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nitewrighter · 1 year ago

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Scoops! (Part 4)

What's this? It's Lois Lane with a steel chair!

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3

Read it on AO3 here!

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The good thing about the shipping yard is that it was big enough for the four of them to slip past the perimeter of emergency responders by… okay, yes, basically breaking and entering into one of the storage buildings and cutting through to the street from a side exit from there. They were cutting through a long backstreet now, the goal being more about putting more distance between themselves and that column of smoke back in the shipping yard rather than heading anywhere in particular. Lois wondered how aware Lewis and Jalana were of how much of what they were doing was illegal. In retrospect, Lois realized she did a lot of trespassing when it came to getting her stories, so on the one hand it kind of made sense that an organization of alternate universe-Loises wouldn’t acknowledge ‘no trespassing’ signs on private property, let alone entire dimensions, On the other hand, she was starting to get as annoyed with herself as much as them. Her head was just a furious soup of questions and anger and worry at this point. She missed the way she felt balanced out with Clark. Sweet, dutiful, Clark, with his “Lois, that’s illegal,” and his “Lois, I don’t think this is a good idea,” and of course, his, “Lois, where did you get that crowbar?” For all the UFO talk, she really could trust Jimmy to be a sensible person as well, but Clark was really the one who always made them feel like they were on the right track. They probably would have figured out whether to ditch Lewis and Jalana by now, if Clark were here. Well, okay they probably would have to have ditched Lewis and Jalana by now if Clark were here, but right now, Lewis and Jalana could be their only means of getting to Clark.

“So… have we decided yet?” Jimmy said very quietly to Lois as they briskly walked behind Lewis and Jalana.

“I’m still thinking,” said Lois.

“If we’re going to leave, we don’t have a big window,” said Jimmy, “If that report brings in reinforcements…”

“What if we split up?” said Lois, “I’ll stick with the League and…” she trailed off.

“I don’t like our odds split apart,” said Jimmy, pretty much saying what she was already thinking.

“But the odds would be better if either of us found Clark,” said Lois, still loathe to walk away from the only possible access to interdimensional technology they knew.

“Again, not a good chance of that from within a cell,” said Jimmy.

Lois’s lips thinned thoughtfully, “She said she’s ‘borrowing’ Clark, she said she meant our universe no harm, she used to be an interdimensional arms dealer, she was talking about ‘poison’ flowing into her universe…” Lois narrowed her eyes at Lewis and Jalana. “There’s more they’re not telling us.”

“They’ve already acknowledged there’s a lot they’re not telling us,” said Jimmy. His brow furrowed for a second. “Jalana said her universe was used as a dumping ground for dangerous stuff. Why would the League just… let that happen?”

“Because they’re jerks?”

“I mean, the universes are connected to a degree, aren’t they?” Jimmy was pressing his fingers to his forehead, “That’s why there’s multiples of us, multiples of certain events…”

“And they said the Spider Lady could catalyze an event here that we aren’t ready for,” said Lois. “If she needs Clark—”

They were both cut off at the sound of Lewis’s gauntlet beeping again.

“Are you getting Scoops’s signal?!” said Jimmy, but neither Jalana or Lewis responded to him, both of them quietly bickering again.

“You have to answer it,” Jalana had lowered her voice.

“You answer it!” Lewis said between gritted teeth, clearly distressed.

“Oh for—” Jalana hit a button and the gauntlet started projecting a hologram of the slightly more weathered but distinguished face of the Leader Lois.

“Olsen,” she said crisply, “Lane.”

“For the record, I told her that we shouldn’t get this universe’s Lane and Olsen involved,” Lewis started.

“As you stated multiple times in your report,” said the Leader Lois, more exhausted than agreeing, “But I’m to believe that the Spider Lady was indeed seen in this universe and you didn’t call for backup?”

“Our goal was to gather more evidence. We weren’t about to divert resources from a multiversal APB on the word of two suspected accomplices of Mxy,” said Lewis, “And then… before we knew it, there she was.”

“And now the Kryptonian who previously escaped us is helping her,” said the Leader Lois.

“He’s not helping her! He’s her prisoner!” Lois blurted out from behind them.

“Good to see you again, Lois,” said the Leader Lois drily.

“Likewise,” said Lois, with matched coldness.

“I appreciate your cooperation in leading my operatives to the Spider Lady,” said the Leader Lois, “But I won’t be requiring your input on the League’s actions from here.”

“So what, do I not get any say in what happens to my universe until I get a Pulitzer?” said Lois.

“Lois,” Jimmy said in warning, and Lois caught herself, withdrawing slightly. Right, probably not best to antagonize.

“Leader Lois, this universe’s Jimmy and Lois have been cooperative,” said Jalana.

“That’s an interesting word for it,” said Lewis.

“I think we’re at the point where League protocol is hindering us rather than helping us,” Jalana went on, “We’re operating too much on archival data from other universes to meet the needs of newer ones. We’re also letting assumptions from League Protocol distort our observation.”

“We’re new?” Jimmy said very quietly, before glancing at Lois, “How are we new?”

Lois just shrugged.

“How do you mean, Olsen?” The Leader Lois tilted her head.

“Respectfully speaking, Leader Lois,” said Jalana, “During our postmortem evaluation of the Mxyzptlk Incident, I revisited our archives to better inform my updates to this Lois’s dossier. The Lois of this universe shares incredible overlaps with the qualities of Lois Prime.”

“I do what now?” said Lois.

“Of course she does,” said the Leader Lois, “We’re all literally the same person in different universes, and we assessed long ago that she doesn’t meet League standards.”

“No, she doesn’t, but there wasn’t a League when Lois Prime founded it. Lois Prime didn’t even come up with the League standards! This Lois is… unpolished, sure, but she displays levels of compassion and curiosity that we haven’t seen in years.”

“You’re mistaking emotional compromise for compassion,” said the Leader Lois flatly

“Okay, maybe, but still!” said Jalana, “The League used to ask questions. We used to investigate! Now we expect everyone in our ranks to fall into line at all times, to follow orders without question, and we basically inflict our authority wherever we go in the multiverse regardless of the consent of the different universe’s governing bodies.”

“That last part—Th-that’s what I said earlier,” Lois said very quietly and blankly, before looking at Jimmy, “Jimmy, what’s happening?”

“Jalana’s saying nice things about you,” said Jimmy.

“…huh,” said Lois. Compassion? Her brow crinkled at the word. How am I compassionate? she thought, I pretty much freaked out and shut down when I found out Clark was Superman. I got so caught up in my own drama that I didn’t even notice when Jimmy got kidnapped by a gorilla. I’ve been snapping at her and Lewis since we ran into them—okay I said sorry for that, but still… all I said to her was we both want to keep our universes safe. Is the bar that low? Lois’s face suddenly dropped with realization. That thing about orders… Oh my god. It’s a League of Me’s that have all turned into my dad.

Jimmy’s phone made a blipping sound and he instantly checked it. His eyes widened as he showed the screen to Lois. It was Scoops’s GPS feed, back online. Which meant Scoops was still in their universe, and hopefully, the Spider Lady and Clark, too. Lois’s eyes flicked back to Jalana, Lewis, and the Leader Lois arguing. If the Leader Lois clearly already had a strong idea of Clark’s place in all this, they didn’t have time to try and convince her otherwise. Lois glanced back down at Scoop’s GPS location on Jimmy’s phone. Parnassus Avenue? But that was where—

‘Parasite’ she mouthed to Jimmy.

Jimmy set his jaw and gave her a nod of understanding. ‘Let’s go?’ He mouthed.

Lois gave him a single, serious nod.

“Bravery for us didn’t always mean charging in somewhere with guns!” Jalana was still going on, “It used to mean the willingness to try and understand something when everyone else is making decisions based on fear!”

“…something like a Clark?” the Leader Lois arched an eyebrow and Jalana caught herself.

“According to records, we didn’t used to destroy things based on what they could become,” said Jalana.

“…a mistake that several universes paid for with their very existence,” said the Leader Lois, “Olsen, I didn’t open this channel to debate the League’s methods and morality with you. I came to recall you to League headquarters and to bring that universe’s Lois and Jimmy back into custody for questioning. So if you’re quite done, we still have a multiversal criminal at large and—where did they go?”

Lewis and Jalana looked over their shoulders to see Lois and Jimmy were gone.

“Oh for—” the Leader Lois pinched the bridge of her nose, “Belay that. The Spider Lady takes priority. Report back to headquarters. We need to consolidate and review your intel.”

Lewis squinted at one of the bits of data on his gauntlet, “Leader Lois, I think they might be heading toward—”

“You have your orders, Lane,” said the Leader Lois flatly.

Lewis blinked, then looked over at Jalana. “Y-yes, Ma’am,” said Lewis, glancing down.

Jalana noted the tight line of his mouth.

“I’m ending the transmission. I’ll see you back at headquarters,” said the Leader Lois, her hologram clicking off.

“It’s the drone, isn’t it? It’s here,” said Jalana.

Lewis said nothing, unable to meet her eyes.

“Which means she’s here.” Jalana set her jaw. “But you have your orders, don’t you?”

“We need to go,” said Lewis, dialing in the coordinates for headquarters, not looking at her.

“Look, just because they have a strong attachment to their Clark, that doesn’t automatically make them opposed to the League—” Jalana started.

“Do you think they would run if they weren’t guilty?” said Lewis, opening the portal on his gauntlet.

“I think they would run if they didn’t trust us to help their universe,” said Jalana, glaring at him. Her expression suddenly softened with realization. “Or there’s something else.”

There was a distant rumble, and then the sound of sirens. Both Lewis and Jalana turned around to see a strange glow emanating from where parasite husk previously was. Both flinched at the sound of a loud, distorted noise, like a roar.

Lewis took a tense breath and moved toward the portal.

“Lewis!” Jalana blurted out desperately.

“We couldn’t stop the Spider Lady on our own back in that shipping yard, we’re not going to stop her by running over there now,” said Lewis, “We go to the League. We tell them the threat is still in this universe. We get backup.”

Jalana stared over at the clouds of dust now rising up from between the buildings. She furrowed her brow and bit her lip. “…fine,” she said stiffly, following Lewis into the portal.

——

Superman may eventually become Metropolis’s favorite son, but the city’s true unsung hero was its robust public transportation system (aside from a runaway bus here and there). It was thankfully a shorter tram ride from the industrial district to New Troy than the ride from Clark and Jimmy’s apartment had been, but it was still agonizingly slow for Lois. She looked out the tram window to see several armored vans careening around a corner, several SCU guards already moving to make a perimeter around Parnassus Avenue. That was when the sound hit—that roar. The whole tram rocked, and a swell of worried voices overlapping each other filled the vehicle, as the light coming from Parnassus Avenue shifted.

“Is it the parasite?!”

“I knew we should have gotten rid of that thing!”

“We were trying to get rid of it, that’s probably how the dumbasses turned it back on.”

“Oh god, I can’t do this again—”

“Superman beat It before, right?”

“No one’s seen him all day!”

“That’s not true, he saved my cousin from getting hit by a taxi, earlier.”

“This is bigger than a taxi!”

Lois pulled the ‘Stop request’ chord running alongside the window. The tram didn’t even stop completely as the doors opened and she and Jimmy hopped off.

“It’s not safe out there!” A tram passenger shouted at them as she and Jimmy ran off. There was still just enough chaos, just enough confusion for them to slip through the still-forming perimeter relatively unnoticed. All of Parnassus Avenue was hazy with settling dust.

There were still uniformed and higher-ranking police officers scattered around, half of them trying to direct the fleeing hazmat suited scientists, others trying to get testimony on what they had seen in the tents. To their credit, Lois and Jimmy were pretty good at sneaking at this point, or just looking like the kind of people everyone expects to be grabbing someone else’s coffee—something between those two lines. Being interns was worth that much, at least. Lois was struck by how much light was hitting the street now, how wide the gap between the buildings overhead was now that the Parasite husk was gone.

“I don’t know if it exploded or imploded—” she overheard one of the hazmat-suited scientists, trying to explain to a detective, “I want to say imploded, because there wasn’t debris flying around and we didn’t get fried, but it’s not like I had time to look with that crazy woman shooting things!”

An SCU officer with her helmet off, sandy-colored hair too long to be a pixie and too short to be a bob, was yelling into her phone. “Goddammit, no, Commissioner, there’s no way I’m sending more men in there until we have a better grasp of what’s actually happening. We’re spread thin between here and that explosion at the shipping yard, I’ve got three officers unresponsive, and eyewitness accounts saying they think the Parasite caught on fire. And now, apparently, there’s an armed assailant carrying an unidentifiable firearm, and at least one hostage. We’re establishing a perimeter, then we’re bringing in a negotiator.”

“Yeah, there was a big guy, and a short lady—sexy outfit, too—no the lady had the sexy outfit,” another hazmat-suited scientist was talking to an SCU officer.

Lois became very aware that there was an armed woman with her face running around in this situation and quickly brought up the hood of her jacket. Even through the hood she heard the crackle of the police scanner.

“Be advised, break-in and assault reported at Siegel Street in Bakerline—”

“I’ve got a hit-and-run on North 22nd street in Queensland Park—”

“Any units available, I know we’re spread thin right now, but I’ve got a call for a wellness check in Midvale, and the caller seemed extremely distressed—”

Lois’s lips thinned. She and Jimmy were always telling Clark there were emergency services, and there were. She knew he shouldn’t be running himself ragged for a city that had managed not to burn itself down before it had Superman (Untrue, she later learned, as Metropolis burned down once in 1857, and also had a chain of disastrous bathtub whisky fires one summer in 1926). But for all his alienness and the overwhelming spectacle of his abilities, he was still someone kind enough and conscientious enough that a lot of people trusted him more than cops, or he was someone who got there faster than an ambulance and you didn’t even have to worry about money, and now here was the chain reaction of the city suddenly experiencing his absence while being faced with something only he had managed to stop. If it was the Parasite.

Think, Lois, she’s you. And she said she wouldn’t hurt your universe. What would she want with the Parasite? What was it Lewis said about the same thing manifesting differently across universes? What we think is one thing in our universe could be…? Maybe it changes as it’s pulled over—no wait I was still me in whatever universe the League headquarters was in. Goddammit this is already enough of a headache just dealing with multiple me’s!

“Lois!” Jimmy pointed ahead—a part of the green tenting that had been surrounding the Parasite—where the Parasite had once been, was torn, flapping in the winter breeze. Jimmy gave a glance to his phone just to confirm that was where Scoops’s signal was coming from, and gave her a nod. Both she and Jimmy ran forward and slipped through the tear. The tear lead them into a clear-plastic lined area where apparently all the hazmat-suited technicians suited up, with a cluster of lockers and benches.

“They had a pretty serious setup here, huh?” said Jimmy. He snapped a few pictures of the locker area for good measure.

“Can’t stand to think what they’d want with that thing…” murmured Lois. What she would want with that thing… she thought, her stomach turning.

Lois and Jimmy moved through another makeshift decontamination area, pushing through clear plastic sheets, then a dark green tent flap, just in time to see Clark struggling in the grip of a golden android.

——

Clark remembered the sensation of the Parasite leeching into him. Ivo had an odd penchant for grabbing him by the face, but the real pain was in the sapping. It was an icy, prickling, nauseating ache, where there was an immediate pain seeping down from that point of contact, down his neck, which sent shockwaves through his whole body. Clark knew he could hold his breath for a lot longer than any human, but every time it happened, he was overcome with a strong feeling that, aside from the prickling, poisonous, invasive nature of the pain, that this was probably also what drowning felt like, but without the water. Whatever oxygen there was in his body wasn’t doing what it was supposed to be doing, the cellular reactions shutting down as energy was sapped from them and screaming out in desperation.

Amazo didn’t feel like that.

There was still that bone-chilling invasiveness of the pain, the acute sensation that there was something in his body that should not be there, but that drowning sensation wasn’t there. Instead, images were flooding through Clark’s head: The first time he flew, whipping through a cloud and coming out soaking wet and cold and laughing. That time in fifth grade when Whitney Fordman punched him in the face during PE and ended up breaking half the bones in his hand, his parents talking very quietly and urgently with the school’s principal, Whitney’s hiss of ‘Freak’ under his breath, his voice warped by stuffed-down sobs. Lying on the roof of the Kent Farm barn, fingers interlaced behind his head, listening to the song of crickets and realizing he could see the astronaut footprints on the moon. Pa Kent’s laughs turning to stunned silence when they were tossing hay bales and Clark sent one sailing out over the cornfields and Jonathan had to tell Clark no, he couldn’t do the hay bale tossing contest at the county fair—that year or ever. Jimmy in college glancing at his schedule and shaking his head with a lopsided smile, ‘There’s no way anyone’s getting across campus that fast, Clark, you’ll miss half the lecture,’ then raising his eyebrows to see Clark sitting right next to him, right on time.Lois walking in front of him at the Planet, talking about something, while his own head was swimming as he was struggling to get his x-ray vision under control—Bra (pink), then skin (mole on her lower back), then muscle (knot in her neck), then ribcage, and lungs, and fast-thumping heart before he tore his eyes away and stumbled away stammering about a migraine. That one morning he was homesick and unconsciously focused his super-hearing just to hear Ma humming and cooking breakfast. That first hit of Red Omega energy—he hated how familiar that powerlessness was, now. Watching that alternate universe version of himself obliterate buildings with heat vision. The agony of Kryptonite crystals tearing through his body—That memory was enough to prompt the question ‘Is this dying? Am I dying right now? Is this my life flashing before my eyes?’ In his head. But no, it wasn’t that. Throughout the rush of imagery, Clark became acutely aware that he was not the only one seeing this. And it wasn’t his life, he realized, it was his powers.

Clark’s eyes snapped open and he grasped at his neck, his own fingers feebly clawing at Amazo’s grip. No, you don’t get to see this. No, this isn’t yours.

Amazo just stared at him steadily with red-orange eyes, the android’s expression empty. Suddenly there was movement behind Amazo, Clark’s eyes widened to see Lois and Jimmy running up from a corridor—

And then all at once, Amazo dropped him. The moment Amazo’s cold metal fingers no longer had contact on Clark’s neck, that rush of images, of unbidden memories ceased. Clark felt like a laptop that was unplugged mid-software update, and had the mental image of a gnarled root being torn up from the ground at Kent Farm, dirt scattering up in the sunlight. He blacked out, not even feeling the impact of the ground as he hit it, and not even sure if he imagined Lois’s cry of his name. Lois moved to rush to Clark on reflex, but stumbled to a stop as the Spider Lady pointed her toastmaster at her and Jimmy.

“That’s close enough,” said the Spider Lady, stepping in front of Clark, “We’re all so close to getting what we want now, and I would hate for you two to mess it up by being morons.”

Jimmy gave a glance to his phone, the GPS feed on Scoops’s app indicating that Scoops was indeed, right in front of him, and he stared up at the Android. The android stared down at the prone figure of Clark Kent on the ground, before looking at its own hands, as if confused.

“Scoops…” Jimmy started and the Android looked over at him, tilting its head.

“Don’t confuse him. He’s not your silly little drone any more,” said the Spider Lady, shifting the aim of the toastmaster over to Jimmy, “And he has a mission.”

On the ground, Clark’s consciousness managed to begin poking through his pain and exhaustion again. He heard the Spider Lady’s voice first.

“Amazo,” said the Spider Lady, “As your primary user, I order you to destroy the League of Lois Lanes.”

There was that fizzing sound again, and Clark opened his eyes and, very carefully tilted his head to see another interdimensional burn hole opening, Lois and Jimmy were frozen in place. Lois’s eyes flicked to him.

Poker face, Lois, please. Poker face. For once in your life, don’t react— Clark thought desperately, and maybe she read his expression because almost on cue, Lois set her jaw and shifted her gaze back to the Android, watching as Amazo lumbered through the burn hole and it closed behind him, before turning her attention to the Spider Lady.

“You said you wouldn’t hurt Clark,” she said, keeping her gaze steady.

“So long as you stayed out of my way. He’s actually fine. Amazo doesn’t siphon power, he duplicates. The process is just a bit of a shock, that’s all.”

“And your plan this whole time was destroying the League?” said Jimmy.

“My plan this whole time was saving my universe. The League is just one of the obstacles in the way of that.”

“So you’re using Clark’s powers to turn Scoops into a weapon,” said Jimmy, a quiet horror in his voice.

“And all of those Loises—all of those us’s are going to die,” Lois’s hand clutched into a fist at her side.

“So?” said the Spider Lady, “They deserve it. They used my world as a petri dish, and they used your Clark for target practice.”

Clark’s eyes fixed on the Spider Lady’s bracelet. Non-lethal setting… he thought, his entire body was already tensing with with trepidation at the very idea of what he had to do.

“There’s Olsens there, too!” said Jimmy.

This actually managed to make something ripple across the Spider Lady’s face. “Not the one that matters to me,” she said stiffly, before straightening herself up. “I’m a woman of my word,” she said, lowering the toastmaster, “I’ll be leaving your universe alone, now. You can have your Clark back. But no sudden moves. And the inhibitor collar stays on.”

Clark, with as much care, silence, and subtlety as he could manage, pushed himself up to a kneeling position. I just need a few more seconds.

“I take it you’re leaving this universe with the remote,” said Jimmy, “How are we supposed to get the collar off?”

“You’re a Jimmy,” the Spider Lady scoffed breezily, “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

Clark’s eyes flicked across Jimmy and Lois’s faces. Don’t hate me for this, he thought.

The Spider Lady glanced down at him. “What are you—ow-!”

Clark suddenly seized the Spider Lady’s bracelet-bearing wrist, pressed down on the red gem, and yanked her arm downward, jamming the bracelet against his collar. The sparks were flying as he squeezed his eyes shut. It was stupid. He knew it was stupid as he was doing it.

It hurt.

A lot.

Just stay conscious. Just stay conscious. Just need to stay conscious until—

Suddenly, the electricity hurt less.

It’s back.

Blue light was blazing at the periphery of his vision as his alien clothes, his Superman clothes, phased back into existence. Adrenaline, or whatever the hell was the Kryptonian equivalent, flooded through his body, nerves previously panicked by repeated bouts of agony seemed to settle into a warm calm that almost felt like sunlight, along with a sharp awareness that the world was suddenly made of cardboard again. Careful. His thumb crushed the red gem of the Spider Lady’s bracelet like it was a piece of candy, and the electricity ceased. The world returned as a roar in his ears as his brain scrambled with the return of super-hearing. Clark shoved the Spider Lady’s wrist away, breathing raggedly and shaking.

“Why the hell would you do—!?” The Spider Lady was looking at the crushed gem on her bracelet.

Clark jammed his fingers between the collar and his neck and wrenched with a furious grunt. The collar shattered off of him like it was made of cheap plastic, the steel cables of his handcuffs snapping in the process as well.

“…that…” the Spider Lady’s face went blank, calculating.

“Needed to… short the collar,” the words came out of him breathlessly.

He was still shaking and panting as his arms dropped to his sides and his fingers loosened, letting bits of broken collar clatter to the ground. He noticed a shift in the Spider Lady’s eyes and her fingers tightening on the strap of the toastmaster.

Clark knew he was fast, the truth was, he didn’t like thinking of how fast. When he moved fast, it tended to be pure instinct, with a vague concept of Zeno’s paradox at the back of his head. Have to be fast enough to move halfway there and halfway there and halfway there and halfway there, ad infinitum. He didn’t like thinking of how, turning on Lois’s shower earlier that day, damned slow the falling water droplets seemed in that moment when he was in a hurry. Fast was for catching someone who was falling, fast was for getting someone out of the way of a moving car, fast was for helping Ma in the kitchen whisking egg whites, fast was for (okay this one was a little selfish) getting to work on time. Fast wasn’t for fighting because he did not feel human when he perceived a fight in terms of ‘fast.’ Fast could hurt someone, like, really hurt someone. The world was already cardboard with super-strength, and fast turned it to tissue paper.

“Superman—!” Lois, his Lois’s voice was half-drowned out, drawn out, and pitched down amidst that roar of the world. The Spider Lady was shifting the gun back to her side. Did she always move so slow?

Stop the fight before it becomes a fight.

The heat vision blazed from his eyes and hit the strap of the toastmaster, the Spider Lady flinched away from the red beams as the massive gun clattered to the ground next to her.

Don’t think about the way the fear is bubbling up on her face in slow-motion. That’s not your Lois. Stop the fight before it becomes a fight.

He was a blur of red and blue when he rushed past her, seizing the gun and coming to a halt in front of her. He didn’t break eye-contact with her as he smashed the gun over his leg like snapping kindling.

Her mouth was hanging open furiously.

“Fine, Boy Scout! It doesn’t matter anymore!” She whipped out her burn hole interdimensional projector, “I already got what I needed from you, and now, you can’t stop Amazo from—”

Lois suddenly rammed into the Spider Lady from the side, her legs clamping on the Spider Lady’s neck and shoulders as she swung her own weight around and used it to slam the Spider Lady to the ground.

“Scissor leg takedown,” Jimmy’s voice was hushed in awe.

“It is a good move,” Clark said blankly before wincing as Lois rammed her elbow down on the Spider Lady’s back to drive her harder into the concrete. Clark honestly wasn’t a fan of the idea of Lois getting beat up in any context, but also he decided he had received too many electroshocks that day to really properly assess his current feelings on seeing Lois beat the hell out of an evil version of herself who was wearing a low-cut dress. Still, one thing was clear: While the Spider Lady had spent years building up a criminal empire of inter-dimensional technology, unlike his Lois, she wasn’t going to a kickboxing gym twice a week. She did meet Lois with an equally terrifying rage, though. There were grunts, and audible blows of fists landing, and Lois snarling, “Don’t! You! Ever touch him again!” This was sometimes punctuated from a wincing “ooh—” from Jimmy as another blow landed. The projector clattered away from the Spider Lady, and Jimmy very quietly, very quickly, stooped and picked it up. Right when Clark was thinking, ‘Should I pull her off?’ Lois seemed to have to catch her breath, straddling the borderline-unconscious Spider Lady and gripping her by her jacket, panting with bruised and split knuckles. This seemed like a decent opportunity to fire off a very cool one-liner, but instead, Lois perked up at the sound of police chatter just beyond the tent, and the two SCU officers on the ground groaning back to consciousness, and said, “Clark, we can’t stay here.”

“R-right,” said Clark.

—-

Flight was a relief, and surprisingly, so was super-strength. Jimmy was on Clark’s back, securing himself with arms snugly (but not chokingly) around Clark’s neck and shoulders, and Clark was still trying to figure out how he felt about having a Lois in each arm. Weird. It felt weird. Kind of interesting in concept though? But mostly weird. Maybe the idea would be more titillating if one of the Loises wasn’t probably concussed right now and also hadn’t spent all day electrocuting him. His universe’s Lois was tucked comfortably against him, mostly supported by the crook of his arm, while the Spider Lady hung by the waist, face down, limbs more or less dangling, under the grip of his other arm. Initially Clark had to move fast enough so that he wouldn’t even register visually for the SCU officers in the area, but thankfully he slowed down once he was a few blocks away from Parnassus. Lois and Jimmy were both squinting in the wind, Clark was moving fast enough to make all of them a little lightheaded, like on a roller coaster. Finally, he landed on a roof that was far enough from the parasite site and the shipping yard to not worry too much about police finding them, but not so far he didn’t need to focus his super-hearing too much to decipher what was going on. He almost felt a little sad as Jimmy and Lois lightly slipped off of him, Lois dusting her jacket off and Jimmy taking out the Spider Lady’s burn hole projector from his pocket and looking it over. Clark wanted to hug them both, so badly, he wanted to try and take a minute to get some kind of mental footing on everything that had happened. But they didn’t have time.

“You’re… too late…” the Spider Lady grunted between split lips as Clark carefully set her down on the roof, “You… can’t stop Amaz—Ow!”

Lois was now pinning the Spider Lady’s arms behind her back.

“I don’t think we can risk bringing her to the League headquarters,” said Lois, “She could give that android new orders, or get her hands on new weapons, or just escape to a whole new dimension in the confusion.”

“So…what, do we tie her up or lock her in a closet or something?” said Jimmy, hating that suggestion pretty much as soon as he said it.

“Are you kidding me?” the Spider Lady said flatly.

“…I don’t trust me enough to leave me alone, especially not here,” said Lois. She huffed out a short breath as the Spider Lady weakly struggled under her grip. “You two need to go to Headquarters. I’ll keep an eye on her, here.”

A short, forced laugh fell out of the Spider Lady. “Good luck getting to Headquarters! I’ll never tell you how to use that—”

Jimmy pressed a button on the projector and opened up a burn hole.

“…you had ‘League Headquarters’ still dialed in as a pre-set destination,” said Jimmy.

“Goddammit, Jimmy,” the Spider Lady said through gritted teeth.

“I don’t know about this…” Clark was unconsciously feeling at the red welts around his neck from the collar.

“I don’t like it either, but are either of you two willing to beat up Lois Lane if she tries to make a run for it?” Lois asked, perfectly seriously.

Both Clark and Jimmy exchanged uncomfortable glances.

“That’s what I thought,” said Lois.

Clark sighed. “ Okay, fine. Jimmy, give me the projector.” “No,” said Jimmy, “I’m coming with you.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Clark and the Spider Lady said at the same time. Clark looked over at the Spider Lady and she just set her jaw and glanced away angrily.

“Look, I made Scoops, and you’re my best friend. Plus, knowing you, you’ll probably accidentally break this while fighting that thing, and I don’t trust the League to let you back, even if you save them. One of us has to make sure we can come back.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” said Lois.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t stay with Lois and make sure—?” Clark was floundering.

“Clark—I’ve got this—I’ve got her. Go save the League,” Lois said breathlessly.

“Are you sure?!” Clark asked, his eyes flicking down to the Spider Lady, and for a second Lois saw the fear in his eyes—the only fear you could get when you knew just how much damage someone was capable of.

God, is he going to be scared of me after this? Lois thought. But she just gave a determined huff of breath to steel herself, readjusting her grip on the Spider Lady’s arm lock, “I’ll be fine, just—make sure you come back to me, okay?” She looked at Jimmy. “Both of you.”

Clark was just barely hovering off the ground at this point, but he cupped one hand to the side of Lois’s face and softly kissed her temple.

“Oh come on,” the Spider Lady grumbled.

Lois wished she could clasp a hand to Clark’s wrist at his touch, even if only briefly, but she didn’t trust her alternate universe self for a second. “Just come back,” she said again.

“Right,” said Clark.

“Don’t worry,” said Jimmy, putting one foot in the burn hole, “If anyone can stop that Scoops-Amazo-Android-Parasite thing, it’s Superman and Jimmy Olsen!”

“You’ve got this!” said Lois, trying to match his energy as Jimmy stepped through.

“You be careful, too?” said Clark, “Please?”

“Always,” said Lois.

She was never careful, and they both knew that, but all the same, he trusted her.

“We’ll be back soon,” said Clark, flying through the burn hole as well.

“I know,” said Lois, not knowing if Clark could hear her as the burn hole closed behind him.

Both she and the Spider Lady were left alone on the roof. A cold breeze blew through.

“They’re both going to die, you know,” said the Spider Lady, before going, “Ow-OWW-ow!” as Lois shoved her forearm up in the arm lock.

“Don’t push me,” said Lois, flatly.

#my adventures with superman #clois

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melmac78 · 2 years ago

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For the Character asks, 41. Dealer's choice on what fandom you want to answer in :)

41. If they could have lunch with anyone in the world (living or dead, from any fictional universe or the real world), who would it be?

Answer: I have two.

From “The Wild, Wild West” (1960s series) - Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin).

This one is an either or if you watch the series.

Martin - who died in 1981, was a terrific actor, and very versatile. He even created his own disguises, played the violin, etc.

He also created a foundation that went toward children’s asthma research, partially because of a rule he played in a horror movie.

Gordon likes to create an invent, something I like to do.

(I emphasize the series because the 1990s movie was wrong on so many things. I only watch for the train, costumes and music… you shouldn’t be rooting for the Loveless Ladies to win.)

••••••

The second is kind of a cheat, as I’ve met him, but William Katt, who played Ralph Hinkley in “The Greatest American Hero.”

He’s a very generous and kind man, even going so far as to sign a photo I sent years ago though I didn’t ask - I couldn’t afford a signed photo at the time, and felt it unfair to ask for one. (He kept the letter though: don’t know if it was handwritten or just cause, or it if it was thrown away. Many folks who write to him had theirs signed and sent back showing it was read.)

Why I am cheating here? When I did get to meet him, I was so shy I hardly talked (sleep deprivation from an abrupt photo assignment didn’t help either.) I bc would like to try again now in a better mental state and where I’m a tad more extroverted.

Thank you for the asks.

#melmac78 observation #character asks

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healeroflightanddark · 9 months ago

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The Lucky Dragon, Chapter 6: Mask

It was Yuya’s turn to be the pit boss, and he was walking around the pit keeping an eye on the tables. It was a rare day where Yuto, Yuri, and Yugo were all working during the same shift as Yuya, and the tomato was very happy to be around them whilst working.

Yuya had been working for about two hours when he noticed Yuto signaling for his attention. The casino had a silent code for the dealers to signal to the pit bosses when they needed their attention without the players knowing. It was usually used when a dealer needed the pit boss to keep an eye on a suspicious player. Such as the signal Yuto was sending Yuya at the moment.

Yuya looked at the player that Yuto was signing for him to keep an eye on. It was an older woman, and she seemed somewhat familiar to Yuya. He didn’t recognize her face, but the tomato-head could’ve sworn he’d heard her voice before, and recently.

So Yuya started keeping an eye on the woman. She kept placing her bets only on the EVEN spot on the table, which was a decent strategy. But Yuya noticed something about her face. Whenever she won, the woman threw her hands in the air and cheered, but her mouth didn’t move much. It was almost as if she were wearing a mask. But if she was wearing a mask, it was VERY realistic.

Then, as if the universe was listening to what Yuya was thinking, the woman won again. This time when she threw her hands in the air, she also threw her head back. To everyone’s shock, her face seemed to fly off, revealing that she was indeed wearing a hyper realistic mask.

“Oh, for Slifer’s sake, you have GOT to be kidding me!” Yuya said in annoyance, walking over to the roulette table. The woman frantically covered her face with her hands, but not before Yuya and Yuto saw it. It was Zarc’s ex, Sara. Yuya waved over Security, “Lady, you’ve been BANNED! This is the second time you’ve come in since being banned!”

“Shut up!” Sara shrieked. “You can’t ban me!”

“Zarc is the one that banned you!” Yuya remind her. “You know, the owner of the Lucky Dragon?”

Sara was about to argue, but Security grabbed her and she started trying to break free, screaming and attempting to bite them. They dragged her away, and Yuya rubbed his temples as he felt a headache starting. “That woman is a menace to society…”

“Yeah, no kidding!” one of the players at Yuto’s table said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Seriously, what kind of lunatic tries to get around a ban with a mask? Just go find a different casino, ya psycho!”

“Mm…” Yuto agreed. “I think Zarc told Security that if she shows up again they’re to detain her until police arrive.”

“Well, let’s just hope that the police are able to make sure she never shows up here again,” Yuya sighed.

“I know right?” Yuto said. “I honestly don’t know if she keeps coming here because she’s got a gambling addiction or because she’s obsessed with Zarc!’

“Eh, probably a combination of both!” Yuri said as he passed behind Yuto’s table on his way to the break room. He and Yugo had both witnessed Sara’s mask flying off and her being dragged off by Security. Everyone in the pit had witnessed the entire thing.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Yuya agreed. “Doesn’t make it any less annoying though.”

“Too true,” sighed Yuto. “Too true.”

“I hope the police lock her up!” Yugo said from his craps table. “I’m starting to get the feeling that she won’t stop trying to find ways around the ban until she’s arrested. How did she even manage to escape the police last time anyway?”

“I think she ran off before the police could actually arrive,” Yuya replied. “What a lunatic…”

#cross posted on ao3 #cross posted on quotev #cross posted on wattpad #yugioh arc v #yuya sakaki #yuri #yuto #yugo #zarc #yuya x yugo x yuri x yuto x zarc #dimensionshipping plus zarc #casino au #boss/employee relationship

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heavenboy09 · 11 months ago

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Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The Most Debonier & Well Distinguished Black American Actor In Hollywood Of The 21st Century Is Born On This Day 👨🏿✊🏿🖤🤎

Ali was born in Oakland, California, on February 16, 1974, to Willicia Goines and Phillip Gilmore. He was raised as a Christian in nearby Hayward, California, by his mother, an ordained Baptist minister whose own mother, Evia Goines, was herself an ordained minister at Palma Ceia Baptist Church in Hayward. His father was an actor who appeared on Broadway. Maher-shalal-hash-baz is the name of the prophet Isaiah's second child (chapter 8, Book of Isaiah).

He is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019, and in 2020, The New York Times ranked him among the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century.

After pursuing an MFA degree from New York University, Ali began his career as a regular on television series Crossing Jordan (2001–02) and Threat Matrix (2003–04), before his breakthrough role as Richard Tyler in the science fiction series The 4400 (2004–07). His first major film role was in the David Fincher-directed fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). He gained wider attention for supporting roles in the final two films of the original The Hunger Games film series, and in House of Cards, for which he received his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Ali won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances as a drug dealer in the drama Moonlight (2016) and as Don Shirley in the comedy-drama film Green Book (2018). He is the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar, the first Black actor to win two Academy Awards in the same category, and the second Black actor to win multiple acting Oscars. Ali won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for executive producing We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest (2020).

In 2019, he played a troubled police officer in the third season of the HBO anthology crime series True Detective and in 2020, he starred in the second season of the Hulu comedy-drama series Ramy. He was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for both performances. Ali has also played Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in the first season of the Netflix series Luke Cage (2016), and voiced Aaron Davis in the animated films Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).

PLEASE WISH THIS MOST DISTINGUISHED & ICONIC BLACK AMERICAN ACADEMY AWARD WINNING ACTOR 👨🏿✊🏿🖤🤎 IN HOLLYWOOD, A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU KNOW HIM

YOU LOVE HIS CONFIDENCE & STYLISH SWAGGER 😎 IN ACTING

& ALL THE LADIES LOVE HIM. ALL RIGHT NOW

THE 1 & ONLY

MR. MAHERSHALA ALI 👨🏿✊🏿🖤🤎 AKA BLADE 🧛🏿‍♂️🕶😎

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 TO YOU MR. ALI👨🏿✊🏿🖤🤎 & HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS TO COME

#MahershalaAli #The4400 #Moonlight #LukeCage #Cottonmouth #TrueDetective #Blade #MCU

#Mahershala Ali #The 4400 #Moonlight #Luke Cage #Cottonmouth #True Detective #Blade #MCU #Spotify

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ifirestar14 · 1 month ago

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Huevember Wheel!

Phew! It’s finally done! I had a lot of fun doing this challenge! Maybe I might do more in the future.

#huevember #artists on tumblr #art #digital art #my art #ibispaintx #drawing #oc #anime art #dealer ladies #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #miles tails prower #dealer ladies second universe

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hartsquad · 2 years ago

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Lovers Lie

Chapter 2. This is a short one. I requested the invite to ao3 so until then I’ll still be posting here. Let me know what you guys think. I’ll be tagging the chapters on my blog to keep track. Check out my main blog @nerd-hotnissa , current obsession Wednesday on netlfix and Wyler (Wednesday x Tyler) on there.

Chapter 2

Maya was sweating. Her hair was coming out of her ponytail, and she needed to catch her breath.

This quarter it was team sports, so Maya chose basketball, for what reason she doesn’t know but she never liked volleyball, she didn’t want to be outside for soccer, so here she was, not understanding why people did this for a profession.

She had to give herself more credit though, even though she was one of the shorter ones in the class she could keep up and played well. Maybe she did enjoy it a little bit because playing kept her mind busy, and she would forget about things. With art she painted the things she felt and thought about but playing basketball gave her the chance to step away and focus on something else.

Basketball was just a hobby though and would never be a career change.

“Alright ladies, gather to the middle please!” called out coach Faye.

Maya and her class all gathered over to the middle breathing heavily, holding basketballs, and drinking water bottles. Maya took a seat on the floor.

Coach Faye walked up. “Okay girls, as you know we normally separate the boys' and girls' gym classes but since we’re down a coach for our 4 quarter sports we’re having to combine the classes and go co-ed.”

A mixed reaction of disgust and excitement from the girls. Some eager to see the boy they like sweating and others disgusted they cannot escape the male population.

Normally there are four coaches/teachers in the gym. One for a solo sport, one for a team sport, one for weights and conditioning, and the fourth for swimming. Since Marvens left for medical leave looks like some of the classes are coming together. Maya wasn’t too fazed about competing with the boys.

The other gym door opened and in came Coach Ryder’s class.

Maya recognized a few of the faces and still wasn’t bothered until she saw his.

Her heart honestly stopped beating for a second, but she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or excitement.

Lucas was looking around the gym, but his eyes must’ve felt hers because he found her and looked straight at her.

Maya recoiled and looked down at her shoes. Was the universe out to get her?

Ryder came up to stand next to Faye.

“Good morning, ladies, I’m sure Coach Faye has let you know about our new co-ed class. We will still be continuing your team sport quarter, but we are also going to begin fitness testing a little early this year so us teachers don’t get behind. Everyone will pick a partner, doesn’t matter who.”

A few giggles escaped the girls and Maya panicked. She knew a lot of people in the class, but their friends were in here with them and normally this wouldn’t make her uneasy, but she feared being partnered with Lucas and fitness testing together. It was close.

Way too close.

She jumped to her feet when she noticed everyone beginning to pair up and Maya had to find someone quick. If she found someone that means she didn’t have to interact with Lucas unless necessary.

Maya felt him before she saw him.

Lucas was walking toward her, and Maya tried to avoid his gaze desperately searching for anyone.

“Maya.”

His voice caused a fire in her stomach.

She froze and shut her eyes. There was no way she could get out of this, but why would he want to partner with her. Everybody probably wanted to be his partner but here he was singling her out.

Maya turned around and looked at him and his face was expressionless but Maya sensed nerves.

“Mm-hmm?”

Her tongue was tied.

“Hart.”

Maya turned to the new voice. It was Brandon, the middle school rebel.

His reputation was now the school dealer but also an honor roll student along with Maya. They developed a real friendship in high school. They’ve partied together and was in Maya’s close friend group and have even spent the night together with their friends after their crazy adventures. There may have been a hookup once a long time ago, but it never meant anything to either of them.

“Wanna be my partner?” Brandon asked.

Maya felt the pressure in her chest leave.

“I was about to ask h-” Lucas started but Maya walked over to Brandon.

“Sure Brandon,” Maya said as she stood next to him “hope you’re not thinking you’ll be able to get a pass at me now.”

“Oh of course not, thought I should just save everyone the trouble of you trying to assault them with a tennis racket.”

Maya chuckled.

Lucas glared at Brandon, then looked back at Maya and just shook his head and walked away.

Maya let out a deep breath and leaned her hands on her knees.

“I didn’t expect that little tryst over the summer to have you running for your life,” Brandon chuckled.

Maya glared up at him and stood back up. “Nothing happened.”

Brandon stepped closer and leaned down. “If nothing happened, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now and your jacket still wouldn’t be in the backseat of my car.”

Her stomach tightened. She wondered where hers had gone after that night. So now Brandon had evidence, but Maya wasn’t going to let him know that.

“Nothing happened,” she said and started to walk away. Maya felt a hand around her arm and turned around to glare at Brnadon, but his face was soft.

They stared at each other for a minute.

“I’m on your side. I’ve always been on your side,” he told her. Brandon looked at her with sincerity and it was not a look she was used to seeing from him. Yea he as a good guy, even if he was the guy to go for some weed, but this was a look she wasn’t used to seeing. He was quiet, tough, quick witted with insults or a counter argument on a debate. A jack of trades, Maya had thought.

Brandon’s gaze traveled down her face. “Friar is dumbass, to let someone like you go.”

Maya pulled herself out of Brandon’s grasp, her hands were clenched though.

A smirk played in his face.

“Calm down, I mean no harm. I just didn’t want him singling you out and putting you on edge. I don’t know what happened, but I know you need someone to have your back and since Kendra isn’t here, I got you Hart.”

The bell rang.

“Looks like we’re partners now.”

Brandon turned and walked away back to the boy's locker room.

So, Brandon knew something, or guessed something happened. Obviously though, since it was his car that everything had transpired in. Then again, how odd they went from being friends to never speaking to suddenly becoming close again, and then back to never speaking. Definitely a sudden shift in the similar group of friends she and Lucas had during the summer.

Maya wasn’t going to worry about it though. It was months ago, and it didn’t matter anymore. All she was trying to do now was put it behind her, never speak to Lucas again unless she had to, and graduate. That was the plan.

As much as she tried to convince herself though, she felt like the universe had other plans.

#chapter 2 #Lucaya #lucaya fanfiction #lucaya fanfic #lucaya fic #lucas friar #maya hart #girl meets world

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consumeconstantly · 4 years ago

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Lady Cross (first aid)

Summary: Somehow, Marinette always ends up biting off more than she can chew. It started off with a kid and a nasty gash on their knee. The sudden escalation to treating the new head of Gotham’s underworld? It can only be explained by the fact that she’s catnip for trouble.

_____________________________________________

Marinette supposed she should have expected something like this to happen eventually.

Really, she patches up a few street kids and offers a meal and some resources and suddenly she's made a name for herself in the slums of Gotham. It’s not like she’s doing anything revolutionary. Well, okay, maybe she does cheat a little bit and uses her healing powers on a few of the tougher cases that really should have been out of her realm of expertise, but she’s living near the slums of Gotham for a reason. That reason being Marinette is just a little broke and can’t really afford to send everyone she comes across to the hospital, and the people who are injured certainly can’t. It’s not like she can leave them to die. That would be heartless.

When she stopped treating scrapes and cuts for kids on the streets as she came across them and instead found her apartment balcony frequented by families who needed her help, she couldn’t just say no. And so, more and more serious wounds started coming in. Kids brought their parents and friends. The parents and friends brought... well, if the police stopped by her apartment any time soon, she’s fairly certain they’d have a field day.

But again, it’s not like she’s going to turn these people into the police when they’ve come to her for help and have a small army of people who swear up and down that they’re good people and only doing what they have to do in order to get by.

Morality comes in such a variety of shades, who was she to judge? Ladybug and Marinette have both certainly had their fair share of mistakes that they’d gladly go back in time to rectify, and her hands weren’t clean of blood either. Sure, the Miraculous Cure may have brought people back, but their deaths were still on her. And Hawkmoth? Yeah, he’s alive now, but she hammered him into the pavement after dropping him from the top of the Eiffel tower, and she’s not going to pretend that she didn’t take a bit of morbid joy in that moment.

But back to the matter at hand. Which was, the notorious Red Hood—responsible for a coup amongst Gotham’s drug dealers and responsible for taking down a man whose morality truly vanished with the wind, Black Mask himself— was currently bleeding out on her second floor balcony, smoking a cigarette and lounging against the rail like he owned the place.

“Lady Cross,” he inclined his head.

“Red Hood,” Marinette returned his greeting.

God, she really didn’t want to get involved with Red Hood. She wasn’t opposed to helping out street thugs and criminals, but Red Hood was a different league. He seemed to be a fairly decent guy, ensuring that kids weren’t dealt drugs and tried to keep them out of the circuit as much as possible. He took down plenty of worse criminals while he was at it. In fact, Marinette would go so far to say the Red Hood as one the good guys.

But the issue was, once she started treating people of a certain level, she’d be open game. And that didn’t seem very enticing to her. Not at all. Everyone knew that Red Hood had beef with the Bat Family for some reason or other, and also made enemies with almost every single rogue in Gotham, and a good number of enemies outside of it as well. Basically, Red Hood was a universal enemy of both the vigilantes and rogues. Someone she shouldn’t get involved with while she was trying to investigate the darkness surrounding Gotham whole running her online boutique and going to college at Gotham University.

Unfortunately, Tom and Sabine and her own stint as Ladybug taught her that she could never ignore someone in need. Marinette sighed and slid the mesh open, leading Red Hood to her living room. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

“Real nice place you got here,” he said.

With the mask covering the whole of his face, Marinette had no facial expressions to figure out whether he was poking fun at her current living situation or not. His voice sounded genuine, but vocal emotions were easy to fake.

The apartment she was living in was not on the nice side of town. There were three bullet holes in the wall between her living room and bedroom that she just didn’t have time to patch up, some pretty nasty looking stains on the ceiling near her kitchen, and a huge, spray painted red cross on one of her walls, which was where her street name derived from. Her floor and coffee table were also in states of disarray; she hadn’t gotten the opportunity to clean up after working on two commissions and the last guest whose wounds were heavy enough to warrant several rolls of gauze, which was now half stuffed into a garbage can sitting next to rolls of fabric. Perhaps not the neatest or most sanitary situation, but she didn’t have time to clean up before every single one of her unexpected guests came in.

Look, it wasn’t her fault that she didn’t have time to fix things up real nice and neat. She’d only been living in the apartment for a month and a half, and most times, she barely spent any time in it other than to sleep, cram last minute projects for her design course, or to help heal people. Her living situation wasn’t the biggest of worries.

“Sit,” Marinette gestured to the one of the few pieces of furniture that she specifically bought for the apartment. She didn’t mind the stained, half broken, and extremely creaky couch the last owners left behind for the first week, but after she started bringing back her first… visitors, it seemed important that the couch was comfortable, sturdy, and most crucially, cleanable.

Rummaging through a cabinet, she pulled out a tattered briefcase she thrifted a while back to keep all of her medical supplies in. Not the prettiest of things, but she tried not to keep expensive looking items in her apartment because she wasn’t a fan of getting mugged. The medicine she kept was already expensive enough, she didn’t need to attract everyone’s attention by owning one of those metal containers used in hospitals. Even though most of the people who dropped by her apartment were thankful to be treated, she had a few instances where people tried to steal things from her.

“What’s the damage, doc?” Red Hood��s voice came through rather tinny through his helmet.

Marinette grimaced. The helmet must have awful air circulation. It looked like some sort of metal, and wet and metal never smelled good together. “I don’t know, you tell me.”

“Thought you were supposed to be some mystic healer who came from the far east.”

She paused and looked at the man, trying to judge whether he was racist as well as rude. “That’s rather insulting.”

Red Hood shrugged. Marinette applauded the man for showing no outward sign of pain at that, even though there was a bullet embedded in his shoulder, and shrugging had to bite. “That’s what the word on the street is, though you sound French to me. Thought I’d come and check out who’s healing Gotham’s criminals. What’re you planning?”

“Sorry to foil your plans, but I’m not planning anything other than getting my college degree and not pissing off the people I live near.” She paused, flipping the lock on the briefcase upwards. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use me as your go to healer from now on. You’re going to bring trouble my way.”

“Trouble? Me? Perish the thought.” His hand rested comfortably on the holister of his gun, ready to shoot if the girl pulled out a weapon from the briefcase. “We’ll talk about repeat appearances after I see how you do today.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Any wounds other than the obvious?”

“Just need the bullet out, and some stitches on the gash.” His shoulder and his abdomen, respectively. The gash looked nastier than the bullet; no shrapnel, but the cut on his stomach was jagged and wide. Not a normal, sharp blade. Probably needed a good cleaning.

She grabbed the tweezers, a sterilized needle, and medical thread. “That’s fine. Now are you going to undress, or am I going to have to cut your… costume… up?”

“Getting me naked already? We haven’t even had our first date yet.”

“Very funny, little Red Riding Hood. Now hop to it. I have class at 9 tomorrow and projects to finish tonight.” Somehow, trouble always seemed to find her when she least wanted it to. Not that she wanted to have trouble find her at all, but luck was a two way street, and for all that being Ladybug granted her good luck, she attracted criminals like catnip.

“And here my informants had me thinking you were a regular Florence Nightingale.”

Marinette snorted. “They wish. I’ve got to ask who told you, because everybody should know the rules. You know, the ones where they don’t speak of my existence to their higher ups?”

“I’m not a rat,” Red Hood said, taking the top part of his outfit off. “And it’s not like you would have gone unnoticed anyways. You might be treating small timers now, but people catch on to healers pretty easy.”

“Because some gauze and sewing skills make me such a prime target.”

“No, your magic does.”

Shit. Marinette never told anyone she was using magic, and she rarely used it unless it was a dire situation. If she could patch them up using regular skills, she did.

“Yeah right, if I had magic healing powers, do you think I’d be shoving my fingers into your shoulder to get a bullet out?”

“Not a very good liar, Lady Cross. You have this deer-caught-in-the-headlights look about you.”

“Thanks for the compliment. I’m also the deer that tramples through your windshield and takes a dump on the driver’s seat.” She maneuvered the tweezers a little rougher, hoping to make Red Hood hiss in pain. He just chuckled, amused. His high pain tolerance was getting rather annoying. She had half a mind to pour hydrogen peroxide over the wound just to see if that would make him show he was in pain, but thought better of it. Even though she didn’t like the man, she also didn’t want to piss him off. Or worse, have him come back and make her fix him up again.

Threading the needle, she made quick, small stitches on his shoulder, sewing the bullet hole up, then put some petroleum jelly to speed up the healing process and reduce scarring. At least the wound was in a position that didn’t require a lot of gauze. She needed to go out and buy some more soon. She barely had enough to wrap around Red Hood’s waist.

“So, the magic,” Red Hood started. “Is it a conditional thing? Can you not use it all the time?”

“Again, I don’t have magic.” Marinette did have to use some antibacterial on the knife wound. He would need to take good care of that one to make sure it didn’t get infected.

“So a meta, then. What are you doing in Gotham? Everybody knows Batman hates metas.”

“Not a meta, either, sorry to disappoint.” She tied off the gauze, then stood to wash her hands. “Make sure to clean the stomach wound well. Hope you have your tetanus shot, otherwise you should look into getting one.”

“Surprisingly, I’m inclined to believe you on the not-a-meta thing. Back to the first thing, then. Magic. Why don’t you show me the old razzle dazzle? Do you have to say one of those weird spells like the godmother in Cinderella? Bibbity bobbity boo?”

“You’re hilarious,” Marinette dead panned.

“How’s this for magic? Bibbity bobbity boo, kindly leave. Shoo.” She followed his suggestion, made a show of jazz hands as well. “Pity I don’t use magic otherwise you’d be gone now. Anyways, it’s time for you to make your exit. It would be great if you didn't visit me again. Ever. Thanks.”

She ushered him out onto her patio, then slammed the sliding door. He saluted her before dropping off the side of the building. She could imagine the man under the helmet smirking.

Marinette ran a hand through her loose hair. “He’s going to come back, isn’t he.”

@jasonette-july-2k20

#jasonette july #first aid #jasonette #marinette dupain cheng #jason todd #gotham #original content #bamf marinette #sassy marinette #miraculous ladybug #maribat #dcu #red hood hears of a mystic healer and decides to check her out

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mighty-ragnarssons · 4 years ago

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Knocked Up | Modern Vikings AU | Chapter I

Relationships | Modern Ivar x OC Summary | Ivar always thought he'd be one of those people that never find the love of their lives. But then he found her - or, as the story goes, she bumped into him. He never saw it coming. Then he had to deal with it, and all the consequences that came along. Warnings | some smut, a little angst, harassement, teenage pregnancy

You can read in AO3 as well (click here).

Chapter 1

There was no one in town that didn’t know about the Ragnarssons, the children of the famous Ragnar Lothbrok. They were fearless, they were reckless, and they were dangerous, just like their father. That’s what everybody said.

Bjorn was the eldest, the first-born of Ragnar’s first marriage with Lagertha. There had been a daughter too, Gyda, but she had passed away terribly young. After that, Ragnar had only sons born from his second marriage, this time with Aslaug. First came Ubbe, then Hvitserk and Sigurd. All of them perfectly healthy and strong boys that, much like Bjorn and to Ragnar’s amusement, took after their father in several ways. Unexpectedly and accidentally, however, there was a fifth child, the last son of Ragnar, Ivar.

Ivar was very different from his brothers.

Born with a bone condition, he was crippled from the start. It was not just his legs that wouldn’t allow him to ever walk on his own, but a whole lot more pain coming from his frail bones that were never to be trusted. No wonder he grew up as a vulnerable, angry, and sad kid, despite being his mother’s favorite and most protected son. And now, as he was becoming a man, people called him mad and a drunk, a wild card with whom everyone rather stay away from. Ivar didn’t mind, he preferred to be tamed than to be pitied after a lifetime of being looked down on. In fact, he would do everything in his power to remain like this. It was the only way to prove himself and stay out of his brothers’ shadow and, most importantly, his father’s to who Ivar was the least favored son, something which hurt the boy more deeply than his constant physical pain.

“Hurry up, Ivar. Crawl faster, or else when we get to the club Ubbe and Hvitserk will have gotten all the best girls” Sigurd’s voice echoed loudly through the house.

Ivar was there a second later clearly annoyed at his brother’s mocking tone. “Last time I checked, dear brother, you need me to drive you. So shut up. Let’s go.”

Sigurd couldn’t argue back. He did need Ivar to drive them to the club. He kept failing at taking his driver’s license. It was humiliating to have to need his crippled brother to drive him, but Ubbe and Hvistserk, the bastards, hadn’t been home. Minutes afterward Ivar was behind the wheel of his accessible SUV and off they were.

Thirty minutes later they were skipping the line to get into the club. The Ragnarssons had their ways. If there was one circuit in which their name was known by everyone, it was the nightlife one. No party would ever start without one of them being there. Ivar and Sigurd joined Ubbe and Hvisterk in the VIP area. As usual, Ivar took a corner where he knew he’d spend the next few hours drinking, smoking, and glaring at the dancing crowd. Perhaps if someone caught his eye he’d make a move, but usually, it was more like his brothers to do that.

“There you go” Hvitzerk handed him a joint “Don’t look so serious, Ivar. The night is young. Enjoy!” By the looks of it, it was clear that he was already a bit high. But again it was Hvitserk and unusual would be to find him sober. “A lot of pretty ladies out there. Want me to pick one for you?”

Ivar knew Hivtserk was only joking, but he still didn’t like it. His brother, ignoring Ivar’s cold glare and much to his annoyance, started pointing out to random girls who were dancing. “Oh, look at that one. C’mon Ivar, ain’t she a treat to stare at?”

Thankfully, Hivtserk stopped his stupid game once their oldest brother Bjorn joined them, bringing shots to everyone with the help of his wife, Torvi.

“Brother, to what do we owe the honor?” Ivar said, throwing one of his ironic smirks.

“I bring good news. Father is going to be released from jail sooner than expected. In three months to be exact! I had to pull some strings but it’s settled”

The news was received with different reactions. Sigurd didn’t seem that happy, while Ivar was the opposite. Ubbe was the first one to hold one of the shot glasses and started the toast “To Father! To Ragnar!”

Ragnar had been in prison for almost three years due to white-collar crimes, having been convicted of corporate fraud and money laundering. His sentence would’ve been of more than ten years, but Ragnar had his ways and was able to cut a deal for five years. And now, apparently, he would only serve almost four. Throughout this time it had been Bjorn taking over the leadership of the family’s successful business, Northmen Ventures, of which all of Ragnar’s sons had become the sole shareholders just before he was imprisoned. This explained why they were one of the richest families in their Norwegian city of Bergen.

Bjorn, now age 30, had been the natural successor of Ragnar. Not only because he was the oldest and perhaps the favorite son of Ragnar, but also because at the time he was the only one with a university degree, having just graduated from Law School. Yet, all of Ragnar’s sons were meant to get involved with the business. At least that was their father’s wish. Ubbe, now 24, had just graduated from Architecture School but had recently joined Bjorn on the company’s executive board. Ivar wasn’t given the opportunity to help out, something which he grudged his older brothers - for dismissing him for his age, despite the fact that he’d watch and learned as much from his father as possible since an early age. Now 19 he was a freshman in college taking Business Administration. Then there were Hvitserk, 23, and Sigurd, 21, the ones more adamant about following in their father’s footsteps. Hvitserk was using the money they were all getting to sustain his pricy bachelor lifestyle, and so was Sigurd who dedicated most of his time to art and music. Neither tried to pursue a higher education degree.

“Don’t get too excited. Father will be back and then what? It’s not like he cares about us.” Sigurd, the mood killer, chugged his beer aggressively “He didn’t let us visit him in prison not even once. Not even Mother was allowed to. He didn’t even care for sending a postcard for Christmas!”

“He must have had his reasons.”

“And he left us the company”

“And so what? He just wanted to prevent it from ending up in the hands of the government. Fuck him! You might all want to play the role of doting sons, but I’m not gonna tag along” After this Sigurd stormed off.

The remaining brothers looked at one another. A little bit of what Sigurd had just said resounsed with them, but at the same time they were excited to welcome back their father. Things would be very different with him around.

“I say we celebrate.” Ivar said, not minding Sigurd. He couldn’t wait for his father to be back so that he could prove himself once and for all. He was no longer the defenseless crippled child he was when Ragnar went away.

Despite the good mood he was in about Bjorn’s good news, Ivar wasn’t vibing with the club’s atmosphere that night. Hvitserk and Ubbe were making out with some random girls, Sigurd was nowhere to be seen and Torvi and Bjorn had left already. Instead, he was craving for some adrenaline and he knew just the way to get it. Texting his dealer, he left the club with the help of his crutches.

Nothing was to stop him except that on the way out someone bumped into him almost causing him to lose his fragile balance. Fury grew on Ivar who was about to yell at whoever made the mistake of infuriating him that night, but that’s when her face lost the blurriness of a few seconds ago and Ivar lost his balance again but for a completely different reason.

“Oh, no. I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to...shit”

“Bitch, get back! For the hundredth time, you’re not getting in!”

The girl’s expression quickly turned one of desperation. “I told you I have to. My cousin needs help! Don’t stop me, please” Her words were towards the bouncer that was now pulling her back, but her pleading eyes were on Ivar as if asking for help.

“Hey, let her go!” Ivar didn’t know why, but his rage got up to new levels when he saw the bouncer getting his filthy hands on her. “I said back off. Take your fucking hands off of her.”

At Ivar’s command the bouncer let her go. It didn’t matter that he was a big muscle guy, Ivar took a step towards him and faced him with a cold death stare.

“She’s coming in with me, do you understand?”

“Ragnarsson, she is a minor. I can’t let her in.”

“I’m not asking.”

His tone set it. He nodded so that the girl got in the club ahead of him. She didn’t even say a word, going immediately in. Ivar had to hurry himself inside to catch up.

“Fuck, there’s so many people” she noticed looking absolutely lost.

“Let me help you.” he offered.

“The bathrooms. My cousin... she called me, she didn’t sound fine… I’m worried something’s happened... She said she couldn’t move” she was trembling as she spoke. Ivar reached her hand with his.

“If she is here we are going to find her.” he assured her “Follow me”

It was not typical of Ivar to help a lady in distress but as he was guiding this girl through the crowd of drunk dancing people he couldn’t understand the need he was abruptly feeling for shielding her and, worst of all, to comfort her. These feelings left him uneased, but he was not going to dwell into that right now. If his suspicions were right and her cousin was somewhere in the club, then she was probably drugged to the point of unconsciousness and in a position to be taken advantage of.

They swiped all the bathrooms at the club until at last they burst into one where a girl was noticeably knocked down in a corner.

“Cathrine!” the girl immediately crouched down on her cousin. “Cathrine, can you hear me?”

“All of you, get out” Ivar demanded the girls who were inside. Some tried to complain, after all he was the guy in a female bathroom. These same girls that had paid no attention, or they just didn’t care, to the other girl on the floor. He then went outside as fast as he could and got a water bottle.

“She’s awake, but barely. Says she 's dizzy. She’s not talking right”

“She was likely drugged” It wouldn’t be a first in that club “Make her sip some water” he threw the water bottle at them. He really wanted to level down to them, but with his crutches and all it just wouldn’t go well. “I’m gonna find help.”

He ‘raced’ to the VIP area. Only Hivtserk was there with a girl on top of him. What was wrong with his brothers for acting as if their corner was a place of public foreplay display?

“Hvitserk, I need your help!”

“Go away Ivar” he grumbled and continued to suggestively run his hands on the brunette over his lap.

Ivar had to take the matter into his hands. The first thing he found was a leftover cocktail on the table which he threw at the girl. Her immediate squeak was so high and audible despite the deafening music. She practically jumped from on top of his brother.

“You crazy motherfucker!”

“What the fuck Ivar?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Come with me. I need your help.”

Usually he didn't have much faith in his brothers - after all they were a pain in his ass most of the time - but this time he was really hoping to call on Hvitserk’s good senses. Fortunately his prayers were answered and his older brother followed him back to the bathroom

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a passed out girl. We need to get her out of here.”

“Would you go so far as in to get laid, little brother? Oh, you sicko”

“This is not the time for jokes, asshole. You’re the sicko for even suggesting that”

Ivar was almost regretting getting Hvitserk to help, but the truth was that he alone wouldn’t be able to carry the girl out from the bathroom. The moment they got in there Hvitserk got a bit more serious and kneeled next to the two girls.

“Let’s get her out of here”

Together with Hvitserk, the girl helped raise her semi-unconscious cousin. People inside the club were so fucked up that they didn’t drop one second to look at them leaving.

“Take her to my car” Ivar indicated and so they did. He unlocked his metallic grey SUV from afar and went on to open the backdoors where they laid the girl. “Let her get some fresh hair. It will do her good.”

“Should we take her to the hospital?” Hvitserk suggested.

A loud “No!” came from the inside of the car.

“She can’t. It will be too complicated” said the other girl but not without hinting her dissatisfaction.

Ivar finally took a moment to fully look at her. Dressed in just a pair of jeans and a warm sweatshirt, she was lean and tall, but at least a good ten centimeters shorter than himself. Her blonde hair was tied in a messy bun with some strands falling down on her face. He had to hold the instinct to gently brush those aside. And her eyes… They were a very greyish blue color like he had never seen before. They were mirroring worry and nervousness.

“I’m calling a cab. Thank you for your help. I don’t know what I would’ve done if it weren’t for you” she said facing Ivar and Ivar only.

“I can drive you.” he offered without thinking.

“We already bothered you enough -”

Ivar cut her off “Nonsense. I’m going to drive you” he declares in a way that offered no other option.

Relief poured from her gaze “Thank you”

It was quite the drive, further out of Bergen’s city center. By the time they got there the passed out girl - Cathrine - had regained consciousness, albeit feeling nauseous and dizzy. Hvitserk carried her alone in his arms to the inside of the house and further into her bed. It was time enough for her to fall asleep like a rock.

“She seems just to need some rest. Keep her hydrated when she wakes up.”

“If she was drugged then it should wear off her system soon”

“Noted. I don’t know how to thank you both”

“You could go on a date with one of us, how does that sound?”

“Hvitserk!” Ivar admonished in reaction to the girl’s shocked expression “Please, ignore my brother. He, too, has drugs that need to wear off his system”

“You’re no fun, Ivar” Hvitserk couldn’t argue back on the drugs part. “A pleasure to help, milady. Until next time” He did a silly bow and left the apartment back to the car.

“Is he always like that?”

“Most of the time, yeah.” Ivar shrugged his shoulders “Hand me your phone” Because she did without complaining, he got it and put his number in there “I’m Ivar Lothbrook. Whenever you need help.”

What he really wanted to say was ‘text me’. He didn’t have the nerve for that, tho.

For the first time that night she finally showed a glimpse of a smile “Honestly, thank you. I don’t know what I would’ve done without your help, Ivar Lothbrok”

Her hand was touching his and for a moment everything seemed to stop. The way his name sounded on her lips… A shiver went down his spine. He wanted to hear it again, but most importantly he wanted to know her name.

But in that exact moment a horn yelled. Goddamned Hvitserk. He was going to wake up the whole street, which was the opposite of what the girls had asked. “I better go drive him home now or else he’ll wake up the whole neighborhood”

Yet Ivar was finding it difficult to leave. To leave her. Another honk made him take the necessary steps.

“I mean it when I say for you to use my number whenever. Stay safe”

He finally closed the door behind him and walked back to the car, but not before looking over his shoulder. There she was, by the window, waving goodbye with a shy smile on her face.

He needed to see her again.

The next morning Ivar woke up rather hopeful of seeing a text message. Seeing there was none, his day didn’t kick off exactly on the right terms. Throughout the day he checked his phone more times than he cared to admit and each time he grew impatient and irritated. What was it about that girl to make him like this? It’s not like he usually gave a crap about whoever he met.

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve got a right cob-on” his older brother Ubbe asked later that day when they were all chilling by the firepit in the backyard of the Lothbrook’s home.

Although in Norway it was uncommon for people their age to still be living at home, in their case that’s how things were and worked out great most days. Usually it was just the four brothers and the house was big enough for them not to be in each other’s ways.. Their mother, Aslaug Lothbrok, ran one the country’s finest art galleries. After her husband’s arrest she had moved her gallery to the capital city, Oslo, instead of their home city. Lately she spent most of her time there rather than at home.

“It’s nothing. Leave me alone”

“He’s hung up” teased Hvitserk “Still thinking about the pretty blondie from last night, brother?”

Right that moment Ivar wished he could smack the mocking smiles out of his brother’s faces.

“Well, well, well Ivar. Didn’t know you had company last night.”

“He didn’t. Not exactly. None of us did” Hvitserk proceed to put Ubbe on the loop in regards to their little episode last night. “Instead of asking her for her number, our little brother gave her his. Wrong move, dude.” Ivar immediately regretted telling this to Hvitserk. “Don’t be so bummed out, Ivar. There’s plenty of fish in the sea. Speaking of…”

A blonde Ivar doesn’t care much about exits their home in Sigurd’s company, both appearing content which can only mean one thing. Margrethe is a constant guest at the Lothbrok’s and probably the only female with the fame of being acquainted with all of the brothers’ rooms. Although a favorite among the Ragnarssons, to Ivar she’s nothing but an unpleasant company he is forced to tolerate after they fall out months ago.

“If that’s the fish you’re hinting at, I’d rather go vegan” Ivar mumbled under his breath.

I hope you liked it! It’s my first Vikings fic :) Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my native language. At least five more chapters will be on the way.

#knocked-up-fic #vikings fic #vikings fanfiction #vikings fanfic #modern vikings #modern vikings au #modern ivar #modern ivar au #ivar #ivar the boneless #ivar x oc #ivar x original female character #ivar ragnarsson #ragnarssons #my fiction #ivar lothbrok #knocked up fic

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winter-fox-queen · 3 years ago

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We All Deserve a Fairy Tale Chapter 5

Warnings: Here be smut, my loves. Minors be gone, because it is explicit. First time writing smut, so I hope it works.

Frankie x female blank slate, use of first person. I think there is cursing.

Frankie ghosts you, then something happens to change it…

Thanks to @sharkbait77 and @hnt-escape If you want on my tag list, tell me. :)

I waited a week. A week and a half. And I broke down, finally, and texted.

Got the edits back for my next book. I hate this part.

After a moment, a reply. You got this.

Hope? Maybe? Or was he just being nice?

I responded anyway.

Maybe we can go out and see that movie tonight? Have dinner? A little fun before I chain myself to the computer?

No response.

I waited a day, but my stomach churned the whole time.

I texted again, after getting myself good and wound up. You don’t owe me any explanations. But please respect me enough not to ghost me. You’re not interested in me, that’s fine. But don’t leave me dangling. You’re better than that.

I hit send, regretted it immediately.

Your right. What’s your address?

“Shit. Shit. What have I done?” I whispered as I typed it to him.

About five away. K?

Yeah. Thanks.

I ran back inside the house and straightened myself up. Military minutes must be shorter than civilian minutes because I heard him pull up sooner than I was ready.

I went outside, to the back yard. I waved at him, half heartedly. He shoved his hands in his pockets and came over.

“Hey.” He gave me a soft smile. Everything about him was guarded. OK. Well, I asked him to come over and officially tell me to take a hike, so, I guess I deserved it.

“Frankie, I…”

“No. I, uh.” He looked at the ground between our feet. It was more dirt than grass. “Man, you weren’t kidding about this place being a wasteland.”

I laughed despite the rock in my gut.

He looked up at me, a little sideways. “Let me say my piece and go, OK?”

I hugged myself, and nodded.

“I like you.” He said so quietly that I had to lean closer to hear him. “Like you more than I’ve liked anyone for a long time. And I mean that. But wanting you in my life doesn’t mean I get to. I’ve killed — “

I started to object, say something about the army and of course he did and he did what he had to…

He saw it and said, firmly, “No.”

I closed my mouth and he nodded. “No. I’m talking about…less than a year ago. Some friends and I went on a mission. We said it was to help stop a major drug dealer but it was just…” He’s breathing a little heavier, now. Unable to look at me, rubbing the palms of his hands on his thighs.

“People died.” He looks at me, then, the anguish in his eyes, the guilt. “My own fucking actions lead to one of my best friends getting killed. If I hadn’t taken that shot. If I hadn’t wrecked the fucking chopper…”

He steps forward and takes my hands in his. They’re clammy, shaking. “The mail you saw, it was a reminder. My friend’s widow, she’s angry and looking for answers and she doesn’t want any of us to be happy. And she’s right.”

I try to find words. I feel like I’m in a cave in, trying to scramble over rocks and debris.

“I don’t deserve to be happy, and I don’t deserve you.” He touches my cheek for a second, a butterfly landing and running away. “I’m gonna go now, I’m gonna block your number.”

He kisses me. His lips are hot. When he steps back, I say, “So you’re not going to give me a choice?”

“Why would you want one?” His voice is incredulous. There’s an echo, under his words, I can see it in his eyes, in the frustrated way he throws his hands out. Why would you want me?

I shook my head. “You say you like me, but you want to close yourself off? Not give me a chance to get to know you, help you if I can?”

“It’s for the best. You see that, right?” There’s a desperate edge.

I shake my head. Everything that can possibly hurt does. I’m supposed to be so good at words, and I can’t find the right ones, the ones to reel him back in.

He adjusts his hat. “No, you don’t. I love your books, but they are fairy tales. You can’t make a good man out of a monster. It’s not how the world works.”

“You’re not a monster.”

He’s all twitchiness now, looking at his truck, desperate to get out of this situation. It makes me mad, how badly he wants to go. How I know I can’t fix this. “Don’t bother blocking my number.” I say, as I turn on my heel. “I won’t bother you again.”

He whispers my name and it is so pained that I almost turn around. But I don’t.

***

I don’t block his number. I can’t. I focus on work. My job that lets me eat work. My book. My hands shake on the keyboard, sometimes, as I try to make the story mine again. It’s hard to write a love story, even one with murder and mystery, when your own heart is broken.

It was ridiculous. I didn’t even know him that long, but the loss of him hurt. It made the story feel pointless. What right did I have to sell these lies? To make people believe in love and romance and happily ever after when you can meet someone so amazing and wonderful, and have to watch him walk away?

I kept working. I’d get over it. I had to. It’s not like I’d built anything with him. I was just aching for the possibilities — the things I tortured myself about. The things I imagined I m might have lost, with Frankie.

And damn it, I missed him.

But life continues. And sink faucets wear out, making you have to run to the local home improvement store, wandering the isles with an armload of new faucet, fittings, plumbers tape and everything else the YouTube videos I’d consulted said I would need.

The universe has decided that I have not suffered enough, because I can see him, Frankie Morales in the flesh, frowning at the back of a box like its his greatest enemy. He was in the home security section.

I could sneak by. He was way too interested in what he was holding in those lovely, large hands of his. I dashed by, head down, determined to just get past him, but some lady with a cart pushed past me at the same time, and my arm load of stuff got jostled. I was able to save the most expensive bit — the faucet in its box, the long flexible connection thingies — but the plumbers tape, in its plastic hard shell donut jumped out, fell onto the floor, and rolled right over to a well worn work boot. Spun like a top. Settled right against his toe. I looked up, too nervous to enjoy the view (much) and right into his eyes. His lips were parted, like he was a little surprised to see me.

“Hey.” I said, and then, because I didn’t know what else to do, I turned and fled back the way I came. I knew where the plumbers tape was, I could just go get another…

“Hey. Wait a second.”

I stopped, took a breath, smiled like everything was perfectly normal.

He held up the white plastic Judas. “Um…your faucet break?” And then he winced. “I mean, obviously. Um.” He placed the tape on top of my pile delicately. He was holding a box in both hands tight enough to warp the cardboard.

“It’s old. I thought I would try my hand at replacing it…can’t be that hard.”

“No, but plumbing can be really picky if you’ve never done it…”

“Don’t offer.” I whisper it desperately, before I can even think about it. I can tell he’s working himself up to it, and the thought of him in my house is like a punch ion the guts.

“It wouldn’t be a problem.” His dark eyes study my face. Sad. A little desperate. For a second I think, maybe he misses me, too.

“No. I got it.” I say softly, looking at the floor again.

“Do you still have my number? If you change your mind?”

I nod at the container. “Go back to your project, Frankie. I can handle this on my own.”

Did you know, plumbing is an utter bitch?

Throw in some more curse words in the last sentence. I certainly used every one I could.

Two hours later, I get a text.

Frankie: How did it go?

I want to sob. Instead, I put myself together and write a fairly moderate response:

Me: I have decided that I will now do my dishes in the bathroom sink. Who needs a sink in the kitchen? A total waste.

Frankie: The offer is still open?

Me: How did you know? Did you just look at me and think, she is too inept to be able to do this herself?

Frankie: No. I don’t think that at all.

Frankie: Let me help? Please?

Me: Since you said please, I guess I can allow you to come rescue me.

Frankie: OMW.

I looked at the time, and decided to order pizza. It was only fair.

Twenty minutes later he’s under the sink. “You did a good job. I think maybe you just cross threaded it…”

“Oh, no…did I ruin the threads?”

“It’s probably OK. I’ll just use a lot of tape…”

And he does some magical things with a wrench and the bright pink tape, which he wraps around the threads to make them more water tight. I try not to admire his long legs or the rest of him, spread out on my kitchen floor, as he half lays in the bottom of the sink.

The doorbell rings, and I go pay for the pizza, and when I come back he’s turned on the water, and he’s kneeing in front of the open sink bottom, using a paper towel to see if he can find any leaks.

“It looks OK?” I ask tentatively.

“Yep…you really did have it done mostly. Just that one spot.”

“Thanks,” I say awkwardly. “I bought us dinner?”

“You are awesome.” He does a quick but of clean up so he can shut the sink doors and washes his hands in the newly repaired sink. He tosses his hat onto the end of the island, and I want to run my fingers through his hair. He does it for me, absentmindedly pushing the hair off his forehead.

We sit on either side of my kitchen island, sharing pizza. I don’t know what to say.

“It’s a nice apartment.” He said quietly, picking up another slice.

“It’s cheap, not far from my day job. It works.” I shove a hunk of crust in my mouth to stop myself from saying anything else. I knew this would be bad. Here he is, sitting a few inches away. I could touch him, but I’m not allowed. It’s a rotten feeling, wanting something and not being allowed to have it. To feel his fingers wrap around mine. To have that easy, happy camaraderie again.

“What are you thinking?” I ask, when the silence gets too much.

He shakes his head. Wads up his napkin. Puts his plate in the sink. Locates the trash. Such a good guest.

“I shouldn’t have come. But I wanted to see you.” He said this quietly, as if he isn’t sure he should admit it.

“Well, if you hadn’t, I’d still be under the sink wondering why the damned fittings are still leaking.”

He gives me a gentle smile. “You would have been ok.”

“Lucky I didn’t block your number, huh?”

He smiles and kneels down, picking up tools and putting them back in the box. Sorting his from mine.

“It was nice of you to come help me? I might be a bit snarky, but I really am grateful for the help.”

“I was happy to. Where do you keep these?” I took my tools off him, put them and the plumber’s tape in my tool drawer.

“But why? Why were you happy to help? Why did you want to see me? You couldn’t leave here quickly enough the other day…” I smile to take the sting out. “Not that I blame you, the yard is a hot mess.”

He touches my face gently. “Hush.” I stop my babbling, lean into his touch.

“You asked me a question, awhile back.” I muzzle his hand. “I never got to answer it.”

“What was that?”

“You asked me if I wanted you. And I do. Very much.”

He made a huffing sound, as if he had been gut punched, and then, slowly, slowly, leaned in and kissed me. “I miss you,”. He whispers between kisses, his hands framing my face like I’m a delicate thing. “I miss you when I wake up. I miss you when I lay down to sleep. I miss you when I’m driving.” And each sentence he punctuates, gently, with a kiss, to my forehead, to my nose, to my mouth. “I barely know you, but you are already woven into my thoughts…”

I’m holding him tight, kissing him back. I bump my nose against his, sweetly, and I saw, “Then why? Why stay away?”

He pulls back as far as I’ll let him, sits down again. I see the ghosts in his eyes again, and I remember the lyrics from a song I used to love, “There’s ghosts in your eyes, they cry when you smile…”

“I shouldn’t have come…I’m a train wreck waiting to happen.”

“No, not if you’re just going to push me away again. That’s cruel. I never thought you’d be cruel, Francisco Morales.”

He winces like I punched him.

“If it’s too soon to tell me, that’s fine. Just push it aside until you trust me. Or until it matters. I don’t care about your past, what you’ve done. I know you well enough to know you did what you had to do at the time.” I give in to the longing to touch him, I run my fingers lightly through the curls at his temple before letting my hand drop. He’s watching me like a landmine he’s stepped on. His fingers ghost over my hips. Grip them gently. Pulls me between his thighs. Now it’s my turn to be wary, as he pulls me close. His dark, liquid eyes study my face, I can almost hear him weighing and sorting. Lay your secrets on me, beautiful man. I want to tell him. But I wait. I wait until his large hands encompass me, run over my waist, the softness over my ribs, glide up the sides of my breasts so softly I am not even sure he touched me, to cup my face.

“I want to be who you think I am,” he says, and I smile gently.

A decision is made, in those fathomless eyes. And he leans close, and he kisses me again. The last kisses were loving. This kiss is passionate. Deep. So full of longing I could cry. I let my lips part and his tongue traces, licks inside. I make a little sound and grab his wrists, pushing them aside so I can wrap my arms around him, if I could meld myself to him, I would have then, melted inside of him like gold, fixing his cracks.

He stands, the stool scraping against the floor. The sound is jarring, lifts me out of the lust sodden moment. “If you want me, baby, you have me,” he says in that rough honey voice of him. “Show me the way.”

I take one of his hands in both of mine, I kiss each knuckle. I’d been playing with the idea, and now here I was. I could still say no. I could slow things down, I could be sensible.

But I’d never wanted anything so deeply, so profoundly, as I wanted him. Every time I touched his skin, I felt like something lost had been returned to me.

I smiled a little at him, and backed away, pulling him with me. “This way, sweetheart.”

His lips are on mine the second we cross into my bedroom. Once Frankie Morales makes a decision, he is all in. His hand cups the back of my head, holding me so he can kiss me, his tounge sliding against mine as his other hand slips under my shirt. I pull back and tug at his shirt. “Off.” I command, and he grins and sheds it. My shirt and my bra join it on the floor. I press my breasts to the warm smoothness of his chest. I run my hands over his ribs, his stomach, as his mouth claims mine again. His skin is soft and warm, strong muscles flexing under my hands. I kiss along his jawline, I lick and kiss the constellation of freckles on the side of his neck. He moans softly in approval as I nip and kiss my way to his shoulder.

His own hands slip up to my breasts, weighing them in his hands, squeezing gently. He runs his thumb over one nipple, then bends to lick the other into his mouth, sucking gently, his tounge flicking at the hard peak. His freehand is splayed against the small of my back, holding me in place. Pleasure shoots through me, and all I can do is cling to him. He lets me go and pushes me gently. I fall back onto my bed, tearing at the button on my pants, needing to get everything off, needing to feel his skin, his warmth, his strength and softness.

“Condoms?” He asks, one knee on the bed. “I didn’t think…”

I shook my head. “I’m on the pill?”

His eyes darken further, and he asks, “Are you sure?”

I nod and hold out my arms, and he gives me the sweetest smile. He stands up again and undoes his pants, sliding them off, and he’s naked and beautiful and I just want him wrapped around me. He slips into my arms and kisses me again, his arms holding him over me. He gives me a little of his weight, grounding me. It feels so good, skin sliding against skin, warmth against warmth,

His slips a hand between us, and I clench at the thought of him touching me just as he slides two thick fingers between my folds, rubbing my clit gently, exploring me. “So wet.” He whispers, kissing my temple. “So soft.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “So hot.” And his takes my lips again, his fingers rubbing my clit, making me shake with building pleasure. “I want to taste you, sweetheart. I want to make you come on my tounge…can I, baby?”

I nod. I don’t know who can resist that voice, rough with lust and promise? He kisses his way down and I spread my legs wider, and he gently licks — a test lick, from my entrance to my clit. He licks my clit, hard, with short licks before drawing me into his mouth and sucking me. He is fervent, as he works, and I can’t think about anything but the heat of his mouth. As the pressure and pleasure builds, I’m making the most needy sounds, unable to control myself. His slips one finger in, then a second, exploring, touching, then another, stretching and reaching for that spot. The rippling explosion leaves me shamelessly arching into his mouth, crying out his name like a prayer.

“That’s it, baby,” he praises, kissing the inside of my thigh, rubbing his beard against the soft skin.

He comes up to kneel between by thighs. His eyes meet mine as I struggle to compose myself, and his hand gently comes up to very gently lay across my throat, his thumb tracing my chin.

“Are you sure? Where do you want me to come?”

I nod frantically. “Please, baby, I want you. Inside me, please…”

His hand slips away from my throat to rest on the bed above my shoulder, and I miss the warmth of it as he gently strokes my skin, settling his hand on my thigh. He takes his cock into his hand, stroking it before rubbing it against my clit, causing me to whimper. He runs the head of it up and down a few times, his eyes slipped closed, his jaw going slack, that lush lower lip parting. I wish I had a picture…he was beautiful. Skin made gold by the fading light, thighs splayed under mine. I felt the head of his cock in my entrance, and he pressed in, a slow hot stretch until he was sheathed completely.

“Oh, fuck.” He whispered. “You feel so good. So fucking good.”

He lowered himself back on top of me. “You feel so huge inside me, baby,” I whisper in his ear. “You feel like heaven. Please…fuck me, honey. Please…” And he started moving, slow at first, the changing the angle and speeding up. With every thrust he pressed against something that felt so good…I was seeing the proverbial stars as he gasped in my ear, making soft sounds of pleasure every time he slammed home. I nipped at his shoulder, and he was looking down at me, dark eyes studying me.

“Frankie, I…I can’t think, I don’t know what to do…”

“Don’t think. Just let me take care of you. It’s all I want to do…” He captures my mouth in a sloppy kiss. “Just let go.”

And I do. I cry out his name as he continues to move, the friction making my high last. He speeds up, and I cup his face in shaking hands.

“You’re so beautiful. I want to feel you come, Frankie, honey, come for me.”

He moved to kiss the palm of my hand, then his eyes squeeze shut as he finds his own release. I can feel it, spilling hot inside of me. I welcome him as he lowers himself down completely, unable to stay up on his forearms any longer. He tried to shift off, but I cling to him. I welcome his weight. His strength.

I don’t want to let go. I never want to let him go.

#frankie morales x reader #Frankie Morales #frankie catfish morales #frankie morales x you #frankie morales x f!reader #SMUT #My Fic

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let-them-read-fics · 4 years ago

Text

Winner Takes All

Drum roll please....🥁.... I'm very happy to present to you: the return of Gamer Jisoo and her infamous Pikachu hat. I know I know, very exciting.

Pairing: Jisoo x Fem!Reader

Word Count: ~ 4,479

Warnings / Misc. -- Fluff Galore, A Few Curse Words

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: First off I'd like to thank you guys for the love on my other gaming fic; seeing you enjoy my work really encourages me. With that being said, I should note that I don't know much about gaming conventions -- I apologize if I get some details wrong in this writing. I hope you enjoy it regardless. Happy reading!

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

“Lisa, I’m scared! What if she tackles me? You know how she can get when she’s excited…”

The throaty chuckle that leaves the maknae works to calm you down, and you find yourself smiling despite the nerves. “The girls and I will be there to keep you safe, don’t worry. Jisoo-monster can’t hurt you.”

You shake your head as you grab the tickets, stuffing them in your pocket and mentally preparing yourself for the surprise. Lisa takes your hand and drags you out the door in a rush, her happiness plain to see.

~~~

The sounds of your foot falls against the linoleum work in tandem with the beating of your heart, and you do your best to conceal your grin. The last thing you want to do is give the plan away at the last second.

Upon opening the door, you find the other 3 girls sprawled out on the floor in various positions, bodies exhausted from dance practice. So much for protecting you.

“Where were you guys? We were starting to get worried.”

When you take too long to reply, Jennie raises up onto her elbows, narrowing her eyes. “Y/N…”

Shit. You’re toast. The girls’ eyes search the two of you quizzically while your brain goes into overdrive in an attempt to find a believable excuse. Everyone knows you’re a bad liar, and you’ve just been caught in the act.

“LisawashelpingmewithasurpriseforJisoo.”

The words leave your lips in a rush, but your girlfriend doesn’t miss her name being thrown in there at the end. Her eyes dart up to yours, and she perks up.

“OYE! What was that?”

Releasing a sigh, you repeat yourself. “Lisa was helping me with a surprise for you.”

Jisoo’s stupid smirk from across the room makes you giggle, and you roll your eyes. She stands up and walks over, wrapping her arms around you.

"A surprise, huh?" She asks cutely, her eyes shining even brighter than usual as she raises her eyebrows repeatedly like a dork. Both of your smiles widen as you nod at her, allowing your hands to run through her mussed hair. Seeing her so excited makes everything worth it, and you know you'd spend every dollar to your name in order to keep her as happy as this; she deserves nothing less.

As she leans in to press a kiss against your lips, her hands work their way down to your hips, resting there. Too caught up in the moment, you fail to realize that her fingers have hooked their way into your pockets.

Her lips vibrate against yours as she lets out a confused mumble, her fingertips brushing over the foreign material. She gets the jump on you, quickly snatching the tickets from your jeans, and you watch her face as she reads them.

Every moment that passes feels like an eternity, the air void of any sound as you and the girls wait to see her reaction. She's still just staring at them, running a finger across the material as she rereads the info printed there. A pang of insecurity runs through you at her continuous silence, and you can't help but speak up.

"I know they're not the premium access ones, but we still get to--"

"They're absolutely perfect, Y/N. I don't know what to say." Her voice is gentle and quiet, and your heart softens at how precious she looks right now.

"You didn't have to do all of this for me." She says, unbelieving that she deserves such a gift. Determined to remind her of how much she means to you, you cup her cheek and coax her into looking into your eyes.

"After everything you do for me, this is the least I could do, baby. You're worth every bit of it and then some. I can't wait to take you."

She pulls you up against her again, wrapping her arms around your shoulders as she whispers words of gratitude and praise into your ear.

A minute later she pulls away to give everyone in the room a warning.

"Prepare yourselves -- incoming scream in 3...2...1…"

Jennie, Lisa, and Rosé all scramble to the farthest corner of the room, tripping and sliding the entire way while you just cover your ears and laugh. They look like characters out of an episode of Scooby Doo.

"AHHHH I love them!" She suddenly shouts, throwing her hands up into the air triumphantly as she does a little happy dance with the tickets. Her joy is contagious, and soon the rest of you are all bouncing around with her in celebration.

-----

"Ready, my love?"

Upon poking your head into Jisoo's room, you find her sitting at her vanity, smoothing out her hair before she puts on her signature Pikachu hat.

"Just a minute." She responds, sending you a soft smile through the mirror. You lean against the door frame to admire her until she's done, studying how elegant she looks while doing even the simplest thing. How you managed to get so lucky is beyond you, but you thank your lucky stars for her every day.

Once she's finished, she turns around in her chair to get a good look at you. A light pattern of blush rises to her cheeks at the way you're looking at her, head over heels and hopelessly devoted. A grin tugs at her lips as she approaches you, dusting off your shoulders and fixing your shirt just like a married couple would.

"I'm so in love with you."

Jisoo's heart speeds up at your words, still getting just as giddy as it did the first time you confessed to her. She bats her eyelashes and looks at you as if you hold the key to the universe.

"No way! Me too; I'm pretty great, aren't I?" She plays, making you roll your eyes and laugh. Of course she has to mess with you in the middle of a serious moment.

"I'm kidding. I love you more and more every day, Y/N." She says, taking your hands within her own as she loops them around her waist. Her eyes meet yours again, and she leans in to kiss your cheek.

"Now come on or we'll be late. I can't wait to school you!" She says, sticking her tongue out at you.

"Oh you are so going down. Just don't cry when I beat you." You retort, mocking her as you pout and make your lip tremble.

She playfully pushes you out the door, cackling as you almost fall. You say goodbye to the girls, making sure to give them all big hugs before leaving the dorm.

----

The convention center is bigger than you had ever imagined it'd be. Past the security line at the entrance, the space opens up immensely with two large hallways sprawling off on either side of the main performance room. High ceilings tower overhead, their support beams decorated with various posters and guides. Some staff members sit at a long line of tables to greet guests and offer information about the scheduled events.

"Good afternoon, ladies. How're you doing today?" One of them asks as you approach.

"Good, thank you. And you?" Jisoo says, smiling excitedly.

"I'm doing just fine. Is there anything I can help you with?" The woman is kind; you like her.

"Do you by chance have a map?" You inquire.

She nods, reaching underneath the table to fish the complimentary guide out of one of the boxes.

"Here you go."

"Thank you very much. I think this is all we need; have a great day!" You cheerily reply, bowing your head to show gratitude.

"You're welcome. Come back if you have any more questions; we hope you two enjoy your experience with us!" She sends you one last smile as you step out of line and allow the next guest to take your place.

After scanning your eyes across the busy area, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that's going on, you spot some tables near the large front windows of one of the expo halls.

You direct Jisoo's attention to them, and you swiftly make your way over there.

"Be cool -- I snuck us in some snacks because everything here is overpriced as hell."

You whisper to her, stealing a glance around the two of you before opening your coat like some sort of drug dealer. She lets out a little giggle as she eyes the assortment of candies and food you brought, saying: "You smart."

"Alright, let's plan out our route."

She nods in agreement, pulling a chair up next to yours so you both can look at the map.

Various fandoms have booths and rooms set up throughout the building -- everything from movies and tv shows, to any video game you can think of. Because of the scope of experiences offered, the tickets weren't easy to come by: you had to pay a pretty penny to even get the "cheap" option. Nevertheless, that's the last thing on your mind as you notice how happy Jisoo is right now. Her eyes dart across the paper, taking in all of the different sections and committing them to memory.

"I heard that the Harry Potter wing has butterbeer…" you start, nudging her shoulder with a smile.

She lights up at this, quickly deciding that you should start your trip there. "Okay, let's begin with it. Then we can check out some of the other movie franchises in that hall, and come over to the video games after."

You glance down at your phone to check the time before adding, "That'll work out perfectly. Overwatch and PUBG are having major tournaments later, so we'll be there in time."

She stands up to snatch a pen from one of the nearby help stands, and returns to her seat soon after. A scribbling noise can be heard as she circles the different places you want to go, adding stars beside the ones you guys are most excited for.

"Done!" She declares, placing the cap back on the pen and setting it to the side.

"Lead the way, pretty girl." You purr, grinning at the way her eyes turn into those famous little crescents as she smiles. She slips her hand into yours, interlocking your fingers as the two of you begin your journey.

----

"Y/N IT'S SO ADORABLE!" She yells, pointing to one of the Animal Crossing plushies that adorns the table in front of you. You push the brim of your newly-purchased Star Wars hat out of the way so you can get a better look at what she's talking about.

"Awww." You coo, reaching into your pocket to grab your wallet without hesitation. After buying it for her, you have her stand by one of the latest posters so you can have a mini photoshoot.

"You're so beautiful."

She loses focus on posing for the camera now, her eyes shifting from the lens to your own. You nearly melt from the look of pure adoration she's sending you, and she takes that as her opportunity to compliment you back.

"And you're the cutest thing ever." You hide behind your hands, shielding your blushing cheeks from further scrutiny.

"Stop it." You command, feeling her arms snake around your waist as she approaches you.

"Never," she starts, pulling your hands away so she can pepper kisses across your face. "I'll spend every day reminding you how precious you are."

"Ya know, my heart really can't take all of this love. I'm surprised it hasn't burst yet."

"Well it'll just have to get used to it." She declares, nodding curtly with a final look of determination taking over her features.

"I'm in love with a dork, everyone." You say to an imaginary audience, taking a step back as you motion to Jisoo. She slaps your shoulder playfully before dragging you to the next booth.

---

For the past 2 and half hours, the two of you have hit up just about every spot you intended to. You've accumulated bagfuls of bracelets, necklaces, shirts, and other memorabilia from nearly every shop you visited, and the thought makes you happy. Jisoo can decorate the dorm with her figurines and merch, and she'll be reminded of today every time she sees them.

"The big Overwatch match is about to start, so we can check it out until the PUBG one begins, if you want."

"Okay, but can you help me put this necklace on before we go?"

You nod in affirmation, taking her over to a nearby bench to set your things down and help her. She scoots up next to you and pulls her hair to the side as you fasten the small clip behind her neck. The piece matches yours, and you grin as her fingers come up to toy with the material.

She spins around to face you as she expresses her thanks, quickly moving on to rant about the tournaments. She giggles eagerly, mind completely wrapped up with thoughts of the games as she gushes about the things she's looking forward to.

You're doing your best -- honestly, you really are -- but Jisoo's lips look so kissable right now that you can't help but lose focus. They purse and pout as she rambles on, and you do your best not to stare.

You fail miserably, though -- after finding that your eyes have been nearly glued to her lips for the past 5 minutes, your gaze always dropping back down to those heart shaped pillows, Jisoo smirks. The sight makes you weak in the knees but you try not to show it.

"Awww, does somebody want a kiss?" She teases, making kissy noises at you while you blush and look away.

"Yeah, and what about it?" You challenge, turning back to her.

Content with how much she's teased you (for now), she rests a hand on the back of your neck as she draws you in closer to her body. Her other hand rests on your thigh, rubbing small circles onto the material of your pants. The moment is innocent enough at first, but the combination of her soft lips against yours and her ministrations on your leg soon makes your blood pressure rise.

Feeling the stares of other guests passing by, you decide to pull away. She chases your lips, though, pressing one more peck to them before looking into your eyes.

Your pupils are blown wide; your lips a little darker now, and Jisoo pats herself on the back. You're artwork to her, and she loves to see what she's capable of doing to you.

"If you keep looking at me like that then we’re gonna miss a big portion of this match.” You say lowly, just loud enough for her to hear. Her eyebrows raise in surprise at what your words imply, and her lips settle in their famous heart pose.

"Come on then, let's go inside." She says, tugging you up along with her. You guys will have plenty of time for that, later; for now, the most important thing is the event.

-------

Upon entering the spacious room, your ears are filled with theme music being played over the speakers. Chatter from fellow fans can be heard as well, and you take a moment to look around.

Countless rows of chairs stretch out in front of you, all neatly lined up towards the large stage across the room. A vast majority of them are already taken, but you happen to spot 2 empty ones in what appears to be the 4th row.

"Come on, let's grab those seats." You say, pulling her from her geeked-out stupor. She continues to gape at the layout of the room as you lead her to the chairs, her eyes wide in wonder. Large projectors on either side of the stage take turns displaying pictures of the starting players from both teams. Multicolored lights also shine at various points throughout the room, moving about in predetermined patterns and motions as they cycle.

Within 10 minutes, the elite players make their entrance, sending the room wild. Introductions are made, and they all take their seats at the different computers lined up on stage.

"How's everyone doing?" The MC's strong voice booms into the microphone, echoing loudly across the performance hall. The crowd shouts its response and you laugh at how loud Jisoo bellows out her own.

"We have an amazing set for you here tonight. Teams from across the world have flown in to compete for the 150,000 dollar cash prize, as well as the title of Overwatch league champions!"

The teams clap along at this, some pumping themselves up for the match while others try to appear cocky and unaffected.

"Our first teams, hailing from the US and Australia, are beyond excited to be here. Let's give them a hand!" He steps back to allow the cameras to get the best possible view of the gamers, and the footage is cast onto big banners hanging from the ceiling. Now everyone, regardless of how far back they're sitting, are able to see them well.

After the MC interacts with the crowd a little more and some of the players speak to their supporters, the match begins.

Jisoo is never very far from you, always close enough to point out certain things that she notices and comment on their techniques. She's like a sponge, soaking in the different ways to improve her own skills. As much as you love video games yourself, it's hard to pay attention to the game when she looks so unbelievably happy.

Many rounds later, after the winners are announced, you cross your fingers and take a deep breath. There's one final thing that you didn't tell Jisoo about earlier...

"Now, it's time for what you've all been waiting for! We'll be selecting 3 audience members to join us on stage and play against one another. Let's see who wants a spot!"

The MC shouts cheerily with that million dollar smile plastered onto his face. It's easy to see that he loves his job, and you've enjoyed watching him interact with everyone tonight.

The large crowd erupts at this and you have to fight to contain your knowing smile. You really have a knack for surprises.

"Jisoo, baby, stand over here. I think you'll be able to get their attention better."

A subtle nod passes between you and the event organizer you met with earlier, and he says something into his headset. Thankfully Jisoo hadn't questioned why your previous "bathroom break" took 10 minutes, and you were able to make an arrangement with the staff.

"Pick me!"

"OVER HERE!"

"I can beat 'em!"

Various shouts and whistles sound out around the venue, all the hopeful candidates vying for the MC's attention. He leans down to listen to his assistant when she taps on his shoulder, informing him of your plan. With a smile slowly spreading across his lips, he looks in your direction and his eyes lock with yours. "Alright, everyone. Who thinks they've got what it takes?" He asks, walking down the stage stairs until he's face to face with the sizable audience. The cameras track his every move as he slowly walks up the large center aisle, some people clapping and reaching to high five him. "The three people I select will compete in a free-for-all for first place. The winner gets 200 dollars and a t-shirt signed by our league champions." His announcement spurs the crowd on even more, somehow, and they cheer at such a great prize. "You, with the Call of Duty shirt!" He calls into the mic, pointing to a teenage boy who looks like he's about to pass out from being noticed. He joins the MC, and together they make their slow voyage towards the back of the room.

"You, miss, with the Smite hat!" The young woman celebrates with her friend, and you smile as you watch them do a special handshake on the jumbo screen.

Now, with two enthusiastic players in tow, the MC ambles his way back up to the front. He tries not to make it obvious that he already knows who the final pick is, and thankfully he's a skilled actor. He knows just how to keep the crowd excited and make them think they still stand a chance.

"Yes, yes, I see that you're all eager to show your talents. But earning this final spot will take some convincing. Quick, everyone strike an epic player pose!"

Collective shuffling from the audience sounds out in waves as people scoot their chairs out of the way to make room for their stances. Jisoo, however, takes a different approach: with a steadying hand on your shoulder, she places one foot on each of your seats and stands proudly. One of her hands sits on her hip while the other rests an invisible gun on her shoulder. She glances at the MC with a raised brow and steely look in her eye.

Damn, she's good. After seeing how well she's doing right now, you doubt that she even needed your help in the first place. That makes you feel a little better about rigging the results, so it's a true win-win.

"Pikachu hat, it's your time to shine!" He laughs, motioning for her to come over. In an instant, her previously cool demeanor crumbles and she's left looking like a giddy little girl. She gives you a sweet hug before walking over to the trio.

-----

After introducing themselves to the room, the 3 hopefuls all sit down next to each other. You can see them eyeing the winners that have gathered around to cheer them on, more star struck than competitive in that moment. Well, at least the other two are: after allowing herself a minute to geek out, Gamer Jisoo™️ takes over and a serious aura befalls your girlfriend. She cracks her knuckles before getting comfortable in her seat, and she steals a glance at you. Her cheek tugs up ever so slightly, the hint of a smirk playing on her lips.

You make a heart with your hands and blow her a kiss, and she winks at you in return.

"Let's give them some encouragement!"

The crowd sounds off once more, and the three of them wish each other luck.

It's not a new discovery that your girlfriend is gorgeous, but something about how focused she is is so attractive. She's already taken down at least 5 other players, completely wiping the floor with them while barely batting an eye. Within a few more minutes, only Jisoo and Amelia, the other female audience member, remain.

"It's neck and neck as our last two competitors face off in the final stretch of the game."

The MC looks genuinely invested following his announcement, and you can almost see the inner 5 year old in him popping out. That's something that you love so much about video games: they can really bring the inner child out of anyone and distract them from life's stressors.

Jisoo's tongue darts out of her mouth, tracing over her lips in concentration as she considers her next move. You can practically see the wheels turning as her eyes dance across the screen, watching the movements of her enemy with the utmost focus.

Poor Amelia seems to be sweating buckets beside Jisoo; the pressure must really be getting to her. She looks intimidated, but she doesn't back down from the challenge.

And then, it stops. Jisoo fires one final, calculated shot, taking her opponent down within a second.

In what feels like slow motion, your eyebrows shoot up to your forehead in surprise and you stand up with a shout. You raise your arms above your head, screaming her name as you celebrate and cheer. You're the first thing she looks to once she realizes she's won, and that simple fact makes your heart grow 10 sizes. She smiles adorably as she observes you, grinning even deeper as confetti shoots out of the canons and onto the stage. She raises her head to watch it flutter down, shimmering in the lights as it rides the swirling air currents.

She's proud of herself, and so are you.

The same event organizer from before approaches you, informing you that you have the all-clear to go greet Jisoo on stage. And that you do: you race towards the stairs, practically flying up them and into her waiting arms. You pick her up and spin her around, getting lost in the feeling of her giggles vibrating against you.

"You did amazing, baby." You say, taking note of how the curve of her jaw is highlighted by the stage lights.

"Thank you, Y/N. For everything. Today has been amazing."

The MC grins at you approvingly, happy to see you guys so ecstatic. Ever the altruist, Jisoo makes sure to go shake hands with her opponents and raise their spirits before coming back to talk to the crowd.

Once the man has her attention again, he says, "Congratulations, Jisoo. How does it feel to win?"

"It feels great! I have to thank my beautiful girlfriend, though; she's the reason we're even here today." She says humbly, reaching over to squish your cheek.

A chorus of "ooh's" and "ahhh's" leaves the crowd, all of them gushing at how cute the two of you are. You spot yourself on the jumbo screen and blush with embarrassment.

His assistant returns with the cash and shirt promised to the winner, and she holds it up for the cameras. The fresh signatures gleam in the light, some of them written with glitter markers while others are in traditional sharpie.

"Here you go! Enjoy!" He cheers again, motioning for the audience to join him. Everyone does, and Jisoo clutches the material close to her chest triumphantly. The two of you watch everyone send their praise, and she rests her head on your shoulder to fully soak in the moment.

You eventually exit the stage, waving to all of them as you take your leave.

With the event now over, you head back to your seat to gather up your belongings and head to the PUBG panel.

"I love you." She says, causing you to pause your movements and look up at her.

"I love you more." You tease, pulling her in close as you plant a kiss to her temple. She hooks an arm around your neck once you finish grabbing the bags, walking out into the expo hall again.

"So, since you're rich now, can we go to the arcade on the second floor?"

"Um, duh. Next mission: Beat Y/N. PUBG can wait."

You grin cheekily at her confidence before pulling out of her embrace.

"Race you there!" You shout, laughing as you take off towards the elevator, giving yourself a major head start.

"Cheater!" She yells, giggling as she chases after you.

#jisoo kim #jisoo #blackpink #blackpink imagines #blackpink oneshot #blackpink scenarios #blackpink x reader #kim jisoo x fem reader #kim jisoo #jisoo x fem reader #video games #gamer jisoo #jisoo turtle rabbit kim #blackpink fluff #let-them-read-fics #park chaeyoung #jennie kim #lalisa manoban

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pretoriafics · 4 years ago

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Russian Roulette - Pt. 2

In this series, you will find Alternative Universe, Soulmate plot, Angst, Fluff. In this chapter, you will find: You met the creepy man from the black car, finally! But things began to get weird for you. Word count: 1.560 Pairings: Reader x Derek Original characters of this chapter: Bennie, your host mom; A weird ginger lady Warnings: English is not my main language <3 Yeah, it was based on Russian Roulette by Rihanna Russian Roulette series: Chapter One | Chapter Three RUSSIAN ROULETTE MASTERLIST TEEN WOLF MASTERLIST

You were without a sign of clues.

Well, you were pretty sure that the creepy guy who was talking with Scott and Stiles that day at the school had the answers you were asking for. However, you don't even know his name, and do this question to Scott and Stiles wasn't a viable option. They will never tell you anything about it. You have just one choice: To stay alert and watch things as close as you can.

But, you know, sometimes things happen funnily. The universe has a weird sense of humor.

You were driving through the city in the afternoon, going to get the girls from ballet, and thinking about a plan or something that you could do. Beacon Hills was a tiny city, so if you find out the name of that guy, you could look for a few pieces of information about him. Actually, you were so absorbed in your own thoughts that you just didn't saw the traffic lights become red. The car in front of you stopped, but you didn't stop the car. In fact, when you saw the red light, your eyes got wider and you stepped into the car brake. The loud sound of the tire sliding in the asphalt echoed through the entire street, and your car crashed in the back of the car in front of you.

God, you were so fucked up! You had just screwed the car of your host family! Sebastian and Barbara will be so upset with you!

Immediately, you come out of the car with your face red with anxiety and anger. How could you be so inattentive? But when you saw a man coming out of the car, the color of your face changed from red to white in fear.

You'd just hitten in a black car. A Camaro, you thought without sure. The man was that creepy guy, who you saw talking with Scott and Stiles. Oh, God. You felt your stomach fell in fear, and you froze. He will take a gun to point of you, you are pretty sure about it!

But instead of it, he just looked at you, watching you attentively. His face still looks serious.

"You okay?"

Well, at least he is a polite criminal. Which market does he work at? Is he a drug dealer? A killer? Or he's some kind of... pimp? But why Scott and Stiles would get into a deal or something like that with a pimp?

He doesn't sound like a pimp for you. Actually, he seems like a killer. Maybe he is a killer and a drug dealer...

You breathe in deeply and finally replies him.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry! I don't have so much time with a driver's license. You okay?"

"I noticed that." His eyes become narrowed, and he gave you a discreet smile "Don't worry about me, I'm okay."

He looks at the damage done, and you follow his gaze. Fortunately, you stepped into the car brake soon enough to get just a little smash on both cars. Of course, your low speed helped to minimize the damage.

"Oh, God." You complain, letting out a long sigh. "Wait."

You went back to your car and took a pen and a post-it from the glove compartment. You weren't giving him your phone number just for being fair with him about the accident. It was just an excuse to, finally, find out his name. Quickly, you wrote your name with your phone number and gave the post-it for him.

"Could you give me your phone number? I'll fix your car, don't worry." He told you the numbers, slowly, and you could make the one million dollar question. "Okay. What's your name?"

"Derek Hale."

Oh my gosh, now you know his name! You would finally find out what the heck is going on.

"Alright. I'll send you a message to talk about the car. And sorry!"

Well, you were a lucky Au Pair. Your host family didn't get angry with you. Actually, they were happy you were okay and said that you don't have to worry about the car fix costs. It was great because 200 dollars per week as a salary really wasn't too much money. They just asked you to be careful while driving.

After taking a look at the girls, you ran to your room on the second floor, the last room in the corridor. Quickly, you took the laptop and begun to search on the internet about Derek. You found a piece of news, who was talking about a fire in a house. Reading that news, you found out that it was his house. Almost everybody died, except for Derek and his uncle, Peter, who is actually hospitalized in a clinic, with his whole body burnt.

Well... Maybe you were being unfair to him. It is such a sad history! But you need to continue your search. You need to prove yourself he isn't a criminal or some sort of it because, in the end, you need to protect your boys.

The next day, you were at a restaurant, lunching with Barbara, your host mom, and boss. You call her lovingly Bennie, and she was born and raised in Beacon Hills. If there's one that probably would know about Derek, that person would be her.

"So, Bennie... What about the car fixing?"

"Oh, dear, don't worry about that." She looks at you with a soft smile. "I'd talked with Hale about it. Everything is solved."

"Uh, really? That's great! And what do you know about him?"

Barbara was more than a boss. She was your friend, your second mom. And, sometimes, like every mom, she had the power to let you embarrassed. She was doing it right now, looking at you suggestively.

"Oh, you're interested in him? Why you didn't tell me before? I would talk with him about you! I don't judge you, I mean, all that bad boy kind... Wow! Don't lose this opportunity, girl!"

Bennie has the amazingly cringe-worthy manner ever: she loves to show you a few guys, telling you to call them to date. It wasn't being different now that you're asking her questions about Hale.

"Gosh, Bennie!" You laugh "Luckily Sebastian is not here."

"Well, I met Derek's mom once. He reminds me of her... You know, with all of that 'sweet' personality." Bennie gave a soft smile for you. "But she was a good person. Her name was Talia. Derek was out of the town since a few time ago but seems he came back. I didn't know about it." Bennie narrowed her eyes and gave you a large smile "And you know what? I think Talia would love to meet you!"

"Jesus Christ, Bennie, stop!" You hide your face with one of your hands, blushing while Bennie laughs about your reaction.

"You!"

A female voice came out of nowhere. A ginger woman, with a red dress, approaches you and Bennie. She seems so... Impressed. And she was looking at you.

"Can I help you?" You said, confused.

"I know what are you looking for, (Y/N)."

You froze. How did she know about your name? You had never, ever seen that woman in your entire life.

"...I'm sorry, I don't know-"

"Look for Haytham." She took a pen from her bag and wrote an address on a napkin from the table. A cold shiver ran down your spine when you noticed that her eyes were so empty and distant as a dead body's eyes. "He's a priest. But look at me, child: You are in a decisive moment of your life. You have two paths to choose from. If you continue to look for answers, you will know the truth and the truth is not what you're expecting. This truth will change your life forever, and your life will become a truly Russian roulette, girl. But if you give up on the call of Selene, and give up on your search, your life will be peaceful, but you will spend the entire life knowing that you lost something and you will never know what it is. You will look for something for the rest of your life that you know it's yours, but you will never find it. The choice is yours."

At this moment, you were so terrified, that you have cringed in the chair. Bennie was equally scared, and she was already looking around for some help. Everyone was looking at the table you were on.

Suddenly, after look at you with her dead eyes, the woman fell to the floor, unconscious. Bennie got up from the chair while everybody was looking at the woman, terrified and worried. Bennie instructed you.

"Call an ambulance!"

Terrified and with your hands shaking, you followed her ask while Bennie was watching the lady. As a doctor, Bennie could give her first aid until the ambulance comes in. But when Bennie took the woman's wrist, she contracted her lips in anxiety. Immediately, Bennie put her hands in the woman's chest and...

Oh, Gosh, she was trying to resuscitate the woman.

Bennie was doing a few chest compressions on the woman, which is obviously wasn't a good sign. After a few trying, Bennie shakes her head negatively. Nervous, you asked for her.

"She will be okay?"

Bennie contracts her lips.

"No, (Y/N). She's dead."

#teen wolf imagine #teen wolf imagines #teen wolf fanfics #teen wolf fics #teen wolf fanfic #derek hale imagine #derek hale imagines #derek hale x reader #derek hale fanfics #derek hale fanfic #derek hale x you #derek hale x y/n

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