of the best dates of my life, and I’d genuinely only intended to have you over for dinner and maybe to see if I could talk you into a few rounds of Mario Kart because I didn’t want to say goodnight to you!”

“You… what… Mario Kart?”

Jesus, he’s an idiot, but he can’t seem to stop. His brain is screaming, processing thoughts too fast for him to understand. It gets like this in interviews sometimes; when a reporter asks him a question he’s excited to answer, he goes off far longer than he should and ends up making very little sense.

“But then I showed you my music room, which is one of my most sacred places in this godforsaken house, and you fit so perfectly that I wanted to share my music with you. That song I sang for you? I wrote it earlier that week, ‘cos I couldn’t get you out of my bloody mind, and I found I didn’t want to. I didn’t want you to leave my thoughts because you made everything brighter by being there. And I really shouldn’t have played that song for you because it hasn’t even been recorded yet and my record label would throw a fit if they knew I played an original piece for a virtual stranger, especially someone who hasn’t signed an NDA. But we had just had a perfect day together, and I promised you I would try to work on trusting you, because I really do want to trust you. So I shared that song with you, because you inspired me, and I wanted you to know that.”

His blood is roaring, racing with too many hormones and endorphins. It’s making his skin itch and his heart pound, and if he doesn’t move, he’s going to implode on the spot. He sets his plate on the cushion beside him and surges to his feet, raking his fingers through his hair as he tries desperately to organize his thoughts. They’re overtaking him, submerging him and he can’t bloody think.

Rose is gaping at him now, staring wordlessly. He can’t read her expression, can’t tell if he’s making any sense or if he is making everything a thousand times worse. But God help him, he can’t stop.

“And then you kissed me, and I can’t think straight when you kiss me. Not in a bad way. In a very, very good way. You make me feel normal, like the person I used to be before the entire world knew who I was. And I craved that. I craved that normalcy, and being normal with you. You’re intoxicating, and things escalated so fast, but I didn’t want to stop, and neither did you, I don’t think. You don’t know how much I worried that you thought I’d only brought you home to have sex with you. But then you said things were casual and it was just sex, so I figured you didn’t mind. The sex was absolutely amazing, by the way. I hadn’t had that much fun in months. But not just that, I loved doing normal date-night things with you. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed cooking dinner with you at your flat.”

“But you said you didn’t care about that,” she interrupts. There is a deep furrow in her brow, and she is chewing so hard on her thumbnail that he’s worried she’s going to rip it off and make it bleed. Her plate of half-eaten pizza lies discarded on her lap.

Her words draw him out of his manic head, and he tries to figure out what he’d said to make her think he didn’t care about dinner with her. But he’s coming up blank.

“Er…?”

“When you left for the night, you said foolin’ around on the roof was your favorite part of the night,” she clarified. “You really know how to make a girl feel special. God, I felt so humiliated when you said that. I loved having you in my flat, cookin’ together. But when you said that, I felt so dirty and used, and so stupid. Like you were reminding me again that we were nothing but a good time for you.”

The theme of the night must be bafflement, because he is once again wracking his memory bank for how on earth she has come to this conclusion. He is also coming to the conclusion that he is an idiot who cannot communicate clearly, but that is an issue to be tackled later on. Right now, he has more pressing concerns as the weight of everything Rose is saying crushes down on him. Poor communication or not, he made her feel like an object for his pleasure, and that alone makes his stomach lurch violently. God, how many times had that happened to him when he was first starting in this industry? How many times had he presumed an evening of intense flirtation and a night of passionate sex meant just as much to his partner as it had meant to him, only to be told come morning that he was nothing but a good time and a great reputation to name-drop at a later date.

Fuck. 

“Rose, I…” What? He what? What sort of words could fix this? Could this even be fixed? God, he hoped so. “I swear to you, I don’t know what I said, but I didn’t mean it like that. I can’t remember…”

Think, think, think, he growls to himself. All he can recall, after the warmth of her body against his, is the way she withdrew from him. All he can remember is being confused at her emotional one-eighty, when they’d just shared a perfect night together.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he repeats weakly. “That night meant so much to me. I loved being in your home. I loved that you showed me the view on your rooftop. It has been so long since I experienced anything new in this city, and yet you showed me a piece of your world and I loved it… I loved…”

His voice breaks, as the weight of these last few weeks overtakes him. How he’d been drowning in loneliness, feeling as used by his latest partner as he accidentally made Rose feel, when he’d found a flame in the darkness. Rose is his candle, lighting the way back to the surface.

It has been so long since he felt at home with another person, since he felt he could be himself. When he had first begun dating Reinette, his longest-term girlfriend of eighteen months, she had made him feel safe in his skin, like the world couldn’t touch him because she knew how to handle the paparazzi. After all, she’d been a mainstage actress for over ten years at that time, having gotten her big break when she was thirteen. She’d grown up in the limelight, had to go through all of the awkward growing pains in front of the world, and as a result, she’d grown a thicker skin. Or, rather, she’d learned not to care.

Reinette had accepted that being hounded by the paparazzi was simply part of her life, and so she taught James those same lessons until he thought it was normal to be photographed on every single date he went on, to have the papers speculate about his sex life or betting that he would propose to Reinette whenever they went on a tropical beach vacation or whether she was pregnant and the world would be welcoming a Noble-Poisson baby into the spotlight.

He will always love Reinette for helping him transition into the world of fame; he’d been in a bleak place when they’d met at an afterparty for one of her films. He’d been regretting his decision to sign with his record label and had been overwhelmed with having hardly any privacy. She had been a great friend, at first, a shoulder to lean on and the voice of reason when he shared all of his fears. It was so natural, the way they grew from friends to lovers, and James had gotten so comfortable with her that he assumed he would be with her forever, because he couldn’t be bothered trying to date anyone else in the public eye.

It was only when Reinette came to him and admitted she hadn’t felt a spark for him in several months that he felt the weight lift off his chest. He hadn’t realized how apathetic he had grown towards her and their relationship. They parted amicably, but all the bad habits Reinette had ingrained in him had stuck, leaving him at the mercy of the paparazzi because he never learned how to healthily manage them—which is how all of his subsequent relationships have ended up in the tabloids within a few hours of their conception, and how his partners inevitably grew tired of having their lives dissected alongside his. He didn’t know any better, so he stopped trying, letting the paps follow him around as he sampled all of life’s pleasures and not caring one bit.

That is, until he now needs to care, because he finally met a person who makes him want to protect his personal life with a ferocity he has never before experienced. Rose doesn’t deserve this, hasn’t signed up for this. She deserves privacy and respect, which is something he has never gotten from the media. But he will fight through hell itself to keep her safe from the parasites who want to get to him, because she is the best person he has ever known. She is light and warmth and love and…

He freezes, mid-pace, as his brain hits him with that last adjective. Love.

No, it isn’t possible. This thing with Rose was supposed to be casual, because she wanted casual, because why on Earth would she want to subject herself to the sort of life he leads. But here she is, telling him that she thought he wanted casual? And he still isn’t quite sure what she wants from him, from them, if she wants anything at all.

“James?”

He blinks rapidly, as though that will clear the static from his mind. Rose is frowning at him, and he realizes he has been frozen with his hands in his hair for God only knows how long.

“You okay?” she asks.

“I… yeah… I think…” Christ, what is he supposed to say? How is he supposed to take all the wild, anxious, insane thoughts that have just crossed his brain and put them into words for her? She’s going to think he’s a nutter (if she doesn’t already think that).

But he clearly has been communicating so poorly that Rose thought she was nothing to him, when that couldn’t be farther from the truth. He needs her to know that he never—not once—thought she was nothing. She has somehow become everything, and…

“I think I might be falling in love with you.” His tongue moves without his permission, shaping the words that will either damn them or heal them.

Rose goes wide-eyed and pale, her jaw slackening. “I… You… What?”

His heart is thudding behind his ribcage, his blood racing through his veins as though it is trying to escape his body and become something else. He begins to pace again, all of his nervous, frantic energy needing an outlet because once again, his big fat gob is getting him into trouble.

But you know what? Fuck it.

Fuck.

It.

He came here tonight to talk with Rose, so he’s going to fucking talk. After all of the accidental miscommunication they have inadvertently done over the course of their sort of real, sort of not real relationship, he is so tired of trying to curb his thoughts and feelings.

When was the last time he felt like this for another person? He can’t even remember. Granted, he falls a little in love with everyone he dates. He has always fallen hard and fast for people, no matter if it’s romantic or platonic, which is why it always breaks his heart whenever anyone leaves him, no matter how justified they are in their departure.

But Rose? She has never been more than a thought away from him for these past few weeks. She is the first person he wants to talk to every morning, the person he wants to share all of his good news with, the person he wants to reveal his every worry and fear to. He wants all of that from her, too. Hearing about her day is the highlight of his; making her laugh is the most potent high he’s ever had. She has wormed her way so thoroughly into his heart that it hurts to think of her not being there anymore.

And that’s only after a couple of weeks.

Christ, he’s fucked.

“Yeah. How absurd is that?” He huffs out a mad little laugh and digs his fingertips into his eyes. “I’ve known you for less than a month. It’s mad, innit? But I’ve been in love before, and this… you… this feels nothing like that, but in the best possible way. I’ve been writing love songs for years, and they’re all child’s play compared to the ballads I want to write about you and us. I don’t really know how to describe us, because this feels so different from anything I’ve felt before, but given time, I think it could be love.”

He continues rubbing his eyes as exhaustion overtakes him. It’s been an age since he’s had a proper night’s sleep, and the bender he went on last night is catching up with him. He’s so, so tired and he wants to go home and curl up in bed, but alas.

Rose is dead silent, and it’s doing nothing but making his anxiety worse, so he forces himself to look at her. She’s dumbstruck, like something smacked her over the head and she isn’t quite cognizant.

“Please say something,” he begs. At this point, he doesn’t care if she throws him out of her flat, because at least he’ll have an answer. But this limbo is hell. Pure, unadulterated hell.

“What do you want me to say?” she asks faintly.

He lifts a helpless shoulder. “I dunno. Something? Anything?”

“You can’t just spring all that on me and expect me to have something to say,” she complains. “Ten minutes ago, I thought you thought we were nothing. I thought I was just another notch in your bedpost. I thought you were here to beg me to reconsider because you didn’t want to lose your latest fuck buddy.”

Though he probably deserves that, he winces nevertheless.

“I thought you thought we were nothing, too,” he reminds her, though it comes out like a whining child. “Please tell me what you’re thinking. Anything at all.”

Rose closes her eyes and leans her head back against her recliner. She, too, looks exhausted. Impatient though he is, he forces himself to keep his stupid mouth shut as he waits for her to speak. It feels like an hour but is probably only half a minute when she finally tilts her head to the side and cracks open an eye.

“I think I’d like you to leave,” she murmurs. “Please.”

His heart plummets down into his toes, leaving him lightheaded, but he nods. “Right. Yeah. ‘Course. Sorry.”

“I just need time to think,” she adds hastily, and despite himself, his spirits lift their little hopeful heads. “It’s just… I haven’t been sleeping well. And I wasn’t expecting to have this conversation. You really messed with my head tonight. Not your fault. I just… I thought I knew what we were. Turns out I was completely wrong, and I don’t know what to think or feel.”

“Right. Yeah. ‘Course,” he says again. He picks up his plate and strides to the kitchen to dump his half-eaten pizza into the rubbish bin. “Sorry for ruining your dinner.”

“S’okay. I like cold pizza. It’ll be my lunch and dinner tomorrow.”

Rose stands on unsteady legs and follows suit, trashing her food then crossing her arms in front of her chest. They’re looking at each other awkwardly, and it takes an embarrassingly long time for him to realize she is waiting for him to leave. He nods to himself and makes a beeline for the door. Rose follows and holds it open for him.

The coast is clear, so once he steps into the corridor, he glances at her. His heart aches to see her so lost, and it aches further to realize he’s the one who has made her feel so low. He longs to fold her in his arms, to beg her forgiveness and ask if they can start over, to try again. But he doesn’t, because she asked for space to think.

Still, he can’t help but say, “I really have missed you. So much.”

She nods absently, and when it seems like she isn’t going to say anything, he offers her a half-smile and turns on his heel. He is about to open the door to the staircase when… 

“James!”

He glances over his shoulder, and Rose is half-way down the hallway. Though her hands are half-hidden by her fluffy sleeves, she wrings them awkwardly in front of herself as she comes to a stop before him.

“I… I missed you too.”

She gives him a shy, uncertain smile, but to him, it’s the most beautiful sight in the world. He returns the expression, matching her energy, as relief threatens to buckle his knees out from under him.

“Drive safe,” she adds, then she spins and skips back to her flat.

[berriusagi]

Stomach Bug Ch10

Doctor’s Visit

Alright I am back with another chapter and with this I bring something special. I want all of you to help me decide what our lovely Mari will be having so place your votes in the poll. 

LINK REMOVED

Thank you to everyone who voted I’ll be using the results gathered and I hope everyone’s happy with what the final tally was.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

“Damian’s not home right?” Tim asked, making his way into the Batcave where all the other bats sans Damian were sitting around the computer.

“No, tomorrow’s pixies first appointment with that new doctor so he decided to stay the night to give her moral support since she’s never been to a gyno before.” Jason said looking up from the files he was reading over, “honestly from what I’ve heard about what happens during those exams I don’t blame her for wanting a little support before going.”

“It’s all routine and can’t be any worse than the baby-making process.” Dick hummed typing away on the computer.

“I think that’s enough talk about that; why did you want to know Tim?” Bruce asked looking over at his second youngest.

“I found more info on Marinette thought I’d share with you all while Damian wasn’t here to stop me or compromise the data,” he explained walking over to the bat computer connecting his laptop to it.

The other men all sat silently around waiting for Tim to begin his presentation as he sorted through different encrypted files before bringing up a few pictures. “To begin her original name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her parents were bakers back in France, Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng,” Tim said pointing them out.

“Marinette told me they essentially kicked her out,” Bruce said crossing his arms, “They believed the words of some liar and threw her out. She lived with a friend her last year in Paris before moving here.”

“Wait, hold on,” Dick said turning to Bruce, “Her parents kicked her out when she was still a minor? Isn’t that illegal?”

“Yes, and they knew that, she mentioned that when she told her grandmother she came and took custody from her parents, who seemed more than happy to hand it over, and let her stay to finish out that school year with a friend then moved here to finish out her schooling.” Bruce nodded.

“Yeah that all tracks to what I found,” Tim nodded, showing them documents next, “I have here the transfer of custody, her transcript for moving here, as well as the adoption papers for Ivy and Harley. I also went ahead and started running some background checks on the people still in her phone.” he added typing away.

“Anyone, we should be worried about?” Jason asked leaning back in his seat content to just watching Tim work, “She told me a bit about one of her friends’ guy seemed a bit sketch when he was a Paris hero though now I think he’s meh but never got a name from her.”

“You said he was one of the heroes?” Tim asked looking over at Jason.

“Yeah, she said he gave up his miraculous after the fight because his dad was the villain and he didn’t think Ladybug would want anything to do with him if she found out who he was so he bit the bullet and gave it up. He left Paris shortly after to live with his aunt.” Jason said looking around at the others.

“If the villain were outed then it’d be easy to find out who his son was,” Tim said, turning back to the computer the clicking of keys filling the Batcave as he searched through multiple French websites. The other three just watched as screen after screen flew by before settling on a trashy tabloid-like website.

“I don’t think this is what could be considered a credible source Timmy,” Dick winced looking over all the clickbait titles and the like to dislike ratio on the articles.

“No, but it does have quite a bit on the Paris heroes,” Tim said scrolling through to articles that had more likes and seemed of better quality, “here we go, Hawkmoth Defeated: How a Recluse Held Paris Hostage.”

The four men all leaned forward reading through the article that detailed the final battle between Hawkmoth and the Paris Heroes with a written description of what happened as well as a video that seemed to have been taken from a mix of sources and spliced together. The article detailed what Hawkmoth had been doing for three years and in the end, revealed him and his accomplice to be Gabriel Agrest and his assistant Nathalie Sancoeur.

“So we know that Gabriel Agrest was the big bad so who was his kid?” Jason asked as Tim typed away.

“Adrien Agrest, teen model for the Agrest Fashion Label. Looks like after his dad got taken down he had to go through months of interrogations and court hearings just to prove his innocence. His mother was found dead in the Agrest Mansion and with no one else it looks like his aunt took him in once he was cleared.” Tim said reading through the files he dug up.

“That would mean he probably gave his miraculous to Pixie right after he was cleared. If he was going to do something sketch he’d just hold onto it.” Jason said.

“He probably was so messed up after the battle he didn’t want any connection to the miraculous I mean his father turned evil because of them.” Dick hummed crossing his arms.

The four fell silent as they took in the information they had received, “Well Tim you got anything on that liar?” Jason asked, tilting his head.

“This whole blog is about that liar.” Tim said motioning to the tabloid, “I’ll email you guys the link and read it at your own pace there is years of garbage on here.”

“Then with that, I think we should all be heading out. We'll go over more of what Tim found later for now we should get to work,” Bruce said, getting to his feet and moving to change into his costume.

The other three nodded as Tim packed up his laptop and stored it away before they all got dressed and took their way out of the cave to begin their nightly rounds.

~.~.~.~

“So what do you think they found?” Marinette asked cuddled up to Damian's side on her bed with the hyenas crowded around them on either side resting their heads over their laps, “Chloe didn’t exactly hold back on mentioning certain names.”

“I would be surprised if Drake didn’t have an entire dossier on all your friends.” Damian said rubbing Marinette’s back, “You know he probably took all your contact info right?”

“Yeah oh well,” she shrugged turning to bury her face into his neck, “They were bound to find out eventually, might as well let some of the greatest detectives around have some fun piecing my life together.”

Damian hummed closing his eyes as he relaxed back into the plush pillows covering Marinette’s bed, “Are you nervous about tomorrow?” he asked.

“A little,” she sighed tightening her grip on his shirt, “Mum told me what to expect and said she’d sit in the room with me if I wanted her to, you can’t exactly join me since we can’t have this whole thing getting out.”

“I’ll be waiting here for you when you get home don’t worry,” he said kissing her forehead, “now try to get some sleep you barely got any at the manor.”

Marinette nodded letting out a deep sigh as she shifted around to get comfortable between Damian and the hyenas. Eventually, she settled down and dozed off into a dreamless sleep with Damian rubbing her back and the familiar weight of Bud’s head on her hip.

Damian stayed up for a bit longer listening to the quiet sounds around and thinking over what to do for the next day. He eventually made his way into a dreamless sleep as well a bit after one AM when he finally managed to shut his mind off.

~.~.~.~

“Marigold are you ready?” Ivy called from the kitchen as she looked through her back to make sure she had everything.

“Almost,” Marinette said, coming out in a comfortable knit sweater and skinny jeans, “I was looking for my purse. I think Lou took it,” she said, looking around in the usual spots for her bag.

“I’ll keep your wallet and Tiki in my bag we have to get going,” Ivy said, grabbing Marinette’s wallet off the counter and stowing it in her bag as Tiki flew over and settled into the bag as well giving Ivy a nod to close the bag once she was comfortable.

Marinette nodded and went back to her room grabbing her phone quickly checking it before putting it away in her pocket and leaned down kissing Damian’s cheek as he groaned slowly blinking his eyes open. “I’m leaving I’ll text you when we’re on our way back.”

“Okay habibti call me if you need me.” he yawned reaching up and pulled her down for a kiss, “good luck with your appointment I’ll see you after.”

Marinette nodded kissing him again as Ivy shouted for Marinette that they were leaving. She gave Damian another quick peck on the lips before pulling back and ran out to meet Ivy at the door. “Had to get my phone.” she smiled stepping out of the apartment and waited as Ivy locked up and ushered down to the cab waiting outside.

“Now remember Marigold just relax and everything will go smoothly, it will be uncomfortable but it won’t hurt okay.” Ivy said, settling into the cab beside Marinette and rubbing her back, “I can sit inside the room with you if need me to.”

“I think I’ll be okay,” Marinette said, taking a few calming breaths as they made their way to the doctor’s office. Once they arrived Marinette was starting to look a little green as they went through the check-in process and filled out their info.

Waiting for her name to be called felt like an eternity and her stomach was twisting into knots as she watched other women come and go through the office. Marinette sat there twisting her fingers in her sweater and took slow deep breaths trying to calm herself when the door opened, “Marinette?” a nurse called.

Marinette shot up her face going from pale to a deep red as she made her way to the nurse. The nurse smiled and ushered her inside and went about getting her blood pressure, “Hmm little elevated but I think it could just be your nerves.” the nurse smiled, and her height and weight.

“Alright girly so here’s your room I’m going to need you to completely strip down underwear and all then put this paper gown on opening to the front and here’s a privacy blanket for your legs.” the nurse said motioning to the items on the bed, “the doctor will be in here shortly.”

Marinette nodded as the nurse closed the door leaving her alone, “It’s just a check-up.” Marinette mumbled undressing and taking her time to carefully fold her clothes and set them on the table in the corner of the room. She put on the provided gown and settled on the table keeping her phone clenched tightly in her hand as she waited for the doctor to arrive.

It felt like an eternity when there was a knock at the door and the doctor stepped in, a petite redhead with a smattering of freckles covering her pale face, “Hello Miss Marinette I’m Doctor Amelia.” she smiled coming over to shake Marinette’s hand, “I see you’re here for a wellness exam and you’re expecting.”

“Uh yes,” Marinette coughed her voice, cracking a bit from her nerves, “I uh just found out a few weeks ago.” she blushed, gripping the paper blanket covering her legs.

Doctor Amelia nodded looking over the file, “This is your first-ever wellness exam yes?” she asked, taking a seat.

Marinette nodded keeping her head bowed trying to not let her nerves take over her.

“Okay sweetie we’ll go at your pace so just relax okay.” Doctor Amelia smiled setting the file aside and grabbed her stethoscope.

~.~.~.~

The entire exam didn’t take more than five minutes before the doctor was cleaning up and stepping out to give Marinette some privacy to redress. Marinette wasted no time pulling her clothes back on and sending Damian a text saying, ‘Making this baby was less violating than that.’ before putting her phone in her pocket as there was another knock, “Miss Marinette if you're ready you can go to the front and schedule the next appointment.” Doctor Amelia said through the door.

Marinette walked over opening the door her face still a bit flushed, “Okay uh when should I come back next?” she asked.

“I think in a month should be enough time and we should be able to hear the heartbeat by then.” she smiled, “Your moms waiting for you upfront, and here’s the card to one of my nurses if you have any questions feel free to call her okay.”

“Thank you.” Marinette nodded, taking the card and quickly went to the front to meet back up with Ivy and schedule the next appointment and made their way out to walk back home.

“I think we should pick up some breakfast.” Ivy smiled putting a hand on Marinette’s shoulder as they walked. “There’s a nice little bakery around the corner should we pick up something from there?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Marinette nodded following Ivy down to the bakery and got in line looking over the different pastries they had for sale. Between the two of them, they picked out an array of sweet and savory options with Marinette making sure to pick out some vegetarian options for Damian. Soon they were walking out with two large bags and were walking down the street back to their home.

Upon entering both had to hold their bags of treats high out the reach of Bud and Lou trying hard to reach the goodies hidden away. Harley quickly came over pulling them back by their collars so the two could set the bags down in the kitchen.

Damian was settled at the table and got up coming over to help them unpack as Harley got some coffee and tea going as they all settled down to enjoy a bit of a late breakfast. Marinette ate her croissants and fruit danish taking small bites so as not to upset her stomach any further. The small group spoke of anything and everything as they enjoyed their meal. Harley taking the time to pick out the meat from her sandwich to give to the two hyenas and Damian holding a small conversation with Tiki as she munched on the cookies Marinette picked out.

“So when are you going back?” Harley asked looking over at Marinette as she bit into her bagel.

“In a month, the doctor said we should be able to hear the heartbeat by then,” Marinette said, finishing off her danish, “I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“You’ll be fine Marigold we’re here for you every step.” Ivy smiled ruffling her hair, “Now I think you should go lay down, maybe settle your stomach and your nerves. You were looking a bit green and tense after your appointment.”

Marinette nodded, finishing her tea and croissant before heading back to her room to lay down. Damian finished off his breakfast quickly and excused himself before following Marinette leaving the two sirens and the small goddess at the table.

“At least he’s good for our little Mari.” Harley hummed sipping her coffee, “So long as he makes her happy he can stick around I guess but not too sure I forgive him for knocking our baby up.”

“Oh, now you don’t like him?” Ivy chuckled, raising her eyebrow at her.

“Oh, I adore the kid but you know one of us has to give him the shovel talk eventually.” Harley chuckled getting up to clean the dishes and put the leftovers away.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

@myazael @beautiful-disasters-sunshine @moonlightstar64 @moonlitceleste @stainedglassm  @casual-darkness @mochegato @ultimatetornshipper @heemsanddamemes @nathleigh @qualitypeacepainter @raven-frost-21 @maskedpainter @demonicbusiness @dood-space @trippingovermyfeet @emimar7 @indecisive-mess-named-me @changelinggarden @zerotosiki @alysrose-starchild @s-and-n @wolf2118 @athena452 @jjmjjktth @eliza-bich @solangelo252 @icerosecrystal @heinrode @Junarvion

@babylovebug18 @animegirlweeb @corporeal-terrestrial

[bluerosette23]

Maribat MASTERLIST ~ Pg5

Fifth Part of the masterlist. (Updated: Apr 27 2020*)

< Page5   [Daminette December Masterlist]

by @theatreandcomicfreak  (Masterlist) (More) Ideas ~ An Unrefusable Promise ~ Chances ~ I Wish It Was You ~ Promises ~ Secret Relationship [Garmari] ~ Soulmate AU Idea ~ Sunshines? ~ The Perfect Date [Garmari] ~ The Promised Neverland ~ Maribat AU ~ What’s In A Family? A Cat and Bug Game Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ HC1 Guilt and Love Prologue ~ CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3 ~ CH4 ~ CH5 ~ How To Heal A Missing Heart [Kaldur x Marinette] Prologue ~ Pt1 ~ Pt2 I’ll Never Forgive You Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5 ~ Pt6 ~ Pt7 Jealous Adrien Series Daminette HC1 ~ Timari ~ Daminette Ficlet Pt1 ~ Jasonette ~ Marijon ~ Daminette Pt2 ~ Roynette ~ Kaldurnette ~ Wallynette ~ Dickinette ~ Jasonette (Soulmate AU) ~ Cassnette ~ Garmari   Maribat Halloween D1 ~ D2 ~ D3 Maribat March D1 ~ D2 ~ D3 Miraculous:Reborn (Maribat Injury AU)  ~  AO3 Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5 Of Roommates And Red Heroes  ~  AO3 CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3 ~ CH4 Teen Titans AU  ~  AO3 Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5 ~ Pt6 ~ Pt7.1 ~ Pt7.2 ~ Pt8 ~ Pt9 ~ Pt10 ~ Pt11 ~ Pt12 ~ Pt13 Worth  ~  AO3 CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3 ~ CH4 Prompts Pr8 ~ Pr11 ~ Pr14[1 ~ 2]

by @thebookwormfairy​ Daminette Countdown Soulmate AU ft. Captain the Retired Police Dog Found Dog AU Love At First Curse We Were Kids Next Door Fairytail AU Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ OVA Gotham Falls Pt1 Maribat Buzzfeed Unsolved AU (Pt1 ~ Pt2) Marinette with a Constant Hickey What if Marinette had a Retired Dog as a Pet Masterlist ~ Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5 ~ Pt6

by @thehallowsden​ A Final Goodbye Till Next Time Encounter With Fear How to Calm Down an Angry Damian By Tim Drake Multiverse Ship AU (1 ~ 2)

by @thequestionablyhuman​ Unnamed Maribat AU Preview Twin League of Assassins Pt1 ~ Pt2

by @thepeacetea​ Daminette Soulmate AU Idea Daminette Soulmate Snippit  ~  AO3 History Repeats [Jasonette] Light Before The Knight [Brucinette] Mine [MariJon]  ~  AO3 Mistake Of A Lifetime Schwarze Geist and Stille Schonheit The Manor The Past That Made The Future [Brucinette] Broken Angels  ~  AO3 CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3 ~ CH4 ~ CH5 ~ CH6 ~ CH7 ~ CH8 ~ CH9 ~ CH10 ~ CH11 ~ CH12 ~ CH13 ~ CH14 ~ CH15 ~ CH16 ~ CH17

by @thyladyanput​ A Day In Themyscira A Drop Of Bourbon:Marinette  ~  AO3 A Wedding Of Lies Clues To My Heart Dousing The Fire Tumblr Prompts(Ao3) Seeing Green  ~  AO3 CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3 ~ CH4 ~ CH5 ~ CH6 ~ CH7 ~ CH8 ~ CH9 ~ CH10 ~ CH11 ~ CH12 ~ CH13 ~ CH14 ~ CH15 Seeing Red  ~ AO3 CH1

by @tinybriewrites​ Hell AU? (Idk what to call this) ~ Imagine Your OTP ~ Knotted Halves ~ Top 10 Bruce Wayne Dumbass Moments: Maribat AU Set The Stage Pt1 ~ Pt2

by @tired-college-student-writing​ (Markiplier_Egos) #Wayne Angel  ~  AO3 CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3 ~ CH4 Tim’s Secret Weapon  ~  AO3 CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3 ~ CH4 ~ CH5  ~ CH6 ~ CH7 ~ CH8 ~ CH9 ~ CH10 ~ CH11

by @trashystar420​ Babysitter Aged Reverse AU CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3 ~ CH4 ~ CH5 ~ CH6 ~ CH7 ~ CH8 

by @unholykrow​ Bruce Fucking Wayne: Serial Adopter AU/HCs Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5 ~ Pt6 ~ Pt7 ~ Pt8 ~ Pt9 Demon Twins AU/HCs Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5 ~ Pt6 Stalking Shadows CH1  

by @unmaskedagain [Masterpost] Chaotic Chat Daddy’s Little Villain Day And Night Five Boys The Batfamily Scared Off Lady Noire In Gotham Ladybug In Smallville ~ Ladybug In Gotham (in Space) ~ Ladybug (Not) In Paris Leonard Snart:Marinette’s Father Marinette:Blood Of Steel Marinette:Mother Of Superboy Marinette VS Santa ~ Marinette VS Santa:The Rematch No, Bruce! You Can’t Adopt Her Sorry, It’s Reserved Spider VS Bird 

by @un-romancible-npc​ Chance CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3.1 ~ CH3.5 ~ CH4 

by @username-not-spoken-for​ The Lady And The Bird Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5 ~ Pt6 ~ Pt7 ~ Pt8 ~ Pt9 ~ Pt10 ~ Pt11 ~ Pt12 

by @valeks-princess​ Pursuant, Tracking Home  ~  AO3 Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5 ~ Pt6 ~ Pt7

by @virgil-is-a-cutie​ Pain Never Dies (Neither Does Love) Surprises CH1 ~ CH2 ~ HCs ~ CH3 Tom Dupain Was Related to Oswald Cobblepot HCs Pt1 ~ Pt2 Wally West Dating Marinette HCs Pt1 ~ Pt2 Uncle Oswald CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3

by @vivilakitty Future Kids Idea Immortal Marinette Breaking Down (1 ~2) Ideas Jagged Concert  (No.5) ~  Based on Lucky Me (No.8) by sage-sam ~ Based on the Story Broken Angels (No.10) by thepeacetea ~ What If Lila Actually Knew The Waynes (No.11) ~ The Everyone Loves Marinette Club  (No.13) ~ I Don’t Know Anymore (No. 14) ~ Bad Luck, Good Luck ~ (No.19) ~ Lila In Gotham (No. 20) ~ Idea? (No. 27) ~ Explanation To My Post (No.28) ~ Younger Damian AU (No. 29) ~ Slut Lila (No. 30) Ideas[Links] 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9 ~ 10 ~ 11 ~ 12 ~ 13 ~ 14 ~ 15 ~ 16 ~ 17 ~ 18 ~ 19 ~ 20 ~ 21 ~ 22 ~ 23 ~ 24 ~ 25 ~ 26 ~ 27 ~ 28 ~ 29 ~ 30 ~ 31 ~ 32 ~ 33 ~ 34 ~ 35 What If They Played Smart (V1 ~ V2 ~ V3.1 ~ V3.2)

by @writingideasandrandomstuff College Classmates CH1 ~ CH2 ~ CH3 ~ CH4 ~ CH5 ~ CH6 ~ CH7 ~ CH8 ~ CH9 ~ CH10 ~ CH11

by @zebrabaker Akumanette Falling For You [Dicki/Marinette] Maria Anne Prince-Wang [Jasonette] Pt1 Pain, Loss, And Recovery Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5 ~ Pt6 ~ Pt7 ~ Pt8 ~ Pt9 Paris Stands Alone Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5

by @zerotosiki A Little Too Much - Daminette SongFic Give Me A Second Chance - Maribat Ideas Bonus Stories of ALTM Pt1 ~ Pt2

by Silent_Radioactivity Maribat AU Magical Girl in Gotham ~  AO3 Dark Squire in Paris  ~  AO3 Guardians of Miracles  ~  AO3

OTHERS Headcanons Batfamily Car Trip Batfamily On Reality TV In Case of Emergency:Break Bruce Numbers Who Threw Damian Out of The Window

< Page5   [Daminette December Masterlist]

[asexualzoro]

so! i haven’t updated Beholden since November! as such, you’ve maybe forgotten the plot!

this post is basically a chapter-by-chapter speedrun, which im making as a refresher to link in the new chapter (yep! chapter 15's going up now!) to help get everyone on track without having to reread the uhh [checks notes] 69k (nice) word fic over again

(here’s chapter 15!)

Ch1) Post S5 Jon beams his memories into the brain of S1 Jon. This mostly consists of a lot of emotional baggage held together by a feeble plan to save the world. The first step involves partially blinding himself, which Jon undertakes immediately.

Ch2) Jon becomes aware of two things. The first is that Martin does not, in fact, have a stomach bug. The second is that this upsets him significantly more than he expects it to. His coworkers, meanwhile, become aware of the fact he is terrible at hiding literally anything. He remedies all of these problems by fleeing the building and springing Martin.

Ch3) Martin gives a statement, helps Tim and Sasha push the Archives rumor mill, and has a heart-to-heart with Jon.

Ch4) Jon, never one to half-ass anything, decides to counter his emotional honesty issues by spilling his most upsetting childhood trauma completely unprompted. His coworkers invite him to lunch.

Ch5) Sasha invites her friends out to coffee with tall, blond, and monster. Jon decides that the Distortion’s policy of Hatred On Sight is both valid and mutual, actually.

Ch6) Melanie gives a statement, and Jon gives direction. Martin feels lonely, so Jon eats Martin’s lunch in front of him. Also, Jon calls Georgie.

Ch7) Jon finds the misplaced statement of Jane Prentiss. Sasha talks to Dr. Elliott and decides she trusts Jon. Tim valiantly oversees Jon receiving a table and decides he does not trust Jon. Martin initiates workplace bonding.

Ch8) The Archives sleepover, complete with card games, pajamas, and cute art. Also, Jon triggers the Prentiss attack.

Ch9) The Prentiss attack. Tim, Martin, and Sasha meet in the parking lot, only to realize Jon is stuck inside. They talk to Elias, and decide to manually set off the fire system by setting a fire. Jon comes to terms with his own death, only for his assistants to come to his rescue. Unwilling to be out-done, Jon immediately bodychecks Prentiss. Tim splits from Martin and Sasha to drag him out of her grasp and into the tunnels.

Ch10) Martin and Sasha set a small fire in the breakroom as Tim and Jon sit in the tunnels and wait for the fire system to take Prentiss out. It does, and the four of them escape the building. Jon is treated, speaks to Elias, and reflects on his plan, revealing his end goal is to free his assistants from the Institute by way of dying in the upcoming Unknowing.

Ch11) Tim and Martin investigate the tunnels, find the Corruption ritual site. When they try to show Jon, he lets them know about his partial blindness. Tim and Sasha confront Jon on his Knowledge, which he doesn’t deny, but refuses to share.

Ch12) Sasha and Martin find Gertrude’s body in the tunnels. They call the police, introducing Basira to the story. Sasha and Tim agree to collaborate with Basira on the murder investigation—Sasha because she thinks Elias did it, and Tim because he thinks he can use it to find out what Jon is hiding. Jon meets with Melanie and Georgie, and offers Melanie use of the Institute Library so she can investigate the notThem.

Ch13) Tim and Sasha decide to sequester away all of Gertrude’s stolen tapes to Tim’s house, something they’ve decided to keep from Jon. Martin expresses concern about every part of this operation, as well as the fact Rosie’s successor probably thinks they’re all off their rockers. A stolen tape about the Circus ruins Tim’s afternoon. The assistants scheme over a whiteboard.

Ch14) Peter Lukas stops in to enlist the help of an assistant, a position for which Jon volunteers. Tim begins research into monsters which used to be human, and resolves to call Melanie about what information she might have. Helen Richardson gives Sasha a statement about a confrontation between the Archivist and Michael, which Sasha decides not to share.

[littlemisssquiggles]

Aww man! The villains called the heroes plan and lunched an attack, Yang got knocked off, Ironwood and Winter are gonna fight, Team RWBJN having trouble dealing with Cinder and Neo, Now Oscar, Ten and Emerald can't go back to the staff and it looks Salem returns.😶

Hey there Bouquetdeer. Listen, for future reference, do you mind not inboxing me spoilers for episodes of RWBY until I’ve made my usual post discussing my thoughts on the episode since when I first got this message, I hadn’t seen the episode as yet. I still had to wait about an hour for it to be released on my end so when I first saw your message, I had to avert my eyes since you literally sent me a whole message of spoilers before I saw the episode for myself which… isn’t cool dude ^^;.

While I understand that may not have been your intention, obviously, still be careful next time, fam. That being said, I’ve now seen the episode and could actually answer you.

My response---not gonna lie, with all that’s happened for the last couple of episodes since CH10, I genuinely forgot that Salem is still in this story and still has to reincarnate at some point. I forgot about her just as how the CRWBY showrunners seem to have forgotten about Pietro Polendina and Maria Calavera still floating up in Amity Arena since we STILL don’t know what happened to the two old folks and this was since CH5. Did Maria and Pietro escape Amity? Did a portal open up for them to take them to Vacuo too? Seriously what happened to Pietro and Maria because it kind of bugs me a bit that Penny got the chance to become a real girl and…her own father, who literally created her doesn’t get the chance to share in this momentous moment with his daughter because the PLOT forgot about him.

Seriously, when Ambrosius told RWBY that he would have loved to have met the person who made Penny, I was like “You and me both Ambrosius because WHERE IS PIETRO?”. I hope this was a clear foreshadow to Pietro surviving for another season and us fans getting to see Pietro partnering with Ambrosius to…I dunno, create something together that services the PLOT for V9. I dunno. I just want to see Pietro meet Ambrosius since it bums me that Pietro couldn’t be there to see Penny become a real girl. But I digress.

Anyways, mini rant aside---resuming my original point. I didn’t automatically assume that the Batman Grimm we saw attacking the Atlesian and Mantlese refugees in Vacuo this episode were as a result of Salem---I simply just pegged those Grimm as being native to Vacuo Kingdom and the deserts of Sanus, similar to how the Saybers were native to Atlas Kingdom and Solitas and it just so happened that our heroes managed to carry the refugees to a spot where these beasts hold territory and in the middle of a blinding sand storm to boot.

Not only that but Jaune isn’t around to help boost Ren’s semblance to help mask the people. At this point, unless Jaune comes through the portal next, the refugees are screwed since I doubt Emerald, Ren and Oscar can do much to help defend the people from a swarm of Grimm.

Not unless Oscar takes a chance and uses more of the stored up kinetic energy in the Long Memory to kill the oncoming Grimm while simultaneously sending a signal to their comrades in Vacuo. Since obviously someone from the kingdom should be able to spot a giant magical lazer in the sky and send someone to check it out, right?

I mean that’s what happened last time in V4 with RNJR getting to Mistral. Back in V4, it was all the commotion in Kunoyuri from RNJR vs the Nuckelavee which caught the attention of a local Mistralian airship that was patrolling the area and was able to conveniently arrive in time to assist RNJR with the injured Qrow.

So if Oscar were to use the Long Memory again and launch a small nuke potent enough to protect the others, as much of a stretch as this may sound, perhaps…someone in Vacuo kingdom might see the beam and alert the local huntsmen about it. 

Who knows? Perhaps…Theodore---the Headmaster of Shade Academy and former ally of Ozpin--- might spot the beam and send help himself in the direction.

 After all, when Oscar first used the cane, Ironwood (and by extension RWBN_P at Schnee Manor) saw the explosion.

So what’s stopping Oscar from using the cane like that again to garner the attention of their allies in Vacuo Kingdom while taking out any Grimm in the process since; while powerful, the kinetic energy of the cane only seems harmful to the Grimm but not people since…Yang, Ren, Emerald and Jaune survived the blast. However Hazel was still blown to smithereens along with Salem so…

Bottom-line, I do think Oscar could play a part in protecting the refugees and alerting their allies in Vacuo through the power of the cane. That’s my hunch with that.

As for everything else, if I have any other predictions besides the “death” of Team RWBY---I’m not sure if Winter is going to make it to Vacuo either. I think Winter could potentially die in the process of killing General Ironwood.

Speaking of the Schnees, RIP Jacques Schnee everybody since I’m pretty sure Ironwood blasted him to smithereens too with his war machine gun canon.

But yeah, I think Winter could die. Unless Marrow is the one to arrive and drag her safely through the portal and to Vacuo as payment for saving him. Unless Marrow is actually on board of the airship with Robyn Hill working with Qrow to stop Harriet from dropping the payload onto Mantle which…at this point, I’m really NOT understanding what the jig is with Harriet.

What is the point of blowing up Mantle now? At this point, Harriet Bree is no different from Ironwood. Despite both claiming to “want to help the people”, what either are truly after is their own selfish desires which says a lot about them.

As a former fan of Ironwood as a character, it still sucks for me to see him go out like this man. But at least he’ll die by the hand of someone who genuinely believed in him or at least, used to. Still gotta appreciate his one gangster tear that he shed after Winter said she’s prepared to stop him. 

Despite losing himself to his fear, it’s nice to see that the tin soldier still had enough of a heart left to shed one tear of sorrow as he braced himself to duel the former most trusted ally---his solider and the person he probably genuinely cared about the most.

Winter was Ironwood’s top operative. His student. His right hand. He probably even loved her like a daughter. The comeuppance to come from their fated battle will be most glorious but we’ll have to wait and see.

Obviously Ironwood isn’t going to succeed. No way is Winter going to let him get the Staff of Creation. But at this point, who knows what the finale will bring. Next week is the last episode. 

We are officially at the end of V8. Time for this story to end and it’d be interesting to see what that ending will be and how V8 will set the stage for V9.

~ LittleMissSquiggles (2021)

[what-is-your-plan-today]

CSI: Rogers and Barnes- The Serious Cereal Serial Killer Ch10: Surprise, Surprise

Part 1

Co written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​

Episode Summary: It’s the day of their date, and Steve’s a little nervous… Episode Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT in Part 2… (NSFW) NO UNDER 18s!!!!

Episode Pairings:  Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Song for Episode:  Hey There, Delilah by Plain White Ts

A/N: This is another LONG chapter guys, but we couldn’t not show you their date in full so…we’ve split it into 2 parts again so you can choose to read them one after the other or pace yourselves. Part 2 will be up straight after this one.

As always we live for re-blogs and comments

CSI Rogers and Barnes Master List // Main Masterlist 

But girl tonight you look so pretty, yes you do. Times Square can’t shine as bright as you, I swear it’s true…

"Good morning. How you feel, Buck?" Steve asked Bucky, raising his eyes from the files he was reading at the breakfast bar. Bucky hadn’t been home the previous night when Steve had arrived back to the flat and there was still no sign of him when Steve had switched the TV off and headed for bed, and that had been way past midnight.

"Uh, not bad, for the end of the world." Buck answered rubbing his eyes.

"There's fresh coffee and I made toast if you want." Steve offered before taking a sip from his coffee mug.

Bucky only groaned as a response. He approached the sink and bent to search for something in the cabinet below.

"Slept well?" he asked Steve, his voice muffled due to his head being partly inside the cabinet.

"Yeah, like a baby. What are you doing?" Steve asked frowning.

"Bastard" Bucky muttered "Like a baby.." he said under his breath mimicking Steve's voice.

"What are you muttering? Are you hungover?" Steve inquired watching him dumbfounded as Bucky retrieved something and left it on the counter by the sink. What exactly, Steve couldn't see from his spot at the breakfast bar.

"Yes, I am." Bucky answered turning to face him.

"You went out on a Monday?" Steve raised his eyebrows.

"Yup. Bar crawl."

"I didn't know you were going out?" Steve asked, staring at him disapprovingly. Going out on a Monday and getting drunk was too much, even for Bucky, Steve thought to himself. Clearly the case was taking its toll on everyone in his team.

"I wasn't ... but then you drove me to it." Bucky answered pointing his finger at him.

"Me?" Steve asked shocked.

"Yeah..." Bucky cleared his throat before putting on a false panting voice ‘Come on, doll…come for me…’ Does that sound familiar?"

Steve choked on his drink and blushed fiercely. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He was lost for words.

"You better wipe that desk down. You dirty bastard." Bucky groaned throwing the packet of disinfecting wipes that he had retrieved from under the sink at him. "In the station of all places" he continued as he grabbed a mug from the rack beside the sink and poured himself some coffee.

"It wasn't planned. We just..." Steve began to explain once he pulled himself together, still embarrassed and red-faced. Bucky shook his head before he smirked slightly at his friend’s floundering.

"Gotta admit, Stevie, I'm a little proud." Bucky said slapping his friend’s back and stealing a slice of toast from his plate.

"It just..." Steve trailed before he took a deep breath and shook his head "Actually, I'm not explaining to you. Fuck off."

Bucky roared with laughter as he sat in front of Steve at the breakfast bar.

"Making up for lost time, huh?" he asked mischievously.

"You've seen her? I'd bang her every second of the day if I could. She's gorgeous." Steve said grinning.

"Yeah. Marking your territory after a certain spiky haired technician was sniffing around?" Bucky asked and looked at the toast he had stolen from Steve "Argh. This shit is disgusting. Why don't you put some cheese spread or something on it?" he said standing up and heading for the fridge.

"What's with you and food? And are you going to tell me what time did you come back last night?" Steve asked him.

“Told ya, punk. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And your toast is quite..." he paused and closed the fridge door. Bucky turned to look at his friend and grinned before finishing his sentence "....stark."

"You know what, Barnes? I'm done with you." Steve scoffed.

"Sorry." Bucky said still laughing. "Wait for me? Don't feel like driving today, my head is killing me."

He chugged the rest of this coffee and rinsed the mug before putting it in the dishwasher.

"Sorry, pal. Need to be in court in an hour. I'm not showing up at the station until afternoon today." Steve shrugged.

"Oh, yeah. Right. I forgot. You know my memory hasn't been the same since Siberia." Bucky said before grabbing a plum from the bowl and leaving the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, Bucky poked his head by the kitchen door to say goodbye to Steve who was still going over his notes and the files of the case he was supposed to be attending in court that morning.

"I'll look after your girl for you, punk" Bucky yelled before slamming the flat's door behind him with a snigger.

Bucky enjoyed bugging his best friend but he truly loved seeing him as happy as he had been the last few days. Though there was something about Steve that morning he couldn't quite place. He was especially nervous, he kept on twitching his right leg and he had been constantly drumming his fingers on the table. Something he used to do when he was restless about something. Maybe it was because he had to be in court.

That was what Bucky was thinking when he opened the main door to the building and, surprisingly, or not surprisingly maybe, Tony pushed past him into the foyer without much as a Hey for greeting. That meant bad news, Bucky thought and decided to send Steve a warning text message.

"Incoming".

******

Steve frowned as the door banged, and then he heard his phone go off. Assuming both were from Bucky and that he had left his keys behind or something he headed over to the door, and pulled it open. The smart ass quip he had about Bucky forgetting his head if it wasn’t screwed on died in his throat as he saw Tony looking at him.

“Tony…hi…”

“Rogers.” Tony spoke, pushing past him into the apartment.

Steve took a deep breath and then blew it out through his mouth harshly before he closed the door. He wasn’t completely surprised to see him, he’d been expecting some kind of confrontation after Katie had called him later the previous evening to say she’d come clean to Tony and his reaction had been as anticipated, basically he had hit the roof. With another deep sigh, steeling himself for the inevitable he followed Tony back into the apartment where he was stood by the back of the sofa, his dark, brown eyes roving over the Captain shrewdly.

“Let’s not bother with the pleasantries…” Tony looked at him, arms folded.

“Don’t start Tony…” Steve groaned, but he was cut off as Tony made an angry noise in his throat.

“Oh I’m gonna start all right…” he glared at him. “And you’re going to shut up and listen.”

Steve took a deep breath, and folded his arms, bristling slightly. He didn’t appreciate being spoken to like that, least of own in his own apartment but he knew if Katie and him were to stand any chance of having Tony’s approval, grudgingly or otherwise, he was going to have to take whatever the man was going to give him on the chin.

“Katie was heartbroken when Ward did the dirty on her…but I don’t need to tell you that, you were there. You always have been, you’ve been her best friend for as long as I care to remember and then…well, you did her wrong too, just as much as he did, maybe in a different way but you hurt her. Enough to make her want to move to DC and…”  Tony took a deep breath and Steve waited for him to finish “So I gotta ask Cap, is this serious for you or you just after getting your dick wet again?”

“Of course it’s serious for me Tony…” Steve said, his temper flaring slightly at his crass tone. “And if you actually think that little of me that you had to even ask me that...”

“My God you really are full of yourself, Rogers!” Tony cut him off, shaking his head, and Steve raised his eyebrow at the fact that Tony Stark was calling him arrogant. “This has nothing to do with what I think of you, this is about my sister. The girl I couldn’t love any more if I tried. I’d die for Katie, you got that? Die for her!”

“Well that makes 2 of us!” Steve said loudly, silencing the other man. There was a moment where no sound was heard in the apartment bar the ticking of the clock and Tony raised his eyebrows slightly as Steve looked down at the floor taking a deep breath.

“Look, I know you’re not happy about this…” Steve sighed, looking at Tony again “And you’ve got every right to be angry and sceptical, I get that. Yes, I did her wrong, I’m not proud of myself, and if I could go back and change it all I would but I can’t. I love her Tony, and I don’t ever want to hurt her again. You have my word...”

He trailed off and watched as Tony’s eyes softened, but his jaw remained set.

“You better not, because if you do, Rogers, make no mistake I will fucking kill you…slowly and painfully”

Tony’s brown eyes flashed slightly as he stared at Steve, And Steve knew, absolutely 100% that he meant it. He was surprised to find himself slightly unnerved by the threat. Hoping that his face didn’t give him away he merely nodded and then Tony’s demeanour changed completely and he turned back into the Tony Stark that Steve knew, and had to admit, quite liked after all.

“Ok, good, this was a good talk…” Tony said, clapping Steve on the shoulder.

Steve smiled as the weight he hadn’t even realised he’d been carrying was lifted off his shoulder. Having Tony’s, albeit grudging, approval would mean the world to Katie, and if he was honest, it meant a lot to him as well. Not only was Tony his friend also, but he was now the closest thing Katie had to a father, and he wanted him to be alright with the fact the two of them were together. Plus it meant there was no sneaking around outside work as well as inside, which was going to make things for them a lot easier.

He offered the man a coffee which he politely declined, stating he needed to get back to the office. The two shook hands on the threshold of Steve’s door before Tony gave him one last look, raising his index finger and middle finger of his right hand to his eyes, before turning them to point at Steve in an “I’m watching you” gesture. Steve raised his eyebrows in understanding and felt his mouth tug upwards at the side as Tony turned on his heels and left.

He retreated back to his living room and pulled out his phone. He’d been right about one thing, the message had been from Bucky. It was a single word- “Incoming…”

With a snort he typed out his response- “Incoming already came in…” before he hit send and then called Katie “Hey baby” Katie greeted and Steve smiled.

“Morning honey, guess who I’ve just had a visit from.” Katie groaned into the phone as Steve walked into his bedroom, opening his closet.

“Let me guess… my darling brother turned up to give you the shovel talk?” her tone was exasperated. “No mention of a shovel, just threatened to kill me slowly and painfully if I hurt you, and you know what? I have absolutely no qualms about the fact he would.” Steve grinned as he spoke, pulling out a crisp white shirt.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually scared of him?” she questioned playfully. “Well he seemed pretty convincing.” Steve said, dropping his suit pants onto the bed next to his shirt as Katie let out a chuckle.

“Best make sure you don’t hurt me then aint ya?” “I’ve no intentions of doing doll.” He said, honestly before he let out a breath, smiling “I can’t wait for tonight.”

“Me neither.” she replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice a she spoke.

“Ok, well, I need to get ready for court…” he sighed, pulling out a blue and silver striped tie “But I’ll see you at the Station after lunch ok?”

“Yeah, you will. Love you.” “You too sweetheart.”

He cut the call and dropped the phone onto the bed, taking a deep breath before he turned and headed for a shower

*****

“Thanks…” Katie looked at Bucky as he placed the large Vanilla Latte on her desk. She lounged back in her chair, watching him as he dropped into his seat with a groan and banged his head on the desk. She frowned “You alright Buckaroo?” “Never better Doll face.” he said, dodging the pen she threw at him at the use of the name. “Just drank too much last night”

“On a Monday?” Katie smirked “Good going…” “Yeah, well it wasn’t planned.” Bucky said, his eyes darting to Steve’s office which was locked. He turned back to Katie and arched his eyebrows “You know closing the blinds to a room doesn’t make them soundproof?”

Katie’s eyes widened as she understood instantly what he was getting at and she let out a groan which turned into an embarrassed chuckle “You heard us? We didn’t think there was anyone here.” “Clearly.” he said, sardonically “I had to come back for my phone. You weren’t exactly being discreet…”

She blushed, and then her embarrassed expression was replaced by a wicked glint as she looked at Bucky and shrugged “Those glasses he has do things to me.” Bucky snorted and shook his head “You’re a nightmare.” Katie grinned, shrugging.

“Hey Serge…both of you..” Clint’s voice rang across the room and Bucky looked up as he put the phone down, walking over to their desk. “I’m having some real trouble with this whole Rumlow thing…”

“How so?” Katie asked.

“Well, I’ve been passed from department to department.” he frowned  “And no one seems to be able to give me a straight answer…one of them told me there was no record of any prisoner with that name ever having been in the prison in the first place.” Katie frowned “Well that’s just nonsense…” she looked at Clint then Bucky before she shook her head

“There must be some kind of mistake.” Bucky shrugged “An error in their system.” “Or some kind of cover up.” Katie mused, biting her lip.

“A cover up?” Clint looked at her “That’s a little…” “Far fetched?” Katie snorted “So was the idea of Ross fucking a goat but…”

“You had to bring that up…” Bucky groaned.

“Just…hear me out.” Katie dropped her voice “You know what I think about the blackmail thing. I seriously believe someone’s been yanking Ross’ chain…and if it’s to do with Rumlow, as we suspect, than Ross was high enough up in the Senate to be able to pull something like this off…”

“That’s some heavy duty conjecture.” Bucky dropped his voice “Why would anyone want to blackmail Ross into erasing the fact that Rumlow was in jail?”

Katie shrugged “No idea…but the way this case is going I’m not ruling anything out.”

Clint looked at Katie then Bucky “So what do you want me to do?” “Can you pull details of every call you made, to who, what they told you…” Katie looked at him “Then we can get all of it in order and take it to Steve. If we’re about to blow some kind of government cover up, he’s gonna need to speak to Fury…” “Will do.” Clint said, straightening up “Where is Cap anyway?” “In Court…” Wanda pipped up before Bucky or Katie could answer as she walked past with a bunch of files in her arms “Should be back after lunch.” Katie rolled her eyes at Bucky who grinned at her slightly over his coffee. “Can you check his diary Wanda?” he looked at the other woman “See what he has on this afternoon…” “I know what he has on.” she said, smirking slightly “A suit, like he always does in court…” Katie bristled slightly and Bucky groaned inwardly as Wanda continued “And boy does he look good in them…” “Well, that aside can you check his dairy?” Bucky said to her, not harshly but sternly enough to tell the woman to do it “We need an hour or so…make sure you schedule it in please?”

Wanda merely nodded and walked over to her desk, and as soon as she was out of earshot Bucky leaned forward as Katie started to grumble.

“I swear to God one of these days…”

“She can look at him in those suits all she wants…” he grinned “You’re the one that gets to take it off him tonight.”

Katie gave a snort before she shook her head “I doubt he’s gonna wear a suit on our date.” “Your date?” Bucky frowned, “That’s tonight?” Katie nodded and Bucky then understood what Steve had been nervous about that morning. It wasn’t court, it was his date. Stupid blonde punk was nervous about taking his girl on a date. It was kind of ironic really, they’d seen each other naked, fucked…yet he was nervous about a date.

But that was Stevie all over.

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“Nope.” she shook her head “He won’t tell me. Do you know?” “No.” Bucky said honestly “But even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. He’d kick my ass.” Katie rolled her eyes before she glanced over at Clint who was taping at his keyboard, and then a wicked smile spread across her face. Bucky watched as she stood up.

“You got all the records of the phone calls?” “Yeah, why.” “Give them to Wanda.” she said loud enough so that Wanda’s head jerked up “Wanda, I need you to pull these notes into order and file them so Clint can go through and cross reference anything important.” “Me?” Wanda looked at her

“Yes, that is your job isn’t it?”

“I’m not doing that.” “Well, as your Sergeant, I’m telling you that you are.” Katie folded her arms and looked at him. “By this afternoon.” Bucky hastily looked down, trying to stop himself from laughing. This was Stark all over…wait until the moment was right, and then strike back.

“Whatever you say, Serge…” Wanda glared back at Katie before she tore her eyes away and looked at Clint “Give me what you have and I’ll sort it.” Katie returned to her desk and locked eyes with Bucky who simply raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged innocently before she pulled her file over and began flicking through.

***** With a sigh Steve walked out of court, hastily loosening his tie and undoing the top button on his shirt. His questioning had been fairly straight forward, but still he hated this part of the job. Mind you, he could relax about it now, it was done and unless he was mistaken the perp was going down for a long time.

He turned his phone back on and it beeped at him to indicate he had a message, it was from his Ma asking him what time she should expect him for lunch. He was about to call her when the screen lit up. It was Katie.

“Hey doll.” he greeted her as he walked over to the Audi A5 the insurance company had given him as a temporary means of transport whilst they wrangled over a settlement for his.

“Hey, listen, Thor just called, he’s heading past the diner and grabbing everyone lunch. Do you want anything?” “No, I’m gonna head and see Ma.” he said, unlocking the car. “She asked me over for dinner tonight and, as I’m otherwise engaged I said I’d go and see her for lunch instead.”

Katie chuckled slightly “Ok, how was court?” “Same as usual.” he said, climbing into the car “Done now so…” “Ok, well, I’ll see you soon.” “You in the office?” “Yeah.” she replied.

“Ears?” “Everywhere.” Steve smirked to himself “Love you.” “Back at ya.” she said before she cut the call.

It didn’t’ take him long to navigate the lunchtime traffic to his Ma’s place. He locked the car and headed up the steps on the stoop, unlocking the door into the tiled hallway.

“Ma?” he called and she appeared in the kitchen door.

“Hey son.” she smiled as he bent to kiss her cheek. “You look smart.”

“Court,” he replied as means of explanation. “Something smells good?”

“It’s just chicken Caesar salad.” she said, watching as Steve undid the cuffs on his shirt and rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. “You look just like your father when you do that.” she said fondly.

Steve smiled at her and then, as she waved away his offer of help he pulled a jug of water from the fridge, setting it on the table before the two of them sat down to eat.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get over this weekend.” Steve looked at his ma “It was kind of hectic…”

Hectic as in he had spent most of it with Katie either in bed or slobbing on the couch as they ran Bucky through her ridiculous list of ex Boston, Africa or Hong Kong based boyfriends...

“Oh don’t be silly.” Sarah waved away his apologies, her Irish lilt taking on an amused tone “You’re a grown ass man now Steven, you don’t need to be visiting your ma every Sunday.” “No, I know but I like to.” he shrugged. Sarah merely smiled before she took a bit of her food.

“So, what are you doing tonight then?”

“I err…” Steve hesitated for a moment, debating brushing the question off, but he knew it wouldn’t work. His mother could always tell when he was lying. Actually, most people could, because he was shit at it. “I have a date.” he finished, a little shyly.

Sarah choked on her food slightly as she looked at him “A date? You?” Steve rolled his eyes “Is it really that hard to believe?” “I don’t mean it like that…” “Well it kinda sounds like that’s what you mean…” “No, no… I’m just…well, I’m surprised that’s all.” Sarah said, looking at him.

“You don’t look surprised.” Steve raised his eyebrow “You look disappointed.”

Sarah took a deep breath and sighed “Ok, well, maybe I was kinda hoping that you and…” she trailed off and shook her head, “actually, it doesn’t matter. I’m pleased you’re getting out there again, after Peggy.” Steve knew full well what she had been about to say and he couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face as his Ma looked at him.

“You’ll like her Ma.” he said “She’s amazing. Bit sassy at times but, she likes apple pie…” Sarah looked at her son, frowning for a second before her eyes grew wide “No, you’re…” Steve grinned again as Sarah’s hand flew to her mouth “Star…you mean…” He nodded. “Yeah, we…we’re gonna give it a go. A proper one this time.” “Oh Steve…” she said with a slight splutter, her eyes misting up “Son, I’m…” “Ma…” he sighed, as she wiped her eyes “Come on…”

“I’m just…”she took a deep breath “Well I know how long you’ve waited for this laddy, you’ve been in love with that girl for 10 years now.” Steve flushed slightly and looked down at his plate of food. “Took me a while to realise it though huh?” “Well sometimes you have to take the long way round to reach your destination.” Sarah said wisely, squeezing Steve’s hand “Just makes it all the more sweet when you finally arrive.”

**** "V" Bucky exclaimed.

"It's not your turn!” Wanda protested, pouting "It's Clint's. Clint, go."

"V" Clint shrugged.

"Ok. There's one V." Wanda sighed and turned to write a letter V on one of the slots.

It was lunch time and they had decided to relax and have a nice time while they waited for Thor to come back with their food. Clint had suggested moving to the briefing room for lunch so that they could use the whiteboard there to play Hangman. He and Bucky had hoped a bit of bonding time with the team would put a stop at the bickering between Wanda and Katie for a while. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Would Steve have been there, they wouldn't have dreamt of going in there for lunch. But you know what they say, while the cat is away, the mice will play.

"Greetings morons!" Thor announced his presence as he appeared in the doorway "I've come bearing gifts" he added as he lifted both his hands showing the team the plastic bags which contained their subs and drinks. Everyone moved to get their food and the blonde haired officer’s eyes flicked around the room and a grin spread across his face.

"Were you playing hangman?" he asked, observing the whiteboard carefully, as his team mates ravaged the plastic bags.

"Yes" Katie said before she began to unwrap her sandwich.

“Huh…” he said, pulling his own food out of the bag. Bucky watched Thor as he looked at the letters on the board, and snorted. None of them had a clue what Wanda had written, there was no chance Bungalow was going to get it. Bucky took a bit of his sub and turned towards Katie and Natasha who were, in between bites, now discussing something they’d both seen on TV the night before, when Thor’s booming voice cut across the room.

"Is that Sokovia?" he asked, still looking at the whiteboard.

Everyone stopped eating and turned their attention to where he was sat in the far left of the room. Wanda drew a frustrated breath as Natasha spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"The word. On the whiteboard?" Thor explained himself.

"Yes." Wanda admitted, clearly a bit pissed at Thor blowing up her mysterious word. Bucky was pretty sure she had been confident no one would guess it, which meant she would win and would get her work done by whichever member of the team she picked for an entire workday.

"How do you even...?" Katie looked at Thor, an amused grin on her face.

"Yeah. And who the hell is Sokovia?" Bucky asked not trusting him.

"Where to start? Umm..." Thor began, throwing the foil from the sandwich he had already eaten to the bin by the whiteboard "Sokovia is not a person. It is a landlocked country in South-West Europe. It has had a rough history." He stopped and saw everyone was looking at him, all utterly confused and perplexed but decided to continue anyway "It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special."

Clint and Natasha looked at one another and then at Wanda who shrugged and said "He's right."

"So..." Bucky began to say "I guess Thor has won the game."

"Yup." Katie grinned at Thor. Bucky knew she was relieved Wanda hadn't won. Everyone in the room knew who would be biting the dust if she had.

"I'd like a Bloody Mary." Thor chuckled and Katie let out a loud laugh.

"Wait there, buddy." Clint spoke "You weren't even playing so you didn't win shit."

"He's right." Natasha quipped.

“No he isn’t…” Katie began to protest, but Clint cut her off.

"I am totally right Stark. And I was the last to guess a letter so it's my turn." Clint stated standing up from his chair.

"Who says that?" Bucky asked munching his lunch.

"I didn't make the rules, Buck Buck. So keep eating and watch the professionals do their thing. All-righty, let's spice this shit up." the detective said grabbing the eraser and cleaning the whiteboard as he spoke.

"Ok. This is the last one." Wanda said "Steve will be here any minute."

Katie glared at her as the red haired woman checked the time on her wristwatch with a smile plastered on her face.

"You can't wait, can you? Bitch." Katie muttered and Bucky shot her a shut up and relax look. She sighed and folded her arms, slumping back in the chair.

"Ok. Ready?" Clint asked once he had finished drawing the lines for the letters of the word "Let the Hunger Games begin! Whosever be worthy shall haveth the power!" Clint said in a deep voice wielding the whiteboard marker.

“That’s not…that’s not the Hunger Games...” Natasha looked at him and Clint shrugged.

"Can I start?" Bucky asked.

"Please be my guest." Clint replied

"N" Bucky quipped.

"Three Ns for the gentleman!" Clint said ceremoniously as he wrote the letters. "Who's next?"

"S" Wanda said.

"Ok. There's one S, young lady. Next?"

"G" Katie and Natasha spoke at the same time, exchanging a smirk

"Oh, this is gonna be beautiful." Katie added smiling.

Bucky saw Natasha and Katie look at each other mischievously as Clint wrote the letter G in its slot.

"Thor you're next." Clint informed the man who stared at the whiteboard for a couple of seconds before asking

"Really, Barton? Cunnilingus?" Thor arched an eyebrow.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner ladies and gentlemen!" Clint yelled laughing.

"Hey. That's a made up word." Bucky protested

"All words are made up." Thor offered with a smug smile.

"I mean, it isn't a thing." Bucky explained himself.

"Maybe you don't need to do it. But it is a thing." Katie told Bucky nudging him.

Bucky glanced at her as she winked at him, still none the wiser but then the joking nature around the room was shattered.

"Stark would know, she gets a lot, apparently." Wanda said, examining her fingernails.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Katie growled, beginning to stand up. But Bucky was fast and grabbed her by her arm as Wanda merely turned to her, shrugging. Natasha hastily began to divert the conversation, giving Bucky chance to calm the Sergeant next to him.

“One more wise crack, so help me God…”

"For fuck's sake, leave it. You got the man." Bucky hissed only for Katie to hear.

"He isn't a fucking prize to be won, Bucky." Katie hissed back, rather hotly.

"Well, would you just relax?" Bucky tried to appease her.

Katie sighed and her lips clamped together. She looked down at the table and Bucky saw she was fiddling with her fingers under the table.

"It's just.... I've waited so long for this and I dunno... She's coming along now and..." Katie trailed.

"I know, doll face." Bucky said rubbing her thigh "Just try to keep it cool, ok?"

Bucky saw Katie nod in agreement and both turned to look at their team mates who were now immersed in a discussion about a word in Latin not being allowed in the game.

"Cunnilingus is not just a word. It's a right." Natasha spoke up winking and Bucky heard Katie snort and was pleased to see the cheeky grin was back on her face.

"Well, hello sister." Katie said and high-fived Natasha.

The two of them began to snigger, but as Bucky watched Wanda’s entire body language changed and she jumped up off her chair, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Oh, hi!" she said, eyes gazing towards the door, huge smile on her face..

Bucky turned around to see Steve dressed in his suit, no tie, leaning on the briefing room doorframe.

"What's going on?" he asked and then his eyes fell on the whiteboard and his face contorted as he read the word written on it. "For fuck's sake. Everybody get back to work. Now!" he hollered.

Wanda pretty much scrambled after him whilst everyone stood up immediately, Natasha, Clint and Thor sharing a look. Katie’s eyes were fixed on Wanda as she moved past Steve, smiling at him. Steve nodded in response and then turned his head to look at his girl as everyone else walked out of the briefing room. She was last to leave, and he saw her gaze flick up and down his body for a second before her eyes locked onto his. She followed behind Bucky and just as she was about to walk past him she whispered "Relax, Captain."

With a sigh Steve watched his team heading down the corridor, more or less in silence well aware he had probably just ruined any feel-good factor they’d built. Striding after them he headed into his office, closing the door behind him. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair before he sank down into the black leather seat rubbing at his eyes. He’d just turned on his laptop when he heard a knock on the door. Lifting his eyes, he saw Bucky poking his head through a gap in the door.

"Can I come in, or you gonna rip my head off?" Bucky asked

"Of course you can, Buck." Steve sighed.

"You need to chill your beans, punk. It was lunchtime. Everyone has been stressed..." Bucky said sitting on the chair in front of Steve's desk. “No harm done…”

"I know... " Steve trailed as he rubbed his temples “Anyway, we made any progress?” Bucky quickly filled him in on Katie’s latest theory and that they were working it. Steve felt a small smile creep across his face, his girl was fucking clever.

“So…” Bucky eyed him “You gonna tell me what that whole Captain Ass-hat display was about? And don’t tell me you’re just tired because we both know you, and I quote ‘slept like a baby’ last night…” Steve hesitated a little before he signed, knowing full well there was no point in lying.

"I'm nervous, Buck."

"I knew it…about the date, right?" Bucky smiled fondly at his friend who looked at him frowning. "Katie told me earlier." he explained and Steve smiled back.

“Yeah, and I know it’s ridiculous, I mean after everything we’ve already…you know, and…” “Look, just relax and have a good time.” Bucky shrugged. “Make sure she's spoilt, Steve. She deserves it"

"Why do you say that? Is everything okay?" Steve asked frowning, suddenly concerned. He had only seen Katie for a few minutes after he got back but she had seemed pretty cool with him despite his little outburst.

"Well, Wanda has been pushing her buttons again." Bucky explained and Steve groaned in response. "And I don't think she's as secure about all this as she makes out.." Bucky continued but was interrupted by Steve.

"She's got nothing to worry about, Buck."

"I know that. Make sure she does." Bucky said before pushing himself up out of his chair.

Steve watched him and saw Bucky grimace in horror once he was fully stood.

"What's up, jerk?" Steve asked.

"I didn't touch your desk, did I? Steve, tell me I didn't touch your desk." Bucky said anxiously before heading for the door, shoulders shaking slightly with mirth.

Steve made a noise in his throat and grabbing a pen, launched it at Bucky. “"What makes you think it was the desk and not the chair you were sitting on?" he yelled as Bucky ran out of the office laughing.

CONTINUED IN PART 2

[intimidatingpuffinstudios]

Same anon again, I hate to keep bugging you, but upon trying to replay and hyperfixate on my stats, I'm noticing that the +5% increases only give me a +4% increase? Just, the numbers are off somehow? And I wonder if that extends to the bigger increases as well, because I went back and enumerated all of my choices and they should have added to well over 40% by Ch10 😰 I'm just concerned that maybe this is what's been happening to other players who've had stat problems.

No, no, don't worry. This is a specific thing that choicescript does; when we write %+20, it's different than writing +20.

When there's a % involved, the numbers don't go fully up because the stats are calculated in a way so that the anount never goes above 100.

The game has been tested extensively, it's absolutely possible to get your stat to 38 by the fight with Elkoth. You need to micromanage it, though.

There are some instances where you gain persuasion outside of the usual confrontation scenes, like on the boat with Morkai, Straasa, and Daelynn, or trying to convince Mornie to let you go.

Also, make sure that you don't refuse to talk to the bounty hunters in the beginning, and persuade them to let you go.

[stilesssolo]

How many people in your RL know about your fic life?

Oooh, a good question. My sister knows, my parents both know (my mom is reading wtwta rn and I seriously think she bugs me about updates more often than yall do) (also idk why I gave her this fic I’m gonna have to give her a censored version of ch10 AGH) and then one of my rl best friends knows. And then like I have a few fandom friends who I have met in real life and consider real life friends so they know as well?