#don't ask me how i got here it was Circuitous | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jaggedamethyst · 2 days ago

Text

circuit breaker 🔬🌌 (part four)

tutor!jayce talis x reader, ekko x reader college au

content: jayce ghosts you when you need him most...so you have no choice but to lean on your best friend, ekko

pining, mental health mentions, neurodivergence, lmk if i missed any!

notes: ekko pic...omg... (you may think this series is going slow but i hate a slow burn ass fic that has them fucking chapter three don't pmo...also this evolved way past just jayce and i need to do ekko justice...bc some of yall don't, clocked it)

word count: 2.9k

series masterlist

⭑·ﾟﾟ·*:༅。.。༅:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　　✿✼:*ﾟ:༅。.。༅:*·ﾟﾟ·⭑

“Do you know that girl Jayce is always with?”

You arrived to class, ready to learn—but not about physics truthfully. You expected to cut corners, create friendly conversation about nothing, humor Viktor. When you got there, though, you had to ask him immediately.

“Mel Medara?” Viktor looked to you with intrigue. “I know of her…but not much about her.” He leaned to his left, toward you, “Why?”

“She’s just always…around? And we spoke to each other once but I was in a hurry…didn’t get much chance for a formal introduction.”

“Are you certain that your intrigue is rooted purely in your inquisitive nature…or is there another reason you want to share?”

“No-“

The sound of the door towards the front of the class opening interrupted you—it was perfect timing, actually. You would rather not have to unpack why Mel’s presence bothered you so much; truthfully it was an inexplicable feeling. Someone walked in, and you sat up straighter.

“Hi, everyone! My name is Caitlyn, some of you may know me if you’ve ever been to the student resource center.” She smiled at you, exchanging a look of recognition. “I wanted to formally introduce myself… I will be joining as a TA. If you need anything and can’t get ahold of the professor, you can ask me your course related questions.” She moved to plug a laptop into the projector, “Here is my email for future reference.” She allowed some time for people to copy and take photos of her email down. “Unfortunately, today’s class will be canceled for an emergency…but I was instructed to relay to you that the quiz will still be held next week. It’ll be on vectors and calculating their angles. Be sure to refresh yourselves over the weekend and reach out to me should you have any questions.” People started to shuffle around her, getting up to leave class. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, guys. Feel free to use the space to get some other work done, or leave early.”

“What the fuck, this was such a waste of my time.” You glanced back towards the board, making sure you got the email address right. “I have been so tired I could be sleeping right now.”

“I’m sorry, I know you have a lot to deal with right now.” Viktor moved to the end of the aisle, grabbing his cane while slinging his bag over one shoulder. “At least you’ve been in tutoring. The quiz this week should be easier, right?”

“That’s the thing,” you reached for your phone, “We’ve only just got to vectors so far. That was hard enough.” You hovered your finger over Jayce’s contact, never actually having messaged him. Before you could talk yourself out of it, you started texting him.

hi jayce

im sorry to bother you but i have my quiz next week and its gonna be on more stuff than we got to in our sessions

do you have any time to meet with me this weekend? if not thats ok, i can ask my friend

You paused, walking behind Viktor without looking up from the phone screen.

i just need you

No, you shook your head, continuing the text.

i just need your help

lmk

You grimaced at the text bubbles, hating how you split all of that up. You imagined his annoyed face, seeing all of these desperate messages. You wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t answer. You wouldn’t answer you.

Viktor turned to you, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, just frustrated and irritated and angry…thats all.”

“That’s not a great combination.”

You shook your head. Without trying, Viktor could always cheer you up. “Unrelated, but did Jayce ask you about what snacks I eat?”

“He did,” he looked over at you, “It was odd. He said something about ‘reinforcements’ for your guys’ tutoring session.”

“Oh...okay.”

Viktor would call himself a lot of things, including perceptive. He didn’t say much, but he noticed the way your eyes lingered on one another when you first met. He was aware of the way you spoke about each other, especially when it was just Viktor around. He simply arched a brow at you, observing your concerned look at the phone screen.

“Maybe you should take the weekend to rest and recuperate.”

“I would…but the quiz-“

“Just for today. Wait for Jayce to get back to you. Then you can focus solely on next week.” He nodded reassuringly.

He returned the nod, liking the sound of the plan.

If only Jayce had bothered to answer.

——————

“Hi.”

“Come on in.” Ekko stepped back, letting you into his dorm.

“I know it’s so last minute, but I know nothing about angles …figured you could help.”

“I absolutely can help and would love to.”

You sat your stuff down, getting comfortable as you’d done dozens of times before. You turned a corner, washing your hands at the sink before heading to grab a throw blanket from Ekko's bed.

He knew your habits, calling from the living room area. “I have the heated blanket out here, too, if you wanna use that one. Know you get cold.”

You exited his room, wearing the slippers you left under his bed. “Once again, you are the best…because I am, in fact, freezing my ass off right now.”

“Want something to drink?”

“Always.”

The two of you were so in sync—it had to be that way after Powder. It became worse when Vi blamed you, suspecting one of you said something to her to make her disappear. Even though you know you did nothing wrong, there was still a self-hate there. That you couldn’t be there for a friend who needed you—so much so that she left entirely. You couldn’t do that to Ekko, he felt the same.

“So,” you pulled out the folder Jayce had given you, a slight frown on your face at the thought of him completely ignoring you. “I have this paper, its like a cheat sheet for vectors…but besides what Jayce told me I don’t know what to do. The TA said we also have to calculate the angles…that makes no sense.”

Ekko grabbed his notebook, flipping to a blank sheet of paper. He sketched a makeshift drawing—surprisingly good for how quick he’d done it. You were always in awe of his artistic talent.

“Okay, so here…is a light pole.” He moved his finger to the other side of the paper, motioning toward a little drawing of you, smiling on the sidewalk. “This is you.”

“Wait I’m so adorable here!”

Ekko chuckled, side eyeing you a bit, “Yeah…”

You snatched the pencil—quickly drawing in a stick figure of him. “This is you!”

“Is it really? Couldn’t tell.”

“Hey-“ You swatted his arm, “You’re identical in my opinion.”

“If having lines for a body is identical…then sure. But anyways…not the point of my sketch.” He grabbed the pencil back, “Thank you very much.” He flipped the pencil, using the eraser side to show you the details. “Okay…light pole…you.” He smirked, knowing you wanted to interject. Ekko raised his hand before you could, “This is the distance between you and the pole.” He made up and wrote a random number in feet under the bottom, the same for the pole. “This is the height of the pole. This is all you need to find every angle and distance measurement.”

The look on your face was one of pure confusion. “How does that make any sense whatsoever, Ekko?” You moved to close the book. “Actually, lets just watch a movie instead. I’m prepared to fail at this point.”

Ekko grabbed the book from you, reopening it. “Well, I’m not, so let’s get to work.”

He continued, explaining as best he could. It was no use, though, it just wasn’t making sense to you. You nodded, trying to get him to move on to something else.

“Does that make sense?”

“Yeah.” You reached to hug Ekko, “You’re the best.” Pulling back, you plastered on a smile, hiding the discomfort. You didn’t feel ready whatsoever. Suddenly, Ekko grabbed your hands, pulling your attention to him.

“You’re gonna do great.” He lingered on you for a while, “Promise.”

The doubt you felt made you want to hole up and skip class altogether. Eventually, it developed into a disdain for Jayce. When you thought about it, he was the reason you were going to fail…again.

——————

You decided against skipping class on Monday, but you were definitely opting out of that damn tutoring session. If Jayce can’t answer a simple few texts, how were you to know you even had a standing appointment anymore. It made you feel less than worthy of a proper notice. Above all, it just felt plain unprofessional…he’s an employee after all.

Walking into class and into this quiz felt like a walk to your execution. Midterms were quickly approaching, which meant you only had so many quizzes you could fail before the majority of your final grade was tainted by bad ones.

Viktor greeted you as normal, moving over to give you a seat. “Are you prepared?”

“As best as I can be.”

The beauty of college was that you did assessments in class and got the results as soon as you submitted. Knowing you would get your score back in the next few minutes had your stomach churning. An image of Jayce, carefree and nonchalant, popped into your head. Nothing was making sense. Reluctantly, you started choosing random answers—disregarding the calculator altogether. Before you knew it, your grade, a 56%, reflected back to you.

“Fuck,” you whispered to yourself. You closed your laptop, getting up to leave class early. “I’ll see you later, Viktor.”

Before he could reply, you were gone. Pushing through the door. You grabbed your phone from your pocket, texting Ekko.

im done early, wanna meet rn?

He replied a few seconds later.

omw

You picked up the pace, not out of urgency, but in pure frustration. Everything you’d been working towards wasn’t paying off. The time you spent not being with Ekko—with Jayce—was a waste.

When you arrived to the dining hall, Ekko wasn’t there yet. You took the time to grab both you and him something to eat for lunch. Within minutes, Ekko showed up, that warm smile on his face as usual. He leaned into you, giving you a side hug while simultaneously grabbing the food from you.

“How was the quiz?” You didnt reply, simply giving him a side eye. “Damn…I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault…but thanks for helping.”

He’d seamlessly changed the subject—allowing the two of you to talk without the reminder of your failure that day. You didn’t acknowledge how fast the time had passed and truthfully, didn’t care. You hadn’t planned to show up to tutoring…much less give Jayce any notice.

To your right, you suddenly heard a voice, interrupting you and Ekko.

“Hey.” You looked over, seeing Jayce standing there. “I figured you’d be here.” He looks between you and Ekko, hands now on his hips. “You missed our session.”

You raised a brow and crossed your arms over your chest. “Wow, really? Didn’t know we were still having those.”

“Of course we are, you have those quizzes-“

“Had.” You interrupted, “There was one today. You’d know if you checked your phone.”

He looked down, embarrassed at his phone sitting in his front pant pocket.

“I’m sorry- I know this is important for you but something came up.”

“What? What came up?” Ekko spoke up.

Jayce turned to look at him, finally acknowledging his presence again. “Something personal,” he looked away, focusing back on you. “Can we talk alone?”

Ekko spoke again, “Say what you need to say.”

“I would, but I’m not talking to you.”

A screech of Ekko’s chair resounded in the dining hall. You reached a hand out, gesturing toward them. “Ekko, please.”

Ekko looked over to you and inhaled a deep breath. He was looking at Jayce again, but kept talking to you. “I’ll see you later, okay? Call if you need anything.”

“Wait- Ekko-”

Jayce gulped, sitting down across from you. You watched Ekko leave as Jayce took his seat, hands resting on the table.

“What the hell is your problem? You ghost me then show up here with an attitude? I should be pissed…I am pissed! I failed because of you!”

He nodded, knowing the weight of his being inaccessible. “I’m sorry.”

“You said that.”

“There was a personal thing, a family emergency-“

“And yet, your phone is still in working condition.”

You didn’t want to be insensitive, but it takes seconds to reply. A simple message would’ve sufficed.

“My mom’s sick.” You froze—remembering that it’s just him and his mom. “She was in the hospital all weekend…it still hasn’t gotten better.” He paused, looking at you now, “I thought I owed you to at least show up today.”

“Well…now I feel like shit.”

“Don’t. Not your fault I didn’t tell you what was happening.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Hope she gets better?”

You reached over, placing a comforting hand on his, “I can do that.”

He let you linger there, before pulling back. “How about this week, since I messed up so bad with scheduling…we meet as much as you’d like just so you can be ready. Shit, it can be every day if you want.” He nodded, “We’re gonna make sure you pass this class if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Are you sure? I can be pretty high maintenance…”

He leaned back in his chair, a nonchalant yet playful look on his face, “Not worried about it.”

“Okay.” You shrugged, “If you say so.”

The pair of you exchanged smiles, not at all prepared for how tumultuous this week would be.

taglist

@juskonutoh @sseleniaa @aerina127 @sleepysoldier @angelicmisty @1800latenitecreep @venus-in-roses

#jaggedamethyst #jayce talis #arcane jayce #jayce talis x reader #jayce talis x you #arcane x reader #arcane #jayce x reader #jayce league of legends #jayce talis x y/n #jayce talis arcane #jayce x you #ekko arcane #ekko x reader #ekko league of legends #ekko

78 notes · View notes

angorwhosebabyisthis · 3 years ago

Text

i just think P03 and the lonely wizard from inscryption should smooch actually

#inscryption #P03 #inscryption P03 #lonely wizard #inscryption lonely wizard #lw03 #inscryption tag #shipping #my posts #dyn: the void gazes back #don't ask me how i got here it was Circuitous

14 notes · View notes

ashwhowrites · 2 years ago

Note

I saw someone request rockstar Eddie with a groupie I was thinking maybe a groupie is all over him and backstage after a concert Eddie hates it and just wants his wife then reader his wife walks in assuming he was cheating and I trust you with the end🤍

Love it!! Here we go! I did your idea! But for some reason made it way more painful than needed so oops

⚠️angst as usual but fluff ending

Also I deleted this like three times and wrote it multiple ways. And I still hate how I wrote this so whoever requested it- if you hate it too, let me know so I can fix it babes

When her husband is a rockstar that girls have wet dreams about, she knows she'll spend a lifetime being jealous. When his fingers can work fast on the guitar while he multitasks with singing, she knows where other girls minds run off to. She was the same. She started as a girl who had a crush on the lead guitar player and singer. She watched him on stage and had dreams about his fingers, mouth, voice, and body constantly. And it was like he knew it. He'd smirk in her direction during his solos. Always standing near her side of the stage when he'd kneel down to sign girls'boobs. Eyes always flicked to hers, never even looking at who he was signing. The sexual tension got too hot and too high. Before she knew it she was in the bathroom being fucked against the mirror.

That's how they started. A bathroom fuck, so romantic right?

She never would have guessed the same man would be proposing to her years later on stage, in front of a sold out crowd in New York.

She was by his side when he was a small bar band and now he took her all over the world as he grew. Eddie was in love with her before he even learned her name. Getting to fuck her was just the bonus.

They were in love and maybe got married too young, but they didn't care. He wasn't letting her go anywhere.

Eddie doesn't even remember what they were fighting about before he left. He remembers screaming and her screaming back.

He remembers yelling, "DON'T EVEN FUCKING COME TONIGHT!" as he slammed the door.

Which he regretted the second he played the first song. Looking to his left where she stood backstage, and just like he asked, she didn't show up.

His first performance in months without her there and he felt like an asshole. He couldn't even remember who started it or why it started. And if he couldn't answer those questions, then he knew it wasn't important enough to keep being upset about it.

He collected together all of his stuff in the dressing room, throwing it harshly in his bag.

"hey Eddie, I know you are in a rush to get home but we have a fan out here who is dying to say hi" Gareth said. He knew Eddie and his wife were fighting before he came here, Eddie showed up tense and pissed off. The couple has been on short circuits. Screaming at each other at the drop of a hat.

Eddie thinks it's the stress of trying to have a baby that was taking a toll on their relationship. She was getting upset at her body for not accepting a baby and she took it out on him. She knew it wasn't fair but she couldn't stop. And Eddie, instead of understanding how hard it must be on her, he got pissed that he became her target. They both didn't talk about their feelings and that's where they kept going wrong.

"I'm really sorry dude. But I am not in the mood. Y/N's upset and I need to apologize. Just ask her to come next week" Eddie sighed. Gareth gave him a guilty look as the door opened and the girl squealed excitedly. Jumping in her dress as she screamed about the band in front of her.

Eddie closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Plastering on his best smile. He could suffer for a few minutes.

She was drunk in seconds. Already throwing herself on Eddie's lap.

"no no" he mumbled, unhooking her arms but she laced their fingers together.

"I'm married" he mumbled again, trying to shift his body from under her. He was not in the mood for this type of game.

But she stayed put. Not even moving a muscle. Eddie looked around the room and noticed he was alone

"if you are married ,where are they?" She asked

"she's at home. I told her not to come" he sighed. And now he wanted her to be here more than ever. He didn't want a random girl on his lap. He wanted his wife to be here.

"how come?"

"because I was stupid and she's pissed.But seriously I need you to get off of me. This isn't happening and will never happen" he tried to push her again

"I know what you can do to make her feel better" she sounded genuine but Eddie still didn't want the feeling of other girls body on him

"okay how about you tell me while you get off of me?" He asked, giving up on moving her for a slight second to hear what she had to say. Letting her absorb his words.

But she didn't say anything. She smashed her lips onto his. His brain was slowly realizing what was going on. The hands that she had laced were stuck. He was trying to pull his body away but he couldn't move anywhere

"Eddie?"

She sat at home all night. Crying on the couch after he slammed the door. She hated what she was doing to them. She was ruining their marriage day after day. But she didn't feel good enough. She couldn't give him a baby, and that's all he talked about.

Finally ready to just apologize and talk things out, she headed to his gig. She knows he doesn't want her there but as a wife, she had the right.

She smiled to Gareth as she walked to the dressing room. Lance, their manager, noticed her right away and let her through the hallway. She smiled gratefully and walked into the room.

Her husband was there, but so was a girl in a tiny dress sitting on his lap, kissing him.

"Eddie?" She gasped out in disbelief. She knew she wasn't being a good wife lately, but he'd really throw it all away?

Her eyes burned as the girl pulled away and looked behind her. Eddie's eyes finding hers once the girl moved.

"hold not. This is so not" he stuttered out fast. Throwing the girl off of his lap as she landed on the couch next to him.

Y/N felt her eyes roll, turning back around and leaving the damn bar

"BABY WAIT. I CAN EXPLAIN THAT!"

But she just kept walking. Never in their relationship did she think he'd ever cheat on her. But apparently she didn't know him well.

She made it out of the bar. Gasping for fresh air.

Eddie was right behind her, arm snatching her hand and yanking her into him.

"listen you need to listen" he pleaded. He knew if he didn't explain soon enough, more damage would take place

"no Eddie I don't!" She spat back, throwing his hands off of her

"is that why you didn't want me to come tonight? So you can go screw a groupie? How many girls were there?"

Eddie shook his head at each question

"no that is not why I asked you not to come. I should have never asked that! I want you here. And fuck no, there has been no one but you. You are my wife, I wouldn't screw that up! I don't want anyone else. She came on to me. I've spent the past hour trying to get her off of my lap. I would never do that to you. I love you"

He watched as silent tears were running down her face.

"why?" She asked, throwing her hands in the air with frustration

"why what?" He spoke softly, seeing she was seconds away from crying harder. One hand held her jaw and the other one rubbed her back softly

"why do you love me? I mean God Eddie, you married me expecting a family and I can't even give that to you! If I were you I think I'd cheat on me too" she sobbed

Eddie felt his heart shattering

"baby no. Just no" he shook his head, holding her face tighter in his hands moving his forehead against her

"when I married you, I married you because I am in love with you and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I wanted us to share a name, a house and our hearts. Listen to me, I don't need a baby to make me want to stay with you. Nothing would MAKE me, I want to stay with you and that's not ever going to change. I should have been more understanding of the stress you are putting your body in. And I would never cheat on you. There is no one in this whole world that would ever compare to you. You are it for me, okay?"

He smiled and pecked her wet lips. Pulling back slowly as she nodded and sniffled.

"I love you too" she spoke just as soft. Kissing him again.

She pulled away with a small gag, "we need to wash your mouth. Taste like pure alcohol"

Eddie laughed, "yeah that girl was pretty wasted"

He smiled as he threw his arm on her shoulder, walking to the car.

He didn't need a baby to be a family.

Just having her, was the only family he needed.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @slightlyvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie stranger things #eddie munson angst #eddie munson angst x reader #eddie munson request #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson fluff x reader #eddie munson fluff #rockstar! eddie x reader #husband eddie x wife reader

1K notes · View notes

literaila · 2 years ago

Text

lean in, lean out

tasm!peter x fem!reader

summary: in which peter invites you to a wedding. as his girlfriend. which, evidently, you are not.

warnings: hahahaha, fake dating trope, pure fluff, peter is an idiot, reader is an idiot, we’re all idiots.

a/n: let me know how you like it!

"this is stupid."

despite the tone of your voice, despite the absolute death grip you've got on his hand, and despite all other things—

peter looks down at you. smiles that same irritating smile.

you know—the smile that makes your whole body feel... alive. the kind of smile that lights you on fire and doesn't apologize. no, you think. he's not sorry.

and he's really not.

"you're doing great," peter whispers, leaning a little bit closer to you. maybe just a little bit amused.

or a lot. it's hard to tell with how much you hate him right now. his encouragement is not welcome.

his breath on your skin and every stupid ounce of affection and appreciation—it’s not welcome.

"why do i even have to be here?" you ask him, between gritted teeth. his hand is warm in yours. rough. "you could've said i got food poisoning, or the flu. or maybe i was ziplining and the wire broke."

peter looks forward, but you see the little crinkle of his brows.

"that's a terrible excuse," he tells you, "you can't just start ziplining. you have to, like, take a course."

"because that's my biggest concern right now. the course i didn't take."

peter snorts, but is quick to cover it up with a cough, smiling at the people who turn to stare at him.

and at you with their evil eyes.

with their very nice smiles and wonderful table manners. their curiosity towards the man who, at the moment, is tickling your hand with his fingertips.

you try to smile at them.

you're supposed to be keeping your mouth shut, listening to the speeches.

you're actually supposed to be completely in love with peter.

which, you think, in the deepest, darkest part of your mind, isn't really that big of a stretch.

"can't we just get kicked out?" you mutter to him, pretending that you're not both playing footsie under the table. that you’re a mature adult and peter is a child you’re just babysitting.

you're winning, obviously.

"i don't think you can get kicked out of weddings..." but peter still looks around, like he's checking for a sign.

"you can if you snuck in."

peter looks at you again, sunken down in your seat and crossing your arms.

which is what you'd be doing if that was a part of your elegant girlfriend role.

instead, you're sitting up straight, pretending not to admire how the light catches his jaw--the little concave of his throat. pretending that you didn't stare at him the entire ceremony. nor that his suit has elicited an unfortunate reaction in your chest.

"luckily, we didn't sneak in." peter takes a sip of his water. he is deliberately avoiding your eyes.

maybe it's the guilt.

"yeah, yeah," you mutter, into your own glass—your only solace. "these people are your closest confidants. the people you'd want at your funeral, the ones who know you like no other—“

peter squeezes your hand. you can't tell if he's telling you to shut up, or thanking you.

you honestly can't tell if it's hot in here or if you're just sweating.

you contemplate chugging your water.

"shh," peter whispers, but he leans in close again. just enough that you can smell his soap--some kind of spice, some kind of ridiculously addicting smell that you can never quite place. he kisses your head, smiles at someone who is looking at you.

but you're staring at the floor.

you're really trying to keep the dumb smile off of your face.

there are spiders crawling into your brain and making you short-circuit.

"gotta have a wedding before a funeral. and," he says, teasing you, breaking the rules, "you're my closest confidant."

"how romantic."

peter moves back. it might be your tone of voice. he glances at you with a raised brow. "i thought this was stupid?"

"it is," you're quick to answer. quick to throw yourself off of the nearest building. quick to run out of here and pretend that you got eaten alive by wolves. "i'm just saying—if you want to trick all of your family members, might as well do a good job."

"i think we're a good couple," peter pouts like he's absolutely serious.

the words want to send sparks down your heart. they want to hurl bowling balls down your stomach.

but you refuse.

"this is stupid," you repeat, but this time, your lip twitches. if only minimally.

peter kicks your foot under the table. he opens his mouth to say something back.

but then everyone is clapping, peter is looking over to you—you with wide eyes and far too temperamental emotions—and laughing.

you must look shocked.

the bride's father steps down from the stage, voice echoing as he tries to collect himself.

peter pretends to wipe a tear away.

when you turn away from him—thanking whatever gods there are that everyone is focused on the stage and away from your glowing eyes—you pretend that you can't feel him smirking back at you.

"it's really not that big of a deal—“

you blink. you stare at him. you count to a million in your head, trying not to feel angry. or upset.

it doesn't work.

"you told your aunt that i was your girlfriend, and it's 'not that big of a deal?'" your poor imitation almost makes him laugh. almost.

"she already thought we were dating anyway—“

you think about strangling him. or kicking the chair out from under his feet. "may thought that you were dating the stupid library girl?"

"you're not stupid."

"i was talking about the library."

peter looks almost offended. "hey."

you roll your eyes. drop your head into your hands. his eyes are warm on you, and you know that he's not going to look away until you say something else.

until you agree to this stupid plan and pretend that the only reason he's okay with this is that he feels absolutely nothing for you—

it's not that big of a deal. really.

peter places a hand on your shoulder. when you don't look up, he sighs. and then promptly pulls your hands away from your face.

he is unbearably kind. smiling at you.

"peter..." you say, almost relenting. almost letting him win.

as if this was a game and you were a handy object he picked up along the way. just something to come in later.

"hey," he says, softly, still staring at you. he's never been afraid of eye contact. "if you want me to call her back and tell her that i lied, i will. i don't want to make you uncomfortable."

you'd like to mention that the only uncomfortable thing about any of this is how hard your heart bangs on your chest.

your head lands back in your hands.

peter pokes the bit of cheek he can still reach. you twitch.

"or i can tell her we broke up. that you broke up with me. you'd get a kick out of that." he nudges your shoulder.

you pretend that he didn't just slide his chair even closer to you.

you peek an eye at him. "i would enjoy breaking up with you."

"ouch." but peter's smiling. "seriously," he says. "you don't have to go."

you lean up, brows furrowed. "why don't you just find an actual date?"

you try to say it seriously. like you're not bitter at the prospect.

"having a first date at a wedding?" peter says, dryly. "no, thank you."

"you could, i don't know, try actually dating someone. it doesn't have to be the first date."

"i don't wanna date someone's," he's almost pouting. your lip twitches.

this statement is a lie, of course, but it fills your heart with a little unnecessary glee. something a little bit like relief. you want to dig a hand into your ribcage and rip your heart out just so you can scold it a little.

instead, you shake your head at peter. "then don't go with anyone. maybe you'll meet someone there. wedding romances are very popular this time of year.”

peter winces. "i know. it's just..." he blows a breath. runs a hand through his hair, only making it even messier. his sweater is bunched at his wrists. his glasses are hanging at the tip of his nose.

you want to lean in close to him and push them up.

you clench your fists.

"it's just what?"

"if i go alone then everyone will ask questions."

you frown. "questions?"

"yeah." peter sighs, avoids your eyes again. "and then they'll all give me those pitiful looks because 'poor peter he can't move on' and 'may said he was doing better.'"

you observe his face carefully, tiny pricks of anger hitting directly at your chest.

"it happens at every family event," peter laughs, looking back at you. "i… wanted them to see that i'm okay, for once. and you know i don't like answering questions."

you laugh. you move a little bit closer to him, maybe subconsciously. "you don't have to go alone," you say. maybe to him.

"i know," peter stares at you a second, smiles. "there's no one else i'd want to go with, though."

unsure if he's poking fun at you or being serious, you choose the safe option. the smarter one.

"i hate weddings," you declare to him, glaring.

peter laughs, head thrown back, teeth showing.

you feel a sense of pride. a tiny little branch growing in your chest—getting bigger.

peter shakes his head, because he knows you're lying. he's nice enough not to say it. "plus, may already likes you. no awkward introduction."

you raise a brow. "there wasn't any awkward introduction when i went home with you for thanksgiving."

"because she already liked you."

"you giving me glowing reviews, parker?"

he smiles. "no," tilts his head like he's hilarious. "may likes that you called me out on my bullshit."

you push him, frowning. "i'm very nice to you."

he rubs at his arm, still smiling at you.

and then there's a moment where the two of you just stare. just look in each other's eyes like you wouldn't rather be doing anything else.

you wouldn't.

but you know peter is waiting.

you take a deep breath in.

it might be his stupid smile. or his dimples.

it might be the way he's pleading with you--without his eyes, without even asking--like it's a secret that only you can keep.

"okay," you tell him. "but i'm going to eat all of the cake."

peter holds his hands out to you.

it's late enough in the night that the lights are dim. that his eyes are bright, illuminated by the fluorescents above your head. his smile is soft, his hands are big.

you frown. "what?"

"let's dance." peter says this like it's obvious. like what else would you rather be doing right now?"

you look down at the table, empty now. you look towards the dance floor, full.

"yeah," you drawl. "maybe not."

peter pouts. "you don't want to dance with me?"

his hand is still out, still perfectly intimidating.

"it has nothing to do with you, peter," you promise. "i don't want to dance with anyone."

"but you're a great dancer."

you point a finger at him. "there is no evidence of that."

"fall semester, last year."

"how very specific, peter."

he smiles. he waves his hand like he's very impatient. "c'mon, it'll look weird if we don't dance."

"you already look weird so i don't see the issue."

his free hand goes to his chest, in mock offense. you smile at him, so adoring.

"you dance around in my kitchen all the time."

"not in heels."

his face is blank.

"not after i've just eaten a bunch of wedding cake."

peter just stares at you.

"peter," you whine, feeling intimidated. but mostly worried about being any clsoer to him than you have been all night. "please don't make me."

"this is supposed to be fun."

you cross your arms. your neck has begun to ache from looking up at him.

"just one song," he makes a tiny little one with his finger as if that is going to convince you anymore.

"it's never 'just' with you."

peter crosses his heart. "scouts honor."

"that was a cross, not a pledge. and you're not a boy scout."

"i could've been," he sighs dreamily, looking up at the ceiling like he's got big goals. entire aspirations.

and then he looks down at you and smiles again.

and fine.

maybe you dance with him.

but it has nothing to do with his smile. you're merely trying to keep up appearances.

"when may calls you tomorrow and asks why your girlfriend hates you, just tell her—“

peter follows you as you stumble into the hotel room.

he flicks the lights on and sets your bag down in the hallway.

because he owes you, you just flop down on the bed. admiring how soft the sheets are. you lose track of your sentence.

"do you want to shower?"

"it is three in the morning, peter."

"yeah but you're all sticky."

you sit up in bed and look at him--peter who has now removed his blazer. who is quickly undoing his tie and staring at you like he's never looked at you before.

you look down at the sheets. rub your hands together because you're cold.

"are you saying that you don't want to sleep next to me because i smell bad?" you ask him, scrunching your nose.

peter slips his shoes off, laughing so quietly that you can barely hear it. he flops down next to you, looking up at the ceiling.

"i don't remember implying that."

you crawl closer to him, almost right above him. "it was written all over your face, parker."

"well," he smiles at you, more amused. maybe delirious. "it's not like i haven't shared a bed with you before."

you lay back, copying him. your hands rest at your sides, very close to his.

you blink. the white of the ceiling looks particularly interesting.

"it's too early to tell if that was an insult or not."

peter snorts. his laughter shaking the entire bed.

shaking your entire body from the inside out.

and then he groans as he leans up, stretching. you close your eyes, refusing to look at him.

refusing to notice how his shirt has ridden up his back and you can see an inch of soft warm skin.

refusing to notice how the bed already smells like him.

and the fact that you're supposed to sleep next to him, all night.

and that maybe dancing with him left behind some spare anxiety, crawling up your skin and massaging your neck.

you refuse anything.

when you open your eyes again, peter is unbuttoning his shirt.

"are you at least going to get in pajamas?"

"peter, these are pajamas."

he snorts. "really?" a shirt is thrown on the floor. a zipper can be heard from across the room. similar to your heart. "because i distinctly remember someone telling me that 'it was the most uncomfortable outfit ever' and 'not even satan would allow this.'"

you sit up, moving to cross your legs. maybe you stare at him a little. "what?" you gasp. "who would say such a thing?"

peter looks back at you and smiles.

it's quite possibly—in the realm of possibilities and three in the morning thoughts—the prettiest thing he's ever seen.

"here," he tosses you a shirt. a pair of sweatpants.

how he found those in the vast depths of your suitcase, you are unsure.

"i'm going to go brush my teeth, moisturize."

"is that how you get that baby-smooth skin of yours?"

peter raises an eyebrow at you. gestures down to the clothes in your lap. "change. get in bed. you look tired."

you frown. "did my makeup smudge?"

peter stares for a moment, surveying your face. his eyes are wide and his lips are just slightly parted. just enough for you to see a tiny bit of pink. a flash of white.

it’s a moment too long. peter clears his throat. "no," he says. "you--it, um. it looks good. you look beautiful."

your eyes widen, if only a little bit.

peter seems to realize this. he seems to run from you, if not literally, then figuratively. "okay. uh, you. change." he shakes his head.

and then the bathroom door closes.

you're tucked into bed when peter comes out ten minutes later.

you don't bother to ask what took him so long.

he smiles at you in the dark—you can see this, or, at least feel it. you're very familiar with it.

and despite the fact that you have shared a bed with peter before, that you were miles closer to him only a couple of hours ago, you still feel a twitch of nerves as he climbs into bed next to you.

the covers shift ever so slightly.

and then peter turns towards you. he knows that you're still awake.

you know that his eyes are soft. that there are circles under his eyes but he still looks just as beautiful. but he still looks like the person that you're undeniably in love with.

whatever.

"tired?" he whispers to you because it's dark.

these are late-night secrets, see.

"yes." you whisper back. "no."

peter chuckles, so low and quiet.

it's silent for a moment. cars passing by the room. lights shining in through the curtains.

your heart bouncing across the walls and hoping to land in peter's hands.

"did you have fun?" he asks, so soft.

you almost freeze. almost completely forget yourself. "yeah. yes. i—it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be."

"i think the dancing really sold it."

"oh, you mean, you stepping on my feet and me not yelling at you?"

"uh-huh."

"that's the testament to a good relationship, for sure."

peter is smiling.

you know that.

maybe because you're also smiling.

"you should go to bed," you say. "you're tired."

"i'm really not," peter says.

you want to lean in closer. something about the dark. something about spending the whole day with him. something about his eyes and his lips and his smiles—which, even now—are terrifying.

something about the dark.

"may wants to have breakfast with us," peter whispers to you.

"yeah?"

"yeah. i can tell her that you're too tired if you want."

you clear your throat. swallow. "no. it's okay. i like hanging out with her."

"yeah?"

"yeah."

peter is silent for a moment. he is so quiet that you're almost worried that he's disappeared into the dark.

but he's there.

your heart won't let you forget that.

"peter?" you whisper.

"yeah?"

"thank you for bringing me."

"thank you for being my girlfriend."

the sentence weighs more than a pile of bricks on your chest.

you think about the next ten minutes. about how this might be—this is—your last chance. this is it for peter being your boyfriend. even fake.

it's worth something.

but peter turns on his side, eyes shutting.

and so you follow, pretending that you can't feel him, warm, so soft, next to you.

you pretend that you can't hear his breathing. that all of this is meaningless.

and you're getting used to it. pretending.

still, you feel it, about seven minutes later.

a couple of minutes after you're sure that peter's already fallen asleep. that he isn't plagued by these thoughts, these ideas like you are.

it doesn't matter.

it's seven minutes later, in the dark, so early in the morning.

you feel peter's hand, right next to you.

you feel him intertwine his fingers with you.

and peter is warm and soft. rough and cold.

he is asleep. but it means something.

you pretend it doesn't.

you fall asleep holding his hand.

my masterlist here.

tags: @moonlarking-blog @v1ci0us @preciousbabypeter @alexxavicry @directioner5life @random_writer1021

2K notes · View notes

raainy-daze · 2 years ago

Note

Hello friend! I'm gonna dump a few of these in your asks, hope you don't get overwhelmed 😂

First one (yes they're all Leo x reader, sue me)

Leo x gn!reader who's pressure-touch-starved in the way that if you put a weighted blanket on them, their brain would short-circuit. What happens when Leo decides to use Y/N as a mattress? 😏 ~🌺👸

Physical Affection

rottmnt leo x gn!reader

summary: while you have the apartment to yourself, you invite your boyfriend over. you weren’t expecting him to be so tired, however.

word count: 584

a/n: thank you so much for requesting! i’m sorry if this seems a little rushed, october tends to be a busy time of year for me. you didn’t specify which version in your request, but since i’ve only written rise so far, i assumed that would fit. enjoy!

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

Your family was all out tonight. You had the entire apartment to yourself - at least, you did at the moment. You glanced down at your cell phone, noting the message on your screen.

Again, you were correct. He’d promised to show up at eight o’clock sharp, and yet the clock was nearing nine with no sign of him.

You almost fell backwards when someone started knocking on your window at that moment.

You scrambled to the window, undoing the latch. Then, he came toppling in, with his stupid smirk and all.

“Hey, Leo.”

“Why, hello there. Come here often?”

You both began laughing.

“What took you so long? I thought you were dead or something.”

“You know how it goes, come topside, get attacked by the Foot, Murphy’s Law.” He sat down on the edge of your bed. You couldn’t help noticing he looked a bit tired. “I was going to bring something to eat, but apparently the Foot really like Hawaiian.”

“Oh, that’s fine, it’s not like I have a snack stash, or god forbid, a pantry.” You clutched your chest in mock offense.

“Oh, of course not! That would be outrageous!”

You couldn’t help smiling at your boyfriend. “I’ll go grab some chips or something. Back in a minute.” Before he could respond, you vanished into the kitchen. You could’ve sworn you heard a yawn behind you.

When you returned, bag of pretzels in hand, you found Leo had managed to fall asleep in the less than five minutes you’d been gone.

He was lying sideways across your bed, appearing to have fallen backwards from where you’d left him sitting. You sat down beside him, leaning back against your pillow. He shifted a bit, coming back to consciousness. “Mm… (y/n)?”

“Go back to sleep,” you said as you opened your pretzel bag. “You look like you need it.”

He got up to adjust, and before you knew what was happening, he was lying on top of you. His arms were wrapped around your waist, and his face was buried in your chest.

You went tense and froze up. Your arms just kind of hovered, pretzel bag still in hand. He looked up at you, mumbling a very sleepy “Everythin’ alright?”

“It’s fine!” Did your voice crack? You were pretty sure your voice cracked.

That dumb grin was back on his face. “You’re cute, you know.”

The laugh you let out was about two octaves higher than usual. your mind was somehow working overtime and was blank at the same time.

“I can move if you want.”

“No, no, no, it’s fine! I’m just - well I’m just not used to physical affection - just go back to sleep!” You somewhat awkwardly placed your hands on his back (well, his shell, same difference really), as you supposed you were meant to.

He didn’t give off much warmth. That was to be expected, him being a turtle and all. It was kind of soothing. You could feel his chest rise with each breath, and… he was asleep again.

You remained there the rest of the night. It took you a while to fully relax and fall asleep, but… it was nice.

You did kind of regret not eating when you woke up hungry, though.

#tmnt x reader #rottmnt x reader #gender neutral reader #reader insert #tmnt leo x reader #rottmnt leo x reader

2K notes · View notes

incorrectbatfam · 2 years ago

Note

I saw one of your posts saying Bruce is secretly most overprotective of Jason and literally everyone knows it and basically what I'm asking is can we see that 👀 (I also just want Jason to be like completely oblivious to it as well)

Bruce makes Jason buckle his seatbelt even if the villain is getting away

He takes the Joker cases himself and refuses to let Jason (or any of his kids) touch them

Bruce conveniently needs to use the bathroom every time Jason gets done showering and unplugs the hairdryer

He always leaves extra snacks and cash in Jason's jacket

And a bottle of water in his bike's compartment

And an extra jacket in case it gets cold

And a spare batarang... or dozen

He checks movies on DoesTheDogDie.com to make sure they don't have anything personally upsetting

For big missions, he runs the worst case scenarios in his head and lets Alfred talk sense into him before sending Jason off

He'll "randomly" walk in and out of the Batcave when Jason is pulling an all-nighter

Like "Heeey I just forgot my towel here" "Mhm"

Or "Alfred made cookies and there's no way I can finish them all" "Leave 'em here"

Or "Check out this new app I got" "Cool"

Bruce puts dangerous weapons on high shelves forgetting that Jason isn't 4'1" anymore

On days when Bruce's anxiety is acting up more than usual, he'll assign Jason to desk duty

Including one particular evening when everyone is on desk duty

Jason's mad because he wants to be on the field but Bruce called in Huntress, Batwing, and even some Metropolis heroes instead of utilizing their usual first line of defense

He doesn't realize what's going on until he's complaining to and Damian says, "You know we're only here to keep Father's peace of mind." Steph nods and adds, "Normally it's just you" and Jason short-circuits. By the time he processes it, the rest of them already moved on to another topic

Later that night, Jason confronts Bruce about it

He tells Jason he timed this months ahead of time and says, "There were explosives planted on every block for miles. We had to evacuate everyone."

Jason says, "I could've helped"

Bruce shakes his head as he drapes his cowl on his bike handle. "I couldn't risk having you out there"

Jason goes off, asking if Bruce relegated him to easier things because he didn't trust him, or if it was the guns, or a number of other things, and Bruce says none of that is true and he trusts Jason fully

Jason: "Then tell me what it is!"

Bruce: "I needed to know you were there for me to come home to!"

There's a hitch in the air, as if time got punched in the gut and is reeling for a breath

Jason envelopes Bruce in his arms and Bruce just whispers, "You've gotten so big"

And in the future, if Jason randomly requests desk duty, it has nothing to do with how stressed out Bruce looks

Nope, not at all

#ask #anonymous #bruce wayne #batman #jason todd #red hood #batfamily #batfam #batbros #batboys #batkids #batsiblings #batman family #dc comics #headcanon #ficlet #tw death mention #tw angst #my writing

1K notes · View notes

fficway · 2 years ago

Text

Distracting Dancing Donnie

Synopsis: You need a dance partner for an assignment, and your pride won't allow you to ask Donnie.

ROTTMNT Donnie x Reader insert. (No gender specified). Reader is either in high school and friends with the current turtles, or in college and friends with aged-up turtles, whichever is closer to your age/preference.

[This has all the fluff. A personal friend requested a one shot so I wrote this. I personally thought it was a little too cheesy or that I lost the characters' personalities somewhere along the line, but the friend who requested it loved it so I decided to share! I proofread it but I know there are still grammar mistakes. Also copying and pasting to Tumblr made me lose some of my typographical emphasis, so I did my best to fix it.]

In all the years you've known the turtles, you've never messed up so badly.

You've never hurt or betrayed any of them. Especially not to the extent that you've done today.

"How could you choose Señor Hueso as your dance partner over me?!" Donnie is whom you've betrayed on this historical day.

You had never let your grades slip in any of your classes, not even in the midst of pizza parties with the turtles or infiltrating The Foot with April. However in recent months you've become somewhat distracted.

Ok, more than somewhat. You had always had an affinity for the tech-wiz turtle, just an infatuation if you will. You thought it was something that would come to pass over time, just a small, childish crush. Until the years passed by and you've gotten that much closer with the turtles. Being with them through thick and thin, helping to bandage their injuries, cheering them on whether it be in a fight against mutants, or competition amongst themselves.

You've seen them laugh, you've seen them cry, you've seen them hurt, hell, you've even seen them sick with the rat flu (which you got 4 new gifts from thanks to the seventh "Must Say Yes" stage!) And what you thought to be a little crush did not fade. In fact, with every rescue Donatello had accomplished, saving you in the knick of time, every scwabble he took your side on, every invention he explained to you with that excited fire in his eyes, you found yourself incredibly distracted by your growing feelings for him.

Distracted enough that your history grade had slipped. Hence, where you are today. Your teacher was assigning a "historical dances around the world" assignment with a contest, the winner receiving extra credit, and you were given Salsa as your assigned dance. Writing a report to go with it is the easy part. Dancing it is an entirely different story. So you decided to go with who Leo describes as an expert: Señor Hueso.

"Donnie, if it were an 80's dance like Disco or The Robot, of course I'd have asked you. But my grade is on the line here and I need an expert!" You told him a half-truth. As much as you'd want to, you don't think you could ever bring yourself to ask Donnie to dance with you. You've seen him dance! You'd just get distracted again and short circuit right there on the dance floor! You want your grade to go up, not down!

"Actually Disco dancing was created in the 1960's, and whereas the Robot was popularized in the 60's as well, it's origins date back as early as the 1920's-" He was already on a roll, adding in a few dance poses as he elaborated.

"Donnie, look, I'm sorry but I'm trying to win, and Señor Hueso was nice enough to agree to help me. After some begging/convincing from Leo." You mumbled the last part to yourself.

"Scoff! You know as well as I do that you would not receive any award lower than first place with me! Failure is not in my vocabulary!" Donnie exclaimed.

"Yeah, but it's in your record" you mumbled to yourself.

"What! I don't have any failures on my record!" Donnie, who had apparently heard you, argued.

"What about the many L's you took in our shell games to moi?" Leo leaned his weight on his brother's head.

"I only recall besting you and taking your room from you." Donnie cockily brushed off Leo.

"And all the sports games we lost because of you?" Raph added from his seat on the couch.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, I don't even partake in sports ball." Donnie retorted with a couple flicks of his wrist, as if dusting off the allegation.

"And when you got us attacked by one of your many evil robots?" Mikey shouted from the skate ramp.

"That doesn't sound like me." He crossed his arms.

"And the many projects you failed to help me with?" April added showing the pictures on her phone of every one of Donnie's combustible experiments.

"That must be the work of a different, lesser genius mutant ninja turtle." Donnie crossed his arms.

You clicked the projector on where a video played of Donnie yelling "I can fix this!" repeatedly in multiple different clips where different inventions of his glitched, shut down, got destroyed, self-destructed, or turned evil.

"Hmm, does my shell armor really look that ingenious from the back?" He wondered with a hand under his chin and one eyebrow raised.

"Donnie!" April shouted.

"OK, I'll admit I may have forgotten a few data points. But I am still undefeated in my dancing! Which is why I feel betrayed that you of all people wouldn't pick me as your dance partner!" He turned back to you.

"Dee, I'm sorry but my mind is made up. I appreciate you wanting to help, but I've got too much at stake and need to take first place." You placed your hand on his shoulder as you explained.

"Et tu, Brute?" He quoted at you, hurt. He brushed off your hand as he turned and sulked stubbornly towards his lab. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when you realize that I was obviously the better choice!" He shouted back.

______________

You felt awful. You felt like you really had betrayed Donnie. It was just dancing, but you knew how much he liked to be relied on, especially outside of his technology. You felt like a kicked puppy.

"Ouch!" Especially your shin that had actually been kicked just now!

"Compañero, you need to keep up."

"Sorry Señor Hueso. I'm just a little... distracted." That word keeps correlating with Donnie and it really needs to cease.

"Well then, if you are too distracted to learn, then I suppose this lesson is over." Señor Hueso sighed as he turned to walk back into his kitchen. He had been kind enough to let you use his restaurant as a makeshift dancefloor during closed hours.

"Hold on there Bone Man!" Leo slid to put his arm around him, stopping his exit. "If teaching the dance steps isn't working, you could at least take this time to teach about the history of the dance for the written report?"

"Yes! Yes please! That would be a huge help, and I'll be sure to pay attention this time!" You gleamed with hopeful eyes, silently thanking Leo's quick thinking. You only had a week to prepare after all.

Señor Hueso sighed, "Fine, as long as you listen closely." He moved over to one of the tables so you all can sit as he began.

"The Salsa was developed by Puerto Ricans and Cubans living here in New York in the late 60s and early 70s. Different regions of Latin America and the United States have distinct salsa styles of their own such as Cuban, Puerto Rican, Colombian, and New York's very own style. I am well learned in all of these styles, but for your dance, I will be teaching you the New York style." He continued on with showing the movements distinct to each style and the differences they show even in the same moves, and you found yourself forcing yourself to take notes even though your mind is wandering to Donnie and how he may have been lighting up with that excitement he wears so well as he explains this same information. Your brain may be wandering but you had turned on a recorder before the lesson started so that you could practice the dance steps at home, and you were smart to leave it recording as Señor Hueso taught about the history of the Salsa.

"Wait, so its similar to the Tango in that it's an improv dance, but more upbeat and free spirited. So then why am I learning choreography? Wouldn't it be more authentic to follow your lead at the contest?" You asked.

"You were under the impression that I was going to be your dance partner at the contest? There seems to be a misunderstanding. I agreed to teach you for a day, not to risk being spotted in your world." He had a point, but the crushing reality hit you in the face like a brick.

"What?! A day? But I thought you were going to teach, practice, and then wear a disguise or something to be my partner for the contest? Leo said that when you combine with your brother you pass for human with skin and bone-"

"No! I would never involve my brother in any kind of plan that could get us exposed to the human world. Additionally I would not stoop so low as to ask my brother for a favor." Hueso muttered to himself, crossing his arms.

"I would!" You exclaimed, panicked. "Leo! Do something!"

"Hey, I've already gotten myself on server and dish washer duty just from asking him to teach you to dance! I say just find a different partner! What about Donnie? You already know that he wanted to be your dance partner, so convincing him will be a piece of cake!" Leo leaned on his sword casually.

"Ugh! But if I ask him now I'll never live it down!" You grumbled with your hands over your face.

"I agree, Donnie can be a sore winner" Leo mused with a deadpan expression. Being defeated by any of his siblings was annoying enough, but Donnie's cocky way of rubbing it in their faces was worse than Leo's.

Ok, so Donnie is not necessarily worse than Leo at being a sore winner, but to Leo he was.

"What about you Leo? You're here with me at the lesson! So you can learn the choreography with me!" You pleaded.

"Woah, as much as I'd love to rub it in Donnie's face that I was picked as a dance partner over him... Ok, scratch that, I'd love to rub it in Donnie's face that I was picked as a dance partner over him, I'm in!"

You fist pumped at Leo agreeing. It's ok! You can still do this! You have time, and Leo's not a bad dancer!

"While I hate being the bearer of bad news, isn't the contest on Friday? The same day that papino here is supposed to be my server for an important dinner being held here in my restaurant?" Hueso interrupted. Leo had agreed to serve at the restaurant for the entire week, and then end his service after helping Hueso serve for an important dinner reservation.

"Relax! It'll be fine! I'll just portal back and forth, help you serve your restaurant," Leo gestures to Hueso, "and help you to win your contest!" He gestures to you. 'And help to make Donnie jealous.' Leo added to himself.

You and Señor Hueso looked at each other unsure.

Eventually it was decided that since Leo had agreed to help serve at the Run of The Mill Pizza for the entire week, that you can practice his portalling back and forth during your dance practice and see if you can get the timing down.

______________

It was a disaster.

"That was a disaster!" Donnie laughed.

Leo and you had consistently topled over each other, stepping on each others feet as he popped in and out of the lair, sometimes with random dishes in hand, sometimes holding one of the restaurant's customers and spinning them instead of spinning you. Eventually you were sitting on the floor of the lair, rubbing your poor, abused feet as Donnie smugly looked down from the railing above.

"It was only our twelfth try! We still have plenty of time to improve!" You shouted up at him. You were mortified.

"Sure, if you subtract the seventeen attempts from yesterday, and the fourteen from the day before-" He started counting on his three fingers.

"Ok! But we almost had it that time! I had a fighting chance! Besides this is supposed to be an improv style dance in its origin so technically we're authentic!" You were spouting nonsense out of desperation. You knew it. And unfortunately for you, Donnie knew it. You had to look away from his smug and cocky grin he was giving you. It didn't help that he was so good looking with that look on his face. And it didn't help that he knew that too.

"Oh dear, if only there were someone proficient at dancing around that could take 'Nardo's place and help you to place first place at the contest. Oh wait, there is and you picked TWO other people over me!" Ugh, you hated when he has something over you to rub in your face like this.

"Look, Dee-"

"If you apologize now and, I don't know, beg maybe? I might agree to win that contest for you through the power of dance! You and I both know that you need the help." Donnie had his hand posed smugly by his face.

You hated when he had something to rub in your face, sure. But what you hated more was when he was a jerk about it too.

"'Beg?' 'Win it for me?' I'm not incompetent Donatello!" Ooh, you used his full name. Bad sign. "I don't need your help with this stupid dance contest. And frankly? I don't even want it!" You shouted up at him before turning away to gather your things. And here you were about to finally ask him as a last resort. Even with the risk that you'd mess it all up and somehow accidentally reveal to the turtle how badly you had fallen for him, you were desperate, and knew it was only logical to ask Donnie. But after the things he just said now, your pride wouldn't allow it.

"You only have a day before the contest! You’ll come crawling back to me! You'll see!" Donnie shouted after you as you left the lair. He sighed. He knew he messed up. He got full of himself with the notion that you'd maybe be desperate enough to finally ask him! He assumed that if he talked himself up enough and gave you the confidence of a definite win, that he could finally dance with you.

It was no secret that he loved to dance, especially when smitten with someone. Ever since he found himself wanting to ask you to dance with him every time music played in the background of a venue, after some kind of victory, or even when music played during a Jupiter Jim movie, he realised it was due to the growing feelings he had for you. He was not dense in his own feelings, he knew when he was attracted to someone. And he had fallen hard and fast for you years ago, and those feelings had not wavered.

It had hurt that when the opportunity for you to dance with someone came up you had not thought of him. What was worse, when your original partner had been a bust, you had picked his own brother over him, even after he had expressed his interest! (Ok, he expressed offense at not being chosen but in retrospect its the same thing!)

He sighed, slapping a hand over his face. He should apologize, and offer, or rather, ask you properly to dance with him for your contest instead. That's all he wanted was a chance to dance with you. Mixing two of his favorite things together is the ultimate dream. You already express a lot of interest in his tech. Letting him go into as much detail and as long a spiel as his heart desires, and even ask questions! The ultimate sign of interest in his scientific art!

He was just being greedy with wanting to dance with you too, he knew, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted you to himself. He wanted you to be as immersed in him as he is in you. He knew all of your favorite things and can even list them in alphabetical order! He knew your allergies and proofed the lair of every possible scenario that could come into contact with you, and even carried extra supplies in his first aid kits especially for you! He knew what makes you laugh, and which nicknames you enjoyed being called the most by him and each of his brothers (though he uses his nickname for you sparingly as he didn't want you to catch on to his knowledge of it).

But he did just overreact. It was probably for a reason that you didnt want to dance with him. Maybe this was a line you were drawing because you caught onto his feelings, and you were trying to distance yourself so you didnt have to hurt him with the rejection. He was spiraling now, thinking the worst when Leonardo popped back into the lair through a portal, laughing with a box of pizza in his hand.

"Hey, do we have that contest in the bag or what?" He smiled, looking around the lair but not finding you.

Donnie sighed as he yelled down to Leo that you already left.

"What? But we didnt even get to discuss how rad our preformance was today! Something must have come up." Leo wondered aloud with a shrug.

"Or, something must have driven them away. Sigh, why am I so bad at taking a hint?" Donnie complained.

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked, skating up to the second level to follow Donnie who was now going off towards his lab. He ate a slice of pizza from the box in his hand.

"Oh nothing. Just realizing that rejection tastes a lot worse than it sounds." Donnie mused aloud. He didn't want to go into detail to his brother, but he knew that if he didn't give an answer he'd never get any peace to sulk to himself.

"What, you were rejected? As a dance partner, or...?" Leo sounded hesitant and unsure but Donnie paid no mind.

"What does it matter? 'Tis but the same definition in my dictionary." Donnie confessed.

"Wait, are we talking about the same 'or?' Is this really happening?" Leo sounded excited, much to Donnie's disapproval. How insensitive to be excited at his brother's heartache.

Leo must have realized his brother's interpretation of his reaction and immediately added context. "Are you really finally admitting your feelings for Y/N? Is that what you're doing here? Did you confess earlier? I want the deets!" Leo sat across from Donnie excitedly. They had gone off track from going towards his lab and had ended up in the kitchen. Donnie needed rocky road to heal his rocky heart.

"Donnie confessed?!" Raph popped out from behind the refrigerator door and Mikey dropped the spoon he was using to stir ingredients together. He was cooking brustle sprouts. Leo put the box of pizza on the table and everyone grabbed a slice as they gathered around.

"No! I did not, exactly, confess anything as I have nothing to confess and you cannot prove otherwise because there is no proof!" Donnie was regretting his decision to go to the kitchen.

"Oh but you just said you being rejected as a dance partner and "or" were the same thing, so what is "or?" Leo smugly explained.

"Ugh! Does it matter? You're the dance partner, not me, and so I'm taking the hint and staying out of it! Now if you'll excuse me, I will be shutting myself inside my lab to work on FAB version 2.14 so that it's even more state of the art. If you need me, leave a message and I will get back to you at the next, convenient, never." Donnie left the kitchen without his ice cream or a goodbye, and the turtles looked around at each other.

"Wow, this dance partner thing really bothered him." Mikey said concerned.

"You know how soft his shell is. Especially for Y/N. We knew it would get to him, but I guess we didn't realize how badly it would hurt him." Raph said sadly.

"Relax you guys! It'll all work out!" Leo waved off their concerns with a smirk.

"Ok, what are you planning Leo?" Raph raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing!" Leo insisted, although him stretching out the word made it less convincing. "On an unrelated note, I need your help at the Run of The Mill Pizza Friday!"

"But that's when the contest is! We were going to root on Y/N at the contest!" Mikey complained.

"Oh, so I guess you don't want a rematch at who's the better waiter that I so obviously won last time." Leo taunted Mikey.

"Oh, you're so on!" Mikey jumped up at the challenge and Raph caught him by the shell.

"Leo, what's up your sleeve?" Raph held Mikey in the air who swung his arms and legs around.

"Only this measuring tape." Leo pulled out a measuring tape seemingly out of nowhere and started holding it up to different parts of Raph's torso. "Say, don't you think you'd look fantastic in the waiter's tuxedo uniform?"

Raph blushed, "Well I have always wanted to try it on."

"Alright! That's what I'm talking about!" Leo hugged his brothers. Now that they were distracted and agreed to working with him at the restaurant Friday, that would leave you no more options to turn to than Donnie when he "accidentally" won't be able to make it on Friday. Leo was a great dancer. Not as great as Donnie (though he'll never admit it aloud), and he had become a master at teleportation. He wasn't as bad as he had made you believe him to be. He knew your and Donnie's ego's and feelings for each other would prevent you both from dancing together, so he set this plan up as soon as you had asked him if he knew anyone who could Salsa dance. Señor Hueso was in on it too, in fact. He never would have asked Leo to work at his restaurant again unless absolutely necessary. But Leo had insisted that he needed to work there as a part of his master plan.

It was all going to work out accordingly. You may not win the prize considering the last minute changes, but you and Donnie would at least have a chance to dance together. And if nothing else were to come out of this, at least he wouldn't owe you a favor anymore for covering for him when he broke Donnie's mini Donnie statue.

_____________

["So none of you are coming tonight?"] You asked, texting the group chat with April and the turtles.

April had started a new intern job at a new's station and couldn't get off to come and cheer you on. You wouldn't have asked her to anyway considering this was a job she had wanted for a while. But you appreciated her fist pump emojis she sent to cheer you on instead.

Raph and Mikey had apparently been needed to help Señor Hueso and Leon at the restaurant so that it would be easier for him to pop in and dance with you while they cover his absence. It made sense so you sent your thanks. Yesterday's final practice had gone somewhat ok, you thought? Maybe having Leo not portal in would make it finally go somewhat well.

Donnie had apparently been left to babysit Mayhem, which you tried to tell yourself was a good thing. You didn't need him to distract you yet again, however you couldn't help how low in your chest it felt like your heart had fallen that even he had bailed on cheering you on. You wanted him to cheer you on. You wanted him to watch you partake in a hobby that he loved so much, to feel more apart of his world and passions. Hell, what you really wanted was to dance with him. You should have sucked up your pride days ago and just asked him. With all the practicing surely you would have had time to get over your embarrassment of dancing so closely to him. You were such an idiot to let an opportunity like this slip away because of your dumb pride!

The teacher's opening speech cut off your thinking. She was announcing the scores from the reports of the essays you all had turned in that morning, as well as saying how many points you needed to win.

You had received a perfect score on your essay! However so did a few other students! It was going to be close! There were 3 judges with the old fashioned score paddles ranging from 0-10. If any of the other students got a perfect 10/10 from even one of the judges, it would be hard to beat with you and Leon's dancing!

You texted Leo nervously, ["We've got this, right?"] But your nerves only grew when he didn't text back during the first student's dance. You kept clicking your phone on and off, checking if you had gotten any missed messages. The student who went 7th had gotten scores 10, 7, and 9! You wanted to throw up at how it made your nerves worse! You texted Leo a few more times before texting Raph, and then Mikey, asking if Leo's phone had died, and that your turn was coming up in two songs. Nothing! You were in a full panick and sent to the group chat asking if anyone had heard from Leo.

["What do you mean? Is he not there yet?" -Donnie]

Ugh, you were mortified that Donnie of course would be the only one to respond.

["No! No 1 is responding! Idk how 2 reach him!"] You texted back. You hated abbreviating texts but this was an emergency and you were almost out of time as the next student's dance ended with a score of 10, 8, and 10! The next student's number was called. Your turn was after.

You kept clicking on and off your phone again but Donnie hasn't respond now either.

["Did U reach him?"] You wished for a miracle that Leo's portal would pop up in front of you. It didn't even matter if everyone saw, you were desperate. If you danced this alone, you were sure to fail! Maybe you could ask one of the other students?

The song came to an end. The teacher was about to call your number. You clicked your phone on again and felt dread spread through you at yet again seeing no response. You felt yourself crumble on the inside in disappointment. Even if you danced it alone, you didn't even feel like dancing at this point!

You didn't move when the teacher called your number. You fiddled with your fingers around the phone that was still in your hands but the screen was no longer lit. You deserved this for letting your grades slip in the first place. But to be stood up by your own friends, who you had fought battles with? It hurt. You put your phone away and started walking up to the teacher to lie and tell her that you didn't prepare a dance, or maybe even tell her that you had stage fright or something? Either way you had to tell her that you couldn't do it.

"Number 17? Where are you?" The teacher asked on the microphone looking around the dim ballroom.

You sighed. You were mortified. "Right-"

"Here!" You were pushed forward from behind into the spotlights of the dancefloor and turned to find Donatello in snazzy clothes that covered his turtle appearance as much as possible. Behind him Mayhem's tail wagging caught your eye before you looked back at him.

"Donnie, what are you doing here?" You whispered to him looking towards the teacher as she announced that youll be performing the Salsa.

"Leo couldn't make it." Donnie looked at you apologetically. He stopped himself from saying more as the intro to the song started. He held out his hand, "Would you give me the honor of being your dance partner?"

You blushed. You didn't have time to think before the dance was supposed to start so you only nodded with a smile before placing your hand in his with your other hand in the air and a hip popped in your first dance pose.

The lyrics of the song started and Donnie matched your dancing flawlessly. He had watched you and Leo practice enough to memorize the choreography that you knew and were comfortable with. But now he couldn’t help himself to let the music get to him. This opportunity to dance with you was just too good to be true, so he let the music take over and added some improvised spins into the dance.

To his surprise, you matched him flawlessly, and even were smiling and laughing like you were enjoying yourself! He couldnt believe it! He was actually dancing with you! And you were enjoying it! You spun him a few times and you both parted to Salsa in place before coming back together for more spins.

Your cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and you could feel your face on fire! Not only did he come to your rescue yet again, but you both still got to dance together! You couldn't believe it! Better than that, he was really good! Your fears were for nothing! Granted the rhythm in which he moved his hips was definitely distracting, but it felt so natural, so fun to dance with him! You'll definitely have to apologize to him after!

You were nearing the end of the song when it donned on you that you needed to score at least two 10s and a 9 to win, and the realization that you and Donnie had gotten lost in your own world while dancing suddenly made you nervous. Did this count as Salsa sancing still? Sure it's an improvisation dance but you had decided on choreography as the safest bet to insure you did it correctly, what if this was all for naught? What if you don't win and it causes Donnie to spiral and makes the situation between you worse?

Your nerves eventually won out as Donnie spins you inwards towards him. You found yourself falling backwards as you over-rotated, and dread filled you once more.

"Leg up!" Donnie's hushed voice was in your ear as his inner elbows scooped up under your arms and caught you in a dip. Your leg was already going up a bit during your fall so you took advantage of Donnie supporting your weight to kick your leg up high, making sure to point your toes so that it looks like all of this was on purpose, before he bounced you back on your feet and you spun back around to him. You finished the last quick step as he pulled you close and you both came to an abrupt stop right on time with the music.

Everyone was clapping and cheering around you as you and Donnie panted while still holding onto one another. Your face heated and you felt dizzy, whether from the spinning or from how close Donnie was to you, you were not sure. He glanced down at your lips before quickly backing off to your side and lifting one of your hands in the air. He looked at you expectantly to lead, and you smiled as you both bowed at the judges and your teacher.

He didn't let go of your hand as the judges reached for the scoring paddles, and you gave his hand a tight squeeze to ease your nerves. Your heart was pounding from the combination of the dance, the scoring, and from the intimacy of being so close to Donnie for this long.

The judges lifted their paddles. 10, 10, and 9.5! You squealed before you and Donnie hugged each other. He didn't know if you had hugged him or vice-versa, but he wasn't complaining. Although once you both realized your position you quickly separated and scurried off the dancefloor for the last few contestants to go. But Donnie noted that you hadn't let go of his hand yet.

Once you were off to a dimly lit corner of the room at the back of the crowd you were hugging Donnie again. Mayhem hopping up onto a water cooler beside you both.

"Donnie! You! I really can't believe you did this for me! You really saved me tonight, I don't know how I can thank you!"

"I could think of a few ideas." Donnie's blush went unseen in the dim light, and you were letting him go now, his hand included, much to his disappointment.

"Listen Donnie, I really owe you an apology. I... was honestly embarrassed to ask you to be my dance partner. You're such a good dancer, and I.. didn't think I could keep up." It's a half truth. You didn't think you could keep up because you assumed you'd be tripping over yourself being that close to him. Which did technically happen but he had saved your butt, both figuratively and literally.

"No! Stop no!" He waved his arms in front of him. He was so embarassed now at hearing your reasoning, he really felt like a jerk now at how he had acted. "I am the one who is in the wrong. I felt hurt at not being chosen to be your dance partner, and took it a little.. too personally if I am being honest." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I.. overreacted, and behaved rather immaturely. Can you forgive me?"

To his pleasant surprise, you smiled at him and took his hands again. "For saving my butt tonight in all definitions of the phrase? Forgiven! Not only that, but if we win this because of you, I'll-"

"We will now be announcing the final scores!" The teacher's voice cut your conversation short. You just realized that you hadn't watched the scores for the final performances! What if someone got perfect 10s? You turned to watch nervously as your teacher introduced the judges and let them each give a little speech, postponing the results a little further.

Donnie had whispered to you a few times "You'll what? If we win, you'll what??" But you hadn't heard him. You squeezed his hand in yours absent-mindedly as your nerves got progressively more disoriented. Donnie's nerves rose at how you were still holding his hand. He was still elated at that he not only got to dance with you -the view of you laughing in joy as he spun you being a sight he would relive in his head (and in his tech as he records everything) for the rest of his life- but also due to the fact that you forgave him!

He heard who he assumed to be the teacher announce third place, who recieved 5 extra bonus points to their final grade, go to someone who had apparently performed a waltz.

Your hand squeezed his nervously as second place, the winner of 10 extra bonus points went to a student who had performed ballet. That was a fair choice, ballet was hard to learn in just a week after all and oh my gosh it was so hard for Donnie to focus when your hand fit so well in his! Was he sweating? He hoped he wasn't sweating!

"First place, winning a prize of 15 extra bonus points to the semester's final grade, goes to... number 17, who performed the Salsa!"

You hadn't heard passed your number being called before you jumped up and down.

"I won! Donnie! You-! Oh migosh, you-! Ahh come here!"

Your hands clamped over the sides of his face and pulled him towards your lips.

He didn't know how to react. He didn't have time to react, as the kiss was over in an instant, and you were already rushing back to the dancefloor to claim your certificate.

He stood there dumbfounded, feeling dizzy, smiling like a dum dum. That really just happened! You kissed him! In the same night that you danced with him! He couldn't believe it!

A portal opened up beside him with Leo popping in unnoticed by the rest of the students around. "Soooo, judging by your face and Y/N up there getting an award I assume the plan worked?"

"Plan?" Donnie snapped out of it as he rounded on his brother. "So this was apart of a plan of yours?"

Leo leaned on Donnie's shoulder, "Uh, yeah! And I'd say it was a success!"

Donnie felt himself boil at the thought of being played by Leo of all of his brothers, but as you bounced up to them he quickly thought that this is maybe the only time his brother having a hand in things turned out for the best.

"Leo! Where were you?! Actually, nevermind that! Thank you for not showing up! Donnie and I won!" You hooked your arms around Leo's neck in a hug, bouncing excitedly, and Donnie felt the boiling return.

"Yes, we did win, and you were saying something about if we won you'll...?" Donatello desperately tried to direct your attention back to his festering question. If nothing else, he wanted Leo gone and to have time with you to himself to ask you about that kiss! It was a matter of urgency!

Leo smirked, "So you won! Congrats! That calls for a celebration! Luckily everyone is back in the lair with some Run of The Mill Pizza ready for you!"

"Um, yeah ok, why don't you go ahead and tell everyone the good news while I take Y/N back after the event is over?" Donnie pushed Leo further away from you and out of your arm's reach.

"The event is over, Donnie." You laughed, "We can all head back together now!" In all honesty, you were too embarrassed at what you had just done.

You had moved without thinking earlier. You had been too engrossed in the moment and kissed Donnie without thinking about his feelings! He probably didnt like you that way! You were so thankful at seeing Leo there after recieving your reward so you didnt have to talk to Donnie about what you had just done. You weren't ready! You didn't want to tell him your feelings now! And apologizing would probably make it sound awful: "Hey, sorry I kissed you, that was an accident!" What if it hurt his pride, or he took it the wrong way? You didn't even know if he had liked it or not because you ran off before seeing his reaction. You wanted nothing more than to escape to the lair with everyone else and go back to how things were. You can tell him how you feel another time when you're ready!

"No, it isn't-" Donnie had tried to lie that the event was not over yet, but the students leaving the venue was hard to deny. Leon laughed as he opened a portal and pushed you inside it.

"See you and Mayhem there when you're ready to join us, Donnie." Leo winked at him to tease his brother before stepping through the portal after you.

Donnie didnt waste a second before opening his arms for Mayhem to teleport him to the lair after you both.

___________

You were excitedly telling everyone about the contest, exaggerating how Donnie showed up at the last minute before the music started. You stepped around the room trying to mimic some of the dance steps from earlier as you excitedly told them more about the dance and at how Donnie was a natural, and his improvised steps were amazing.

He had to admit, dancing with you? Amazing! You singing his praises to his siblings about dancing with you? Even better! He was so smug right now that Leo's one liner's weren't phasing him one bit. You were so animated while reliving the dance, it was like you were talking about your favorite TV show, and he was so in love with this animated and excited side of you. He could watch you all night.

"And then suddenly, I found myself living out my biggest fear! I had tripped and was falling to my doom!" You were so dramatic, it was adorable. He got up without anyone noticing.

"Oh no!" Raph gasped, his voice an octave higher than normal.

"Did you fall in the middle of the dance?" Mikey asked, fearfully.

You smirked, "No, Mikey, no I didn't!"

Mikey gasped.

"But how did you not fall?" Raph questioned. They were eating this up.

"I swooped in with the magic of rhythm!" Donnie slid into the scene behind you, and you took the cue to fall back as you had during your dance.

"'Leg up!' He had told me! He knew exactly how to save the day!" You posed with Donnie holding you from behind with your leg in the air like you had done before, but now you both held it as you rambled. Everyone applauded.

"And like a natural, you pulled it off perfectly!" Donnie added proudly, now bouncing you back up to your feet. You blushed at him for a moment before turning back around to finish the story to the others, leaving out the hand-holding and kiss, and proudly showing your certificate.

"Congratulations! We all know how hard you worked this week for this win! You deserve it!" April said to you from her spot on the couch. "I wish I had been there to cheer you on, but Leo made me promise to turn my phone off and let Donnie handle it."

"Dahh! April! Ix-nay on the an-play!" Leo whispered loudly across to April, his hands making an "x."

"I'm sorry, he did what?" You turned towards Leo even though your question was for April.

"Hahaha! I uh-" Leo chuckled nervously as Mikey chimed in.

"He had us turn off our phones too! And made sure we were busy far away from you in case you needed a back up partner!"

You started stalking towards Leonardo who was awkwardly getting up from the couch to sneak away.

"I knew the moment he wasn't responding to his phone that something was amiss. Getting me to agree to look after Mayhem made sense when you had texted the group chat that he was a no-show. It had only taken me a minute to get dressed and teleport to the venue, and to archive how good I looked in a quick few selfies which was why I was almost late." Donnie explained, keeping the last bit to himself.

"Leo." You started, "Surely you didn't stand me up, leaving me to have a full blown panic attack and almost quit the contest entirely, did you? You wouldn't do that to a friend, right?" Your smile could freeze hell.

"I just remembered that I have something to do, uh, anywhere but here!" Leon opened a portal, and as he stepped through you turned to the rest of the family in the lair.

"And surely all of you didn't go along with this plan knowingly? Right? You wouldn't ditch your friend in need?"

There was a pregnant pause before everyone besides you and Donnie were scrambling for the portal, with Raph shouting something about a mission they forgot about and to not wait up.

You sighed as the portal closed. "I'm happy with the outcome, but I have mixed feelings about being played like this."

Donnie walked up to you. "Yes, I concur that the event did end with the most preferable of outcomes." He said this simply, but with the awkward habit he had of scratching his head when embarrassed you flushed at the possibility that he might be bringing up the kiss. Surely not!

You both looked at each other with a blush. No way, he can't seriously mean... he has to be talking about dancing with you! That's all!

"Yeah! Dancing with you was the best thing to happen! Your help winning the contest was just icing on the cake!" You smiled at him. This was honest. Winning of course was the goal, but the best part of tonight was getting to dance with Donnie and apologizing to him.

"That reminds me. You said that if you won thanks to my help you'd do something. What, uh, might that be that you were about to say earlier?" Donnie finally got a chance to bring it up again!

You blushed again and suddenly couldn't look him in the eye. "Um, well." Could you tell him that the kiss was what you were going to do? Would he take that as a thank you? Would it seem too conceited to think he would accept it? Is it too conceited to hope he'd liked it? You can't run anymore. (Literally, April took Mayhem with her!) So the best thing you can do is ask.

"What, uh, what would you like?"

At this Donnie covered his blush by putting his hand over his face as if thinking hard. He knew what he wanted! But would it be awkward to ask for another kiss? You had kissed him earlier so maybe there was a chance that you wanted to kiss him before a rush of dopamine from winning had taken over? No, but he can't hypothesize with only one data point! This seemed like a now or never moment, yet there were too many uncertainties! Too many questions!

That's it! He knew what to ask for.

"I want you to answer me honestly." He said looking you seriously in the eyes. You swallowed. You knew what he was going to ask before he asked, and you had wished he wouldn't.

"Why did you kiss me earlier?" Donnie asked carefully. He didnt want to seem too eager, but also didnt want to sound uninterested. He was trying to play it cool. Suave. Nonchalant. Luckily all of the sweat was pouring down the back of his neck and shell so you couldn't see it.

You hesitated, then eventually sighed, looking anywhere but his eyes. "Well I, I mean the obvious answer is that I kissed you because I was excited about the win, and since the win had had been because of you..."

"But..?" Donnie pushed. Saying that its the 'obvious answer' didn't mean that it was the only answer.

"But," you continued, finally looking back to him shyly, "I kissed you because... I wanted to kiss you. I really wanted to kiss you. I've wanted to for a while now and, tonight was just an excuse to do it." You carefully watched him as he raised a hand to his head.

"I.. Um, I mean. Wow, I'm short-circuiting." Donnie had a strange half-smile on his face. He was surely going to wake up from this dream any minute now! Tonight was beyond belief! He got to dance with you, got kissed by you, and now you're telling him that you've wanted to kiss him for a while?! That means you have feelings for him, right? That has to mean you do, obviously! Those two factors correlate! He found himself giggling a little to himself at how happy he was.

You on the other hand were so embarrassed that he had managed to squeeze a confession out of you tonight after all! You didnt want to do this! You were certain that reaction of his was positive, but this was all too embarrassing and you wanted nothing more than to escape.

"Ok, I answered your question! Thanks again for your help tonight! If you need me, I'll-"

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere!" Donnie grabbed ahold of your hand as you tried to slip away. You squealed as he spun you into him, and found yourself unable to hold back giggles as he dipped you low.

"I've wanted to do this for so long." He smirked down at you before leaning down and capturing your lips with his.

#rottmnt #donatello #rise donnie #donnie x reader #donatello x reader #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt x reader

891 notes · View notes

singularattitudeofasafetypin · 2 years ago

Text

How You Get the Girl

Masterlist

Summary: Eddie's had a crush on Reader forever but doesn't know where to start when talking to her. Luckily for him, she has the perfect advice and he's in just the right place to overhear it!

Word Count: 3.8K ish

Warnings: none really. Spoilers for Star Wars original trilogy and my maybe controversial Star Wars opinions.

A/N: This isn't based on the Taylor Swift song of the same name, but I've recently listened to 1989 for the first time and it's my entire personality now! Listened to it a lot while writing and it's too good of a title not to steal for this! I had lots of fun with this idea, I hope you enjoy reading!

Please don't copy my work

'I just don't get it!'

It was a quiet afternoon in the middle of Autumn. A few solitary customers meandered between the shelves, but Family Video was almost deserted. You stood behind the counter, arms folded, while you endeavoured to solve the enigma of why you best friend couldn’t get a girl.

‘Is your hair not cool enough or something?’

Steve scoffed. ‘Look, it’s not about the hair!’ He mirrored your stance.

Despite your friendship, you couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. In high school, girls would have given anything just to be seen with him. Maybe he’d lost his touch? Maybe high school just didn’t matter after all? Either way, King Steve had lost his crown.

‘What’s it about then?’ you relented, seeing his face drop in defeat, ‘How’d you get the girl?’

He stuttered, struggling to condense his elaborate, and frankly shoddy, wooing methods into coherent sentences while you watched him flounder.

In truth, he was different now. Steve wasn’t looking for some meaningless hook-up anymore. He wanted something deeper. Something built to last,

And that was a whole different ballgame.

Unseen between the shelves, Eddie Munson smirked. He wasn’t pretending to browse the selection of tapes he told himself, he just couldn’t help but listen to the two of you go back and forth.

Especially you!

Your voice was music to his ears. He could hardly decipher the words so it wasn’t technically eavesdropping! The melody alone was enough to overpower him.

Eddie had been crushing on you hard for almost three years now. You’d been friends of friends for a while, hanging out in the same group with Steve, Nancy, Robin, and usually Dustin Henderson.

He’d almost asked you out a thousand times but something always make him chicken out. It was ridiculous really; flirting was something that had always come easy to him. Poetry and showmanship were his weapons of choice but something short-circuited in his brain whenever he tried to talk to you. The words stuck in his throat.

You scared him, okay? You were classy and confident, so sure of yourself. You were never ever afraid to speak your mind and you didn’t care what anyone thought of you!

Kind of like him, he thought. Except he did care. Eddie really cared what you thought of him!

‘You’ve got to be joking!’ your disbelieving tone cut through the clouds of his thoughts.

‘What?’ Steve retorted.

You shook your head hopelessly, ‘Act like you don’t care?’ you mimicked, adding sarcastic air quotes, ‘Wait for the… ‘electricity’? No wonder you aren’t getting any girls!’

He threw his hands up in surrender, ‘Well you’re a girl!’

‘Yes, well spotted Harrington!’

‘Go on then, tell me what to do!’ he contested, leaning back on the counter, ‘What makes you see a future with someone? What makes you want to go out with someone, and stay with them?’

Eddie’s ears pricked up. He couldn’t help it.

You agonised, ‘You’ve got to care Steve! You’ve gotta make her feel wanted! Remember the little things about her, compliment her! Not just quietly but when other people can hear!’

Eddie rummaged in his bag for a pen and paper. He couldn’t believe his luck! After years of not knowing where to start to show you how much you meant to him, here you were, unknowingly giving him a step-by-step guide! Tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth, he started scrawling madly across the page as you spoke.

‘Ask her about her interests and listen to her! I mean really listen!’

Easy!

‘Get her flowers! Show that you’re thinking about her!’

Eddie never stopped thinking about you.

‘Invite her to spend time together doing things you both enjoy!’

Piece of cake! (Ignoring all the times he’s failed to do just that!)

‘Be honest about your feelings for her!’

Now hold up. His pen froze, hovering in mid-air. If talking was an Olympic sport, Eddie would win gold but he’s never been great at talking about how he felt. Not that he didn’t have feelings, he supposed he just had too many.

‘That’s so much work!’ Steve whined and you laughed. The sound refocussed Eddie’s despondent mind.

‘True love takes work, Harrington! You’re not some fairytale princess!’

The conversation went on in the background but he didn’t hear the rest. You were right. If he wanted this, wanted you, he was going to have to work for it! No more backing down! No more shying away! No more running!

‘You okay over there, Munson?’

Eddie snapped out of his trance, nearly knocking the shelves over. ‘Yeah!’ he choked, resolve shattering. He stuffed his paper and pen away and grabbed the nearest movie, stumbling over to the desk and your smiling face. Incapable of looking you in the eye, he shoved the tape onto the counter. ‘Please don’t be anything weird!’ he prayed to no one in particular as you turned it over.

Your customer service smile split into a real one, ‘Oh no way! I love Star Wars!’

‘I-uh-,’

‘Say something Eddie!’ he thought furiously, shifting his feet and wishing the ground would swallow him whole, ‘Yeah… I thought it was about time I got round to watching them!’ he managed.

‘You’ve never seen them?’ your face morphed into shock then mock offence, ‘But they’re the best!’

His mouth moved but nothing came out. ‘Ask about things she’s passionate about!’ a small voice whispered in his mind.

‘Which… one’s your favourite?’

‘Oh, I don’t know!’ you rested your elbows on the counter, head in hands and thinking hard. Eddie stuck his hands in his pockets so you wouldn’t see them shaking. You really were breath taking. The way you frowned slightly, the way your eyes narrowed and lips pressed together like this was the most important decision in the world. It made him giddy.

‘Everyone says Empire’s the best,’ you said slowly, ‘But I think Jedi’s my favourite! You just can’t beat the ending!’

‘Is that the one with the teddy bears?’ Steve chimed from the back room, giving Eddie time to pick his gaping jaw off the floor.

You rolled your eyes good-naturedly turning over your shoulder, ‘Yes, well done Steve! For the last time, they’re called Ewoks!’

Eddie couldn’t help laughing. You shook your head with a smile, ‘You’ll have to tell me what you think of them!’

‘Yeah!’ he choked, ‘Absolutely!’ His head was reeling from what must be the longest conversation he’d ever had with you.

‘Well, I’ll see you round, Munson!’

‘Yeah… yeah!’ he grabbed the tape from between you, turned heel and hurried out of the store grinning like an idiot. Step one complete! Gone, were the days of wistfully hoping you’d take notice of him! Now he had a battle plan and this film was his way in!

If he’d turned around, he’d have seen the small smile spread its way over your mouth. Steve poked his head out of the back room and wiggled his eyebrows. You moved to shove him and he ducked out of the way, a grin of his own stretching his face.

***

Sharp Autumn wind made you hug your cardigan closer. Leaves crunched and puddles splashed underfoot as you trekked the familiar streets to work, your favourite song blaring in your headphone

‘Hey! Hey, wait up!’

Fumbling with your headphones, you twisted round. Barrelling toward you was Eddie, his tongue poking out as he tried to balance two takeaway cups in his hands while running at breakneck speed.

You couldn’t help but smile.

He skidded to a halt in front of you panting wildly. ‘Here!’ he thrust one of them out at you and you took it. The cup warmed your cold fingers and your name was scribbled on the lid in black sharpie.

‘What’s this?’ you asked as he slurped his own.

‘Hot Chocolate,’ he answered, ‘You like that, right?’

‘Yeah…’ a sigh of laughter passed your lips, ‘I meant what for?’

Eddie just shrugged, ‘You mind if I walk with you?’

‘I’m on the way to work.’

‘I know, I’m headed there too!’

You started walking and he fell into step beside you. After a long sip of hot chocolate that warmed you right down to your toes you spoke. ‘Did you watch the movie?’ He nodded excitedly. ‘And?’

Eddie pretended to think for a second, ‘Uh and it’s amazing!’ He meant it too! The movie had blown him away, had him on the edge of his seat the whole time. He couldn’t believe it had taken him this long to see it!

But even if that wasn’t true, even if it had been the most boring movie he’d ever experienced, he’d watch it over and over just to see the light that shone in your eyes when you talked about it.

‘Sorry, I’m probably being really annoying!’ You caught yourself in the middle of a tangent.

‘No!’ He couldn’t reply fast enough, ‘I love hearing you talk!’

‘Really?’ the words made your heart skip a beat. Privately, you’d never been sure about Eddie. Sure, you’d hung out before in groups but whenever you’d tried to talk to him, he always seemed to shrug you off. From his short, usually monosyllabic answers, you’d just assumed he found you irritating. Disappointing, because you might have harboured a bit of a crush but there was no point pursuing someone who clearly wasn’t interested.

Yet all of that seemed to have changed. Now, he was trailing after you to work, listening to you babble on about some sci-fi movie and hanging onto your every word. It was nice. Really nice!

From there you talked about everything. He asked about your music taste and hesitantly shared his own. You found out he played guitar in a band and made him promise to tell you when his next gig was so you could come and see.

The video store approached. He stepped in front, opening the door then letting you go first.

‘You after Empire then?’ you asked, taking off your hat and scarf and hanging them in the backroom.

Eddie nodded, ‘This is the one that everyone says is the best, right?’

‘Yeah,’ ducking under the counter, you searched for the tape, ‘It is really awesome! There’s lots of surprises!’ He noted the knowing look in your eye. At last, you found it, holding it out with a smile, ‘Enjoy!’

Your hands touched a bit more than maybe they needed to as he took the video.

‘I’ll be back!’ he promised, tucking it in his bag and scooping up your empty cup for the bin.

***

First thing the next morning, Eddie crashed through the doors yelling at the top of his lungs. ‘What the hell?’

You jumped out of your skin and so did the customer you were serving. Your face split into a smile. You hurried the transaction but Eddie was still hollering, gesturing wildly with both hands. ‘You never told me Darth Vader is Luke’s fa-! ‘

‘Eddie!’ you cut him off, barely able to control your laughter, ‘Spoilers!’

The rest of the store suddenly solidified. Everyone was staring, some shaking their heads in disapproval.

‘Sorry!’ he winced. Tiptoeing up to the desk he leant in, comically close, ‘You didn’t tell me he was Luke’s father!’ he repeated in a stage-whisper.

‘I know!’ you giggled, matching his theatrical tone, ‘What did you think?’

‘It was amazing! I honestly don’t know how anything’s gonna top that!’

You grinned, ‘Well you’ll have to wait and see! You want the next one right away? I put it aside for you!’

‘You did?’

‘Course I did!’ Without waiting for an answer, you slipped away into the back to find it. Eddie took a shaky breath, missing the closeness. Anxiety twisted in his stomach.

‘Come on, Munson!’ he chided himself. ‘It’s now or never!’ He fiddled with his rings, wrists resting on the counter.

It didn’t take you long to come back, holding the video case aloft in ceremonial fashion. ‘Here ya go! The thrilling conclusion!’ setting it down. He managed a grim smile. ‘You gotta come by tomorrow and tell me what you thought!’

A lump stuck in his throat and he grimaced, ‘Oh well… I uh… I was wondering-,’

‘You okay?’

‘Yeah!’ he chuckled awkwardly. This was going great! ‘I was just wondering if… if you maybe wanted to watch it… with me?’

That was it! The words were out in the open now, he had no way to recall them!

The invitation took you by surprise, eyes widened and a small ‘Oh.’ Was all you could manage before he rambled on. Words, previously impossible, now wouldn’t stop.

‘I mean just because you said it’s your favourite! I was thinking we could get pizza or something! I dunno. We don’t have to, I know we haven’t really talked much before but I just thought-,’

‘I’d love to!’

‘-it would be really cool to maybe-!’ he stopped, it took a second to hear that you’d spoken and longer still to process your response. ‘Wait what?’

You smiled and repeated yourself.

He was gobsmacked. Was this real? He never thought he’d get this far!

‘Right! Yeah, cool!’ the words stuck again, ‘I’ll uh… I’ll see you at six, right? …At mine.’

‘Sounds great!’

Somehow, he made it out of the store, clutching the video in both hands. He waited ‘til he was out of sight behind his van before punching the air. Finally! After years of failed attempts, he did it! The drive home was a haze; it was a miracle he made it back in one piece.

At some point he must have ordered pizza because some kid in a yellow shirt showed up at his door at a few minutes to six. All afternoon he’d been floating on air. Now he was freaking out.

What if he messed something up? What if he said something weird? What if you changed your mind and didn’t show?

What if? What if? What if?

***

You arrived a few minutes before he’d said to, giving yourself time to figure out where to park and glance at yourself in the rear-view mirror.

Steve and Robin had teased you relentlessly for dressing up. Claims you categorically denied, of course!

Sure, you’d made an effort. A light dusting of makeup made it look less like you’d worked the late shift for the third night in a row the day before and you just liked the way your favourite sweater made your eye colour a bit more vibrant. That didn’t mean anything! Besides, it wasn’t like he meant anything by it! It was just a movie! Pizza and a movie!

So why were you nervous?

He opened the door almost immediately after you knocked, ushering you inside from the fast-falling dusk. His trailer was cosy and inviting; from all reports, you guessed he must have tidied up significantly. The lamplight enveloped you in a warm glow and the intoxicating smell of pizza made your tummy rumble.

‘You still like pepperoni, right?’ he asked, opening the box, releasing a plume of steam into the air.

‘Yeah,’ you breathed in the scent, ‘How did you know that?’

He looked at the floor suddenly embarrassed, ‘I uh… remember that one time in eighth grade when we had that pizza party? I remembered you were sad because they didn’t have pepperoni.’ He looked up, assessing your response before backtracking hastily, ‘I’m sorry that’s so weird!’

‘No, no, it’s amazing!’ shaking your head and picking out a particularly cheesy slice, ‘The only thing I remember from middle school are those crazy outfits you and your band wore for the talent show!’

‘You remember that?’ He grinned at the memory, ‘Super metal, right?’

After loading a plate each with pizza slices, he slipped the movie into the player and settled next to you on the couch. For a while you didn’t speak much, eating and absorbed by the movie. That was until Obi-Wan’s ghost revealed that-

‘Leia is Luke’s sister?’ Eddie shot up, knocking his empty plate to the floor.

You giggled at his outburst, ‘I know!’

‘How many more reveals are there going to be? Hey! And they-,’ he wrinkled his nose in disgust. You could see a specific scene from the last movie replaying in his mind.

‘I know! It’s so gross!’

‘I don’t believe this!’ he sat back down, ‘I’m never going to recover! Never!’

You elbowed him, ‘Watch the damn move, Munson!’

Was it your imagination, or did his breathing hitch. You’d scooched much closer than before, practically laying your head on his shoulder. Was he uncomfortable? Were you too forward? Your worries were put to rest when he draped his arm around you, slow and tentative, as if giving you a chance to pull away.

You didn’t.

The rest of the movie passed by in comfortable quiet, interspersed with Eddie asking excited questions and you berating him to be patient! You couldn’t stop yourself giving the odd bit of trivia or behind the scenes insight and to your delight, he actually seemed to care!

Eventually the credits rolled. He didn’t move right away so you wriggled to look up at him. He was starstruck, open mouthed, and more than a little misty eyed.

‘So?’ you asked cautiously.

His eyes switched from the screen to yours, forming a breathless smile. ‘That was amazing!’ You laughed. ‘I mean it!’ he said, ‘It was so epic! That final duel on the Death Star was just… and Anakin’s death? Wow! And the ghosts at the end? You were totally right about the ending being the coolest thing ever!’

You laughed with him. The mile wide grin on his face lit up his eyes like a thousand stars, sending butterflies whirling in your stomach. He felt like a different person. Secretly, you’d worried he wouldn’t enjoy it, that he’d think it was silly or it just wouldn’t be his thing but he gave you no doubt! His enthusiasm was the most genuine of anybody’s you’d ever seen and you realised then, you’d give anything to see it again and again.

Eddie started to clear away the plates and pizza box. While you helped, a question kept gnawing at you. A question you were almost afraid of the answer to.

‘Why are you doing this?’ you asked, stopping before you stooped put your shoes back on. He froze like you’d caught him doing something wrong.

‘Doing what?’ his voice failed to imitate nonchalance.

‘Being… nice to me all of a sudden.’ It was the only way you could describe it. He really seemed to care, to actually want to hear your opinions, share your joy.

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ he continued clearing up but he hid his face behind his hair.

‘You’re a terrible liar!’ you moved closer and saw his shoulders tense, ‘Tell the truth!’

He didn’t speak. All the light from before extinguished, something closed him off again. Maybe you’d crossed a line? Said something wrong?

‘You know, you aren’t as mean and scary as I thought you were,’ you tried gently, anxious to get the other Eddie back. He smiled a bit, though still not looking at you.

‘Neither are you!’

‘You thought I was mean and scary?’

‘Not mean!’ he clarified, ‘But scary as hell!’

You couldn’t help but laugh and a small chuckle escaped his chest. ‘Why?’

‘Because!’ he gestured at nothing in particular, ‘Because you’re you and you’re so sure of yourself and you don’t care what anyone thinks! And…’ he stopped.

‘And?’ you asked when he didn’t continue. He didn’t want to tell you, not yet. He was only just getting started! There were still so many things he had left to do before…

‘Be honest with her about your feelings!’ wheedled his brain. It was a struggle but he forced himself to meet your eye. Looking like a man about to risk it all, he wet his lips and took a steady breath.

‘And…’ he continued, voice low, ‘I’ve had a massive crush on you since… forever!’

Oh!

The words hung in the silence between you. They echoed in your head and in your heart.

Before you could respond, he tore on, ‘And I never knew how to talk to you before because I was scared that you’d… I don’t know… laugh at me or something? Because I know, I’m a colossal disaster and I don’t know how to say romantic things or anything when I’m around you!’ He stopped to draw breath.

‘What changed?’ you cut in, still trying to process his confession. All this time you’d worried he didn’t like you and now he told you he felt all that?

Eddie hung his head. He raised a hand to his neck, rubbing furiously as a flush rose in his cheeks. ‘Um… You remember like a month ago? You were talking to Harrington about why he couldn’t make a relationship work?’

‘Yeah?’ the interaction seemed so small, so inconsequential.

‘Well… I might have been listening and I wrote down all your advice and planned to use it on you!’

His nose scrunched; shoulders tensed. At last, everything was laid out on the line. All he could do was wait for your response.

Worst case scenarios, none of them remotely in character, fired through his mind. You being super weirded out and never wanting to talk to him again. Laughing in his face and telling everyone you knew that the big scary metalhead was a hopeless romantic sap in disguise.

To his surprise, you reached up and cupped his face in your hand, rose on your tiptoes, and kissed his cheek.

He looked down at you, eyes wide. You held his gaze. He hardly dared hope.

‘I guess I give really good dating advice!’ you murmured.

He breathed out slowly, and a bright shining smile graced your lips. ‘Yeah?’

You nodded. ‘You should tell Steve it worked! Maybe then he’ll listen to me!’ Eddie let out a laugh, relief washing over him.

Your eyes found each other’s again. For a moment you just stood there, admiring his features up close. The faint brush of freckles over his nose, his slow, steady breath that moved his chest up and down, the way his eyes widened when he looked at you. Like they were seeing the whole world at once. You noticed them flicker to your lips and your heart fluttered.

‘Do you want to kiss me?’ your voice was quiet but earnest.

He blushed at the question, then, almost imperceptibly nodded. You smiled, moving ever closer, until you were practically nose to nose.

‘Go on then!’

***

Thank you so much for reading! Feedback and reblogs are so incredibly appreciated! It makes me all warm and fuzzy when I hear that you enjoyed a story I wrote! Let me know if you want to be tagged in anything else I write!

Tags: @sadbitchfangirl

Masterlist

#eddie munson x reader fluff #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fluff #eddie x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #amber writes #stranger things 4 #steve harrington #eddie my beloved

1K notes · View notes

sublimecatgalaxy · 3 years ago

Note

Prompts 13 and 24 with Eddie.

Smut, fluff, spicy, anything bestie I’ll love anything you do.

I already know who this is just by reading the prompts you fucker. Ask and you shall receive.

"I know you claim you're awfully tough with your S&M freak show thing you've got going on but that couldn't be further from the truth." My chest rises and falls in slow breaths as I clutch the quilt closer to my naked chest, my head tilting to look up at Eddie as he plucks at his guitar.

"What ever do you mean?" Feigning ignorance, he smirks, not even bothering to look at me as I roll over onto my tummy, resting my chin on my palms as I look up at him. His cheeks are still flushed, chest too, from our activities, his hair tousled more than usual from the tugging.

"You play Dungeons and Dragons with children-" I start but he quickly cuts me off, holding a hand up as I snicker.

"Hey, it's a full time job." He laughs, bare chest rumbling as I inch closer to him, resting my head on his chest as he sets his guitar aside, making room to accommodate me, my fingers trailing up and down his sternum with a snort.

"Eddie you regularly buy stuffed animals for me-"

"That's an investment in your happiness, sweetheart." My head thumps against my chest as I erupt in a fit of laughter, loving the feeling of Eddie's fingers brushing through my hair "I don't know. People would take one look at our sex life and think I'm pretty badass. I had you bent over, with your face in the mattress twenty minutes ago." He clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth as he grins proudly, my head shaking teasingly at him. "Twenty minutes." He whispers with a knowing smile, eyes wide and pupils blown from lust and the lingering smell of the joint now resting in the ashtray.

"I'm just saying. You're a big softie, no matter how revved up you get." I crawl my way on top of him, throwing my leg over his hip as he bites at his lip, shocked at the sudden provocative change of position. His chest presses against mine as I tuck some of his hair sweetly behind his ears, goosebumps erupting on his skin.

"You love when I get revved up." He whispers, capturing my lips in a slow, heated kiss, swallowing my moans as I chuckle against him. "You gotta give me more time for round two here, babe, or else you're gonna kill me." He whispers against my lips, giggles leaving me as I lean back to gaze at him. "Talk about something else for a minute." He offers, reaching down to adjust himself as my head tosses back, my laughter unable to stop as he shifts me down on his lap to help his growing predicament.

"Fine, tell me about your day." I shrug, batting my lashes at him as he curses under his breath, trying to focus on anything else but me and my breasts that are inches from his grasp.

"Well, all I could think about today was you." He laughs sheepishly, hands soothing over my thighs as I smile, my hands sliding up his chest, all the way to his cheeks and my thumbs brush over the soft skin. "In every way." His chest rumbles in a needy moan, eyes flickering over me hungrily but also lovingly, the smile on his lips so soft and so kind as his eyes find mine once more. "I think that I’m going crazy because every time I look at you, my brain short circuits." He whispers, eyes wide as his hands pull me closer to him, nose nudging sweetly against mine.

"I think that's called being in love." I nod, his eyes rolling playfully as he steals another kiss.

"Yeah, smart-ass, you're right."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @grxnde-dwt @alex–awesome–22 @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @geniusohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @xshariex @elliotsbeigeguitar @elle4404 @lelieja @srhxpci @joselyn001 @taysirene @spinkspanther @thedivineuphoria @peter-maximoffs @tsukishimawhore @poohkie90 @szlaco @distantsighs @nstyles4299 @wolflover384 @givemefoodandlovesstuff @vane28282 @yeswhatever33 @amirrahfranson @vvaalleennttiinna @f-mu @yaspillz @jeyramarie @skylievin@abbybarnes17 @jointherebellion215 @visiondaddy @steezysimfinds @its-ya-gay-boi-luigi @crunchytoenailsyum@glizzymcguirex @beth123lg @melovesmut @rafecameronswhore @ariianelle @write-from-the-heart @vampviolets@haylee-e@popehaywardssecretgf @honee-chai-tea @lokiandbuckywife @smoke-and-fire @officiallyunofficialperson@heyaitsklaudia@rosepetalsparks @bluetreecloud20 @scenesofobx @double-shot-of-tequila @1dluver13xx @colbysbrocks @iamasimpingh0e @smoke-and-fire386 @loveshineslikethesky @id-3-kbro @diorsitgirl @errorfound101-allideasburnedout @neverwillknowme18 @ellyskey @taylors-folk @loversjoy @myaloveee

#eddie #eddie munson #eddie x reader #eddie munson x reader #stranger things #stranger things fic

550 notes · View notes

windrush-child · 2 years ago

Text

Love In The Dark 3

A fateful encounter between you and a fearless racing driver turns your whole life upside down. This is the story of a blossoming love affair, in the shadows of a loveless marriage.

Disclaimer - This story will contain descriptions of domestic violence and general adult content. 18+. More work

The cool water running down his neck feels like heaven in Qatar's sweltering night air. The second he'd finished the post-Qualifying interview, he unzipped his overalls and proceeded to treat himself with an ice cold bottle of water. Lewis sighs, leaves his eyes closed for another moment to enjoy the soothing feeling on his burning muscles, before he heads to the garage. The team's showering him with mighty pats on the back as he makes his way through. P2 is a fantastic result for tomorrow, way better than they had anticipated, and it was all thanks to their driver's faultless performance today - Old man's still got it, after all. On his way to the changing room in the back, Lewis sees his physio jog towards him, holding out his phone in her hand. "Hold on- there you go," she says. "It's been ringing nonstop." He draws up a brow. "While I was in the car?" he asks as he takes it from her. His physio nods, gives him half a shrug. "Thanks, Ange. See you at the conference," he adds, and closes the door behind himself. Perplexed, the driver scrolls through his call list. Who on earth would try to phone him on a Saturday night while he's driving - three times in a row, no less? Letting himself fall into the couch, he taps the mysterious number. It rings exactly one time. "Hello?" When Lewis recognises the voice on the other end, a smile forms on his lips. "Good evening sweetie," he says, and hears you draw in a breath. "You let me wait." he teases, but he's not wrong - it has taken you a total of fourteen days to build up the courage to dial his number. He slipped it to you before you got into your taxi last time you saw each other in Monza, certain that you wouldn't be able to resist. "Yeah," you say, followed by a nervous laugh. "I was just wondering whether I could speak to you later? I'm actually at the circuit." "You're here?" he asks, taken by surprise. "With whom?" There's hesitation at the other end of the line. "My husband." you say, and Lewis can clearly hear the reservation in your voice, like he's something you don't even want to acknowledge. "But he's out with the Emirates guys for the rest of the night." you add. "Bloody shame. I would've loved to meet him." Lewis jests, before getting shushed by you. He's grinning into the phone right now, you're sure of it. "Of course, you're always welcome to visit. Can you meet me at my motor home in twenty minutes?" "I'll be there," you return. "But, Lewis-" You hesitate for a moment. "Please just make sure there's no one around, okay?" Lewis wants to laugh, but holds it in for your sake. It almost feels like this is the first time you're doing something even remotely forbidden - he finds it kind of endearing. "I promise I'll take care of that." he says, smiling to himself as the excitement begins to grow.

—-

Standing in the paddock area, in the back where cargos filled with equipment are parked, you glance into the reflection of a big bus. A tight long-sleeve dress in grey and high-heels, but not too high. Dark red lipstick, a little bit of jewellery. Just enough to be provocative. You take a deep breath and start walking down the silent parking lot, until you've reached the Mercedes Benz motor home. His bodyguard is just friendly enough as he lets you pass, but not more than he needs to be. For a moment you wonder how many women the guy has seen come and go since he started working for the driver, but you decide you don't want to know the answer either way.

The door of his motor home is unlocked. Inside, it looks just as splendid as you expected it to be - these F1 teams have outrageously deep pockets, after all. You tiptoe through the living area (the bloody thing is big enough to be an apartment of its own) and start investigating in the low lights of the motor home. Photos on the walls, rings and necklaces on the dresser, healthy drinks on the kitchen counter, and another door - open - that leads to a bedroom. But, no sign of Lewis. Where is he? As you examine one of his shiny, silver rings, the sound of a door lock catches you off guard - to your left, Lewis emerges out of his bathroom. You hold your breath - not just because it's him who's stepping out of there, but because he's also completely naked, damp and glistening from the shower, with just a towel thrown over his shoulder. Goodness. "Oh, you're early." he says as he spots you, seemingly unbothered by his state of affairs, while you try your hardest to look anywhere but the man in front of you. In the end, you settle for an interesting carpet on the floor. "Sorry, I didn't know you were..." you say and make a vague gesture with your hand. Lewis bites back a smile, swiftly wraps the towel around his hips so you don't have to go any redder than you already are, and grabs a pair of sweats from a dresser. "No worries. Make yourself comfortable, I just need five more minutes." he says and disappears back into the bathroom. You exhale and shake your head. He really knows how to make an entry, doesn't he? You sit down on the couch, run your hands along the sides of your dress to flatten the wrinkles. There's no denying it - He looks incredible, even better than in your memory, which doesn't make this a whole lot easier. After all, you didn't come here to fall to his feet like a love sick puppy, no, you're a grown woman and you're gonna behave like one - at least that's what you're trying to convince yourself of. At this point though, you're wishing you had some sort of script with you, some pre-written dialogue of how you want this conversation to go. Maybe you'd look like less of a nervous wreck if you had.

When he reappears into the living room, you still feel kind of overdressed - Lewis is only wearing sweatpants, his braids hanging loose around his face. You never knew he had so many tattoos, can't help it when your eyes trail over his chest. He smells lovely, too, like fresh out of the shower, like him. It feels intoxicating when he greets you with a kiss on the cheek. "So, I hear you'd like to tell me something?" he asks as he grabs a glass out of the cupboard and fills it with water. Good idea, actually, since your mouth feels really dry. "Yeah..." you start, and take the glass from his hands. "I... well, I've been thinking about our last conversation a lot." you say, the tone of your voice so formal that it almost feels silly. Lewis is leaning against the kitchen counter, just a hint of a smile in his eyes as he lets them roam over you - alluring as ever. He's listening intently. "And... firstly, I wanna say that I've never done anything like that before- I wouldn't cheat on my husband. I'm not a cheater." you ramble on, as the driver squints his eyes at you - now this is interesting. "Just so you know, I'm not taking the things that happened between us lightly. I'm still married. I kind of... have a duty." you continue, and it sounds to him as if you were holding this little speech for yourself rather than anyone else.

"So," Lewis interrupts, pensively scratching his chin. "You've travelled all the way here... to tell me that cheating is immoral and you're not interested?" he asks, and tries hard to keep a serious tone. You open your mouth, but it takes you a moment to catch up. "No- I mean," you stutter, "It's just, I'm aware that I am one of many flings to you. You're in this for some carefree fun, I know how you guys are." you explain, "And I don’t know if I can be involved in... these kinds of affairs." Lewis lets out a scoff. "Is that so?" he asks, pursing his lips into a smirk. "Because the way I see it, you're the one doing all sorts of questionable things behind your husband's back. Yet, you're assuming I'm a womaniser..." he says, crossing his big arms in front of his chest. You swallow, and shift on the couch. it's not as comfortable as it was five minutes ago. You get up, just to put your glass down on the counter, and take a few strides through the living room in an attempt to avoid his intimidating gaze - but the man doesn't let you off the hook just yet. "It seems to me," Lewis continues, "you think you're somehow above all that." He takes a couple of steps towards you, and your pulse reacts straight away. "As if you've got a moral high ground on me. Even though you clearly kept my number and showed up here." "I'm not disputing that!" you blurt out, backed up against a wall - figuratively and literally. "But you're dancing around it, for some reason." Lewis counters, so close now that you’re almost breathing the same air. You have to look up at him, can't bring yourself to turn your face away. He's too close, the air inside this room too hot. "Drop the act. I know you've been thinking about it." Lewis says and pauses when his gaze falls to your lips, then up again, before you see a flicker in his eyes. "Maybe even touched yourself to the thought of it." Your face falls as soon as he's said it, bright red in an instant and hotter than ember. Lewis tilts his head ever so lightly and raises a brow. "Oh?" he says, but the look on his face tells more than a thousand words. "Now would you look at that…” he hums, voice low. Nonchalant as ever, the driver turns to the counter to pour himself a glass of brown Rum, all the while you stare at him like a deer caught in headlights. "So, now that we got this out of the way-" he begins, taking a sip of the sharp liquor. "You can tell me what you're really here for. Or do you wanna keep talking about your spousal duties?" He smiles, giving you a look through his lashes. You swallow, and try to stand a little straighter. "Look..." you sigh, struggling to make sense of what you’re trying to tell the man. "This is hard for me." you admit, and it's the truth. "I know my husband doesn't deserve my faithfulness, he doesn't even deserve the fact that I'm feeling guilty for this. If you knew him, you'd understand why." you add. Lewis quietly observes you, lets you take your time with this. "And I'm sorry for calling you a playboy... I didn't mean it like that." you say, which makes a smile tug at his lips. "You're forgiven." the driver returns, setting down his glass. You give him a grateful nod. "The thing is... I like you. I really do." you say, running a hand over your own collarbone. "And god, yes, I have been thinking about it. I don't think I ever stopped since we left Monza."

Lewis smiles a bit wider, warmer - and says nothing more. That boyish spark inside his eyes could easily make your heart melt. You watch in silence as he walks over to where you're standing, before you close your eyes - His hands find your waist, smoothing over the small of your back, and he has to apply just a bit of pressure to pull you close, your belly against him, your palms on his chest. It feels so good, breathtaking when he runs his hand up your neck so he can hold your jaw, not demanding, but leading, and tilts your head to the side to expose your throat to him. He pleases you with wet, warm kisses to your sensitive skin, sighs when he hears you moan lowly, until his lips halt at your ear. "What would you like me to do, sweetie?" he whispers, and you're glad his arms have you wrapped in a firm hold when a tremble runs through your legs. Fuck. "I-" you rasp, gripping his shoulders tightly. "I want... your lips." "Yeah?" he breathes, pressing you up against him harder as he sucks on a spot below your ear, and you can feel his own desire starting to grow against your lower belly. "Where do you want them?" You take his hand into yours, shaking like you've never done this before, and direct it lower and lower til it rests between your legs, above your dress. Lewis growls and grabs your wrist in protest. "Say it," he demands, and already lowers himself to his knees before you, one leg after the other. "Out loud." You groan, frustrated and heated beyond remedy, can't bear to play this game any longer. Both hands on Lewis' neck, you take a shallow breath. "On me. On my pussy. Please-" you gasp, and it's all he needs to hear.

He puts his hands on each of your thighs, smiling contentedly, thumbs hooked under the hem of your skin-tight dress to push it upwards, inch by inch, until it sits around your waist. For once, you manage to throw the man off his stride - his smirk disappears when he sees your bare pussy right in front of him. "You weren't wearing any panties... the whole day?" he asks, or rather states, as he looks up at you with pupils so big that his eyes are nigh black. Finally, it's your turn to smile at him. "Seems like it," you hum, running your fingers through his braids. Lewis doesn't respond, simply lifts one of your thighs over his shoulder instead. Both hands on your ass, he presses you into him, buries his face deep between your legs. When his hot tongue makes contact with your pussy for the first time, you gasp sharply - It's been so long that the feeling stuns you in the best way possible. Fuck, there's no holding back your moans - he's good at this, knows exactly where to put the pressure, when to be hard and when to be gentle about it. You're sure you're going to fall over any moment, but Lewis is strong, like a rock as he eats you up, holding you tightly so you don't get the chance to squirm away from it. You look up, mouth agape as you spot your obscene reflection in the mirror on the wall - Lewis on the floor, buried between your thighs while you hold on to his wide shoulders for dear life. It has to be the hottest image you've ever seen. "Oh my god- oh my..." you whimper, the rest becoming incomprehensible when he begins to suck your clit inbetween his lips. Lewis' groans aren't quiet at all, either. You can hear, no, feel them on you, and can't fathom how much he's enjoying himself, despite the fact that you haven't touched him once. Is this what it's supposed to be like?, you want to ask yourself, but can't grasp a single thought even if you tried with all your might, because your legs are trembling like crazy now, threatening to give out under you. "Mhmm, fuck- I'm..." you sob, but your body gets the word out before you mouth can. You cling onto his shoulders, his neck, gasping for air as you're coming on his mouth, and god is it blissful - one wave after the other, every throb more intense than the one before. You could swear you're seeing stars, have to remind yourself that the man between your legs will have to breathe at some point - although he doesn't seem too fussed about his position. He's still gently licking at you when your orgasm has ebbed away, eyes closed like you're the most delicious meal he's ever had.

Only when he's sure you've had enough does he lift his head to look up at you. His face is flushed, mouth glistening wet and parted, and it doesn't take long til his eyes drop back down again, so mesmerised by your scent, your taste. He runs his fingertips through your lips, and watches two of his fingers disappear as he dips them into you with ease. "Ah- Lewis," you sigh as he presses against a spot, and you'd lose yourself in the feeling if it wasn't for his phone that was ringing for - maybe the first time? Maybe the fourth? "Damn," he curses and closes his eyes, still working his fingers inside of you. "I gotta be at the stupid..." he mumbles, but trails off when he decides he'd rather nibble at one of your lips instead. "Baby..." you moan, your hand gripping his braids. The phone hasn't stopped ringing. "You better - ah - answer it..."

Lewis growls, annoyed - but gets up from the floor eventually. He shuffles over to the drawer where his phone lies, answers it with the one finger that isn't wet with you. As he leans over the dresser, you spot a more than decent looking bulge in his sweats. He must be rock hard in there, it makes you wonder how he's able to focus on the conversation right now. You hear something about post-Qualifying, and five minutes, and you're unbelievable.

"I'm so sorry," Lewis says after he's hung up, and comes back to give you a quick kiss on the temple. "I wish we could finish this properly, but they're waiting for me at the press conference." he explains while jogging to grab a pair of jeans from the bedroom, and some team shirt. "You're forgiven," you return and grin, as you tug at the hem of your dress. You probably look madly fucked-out right now, you're definitely gonna have to jump into the shower in the hotel and get his smell off of you. Lewis comes hurrying out of the bedroom, fighting to stuff himself into his jeans, and looks incredibly funny doing so. "You won't be giggling like that when I come back later," he threatens, but can't really sell it with the way he's smiling. "Is that a promise?" you tease, although you both know there is no later - You’ll have be at the hotel before your husband gets back and board a plane tomorrow. And Lewis will be driving a race car around Losail. He’s smiling from ear to ear as he pulls the shirt over his head, but hesitates for another moment even though he’s all dressed up and ready to go. Before he opens the front door, he grabs you by your waist and pulls you close. “Listen,” he begins, “This is gonna sound a bit crazy, but is there any chance you can make it to Monaco in a week’s time?” he asks, brown eyes looking at you expectantly. “We could spend a day or two together, just you and I.” You bite your bottom lip. Can you? If your husband doesn’t insist on locking you up in Vienna for the next couple of days, it might actually work out… “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try every trick in the book to make it happen.” you say, and there’s a spark forming in Lewis’ eyes. He pulls you into him and kisses you on the lips, deep and hard.

---

@pedrohoe04 @mochachocolatteyaya @capela-miranda @iamasimpingh0e @bekindbecoolbeyou @urdadismabitch @furiouscaseofastudent @mrsjubelova @raaaaabzzz @honeybadgerr @memoriesat30 @hoebx @tomhollandisabae @dhlfastestlap @njrronaldo7 (hope I didnt forget anyone!)

#lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton x you #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton smut #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton fanfic

296 notes · View notes

batpham-discord-highlights · 3 years ago

Text

Some T-Odd Relations

Source: #ghosts-and-bats

This is how I imagine if other bat kids saw Danny for the first time. Each of them will be like, the very first time everyone knows about Danny. This is based on Danny looking like Jason.

Dick saw Danny in Jason Todd memorial park with another girl (Jazz)

Dick (during family dinner): looking at Jason with sus eyes

Jason: ...what?...Firefly jetpack exploding is not my fault...

Dick: Do you have a child that we don't know about?

Bruce: chokes on his food

Tim saw Danny at a coffee shop order his signature coffee.

Tim (in a bat cave working on a case with Jason): i guess Harvey was innocent on this one after all.

Jason: Yeah

...feel bad for punching him in the scar side

Tim: Yeah.....oh also I think you got cloned.

Jason: EX FKING CUSE ME!??

Ooop—

Mind if I write a oneshot based off of this?

Damien meets Danny in the Gotham Dog Park, walking a very green looking dog....

He follows them want to ask what breed the dog is but they disappear around the corner

Damien during training session with Jason

Damien: Todd you should keep your reproductive liquids in check

Jason: trips his step and get kneed by Damien

Go for it XD. Credit me tho. XD.

reproductive fluids

Always do!

Duke saw Danny in a school library, but he mysteriously vanishes in one of the isles.

Duke: looking at Jason during a family movie night

Jason: Something on your mind buddy?

Duke: ....yeah nuh it couldn't be you, he was too young..

Jason: 🤨

Cass and Steph saw Danny at a shopping mall with another red hair girl (Jazz)

They are in a kitchen watching Jason make cupcakes for them.

Cass: ...👈 🤰 👨‍🍼

Steph: Nuh I don't think so, the kid look the same age as that girl.

Jason: What are you two on about?

Steph: Oh just a potential child of yours on streets of Gotham.

Jason: trips and drops the cupcakes

alfred being dragged into this as well

Just everyone thinking that’s his kid

Bruce runs into Danny at Gala (Vald drags him to it)

Bruce: brain short-circuited as he watches a younger Jason in a suit

-Somehow, he made it back home after being non-responsive according to Alfred-

Bruce: looking at Jason in the library as Jason was reading his books

Jason: Heck you want old man??

Bruce: ....Am I a grandpa?...

Jason: accidently tears a page from a book

Jason never runs into Danny but he did run into Phantom during his patrol

Jason: watches a kid makes a joke out of Joker and his goons Damn, this kid good...better shoo him out before Bats gets here

Selina meets Danny at a cat cafe.

Selina: pulls out her phone and calls her Husband (Selina and Bruce is married screw you, I want Bruce to be happy) Hey Bruce...honey...are you sure Jason is still single. Watches Danny leaves the cafe yeah...I see you met him too? Yeah...yeah...just saw him at the cafe I regularly go to...yeah...you should get the papers ready for Jason...tell Alfred to call the guy too.

I-

This is so perfect lmao

Poor Jason

Nice

Alfred meets Danny during grocery shopping. Danny helps Alfred with carry the stuff across the street.

Alfred thanks and walks back home.

Alfred: looks at Jason as try to sneak a cookie you know i don't mind having a little version of you running around Mater Todd.

Jason: drops the cookie

bruce meeting Danny on patrol

Even better if it’s Crime Alley near where he originally met Jason

Lmao he didn't respond on the comms for a good amount of hours even tho he still does patrol

Crime alley kid round two electric boogaloo

If Jason doesn’t adopt “his kid” then Bruce will

Barbara and Batkids ; Bats why weren't you responding???? We were worried.

Bruce : ....Jason has a kid and I am a grandpa...

he finds Danny near the batmobile

XD. Doesn't help Jason's case

Screw it im making it homeless baby Danny let’s heccin go

Reveal gone wrong

Danny was just trying to take a pic of the batmobile.

He socked Bruce in the stomache as he got spooked by Batman

Them having a tire iron to defend themselves

Either that or a crowbar

Or a thermos

(Tire iron cause that’s what Jason had had when he first met bats)

Crowbar for obvious reasons

Or a thermos!

jason coming face to face with Danny and wondering just who this kid is

Danny : ....Dan?!

Got Danny Nightingale cause of fentonightingale

[Danny : ....Dan?!]

O rip

Mini heart attack if he’s out of costume

Yeah XD.

Danny coming back to an apartment where he is staying.

Video call Jazz and his two bffs.

Danny : Yo guys saw someone who looks like Dan

So like what is Danny to Jason

Some random kid XD

Jason ironically doesn't see the resemblance

I mean like

Is he Jason's little brother? Son? 5th cousin twice removed??

Nothing

It's that case of 7 people in the world who look like u huh

He just looks like young Jason with a different hairstyles

[Got Danny Nightingale cause of fentonightingale]

Would be funnier if he went with Todd

Nightingale as a hero name

👁👁

Hecc ye

Todd can be Maddie’s maiden name

Gil

my only complaint is that Dan has long hair in a low ponytail and Jason has short hair and the white stripe

so he wouldn’t be that look alike

what is Danny was an attempt of a Clone child by the League of Assassins?

Gil

also we only see Dan in ghost form, danny never saw him as human

[what is Danny was an attempt of a Clone child by the League of Assassins?]

like he has Jason DNA, was rapidly aged with fake memories, now ages normally

fake memories of being a toddler*

he was raised normally after being dropped off to the Fenton’s

Gil

ok and then the Fenton’s just adopted a grown kid out of nowhere?

and are their memories altered as well?

and jazz?

probably

same with Sam and Tucker, I guess?

Gil

why not keep the clone and train them themselves (the League, i mean)

to create the perfect weapon yadda yadda

he probably had training before getting dumped

I like the idea of it literally all just being a coincidence better

No one would ever believe it, but somehow, it's still true

Or Maddie could be, like, second cousins twice removed from Jason or something

Her mom's maiden name was Todd and Danny had a really good relationship with his grandma, so he took in her name when he had to run

Grandma Todd got some lucky chances and worked her way off the streets

Willis was her older half-brother's grandson

And Jason and Danny just happen to have unnaturally close DNA matches because ectoplasm is just recognized as a new, unique allele

ooo

ye true

A covert DNA test reveals matching ectoplasm levels that make the bats think Jason's spawn

Ooooh that sounds good!

Oh same brain

Gil

ok that's fun

Yesss more misunderstandings!!!

>:D

My DNA class is finally having real world applications lol :dick_laugh:

The bats end up peer pressuring Jason into adopting what they think is his spawn.

[Her mom's maiden name was Todd and Danny had a really good relationship with his grandma so he took in her name when he had to run]

That’s legit how I’m doing it lmao

[The bats end up peer pressuring Jason into adopting what they think is his spawn.]

"take responsibility Jason"

Danny: I'm not responsibility, nor am I his

Jazz supports the adoption of his brother and Danny knows that there ain't anyway out of it

"i fOUnD HiM nEAr tHE bATMobILE, like that's an inherited trait, Bruce." - Jason

Bruce directly after- "For all I know it is"

“Have you seen this family?”

Oh Jason, getting misunderstood so badly

They think he's denying it so much b/c he's embarrassed or something

"It's okay son, we all make mistakes"

Honestly, seems legit

Jason gets all offended

"Hey, don't call him a mistake"

because that's a mean thing to say

"how could u be so embarrassed about your own son jason!?"

“Yeah I know you do, have you seen Damian?”

but they think he just admitted to it

Grem

Dick, Tim and Damian on the other side of the room having a meltdown

The 3 of them "We are uncles?"

you can't escape fatherhood now Jason >:)

How old are Jason and Danny tho

Danny is tempted to yeet himself back in time to avoid this mess, but ClockWork thinks it's funny and says no

Would be really funny if damian was younger than danny

Grem

Maybe Jason has 24 and Danny 14, but looks like he has 9

So Jason got a girl pregnant at 10!?/j

[Maybe Jason has 24 and Danny 14, but looks like he has 9]

as someone who at 14 was called an 8-year-old, i can vouch for realism

[So, Jason got a girl pregnant at 10!?/j]

it would look like 14 or 15

they're all very concerned when they find out Danny's true age

or think he's lying

Grem

[as someone who at 14 was called an 8 year old, i can vouch for realism]

I'm speaking from experience, i was 13 with the face of a baby

because obviously he was born after Jason was in the pit

blame it all on Talia, man

[I'm speaking from experience, i was 13 with the face of a baby]

ah, im just very short

Maybe they think Lazarus is radioactive and causes weird age shenanigans

Grem

[they're all very concerned when they find out Danny's true age]

Maybe they think he was put in a tank to grow faster or something like that

or that the pit cloned Jason when it brought him back

Danny having to pull out All the school records to prove that he did exist since birth

Oop

jokes on him the Fenton’s didn't file any or his birth certificate

a Steven universe situation?

Grem

He gets Jazz to testify that he indeed has 14

[Steven universe situation?]

Possibly

[Steven universe situation?]

more like they just forgot to after having the kids at home and no one pressed for records b/c it's the Fenton’s

[“Yeah, I know you do, have you seen Damian?”]

This leads to a fight that distracts from the whole supposed baby-daddy situation

Jazz has kept extensive documents on her little bro she can in fact testify

Jazzy coming in clutch lmao

Also, Danny and tucker were like attached at the hip so he can also vouch

Jazz was the one to fill the-

JAZZ CAN FORGE HER PARENTS SIGNATURES

[Steven universe situation?]

Intense confusion

Grem

And now they think she was mind controlled and those memories and papers are fake

Ooop

[JAZZ CAN FORGE HER PARENTS SIGNATURES]

This just makes then sus of the papers lmao

More and more convoluted misunderstandings

Eventually Danny just accepts it and gives up

Jazz snapping and saying that she’s the one who raised Danny and accidentally making things worse

Jazz frantically pointing "I RAISED THAT BOY

Grem

Now, it doesn't matter if he is or isn't Jason's son, they will adopt him

The Bats are worried for their safety

Danny actually being Jason’s half sibling

Through like their mom or smth

Grem

I think the 2nd cousins once removed is funnier

Ye me too

But the drama

DRAMA WITH THE HALF SIBLING SHENANIGANS

So Jason ends up adopting his half sibling/2nd cousin who everyone thinks is 9 and nothing they do can prove that he is not 9

Grem

After discovering that they are brothers, maybe they think that Maddie is curse and all her offspring will die and comeback

And Jazz is a little worried for her safety

[So Jason ends up adopting his half sibling/2nd cousin who everyone thinks is 9 and nothing they do can prove that he is not 9]

What is one more problem child

Danny keeps insisting he isn't a child, then youngblood comes along and that's all the proof needed against his claims

... what does Vlad think about this

Vlad doesn’t have a valid opinion

he's jealous

:dick_laugh:

#ghosts and bats channel #batman #danny phantom #danny fenton #dc x dp #bruce wayne #dick grayson #tim drake #damian al ghul #jason todd #batfam #jazz fenton #tucker foley #misunderstanding #miscommunication #complicated family relationships

755 notes · View notes

esshee · 2 years ago

Text

𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 CHAPTER 05. OF UNIMAGINABLE CONSEQUENCES AND CHAOS MANAGEMENT

「 In which the Inarizaki Boys' Volleyball Team sometimes test your patience and make you proud of them. 」

✩ pairing. inarizaki & f!manager!reader (platonic)

✩ genre. slice of life, fluff, humour, friendship

✩ warnings. none

✩ wc. 5.8k

← previous ⋮ masterlist ⋮ next →

Golden Week: the national week off that everyone looked forward to every 29th of April. Normally, people made sure to spend time with their friends, family, and loved ones over this national holiday. Some went on vacation, while others used the time to take a well-deserved rest.

You, on the other hand, didn't even have a chance to properly enjoy the break because you were stuck in Tokyo along with the rest of the volleyball team. The coaches had booked a five-day training camp with a schedule that was positively packed with practice matches against strong high schools and universities in the area. Frankly, you had expected as much being the manager of a top powerhouse school in the country.

However, you hadn't expected, or could've ever imagined, to be stranded and alone without a teammate in sight on the first day of training camp.

It had only taken a moment: as the team was packing up and waiting for Coach Oomi to drive the rental bus to the front of the building, you had informed Ginjima and Aran that you were going to the washroom and to hold on to your bag until you came back. When you had finished and went back to the front of the school, you were shell-shocked to find no maroon jersey or bus in sight.

You knew that the team was still in Tokyo. You knew they would pick you up eventually. You knew all these things, yet you couldn't help but nearly spiral into a panic.

I'm stuck in Itachiyama of all places. In Tokyo. Without the team. And ohmygodIdon'thavemyphone.

You pursed your lips together as you discreetly swallowed your grievances, desperately fighting the urge to let go of the reigns you had over your emotions and express just how upset and scared you were at being left behind.

But you were all too conscious of your…audience.

Carefully avoiding the gaze of the towering group of boys in yellow t-shirts and dark green shorts, you wrung your hands together and tried to calmly consider your next course of action.

If the team is here, then the coaches must be. I should just—

"You…you're the Inarizaki manager, right?"

You snapped your head up and gulped down the lump forming in your throat as you met the gaze of Itachiyama's captain, "Y-yes."

Iizuna Tsukasa was a household name in the volleyball circuit—and was one of the only names that Atsumu just wouldn't shut up about. Having won the best setter award for the Junior Olympic Cup, your childhood friend had sworn to best the older setter one day and always got fired up whenever Inarizaki faced Itachiyama in any sort of match, practice or official.

He had been extremely fired up at the practice match today though your team had ultimately conceded defeat to the other team much to their frustration.

You furrowed your brows at the thought of your childhood friend and the events that led up to your current predicament. The traitor—no, the traitors had abandoned you. How did the entire team, including the coaches just forget about me?!

You were at war with yourself as you tried to stay composed and collected, hoping that the members of Itachiyama didn't see through your façade.

"So…your team left you?"

Those words were your undoing: you felt your face become hot and your eyes stung a little as you lowered your head in a meek semi-nod.

"Do you have your phone on you?" Komori asked kindly.

"…I don't," you replied after having taken a couple of deep breaths to calm yourself down. It probably helped that the boys were patient and seemed to understand your predicament without you having to explain everything to them.

In fact, the more you thought about your dilemma, the angrier you got at your team. After all, you had told Ginjima and Aran about your whereabouts; you hadn't expected both of them to somehow forget to check up on you.

And the twins! you ground your teeth together, I'd always noticed when one of 'em were missing but they can't even be bothered to do the same for me.

You took another deep breath in and let it all out slowly. "I'd put it in my bag before I went to the washroom. The team probably took it without realizing I wasn't with them and well, y'know left me behind." The last bit came out in a heated grumble. It was easier to let go of your initial anxiety over being left behind when you could channel and pour it all into disgruntlement and irritation—you were more than used to having to solve problems in this headspace given the many troubles your team kindly put you through.

"Heh, you're a sassy one."

"Aren't Kansai girls kinda like that?"

"It's cute."

"Well, in any case, why don't you come with us to the gym? The coaches often let us have free practice after practice matches, so they're in the office right now. I'll go inform them about the situation," Iizuna cut in before shooting you an assuring smile, "we only have our first year manager with us—the other is sick—and she's still a little inexperienced. I'm sure she'll appreciate your company and expertise."

"Expertise?" you echoed dubiously. You could hardly call managing an expertise of yours when you simply rolled with the punches and followed the coaches' instructions most of the time.

"Experience," Iizuna corrected himself after a brief moment of consideration. "She was nervous about overseeing practice without the coaches and our other manager, so I'm sure she'll appreciate you being there."

He patted you once on the shoulder before hurrying off to what you assumed to be the direction of where the coaches were at.

"Welp let's get a move on then, shall we?" an Itachiyama member smiled at you encouragingly, gesturing for you to follow the team.

You followed after a split second of hesitation. It's not like I can do anythin' else.

After the team had filled in their manager about your situation and introduced you to her, she bowed at you nervously, "It's nice to meet you!"

You smiled at her, "It's nice ta meet you too."

"As Iizuna explained to you, we normally have free practice after practice matches. Most of the team has already left by now and some of the bench members are in another gym practicing their individual drills like serves or something," the vice captain, Fukuda told you. "We were actually thinking about practicing our serves today seeing such nice serves from your team today."

You couldn't help the proud smile that spread across your lips, "Well they worked hard on 'em."

"We can tell," the third year wing spiker, Utsubo smirked, "especially that Miya Atsumu. We had a hard time with both his jump floaters and spike serves."

You recalled the fight you had with Atsumu the past week and let out a fond chuckle, "He worked himself to the bone just to nail those serves of his."

"You're childhood friends with the Miya twins, right?" Komori asked good naturedly as you followed the team to the court your team had previously occupied during the practice match.

"You are?" the only first year starting member, Kanehara blinked at you in surprise, pushing the ball cart to the side by the benches.

"Huh, no wonder you can reel them in so well," the other third year wing spiker, Asaoka mused aloud.

"Ah, but Aran-kun and Kita-san help a lot," you replied. "Though I suppose Oomimi-san and Akagi-san help too?"

After all that had transpired in the last month, you weren't sure if you could call them reliable per say, but they certainly weren't as bad as the rest.

Komori laughed, "You don't sound so sure! How about the second years?"

"Those guys? They're the troublemakin' bunch," you scowled, feeling a headache coming on at the very thought of their antics.

"Wow, even Suna and Ginjima?"

"Even them," you nodded solemnly with a half-grimace. "Gin is hotheaded and gets himself into shit while Rintarou is a piece of shit who likes to stir the pot."

"Rintarou…?" Fukuda repeated, "That's Suna, right?"

You flushed and hastily nodded, "Yeah, Suna Rintarou."

Asaoka smiled at you gently, "Sounds like you're close to your team."

"I guess," you nodded, embarrassed to be talking about the boys in such a…gushy way around complete strangers. "I've known the twins since we were in diapers and Aran—Ojiro Aran—since elementary."

"Have they always been that good at volleyball?" Utsubo asked curiously.

You cocked your head to the side and considered his question.

"I…think so?" you frowned as you tried to recall. You've known the twins for so long that it was hard to pinpoint when they got good at volleyball—it's just always been a part of your lives that you didn't think much about the beginnings. Besides, they and the team weren't the types to dwell on the past, only focusing on the present. You continued, "I suppose Osamu was always naturally better at the sport than Atsumu, though."

The team all looked at you in varying degrees of shock.

"Woah, really?" Komori blinked in surprise. Sakusa stared at you with those intense eyes of his.

You nodded, "Atsumu just has this…hunger to be better, grow stronger, and become the best. Osamu's a little more laidback in that sense."

"They seem so evenly matched," Kanehara uttered in awe before shaking his head. "I mean, the ridiculous plays they just pull…they're just on another level."

"Inarizaki is," Fukuda chimed in and turned to you. "Inarizaki is filled with monsters."

You couldn't help the wide smile that took over your lips as you soaked in the praise, "Itachiyama is too, though."

"I think Atsumu might be better because of his serves," Komori mused, bringing the conversation back to the topic of the twins. "I really have to work to get them up properly."

"His serves certainly have become more controlled compared to his past performances," you heard someone murmur from behind you.

Shocked, you turned to face the captain of Itachiyama in bewilderment. The one who'd got the best setter award for the Junior Olympic Cup had praised Atsumu. You were sure your childhood friend would rejoice and want to challenge the setter had he stayed behind.

But he didn't because he was off challenging a different setter of another Tokyo school in a practice match.

Scowling at the unwanted thought, you grit your teeth and inhaled deeply to get a grip on your unsettled irritation. The Itachiyama boys had all been kind and engaging that you'd almost forgotten about the reason you were stuck with them in the first place. Nevertheless, you still couldn't quite wrap your head around just how your team had managed to just up and leave you by accident.

You really hoped it wasn't on purpose. If it was…

"Is something wrong?"

You smoothed out your furrowed brows and scrunched nose as you shook your head in denial, "It's nothing bad. I just remembered my team left me behind…Actually, can anyone spare me their phone so I can call 'em?"

"Sure," Iizuna nodded as he shoved his hand into his pocket and fished out his cellphone.

Iizuna-san's nicer than everyone on my team combined—and that's sayin' somethin', you thought as you softly thanked him when he handed you his phone.

"It's no problem. We'd gladly lend a hand for the damsel in distress," Iizuna smirked teasingly as the rest of the team, excluding Sakusa who had chosen to stand a few feet away from the crowd, nodded behind him with their thumbs up.

You couldn't help but look away from their cheeky grins because it was a tad bit embarrassing being described as a 'damsel' when you were far from it with your own team. For the most part, they treated you like another one of the guys when you hung out with them or an overbearing parent when you got on their asses about yet another one of their antics.

"Oh, by the way," Iizuna cut in before you could even type in a number, "our coaches got a hold of your coaches. They said that you will have to wait with us until your team is done with their schedule for today."

"Ah, alright, thank you for telling me," you bowed to the third year, "but I think it'd be better if I spoke with the team myself, so do you mind…?"

The captain shook his head, "Go ahead. I'm sure your team would like to hear from you."

You gave him a grateful smile before dialing one of the few numbers you had memorized off the top of your head. You held the phone up to your ear and waited patiently for the person to pick up, ignoring the curious gazes of the group of boys and their manager around you.

"Hi…who's this?"

"Ah, Aran-kun."

"[Name]!?" you heard Aran screech followed by an uproar of voices on the other side.

"[Name]?!"

"Is that [Surname]?!"

"Put her on speaker!" you could hear someone holler over the receiver.

Although you had been beaming in pride on their behalf just a few minutes ago, hearing all of the team's voices filtering through your phone really impressed on you that you were truly alone, that they had truly forgotten about you. It was probably immature of you to stubbornly hold on to your annoyance at them, but you had been scared and embarrassingly close to tears when you realized you were on your own in an unknown city.

"I'm assuming y'all can hear me?" you inquired before hearing a chorus of affirmatives from your team. "Well then…what the fuck?"

From your peripheral vision, you could see a few of the Itachiyama boys flinch away from you.

There was a tense silence both over the phone and in the gym you were standing in.

"Ginjima-kun. Aran-kun."

"Y-yes?!"

"H-here!?"

"I swear I told both of ya that I was gonna be in the bathroom and ta look over my stuff in the meanwhile," you started, your voice growing colder and colder with each word that came out of your lips, "or am I just imaginin' things?"

"I…ya told us…" Ginjima replied nervously.

"I see," you said. "I also swear that I've done the same for both—no, actually for all of ya. Y'know waiting for you lot and making sure none of you got left behind."

No one dared to utter another word.

"I heard that the coaches sorted things out and yer gonna pick me up after y'all are done for today," you sighed, suddenly feeling too exhausted to hold on to your frustration. "We'll talk then."

"Yes, ma'am!"

You rolled your eyes in good nature before hanging up the phone and turning to the Itachiyama team who all looked at you with a mix of respect and trepidation.

"Thank you for lendin' me your phone, Iizuna-san," you said as you offered the phone to its rightful owner.

"No problem, got things sorted out?" he accepted his phone and raised a brow.

You sighed for the nth time of the day, "I guess so."

"Then, we'll be entrusting you as one of our managers for today," he smirked before lowering himself into a bow.

The team, even Sakusa, followed suit and bowed at you, leaving you standing there gaping like a fish out of water.

You supposed you had no real reason to be as shocked as you were. Inarizaki was considered an elite school feared and respected by many of their peers, but you were all knowing of their unruly and headache-inducing antics. Still, you hadn't expected Itachiyama of all schools to have their own brand of chaos that had you reeling and shockingly missing your team. It wasn't that your team wasn't bad per say but you knew how to deal with them. You were entirely unfamiliar with the Tokyo team and didn't know how to approach this.

While you and Itachiyama's manager had been busy filling up the water bottles for the players, the team had managed to…get themselves into something.

You hadn't quite seen a sight like this with your team.

All the boys were congregated to a wall seemingly regrouping after something had happened that left Utsubo propped up against the wall with a few scrunched up bloody tissues surrounding him.

You helplessly looked to the first year manager who just looked exhausted simply seeing them; a look you empathized with heavily.

"They sometimes do this exercise where a spiker will spike at the corners of the gym to control the power and spin of the ball," she explained to you in a low voice, not wanting to attract the attention of her team quite yet. "Sakusa-san apparently did that a lot in junior high which inspired the team to give it a go."

In spite of the concerning sight that beheld you, you couldn't help but be impressed by Sakusa's work ethic. "Well, it paid off considerin' Sakusa's spikes are notoriously difficult to receive," you nodded in acknowledgement before glancing back at the team. "But we really oughtta do something about…that."

"Ah, yes, you're right," the younger girl turned bright red. She let out a shaky breath before she took a decisive step towards her team. "Iizuna-san, w-would you mind explaining what happened?"

The starting lineup of Itachiyama all jerked their heads towards you both in surprise, evidently not having noticed you and their manager.

"We…uh, we did the Sakusa drills?" the captain answered sheepishly, having caught your disbelieving gaze.

"Sakusa drills?" you echoed.

Sakusa scowled and averted his eyes from you, "I told them not to call it that."

"But you're the one we took inspiration from!"

"Yeah, we—"

"Well, would anyone like to explain to me what these…'Sakusa drills' are?" you cut in before the team could derail the initial point of the conversation you'd begun (though you were going to have to address the real concern right after).

They all looked at each other a little nervously and you were hit with a sense of déjà vu.

"It's this thing that Sakusa often does," Iizuna sighed and started explaining on behalf of the team. "We go to the corners of the gym and spike the ball at the walls, trying to get them to ricochet off of each other, going from one wall to the other."

You blinked as you tried to process the captain's rather confusing explanation. You turned to the Itachiyama manager helplessly once more but before she could do anything, Sakusa sighed and grabbed a ball off the floor.

"Like this," he said before walking to a corner and demonstrating the so-called 'Sakusa drill.'

You watched in awe as Sakusa spiked the ball perfectly as it hit one wall and bounced off to hit the other. He caught the ball as it fell towards him and turned to you expectantly.

"O-oh, that's impressive," you nodded, temporarily forgetting about Utsubo and his bloody nose. It was hard to tell but Sakusa seemed somewhat pleased with your response as he nodded back at you, his face and posture a touch more relaxed than it had initially been around you.

No wonder he is part of the top three aces in the high school circuit. I wonder if I should tell the team about—

"Wait," you blinked again. "How did Utsubo-san get injured? Did he get a ball to the face?"

Sakusa looked away from you with a slight pout when you directed your gaze at him. You then turned to face the team instead.

"Sort of?" Fukuda rubbed the back of his neck and glanced back at his injured teammate.

"We split up into pairs," Asaoka jumped in. "Spiking and receiving pairs. Utsubo paired with Sakusa and he'd gotten a little too close to Sakusa after he spiked. Sakusa accidentally elbowed him and he got a spike to the face."

"W-what?" the Itachiyama manager looked back at her injured senior in pity. "Utsubo-san got…both?"

"Yeah, an elbow and a ball," Kanehara nodded.

You couldn't help but stare up at the Itachiyama team with wide eyes and a slack jaw. While your team certainly got their fair share of scrapes, bruises, and bloody noses, you couldn't recall anyone taking an elbow and a ball to the face.

At that point, it's just the work of the Gods, you shook your head in disbelief. Utsubo-san must be cursed or something.

You snapped out of your trance at the sight of the first year girl paling and shooting you desperate looks that screamed help! You swiftly gave her what you hoped to be a reassuring smile before straightening out your maroon jersey, preparing to get into what Atsumu had labelled your 'demon manager mode.' To your amazement, you managed to get all of their attention with a quick clear of your throat.

"Has Utsubo-san's nose stopped bleedin'?" you asked sternly, wanting Itachiyama to settle down and focus on the issue at hand.

"For now," Komori nodded.

"Sakusa-san," you turned to the ace, "on a scale of one to ten, how hard do ya think you elbowed Utsubo-san in the nose?"

Sakusa scrunched up his face in displeasure, presumably at the question, but answered nonetheless, "Maybe six."

You bent down towards the injured player, "Sorry but do ya mind if I see yer nose? Just wanna check if it's broken."

He shook his head and removed the bloody tissue from his nose. It was certainly red but you were surprised to see that his forehead was pretty red and swollen as well.

"Does your forehead hurt?"

"Yeah, I think I feel a headache coming," Utsubo responded with a grimace.

You turned to the group behind you, "Someone, please get Utsubo-san an ice pack and some more tissues. If you can't find any, just get a towel."

"On it!" the manager immediately jumped into action and scurried out of the gym.

"I'm no expert but I think Sakusa-san elbowed Utsubo-san's forehead before the ball hit him in the nose," you deduced from what little information you got. "I'd expect an elbow to do more damage than a nosebleed."

Iizuna nodded as he gave you an impressed look, "I think you might be right—a Sakusa level six is probably harder than the average six."

Utsubo merely groaned in agreement.

You weren't quite sure what to make of their unique way of scaling pain, but you supposed anything Sakusa did amplified the amount of pain one normally felt. After all, he was one of the top high school aces in the nation.

You studied Utsubo's forehead again and winced, "That might bruise so be sure to ice it properly, Utsubo-san."

You were glad that the twins weren't here to challenge the ace—they surely would've jumped for the opportunity to replicate the aforementioned Sakusa drill. Sure, the drill itself made for good practice but the way Itachiyama had gone about it was…risky to say the least. Had it been your team, you would have been downright furious at them for trying something so recklessly stupid.

"Next time, please do not pair up in spike-receive pairs," you crossed your arms over your chest and gave the team an unimpressed look, deciding it was for the best to scold them for their actions. "I think the Sakusa drill is excellent practice for ball control, but receiving it is…well, plain stupid."

The Itachiyama starting lineup all looked away from you in shame.

"For one, stuff like this," you gestured vaguely to Utsubo, "can happen again and y'all can get worse injuries from it—believe it or not, I'd say Utsubo-san's rather lucky he only got away with a bruised forehead and a bloody nose. Also, who's to say one of ya won't overshoot and crash into the wall or somethin'? From what Sakusa-san has shown me, the space between the ball and the walls sometimes isn't even that big. If ya only pay attention to the ball, then you can very well underestimate your surroundings. This ain't an open court. You are literally facin' a wall."

You took the time to meet each and every single one of the members, "Well, just don't pull that again. I'm sure if your coaches find out, they'll rip you a new one anyway."

They all paled.

"Get cleanin'."

Everyone immediately got moving on their feet, even Utsubo who got up with the assistance of Asaoka and Iizuna.

You took a step back and heaved a sigh of relief, running a hand through your hair. The trouble Itachiyama got into was very similar yet very different from the trouble your boys got into. You simply weren't used to Itachiyama's shenanigans and had resorted to just treating them like your own team—albeit with less sass and exasperation since you still didn't know them all that well. Truth be told, if the younger manager hadn't essentially pleaded for you to take control of the situation, you may have just let them run their own shit show.

You brushed aside any lingering thoughts and started picking up the scattered balls and throwing them into a nearby cart.

"How do you do it?" you heard someone ask you in a small voice.

"Hmm?" you turned to face the Itachiyama manager just before you threw another ball away. "How do I do what?"

"How do you know what to do? With the team?" she inquired meekly. "You don't even know them that well but you still managed to get them to listen to you. It's the same with senpai too…"

"'Senpai'…as in the other manager of your team? The one who's sick?" you clarified and waited until the first year girl nodded in response. "Well, we just have more experience than you that's all. And frankly, I wouldn't have known how to deal with your team had it not been for you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," you shot your junior a kind smile. "I know you sometimes feel out of your element being around such talented players but trust me, you know your teammates more than you think you do."

"I-I do?"

"Of course," you laughed, "I mean, I just learned a bunch of their names today!"

"Oh…" she flushed.

You shook your head before continuing off your original point, "You were able to properly access the situation and inform me what likely happened. Ya weren't there to see it but you guessed correctly which tells me that you are already familiar with yer team's antics. You also knew to prompt Iizuna-san into explainin' what had happened while we were gone. I would have just shot at the dark and hoped for the best."

"But…you reproached them for their actions too," the younger manager pointed out. "I don't think I would have been able to do that."

"Ah, that's understandable," you nodded. "I mean, a whopping six of them are yer senpai so it probably isn't easy for ya to just be straight up with them and lay down the facts. But in all honesty, I just treated them like my own team, though a lot…nicer? More patient? Well, in any case, I felt a little out of my element too y'know. I know my team well and just got lucky that what I usually do with my team worked with your team."

"I see…"

You glanced at the first year girl again and gave her an encouraging smile, "Listen, I don't think there is a right or wrong way of managing a team. The team's gonna change every year and yer gonna have to adjust to that. Just trust yourself. No one's expecting ya to be perfect. I'm far from it myself. But lemme tell ya, it's a lot easier when you get closer to them."

"I…don't think I'm close to them yet," the younger girl confessed.

"Yet," you repeated before you picked up a ball and passed it over to her. "You still have time, so I wouldn't worry. It's only natural that yer feeling a little out of your element but you'll get used to it with time. Just be patient with yourself."

"Alright," she smiled up at you, "thank you for your advice, [Surname]-san!"

"No pr—"

You were interrupted by the abrupt call of the Itachiyama manager's name. She startled and turned to see Kanehara waving at her.

"Sorry, but do you mind helping me here?" he called out from across the gym.

You exchanged a knowing glance with the younger manager and quirked a brow up, "Go ahead, manager-san."

She laughed and stalked off in the direction of her fellow first year. You watched as the first year duo laughed and joked around, evidently more comfortable around each other than with their older teammates.

For a brief moment, you swore you could see your younger self with the rest of the second years, all huddled up and relying on each other to get through the awkwardness of having to get along with your seniors as the newbies of the team.

After having been on the receiving end of your lectures, you could practically feel the anticipatory and gleeful gazes of Itachiyama watching the scene in front of them.

You couldn’t blame them.

Even Kita was lowering his head to you in shame as you stared down at the kneeling members of the Inarizaki boys' volleyball team. Hell, even Suna looked thoroughly chastised and ashamed. Had you not been as irate as you were, you would probably find the scene in front of you amusing as well. Alas you weren't in the mood for fun and games. You had a rather tiring day all because of them.

And you didn't even want to think about what would have happened had it been the last day of the training camp.

"You dunces abandoned me," you started in a deceptively light tone.

You didn't think it was possible but somehow, your team managed to look even more nervous and scared under your sharp watchful eyes.

No one dared to say a word or even move.

"You dunces abandoned me in Tokyo," you corrected yourself with a placid smile, "and there are…how many of ya? Around twenty?"

No one dared to answer you.

"Twenty members did not deem it necessary to do a headcount at the very least? Y'all always add me in these headcounts so surely you coulda checked to see if you—I dunno—maybe forgot your freakin' manager?"

You had tried to stay calm but you glared at the herd of boys and balled your hands into tight fists.

Dammit. Seeing them made you remember just how scared and panicked you had been when you first realized your team had left you alone in Itachiyama. Sure, the reaction probably wasn't entirely rational, considering the team was going to stay in the Tokyo area for the next four days and would surely pick you up. But you had been scared. Your mind had simply jumped to the worst possible outcome.

"We're very sorry!"

You jumped as your teammates all apologized to you in one voice before promptly bowing to you in unison.

A moment of silence followed as everyone, including Itachiyama, watched as the entire Inarizaki team bowed their heads on their knees with their foreheads nearly touching the gravel.

"R-raise your heads!" you exclaimed, snapping out of your daze and ushering your teammates to get up. "What if one of you scrape yer—"

Your eyes zeroed in on a bloody forehead amongst the sea of heads staring up at you.

"Riseki!"

"H-huh? W-what is it, [Surname]-senpai?" the first year looked up at you with his brows raised and eyes wide in alarm.

"Yer forehead!"

"Huh?"

The rest of the team turned to look at Riseki.

"Ya were too enthusiastic with yer apology, Riseki!" Ginjima managed before he burst into peals of laughter and nearly fell over an unimpressed Suna.

"Hey," the latter protested as he pushed Ginjima away from him and into Kosaku.

"How did you miss?" Kita glimpsed down at his hands in confusion.

"Yer hands, yer hands!" Aran waved his own hands around before folding them neatly on top of one another above his head. "You should've rested your forehead on your hands, Riseki!"

"We even counted down and all," Osamu said.

"Yeah, like we said we would," Atsumu nodded.

"Riseki, control yourself next time," Akagi said as he pat Riseki, who sat to his right, on the back with a shake of his head.

"Next time?" you echoed in exasperation. "Can'tcha just…not?"

Extra: The Birth of (Another) Demon Manager

"Man…the Inarizaki manager sure is scary."

Almost all of the Itachiyama team nodded fervently in agreement, thinking back to the events that occurred the other day.

"Did you hear how she spoke with Ojiro Aran over the phone?" Asaoka recalled with a slight shudder.

"She even got Kita to bow to her," Fukuda shook his head in slight amazement and awe. "I pegged him as the icy sort of unflappable type."

Kanehara glanced between his seniors with a frown, "Forget her own team, what about how she dealt with us?"

"Do you reckon all Kansai girls are like that?" Utsubo mused nonchalantly.

"I thought she'd be more…docile? She looked like she was about to cry when we first saw her," Komori said, tapping his chin as he thought back to their encounter with the Inarizaki manager.

"She got abandoned by her own team in a region far from home," Iizuna rolled his eyes. "I don't blame her for being a bit panicked and scared. I'd be mad at you guys too if you just up and left me in Inarizaki."

Sakusa gravely nodded in agreement.

"If anybody leaves me alone, I'm going to report you to the coaches. We'll see how you like your drills then," the first year manager accidentally blurted out after considering how uncomfortable it'd be just surrounded by strangers without an inkling as to where her team went.

Nobody spoke, shocked by the harsh words she had unthinkingly blurted out. They shared bewildered looks over her head, wordlessly swearing to make sure they didn't repeat Inarizaki's mistake.

She seemed to have caught on to the fact that she hadn't managed to filter herself and flushed before stalking away from them and to the third year manager.

"…Kanehara."

The first year boy flinched, "Y-yes!"

"Has she always been like that?" Iizuna asked with furrowed brows.

"I…don't know?"

The third years all exchanged a knowing look before taking a quick peek at their third year manager.

"Well, good luck," Utsubo patted Kanehara on the shoulder much to the latter's confusion.

"You too," Asaoka nodded at Sakusa and Komori.

"W-what?"

"Being a manager is tough work," Fukuda stated in an all too serious voice, "don't underestimate them."

"Seriously," Iizuna gave a resolute nod.

235 notes · View notes