#even when they're doing missions together and working as a pair. they're doing hero work. they're WORKING

[dailybakudekusong]

Today's Daily BakuDeku Song Is: Christmas In June - AJR

Oh my God How lucky am I to have two things I love? Makes it that much easier to fuck it up In case I miss it, can we do Christmas in June?

[save-the-villainous-cat]

could you write something with the hero and villain fake dating? (you totallt dont have to if you dont want to or something I just wanted to ask cus I loveee the trope!)

"Kiss me," the villain said.

"No fucking way." A horrible blush started to spread over the hero's neck. The worst thing about this was that this had been their idea in the first place.

They were ashamed to admit it but when they had arrested the villain a few months ago, they had suggested to the judge a different kind of punishment. At the time, there wasn't much evidence of the villain's criminal activities, so the hero had thought it to be more practical if the villain had to work together with other heroes. As a kind of community service.

After all, the villain was smart when it came to these schemes.

However, for whatever reason, they had been paired together. The hero didn't quite know what to do with themselves now. Ever since the mission had started, their brain wasn't functioning at all. It was quite self-explanatory. The villain was incredibly attractive and they were joking around, seizing every opportunity to flirt with the hero.

The hero suspected it to be some scheme to throw them off their game. But they couldn't be sure.

"These guys over there have been eyeing us the entire evening. If you ask me, they're not buying our little act." The villain let their fingertips ghost over the hero's knuckles and the hero's heart started to throb. The hero didn't turn around to look at the suspicious people the villain had been talking about. Their mind was somewhere else entirely.

On this after show party, they were supposed to observe highly influential people for suspicious activity. An election was coming up and although the hero loathed politics, it was obviously the right thing to do. They weren't supposed to be the ones being observed.

Usually, the hero wasn't very fond of undercover work. They were a horrible liar and improvisation wasn't their strong suit either. For the last few days, the villain had saved them more than once from embarrassing slip-ups. It was quite pathetic.

"And you have been flirted with already," the villain said. Somehow, their voice sounded bitter.

"They were just being nice," the hero said. They shifted on their chair. If someone was indeed observing them, maybe kissing the villain was the right thing to do. God, the hero didn't have much experience and they feared they would make a fool out of themsleves once again.

The villain probably had a new lover every week or so.

"They wanted to buy you a drink."

"Ehh," the hero said. "It doesn't really matter, does it?"

"It's compromising the mission."

"Is that person who wanted to buy me a drink one of those guys who have been 'eyeing' us the entire evening?" the hero asked. They leaned over and took the villain's hand. Whenever they looked into the villain's eyes, their stupid heart skipped a beat but they tried to come closer, to appear more in love.

It was quite strange for them to display physical intimacy in public. They had never really considered themselves to be fit for relationships - work got in the way every single time but the villain brought enough casualness into the (fake) relationship to somewhat ease the hero's nerves.

The villain didn't answer their question, though.

"All I am trying to say is: when someone wants to buy you a drink, we don't look like a couple," the villain said. Their eyes dropped to the hero's lips and the hero leaned over, holding onto the villain's hand.

"Well, you could have come with me to the bar," the hero said. They shrugged and took a sip of their drink with a shaky hand the villain observed a little too long.

"I will keep that in mind." The villain followed the little veins on the hero's wrist of the hand that was holding onto them. The hero was so nervous they weren't sure if they had to cry or laugh.

"Okay, be honest. Is someone watching?" the hero asked. They managed to scoot over towards the villain.

The villain's eyes were still on the hero, observed every little move. To say the villain could be relentless was an understatement.

"They have the audacity to check you out." The villain's voice was low, even though their mouth formed a sweet smile. The hero hadn’t even realised how tight their grip was around the villain's hands. "Probably some disgusting perv. I can’t blame them, though. You look incredible."

The villain leaned in, touched the hero's forearm gently and immediately, the hero’s heart sped up.

"You have to be very careful or I will actually fall in-"

And then, the hero kissed them.

For whatever reason, they kissed them. They put their flat hand on the villain's neck and pulled them close until their lips met. Later, the hero would blame their own nervousness but truthfully, they didn't know exactly why they did it.

The hero considered themselves inexperienced - rightfully so - and heard their own heartbeat in their ears as the villain smiled against their lips. The hero felt clumsy and stupid; they didn't know exactly what they were doing. So, it was even more embarrassing when the villain put a hand on their thigh, squeezed softly and responded with slow kisses, forcing the hero to adapt.

Although the hero was painfully aware of their own nervousness, they were also calming down slowly. The villain was guiding them through it perfectly and they hated themselves for being in need of it.

Eventually, the hero pulled away and found it to be quite hard to look into the villain's eyes.

"Impressive," the villain murmured. Their smirk wasn't leaving their face.

"Sorry, I- uh-"

"Don't apologise."

"Oh, yes, uh..." The villain leaned over once more until they could whisper into the hero's ear.

"You did so well, don't you know that?"

"Are - are they still watching us?"

"No, my love." The villain gave the hero a peck on their temple. "How do you feel?"

"Nervous," they admitted.

"You're not really a fan of being undercover, are you?" The villain took their hand and the hero squeezed it, trying somehow to stop their hands from shaking.

"It's my least favourite thing about this job," the hero said. They took in a deep breath and tried to gather their thoughts.

The villain could be so sweet - the reassurance and the gentleness were so foreign to the hero that it scared them. Most of the time, their job was focused on performance and results. There wasn't much space for emotions. They weren't used to someone praising them.

"Don't worry, you are amazing at this," the villain purred. "If it's too much for you, we can always leave."

"But the mission..."

"Well, if you want my honest opinion: I couldn't care less about it. I am just enjoying my time with you."

The hero had to chuckle.

"You are terrible."

"It's your call. I can take the blame if your boss gives you an earful."

"Really?"

"Really."

Once they were back in their hotel room, the hero dared to sleep in the bed with the villain next to them and awoke unsurprisingly in their arms in the morning.

[snootlestheangel]

I need to stop having ideas ffs

And of course it's basically Ghoap: Murder Husbands

Soap and Ghost who are both technically military but they're both so anonymous no one's really sure anymore. They do their own thing, basically.

They live and exist simply as their callsigns. The notorious Ghost: a manifestation of Death itself, never leaves anyone against him alive. Works silently and seems to be truly a demon. Efficient and deadly, you never want to hear the Ghost is there, even if he's supposedly on your side.

And yeah, the name "Soap" doesn't exactly strike fear into anyone. At least not at first, not until they learn he earned it through being so good at not leaving a single trace of either his or Ghost's identities. Never a way to track them down. Everywhere he's been, all the information has been wiped clean. He's scary good at helping the pair simply vanish into thin air.

Everyone that does end up working with them only knows them by their masks. Very select people have heard Ghost speak, and the way the two seemingly compliment each other's appearance in a way is mildly uncanny.

They're practically legendary heroes at this rate, but like dark and no one wants to meet them.

Especially superstitious Sergeant Kyle Garrick.

But after one mission gone sideways, Gaz ends up injured pretty badly. At least he thinks so. He's bleeding and he hit his head pretty hard, so he's losing consciousness.

The last thing he sees before blacking out is the infamous above mentioned duo, haunting skull masks hovering over him.

Next thing he knows, he wakes up cozy on a couch in what he assumes is a safe house. The wound where he was bleeding from has been neatly bandaged, and he's in a set of sleep clothes not familiar to him, the pants a long length on him, and the shirt a bit baggy.

Some interaction with casual Soap and Ghost, where Soap figures out who Gaz is and his connection to Price. (Basically this would just absolutely buff the fact that Soap is insanely smart, emphasis on the insane part)

Eventually Gaz is reunited with Price and SoapGhost disappear again

But there's a twist

Sergeant John MacTavish and Lieutenant Simon Riley are still active soldiers, and are part of their own special forces unit. Their unit is renowned for their high success rate, and their efficiency with every assignment.

Their unit and Price’s are assigned to work together. Gaz nearly shits himself when he sees the two ranking officers are Soap and Ghost.

I have more to share but I can't explain it very well rn

Someone can spam me with asking for more and I'll get back to this when I am back to brain functioning

[maple-the-awesome]

He's Becomes a Dad || Part 2/2

Part 1

Pairing: Twilight, Warrior, Sky, Wild x Reader

Overview: Congratulations, you're new parents 🎉 Some of the Links are prepared. Others...might need a moment to gather themselves. But rest assured! At the end of the day, they're all going to get a handle on this whole dad thing. Warning: Mentions of miscarriages for Sky's section. Nothing to detailed, but it's there so beware 🙅‍♀️

Zelda Masterlist 🤎Fandom Masterlist

It's never been a surprise to you that Twilight would want kids of his own. He never even had to say it aloud, you could just read that look in his eyes whenever playing with the village children. It was a wordless yet ever so contagious request: I want this. And how were you to deny him? Just look at him!

Simply put, children were a top priority of yours almost as soon as you married. It didn't take long for you to become pregnant either (not with Twilight's fierce passion and your shared disinterest towards 'waiting'). Regardless, there were still many tears shed when you found out - all happy, of course, as your husband spun you around in his arms while you both laughed giddily in between quick kisses.

Let's get this straight: Twilight is prepared-prepared. Ordon is that type of close-knit community where everyone helps raise each other's kids, so despite this being his first rodeo as a new dad himself, he has plenty of experience taking care of youngsters. As a ranch-hand, he's also perfectly accustomed to the whole birthing process, having hand-delivered more baby goats than he can count, so don’t worry, nothing about the ‘less glamorous’ sides of pregnancy scare him. 

With that being said, Twilight doesn't stress too much aside from the normal concerns about your health, after all he recognizes that not every pregnancy is the same for every woman, but that's exactly why he makes it his personal mission to ensure your comfort. 

Feeling particularly ill? He'll make you all the tasty pumpkin soup you could ask for which, believe it or not, works wonders for an upset stomach. Just having a bad day? He'll happily let you cuddle with Wolfie to help you relax. Restless? He'll take you on a horse ride no matter the hour and if you're too far along in your pregnancy to climb onto Epona, a simple walk to Ordon's spring will do since that's the perfect spot to soak your sore body. Twilight is no above carrying you there himself if you ask.

Trust that your every worry is always smoothed; Twilight is there to reassure you no matter how 'little' the problem. Have concerns he can't speak on as a man? He'll happily go ask one of the other village women for you if you're too embarrassed to do so yourself, in fact this guy's already been talking Rusl and Uli's ears off for advice since day one. He doesn't want to leave a single thing to chance regardless of how confident he already feels which is probably why there's a stack of parenting books on his nightstand. Did he clear the shelves in Castle Town? Probably.

You're pretty sure that Twilight already had a 'go-bag' put together before the end of your first trimester, although he’d add to it like a paranoid squirrel up until your due-date. Curious, you had gone through it one day just to get a hint of how overboard he might've gone. Diapers, snacks, blankets, comfortable clothes for you, more parenting books...He does realize you're doing a home birth, right? Most of this stuff he could just grab from the cabinet if needed, but it's sweet that he's trying to be organized.

It isn’t really news to anyone that Hyrule’s heroes tend to land on the quieter side and usually Twilight isn’t much different…There’s a key word in there because you’re quite certain he hasn’t actually shut up since the second you told him you’re pregnant. He can hardly keep his excitement to himself! Oh, but it’s adorable, especially on those nights when he’ll fall asleep mumbling about his joy all while using your swollen stomach as a pillow. It makes your heart swell every time.

When you eventually go into labor, Twilight doesn’t show much outward panic if he has any at all, however he does feel incredibly terrible to watch you go through it without any relief. He feels absolutely useless while unable to take away your suffering the way a good husband should, so to make up for it, he does his utmost best to be your rock during those long hours, talking you through each painful contraction and doing everything in his power to distract you. Back rubs, walks around the house, whispers of sweet nothings…He’s by your side well into the night, keeping it up until it finally comes time to start pushing.

He definitely was not going to say it while you were going through the motions because he’d like to keep his head, but human and goat births are pretty much the same thing minus the actual cursing. He’s in his element then, knowing exactly what to do to ensure a safe delivery for mama and baby. His movements are almost automatic, trained by years of practice as he cleans the little one off before taking the time to admire them fully.

Are you shocked that Twilight is teary eyed? Not at all. Are you upset that he almost forgets about you entirely for a second because he’s so entranced by the baby? Also no, since you need a moment to catch your breath anyway. Don’t worry, though, he does eventually pass you your son reluctantly before hovering at your side with possibly the widest grin you’ve ever seen on the man since your wedding day. 

The rest of the night is calm from there on, filled with quiet whispers and cooing as you both take turns partaking in skin-to-skin contact with your baby. Will you be doing this again soon? You’re probably going to need a decent break to recover, but just know that your husband is absolutely ready whenever you are. In the meantime, expect to be showered in endless love and affection because you deserve it for the priceless gift you’ve given him.

Your relationship with Warrior has always been ‘slow moving’ if compared to most other couples’. For starters, while he may have a formidable reputation for being a supposed lady's man, all that 'skill' of his would go flying out the window whenever faced with your presence, so it took some time (and maybe a near-death experience) for any confessions to be made. In his defense, you're a very beautiful and strong woman who happened to be one of his superiors during most of the war, so please excuse him for usually being awed into silence whenever you showed even an ounce of interest in ‘lil ol’ him. His brain would literally become a windows error.

Even after Warrior did finally find the courage to ask you out, your respected jobs and heavy workloads have often forced your relationship to be put on the back-burner. Marry you? Hylia knows he’s been DYING to! You’re already wearing the ring and everything, but it's not like you're going anywhere anytime soon and he'd rather wait a few extra years to enjoy the perfect moment rather than rush the whole ‘happiest-day-of-our-lives’ thing during a bad time.

Luckily for him, you've never needed a formal certificate to know you own his heart. He proves it to you in other ways every day from cheesy love letters to overly romantic dates during your rare off time, and while you normally adore being the sole subject of his affection, that's exactly how you ended up in this very situation.

You're both adults and as such you won't pretend to be innocent: This wasn't planned in the slightest. Your jobs can be quite chaotic, as previously addressed, so you just wanted to help your husband-to-be relax and destress a bit - nothing new for either of you in itself, although that particular evening would end up weighing heavily on your mind a few weeks later.

To be honest, when you first entered Warrior's office and instructed him to sit down with a stern voice that could rival Commander Impa's, he thought you must've finally grown tired of being engaged for several years, having come to him then to demand that he marry you sooner. Agreement was right on the tip of his tongue when you delivered the bombshell that you were pregnant instead.

Your tone was serious and expression calm, but Warrior knows you well enough to spot the hidden worry in your eyes. It’s justified, of course. Had either of you even discussed having kids before? He doesn’t think so. It’s not like having a baby is a bad thing, though. The idea of creating a small family with you is a pleasant one, it’s just…happening a lot sooner than preferred. You both would’ve liked more time to plan and prepare…but oh well. What’s done is done. 

The real concern is will your jobs allow you both time off to take care of a baby? It's not like a war is currently going on, so Hyrule won't suffer too much from having two of its best captains sidelined, however what happens if that doesn't remain the case? What if war breaks out tomorrow or the day after? Warrior can’t let his pregnant fiancée fight in battles! What kind of husband and father would that make him?! But at the same time, is he just supposed to ask that you sacrifice your career in order to spare his? THAT’S NO BETTER!

...All things considered, you'd say Warrior handles the news far better than some might've. Yes, he begins to ‘slightly’ overthink things, although that's exactly why you had him sit down first. Calmly, you take his hand and tell him how things will be (your own way of offering comfort not only to him, but yourself as well). The bottom line is that if you could successfully fight Ganondorf’s army together, you can raise a child together, too. Really, how much harder can it be? You already have some minor experience being unofficial parents to little Time and Wind during the war. Just don't give your own children any magic masks or wind controlling devices and you should be golden.

Thankfully, many of Warrior’s initial fears are proven to be irrational during the earliest stages of your pregnancy. Everyone else was positively thrilled to hear the news and even Impa gave her congratulations, explaining to your fiancé’s relief that she’ll simply assign you more deskwork until it’s fit for you to return back to your normal duties. All he has to worry about in the meantime is making sure you actually take it easy; only a slightly difficult task considering your headstrong nature and insistence on not being ‘coddled’, but hey, if anyone can handle it, it’s the guy who’s hellbent on marrying your stubborn butt one day.

Warrior will admit that there were still some nights when he would nearly pull his hair out while doubting if he’s actually ready to be a dad, however the moment you officially being showing is the same moment he forgets all about any possible regrets and replaces them entirely with daydreams filled with not only his lovely wife, but also a little one who will hopefully think the absolute world of him. He already knows he’ll think of it of them.

Although you may feel a bit nervous towards the prospect of suddenly being parents, that doesn’t change the fact that you wouldn’t choose anyone else to go through this journey with. One look to your side and you’re certain of it. The way Warrior holds his son for the first time, newborn wrapped comfortably in his scarf and dad, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion after hours of labor yet the proud smile evident on his face nevertheless…You were right before: so long as you do it together, you’ll excel in this whole ‘parenting-thing’.

You had married young - almost as soon as you were able after graduating from the Knight Academy. To everyone else on Skyloft, you have always been the picture image of an ideal couple; the hero and his beloved princess who somehow manage to be completely and utterly smitten with each other even years later. To call Sky your husband is a blessing in itself and you consider yourself lucky every single day. There’s only ever been one problem with your relationship - one single complaint you can think of where neither of you are truly responsible: your lack of children.

When you first married, there was lots of talk, after all everyone was simply dying to know when the first generation on the Surface would be born. Your parents were eager for grandchildren and Zelda, your best friend, had way too much fun teasing you over the matter by expressing her 'surprise' that Sky had yet to give you a baby despite how 'passionate' he’s always been towards you (she would make sure to use those exact words, too). 

Initially, you never minded anyone’s curiosity. It’s only natural to expect children from a newly wed couple. It's when that same couple reaches their third then sixth year of marriage without any trace of tiny feet or squealing laughter that those curious and well-meant questions grow quiet with unbearable pity, your shared excitement becoming shuttered sorrow.

At the start there was nothing to worry about. You were both young and not putting that much effort into it, so certain it wouldn't take long for your family to grow. Then the years began to pass and you would try everything the doctor recommended, but every test would still leave you as disappointed as the last. The absolutely worst form of despair came those few times you'd actually get your hopes up only to have them cruelly dashed a few months in.

What were you doing wrong? Sky would always hush your anxieties and do his utmost best to reassure you, however you knew by his own tears that your infertility hurt him just as much, especially when on those quieter nights, you'd suggest that perhaps you simply weren't meant to be parents - that the gods were just trying to tell you both something you were too stubborn to accept.

It's for that reason that you had such mixed emotions once finally able to fall pregnant again. You were optimistic deep down, however after six years of attempts and losses, you were wary to embrace too much joy right away which was shown in the way Sky held onto you for what felt like hours after you told him or how he slept each night with a hand on your stomach even in those early days, internally praying to the goddesses this would be the one.

A month passed...Then two...And three, and four…For once, you didn't feel sick aside from what was considered normal. Maybe a bit of high blood pressure the doctor kept a close eye on, but other than that he’d always tell Sky and you the same thing: they're healthy.

Even then, you’d say you remained extra cautious, not daring to eat nor do anything the doctor so much as hesitated against, however Sky was by far the worst when it came to worrying. As your husband, he considers your physical and mental well-being his personal responsibility, but as the father of your child? His work has doubled!

All chores were to be his alone so that you could rest. Any bout of sickness was closely monitored and tended to. His hand would remain on your stomach from beginning to end, although overtime it would be done less out of fear and more for the sake of bounding, often accompanied by his voice or the melody of his harp which he would happily play for you both whenever you were having a particularly difficult time falling asleep at night.

Now, you didn't dare tell anyone about your pregnancy during the first half, not wanting to deliver anymore bad news should it come, however once the remilit was out of the bag, you became the center of attention much to Sky's conflicted feelings. On one hand, you deserved it for all of your hard work growing a baby, but on the other, that overprotective dad-side of him couldn't help fretting over the vast number of harmful germs your guests could possibly be passing onto you and your unborn child. Did he make everyone wash their hands for ten minutes before visiting? Yes, yes he did.

Beyond being protective, Sky was also very emotional throughout the entire pregnancy maybe even more than you sometimes. He got teary-eyed after every doctor's appointment that confirmed the baby's development, while picking out names together, and even when you were yelling at him for something stupid because as far as he was concerned, you still looked so beautiful standing there with crossed arms and a round belly carrying his child. Oh, but none of that compared in the slightest to the tears that were shed when he actually held his daughter for the first time; that amount of waterworks could put the flood of Faron to shame!

Six years of waiting made you both lose hope. You assumed you’d never be able to have children of your own and even began to look towards other options such as adoption or simply living your lives childless forever…but the day your daughter was born was the day all your anxieties and doubts were finally put to rest. Now, as you cry happily with your husband, you can’t think of a single complaint towards your relationship; it’s officially as perfect as the precious little bundle in your arms.

Wild and you were still practically newlyweds when you gave him the 'thrilling' news. You were so happy to do so, too, barely able to bite back your excitement while watching your husband lift a small pair of baby pajamas out of a gift box. You were absolutely glowing as you eagerly awaited his reaction and all he could do was simply stare into space as his whole world came crashing down on top of him. Did he look horrified on the outside? He must've, because he swears he could’ve pinpointed the exact moment that shine in your eyes died, a frown etching its way onto your lips. What else was he supposed to do aside from fake a smile and embrace you, keeping you close to his chest so that your delight wouldn't be spoiled by his internal nervous breakdown?

Wild has zero right to be shocked. You had both been intimate (as tends to happen when you're married) not to mention you had made it perfectly clear from the start of your relationship that you would want a family one day. Judging on your eagerness towards the topic, it was never up for debate either; no kids would be a dealbreaker for you, so Wild had no choice but to quietly agree, too afraid to dare utter the truth or voice any hesitation because Hylia forbid you get the wrong idea and leave him. 

He thought it would be harmless. Some couples remain married for years before any children follow and you weren't in any big hurry, so he figured he'd have plenty of time to get his act together until the day of your dreams arrived; he didn't think it would happen during your first year of marriage! ...Now he's really dug himself into a hole it's too late to try escaping from…

He’s almost said something - a few times actually. He knows it’s only fair and that as your husband, he owes you proper communication, but each time he opens his mouth, his mind curses him with the image of your sadness. What if you think he doesn’t want this at all? What if you think he hates the baby and hates you for being pregnant? What if you concluded he must want to leave you so you decide to beat him to the punch?! 

…Okay, so Wild knows you aren’t going to just walk away. You’ve always been good at listening to his inner demons and acting as his strongest pillar of support, but that doesn’t change his fear that you might be hurt by whatever he has to say and he will not allow himself to ruin your own excitement. 

In the years that he’s known you, he can’t say he’s ever seen you quite as happy as when you found out about your baby. He knows he should match that joy, too. Most men do. Hell, Twilight practically sent a five-page essay bragging about his wife's first pregnancy. Truth be told, Wild actually does feel happy. On his better days, he feels that flicker of pride and a hint of eagerness because a family with you honestly sounds wonderful. The problem is, in his mind, it isn't a question as to what he wants, but rather what he deserves. 

So much has gone wrong in his past. It doesn’t matter how much you or anyone else assures him otherwise, it’s hard to shake the feeling that he failed Hyrule. He still suffers from so many nightmares and waves of guilt that he can’t properly put into words. You’re still having to shake him out of dazes and smooth his following sobs…How is he going to be a good dad and be there for his child when he can barely stand upon his own two feet like this?

Initially, Wild thought these feelings would go away; that’s why he never spoke them to you. He wanted so desperately to believe they wouldn’t linger, especially after you both got married. He lives in a peaceful world, has a nice home in a quiet village, a beautiful wife who adores him…He should’ve been able to move on from the Calamity already, so why hasn’t he? On his worst nights, it makes him wonder if he’ll ever be okay or if he’s just screwed you and the baby over by tying you both down to him.

These two sides of him - the hopeful and the pitiful - continue to battle for dominance inside Wild’s head throughout each step. Sometimes he’s genuinely smiling with you as you pick out baby names. Other times he’s sitting outside alone trying his damn hardest to remember any piece of his past that might make him feel at least a little better about his luck towards being a dad, preferably a time when he was actually good with kids or even had a family before. 

Wild’s internal dilemma comes to a head one fateful night when he’s awoken to the baby’s distressing cries. He had honestly already been awake after a mild case of anxiety, but you on the other hand are tired, worn from nine long months of pregnancy and the early days of active motherhood. The last thing he wants is for you to lose out on precious rest (a rare gift these days), so leaping out of bed, he’s quick to reach the baby’s crib.

Unfortunately, Wild’s natural instincts seem to basically stop right there at the crib’s side. Hands hovering above, he tries his best to calm his daughter through whispered assurances and attempts at cooing the same way he’s seen you do. When that doesn’t work, he awkwardly picks her up, cuddling her close to his chest while quietly pleading at this point. Is she hungry? Does she need a diaper change? Did she have a nightmare? Whatever it is, if you wake up, you’ll take over and he’ll be left to stand aside feeling like he can’t even do the basic task of comforting his own child and -

- To his astonishment, his efforts actually work. It really must’ve been as simple as a nightmare because slowly, the baby falls silent, seemingly forgetting all about her troubles as she finds solace gazing up at her daddy with the widest blue eyes and a stuck-out tongue that can’t seem to keep itself in her mouth. It looks rather goofy, so Wild can’t help but chuckle, although the sound is soft as his heart melts under the attention she holds towards him. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say it’s almost like she’s looking at her entire world…

Maybe some would say this moment isn’t necessarily anything special, but for Wild, it’s everything. As if suddenly a pro, he’s able to rock the little beauty gently back to sleep, his pleas turning into words of admiration as he tucks her into bed. There, he continues to keep watch over her until he feels tired himself, all the while thinking: he might be broken from years of trauma, and he might not be the best husband or parent out there because of it, but that's not going to stop him from doing everything in power to be there for his princesses.

[beeejayy]

Back with more soul eater au . Sun eater. Omori eater. Uhh. Soul omori.

Anyways me ranting about this au down here .

First, soul eater premise so I don't confuse people!

"Death City is home to the famous Death Weapon Meister Academy, a technical academy headed by the Shinigami—Lord Death himself. Its mission: to raise "Death Scythes" for the Shinigami to wield against the many evils of their fantastical world. These Death Scythes, however, are not made from physical weapons; rather, they are born from human hybrids who have the ability to transform their bodies into Demon Weapons, and only after they have consumed the souls of 99 evil beings and one witch's soul."

Omori spoilers probably too

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

Aubrey, Hero and Sunny are all meisters! What does that mean? It means their job is to turn their friends into death weapons, they're all partners and fight together!

Sunny: Sunny wants to become a miester for his sister, he's only doing it because Mari wanted him to be by her side and not leave him alone.

Hero: His parents wanted him to be born a weapon but since he never did he still wanted to do something so he became a meister and wants to be one of the first to make one of his friends (Mari) a death scythe. Hero prefers using Mari's scythe form the most since their wavelengths get along the most and they're just both good as a team.

Aubrey: She always wanted to be a weapon, it sounded the coolest to her but she is just a human. But, she can see souls! What does that mean? It's called Soul Perception, Aubrey herself possesses a keen sense of soul perception in which is due to the fact that she possess greater courage then others when fighting fear. Not only can she sense souls herself, but also attributes and estimated capabilities and later even the emotional state of others. (I totally didn't copy and paste what soul perception means) Aubrey is extremely jealous of Kel due to the fact he can turn into different weapons and she can't even be one. (Will get into Kel soon.) Aubrey and Kel are the best pair but also cannot work together. Their wavelengths never match and they can barely use soul resonance, when they fight their souls reject each other which causes Aubrey's hands to burn and Kel to feel very ill and his nose bleeds. Aubrey's hands are burnt because of how many times this happens!

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

Mari: She is the only Scythe in the group! She is a perfectionist and her soul is the most determined out of everyone. Mari can actually use her scythe as a piano!

Basil: Basil is gardening shears! (Yeah I know, real original) When he and Sunny first paired up they had a fight over trying to do witch hunter (a fighting technique to kill witches) and Basil accidentally hurt Sunny and now Sunny has less eye coordination! Basil works best with Aubrey because of how long the two have been working together. (I'm still considering giving Basil black blood so he can be stranger but I don't know.)

Kel: (Kel's weapon choice was hard for me so I did just take another character's abilities and gave it to him but it works well with him.) He is classified as a "shadow weapon" who has the power to transform into a variety of ninja weapons including a kusarigama, a shuriken, a ninjatō, knife and a smoke bomb. His ability was passed down by previous family members. His parents wanted it to be for Hero but they couldn't control that! Kel can use his soul to resonate with whoever wields him! It reflects his character and how he can befriend anyone. Each person has a preference of Kel's weapon ability that they like to use. Mari uses Kel's smokebomb form, Aubrey uses his Kusarigama, Basil uses his Shuriken, Sunny uses his knife form (obviously) and Hero uses the ninjatō! Hero is the only one who can use it, its full name is the uncanny sword. One of the Uncanny Sword's known abilities is "Soul Possession", in which exploits the fears in people's hearts to possess the body and soul of the person who carries it. In the end, it absorbs the person's soul entirely. Another is Shadow Manipulation, the Uncanny Sword is capable of controlling a meister's shadow at will for a variety of effects. Hero is the only one who can use this weapon form because using it takes the users soul and Hero has the most experience with this form.

All of them are a group and switch between using each weapon because they can't pick only one pair together (by them I mean me)

[emeraldgreaves]

12,14, 17 and 30 for MoiraxRed and/or any/all of your BG3 pairings!

man i need to play more bg3. but this got way too long so here's the moirared!

Do they have similar goals? If they clash, how do they deal? I think their goals end up being fairly similar--I tend to describe them as two Weird Academics, so they're generally happy to support each other up to a point. i think moira finds the concept of the worldwalkers fascinating but also incredibly risky, so she'll help detangle power cables when Red wants to put together a new machine but doesn't have a problem pointing out the gaps in his reasoning. on the flip side, I think red does value moira's compassion and will gladly listen to her explain how antinausea potions were originally synthesized from lizard venom, but her self-sacrificing instincts in their particular line of work are a source of worry for him, and it's tricky to talk her down from expending so much of her time and energy because Healing/self-worth issues have basically trained her to operate that way.

Is there anything they associate with each other?

wasn't quite sure how to answer this one so have some patchwork vibes.

moira->red: once or twice across a barroom, she heard a laugh that was almost his. she draws such perfect chalk circles because of how much practice she had constructing them around their midnight experiments. he was the first person to recommend her favorite playwright. (she kept skipping shows of his favorites, and regrets forgetting how funny they were.) the book in chandry's shop seemed like something he might have liked. if she'd ever seen the sea, it would be a couple of shades away from his eyes. once on the road, maybe a week after she'd left for good, someone tugged on her braid the way he occasionally did and she hacked the entire thing off that evening.

red->moira: she prefers lavender soap for her hair. recipes for tonics and elixirs tended to read themselves in her voice. sometimes he finds her in the kitchen when he goes to scrounge up midnight snacks. (he didn't realize he looked forward to it until she was away on mission.) half the delight in a new discovery is explaining it to her over dessert. in their fifth year, she gave him a bookmark she made that would cling to the point in the page where you left off.

Their ways of expressing their love. lena's probably got an ask for things red does, but (1) moira feeds people and will bring snacks down if red is lost in the research sauce lmao (2) will happily donate time to the parts of research that don't require an advanced degree (rubber ducking, flagging stuff from the vaults that looks useful, etc.) (3) forehead. kisses. (4) in an established relationship, they send a letter home at least once a week so that the other person is guaranteed to receive them at some point. in the flirting stage they passed a lot of notes LMAO (5) giving the other one space to just Be A Person. IMO red is actually really well-suited to understand how heavy being The Hero of Haven can be, since he's done that as archmage. it helps that both of them knew the other person before they had a dramatic title to carry, so there's already a trust that they'll be forgiven for being less than perfect.

How does their love change as they get older? okay i can never write short about this but TLDR: they're not just exes. they were close friends whose miscommunication over their breakup drove a narrow but deep wedge between them that persists even in the present, and i think about that constantly. i think fundamentally the circle berakup came down towards red's thoughtlessness vs moira's passivity, plus her growing guilt/fears over keeping a large secret that potentially endangered anyone she gets close to. so things are better in game time! it's kind of interesting how time has reversed which one of them is more careful vs more carefree--red getting burned means he intends to make absolutely certain they're on the same page this time, moira getting forgiveness (and clarity) about the words of power removes a lot of her hesitations. there's a deliberateness and an openness that they hadn't quite figured out the first time. i think the biggest test for them actually comes postgame when it becomes clear just how fucking fragile moira has become due to the events of the game. and it's terrifying for her to be that vulnerable around him, but even admitting she was hurting would have been unfathomable to her when they were seventeen. (yes, this is another fic. no, i don't have enough information to finish it.) i'm also actually super curious to see if red's personal arc goes where i think it will (somewhat along the same lines of the major choice in riel's second day off, if that makes sense) because i think that's going to be a fascinating conversation for them. one of the ongoing jokes with some of my fics is that they add +10 to the redharden stat LMAO by the time we hit The Future in Take Your Daughter To Work Day, there's a point of contention around how much moira's tried to put hero of haven stuff behind her--on the one hand, it was probably the most painful period of her life by a long shot, but at the same time it's difficult to pretend it didn't happen, especially given that one of their kids joins the shepherds. they go back and forth on how much information it's right for them to have. but honestly i don't think it affects how much they love each other. sometimes i think about how much they care about each other and want to lie on the floor.

[catladywriter]

Inotan Fanfic: Inosuke’s White Day Mission - Chapter 1

What's in a Gift?

Synopsis: It's the day before White Day and Tanjirou is busy making chocolates for all the girls who gave him chocolates on Valentine's Day. Inosuke thinks it's a stupid tradition. Why should Tanjirou have to return their favours? Shouldn't Tanjirou be making chocolates for him instead? Of course, he's not jealous or anything. Definitely not.

Alright, maybe he is a little jealous. After all, he has feelings for Tanjirou and wants to be the one receiving his hand-made chocolates. With a little prodding from Zenitsu and some help from Tanjirou’s family, Inosuke sets out to get the perfect gift to prove that he’s the best candidate for Tanjirou’s White Day chocolates.

Pairing: Inotan (Inosuke x Tanjirou)

Setting: Highschool AU (They're 17 in here, a couple of years older than their Kimetsu Academy counterpart)

Wordcount: 8500+ words across 4 chapters

Chapters: 1 2 3 4

Status: Complete

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Tanjirou spent most afternoons at his family's bakery after school, helping his parents to bake their customers' orders.

But White Day eve was an exception. He had booked the home economics room and planned to spend the whole afternoon there. With an apron over his school uniform, he made batches of square chocolate bars to give away for White Day. Zenitsu joined him with a similar apron. He was hyper-focused on perfecting a singular heart-shaped piece of chocolate, the size of a birthday cake. Working on his final iteration, he scraped away at the sides, smoothing out the edges to perfect it. Inosuke helped himself to the extra chocolate bits that came away.

The delectable fragrance of Tanjirou's freshly-prepared chocolate batter filled the room, making Inosuke's stomach growl. But he couldn't enjoy it knowing that none of it was for him.

Inosuke loved Valentine's Day, when he was showered with chocolates from girls he didn't even know existed. Zenitsu often complained about his "pretty privilege". He said girls only gave him chocolates because they were shallow and liked his looks, as though that was a bad thing. Inosuke didn't care about the girls' reasons as long as he got his hands on some delicious treats.

White Day was different. Boys had to return the favour by giving gifts to the girls who gave them chocolates, according to Tanjirou. Inosuke argued that he didn't have to return the favour because the girls had given him chocolates of their own accord. He hadn't asked them for it. If he wanted chocolates, he would ask Tanjirou to make them for him. Tanjirou made better chocolates than anyone, in his opinion.

Valentine's Day was a bountiful day for Tanjirou too when it came to receiving chocolates from girls. He was helpful and kind to everyone and regarded as a hero for helping to catch the train pervert several times. Naturally, he would insist on returning all the favours with his own hand-made chocolate as an expression of his sincerity. Inosuke found this irritating and a waste of time when they could be doing something fun together or making more chocolates for him. It was definitely not because he was jealous about Tanjirou making chocolates for other people. Not at all.

Zenitsu only gave White Day gifts to Nezuko. He claimed it was because he only had eyes for Nezuko. Inosuke knew that was only partially true. Once upon a time, Zenitsu received more than Nezuko’s hand-made chocolate on Valentine’s Day. But ever since he shared his bold assumption that all girls who gave him chocolates wanted to marry him, he never received chocolates from any girl again besides Nezuko. And Nezuko gave chocolates to everyone, including Inosuke. Zenitsu poured his heart and soul into his gift of love for Nezuko, with the mantra of becoming the only man worthy of Nezuko’s chocolates.

“I’m done!” Zenitsu announced brightly. “I hope Nezuko-chan likes it.”

“That’s great, Zenitsu,” Tanjirou grinned at him and gave him a thumbs up before turning back to his own work. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“And how much longer will you take?” Inosuke demanded.

"Just another fifty pieces to go," Tanjirou said. "I'll freeze them in the freezer, and I should be done in an hour or two."

Inosuke groaned in response.

"Do you have that many girls to give chocolate to?” Zenitsu exclaimed. “What are you up to? Casting the net wide? Trying to woo them all and get multiple girlfriends like Tengen?"

“Of course not!” Tanjirou said. "I'm just returning the favour to all the girls who gave me chocolate on Valentine's Day. I made more too so no one gets left out.”

"Why not give them chocolates or cookies from your family bakery?" Zenitsu suggested. "Everyone likes them, and it would save you a lot of trouble."

"That's exactly why I'm not doing that," Tanjirou replied. "I want to express my appreciation by making the chocolates myself. It wouldn't feel sincere otherwise."

Zenitsu rolled his eyes. "You're taking this too seriously," he said before turning to Inosuke. "And you're not taking this seriously at all."

"Why should I?" Inosuke said through a mouthful of chocolate. "I always get chocolates on Valentine's Day anyway, even if I don't return the favour."

Tanjirou interjected, "But that's not the point. Isn't it nice to have a special day to show your appreciation for the people who are kind to you? Besides, girls shouldn't be the only ones giving chocolate. It's not fair to them."

Inosuke hastened to swallow his mouthful of chocolate before retorting, "Yea? So why don't you give me any chocolate?"

Tanjirou looked confused. "But I do! Don't I give you chocolates on other days? Plus, all the chocolates I receive on Valentine's Day end up being eaten by you anyway."

That's not the same, idiot Gompachirou. Inosuke thought to himself.

Tanjirou chuckled. "You have to eat in moderation. I know you like chocolate, but too much of it will give you a stomach ache."

Zenitsu had put away his chocolate heart into a cooler bag and kept all his equipment. He zipped up his coat, grabbed his bags and headed for the door. "Guys, I have to go. I still have cram school later. Good luck with your chocolates, Tanjirou."

Tanjirou waved goodbye to Zenitsu, then turned to Inosuke. "If you want some chocolate, you can help yourself to the fridge. I made extras. If you don't eat too much, I should have enough for everyone."

Inosuke felt his irritation growing. "I'm worth only extras, eh?" he thought to himself.

"You can keep those extras," Inosuke snarled as he swung his backpack over his shoulder. In his haste, he hit himself with the bag, causing him to curse under his breath. Without bothering to see Tanjirou's reaction, he stormed out of the room.

*

Inosuke caught up to Zenitsu, his footsteps pounding against the ground.

"You left? I thought you'd stay back to keep Tanjirou company," Zenitsu said.

"I have better things to do than to watch him make chocolate for other people," Inosuke waved his hand dismissively.

Zenitsu shot him an annoying all-knowing smirk. "Ah yes, of course watching your crush make chocolates for other people is never a nice feeling. I get that with Nezuko-chan. But unlike you, I channel that feeling into something constructive, like creating the best chocolate I can make for her."

Inosuke scowled at Zenitsu's words. "I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't got a crush!"

Zenitsu rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you're both my buddies, and I've observed and noticed for a long time. You're in love with Tanjirou, but you're too proud to admit it. And Tanjirou probably likes you too but is too dense to realize it. Well, someone has to do something if you don't want to be stuck in a stalemate. And it looks like that someone will have to be you, Inosuke. Since you're the one who's jealous about not getting his chocolates."

Inosuke's face flushed with embarrassment. How long had Zenitsu known his secret?

"What?!" he sputtered. "I’m not in love with Santarou!" He gesticulated furiously, trying to distract from his own feelings. "Why should I be? He's just an underling, and he's dumb as hell! Why should I like someone like that? If you say stupid stuff like this again, I'll punch you!"

"Fine, fine, if you say so." Zenitsu shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, since I'm your best friend, don't say I'm not helping. You know Tanjirou doesn't like taking advantage of people. He always insists on returning favours, that's why he takes White Day seriously. It's already very generous of him to share his lunch and snacks with you on normal days. But you don't even give him anything, so why should he give you any in return?"

Inosuke's eyebrows shot up in indignation. "What? I spend all my free time with him and do things he likes with him, and I'm always there to help him when he needs it. Isn't that enough? Why should I give him anything when he doesn't need it? He'll just make me take it back or give me something in return. Giving presents is dumb and pointless, just like White Day." Inosuke ranted, forgetting that he was supposed to deny his feelings for Tanjirou.

Zenitsu sighed. "Of course, giving someone your time is the best present you can give..."

"That's exactly what I'm saying! And my time is very important," Inosuke snapped.

"Yes, but hear me out. When you give someone a present that they like or want, it shows that you care about them. And it's always nice to surprise people. It brightens their day."

Inosuke paused to think. Tanjirou had a way of cheering him up with his favourite food and snacks, like extra tempura to go with his lunch, or stationery and clothes with boar motifs. It always made him feel warm and fuzzy. He'd put on the shirt or start using the stationery immediately, even though he usually disliked wearing shirts or writing.

As though hearing his unspoken thoughts, Zenitsu chimed in. "See? It's not about the value of the gift or anything like that. It's about showing that you like them enough to care about their needs and likes, you know?"

Inosuke grunted in agreement. He could see the logic in that. But he still didn't know what to get for him. Tanjirou was a humble and selfless person, more concerned with the well-being of others than his own desires. He always said he was happy as long as his loved ones were well and safe. Besides, giving presents didn’t seem to guarantee that the recipient would accept his feelings.

"You give Nezuko all sorts of presents, and you’re still being friend-zoned," Inosuke pointed out.

Zenitsu’s smiley eyes turned wide and veiny.

“Why you! Why do I even bother talking to a boar like you? What a complete waste of my time!!” He stormed off in a huff, fists clenched to his sides.

Inosuke watched him go, taken aback by his outburst. That was just an honest observation. Why was Zenitsu so mad? Who could he ask for advice on what to get for Tanjirou now?

The cogs in his head spun, and in no time, a plan came to him. He would get Tanjirou chocolates, a belated Valentine's Day present, and make it a nice and big one. He would outdo all the chocolates Tanjirou had received from the girls. And in exchange, he would ask for all of Tanjirou's hand-made White Day chocolates.

Inosuke liked eating chocolate, but he couldn't distinguish one brand from another. Having accompanied Zenitsu on some of his present shopping sprees, he knew that getting chocolate from any random store wasn't enough to express his sincerity. As he wandered around, lost in thought, a familiar aroma of freshly baked bread and cookies caught his attention.

Without realizing it, his feet had led him to the Kamados' family bakery, the warmest and cosiest place he knew. He had spent hours there, watching Tanjirou man the ovens and savouring the freshest creations of the day right out of the oven. Tanjirou always thanked him for helping with his taste tests, but Inosuke believed that he never needed one. Tanjirou was a master of his craft, and he kept getting better every day.

Buying a present from Tanjirou's own family bakery might seem odd, but it had the best confectionery and pastries he had ever tasted. So, it made sense to buy from there. If he decided not to give the gift to stupid Tontarou, he knew it was something he would enjoy eating himself. Besides, he always worked there during the summer holidays, and was entitled to an employee discount, which would allow him a bigger budget. And either way, the spending would go back to Tanjirou’s family, so it was a win-win situation.

Confident that he would find the perfect gift here, Inosuke entered the bakery with a spring in his step, thinking to himself, "I'm a genius."

Chapter 2

「 ✦ Please support your creators by reblogging ✦ 」

Author's Notes: For those unfamiliar with White Day, it's a Japanese holiday celebrated on March 14th, one month after Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day, women in Japan give chocolates to men as a sign of affection. On White Day, men return the favour by giving gifts to the women who gave them chocolates. Like Valentine's Day, where women give "giri-chocolate" or obligation chocolates to thank the men in their lives and not necessarily as a romantic gesture, the reverse goes for men on White Day. Tanjirou is definitely the type of person who'd return all the favours on White Day, and so this plot line came to me. And of course, Inosuke thinks the concept is dumb. And frankly, so do I. As do many Japanese people who think the whole chocolate exchange tradition is a commercial cash grab. But Tanjirou would be in his element since he'd hand-make all his chocolates. I took inspiration from Kimetsu Academy, but I’ll be honest that I only watched maybe one or two episodes and didn't follow up with it. High school isn’t my thing, so this will probably be my only High school AU story. Please think of this as a fanfic of the Kimetsu Academy universe, or a high school AU of the original KNY series. Inosuke and Tanjirou are about 17 in here.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed my fic, it’d really make my day if you could drop a like, reblog, and/or comment to let me know! This story is also published on AO3 where you can comment anonymously! Although I mostly write for myself, your encouragement keeps me motivated to post and share my work.

[isfjmel-phleg]

Who is Dan Dunbar?

In the current DC continuity, Grant Emerson (Damage), recently brought back from the dead, has been paired up with Dan Dunbar (Dyna-Mite), an eighty-something who has been deaged to a teenager. They both have similarly explosive powers and seem to work well together but might not be the best influence on each other. That's all we know.

I'm very familiar with Grant, but I didn't really know Dan, so I've been doing some reading/skimming of his material to get a better understanding of who this kid is and how he and Grant might play off each other. I learned a lot.

Story time!

Dan Dunbar is a schoolboy in the Washington D.C. area in the early 1940s. His favorite teacher is Thomas N. "Tex" Thomas, whose subjects are chemistry and PE. They're working on an experiment together when they find out that as a result of absorbing some chemicals, they have developed energy-based powers that work in tandem. Tex develops a pair of rings that each of them wear that charge on contact and give the two of them explosive powers for a brief amount of time. And then they take on the identities of TNT and Dyna-Mite and fight crime, as one does.

Dan is your standard plucky 1940s kid hero, and he loves being the sidekick to a "mystery man" (as the 1940s DC superheroes were called). It's fun, it's exciting, he gets to work with a mentor who's like a father to him! He and Tex end up joining the All-Star Squadron, a team comprised of all the American superheroes working with the government for the war effort. But this doesn't last long. During a car chase following a mission, there's an accident. Tex doesn't make it. Dan might have died too, if not for the intervention of Arn "Iron" Munro, a teenager with superpowers who happened to be in the area.

So Dan wakes up in a hospital, screaming from a nightmare, and Arn has to break it to him that his mentor is dead. Naturally, he doesn't take it well. And he's upset when Arn gives him the ring taken from Tex's body. He has not only lost his mentor; he has lost his powers too without a partner to activate them.

(Young All-Stars #2)

He is absolutely devastated by all this.

In a car with President Roosevelt on the way to accept a Congressional Medal of Honor on TNT's behalf, Dan confesses that he believes there's nothing left for him now.

(Young All-Stars #3)

But he reluctantly agrees to join the Young All-Stars, a recently formed branch of the All-Star Squadron, even though he thinks there's not much he can do to help. He's rather depressed and withdrawn, and when he and some of the team are attacked by a supervillain, he is left while the others are taken captive, and he is distraught that he "wasn't even...worth killing...!"

(Young All-Stars #5)

Soon after though, he discovers that he can get both rings to active alone, even without TNT, although the process is somewhat more draining than it used to be with two of them, so Dyna-Mite is back in business. He still struggles with his grief and tends to panic whenever a teammate is hurt or in danger, but he's more like his more old lighthearted self again.

Dan wears his heart on his sleeve. He's compassionate and eager to help, to the point of recklessness sometimes. He's notably polite and would rather mediate between teammates than get involved in their squabbles--but he can and will speak out against behavior he finds objectionable, like a teammate's bigotry. Once he threatens to "personally blow up the phone company" if they didn't put him through to a hospital where a teammate had been admitted! He's a serious and dedicated student academically but learns on the fly when it comes to his powers.

One of his most prominent traits is his loyalty. During his time with the Young All-Stars, Dan transfers his hero-worship of Tex to Arn, who has continued to take an interest in Dan's well-being after rescuing him. For Dan, Arn can do no wrong and is capable of any heroic feat. His teammates find this a bit much sometimes. "I know you think the sun rises and sets in the white streak in Arn's hair," snarks one of them. When another teammate responds to Dan's call for Arn's help, she asks, "Why do you think he's the only one around here who can ever do anything?" Dan acknowledges that he stands corrected, but he is never disillusioned with his hero.

And Arn's not a bad guy, but he might not be the best influence on an adoring fourteen-year-old. At seventeen, he already has a reputation as a womanizer (there's even a subplot about his being diagnosed with something he picked up from a random woman he had a fling with--Dan doesn't know about this). And Dan starts making uncharacteristically inappropriate comments to female teammates. No one calls this behavior out; he and the others apparently consider it a sign that he's "growing up fast" and "not a child anymore." It's probably him trying too hard to be like Arn.

During all this time, Dan has been able to work with the team because his parents, who don't know that their son has superpowers, have been away. But eventually he runs out of excuses and wants to see his family again.

His parents don't come to meet him at the airport. For the fourth time in a row, they send the chauffeur to fetch him and don't bother to tell Dan that they have a new chauffeur now that the previous one has been drafted. The Dunbars are well-off; Charles Dunbar has been successful as a businessman, and Dan learns on the way home that his father has recently become an ambassador. No one bothers to write or call and tell him this either.

When Dan gets home, his parents aren't there. The butler explains that the Dunbars had to stop by the state department before coming back to pick up their luggage and their son and head out for their move to South America. Again, this is the first time Dan has heard of any of this.

Dan tries so hard to be understanding. Of course his father deserves this new job! And he's been secretive with his parents too. He decides to leave his team to move with the family; he wants to see them! In the last few years, he's seen more of the butler and chauffeur than them. That's why his relationship with Tex meant so much to him. Tex was more than a teacher; he was a friend, a sort of substitute father. Dan decides he'll tell his parents the truth about what he's been up to--and falls asleep.

He wakes up much later, and the butler tells him that his parents called to say that they aren't taking Dan with them after all, they need to go straight to the airport without going home, arrangements need to be made to send Dan to summer school, and they'll send for him later. But they send their love...and an expensive football as a consolation gift.

Dan, abandoned again, is heartbroken. Even the butler is so upset by his employers' neglectfulness of their child that he breaks down in tears too.

(Young All-Stars Annual #1)

Dan concludes that his team is his home now and returns to them. But he's hardly back before they break up and go their separate ways. Dan is particularly hurt when Arn wants to quit, and when another teammate asks what he'll do now, his reply is a sad "Who cares?"

He joins his parents in South America, and suddenly they're all about wanting to bond with him and do things as a family. It's unclear why the change (and he doesn't get an apology for how they've treated him), but he doesn't question it. And when their home is under attack, he dons his costume and the rings and protects them--and that's how they find out about his powers. Unfortunately, the series ended around this time, so there was no chance to explore the Dunbars' reaction to this or the aftermath of the reveal. The Young All-Stars are integrated into the All-Star Squadron with the adults, and Dan is unheard of for years.

Do things go better with his parents? Does he continue to be a hero? What does his adulthood look like? We have no idea. He next resurfaces as an elderly man among other Golden Age sidekicks in the group Old Justice, formed in protest of Young Justice. Dan addresses Congress, arguing that these young heroes are out of line and need to be supressed. He seems bitter that no one remembers him or TNT, and he claims that anyone who would have been too young to be drafted in WWII is too young to be acting as a superhero.

(Young Justice 1998 #16)

This seems hypocritical, considering that Dan at fourteen, the same age as Young Justice's youngest members, was with the Young All-Stars. But perhaps over the years he has come to believe that all that growing up fast that his teammates commented on did him more harm than good. Did things get dramatically worse for him since the last time we saw him?

Old Justice is willing to go to some questionable means in their quest to end Young Justice, and Dan even goes so far as to lie to the media about who started a fight between the two groups. His teammates are disgusted with him for this, and he tries to defend himself by saying that he "was trying to protect our own." The same fiercely loyal Dan--but once again, that trait can bring out the worst in him.

(Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1)

The Sins of Youth arc ensues, and in the end, Old Justice and Young Justice are reconciled and acknowledge that they have much to learn from each other. Dan is among those who argue that Congress shouldn't prosecute Arrowette.

And then he disappears again, only to return as an elderly researcher tracking down forgotten young sidekicks like he once was.

(Stargirl: The Lost Children #1)

His previous disappearances are acknowledged, but not explained.

Dan tracks the lost children to an island but is shipwrecked...

...which leads to his getting deaged to a teenager.

When he is rescued from the prison where he has been held, he is so grateful to be remembered, to be recognized. This is what was behind the bitter, forgotten old man making that speech to Congress.

(Stargirl: The Lost Children #5)

So what implications are there for his relationship with Grant? I think they would have a lot to bond over. Not just because of the nature of their powers, but because of the struggles they have been through as young heroes. They have both felt abandoned, experienced tremendous grief, sunk into self-loathing. They have found meaning and acceptance through joining a team when they couldn't get it from their own families. They are both warm-hearted and conscientious and love the thrill of fighting evil. They have some mutual connections too. Dan would have been acquainted with Grant's father from the All-Star Squadron. Grant has worked with Arn Munro (who apparently unintentionally collects distraught exploding children) and at one point thought Arn might be his father.

I think Dan would be eager to latch on to Grant as he did to Tex and Arn. He's been seen asking Grant if he's thought about calling himself TNT, which suggests that he's ready to identify his new partner with his beloved original mentor.

(Justice Society of America 2022 #6)

And I think Grant might likely be a little wary around Dan at first as he is with most people but come to feel more comfortable around him (how badly can he accidentally hurt someone who also explodes?) and see himself in this kid. But that implication that they're not the best influence on each other is entirely plausible. Maybe Dan is imitating Grant's worst traits as he did Arn's--in this case, anger and belligerence. Maybe Grant is letting Dan's respect for him get to his head.

Whatever the case may be, there is fascinating potential in this partnership that will probably go unexplored, but there's a lot of story there, if anyone's ready to develop it.

[dairy-farmer]

I feel like that bernie meme because I am, once again, thinking about Roy/Tim!!(and hoping you're okay with me asking you about them?)

I just can't shut up about these two and I love to hear all of your takes on them <3

what about something like a secret lovers au? where they met when Tim was really young (I'm imagining super early Robin days but if you have any pre-Robin ideas I'd be so fascinated). I feel like Roy would be somewhat skeptical of a third Robin but obviously our boy wins him over. they start a little tryst which maybe started off as just physical attraction but it grows into being even more when they take comfort from each other after long missions and bitch about JL together. I feel like they'd be kind of on and off through the years (ugh the reunion sex is >>>>)

and at some point they don't even bother to hide it. they go to each other's apartments and team up and maybe even fuck in the manor and at WE?

but no one catches on for an absurd amount of time after they decided they're really in this

maybe the others find out when Tim gets pregnant? or maybe it all gets out when they find the two necking in a closet or something idk the possibilities are endless and all so satisfying

hope you're doing well!! xx

YES YES YESYETS ETS YES YESYES!!!!1 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😩😩😩😩😩🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

i would never turn away a roytim ask because I do truly love the ship!!! it's a shame there's so few fics about it and ive never been able to come up with a cohesive plot for them. outside of the bats roy is my favorite to pair tim with!!! (yes that includes kon they're really great together but roytim just carries that wonderful forbiddenness that makes it so much more interesting!)

I love the concept of roy meeting tim when he's robin but can also see them meeting prerobin. tims the neighbor and all bug houses look alive so maybe roy stumbles through the gates the first time he's visiting dick's house and knocks on the door only to be greeted by a chubby cheeked little kid who tilts his head up at tim.

roy figures out pretty quickly he’s got the wrong house and scurries away while a baby closed the door.

years later roy catches wind of a new robin and well....roy's not sure what he feels. a lot of the original titans had all felt that there was no replacing the original when the second robin (the few times they met roy had the kid's back and the kid always shot him that grateful grin so it's not like roy was opposed to having him around) came on the scene but after the kid was murdered...

well it seemed in poor taste to hold on so ardently to a mantle that wasn't even theirs. plus roy has other shit going on, personal shit so he's not very concerned with a gotham newbie. so roy is fine with the kid. maybe a bit weary like he is about all new heroes because they have a tendency of coming on all cocky before getting pounded down to size pretty quickly.

roy hears a few things through the grapevine and rumor mill. the few times he and wally cross paths and meet they catch and wally tells him about dick's new kiddie brother.

"real sweet if a bit skittish" wally tells him and that's all roy tells him.

roy learns everything second hand about the third robin. the first time he talks to him is when he seeks him out. word on the street is the kid is quite the whiz at detective work. like a mini-batman.

that's the only thing that puts roy off form seeking him out immediatly. it's only when he's got nowhere else to turn that he goes to him.

he and ollie are on the outs.

dick is a dick.

no way is he fucking going to batman.

but he needs someone with a finger to the pulse of gotham crime because he has a few people he's looking for that might've fled to the famed city of the bat.

the third robin is...surprisingly easy to work with.

within the day roy has a location on his three targets and all he had to do was swear he wouldn't rough them up too badly.

roy knows he doesn't have the best reputation in the community. knows that some of the more 'straight-laced' heroes look down on him completely for the drugs and the having a kid and being a single dad thing.

he sure as shit knows ollie doesn't brag about him at parties.

he and dick haven't gotten on for awhile. they used to be so close with the whole 'only titans without powers' thing. but puberty and adulthood changed both of them and roy will admit the two of them are quite prideful so an apology is not visible on the horizon. but they can still work together even with the bit of tension between them.

roy knows for a fact the bat would never approve of him working or asking his robin for help so roy is grateful when the kid agrees to keep it under wraps in exchange for dinner.

roy buys the kid takeout and watches as he munches on an eggroll and prints out a stack of surveillance photos and the current location of his target.

it's nice company. roy hasn't had that in awhile. the kid doesn't talk down to roy or treat him like a moron. they had a pretty great conversation about some of the alien tech the bozos roy is hunting got their hands on.

roy lets the kid hold his bow. his swallows a mouthful of shrimp fried rice as small gloved hands delicately stroke the metal wire of his bow and the small, almost invisible bolts that hold it together.

he's a sweet kid. like wally said.

roy decides he likes him when the kid helps him tie up his guys and throw them in the back of a rented van.

maybe one meeting isn't enough to judge someone's character and roy doesn't have a history of good judgement. but he likes the kid.

he's earnest and honest and a bit of a do-gooder, the kind that isn't annoying.

so roy likes him.

the next time roy has a something that crosses close to gotham's borders he calls robin.

he needs a second opinion on some alien tech?

call robin. oh he can't help with that? that's fine robin knows some people, he'll call in a favor.

robin does that a lot. favors for roy.

roy almost feels bad, feels like he's taking advantage of the kid. he tries his best to repay it. food, and some little souvenirs when he has work overseas.

the kid grins and happily accepts it like it's anything compared to the time roy desperately needed a sitter and robin offered to stay a few hours in the city to watch the kid.

maybe it was a testament to how much robin had squirmed his way into roy's good graces since he didn't even hesitate to leave his sleeping daughter in the other vigilante's care.

something he didn't even do with people he's known for years.

roy's not quite sure when they transition to something more.

maybe its after roy's settling into a new apartment waiting for robin to come pick up some info about movements on the gotham mob roy had stumbled across. lian is at daycare and roy's just in some boxers with all the windows cracked open and his stereo blastic profanity-laced music he never plays when lian's little ears could hear it.

warm summer is wafting in along with a cool breeze when his doorbell rings and at first roy thinks its the pizza he ordered ten minutes ago.

but he opens the door to a civilian clad robin wearing thick sunglasses to obscure his eyes.

his shirt is one of the metal bands roy hasn't listened to in years and his pants are dark-washed jeans with white crew socks visible at the ankles.

it's such a casual encounter. it's one they've had multiple times before.

there's some traffic on the street and the sound of beeping car horns fill roy's eyes as a presents a flash drive of everything he collected.

roy is explaining what he saw and how he came across the info when he feels robin's eyes on him.

of course robin is listening to him speak and ergo looking at him but roy can just feel the weight of the stare on his bare chest scattered with red chest hairs and a nice thick happy trail that led into his boxers.

his scars are visible all along his torso along with the scattering of tattoos his uniform usually covers. lian's name is printed in gothic script right over his heart.

but that's not what robin's eyes are on.

roy feels a burning gaze locked on his prominent package. roy can see the shy blush that stretch to the kid's ears and trails off as a wide grin creeps across his face.

oh to be fourteen again and in the midst of puberty.

roy had just meant some honest ribbing, a bit of harmless flirting.

robin blushed so pretty. the vigilante who usually spoke so clearly and concisely with a slight undertone of demand was now stuttering as roy leaned in closer and trapped him against the countertop with his half naked body.

roy wasn't certain when the line blurred.

he always knew he was a scumbag. but he really solidified that by banging a teenager on the couch of his apartment.

roy at least had the mindset to use a condom as he fucked into a tight little pussy as robin scrambled to cling onto him.

gasped 'ahh hnnn mmnnn' sounds floated into roy's ears as he grunted with every thrust into that cunt.

roy gripped hips hard enough to bruise and tugged robin's sweet little cunt down onto his cock as he groaned.

his fingers mercilessly abused a little red throbbing clit, thumbing it and rubbing out a nice orgasm for the kid who ended up losing their virginity on a ratty couch in a ratty apartment to a scumbag hero who apparently now fucked teenagers.

roy has beaten the shit out of men who did what he did as he waved robin goodbye when he left his apartment, flash drive in hand.

a man in their twenties creeping on kids barely into highschool is a huge no-no. ask anyone with a cape and they'd tell you the same thing.

roy likes the kid, he really does. not enough to risk fucking jail time or getting the shit beat out of him by dick or batman or any horrifying combination of the two.

robin is lowkey. he promises to keep this a secret without roy having to ask even though he was working on it and it -whew- wow it makes him feel like a piece of shit.

roy pushes it out of his mind. tries to bury it alongside the mountain of mistakes that weigh on him because how fucking like him. to fuck up a perfectly decent burdgeoning partnership.

roy doesn't avoid robin. not exactly.

he just becomes more of a last resort. and roy would like to say he buried what they did that day in the back of his mind but it...rears up sometimes.

late at night when roy is alone and a little horny. he tries to use por as much as he can but the memory...fuck the memory of that hot vice of a cunt. the way robin had squirmed under him, little tits turning red with the abuse of roy sucking on them harshly.

robin had a sweet body and his fit perfectly in roy's arms as he pinned him down and fucked into him.

it's a few months later they get a repeat.

aliens. fucking aliens. it's always fucking aliens that property damage skyrockets.

roy's just at one of the reserve camps awaiting to be directed or deployed to clean up crew, med evac, civilian evac. the entire crew of YJ is there and one by one they all get called away until its just him and robin -now tim, roy now has a name for that face that greets him on lonely nights.

roy knows he's staring, eyes lingering. tim turns to look at him, eyes as heavy and interested as they were that night.

roy comforts himself with the fact that its not teenagers he has a thing for. just tim. tim and his tight body and hot cunt. and tim just so happens to be a teenager.

thankfully for roy tim happens to have a thing for roy too. roy and his big dick and happy trail that presses flush to tim's reddened cunt as roy's cock splits him over while bending him over a counter.

it's a fast fuck. just a quickie. ten minutes later while they're cleaning themselves up tim gets called away.

he turns, steps already marhcing him out the door before he stops for a moment turns and says-

"you have my number, right?"

roy swallows thickly and nods.

"good."

then he's back to marching and that's as much permission to be a full blown sleaze as roy needs.

roy will admit, with only some shame, that he is definitly the kind of guy to send dick pics without hesitation once asked.

and tim doesn't even have to ask.

it's been so long since roy's been so fucking horny for someone that reciprocated it. and tim, well tim is definitely getting some hot, stringless sex out of it too.

roy will be alone in a city on a job. he'll tug his cock out and jack it to hardness before snapping a pic and sending it to tim.

'miss u' he writes. like a fucking douchebag he's been told. 'do u miss me?'

tim replies back in the affirmative and roy instantly starts borderline begging, asking for tim to send him a little something his cock is fucking hard and it hurts pretty baby. it hurts so bad :/.

tim sends back a picture of his tank top pushed up with his cute little tits on display.

'Feel better now?' he replies and roy tightens his grip on his cock as he types with one hand.

'maybe a little more bby'

a minute later and roy groans as he's greeted by the sight of two of tim's fingers spreading open the lips of his cunt to expose his wonderfully wet pussy.

'thank u bby'

and roy pumps his cock until he's arching off and moaning into his empty hotel room.

tim's nude game is other worldly. it's almost artistic with the composition and the lighting. tim's cunt should be in a fucking art gallery.

sometimes he sends roy pictures of him in his underwear, some of him in bed groping his tit and fucking fingers into his hole.

one time he sends roy a one minute video of him fucking himself on a glass rob dildo, pumping it into his red little cunt while making the sweetest fucking moans in the world.

roy spends the day inside just jacking off until his cock sputtered pathetically.

the next time roy is in new jersey he makes a pit stop in gotham. tim's parents are out of town and for the first time roy sees his room. though he's not able to appreciate the blade runner posters, comic book collection, and mountain of laundry on a spare chair until the next morning.

tim is naked and half asleep even as he grinds his cunt onto roy's bare cock. and nope, roy's learnt his lesson from that.

" i am on birth control you know." tim tells him as roy stops nibbling on his tit to pull on a fresh condom.

roy just grins down at him and nuzzles his neck, kissing away his pout.

"baby if any boy ever tells you its okay if he doesn't use a condom just because you're on birth control i want you to turn his nutsack inside out."

tim lets out a half chocked laugh that turns into a moan as roy rubs a thumb against his clit and fucks into him.

it becomes habit for them to hook up.

roy's amazed they manage to get away with it. sometimes they meet in gotham. other times tim goes to meet roy wherever he is.

they don't always work out though. sometimes roy gets his life together and manages to get a steady girlfriend.

sometimes other people (better people) notice tim and he's taken off the market too.

but love is cruel to them and even to tim who roy honestly believe deserves better than to have rebound sex with him.

but tim loves it and so does roy. and being able to explore each other's bodies, and feel out new scars and new tattoos is just a different kind of intense.

roy misses the way tim's pussy parts for him when he slowly pushes in, misses his gasps and sweet coos as roy fucks him hard and fast.

tim makes a sight for sore eyes on his knees and pawing at roy's jock to get access to his cock to take into his mouth. and tim has the sweetest tasting pussy that roy's ever eaten. he moans between his spread thighs as he fucks his tongue into that well-loved hot little hole.

life sucks but there's always good sex to make you feel better.

roy's not saying their relationship is easy but it's one that they never stress over because they never define what they are.

but they get along. they like the same things, and dislike the same people. they wish each other the best and try to keep things from souring between them.

in many ways each other is the only one they can turn to. keeping a secret between them tends to draw them together and forage an odd bond between them.

roy and dick reconcile at some point and roy feels a little guilty at the fact that he's fucking the guy's baby brother behind his back. but not enough to actually tell him (roy would like to keep all his teeth thank you very much).

and roy likes tim so he's more than a little ticked off when he hears about things growing sour in gotham.

he and tim's physical relations have waned a bit. prometheus's bombs in star city landed lian in the hospital with a coma and roy hadn't been in the right place to be around...anyone.

in that time things go pretty shittily for tim too. roy wonders if its too late to send a card but then bludhaven explodes and the memory of star city and lian just send him right back to the bad place.

even if he could reach out. roy was sure tim wasn't doing well enough to support them both.

roy has beef the JL it's something that grows hot and fierce when he hears whispers about robin- now red robin- having gone off the deep end.

the source? his own brother, nightwing- now batman.

there's a new robin in gotham and roy is...fuck he's not sure what he feels. it's not his place. not his fight. not his family.

lian is out of her coma and in for a long recovery with having to relearn how to walk, how to read, how to fucking speak.

the next time roy raises his head out his ostrich hole, cheering lian on as she takes her first unassisted steps, it's to the sound of a newly reinstated batman.

roy's too far away to know the details and hear everything going on. but that doesn't stop the simmer of pride that erupts in his chest.

he always believed in the pretty baby.

lian starts making leaps in her recovery and roy is not about to depend on outside help for his daughter so starts taking high paying jobs to pay for all of lian's rehab.

oh there was a poor taste 'like father like daughter' joke in there somewhere and roy knew he was going to be drawing blood from the first person who made them.

roy crosses paths with a "reformed" jason todd aka red hood.

roy knows about him from titan's tower. his opinion would be lower of him if the two of them didn't get on like a house on fire. roy works some jobs with him, exchanges stories, and builds up a nice friendship. roy's daughter is a safe topic, jason's got a soft spot for kids. but with kids comes family talk and both roy and jason could find kindred spirits in being estranged.

they share similar grievances.

they even share simialr issues with dick's...dickishness.

"you lucked out with tim at least though."

and roy feels the tension before he sees it. it's a dangerous path to treat, talking about tim who is a stand up guy because he is to the guy who sees him as a replacement but jason surprises both of them when he says-

"i haven't exactly been the...best guy to the kid."

roy knows its not his place. knows that he has no right to interfere with anything relating to tim's family and personal life because that's crossing a pretty firm boundary but then he thinks of tim. of that new robin and the fact that he spent a year being ostracized by nearly every hero.

so roy...just tells jason the truth. about how tim's understanding. how he's all 'do no harm but take no shit'. he's straight-laced but surprisingly bendy (in more than one way but roy doesn't say that) willing to work with you. i mean he helped roy out a tight spot a few times.

roy doesn't mention the sex. probably not a good idea to tell that to somone who'd probably blast his dick off if he found out that grown man roy harper fucked a pink-cheeked fourteen-year-old robin.

roy and tim's reunion is...a nice one. roy's in gotham to take lian to a specialist appointment. he meets tim in the cafeteria. they both stumble to a stop at the sight of each other.

roy tells him why he's there and tim's there for outreach purposes, WE work.

they have coffee. chat a little. nudge smiles and small laughs out of each other. speak in code so they can bitch about and roll their eyes about the justice league.

roy is in gotham for the week. he meets up with jason a handful of time and jason takes lian to some new park constructed in crime alley for the kids.

roy texts tim while he's gone, keeping the conversation they had at the hospital going.

roy's emotions have been rubbed raw for awhile. he hasn't been intimate with anyone for over a year.

tim is in the same boat.

the sex they have is different then the rushed frantic fucking where they sought their own pleasure.

he and tim spend quite a few minutes kissing on roy's hotel room bed. roy feels out tim's body, groping and squeezing and feeling his flesh as tim does the same.

they don't peel their clothes off in some sexy little strip tease like the ones roy jokingly did for tim.

their clothes stay mostly on aside from roy unzipping and pushing down his pants and tim doing the same with his slacks. they hold each other, wrapping hands around each other's backs in a deep hug while they softly kiss and roy fucks tim slowly.

tim rocks on his cock, occasionally pulling away from the kiss to let out a soft moan and rock his hips back in time with roy's thrusts.

they both cum quietly just two silent gasps and tensed shoulders followed by some trembling as they went slack.

they've both had a...hell of a time.

it felt nice, felt safe to go back to something they knew. to something they liked.

a half an hour later and its like a switch has flipped and roy doesn't know what to grab or fondle first as tim desperately moans on top of him, whipping his hips back and forth as he rides roy. tim sinks down on him with thick, wet, 'squelches', gasping and moaning as roy holds ontol his hips and tugs him down onto his cock.

it's desperate, it's hot, it's so fucking good.

roy almost limps on his way to pick up lian, his cock is fucking spent because tim's pussy could knock a god out.

jason stares at him with a raised brow before rolling his eyes and handing a giggling lian back over to him.

lian waves good bye with a happy 'bye uncle jason!'.

lian goes to her appointments, tim stops by for coffee and then roy takes them both out for ice cream afterwards.

the night roy is leaving the city tim texts him to meet on the hotel roof where red robin gives him a wonderful goodbye present.

roy has no idea who taught tim how to do that thing with his tongue but he will forever be grateful.

he and tim start texting agian. not as much photo exchange goes on like it did in the beginning. tim directs him to high-paying jobs that will keep him close to lian. tim asks about lian, about her recovery and how she's doing. what she liked.

a few days later packages with lian's favorite candies and flowers show up along with a little stuffed bird robin which accompanies her on her phsical therapy.

roy is probably toeing a very dangerous line. maybe for everyone else it would've been better if it was just sex. but now roy feels something.

he feels happy when he sees a text from tim. is excited to see him because he wants to know how he is.

a physical affair is one thing. roy gets the shit beat out of him for having one with tim and everyone moves on.

an emotional affair is a whole different ball park.

roy's hardly had a healthy relationship before in his life. he has...baggage. he has a kid. and tim is...fuck tim is still so young.

he has a whole life ahead of him and roy and...whatever they are would just be dead wight.

tim disagrees.

it's one of the first arguments they both have. tim insisting that he can make his own choices and mistakes and he whole heartedly believes that roy is nothing close to resembling a mistake.

roy tells him about the issues with all of this. how they started this when tim was just a kid and that was wrong, he knows that was wrong and out of everything he does regret doing that. but tim doesn't yield.

he tells roy what he feels. and they're all the things that roy feels. that happiness at the mention of him, that fluttery feeling in his gut when he sees him, that excitement when he talks to him.

tim likes roy just as he is. wants roys just as he is.

does roy want him too?

and maybe roy is selfish to snatch tim up when someone so much better could come along but....dammit roy wants to be selfish.

they don't sneak around like they used to.

tim refuses to sneak around with roy. he says it makes him feel like he should be ashamed of roy.

and he'd never be ashamed of being with roy.

they don't...explicitly tell anyone.

really everyone else kind of just assumes stuff about them.

if anyone sees them in gotham together they just assume roy is present for some jason related reason. when tim is seen in star city its gotta be for a case, right?

lian has her own room in tim's penthouse apartment. roy keeps his favorite brand of coffee beans and his toothbrush is in a cup beside tim's in his bathroom.

on christmas, a part is held at wayne manor and roy, pretty clearly, kisses tim under the mistletoe in front of several heroes.

more than a dozen people see tim lead roy up the stairs to his old bedroom.

tim is...fuck tim is roy's best relationship he's had so far. it's like a light of realization fills him and he thinks 'oh. this is what this is supposed to be like!'

roy and tim build something together. a nice little life. one with peace and support and love.

tim is one of the emergency contacts on lian's medical and school forms.

roy and red robin frequently team up outside of their respective cities. they have each other's backs. always.

both jason and dick tell roy they it's nice he gets along so well with their brother and part of roy burns to tell them that it's not just that.

roy's not sure how they could be more obvious.

they're definitely not hiding it or subverting it or trying to frame it as something with plausible deniability.

it's pretty obvious he and tim are together. even more obvious that they're fucking.

roy once read something about people being willfully blind or dense about things they didn't want to learn and honestly thinks that must be the case.

however not a single shred of doubt remains when tim tells his family and friends that he's pregnant.

at some point he and tim had stopped using condoms. they weren't exactly looking to get pregnant but wouldn't be against it if they did.

it's several months of roy fucking tim raw before it manages takes.

bruce stares at tim who is cutting up grapes for lian.

dick choked on the bite of a pear he took and is trying to clear his throat.

alfred is frozen where he's drying a plate.

damian is staring and jason shares his incredulous expresson.

the only one absolutely bursting with joy is lian.

"i'm gunna be a big sister?!"

that's when eyes fill with something. dots are connected, realizations are had, situations they'd walked in on now have new context.

"you fucked tim?" dick asked dangerously. "you got my little brother pregnant?"

roy is strategically placed beside tim who would absolutely never let anything happen to his sweet love and baby daddy.

"been fucking for years dick, keep up."

tim is newly 18. newly legal. now it's not just dick's eyes that are locked on roy like they're homing missiles.

okay so maybe his baby mama would let something happen to him.

in the end tim does protect him even with eyes and glares narrowed on him.

dick is muttering and glaring somehow stuck between a weird in between of celebratory for tim's pregnancy, indignance at the father, and indignance at tim being pregnant at 18.

jason, because he's roy's dearest friend and wants him to be happy, contents himself with a deep punch to the gut that leaves roy dry heaving over the toilet for half an hour.

bruce is not so easily swayed. roy knows bat are nosy but he learns exactly how much when batman posts enlarged photos of the nudes he and tim exchanged years ago, but some are more recent.

"how old were you here?" batman asks tensely.

tim raises a brow and asks if bruce really looked at his nudes and chat history with roy.

the rest of the family is staring up at the photos with gapes mouthes.

batman and tim get into an argument and the minute the word 'fourteen' slips out, jason is cocking his gun and pointing it at roy.

"well it really was nice knowing you, i don't say that to a lot of people just so you know."

tim slaps jason's arm but doesn't manage to stop the punch that dick threw that broke roy's nose.

the bats glare at roy as tim fusses over him in the medbay and throws occasional glares over his shoulder at dick who looks like he's wilting further with every look.

tim is a good talker. a better one than roy and within the hour roy's nose is splinted and bandaged and hazy with the fresh apologies from tim's brother's ringing in his ears.

now tim is a genuinely nice person. that doesn't mean he's not petty.

no one looks at them during breakfast after a night of being forced to listen to tim's cries as roy 'disrespected' tim in every possible way tim could think of.

now tim was a very smart person. so there were a lot.

[francology]

Riding the Wave of Ocean Heroes: Conservation & Sustainability

Hello lovelies ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა I hope you've been doing great since the last entry hehe. I just wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your ongoing support and interaction with my weekly updates. This post will be my last (at least for a while). I really hope you've managed to pick up a thing or two from my blog. Thank you for being here, and I appreciate all of you (づ๑•ᴗ•๑)づ♡

Now, let's dive into something super cool today – marine conservation and how we can be kinder to our oceans.

Did you know? Around half of the world's population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast. That's a lot of people living near the sea, right?

Coastal places by the sea are like gold mines for our planet. They help out the global economy, and they do some pretty amazing stuff, like storing carbon (which is great for the environment), protecting our shores, and providing us with yummy food (Mcleod et al. 2011; Barbier et al. 2011).

You see, more than 775 million people really rely on the sea and its coastal wonders (Selig et al. 2018). For example, fish is a big deal, giving about 3.2 billion people some of their protein. It's even more crucial in places where people are still developing their countries (FOA 2018). Plus, it's not just food; it's like a vitamin boost in your meal. And, tons of people make a living out of fishing and farming seafood, almost 57 million of them! (FOA 2018).

Now, when we talk about tropical spots near the sea, they're like treasure chests. There are amazing places like coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses that are teeming with life, and they help out our planet in so many ways. That's why a bunch of groups and campaigns are working hard to keep these places safe and sound.

Let's focus into how people in Malaysia are doing for a sec. Here are some rock stars doing their part to save these coastal wonders:

ICRI (International Coral Reef Initiative) Malaysia: These people are all about creating safe spaces in the sea for our underwater buddies to thrive. Right now, only 1.4% of Malaysia's waters are protected. They're on a mission to change that!

The Dugong & Seagrass Conservation Project: This one's all about saving dugongs (those adorable sea cows) and the seagrass they munch on in the Bay of Brunei, Lawas, Sarawak East Malaysia. It's a big deal because these seagrasses need some protection from overfishing and other stuff that could hurt them. The locals are getting in on the action too.

Tropical Research and Conservation Centre: These ocean heroes are based in the Celebes Sea, and they're all about saving sea turtles and fixing up coral reefs that got bashed up by fish bombing practices in Malaysia. They're on a mission to keep our underwater world vibrant and healthy.

So, there you have it! These incredible peeps are working hard to make sure our oceans stay awesome. It's all about taking big steps and little steps, but together, we can keep those secret underwater gardens thriving 🌊⋆｡°்⋆

Author's note: One of my all-time favorite YouTube channels recently released a new video that I believe is absolutely worth your time. His videos are like compelling stories paired with stunning cinematography. In this latest video, he highlights the alarming issue of the world's coral reefs deteriorating. It's crucial to shed light on real-world issues that are overlooked.

References:

Barbier, EB, Hacker, SD, Kennedy, C and Koch EW 2011, ‘The value of estuarine and coastal ecosystem services’, Ecological Monographs, vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 169 - 193. 

FOA 2018, The state of world fisheries and aquaculture 2018 (SOFIA), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.

Mcleod, E, Chmura, GL, Bouillon, S, Salm, R, Bjork, M, Duarte, CM, Lovelock, CE, Schlesinger, WH and Silliman, BR 2011, ‘A blueprint for blue carbon: toward an improved understanding of the role of vegetated coastal habitats in sequestering CO2’, Frontiers in Ecology and the Envinronment, vol. 9, no. 10, pp. 552 - 560.

Selig, ER, Hole, DG, Allison, EH, Arkema, KK, McKinnon, MC, Chu, J, Sherbinin, Ad, Fisher, B, Glew, L, Holland, MB, Ingram, JC, Rao, NS, Russell, RB, Srebotnjak, T, Teh, LCL, Troeng, S, Turner, WR, and Zvoleff, A 2018, ‘Mapping global human dependence on marine ecosystems’, Conservation Letters, vol. 12, no. 2, p. E12617.

[cerisezero]

Idea dumping again, and this one's AUing things up. Heading into XC3 during main story canon times.

Simple enough AU in theory. Swapping out the main Ouroboros cast for a gang of the heroes who seem to have suitable pair vibes; I'm sure someone's gonna have done exactly these characters in the past, tbh. But hoping to put a different spin on their journey around Aionios, especially now Future Redeemed's been a thing.

Ashera and Teach; Valdi and Alexandria; Zeon and Juniper. Let's go.

The first bit of AU shuffling here; the gang in question are not all commanders. In fact, it's possible that only Juniper is, or one other with them. This likely leads to a scenario where some Consuls in charge of various things are different, too; for example, Q isn't putting Valdi in charge of things to Do Levnises Good. N and M are still things, and I'm not planning on reallocating the letters E, T, L or S... (We need Triton around, c'mon. Though come to think of it, the S here might not be anyone we know. And quite possibly C and J ditto.)

The Kevesi trio are based out of one Colony, which might not be any of the canon ones (Ashera is a little tricky to place here but hey, we can fiddle with the concepts later). Teach and Alexandria, similarly, come from one Colony; possibly he was assigned to Iota following That Thing Oleg Did With Chi on the principle he'll be able to keep Alexandria from getting too big for her boots? Juniper is, however, still working out of Tau to begin with.

The group first get dragged into Ouroboros-hood via a mission in the Pentelas region; similarly to canon, the two sides are trying to retrieve an 'odd ether signature'. Juniper and a contingent from Tau are called in to help the Agnians navigate the Maktha area, while the Kevesi are more having to go it alone.

Don't you just hate it when a giant monkey interrupts your artifact finding quest? Thanks, Gonzales. The group of six eventually gets trapped with the Ouroboros Stone and a Lost Numbers rep who probably isn't Guernica (Gray, maybe?); some of the more responsible folks push for an uneasy truce until the gang can get out of there. In the meantime, though... Valdi. Valdi, no. Don't poke at the glowy object.

And the plot starts... whether or not a wild ride is involved. (Likely there's a Moebius to beat up on soon enough, but who it is I'm not sure.)

The new Ouroboros have an advantage in that they have more pieces of the puzzle as to who and what Moebius are, even starting off, than the canon group did. (Not sure at what stage they can identify them as Consuls, mind, even with Ashera's memory.) Unfortunately, the team are lacking in both a Lucky Seven- (Noah and Mio are... Uh. At a different stage in the cycle, right now :( ) and a Riku to try and keep an eye on whatever the heck they're doing. They do encounter four out of the original six as their own heroes, as well as various other familiar faces. However, they need other ways to try and free or improve things for their still-Clocked allies.

Teach and Ashera provide a lot of the big picture plotting and planning, even when Ashera does fall back into '... we stab things?' as part of that plot quite a lot. They're an unstable pair, but they at least balance out each other's bad habits into functionality when they settle into their positions.

Valdi and Alex tend towards 'it's so crazy it might work', with Valdi even putting together a cargo-mech to carry their stuff or the Stone with them. When they finally encounter Riku, the pair remind our favourite Common Nopon of Nikol and Glimmer somewhat even though they're unrelated... or perhaps they remind some City historians of their Founders? There's enough there to pull strings, at least. And maybe their plans are enough to disrupt Clock systems?

Zeon and Juniper are the most level headed of the group. Watching Juniper's Tau traditions and conventions gets them all thinking 'ok, but what if some of our stuff is equally artificial'... In the end, Juniper steps into the party offseer role; they might prefer to bury those who've been lost, but it would be worse to not do anything for the fallen at all. ... Sadly, this means Zeon himself doesn't get to farm any spuds. He finds City culture and history very interesting, eventually.

A different adventure, a different group, trying to avoid the classic 'let's follow the same old path' trope. And as for the long term... well, I'll see when I get there.

[setsujoumayu]

Dohwa-cha in the Late Afternoon

AO3 LINK:

SUMMARY: With the war over, Class 1-A finally becomes Class 2-A, and in the space afforded by relief that a great evil has been quelled, the students take the time to process feelings they’ve suppressed the past year. For Deku, this means admitting his feelings for Bakugou, although the first person he admits this to is not Bakugou, but Ochako.

To her surprise, this leads Ochako to realize she never had feelings for Deku to begin with, and that his new plight may not be so alien to her after all.

or,

Ochako unexpectedly catches the gay from Deku and begins crushing on their vice class representative.

SOME OF THE TAGS:

Post-Canon

LESBIANS

but after Ochako works through what that even means for her because ho boi comphet is rough stuff

Gay Panic

Comedy

also it's technically a bkdk fic but they're like in the bg; ochako is the main chara :)

STARTING AUTHOR NOTE:

This is a brainworm caused by the dialogue Uraraka and Yaoyorozu have towards each other in the MHA: The Strongest Heroes mobile game. If Yaoyorozu bumps into Uraraka on a side mission during pathfinding, she’ll ask Uraraka if she wants some candy, to which Uraraka will readily agree. If Uraraka bumps into Yaoyorozu, she’ll state how great tea the Yaoyorozu made was, which Yaoyorozu will then say, “How about a drink after this?” Also, while feeding Uraraka, she’ll mention how mochi is the tastiest when paired with Yaoyorozu’s tea.

Therefore, in my professional opinion, these two are gay for each other and I do not take constructive criticism for this.

Also also, “Momo” is the word for peaches in Japanese. “Cha” is actually present in Ochako’s name, and it is the character for tea. So together, they are the Peach Tea Ship which is a cute AF ship and look at what we have here—there is such a thing as peach tea! CANON! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach_blossom_tea

-

I released this WIP into the wild some time ago, but forgot to crosspost it here XD

[yuanwang]

✿ for dick grayson nightwing. boys in blue

FRIENDSHIP.     childhood friends  /  work buddies or coworkers  /  family friends  /  friends with benefits  /  smoking buddies  /  adventure buddies  /  fake friends  /  recently friends  /  party buddies  /  friendship of need  /  dying friendship  /  circumstantial friendship  /  partners in crime  /  old friendship  /  [ your muse ] is the good influence  /  [ your muse ] is the bad influence  /  [ my muse ] is the good influence  /  [ my muse ] is the bad influence  /  opposites attract  /  ride or die  /  frenemies  /  roommates or flatmates  /  penpals  /  exes to friends  /  enemies to friends  /  other

it's so easy to mesh these two together, they'd match each others energy so well!!! they're easy, friendly to an extent, but deadly serious about protecting those that need it, going above and beyond to save civilization, blue buddies ♡, their trauma and grief is so dense and while it's not exactly the same i think it's enough just knowing they aren't the only person feeling that way... i picture them circumstantially being paired up and hit it off throughout the course of the mission..i just think they'd get each other so well and maybe they'd even request the others presence for missions just so it's not so bland hjksdjkg

ROMANCE.     childhood sweethearts  /  [ your muse is mines ] childhood crush  /  [ my muse is yours ] childhood crush  /  exes  /  exes to lovers  /  forbidden lovers  /  highschool sweethearts  /  secret relationship  /  opposites attract  /  long distance  /  unrequited [ from your muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from my muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from both sides ]  /  skinny love  /  friends to lovers  /  enemies to lovers  /  spurious relationship  /  power couple  /  newly entered  /  soulmates [ metaphorical ]  /  soulmates  [ literal ]  /  awkward  /  turning toxic  /  toxic love  /  cheating [ on your muse ]  /  cheating [ with your muse ]  /  other 

well i'm not one to turn down the possibility of a ship!! and because we haven't talked about these two yet i want to reiterate that this is all potential & we absolutely don't have to go down this path! i think they both have this image of being somewhat popular w/ love and partners but i think they'd both kinda stumble with relationships? i know dick isn't the most graceful person when it comes to romance, and can get lost in the intense feeling of it, but because of their similarities they'd be able to work through a lot of things together. i don't know how serious they'd be, or when down the timeline they'd actually take that step forward, but the i see the lines being blurry..

FAMILIAL.     siblings [ half ]  /  siblings [ step ]  /  [ my muse ] is an older sibling figure to your younger sibling figure  /  [ my muse ] is a younger sibling figure to your older sibling figure muse  /  [ my muse ] is a parental figure to yours  /  [ my muse ] is a child figure to your muse  /  guardian figure  /  legal guardian  /  adoptive child  /  foster child  /  [ your muse ] is taken under mines wing  /  [ my muse ] is taken under yours wing  /  other

ANTAGONISTIC.     dangerous to each other  /  dangerous to others  /  unpredictable  /  rivals  /  petty  /  developing into sexual or romantic tension  /  based off family matters  /  based of off circumstance  /  based of professional matters  /  based off misunderstanding or lies  /  conflict of ideology  /  betrayal  /  hero - villain dynamic  /  enemies  /  fight club  /  friends turned enemies  /  lovers turned enemies  /  exes turned enemies  /  other 

depending on the world building between these two, resi or dc, or maybe a mix of both, i can see dicks secretiveness & second identity be an issue ( as it almost always is )..storylines involving the government sending specific individuals out to do their dirty work is a recipe for disaster too, maybe they'd be given different types of intel? one knows more than the other? confidentiality? vigilantism vs official government persona?? do you catch my drift??

[not-your-fucking-kacchan]

thinking about this since you posted about coming back to tumblr LMFKDJS. anyways, just a writing suggestion from another writer—

character where they tend to one of the boys’ injuries. can be whoever you wish, maybe y/n sees a news coverage of the chaotic fight prior to the hero coming home?

sorry if thats vague, i never requested anything before—

ofc! sometimes these headcannons really just get stuck in your head, huh T-T

anyway, i really think im gonna have a lot of fun with this imagine and i thinking about combining it with another request i got because i think i could make it into a really cute little ficlet!

this is the result of my brainfart, lemme know if you like it!

After a little consideration, i've decided to write Todoroki as bisexual and the reader as gender neutral. i will try my best not to put gendered pronouns in this work because i really think it adds something nice to the fic :)

Warning: stabbing, blood...

Masterlist<3

Todoroki x Reader

You and Todoroki had been close friends since you both got reccommended into UA together, and you both got along nicely. You respected his boundaries and he respected yours. Over time, you started talking more, with the help of the much needed intervention from Izuku, the sweetheart.

Since Todoroki had become friends with Izuku, he'd started coming out of his shell much more, and you loved to watch him grow as a person. He had learnt to challenge himself and stay true to his beliefs to become a better hero, and it was Izuku that had taught him this, and made him look further than his spite and more towards his potential as a hero.

You will be forever greatful to that little green ray of sunshine for providing the bicoloured boy support and frienship when you couldn't necessarily get close enough.

After this, Todoroki started becoming more outspoken and social. He wasn't exactly a social butterfly, but he was doing better, and this allowed your relationship room to grow and blossom. You had went to class together and paired up a lot of the time and even started studying together outside of school time. You considered yourself so lucky, because you really did think that Todoroki could be a truly wonderful person and hero one day if he wasn't already. You were glad to be friends with him, glad to be around him, even.

So when he started growing closer and closer to Izuku you understood why, and you weren't angry. You were still really close with him, one of his best friends, really. And you were happy with that. It was enough for you.

He had started talking to him more and hanging around him more, following him on missions, and every time he did it seemed like he'd had some grand personal development.

Is it really your fault that you were jealous?

It seemed Shouto had enjoyed Izuku's company far more than yours, and you had stayed feeling that way for years now. But, if they were happy, you were happy, because they're your friends before they're anything else to you. They were, and continue to be your best friends, so you would brush your feelings aside and put your friends first and foremost.

It hurt. It hurt a lot. So much in fact, that you had almost started distancing yourself from them completely. It's not like you blame Izuku at all, or Shouto, but you had begun to blame yourself. In your eyes, you were the problem.

You had continued this way until one day, you heard a knock on the door. Frantic and rushed, the sound echoed throughout your house, startling you from your place in the living room where you sat, watching a recording of a fight between Shouto and some nameless villain on the news station.

You almost jump out of your skin as you hear the noise and you quickly scuffle to the door to look through your spyglass, wondering who on earth that could possibly be.

To your surprise, you see red and white. The door is quickly opened at the speed of light, before Shouto could even raise his fist to knock again.

"Shouto?... Oh my god, what happened?"

You stare at him with your jaw dropped like a goldfish, saying the question before you realise that you already know, since you just saw him on the news not moments ago. He's ushered in quickly, and an arm is wrapped around the back of your neck and over your shoulders as he's hoisted up. The poor idiot is limping and clutching a bloody mess on his side.

He was stabbed.

Your heart drops to your stomach as you rush him onto your sofa, grabbing your first aid kit faster than he's ever seen you before, and he can't help but choke on his dry chuckle.

It's not too deep, thank god, but with the weapon removed already, he's still bleeding all over your couch. What the fuck are you supposed to do with furnature covered in suspicious looking stains? maybe if we pray you might be able to get them out, but enough of that. Focus on the matter at hand.

"Why the fuck are you here, of all places, you idiot?! Ever heard of an invitation? Or better yet, maybe a fucking hospital?!!"

You can't stop yourself from scolding him while you perform emergency first aid, giving him a stern look like a mother worried sick, and he feels his heart warm, smiling up at you like a dumbass despite your harsh language that he's more than accustomed to at this point. "If you die on my fucking sofa, i'm bringing you back to life just to kill you myself, you asshole."

He chokes on actual laughter this time, holding your hand once you're more or less done, knowing that he's not going to die this easy. He knows it. You know it. You both know it to be true. But still, you worry over him.

You blush bright red as you finally regain your bearings, realising how close the both of you are and how thick the tension in the air is.

"I came here... because I trust you... the hospital was-... I wouldn't have made it... 's too far. ...-'sides, 's noone else i'd rather have with me than you..."

The weight those words alone carry is enough to crush your spine, your breath hitching in your throat as you steel yourself and begin dressing his wounds, trying not to show just how confused and delighted and stupified you feel.

"... You're delusional... must've lost a lotta blood"

He quickly shuts down your dismissal, repeating his words and giving you no way of responding in a rational way.

"You've been avoiding Izuku and I for months now! Did we do something? What is wrong? How could I know how to fix things if you don't tell me what's wrong?!"-

-"Because I thought you were in love with Izuku! Okay?! I really thought you were both- both- in love with eachother! I didn't wanna get in the way- i'm sorry!" You interrupt him brashly and it's that moment when tears start to shed, rolling down smooth skin in small rivulets as you come down from such a stressful situation that you were completely unprepared for.

After a pregnant pause, the air tense and still, you're shocked to feel a pair of lips on yours. Glassy, intense eyes open back up again to see Shouto's soft smile, the kiss gone just as quick as it came while a tingling feeling tickles at your lips. You've officially been stunned into silence and Shouto simply laughs again.

"Y-you mean you really... thought me and Midoriya were... together?"

Now it's his turn to blush in embarrassment, shaking his head and assuring you that nothing of the sort was going on, and in actuality he'd had a crush on you since the very start. He was actually spending so muvh time with poor Midoriya because he felt like he was learning, and wanted to learn how to talk to you more and treat you better.

A lot of things made sense after that. But you didn't bother dwelling on it, you were too busy slamming your face into Shouto's unsuspecting one, capturing him into a passionate kiss that leaves him flustered and frozen.

[wandaromanova]

Little Sister

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Warnings: one cuss word, minor BW spoilers

A/N: hello! i’d like to note that this takes place sometime before the events in the Black Widow movie! if you haven’t seen the movie yet, please skip over this story and come back later if you’d like! happy reading <3

anon requested: hiii i have a fluff request after seeing bw haha: could you do nat x fem reader where they're laying in bed snuggling, and r asks her about her family and nat tells her and r notices how cute she looks when she's talking about yelena and it's so soft and ahhhh

Summary: Natasha tells her girlfriend about a piece of her past that she never talks about; her sister.

Word Count: 2K

| masterlist | request rules/guidelines | wips |

please do not repost or try and take ownership of my work. reblogs, likes, and comments are always welcome. <3

Natasha Romanoff has lived a lot of lives. She has been through more than most.

Nat had been taken as an infant by an organization that trained little girls to become lethal assassins.

She was psychologically conditioned to become a killer, having taken more lives than she could count.

Eventually, Natasha had managed to break free from the cage she was forced into and was recruited as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent; it was a new start for her, an opportunity to compensate for the red in her ledger.

So, Natasha took her job seriously, saving as many people as she could, even more so when she became an Avenger; one of earth’s mightiest heroes.

Natasha found something in the team that she never really had before; a family. She found a home within the dysfunctional team she had been recruited into.

Not only did Natasha find a family within the Avengers; she also found the love of her life.

Natasha hadn’t even considered the possibility of ever finding love.

For starters, the Red Room had instilled the concept that love was nothing but a distraction; a liability.

She had been taught that love was for children and it was nothing but a weakness that needed to be avoided at all costs.

She was quite literally programmed to be emotionally closed off and to always have her guard up. Letting someone into her heart was a risk she didn’t want to take.

When Natasha gained her independence from the organization, she had to do a lot of self-discovering. She had never been able to be her own person, but now that she could, she quickly learned that she didn’t even know herself.

However, it was Natasha’s insecurities that truly turned her off from the entire idea of love.

How could any ever possibly love her? She thought she was a monster for the things she’d done. She has done the unspeakable since ever she was a child.

What if she wasn’t enough? What if her baggage was too much for someone else to carry? She didn’t want to be a burden. She didn’t want to have to protect someone, just to fail them like she had failed so many others.

Natasha was positive that no one would ever be crazy enough to love her.

Little did she know, she would end up finding someone crazy enough to do so; you.

•❅──────────────── ‎⧗ ────────────────❅•

When the Avengers were formed, you were extremely nervous about it.

All of the files that you’ve read on your new teammates were unbelievable; they were all phenomenal in their own rights. A super-soldier, a god, a genius, a trained-spy.

You were a spy yourself, so you knew exactly who Natasha Romanoff was. She was a S.H.I.E.L.D legend, the best of the best.

You were more nervous about meeting her than anyone else. What if she judged you? What if she didn’t think you were good enough to be an agent, let alone an Avenger?

Not only was she your superior, but she was also your crush. Yeah, you’d never even met the woman before, but you were crushing on her hard.

She was drop-dead gorgeous, but also quite literally a deadly force. Natasha could easily take down anyone she wanted to, and honestly, you wanted to be one of those lucky people.

When you met Natasha for the first time, you were a flustered mess. The redhead found it amusing, how your cheeks turned a bright shade of red and you stumbled over your words as you praised her work.

Natasha never told you this, but she was immediately smitten the moment she laid eyes on you.

There was a kindness and positivity that just radiated off of you and it was extremely contagious.

You were this beaming ball of light that lit up the darkest parts of her soul.

•❅──────────────── ‎⧗ ────────────────❅•

You got to know Natasha extremely well while being on the team. From observing her closely and paying very close attention to her actions, you had managed to pick up on little things.

She didn’t put any creamer or sugar in her sugar; opting for strong, black coffee.

She was kind of a clean freak. If she saw something out of place, she would be quick to put it in the correct place or position.

When she was happy, she would let a small smirk cross her features. When she was annoyed, she would raise her eyebrows.

When she was stressed out or angry, three little creases would appear on her forehead as her eyebrows would knit together tightly; a subtle frown on her face.

Of course, when you began dating the redhead, you didn’t really have to survey her so closely anymore because she’d tell you things herself.

No matter the circumstances, Natasha would always come to you and rant about it. Whether it was about how shitty a mission went or how she beat Clint’s ass during training; you were the only person she wanted to tell.

Natasha had opened up to you, something she never did with anyone. She told you all about her past.

•❅──────────────── ‎⧗ ────────────────❅•

You had some knowledge of Natasha’s previous life, considering it was in her files, but you didn’t realize just how horrible her childhood truly was.

The Red Room, the heavy weight of guilt that rests on her shoulders, the nightmares that forced her to relive the murders she committed, her time as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and becoming an Avenger.

She’d go on and on about her road to redemption or ‘clearing the red out of her ledger.’

Natasha was terrified when she told you about her demons. She figured you were going to leave her the second she finished talking, waiting for you to get up and walk out the door, but you didn’t.

So, you completely caught her off guard when you pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, placing a soft kiss onto her temple, the redhead relaxing in your embrace.

“You’re the strongest person I know. It’s not your fault, you were forced and conditioned to do the things you did.”

Natasha focused on the sound of your voice and took in your words as you softly caressed her red locks with one hand.

“Baby, the amount of respect I have for you is immeasurable. I applaud you for turning your life around for the better. I’m so fucking proud of you.”

Your words had brought tears to Natasha’s eyes, which was a rare occurrence.

She was expecting you to run for the hills, but you chose to pull her closer instead.

In that moment, Natasha knew she never had to be afraid of love again.

You were the most understanding and accepting person she’d ever met.

You would never judge her for her worst mistakes; Natasha had found the one for her and she wasn’t ever going to let go.

•❅──────────────── ‎⧗ ────────────────❅•

Now, a few months later and a year into your relationship with the Russian, you were both lying in bed and cuddling.

You were both watching a movie when a particular scene came on. It was of a family gathering around a Christmas tree, children excitedly opening up presents with gleeful smiles across their faces.

“You know, my sister and I got to take pictures with a Christmas tree once.” Natasha spoke, her eyes fixated on the screen.

You looked up at her in shock. You didn’t know that Natasha had a sister. She told you that she didn’t even so much as know her parent’s names.

Natasha looked down and noticed your confused expression. She reached for the remote on the bedside table and paused the movie before returning her gaze to you.

“There was a mission I was assigned to in Ohio, as a kid. I was assigned to play the daughter of two other Russian spies, Alexei and Melina. It wasn’t just me though, there was a little girl who was assigned as my younger sister. Her name is Yelena.”

Natasha had a reminiscent, happy smile on her face as she recalled the brief period time of her childhood. She looked absolutely adorable as she rambled on about this part of her childhood.

“We took photoshoots of various holidays to make our family look more realistic. My favorite one was Christmas. Even though I knew they were just empty boxes, I wanted to rip open every single one.”

Natasha let out a small giggle at the thought. Even though she had a smile on her face, you could feel and hear the underlying tone of sadness in her voice.

“Yelena and I would spend hours outside, just playing together. Swinging on the swing-sets, looking up at the stars, bending over backward, and getting into a ridiculous competition to see who could hold the position the longest… I always let her win.”

You could see the fondness in her eyes, the longing. It warmed your heart that there was a small glimmer of light in Natasha’s past. There was at least a sliver of hope that she clung tightly onto throughout her time in the Red Room.

“After 3 years, the mission ended. Yelena and I were sent back to the Red Room and were torn apart from one another.

Natasha’s breathing grew heavier as she recalled the unfaithful day. The sight of her sister being taken, and not being able to do anything to help her; still haunted the redhead to this day.

“There were so many men with guns and armor, they literally ripped us away from each other. I was eleven and she was only six.”

Your heart sunk at your girlfriend’s words as her smile dropped. She tore her eyes away from yours as she blinked rapidly, fighting back tears, but failed. You reached your hand up to her cheek and wiped away the fallen droplets.

“I haven’t seen her since. I’d like to think that she found a way out and got a life of her own; a nice, happy life.”

Natasha placed her hand on top of yours before looking down at you once more. You sent her a soft smile when she let out a shaky breath.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I knew that the it was all fake, but it was still the best part of my childhood. It was real to me.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

You nodded your head at her words. She took a brief pause, trying to regain her composure, before continuing.

“Even if we have no true relation to one another, and even if I haven’t seen her in years, she is still my little sister.”

Natasha finished off with a big gasp as sobs wracked her body. You sat up from her embrace and pulled her into your arms, just like you had many times before.

You rubbed her back soothingly as she cried into your shoulder, her tears hitting the exposed skin.

“She sounds amazing, baby. I’m really happy that you had some sort of happiness back then and I hope one day you get to see her again.”

You whispered and Natasha pulled away from the hug, still in your arms as her emerald eyes surrounded by a sea of red, a result of her crying.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I doubt she’d even want to see me. I didn’t even try to find her. I’m a horrible sister! I-“

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

You immediately pressed your lips against hers, effectively getting the Russian to calm down. You broke the kiss when her breathing slowed.

“Honey, of course, she’d want to see you again. Like you said, you guys are sisters. I’m positive that it was just as real to her as it was to you.”

You reassured your girlfriend, her eyes a pool of worry and guilt. You rubbed your thumb against her waist, the material of your her hoodie beneath your touch.

“From what you’ve told me about the Red Room, it would’ve been impossible to find her. Stop beating yourself up over it. You’re the best, and I’m totally not biased or anything.”

Natasha let out a small chuckle at that and you smiled at her, wiping away the last of her tears. She collapsed into your hold further, shoving her face into the crook of your neck.

“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I love you so much.”

Natasha’s words came out muffled as her face pressed further into your skin.

“You never need to thank me for anything. I’ll always be here for you, Natty.”

You hugged her as tight as you possibly could, her cold skin meeting your warmth. Natasha let out a small sigh at the feeling.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wherever you go, I go.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

───────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────────

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[wlwmarvelenthusiast]

Babysitting Duty

Summary: while Scott and Clint are away on a mission, you and Wanda are stuck with babysitting duty

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Warnings: some harsh language

Word Count: 5,117

"Your asses had better not leave the yard, got it?"

"Please don't swear at the kids."

"They're being little shits!" You insisted.

Wanda glared at you from where she was sat on the couch, cradling two-year-old Nathaniel, who had fallen asleep in her arms a few minutes ago. You scowled back at her as you moved to the other seat, closer to the open window, so that you could see and hear Lila and Cassie running around in the backyard. Lila ducked into the shed for a moment, re-emerging with a soccer ball. She kicked it toward Cassie.

Clint and Scott had taken up an offer to go on a mission with Natasha across the country. You didn't pry as to why she needed them specifically. Laura was in Los Angeles visiting some family, meanwhile Maggie and Jim were taking a vacation in the tropics. That had left Scott and Clint in need of a babysitter, and you'd been volunteered for the job. Now, you and Wanda were stuck at Clint's farmhouse for a few days until Laura got back. You were only in charge of Cassie, Lila, and Nathaniel, with Cooper having gone to stay with a friend while his parents were out of town.

"Why don't you go put him down?" You suggested to Wanda, the scowl on your face replaced by a soft smile.

Wanda shook her head. She didn't even bother to stand, instead simply laying him down on the couch they were sitting on. He whined a little as he left her arms, but after she'd stroked his head a couple times, he settled as soundly as he had been. She stood and crossed the room, sitting down next to you. Your arm moved around her waist and she leaned against you, legs curling up to her chest. You kissed the side of her head as you glanced out the window quickly to check up on the girls.

"What do you think about what Tony said?" She asked quietly.

You turned to stare at her. Her light green eyes flickered up to meet your gaze. It put a smile on her face. Her hand reached for yours, taking it and intertwining your fingers. You played with her hand.

"One day."

After getting the babysitting gig, you hadn't exactly been ecstatic. You were an Avenger, not a babysitter. Anytime Clint and Scott weren't around to hear, you'd repeat those words to whoever was close enough to listen. Most of them got that. They thought the same. It's why everyone had tried so hard to avoid the two men for those few days. When you'd gotten stuck with it, Natasha had even gone so far as to laugh at you.

You were good at avoiding. You'd practiced it all your anti-social life. So, it wasn't your fault that you'd be assigned babysitter. It was Wanda's. Clint had managed to corner her one day. Their relationship was a strange one. He'd cared for Pietro, and Pietro had cared enough for Clint to give up his life for him. Now, the surviving Maximoff and the archer had some sort of bond. That bond had made it impossible for her to say no to babysitting the toddler that was named after her brother.

Stuck with two kids anyway, you figured you might as well take care of Cassie at this point. Once you'd been nominated babysitter, though, Tony had taken it upon yourself to never leave you alone. It seemed, for those few days after you'd agreed to take care of the kids, Tony was around every single corner. You wouldn't have been surprised to learn he had been using the security cameras to keep track of you, because no matter how hard you tried to hide from him, he was there.

He was teasing you relentlessly about your having to babysit. Unlike the rest of them, Tony wasn't teasing you because you, an Avenger, were stuck with a 16-year-old high schooler's job. He was teasing you because you were stuck at a nice little home in the country with three kids and your girlfriend. He insisted, every time he saw you, that this was going to be good practice for your future. Wanda had blushed furiously the first time he'd said it. You'd shooed him away.

As much as you hated dealing with the billionaire and his stupid smirk when he'd approach you to tease you about practicing for your own kids, you would deal with it. Wanda would always turn away with a tomato-red blush burning on her cheeks, and so you would always find a way to give her an escape to stick around and take Tony's taunting yourself. Mostly you just ignored him, but he was persistent if nothing else.

Tony had driven you absolutely mad with his stupid suggestive tone and heckling comments. That was undeniable. Sometimes, you even wanted to take him down to the ring just for a reason to drive your fist into his gut. But after a long day of work and having to hear him go on and on, you'd climb into your bed, or sometimes Wanda's, fall asleep for the night, and dream up the pictures that he'd painted into your head.

There were two or three kids. One of them was always a boy. You were just getting home from somewhere, and Wanda was in the backyard of your house, watching the children play. The boy would be with one of the other kids, but when you approached Wanda and slid an arm around her waist, he'd run up to you. You'd ruffle a hand in his hair, and he'd giggle, light green eyes casting up to look at you. He had Wanda's eyes. You'd reach down and pick him up, kissing his cheek as he continued to laugh.

"Hi, Momma," he'd say.

"Hello, Pietro," you would reply every time. "Were you good for your mom today?"

Then he would nod and squirm a little, desperate to get back to his brothers or sisters. You'd set him down on his feet and he'd dash back to the others. You would lean into Wanda, then, kissing her softly. She would kiss you back, just as gently and lovingly as she did in your waking life. No words would be exchanged as you guided her to the bench swing, pulling her close and smiling as you both turned to watch your children laugh and play together.

It was just a dream, and it was entirely Tony's fault, you were sure. He'd put the idea of a family into your head and now you couldn't get it out. You'd always known you wanted kids and, even though you might not have known her all too long, you knew it was Wanda you wanted them with. She was your everything and you wouldn't want anything without her. Your future didn't exist without Wanda Maximoff.

"I've seen those dreams you've been having."

That honestly didn't surprise you too much. She'd seen your dreams on occasion. You'd learned that when you'd woken up absolutely drenched in sweat one night after a particularly inappropriate dream involving a particular witch. She'd watched your eyes open and immediately straddled your waist, promising to make your dream come true. You hadn't gone back to sleep that night, and it was clear as day that she had seen every single detail of that dream.

She was a mind reader. It wasn't hard for her to see just what was going on in your head; conscious or not. So, as you slept, she was able to see those images of you and she with your cozy little house and little Pietro smiling up at the both of you. It didn't surprise you, but it did make you a little nervous to know she'd seen them. You didn't want to seem like you were rushing into things at a pace that she wasn't ready for. You would wait forever for her.

You'd talked about it with her before. It was nothing too serious. It had been a simple conversation, the two of you discussing where you thought you might be five or ten years down the road. When you'd talked about it, the two of you hadn't been dating yet. You'd just been friends, both wanting to be more. It had been a quiet night, and you'd wanted to take her mind off Pietro, who had died only four months earlier.

Wanda pictured her future as a quieter life. She wanted a nice home on a quaint little street where she wanted a family, someone to love and maybe a couple of kids down the road. She'd told you she wasn't sure yet, if she wanted to continue being an Avenger. She hadn't always been fond of the sort of action you guys saw, but she knew she had the power to help people. Her heart was good. She couldn't just ignore that fact.

Your vision had been a little different. You were absolutely sure that you wanted to continue being an Avenger. You were a hero through and through. You couldn't imagine a life where you weren't doing what you did now: keeping people safe. You wanted to stay in New York, but maybe moving out into the suburbs in the outskirts of the city. You, too, wanted to start a family someday. Avenging could be a day job, you'd assured.

Then you'd gotten together. You'd admitted your feelings, you'd gone on some dates, and quickly, you'd fallen deeply in love with her. That dream of a future was still one you had: An Avenger by day and a wife and mother by night. At some point, though, that woman you saw yourself having that family with had become Wanda. Suddenly, you couldn't see it any other way. For a long time, you'd kept that from her. Now, though, she knew, and you were glad she did.

"What do you think of it? The dream," you asked carefully.

Wanda didn't answer right away. Her eyes had cast out the window to watch Cassie and Lila run through the yard, passing the ball between each other before Cassie turned and kicked it into the net. They both cheered loudly, raising their arms in the air, smiling widely, and high fiving. Their excitement made Wanda smile too. Her gaze turned back away from the yard and back to you, searching your face carefully. You let her study every detail of your eyes.

"I think it's beautiful."

Any life with her would have been beautiful. Anything with her was beautiful. You were absolutely sure Wanda Maximoff was the most beautiful thing in the world and there was nothing that could have changed your mind. The Avengers teased you sometimes. Natasha had teased one day, that you looked at your girlfriend as if she were the most exquisite piece in an art museum. You'd only assured her that no piece of art ever held a candle to the Sokovian.

"Would you..." You trailed off and took a breath, trying to figure out just what you were asking. "Would you consider it one day?"

Wanda didn't hesitate a millisecond. "I don't have to consider it. One day, Sweetheart."

That warmed you to your very soul. You put your hands on your cheeks and turned her face toward yours. You pressed your lips together, the feeling never failing to make your eyes flutter shut. You savoured the so familiar taste of her against your lips as you let your hands slide; one moved to the back of her neck to hold her close, and the other came to rest on her thigh. It wasn't a long kiss. It didn't need to be. It only took a few seconds to convey to her something words never could.

"How many?" She asked.

You laughed. "Two or three? What do you think, Baby?"

"Three," she hummed softly.

You couldn't believe that Tony was fucking right. Here you were with the woman you loved so dearly, babysitting your coworkers’ kids, and imagining having ones of your own someday. You had to admit, you did like it. They were a bit of a handful, that much was for sure, but you loved it. You loved watching their smiles, watching them play and laugh, and joining them in their fun and games. You loved seeing how Wanda would sit with them, cradle Nathaniel close, and read the girls bedtime stories. The thought of having this with her made your heart swell.

"Alright, where would we live?" You asked with a soft laugh.

"We'll stay near New York," she assured. "My big strong Avenger."

You laughed when she teasingly squeezed one of your biceps. You flexed a little, pressing the muscles against her hand. At this, the touches to your arm weren't so teasing. Her fingers traced the lines of the defined muscles that lay beneath your skin. You breathed out a quiet laugh, grabbing her hand and gently kissing against her knuckles. Her hand hesitated at your mouth as she ran the pad of her thumb across your bottom lip.

"Port Washington?" You offered. "Maybe a little way outside the city or in northern Jersey? I know you want to raise a family in a small town and New York City isn't exactly that."

She pressed her lips against your neck for a moment. "I love you."

You breathed out. "I love you, too."

She pulled away, moving to touch your knee instead. You put a hand over top of hers, turning to check on Cassie and Lila again. They'd taken to sitting in the grass, leaning against a tree trunk, and talking quietly. You weren't sure what about, but you were just glad that they seemed to still be having a good time. You slid Wanda's hand off your knee so that you could stand up.

"I'm just going to grab a snack for the girls," you kissed her cheek. "When I'm back, you can let me know if you've got any more ideas for this life of ours, huh?"

Wanda nodded.

You moved into the kitchen, opening up the pantry and putting together a couple of PB and Js, cutting them in half and setting them on the counter. You then mixed a few glasses of lemonade, put everything on a tray, and headed briefly back to the living room to hand one glass to Wanda, before heading out the back door. You whistled merrily, catching the girls' attention. They both smiled at your approach, and you settled into the grass beside them.

"For you."

They thanked you repeatedly, taking a plate and a glass each. You took your own glass, sitting back and sipping it as the cool breeze blew through your hair. You crossed your legs, watching their girls bite into their sandwiches. You tried to think back to what you'd been talking about at their age. You'd been in grade school and had often been in the schoolyard with your friends talking about boys. Well... they'd talk about boys and you would hesitate and make something up because you didn't know who the hell you liked.

"So, what are we talking about today, girls?"

"Lila was just telling me about a boy named Sam."

"Cassie!"

"What?" Cassie defended. "She's not gonna tell!"

You nodded. "Cassie is right, kid. I'm the best secret keeper probably ever."

Lila seemed to ponder this for a moment. It was a blatant lie, though. Every secret that was told to you was also told to Wanda, but it didn't go past there. You couldn't keep things from her. It was like she could pull anything from you with just a simple gaze from those light eyes. Even if you didn't tell her, she was a mind reader. Either she'd hear it from your lips, or she'd hear it running through your brain at one point or another.

Lila seemed to be contemplating this. "Okay. Well, there's this boy in my class. His name is Sam. I really like him."

"Oh, yeah?" You asked, sipping your lemonade. "So why don't you tell him that?"

"No! I can't tell him."

"Why not?" You scoffed. "What's the worst that could happen, Li? He either likes you back or he doesn't."

You'd always had trouble with your own advice. If you admitted your feelings to someone and they told you they didn't feel that same way, you felt awkward for months after that. But you were an adult. Lila was eleven. Even if kids these days were growing up way faster than you did, you knew that things were a lot more complex when you were a little more grown up. In a year or two, then she'd start realizing that.

"What about you, Cas? Any boys in your class you've got an eye on?" You winked.

Cassie didn't seem to find this very amusing though. Suddenly, it seemed, her sandwich wasn't very appetizing, and the lemonade had lost its sweetness. Her gaze moved to somewhere no one could meet it, locking to the ground as her fingers began playing absentmindedly with the grass. You tilted your head to the side curiously. You glanced over at Lila, but she didn't seem to know the reason for this either.

"Lila, could you give us a minute?" You asked the older of the girls. "Why don't you go see what Wanda is up to?"

Lila nodded and scampered off. She ran to the house and in the back door, and you watched in the window as she appeared beside Wanda. You saw her explaining something to the Sokovian, likely just trying to express that her friend was upset. You turned your focus to Cassie, who was busying herself by pulling a few blades of grass out of the ground. You didn't try to stop her, the fidgeting obviously calming her anxiety.

"What if..." She took a deep breath as she trailed off. "What if I think I like like a girl?"

Cassie Lang was ten years old. That's around the same age you started wondering what the other girls saw in boys. You hadn't realized as young as she did that you'd liked girls, but you knew something about you was different. At that age, you'd thought maybe something was wrong with you. It had taken you a few years to realize you weren't broken, just different. It had taken you even longer to realize that was okay.

You knew Cassie probably felt more comfortable asking one of her babysitters this question than anyone else. She trusted her parents and her stepdad, and she loved them, that much was clear. With them, though, she watched a man love a woman. With you, she watched you love Wanda the same way Scott loved Hope. She watched you do something she was feeling in herself. It made everything seem a little more normal and a little more okay. You knew that much from experience.

"Cas, look at me, Sweetheart," you said gently. Cassie looked up at you. "You can like whoever you want to like, and you can be whoever you want to be."

"But at school, all the girls like boys and I don't. Why don't I? I just want to be the same."

"Because not everyone is the same, and that's okay. You don't think there's anything wrong with me, do you?"

"No."

"No. And I love a girl. Isn't that okay?"

"Yeah."

Maybe it was a bit of a guilt trip, but it got Cassie to look up. You watched as her eyes travelled from you, to Wanda, and back. There was no longer any trace of nerves or anxiety on the young girl. It had instead been replaced by curiosity. It seemed your little pep talk had actually worked. She seemed more at ease after assurance that she didn't need to be normal. You knew that wasn't it for those nerves, you even got them yourself once in a while, but you were glad to have put her at ease for a while.

"Kiddo, are you going to talk to your mom or dad about this?"

As honoured as you were that you'd felt to be a safe person to come out to, you weren't really the person that she should be going to for support. Her mother and father would give her that. You didn't know Maggie well, but you knew Scott. He would be unconditionally supportive and wouldn't hesitate to reassure her if she ever felt like this again and if there were someone who didn't, he'd make sure to immediately remove that person from their life.

"I think I'm gonna talk to my dad when he gets home. Can you talk to him for me?"

"I can give him a little heads up, but you're going to have to be the one to actually talk to him."

She took a deep breath but nodded. "Okay."

You smiled proudly.

You sat with Cassie for a little while longer in that spot. Following your conversation, she seemed to be feeling better. She was eating and drinking again as she told you a little about this girl she was sweet on. You didn't comment too much, smiling and nodding along as she told you stories about the schoolyard. Soon enough you were once again trading places with Lila. The two girls resumed their gossiping in the grass, and you moved back to sit with your girlfriend once more.

When you sat down next to Wanda, glancing at a still sleeping Nathaniel as you moved, you immediately turned to the window. The two preteens had already regained that same calm expression they had been sporting earlier. Satisfied that they were both alright, now, you turned back to Wanda. She was watching you carefully, eyes flickering down to peek at the smile on your lips. You beckoned her to come back against you like she had been before you left.

"You and Cassie seemed to have quite the heart-to-heart," she hummed quietly as she leaned back against your side and your arm snaked around her.

"She confessed she might have a crush on a girl."

Wanda raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Well, I see why you were a safe person to confess that to."

You chuckled and kissed the side of her head. "Yeah, I do, too. I gave her a little bit of reassurance before telling her she should really talk to Scott or Maggie."

Wanda nodded in agreement. She reached out to the table to grab the glass of lemonade you'd made for her, sipping it quietly. The cool glass pressed against your arm when she lowered it, sending a shiver throughout your body. She seemed to notice this, as she laughed, moving the cold cup up to your cheek. The condensation that coated it transferred onto your skin and you frowned, pushing her hand away. She laughed a little harder.

"So, what did you come up with?" You asked her. "I seem to remember asking you to come up with some more details."

"You did. So, I wondered what Pietro's siblings' names might be?"

You froze. That was from your dream. You knew she'd been seeing it, but you still got a little curious when she brought up the more minor details. You turned to look at her, curiosity burning in your chest. Pietro was her brother, not yours. You wondered briefly if she even wanted to name any children she might have in the future after the brother she'd lost.

"Pietro," you repeated softly. "Is that okay?"

"Fuck, Honey."

Wanda rarely swore, so when she did, you knew she was feeling something strong. You were assured it was a good feeling, though, when she grabbed you and pulled you toward herself roughly. Your lips connected and you felt the intensity in her kiss. You didn't dare be the one to pull away from this, letting her show you how she was feeling through the intimate touch. When she finally did, her hands were immediately in yours.

"Thank you. He meant the world to me and you mean so, so much to me, too and... thank you, Honey."

"You don't have to thank me, Baby. He deserves it," you assured, a hand on her cheek. "But did you have other ideas too?"

She nodded. "I did. We'll obviously discuss more when the occasion arises, right?"

"Right," you agreed with a laugh. "So?"

"I like the name Tommy. It's cute, don't you think?"

"I do think so," you hummed.

You don't know what it was, but something had you so drawn to her in this moment. You wanted to pull her close and never let her go. Granted, you wanted that most of the time. Right now, though, the thought of releasing her from where you had her flush against your side, her head resting so softly on your shoulder, made your heart feel a little weaker. As if she could feed that absolute need radiating off of you, she kissed your shoulder and put her hand into yours, squeezing tight.

"Any girls' names you like?"

Wanda stopped to ponder. "Violet."

"That's cute too," you smiled at the thought of your family. "You're pretty good at this, my dear," you paused for a moment. "So, Pietro, Tommy, and Violet Maximoff?"

She hesitated at hearing that. Her head moved off your shoulder, and you immediately missed the lack of pressure. You had to suppress a quiet whine as you glanced over at the curious eyes that were peering at you. You cocked your head to the side, in the movement, willing her to tell you what was going on inside her head. You felt as though her eyes could see into your very soul with the way she was watching you.

"Maximoff," she finally said.

"Yeah. I like it," you told her. "And doesn't my name sound so good with your last?"

You didn't even have to say the name aloud. Just hearing it in her own mind had a shiver running through her body- something you felt it against your own. She didn't have to say aloud, either, that she loved the idea. You knew she did. You both did. It was something that made you entirely hers. You were entirely hers. You belonged to Wanda Maximoff and her last name attached to your first would prove that to anyone.

"One day," Wanda said, repeating the words you'd spoken earlier. "One day you'll be my Mrs. Maximoff."

It was your turn to hesitate at those words. You were both talking about this as if it were inevitable. As far as you were concerned, it was. You couldn't even picture a life that didn't have Wanda in it. You didn't want to. You wanted to be her wife and live in a small house in the suburbs and raise children with her. You wanted all of it so bad you could hardly fathom it. You turned to her, making sure to catch her eyes.

"Did we just get engaged?" You teased.

You hadn't, but you had. All engagement was, was a promise to be each other's and to get married. There was no time limit on that. In the last little while, you'd promised that to each other. You had both promised each other this entire life that you could see laid out before you. Neither of you had been discussing it as if it were a possibility, but more as an inevitability. That sure sounded like a promise to you.

"I don't know," Wanda admitted. "We agreed we'd get married one day."

"Yeah," you agreed. "We definitely did."

Then you decided to make it less of a question as to what had or had not happened. You slid away from her and stood up off the couch. You took a knee on the floor, bringing her hand into yours. Your heart was thumping so loud in your chest that you had to wonder whether or not she could hear it from where she sat. Judging by the way her eyes widened, though, you thought that maybe her own heartbeat was drowning it out.

You didn't think this was how you'd do this. Sure, you'd many times thought about how you'd one day propose to Wanda. In none of those scenarios was she sitting on the couch in Clint's living room whilst Nathaniel slept ten feet away with Lila and Cassie's giggles floating in through the window. They were usually a lot more romantic than this. You couldn't find it in yourself to care. This was the moment. You could feel it.

"So let me clear up the confusion," you offered, eyes not leaving hers. "Wanda Maximoff, I cannot picture my life without this little suburban house and these sweet little kids and you, my love. I will walk to the ends of the Earth and back for you. I'd give you my heart and my soul in an instant if you wanted me to. Will you marry me?"

Wanda didn't seem to be able to find her voice. Her expression was one of shock. Her jaw had dropped a little, and her eyes were wide, watering a little. You wanted more than anything to reach out and wipe those tears away and to kiss her cheeks, even if they weren't tears of sorrow. But your knee was glued to the floor until she gave you an answer. She seemed to collect herself, then. Her hands wiped at her eyes, her lips curled into a smile, and then, finally, she nodded.

"Yes. Of course, yes."

She pulled you back onto the couch. It might have been a little far, with your knees on either side of her waist. The two girls could have walked in at any moment. But you were so completely happy that there was absolutely nothing that would have stopped you from resting your arms on her shoulders, linking your hands behind her neck, and kissing her like you needed her more than you needed oxygen in your lungs. You supposed you might have. She finally pushed you away.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, beautiful fiancée of mine," you teased. "I guess Tony was right then, huh? The babysitting gig was good for us."

She laughed and then buried herself in your embrace. You held her there, not a single care in the world, knowing she was yours and you were hers. One day you would have a life a little like this one. You and she together with a family of your own and so much love around you.

It was all thanks to the stupid, stupid babysitting gig.