#did he accept that his family is going to get wiped out (HIS FAULT HE KILLED HER HE RIPPED HER THROAT OUT) and is just happy he got to see

[im-smart-i-swear]

coming back home.

@barrenclan

[vigilante-3073]

Harm

Edward Cullen x Female Reader (Platonic)

Summary: Y/N has always had issues with physical contact and Edward never understood why until an accidental touch brings up unpleasant memories for her.

TW: Mentions of sexual assault, death and molestation, angst.

*Contains mature themes that could be triggering*

Y/N had always had an issue when it came to physical contact, she would shift away like any kind of unexpected touch made her squeamish. Edward had never questioned it, simply assuming that it had been a matter of personal preference. Physical contact had never been a big factor in their friendship and Edward found it easy to respect her boundaries.

Most people were willing to accept her dislike of physical touch, but there would always be people who didn't understand or respect her wishes.

They were walking down the hallway talking about their biology assignment when Emmett ran up behind Y/N and grabbed her waist. She let out a panicked scream as memories began to race through her mind. The memories were so powerful that Edward couldn't keep himself from hearing them.

"Here, munchkin, I got you a toy, but you can only have it if you promise not to tell anyone about our little game," The man said to a 5-year-old Y/N.

The sound of a belt buckle clinking and a sudden unyielding feeling of fear overcame everything.

"Such a good little girl," The man said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before leaving her bedroom.

The memories continued to fly by, each one more unpleasant than the last. It was years of torture, fear and abuse. Her emotions were overwhelming as the memories began to resurface, like a festering wound that never healed.

Emmett set her down on her feet and she immediately broke free of his hold, running down the hallway and into the girl's bathroom.

"The hell was that about?" Emmett asked.

Edward shook his head before quickly following after her. He pushed aside his discomfort and made his way into the women's restroom. Edward moved over to the stall where Y/N had fallen to her knees, coughing and retching as she threw up.

Edward held her hair back, providing silent comfort as she continued to get sick. The memories obviously weighed heavily enough on her to produce such a visceral response.

She finished getting sick before slowly shifting onto her butt, leaning back against the wall of the bathroom stall. Tears rolled down her cheeks as Edward reached past her and flushed the toilet. He stepped away and wet some paper towel for her before returning to her side.

He held out the paper towel to her and she took it silently, wiping her mouth. Edward watched her, listening to her erratic heartbeat as it began to return to normal.

"Who was it?" Edward asked, she gulped, "My uncle," Y/N admitted softly.

"How long?" Edward asked.

"Until I was twelve," She stated.

"Where is he now?" Edward questioned.

Y/N shrugged, "I don't know," She said, toying with the paper towel in her hands.

"Did you ever tell anyone?" Edward asked.

She shook her head, "No, I was-I was scared and I just- I felt like it was my fault," Y/N said shakily, more tears gathering in her eyes.

"You were a child," Edward said, kneeling down beside her.

Y/N scoffed, "I could have said something but I didn't... I thought that no one would believe me," Y/N said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"I'm sorry that you felt like you were alone in that, Y/N. No one should have to go through that," Edward said.

Touch had become an evil thing for her. That man, that family member, had taken her choice away and robbed her of her innocence. Y/N was just a child when he took advantage of her and it went on for years before she was able to escape him.

Y/N was abused and manipulated into thinking that no one would believe her. She endured years of pain and lived in a state of constant fear of this man who was supposed to be someone she could rely on.

He was family.

...

Edward took some time away from school after that day. He told Y/N that he was going to see his cousins, but he wasn't going to Alaska. Edward went to Y/N's hometown and found her uncle stumbling drunkenly out of a bar.

The stench of alcohol permeated the man's entire being as he staggered over to his truck. He fumbled for his keys in his pocket, dropping them down onto the pavement with a mumbled curse. The man bent down to pick them up and Edward had appeared in front of him when he straightened up.

"The hell do you want, kid?" The man asked.

"I'm a friend of Y/N's," Edward said.

"Oh, wow, I haven't seen her in years," The man chuckled.

"You mean that you haven't assaulted her in years?" Edward questioned, eerily calm.

The man scoffed, "Now, I don't know what she told you-," He started.

Edward didn't allow him to finish, grabbing onto his throat and slamming him back against the side of his vehicle. The metal caved in from the force, knocking the wind out of the man.

"I know all about what you did to her and you deserve to endure a lifetime of suffering for it," Edward growled, leaning closer to him and tightening his hold around the man's neck.

He sputtered, hands shoving desperately at Edward's chest to try and push him away.

Edward felt like an avenging angel in this moment, choking the life out of such a vile man. It brought him comfort to know that he would be removing a very evil person from the world.

Edward leaned in and bit into the side of the man's neck, shredding the arteries and spilling his blood in the parking lot brutally.

He pulled away, watching the life drain from the man's face, "You will never hurt her or anyone else ever again," Edward said before letting him go.

He watched the man's body slide down to the ground, gasping and gurgling on his own blood as he died. This man was a predator and he finally knew what it felt like to become the prey.

...

Edward returned to Forks a day later with red eyes, Carlisle knew what he had left to accomplish and chose not to acknowledge it. Even Carlisle had to allow him leniency in this case, violence was never the answer until it was the only answer available.

That man was sick and he deserved to suffer for what he had done to such a kind person, a child nonetheless. He could not be saved or changed and the world would be a better place without him in it.

Edward never told Y/N about what he had done that day, but he would never forget the day her mother had told her the news. They thought it was an animal attack, her mother called it 'gruesome' and 'awful.' She had said that the animal responsible hadn't been located, but assured Y/N that they were searching for it.

Edward watched the look of recognition cross Y/N's face before her glossy eyes slowly came to focus on him. She hung up the phone, dropping it down on her bed.

"What happened?" Edward asked.

"My uncle is dead... They said it was an animal attack," Y/N said.

"Seems to be happening a lot lately," Edward stated.

Y/N stepped over to him, sliding her arms around him and pressing herself against his chest. Edward slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently.

"Thank you," She mumbled, a few warm tears soaking into his shirt.

"You're welcome," Edward said.

She let out a soft breath before her body began to shake with sobs. Y/N cried until she had nothing left in her, standing silently with her head on his chest and her arms wrapped tightly around him.

His shirt had been saturated with her tears and he could feel her beginning to shiver from the ice cold temperature of his body. Edward wanted to get her a blanket or a warm cup of tea, but he knew that she needed this. She needed to hold onto him and feel safe.

Edward had protected her more than anyone else had and Y/N finally allowed herself to enjoy the touch of another person. Y/N would never have to live in fear of that man again and maybe she would eventually be able to tell her family about what he did to her. And if she didn't, her secret would rot in the ground with her abuser.

[lostbookmark]

MDNI 🔞

Main Masterlist here

Finding Masterlist here

Summary: After a failed engagement, you move back home and reconnect with your friends. Maybe, just maybe you can find love with someone you never expected.

Pairing: Yoongi x F. Reader

Warnings: Explicit Sex, Swearing, Cheating (Not Yoongi), Fighting, Protected/Unprotected Sex, Toxic Past Relationship,

Genre: Enemies(?) to Lovers, Neighbors to Lovers, Small Town romance. Hurt-Comfort, Slight Angst, Romance

Jin slides a dish of vanilla ice cream to you. You smile when you see he remembers the extra sprinkles on top. Yoongi has taken a play out of your book and has been actively avoiding you since your conversation at his house two weeks ago. Every day, you watched out your window from your living room, hoping that he would come over when he returned home from work. He never did. Why was he so upset? Why was he so offended that you didn't want to sell the recipes to the farm? It's not like you were hurting the farm financially. They were doing perfectly well before you came along. They didn't need your bread or jam to be successful. It really shouldn't have mattered that you said no. You regret even agreeing to bake for them in the first place.

“Was I stupid for not selling the recipes?” You ask Jin, who is leaning on the counter in front of you with his own dish of ice cream.

“No, they mean something to you, and you shouldn't feel bad, ” he assures you. “Anyone of us could have talked to you about it. We are all at fault for this whole mess. I don't know why he is taking it so hard.”

“I feel like I've fucked everything up,” you say shoving the sweet cold ice cream in your mouth. As you chew on the colorful sprinkles the bell above the door jingles catching your attention. Hobi walks into the cafe and sits on the stool next to you as he steals a spoonful of your dessert. Your friendship with him went back to normal in a blink of an eye. It wasn't long after you both apologized that Jin and Namjoon sent you their own apologies. They didn't try to come up with excuses for Yoongi or try to make you feel bad. They were simple heartfelt apologies that you accepted right away. “Jimin and Tae even texted me asking why I was making a big deal out of it. They made a whole group chat with the three of us so they could gang up on me together.”

“Really?” Hobi asked, surprised, and you nodded.

“I'll have a talk with them later,” Jin comments, shaking his head.

“I…I just feel like I was back on track with my life, settling in nicely, and now everyone hates me,” you cry. Tears fall down your face that you quickly wipe away with your sleeve. “With the way everything has been going, I wouldn't be surprised if Kook doesn't evict me.”

“He would never do that to you. No one hates you,” Jin said, patting your head as if you're a child.

“It's all going to blow over,” Hobi said, hugging you.

“It's too late. Yoongi is clearly talking shit about me, and now everyone is going to choose sides. Jimin warned me not to let this get messy and look at us. I was so stupid to get involved with him,” you say, shaking your head disagreeing with them. “I've talked to my one and only friend from my old school district. They have a third grade teacher leaving next year. I think I'm going to take the position.”

“No, you're not,” Joon said, coming into the cafe with that damn bell jingling behind him. “We are not going to let you run away. I'll reject your resignation, and I won't give you any recommendations.”

“You would really do that to me?” You ask as he sits on your free side.

“Absolutely,” Namjoon said. “You belong here with us….you're family. Yoongi is stubborn, and so are you. Let things settle down, talk it out, and we will all move on.”

“What if we can't agree on things?” You ask, stirring the ice cream around in your bowl. “He doesn't seem to be in a rush to talk to me. He's had two weeks to talk to me. It's not like he doesn't know where I live. What if there is no fixing this?”

“What if?” Jin asks as he stares off into space as if he’s deep in thought. “What if…”

“What if what?” Hobi asks, smacking the counter, knocking Jin out of his daze.

“What if you sell the recipes to Tannie Farms, but make everything yourself?” Jin asks, looking at you curiously before breaking out in a wide smile.

“I'm not following,” you say, and your other two friends seem just as confused. The three of you in front of the counter look at each other as if Jin has gone insane. “His whole point was that I couldn't make everything myself. I can't supply you with the amount you would need.”

“I don't want to run the cafe anymore. I want to make the food I want to make,” he explains, turning serious. “Think about it, Y/N. A restaurant and bakery. Yours and mine….mine and yours. Ours. People from all over would flock to us.”

“That's….not a bad idea,” Joon said, looking at you with a surprised look on his face. Now, you are looking at him like he is the crazy one. “You would have multiple ovens big enough to make the quantities we need for deliveries, and the recipes would be safe with you. You wouldn't be selling them to strangers.”

“Okay, what about my job? Do I just give up on teaching and throw away my degree that I worked hard for? I am still paying off my student loan. I don't have the money to help you start a restaurant and bakery,” you tell them, pushing your dish of melting ice cream away. “I don't even know if I can make anything else. We can't run a bakery on one cake, bread, and a couple of jams.”

“Yoongi says he's willing to talk about it,” Hobi says, holding up his phone. You glare at him, that traitor. You knew he loved Yoongi more. “You wouldn't have to put up any money because Tannie Farms would own it. Financially, you wouldn't be on the hook for anything.”

“So, I would work for Yoongi,” you say, sounding very unamused as you take in their faces, looking excited at the possible new venture. Shaking your head, you wave your hands in front of you, showing that you were not interested. “Yeah, no thanks.”

“Please, please. Don't crush my dreams,” Jin begs, hands pressed together underneath his chin. “We could be successful. You would work for all of us, not just Yoongi. I don't want to work for my parents forever.”

“You'll have plenty of time to find more recipes and experiment,” Hobi assures you. “The whole process will take time. Months, if not years. You can do it.”

“You wouldn't even have to talk to Yoongi. Jin will handle everything, and all of us are available if you need anything. I think that you definitely can do it,” Joon says, agreeing with Hobi.

Can you? Can you do it? In theory, yes, you probably could. Your grandmother has so many different recipes that you haven't even explored yet. It's the whole working for your friends and Yoongi that is causing you to question this new business opportunity. Could you handle working for Yoongi after everything happened? You're not sure if you can or even want to. To actually work for them puts your entire livelihood at risk. If you get involved, fully involved, there is no way you could walk away at the drop of a hat if things get rough. It was a major commitment.

“Please?” Jin said, giving you puppy dog eyes. “Please, I'll love you forever. I wouldn't even dream of doing this with anyone else. We would work so well together.”

“Okay,” you give in and smack the counter with your hands, causing them to smile at you. “I guess I will be willing to listen to a full-on business plan when you have one. A complete business plan and not just an idea. However, that's all for right now ….I'll listen and consider.”

“Great! We are going to be great together,” Jin exclaims. “I need to get a menu around. Jolly Jin’s Cafe and Bakery. I can see the sign now.”

You sigh as you watch him run back into the kitchen. You think you're getting a headache.

Pulling back into your driveway, you notice Yoongi's house is dark like it has been recently. You barely even see the lights on for an extended period of time in his home at night anymore. You wonder if he kept the same routine he had when you would stay over. Dinner in the kitchen preceded by sitting in the living room curled up on the couch, reading a book. You would have been tucked into his side watching tv or scrolling through your phone as his eyes flew over the pages of his book. Sometimes, the nights would end with him pinning your against the couch cushions or scurrying upstairs quickly and into the bed. Now, those nights are over and gone with one stupid fight.

Sniffling, you blink away the unshed tears. It was then that you noticed the car parked along the side of your driveway. Looking over to your house, you stare at Changkyun from your driver's seat as you throw your car into park as he stands on your porch waiting for you. There was no reason for him to be here. He made it very loud and clear that the two of you were over. Getting out of your car, you stand rooted in your spot just looking at him. You are not willing to walk up to him. He seemed to take the hint and walked off your porch in your direction. Closing your door, you cross your arms and wait with baited breath as he nears.

“You look good,” he says, once reaching you.

He still looked good, too. Handsome as ever with that damn sharp jawline that you had fallen for in the beginning. It pissed you off. You want him to look guilty. You want him to look sad and tired. You want him to apologize for all the shit he put you through. For making you feel like you had to push your friends away. For making you feel like you were not good enough for him. However, he doesn't. He looks like he doesn't have a care in the world.

“How did you find me?” You ask, taking a step back away from him. A part of you wonders if you can jump back in your car and drive away quickly.

“I went to your parents' house, and your mom told me where you were living. I really need to talk to you,” he says.

“I think you said plenty when you said, and I quote ‘I don't love you anymore’,” you tell him. “I don't think that there is anything left to say. You wasted your time coming here.”

You push past him, but he reaches out and grabs your arm, stopping you from leaving. You pull out of his grasp and glare at him. You don't want him to touch you. You don't even want to look at him. Crossing your arms, you raise an eyebrow at him.

“I’m really trying to be civil about this, Y/N,” he said. “I just want my engagement ring back.”

“Why now?” You ask with a laugh. “What, are you getting married sometime soon?” He looks away, not able to look you in the eye. Your jaw drops in disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me? I've only been gone for a few months and you're engaged. Who?”

“It doesn't matter who. Just give me the ring, and I'll be gone out of your life forever,” he says harshly.

“Tell me who,” you demand. You notice Yoongi pull into his driveway with perfect timing. Great, just great. This day just couldn't get any better. “You owe me that much.”

“Hanna,” he said quietly, looking down at his shoes as you hear Yoongi's car door open and close in the background.

Hanna, the one who you caught him in bed with. The one who you thought was one of your friends. You see Yoongi linger by his kitchen door in your peripheral vision after he slowly made his way up the steps to his house. You turn your head to look at him. Unfortunately, it triggered Changkyun to do the same. Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed.

“Baby, I wish I could change things,” he said in a sickeningly sweet, smooth voice. “I know we were so good together at one point, but that ended. I’ve moved on, and you need to accept that. It's time for you to move on as well.”

“Don't call me that. You need to leave. I'm not giving you anything,” you hiss at him and turn to leave.

“That ring is mine,” he growled at you, grabbing onto you again and pulling you to him. You stumble over your feet as he pulls. “Just give it to me.”

Before you can even comprehend what was happening, Yoongi was in between the two of you. He gives Changkyun a forceful shove, making him stumble backward away from you. Yoongi reaches behind his back and pulls you behind him more, shielding your body. Protecting you. Keeping you safe.

“Just go,” Yoongi growls at him, and Changkyun just laughs at him. “It's clear she doesn't want you here. Get in your car and get the fuck out of here!”

“You think I'm afraid of you?” he asks, looking at him with a distasteful look before looking over Yoongi's shoulder at you. Changkyun laughs at the two of you, shaking his head in amusement. “Min Yoongi? Really, that’s the best you can do? Fuck, are you that desprate?”

“Well he's a million times better than a selfish jackass I know. I don't have the ring anymore, so just leave,” you yell at him from behind Yoongi.

“Where is it?” he snaps at you.

“Watch how you fucking talk to her,” Yoongi snaps back at him, still holding you behind him.

“I pawned it,” you laugh from behind the blonde man, making Changkyun narrow his eyes at you. “It bought me a lovely tv hanging on my wall right now. It's much more pleasant to look at than that ugly ass ring.”

You watch as Changkyun clenches his jaw and stomps away back to his fancy SUV. He stops halfway to his destination before turning back to look at both you and Yoongi. Changing his mind, he walks back toward you. Yoongi reaches back again, making sure that you're still tucked away safely behind him.

“You know,” he says, approaching you. “I never wanted to marry you. I only asked becasue you wouldn’t fucking stop nagging me about it. You were never good enough to be my wife, you stupid…”

That was enough for Yoongi as something inside him snapped. You watch in horror as he throws himself at Changkyun, taking them both onto the hard ground below their feet. It probably would have been comical watching two grown men roll around on the ground had they been strangers, but they weren't, and they were both pissed. This wasn't funny at all. You watch on, with your hands in front of your mouth in shock as Yoongi, who comes out on top lands a punch to Changkyuns stomach from above making him double over and turn slightly away from him. Changkyun, although laid out underneath the pissed off blonde, he wasn't deterred for too long. Using all his power, he spun his torso around quickly, elbowing Yoongi in the face and successfully knocking Yoongi off of him.

“STOP IT!” You yell out into the evening air as Yoongi lands on the ground next to your ex-boyfriend. They didn't listen to you. Changkyun stands, quickly grabbing Yoongi by the back of his jacket, bringing up on his own feet and bending him down low enough to knee him in the side, making him drop again. Yoongi's knees hit the ground hard before catching himself with his hands so he didn’t fall flat on his face. “CHANGKYUN STOP IT! STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!” You scream at him as he goes to grab Yoongi again.

You push forward, latching onto Changkyun’s arm, trying to shake him off Yoongi. Unfortunately, he wasn't discouraged and managed to get Yoongi back up. Grabbing his wrist, you pull as hard as you could, but he was much stronger than you. Instead, you sink your nails into his skin, dragging them across his flesh, leaving angry red lines in their wake. Changkyun growls. With his free hand, he pushes you away, causing you to stumble back and fall on your ass.

“Keep your hands off her,” Yoongi barks sharply.

Gaining some strength, Yoongi sweeps Changkyun's leg, causing them both to fall once more upon the ground. They roll around a couple of times, trying to each gain the upper hand. You scooch back on your butt trying to stay out of the way.

“She deserved it,” Changkyun growls, pinning Yoongi underneath him. They are both panting, but Changkyun smirks in victory as he looks down at Yoongi. “You think you're so tough. Fucking Min Yoongi, you ain't shit!”

You're too focused on watching your ex pull his arm back for a punch, you hardly register the footsteps quickly running up the driveway until an extra body jumps on Changkyun’s back pulling him off of Yoongi. Jungkook wraps his arms fully around him, dragging him back and away from the hurt man on the ground. Changkyun struggles with your friend, trying to get out of his hold. Tae jumps in quickly, getting in front of them just in case he breaks away and helps Jungkook push Changkyun back until they get him to his car.

“Yoongi,” you cry out, throwing yourself next to him as he struggles to get himself onto his knees.

You grab on to him gently and bring him close to you. He rests his head on your chest as he tries to catch his breath after getting the wind knocked out of him. You stroke his hair with your hand, hoping desperately that he was okay. You see him close his eyes, taking in your touch. You wish you knew what else to do. You wish you could take everything back. You wish for a lot of things.

“You're both pathetic and deserve each other,” Changkyun yells out before finally getting into his vehicle, slamming his door shut in anger.

“Go, before we call the police,” Kook said, pointing to the end of the driveway.

Changkyun backs out of your driveway and squeals his tires before racing away, leaving a cloud of dust and dirt behind in the air. You watch him drive away until his tail lights disappear in the rapidly darkening horizon. Tae comes over and helps Yoongi stand on his own feet. You slowly get off the ground and stand beside them, waiting for someone to say something. Carefully, you place your hand on Yoongi's shoulder, but he instantly shrugs it off. That hurt. You can feel your heart drop down to your stomach. It's really over.

Yoongi and Taehyung take off, walking to his place while holding his side and slightly hunched over. Jungkook approaches you, and the two of you stare at each other. He looks sad. It's been weeks since you last talked to him. He's probably been actively avoiding this whole mess. You know he would never want to choose between you and Yoongi like Jimin and Tae apparently did.

“I should go with them,” he says, jerking his thumbs to the house next door. He's choosing Yoongi, and your heart breaks a little. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you answer with a nod. You don't blame him for wanting to leave. They were his brothers. You, you were the bitch he was renting his house to. The bitch who they can't make money off of. “Yeah.”

You turn and go to your house before he can even walk away or say anything more. Unlocking the door, you enter your house and slam the door shut, making the blinds on the kitchen windows shake and rattle. It wasn't going to work. The business plan wouldn't work. Your friendships weren't going to work. This small ass town wasn't going to work. You grab your phone from your bag. Pulling up Joons contact, you open a new message.

I’m taking the third grade job. I'm sorry I can't do this.

You can't. You won't.

《Chapter Eleven 》

Tagged Readers:

@mar-lo-pap , @bontensbabygirl , @daisies-and-dandelionpuffs , @redragdoll, @svnbangtansworld , @wobblewobble822 , @busanbby-jjk , @pitchblack0309 , @bluesiebirdie

[lizzybeeee]

Personal take: One of the weirdest things Veilguard did, outright baffling, in fact, is how it feels like they reset the status quo of the world to Origins - even further back, if anything.

The game avoids (at all costs) meaningfully delving into exploring what these events/lore reveals mean to the world and characters at large. But the entire time I was thinking: holy shit this is bad.

What happens in game has very, very bad implications for the rest of Thedas and how they're going to look at groups like the Elves and Mages. I'm looking at this from the perspective of someone whose played all three previous games, not from the perspective of datv which really brushes over all moral complexity and sociopolitical issues. Of course, it's just my interpretation but its based off what happened in previous games.

Elves

The Elvish Gods of legend came back, blighted, and ended up wiping out the majority of the South - I find it hard to believe that the elves would not be 'roped in' as being responsible somehow.

Elves could sneeze in a previous game and people would blame them for causing a plague and purge the alienage -> life is shit for an elf and the events of datv would have absolutely made life a thousand times worse.

Would there be purges of alienages? Are there groups like the chavaliers or mobs of humans going about an killing elves because 'It's your Gods. It's your fault.'

Obviously, it isn't. But there are plenty of examples in Thedas' history of people acting rashly/cruelly out of terror and anger - and it's the most vulnerable people, like the Elves and Mages, who are targeted.

The Dalish Elves, what remains of them, would likely be perceived as 'Blight/Old God worshipers' - people would chase them off for the 'crime' of living too close to them in the woods in DAO.

Terrified, angry people would not care if the Dalish said they had nothing to do with what's happening - there would be bloodshed.

If anything improved for the elves from the time of Origins -> Mahariel, Tabris, Lavellan, or Briala...it's likely back to ground one as the best possible outcome, and closer to the Exalted March on the Dales at it's worst.

Mages

Mages could, potentially, have been living a life of unprecedented acceptance if Leliana was Divine -> along come the Evanuris, mages, who are allied with the Venatori who are causing devastation in Orlais and the Free Marches specifically.

Missive - Message from the Front -> The Tide Turns "The Venatori and the Orlesian royal armies clash daily in Orlais. Val Royeaux is now under control of the rebels, and from there the Venatori launch attacks as far east as Kirkwall."

The original magisters (evanuris) wielding the Blight and Old Gods 2.0 x2.

Any templars who remained, who had the old mindset and outlook of how mages should be treated, absolutely would be pointing at the venatori and saying "we warned you what would happen without the Order."

Normal people wouldn't give a shit that it's only a 'few' mages -> their entire home is gone, their families are dead, and the people responsible are wielding magic.

Fear of magic would likely be at an all time high - If the Order doesn't exist people would likely be demanding for them to come back.

The mages - whatever goodwill they earned - are likely being faced with suspicion and terror because this is proof of what magic can do in the hands of power-hungry douchebags.

Maybe they help to fight and people don't get so suspicious of them - who knows! This game doesn't want to address the previous games so it's in limbo.

Spirits

Other people have done great posts about how the spirits were completely tossed aside in this game. Three games worth of humanizing spirits, with Justice and Cole, only to go back on it with Solas reinforcing the Veil and...maintaining the status quo?

He so earnestly discussed with us his perspective on spirits and how they're just as 'real' as those on this side of the Veil - we saw it with Cole firsthand. But I guess they can all chill in the Fade till Solas dies or whatever.

I'd argue that the elves and mages are in an even worse position than they were in Origins. It's just not fulfilling, to me at least, to see the World I got so invested in just regress to the status quo after three games of challenging it. For it to not be meaningfully discussed or spoken about in-game, just brushed aside...I may not have liked the decision to do this but it could have been interesting (at least) if they actually discussed it.

Also, people don't just 'band together' because of the Blight - Origins showed us very well that in times of strife and pressure peoples petty/deeply ingrained beliefs, prejudices, and values come to the forefront. Alistair's comment about “You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together" -> was him being snarky about how everybody as Ostagar was on the verge of throwing hands with each other. They were united in cause not in belief - the cause being to eradicate the darkspawn.

It's just so grim, and with how they handled sociopolitical issues and moral complexity in datv (not at all) I have no hope that they'll be able to address this at all, if they even bother to and don't just...ignore it, I guess.

Maybe this is what the devs meant when they said that the 'tone' was similar to Origins - just straight up erasing whatever strides was made in the previous games and setting it back to square one lmao

[whoslai]

seventy two hours - l. heeseung 📓🧑🏻‍🎓

• ₊°✧︡ ˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

↣ lee heeseung x fem!reader (both are 18)

↣ it’s the summer after high school; heeseung has been in love with his childhood friend, y/n. despite his efforts to make her see how he feels, she remains oblivious. with only three days left before they both go off to college, he must find a way to win her heart before it's too late. will he succeed, or will he have to let go of his love and move on?

↣ warnings: MDNI! making out, cunnilingus, fingering, jerking off, voyeurism, unprotected sex, overstimulation, love confessions, creampie, explicit sex, teasing, dirty talk, body marking, & more.

↣ genre: fluff, angst, smut, slice of life au

↣ wc: 4.1k

• ₊°✧︡ ˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

“lee heeseung,” you called, poking your head out of your window to look down at the sweaty boy who just so happened to live next door to you. he’d been bouncing a basketball in his driveway all night and it was driving you nuts!

to your incredulity, heeseung cocked his head to look up at you, smiling from ear to ear as he saw you. “y/n.” he sighed, holding his basketball to his chest. “have you been standing there the whole time?”

“no! unlike you, i’m trying to get some sleep. it’s 2 in the morning and you’ve been bouncing that ball since 7.” you whined, leaning against the window seal as you rubbed your sleepy eyes.

“oh? so you’re keeping track of how long i’ve been out here..?” he smugly remarked, dropping the ball into his yard as he wiped sweat from his forehead. “do i interest you that much, y/n?”

“heeseung.” you glared at him, “please let me sleep.”

he smiled, “you should come out here with me. i can show you how to shoot a 3 pointer.”

shaking your head, you closed your window. you huffed as you laid back in your bed, tiredly sighing as you heard him pick his ball up and bounce it against the pavement again. another day, another night spent trying to drown out heeseung.

• ₊°✧︡ ˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

your next few days were spent dorm shopping with your mother; you’d been accepted into northwestern university to study journalism on a full scholarship. you truly were excited to start a new chapter of your life and explore yourself and the environment around you.

you’d be even happier if you didn’t have a little baby whining in your ear every day about the fact that you were moving across the country. of course, living next to heeseung meant you two were very close, almost too close. it got to the point of him being immensely comfortable with complaining about how it was “odd” if you to look forward to moving away from everyone you’ve ever known.

while yes, moving from a small town in virginia to a larger city in illinois would take some time getting used to, but that didn’t mean it would justify you being fearful. what was there to be afraid of? people move all the time, it wasn’t as though you’d be the first person to leave family for college. heeseung was just being dramatic, per usual.

“you really should just stay here, i don’t see why you can’t just go to school online.” heeseung shrugged, holding his knees to his chest as he sat on your bed, watching you take down the polaroids of you and friends from your walk to pack away for your dorm.

you smiled, shaking your head at him. “heeseung, you’re acting like i’m not going to come back on breaks. it’s not my fault you chose to stay here for college.”

“you’re right, i DID choose to stay here. wanna know why?” he asked.

you propped your hand on your hip and raised your eyebrow at him. “i know you want to tell me, so just go ahead and say it.”

“because…” he trailed off, anxiously biting his lip as he began again. “because everything i’ll ever need is here, virginia is my home; our home. why would you leave all this behind when everything you need is right here?”

you shrugged, “i don’t see what’s here in virginia that i can’t find in illinois. my parents plan to travel while i’m gone so there’s not much keeping me here.”

heeseung pouted. “ouch.”

“aw.” you laughed, “you know im going to miss you when i leave. how could i forget you and that stupid basketball you keep me awake with…”

heeseung smiled a bit, but you could tell there was some sadness behind it. “maybe we could play together?”

“hmmm…” you hummed. “we could, but i’d rather do something else. why don’t we do like a sleepover and binge on a bunch of movies? pull an all nighter or something.”

“a sleepover?” heeseung asked, sitting up and licking his lips. “as in…like me sleeping over here or…you sleeping at my house?”

“either. it doesn’t matter to me.” you smiled, grabbing some tape to close the box of pictures and placed it to the side. “but, you and i both know how strict my mom is about you being over. she would make you sleep on the couch downstairs.”

he slowly nodded, “true…”

“so we should probably just go to your place, yeah?” you asked him, glancing back at him. “i’m assuming you want me in the same bed as you, so we’re better off just doing it over at yours.”

he scoffed, “what?! who says i want you to sleep in my bed?”

“me.” you smiled, tossing the box off to the side. “like helloooo, look at me. who wouldn’t want me to sleep in their bed?”

heeseung married his eyes at you. “you are so…”

“i’m kidding~” you laughed, taking a seat at your desk. “i’d only get in your bed anyway.”

“wait really?” heeseung asked you, his ears perking up. “why only mine?”

“because you’re my bestie. now, go clean your room. i’ll be over in a few hours.” you told him, spinning around to organize the papers on your desk.

he laughed a bit before kicking the back of your seat as he made his way out.

• ₊°✧︡ ˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

a few hours after heeseung had left, you’d found yourself drying your hair after taking a quick shower. you slipped on some shorts and a tee whilst grabbing your bag full of sleepover essentials.

making your way over to his house, you caught sight of his bedroom light being on and reflecting a shadow; a figure all too similar to his own. squinting your eyes up at him, you began to make sense of what you were seeing.

he stood near the window, head lowered while his arm appeared to repeatedly move in a swift motion….was he jerking off?

your heart skipped a beat when his head fell back and you looked down at the ground, contemplating whether or not you could simply walk in and face him after watching his shadow through his bedroom window.

biting your lip, you slowly turned to walk back to your house, his front door opened.

“y/n!!” his mothers voice rang in your ears from behind. you quickly turned back, being met by his mother waving for you to come. “i saw you standing out here! come on in, heeseung told me you were sleeping over…?”

you nodded, walking over to her. “um yeah! that’s um…that’s the plan.”

she closed the door behind you as you stepped in and slipped your shoes off. “well, that’s cute. i’m happy to see you two spend more and more time together, especially with you leaving in a few days.” she sighed, clasping her hands together. “i’ve always adored your friendship.”

“ahhh..” you smiled, nodding your head. “yeah, just a few more days.”

she frowned, “we’re all going to miss you very much!”

“i’ll come back and visit!” you exclaimed. she smiled, patting your shoulder as she signaled for the stairs.

“heeseung is up in his room. i’m not quite sure what he’s doing but he’s expecting you so just feel free to knock. i’ve got food in the kitchen and his father is down in the basement. if you guys need anything, just let me know. okay?”

“yes ma’am, and thank you!” you nodded at her, hurrying up the stairs.

as you stood in front of his closed bedroom door, you inhaled a deep breath, nervous to step in.

after standing there for a while, you brought your hand up to the door and knocked. “hey, heeseung. it’s me.”

you waited a while, hearing him reply, “kay, one sec…”

you rested your back against the wall opposite of his door, placing your hand over your chest as your heart rate began to increase. you wondered if you truly saw what you thought you saw outside or if you were just reading the situation wrong. you wondered if he was done shooting his hot load onto the nearest surface. you wondered if his cock was still twitching in his hand as he helped himself ride out his high by teasing his tip or even continuing to stroke his shaft.

“hey,” he said as he greeted you. his hair was damp and his shirt hung low off his collar bone, exposing some of his chest.

“took you long enough.” you scoffed, brushing past him as you attempted to play it cool, not wanting him to suspect anything.

he closed the door behind you and you sat on his bed, tossing your bag on the ground as you laid back and took your phone out.

“i didn’t prepare anything.” he said, “i’ve been laying in bed since i left your house.”

you looked at him as he sat beside you, awkwardly bringing his knees to his chest. “are you sure about that?”

“sure about what? laying in bed…?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

you nodded, “surely you haven’t been in bed for the past 5 hours.”

“i mean, for the most part.” he shrugged. “what does it matter?”

“it doesn’t…i was just being nosey.” you said, looking away from him and sighing. “it’s hot in here.”

“it’s like 70 degrees…” he trailed off.

you sat up quickly, facing him. “we should play a game, you down?”

“yeah.” he said, “go for it.”

you smiled, “truth or dare?”

he rolled his eyes and leaned back against his wall. “truth.”

“is it true that you’re going to be a big cry baby and have a tantrum on my last day here?” you teased, pushing him.

“bold of you to assume i’m even going to your send off.” he scoffed.

your smile fell, “wait, you aren’t coming?”

“if i go, i’ll miss you too much while you’re gone.” he pouted.

you smiled again, “awwww…stop flirting with me.”

he shrugged, “truth or dare?”

“dare, of course.” you said. “give me the best you’ve got.”

his eyes glanced to the side, then back at you. “mmm, i dare you to tell me one of your biggest fears.”

you flared your nose. “that’s the lamest dare. that’s all you could come up with? make it fun!”

“i don’t know…um…do a handstand or something.” he shrugged once again.

you titled your head to the side, shifting your hips on his bed. “are you okay?”

“uh..why?” he asked you. it was obvious that something was off with him, anybody who knew heeseung could tell that his body language was different than his normal; he was being awkward and he wasn’t talking as much as he usually did. the fact that he wasn’t even making an effort to flirt with you in the grossest ways possible was throwing you off.

not to say you LIKED being flirted with but…come on, you kind of missed it.

“you’re being so weird.” you told him, glancing down at his shirt again.

he sighed. “i’m a bit tired, that’s all.”

you were quiet for a bit. was he tired from cumming a few minutes before? could his orgasm have been so intense that it made him groggy? reserved?

“truth or dare?” you asked him, your eyes fixated on your own. you wanted to know why he picked right before you came over to touch himself. why he’d do it right in front of his window, and most of all, why he was trying to pretend like he wasn’t just making a mess in his room before you came?

“truth.” he said.

“what are you tired from?” you asked him, intensely gazing into his eyes.

he smiled a little, “basketball practice this morning. just the usual.”

“that’s all?” you asked him once again, feeling a bit antsy from the smile that was plastered on his face.

“is there something else you’re thinking i did?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

your tongue slid over your lower lip, feeling a wave of heat fall over your head. “i…”

his eyebrow raised. “you..?”

“i saw you.” you admitted, feeling your once assertive demeanor fade into a timid one.

he bit his lip, attempting to hold back his smile from growing wider. as his eyes trailed down, he leaned his head back against the wall. “saw me doing what?” you looked away from him, reaching back to grab your phone but his hand grabbed your arm. “no, say it. don’t start something if you can’t finish it…”

“dude, i didn’t see anything. i don’t know what i’m talking about.” you told him, pulling your arm away from him and crossing your legs, hoping that he didn’t the arousal that was seeping through your gray shorts.

he stood up, walking over to his window and opening the curtains. “saw me standing here earlier, right?”

you ignored him, staring down at your phone and scrolled through your instagram. before you realized it, heeseung was standing in front of you. he slid his index finger underneath your chin, tilting your head up to look at him. “saw me hand fucking myself, yeah?”

you slowly nodded, entranced at his intense eye contact.

“ah ah ah,” he tsked in a disapproving manner. “use your words, you’re a big girl.”

“yes..” you whispered, feeling small underneath his gaze.

“there you go,” he cooed. “that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“no. i just…why did you do that…right in front of your window? right before i came over?” you asked him.

“why do you think?” he asked, sighing. “isn’t it obvious?”

“no?” you replied, “i don’t know what you’re talking about.”

he dropped his hand to his side. “y/n, i like you. i’ve liked you since you moved next door to me.” he admitted, breaking eye contact to look down at your phone that still rested in your hand. “i couldn’t go a whole night stuck in my room with you with a straight face. it would’ve been harder than you think.”

“you like me?” you asked him, shocked.

“you’re so oblivious, i swear..” he scoffed, walking away from you and closed his curtains. “anyway, it’s not like it matters now anyway. you’re leaving in a few days.”

you scooted forwards a bit, “w-why would you just now tell me? i had no idea, heeseung. you couldn’t have told me like…freaking years ago?!”

“i told you because i wouldn’t have to face you when you rejected me. duh.” he weakly laughed, turning away from you and shuffling through some of his clothing.

you held onto the sheets underneath you, feeling completely at a loss at his words.

“i wouldn’t reject you, heeseung.” you told him.

“yeah you would, no need to lie about it.” he shrugged. “i’ve already coke to terms with it, it’s over with.”

tears began to pool in your eyes. you couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that your best friend, neighbor, childhood crush was admitting his feelings to you 72 hours before you moved across the country. “heeseung, i…”

“you don’t have to let me down lightly, y/n. it’s cool, don’t worry.” he sighed, sitting down back beside you as he rubbed his arms. “are you hungry? there’s some f-“

you cut him off with a kiss, holding his face against your own. he was stiff at first, shocked. but soon, he kissed you back and pulled you onto his lap. his hands roamed over your curves, from your waist down to your ass.

but then, he pulled away and held your wrists. “y/n, why…why are you doing this?

tears fell from your eyes as you looked ahead at him, feeling your heart sadden at him; heeseung was so perfect. he had the cutest pair of large brown eyes along with a beautiful smile and a soothing voice. how could you have been so blind before? he was all you could ask for in a guy. he never made you feel uncomfortable, he was sweet, and he went above and beyond when doing things for you. how could you leave him in 3 days?

“because i like you too, heeseung.” you told him. “please don’t push me away. please.”

he looked at you, his eyes reflecting the same sadness you’d felt. he pressed his lips back to your own, holding your chest against his as he gently mended his lips with yours.

he let go of your wrists, using his hand to lay you flat on your back and lay atop of you. your hands caressed his cheeks, melting into the feeling of him. as the kiss deepened, you felt his hands moving up from your waist to your breasts, massaging your erect areola through your shirt. you moaned into his mouth, feeling a wave of arousal wash over you. heeseung pulled away, looking into your eyes.

“do you want this?” he asked, his eyes searching for any doubt or hesitation in your expression.

you nodded, “so bad.”

with that, he leaned back down to kiss you again, this time with more passion and intensity. you felt his hands moving down to your shorts, slipping them off along with your panties. he broke the kiss to look at you, taking in your naked form beneath him.

“you’re so perfect,” he whispered, before leaning down to kiss your neck. “so beautiful, so pretty.”

you whined his name, feeling his lips and tongue working their way down your body. heeseung spent a long time exploring every inch of your skin, eliciting moans and gasps from you with every touch.

he left wet kisses down your stomach down to your thighs, laying between your legs and propping them onto his shoulders. “y/n,” he whispered, “has anyone ever…done this to you before?”

you shook your head, “no, heeseung. no one has.”

he licked his lips, sucking on your dripping outer labia, sticking his tongue inside to flick his wet muscle against your achining clit.

“oh!” you squealed, arching your back at the surge of pleasure that rolled through your pelvis. “heeseung, oh my..”

he continued to pleasure you with his mouth, soon slipping in a finger to add to your pleasure. you gripped onto the sheets underneath you as you felt his rough fingertips rubbing against your convulsing walls, feeling a knot build up in your stomach.

“oh shit, heeseung….” you cried, throwing your head back as he held onto your thighs, forcing you down harder against his mouth. “i think i’m gonna…i think i’m gonna..”

he lifted his head up, replacing his tongue with his thumb as he kissed your thighs. “cum for me, baby.”

you squeezed your eyes shut as your orgasm ripped through your body, making your hips sputter. essense dripped out of your tender pussy as you moaned, closing your thighs over his hand.

he kept rubbing his thumb over your sensitive clit, “heeseung, stop. please, please, i can’t. it hurts…please…”

he crawled back up to kiss you, running his fingers through your hair. “we can stop now, if you want.”

you held his face, caressing his cheek. “no, i..i want to go all the way.”

“have you had sex before?” he asked.

you shook your head, “i’ve only…done other stuff. never went all the way.”

he kissed you once before sitting up. “before we do this, i just want you to know that i’ve liked you for…a very, very long time. even on the days where we wouldn’t talk, all i thought about was you. i couldn’t bring myself to date anyone else throughout highschool when i would go home and see you through your window, looking as pretty as ever. my heart has always belonged to you, and i hope that even when you go off work college, you always remember that i’ll always hold tight onto the thought of you, keeping you close to my heart. forever and always.”

you felt tears welling up in your eyes at his words, knowing how much courage it must have taken for him to say them. you took his hand, squeezing it tightly.

“i will always remember, heeseung,” you said, your voice filled with emotion. “and i will always hold onto the memories we’ve made together.”

he leaned down to kiss you again, his lips conveying all the emotions he couldn’t put into words. you felt his hands moving down to pull his pants down and he tightly held your hand within his, signaling that he was going to begin.

you felt the his cock poke against your pussy, making you gasp when you felt how hot and wet his tip was.

“squeeze my hand if it hurts and i’ll stop right away. sound good, pretty girl?” he asked, looking into your eyes.

“okay, i’m ready…” you told him, glancing down at his length prodding against your entrance. slowly but surely, you felt him slowly begin to push himself into your tight hole, stirring when you subconsciously clenched at the stretch. “y/n,” he huffed half laughed, “don’t squeeze like that. you’re gonna make me cum.”

you smiled a bit, “sorry..”

he kissed you again, glancing down and applying pressure to your tummy. “just relax, let me do the work.”

you complied, biting your lip as he bottomed out inside of you, not moving. you felt stuffed, one wrong move and he would impale your cervix. but something about the whole ordeal was turning you on so much, you could cum again without him even moving.

“feel okay?” he asked.

you nodded, wrapping your arms around his neck as you pulled him down to kiss you. you rolled your hips against his own, itching for some type of stimulation.

he thrusted his hips into your own, starting at a slow pace as he reached down to being your leg over his back.

you moaned with pleasure, feeling a sense of euphoria wash over you as he brought you closer to another orgasm. you wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him deeper into you as you met his thrusts with your own.

heeseung picked up the pace, each thrust sending waves of pleasure through your body. you moaned into his mouth, your fingers scratching at his back as you held on for dear life.

heeseung pulled back, breaking the kiss to look down. "shit, your pussy is squeezing me," he moaned. “i’m gonna cum…”

you could feel his cock twitching inside you, signaling his impending release. the mere thought of him coming inside you sent you over the edge, your own orgasm crashing through you like a tidal wave.

you cried out his name, your body convulsing with pleasure as he continued to thrust into you, prolonging your orgasm. heeseung finally slowed down, his movements becoming more gentle as he rode out his own release.

with a final thrust, you felt his hot load shoot deep inside of your walls, panting the pink walls a tinge of white.

heeseung propped himself up, pulling his sensitive cock out of you and taking a deep breath.

he slipped his boxers back on and you claimed your breathing as you heard him walk away, coming back with a damp towel. you felt him wipe down your most sensitive areas and finish off with your face.

he tossed the towel to the side and helped you slip your panties back on along with your top. without a second thought, you held onto him, cuddling into the warmth of his exposed chest.

heeseung cuddled you back, laying beside you as he pulled his covers over the both of you.

“you did so well, y/n.” he whispered, planting a soft kiss against your nose. “was it okay?”

“more than okay…” you told him, closing your eyes and yawning. “thank you..for everything. for confessing to me and for making me cum twice in one night.”

he awkwardly laughed, shifting against you. “yeah…sure. are you sleepy?”

you order, “super sleepy.”

“sleep, we can talk more in the morning.”

and with that, you fell asleep. you weren’t sure what the future held for you and heeseungs relationship. all you knew was that you loved him for him. he was your friend, your first time, and now your first love. only time would tell for your relationship.

• ��°✧︡ ˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

authors note: here’s another lil fic! got bored and wanted to do a cute lil heeseung story, hope u liked it! 😊

[animehideout]

LOVE IS THE MOST TWISTED CURSE OF THEM ALL

PART 11

Check out part 12 here

Gojo Satoru X Fem! Reader

warnings ⚠️: not proofread / abuse / SA just something vague not detailed.

a/n : I truly apologize for this late update, I was really unmotivated to rewrite it and I was struggling to find inspiration again, I'm sorry if this part didn't live up to your expectations but I read hope you like it though, I tried to make it longer but I ran out of ideas 🥹.

Music Suggestion 🎧

Satoru stood tall, alone in the balcony, his gaze fixated on the sky, lost in the depth if his own thoughts. The weight of regret hung heavy upon his shoulders, a burden he could no longer bear.

His mind played your last fight that night on loop, making him hate himself even more. He remembered his harsh words, actions and disrespect towards you. Forcefully shutting his eyes to make those images and voices that's been haunting him go away.

Unwelcomed thoughts yet impossible to ignore. Blaming himself over and over again for what happened to you, torturing himself to madness.

"It's my fucking fault" he muttered,

In all that darkness, the image of your face in his mind was the only source of light. The delicate curve of your smile whenever you were around your students etched in his memory. He remembered the way you slept, features softened by the gentle embrace of your slumber, your passion for teaching and your daily excitement to show your students a new weapon and new technique.

You were a vision of peace amidst the chaos he was living. He realized then how life became emptier after your disappearance, the void your absence had left in every bit of his life. He realized how much he fell for you, he realized that hatred was deeply buried by the birth of his love for you.

With a heavy heart, he bowed his head, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. For three days, his eyes wide open, unable to sleep without you under the same roof as him, cuddling a piece of your clothing every single night to take into your scent, to pretend that you were there, next to him.

Clutching his fists, his knuckles turned white , whispering a plea for forgiveness, a forgiveness he might never receive.

"I'm sorry Y/n.."

. ..

"Satoru?"

"Y-yaga sensei?" said Gojo wiping his tears away,

"Can I join you?"

"Y-yeah sure"

"What's on your mind? Still blaming yourself?"

"Do I have anything else to do except blaming myself?"

"I'm sorry for your loss Satoru" said Principal Yaga apologetically,

"I didn't lose her, she's still out there, somewhere! I know it, I'm sure of it, I can feel it"

"Pain is eating you up Satoru, you know you should let go already–"

"Let go? Easier said than done. How can all of you let go so fast as if she never existed?" he said in annoyance

"The higher ups orders, to not distract the sorcerers' focus from their daily tasks"

"Bullshit, –"

"Satoru I understand your pain"

"No you don't, none of you does! I did this to her, I built the wall between both of us brick by brick till it collapsed on both of us, she got abducted by Toji and here I am suffering everyday.. I just wish I can turn back time and undo the damage I had done"

"Is this because of regret or something else?" asked Principal Yaga

Gojo looked down, not sure of what to say, mastering the courage he finally spoke,

"I– I love her, sensei! I love Y/n so much, I just hope it's not too late to realize this because I really want to fix everything–"

Yaga sensei looked at Gojo with a reassuring yet sad smile, deep down, everyone accepted that you died except Gojo., and he didn't want him to hang on fake hope.

"Satoru–"

"I know what you're about to say, but I won't let go, I won't give up even if the higher ups chain me down.... I thought she was a curse when we got married but I think I am her curse, I was her curse while she was my blessing–"

"I hope you're right Satoru, I hope she's still out there as you said, I hope you get a second chance to be a real family"

...

*In Mei Mei's room*

"Look at this" said Maki her eyebrows frowning in confusion,

"Who's that in the picture?" asked Nobara as confused as Maki,

Both of them examined the photograph, their eyes flickered between the picture and each other in silence. In the picture a woman smiled serenely as she cradled a baby in her embrace.

Maki shrugged equally perplexed,

"I have no idea, do you think it's a family member?"

Their senses were on high alert as they scanned every corner of her room for any sign of wrongdoing, something out of the ordinary. They found that picture tucked under her bed after they flipped the mattress while searching for anything suspicious.

"And this stack of money? Didn't know she's got all of this cash here" added Nobara.

"And this box as well"

Intrigued, they opened it. As they lifted the lid of the box, a firegun revealed itself, its metallic surface gleaming ominously in the dim light.

"A g-gun?" started Nobara as she looked at Maki in shock, "what would she use it for?"

"Definitely not hers, why would a sorcerer with a jujutsu technique depend on a gun" she pointed out.

"Good point, so if its not hers then to whom does it belong to?" asked Nobara

"There's only one way to figure it out, but now let's take the gun, the damn photograph and get out of here" said Maki as she put he mattress in its place again.

.....

"GOJO-SENSEI" called Nobara out as she caught a glimpse of Gojo in the balcony "Sensei you need to see this"

"Hm? Nobara? Maki?"

"Gojo" said Maki as she saw Gojo with principal Yaga in the balcony "We found something–"

but before she could finish her sentence,

"Any news?" interrupted Mei Mei as she stepped in the balcony out of nowhere..

Maki and Nobara exchanged quick nervous glances, their eyes darting between each other as they attempt to maintain composure. Hiding what they took from her room behind their backs. Their expressions strain with the effort to appear nonchalant, but a subtle tension lingers in the air. Lips pressed into strained smiles,

"Nah nothing new" said Maki while Nobara nodded in agreement.

"Hm you sure about that? I thought I heard you said you found something, is it about Y/n? " asked Mei raising her eyebrows,

"What if we did? Is it really your concern?" exclaimed Maki offensively, only to get elbowed softly by Nobara,

"We found nothing important Mei Mei sensei, of course if we did we'd tell you" exclaimed Nobara, chuckling awkwardly.

"Oh alright then girls," she said luckily not giving too much important to the girls, then paused and drifted her gaze towards Gojo, "how are you holding up Gojo? I hope you're in the process of moving on" she added

Gojo's eyes burned holes in her soul, but he tried to remain calm,

"I'm fine"

"That's what all of us would like to hear, glad you let go" she said and then excused herself to go to her room,

Then moment she left, Maki ran towards Gojo and Yaga, showing them what they found,

"We found these–"

"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THESE FROM?" snapped Gojo unexpectedly, his eyes widened as he snatched the gun and photograph form Maki's hands,

"Damn Satoru what's got into you, relax!" exclaimed Yaga-sensei,

"W-we.." stuttered Nobara

"How did you get these? they were well hidden"

"Well hidden under Mei Mei's bed?" asked Maki in confusion

"What? what did you just say?" said Gojo and Yaga in union

"We found these under Mei Mei's bed, the gun hidden in a box , tucked beside that photograph and a pile of cash, do you possibly know to whom it belongs?"

"These belong to Toji Zenin" said Satoru

Maki and Nobara froze in place, trying to process what Gojo just said,

"T-toji?" they said in disbelief,

"This gun was used by Toji to murder Riko Amanai, and these in the picture are Megumi and his mother–" explained Yaga sensei

"It can only be one thing" expressed Gojo through gritted teeth, "She must be behind it" he added and started walking away, thinking about confronting her,

"GOJO STOP!" yelled Yaga sensei, holding Gojo in place, "What's happened to your common sense? vanished?"

"We can't assume anything now sensei!" said Nobara

"So all of this isn't enough to assume that she's got some dirty work with Toji Zenin going on behind our backs?" said Gojo aggressively

"Okay you're right, it is suspicious but we need a plan! a proper plan, do you think she'll admit it if you confront her? she'll find a lie and you'll never find the truth, not out of her! We need to know more about her first" explained Maki

"Know what?" asked Gojo impatiently

"I mean, Toji has nothing right? not even a house, do you think if he'd take Y/n to a hotel room after abducting her? Mei Mei must have provided a place for him" she added

"So if we can't ask her, how would we know?" asked Nobara,

"We ask her best friend" Suggest Maki shrugging,

....

"Is it ringing?" asked Yaga sensei,

"Yeah shh it is" said Gojo waiting for her to pick up the phone, "–Oh hello" he said through the phone

"Gojo? Hi what's up calling me late at night, is everything okay?"

"Utahime, yeah everything is fine, we just need you here, if it's possible can you make here in one hour at least?"

"Well I can, but is it an emergency?"

"Um it's– it's about Mei Mei, we're preparing a party for her and we need your help"

"A party? It's not even her birthday yet–"

"It's for her service, it's a habit here in Jujutsu High to hold a party for a teacher to honor them, and this time it's Mei Mei, she did a lot for us and for the school, besides it's the higher ups orders so..."

"Oh the higher ups? sure then I'll be there in an hour"

"Don't tell Mei Mei that you're coming though, it must remain a surprise, now we don't wanna spoil it"

"So should be meet outside the school?"

"Sure yeah, you can come to my house?!"

"Oh alright then, I'll be there"

With that they hung up the phone,

"She'll be here in one hour, I hope we can get her to talk"

"I hope she's not part of Mei Mei's plan though" Said Nobara.

"Don't you think we must tell the others? Maybe we need some backup?" suggested Maki

"Yeah, but some of them need to stay here to keep an eye on Mei Mei" said principal Yaga

"Alright, I'll go and tell them then,"

*Time skip, at Gojo's house*

They sat there, Gojo, Nanami, Maki and Megumi waiting for Utahime's arrival.

"You've got a nice and big house" pointed Maki

"Yeah but never a happy house" mumbled Gojo to himself,

"Do you think she'll tell us more about her?" asked Megumi and suddenly the bell rang,

"I guess we'll find out now!" said Nanami,

...

"So Utahime, I hope you corporate!" started Gojo not wasting any precious second,

"Corporate? you make it sound like if we're discussing business, and not preparing for a surprise party! it's a p-party right?"

she chuckled nervously,

"Not really! you need to tell us more about Mei Mei, some information that we don't know about"

"wait? what?" she asked nervously

"Is she meeting someone? did she tell you about something?"

"Gojo wait! why are you asking about this? I mean she lives there in the school dorms as well, so I guess you know more than I do"

"I don't think so, she's you're best friend she must have told you something about her plan?" said Maki

"Plan? what plan?"

"Ah come on Utahime dont play dumb"

"No for real! what plan, I thought you had a plan with her , Gojo to push Y/n away!"

"What? NO. I'm talking about her dirty plan with Toji"

"Toji? wait what's going on?" she said truly confused

"STOP LYING AND ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION, IF YOU'RE PART OF HER DIRTY GAME I'LL END BOTH OF YOU" exclaimed Gojo angrily, making Utahime step back, growing more and more impatient.

"Hey hey Gojo calm down, what's wrong with you? I understand you're frustrated but that's not the right way to find answers!" said Maki and the others nodded in agreement,

"Megumi please take him to the balcony while me and Maki handle this, he needs to calm down" suggest Nanami,

Megumi did as he said and took Gojo to get some fresh night air,

"Geez, you really developed anger issues, you were more laid back even in risky situations Gojo" started Megumi

"Not anymore, people change and I've changed"

"Y/n sensei is dear to all of us, so I am eager too to know where she is, and I truly understand how you feel"

"No Gumi, you don't, you don't understand because I'm not just sad, I'm feeling extremely guilty, because it's my damn fault"

"I'm feeling guilty too" said Megumi lowering his head,

"Hm? what for ? you're pretty close to Y/n and you're good friends not only a student and his teacher–"

"It's my father, he's the one who abducted her and only God knows what he's doing to her, I don't wanna even think about it. Is there any greater shame than this?" he said his voice cracking,

"Hey Megumi! look at me, your father's actions has nothing to do with you, he's the one who abducted her not you! you've always been nice and kind to Y/n. Sometimes family does things that we are ashamed of and completely in opposition of it but it doesn't mean we're like them just because we're related by blood, you are what you're truly in here" he said and pointed at Megumi's heart "And I know well what's in there Megumi! I raised you and I've seen you grow up to be a loyal, strong and kind hearted man! you're the complete opposite of your father so don't ever compare yourself to him again" said Gojo with a smile,

"If it's his fault, then why are you blaming yourself Gojo?"

"Because I'm the reason she left that night! I've said too many hurtful words, no one can handle to hear, no one deserves to hear but I was too agitated, too overwhelmed by my mixed feelings, trying to push her away from me over and over again–"

"Why? why'd you push her away from you? couldn't you have tried at least? maybe after what you've been through you were destined to finally find happiness with her! "

"My heart was a messy place to make it a comfortable place for her!"

"Was? so what changed now?"

"I want to try to make it comfortable for both of us, I want t-t to– nevermind! I have to find her, I have to make it up for her"

"I understand and we will find her, Y/n is strong I'm sure she's safe wherever she is" reassured Megumi, trying to lift Gojo's spirit again,

....

"So Utahime, we really need you to corporate so you better put that bestie thing with Mei Mei aside cuz this is a life or death matter!" begun Maki,

"D-death?"

"Toji escaped and we think that Mei Mei had a hand in this" added Nanami

"No way! Why would Mei Mei do that? I mean you know what Toji had done to the Jujutsu world!"

"We know, but we know that when people are full of hate are full of unexpected things!"

"Nanami what's wrong? what happened?"

"It's Y/n! Toji abducted her, and we found Toji's gun under Mei Mei's bed, even though it was well hidden.. do you still think she's got nothing to do with that?"

Her eyes wide open in shock and disbelief, her mouth hanging open, sad expressions drawn on her face,

"W-what? I didn't know I swear to God! I've – I've never thought it will go that way, I've never thought she could fall this far" she expressed her feelings, her heart crushing, she's never expected her long time best friend would do or be part of such thing, to betray the Jujutsu community.

"That's why we need your help! You know how important Y/n is to our world! we can't lose her" said Nanami "So please if you know anything, any place she owns, any small details tell us, we really need to know"

With a deep breath, she started thinking, trying to remember if Mei Mei told her anything,

"I remember she bought a house! but that was weeks ago!!"

"A house?"

"Yeah, she said she might settle in Tokyo if things went well between her and Gojo–"

"She's truly delusion" interrupted Maki rolling her eyes,

"Where is this house?" asked Nanami

"I'll take you there" said Utahime determined to help.

Despite being best friends with Mei Mei, her morals were more important! she's too loyal to the Jujutsu World and committed to the greater good, she knows about the prophecy and she can't afford to witness another loss on the Jujutsu community part.

"I'll go and tell Gojo and Megumi then– maybe Y/n is there"

.......

[ Kill her, and I'll bring your cash tomorrow when I see her lifeless body ]

Read Toji through the message that he received,

"See! I'm ordered to kill you now! How much trouble did you cause her for her to free me from the prison just to torture you and kill you" he said with a smirk

"F-fuck you and fuck her" you said through gritted teeth as you were thrown on the floor, your body hurting from the chains that were tied around your wrists and feet.

your lips and nose bleeding after hours of tortures,

"And you still got that attitude, after being beaten up? If I were you I wouldn't act so brave.."

"You'll never be me Toji! we're both considered inferior in the Jujutsu world but I learned how to be the real me and not what others want me to be, I didn't let others to order me around and kill people–"

"Are you trying to save yourself? and convince me to not kill you"

"no, I know I can't be saved, not just now but for a long time ago, but you know the funny thing is that we actually have something else in common beside being monkeys" you joked offensively trying to get on his nerves, you're going to die anyway so why'd you not offend him, you were tired if being stepped on so why not talk back.

"what?" he said in anticipation as he kneeled down,

"Both our families are disappointed in us, I disappointed my parents and you disappointed your son, Megumi, nice kid he's nothing like you–"

"M-megumi?"

And you struck a sensitive nerve in him,

You started laughing when you saw his face dropped and his expressions changed, your stomach hurts whenever you laughed he probably had broken some of yours ribs.

The you paused,

"Do it Toji. Do what you were assigned for, no one will come to my rescue anyway, do it, kill me" you said in a serious tone,

"Change in plan, let me have my fun with you before I take the light out of your eyes"

"You still have time for fun? the dawn will break soon–"

"Oh I know princess, don't you worry about it, I know I can't delay the sunlight but I know how to make the night even more darker... and you were right, Megumi's probably disappointed in me but lemme tell you something–" he paused and leaned forward, his face a few inches away from yours "That's who I truly am, a beast that preys on the weak, and you are weak Y/n no matter how hard you try to come off as strong"

he said and he reached to take off your shirt,

Your heart beats quickened, you thought he'd torture you in another way, and not attempt to do something filthy to you,

"No -no! I'd rather die" you said trying your best to break free from his grasp, but his huge body got you pinned down,

"What? you're not a fan of big guys? or your pathetic ass is loyal to a husband who's never paid attention to your existence?" he said looking you deep in the eyes, his huge hands circling around your neck, posing pressure on it,

You couldn't deny the pain and disappointment you felt. You really hoped Gojo would appear and save you, you wished he cared for you. You couldn't deny that you wanted Gojo; your husband to be your first time and not with someone who would brutally kill you after taking what he wants.

You'd die even before he kills you.

"no don't " you whispered, loosing your voice as his grip around your neck tightened, making it hard to breathe.

....

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER"

All what you can feel is the weight of Toji's body being removed from on top of you.

Toji's body forcefully thrown on the ground, your blurry eyes trying to focus on the figure standing right in front of you, slowly approaching you,

"Damn baby what did he do to you?" he said softly, softly brushing his finger over your bleeding lip.

"S-satoru, y-you came!" you whispered, your vision darkening and ears ringing,

"Of course I'm here with you, Y/n! Y/N !!!!!no no Y/N WAKE UP" he yelled as he held you in his arms.

....

Your eyes slowly fluttered opened, your surroundings sharpening into details again, gulping with difficulty.

A serum attached to your vein,

"Sensei" said Yuji "Guys she's awake"

With that all of them circled around the bed you were laying on, their eyes look directly at you, greeting you with sincere smiles.

"How are you feeling?" asked Megumi.

You tried to leave the bed but they forced you to lay back. You looked around scanning the place, you were in the hospital, Shoko must have treated your wounds, everyone was there except your husband, Satoru.

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[livesworthlivingau]

Behind the Vale Chapter 30

ISAT/Two Hats spoilers below! CW: Mental Spirals, Shouting/Screaming, Resentment, Mentions of Abuse.

"... What is it, Stardust?"

"... Bonnie heard us earlier... they told everyone. I tried my best to calm everyone down, they just want to talk but..." [You freeze in place, you feel a pit in your stomach as your smile fades fully. Nille's hand carefully reaches forward, taking yours in it before she speaks.]

"It's time Vay... You gotta tell them the truth, I don't think there's any other way out of this." [You pull your hand back from theirs, taking a step back as you hold both your hands to your chest... No words escape your throat in this moment. You simply look between the two of them, looking like a cornered animal begging for a way out.]

"Vay, it's alright. We'll be there for you, but they're not gonna drop this without an explanation."

"O-Of course not~! Wh-What reasonable person would accept me stabbing their beloved family member~?" [You let out through a shakey voice. You try your best to smile again until the tears begin to flow, betraying your expression.]

"I won't let them turn you away, Vale! You deserve a place here with us!" [You can't help but let out a sharp laugh at that.]

"Is that what I deserve, Stardust? Because I'm pretty sure you already took that place from me~!" [SHUT UP! STOP TALKING YOU IMBECILE! YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO MAKE THIS WORSE!!]

"Loo-"

"NO! Do NOT call me that!!! You've taken everything else from me, the one blinding thing I have left in this forsaken world is my name!"

"... I'm sorry, Vale..." [He recoils from you, ducking into his cloak and stepping back. Nille steps closer in his place.]

"Vay, please, take a breath. We're trying to make the best of a bad situation. I know you're just lashing out cause you're upset."

"STOP ACTING LIKE YOU KNOW ME! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW ME?! I DON'T EVEN BLINDING KNOW ME!!! This personality I've been parading around as my own?! I made it up! For HIM! I gave up my life, my world, my family!! All so he could have it instead!!"

[You watch as he takes another step back, tears welling up in his eyes. He goes to speak but nothing comes out, just closing his mouth again.]

"Vale! Knock it off! What happened wasn't their fault!"

"STOP ACTING LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH!!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE REPLACED!" [Nille's form tenses, her fists clenching as that comment seemed to affect her deeply.]

"... I wouldn't say that exactly." [She takes a deep breath, trying to keep herself from snapping.]

"You-!... You what?... What could you possibly understand about that?" [Your anger subsides partially for confusion.]

"Well, it's not like I was in a time loop or made a wish or anything... but when Bonnie first came around, it might as well have been like I didn't exist anymore..." [You roll your eyes at this, your trauma being compared to a simple sibling rivalry.]

"You don't know how this feels..."

"Maybe not exactly... but I know how it feels to be loved until you're not their 'perfect little girl' anymore... to be resented for being myself, for someone else to come along and receive all that love you so dearly missed..." [Nille crossed her arms, holding them and trying to keep from crying. Stardust is watching her with a shocked glance, it seems he hasn't heard this before either...]

"That... That's not the same..." [Your anger has subsided, but you still tried to keep yourself closed off.]

"Not quite... but I looked at Bonnie like that at first, the way you were just looking at Frin."

"... Then how did you get past that?... How can you look at them and see anything but that?..."

"The most important thing to remember is that they never asked to replace you... It's no fair to blame them when they were forced into that situation just as much as you were." [She steps closer again, carefully cupping your face in her hands and wiping your tears away.]

"Frin and I just want you to be happy, and by change, we're not gonna let anything get in the way of that, not even yourself you moron." [She teases as you can't help but chuckle softly. You bring a hand up to place on hers, yet you still can't stand to look her in the eye yet.]

"You can do this, Vay. You've been through so crabbing much. All you gotta do now is talk, that can't be that hard, right?" [You let out another laugh, this one a little more manic.]

"If it were, I'd never have been stuck in that time loop in the first place~." [Stardust chuckles a little at that too.]

"Gotta agree there, took a lotta years to be able to talk as openly as I can now."

"Thank Change I don't have to deal with both of you being like this now, not sure my hammer could deal with two thick skulls like yours." [You both laugh again before you take a few moments to try and compose yourself.]

"... Okay... Okay, you're right. It's time... I have to do this."

"We'll be there for you the whole time, Vay." [Stardust nods with a confident smile.]

"It'll be fine, I'm sure of it." [That makes one of us...]

---------------------------------------------------

[The three of you make the short yet agonizing walk back to the house they were all staying at. The Fighter was out front, waiting. His arms crossed and an upset look on his face, yet reserved as usual. Despite this, he regards you with a polite nod.]

"Vale... We've agreed to hear you out, and be civil. Though I'm sure you can understand how we all feel about this at the moment." [Stardust steps in front of you, almost defensively, while Nille remains beside you, hand on your back.]

"I appreciate the opportunity..." [Though that convenient path into the woods in our peripheral vision looks much more tempting...]

"Use it wisely." [He advises, it almost feels genuine even. You nod to him before he opens the door, letting you all back inside. The Researcher and Housemaiden were still there, comforting The Ki-... Little Flare. They take one look at you through teary eyes before jumping up onto their feet.]

"NO! GO AWAY! LEAVE STUPIDFRIN ALONE!!! YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!!!" [The pit in your stomach starts to feel more like a black hole.]

"Bonnie! Everyone agreed to hear them out, now please just-"

"NO NO NO! I DIDN'T! I DON'T WANT THEM HERE!!!" [They scream in defiance. As Nille tries to reach for them they dart for the stairs.]

"I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY'RE GONNA SAY!!! GET RID OF THEM!!!" [They shout more, stomping up the stairs to their room and slamming the door behind them. Nille gives a heavy sigh and rubs at her temple. You stand there, trying to make yourself look small, though your flashy outfit certainly doesn't help. The Researcher then speaks up.]

"That's probably for the best. It may be difficult to speak as openly with a child present." [She states, giving you an inquisitive once over, as if trying to size you up in this moment. Her stare feels like daggers stabbing into wherever she looks... The Housemaiden agrees.]

"Y-Yes, considering what sparked all of this, they probably should take some time to decompress."

"Right... Thank you all for giving me a chance... I apologize for being dishonest."

"You weren't the only one to lie to them..." [Stardust attempts to defend you again, of course by throwing himself to the fire as well... Nille guides you along onto the couch, both her and Stardust flanking you. You take a deep breath, looking at the other 3 before you. Their stares feel like they pierce your very soul. You avoid eye contact to make this easier. You feel Nille grip your hand in a comforting squeeze.]

"Whenever you're ready, Vale." [She gently encourages you.]

"... I'm going to tell you a story... About a traveler in a darkless cloak and hat... who joined a group of heroes on their way to save Vaugarde."

[jessilynallendilla]

DPXDC KID DANNY FIC REC

TITLE/LI NK RATING COMPLETED-WORD-COUNT SERIES

DP FIC REC HOME POST

let me know if the links aren't working and feel free to suggest any

KID DANNY 

Eldritch Toddler  T 7,466 SERIES 

Bruce is not prepared for when John Constantine hands over a young boy who has been de-aged. While Constantine goes off in search of the one responsible, Bruce and his family are left to care for the child. Danny is a sweet kid, he isn't fussy either! This should be fine. They quickly learn to take Constantine's warnings seriously. 

I Found Him, He's Mine Now  G 1,810 SERIES 

Damian finds Danny alone in the park waiting for his (imaginary) dog with no parents in sight. That level of negligence is unacceptable and if he has to be this boy's guardian then so be it. 

Mother Of The Storms And Her Star Child  T 

After an accident leaves everyone Danny has ever known dead, and clockwork injured. He brings a now younger Danny to an old friend. His old pal has the perfect place for him amongst her other wards. But Danny is scared and scarred, can the bat fam trace down the young boys origins? Leave it to the family of detectives. 

Danny Finding A Family In The Shape Of A Bat  NR 

Clockwork sends Danny to alt dimension de-aged and injured after the reveal goes bad. Clockwork had a plan and lets Danny know so he can get set in this new world where being a hero is an actual job, and sliding Danny where he needs to be to gain an actual childhood and training. Bruce finds another blood child he didn't know about. 

So You Suddenly Found Yourself The Father Of A Ghost Child....  G SERIES 

Timothy Drake-Wayne would have it known that he did not get infected by Bruce's adoption problem. The kid hanging off of his coat just followed him home. 

Cut Out The Middleman  G 973 SERIES 

Alfred adopts himself a grandchild. 

(Un)Dead Beat Dad  NR 

Danny finally escaped his parents, and in his muddled thought process, went to see his mentor, clockwork. Clockwork, however, had no clue what to do and took Danny to his dear old friend, Gotham. Going along with this game of halfa telephone, Gotham took the now six-year-old boy to her most trustworthy knight. 

It Takes A Mob  NR 8,402 SERIES 

Bill didn't ask for a lot from life. A roof over his head and a job to the pay the rent.  He spent a lot of his adult life being the punching bag of a bunch of furries and has had every single bone in his leg removed on more than one occasion. That being said he wasn't a dumbass. He knew how to read a room and was smart enough to Know when the odds had changed. It's this reason that Bill has found himself in the possession of one tiny Meta in the city known for a strict rule against them. God, Bill should've never left the Goonion. 

Gotham's Youngest Ghost  NR 

Somewhere in Gotham, a small child finds themself alone and lost on the streets of Crime Alley. Nearby, a liminally-challenged vigilante has no idea his life is about to be turned upside down. Again. This is all Clockwork's fault, Danny is sure of it. 

My Boy, My Son  G 18,210 SERIES 

In desperate need of a vacation, Danny has Clockwork turn him into a five year old so that he can have the childhood he never got. Soon, five year old Danny finds himself running wild in Gotham only to be kidnapped by some weird teenager in a costume who decides that Danny is going to be his son. What's Danny to do but accept this new weird guy as his new dad and become a super cool crime fighting vigilante with his new adopted family who have no clue he's a two thousand year old ghost king? 

Uncanny  G 

Jim Gordon sees a boy walk down Park Row. A boy that looks exactly identical to a tiny and terrified kid that he pulled into his arms and comforted after his parents died so many years ago. 

Don't Leave Me In The Dark  NR SERIES 

What's Jason supposed to do when he comes home one night to find a crying child with only one arm, and Lazarus Pit green eyes, wiping their own blood up from his apartment floor? The answer is probably not, "Adopt them.", but, hey, he's never had the best plans and the kid looks like he weighs five pounds soaking wet. (Danny can't remember how old he is - he remembers being sixteen, but he remembers being six even clearer - just that the last thing in his head is someone rooting around his intestines and telling him he's a fascinating specimen.) 

Sunshine  T 2,826 SERIES 

Dick finds a pair of young children outside in the cold. He takes them in as his own. Soon Jazz starts showing worrying signs. 

The Son Of The Red Hood  T 

Clockwork intervenes in Danny's life so that he can learn all he needs to be king of the Infinite Realms, and hopefully this time he can actually be loved and cared for the way he deserves. 

It's Strong, And It's Sudden, And It's Cruel Sometimes (But It Might Just Save Your Life)  T 1,404 SERIES 

[Attempt number-one-hundred had been successful.] When Dan woke up, his very first thought was his usual: ‘Goddamn son of a fucking bitch.’ That was when he realized that he didn’t say it out loud. 

A Ghostling's Second Chance  T 

Due to a problem concerning ghosts, undead, and the reliving happening in lady Gotham's city, she asked for help from her dear friend Clockwork. one thing leads to the other and now team phantom must help the bats with cults, owls, talons, LoA, and... apparently being known as teen dads??? Team phantom also has to deal with being de-aged, good thing that half of them can pass as old beings who can be tracked back to the roman empire, or is the Egyptian empire older?? 

Alfred And The Tiny Attic Squatters  G   

Alfred discovers four tiny squatters hiding in the attic and spends a number of days coaxing them out while keeping Bruce and the rest of the family from imploding after they discover that Damian is not his only child.  It only gets more chaotic when they discover other relations and that the children may be involved in many of the unexplained events going on around Gotham. Jazz just wants to punch Clockwork in the throat for de-aging them and dropping them in a alternate dimension where she is getting targeted by a combat furry crime boss and his bird-themed minions, several of who seemed to have developed a obsession with her that is giving her strong Vlad vibes. 

The Joys Of Fatherhood  T SERIES 

He'd never expected this. It was a complete shock. But he was going to do this right, he was going to be the best dad ever to this precious little boy. His adorable little bird. 

A Second Life  G 159,219 SERIES 

He wakes up with no memories. He knows things, but he doesn’t know why. Who is he? And how did he get here? 

Baby Catastrophe (Literally)  T 

Everyone knows babies exist. Only a few know that Jason has a baby. And none of them know that said baby is a de-aged Ghost King with no survival instincts. 

Imprint  T 

He screwed his eyes shut, held his breath, desperately wished that he was back in his safehouse, alone and blissfully unaware. But the weight in his hands remained, and when he opened his eyes, it was to the bean-shaped 'fuck you' the Lazarus Pit had kindly bestowed upon him, arms and legs folded up against his front beneath off-white muslin while tiny lips smacked softly. What the fuck. What the hell was Jason supposed to do now? 

Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away   T SERIES 

After escaping from the GIW, Danny crash lands in Gotham. He's six years old, his entire life has burned behind him, and one of the Gotham vigilantes is running around with a stifled Core. What's a kid to do? A Jason Adopts Danny fic featuring De-aged!Danny, family feels, and Jason's Grand Master Plan going completely off the rails. 

Dick Grayson V Gotham  T 

It's taken months, but Dick Grayson was finally able to foster Danny Smith, the kid who kept showing up to crime scenes and solving murders. But after reporters learn about Danny's existence, Dick returns to Gotham to wait out the media storm. Fortunately, Bruce is allowing him to help on this new Red Hood case. Danny's not supposed to be here. Not in this dimension, not in this kid body, not without his powers. For the last year, he's made the most of it and even developed a reputation of being a medium detective. But now, his foster dad is taking him to Gotham, where threats new and old challenge the stability he's found. 

Raising Phantom  T SERIES 

Jasmine started working at Gotham's Public Library, while having to take care of her baby brother and going to college. Danny is frustrated at having to be in hiding as well as everything else poor in his life. Also there is something off about the man that comes in to check books out. His family included. Batfamily playing a game to figure out these two's life only for things to get serious quickly. 

The Boy King And The Dark Knights  T SERIES 

Daniel Fenton may be dead, but he wasn’t suicidal. Unfortunately, avoiding Batman and his vigilantes get a lot harder when he’s stuck in a seven year olds body in Gotham. Clockwork so owes him for this. In which Danny Fenton fixes a broken family, grows a bit as a person, and makes another technically-dead friend. Not exactly in that order. 

To Become Blue-Blooded T

Bruce Wayne was named Prince of Gotham for decades. He didn’t though about it much. The Wayne family being called the royal family of America, or the Bat family having great influence and prestige in the superheroes community was just another type of fame, of prestige, sometimes a tool but more of an annoyance. Danny Fenton knew the weight of the Infinite Realms’ Throne. It was the type of power that reached everything around you and changed all your ties in life and death. He took the smart decision when he refused. But the Realms needed a Monarch. And so Daniel existed.

[sanyu-thewitch05]

Hey, sorry I haven't talk much.

Can you do smut with a Yandere prisoner x fem reader where the reader is the only female in a men's prison?

A/N: I finally got to this request..RAHH!! I hope you don't mind I did this with a Nanbaka character because this whole request is giving Nanbaka energy, or the mythological element either.

A/N 2: Y/N= Your name, Y/#N= Your number

TW: Gore, smut, emotional manipulation

Tsumuji fandom page

Being a prisoner wasn't a walk in the park. It was especially hard when you were a literal fish out of water. You thought being a hot siren girl on land would be easy, and you would get a couple of foolish men to fall in love with you and have some snacks to eat. Unfortunately, you got caught after a couple of hikers saw you munching on your latest victim, which is how you ended up in prison. You ended up in Nanba because of your previous escape techniques involving man-eating. You also would've stayed on the girl's side of Nanba, but you didn't get along with girls, or any female, to be entirely honest. You were used to the rough structure of the deep where any other woman, unless they were family or the rare friend, were a threat to your supply of food. Being on the girl's side of Nanba made your predatory instincts go off the wall, so against many people's better judgment, Nanba moved you to the men's side. Which was pretty fun for you because the prisoners were so touch-starved they let you do anything.

"Hey, boys," You flirt, walking into the Building 6 cafeteria.

The boys in the cafeteria swoon as Kiji walks you by and sits you on a seat nearby.

"Geez, you know you could take off the handcuffs? I do have to feed myself," You comment, struggling in the cuffs.

"The last time you tried to 'feed yourself,' I had to pull you off an inmate before you tore open his neck," Kiji mentions, pulling out silverware as another guard places food on the table. "You're lucky I even accepted your request to get food from here. You're such a pretty girl; it's a shame that you have an...interesting appetite."

"And that was his fault! He was covered in sweat and shiny! That's like waving a mouse covered in blood in front of a cat!" You protest as Kiji feeds you a piece of fish.

As you're being fed, an inmate with blonde hair and a blue mask trips on some spilled food, getting water all over you. Kiji looks at you, then at the inmate and screams for him to run. Your face breaks out into bluish green scales while your teeth become sharp.

"My body isn't entirely covered in water, remember? I just have a scaley face and sharp teeth at the moment," You remark, winking at the inmate. "Thanks for the moisturizer, cute stuff. Wanna see what else you can get wet?"

"Don't respond, inmate, or else I'll make that scared cat Damian put you in solitary!" Kiji shrieks, aggressively wiping your face so the scales will go away. "Geez, just when I put some decent makeup onto your face, too!"

"Don't feel bad, Kiji. My face is used to having water on it, but I prefer having blood on it," You snarkily reply, laughing as Kiji drags you back to your cell.

~~~~~~~~~~

As you were getting ready to bathe, you heard the inmates chattering from the other side of the bath house.

"Even though she was covered in scales, she was really hot."

"The sharp teeth added to her hotness too. It's a shame we hardly get to see her."

"Say, Tsumuji, next time you trip, try to aim the water on her chest."

"I told you guys I didn't mean to do it!"

The things people would say about you were pretty funny at times. Although it hurt to hear the bad things, it didn't matter because you'd eat them eventually. As you submerge your body in the bath water, your body breaks out into bluish-green scales, your legs fuse into a large meaty tail, and fins come out of your forearm.

"Nice~" You sigh, relaxing in the hot bath water.

You hear someone get into the bath alone, and you realize you have an opportunity to get an easy snack. You make your body shift into water and go to the men's side. As you peek your head out of the water, you see Tsumuji, the same guy who spilled water on you earlier. You slowly swim toward him, then reveal yourself when you're about 10 feet away from him.

"Hey, nice to see you," You flirt, pushing your hair back.

"W-w-what are you doing here?" Tsumuji stutters, trying to climb out of the bath. "Shouldn't you be on the other side? Fuck, what are you even doing here?"

"Come on now, I'm in Building 3. Do you think they would even run the risk of letting a hot girl bathe in the same building housing inamtes like Honey and Trois? Anyway, I'm more interested in you. What's hiding behind that little mask of yours? A pair of sharp teeth?" You ask, closing the distance between Tsumuji and you.

"I-It's nothing!" Tsumuji squeaks, his hand covering his mask.

This is too easy.

"Don't be shy. You're the only one to see me in aquatic glory," You say, revealing your bare chest.

Tsumuji turns into a blushing mess, and you take your chance to kiss him. You rip the mask off his mouth and silence whatever protests he had with your lips. He gives into the kiss, and he lifts you up as if he wants you to straddle him, forgetting you have a tail. You shift your tail into legs, straddling the darkskinned young man. You don't waste any time and skip straight to fun part, beginning to ride Tsumuji's dick. As you make Tsumuji a moaning mess, your eyes focus on his neck. You decide to kiss it and leave a couple of hickies and small bite marks, making Tsumuji become more aroused.

"Y/N, are you feeling good, too?" Tsumuji moans, grabbing your ass.

"You bet!" You exclaim, riding him faster.

You look at Tsumuji and see he's about to orgasm, knowing your time for another meal was about to be soon. You lean forward, positioning your mouth near Tsumuji's neck, ready to tear it out, only to hear his cellmates nearby. You let him cum inside you, then grab his face, using your special talent.

"Listen to me, if you want me to fuck you ever again, you're going to be my little pet and get me some human meat to eat. Got it?" You hiss, using your second set of vocal cords to produce the legendary yet infamous siren song that led so many men to their deaths.

"I will! I promise, just please don't leave me!" Tsumuji begs, his grip tightening around your waist.

"Good," You state, shifting your body back into water and returning to your side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the days after you seduced Tsumuji, your latest victim, he had done as you asked and had gotten you pieces of human meat disguised as raw food like beef and lamb. Unfortunately, he had also gotten more clingy, possessive, and obsessive towards you.

"Who was that guy you were talking to?" Tsumuji asks, grabbing your wrist.

"It was Trois. He was just showing me how a machine worked. Calm the fuck down, I'm not going to hook up with any of them," You say, snatching your wrist out of his hand.

"Don't lie to me. I know you'll hook up with them once you're bored with me!" Tsumuji exclaims, gaining the attention of some inmates in the Building 5 training grounds.

His hands gently grabbed your neck, his grip quickly strangling you.

"Why don't you love me as much as I love you?!" Tsumuji shrieks, pinning you to the ground and strangling your neck like a ragdoll.

For the first time in your life, you finally felt vulnerable and weak. You try to push him off you with your legs, but you end up looking like a dying bug.

"Inmate, what are you doing to Y/#N?!" Samon screams, pulling Tsumuji off you.

When his hands are off your neck, you cough as you're surrounded by Nanba guards. Both you and Tsumuji are transported to the infirmary, but Tsumuji had to be sedated because he wouldn't stop trying to get you. The whole time you were in the infirmary, you could only think that none of your sisters or your mother told you that a little siren song could make one so volatile.

~~~~~~~~~~~

ALERT! ALERT! PRISONER ESCAPED!

You woke up in the dead of night hearing that alarm go off all the way in Building 6. You weren't used to a lot of noise in the middle of the night, or any noise besides the ocean moving. You were more surprised that the screams of guards had gotten closer until you saw someone walking with a trail of blood behind them. They approached the window of your cell and pressed their hands against the glass window. You keep your head down, hoping they think you're asleep only for the cell door to open and reveal a blood-covered Tsumuji carrying the limbs and guts of fellow guards and inmates.

"I brought more meat for you, so please-love me," Tsumuji says, dropping the body parts at your feet.

You look at the carnage, and for the first time in your adult life, you puke at the sight of a man.

[vodika-vibes]

I don’t know if your AU requests are still open so please ignore if not. But I had a thought.

Regency AU with Wolffe. Him and the reader are seen together in a compromising position. Wolffe is going to do the honourable thing and marry her. But she doesn’t know that he actually loves her, so she just feels guilty and like it’s her fault that he’s stuck having to marry her and he has to reassure her That that’s not the case at all

The Next Right Thing

Summary: When you and Wolffe are caught in a compromising position, Wolffe lies to protect your virtue. Only now he’s honor-bound to marry you, and you’re pretty sure you’re ruining his life.

Pairing: Commander Wolffe x F!Reader

Word Count: 1034

Prompt: Regency AU

Warnings: Misunderstandings

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So, technically, I'm not accepting anymore AU requests for my event, but this idea was so good that I had to write it anyway. So I'm just not going to label it as an Event fic. Because it's Wolffe and I'm so soft for Wolffe. Anyway, I hope you like it!

“Well, that could have gone worse.”

Wolffe sounds positively cheerful about the situation he’s found himself in, and you kind of envy him for it, because you feel like there’s a lead weight in your stomach and it just won’t go away.

“It could have gone better too,” You point out, sounding numb to your own ears. However, you must sound normal enough, because Wolffe doesn’t look worried about you, just amused.

“I mean, dinner ended without anyone punching me or insulting you. I’ll take it as a win.” There’s laughter in his voice, “I guess the marriage proposal really did fix their opinions on me and the situation.”

You think you’re going to be sick.

You love Wolffe. You love his messy curls, his lop-sided smile, his mismatched eyes.

You love how you feel safe when you’re with him, even in scary situations. 

You love how he kisses you, his hands pressed against your cheeks to tilt your head back, his lips pressing against yours over and over and over. Until your lips are swollen and your legs are shaking and he’s replaced all of the air in your lungs with himself.

And you know, in the same way that you know that the sun will rise in the morning, that he doesn’t love you the same way. That he will never love you in the same way that you love him. 

But he’s going to marry you. Because you were stupid enough to get caught pressed against him in his family’s garden.

You’re going to ruin his life. And you know that he knows it too.

You watch him move around his home as you sink into a chair. Wolffe is a genuinely good man. His whole family is made up of good men who do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.

And you realize, with startling clarity, that he deserves better than you.

You’re…petty and temperamental and inclined to be selfish. Blade to your throat, you’d be hard-pressed to come up with a single good trait about yourself.

And, suddenly, there’s a lump in your throat and tears pricking your eyes.

You can’t do this to him.

It’s not fair.

“Wolffe—” Your voice cracks with emotion, and his head snaps around to look at you. He looks at you, takes in your shaking hands, tear-filled eyes, and wobbling lower lip…and comes to the wrong conclusion.

He walks over to you and drops to his knee at your side, taking your shaking hands in his steady ones, “I know you’re not sure about marriage,” Wolffe says, in a tone that should be soothing, but just makes you want to sob, “But we’ll have a long engagement, I’ll insist on it—”

“You don’t have to marry me!” You blurt, your voice shaking. And, despite your best efforts, tears leak out of the corner of your eyes. And you know it’s only a matter of time before you collapse into tears. 

Hopefully, he won’t think poorly of you when it happens.

Wolffe pulls back slightly and scans your face. And then he reaches up with one hand and gently wipes a tear from your cheek. 

It only makes you cry harder, and you slam your hand over your mouth to silence your sob.

Something soft crosses Wolffe’s face and he shifts so that he’s sitting in the chair next to yours. His hands are so gentle as he coaxes you out of your chair and onto his lap, lightly pulling your face to his shoulder. You shudder as he slowly rubs your back and murmurs something softly into your ear.

It’s not really words, so much as soothing noises.

It is, surprisingly, comforting and you find yourself calming down a lot faster than you thought possible. 

“There we go,” He murmurs against your hair as your sobs settle into hiccups, and he lightly pushes you back so he’s able to see your face, “Oh, my cyare, what has upset you so much?” Wolffe’s hand is pressed against your cheek again, wiping away the tears with a gentle touch.

“You don’t have to marry me,” You repeat, sounding miserable.

Gently, he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, “So you said, I’m not sure why you said it though. No one is forcing me to marry you, cyare.”

“You deserve better than me. You can do better than me.”

“According to who?”

“Me. Everyone. I’m…I’m not a good person, I—”

“Hey, no. I’m going to stop you there,” He presses a finger against your lips, “You are a good person. Maybe not the nicest, but you are good.” Wolffe’s smile is small but genuine, “And that’s okay because I’m not that nice either.”

“But marrying me will probably ruin your life and—”

“How could it?” Wolffe asks, “I love you.”

You stop and blink at him, your arguments completely derailed due to those three simple words. “What.”

His smile grows, “I love you. Surely you knew?”

“You never said.” You admit after a moment, “I thought—” You trail off, not sure you want to admit what you thought.

Wolffe tilts his head, “You thought that I was kissing you like that, holding you like that, because…what? You were convenient?”

You won’t meet his gaze, and instead trace a golden leaf on his sleeve with a single finger, “I love you enough to take what you’ll give me.” You finally whisper, shame making your face burn.

Wolffe tilts your head so that your gaze meets his own, “Then let me reassure you. I love you. I want to marry you. I’ve been wanting to marry you for months now. I have no intention of ending this engagement, and if I had it my way this engagement would only be a couple of weeks.”

You stare at him, your lips slightly parted. 

“Do you believe me?”

“Yes.”

“So you won’t let these negative thoughts upset you to the point of tears anymore?” Wolffe asks.

“I won’t.”

“Good.” And then his lips are pressed against yours and his tongue is easing between your lips, and all of your worries and fears and concerns vanish as if they never existed in the first place.

[bakugo-reader-yn]

trigger warning: mention of abuse

✨️ Twinkling Stars ✨️

Part 4:

"Damn it!! Why would you close the door?!" Shoto was panicking outside her door. Other classmates also came by worried about her.

"Todoroki, what happened with her man?" Kirishima asked him with worry and helplessness in his voice.

"Mom just wanted to scold and humiliate her. She wanted her to stay away from me. Her frustration grew so much that she slapped y/n. It's all my fault!!" After a pause, he burst out again, "and why would he go in?! Has he lost his mind?!!"

"Bakugo?" Kirishima was surprised for a mere second.

"Who else? He doesn't know how to talk or behave. I don't want him around my sister right now."

"Hey, calm down." Kaminari put his hand around shoto's shoulder to calm him down, and continued "he never shouts on her."

"Yeah man, he is really good friends with her. They talk for hours even after classes and they are often together" Kirishima added.

"Yes, I've seen it too. It felt very weird at first. But it was really genuine. I even started to think they're together or something. " Mina said with a mischievous grin.

"Mina!!" Momo whispered in her ear, "he's her brother, I don't think it's proper to say that in front of him." Mina quieted down.

"Everyone quiet 🤫 , I want to hear it." Kaminari pressed his ears to the door, shoto followed his actions, then Mina and Kirishima also joined. Sero and IIda were trying to fit in too. Those with conscience tried to stop them.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Why are you crying so much? Your eyes are so puffy." Bakugo's concers were growing more and more. He removed her curly hair from her face and was shocked to his core. His eyes bulged for a second, and he grew furious.

Without thinking, his hands moved and cupped her face. Y/n was startled, and her eyes grew bigger. "Who hit you?" his voice was not calm. It was stern and raw. Y/n never heard him talk like this before.

"Tell me."

"Why does it matter?"

"Huh?"

"I'm a hero, I'm injured all the time."

"Y/n" he paused and looked at her with fury in his eyes, "getting hurt, and this is completely different. You know how??"

"I don't want to talk about it." Tears rolled down her cheeks again. "I will never be worthy of love or respect. People will always look at me as a villain's daughter. No matter how hard I try, I'll never be good enough. I've always been alone, no family, no friends, nothing and I'll always be this way. You should also stay away from me. Go!! Leave!!" Y/n sobbed uncontrollably until her face was red and her voice hoarse.

"You're not alone." Bakugo stroked her hair out of her face and placed his hands on the back side of her neck. He got so close to her in a beat that she stopped crying due to shock. She blinked at him a few times. "You have a family, friends, everything. If the todoroki's don't accept you, it will be fine because you've already made a new family. You might think that no one cares for your but, I know and you know it too, that there are people standing outside the door waiting to comfort you and talk to you. It's hurtful that you don't see them, that you don't see me."

He gently wiped her tears from his shirt sleeve, "You'll ruin your shirt." She pouted.

"Guess I already did." He smiled. She looked at him, and tears rolled down her cheeks, "Don't cry ag..." Before bakugo can finish, y/n hugged him tightly, her tear strained face buried in his chest, her muffled voice reached him, "thank you, Katsuki. "

Bakugo's cheeks grew pink, her small body crushed into him, her tiny voice calling his first name made him blush. With little hesitation, he hugged her back, pulling her closer to him.

After what felt like eternity, she pulled away. "Oh, I ruined your shirt even more." This time, bakugo laughed, a warm, bubbly laughter. It relaxed her heart.

"Wash up and come downstairs, I've cooked dinner."

"You did?" Bakugo just rolled his eyes and moved towards the door, "I'm waiting."

To be continued: Part 5

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

[thatsmzbitchtoyou]

Pretty Pointy Smile Chapter 1

Summary:  Bucky was born different, and has been judged for it ever since.  His father has had enough and sells him to the circus.  The acceptance and love of his newfound family, and the beautifully fierce ringmaster, help him realize he’s not the monster everyone else made him out to be.

vampire!bucky barnes x curvy!reader This is set in more of like the 1950-60s/ish time period. Warnings: eventual smut, physical assault, a gun, a lion attack

Next chapter

*POW*

“Okay, that’s it, you’re fired! Get out of here, Barnes!” the foreman yelled.  Bucky huffed, wiping off his bloody knuckles and turning to grab his things, leaving the warehouse quickly.  Another fight, another job lost, another day for his father to be disappointed in him.  It wasn’t his fault he was born this way, why did everyone have to be so cruel?

When he got home and reported what had happened to his father, George Barnes was incensed, cursing and throwing things.  “I needed that money, James!  Why can’t you just keep your mouth shut?  That’s it, I can’t deal with you anymore.”  He grabbed Bucky by the arm and hauled him out of the house.

“Where are we going?  What are you doing?” Bucky asked, being dragged by the elbow towards the fairgrounds not far from their house.

George wouldn’t answer and kept stomping resolutely towards the large tent that had been erected overnight.  As they approached Bucky could smell the fair food, roasted peanuts, popcorn and funnel cakes being prepared, and hear the sounds of shouts from men setting things up and animals being herded around.  Zimmerman’s Freaky Circus was in town again.  George stopped once they entered the front gate and looked around, setting his sights on an unlucky carny.

“You!  You there!” he yelled, pointing at a young man rolling a barrel along.  The boy stopped, looking at George with wide eyes. 

“Me, sir?” he pointed towards himself.

“Yes, you.  Where’s the ringmaster?  I saw the ad in the paper,” George demanded.

The boy smiled, “Ah, Zimmerman, yeah follow me.”  He turned a different way and left the barrel.  George pulled Bucky along again, this time trying to pat off the dust and wipe off the sweat still on him from the warehouse.  Bucky swatted his hands away, trying to keep up with the boy.  After weaving through the workers, smaller tents and booths, they came upon a tent in the corner of the lot separated a bit from the rest.  The boy gestured to George and Bucky to wait before walking past the tent’s entrance.  They could hear a quiet discussion behind the curtains for a moment, then the boy popped back out.

“Right through here, sir,” the boy said as he held back the tent door.

“Thank you,” George said, walking briskly past the boy, slightly bumping his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, he’s always an ass,” Bucky whispered through tight lips to the boy as he passed him.  The boy only answered with a snort and an unimpressed look.  Once inside Bucky looked around a tent that looked like a world traveler’s apartment, trinkets hanging from the posts, the ground covered in a large Oriental carpet, a bed layered with pillows and fine blankets in the corner, a table set for tea and a vanity just off to the side from where they were standing with a woman seated at it.

She didn’t look at them immediately, fixing her hair and makeup in the mirror before standing and facing them directly.  Bucky’s eyes widened.  She was covered in tattoos, from what he could see that wasn’t covered by the robe she was wearing, from just underneath her jawline to every inch of skin including her fingers and toes.  Her hair was curled haphazardly, the makeup she had put on heavy and dark, her ears, neck, wrists and fingers decked in jewelry, and long nails painted a blood red color.  She didn’t seem to be wearing anything underneath the robe, making both George and Bucky blush.

“Hello, gentlemen, what can I do for you?” She greeted them, her voice soft but firm as she gave them a brilliant smile.

“I’m sorry, I was told this was the ringmaster’s tent?” George asked, looking around expectantly.

She snorted, “Yeah, you’re looking at her, wise guy.” Her face contorted into frustration.  “Y/N Zimmerman, of Zimmerman’s Freaky Circus.  Peter said something about you asking about the ad in the paper.  And you are?”

George was shocked at her attitude but quickly composed himself.  “George and James Barnes, ma’am.  Yes, I saw it said, ‘Looking for talent, oddities and the macabre’?  My son is at least one of those things,” he finished, pointing to Bucky.  Bucky felt like he could cry, hanging his head and looking away.

“And what’s his talent?” She asked, giving Bucky a quick glance, clocking his dejected state.

“Well, it’s more of a…deformity.  He was born with it.  And it’s caused me more trouble than good so, I’d like to know what your offer is for his time.”

Y/N gave George a glare, then walked over to Bucky, standing in front of him.  “May I see this…deformity?” She asked sweetly.  When Bucky looked down at her all he could see was pure curiosity.  He sighed through his nose, then slowly opened his mouth.  Y/N’s eyes widened, but she didn’t move away or seem fearful.  Where normal canines would sit in his mouth were two long fangs.

“Fascinating,” Y/N breathed.  “May I?” she asked as she brought a hand up towards his face.  Bucky hesitantly nodded but widened his mouth as she brought her fingers to his teeth, her thumb lightly running along the end of one of the fangs.  “I’m sure you get all kinds of vampire jokes,” she chuckled lightly, letting her hand fall back down.

“More like beatings,” Bucky mumbled.  Y/N’s eyes looked at him sadly, her hand momentarily reaching out to touch his arm but quickly pulling back.  She folded her arms then stepped back.

“So you can’t handle the fact that your son is different, so you want to sell him to the circus, do I understand you correctly?” she chastised George harshly, giving him another glare.  

George sputtered.  “The impertinence!  We come from Romania, Miss Zimmerman, the vampire and Count Dracula jokes are one thing but when your child looks like something from children’s ghost stories is another!  He can’t keep a job, can’t contribute to the house, can’t marry and therefore can’t have children to carry on my name.  I cannot be burdened with this any longer.”

Y/N was visibly seething but kept herself collected, her fingers gripping her arms tightly.  “What do you want for him?”

“$100.”

Bucky’s heart broke and he began to cry silently, keeping his head turned away so his father wouldn’t see.  How could this be happening?  Sell him off like cattle?  To a circus?  Was he really that unlovable?  Unwanted?

“Hm, I’ll make you a deal.  I’ll give you $500 for him,” Bucky’s eyes widened as he looked at her, “but then you will disappear from his life.  If he becomes a big act you will not go looking for him or following the circus harassing us for more money.  It will be like he’s dead to you.  Do I make myself clear?” Y/N snapped at George, her eyes murderous and daring him to refuse the offer.

“Done,” George agreed quickly, reaching his hand out.

“Oh no, Barnes, you’ll be signing a contract.  Peter?” Y/N called out.  The boy from earlier jogged in holding a clipboard with a paper and pen.  “Verbal agreements tend to be the bane of my existence, you understand,” Y/N continued, still giving George a grimace of a smile.  “Sign, then you get paid.”

George huffed at Y/N’s harshness, but quickly took the pen and signed the contract.  Once it was done Peter reappeared with a box, handing it to Y/N.  She opened it and took out a stack of bills, counting out the $500 and slapping it in George’s hand.

“Now be gone, or I will have you removed,” Y/N nearly growled at him.  George’s face scrunched as if he was going to say something back, but Peter gave him a wide eyed shake of his head as he skirted by him and left the tent.  He huffed again then turned to Bucky.

“I’m sorry, boy.  Goodbye,” he said quickly, then left the tent without a second glance.

Bucky couldn’t believe what had just happened.  As he came to grips with the new situation he found himself in he felt a small hand squeeze his arm.  He looked down and saw Y/N standing in front of him again, a reassuring smile on her face as she reached her other hand up and wiped his tears.  

“Come, James, let’s talk,” she said as she pulled him towards the table.  He let her guide him over, and she pulled out a chair for him.  Once they had both settled she started to pour him some tea.  “How do you like it?  Sugar?  Honey?  Milk?”

“Just one sugar is fine, thank you,” he mumbled, still not fully looking up at her.

Y/N made his cup and slid it over to him then made her own.  She swirled hers to mix the ingredients then took a sip, her eyes raking over him.  She licked her lips then sat back in the chair.

“James, I want to reassure you that even though I may have paid for you, that you are free to leave at any time.”  Bucky’s head jerked up at that, gawking at her in disbelief. “Yes, I know, it’s strange for me to pay that much for what could be nothing, but I believe in willing participation.  If you choose to leave and find your own way, I will not stop you.  But if you choose to stay, I think I can come up with something for you to do as an act in the show that will bring in more people.  You’ll be paid weekly for the shows at a rate that reflects whatever we earn that night, as well as $50 a week for helping the circus travel, such as set up, tear down, packing, maybe animal wrangling here and there, it all just depends on what we need done day to day.  We’ve all become like a big family in many ways.  Dysfunctional, but what family isn’t?”

Bucky thought about it.  A paying job, getting to travel around the country and get out of this town.  He had always liked the circus as a child.

“What would the act be?” he asked hesitantly.

“Well, it would be vampire related, obviously,” she gave him a sheepish look.  “It would be on the main stage in the big tent every night, so you’ll have an audience but they won’t have close access to you like a sideshow.  I’d have to iron out the details, but with this being a freaky show, I think it would be a big seller,” Y/N rattled off, a dazed look in her eyes as she pictured it in her mind.  “We’d have to give you a stage name, new wardrobe, maybe get some of those color lenses for your eyes, keep you away from the public’s eye so as not to ruin the illusion, we have a couple of acts like that,” she glanced at him, giving him a wink.  Bucky blushed.  “You would most likely still be hated, feared, unliked just because of the word vampire.  People fear what they do not understand, and that is what this circus is all about.  The scary, the strange, the macabre, the weird,” she moved her fingers around like a witch casting a spell.  “We have big name circuses to compete with nowadays, so I’m always looking for something different and new.  So, what do you say?”

Bucky eyes narrowed.  He would be judged and sneered at no matter where he went, whether it was in or out of a circus.  At least in a circus, he would be surrounded by other “oddities,” and he’d be getting paid for it.  

“Alright, I’ll do it,” he agreed, giving Y/N a small smile.  She smiled wide, clapping her hands.  “But,” he interrupted.  She sighed loudly, rolling her eyes.  He chuckled at her reaction, “I don’t go by James.  My middle name is Buchanan, and I’ve always gone by Bucky.”

“Oh, Bucky.  Alright…I like it,” she gave him a warm smile and long stare, like she was searching his eyes for something.  Bucky felt like he was being studied down to his very core under her stare, but for some reason didn’t want to look away from it.  It wasn't until he blinked rapidly as his eyes began to water that it seemed to break the spell and she cleared her throat.  “Well then, let’s introduce you to everyone!” she stood up suddenly, grabbing one of his hands and dragging him out of the tent towards the bustling carnies.

*picture found on Pinterest, it's AI so idk who the original "artist" could be*

[softstarlite]

The Casualty of Love

CHAPTER 2

Summary: He's back home. You have almost forgotten how warm his eyes were and how big your crush for him was.

Warnings: Age gap (Javier is 40 and reader is 27), talks of baby loss, talks of pregnancy, angst, cheating, mentions of cancer, mentions of death.

Rating: +18 (not explicit)

Word Count: 2.9k

Chapter 1 / Masterlist

A/N: here you go guys!! Second chapter is up!! I'm feeling so much better from my stupid cold. I would like to keep a schedule with posting, my goal is to post at least one new chapter every week but I had a cornea transplant less than 5 months ago (I still have 14 stitches on my right eye) so sometimes I need to rest my eye from screen time or the pain sometimes gets too bad and I need to rest in general, so I don't know if I'll be able to meet my goal every week, sorry in advance. I hope you guys like this new chapter!! <3 <3

Divider by @saradika

Javier wipes the sweat of his hands on the front of his jeans for the fourth time in the last hour since he started getting ready to go to Maria´s house, he looks at his reflection on the mirror, he can feel fear engulf his body, fear of disappointing Maria, he wasn't the same man he was when he left for Colombia. That day…

His mom, Alma, had been diagnosed with lung cancer four months before it happened, when Lorraine had told him that she was pregnant, he was shit scared, how could he be a father? He didn't know anything about being one, he was only 27, he assumed that he had at least 5 or 6 years more before even thinking about having a family of his own.

He didn't hesitate to get on one knee and proposed to Lorraine, part of him was happy that his mom would be able to meet at least one of her grandchildren; the doctors had already prepare them for the worst, the cancer was very aggressive, and even if his mom was still young, only 44, they had detected it very late.

The night before the wedding Lorraine showed up at his parents ranch, crying her heart out. They were sleeping in different houses since it was bad luck to see each other before the wedding. He got really worried, he didn't believe in that tradition, she had been the one very keen in doing it so it was already rare that she had showed up there unannounced but even more that she showed up crying.

“Lor? What happened?” he had been sitting on the front porch when she appeared, he got up from his seat quickly and headed to her putting his hands on her cheeks “What is it Lor? Is the baby okay?” he asked her with so much worry in his voice.

Lorraine only kept saying sorry and shaking her head no again and again. “Please baby, tell me what is happening, are you hurt?” he pleaded her.

“I'm sorry Javi… I'm so sorry… There´s no baby…” she said, not able to meet his gaze.

“What? Baby…” he could feel tears in his eyes already, he thought that she had lost it, he never would've thought that she had done what she did. He tries to make her look at him ¡. “Baby…Lor, look at me. Baby it's not your fault, we need to take you-” he was interrupted by her.

“No, Javi… There's no baby, there never has been a baby…” she took a step away from him, feeling shame in what she had done.

“What? Lorraine, this is not funny… Stop it” that was the only possibility in his head, she must have been pranking him, she would never hurt him this way, she loved him, right?

“I'm so sorry Javi, baby…” she tried to reach for him now but he didn't say anything and just walked inside without a word.

The next morning no one could find Javier, until his mom saw a little note on the kitchen table where he had written that he had accepted the job with the DEA in Colombia that the rest could be explained by Lorraine.

You were only 14 when you were sat down by your mom and Alma and got the news about her sickness, that was your first heartbreak, but definitely not your last. You loved Alma like a second mother, she was there when you said your first words, she had been the one encouraging you when you took your first steps… You couldn't imagine a life and a world without her, without her smile or her kindness… No, it had to be a mistake, the doctors mixed up some papers and they gave her the diagnosis of someone else, she couldn't leave you…

When Javier left, you weren't given the real reason from the adults around you, they told you that he and Lorraine weren't together anymore and he had to go work in Colombia, that was it. Obviously, living in a place like Laredo you heard the truth very soon, and felt heartbroken all over again for him, as big as your crush for him was, when you saw how excited he was when he talked about anything related with the baby in the weekly dinners your families shared, it filled your heart to see him just happy, so you couldn't understand how Lorraine had been able to break him like that, she said that he loved him and wanted to spend her entire life with him but then do that? How can you be so cruel to someone that you supposedly love?

A year later from Javier´s move to Colombia, Alma passed away, you only remember crying for three days straight without even sleeping. You remember your mom telling you that “Javiercito is coming for the funeral, he'll be here tomorrow morning”, then the next thing you remember is been dressed in all black, that made you think that Alma would´ve hate it, then not been able to see the casket through the tears and the last thing you remember of that day was how Javier had put his arms around you, caressing your hair and telling you how much Alma loved you and that would never leave you. It never did, you could feel her love everyday, in little things like the chirping of the birds outside, the warm sun, the little desserts you would bake with her recipes, etc…

That was the last time you saw Javier, when you were 15 and crying for the biggest lost in your life.

He parks his truck on Maria´s driveway and gets out with a nervous sigh. After he knocks on the door twice, you open the door with a big smile, fuck, he thought you wouldn't be here. He didn't have a problem with you being here, on the contrary, he was very happy when he saw you the other day, it had been way too long without seeing you. But the problem was that you had grown up… And fuck, did the years had treat you amanzingly. You were a full on woman now, and he didn't like that, because it made his body feel things that it shouldn't. If Maria or his own father could read what had gone through his mind since he first saw you a few days ago, he would definitely be six feet under.

“Hey! You're here!” you say with that big smile on your face. He doesn't say anything, just nods and gives you a tight smile back.

“Come in!” you move a little to give him enough space to come inside. “Mom is still cooking what must be her twentieth dish” you chuckle. He slips inside but you hadn't anticipated how broad his shoulders were so he bumps one of his shoulders into you.

“Oh, sorry” he apologizes and you can't help but feel a million goosebumps all over your body. “She shouldn't have trouble herself…”

You shake the feeling away, you weren't a stupid teenager anymore. “yeah, tell that to her” you smirk knowing he would never dare.

He walks to the kitchen with you behind, he remembers the way as if no time has passed, as if he hadn't gone through more than a decade without putting a foot in this house. When he makes it past the arch of the kitchen, he sees your mom, her back facing him, he can see the grey conquering her whole hair. For a moment he can almost see his own mom beside her cutting some vegetables.

Seeing his silence, you decide to clear your throat to make your presence known to your mom. She turns around starting a sentence that sounds like a question about who was at the door, but as soon as she sees Javier there, before her, her mouth shuts and she freezes. Knowing they'll need a moment, you walk around them to the stove to continue to stir whatever dish your mom is making now, so it doesn't burn while they catch up.

“Javiercito!” she almost screams, launching herself into him, a hand on the back of his head and the other arm across his back.

“Maria…” is all that he can get out of his mouth, apart from the biggest breath out that he has ever let out. He didn't even know that he was holding that breath for so long.

“Déjame verte bien mijo (Let me get a good look at you, my son)” she pulls away from him and pushes him a little back by the shoulders, then looks him up and down like she was examining that he isn´t missing anything.

“Ma, esta bien, no le agobies (Mom, he's fine, don't bother him)” you say from the stove, not even looking at them.

“¿Bien? (fine?) Have you seen him? Está demasiado delgado, gracias a dios que prepare suficiente comida. Siéntate, mijo. (He's too skinny, thank god i´ve prepare enough food. Sit, my son) I'll bring you some food right away” She says, patting his cheek and signaling with a hand to the kitchen table, then she goes back to the stove and replaces the place you were filling.

You chuckle and shake your head in disbelief. “Do you want something to drink, Javi?” you ask him while opening the fridge to get a beer for yourself.

He talks again after feeling overwhelmed by the situation. “Sure, whatever you´re having” with that you pull out another beer for him and after uncapping them, you hand him one. “Thanks” he says, not meeting your eye.

You sit across from him on the kitchen table and take a sip of your own beer. Your mom puts a bowl of Pozole in front of each of you, and while you eat, she and Javier talk about a million things, how things around the house had been since your dad died, how you and her go to Chucho´s every now and then, how you help Chucho everytime the fruit trees need harvesting (which brings a blush to your cheeks when Javi asks if that's right and looks at you), and of course your mom starts to let Javi know about all the gossip he has missed in Laredo, which by his face, he couldn't care less to be honest but i guess your mom didn't want to pick that up. He just nods and hums while eating, while your mom tells him about how the girl from the Gonzalez´s was seen in the local theater every week casually talking and giggling with the guy working there; after a bit something pricks his ears, specifically when your name is mentioned.

“And you wouldn't believe all the commotion that it caused , pff, nos tuvimos que quedar en casa varios días antes de que ella se atreviera a enseñar la cara (we had to stay at home for a few days before she was brave enough to show her face)” she says while picking up both of your bowls to bring to the sink. You don't know where to hide in that moment, you couldn't believe your mom was telling him about that.

“Ma…” you say, trying to make her drop the subject. She obviously doesn't want to catch your desperation.

“What? Sorry i was lost in my head for a moment” he says not realizing that you don't want the subject to be brought up.

“Ay mijo, te estaba diciendo (i was telling you) about how she used to go out with the Lopez´s boy, Diego, and she heard from Doña Lucía about him and a girl, that no one knew, been seen in Jacinto´s ice cream shop, then she decided to confront him that same day, but she instead saw him and the girl on the town square just there,” she makes a dramatic gesture with her hands like she was physically pointing at them right there. “just sitting on a bench, muy acaramelados los muy sinvergüenzas (very lovey-dovey, those scoundrels). Doña Lucía told me that she just took the lemonade in the girl's hand and threw it to him, allí delante de todos, ¿tu te crees, mijo? (in front of everybody, can you believe it, my son?)” she shakes her head in almost disappointment.

“Well, if I'm honest with you Maria. Creo que le hizo poco, yo le hubiese dado un buen puño” you can see how his hands become fists, and his jaw becomes more tense. Javi feels a fire inside of him that he hasn't felt since he left Colombia, he already knows that if he crosses paths with Diego Lopez, he won't be exactly kind towards him.”Wait, he cheated and you had to hide at home?!” he asks, now looking at you.

“I didn't hide, she did” you say pointing towards your mom, who's washing the dishes, with your head. “I was just going through a breakup like a normal person” you shrug your shoulders to try to take some weight off of the conversation.

He nods, understanding now the situation. “Good, you shouldn't feel embarrassed, it's his loss” he huffs “He must be as stupid as he was when he was a kid” he says more to himself than to you, it makes you blush again.

“Javier Jesús Peña!!” your mom scolds him from the sink, turning her head towards him. Javi for a moment feels like a teenager again, being scolded by Maria and his mom for saying a bad word in the kitchen of Pena´s ranch while they make empanadas.

“What? No podes defender al desgraciado, hizo daño a nuestra vampirita (you can't defend that bastard, he hurted our little vampire” he chuckles sincerely now. You gasp at the mention of your old childhood nickname he gave you for being obsessed with the book Dracula when you were 9 years old.

“You don't want to play that game, Peña” you challenge him, squinting your eyes at him, but a little smile in your lips betrays your facade. He laughs with his whole belly now, throwing his head back. You decide right then that you like seeing him laugh sincerely a lot.

After some hours of more delicious food and banter, Javier informs you that he needs to go back to the ranch before his dad comes looking for him for leaving him all day alone with the chores.

You walk him to the door, his arms full of mountains of tupperware full of leftovers that your mom had insisted him to take for himself and Chucho.

You open the door for him since he has his hands occupied, those hands that you´ve been stealing glances to all day, you wonder how rough they would feel around your own hand, around your neck, around your- “Thanks for um… everything” he says interrupting your thread of thoughts.

“Don't mention it” you give him a shy smile, like he could´ve read what you had been thinking. Next thing you know, your mouth is working by it´s own mind, you ask without thinking.”Are you going to the barbecue at Doña Lucia's house this Sunday after church?” when you realize how eager your voice sounds about the prospect of seeing him again in less than two days you add “I believe she invited Chucho the other day, and i'm sure she did it in person with the sole purpose of having you at the barbecue and confirm the rumors of you being fully back home” you chuckle trying to play it cool, god you felt like you were 15 again, drooling for him.

His dad had told him about the gathering but he wasn't planning on going, but now, seeing the slight spark your eyes got when you asked him about his possible attendance, he couldn't think of a better plan for Sunday. “Yeah, my pops told me the other day. I take you´re going too?” you nod with doe eyes and he can't help his eyes for going down to where you tongue tips out of your mouth to wet your lower lip, he gulps and can feel a drop of sweat going down his spine; his mind wondering how you tongue and your lips might feel against his own, against his neck or his chest…

Your mom suddenly yells your name from inside the house. “Dani is calling you, mija!!” you both can hear her voice coming from the living room where the telephone is.

“Dila que voy ma!! (tell her i'll be right there mom!!)” you yell towards her, turning your head over your shoulder, then you turn towards Javi again. You guys keep looking into each other's eyes for what feels like a second and an eternity at the same time until you decide that if you don't stop it, your mom will come over and ruin the moment even more. “I'll see you on Sunday then?”

He nods and then does something that makes you melt into a puddle of water into the ground, he kisses your cheek and with a breathy and deep whisper wishes you a good day to then turn around and walk to his truck on the driveway. You can't help but to stay right there frozen with your heart going way too fast and an almost shocked expression, watching how he puts the leftovers on the passenger side then gets behind the wheel and drives away; it isn´t until your mom calls your name again that you defroze.

Next chapter

[arokel]

Disrespect for Authority

Fandom: The Boys in the Boat Words: 750 Rating: G Tags: Team As Family, Fluff and Humor, Post-Canon Summary: The boys of the '37 varsity boat keep forgetting Bobby is a coach now. Inspired by @dogwooddiaries prompt <3

Read it on ao3

“Day! You’re late already. Don’t tick me off more by dawdling on the launch.”

There’s a new ring of authority to Bobby’s snappish reprimand, but Chuck doesn’t seem to pick up on it. He finishes unlacing his shoes at his usual unhurried pace and flips Bobby a cheerful middle finger as he clambers into his seat.

“Sunshine and roses to you too, Moch. Coach Moch,” he corrects, darting a sheepish glance towards the gaggle of freshman crew hopefuls clustered behind Bobby, waiting their turn to launch. A few of them are snickering; one or two of the more responsible-looking types frown at the show of disrespect.

Bobby sighs and rubs his forehead.

“Thank you, Chuck. I can feel the damage to my authority repairing itself as we speak.”

Chuck sets his oar against the side of the launch as the boat begins to push off, shooting Bobby an unapologetic grin. “Happy to help, coach.”

“Bobby, make Jim stop hitting me with his oar when we walk.”

Shorty’s plaintive request is reminiscent of the younger brother the team often treats him as. Jim, the older sibling caught picking on the baby of the group, holds up his hands defensively. The butt of his oar whacks Shorty in the ankle.

“Oops,” says Jim.

“Bobby!”

With an audible sigh, Bobby pulls away from the cluster of frosh coxswains who have spent all season following him around like scrawny, eager ducklings. He plants his hands on his hips and fixes Shorty with an exasperated glare. “What do you want me to do about it?”

“I want you to make him stop!”

“Am I your assistant coach or your mother?”

“Shorty could stop walking so close to me,” Jim offers, all innocence. “It’s not my fault if he can’t walk in a straight line.”

“Children, all of you,” Bobby mutters. With a roll of his eyes and an expansive gesture towards Shorty’s pouting supplication and Jim’s false piety, he addresses the ducklings. “Like it or not, this is a part of coxing too. You get used to it.”

“Here, Bobby,” Gordy says, catching Bobby at the foot of the stairs up to Ulbrickson’s office. He hotels out a folded sweater. “You left it at the bar last night.”

Bobby darts a furtive glance around him and up towards the office, and, on seeing no one within earshot, accepts the sweater.

“Thanks. But keep that to yourself around here, yeah? I’m really not supposed to fraternize with students like that. You fellas are different; everyone understands, but I don’t want any of the younger boys hearing and getting the idea I might go to the bar with them.”

“‘Course, sorry.” Gordy claps a friendly hand on Bobby’s shoulder. “They’d just be disappointed anyway. We stopped by your place on the way home to try and give it back and threw rocks at your window, but you must’ve already been asleep. You’ve become an old man.”

Bobby shakes his head with poorly-hidden fondness and starts up the stairs. “I’m a man who has to wrangle seventy-odd teenage klutzes first thing every morning. And that’s on top of dealing with you idiots.”

“It’s an honor and a privilege, coach.”

“There he is! The man of the hour.”

Bobby looks up from the launch as the varsity eight approach the water’s edge, a dangerous and determined spring in their matching steps. He sets down his brush and pail.

Roger, the original speaker, squints at him. “Are you washing the launch? Doesn’t the rain do that already?”

“Rain doesn’t have soap or a brush,” Bobby says dryly as he pushes himself off his knees, wiping his hands on his undershirt. “These old boards’ll grow algae quicker than you lot beat Cal if we don’t wash ‘em every now and then.”

“That’s right,” Roger says, eyes wide with feigned realization. “We did beat Cal yesterday.”

Bobby eyes the assembled boys warily. They have inched closer during Bobby’s explanation, and eight looming rowers wearing identical Cheshire grins never bodes well.

“Alright, what’ve you got up your sleeves?”

“We wouldn’t want you growing algae, that’s all,” Roger says seriously. “Grab him, boys.”

At Roger’s signal Johnny and Joe step forward, too quickly to dodge, and hoist a protesting Bobby into the air.

“You’re already wet,” Joe points out, in response to Bobby’s outraged squawking. “And these are your work clothes.”

“I’m your coach!”

“Yeah,” says Johnny, “but you’re also our cox. On three?”

Bobby hits the water on two. He comes up smiling.

[silly-thinkings]

A gift from Cadmus Pt.4

Lex gently caressed his face as he finished up the last of his nightly skincare routine. The man wrapped his silk robe around his body and made his way to his bed. At his bedside, a duplicate of the rose he gave Y/n illuminated a soft glow. Using Magic wasn’t really his style, But it was the only way he could successfully invade Y/N’s mind. Gaining her trust will be far from easy. 

He smiled before dragging down his sleeping mask.  “Active dreamer aren’t we? Let’s see what’s on that mind of yours child.”

Darkness. As far as the eye could see. Y/n flew to where she thought was up but there was nothing. The silence calmed her in a way. No responsibility, no need to try for anything, y/n was free to just… exist. As she floated around the empty space she heard the sound of static, as if an old tv was turning on. The bright screen turned on above Y/n shocking the poor girl. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness On the screen Bruce stood with his back facing hers. She attempted to speak, but no sound was heard. Y/n pressed her hands on the screen and slammed it with all her might to no avail.

“She’s going to  cover for me. She’s been doing it anyway. You just don’t let her-” 

Y/n felt comfortable hearing Jasons voice, But Bruce shook his head “absolutely not. She’d be useless.”

Useless? 

Confused y/n attempted to call out to her family again.

“No, she’s too dangerous. A weapon cannot be controlled.” 

A new being entered the screen. Now Clark stood next to Bruce. He too had his back facing her. 

Y/n felt her chest tighten. It was hard to breathe, what was she watching? Why can’t she speak? She gripped her chest this was too much. 

Connor, Tim, and Dick appeared behind Jason. Y/n noticed string behind Connor. When she followed it her ragged breathing worsened. Y/N’s body suddenly jerked backwards. It was as if someone had yanked her hair to see the bigger picture. Y/N’s eyes widened at the very giant Megan holding onto marionette handles. 

She laughed “this is for your own good Y/n” 

No. No no NO! 

Y/n stepped back, horrified by the imagery in front of her. He pressed her hands on her head. laughter, random chatter, even car honks could be heard. 

Y/n couldn’t take it. She fell to her knees “stop. Stop it. I’m not useless, I can help. It’s not my fault. I’m trying!”

The crescendo of the noise drove her mad. But all sound fell silent as A gentle hand was placed on top of her head. Y/n shook at her spot, the sudden silence startling her. 

“It’s alright child. I’m here. I am proud.”

Y/n shakily looked up. Lex knelt infront of her with a gentle smile on his face “it’s ok.” He caresses her hair, the action greatly calming her. Her breathing still uncontrollable, eyes blurring her vision. Y/n pounced, hugging the bald man.

Lex was stunned. He didn’t expect her to… hug him. He slowly brought his hands down, returning the hug.

“They call you a weapon because they fear you Y/n. It’s human nature to fear what they do not understand.”

Y/n attempted to speak again but no volume could be heard. Lex’s words were cool as he continued to gently caress the girls head. Y/N’s breathing began to calm. Accepting the comfort.

“They’re right. You are a weapon. But a strong one child.” 

Lex rose her head and wiped her fallen tears. Y/N’s crying quelled as she looked at his facial features. She saw no lie in his words.

“Show them how strong you are. Prove to them that you are worth their time! Ill always be here for you dear girl.” 

6 Hours till…

Y/n gasped as she woke from her surreal nightmare. Her hands tightly gripped the sheets, looking around the unfamiliar room. Beads of sweat dripped down her face. 

Disgusted, Y/n wiped her face with the sheets. She heard the sounds of birds chirping outside the window. A roosters crowing accompanied the sound. “How did I get here?” 

Y/n remembered last night. Only Alfred showed up to her show. Alfred and Lex Luthor…

Beside the bed the mechanical flower bloomed and rotated slightly, grabbing Y/n attention. Gold, silver, ruby, diamond. All kinds of gems were bedazzled from the petals to the stem. Y/n gently picked up the flower, her eyes soaked in the beautiful creation. It calmed her as she remembered her dream. 

Y/n brought the artificial plant close to her face “You’re beautiful” 

The flower opened wider, it tilted its petals side to side. Y/n giggled “you’re sentient? Well. I know plants are but you are clearly not like any normal plant.” 

The flower swayed from side to side as if it were responding to her. Y/n bit her bottom lip. Connor had sphere and wolf. This was hers. It didnt matter that Lex gave it to her. The door opened slightly starting the girl. She held the flower close as she turned her head to the entrance of the room.  Clark wore his very classic blue and white stripped pajamas “hey. You’re up early.”

Y/n held the flower closer to her.  Shifting her weight “Had a bad dream.” 

“May I come in?” 

Y/n looked down. To her surprise the flower closed up. It was wilted again which greatly confused her.

“Sure…”

Clark entered, the soft yellow light from the hallway dimly lit up the room. When he sat on the bed the mattress tilted slightly. “It’s 6am.”

Y/n nodded her head slightly “the early bird gets the worm.”

Clark looked at the glass jar that housed the wilted flower. “Lex is a dangerous man.”

Y/n didn’t respond. Nor did she make eye contact. 

“He always has something up his sleeve. Be weary y/n I don’t think that’s safe.”

A dry chuckled escaped her lips “you speak like you’re any better.” Y/n began lightly tapping the glass. 

“I’m sorry?”

Y/n finally looked up at him. She began tapping her temple with her index finger “you know what was taken from me. You know why I can’t participate in missions. It’s cause I’m a weapon.” Y/n slightly tilted her head “right?”

Clark froze. An anxious feeling loomed over him. “I don’t know what you mean y/n. Are you ok?”

Y/n felt… good. She made The man of steel stress. A soft knock caught the attention of both beings. Louis stood at the door with breakfast on a mini table. “You must be hungry Y/n.”

Louis looked at Clark’s tense shoulders “I didn’t interrupt anything did I?”

Y/n smiled. She playfully shook her head “nope. Uncle Clark and I were just talking.” Y/n got up from bed and took the breakfast tray with ease she placed the flower on the corner  “thank you for the breakfast.”

Y/n left the two alone. Clark let out an exasperated sigh as he brushed his fingers through his hair. Louis sat beside him, placing a hand on his stiff shoulders. “Are you ok?”

“Something wrong with Y/n.”

~~ 3 hours till~

The football game was frustrating. It was already bad enough to play in a team that underestimated her because she was a girl. She watched the ball get intercepted by the opponent and groaned. “You guys suck.”

“Well I don’t see you doing anything princess!” 

Y/N’s eye twitched. She began hopping in place stretching her arms.  At the sound of the whistle their opponent got another point. 

Y/n can see clark in the distance throw his hat down. “C’mon! Get the ball!” Other parents from her team commented on Clark’s behavior, making y/n smile but only for a short while.

As the team set up for the last play. The quarterback attempted to push Y/n. Unfortunately for him, he bumped into what felt like steel. Y/n turned “pass me the ball.” She poked his chest hard “if you want to win”

“Whatever freak.” 

Clark heard the interaction and frowned. “You got this Y/n!” He clapped his hands in the hopes of motivating the girl. But her eyes, even from here he could see the cold sneer she gave him.

“Down… set… HIKE”

Y/n felt the ground beneath her sink as she channeled her strength to her calves then her feet. She skillfully dodged her opponents making herself wide open. Y/n watched the ball fly over her prompting her to run faster. 

“Bruce please.”

“Not now Alfred.”

“If not now when?”

Y/n heard Alfred and Bruce crystals clear. She looked around but they weren’t here. 

“Y/N! The ball!”

Y/n looked up. She came up short, the girl jumped making contact with the ball with her fingertips but it tipped over. Y/n landed on her back with a hard thud. The grass pricked at her skin. 

No, she can’t loose. Not like this. Not when Clark is watching. The world watching.

“Is she ok?”

“What an idiot”

“Waisted talent.”

Noise. More noise. Everything moved in slow motion as the football fell. The sound of the whistle ten times louder. Cheers and frustration all around. Y/n felt dizzy, she covered her ears as the noise intensified. Everything was too loud.  

“Pass the ball~ useless!” A teammate mocked.

The team crowded the poor girl. She brought her body as close a she could, like a ball. 

“what the hell y/n I thought you said you had it?”

“Princess of Gothem? More like a spoiled brat.”

Y/n pressed her hands to her ears as tightly she could. This was super hearing. Somehow she unlocked a new ability. And this one was annoying. However, she did hear Bruce and Alfred. Meaning she has enough range to listen to what they were currently saying. Y/n took deep breaths, ignoring all the noise, searching for the one thing she wanted to hear.

Clark pushed her so called team out the way. His hight was intimidating as he looked down on her peers “leave.”

Some blew a raspberry while others scurried off to their coach. Clark knelt down “Y/n what’s happening.”

The girl sucked her teeth. She looked at his offered hand and slapped it away before standing up herself.

The Kryptonian was taken aback with the response “hey… you did great out there im sure the next season wills be-“ 

“Where’s my rose?” 

Clark straightened his posture “in the car. Y/n what’s going on?”

Y/n pressed a hand to her ear “It would seem I’ve acquired super hearing. Now if you’ll excuse me.” 

Y/n attempted to move past Clark but he stepped in front of her “sorry… given your behavior I’m not letting you go near that thing.” 

“Not… letting.. me.” 

Clark watched as Y/n knelt on one knee. Maybe the pain of the superhearing was getting too much? This could be a great teaching moment. 

Y/n made sure her cleats were firmly on the grass “who said I needed your permission.” 

It happened fast. So fast in fact you’d probably mistake her for a speedster. Y/n slammed all of her strength on her left foot, not caring for the multiple eye witnesses. She needed to leave. She needed her rose. She needed to know what the hell Bruce and Alfred were talking about. 

Clark saw everything but he didn’t move. If he wanted to he could catch up to her but when and how did she have such skill with her powers. Connor didn’t even possess that level of skill when he came out his pod.

Clark reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone: 

“Bruce. Something wrong with Y/n call me” 

**Send** ~Meanwhile~

 Bruce interlocked his fingered looking upon the many screens. 

One of them was a text from Clark. He didn’t read it but he did notice Y/n. Many cases consumed him, he was thankful Tim had been helping. However, no Jason. His son decided it would be best if he stole on of his motorcycles. 

“One night Bruce. The ONE night you promised to show up and you’ve failed.” 

Alfred’s words were snappy and cold. His disappointment strong. Bruce didn’t turn around to face him. Instead he leaned back “I’m sorry Alfred. I’ll make it up to her when I’m done.” 

“W-what make it up to her? You’ll need to do more then that Bruce. She cried for you. Don’t you understand? That child has been carrying a burden all this time and you think it’ll be easy to make it up to her?”

The room fell silent once more. Of course Bruce had nothing to say.

“Of all people Lex Luthor made an appearance.”

Now Bruce was paying attention. He turned in his seat to face the Butler “what did he want?”

Alfred closed his eyes “nothing Bruce. He did something that you should have done. He even gave her a gift that-“

“And you let her keep it?”

Bruce turned back around facing a computer. He typed some things to see a red dot moving particularly fast, leaving metropolis “I thought you said she was with Clark…” Alfred also looked at the screen. He felt slight unease watching the tracker weave around “I left her there for the night. Something mustve happened in the game.”

Another alert popped up on the screen, a broadcast all throughout Ghothem. Bruce’s face fell at the horror that was on his screen.

“Oh batsyyy! I got one of your little birds~” The Joker sang ~~~

2 hours till…

Connor placed both hands on his face. The sounds of his team scrambling to find both Jason and Y/n was unnerving.

“Its ok, we’ll find them” Megan placed a hand on his hoping to calm connor down but it didnt work.

“I missed her game, I wasn’t even invited to her end of the year performance because of how busy ive been.” Connor stood “This is no time to be sitting here.

The zeta tubes announced Y/n’s presence. Connor and Megan quickly went to the entrance but were shocked at Y/n’s appearance.

She wore the same black domino mask that the rest of the bats use on her face. A black dress with white shoes and a Flower circled around her, the most off thing she wore however were the thick noise canciling headphones.

Megan stopped moving but Connor approached his younger sister giving her a big hug “where have you been?we’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Megan noticed the lack of response from the girl. Her eyes cold and locked on to hers. She didnt even return the hug her brother gave. Majority of young Justice were present.

“Y/n cant know about whats happening with Jason. Keep her clear from the mission room.” Dick spoke through the mind link.

“Connor, get away from her. Somethings not right.”“Whats wrong?”“Y/n is acting totally strange. Theres also a creepy flower circling her.”Dick saw Zetannas face fell “Im on my way. Dont anger at all.”As she turned to leave Dick grabbed her arm “what do you know?”

“That flower could very much be a Familiar that amplifies negative emotions. How the hell could she have gotten something like that?” Connor heard everything that was said through the mind link. He slowly stood, but when he attempted to move away Y/n took his hand in hers.

“I would love to show you something big brother. Its about your girlfriend.” Y/n held onto connors hand in a vice grip. Y/n began walking to the living area “You too Megan, I dont want you left out.”

Connor and Megan looked at each other then back at Y/n. “Sit, get comfy.” Unbeknownst to them Y/n was all kinds of excited. Today would be the day she would expose the martian for all her misdeeds. She connected the laptop to the television and skillfully hacked into their cameras. Magan noticed the dates she was inputting and stood “Y/n what are you doing.”

Y/n’s grin was wide when she pressed play. The two watched as Magan erased Connors memories all thoes years ago.

“Its for your own good” Y/n said at the same time as Megan did in the video. Connor looked to His girlfriend then back to the screen. “What is this?”

Y/n couldnt contain her giggle. She pressed another button to show The meeting. Magan stood “Its not what it looks like Connor.”

He ignored her and continued to watch the screen with Y/n. she continuously tapped her temple with her finger “She played us Connor. She’s the reason why I can join missions. She used you Connor.”

Zettanna finally showed herself. She casted a spell towards Y/n but the girl was fast. Y/n lifted one of her legs and slammed it to the ground initiating her flight. “Problem?”

“Y/n give me the flower now.”

Y/n held onto her stomach as she laughed. The kid of maniacal laughter youd hear a villain do “Lex gave this to me. He was the only one that bothered to show up at my performance.”

Connor glared at Megan, the teen attempted to reach to him only for him to back away “We’re done”

He didnt let her speak as he himself jumped up to grab his sister. To his surprise it worked. When connor landed Zetanna ran up to them and grabbed the flower.

“Let me go! Connor! I showed you the truth and this is how you treat me!”

“Y/n stay still. This isnt like you.” Connor couldnt believe the strength his sister was dishing out. Zetanna grabbed the flower and threw it down right in front of her. Y/N let out a horrible scream as a black cloud left her body. Dick and Kalduer, all ran out to the scene. Connor finally let go and layed on his back breathing heavy. She was way too strong for a girl that size. Y/n crawled to the broken flower. Her quiet sobs grew as she tried to fix it “Why… why why why WHY! Its not… SHEs the one that ruined everything! Not me” Y/n screamed again at the loss of her new companion before bolting towards Megan. The martian flew high to dodge as best she could but Y/n grabbed her ankle and threw her to the other side of the room.

Dick couldnt belive the sight of his preciouse sister. She was animalistic in a way. He reached into his shoe and pulled out Kryptonite. Y/n’s knees wobbled as she fell to the floor.

“You too…”

All this betrayal. Y/n felt her heart tightened as the people who she once called family look at her like she was the monster. The only person who cared it seemed were Alfred and Jason. Y/n’s fetal attempt of escape was sad.

“Guys I found where the jokers keeping Jason!” Garfield came running out with a proud smile only for him to see the state of everyone.

Y/n looked up. Dick turned letting his guard down only slightly. Jason was taken. By the Joker. No… no way in hell will she let anything happen to someones whos had her back all this time. “Where. Is he…”

Dick Finally looked down at his sister while still holding onto the Kryptonite. She felt a light pinch on her neck before everything went black. Dick put the stone away, picking her up. “I'll take her to the cave… inform Batman about this.

1 hour till

[syntheticaesthetic]

Five is allowed to be selfish. People in general are allowed to be selfish. It's almost like they're human.

Yes, sure. Of course they are. But, when talking about a story you're gonna need to give me a much more convincing journey to those selfish choices than we got in S4.

Let's face it, the Five we got in this season was apathetic. He didn't give a shit about his family by the end of it. He didn't give a shit about other people. He didn't give a shit about the apocalypse. I'd argue he didn't really give a shit about Lila based on how he treated her based on his tone when she confronted him about the reality of their situation.

(The way he said "I took care of you when you were sick, I held you when you were sad" was full of red flags. It reeked of entitlement. I did those things for you so you owe me this. 🤢)

This characterization was pretty far from what we saw in S1 or S2, where he sacrificed everything for his family, where his personal happiness was of no concern compared to his own safety or mental health. And yet we're being asked to accept a Five that cares more about his personal desire to have Lila than what she wants, what Diego wants, what her kids want, over them returning to the right time line and saving Ben and stopping an apocalypse?

A good storyteller can get there no doubt - the pieces are there.

*Take a man who lived 40+ years in an apocalypse because of his own hubris (don't tell me what to do! I know better than you old man!),

*a man who got shoved in a wrong body, a man who had to - in the span of 2-3 weeks - live through 3 different apocalypses,

*a man who didn't even want to stop the S3 apocalypse because he himself told him not to - that he only makes it worse,

*a man who got abandoned by the family he sacrificed so much to save and lost his powers,

*and a man who then had to face yet another apocalypse that was his fault with new powers he doesn't understand and doesn't really seem to care too much about understanding and then gets lost and separated from his family again for 7 more years?

Yeah. I can see anger. I can see defeat. The world has made him it's bitch and he's tired and just wants a break and wants something for himself.

The problem I have here is the execution.

They had six episodes filled with a huge amount of filler and hardly any lead up to this; we got Lila wiping crumbs off his face and Diego and Lila's bad relationship with Five being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was shoved into a short opening montage.

While we the audience knows the things that drove Five to this from previous knowledge (assumptively), the actual writing or narrative never addresses it. Five never tells us how exhausted he is. He never tells us how over it he is. Even in S3 he has a line while on his adventure with Klaus and exclaims "Can't I get one day off" (or a fucking break - I can't remember the direct quote.) We get nothing here. He just seems bored. Unmoved. Uncaring. He just doesn't give a shit about anything that's happening so why are we supposed go with this out of the blue selfishness if he's not really affected by anything happening? It's not selfishness motivated by being at his breaking point and just needing something for himself finally, it's just a kid taking a doll away from his brother because all of his other toys were gone and saying it's his turn with it now because he wants it and throwing a temper tantrum and refusing to help his family or the world when the doll is back where it's supposed to be.

He's focused on his affair with a married woman over the fate of the world when his character for the last three seasons has never been that selfish. That's the problem.