#from (2022) fanfic

[forgetme-eternally-blissfully]

Cale isnt a cuddler.

He never had toys to fall asleep with, he couldn’t snuggle up to his parents after the accident and he certainly couldn’t with his uncle, and he was, most often, barely comfortable when he slept anyway.

So when the apocalypse arrived, he was the perfect person when it came to sleeping.

He didn’t move around, he didn’t snore, and he had already gotten used to falling asleep on shitty surfaces!

Jung Soo described it as eery, with the way that Rok Soo would get into a position to fall asleep and then he would stay that way for the rest of the night. His chest barely rose and fell, and on more than one occasion Soo Hyuk had woken him up because they were afraid he wasn’t breathing. Thankfully he has always been a light sleeper, so just moving around nearby would be enough to startle him awake.

They tried having a buddy system where they would sleep next to Rok Soo, “for his safety” but he would refuse and find some private place to cram himself into to sleep, scaring them even more. They tried to trick him multiple times, but Rok Soo never fell for it.

He allowed it one time.

It was a cold night, and Jung Soo was too tired from fighting monsters that they couldn’t get back to their company before nightfall.

Jung Soo had been barely coherent, grasping onto Rok Soo as he had been temporarily blinded by a poison grade 2 monster.

He refused to let go of Rok Soo, and so he gave in. He laid on the ground, curled up to Jung Soo, and pretended to be asleep.

He used his record ability intermittently throughout the entire night. It got cold enough to snow, and so Rok Soo had to be the fire for the time.

He never told Jung Soo he stayed up to keep him warm.

But that doesn’t matter.

Because now he’s Cale Henituse. He’s trash. He can sleep anywhere and at any time, but he demands a bed because he can. He demands comfort and warmth and safety. He always wants to fall asleep with a full stomach.

The others know this.

Except he can fall asleep easily when he hasn’t eaten. He can barely be counted as safe, ever, because of the White Star. He complains about the cold but they know he sometimes forgets to ask for a jacket.

The strangest story, however.

The oddest story?

Cale sleep walked.

Once.

Raon watched him get out of bed, and followed him to a nondescript corner of their newest house, where he laid down and stopped moving.

Raon woke him up immediately, and Cale was very disoriented and confused, but Raon didn’t care about the sleep walking. He cared about the stillness. Cale had looked as if he was hiding from a monster and could barely lift his chest to breathe softly.

Raon demanded to sleep next to Cale from then on, because he was worried Cale would get himself hurt.

Cale reluctantly gave in. He thinks about Soo Hyuk and Jung Soo, and thinks they’d be proud of him for opening up.

He casts that thought away.

(December 30, 2022)

[starry-bi-sky]

Blood Blossom Au: Baby's First Commissioner Meeting :)

TL:DR This Post: Danny (orphan) gets poisoned with blood blossom extract by Vlad. He runs away from him and ends up under the care of one Pre-Robin Battinson Batman! Starry is loudly pushing her batdad agenda.

(Also known as "Late At Night, When The Nightingale Sings" on my ao3!)

This was a fun rough idea I've been sitting on for weeks, thinking about how Commissioner Gordon and Nightingale's first meeting might go.

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

Commissioner Gordon likes to think that he's adjusting to the new normal of Gotham very well, -- the new normal being grown men running around dressed like bats, in military-grade strength body armor, committing acts of vigilantism, -- and slowly, little by little, he was no longer being surprised when this new normal pops up out of the shadows like the world's most terrifying daisy. His shaving lifespan thanks him for it.

....

The kid is a surprise though.

Granted, he seemed to be a surprise to the Bat too.

There's been a string of murders lately, -- which, in Gotham, is kind of like saying there's been another storm during monsoon season. And there's just been another; in some dilapidated building down in south Gotham, with the broken, boarded-up windows and mildew-crawling walls to match. The victim is a man in his thirties, multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, left in the center of the room for the blood to pool out around him.

The place is already secured when he arrives, the building swarmed with officers and the forensic detectives. The Bat emerges shortly after he does -- or, he might've been here the whole time, hiding someplace dark and shadowy. For his own sanity, Gordon doesn't think about it too hard.

The kid is a surprise, and he appears like a bolt of lightning.

He shows up in the middle of a conversation Gordon is having with the Bat.

A whistle, sharp and loud, slicing through the air, meant for open air rather than a confined space. Gordon's ears pierce and protest the sound, and the solemn, murmured chatter floating through the room abruptly cuts off like the swing of a gavel. As he turns towards the sound -- as they all do -- he swears, up and down, that he sees Batman's shoulders jump, just slightly.

At the source, perched on the window, is a boy. A boy in a gray-blue scarf and an oversized black hoodie, one that hangs off his frame and has ace bandages wrapped around the wrists in some attempt to cinch the sleeves. The hood is up, big like the rest of it, and threatens to swallow the upper half of the boy's face whole in the fabric. What upper half Gordon can see, is smeared with some kind of opaque, black face paint. He's holding onto the side of the frame with one hand, on his hip is a grappling hook. A familiar grappling hook.

Gordon has multiple questions, and his officers tense up.

Martinez puffs up, brows furrowing as his face shapes into a frown. Shoulders rolling back. "You can't be here, kid--"

The reaction is immediate, like a spark to gunpowder, the boy yanks his fingers from his mouth and his mouth twists into a scowl. Head snapping over to Officer Martinez, his hood manages to stay on but Gordon swears that as he bares his teeth, the glint makes them look sharper than they should be. His voice is rasp and quiet and harsh; snappish in its hissing; "Put a fuckin sock in it, Martinez. I'm not stayin."

Martinez reels back, and the boy immediately veers his attention off him. Like a switch, his demeanor drops. Despite half his face being covered, his mouth twists into a cringing, apologetic smile. Slanted and off-beat, embarrassed. It'd be disarming if this wasn't Gotham, and if he didn't just hiss at Martinez like he was about to bite his head off.

"Sorry." He whispers, voice deceptively polite and softer now. Gordon has to strain his ears to hear him. "I was looking for him."

He points his finger towards-- Gordon? No, Gordon follows the direction, and finds himself looking at -- the Bat.

The Bat, who always looks stiff as a pole, now looks even stiffer. Somehow. Well, the explains the grappling hook attached to the boy's waist.

"What are you doing here?" The Bat says, gruff and unable to completely smother the stumble of surprise in his tone.

The boy still holds a sheepish smile, and slips off the window ledge. His feet hit the creaky boards with a near-silent thud, the Batman finds his feet and rapidly begins crossing the room.

Gordon notes the slight tremble in the boy's legs as he straightens. He adjusts his scarf, which droops close to his knees now that he's standing, and slings a backpack -- how long has had that? -- off his shoulders. When the Bat reaches his side, he does as he always does, and looms over the boy like a spectre. A threatening mass of shadows cloaked in all-consuming black. Standing next to him, the boy looks teeny in comparison.

The Bat is a man who terrifies even the most hardened criminals, Gordon has seen grown men shiver in fear at the mention of his name. And yet when the boy looks up at him, he doesn't even flinch.

Instead, his sheepish smile melts away like ice under the sun, holding only traces of his previous embarrassment. It remains as a shadow on his face, a small upturn at the corners of his mouth. The boy pushes his hood back just enough to reveal glinting, ice-flint eyes surrounded in tar-black face paint. He holds the backpack up with one arm. "You forgot this."

[milliesfishes]

she breaks something by accident in front of him and she’s trying to hold back tears as she apologizes profusely and tries to clean it up fast and his heart just hurts in his chest because he knows her head is telling her over and over in that moment that he’ll leave her for something so small

and of course before he can stop her she’s got her hand cut on broken glass and bloody and she’s just crying at that point and apologizing even more because she feels like a burden for getting hurt

oh I fear this one hit too close to home (edit: this did not start as this, but it became very long)

⋆౨ৎbilly when you break something⋆౨ৎ fem reader x billy the kid

The sound of the glass hitting the ground hit your ears before you realized what had happened. There was a brief moment in time when you were frozen, eyes wide as the centers of daisies. It had been completely innocent- you'd been laughing at something he said, sweeping your hand out in an exaggerated motion. And now the moment was broken, all innocence sapped out of the room.

Apologies flooded from your lips, and you dropped to your knees in an instant, reaching for the scattered shards. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

Across from you, Billy was standing up, reaching for you. "Baby-"

Your breath hitched on your tenth apology, and you took in a staggered breath, a few of the larger pieces of the glass gathered in a tiny pile in front of you. Heart pounding, the thoughts running through your mind were frantic, awfully firm and unyielding. He's gonna leave you. You made a mistake. He's gonna hate you now, you don't deserve him.

Stepping around the glass, Billy tried to get to you, and you kept your head down, hair falling around the sides of your face like a curtain. "I'll fix it...I'm sorry, I'll fix it..."

Billy knelt beside you, his hand on your arm, trying to meet your eyes. "Sweetheart, it's-"

A sharp gasp interrupted him. You'd reached for a piece of glass without thinking and now your hand was cut in the space below your thumb. Humiliation flooded your system, and your cheeks burned as hot tears began to cascade down your face, stinging like salt in a wound. Nononononono you made a mistake, you made a mistake-

Breaths uneven, you fell back against the leg of your chair, trying to steady yourself, holding your hand to your chest. Blood was dripping down your finger, and you drew your knees up, looking away from Billy and shutting your eyes as if that would make him disappear. You wanted to redo this moment, to fix everything you'd done.

His hand was gentle on your knee, and you opened your eyes at his touch. Billy's other palm was extended, and he murmured, "Lemme see."

Against your will, you gave him your hand, and he reached up to his neck, unraveling the bandana he wore there. The cloth was pressed to your hand soon after, and he held it there for a moment until he was satisfied, tying it across your knuckles.

The entire time he was tending to you, a bucket of guilt was poured over your head like rain in the springtime. You'd done a bad thing, you'd ruined your evening and here he was, being so kind and sweet just like always. A fresh wave of tears fell down your cheeks in rivers, and his eyes softened.

Billy slid his arm around your waist, tugging at you. "C'mere...c'mere, sweet girl. It's okay. I promise."

You moved into him like he was your gravity. Billy held you tight to his chest, leaning his cheek to the top of your head. "Shh, it's okay. It was just an accident, baby."

"I'm sorry-" you choked, voice strung with a high pitch. You were clinging to him like he was a lifeline, his scent and being engulfing you the way it always did. And the fact that he didn't even seem mad made you feel worse.

"You didn't do anything wrong. It's okay," he whispered, kissing the top of your head and letting his lips linger there. "Oh my love...my baby..." Billy shifted you onto his lap, away from the precarious shards of glass still scattered and hidden across the floor.

It was quiet for a minute, except for the sounds of Billy adjusting your legs across his so not a single portion of your skin was touching the ground. He held you for a stretch of time that you didn't bother to count.

When it had been a moment, he began to murmur little questions against your head, and you responded with a nod or a shake.

"Are you tired?" Shake.

He rubbed his thumb soothingly up and down your arm. "D'you wanna get in bed? Just to get cozy?" Nod.

Billy nudged his lips against your hairline, hugging you tight to him. You felt a flood of love and warmth in your chest, replacing the tautness of anxiety that occupied the space before. He isn't mad.

"You know I love you?" he whispered, the tenderness of his tone nearly bringing you to tears again. Billy tilted your chin up, searching your eyes.

In his face you saw something heavenly reflected back. Nobody would call your Billy pure, but his love was. It existed outside whatever wrongs he'd committed, whatever sins stood in need of repentance. The boundless emotion you saw in his eyes was too big to ever be set off course by something like an accident.

He used a hand to smooth your hair, tuck it behind your ear. "I love you so much." Cupping your cheek in his big palm, his lips twitched up a little sadly when you leaned into it. "Now you know?"

You reached up for his wrist, squeezing it. Nod.

[vintagegirl01]

Plush Size

Marc Spector x fem! reader (Implied moon boys x fem! reader)

Summary: Missing the MK System, you decide to make a plush toy of Moon Knight for yourself, so that you have something to cuddle with when they are on missions for Khonshu. While this plush ends up being used for that particular reason, the moon boys are shocked to see that you are no longer as clingy to them as you once were. This leads them to become touch starved, resulting in them hiding the plush.

You miss them all very much. It has only been a day since they left but you miss Marc, Steven, and Jake very much.

Though they have been on missions longer than this most recent one they are currently on. Nevertheless, it’s true when they say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

As you look through Pinterest to look at sewing machine projects that you want to do. You see some pins on how to make dolls. This sparks the idea to create a doll in the form of your boyfriends’ Moon Knight persona that you could use to cuddle when they are gone. With this newfound inspiration, you get to work.

_________________________________________

3 Days Later…

Marc is currently fronting as he enters the key to your shared apartment. Though this mission was shorter, the desire to get home to you was what kept him going.

When he locks the front door, Marc notices the silence within the house. No tv nor music playing in the background.

Imagining the worst case scenario, Marc grabs his gun from his travel bag and begins walking around the house in preparation to fight to the death for you. He hears both Steven and Jake from the headspace, trying to reassure him that you are safe and more likely to fall asleep. Though he appreciates the reassurance from them both, Marc’s mind can’t help but wander to think the worst.

As he finally approaches the door to your shared bedroom, Marc finds you asleep on your bed. Although, instead of snuggling into his side of the bed like you normally would when he was gone, Marc is shocked to see you snuggling up with a plushie that looks nearly identical to what he looks like when he wears Khonshu’s ceremonial armor as Moon Knight. Marc smiles to himself as he returns to his regular clothes, beginning to strip to nothing but his boxers and crawls into the bed to get well earned rest.

________________________________________

In the coming weeks, Marc notices how often you cuddle with the plush version of himself and is a bit restless to say the least. Though Marc is happy you have something to remind you of himself when he is away, the feeling isn’t there when he begins to notice that you sometimes even hug the mini him when you both are lounging around together in your room or living room.

Despite Marc always being a bit closed off at the start of your relationship, you helped him open up. Once feeling as if he had to wear the world on his shoulders, that feeling slowly faded away when he was around you.

No longer receiving those cuddles as often as he was once used to, Marc begins to devise a plan. One that will ensure he gets your attention.

________________________________________

As you finish showering and changing into your pajamas, you exit the restroom and enter the bedroom.

When you walk to the bed, you notice that your Moon Knight plushie is no longer laying on the side where you normally sleep. In shock, you look under the bed to make sure it isn’t there. Noting it isn’t there, you move your pillows to see if they aren’t under the bed.

“Marc”! Have you seen mini you?”, you ask.

Marc comes in and says he hasn’t but agrees to help you find him (unbeknownst to you that he hid it).

________________________________________

Thirty minutes of you two looking and not having any luck. Defeated, you lay on your bed a bit upset.

Marc gets into bed next to you and wraps his arms around you. He is a little shocked by the fact that you are upset about this.

Curious to understand why that is, he asks: “Why are you upset about losing the mini me”?

You answer.“Because it’s something to remind me of you when we aren’t together. Also, I figured it would be a good substitute for when you don’t want to cuddle me as I know I can be a bit too much sometimes.”

Everything begins to make sense to him. Marc goes to your closet to get something. When he comes back out, you see that he’s holding your missing plushie.

“I’m sorry I hid this from you”, he says ashamed. “I missed your cuddles and thought that mini me was taking away your attention from me. Despite what you may think, I love our cuddle sessions. It’s because of you, I feel safe enough to be vulnerable. Can you forgive me, baby?”

The moment Marc finishes, he is shocked to see you get up from the bed and grab the plushy from him. You put the plush on your bed and pull him in for a hug.

“You know you can ask me for cuddles whenever”, you say.

Marc looks at you with puppy eyes, “Can we cuddle now?”.

You take his hand and lead him both to your bed. Both of you get settled in with Marc laying his head on your chest as you run your fingers through his curls. Staying this way until sleeps takes over.

[sadtoru]

gojo satoru was 17 when he realized he loved you.

lets start from the beginning. you and gojo had been best friends since you were 7, being assigned the two (potentially?) strongest sorcerers at birth and all, it would take a lot not to meet each other before going to the same school in the future. you met at one of those stupid clan meetings where everyone brags about how rich they are blah blah. as the strongest, you two were basically allowed to do anything you want, no one could stop you anyways. but, you were still at a stage when you wanted your parents to be proud of you, so you followed them around for the meetings. somehow, your two clans forced got you to meet eachother. it didn't go so well as planned. you both glared at eachother, not believing one would be stronger than the other. hell you two almost got in a fight. after that, you did become friends after a few more meetings together. youd invite eachother to one anothers houses, play together, ect. just trying to be kids, yknow? sure you two were quite competitive, but you grew to become extremely close friends in about a year. little did you both know you'd grow up to rely on eachother so greatly.

but, what made him realize he might like you, was his best friend geto suguru.

suguru and satoru were sitting in class after it had ended, talking about who knows what, when you'd grabbed satorus attention for a second. "I'll see you at the cafe at 6, right?" you asked, to what couldve been anyone else in the room (suguru, shoko, satoru), but satoru immediately knew you were talking to him, because of your plans to check out that new cafe that everyone had been going crazy about. you two had a lot in common, and one of those similarities was your obsession with sweets. so you'd go on little trips dates together to get your daily dosage of sugar. he looked over in your direction to give you a salute, paired with a "yes ma'am!" you laughed and shook your head before leaving the classroom with shoko, heading to your dorm room. satoru subconsciously watched as you walked away with a smile on his face and a look in his eye, that didn't go unnoticed by suguru.

"you like her?" suguru asked him. satoru seemed to be lost in thought, since he didn't respond in any way. just kept staring st your unoccupied seat. suguru smirked and kicked him while his guard was down and he and his desk fell over together. "ouchhh. what was that for?!" he asked rubbing his head that hit the ground with a scowl, clearly annoyed. "you didn't answer me, whats got you so distracted huh?" satoru thought for a second. "that cafe, duh!" satoru rolled his eyes and left his seat on the floor, not caring to pick it up. suguru suddenly started laughing. satoru narrowed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. "what are you laughing about?" satoru asked. "oh nothing. just about how clueless you are to your own feelings" suguru wiped away a fake tear and started walking out of the classroom, followed by a confused satoru. "haa?! whats that supposed to mean you dick head?" gojo sweared, still oblivious to the hints suguru laid out. "for someone so "strong" you really are dumb when it comes to common sense" suguru casually insulted him. an irk mark appeared on satorus face and he went to punch suguru, but he dodged it in time. "just tell me what you're laughing about, what, y'too scared?" satoru tried to tease him to get the truth out of suguru. to which suguru merely chuckled. "I think I'll keep it to myself for now" suguru grinned and ran ahead of satoru. normally satoru would chase him and force suguru to answer him but he simply rolled his eyes and went the other way this time. ooc, I know, but he was busy with his thoughts.

a few days later, you and satoru had already went on your cafe date trip. everything was somewhat normal until this day. satoru had forgotten about what happened with suguru a few days ago. but a bit late at night past curfew, he was so confused with himself, he decided to ask suguru for help.

"suguruu!!" satoru slammed sugurus door open. lucky him, he was still awake so the annoying actions of a certain gojo that has never knocked in his life didn't phase him too much. satoru closed the door behind him, somewhat quietly, and that's when suguru knew something was up. 'satoru never shuts doors, so that means he has something important to say. a favor probably' suguru perceived satorus actions. "what's up" suguru asked simply, hiding his curiosity in satorus out of character behavior.

"suguru. i kinda need a favor. I just need to ask you something.." satoru rubbed the back of his head nervously. to this suguru lifted one brow. "I can't promise I'll answer it" suguru replied, deeming suspicious activity. "it's not anything you wouldn't wanna answer okay? just.. it's really weird.. I don't know.. It's just that, whenever I'm around y/n my heart randomly starts beating really fast, I get a little sweaty and I feel all nervous, and then I end up saying stupid stuff and-" he sighed as he put a hand through his hair in frustration. "it's been happening for awhile time but it doesn't happen around anyone else.. d'you know-" Suguru started laughing at him before he could finish his sentence. it started with a small chuckle until he burst out in full on laughter as satoru furrowed his eyebrows and frowned at suguru. "what's so funny? I'm asking for real advice here!" he huffed and went to open the door again to leave, but suguru stopped him.

"satoru, I think you're in love with her"

[halfadoginatank]

LIGHT A FIRE

Soap’s blood is extremely hot. Temperature-wise, but there's also something strange in it. He's nine when he has an open cut on his finger and doesn't pay attention to where his finger is, a drop of blood into the toaster, and. Boom.

So it functions more like a powerful conduit. When he's in his teens and his friends get their hands on some fireworks he finds out that opening one and adding some of his blood makes the explosion at least ten times more intense.

After that, Soap can admit he got a little obsessed. But his mother saw him reading and spending time in the shed a few meters away from the house and figured she didn't need to worry, as long as he was out of sight.

Soap doesn't exactly think about it too hard when he joins the military. His mother is, distant lately. Emptier, it was fun getting to do whatever he wanted when he was little with few expectations. It's not fun when he burns part of the shed he'd been staying in more frequently and his mother barely gives him a second glance.

He forged his mother's signature on the papers and didn't tell her where he was going. Just that he is. Then he spends two years trying not to look back.

They test his blood during physicals. He's tense the whole time, what if they put it in a machine and the shaking just makes it explode? Sure, it only ever exploded when mixed with extreme heat, and even then it wouldn't be too bad if there wasn't anything mixed with it.

It's not entirely unheard of for some humans to be weird. It's less like superpowers and more like a fancy mutation. Just, someone's parts may be different than a normal person's. The tests came back, and nothing exploded but there were odd chemicals in it. It's not undocumented by any means but they note it's a particularly weird thing to have in his blood and he can't exactly donate it, but it's not hurting him, and other than that he's O positive. They ask him if he's taking anything for his ADHD, and he tells them he doesnt need it, and then they let him leave.

His squadron notes the FNG is particularly good with explosives. He excels in it, he jokes that it's in his blood and no one else gets it. His uncanny ability to focus so hard on things lends itself well to sniping when he's properly trained, he likes that too. Lets himself learn more about the gun he uses, and what scopes are best, and although his math skills are lacking, he learns everything he needs to make the shot.

In year three he signs up for the S.A.S. He doesn't have his hopes up, but despite that he gets it. They have him on as a demolitions specialist. It's never made him happier, he gets access to a lot more than he had at his old base. More chemicals, he does his tests when he's allowed to, and doesn't spend much time as a private.

Then las almas. He considers that one of the most impressive things he's done explosion-wise. He blew up a tank and set charges expertly, using the blood from his scraped hands to cover the fuses and slather it on the C4. Every explosion was just as it always is, satisfying. Feels like the anticipation that builds is the perfect way to gather his anxieties, watching something go, those few seconds of nothingness, no sound just light. Then he watches the flames. Like he burnt that anxiety, burnt the anticipation. He's always loved explosions, but he's loved fire longer.

There is something else notable about Las Almas though. The first day he and the Marines set foot on the LZ he sees the tall man in a skull mask, having been told he’s his CO, and goes to talk to him. When he gets in range, just a few feet away. He shivers, it's less a shiver of cold and more like one of relaxation. The air around Ghost is cold, a chill that balances just how hot he really runs. When they ride in the back seat of Alejandro's car Soap tries to press himself closer to the man without Ghost noticing, it's just too comfortable. To finally not feel like he’s on fire.

Soap has been living comfortably ever since, he stays in Ghost's personal space, and he never seems to mind. somewhere in his head, he hopes his own heat brings the lieutenant some peace.

[thetravelingtyper]

Letters From Nowhere - 2 (CBF! Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish x Reader x Simon 'Ghost' Riley)

Finally at home, you spend some time with Johnny before dinner...

Warnings: FLUFF

Part 1, Part 3, Masterlist

Comradery - mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.

Your laughter lights the room, taking the nervousness away with it as you finally settle back into your tired body, and soon a yawn breaks up the laughter. Johnny smiles, looking at Simon as he rejoins your space, wooden bear in hand.

“Thinking it's nap time, we’ve got a few hours until dinner.”

The stoic man just nods,

“Back to work then.”

Johnny's hand at your waist moves out and grasps Simon's shoulder.

“Thank you Simon.”

It's heartfelt and something in Simon’s eyes shines, contentment or satisfaction you think. 

“O’ course Johnny.”

Simon then goes for the suitcases but Johnny mentions he’ll grab them.

“See you later.”

You both murmur a thank you and the larger man nods before heading down the stairs and out the door, presumably to return to his lumber. You both stand for a moment before you look to Johnny,

“He’s a good man.”

“Aye he is. Saved my life too many times to count.”

You nod before yawning again. Johnny chuckles and releases your hand to step over and grab your stuff.

“Come on Hen.”

You follow him, crossing the bridge to the other hallway. You move around him to open the door to your old room. A window draws in light in the room, cream walls lighting the way. In a corner is a queen bed and the rest of the walls are clear. You had taken most of your stuff with you when you left. What did remain was in boxes in another corner and your old desk. Stepping inside, you approach it and run a hand over the nicked and dented wood while sighing. You hear Johnny enter and set your suitcase against the wall. He sets your backpack next to your bed. 

You look at him.

“Where are you staying Johnny?”

“I’ve been bunking with Simon at Elizabeth’s while recovering but your parents also have me set up in the guest room as well. When I figured you were coming I started staying here to work on the house and the portrait.”

You nod to him in understanding. You move to your suitcase and kneel down to rummage through it, pulling out a more comfortable change of clothes. Johnny, seeing this mentions,

“I’ll go shower, I can collect you for dinner if you want to just be-”

You interject,

“Will you stick around Johnny, please ?”

He grins, 

“Of course.”

With that he exits to the guest room. You hear him down the hall before the door to the guest room closes.

Finally alone you take a deep breath before exhaling and running a hand through your hair.

You were finally home. 

With that thought you start to unpack. Tucking clothes into the dresser you are humored to find some knit cardigans, expertly cleaned and stored to prevent runs and pests from getting to them. You pull one out,  dark green with embossed lavender on it. There then is a bloom of warmth in your chest and you hug the garment to you for comfort. They were from Rachel when she had her craft phase. You couldn't stand to take them with you so you packed them away for when you could face them again. 

Setting it on the bed you pull out the others, a pastel and solid mix of pretty colors. Some captured moments of you together in a way. The deep blue of the ocean with the shadow of a ship in the sky, or whales in a pod floating by. They all provided a sense of home. As you finish setting your clothes away there is a knock at the door. 

You call a soft “come in” and Johnny enters. He is in a pair of sweats but wears no shirt. Without the bandages you can see the extent of the bruising and the scars that litter his toned abdomen. He approaches you, slowing down when he sees the cardigans. Your eyes gaze over his form, brows knitting together in concern when you notice a few entry wounds and the scar partially hidden by his hair. Without thinking about it you approach him and reach a hand up, brushing back his damp hair to examine the scar. There are signs of recent stitches but the wound has mostly healed.

His eyes trace your movement before returning to yours. When your fingertips finally brush his skin he sighs at the tender touch.

“Does it hurt anymore?”

“Not much, more just a dull throbbing. The nightmares are the worst things that happen at this point.”

You nod, the nightmares died down a year into your move, once the therapy really got going you made a sort of peace with yourself. 

You look at him for a moment, taking in the quiet with appreciation before giving a large yawn.

Johnny grins and you shake your head at him fondly before clearing the carangins to one corner of the bed and pulling back the covers. 

“Time for a nap then?” He goes for the door but you grab his arm gently and mention,

“Stay.”

His heart pounds in his chest, and for the first time in a long time, you see a light pink dust on his cheeks. He allows you to get into the bed first, laying down before he follows. The sheets are soft with a fluffy comforter that you pull over you.

On his back Johnny freezes, this wasn’t the first time you both had shared a bed. Growing up you were afraid of the dark and would often tuck into Johnny’s side as lightning would flash outside your window. He feels you shift before your hand seeks him and you roll yourself over to face him. When you pull lightly he does the same to face you. 

“What is it?” It's spoken slowly followed by a breathy exhale of your name when you shuffle into his space. His arms come around you then. There is a bubble of pride in him when you tuck your forehead into his chest. His hand begins to run through your hair and you slowly drift into a dreamless sleep. 

Hours pass peacefully until your phone buzzes at 6 pm. The dull tone on the wooden side table wakes Johnny who finds himself entangled with you. Your arms have wound themselves around him and your legs are entwined. He chuckled when you frowned in your sleep at his movement. Leaning forward he presses a kiss to your forehead and you squirm, with amusement dancing in his eyes, Johnny runs gentle hands along your back before trailing one under your right shoulder blade. 

After a few moments you jolt awake, arm moving to swat the man but he easily catches your hand. He continues the motion before you start giggling at the ticklish feeling. You wiggle in his grasp before dodging his hands and rolling onto your back, Johnny laughs before rolling as well, laying on his side to watch you. 

Your phone ringing again finally alerts you and you ask Johnny to pass you it, after which you pick up the phone. 

You answer with a hello and a male voice comes through the line.

“Did you land safely? You didn’t text me hun.”

You smile at his concern, going to reply when a hand comes around you. You look over to find Johnny close and his eyes focused. You run your hand over his and reply,

“I made it just fine, Buck.”

On the other end a dark haired man shuffles with papers behind a desk. He smiles into the phone,

“Remember to keep me updated.”

You hear him knock into something when a curse drops on the line and you laugh. The man smiles and you hear him setting his globe back on the desk. 

“Makin’ a mess?”

He is quick to quip back,

“Without you around? Always. I sent you some information regarding the sci fi book club we’re hosting. We need to go to dinner when you come home Darling.”

 Johnny frowns at the term of endearment he moves closer and tucks his head into your neck. You look down at him, a small smile spreading on your face.

“Will do Sarge. Have a good day.”

“Likewise” and with that you hang up the phone as Johnny’s arms wrap around you. You run your hand up the plains of his back.

“Sergeant?”

His voice is muffled in your neck,

“He served before joining the library a few years ago. He’s a sweet man. When he first joined I showed him around town before we went out a few times-”

That has Johnny perking up, the man lifts off to lean over you.

“You seeing him, Hen?” His voice comes out in a low rumble. 

You look up at him as the evening sunlight filters in golden orange rays through the blinds, and the light dances on his skin. You notice his muscles then, trained from years of combat. You watch his eyes focus and you raise a hand from underneath him to his chest. His muscles flex and he takes in a breath,

“No Johnny, we are just friends.”

The relief that floods his face is palpable and he droops. 

“Jealous Johnny?”

 He looks at you intently before dipping down, eyes moving to your lips.

“With you? Always.” 

His accent thickens at always and your heartbeat picks up as he hovers over you. Your eyes move to his lips and you find yourself wondering…

Your breath catches as he lowers his face towards your lips,

“Johnny-” It comes out in a whisper as your hands cup his face.

“Is this ok?” 

“Yes.” 

He grins then before leaning down and pressing his lips to yours. His lips are smooth and he shifts his weight, pressing lightly against you but keeping his weight off of you. One of your hands travels up to his hair and you feel him smile into your lips. He pulls away first before leaning back to sit on his knees next to you. You move up to lean against your headboard. Johnny’s hand moves to your calf before tracing up your leg. 

“I’ve been meaning to do that for years.” 

He traces circles into your knee, his hand engulfing your knee.

You soften then, leaning your head back to stare at the ceiling and smile when you see the glow-in-the-dark stars from ages ago you, Johnny, and Rachel put up. There were also shapes of the planets assembled in a mock recreation of the Milky Way. You reach a hand up to trace a crafted constellation of a bumblebee.

Seeing this Johnny looks up and smiles.

“What time is Elizabeth thinking about for dinner?”

You ask it looking down from your childhood sky, the fluttering images of bees and dragonflies swarming peacefully out of your vision. Johnny looks at you before pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Simon I think will be in by 7, he wanted to finish the raised beds.”

You perk up at the mention of the gardens, an eager smile on your face. Johnny grins and moves out of bed.

“Come on then Hen, we’ll go see how he’s doin’.”

You nod before moving to get out of bed, stepping past Johnny to reach for some more presentable attire before Johnny waves you off.

“Ye look fine, you’re home anyway.”

You look back to the cardigans and pull the whale one on to fight the chill of the October air. You were excited to be home at this time of year for halloween in two weeks. The cardigan still fits you perfectly, just a tab bit oversized with sleeves that could cover your fingertips. You sigh happily at the feeling of the soft wool. When your eyes return to Johnny you find him watching you with a look on his face.

It is something old in his eyes and you feel the weight of it on your heart. Your eyes widen as he observes, and you want to look away but fight yourself with the gathered courage of the kiss. He must see the shift in you because the intensity softens to a honey sweet gaze. His heart is on his sleeves as he steps forward, longing at his fingertips when he reaches out to touch your cheek. He had dreamed of your return for many years, kept busy with the fieldwork, the roar of combat would shift to your laughter in his dreams.

His thoughts trail off, memories of you plucked from the fields of his mind and bundled to stand right in front of him. But, like any wildflower, you’ve grown into your own. A vibrant being to behold. 

And here you were. 

“I’m here Johnny.”

The four syllables are almost sung to his ears, the smile pulling your voice up with it. 

He snaps to that moment when you take his hand and squeeze it and he blushes, the cocky confidence washed away to the man who has loved you from the beginning. He doesn’t say it but you can feel it, the yearning, the fight with himself between wanting to follow and letting you go. You feel his hand shake a little, a miniscule tremor as his eyes drop you murmur,

“Oh Johnny.”

 “Lass-” His voice is quiet,

You look at him and reach your other hand to pull him to your chest. He curls into your neck, his hair dry and fluffed up before you sweep it back while shushing him. His arms encircle you. The man in your arms crumbles down the last wall around your heart.

Memories flash then, Johnny moving here when he was 7, bullies and you and Rachel adopting him on the playground one fine spring day. Clambering into the tree house by the creek only to play. The tears that flowed when his parents moved back to Scotland, then the subsequent passing of his grandparents in his teens. Helping him to move in with Elizabeth and Rachel, becoming found siblings with her. Losing Rachel, Johnny had to be strong for you and Elizbeth but losing you broke something inside him. You both always skirted around each other but nothing ever came to fruition-

Perhaps, until now. 

He looks back up to you with tear simmered eyes. You run your fingers through his hair. Adjusting the waves like you would always fuss about. He seems to calm then before a serious glint dissolves the tears. He stands up straight in your arms before drawing you to him and kissing you intently. While the other kiss was a curious exploration this was full of intent, some quiet desperation seeping out as he turns to kiss you deeper. He pulls you flush to him by the small of your back and your hand falls to his arms. He parts from you with dilated pupils, the black of his eyes eclipsing the ocean. 

You both look at each other, a little shocked before Johnny dips to your neck with a chuckle. His nose ghosts your neck and you feel your face flush when he skims the base of your neck with his lips. His voice is a rumble, 

“Can’t let you go can I?” 

He feels you hum, vibrations, and a jumping pulse under his lips. You sigh in contentment, his hand coming to the back of your neck to cradle your head as he finally presses a kiss there.

“Might need to take Buck up on dinner then-”

The joke gets you a nip to the neck and you swat Johnny for that.  

“Johnny!”

He just laughs, a deep resounding sound before he pulls away from you. His eyes are half lidden and he leans his forehead against yours sweetly. 

“We better get moving before Simon comes looking for us.” You raise a brow when Johnny shrugs, an easy grin on his face,

“Do we have to?”

You gently smack his arm before attempting to untangle yourself from him. Despite your effort he doesn't budge. 

“Let me take you out.”

Your heart skips a beat,

“Sure, but we gotta go.”

With the confirmation he presses a swift kiss to the side of your lips and  lets you go with a grin, elation bubbling in his chest as he heads out of the room to change.

“Stubborn Scot” It's a fond mumble while you go to prepare yourself for dinner.

-

The fall chill gathers as Johnny opens the front door. He pulled on an old service shirt with a jacket. He steps out into the cold and you follow turning to lock the door before tucking your keys into your bag. You shoulder your bag before taking the first steps before a hand takes yours and intertwines your fingers. Johnny then pulls you against his larger form to block out the cold and you both head across the street to meet Simon.

Stepping over the curb you enter Elizabeth's wide yard before crossing through the gate and into the back. Behind the fence, a dense forest looms beaconing your inner child. You hear the sound of moving wood and look to find quite the sight. 

In 55 degree weather, Simon works only in jeans and boots. Your eyes widen at the extensive scarring that litter his taunt torso. You hear Johnny call out to him, squeezing your hand before releasing you to approach him. You follow a few steps behind as their quiet murmurs blend into the wind. You look up to Simon and find his eyes on you intently, you freeze upon seeing his unmasked face for the first time.

 As Johnny speaks, a smile curling on his face, his hand comes to Simon's shoulder as the other man nods. Dark eyes regard you and you watch Johnny carefully as confusion swirls in your form, but before you can doubt yourself, Simon smiles and your breath catches in your throat as his eyes soften at you. You sense then it is a rare sight to see, and you find yourself approaching the two. Sensing you coming Johnny opens his arms and you tuck yourself into them as the smell of Simon’s cologne and the fall washes over you.

You find yourself relaxing into the fabric of Johnny's jacket and a hand comes up to your hair. Fingers gently comb through your hair as the men talk. Simon shifts a few minutes later, moving behind to one of the raised beds. He lifts a small beam, the muscles in his back flexing, before setting it down and bracketing it into place. 

As you look over the other beds you notice the patch of sunflowers. Your lips turn up and you pull from Johnny to go see. But as you approach you hear a bark before a dash of brown tackles you into the grass. You go down with a yelp before an eager dog is kissing your face with a whine. 

“Jesus Riley down!” 

Your eyes blink open and you find a beautiful gray-eyed german shepherd sitting on your hip, her weight smushing the air out of your diaphragm and lungs. You feel her tail thump against your legs before there is a call of her name from Simon as the man's steps clamber over. She just whines and chooses to lay down on your prone form, tucking her snout into your chin.

“Riley, come.” The baritone of his voice is over you now but the down refuses to comply instead looking at you and whining. Your hands dig into her coat behind her ears and she gives a satisfied grunt.

Johnny starts to laugh, throwing an arm over Simon as the older man shakes his head.

“Ye spoil that dog rotten, I told you she had good taste in people.”

Simon gives a hum, a small smile tugging on his lips at you playing with the rescue, 

“Right there Johnny.”

The dog's tail thumps against your legs faster and she starts giving a low woof  the sound breathy and playful.

“You gotta let me up sweetheart.” 

Your voice comes out in a laugh, the dog cocks her head but steps off you immediately as a hand drops down to help you up. 

You take it and Simon pulls you effortlessly, his hand is warm from the work and rough, and he holds yours a moment longer, looking into your eyes,

“She likes you,” he squeezes your hand before letting go, the look in his eye warming your heart. Seeing you are up, the dog comes to sit at your feet, her tail thumping. You can feel Simon's warmth, look up to him, and find Johnny looking at him. They look at each other and something warm passes between them because Johnny's head comes to Simon's shoulder. A flicker of affection passes the lieutenant's eyes before he turns to you.

You feel your heartbeat in your ears at the affection and then you realize there must have been something there. You find your heart starting to rear but a large hand comes to your head, brushing through your hair. Your eyes widen and an arm runs around your middle as Johnny pulls you to his chest. You look up to him, eyes wide in question and he nods, your heart pulls but Simon’s hand brushes the leaves out of your hair gently and you look to him to find warmth in his eyes.

“Are you guys together?”

The question comes in a whisper as you try to calm your racing heart, how he was looking at you spoke of stories. Riley whines, licking your palm as Simon's hand pulls the last leaf from your hair. 

“No”

It's Simon that speaks, his hand coming down your cheek gently. Your heart picks up when there is a knowing shine in his eyes. He finally got to meet you, the one that shaped and saved his beloved Johnny. 

“Johnny?”

Your voice comes out small, and he is there instantly, nose tucked into your hair.

“It's all up to you sweetheart. Nothing will take me from your side.”

Its simon who speaks next,

“I’d like to take you out, Love.”

Your heart hammers at that, his hand now cupping your jaw. Unlike Johnny’s shining love, warm like the childhood sun, Simon’s affection is calm, more cool and soothing to your jittering heart. A light like the moon shining in his eyes.  

 “We would like to.” 

Johnny adds grinning and Riley barks in time, nudging your leg suddenly making you stumble. Simon's arm winds around you and Johnny smiles when you blush.

“Riley!”

At your call she just whines, pawing at your legs. Simon’s thumb brushes down your cheek, soft as a whisper. He grasps your hand and lifts it to his lips, pressing a kiss on your knuckles. Testing yourself you curl your fingers around his and he smiles.  

“You’re sweet Dove.”

His affirmation builds your confidence. You found the man to be charming, his scars and care for Johnny in all. You explore then, releasing his hand to grasp at his face. His cheeks are warm, rough with the occasional scar, he leans into your touch. 

“I think I’d like that.” 

You reply to Johnny, said man smiles, tugging you back to him to spin you around. 

He laughs, a sound that lights up your heart and Simon’s. You brace your hand on his shoulders when he finally slows, his arms around your waist. He gently sets you down when he kisses you passionately.

The sudden action takes the breath from your lungs. He takes the initiative then, nipping your lip, before tucking you into his arms and holding you close. You close your eyes and just wrap your arms around his heart racing when you see Simon’s lips quirk up and Riley barks when the man moves.

“‘Bout time for dinner love birds.”

His voice rumbles as he passes you two, his hand ruffling Johnny's hair before heading to a workbench by the porch.  He stretches, pulling his back and rolling his shoulders. He then calls RIley who trots over to him, he heads to the sliding door and pulls it open before stepping in.

Riley stops at the edge of the door, turning to look back at you before barking. 

You pat Johnny on the back and he huffs, releasing you.

You then approach the door, hearing Riley’s tail thump harder against the siding of the house at your approach. She then play bows and darts into the house followed by you and Johnny.

Fin

Special things to @breakawayresin for looking at some of this beforehand <3

[duskyashe]

NaNoWriMo Day #16

[masterlist] [part one] [part three] [part four]

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Bruce sat in the bat cave, long after he'd sent his kids to bed. In his hands were the batarangs Phantom had gifted him. They were unnaturally cold in his hands, but the chill never became painful. In fact, it was strangely almost comforting.

Thinking back on Phantom, Bruce wasn't sure what to make of their meeting. The kid seemed to be a few years younger than Tim, and had all but told them he was being hunted. Phantom had come to them seeking protection from someone, or multiple someones, for himself and four others, most of which were kids. On one hand, it made his heart ache, knowing these kids had to run from their previous homes, their "haunt". On the other hand, Phantom's genuine belief that they were something beyond human was obvious and more than a bit unsettling (he ignored the part of him that reveled in that belief, the part that had him on edge before an Arkham breakout, the part that saw Phantom and whispered "other, different, like me".)

His kids had held similar reservations, though they'd all agreed Phantom wasn't a threat. His gifts, though obviously magical and not human in nature, had felt benign and were reasonably well thought out, and though the level of research each gift had symbolized was slightly worrying, Babs had assured them she'd closed all the holes in their internet security those gifts had exposed. In the end, they'd all agreed to honor Phantom's request for refuge. The kid's relief was profound and practically soul deep, which reassured Bruce they'd made the right choice.

As Bruce fiddled with his new batarangs, which held a very faint green sheen at the edges, he remembered the moment his "feeling" had reached its peak. Something had changed, something big, when he'd accepted Phantom's gifts. He still didn't know what, exactly, had happened, but he'd felt some sort of shift in the energy Gotham exuded, in his children, in him. He had felt the sense of connection between him and his children grow ever so slightly stronger, and he knew they'd felt it, too.

Bruce flipped the batarang in his dominant hand and caught it with ease, returning it to the holster with a sigh. Whatever Phantom was, whoever he was running from, whatever his presence meant for his family, and Gotham as a whole, Bruce had a feeling they'd be crossing paths with him again soon.

=============‹«⟨·•★•·⟩»›=============

Danny phased invisibly into his and Jazz's apartment, turning human as he sat at the table with a thoughtful frown on his face. Jazz looked over at him from the stove, a questioning look on her face, though she didn't pry, which he was thankful for. He needed to gather his thoughts before he explained what had happened tonight.

When Jazz placed a bowl of spaghetti in front of him, Danny took a deep breath. "You owe Sam ten bucks," he started, smiling at Jazz's soft curse. "Condor is definitely connected to death, but they're equally connected to life, and the only being or creature we know of that is perfectly balanced between life and death, that isn't a halfa, is a phoenix. They also don't have that slimy, necromantic feel liches are supposed to."

Jazz hummed as she swallowed her mouthful. "What about the others? How close were we on our guesses of them?"

"Well, Batman is definitely a guardian deity, and Gotham is definitely his territory. Ibis, who I actually interacted with, was also spot on, definitely a kitsune. You should have seen them move, Jazz, it was almost ethereal how gracefully they moved. Oh, and Starling? Definitely at least related to banshees. I don't think they're a true banshee, because that connection to death wasn't there, but they're at least related to banshees." Danny paused to take a few bites before continuing. "I think Signal is a Will-o'-the-wisp, actually. You know how I thought they'd be a vengeful spirit? Having been in their presence, I gotta say, not very vengeful. Very mischievous, somewhat malicious, but mostly protective, strangely enough. Same with Raven, they practically ooze protective vibes, along with some very pointed trickster energy. I think Raven might be some sort of protection based deity, under Batman's authority, with strong trickster leanings, which is an interesting mix in my opinion. Oh, and Robin is definitely fae, they've got a very ethereal look to them, paired with their grace and general mischievousness, there's no doubt. BlackBat is more difficult to say. I think they're either a shape changing shadow wolf or otherwise just living shadows. Even when they were illuminated by my glowy self, I could barely see them. It was trippy, I'll tell you that much right now."

They continued eating in silence for a bit before Jazz asked, "So am I signing the full lease tomorrow, or are we moving on?"

Danny grinned. "Oh no, we're good. Batman actually told me to get the others here as soon as possible." His grin mellowed to a small, warm smile. "I think he's worried about them, Jazz. When I mentioned only two of us were currently in Gotham because the others weren't able to come with us when we left, he asked if we needed help getting them here. He seemed to relax when I told him we had a plan and that they were just waiting for the go-ahead from our end."

"Are you going to call them after we finish dinner, then?" Jazz asked, taking another bite.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, Ellie will grab them in the middle of the night. They'll wait until morning with Frostbite before portaling in so we can get the lease signed." He paused, stirring his spaghetti absentmindedly as he thought. "I think," he started haltingly. "I think the bat clan aren't actually aware they're not human."

Jazz paused, spaghetti falling off her fork and back into her bowl as she stared at him in shock. "What do you mean, how could they not know their own natures? You guys pegged them as eldritch beings as soon as you discovered them, they have to know!"

"I don't know, they just. They didn't seem to understand why I was giving them gifts or behaving the way I was. They also looked very confused at a few of my gifts, like they weren't sure why I'd chosen that specific thing for them, even though it makes sense for what kind of being they are!" Danny huffed. Then he sighed. "If they don't actually know what they are, then someone needs to explain it to them. They deserve to know what they are, especially because some of their species have very specific instincts that could be very confusing, even terrifying, for someone who thinks they're human. I... Should I offer to teach them more about themselves next time I see them?"

Jazz looked at him with a small smile. "If you think they'd be receptive to it, I think that'd be for the best, especially if you're right about them thinking they're human. I highly doubt we'll be the only Fright to seek asylum here, after all."

Danny nodded. "Then tomorrow night, I'll make the offer. If we get kicked out because I offend them, then at least we'll all be together."

=============‹«⟨·•★•·⟩»›=============

This would have been longer, or at least done sooner, if I hadn't had an ocular migraine come out of nowhere earlier today (⁠´⁠-⁠﹏⁠-⁠`⁠；⁠) but after a two hour nap, I could actually see again, so I was finally able to get to work on this ficlet! ✧⁠\⁠(⁠>⁠o⁠<⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠✧ I had a lot of fun coming up with what the members of the Batfam had managed to become due to the entire city believing them to not be human (⁠◡⁠ ⁠ω⁠ ⁠◡⁠) Jason was fun, cuz I hadn't really thought about what exactly liches were before, so when I realized that Voldemort from Harry Potter was basically a textbook lich, I knew I had to change my initial plan for Jason (⁠^⁠～⁠^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ but hey, now he gets super strength and the ability to heal himself from anything, including death! Much better than being able to create essentially undead thralls lol (⁠◠⁠‿⁠◕⁠)

I'm seriously hoping to continue this into at least one more part, with the Bats coming to terms with and learning more about their new supernatural status, possibly even the Justice League initiating contact with the distinctly not human protectors of Gotham, but we'll have to see what prompts I find (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

OH! ALSO! I'm so close to reaching 200 followers! When I do, I'm thinking of celebrating somehow, but I'm not sure what to do. If any of you have any ideas, please, let me know! I might take your suggestion to heart (⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆ also, if I get to 260 by the 26th of this month, I'll do another celebration lol

Y'all are awesome, thank you so much! I've got some more people who asked to be tagged in this continuation, so here's hoping I get them all again! @airis-hunter, @little-pondhead, @stealingyourbones, @crystallicedart, @summerfox1988, @minnesota-fats, @edgemcjee, @fire-glass, @f4nd0m-fun, I think you all asked to be tagged (or at least heavily implied it) if I continued my fake cryptids real ghosts au, so here ya go!

Have a good morning/day/night!

[laylajeffany]

A twisted reimagining of canon events for Enid in the alternate universe setting within this penultimate chapter

[iamnotthere-idonotdie]

adored, pt. 3

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synopsis: reader and bruce continue spending time together, but a tragedy in gotham city seems to change his mind about whether this can work

warnings: bruce wayne (battinson) x reader, no explicit description of sex, one use of “fuck”

a/n: final part of this story, i was hoping to incorporate this idea that bruce is concerned about the safety of being with him, he knows his role as the batman is dangerous and anyone in association with him is in danger too, maybe he wouldn’t actually think this way but i always thought he’d be concerned about getting too close to people, again maybe that’s ooc but that’s just where my mind went, i was inspired this time by the song i won’t let you go by snow patrol (yes from the divergent soundtrack) so here’s the playlist link again if you’d like, as always sorry about the typos that are probably here

thanks by the way for the likes on the first two parts! i didn’t even think anyone would read these let alone like them so i appreciate it :) i’m working on a few other stories that are also bruce wayne/batman x reader so i’m excited to get those out, i’m hoping that over time and with more practice i’ll get better at writing, so i guess just bear with me as i work on it!

edit: link to part 2 and part 1

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you finally make your way out of bruce’s bed in the morning. you find your way out of the twisted sheets and step into the cold hardwood floor. bruce isn’t there, he must already be awake. you rub your eyes as you try to adjust to the sunlight creeping through the gap in the almost closed curtains. bruce walks in, holding two mugs of what you’re hoping is hot coffee. he hands you one and sits next to you on the bed. the two of you stay there for a while, sipping your coffee, silent, just like the last time you met.

“how are you feeling?” he asks. you think he’s still concerned about last night, about the paparazzi.

“i’m good. very good” you smile and rest your head on his shoulder.

“me too” he says softly, as he wraps his arm around you.

the rest of the day is spent with the two of you laying in bed, talking, kissing, him falling asleep multiple times. he seems exhausted, so you let him sleep, then he wakes up and pretend-scolds you for letting him drift off again. it’s a perfect day, with just each other.

sunset comes around and you almost ask if you can stay another night. before you get the chance though, bruce comes up to you and hands you a set of new pajamas and some other clothes. he says he asked his butler to go out and buy you some extra things to wear.

“thank you, you didn’t need to do this.”

“you only have your outfit from last night.”

“i could’ve gone home.”

“i didn’t want you to.”

this night is spent similarly to last, with the two of you spending it under covers, together. you think to yourself that you don’t want this weekend to ever end. you want to always stay, right here, with him.

the next morning though, bruce’s mood has shifted. you wake up alone again, but this time you’re not met with a cup of coffee. you’re not met with a good morning, a smile, nothing. you change into one of the outfits bruce gave you and find him downstairs in the living room, reading through some folder. he quickly closes it when he notices you and it sets it down on the table he’s standing next to.

you look at the television on the wall that’s playing the news, and see an anchor talking in a concerned tone.

“last night, on the edge of town, blue ridge factory suffered a sudden explosion. eleven are dead and 19 more are injured, including 3 currently in intensive care. law enforcement are still unsure about the cause of the explosion, and though they suspect it was accidental, they are not ruling out foul play.”

“oh my god,” you say in shock. “that’s so horrible.”

bruce walks towards you slowly, keeping his eyes on the television.

“what happened, do you think? do you think it really was an accident?” you ask him. you can feel a lump in your throat. all those poor people, their families.

“i don’t know.” he quietly replies.

“it’s just so sad. maybe the batman can help them with the investigation. he helped with the riddler.”

bruce just continues staring at the television.

“yeah. maybe.” he says flatly.

he walks out of the room, taking the folder from the table with him.

you’re still horrified at what happened at the factory, but you’re now also confused at bruce’s reaction to it. maybe he’s just more upset about it than you thought. you stay there, watching the news, and a few minutes later bruce comes back, no folder in hand.

“alfred can take you back home today whenever you want.” he says flatly.

you turn to him, surprised at the sudden change in mood.

“oh.. okay.”

“something just came up that i need to take care of.”

“alright.”

you get up from the couch and head towards the door. figuring that what he really means is that you should go, now. bruce’s butler has packed up your things and is coming down the stairs with it now. you pause for a moment at the door, then turn back to look at bruce.

“i had a good time this weekend. thank you.”

bruce slowly walks towards you, then gently puts his hand on your face.

“i did too.” and he kisses you. you can’t help but sense a sadness in his eyes as he says goodbye. you walk out the door, get into the car, and drive away. all the while hoping, praying, begging, that this goodbye is the last.

…

it’s been five days. no word from bruce. you’ve woken up every day hoping that this wasn’t it, that you wouldn’t become just an every-two-week hookup.

you’re sitting there at your desk, at your same job, waiting, like everyday, for 5pm to come so you can leave. you of course haven’t gone back to the bar. in fact you haven’t gone much of anywhere besides work. you just don’t see the point.

you look at the clock and see 4:59 blinking at you. as you start to gather your things, you hear the door swing open. you sigh, ready to put on a happy face for this annoying person who decided to walk in right as you’re closing. you look up from your bag though, and it’s bruce.

you’re shocked. what was he doing here?

“hi,” he says quietly.

“hi,” your reply.

“i need to speak with you” he looks concerned.

fuck. this is it.

“okay, do you want to talk here?”

“we can go back to my place.”

“okay.”

you get up from your desk and follow him outside to his car. luckily, no one’s there with cameras so you don’t have to worry about being in the news again.

after a minute of riding, bruce reaches over and puts your hand in his, silently. you hold his back and he squeezes slightly, and you feel butterflies in your stomach.

when you get back to his home, you’re appalled to see vans and a crowd of people waiting outside the gate.

“oh my god,” you say as you stare out the window at them. “what are they doing here?”

bruce seems just as confused as he looks at them too.

“someone must have seen me leave with you at work,” you start thinking out loud. “and they all decided to come here and wait for us to come.”

bruce just stays silent, clearly angry that they’ve come to his home.

you pull into the long driveway and the two of you do your best to get inside as quick as possible. you sit in the same living room as you did before, and you wait to see if bruce is going to tell you what he needed to talk to you about. he just comes and sits down next to you.

“so… what did you want to talk about?” you ask, trying to approach this delicately in case it’s going to turn into a sensitive conversation.

“it’s about this. about us.”

you wait for it, for the end.

“i don’t think it’s a good idea.”

you just sit there for a moment. you knew it was coming, but it doesn’t take away from the sting of hearing him say it out loud.

“is it because of the press?”

“partially but… no it’s just… not…”

he stutters over his words.

“what is it? is it me?”

“no… it’s…”

“then what bruce? if you’re going to cut this off then i at least deserve to know why.”

he sighs and gets up from the couch. you sit there still, looking up at him, waiting for an answer.

“i’m not safe.”

…what? what does he mean he’s not safe?

“being with me, is not safe. the paparazzi, the press, all of that can be handled. it’s the others who are the issue… i have a lot of enemies being me, having this,” he gestures around him. “and a lot of those enemies take their hatred into their own hands. i can only do so much to protect you from it. you’re not safe with me.” his voice trails off with sadness as you just look at him.

that seems a bit dramatic to you. sure he’s had issues with people before, threats and the like, but he’s always been okay. why is he now starting to get worried?

“i’m not afraid of all that. i’ll be okay.”

“i can’t guarantee that. and i can’t knowingly put you in harms way. the one thing those people know how to do is hurt, and if they see us, then they’ll try to use you against me. and i can’t allow that to happen to you.” his voice starts to rise a bit and you can tell he’s getting more and more upset.

“bruce…”

“i’m sorry.”

he looks at you with tears in his eyes and you stand up to comfort him, but he swiftly walks out of the room, leaving you to contemplate everything he just said. his butler slowly approaches you and asks if you’d like a ride home. all you do is nod as he takes you out the back door to the garage where you can leave without being seen by the hoard out front.

you cry the whole drive home. you cry over bruce, over losing him, over what he said to you. when you stop at your apartment, alfred looks in the mirror at you.

“i’m sorry about this. bruce is… well, he has some trouble letting people in. and when he does, he tries to do everything he can to not lose them. even if that means pushing them away.”

you look back at him, wondering if that’s really true.

“thank you for the ride, sir.”

“anytime.” he smiles sadly at you and you leave the car and head up to your apartment. crying in here has become an all too common practice for you. you lay in bed, tears flowing, and you eventually cry yourself to sleep.

…

it’s day six since you had that talk with bruce. day six of trying to forget him. but when he’s the richest, most famous man in the city, it becomes quite difficult to avoid reminders.

as you sit in your living room, drinking a glass of wine, in and out of crying fits, you suddenly get the urge to snap out of this self-pity and get dressed up. something about putting on a nice outfit makes you feel better, even if there’s no where to go and no one to see.

but once you get the outfit on, you get a weird feeling. you don’t know why, but something’s telling you to go the bar. maybe you need to go once by yourself to get some closure. maybe you want to listen to the music. maybe you just want a stronger drink. but for whatever reason, you leave your apartment and get a taxi there.

it’s pretty crowded tonight, your usual table is taken by a young couple. you sit at a different spot across the room, giving you a clearer view of the door. you try not to look at it as you sip your drink, but every time the door swings open, you can’t help but glance over to see who it is. it’s never him. hours go by. couples have come and gone. the band has switched to a more quiet setlist. you’re on your third drink. and you miss him. by god, do you miss him. you miss dancing. you miss his bed. you miss his rare smiles. you start to feel the tears again as you see the door open out of the corner of your eye. surely another person has left, leaving you in a near-empty bar. but you look over and you see him. he stands there for a moment, and you just look at each other.

without thinking you stand up, walk over to him, and kiss him. he holds you tightly and you fall into him, letting his embrace overwhelm you. you finally pull away from each other and you notice the camera flashes outside through the windows. you look up at him and he smiles.

“we can handle them.” he says.

“yes, we can.”

“we can handle whatever anyone throws at us.”

“yes, we can.”

he starts to pull away but you continue holding, willing him to not let you go, not yet.

he puts his arms around you again and holds you tight.

“i’m here. i won’t let you go.”

…………………………………………………………………………………….

[itwoodbeprefect]

one thing i have to hand to people online who leave reviews on obviously low budget westerns is that at least they don't complain that it's an obviously low budget western. it seems that i can't say this for some of the people leaving reviews on obviously low budget queer movies

[thehotgrandparent]

Sometimes I wanna delete my older fics, but they might be someone’s favorite fic even tho it’s not really good

[elvisabutler]

be kind rewind

summary: your new husband should know sex tapes are probably a bad idea but you both have packed schedules for the next almost year. who are you to fault him for wanting to remember how you are in bed. fandom: austin butler | elvis ( 2022 ) rating: m pairing: austin butler x priscilla actress reader ( little dove verse, you read your lines verse w/e ) word count: 2083 warnings: normal priscilla actress reader warnings apply for this. daddy kink. collars. the usual. if you're reading this knowing my jam with them, i don't need to over warn. p in v sex ( protected, dove has a birth control patch ). sex tape. blink and you very very much miss it puppy kink. stupid love birds being in love. talk of their former break up. no use of y/n, just nicknames. author's note: here's the double dip fic for day 17 of kinktober, sex tape with austin butler x priscilla actress reader. so i set this once again in the future for them when they're happy but pre-oscars so austin is about to go from the press junket to dune to bikeriders and dove is going to be going to her projects. so they will be apart for a while. the vegas wedding on the press junket happened so they're married as well. enjoy. i had this in my drafts for a while but i finally finished it.

"Aus, do you know if the camera is set up right?" You ask from your perch on the bed. You're dressed in your laciest set of lingerie despite Austin making jokes about how you could be naked for the start of this and he wouldn't care.

For his part, he is actually naked when he comes into the camera view after checking for what seems like the fifteenth time that everything is fine. He nods slowly, stalking over to you like you're prey. "Positive, and it's not connected to any laptop or computer. We're safe. Dove, I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't take every precaution for it getting leaked. You know how I am about that."

He's seen what leaked sexual things can do to a person he loves and while you make him selfish and make him want to throw every rule he might have about relationships and his limits out the window, he would die rather than to cause you harm- intentional or otherwise. After all, hadn't you both done enough of that to each other already?

His body is like a big cat or a crocodile slinking over to your with intent in his eyes and his cock surprisingly already ready for the occasion. You eye him under lidded eyes, your hands moving down to play with your lace covered breasts. Austin's lips curl into a smile.

"Already getting started without me?" He chuckles, climbing on top of you, his hand moving to cover your own.

"Figured you wanted a show before watching us fuck." You bite your lip, attempting the best doe-eyed look you can manage before you kiss him softly, your lips gently caressing his as your tongue presses against his lips.

"You're acting like I'm not going to have you on the phone when I'm watching this every day." He smirks into the kiss, knowing you'd find the image he's trying to paint of him being so needy for you that he has to get off to this every single day more than a bit intriguing.

You buck your hips up just a little, only to be stopped by his hand grasping your hip. "Every day, Aus? And you call me needy and insatiable." Your teeth dig ever so slightly into his lower lip, pulling it into your mouth as you continue to kiss. "I'll be on set, I can't have phone sex with you every second."

"You sure about that?" He grunts, his hand on your hip moving to slide your underwear down. "They can make an exception. Tell them you need to talk to your Daddy."

The light slap across his chest has him snickering into yet another kiss as he pulls your panties down finally- exposing your warm cunt to the air. You shiver slightly as you speak. "Everyone knows my dad is dead, and no one needs to know I have the most perfect Daddy waiting for me on his own set. Waiting for me while filming with some very famous actors." Your hand slides down his torso to his aching cock, it's a little red, furiously leaking precum like it's going out of style. It would have been a shame if you didn't wrap your hand around it, stroking it ever so gently.

Austin groans at the feel of your hand sliding against his cock, rutting just a second before gaining some control over himself. "Maybe I want them to know. Maybe I want all those people you're going to be filming with that you wear my collar when things get to be too much. That you don't take off that necklace I gave you when you asked me to be your daddy. That there isn't a hope for them to replace me as your husband."

A breath and a retort both get lost in hearing his words, in hearing him call himself your husband. You'd have thought since you got married that it would lose its charm. That the way your marriage came out would somehow dampen the joy you feel hearing him call himself your husband, but it doesn't. Just in the same way getting to call him Daddy in public if you want hasn't, just like being able to touch him and have him ghost his hand over your neck when you're in public and can't be wearing your collar or when nothing you could wear jewelry wise achieves the same effect hasn't. Everything about getting to be with him even the parts where you're promising to do Zoom therapy with your couples therapist and with your own separate therapists just makes you feel at peace in a way you never thought was possible. You feel Austin's lips curl into a smile against the part of your neck not covered by your collar as he moves down to kiss it, nipping slightly the closer he gets to your chest.

"Cat got your tongue?" He asks running his tongue over your skin after a particularly rough nip that has you keening ever so softly.

You glare at him before you frown, letting go of his cock and tilting your hips up in an effort to get him to enter you. In an effort to feel his cock inside you so that he can see how it looks on the camera. You want to manage words, want to say something to him about how it's normally the cat that has his tongue occupied but he's right there above you and you know that you've only got about a week left of time with him before you both have to be on opposite ends of the world. The idea of teasing is nice. The idea of reminding him this is the brat you fell in love with is nice. The idea of reminding him that he picked you to be his- Cilla, sub, wife- his everything is nice but you just want to feel him inside of you. You just want to have him fuck you.

His eyes widen just a hair before he looks at you and you can see his pupils are blown, see that he's so aroused at just the sight of you existing next to him and normally that means he'd just slide right in. As you look closer though, you see this hint of something else, almost like he's awestruck that you're here with him, that after everything, you're here with him. Yeah, you'll be seperated for a while- but you'll still be his, it won't be like the last time where you two wanted each other so bad but neither one of you actually fixed the issue. This time around you're together, you're happy, you're going to be able to fly to each other and give each other nose kisses and- it fills him with love. So instead he takes his time, hissing at the first moment of gripping his cock with your cunt.

"Satnin-" You whisper, the old nickname slipping out purely on accident. "Don't take your time. Fuck me, please."

It's as if hearing that nickname, that nickname that you've avoided saying since you got back together breaks a dam within him, allowing him to start thrusting into you, slowly at first, still but increasing in pace with every thrust. Your hands move to his back, scratching at it inadvertently earning a snarl from him that has you pulling away. This isn't meant to be an animalistic fuck but if Austin's going to be that way you can't help the way you growl back, your tone low enough to sound like a dog. Your eyes widen just a hair at it, wondering where that came from before looking into Austin's eyes, waiting for him to pull back and safeword or something before you see his eyes narrow just a hair and see a smirk cross his lips. He leans forward just a bit before grabbing at your collar, his words whisper over your lips.

"Calm down, puppy. Daddy's got his little bitch. Maybe if you're good we can go for a walk later, hm?"

The way your cunt clenches just a bit from those words is something you faintly need to file away for later possible exploration. Still, you shake your head and pull Austin down into another kiss, groaning as you feel one of his hands- how had it even gotten there- drift toward your clit, thumb moving to press against it. You want this to last, want to make sure he's got enough footage to actually enjoy himself while you're both not near each other but you can feel your orgasm starting to build, starting to inch toward the precipice when Austin pulls out of you completely and you scream in frustration. You're about to start cursing him to the heavens, asking him what the hell that was for before you hear him whispering words into your ear and making sure your face is seen by the camera. His words are half slurred, but he's forcing them out, like he had planned it.

"I love you. Before you cum on camera, I need you to know I love you. I need to see what you look like when I tell you this. I need to see what you look like when I tell you that I'm going to miss touching you and feeling you underneath me. I know we can fly to see each other, I can call you every day but I'm not going to have my wife by my side. After spending all these months with you and rebuilding our relationship from the ground up. After spending almost a year without you being my Little Dove. I love you so much, baby. This is what's going to help me get off, yeah, the rest of this is gonna be hot, but this- your face when I'm telling you this is what's going to remind me of you and make me remember who I have waiting for me at home."

Maybe it's the fact that you were so close to cumming beforehand or maybe it's the fact that Austin's still rubbing tiny circles on your clit when he says this but you can't help the way that even though you're tearing up a little from his sweet words your mouth opens as you let out a silent cry, cumming, your cunt clenching around nothing, but still feeling as if you've been satisfied in every way that's possible. You register him entering you again and you let out a small huff of air at it before you look back at his face, your eyes mildly glassy. "Daddy, that was mean."

He laughs softly, his thrusts becoming a little messy as you try and use old kegel tricks to try to get him to cum. "A little, but I gotta let my Dove, my wife know how much I love her. Can't have her falling for someone else. Getting a new Daddy or Mama."

A kiss is the only answer Austin gets in response to that, your hands moving down to his ass to just squeeze at it. You could tell him that you're not going to replace him as long as he won't replace you but you figure he knows. It doesn't take long for him to cum having already been relatively close himself and when he does he sort of flops on you, breathing heavily like he's run a marathon which you could argue he had. There's a few minutes where you just let him lay on top of you, your hand tracing shapes on his back before either one of you speak.

"Are you getting hard again?" You try and bite back the giggle at the knowledge but it's hard to especially after Austin's fingers start to slide into your cunt.

"Maybe. Ready to go again?" He asks, nuzzling at your neck and placing soft kisses along your jaw.

You hum softly. "Of course, old man, I'd hate for you to have such a short tape. It'd be such a bad mark on my filmography."

If it takes you two another five minutes of the camera still rolling before you actually start having sex again? Well this just for you and him, it's not the worst thing to have it be natural. Of course, it might have led to it being a two hour long video but you two were professionals, of course you had to make movie long video for your own personal sex tape.

[worldismyne]

Rated T

Pair: Harv/Finn

Summary: Finn’s never been dumped before, and he takes it just as well as you would think. By immediately trying to date the next person he meets. (Modern AU)

AN: FINALLY GOT AROUND TO FINISHING THIS. I know I've been busy with other fandoms, but I didn't forget about this. Writer's block can be a devil, but I managed to finally get inspired to wrap it up.

[fortune-maiden]

Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ling Wen & Pei Ming & Shi Wudu Characters: Ling Wen (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Pei Ming (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Shi Wudu, Mu Qing (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Jun Wu (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Feng Xin (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Lang Qianqiu Additional Tags: Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic, Headaches & Migraines, Sicktember, Originally posted on Tumblr but finally crossposing on ao3 two years later. With Edits, Mother Hen Shi Wudu, Martial Gods caring about Ling Wen! Summary:

Faced with the realization that their usual scribe was absent, the heavenly officials present suddenly had a much more interesting topic to discuss. Bewilderment was voiced, accusations were thrown, and once again the court threatened to descend into chaos until Jun Wu cleared his throat.

“Ming Guang,” he called out in his steady authoritative tone. “Where is Ling Wen?”

Pei Ming, having stood calmly and silently the whole time, raised his head and replied, “Taking a sick day.”

-

I don’t think I’m going to be participating in Sicktember this year, but I’ve finally cleaned up one of my old sicktember fics and tossed it onto ao3 :D (previously posted on tumblr but i made some revisions. SWD is 20% more Mother Hen now!)

[nattyontherun]

preview of smth new I'm working on via sketch: